The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1916-08-31


Paul's herolsm and that OF a sOldierI
2. Is war essential to the development
of herOsm7 3. Which courage Is high
er, moral or physical?
i.Paul, the Hero III :21-22). To man
Of sensitive nature, craving peifec-
tlon, sarcasm stirs up the deepest bit.
terness Of the soul. We do not believe
Paul primarily desired to refuse these
false chnrges-they we're unworthy OF
hlm-but the knowledge OF his suffer.
lngs 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 henthenism he was willing TO
seem to be boastlng. Literally he
says: 81 speak by way of disparage
ment (of myself) as though we had
been weak" yet he adds: "Whcreinso
ever any is bold. am bold also" Paul
had rs much to boast OF as any one
of his Jewish opponents ". 2D. "Are
they Hebrewsl (Of the purest blood,
of one nation and languageO so am
!" Are they lsraeites. worshlplng
only one God? Are they Of the seed OF
Abraham, lnheritors OF the ministry OF
the promise and the Messianlc hope
and the kingdom of God? Are they
ministers of the Messiah. seeking to
bring all men into his klngdomf II
speak as fool. ] speak as one beside
himself. | am more" In labors he
was more abundant; he had occupied
n larger field with greater results. In
stripes above measure-thOse inflicted
by the heathen were not limited to
forty blOws-besides other beatlngs re-
ferred to In this list. In prisons oft
(Acts 1929. 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. 14:19). Thrice | suffered ship
wreck" evidently not recorded in Acts,
Tor his shipwreck on the way TO Rome
was later. "a night and day In tho
deep" this not otherwise recorded.
I'm journeyings often" suffering from
the perils Of hard travel, often on foot
in uncivilized regions. "In perils of
water" literally 'in rivers" Bridges
were rare, and floods sudden and fire.
quent. "In perlls of robbers" Every
road in Asia Minor then as now was
infested with robbers. "In perils OF
his own countrymen :" "ln perils by
the Gentilas;" ain perlls In the city;"
"In perlls In the wilderness" "ln per-
lis In the sea" from storms, rocks, pi-
rates; "In perils among false breth-
ren"-Judaislng teachers who were
self-seeking instead Of making the gos,
pei first (Gal. pa II Cor, IL :l3). "In
WEAKNESS and palnfuness," literally 10
labor and travail; "In watchings oft,
en-" repeated nights of sleeplessness
due to anxiety or pain, in hunger and
thirst, In Hastings often" hunger un.
satisfied for long time. "ln 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
wv. 20, 33). The story Of these sur
ferings for the sake of saving men
from sin and ruin proves Paul to have
hnnFa f.f hn oil
history. Pau's enemies had little in
deed to set up against such a 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 pretenslons. Their
assumptions are baseless and their lg-
norance Of "the marks of the Lord Je-
sus" is oft amazing.
II. Gods Sustaining Grace (12:I-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.
fifths Of the New Testament, thirteen
of its twenty-seven hooks, and this
work was accomplished under the
greatest difficulty. trials and suffering.
Te 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. pa. fourteen years
before, or about A. d. 43, when he was
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 scrv-
ants. Pauls thorn In the flesh (vv.
7-1O) is matter of conjecture. II wns
given him. lest he be exalted above |
measure, and he compares this vexa.
tion to the irritation of thorn. Some |
think he had ophthalmia, a common
disease of the eyes. Professor Ramsey
thinks II was chronic malnrlal fever. |
1t apparently affected the dignity OF |
his outward appearance III Cor. .-IO:l.
1O). Paul prayed that this thorn