Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-04
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
TwENTY-THlRD ANNIVERSARY or
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE.

OF the History Oh the lhree laOer-
nacles That Have Boon the Home of
the Doctors Church.
BROOKLYN, April 3.-This is festival
day at the Tabernacle. DR.. Talmage is
celebrating the twenty-third anniversary
of his settlement in Brooklyn. In white
flowers embodied in green at the back
of the pulpit stood the inscription, "1S60
and 1892 DR.. Talmage's subject was
"The Three Tabernacles, a Story of
Trials and TGumphs," and his text, Luke
tx, 33, 'Let us make three tabernacles. ="
Our Arab ponies were almost dead
with fatigue, as, in December, 1889, we
rode near the foot of Mount Hernon in
the Holy Land, the mountain called by
one "a mountain of iceI" by another, "a
glittering breastplate of ice;" by another,
''the Mont Blanc of Palestine" Its top
has an almost unearthly brilliance. But
what must it have been in the time to
which my text refersl Peter and James
and John were on that mountain top
with Jesus, when suddenly Christ's face
took on the glow of the MONDAY sun,
and Moses and Elijah, who had been
dead for centuries, came out from the
heavenly world and talked with our
Saviour. What an overwhelming three
Moses, representing the law; Elijah,
representing the prophets, and Christ,
representing all worlds.
Impetuous Peter was so wrought upon
by the presence of this wondrous three
that. without waiting for time to con-
slider how preposterous was the PROPOSE
ton, he cried out, 'Let us make three
tabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses
and one for Elijah" Where would they
get the material for building one taber
nacle, much less material enough tC
build two tabernacles, and, still less
how would they get the material fol
building three? Where would they gel
the hammers2 Where the gold? Where
| the silver? Where the curtains? Where
the costly adornnents? Hermon is {
| barren peak, and to build one tabernacle
in such place would have been an IN
dertaking beyond human achievement
and Peter was propounding the impossi
BILE when he cried out in enthusiasm
"Let us build three tabernacles."
And yet that is what this congrega
ton have been called to do and have
done. The first Brooklyn TABERNACLE
was dedicated in 1870 and destroyed b,
| fire in 1879. The second Brooklyn Taber
nacle was dedicated in 1874 and de
stroyed by fire in 1889. The third Brook
lyn Tabernacle was dedicated in April
1891, and in that we are worshiping to
day. What sounded absurd for Pete
to propose, when he said on Mount Her
mon, in the words of my text, "Let u
build three tabernacles," we have no
only done, but in the mysterious provi
dence of God were compelled to do.
We have been unjustly criticised b.
people who did not know the facts
sometimes for putting SO much none
in church buildings, and sometimes 70
not giving as much as we ought to thi
or that UNCONVENTIONAL project, and n
explanation has yet been made. Befor
| get through with the delivery of thi
sermon and its publication and distribu
ton, / shall show that no church Of
earth has ever done more magnifcently
and that no church ever conquere,
more trials, and that no membershi
ever had in it more heroes and heroine
than this Brooklyn Tabernacle, and
mean to have it known that any individ
ual or religious newspaper or secula
newspaper that hereafter casts any re
Election on this church's fidelity and gen
crosby, is guilty of wickedness TO
which God will hold him or it respon
sible.
One year it was sent out through
syndicate of newspapers that this churc
was doing nothing in the way Of liberal
ity, when we had that year raised 1914
600 in hard cash for religious uses
There has been persistent and hem
spheric lying against this church. W
have raised during my pastorate, fo
church building and church purposes
$999, 200, or practically million do
lars. Not an Irish famine, or Charles
ton earthquake, or an Ohio freshet, or
Chicago confagration, but our churc
} was among the first to help. We hav
} given free seats in the morning an
evening services TO 100000 strangers
year, and that in twenty years woul
amout to 4,S00,O00 auditors. We hav
received into our membership 6,35
members, and that is only small POI
ton of the number of those who hav
, here been converted to God from a
parts of this land and from other landi
Under the blessing of God and throug
the kindness of the printing press N
sermons now go every week into ever
neighborhood in Christendom, and al
. regularly translated into nearly all tn
great languages Of Europe and Asit
, The syndicates having charge of TIL
sermonic publication informed me fe'
days ago that my printed sermons ever
week, in this and other lands, go int
the hands of $4,000, 900 people. Durin
the last year, am authoritatively IL
formed, over 1900 different periodical
were added to tho list Of those VIII
make this publication, and yet there al
ministers of the Gospel and religion
newspapers that Systematically and IL
dustriously and continuously charg
this church with idleness and selfishnes
and parsimony.
call the attention Of the whole cart
TO this outrage that has been heape
upon the Brooklyn Tabernacle, thong
, a more consecrated, benevolent an
/ splendid convocation of men and wome
were never gathered together outside
heaven. have never before responde
to these injustices and probably WI
never refer to them again, but wis