Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-03-19
THE LEXINGTON PULPIT
PRAYER.

scrMsn ~ Rev. J. w. Dunn. Pastor
Of CAriss Church tEpiscopal),
sunday Merning, March
10th, 1873.
"BEHoLD, TIE rnAYETn. Acts
TX II.
Perhaps there Is not found on the
pages Of history, either sacred or
profane, o more notable instance Of
of mistaken duty and instructed
zcnl than wo behold in tho
character of Saul of Tarsus. From
the evidence of his after life, it is i'm
possible to believe that he was in
duced to such a course of action by n
disposition naturally cruel and VIM
dictive, but we are compelled to
regard him as actuated only by n
sense of duty in his prosecutions of
the followers Of the drspised Naza-
rine. And actuated by q sense of
from his heart that he was al instru-
ment in the hands of God for the car-
rying out of His most righteous pur-
poses. lie verify thought that he ought
to do many things contrary to the
name of Jesus of Nazareth "to shut
up the saints in prisons" and "when
they were put to death, to give his
voice against the M )" '.to punish
them Oft in every synagogue and COM
pcll them to blaspheme, (and be-
ing exceeding mad against them) ~
prosecute them even into strange
cities" Yes, in All this, he merely
thought that no was doing God SER
vice he verify thought that the
blood-staincd hand of persecution,
the hand that never fell i%nnocuous
to the humble and submissive follow
ers of the meek and lowly Jesus was
employed in q holy and righteous
work,
Yet Notwithstanding the fact of his
being actuated by a sense of duty,
Notwithstanding all his protested sin.
certify, he declares himself, for this
very course of action, the "chiefest
of Sinners" And why was he SO
Simply because the sense of duty by
which he was actuatcd was induced
by q naughty and proud spirit, rather
than by the meekness and teachablc.
ness and humility which becomes Q
creature of earth simply because the
sincerity with which he acted, was
the sincerity of q perverted con-
science.
lie had before him evidences Of
Christ's divine commission sufficient
for the convincing of amy mind, not
corrupted by selt-righteousncss, OIL
criminally attached to the formalitie:
of n cold and spiritless worship. lie
was criminal, not so much from act
ing from Il sense of duty, or from sin.
CERTIFY, as for that state Of mind which
led him to esteem ''good evil and
evil good ;" for fostering that pride
and self-conceit and seli-righteous.
ness which vitiated his conscience
and blinded him to the truth. God
forgavc him, he says, for those deeds
done under a mistaken sense of duty,
upon his deep and sincere repcn,
lance; implying that had he pursued
such acourse wilfully it would have
been such that no repentance could
have secured forgiveness. And yet,
strange to say, many will refer to this
very scripture ard plead sincerity rs
q palliative for the coursc they are
pursuing, and ever though it be
wrong, yet if they were summoned
to the bar of God this would be q
sufficient cause; forgetting that Paul
was forgiven only on deep repent
ancc-a repentance, the sincerity OF
which was manifested by a life OF
toll and a death of violence; forget
ting that ma is endowed with q con:
science whose dictates gre right and
that his criminality lies in that he
prevents it; in that he by following
the inclinatlons of his corrupt IA.
ture, contrary to the dictates of CON
science, at first, finally So vitiatcs it,
that it becomes q false guide and
leads him into forbidden paths.
If we enter upon Il consideration o,
the particulars preceding and con
nectcd with the passage from which
the text is taken, besides the idea tc
which l have already alluded, many
useful and practical thoughts viii,
suggest themselves to our minds.
We first behold Saul, still in that
period of life when the mind is mos
susceptible of love and reverence
and compassion, assisting in tho
martyrdom of the holy st. Stephel
without the walls of Jerusalem
''aud the witnesses laid down thcil
clothes at the young mans Zee
whose name was Saul" With nj
the incons;deratc zeal natural tC
youth, and all the unwavering firm
| ness which afterwards characterized
tI, f.it1,f,,1 Ib,,,l -, fln t,cn1,n ,l,n nj
his real duty to his God, we may
suppose that he gaZed upon thai
fearful scene of cruelty and dealt
unmoved, save by q feverish sensa
ton of JOY at the removal of on,
whom lie considered an enemy t.
the religion of his fathers. And az
he listened to that last touching
petition-.Lord Jesus receive III,
spirit"-"lay rot this sin to tllcii
chargc"-doubtless, his sclf-right
cous spirit was stirred with indigna.
ton and his lips curlcd in scorn y
what he looked upon as the insane
rawlings of Il superstitious fanatic.
Would that we were compelled (,
stop here, unable to point ont
darker stain upon the character D
this rigorous Pharisec. But alas! il
fearful array arise before us the mul
titude of his unholy deeds. Now ",
behold him III the synagogues incit
ing the people to violence agains'
those who held in reverence the nam,
of Jesus; and now casting into pris
on those suspected OF being His ad
herents now compelling the NOR,
timid to blasphcme, and 10Y urgin.
the infliction of death upon thos,
who would die rather than renounc
their hope of salvation through tn
merits Of the cruciiicd ltedecmcr.
The circumstances too, tsttdcr whicl
all this was done, seem to involve til
refinement of cruelty. Many of thos
who were thrown into prison, or were con-
PEELED to blasplemc, or were put to death 10
their adherence to the doctrines Of Chris,
had had personal intercourse with OIL
Saviour and were bound to him by attach
ments which we are unable to realize o
scarcely appreciate. Sweet had been thci
communion with Him in the quiet shades q
Bethany, or mid the groves Of Olivet. or u
the secluded wales of Palestine. where, ire
from the tumults Of life. lie told of the glorie
of heaven; and cNhorted to that purity of lif
and that meckness and humility and peace
fuincss Of spirit which alone could prepar
them for that b'issful III holy estate. No
unspeakabie temporal benefits 1T His hand
..-l,s. Atn.v ~s,tl tan-a 49, M. x.,p, 90 F., sf,-s