Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-03-12
Calnnage
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talrnage, d. D.

The old Bible is still the best and in
deed the only guide upon which man
may depend for the present life and
that which is to come is the lesson
taught in this sermon. The text is
Acts viii, 80, "Understandest thou what
thou readest?'
or all the narratives and Incidents in
the Bible there is not one that i'm
presses me as more powerful and dra-
matte than this conversion of the secre-
tary OF the treasury of Queen Candacos
court. 1t occurred in the midst of a
great desert through the instrumental
lty Of a humble travelling evangelist,
Philip by name. This Ethiopian states
man evidently had been sent to Jeru-
salem by his royal mistress on n mis-
sion Of inquiry. Methinks | can hear
her say to this member of her prvy
council: "Mr. Secretary. we are not get
ling as much money from our taxes as
we ought. We must learn how TO han
die better our national system of
finances. The expenses of the govern
nent are increasing year by year, the
people are growing wealther all The
time. and yet the revenues are not
keeping pece with the prosperity of our
land. You had better hand over the
treasury department for little while
TO your deputy. Go north and study
the Roman system taxation. You
need not announce that you are going
there for that purpose. But go and
l.. hat
you can. and we will reorganize the
treasury department when You return"
Thus. think, Queen Candace spoke to
her chef secretary.
The mission would he a welcome
one TO him. The Acts tells MS he had
gone to Jerusalem to worship. We
may assume. therefore. that he was
either Jew serving Il foreign sover-
eign. as Joseph served Pharaoh and
Daniel Darius. or that he was for
oigncr who had come to know the true
God and. like NaamGn. desired to wor
ship him, ana him alone. AZ he had
gone to Jerusalem to worship and had
a Jewish book to study as he Travelled,
he was evidently no stranger to Juda-
ism.
The scene changes We now enter
with the southern diplomat the gates
Of historic Jerusalem. He stays on
week after week. month after month.
He meets all the high officials of the
province. He talks with the Roman
governor and his council as we'll as
with the members of the Hebrew SAP
hedrin. And strange to say, while he
Is there he hears the disputes in Jeru
salem over the arrest and the trial and
the sentence and the execution of a
young Hebrew Of the name of Jesus
Christ, which had taken place about
Eeven years before. Then, as every
Intelligent foreign statesman would do
this secretary of the treasury OF the
southland not only studies the fiscal
system and government of these peO-
pie, but their religion ms well. He
does Just as you would do If you went
10 an oriental country. In India you
would study what IIndooism means:
If in Arabia. what Mohamlncdanism
means; if in China. what Confucian-
SIN means; if in Tibet what Buddhism
means Not only did he study the He
brew religion while in the Jewish cap
Il Il
ligious books along to study on his
way home.
The Ride In the Chariot.
The scene again changes The stu
dious statesman Of the south is riding
In his chariot over the hot, blistering
desert on his way south. He is return
Ing to Queen Candacc's court. In or
der to lessen the tedum of the journey
he opens one of the religious books of
the Hebrews called the "prophecy of
Isaiah" and begins to read. While he
reads and studies young unknown
man comes alongside the chariot and
asks him. "Understandest thou what
thou readest?' The puzzled student
answers; How can ! unless some one
explains this book to me? Come up,
young man, and ride with me. and tell
me what this prophet means" Then
Philip enters the chariot and sits by
his side. He begins to read at the page
Of the parchment which was opened.
This was the Messianic prophecy.
where Isaiah described Christ as being
led as a lamb to the slaughter Then
Philip said: Can you not see that the
P''l'h''N VI i'hh''I il'AN '''l lHl'4'''t'
You heG rdkin Jerusalem how they led
christ before PLATE. You must have
heard how he was condemned and eX-
ecuted, though he was innocent That
was the fIlfilnent Of the prediction
rou have been reading in this book Of
Isaiah. His life and death were as
isaiah said they would be, and the 9th
er prophets described them almost as
plainly" Philip went Oh to preach to
him so forclbly and earnestly that the
Ethiopian statesman became a humble
child of God and believed and was bap-
TIED Such is the simple and yet pow
srful story Of the conversion Of for
aigner through the preaching of sim
ble, earnest servant OF Christ
Now, as this great statesman sat in
his chariot the open Bible in his hand
had become q new book to him, full Of
life and meaning. The vague, shadowy
symbols Of the rites and ceremonies Of
the law led up to the clearer visions Of
the prophets, and at last the whole be-
came plain in the glorious appearance
OF Christ, gradual revelation given
In connected book How such n
view transforms the Bible! Let us
tysdt,