A SUNDAY WITH DR. T. DE WITT TALMAGE, OF BROOKLYN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4418, 11 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

A SUNDAY WITH DR. T. DE WITT TALMAGE, OF BROOKLYN.

;.mr EET, iT. GKEENBDKY, F.S.A. (SCOT.) OF TT.-K-T/F.Vj LEEDS. ( New York, September 27th, 1575. I lEi'T Liverpool for Now York, in the laman steamer, City of Berlin, on Thursday, September lOtli, and arrived in New York'on Saturday morning ; the, 25th, having accomplished the voyage in seven days, eighteen .hours, and two minutes. • The .New York Tribune of to-day says: "It is'a triumph over old Time and Neptune, in which pnde may well be taken, and which, probably, will not bo surpassed in its way for many a year." I took up iny quarters at' the Fifth Avenue Hotel, in New York, and' on Sunday morning started for Brooklyn, iii a pelting shower of rain, in order to see and hear the' farfamed Dr. Talmage, who. has thousands. o£ ardent admirers in England as wellas in America. I was the bearer of many messages o£ love to him. Between tliree 'and four thousand persons were present, who hung upon the lips of the orator with intense interest. There is a magnificent organ' in tlie church, which cost 25,000 dollars (£SOOO sterling.) in order to keep proper time in "singing.'the precentor, Mr. Arbuekle, leads the congregation with a silver. , cornel, of * which he is a perfect'. master ; the' clear;"mellow, piercing tones.of. which a.re heavd .very clearly and distinctly above. the , w.orshippers,'.' and from the . pealingpipes of the.organ....First the doxology was ,suiig,' ,! with... overpower.effect,,to grand;tiine.of .Old.Hon.. drecU"!, Then, followed' ,theV Lord!s' ; Prayer, the quiet tones of the' minister, presenting a striking contrast to the. vast yolunie of sound that had just died away. lie then read the second chapter of the ,the Apostles, giving arunning 'comment, .sliort and sharp, like the cracks of a rifle 'roar of artillery.. Next- a" hymn yj/aa Bung,commencing : "llust.Jesus bear.the.cross alone, and all the rest-go free?" Then came an .extempore prayer, tender, simple, earnest, and fervent; : this'was followed by. the "announcements;" some ,of . which sounded; rather strange,to English idcaunouiiced tho Lay College meetings, the object of whichis to train Christian for usefulness , ill , the service ef tho Lord. He saicl that sometimes >a layman would, break down in public ,prayer ; ..people' would-laugh,, and Ins wife ,would tell; hiia not -try again; thus he; be- ' came discouraged,. Now. the object. of.; the iLaw -| College is to/ drill them in this \ and other 'departments of Christian iisefnlneas. Then he announced,_. and urged, the,necessity of his people encouragmg .the sale ot.reUgipiiß papers.and periodicals,'suchasthe 'Ihe CUriatiangt,. j He ..said ; i'' '.i bejieve,; that ,<3uMfi^,'presi-,will ; much, to do'ifcqward ,the_co'nyiraon;pf*the .though, vmiwual in,the.pflßitj e juat and

aii per:''«»thens stated!,that theioAeir, - York r.'fFVtow-hadJreached! » $<**%>•' '.?? d : -warn likely toistop foriwantS'of funds; tnis.j -'he acdisCTaoe,; .«n'd wealthy I portion of thej '•rfdience to go on the:morrowj to the ofhce of render, pecuniary !eo thai New- York and Brooklyn might.not bd-.deprived of so valuable a help, to Chns-j •:tian:ns'efnlness.' He : said he'had-nob been requested tosay.this,'it-jnst came out of the 1 fulness of hia own heart. ' • .1

followed the announcement of new 'members, some by certificate and others by ''profession of faith. He stated that : they had i never opened their doors on Friday evening; j'dririhgy the" last two years,' without some 2 souls being' added .to their number. "Next "came a collection,for the poor; and it was, ; 'to .me,'amusing and interesting to see the 'large number of creased, crumpled, greasy r'«'Greenbacks," which filled the boxes in-! "steak .of coins; the Americans having no cold or silver currency. Another hymn was -snnc. commencing: "Come Holy Spirit,; .'Heavenly Dove, with all Thy quickening J power " How sweetly these dear old hymns %oundediri"myears; they mi-de me forget, for a time,'that I was "a stranger in a Estrange"land," and seemed to carry me back to my lovely island home across the broad 'Atlantic.' When the musical, tones had died <'away a death-like stillness prevailed; all J were on the tiptoe of expectation. The subject publicly announced for the sermon was : ."Waiting for. Moody aud Sankey. Dr. ' Talmage Stepped quickly from his little table, : on which! rested his Bible and »P»«^*; and announced his text-in somewhat J.tones, as.if suffering from a severe cold-the Acts of the Apostles, 2nd chapter Ist 2nd, verses:'.' And when the day of Penwas fully come, they were all with ?■£? accefd intone place. And suddenly ■ there came a sound from heaven as of a rushrw mighty wind, and it filled all the house "where they.were sitting. And there ap-,-peared unto them cloven as ot ; fire,: and it sat upon each of them. •-<■ He described the crowd of strangers in 'Jerusalem; the object of their visit; and the religious service in which some of them were encaged'that was interrupted. This was ■ 'done very quietly ; then, with startling em- : - and in his wonted graphic style, he •exclaimed: " W/uit U that-strange sound? Can' it be the rumbling of an earthquake ? It'conies on louder, .and louder, ■; and ij LOUDER?~ There'-' ; is no chance of flight. : Under the roaring of the noiso .the people 'are' confounded. ■■• What, Ut lliat fltfiwj fire.? J What-is'that trembling ;'that rushing;: that '-Tearing;'that-'earthquake? It is -the Holy •'Ghost. ' Yoniare prepared now for the se : "quel—that daj 3000 souls were converted. -We this day look for a Pentecost. This l. whole land is in anticipation. The dying ' need of this country-is a great awakening, to : resist the'crime, ; the drunkenness, the fraud, ' the worldliness; the sin of the people. There j 'needri : tobe therocking'of a great Christian "revolution. ' We need to have our pulpits out, and our congregations kindled - r 'into a blaze of religious zeal. ' And what are "* we all- doing to-day ? - Waiting. The mims'te'rs'are waiting; the 'churches are waiting ; ~t reformatory institutions are waiting; even ■ men of the world are waiting.'- T hear news from Philadelphia' What arc they doing -there? Waiting. Chicago, Baltimore, and ■ Cincinnati;—the - same tidings—waiting— ■while'sin goes on in its triumphs. Sixty '-' thousand ministers of the Gospel in the United State 3 waiting ; forty thousand churches •waiting: -And what is more, wo have been '. waiting for six months. And, for whom are ■- we waiting V For Moody and Sankey. Upon '•> those two men God has put a higher honour 'vthari upon any men since the days of the "Apostles Paul and Peter. Their march 'through Glasgow, Manchester, and London a triumph for God and the Church. <<I hail them to America. Our sympathies 'are with them ; our voices and our pens are with them. Hail, {thrice-honoured servants ■ <A the Lord Almighty ! I wish that the first " city they strike might be our own ; I wish v that the church in which they first lift up -.their voices here might be this very build-;-in'g. I wish all the evangelists might come .-'here this winter. Mr. Hammond, Mr. Earl, i 'Mr. Chippel, Mr. Whippel, and the rest, and '-'that they would surround our city and take i it for-God, so that our entire community - ■ might be rushed into the kingdom of Christ. ' -It is enough to excite irresistible mirth, if it 2 were not for the consequences, the scene o£ '. the American Church, lying flat on its back , to-day, and crying out at the top of its voice, f not for God, but for Moody and Sankey.

?', Those men don't purpose to be omnipo- " tent. Suppose they come hero, what then 'will the other cities do? Why it will take ' them ten years to make a circuit of the land in their evangelical labours. "They went through England in a short time." Yes ; but the State' of Sqyt York is nearly as large as the whole of England ; while the State of Texas is larger than England, with all her European dependencies together. My counsel is, therefore, wait for none but the Lord Almighty; and for Him you must not wait "a moment. lie is waiting to have the American Church drop its worldlines3, and cry for the redemption of all the people. I believe, that we are to have all through this land,- this winter, a great awakening. If an individual Church be dead, when Moody and -Sankev come to the city, that Church will remain dead —dead minister, dead congregation, dead choir, dead sexton, dead everything. But if, when Moody and Sankey "' come, they shall find a Church red-hot with • Christian zeal, that Church will make the '■' day of Pentecost seem tame, in comparison, "when we have the Lord God Almighty ready :; to arouse and to save. Why not call npon ' 7/im for the salvation of all people? Come, '-; then, Moody and : Sankey; but come, above '/'all, God the Father, God the Son, God the '' Holy Ghost! One Pentecost that is only 3000 soulsi ; ' We want 100,000—all, until the mar- ''■ ket reports in the telegraph offices shall have ""to'wait'for the news to pass that New York ''' and Brooklyn are down on their faces before :' : 'Goll.'' Oh? how we have lived! We have 1 lived as though God were a myth, and Hea"ven'a dream, and the Atonement a cheat, - 'and eternity nothing. Is it not time for us " - all to wake up ?. When will this horrid mght-''-mare begone ? Is not this the time to favour -'Zion? of the zeal of <''john J Knox, who, when he rose on a cold ! --'night; and kneeled down and prayed for ,; Scotland, and his wife called him come to V'his pillow, cried: "Woman, 'how can I "'sleep when Scotland is not saved? Oh, God ! '"'/give me Scotland or I die." Such were the ~f' burning words that TJn Talmage poured out, j'like molten metals on his congregation. The "'sermon seemed to teM like shot from a mor- "" tar. J ,It was followed by a short prayer, and '"then','the congregation sung,' with intense >'energy:" Stand np, stand up for Jesu3, ye ' ; soldiers of the cross." "•• After the service, the Sacrament of the '-'"Lord's Supper was administered to about <'"1400', communicants (there are, altogether, • ( iabout'l7oo on the books.) A warm mvita- "' tion was given to all who loved the Lord Chnst to remain at the communion, hence I gladly embraced the opportunity. ""He requested all the new, members to come "'forward, they-having done so, he read to "them the articles of faith, baptised two of : them by sprinkling, and then gave the right 1 hand of fellowship to them all,' welcoming | '-. them to the privileges of the Church. Thir-' " teen • werereceived, four males and nine fe- ■ males. : At the close of the serviceyhe gave c • a very 1 cordial invitation to : dine with him; ] '-' -which I accepted with pleasure. I was ■ charmed.with his society; he is" free, easy, ''cheerful^communicative, andgraccful. : His-■f-'hands, and head, and-heart, are evidently '''all in the work. ' ; ; '"'■". . ' ' \ V.'ln. the afternoon, I consented to deliver an to his Sabbath-school scholars, in- -■ 'eluding the senior classes.' They: have 1500 •-''bill the bbofa, while at least 1225 are in regu-k-Ur'-"attendance/ 'Mr. : ,J. F." Talmage (ne. - r ''»phew 'of .the'Poctor),' 1 acted as/'iny .- first we'attended a devotional service -for i'^the i 'teacliers,<%bich if ' calculated' to: rouse;

energize,! and.qutckfiiilj them lorstlieir; work-! •.Next we went into a large school-room ; this! was j formerly ichapel,'>ibut.jis..?ij6wj| tHoronghlyifitted-uprfarUsa present nsc-The irea ;contains .reversible,seatsp/BO. : 'that thej ich'olarscaniisiti.irt classes, or;.rery readilyj ace the speaker.on.the large rostrain atthe md of. the .building.--■■ :;■■'■■ •':;:' '■:!:./

r . Around the gallery there runs'a .deey crimson curtain, whichi'isdrawn back/ to ad-j mit ■ of their seeingHhe speaker' during .the; addresses.-. They nave a:grand piano andi the' silver cornet to lead the singing.' The; school was opened"by' the superintendents Major B. E. Corwin, who is also president; of the board of trustees. "After schools were, and- the classes in full-swing, we went to see the Infant School below. There I found a large carpeted room, capable of containing six hundred children •;, about four, hundred were present, under the presidency, of Mrs. Corwin. It was a charming sight,! their light, bright, and gay attire, almost gossamer in its appearance; their little happy, sunny, smiling, pretty faces, presented a picture not likely soon to fade from my memory. I was very much struck, with the delicate beauty of a large number of those children,- they were as lovely•.as ' a lily, and appeared to be as frail. Here attain there was a grand piano, and the sing-; ing was most delightful. As I gazed on those little beautiful faces, and listened to their sweet little voices, I felt as if quick--silver were dancing" along my veins. After a time-we returned to the upper school; the greatest order prevailed; the Major is dently.a thorough disciplinarian. The ten commandments and the creed were read aloud by all present, • several hymns were sung, and other school duties attended to. I then delivered an address, which was tened to with the greatest attention. - This was followed by a hymn, composed by Dr '. Beard, of Boston, who was there, like" myself, as a visitor; he pronounced the Bene; diction and the . school closed. I then went with Major . Corwin, Mr. TalmageJ and a few friends to the church, to test its accoustic properties."" The Major stood at one extreme corner of the gallery; and I at the other, and yet we could hear each other distinctly, without the slightest effort. "We tried other parts of the bundling with the same' effect. The acoustic properties ■ are perfect. /The - ventilation -is equally good; there is a large air chamber between the ceiling- and the roof- eighteen feet high. I then went into the organ, and examined the hydraulic machine, which was pumping the wind while one of the gentlemen, present manipulated the keys'of the instrument.- /Everything appears to be as perfect'as human hands can'.make it; nothing" has been overlooked. The building, with the ground, cost 150,000' dollars (£30,000 sterling), and will hold 4000 people; they told me 5000 had been packed into it, but I fancy that they would have to be packed almost as close as sardines in a box.

I joined Dr. Talmage at the tea-table, aud partook with him of tho '.'. cup which cheers but not inebriates.". We then proceeded .to the church; I was placed in the Doctor's family pew, in order to have, a full view, of the church when crowded. It was.a magnificent spectacle; the building was j crammed in every part, and. hundreds had to. return unable to gain admittance... Suspended from the ceilings are three immense chandeliers, or rather '' coronas," with their rows of lights, above each other. The lower one has fifty jets, the second forty, J and the upper one thirty, making one hundred and twenty for each corona.. In an instant, and without any previous lights flashed from those three hundred and sixty burners. A slight concussion was. distinctly heard, which seemed somewhat to startle strangers, i was wondering for some time how this was done ; but the mystery was explained when I learned that they are lighted by electricity. After the devotional exercises, the orator, stepped to the front,of the rostrum, and announced his text, Genesis xlix. 27th verse : "In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil." He commenced very calmly, gradually opening out the subject in a singular and noted style, and in a style peculiarly his own ; by-and-by he ■became fiery and impassioned, his winged words flew, right and left, iike burning arrows, each hitting the target.. He walked the length of the platform, talking the while, as only an earnest man can talk..

I have heard a wife frequently pleading •with her dissolute husband ; I have seen a mother tearfully and tenderly pleading with her wild aud wayward hoy; I have seen a manly barrister, with form erect and eyes ablaze, pleading before a jury for the life of his trembling client; I have seen and heard these, and in Dr. Talmage I found a combination of the whole. How fervently he pleads, how earnestly he entreats, how anxiously he allures, how cogently he reasons, how faithfully he warns, how terribly ho threatens. With hands uplifted, and face ablaze with holy excitement, and tongue afire with burning words, he is the personification of loving, living, intense earnestness. I could as scon doubt the stars as doubt his sincerity. May God abundantly bless and prosper him in his noble work. At the close of the service a prayermeeting was held, and he invited all who had that night decided for God to stand np. About one hundred and twenty arose spontaneously, aud thus silently testified that they had decided to consecrate themselves to the service- of God, and desired the prayers of His people. They were then invited to come into a side room, for conversation and prayer. Two gentlemen, belonging to the working committee, occupy each aisle, and watch those who rise, and at the close invite them to the inquirers' room, obtain their names for visitation, ■ and thus link them to the Church, and save them from drifting back into the world. - After a parting grip, and a kindly word from this ; highly honoured servant of the Master, I returned to New York, reaching the hotel about eleven o'clock, intensely gratified with what I had seen, and heard, and felt, on my first Sabbath in America.