The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-14
First Quarter, Lesson XI.; Acts, xlS'
 20-41; March i5, 1905.
The Riot at Ephesus |.

The Riot at Ephesus.
 The Temple of Diana was q citadel or narantsm E;moeliahed by the pencil of l Appe les and the chisel of FIidias, It WAS In itself incomparably beautiful. It was a fayorite asylum for political ana clFli fuEltives. It was a colossal salets de posit vault, holding the wealth or West ern Asia All this. as well a shFlHe of worship It was affirmed that thete was no religious building In the Wor4a III which was concentrated greater amount of admiration, enthusiasm anl supersu- lion. The strategic skill of St.
 Paul Is here exenpitied. Next to Rome
 Ephesus was the most influential metrop- ors in the world The apostle avaiied himself of the multitudes coming ana go- ing at this Asiatic Vanity Fair to send his message to the ends of the earth. His dauntless courage is shown in the assault upon this Acropolis of organism. sue cess proves the divinity of his gospel.
 This stirring scene In Pauls evcntful pastorate Is vividly presented. He vas evidently pressing hCathenism to the wal in it's very stronghold. Some sort of counter movement must needs be made Demetrius proved a clever leader. past master as a labor agltator. His appeal was to self interest. If Paul succeeded their craft was at an end. This bald monetary consideration was giided with religious veneration. The propaganda Of tumult succeeded. The mob resorted to the theater taking with them two of PauIs companions. Paul himself was re- strained firm filing an appearance in person. The Jews failed In effort to put forward an orator who should eXolerale them from any complicity with the new sect of Christians, with whom they were commonly identified in current opinion.
 The riotous assembly was finally dis solved bv city official who made a most skillful plea for order, affirming, in his address, the invincible devotion ot the city to the goddess. the innocence of the men detained. the constant and easy accessibility of the courts of law, the unlawfulness of the present assem- bly,, the general liability of the city, and the personal amenability of those pres ent to the Roman Emperor for the dis orders then occurring Scarcely had the official ceased speaking. before the null tItude a moment before so vociferous, quietly dissolved.
 Paul had struck organism whitening blow Yet he was no iconoclast. The city recorder officially exonerated him, affirming that he was no Church robber or blasphemer. He overthrow idolism by the introduction of a new love, depend Ing upon It's expulsive power to accomp- fish the rest Logic opened the way for love. Two hours of continuous shriek- ing of the pagan shibbOleth were insutii- cient to drown out the apostles appeal to reason. The success or Paul was splendid. The humble schoolroom of Tyrannus vied in attraction with the Temple of Diana The visitors to the May Festival of Ephesus. instead of car rying home the pretty silver shrines, took the story of the cross with them. In the briefest time, ard in the co'npletert a1an- Ii1n ShA city N%S, metamor.'hosetS. Far above the jasper porch of the huntress goddess gleamed the sign of Christian ity. Soon Ephesus took its place among the Apoclyptic Churches of Asia. To 1t Paul addressed the letter declared to be profoundest of all. Well may one ex- claim: What has become of the Tenn pie of Diana? Can a wonder of the earth be vanished like phantom. without leav- ing trace behInd?" Temple. idol. priest. and shrinemaker are gone but the gos- pei remains. and is the power of c )d.