The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-08
BY wILLIAs1.r. ELLIS.

The school or experience soon gives
pupils their proper rating Barnabas
and saul had set out from Antioch
IN syria to DO missionary work. and
they were classified in this order and
by these names. :. Now we find that
tina story is altered. 1t is Paul and
his. cbmpanys- The fi7st man has ma
tufaiiy AMI inevitably risen to first
place. + Here we find his name changed
from Saul to Paul. The new man had
taken on . new name. John Mark
drops from the company at this point,
probably because he was not of = as
sturdy stun as the leaders of the ex-
pedit1on. and could not face the hard
ships that were 10 be endured. Later
he had to reckon with Paul on this
account, and was really the means Of
dividing the two associates. Paul and
BarnRbaa.f
q. satlinx from Paphos In the Island Of
Cyprus. where the last lesson was laid,
the company came to Perga. In what
II now called Asia Minor. and thence
they went up to Antioch In Pisidia--
probably one OF the sixteen Antiochs
founded by Seleucfs NIkator and nam
I'd for his father.4 1t must not be con-
founded with the great Antioch lin
Syria. where the disciples were first
called Chfistians.s Why Paul did not
remain al Pergn has been subject of
conjecture. 1t 10 thought that the heat
OF summer. and the malaria which In
Tested this Iow-lying city along the
water. drove him up on to. the high
tabie-iand where Antioch was- situated.
Ramsay thinks that the malaria which
here entered Paul.s@ system wast has
thorn In the fiesh." which he bore to
the end Of his life. In any case. seine
consideration drove the little band OF
missionaries over the perilous journey
to Antioch.
A Peinf Of Contact. 4
Like Jesus. Paul went to church on
the Sabbath. He Identified himself
with all the best customs Of his time
ana community. He knew that the.
| synagogues were to be superseded, ana.
that the worship was bare and faulty.
and that the preaching was usually
dry. unpalatabie and unnutrftious pab.
uiun. Nevertheless. Jesus and Paul
went to the synagogue on the sabbath.
They found It point OF contact with
the best agencies of their day. They
identified themselves unequivocaliy
with all religious tendencies. although
their own beliefs extended quite be-
yond those entertained and taught by
the. synagogue. This attitude. which
ever seeks q point OF contact with the
people whom II desires to serve, is an
essential qualification In Christian
work.
50 Paul and Barnabas were shown
to the rabbinicai seats, and after the
reading OF the Law and the Prophets,
the rulers Of the synagogue called on
them to speak. with the tact that al
ways characterized him. Paul's sermon.
or "midraish." as the Jews called IT.
was based upon the passages which
"a n.
cited the history. which the Jews never
tired OF hearing. and of course found
II an easy path TO the story OF the
Messiah who had come.
Paul was never satisfied to make
general propositions His sermons al
ways ended In an. application. He
was Thou are the man tyne or
preacher. He left his hearers face TO
race with their personal responsibility
In the case.
STIRRING CITY.
II had been many long day sinee
that synagogue had heard such 8
searching sermon as was preached by
the unexpected stranger on that Sab
pain morning. It set the Jewish cnIn-
mnnity BY the ears. Whenever q gen
uine preacher appears in neiefbor-
nood Win clear message of convic.
tion. the latter Is bound to make more
talk than all the advertising he can
DO. People always have been and al
ways will bestnterested in vital. spfr-
itual tsuth. Rufus NJ. Jones says. an
MS spiritual nature. man Is incurablv
religious. The religion that Is re.
lated to life can always get a hearing
As II was In Paufs day. so it is now
A great sermon makes itself talked
about. The members OF the synagogue
entreated Paul and Rarnabas to speak
again the following Sabbath.
The Implication Is that this synn-
gogue was an influential factor In the
life OF Antioch. It's oufreach touched
the entire city Apparently It had TO
some degree solved the ever-present
problem Pre- as ,s o. making the church the cen.
have delighted Paul's heart to see the
way in which that synagogue was able
to get after men In their social rela-
tionships. SO that. as the narrative
runs. Next Sabbath almost the whoIe
city was gathered together to hear the
word or God :" -
some JeaIoar Jews.
Sour, misanthropic,, and ilI-fayored
souls there always have been, whose
greatest sorrow seems to be the hap
piness Of other people. OF a naturally
Jealous dispositions they cannot view
with eduanimity the prosperity Of any
body else. The world Is full of these
born detractors. The slang phrase of
the, day calls them tknockers"; ana
the philosophy OF thesstreet has coined
words of keenest seorn for them. Even
the man who gives least thought to
questions OF character, and ethics per-
ceives that the ''knocker' is on the
wrong track, and-that he fs q man 20
be avoided or reformed 800 t
The Jews OF Antioch had been de.
lighted over the popularity which Paul's
sermon had won for their synagogue,
but when they found that the multi
tude followed Paul and disregarded
them, they were filed with Jealousy"
They could not stand aside for the sake
of a great man and a great message.
Therefore they stirred up SANDER
against the missionaries: even as