Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-12-21


with the .shoic family arrayed aganls
her-father. mother, brother and SIS
ter making her the target of riaicule
That young man finds it hard to be
Christian in the shop, or factarV, o.
store, when his comrades jeer at him
because he will not 70 TO the gambling
hell or other p s-s.es of iniquitv. Q
no the days of isr tion nave moi
! ceased. aad will no sA.il the end o
the world. But, u prosecuted
, ones, is it not time oa esaa te
pray for your pgrs. The ar
no prouder no hercsr. 40 lore set in
their way than was /. secutor o
the text lie fell Ths will fail j
Christ from the Heavens wiandiv nd
gioFioasly look out on them. God g !.
BY His graca. make Rom n belle
the div Il tg of Jesus. an T.nisi ii
the worth Of PRAYER. Robert New tor
stamped the saip's deck in d sri ee
dignation at Cfristianity only u lit
while before he became a Christian.
.Out of my house" said father to his
daughter. 'if YOU will keep PRAYING"
vet before many months passed, the
father knelt at the same altar with
the child And the Lord Jesus Christ
Is willing to look out from Heaven
upon that derisivo opponent of the
Christian religion and address him not
in glittering generalities, but calling
him by name. John! Georgel Henry!
Saul! SAUL why persecutest thou
Me2p
Again, learn from this subject that
there is hope for the worst offenders.
II was particularly outrageous that
Saul should have gone 10 Damascus on
that errand. Jusus Christ had been
dead only three wears. and the story of
His kindness and His generosity and
His love filed all the air 1t was not
an old story as II is now. II was a new
story. Jesus had only three summers
ago been in these very places, and
Saul every day in Jerusalem must have
met people who knew Christ. people
with good eyesight whom Jesus had
cured of blindness, people who were
dead and who had been resurrecteh by
the Saviour. and people who could tell
Paul all the particulars of the cruci-
hxion-iust how Jesus looked in the
last hour--just how the heavens grew
black in the face of the torture. He
heard that recitcd every day by people
who were acquainted with all the cir
cumstances, and yet in the fresh mem
ory OF that scene he goes to prosecute
Christ's disciples, impatient at the time
il takes to feed the horses at the inn,
not pulling at the snaffie. but riding
with loose rein faster and faster. o.
le was the chief of sinners No out
break of modesty when he said that.
lie was a murderer. He stood by when
Stephen died. and helped in the execu-
tion of that good man. When the
rabble wanted to be unimpeded in their
work OF destroying Stephen, and
wanted to take off their coats but did
not dare to lay them down lest they be
stolen, Paul said: "Ill take care of
the coats" and they put them down at
the feet of Paul, and he watched the
coats and he watched the horrid mang-
ling of glorious Stephen. Is it a won
der that when he fell from the horse
he did not break his neck-that his foot
did not catch somewhere in the trap
pings of the saddle, and he was not
dragged and kicked 10 death2 He de-
served to die miserably, wretchedly
and forever, Notwithstanding all his
metaphysics and his eloquenee and his
logic. lie was the chief of sinners. He
said what was true when he said that.
And yet the grace Of God saved him,
and SO 1t will You. IF there is any man
in this house who thinks he is too bad
to be saved and says: Il have wandered
very grievonsly from God, | do not be-
lieve there is any hope for me" ! tell
YOU the story of this man in the text
who was bfought to Jesus Christ in
spite of his sins and opposition. There
may be some here who are as stoutly
opposed to Christ as Paul was. There
NAV be some here who are captive of
their sins as much as the young man
who said in regard to his dissipating
habits: II will keep on with them. ]
know am breaking my mothers heart,
and know am killing myself. and ]
know that when die | shall go to hell
but ii is now too late to stop.
The steed on which You ride may b.
swifter, and stronger and higher met
tied than that on which he Cilician
rode. but Christ can catch |
L bv the bride, and hurl ii back and |
nnrl il down. There is mercy for You |
who say you are too bad to be saved. !
You say you have put the matter off So /
ong. Paul had neglected it great |
while. You say that the sin you have |
committed has been amidst the most
lggravating circumstances. That was |
10 with Paurs. You say You have ex-
Christ and coaxed your own
.uin. So did Paul And yet to-day he
its on one of the highest of the /
thrones; and there is mercy
or YOU. and gladness for you, If you
will only take the same Christ which
irst threw him down and then raised
Tim mp. 1t seems to me as if can see
'aul to-day rising up from the high
way to Damascus and brushing off the
lust from his cloak and wiping the
weat of excitement from his brow. as
e turns to us and all the ages, saying.
This is a faithful saying, and worthy
4 all acceptation. that Christ Jesus
anne into the world to save sinners, OF
rhom ! am chief
Once more: j learn from this subject
hat there is tremendous reality in
eligion II it had been a mere optical
elusion on the road To Damascus was