Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-06-15
EXCITED GOVERNOR.
SUBJECT OF DR.. TALMAOE'S
TALK THROUGH THE FREsS.
Acts "a; xxv-FeIix Trembled ard An
swered: go Thy Way for This Time,
When 1 Have IA Convenient season L
VIII Call for You"

temples OF mar Ole. MS being Ine
ordinary architecture of the place,
you may imagine something of the
splendor of Gov. Felix's residence. In
a room of that palace, floor tesselated,
windows curtained. ceiling fretted,
the whole scene affiuent 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 scorie 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? ! 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. Be-
sides that, the other day, when
he was being tried in another
room of this palace, and the windows
were open, j heard the applause that
greeted the speech of Lawyer Ter
tullus, 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
chain up the marble stairway and
there is n shuttle at the door, and in
comes Paul, a little old man, prema-
turely old through eXposure-only 90
years of age, but looking as though he
were 80. He bows 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 a chance for 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 l saw in
Thessalonica," about the old mytholo-
gies; but mol" Paul said TO himself:
II 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. 1t was the voice
of 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 illumined
with the glories of future life, and
! his shackles rattle and grind rs 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
quiclxness and violence of his thoughts.
lie 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
Saerif to take Paul back to the guard
room. Felix trembled, and said, Go
Thy way for this time; when l have a
convenient season, l 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 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 trem-
bled, and so may Ged grant it may be
so with others.
propose to give you two or three
reasons why / 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 DeCdulc IL SnIlSlldH, nc IuuaJ
send her back to Azizus, her lawful
husband, and he said to himself, II
will risk the destruction of my immor-
tai soul, sooner than / will do that. -"
How many there are now who can not
get to be Christians, because they will
not abandon their sins! 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 lascivious qualifications on one
hand and eternal salvation on the
other Delilah sheared the locks Of
Samson; Salome danced Herod into
the pit; Drusilla blocked up the way
TO heaven for Felix. Yet when / pre-
sent the subject now, fear that some
of you Will say, Not quite yet. Don't
be so preeipitate in your demands. l
have a few tickets yet that have to
use. have a few engagements that l
must keep. want to stay little