The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-04-20
Within a few wears have rone through .

dure, and l pray God that no other
church may ever be called to endure,
viz: the building of three tabernacles.
/ ask the friends Of the Brooklyn tab
ernacle to cut out this sermon from the
newspapers and put it in their pocket
books, so that they can intelligently
answer our falsifers, whether clerical
or lay. And with these you may put
that other statement, which recently
went through the country and which l
saw in Detroit, which said that the
Brooklyn tabernacle had hard finan-
cial struggle, because it had all along
been paying such enormous salaries to
its pastor, DIR. Talmage, when the fact
is that, after our last disaster and for
two years, gave all my salary to the
church building fund, and / received
sc, 900 less than nothing; in other words,
in addition to serving this church gra-
tuitously for two years, I let 1t have
$1,000 for building purposes. Why is it
that people could not do us justice and
say that all our financial struggle as a
church came from doing what Peter, in
my text, absurdly tried to do, but
which, in the inscrutable providence Of
God, we were compelled to do-build
three tabernacle,s.
Now, feel better that this is off my
mind. The rest of my sermon will be
spun ont Oh hosannahs. announce to
you this day that we are at last, as
church, in smooth waters. Arrangements
have been made by which our financial
difficulties are now fully and satisfac-
torily adjusted. Our income will exceed
our out-go, and Brooklyn tabernacle
will be yours and belong to you and
your children after you, and anything
you see contrary to this you may put
down to the confirmed habit which
some people have got Of misrepresent-
ing this church and they can not stop.
When I came to Brooklyn / came to a
small church and a big indebtedness.
We are now the largest protestant
church in America, and financially as a
congregation are worth, over and be-
yond all indebtedness, considerably
more than S150,000.
l have PREF ched here twenty-three
years, and l expect, il my life and
health are continued, to preach here
twenty-three years longer, although we
will all do well to remember that our
breath is in our nostrils, and any hour
we may be called to give an accout OF
our stewardship. All we ask for the
future is that you do your best, con-
tributing all you can to. the support OF
our institutions. Our best days are yet
to come; our greatest revivals of religion
and our mightiest outpouring of the
Holy Ghost. We have got through Red
sea and stand to-day on the other bank,
clapping the cymbals of victory. Do
you wonder that last Sabbath asked
you in the midst of the service to rise
and sing with jubilant voice the long
meter Doxology:
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above we 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 Frustrated church to which
came, church so fiat down it could
dropno further. Through controversies
which it would be useless to rehearse il
was well nigh extinct, and for a long
while it had been without a pastor But
nineteen members could be mustered tc
sign call for my coming. AS a commit
tee was putting that call before me in ar
upper room in my house in Philadel
phia, there were two other committees
on similar errands from other churches
in other rooms, whom my wife was en-
tertaining and keeping apart from un
happy collision. The auditorium of the
Brooklyn church to which came defied
all the laws of acoustics; the church
had steeple that was the derision O.
the town, and high box pulpit which
shut in the preacher as though he were
dangerous to be let loose, or it acted a!
a barricade that was unnecessary K
keep back the people, for they were 81
few that minister of ordinary muscle
could have kept back all who were
there. My first Sabbath in Brooklyn
was sad day, for did not realize how
far the church was down until then
on the evening of that day my owl
brother, through whose pocket enter
ed the ministry, died, and the tidings o
his decease reached me at o'clock il
the evening, as was to preach at 7:SO
But from that day the blessing of Goo
was on us, and in three months we be
gan the enlargement of the building
Before the close of that year we resolv
ed to construct the first tabernacle.
It was to be a temporary structure
and therefore we called it a tabernacl,
instead of a temple. What should b
the style of architecture was the imme
date question. had always though
the amphitheatrical shape would b.
appropriate for a church. Two distin
guished architects were employed, ant
after much lowering over designs, the,
announced to us that such a buildin,
was impossible for religious purposes
as it would not be churchly, and woul,
subject themselves and us to ruinou
criticism; in other words, they wer
not ready for revolution in churcl
architecture. Utterly disheartened a
to my favorite style of architecture
l said to the trustees: Build any thin
you please, and must be satisfied.
But one morning young architect ar
peared at my house and askedif we ha
yet selected plan for our church.
said: mo, and what we want we ca
not get" what style of building d
you want?" he asked. And taking on
a lead pencil and letter envelope fror
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