The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1893-06-02
TIMBREL OF JUBILEE.
MOSES AND MIRIAM ON THE BANKS
OF THE RED SEA.


the greatest days in the history of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle. The music, in
strumental and congregational, was of
the most Joyous type; the hymns, the
prayers and the sermon were celebrative
of the entireextinguishment Of the float
ing debt of $l40, 900, accumulated from
the disasters which required the build
ing of three immense churches. Text,
Exodus XIV, 90, 81: "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"
Sermonizers are naturally so busy in
getting the Israelites safely through the
parted Red sea and the Egyptians sub
: merged in the returning waters that but
little time is ordinarily 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
ut its greatest width 200 miles and at its
least width 10 miles. Why Is the ad-
jective "red" used in describing this
water? It is called the Red sea because
the mountains 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 Egyp-
tan, Phenician 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 instrument of
music made out of circular hoop, with
pieces of metal fixed in the sides of it,
which made jingling sound, and over
which hoop a piece of parchment was
distended, and this was beaten by the
knuckles of the performer.
The Israelites, standing on the beach
of the Red sea, We're making music on
their deliverance from the pursuing
Egyptians, and hear the lsraelitish 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 serv-
ice, the timbrel or tambourine. But l
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 Israel
itish host was the celebration of their
victory. They had crossed. They had
triumphed. They were free.
More wonderful 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 Bosworth Field Richard was left
dead, than when the Athenians under
Miltiades at Marathon put the Persians
| to fight, for this victory Of my text was
| SdlllCo WlluOuU oNOAo VI SdUdl'ulu VA
spear. The weapon was lifted and
Frustrated sea- "And Miriam, the proph-
| etess, 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 glori-
ously; the horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea-"
| A. GLORIOUS TRIUMPH.
Brooklyn Tabernacle today 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 $780,.
900 of floating church debt is forever
gone, and this house, which, with the
| ground upon which it stands, represents
100000, l this day reconsecrate to Goo
the Father, God the Son and God the
Holy Ghost. A stranger might ask how
could this church get into debt to al
amount that would build several large
churches? My answer is, Waves Of de
struction. stout as any that ever rolled
across the Red sea of my text.
Examine all the pages of church his
tory and all the pages of the worlds his
tory and show me an organization, sa
cred or secular. that ever had to buili
three great structures, two of them de
stroyed by fire. Take any of your big
gest life insurance companies, or YOU
biggest storehvuses, or your bigges
banks, or your biggest newspaper estab
lishments and let them have to buil(
three times on the same foundation, ant
it would cost them struggle If no
demolition. My text speaks of the Rec
pea once crossed, but one Red sea would
not have so much overcome us. It wa
with us Red sea after Red sea. Three
Red seas! Yet today, thanks be tx
God, we stand on the shore, and will
organ and cornet in absence of timbre
we chant. Sing We unto the Lord, for HI
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse ant
his rider hath he thrown into the sea-"
But why the great expense of thi
etructure2 Ny answer is the immensit,
of it and the firmness of it. 1t cost owe
1874, 900 to dig the cellar before one ston
was laid, reaching as the foundation doe
from street to street, and then the build
ing of the house was constructed in way
we are told by experienced builders win
had nothing to do with it, for durabilit.
of foundation and wall such as charac
terizes hardly any other building of thi
city. To the day of your death ant
mine and for our children and grand
children after us, it will stand here
house of God and gate of heaven.
For me personally this is time o
gladness more than tongue or pen o
type can ever tell. For "a years ha
been building churches in Brooklyn an
seeing them burn down until l felt
could endure the strain no longer, and
had written my resignation as paste
and had appointed to read it two Sal
baths ago and close my work in Brood
Ign forever. felt that my chief wor
was yet to be done, but that could nc
do it with the Alps on one shoulder an
, the Himalayas on the other. But Go
has interfered and the Wav is clear an