Milford chronicle., 1891-11-27
DIR. TALMAGE IN ATHENS
WONDERS OF THE AcRoPous ANr
ITS SUGGESTIONS.

The Market Where the Athenians Daily
Met to Hear or Tell Some New ThIng,
St. Paul on Mars HiII-A City Wholly
Given to IdoIatry.
BROOKLYN, Nov. 22.-The congregation
at the Tabernacle, led by eornet and organ
sang this morning with great power the
hymn of Isaac Watts, beginning:
Our God. our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come.
The sermon, which was on the Acropolis
Is the sixth of the series Dr. Talmage is
preaching on the subjects suggested by his
tour in Bible lands. His text was taSeL
from Acts xvii, IS, "While Paul waited
for them at Athens his spirit was stirred
in him, when he saw the city wholly given
to idolatry."
It seemed as If morning would never
come. We had arrived after dark in Ath
ems, Greece, and the night was sleepless
with expectation, and my watch slowly
announced to me one and two and three
and four o'clock; and at the first ray Of
dawn I called our party to look out of the
window upon that city to which Paul said
he was a debtor, and to which the whole
earth is debtor for Greek architecture,
Greek sculpture, Greek poetry, Greek elo
uueuce, Greek prOwess and Greek history
That morning in Athens we sauntered
forth armed with most generous aud lovely
letters from the president Of the United
States and his secretary Of state, and dur
ing all our stay in that city those letters
caused every door and every gate and every
temple and every palace to swing open be
fore us. The nightiest geographical name
on eartb today is America. The signature
of an American president and secretary OF
state will take man where an army could
not. Those names brought us into the
presence Of most gracious and beautiful
sovereign, the queen of Greece, and her
cordialiuy was more like that of sister
than the occupant of a throne room. NC
formal bow as when monarchs are ap-
nroached. but cordial shake of the hand,
and earnest questions about our personal
welfare and our beloved country far away
But this morning we pass through where
stood the Agora, the ancient market place,
the locality where philosophers used to
meet their disciples, walking while they
talked, and where Paul, the Christian To-
gician. flunu-many a proud Stole and got
the laugh on many an impertinent Epl-
curean. The market place was the center
of social and political life, aud it was the
place where people went to tell and hear
the news. Booths.a and bazaars were set up
for merchandise of all kinds except meat,
but everything must be sold for cash, and
there must be no lying about the value OF
commodities, and the Agoranomi who
ruled the place could inaict severe punish
ment upon offenders. The different schools
Of thinkers had distinct places set apart
for convocation. The Platoeans must meet
at the cheese market, the Decelians at the
barber shop, the sellers of perfume the
frankincense headquarters.
TavsC.7iet ptisese was q space three hun
d7fva IA fifty yards long and tWo -n'a4pa'S'-'
and fifty wide, and it was given up to gos-
sin and merchandise, and lounging and
philosophizing. All this you need to know
in order to understand the Bible when 1t
savsof Paul, therefore disputed he in the
market daily with them that met him."
You see it was the best place TO get an an
dieuce. and if a man feels himself called to
preach he wants people to preach to. But
before we make our chief visits OF today
we must take a turn at the Stadium. 1t is
a little way out, but go we must. The
Stadium was the place where the footraces
occurred.