Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-31
SAUL CONVERTED
BY Big MIRACLE
Wealthy, Aristocratic and Self
Satisfied, He Became an
Apostle to the Gentiles
The International Sunday School Les
son For April Is "The Conversion
OF Saul."-Acts 9:1-31.
(By william t. Ellis)

How 3 strong man. going the wrong
way, was violently stopped and set to
moving in the opposite direction, is
the lesson of to-day. The man was
| known by the city of his birth; now
that city is known by the man: for
where the records once spoke of Saul
of Tarsus they now speak of the Tar
sus of Saul. AS for the man himself,
he belongs to that select little COM
| pany who are fully described by the
mention of his name. There have been
many millions of Pauls in the world, !
but only one of them is meant when
we simply say Paul"
Bigger than any news that gets
! into the newspapers are the decisions
made by great men. The real turning
points of history are the convictions
! formulated in the silence by men of
strength. 1t may be years before the
events that sprang from the decision
are known; but the real crisis was
when the choice was made. Before
| ever the public sees an engagement
ring on girls finger she herself has
| known the revelation of the love that
it represents. So Paul on Mars Hill. .
or before Agrippa, when all the COM
munity was set by the ears, was merely
reflecting the consequences of that
great day on the road outside of Da-
/ H..
the prosecutor of Christians, and be-
came Paul, Christ's apostle to the Cen |
! tiles.
! Please observe that Saul was going
| somewhere; he was not sitting on a
| fence finding fault with the looks and
walk and equipment of other travel F.
ers. The men and women who have
/ not even gumption enough to be bad
are the real problem of society. The
/ virile youngster-the bad boy"-who
is always getting itno scrapes is really
/ less to be worried about than the coll |
| or less lad whose goodness is merely
lack of force and courage. There Is
/ more hope of an out-and-out persecu-
tor and hlasphemer than of the spine
less, feckless, fearful fellow who is
/ best represented by minus or a zero
sign. 1t is often the big sinners who
make the great saints.
II took miracle to convert Saul
OF Tarsus But he was worth it. He
was stopped in midcareer by a blind
ing vision of the Lord. while on the
way 10 Damascus to harry the Chris
tians. Like the good workman that
he always was, whether serving God
or Satan. Saul had made careful
preparation for his task carrying with
him letters from the high priest at
Jerusalem to the Damascus svna-
gogues: Whatever he did. he did il
with all of his might. 1t was no sec
: ond-rate character that saw the light
on the road of persecution. why is il
} wonder, that the churches do not
deliberately go after the strong men
J who are not Christians? Ii does al
) most seem at times as II present-6av
church work were gagged to the level
OF the mediocre and the common
place.
A lot OF little men want a special
7 miracle to persuade them to do right
but God does not drive tacks with a
! sledge hammer. Paul was worth a
miracle. Looking back over what he
) mas meant to the world, we can see
how God could have afforded to empty
Heaven of angels and archangels that
Gay, IN order to cause that brilliant
{ Young man to right about face -
) mere was no bigger business on hand
) in Heaven that day than the CONVEX
sion of Saul. Every mother and every
teacher dreams of the day when one
OF her boys will become a great man:
ana that goal is an inspiration to ut
I most and tireless effort. 1t may be
that some woman who has the destiny
OF future Wesley or Luther or ST
) Francis or Phillips Brooks is rea ding
these lines.
Wealthy, aristocratic. self-assurad
: saul rode on toward the oldest CITY
In the world, musing, perhaps, upon
] the sacred associations of this beauti
ful place. with Its memories of Abra-
, ham and Naaman and the proud
HN iaH klHss Wnom the armies of Is
rael had put to naught And he felt
j himself to he on the same service
HIS retlnue rode respectfully in ,the
, rear. If there was any one thing
FARTHER from the young zealot's mind
than another, it was uncertainty about
! ms course. He was right. absolutely
! right and all who differed with him
. should suffer even as that mad bias
phemer stephen had suffered. His
every breath was threat against
these Christian dissenters
j Then something happened. In a
few marvelously clear sentences the
story is told by the most compact book
in the world:
And as he journeyed. he came
near Damascus: and suddenly there
shined round about him a light from
Heaven; and he fell to the earth, and
heard voice saying unto him. Saul.
saul. why persecutest thou me? And
he said. Who art thou. Lord and the
Lord said, | am Jesus whom thou per-
secutest: II Is hard for thee to kick
against the pricks. And he trembling
and astonished said. Lord. what wilt
thou have me to do? And the Lord
said unto him. Arise. and go into the
city. and it shall be told thee what
thou must do. And the men which
lourneyed with him stood speechless.
hearing voice, but seeing no man.
And Saul arose from the earth: and
When ms eyes were opened. he saw
no man: but they led him by the hand
and brought him into Damascus. And
ne was three days without sight, and
neither did eat nor drink"
what Saul needed was light. and
he got it. with an intensity and an
abundance that felled him. As a
trained philosopher the young scholar