Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-08


round with ten miles of copper wire.
Then he charged this wire with an
electric battery. The result, said an
eyewitness, was most astounding. The
old gun which once hurled its missiles
OF death at an enemy now made the
iron balls leap toward its gaping
mouth. Instead Of crushing out human
lives, as 1t once did, it now reached
down and lifted up to it's muzzle II
massive metallic weight Of many tons.
Wonderful, wonderful you say. Not
nearly as wonderful s tho lifting pow
er Of that magnetic cannon as is the
drawing power Of gospel kindness. No
sooner does the world see that you love
II and want to serve it and to help It
than at once that world will redouble
its kindnesses and open the arms of love
to greet your gospel message. And
Christ himself recognized It's power
when he said, II. IL be lifted up. will
draw all men unto me-" or course |
am talking about the human heart as
whole and not about the human heart
as In individual exceptions. Now, to
prove what l say Is true, turn to this
story Of Paul's intercourse with the
Maltese barbarians.
Scene the first: 1t Is q dark night.
The wind is blowing a hurricane. Ev-
cry one who can be indoors Is in shell
ter. But think in the early morning
a shepherd is going out to find lost
sheep. He is herdsman on the island
of Melita. One Of the sheep slipped
away from the fold and he is out seek.
ing her in the storm. As the shepherd
climbs the cliffs overlooking the sea he
mutters. God pity the sailor. God
pity the ship caught in such Il sea"
Then he puts his hands to his eyes and
looks off to watch the tossing, tum-
bling pillows. No sooner does he do
this than he cries: "Alas, there is o
ship She is heading toward the rocks.
She is helpless. Unless we help the
crew they are lost" see him running
to the village, calling: Help! Help.
Help. Help! There is ship being
driven upon the rocks. Help, Help"
At once the men respond to his call,
Those barbarous people act just as the
old Long Island farmer acted before
tho life preserving stations had been
built when the John Milton was wreck
ed near East Hampton. They ran with
the ropes. They tied themselves to-
sether like Alpine climbers to reach
out into the surf and draw the drown
ing men to shore. They did this mere
ly for humanity's sake. They did this
as most people OF every nationality
living along the coast would help a
shipwrecked crew. They would have
saved Paul. no matter to what nation
atty he might have belonged. That is
the first scene.
PauIs Gratitude.
But no sooner was Paul's blood
aglow and he knew that his friends
We're safe than he tried to find out
how he could help his rescuers. While
he is warming himself by the fire he
hears one of the barbarans say, did
you know that the father of Governor
Publius is very sick:' "Who did
you say was sick?' "Why, the gov
ernor's father" the barbarian replies.
him No sooner does Paul do this
than the Melitians bring to him all
those who were physically afflicted
Then what happened: Why. those
barbarians just opened the doors Of
their homes. They said to Paul.
"Come. Paul; come right in. Every
thing that we have is thine" Cannot
you find this story revealed in the
words of Luke, which goes thus: 80
when this was done others also which
had diseases In the island came and
were healed, who also honored us with
many honors" All, yes; If you and
try to serve men and make sacrifices
for men there will be no difficulty in
trying to reach their hearts with the
gospel. Paul was able to preach Jesus
unto the barbarians of Melita after
he had healed their sick
My brother, I believe the greatest
drawback to the gospel message which
we want to give to our fellow men Is
that we are unwilling to personally
make sacrifices for them. We too often
go to the Christians. thrusting a
Bible at them and forgetting how
much besides they need. We ought
to study their need and. like the med
ical missionary, approach the barba-
rian with healing for the body in one
hand and healing FOR the soul In the
other. We are not willing to say:
"Brother, what can do for you? How
can l help your" before we say.
Brother. will you take my Christ as
your Saviour All, Paul would never
have been able to preach Jesus accept
ably unto the Maltese unless he had
first been willing to go to the sickbed
Of Publius' father. Neither shall we
ever be able to preach Christ accept
ably to the modern barbarlans unless
we are willing to be food for the hun.
cry, clothes for the naked, eyes for the
blind, medicine for the sick and a
helping friend to the helpless. Kind
ness will win kindness. Sacrifices will
grasp the hand Of sacrifices, and gospel
love will receive from the heart every
where kindly responses.
Died For His Newspaper.
Would that by our self sacrifice we
all could teach men that we love them
and would DO anything and every thing
to save men, even as Christ's sacrifice
has taught us that he loves us. During
the dark days Of Partisan riot a
young reporter. Matthew Donzelot by
name was sent by the Petit journal to