Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-05-05
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: IA Brooklyn Passionate"

This text choose chiefly for the numerals
it mentions-namely four and twenty That
was the numb1r of elders seated around the
throne of God, but that is the number Of
years seated around my Brooklyn ministry.
and every pulpit is a throne of blessing or
blasting. throne OF good or evil. And TO.
day in this my twenty-fourth anniversary
sermon "a years come and sit around me,
and they speak out in a Renaissance of
gladness and tears Twenty-four years ago
arrived in this city to shepherd such a flock
as might come, and that day 1 carried in on
my 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
small portion Of the multitudes 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, 101,-
OOO 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 5000 or
1000 people crowded into this room and the
adjoining rooms we are confronted with
the question whether shall go on with my
work here or go TO some other field. What
an awful necessity that we should have
been obliged to build three immense
churches, two Of them destroyed by fire.
A misrepresentation is abroad that the
undOClaI eXlgoDCy OF CnlS cDurCh IS past.
Through journalistic and nersonal friends
breathing spell has been afforded us, but be-
fore US yet are financial obligations which
must promptly be met, or speedily this house
OF God will go into worldly uses and becoma
a theater or a concert hall. The SI2, 600
raised cannot cancel a floating debt of
S14O,0 Through the kindness Of those to
whom we are indebted $6OUOO would set US
forever free. l 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 received nearly 81
Acknowledgements east, west, north and
south.
Our trust is in the Lord who divided the
Red Sea and made the mountains skip like
lambs" With this paragraph dismiss the
financial subject and return to the spiritual
This morning the greatness of Gods kind
ness obllterates verything, and if [ wanted
to build groan do not, know in what for
est would hew the timber, or from what
quarry l would dig the foundation stone, or
who would construct for me an organ with
a tremelo for the only stop And SO this
morning [ occupy my time in building one
great, massive, high, deep, broaJ, heaven
piercing halleluiah In the review of thu
last "a years l think it may be useful to
consider some of the characteristics Of a
Brooklyn pastOrate.
In the first place | remark that @ Brook
Ign pastorate is always difficult pastorate.
No city under the sun has a grander array
of pulpit talent than Brooklyn The Metho-
dist, the Baptist, the C6ngregntionalist, the
Episcopalians all the denominations send
their brightest lights here. He who stands
in any pulpit in Brooklyn preaching NAV
know that he stands within fifteen minutes
walk of sermons which a Saurin and a
Bourdalone and a John NJ. Mason and a
George Whitefeld would not be ashamed of.
No city under the sun where poor sermon
is such a drug on the market.
For forty years Brooklyn has been sur
charged with homileticS, an electricity of
eloquence that struck every time it flashed
from the old pulpits which quaked with the
powers of q Bethune, and q Cox, and q
Spencer, and Spear and VintoD, and
Farley, and a Beecher, not mentioning tina
magnificent men now manning the Brooklyn
pulplts. SO during; all the time there has
been something to appeal to every mans
taste and to crafty every mans preference.
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
the 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
500 merchants who will notice it. If you
throw out an anchor or furl a sail in the
wrong way, there viii be ship captains right
off who will wonder if you are as ignorant
of theology as you are of navigation! So
it will be a place of hard study. If you
are going to maintain yourself, you will
find a Brooklyn pastorate difficult pas
torate.
remark still further a Brooklyn pasto-
rate is always a conspicuous pastorate. The
force than on the seacoast. Every pulpit
word, good or bad. wise or ignorant kind
OF mean, is watched. The reportorial corps
of these cities is an organized army. Many
Of them have collegiate educ alton and large
culture, and they are able to weigh grafton
or address or sermon. II you say a silly
thing, you will never near the end Of it, and
if YOU say wise thing it will 60 into per-
petual multiplication. There IS no need of
decrying that fact. Men whose influence
has teen built by the printing press spend
the rest Of their lives in denouncing news
papers. The newspaper is the pulpit on the
win-. More preaching done on Monday
than on Sunday. The omnivorous, all eyed
printing press is ever vigilanr.
Besides that, a Brooklyn pastorete is
always conspicuous in the fact that every
boiy comes here. Brooklyn Is New York
IN its better mood. Strangers have not seen
New York until they have seen Brooklyu.
The East River is the chasGl in which our
merchants drop their cares, AMI their
anxeties. and their business troubles, and
by the time they have greeted their families
i'll the home circle they have forgotten all
about Wall street ana Broadway and the
shamhles. If they commit business sins in
New York during the day, they come over
to Brooklyn to repent of tnen.
Everybody comes here. Stand at the
bridge entrance or at the ferry gates GA
Sabbath morning at 10 o'clock, OF Sabbath
evening at Z O'clock and YOU see north