The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1925-05-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially For The Repub.
LEANS Readers by Rev. L. S.
Wright, DID,.
SUNDAY, MAY II, 1925.
SAUL BECOMES A CHRIS
TIAN

thlng else mad TO De SWlIcneQ out OIL
the way of his particular passion at
the time and there was no stopping
to let off or take on passengers of
modifying ideas. 1t is magnificent
to see but terrific to get in its way.
That fact that he could run but one |
train at time caused serious diff
culties. He was possessed with the /
idea of liberty, and off went the en- |
CINE with never a brake set until his |
neither male nor female" in Christ |
Jesus piled a crowd of women on the |
track asking about their right to
speak in meeting, and there was pref
ty near an explosion as the train tried
to back up without killing somebody.
Fired by the peril to the faith of his
Fathers caused by the preaching of
Stephen and the rest this big, passion
ate man let himself go in their pusuit
perfectly blind to any inconsistency
in his mad rush that filled prisons
and destroyed lives. For he was a
Pharisee of the Pharisees and believ-
ed in the future life, in the suprem-
acy of the Spirit and the willy High
Priest Caiaphas, was Sadducee
who was rejoicing over this getting a
man of another party to do his dirty
work for him and was fostering the
persecution because the whole Chris
tian movement was based upon the
Resurrection as evidence of mans
eternity. Saul was outraging every
principle of his real belief but was
still furiously flinging coal into his
firebox and screwing down the safety
valve. Talk about him being a man
of logic-if logic is a thing Of the
heart, then he beats the world; if it
is a matter Of the head only he isn't
even an entry in the human race. The
reason we love him and God loved him
is that he was an eXuberant enthusi-
asst wherever we find him, for it is
the lukewarm fellow that makes God
and man sick.
With genius for strategy he knew
that the starting fires in other cities
must be checked before a condagIa-
ton came, and he began his hot 140-
mile tramp in dust and heat to carry
out his purpose and the difficulties
involved are only a measure Of the
passion that stirred in his soul.
PAUSE
Across the great silences they
walked Day after day they plodded
and night after night looked up at
Gods stars. There was nothing to do
but think and in some fashion Steph-
en- insisted on companying with SauPs
thinking. His strange unhappiness, a
thing utterly foreign to his sunny
nature that sang in one prison and
penned from another, "Rejoice, and
again l say, rejoice!" began to prey
upon his mind He was sure he was
right, but why this strange question
ing, this subtle dissatisfaction, this
unexplainable face of Stephen if his
early training and his fundamental
beliefs were not being outraged by
his new alliance?
Then came the storm as the cold
wind from the hills swept into the
heat of the valley of Damascus and
the sudden flash from the sky that
flung before what was at the heart OF
the glowing glory. Comrades of day
light vision are Moses, Isaiah, Eze-
kiel and John and in all five cases it
wrought a change not in the mans
purpose but in its application. 1t il
lumined the plan of life while it left
its passion unimpaired. Not only die
Saul's soul catch sight Of the face OF
Jesus, but it heard His speech also
The rest of the party must have thot
their leader crazed by the shock as
they lisened to him talking, "hearing
His voice, but seeing no man." AnC
the inner voice identified the Speaker
to the listening soul as Jesus and for
ever settled all questions in the mine
of the hearer as to the truth of His
life and His so sharing our own that
when we suffer He suffers with US
For what is done to the needy is done
to Him Sweated labor and exploited
childhood make the modern cross
Lust and liquor braid HIS crown o.
thorns. War CANDLES for His gar
ments. Business is business" mocks
Him as an imposter. Yet He lives anC
will come to a day when "every knee
shall bow and every tongue comics
that He is Lord" Nor would H,
leave the stricken man without a ten
der promise of guidance so that Their,
was certainty ahead, and with swift
obedience Saul turned his unseeinl
eyes toward the city and was lie,
within it's gates.
PROVISION.
God is never surprised. There i
always found provision if we take tn
way of His directing. 1t is only whel
we go our own way that we miss tn
supply and wander on with starve,