Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-05-01
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
SERMONS IN STONES. BY REV
T. DE WITT TALMACE.
"what Mean Ye by These stones?' the
Text ON the Evening Of the DIED.
icatio Oh of the New Brooklyn
Tabernacle.


months OF April and May the SHOWS or
Mount Lebanon thaw and flow down into
the valley, and the Jordan oyernows lis
banks. Then IL Il wide, deep raging anu
impetuous. At this season OF the year l
hear the tramp OF forty thousand armed
men coming down 10 cross the river. You
say, why do they not go up nearer the rise
! OF the river at the old camel ford! All my
! fricrds, il Is because IL Is not SAFE 10 20
around when the Lord tells us TO 20 ahead.
The Israelites had been going around forty
years and they had enough OF II. | do not
know how II is with you, my brethren. but
] have always got into trouble when i went
around. but always got into smelly when 4
went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, raging
torrent, much of 1t snow-water just come
down from The mountain-tOp; and zee
some Of the lsraelites shiycring nj the idea
OF plunging in, and one solder says 10 hi,
comrade, Joseph, can you swlm!' Ana
another says: IF we get across this stream
we will get there with wet clothes and
with damaged armor, and the Canaaniles
Will slash Us 10 pieces with their swords
before we get up the other bank But II
Is no time to halt. The great host marches
on. The priests carrying the ark go
/ ahead, the people follow. | hear the
tramp OF the great multitude. The
priests have now come within
a stones throw OF the water. Yet still there
Is 10 abatement OF the flood. Now they
have come within four or five feet OF the
| stream; but there IL no abatement OF the
flood. Bad prospect IL seems as II these
Israelites that crossed the desert are now
going to be drowned In sight OF Canaan.
But Forward" ~ Is the cry. The command
rings ell along the line OF the host. For
ward - Now the priests have come within
one step OF the river. his time they IIft
their feet from the solid ground, and put
them down into the raging stream. No
/ l..s- al . Ius 1.aa. htxa
On the right hand God piles up great noun
tain OF floods on the left the water flows OIL
toward the sea. The great river, for hours,
halls and rears. The back waters, not be-
ing able to flow over the passing lsraelites,
pile wave OIL wave, until perhaps Il >ea-
bird would lind some difficulty ~ scaling
the water cliff. Now the priests and all the
people have gone over on dry land. The
water on the left hand side by this tins
has reached the sea; and now that the
miraculous passage has been made, stand
back and see this stupendous pile Of waters
leap. God takes his hand from that wall
of floods, and like a hundred cataracts they
plunge and roar in ihunderous Triumph To
the sea.
How are they 10 celebrate this passage?
Shalt II be with music! | suppose tho
trumpet and cymbals were al worn out
before this. Shall IL be with banners way.
ing? Oh no; they are all faded ana torn.
Joshua cries out: FL will tell you how To
celebrate this: build a monument here 10
commemorate the event;" and every priest
putsa heavy stone on his shoulder. and
marches out and drops that stone in the
lnely-appointed place. i see the pile
growing in height, IN breadth, in signti-
cance; and, in after years, men went by
that spot and saw this monument and cried
out one 10 another, in fuiilment OF the
prophecy OF the text: What mean &c by
, these stones:"
~
church IN the wilderness! We have been
wandering about for year and half wor-
shipping in the Academy OF Music Brook
lyn and Academy OF Music, New York.
And some thought we would never reach
the promised land. Some said we had
better 20 back, and some said there were
sons of Anak in the way that would eat us
up; and before the smoke had cleared away
from the sky after our Tabernacle had been
consumed, people stood on the very si,e OF
the place and said: This church W i'll never
ngain be built" We came down to
the bank OF Jordan; we looked of upon the
waters. Some OF the sympathy that was
expressed turned out to be snow-water
melted from the top OF Lebanon. Some
said: you had better not 20 in you will
get your feet wet" But we waded in,
| pastor aud people, further and further. and
| In some way, the Lord only knows how, we
! got through; and tonight 20 all around
prayers, aud sympathies, and sacrifices, and
! cry out in the " ords of my text: "W hat
mean We by these stones;" 1t is an outrage
to build house like this 30
vast, and so magnificent, unless
! there be some tremendous reasons
for doing it.; and SO my friends, | pursue
! you tonighs.Sith the question OF my text,
| and demand OF these trustees and OF these
/ elders and OF all who have contributed in
the building OF Iii. structure, "Wbat mean
! We by these stonesi" But before get your
/ answer TO my question you interrupt me
and point 10 the memorial wall at the side
! ofthis pulpit, and say: Explain that nm
| Us uul group OF memorials, What mean YOU
! by those stoaes!' BY permission OF tie
! people OF my beloved charge | recently
visited the Holy Lands, and having
! in mind by day and night during
my absence this rising house OF
| prayer, l bethought myself. "What
can do TO make that place significant aud
! gloiiousY On the morning OF December
the third we were at the foot OF the most
sacred mountain OF all the earth, Mount
! Calvary. There IL no more doubt Of the
locality than of Mount Washington or
Mont Blanc. On the bluff OF this mountain
which l. tue exact shape of the human
| skull and so called in the Bible "The place
OF n skull" there l. room for three crosses.
There saw stone so suggestive rolled 1t
| down the hill. and transported IL.
IL ~ at the top OF this wall, IA white stone,
with crimson veins running through 1t,
the white typical of purity, the crimson
tugge.tive Of the blood that paid the price
OF our redemption. We place IL at the top
OF the memorial wa, far above all in this
! church, for ALL time in sermon. and song,
and prayer shall be the Sacrifice OF Mount
Calvary. Look at IT.. That stone MAS one
OF the rocks rent at the Cruciixion. That
heard the cry, 1T is finished" Was any
church on earth hOnored with such a
| memoriali
Beneath 1t are two tables OF stono which
j had brought from Mount Sinai where the
Law was given. Three camels were three
weeks crossing the desert to fetch them.
When at Cairo, Egypt, | proposed TO the
Christian Arab that lie bring one stone from
Mount Sinai, he said, Eve can easier bring
two rocks than one, for one must balance
them on the back OF the camel,' and did
not think until the day Of their arrival how
much more suggestive would be the two,
because the law was written on Two tables
of stone. Those stones marked with the
words Mount Sinai" felt the earthquake
that shook the mountains when the
Law was given. The lower stone OF
the wall Ia from Mars Hill, the place
where Paul stood when no preached
that famous sermon on the brotherhood Of
a 1. L..l n