The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-06-11
EXCITED GOVERNOR.
SUBJECT OF DR.. TALMAGE'S
TALK THROUGH THE PRESS
Acts "a: xxv-FeIix Trsmbled and An
swered: go Thy Way for This Time,
when 4 Have = Convenient easOn
WIN Call for You"

| A city of marble was Cesarea-
| wharves of marble, houses of marble,
| temples of marble. This being the
ordinary architecture of the place,
| you may imagine something of the
1 splendor of Gov. Felix's residence In
room of that palace, floor tesselated,
windows curtained. ceiling fretted.
the whole scene aff1uent with Tyrian
! purple, and statues, and pictures, and
carvings, sat very darkroom plexioned
man by 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
1s years of age. a princess by birth,
and unwittingly waiting for-her doom
| that of being buried alive in the
ashes and scori@ of Mount Vesuvius,
which in sudden eruption, one day,
| put an end to her denominations Well,
one afternoon Drusilla, seated in the
palace, weary with the magnificent
stupidities of the place, says to Felix:
You have a very distinguished pris-
Oner. believe, by the name of Paul.
Do you know he is one of my country
| men? l should very much like to see
him, and / should very much like to
hear him speak. for 1 have heard SO
much about his e1oquence Be
sides that, the other day, when
he was being tried in another
room of this palace, and the windows
were open, heard the applause that
greeted the speech of Lawyer Ter
Julius, as he denounced Paul Now,
very much wish I could near Paul
speak. Won't you let me hear him
speak?'' YES" said Felix, II will
will order him up now from the
guard-room Clank, clank, comes
there is shuttle at the door. and in
comes Paul little old man, prema-
turely old through exposure-only 90
years Of age, but looking as though he
were so. He bows very courteOusly
before the governor and the beautiful
woman by his side They say: paul
we have heard a great deal about your
speaking; give us now specimen of
your eloquence." oh! if there ever
was a chance for a man to show off,
Paul had a chance there He might
have harangued them about Grecian
art. about the wonderful water works
he had seen at Corinth, about the
Acropo1is by moonlight, about prison
life in Philippi, about what 1 saw in
Thessalonica.' about the old mythOlO-
gies; but MOP Paul said to himself:
81 am now on the way to martyrdom,
and this man and woman will soon be
dead, and this is my only oppOr-
turity to talk to them about the
things of eternity" And just there
and then, there broke in upon the scene
a peal of thunder. It was the voice
of a. Judgment day speaking 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
IL -, &c Inn nod
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 Gods indignation. Felix
grew very white about the lips His
heart beat unevenly. He put his hand
to his brow, as though to stop the
quiclxness 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 a very
paroxysm of terror, he orders the
sheriff to take Paul back to the guard
room ''Felix trembled, and said, Go
thy way for this time; when I have a
convenient season, 1 will call for
thee" A young man came one night
to our services, with pencil in hand,
to caricature the whole scene, and
make mirth of those who should ex-
press any anxiety about their souls;
but 1 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?' Felix trem-
bled, and SO may God grant it may be
so with others.
1 propose to give you two or three
reasons why 1 think Felix sent Paul |
back to the guard room 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 Drusil1a- He knew that |
when he became a Christian, he must |
send her back to Azizus, her lawful /
hus band, and he said to himself, 81 |
will risk the destruction of my immor- |
tai soul, sooner than 1 will do that
How many there are now who can not I
get to be Christians, because they will /
not abandon their sinsI In vain all /
their prayers and all their church go /
ing. You can not keep these darling /
sins and win heaven; and now some of
you will have to decide between the |
wine cup, and unla wful amusementS,
and 1ascivious qualifications on one
hand and eternal salvation on the
other. Delilah sheared the locks of
Samson; SaIome danced Herod into
the pit; Drusi1la blocked up the way
to heaven for Felix. Yet when / pre-
sent the subject now, fear that some
of you will say. mot quite yet Don't
be so precipitate in your demands
have few tickets yet that have to
use. have few engagements that
must keep. 1 want to stay a little