The Globe-republican., 1892-04-18

the text concerning the precious ala
baster box broken at the feet of Christ
and sure enough we had one very
precious broken that day. We were, as
. church. obliterated. '.But arise and
build" said many voices Another
architect took the amphitheatrical plan
of church, which, in the first instance,
was necessarily somewhat rude. and de-
| veloped 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 because 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 a
financial panic, but from that long con-
tinued financial depression which all
business men remember, as the cloud
hung heavy year after year and COM
mercial establishments without number
went down. Through what struggles
we passed the Eternal God and some
brave souls to-day 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 interrexnum having wor-
SHIPPED in our beautiful Academy of
Music. on the morning of Feb. %, 1874,
the anniversary of the Washington who
conquered 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 a
dedicatory sermon from Haggai ii. 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
beer laid bv the illustrious and now en-
throned DR.. Irenaus Prime. On the
platform on dedication day sat, among
others, DR.. Bowling, Of the Baptist
Church; DR.. Crook, Of the Methodist
Church; Mr.. Beecher. of the COngrega-
tional Church, and DR.. French, Of the
Presbyterian Church. HOsannah! An
other S35, 900 was raised on that day.
The following Sunday 32s souls were re-
ceived into our communion, mostly on
confession of faith. At two other COM
munions over 500 souls Joined at each
one. At another ingathering 62S souls
entered this communion, and so many Of
those gathered throngs have already en-
tered Heaven that we expect to feel at
home when We get there. My! my!
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 un-
hot hn <,f
many, who gave almost till the blood
came! What halleluiahs! What victo-
ries! What wedding marches played
with full organ! What baptiSms! What
sacraments! What Obsequies! One Of
them on a snowy Sabbath afternoon,
when all Brooklyn seemed to sYmpa-
thize, and my eldest son, bearing my
own name. lay beneath the pulpit in the
last sleep. and Florence Rice Knox sang.
and 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.
That second Tabernacle. What a
stupendous reminiscence! But if the
Peter Of my text had known what an un-
dertaking it is to build two tabernacles,
he would not have proposed two. to say
nothing Of three. AS an anniversary
sermon must needs be somewhat auto
biographical, let me say l 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.
l was permitted to discuss all the great
questions of the day in all ,e great
cities Of this continent and in many of
them many times, besides preaching and
lecturlng 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
newspaper, believing that such peri
odical was capable of great usefulness,
and l have been constant contributor
to newspapers and periodicals.. Mean
while all things had become easy in the
Brooklyn Tabernacle. On q Sabbath in
October. 1889, l announced to my con-
gregation that l would in few weeks
visit the Holy Land and that the officers
of the church had consented to my 60
ing. and the wish of a lifetime was about
to be fulfilled. The next Sabbath morn
Ing, about o'clock or just after mid
night, member of my household
awakened me by saying that there was q
strange light in the sky. A thunder
storm had left the air full of electricity,
and from horizon to horizon everything
seemed to blaze. But that did not dis
turb 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 for another sleep, but q num-
Der of excited voices called me to the
roof, and went up and saw clearly de-
fined in the night the fiery catafalque of
our second Tabernacle. When l saw
that said to my family: Il think that
ends my work in Brooklyn. Surely the
Lord will not call . minister to build
three churches in one city. The build
ing Of one church generally ends the
usefulness of pastor; how can anv one
preside at the building of three churches?
But before twenty-four hours had passed
we were compelled to cry out with Peter
of my text Let US build three taber-