Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-04-04
AN ANNIVERSARY.
DR.. rALMAeE TELLS OF THE THREE TABER
NACLES He HAS
Built il Brooklyn aud the Great Work Of Twenty
three Years-A Strong Presentation Of ths
Cod One ABLE Man Nay Do
in the World.

festival day at the IaOernGcle Ut a.
mage is celebrating the twenty-third ami
versary OF his settlement ia Brooklyn. 10
white flowers embedded IN green az the
back OF the pulpit stood the inscription,
s'lSGg and 1892" DR.. Talmage's SUBJECT
was: "The Three Tabernacles; story OF
trials and triumphs,n and hiS'teNt Luxe
tx. rs. Let us make three ta0ernacleS.
Our Arab ponies were almost dead with
fatigue. as. 10 December, 1SS9, we rode near.
the foot Of Mount Herm0n, IN the Holy
Land. the mountain called by one "a noun
tain OF ice.n BY another "a ghttermg
breastpiate OF ices" By another "the Mont
Blac of Palestine" Its top has an almost
unearthlv brilliance. But what must IL
have been in the time TO which my teNtre-
ferst Peter aud James and John were on
that mountain top with Jesus, when,
suddenly. Christ's face took on the
glow Of the MONDAY sun, ana Moses
and Elijah, who had been dead
for centuries. came out from the heavenly
world and talked with our Saviour. what
an overwhelming three! Moses, repre-
senting the law, Elijah, representing the
prophets. and Christ, representing al
worlds Impetuous Peter was so wrought
upon by the presence OF this wondrous
three, that without waiting for time 70
consider how preposterous was the propo-
sitiOn, he cried out: Let us MAKE
three tabernacles; one Tor thee,
one for Moses. and one for Elijah. -
WHERE WOULD THEY
get the material for building one tabor
nacle. much less material enough 10 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 curtains, Where the costly adorn-
mentsl HermOn is a barren peak, ana 70
build one tabernacle IN such place would
have been an undertaking beyond human
achievement and Peter was prOpOundlng
the impossible when he cried out IN en-
thusiasm: Let US build three taoer-
nacles.r And vet, that is what this
congregation have been called 70 do aud
have done. The first Brooklyn Tabernacle
was dedicated In 1870 and destroyed by hre
fn 1872. The second Brooklyn Tabernacle
was dedicated in 1874 and destroyed by hre
in 1889. The third Brooklyn Tabernacle
was dedicated in April, 1891, and IN that we
are worshipping to-day. What sounded
absurd for Peter 70 propose, when he said
on Mount HermOn, IN the words OF my
text: LET US build three ta0ernacles,'
we have not only done, but, IN the mysterl
Gus providence of God, were compelled to
10.
ONE SUNDAY MORNING,
in Decembert 1872, the thermometer nearly
down to zero, 1 was on my way 20 church.
There was an excitement in the street and
much smoke IN the air But my mind was
on the sermon q was about 10 preach,
until someone rushed up and told me that
our church was going up 10 the same kind
of chariot that Elijah took from the banks
of the Jordan. That Sunday morning
tragedy with its wringiug OF hands ana
frozen tears on the cheeks Of many thous-
auds standing in the street, and the crash
that shook the earth, is as vivid as though
10 were Yesterday. But il was not per
feet loss All were anxious 20 DO some
thing, and, as on such occasions sinsible
people are apt TO do unusual things, one OF
the mem berS. at the risk Of his life rushed
in among the fallen walls, mounted the
pulpit aud took a glass OF water from
the table and brought IL in safety 70 the
street. So YOU see lt was not total loss
Within an hour from many churches came
kind Invitations to occupy their buildings,
and hanging against lamp-pOst near the
destroyed building before l. o'clock that
morning was a board with the inscriptions;
'The congregation Of Brooklyn tabernacle
will worship tonight in plymouth church. "
Mr.. Beecner made the opening prayer,
which was FUN of commiseratiOn for me
and my homeless flock, and / preached that
night the sermon that L intended 10 preach
that morning ia my own church, the text
concerning the precious alabaster box
broken at the feet of Christ, and sure
enough we had one very precious broken
that day We were, as church, O0liter-
ated. But arise and build,n said many
voices.
The SECOND TABERNACLE.
What a stupeudous reminiscence, But,
IL the Peter Of my text had known what an
undertaking IL is 20 build two tabernacles,
he would not have proposed two, 20 say
nothing of three. As an anniversary ser
mon must needs be somewhat autobiography
ical let me say / have not been idle. Dur
ing the standing Of those two taberpaCleS
fity-twO books, under as many titles, made
Up from my writings, were published.
During that time, also, / was permitted 70
discuss an the great questions OF the day
so all the great cities OF the continent, and
in many of them many tunes, beside
preaching and lecturing ninety-siX times
in England, Scotland, and ireland, In
time, Us well as since,
was engaged in editing reli-
gioUs newspaper, believing that such
periodical was capable of great usefulness,
and I have been a constant contributor 10
newspapers and periodicals. Meanwhile
al things mad become easy in the Brooklyn
Tabernacle. On a Sabbath in October,
lSS0, I announced TO my congregation that
j would I'm a few weeks visit the Holy
Land. and that the officers OF the church
had consented TO my going, and the wish Of
a lifetime was about TO be fulfilled. The
next Sabbath morning about two o'clock,
on Just after midnight, member Of my
household awakened me by saying that
there was a strange light In the sky.
THUNDERSTORM
had left the air fun OF electricity. aud from
horizon 20 horizon everything seemed 10
blaze But that did not disturb me, until
an observation taken from the cupOla Of
my house declared that the second Taber-
nacie was pV,tiuE on red wings. / secuted
the ldea and turned over on the pillow for
another sleep, but number of excited
voices called me 90 the roof, and / went up
and saw clearly defined In the night the
fiery catatalquo OF our second Tabernacle.
When I saw that ] said to my family:
al think that ends nv work IN Brooklyn.
Surely the Lord will not call a minister
70 build three churches IN one city. The
building OF one church generally ends the
usefulness Of pastor how can any one
preside at the building Of three churches
But. before twenty-fOur hours had passed,
we were compelled % cry out, with Peter
Of my text. LET US build three taber-
naclcs.n We must havea home somewhere.
The old site had ceased 10 be the center Of
our congregation, and the center of the
congregation, as near as we could hnd it, is
where we now stand. Having selected the
spot, should we build on il barn or
Tabernacle beautiful and cOmmOdiousl
Our common sense, as we'll as our religion,
commanded the latter But what push.
what industry, what skill, what Self-sac.
rifce, what faith in God. were necessary.
ImDediments and hiRdranceS without mum
Der were thrown in the way, and had il
not been for the perseverance Of our
church officials and the practical help OF