Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-06-22
Caln,age
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe. D.. ID.

high places a lesson which has a pc
cullar application to governors ana
Judges in our own day. The text IS
Acts xxlv, 25, "Go thy way for this
time; when have convenient season
| will call for thee"
what is change Of venue" l asked
lawyer friend. "a venue" he an
swered, 'as merely the legal name for
the place OF trial. Now, the place OF
venue is sometimes changed for the
convenience of witnesses. Sometimes
1t Is due to the fact Of county judge
being an Interested party in civil suit.
Sometimes, as In murder case where
the whole region is inhamed with pas
sion, the trial is changed to another
county far away from where the deed
has been committed so that the de-
fendant may be able to get jury or
twelve unbiased men to pass a just
verdict upon his motives and his deed
Never since the world was started has
II been fair to try man before pref
udlced or a partial court"
/ Now, Claudlus Lyslas, commander OF
the Roman troops, who had charge OF
the tempe at Jerusalem, was an hon.
est official. He knew that Paul was be-
ing mobhed by the populace and couid
| never get fair and an impartial trlal
in the Hebrew capital. He also knew
that the Longer Paul stayed there the
bltterer would become the prejudlces
of the people. SO he said thus: Il know
what | viii do. | will send the prison
or north to Caesarea Palestina, about
hfty-hye miles away. Then by th'
change of.venue Paul will be In new
| city under an impartial Judge 81
Claudlus 1Ssias sends Paul to FeliX
the governor- Of Caesarea Palestina
with a letter stating the case. Tha
was the rsason why the venue of Paur'
trial waA changed from Jerusalem t'
Cacsare4 palestina.
But Ptuf did not get speedy trial Il
| ~. IL
the Qoy.rnor again and again. Their
he faced Ills witnesses. There he plead
ed for s-1ifea and there he preache'
"rigbt ID ssness, temperance and Jude
mentsto come with such power tina
.Goyernor sFellx trembled. The judg
r In this use became the defendant, an
the RdanSant became the Judge. The
: FELIX tfxmbled and answered: go ID
vs, c-y fs.r. fliist time. When have
X n.ss'< ~ .'ss.s -sIi call 70
thee" As Felix resisted rpeAf-- ia
of Paul some of us are resisting ou
Sayiour's calls to the better anu III
truer life. i,
Governor Felix was like many sli
ners in our day. He wanted 10 conce'
for little while longer his domeso
sins. He wanted to go on practicin
bie lIhertinisms unmolested. lie wan
cd to do Just as David did when
tool, unto himself Urlah's wife to be d
wife He wanted to do as Heroo u
,,.hon no took unto himself Herodla
his brother Philips wife, to be MS VII
- He wanted to do as Augustus dld wh'
N no hrutally divorced his own VIII
q scr,honja. TO marry Livia, who was u
II wifa of Tiberlus Claudius Nero. 1
d did as Mark Antony, who deliberate
D turned his back upon his Deautil
II wife the noble and chaste Octavia'
: ordor 20 enter sinful alliance with |
I, for famed yoluptuary Cleopatra, |
es Egyptian queen. He did as 'houSan =,
toI NJ men and women Of this geherall
u ara doing today in the divorce cour
le who Inv secret or open immorallu
g. are defying the sacred law OF tlie ma
re toI relations. making the old fashioh
IL nome Of husband and wife mt
x Hhs secular arrangement and bringing su
N \ discredit upon the wedding ring u
AT II Is of no more strength than spiue
web. which can be snapped in day
Who Druslla Was.
Come. Paul; tell Us who was I
- Drusilla sitting beside Governor re
listening to thy lnvectlvesf was SD
nrincess? Yes; the records sho"
| was the daughter OF king was
" beautiful? Oh, yes. Legend tens
she was one of the most beautllul
men of all the east Was she que
Yes: she was now the wife OF 'ne /.
nd Of a province. She was the conSo,
Coesarea Palestine. But she had D
W more than that She had been Tue v
Va of tho king of Emesa. She dehDera'
loft her first husband because feiiA
nd In love with her and could oiter II.
so more beautiful palace in when 10
''O rims as John the Baptist pointed
nd nondnunatory finger at Herod and
at il not lawful for thee to nave
no fbou hast 10 right to Herodlas'
was pointing the c9ndemhatory III NJ
~ Governor Felix when he reasohe
,dgbteousncss which forbade such
tons And today Paul is pointing
| condemnatory finger at every man
l., woman who is cherishng at near
Illicit love. lie IS saying, In the Il
Of God. thou must not, thou snai'
covat thv neighbOr's wife nor
daughter nor his SlStei' INV
- covet auy one who has not been :
70 thee in holy wedlock." Ana yet
are thousands of men and womel
dav absolutely debasing and destro
their spiritual lives because tney
< of loving those of whom God has
,o,s "Thou shalt not have them nor
l. them" -
les, Now. is Paurs denunciation OF
lild- and Drusllla being hurled agaihs'
nts one here? Is every man ana WI
- married or unmarried among US Il
" and socially clean? Is there
time since our government was 81
tovss nT when the sin of adultery ana the
orist wholesale and proflgate divorce
40 prevalent as at the present
con- Are we not as nation rapiuly
ing toward such a condition as e.