Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-04
SAUL OF TARSUS'
SERMON SUBJECT
Bishop Conaty Points to st. Paul
as Greatest Example of
Divine Grace
REFORMATION is WONDERFUL
One of the Mightiest Preachers
the World Ever Knew, De-
CIareS Pastor

Saul of Tarsus" was the subject of
an eloquent sermon yesterday morn
ing at the Cathedral of st. Vibiana
by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Conaty.
Saul of Tarsus, otherwise known as
st. Paul. offers one of the greatest
examples of the far-reaching effects of
divine grace upon the individual life.
As Saul of Tarsus he was the most vim
dictive of all the prosecutors of the
Christians in the apostolic days, but
answering the call of God he became,
as st. Paul, one of the greatest of the
apostles. He was remarkable for his
natural gifts and acquired a reputation
for vast learning. His apostolate was
noted for his absolute devotedness to
the gospel which he had accepted as
his youth had been marked with fidel-
ity to all the principles of the Jewish
sect in which he had been trained. His
life gives us model of fidelity to the
grace of God, for the keynote of his
success was expressed in his own
words, BY the grace of God I am what
L am.
CALLED SAUL
st Paul was born in Tarsus in
Cilicia about the beginning of the
Christian era. He received the Hebrew
name of Saul, which after his CONVEX
sion was changed to the Roman name
of Paul. Tarsus, according to the
apostle, was no mean city, but had
reputation not only for its mercantile
success, but also because of its great
wealth and the learning of its people.
AS st. Paul tells us, he was Hebrew
of the Hebrews of the tribe OF Benja-
min and a follower of the Pharisees.
He was educated in what was known
as the Sacred Vineyard, as the rabbis
loved to call the sacred schools which
the Jews maintained for the education
of their children. Sent to Jerusalem
to higher school, he became the pupil
of the famous Gamaliel, one of the
noted masters of his time, and he there
acquired that wonderful knowledge of
the Old Testament which made him an
enthusiastic defender of the sacred law
and one of the brilliant scholars OF his
day He gloried in the martyrdom OF
st. Stephen, at which he assisted, and
he considered that the death of Ste
phen was an evidence of the triumph
of the true religion. Determined to
devote his life to the persecution of
Christianity, and breathing naught
but death and slaughter he demanded
of the high priest power to seize all
Christians and bring them in chains to
Jerusalem.
"One Of the most important epochs
in st. Paul's life was his visit to Greece.
because he brought the doctrine OF
Christ face to face with Grecian cul-
ture and scholarship. In the day of
ST. Paul Greece was the very center
of civilization and consequently in his
mission to the Gentiles he must have
realized the Importance of presenting
the new doctrine to the intellectual
leaders of Athens, as we'll as Corinth
and Ephesus. AS a youth he had
marked knowledge of Greek language
and literature and in his school train
ing he had acquired ability for discus
sion. 1t was particularly in Athens
that he gloried in presenting the new
gospel, for Athens was the home OF
philosophy and the fine arts, and in her
schools were students from many ma
tions.
ILLUSTRATION OF MERCY
"St Paul was an illustration of the
mercy of God to man and mans cor
respondence to Gods grace. He is one
of the mghtiest teachers the world has
ever heard and his lessons are needed
today as much as in the day when he
gave them on Mars hill, at the Areo-
pagus and in the presence of King
Agrippa. He warns the world today,
as he warned the world of his day, that
there is no salvation except in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
tells the philosophy of today that the
perfection of reason is faith in God
and that divine revelation gives to rea-
son it's highest illumination. Human
life has it's highest liberty in Christ
and the most complete satisfaction for
the human heart is in the goodness
which the grace of God produces in us.
The cross of Calvary has redeemed
mankind and all true liberty is in
Christ, who is the Way and the Truth,
and the Life. st. Paul, the philosopher
apostle, gives us the principles of true
reason and leads us to the happiness
which is found in union with Christ"