Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-03-14
C-aln,aQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalInase. u. ID.

the Old Bible is still the best ana III
deed the only guide upon which man
may depend for the present life ana
that which Is to come Is the lesson
in this sermon. The text IL
Acts viii. 80, "Understandest thou what
thou readest"
or all the narratives and incidents IN
the Bible there is not one that nh-
presses me as more powerful and Ora
matic than this conversion Of the secre-
tary of the treasury of Queen Candace's
court 1t occurred in the midst OF
great desert through the Instrumental
itv Of n humble travelling evangelist |
Philip by name. This Ethiopian states
man evidently had been sent to Jeru-
salem by his royal mistress on mis-
sion of inquiry. Methinks / can hear
her say to this member of her prlVy
council: "NIr. Secretary, we are not get
ting as much money from our taxes as
we ought. We must learn how to nan
die better our national system OF
finances. The expenses of the govern
ment are increasing year by year. tne
people are growing weather. all 'ne
time and vet the revenues are not
keeping pace with the prosperity Oh our
land You had better hand over tne
treasury department for little wnlle
70 your deputy. Go north ana STUDY
the Roman system Of taxation. fou
need not announce that you are gong
there for that purpose But go ana
keen your eyes open and learn what
von can. and we will reorganize the
treasury department when you return.
Thus. think, Queen Candace spoke 10
her chief secretary.
The mission would be welcome
one TO him. The Acts tells us he had
gone to Jerusalem to worship. we
may assume. therefore, that he was
either a Jew serving a foreign soyer-
eign. as Joseph served Pharaoh ana
Daniel Darius. or that he was LOT
eioner who had come to know the true
God and. like Naaman, desired 10 Wor-
shin him. and him alone. AS 'Ne had
gone TO Jerusalem to worship ana nau
y Jewish book to study as he traveled'
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 mptn'
He meets all the high officials on tne
nrovince. He talks with the Roman
oovernor and his council as wei as
WITH the members of the Hebre" I'm
hedrin. And, strange to say, while ne
&c there he hears the disputes In Jeru-
salem over the arrest and the trlai anu
tho sentence and the execution y q
vounq Hebrew of the name or JSeds
Christ. which had taken place apou'
seven years before. Then, as every
Intelligent foreign statesman woulu oo
this secretary Of the treasury OF inc
southland not only studies the nscal
system and government or tDese peo
nle. but their religion as well. Ut
does inst as you would do If you wen
70 an oriental country. In lnola you
would study what Hindooism means
~ In Arabia, what Mohammedanlsn
means; If in China, what ConIuclan
ism means: If in Tibet, what BUDDHISM
means. Not only did he study the he
p brew religion while in the Jewish cap
: i+ol but he also took some of their re
: Iigions hooks along to study on ni
way home.
The Ride In the Chariot.
The scene again changes. The stu
! dious statesman of the south Is rldlnl
8 In his chariot over the hot, blisterlhi
e desert on his way south. He Is return
inc TO Queen Candace's court. In OF
der TO lessen the tedium of the journe'
= he opens one Of the religious DOCKS o
!, the Hebrews, called the Prophecy o
J. Isaiah" and begins to read. Nhile Il
II reads and studies a young unKho"
man comes alongside the chariot an
}, osts him. "Understandest thou VIVA
thou readestp The puzzled studeI
answers: How can | unless some on
explains this book to me? Come VI
voung man. and ride with me, and te
me what this prophet means" Inc
, Phil,p enters the chariot and sits D
his side. He begins to read at the pae
of the parchment which was opene'
This was the Messianic prophec.
where Isaiah described Christ as bein
led rs a lamb to the slaughter. Inc
Philip said: Can you not see that u
prophecy Of Isaiah has been fulriieo
Won heard in Jerusalem how they ie
Christ before PLATE. You must nay
beord how he was condemned and e
ecuted, though he was innocent. I'M
WAS the fulfillment Of the predlcu'
Won have been reading In this book
Isaiah. His life and death were
T. Isaiah said they would be, and the OF
or prophets described them almost
plainly" Philip went on to preach
him so forcibly and earnestly that Z
Ethiopian statesman became humt
child of God and believed and was Da
tized. Such is the simple and yet po
erful story of the conversion Of Il
eigner through the preaching OF a 81
pie. earnest servant Of Christ.
Now. as this great statesman sat
his chariot the open Bible in his ha
had become a new book to him, full
life and meaning. The vague, shado'
rvmbols Of the rites and ceremonies
the law led up to the clearer visions
the prophets, and at last the whole
came plain In the glorious appearal
Of Christ, a gradual revelation Civ
in connected book How such
view transforms the Bible! Let
study the book In that aspect
morning. Would that the result mi
be as efYectual as was the eunu'
study under Philips guidance!
The Chief Hero Of the Bible
Mill L.. frdf f1lQ0Q has