Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-17
AT THE TABERNACLE.
REV. DR.. TALMAeE's SUBJECT WAS
UPON CHEERFUL CHURCHES.

STSN NTIGCbTOI St1OnIT1Go.
He Says His Theology Has All Gone Into
Five Letters-The GIadness of tho Chris
tian Reiigion-A Few Words of Fare
well-His Few Months Absence.
BROOKLYN, May 18.-Thc Tabernacle
was crowded to the doors today when Rev.
DR. Talmago took for the subject Of his
forenoon sermon q passage Of Scripture
which has been made tho subject of much
discussion and various Interpretation by
modern theologians. His theme was, "A
Cheerful Church." and the text was &c.
lected from Solomon's Song iy /, BE
hold thou art fair, my love-
Higher criticism" says that this book
of Solomon's Song Is love scene, o for
lorn maiden signing for her beau. If so, it
is an unclean and debauchcd utterance In
serted In tho pure word Of God and is not
fit for common reading. My opinion Is
that it is an inspired ode setting forth the
feeling of Christ toward tho church and Of
the church toward Christ. Christ is the
bridegroom, and the church is the bride.
The same words we can utter today truth
fully whether in regard to the church Of
God in general or this church in particular,
behold, thou art fair, my love-" The
past week has been one Of prolonged con.
graduation for that we have for 9b years
been permitted to associate with oach 9TH
er In the relation Of pastor and people.
When I came to Brooklyn, found small
band of Christian discipleswho from vari-
Gus causes had become less and less until
they stood upon the very verge Of extinc-
ton as q church, and the question was
being agitated from time to time whether
1t would be possible to maintain church
life longer. Indeed had not those men and
women been consecrated and earnest they
would have surrendered to the adverse cir
cumstances They marshaled congrega-
tional meeting and gathering up all the
forces possible they cast 10 votes for pas
tor all of which I am happy to have re-
ceived.
The Tabernacle Defined.
1t was not through any spirit of personal
courage or reckless adventure that was led
from one of the warmest and most congen-
ial pastorates In Philadelphia that man
ever enjoyed to this then most uninviting
field, but it was the feeling that God had
called me to the work, and / was sure he
would see me through.
have thought that it might be proflta-
BILE to us to state briefly what kind of q
church we have been trying to establish.
In the first place, I remark that we have
been trying to build here a Christian
church, distinctively such-in other words,
church where we should preach the
Lord Jesus Christ and him crucifed
My theology is all gone into five letters
Jesus. Jesus, the pardon of all offenses
Jesus, the foundation for all structures
Jesus, the balm for all wounds. Jesus
the eye salve for all blindness. Jesus, the
guide through all perplexities. Jesus, the
hope for all discouragements. Jesus, the
reform for oil wrongs. I have faith to be-
lteve that there is more power in one drop
of the blood of Jesus Christ to cure the
woes of the world than In an ocean full of
human quackery. Jesus Is the grandest
note in any minstrelsy. He Is the bright
est gem in any crown. Height overlapping
all height The center Of every circumfer-
ence. The circumference to every center.
The pacifer of all turbulence. The UNI
pire Of all disputes. Jesusl Jesus! At
his table all nations are to sit. Around
his throne all worlds are to revolve. He
is to be the irradiation of the universe.
Jesusl Jesusl 1t is that truth that we
have tried to preach in this Tabernacle.
A Broad Creed.
Do you ask more minutely what we be-
lieve? can tell you. We have no dry,
withered, juiceless theology We believe
in God, the Father Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, the deliverer of the dis
tressed, the home for the homeless, the
friend for the friendless. We believe in
.To ST In tpc tr,t ha
pardoning the guilty, imputing his right
eousness to the believer. We believe in the
Holy Ghost, the comforter, the sanctifer,
cheering up the heart in life's ills and kim
ding bright lights in every dark landing
place. We believe that the whole race Is
so sunken in sin that nothing but the om-
nipotent arm of God can ever lift it out. We
believe in grace-free grace, sovereign
grace, triumphant grace, eternal grace.
We believe In Bible, authentic in it's
statements, immaculate in its teachings
glorious in Its promises. We believe in
heaven, the abode Of the righteous, and ia
hell, the residence of those who are soul
suicides, of their own free choice refusing
the divine mercy We believe in the sal
walton of all men who accept Christ by
faith, be they sprinkled or immersed, wor-
ship they in cathedral or in log cabin, be-
lieve they in Presbyterianism or Episco-
pacy, dwell they under Italian skies or In
Siberian snowstorns, be they Ethiopian or
American. All one In Christ One Lord,
one faith, one baptism, on the way to one
heaven. We built this Tabernacle for the
purpose Of setting forth these great the
ories Of the gospel Of the Son Of God.
Would that we had been more faithful In
the pulpit! Would that we had been more
faithful in the pewl
I remark, further, that we have tried
here to build church distinctively uncon-
ventional. Instead Of asking, as some peo-
pie are disposed to do, how other people
do it, we have asked the question how peo-
pie do not dott. Imperious custom has de-
cided that churches shall be angular,
cheerless gloomy, unsympathetic forget
ting that what men call pious gloom is
impious, and that that church has the best
architecture where the people are the most
comfortable, and that that is the most ef-
f1cient Christian service where the people
are made most sick Of sin and most anx-
ious after Christ and heaven. And so we
called the architects together for our first
church building and said, Give us an
amphitheater that Is, large family
circle, gathered around q fireplace. Fol
many years we had felt that an amphithe-
ater was the only proper shape for an au-
dience room. The prominent architects OF
the country said: 1T cannot be done. You