The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-04-08


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 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 | saw
that said to my family: II 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 any
one preside at the building of three
churchesY" But before twenty -four hours
had passed we were compelled to cry
out, with Peter of my text, LET us
build three tabernacles." We must have
home somewhere.
The old site had ceased to be the cen
ter of our congregation, and the center
of the congregation, as near as we could
find 1t, is where we now stand. Having
selected the spot, should we build on it
barn or Tabernacle beautiful and
commodious? Our common sense, as
well as our religion, commanded the lat
Ter. But what push, what industry, what
skill, what self sacrifice, what faith in
God were necessary. Impediments and
hindrances without number were thrown
in the way, and had it not been for the
perseverance of our church officials and
tie practical help of many people and
the prayers of millions of good souls in
all parts of the earth and the blessing
of Almighty God, the work would not
have been done.
But it is done, and all good people
who behold the structure feel in their
hearts if they do not utter with their
lips, "How amiable are thy tabernacles,
0 Lord of Hosts" On the third Sab
bath of last April this church was dedi,
Gated, DR.. Hamlin, of Washington,
preaching an inspiring sermon, DIR. Wen
dell Prime, of New York, offering the
dedicatory prayer, and some fifteen
clergymen during the day taking part
IN the services. HOSannahl
How suggestive to many of us are the
words spelled out in flowers above the
pulpit-"1S69" and "1S92"-for those
dates bound what raptures, what griefs,
what struggles, what triumphs! | men
ton it as matter of gratitude to God
that in these twenty-three years | have
missed but one Sabbath through physical
indisposition, and but three in the thirty
six years of my ministry. And now,
having reached this twenty-third mile
stone, start anew. have in my men,
orandum books analyses of more ser
mons than have ever yet preached, and
have preached, as near as can tell,
about $3.50.
During these past years have learned
two or three things. Among others
have learned that "all things work to-
gether for good" My positive mode of
preaching has sometimes seemed to stir
the hostilities of all earth and hell. Feel
ing called upon fifteen years ago to ex-
plore underground New York city life,
that might report the evils to be COM
batted, took with me two elders of my
church and New York police commits
boner and policeman, and explored
and reported the horrors that needed re-
moval, and the allurements that en-
dangered our young men. There came
upon me an outburst of assumed indig-
nation that frightened almost everybody
but myself. That exploration put into
my church thirty or forty newspaper
correspondents, from north, south, east
and west, which opened for me new
avenues in which to preach the Gospel
that otherwise would never have been
opened.
Years passed on and preached a series
of sermons on Amusements, and false
report of what did say-and one of the
sermons said to have been preached by
me was not mine in a single word
reused a violence that threatened me
with poison and dirk and pistol and
other forms of extinguishment, until the
chief of Brooklyn police, without any
suggestion from Inc, took possession of
the church with twenty-four policemen
to see that no harm was done. That
excitement opened many doors, which
entered for preaching the Gospel.
After awhile came an ecclesiastical
trial in which | was arraigned by people
who did not like the way did things
and although | was acquitted of all the
charges, the contest shook the American
church. That battle made me more
friends than anything that ever hap
pened and gave me Christendom and
more than Christendom for my weekly
audience. On the demolition of each
church we got better and larger
church, and not disaster, not carica-
ture, not persecution, not an assault,
during all these twenty three years but
turned out for our advantage, and ought
not to believe that "all things work to-
gether for good?' Hosannah!
Another lesson have learned during
these twenty-three years is that it is not
necessary to preach error or pick flaws in
the old Bible in order to get an audience;
the old Book without any fixing up is
good enough for me, and higher criti-
cism, as it is called, means lower reli-
gion. Higher criticism is another form
of infdelity, and its disciples will be-
iieye less and less, until many of them
will land in Nowhere, and become the
worshipers of an eternal "What is it?'
The most of these higher critics seem
to be seeking notoriety by pitching into
the Bible. 1t is such a brave thing to
strike your grandmother The old Cos
pei put in modern phrase, and without
any of the conventionalities and adapted
to all the wants and woes of humanity,
have found the mightiest magnet, and
we have never lacked an audience.
Next to the blessing of my own family
account the blessing that l have al
ways had a great multitude of people to
preach to. That old Gospel l have
preached to you these twenty three
years of my Brooklyn pastorate, and
that old Gospel / will preach till | die
and charge my son, who is on the way
to the ministry, to preach it after me-
for remember Paul's thunderbolt, "Ii
any man preach any other Gospel, lei
him be accursed." And now, as | stand
here on my twenty-third anniversary,
see two audiences. The one is made up