The free press., 1893-06-15

TEXT: "And Miriam the prophecies, G,e sis
tey. Of Aaron. took a tiHbre! in her hand, ant
aim ,ro1tel rent out after her ,cim timbrels
ani tritb dances. And Miriam dns,rered
them. 'Sing ye 10 the lord, for he hath ri
umpbef qlori0,;sly; the horse and has rider
hath he hrolsn into the sea."-Exodus XIV,
20, q.
Sermonizers are naturally so busy in get
ting the Israelites safely through the parted
Red sea and the Egyptians submerged in the
returning waters that but little time is or
dinarily given to what the Lords people did
after they got well up high and dry on the
beach, That was the beach of the Red sea,
which is at its greatest width 200 miles and
at its least width II miles. Why is the ad-
jectiye "red" used in describing this water?
It is called the Red sea because the noun
stains on its western coast look as though
sprinkled with brick dust. and the water is
colored with red seaweed and has red
zoophyte and red coral.
This sea was cut by the keels OF Egyptian,
Phpnician and Arabic shipping. 1t was no
INSIGNIFICANT pond or puddle on the beach of
which my text calls us to stand. | hear
upon it the sound OF tambourine, for which
the timbrel was only another name-an In
strument OF music made out OF a circular
hoop. with pieces OF metal fixed in the sides
OF it. which made a jingling sound,
and over which hoop a piece of parch-
ment was distended, and this was beaten by
the knuckles Of the performer.
The Isra ,lites. standing on the beach of
the Red sea. were making music on their de
liverance from the pursuing Egyptians, and
hear the Israeitish men with their deep bass
voices. and hear the timbrel of Miriam as
she leads the women in their jubilee. Rather
lively instruments, you say, for reHglou5 ser
vice, the timbrel or tambourine But Think
God sanctioned it. And | rather think we
will have to put little more of the festive
into our religious services and drive out the
dolorous and funereal, and the day may
come when the timbrel will resume its place
In the sanctuary. But that which occupied
the attention Of all the men and women OF
that Israeltish host was the celebration OF
their victory. They had crossed. They had
triumphed. They were free.
More wonder was this victory and defeat
than when the hosts of Richard oyercame the
hosts of Saladn at Azotus, than when at
Banuockburn Scotland was set free; than
when the Earl OF Northumberland was
driven back at Branham Moor, than when at
the battle Of Wakefield York was slain than
when at BosWorth Field Richard was left
dead. than when the Athenians under Mil
tiades at Marathon put the Persians to flight,
for this victory Of my text was gained with
out sword or catapult or spear. The weapon
was lifted and prostrated sea. "And
Miriam, the prophecies, the sister OF Aaron,
took a timbrel in her hand and all the
women went out after her with timbrels and
with dances And Miriam answered them
Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed
gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea.
Brooklyn Tabernacle to-day feels much as
Moses and Miriam did when they stood on
the banks of the Red sea after their safe
emergence from the waters. BY the help OF
God and the generosity OF our friends here
and elsewhere our $40 900 OF floating
church debt is forever gone, and this house,
which, with the ground upon which 1t
stands. represents $40 900, l this day recon-
secrate to God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Ghost A stranger might ask
how could this church get into debt to an
amount that would build several large
churches? My answer is, Waves of destruc-
ton, stout as any that ever rolled across the
Red sea OF my text.
Examine all the pages of church history
and all the pages of the worlds history and
show me an organization, sacred or secular,
that ever had to build three great structures,
two of them destroyed by fire. Take any OF
your biggest life insurance companies, or
YOUR biggest storehouses, or your biggest
banks, or your biggest newspaper establish
ments and let them have to build three times
on the same foundation, and 1t would cost
them a struggle if not demolition. My text
speaks of the Red sea once crossed, but one
Red sea would not have so much overcome
us. 1t was with US Red sea after Red sea.
Three Red seas Yet to-day thanks be to
God we stand on the shore. and with organ
md cornet in absence of timbrel we chant :
"Sing ye unto the Lord. for He hath tri-
umphed gloriously the horse and his rider
hath He thrown into the sea.
Il,r+r tI.,fy nv
MY answer is the immensity of it and the
frmness OF it, 1t cost over S34 900 to dig the
cellar before one stone was laid, reaching as
the foundation does from street to street, and
then the building of the house was con-
structed in way, we are told by experienced
builders who had nothing to do with it, for
durability of foundation and wall such as
characterizes hardly any other building OF
this city. To the day of your death and mine,
and for our children and grandchildren after
us, it will stand here house Of God and a
gate of heaven.
For me personally this is a time of gladness
more than tongue or pen ortype can ever tell
For twenty-four years ] had been building
churches in Brooklyn and seeing them burn
down until felt | could endure the strain
no longer, and had written my resignation
as pastor and had appointed to read 1t TWO
Sabbaths ago and close my work in Brooklyn
forever. felt that my chief work was vet tC
be done, but that | could not do it with the
Alps on one one shoulder and the Himalayas
on the other. But God has interfered and
the way is clear and | am here and expect to
be here until my work on earth is done
My thanks must be first to God and then to
all who have contributed by large gift OF
small to this emancipation. Thanks to the
men. women and children who have helped,
and sometimes helped with self sacrifice that
know must have won the applause of the
heavens. If you could only read with me a
few Of the thousands of letters that have
come to my desk in The Christian Herald
office. you would know how deep their SYM
pathy how large their sacrifice has been. Il
have sold my bicycle and now send YOU the
money, is the language of one noble Young
man who wrote to The Christian Herald
This is my dead sons gift to me, and | have
been led to send it to you" writes a mother in
Rhode Island.
As church we from this day make new
departure. We will preach more instructive
sermons. We will offer more faithful pray
ers. We will do better work in all depart
ments. We will in the autumn resume our
lay college. We will fill all the rooms of this
magnificent pile with work for God and suf-
fering humanity. More prayers have been
offered for this church, and ON both sides the
sea, than for any church that has ever ex-
isted, and all those prayers will be answered
Clear the track for the BROOKLYN Tahernacle