The commonwealth., 1902-03-13
near and Join thyse,l to this cla


en- instant obedience to the unaccoun-
table command of the Spirit, and had
exchanged the stirring scenes and op-
portunities of great awakening for
solitary post on a road through
desert, did not hesitate now, though he
could plainly see that the traveller was
a prince and foreigner.
There was witticism, play on
words, in Philips address to the
Ethiopian, which is lost in the trans
iation. He said: "Do you know what
you know?" The wit of Philip was
the edge of the wedge that opened the
Nubian princes heart wide to the COS
pei.
The question anticipated negative
answer, and received 1t: "How can /,
except some man should guide me?"
The Ethiopian Is a lovely example OF
the sincere inquirer after truth. No
penknife of destructive critic was In
his hand. Nor was he asking with
fPi'ate's cold superciliousness, "What
is truth?" He had become a little
child-docile, loving, trustfuI, OF whom
Jesus said, "Of such is the kingdom"
He bade the chariot stand still. He
took up the tramp, covered with the
sweat and dust of his long and hasty
journey afoot. He seated him upon
the gorgeous upholstery of his Egyp-
tian chariot, and, obllvious to the fact
that the eyes of all his attendants were
upon him, he bent over the old yellow
Septuagint manuscript with the un-
known and wayfaring man. The place
where he was reading was, "He was
led as sheep to the slaughter" and
his utter confusion of mind was betr:y-
ed by the question, "Of whom speak
eth the prophet thls-of himself or OF
some other man."
Then Philip opened his mouth, TAX
ing that very verse as text, and Otter
ally) "declared to him the glad tidings,
Jesus" The Ethiopian saw, believed,
was baptized. That chariot was trans
muted into car of salvation. On i:
rolled, with its load more precious
than the ivory and gold of continent.
It rolled thousand miles up the Nile,
and carried the gospel to the heart OF
Nubia, where, in spite Of the unfriend-
liest environment, it has remained in
trenched ever since.
THE TEACHERS LANTERN
Special providence and missions
The historic summer shower and the
'hay-stack prayer-meeting," in which
the American Board of Commissioners
for Foreign Missions had its origin.
The CONVERSION of the Wyandot liz.
dians under John Stewart. The
opening of the zenanas of India "by
woman's needle" (5ee Pearson's "Crls-
is of Missions.'0
Contrast the probable expensive
ness of the Ethiopian's Bible and the
cheapness of Bibles to-day. The scar
city of Bibles then present abundance
OF them.
The use and limits of wit and humor
in the pulpit and in Christian work.
Wit charac teristic of the pioneer
preachers, and the greatest possible aid
to them in their frequent emergencies.
The missionary cause of to-day is
the perpetuation of Philips effort. 1t
transmutes the chariots OF commerce
into cars of salvation, freighted with
priceless wares of grace, and sends
them rolling toward the heart OF great
continents.
"He arose and went" In the quad
rangle of those four words is compress
a world Of obedience, fsith. courage.
The Ethiopian had no disposition to
be clandestine follower even OF the
despised Nazarene. No motives OF pol
icy control his action. He does not
question, "What would my royal mis-
lress say: "How would this affect my
tenure of office?" He put his light on
the lampstand ofEthe palace. In its
shining his queenly mistress and all
her subjects may have found life.
Last time 1 ever saw Bishop Slmp-
son was on a train, returning from a
session Of Conference. The car was
crowded with preachers. There was the
usual fusillade Of wit and argument.
The bishop was obliyious to all.
Turned toward the window, and under
cover of his student stoop, he was
reading a little, weli-worn Bible. The
Bible is the best OF travelling compan-