The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1892-06-09

II o4il M "1IGIIlSoJ "ClC pCDAAohSNt'
During that time, also, was permitted
to discuss all the great questions OF
the day in all the great cities
of this continent, and in many
of them many times, besides preaching
and lecturing ninety-six times in
England, Scotland and Ireland, in
ninety-four days. During all that time,
as well as since, was engaged in edit
ing religious newspaper, believing
that such a periodical was capable of
great usefulness, and | have been a con-
slant contributor to newspapers and pc
riodicals. Meanwhile all things had be-
come easy in the Brooklyn tabernacle.
On a Sabbath in October, 1889, l an
nounced to my congregation that l
would in few weeks visit the Holy
Land, and that the officers of the
church had consented to my go
ing, and the wish of lifetime was
about to be fulfilled. The next Sab
after midnight, a member Of my house.
hold awakened me by saying that there
was a strange light in the sky. A
thunderstorm had left the air full of
electricity, and from horizon to hori-
Zon everything seemed to blaze. But
that did not disturb me, until an OBJ
servatlon taken from the capola of my
house declared that tho second taber-
nacle was putting on red wings. l
secuted the idea, ami turned over on
the pillow for another asleep, but
number of excited voices called me to
the roof, and | went up and saw clearly
defined in the night the fiery catafalque
Of our second Tabernacle.
When I saw that, said to my family:
Il think that ends my work in Brook
Ign. Surely the Lord will not call
minister to build three churches in one
city. The building of one church gen
orally ends the usefulness of pastor,
how can anyone preside at the building
Of three churches?" But, before TWEEN
ty-four hours had passed, we were COM
peeled to cry out, with Peter of my text:
''Let us build three tabernacles.n We
must have home somewhere. The
old site had ceased to be the center of
our congregation, and the center of the
congregation, as near as we could
find it, is where we now stand. Hav-
ing selected the spot, should we build
on 1t barn or n tabernacle beautiful
and commodious? Our common sense,
as well as our religion, commanded the
latter. But what push, what industry,
what SKILL what self-sacrifce, what
faith in God, were necessary. Impede
ments and hinderances without number
were thrown in the way, and had it
not been for the perseverance of
our church officials, and the pray
ers of millions of good souls in
all parts of the earth, and the bless
ing of Almighty God, the work would
not have been done. But it is done,
and all good people who behold the
structure feel in their hearts, if they do
not utter with their lips, GLOW amiabls
are Thy tabernacles, o Lord of Hosts"
On the third Sabbath of last April this
church was dedicated, Dr. Hamlin, of
Washington, preaching an inspiring
sermon. DR.. Wendell Prime, of New
York, offering the dedicatory prayer,
and some fifteen clergymen during the
day taking part in the services. Ho-
sannahi
And, now, as stand here on my twenty
third anniversary, see two audiences
The one is made up of all those who
have worshiped with us in the past, but
have been translated to higher realms.
What children-too fair and too sweet
and too lovely for earth-and the Lord
took them, but they seem present to-
day. The Group has gone out of the
swollen throat, and the pallor from the
check, and they have on them the
health and radiance of Heaven. Hail
groups of glorifed children! How glad
am to have you come back to us to-day!
And here sat those aged ones, who de-
parted this life leaving an awful
vacancy in home and church. Where
are your stats, and where your gray
locks, and where your STOPPING shout
ders, we blessed old folks? ''Oh!" they
say, ''we are all young again, and the
bath in the river from under the Throne
has made us agile and bounding. If
the place from which we come, they uss
no staffs but sceptersl Hail. fathers
and mothers in Israel; aow glad we arr
to have you come back to greet us.
But the other audience see in mag
nation, is made up of all those to whom
we have had opportunity as church,
directly or indirectly of presenting the
Gospel. Yea, all my parishes seem to
come back to-day. The people of my
first charge in Belleville, N. J. The
people of my second charge in SYRIA
cuse, N. Y. The people of my third
charge in Philadelphia And the
people of all these three Brook
lyn Tabernacles. Look at them, and
all those whom, through the printing
press, we have invited to God and
Heaven, now seeming to sit in galleries
above galleries, fifty galleries, a hun
dred galleries, in thousand galleries
high. l greet them all in your name.
and in Christ's name, all whom | nave
confronted from my first sermon IN nv
first village charge, where my lips trem-
bled and my knees knocked together
from alright, speaking from the text.
jeremiah l., 6: "Ah, Lord God. behold
can not speak, for am childr' .ntil
the sermon l preach to-day from Luke
tx, 80: ''Letus make three tabernacles:''
those of the past, the present. all gath