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

with the whole family arrayed against
her-father. mother. brother and sister
making her the target of ridicuie.
That Young man finds it hard to be a
Christian in the shop. or factory or
store. when his comrades jeer. at him
becaus. he does not go to- the gambling
hell or other places of iniquity. On
no. the DAYS of persecution have not
ceased, and will not until the end OF
the world. But. oh. you prosecuted
ones, is it not time that you began to
pray for your prosecutors? They are
no prouder. no fiercer. no more set In
their way than was this prosecutor
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 Tyndal in
the worth of PRAYER.
Again. learn from this subject that
there is hope for the worst offenders
1t vas p rticularly outrageous that
Saul should have gone to Damascus on
that errand. Jesus Christ had only
been dead three years. and the story of
His kindness and His generosity and
His love filed all the air. 1t was not
an old story as it is now. twas new
story. Jesus had only three summers
ago been in these very places, and Saul
ever. dav 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 resur-
rected by the Saviour. and people who
could tell Paul all the particu.
lars of the crucifiXion-just how
Jesus looked in the last hour-just how
the heavens grew black in the face at
the torture. He heard that recited
every day by people who were acquaint-
ed with all the circumstances. and yet
in the fresh memory of that scene he
goes to prosecute Christ's disciples. i'm
patient at the time it takes TO feed the
horses at the inn. not pulling at the
snaffle, but riding with loose rein, faster
and faster. Oh, he was the chief OF
| sinners. No outbreak of modesty when
! he said that. He was murderer. He
stood by when Stephen died and helped
| in the execution of that good man
|
peded in their work of destroying
Stephen and wanted to take off theil
coats but did not dare to lay them
down lest they be stolen, Paul said:
I'll 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 mangling Of glorious
Stephen. Is it a wonder that when he
fell from the horse he did not break
his neck-that his foot did not catch
somewhere in the trappings of the sad
die and he was not dragged and kicked
to death? He deserved to die misera.
blv, wretchedly and forever. nOtwith'
standing all his metaphysics and his
eloquence and his logic, He 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 90 bad to be saved,
and says: Il have wandered very
grievously from God. do not believe
there is any hope for me" l tell you
the story of this man in the text who
was brought to Jesus Christ in spite
of his sins and opposition. There
NAV be some here who are as
stoutly opposed to Christ as Paul was
Th-re may be some here who are capt
i've of their sins as much 81 as the young
man who said. in regard to his diss' pat
ing habits. Il will keep on with them.
l know l am breaking my mothers
heart. and | know that when ! die
shall go to hell, but it is now TOO late
to stop.
The steed on which you ride may be
Swifter. and stronger. and higher met.
tied than that on which the Ciliciar
prosecutor rode. but Christ can catch i,
by the bride, and hurl it back anG
hurl it down. There is mercy for you
who say you are too bad to be saved.
You say you have put off the matter sc
long. Paul had neglected it great
while You say that the sin you have
committed has been amidst the most
aggravatirg circumstances. That wa:
so with Paurs. You say you have
exasperated Christ and coaxed your
own ruin. So did Paul. And yet he
sits to-day on one of the highest of the
heavenly thrones: and there is mercy
for you and good days for you. and
gladness for you. if you will only take
the same Christ which rst threw hin
down and then raised him up. Il
seems to me as if can see Paul to-day
rising up from the highway to Damas
Gus and brushing the sweat of excite
ment from his brow, as he turns to u:
and all the ages, saying: This is q
faithful saving, and worth of all accep
tation. that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners. of whom l an
chief"
Once more: l learn from this sub
ject that there is tremendous reality
in religion. If it haSbeen a mere op
teal delusion on the road to Damascus
was not Paul the man to find it out:
If it had been a sham aud pretens
would he not have pricked the bubbles
He was a man of facts and arguments
of the most gigantic intellectual ma
ture, and not a man of Authorizations
And when see him fall from the sad
die, blinded and overwhelmed, l say
there must have been something in it
And. my dear brother, you will fint