The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-16
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
sAUL's QUESTION IN THE GREAT
EMERGENCY OF HIS CAREER.
short Sermon by Rev. Frank j. 1IaI-
lett, Dean of st. Matthews Cathe-
draI, Laramie, wyoming.

B.
These are the earnest and solemn words OF
a great man in a great emergency. And
Carlyle has said, Great men taken up in
any way are profitable company; we cam
not look, however, imperfectly, upon
great man without gaining something by
him. He is the living light-fountain which
it is good and pleasant to be near"
The study of biography, or character his
| tory, is ever attractive. Are we not more
interested in the men who have made his
| tory than in the mere dry historical narra-
ton of their doings? We want to know not
merely something about such men. but the
men themselves. How did they live? What
were their habits? What was the master
/ passion, or inspiration of their lives?
Nor do we want biographies that exhibit
| by hook or by crook mere paragons of vir-
| tue. Give us sunlight and shadow, and even
the twilight darkness of character, If needs
| be- We want men described accurately, not
as we would fam have them, but they
really are. We want the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth.
And this is just the way the Bible. unlike
some other books, describes men. Here is
| its humanness and truthfulness. Is a man
striving with all his might to be unselfish
and holy, he is called "a man after Gods
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nary clay? Then he is so described. Is he
utterly and irrevocably bad, then, be he
rich or poor, he is written down a knave.
The portraiture of the man whose words
| we are looking at to-day will bear inspec-
| ton, or even critical investigation. He was
| originally known as Saul of Tarsus and
would say with patriotic and pardonable
! pride that he was "a citizen of no mean
| city" He was well known. even in his early
manhood, as scholarly and daring zealot.
| full of fiery enthusiasm for the religion of
his countrymen. 1t has been well said of
him: There may have been greater men
| than he; we recognize the imperial place OF
Plato, the mysterious sway of Confucius.
the genius of Homer. but st. Paul possessed
in wonderful degree that quality so often
! g-imperishableness."
He comes upon the scene in the full
| strength of vigorous manhood. A man who
could not do things by halves, but a man
who at this time utterly wrong in his
attitude toward Christianity. Here was one
capable of doing splendid things for the
religion of Jesus Christ. How shall he be
won over?
! Here are the striking facts of his ex-
perience. He is on his way to Damascus
armed with documents from the authorities
| that will enable him to exterminate the
new sect as he believes. Impatient at de-
lays and Disguised with conservative
DIS as advocated by older men, he
| seems to have quit arguing and taken to
killing. 1t was at his feet that the young
men laid their clothes at the stoning to
death ce Stephen How remarkable that he
rem Jnsoftened in the presence of this
| sail hero. Did he not see that the up-
hol principle of such life came from
! NnI
highest titles that can be given a man are
those of martyr, hero, saint" then Saul
had before him one of the noblest of the
| race; but all was lost upon him, until he
| and his companions were confronted by
/ stronger and irresistible evidence, on the
| road 10 Damascus, when q sudden and
| alarming sight was beheld and voice from
heaven said: saul, Saul, why persecutest
| thou me? 1t is hard for thee to kick against
| the pTicks."
Some men have found nothing remarkable
| in these phenomena. They argue thus;
| Saul and his companions were supersti-
| tious Jews, who were easily impressed by
natural phenomena; the whole thing, when
critically and impartially considered, re-
| solves itself into sudden storm Of light
ming and thunder.
| But is this tenable position? This man,
mortal, but a man of giant intellect, who
| could not easily be deceived. No man by
| birth or education would be less likely to
suddenly forsake principles and beliefs
which had grown with his growth and
| strengthened with his strength. Yet SO
| wonderful are the evidences of Christs re-
| ligion that in few minutes he yields to its
| power and exclaims: Lord, what wilt Thou
have me to do?"
| Saul had never set out on a worse journey
| than this, but in the providence OF God il
proved ultimately the very best. Men fight
| against God or goodness. but find their own
purposes wisely overruled. What tremend-
Gus issues hung upon this journey The
conversion of this man led to the diffusion
of Christianity. not only throughout Pales-
| tine, but to ''the ends of the EARTH" 1t
spread to Britain, and we of the Anglo
Saxon race are to-day rejoicing in the rays
of the same light that flashed upon Saul on
the way to Damascus.
A serious thought comes to us as we real
| lie that whatever is done with evil intent
| against genuine Christianity is not only
| bad taste, but bad morals The voice said
to prosecuting Saul: why persecutest
thou me?" 1t still says that to all who
| willfuIIy hurt the good, the true. the pure.
But the question is Are we to consider
this remarkable conversion Of St Paul as
the form or model for the conversion Of
| all? / answer no. The theory of some sud-
| den moral and spiritual upheaval in what
! is termed "a revival has alienated many
| thinking men.
Look at the facts st. Paul was a disbe-
| lever When the miracle burst upon him
| he was obedient. But it must not be sup
| posed that he suddenly attained the heights
of perfect holiness. ascending as by magic
| from the depths of darkest selfshness and
sin. No man can question his earlier re-
| ligious convictions life, and he himself
| never pointed to that wondrous hour as
| relieving him of toilsome work in going
/ on to sublmer things. His favorite say
ings are pressing on" running the race
| fighting the good fight" All this is utter
| ly inconsistent with the idea that the work
! for this man was done all at once. I'm the
| twinkling Of an eye;" there was in him a
| certain preparedness for the uncommon; he
was unique character, with a special
| work to do.
But no ordinary man has right to de-
mand or expect some such sudden illumina-
| ton. Let us beware of rejecting the truth,
in rejecting a dogma about the truth A
dangerous error turks near this glorious
| theme A popular view is that children
will wander far from the path of safety and
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