The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-11-24
THE TABERNACLE PULPIT
DR.. TALMAaE BREACHES ABOUT THE
TEMPLE or DIANA.


TEMPLE OF DIANA.
8 Series :of Diseourses ON His Travels In
tho East-.-dis Visit to the City of Epho
szs Described in Detail.
BROOKLYN, Nov. l5.--Dr. Talmase
continued this morning his series of ser.
mons entitled, "From the Pyramids to
the Acropolis." His text was Acts
xix, 81, "Great Is Diana of the Ephe-
sians.o
We have landed this morning at
Smyrna, city of Asiatic Turkey. One
of the seven churches of Asia once stood
here. You read In Revelation, ITO the
church in Smy rna write." 1t is q city
that has often been shaken by earth
quake, swept by conAagration, blasted
by plaques and butchered by war, and
here Bishop Polycarp stoodin crowded
amphitheater and when he was asked to
give up the advocacy of tho Christian re-
lislon and save himselffrom martYrdom,
the procousul saying, Swear and re-
lease thee; reproach Christ" replied,
"Eighty and six years have served
him. and he never did me wrong; how
then can reyile my King and Saviour"
When he WAS brought to the fires into
which he was about to be thrust, and
the officials were about to fasten him to
the stake, ne said: "Let me remain as
an, for he who giveth me strength 10
sustain 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 consume him,
; and under the winds the flames bent
outward so that they did not touch his
person, and therefore he was slain by
swords and spears. One cypress bend.
ing oier 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 arc advised not to go 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 sabtracted 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 muClated prisoners will be as.
sassinated.
There have been cases where ten and
twenty and forty thousand dollars have
been demanded bv these brigands. We
did not feel like putting our friends to
such expense, and it was suggested that
we had Better omit Epbesus. But that
would have been disappointment from
which we would never recover. We
must see Ephesus--associated with the
most wonderful apostolic scenes. We
hire specialrailway train, and IN about
all hour and half We arrive at the city
of Ephcsus, which was called "The
Great Metropolis Of ASIA" and zone of
the Eyes OF ASIA" and ''The Empress
Of Ionia," the capital Of all learning and
magnlfcenco. Here, as / said, was one
of the seven churches Of Asia, and first
of all we visit tho ruins of that church
where once an%ecumenical council of
two thousand ministers of religion was
held.
Mark the fuliillment ot the prophesy.
Of the seven churches OF Asls 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 1t would
occur. Drive on and you come to the
threaten, which wae 660 feet from wall
to wall, capable of holding Sc, 700 specta-
tors. Here and there there walls arise
the building is down. Just enough of 1t
10 1aft 20 h.l ND iiNt, h,,ill ~
as 1t was whom those audiences shouted
and clapped az some great spectacular.
Their huZZas must have been enough to
stun the heavens.
Standing there we could not forget
that in that building once assembled q
riotous throny for Paul's condemnation,
because what he preached collided with
the idolatry OF their national goddess.
Paul tried to get into that theatar and
address the excited multitude, but his
friends held him back, lest he be torn in
pieces by the mob, and the recorder of
the city had to read the riot act among
the people who had shrieked for Two
mortal hours till their throats were sore
and they were black in The face, "Greut
is Diana OF the Ephesians."
Now we step into the Stadium.
Enough of its walls and appointments
are left to show what stupendous place
1t must have been when used for foot
races and for ights with wild beasts. 1t
was building $50 feet long by 200 feet
wide. Paul refers to what transpired
there in the way OF spectacle when he
says, I'VE have been made a spectacle"
"Yes," Paul says, II have fought with
beasts at Ephesus," an expression usu-
ally taken as figurative, but suppose it
was literally true, for one of tie amuse-
ments in That Stadium was to put Il dis
liked man in the arena with hungry
lion or tiger or panther, and let the ight
go on until either the man or the beast
or both were slain.
1t must have been great fun ior these
haters of Christianity to hear that on
the morrow in the Stadium In Ephesus
the missionary Paul wouli, in the pres
ence of the crowded galleries, fight a
hungry lion. The people were early
there to get the beat seats, and a more
alert and enthusiastic crowd never
assembled. They took their dinners
with them. And was there ever u more
unequal combat proposed? Paul, ac.
cording 10 tradition, small. crooked
backed and weak eyed, but the grandest
man in sixty centuries, is led to the CEN
ter as the people shout: '.rhere he
comes, the preacher who has nearly
se1rft, 1,o.. L..