Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-06-16
SERMON ON THE SEA.

SERMON UN lib OEA.
REV. Or. TALMAGE's SUBJECT WAS
"THE EXCITED GOVERNOR"
Tho APOSTLE PauIs Great Eloquence Before
Telix-Clinging to Their sins-"Go Thy
Way For This Timo"-Tho Convenient
Season Is Now.
BROOKLYN, Juno 10.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, who is now speeding across tho
Pacific to Honolulu OH his round tho
world Journey, has selected as tho sub
ject for sermonic discourse through tho
press today "Tho Excited Governor, !"
the text being taken from Acts xiv,
25: "Felix tremblod and answered,
Go thy way for this time When have
o convenient season, will call for
thee"
A city of marble was CasareaL
wharves of marble, houses Of marble,
temples of marble. This being the Or
binary architecture Of the place, you
may imagine something Of the splendor
of Governor Felix's residence. In q
room Of that palace, floor tessellated,
windows curtained, ceiling fretted, the
whole scene affluent with Tyrian pur-
pie and statues and pictures and cary
ings, sat o very dark complexioned man
Of tho name of Felix, and beside him a
woman Of extraordinary beauty, whom
be had stolen by breaking up another
domestic circle. Sho was only IS years
Of age, a princess by birth, and unwilling
ly waiting for her doom-that of being
buried alive in the ashes and scori@ OF
Mount Vesuvius, which in sudden erup-
ton ono day put an end to her abomina-
lions.
Well, ono afternoon Drusilla, seated
In the palace, weary with the magnifi-
cent stupidities of the place, says to
Felix: "You have a very distinguished
prisoner, l believe, of the name of
Paul. Do you know he is one of my
oountrymen? l should very much like
to sec him, and should very much like
to hear him speak, for l have heard so
much about his cloqucacc. Besides that
tho other day, when lie was being tried
in another room of this palace and the
windows were open, heard the ap-
plause that greeted the speech of Law
YER Tertullus a. Ec denounced Paul.
Now, I very much wish | could hear
Paul speak Wort You let me hear
him speak," Eyes, said Felix, II will.
I will order him UP now from tho
guardroom. "
Pants Great Sermon.
Clank, clank. comes chain up the
marble stairway, and there is shuttle
at the door, and IN comes Paul, little
old man, prematurely old through OK
posure, only 60 years of age, but look
ing as though he were so. He bows
very courteously before tho governor and
the beautiful woman by his side. They
say: paul, we have heard great deal
about your speaking. Give US now O
specimen of your eloquence. =" Oh, If
there ever was chance for man to
show off, Paul had a chance therel He
might have harongued them about Gro
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 1'saw
In Thessalonica, about tho old mythol-
ones, but mol" Paul said to himself,
81 am now on the way to martyrdom,
and tn man and womanwill soon be
dead, nd this is my only opportunity
to tall. to them about the things OF
eternity. ="
And just there and then there broke
In upon the scene peal Of thunder. It
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 60 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
1t 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 o
sudden 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 guardroom "Felix trembled and
said: Go thy way for this time When
I have convenient season, l will call
for thee"
A young man came one night TO our
services, with pencil in hand, to ca11ca-
turo 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 1t
may BIO so with Others
C1inging to Their Sins.
propose to give you two or three
reasons why I think Felix sent Paul
back to the guardroom and adjourned
this whole subject of religion. The first
reason WIS, 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 he
said to himself, II will risk the destruc-
ton Of my immortal soul sooner than
will do that j." How many there arc
now who cannot get to be Christians
because they will not abandon their
sins In vain all their prayers and all
their churchgoing. You cannot keep
these darling sins and win heaven, and
now some of you will have to decide
between the wine cup and unlawful
amuscments and lascivious gratifica-
lions on the one hand and eternal sal
Walton on the other.
Dclilah ehcarcd the locks Of Samson;
Salomc danced Hcrod into the pit;
Drusilla blocked up t!,c way to heaven