The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-07-06
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
Folk Are Thinking About and
Religious News From
Elsewhere

S no new attribute. mere AWAY
have been persons IN whom thu
money nerve has been quicker thar
the nerve of conscience.
In his P~hilippian episode we ma,
see, h stretching the figure, az
analogy of the tumultuOuS activity o
certain special interests at Washing.
ton in the matter of the tariff. Vested
interests are pulling for a high tariff
or for a low tariff. not for the coun.
try's sake. cut for their own private
| profit. They vie with each other il
INVOKING the highest sentiments o
patriotism to cloak their meanes
motives. even as these Philippia1
capitalists displayed q remarkable
access Of zeal for the Roman divini
t:es when Paul had smashed thei1
industry. So also at Ephesus the Sill
versmiths set the mob to crying
Great is Diana of the EpheSians.
SO id Nero turn the wrath of tn
mol upon the Christians to diver
attention from himself. 1t is wei
always to be skeDtical of an alliga
tors motives. Pau perceived this il
his own case. and vas careful to re
ceiVe no profit or his preaching. H.
maintained himself by t~ent-making
because he would not bring reprOacl
upon the Gospel.
Beaten, MISUNDERSTANDING.
What do you do when in trouble
Do you simply collapse? Do YOU
Whirnper and whine and pour YOU
grievance into the ears of all VIII
listen? Do you bitterly rail agains
fate, your fellOW-men, and God? O.
do YOU smile and sing when trouble!
pile the thickest? That last is th'
apostolic way. Beaten with o d
stretched in eXcruciating stocks
dumped into the lowest dungeon o
the Phil.ppian prison, because Of tn
mob'S false accusation, Paul and Slla!
yet made melodious the midnigh
hours by their songs They had within
themselves springs of eXhaustless JOY
That IS the spirit of faith which tn,
wcrld cannOt ouch. Although cart
.anno move it. it may move heaven
for we may be sure that whereye
men are suffering for truths sake
wherever Gods servants are shut int
any prison, there is concentrated tn,
special interests of all the forces 0
heaven. The prayers and songs o
the disciples were answered by 81
earthquakes.
An I[artiiuuakc Messenger.
Our word ange1 Tel traced back
means SIMPLY Il messenger. Any
thing that God sends is his angel. |
does lot ave TO be Gabriel; it ma.
he a grief. it may be a JOY, it ma.
I've, as with Paul and SilaS at Phil
ippi, the shaking Of the earth itself
The imagination loves to dwell upon
hat tragic scene What pandemo
MUM ensued as prisoners foun,
themselves loosed from their tortur
ing bonds: what cries of panic and o
fear rent the midn 'ght air; hoy
some thought first of swift ana fur
tive flight, while others, nobler, too
first thought for the welfare Of thei
fellows. The keeper. true to the Ro
man tradition that death is bette
than G~ishonor. started to commit sui
eide. unit stayed by PauI's interven
ton.
The way the strong man comes t
the fore in every situation is of al
sOrbing interest. Paul was only
prisoner in the inner dungeon, bu
still he was the captain of that III
~precedented situation. once more h
was the leader. stillins the panic. stay
ing the jailer'S hand bent on sell
murder. and bringing to it's highes
issue this presidential disturbance. H
thought vas of the %jailer. and not {
himself. The passion for service Wi
tnd expression in every condition i
life.
what Must / Do?"
There is a popular theory nevada!
that if We just let society alone it wi
eVc1ute into a golden age. The sc
entific discoveries in evolution mad
by Darwin and Wallace are wreste
into all sorts of applications. If eve
luton is to ave humanity, why is
that some of SOciety'S worst degenel
ateS spring from the most hOnOre
families in the nation? And why doe
ancient Italy furnish such an undI
percentage Of the modern criminals
Why is it, too, that the greatest me
and the hottest are prOmptest to Sc
like Paul, that they have not vaulte
INFO their present character, but tn;
they have been made over, transform
ed by some power outside of then
selves?
That is what happened to the PHI
ippian jailer. He did not gradual
ascend, by slow processes, from I'll
state of mind of a cruel, heartles
5 brutalized Roman official, to a con
passionate and tender friend Of his r.
; cent victims. He won his transform;
} ton by the route of tho anoiant Or