The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-06-15
DANGERS OF DELAY.
DR.. Talmage on the Evils of Pro-
crastination.
Felix's Preference for q Tempting Sir
Caused His Loss of a Glorious Inn
mortality-Now Is the Time
to Be Saved.

In a sermon selected for publication
while he was on the ocean Rev. 7. De
Witt Talmage took as subject
1.-The Excited Governor" the text be
ing taken from Acts xiv, 25: 'Feli1
trembled, and answered, go thy way
! for this time; when l have a conven
lent season, will call for thee" Fol
lowing is the sermon:
, A city of marble was Cesarea-
wharves of marble, temples of marble.
This being the ordinary architecture
of the place, you may imagine some
thing of the splendor of Gov. Felix's
residence. In room of that palace,
floor tesselated, windows curtained,
ceiling fretted, the whole scene afflu-
ent with Tyrian purple, and statues,
and pictures, and carvings, sat very
dark complexioned man by the name
of Felix, and beside him woman of
extraordinary beauty, whom he had
stolen by breaking up another
domestic circle. She was only IS
years of age, princess by birth and
unwittingly waiting for her doom
that of being buried alive in the ashes
and scoriae of Mount Vesuvius, which
in sudden eruption, one day, put an
end to her denominations. Well, one
afternoon Drusilla, seated in the pal
ace, weary with the magnificent stu
pidities 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 l should very much like to
hear him speak, for / have heard SO
much about his eloquence. Besides
that, the other day. when he was be-
ing tried in another room of this pal
ace, and the windows were open, l
heard the applause that greeted
the speech of Lawyer Tertul-
lus, as he denounced Paul. Now,
1 very much wish l could hear
Paul speak. Won't you let me
hear him spealx?' "Yes," said Felix,
81 will. will order him up now from
the guard room" Clank, clank, comes
a chain up the marble stairway, and
there is a shuttle at the door, and in
comes Paul, little old man, prema-
turely old through exposure-only 60
years of age, but looking as though he
were so. He bowed very courteously
before the governor and the beautiful
woman by his side. They say: paul,
we have heard great deal about your
speaking; give us now a specimen of
your eloquence." Oh! if there ever
was 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 Acropolis by moonlight,
about prison life in Philippi, about
what saw in Thessalonica," about
the old mythologies: but "nor' Paul
said to himself: Il am now on the way
to martyrdom, and this man and wom-
an 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 a peal of thunder. 1t 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 up, and his countenance is illu-
mined with the glories of future life,
and his shacllles 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 quickness and
violence of his thoughts. He drew his |
robe tighter about him, as under sud- |
den chill. His eyes glare and his knees |
shake, and, as he clutches the side of |
his chair in 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 have convenient season 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 |
express any anxiety about their souls;
but l 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 trembled, and |
SO may God grant it may be SO with
others.
l propose to give you two or three
reasons why l 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 Drusilla. He knew that |
when he became a Christian, he must
send her back to Azizus, her lawful
husband, and he said to himself: Il
will risk the destruction of my immor-
tai soul sooner than 1 will do that"
How many there are now who cannot
get to be Christians, because they will
not abandon their sins! In vain all
their prayers and all their church
going. You cannot keep these
darling sins and win Heaven;
and now some of you will
have to decide between the wine cup
and unlawful amusements and lascivi-
ous qualifications on the one hand and
eternal salvation ON the other. Delilah
sheared the locks of Samson; SaloIne
danced Herod into the pit: Drusilla
blocked up the way to Heaven for
Felix. Yet when 1 present the sub
Jet now fear that some of you will
say: Not quite yet. Don't be SO pre-
cipitate in your demands. 1 have a
few tickets yet that have to use.
have few engagements that must
Keep. want to stay a little longer in
the whirl of conviviality-a few more
outlaws of unclean laughter, few
more steps on the road to death, and
then, sir, will listen to what you say.
Go thy way for this time; when have
! convenient Season I vxyill call for |