The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-06
ROME AND CHRISTIANITY.
DIR. c. N. Sims Speaks of the Martyr
dom of Paul.

uOHl Ol
DR.. C. NJ Sims, pastor of the Meridian
street NJ E. Church. spoke last night on
Rome and Early Christianity" He
preached from the text found in Acts xiii.
11-"So must thou bear witness also at
Rome" The pastor said in part:
Jerusalem, the greatest religious center
of the world, rejected Christ. arrested. tried
and put Him to death Then desoia1loin n
ceased henceforth as a great city. Rome
had become the greatest city on the eartn
at the beginning of the Christian era. Very
mandment to preach His gospel in all the
world, it was taught and believed, and or
ganized into church at Rome. Who 1lrst
preached Christ there we do not know.
When Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans,
before he had ever seen the city, the church
was there, and numbered among it's promi-
empire. Paul was brought there prisoner,
but was permitted to live in his own hired
house, and preach Christ to whoever would
hear him.
Rome was then a dense city Of about
two millions of people. inclosed with wall
of about thirteen miles circuit OUTSIDE
were beautiful villas and Il dense suburban
population where now is the desolate Cam
pagna. The great aqueducts supported by
| innumerable and lofty, arches stretched
| from the mountains to the. city, bringing in
rivers of pure cold water from the melting
monotony of lofty gray buildings, unrelieved
| by a single spire, and only one dome lifted
| it's shining tops to the heavens. Half the
population was slaves. and the other half
Roman citizens, mostly poor, shiftless and
idle, getting their living by the gratultles
of the government, and their amusement
| from the brutalities of the theaters. There
was no hospital in the great city. People
did sometimes expose their sick by the
| street side or under the porticOeS TO re-
| ceive suggestions of treatment from the
| strangers who passed by. The best physi-
| clans and artisans We're slaves There were
| g. few senator's, a few, noblemen, and resi-
| dent army of 10000 to 1900 soldiers. The
| religion of Rome recognized two groups OF
dnteth h soda me state tie ana For the d
| the ancient temple of Vesta, and not FAR
| away was the new Pantheon where were
| shrines of all the national gods.
THE Romans were tolerant of all the re-
| ligions of the provinces so long as they did
| not interfere with the established worship
| of the state. And so Paul preached, and the
| Church of Christ grew in the city and sent
| out its missionaries everywhere Throughout
| the empire But Nero was growing vile and
| proud and he burned three-fourtEs of the
| city that he might rebuild it with broader
| streets and more stately edifices and that
| he might erect his, own golden house on
| space more than a half mile square. PauPs
| first trial was before the burning of the
| city, and after his acquittal he went ahead
revisitng the churches he had founded. Aft
| er few years he returned, to find that
| Nero, in order to divert suspicion from him.
| self Of having burned the city, was accusing
| the Christians of this great crime and was
| subjecting them to the most horrible pun
| ishments. Paul, as leading Christian
| ledCHeT, was dTTeSLtQ, ltlIUWl IHIO the OlO
Mamertine dungeon and taken thence and
| beheaded outside the walls of the city. This
| was about the year 66 of the Christian era.
| The Christians were misunderstood and
| hated. They were looked upon disloyal
| to the state because they refused to pay
| divine honors to the Emperor The story
| which went abroad about their communion
| was that they murdered child ate its
| flesh, drank its blood and followed these
| crimes with others equally horrible. They
| were regarded as haters of man, and perse-
| cutions came frequent and dreadful for
| nearly three hundred years. They held fast
| their faith and defended one another. The
| scrawl of a fish doorway token
| of shelter and help to the haunted Christian
who passed that way. The vast under
| ground chambers and passages of the cata-
| combs became places of shelter, of worship
and burial. In the five hundred miles of
! these subterranean passages were buried
| three millions of Christians, of whom I'M
| counted thousands were martyrs.
| But in the midst of these fierce persecu-
tions Christianity spread. Able defenders
| of the faith arose Intrepid missionaries
! penetrated all lands. And after three hun
/ dred years of conflict Constantine saw the
| banner in the skies, blazing with the legend
| BY this Conquer and Christianity became
| the faith of the empire, and Rome the CEN
| ter of Christian power"