Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-06-13
SERMON ON THE SEA.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S SUBJECT WAS
1.-THE EXCITED GOVERNOR"

Felix-CIinging 20 Their Sins-'Go Thy
Way For This Time" The Convenient
Season Is Now.
BROOKLYN, June 10.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage, who is now speeding across the
Pacific to Honolulu on his round tho
world journey, has selected as the sub
iect for sermonic discourse through tho
press today ""The Excited Governor, -
the text being taken from Acts xiv,
25: "Felix trembled and answered
Go thy way for this time When have
convenient season, / will call for
thee"
A city of marble was Cesarea-
wharves Of marble, houses of marble
temples of marble This being the or
dinary architecture of the place, you
may imagine something of the splendor
of Governor Felix's residence. In a
room of that palace floor tessellated,
windows curtained, ceiling fretted, the
whole scene af1uent with Iyrian pur-
pie and statues and pictures and cary
ings, sat very dark complexioned man
of the name of Felix, and beside him a
woman Of extraordinary beauty, whom
he had stolen by breaking up another
domestic circle She was only 8 years
of age, IL princess by birth, and unwilling.
ly waiting for her doom-that of being
buried alive in the ashes and scorie OF
Mount Vesuvius, which in sudden erup
ton one day put an end to her abomina
tions.
Well, one afternoon Drusilla seated
in the palace, weary with the magnifi-
cent stupidities of the place, says to
Felix: "You have very distinguished
prisoner, l believe, of the name of
Paul Do you know he is one Of my
countrymen? l should very much like
to see him, and should very much like
to hear him speak, for l have heard so
much about his eloquence Besides that
the other day, when he was being tried
i'll another room of this palace and the
windows were open, heard the ap-
plause that greeted the speech Of Law
yer Tertullus as he denounced Paul
Now, l very much wish ] could hear
Paul speak. Won't you let me hear
him speak?'' eyes, " said Felix, II will.
I will order him up now from the
guardroom.
Paul's Great Sermon.
Clank, clank, comes a chain up the
marble stairway, and there is shuttle
at the door, and in comes Paul, little
old man, prematurely old through ex-
posure, only 60 years of age, but look
ing as though he were 80. He bows
very oourteously before the governor and
the beautiful woman by his side. They
say: Paul, we have heard great deal
about your speaking. Give us now
specimen of your eloquence. " Oh, II
there ever was chance for man to
show off, Paul had chance therel He
might have harangued them about Gre
clan art, about the wonderful water
works he had seen at Corinth, about
the Acropolis by moonlight, about pris-
on life in Philippi, about "what | saw
in Thessalonica, " about the old mythol-
ogies, but ''Nop' Paul said to himself,
"I am now ON the way to martyrdom,
and this man and woman will soon be
dead, and this is my only opportunity
to talk to them about the things OF
eternity"
And Just there and then there broke
in upon the scene peal Of thunder. 1t
was the voice of Judgment day speak
ing through the words of the decrepit
apostle. AS that grand old missionary
proceeded with his remarks the stoop
begins to go out of his shoulders, and
he rises up, and his countenance is illu-
mined with the glories of future
life, and his shackles rattle and grind
as he lifts his fettered arm and with
it hurls upon his abashed auditors the
bolts of God 8 indignation. Felix grew
very white about the lips. His heart
beat unevenly. He put his hand to his
brow as though to stop the quickness
and violence of his thoughts. He drew
his robe tighter about him, as under a
sudden chill. His eyes glare, and his
knees shake, and as he clutches the side
of his chair in very paroxysm of terror
ne orders the sheriff to take Paul back
To the guardroom Felix trembled and
said: Go thy way for this time. When
| have a convenient season, | will call
for thee.
A young man came one night to our
services, WIN pencll III manu. W Oeu ~"
ture the whole scene and make mirth of
those who should express any anxiety
about their souls, but met him at the
door, his face very white, tears running
down his cheek, as he said, ''Do you
think there is any chance for me?" Fe-
lix trembled, and SO may God grant it
may be so with others.
CIinging to Their Sins.
propose to give you two or three
reasons why / think Felix sent Paul
back TO the guardroom and adjourned
this whole subject of religion. The first
reason was, he did not want to give up
his sins. He looked around. There was
Drusilla He knew that when he be-
came Christian he must send her back
to Azizus, her lawful husband, and ne
said to himself, Twill risk the destruc-
tion of my immortal soul sooner than
l will do that" How many there are
now who cannot get to be Christians