St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-12-26
REV. DIR. TALNAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The City of Ephesus. :"

~-+ActS XIX, 81.
" have landed this morning OF SMYRNA,
q city OF Asiatic Turkey. One of the seven
churches OF Asia once stood here. You raal
III f,eVelatlon, 10 the church in SMYRNA
write" 1t is a city that has often been
shaken by earthquake, swept by confagra.
lioh, blasted y plaques and butchered by
war, and here Bishop PoIycarp stood in
crowded amphitheater and when he was
asked TO give up the advocacy of the Chris
tlah religion and save himself from MARTYR
dom, the prcconsul saying, Swear and !
release thee; reproach Christ replied.
Eig1ty and six years have [ served Him.
anu lie never did me wrong; how then car
rcyie my King and Saviour"
" men he was brought to the fires into
winch he was about to be thrust, and the Of
1lclaIs were about to fasten him to the stake
ne salG: Let me remain as | am, for He
VINO glveth me strength to sustain the fire
Will enable me also without your securing
me with nails to remain unmoved in the
IRE" History says the fires refused to con.
sumo ann, ana under the wind the flames
bent outward so that they did not touch his
person, and therefore he was slain by swords
and spears. One cypress bending over his
grave Is the only monument to Bishop Poly
carp.
But we are on the way to the city of Ephe-
sus, about fifty miles from Smyrna. We
are advised not to go to Ephssus. The
bandits IN that region have had an ugly
practice of cutting off the ears of travellers
and sending these specimens OF ears down to
Smyrna, demanding a ransom. The BAN
dts suggest to the friends of the persons
from whom the ears have been subtracted
that II they would like to have the rest of
the BODY they will please SEMI an appropriate
sum OF money. II the money is not sent the
mutliated prisoners will be assassinated
One traveller was carried off to the robbers
den, and $500 was paid for his rescue. The
bandits were caught and beheale1, and
pictures OF these CHASTITY heads are on sale in
the shops Of SMYRNA Tor any person who
may desIre to have something to look at on
their way to Ephesus.
there have been cases where ten and
twenty and thirty and forty thousand dollars
have been demanded by these brigands. We
dld not feel like putting our friends to such
expense, and it was suggested that we had
better omit Ephesus. But that would have
been disappointment from which we would
never recover. We must see Ephesus-
associated with the most wonderful apostolic
scenes We hire special railway train and
in about an hour and halt we arrive at the
city OF Ephesus, which was called The Great
Metropolis OF Asia" and Zone of the Eyes of
ASIA" and The Empress of Iona,n the CAPT
tai OF all learning and magnificence. Here,
as SAID, was one o. the seven churches OF
ASA. and first of all we visit the ruins Of that
cnuich WhSre once an ecumenlCat council OF
two thousand ministers of religion was held
Niark the fulfi'lment Of the prophecy. Of
the seven churches Of Asia four were COM
menGcd i'll the Book Of Revelation and three
were doomed. The cities having the four
commended churches still stand; the cities
having he three doomed churches are wiped
Cuj. 1t occurred just as tie Bible said if
would occur. Drive on and you come TO the
Theatre, which was $50 feet from wall to wall
capable Of holding 81, 400 spectators. Here
and there the walls arise almost unbroken,
but for the most part the building is down.
As l took my place at the centre OF this
theatre and looked around at its broken lay
ers OF stone. gallery upon gallery. gallery
upon gallery, and piled up into the bleak
skies OF that winter day, and thought that
every hand that swung trowel on those
walls, and every foot that trod those stairs
and every eye that gazed on that amphi-
theatre. and every voice that greeted the
comhatants in that arena had gone out of |
hearing and sight for ages on ages, l felt
thrill of interest that almost penetrated me |
amid the ruins.
Standing there we could not forget that
in that building once assembled a riotouS |
throng for Pauls condemnation, because |
what he preached coIiided with the idolatry |
of their national goddess. Paul tried to get
into that theatre and address the excited |
multitude, but his friends held him back, lest
he he torn to pieces by the mob, and the re-
cOrder OF the city had to read the riot act |
among the people who had shrieked for two
mortal hours till their Threats were sore and |
they were black Ill the face, 'Great is Diana /
OF the Ephesians."
Now We step into the Stadium. Enough |
of its walls and appointments are left to |
show what a stupendous place it must have
been when used for foOt-raceS and for fights |
with wi q Leasts. It was building $50 feet |
long by 200 feet wide. Paul refers to what |
trausplred there in the way of spectacle |
when he says, 1--WE have been made a spec
tace.o YES Paul says, II have fought |
with beasts at Ephesus," an expression |
usually taken as f9urative, but | suppose 1t |
was literally true. for one Of the amuse-
ments i'll that sta iun was to put disliked |
man in the arena with a hungry lion or tiger |
or panther, and let the tigh go until either
the man or the beast or both were slain.
1t must have been great fun for these
haters Of Christianity to hear that on the
morrow in the Stadium in Ephesus the mis-
sOn@ry Paul would, in the presence OF the
crowded galleries, fight hungry lion. The
people were early there to get the best seats,
ana a more alert and enthusiastic crowd
never assembled. They took their dinner
with them. And was there ever a more I'M
equal combat proposed? Paul, accor ling to
tradition, small, crooked backed and weak
eyed, out the grandest man In sixty CEN
turtles, Is Leo to the center as the people shout:
There he comes, the preacher who has
nearly ruined our religion. The lion will
make but q brief mouthful of him.
1t is plain that all the sympathes of that
crowd are with the lion. In one Of the
rooms hear the growl of the
wild beasts They have been kept for several |
days without food or water in order that they
may be especially ravenous and bloodthirsty.
What chance is there for Paul? But you
tell by mans size or looks how stout
a blow he can strike or how keen blade he
can thrust Witness. heaven and earth and |
hell, this struggle of Paul with wild beast.
The coolest man in the Stadium IS Paul.
What has he to fear? He has defied all the
powers earthly and internal, and il MS body |
tumble under the foot and tooth OF the Wild |
beast, his soul will only the sooner find dis
anthra!lment. But it is his duty, as far as
possible to preserve his life.
Now, [ hear the bolt of the wild beasts
door showed back. and the whole audience
rise to their feet as the fierce brute springs
for the arena and toward its small occupant.
think the first plunge that was made by
the wild beast at the apostle was made on the
noint of sharp blade, and the snarling
with a howl of pain and reekmg
with gore turns back But now the little
missionary has his turn of making attack
md with a few well directed thrusts the
monster lies died in the dust Of the arena,
and the apostle puts his right foot on the
ion and shakes him. and then puts his let5
loot on him and shakes him-a scene which
Paul afterward uses for an illustration when
he wants to show how Christ will triumph
over death-'He must reign till He hath
put ell enemies under His feet'-yes, under
His feet. -,
Paul told the literal truth when he said:
81 have fought with beasts at Ephesus, "and
as the plural is use1 think he had more F.,
than one such fight, or several beasts were
let loose upon him at enc time As we stood
that day in the middle of the Stadium and
looked around at the great structure, tle
whole scene came back upon u.
But we pass out of the Stadium, for we are
i'll haste for other places of interest in Ephe-
suS. To add to the excitement OF the day