Evening star., 1923-09-15

meditation upon that immortal docu-
| ment that we study the personality
of one of the two men. who intro
duced the germ OF our modern civili-
| cation and of our national Constitu-
| tion into Europe centuries before
'the people of the United States, in
order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic
tranquility, provide for the common
| defense, promote the general welfare
and secure the blessings of liberty"
for themselves and their postertty,
| adopted our Constitution.
While the study of the fundamental
| law OF the nation may arrest the tide
| of lawlessness that threatens the
stability of the nation. we canpot
pass on to coming generations all
| the hallowed inheritances that have
! been handed down 10 US from the
past by knowledge alone. Our con-
stitution was the fruit of centuries.
Christian religion. Without a public
opinion controlled by the spiritual
principles of Jesus we are doomed to
follow the pathway of other nations
serve God and failed. "A nation can
be great in itself and able to infiu-
| ence the rest of the world only as
its citizens supply the moral reality
necessary to achieve it's destiny. The
| moral condition of a nation. is it's su-
neither more nor less than the sum
of the moral qualities of all citizens"
If Ramsays view is correct then the
world owes to Luke's suggestion to
Paul of the needs of Macedonia, the
| missionary Efforts made by the
apostle to the gentiles to give the
correct moral tone to Europe through
his efforts to win that continent for
| the Lord Jesus Chrisx.
| Luke is the first Christian physician
who dedicated his life to the Master.
We have only the most meager
knowledge of the one whose name
heads the list of the medical mission
| aries of the Church of Christ. We
have II on the authority of Eusebius
that he was a native of Antioch.
Faussett says that his name was a
contraction of Lucanus. which was "a
slave name" Paul in his letter to the
Colossians points out that the be-
| loved physician" was a gentle. The
| fact that he was uncircumcised re-
flutes the tradition that he was a
proselyte to Judaism. He may have
| belonged to that group of pious gen.
| tiles who had become dissatisfied with
| their heather faith and had been at
| tractcd by the pure ideals of Judaism
so that they attended the synagogue
| services and shared in the worship of
| Jehovah, as God -fearers," without
| submitting to the ceremonial rites of
/ the law.
Paul had reached Pisidian Antioch
| in "a piteous plight, enfeebled by
| sickness and spent by the fatigue of
SO that he was confined to his lodging
| for a season. 1t was probable that
Luke was called in by Barnabas to
minister unto the apostles needs.
| While he attended to Paurs physical
| needs, the ambassador to the gentiles
ministered unto the spiritual needs of
Luke. From that hour he became
the beloved physician" and loyal
! friend whose ministry, as a physician,
| became identified with that of Paul as
| a missionary. 1t Is evident that Luke
! was an interested member of the
synagogue congregation when Paul
made his first public appearance be-
| fore the people of Antioch. He was
one of the band of disciples who later
heard the apostles exhortation that
| Ito continue in the faith" pointing
out that through many Affections we
| must enter into the kingdom of God"
! We next meet Luke at Troas, where
Paul was called to Macedonia. Ram
say claims that Luke was the man
from Macedonia who appeared to
Paur in a dream. Whether his sug-
gestion is correct or not, men differ.
Luke was with him at that epoch
! making conference, when Paul told of
his vision. His friendship for the
apostle had caused him to accompany
him to Troas. He had been thinking
of entering the missionary service for
1
plan of winning Europe for Christ a
personal appeal that called for him to
enter the missionary service. He
answered Gods call and became an
associate with Paul in his work, as a
/ medical missionary. Japan's tragedy
/ is a call for US to help that we can't
refuse if we are loyal to Christ Jesus.
One of the most important results
of Luke's fellowship with "e apostle
to the gentiles was sne biography of
] hot h. f1 r. e
| has been called by critics ''the most
beautiful book ever written" His
gospel reveals the influence of Paul
over his beloved companion. 1t was
written to establish the certainty of
the Christian faith among the gen.
tiles. who wished to know the facts
concerning Jesus. Luke following his
scientific training had made a sys-
tematic investigation of the original
historical documents. He had re-
| ceived much information from con-
| versations with the friends of Jesus.
/ His biography of the Master was
based upon established facts. Next
| to- Paul he was the most voluminous
have stood the acid test of hostile
criticism.
! He made prominent the character
! of mercy which characterized the
| Lords messages and labor. Luke
only recalls how Jesus. in his sermon
! in Nazareth, pointed out how that
/ in ancient times "the mercy of God
/ flowed toward gentle widow and
a gentle leper." He carefully records
! how the Master sent out the seventy,
represented all nations. He traced
| the genealogy of the Christ back
\ to Adam. We owe to Luke the par
able of the good Samaritan, that
virtue of religion was not confined
J within his own nation. In Luke's
gospel we have sixteen parallels, not
found in the other gospels, including
the beautiful ones or the lost sheep
and the prodigal son, that apparently
| taught how the national distinctions
were abrogated by the cross of Christ
Jesus.
| Luke's gospel gives more informa-
ton concerning the infancy and youth
| of Jesus than the other biographies
of our Lord. Here alone are found
the five great hymns, the accounts
of the forerunner's birth, the presen-
tation in the Temple, the alteration of
| the shepherds and the visit of twelve
year-old Lord to the temple" Twice
Luke refers to the tact that Mary
kept in memory and pondered the
| significant sayings associated with the
childhood and youth of her Son."
which would indicate that the Virgin
Mary was the source of the .biog-
| raphers knowledge of the Lords pre-
natal and early days.
In narrating the history of the
church, Luke in the Acts of the
Apostles could speak with a personal
knowledge, especially of the portion
known as the "we' section. Hobart
has established beyond question that
writer. of the third gospel and the
| historian of the Acts were one and
| the the same person. His use of med
ical terms and the evident attempt to
| hide himself proves conclusively that
we are indebted to Luke for both the