The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-11-27
GLORIES OF EPHESUS.
DR.. Talmage Continues His Ser
mons on Bible Lands.
Ephesisn Glories vIyIdly DescrIbed-won-
ders of the Famed Temple of Dlans-
Warnings In the Fate of the
Once Mighty City.

In the fifth discourse in his series OF
sermons entitled "From the Pyramids
TO the Acropolis," Rev. T. Dewitt Tai.
mage, in sermon at Brooklyn, took
his text from Acts xix. 81: ''Great is
Diana of the Ephesians." He said:
We have landed this morning al
Smyrna, city of Asiatic Turkey. One
of the seven churches of Asia once
stood here. You read in Revelation,
''To the church in Smyrna write" II
is city that has often been shaken by
earthquake, swept by confagration,
blasted by plaques, and butchered by
war, and here Bishop Polycarp stood
in a crowded amphitheater and when
he was asked to give up the advocacy
of the Christian religion and save him
self from martyrdom, the pro-consul
saying: "Swear and release thee; re-
proach Christ" replied: Eighty and
six years have served Him, and He
never did me wrong, how then can /
revile my King and Saviour?' When he
was brought to the fires into which he
vas about to be thrust, and the officials
were about to fasien him to the stake,
he said: Let me remain as l am,
for He who giveth me strength to
sustain the fire will enable me also
without your securing me with nails to
remain unmoved in the fire." History
says the fires refused to consume him,
and under the winds the flames beat
outward so that they did not touch his
person, and therefore he was slain by
swords and spears
We are advised not to 60 to Ephesus;
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 bandits suggest to the
friends of the persons from whom the
ears have been subtracted that if they
would like to have the rest of the body
they will please send an appropriate
sum OF money. If the money is not
sent the mutilated prisoners will
be assassinated. But we must see
Ephesus-associated with the most
wonderful apostolic scenes. We
hire a special railway train, and
in about an hour and half
we arrived at the city of Ephesus,
which was called ''The Great Metropo-
lis of ASIA" and "The Empress of
Ionia," the capital of all learning and
magnifcence. Here, as / 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
1900 ministers of religion was held
Mark the fulfilment of the prophecy!
OF the seven churches of Asia, four
were commended in the book of revela-
ton 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 theater,
which was 66O feet from wall to wall,
capable of holding Sc, zoo spectators.
Here and there the walls arise almost
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
Standing there we could not forget
that in that building once assembled
riotous throng for Pauls condemna-
ton, because what he preached collided
with the idolatry of their national god
aess. Paul tried to get into that theater
and address the excited multitude, but
his friends held him back, lest he be
torn in 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: 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 wild
beasts 1t was a building $50 feet long
by 200 feet wide. Paul refers to what
there in the way of spectacle
when he says: ''We have been made a
spectacle"
Yes Paul says: 81 have fought with
beasts at Ephesus," an expression usu-
ally taken as 6gurative. but 1 suppose
It was literally true, for one of the |
in that Stadium was to |
put disliked man in the arena with |
q hungry lion or panther, and let the |
SIGHT go on until either the man or
beast or both were slain. 1t must have
been great fun for these haters of |
Christianity to hear that on the NOR |
row in the Stadium in Ephesus the
Paul would, in the presence |
Of the gallaries, fight hungry lion. |
And was there ever a more unequal |
combat proposed? Paul, according to |
tradition, small, crooked-backed and |
but the grandest man in
sixty centuries, is led to the entry, as
he people shout: "There he comes,
he preacher who has nearly ruined our
-eligion. The lion will make but a
brief mouthful of him" 1t is plain
hat all the sympathies of that crowd
we're with the lion. In one OF the
rooms hear the growl of
,ne of the wild beasts They have
oeen kept for several days without food
'r water, in order that they may be
ravenous and bloodthirsty. |
What chance is there for Paul?
think the first plunge that was
made by the wild beast at the apostle
vas made or the point of a sharp
blade, and the snarling monster with a
lowl of pain and reeking with gore.
urns back. But now the little mis-
ionary has his turn of making attack,
md with few well directed thrusts
he monster lies dead in the dust of the
irena, and the apostle puts his right
oot on the lion and shakes him, and
hen puts his left foot on him and
shakes him-a scene which Paul after
ward uses for an illustration when he
wants TO show how Christ will triumph
,ver death-t'He mnst reign till He