The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-06-14
MOSES AND MIRIAM.
A Day of Rejoicing in the Brooklyn
Tabernacle.
If We Never shouted Victory Till We Got
Clear Through the Struggles of Life
We Would Never Shout At All
DIR. Talmage's Sermon.

| the history OF the brooklyn tabernacle.
| The music, instrumental and congrega-
| tional, was of the most joyous type: the
| hymns, the prayers and the sermon
were celebrative of the entire eXtin-
| guishment of the floating debt of $780,
600. accumulated from the disasters
which required the building of three
immense churches. Text, Exodus XIV,
90, 81: 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 We to the Lord, for He hath tri-
umphed gloriously; the horse and his
rider hath He thrown into the sea-"
Sernonizers are naturally so busy in
getting the lsraelites 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 two
hundred 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 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
| Egyptian, PhGnician and Arabic ship
ping. 1t was no insignificant pond or
puddle on the beach Of which my text
calls us to stand. ! hear upon it the
sound of q tambourine, for which the
trimbrel 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 a jung
ling 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 Israeiitish
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 service, the timbrel or
tambourine. But ! think God
sanctioned it. And l rather think we
will have to put Il little more of the
festive into our religious services and
drive out the dolorous and funereal,
and the day may come when the tim
brel will resume its place in the sane
tuary. But that which occupied the
attention of all the men and women of
that Israelitish host was the celebra-
ton of their victory. They had crossed.
They had triumphcd. They were free.
More wonderful was this victory and
defeat than when the hosts of Richard
overcame the hosts of Saladin al 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 bat
tie 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 flight, for this victory of
my text was gained without sword or
catapult or spear. The weapon was a
lifted and Frustrated sea. And Miri-
am, the prophecies, the sister of Aaron,
took timbrel in her hand, and all the
women went out after her with tim
brels and with dances. 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
} 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 else
where our $4,000 of floating church
t debt is forever gone, and this house,
, which, with the ground upon which il
: stands, represents 100000, this day
| reconsecrate 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 churchesi
, 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 his
I tory and all the pages of the world.
: history and show me an organization
sacred or secular, that ever had to builC
3. three great structures, two of them de
: stroyed 10y fire. Take any of your big
| gest life insurance companies, or you
a biggest store houses, or your bigges
banks, or your biggest newspaper es
, Establishments and let them have to buili
=. three times on the same foundation
4 and it would cost them a struggle if no
;. demolition. My text speaks of the Rec
sea once crossed, but one Red sea would
), not have so much overcome us. 1t wa
with us Red sea after Red sea. Thre,
4 Red seas. Yet to-day, thanks be t,
God. we stand on the shore, and witt
organ and cornet in absence of tim
, brel we chant, "Sing We unto the Lord
for He had triumped gloriously; tn
. horse and his rider hath he thrown int
= the sea-
But why the great expense of thi
, structure? My answer is the immensit
:. of it and the irmness of it. 1t cost owe
: $4,000 to dig the cellar before one ston
= was laid, reaching as the foundation
does from street to street, and then tn
=, building of the house was constructe
in way, we are told by experience
!, | buildcrS who had nothing to do with il