Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-03-13
Caanase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TslTnaee. d. d.


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 readestT'
the Bible there is not one that Inn
presses me as more powerful and dra-
matte than this conversion Of the secre-
tsry OF the treasury Of Queen Candace's
court. 1t occurred In the midst OF a
great desert through the Instrumental
fly of humble travelling evangelist,
Philip by name. This Ethiopian states
man evidently had been sent to Jeru-
salem by his royal mistress on a mis-
sion Of inquiry. Methinks l cal. hear
her say to this member of her -privy
council: ''NIr. Secretary, we are not get
ting 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
ment are increasing year by year, the
people are growing wealthier all the
time, and yet the revenues are not
keeping pace with the prosperity Of our
land. You had better hand over the
treasury department for a little while
to your deputy. Go north and study
the Roman system of taxation. You
need not announce that you are going
there for that purpose. But so and
keep your eyes open and learn what
you can, and we will reorganize the
treasury department when you return"
Thus, I think, Queen Candace spoke to
her chief secretary. ga
The mission would be q 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 sover-
eIgn, as Joseph served Pharaoh and
Daniel Darius, or that he was q for
eigner who had come to know the true
God and, like Naaman, desired to wor-
ship him, and him alone. AS he had
gone to Jerusalem to worship and had
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 well as
with the members Of the Hebrew SAN
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
seven 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 as well. He
does just rs you would do II you went
to an oriental country. In India you
would study what Hindooism means;
II in Arabia, what Northumberland
means; If In China, what Confucian-
ism means; IL in Tibet, what Buddhism
means. Not only did he study the He
brew religion while in the Jewish cap
itnl, but he also took some OF their re-
iigious 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 Candace's court In or
der TO lessen the tedium 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 readestt" The puzzled student
answers: How can unless some one
explains this book to me? Come I'D,
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
or the parchment which was opened.
This was the Messlanic prophecy,
where Isaiah described Christ as being
led as lamb to the slaughter. Then
Philip said: "Can you not see that the
prophecy Of Isaiah has been fulfilled?
You heard in 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 fulfillment OF the prediction
you 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 on to preach to
him so forcibly and earnestly that the
ethiopian statesman became a humble
child Of God and believed and was bap-
t'zed- Such is the simple and yet pow
erful story Of the conversion Of a fer
eigner through the preaching OF aim
pie, 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, fun OF
life and meaning. The vague, shadowy
symbois 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
or Christ. gradual revelation given
In connected book. How such n
View Transforms the Bible! Let US
STUDY the book in that aspect this
morning. Would that the result might
be as effectual az was the eunuch's
study under Philips guidance!
The Chief Hero Of the Bible.
The Bible. in the first place, has its
chief hero. 1t has a central personal
ity toward which its opening pages are
silently and syvifflV r,ovtno NIT. m