Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-06-09

THE BROOKLYN DIVISE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: EtMoses and Miriam on the
Banks Of the Red Sea-"

ter Of Aaron, took q ttnabTet an her hand and
al The ,1O7nen ocerat out after her scih tinbreis
and NTH dances. And Miriam ansarered
them, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath tri-
unphed gloriously; the horse and has rilte7-
hath He ttroocn into the sea- '-Exodus XIV.
20, 81.
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 IL miles. Why is the ad-
iective red used in describing this water?
It is called the Red sea because the noun
eains its western coast look as though
sprinkled with brick dust, and the water is
cOIOred with red seaweed and has red
zoophyte and red coral.
This sea was cut by the keelS of Egyptian,
Ph9nician 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 a 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 piece of parch-
ment was distended, and this was beaten by
the knuck1es of the performer.
The Israelites. standing on the beach of
the Red sea, were making music on their de-
nverance from the pursuing Egyptians, and [
hear the Israelitish 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 religious ser
vice the timbrel or tambourine. But Think
God sanctioned it. And / rather think we
will have to put q little more of the festive
into our religious services and drive out the
dolorous and funereal, and the day may
come when the timbreI will resume its place
in no Pint af
the attention of all the men and women of
that Israelitish host was the celebration of
their victory. They had crossed. They had
triun:phed. They were free.
More wonder was this victory and defeat
than when the hosts of Richard overcame the
hosts Of Saladin at -Azotus, than when at
BannOckburn 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 Dosworth 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 a lifted and Frustrated sea. ''And
Miriam, the prophecies, the sister of Aaron,
took timbrel in her hand, and all the
women went out after her with timbrels and
with dances. And Miriam answered them
Sing We to the Lord, for He hath triumphed
glOriOu5ly; 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 it
stands, represents $40, 900, this day recon-
secrate to God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Ghost. A stranger might ask
hNIx oo11I1 oh info oh 70
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 it 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 It 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
and cOrnet in absence OF t1mbrel we chant =
''Sing We unto the Lord, for He hath tri-
umphed gloriOusly the horse and his rider
But why the great expense Ofthls structurR
Nv answer is the immensely of 1t and the
firmness of it. It cost over 1874, OOO 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 1t, Tor
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 a 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 tweI1ty-four years I had been building
churches in Brooklyn and seeing them burn
down until | felt I could endure the strain
no longer. and had written my resignation
as pastor and had appointed to sead It two
SaDDaths ago and close my work in Brooklyn
forever. l felt that my chief work was yet to
be done, but that | could not Go 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 or
small to this emancipation. Thanks to the
men. women and children who have helped,
and sometimes helped with salt sacrifice that
I know must have won the applause of the
heavens. If you could only read with me q
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. i
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 g mother in
Rhode Island
49,