Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-03-02

Summerfeld or the pen or a Clay
Trumbul But one fact | know-that
YOU have n talent, and. like Paul, you
must consecrate all that talent to the
service Of Jesus Christ. "Woe IS unto
me IL I 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 q right to ask of us to consecrate I
as much as that. There is 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
Moraylan. When the door was open
ed he said: Father, show me field
where can set my soldiers a-foraging.
We must have food" The old man
said: "Al 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 lust the field we want" said the
captain. LET us stop here" Have
patience." answered the old man. Il
will show one which will suit your
purposes just as we'll" So he led the
troops on about quarter OF league
farther until they reached another field
of barley. After the soldiers had gath
cred the grain the captain turned 10
the old man and said: Father, this will
do. But the field we passed had bet
fer grain than this. Why did you bring
us to this feldY Because" answered
tbe old man. "the other field was not
mine. and this s." 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 tnat
sacrifice was | can tell you of one still
more beautiful. 1t is the child or Gou
taking Jesus by the hand and leading
the Saviour to his fields and saying:
"Here. Master. Here are my helds,
take them. Here is my voice, use IT,
Here is my tongue, let it speak Tor
thee. Here is my hand, let it work for
thee Here is my foot, let it run It's
messages for thee. All that have Is
thine" That is another way OF In
terpretng the Pauline words, woe Is
unto me if | preach not the gospel"
Wanted to Undo His Wrong Acts.
There is Just one more thought, and
then 7 am done. | believe that Paul
was intensely and agonizingly anxious
70 preach the gospel Of Jesus Christ
because of his years of wasted gospel
opportunities. He was as some OF US
are. He did not give his heart to Coo
in his youth. For years he opposed the
/ teachings Of Jesus. He ridiculed the
miracles as shams and trickeries. lie
may have clapped his hands In JOY
when he heard OF Christs trial ana
crucifxion. After the crucifxioa he
i pave ND some time to prosecuting the
followers of the lowly Nazarene. "Oh,
think | hear him say after his con
version. IF can only live long enough
TO undo some of the awful results oi
those prosecutions! Oh, If can only
live long enough to go into those cities
where have derided him! My Lore
and my Christ, wilt thou not let mt
live long enough to testify for thee Z
"Woe woe. woe. woe, is unto me II
l preach not the gospel" Oh. my triends
do Won wonder that Paul said he wa'
! the chief OF sinners? DO you wonde
: that in agony he cried out In bis lette
t 70 the Corinthians, "WOe Is unto me
] I preach not the gospeT After year
sncnt in sitting the gospel invitation
| when at last you come to kneel at IN
8 cross. cannot you cry out as dld Pau'
3 "Iord. receive me, the chief of sinners
o Lord. Lord, give me an opportunity {
e undo the wrong | have done thee
/ Woe. woe. is unto me If | preach no
t the gospel of Jesus Christ
i One night In an eastern city an eai
:. nest preacher was making his elosin
n plea. He swept his hand over the al
: dience as he said. There is a mul
r, derer In this audience. The LORD ha
|, sent me to bring him to Jesus. WI
IS you receive himT A man arose an
d said: "Yes, l am a murdererl al
l. here for this message. | killed ma
's fifteen years ago" So today | am g
C. ing to have my lesson come true
there is a blasphemer among you u
Lord has sent me to tell him that L
IS NAV vet become a preacher of the go
&c pei.
sr ooh. no." says the blasphemer,
Ig am not to be minister OF jest
a. Christ! Why, have despised Chris
g. I have prosecuted him. have dol
Il all I can to drive back his influence
In Yes. my friend. I know that you a
g. even now disappearing Christ. b
ar you are not going to do 1t any longe
y You are Saul. afterward to be know
ce az Paul Your hair Is gray. You a
It. over forty. But you are ightll
el against your better and your nobi
ch self. Five years ago you talked WI
b. some Stephen You were confound'
n. when he presented to you the facts
av o. the gospel. You almost then gave 20
.o heart to Christ, but you have be-
ad fighting, fighting, against that belle
~ Ever since then you have been fightil
- hack the call to 60 and work In GoC
~ ~ vineyard. This is your Damascus roa
~ This Is the moment when you O
,oI standing face to face with Christ II
80 Is the supreme moment of your 81
30 ~ render. Blinded Saul, you are to
w come the missionary Paul. Go for
~. ,e thou bIasphemer Go forth, say,
~ thv martyrdom. Go forth to thy p
lst secution. Rome awaits thee on ear
'us hut a heavenly coronation Is ahe'
Is. To save souls for Christ is from hen
os- forth to be thy absorbing passion.
Copyright 1907. by Louis KloVsen'i