Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-12-21
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
a Worldly FAN Sometimes Pre-
cedes Spiritual Uplifting.
The Conversion of Paul and Its Lessons
The Religion of Christ Not tusii-
lanimous-God's Grace Over
comes All.


Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmage delivered the
following sermon at Birmingham, Ala.
during his recent trip south. The sub
ject was ''Unhorsed.' and the text:
And as he lourneyed ne came near Damascus:
ana suddenly there shined round about him Il
light from Heaven: and he fell to the earth
and heard a voice saying unto him: Saul. Saul.
why persecutest thou me? And he said Who
art thou. Lord: And the Lord said: l am
Jesus. whom thou persecCtest.-Act tx, 8 5
The Damascus of Bible times still
stands, with a population Of one hun
dred and thirty-hve thousand. Il was
a gay city of white and clustering
architecture, its minarets and cres-
cents and domes playing with the light
Of the morning sun: embowcred in
groves Of olive. and citroa. and orange
and pOmegranatc: a famous river
pI1nging its brightness in the scene: a
city by the ancients styled a pearl
surrounded by emeralds."
d A group of hOrSemen are advancing
upon that city. Let the Christians of
the place hide, for that cavalcade com
ing over the hills is made up of perse-
, cutors: their leader small and unat-
tractive in some respects. as leaders
sometimes are insignificant in person:
4 witness the duke of Wellington and
, Dr.. Archibald Alexander, But there
is something very intent in the eve of
} this man Of the text. and the horse he
rides is lathered with the foam Of Il
long and quick travel Of one hundred
ana thirty-five miles. He urges on his
steed. for these Christians must be
captured and silcncad, and that reli-
giOH Gf the cross must be annihilated
Suddenly the horses shy of, Gad
plunge until the riders are precipitel.
Freed from the riders. the
horses bound snorting away. You
, know that dumb animals, at the sight
IF an eclipse, or an earthquake, or any
Ching IT, supernatur2l Appearance,
sometimes become very uncontrolled bic.
4 new sun had been lzindled in the
heavens. putting out the glare of the
ordinary sun. Christ, with the glories
Of Heaven wrapped about Him, looked
out from q cloud and the splendor was
iusutfera bic. and no wonder the horses
sprang and the equestrians dropped
Dustcovered and bruised. Saul at
tempts to get up. shading his eyes with
his hands from the severe luster of the
heavens, but unsuccessfully, for he is
struck stone blind us he cries out:
''Who art Thou. LOrd?" and Jesus an
swered him: Il am the One you have
! been chasing. He that whips and
scourgeS those Damascene Christians
whips me and scourges me. 1t is not
their back that is bleeding: it is mine.
1t is not their heart that is breaking;
it is mine. | am Jesus whom thou
perSecutest."
From that wild exciting and over
whelming scene there rises the great
est preacher of all the ages-Paul, in
whose behalf prisons were rocked
down, before whom soldiers turned
pale. into whose hand Mediterranean
sea captains put control of their ship
wrecked craft, and whose epistles are
the avant courier of a resurrection
day.
learn from this scene that a worldly
fall sometimes precedes spiritual up
lifting. A man does not get much
j sympathy by falling off horse. Peo-
pie say he ought not to have got into
the saddle if he could not ride Those
of us who were brought up in the
country remem Der well how the work
men laughed when, on our way back
| from the brook, we suddenly lost our
/ ride. When in a grand review gen
eral toppled from the stirrups it be-
came national nerriment. Here is
j Paul on horse back-a proud man, rid
ing on with government documents in
! his pocket, a graduate in Il most ia
! nous school, in which the celebrated
! Dr.. Gamaliel had been a professor,
! perhaps having already attained two
/ of the three titles of the school-Rab,
/ the first: Rabbi, the second and on his
way to Rabbak, the third and highest
! title. | know from his temperament
! that his horse was ahead of the other
/ horses. But without time to think of
what posture he should take, or with
/ out cOnsidera ton for his dignity, he is
I tumpled into the dust. And vet that
was the best ride Paul ever took. Out
of that violent fall he arose into the
apostleship. So it has been in all ages,
! and SO it is now.
You will never be worth much for
fortune. on have your reputation up
! set, or in some way, somehow, are
! thrown and humilia ted You must go
! down before you go up Joseph finds
path to the Egyptian court through
pit into which his brothers threw him.
| Daniel would never have walked
amidst the bronzed lions that adorned
! the Babvlonish throne if he had not
first walked amidst real lions of the
cave. And Paul marshals all the gen
erations of Christendom by falling fat
on his face on the road to Damascus.
Men who have been always prospered
NAV be efficient servants of the world
! but will be of no advantage to Christ.
! You may ride Enthusiastically seated on
your charger, rein in hand, foot in
! stirrup, but you will never be worth
ANYTHING spiritually until you fall off.
! They who graduate from the school of
! Christ with the highest honors have
on their diploma the seal of lions
muddy paw. or the plash of an angry
wave. or the drop of a stray tear, or
the brown scorch of a prosecuting fire.
In nine hundred and ninety-nine cases
out Of thousand there is no moral or
spiritual elevation until there has been
a thorough worldly upsetting.
4 Again. | learn from the subject that
the religion of Christ is not a pusillan-
imouS thing. People in this day try to
make us believe that Christianity is
: - Fr,-