Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-12-11

BIRMINGHAM. Ala, December 10
Rev Or. Talmage, who lectured IN this
city yesterday, having spoken during
the week at Nashville, Memphis and
other cities, preached here this fore
noon Co a large audience, under the
auspices Of the Baptist Church. The
subject was; "UnhOrsed," and the text
chosen was. Acts tx. 3-5: "And as be
iourneyed, he came near Damascus;
and suddenly there shined round about
him a light from heaven; and be fell to
the earth, and heard a voice saying unto
him. Saul, Saul, why persecutsss thou
meg And be said, who art thou,
Lordg And the Lord said: i am Jesus
whom thou persecutest.
The Damascus Of Bible times still
stands, with population Of 135, 900. IL
was a gay city Of white and glisteninE
architecture. its minarets and crescents
and domes playing with the light Of the
morning sun; emb0wered 10 groves Of
olive and citron and orange and pome-
granate; 8 famous river plunging its
brightness into the scene; a city by the
ancients styled 80 pearl surrounded by
emeralds.
a group OF horsemen are advancing
upon that city. Let the Christians Of
that city hide, for that ealvacade CON-
ING over the hills is made up Of perse-
c0Sors; their leader, small and unat-
tracGSVe in some respects. as leaders
sometimes are Insignificant IN person;
witness the Duke Of Wellington and
nf,worIn. "a
something very intent 10 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 1875 miles. he urges on
bis steed, for those Christians must be
captured and silenced and that religion
Of the cross must be annihilated. Sud
denly the horses shy of and plunge
until the riders are precipitated.
FREED FROM THE RIDERS,
the horses bound snOrting away. You
know that dumb animals, at the sight
Of an eclipse, or an earthquake, or any
thing like q supernatural appearance,
sometimes become very uncomfortable.
A new sun had been kindled in the
heavens, putting ont the glare Of the
ordinary sun. Christ with the glories
Of heaven wrapped about him, looked
out from a cloud and the splendor was
insufferable, and no wonder the horses
sprang and the equestrians dropped.
Dust-cOversd and bruised, Saul attempts
20 get up, shading his eyes with his
hands from the severe lustre of the
heavens, but unsuccessfnlly, for he IS
struck stone blind as he cries out, 'WhO
art thou, LOrd?" and Jesus answered
him, 81 am the one you have been chas-
ing. He that whips and scOurges those
Damascene Christians, whips and
scOurges me. It Is not their back that
IS bleeding; it is mine. Il is not their
heart that is breaking; IL is mine. l
am Jesus whom thou persecuteSt."
From that Wild, exciting and over
Whelming scene there rises up the
greatest preacher OF all the ages-Paul,
10 whose behalf prisons we're rocked
down, before whom soldiers turned
pale, into whose hand Mediterranean
Sea captains put control Of their ship
aVqsaekiHg craft, and whose epistles are
the avant courier Of resurrection day.
I learn from this scene that a worldly
fall sometimes precedes spiritual up
lifting. A man does not get much sym
patty by falling of q horse. People say
he ought not to have got into the saddle
81 he could not ride. Those OF Us who
were brought up Ia the country remem-
Der well how the wOrkmen laughed
when, on our way back from the brook,
We suddenly lost our ride. When 10
grand review q General tOppled from
the stlrrups it became q national merri-
ment. Here is Paul on hOrseback-a
proud man, riding on
~ WITH GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
10 his pocket, q graduate OF a most
famous school in which the celebrated
DR.. Gamaliel had been a professor, per-
haps having already attained two OF
the three titles OF the schOOl-Rab, the
first; Rabbi, the second; and on bis say
to Rabbak, the third and highest title.
j know from bis temperament that his
horse was ahead Of the other horses.
But without time to think Of what pos
ture he should take, or without consid-
GRAFTON for bis dgnlty, be is tumbled
into the dust. And vet that was the
best ride Paul ever took. out Of that
violent fall be arose into the apostle
ship. So il has been Ia al ages and so
&c is now.
You viii never DO 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 humlliated. You must 90 down be-
fere you go uD. Joseph finds his path
20 the Egyptian court through the pit
into which his brothers threw him.
Daniel would never have walked amidst
the bronzed lions that adorned the
Babylonish throne II he had not first
walked amidst the real lions Of the
cave. And Paul m0rshals all the gen
srations Of CnristendOm by falling Hat
on his face on the road 20 Damascus.
Men who have always been prOspered
may be efficient servants or the world,
but will be Of no advantage TO Christ.
You may ride majestically seated on
YOUR charger, rein ia hand, foot In
atirrup, but YOU will never be worth
anthlng spiritually until you fall of.
They who graduate from the school OF
Christ With the highest honOrs have on
their diploma the seal Of Hons muddy
paw, OF the plash Of an angry wave, or
the drop Of q stray tear, or the brown
scOrch OF a prosecuting ire. 10
nine hundred and ninety-nine cases
out OF a thousand there is no moral
or spiritual elevation until there has
been
A THOROUGH WORLDLY UPSErrtNG.
Again, learn from the subject that
the religion Of Christ is not a pusillsni-
nous thing. People ia this city try TO
make Us believe that Christianity is
something for men OF small calibre, for |
women with no caplty to reason, for |
A T. ~n~nr r.Hn~ eF-