Connecticut western news., 1893-12-14
phitheater.


 There was nothing in Robert Emmet pleading for his life, or in Edmund Burke arraigning Warren Hastings in Westminster hall, that compared with the scene in the courtroom when, before robed officials, Paul bowed and began his speech, saying, II think myself happy, King Agrippa, because shall answer for myself this day." Irepeat that religion that can capture man like that must have some power in it. It is time you stopped talking as though all the brain of the world were opposed to Christiani- ty. Where Paul leads, we can afford to follow.
 TALENTED CHRISTIANS.
 am glad to know that Christ has in the different ages of the world had in his discipleship 8 Mozart and Handel in music, Raphael and Reynolds in painting, an Angelo and Canova in sculpture, Rush and Harvey in medi- cine, 8 Grotius and a Washington in statesmanship; Blackstone, Marshall and a Kent in law. And the time will come when the religion of Christ will conquer all the observatories and uni versailles, and philosophy will through her telescope 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 shivering when the sl1eptic stands before you and talks of religion as though it were pu- sillanimous thing-instead of that, take your New Testament from your pocket and show him the picture of the intel lectual giant of all the ages prostrated on the road to Damascus while his horse is flying wildly away. Then ask your skeptic what it was that frightened the one and threw the other. Oh, no, it is no weak gospel. It is 8 glorious gospel. It is an all conquering gospel. It is an omnipotent gospel. It is the power of God and the wisdom of God unto saliva ton.
 HE MUST BE HUMBEED.
 Again, I learn from the text man can- not become a Christian until he is un- horsed. The trouble is, we want to ride into the kingdom of God just as the knight rode into castle gate on palfrey, beautifully caparisoned. We want to come into the kingdom of God in fine style. No kneeling down at the altar, no sitting on anxious seats, no crying over sin, no begging at the door of Gods mer- cy. 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, ''Un- clean, 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 nearer, you must get off that horse! May light from the throneof God brighter than the sun throw youl Come down into the dust and cry for pardon and life and heaven.
 Again, I learn from this scene of the text that the grace of God can overcome the persecutor. Christ and Paul were boys at the same time in different-vil- lages, 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 Christ's dis ciples arrested He was not going as sheriff goes to arrest a man against whom he had no spite, but Paul was go- ing down to arrest those people because he was glad to arrest them.
 The Bible says, "He breathed out slaughter" He wanted them captured, and he wanted them butchered. hear the click and clash and chatter of the hoofs of the galloping steeds on the way to Damascus. Oh, do you think that proud man on horseback can ever be- come Christian? Yesi There is voice from heaven like thunderclap uttering two words, the second word the same as the first, but uttered with more emphasis, so that the proud equestrian may have no doubt as to who is meant: Saul! Saulr' That man was saved, and he was persecutor, and so God can by his grace overcome any persecutor.
 STILL SOME PERSECUTION.
 The days of sword and fire for Chris tians seem to have gone by. The bayo- nets of Napoleon pried open the .'in- quisition" and let the rotting wretches out. The ancient dungeons around Rome are today mere curiosities for the travel ers The Coliseum, where wild beasts used to suck up the life of the martyrs while the emperor watched and Lolia Paulina sat with emerald adornments worth 60, 100000 sesterces, clapping her hands as the Christians died under the paw and the tooth of the ion-that Col iseum is ruin now. The scene of the Smithfeld fires is haymarket. The day of fire and sword for Christians seems tc have gone by. But has the day of per secution ceased? No. Are you not carl catured for your religion? In proportion as you try to serve God and be faithful to him, are you not sometimes mal- treated?
 That woman finds it hard to be a Chris tian as her husband talks and ieers while she is trying to say her prayers or read the Bible. That daughter finds it hard to be Christian with the whole family arrayed against her = father, uOIucI, UTOJuoT tuu SlSCtI ulStk1uR Ter the target of ridicule. That young man finds it hard to be 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 persecution have not ceased and will not until the end of the world. But oh, you persecuted 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 persecutor oSsthe text He fell. They will fall if Christ from the heavens grandly and gloriously 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 derisive- Indignation at Chris tianity only little while before he be- carna a Chrictiop ssOut of voxy bo,,oo ;