Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-04-23
REV. DR.. TAIMAGE
Ill IIttEl1N IlNlNES IN
DAY SERMON.

Our Arab ponies were almost deal with
fatigue. as, in Dec -fnber, 1889. we role near
tue foot OF Mount Hermon in the HOLY
l. ne, the mountain callei by ons "a
mountain Ok ice" by another ~ alit,e:iny
breastplate OF ice BY another the Mont
Blanc OF Palestine" its top has an almost
une8r:bly trillinnce. But what must it
have been IN the time to which my text re.
fer, Peter and james AMI John were On
that mountain top with Jesus when. sud-
deny, Chr.st's face took on tle glow Of the
norn1ay sun, AMI Moses AMI Elijah. wno
had been dead for centuries, came out from
the heavenly world and talket with our
Saviour. " hat an Overwhelming three
Moses, representing the law. Elijah, repre-
sentins the prophets, AMI Christ, represent
Ing all worlds.
lmpetUoa, Peter was 50 wTou ght upon by
the presence OF this vonIrous three. thai,
without waiting for time to conai1er how
Ireposterous was the proposition, he cried
out, Let US make three tabernacles-3na
Tor The, one for Moses and one for E,i;ah."
Where would they get the material for
building one tabernacle, mucl les, material
raoCgh to build two tabernac.es, aud stu
less. how would they get the material for
building three, Wh4r. would thay get the
h%aInmei.s Where the god, Where the
silver, Where the curtains, Where the
costly 4 lornnents? He-mon is a barren
pea, anl to huill one tabernac.e in sue a
thdIC "Oiiti nave - III tHi - IA At = -
yon1 human achievement, AMI Peter was
propoundinS the impossible WHEN he cried
out III enthusiasm, Let Us build thre- taber-
uacies
AMI vet that,is what this con reg ttiou
has been called to DO AMI ha, done The
first Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated in
$50, and destroyed by fir. IN lo12. Tne
second brooklyn Tabernacle was Il. iicatei
In 1874, and DESTROYED by fire in i>SH. The
third BrooilvH tabernacle was detilcatei IN
April. 1891, ana in that We ar. worahiuin-
to-day. hat SCUM lei absurd for Peter to
propose, when he sal on Mount H-rnon, in
the words OF my text, let us buili three
raipe4 nec Is" We haven't on.y done. but in
the inNst rlou5 province o. God were COM
peIiel to do.
lannnunce TO you this day that we are at
last, asa cnurcll, IN smooth waters. Ar
rafgeIieutS have been made 10y whicu our
financial difficulties are now fully and salts
factor.lv adjusted. Our income will exceed
our outgo, ana Brooklyn Tabernacle will be
yours and belong to'you and your children
after you, aud anything you see contrary to
this You may put Gown to the confirmed
habit winch some people have got or mis-
representing this church, and they cannot
stop. When ! came to brooklyn /! cane to a
small church and a hi, Indebtedness. We
have now this, the largest Protestant church
IN America. and financially as a cougre.a-
ton we are WORTH, over and beyond all il
Gebtelness, considerably more than S15p, coo.
have preache here t"euty-three year.
AMI expect, Ii my life and health are con-
tinue1, to preach here twenty-threa years
longer, although We will all do well to r.
member that our breath is in our nostrils,
and any hour. we may be callel to give an
account OF our stewardship. All We ask for
the future IS that you DO oar best, contrib
uting all you can to the support Of our insti-
tutlons. Our best days are yet to come: our
greatest revlvais Of religion, and our might
lest outpourings of tho holy Ghost. We
have got through the Red sea and stand to-
day on the other bank clapping the cylnba!s
or victory.
Yes, twenty-three years have passed since
l came 20 live i'll Brooklyn, and they have
been to me event.ul years. 1t was a pros
trate1 church to which 1 came, a church So
fiat down 1t could drop no farther Through
controversies " hich IL would be useless to
rehearse it was we'll nigh extinct, and for Il
long while it had been without a pastor.
But nineteen member could BE- mustered to
sign a call tor my coming.
AS a committee was putting that call be
fore me IN an upper room Ill my house In
Philadelphia, there were two other commit
tees on similar errantS from other churches
In other rooms, whom my wife was enter
tanning and keeping apart from unhappy
collision. The au Iitorium Of the Brooklyn
church to which came defiel all the laws
of acoustics; the church ha 1 a steeple that
was the ucrlSlOn Oh the tOND, ana a NlSu
box pulpit which shut in the preacher as
though he were dangerous to be let loose,
or it acted asa barrica 10 that was unnece:-
sary to keep back the people, for they were
SO few that n minister OF ordinary muscle
could have kept back all who were there.
NV first Sabbath in Brooklyn was q 81 |
day, for | did not realize how far tn. church
was down until then, AMI Oh the evenln. OF
that day myOwn brother, through who's
pocket entered the ministry, die !, an the
tidinss Of his decease reached me AT u O'Clock
in the evening, and | was to preach at half
past seven. But from that day the blessing
of God was on Us. and in three months We
began the enlargement of the building. Be
fore the close OF that year we resolved t.
construct the first Tabernacle. 1t was to b.
a temporary structure, AMI therefore We
called it n tabernacle Instead of Temple
What should be the style OF architecture
was the immediate question. I had Away,
thought that the amplthcatr cal shape wou!'
be appropriate for a church.
Two distinguished arcmtecJs were Ell
ploveI. aud after mucl h0verilg oyer de
signs they announced to us that sueI L
building was impossible for rel ,ious pur
pose, as it would not he cuurchy, an
would subject Themselves an | Us to rulnou
criticism. in other words. they were no
ready for a revolution IN church archl
lecture. Utterly iisheartenei as To IN
favorlte style OF architecture. 1 Sa!u 10 I'll
trustees, "bu,ld anything you please, AMI
must be satisfied" But one morning
T young architect appeared It my house an
asked if we had yet selected a plan for GU
church. Isaid, NO. and what we want "
cannot get "W hat kind of building do 70
WANT be asked. And taking out a lea
pencil and a letter envelope from my poke
in less than a minute by a few curved I'm
indicated in the rough what we wan'e'
But" | said. odd architects tell Us 1t can
be dors, and there is no use in you trying
He sait, Il can DO it. How long can | ha'
to make out the plans" | said, This eve
ing at 5 o'clock everything is to be decided
At 5 clcck Of that evening the arclite'
presented his plans, an the bids of build
and mason were presented. and In tive mi
utes after the plans were presented tn
were unanimously adopted. So that
would not be in the WAY of the trustees du
ing the work l went to Europe, and wheI
got back the church was we'll nigh dor
But there came III q sta ggerln- hiniranC
We expected 70 pay for the new cnurch
the sale OF the OH building. The Old .
had been sold, but just a. the time We nj
have the money the purchasers bacSei {
ami We hsi two 'itcaes and no money.
~, 81. kaiN ~ ttat an fha In iNrult5l