The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-09
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

l find how base politics reaches up Into high places; and the criminal schemes | Of interruptions financierS penetrate even into exalted courts of justice Were they to recall history. people would not be surprised at this. for fl Is no new thing. Palace and temple have through the centuries often ech- I murderer and thief. The alliance be-
 tween priest and mob. judge and ruff | fan. Is not so unusual as to startis the world. Two thousand years age we find enacted scene not greatly | dissimilar from some modern In stances. The center of the story and its hero is the Apostle Paul, whose fortunes the Sunday schools of the world are now following.
 After rescuing Paul from a fanati- cal Jewish mob, the Roman colonel in order to find out more certainly what the trouble was all about, called the Jewish Sanhedrin together that an examination might be made into the cause. Paul is the same undismayec l gentleman in the presence of these | great ecclesiastics that he had been ir front of the bowling rabbie. It Is of | interest that the narrative points ou how he faced them. and Hooked hard at the council" as one version has 1t
  present. for even lowly virtue never has reason to blush in the presence of | exalted wickedness. He began his ad | dress by what would seem a perfect | ly simple and harmless remark Brethren, I have lived before God in | all good conscience until this day The man who can say that has been | a success, no matter what his worldly state may be. Yet this assertion on AH ha r.ao tfa | Jewish officials furious. and the high priest so far forgot his office as to command the persons nearest Paul to | smite him on the mouth. Justice was far from Jerusalem that day.
 Paul was no "mollycoddle," as the modern phrase has 1t, and his high spirit instantly flashed the retort of a l just and fearless man: God shall smite thee thou whited wall; and sit test thou to judge me accordingly to | the law. and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?" The milk-and- sugar type of Christianity gets small encouragement from this | virile apostle. Yet Paul was quick to | apologize when he realized that 1t was no ordinary Jewish official, but the high priest himself. who had so vio- lated justice. Paul practised what he preached about respecting authority | EVSn a pad OIIlCldl must IcCclFC thF | honor due his office. This whole trial broke up in another row and mob, be- cause Paul created a diversion by set ting the Pharisees and Sadducees al | each other over the question of the | resurrection. Once more. the Roman | cohorts had to come on the double | quick to rescue the prisoner and to | quiet the uproar.
 l A Vision and n Promise.
 "A man is immortal until his work Il | done," runs the proverb. Fear of death is needless and unworthy. It should | have no place in the bosom of a strong man: although such may be forgiven | for fearing that he may not be able to finish his task or that he may die | like a certain great financier, in the midst of his plans.
 Paul was sleeping sweetly in thu | castle prison that night, the quietes spirit within It's walls, despite hii | bruises and the turbulent experiences of the day. Once more he was visited by the familiar figure of the Christ | who had appeared to him on sew eral previous occasions of crisis. "B' | of good cheer; for as thou hast testified | concerning Me at Jerusalem, so mus i thou bear witness also at Rome" wa | the encouraging message Of the Mas | ter. Alongside of that divine will, al
 the machinations of the Jews and th' | Romans were of no avail. Paul wa sustained by the promise that he should go on to his desired goal. Can VI
 wonder that he met the morrow with |
 smiling and serene countenance? Pit! the souls that have no vision. Vel doea the old Book say: 'Where ther' Ia no vision. the people perish. " m
 teachers of our own time are pointing out that one of the needs of our da! is this high sense of sustaining pur
 pose, and of divine call. The cru
 sader spirit alone can accomplish loft, | airrs prasent-day society needs nor,
 of the consciousness of election to dut'
 which made the Pngrims' and the Puri
 tans nation builders
 An UnhOIy Vow.
 Mary wilkins tells human story O
 rear who sat on the steps of hi
 church for years because he had vowe'
 that if a certain minister were ap pointed over the congregation. he woul' |