Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-04-14
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
TWENTY-THlRD ANNIVERSARY SER
/ MON PREACHED BY DR.. TALMAeE.

mON PhEACfeD BY DIX. IALMAGt.
Subject of the Discourse, ''The Three
Tabernaeles, Story of Trials and Tri-
umphs"-Review of the History Of tho
Doctors Church.
BROOKLYN, April 3.-This is a festival
day at the Tabernacle. Dr. Talmage is
celebrating the twenty-third anniversary
of his settlement in Brooklyn. In white
flowers embedded in green at the back of
the pulpit stood the inscription, 1859 and
1892" DIR. Talmage's subject was, "The
Three Tabernacles, a Story of Trials and
Triumphs," and his text, Luke tx, S3,
'Let us make three tabernacles."
Our Arab ponies were almost dead with
fatigue, as, in December, 1889, we rode near
the foot Of Mount Hermon in the Holy
Land, the mountain called by one "a
mountain of ice," by another "a glittering
breastplate of ice," by another "the Mont
Blanc of Palestine" Its top has an al
most unearthly brilliance. But what
must it have been in the time to which my
text refersi 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 over
whelming 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 consider
how preposterous was the proposition, he
cried out, "Let us make three tabernacles
-one for thee, one for Moses and one for
Elijah" Where would they get the mate
rial for building one tabernacle, much less
material enough to build two tabernacles,
and still less, how would they get the
material for building threeP Where would
they get the hammersi Where the gold?
Where the silverS Where the curtains?
Where the costly adornmentsi Hermon Is
a barren peak, and to build one tabernacle
in such place would have been an under
taking beyond human achievement, and
Peter was propounding the impossible
when he cried out in enthusiasm, LET us
build three tabernacles."
And yet that is what this congregation
has been called to do and has done. The
first Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated
in 1870, and destroyed by fire in 1872. The
second Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated
in 1874, and destroyed by fire in 1889. The
third Brooklyn Tabernacle was dedicated
in April, 1891, and in that we are worship
ing today. What sounded absurd for
Peter to propose, when he said on Mount
Hermon, in the words Of my text, "Let us
build three tabernacles," )" we have not only
done, but in the mysterious province of
God were compelled to do
UNJUST CRITICISM.
We have been unjustly criticised by
people who did not know the facts, some
times for putting SO much money in church
buildings, and sometimes for not giving as
much as we ought to this or that denom-
national project, and no explanation has
yet been made. Before get through with
the delivery of this sermon and its publica-
tion and distribution, shall show that no
church on earth has ever done more mag
niicently and that no church ever con-
quered more trials and that no member
ship ever had in it more heroes and hero
ines than this Brooklyn Tabernacle, and 1
mean to have it known that any individual
or religious newspaper or secular news
paper that hereafter casts any reflection on
this church's fidelity and generosity is
guilty of u wickedness for which God will
hold him or it responsible.
One year it was sent out through syn
dicate OF newspapers that this church was
doing nothing in the way of liberality,
when we had that year raised S94, 900 in
hard cash for religious uses. There has
been persistent and hemisphere lying
against this church. We have raised dur
my pastorate, for church building and
church purposes, S998, 900, or practically
million dollars. Not an Irish famine,
or a Charleston earthquake, or an Ohio
freshet, or Chicago confagration, but
our church was among the first to
help. We have given free seats in the
morning and evening services to 100000
strangers year, and that in twenty years
would amount to 100000 auditors. We
have received into our membership 5,357
members, and that is only a small portion
Of the number of those who have here been
converted to God from all parts of this
land and from other lands.
Under the blessing of God and through
the kindness of the printing press my SER
mons now go every week into every neigh
borhood in Christendom, and are regularly
translated into nearly all the great Ian
guages Of Europe and Asia. The syndi-
Gates having charge of this sermonic pub
lication informed me a few days ago that
my printed sermons every week, in this
and other lands, go into the hands of 25,-
100000 people. During the last year, am
authoritatively informed, over 1900 differ
ent periodicals were added to the list of
those who make this publication, and yet
there are ministers of the Gospel and reli-
gious newspapers that Systematically and
industriously and continuously charge this
church with idleness and selfshness and
parsimony.
call the attention of the whole earth to
this outrage that has been heaped upon
the Brooklyn Tabernacle, though a more
conrecrated, benevolent and splendid con-
vocation of men and women were never
gathered together outside of heaven.
have never before responded to these in
justices, and probably will never refer to
them again, but wish the people of this
country and other countries to know that
what they read concerning the selfishness
and Incidence and lack of benevolence and
lack of missionary spirit on the part of this
church, is from top to bottom and from
stem to stern, alsehood-dastardly false
hood-diabolical falsehood. What is said
against myself has no effect except, like
that of coarse Turkish towel, the rub
bing down by which improves circulation
and produces good health.
But this continuous misrepresentation
of my beloved church, in the name of AL
mighty God, | denounce, while appeal to
the fair minded men and women to see
that justice is done this people, who with
in few years have gone through strug-
gle that no other church in any land or
any age has been called to endure, and
pray God that no other church may ever be
called to endure, viz, the building of three
tabernacles. l ask the friends of the