Milford chronicle., 1907-04-12

c@ouo AAAAAoL " lnG WOIAu anu vi
ing sinful men to bow at the cross Of
Christ. He was not a conscienceless
derelict upon the great sea of humanity
to be driven about by every stormy
wind and to be beaten off his course
by every diverging current When a
principle was at stake, you could not
swerye Paul from his course. There
never was a gospel preacher who
hewed closer to the straight line OF
truth than did this man Paul.
A Closer Look.
Come, let US look a little closer at
This resolve. Do you suppose Paul per-
sonally liked to eat this meat from Off
the heather altars? / think not. Would
you have liked to eat it? No; you
would no more have desired to eat that
meat than you would like to eat the
flesh of some animals killed in Span
ish bullfght. 1 had a dear friend who
some years ago went to the Mexican
capital and saw some Of these poor
helpless animals slain by the mata-
dores. He said that it was the most
sickening sight of his life. For days
and nights he could see the poor
wounded beasts, some OF them with
their entrails dragging upon the
ground, and he could hear the screams
Of the frightened horses ripped open
by the merciless horns. Just outside of
that arena he saw the butcher wagons
standing On his way back to the city
hotel he saw these wagons rumbling
past filed with the carcasses Of tho
slain bulls. When he saw those wagons
he said that he felt he was looking at
the dead carts carrying away the de-
capitated corpses from the French gull
lotine during the tragic ascendency Of
a Robespierre. a Marat and a Danton.
"Why. so sickening was the sight" said
he, that during all my stay in the
Mexican capital refused to eat beef
for fear l would eat some of those
poor creatures slain at that awful bull
fight That was the way, I think.
Paul felt when he looked upon the
meat which was taken off the heathen
affairs. 1 do not believe he could di-
vorce that meat from its vile assOcia-
tions. Neither could you.
When Paul saw that meat, there
loomed UP before him the beautiful
Greek temple dedicated to the worship
Of Venus. That worship was the most
bestial and loathsome and immorally
corrupt of any temple in the east, par
allellng the worship of ancient Baal
So corrupt was this worship that for
centuries the name of a COrinthian was
a synonym for debauchery. But
though every refined sensibility Of Paul
revOlted from touching that idol meat,
I think I hear Paul say as he looks at
1t: paul, you do not want that meat,
but remember 1t is not tainted. 1t will
give strength of muscle and Of brain.
Remember, Paul, If you buy this food
cheaper there will be less need for
your long hours now devoted to tent
making, and then you will have longer
time to preach Jesus Christ" So Paul
bought that meat. SO Paul stiied
every personal repulsion which he
might have in order to be able to
spread the gospel further and preach
Jesus Christ to the people of Corinth.
Even in his food he econOmized in or
der that he might become a flaming
evangelist. Oh, my brother, are we
our pocketbooks, our
whole lives, our every desire, to bring
the message of the cross nearer to the
hearts of men, as Paul did in the
market Mace of Corinth?
But, though Paul was not like a spir-
itual weathercOck easily turned this
way and that by every popular wind
my text proves that he would change
when there was sufficient reason. Paul
was ready and willing to yield about
if thereby he could win
the good will of his fellow men and
by that good will make men more will
ing to heed his message. He was not
one of those ecclesiastical sticklers who
want TO put the whole world into re-
Iigious straitiacket and compel others
to think as he thought and do as he
lid. You know there are some people
born in this world who never have any
respect for the individuality Of other
people.
They are so convinced that theirs IS
he right way to worship God that they !
lemand that their fellow men worship |
him in the same way, with the same
liturgy and using the same hymn book
md with the same rites. They say,
If you do not do as 1 do and wear
ny ecclesiastical gown and my surplice,
iood. cassock and stole, then you are
lot true Christians" Now, it was men
# this kind who were worrying Paul
bout this triae Of the meat that had
,een offered to idols AS he told them,
IN idol was nothing in the world"
md the meat offered to it was not
larmed by, being offered. But he saw
hat opposition to them diverted their
houghts from the higher questions Of
aith and holiness, so he yielded to
hem, that they might be free to think
f the essential things. Some Of the
uestions of ritual that men dispute
bout now are of the same character