Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-04-15

TEXT: "Let us make three taberndcles'
Luke TX, 50.
Our Arab ponies were almost dead with
fatigue, az, in Dec 'mber 1881 we rode near
tue foot OF Mount Hermon in the Holy
l. nd, the mountain calei by one "a
mountain Of ca,n hy another "a glittering
breastp,ate of ice by another tho Mont
Blanc OF Palestine" Its top has an almost
unedrthly brllliance. But what must il
have been in the time to which my text re.
fers2 Peter and James and John were on
that mountain top with Jesus when, sud-
denly, ChrstS face took on the glow of the
MONDAY sun. and Moses AMI Eujab who
had teen dead for centuries, came out from
the heavenly world and talkei with our
Saviour What an overwhelming three
Moses, representing the law; Elijah, repre-
senting the prophets AMI Christ represent
ing all worlds.
lupctuous Peter was 50 wrought upon by
the presence of this wondroIs three, that,
without waiting for time TO consider how
prepostcrous was the proposition, he cried
out, Let us make three tabernacleS-one
for Thee one for Moses and one for Elijah"
Where would they get the material for
building one tabernacle, much less material
enough to build two tabernacles and still
less. how would they get the material for
building three? Where would they get the
hammers, Where the gold? Where the
SILVER? Where the Curtains2 Where the
costly alornments' Hermon is barren
peak. anl TO build one Il Jernacle in such
place would have bsen an Undertaking be-
yond human achievement, AMI Peter was
propIuudiug the Impossible when he cried
out III enthusiasm, Let us build threa taber.
nac.es u
AMI yet that is what this congregation
has lie n called u do ami has done This
first Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated in
1870, and destroyed by fire IN ls11. Thd
second Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated
in 1874, and DESTROYED by fire in 1859. The
third Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated in
April 1891, and in that we ure worshiping
to-day. " hat sounlet ab, ,urd for Peter to
propose, when he said on Mount Hermon. in
the words of my text, Let Us build three
tabernEces,' - we have not only done but in
the myst tr,ouS province Of God We're com
PEELED to 90.
announce to you this day that we ara at
last a. church, IN smooth waters Ar
rangements have be made by which our
financial difficulties are now fully and sAtls-
faCtOrlly a iLusted. Our income will exceed
I our outgo, and Brooklyn Tabernacle will be
yours and LeonS to you and your children
after you, and anything you seq contrary to
this you may put down To the confirmed
habit which some people have got Of ms
. tIl tSFilAIur, tlllS GIAui III, NhEl NhhllO'
/ stop. When came to Brooklyn 1 came to a
small church and big Indebtedness We
have now tins, the largest Protestant church
. in America. and financially is cNngrega-
tiOn We are worth, over and beyond all IN
debteiness, considerably more taau $50 COZ.
have preached here twenty three years,
aud expect, If my life and health are con-
tnued, 10 preach here twenty-three years
] longer although we will all do well 70 re-
. l,.,r hat hraatl - in is
Gnd any hour we may be called to give an
account Of our stewardship All We ask for
/ the future Is that you do your best, contrib
uting all you can to the support of our instl-
! tutions. Oar best days are yet to come; cur
greatest IcvLyals Of religion, and our might
lest outpourings of the Holy Ghost. We
have got through the Red sea and stand to-
day on the other bank c!appinS the cymbals
oil victory.
Yes, twenty three years have passed since
! came to live in Brooklyn, aud they have
/ been to me eventlul years. Ii was n pros
tratel church to which | came, a church 81
fat down 1t could drop no farther. Through
controversies which 1t would bs useless to
reheGrse it was welt nigh extinct, and for u
long while 1t had been without pastor
But nineteen members could be mustered u
slgn call Tor my coming
AS n committee WAS putting that call be-
/ Philadelphia there were two other commit
tees on similar errauds from other church IS
/ IN other rooms. whom my wife was enter
tanning and keeping apart from unhappy
collision. The uiitorlum of the Brooklyn
church to which came deliel all the laws
of acoustics, the church hal a steeple that
was the derison of the town., and high
box pulpit which shut in the preacher "a
though he were dangerous to be let loose,
or it acted asa barrcaIe that was unneces-
sary 70 keep back the people, for they were
so few that a minister OF ordinary muscle
could have kept back all who were there.
Ny first Sabbath in Brooklyn was a sad
day, for did not realize how far the church
was down until then, and on the evening OF
that day my own brother through whose
pocket entered the ministry, diet, and the
tidings OF his decease reached me at O'Clock
in the evening, and | was to preach at hall
past seven. But from that day the blessing
OF God was on us and in three months W,
began the enlargement of the building. Be
fore the close OF that year we resolved tc
construct the first Tabernacle. 1t was to bt
Il temporary structure, and therefore WI
called it a Tabernacle instead of Temple
What should be the style Of architectur,
was the immediate question. had Away
thought that the ampitheatrIcal shape woult
be appropriate for a church
Two distinguished architects were EN-
ployed and after much lowering over de
signs they announced to us that such
building was impossible for religious pur
poses, as it would not be churchly, AM
would subject themselves and us to ruinou
criticisms; in other words, they were no
reudy for q revolution in church archi
lecture. Utterly disheartened as to IN,
favorite style of architecture, l said to tn
trustees, "Build anything you please and
must be satisfied" But one morning
young architect appeared at my house an
asked if we had yet selected a plan for ou
church. said, mo, and what we want W
cannot getn "What kind Of building do yo
wantF he asked And taking out a lea
pencil and letter envelope from my pocket
iu less than a minute by few curved line
indicated i'll the rough what we wanted
But" / said, ''old architects tell us it can
be dore, and there is no use in you trying.
He said, II can do it. How long can hav
to make out the plans?" l said, This ever
ing at o'clock everything is to be decided
Ats O'Clock Of that evening the architec
presented his plans AMI the bids of builde
and mason were presented, and in five mil
utes after the plans were presented the
were unanimously adopted. So that
would not be in the way Of tho trustees dul
ing the work | went to Europe, and when
got back the church was we'll nigh don
| But there came Ill u staggering nlnuranCt
We expected to pay for the new church /
the sale of the old building. The old OIL
had been sold, but just at the time we mui
have the money the purchasers backed o
and we had two churches and no money.
By the help of God and the indomitab
and unparalleled energy OF our truste
(here and there one of them present to-da
but the most in better WORLD, we got Il
building ready for conservation, and Q
September %, 1870, morning and eveniI
dedicatory services were held, and in 4
afternoon the children. with sweet and mul
tudinous voices consecrated the place
God. Twenty thousand dollars were rails
that day to pay a floating debt. In t
morning old DR.. Stephen II. Tying, I
glory OF the Episcopal Church and !