The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-06


not go in; you will get your feet wet"
But we waded in, pastor and people,
further and further, and, in some way,
the Lord only knows how, We got through;
and tonight l 20 all around about this
great house, erected by your prayers, and
sympathies, and sacrifices, and cry out in
the words of my text: what mean We by
these stones?" 1t is an outrage to build
house like this so vast and so magnificent
unless there be some tremendous reasons
for dong it; and so, my friends, l pursue
you tonight with the question OF my text,
and / demand of these atrustees and of
these elders and of all who have contrib
uted in the building OF this structure,
"What mean ye by these stones?' But
before get your answer to my question
you point to the memorial wall at the side
of this pulpit and say to me, Explain
that unusual group OF memorials. What
mean you by those stones?" By permits
sion of the people OF nv beloved charge 1
recently visited the Holy Lands. and hay
ing in mind by day and night during my
absence this rising house of PRAYER, 1 be-
thought myself, 'What can | do to make
that place significant and glorious" On
the morning of Dec. we were at the
foot of the most sacred mountain OF ali
the earth, Mount Calvary. There is no
more doubt of the locality than of Mount
Washington OF Mount Blanc. On the bluff
OF this mountain which is the exact shape
OF the human skull, and so-called in the
bible 'The place OF a skull" there is room
for three crosses. There | saw a stone so
suggestive l rolled it down the hill, and
/ transported it. 1t is at the top of this wall
Shite stone, with crimson veins running
through it, 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 sacrifice
of Mount Calvary Look at it. That stone
was one of the rocks rent at the crucifix-
ion. That heard the cry, ut is finished"
Was any church on earth honored with
such a memorial?
Beneath it are two tables of stone which
| 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 he bring one
stone from Mount Sinai. He said 1--WE
can easier bring two rocks than one, for
we must balance them on the back of the
camel, and L 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 is from Mars Hill
the place where Paul stood when he
preached that famous sermon on the
brotherhood OF the human race. declaring,
God hath made of one blood all ma
tions." Since Lord Elgin took the famous
statuarY from the Acropolis, the hill adj
joining Mars Hill, the Greek government
makes it impossible to transport to other
lands any Egyptian antiquities, and armed
soldiery guard not only the Acropolis but
Mars Hill. That stone obtained by spe-
cial permission from the queen of Greece,
a most gracious and brilliant woman, who
received us as though we had been old
acquaintance, and through Mr.. Tricoupis,
the prime minister of Greece, and Mr.
Snowden, our American minister pleni-
potentiary, and Dr. Manatt, our American
consul, that suggestive tablet was sawed
from the pulpit of rock on which Paul
preached. Now you understand why we
have marked it 1.-The Gospel" Long after
my lips shall utter in this church their
last message, these lips of stone will tell of
the Law, and the Sacrifice and the Gospel.
This day | present them to this church
and to all who shall gaze upon them.
Thus you have my answer to the question,
"What mean you by these stones?"
But you must not divert me from the
question of the text as first put il. 1
have interpreted these four memorials on
my right hand, but there are hundreds of
stones in these surrounding walls and I'M
derneath us, in the foundations, and ris-
ing above us in the towers. The quarries
of this and transatlantic countries at the
call of crowbar and chisel have contrib
uted toward this structure. "What mean
We by these stones?"
You mean among other things that they
! shall be an earthly residence for Christ.
Christ did not have much of home when
| he was here. Who and where is that
child crying? II is Jesus, born in an out.
house. Where is that hard breathing? II
| is Jesus, asleep on rock. Who is that
in the back part of the fishing-smack,
| with a sailors rough overcoat thrown
| over him? 1t is Jesus, the wornout voy-
ager. 0 Jesus is it not time that thou
hadst house? We give thee this Thou
| didst give it to us first but we give it back
to thee. 1t is too good for us, but not hall
| good enough for thee. Oh come in and
take the best seat here. Walk up and
down all these aisles. Speak through
| these organ-pipes. Throw thine arm over
us in these arches. In the flaming Of
these brackets of fire speak to us, saying;
81 am the light of the world" o King
make this thine audience chamber. Here
proclaim righteousness and make treaties
We clap our hands, we uncover our heads
| we lift our ensigns, we cry with null
tudinous reclamation until the place rings
and the heavens listen: 80 King! live
foreverp
Is it not time that he who was born il
n strangers house and buried in a stran-
gers grave should have an earthly house
| Come in, o Jesus not the corpse of {
buried Christ, but radiant and triumph
ant Jesus, conqueror OF earth, and heaven
and hell.
| lie lives. all glory TO bis name.
| He lives. my Jesus, still the same;
| Oh. the sweet Joy this sentence gives
know that my Redcemer lives.
Blessed be his glorious name forever
Again, if anyone asks the question of tn,
text: What mean we by these stones?'
the reply is, we mean the communion oil
| saints. Do you know there is not a SIM gle
denomination of Christians in Brooklyn
that has not contributed something to
ward the building OF this house? And j
ever, standing in this place, there shall b,
man, who shall try, by anything he says
to stir up bitterness between different do
nominations of Christians, may his tongue