Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-04-30
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
SERMONS IN STONES, BY REV.
T. DE WITT TALMACE.
"What Mean Ye by These Stones?'' the
Vext on the Evening Of tho Dcd-
ication of the New Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

bluffs on the one side aud flats on the other.
mere aud there sycamore shadows 1t.
Here and there willow dips into it. 1t
was only little over waist-deep in Decem-
Der rs waded through it, but IN tho
months OF April and May tho SHOWS on
Mount Lebanon thaw and flow down into
the valley, and the Jordan oyer1ows its
banks. Then 1t Is wide, deep, raging and
impctuous. 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 go up nearer the rise
OF the river at the old camel ford? All my
friends, IL Is because il Is not safe to 20
around when the Lord tells us to 20 ahead.
The lsraelites had been going around forty
years, and they bad enough OF 1t. | do not
know how II is with you, my brethren, but
have always got into trouble when | went
around. but always got into safety when l
went ahead.
There spreads out the Jordan, a raging
torrent much Of it snow-watcr Just come
down from the mountain-top; and l see
some OF the lsraelites shiyering at the idea
OF plunging in, and one soldier says to his
comrade, Joseph, can you swimg" And
another says: III we get across this stream
we VIII get there with wet clothes and
with damaged armor, and the Canaanites
Will slash us to pieces with their swords
before we get UP the other bank" But 1t
is no time to halt. The great host marches
ahead, the people follow. l hear the
tramp OF the great multitude. The
priests have now come within
stones throw OF the water. Yet stlll there
Is 10 abatement Of the flood. 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 il these
Israelites that crossed the desert are now
going to be drowned in sight of Canaan.
But Forward p is tho cry. The commsnd
rings all along the line Of the host "For-
wsrd!' 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,
balls 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 md all the
people have gone over on dry lard. The
water on the left hand side by this time
has reached the sea; and W that the
miraculous passage has been made, stand
back and see this stupendolIs pile of waters
leap. God takes his hand from that wall
OF floods, aud like hundred cataracts they
plunge and roar in thunderOuS Triumph to
the sea.
How are they to celebrate this passage?
Shalt 1t be with music? | suppose the
trumpet and cymbais were all worn out
before this. Shall it he with banners wav-
ing? oh no; they are all faded and torn.
Joshua cries out: 81 will tell you how to
celebrate this: build monument here to
commemorate the event. and every priest
putsa heavy stone IN his shoulder, and
marches out and drops that stone in the
divinsly-appotnted place. l see the pile
lAH.r l,f hwa.s Ia in, Gin III
canoe; and, in after years, men went by
that spot and saw this monument, and cried
cut one to another, in iultilment OF the
prophecy Of the text: "What mean ye by
these stonCs?'
Blessed be God, he did not leave our
church in the wilderness! We have been
wandering about for year aud half wor-
shipping in the Academy of Music, Brook
| lyn, and Academy of Music, New York.
| And some thought we would never reach
the promised land. Some said we had
! better 20 back, and some said there were
sons OF Anak i'll 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
the place and said "lhis church will never
again be built" We came down to
the bank OF Jordan: we looked off upon the
waters. Some Of the sympathy that was
expressed turned out TO be snow-water
said: "You had better not go in; you will
get your feet wet" But we waded in,
pastor and people, further ana further, and
IN some way, the Lord only knows how, we
got through; and tonight l so all around
about this great house, erected by your
prayers, aud sympathies, and sacrifices. and
cry out in the words of my text: "What
mean We by these st0nes:" 1t is an outrage
to build house like this so
vast, and so magnificent, unless
there be some tremendous reasons
for doing it.; and so. my friends, l pursue
you tonight with The question Of my text
and demand OF these trustees and OF these
elders and OF all who lave contributed in
the building of this structure, "What mean
We by these stones?" But before get your
answer to my question you interrupt me
and point to the memorial wall at the side
ofthis pulpit, and say: Explain that TN.
us ual group OF memorials, What mean you
by those stoue>?" BY permission Of the
people of my beloved charge recently
visited the Holy Lands, and having
IN mind by day and night during
my absence this rising house Of
prayer, | Beihought 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 mos
sacred mountain Of all the earth, Mount
Calvary There Is no more doubt of the
locality than of Mount Washington oil
Mont Blanc On the bluff Of this mountain
which is the exact shape OF the human
skull, and so called in the Bible "Tho place
Of skull" there is room for three crosses
There saw a stone so suggestive rolled il
down the hill, and transported it.
1t Is at the top Of this wall, white stone
witt 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 at it. That stone was ont
OF the rocks rent at tho CrucifiXion. Tha
heard the cry, 1T Is finished" Was any
church on earth honored with such /,
memorial?
Beneath it are two tables Of stone which
I had brought from Mount Sinai where thu
Law was gwen. Three camels were thro,
weeks crossing the desert TO fetch them
When at Cairo, Egypt | proposed 10 thu
Christian Arab that he bring one stone from
Mount Sinai, he said, 1--WE can easier brinI
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 tablet
of stone. Those stones marked with the
words Mount Sinai" felt the earthquake
that shook the mountains when thu
Law WAS given. The lower stone o.
the wall is from Mars Hill, the plac,
where Paul stood when he preached
that famous sermon on the brotherhood o.
the human race, declaring, God hath mad'
OF one blood all nations" Since Lore
Elgn took the famous statuary from thu
AcropoIIs, the hill adjoining Mars hill, thu
Greek government makes 1t impossible tc
transport to other lands any Egyptian an
tiquitles, and armed soldlery guard no
only the Acropois but Mars hill. Tha
stone | obtained by special permission from
. the Queen OF Greece, most gracious ant
brilliant woman, who received us rs though
we Lad been old acqalntanccs, and through
Mr. TITcoupis, the Prime Minister o
Greece. and Mr.. Snowden, our American
Min ster Pienipotentiary, aud DR.. Manati
our American Consul, that suggestive tab.
let was sawed from the pulpit OF rock OF
which Paul preached. Now you understand
why we have marked IT "The Gospel
You mean among other things that they
shall be an earthly residence for Christ
Christ did not have much of a home wher
he was here. Who and where is that child
cryingy 1t is Jesus BORN in an clubhouse
Where is that hard breathing? 1t is Jesus
asleep OIL a rock Who is that in the back
part Of the fishing-smack, with a sailor.
rough overcoat thrown over hlmy 1t !,