The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-13

self happy. King Agrfppa, because i
shall answer for myself this day" l
repeat that a religion that can capture
a man like that must have some power
In IL. It 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.
The worlds Talent for Christ.
I am glad to know that Christ has in
the different ages OF the world had in
his discipleship a Mozart and Handel
in music; a Raphael and a Reynolds I'm
painting; an Angelo and Canova I'm
sculpture; a Rush and a Harvey in
medicine; a Blackstone. a Marshall and
Kent in law. and the tinle 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 SILVER
ing when the skeptic stanus before yol
and talks of religion as though II Were
a pusillanimous thing-instead of that
take your New Testament from your
pocket and show him the picture of the
intellectual giant of all the ages pros
trated on the road 10 Damascus while
his horse is flying wildly away, then
ask your skeptic what il was that
frightened the one and threw the other?
Oh. no. il is no weak gospel 1t is a
glorious gospel. 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 a man
cannot become a Christian until he is
endorsed. The trouble is We want to
ride into the kingdom Of God just as the
knight rode into castle gate on pal
frey, beautifully caparisoned. We want
to come into the kingdom of God in
fine style. No kneeling down at the al
tar, no sitting on anxious" seats. no
crying over sin. no begging at the door
OF Gods mercy. Clear the road and let
us come in all prancing in the pride of
our soul. No, we will never get into
heaven that way. We must dismount.
There is no knight errantry i'm rel-
gion. no fringed trappings of repent
apce, but an utter prostration before
God, a going down in the dust. with the
cry "Unclean, uncleanr'-a bewailing of
the SOUL like David from the belly of
hell-a going down in the dust until
Christ shall by his grace lift US up as
he lifted Paul oh, proud hearted hear
er, you must get off that horse. May
light from the throne of God brighter
than the sun throw you, Come down
into the dust and cry for pardon and
lie and heaven.
The PersecutOr Redeemed.
Again, l learn from this scene of the
text that the grace of God can over
come the prosecutor. Christ and Paul
were boys at the same time in different
villages, and Paul's antipathy to Christ
was increasing. He hated everything
about Christ. He was going down then
with writs in his pockets to have
Chrsts disciples arrested He was not
going as sheriff goes, to arrest a man
against whom ne had no spite but
Paul was going down to arrest those
people because he was glad to arrest
them The bible says, He breathed
out slaughter" He wanted them cap
tured, and he wanted them butchered.
/ hear the click and clash and clatter
of the hOofs of the galloping steeds on
the way to Damascus.
Oh, 90 you tmnk that proud man on
horseback can ever become a Christian
Yesi There is a voice from heaven like
thunderclap uttering two words, the
second the same as the first. but uttered
with more emphasis, so that the proud
equestrian may have no doubt as 10 who
is meant: SAUL Saul'' That man was
saved and he was d prosecutor. And so
God can by His grace overcome any
prosecutor. The days Of sword and fire
for Christians seem to have gone by
The bayonets of Napoleon pried open
| the ''inquisition" and let the rotting
wretches out. The ancient dungeons
around Rome are today mere curiosities
for the travellers.
The Coliseum. where wild beasts used
to suck up the life OF the martyrs while
the emperor watched and Lola Paulina
sat with emerald adOrnments worth Co.
| 100000 sesteces, Clapping her hands as
the Christians died under the paws and
he of - K.
a ruin now. The scene Of the Smithfield
| fires is a hay market. The day of fire
| and sword for Christians seems To have
gone by, but has the day of persecution
| ceased? No. Are you not caricatured
for your religion? In proportion as you
try TO serve God and be faithful TO
Him are you not something's maltreated?
That woman finds ii hard to be Il
Christian, as her husband talks and jeers
while she is trying TO say her prayers or
read the bible. That daughter finds it
hard to be a Christian with the whole
family arrayed against her-father.
mother, brother and sister making her
the target of ridicule. That young man
finds it hard to be a Christian in the
shop or factory or store when his COM
rades jeer at him because he will not
go to the gambling hell or other places
of iniquity. Oh, no, the days of perse-
cution have not ceased, and will not un-
til the end of the world. But, oh, you
prosecuted ones, is it not time that you
began 10 pray for your prosecutors?
They are no prouder. no fiercer. no more
set in their way than was this perse-
cutor of the text. He fell They will
fall If Christ from the heavens grandly
and gloriously look out on them
God can by His grace make a Renan
| believe in the divinity of Jesus and a
Tyndall In the worth Of prayer Robert
Newton stamped the ships deck in de-
risive Indignation at Christianity only
a little while before he became a Chris
| tan "Out of my house, said father
to his daughter, ''if you will keep pray
ing" Yet 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 derisive opponent Of the Christian
religion and address n not in glittering
generalities. but, calling him by name:
John! GEORGE Henry-Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou?"
The Chief of sinners.
Again, learn from this subject that
there is hope for the worst offenders. 1t
was particularly outrageous that Saul
should have gone to Damascus on that
errand. Jesus Christ had been dead
only three years. and the story of his
| kindness, and his generosity, and his love
| filled all the air. IL was not an old
story as it is now 1t was 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 eye
sight whom Jesus had cured of blind
ness. people who were dead and who
had been resurrected by the Savior, and