Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1891-11-25
SIGHTSEEING.
Or TaImage Goes to Ephesus by
Special Train.
And into ssOnc OF the Eyes OF Asia" Looks
Sermon by Rev. 7. Do Wits
TAlmnge. u. ID.

TAlmnge. y. ID.
Or. Talmage's sermon last Sunday
was: Acts xix. "a. Great is Diana of
the Ephesians.''
We have landed this morning ut
Smyrna, \ city of Asiatic Turkey. One
of the seven churches of Asia once
stood here. You read in Revelation,
ITO the church in Smyrna write"
1t Is n city that has often been shaken
by earthquake, swept by confiagration.
plaques and butchered by war, and
here Bishop Polycarp stood in a crowd
ed amphitheater, and when he was
asked to- give up the advocacy of the
Christian religion and save himself
from martyrdom, the proconsul say
ing: Swear and i 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 was about to be thrust, and the Off
Gals were about to fasten him to n
stake. he said: Let me remain rs am,
for He who giveth me strength TO sus-
tain the fire will enable me also with
out your securing me with nails to re-
main unmoved in the fire"
History says the fires refused TO con-
sume him, and under the winds the
flames bent outward so that they did
not touch his person, and therefore, he
was slain by spears and swords. One
cypress bending over his grave is the
only monument to Bishop Polycarp.
But we are on the way to the city of
Ephesus about fifty miles from
Smyrna We are advised not TO go to
Ephesus; the band Is in that region
have had an ugly practice OF cutting off
the ears of travellers, and sending these
specimens of ears down to Smyrna, de-
mandinga ransom. The bandits sug-
gest to the friends of the persons from
whom the ears have been substracted
that II they would like to have the rest
of the body they VIII please send an APP
propriate sum of money. II the money
is not sent the mutilated prisoners will
be assassinated.
One traveller was carried off to the
robbers den, and $1,000 was paid for
his rescue. The bandits were caught
and behcaded, and pictures of these
CHASTITY heads are on sale in the shops
sire to have something to look Mt 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
did not feel like putting our friends &c
such expense, and it was suggested
that we had better omit Ephesus. But
that would have been n disappointment
from which we would never recover
We must see Ephesus-associated with
the most wonderful apostolic scenes
We hire n special railway train, and in
about an hour and half we arrive al
the city of Ephesus, which was called
THE Great Metropolis of Asia" and
zone of the Eyes of Asia" and "The
Empress of Ionia," the capital of al
learning and magnificence.
Here, as 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 couacil of .. OOC
ministers of religion was held Mark
the fulfillment of the prophecy! OF
the seven churches of Asia, four were
commended in the Book of Revelation
| and three were doomed. The cities
having the four commended churches
still stand; the cities having the three
doomed churches are wiped out 1t oc
Cured just as the Bible said it would
occur. Drive on and you come to the
theater, which was eco feet from wall
TO wall, capable of holding 90, 700 spec,
tators. Here and there the walls arise
unbrolen, but for the most part the
building is down. Just enough of il is
1 lnf 10 hnl l,a
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 and looked around at its
broken layers of stone, gallery upon
gallery, gallery upon gallery, and piled
up into the bleak skies of that winter
day, and thought that every hand thai
swung n trowel on these walls, and
every foot that trod those stairs, and
every eye that gazed upon that amphi
theater, and every voice that greeted
the combatants in that arena had gone
out of hearing aud sight for ages and
ages, / felt thrill of interest that al
most Frustrated me amid the ruins
Standing there, we cSuld not forget tina,
| In that building once assembled a riot
GUS throng for Paul's condemnation
because what he preached collideC
with the idolatry Of their national god
dess.
Paul tried to get into that ti,cater anf
address the excited multitude, but hi,
friends held him back, lest no be tori
In pieces by the mob. and the recorde,
OF the city had 20 read the riot act
among the people, who had shrirket
for two mortal hours till their throat,
were sore and they were black in the
face: Great is the Diana of the Ephe
slams" Now. we step into the Stadium
Enough of its walls and appointment.
are left TO show what stupendous plac,
It must have been when used for foo
races and for fights with wild beats i
was n building $50 feet long by 200 fee
wide. Paul refers TO what transpire,
there in the way of spectacle wher
he says: I'VE have been made a spec
tacle."
Yes, Paul says: 81 have fought will
beasts ut Ephcsus, IAN expression usual
ly taken as fgurative, but ! suppose Il
was literally true, for one Of the amuse