Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-07-09
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
The Brooklyn D1vine's Sun
dav Sermon.

TEXT The ttnS Of my d.borturr IS at
hand. IL Timothy w, i.
Departure, That Is a wori usei only
twice in all tbs Bill. But 1t is a word often
Used III the courtroom and means the
de>ertion OF one course Of pleading for au-
other. II is Esad II navigation to describe
the distance between tw1 merldihns passing
through the extreinItie, Of a course. 1t is q
word have recently heard applied to my
departure frcuI America to Europe for q
preaching tour u last until September. In
Il smaller and less significant sense than that
IMPLIED III the text | can say, The time Of
my departure Is as hand
through the printing press | address this
sermon to my readers all the world over, and
when they read til will be in mi iocean and
unless something new happens In my ma
rlne experiences | will be IN no condition to
preach. But how uninportant the word de-
parture when applied to exchange Of CONT
nents as when applet 10 exchange OF worlds
as wnen Paul wrote, The time Of my lie
ptrture Is at hand
Now departure implies a starting place
ana Il place of destination. When Paul left
this world, what was the starting point? 1t
was Il >ceIe OF great physical distress. 1t
was the 1ul.IaEutn, the lower dungeon Of
the MaInertine PRISON, Rome, Italy. The top
dungeon was bad enough, it having no
Ineano OF lngress on egress but through an
opening III the top. Through that the OTIS
oLIer was lowered. and through that came
all the food and air AMI light received. 1t
was a terrible place. that upper dungeon,
but the Tulllanun was the lower dungeon,
and that was still more wretched. the only
light and the only air coming through the
roof, and that roof the floor Of the upper
dungeon. That was Paul's last earthly res
ldence.
| Twas IN that lower dungeon in November.
1881. 1t Is made Of volcanic stone. meas.
urei il, and from wall TO wall it was fifteen
feet. The highest of the roof was seven feet
from the floor and the lowest of the roof five
feet seven inches. The opening in the roof
through which Paul was let down was three
feet WIDE. The dungeon has a seat of rock
two and a half feet high aud a shelf OF rock
four ieet high. 1t was there that Paul spent
his last days on earth, and it is tnere that [
see INN now, IN the fearful dungeon. shlver-
ing, blue with the cold, waiting for that old
overcoat which he had sent up or to Troas
and which they had not yet sent, down, not
~lthstanding that he had written for it.
IT soIne skillful surgeon should go into that
dungeon where Paul. is. incarcerated we
might find out what are the prospects of
Pauls living through the rough imprison-
ment. In the first place he Is an old man,
only two years short OF seventy. At that
very time when he most needs the warmth.
ana the sunlight, and the fresh air he is shut
out from the sun. What are those scars on
ms ankles? Why, those were got when he
vas oSt, N iCCt LII AZ StOChS. LVGIH LlIu6
he turned the flesh OH his ankles started.
What are those scars on his backy You
know he was whipped five times. each time
getting thirty nine strokes-one hundred and
ninety-five bruises on the back count them .
made With rods OF elnlwood, each one of the
one hundred and ninety i've strokes bringing
the blood.
Look at Pauls face and look at his arms.
v here did he get those bruises | think it
was when he was struggling ashore amid
the shivered timbers of tue shipwreck. |
see a cash in Pauls side. Where did he get
that? think he got that in the tussel with
hlghwaymen. Tor he had been in peril Of
|,rohbers and ne had money of his own. He
was a.mechanlr as we'll as an apostle, and |
think the tents he made We're as good as his
sermon.
Hank what is that s%ilutiing Of feet IN the
upper dungeon Why, Paul has an invita-
ton to a banquet. and he is going to dine
to-day with tne King. Those shuf1ing feet
are the feet of the executloners. They come,
and they cry down through the hole Of the
dungeon: Hurry up. old man. Come
now; get yourself ready Why. Paul was
ready. lie had nothing to pack up. He had
no baggage TO take. He had been ready a
good while. | see him rising up, and straight,
tnIng out his limbs. and pushing back hn
white hair from hi, crevicei forehead, and
see hun looking up through the hole IN the
roof of the dungeon into the face of his ex-
oii Ca hiiA say, l. oAA INV
ready TO be offered. and the time of my de
parture Is at hand.
Then they lift hlm out Of the dungeon, an
they start with him to the place of execution
They say Hurry along. old man, or 20,
VIII feel the weight Of our spear. Hurr.
along. Glow far is ~ says Paul. Nv
have to travel $Ihree miles" Thre
miles Is a good way for an old man to trave
after ne has teentwhipied and crippled witt
Inaltreatnent But tnes soon get to tn
place OF -Xtcution-Aclua- Salvia-and h
IS fastened To the pillar OF 1nartyrdom. l
does Hoi take any strength TO tie him fast
tie makes no resistance.
. Paul why not now strike for you
hfe< y on have a great many friends here
With that witherei hand Just launch tn
thunderbolt or the people upon those In
famous soldiers. No! Paul was not goin
10 interfere with his own coronation. II
:. was too glad to 90. | see him looking IL
III the lace IT his executioner. and, as tt
GRIM official draws the sword, Paul calm
says, II am HOW ready to be offered, an
the tiine ot my departure is at hand. b
| PUT my hand over my c,es. | want not
. see that last struggle. One sharp, ket
!, stroke. ate Paul does 90 to the BANG ue
: and Paul does dine with the King.
hat n transition it was From the M
larla of Rome to the finest climate in all tt
: nnlNerSe-tha zone OF eternal beauty ar
- health. HIS ashes were put in the catacom|
OF Rome. hut III ona moment the air
heaven bathed from his soul ia. last ach
, From shipwreck. from dungeon, from {
= biting pain OF the elmVooi rods, from Il
sharp sword Of tn. hea iSnan. he goes in
the most brilliant a>>emblaye of heaven.
= king among kings. multitu les Of the saln
hood rushing out and stretching forth han
= Of welcome. for | do really think that as
= the right hand Of God is Christ, so on Il
~ night hand Of Christ is Paul, the secoI
ll -rrat III heaven.
- He changed kings likewise. Before Il
y hour of death and up to the last moment
IL was under Nero. tue thich-necke1. the cru,
eyed, the iilthy-llppei AMI sculptured fe
- lures of that man bringing down - rs tn
Very day the horrible possibilities Of
s. nature seated as he was among picture
y. marbles of Egypt, under "a roof aiorns
I'd vita mother of-pearl. in a dlning-roo
which by machinery was kept whiriing d.
. ani night with most bewitching magni
w cence, his horses staining i'll stalls OF sol
- gold. AMI the grounds aroun1 his pala
. lighted AZ night by its victims. who h
BEEN hedaubet with tar AMI pitch AMI tn
set on fire t. lliumine the darkness. Tn
- was Pants KING