The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-02-07
SAINT PAIL.

~ JANIS BAKER.
CHANGING backward OyeI the
worlds history for one hundred gen
eratiOns, I would point you, tonight,
to two individuals. They stand face
face-imperiAl power and abject
weakness; youth cankered with
guilt and old age crowned with huli-
ness; he whose whole life has con-
summated the degradation, aud he
whose life has achieved the enamel.
patton Of mankind. Face To face
stand the representatives Of two
races-the Semetic in its richest
glory; the Aryan in Its EXTREMIST
degrad alton: the representatives of
two Observation-Disclosures la its
dawning brightness, paganism in
the gathering darkness of eternal
night; the representative Of two
theories Of life-'he poverty of self
denying endurance, the luxury IOf
shameless self-indulgence. The one
shows the very crown and flower If
vice aud guilty splendOr; the other,
the earthly misery Of the happiest
saints Of God. The Que Is the deiied
autocrat Of paganism; the other, the
abject ambassador Of Christ. Before
Nero the emperor, stands Paul, the
apostle.
Men, who leave forever their i'm
press upon the world, are always in
teresting. Who does not Admire
Alexander spreading hellenic in
tiuences over tue dark continent Of
Asia; Julius Cesar conquering Gaul
aud reducing TO q method the chaotic
Roman government; Columbus sail
ing westward to discover a new world
to receive the institutions aud cul-
ture of the old; Charlemange COM
pressing the separate atoms OF gov
eminent and for a time restoring
Roman supremacy; Napoleon shat
teriDg snd building up nations at
will Yet the careers OF these men
were not unmixed with evil. How
much more then must the career Of
4 man who, knowing the innermost
secrets Of his soul, can say with un-
doubted sincerity: al have fought
q good fight, have finished my
course, I have kept the faith. Hence
forth there IL laid up for me a crown
Of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, shall give me at
that day"-hOw much more then,
say, must such q man challenge our
admiration Such q man was Saint
Paul.
At the time Of that memorable
journey to Damascus the new faith
was sadly in need Of an able de-
fender. As we look down the vista
Of the past, We see the flame of
christianity, lighted by the divine
hand, for q time burn brightly sud
denly il wAnes aud we wonder IL il
IL not one Of the i9HUs fdtUi so COM
mon among the bOgs aud mists Of
psganism. Again the flame appears
famed into life Dy that first of
martyrs, stephen, and again with
3 fitful glare the light fades from our
sight aud In despair we say, ait il
gone forever" But the flame, only,
IL dead. The embprs yet remain
awaiting the mighty genius, the
burning zeal, the sOul-stirring elo-
quence, the sanctified spirit of the
Apostle of the Gentiles to fan them
into the purifying fire that mas sinre
envelOped the world. Saul the
Pharisee was skilled IN argument.
Paul the Apostle possessed the soul
consuming zeal aud interest in his
subject which must characterize one
before he can truly be an OrStnr.
Language with him was clay i'm the
mOulder's hand. He moulded aud
shaped IL until he wrought out the
stirring appeal for souls. the loving
letter, the dOctrinGI epistle or the
mssterful OratOry. To whom can ne
be compared while speaking to the
wise men Of Athens or the Most
noble Festus" but To DemOsthenes
pleading for Greece, or TO Cicero
speaking for his native land: Hear
him as he stands before AVyriprs
al think myself happy, King Ag-
myself this day before thee, touch
ing all the things WI hereof | am ac-
cused Of the Jews. have
lived Pharisee and many
Of the saints did shut up
In prison, and being exceeding mad
against them, prosecuted them
even unto strange cities. Where
upon a. went to Damascus with |
and commission from the |
chief priests, at midday, %, King. I |
saw In the way Q light from heaven,
above the brightness OF the sun,
shining round about me and them |
hat journeyed with me. And when
We were all fallen to the earth, | |
heard q voice speaking unto ma and /
aging In the Hebrew tongue, Saul.
saul, why persecutest thou me-
And I said, Who art thou, Lord -
And be said, I am Jesus whom thou
Paul was pre-eminently q mission
Try. search the I,ages Of history for
! man who performed the prodiginus
TOrk accomplished by him, Under
aklng three missionary JOURNEYS
'ver all the then known world, ap-
'earing before princes and poten.
ates. tried and imprisoned by Jew
nd GENTLE and appealing at length
o the emperor himself: truly he
Tas an ideal missionary.
So little do we know either Of his
arly life or declining years,
re would liken him to one
{ those mysterious rivers which
Uses In the mountains and
inks in the sands Of the desert with
at revealing either its source or
h mouth. From hts own words we
now that he was human. II IL no
Unless example ve have to coutem-
late but the example OF one who
alls himself the chief OF sinners.
We say that his weakness when COM
AIRED with his work, places him
Infinitely above Indescriminate
To detract from his
weaknesses would detract from his
eroism. That portion Of his life
Thieh stands revealed ,diseloses to rs
be true Paul-the Paul Of tradition.
iere we see the hero Of unselfish-
ess, the mighty champion Of spirit
nj freedom, the energetic worker.
preacher greater than Chrysostom,
be sanctihed apostle Of the Gentiles,
be servant OF the Lord Jesus Christ.
IL Paul was inpetuous In the sr-
or Of his nature, and II for q time Q
llstaken conviction plunged him