The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-04-21
STEPHENS MARTYRDOM.
Five Pictures of the Martyr Pre-.
sented by Rev. DR.. Talmage.
Vivid Description of the Scene of Stephens
Death and a RapturOus Word Pic
ture of the Beauties Of the
World to Come.

ture of the Beauties Of the
World to Come.
Rev. DR.. T. Dewitt Talmagc, in the
following sermon, presents series OF
pictures of the scenes in the martyr
dom of Stephen. The text is:
Behold see the heavens opened, te.-Acts
vii, $780,
Stephen had been preaching a rous-
ing sermon, and the people could not
stand it. They resolved to do as men
sometimes would like to do in this day,
if they dared. with some plain preacher
of righteousness-kill him. The only
way to silence this man was to knock
the breath out of him. So they rushed
Stephen out of the gates of the city,
and with curse and whoop and below
they brought him to the cliff, as was
the custom when they wanted to take
away life by stoning. Having brought
him to the edge of the cliff, they pushed
him Off After he had fallen they
came and looked down, and seeing that
he was not yet dead they began to drop
stones upon him, stone after stone.
Amid this horrible rain of missiles,
Stephen chambers up on his knees and
folds his hands, while the blood drips
from his temples to his checks, and
from his cheeks to his garments, from
his garments to the ground; and then,
looking up. he makes two prayers
one for himself and one for his murder
ers. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;
E.. l. 81 ~,r Low
this sin to their charges" that was for
his assailants. Then. from pain and
loss of blood. he swooned away and fell
| asleep.
want to show you to-day five pic
lures Stephen gazing into Heaven
looking at Christ. Stephen stoned.
Stephen in his dying prayer. Stephen
| asleep.
First, look at Stephen getting into
Heaven. Before you take leap you
want to know where you are going to
| land. Before you climb a ladder you
| want to know to what point the ladder
reaches And it was right that Ste
phen, within a few moments of Heav-
en-, should be gazing into it. We
VIC uld all do we'll to be found in the
same posture There is enough in
Heaven to keep US gazing. A man of
large wealth may have statuary in the
hall, and paintings in the sitting
room, and works of art in all parts
| of the house, but he has the chief pict-
ures in the art gallery, and there hour
after hour you walk with catalogue
and glass and ever-increasing admira
ton. Well, Heaven is the gallery where
God had gathered the chief treasures OF
His realm. The whole universe is His
palace. In this lower room where we
stop there are many adornments
tessellated floor of amethyst, and or
the winding cloud-stairs are stretched
out canvasses on which comminglt
azure, and purple, and saffron. ant
gold. But Heaven is the gallery il
which the chief glories are gathered
There are the brightest robes. Their;
are the richest crowns. There are tn,
highest exhilarations. John says o
it: The kings of the earth shall
bring their honor and glory into it.
And see the procession forming, ant
in the line come all empires, and tn
stars spring up into an arch for th'
hosts to march under. The hosts kee]
; step to the sound of earthquake AM
the pitch of avalanche from the noun
tains, and the flag they bear is tn
} fame of consuming world, and al
Heaven turns out with harps and trum
pets and myriad-voiced acclamation Q
angelic dominion to welcome them in
| and so the kings of the earth brin
/ their honor and glory into it. Do yo
wonder that good people often stane
like Stephen, looking into Heaven
We have many friends there.
There is not man in this house to
: day so isolated in life but there is som
l one in Heaven with whom he ono
, shook hands. As man gets older. til
r number of his celestial acquaintance
/, very rapidly multiplies. We have nc
l had one glimpse of them since tn
4 night we kissed them good-by, an
r they went away: but still we stan
t gazing at Heaven. As when some Q
| our friends go across the sea, we stan
l on the dock, or on the steam tug. an
: watch them, and after awhile the hu
3 of the vessel disappears. and then ther
;, is only patch of sail on the SKY, an
:, soon that is gone, and they are all 0,
|, of sight, and yet We stand looking
= the same direction; SO when our frient
O 90 away from us into the future worl
: we keep looking down through IL
4 Narrows) and gazing and gazing,
n though we expected that they wou
v come out and stand on some cloud, ar
give us one glimpse of their blissf
and transfigured faces
While you long to join their compa
:. ionship, and the years and the days {
s with such tedium that they break yo
3? heart, and the viper of pain and sorro
5. and bereavement keeps gnawing
t your vitals, you stand still, Iii
stephen, gazing into Heaven. "
o wonder if they have changed since y
saw them last. You wonder if tn
would recognize your face now,
changed has it been with trouble. Y
wonder if, among the myriads deligf
they have, they care as much for y
g as they used to when they gave you