Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-04-28
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine'S Sun.
day Sermon.
subject; 81 Brooklyn Passionate"

u mentions-namely, four aud twenty. That
was the number of elders seatei arouni tho
throne OF Gcd, but that is the number OF
wears seated around my Brooklyn ministry.
and every pulpit is throne Of blessing or
blasting. a throne Of good or evil. And TO-.
day in this my twenty-fourth anniversary
sermon "a years come and sit around me,
aud they speak out in a Renaissance OF
gladnesS and tears. Twenty four years ago
arrived in this city to shepherd such flock
as might come, and that day I carried in on
nv arms the infant son who in two weeks
from to day will help ordain to the gospel
ministry, hoping that he will be preaching
long after my poor work is done
We have received into our membership
over 5000 souls, but they, think, are only a
small portion of the multitu les who, COM
ing from all parts of the earth, have in our
house of God been blessed and saved
Although we have as church raised 81, t0l-
COO for religious purposes, yet we are in the
strange position of not knowing whether
in two or three months We shall have any
church at all, and with audiences Of 6OO) or
1000 people crowded into this room and the
adjoining rooms we are confronted with
the question whether shall 60 on with my
work here or go to some other Geld What
an awful necessity that we should have
been Obliged to build three immense
churches, two of them deStroye by fire.
A misapprehension is abroad that the
financial exigency of this church is past.
Through journalistic and nersonal friends a
breathing spell has been aft ,rlei u, bus he.
fore US vet are financial obligations which
must promptly be met, or speedily this house
of God will go into worldly uses and become
theater OF a concert hall. The $1,000
raised cannot cancel a floating debt of
$40, 000 Through the kindness of those to
whom we are indehtei $4,000 would set us
forever free. am glad to say that the case
is not hopeless. We are daily in receipt of
touching evidences of practical sympathy
from all classes of the community and FROM
all sections OF the country, and it was but
yesterday that by my own hand sent for
contributions gratefully ecsivsd nesrly 81
Acknowledgements east, west, north aud
south.
Our trust is in the Lori who divided the
Red Sea and made the mou 1taius skip like
lambs" With this paragraph dismiss the
financial subject and return TO the spiritual.
This morning the greatness of Gods kind
ness obliterateS everything, ami il | wanted
TO build groan do not know in what for
est would hew the timber or from what
quarry | would dig the foundation stone or
who would construct for me an organ with
a tremelo for the only stop. Aud 50 this
great. massive, high, deep, broa :, heaven
piercing halleluiah. In the review of the
last a years think it may bs useful to
consider some Of the characteristics OF a
Brooklyn paStorate.
In the first place remark that a Brook
lyn pastorate is always difficult pastorate.
No city under the sun has a graudsr array
of pulpit talent than Brooklyn The Metho-
dist. the Baptist, the Congregntionalit. the
Episcopalians all the denominations send
their brightest lights here. He who stands
in any pulpit in Brooklyn preaching may
know that he stands within fifteen minutes
walk Of sermons which a Saurin, and
Bourdalone, and a John NJ, Mason and a
George Whitefeld would not be ashamed OF.
No city under the sun where a poor sermon
is such drug on ths market.
For forty years Brooklyn has been sur
charged with homiletcs, an electricity OF
eloquence that struck every time it fashei
from the old puipits which quaked with the
powers of a Bethune, and a Cox. and a
Spencer, and a Spear ard a NintOD, and
Farley, and Beecher, not mentioning the
magnificent men now manning the Brooklyn
pulpits So during all thu time there has
been something to appeal TO every mans
taste and to crafty every mans preferences.
Now, let me say to all ministers Of the
gospel who ARE ambitious for a Brooklyn
pulpit that it is always difficult pastorate.
II a man shall come and stand before any
audience in almost any church in Brooklyn
he will find before him men who have heard
Che mightieSt themes discussed in the
mightiest way. You will have before you,
if you fail in an argument, fifty logicians in
a fidget If you make slip in the use OF a
commercial figure Of speech, there wilt be
500 merchants who will notice it. Ii you
throw out an anchor or furl a sail in the
wrong way, there will be ship captains right
off who will wonder if you are as ignorant
of theology az you are Of navigation! 50
it will be a place of hard study. If you
are going to maintain yourself, you will
find Brooklyn pastorate difficult pas
torate.
remark still further, a Brooklyn plsto-
rate is always a conspicuous pastorate. The
printing press of the country has no greater
force than on the seacoast. Every pulpit
word, good or bad. wise or ignorant kind
or mean, is watched. The reportorial corps
of these cities is an organized army. Many
Of them have collegiate education and large
culture. and they are able to weigh grafton
or address or sermon. If you say silly
thing, you will never hear the end Of it, AMI
if you say a wise thing it will go into per-
petual multiplication. There is no need Of
deriving that fact. Men whose influences
has been built by the printing press spend
the rest of their lives in denouncing news
papers The newspaper is the pulpit on the
wing. More preaching done on Monday
than on Sunday. The omnivorous. all eyed
printing press Is ever vigilant.
Besides that, q Brooklyn pastorate is
always conspicuous in the fact that every.
body comes here. Brooklyn is New York
in its better mood. Strangers have not seen {
New York until they have seen Brooklyn.
The East River Is the chasm in which our
merchants drop their cares, and their ,
anxieties. and their business troubles, and
by the time they have greeted their families
in the home circle they have forgotten all
about Wall street and Broadway and the
shambles. II they commit business sins in
New York during the day, they come over,
to Brooklyn to repent Of them.
Everybody comes here. Stand at the
bridge entrance or at the ferry gates on
Sabbath morning at 10 o'clock, or Sabbath
evening at o'clock and you see north,
south. east west-Europe Asia, Africa,
New Zealand, notwithstanding to Brook
lyn to spend the Sabbath, or part Of it in the
persons of their epresentatives-Some OF /,
them fresh from the sea. They have just
landed. and they want to seek the house OF
God publicly to thank the Lord for their
deliverance from cyclones and fog banks on
Newfoundland Every song sung, every
PRAYER offered, every sermon preached in
New York and Brooklyn and all along this
sea coast in some shape goes all round
the world. A Brooklyn pastorate is at
the greatest altitude Of conspicuity.
Again | remark that Brooklyn pastorate
is characterized by brevity. l bethink my
self of but three ministers Of the gospel now
preaching here who were preaching when
came TO Brooklyn. Most OF the pulpits
around me have changed seven or eight,
times since my arrival.
Sometimes the pastorate has been brief
for one reason and sometimes for another
reason. Sometimes the ministers OF the gos-
pei have been too good for this world, and
heaven has transplanted them. Sometimes
they changed places by the decree OF their
denomination. Sometimes they came with
great blare OF trumpets proposing to carry /,
everything before them. and got extin<
gushed before they were distinguished.
Some got preached out in two or three years
and told the people all they knew. Some
...a ~ $3.50 go. al stt)rS ridie wVTN
which it takes a great many years TO 90.
Whether for good or bal reasons Brook
lyn pastorate Is characterized by brevity,
not much Of the old plan by which minis
ter OF the gospel baptized an infant, then re-
ceived him into the church, after he had be-
come an adult married him, baptized his
children, married them and lived on long
enough to hurry almost everybody but him
self. Glorious old pastorates they were.
Some of US remember them-Dr. Spring,
Peter Labaugh Dominic Zabriskte, Daniel
Waldo. Abram Halsey.