THE KOANOKE NEWS, THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1891.
SERMONS IN THE STONES.
DR. TALMAGE'S CONGREGATION DEDI- !
' AT CO TUP , f . n T i nrni, r
0QCC-itlT LeiMona Draws Crm Their Ei
perlenc In Building All Domlna-
! llona t'ontrlbut! Something and Ui
Congregation In Composite.
Brooklyn, April 26. Sermon of
Rev. T. Do Witt Talmoge in the new
Brooklyn Tabernacle, on Clinton ave
nue, this evening, the building having
been dedicated in the morning at 10 :30.
A great union meeting, in which clergy
men of all denominations of Christians
participated, was held in the after
noon. Six thousand persons were pres
ent at each of the services and many
.thousands were turned away. Text,
"What mean ye by these stones?"
(Joshua iv, 6).
The Jordan, like the Mississippi, lias
Huffs on the ono side and flats on the
other. More and there a sycamore
shadows it. Here and there a willow
dips into it. It was only a little over
waist deep in December as I waded
through it, but in the months of April
and May the snows on Mount Lebanon
thaw and flow down into the valley,
and then the Jordan overflows its
banks. Then it is wide, deep, raging
and impetuous. At this season of the
year 1 hear tlio tramp of forty thou
sand armed men coming down to cross
the river. You say, why do they tiot
go up nearer the rise of the river at
the old camel ford? Ah! my friends,
it is because it is not safe to go around
when the Lord tells us to go ahead.
Tho Israelites had been going around
forty years, and they had enough of it.
1 do not know how it is with you, my
brethren, but I have always got into
trouble when I went around, but al
ways got into safety when I went
ahead.
THE COLD AM) UlSHIXt JORDAN.
There spreads out tho Jordan, a rag
ing torrent, much of it snow water just
come down from tho mountain top;
and I see some of the Israelites shiver
ing at the idea of plunging in, and one
soldier says to his comrade, "Joseph,
caii you swim ?" And another says, "If
we get ncroKs this stream we will get
thero with wet clothes and with dam
aged armor, and the Canaanites will
slash us to pieces with their swords be
fore we get up the other bank." But
it is no time to halt. The great host
marches on.
The priests carrying the ark go
ahead; the people follow. I hear the
tramp of tho great multitude. The
priests have now come within a Btone's
throw of the water. Yet still there is
no abatement of the flood. Now they
Lave come within four or five feet of
the stream, but there is no abatement
of the Mood. find rmisneet! It seems
as if these Israelites that crossed the
desert are now going to be drowned in
sight of Canaan. Hut "Forward!" is
tho cry. Tho command rings all along
tho line of the host "Forward!"
Now the priests have come within ono
step of the river. This time they lift
their feet from tho solid ground and
put them down into the raging stream.
No sooner are their fet there than
Jordan Hies.
On the right hand God piles up a
creat mountain of Hoods, on the left
tho water Hows off toward the sea. Tho
great river for hours halts and rears.
The back waters, not being able to
flow over the passing Israelites, pile
wave on wave, until perhaps a seahird
would find some difficulty in scaling
the water cliff. Now the priest and
all the people have gone over on dry
land. The wafer on tlie left hand side
by this time has reached f-'Sea, and
now that the miraculous 4nigo has
been made, stand back anil jeo this
stupendous pile of waters leap. wLiixl
takes his hand from that wall of floods,
and like a hundred cataract' they
plunge and roar in thunderous triumph
to the sea.
How are they to eelebrat this juts
sage? Shall it bo with music? I sup
pose the trumpet and cymbals were all
worn out before this. Shall it be with
!- l . t . 1 II
oanners waving! iin no; nicy urn an
faded and torn. Joshua cries out : "I
will tell you how to celebrate this:
build a monument here to commemo
rate the event ;" and every priest puta a
heavy stone on his shoulder, and
inarches out ami drops that stone in
tho divinely appointed place. I see
the pile growing in height, in breadth,
in significance; and in after years
men went by that spot and saw this
monument, and cried out one to an
other, in fulfillment of the prophecy of
the text, "What mean ye by thes
stones i"
WITHOUT TIIK MHUi Bl ILDISi. I.i YAIX.
Blessed be (Jod, he did not leave our
church in the wilderness! We have
been wandering about for a yeur and a
half worshiping in the Academy of jIu
sic, Brooklyn, and the Academy of Mn
' "Jew York, nnd some thought we
ever reach the promised land,
d wo ha better take this
1 it' --'t. Some said
"k, and some,
vnak in the way
nd before the
iy from the sky
1 been con
ivery site of
u. church will
of Jor
waters. w:is ex
ow water
jon. Some
. go In; you
3ut we waded -t
.rther and far- 1
ther, and In some way, the Lord only
knows how, we got through; and to
night I go around about this great
house, erected by your prayers and
sympathies and siu'ritVe.", ami cry out
in tho won Is of my tect. "What mean
ye by thrne stone!''
It is an outrage to build a house like
this, so Viist and so magnificent, unlets
there be some tremendous reasons for
doing it; and so, my friends, I pursue
you tonight with the question of my
text, and I demand of these trustees
and of these elders and .f all who havo
contributed in the building of this
structure, "What menu ye by these
stones?" Hut lefore I get your answer
to my question you interrupt me, and
point to the memorial wall at the sido
of this pulpit, and say, "Kiplain that
unusual group of memorials. What
mean you by those stones!" By per
mission of the people of my beloved
charge I recently visited the Holy
Lands, and having in mini by day and
night during my alwence this rising
house of prayer, I bethought mysell,
"What can I do to make that place
significant and glorious."
On the morning of December tho
3d we were at the foot of the most
sacred mountain of all the earth. Mount
Calvary. There is no more doubt of
tho locality than of Mount Washington
or Mont Diane. On the bluff of this
mountain, which is the exact shape of
the human skull, anil so called in the
Bible "The place of a skull." there is
room for three crosses. There I saw a
stone so suggestive I rolled it down tho
hill and transported it. It is at the top
of this wall, a white stone with crim
son veins running through it the white
typical of purity, the crimson sugges
tive of tho blooJ that paid the price of
our redemption. We place it at tho
top of the memorial wall, for above all
in this church for all time, in sermon
and song and prayer, shall lx? the sacri
fice of Mount Calvary. Ixiok at it.
That stone was one of the rocks rent at
the crucifixion. That heard the cry,
'it is finished." Was ever any church
on earth honored with such a memo
rial? MOT NT SINAI AND MARS Hill..
Beneath it are two tables of jtono
which I had brought from Mouut
Sinai, where the law was given. Three
camels were three weeks crossing the
desert to fetch them. When at Cairo,
Kgypt, I proposed to the Christian
Arab that he bring one stone from
Mount Sinai, he said, "We can easier
bring two nicks than one, for one must
balance them on the back of the
camel;" and I did not think until the
day of their arrival how much more
suggestive would bo the two, because
tho law was written on two tables of
stone. Those stones marked with the
words "Mount Sinai" felt the earth
quake that shook the mountains when
the law was given. Tho lower stone of
the wall is from Mars Hill, the place
where Paul stood when he preached
that famous sermon on tho bnther
hood of tho human race, declaring,
"(iod hath uiade of one blood all na
tions." Since IiOrd Klgin txk the
famous statuary from the Acropolis,
the hill adjoining Mars Hill, tho (ireck
government makes it impossible to
transport to other lands any antiquities,
and armed soldiery guard not only the
Acropolis but Mars Hill.
That stone 1 obtained by special per
mission from the Queen of (ireeee, a
most gnu-ious and brilliant woman,
who received us as though we had been
old acquaintance and thnmgh Mr.
TrL-oupis, the prime minuter of Greece,
and Mr. Snowden. our American minis
ter plenipotentiary, and Dr. Manatt,
our American consul, tliat sugget-tive
tablet was sawed from the pulpit of
rock on which Paul preached. Now
you understand why wo Iiave marked
It "The Gospel." Ixmg after my lips
shall utter in this church their last mes
sage, the1 lips of stone w ill tell of the
law and the sacrilW and the gospel.
This day I present them to this church
and to all w ho shall giu.e upon them.
Thus you have my answer to tho ques
tion, "What mean you ly these stones?"
Hut you cannot divert me from the
question of the text as I lirst put it. I
have interpreted these four memorials
on my right hand, but thero arc hun
dreds of 'tones in these surrounding
walls and underneath us. in the founda
tions, and rising above us, in the
towers. The quarries of this and trans
atlantic countries, at the call of crowbar
and chisel, have contributed toward this
structure. "What nn'on ye by these
stories ''
You mean anion,' other thing that
they shall be :iu earthly resilience for
Christ. Cli'lst did not have much of ti
luene when lie was hen". Who and
wher it that child crying? It is Jesus,
boMi in an outhouse. Where is that
I ir I l.r 'iitliinrf? It is Jesus, asleep on
a r;ek Who is that iu the back part
of the fishing smack, with a sailor's
rough overcoat thrown over him? It
is Jesus the worn out voyager. O Je
sus! is it not time that thou hadst a
house? We give thee this. Thou didst
give it to us first, but we give it back
to thee. It is too good for us, buHiot
half good enough for thee.
Oh, coma in. and take the best seat
here. Walk up and down all theeo
aisles. Sjieak through these organ pipes.
Throw thine arm over us in tbene
arches. In the flaming of these brack
ets of lire speak to us, saying, "I am the
light of the world." O king 1 make
this thine audionee chamber. Here
proclaim righbnmsnoss and make treat
ies. We clap our hands, we uncover
our heads, wo lift our ensigns, we cry
with multituilinous acclamation until
the place rings and the heavens listen,
' 0 king! live for ever!"
TUB TKMPLK OF A LIYUO LORD.
b it not time that be who was bom
iu a stranger's house and buried In a
stranger's grave should have an earthly
house? (Yrie, in O Jemis! not tho
corpse of a buried Christ, but a radiant
and triumphant Jesus, conqueror of
earth and heaven and hell.
He lives, all Rlory to hi name
Ho llvus. my Jciim, still tho arufi.
Ob, tho aweut Joy lhi wnteiuo gives -I
tDow t!mt my llodtvincr Uvea.
Blessed lie his glorious name forever!
Again, if any ono asks tho question of
tho text, "What mean ye by thise
stones?" the reply is, we mean the com
munion of saints. Do you know that
there is not a single denomination ol
Christians iu Brooklyn that has not
contributed sometime: towr.rd the build
ing of this house? And if ever, standing
In this place, there si.! be i man
who shall try by anything he says to
stir up bitterness lietween different de
nominations of Christians, may his
tonjuo falter and his cheek blanch
and his heart stop! My friends, if
thero is any church on earth when
there is a mingling of all denomina
tions it is our church. I just wish that
John Calvin and Arminius, if they
were not tin) busy, would come out on
the battlements and see us.
Sometimes in our prayer meetings I
havo heard brethren use tho phrases of
a beautiful liturgy, and we know where
they came from; and in the same pray
er meetings I havo hoard brethren
make audible ejaculation, "Amen!"
"Praise ye the Ionl!" and we did not
havo to guess twice when? they came
from. When a man knocks at our
church door, if he comes fnmi a sect
win re they will not give him a certifi
cate, we say, "Come in by confession
of faith." While Adoniram Judson
the Baptist, and John Wesley the
Methodist, and John Knot the glo
rious old Scotch lVi'sliyteriim, are shak
ing hands iu heaven, all churches on
earth can afford to come into close
communication, "One Ird, one faith,
one baptism."
Oh. my brethren, we have had
enough of Hig Hethel fights-the Four
teenth New York regiment fighting
the Fifteenth Massachusetts regimetit.
Now let all those who are for Christ
and stand on the same side get shoul
der to shoulder, and this church, in
stead of having a sprinkling of the
divine blessing, go clear under the
wave iu ono glorious immersion in the
name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of tho Holy (ihoxt.
I saw a little child once in its dying
hour put one arm around its father's
Meek and the other arm around its
mother's neck, and bring them close
down to its dying li w and give a last kiss.
Oh, I said, those two persons will stand
very near to each other always after
such an interlocking. The dying Christ
puts one arm around this denomination
of Christians, and tho other arm around
that denomination of Christians, and
lie brings them down to his dying
lips while he gives them this parting
kiss: "My peace I leave with you. My
peaiv I give unto you."
How swift tliv lirrarvn r course they run
Whine hearts mill fait i soil liois are one.
ALL AUK OXK IS CHRIST.
I heanl a Huptist ninlster once say
that he thought in the millennium it
would be all one gro.it Baptist church;
and I heard a Methodist minister say
that he thought in the great millennial
day it would lx all ono great Methodist
church; nnd I have known a Presby
terian minister who thought that in the
millennial day it would be all one great
Presbyterian church. Now I think
they nre all misLnkeift I think the
millennial church w II be a composite
church; and just as you may take the
liest parts of five oi six tunes, and un
der the skillful hands of a Handel, Mo
zart or Beethoven entwine them into
one grand and over lowering symphony,
so, I suppose, in the latter days of tho
world, (iod will take the best parts of
all denomination of Christians and
weave them intooiie great ecclesiastical
harmony, broad as tho earth and
Ugh as the heavers, and that will be the
church of the future. Or, as mosaic is
made up of jasper and agate and many
precious stones cemented toother
mosaic a thousand feet square in St.
Mark's, or mosaic hoisted in colossal
seraphim in St. Sophia -so I suppose
(tod will make, after awhile, one great
blending of all creeds, and all faiths,
and all Christian" sentiments, the ame
thyst, and the jasper, and the chal
cedony of all different experiences and
belief, cemented side by side in the
gnat mosaic of the ages; and while
tho nations l,k upon the columns
and architraves of that stuendoua
church of the future, and cry out,
"What mean yo by these stones T
there sliall lie innumerable voices to
respond, "Wo mean the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth."
Still further you mean by these stones
the salvation of the people. We did
not build this chnrrh for mere worldly
reforms, or for nn educational institu
tion, or as a platform on which to read
essays and philosophical disquisitions,
but a place for the tremendous work of
soul saving. Oh. 1 had rather lie tho
means in this church of having one
soul prejiared for a joyful eternity
than five thousand souls prepared for
mero worldly success. All churches
rjn in two classes, all communities in
wo classes, all the nice in two classes
believers ami unbelievers.
To augment tho number of tho one
and substract from the number of the
other we built this church ; and toward
that supreme and eternal idea we dedi
cate all our sermons, all our songs, all
our prayers, all our Sabbath hand
sliakings. We want to throw defection
into tho enemy's ranks. We want to
make thorn either surrender uncon
ditionally to Christ or else fly in rout,
scattering the way with eantoens, blan
ket and knapsacks. We want to
popularize Christ. We would like to
tell the story of his love hero until men
would feel that they had rather die
than live another hour without his sym
pathy and love and mercy. We want
to rouse up nn enthusiasm for him
greater than was felt for Nathaniel
Lyon when he rode along the ranks ;
greater than was exhibited for Welling
ton when ho came back from Waterloo;
greater than was expressed for Na
poleon when he stepped ashore from
Elba.
We really believe in this place Christ
will enact the sumo scenes that were
enacted by him when ho landed hi the
orient; and there will be such an open
ing of blind eye, and unstopping of
deaf ears, and canting out of unclean
spirits such silencing bestoruied (fen
nesarets as ahull make this house mem
rtrablo five hundred years after you and
I are dead and forgotten. Oh, my
friends, we want but one revival in
this church, that beginning' now and
running on to the day when the chisel
of time, that brings down even St.
Paul and the Pyramids, shall bring
this house into the dust.
"HOIST Tllli VIKQ FOR TIIK NKXT
THAIS."
Oh, that this day of dedication might
be the day of emancipation of all im
prisoned souls. My friends, do not
make the blunder of the ship carpen
ters in Noah's time, who helped to build
the ark; but did not get into it, God
forbid that you, who have been so gen
ennis in building this church, should
not get under its saving influence.
"Coino thou and all thy house into the
ark." Do you think a man is safe out
of Christ? Not one day, not one hour,
not one minute, not one second.
Three or four years ago, you remem
ber, a rail train broke down a bridge
on the way to Albany, and after the
catastmphe they were looking around
among the timbers of the crushed
bridge and the fallen train, and found
the conductor. lie was dying, and had
only strength to say one thing, and
that was, "Hoist the Hag for tho next
train." So there come to us tonight,
front the eternal word, voices of God,
voices of angels, voices of departed
spirits, crying: "Lift the warning. Blow
the trumpet, give the alarm. Hoist the
flag for tho next train."
Oh, that tonight my Lord Jesus
would sweep his unn around this great
audience and take you all to his holy
heart. You will never see so good a
time for personal consecration as now.
"What mean ye by these stones?" Wo
mean your redemption from sin and
death and hell by the power of an om
niKitent Gospel.
Well, the Brooklyn Tabernacle is
erected again. We came here tonight
not to dedicate it. That was done this
morning. Tonight we dedicate our
selves. In the Kpiscopal and Meth
odist churches they have a railing
around the altar, and the people como
and kneel down at that railing and get
the sacramental blessing. Well, my
friends. It would take more than anight
to gather you in circles around this
altar. Then Just- Dow where you are
for tho blessing. Aged men. this is the
last church that foil will ever dedicate.
May the God who comforted Jacob the
Patriarch and Paul the aged make
this house to you the gate of heaven ;
and when, in your old days, you put
on your spectacles to read the hymn or
the Scripture lesson, may you get prep
aration for that land where you shall
no more see through a glass darkly.
May the warm sunshine of heaven thaw
tho snow off your foreheads!
Men in midlife, do you know that
this is the pla.ie where you are going ti
get your fatigues rested, and your sor
rows appeased, and your souls saved 1
Do you know tliat at this altar your
sons and daughters will take ukii
themselves the vows of the Christian,
and from this place you will carry out,
some of you, your precious deadf Be
tween this baptismal font and this com
munion table you will have some of
the tenderest of life's experiences. God
bless you, old and young and middle
aged. The money you have given to
this church today will be, I hope, the
lost financial investment you have ever
made.
Your worldly investments may de
pend upon the whims of the money
market, or the honesty of business as
sociates, but the money you have
given to tho house of the Lord shall
yield you large percentage and de
clare eternal dividends long after the
noonday sun shall have gone out like
a s'tark from a smitten anvil and all
tho stars aro dead.
The Eagllihatnn'e nrenkfiMi.
An American should always under
stand what is meant by a breakfast in
London. He will probably take break
fast in his lodgings, or, if he lives in a
hotel. In tho coffee room at a fixed
charge. There are two distinct bumCj
of breakfast, tho light and tho sub
stantial, with prices to match. The
first is one cup of coffee, one boiled
egg and tlircc slices of toast; the latter
is one small chop, one egg, a penny
loaf of bread, a buttered muffin and
coffee. The principal dish of this lat
ter raenij is varied in lodging houses
from day to day, the chop becoming
sausage on Tuesday, ham on Wednes
day, fried solo on Thursday, and then
tho lonely chop again, with tho subse
quent rotation kept up ad infinitum.
Loudon Cor. Chicago Herald.
In relation to his schemo for a tubular
railway across the Straits of Dover, Sir
K. J. Iteod points out that, unlike the
tunnel, the tube can bo destroyed if re
quired with torpedoes or mines by the
fleet, and hence could never be used by
an enemy to maintain the communica
tion of an army of invasion.
NEW ADVERTISEMENTS.
Mm
lusteng
iiiimen
for
and
FOR
;orty Years
THE
STANDARD.
For Sale
BY ALL
DRUGGISTS.
may 22 ly
VALUABLE FARMS FOKSALEIK
HAI IFAX COUNTY, N. C.
0
NE FA KM C0NTAIX0 531 ACRES,
0 horse crop cleared, good pasture,
never failing stream, apple and peach or
chard, good dwelling and necessary out
houses.
I'll ICE $2,000.
0
NETKACTOF 2(Xi ACRES, ONE
horse crop cleared, miwt of the other
in tine growth of pines; good dwelling anil
out houses.
0
NE TRACT OF 8.1 ACRES, ONE
horse ciop cleared, the balance in
heavy growth of original pines.
1MUCE 400.M.
0
NE TRACT OF 311 ACRES, TWO
hsrse crop cleared, the balance in fine
growth of oak and pine.
PRICE 1.0(H).
0
NE TRACT OF 4 ACRES, 3 HORSE
crop cleared; good dwelling and all
necessary out-houscs.
I'ltICK 2,0O0.
0
NE TRACT OF SM ACRES, FIVE
horse crop cleared; good Jwelling and
out-houses.
pkice ;j,roo.
These farms are convenient to churches,
Id a healthy locality, anrl short distance
from Halifax nnd Enfield, l'arties wishing
to buy and want to
EXAMINE :-: THESE-:-LANDS
Will call on MR. THOMAS Ol SUY, Hen
demon, N. C, or MR. T. C. BURGESS.
who lives near Halifax, who will takepluas
ore in showing them to purchasers.
Any or all of these lands will be
ON REASONABLE TERMS
ITCXR 1890.
B.F.QW,
an 30 tt.
A'eldon, N, C.
it
CLEAN ROOM
SPLENDID TABLE.
FOLITE S
Fare always the best
the markets ean af
ford. o
SERVICE NEAT
AND
PROMT,
o Ta (
toTNEAK THE COURT HOtg
X
1
Baggage taken from and
to the railroad) y
NICE ACCOMMODATIONS
HATES 2.00 A DAY,
Special arrangements for hnrd by
week or month .
CLARK & REID
Proprietors.
mar 20 tf.
mm
tV riilikeyHtbtti
.reu at liome witb
oitpeln. Book of per
lirnmr urn! fltfcg
H.M.VMHl,.KT,M.I)
WAUuta.Va. oince 1M Whitehall at
CHAP. fII,LEK TtfAL8H,
OCKADK 1IARBI.E W OttkS,
SOUTH SYCAMORE STREE1,
PETERSBURG, VA.
Monuments,
Headstones,
Tombs,
Tablets, 4c
Lowest cash prices guaranteed.
work warranted satisfactory.
tor A beautiful calendar for IS
sent to any address on receipt of stai
for postage.
CHARLES M. WALSH
oet 11 lj.
LIQUORS.
0. SMITE
SEK HIS LIQUORS,
EVERY DRINK IN SEAS
6rC. Smith, Brick Build
North Corner of Railroad Shed,'
N. C.
oet 10 j.
SEE HIS CIGAR
Wine.Beei