The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1894-02-03

tering generalities, but calling him b
name: John! George! Henryl-Saul
Saul! why persecutest thou mer'
/ Again. / learn from this subject that
there is hope for the worst Offenders
It Vas particularly outrageous thai
Saul should have gone to Damascus on
that errand. Jesus Christ has beer
dead only three years, and the story Of
his kindness and His generosity and
His love filed all the air. It was
not an old story as it is now.
IL was a new story. Jesus had
only three summers ago been in
these very places, and Saul every day
In Jerusalem must have met people
who knew Christ, people with good
eyesight whom Jesus had cured of
blindness, people who were dead, and
| who had been resurrected by the Sa-
viour, and people who could tell Paul
all the particulars of the crucifixion-
just how Jesus looked in the last
hour-just how the heavens grew
black in the face at the torture.
he heard that recited every day by
people who were acquainted with all
the circumstances, and yet in the fresh
memory OF that scene he goes to perse-
cute Christ's disciples, impatient at the
time it takes to feed the horses at the
inn, not pulling at the snaffie, but rid
ing with loose rein faster and faster.
Oh, he was the chief of sinners. No
outbreak of modesty when he. said
that. He was a murderer. He
stood by when Stephen died and
helped in the execution of that
good man. When the rabble want
ed to be unimpeded in their work
OF destroying Stephen, and wanted to
take OF their coats, but did not dare
to lay them down lest they be stolen,
Paul said: "I'll take care of the coats"
and they put them down at the feet of
Paul, and he watched the coats, and he
watched the horrid mangling Of glori-
GUS Stephen. Is tia wonder that when
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 and kicked to death. He de-
served to die miserably. wretchedly and
forever, notwithstanding all his meta
physics and his eloauence and his logic.
He was the chief of sinners. He said
what was true when he said that. And
yet the grace of God saved him, and SO
it will you. If there is any man in this |
house who thinks he is too bad |
to be saved, and says: II have
very grievously from God,
do not believe there is any
hope for me-" I tell you the story
Of this man in the text who was |
brought to Jesus Christ in spite of his
sins and opposition. There may be
some here who are as stoutly opposed
70 Christ as Paul was. There NAV be
ZONE here who are captive of their sins
rs much so as the young man who said,
n regard to his dissipating habits: 81
will keep on with them. know 1 am
breaking my mothers heart, and /
znow / am killing myself, and know
hat when ! die shall go to hell, but
t is now too late to stop"
The steed on which you ride may be
writer, and stronger, and higher-met-
led than that on which the Cilician
rode, but Christ can catch
on the bride, and hurl it back and
lurl it down. There is mercy for YOU
Who say you are too bad to be saved.
lou say you have put off the matter so
ong. Paul had neglected it great
Vhilc. You say that the sin YOU
ave committed has been amidst
he most n yerro vo{;cn <,;~.-~A |
hat was so with PanPs. You say YOU
ave exasperated Christ and coaxed
our own ruin. So did Paul. And vet
e sits to-day on or of the highest of
ne heavenly thrones; and there is 1
lercy for you, and good days for you,
nd gladness for you, if you will I
My take the same Christ which !
rst threw him down and :
len raised him up; it seems /
} me as if can see Paul to-day rising
p from the highway to Damascus and j
rushing off the dust from his cloak
nd wiping the sweat of excitement 3
ON his brow, as he turns to us and
i the ages, saying: This is a faithful I,
lying, and worthy of all acceptation, h
lat Jesus Christ came into the world !,
save sinners. of whom am chief. .
Once more: 4 learn from this subject b
lat there is tremendous reality in O
ligion. If it had been a mere optical a
'lusion on the road to Damascus, was il
IT Paul the man to find it out? fitI 81
I'd been sham and pretense, would
not have pricked the bubble? He was b.
man of facts and arguments, of the q
ost gigantic intellectual nature, and e,
It man of Authorizations. And ia
hen ! see him fall from the saddle. b,
inded and overwhelmed. say there sc
nst have been something in it. And, ii
Y dear brother, you will find that h,
ere is something in religion some OF
here. The only question is, where? w
There was man who rode from tn
amford to London, ninety-five miles.
five hours, on horseback veryswift. se
lere was q woman of Newmarket who oh
lie on horseback thousand miles in TT
thousand hours. Very swift. But la
ere are those here, ay, all of us, are M
seding on at tenfold that velocity. of
a thousand-fold that rate, toward wi
'rnity. May Almighty God. from the ha
sning Heavens, fash upon your soul tn
s hour the question of your eternal &C
'tiny, and oh that Jesus would this We
ar overcome you with His pardoninp iol
roy, as He stands here with the
hos of broken heart and sobs into dr.