Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-05-21
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
6ERMONS IN STONES, BY REV.
T. DE WITT rALMAOE.
swhat Mean Ye by These Stones?'' the
Text on the Evening OF tho Ded.
ication Of the Now brooklyn
Tabernacle.

|
was only. little over waist-deep in Deem.
Der a. waded through it, but in the
| months OF April and May the SHOWS on
Mount Lebanon thaw and flow down into
the valley, and the Jordan overflows its
banks. Then 1t is wide, deep, raging and
impetuous. At 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 60 up nearer the rise
OF the river At the old camel ford! All my
friends. 1t il because it is not safe to go
around whcd the Lord tells us to 20 ahead.
The Israelites had been going around forty
years, and they had enough Of 1t. 1 do not
know how 1t is with you, my brethren, but
bave always got into trouble when l went
n.ound. but always got into safety when l
went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, raging
torrent, much Of 1t snow.water just come
down from the mountain top; and l see
| some of the Israclites shivering at the idea
Of plunging in, and one soldier says to his
another says: III we gel t across this stream
| we will yet there with wet clothes and
with damaged armor, and the Guarantees
will slash us to pieces with their swords
i before we get up the other bank" But 1t
is no time to halt. The great host marches
ahead, the people follow. 1 hear the
tramp OF the great multitude. The
priests have now come within
| stones throw OF the water. Yet etill there
IS 10 abatement of the flood. Now they
| stream; but there is no abatement Of the
| food. Bad prospect! 1t seems as IL these
Israelites that crossed the desert are now
going to be drowned in sight Of Canaan.
But "Forward!' is the cry. The command
rings all 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 piles up great noun.
tain OF floods; on the left the water flows OF
toward the sea. Tho 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 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
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 thoy
plunge and roar In thunderous triumph to
| the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passage:
Shalt it be with music? l suppose the
trumpet and cymbals were all worn out
before this. Shall 1t be with banners way.
ing? Oh no; they are all faded and torn.
Joshua cries out: II will tell you how to
| celebrate this: build q monument here to
commemorate the events" and every priest
puts heavy stone on his shoulder, and
divinely appointed place. l see the pile
growing in height, in breadth, in signiti.
canoe; and, In after years. men went by
that spot and saw this monument. and cried
out one to another, in fultilment Of the
prophecy OF the text: "What mean ye by
| these stones?"
Blessed be God. he did not leave our
church in the wilderness! We have been
| wandering about for year and half wor-
shipping in the Academy Of Music Brook
lyn, and Academy of Music, New York.
And some thought we would never reach
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 size Of
again be built" We came down to
the bank of Jordan; we looked of upon the
waters. Some Of the sympathy that was
expressed turned out to he snow.water
melted from the top of Lebanon. Some
get your feet wet" But we wsded in,
pastor aud people, further and further. and
In some way, the Lord only knows how, we
got through; and tonight 60 all around
about this great house, erected by your
prayers, and ~ mpathies. and sacrifices, and
to buiid a house like this 80
there be- 1' some tremendous reasons
for doing it; and 80, my friends, pursue
you tonight with the question Of my text
elders and Of all who have contributed in
the building Of this structure, "What mean
70 by these stones." But before get y our
answer to my question lyou interrupt me
and point to the memorial wall a. the side
us ual group Of memorials. What mean yo,,
BY those stoues." BY permission of the
people Of my beloved charge recently
visited the Holy Lands, aud having
In mind by day and night during
nv absence this rising house oil
prayer, bethought myself. "wha!
can do to make that place significant and
glorious?" 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 more doubt Of the
Mont Blanc. On the bluff of this mountain
which Is the exact shape Of the human
skull, and so called in the Bible "Thc place
of skull" there Is room for three crosses
There saw stone SO suggestive rolled ii
down tue Hill. and transported 1t.
| IL
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 1t at the tot
OF the memorial wall far above all in thi
church, for all time in sermon, and song
and prayer shall be the Sacrifice Of Noun
Calvary. Look ut it. That stone was on
Of the rocks rent at tho Crucifxion. Tina
heard the cry, 1T Is finished" Was an!
church on earth honored with such
memorial!
Beneath it are two tables Of stone which
!: had brought from Mount Sinai where tn
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 Sinai, he said, I'VE can easier brin
two rocks than one, for ono must balanc
) them on the back OF the camel" and di
not think until the day OF their arrival no,
much moro suggestive would be the two
| because the law was written on two table
I of stone. Those stones marked with tn
words Mount sinat" felt the earthquake
that shook the mountains when tn
a Law was given. The lower stone Q
| the wall 10 from Mars Hill. the plaC