The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-06-18


SO prevalent as at the present day?
Are we not as nation rapidly drift
ing toward such condition as existed
in ancient Rome when it was not con-
sidered a disgrace for a woman or a
man to be divorced four or five times
and where virtue was sneered at as
one of the nonessentials of the purity
of the domestic fireside? Ought the
epitaph which was cut into the tomb
of Titus Claudius Secundus to be your
epitaph? Here is all that remains Of
him. The loves and wines and amours
destroy our bodies, but they make up
life. FAREWELL" Oh, my friend, like
Felix of old, art thou living devotee
Of wine and licentious affec ions? What
Is thy life before God ana man in
true domestic sense. HBst thou, .
immoral leper, Drusilla' sitting by
thy side?~ If thou hast, then Paul is
preaching unto thee Righteousness and
temperance and judgment to come
Thou canst not stop thine ears to his
arraignment any more than David
could ignore Nathan or Herod ignore
John the Baptist or Felix could tenn
porize with Paul. Is thy domestic life
a morally pure, clean life? That IS
what God is asking thee today Better
crush that hideous skeleton of sin
which thou hast hidden away in thy
closet Crush it ia Gods name. ana
crush it now
Felix Was Corrupt.
But Felix had more than the sin of
libertinism laid at his door, He was,
like PLATE, officially corrupt. He was
ready to sell his soul, his honor, his
cath of Office. He was ready to sell
everybody about him and anything
that he owned for money or position.
He knew, after he had heard the argu-
ments, that there. was no case against
Paul. Every sense of justice demand
ed that he should say to the prisoner,
paul, thou art free" But he kept
Paul for two long years in prison be-
cause he Felix was financial robber
and wanted bride to release Paul
from his prison bars.
Can't yen today picture the merce
nary righteousness of this Roman gov
ernor? The Bible reads thus HE
hoped also that money should be given
him of Paul that he might loose him,
wherefore he sent for him the oftener
and communed with him." What does
that mean? Every little while Felix
turns to one of his officers and says,
Bring out Paul and let me talk to
him." Paul comes forth rafting in his
chains. Felix turns and says: Paul,
shall release thee? Why should do
orator, begins to show his innocence.
He says: why, governor, | have done
nothing. Why should you keep me in
Jail? / have done nothing contrary to
the law" Felix was perfectly aware of
that fact, but he knew that Paul had
friends, some of whom were wealthy,
and he thought that by keeping the
case undecided ,ome of them would
come forward with a bride. But If he
limited that idea to Paul we may be
sure it was, Indignantly secuted. Paul
preached to him, land as he reasoned
of righteousness, temperance and judg
ment to come Felix trembled and an
swered: Go thy way for this time.
When have convenient season will
call for thee" O my God, are some
OF US turning our backs upon thee be-
cause, like Felix of old, the palms of
our hands are tainted with dishonest
gold?
The character Of Felix is type that
reaches far beyond governors and
judges in the present day. There are
men in Office who would not accept a
bride, but they would be influenced by
the prospect of political preferment.
They assess lightly the man whose
friendship they wish to gain; they ia
vor the men who can help them for
ward | have known even ministers
who shrank from denouncing certain
sins from the pulpit for fear they
should offend their influential hearers.
Modern Instances.
Felix trembled for his political pros
poets. We all despise the hedger, the
trimmer, the man who is not willing
bravely to defy the powers that be and
denounce and rectify wrong, no mat
ter where he may find it. Just read the
last verse of this chapter of Acts. What
do you find there2 We find that Gov
ernor Felix kept Paul in Jail for two
long years for unjust cause. He kept
him there like the French government
held Captain Dreyfus on Devils island.
Then, when the new governor was ap-
pointed, he handed over Paul prison
er to him. Why? The Bible tells us:
..And Felix, to show the Jews a pleas
ure, left Paul bound" "Ah," I can
hear that cowardly political governor
say, '.these Jews have large political
influence. / must not do anything to
make them angry with me. Therefore
I will keep Paul In jail and hand him
over to my successor. and he can de-
eide his case, and then / will make no
enemies unnecessarily. Do you Won
der that when Paul denounced Felix he
made him cringe? Do you wonder also
that when Paul is denouncing some of
us for our cowardly actions in life he