The Globe-republican., 1892-04-18

n3cle 20 cut out this sermon from the
newspapers and put it in their pocket.
books. so that they can intelligently an
swer our falsi6ers, whether clerical OF
lay.
And with these you may put that other
statement which recently went through
the country, and which saw in Detroit,
which said that the Brooklyn Taberna-
Gle had hard financial struggle because
it had all along been paying such enor-
nous salaries to its pastor, DR.. Talmage,
when the fact is that, after our last dis.
aster and for two years. / gave all my
salary to the church building fund, and
l received Sc, 600 less than nothing. In
other words, in addition to serving this
church gratuitOusly for two years, let
it have $1,000 for building purposes.
Why is it that people could not do justice
and say that all our financial struggle as
a church came from doing what Peter,
in my text absurdly proposed to Dc, but
which, in the inscrutable providence of
God, we were compelled TO do-build
three tabernacles.
Now, feel better that this is off my
mind. The rest of my sermon will be
spun out of hosannahS l announce to
church, in smooth waters. Arrange
ments have been made by which our
financial difficulties are now fully and
satisfactorily adjusted. Our income will
exceed our OutgO. and Brooklyn Taber-
nacle will be yours and belong to you
and your children after you, and any
thing you see contrary to this you may
put down to the confirmed habit which
some people have got for misrepresent
ing this church and they cannot stop.
When l came to Brooklyn l came to a
small church ana big Indebtedness.
We have now this, the largest Protest
ant church in America, and financially
as a congregation We are worth, over
and beyond all Indebtedness, considera-
bly, more than S15O.O
have preached here twenty-three
years, and expect, il my life and health
are continued. to preach here twenty
three years longer. although we will all
do we'll to remember that our breath is
in our nostrils, and any hour we may be
called to give an account Of our stew
ardship. All we ask for the future is
that you do your best, contributing all
you can to the support of our institu-
tions. Our best days are yet to come:
our greatest revivals Of religion and our
mightiest outpourings of the Holy Ghost
We have got through the Red Sea, and
stand to-day on the other bank clapping
the cymbals of victory.
Do you wonder that last Sabbath I
asked you in the midst OF the service to
rise and sing with jubilant voice the
long meter Doxology:
Praise Him, all creatures here below,
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Yes. twenty-three years have passed
since came to live in BROOKLYN, and
they have been to me eventful years. 1t
was a Frustrated church to which 1
came, a church so fiat down it could
drop no further. Through controversies
which it would be useless to rehearse it
was well nigh extinct, and for long
while it had been without pastor. But
nineteen members could be mustered to
sign call for my coming. AS COM
mittee was putting that call before me
in an upper room in my house in Phila-
delphia, there were two other commit
tees on similar errands from other
churches in other rooms, whom my wife
IL
unhappy collision.
The auditorium of the Brooklyn
church to which 1 came defied all the
laws of acoustics; the church had
steeple that was the derision Of the town,
and high box pulpit which shut in the
preacher as though he were dangerous
to be let loose, or it acted as barricade
that was unnecessary to keep back tie
people. for they were so few that a min
lister Of ordinary muscle could have kept
back all who were there. My first Sab
bath in Brooklyn was sad day, for l
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,
died, and the tidings of his decease
reached me at o'clock in the evening,
and was to preach at half past z.
But from that day the blessing of God
was on US, and In three months we began
the enlargement of the building. Before
the close of that year we resolved to
construct the first Tabernacle.
BY the help of God and the indomit-
able and unparalleled energy Of our trus-
tees (here and there one of them present
to-day, but the most in better WORLDLY
We got the building ready for consec-
Grafton, and on Sept. 25, 1870, morning
and evening dedicatory services were
held, and in the afternoon the children
with sweet and multitudinous voices
the place to God. Twenty
thousand dollars were raised to pay
floating debt. In the morning old DR..
Stephen Fl. Tying, the glory of the Epis-
cOpal Church and the Chrysostom Of the
American pulpit preached a sermon
which fingered in its gracious effects as
ong as the building stood. He read
enough out Of the Episcopal prayer book
TO keep himself from being reprimanded
by his bishop for preaching at nom
Episcopal service, and we, although be-
longing to another denomination. re-
sponded with heartiness, as though we
we're used to the liturgy ''Good Lord. de-
liver u.s."
During the short time We occupied
that building we had q constant down.
pour of religious awakening. Hosannah!
One Sunday morning in December,
lS72, the thermometer nearly down to
zero, was on my way to church. There
was An excitement in the street and
much smoke in the air. Fire engines