Mexico Missouri message., 1903-05-14

/. Treason against Rome. 6. Paul
1 is charged with being "a pestilent fell
low" plague, a pestilence, used IN
Mace. 1851, to describe "men of a
wicked iife' and by DemOsthenes TO des-
| ignate a dangerous person: and with be-
! ing "a mover OF sedition" Onsurrection)
among all the Jews throughout the
| world" referring TO the mobs OF the
Jews against him I'm almost every city.
as II he were to blame for them.
2. Heresy against the Jewish Re
llgion, "a ringleader Of the sect OF the
Nazarenes."
3. sacrilege In profaning the temple,
as charged by the Jews. who thought that
Paul had bEought an Ephesian Gentle in
to the forbidden precincts OF the temple.
II. Paurs Answer to the Charges
VS.. 1921.
Introduction. 10. "Then Paul .
| answered" PauTs preamble was at once
courteous, sincere, and true to fact.
"Forasmuch as thou hast been
of many years a Judge" 81 do the more
cheerfully answer"
Answer TO First Charge. Treason
VS.. HIP. H. There are yet but twelve
days" Not more than twelve days, and
therefore Felix could easily ascertain the
exact facts. "Since ] went up to Jeru-
salem for to worship"
-. THEY neither found me in the
temple disputing." Discussing the dis
puted questions which might excite a
tumult Neither raising up the peo-
pie" The crowd around Paul in the
temple was gathered by his enemies, not
by himself. "In the synagogues"
10. Neither can they prove the
things" That not only in Jerusalem, but
throughout the world he had excited Sc
dltion. They did not even attempt to
prove II, nor bring any witnesses. The
only charge which was serious before
Roman law was thus thrown out OF court.
Answer to the Second Charge, -Heresy.
VS.. 14-16. Paul's answer to this charge
was an acknowledgment OF the fact that
he was "a ringleader OF the sect of the
Nazarenes," but a denial that il was
heresy against the Jewish religion
!. He worshiped the same God as
the Jews. 80 worship !, the God of
my fathers" 1t was no strange or for
eign god whom he worshiped but the
Jehovah whom the Jews had worshiped
from the beginning.
.. He believed and obeyed the Jewish
Scriptures. believing all things which
are written in the law" Better as r.
v, which are according to the law"
the phrase used by Tertullus in his
charge. V. g. He rejected some of the
interpretations which the scTibes had put
upon the law and the prophets; but what
they actually taught he accepted.
3. He held to the same hopes as the
Jews. Paul agreed with the Pharisees in
having w. 49, hope toward God" sup
porting itself on God. looking TO God
as its source and fulfller. that there
shall be a resurrection of the dead" and
therefore immortal life.
Answer to the Third Charge.-Sacri-
iege, Profaning the Temple.-Vs. 1921.
The answer to this charge was a simple
denial, by a true statement of the facts
which had been misunderstood by the
Jews.
III. Paurs Two Years in Prison at
Cesarea.-Vs. 22-27. First. Paul's de-
Tense was so strong that Felix deferred
his decision till he could learn the truth
from the Roman officers who had wit
messed the scenes In the temple, and
would be more unprejudiced than the
Jewish rulers, or at least present the
other side. Felix feared the Jews too
much to release Paul. and yet wished
to avoid the outrageous injustice of con-
demning him. Accordingly Paul was
kept a prisoner for two years, but with
every indulgence possible consistent with
his safety.
During these two years, as well as dur
ing his Imprisonment I'm Rome, Paul had
| an opportunity, "such as he never had
| before, OF realizing, Sdigesting, and as
similating in all their fulness the doc
| trines he had so long proclaimed to
| others" He was, perhaps unconsciously
preparing TO write those epistles which
have enabled him to preach the gospel
| throughout all the ages, and mold Chris
| tan thought for all time.
Paul's Address before Felix. "a. "Fe-
| Xix came" Either to Cesarea after an
| absence, or to some reception room in
| the prison. with his wife DrusiIla,
| which was a Jewess." Drusilla was the
daughter Of Herod Agrlppa L. who died
| in Cesarea IN horrible torments CActs
H1tn - kEa A
| II. Of Acts rs, and therefore a Jewess.
HE sent for Paul" Either from curl
| Osity to see such a well-known man, or
| from some remnant OF conscience and
thought Of a better life, or. as in v. "a,
in order to extort money. from him. "And
| heard him concerning the faith In Christ"
| 20. And as he reasoned" He pre-
scented the great moral truths which are
essential to the Christian life, and the
motives which would most strongly ap-
| peal to such characters as his hearers.
"Of" (concerning} righteousness, the
state OF him who is as he ought to be.
integrity, justice purity Of life, and all
the duties which man owes to man.
Paul preached the gospel OF salvation
through Jesus Christ, which required
| supreme love TO God and repentance of
sin, and new life which put OFF the
old man with his deeds, and was filled
with the fruits OF the Spirit.
| AiN AAALSSA VI raul 3 appeal 'EeliN
trembled." Well might he be filled with
fear. His conscience told him that what
Paul said was true. Go thy way for
this time" THE now" the present
time, with no outlook into what Is com.
ing In the future. Fear sent away not
the sin, but the preacher.
&c. He hoped also that money should
have been given him OF Paul" There
are several sources from which Felix
might have expected that Paul could de-
rive funds to buy his liberty He knew
from Paurs own statement ". I'D that
he had been collecting, money for the
poor at Jerusalem, and he could not i'm
agine that money could pass through his
hands without some of Il cleaving "a
them. Then Paul had many friends who
would pluck their very eyes OUT "a
save him from prison. Prof RAMSAY
argues strongly that Paul had lately "a.
hertted property from his family II
Tarsus. In any case Paul would not b,
willing TO give brides even II m0nes
were plenty.