The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-12-14

nity. bEEE led inE D dust Ane ,et
that was the best ride Paul ever took. Out
of that violent fall he arose into the apostle
ship. SO IL has been in all ages, and SO II Is
now.
You will never be worth much for God and
the church until you lose your fortune, or
have your sputation upset. OF in some way.
somehow. are thrown and humiliated. You
must go down before you 20 up. Joseph
finds his path 10 tho Egyptian court through
the pit into which his brothers threw him.
Daniel would never have walked among tho
bronzed lions that adorned the Babylonlsh
throne II he had not first walked among the
real lions OF the cave. And Paul marshals
all the generations OF Christendom by fall
ing flat on his face on the road to Damascus.
Men who have been always prospsred may
be efficient servants OF the world. but will b,
o. no advantage 10 Christ You may ride
majes;ically seated on your charger. rein in
hand, foot IN stirrup. but you will never be
worth anything spiritually until you fall of.
They who graduate from the school OF Christ
with the highest honors have on their diplo-
ma the seal Of a lions muddy paw, or the
plash of an angry wave. or tho drop OF
stray tear, or the brown scorch OF perse-
cutting fire. In 100 cases out OF 1000 there IL
no moral or spiritual elevation until there
has been athorough worldly upsetting.
Again, learn from the subject that tho
religion of Christ ia not pusiilantmous
thing. People in this day try TO make us be-
leve that Christianity is something for men
OF small caliber, tor women with no capacity
10 reason, for children in the infant class
under six years OF age, but not for stalwart
men. Look at this man Of the text ! Do you
not think that tho religion that could cap
ture such man as that must have some
power In II. lie was a iogiclse he was a
Inskafhysician he was an all conquering
Orator he was poet OF the highest type,
He had a nature that could swamp the lead
ing men OF his own day, and hurled against
the sanhedrin he made It tremble.
He learned all that he could get In tho
school OF his native village (; then he had
pone to a higher school aud there mastered
the Greek and the Hebrew and perfected
himself In bellies lettres, until in after years
| he astonished the Cretans, and the Corinth-
fans, and tho Athenians by quotations from
their own authors. have never found any
thing in Carlyle or Goeth or Herbert Spencer
that could compare In strength or beauty
with paurs epistles I do not think there is
anything in the writings OF Sir William Ham
ilton that shows such mental discipline as
you find In Paurs argument about iustthca-
tion and the resurrection. | have not found
anything In Milton finer In the way OF imac-
ination than | can find In Pau's illustrations
drawn from the amphitheater.
There was nothing in Robert Emmett plead
ing for his life, or In Edmund Burke ar
raigning Warren Hastings In Westminster
Hail. 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" repeat
that religion that can capture man like
that must have some power In II. 1t Is time
you stopped talking as though all the brain
OF the world were opposed 70 Christianity.
Where Paul leads. We can afford TO follow.
Lam clad to know that Christ has in tho
different ages OF the world had In His diss!-
pleship Mozart and a Handel in music, a
Raphael and Reynolds in painting, an An
geio and Canova in sculpture, a Rush an l
a Harvey in medicine, a Grotius anda Wash
, ingtcn In craftsmanship Blackstone, a
Marshall and Kent in law. Aud the tims
will come when the religion of Christ will
conquer all the observatories and universe
Ties, and philosophy will through her tele
scope behold the morning star OF Jesus. and
In her laboratory SEQ that all things work
together for good" and with her geological
hammer discover the "Rock OF Ages"
oh, instead OF covering and shiverlni
. when the skeptic stands before you an
talks OF religion asthough II were pusillani
, nous thing-instesd OF that take your Ne,
! Testamen. from your pocket and show hiu
: the picture OF the intellectual giant OF all tn
ages prostrated on the road to Damascu