Democratic messenger., 1893-12-16

the resurrection. have not found any
thing in Milton finer i'll the way Of imag-
ination than can find in Paul's illustra-
tions drawn from the amphitheater.
There was nothing in Robert Emmet
pleading for his life. or i'm Edmund Burke
arraigning Warren Hastings in Westmin-
ster hall, that compared with the scene in
the courtroom. when before robed officials
Paul bowed and hogan his speech, saying,
II think myself happy. King Agrippa. he
cause shall answer for myself this day"
l repeat. that religion that can capture a
man like that must have some power in it.
u 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.
am glad 10 know that Christ has in the
different ages Of the world had in his dis
cipleship a Mozart and Handel in music:
a Raphael and a Reynolds in painting; an
Angelo and u Canova in sculpture; a Rush
and n Harvey in medicine; n Grotius and n
Washington in craftsmanship: Black-
stone, n Marshall and u Kent in law, and
the time will come when the religion Of
Christ will conquer all the oiservatories
and universities, and philosophy will.
through her telescope, behold the morning
star Of Jesus. and in her laboratory see
that all things work together for goUi,"
and with her geological hammer discover
the Rock Of Ages"
oh, instead Of covering and shjyeriuv
when the skeptic stands before YOU and
talks of religion as though it were pIsil-
luminous thing-instcad 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 Wild
ly away, then ask your skeptic what il was
that frightened the one and threw the ot her?
Oh, no, il is no weak gospel. II IL glo-
rious gospel. II is an all conguering gos-
pei. II is an Omnipotent gospel. 1t is the
power Of God and the wisdom Of God unto
salvation.
Again. learn from the text man can
not become a Christian until he is unhorsed.
The trouble is. we want To ride into the
kingdom Of God just as the knight rode
into castle gate ON palfrcy. beautifully ca
parisoned. We want to come into the king
dom Of God in fine style No kneeling down
at the altar. no sitting on anxious seats,
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 in religion,
no fringed trappings Of repentance. but an
utter prostration before God. going down
in the dust. with the cry "Unclean, un-
clean!''-a bewailins of the soul. like David
o.. - ~E 4
dust until Christ shall by his grace lift MS
mp as he lifted Paul Oh. proud hearted
hearer. you must get of that horse. Maya
light from the throne 81 God brighter than
the sun throw you. Come down into the
dust and cry for pardon and life and heaven.
THE PERsECUToR REDEEMED.
Again. learn from this scene Of the text
that the grace Of God can overcome the per
secutor. Christ and Paul were boys at the
same time in different villages. and Paul's
To Christ was increasing He
hated everything about Christ. He was
going down then with writs i'm his pockets
to have Christ's disciples arrested He was
not going as n sheriff goes. To arrest man
against whom he had no spite, but Paul
was going down to arrest those people he
cause he was glad to arrest them. The
Bible says, lie breathri out slaughter"
He wanted them captured. and he wanted
them butcherrd. | hear the click and
clash aud clatter of the hoofs Of the gal
loping steesls ON the way to Damascus
oh. do you think that proud man on
horseback can ever become Christian.
Yes! There is voice from heaven like q
thunderclap uttcring two words. the second
word the same ~ the first, but uttered with
more emphasis. so that the proud egues-
trian may have no doubt as to who is
meant: saul! SAUL That man was saved.
and he WAS n 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
l pried open the ''inquisition" and let the
rotting wrctches out. The ancient dun
geons around Rome are today mere curiosi-
ties 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 G0WO.OO0
sesterces. clapping her hands as the Chris
tians died under the paw and the tooth of
the lion-that Coliseum is n ruin now. The
Scene Of the Smithfleld fires is u hay mar
ket. The day Of fire and sword for Chris
tians seems tn have gone by. but has the
day of persecution ceased: No. Are you
not caricatured for your religion: In pro-
portion as you try tn serve God and he
faithful to him are you not sometimes NAL
treated.
That woman finds il hard to he Chris
tian, as her husband talks and jeers while
she is trying TO say bsr prayers or read the
Bible. That daughter finds il hard to be q
Christian with the whole family arrayed
against her-father. mother brother and
sister making her the target of ridicule.
That young man finds il hard to he a Chris
tian in the shop or factory or store when
his comrades jeer at him because he will
not go to the gambling hell or other places
Of iniquity. oh. 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 il Christ from the heavens
and gloriously look out on them.
God can by his grace make Renau he
lieve in the divinity of Jesus and Tyndall
In the worth Of prayer. Robert Newton
81 stamped the ships deck i'm ierisive indigna-
ton at Christianity only little while be-
lore he became Christian. Out II my
house." said a father to his daughter, ''if |
you will keep praying" Yet before many
months passed the fat her kneli 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 him not in glitiering |
but. calling him by name: |
John! George! Henry Saul. Saul. why |
pcrsecutest thou
THE CHIEF or SINNERS.
Again. ] learn from this subject that |
here is hope for the worst offenders II |
was particularly outrageous that Saul |
should have gone to Damascus on that er-
rand. Jesus Christ had been dead only |
three years. and the story Of his Kindness.
and his generosity. and his love filed all the |
air. II was not AN old story "a IL is now
Il was new story. Jesus had only three |
summers ago been in these very places. and
Al a b..