The Dickinson press., 1892-04-16
ter our last disaster and for two

let 1T have $4,000 for building purpo-
ses. Why is it that people could not
do us justice and say that all our
financial struggle as a church came
from doing what Peter, in my text,
absolutely proposed to do, but which,
in the inscrutable providence of God,
we We're compelled to do-build three
tabernacles.
Now, ! feel better that this is off my
mind. The rest OF my sermon
nahs. announce to you this
day, that we are at least, as a church,
in smooth waters. Arrangements
have been made by which our tinan-
cial difficulties are now fully and sat-
isfactorily adjusted. Our income will
exceed our out-go, and Brooklyn Tab
ernacle will be yours and belong to
your children after you, and anything
you see contrary to this you may put
down to the confirmed habit whicn
some people have got of misrepresent-
ing this church and they cannot stop.
When l came to Brook YIN, l came to
a small church and bigindebtedness.
We now have this, the
LARGEST PROTESTANT CHURCH IN AMER.
and financially as a congregation we
are worth, over and above our in
debtedness considerably more than
l have preached here % years, and
I e expect. if my life and health are con-
tinued, to preach here % years long
er, although we will all do we'll to re-
member that our breath is in our nos
trils, and any hour we may be called
to give an account OF our stewardship.
All we ask for the future is that you
do your best, contributing all you can
the support OF our institutions.
Our best days are yet to come, our
greatest revivaIs OF religion, and our
mightiest o%utpouriug OF the Holy
Ghost. We have got through the Red
sea and stand today on the other
bank clapping the cymbals OF victory.
Yes, % years have passed since |
came to live III Brooklyn, and they
have been to me eventful years. It
a Frustrated church to which 1
came, church SO flat down it could
drop no further. Through controver-
sizes, which it would he useless to re-
hearse, it was well-nigh extinct, and
for a long while it had been without a
pastor.
BUT 10 MEMBERS
could be mustered to sign a call for
my coming. AS q committee was put
ting that call before me in an upper
room i'll my house in Philadelphia,
there were two other committees on
similar errands from other churches
i'll otherrooms, whom my wife was en-
PERTAINING and keeping apart from I'M
happy collision. The auditorium of
the Brooklyn church to which l came
detied all the laws of acoustics, the
church had - steeple that was the de-
rision OF the town, and a high box pull
pit which shut in the preacher as
though he was dangerous to be let
loose, OF it acted as a barricade that
unnecessary to keep back the
people, for they were so few that q
minister ofordinary musclecouldhave
kept back all who were there. My
first Sabbath in Brooklyn was a sad
day, for | did not realize how far the
church vas down until then, and on
the evening OF that day my own
brother, through whose pocket l en-
tered the ministry, died, and the It'd
inGs OF his decease reached me at 6
O'Clock in the evening, and I was to
preach at 7:3O. But from that day
the blessing of God was on us and in
three months we began the enlarge
ment OF the building.
DIR. Talmage gave q history of the
building OF the tabernacle, and
graphically described the flames that
destroyed the first and second tab
ernacles. Then he continued:
l mention it as amatter ofgratitude
to God that these % years 1 have
missed but one Sabbath through phys
zeal indisposition, and but three in
the SO vars of my ministry. And,
now, having renched my 23d mile
stone, | start anew. l have in my
memorandum books analyses of more
sermonsthan have ever yet preached,
and | have preached, as near as | can
tell, about $3.50. During these past
years l have learned two or three
things. Among others, l havelearned
that call things work together for
good" My positive mode of preach
ing has sometimes seemed to stir the
HosTIL1TIEs OF ALL EARTH AND HE'LL
Feeling called upon Is years ago to
explore underground New York City
life, that ! might report the evils to
be combatted l took with he two eld-
ers of my church and q New York po-
lice commissioner, and q policeman
and l explored and reported the hor-
rors that needed removal and the al
lurements that endangered our young
men. There came upon me an out.
oursu OF assumed indignation that
almost everybody but my.
self. That exploration put into my
church thirty or forty newspaper cor.
respondents from north south east
and west; which opened for me new
avenues in which to preach the gospel
that otherwise never would have been
opened. Years passed on and 1
preached q series OF sermons on
amusements, and @ false report of
what did say-and one of the SER
mons said to have been preached by
vas not mine in a single word
reused q violence that threatened me
with poison and dirk and pistol, until
the chief OF Brooklyn police, without
any suggestion from me, took possess
sion OF the church with "a 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 l was arraigned by
people who did not like the way l did
things, and, though l was acquitted
OF all the charges, the contest shook
the American Church. That battle
made me more friends than anything
that ever happened, and gave me
Christendom and more than Christen-
dom for my weekly audience. On the
demolition of each church we got a.
better and larger church, and not q
disaster, not a caricature, not a per-
secutlon, not an assault, during these
% years, but turned out for our ad-
vantage, and ought l not to believe
that "all things work together for
good?" Hosannah!
ANOTHER LESSON HAVE