Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-07-18
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor OF Jefferson Park Presby-
torian Church, Chicago

Talmage draws lessons of encourage
ment and fortitude for afflicted mem-
bers of Christ's church: text. Philip
plans iv, 80, "All the saints salute you,
chiefly they that are of Caesars house
hold
Pope Leo NH. was one day giving
an audience to some foreigners. Turn
ing to a gentleman present. he asked.
.'How long have you been in our cityY'
Three days" was the answer.
''Then," said the 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 a 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 APP
preciate Rome" Tbe longer one lives
under the shadow of the Coliseum the
.
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 panoramaed in that
one word. Rome" yet 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 fiendish monster, Nero, out
Heroded even bloody uerod. Then the
lowest dungeons of the inferno were
filled with pandemoniums of satanic
Joy. For then" wrote the historian,
1.-The Christians were covered by the
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 a horror stricken nation
there arose pity for the condemned,
since they were not put to death for
the public good, but to crafty the cru
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 aud though, on
account OF that testimony. they knew
they had TO die.
4 Modern EpiStIc.
Now, as Paul sent the salutations of
the saints in Caesars palace TO the
members OF the Philippian church for
their encouragement. ] am going TO
bring the salutations of the saints who
live In Caesars modern palaces for the
encouragement OF every man, woman
and child. / 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 a
hard time to maintain your Christian
integrity against the bombardments OF
seemingly overwhelming worldly diff
cultics, 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 n whole
mountain range OF misfortunes and
sorrows and pains, while you, COM
paraively speaking. are going forth
into the gospel fight weighted down
only with little knapsack. There gre
Christian men who, figuratively speak,
Ing, have been flung overheard mid
Atlantic and told TO swim ashore, while
you have only n 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 and
see the face OF God, while you, COM
paratively speaking. have only n stony
path to climb. II the saints In Caesars
ancient and modern palaces could be
<true to their gospel faith, surely their
spiritual examples ought to rouse ev-
cry one OF us TO better and truer and
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 I'll
health. Life even under the brightest
of conditions is an awful struggle. Al
exander Pope once compared the cease
less struggle OF life to q 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 on
and on, never allowing the tired and
footsore and headaching and heart
aching traveller to halt for an Instant.
He kept them moving on and on over
the bridge OF time until every boy and
girl or young man and young woman
or middle aged man and middle aged
woman or sexagenarian or octogena-
rian or tottering centenarian had tum-
bled through the broken planks OF that
bridge into the dark waters of the riv-
er or death flowing below.
But though life is such an awful
struggle Tor the broad cnesteG ana the
stout limbed and the powerfully ply
siqued, yet wonderful to say, some of
the mightiest Christian heroes and
heroines have been men and women
who were physical weaklings. Some
OF the most famous mental and spir-
itual giants OF the ages have been
those whose physical frames were so
fraii that they could have been de-
stroyed almost as easily as a dew
drop could be flung from the surface
OF leaf or a humming birds life
could be crushed out between the
thumb and the forefnger of n mans
hand. John Summerfeld's body was
so frail that it withered away under
the touch of consumption while he
was yet boy. John Summerfield
died when he was but twenty-seven,
yet lie lived long enough, with that
fraii body, TO bring the gospel mes
sage to the whole English speaking
race Of his time. Fanny Crosby, the
inspired hymnologist, who has written
Ayer q 900 La.nar,S IL. -