The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-03-01


service of Jesus Christ. "Woe is unto
me if do not surrender all my tai.
ents, body, mind and soul, for the
spreading of the gospel"
Would that we ALL like Paul, might
be willing to surrender every talent
that we have of body, mind and soul,
to the service of Jesus Christ! God
cannot ask of us to do any more. He
has a right to ask of us to consecrate
as much as that. There is a story told
that many years ago a troop of Ger
man cavalry was on the march. The
captain halted at the home of an old
Moravian. When the door was open
ed he said: Father, show me a field
where l can set my soldiers a-foraging.
We must have food" The old man
said: "All right, my friend. Follow
me-" So he took his staff and led the
soldiers on for about a mile, and they
came to a fine field of barley. There
is just the field we want" said the
captain. Let us stop here" Have
patience" answered the old man. 81
will show one which will suit your
purposes just as we'll" So he led the
troops on about quarter of a league
farther until they reached another field
of barley. After the soldiers had gath
cred the grain the captain turned to
the old man and said: "Father, this will
do. But the field we passed had bet
ter grain than this. Why did you bring
us to this field?" Because" answered
the old man, "the other field was not
mine, and this is" Beautiful! Beau
tiful! The old Moravian did not want
the soldiers to rob his neighbors, so he
let them rob him of his own field of
ripened grain. But beautiful as that
sacrifice was | can tell you of one still
more beautiful. 1t is the child of God
taking Jesus by the hand and leading
the Saviour to his fields and saying:
Here, Master. Here are my fields,
take them. Here is my voice, use it.
Here is my tongue, let it speak for
thee. Here is my hand, let it work for
thee. Here is my foot, let it run its
for thee. All that | have is
thine" That is another way of in
LCIDIeIllS llC dullllc NOIuo, w VIC 10
unto me if l preach not the gospel"
Wanted to Undo His Wrong Acts.
There is just one more thought, and
then | am done. | believe that Paul
was intensely and agonizingly anxious
to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ
because Of his years of wasted gospel
He was as some Of us
ire He did not give his heart to God
in his youth. For years he opposed the
of Jesus. He ridiCuled the
miracles as shams and trickeries. He
may have clapped his hands in joy
when he heard of Christs trial and
After the crucifXiOn he
gave up some time to prosecuting the
followers Of the lowly Nazarene. "Oh,
think | hear him say after his con
IF l can only live long enough
% undo some of the awful results of
hose prosecutions! oh, if | can only
i've long enough to go into those cities
where l have derided him! My Lord
md my Christ wilt thou not let me
i've long enough to testify for theeF'
Woe, woe, woe. woe, is unto me if |
preach not the gospel" Oh, my friends,
10 you wonder that Paul said he was
he chief of sinners? Do you wonder
hat in agony he cried out in his letter
o the Corinthians, Woe is unto me If
preach not the gospel? After years
spent in sitting the gospel invitation,
when at LAST you come to kneel at the
cross, cannot you cry out as did Paul:
Lord, receive me, the chief of sinners.
Lord, Lord, give me an opportunity to
undo the wrong l have done thee.
Woe, woe, is unto me If preach not
he gospel of Jesus Christ"
One night in an eastern city an ear
lest preacher was making his closing
Plea. He swept his hand over the au-
Hence as he said: There is a muir
lerer in this audience. The Lord has
sent me to bring him to Jesus. Will
you receive him." A man arose and
said: Eyes, | am a murderer! | am
lere for this message. l killed a man
fifteen years ago" So today l am GO
ng to have my lesson come true If
here is a blasphemer among you the
Lord has sent me to tell him that he
nay yet become preacher of the Cos
1el
"Oh, no." says the blasphemer, 81
I'M not to be a minister of Jesus
Christ! Why | have despised Christ.
| have prosecuted him. have done
Ill l can to drive back his influence"
Yes, my friend, l know that you are
even now disappearing Christ. But
you are not going to do it any longer. |
You are Saul, afterward to be known |
Is Paul. Your hair is gray. You are
over forty. But you are fighting
against your better and your nobler
self. Five years ago you talked with
some Stephen. You were COMPOUNDED |
when he presented TO you the facts of |
he gospel. You almost then gave your |
leart to Christ, but you have been
lighting, fighting, against that belief.
ever since then you have been fighting
Jack the call to go and work in Gods
'ineyard. This is your Damascus road.
This is the moment when you are |
standing face to face with Christ. This !
s the supreme moment of your sur
ender. Blinded Saul, you are to be-
ome the missionary Paul Go forth,
hou blasphemer! Go forth, | say, to
by martyrdOm. Go forth to thy per-
ecution Rome awaits thee on earth,
tut a heavenly coronation is ahead.
70 save souls for Christ is from hence
orth to be thy absorbing passion.
copyright, 1907, by Louis Klopsch1
Poisonous, but Profitable.