The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-05-07
SERMONS In THE STONES.
DR., TALMAee's CONGREGATION oEDi-
GATES THE NEW TABERNACLE.

perience in Building-All Denomina-
lions Contributed Something and the
Congregation Is Composite.
BROOKLYN, April 26,-Sermon of
Rev, T, De Witt Talmage in the new
Brooklyn Tabernacle, ON Clinton ave
nue., this evening, the building having
been dedicated in the morning at 10 80
A great union meeting, in which clergy
men of all denominations of Christians
participated, was held in the after
noon. Six thousand persons We're pres
ent at each of the services and many
thousands were turned away, Text,
What mean We by these stonesw
Uoshua iv, 6).
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
bluffs on the one side and flats on the
other Here and there sycamore
shadows it, Here and there willow
dips into it. 1t was only little over
waist deep in December as | waded
through it, but in the months of April
and May the SHOWS on Mount Lebanon
thaw and flow down into the valley,
and then the Jordan overflows its
banks Then it is wide, deep, raging
and impetuous. AT this season of the
year hear the tramp of forty thou
sand armed men coming down to cross
the river. You say, why do they not
60 up nearer the rise of the river at
the old camel ford2 All! my friends,
it is because it is not safe to go around
when the Lord tells us to go ahead.
The Israelites had been going around
forty years, and they had enough of it.
do not know how it is with you, my
brethren, but | have always got into
trouble when l went around, but al
ways got into safety when I went
ahead. ....
THE COLD AND RUSHING JORDAN.
There spreads out the Jordan, q rag
ing torrent, much of it snow water just
come down from the mountain top;
and see some of the Israeites SILVER
ing ut the idea of plunging in, and one
soldier says to his comrade, Joseph,
can you swim?" And another says, IF
we get across this stream we viii get
there with wet clothes and with dam
aged arlmor and the Canaanites will
slash Us TO pieces with their swords be-
fore we get up the other bank" But
it is 10 zine to halt. The great host
marches on.
The priests carrying the a,k go
ahead; the people follow. | hear the
tramp of the great multitude, The
priests have now come within q stones
throw of the water. Yet still there is
No abatement of the food. Now they
have come within four or five feet Of
the stream, but there is no abatement
Of The food. Bad prospect! 1t seems
az if these Israelites that crossed the
deic.t are now going to be browne in
sisit CT Canaan But ''TGrward !" is
the cry The command rings all along
the line of the host. 't'orwardw
Now the priests have come within one
step of the river. This time they lift
thcir feet from the solid ground and
put tl!cla down into the raging stream.
No socacr are their feet there than
Jordan flies.
Oh Tie lt3,t hand God piles up a
great lncun$ain of floods, on the left
the water Cows off toward the sea. The
great river for hours halts and rcars.
The back waters, not being able to
flow over the passing Israelites, pile
WGyo on wave, until perhaps a scabird
would find some difficulty in scaling
the water cliff. Now the priest and
all the people have gone over on dry
| land The water on the left hand side
by this time has reached the sea, and
now that the miraculous passage has
been made, stand back and see this
stupeadous pile of waters leap. God
takes his hand from that wall of floods,
and Ike hundred cataracts they
plunge and roar in thunderous triumph
to the sea- n.E
How are they to celebrate this pas
sage9 Shall it be with music? l sup
pose the trumpet and cylnbals We're all
worn out before this Shall it be with
banners waving2 Oh! no; they are all
faded and torn Joshua cries out: 81
will tell you how to celebrate this
build q monument here to commend
rate the event." and every priest puts q
heavy stone on his shoulder, and
marches cut and drops that stone il
the divinely appointed place. l see
the pile growing in height, in breadth
in significance; and in after years
men went by that spot and saw thi.
monument. and cried out one to an
other, in fulfillment of the prophecy o
the text, "What mean ye by thest
stonesT'
WITHOUT THE LORD BUILDING IS VAIN
Blessed be God, he did not leave ou
church in the wildernessl We hav,
been wandering about for year and ,
half worshiping in the Academy of Mu
sic, Brooklyn, and the Academy of MI
sic, New York, and some thought W,
would never reach the promised land
Some said we had better take thi
route and others that. Some salt
we had better go back, and som
said there were sons of Anak in the wa
that would cat us up and before tn
smoke had cleared away from the SIX,
after c:r Tabernacle had been con
sumed people stood on the very site O
the place and said, This church vii
never again be built
we care down to the bank of Jor
daa; we looked off upon the waters
Some Of the sympathy that was e1
pressed turned out to be snow waite
melted FROM the top Of Lebanon. Som
said You had better not go in; yo
xii get your feet yet" But we wade
IL, castor aai penple farther and fal
ther, and in some way, the Lord onl!
knows how, we got through; and to
night | go around about this grea
house, erected by your prayers ant
sympathies and sacrifices, and cry on
in the words of my text, What mear
go Nv fbaSo ctcDac2 q,