Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-04-14

tuem ucCOulluB NcB Dlts4Ag OIt-LAsE-ed lIietfCrt-
ers, and 1 meet them in all parts Of the
land toiling nightly for God.
THE FIRE OF lsI2
One Sunday morning In December, 1872,
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 dashed past. But
my mind was on the sermon / was about
to preach, until some one rushed up and
told me that our church was going up in
the same kind Of n chariot that Elijah took
from the banks of the Jordan. That Sun
day morning tragedy, with its wringing OF
hands and frozen tears on the cheeks of
many thousands standing in the street,
and the crash that shook the earth, is as
vivid as though it were yesterday. But it
was not perfect loss.
All were anxious to do something, and
as on such occasions sensible people are
apt to do unusual things, one Of the mem
bers, 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. So
you see il was not a total loss. Within an
hour from many churches came kind in
vitations to occupy their buildings, and
hanging against lamppOst near the de-
stroyed building, before IL o'clock that
morning, was board with the inscription,
'The congregation of Brooklyn Taber-
nacle will worship tonight in Plymouth
church"
Mr. Beecher made the opening prayer,
which was full of commiseration for me
and my homeless flock, and l preached
fhoft ,t,rhf ha hot int Al
preach that morning in my own church,
the text concerning the precious alabaster
box broken at the feet of Christ, and sure
enough we had one very precious broken
that day. We were, as a church, obliter-
ated. But arise and build" said many
voices. Another architect took the amphi-
theatrical plan of a church, which in the
| first instance was necessarily somewhat
rude, and developed it into an elaborate
plan that was Immediately adopted.
But how to raise the money for such an
expensive undertaking was the question
expensive not because of any senseless
adornment proposed, but expensive be-
cause of the immense size 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 finan-
cial depression which all business men re-
member, as the cloud hung heavy year
after year and commercial establishments
without number went down. Through
what struggles we passed the eternal God
and some brave souls today remember
Many a time would have gladly accepted
calls to some other field, but / could not
leave the flock in the wilderness.
At last, after, in the interregnum, hav-
ing worshiped in our beautiful Academy
of Music, on the morning Of Feb. 90 1874,
the anniversary of the Washington who
conquered impossibilities and on the Sab
bath that always celebrates the resurrec-
tion, DIR. Byron Sunderland, chaplain of
the United States senate, thrilled us
through and through with dedicatory
sermon from Haggai ii, 0, "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 illustrious and now enthroned DR..
Ireneus Prime. On the platform on dedi-
cation day sat, among others, Dr. Bowling
of the Baptist church, Dr. Crook of the
Methodist church, Mr.. Beecher of the Con-
gregational church and DR.. French of the
Presbyterian church. Hosannah! Another
$35, 600 was raised on that day.
The following Sunday 32S souls were re-
ceived into our communion mostly on con-
fession of faith. At two other commun-
ions over 500 souls joined at each one.
At another ingathering 62S 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. My! myl 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 Schermer-
horn street can never be undone.
What self sacrifices on the part of many,
who gave almost till the blood came!
What hallelujahs! What victories! What
wedding marches played with full organ!
What baptisms! What sacramento What
obsequies! One of them on snowy Sab
bath 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 on and
around the platform tried to interpret how
it 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.
THE SECOND TABERNACLE.
That second tabernacle! What a stu
pendous reminiscence! But, if the Peter
of my text had known what an undertake
ing it is to build two tabernacles he would
not have proposed two, to say nothing of
| Az,
needs be somewhat autobiographical, let
me say have not been idle. During the
standing of those two tabernacles fifty-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 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 editing religious news
paper, believing that such periodical was
capable of great usefulness, and l have
been constant contributor to newspapers
and periodicals. Meanwhile all things had
become easy in the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
On Sabbath in October, 1889, announced
to my congregation that would in few
weeks visit the Holy Land. and that the
officers of the church had consented to my
going, and the wish of lifetime was about
to be fulfilled The next Sabbath morn
ing, 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 hor.
izon 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 Oh
red wings.
secuted the idea and turned over on the
pillow for another sleep, but number OF