Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-11

(RASI0@R @RUSSELDl dresses, from st.
Paurs words.
"Perlls among false brethren" q Cor
inthians 11:26) He said:
St Paul was remarkable In many re-
spects but chiefly for his loving devo-
ton to the Master and His Cause His
faithfulness brought also many trying
experiences. In our context he enum-
Grated some of these He served the
Cause Of Christ to such an extent that
many thought him unwise, and count
ed him fool. This service brought
him stripes, whipplngs as dlsturber
Of the peace-not that he did disturb
the peace, but that those who opposed
his teachings raised tumult and
blamed him for 1t, in order to bring
him into disrepute, hinder his service
and forward their own interests. This
at times brought him to prison, too
and even close to deaths door.
Nevertheless, he rejolced in all such
privileges. He declared that five times
he received whipplngs, stripes; once he
was stoned, and three times he was
shipwrecked But none of these things
moved him from falthfulness to his
Master, whose servants he had perse-
cuted before his eyes were opened.
Then he recounts various perlls ex-
perienced from waters, from robbers,
from the Jews, from the heathen-ln
the city, In the wilderness, on the sea.
He winds up the list of perils In the
words Of the text "Perils amongst
false brethren"
One question which will arise in
many minds is, "Were these sufferlngs
stripes, perlls, etc.--deservedY If
asked, the answer would surely be
that they were not deserved; for st,
Paul was noble character and bore
the Message of Gods grace In Christ
good tidlngs Of great Joy which shall
be unto all people" The next ques-
tlon with some would be, "lf his suf-
ferings We're not punlshments, what
were theyT
We reply that they were the same as
were the Master evidence Of his
loyalty to God and of the darkness of
the world, which led them to oppose
him. The declaration, "Whosoever
will live godly will suffer persecution,
was fully eXempllhed in his own eX
perlences and in the Masters. The
amount OF suffering Ns reward fol
well-doing marked the measure of 10y
atty and zeal, aud the measure Of
hatred and malice aroused by the Ad
versary. The answer to the question
as to why Jesus suffered is the answer
to all such questions In respect to st
Paul and all other footstep followers.
Darkness Hates tho Light.
The Muster declared that lie STOOD
FOR the principles Of light, righteous
ness, Truth; while Satan stands fo
the reverse-darkness, superstition
blindness. And so II is with the fol
lowers OF Jesus. They must all b'
children Of the light, must walk In tn
light, must be uncompromlsng In thel
attitude toward sin and all that Il
wrong. Therefore the world will hat,
them and say all manner Of evi
against them falsely, Yen, men will
feel that they do God service whel
they slay the righteous, whether lit
orally, as In Jesus case and st. Pauls
or by shooting out arrows even bit
Ter words" as is the more popula
method OF the present time.
But some one will say, "Ah, time
have changed! Today our bishops an,
popes and preachers are all reverenced
No one thinks Of prosecuting then
Rather all men speak well of then,
Any one not spoken well OF today mus
he In some way unworthy" HOY
strange that we should forget and ar
que along these llnesl Were there no
Doctors of Divinity In Jesus day
Were there not priests and chic
priests and Lcyites then2 And wer
there not Phnrlsees who made lon
prayers In the Temple2 And wer
they not highly spoken Of and reyer
enced? Did they not make broud thei
phylactcries? Did any one think o
iraducng hcm' No!
But the Master was there, and Iii
disciples and they were not Of III
popular clergy, by their own recor
they were styled "the Nth and on
securing OF the earth; and, us tn
Master said, whoever prosecuted thel
thought that they did God service
How apt we all are to think Of ou
own day as being different from othC
periods! So It was In Jesus day. A
He told some Of them, aye garnlsh tn
sepulchers OF thdse whom your fail
ers slew, yet ye do their works" s
S-gy