The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-05-30
TALMAGE'S SERMON
PREACHED IN THE DROOKLY Tab
ERNICLE LASTSUNDAI.
The Noted Divine Rejoices That the En-
tiro Debt of His Church Has Been
Pmid-An Eloquent Sermon.

Brooklyn, May 2S-(Special. This was
one Of the greatest days in the history Oh
the Brooklyn tabernacle. The music, instru-
mental and congregational, was OF the most
joyous type, the hymns, the prayers and the
sermon were cclebrative of the entire ex-
tinguishment of the floating debt of $l4o-
600. accumulated from the disasters which
required the building of three immense
churches.
DR.. Talmage took as his text, Exodus,
XIV, 20, 21 And Miriam. the
prophctess the sister of Aaron,
took Il tmbrel in her hand and all the
women went out after her with tllnbrels
and with dances. And Miriam answered
them, Sing We to the Lord, for he hath
triumphed gloriousy; the horse and his
rider hath he thrown into the sea- and
his sermon was as follows:
Scrmonizers are naturally so busy in
getting the Israclitcs safely through the
parted Red sea, and the Egyptians stbmerg-
ed 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, at its greatest
width 200 miles, and at its least width
twelve miles Why is the adjective red
used in describing this water? 1t is called
the Red sea because the mountains on it's
western coast look though sprinkled
with brick dust and the water is colored
with red seawecd, and has red zoophyte
and red coral This sea was cut by the
kcels Of Egyptian, Phocnician and Arabic
shipping 1t was no significant pond
or paddle on the beach which my text
calls us to stand. | hear upon it the sound
6 ,1,,,,, for N nht hn fl111hr wa
only another name. An instrument of
music made out of a circular hoop, with
pieces of metal fixed in the sides of it,
which made a juggling sound, and over
which hoop piece of parchment was dis
tended, and this was beaten by the knuCkles
of the performer. The lsraelites, standing
on the beach of the Red sea, We're making
music on their deliverance from the pur
suing Egyptians, and | hear the lsraeitiSh
men, with their deep bass voices, and L
hear the timbrel of Miriam, as she leads
the women in their jubilee. Rather lively
instrument, you say, for religious service
the timbrel or tambourine. But | think
God sanctioned it. And | rather think
we will have to put a little more of the
festive into religious services, and
drive out the doorOus and funereal, and
the day may come when the tnnbrcl will
resume its place i'll the sanctuary. But that
which occupied the attention of all the
men and women OF that lSraclltiSh host
Was the celebration of their victory. They
had crossed. They had triumphcu. They
We're free. More wonderful WAS this VIC
tory and defeat than wiIen the hosts Of
Richard Oyercame the hosts OF Saiadm 1T
Azotus than Wien at Bannockburn Scot
land Scotland was set Tree, than when
the earl of Northumberland WIS driven
back at Branham Moor, than when at the
battle of Wakefield, \ DIRK slam, than
when at Bosworth field. Richard Was lett
dead. than when the lAlheulanS under
Miriades at Marathon put the Hersians to
flight for this victory OF my text WAS
gained without sword or catapult or spear.
The weapon was Il lifted and Frustrated
sea. And Miriam, the pr0pheteass, the
sister of Aaron, took a tlmhrel III ucr
halid 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 glorlouSiy;
the horse and his rider hath he thrown lnlo
the sea.
Moses and Miriam did when they stood on
the banks of the Red sea after their sale
emergence from the waters. by the help
of God and the generosity Of our friends
here and elsewhere our Slto,WW noat-
ing church debt is forever gone, and this
house. which. with the ground upon which
it stands. represents $4,000, | this day
re-conSecrate to God the Father, God the
Son and God the Holy Ghost. 4 stranger
might ask how could this church get into
debt to an amount that would build several
large churches. My answer is, waves Of
destruction, 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,
4,,n Nah any
Of your biggest life insurance companies,
or your biggest StorchOuSeS, or your biggest
banks, or your biggest newspaper establish
mcnts, and let them have to build three
times on the same foundation, and 1t would
cost them IL 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, today.
thanks be to God. stand on the shore
and with organ and rornet, in absence of a
timbrcl. we chant: Sing We unto the Lord
for he's hath triumphcd gloriously: the hors"
aud his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
But why the great expense of this structure!
My answer is, the immensely of it and the
tirmness of it. 1t cost over $34.o'b to dig
the cellar, before one stone was laid, yeach-
ING as the foundation does from street to
street, and then the building of the house
was constructed in way. we are told H.
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 a
house of God and Il gate of heaven.
For me- personally, this is time of glad
ness more than tongue or pen or type 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
resigna ton as pastor and had appointed to
read it two Sabbaths ago. and close my
work in Brooklyn forever. | felt that my
chief work was yet 10 be done, but that I
could not do it with the Alps on one shout
der and the Himalayas on the other. But
God has interfered and the way is clear,
and | am here. and expect to be here until
NV work on earth is done. Why should |
want to go away from Brooklyn? | have
no sympathy with the popular sentiment
which defames our beloved city. Some peo-
ple make it a part of their religion to eX
coriate and bellttle the place of their resi-
donce. and there has been more damage,
financial and moral, done to our city by
this hypercritcsm than can ever be esti-
mated. The course of our city has been
onward and upward. We have IL citizen
shin made up of hundreds of thousands of
as good men and women as inhabt the
Garth and | feel honorcd in being Il citizen
Of prooI;lyu and propose to stay here until