Democratic messenger., 1892-04-09
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
iWeNTY-THIRO ANNIVERSARY OF
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE.

Of the History Of the Three Taber-
nacics That Have Been the Home oi
the Doctors Church.
BROOKLYN. April 3.-This is festival
day at the Tabernacle. DIR. 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, ''ls69
and 1892" DIR. Talmage's subject was
The Three Tabcrnacles. "A Story OF
Trials and Triumphs, 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 Hermon in
the Holy Land. the mountain called by
one "a mountain of ice:" by another, n
glittering breastplate of ice" by another,
''the Mont Blanc Of Palestine" Its top
mas an almost unearthly briliiance But
what must il have been in the time to
which my text refers. Peter and James
and John We're 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 ont 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
lmpetuous Peter was SO wrought npon
by the presence of this wondrous three
that. without waiting for time TO CON
slider how preposterous was the PROPOSE
iion. he cried ont. 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 10
build two tabernacles. and, still less.
how would they get the material for
building three: Where would they get
the hammers: Where the gold? Where
the silver: Where the curtains: Where
the costly adornmenis: Hermon is a
barren peak. and TO build one tabernacle
in such place would have been an un-
dertaking beyond human achievement.
and Peter WAS propounding the impossi-
BILE when he cried out in enthusiasm.
Let us build three tabcrnacles.
And yet that is what this congrcga-
tion have been called To do and have
done. The first Brooklyn Tabernacle
was dedicated in 1870 and destroyed by
fire in 1872. The second Brooklyn Taber-
nacle was dedicated in 1874 and de-
stroyed by fire i'll 1889. The third Brook
lyu Tabernacle was dedicated in April.
1891. and in that we are worshiping to-
day. What sounded absurd for Peter
to propose. when he said on Mount Her
mon, in the words of my text. Let us
build three tabernacles. we have not
only done. but in the mysterious provi-
dence of God were compelled to do
We have been unjustly criticised by
people who did not know the facts.
sometimes for putting SO much money
in church buildings, and sometimes for
not giving as much as we ought To this
or that denominational project. and no
explanation has yet been made. Before
get through with the delivery of this
sermon and its publication and distribu-
ton. shall show that no church on
earth has ever done more magnificently.
and that no church ever conquered
more trials. and that no membership
ever had in il more heroes and heroines
than this Brooklyn Tabernacle. and
mean to have il known that any individ-
ual or religious newspaper or secular
newspaper that hereafter casts any re-
fiection on this church's fidelity and gen
erosity. is guilty of a wickedneSs for
which God will hold him or it respon-
sible
One year it was sent ont through
syndicate of newspapers that this church
was doing nothing i'll the way of liberal
ity. when we had that year raised $9i.-
900 in hard cash for religious uses.
There has been persistent and hemi-
spheric lying against this church We
have raised during my pastorate. for
church building and church purposes.
$99S.0OO. or practically "A million dol
lars. Not an Irish famine. or "A Charles
ton earthquake. or an Ohio freshet. or a
Chicago conflagration. but our church
given free seats in the morning and
evening services to 10000 strangers a
year. and that i'll twenty years would
amout to 4.SOO 900 auditors We have
received into our membership 5,351
members. and that is only small por-
tion 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
sermons now go every week into every
neighborhood i'll Christendom. and are
regularly translated into nearly all the
great languages Of Europe and Asia
The syndicates having charge of this
serInonic publication Informed me few
days ago that my printed sermons every
week. in this and other lands. 20 into
the hands of $4,000. 900 people. During
the last year. am authoritatively in
formed. over 1000 different periodicals
were added To the list of those VIII
make this publication. and yet there are
newspapers that Systematically and in
dustriously 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 coilsecrated. benevolent and
splendid convocation of men and women
were never gathered together outside of
heaven. have never before responded
To these injustices and probably will
never refer TO them again. but wish
the people of this country and other
TO know that what they read
the Seltishness and Incidence
and lack of benevolence and lack of
spirit on the part of this
church is from top 10 bottom and from
stem to stern falsehood dastardly false
hood -diabolical falSehood. What is
.... .unst myself has no effect. except
Ike lat Of "a coarse Turkish towel, the
rubbing down by which improves circu-
lation and produces good health
a.