Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-06-02

of the greatest days in the history of
Brooklyn Tabernacle. The music, in
strumental and congregational, was of
the most joyous type, the hymns, the
prayers and the sermon we've celebrat-
i've of the entire extinguishmento of the
floating debt of Sl4O, 900, accumulated
from the disasters which required the
building of three immense churches.
Text: Exodus 1920, 2l.
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 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
submerged 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 noun
tains on it's 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-
tian, 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 tambourine, for which the
timbrel was only another name. An
instrument of music made out of a Cir
cular hoop, with pieces of metal fixed
in the sides of it, which made jing-
ling sound, and over which hoop
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, were
making music on their deliverance
from the pursuing Egyptians, and l
hear the lsraelitish men, with their
deep bass voices, and | hear the tim
brel If Miriam, as she leads the women
in their jubilee. Rather lively instru-
ment, you say, for religious service
the timbr or tambourine. But 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 fu-
nereal. 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 Israelitish
host was the celebration of their vic
tory. They had crossed. They had
triumphed. They were free. More
wonderful was this victory and defeat
than when the hosts of Richard over
came the hosts of Saladin at AZotus,
than when at Bannock burn, Scotland
OF xuh ha mi 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 Athenlans
under Miltiades at Marathon put the
Persians to fight, for this victory of
my text was gained without sword or
catapult or spear. The weapon was a
lifted and FRUSTRATED sea. And Mir
lam, the prophecies, the sister of
Aaron, took timbrel in her hand; and
all the women went out after her with
'timbrels and with uances And Miriam
answered them, Sing We to the Lord,
for he hath triumphed gloriously; the
horse and his rider hath he thrown
into the sea-"
Brooklyn Tabernacle to-day feels
much as Moses and Miriam did when
after their safe emergence from the
waters BY the help of God and the
generosity of our friends here and else
where, our S140, COO OF floating church
debt is forever gone, and this house,
which, with the ground upon which
1t stands represents $4,000, i this
day re-consecrate to God the Father
God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.
A 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
world history, and show me an or
ganization, 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 Establishments, 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 1t was
with us Red Sea after Red Sea. Three
Red Seasl Yet, to-day, thanks be to
God, we stand on the shore, and with
organ and cornet, in absence of a
ltimbrel, we chant: "Sing we unto
the Lord, for he hath triumphed glori-
Iously: the horse and 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
lhrmness of it. 1t cost over S34 900 to
Idig the cellar, before one stone
was laid, reaching as the foun-
ldation does from street to
street, and then the building of the
house was constructed in a way, we
Iare told by experienced builders, who
had nothing to do with it, for durabil-
lity of foundation and wall such as
lchar acterizes hardly any other build
hng of this city. To the day of your
death and mine, and for our children
and grandchildren after us, IL will
stand here House of God and Gate
of Heaven.
For me, personally, this is a time of
y gladness more than tongue or pen or