Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-12-15

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can ever become a Christian? Yes There
is a vote, from heaven like a ihunderclap
uttering two words, the second word the
same as The first, but uttered with more en-
phasis. 50 that the prou equestrian may have
| no doubt stO who IS meant saul saul"
| That man was saved. and he was persscu-
tor, and so Col can. by His grace, overcome
any prosecutor.
The days OF sword and fire for Christians
seem TO have gone by. The bayOneis o.
| Napoleon l. prize open the "ipquistiOn
and let the rottiny wretches put The
ancient dungeons around Rome are to-day
mere curosities for the travellers. The
Coliseum, where wild beasts used TO suck
! up the life OF the martyrs while the emperor
| watched and Lola Paulna sat with emerald
adornments worth 60, OOO, 900 sesterces, clap
! ing her hands as the Christians died under
| the paw and the tooth OF the liOn-,hat Co.
| iseum Is q ruin now. Tho s:ene OF the
| Smithneld fires is a haymarket. The day OF
| fire and sword for Christians seems 60 have
gone by. But has tho day % persecution
/ reasedy No. Are You not caricatured Tor
| your religion In proportion aS you try to
| serve God and be faithful 90 Hin, are you
| not sometimes maltreated?
That woman finds it hard TO bea Christian
/ as her husband talks and ieers while she IS
| trying to say her prayers or read the Bible.
| That daughter finds II hard TO bea Christian
with the whole family arrayc1 against her
father. mother. brother and sister making
her the target OF ridicue. That young man
finds II hard to be n Christian in the shop or
factory or store when his comrades jeer at
! him because he will not 60 to the gambling
hell or other places Of inlquity.
Oh. no. the days 81 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 pers@.
cutors? They arr no prOuder. no fiercer. no
more set in their way than was this perse-
cutor Of the text. He fell. They will fall IL
Christ iron the heavens grandly and g'or:-
ously looks out on them. God can by HIS
grace make a Renan believe in the divinity Of
Jesus and Tyndall in the worth OF prayer.
Robert Newton stamped the ships deck in
derisiye Indignation at Christianity only
| little while before he became n Christian.
"0ut Of my house. said n father to his
daughter, ''if you will keep praying. Yet
before many months passed the father knelt
at the same altar with the child. Aud the
Lord Jesus Christ is willing to look out from
heaven upon that derisive opponent Of the
Christian religion and address him. not IN
Glittering generalities, but calling him 10y
name John George Henry Saul,
Saul. why persecutest thou Me !"
Again. I learn from this subject that there
! is hope for the worst offenders. II was par
iicularly outrageous that Saul should have
gone 10 Damascus on that Grand Jesus
Christ had been dead only three years, and
the story Of his kindness and his generosity.
and his love filled all the air. II was not an
old story. as II Is now. II was new story.
Jesus had only three summers ago been In
these very places. and Saul every day IN
Jerusalem must have net people who knew
Christ. people with cool eyesight whom
Jesus had cured Of blindness. people who
had been dead and who had been resurrected
by the Savior and the people who couldtell
| Paul all the particulars OF the crucillXiOn-
Just how Jesus looked in the last hour, just
how the heavens grew black in the face at
the torture.
He heard that rec.tcd every day by peoQ,e
who were acquainted with all the clreum-
stances. and vet in the fresh memory OF that
scene be goes to prosecute Christs disciples.
impatient at the time it takes tc feed the
horses at IN inn. not pulling at the snaiiie,
but riding with loose rein faster and faster.
oh. he was the chief OF sinners No outbreak
OF mo1csty when he said that. Ile waS
murderer. lie stool by when stephen died
and helped in the execution Ot that COOL
man.
When the rabble wanted 10 be unimpeied
IN their work OF destroying stephen an
]
lare to lay them down lest they bc stolen,
Paul said. "l'll take care Of the coats. and
they put them down at the feet OF Pau, and
he watched the coats. AMI he watched the
horrid mangling II glorious stephen. Is Il
a wonder that --hen he fell from the horse he
did not break his neck-that his foot did not
catch somewhere in the trappings Of the
saddle. and he was not dragged ana kicked
10 DEATH He deserved 10 die miserahly.
wretchedly and forever Notwithstanding all
his metaphysics. and his eloquence. and his
logic.
H. was the chief OF sinners lie said what
was true when he said that And We. the
grace OF GOD saved him. and 50 It will you.
Ifthere is any man in this house who thinks
he is too bad % Dee savel and says, Il have
wandered very grieyously from God do
not believe there is any hope for me-. / tell
you the story OF this man IN the text who was
brought 10 Jesus Christ IN spite ~ his sins
and opposition. There NAV be some here
who are as stoutly opposed 10 Christ as Paul
was There may be some here who are cap
tive OF their sins rs much so as the young
man who said i'm regard 10 his dissipating
habits Il will keep on with them. know
] am breaking my mothers heart. and /
know am killing myself, and I know that
when die l shall 90 10 he'll but it is now
too late 10 stop.
The steel on which you ride may hc
switcr and stronger an higher mettlei than
that on which the Cilici1n prosecutor rode.
but Christ can catch II by the bride an hur
it back and hurl it down. There is mercy
FOR yol who say YOU are too bad TO be savel.
You say YOU have pu' on the matter 50 long
Paul had neglected it great while. You
say that the sin you have committed has
been among the most aggrayating circuu-
stances that was SO with pauls :.
You say YOU have eXlsperated Christ an
coaXed your own ruin so did Pau. Ana
vet he sits today on one OF the highest OF
the heavenly thrones. AMI there IS mercy
for YOU. and good days for you. and glad
ness for you. if you will only take the same
Christ which first threw him down and then
raised him up. II seems TO me rs II can
see Paul to-day rising up from the highway
10 Damascus and brushing of the dust rom
his cloak. ana wiping the sweat Of excite
ment from his brow. as he turns 10 ms and
all the ages. saying. "Tlis is faithful say
ing and worthy OF all acceptatiOn. hat Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. OF
whom | am chief
Once more. learn from this subject that
there is tremendous reality in religion. Ii
IL had been a mere optical deluson on the
road 10 Damascus. was not Pau! Just the
man to find it out? II it had been a sham
bubble? He was man Of facts and argu-
ments, Of the most gigantic intellectual ma
ture. and not u man OF Authorizations. An !
when sec him fall from the sable. blinded
and overwhelmed. 7 say there must have
been something in IT, And my dear brother.
you will find that there is so netting IN re-
ligion somewhere. The only question Is.
Where
There was man who rode from STAN
ford TO London. ninety-nv, miles, in five
hours on horseback. Very swift. Inero
was a woman OF Newmarket who rode on
horseback a thousand miles in thousan
hours. Very swift But there are those
here-aye. all OF Us are speeding on al ten
fold that velocity. at n thousand fold that
rate. toward eternity. May Almighty Col,
from the opening heavens. flash upon your
soul this hour the question OF your eternii
destiny. aud Oh that Jesus would tnls nour
overcome you with His pardoning mercy as
He stands here with the pathos OF a broken
heart and sobs into your ear II nave como
for thee / come with Ny back raw RON
bleeding. I come with My feet manSiel
with the nails. I come with My brow acn-
ing from the twisted bramble, come with
Ny heart bursting for your woes. can
stand It no longer l am Jesus whom ihou