The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-04-30
DIR. TALMAGES CONGREGA.
DELEGATES THE NEW
TABERNACLE.
Suggestive Lessons Drawn from
Their Experience in Building.
ALL DENOMINATIONS CONTRIBUTED
SOMETHING and THE C0NGRE-
CATION is COMPOSITE.

BRoOkLfN, April 26.-Sermon OF
Rev. L. De Witt Talmage in the new
Brooklyn Tabernacle, on Clinton ave-
nue., this evening, the building having
been dedicated in the morning at 10 30.
A great union meeting, in which clergy
men of oil denominations of Christians
participated, was held in the after
noon. Six thousand persons were pres
ent at each of the services and many
thousands were turned away. Text
what mean ye by these stonesr
Uoshua iv, g..
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
bluffs on the one side and fats on the
other. Here and there a sycamore
shadows it. Here and there a willow
dips into it. 1t was only a little over
waist deep in December as 1 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 overdows 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 ford3 Ahl 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 1t.
I do not know how it is with you, my
brethren, but I have always got into
trouble when I went around, but al
ways got into safety when I went
ahead.
THE COLD AND RUSHING JORDAN.
There spreads out the Jordan, a rag
ing torrent, much of it snow water just
come down from the mountain top;
and see some of the Israelites shiver-
ing at the idea of plunging in, and one
soldier says to his comrade, Joseph,
can you swim?" And another says, "If
we yet across tins stream VIM o..
there with wet clothes and with dam
aged armor, and the Canaanites will
slash us to pieces with their swords be-
fore we get up the other bank" But
it is no time to halt. The great host
marches on.
The priests carrying the ark go
ahead; the people follow. I hear the
tramp of the great multitude. The
priests have now come within 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 prospect! 1t seems
as if these Israelites that crossed the
desert are now going to be drowned in
sight of Canaan. But 'Forwardp is
the cry. The command rings all along
the line of the host. Forward p
Now the priests have come within one
step of the river. This time they lifa
their feet from the solid ground and
put them down into the raging stream
No sooner are their feet there thar
Jordan flies
On the right hand God piles up &
great mountain of floods, on the lef
the water flows off toward the sea- Ths
great river for hours halts and rears
The back waters, not being able tt
flow over the passing Israelites, pill
wave on wave, until perhaps seabirt
would find some difficulty in scalinl
the water cliff. Now the priest ant
oil the people have gone over ON dr.,
land. The water on the left hand sid,
by this time has reached the sea, and
now that the miraculous passage ha
been made, stand back and see thi
stupendous pile of waters leap. Got
takes his hand from that wall of foods
and like a hundred cataracts the,
plunge and roar in thunderous triumph
to the sea.
How are they to celebrate this pas
sage2 Shall it be with music2 I sup
pose the trumpet and cymbals were al
worn out before this. Shall it be witt
banners waving2 Obi no; they are al
faded and torn. Joshua cries out: g
will tell you how to celebrate this
build a monument here to commend
rate the event." and every priest puts
heavy stone on bis shoulder, ant
marches out and drops that stone il
the divinely appointed place 1 Sc
the pile growing in height, in breadth
in significance; and in after year
men went by that spot and saw thi
monument, and cried out one to an
other, in fulfillment of the prophecy c
the text, What mean ye by thes
StoneST
WITHOUT THE LORD BUILDING Is VAN
Blessed be God, he did not leave on
church in the wildefnessi We hav
been wandering about for a year and
half worshiping in the Academy of MI
sic, Brooklyn, and the Academy of MI
sic, New York, and some thought "
, would never reach the promised lanl
Some said we had better take th
route and others that. Some sal
we had better go back, and son
said there were sons Of Anak in the wa
that would eat us up, and before IL
, smoke had cleared away from the sk
after our Tabernacle had been CO..
r sumed people stood on the very site
| the place and said, This church wi
} never again be built"
: We came down to the bank of 10
r dan; we looked off upon the water
: Some of the sympathy that was e
pressed turned out to be snow wat
4 melted from the top of Lebanon Son
: said, 'You had better not go in; yt
4 will get your feet wet" But we wade
in, pastor and people, farther and r.