The Bossier banner., 1892-01-21
A DAY AT EPHESUS.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage Describes
the Historic Ruins.
The Amphitheater, the Stadium and the
Temple of Diana-Why Ephesus Fell
Luxury the Stepping-Stone
to Her Ruin.

The following discourse was de-
livered by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage in
the Brooklyn tabernacle in continual
ton of his series: From the Pyramids
to the Acropolis," His text was:
Great is Diana of the Ephesians. Acts
xix, 34
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 Smyrna write. 1t
is city that has often been shaken by
earthquake, swept by confiagratlon,
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 proconsul
saying: "Swear and | release thee; re-
proach Christ" replied: Eighty and
six years have l served Him, and He
never did me wrong; how then can l
revile 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, he said: 'Let me remain as
| 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
slys 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 over his grave is the only monu-
ment to Bishop Polycarp.
But we are on the way to the city OF
Ephesus. about fifty miles from Smyr-
ma. We are advised not to go to Ephe-
sus; the bandits in that region have had
an ugly practice of cutting off the ears
of travellers and sending these speci-
mems of ears down to Smyrna, demand
ing 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 appropri-
ate sum of money. If the money is not
sent the mutilated prisoners will be as
sassinated. One traveller was carried
off to the robbers den and seven thou
sand five hundred dollars paid for his
rescue The bandits were caught and
beheaded, and pictures of these ghastly
heads are on sale in the shops of
Smyrna for any person who may desire
to have something to look at 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 to such
expense, and it was suggested that we
had better omit Ephesus. But that
would have been disappointment from
which we would never recover. We
must see Ephesus with the
most wonderful apostolic scenes. We
hire a special railway train, and in
about an hour and half we arrive at
the city of Ephesus, which was called
''The Great Metropolis of Asia" and
Zone of the Eyes of Asia" and 1.-The
q 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 ecumen-
ical council of two thousand 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 six hundred and
sixty feet from wall to wall, capable OF
holding fifty-six thousand seven hun.
dred spectators Here and there the
walls rise almost unbroken, but for
the most part the building is down.
Just enough of it is left to help the i'm.
agination build i, up as it was when
those audiences shouted and clapped
at some great spectacular. Their huz.
zas must have been enough to stun the
heavens. AS took ny place at the
center of this theater and looked
at its broken layers of stone, gallery
upon gallery, and piled up into the
bleak skies of that winter day, and
thought that every hand that swung a
trowel on those walls, and every foot
that trod those stairs, and every eve
that gazed on that amphitheater, and
every voice that greeted the combat
ants in that arena had gone out OF
hearing and sight for ages on ages, ]
felt thrill of interest that almost
prostrated me amid the ruins. Stand.
ing there, we could not forget that in
that building once assembled riotous
throng for st. Paul's condemnation, be-
cause what he preached collided with
the idolatry of their national goddess
Paul tried to get into that theater and
address the excited multitude, but his
friends held him back, less 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 fol
two mortal hours till their throats were
sore and they were black in the face
Great is Diana of the Ephesians.
Now we step into the Stadium.
Enough of its walls and appointments
are left to show what stupendous
nlace il must have been when used fo,