Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-11-21
TILE TEMPLE OF DIANA.
DR.. TAlMaoEs DRAWS LESSONS from
THAT STRUCTURE.

THAT STRUCTURE.
On the Way from Smyrna to Ephcsus.
Bandits. Robbers and PiiErims-Pres-
ent Appearance of tho Place Where
Paul Fought with Beasts.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 15.-Dr Talmage
continued this-morning his series Of ser
.|mons entitled, "From the Pyramids to
asthe Acropolis. This sermon, which is
4 the fifth of the series, is concerned with
1.-THE doctors visit to Ephesus, of which
Lefty, with its wonderful temple and
asother buildings, egives o vividsdescrip-
Lion. with Characteristic exegetical com
inerlts: on obscure passages of Scripture.
His tex was Acts. xix, o. "a Great IS
9sDiana Of tile Ephesians.''' +
u We have landed fills morning. ut
.llsSinylna, a. city Of :Asiatic Turkey. One
of the seven CHURCHES of Asia once
; stood here. You read in Revelation,
To tile church in Smyrna write 1t
l is a city that has often been shaken by
Earthquake, swept by conflagration,
! blasted by plaques. and butchered by
war, and here Bishop Polycarp stood
in Il crowded amphitleater, and when
he was asked TO give up the advocacy
Eof the Christian religion and save him
Eself from lnaltyrdom, the proconsul
Saying, Swear and release thee; re-
proacll Christ" replied, Eighty and
six years have served him, and he
never did me wrong; how Chen can
Erevile my King and Saviour"
/ When le.was brought TO the fires
Unto whiclishe was about to be thrust,
Land the officials were about to fasten
hiln to the stake lie said, LET me re-
main us am, for lie who giveth me
strength TO sustain the fire will enable
me also without your securing me with
mails to remain unlnoved in the fire.
History says the fires refused to con-
sumo him, am, under the winds the
flames bent outward SO that they did
not touch his person. and therefore lie
was slain by swords and spears. One
cypress bending over his grave is the
only monument 10 Bishop Polycarp.
But we are on tile way to the city of
Ephesus, about fifty miles from Sinyr-
M. We IRE advised not to go to Ephe-
sus; the bandits in that region lave
had an ugly practice of cutting off the
ears OF travellers and sending these
specimens of ears down to Smyrna, de-
inandins ransom. The bandits sug-
gest to the friends OF the persons from
whom tile ears have been subtractcd
that if they would like to have the rest
Of the body they will please send an ap-
propriate SUN of money. If the money
is not sent the inutlated prisoners vii,
be. assasSinated One traveller was car
ried off to the robbers den and $500
was paid for his rescue The bandits
were caught and belleaded, and pic
-tsr.SGry iIs;lus IreSSil.sties
| in the shops of Smyrna for any persons
WHO may desire to have something to
look ct on their way to Epllesus.
There lave been cases where ten and
twenty and thirty and forty thousand
dollars lave been demanded by these
brigands. We did not feel like putting
our friends to such expense and it was
suggested that we had better omit
Ephesns. But that would have been a
disappointment from which we would
never recover We must see Ephesus
associated with the most wonderful
apostolic scenes. We hire q special
railway train, and in about an hour
and half we arrive ut the city OF
Ephesus, which was called Tho Great
Metropolis of Asia, and lone of tho
Eyes of Asia" and The Empress Of
Ionia, the capital of all learning and
magni6cence. Here, us l said, was one
of the seven churches of Asia, and first
of all we visit the ruins of that church
where once an ecumenical council of
two thousand ministers of religion was
held
TIE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA.
Mark the fulfllment of the prophecy
of the seven churches of Asia; four
were commended in the Book Of REEVE.
lation and three were doomed. The
cities having the four commended
churches still stand; the cities having
the three doomed churches are wiped
out. 1t occurred just as the Bible said
it would occur Drive on and you
, come to the tlleater, which was 660
I feet from wall to wall, capable of hold
ing Sc, 700 spectators. Here and there
tile walls arise almost unbroIlen, but
for the most part the building is down.
Just enough of it is left to help
the imagination build it up as it
was when those audiences shouted
and clapped at some great spectacular
Their huzzas must have been enough
to stun the heavens.
As took my place at the center OF
this theater aud looked around at its
broken layers OF stone, gallery upon
gallery, gallery upon gallery, piled
up into the bleak skies of that winter
day, and thought that every hand that
swung trowel OH those walls, and
every foot that trod those stairs, and
every eye that gazed on that amphi-
theater, and every voice that greeted
the combatants III that arena had gone
out of hearing and sight for ages on
ages, felt a thrill of interest that al,
most FRUSTRATED me amid the ruins.
Standing there we could not forget
that in that building once assembled
riotous throng for Pauls condemna-
ton because what he preached col
lided with the idolatry of their national