The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-04-20

torium was q great family circle seated
around fireplace, which was the pulpit. 1t
was an iron structure, and we supposed fire.
proof, but the insurance companies looked
at it, and after we had gone too far to stop
In its construction they declined to insure 1t
except for a mere nothing. declaring that
being Of iron, if the in1ammable material
between the sheets Of iron took fire no engine
hose could play upon it. And they were
right. During those days we educated and
sent out from a lay college under our charge
some twelve hundred young men and
women, many Of them becoming evangelists
and many of them becoming regularly or,
dained preachers, and I meet them IN all
parts of the land toiling nightly for God.
One Sunday morning in December, 1872,
the Thermometer nearly down to zero, was
on my way to church. There was an excite
ment in the street and much smoke in the
air. Fire engines dashed past. But my
min was on the sermon I was about to
preach, until some ons rushed up and told
me that our church was going upin the same
kind Of a chariot that Elijah took from the
banks OF the Jordan. That Sunday morn
ing tragedy, with its wringins OF hands and
frozen tears on the cheeks OF many thou
sands standing in the street, and the crash
that shook the earth, Is as vivid as tnougn
it were yesterday. But it was not perfect
loss.
Ali are anxious to do something, and as
on such occasions sensible people are apt to
do unusual things, one Of the members, at
the risk Of his life rushed in among the
fallen walls, mounted the pulpit and took
glass of water from the table and brought it
In safety to the street. 80 you see it was
not a total loss. Within an hour from
many churches came kind invitations to oc-
cupy their buildings and hanging against
lamppost near the destroyed building, be-
fore 12 o'clock that morning, was board
With the inscription, 'The congregation Of
Brooklyn Tabernacle will worship to-nlgne
in Plymouth Church"
Mr.. Beecher made the opening prayer,
which was full Of comm iseration for me and
my homeless flock, and I lpreached that night
the sermon that intended to preach that
morning in my own church, the text con-
corning the precious alabaster box broken
at the feet Of Christ, and sure enough we
had one very precious broken that day. we
we're, as church, obliterated but arise
and build" said many voices. Another
architect took the amphitheatrical plan Of
church. which in the first instance was nec-
essarily somewhat rude. and developed 10
into an elaborate plan that was Immediately
adopted.
But how to raise the money for such an
extensive undertaking was the question:
extensive not because Of any senseless
adornment proposed, but expensive because
of the immense sizs Of the building needed
to hold our congregation. 1t was at that
time when for years our entire country was
suffering, not from financial panic, but
from that long continued financial depression
which all business men remember, as the
cloud hung heavy year after year and com.
mercial establishments without number went
MI ofr.
the eternal God and some brave souls to-day
remember. Many time would have glad.
" accepted calls to some other field,
but could not leave the flock in the wilder
ness.
At last after, in the interregnum, having
wcrshiped in our beautiful Academy Of
Music, on the morning Of February %, 1874,
the anniversary Of the Washington who con-
ouered impossibilities and on the Sabbath
that always celebrates the resurrection, DR..
Byron Sunderland, Chaplain OF the United
States Senate, thrilled us through and
through with q dedicatory sermon from
Haygai H., 9. THE glory Of this house
shall be greater than that Of the former,
saith the Lord Of Hosts" The corner stone
OF that building had been laid by the illus.
trious and now enthroned DIR. lrenaeus
Prime. On the platform on dedication day
tist Church, DR.. Crook, Of the Methodist
Church, Mr.. Reecher, Of the Congregational
Church, and DR.. French, of the Presbyterian
Church. Hosannahl Another SIS, 900 was
raised on that day.
The following Sunday 1928 souls were re-
ceived into our communion, mostly on
confession Of faith. At two other commu-
mons over 500 souls Joined at each one. At
another ingathering oSS souls entered this
communion. and so many OF those gathered
throngs have already entered heaven that
we expect to feel at home when we get there.
MyImv! Won't we be glad to see them
the men and women who stood by us in days
that were dark and days that were jubilant!
Hosannah! The work done in that church
on Schermerhorn street can never be
undone.
What self sacrifices on the part Of many,
who gave almost till the blood came! What
hailelujahsl What victories! What we'd
ding marches played with full organ! What
baptismsl What sacramento What o6se-
ouies! One of them on q snowy Sabbath
afternoon, when all Brooklyn seemed to
sympathize and my eldest son, bearing my
own name, lay beneath the pulpit in the last
sleep. and Florence Rice Knox sang, and a
score of ministers OH and around the plat
form tried to interpret how 1t was best that
one who had just come to manhood, and
with brightest worldly prospects, should be
taken and we left with heart that will not
cease to ache until we meet where tears
never fall.
That second Tabernaclel What stupen-
dous reminiscencel But IL the Peter Of my
text had known what an undertaking it is to
build two tabernacles he would not have
proposed two, to say nothing OF three. AS
an anniversary sermon must needs be some
L. ha-
not been idle During the standing Of those
two Tabernacles, ffty-two books, under as
many titles, made up from my writings,
were published. During that time also was
permitted to discuss all the great questions Of
the day in all the great cities Of this conti-
pent and in many Of them many times, be-
sides preaching and lecturing ninety.six
times in England, Scotland and Ireland In
ninety-four days.
During all that time as we'll as since,
was engaged in editing religious news
paper. believing that such periodical was
capable of great usefulness, and have been
q constant contributor to newspapers and
periodicals. Meanwhile all things had be-
come easy in the Brooklyn Tabernacle. On
a Sabbath in October, 1889, announced to
my congregation that / would 10 few
weeks visit the Holy Land, and that the ofh.
GERS Of the church had consented to my go
ing, ane the wish of a life to me was about
to be fulfilled. The next Sabbath morning,
about 2 o'clock, or just after midnight,
member of my household awakened me by
saying that there was strange light in the
sky. A thunderstorm had left the air full
Of electricity, and from horizon to horizon
everything seemed to blaze. But that did
not disturb me, until an observation taken
from the cupola Of my house declared that
the second Tabernacle was putting on red
wings.
secuted the idea and turned over on the
pillow tor another sleep, but number OF
excited voices called rle to the roof, and l