The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-11-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Weokly Discourse OF tho Great
RrooSlyn Preacher.
subject; - Nusi Ate wee
Rome" ssreapbci ~
Rene, siaiS,l

ihS W cilcult plchcher TIC hHu Deen moDDeu
and insplted, and the moro good he did the
WORSE the world treated linn But he went
right on. Now he proposes TO 90 ID Jerusa-
lem, and says: after that | must also SEQ
Rome" Why did he want 10 visit this won
derful city in which am to-day permitted
to standg ITO preach tho Gospel,b YOU an
swcr No doubt of it, but there were other
reasons why he wanted 10 see Rome, A man
OF Paurs intelligence and classic taste had
nifty other reasons for wanting ID see it.
your Colosseum was at that time in process
OF erection, and he wanted to SEQ it. Tho
FORUM was even thcn an old structure and
tho eloquent apostle wanted to SEQ that
building in which eloquenee had so
often Numbered and wept Over tho
Appian Way tho triumphal procession had
already marched for hundreds of years, and
he wanted TO SEQ that The Temple Of Sat
turn was alreRdyan antiquity, and he wanted
TO see that The architecture of the world
renowned city, he wanted TO sec that. Tho
places associated with tho triumphs, tho
crueltics, tho disasters, the war;, the mill
tary genius, tho poetic and tho rhetorical
fame of this great city, he wanted TO seq
them. A man like Paul, so many sided, 50
sympathetic, so emotional, so full Of analogy,
could not have been Indifferent 10 the antiq-
uities and tho splen,lors which move every
rightly organized human being. And with
what thrill Of interest be walked these
streets those only who for the first time lil'a
ourselves enter Rome can imagine,
inhabitanisof all Christendom were ga
into one plan, and IL were put 10 them .
two cities they would above all others
see, the vast majority OF them Won
Jerusalom and Rome So We can und
something Of the record Of my text ..
surroundings when it snys, Paul proI
the spirit when he had passed thrpug
donna and Aclaa 90 go 10 Jerusalem
''After that | must also see Rome.n AS soml
OF you are aware, with my family and only
fer the purpose of what we can learn aud tho
good We can get, | am on the way TO Palcs-
tine. Since leaving Brooklyn, N. Y, this is
tho first place VIC have stopped. Intcrmedi.
ate cities arc attractive, but VIC have visited
them in other years, and we FASTENED on, for
| said before starting that while was going
to see Jerusalem l must also 500 Rome.
Why do | want 10 see it? Because | want,
by visiting regions associated with the
great apostle 10 tho gcnties, 10 have
my faith IN Christianity confirmed.
There are those who viii go through largo
expenditure TO havo their faith weakened.
lii my native land have known persons of
very limited means to pay fifty cents or n
dollar 10 hear lecturer prove that our
Christian religion is myth, dream,
cheat a lie. On the contrary, Twill give all
the thousands of dollars that this journey of
my family will cost to have additional evil
denco that our Christian religion is an all-
thenticated grandeur, a solemn, n joyous, n
rapturous, q stupendous, n magnificent fact.
So / want to see Rome. / want you to show
me the places connected with Apostolic
ministry. have heard that in your city
and amid its surroundings, apostles suffered
and died for Christs sake. My common
al \. a
sake Of falsehocd. They may prac-
tice n deception for purposes of gain,
but put tho sword to their heart,
or arrange the halter around their neck, or
kindle the fire around their feet and they
would say my life is worth more than any
thing | can gain by losing it. l hear you
have in this city Paul's dungeon. Show it to
me- l must see Rome also. While | am III
terestcd in this city because of her rulers OF
her citizens who are mighty in history for
virture or vice or talents, Romulus, and
Caligul, and Cincinnatus, and VeSpasian,
and Coriolanus, and Brutus, and hundred
others whose names are bright with an eZ-
ceeding brightness, or black with the deepest
dye, most OF all am | interested in this city
because the preacher Of Mars hill and the de-
fer of Agrippa, and the hero Of the ship
wrecked vessel in the breakers of Melita, and
the man who held higher than any ono that
the world ever saw the torch Of Resurrection,
lived, and preached, and was massacrod here.
Show me every place connected with his
memory | must also see Rome.
But my text suggests that in Paul there
was the inquisitive and curious spirit. Had
my text only meant that he wanted to preach
here he would have said so. Indeed, in
another place, he declared: ~ am ready to
preach the Gospel to you who are at Rome
also But my text suggests sight seeing,
This man who had been under DR., Garpolial
bad no laci: oe phrageology, and va upEi II
saying eEactit what he meant and ne sslc, 81
must also zee Rome There is such Jnine
as Christian curiosity. Paul had it and so,no
OF us have it. About other peoples business
have no curiosity. About all that can con-
firm my faith in til, Christian religion and
the worlds salvation and the souls future
happiness, am full Of an all absorbing, al
compelling curiosity. Paul had a great Curl
osity about tho next world, and SC
have we, l hope somo day. by The
grace of God to go over and see fol
myself; but not row. No well man, 10 pros
pered man, think, wants TO go now. But
the time will come think, when / shall &C
over. want to zee what they do there, an(
l want to see how they DO it. do not wan
to be looking through tho gates eiar for
ever. want them to swing wide open,
There are ten thousand things | want ex
plainei-about you, about myself about thu
government of this world about God, about
everything. We start in a plain path Of
what we know, and in a minute come III
against high wall of what we do not know,
I wonder how it looks over there. Some.
body tells me it is like paved city-paved
with gold; and another man tells me it is
like fountain, end it is like q tree anf
1t is like triumphal procession: and the
next man met tells me it is all figurative
L really want to know, after the body is
rosurrected, what they wear and what they
cat; and have an Unreasonable curiosity
to know what ii is, and how it is, and wherG
1T is. Columbus risEed his life to find The
American continent, and shall we shudder tr
go out on voyage Of discovery which shall
reveal vaster and moro brilliant country
John Franklin risked his life to find pas
sage between icebcrgs and shall we dread to
1lnd passage to eternal summer? Men in
Switzerland travel up the heights of the Mat
terhorn, with alpenstock, and guides. and
rockets, and ropes, and getting half way
up, stumble and fall down in a horri
Die massacre. They Just wanted tc
say they had been on the tops Of
those high peaks. And shall we fear to Cd
out for the ascent of the eternal hills whici,
start thousand miles beyond where STOP
the highest peaks of the Alps, and when ii,
that ascent there is no peril? A man doomed
70 die stepped on tho scaffold, and said in
Joy: Now, in ton minutes I will know the
great secret" One minute after tho vital
functions ceased, the little child that died
last night knew moro than Paul himself BE-
fore he del. Friends, tho exit from this
world. or death, if you please TO call it, to
tbs Christian is glorious explanation. It is
demonstration. Tt is illumination. II is
sunburst. 1t is the opening of all the win.
dows.. 1t is shutting up the catechisn,
of doubt, and tho unrolling OF
all the scrolls Of positive and accurate
information. Instead of standing OF
the foot Of the ladder and looking up it is
standing at the top of the ladder and iookine.
down. 1t is thelast mystery taken out OF
botany and geology aud astronomy and
theology. Oh, will it not be grand to have
oil questions answered? The perpetually re-
curing interrogation point Changed for thu
marx OF exclamation. All riddles solved.
VINO will fear to go out on that discovery,
when oil the questions are to he decided
which we havo been discussing all
oar lives? Who shall not clan his hands il,
the anticipation of that blessed country. II
1t DO no better than through holy curiosity;
As this Paul of my text did not suppress his
curiosity, we need not suppress ours. Yes,
nave an unlimited curiosity about all relig-
ious things, and as this city Of Rome was 81
Intimately connected with apostolic times,
tho incidents which emphasize and explain
ana augment the Christian religion, You will
not take it rs an evidence Of Irying spirit.
but as the outbursting of Christian curios-
ity when say must also SEQ Rome.