The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-10-08


among them
selves to assassinate him. With Sa-
tanic malice they would kill the man
whom they could not answer. The
knife or the bullet has always been
the rascal's argument. and proficiency
in the use Of deadly weapons secures
the respect of the mob.
The Conspiracy Formed.
And see how determined they we're.
They pledged themselves not to eat
nor drink until they had killed the
apostle. The blood Of that holy man
would have been as nectar to them,
and they confidently expected to have
It in few hours. But II not, they
swore that they would not eat nor
drink till the plot was accomplished.
And how cunningly they laid their
plans. They knew that Paul was in
the castle, and that the chief captain
had tried several times to get at the
real facts in the case, without avail.
Paul was held by the officer, not so
much prisoner. for no charge had
been sustained against him, as to pre-
serve his life from the furious Jews.
Now these conspirators visit the chief
priests and elders and lay their plan
before them.
They say: Send word to the COM
mander that you have called another
meeting of the council, and that you
would like to question Paul little
further. He is interested to get at the
facts in this case, and he will send
the prisoner at your request Mean
while we will lie in wait for him, and
when he gets to a certain place on
the road we will rush out upon him,
and kill him. You do not need to ad-
NIT that you knew anything of the
plot. We will take all the risk and
| all the responsibility"
What sort of an estimate could they
have formed of those men to suppose
that they would listen to them for a
moment, much less become their &C.
completes in crime. And yet, the
narrative bears unmistakable evidence
that those ecclesiastics, those unscru.
pulous and hypocritical religionists,
fell in readily with this most infamous
plot. They professed themselves
ready to do the lying, if the conspira-
tors would do the killing. Thus the
trap was set. The next day 1t was to
be put into execution. And when night
came forty scoundrels in Jerusalem
wert supperless to bed, wondering if
they could stand the enforced absti
nence until the deed was done.
The Conspiracy Discovered.
We know very little about Paul's
family, but in this instance it is said
that the apostle had a nephew in the
city who somehow got wind of the
plot to kill his uncle. Without mo-
ments hesitation he went to his kins-
man in the barracks and related what
he had heard. Paul knew that the
promises of God are not given to en-
courage presumption, but that Provi-
dence helps those who help them
selves. And though he had received
the most positive assurance that he
should be preserved In safety, he knew
that that assurance instead of being
a pillow for lazy inactivity, was rather
a spur for prudent natural means. And
hence, when he knew what was going
on, he sent the young man to the
chief captain with his story. The kind
hearted commander took the lad aside,
and the story of the nefarious plot
came out.
The Conspiracy Defeated.
Man proposes, but God disposes No
sooner had the officer learned the par
ticulars of the plot than he resolved
to remove the apostle out Of the way
a od
ration to send Paul to the Governor
at Caeserea, 70 miles away. And at
nine o'clock that night, after the city
had become quiet, the narrow streets
of Jerusalem echoed with the tramp
Of marching feet, and nearly 500 Ro-
man soldiers passed through one Of
the Eastern gates, and took the road
to Caesarea. In the midst Of that
formidable guard rode Paul, the apos-
tie. And when the hungry conspira-
tors went forth in the morning they
were astonished to find that their vio.
tim had escaped.
We are not informed whether the
men kept their vow, and starved to
death, or not. But the probability ID
that they at once repaired to the near
est place where food could be obtain
ed. and took hearty breakfast. They
had tasted twenty-four hours.
And thus the conspiracy was de-
feated, and Paul's funeral indefinitely
postponed. / can imagine the great
apostle, during that midnight ride over
the hills of Judea. repeating softly this
triumphant Psalm of David, 30 appro
! pirate to himself
"Our soul is escaped as a bird out
Of the snare Of the fowler; the snare
is broken, and we are escaped"