Middletown transcript., 1916-09-02

1s WudL - Tue OIIlOEenCe D0IWSSA /
Paul's heroism and that of sOldier3 |
2. Is war essential to the development |
of heroism2 8. Which courage is high
er, moral or physical?
l.PauI, the Hero III :21-22l. To man
Of a sensitive nature, craving perfec-
ton, sarcasm stirs up the deepest bit |
terneSs of the soul. We do not believe
Paul primarily desired to refuse these
false charges-they were unworthy Of |
him-but the knowledge of his suffer
ings for the cause of Christ and the
truth of the gospel would augment his
power to serve the church. For the
sake Of those whom he had reclaimed
from heatheniSm he was willing to
seem to be bOasting. Literally he
says: 81 speak by way of disparage
ment (of myself) as though we had
been weak" yet he adds: "WhereinsO-
ever any is bold, am bold alsO." Paul
had as much to boast of as any one
Of his Jewish opponents ". 2I. Are
they Hebrews? (Of the purest blood,
Of one nation and languageO So an
L" Are they Israelites, wOrshtping
only one God? Are they Of the seed of
Abraham, inheritOrS of the ministry OF
the promise and the MeSsianic hope
and the kingdom of God? Are they
ministers of the Messiah, seeking to
bring all men into his kingdOm7 Il
speak as fool. l speak as one beside
himself. / am more" In labors he
was more abundant; he had occupied
a larger field with greater results. In
stripes above meaSure-thOSe inflicted
by the heather were not limited to
forty blOws-besides other beatngS re-
ferred to in this list. In prisons oft
(Acts 16: :23). Frequently exposed to
death and to the perils of robbers by
land and sea ". 24). "Five times
received forty stripes, save one, from
the Jews" ". 25). "Thrice was
beaten with rods; once was / stoned"
(Acts. ii 10y. '"Thrice suffered ship
wreck" evidently not recorded in Acts,
for his shipwreck on the way to Rome
was later. "a night and a day in the
Deep" this not otherwise recorded.
IN journeyings often" suffering from
the perils of hard travel, often On foot
in uncivilized regions. 'IR peri1S OF
water" literally ''in rivers" Bridges
were rare, and floods sudden and Rre-
quent. "In perils of robbers" Every
road in Asia Minor then as now was
infested with robbers. "In periIs Of
his own countrymen;" ''In perilS by
the GentiI IS ;" "In perils IN the city,"
''In perils in the wilderness ;" "1n per-
lis in the sea- from storms, rocks, pt-
rates; 'Tn perils among false breth-
ren''-Judaising teachers who were
self-seeking instead of making the gos-
pei first (Gal. 2:4; II Cor, II :13). "In
weariness and painfulness," literally in
labor and travail I'm watchings oft
:" repeated nights of sleepleSsness
due to anxiety or pain. IN hunger and
thirst, in fastings Often" hunger IN
satisfied for long time. ''In cold and
nakedness; :" in the mountain passes
badly shod and badly clothed. Besides
these things which were without, in
Vulnerable other trials such as the
care of or anxiety over the churches
(vv. 90, 33). The story of these suf-
ferings for the sake of saving men
from sin and ruin proves Paul to have
been one of the greatest heroes IN all
history. Paul's enemies had little In
deed to set up against such record
as this. In contrast, there are those
today who assume to have all scholar
ship and to be entitled to leadership,
but who have neither done nor suffered
anything worth while in laying foun-
dation for their pretensions. Their
assumptions are baseless and their ig-
nOrance of "the marks Of the Lord Je-
sus" Is oft amazing.
u. Gods Sustaining Grace Q2:1-10).
To Paul God gave one of the greatest
tasks over committed to man, viz, the
planting of the gospel in heather
| lands; founding churches; teaching
them the gospel truths of the Lord Je-
sus. He wrote to these churches two
ffths of the New Testament, thirteen
of it's twenty-seven books, and this
work was accomplished under the
greatest difficulty, trials and suffering.
To sustain and guide, the Lord gave
him visions and revelations" ". u.
These revelations came to him from
the very beginning of his Christian life
and continued in every great crisis.
| The first was given at his conversion.
twenty years before this letter was
written, when he saw Jesus in His
glory and received his marching or.
ders. Again wv. 2-4), fourteen years
! in Antioch and first entered upon his
foreign missionary work. He obtained
his gospel directly from the Lord. Sub
sequently he had other visions to sus-
| tain and guide him. God gives US vi
Sions today through his word, his prov
idence and the testimony of his serv-
ants. PauPs thorn in the flesh (vv.
7-1O) is a matter of conjecture. 1t was
! given him, lest he be exalted above
measure, and he compares this vexa-
ton to the irritation of thorn. Some
think he had Ophthalmia, common
disease of the eyes. Professor Ramsey
thinks 1t was chronic malarial fever.
! It apparently affected the dignity Of
his outward appearance III Cor, 1871,
1O). Paul prayed that this thorn
might be removed. The answer was
to give him grace to bear 1t, thus max
Ing the s,indranee a means of blessing.
Teachers ought to study this entire
section, beginning at chapter 10. Paul
says that as an apostle he did not la
Dor In the fields of others (10:14-15).
He was not much concerned by what