The Washington herald., 1909-07-03

Of their fellows. The keeper. true TO the
| Roman tradition that death is better
/ than dishOnor, started TO commit suicide
I until stayed by PauIs Intervention
/ The way the strong man comes 10 the
/ fore in every situation IS OF absorbing
I interest. Paul was only prisoner in the
inner dungeon, but stnl he was the cap
tain OF thar unprecedented situation
/ Once more he was the leader. stiIling the
/ panic, staying the jalers hand bent on
Self-murder. and bringing 10 It's highest
issue this providental disturbance. His
thought was OF the 1ailer. and not OF him
self The passion for service will find
! expression in every condition in life
WHAT MUST I Doy"
There Is q popular theory nowadays
that if we just let society alone it Will
evolute into a golden age The scientific
/ discoveries in evolution made by Darwin
and Wallace are wrested into all sorts of
applications. II evolution is 90 save hu-
manity. why IS II that some Of socIety's s
worst degenerates spring from the most
honored families IN the nation? And why
does ancient Italy furnish such an undue
percentage Of the modern crfminals2 Why
IS H. too, that the greatest men and the
holieSt are pTOmptest 10 see. like Paul.
present character. but that they have
been made over. transformed, by some
power outside Of themselves?
That IS what happened 70 the Philip
plan JRiler. He did not gradually ascend,
by slow processes, from the state OF mind
of cruel, heertless. brutalized Roman
official, 20 a compassionate and tender
friend Of his recent victims. He won his
transformation by the route Of the an
cieat cry What must 1 do 20 be saved2"
Christianity alone has a simple answer
for this biggest Of all human questions.
10 the Philppian jaIler's cry Paul ans
Wered. Believe on the LOru Jesus. and
thou shalt be saved. thou and thy house "
The churches have modified and DIVERSE
ned and elaborated the programme OF re
demption, and have instituted long pro
cesses 10 be undergone But Gods way
Is a simple. short. direct. and sufficient
one Believe I'm Christ as the door 10 en-
trance into life
This sublime truth has often been OBJ
scured in the case Of the Philippian jailer
by bootess discussions concerning The
method OF baptism Paul baptized the
jailer and his family. and the theologians
have displayed aII kinds Of ingenuity and
hl-temper in their efforts 10 prove that
new converts were simply sprinkled or
that they were immersed. Happily that
sort Of thing Is largely out Of fashion. ex-
ceDt in Jhe case OF a few religious papers
that have not yet awakened 70 the fact
that they are not living in the sixteenth
century We are not greatly interested
In the form Of baptism to-day. We know
the Jailer was baptized. and that he was
made new man and a joyous disciple
Of Jesus. That is enough.
THE WHOLE FAMILY
-Four times IN four consecutive senten-
ces the point OF the whole famiIy's iden-
tity with the jaiIer in salvation is empna-
sized. This runs counter % the mood Of
the Western world. We have minimized
the Importance Of the family. The ORR
ent old and new. knows better. 1t stands
by the family and by the clan. We are
estray IN our intense individuaism. The
father IS immersed IN business. The moth
or IN society one daughter cares for set
uement work. another for sport: one son
goes IN for literature, the other follows
in his fathers footsteps Each has his
own special interests. and there IS prac-
ucally no common meeting ground for
the whole family
This IS a grievous twentieth century
evil The New Testament plan Is for the
man 70 be the head Of his own house.
and for him 20 lead the whole family In
unity Of interest. When families stand
solidly together as families, meeting daily
about the one altar, we shall hear less
OF the need for Juvenile courts Nothing
VIII keep children away from the streets. 1
away from the gangs. and from the cheap
Ineaters, and the dance halls. like a fam
ily life uniaed about common cares and
interests. and welded together by a COM /
mon love.
A BRAVE MANS DIGNITY.
Everybody who submits % injustice IS /
a foe 10 his race Paul had been wrong /
fully imprisoned and The magistrates sent
TO free him. He. Roman. refused % be (
freed in any such light fashion. They /
have beaten Us publicly uncondemned, I
men that are Romans, and have cast Us I
into prison. and do they now cast Us out ]
prlVily? No, verify; but let them come
themselves and bring US out"
That was spoken Ike a brave man. The /
no1con1ormers have ever been the best /
friends of society We cannot for an I
instant contemplate Paul sitting supinslv I
under the civic corruption OF one OF our /
modern municipalities. or winking az the 4
petty grdTt OF the policeman on the beat,
or the wholesale robbery Of the political I
boss he stood upon his rights as a citi-
zen. He was man before he was a .
Christian. Religion has ever been the NIL /
lar Of law The star chamber has had 10 .
disappear before the progress OF the Cos
pei Christian citizens ought To be a ter
ror Of an evil doe-s. Every proud and
unjust magistrate ought 90 be brought (
20 his feet in the same obsequious fash
ion that Faul humbled the naughty Phil /
ippian officials.