The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-19

sits down near the close of life, to
write out the story Of his career, he
usually produces a book thrillingly in
teresting.
Such volume generally goes into
details concerning the birthplace, the
home, the early education, the trade,
the profession, the public career, Of
the writer, embellished and illustrat-
ed with numerous references to his
contemporaries, incidents and hap
penings covering wide range Of time
and circumstances. The public eager
ly peruses such volumes, and the
young are inspired and encouraged by
such examples.
The Worlds Hero.
There is no man in history who
commands the interest and admira-
ton of the world more than the Apos-
tie Paul. His biographer Luke has
written in the Acts of the Apostles
his marvellous story at considerable
length, a story which places him in
the front rank as a scholar, an orator,
leader. an organizer, traveller, an
explorer, a theologian, writer, a suf-
ferer, a tireless worker, and always
and everywhere a christian gentle
man.
He tells us where Paul was born,
where he was educated, when and
where he was converted, the regions
into which he travelled, the churches
he organized, how he was prosecuted,
the great men he met, in what cities
he preached, how he worked at his
trade to pay his way, what profound
student he was, what a clear under
standing he had Of human nature,
how he confounded his adversaries in
his arguments, how he saved the
church from splitting on the rock of
Judaism. how he put in half CEN
tury of work all over Asia and Europe,
turning the forces of heathenism, pa
ganism and Judaism upside down and
planting the standard of the cross
above the Roman eagles. It is
thrilling memoir this. of the Life of
st. Paul, and 1t will never die.
Summary Of His Life.
But this is not all we know of this
great hero of the church. In the
epistle to the Corinthians the apostle
incidentally writes his own autobio-
graphy and in the 18th and 18th chap
ters records with his own pen a sum-
mary Of the events of his life, without
a particle Of egotistic, bombastic
boasting he puts down catalogue Of
the things he had done and suffered
for the cause of christianity and the
list is startling enough to make us
nnndarn phricfiono in
chagrin and embarrassment. We are
like pigmies in the presence of giant
Vhen we open the volume of the book
and read such words as these:
I'm labors more abundant, In stripes
above measure, In prisons more fre.
quent, In deaths oft, of the Jews FIVE
times received l forty stripes, save
one. Thrice was beaten with rods,
once was l stoned, thrice I suffered
shipwreck, a night and day have I
been In the deep. In 1ourneyings
often, in perils of waters, in perils Of
robbers, in perils by mine own coun-
trymen, in perils by the heather, in
perils in the city, in perils in the will
derness, in perils in the sea, in perils
among false brethren; in weariness,
and painfulness, in watchings often,
in hunger and thirst in fastings often,
in cold and nakedness. Besides those
things that are without, that which
cometh upon me daily, the care Of all
the churches"
Tonic for the Weak-kneed.
This is autobiography at its best.
The modern soldier OF the cross does
well to keep such biography near
at hand and read 1t often for his COM
fort and encouragement, we some
times think, In these soft and careless
days, that we have hard time Of 1t
trying to exemplify christianity. Poor,
weak-kneed specimens of piety, when
we feel these fainting spells coming
on we ought to take a good big dose
of the Apostle Paul. There was iron
in his blood, ambition in his head,
strength in his grip, fire in his eye,
and genuine religion in his heart.
The love Of personal liberty, the
perilous prospect of death, none Of
these things moved him from the de-
sire and purpose to finish his course
with Joy, and to fulfill the ministry
which he had received as a sacred
trust from the Lord Jesus Christ To
be a follower Of such a hero is to be
in the apostolic succession by the
power Of the Holy Ghost. When the
world gets a race of christians to
whom nothing is 30 dear as the un-
speakable luxury and matchless op-
portunity Of lighting in this old hero's
company and with his weapons. the
Kingdom Of God win come.