Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-17
TALMAGE
SERMON
0y Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAoE. DID,.
Pastor Of JEFFERSON Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

Chicago, July 18.-From the example
Of martyrs and great sufferers in the
cause Of Christ Rev. Frank De Witt
Talmage draws lessons Of encourage.
ment and fortitude for afflicted men,
bers Of Christ's church; text, Philip
plans ~, %. "All the saints salute you,
chiefly they that are Of Cesar's house
hold"
Pope Leo XIII. was one day giving
an audience to some foreigners. Turn
ing to gentleman present, he asked,
How long have you been in our city 2"
"Three days." was the answer.
"Then," said tho pope, you have been
here long enough to practically know
all about Rome" He asked another
gentleman, How long have you been
in Rome?" Three months" was the
answer. Then" said the pope, you
have been here long enough to know
that you have just begun to see Rome"
He asked third gentleman the same
question. II have been here three long
years." was the answer. "Then," said
the pope, you have been here long
enough to know that, though a man
may live in Rome hundred years, he
can never live long enough to fully ap-
preciatc Rome" The longer one lives
under the shadow Of the Coliseum the
more he realizes how much Of history,
Of conquests and defeats. Of culture
and ignorance, of purity and vice. Of
justice and injustice. clusters about
the seven hills Of the Eternal City.
But, though the most marvellous
achievements and the most startling
happenings may be paroramaed In that
one word, Rome" vet without doubt
to the Christian student the most alb
sorbing and intense Of all Roman eras
is that which includes the history Of
Nero's reign. Then the prosecutions
against the early Christians became
the most virulent. inhuman and fatal.
Then the brutalities and mercilessness
of the 1endish monster, Nero, out
Heroded even bloody Herod. Then the
lowest dungeons of the inferno We're
filed with pandemoniums Of satanic
JOY. For then" wrote the historian,
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skins Of wild beasts and torn to pieces
by the dogs. Then they were crucifed.
Then they were smeared with pitch
and combustible materials and burned
In the imperial gardens at night Then
at last from horror stricken nation
there arose pity for the condemned,
since they were not put to death for
| 1n 1,,,t 70 tfxy fho
city of one man." Yet Paul wrote
about this time that, in spite of all
these prosecutions and martyrdoms,
there still remained in Rome men and
women who were true to the Christian
faith. In the darkest days Of the his
tory of the early church there were
Christians ready to testify for Jesus
Christ, though they wore the uniforms
Of the Roman emperor and though, on
account Of that testimony, they knew
they had to die.
A Modern Epistle.
Now, as Paul sent the salutations of
the saints in Cnsar's palace to the
members OF the Philippian church for
their encouragement. l am going to
bring the salutations of the saints who
live in Caesars modern palaces for the
encoura cement OF every man. woman
and child. l am going to declare to
the young and the old, the rich and
the poor, the high and the low alike
that, though some Of you are having q
hard time to maintain your Christian
integrity against the commandments OF
seemingly overwhelming worldly diff
culties, yet there are men and women
who are maintaining their Christian IN
tegrity against troubles infinitely
greater than yours. There are men and
women true to God today who have
shouldered upon their backs whole
mountain range of misfortunes and
sorrows and pains. while you. com
paratively speaking. are going forth
into the gospel fight weighted dowr
only with little knapsack. There are
Christian men who, hguratively speak
ing, have been flung overheard mid
Atlantic and told to swim ashore, while
you have only shallow brook to cross
There are Christian men who are ankle
deep, knee deep. waist deep, shoulder
deep, chin deep IN the Quicksands OF
difficulties who can yet look up ant
see the face OF God. while you, com
paratively speaking. have only a stony
path to climb. II the saints in Caesars
ancient and modern palaces could bt
true to their gospel faith, surely theil
spiritual examples ought to rouse ev
cry one of us to better and truer ant
purer and nobler efforts. no matter
what our mental or physical or Incl
dental difficulties may be.
would encourage those Christians
In the first place, who are struggling
against the physical depressions Of Il
health. Life even under the brightes
Of conditions Is an awful struggle. Al
exander Pope once compared the cease
less struggle of life to continuous
Journey over the bridge OF time. Up
on one end of this bridge the English
poet started the different generations
Then he kept them moving on and oil
and on. never allowing the tired ant
f footsore and adaching and heart
aching traveller to halt for an instant
He kept them moving on and on owe
the bridge of time until every boy ant
r girl or young man and young woman
or middle aged man and middle age,
woman or sexagenarian or octogena
rian or tottering centenarian had tum
, bled through the broken planks of tina
bridge into the dark waters of the riv
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