Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-02-08

~ GOn, save us! q Christ, rescue
u.s. No sooner did the vision appear
to the good Ananias. saying, paul Ia
waiting for thee to baptize him." than
the good Ananias answered. lord. |
have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done TO thy saints at
Jerusalem"--that is 70 say: lord. I
am afraid to trust him. lie is an en-
envy. He is the bitterest foe we have"
And 80 wherever we go we find univer-
sal distrust Of Paul. Thus no sooner
was Paul converted than he was ready
to take back seat, If | might use
homcly expression. He seemed TO say,
Lord, let me obliterate myself, at least
for little Willie, for thine honor and
glory Can you not find this interpre-
taton of my text TO be a reasonable
oncG Yet how few Of us are ready 10
efface ourselves for the glory of God.
Here, for instance, are men and wo-
men who have led a disrcputable, I'M.
moral life. Scandals have besmirched
their garments everywhere They como
into the church. The church is sus.
picious Of them. Al once they become
angry. They say that the people are
not treating thcm right. II will 90
back TO my old companions in sin
They at least will treat me as an
equal" Is that right? IL that fair:
If man does wrong has not the Chris.
tian world right to be suspicious OF
him until he proves that by the grace
OF God he intends TO do right: Her.
Is reformed drunkard or a reformed
thief Has he the same right to tbs
respect Of the world III the first DAYS
of his repentance as the man who has
been living near to God for three long
years down in the sands of an Arabian
desert? No, no, my friends Paul
could never have had his tremendous
influence as Il gospel evangelist unless
he had first been willing to efface him.
self for Christ. Thus may you he
willing to go into Arabia for jesus
after you have been for years ba.
tant and an unrelenting despiscr Of the
cross.
Needed Human Society.
But there Is another fact to which
want to call your attention. Even in
Arabia, with God and Christ Paul felt
the need of n human agency TO help
him over the rough experiences Of tho
Christian life. What did he do? Let
me read 70 you his very words: mel
Their went | w 70 Jerusalem to them
which were apostles before me, but
went into Arabia and returned again
unto Damascus. Then, after three
years, went up to Jerusalem to see
Peter and abode with him fifteen
days" Cannot you see what this
means? why" Paul said to himself,
before I 20 'orth TO preach the Cos
pei will go and see Peter. will fiHi
out from him what Jesus himself sale
and learn all l can Of that divine life
Paul was a scholar and Peter only an
untaught fisherman, but Paul was will.
Ing to take the learners place. Cannot
you see how wise Paul was in his hui
mility?
Seven days pass by, a whole week,
and still Peter and Paul do not cease
their talking. Paul asks Peter to tell
him all about Christ. Then methinks |
can see Peter take Paul's arm and say:
Come, Paul. l want to take you up
to Bethany to meet Mary and Martha
and Lazarus. Come, ! want to show
you the garden OF Gethsemane, where
we all slept, and the palace where I
denied him. Come. and I will show you
where lie died and where he was resur-
rected and where he left us for the last
time The days slipped into the fret
week. then into the second, and the fif
teenth day came and still they talked
Then Paul said. Well, Peter. had
better leave you now and go and worl.
for my Master. We both love him. Pe.
ter. You walked with him in the flesh
l saw him face TO face at Damascus.
May God help me 10 testify Alright for
him" AS Paul went up to Jerusalem
TO put himself under the influence OF
Peter, the great Christian apostle. are
you and ready to put ourselves under
the care of the noble Christian men
and women who are around US:
And now comes tue practical cues.
ton, Where are the modern Arabian
deserts! In order to find one do We
have to travel TO Damascus as Paul
did, and journey TO the cast? Nav.
We have our Arabian deserts i'm tho
western hemisphere as we'll as in Asia.
in our lives as Paul had in his life.
think that one Of our Arabas NAV he
our sick beds. Hour after hour we NAV
have to lie in the invald's room. Oh.
now near TO God we can then get,
Then another Arabia is when death
comes TO some Of our dear ones
Alone, alone" we say. "All. all
alone" We are not alone We are in
the desert Then another Arabia ia
when persecution or SANDER comes.
Our best earthly friends NAV turn
against us. but God never turns il we
call upon his name. Another Arabia
may be Just after we have been living
over again the past. Even now We
seem 10 see the dear faces Of our de-
parted kindred come up. We seem to
again see the day when we first conse-
Grated our lives to God at the church
altar.
My friend who described for me that
rip over the desert told me also about
he wonderful mirages. He said they
would be travelling along. when sud.
ienly ahead Of them would be seen
brook and falling waters and noun.
aims and green fields and rordon.