The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-12-22

I
or beauty with Paurs Epistles | do
not think there is anything in the writ
| ings of Sir William Hamilton that
shows such mental discipline as you
/ find in Paurs argument about justifi-
cation and the resurrection. | have
not found anything in Milton finer
in the way of imagination than l can
| find in St Paul's illustrations drawn
from the amphithsater. There was
nothing in Robert Emmett pleading for
his life, or in Edmund Burke
arraigning Warren Hastings in West
minister hall. that compared with
the scene in the court room, when be-
fore ROBBED officials Paul bowed and be-
gan his speech, saying: Il think my
self happy. King Agrippa. because L
shall answer for myself this day." l
repeat. that religion that can capture
man like that must have some power
in it 1t 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. | am
glad to know that Christ has in the
different ages of the world had in his
discipleship Mozart and Handel in
music: a Raphael and a Reynolds in
painting; an Angelo and Canova in
sculpture; a Rush and a Harvey in
medicine. Grotius and Washington
in craftsmanship: Blackstone, Mar
shall. and a Kent in law; and
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 shivering when the
skeptic stands before you and talks of
religion as though it were a pusillan-
imous thing-instead 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 wildly away: then ask your
skeptic what il was that frightened the
one and threw the other? Oh no, it is
no weak gospel. 1t Is a glorious gos-
pei. 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. l learn from the text that a
man cannot become Christian until
he is endorsed. The trouble is. we
want to ride into the Kingdom of God,
Just as the knight rode into the castle
gate on a palfrey, beautifully capari-
soned. We want to come into the King
dom of God in fine style. No kneeling
down at the altar. no sitting on ''anx-
ious seats" no crying over sin, no beg
cling at the door of Gods mercy. Clear
the road, and let US come in all pranc-
ing in the pride of our soul No.
we will never get into Heaven that
way We must dismouut. There is no
knight-errantry in religion, no fringed
trappings of repentance, but an
utter prostration before God. a going
down in the dust. with the cry: II n
clean. unclean-' 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-heartei nearer. you
must get off that horse. Nav a light
from the throne of God brighter than
the sun throw you, Come down into
the dust and cry for pardon, and life
and Heaven
Again. 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 Oh ist- He was going down then
with writs in his pockets to have Christi
disciples arrested He was not going
as a sheriff goes to arrest a man
against whom he had no spite. but Paul
was going down to arrest those people
because he was glad to arrest them
The Bible saws: 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, do you
think that proud man on horseback
can ever become a Christian? Yes,
l - Il
thunder-clap 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. aud he was per-
secutor; 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 NapO-
leon !. pried open the ''Inquisition"
and let the rotting wretches out The
ancient dungeons around Rome are to-
day 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 Paul
ina sat with emerald adornments worth
&C. coo, 0OO, sesterces. elapping her hands
as the Christians died under the paw
and the tooth OF the lion-that Coli
scum is ruin now. The scene of the
Smithield fires Is a hav-market The
dav 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 sometimes NAL
treated? That woman finds it hard to
be a Christian. as her husband talks
and ieers while she is TRYING TO say her
prayers or read the Bible. That
daughter finds Il hard to De Christian
with the whole family ar-ayed against
{ her-father, mother. brother and sister
making her the target of ridicule-