Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-04-09

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Der 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 l saw that said to my family:
II think that ends my work in Brook
lyn. Surely the Lord will not call q
minister TO build three churches in one
itcy. The building of one church gem
orally ends the usefulness of n pastor,
how can any ono preside ut the building
of three churches?" But before twenty
four hours had passed we were COM
PEELED to cry out, with Peter Of my text,
LET us build three tabernncles.' We
must have home somewhere.
The old site had ceased to be the CEN
ter Of our congregation, and the center
of our congregation, as near us we could
find it, Is where VIC now stand
Having selected the spot. should we
build on it barn or tabcr-
nacle, beautiful and commodious? Our
common sense, as well as our religion,
commanded the latter. But what push,
what industry, what skill, what self
sacrifice. what faith in God were neces-
sary. Impediments and hindrances
without number were thrown In the
way and had it not been for the perse-
verence of our church officials and the
practical help of many people and the
prayers Of millions of good souls in all
parts of the earth and the blessings 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 it with
their lips: "How amiable are Thy
tabernacles, o, Lord of Hosts" On the
third Sabbath Of last April this church
was dedicated,
During these past years have learned
two or three things. Among Others I
have learned that ''all things work to-
gether for good" My mode of preach
ing has sometimes seemed to stir the
hostilities of all earth and hell. Feel
ing called upon fifteen years ago to eX-
plore underground New York city life
that might report the evils to be conf
batted took with me two elders OF my
church and New York police commits
sioner and policeman, and l explored
and reported the horrors that needed
removal and the allurementS that endan-
gered our young men. There came upon
me an outburst Of assumed indignation
that frightened almost everybody but
myself. That exploration put into my
church thirty or forty newspaper cor
respondents from north, south, east and
west, which opened for me new avenues
in which to preach the gospel that
otherwise never would have been
opened.
Another lesson have learned during
these twenty-three years is that it is not
necessary to preach error or pick flaws
in the old Bible in order to get an audi
ence. The old Book, without any fixing
up, is good enough for me, and higher
criticism, as it is called, means lower
religion. Higher criticism is another
form of infidelity, and its disciples will
believe less and less, until many of them
will land in nowhere, and become the
worshipers of an eternal "What-is-it?"
And now, as / stand here on my twen-
ty-third anniversary, l see two audi
ences. 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 pres
emit to-day. The Group has gone out OF
the swollen throat, and the pallor from
the cheek, 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 sit those aged ones, who de-
parted this life leaving an awful vacan-
CIV in home and church. Where are
your stats, and where are your gray
locks, and where are your STOPPING
shoulders, We blessed old folks? "Oh, "
they say, I'VE are all young men again,
and the bath in the river from under
the throne has made us agile and bound
ing"
In the place from which we come
they use no STATS, but scepters!" Hail,
fathers and mothers in Israel; how glad
we are to have you come back to greet
us. But the other audience i see in
imagination is made up Of all those to
whom we have had opportunity rs q
church, directly or Indirectly, OF pre-
senting the gospel. Yea, all my par
ishes seem to come back to-day. Igreet
them all in your name and in Christ's
name, all whom have confronted from
my first village charge, where my lips
trembled and my knees knocked togeth-
er from alright, speaking from the text,
Jeremiah, /. O: "Ah, Lord God, behold
can not speak, for am a child"
until l preach the sermon to-day,
from Luke, tx. 3S: Let us make
three tabernncles," those OF the
past, the present, all gathered in imagi-
nation, and If not in reality, all Of US
grateful to God for past mercies, all OF
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