The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1893-12-15

not think that the religion that could
capture such man as that must have
some power in it? He was logician.
he was metaphysician. he was anall-
conquering orator. he was poet of the
highest type. lie had nature that
could swamp the leading men Of his
own day, and, hurled against the San
hedrim. he made it tremble- He
learned all he could get in the school
of his native village: then he had
gone to a higher school, and there
mastered the Greek and the Hebrew,
and perfected himself in belles-lettres-
until in after years he astonished the
Cretans. and the Corinthians, and the
Athenians, by quotations from their
own authors. l have never found any
thing in Carlyle Or Goethe, or Herbert
Spencer. that could compare in strength
or beauty with Paurs Epistles ! do
not think there is anything in the writ
ings of Sir William Hamilton that
shows such mental discipline as you
find in Paul's argument about justiti-
cation and the resurrection i have
not found anything in Milton finer
in the way of imagination than l can
find in St. Pauls illustrations drawn
from the amphitheater. There was
nothing in Robert Emmett pleading for
his life, or in Edmund Burke
arraigning Warren Hastings in West
minister hall, that compared with
the scene in the court room, when be-
fore robed officials Paul bowed and be-
gan his speech. saying: Il think my
self happy, King Agrippa, because l
shall answer for myself this day." l
repeat, that religion that can capture
a man like that must have some power
in it. 1t is time you stopped talking as
though all the brain of the world were
opposed to Christianity. Where Paul
leads. we can afford to follow. am
glad to know that Christ has in the
different ages of the world had in his
discipleship Mozart and Handel in
music: Raphael and Reynolds In
painting: an Angelo and a CanOva in
sculpture: a Rush and Harvey in
medicine. Grotius and Washington
in craftsmanship: Blackstone, Mar
shall. and a Kent in law: and
the time will come when the religion
of Christ will conquer all
the observatories and universities,
and philosophy will through her tele-
scope behold the morning star of Jesus,
and in her laboratory see that all
| things work together for good, and
with her geological hammer discover
the Rock of Ages" Oh, instead of
covering and shivering when the
! ls 1>1fD nd fall Of
religion as though it were a pusillan-
imous thing-instead of that. take your
New Testament from your pocket and
show him the picture of the intellectual
giant of all the ages, Frustrated on the
road to Damascus while his horse is
flying wildly away: then ask your
skeptic what it was that frightened the
one and threw the other? Oh no. it is
no weak gospel. 1t is a glorious gos-
pei. 1t is an all-conquering gospel. 1t
is an omnipotent gospel 1t is the
power of God and the wisdom of God
unto salvation.
Again. | learn from the text that a
man cannot become Christian until
he is endorsed. The trouble is. we
want to ride into the Kingdom of God.
lust rs the knight rode into the castle
| gate on palfrey. beautifully capari-
soned. We want to come into the King
dom of God in fine style. No kneeling
down at the altar. no sitting on ''anN-
ious seats" no crying over sin, no beg
ging at the door of Gods mercy. Clear
the road. and let us come in all pranc-
ing in the pride of our soul No.
we will never get into Heaven that
way. We must dismount. There is nc
knight-errantry in religion no fringed
trappings of repentance. but an
utter prostration before God, a going
down in the dust. with the cry: Tn
clean. unclean-' bewailing of the
soul. like David from the belly of hell
Ia going down in the dust. until Christ
shall by His grace lift US up as He lifted
Paul. Oh. proud-hearted nearer. You
must get off that horse. Nav light
from the throne of God brighter than
the sun throw you. Come down into
the dust and cry for pardon. and life
and Heaven.
Again. l learn from this scene of the
text that the grace of God can over
come the prosecutor. NHIlSt anu dul
were boys at the same time in differen,
villages, and Paurs antipathy to Chris,
was increasing. He hated everything
about Christ He was going down then
with writs in his pockets to have Christ
disciples arrested He was not going
as a sheriff goes, to arrest a man
against whom he had no spite, but Paul
was going down to arrest those people
because he was glad to arrest them.
The Bible says: He breathed on,
slaughter" He wanted them cap
tured. and he wanted them butchered
hear the click and clash and clattel
of the hcofs of the galloping steeds or
the way to Damascus. Oh! do you
think that proud man on horseback
can ever become Christian? Yes
there is voice from Heaven like 9
thunder-clap uttering two words, the
second word the same as the first, bu,
uttered with more emphasis, so tina,
the proud equestrian may have nc
doubt as to who is meant. saul! Saul"
That man was saved, and he was per
secutor: and so God can by his grace
overcome any DerSecutOr The DAYS o.