Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-12-21
SAUL'S CONVERSION.
It is Made the Subject of a Ser
mon by Rev. DR.. Talmage.
Worldly Fan Sometimes Precedcs
Spiritual Uplifting The Religion of
Christ Is Not Pnsiiiansmous
Thing Hope for the
Worst Offenders.

chosen was Acts tx, 3-5:
And as he journeyed he came near Dam s
GUS and suddenly there shined around abou
II m a light from heaven and he fell 10 ths
earth and heard voice saying unto him: Saul
saul why Persecutest thou mes And he said
| WHO art thou. Lord: And the Lord said: / an
Jesus whom thou persecutest"
The Damascus of Bible times still
stands, with a population of one hun
bred and thirty-fve thousand. 1t was
gay city of white and glistenine
architecture, it's minarets and ores
cents and domes playing with the
hight OF the morning sun; EMPOWERED
IN groves of olive, and citron, and
orage and pomegranate; famous river
plunging its brightness into the scene
a city by the ancients styled "a pearl
surrounded by emeralds"
group of horsemen are ADVANCING
upon the city. Let the Christians OF
the Place hide. for that cavalcade com.
| ing over the hills is made up of perse-
cnfors their leader, small and unat-
traetiye in some respects, as leaders
son ctimes are insignificant in person,
witness the Duke of Wellington and
| DR.. Archibald Alexander. But there
is something very intent in the eye of
this man of the text and the horse he
rides is lathered with the foam of a
long and quick travel of one hundred
and thirty-five miles. He urges on his
steed. for those Christians must be cap
tured and silenced and that religion of
the cross must be annihilated. Sud-
denly the horses shy off, and plunge
until the riders are precipitated. Freed
from the riders the horses bound snort
ing away. You know that dumb ami
mails, at the sight of an eclipse. or an
earthquake or anything like a super
natural appearance. sometimes become
very uncomfortable. new sun had
been kindled in the heavens, putting
out the glare of the ordinary sun
Christ with the glories of Heaven
wrs pped about Him, looked out from
cloud and the splendor was insuffera
Bile, and no wonder the horses sprang
and the equestrians dropped. Dust
covered and bruised, Saul attempts to
get up shading his eyes with his hands
from the severe luster of the heavens.
but unsuccessfully, for he is struck
stone blind as he cries out: "Nho art
Thou, Lord?" And Jesus answered
him: 81 am the one You have been
chasing. He that whips and scourges
those Damascus Christians, whips and
scourges Me- 1t is not their back that
is bleeding; it is Mine. 1t is not their
heart that is breaking; it is Mine.
am Jesus whom thou persecutest."
From that wild, exciting, and over
whelming scene there rises up the
greatest preacher of all the ages-Paul.
in whose behalf prisons were rocked
down, before whom soldiers turned
pale, into whose hands Mediterranean
sea captains put control of their ship
wrecling craft, and whose epistles are
the avant courier of a resurrection
day.
] learn from this scene that worldly
fall sometimes precedes spiritual up
lifting. man does not get much sym
pathy by falling off horse. Peop'e
say he ought not to have got into the
saddle if he could not ride. Those of
us who were brought up in the country
remember well how the workmen
laughed when, on the way back from
the brook, we suddenly lost our ride.
When in a grand review general top
pied from the stirrups it became a ma
tional merriment Here is Paul on
horseback proud man, riding on
with government documents in his
pocket, a graduate of a most famous
school in which the celebrated DIR. Ga |
maliel had been professor, perhaps |
having already attained two of the |
three titles of the school-Rab, the |
first; Rabbi, the second; and on his
way to Rabbocx, the third and highest |
title. / know from his temperament |
that his horse was ahead of the other
horses But without time to think of
what posture he should take. or with
out consideration for his dignity, he is
tumbled into the dust And yet that
was the best ride Paul ever took Out
of that violent fall he arose into the
apostleship. So it has been in all ages
and SO it is now.
You will never be worth much for
God and the church until you lose your
fortune. or have your reputation up
set, or in some way, somehow, are
thrown and Inundated. You must go
down before you go up. Joseph finds
his path to the Egyptian court through
the pit into which his brothers threw
him. Daniel would never have walked
amidst the bronzed lions that adorned
the Baby lonish throne if he had not
first walked amidst the real lions of
he cave. And Paul marshals all the
generations of Christendom by falling
lat on his face on the road to Damas-
,us. Men who have been always pros
,ered may be efficient servants of the
world. but will be of no advantage to
,hrist You may ride majestically
eated on your charger, rein in hand
DOT in stirrup. but you will never be
worth anything spiritually until You
all off. They who graduate from the
chool of Christ with the highest hon
RS have on their diploma the seal of
lions muddy paw. or the plash of an
ngry wave. or the drop of stray tear.