Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-05-01
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
SERMONS IN STONES. BY REV.
T. DE WITT TALMAOE.
"what Mean Ye by These stones?" the
Texe On the Evening OF the Dod-
Iuati on OF the New brooklyn
Tabernacle.


Der rs j waded through il, but IN the
months OF April and May the SHOWS or
Mount Lebanon thaw and flow down into
the valley, and the Jordan overfiows its
banks. Then Il Is wide, deep, raging and
impetuous. Mt this season OF the year
hear the tramp of forty thousand armed
men coming down to cross the river You
say, why do they not go up nearer the rise
of the river ut the old camel fOrdy All my
friends, it is because IL is not safe to go
around when the Lord tells us to 10 ahead.
The Israeltes had been going around forty
years, and they had enough of IT. | do not
know how IL 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 10 snOw-waier just come
down from the mOuntain-tOp; and L see
some of the Israelltes shivering nj the idea
OF plunging in, and one soldier says TO his
comrade, Joseph can yon swing And
another says: IF we get across this stream
we Will get there with vet clothes and
with damaged arnor, and the Canaanites
will slash us TO pieces with their swords
before we get up the other bank" But IT
f. no time 10 halt. The great host marches
on. The priests carrying the ark go
ahead, the people follow. 4 hear the
tramp OF the great multitude. The
priests have now come WITHIN
stones throw OF the water. Yet still there
Is 10 abatement OF the flood. Now they
have come within four or tive feet OF the
stream but there is no abatement OF the
food Bad prospect 1t seems MS IL these
Israelites that crossed the desert are now
going to be drowned in sight Of Canaan.
But Forward ~ isthe cry. The command
rings ell along the line OF the host. For
ward! ~ 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 feet there than Jordan flies.
On the right hand God pilesup great noun
tain OF floods on the left the water flows OF
toward the sea. The great river, for hours.
halts and rears. The back waters. not be-
ing able to flow over the passing lsraelites
pile wave on wave, until perhaps sea-
bird would find 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 time
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 foods and like hundred cataracts they
plunge and roar in thunderous Il umph to
the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passagep
Shall 1t DC with musicy | suppose tho
trumpet and cymbals were all worn out
before this. Shall ii be with banners wav.
ing? Oh no; they are all faded and torn.
Joshua cries out: III will tell you how to
celebrate this: build monument here to
commemorate the event;" and every priest
puts heavy stone Gu his shoulder, and
marches out and drops that stone in the
divine disappointed place. | see the pile
growing in height, in breadth, in signlfi-
cance; and, in after years, men went by
that spot and saw this monument, and cried
IN har I'm N NJ
prophecy OF the text: "What mean ye by
these stonesY
Blessed be God, lie did not leave our
church in the wildernessl We have been
wandering about for year and half wor-
shipping IN the Academy OF Music, Brook
Ign, and Academy OF Music, New York.
And some thought we would never reach
the promised land. Some said we had
better 60 back, and some said there were
sons OF Anak in tile way that would eat US
up; and before the smoke had cleared away
from the sky after our TAbernPcIe lad pern
CONSUMED r.:ople stood On the very el.e OF
the place and said "1his church will never
again be built" We came down to
the bank Of Jordan; we looked off upon the
expressed turned out to be snow-wuter
melted from the top OF Lebanon. Some
said: "You had better not 60 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; end tonight go all around
about this great house, erected bY y6nf
prayers, and sympathies, and sacrifices, and
cry out IL tue words of MY text: "What
s,,,:::.;,n re Ly fLese stonesS" 1t is an outrage
To build q house like this so
vast, and so magnificent, unless
there be some tremendous reasons
for doing 1t; and So my friends, pursue
YOU tonightYith the question OF my text,
and demand OF these trustees AMI OF these
the building OF This structure, "What mean
We by these stonesy" But before get your
answer To my question you interrupt IRE
| and point to the memorial wall at the side
ofthis pulpit, and say: Explain that un-
us unl group of memorials, What mean you
by those slonesY' BY permission of the
people Of my beloved charge j Secently
WISHED the Holy Lands, and having
in mind by day and night during
nv absence this rising house OF
prayer, l beihought myself. "What
can do to make that place significant and
| gloriOusW On the morning Of December
| the third we were at the foot OF the most
sacred mountain OF all the earth. Mount
| Calvary. There is no moro doubt of the
locality than OF Mount Washington OF
| Mont Blame 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 i room for three crosses
| There i saw stone 80 suggestive rolled il
| down the hill, and transported IL.
1t Is at the top OF this wall, u white stone,
with crimson veins running through 1T
the white typical OF purity, the crimson
Iugge,tive OF the blood that paid the price
of our redemption. We place II at the tor
OF the memorial wal far above all in thi,
church, for all time In sermon. aud song
and prayer shah be the Sacrifice OF Mount
Calvary. Look at IT.. That stone was on,
of the rocks rent ut the Crucifixion. Thai
heard the cry, ut IL finished" Was any
church on earth honored with such
memorialy
Beneath 1t are two tables OF stone whlcl
had brought from Mount Sinai where th,
Law was given. Three camels were thre,
weeks crossing the desert to fetch them
When at Cairo, Egypt, | proposed TO tn,
Christian Arab that he bring one stone from
Mount Sinni, he said, 1--WE can ensier brin!
two rocks than one, for one must balanc,
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
because the law was written on two table,
of stone. Those stones marked with tn,
words Mount Snai," felt the earthquake,
that shook the mountains when tn,
Law was given. The lower stone o
the wall is from Mars Hill, the plac,
where Paul stood when no preached
that famous sermon on the brotherhood n
the human race, declaring, "God hath mad,
OF one blood all nations" Since Lore