Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-03

Golden IeXC: aIu ready 10
preach the gospel to you also that
are at Rome. For / am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ; for it is the
power of God unto salvation to ev-
eryOne that believeth. Rom. lis: 16.
It was late in November that Paul
and his fellow travellers were ship
wrecked off the coast of Malta. 1t
was early in March when the sea
opened up enough for them to
board another Alexandrian cornship
that had been more fortunate than
it's sister ship in weathering that
terrible November storm and max
ing port.
You can almost SILVER with those
276 souls as they climb ashore out
of the cold water and find them
selves still without shelter in a
pelting rain and a stiff wind. The
islanders-Who proved themselves
anything but barbarians in the or
binary meaning of the term-wel-
coined them and built a fire to
thaw them and dry them out. They
must have been good scouts to
kindle a fire without matches and
with wet wood. And the best scout
Of them all was little man nearly
sixty years Of age who had been the
hope and inspiration of the ship S
company for the whole time of the
terrific storm. Paul did not stand
back on his age or dignity, but
pitched right in and worked as hard
as any sailor gathering furze-roots
to keep the fire going. In one bum
die a poisonous reptile was hiber-
mating, but the warmth of the fire
aroused it to activity and it fasten-
ed itself on PaupS hand. Needless to
say Paul shook it off at once.
The natives showed evidence of
universal uperstition-that dis
aster is a necessary evidence OF
wrongdoing. How often you have
thought or said when trouble came
to you-"I wonder what I have
done to bring this on me!' They
supposed he was a murderer; and
then they thought he was a god.
They were wrong in both suppose
tons. He was just a man, who had
made some great mistakes, but who
had learned more than any man be-
fore or since what it means to know
Jesus Christ. God had told him He
was going to have him testify at
Rome; and Paul believed God that
it should be even as He had said;
and therefore nothing could thwart
God-whether it were a band of
Jewish assassins, or Roman pris'
on walls, or a covetous unprincipled
Roman governor, or storm, or a
shipwreck, or a lot Of soldiers who
wanted to kill him, or a viper. God
was greater than everything the
6nJicn shut PqnIS
mouth.
If you give the devil enough rope
he will always hang himself, and
that's Just what he did here; for
it was the viper that proved to be
Paups card of invitation to the home
of the governor. He heard about
him and invited Paul and his com
pany to be his guests for three
DAYS. While there Paul learned of
the illness of his father and went
in to see him. God miraculously
healed the. old gentleman in answer
| to Paul's prayer and the laying on
| of his hands. The news of this
spread rapidly through the island,
and manv cam from far and near
to he healed OF their diseases. This
gave DR.. Luke / chance to exercise
| MS skill. w lit lIle W1llIOA "c"o w
and they were ready to leave, great
| honors were given Preacher Pau
| and DR.. Luke for the service they
! had rendered and everything neces
sary for their journey was pu'
aboard ship for them. 1t seems
that this experience illustrates per
; fectly Gods plan for healing, EV
erv case of healing is accomplished
J by God. Some times for His owl
, glory He accomplishes it without
| the use Of means; but in the MAJOR
ty of cases He uses the skill OF the
physicians and the material Things
He has made. No case IS TOO marc
| for God to cure; no remedies arr
! strong enough to overcome His Will
if He is calling the sick one away
On To Rome.
March found the travellers or
their way again. A days sal
brought them to Syracuse on th'
coast Of Sicily. Here they Wa!tes
three days for favorable Wlnd
and then made a circultous TACK u
Rhegium. After one day at Khe
GUM a favorable south Wlnd pleN
and the last lap Of the sea voyage
ended at Puteoli in the Bay OF Ma
pies. HuIGOll was Il1O 0NeNE -
Rome, although distant quite a OIL
There was group OF the prother
hood there-who founded that III
tie church no one knows; but al
through Italy groups OF the PROM
ers were found. They must have
been the result Of the quiet witness
| ing of those who had learned tc
| know Jesus, and as merchants OF
travellers were telling the good story
wherever they went. This group al
Puteoli invited them to stay a week
| Then the march to Rome began. VI
course Paul knew something o.
| Nero, and the nearer he approached
! Rome, the greater must have beer
| his uncertainty as to the outcome
of his trial. But in some way wore
had reached the Christian commun
| ity at Rome of his near approach
and so he was greatly encouraged
when he found at the affian market
! 40 miles out of Rome that a group
of Christians from Rome had come
| to greet him. and his headt was fur
| Their cheered a little further on al
the Three Taverns to find another
| group to meet him. With such
backing he was ready to do any
thing.
Reaching Rome, the centurion Ju
Illus turned over all his prisoners tC
the chief magistrate who was named
Burrus, and who was a very kindly
man. No doubt the good word spok
en- by julius was responsible fol
the privilege allowed Paul of lodg
ing with his friends for while
| L. s.,s,1 ~ h &c