The Odessa herald. (Odessa, Del.) 1888-1892, 1891-05-02
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DfvINEs SUN
DAY SERMON.
snhieot. "rhe New .rabernaole.,

flow down into the valley, and then the Jor.
dan overhows 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 go uI
nearer the rise of the river at the old camel
fordi 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 1t is with you, my
brethren, but have always got into trouble
when went around but always got into
safety when went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, a raging
torrent much of it snow water just come
down from the mountain top; and 1 see some
Of the Israelites shivering at the idea Of
plunging in, and one soldier says to his COM
rade, "Joseph, can you swimr And another
says: "If we get across the stream we will
get there with wet clothes and with damaged
armor, and the Canaanites will slash us to
pieces with their swords before we getup the
other bank.n Butt is no time to halt. The
great host marches on.
The priests carrying the ark go ahead, the
people follow. l hear the tramp Of the great
multitude. The priests have now come with.
in stones throw of the water. Yet still
there is no abatement of the flood. Now they
have come within four or five feet of the
stream; but there is no abatement of the
flood. Bad prospecti It seems as IL these
+ Israelites that crossed the desert are now GO
ing to be drowned in sight of Canaan. But
''Forwardp ~ is the cry. The command ringa
all along the line of the host. "Forwardp
Now the priests have come within one step
OF the river. This time they lift their feet
from the solid ground and put them down
into the raging stream. No sooner are their
teet there than Jordan flies.
On the right hand God piles up great
mountain of floods; on the left the water
flows off toward the sea. The great river for
hours halts and rears. The back waters,
not being nbl9 to flow over the passing Is.
raelites pile wave on wave until perhaps
sea bird would find some difficulty in 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 time has
reached the sea; and now that the miracu.
lous passage has been made, stand back and
see this stupendous pile Of waters leap. God
takes His hand from that walls OF floods, and
like hundred cataracts they plunge and
roar in thunderous triumph to the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passagei
Shall it be with n,nsic9 / suppose the trum
pets and cymbals were all worn out before
this. Shall It be with banners wayingP Oh,
no; they are all faded and torn, Joshua
cries out II will tell you how to celebrate
this-build monument here to commemo.
rate the EVENT. and every priest puts q
htoN1 otOuo oh MS SuOulutl BlhTtuta Ouh
and drops that stone in the divinely ap
pointed place. l see the pile growing in
height, in breadth, in siQnifcance, and in
after yearaAmen went bStase to shoulder
tlils monument, and cri5l, Il 1a..,ssS II,
in fulfillment of the proFaee5 uliuof tHjt
what meant We by these stonesT'.S Onl
Blessed be God, He did not leave our church
In the wildernessi We have been wandering
about for year and half worshiping in
the Academy of Music, Brooklyn, ana the
Academy Of Music, New York. And some
thought we would never reach the promised
land. Some said we had better take this
route and others that. Some said we had
better go 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 site Of
the place and said: "This church will never
again be built" We came down to the bank
of Jordan; we looked off 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 bet,
| ter not go in; you will get your feet wet.n
But we waded In, pastor and people, farther
and farther, and in some way, the Lord only
knows how we got through; and tonight !
! go all around about this great house, erected
! by your prayers and sympathies and sacri.
/ fees, and cry out in the words Of my text,
"What mean Ye by these stonesp'
1t is an outrage to build house like this,
! so vast and so magnificent, unless there be
some tremendous reasons for doing it; and
| so, my friends, l pursue you tonight with
/, the question of my text, and demand of
these trustees and of these elders and of all
| who have contributed in the building Of this
/ structure, "What mean ye by these stonesp
| But before l get your answer to my question
you interrupt me and point to the memorial
! wall at the side of this pulpit, and say, "Ex.
Ian flaaH staIl
| What mean you by those stonesr' By per.
mission Of the people of my beloved charge
| recently visited the Holy Lands, and having
| in mind by day and night during my alb
sence this rising house of prayer, Ibethought
1 myself, what can do to make that place
significant and gloriousY'
On the morning of December the Sd we
were at the foot of the most sacred mount
ain Of all the earth, Mount Calvary. There
/ is no more doubt of the locality than of
Mount Washington or Mount Blanc. On the
/ bluff of this mountain, which is the shape Of
the human skull, and so called in the Bible,
''The place of the skull,n there Is room for
three crosses. There / saw a stone so sug-
| gestive l rolled it down the hill and trans
! ported it. 1t is at the top of this wall, a
| white stone, with crimson veins running
through 1.-THE white typical of purity the
crimson suggestive of the blood that paid
| the price of our redemption. We place it at
the top of the memorial wall, for above all
| in this church for all time, in sermon and
song and prayer, shall be the sacratice of
| Mount Cavalry. Look at it. That stone was
| one of therocks rent at the crucifxion. That
heard the cry, 'It is finished" Was ever
any church on earth honored with such
| memorialp
Beneath it are two tables of stone which
1 had brought from Mount Sinai where the
law was given. Three camels were thret
g.. -.
When at Cairo, Egypt, proposed to tht
Christian Arab that he bring one stone from
Mount Sinai, he said, 'FWe can easier bring
| two rocks than one, for one must balance
them on the back of the camel, and die
not think until the day of their arrival how
much more suggestive would be the two, be
| cause the law was written on two tablets o
stone. Those stones marked with the word
"Mount Sinai' felt the earthquake that shool
| the mountains when the law was given. Th
lower stone of the wall is from Mars Hill, th'
place where Paul stood when he preached
that famous sermon on the brotherhood o.
the human race, declaring God hath made
Of one blood all nations"
Since Lord Elgin took the famous statiIary
from the AUropolis, the hill adjoining Mar:
Hill, the Greek Government makes it impos
sible to transport to other lands any antiq
uities, and armed soldiers guard not only
the Acropolis, but Mars HILL That stone
| opbaiheu Dy speciai PERMISSION from bn'
Queen of Greece, most gracious and bril-
liant woman, who received us as though VIZ
had been old acquaintance, and through
Mr.. Tricoupis, the Prime Minister of Greece
and Mr.. Snowden, our American Ministe
Plenipotentiary, and DIR. Manatt, our Amer
ican Consul, that suggestive tablet wa
sawed from the pulpit of rock on whicl
Paul preached Now you understand VIII,
we have marked it 1.-The Gospel." Long af
ter my lips shall utter in this church thel
last message, these lips of stone will tell O.
the Law, and the Sacrifice, and the Gospel
This day present them to the church ant
to all who shall gaze upon them. Thus yor
have my answer to the question, "What
mean you by these stonesp
But you cannot divert me from the ques
ton of the text as first put it. have in
terpretsd these four memorials on my right
hand, but there are hundreds Of stones in
| thasa siirrn,r,dinn, walls and ilianannnnth us.