The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1892-06-22
OFF TO EUROPE.
Dr. Talmage Leaves for Preaching
Tour In Foreign Countries.
He Addresses u Farewell Sermon to His
Widely Scattered dAudiences-G Graphic
Description OF the Last Days of
the Apostle Paul and
His Execution.


on the 18th inst. Rev. Dr. Talmage die
tated to his stenographer the following
farewell sermon to be read by the vast
and widely scattered audiences whom
It is his privilege to address through
the medium of the newspaper press He
took his text from II. Timothy, w., 0:
"The time of my departure is at hand"
Departurel That is word used only
twice In all the Bible. But 1t Is word
often used in the court room and means
the desertion Of one course OF pleading
for another. 1t is used in navigation to
describe the distance between two me-
ridians passing through the extremities
OF q course. 1t is word have recent
ly heard applied to my departure from
America to Europe for preaching tour
to last until September. In smaller
and less significant sense than that i'm
piled in the text can say "The time Of
my departure is at hand" Through the
printing press address this sermon to
my readers all the world over, and
when they read it will be in mid-ocean,
and unless something new happens In
my marine experience l will be In no
condition to preach. But how unim-
portant the word departure when ap-
piled to exchange Of worlds as when
Paul wrote, 'The time Of my departure
Is at hand"
Now, departure implies q starting
place and a place of destination. When
Paul left this world what was the start
ing point? II was a scene Of great
physical distress 1t was the Tullia-
mum, the lower dungeon Of the Manner
tine prison, Rome, Italy. The top dun
geon was bad enough, II having no
means Of ingress or egress but through
an opening in the top. Through that
the prisoner was lowered, and through
that came all the food and air and light
received. 1t was terrible place, that
upper dungeon; but the Tullianum
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 Paurs last earthly
residence. was in that lower dungeon
in November, 's9. 1t is made Of volcanic
stone. l measured it, and from wall to
wall IL was fifteen feet The highest of
the roof was seven feet frem the floor,
and the lowest of the roof five feet
seven inches. The opening in roof
through which Paul was let down was
three feet wide. The dungeon has a
seat of rock two and half feet high,
and shelf Of rock four feet high. It
was there that Paul spent his last days
on earth, and IL Is there that see him
now, in the fearful dungeon, shivering,
blue with cold, waiting for that old
overcoat, which he had sent for up to
Troas, and which they had not yet sent
down, Notwithstanding he had written
for IL
II some slxillful surgeon should go
into that dungeon where Paul is incar-
cerated we might find out what are the
prospects Of Paul's living through the
rough imprisonment. In the first place
he Ia an old man, only two years short
of seventy. At that very time when he
most needs the warmth and the sun
light and the fresh air, he Is shut out
from the sun What are those scars on
hisc ankles? Why, those were gotten
when he was fast, his feet In the stocks.
Every time he turned the flesh on his
ankles started. What are those scars
on his back? You know he was whipped
Ave times, each time getting thirty-nine
strolres--one hundred and ninety-fve
bruises ON the back count themD made
by the Jews with rods OF elm-wood,
hve strokes bringing the blood. Look
at Pauls face and look at his arms,
Where did he get those bruises2 think
Il was when he was struggling ashore
amidst the shivered timbers Of the ship
wreck. see cash in Paul's side.
Where did he get that? think he got
that In the tussel with highwaymen, for
he had been in the peril ofrobbers, and he
had money of his own. He was me-
chanic as well as an apostle, and think
the tents he made were as good as his
sermons
There is wanness about Paul's looks.
What makes that? / think a part OF
that came from the fact that he was for
twenty-four hours on a plank in the
Mediterranean sea, suffering terribly,
before he was rescued; for he says posi-
lively: 81 was a night and day in the
deep" o, worn-out, emaciated old
mani surely you must be melancholy;
no constitution could endure this and
be cheerful. But / press my way
through the prison until come up close
to where he is, and by the faint light
that streams through the opening see
on his face supernatural Joy, and
bow before him, and say: aged man,
how came you TO keep cheerful amidst
all this gloom2' His voice startles the
darkness Of the place as he cries out:
az am now ready to be offered, and the
time Of my departure is at hand"
Harki what is that shuffling Of feet in
the upper dungeon2 Why, Paul has an
invitation TO banquet, and he is going
TO dine to-day with the King. Those
shuniing feet are the feet Of the execu-
tionerA They come, and they cry down
through the hole of the dungeon: "Hur-
~ up, old man. Come, now; get your
selftready." Why, Paul was ready. He
had nothing to pack up. He had no
baggage to take. He had been ready a
good while. see him rising up, and
Strengthening out his stiffened limbs,
and pushing back his white hair
from his creviced forehead, and
see him looking up through the hole
in the roof OF the dungeon into the face