The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-05-07
STONES THAT SPEAK.
DR.. TALMAGE breaches IN THE NEW
TABERNACLE.

The Law. Sacrifice and Gospel Sym
bolized by Rocks From Sinai, Calvary
and Mars uHl-An Earthly House for
Jesus-what the Church Means.
BROOKLYN, April 26.-Sermon oil
Rev. II. De Witt Talmagc in the New
Brooklyn Tabernacle on Clinton avenue
this evening, the building having been
dedicated in the morning at 1890. a
great union meeting in which clergymcn
of all denominations of Christians par
tlcipated was held in The afternoon. Six
thousand persons were present at each
Of the services and many thousands were
turned away. Text: ''What means We
by these stones?" Joshua iv. 6.
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, has
bluffs on the one side and flats on the
other. Here and there sycamore shad-
ows it. Here and there a willow dips
into it. 1t was only little over waist
deep i'll December as | waded through
1T, but in the months of April and May
the SHOWS on Mount Lebanon thaw and
flow down into the valley, and then the
Jordan overilows its banks. Then it is
wide, deep, raging, and impctuous. At
this season Of the year l hear the tramp
cross the river. You say, why do they
not go up nearer tho rise Of the river ut
the old camel ford? ALI! my friends, it
is because il is not safe to go around
when the Lord tells us to go ahead. The
1sraclites had been going around forty
years, and they had enough OF it. l do
not know how it is with you, my breth-
ren, but l have always got into trouble
when | went around, but always got
into safety when went ahcod.
There spreads out the Jordan, Il rag
ing torrent, much of it snow-watcr Just
come down from the mountain top; and
see some Of the lsraclitcs shivcrin" at
the idea Of plunging in, and one soldier
says to his comradc, ",IoScph can you
swim'" And another says: "If we get
across this stream VIC will get there with
wet clothes and with damaged armor,
and the Canantcs 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 onward. The
priests carrying the ark go ahead, the
people follow. 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
lloed. Now they have come within four
or live lcct OF the stream; but there is no
abatemcn. 'ol the flood. Bad prospect!
Ii seems that if these Israclitcs that
crossed the desert arO now going to be
drowned in sight of Canaan. But "For-
ward" is the cry. The command rings
all along the line of :hc host. "Eor-
ward!' Now the priests have come
within ono step Of the river. This time
they lift their feet from the solid ground
and place them down into the raging
stream. No sooner are their feet there
than Jordan flies. On the right hand
COD piles up great mountain of hoods;
on the left, the water flows on toward
the sea. The great river, ior hours, halts
and rcars. The back waters not being
able to flow over the passn" Iraclitcs,
pile wave on wave, unit. perhaps Il sea-
bird would find some Difficulty in scaling
the water chll. 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 stupcndous pile
OF water leap. God takes his hand from
that wall of floods, and like Il hundred
cataracts they plunge and roar in thun
Gcrous triumph to the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passage?
Shal! it be with music? suppose the
trumpet and cymbals were all worn oLt
before this. Shall ii be with banners
waving? Oh! 10; they are all faded and
torn. Joshua cries out: 81 will tell YOU
how tG celebrate this; build monument
here to commemorate the event." and
every priest puts heavy stone on his
shoulder, and marches ont and drops
that stonc in the divncly.appointcd
place. | sec that pile growing in height,
I'D breadth, in significance; and, in after
years. men went by that spot and saw
this monument, and cried out one to
another, in lulflment of the prophecy of
the text: "What mean yc by these
StOncS?"
Blessed be God, he did not leave Our
church in the wilderness! We have been
wandering about for Il year and half
worshipping in the Academy Of music,
brooklyn, and Academy of Music, New
York. And some thought we would
never reach the promised land. Some
Sald we had better take this route and
others that. Some said we had better
90 back, aud some said there were sons
OF Anak III 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 OF. the
very site of the place and said: This
church will never again be built" We
came down to the bank Of Jordan; we
looked of upon the waters. Some
OF the sympathy that was eX-
pressed turned out to be snow-watcr
melted from the top OF Lebanon. Some
Said: ~ on had better not 20 in; YOU
VIII get your feet wet" But we waded
ID, pastor and people, further and fur
thcr. ana IN some way, the Lord only
knows how, we got through; and to-nioht
90 all around about tins great house
erected By your prayers, and sympathics,
and sacrifices, and cry out in the words
my text: "What mean We by these
stones?" 1t is an outrage to build n
house like this 50 vast and so magnificent
unless there be some tremendous reasons
Tor doing ii; and so, friends, pursue