The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-08-03
The Two Men Who Turned the
World Upside Down.
THE SUNDAY MORNING DIS
COURSE OF REV. H. !. STE
PHENs- SIN TURNS EVERYTHING
WRONG SIDE UP WHEREVER 1T
ToUcHEs-CHRIsT CAME TO
TURN THIS WORLD RIGHT SIDE
UP-HE CAME TO TEACH US
HOW TO LIVE, NOT HOW TO DIE.

Kew. II. l. Stephens, of st. James NJ.
II. Church, preached as follows Sunday
morning from tho text:
THESE men that have turned the world
upside down have come hither also.n
Hebs 17:6
The persons referred to in the text are
the-tw missionaries, Paul and Silas
Thessalonica, city of some eighty thou
SAND inhabitants, was the place where
they had been preaching. For three weeks
Paul and Silas held u protracted meeting
In this city which resulted in the CONVEX
sion OF many souls. The effect of Paul;s
preaching was so powerful that the Jews
determined to get rid of him, and so,
moved with envy, they organized mob
certain lewd fellows of the huser sort
and assaulted the house of Jason in
which they were staying. Not. being able
to tud Paul and Silas in this house, they
took Jason and certain other brethren to
the suburbs of the city, crying, "these
men that have turned the world upside
down have come hither Also" "Turned
.world-upside down" is phrase used
by the mob to express what they con-
ceived to be the effects of the Gospel
which Paul peached.
T.lt is said that a man who drinks thinks
everybody drunk but himself. So these
people whose heads had been turned by
their false religions thought that these
missionaries were under the influence of
an evi! spirit which assisted them in up
setting the established order of things
and throwing everything into confusion.
Let us notice
| l. That when God made this world
everything was right side up. In looking
ut the history of creation we learn that
after God had finished his work that He
looked upon the different objects which
his own power had brought into existence
and pronounced them good. He saw
young world swinging down in the warm
fresh air of.heaven, bathed in.the bright
rays OF new made sun. Not being able
to find defect in its movements or con-
struction, He gave 1t his blessing andsssaid
that itswas good. Then He ,oked at the
different creatures which He had made to
dwell upon the land sea and forest. After
considering each of them and their fitness
to fill the places for which they were
made, He pronounced them very good
He looked at the man and woman whom
He had made In His own image as they
walked together amid the hanging brows
OF their paradise home; He pronounced
them good and gave them hts blessing.
Everything God made was good. Not
single mistake had been made. Not an
error could He detect. Every thing was
10 hChi pcTitCb DIS ne cQulu make Z,
ii. When sin entered the world it was
turned wrong side up. Sin has cursed
this earth and everything it contains.
Wherever il has touched the fleets of it's
bllghting power can be seen. The young
world brought forth thorns, thistes and
briars after the fall instead of flow ers.
The animals that were the plav.nates of
Adam and his wife before sin touched
them were their most dreaded enemies
afterwards. The happy couple that dwelt
together in their paradise home were
driven out into the world, under the sen.
tence, I'm the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat breaa, dust thou art and unto
Dust shalt thou return"
Sin turns things wrong side up wher-
ever 1T touches. If it touches the life of
Dlan. it turns that man away from God
and truth and down to ruin. If it touches
n home, its deadly effect are seen for wears
afterwards. If it touches community or
a.chul CHI the awful fleets of its touch re-
main to tell the story.
III. Christ came to tnrn this world
right side up by tenching men the true
science of right living. He didn't come
to teach men how to die, IA some people
think, but for the more noble purpose of
teaching them how to live.
Before Christ came The people had been
taught that 1t was right to love their
neighbors ana 10 hate their enemies.
Christ came and said, 81 say unto YOU
love your enemies, bless those who curse
YOU" The people had been taught that
they should not kill, and that any one
VINO took the life of man was muir
derer;. bnt Jesus said, "Whosoever is
angry with his brother without II cause is
murderer whether he has killed any
one or not. Before Christ came the peo-
pie had been taught that it was right to
demand I'm eye for an eye, or a tooth for
tooth; but Christ taught his disciples
that this spirit of retaliation was wrong,
that we should not return evil for evil,
railing for railing, but that we should do
good to those who despitefnlly used us.
There.were people who mad been taught
that 1t was "more blessed to receive than
to give" Chris. taught them that such
statements were untrue and "that it
was more blessed to give than to re.
ceive."
Then there were people just like there
is to day whose chief ambition was to get
Tich,and so they were busy ali the time
In laying up treasures upon earth. Christ
taught that this wss Wong; that the life
OF man was too precious to be spent in
the low occupation of making and laying
mp money, but that they should by good
deeds and acts of charity l.y up treasures
| in heaven, where moth and rust do not
corrupt nor thieves break through and
steal. 9e
There was class of people who would
fast with very sad countenance. To
these people Christ said, when thou fastest
with thy face and annoint thy hair that