The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1893-12-15
A WORLDLY FALL.
DR.. TalInage DiscCurses on tho
Conversion of Paul
The Spiritual Uplifting That Sometimes
Follows Worldly Debasement-Per-
secutions Overcome by the
Grace of God.

d tdtc lcCluTlug
the south Rev. 7. De Witt Talmage
preached to a great throng at Birming-
ham. Ala His subject was I'm
horsed." and the text chosen was from
Acts tx. 3-5: ''And as he journeyed he
came near Damascus: and suddenly
there shined round about him light
from Heaven: and he fell to the earth.
and heard voice saving unto him,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou NE?
And he said. who art thou. Lord? And
the Lord said: l am Jesus. whom thou
persecutest." DR.. Talmage said:
The Damascus of Bible times still
stands. with a population of 135. 900. 1t
was gay city of white and clustering
architecture. its minaretS and crescents
and domes playing with the light of
the morning sun: uncovered in groves
of olive. and citron. and orange, and
pomegranate: famous river plunging
its brightness into the scene: d city by
the ancients styleda pearl surrounded
by emeralds."
A grorp 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:
witness the Duke of Wellington and
DR.. Archibald Alexander. But there is
something very intent in the eye of this
man of the text, and the horse he rides
is lathered with the foam of a long and
quick travel of 135 miles He urges on
his steed. for those Christians must be
captured and silenced, and that relig-
ion of the cross must he annihilated.
Suddenly the no ses shy of, and plunge
until the riders are precipitated- Freed
from the riders. the horses bound snort
ing away. You know that dumb ami
mails, at the sight of an eclipse, or an
earthquake or anything like super
natural appearance, sometimes become
very uncontrOlla BILE \ new sun had
been kindled in the heavens. put
ting out the glare of the ordina-
" sun. Christ, with the glories of
Heaven wrapped about him. looked out
from cloud and the splendor was in
siderable, and no wonder the horses
sprang and the equestrians dropped.
Dust-covered and bruised. Saul at
tempts to get up shading his eyes with
his hands from the severe luster of the
heavens hut unsucceSsfully, for he is
struck stone blind as he cries out:
.sWho 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 and scourges Me. 1t is not their
back that is bleeding: it is Mine. Ii is
not their heart that is breaking: it is
Mine am Jesus whom thou perse-
cuteSt."
From that wild, exciting and over
whelming scene there rises up the
greatest preacher of all the ages-Paul.
in whose behalf prisons We're rocked
down. before whom soldiers turned
pale. into whose hand Mediterranean
sea captains put control of their ship
wrecking craft, and whose epistles are
the avant courier of resurrection day.
| learn from this scene that a worldly
fall sometimes precedes spiritual up
lifting. \ man does not get much SYM
pathy by falling off a horse. People
say he ought not to have gotten into
the saddle if he could not ride. Those
Of us who were brought up in the
country remember well how the work
men laughed when, on our way back
from the brook. we suddenly lost our
ride When in a grand review a gener-
al toppled from the stirrups it became
Q national merriment. Here is Paul
On horse tack-a proud man. riding on
with government documen.s in his
pocket, a graduate of most famous
school in which the celebrated DIR.
Gamaliel had been a professor. per-
haps havilg 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 highes,
title. l 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
without consideration for his dignity.
he is tumbled into the dust. And yet
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
God and the church until you lose Your
fortune or have your reputation upset.
Or in some way, somehow, are thrown
and Inundated. Joseph finds his path
- the Egyptian court through the pit
to which his brothers threw him.
,niel would never have walked amidst
tie bronzed lions that adorned the
Babylonish throne if he had no,
first walked amidst the real lions
of the cave. And Paul marshals all
the generations of Christeudom by fall
ing fat on his face on the road to
Damascus Men who have been al.
ways prospered may be efficient ser.
wants of the world. but will be of nc
advantage to Christ You may ride
majestically seated on your charger,
rein in hand, foot in stirrup. but you
will never be worth anything spiritual
iy until you fall off. They who gradu.
ate from the school of Christ with the
highest honors have on their diploms
the seal of q lions muddy paw, or the
plash of an angry wave, or the drop Of
stray tear, or the brown scorch of q
prosecuting FIRE In nine hundred and