The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-13

ing things, and fowls of the air." That vision was a symbol of the fact that Jesus died to save the gentle as well as the Jew the despised barbarian as we'll as the Jewish high priest the unclrcum- cised as well as the clrcumcised. Hardly had the vision ended when Peter heard loud rapping at the lower gate. Who is there? Who is there?" was asked T am a messenger from Cornelius" Is the an- swer. "I am not Jew, but a gentile sent by holy angel to thee. Wilt thou come and tell him about Jesus Christi" The vision and the knock at the door we're one summons. Then 1t was that Peter knew his vision was divine and that he was called to duty which he might have shrunk from if he had not seen the pre- paratory vision. No longer was the offer of salvation to be made to the Jews only; no longer were the messengers of Christ to regard the gentles as common or un- clean. So much the vision had taught him, and so Peter went with the men and preached Christ to the gentle centurion, and he found that the gospel was the power of God unto salvation to the gen tiles as well as to the Jew.
 Gods Visions Not Haphazard.
 Gods visions are never haphazard in- congruities. When the good Ananias one day in the city of Damascus had the com
 
 the hands of holy ordination upon the bit terest enemy of the Christian disciples he at first doubted the divine authenticity of the vision. Ananas looked up at first into the heavens and in surprise said Lord I have heard by many of this man. how much evil he hath done to the saints at Jerusalem. Not him, Not Saul I cannot ordain Saul of Tarsus." But hardly had the good Ananias entered the house to which God had directed him when they brought him a staggering, stumbling blind man. It was Saul It was the arch enemy Saul, Then Ananias knew that his vision was divine. When Simeon had the vision that he should not die before he had seen the Lords Christ, he knew the vision was divine, when Mary the Virgin placed in his arms the infant Christ. So, O man and woman. the divine vision comes to you for practical gospel work. You feel 1t. You know it. Why? Because while I speak there arises before your mind some one man. some one wo- man. some one child. you can save. You are like Peter standing upon the house top. You are listening to the messenger of Cornelius calling you to carry the news of salvation to some waiting soul.
 But there Is still another fact about Gods visions which it would be well for us to dwell upon The divine telepathy comes to the despised mans home as fre- quently as it does to the rulers palace. Who was Peters host at the house where he had this divine vision? He was Simon the tanner. He was In all probability the most despised man in all the coast cap ital at that time. Among the Jews the dealer in cured hides of animals was looked upon as a social outcast. The har- lot the murderer. the insurrectionist, were more respected than he. The condemned criminal might be pardoned of his crimes even though he was the thief who way laid the poor man on the road to Jericho, but the tanners calling was never for given. As men shrank from contact with the leper, whose touch might communi- cate his loathsome disease to the healthy person. so the Jew shrank from contact with the tanner. whose presence in home brought ceremonial contamination. The door of hospitality was always slammed shut in the face of the tanner
 The Despised Tanner.
 By the old Jewish law, if a husband . died without any children, his brother was compelled to marry the widow. But widow was not compelled to marry that brother If he was tanner. Not even the Jewish law would compel a woman to suffer such an ignominy If a man mar ried a woman without telling her he was a tanner, she could have the matrimonial bonds instantly annulled. as soon as the deception was found out. Of course. there had to be tanners among the Jews, as there must be hangmen for this present