Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-11-26

ut the Tabernacle, LED by cOrnct aud organ,
sang this morning with great power the
hymn of Isaac Watts, beginning:
Our God, cur help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come.
The sermon which was on the Acropolis,
is the sixth of the series DR.. Tamage is
preaching on the subjects suggested by his
from Acts xvii, 16, "While Paul waited
for them at Athens his spirit was stirred
in him. when he saw the city wholly given
to dolatry."
1t seemed rs 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 | 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-
queuce, Greek prowess and Greek history.
That morning in Athens we sauntered
forth armed with most generous and lovely
letters fronI 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 aud every gate and every
temple and every palace to swing open be.
fore US. The mghtiest geographical name
Oh earth 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 Il most gracious and beautiful
sovereign, the queen of Greece, and her
cordiality wNS more like that of a sister
than the occupant Of a throne ROOM Nc
ne "
preached, but u cordial shake of the hand,
and earnest questions about our personal
welfare and Our beloved country far away.
Bat ths morning we pass, through where
stood the A1ora the ancient market place,
the locality where philosophers used to
meet their disciples, walking while they
tHl.ed, and where Paul. the Christian To-
plt!an, fang many a proud Stole and got
the laugh on many an impertnent Epi-
cUrcuu. The market place was the center
Of social and political life, and it was the
place where people went to tell and hear
hcueVs Booths and bazaars were set up
for merchandise of all kinds except meat,
bat everything must be sold for cash, and
there must he no lying about the value of
cpn.Nodiiip~ aud the Agoranomi who
rul-G the pace could iullct severe punish
Iucid upuu Offenders. The different schools
OF thinker, had distinct places set apart
Tor couVocH, ion. The Patmans must meet
al the cheese market, the Decclians at the
BARRIER shop, the sellers of perfumes at the
fra'.,'uc,nsc headquarters.
Tine mHr.i-t place was a space three hun
drcd and fifty yards long and two hundred
and hfty wide, and it was given up to gos-
81. aAl merchandise, and lounging and
Iu..u,oph.lng. All this YOU need to know
in order to understand the Bible when it
yaof Paul. "lherefore disputed he in the
market daily with them that met him"
You see it WAS the best place to get an au-
dicucn and if Il man feels himself called to
prc8"l he want, people to preach TO- But
before we make orr chief visits of today
we must take "a turn at the Stadium. 1t IS
a Illtie way out, but 20 we must. The
Stadium was the place where the footraces
occurred.
TIE RACE IN THE STADIUM
Paul had bcen out there no doubt, for he
Frequently uses the scenes Of that place as
f4..ps when lie tells US Let us run the
race that is vet before us and again.
"lacy DO it TO Obtain n corruptible gar
land, but we an IncorruptIble." The
murble add the gliding have been removed,
but the high mounds against which the
seats were piled are still there. The Stadium
Is Sl& hUuureI ana elENty lrUt long, one
hundred and thirty feet wide, and held
forty thousand spectators. There is today
the very tunnel through which the defeat
ed racer departed from the Stadium and
from the misses of the people, and there are
the stairs up which the victor went to the
top of The h..l to be crowned with the
laurel.
In this place contests with wild beast
sometimes took place. and willie Hadrian,
the emperor, sat on yonder height one
thousand beasts were slain in one celebra-
ton. But it WAS chiefly for foot racing,
and so | proposed to my friend that day
while we were in the Stadium that we try
which Of Us could run the sooner from end
to end of this historical ground, and So at
the word given by the lockers on we started
side by side, but before | got through
found out what Paul meant when he com
pares the spiritual race with the race in
this very Stadium, as he says, Lay aside
every weight" Ny heavy oYercoat aud
my friends freedom from such iucum-
brance showed the advantage in any kind
of a race Of laying aside every weight"
We come now to the Acropolis. 1t is q
rock about two miles in circumference at
tho b.Sc and "A tbOuSnud feet i'm ci ron M ra r.