The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-23
The Internstionsl sunday eehecl Les
son for October ~ u "Paul Prts-
oner Before Festua snd
AHrippa.- Acts XIV, 81
XVI. n -
ny wILLIAM r. ELLIS.

CHallEa 10 u Jdilef, ana btauaiH& tet Nse
highest rights in the face OF king
that IL the spectacle which some e5.-
900, 600 Sunday school members are
sasa upon e s9nsiass this soss strrns
weeks is once more brought forth from
his Caesarea prison In order 70 appear
sion he delivers one Of his most cele-
brated orations. The incident links IT.
self very closely to the life Of today.
Paul in prison. as q sop to the ecclesi-
estical party In Jerusalem. He was the
sort OF public man who could not do q
ture had become such that he could not
ling politician. Festus was sent TO rep
Sssn n .ss sontrp ae % went Early
with the leaders Of the Pharisees there.
wh s.P Ssp s5sS S sreSS DOWN on 10 n
rusalem for trial-meaning All the
while to carry out the long-deferred
plot Of assassinstinE Paw ". en- n.w route re.
ward the apostate member of their high
4 never turned paul against his ma;
should love my country II II were not
for my ,countrymen." has no parallel In
his utterance. His magnanimous spir-
that they might be saved" Such senti-
ments as this give us the true measure
msn' E shas sia 70 e. eh .ms.rsr.
The humblest Roman citizen could
appeal from the decision OF any judge
the EmIpeEE estu 10 curry
favor with the Jews. that Paul consent
to. the improper procedure OF standing
sIial ~ ,o yeru,s - wosd. @ msniness that
thrill the reader.
"No; am standing at the Emperor >
bar. the place where ought to be tried.
yourself can see clearly enough; II.
however. ! have done wrong, and have
committed any offenae deserving deatn,
Is nothing In the accusations OF these
10 them. I appeal to the Emperor"
o Tne q ds ENEMIES waa cast Ge s
Rome Paul must now go. conveyed over
the safest sroute by all the power OF
S Sis eaxer Expectation q meet with the
With more Of the protoplasm IN their
sSs s.ane ot ss q
ap Tor their rights Their conception
81 rights are Of things 70 ss s ,hat ,Gs
place Of Christians is underfoot Paul
knew better He saw clearly that there
ars times when to stand for sisn ns.,a -
must be defended at every cost; man Is
man in COOLEST guise when he is cham,
pioning truth In the face Of leasned
Truths utter sacredness is an old, old
4 note that needs to be sounded again
| and again. There Is timidity about
esfs that. forgetting Jesus and Paul.
| and all their noble train, inciines TO
| make compromise with expedtency FOR
WORK woe s1 IN the world IS not so important
| as the utter freedom of truth. y -
better that all endow ments be forieit-
crate and ali ecclesiastical structu. es
crumbie into dust than that chains or
muzzies should be put upon truth: A
poet of today. Edward >. Martin, ring
tngiy says;
.I pray Thee, Lord. that when Il comes
To say IL will follow truth and Thee.
or choose instead to win. as better
Ny pains, some cioying rseompense o.
Grant me, great Father. from hard.
fought field
Forsps .e,. and bruised. upon battered
Home to obscure endurance to be borne
Rather than live my own mean gains
| to seorn. s---
'Far better fall with face turned TO-
| ward the goal.
At one with wisdom and my own worn
Than ever come to see myself prevail.
When to succeed az last Is but to fail.
Mean ends to win ana Herewith be
save me from that Direct Thou the
As suits Thy will: whsrs'sr the prizes
Grant me me the struggle. that nv soul
A Trial rs a Function.
Court rooms crowded with men and
women. representatives, OF wealth. ana ana
leisure, are no new spectacle. When
e n the new Governor Of Judea
fresh trial of Paul was held for his IN
terest. The occasion was resplendent
sumptuous court room-tne very one IN
which his rotten father had fallen dead
while being acclaimed a god-the in-
AsrlPpS as aad .ssted upon roys
thrones Cleaning cohorts OF Roman
soldiers in full dress uniform lined the
walls, The nobility o. the Wno a d le,
the magnificent hall, eager to be seen
as courtiers and to see for themselves
the fascinating. infamous Bern,ee and
the famous prisoner, Paul. once mem
Der of the Sanhedrin. now the chief
aDoetl0 OF the CnrfSttan way II was
a surnptuous setting Tor PauPs sermon;
and he was glad 10 preach the gospsi
10 any company of people. though he
had seldom confronted more sodden sin
than at this most elaborate judiciai-
There stands Massachusetts" cried
Daniel Webster, on a. memorable occa-
soni when called upon to defend his
state. There stands my life" erisd
Paul, In his defense. He was In the
happy condition Of q man who can APP
peal to his past In Justification for his
present. He needed no other argument
than his own life story. and that he
told with an eloquence that held his
hearers enrapt. He made 1t very plain,
especially to Agrippa. the Jew, that X
was not for any peraonal misdemea amor
he was on trial, but for. a great hope.
for the ideal OF a patriot and OF
A Vision and Its Servant.
There Is a clingipg- charm and rare
majesty which have made them a ia
miliar quotation In literature, about the
words Il was not disobedient unto the
heavenly vision" Paul had related how
he had been arrested in the mad mid
career OF his prosecutions of the Chris
tians by the appearance OF Jesus. He,
the scholar, the iogtcian, the aristo-
cratic Pharisee, had been converted by
q vision. 1t is the vision Of Jesus that
smites mems pride and constratns them
to diseipleship. The world and the
Church today need supremely the vis-
ion Of the crucihed. risen Redeemer.
q n. "a