Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-10-13
DIR. MARION MICH. HULL.


DIR. MARION MICH. HULL.
For two long years Paul was kept in
the prison at Caesarea. Felix sent foI
him. hoping to receive bride, but In
vain. One night Paul must have been
awakened by the noise of tumult in
the streets of the city. 1t was one OF
the many conflicts between the Jews and
the Greeks. and Felix ordered his sol
diers down TO take the part of the
Greeks and had many of the Jews slain
Such a great complaint was raised by
the Jewish leaders all over the nation
that Felix was called to Rome, and his
life was saved only through the influence
of his brother PaIlas. In his place Por-
cius Festus was sent to Caesarea To
have charge of the province of Judea
When Felix left under such cloud
he thought, may be, that the Jews would
not persecute his case so vigorously II
he left Paul bound. So instead of liber-
ating him. he crowned his long and
cruel reign of injustice with this most
unjust of all of his acts.
RELIGION WITHOUT CHRIST.
Three days after POrcius Festus ar
rived i'm Caesarea he went down to Je-
rusalem, probably to acquaint himself
with the procedure of the ecclesiastical
courts. of which Jerusalem was the CEN
ter. No sooner had he reached there
than he was met bv n request from the
Jewish leaders. Whether he suspected
il or not. we cannot tell. but in reality
they had made a plot that they would
have assassins i'm ambush, and IL was
dead sure that Paul would never have
reached Jerusalem alive.
II does look like their hatred would
have died away after two years, but in
spite of. the fact that they were the re-
ligious leaders of the day, the highest
officials of the church. and no doubt
verv strict in the observance OF all OF
their ceremonial requirements. we see
that as a matter Of fact they were men
of hate. of deceit. and would-be murder
ers.
Thus has it always been with reli-
gion without Christ. A man may be
deeply religious and vet harbor in his
heart the thought of hate, lying and
murder This is exemplfied in that re-
ligion which has more in IL of God than
any other religion numbering mauv adj
herents. excent Observation-Disclosures
mechanism. The whole superstructure
of this religion is laid upon the foun-
dation of intrigue. oppression. bigotrv
and persecution. And this has been
its history from the time of its found
men need-jt's Christ
A RULER WITHOUT CHRIST.
Festus was man OF parts. He was
an entirely different character from
Felix. He was energetic He had not
been i'm Caesarea but three days when
he went down to Jerusalem to acquaint
himself with the affairs of his subjects.
He spent eight or ten days there and
came back. and the very next day took
M PauI's case, the most important one
that was before him.
He seems to have wanted TO be fair.
He would not grant the Jews the favor
they wanted. He gave Paul a respectful
and fair hearing. l think his question
TO Paul as TO whether he would go down
TO Jerusalem and there be tried under
his protection was prompted by this
desire: he saw that the questions were
not those to be decided i'm a Roman tri-
bunaI. but rather questions of Jewish
belief and practice, and the proper
thing. therefore. he thought would be TO
try Paul on those questions before a
Jewish tribunal ! am aware that some
do not. attribute these motives to Fes-
tus. but think that he merely did this
as a subterfuge. knowing that Paul
would refuse and therefore, put himself
in the light of being willing to do what
the Jews wanted. but knowing all the
time shat he would not have TO really
grant their request. disagree with
that view.
Then when Paul appealed to Caesar
he could have denied the anpeal 1t is
trre that every Roman citizen had the
right of appeal. but the supreme court
could not be flooded with cases of minor
Importance, and il was, therefore, wlthln
the jurisdiction of the lower court TO
decide whether the Appeal was proper
one or not. Had Festus had any desire
70 he unfair he could have blocked
Paurs appeal
But after all this has been SAID. res
tus stands out i'm a bad light: for. recog
,,;zinr PauTs innocence he did not have
tba bsckbone to do the right thing
knowing that If this had been his frs
act as a procurator, he would soon have
been recalled to Rome through the com
nlaint of the Jews. He is falr eX
! annie of a ruler without christ. III
failed when the acid test came
4 REPRESENTATIVE OF CHRIST.
How different however, Is the picture
| Of Paul! The Jews were religious, bu
without Christ they showed up all tn
ugly fruits of sin in their nature. Fes
I tus had many good points, but wlthou
| Christ he was a failure. On the con
/ trary. Paurs character stands out Il
bold RELIEF as representative VI Cili 10
,The two years confinement and forces
I retirement had Gained and quieted MIN
/ had given him time to think and meal
| tate There is a vast difference between
the Paul of the 21st chapter of Acts AM
| the Paul of the 25th chapter. Durini
the two years discipline he had grow
more Christ-like. He had not been idl
/ duriYg those two years, but had utilize
/ the time for communion and fellowshl
/ with Christ, which had produced in hin
a calmness and confidence which stand
4 out most decidedly in his attitude
\ this time.
/ To the charges made against him D
/ the Jews. for which they offered no eNi
| dence. he calmly replied, denying ther
/ and asking that the evidence be present
Il ed. He declined to be carried TO Jeru
Il salem. He had not sinned against tn
] .laa-c.fnE-a. the law