The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-14


lifted aud ,ht sun came out. and the re-
mainder of tie day was perfect, It being
Just cold enough to be seasonable.
AS might be expected under such cir
eumStanceS the church-gOers were ont
in full force. ond the various places of
worship Were filled with their usual at
tentive congregations The following
were the main features OF the day
Rev. DR. Hoge preached his usual clo-
quent and interesting sermon at Oid
Market Hall last night to an immense
audience IL was as follows
Dr. Hoee at old Market Hall
Reported FOR the DAILY TMEs.l
4 PRISONER AND MS FRIEND.
rEXT.-2 Timothy, /: 10. T.. and iS-"Tho
Lord give mftcy 20 the house OF Oncsiphorus.
FOR he IL Refreshed me ami was not ash smcd
OF my chain. But when he Nas i'm Il. me- be
sought me out very diligently and found me.
The Lord grent unto him that he may tnd
mercy Ia tina day "
There are so many children and Young
people who attend the meetings in this
hall that | try 10 make my sermons so
plain that they can easily be understood
by every one. And there are many
grown people, too. who have not had
any early advantages, and who are not
familiar with things that are p ain 10
those who have had better opportunities
Many come every Sunday night TO the
hall who were never in the habit of going
10 church anywhere. and who seldom
heard a sermon in their lives until they
began to come here. If in preaching
use words that seem strange 10 them, OF
ii | speak of things which are new ia
them, they will not know what
l mean, unless / can explain them
Those of you who have been so wei
taught a. not 10 need this simple way OF
preaching will be patient with me wher
try TO make all say so clear that 9th
ers who have not had your good chances
may never miss the point of what ! an
aving You are too kind and ful
Of sympathy, and too anxious tina
others should get all the good that cal
come from these services to wish me tI
preach any other way The more yOl
love the truth the better you viii like j
in the simplest form the more vOl
know of the way of life the more yol
will want it made 50 plain that all can
see H.
SOME QUESTIONS.
There are several things in the tex
which have TO be explained before WI
can find out what il means. Who wa
Onesiphorus, the man with this hare
name-this uncommon namet VIVA
does Paul mean when he SAYS Onesipho
rus was not ashamed of his chain How
did Paul happen 10 wear chain Nher
was Paul hid when Onesiphorus had Il
seek for him, and when lac found him
how did OnesiphOrus refresh him W d.
did Onesiphorus need mercy, and wha
day was meant when Paul prayed tha
he might find mercy in that day II
these things | would ask your attention
if did not know that you would give
TO me without being asked.
PERSECUTION.
God has cast our lot in country and a
time when men are not prosecuted 70
their religion. IL was not always so ii
The DAYS of our fOrefathers Many O
themsame 20 this land 10 escape perse
cution in the countries where they wer
born. Many of them had TO forsak
home and kindred and all that was dea
10 them and come here when there Wer
only few scattered settlements alOn
the sea coast, and when the rest OF th
country was wilderness full of savage'
and when il was difficult and dangerou
TO make a fresh start i'm life They hat
10 clear the ground and build houses
they had 10 get up schools and churches
they had to make a living when Their
was little trade and when even tools q
work with were scarce and when the
lived in 'constant danger iron
cold and famine and hOsiil
Indians But they endured all patientl
and bravely for the sake of liberty ant
freedom 10 worship God.
In the DAYS when Paul lived, Chris
fianity was Just starting in the world. !
was ike a new settlement on new con
tinent and the early Christians wer
hated of all men, often falsely accused
beaten. banished, put in prison, or pm
10 death Paul had about the hardes
time Of any OF them. lie says he ha'
been scourged and stoned and ship
wrecked that he had been in perils By
land and sea; perls from countrymei
and false brethren. and counted a.
1.-THE Nth and oilscOuring of al
things He had been arrested
in Palestine and sent as prisoner
10 Italy. and when he wrote this lettort C
Timothy. from which | have taken my
text. he was in the city Of Rome in con
finemenf-a soldier always guarding
him, one end of chain fastened 10 hi'
wrist and the other end 10 the wrist OF
his sentinel, and thus secured, he wa'
waiting for his trial; waiting for III,
time when he expected TO be condemned
and executed.
Then IL was that he wrote this letter
10 Timothy He tells him how lonely be
was-tells him how one friend after an
other had forsaken him-but among
these deserters there was one bright eN
ception, and that was OnesiphOrus-th'
man with a long name-the man who
had come a long way-all the way IRON
Ephesus to Rome-and who had made
The Journey and the voyage 10 look
after the poor old prisoner Paul, now IN
sore need of some one 10 care for hin
and show him kindness.
oLIMPsEs OF GOOD MEN.
There Is something wonderfully in
teresting in the character of Onesipho-
rus. His name, like many others in the
Bible Is just mentioned and then drop
ped, and after getting glimpse of him
we see him no more, like meteor on a
summer night, that lights the sky with a
beautiful. luminous trail for short dis
lance. and then ,anishes from sight, or
like a ship at sea on the far west
ern horizon, for moment re-
vealed when il gets between the specta-
tor and the great disk OF the setting sun.
In popular magazine there is an ac-
count published OF a voyage across the
Atlantic. The ship foundered at sea. All
were lost except the captain and seven
sailors 4 small, rude raft was their
only home for eight days before they
were rescued, and their rescue came in
the sirangest way They saw TWO or
three vessels, bat on their raft. flat ON
the water, they could not be seen by The
passing ships AT last they put up an
oar, ike a little mast, and fastened
the captains coat on top of 10,
not as sail. but as signal
still no help came They were perish
ing for food and water, but one evening
u /. a.