The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-06
THE TALMAGE TABERNACLE
FIRST DISCOURSE PREACHED THERE.
Significance of the New stones-An Earthly
Residence for Christ-Church for All
Denominations-The Salvation .
of tho People.

Gle. People streamed to the big temple in
Green and Clinton-aves. an hour before
the doors were opened, and at 1920
o'clock, when the services began, not only
was every seat in the vast building occu-
pied, but hundreds were standing in the
spacious Hobbies. in the rear of the pews,
on the main floor and galleries. 1t was es-
timated that 1000 persons were present,
and so admirably is the building planned
that all had a good view OF the platform
and could hear every word that was
spoken. Such an immense audience has
never before been sheltered within the
walls of a Brooklyn building. The exer-
cises opened with the singing OF "Praise
God from Whom All Blessings Flow" by the
congregation to organ and cornet aScom-
paniment. The Rev. DIR. Hastings, preSi-
dent of the Union theological seminary,
made the invocation, and the dedicatory
prayer was made by the Rev. DIR. Wendell
Prime of this city. The Rev. DIR. Talmage,
who presided, briefly welcomed the con-
gregation, and announced that the build
ing was substantially completed, although
the tower was still unfinished, and consid-
cradle decorative work had to be done.
He called attention to the memorial wall
to the right of the platform, in which the
four stones which he had brought with
him from Palestine had been placed. The
Rev. DR.. Hamlin of Washington delivered
the dedicatory sermon from the text He
brews, iii, 8: HE who has finished the
house hath more honor than the house."
DR.. Talmage then made short address.
He said it was a joyful, solemn and crucial
day for the Brooklyn tabernacle. Its his
tory of twenty-five years had been one of
blessing and disaster. Only nineteen
members could be got together to extend
him the original call. Since then the con-
gregation had grown immensely, but dis
aster upon disaster had also come upon
| the church. In these twenty years more
than $4,000 had been expended and
| 500, coo raised for charitable purposes.
No congregation had ever before been
called upon to build three churches.
"But today" continued DIR. Talmage, ga
crisis has been reached. We must raise a
large amount of money or halt and halt
forever as a church"
Dr. Talmage then called upon the Rev.
DR.. Ives, who is famous as a debt-raiser
in the denomination, to explain how the
! financial crisis was to be met. He made
an earnest appeal for subscriptions, and
! within an hour more than SO, 1000 was
raised in sums ranging from 81 900 to s..
A great union meeting, in which clergy
men of all denominations of Christians
participated, was held in the afternoon.
Six thousand persons were present at each
of the services and many thousands were
| turned away. Text: "What mean We by
these stones P'-Joshua, iv, 6.
| The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
| bluffs on the one side and flats on the
| other. Here and there a sycamore shad-
ows it. Here and there a willow dips into
| it. 1t was only little over waist deep in
| December as l 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 over
! flows its banks. Then it is wide, deep,
raging and impetuous. At this season of
| the year | heard the tramp of 10000 armed
men coming down TO cross the river. You
say, why do they not go up nearer the rise
| of the river at the old camel ford All !!
my friends, it is because it is not safe to go
around when the Lord tells us to 90 ahead.
The Israelites had been going around forty
years, and they had enough of it. do not
know how it is with you, my brethren,
but have always got into trouble when l
went around, but always got into safety
when l went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, a raging
torrent, much OF 1t snow-water just come
down from the mountain top; and see
some of the Israeiites shivering at the idea
of plunGing in, and one soldier says to his
comrade: Joseph, can you swim" And
another says: "If we get across this
stream we will get there with wet clothes
and with damaged armor, and the Canaan
| ties will slash us to pieces with their
swords before 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. l hear the
tramp of the great multitude. The priests
have now come within stones throw OF
the water. Yet still there is no abate-
ment of the food. Now they have come
within four or five feet of the stream; but
there is no abatement of the food. Bad
prospect 1t seems as if these Israelites
that crossed the desert are now going to be
drowned in sight of Canaan. But For
wardW is the cry. The command rings
all along the line of the host Forward %
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
off toward the sea. The great river, for
hours, halts and rears. The back waters,
not being able to flow over the passing Is-
raelites, pile wave on wave, until perhaps
a 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 floods, and like hun
dred cataracts they plunge and roar in
thunderous triumph TO the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passage?
Shall it be with music? / suppose the
trumpet and cymbals were all worn out
before this. Shall it be with banners wav-
ing2 Oh. no; they are all faded and torn
Joshua cries out: 81 will tell you how To
celebrate this: Build a monument here
to commemorate the event." and every
priest puts heavy stone on bis shoulder
and marches out and drops that stone in
the divinely appointed place. see the
pile growing in hight, in breadth, in sig.
nificance; and, in after years, men went
by that spot and saw that monument, and
cried out one to another, in fulfillment o.