,,expositions ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture   
,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4,d41 ,litt4  
,d4   ,,the ,,acts    ,,expositions ,,of
 ,,holy ,,scripture  ,,alexander        
,,maclaren1 ,d4,d41 ,litt4 ,d4   ,,the  
,,acts  ,chaps4 ,i to ,,xii ,,verse #ag4
    ,,contents  ,,the ,,ascension 7,acts
 i4 #a-ad7  ,,the ,,theme ,,of ,,acts   
7,acts i4 #a1 #b2 xxviii4 #cj1 #ca7     
,,the ,,forty ,,days 7,acts i4 #c7      
,,the ,,unknown ,,to-,,morrow 7,acts i4 
#g7  ,,the ,,apostolic ,,witnesses      
7,acts i4 #ba1 #bb7  ,,the ,,abiding    
,,gift ,,and ,,its ,,transitory         
,,accompaniments 7,acts ii4 #a-ac7      
,,the ,,fourfold ,,symbols ,,of ,,the   
,,spirit 7,acts ii4 #b1 #c1 #ag2 #a     
,john ii4 #bj7  ,,peter',s ,,first      
,,sermon 7,acts ii4 #cb-dg7  ,,the      
,,name ,,above ,,every ,,name 7,acts ii4
 #cf7  ,a ,,fourfold ,,cord 7,acts ii4  
#db7  ,a ,,pure ,,church ,,an           
,,increasing ,,church 7,acts ii4 #dg7   
',,then ,,shall ,,the ,,lame ,,man      
,,leap ,,as ,,an ,,hart' 7,acts iii4    

#a-af7  ',,the ,,prince ,,of ,,life'    
7,acts iii4 #ad1 #ae7  ,,the ,,healing  
,,power ,,of ,,the ,,name 7,acts iii4   
#af7  ,,the ,,servant ,,of ,,the ,,lord 
7,acts iii4 #bf7  ,,the ,,first ,,blast 
,,of ,,tempest 7,acts iv4 #a-ad7  ,,with
 ,,and ,,like ,,christ 7,acts iv4 #ac7  
,,obedient ,,disobedience 7,acts iv4    
#ai-ca7  ,,impossible ,,silence 7,acts  
iv4 #bj7  ,,the ,,servant ,,and ,,the   
,,slaves 7,acts iv4 #be1 #bg1 #bi7      
,,the ,,wheat ,,and ,,the ,,tares 7,acts
 iv4 #cb2 v4 #aa7  ,,whom ,,to          
,,obey1--,,annas ,,or ,,angel8 7,acts v4
 #ag-cb7  ,,our ,,captain 7,acts v4 #ca7
  ,,gamaliel',s ,,counsel 7,acts v4 #ch1
 #ci7  ,,filled ,,with ,,the ,,spirit   
7,acts vi4 #c1 #e1 #h7  ,,stephen',s    
,,vision 7,acts vii4 #ef7  ,,the ,,young
 ,,saul ,,and ,,the ,,aged ,,paul 7,acts
 vii4 #eh2 ,philemon #i7  ,,the ,,death 
,,of ,,the ,,master ,,and ,,the ,,death 
,,of ,,the ,,servant 7,acts vii4 #ei1   
#fj7  ,,seed ,,scattered ,,and ,,taking 
,,root 7,acts viii4 #a-ag7  ,,simon     

,,the ,,sorcerer 7,acts viii4 #ba7  ,a  
,,meeting ,,in ,,the ,,desert 7,acts    
viii4 #bf-dj7  ,,philip ,,the           
,,evangelist 7,acts viii4 #dj7  ,,grace 
,,triumphant 7,acts ix4 #a-ab2 #ag-bj7  
',,this ,,way' 7,acts ix4 #b7  ,a       
,,bird',s-,,eye ,,view ,,of ,,the       
,,early ,,church 7,acts ix4 #ca7        
,,copies ,,of ,,christ',s ,,manner      
7,acts ix4 #cd1 #dj7  ,,what ,,god      
,,hath ,,cleansed 7,acts x4 #a-bj7      
',,god ,,is ,,no ,,respecter ,,of       
,,persons' 7,acts x4 #cj-dd7  ,,peter',s
 ,,apologia 7,acts xi4 #a-ah7  ,,the    
,,first ,,preaching ,,at ,,antioch      
7,acts xi4 #bj1 #ba7  ,,the             
,,exhortation ,,of ,,barnabas 7,acts xi4
 #bc7  ,,what ,a ,,good ,,man ,,is1     
,,and ,,how ,,he ,,becomes ,,so 7,acts  
xi4 #bd7  ,a ,,nickname ,,accepted      
7,acts xi4 #bf7  ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of 
,,james 7,acts xii4 #b7  ,,peter',s     
,,deliverance ,,from ,,prison 7,acts    
xii4 #e1 ,r4,v47  ,,the ,,angel',s      
,,touch 7,acts xii4 #g1 #bc7  ',,sober  

,,certainty' 7,acts xii4 #aa7  ,,rhoda  
7,acts xii4 #ac7  ,,peter ,,after ,,his 
,,escape 7,acts xii4 #ag7    ,,the      
,,ascension  ',the former treatise have 
,i made1 ,o ,theophilus1 of all that    
,jesus began both to do and teach1 #b4  
,until the day in which ,he was taken   
up1 after that ,he through the ,holy    
,ghost had given commandments unto the  
,apostles whom ,he had chosen3 #c4 ,to  
whom also ,he shewed ,himself alive     
after ,his passion by many infallible   
proofs1 being seen of them forty days1  
and speaking of the things pertaining to
 the kingdom of ,god3 #d4 ,and1 being   
assembled together with them1 commanded 
them that they should not depart from   
,jerusalem1 but wait for the promise of 
the ,father1 which1 saith ,he1 ye have  
heard of ,me4 #e4 ,for ,john truly      
baptized with water2 but ye shall be    
baptized with the ,holy ,ghost not many 
days hence4 #f4 ,when they therefore    
were come together1 they asked of ,him1 
saying1 ,lord1 wilt ,thou at this time  

restore again the kingdom to ,israel8   
#g4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,it is not 
for you to know the times or the        
seasons1 which the ,father hath put in  
,his own power4 #h4 ,but ye shall       
receive power1 after that the ,holy     
,ghost is come upon you3 and ye shall be
 witnesses unto ,me both in ,jerusalem1 
and in all ,judaea1 and in ,samaria1 and
 unto the uttermost part of the earth4  
#i4 ,and when ,he had spoken these      
things1 while they beheld1 ,he was taken
 up2 and a cloud received ,him out of   
their sight4 #aj4 ,and while they looked
 stedfastly toward heaven as ,he went   
up1 behold1 two men stood by them in    
white apparel2 #aa4 ,which also said1   
,ye men of ,galilee1 why stand ye gazing
 up into heaven8 this same ,jesus1 which
 is taken up from you into heaven1 shall
 so come in like manner as ye have seen 
,him go into heaven4 #ab4 ,then returned
 they unto ,jerusalem from the mount    
called ,olivet1 which is from ,jerusalem
 a ,sabbath day's journey4 #ac4 ,and    

when they were come in1 they went up    
into an upper room1 where abode both    
,peter1 and ,james1 and ,john1 and      
,andrew1 ,philip1 and ,thomas1          
,bartholomew1 and ,matthew1 ,james the  
son of ,alphaeus1 and ,simon ,zelotes1  
and ,judas the brother of ,james4 #ad4  
,these all continued with one accord in 
prayer and supplication1 with the women1
 and ,mary the mother of ,jesus1 and    
with ,his brethren4'--,,acts i4 #a-ad4  
,the ,ascension is twice narrated by    
,luke4 ,the life begun by the           
supernatural birth ends with the        
supernatural ,ascension1 which sets the 
seal of ,heaven on ,christ's claims and 
work4 ,therefore the ,gospel ends with  
it4 ,but it is also the starting-point  
of the ,christ's heavenly activity1 of  
which the growth of ,his ,church1 as    
recorded in the ,acts1 is the issue4    
,therefore the ,book of the ,acts of the
 ,apostles begins with it4  ,the keynote
 of the 'treatise' lies in the first    
words1 which describe the ,gospel as the

 record of what ',jesus began to do and 
teach1' ,luke would have gone on to say 
that this second book of his contained  
the story of what ,jesus went on to do  
and teach after ,he was 'taken up1' if  
he had been strictly accurate1 or had   
carried out his first intention1 as     
shown by the mould of his introductory  
sentence2 but he is swept on into the   
full stream of his narrative1 and we    
have to infer the contrast between his  
two volumes from his statement of the   
contents of his first4  ,the book1 then1
 is misnamed ,acts of the ,apostles1    
both because the greater number of the  
,apostles do nothing in it1 and because1
 in accordance with the hint of the     
first verse1 ,christ ,himself is the    
doer of all1 as comes out distinctly in 
many places where the critical events of
 the ,church's progress and extension   
are attributed to 'the ,lord4' ,in one  
aspect1 ,christ's work on earth was     
finished on the ,cross2 in another1 that
 finished work is but the beginning both

 of ,his doing and teaching4 ,therefore 
we are not to regard ,his teaching while
 on earth as the completion of          
,christian revelation4 ,to set aside the
 ,epistles on the plea that the ,gospels
 contain ,christ's own teaching1 while  
the ,epistles are only ,paul's or       
,john's1 is to misconceive the relation 
between the earthly and the heavenly    
activity of ,jesus4  ,the statement of  
the theme of the book is followed by a  
brief summary of the events between the 
,resurrection and ,ascension4 ,luke had 
spoken of these in the end of his       
,gospel1 but given no note of time1 and 
run together the events of the day of   
the ,resurrection and of the following  
weeks1 so that it might appear1 as has  
been actually contended that he meant1  
that the ,ascension took place on the   
very day of ,resurrection4 ,the fact    
that in this place he gives more        
detailed statements1 and tells how long 
elapsed between the ,resurrection       
,sunday and the ,ascension1 might have  

taught hasty critics that an author need
 not be ignorant of what he does not    
mention1 and that a detailed account    
does not contradict a summary           
one1--truths which do not seem very     
recondite1 but have often been forgotten
 by very learned commentators4  ,three  
points are signalised as occupying the  
forty days3 commandments were given1    
,christ's actual living presence was    
demonstrated 7by sight1 touch1 hearing1 
etc471 and instructions concerning the  
kingdom were imparted4 ,the old blessed 
closeness and continuity of             
companionship had ceased4 ,our ,lord's  
appearances were now occasional4 ,he    
came to the disciples1 they knew not    
whence2 ,he withdrew from them1 they    
knew not whither4 ,apparently a sacred  
awe restrained them from seeking to     
detain ,him or to follow ,him4 ,their   
hearts would be full of strangely       
mingled feelings1 and they were being   
taught by gentle degrees to do without  
,him4 ,not only a divine decorum1 but a 

most gracious tenderness1 dictated the  
alternation of presence and absence     
during these days4  ,the instructions   
then given are again referred to in     
,luke's ,gospel1 and are there          
represented as principally directed to  
opening their minds 'that they might    
understand the ,scriptures4' ,the main  
thing about the kingdom which they had  
then to learn1 was that it was founded  
on the death of ,christ1 who had        
fulfilled all the ,old ,testament       
predictions4 ,much remained untaught1   
which after years were to bring to clear
 knowledge2 but from the illumination   
shed during these fruitful days flowed  
the remarkable vigour and confidence of 
the ,apostolic appeal to the prophets1  
in the first conflicts of the ,church   
with the rulers4 ,christ is the ,king of
 the kingdom1 and ,his ,cross is ,his   
throne1--these truths being grasped     
revolutionised the ,apostles'           
conceptions4 ,they are as needful for   
us4  ,from verse #d onwards the last    

interview seems to be narrated4         
,probably it began in the city1 and     
ended on the slopes of ,olivet4 ,there  
was a solemn summoning together of the  
,eleven1 which is twice referred to 7vs4
 #d1 #f74 ,what awe of expectancy would 
rest on the group as they gathered round
 ,him1 perhaps half suspecting that it  
was for the last time6 ,his words would 
change the suspicion into certainty1 for
 ,he proceeded to tell them what they   
were not to do and to do1 when left     
alone4 ,the tone of leave-taking is     
unmistakable4  ,the prohibition against 
leaving ,jerusalem implies that they    
would have done so if left to           
themselves2 and it would have been small
 wonder if they had been eager to hurry 
back to quiet ,galilee1 their home1 and 
to shake from their feet the dust of the
 city where their ,lord had been slain4 
,truly they would feel like sheep in the
 midst of wolves when ,he had gone1 and 
,pharisees and priests and ,roman       
officers ringed them round4 ,no wonder  

if1 like a shepherdless flock1 they had 
broken and scattered6 ,but the          
theocratic importance of ,jerusalem1 and
 the fact that nowhere else could the   
,apostles secure such an audience for   
their witness1 made their 'beginning at 
,jerusalem' necessary4 ,so they were to 
crush their natural longing to get back 
to ,galilee1 and to stay in their       
dangerous position4 ,we have all to ask1
 not where we should be most at ease1   
but where we shall be most efficient as 
witnesses for ,christ1 and to remember  
that very often the presence of         
adversaries makes the door 'great and   
effectual4'  ,these eleven poor men were
 not left by their ,master with a hard  
task and no help4 ,he bade them 'wait'  
for the promised ,holy ,spirit1 the     
coming of whom they had heard from ,him 
when in the upper room ,he spoke to them
 of 'the ,comforter4' ,they were too    
feeble to act alone1 and silence and    
retirement were all that ,he enjoined   
till they had been plunged into the     

fiery baptism which should quicken1     
strengthen1 and transform them4  ,the   
order in which promise and command occur
 here shows how graciously ,jesus       
considered the ,apostles' weakness4 ,not
 a word does ,he say of their task of   
witnessing1 till ,he has filled their   
hearts with the promise of the ,spirit4 
,he shows them the armour of power in   
which they are to be clothed1 before ,he
 points them to the battlefield4        
,waiting times are not wasted times4    
,over-eagerness to rush into work1      
especially into conspicuous and perilous
 work1 is sure to end in defeat4 ,till  
we feel the power coming into us1 we had
 better be still4  ,the promise of this 
great gift1 the nature of which they but
 dimly knew1 set the ,apostles'         
expectations on tiptoe1 and they seem to
 have thought that their reception of it
 was in some way the herald of the      
establishment of the ,messianic kingdom4
 ,so it was1 but in a very different    
fashion from their dream4 ,they had not 

learned so much from the forty days'    
instructions concerning the kingdom as  
to be free from their old ,jewish       
notions1 which colour their question1   
',wilt ,thou at this time restore again 
the kingdom to ,israel8' ,they believed 
that ,jesus could establish ,his kingdom
 when ,he would4 ,they were right1 and  
also wrong1--right1 for ,he is ,king2   
wrong1 for its establishment is not to  
be effected by a single act of power1   
but by the slow process of preaching the
 gospel4  ,our ,lord does not deal with 
their misconceptions which could only be
 cured by time and events2 but ,he lays 
down great principles1 which we need as 
much as the ,eleven did4 ,the 'times and
 seasons1' the long stretches of days1  
and the critical epoch-making moments1  
are known to ,god only2 our business is1
 not to speculate curiously about these1
 but to do the plain duty which is      
incumbent on the ,church at all times4  
,the perpetual office of ,christ's      
people to be ,his witnesses1 their      

equipment for that function 7namely1 the
 power of the ,holy ,spirit coming on   
them71 and the sphere of their work     
7namely1 in ever-widening circles1      
,jerusalem1 ,samaria1 and the whole     
world71 are laid down1 not for the first
 hearers only1 but for all ages and for 
each individual1 in these last words of 
the ,lord as ,he stood on ,olivet1 ready
 to depart4  ,the calm simplicity of the
 account of the ,ascension is           
remarkable4 ,so great an event told in  
such few1 unimpassioned words6 ,luke's  
,gospel gives the further detail that it
 was in the act of blessing with        
uplifted hands that our ,lord was parted
 from the ,eleven4 ,two expressions are 
here used to describe the ,ascension1   
one of which 7'was taken up'7 implies   
that ,he was passive1 the other of which
 7',he went'7 implies that ,he was      
active4 ,both are true4 ,as in the      
accounts of the ,resurrection ,he is    
sometimes said to have been raised1 and 
sometimes to have risen1 so here4 ,the  

,father took the ,son back to the glory1
 the ,son left the world and went to the
 ,father4 ,no chariot of fire1 no       
whirlwind1 was needed to lift ,him to   
the throne4 ,elijah was carried by such 
agency into a sphere new to him2 ,jesus 
ascended up where ,he was before4  ,no  
other mode of departure from earth would
 have corresponded to ,his voluntary1   
supernatural birth4 ,he  carried manhood
 up to the throne of ,god4 ,the cloud   
which received ,him while yet ,he was   
well within sight of the gazers was     
probably that same bright cloud1 the    
symbol of the ,divine ,presence1 which  
of old dwelt between the cherubim4 ,his 
entrance into it visibly symbolised the 
permanent participation1 then begun1 of 
,his glorified manhood in the divine    
glory4  ,most true to human nature is   
that continued gaze upwards after ,he   
had passed into the hiding brightness of
 the glory-cloud4 ,how many of us know  
what it is to look long at the spot on  
the horizon where the last glint of     

sunshine struck the sails of the ship   
that bore dear ones away from us6 ,it   
was fitting that angels1 who had        
heralded ,his birth and watched ,his    
grave1 should proclaim ,his ,second     
,coming to earth4  ,it was gracious     
that1 in the moment of keenest sense of 
desolation and loss1 the great hope of  
reunion should be poured into the hearts
 of the ,apostles4 ,nothing can be more 
distinct and assured than the terms of  
that angel message4 ,it gives for the   
faith and hope of all ages the assurance
 that ,he will come2 that ,he who comes 
will be the very ,jesus who went2 that  
,his coming will be1 like ,his          
departure1 visible1 corporeal1 local4   
,he will bring again all ,his           
tenderness1 all ,his brother's heart1   
all ,his divine power1 and will gather  
,his servants to ,himself4  ,no wonder  
that1 with such hopes flowing over the  
top of their sorrow1 like oil on        
troubled waters1 the little group went  
back to the upper room1 hallowed by     

memories of the ,last ,supper1 and there
 waited in prayer and supplication      
during the ten days which elapsed till  
,pentecost4 ,so should we use the       
interval between any promise and its    
fulfilment4 ,patient expectation1       
believing prayer1 harmonious association
 with our brethren1 will prepare us for 
receiving the gift of the ,spirit1 and  
will help to equip us as witnesses for  
,jesus4    ,,the ,,theme ,,of ,,acts    
',the former treatise have ,i made1 ,o  
,theophilus1 of all that ,jesus began   
both to do and teach4 #b4 ,until the day
 in which ,he was taken up4'--,,acts i4 
#a1 #b4  ',and ,paul dwelt two whole    
years in his own hired house1 and       
received all that came in unto him1 #ca4
 ,preaching the kingdom of ,god1 and    
teaching those things which concern the 
,lord ,jesus ,christ1 with all          
confidence1 no man forbidding           
him4'--,,acts xxviii4 #cj1 #ca4  ,so    
begins and so ends this ,book4 ,i       
connect the commencement and the close1 

because ,i think that the juxtaposition 
throws great light upon the purpose of  
the writer1 and suggests some very      
important lessons4 ,the reference to    
'the former treatise' 7which is1 of     
course1 the ,gospel according to ,luke7 
implies that this ,book is to be        
regarded as its sequel1 and the terms of
 the reference show the writer's own    
conception of what he was going to do in
 his second volume4 ',the former        
treatise have ,i made 444 of all that   
,jesus began both to do and teach until 
the day in which ,he was taken up4' ,is 
not the natural inference that the      
latter treatise will tell us what ,jesus
 continued 'to do and teach' after ,he  
was taken up8 ,i think so4 ,and thus the
 writer sets forth at once1 for those   
that have eyes to see1 what he means to 
do1 and what he thinks his book is going
 to be about4  ,so1 then1 the name ',the
 ,acts of the ,apostles1' which is not  
coeval with the book itself1 is somewhat
 of a misnomer4 ,most of the ,apostles  

are never heard of in it4 ,there are1 at
 the most1 only three or four of them   
concerning whom anything in the book is 
recorded4 ,but our first text supplies a
 deeper reason for regarding that title 
as inadequate1 and even misleading4     
,for1 if the theme of the story be what 
,christ did1 then the book is1 not the  
',acts of the ,apostles1' but the ',acts
 of ,jesus ,christ' through ,his        
servants4 ,he1 and ,he alone1 is the    
,actor2 and the men who appear in it are
 but instruments in ,his hands1 ,he     
alone being the mover of the pawns on   
the board4  ,that conception of the     
purpose of the book seems to me to have 
light cast upon it by1 and to explain1  
the singular abruptness of its          
conclusion1 which must strike every     
reader4 ,no doubt it is quite possible  
that the reason why the book ends in    
such a singular fashion1 planting ,paul 
in ,rome1 and leaving him there1 may be 
that the date of its composition was    
that imprisonment of ,paul in the       

,imperial ,city1 in a part of which1 at 
all events1 we know that ,luke was his  
companion4 ,but1 whilst that            
consideration may explain the point at  
which the book stops1 it does not       
explain the way in which it stops4 ,the 
historian lays down his pen1 possibly   
because he had brought his narrative up 
to date4 ,but a word of conclusion      
explaining that it was so would have    
been very natural1 and its absence must 
have had some reason4 ,it is also       
possible that the arrival of the        
,apostle in the ,imperial ,city1 and his
 unhindered liberty of preaching there1 
in the very centre of power1 the focus  
of intellectual life1 and the hot-bed of
 corruption for the known world1 may    
have seemed to the writer an epoch which
 rounded off his story4 ,but ,i think   
that the reason for the abruptness of   
the record's close is to be found in the
 continuity of the work of which it     
tells a part4 ,it is the unfinished     
record of an incomplete work4 ,the theme

 is the work of ,christ through the     
ages1 of which each successive          
depository of ,his energies can do but a
 small portion1 and must leave that     
portion unfinished2 the book does not so
 much end as stop4 ,it is a fragment1   
because the work of which it tells is   
not yet a whole4  ,if1 then1 we put     
these two things--the beginning and the 
ending of the ,acts--together1 ,i think 
we get some thoughts about what ,christ 
began to do and teach on earth2 what ,he
 continues to do and teach in heaven2   
and how small and fragmentary a share in
 that work each individual servant of   
,his has4 ,let us look at these points  
briefly4  ,i4 ,first1 then1 we have here
 the suggestion of what ,christ began to
 do and teach on earth4  ,now1 at first 
sight1 the words of our text seem to be 
in strange and startling contradiction  
to the solemn cry which rang out of the 
darkness upon ,calvary4 ,jesus said1    
',it is finished6' and 'gave up the     
ghost4' ,luke says ,he 'began to do and 

teach4' ,is there any contradiction     
between the two8 ,certainly not4 ,it is 
one thing to lay a foundation2 it is    
another thing to build a house4 ,and the
 work of laying the foundation must be  
finished before the work of building the
 structure upon it can be begun4 ,it is 
one thing to create a force2 it is      
another thing to apply it4 ,it is one   
thing to compound a medicine2 it is     
another thing to administer it4 ,it is  
one thing to unveil a truth2 it is      
another to unfold its successive        
applications1 and to work it into a     
belief and practice in the world4 ,the  
former is the work of ,christ which was 
finished on earth2 the latter is the    
work which is continuous throughout the 
ages4  ',he began to do and teach1' not 
in the sense that any should come after 
,him and do1 as the disciples of most   
great discoverers and thinkers have had 
to do3 namely1 systematise1 rectify1 and
 complete the first glimpses of truth   
which the master had given4 ',he began  

to do and teach1' not in the sense that 
after ,he had 'passed into the heavens' 
any new truth or force can for evermore 
be imparted to humanity in regard of the
 subjects which ,he taught and the      
energies which ,he brought4 ,but whilst 
thus ,his work is complete1 ,his earthly
 work is also initial4 ,and we must     
remember that whatever distinction my   
text may mean to draw between the work  
of ,christ in the past and that in the  
present and the future1 it does not mean
 to imply that when ,he 'ascended up on 
high' ,he had not completed the task for
 which ,he came1 or that the world had  
to wait for anything more1 either from  
,him or from others1 to eke out the     
imperfections of ,his doctrine or the   
insufficiencies of ,his work4  ,let us  
ever remember that the initial work of  
,christ on earth is complete in so far  
as the revelation of ,god to men is     
concerned4 ,there will be no other4     
,there is needed no other4 ,nothing more
 is possible than what ,he1 by ,his     

words and by ,his life1 by ,his         
gentleness and ,his grace1 by ,his      
patience and ,his ,passion1 has unveiled
 to all men1 of the heart and character 
of ,god4 ,the revelation is complete1   
and he that professes to add anything   
to1 or to substitute anything for1 the  
finished teaching of ,jesus ,christ     
concerning ,god1 and man's relation to  
,god1 and man's duty1 destiny1 and      
hopes1 is a false teacher1 and to follow
 him is fatal4 ,all that ever come after
 ,him and say1 ',here is something that 
,christ has not told you1' are thieves  
and robbers1 'and the sheep will not    
hear them4'  ,in like manner that work  
of ,christ1 which in some sense is      
initial1 is complete as ,redemption4    
',this ,man has offered up one sacrifice
 for sins for ever4' ,and nothing more  
can ,he do than ,he has done2 and       
nothing more can any man or all men do  
than was accomplished on the ,cross of  
,calvary as giving a revelation1 as     
effecting a redemption1 as lodging in   

the heart of humanity1 and in the midst 
of the stream of human history1 a       
purifying energy1 sufficient to cleanse 
the whole black stream4 ,the past work  
which culminated on the ,cross1 and was 
sealed as adequate and accepted of ,god 
in the ,resurrection and ,ascension1    
needs no supplement1 and can have no    
continuation1 world without end4 ,and   
so1 whatever may be the meaning of that 
singular phrase1 'began to do and       
teach1' it does not1 in the smallest    
degree1 conflict with the assurance that
 ,he hath ascended up on high1 'having  
obtained eternal redemption for us1' and
 'having finished the work which the    
,father gave ,him to do4'  ,,ii4 ,but   
then1 secondly1 we have to notice what  
,christ continues to do and to teach    
after ,his ,ascension4  ,i have already 
suggested that the phraseology of the   
first of my texts naturally leads to the
 conclusion that the theme of this ,book
 of the ,acts is the continuous work of 
the ascended ,saviour1 and that the     

language is not forced by being thus    
interpreted is very plain to any one who
 will glance even cursorily over the    
contents of the book itself4 ,for there 
is nothing in it more obvious and       
remarkable than the way in which1 at    
every turn in the narrative1 all is     
referred to ,jesus ,christ ,himself4    
,for instance1 to cull one or two cases 
in order to bring the matter more       
plainly before you--,when the ,apostles 
determined to select another ,apostle to
 fill ,judas' place1 they asked ,jesus  
,christ to show which 'of these two     
,thou hast chosen4' ,when ,peter is     
called upon to explain the tongues at   
,pentecost he says1 ',jesus hath shed   
forth this which ye now see and hear4'  
,when the writer would tell the reason  
of the large first increase to the      
,church1 he says1 ',the ,lord added to  
the ,church daily such as should be     
saved4' ,peter and ,john go into the    
,temple to heal the lame man1 and their 
words to him are1 ',do not think that   

our power or holiness is any factor in  
your cure4 ,the ,name hath made this man
 whole4' ,it is the ,lord that appears  
to ,paul and to ,ananias1 to the one on 
the road to ,damascus and to the other  
in the city4 ,it is the ,lord to whom   
,peter refers ,aeneas when he says1     
',jesus ,christ maketh thee whole4' ,it 
was the ,lord that 'opened the heart of 
,lydia4' ,it was the ,lord that appeared
 to ,paul in ,corinth1 and said to him1 
',i have much people in this city'2 and 
again1 when in the prison at ,jerusalem1
 ,he assured the ,apostle that he would 
be carried to ,rome4 ,and so1 at every  
turn in the narrative1 we find that     
,christ is presented as influencing     
men's hearts1 operating upon outward    
events1 working miracles1 confirming    
,his word1 leading ,his servants1 and   
prescribing for them their paths1 and   
all which they do is done by the hand of
 the ,lord with them confirming the word
 which they spoke4 ,jesus ,christ is the
 ,actor1 and ,he only is the ,actor2 men

 are ,his implements and instruments4   
,the same point of view is suggested by 
another of the characteristics of this  
book1 which it shares in common with all
 ,scripture narratives1 and that is the 
stolid indifference with which it picks 
up and drops men1 according to the      
degree in which1 for the moment1 they   
are the instruments of ,christ's power4 
,supposing a man had been writing ,acts 
of the ,apostles1 do you think it would 
have been possible that of the greater  
number of them he should not say a word1
 that concerning those of whom he does  
speak he should deal with them as this  
book does1 barely mentioning the        
martyrdom of ,james1 one of the four    
chief ,apostles2 allowing ,peter to slip
 out of the narrative after the great   
meeting of the ,church at ,jerusalem2   
letting ,philip disappear without a hint
 of what he did thereafter2 lodging     
,paul in ,rome and leaving him there1   
with no account of his subsequent work  
or martyrdom8 ,such phenomena--and they 

might be largely multiplied--are only   
explicable upon one hypothesis4 ,as long
 as electricity streams on the carbon   
point it glows and is visible1 but when 
the current is turned to another lamp we
 see no more of the bit of carbon4 ,as  
long as ,god uses a man the man is of   
interest to the writers of the          
,scriptures4 ,when ,god uses another    
one1 they drop the first1 and have no   
more care about him1 because their theme
 is not men and their doings1 but ,god's
 doings through men4  ,on us1 and in us1
 and by us1 and for us1 if we are ,his  
servants1 ,jesus ,christ is working all 
through the ages4 ,he is the ,lord of   
,providence1 ,he is the ,king of        
history1 in ,his hand is the book with  
the seven seals2 ,he sends ,his ,spirit1
 and where ,his ,spirit is ,he is2 and  
what ,his ,spirit does ,he does4 ,and   
thus ,he continues to teach and to work 
from ,his throne in the heavens4  ,he   
continues to teach1 not by the          
communication of new truth4 ,that is    

finished4 ,the volume of ,revelation is 
complete4 ,the last word of the divine  
utterances hath been spoken until that  
final word which shall end ,time and    
crumble the earth4 ,but the application 
of the completed ,revelation1 the       
unfolding of all that is wrapped in germ
 in it2 the growing of the seed into a  
tree1 the realisation more completely by
 individuals and communities of the     
principles and truths which ,jesus      
,christ has brought us by ,his life and 
,his death--that is the work that is    
going on to-day1 and that will go on    
till the end of the world4 ,for the old 
,puritan belief is true1 though the     
modern rationalistic mutilations of it  
are false1 ',god hath more light yet to 
break forth'--and our modern men stop   
there4 ,but what the sturdy old ,puritan
 said was1 'more light yet to break     
forth from ,his holy ,word4' ,jesus     
,christ teaches the ages--through the   
lessons of providence and the           
communication of ,his ,spirit to ,his   

,church--to understand what ,he gave the
 world when ,he was here4  ,in like     
manner ,he works4 ,the foundation is    
laid1 the healing medicine is prepared1 
the cleansing element is cast into the  
mass of humanity2 what remains is the   
application and appropriation1 and      
incorporation in conduct1 of the        
redeeming powers that ,jesus ,christ has
 brought4 ,and that work is going on1   
and will go on1 till the end4  ,now     
these truths of our ,lord's continuous  
activity in teaching and working from   
heaven may yield us some not unimportant
 lessons4 ,what a depth and warmth and  
reality the thoughts give to the        
,christian's relation to ,jesus ,christ6
 ,we have to look back to that ,cross as
 the foundation of all our hope4 ,yes6  
,but we have to think1 not only of a    
,christ who did something for us long   
ago in the past1 and there an end1 but  
of a ,christ who to-day lives and       
reigns1 'to do and to teach' according  
to our necessities4 ,what a sweetness   

and sacredness such thoughts impart to  
all external events1 which we may regard
 as being the operation of ,his love1   
and as moved by the hands that were     
nailed to the ,cross for us1 and now    
hold the sceptre of the universe for the
 blessing of mankind6 ,what a fountain  
of hope they open in estimating future  
probabilities of victory for truth and  
goodness6 ,the forces of good and evil  
in the world seem very disproportionate1
 but we forget too often to take ,christ
 into account4 ,it is not we that have  
to fight against evil2 at the best we   
are but the sword which ,christ wields1 
and all the power is in the hand that   
wields it4 ,great men die1 good men die2
 ,jesus ,christ is not dead4 ,paul was  
martyred3 ,jesus lives2 ,he is the      
anchor of our hope4 ,we see miseries and
 mysteries enough1 ,god knows4 ,the     
prospects of all good causes seem often 
clouded and dark4 ,the world has an     
awful power of putting drags upon all   
chariots that bear blessings1 and of    

turning to evil every good4 ,you cannot 
diffuse education1 but you diffuse the  
taste for rubbish and something worse1  
in the shape of books4 ,no good thing   
but has its shadow of evil attendant    
upon it4 ,and if we had only to estimate
 by visible or human forces1 we might   
well sit down and wrap ourselves in the 
sackcloth of pessimism4 ',we see not yet
 all things put under ,him'2 but 'we see
 ,jesus crowned with glory and honour1' 
and the vision that cheered the first   
martyr--of ,christ 'standing at the     
right hand of ,god'--is the rebuke of   
every fear and every gloomy anticipation
 for ourselves or for the world4  ,what 
a lesson of lowliness and of diligence  
it gives us6 ,the jangling church at    
,corinth fought about whether ,paul or  
,apollos or ,cephas was the man to lead 
the ,church1 and the experience has been
 repeated over and over again4 ',who is 
,paul8 ,who is ,apollos8 but ministers  
by whom ye believed1 even as the ,lord  
gave to every man4 ,be not puffed up one

 against another4 ,be not wise in your  
own conceits4' ,you are only a tool1    
only a pawn in the hand of the ,great   
,player4 ,if you have anything1 it is   
because you get it from ,him4 ,see that 
you use it1 and do not boast about it4  
,jesus ,christ is the ,worker1 the only 
,worker2 the ,teacher1 the only         
,teacher4 ,all our wisdom is derived1   
all our light is enkindled4 ,we are but 
the reeds through which ,his breath     
makes music4 ,and 'shall the axe boast  
itself1' either 'against' or apart from 
',him that heweth therewith'8  ,,iii4   
,lastly1 we note the incompleteness of  
each man's share in the great work4  ,as
 ,i said1 the book which is to tell the 
story of ,christ's continuous unfinished
 work must stop abruptly4 ,there is no  
help for it4 ,if it was a history of    
,paul it would need to be wound up to an
 end and a selvage put to it1 but as it 
is the history of ,christ's working1 the
 web is not half finished1 and the      
shuttle stops in the middle of a cast4  

,the book must be incomplete1 because   
the work of which it is the record does 
not end until ',he shall have delivered 
up the ,kingdom to the ,father1 and ,god
 shall be all in all4'  ,so the work of 
each man is but a fragment of that great
 work4 ,every man inherits unfinished   
tasks from his predecessors1 and leaves 
unfinished tasks to his successors4 ,it 
is1 as it used to be in the ,middle     
,ages1 when the hands that dug the      
foundations1 or laid the first courses1 
of some great cathedral1 were dead long 
generations before the gilded cross was 
set on the apex of the needlespire1 and 
the glowing glass filled in to the      
painted windows4 ,enough for us1 if we  
lay a stone1 though it be but one stone 
in one of the courses of the great      
building4  ,luke has left plenty of     
blank paper at the end of his second    
'treatise1' on which he meant that      
succeeding generations should write     
their partial contributions to the      
completed work4 ,dear friends1 let us   

see that we write our little line1 as   
monks in their monasteries used to keep 
the chronicle of the house1 on which    
scribe after scribe toiled at its       
illuminated letters with loving patience
 for a little while1 and then handed the
 pen from his dying hand to another4    
,what does it matter though we drop1    
having done but a fragment8 ,he gathers 
up the fragments into ,his completed    
work1 and the imperfect services which  
,he enabled any of us to do will all be 
represented in the perfect circle of    
,his finished work4 ,the ,lord help us  
to be faithful to the power that works  
in us1 and to leave ,him to incorporate 
our fragments in ,his mighty whole6     
,,the ,,forty ,,days  ',to whom also ,he
 shewed ,himself alive after ,his       
passion by many infallible proofs1 being
 seen of them forty days1 and speaking  
of the things pertaining to the kingdom 
of ,god4'--,,acts i4 #c4  ,the forty    
days between the ,resurrection and the  
,ascension have distinctly marked       

characteristics4 ,they are unlike to the
 period before them in many respects1   
but completely similar in others2 they  
have a preparatory character throughout2
 they all bear on the future work of the
 disciples1 and hearten them for the    
time when they should be left alone4    
,the words of the text give us their    
leading features4 ,they bring out--  #a4
 ,their evidential value1 as confirming 
the fact of the ,resurrection4  ',he    
showed ,himself alive after ,his passion
 by 444 proofs4'  ,by sight1 repeated1  
to individuals1 to companies1 to ,mary  
in her solitary sadness1 to ,peter the  
penitent1 to the two on the road to     
,emmaus4 ,at all hours3 in the evening  
when the doors were shut2 in the        
morning2 in grey twilight2 in daytime on
 the road4 ,at many places--in houses1  
out of doors4  ,the signs of true       
corporeity--the sight1 the eating4  ,the
 signs of bodily identity1--',reach     
hither thy hand4' ',he showed them ,his 
hands and ,his side4'  ,was this the    

glorified body8  ,the affirmative answer
 is usually rested on the facts that ,he
 was not known by ,mary or the disciples
 on the road to ,emmaus1 and that ,he   
came into the upper room when the doors 
were shut4 ,but the force of these facts
 is broken by remembering that ,mary saw
 nothing about ,him unlike other men1   
but supposed ,him to be the             
gardener--which puts the idea of a      
glorified body out of the question1 and 
leaves us to suppose that she was full  
of weeping indifference to any one4     
,then as to the disciples on the road to
 ,emmaus1 ,luke carefully tells us that 
the reason why they did not know ,him   
was in them and not in ,him--that it was
 'because their eyes were holden1' not  
because ,his body was changed4  ,and as 
to ,his coming when the doors were shut1
 why should not that be like the other  
miracles1 when ',he conveyed ,himself   
away1 a multitude being in the place1'  
and when ,he walked on the waters8      
,there cannot then be anything decidedly

 built on these facts1 and the          
considerations on the other side are    
very strong4 ,surely the whole drift of 
the narrative goes in the direction of  
representing ,christ's 'glory' as       
beginning with ,his ,ascension1 and     
consequently the 'body of ,his glory' as
 being then assumed4 ,further1 the      
argument of #a ,cor4 xv4 goes on the    
assumption that 'flesh and blood cannot 
inherit the kingdom of ,god1' that is1  
that the material corporeity is         
incongruous with1 and incapable of      
entrance into1 the conditions of that   
future life1 and1 by parity of          
reasoning1 that the spiritual body1     
which is to be conformed to the body of 
,christ's glory1 is incongruous with1   
and incapable of entrance into1 the     
conditions of this earthly life4 ,as is 
the environment1 so must be the 'body'  
that is at home in it4  ,further1 the   
facts of our ,lord's eating and drinking
 after ,his ,resurrection are not easily
 reconcilable with the contention that  

,he was then invested with the glorified
 body4  ,we must1 then1 think of        
transfiguration1 rather than of         
resurrection only1 as the way by which  
,he passed into the heavens4 ,he 'slept'
 but woke1 and1 as ,he ascended1 was    
'changed4'  ,,ii4 ,the renewal of the   
old bond by the tokens of ,his unchanged
 disposition4  ,recall the many         
beautiful links with the past3 the      
message to ,peter2 that to ,mary2 ',tell
 ,my brethren1' ',he was known in       
breaking of bread1' ',peace be with     
you6' 7repetition from ,john xvii471 the
 miraculous draught of fishes1 and the  
meal and conversation afterwards1       
recalling the miracle at the beginning  
of the closer association of the four   
,apostles of the first rank with their  
,lord4 ,the forty days revealed the old 
heart1 the old tenderness4 ,he remembers
 all the past4 ,he sends a message to   
the penitent2 ,he renews to the faithful
 the former gift of 'peace4'  ,how      
precious all this is as a revelation of 

the impotence of death in regard to ,him
 and us6 ,it assures us of the          
perpetuity of ,his love4 ,he showed     
,himself after ,his passion as the same 
old ,self1 the same old tender ,lover4  
,his appearances then prepare us for the
 last vision of ,him in the ,apocalypse1
 in which we see ,his perpetual         
humanity1 ,his perpetual tenderness1 and
 hear ,him saying3 ',i am 444 the       
,living ,one1 and ,i became dead1 and   
behold1 ,i am alive for evermore4'      
,these forty days assure us of the      
narrow limits of the power of death4    
,love lives through death1 memory lives 
through it4 ,christ has lived through it
 and comes up from the grave1 serene and
 tender1 with unruffled peace1 with all 
the old tones of tenderness in the voice
 that said ',mary6' ,so may we be sure  
that through death and after it we shall
 live and be ourselves4 ,we1 too1 shall 
show ourselves alive after we have      
experienced the superficial change of   
death4  ,,iii4 ,the change in ,christ's 

relations to the disciples and to the   
world4 ',appearing unto them by the     
space of forty days4'  ,the words mark a
 contrast to ,christ's former constant  
intercourse with the disciples4 ,this is
 occasional2 ,he appears at intervals   
during the forty days4 ,he comes amongst
 them and disappears4 ,he is seen again 
in the morning light by the lake-side   
and goes away4 ,he tells them to come   
and meet ,him in ,galilee4 ,that        
intermittent presence prepared the      
disciples for ,his departure4 ,it was   
painful and educative4 ,it carried out  
,his own word1 ',and now ,i am no more  
in the world4'  ,we observe in the      
disciples traces of a deeper awe4 ,they 
say little4 ',master6' ',my ,lord and my
 ,god6' ',none durst ask ,him1 ,who art 
,thou8' ,even ,peter ventures only on   
',lord1 ,thou knowest all things1' and  
on one flash of the old familiarity3    
',what shall this man do8' ,john1 who   
recalls very touchingly1 in that        
appendix to his ,gospel1 the blessed    

time when he leaned on ,jesus' breast at
 supper1 now only humbly follows1 while 
the others sit still and awed1 by that  
strange fire on the banks of the lonely 
lake4  ,a clearer vision of the ,lord on
 their parts1 a deeper sense of who ,he 
is1 make them assume more of the        
attitude of worshippers1 though not less
 that of friends4 ,and ,he can no more  
dwell with them1 and go in and out among
 them4  ,as for the world--',it seeth   
,me no more1 but ye see ,me4' ,he was   
'seen of them1' not of others4 ,there is
 no more appeal to the people1 no more  
teaching1 no more standing in the       
,temple4 ,why is this8 ,is it not the   
commentary on ,his own word on the      
,cross1 ',it is finished6' marking most 
distinctly that ,his work on earth was  
ended when ,he died1 and so confirming  
that conception of ,his earthly mission 
which sees its culmination and centre of
 power in the ,cross8  ,,iv4            
,instruction and prophecy for the       
future4  ,the preparation of the        

disciples for their future work and     
condition was a chief purpose of the    
forty days4 ,jesus spoke 'of the things 
pertaining to the ,kingdom of ,god4' ,he
 also 'gave commandments to the         
,apostles4'  ,note how much there is1 in
 ,his conversations with them--  #a4 ,of
 opening to them the ,scriptures4       
',christ must needs suffer1' etc4  #b4  
,of lessons for their future1 thus      
fitting them for their task4  #c4 ,mark 
how this transitional period taught them
 that ,his going away was not to be     
sorrow and loss1 but joy and gain1      
',touch ,me not1 for ,i have not yet    
ascended4'  ,our present relation to the
 ascended ,lord is as much an advance on
 that of the disciples to the risen     
,lord1 as that was on their relation to 
,him during ,his earthly life4 ,they had
 more real communion with ,him when1    
with opened hearts1 they heard ,him     
interpret the ,scriptures concerning    
,himself1 and fell at ,his feet crying  
',my ,lord and my ,god6' though they saw

 ,him but for short seasons and at      
intervals1 than when day by day they    
were with ,him and knew ,him not4 ,as   
they grew in love and ripened in        
knowledge1 they knew ,him better and    
better4  ,for us1 too1 these forty days 
are full of blessed lessons1 teaching us
 that real communion with ,jesus is     
attained by faith in ,him1 and that ,he 
is still working in and for us1 and is  
still present with us4 ,the joy with    
which the disciples saw ,him ascend     
should live on in us as we think of ,him
 enthroned4 ,the hope that the angels'  
message lit up in their hearts should   
burn in ours4 ,the benediction which the
 ,risen ,lord uttered on those who have 
not seen and yet have believed falls in 
double measure on those who1 though now 
they see ,him not1 yet believing rejoice
 in ,jesus with joy unspeakable and full
 of glory4    ,,the ,,unknown           
,,to-,,morrow  ,a ,new ,year's ,sermon  
',it is not for you to know the times or
 the seasons1 which the ,father hath put

 in ,his own power4'--,,acts i4 #g4     
,the ,new ,testament gives little       
encouragement to a sentimental view of  
life4 ,its writers had too much to do1  
and too much besides to think about1 for
 undue occupation with pensive          
remembrances or imaginative             
forecastings4 ,they bid us remember as a
 stimulus to thanksgiving and a ground  
of hope4 ,they bid us look forward1 but 
not along the low levels of earth and   
its changes4 ,one great future is to    
draw all our longings and to fix our    
eyes1 as the tender hues of the dawn    
kindle infinite yearnings in the soul of
 the gazer4 ,what may come is all       
hidden2 we can make vague guesses1 but  
reach nothing more certain4 ,mist and   
cloud conceal the path in front of the  
portion which we are actually           
traversing1 but when it climbs1 it comes
 out clear from the fogs that hang about
 the flats4 ,we can track it winding up 
to the throne of ,christ4 ,nothing is   
certain1 but the coming of the ,lord and

 'our gathering together to ,him4'  ,the
 words of this text in their original   
meaning point only to the ignorance of  
the time of the end which ,christ had   
been foretelling4 ,but they may allow of
 a much wider application1 and their    
lessons are in entire consonance with   
the whole tone of ,scripture in regard  
to the future4 ,we are standing now at  
the beginning of a ,new ,year1 and the  
influence of the season is felt in some 
degree by us all4 ,not for the sake of  
repressing any wise forecasting which   
has for its object our preparation for  
probable duties and exigencies2 not for 
the purpose of repressing that trustful 
anticipation which1 building on our past
 time and on ,god's eternity1 fronts the
 future with calm confidence2 not for   
the sake of discouraging that pensive   
and softened mood which if it does      
nothing more1 at least delivers us for a
 moment from the tyrannous power of the 
present1 do we turn to these words now2 
but that we may together consider how   

much they contain of cheer and          
encouragement1 of stimulus to our duty1 
and of calming for our hearts in the    
prospect of a ,new ,year4 ,they teach us
 the limits of our care for the future1 
as they give us the limits of our       
knowledge of it4 ,they teach us the best
 remedies for all anxiety1 the great    
thoughts that tranquillise us in our    
ignorance1 viz4 that all is in ,god's   
merciful hand1 and that whatever may    
come1 we have a divine power which will 
fit us for it2 and they bid us          
anticipate our work and do it1 as the   
best counterpoise for all vain curiosity
 about what may be coming on the earth4 
,i4 ,the narrow limits of our knowledge 
of the future4  ,we are quite sure that 
we shall die4 ,we are sure that a       
mingled web of joy and sorrow1 light    
shot with dark1 will be unrolled before 
us--but of anything more we are really  
ignorant4 ,we know that certainly the   
great majority of us will be alive at   
the close of this ,new ,year2 but who   

will be the exceptions8 ,a great many of
 us1 especially those of us who are in  
the monotonous stretch of middle life1  
will go on substantially as we have been
 going on for years past1 with our      
ordinary duties1 joys1 sorrows1 cares2  
but to some of us1 in all probability1  
this year holds some great change which 
may darken all our days or brighten     
them4 ,in all our forward-looking there 
ever remains an element of uncertainty4 
,the future fronts us like some statue  
beneath its canvas covering4 ,rolling   
mists hide it all1 except here and there
 a peak4  ,i need not remind you how    
merciful and good it is that it is so4  
,therefore coming sorrows do not diffuse
 anticipatory bitterness as of tainted  
water percolating through gravel1 and   
coming joys are not discounted1 and the 
present has a reality of its own1 and is
 not coloured by what is to come4  ,then
 this being so--what is the wise course 
of conduct8 ,not a confident reckoning  
on to-morrow4 ,there is nothing         

elevating in anticipation which paints  
the blank surface of the future with the
 same earthly colours as dye the        
present4 ,there is no more complete     
waste of time than that4 ,nor is proud  
self-confidence any wiser1 which        
jauntily takes for granted that         
'tomorrow will be as this day4' ,the    
conceit that things are to go on as they
 have been fools men into a dream of    
permanence which has no basis4 ,nor is  
the fearful apprehension of evil any    
wiser4 ,how many people spoil the       
present gladness with thoughts of future
 sorrow1 and cannot enjoy the           
blessedness of united love for thinking 
of separation6  ,in brief1 it is wise to
 be but little concerned with the       
future1 except--  #a4 ,in the way of    
taking reasonable precautions to prepare
 for its probabilities4  #b4 ,to fit    
ourselves for its duties4  ,one future  
we may contemplate4 ,our fault is not   
that we look forward1 but that we do not
 look far enough forward4 ,why trouble  

with the world when we have heaven8 ,why
 look along the low level among the     
mists of earth and forests and swamps1  
when we can see the road climbing to the
 heights8 ,why be anxious about what    
three hundred and sixty-five days may   
bring1 when we know what ,eternity will 
bring8 ,why divert our ,god-given       
faculty of hope from its true object8   
,why torment ourselves with casting the 
fashion of uncertain evils1 when we can 
enter into the great peace of looking   
for 'that blessed ,hope'8  ,,ii4 ,the   
safe ,hands which keep the future4      
',the ,father hath put in ,his own      
power4' ,we have not to depend upon an  
impersonal ,fate2 nor upon a wild whirl 
of ,chance2 nor upon 'laws of averages1'
 'natural laws1' 'tendencies' and       
'spirit of the age'2 nor even on a      
theistic ,providence1 but upon a ,father
 who holds all things 'in ,his own      
power1' and wields all for us4 ,so will 
not our way be made right8  ,whatever   
the future may bring1 it will be loving1

 paternal discipline4 ,he shapes it all 
and keeps it in ,his hands4 ,why should 
we be anxious8 ,that great name of      
',father' binds ,him to tender1 wise1   
disciplinary dealing1 and should move us
 to calm and happy trust4  ,,iii4 ,the  
sufficient strength to face the future4 
',the power of the ,holy ,ghost coming  
upon you' is promised here to the       
disciples for a specific purpose2 but it
 is promised and given to us all through
 ,christ1 if we will only take it4 ,and 
in ,him we shall be ready for all the   
future4  ,the ,spirit of ,god is the    
true ,interpreter of ,providence4 ,he   
calms our nature1 and enlightens our    
understanding to grasp the meaning of   
all our experiences4 ,the ,spirit makes 
joy more blessed1 by keeping us from    
undue absorption in it4 ,the ,spirit is 
the ,comforter4 ,the ,spirit fits us for
 duty4  ,so be quite sure that nothing  
will come to you in your earthly future1
 which ,he does not ,himself accompany  
to interpret it1 and to make it pure    

blessing4  ,,iv4 ,the practical duty in 
view of the future4  7a7 ,the great     
thing we ought to look to in the future 
is our work1--not what we shall enjoy or
 what we shall endure1 but what we shall
 do4 ,this is healthful and calming4    
7b7 ,the great remedy for morbid        
anticipation lies in regarding life as  
the opportunity for service4 ,never mind
 about the future1 let it take care of  
itself4 ,work6 ,that clears away cobwebs
 from our brains1 as when a man wakes   
from troubled dreams1 to hear 'the sweep
 of scythe in morning dew1' and the     
shout of the peasant as he trudges to   
his task1 and the lowing of the cattle1 
and the clink of the hammer4  7c7 ,the  
great work we have to do in the future  
is to be witnesses for ,christ4 ,this is
 the meaning of all life2 we can do it  
in joy and in sorrow1 and we shall bear 
a charmed life till it be done4 ,so the 
words of the text are a promise of      
preservation4  ,then1 dear brethren1 how
 do you stand fronting that ,unknown8   

,how can you face it without going mad1 
unless you know ,god and trust ,him as  
your ,father through ,christ8 ,if you   
do1 you need have no fear4 ,to-morrow   
lies all dim and strange before you1 but
 ,his gentle and strong hand is working 
in the darkness and ,he will shape it   
right4 ,he will fit you to bear it all4 
,if you regard it as your supreme duty  
and highest honour to be ,christ's      
witness1 you will be kept safe1         
'delivered out of the mouth of the      
lion1' that by you 'the preaching may be
 fully known4'  ,if not1 how dreary is  
that future to you1 'all dim and        
cheerless1 like a rainy sea1' from which
 wild shapes may come up and devour you6
 ,love and friendship will pass1 honour 
and strength will fail1 life will ebb   
away1 and of all that once stretched    
before you1 nothing will be left but one
 little strip of sand1 fast jellying    
with the tide beneath your feet1 and    
before you a wild unlighted ocean6      
,,the ,,apostolic ,,witnesses           

',wherefore of these men which have     
companied with us all the time that the 
,lord ,jesus went in and out among us   
444 must one be ordained to be a witness
 with us of ,his resurrection4'--,,acts 
i4 #ba1 #bb4  ,the fact of ,christ's    
,resurrection was the staple of the     
first ,christian sermon recorded in this
 ,book of the ,acts of the ,apostles4   
,they did not deal so much in doctrine2 
they did not dwell very distinctly upon 
what we call1 and rightly call1 the     
atoning death of ,christ2 out they      
proclaimed what they had seen with their
 eyes--that ,he died and rose again4    
,and not only was the main subject of   
their teaching the ,resurrection1 but it
 was the ,resurrection in one of its    
aspects and for one specific purpose4   
,there are1 speaking roughly1 three main
 connections in which the fact of       
,christ's rising from the dead is viewed
 in ,scripture1 and these three         
successively emerge in the consciousness
 of the ,early ,church4  ,it was1 first1

 a fact affecting ,him1 a testimony     
concerning ,him1 carrying with it       
necessarily some great truths with      
regard to ,him1 ,his character1 ,his    
nature1 and ,his work4 ,and it was in   
that aspect mainly that the earliest    
preachers dealt with it4 ,then1 as      
reflection and the guidance of ,god's   
good ,spirit led them to understand more
 and more of the treasure which lay in  
the fact1 it came to be to them1 next1 a
 pattern1 and a pledge1 and a prophecy  
of their own resurrection4 ,the doctrine
 of man's immortality and the future    
life was evolved from it1 and was felt  
to be implied in it4 ,and then it came  
to be1 thirdly and lastly1 a symbol or  
figure of the spiritual resurrection and
 newness of life into which all they    
were born who participated in ,his      
death4 ,they knew ,him first by ,his    
,resurrection2 they then knew 'the power
 of ,his ,resurrection' as a pledge of  
their own2 and lastly1 they knew it as  
being the pattern to which they were to 

be conformed even whilst here on earth4 
,the words which ,i have read for my    
text are the ,apostle ,peter's own      
description of what was the office of an
 ,apostle--'to be a witness with us of  
,christ's ,resurrection4' ,and the      
statement branches out1 ,i think1 into  
three considerations1 to which ,i ask   
your attention now4 ,first1 we have here
 the witnesses2 secondly1 we have the   
sufficiency of their testimony2 and     
thirdly1 we have the importance of the  
fact to which they bear their witness4  
,the ,apostles are testimony-bearers4   
,their witness is enough to establish   
the fact4 ,the fact to which they       
witness is all-important for the        
religion and the hopes of the world4    
,i4 ,first1 then1 the ,witnesses4  ,here
 we have the 'head of the ,apostolic    
,college1' the 'primate' of the ,twelve1
 on whose supposed primacy--which is    
certainly not a 'rock'--such tremendous 
claims have been built1 laying down the 
qualifications and the functions of an  

,apostle4 ,how simply they present      
themselves to his mind6 ,the            
qualification is only personal knowledge
 of ,jesus ,christ in ,his earthly      
history1 because the function is only to
 attest ,his ,resurrection4 ,their work 
was to bear witness to what they had    
seen with their eyes2 and what was      
needed1 therefore1 was nothing more than
 such familiarity with ,christ as should
 make them competent witnesses to the   
fact that ,he died1 and to the fact that
 the same ,jesus who had died1 and whom 
they knew so well1 rose again and went  
up to heaven4  ,the same conception of  
an ,apostle's work lies in ,christ's    
last solemn designation of them for     
their office1 where their whole         
commission is included in the simple    
words1 ',ye shall be witnesses unto     
,me4' ,it appears again and again in the
 earlier addresses reported in this     
book4 ',this ,jesus hath ,god raised up1
 whereof we all are witnesses4' ',whom  
,god hath raised from the dead1 whereof 

we are witnesses4' ',with great power   
gave the ,apostles witness of the       
,resurrection4' ',we are ,his witnesses 
of these things4' ,to ,cornelius1 ,peter
 speaks of the ,apostles as 'witnesses  
chosen before of ,god1 who did eat and  
drink with ,him after ,he rose from the 
dead'--and whose charge1 received from  
,christ1 was 'to testify that it is ,he 
which was ordained of ,god to be the    
,judge of quick and dead4' ,paul at     
,antioch speaks of the ,twelve1 from    
whom he distinguishes himself1 as being 
',christ's witnesses to the people'--and
 seems to regard them as specially      
commissioned to the ,jewish nation1     
while he was sent to 'declare unto      
you'--,gentiles--the same 'glad         
tidings1' in that ',god had raised up   
,jesus again4' ,so we might go on       
accumulating passages1 but these will   
suffice4  ,i need not spend time in     
elaborating or emphasising the contrast 
which the idea of the ,apostolic office 
contained in these simple words presents

 to the portentous theories of later    
times4 ,i need only remind you that1    
according to the ,gospels1 the work of  
the ,apostles in ,christ's lifetime     
embraced three elements1 none of which  
were peculiar to them--to be with       
,christ1 to preach1 and to work         
miracles2 that their characteristic work
 after ,his ,ascension was this of      
witness-bearing2 that the ,church did   
not owe to them as a body its extension1
 nor ,christian doctrine its form2 that 
whilst ,peter and ,james and ,john      
appear in the history1 and ,matthew     
perhaps wrote a ,gospel1 and the other  
,james and ,jude are probably the       
authors of the brief ,epistles which    
bear their names--the rest of the       
,twelve never appear in the subsequent  
history4 ,the ,acts of the ,apostles is 
a misnomer for ,luke's second           
'treatise4' ,it tells the work of ,peter
 alone among the ,twelve4 ,the          
,hellenists ,stephen and ,philip1 the   
,cypriote ,barnabas1 and the man of     

,tarsus--greater than them all--these   
spread the name of ,christ beyond the   
limits of the ,holy ,city and the chosen
 people4 ,the solemn power of 'binding  
and loosing' was not a prerogative of   
the ,twelve1 for we read that ,jesus    
came where 'the disciples were          
assembled1' and that 'the disciples were
 glad when they saw the ,lord'2 and ',he
 breathed on them1 and said1 ,receive ye
 the ,holy ,ghost3 whose soever sins ye 
remit1 they are remitted4'  ,where in   
all this is there a trace of the special
 ,apostolic powers which have been      
alleged to be transmitted from them8    
,nowhere4 ,who was it that came and     
said1 ',brother ,saul1 the ,lord hath   
sent me that thou mightest be filled    
with the ,holy ,ghost'8 ,a simple       
'layman'6 ,who was it that stood by1 a  
passive and astonished spectator of the 
communication of spiritual gifts to     
,gentile converts1 and could only say1  
',forasmuch1 then1 as ,god gave them the
 like gift1 as ,he did unto us1 what was

 ,i that ,i could withstand ,god8'      
,peter1 the leader of the ,twelve6      
,their task was apparently a humbler1   
really a far more important one4 ,their 
place was apparently a lowlier1 really a
 loftier one4 ,they had to lay broad and
 deep the basis for all the growth and  
grace of the ,church1 in the facts which
 they witnessed4 ,their work abides2 and
 when the ,celestial ,city is revealed  
to our longing hearts1 in its           
foundations will be read 'the names of  
the twelve ,apostles of the ,lamb4'     
,their office was testimony2 and their  
testimony was to this effect--',hearken1
 we eleven men knew this ,jesus4 ,some  
of us knew ,him when ,he was a boy1 and 
lived beside that little village where  
,he was brought up4 ,we were with ,him  
for three whole years in close contact  
day and night4 ,we all of us1 though we 
were cowards1 stood afar off with a     
handful of women when ,he was crucified4
 ,we saw ,him dead4 ,we saw ,his grave4 
,we saw ,him living1 and we touched     

,him1 and handled ,him1 and ,he ate and 
drank with us2 and we1 sinners that we  
are that tell it you1 we went out with  
,him to the top of ,olivet1 and we saw  
,him go up into the skies4 ,do you      
believe us or do you not8 ,we do not    
come in the first place to preach       
doctrines4 ,we are not thinkers or      
moralists4 ,we are plain men1 telling a 
plain story1 to the truth of which we   
pledge our senses4 ,we do not want      
compliments about our spiritual         
elevation1 or our pure morality4 ,we do 
not want reverence as possessors of     
mysterious and exclusive powers4 ,we    
want you to believe us as honest men1   
relating what we have seen4 ,there are  
eleven of us1 and there are five hundred
 at our back1 and we have all got the   
one simple story to tell4 ,it is1       
indeed1 a gospel1 a philosophy1 a       
theology1 the reconciliation of earth   
and heaven1 the revelation of ,god to   
man1 and of man to himself1 the         
unveiling of the future world1 the basis

 of hope2 but we bring it to you first  
as a thing that happened upon this earth
 of ours1 which we saw with our eyes1   
and of which we are the witnesses4'  ,to
 that work there can be no successors4  
,some of the ,apostles were inspired to 
be the writers of the authoritative     
fountains of religious truth2 but that  
gift did not belong to them all1 and was
 not the distinctive possession of the  
,twelve4 ,the power of working miracles1
 and of communicating supernatural      
gifts1 was not confined to them1 but is 
found exercised by other believers1 as  
well as by a whole 'presbytery4' ,and as
 for what was properly their task1 and  
their qualifications1 there can be no   
succession1 for there is nothing to     
succeed to1 but what cannot be          
transmitted--the sight of the risen     
,saviour1 and the witness to ,his       
,resurrection as a fact certified by    
their senses4  ,,ii4 ,the sufficiency of
 the testimony4  ,peter regards 7as does
 the whole ,new ,testament1 and as did  

,peter's ,master1 when ,he appointed    
these men7 the witness which he and his 
fellows bore as enough to lay firm and  
deep the historical fact of the         
,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ4  ,the  
first point that ,i would suggest here  
is this3 if we think of ,christianity as
 being mainly a set of                  
truths--spiritual1 moral1               
intellectual--then1 of course1 the way  
to prove ,christianity is to show the   
consistency of that body of truths with 
one another1 their consistency with     
other truths1 their derivation from     
admitted principles1 their              
reasonableness1 their adaptation to     
men's nature1 the refining and elevating
 effects of their adoption1 and so on4  
,if we think of ,christianity1 on the   
other hand1 as being first a set of     
historical facts which carry the        
doctrines1 then the way to prove        
,christianity is not to show how        
reasonable it is1 not to show how it has
 been anticipated and expected and      

desired1 not to show how it corresponds 
with men's needs and men's longings1 not
 to show what large and blessed results 
follow from its acceptance4 ,all these  
are legitimate ways of establishing     
principles2 but the way to establish a  
fact is only one--that is1 to find      
somebody that can say1 ',i know it1 for 
,i saw it4'  ,and my belief is that the 
course of modern 'apologetics1' as they 
are called--methods of defending        
,christianity--has followed too         
slavishly the devious course of modern  
antagonism1 and has departed from its   
real stronghold when it has consented to
 argue the question on these 7as ,i take
 them to be7 lower and less sufficing   
grounds4 ,i am thankful to adopt all    
that wise ,christian apologists may have
 said in regard to the reasonableness of
 ,christianity2 its correspondence with 
men's wants1 the blessings that follow  
from it1 and so forth2 but the ,gospel  
is first and foremost a history1 and you
 cannot prove that a thing has happened 

by showing how very desirable it is that
 it should happen1 how reasonable it is 
to expect that it should happen1 what   
good results would follow from believing
 that it has happened--all that is      
irrelevant4 ,think of it as first a     
history1 and then you are shut up to the
 old-fashioned line of evidence1        
irrefragable as ,i take it to be1 to    
which all these others may afterwards be
 appended as confirmatory4 ,it is true1 
because sufficient eye-witnesses assert 
it4 ,it did happen1 because it is       
commended to us by the ordinary canons  
of evidence which we accept in regard to
 all other matters of fact4  ,with      
regard to the sufficiency of the        
specific evidence here1 ,i wish to make 
only one or two observations4  ,suppose 
you yield up everything that the most   
craving and unreasonable modern         
scepticism can demand as to the date and
 authorship of these tracts that make   
the ,new ,testament1 we have still left 
four letters of the ,apostle ,paul1     

which no one has ever denied1 which the 
very extremest professors of the 'higher
 criticism' themselves accept4 ,these   
four are the ,epistles to the ,romans1  
the first and second to the             
,corinthians1 and that to the           
,galatians4 ,the dates which are        
assigned to these four letters by any   
one1 believer or unbeliever1 bring them 
within five-and-twenty years of the     
alleged date of ,christ's resurrection4 
,then what do we find in these          
undeniably and admittedly genuine       
letters1 written a quarter of a century 
after the supposed fact8 ,we find in all
 of them reference to it--the distinct  
allegation of it4 ,we find in one of    
them that the ,apostle states it as     
being the substance of his preaching and
 of his brethren's preaching1 that      
',christ died and rose again according  
to the ,scriptures1' and that ,he was   
seen by individuals1 by multitudes1 by a
 whole five hundred1 the greater portion
 of whom were living and available as   

witnesses when he wrote4  ,and we find  
that side by side with this statement1  
there is the reference to his own vision
 of the risen ,saviour1 which carries us
 up within ten years of the alleged     
fact4 ,so1 then1 by the evidence of     
admittedly genuine documents1 which are 
dealing with a state of things ten years
 after the supposed resurrection1 there 
was a unanimous concurrence of belief on
 the part of the whole primitive        
,church1 so that even the heretics who  
said that there was no resurrection of  
the dead could be argued with on the    
ground of their belief in ,christ's     
,resurrection4 ,the whole ,church with  
one voice asserted it4 ,and there were  
hundreds of living men ready to attest  
it4 ,it was not a handful of women who  
fancied they had seen ,him once1 very   
early in the dim twilight of a spring   
morning--but it was half a thousand that
 had beheld ,him4 ,he had been seen by  
them not once1 but often2 not far off1  
but close at hand2 not in one place1 but

 in ,galilee and ,jerusalem2 not under  
one set of circumstances1 but at all    
hours of the day1 abroad and in the     
house1 walking and sitting1 speaking and
 eating1 by them singly and in numbers4 
,he had not been seen only by excited   
expectants of ,his appearance1 but by   
incredulous eyes and surprised hearts1  
who doubted ere they worshipped1 and    
paused before they said1 ',my ,lord and 
my ,god6' ,they neither hoped that ,he  
would rise1 nor believed that ,he had   
risen2 and the world may be thankful    
that they were 'slow of heart to        
believe4'  ,would not the testimony     
which can be alleged for ,christ's      
,resurrection be enough to guarantee any
 event but this8 ,and if so1 why is it  
not enough to guarantee this too8 ,if1  
as nobody denies1 the ,early ,church1   
within ten years of ,christ's           
,resurrection1 believed in ,his         
,resurrection1 and were ready to go1 and
 did1 many of them1 go to the death in  
assertion of their veracity in declaring

 it1 then one of two things--,either    
they were right or they were wrong2 and 
if the latter1 one of two things--,if   
the ,resurrection be not a fact1 then   
that belief was either a delusion or a  
deceit4  ,it was not a delusion1 for    
such an illusion is altogether          
unexampled2 and it is absurd to think of
 it as being shared by a multitude like 
the ,early ,church4 ,nations have said1 
',our ,king is not dead--he is gone away
 and he will come back4' ,loving        
disciples have said1 ',our ,teacher     
lives in solitude and will return to    
us4' ,but this is no parallel to these4 
,this is not a fond imagination giving  
an apparent substance to its own        
creation1 but sense recognising first   
the fact1 ',he is dead1' and then1 in   
opposition to expectation1 and when hope
 had sickened to despair1 recognising   
the astounding fact1 ',he liveth that   
was dead'2 and to suppose that that     
should have been the rooted conviction  
of hundreds of men who were not idiots1 

finds no parallel in the history of     
human illusions1 and no analogy in such 
legends as those to which ,i have       
referred4  ,it was not a myth1 for a    
myth does not grow in ten years4 ,and   
there was no motive to frame one1 if    
,christ was dead and all was over4 ,it  
was not a deceit1 for the character of  
the men1 and the character of the       
associated morality1 and the obvious    
absence of all self-interest1 and the   
persecutions and sorrows which they     
endured1 make it inconceivable that the 
fairest building that ever hath been    
reared in the world1 and which is       
cemented by men's blood1 should be built
 upon the mud and slime of a conscious  
deceit6  ,and all this we are asked to  
put aside at the bidding of a glaring   
begging of the whole question1 and an   
outrageous assertion which no man that  
believes in a ,god at all can logically 
maintain1 viz4 that no testimony can    
reach to the miraculous1 or that        
miracles are impossible4  ,no testimony 

reach to the miraculous6 ,well1 put it  
into a concrete form4 ,can testimony not
 reach to this3 ',i know1 because ,i    
saw1 that a man was dead2 ,i know1      
because ,i saw1 a dead man live again'8 
,if testimony can do that1 ,i think we  
may safely leave the verbal sophism that
 it cannot reach to the miraculous to   
take care of itself4  ,and1 then1 with  
regard to the other assumption--miracle 
is impossible4 ,that is an illogical    
begging of the whole question in        
dispute4 ,it cannot avail to brush aside
 testimony4 ,you cannot smother facts by
 theories in that fashion4 ,again1 one  
would like to know how it comes that our
 modern men of science1 who protest so  
much against science being corrupted by 
metaphysics1 should commit themselves to
 an assertion like that8 ,surely that is
 stark1 staring metaphysics4 ,it seems  
as if they thought that the             
'metaphysics' which said that there was 
anything behind the physical universe   
was unscientific2 but that the          

metaphysics which said that there was   
nothing behind physics was quite        
legitimate1 and ought to be allowed to  
pass muster4 ,what have the votaries of 
pure physical science1 who hold the     
barren word-contests of theology and the
 proud pretensions of philosophy in such
 contempt1 to do out-,heroding ,herod in
 that fashion1 and venturing on         
metaphysical assertions of such a sort8 
,let them keep to their own line1 and   
tell us all that crucibles and scalpels 
can reveal1 and we will listen as       
becomes us4 ,but when they contradict   
their own principles in order to deny   
the possibility of miracle1 we need only
 give them back their own words1 and ask
 that the investigation of facts shall  
not be hampered and clogged with        
metaphysical prejudices4 ,no6 no6       
,christ made no mistake when ,he built  
,his ,church upon that rock--the        
historical evidence of a resurrection   
from the dead1 though all the wise men  
of ,areopagus hill may make its cliffs  

ring with mocking laughter when we say1 
upon ,easter morning1 ',the ,lord is    
risen indeed6'  ,,iii4 ,there is a final
 consideration connected with these     
words1 which ,i must deal with very     
briefly--the importance of the fact     
which is thus borne witness to4  ,i have
 already pointed out that the           
,resurrection of ,christ is viewed in   
,scripture in three aspects3 in its     
bearing upon ,his nature and work1 as a 
pattern for our future1 and as a symbol 
of our present newness of life4 ,the    
importance to which ,i refer now applies
 only to that first aspect4  ,with the  
,resurrection of ,jesus ,christ stands  
or falls the ,divinity of ,christ4 ,as  
,paul said1 in that letter to which ,i  
have referred1 ',declared to be the ,son
 of ,god1 with power by the resurrection
 from the dead4' ,as ,peter said in the 
sermon that follows this one of our     
text1 ',god hath made this same ,jesus1 
whom ye have crucified1 both ,lord and  
,christ4' ,as ,paul said1 on ,mars      

,hill1 ',he will judge the world in     
righteousness by that ,man whom ,he hath
 ordained1 whereof ,he hath given       
assurance unto all men1 in that ,he hath
 raised ,him from the dead4'  ,the case 
is this4 ,jesus lived as we know1 and in
 the course of that life claimed to be  
the ,son of ,god4 ,he made such broad   
and strange assertions as these--',i and
 ,my ,father are ,one4' ',i am the ,way1
 and the ,truth1 and the ,life4' ',i am 
the ,resurrection and the ,life4' ',he  
that believeth on ,me shall never die4' 
',the ,son of ,man must suffer many     
things1 and the third day ,he shall rise
 again4' ,thus speaking ,he dies1 and   
rises again and passes into the heavens4
 ,that is the last mightiest utterance  
of the same testimony1 which spake from 
heaven at ,his baptism1 ',this is ,my   
beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well        
pleased6' ,if ,he be risen from the     
dead1 then ,his loftiest claims are     
confirmed from the throne1 and we can   
see in ,him1 the ,son of ,god4 ,but if  

death holds ,him still1 and 'the ,syrian
 stars look down upon ,his grave1' as a 
modern poet tells us in his dainty      
,english that they do1 then what becomes
 of these words of ,his1 and of our     
estimate of the character of ,him1 the  
speaker8 ,let us hear no more about the 
pure morality of ,jesus ,christ1 and the
 beauty of ,his calm and lofty teaching1
 and the rest of it4 ,take away ,his    
resurrection from the dead1 and we have 
left beautiful precepts1 and fair       
wisdom1 deformed with a monstrous       
self-assertion and the constant         
reiteration of claims which the event   
proves to have been baseless4 ,either   
,he has risen from the dead or ,his     
words were blasphemy4 ,men nowadays talk
 very lightly of throwing aside the     
supernatural portions of the ,gospel    
history1 and retaining reverence for the
 great ,teacher1 the pure moralist of   
,nazareth4 ,the ,pharisees put the issue
 more coarsely and truly when they said1
 ',that deceiver said1 while ,he was yet

 alive1 after three days ,i will rise   
again4' ,yes6 one or the other4         
',declared to be the ,son of ,god with  
power by the resurrection from the      
dead1' or--that which our lips refuse to
 say even as a hypothesis6  ,still      
further1 with the ,resurrection stands  
or falls ,christ's whole work for our   
redemption4 ,if ,he died1 like other    
men--if that awful bony hand has got its
 grip upon ,him too1 then we have no    
proof that the cross was anything but a 
martyr's cross4 ,his ,resurrection is   
the proof of ,his completed work of     
redemption4 ,it is the proof--followed  
as it is by ,his ,ascension--that ,his  
death was not the tribute which for     
,himself ,he had to pay1 but the ransom 
for us4 ,his ,resurrection is the       
condition of ,his present activity4 ,if 
,he has not risen1 ,he has not put away 
sin2 and if ,he has not put it away by  
the sacrifice of ,himself1 none has1 and
 it remains4 ,we come back to the old   
dreary alternative3 'if ,christ be not  

risen1 your faith is vain1 and our      
preaching is vain4 ,ye are yet in your  
sins1 and they which have fallen asleep 
in ,christ' with unfulfilled hopes fixed
 upon a baseless vision--they of whom we
 hoped1 through our tears1 that they    
live with ,him--they 'are perished4'    
,for1 if ,he be not risen1 there is no  
resurrection2 and1 if ,he be not risen1 
there is no forgiveness2 and1 if ,he be 
not risen1 there is no ,son of ,god2 and
 the world is desolate1 and the heaven  
is empty1 and the grave is dark1 and sin
 abides1 and death is eternal4 ,if      
,christ be dead1 then that awful vision 
is true1 ',as ,i looked up into the     
immeasurable heavens for the ,divine    
,eye1 it froze me with an empty1        
bottomless eye-socket4'  ,there is      
nothing between us and darkness1        
despair1 death1 but that ancient        
message1 ',i declare unto you the       
,gospel which ,i preach1 by which ye are
 saved if ye keep in memory what ,i     
preached unto you1 how that ,christ died

 for our sins according to the          
,scriptures1 and that ,he was raised the
 third day according to the             
,scriptures4'  ,well1 then1 may we take 
up the ancient glad salutation1 ',the   
,lord is risen6' and1 turning from these
 thoughts of the disaster and despair   
that that awful supposition drags after 
it1 fall back upon sober certainty1 and 
with the ,apostle break forth in        
triumph1 ',now is ,christ risen from the
 dead1 and become the first-fruits of   
them that slept'6    ,,the ,,abiding    
,,gift ,,and ,,its ,,transitory         
,,accompaniments  ',and when the day of 
,pentecost was fully come1 they were all
 with one accord in one place4 #b ,and  
suddenly there came a sound from heaven 
as of a rushing mighty wind1 and it     
filled all the house where they were    
sitting4 #c4 ,and there appeared unto   
them cloven tongues like as of fire1 and
 it sat upon each of them4 #d4 ,and they
 were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 
and began to speak with other tongues1  

as the ,spirit gave them utterance4 #e4 
,and there were dwelling at ,jerusalem  
,jews1 devout men1 out of every nation  
under heaven4 #f4 ,now when this was    
noised abroad1 the multitude came       
together1 and were confounded1 because  
that every man heard them speak in his  
own language4 #g4 ,and they were all    
amazed and marvelled1 saying one to     
another1 ,behold1 are not all these     
which speak ,galileans8 #h4 ,and how we 
hear every man in our own tongue1       
wherein we were born8 #i4 ,parthians1   
and ,medes1 and ,elamites1 and the      
dwellers in ,mesopotamia1 and in        
,judaea1 and ,cappadocia1 in ,pontus1   
and ,asia1 #aj4 ,phrygia1 and           
,pamphylia1 in ,egypt1 and in the parts 
of ,libya about ,cyrene1 and strangers  
of ,rome1 ,jews and proselytes4 #aa4    
,cretes1 and ,arabians1 we do hear them 
speak in our tongues the wonderful works
 of ,god4 #ab4 ,and they were all       
amazed1 and were in doubt1 saying one to
 another1 ,what meaneth this8 #ac4      

,others1 mocking1 said1 ,these men are  
full of new wine4'--,,acts ii4 #a-ac4   
,only ten days elapsed between the      
,ascension and ,pentecost4 ,the attitude
 of the ,church during that time should 
be carefully noted4 ,they obeyed        
implicitly ,christ's command to wait for
 the 'power from on high4' ,the only act
 recorded is the election of ,matthias  
to fill ,judas's place1 and it is at    
least questionable whether that was not 
a mistake1 and shown to be such by      
,christ's subsequent choice of ,paul as 
an ,apostle4 ,but1 with the exception of
 that one flash of doubtful activity1   
prayer1 supplication1 patient waiting1  
and clinging together in harmonious     
expectancy1 characterised the hundred   
and twenty brethren4  ,they must have   
been wrought to an intense pitch of     
anticipation1 for they knew that their  
waiting was to be short1 and they knew1 
at least partially1 what they were to   
receive1 namely1 'power from on high1'  
or 'the promise of the ,father4'        

,probably1 too1 the great ,feast1 so    
near at hand1 would appear to them a    
likely time for the fulfilment of the   
promise4  ,so1 very early on that day of
 ,pentecost1 they betook themselves to  
their usual place of assembling1        
probably the 'large upper room1' already
 hallowed to their memories2 and in each
 heart the eager question would spring1 
',will it be to-day8' ,it is as true now
 as it was then1 that the spirits into  
whom the ,holy ,spirit breathes ,his    
power must keep themselves still1       
expectant1 prayerful4 ,perpetual        
occupation may be more loss of time than
 devout waiting1 with hands folded1     
because the heart is wide open to       
receive the power which will fit the    
hands for better work4  ,it was but 'the
 third hour of the day' when ,peter     
stood up to speak2 it must have been    
little after dawn when the brethren came
 together4 ,how long they had been      
assembled we do not know1 but we cannot 
doubt how they had been occupied4 ,many 

a prayer had gone up through the morning
 air1 and1 no doubt1 some voice was     
breathing the united desires1 when a    
deep1 strange sound was heard at a      
distance1 and rapidly gained volume1 and
 was heard to draw near4 ,like the      
roaring of a tempest hurrying towards   
them1 it hushed human voices1 and each  
man would feel1 ',surely now the ,gift  
comes6' ,nearer and nearer it           
approached1 and at last burst into the  
chamber where they sat silent and       
unmoving4  ,but if we look carefully at 
,luke's words1 we see that what filled  
the house was not agitated air1 or wind1
 but 'a sound as of wind4' ,the language
 implies that there was no rush of      
atmosphere that lifted a hair on any    
cheek1 or blew on any face1 but only    
such a sound as is made by tempest4 ,it 
suggested wind1 but it was not wind4 ,by
 that first symbolic preparation for the
 communication of the promised gift1 the
 old symbolism which lies in the very   
word ',spirit1' and had been brought    

anew to the disciples' remembrance by   
,christ's words to ,nicodemus1 and by   
,his breathing on them when ,he gave    
them an anticipatory and partial        
bestowment of the ,spirit1 is brought to
 view1 with its associations of         
life-giving power and liberty4 ',thou   
hearest the sound thereof1' could       
scarcely fail to be remembered by some  
in that chamber4  ,but it is not to be  
supposed that the audible symbol        
continued when the second preparatory   
one1 addressed to the eye1 appeared4 ,as
 the former had been not wind1 but like 
it1 the latter was not fire1 but 'as of 
fire4' ,the language does not answer the
 question whether what was seen was a   
mass from which the tongues detached    
themselves1 or whether only the separate
 tongues were visible as they moved     
overhead4 ,but the final result was that
 'it sat on each4' ,the verb has no     
expressed subject1 and 'fire' cannot be 
the subject1 for it is only introduced  
as a comparison4 ,probably1 therefore1  

we are to understand 'a tongue' as the  
unexpressed subject of the verb4        
,clearly1 the point of the symbol is the
 same as that presented in the          
,baptist's promise of a baptism 'with   
the ,holy ,ghost and fire4' ,the ,spirit
 was to be in them as a ,spirit of      
burning1 thawing natural coldness and   
melting hearts with a genial warmth1    
which should beget flaming enthusiasm1  
fervent love1 burning zeal1 and should  
work transformation into its own fiery  
substance4 ,the rejoicing power1 the    
quick energy1 the consuming force1 the  
assimilating action of fire1 are all    
included in the symbol1 and should all  
be possessed by ,christ's disciples4    
,but were the tongue-like shapes of the 
flames significant too8 ,it is doubtful1
 for1 natural as is the supposition that
 they were1 it is to be remembered that 
'tongues of fire' is a usual expression1
 and may mean nothing more than the     
flickering shoots of flame into which a 
fire necessarily parts4  ,but these two 

symbols are only symbols4 ,the true     
fulfilment of the great promise follows4
 ,mark the brief simplicity of the quiet
 words in which the greatest bestowment 
ever made on humanity1 the beginning of 
an altogether new era1 the equipment of 
the ,church for her age-long conflict1  
is told4 ,there was an actual           
impartation to men of a divine life1 to 
dwell in them and actuate them2 to bring
 all good to victory in them2 to        
illuminate1 sustain1 direct1 and        
elevate2 to cleanse and quicken4 ,the   
gift was complete4 ,they were 'filled4' 
,no doubt they had much more to receive1
 and they received it1 as their natures 
became1 by faithful obedience to the    
indwelling ,spirit1 capable of more4    
,but up to the measure of their then    
capacities they were filled2 and1 since 
their spirits were expansible1 and the  
gift was infinite1 they were in a       
position to grow steadily in possession 
of it1 till they were 'filled with all  
the fulness of ,god4'  ,further1 'they  

were all filled1'--not the ,apostles    
only1 but the whole hundred and twenty4 
,peter's quotation from ,joel distinctly
 implies the universality of the gift1  
which the 'servants and handmaidens1'   
the brethren and the women1 now         
received4 ,herein is the true democracy 
of ,christianity4 ,there are still      
diversities of operations and degrees of
 possession1 but all ,christians have   
the ,spirit4 ,all 'they that believe on 
,him1' and only they1 have received it4 
,of old the light shone only on the     
highest peaks1--prophets1 and kings1 and
 psalmists2 now the lowest depths of the
 valleys are flooded with it4 ,would    
that ,christians generally believed more
 fully in1 and set more store by1 that  
great gift6  ,as symbols preceded1      
tokens followed4 ,the essential fact of 
,pentecost is neither the sound and     
fire1 nor the speaking with other       
tongues1 but the communication of the   
,holy ,spirit4 ,the sign and result of  
that was the gift of utterance in       

various languages1 not their own1 nor   
learned by ordinary ways4 ,no twisting  
of the narrative can weaken the plain   
meaning of it1 that these unlearned     
,galileans spake in tongues which their 
users recognised to be their own4 ,the  
significance of the fact will appear    
presently1 but first note the           
attestation of it by the multitude4  ,of
 course1 the foreign-born ,jews1 who1   
from motives of piety1 however mistaken1
 had come to dwell in ,jerusalem1 are   
said to have been 'from every nation    
under heaven1' by an obvious and        
ordinary license4 ,it is enough that1 as
 the subsequent catalogue shows1 they   
came from all corners of the then known 
world1 though the extremes of territory 
mentioned cover but a small space on a  
terrestrial globe4  ,the 'sound' of the 
rushing wind had been heard hurtling    
through the city in the early morning   
hours1 and had served as guide to the   
spot4 ,a curious crowd came hurrying to 
ascertain what this noise of tempest in 

a calm meant1 and they were met by      
something more extraordinary still4 ,try
 to imagine the spectacle4 ,as would    
appear from verse #cc1 the tongues of   
fire remained lambently glowing on each 
head 7'which ye see'71 and the whole    
hundred and twenty1 thus strangely      
crowned1 were pouring out rapturous     
praises1 each in some strange tongue4   
,when the astonished ears had become    
accustomed to the apparent tumult1 every
 man in the crowd heard some one or more
 speaking in his own tongue1 language1  
or dialect1 and all were declaring the  
mighty works of ,god2 that is1 probably1
 the story of the crucified1 ascended   
,jesus4  ,we need not dwell on          
subordinate questions1 as to the number 
of languages represented there1 or as to
 the catalogue in verses #i and #aj4    
,but we would emphasise two thoughts4   
,first1 the natural result of being     
filled with ,god's ,spirit is utterance 
of the great truths of ,christ's        
,gospel4 ,as surely as light radiates1  

as surely as any deep emotion demands   
expression1 so certainly will a soul    
filled with the ,spirit be forced to    
break into speech4 ,if professing       
,christians have never known the impulse
 to tell of the ,christ whom they have  
found1 their religion must be very      
shallow and imperfect4 ,if their spirits
 are full1 they will overflow in speech4
  ,second1 ,pentecost is a prophecy of  
the universal proclamation of the       
,gospel1 and of the universal praise    
which shall one day rise to ,him that   
was slain4 ',this company of brethren   
praising ,god in the tongues of the     
whole world represented the whole world 
which shall one day praise ,god in its  
various tongues' 7,bengel74 ,pentecost  
reversed ,babel1 not by bringing about a
 featureless monopoly1 but by           
consecrating diversity1 and showing that
 each language could be hallowed1 and   
that each lent some new strain of music 
to the chorus4  ,it prophesied of the   
time when 'men of every tribe1 and      

tongue1 and people1 and nation' should  
lift up their voices to ,him who has    
purchased them unto ,god with ,his      
blood4 ,it began a communication of the 
,spirit to all believers which is never 
to cease while the world stands4 ,the   
mighty rushing sound has died into      
silence1 the fiery tongues rest on no   
heads now1 the miraculous results of the
 gifts of the ,spirit have passed away  
also1 but the gift remains1 and the     
,spirit of ,god abides for ever with the
 ,church of ,christ4    ,,the ,,fourfold
 ,,symbols ,,of ,,the ,,spirit  ',a     
rushing mighty wind4' 444 ',cloven      
tongues like as of fire4' 444 ',i will  
pour out of ,my ,spirit upon all        
flesh4'--,,acts ii4 #b1 #c1 #ag4  ',ye  
have an unction from the ,holy          
,one4'--#a ,,john ii4 #bj4  ,wind1 fire1
 water1 oil1--these four are constant   
,scriptural symbols for the ,spirit of  
,god4 ,we have them all in these        
fragments of verses which ,i have taken 
for my text now1 and which ,i have      

isolated from their context for the     
purpose of bringing out simply these    
symbolical references4 ,i think that    
perhaps we may get some force and       
freshness to the thoughts proper to this
 day ,footnote3 ,whit ,sunday4 by       
looking at these rather than by treating
 the subject in some more abstract form4
 ,we have then the ,breath of the       
,spirit1 the ,fire of the ,spirit1 the  
,water of the ,spirit1 and the          
,anointing ,oil of the ,spirit4 ,and the
 consideration of these four will bring 
out a great many of the principal       
,scriptural ideas about the gift of the 
,spirit of ,god which belongs to all    
,christian souls4  ,i4 ,first1 'a       
rushing mighty wind4'  ,of course1 the  
symbol is but the putting into          
picturesque form of the idea that lies  
in the name4 ',spirit' is 'breath4'     
,wind is but air in motion4 ,breath is  
the synonym for life4 ',spirit' and     
'life' are two words for one thing4 ,so 
then1 in the symbol1 the 'rushing mighty

 wind1' we have set forth the highest   
work of the ,spirit--the communication  
of a new and supernatural life4  ,we are
 carried hack to that grand vision of   
the prophet who saw the bones lying1    
very many and very dry1 sapless and     
disintegrated1 a heap dead and ready to 
rot4 ,the question comes to him3 ',son  
of man6 ,can these bones live8' ,the    
only possible answer1 if he consult     
experience1 is1 ',o ,lord ,god6 ,thou   
knowest4' ,then follows the great       
invocation3 ',come from the four winds1 
,o ,breath6 and breathe upon these slain
 that they may live4' ,and the ,breath  
comes and 'they stand up1 an exceeding  
great army4' ',it is the ,spirit that   
quickeneth4' ,the ,scripture treats us  
all as dead1 being separated from ,god1 
unless we are united to ,him by faith in
 ,jesus ,christ4 ,according to the      
saying of the ,evangelist1 ',they which 
believe on ,him receive' the ,spirit1   
and thereby receive the life which ,he  
gives1 or1 as our ,lord ,himself speaks1

 are 'born of the ,spirit4' ,the highest
 and most characteristic office of the  
,spirit of ,god is to enkindle this new 
life1 and hence ,his noblest name1 among
 the many by which ,he is called1 is the
 ,spirit of life4  ,again1 remember1    
'that which is born of the ,spirit is   
spirit4' ,if there be life given it must
 be kindred with the life which is its  
source4 ,reflect upon those profound    
words of our ,lord3 ',the wind bloweth  
where it listeth1 and thou hearest the  
sound thereof1 but canst not tell whence
 it cometh nor whither it goeth4 ,so is 
every one that is born of the ,spirit4' 
,they describe first the operation of   
the life-giving ,spirit1 but they       
describe also the characteristics of the
 resulting life4  ',the wind bloweth    
where it listeth4' ,that spiritual life1
 both in the divine source and in the   
human recipient1 is its own law4 ,of    
course the wind has its laws1 as every  
physical agent has2 but these are so    
complicated and undiscovered that it has

 always been the very symbol of freedom1
 and poets have spoken of these         
'chartered libertines1' the winds1 and  
'free as the air' has become a proverb4 
,so that ,divine ,spirit is limited by  
no human conditions or laws1 but        
dispenses ,his gifts in superb disregard
 of conventionalities and externalisms4 
,just as the lower gift of what we call 
'genius' is above all limits of culture 
or education or position1 and falls on a
 wool-stapler in ,stratford-on-,avon1 or
 on a ploughman in ,ayrshire1 so1 in a  
similar manner1 the altogether different
 gift of the divine1 life-giving ,spirit
 follows no lines that ,churches or     
institutions draw4 ,it falls upon an    
,augustinian monk in a convent1 and he  
shakes ,europe4 ,it falls upon a tinker 
in ,bedford gaol1 and he writes         
,pilgrim's ,progress4 ,it falls upon a  
cobbler in ,kettering1 and he founds    
modern ,christian missions4 ,it blows   
'where it listeth1' sovereignly         
indifferent to the expectations and     

limitations and the externalisms1 even  
of organised ,christianity1 and touching
 this man and that man1 not arbitrarily 
but according to 'the good pleasure'    
that is a law to itself1 because it is  
perfect in wisdom and in goodness4  ,and
 as thus the life-giving ,spirit imparts
 ,himself according to higher laws than 
we can grasp1 so in like manner the life
 that is derived from it is a life which
 is its own law4 ,the ,christian        
conscience1 touched by the ,spirit of   
,god1 owes allegiance to no regulations 
or external commandments laid down by   
man4 ,the ,christian conscience1        
enlightened by the ,spirit of ,god1 at  
its peril will take its beliefs from any
 other than from that ,divine ,spirit4  
,all authority over conduct1 all        
authority over belief is burnt up and   
disappears in the presence of the grand 
democracy of the true ,christian        
principle3 ',ye are all the children of 
,god by faith in ,jesus ,christ'2 and   
every one of you possesses the ,spirit  

which teaches1 the ,spirit which        
inspires1 the ,spirit which enlightens1 
the ,spirit which is the guide to all   
truth4 ,so 'the wind bloweth where it   
listeth1' and the voice of that ,divine 
,quickener is1    ',myself shall to ,my 
darling be     ,both law and impulse4'  
,under the impulse derived from the     
,divine ,spirit1 the human spirit       
'listeth' what is right1 and is bound to
 follow the promptings of its highest   
desires4 ,those men only are free as the
 air we breathe1 who are vitalised by   
the ,spirit of the ,lord1 for 'where the
 ,spirit of the ,lord is1 there1' and   
there alone1 'is liberty4'  ,in this    
symbol there lies not only the thought  
of a life derived1 kindred with the life
 bestowed1 and free like the life which 
is given1 but there lies also the idea  
of power4 ,the wind which filled the    
house was not only mighty but 'borne    
onward'--fitting type of the strong     
impulse by which in olden times 'holy   
men spake as they were borne onward'    

7the word is the same7 'by the ,holy    
,ghost4' ,there are diversities of      
operations1 but it is the same breath of
 ,god1 which sometimes blows in the     
softest pianissimo that scarcely rustles
 the summer woods in the leafy month of 
,june1 and sometimes storms in wild     
tempest that dashes the seas against the
 rocks4 ,so this mighty life-giving     
,agent moves in gentleness and yet in   
power1 and sometimes swells and rises   
almost to tempest1 but is ever the      
impelling force of all that is strong   
and true and fair in ,christian hearts  
and lives4  ,the history of the world1  
since that day of ,pentecost1 has been a
 commentary upon the words of my text4  
,with viewless1 impalpable energy1 the  
mighty breath of ,god swept across the  
ancient world and 'laid the lofty city' 
of paganism 'low2 even to the ground1   
and brought it even to the dust4' ,a    
breath passed over the whole civilised  
world1 like the breath of the west wind 
upon the glaciers in the spring1 melting

 the thick-ribbed ice1 and wooing forth 
the flowers1 and the world was made over
 again4 ,in our own hearts and lives    
this is the one ,power that will make us
 strong and good4 ,the question is      
all-important for each of us1 ',have ,i 
this life1 and does it move me1 as the  
ships are borne along by the wind8' ',as
 many as are impelled by the ,spirit of 
,god1 they'--they--'are the sons of     
,god4' ,is that the breath that swells  
all the sails of your lives1 and drives 
you upon your course8 ,if it be1 you are
 ,christians2 if it be not1 you are not4
  ,,ii4 ,and now a word as to the second
 of these symbols--',cloven tongues as  
of fire'--the fire of the ,spirit4  ,i  
need not do more than remind you how    
frequently that emblem is employed both 
in the ,old and in the ,new ,testament4 
,john the ,baptist contrasted the cold  
negative efficiency of his baptism1     
which at its best1 was but a baptism of 
repentance1 with the quickening power of
 the baptism of ,him who was to follow  

him2 when he said1 ',i indeed baptise   
you with water1 but ,he that cometh     
after me is mightier than ,i4 ,he shall 
baptise you with the ,holy ,ghost and   
with fire4' ,the two words mean but one 
thing1 the fire being the emblem of the 
,spirit4  ,you will remember1 too1 how  
our ,lord ,himself employs the same     
metaphor when ,he speaks about ,his     
coming to bring fire on the earth1 and  
,his longing to see it kindled into a   
beneficent blaze4 ,in this connection   
the fire is a symbol of a quick1        
triumphant energy1 which will transform 
us into its own likeness4 ,there are two
 sides to that emblem3 one destructive1 
one creative2 one wrathful1 one loving4 
,there are the fire of love1 and the    
fire of anger4 ,there is the fire of the
 sunshine which is the condition of     
life1 as well as the fire of the        
lightning which burns and consumes4 ,the
 emblem of fire is selected to express  
the work of the ,spirit of ,god1 by     
reason of its leaping1 triumphant1      

transforming energy4 ,see1 for instance1
 how1 when you kindle a pile of dead    
green-wood1 the tongues of fire spring  
from point to point until they have     
conquered the whole mass1 and turned it 
all into a ruddy likeness of the parent 
flame4 ,and so here1 this fire of ,god1 
if it fall upon you1 will burn up all   
your coldness1 and will make you glow   
with enthusiasm1 working your           
intellectual convictions in fire not in 
frost1 making your creed a living power 
in your lives1 and kindling you into a  
flame of earnest consecration4  ,the    
same idea is expressed by the common    
phrases of every language4 ,we speak of 
the fervour of love1 the warmth of      
affection1 the blaze of enthusiasm1 the 
fire of emotion1 the coldness of        
indifference4 ,christians are to be set 
on fire of ,god4 ,if the ,spirit dwell  
in us1 ,he will make us fiery like      
,himself1 even as fire turns the wettest
 green-wood into fire4 ,we have more    
than enough of cold ,christians who are 

afraid of nothing so much as of being   
betrayed into warm emotion4  ,i believe1
 dear brethren1 and ,i am bound to      
express the belief1 that one of the     
chief wants of the ,christian ,church of
 this generation1 the ,christian ,church
 of this city1 the ,christian ,church of
 this chapel1 is more of the fire of    
,god6 ,we are all icebergs compared with
 what we ought to be4 ,look at          
yourselves2 never mind about your       
brethren4 ,let each of us look at his   
own heart1 and say whether there is any 
trace in his ,christianity of the power 
of that ,spirit who is fire4 ,is our    
religion flame or ice8 ,where among us  
are to be found lives blazing with      
enthusiastic devotion and earnest love8 
,do not such words sound like mockery   
when applied to us8 ,have we not to     
listen to that solemn old warning that  
never loses its power1 and1 alas6 seems 
never to lose its appropriateness3      
',because thou art neither cold nor hot1
 ,i will spue thee out of ,my mouth4'   

,we ought to be like the burning beings 
before ,god's throne1 the seraphim1 the 
spirits that blaze and serve4 ,we ought 
to be like ,god ,himself1 all aflame    
with love4 ,let us seek penitently for  
that ,spirit of fire who will dwell in  
us all if we will4  ,the metaphor of    
fire suggests also--purifying4 ',the    
,spirit of burning' will burn the filth 
out of us4 ,that is the only way by     
which a man can ever be made clean4 ,you
 may wash and wash and wash with the    
cold water of moral reformation1 you    
will never get the dirt out with it4 ,no
 washing and no rubbing will ever       
cleanse sin4 ,the way to purge a soul is
 to do with it as they do with foul     
clay--thrust it into the fire and that  
will burn all the blackness out of it4  
,get the love of ,god into your hearts1 
and the fire of ,his ,divine ,spirit    
into your spirits to melt you down1 as  
it were1 and then the scum and the dross
 will come to the top1 and you can skim 
them off4 ,two powers conquer my sin3   

the one is the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 
which washes me from all the guilt of   
the past2 the other is the fiery        
influence of that ,divine ,spirit which 
makes me pure and clean for all the time
 to come4 ,pray to be kindled with the  
fire of ,god4  ,,iii4 ,then once more1  
take that other metaphor1 ',i will pour 
out of ,my ,spirit4'  ,that implies an  
emblem which is very frequently used1   
both in the ,old and in the ,new        
,testament1 viz41 the ,spirit as water4 
,as our ,lord said to ,nicodemus3       
',except a man be born of water and of  
the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the   
kingdom of ,god4' ,the 'water' stands in
 the same relation to the ',spirit' as  
the 'fire' does in the saying of ,john  
the ,baptist already referred to--that  
is to say1 it is simply a symbol or     
material emblem of the ,spirit4 ,i      
suppose nobody would say that there were
 two baptisms spoken of by ,john1 one of
 the ,holy ,ghost and one of fire1--and 
,i suppose that just in the same way1   

there are not two agents of regeneration
 pointed at in our ,lord's words1 nor   
even two conditions1 but that the       
,spirit is the sole agent1 and 'water'  
is but a figure to express some aspect  
of ,his operations4 ,so that there is no
 reference to the water of baptism in   
the words1 and to see such a reference  
is to be led astray by sound1 and out of
 a metaphor to manufacture a miracle4   
,there are other passages where1 in like
 manner1 the ,spirit is compared to a   
flowing stream1 such as1 for instance1  
when our ,lord said1 ',he that believeth
 on ,me1 out of his belly shall flow    
rivers of living water1' and when ,john 
saw a 'river of water of life proceeding
 from the throne4' ,the expressions1    
too1 of 'pouring out' and 'shedding     
forth' the ,spirit1 point in the same   
direction1 and are drawn from more than 
one passage of ,old ,testament prophecy4
 ,what1 then1 is the significance of    
comparing that ,divine ,spirit with a   
river of water8 ,first1 cleansing1 of   

which ,i need not say any more1 because 
,i have dealt with ,it in the previous  
part of my sermon4 ,then1 further1      
refreshing1 and satisfying4 ,ah6 dear   
brethren1 there is only one thing that  
will slake the immortal thirst in your  
souls4 ,the world will never do it2 love
 or ambition gratified and wealth       
possessed1 will never do it4 ,you will  
be as thirsty after you have drunk of   
these streams as ever you were before4  
,there is one spring 'of which if a man 
drink1 he shall never thirst' with      
unsatisfied1 painful longings1 but shall
 never cease to thirst with the longing 
which is blessedness1 because it is     
fruition4 ,our thirst can be slaked by  
the deep draught of 'the river of the   
,water of ,life1 which proceeds from the
 ,throne of ,god and the ,lamb4' ,the   
,spirit of ,god1 drunk in by my spirit1 
will still and satisfy my whole nature1 
and with it ,i shall be glad4 ,drink of 
this4 ',ho6 every one that thirsteth1   
come ye to the waters6'  ,the ,spirit is

 not only refreshing and satisfying1 but
 also productive and fertilising4 ,in   
,eastern lands a rill of water is all   
that is needed to make the wilderness   
rejoice4 ,turn that stream on to the    
barrenness of your hearts1 and fair     
flowers will grow that would never grow 
without it4 ,the one means of lofty and 
fruitful ,christian living is a deep1   
inward possession of the ,spirit of     
,god4 ,the one way to fertilise barren  
souls is to let that stream flood them  
all over1 and then the flush of green   
will soon come1 and that which is else a
 desert will 'rejoice and blossom as the
 rose4'  ,so this water will cleanse1 it
 will satisfy and refresh1 it will be   
productive and will fertilise1 and      
'everything shall live whithersoever    
that river cometh4'  ,,iv4 ,then1       
lastly1 we have the oil of the ,spirit4 
',ye have an unction1' says ,st4 ,john  
in our last text1 'from the ,holy ,one4'
 ,i need not remind you1 ,i suppose1 of 
how in the old system1 prophets1        

priests1 and kings were anointed with   
consecrating oil1 as a symbol of their  
calling1 and of their fitness for their 
special offices4 ,the reason for the use
 of such a symbol1 ,i presume1 would lie
 in the invigorating and in the         
supposed1 and possibly real1            
health-giving effect of the use of oil  
in those climates4 ,whatever may have   
been the reason for the use of oil in   
official anointings1 the meaning of the 
act was plain4 ,it was a preparation for
 a specific and distinct service4 ,and  
so1 when we read of the oil of the      
,spirit1 we are to think that it is that
 which fits us for being prophets1      
priests1 and kings1 and which calls us  
to1 because it fits us for1 these       
functions4  ,you are anointed to be     
prophets that you may make known ,him   
who has loved and saved you1 and may go 
about the world evidently inspired to   
show forth ,his praise1 and make ,his   
name glorious4 ,that anointing calls and
 fits you to be priests1 mediators      

between ,god and man1 bringing ,god to  
men1 and by pleading and persuasion1 and
 the presentation of the truth1 drawing 
men to ,god4 ,that unction calls and    
fits you to be kings1 exercising        
authority over the little monarchy of   
your own natures1 and over the men round
 you1 who will bow in submission        
whenever they come in contact with a man
 all evidently aflame with the love of  
,jesus ,christ1 and filled with ,his    
,spirit4 ,the world is hard and rude2   
the world is blind and stupid2 the world
 often fails to know its best friends   
and its truest benefactors2 but there is
 no crust of stupidity so crass and     
dense but that through it there will    
pass the penetrating shafts of light    
that ray from the face of a man who     
walks in fellowship with ,jesus4 ,the   
whole nation of old was honoured with   
these sacred names4 ,they were a kingdom
 of priests2 and the divine ,voice said 
of the nation1 ',touch not ,mine        
anointed1 and do ,my prophets no harm6' 

,how much more are all ,christian men1  
by the anointing of the ,holy ,spirit1  
made prophets1 priests1 and kings to    
,god6 ,alas for the difference between  
what they ought to be and what they are6
  ,and then1 do not forget also that    
when the ,scriptures speak of ,christian
 men as being anointed1 it really speaks
 of them as being ,messiahs4 ',christ'  
means anointed1 does it not8 ',messiah' 
means anointed4 ,and when we read in    
such a passage as that of my text1 ',ye 
have an unction from the ,holy ,one1' we
 cannot but feel that the words point in
 the same direction as the great words  
of our ,master ,himself1 ',as ,my       
,father hath sent ,me1 even so send ,i  
you4' ,by authority derived1 no doubt1  
and in a subordinate and secondary      
sense1 of course1 we are ,messiahs1     
anointed with that ,spirit which was    
given to ,him1 not by measure1 and which
 has passed from ,him to us4 ',if any   
man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 he 
is none of ,his4'  ,so1 dear brethren1  

all these things being certainly so1    
what are we to say about the present    
state of ,christendom8 ,what are we to  
say about the present state of ,english 
,christianity1 ,church and ,dissent     
alike8 ,is ,pentecost a vanished glory1 
then8 ,has that 'rushing mighty wind'   
blown itself out1 and a dead calm       
followed8 ,has that leaping fire died   
down into grey ashes8 ,has the great    
river that burst out then1 like the     
stream from the foot of the glaciers of 
,mont ,blanc1 full-grown in its birth1  
been all swallowed up in the sand1 like 
some of those rivers in the ,east8 ,has 
the oil dried in the cruse8 ,people tell
 us that ,christianity is on its        
death-bed2 and the aspect of a great    
many professing ,christians seems to    
confirm the statement4 ,but let us      
thankfully recognise that 'we are not   
straitened in ,god1 but in ourselves4'  
,to how many of us the question might be
 put3 ',did you receive the ,holy ,ghost
 when you believed8' ,and how many of us

 by our lives answer3 ',we have not so  
much as heard whether there be any ,holy
 ,ghost4' ,let us go where we can       
receive ,him2 and remember the blessed  
words3 ',if ye1 being evil1 know how to 
give good gifts to your children1 how   
much more will your ,heavenly ,father   
give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask 
,him'6    ,,peter',s ,,first ,,sermon   
',this ,jesus hath ,god raised up1      
whereof we all are witnesses4 #cc4      
,therefore being by the right hand of   
,god exalted1 and having received of the
 ,father the promise of the ,holy       
,ghost1 ,he hath shed forth this1 which 
ye now see and hear4 #cd4 ,for ,david is
 not ascended into the heavens3 but he  
saith himself1 ,the ,lord said unto my  
,lord1 ,sit ,thou on ,my right hand1    
#ce4 ,until ,i make ,thy foes ,thy      
footstool4 #cf4 ,therefore let all the  
house of ,israel know assuredly1 that   
,god hath made that same ,jesus1 whom ye
 have crucified1 both ,lord and ,christ4
 #cg4 ,now when they heard this1 they   

were pricked in their heart1 and said   
unto ,peter and to the rest of the      
apostles1 ,men and brethren1 what shall 
we do8 #ch4 ,then ,peter said unto them1
 ,repent1 and be baptized every one of  
you in the name of ,jesus ,christ for   
the remission of sins1 and ye shall     
receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4   
#ci4 ,for the promise is unto you1 and  
to your children1 and to all that are   
afar off1 even as many as the ,lord our 
,god shall call4 #dj4 ,and with many    
other words did he testify and exhort1  
saying1 ,save yourselves from this      
untoward generation4 #da4 ,then they    
that gladly received his word were      
baptized3 and the same day there were   
added unto them about three thousand    
souls4 #db4 ,and they continued         
stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
 fellowship1 and in breaking of bread1  
and in prayers4 #dc4 ,and fear came upon
 every soul3 and many wonders and signs 
were done by the apostles4 #dd4 ,and all
 that believed were together1 and had   

all things common2 #de4 ,and sold their 
possessions and goods1 and parted them  
to all men1 as every man had need4 #df4 
,and they1 continuing daily with one    
accord in the temple1 and breaking bread
 from house to house1 did eat their meat
 with gladness and singleness of heart1 
#dg4 ,praising ,god1 and having favour  
with all the people4 ,and the ,lord     
added to the church daily such as should
 be saved4'--,,acts ii4 #cb-dg4  ,this  
passage may best be dealt with as       
divided into three parts3 the sharp     
spear-thrust of ,peter's closing words  
7vs4 #cb-cf71 the wounded and healed    
hearers 7vs4 #cg-da71 and the fair      
morning dawn of the ,church 7vs4        
#db-dg74  ,i4 ,peter's address begins   
with pointing out the fulfilment of     
prophecy in the gift of the ,spirit 7vs4
 #ad-ba74 ,it then declares the         
,resurrection of ,jesus as foretold by  
prophecy1 and witnessed to by the whole 
body of believers 7vs4 #bb-cb71 and it  
ends by bringing together these two     

facts1 the gift of the ,spirit and the  
,resurrection and ,ascension1 as effect 
and cause1 and as establishing beyond   
all doubt that ,jesus is the ,christ of 
prophecy1 and the ,lord on whom ,joel   
had declared that whoever called should 
be saved4 ,we now begin with the last   
verse of the second part of the address4
  ,observe the significant alternation  
of the names of ',christ' and ',jesus'  
in verses #ca and #cb4 ,the former verse
 establishes that prophecy had foretold 
the ,resurrection of the ,messiah1      
whoever he might be2 the latter asserts 
that 'this ,jesus' has fulfilled the    
prophetic conditions4 ,that is not a    
thing to be argued about1 but to be     
attested by competent witnesses4 ,it was
 presented to the multitude on          
,pentecost1 as it is to us1 as a plain  
matter of fact1 on which the whole      
fabric of ,christianity is built1 and   
which itself securely rests on the      
concordant testimony of those who knew  
,him alive1 saw ,him dead1 and were     

familiar with ,him risen4  ,there is a  
noble ring of certitude in ,peter's     
affirmation1 and of confidence that the 
testimony producible was overwhelming4  
,unless ,jesus had risen1 there would   
neither have been a ,pentecost nor a    
,church to receive the gift4 ,the simple
 fact which ,peter alleged in that first
 sermon1 'whereof we all are witnesses1'
 is still too strong for the deniers of 
the ,resurrection1 as their many devices
 to get over it prove4  ,but1 a listener
 might ask1 what has this witness of    
yours to do with ,joel's prophecy1 or   
with this speaking with tongues8 ,the   
answer follows in the last part of the  
sermon4 ,the risen ,jesus has ascended  
up2 that is inseparable from the fact of
 resurrection1 and is part of our       
testimony4 ,he is 'exalted by1' or1     
perhaps1 at1 'the right hand of ,god4'  
,and that exaltation is to us the token 
that there ,he has received from the    
,father the ,spirit1 whom ,he promised  
to send when ,he left us4 ,therefore it 

is ,he--'this ,jesus'--who has 'poured  
forth this1'--this new strange gift1 the
 tokens of which you see flaming on each
 head1 and hear bursting in praise from 
every tongue4  ,what triumphant emphasis
 is in that ',he'6 ,peter quotes ,joel's
 word 'pour forth4' ,the prophet had    
said1 as the mouthpiece of ,god1 ',i    
will pour forth'2 ,peter unhesitatingly 
transfers the word to ,jesus4 ,we must  
not assume in him at this stage a       
fully-developed consciousness of our    
,lord's divine nature1 but neither must 
we blink the tremendous assumption which
 he feels warranted in making1 that the 
exaltation of ,jesus to the right hand  
of ,god meant ,his exercising the power 
which belonged to ,god ,himself4  ,in   
verse #cd1 he stays for a moment to     
establish by prophecy that the          
,ascension1 of which he had for the     
first time spoken in verse #cc1 is part 
of the prophetic characteristics of the 
,messiah4 ,his demonstration runs       
parallel with his preceding one as to   

the ,resurrection4 ,he quotes ,psalm    
cx41 which he had learned to do from his
 ,master1 and just as he had argued     
about the prediction of ,resurrection1  
that the dead ,psalmist's words could   
not apply to himself1 and must therefore
 apply to the ,messiah2 so he concludes 
that it was not ',david' who was called 
by ,jehovah to sit as ',lord' on ,his   
right hand4 ,if not ,david1 it could    
only be the ,messiah who was thus       
invested with ,lordship1 and exalted as 
participator of the throne of the ,most 
,high4  ,then comes the final thrust of 
the spear1 for which all the discourse  
has been preparing4 ,the ,apostle rises 
to the full height of his great         
commission1 and sets the trumpet to his 
mouth1 summoning 'all the house of      
,israel1' priests1 rulers1 and all the  
people1 to acknowledge his ,master4 ,he 
proclaims his supreme dignity and       
,messiahship4 ,he is the ',lord' of whom
 the ,psalmist sang1 and the prophet    
declared that whoever called on ,his    

name should be saved2 and ,he is the    
,christ for whom ,israel looked4  ,last 
of all1 he sets in sharp contrast what  
,god had done with ,jesus1 and what     
,israel had done1 and the barb of his   
arrow lies in the last words1 'whom ye  
crucified4' ,and this bold champion of  
,jesus1 this undaunted arraigner of a   
nation's crimes1 was the man who1 a few 
weeks before1 had quailed before a      
maid-servant's saucy tongue6 ,what made 
the change8 ,will anything but the      
,resurrection and ,pentecost account for
 the psychological transformation       
effected in him and the other ,apostles8
  ,,ii4 ,no wonder that 'they were      
pricked in their heart'6 ,such a thrust 
must have gone deep1 even where the     
armour of prejudice was thick4 ,the     
scene they had witnessed1 and the fiery 
words of explanation1 taken together1   
produced incipient conviction1 and the  
conviction produced alarm4 ,how surely  
does the first glimpse of ,jesus as     
,christ and ,lord set conscience to     

work6 ,the question1 ',what shall we    
do8' is the beginning of conversion4    
,the acknowledgment of ,jesus which does
 not lead to it is shallow and          
worthless4 ,the most orthodox accepter1 
so far as intellect goes1 of the gospel1
 who has not been driven by it to ask   
his own duty in regard to it1 and what  
he is to do to receive its benefits1 and
 to escape from his sins1 has not       
accepted it at all4  ,peter's answer    
lays down two conditions3 repentance and
 baptism4 ,the former is often taken in 
too narrow a sense as meaning sorrow for
 sin1 whereas it means a change of      
disposition or mind1 which will be      
accompanied1 no doubt1 with 'godly      
sorrow1' but is in itself deeper than   
sorrow1 and is the turning away of heart
 and will from past love and practice of
 evil4 ,the second1 baptism1 is 'in the 
name of ,jesus ,christ1' or more        
accurately1 'upon the name1'--that is1  
on the ground of the revealed character 
of ,jesus4 ,that necessarily implies    

faith in that ,name2 for1 without such  
faith1 the baptism would not be on the  
ground of the ,name4 ,the two things are
 regarded as inseparable1 being the     
inside and the outside of the ,christian
 discipleship4 ,repentance1 faith1      
baptism1 these three1 are called for by 
,peter4  ,but 'remission of sins' is not
 attached to the immediately preceding  
clause1 so as that baptism is said to   
secure remission1 but to the whole of   
what goes before in the sentence4       
,obedience to the requirements would    
bring the same gift to the obedient as  
the disciples had received2 for it would
 make them disciples also4 ,but1 while  
repentance and baptism which presupposed
 faith were the normal1 precedent       
conditions of the ,spirit's bestowal1   
the case of ,cornelius1 where the       
,spirit was given before baptism1       
forbids the attempt to link the rite and
 the divine gift more closely together4 
,the ,apostle was eager to share the    
gift4 ,the more we have of the ,spirit1 

the more shall we desire that others may
 have ,him1 and the more sure shall we  
be that ,he is meant for all4 ,so ,peter
 went on to base his assurance1 that his
 hearers might all possess the ,spirit1 
on the universal destination of the     
promise4 ,joel had said1 'on all flesh'2
 ,peter declares that word to point     
downwards through all generations1 and  
outwards to all nations4 ,how swiftly   
had he grown in grasp of the sweep of   
,christ's work6 ,how far beneath that   
moment of illumination some of his      
subsequent actions fell6  ,we have only 
a summary of his exhortations1 the gist 
of which was earnest warning to separate
 from the fate of the nation by         
separating in will and mind from its    
sins4 ,swift conviction followed the    
,spirit-given words1 as it ever will do 
when the speaker is filled with the     
,holy ,spirit1 and has therefore a      
tongue of fire4 ,three thousand new     
disciples were made that day1 and though
 there must have been many superficial  

adherents1 and none with much knowledge1
 it is perhaps not fanciful to see in   
,luke's speaking of them as 'souls' a   
hint that1 in general1 the acceptance of
 ,jesus as ,messiah was deep and real4  
,not only were three thousand 'names'   
added to the hundred and twenty1 but    
three thousand souls4  ,,iii4 ,the fair 
picture of the morning brightness1 so   
soon overclouded1 so long lost1 follows4
 ,first1 the narrative tells how the raw
 converts were incorporated in the      
community1 and assimilated to its       
character4 ,they1 too1 'continued       
steadfastly' 7,acts i4 #ad74 ,note the  
four points enumerated3 'teaching1'     
which would be principally instruction  
in the life of ,jesus and ,his          
,messianic dignity1 as proved by        
prophecy2 'fellowship1' which implies   
community of disposition and oneness of 
heart manifested in outward association2
 'breaking of bread1'--that is1 the     
observance of the ,lord's ,supper2 and  
'the prayers1' which were the very      

life-breath of the infant ,church 7i4   
#ad74 ,thus oneness in faith and in     
love1 participation in the memorial     
feast and in devotional acts bound the  
new converts to the original believers1 
and trained them towards maturity4      
,these are still the methods by which a 
sudden influx of converts is best dealt 
with1 and babes in ,christ nurtured to  
full growth4 ,alas6 that so often       
churches do not know what to do with    
novices when they come in numbers4  ,a  
wider view of the state of the community
 as a whole closes the chapter4 ,it is  
the first of several landing-places1 as 
it were1 on which ,luke pauses to sum up
 an epoch4 ,a reverent awe laid hold of 
the popular mind1 which was increased by
 the miraculous powers of the ,apostles4
 ,the ,church will produce that         
impression on the world in proportion as
 it is manifestly filled with the       
,spirit4 ,do we8 ,the so-called         
community of goods was not imposed by   
commandment1 as is plain from ,peter's  

recognition of ,ananias' right to do as 
he chose with his property4 ,the facts  
that ,mark's mother1 ,mary1 had a house 
of her own1 and that ,barnabas1 her     
relative1 is specially signalised as    
having sold his property1 prove that it 
was not universal4 ,it was an           
irrepressible outcrop of the brotherly  
feeling that filled all hearts4 ,christ 
has not come to lay down laws1 but to   
give impulses4 ,compelled communism is  
not the repetition of that oneness of   
sympathy which effloresced in the bright
 flower of this common possession of    
individual goods4 ,but neither is the   
closed purse1 closed because the heart  
is shut1 which puts to shame so much    
profession of brotherhood1 justified    
because the liberality of the primitive 
disciples was not by constraint nor of  
obligation1 but willing and spontaneous4
  ,verses #df and #dg add an outline of 
the beautiful daily life of the         
community1 which was1 like their        
liberality1 the outcome of the feeling  

of brotherhood1 intensified by the sense
 of the gulf between them and the       
crooked generation from which they had  
separated themselves4 ,luke shows it on 
two sides4 ,though they had separated   
from the nation1 they clung to the      
,temple services1 as they continued to  
do till the end4 ,they had not come to  
clear consciousness of all that was     
involved in their discipleship1 ,it was 
not ,god's will that the new spirit     
should violently break with the old     
letter4 ,convulsions are not ,his way1  
except as second-best4 ,the disciples   
had to stay within the fold of ,israel1 
if they were to influence ,israel4 ,the 
time of outward parting between the     
,temple and the ,church was far ahead   
yet4  ,but the truest life of the infant
 ,church was not nourished in the       
,temple1 but in the privacy of their    
homes4 ,they were one family1 and lived 
as such4 ,their 'breaking bread at home'
 includes both their ordinary meals and 
the ,lord's ,supper2 for in these first 

days every meal1 at least the evening   
meal of every day1 was hallowed by      
having the ,supper as a part of it4     
,each meal was thus a religious act1 a  
token of brotherhood1 and accompanied   
with praise4 ,surely then 'men did eat  
angels' food1' and on platter and cup   
was written ',holiness to the ,lord4'   
,the ideal of human fellowship was      
realised1 though but for a moment1 and  
on a small scale4 ,it was inevitable    
that divergences should arise1 but it   
was not inevitable that the ,church     
should depart so far from the brief     
brightness of its dawn4 ,still the sweet
 concordant brotherhood of these morning
 hours witnesses what ,christian love   
can do1 and prophesies what shall yet be
 and shall not pass4  ,no wonder that   
such a ,church won favour with all the  
people6 ,we hear nothing of its         
evangelising activity1 but its life was 
such that1 without recorded speech1     
multitudes were drawn into so sweet a   
fellowship4 ,if we were like the        

,pentecostal ,christians1 we should     
attract wearied souls out of the world's
 ,babel into the calm home where love   
and brotherhood reigned1 and ,god would 
'add' to us 'day by day those that were 
being saved4'    ,,the ,,name ,,above   
,,every ,,name  ',therefore let all the 
house of ,israel know assuredly1 that   
,god hath made that same ,jesus1 whom ye
 have crucified1 both ,lord and         
,christ4'--,,acts ii4 #cf4  ,it is no   
part of my purpose at this time to      
consider the special circumstances under
 which these words were spoken1 nor even
 to enter upon an exposition of their   
whole scope4 ,i select them for one     
reason1 the occurrence in them of the   
three names by which we designate our   
,saviour--,jesus1 ,lord1 ,christ4 ,to us
 they are very little more than three   
proper names2 they were very different  
to these men who listened to the        
characteristically vehement discourse of
 the ,apostle ,peter4 ,it wanted some   
courage to stand up at ,pentecost and   

proclaim on the housetop what he had    
spoken in the ear long ago1 ',thou art  
the ,christ1 the ,son of the living     
,god6' ,to most of his listeners to say 
',jesus is the ,christ' was folly1 and  
to say ',jesus is the ,lord' was        
blasphemy4  ,the three names are names  
of the same ,person1 but they proclaim  
altogether different aspects of ,his    
work and ,his character4 ,the name      
',jesus' is the name of the ,man1 and   
brings to us a ,brother2 the name       
',christ' is the name of office1 and    
brings to us a ,redeemer2 the name      
',lord' is the name of dignity1 and     
brings to us a ,king4  ,i4 ,first1 then1
 the name ,jesus is the name of the     
,man1 and tells us of a ,brother4       
,there were many men in ,palestine who  
bore the name of ',jesus' when ,he bore 
it4 ,we find that one of the early      
,christians had it2 and it comes upon us
 with almost a shock when we read that  
',jesus1 called ,justus1' was the name  
of one of the friends of the ,apostle   

,paul 7,col4 iv4 #aa74 ,but1 through    
reverence on the part of ,christians1   
and through horror on the part of ,jews1
 the name ceased to be a common one2 and
 its disappearance from familiar use has
 hid from us the fact of its common     
employment at the time when our ,lord   
bore it4 ,though it was given to ,him as
 indicative of ,his office of saving    
,his people from their sins1 yet none of
 all the crowds who knew ,him as ,jesus 
of ,nazareth supposed that in ,his name 
there was any greater significance than 
in those of the ',simons1' ',johns1' and
 ',judahs' in the circle of ,his        
disciples4  ,now the use of ,jesus as   
the proper name of our ,lord is very    
noticeable4 ,in the ,gospels1 as a rule1
 it stands alone hundreds of times1     
whilst in combination with any other of 
the titles it is rare4 ',jesus ,christ1'
 for instance1 only occurs1 if ,i count 
aright1 twice in ,matthew1 once in      
,mark1 twice in ,john4 ,but if you turn 
to the ,epistles and the latter books of

 the ,scriptures1 the proportions are   
reversed4 ,there you have a number of   
instances of the occurrence of such     
combinations as ',jesus ,christ1'       
',christ ,jesus1' ',the ,lord ,jesus1'  
',christ the ,lord1' and more rarely the
 full solemn title1 ',the ,lord ,jesus  
,christ1' but the occurrence of the     
proper name ',jesus' alone is the       
exception4 ,so far as ,i know1 there are
 only some thirty or forty instances of 
its use singly in the whole of the books
 of the ,new ,testament outside of the  
four ,evangelists4 ,the occasions where 
it is used are all of them occasions in 
which one may see that the writer's     
intention is to put strong emphasis1 for
 some reason or other1 on the ,manhood  
of our ,lord ,jesus1 and to assert1 as  
broadly as may be1 ,his entire          
participation with us in the common     
conditions of our human nature1         
corporeal and mental4  ,and ,i think ,i 
shall best bring out the meaning and    
worth of the name by putting a few of   

these instances before you4  ,for       
example1 more than once we find phrases 
like these3 'we believe that ,jesus     
died1' 'having therefore boldness to    
enter into the holiest by the blood of  
,jesus1' and the like--which emphasise  
,his death as the death of a man like   
ourselves1 and bring us close to the    
historical reality of ,his human pains  
and agonies for us4 ',christ died' is a 
statement which makes the purpose and   
efficacy of ,his death more plain1 but  
',jesus died' shows us ,his death as not
 only the work of the appointed         
,messiah1 but as the act of our brother 
man1 the outcome of ,his human love1 and
 never rightly to be understood if ,his 
work be thought of apart from ,his      
personality4  ,there is brought into    
view1 too1 prominently1 the side of     
,christ's sufferings which we are all   
apt to forget--the common human side of 
,his agonies and ,his pains4 ,i know    
that a certain school of preachers1 and 
some unctuous religious hymns1 and other

 forms of composition1 dwell1 a great   
deal too much for reverence1 upon the   
mere physical aspect of ,christ's       
sufferings4 ,but the temptation1 ,i     
believe1 with most of us is to dwell too
 little upon that1--to argue about the  
death of ,christ1 to think about it as a
 matter of speculation1 to regard it as 
a mysterious power1 to look upon it as  
an official act of the ,messiah who was 
sent into the world for us2 and to      
forget that ,he bore a manhood like our 
own1 a body that was impatient of pains 
and wounds and sufferings1 and a human  
life which1 like all human lives1       
naturally recoiled and shrank from the  
agony of death4  ,and whilst1 therefore1
 the great message1 ',it is ,christ that
 died1' is ever to be pondered1 we have 
also to think with sympathy and         
gratitude on the homelier representation
 coming nearer to our hearts1 which     
proclaims that ',jesus died4' ,let us   
not forget the ,brother's manhood that  
had to agonise and to suffer and to die 

as the price of our salvation4  ,again1 
when the ,scripture would set our ,lord 
before us1 as in ,his humanity1 our     
pattern and example1 it sometimes uses  
this name1 in order to give emphasis to 
the thought of ,his ,manhood--as1 for   
example1 in the words of the ,epistle to
 the ,hebrews1 'looking unto ,jesus1 the
 ,author and ,perfecter of faith4' ,that
 is to say--a mighty stimulus to all    
brave perseverance in our efforts after 
higher ,christian nobleness lies in the 
vivid and constant realisation of the   
true manhood of our ,lord1 as the type  
of all goodness1 as having ,himself     
lived by faith1 and that in a perfect   
degree and manner4 ,we are to turn away 
our eyes from contemplating all other   
lives and motives1 and to 'look off'    
from them to ,him4 ,in all our struggles
 let us think of ,him4 ,do not take poor
 human creatures for your ideal of      
excellence1 nor tune your harps to their
 keynotes4 ,to imitate men is           
degradation1 and is sure to lead to     

deformity4 ,none of them1 is a safe     
guide4 ,black veins are in the purest   
marble1 and flaws in the most lustrous  
diamonds4 ,but to imitate ,jesus is     
freedom1 and to be like ,him is         
perfection4 ,our code of morals is ,his 
life4 ,he is the ,ideal incarnate4 ,the 
secret of all progress is1              
',run--looking unto ,jesus4'  ,then1    
again1 we have ,his manhood emphasised  
when ,his sympathy is to be commended to
 our hearts4 ',the great ,high ,priest1 
who is passed into the heavens' is      
',jesus' 444 'who was in all points     
tempted like as we are4' ,to every      
sorrowing soul1 to all men burdened with
 heavy tasks1 unwelcome duties1 pains   
and sorrows of the imagination1 or of   
the heart1 or of memory1 or of physical 
life1 or of circumstances--to all there 
comes the thought1 ',every ill that     
flesh is heir to' ,he knows by          
experience1 and in the ,man ,jesus we   
find not only the pity of a ,god1 but   
the sympathy of a ,brother4  ,when one  

of our princes goes for an afternoon    
into the slums in ,east ,london1        
everybody says1 and says deservedly1    
'right6' and 'princely6' ,this prince   
has learned pity in 'the huts where poor
 men lie1' and knows by experience all  
their squalor and misery4 ,the ,man     
,jesus is the sympathetic ,priest4 ,the 
,rabbis1 who did not usually see very   
far into the depth of things1 yet caught
 a wonderful glimpse when they said3    
',messias will be found sitting outside 
the gate of the city amongst the        
lepers4' ,that is where ,he sits2 and   
the perfectness of ,his sympathy1 and   
the completeness of ,his identification 
of ,himself with all our tears and our  
sorrows1 are taught us when we read that
 our ,high ,priest is not merely ,christ
 the ,official1 but ,jesus the ,man4    
,and then we find such words as these3  
',if we believe that ,jesus died and    
rose again1 even so them also which     
sleep in ,jesus will ,god bring with    
,him'3 ,i think any one that reads with 

sympathy must feel how very much closer 
to our hearts that consolation comes1   
',jesus rose again1' than even the      
mighty word which the ,apostle uses on  
another occasion1 ',christ is risen from
 the dead4' ,the one tells us of the    
risen ,redeemer1 the other tells us of  
the risen ,brother4 ,and wherever there 
are sorrowing souls1 enduring loss and  
following their dear ones into the      
darkness with yearning hearts1 they are 
comforted when they feel that the       
beloved dead lie down beside their      
,brother1 and with their ,brother they  
shall rise again4  ,so1 again1 most     
strikingly1 and yet somewhat singularly1
 in the words of ,scripture which paint 
most loftily the exaltation of the risen
 ,saviour to the right hand of ,god1 and
 ,his wielding of absolute power and    
authority1 it is the old human name that
 is used2 as if the writers would bind  
together the humiliation and the        
exaltation1 and were holding up hands of
 wonder at the thought that a ,man had  

risen thus to the ,throne of the        
,universe4 ,what an emphasis and glow of
 hope there is in such words as these3  
',we see not yet all things put under   
,him1 but we see ,jesus'--the very ,man 
that was here with us--'crowned with    
glory and honour4' ,so in the ,book of  
the ,revelation the chosen name for ,him
 who sits amidst the glories of the     
heavens1 and settles the destinies of   
the universe1 and orders the course of  
history1 is ,jesus4 ,as if the ,apostle 
would assure us that the face which     
looked down upon him from amidst the    
blaze of the glory was indeed the face  
that he knew long ago upon earth1 and   
the breast that 'was girded with a      
golden girdle' was the breast upon which
 he so often had leaned his happy head4 
,so the ties that bind us to the ,man   
,jesus should be the human bonds that   
knit us to one another1 transferred to  
,him and purified and strengthened4 ,all
 that we have failed to find in men we  
can find in ,him4 ,human wisdom has its 

limits1 but here is a ,man whose word is
 truth1 who is ,himself the truth4      
,human love is sometimes hollow1 often  
impotent2 it looks down upon us1 as a   
great thinker has said1 like the ,venus 
of ,milo1 that lovely statue1 smiling in
 pity1 but it has no arms4 ,but here is 
a love that is mighty to help1 and on   
which we can rely without disappointment
 or loss4 ,human excellence is always   
limited and imperfect1 but here is ,one 
whom we may imitate and be pure4 ,so let
 us do like that poor woman in the      
,gospel story--bring our precious       
alabaster box of ointment--the love of  
these hearts of ours1 which is the most 
precious thing we have to give4 ,the box
 of ointment that we have so often      
squandered upon unworthy heads--let us  
come and pour it upon ,his1 not         
unmingled with our tears1 and anoint    
,him1 our beloved and our ,king4 ,this  
,man has loved each of us with a        
brother's heart2 let us love ,him with  
all our hearts4  ,,ii4 ,so much for the 

first name4 ,the second--',christ'--is  
the name of office1 and brings to us a  
,redeemer4  ,i need not dwell at any    
length upon the original significance   
and force of the name2 it is familiar1  
of course1 to us all4 ,it stands as a   
transference into ,greek of the ,hebrew 
,messias2 the one and the other meaning1
 as we all know1 the ',anointed4' ,but  
what is the meaning of claiming for     
,jesus that ,he is anointed8 ,a sentence
 will answer the question4 ,it means    
that ,he fulfils all which the inspired 
imagination of the great ones of the    
past had seen in that dim ,figure that  
rose before prophet and psalmist4 ,it   
means that ,he is anointed or inspired  
by the divine indwelling to be ,prophet1
 ,priest1 and ,king all over the world4 
,it means that ,he is--though the belief
 had faded away from the minds of ,his  
generation--a sufferer whilst a ,prince1
 and appointed to 'turn away            
unrighteousness' from the world1 and not
 from ',jacob' only1 by a sacrifice and 

a death4  ,i cannot see less in the     
contents of the ,jewish idea1 the       
prophetic idea1 of the ,messias1 than   
these points3 divine inspiration or     
anointing2 a sufferer who is to redeem2 
the fulfiller of all the rapturous      
visions of psalmist and of prophet in   
the past4  ,and so1 when ,peter stood up
 amongst that congregation of wondering 
strangers and scowling ,pharisees1 and  
said1 ',the ,man that died on the       
,cross1 the ,rabbi-peasant from         
half-heathen ,galilee1 is the ,person to
 whom ,law and ,prophets have been      
pointing1'--no wonder that no one       
believed him except those whose hearts  
were touched1 for it is never possible  
for the common mind1 at any epoch1 to   
believe that a man who stands beside    
them is very much bigger than           
themselves4 ,great men have always to   
die1 and get a halo of distance around  
them1 before their true stature can be  
seen4  ,and now two remarks are all ,i  
can afford myself upon this point1 and  

one is this3 the hearty recognition of  
,his ,messiahship is the centre of all  
discipleship4 ,the earliest and the     
simplest ,christian creed1 which        
yet--like the little brown roll in which
 the infant beech-leaves lie folded     
up--contains in itself all the rest1 was
 this3 ',jesus is ,christ4' ,although it
 is no part of my business to say how   
much imperfection and confusion of head 
comprehension may co-exist with a heart 
acceptance of ,jesus that saves a soul  
from sin1 yet ,i cannot in faithfulness 
to my own convictions conceal my belief 
that he who contents himself with       
',jesus' and does not grasp ',christ'   
has cast away the most valuable and     
characteristic part of the ,christianity
 which he professes4 ,surely a most     
simple inference is that a ,christian is
 at least a man who recognises the      
,christship of ,jesus4 ,and ,i press    
that upon you1 my friends4 ,it is not   
enough for the sustenance of your own   
souls and for the cultivation of a      

vigorous religious life that men should 
admire1 howsoever profoundly and deeply1
 the humanity of the ,lord unless that  
humanity leads them on to see the office
 of the ,messiah to whom their whole    
hearts cleave4 ',jesus is the ,christ'  
is the minimum ,christian creed4  ,and  
then1 still further1 let me remind you  
how the recognition of ,jesus as ,christ
 is essential to giving its full value  
to the facts of the manhood4 ',jesus    
died6' ,yes4 ,what then8 ,what is that  
to me8 ,is that all that ,i have to say8
 ,if ,his is simply a human death1 like 
all others1 ,i want to know what makes  
the story of it a ,gospel4 ,i want to   
know what more interest ,i have in it   
than ,i have in the death of ,socrates1 
or in the death of any man or woman     
whose name was in the obituary column of
 yesterday's newspaper4 ',jesus died4'  
,that is a fact4 ,what is wanted to turn
 the fact into a gospel8 ,that ,i shall 
know who it was that died1 and why ,he  
died4 ',i declare unto you the gospel   

which ,i preach1' ,paul says1 'how that 
,christ died for our sins1 according to 
the ,scriptures4' ,the belief that the  
death of ,jesus was the death of the    
,christ is needful in order that it     
shall be the means of my deliverance    
from the burden of sin4 ,if it be only  
the death of ,jesus1 it is beautiful1   
pathetic1 as many another martyr's has  
been1 but if it be the death of ,christ1
 then 'my faith can lay her hand' on    
that great ,sacrifice 'and know her     
guilt was there4'  ,so in regard to ,his
 perfect example4 ,if we only see ,his  
manhood when we are 'looking unto       
,jesus1' the contemplation of ,his      
perfection would be as paralysing as    
spectacles of supreme excellence usually
 are4 ,but when we can say1 ',christ    
also suffered for us1 leaving us an     
example1' and so can deepen the thought 
of ,his ,manhood into that of ,his      
,messiahship1 and the conception of ,his
 work as example into that of ,his work 
as sacrifice1 we can hope that ,his     

divine power will dwell in us to mould  
our lives to the likeness of ,his human 
life of perfect obedience4  ,so in      
regard to ,his ,resurrection and        
glorious ,ascension to the right hand of
 ,god4 ,we have not only to think of the
 solitary man raised from the grave and 
caught up to the throne4 ,if it were    
only ',jesus' who rose and ascended1    
,his ,resurrection and ,ascension might 
be as much to us as the raising of      
,lazarus1 or the rapture of             
,elijah--namely1 a demonstration that   
death did not destroy conscious being1  
and that a man could rise to heaven2 but
 they would be no more4 ,but if ',christ
 is risen from the dead1' ,he is 'become
 the first-fruits of them that slept4'  
,if ,jesus has gone up on high1 others  
may or may not follow in ,his train4 ,he
 may show that manhood is not incapable 
of elevation to heaven1 but has no power
 to draw others up after ,him4 ,but if  
,christ is gone up1 ,he is gone to      
prepare a place for us1 not to fill a   

solitary throne1 and ,his ,ascension is 
the assurance that ,he will lift us too 
to dwell with ,him and share ,his       
triumph over death and sin4  ,most of   
the blessedness and beauty of ,his      
,example1 all the mystery and meaning of
 ,his ,death1 and all the power of ,his 
,resurrection1 depend on the fact that  
'it is ,christ that died1 yea rather1   
that is risen again1 who is even at the 
right hand of ,god4'  ,,iii4 ',the      
,lord' is the name of dignity and brings
 before us the ,king4  ,there are three 
grades1 so to speak1 of dignity         
expressed by this one word ',lord' in   
the ,new ,testament4 ,the lowest is that
 in which it is almost the equivalent of
 our own ,english title of respectful   
courtesy1 ',sir1' in which sense it is  
often used in the ,gospels1 and applied 
to our ,lord as to many other of the    
persons there4 ,the second is that in   
which it expresses dignity and          
authority--and in that sense it is      
frequently applied to ,christ4 ,the     

third and highest is that in which it is
 the equivalent of the ,old ,testament  
',lord1' as a divine name2 in which     
sense also it is applied to ,christ in  
the ,new ,testament4  ,the first and    
last of these may be left out of        
consideration now3 the central one is   
the meaning of the word here4 ,i have   
only time to touch upon two thoughts--to
 connect this name of dignity first with
 one and then with the other of the two 
names that we have already considered4  
,jesus is ,lord1 that is to say1        
wonderful as it is1 ,his manhood is     
exalted to supreme dignity4 ,it is the  
teaching of the ,new ,testament1 that in
 ,jesus1 the ,child of ,mary1 our nature
 sits on the throne of the universe and 
rules over all things4 ,those rude      
herdsmen1 brothers of ,joseph1 who came 
into ,pharaoh's palace--strange contrast
 to their tents6--there found their     
brother ruling over that ancient and    
highly civilised land6 ,we have the ,man
 ,jesus for the ,lord over all4 ,trust  

,his dominion and rejoice in ,his rule1 
and bow before ,his authority4 ,jesus is
 ,lord4  ,christ is ,lord4 ,that is to  
say3 ,his sovereign authority and       
dominion are built upon the fact of ,his
 being ,deliverer1 ,redeemer1           
,sacrifice4 ,his ,kingdom is a ,kingdom 
that rests upon ,his suffering4         
',wherefore ,god also hath exalted ,him1
 and given ,him a ,name that is above   
every name4'  ,it is because ,he wears a
 vesture dipped in blood1 that 'on the  
vesture is the name written ,king of    
kings1 and ,lord of lords4' ,it is      
'because ,he shall deliver the needy    
when he crieth1' as the prophetic psalm 
has it1 that 'all kings shall fall down 
before ,him and all nations shall serve 
,him4' ,because ,he has given ,his life 
for the world ,he is the ,master of the 
,world4 ,his humanity is raised to the  
throne because ,his humanity stooped to 
the cross4 ,as long as men's hearts can 
be touched by absolute unselfish        
surrender1 and as long as they can know 

the blessedness of responsive surrender1
 so long will ,he who gave ,himself for 
the world be the ,sovereign of the      
world1 and the ,first-born from the dead
 be the ,prince of all the kings of the 
earth4  ,and so1 dear friends1 our      
thoughts to-day all point to this       
lesson--do not you content yourselves   
with a maimed ,christ4 ,do not tarry in 
the ,manhood2 do not think it enough to 
cherish reverence for the nobility of   
,his soul1 the gentle wisdom of ,his    
words1 the beauty of ,his character1 the
 tenderness of ,his compassion4 ,all    
these will be insufficient for your     
needs4 ,there is more in ,his mission   
than these--even ,his death for you and 
for all men4 ,take ,him for your        
,christ1 but do not lose the ,person in 
the ,work1 any more than you lose the   
work in the ,person4 ,and be not content
 with an intellectual recognition of    
,him1 but bring ,him the faith which    
cleaves to ,him and ,his work as its    
only hope and peace1 and the love which1

 because of ,his work as ,christ1 flows 
out to the beloved ,person who has done 
it all4 ,thus loving ,jesus and trusting
 ,christ1 you will bring obedience to   
your ,lord and homage to your ,king1 and
 learn the sweetness and power of 'the  
name that is above every name'--the name
 of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,may we  
all be able1 with clear and unfaltering 
conviction of our understandings and    
loving affiance of our whole souls1 to  
repeat as our own the grand words in    
which so many centuries have proclaimed 
their faith--words which shed a spell of
 peacefulness over stormy lives1 and    
fling a great light of hope into the    
black jaws of the grave3 ',i believe in 
,jesus ,christ1 ,his only ,son1 our     
,lord6'    ,a ,,fourfold ,,cord  ',and  
they continued stedfastly in the        
,apostles' doctrine and fellowship1 and 
in breaking of bread1 and in            
prayers4'--,,acts ii4 #db4  ,the ,early 
,church was not a pattern for us1 and   
the idea of its greatly superior purity 

is very largely a delusion4 ,but still1 
though that be true1 the occasional     
glimpses that we get at intervals in the
 early chapters of this ,book of the    
,acts of the ,apostles do present a very
 instructive and beautiful picture of   
what a ,christian society may be1 and   
therefore of what ,christian ,churches  
and ,christian individuals ought to be4 
,the words that ,i have read1 however1  
are not the description of the demeanour
 of the whole community1 but of that    
portion of it which had been added so   
swiftly to the original nucleus on the  
,day of ,pentecost4 ,think1 on the      
morning of that day 'the number of the  
names was one hundred and twenty1' on   
the evening of that day it was three    
thousand over that number--a            
sufficiently swift and large increase to
 have swamped the original nucleus1     
unless there had been a great power of  
assimilation to itself lodged in that   
little body4 ,these new converts held to
 the ,apostolic 'doctrine' and          

'fellowship1' and to 'breaking of bread'
 and to 'prayers1' and so became        
homogeneous with the others1 and all    
worked to one end4  ,now1 these four    
points which are signalised in this     
description may well afford us material 
for consideration4 ,they give us the    
ideal of a ,church's inner life1 which  
in the divine order should precede1 and 
be the basis of1 a ,church's work in the
 world4 ,but1 while we speak of an ideal
 for a ,church1 let us not forget that  
it is realised only by the lives of     
individuals being conformed to it4  ,i4 
,the first point1 which is fundamental  
to all the others1 is ',they continued  
steadfastly in the ,apostles' doctrine4'
  ,an earnest desire after fuller       
knowledge is the basis of all healthy   
,christian life4 ,we cannot realise1    
without a great effort1 the ignorance of
 these new converts4 ',parthians and    
,medes and ,elamites1' and ,jews        
gathered from every corner of the ,roman
 world1 they had come up to ,jerusalem1 

and the bulk of them knew no more about 
,christ and ,christianity than what they
 picked up out of ,peter's sermon on the
 ,day of ,pentecost4 ,but that was      
enough to change their hearts and their 
wills and to lead them to a real faith4 
,and though the contents of their faith 
were very incomplete1 the power of their
 faith was very great4 ,for there is no 
necessary connection between the amount 
believed and the grasp with which it is 
held4 ,believing1 they were eager for   
more light to be poured on to their     
half-seeing eyes4 ,they had no ,gospels1
 they had no written record1 they had no
 means of learning anything about the   
faith which they were now professing    
except listening to one or other of the 
original ,eleven1 with the addition of  
any of the other 'old disciples'--that  
is1 early disciples--who might perchance
 have equal claims to be listened to as 
'witnesses from the beginning4' ,we     
shall very much misunderstand the       
meaning of the words here1 if we suppose

 that these novices were dosed with     
theological instruction1 or that 'the   
,apostles' doctrine' consisted of such  
fully developed truths as we find later 
on in ,paul's writings4 ,if you will    
look at the first sermons that ,peter is
 recorded as having delivered1 in the   
early chapters of the ,acts1 you will   
find that he by no means enunciates a   
definite theology such as he unfolds in 
his later ,epistle4 ,there is no word   
about the divinity of our ,lord ,jesus  
,christ2 ,his designation is ',thy holy 
child ,jesus4' ,there is no word about  
the atoning nature of ,christ's         
sacrifice2 ,his death is simply the     
great crime of the ,jewish people1 and  
,his ,resurrection the great divine fact
 witnessing to the truth of ,his        
,messiahship4 ,all that which we now    
regard1 and rightly regard1 as the very 
centre and living focus of divine truth 
was but beginning to shine out on the   
,apostles' minds1 or rather to gather   
itself into form1 and to shape itself by

 slow degrees into propositions4 ',the  
,apostles' teaching'--for 'doctrine'    
does not convey to modern ears what     
,luke meant by the word--must have been 
very largely1 if not exclusively1 of the
 same kind as is preserved to us in the 
four ,gospels1 and especially in the    
first three of them4 ,the recital to    
these listeners1 to whom it was all so  
fresh and strange and transcendent1 of  
the story that has become worn and      
commonplace to us by its familiarity1 of
 ,christ in ,his birth1 ,christ in ,his 
gentleness1 ,christ in ,his deeds1      
,christ in the deep words that the      
,apostles were only beginning to        
understand2 ,christ in ,his ,death1     
,resurrection1 and ,ascension--these    
were the themes on the narration of     
which this company of three thousand    
waited with such eagerness4  ,but1 of   
course1 there was necessarily involved  
in the story a certain amount of what we
 now call doctrine--that is1 theological
 teaching--because one cannot tell the  

story of ,jesus ,christ1 as it is told  
in the four ,gospels1 without impressing
 upon the hearers the conviction that   
,his nature was divine and that ,his    
death was a sacrifice4 ,beyond these    
truths we know not how far the ,apostles
 went4 ,to these1 perhaps1 they did not 
at first rise4 ,but whether they did so 
or no1 and although the facts that the  
hearers were thus eager to receive1 and 
treasured when they received1 are the   
commonplaces of our ,sunday-schools1 and
 quite uninteresting to many of us1 the 
spirit which marked these early converts
 is the spirit that must lie at the     
foundation of progressive and healthy   
,christianity in us4 ,the consciousness 
of our own ignorance1 of the great sweep
 of ,god's revealed mind and will1 the  
eager desire to fill up the gaps in the 
circle1 and to widen the diameter1 of   
our knowledge1 and the consequent       
steadfastness and persistence of our    
continuance in the teachings--far fuller
 and deeper and richer and nobler than  

were heard in the upper room at         
,jerusalem by the first three           
thousand--which1 through the divine     
,spirit and the experience of the       
,church for nineteen hundred years are  
available for us1 ought to characterise 
us all4  ,now1 dear friends1 ask        
yourselves the question very earnestly1 
,does this desire of fuller ,christian  
knowledge at all mark my ,christian     
character1 and does it practically      
influence my ,christian conduct and     
life8 ,there are thousands of men and   
women in all our churches who know no   
more about the rich revelation of ,god  
in ,jesus ,christ than they did on that 
day long1 long ago1 when first they     
began to apprehend that ,he was the     
,saviour of their souls4 ,when ,i       
sometimes get glimpses into the utter   
,biblical ignorance of educated members 
of my own and of other congregations1 ,i
 am appalled2 ,i do not wonder how we   
ministers do so little by our preaching1
 when the minds of the people to whom we

 speak are so largely in such a chaotic 
state in reference to ,scriptural truth4
 ,i believe that there is an intolerance
 of plain1 sober1 instructive ,christian
 teaching from the pulpit1 which is one 
of the worst signs of the ,christianity 
of this generation4 ,and ,i believe that
 there are a terribly large number of   
professing ,christians1 and good people 
after a fashion1 whose ,bibles are as   
clean to-day1 except on one or two      
favourite pages1 as they were when they 
came out of the bookseller's shop years 
and years ago4 ,you will never be strong
 ,christians1 you will never be happy   
ones1 until you make conscience of the  
study of ,god's ,word and 'continue     
steadfastly in the ,apostles' teaching4'
 ,you may produce plenty of emotional   
,christianity1 and of busy and sometimes
 fussy work without it1 but you will not
 get depth4 ,i sometimes think that the 
complaint of the writer of the ,epistle 
to the ,hebrews might be turned upside  
down nowadays4 ,he says3 ',when for the 

time ye ought to be teachers1 ye have   
need that one teach you again which be  
the first principles4' ,nowadays we     
might say in ,sunday-schools and other  
places of church work3 ',when for the   
time ye ought to be learners1 you have  
taken to teaching before you know what  
you are teaching1 and so neither you nor
 your scholars will profit much4' ,the  
vase should be full before you begin to 
empty it4  ,again1 there ought to be1   
and we ought to aim after1 an equable   
temper of mutual brotherhood conquering 
selfishness4  ',they continued in the   
,apostles' doctrine and in fellowship4' 
',fellowship' here1 as ,i take it1      
applies to community of feeling4 ,a     
verse or two afterwards it is applied to
 community of goods1 but we have nothing
 to do with that subject at present4    
,what is meant is that these three      
thousand1 as was most natural1 cut off  
altogether from their ancient           
associations1 finding themselves at once
 separated by a great gulf from their   

nation and its hopes and its religion1  
were driven together as sheep are when  
wolves are prowling around4 ,and1 being 
individually weak1 they held on by one  
another1 so that many weaknesses might  
make a strength1 and glimmering embers  
raked together might break into a flame4
  ,now1 all these circumstances1 or     
almost all of them1 that drove the      
primitive believers together1 are at an 
end1 and the tendencies of this day are 
rather to drive ,christian people apart 
than to draw them together4 ,differences
 of position1 occupation1 culture1 ways 
of looking at things1 views of          
,christian truth and the like1 all come 
powerfully in to the reinforcement of   
the natural selfishness which tempts us 
all1 unless the grace of ,god overcomes 
it4 ,although we do not want any        
hysterical or histrionic presentation of
 ,christian sympathy and brotherhood1 we
 do need--far more than any of us have  
awakened to the consciousness of the    
need--for the health of our own souls we

 need to make definite efforts to       
cultivate more of that sense of         
,christian brotherhood with all that    
hold the same ,lord ,christ1 and to     
realise this truth3 that they and we1   
however separate1 are nearer one another
 than are we and those nearest to us who
 do not share in our ,christian faith4  
,i do not dwell upon this point4 ,it is 
one on which it is easy to gush1 and it 
has got a bad name because there has    
been so much unreal and sickly talk     
about it4 ,but if any ,christian man    
will honestly try to cultivate the      
brotherly feeling which my text         
suggests1 and to which our common       
relation to ,jesus ,christ binds us1 and
 will try it in reference to ,a1 ,b1 or 
,c1 whom he does not much like1 with    
whose ways he has no kind of sympathy1  
whom he believes to be a heretic1 and   
who perhaps returns the belief about him
 with interest1 he will find it is a    
pretty sharp test of his ,christian     
principle4 ,let us be real1 at any rate1

 and not pretend to have more love than 
we really have in our hearts4 ,and let  
us remember that 'he that loveth ,him   
that begat1 loveth ,him also that is    
begotten of ,him4'  ,,ii4 ,another      
characteristic which comes out in the   
words before us is the blending of      
worship with life4  ',they continued    
steadfastly in the ,apostles' doctrine  
444 and in breaking of bread4'          
,commentators who can only see one thing
 at a time--and there are a good many of
 that species--have got up great        
discussions as to whether this phrase   
means eating ordinary meals or partaking
 of the ,lord's ,supper4 ,i venture to  
say it means both1 because1 clearly     
enough1 in the beginning1 the common    
meal was hallowed by what we now call   
the ,lord's ,supper being associated    
with it1 and every day's evening repast 
was eaten 'in remembrance of ,him4'     
,so1 naturally1 and without an idea of  
anything awful or sacred about the rite1
 the first ,christians1 when they went  

home after a hard day's work and sat    
down to take their own suppers1 blessed 
the bread and the wine1 and whether they
 ate or drank1 did the one and the other
 'in remembrance of ,him4'  ,the gradual
 growth of the sentiment attaching to   
the ,lord's ,supper1 until it reached   
the portentous height of regarding it as
 a 'tremendous sacrifice' which could   
only be administered by priests with    
ordained hands in ,apostolic succession1
 can be partly traced even in ,new      
,testament times4 ,the ,lord's ,supper  
began as an appendage to1 or rather as a
 heightening of1 the evening meal1 and  
at first1 as this chapter tells us in a 
subsequent verse1 was observed day by   
day4 ,then1 before the epoch of the     
,acts of the ,apostles is ended1 we find
 it has become a weekly celebration1 and
 forms part of the service on the first 
day of the week4 ,but even when the     
observance had ceased to be daily1 the  
association with an ordinary meal       
continued1 and that led to the disorders

 at ,corinth which ,paul rebuked1 and   
which would have been impossible if     
later ideas of the ,lord's ,supper had  
existed then4  ,the history of the      
transformation of that simple ,supper   
into 'the bloodless sacrifice' of the   
,mass1 and all the mischief consequent  
thereon1 does not concern us now4 ,but  
it does concern us to note that these   
first believers hallowed common things  
by doing them1 and common food by       
partaking of it1 with the memory of ,his
 great sacrifice in their minds4 ,the   
poorest fare1 the coarsest bread1 the   
sourest wine1 on the humblest table1    
became a memorial of that dear ,lord4   
,religion and life1 the domestic and the
 devout1 were so closely braided        
together that when a household sat at   
table it was both a family and a church2
 and while they were eating their meat  
for the strength of their body1 they    
were partaking of the memorial of their 
dying ,lord4  ,is your house like that8 
,is your daily life like that8 ,do you  

bring the sacred and the secular as     
close together as that8 ,are the dying  
words of your ,master1 ',this do in     
remembrance of ,me1' written by you over
 everything you do8 ,and so is all life 
worship1 and all worship hope8  ,,iii4  
,the last thing here is habitual        
devotion4  ,i suppose the disciples had 
no forms of set ,christian prayers4     
,they still used the ,jewish liturgy1   
for we read that 'they continued daily  
with one accord in the ,temple4' ,i am  
sure that no two things can be less like
 one another than the worship of the    
primitive ,church and the worship1 say1 
of one of our congregations4 ,did you   
ever try to paint for yourselves1 for   
instance1 the scene described in the    
,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians8    
,when they came together in their       
meetings for worship1 'every one had a  
psalm1 a doctrine1 an interpretation4'  
',let the prophets speak1 by ones1 or at
 most by twos'2 and if another gets up  
to interrupt1 let the first speaker sit 

down4 ,paul goes on to say1 ',let all   
things be done decently and in order4'  
,so there must have been tendencies to  
disorder1 and much at which some of our 
modern ecclesiastical martinets would   
have been very much scandalised as      
'unbecoming4' ,wise men are in no haste 
to change forms4 ,forms change of       
themselves when their users change2 but 
it would be a good day for ,christendom 
if the faith and devoutness of a        
community of believers such as we1 for  
instance1 profess to be1 were so strong 
and so demanding expression as that1    
instead of my poor voice continually    
sounding here1 every one of you had a   
psalm or a doctrine1 and every one of   
you were able and impelled to speak out 
of the fulness of the ,spirit which ,god
 poured into you4 ,it will come some    
day2 it must come if ,christendom is not
 to die of its own dignity4 ,but we do  
not need to hurry matters1 only let us  
remember that unless a ,church continues
 steadfast in prayer it is worth very   

little4  ,now1 dear brethren1 it is said
 about us ,free ,churchmen that we think
 a great deal too much of preaching and 
a great deal too little of the prayers  
of the congregation4 ,that is a stock   
criticism4 ,i am bound to say that there
 is a grain of truth in it1 and that    
there is not1 with too many of our      
congregations1 as lofty a conception of 
the power and blessedness of the united 
prayers of the congregation as there    
ought to be1 or else you would not hear 
about 'introductory services4'          
,introductory to what8 ,do we speak to  
,god merely by way of preface to one of 
us talking to his brethren8 ,is that the
 proper order8 ',they continued         
steadfastly in the ,apostles' teaching1'
 no doubt2 but also 'steadfastly in     
prayer4' ,i pray you to try to make this
 picture of the ,pentecostal converts   
the ideal of your own lives1 and to do  
your best to help forward the time when 
it shall be the reality in this church1 
and in every other society of professing

 ,christians4    ,a ,,pure ,,church ,,an
 ,,increasing ,,church  ',and the ,lord 
added to the church daily such as should
 be saved4'--,,acts ii4 #dg4  ',and the 
,lord added to them day by day those    
that were being saved4'--7,r4 ,v47  ,you
 observe that the principal alterations 
of these words in the ,revised ,version 
are two3 the one the omission of 'the   
church1' the other the substitution of  
'were being saved' for 'such as should  
be saved4' ,the former of these changes 
has an interest as suggesting that at   
the early period referred to the name of
 'the church' had not yet been          
definitely attached to the infant       
community1 and that the word afterwards 
crept into the text at a time when      
ecclesiasticism had become a great deal 
stronger than it was at the date of the 
writing of the ,acts of the ,apostles4  
,the second of the changes is of more   
importance4 ,the ,authorised ,version's 
rendering suggests that salvation is a  
future thing1 which in one aspect is    

partially true4 ,the ,revised ,version1 
which is also by far the more literally 
accurate1 suggests the other idea1 that 
salvation is a process going on all     
through the course of a ,christian man's
 life4 ,and that carries very large and 
important lessons4  ,i4 ,i ask you to   
notice here1 first1 the profound        
conception which the writer had of the  
present action of the ascended ,christ4 
',the ,lord added to them day by day    
those that were being saved4'  ,then    
,christ 7for it is ,he that is here     
spoken of as the ,lord71 the living1    
ascended ,christ1 was present in1 and   
working with1 that little community of  
believing souls4 ,you will find that the
 thought of a present ,saviour1 who is  
the life-blood of the ,church on earth1 
and the spring of action for all good   
that is done in it and by it1 runs      
through the whole of this ,book of the  
,acts of the ,apostles4 ,the keynote is 
struck in its first verses3 ',the former
 treatise have ,i made1 ,o ,theophilus1 

of all that ,jesus began to do and to   
teach1 until the day in which ,he was   
taken up4' ,that is the description of  
,luke's ,gospel1 and it implies that the
 ,acts of the ,apostles is the second   
treatise1 which tells all that ,jesus   
continued to do and teach after that ,he
 was taken up4 ,so the ,lord1 the       
ascended ,christ1 is the true theme and 
hero of this book4 ,it is ,he1 for      
instance1 who sends down the ,spirit on 
the ,day of ,pentecost4 ,it is ,he whom 
the dying martyr sees 'standing at the  
right hand of ,god1' ready to help4 ,it 
is ,he who appears to the persecutor on 
the road to ,damascus4 ,it is ,he who   
sends ,paul and his company to preach in
 ,europe4 ,it is ,he who opens hearts   
for the reception of their message4 ,it 
is ,he who stands by the ,apostle in a  
vision1 and bids him 'be of good cheer1'
 and go forth upon his work4 ,thus1 at  
every crisis in the history of the      
,church1 it is the ,lord--that is to    
say1 ,christ ,himself--who is revealed  

as working in them and for them1 the    
ascended but yet ever-present ,guide1   
,counsellor1 ,inspirer1 ,protector1 and 
,rewarder of them that put their trust  
in ,him4 ,so here it is ,he that 'adds  
to the ,church daily them that were     
being saved4'  ,i believe1 dear         
brethren1 that modern ,christianity has 
far too much lost the vivid impression  
of this present ,christ as actually     
dwelling and working among us4 ,what is 
good in us and what is bad in us        
conspire to make us think more of the   
past work of an ascended ,christ than of
 the present work of an indwelling      
,christ4 ,we cannot think too much of   
that ,cross by which ,he has laid the   
foundation for the salvation and        
reconciliation of all the world2 but we 
may easily think too exclusively of it1 
and so fix our thoughts upon that work  
which ,he completed when on ,calvary ,he
 said1 ',it is finished6' as to forget  
the continual work which will never be  
finished until ,his ,church is          

perfected1 and the world is redeemed4   
,if we are a ,church of ,christ at all1 
we have ,christ in very deed among us1  
and working through us and on us4 ,and  
unless we have1 in no mystical and      
unreal and metaphorical sense1 but in   
the simplest and yet grandest prose     
reality1 that living ,saviour here in   
our hearts and in our fellowship1 better
 that these walls were levelled with the
 ground1 and this congregation scattered
 to the four winds of heaven4 ,the      
present ,christ is the life of ,his     
,church4  ,notice1 and that but for a   
moment1 for ,i shall have to deal with  
it more especially at another part of   
this discourse1--the specific action    
which is here ascribed to ,him4 ,he adds
 to the ,church1 not we1 not our        
preaching1 not our eloquence1 our       
fervour1 our efforts4 ,these may be the 
weapons in ,his hands1 but the hand that
 wields the weapon gives it all its     
power to wound and to heal1 and it is   
,christ ,himself who1 by ,his present   

energy1 is here represented as being the
 ,agent of all the good that is done by 
any ,christian community1 and the       
,builder-up of ,his ,churches1 in       
numbers and in power4  ,it is ,his will 
for1 ,his ideal of1 a ,christian        
,church1 that continuously it should be 
gathering into its fellowship those that
 are being saved4 ,that is ,his meaning 
in the establishment of ,his ,church    
upon earth1 and that is ,his will       
concerning it and concerning us1 and the
 question should press on every society 
of ,christians3 ,does our reality       
correspond to ,christ's ideal8 ,are we1 
as a portion of ,his great heritage1    
being continually replenished by souls  
that come to tell what ,god has done for
 them8 ,is there an unbroken flow of    
such into what we call our communion8 ,i
 speak to you members of this church1   
and ,i ask you to ponder the            
question1--,is it so8 and the other     
question1 ,if it is not so1 wherefore8  
',the ,lord added daily1'--why does not 

the ,lord add daily to us8  ,,ii4 ,let  
us go to the second part of this text1  
and see if we can find an answer4       
,notice how emphatically there is       
brought out here the attractive power of
 an earnest and pure ,church4  ,my text 
is the end of a sentence4 ,what is the  
beginning of the sentence8              
,listen1--',all that believed were      
together1 and had all things common2 and
 sold their possessions and goods1 and  
parted them to all men1 as every man had
 need4 ,and they1 continuing daily with 
one accord in the ,temple1 and breaking 
bread from house to house1 did eat their
 meat with gladness and singleness of   
heart1 praising ,god1 and having favour 
with all the people4 ,and the ,lord     
added4' ,yes2 of course4 ,suppose you   
were like these people4 ,suppose this   
church and congregation bore stamped    
upon it1 plain and deep as the broad    
arrow of the king1 these                
characteristics--manifest fraternal     
unity1 plain unselfish unworldliness1   

habitual unbroken devotion1 gladness    
which had in it the solemnity of        
,heaven1 and a transparent simplicity of
 life and heart1 which knew nothing of  
by-ends and shabby1 personal motives or 
distracting duplicity of purpose--do you
 not think that the ,lord would add to  
you daily such as should be saved8 ,or1 
to put it into other words1 wherever    
there is a little knot of men obviously 
held together by a living ,christ1 and  
obviously manifesting in their lives and
 characters the likeness of that ,christ
 transforming and glorifying them1 there
 will be drawn to them--by natural      
gravitation1 ,i was going to say1 but we
 may more correctly say1 by the         
gravitation which is natural in the     
supernatural realm--souls that have been
 touched by the grace of the ,lord1 and 
souls to whom that grace has been       
brought the nearer by looking upon them4
 ,wherever there is inward vigour of    
life there will be outward growth2 and  
the ,church which is pure1 earnest1     

living will be a ,church which spreads  
and increases4  ,historically1 it has   
always been the case that in ,god's     
,church seasons of expansion have       
followed upon seasons of deepened       
spiritual life on the part of ,his      
people4 ,and the only kind of growth    
which is wholesome1 and to be desired in
 a ,christian community1 is growth as a 
consequence of the revived religiousness
 of the individuals who make up the     
community4  ,and just in like manner as 
such a community will draw to it men who
 are like-minded1 so it will repel from 
it all the formalist people4 ,there are 
congregations that have the stamp of    
worldliness so deep upon them that any  
persons who want to be burdened with as 
little religion as may be respectable   
will find themselves at home there4 ,and
 ,i come to you ,christian people here1 
for whose ,christian character ,i am in 
some sense and to some degree           
responsible1 with this appeal3 ,do you  
see to it that1 so far as your influence

 extends1 this community of ours be such
 as that half-dead ,christians will     
never think of coming near us1 and those
 whose religion is tepid will be        
repelled from us1 but that they who love
 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ with earnest  
devotion and lofty consecration1 and    
seek to live unworldly and saint-like   
lives1 shall recognise in us men        
like-minded1 and from whom they may draw
 help4 ,i beseech you--if you will not  
misunderstand the expression--make your 
communion such that it will repel as    
well as attract2 and that people will   
find nothing here to draw them to an    
easy religion of words and formalism1   
beneath which all vermin of worldliness 
and selfishness may lurk1 but will      
recognise in us a church of men and     
women who are bent upon holiness1 and   
longing for more and more conformity to 
the divine ,master4  ,now1 if all this  
be true1 it is possible for worldly and 
stagnant communities calling themselves 
',churches' to thwart ,christ's purpose1

 and to make it both impossible and     
undesirable that ,he should add to them 
souls for whom ,he has died4 ,it is a   
solemn thing to feel that we may clog   
,christ's chariot-wheels1 that there may
 be so little spiritual life in us1 as a
 congregation1 that1 if ,i may so say1  
,he dare not intrust us with the        
responsibility of guarding and keeping  
the young converts whom ,he loves and   
tends4 ,we may not be fit to be trusted 
with them1 and that may be why we do not
 get them4 ,it may not be good for them 
that they should be dropped into the    
refrigerating atmosphere of such a      
church1 and that may be why they do not 
come4  ,depend upon it1 brethren1 that1 
far more than my preaching1 your lives  
will determine the expansion of this    
church of ours4 ,and if my preaching is 
pulling one way and your lives the      
other1 and ,i have half an hour a week  
for talk and you have seven days for    
contradictory life1 which of the two do 
you think is likely to win in the tug8  

,i beseech you1 take the words that ,i  
am now trying to speak1 to yourselves4  
,do not pass them to the man in the next
 pew and think how well they fit him1   
but accept them as needed by you4 ,and  
remember1 that just as a bit of         
sealing-wax1 if you rub it on your      
sleeve and so warm it1 develops an      
attractive power1 the ,church which is  
warmed will draw many to itself4 ,if the
 earlier words of this context apply to 
any ,christian community1 then certainly
 its blessed promise too will apply to  
it1 and to such a church the ,lord will 
'add day by day them that are being     
saved4'  ,,iii4 ,and now1 lastly1       
observe the definition given here of the
 class of persons gathered into the     
community4  ,i have already observed1 in
 the earlier portion of this discourse1 
that here we have salvation represented 
as a process1 a progressive thing which 
runs on all through life4 ,in the ,new  
,testament there are various points of  
view from which that great idea of      

salvation is represented4 ,it is        
sometimes spoken of as past1 in so far  
as in the definite act of conversion and
 the first exercise of faith in ,jesus  
,christ the whole subsequent evolution  
and development are involved1 and the   
process of salvation has its beginning  
then1 when a man turns to ,god4 ,it is  
sometimes spoken of as present1 in so   
far as the joy of deliverance from evil 
and possession of good1 which is ,god1  
is realised day by day4 ,it is sometimes
 spoken of as future1 in so far as all  
the imperfect possession and            
pre-libations of salvation which we     
taste here on earth prophesy and point  
onwards to their own perfecting in the  
climax of heaven4 ,but all these three  
points of view1 past1 present1 and      
future1 may be merged into this one of  
my text1 which speaks of every saint on 
earth1 from the infantile to the most   
mature1 as standing in the same row1    
though at different points2 walking on  
the same road1 though advanced different

 distances2 all participant of the same 
process of 'being saved4'  ,through all 
life the deliverance goes on1 the       
deliverance from sin1 the deliverance   
from wrath4 ,the ,christian salvation1  
then1 according to the teaching of this 
emphatic phrase1 is a process begun at  
conversion1 carried on progressively    
through the life1 and reaching its      
climax in another state4 ,day by day1   
through the spring and the early summer1
 the sun shines longer in the sky1 and  
rises higher in the heavens2 and the    
path of the ,christian is as the shining
 light4 ,last year's greenwood is this  
year's hardwood2 and the ,christian1 in 
like manner1 has to 'grow in the grace  
and knowledge of the ,lord and          
,saviour4' ,so these progressively1 and1
 therefore1 as yet imperfectly1 saved   
people1 were gathered into the ,church4 
,now ,i have but two things to say about
 that4 ,if that be the description of   
the kind of folk that come into a       
,christian ,church1 the duties of that  

,church are very plainly marked4 ,and   
the first great one is to see to it that
 the community help the growth of its   
members4 ,there are ,christian          
,churches--,i do not say whether ours is
 one of them or not--into which1 if a   
young plant is brought1 it is pretty    
sure to be killed4 ,the temperature is  
so low that the tender shoots are nipped
 as with frost1 and die4 ,i have seen   
people1 coming all full of fervour and  
of faith1 into ,christian congregations1
 and finding that the average round them
 was so much lower than their own1 that 
they have cooled down after a time to   
the fashionable temperature1 and grown  
indifferent like their brethren4 ,let   
us1 dear friends1 remember that a       
,christian ,church is a nursery of      
imperfect ,christians1 and1 for         
ourselves and for one another1 try to   
make our communion such as shall help   
shy and tender graces to unfold         
themselves1 and woo out1 by the         
encouragement of example1 the lowest and

 the least perfect to lofty holiness and
 consecration like the ,master's4  ,and 
if ,i am speaking to any in this        
congregation who hold aloof from        
,christian fellowship for more or less  
sufficient reasons1 let me press upon   
them1 in one word1 that if they are     
conscious of a possession1 however      
imperfect1 of that incipient salvation1 
their place is thereby determined1 and  
they are doing wrong if they do not     
connect themselves with some ,christian 
,communion1 and stand forth as members  
of ,christ's ,church4  ,and now one last
 word4 ,i have tried to show you that   
salvation1 in the ,new ,testament1 is   
regarded as a process4 ,the opposite    
thing is a process too4 ,there is a very
 awful contrast in one of ,paul's       
,epistles4 ',the preaching of the ,cross
 is to them who are in the act of       
perishing foolishness2 unto us who are  
being saved1 it is the power of ,god4'  
,these two processes start1 as it were1 
from the same point1 one by slow degrees

 and almost imperceptible motion1 rising
 higher and higher1 the other1 by slow  
degrees and almost unconscious descent1 
sliding steadily and fatally downward   
ever further and further4 ,and my point 
now is that in each of us one or other  
of these processes is going on4 ,either 
you are slowly rising or you are        
slipping down4 ,either a larger measure 
of the life of ,christ1 which is        
salvation1 is passing into your hearts1 
or bit by bit you are dying like some   
man with creeping paralysis that begins 
at the extremities1 and with fell1      
silent1 inexorable footstep1 advances   
further and further towards the citadel 
of the heart1 where it lays its icy hand
 at last1 and the man is dead4 ,you are 
either 'being saved' or you are         
'perishing4' ,no man becomes a devil all
 at once1 and no man becomes an angel   
all at once4 ,trust yourself to ,christ1
 and ,he will lift you to ,himself2 turn
 your back upon ,him1 as some of you are
 doing1 and you will settle down1 down1 

down in the muck and the mire of your   
own sensuality and selfishness1 until at
 last the foul ooze spreads over your   
head1 and you are lost in the bog for   
ever4    ',,then ,,shall ,,the ,,lame   
,,man ,,leap ,,as ,,an ,,hart'  ',now   
,peter and ,john went up together into  
the temple at the hour of prayer1 being 
the ninth hour4 #b4 ,and a certain man  
lame from his mother's womb was carried1
 whom they laid daily at the gate of the
 temple which is called ,beautiful1 to  
ask alms of them that entered into the  
temple2 #c4 ,who1 seeing ,peter and     
,john about to go into the temple1 asked
 an alms4 #d4 ,and ,peter1 fastening his
 eyes upon him1 with ,john1 said1 ,look 
on us4 #e4 ,and he gave heed unto them1 
expecting to receive something of them4 
#f4 ,then ,peter said1 ,silver and gold 
have ,i none2 but such as ,i have give  
,i thee3 ,in the name of ,jesus ,christ 
of ,nazareth rise up and walk4 #g4 ,and 
he took him by the right hand1 and      
lifted him up3 and immediately his feet 

and ankle bones received strength4 #h4  
,and he leaping up1 stood1 and walked1  
and entered with them into the temple1  
walking1 and leaping1 and praising ,god4
 #i4 ,and all the people saw him walking
 and praising ,god3 #aj4 ,and they knew 
that it was he which sat for alms at the
 ,beautiful gate of the temple3 and they
 were filled with wonder and amazement  
at that which had happened unto him4    
#aa4 ,and as the lame man which was     
healed held ,peter and ,john1 all the   
people ran together unto them in the    
porch that is called ,solomon's1 greatly
 wondering4 #ab4 ,and when ,peter saw   
it1 he answered unto the people1 ,ye men
 of ,israel1 why marvel ye at this8 or  
why look ye so earnestly on us1 as      
though by our own power or holiness we  
had made this man to walk8 #ac4 ,the    
,god of ,abraham1 and of ,isaac1 and of 
,jacob1 the ,god of our fathers1 hath   
glorified ,his ,son ,jesus2 whom ye     
delivered up1 and denied ,him in the    
presence of ,pilate1 when he was        

determined to let ,him go4 #ad4 ,but ye 
denied the ,holy ,one and the ,just1 and
 desired a murderer to be granted unto  
you2 #ae4 ,and killed the ,prince of    
,life1 whom ,god hath raised from the   
dead1 whereof we are witnesses4 #af4    
,and ,his name through faith in ,his    
name hath made this man strong1 whom ye 
see and know2 yea1 the faith which is by
 ,him hath given him this perfect       
soundness in the presence of you        
all4'--,,acts iii4 #a-af4  ',many       
wonders and signs were done by the      
,apostles' 7,acts ii4 #dc71 but this one
 is recorded in detail1 both because it 
was conspicuous as wrought in the       
,temple1 and because it led to weighty  
consequences4 ,the narrative is so vivid
 and full of minute particulars that it 
suggests an eye-witness4 ,was ,peter    
,luke's informant8 ,the style of the    
story is so like that of ,mark's ,gospel
 that we might reasonably presume so4   
,the scene and the persons are first set
 before us4 ,it was natural that a close

 alliance should be cemented between    
,peter and ,john1 both because they were
 the principal members of the quartet   
which stood first among the ,apostles1  
and because they were so unlike each    
other1 and therefore completed each     
other4 ,peter's practical force and eye 
for externals1 and ,john's more         
contemplative nature and eye for the    
unseen1 needed one another4 ,so we find 
them together in the judgment hall1 at  
the sepulchre1 and here4  ,they 'went up
 to the ,temple1' or1 to translate more 
exactly and more picturesquely1 'were   
going up1' when the incident to be      
recorded stayed them4 ,they had passed  
through the court1 and came to a gate   
leading into the inner court1 which was 
called ',beautiful4' from its artistic  
excellence1 when they were arrested by  
the sight of a lame beggar1 who had been
 carried there every day for many years 
to appeal1 by the display of his        
helplessness1 to the entering           
worshippers4 ,precisely similar sights  

may be seen to-day at the doors of many 
a famous ,european church and many a    
mosque4 ,he mechanically wailed out his 
formula1 apparently scarcely looking at 
the two strangers1 nor expecting a      
response4 ,long habit and many rebuffs  
had not made him hopeful1 but it was his
 business to ask1 and so he asked4      
,some quick touch of pity shot through  
the two friends' hearts1 which did not  
need to be spoken in order that each    
might feel it to be shared by the other4
 ,so they paused1 and1 as was in keeping
 with their characters1 ,peter took     
speech in hand1 while ,john stood by    
assenting4 ,purposed devotion is well   
delayed when postponed in order to      
lighten misery4  ,there must have been  
something magnetic in ,peter's voice and
 steady gaze as he said1 ',look on us6' 
,it was a strange preface1 if only some 
small coin was to follow4 ,it kindled   
some flicker of hope of he knew not what
 in the beggar4 ,he expected to receive 
'something' from them1 and1 no doubt1   

was asking himself what4 ,expectation   
and receptivity were being stirred in   
him1 though he could not divine what was
 coming4 ,we have no right to assume    
that his state of mind was operative in 
fitting him to be cured1 nor to call his
 attitude 'faith1' but still he was     
lifted from his usual dreary            
hopelessness1 and some strange          
anticipation was creeping into his      
heart4  ,then comes the grand word of   
power4 ,again ,peter is spokesman1 but  
,john takes part1 though silently4 ,with
 a fixed gaze1 which told of            
concentrated purpose1 and went to the   
lame man's heart1 ,peter triumphantly   
avows what most men are ashamed of1 and 
try to hide3 ',silver and gold have ,i  
none4' ,he had 'left all and followed   
,christ'2 he had not made demands on the
 common stock4 ,empty pockets may go    
along with true wealth4  ,there is a    
fine flash of exultant confidence in    
,peter's next words1 which is rather    
spoiled by the ,authorised ,version4 ,he

 did not say 'such as ,i have1' as it it
 was inferior to money1 which he had    
not1 but he said 'what ,i have' 7,rev4  
,ver471--a very different tone4 ,the    
expression eloquently magnifies the     
power which he possessed as far more    
precious than wealth1 and it speaks of  
his assurance that he did possess it--an
 assurance which rested1 not only on his
 faith in his ,lord's promise and gift1 
but on his experience in working former 
miracles4  ,how deep his words go into  
the obligations of possession6 ',what ,i
 have ,i give' should be the law for all
 ,christians in regard to all that they 
have1 and especially in regard to       
spiritual riches4 ,god gives us these1  
not only in order that we may enjoy them
 ourselves1 but in order that we may    
impart1 and so in our measure enter into
 the joy of our ,lord and know the      
greater blessedness of giving than of   
receiving4 ,how often it has been true  
that a poor church has been a           
miracle-working church1 and that1 when  

it could not say ',silver and gold have 
,i none' it has also lost the power of  
saying1 ',in the name of ,jesus ,christ 
of ,nazareth1 walk'6  ,the actual       
miracle is most graphically narrated4   
,with magnificent boldness ,peter rolls 
out his ,master's name1 there1 in the   
court of the ,temple1 careless who may  
hear4 ,he takes the very name that had  
been used in scorn1 and waves it like a 
banner of victory4 ,his confidence in   
his possession of power was not         
confidence in himself1 but in his ,lord4
 ,when we can peal forth the ,name with 
as much assurance of its miracle-working
 power as ,peter did1 we too shall be   
able to make the lame walk4 ,a faltering
 voice is unworthy to speak such words1 
and will speak them in vain4  ,the      
process of cure is minutely described4  
,peter put out his hand to help the lame
 man up1 and1 while he was doing so1    
power came into the shrunken muscles and
 weak ankles1 so that the cripple felt  
that he could raise himself1 and1 though

 all passed in a moment1 the last part  
of his rising was his own doing1 and    
what began with his being 'lifted up'   
ended in his 'leaping up4' ,then came an
 instant of standing still1 to steady   
himself and make sure of his new        
strength1 and then he began to walk4    
,the interrupted purpose of devotion    
could now be pursued1 but with a        
gladsome addition to the company4 ,how  
natural is that 'walking and leaping and
 praising ,god'6 ,the new power seemed  
so delightful1 so wonderful1 that sober 
walking did not serve4 ,it was a strange
 way of going into the ,temple1 but     
people who are borne along by the sudden
 joy of new gifts beyond hope need not  
be expected to go quietly1 and sticklers
 for propriety who blamed the man's     
extravagance1 and would have had him    
pace along with sober gait and downcast 
eyes1 like a ,pharisee1 did not know    
what made him thus obstreperous1 even in
 his devout thankfulness4 ',leaping and 
praising ,god' do make a singular       

combination1 but before we blame1 let us
 be sure that we understand4  ,one of   
the old manuscripts inserts a clause    
which brings out more clearly that there
 was a pause1 during which the three    
remained in the ,temple in prayer4 ,it  
reads1 ',and when ,peter and ,john came 
out1 he came out with them1 holding     
them1 and they the people being         
astonished1 stood in the porch1' etc4   
,so we have to think of the buzzing     
crowd1 waiting in the court for their   
emergence from the sanctuary4 ,solomon's
 porch was1 like the ,beautiful gate1 on
 the east side of the ,temple enclosure1
 and may probably have been a usual     
place of rendezvous for the brethren1 as
 it had been a resort of their ,lord4   
,it was a great moment1 and ,peter1 the 
unlearned ,galilean1 the former cowardly
 renegade1 rose at once to the occasion4
 ,truly it was given him in that hour   
what to speak4 ,his sermon is           
distinguished by its undaunted charging 
home the guilt of ,christ's death on the

 nation1 its pitying recognition of the 
ignorance which had done the deed1 and  
its urgent entreaty4 ,we here deal with 
its beginning only4 ',why marvel ye at  
this8'--it would have been a marvel if  
they had not marvelled4 ,the thing was  
no marvel to the ,apostle1 because he   
believed that ,jesus was the ,christ and
 reigned in ,heaven4 ,miracles fall into
 their place and become supremely       
'natural' when we have accepted that    
great truth4  ,the fervent disavowal of 
their 'own power or holiness' as        
concerned in the healing is more than a 
modest disclaimer4 ,it leads on to the  
declaration of who is the true ,worker  
of all that is wrought for men by the   
hands of ,christians4 ,that disavowal   
has to be constantly repeated by us1 not
 so much to turn away men's admiration  
or astonishment from us1 as to guard our
 own foolish hearts from taking credit  
for what it may please ,jesus to do by  
us as ,his tools4  ,the declaration of  
,christ as the supreme ,worker is       

postponed till after the solemn         
indictment of the nation4 ,but the true 
way to regard the miracle is set forth  
at once1 as being ,god's glorifying of  
,jesus4 ,peter employs a designation of 
our ,lord which is peculiar to these    
early chapters of ,acts4 ,he calls ,him 
,god's ',servant1' which is a quotation 
of the ,messianic title in the latter   
part of ,isaiah1 'the ,servant of the   
,lord4'  ,the fiery speaker swiftly     
passes to contrast ,god's glorifying    
with ,israel's rejection4 ,the two      
points on which he seizes are           
noteworthy4 ',ye delivered ,him up'2    
that is1 to the ,roman power4 ,that was 
the deepest depth of ,israel's          
degradation4 ,to hand over their        
,messiah to the heathen1--what could be 
completer faithlessness to all ,israel's
 calling and dignity8 ,but that was not 
all3 'ye denied ,him4' ,did ,peter      
remember some one else than the ,jews   
who had done the same1 and did a sudden 
throb of conscious fellowship even in   

that sin make his voice tremble for a   
moment8 ,israel's denial was aggravated 
because it was 'in the presence of      
,pilate1' and had overborne his         
determination to release his prisoner4  
,the ,gentile judge would rise in the   
judgment to condemn them1 for he had at 
least seen that ,jesus was innocent1 and
 they had hounded him on to an illegal  
killing1 which was murder as laid to his
 account1 but national apostasy as laid 
to theirs4  ,these were daring words to 
speak in the ,temple to that crowd4 ,but
 the humble fisherman had been filled   
with the ,spirit1 who is the            
,strengthener1 and the fear of man was  
dead in him4 ,if we had never heard of  
,pentecost1 we should need to invent    
something of the sort to make           
intelligible the transformation of these
 timid folk1 the first disciples1 into  
heroes4 ,a dead ,christ1 lying in an    
unknown grave1 could never have inspired
 ,his crushed followers with such       
courage1 insight1 and elastic confidence

 and gladness in the face of a frowning 
world4    ',,the ,,prince ,,of ,,life'  
',but ye denied the ,holy ,one and the  
,just1 and desired a murderer to be     
granted unto you2 #ae4 ,and killed the  
,prince of life1 whom ,god hath raised  
from the dead2 whereof we are           
witnesses4'--,,acts iii4 #ad1 #ae4      
,this early sermon of ,peter's1 to the  
people1 is marked by a comparative      
absence of the highest view of ,christ's
 person and work4 ,it is open to us to  
take one of two explanations of that    
fact4 ,we may either say that the       
,apostle was but learning the full      
significance of the marvellous events   
that had passed so recently1 or we may  
say that he suited his words to his     
audience1 and did not declare all that  
he knew4  ,at the same time1 we should  
not overlook the significance of the    
,christology which it does contain4     
',his child ,jesus' is really a         
translation of ,isaiah's ',servant of   
the ,lord4' ',the ,holy ,one and the    

,just' is a distinct assertion of       
,jesus' perfect1 sinless manhood1 and   
'the ,prince of ,life' plainly asserts  
,jesus to be the ,lord and ,source of   
it4  ,notice1 too1 the pathetic         
'denied'3 was ,peter thinking of the    
shameful hour in his own experience8 ,it
 is a glimpse into the depth of his     
penitence1 and the tenderness with      
others' sins which it had given him1    
that he twice uses the word here1 as if 
he had said ',you have done no more than
 ,i did myself4 ,it is not for me to    
heap reproaches on you4 ,we have been   
alike in sin--and ,i can preach         
forgiveness to you sinners1 because ,i  
have received it for myself4'  ,notice1 
too1 the manifold antitheses of the     
words4 ,barabbas is set against ,christ2
 the ,holy ,one and the ,just against a 
robber1 the ,prince of ,life against a  
murderer4 ',you killed'--'the ,prince of
 ,life4' ',you killed'--',god raised4'  
,there are here three paradoxes1 three  
strange and contradictory things3 the   

paradoxes of man's perverted and fatal  
choice1 of man's hate bringing death to 
the ,lord of life1 and of ,god's love   
and power causing life to come by death4
  ,i4 ,the paradox of man's fatal       
choice4  ,there occurs often in history 
a kind of irony in which the whole      
tendency of a time or of a conflict is  
summed up in a single act1 and certainly
 the fact which is referred to here is  
one of these4 ,let us put it as it would
 have seemed to an onlooker then1       
leaving out for the moment any loftier  
meaning which may attach to it4         
,peter's words here1 thus boldly        
addressed to the people1 are a strong   
testimony to the impression which the   
character of ,christ had made on ,his   
contemporaries4 ',the ,holy ,one and the
 ,just' implies moral perfection4 ,the  
whole narrative of the ,crucifixion     
brings out that impression4 ,pilate's   
wife speaks with awe of 'that just      
person4' ',which of you convinceth me of
 sin8' ',if ,i have done evil1 bear     

witness of the evil4' ',i find no fault 
in ,him4' ,we may take it for granted   
that the impression ,jesus made among   
,his contemporaries was1 at the lowest1 
that ,he was a pure and good man4  ,the 
nation had to choose one of two4 ,jesus 
was the one2 who was the other8 ,a man  
half brigand1 half rebel1 who had raised
 some petty revolt against ,rome1 more  
as a pretext for robbery and crime than 
from patriotism1 and whose hands reeked 
with blood4 ,and this was the nation's  
hero6  ,the juxtaposition throws a      
strong light on the people's motive for 
rejecting ,jesus4 ,the rulers may have  
condemned ,him for blasphemy1 but the   
people had a more practical reason1 and 
in it no doubt the rulers shared4 ,it   
was not because ,he claimed to be the   
,messiah that they gave ,him up to      
,pilate1 but because ,he would not meet 
their notions of what the ,messiah      
should be and do4 ,if ,he had called    
them to arms1 not a man of them would   
have betrayed ,him to ,pilate1 but all1 

or the more daring of them1 would have  
rallied to ,his standard4 ,their hate   
was the measure of their deep           
disappointment with ,his course4 ,if    
instead of showing love and meekness1   
,he had blown up the coals of religious 
hatred2 if instead of going about doing 
good1 ,he had mustered the men of       
lawless ,galilee for a revolt1 would    
these fawning hypocrites have dragged   
him to ,pilate on the charge of         
forbidding to give tribute to ,caesar1  
and of claiming to be a ,king8 ,why1    
there was not one of them but would have
 been glad to murder every tax-gatherer 
in ,palestine1 not one of them but bore 
inextinguishable in his inmost heart the
 faith in 'one ,christ a ,king4' ,and if
 that meek and silent martyr had only   
lifted ,his finger1 ,he might have had  
legions of ,his accusers at ,his back1  
ready to sweep ,pilate and his soldiers 
out of ,jerusalem4 ,they saw ,christ's  
goodness and holiness4 ,it did not      
attract them4 ,they wanted a ,messiah   

who would bring them outward freedom by 
the use of outward weapons1 and so they 
all shouted ',not this man but          
,barabbas6' ,the whole history of the   
nation was condensed in that one        
cry--their untamable obstinacy1 their   
blindness to the light of ,god1 their   
fierce grasp of the promises which they 
did not understand1 their hard          
worldliness1 their cruel patriotism1    
their unquenchable hatred of their      
oppressors1 which was only equalled by  
their unquenchable hatred of those who  
showed them the only true way for       
deliverance4  ,and this strange paradox 
is not confined to these ,jews4 ,it is  
repeated wherever ,christ is presented  
to men4 ,we are told that all men       
naturally admire goodness1 and so on4   
,men mostly know it when they see it1   
but ,i doubt whether they all either    
admire or like it4 ,people generally had
 rather have something more outward and 
tangible4 ,it is not spiritualising this
 incident1 but only referring it to the 

principle of which it is an             
illustration1 to ask you to see in it   
the fatal choice of multitudes4 ,christ 
is set before us all1 and ,his beauty is
 partially seen but is dimmed by        
externals4 ,men's desires are fixed on  
gross sensuous delights1 or on success  
in business1 or on intellectual         
eminence1 or on some of the thousand    
other visible and temporal objects that 
outshine1 to vulgar eyes1 the less      
dazzling lustre of the things unseen4   
,they appreciate these1 and make heroes 
of the men who have won them4 ,these are
 their ideals1 but of ,jesus they have  
little care4  ,and is it not true that  
all such competitors of ,his1 when they 
lead men to prefer them to ,him1 are    
'murderers1' in a sadder sense than     
,barabbas was8 ,do they not slay the    
souls of their admirers8 ,is it not but 
too ghastly a reality that all who thus 
choose them draw down ruin on themselves
 and 'love death'8  ,this fatal paradox 
is being repeated every day in the lives

 of thousands4 ,the crowds who yelled1  
',not this man but ,barabbas6' were less
 guilty and less mad than those who     
to-day cry1 ',not ,jesus but worldly    
wealth1 or fleeting bodily delights1 or 
gratified ambition6'  ,,ii4 ,the paradox
 of ,death's seeming conquest over the  
,lord of ,life4  ,the word rendered     
',prince' means an originator1 and hence
 a leader and hence a lord4 ,whether    
,peter had yet reached a conception of  
the divinity of ,jesus or not1 he had   
clearly reached a much higher one of    
,him than he had attained before ,his   
death4 ,in some sense he was beginning  
to recognise that ,his relation to      
'life' was loftier and more mysterious  
than that of other men4 ,was it ,his    
death only that thus elevated the       
disciples' thoughts of ,jesus8 ,strange 
that if ,he died and there an end1 such 
a result should have followed4 ,one     
would have expected ,his death to have  
shattered their faith in ,him1 but      
somehow it strengthened their faith4    

,why did they not all continue to       
lament1 as did the two of them on the   
road to ,emmaus3 ',we trusted that this 
had been ,he who should have redeemed   
,israel'--but now we trust no more1 and 
our dreams are buried in ,his grave8    
,why did they not go back to ,galilee   
and their nets8 ,what raised their      
spirits1 their courage1 and increased   
their understanding of ,him1 and their  
faith in ,him8 ,how came ,his death to  
be the occasion of consolidating1 not of
 shattering1 their fellowship8 ,how came
 ,peter to be so sure that a man who had
 died was the ',prince of ,life'8 ,the  
answer1 the only one psychologically    
possible1 is in what ,peter here        
proclaims to unwilling ears1 ',whom ,god
 raised from the dead4'  ,the fact of   
the ,resurrection sets the fact of the  
,death in another light4 ,meditating on 
these twin facts1 the ,death and        
,resurrection of ,jesus1 we hear        
,himself speaking as ,he did to ,john in
 ,patmos3 ',i am the ,living ,one who   

became dead1 and lo1 ,i am alive for    
evermore6'  ,if we try to listen with   
the ears of these first hearers of      
,peter's words1 we shall better         
appreciate his daring paradox4 ,think of
 the tremendous audacity of the claim   
which they make1 that ,jesus should be  
the ',prince of ,life1' and of the      
strange contradiction to it which the   
fact that they 'killed' ,him seems to   
give4 ,how could death have power over  
the ,prince of ,life8 ,that sounds as   
if1 indeed1 the 'sun were turned into   
darkness1' or as if fire became ice4    
,that brief clause 'ye killed the       
,prince of ,life' must have seemed sheer
 absurdity to the hearers whose hands   
were still red with the blood of ,jesus4
  ,but there is another paradox here4   
,it was strange that death should be    
able to invade that ,life1 but it is no 
less strange that men should be able to 
inflict it4 ,but we must not forget that
 ,jesus died1 not because men slew ,him1
 but because ,he willed to die4 ,the    

whole of the narratives of the          
,crucifixion in the ,gospels avoid using
 the word 'death4' ,such expressions as 
,he 'gave up the ghost1' or the like1   
are used1 implying what is elsewhere    
distinctly asserted1 that ,his death was
 ,his offering of ,himself1 the result  
of ,his own volition1 not of exhaustion 
or of torture4 ,thus1 even in dying1 ,he
 showed ,himself the ,lord of ,life and 
the ,master of ,death4 ,men indeed      
fastened ,jesus to the ,cross1 but ,he  
died1 not because ,he was so fastened1  
but because ,he willed to 'make ,his    
soul an offering for sin4' ,bound as it 
were to a rock in the midst of the      
ocean1 ,he1 of ,his own will1 and at    
,his own time1 bowed ,his head1 and let 
the waves of the sea of death roll over 
it4  ,,iii4 ,the triumphant divine      
paradox of life given and death         
conquered through a death4  ,jesus is   
',prince' in the sense of being source  
of life to mankind1 just because ,he    
died4 ,hie death is the death of ,death4

 ,his apparent defeat is ,his real      
victory4  ,by ,his death ,he takes away 
our sins4  ,by ,his death ,he abolishes 
death4  ,the physical fact remains1 but 
all else which makes the 'sting of      
death' to men is gone4 ,it is no more a 
solitude1 for ,he has died1 and thereby 
,he becomes a companion in that hour to 
every lover of ,his4 ,its darkness      
changes into light to those who1 by     
'following ,him1' have1 even there1 'the
 light of life4' ,this ,samson carried  
away the gates of the prison on ,his own
 strong shoulders when ,he came forth   
from it4 ,it is ,his to say1 ',o death6 
,i will be thy plague4'  ,by ,his death 
,he diffuses life4  ',the ,spirit was   
not given' till ,jesus was 'glorified1' 
which glorification is ,john's profound 
synonym for ,his crucifixion4 ,when the 
alabaster box of ,his pure body was     
broken1 the whole house of humanity was 
filled with the odour of the ointment4  
,so the great paradox becomes a blessed 
truth1 that man's deepest sin works out 

,god's highest act of ,love and ,pardon4
    ,,the ,,healing ,,power ,,of ,,the  
,,name  ',and ,his name through faith in
 ,his name hath made this man strong1   
whom ye see and know3 yea1 the faith    
which is by ,him hath given him this    
perfect soundness in the presence of you
 all4'--,,acts iii4 #af4  ,peter said1  
',why look ye so earnestly on us1 as    
though by our own power or holiness we  
had made this man to walk8' eagerly     
disclaiming being anything else than a  
medium through which ,another's power   
operated4 ,jesus ,christ said1 ',that ye
 may know that the ,son of ,man hath    
power on earth to forgive sins1 ,i say  
unto thee1 ,arise1 take up thy bed1 and 
walk'--unmistakably claiming to be a    
great deal more than a medium4 ,why the 
difference8 ,jesus ,christ did          
habitually in ,his miracles adopt the   
tone on which ,moses once ventured when 
he smote the rock and said1 ',ye rebels6
 must we bring the water for you8' and  
he was punished for it by exclusion from

 the ,promised ,land4 ,why the          
difference8 ,moses was 'in all his house
 as a servant1 but ,christ as a ,son    
over ,his own house'2 and what was      
arrogance in the servant was natural and
 reasonable in the ,son4  ,the gist of  
this verse is a reference to ,jesus     
,christ as a source of miraculous power1
 not merely because ,he wrought miracles
 when on earth1 but because from heaven 
,he gave the power of which ,peter was  
but the channel4 ,now it seems to me    
that in these emphatic and singularly   
reduplicated words of the ,apostle there
 are two or three very important lessons
 which ,i offer for your consideration4 
,i4 ,the first is the power of the      
,name4  ,now the ,name of which ,peter  
is speaking is not the collocation of   
syllables which are sounded ',jesus     
,christ4' ,his hearers were familiar    
with the ancient and ,eastern method of 
regarding names as very much more than  
distinguishing labels4 ,they are1 in the
 view of the ,old ,testament1 attempts  

at a summary description of things by   
their prominent characteristics4 ,they  
are condensed definitions4 ,and so the  
,old ,testament uses the expression1 the
 ',name' of ,god1 as equivalent to 'that
 which ,god is manifested to be4'       
,hence1 in later days--and there are    
some tendencies thither even in         
,scripture--in ,jewish literature 'the  
,name' came to be a reverential synonym 
for ,god ,himself4 ,and there are traces
 that this peculiar usage with regard to
 the divine ,name was beginning to shape
 itself in the ,church with reference to
 the name of ,jesus1 even at that period
 in which my text was spoken4 ,for      
instance1 in the fifth chapter we read  
that the ,apostles 'departed from the   
council rejoicing that they were counted
 worthy to suffer shame for the ,name1' 
and we find at a much later date that   
missionaries of the ,gospel are         
described by the ,apostle ,john as going
 forth 'for the sake of the ,name4'     
,the name of ,christ1 then1 is the      

representation or embodiment of that    
which ,christ is declared to be for us  
men1 and it is that ,name1 the totality 
of what ,he is manifested to be1 in     
which lies all power for healing and for
 strengthening4 ,the ,name1 that is1 the
 whole ,christ1 in ,his nature1 ,his    
offices1 ,his work1 ,his ,incarnation1  
,his ,life1 ,his ,death1 ,resurrection1 
,session at the right hand of ,god--it  
is this ,christ whose ,name made that   
man strong1 and will make us strong4    
,brethren1 let us remember that1 while  
fragments of the ,name will have        
fragmentary power1 as the curative      
virtue that resides in any substance    
belongs to the smallest grain of it1 if 
detached from the mass--whilst fragments
 of the ,name of ,christ have power1    
thanks be to ,him6 so that no man can   
have even a very imperfect and          
rudimentary view of what ,jesus ,christ 
is and does1 without getting strength   
and healing in proportion to the        
completeness of his conception1 yet in  

order to realise all that ,he can be and
 do1 a man must take the whole ,christ  
as ,he is revealed4  ,the ,early ,church
 had a symbol for ,jesus ,christ1 a     
fish1 to which they were led because the
 ,greek word for a fish is made up of   
the initials of the words which they    
conceived to be the ,name4 ,and what was
 it8 ',jesus ,christ1 ,god's ,son1      
,saviour'2 ,jesus1 humanity2 ,christ1   
the apex of ,revelation1 the fulfilment 
of prophecy1 the ,anointed ,prophet1    
,priest1 and ,king2 ,son of ,god1 the   
divine nature3 and all these1 the       
humanity1 the ,messiahship1 the         
divinity1 found their sphere of activity
 in the last name1 which1 without them1 
would in its fulness have been          
impossible--,saviour4 ,he is not such a 
,saviour as ,he may be to each of us1   
unless our conception of the ,name      
grasps these three truths3 ,his         
humanity1 ,his ,messiahship1 ,his       
divinity4 ',his ,name has made this man 
strong4'  ,,ii4 ,notice how the power of

 the ,name comes to operate4  ,now1 if  
you will observe the language of my     
text1 you will note that ,peter says1 as
 it would appear1 the same thing twice  
over3 ',his ,name1 through faith in ,his
 ,name1 hath made this man strong4' ,and
 then1 as if he were saying something   
else1 he adds what seems to be the same 
thing3 ',yea6 the faith which is by ,him
 hath given him this perfect soundness4'
  ,now1 note that in the first of these 
two statements nothing appears except   
the 'man1' the ',name1' and 'faith' ,i  
take it1 though of course it may be     
questionable1 that that clause refers to
 the man's faith1 and that we have in it
 the intentional exclusion of the human 
workers1 and are presented with the only
 two parties really concerned--at the   
one end the ,name1 at the other end     
'this man made strong4' ,and the link of
 connection between the two in this     
clause is faith--that is1 the man's     
trust4 ,but then1 if we come to the next
 clause1 we find that although ,peter   

has just previously disclaimed all merit
 in the cure1 yet there is a sense in   
which some one's faith1 working as from 
without1 gave to the man 'this perfect  
soundness4' ,and it seems very natural  
to me to understand that here1 where    
human faith is represented as being1 in 
some subordinate sense1 the bestower of 
the healing which really the ,name had  
bestowed1 it is the faith of the human  
miracle-worker or medium which is       
referred to4 ,peter's faith did give1   
but ,peter only gave what he had        
received through faith4 ,and so let all 
the praise be given to the water1 and   
none to the cup4  ,whether that be a    
fair interpretation of the words of my  
text1 with their singular and apparently
 meaningless tautology or no1 at all    
events the principle which is involved  
in the explanation is one that ,i wish  
to dwell upon briefly now2 and that is1 
that in order for the ,name1 charged and
 supercharged with healing and          
strengthening power as it is1 to come   

into operation1 there must be a twofold 
trust4  ,the healer1 the medium of      
healing1 must have faith in the ,name4  
,yes6 of course4 ,in all regions the    
first requisite1 the one indispensable  
condition1 of a successful propagandist1
 is enthusiastic confidence in what he  
promulgates4 ',that man will go far1'   
said a cynical politician about one of  
his rivals2 'he believes every word he  
says4' ,and that is the condition always
 of getting other people to believe us4 
,faith is contagious2 men catch from    
other people's tongues the accent of    
conviction4 ,if one wants to enforce any
 opinion upon others1 the first         
condition is that he shall be utterly   
self-oblivious2 and when he is          
manifestly saying1 as the ,apostles in  
this context did1 ',do not fix your eyes
 on us1 as though we were doing         
anything1' then hearts will bow before  
him1 as the trees of the wood are bowed 
by the wind4  ,if that is true in all   
regions1 it is eminently true in regard 

to religion4 ,for what we need there    
most is not to be instructed1 but to be 
impressed4 ,most of us have1 lying      
dormant in the bedchamber and infirmary 
of our brains1 convictions which only   
need to be awakened to revolutionise our
 lives4 ,now one of the most powerful   
ways of waking them is contact with any 
man in whom they are awake4 ,so all     
successful teachers and messengers of   
,jesus ,christ have had this            
characteristic in common1 however unlike
 each other they have been4 ,the        
divergences of temperament1 of moods1 of
 point of view1 of method of working    
which prevailed even in the little group
 of ,apostles1 and broadly distinguished
 ,paul from ,peter1 ,peter from ,james1 
and ,paul and ,peter and ,james from    
,john1 are only types of what has been  
repeated ever since4 ,get together the  
great missionaries of the ,cross1 and   
you would have the most extraordinary   
collection of miscellaneous             
idiosyncrasies that the world ever saw1 

and they would not understand each      
other1 as some of them wofully          
misunderstood each other when here      
together4 ,but there was one            
characteristic in them all1 a flaming   
earnestness of belief in the power of   
the ,name4 ,and so it did not matter    
much1 if at all1 what their divergences 
were4 ,each of them was fitted for the  
,master's use4  ,and so1 brethren1 here 
is the reason--,i do not say the only   
reason1 but the main one1 and that which
 most affects us--for the slow progress1
 and even apparent failure1 of          
,christianity4 ,it has fallen into the  
hands of a ,church that does not half   
believe its own ,gospel4 ,by reason of  
formality and ceremonial and            
sacerdotalism and a lazy kind of        
expectation that1 somehow or other1 the 
benefits of ,christ's love can come to  
men apart from their own personal faith 
in ,him1 the ,church has largely ceased 
to anticipate that great things can be  
done by its utterance of the ,name4 ,and

 if you have1 ,i do not say ministers1  
or teachers1 or official proclaimers1 or
 ,sunday-school teachers1 or the like1  
but ,i say if you have a ,church1 that  
is honeycombed with doubt1 and from     
which the strength and flood-tide of    
faith have in many cases ebbed away1    
why1 it may go on uttering its formal   
proclamations of the ,name till the ,day
 of ,judgment1 and all that will come of
 it will be--',the man in whom the      
devils were1 leaped upon them1 and      
overcame them1 and said'--as he had a   
good right to say--',jesus ,i know1 and 
,paul ,i know1 but who are ye8' ,you    
cannot kindle a fire with snowballs4 ,if
 the town crier goes into a quiet corner
 of the marketplace and rings his bell  
apologetically1 and gives out his       
message in a whisper1 it is small wonder
 if nobody listens4 ,and that is the way
 in which too many so-called ,christian 
teachers and communities hold forth the 
,name1 as if begging pardon of the world
 for being so narrow and old-fashioned  

as to believe in it still4  ,and no less
 necessary is faith on the other side4  
,the recipient must exercise trust4     
,this lame man1 no doubt1 like the other
 that ,paul looked at in a similar case1
 had faith to be healed4 ,that was the  
length of his tether4 ,he believed that 
he was going to have his legs made      
strong1 and they were made strong       
accordingly4 ,if he had believed more1  
he would have got more4 ,let us hope    
that he did get more1 because he        
believed more1 at a later day4 ,but in  
the meantime the ,apostles' faith was   
not enough to cure him2 and it is not   
enough for you that ,jesus ,christ      
should be standing with all ,his power  
at your elbow1 and that1 earnestly and  
enthusiastically1 some of ,christ's     
messengers may press upon you the       
acceptance of ,him as a ,saviour4 ,he is
 of no good in the world to you1 and    
never will be1 unless you have the      
personal faith that knits you to ,him4  
,it cannot be otherwise4 ,depend upon   

it1 if ,jesus ,christ could save every  
one without terms and conditions at all1
 ,he would be only too glad to do it4   
,but it cannot be done4 ,the nature of  
,his work1 and the sort of blessings    
that ,he brings by ,his work1 are such  
as that it is an impossibility that any 
man should receive them unless he has   
that trust which1 beginning with the    
acceptance by the understanding of      
,christ as ,saviour1 passes on to the   
assent of the will1 and the outgoing of 
the heart1 and the yielding of the whole
 nature to ,him4 ,how can a truth do any
 good to any one who does not believe in
 it8 ,how is it possible that1 if you do
 not take a medicine1 it will work8 ,how
 can you expect to see1 unless you open 
your eyes8 ,how do you propose to have  
your blood purified1 if you do not fill 
your lungs with air8 ,is it of any use  
to have gas-fittings in your house1 if  
they are not connected with the main8   
,will a water tap run in your           
sculleries1 if there is no pipe that    

joins it with the source of supply8 ,my 
dear friend1 these rough illustrations  
are only approximations to the absolute 
impossibility that ,christ can help1    
heal1 or save any man without the man's 
personal faith4 ',whosoever believeth'  
is no arbitrary limitation1 but is      
inseparable from the very nature of the 
salvation given4  ,,iii4 ,and now1      
lastly1 note the effects of the power of
 the ,name4  ,the ,apostle puts in two  
separate clauses what1 in the case in   
hand1 was really one thing--'hath made  
this man strong1' and 'hath given him   
perfect soundness4' ,ah6 we can part the
 two1 cannot we8 ,there is the disease1 
the disease of an alienated heart1 of a 
perverted will1 of a swollen self1 all  
of which we need to have cured and      
checked before we can do right4 ,and    
there is weakness1 the impotence to do  
what is good1 'how to perform ,i find   
not1' and we need to be strengthened as 
well as cured4 ,there is only one thing 
that will do these two1 and that is that

 ,christ's power1 ay1 and ,christ's own 
life1 should pass1 as it will pass if we
 trust ,him1 into our foulness and      
precipitate all the impurity--into our  
weakness and infuse strength4 ',a reed  
shaken with the wind1' and without      
substance or solidity to resist1 may be 
placed in what is called a petrifying   
well1 and1 by the infiltration of stony 
substance into its structure1 may be    
turned into a rigid mass1 like a little 
bar of iron4 ,so1 if ,christ comes into 
my poor1 weak1 tremulous nature1 there  
will be an infiltration into the very   
substance of my being of a present power
 which will make me strong4  ,my        
brother1 you and ,i need1 first and     
foremost1 the healing1 and then the     
strength-giving power1 which we never   
find in its completeness anywhere but in
 ,christ1 and which we shall always find
 in ,him4  ,and now notice1 ,jesus      
,christ does not make half cures--'this 
perfect soundness4' ,if any man1 in     
contact with ,him1 is but half delivered

 from his infirmities and purged from   
his sins1 it is not because ,christ's   
power is inadequate1 but because his own
 faith is defective4  ,christ's cures   
should be visible to all around4 ,a     
man's own testimony is not the most     
satisfactory4 ,peter appeals to the     
bystanders4 ',you have seen him lying   
here for years1 a motionless lump of    
mendicancy1 at the ,temple gate4 ,now   
you see him walking and leaping and     
praising ,god4 ,is it a cure1 or is it  
not8' ,you professing ,christians1 would
 you like to stand that test1 to empanel
 a jury of people that have no sympathy 
with your religion1 in order that they  
might decide whether you were healed and
 strengthened or not8 ,it is a good     
thing for us when the world bears       
witness that ,jesus ,christ's power has 
come into us1 and made us what we are4  
,and so1 dear friends1 ,i lay all these 
thoughts on your hearts4 ,christ's gift 
is amply sufficient to deliver us from  
all evils of weakness1 sickness1        

incapacity3 to endue us with all gifts  
of spiritual and immortal strength4     
,but1 while the limit of what ,christ   
gives is ,his boundless wealth1 the     
limit of what you possess is your faith4
 ,the rainfall comes down in the same   
copiousness on rock and furrow1 but it  
runs off the one1 having stimulated no  
growth and left no blessing1 and it     
sinks into the other and quickens every 
dormant germ into life which will one   
day blossom into beauty4 ,we are all of 
us either rock or soil1 and which we are
 depends on the reality1 the firmness1  
and the force of our faith in ,christ4  
,he ,himself has laid down the principle
 on which ,he bestows ,his gifts when   
,he says1 ',according to thy faith be it
 unto thee6'    ,,the ,,servant ,,of    
,,the ,,lord  ',unto you first ,god1    
having raised up ,his ,son ,jesus1 sent 
,him to bless you1 ,in turning away     
every one of you from his               
iniquities4'--,,acts iii4 #bf4  ,so     
ended ,peter's bold address to the      

wondering crowd gathered in the ,temple 
courts around him1 with his companion   
,john and the lame man whom they had    
healed4 ,a glance at his words will show
 how extraordinarily outspoken and      
courageous they are4 ,he charges home on
 his hearers the guilt of ,christ's     
death1 unfalteringly proclaims ,his     
,messiahship1 bears witness to ,his     
,resurrection and ,ascension1 asserts   
that ,he is the ,end and ,fulfilment of 
ancient revelation1 and offers to all   
the great blessings that ,christ brings4
 ,and this fiery1 tender oration came   
from the same lips which1 a few weeks   
before1 had been blanched with fear     
before a flippant maidservant1 and had  
quivered as they swore1 ',i know not the
 man6'  ,one or two simple observations 
may be made by way of introduction4     
',unto you first'--'first' implies      
second2 and so the ,apostle has shaken  
himself clear of the ,jews' narrow      
belief that ,messias belonged to them   
only1 and is already beginning to       

contemplate the possibility of a        
transference of the kingdom of ,god to  
the outlying ,gentiles4 ',god having    
raised up ,his ,son'--that expression   
has no reference1 as it might at first  
seem1 to the fact of the ,resurrection2 
but is employed in the same sense as1   
and indeed looks back to1 previous      
words4 ,for he had just quoted ,moses'  
declaration1 ',a prophet shall the ,lord
 your ,god raise up unto you from your  
brethren4' ,so it is ,christ's equipment
 and appointment for ,his office1 and   
not ,his ,resurrection1 which is spoken 
about here4 ',his ,son ,jesus'--the     
,revised ,version more accurately       
translates ',his ,servant ,jesus4' ,i   
shall have a word or two to say about   
that translation presently1 but in the  
meantime ,i simply note the fact4  ,with
 this slight explanation let us now turn
 to two or three of the aspects of the  
words before us4  ,i4 ,first1 ,i note   
the extraordinary transformation which  
they indicate in the speaker4  ,i have  

already referred to his cowardice a very
 short time before4 ,that transformation
 from a coward to a hero he shared in   
common with his brethren4 ,on one page  
we read1 ',they all forsook ,him and    
fled4' ,we turn over half a dozen leaves
 and we read3 ',they departed from the  
council1 rejoicing that they were       
counted worthy to suffer shame for ,his 
name4' ,what did that8  ,then there is  
another transformation no less swift1   
sudden1 and inexplicable1 except on one 
hypothesis4 ,all through ,christ's life 
the disciples had been singularly slow  
to apprehend the highest aspects of ,his
 teachings1 and they had clung with a   
strange obstinacy to their narrow       
,pharisaic and ,jewish notions of the   
,messiah as coming to establish a       
temporal dominion1 in which ,israel was 
to ride upon the necks of the subject   
nations4 ,and now1 all at once1 this    
,apostle1 and his fellows with him1 have
 stepped from these puerile and narrow  
ideas out into this large place1 that he

 and they recognise that the ,jew had no
 exclusive possession of ,messiah's     
blessings1 and that these blessings     
consisted in no external kingdom1 but   
lay mainly and primarily in ,his        
'turning every one of you from your     
iniquities4' ,at one time the ,apostles 
stood upon a gross1 low1 carnal level1  
and in a few weeks they were1 at all    
events1 feeling their way to1 and to a  
large extent had possession of1 the most
 spiritual and lofty aspects of         
,christ's mission4 ,what did that8      
,something had come in between which    
wrought more1 in a short space1 than all
 the three years of ,christ's teaching  
and companionship had done for them4    
,what was it8 ,why did they not continue
 in the mood which two of them are      
reported to have been in1 after the     
,crucifixion1 when they said--',it is   
all up6 we trusted that this had been   
,he1' but the force of circumstances has
 shivered the confidence into fragments1
 and there is no such hope left for us  

any longer4 ,what brought them out of   
that ,slough of ,despond8  ,i would put 
it to any fair-minded man whether the   
psychological facts of this sudden      
maturing of these childish minds1 and   
their sudden change from slinking       
cowards into heroes who did not blanch  
before the torture and the scaffold1 are
 accountable1 if you strike out the     
,resurrection1 the ,ascension1 and      
,pentecost8 ,it seems to me that1 for   
the sake of avoiding a miracle1 the     
disbelievers in the ,resurrection accept
 an impossibility1 and tie themselves to
 an intellectual absurdity4 ,and ,i for 
one would rather believe in a miracle   
than believe in an uncaused change1 in  
which the ,apostles take exactly the    
opposite course from that which they    
necessarily must have taken1 if there   
had not been the facts that the ,new    
,testament asserts that there were1     
,christ's rising again from the dead1   
and ,ascension4  ,why did not the       
,church share the fate of ,john's       

disciples1 who scattered like sheep     
without a shepherd when ,herod chopped  
off their master's head8 ,why did not   
the ,church share the fate of that      
abortive rising1 of which we know that  
when ,theudas1 its leader1 was slain1   
'all1 as many as believed on him1 came  
to nought4' ,why did these men act in   
exactly the opposite way8 ,i take it    
that1 as you cannot account for ,christ 
except on the hypothesis that ,he is the
 ,son of the ,highest1 you cannot       
account for the continuance of the      
,christian ,church for a week after the 
,crucifixion1 except on the hypothesis  
that the men who composed it were       
witnesses of ,his ,resurrection1 and saw
 ,him floating upwards and received into
 the ,shechinah cloud and lost to their 
sight4 ,peter's change1 witnessed by the
 words of my text--these bold and       
clear-sighted words--seems to me to be a
 perfect monstrosity1 and incapable of  
explication1 unless he saw the risen    
,lord1 beheld the ascended ,christ1 was 

touched with the fiery ,spirit          
descending on ,pentecost1 and so 'out of
 weakness was made strong1' and from a  
babe sprang to the stature of a man in  
,christ4  ,,ii4 ,look at these words as 
setting forth a remarkable view of      
,christ4  ,i have already referred to   
the fact that the word rendered 'son'   
ought rather to be rendered 'servant4'  
,it literally means 'child' or 'boy1'   
and appears to have been used           
familiarly1 just in the same fashion as 
we use the same expression 'boy1' or its
 equivalent 'maid1' as a more gentle    
designation for a servant4 ,thus the    
kindly centurion1 when he would bespeak 
our ,lord's care for his menial1 calls  
him his 'boy'2 and our ,bible there     
translates rightly 'servant4'  ,again1  
the designation is that which is        
continually employed in the ,greek      
translation of the ,old ,testament as   
the equivalent for the well-known       
prophetic phrase 'the ,servant of       
,jehovah1' which1 as you will remember1 

is characteristic of the second portion 
of the prophecies of ,isaiah4 ,and      
consequently we find that1 in a         
quotation of ,isaiah's prophecy in the  
,gospel of ,matthew1 the very phrase of 
our text is there employed3 ',behold ,my
 ,servant whom ,i uphold6'  ,now1 it    
seems as if this designation of our     
,lord as ,god's ,servant was very       
familiar to ,peter's thoughts at this   
stage of the development of ,christian  
doctrine4 ,for we find the name employed
 twice in this discourse--in the        
thirteenth verse1 'the ,god of our      
,fathers hath glorified ,his ,servant   
,jesus1' and again in my text4 ,we also 
find it twice in the next chapter1 where
 ,peter1 offering up a prayer amongst   
his brethren1 speaks of ',thy ,holy     
,child ,jesus1' and prays 'that signs   
and wonders may be done through the     
name' of that ',holy ,child4' ,so1 then1
 ,i think we may fairly take it that1 at
 the time in question1 this thought of  
,jesus as the ',servant of the ,lord'   

had come with especial force to the     
primitive ,church4 ,and the fact that   
the designation never occurs again in   
the ,new ,testament seems to show that  
they passed on from it into a deeper    
perception than even it attests of who  
and what this ,jesus was in relation to 
,god4  ,but1 at all events1 we have in  
our text the ,apostle looking back to   
that dim1 mysterious ,figure which rises
 up with shadowy lineaments out of the  
great prophecy of ',isaiah1' and        
thrilling with awe and wonder1 as he    
sees1 bit by bit1 in the ,face painted  
on the prophetic canvas1 the likeness of
 the ,face into which he had looked for 
three blessed years1 that now began to  
tell him more than they had done whilst 
their moments were passing4  ',the      
,servant of the ,lord'--that means1     
first of all1 that ,christ1 in all which
 ,he does1 meekly and obediently        
executes the ,father's will4 ,as ,he    
,himself said1 ',i come not to do ,mine 
own will1 but the will of ,him that sent

 ,me4' ,but it carries us further than  
that1 to a point about which ,i would   
like to say one word now2 and that is1  
the clear recognition that the very     
centre of ,jewish prophecy is the       
revelation of the personality of the    
,christ4 ,now1 it seems to me that      
present tendencies1 discussions about   
the nature and limits of inspiration1   
investigations which1 in many           
directions1 are to be welcomed and are  
fruitful as to the manner of origin of  
the books of the ,old ,testament1 and as
 to their collection into a ,canon and a
 whole--that all this new light has a   
counterbalancing disadvantage1 in that  
it tends somewhat to obscure in men's   
minds the great central truth about the 
revelation of ,god in ,israel--viz4 that
 it was all progressive1 and that its   
goal and end was ,jesus ,christ4 ',the  
testimony of ,jesus is the spirit of    
prophecy1' and however much we may have 
to learn--and ,i have no doubt that we  
have a great deal to learn1 about the   

composition1 the structure1 the         
authorship1 the date of these ancient   
books--,i take leave to say that the    
unlearned reader1 who recognises that   
they all converge on ,jesus ,christ1 has
 hold of the clue of the labyrinth1 and 
has come nearer to the marrow of the    
books than the most learned             
investigators1 who see all manner of    
things besides in them1 and do not see  
that 'they that went before cried1      
saying1 ,hosanna6 ,blessed be ,he that  
cometh in the name of the ,lord6'  ,and 
so ,i venture to commend to you1        
brethren--not as a barrier against any  
reverent investigation1 not as stopping 
any careful study--this as the central  
truth concerning the ancient revelation1
 that it had1 for its chief business1 to
 proclaim the coming of the ,servant of 
,jehovah1 ,jesus the ,christ4  ,,iii4   
,and now1 lastly1 look at these words as
 setting forth the true centre of       
,christ's work4  ',he has sent ,him to  
bless you in turning away every one of  

you from his iniquities4' ,i have       
already spoken about the gross1 narrow1 
carnal apprehensions of ,messiah's work 
which cleaved to the disciples during   
all our ,lord's life here1 and which    
disturbed even the sanctity of the upper
 chamber at that last meal1 with        
squabbles about precedence which had an 
eye to places in the court of the       
,messiah when ,he assumed ,his throne4  
,but here ,peter has shaken himself     
clear of all these1 and has grasped the 
thought that1 whatever derivative and   
secondary blessings of an external and  
visible sort may1 and must1 come in     
,messiah's train1 the blessing which ,he
 brings is of a purely spiritual and    
inward character1 and consists in       
turning away single souls from their    
love and practice of evil4 ,that is     
,christ's true work4  ,the ,apostle does
 not enlarge as to how it is done4 ,we  
know how it is done4 ,jesus turns away  
men from sin because1 by the magnetism  
of ,his love1 and the attractive raying 

out of influence from ,his ,cross1 ,he  
turns them to ,himself4 ,he turns us    
from our iniquities by the expulsive    
power of a new affection1 which1 coming 
into our hearts like a great river into 
some foul ,augean stable1 sweeps out on 
its waters all the filth that no broom  
can ever clear out in detail4 ,he turns 
men from their iniquities by ,his gift  
of a new life1 kindred with that from   
which it is derived4  ,there is an old  
superstition that lightning turned      
whatever it struck towards the point    
from which the flash came1 so that a    
tree with its thousand leaves had each  
of them pointed to that quarter in the  
heavens where the blaze had been4  ,and 
so ,christ1 when ,he flings out the     
beneficent flash that slays only our    
evil1 and vitalises ourselves1 turns us 
to ,him1 and away from our              
transgressions4 ',turn us1 ,o ,christ1  
and we shall be turned4'  ,ah1 brethren6
 that is the blessing that we need most1
 for 'iniquities' are universal2 and so 

long as man is bound to his sin it will 
embitter all sweetnesses1 and neutralise
 every blessing4 ,it is not culture1    
valuable as that is in many ways1 that  
will avail to stanch man's deepest      
wounds4 ,it is not a new social order   
that will still the discontent and the  
misery of humanity4 ,you may adopt      
collective economic and social          
arrangements1 and divide property out as
 it pleases you4 ,but as long as man    
continues selfish he will continue      
sinful1 and as long as he continues     
sinful any social order will be pregnant
 with sorrow1 'and when it is finished  
it will bring forth death4' ,you have to
 go deeper down than all that1 down as  
deep as this ,apostle goes in this      
sermon of his1 and recognise that       
,christ's prime blessing is the turning 
of men from their iniquities1 and that  
only after that has been done will other
 good come4  ,how shallow1 by the side  
of that conception1 do modern notions of
 ,jesus as the great social ,reformer   

look6 ,these are true1 but they want    
their basis1 and their basis lies only  
here1 that ,he is the ,redeemer of      
individuals from their sins4 ,there were
 people in ,christ's lifetime who were  
all untouched by ,his teachings1 but    
when they found that ,he gave bread     
miraculously they said1 ',this is of a  
truth the ,prophet6 ,that's the prophet 
for my money2 the ,man that can make    
bread1 and secure material well-being4' 
,have not certain modern views of       
,christ's work and mission a good deal  
in common with these vulgar old         
,jews--views which regard ,him mainly as
 contributing to the material good1 the 
social and economical well-being of the 
world8  ,now1 ,i believe that ,he does  
that4 ,and ,i believe that ,christ's    
principles are going to revolutionise   
society as it exists at present4 ,but ,i
 am sure that we are on a false scent if
 we attempt to preach consequences      
without proclaiming their antecedents1  
and that such preaching will end1 as all

 such attempts have ended1 in confusion 
and disappointment4  ,they used to talk 
about ,jesus ,christ1 in the first      
,french ,revolution1 as 'the ,good      
,sansculotte4' ,perfectly true6 ,but as 
the basis of that1 and of all           
representations of ,him1 that will have 
power on the diseases of the community1 
we have to preach ,him as the ,saviour  
of the individual from his sin4  ,and   
so1 brethren1 has ,he saved you8 ,do you
 begin your notions of ,jesus ,christ   
where ,his work begins8 ,do you feel    
that what you want most is neither      
culture nor any superficial and external
 changes1 but something that will deal  
with the deep1 indwelling1 rooted1      
obstinate self-regard which is the      
centre of all sin8 ,and have you gone   
alone to ,him as a sinful man8 ,as the  
,apostle here suggests1 ,jesus ,christ  
does not save communities4 ,the doctor  
has his patients into the               
consulting-room one by one4 ,there is no
 applying of ,christ's benefits to men  

in batches1 by platoons and regiments1  
as ,clovis baptized his ,franks2 but you
 have to go1 every one of you1 through  
the turnstile singly1 and alone to      
confess1 and alone to be absolved1 and  
alone to be turned1 from your iniquity4 
,if ,i might venture to alter the       
position of words in my text1 ,i would  
lay them1 so modified1 on the hearts of 
all my friends whom my words may reach  
now1 and say1 ',unto you--unto thee1    
,god1 having raised up ,his ,son ,jesus1
 sent ,him to bless you1 first in       
turning away every one of you from his  
iniquities4'    ,,the ,,first ,,blast   
,,of ,,tempest  ',and as they spake unto
 the people1 the priests1 and the       
captain of the temple1 and the          
,sadducees1 came upon them1 #b4 ,being  
grieved that they taught the people1 and
 preached through ,jesus the            
resurrection from the dead4 #c4 ,and    
they laid hands on them1 and put them in
 hold unto the next day3 for it was now 
even-tide4 #d4 ,howbeit many of them    

which heard the word believed2 and the  
number of the men was about five        
thousand4 #e4 ,and it came to pass on   
the morrow1 that their rulers1 and      
elders1 and scribes1 #f4 ,and ,annas the
 high priest1 and ,caiaphas1 and ,john1 
and ,alexander1 and as many as were of  
the kindred of the high priest1 were    
gathered together at ,jerusalem4 #g4    
,and when they had set them in the      
midst1 they asked1 ,by what power1 or by
 what name1 have ye done this8 #h4 ,then
 ,peter1 filled with the ,holy ,ghost1  
said unto them1 ,ye rulers of the       
people1 and elders of ,israel1 #i4 ,if  
we this day be examined of the good deed
 done to the impotent man1 by what means
 he is made whole2 #aj4 ,be it known    
unto you all1 and to all the people of  
,israel1 that by the name of ,jesus     
,christ of ,nazareth1 whom ye crucified1
 whom ,god raised from the dead1 even by
 ,him doth this man stand here before   
you whole4 #aa4 ,this is the stone which
 was set at nought of you builders1     

which is become the head of the corner4 
#ab4 ,neither is there salvation in any 
other3 for there is none other name     
under heaven given among men1 whereby we
 must be saved4 #ac4 ,now when they saw 
the boldness of ,peter and ,john1 and   
perceived that they were unlearned and  
ignorant men1 they marvelled2 and they  
took knowledge of them1 that they had   
been with ,jesus4 #ad4 ,and beholding   
the man which was healed standing with  
them1 they could say nothing against    
it4'--,,acts iv4 #a-ad4  ,hitherto the  
,jewish authorities had let the         
disciples alone1 either because their   
attention had not been drawn even by    
,pentecost and the consequent growth of 
the ,church1 or because they thought    
that to ignore the new sect was the best
 way to end it4 ,but when its leaders   
took to vehement preaching in ,solomon's
 porch1 and crowds eagerly listened1 it 
was time to strike in4  ,our passage    
describes the first collision of hostile
 authority with ,christian faith1 and   

shows1 as in a glass1 the constant      
result of that collision in all ages4   
,the motives actuating the assailants   
are significantly analysed1 and may be  
distributed among the three classes     
enumerated4 ,the priests and the captain
 of the ,temple would be annoyed by the 
very fact that ,peter and ,john taught  
the people3 the former1 because they    
were jealous of their official          
prerogative3 the latter1 because he was 
responsible for public order1 and a riot
 in the ,temple court would have been a 
scandal4 ,the ,saddueees were indignant 
at the substance of the teaching1 which 
affirmed the resurrection of the dead1  
which they denied1 and alleged it as    
having occurred 'in ,jesus4'  ,the      
position of ,sadducees and ,pharisees is
 inverted in ,acts as compared with the 
,gospels4 ,while ,christ lived1 the     
,pharisees were the soul of the         
opposition to ,him1 and ,his most solemn
 warnings fell on them2 after the       
,resurrection1 the ,sadducees head the  

opposition1 and among the ,pharisees are
 some1 like ,gamaliel and afterwards    
,paul1 who incline to the new faith4 ,it
 was the ,resurrection that made the    
difference1 and the difference is an    
incidental testimony to the fact that   
,christ's ,resurrection was proclaimed  
from the first4 ,to ask whether ,jesus  
had risen1 and to examine the evidence1 
were the last things of which the       
combined assailants thought4 ,this      
public activity of the ,apostles        
threatened their influence or their pet 
beliefs1 and so1 like persecutors in all
 ages1 they shut their eyes to the      
important question1 ',is this preaching 
true or false8' and took the easier     
course of laying hands on the preachers4
  ,so the night fell on ,peter and ,john
 in prison1 the first of the thousands  
who have suffered bonds and imprisonment
 for ,christ1 and have therein found    
liberty4 ,what lofty faith1 and what    
subordination of the fate of the        
messengers to the progress of the       

message1 are expressed in that abrupt   
introduction1 in verse #d1 of the       
statistics of the increase of the       
,church from that day's work6 ,it       
mattered little that it ended with the  
two ,apostles in custody1 since it ended
 too with five thousand rejoicing in    
,christ4  ,the arrest seems to have been
 due to a sudden thought on the part of 
the priests1 captain1 and ,sadducees1   
without commands from the ,sanhedrin or 
the high priest4 ,but when these        
inferior authorities had got hold of    
their prisoners1 they probably did not  
quite know what to do with them1 and so 
moved the proper persons to summon the  
,sanhedrin4 ,in all haste1 then1 a      
session was called for next morning4    
',rulers1 elders1 and scribes' made up  
the constituent members of the court1   
and the same two 'high priests' who had 
tried ,jesus are there1 attended by a   
strong contingent of dependants1 who    
could be trusted to vote as they were   
bidden4 ,annas was an emeritus high     

priest1 whose age and relationship to   
,caiaphas1 the actual holder of the post
 and ,annas's son-in-law1 gave him an   
influential position4 ,he retained the  
title1 though he had ceased to hold the 
office1 as a cleric without a charge is 
usually called ',reverend4'  ,it was    
substantially the same court which had  
condemned ,jesus1 and probably now sat  
in the same hall as then4 ,so that      
,peter and ,john would remember the last
 time when they had together been in    
that room1 and ,who had stood in the    
criminal's place where they now were    
set4  ,the court seems to have been     
somewhat at a loss how to proceed4 ,the 
,apostles had been arrested for their   
words1 but they are questioned about the
 miracle4 ,it was no crime to teach in  
the ,temple1 but a crime might be       
twisted out of working a miracle in the 
name of any but ,jehovah4 ,to do that   
would come near blasphemy or worshipping
 strange gods4 ,the ,sanhedrin knew what
 the answer to their question would be1 

and probably they intended1 as soon as  
the anticipated answer was given1 to    
'rend their clothes1' and say1 as they  
had done once before1 ',what need we    
further witnesses8 ,they have spoken    
blasphemy4' ,but things did not go as   
was expected4 ,the crafty question was  
put4 ,it does not attempt to throw doubt
 on the reality of the miracle1 but     
there is a world of arrogant contempt in
 it1 both in speaking of the cure as    
'this1' and in the scornful emphasis    
with which1 in the ,greek1 'ye' stands  
last in the sentence1 and implies1 'ye  
poor1 ignorant fishermen4'  ,the last   
time that ,peter had been in the        
judgment-hall his courage had oozed out 
of him at the prick of a maid-servant's 
sharp tongue1 but now he fronts all the 
ecclesiastical authorities without a    
tremor4 ,whence came the transformation 
of the cowardly denier into the heroic  
confessor1 who turns the tables on his  
judges and accuses them8 ,the narrative 
answers4 ,he was 'filled with the ,holy 

,ghost4' ,that abiding possession of the
 ,spirit1 begun on ,pentecost1 did not  
prevent special inspiration for special 
needs1 and the ,greek indicates that    
there was granted such a temporary      
influx in this critical hour4  ,one     
cannot but note the calmness of the     
,apostle1 so unlike his old tumultuous  
self4 ,he begins with acknowledging the 
lawful authority of the court1 and goes 
on1 with just a tinge of sarcasm1 to put
 the vague 'this' of the question in its
 true light4 ,it was 'a good deed done  
to an impotent man1' for which ,john and
 he stood there4 ,singular sort of crime
 that6 ,was there not a presumption that
 the power which had wrought so 'good' a
 deed was good8 ',do men gather grapes  
of thorns8' ,many a time since then     
,christianity has been treated as       
criminal1 because of its beneficence to 
bodies and souls4  ,but ,peter rises to 
the full height of the occasion1 when he
 answers the ,sanhedrin's question with 
the pealing forth of his ,lord's name4  

,he repeats in substance his former     
contrast of ,israel's treatment of      
,jesus and ,god's2 but1 in speaking to  
the rulers1 his tone is more severe than
 it was to the people4 ,the latter had  
been charged1 at ,pentecost and in the  
,temple1 with crucifying ,jesus2 the    
former are here charged with crucifying 
the ,christ4 ,it was their business to  
have tested his claims1 and to have     
welcomed the ,messiah4 ,the guilt was   
shared by both1 but the heavier part lay
 on the shoulders of the ,sanhedrin4    
,mark1 too1 the bold proclamation of the
 ,resurrection1 the stone of offence to 
the ,sadducees4 ,how easy it would have 
been for them to silence the ,apostle1  
if they could have pointed to the       
undisturbed and occupied grave6 ,that   
would have finished the new sect at     
once4 ,is there any reason why it was   
not done but the one reason that it     
could not be done8  ,thus far ,peter has
 been answering the interrogation       
legally put1 and has done as was        

anticipated4 ,now was the time for      
,annas and the rest to strike in2 but   
they could not carry out their          
programme1 for the fiery stream of      
,peter's words does not stop when they  
expected1 and instead of a timid answer 
followed by silence1 they get an almost 
defiant proclamation of the ,name1      
followed by a charge against them1 which
 turns the accused into the accuser1 and
 puts them at the bar4 ,peter learned to
 apply the passage in the ,psalm 7v4    
#aa7 to the rulers1 from his ,master's  
use of it 7,matt4 xxi4 #db72 and there  
is no quaver in his voice nor fear in   
his heart when1 in the face of all these
 learned ,rabbis and high and mighty    
dignitaries1 he brands them as foolish  
builders1 blind to the worth of the     
,stone 'chosen of ,god1 and precious1'  
and tells them that the course of divine
 ,providence will run counter to their  
rejection of ,jesus1 and make him the   
very ',head of the corner1'--the crown1 
as well as the foundation1 of ,god's    

building4  ,but not even this bold      
indictment ends the stream of his       
speech4 ,the proclamation of the power  
of the ,name was fitly followed by      
pressing home the guilt and madness of  
rejecting ,jesus1 and that again by the 
glad tidings of salvation for all1 even 
the rejecters4 ,is not the sequence in  
,peter's defence substantially that     
which all ,christian preaching should   
exhibit8 ,first1 strong1 plain          
proclamation of the truth2 then pungent 
pressing home of the sin of turning away
 from ,jesus2 and then earnest setting  
forth of the salvation in ,his name1--a 
salvation wide as the world1 and deep as
 our misery and need1 but narrow1       
inasmuch as it is 'in none other4' ,the 
,apostle will not end with charging his 
hearers with guilt1 but with offering   
them salvation4 ,he will end with       
lifting up 'the ,name' high above all   
other1 and setting it in solitary       
clearness before1 not these rulers only1
 but the whole world4 ,the salvation    

which it had wrought on the lame man was
 but a parable and picture of the       
salvation from all ills of body and     
spirit1 which was stored in that ,name1 
and in it alone4  ,the rulers' contempt 
had been expressed by their emphatic    
ending of their question with that 'ye4'
 ,peter expresses his brotherhood and   
longing for the good of his judges by   
ending his impassioned1 or1 rather1     
inspired address with a loving1 pleading
 'we4' ,he puts himself on the same     
level with them as needing salvation1   
and would fain have them on the same    
level with himself and ,john as         
receiving it4 ,that is the right way to 
preach4  ,little need be said as to the 
effect of this address4 ,whether it went
 any deeper in any susceptible souls or 
not1 it upset the schemes of the        
leaders4 ,something in the manner and   
matter of it awed them into wonder1 and 
paralysed them for the time4 ,here was  
the first instance of the fulfilment of 
that promise1 which has been fulfilled  

again and again since1 of 'a mouth and  
wisdom1 which all your adversaries shall
 not be able to gainsay nor resist4'    
',unlearned1' as ignorant of ,rabbinical
 traditions1 and 'ignorant1' or1 rather1
 'private1' as holding no official      
position1 these two wielded a power over
 hearts and consciences which not even  
official indifference and arrogance     
could shake off4 ,thank ,god1 that day's
 experience is repeated still1 and any  
of us may have the same ,spirit to      
clothe us with the same armour of light6
  ,the ,sanhedrin knew well enough that 
the ,apostles had been with ,jesus1 and 
the statement that 'they took knowledge 
of them' cannot mean that that fact     
dawned on the rulers for the first time4
 ,rather it means that their wonder at  
the 'boldness' of the two drove home the
 fact of their association with ,him to 
their minds4 ,that association explained
 the marvel2 for the ,sanhedrin         
remembered how ,he had stood1 meek but  
unawed1 at the same bar4 ,they said to  

themselves1 ',we know where these men   
get this brave freedom of speech1--from 
that ,nazarene4' ,happy shall we be if  
our demeanour recalls to spectators the 
ways of our ,lord6  ,how came the lame  
man there8 ,he had not been arrested    
with the ,apostles4 ,had he voluntarily 
and bravely joined them8 ,we do not     
know1 but evidently he was not there as 
accused1 and probably had come as a     
witness of the reality of the miracle4  
,notice the emphatic 'standing1' as in  
verse #aj1--;a thing that he had never  
done all his life4 ,no wonder that the  
,sanhedrin were puzzled1 and settled    
down to the 'lame and impotent          
conclusion' which follows4 ,so1 in the  
first round of the world-long battle    
between the persecutors and the         
persecuted1 the victory is all on the   
side of the latter4 ,so it has been ever
 since1 though often the victors have   
died in the conflict4 ',the ,church is  
an anvil which has worn out many        
hammers1' and the story of the first    

collision is1 in essentials1 the story  
of all4    ,,with ,,and ,,like ,,christ 
',now when they saw the boldness of     
,peter and ,john1 and perceived that    
they were unlearned and ignorant men1   
they marvelled2 and they took knowledge 
of them1 that they had been with        
,jesus4'--,,acts iv4 #ac4  ,two young   
,galilean fishermen1 before the same    
formidable tribunal which a few weeks   
before had condemned their ,master1     
might well have quailed4 ,and evidently 
',annas1 the high priest1 and ,caiaphas1
 and ,john1 and ,alexander1 and as many 
as were of the kindred of the high      
priest1' were very much astonished that 
their united wisdom and dignity did not 
produce a greater impression on these   
two contumacious prisoners4 ,they were  
'unlearned1' knowing nothing about      
,rabbinical wisdom2 they were           
'ignorant1' or1 as the word ought rather
 to be rendered1 'persons in a private  
station1' without any kind of official  
dignity4 ,and yet there they stood1     

perfectly unembarrassed and at their    
ease1 and said what they wanted to say1 
all of it1 right out4 ,so1 as great     
astonishment crept over the dignified   
ecclesiastics who were sitting in       
judgment upon them1 their astonishment  
led them to remember what1 of course1   
they knew before1 only that it had not  
struck them so forcibly1 as explaining  
the ,apostles' demeanour--viz41'that    
they had been with ,jesus4' ,so they    
said to themselves3 ',ah1 that explains 
it all6 ,there is the root of it4 ,the  
company that they have kept accounts for
 their unembarrassed boldness4'  ,now1  
,i need not notice by more than a word  
in passing1 what a testimony it is to   
the impression that that meek and       
gracious ,sufferer had made upon ,his   
judges1 that when they saw these two men
 standing there unfaltering1 they began 
to remember how that other ,prisoner had
 stood4 ,and perhaps some of them began 
to think that they had made a mistake in
 that last trial4 ,it is a testimony to 

the impression that ,christ had made    
that the strange demeanour of ,his two  
servants recalled the ,master to the    
mind of the judges4  ,i4 ,the first     
thing that strikes us here is the       
companionship that transforms4  ,the    
rulers were partly right1 and they were 
partly wrong4 ,the source from which    
these men had drawn their boldness was  
their being with ,christ2 but it was not
 such companionship with ,christ1 as    
,annas and ,caiaphas had in view1 that  
had given them courage4 ,for as long as 
the ,apostles had ,his personal presence
 with them1 there was no perceptible    
transforming or elevating process going 
on in them2 and it was not until after  
they had lost that corporeal presence   
that there came upon them the change    
which even the prejudiced eyes of these 
judges could not help seeing4  ,the     
writer of ,acts gives a truer           
explanation with which we may fill out  
the incomplete explanation of the       
rulers1 when he says1 ',then ,peter1    

filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 said unto 
them4' ,ah1 that is it6 ,they had been  
with ,jesus all the days that ,he went  
in and out amongst them4 ,they had      
companioned with ,him1 and they had     
gained but little from it4 ,but when ,he
 went away1 and they were relegated to  
the same kind of companionship with ,him
 that you and ,i have or may have1 then 
a change began to take place on them4   
,and so the companionship that          
transforms is not what the ,apostle     
calls 'knowing ,christ after the flesh1'
 but inward communion with ,him1 the    
companionship and familiarity which are 
as possible for us as for any ,peter or 
,john of them all1 and without which our
 ,christianity is nothing but sounding  
brass and tinkling cymbal4  ,they were  
'with ,jesus1' as each of us may be4    
,their communion was in no respect      
different from the communion that is    
open and indispensable to any real      
,christian4 ,to be with ,him is possible
 for us all4 ,when we go to our daily   

work1 when we are compassed about by    
distracting and trivial cares1 when men 
come buzzing round us1 and the ordinary 
secularities of life seem to close in   
upon us like the walls of a prison1 and 
to shut out the blue and the light--oh6 
it is hard1 but it is possible1 for     
every one of us to think these all away1
 and to carry with us into everything   
that blessed thought of a ,presence that
 is not to be put aside1 that sits      
beside me at my study table1 that stands
 beside you at your tasks1 that goes    
with you in shop and mart1 that is      
always near1 with its tender encircling1
 with its mighty protection1 with its   
all-sufficing sweetness and power4 ,to  
be with ,christ is no prerogative1      
either of ,apostles and teachers of the 
primitive age1 or of saints that have   
passed into the higher vision2 but it is
 possible for us all4 ,no doubt there   
are as yet unknown forms and degrees of 
companionship with ,christ in the future
 state1 in comparison with which to be  

'present in the body is to be absent    
from the ,lord'2 but in the inmost depth
 of reality1 the soul that loves is     
where it loves1 and has whom it loves   
ever with it4 ',where the treasure is1  
there will the heart be also1' and we   
may be with ,christ if only we will     
honestly try hour by hour to keep       
ourselves in touch with ,him1 and to    
make ,him the motive as well as the end 
of the work that other men do along with
 us1 and do from altogether secular and 
low motives4  ,another phase of being   
with ,christ lies in frank1 full1 and   
familiar conversation with ,him4 ,i do  
not understand a dumb companionship4    
,when we are with those that we love1   
and with whom we are at ease1 speech    
comes instinctively4 ,if we are         
co-denizens of the ,father's house with 
the ,elder ,brother1 we shall talk to   
,him4 ,we shall not need to be reminded 
of the 'duty of prayer1' but shall      
rather instinctively and as a matter of 
course1 without thinking of what we are 

doing1 speak to ,him our momentary      
wants1 our passing discomforts1 our     
little troubles4 ,there may be a great  
deal more virtue in monosyllabic prayers
 than in long liturgies4 ,little jets of
 speech or even of unspoken speech that 
go up to ,him are likely to be          
heart-felt and to be heard4 ,it is said 
of ,israel's army on one occasion1 'they
 cried unto ,god in the battle1 and ,he 
was entreated of them4' ,do you think   
that theirs would be very elaborate     
prayers8 ,was there any time to make a  
long petition when the sword of a       
,philistine was whizzing about the      
suppliant's ears8 ,it was only a cry1   
but it was a cry2 and so ',he was       
entreated of them4' ,if we are 'with    
,christ' we shall talk to ,him2 and if  
we are with ,christ ,he will talk to us4
 ,it is for us to keep in the attitude  
of listening and1 so far as may be1 to  
hush other voices1 in order that ,his   
may be heard1 ,if we do so1 even here   
'shall we ever be with the ,lord4'      

,,ii4 ,now1 note next the character that
 this companionship produces4  ,annas   
and ,caiaphas said to each other3 ',ah1 
these two have been with that ,jesus6   
,that is where they have got their      
boldness4 ,they are like ,him4'  ,as is 
the ,master1 so is the servant4 ,that is
 the broad1 general principle that lies 
in my text4 ,to be with ,christ makes   
men ,christlike4 ,a soul habitually in  
contact with ,jesus will imbibe         
sweetness from ,him1 as garments laid   
away in a drawer with some preservative 
perfume absorb fragrance from that      
beside which they lie4 ,therefore the   
surest way for ,christian people to     
become what ,god would have them to be1 
is to direct the greater part of their  
effort1 not so much to the acquirement  
of individual characteristics and       
excellences1 as to the keeping up of    
continuity of communion with the        
,master4 ,then the excellences will     
come4 ,astronomers1 for instance1 have  
found out that if they take a sensitive 

plate and lay it so as to receive the   
light from a star1 and keep it in place 
by giving it a motion corresponding with
 the apparent motion of the heavens1 for
 hours and hours1 there will become     
visible upon it a photographic image of 
dim stars that no human eye or telescope
 can see4 ,persistent lying before the  
light stamps the image of the light upon
 the plate4 ,communion with ,christ is  
the secret of ,christlikeness4 ,so      
instead of all the wearisome1 painful1  
futile attempts at tinkering one's own  
character apart from ,him1 here is the  
royal road4 ,not that there is no effort
 in it4 ,we must never forget nor       
undervalue the necessity for struggle in
 the ,christian life4 ,but that truth   
needs to be supplemented with the       
thought that comes from my text--viz4   
that the fruitful direction in which the
 struggle is to be mainly made lies in  
keeping ourselves in touch with ,jesus  
,christ1 and if we do that1 then        
transformation comes by beholding4 ',we 

all1 reflecting as a mirror does1 the   
glory of the ,lord1 are transformed into
 the same image4' ',they have been with 
,jesus1' and so they were like ,him4    
,but now look at the specific kinds of  
excellence which seem to have come out  
of this communion4 ',they beheld the    
boldness of ,peter and ,john4' ,the word
 that is translated 'boldness' no doubt 
conveys that idea1 but it also conveys  
another4 ,literally it means 'the act of
 saying everything4' ,it means openness 
of unembarrassed speech1 and so comes to
 have the secondary signification1 which
 the text gives1 of 'boldness4'  ,then1 
to be with ,christ gives a living       
knowledge of ,him and of truth1 far in  
advance of the head knowledge of wise   
and learned people4 ,it was a fact that 
these two knew nothing about what ,rabbi
 ,this1 or ,rabbi ,that1 or ,rabbi ,the 
,other had said1 and yet could speak1 as
 they had been speaking1 large religious
 ideas that astonished these hide-bound 
,pharisees1 who thought that there was  

no way to get to the knowledge of the   
revelation of ,god made to ,israel1     
except by the road of their own musty   
and profitless learning4 ,ay6 and it    
always is so4 ,an ounce of experience is
 worth a ton of theology4 ,the men that 
have summered and wintered with ,jesus  
,christ may not know a great many things
 that are supposed to be very important 
parts of religion1 but they have got    
hold of the central truth of it1 with a 
power1 and in a fashion1 that men of    
books1 and ideas1 and systems1 and      
creeds1 and theological learning1 may   
know nothing about4 ',not many wise men 
after the flesh1 not many mighty1 are   
called4' ,let a poor man at his         
plough-tail1 or a poor woman in her     
garret1 or a collier in the pit1 have   
,jesus ,christ for their ,companion1 and
 they have got the kernel2 and the      
gentlemen that like such diet may live  
on the shell if they will1 and can4     
,religious ideas are of little use      
unless there be heart-experiences2 and  

heart-experiences are wonderful teachers
 of religious truth4  ,again1 to be with
 ,christ frees from the fear of man4 ,it
 was a new thing for such persons as    
,peter and ,john to stand cool and      
unawed before the ,council4 ,not so very
 long ago one of the two had been       
frightened into a momentary apostasy by 
dread of being haled before the rulers1 
and now they are calmly heroic1 and     
threats are idle words to them4 ,i need 
not point to the strong presumption1    
raised by the contrast of the ,apostles'
 past cowardice and present courage1 of 
the occurrence of some such             
extraordinary facts as the              
,resurrection1 the ,ascension1 and the  
,descent of the ,spirit4 ,something had 
happened which revolutionised these men4
 ,it was their communion with ,jesus1   
made more real and deep by the cessation
 of ,his bodily presence1 which made    
these unlearned and non-official        
,galileans front the ,council with      
calmly beating hearts and unfaltering   

tongues4 ,doubtless1 temperament has    
much to do with courage1 but1 no doubt1 
he who lives near ,jesus is set free    
from undue dependence on things seen and
 on persons4 ,perfect love casts out    
fear1 not only of the ,beloved1 but of  
all creatures4 ,it is the bravest thing 
in the world4  ,further1 to be with     
,christ will open a man's lips4 ,the    
fountain1 if it is full1 must well up4  
',light is light which circulates4 ,heat
 is heat which radiates4' ,the true     
possession of ,jesus ,christ will always
 make it impossible for the possessor to
 be dumb4 ,i pray you to test           
yourselves1 as ,i would that all        
professing ,christians should test      
themselves1 by that simple truth1 that a
 full heart must find utterance4 ,the   
instinct that drives a man to speak of  
the thing in which he is interested     
should have full play in the ,christian 
life4 ,it seems to me a terribly sad    
fact that there are such hosts of good1 
kind people1 with some sort of religion 

about them1 who never feel any anxiety  
to say a word to any soul concerning the
 ,master whom they profess to love4 ,i  
know1 of course1 that deep feeling is   
silent1 and that the secrets of         
,christian experience are not to be worn
 on the sleeve for daws to peck at4 ,and
 ,i know that the conventionalities of  
this generation frown very largely upon 
the frank utterance of religious        
convictions on the part of religious    
people1 except on ,sundays1 in          
,sunday-schools1 pulpits1 and the like4 
,but for all that1 what is in you will  
come out4 ,if you have never felt ',i   
was weary of forbearing1 and ,i could   
not stay1' ,i do not think that there is
 much sign in you of a very deep or a   
very real being with ,jesus4  ,,iii4    
,the last point to be noted is1 the     
impression which such a character makes4
  ,it was not so much what ,peter and   
,john said that astonished the ,council1
 as the fact of their being composed and
 bold enough to say anything4  ,a great 

deal more is done by character than by  
anything else4 ,most people in the world
 take their notions of ,christianity    
from its concrete embodiments in        
professing ,christians4 ,for one man    
that has read his ,bible1 and has come  
to know what religion is thereby1 there 
are a hundred that look at you and me1  
and therefrom draw their conclusions as 
to what religion is4 ,it is not my      
sermons1 but your life1 that is the most
 important agency for the spread of the 
,gospel in this congregation4 ,and if   
we1 as ,christian people1 were to live  
so as to make men say1 ',dear me1 that  
is strange4 ,that is not the kind of    
thing that one would have expected from 
that man4 ,that is of a higher strain   
than he is of4 ,where did it come from1 
,i wonder8' ',ah1 he learned it of that 
,jesus'--if people were constrained to  
speak in that style to themselves about 
us1 dear friends1 and about all our     
brethren1 ,england would be a different 
,england from what it is to-day4 ,it is 

,christians' lives1 after all1 that make
 dints in the world's conscience4  ,do  
you remember one of the ,apostle's      
lovely and strong metaphors8 ,paul says 
that that little ,church in             
,thessalonica rung out clear and strong 
the name of ,jesus ,christ--resonant    
like the clang of a bugle1 'so that we  
need not to speak anything4' ,the word  
that he employs for 'sounded out' is a  
technical expression for the ringing    
blast of a trumpet4 ,very small penny   
whistles would be a better metaphor for 
the instruments which the bulk of       
professing ,christians play on4  ',adorn
 the doctrine of ,christ4' ,and that you
 may1 listen to ,his own word1 which    
says all ,i have been trying to say in  
this sermon3 ',abide in ,me4 ,as the    
branch cannot bear fruit of itself      
except it abide in the vine1 no more can
 ye1 except ye abide in ,me4'           
,,obedient ,,disobedience  ',but ,peter 
and ,john answered and said unto them1  
,whether it be right in the sight of    

,god to hearken unto you more than unto 
,god1 judge ye4 #bj4 ,for we cannot but 
speak the things which we have seen and 
heard4 #ba4 ,so when they had further   
threatened them1 they let them go1      
finding nothing how they might punish   
them1 because of the people3 for all men
 glorified ,god for that which was done4
 #bb4 ,for the man was above forty years
 old1 on whom this miracle of healing   
was shewed4 #bc4 ,and being let go they 
went to their own company1 and reported 
all that the chief priests and elders   
had said unto them4 #bd4 ,and when they 
heard that1 they lifted up their voice  
to ,god with one accord1 and said1      
,lord1 ,thou art ,god1 which hast made  
heaven1 and earth1 and the sea1 and all 
that in them is3 #be4 ,who by the mouth 
of ,thy servant ,david hast said1 ,why  
did the heathen rage1 and the people    
imagine vain things8 #bf4 ,the kings of 
the earth stood up1 and the rulers were 
gathered together against the ,lord1 and
 against ,his ,christ4 #bg4 ,for of a   

truth against ,thy holy child ,jesus1   
whom ,thou hast anointed1 both ,herod   
and ,pontius ,pilate1 with the          
,gentiles1 and the people of ,israel1   
were gathered together1 #bh4 ,for to do 
whatsoever ,thy hand and ,thy counsel   
determined before to be done4 #bi4 ,and 
now1 ,lord1 behold their threatenings3  
and grant unto ,thy servants1 that with 
all boldness they may speak ,thy word1  
#cj4 ,by stretching forth ,thine hand to
 heal2 and that signs and wonders may be
 done by the name of ,thy holy child    
,jesus4 #ca4 ,and when they had prayed1 
the place was shaken where they were    
assembled together2 and they were all   
filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and they  
spake the word of ,god with             
boldness4'--,,acts iv4 #ai-ca4  ,the    
only chance for persecution to succeed  
is to smite hard and swiftly4 ,if you   
cannot strike1 do not threaten4         
,menacing words only give courage4 ,the 
rulers betrayed their hesitation when   
the end of their solemn conclave was but

 to 'straitly threaten'2 and less heroic
 confessors than ,peter and ,john would 
have disregarded the prohibition as mere
 wind4 ,none the less the attitude of   
these two ,galilean fishermen is noble  
and singular1 when their previous       
cowardice is remembered4 ,this first    
collision with civil authority gives1 as
 has been already noticed1 the main     
lines on which the relations of the     
,church to hostile powers have          
proceeded4  ,i4 ,the heroic refusal of  
unlawful obedience4 ,we shall probably  
not do injustice to ,john if we suppose 
that ,peter was spokesman4 ,if so1 the  
contrast of the tone of his answer with 
all previously recorded utterances of   
his is remarkable4 ,warm-hearted        
impulsiveness1 often wrong-headed and   
sometimes illogical1 had been their     
mark2 but here we have calm1 fixed      
determination1 which1 as is usually its 
manner1 wastes no words1 but in its very
 brevity impresses the hearers as being 
immovable4 ,whence did this man get the 

power to lay down once for all the      
foundation principles of the limits of  
civil obedience1 and of the duty of     
,christian confession8 ,his words take  
rank with the ever-memorable sayings of 
thinkers and heroes1 from ,socrates in  
his prison telling the ,athenians that  
he loved them1 but that he must 'obey   
,god rather than you1' to ,luther at    
,worms with his ',it is neither safe nor
 right to do anything against           
conscience4 ,here ,i stand2 ,i can do   
nothing else4 ,god help me6 ,amen4'     
,peter's words are the first of a long  
series4  ,this first instance of        
persecution is made the occasion for the
 clear expression of the great          
principles which are to guide the       
,church4 ,the answer falls into two     
parts1 in the first of which the limits 
of obedience to civil authority are laid
 down in a perfectly general form to    
which even the ,council are expected to 
assent1 and in the second an            
irresistible compulsion to speak is     

boldly alleged as driving the two       
,apostles to a flat refusal to obey4    
,it was a daring stroke to appeal to the
 ,council for an endorsement of the     
principle in verse #ai1 but the appeal  
was unanswerable2 for this tribunal had 
no other ostensible reason for existence
 than to enforce obedience to the law of
 ,god1 and to ,peter's dilemma only one 
reply was possible4 ,but it rested on a 
bold assumption1 which was calculated to
 irritate the court2 namely1 that there 
was a blank contradiction between their 
commands and ,god's1 so that to obey the
 one was to disobey the other4 ,when    
that parting of the ways is reached1    
there remains no doubt as to which road 
a religious man must take4  ,the limits 
of civil obedience are clearly drawn4   
,it is a duty1 because 'the powers that 
be are ordained of ,god1' and obedience 
to them is obedience to ,him4 ,but if   
they1 transcending their sphere1 claim  
obedience which can only be rendered by 
disobedience to ,him who has appointed  

them1 then they are no longer ,his      
ministers1 and the duty of allegiance   
falls away4 ,but there must be a plain  
conflict of commands1 and we must take  
care lest we substitute whims and       
fancies of our own for the injunctions  
of ,god4 ,peter was not guided by his   
own conceptions of duty1 but by the     
distinct precept of his ,master1 which  
had bid him speak4 ,it is not true that 
it is the cause which makes the martyr1 
but it is true that many good men have  
made themselves martyrs needlessly4     
,this principle is too sharp a weapon to
 be causelessly drawn and brandished4   
,only an unmistakable opposition of     
commandments warrants its use2 and then1
 he has little right to be called       
,christ's soldier who keeps the sword in
 the scabbard4  ,the articulate refusal 
in verse #bj bases itself on the ground 
of irrepressible necessity3 ',we cannot 
but speak4' ,the immediate application  
was to the facts of ,christ's life1     
death1 and glory4 ,the ,apostles could  

not help speaking of these1 both because
 to do so was their commission1 and     
because the knowledge of them and of    
their importance forbade silence4 ,the  
truth implied is of wide reach4 ,whoever
 has a real1 personal experience of     
,christ's saving power1 and has heard   
and seen ,him1 will be irresistibly     
impelled to impart what he has received4
 ,speech is a relief to a full heart4   
,the word1 concealed in the prophet's   
heart1 burned there 'like fire in his   
bones1 and he was weary of forbearing4' 
,so it always is with deep conviction4  
,if a man has never felt that he must   
speak of ,christ1 he is a very imperfect
 ,christian4 ,the glow of his own heart1
 the pity for men who know ,him not1 his
 ,lord's command1 all concur to compel  
speech4 ,the full river cannot be dammed
 up4  ,,ii4 ,the lame and impotent      
conclusion of the perplexed ,council4   
,how plain the path is when only duty is
 taken as a guide1 and how vigorously   
and decisively a man marches along it6  

,peter had no hesitation1 and his       
resolved answer comes crashing in a     
straight course1 like a cannon-ball4    
,the ,council had a much more ambiguous 
oracle to consult in order to settle    
their course1 and they hesitate         
accordingly1 and at last do a something 
which is a nothing4 ,they wanted to trim
 their sails to catch popular favour1   
and so they could not do anything       
thoroughly4 ,to punish or acquit was the
 only alternative for just judges4 ,but 
they were not just2 and as ,jesus had   
been crucified1 not because ,pilate     
thought ,him guilty1 but to please the  
people1 so ,his ,apostles were let off1 
not because they were innocent1 but for 
the same reason4 ,when                  
popularity-hunters get on the judicial  
bench1 society must be rotten1 and      
nearing its dissolution4 ,to 'decree    
unrighteousness by a law' is among the  
most hideous of crimes4 ,judges 'willing
 to wound1 and yet afraid to strike1'   
are portents indicative of corruption4  

,we may remark here how the physician's 
pen takes note of the patient's age1 as 
making his cure more striking1 and      
manifestly miraculous4  ,,iii4 ,the     
,church's answer to the first assault of
 the world's power4 ,how beautifully    
natural that is1 ',being let go1 they   
went to their own1' and how large a     
principle is expressed in the naive     
words6 ,the great law of association    
according to spiritual affinity has much
 to do in determining relations here4   
,it aggregates men1 according to sorts2 
but its operation is thwarted by other  
conditions1 so that companionship is    
often misery4 ,but a time comes when it 
will work unhindered1 and men will be   
united with their like1 as the stones on
 some sea-beaches are laid in rows1     
according to their size1 by the force of
 the sea4 ,judas 'went to his own       
place1' and1 in another world1 like will
 draw to like1 and prevailing tendencies
 will be increased by association with  
those who share them4  ,the prayer of   

the ,church was probably the inspired   
outpouring of one voice1 and all the    
people said ',amen1' and so made it     
theirs4 ,whose voice it was which thus  
put into words the common sentiment we  
should gladly have known1 but need not  
speculate4 ,the great fact is that the  
,church answered threats by prayer4 ,it 
augurs healthy spiritual life when      
opposition and danger neither make      
cheeks blanch with fear nor flush with  
anger4 ,no man there trembled nor       
thought of vengeance1 or of repaying    
threats with threats4 ,every man there  
instinctively turned heavenwards1 and   
flung himself1 as it were1 into ,god's  
arms for protection4 ,prayer is the     
strongest weapon that a persecuted      
,church can use4 ,browning makes a      
tyrant say1 recounting how he had tried 
to crush a man1 that his intended victim
    ',stood erect1 caught at ,god's     
skirts1 and prayed1     ,so ,i was      
afraid4'  ,the contents of the prayer   
are equally noteworthy4 ,instead of     

minutely studying it verse by verse1 we 
may note some of its salient points4    
,observe its undaunted courage4 ,that   
company never quivered or wavered4 ,they
 had no thought of obeying the mandate  
of the ,council4 ,they were a little    
army of heroes4 ,what had made them so8 
,what but the conviction that they had a
 living ,lord at ,god's right hand1 and 
a mighty ,spirit in their spirits8 ,the 
world has never seen a transformation   
like that4 ,unique effects demand unique
 causes for their explanation1 and      
nothing but the historical truth of the 
facts recorded in the last pages of the 
,gospels and first of the ,acts accounts
 for the demeanour of these men4  ,their
 courage is strikingly marked by their  
petition4 ,all they ask is 'boldness' to
 speak a word which shall not be theirs1
 but ,god's4 ,fear would have prayed for
 protection2 passion would have asked   
retribution on enemies4 ,christian      
courage and devotion only ask that they 
may not shrink from their duty1 and that

 the word may be spoken1 whatever       
becomes of the speakers4 ,the world is  
powerless against men like that4 ,would 
the ,church of to-day meet threats with 
like unanimity of desire for boldness in
 confession8 ,if not1 it must be because
 it has not the same firm hold of the   
,risen ,lord which these first believers
 had4 ,the truest courage is that which 
is conscious of its weakness1 and yet   
has no thought of flight1 but prays for 
its own increase4  ,we may observe1 too1
 the body of belief expressed in the    
prayer4 ,first it lays hold on the      
creative omnipotence of ,god1 and thence
 passes to the recognition of ,his      
written revelation4 ,the ,church has    
begun to learn the inmost meaning of the
 ,old ,testament1 and to find ,christ   
there4 ,david may not have written the  
second ,psalm4 ,its attribution to him  
by the ,church stands on a different    
level from ,christ's attribution of     
authorship1 as1 for instance1 of the    
hundred and tenth ,psalm4 ,the prophecy 

of the ,psalm is plainly ,messianic1    
however it may have had a historical    
occasion in some forgotten revolt       
against some ,davidic king2 and1 while  
the particular incidents to which the   
prayer alludes do not exhaust its       
far-reaching application1 they are      
rightly regarded as partly fulfilling   
it4 ,herod is a 'king of the earth1'    
,pilate is a 'ruler'2 ,roman soldiers   
are ,gentiles2 ,jewish rulers are the   
representatives of 'the people4' ,jesus 
is ',god's ,anointed4' ,the fact that   
such an unnatural and daring combination
 of rebels was predicted in the ,psalm  
bears witness that even that crime at   
,calvary was foreordained to come to    
pass1 and that ,god's hand and counsel  
ruled4 ,therefore all other opposition1 
such as now threatened1 will turn out to
 be swayed by that same ,mighty ,hand1  
to work out ,his counsel4 ,why1 then1   
should the ,church fear8 ,if we can see 
,god's hand moving all things1 terror is
 dead for us1 and threats are like the  

whistling of idle wind4  ,mark1 too1 the
 strong expression of the ,church's     
dependence on ,god4 ',lord' here is an  
unusual word1 and means ',master1' while
 the ,church collectively is called     
',thy servants1' or properly1 'slaves4' 
,it is a different word from that of    
'servant' 7rather than 'child'7 applied 
to ,jesus in verses #bg and #cj4 ,god is
 the ,master1 we are ,his 'slaves1'     
bound to absolute obedience1            
unconditional submission1 belonging to  
,him1 not to ourselves1 and therefore   
having claims on ,him for such care as  
an owner gives to his slaves or his     
cattle4 ,he will not let them be        
maltreated nor starved4 ,he will defend 
them and feed them2 but they must serve 
him by life1 and death if need be4      
,unquestioning submission and unreserved
 dependence are our duties4 ,absolute   
ownership and unshared responsibility   
for our well-being belong to ,him4      
,further1 the view of ,christ's         
relationship to ,god is the same as     

occurs in other of the early chapters of
 the ,acts4 ,the title of ',thy holy    
,servant ,jesus' dwells on ,christ's    
office1 rather than on ,his nature4     
,here it puts ,him in contrast with     
,david1 also called ',thy servant4' ,the
 latter was imperfectly what ,jesus was 
perfectly4 ,his complete realisation of 
the prophetic picture of the ,servant of
 the ,lord in ,isaiah is emphasised by  
the adjective 'holy1' implying complete 
devotion or separation to the service of
 ,god1 and unsullied1 unlimited moral   
purity4 ,the uniqueness of ,his relation
 in this aspect is expressed by the     
definite article in the original4 ,he is
 the ,servant1 in a sense and measure   
all ,his own4 ,he is further the        
,anointed ,messiah4 ,this was the       
,church's message to ,israel and the    
stay of its own courage1 that ,jesus was
 the ,christ1 the ,anointed and perfect 
,servant of the ,lord1 who was now in   
heaven1 reigning there4 ,all that this  
faith involved had not yet become clear 

to their consciousness1 but the ,spirit 
was guiding them step by step into all  
the truth2 and what they saw and heard1 
not only in the historical facts of     
which they were the witnesses1 but in   
the teaching of that ,spirit1 they could
 not but speak4  ,the answer came swift 
as the roll of thunder after lightning4 
,they who ask for courage to do ,god's  
will and speak ,christ's name have never
 long to wait for response4 ,the place  
'was shaken1' symbol of the effect of   
faithful witness-bearing1 or            
manifestation of the power which was    
given in answer to their prayer4 ',they 
were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost1' 
who now did not1 as before1 confer      
ability to speak with other tongues1 but
 wrought no less worthily in heartening 
and fitting them to speak 'in their own 
tongue1 wherein they were born1' in bold
 defiance of unlawful commands4  ,the   
statement of the answer repeats the     
petition verbatim3 ',with all boldness  
they spake the word4' ,what we desire of

 spiritual gifts we get1 and ,god moulds
 ,his replies so as to remind us of our 
petitions1 and to show by the event that
 these have reached ,his ear and guided 
,his giving hand4    ,,impossible       
,,silence  ',we cannot but speak the    
things which we have seen and           
heard4'--,,acts iv4 #bj4  ,the context  
tells us that the ,jewish ,council were 
surprised1 as they well might be1 at the
 boldness of ,peter and ,john1 and      
traced it to their having been with     
,jesus4 ,but do you remember that they  
were by no means bold when they were    
with ,jesus1 and that the bravery came  
after what1 in ordinary circumstances1  
would have destroyed any of it in a man8
 ,a leader's execution is not a usual   
recipe for heartening his followers1 but
 it had that effect in this case1 and   
the ,peter who was frightened out of all
 his heroics by a sharp-eyed1           
sharp-tongued servant-maid1 a few weeks 
after bearded the ,council and 'rejoiced
 that he was counted worthy to suffer   

shame for ,his ,name4' ,it was not      
,christ's death that did that1 and it   
was not ,his life that did that4 ,you   
cannot understand1 to use a long word1  
the 'psychological' transformation of   
these cowardly deniers who fled and     
forsook ,him1 unless you bring in three 
things3 ,resurrection1 ,ascension1      
,pentecost4 ,then it is explicable4     
,however the boldness came2 these two   
men before the ,council were making an  
epoch at that moment1 and their grand   
words are the ,magna ,charta of the     
right of every sincere conviction to    
free speech4 ,they are the direct parent
 of hundreds of similar sayings that    
flash out down the world's history4 ,two
 things ,peter and ,john adduced as     
making silence impossible--a definite   
divine command1 and an inward impulse4  
',whether it is right in the sight of   
,god to hearken unto you more than unto 
,god1 judge ye4 ,we cannot but speak the
 things which we have seen and heard4'  
,but ,i wish to use these words now in a

 somewhat wider application4 ,they may  
suggest that there are great facts which
 make silence and non-aggressiveness an 
impossibility for an individual or a    
,church1 and that by the very law of its
 being1 a ,church must be a missionary  
,church1 and a ,christian cannot be a   
dumb ,christian1 unless he is a dead    
,christian4 ,and so ,i turn to look at  
these words as suggesting to us two or  
three of the grounds on which ,christian
 effort1 in some form or another1 is    
inseparable from ,christian experience4 
,and1 first1 ,i wish you to notice that 
there is--  ,i4 ,an inward necessity    
which makes silence impossible4  ',we   
cannot but speak the things which we    
have seen and heard1' is a principle    
that applies far more widely than to the
 work of a ,christian ,church1 or to any
 activity that is put in force to spread
 the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,for there 
is a universal impulse which brings it  
about that whatever1 in the nature of   
profound conviction1 of illuminating    

truth1 especially as affecting moral and
 spiritual matters1 is granted to any   
man1 knocks at the inner side of the    
door of his lips1 and demands an exit   
and free air and utterance4 ,as surely  
as the tender green spikelet of the     
springing corn pushes its way through   
the hard clods1 or as the bud in the    
fig-tree's polished stem swells and     
opens1 so surely whatever a man1 in his 
deepest heart1 knows to be true1 calls  
upon him to let it out and manifest     
itself in his words and in his life4    
',we believe1 and therefore speak1' is a
 universal sequence4 ,there were four   
leprous men long ago that1 in their     
despair1 made their way into the camp of
 the beleaguering enemy1 found it empty2
 and after they feasted themselves--and 
small blame to them--then flashed upon  
them the thought1 ',we do not well1 this
 is a day of good tidings1 and we hold  
our peace2 if we tarry till the morning 
light1 some evil will befall us4'       
,something like that is the uniform     

accompaniment of all profound           
conviction4 ,and if so1 especially      
imperative and urgent will this         
necessity be1 wherever there is true    
,christian life4 ,for whether we        
consider the greatness of the gift that 
is imparted to us1 in the very act of   
our receiving that ,lord1 or whether we 
consider the soreness of the need of a  
world that is without ,him1 surely there
 can be nothing that so reinforces the  
natural necessity and impulse to impart 
what we possess of truth or beauty or   
goodness as the greatness of the        
unspeakable gift1 and the wretchedness  
of a world that wants it4 ,brethren1    
there are many things that come in the  
way--and perhaps never more than in our 
own generation--of ,christian men and   
women making direct and specific        
efforts1 by lip as well as by life1 to  
speak about ,jesus ,christ to other     
people4 ,there is the standing hindrance
 of love of ease and selfish absorption 
in our own concerns4 ,there are the     

conventional hindrances of our canons of
 social intercourse which make it 'bad  
form' to speak to men about anything    
beneath the surface1 and ,god forbid    
that ,i should urge any man to a        
brusque1 and indiscriminate1 and unwise 
forcing of his faith upon other people4 
,but ,i believe1 that deep down below   
all these reasons1 there are two main   
reasons why the practice of the clear   
utterance of their faith on the part of 
,christian people is so rare4 ,the one  
is a deficient conception of what the   
,gospel is1 and the other is a feeble   
grasp of it for ourselves4 ,if you do   
not think that you have very much to    
say1 you will not be very anxious to say
 it2 and if your notion of              
,christianity1 and of ,christ's relation
 to the world1 is that of the           
superficial professing ,christian1 then 
of course you will be smitten with no   
earnestness of desire to impart the     
truth to others4 ,types of ,christianity
 which enfeeble or obscure the central  

thought of ,christ's work for the       
salvation of a world that needs a       
,saviour1 and is perishing without ,him1
 never were1 never are1 never will be1  
missionary or aggressive4 ,there is no  
driving force in them4 ,they have little
 to say1 and naturally they are in no   
hurry to say it4 ,but there is a deeper 
reason than that4 ,i said a minute ago  
that a dumb ,christian was an           
impossibility unless he were a dead     
,christian4 ,and there is the reason why
 so many of us feel so little1 so very  
little1 of that knocking at the door of 
our hearts1 and saying1 ',let me out6'  
which we should feel if we deeply       
believed1 and felt1 as well as          
intellectually accepted1 the gospel of  
our salvation4  ,the cause of a silent  
,church is a defective conception of the
 ,gospel entrusted to it1 or a feeble   
grasp of the same4 ,and as our silence  
or indifference is the symptom1 so by   
reaction it is in its turn the cause of 
a greater enfeeblement of our faith1 and

 of a weaker grasp of the ,gospel4 ,of  
course ,i know that it is perfectly     
possible for a man to talk away his     
convictions1 and ,i am afraid that that 
temptation which besets all men of my   
profession1 is not always resisted by us
 as it ought to be4 ,but1 on the other  
hand1 sure am ,i that no better way can 
be devised of deepening my own hold of  
the truths of ,christianity than an     
honest1 right attempt to make another   
share my morsel with me4 ,convictions   
bottled1 like other things bottled up1  
are apt to evaporate and to spoil4 ,they
 say that sometimes wine-growers1 when  
they go down into their cellars1 find in
 a puncheon no wine1 but a huge fungus4 
,that is what befalls the ,christianity 
of people that never let air in1 and    
never speak their faith out4 ',we cannot
 but speak the things which we have seen
 and heard'2 and if we do not speak1 the
 vision fades and the sound becomes     
faint4  ,now there is another side to   
this same inward necessity of which ,i  

have been speaking1 on which ,i must    
just touch4 ,i have referred to the     
impulse which flows from the possession 
of the ,gospel4 ,there is an impulse    
which flows from that which is but      
another way of putting the same thing1  
the union with ,jesus ,christ1 which is 
the result of our faith in the ,gospel4 
,if ,i am a ,christian ,i am1 in a very 
profound and real sense1 one with ,jesus
 ,christ1 and have ,his ,spirit for the 
life of my spirit4 ,and in the measure  
in which ,i am thus one with ,him1 ,i   
shall look at things as ,he looks at    
them1 and do such things as ,he did4 ,if
 the mind of ,jesus ,christ is in us    
',who for the joy that was set before   
,him endured the ,cross1' who 'counted  
not equality with ,god a thing to be    
desired1 but made ,himself of no        
reputation1' and 'was found in fashion  
as a man1' then we too shall feel that  
our work in the world is not done1 and  
our obligations to ,him are not         
discharged1 unless to the very last     

particle of our power we spread ,his    
name4 ,brethren1 if there were no       
commandment at all from ,christ's lips  
laying upon ,his followers the specific 
duty of making ,his gospel known1 still 
this inward impulse of which ,i am      
speaking would have created all the     
forms of ,christian aggressiveness which
 we see round about us1 because1 if we  
have ,christ and ,his ,gospel in our    
hearts1 'we cannot but speak the things 
which we have seen and heard4'  ,and now
 turn to another aspect of this matter4 
,there is--  ,,ii4 ,a command which     
makes silence criminal4  ,i do not need 
to do more than remind you of the fact  
that the very last words which our ,lord
 has left us according to the two       
versions of them which are given in the 
,gospel of ,matthew1 and the beginning  
of this ,book of the ,acts1 coincide in 
this4 ',you are to be ,my witnesses to  
the ends of the earth4 ,go ye into all  
the world and preach the ,gospel to     
every creature4' ,did you ever think    

what an extraordinary thing it is that  
that confident anticipation of a        
worldwide dominion1 and of being        
,himself adapted to all mankind1 in     
every climate and in every age1 and at  
every stage of culture1 should have been
 the conviction which the departing     
,christ sought to stamp upon the minds  
of those eleven poor men8 ,what         
audacity6 ,what tremendous confidence6  
,what a task to which to set them6 ,what
 an unexampled belief in ,himself and   
,his work6 ,and it is all coming true2  
for the world is finding out1 more and  
more1 that ,jesus ,christ is its        
,saviour and its ,king4  ,this          
commandment which is laid upon us       
,christian men submerges all            
distinctions of race1 and speech1 and   
nationality1 and culture4 ,there are    
high walls parting men off from one     
another4 ,this great message and        
commission1 like some rising tide1 rolls
 over them all1 and obliterates them1   
and flows boundless1 having drowned the 

differences1 from horizon to horizon1   
east and west and south and north4  ,now
 let me press the thought that this     
commandment makes indifference and      
silence criminal4 ,we hear people talk1 
people whose ,christianity it is not for
 me to question1 though ,i may question 
two things about it1 its clearness and  
its depth--we hear them talk as if to   
help or not to help1 in the various     
forms of ,christian activity1 missionary
 or otherwise1 was a matter left to     
their own inclination4 ,no6 it is not4  
,let us distinctly understand that to   
help or not to help is not the choice   
open to any man who would obey ,jesus   
,christ4 ,let us distinctly             
understand--and ,god grant that we may  
all feel it more--that we dare not stand
 aside1 be negligent1 do nothing1 leave 
other people to give and to toil1 and   
say1 ',oh6 my sympathies do not go in   
that direction4' ,jesus ,christ told you
 that they were to go in that direction1
 and if they do not1 so much the worse  

for the sympathies for one thing1 and so
 much the worse for you1 the rebel1 the 
disobedient in heart4 ,i do not want to 
bring down this great gift and token of 
love which ,jesus ,christ has given to  
,his servants1 in entrusting them with  
the spread of the ,gospel1 to the low   
level of a mere commandment1 but ,i do  
sometimes think that the tone of        
feeling1 ay6 and of speech1 and still   
more the manner of action1 among        
professing ,christian people1 in regard 
to the whole subject of the missionary  
work of ,god's ,church1 shows that they 
need to be reminded2 as the ,duke of    
,wellington said1 ',there are your      
marching orders6' and the soldier who   
does not obey his marching orders is a  
mutineer4 ,there is a definite          
commandment which makes indifference    
criminal4  ,there is another thing ,i   
should like to say1 viz4 that this      
definite commandment overrides          
everything else4 ,we hear a great deal  
from unsympathetic critics1 which is but

 a reproduction of an old grumble that  
did not come from a very creditable     
source4 ',to what purpose is this       
waste8' ,why do you not spend your money
 upon technical schools1 soup-kitchens1 
housing of the poor1 and the like8      
,well1 our answer is1 ',he told us4' ,we
 hear1 too1 especially just in these    
days1 a great deal about the necessity  
for increased caution in pursuing       
missionary operations in heathen lands4 
,and some people that do not know       
anything about the subject have ventured
 to say1 for instance1 that the         
missionaries are responsible for        
,chinese antagonism to ,europeans1 and  
for similar phenomena4 ,well1 we are    
ready to be as wise and prudent as you  
like4 ,we do not ask any consuls to help
 us4 ,our brethren are men who have     
hazarded their lives2 and ,i never heard
 of a ,baptist missionary running under 
the skirts of an ambassador1 or praying 
the government to come and protect him4 
,we do not ask for cathedrals to be     

built1 or territory to be ceded1 as     
compensation for the loss of precious   
lives4 ,but if these advisers of caution
 mean no more than they say1 ',caution6'
 we agree4 ,but if they mean1 what some 
of them mean1 that we are to be silent  
for fear of consequences1 then1 whether 
it be prime ministers1 or magistrates1  
or mobs that say it1 our answer is1     
',whether it be right to hearken unto   
you more than unto ,god1 judge ye6 ,we  
cannot but speak the things which we    
have seen and heard4'  ,so1 lastly1     
there is--  ,,iii4 ,the bond of         
brotherhood which makes silence         
unnatural4  ,i have spoken of an inward 
impulse4 ,that thought turns our        
attention to our own hearts4 ,i have    
spoken of a definite command2 that turns
 our eyes to the ,throne4 ,i speak now  
of a bond of brotherhood4 ,that sends   
our thoughts out over the whole world4  
,there is such a bond4 ,jesus ,christ by
 ,his ,incarnation has taken the nature 
of every man upon ,himself1 and has     

brought all men into one4 ,jesus ,christ
 'by the grace of ,god1 has tasted death
 for every man1' and has brought all men
 into unity4 ,and so the much-abused and
 vulgarised conception of 'fraternity1' 
and even the very word 'humanity1' are  
the creation of ,christianity1 and flow 
from these two facts--the ,cradle of    
,bethlehem and the ,cross of ,calvary1  
besides that prior one that ',god hath  
made of one blood all nations of men4'  
,if that be so1 then what flows from    
that unity1 from that brotherhood thus  
sacredly founded upon the facts of the  
life and death of ,jesus ,christ1 the   
world's ,redeemer8 ,this to begin with1 
that ,christian men are bound to look   
out over humanity with ,christ's eyes1  
and not--as is largely the case         
to-day--to regard other nations as      
enemies and rivals1 and the 'lower      
races' as existing to be exploited for  
our wealth1 to be coerced for our glory1
 to be conquered for our ,empire4 ,we   
have to think of them as ,jesus ,christ 

thought4 ,i cannot but remember days in 
,england when the humanitarian sentiment
 in regard to the inferior races was far
 more vigorous1 and far more operative  
in national life than it is to-day4 ,i  
can go back in boyhood's memory to the  
emancipation of the ,west ,indian       
slaves1 and that was but the type of the
 general tendency of thought amongst the
 better minds of ,england in those days4
 ,would that it were so now6  ,but      
further1 brethren1 we as ,christian     
people have laid upon us this           
responsibility by that very bond of     
brotherhood1 that we should carry       
whithersoever our influence may go the  
great message of the ,elder ,brother who
 makes us all one4 ,we give much to the 
'heathen' populations within our ,empire
 or the reach of our trade4 ,we give    
them ,english laws1 ,english science1   
,english literature1 ,english outlooks  
on life1 the ,english tongue1 ,english  
vices--opium1 profligacy1 and the like4 
,are these all the gifts that we are    

bound to carry to heathen lands8        
,dynamos and encyclopaedias1 gin and    
rifles1 shirtings and castings8 ,have we
 not to carry ,christ8 ,and all the more
 because we are so closely knit with so 
many of them4 ,i wonder how many of you 
get the greater part of your living out 
of ,india and ,china8  ,surely1 if there
 is a place in ,england where the       
missionary appeal should be responded   
to1 it is ,manchester4 ',as a nest hast 
thou gathered the riches of the         
nations4' ,what have you given8 ,make up
 the balance-sheet1 brethren4 ',we are  
debtors1' let us put down the items3--  
,debtors by a common brotherhood4       
,debtors by the possession of ,christ   
for ourselves4  ,debtors by benefits    
received4  ,debtors by injuries         
inflicted4  ,the debit side of the      
account is heavy4 ,let us try to        
discharge some portion of the debt1 in  
the fashion in which the ,apostle from  
whom ,i have been quoting thought that  
he would best discharge it when1 after  

declaring himself debtor to many kinds  
of men1 he added1 ',so as much as in me 
is1 ,i am ready to preach the ,gospel4' 
,may we all say1 more truly than we have
 ever said before1 ',we cannot but speak
 the things which we have seen and      
heard6'    ,,the ,,servant ,,and ,,the  
,,slaves  ',thy servant ,david444'2     
',thy ,holy ,servant ,jesus444'2 ',thy  
servants444'--,,acts iv4 #bf1 #bg1 #bi4 
,i do not often take fragments of       
,scripture for texts2 but though these  
are fragments1 their juxtaposition      
results in by no means fragmentary      
thoughts4 ,there is obvious intention in
 the recurrence of the expression so    
frequently in so few verses1 and to the 
elucidation of that intention my remarks
 will be directed4 ,the words are parts 
of the ,church's prayer on the occasion 
of its first collision with the civil   
power4 ,the incident is recorded at full
 length because it is the first of a    
long and bloody series1 in order that   
succeeding generations might learn their

 true weapon and their sure defence4    
,prayer is the right answer to the      
world's hostility1 and they who only ask
 for courage to stand by their          
confession will never ask in vain4 ,but 
it is no part of my intention to deal   
either with the incident or with this   
noble prayer4  ,a word or two of        
explanation may be necessary as to the  
language of our texts4 ,you will observe
 that1 in the second of them1 ,i have   
followed the ,revised ,version1 which1  
instead of ',thy holy child1' as in the 
,authorised ,version1 reads ',thy holy  
,servant4' ,the alteration is clearly   
correct4 ,the word1 indeed1 literally   
means 'a child1' but1 like our own      
,english 'boy1' or even 'man1' or       
'maid1' it is used to express the       
relation of servant1 when the desire is 
to cover over the harsher features of   
servitude1 and to represent the servant 
as a part of the family4 ,thus the      
kindly centurion1 who besought ,jesus to
 come and heal his servant1 speaks of   

him as his 'boy4' ,and that the word is 
here used in this secondary sense of    
'servant' is unmistakable4 ,for there is
 no discernible reason why1 if stress   
were meant to be laid on ,christ as     
being the ,son of ,god1 the recognised  
expression for that relationship should 
not have been employed4 ,again1 the     
,greek translation of the ,old          
,testament1 with which the ,apostles    
were familiar1 employs the very phrase  
that is here used as its translation of 
the well-known ,old ,testament          
designation of the ,messiah1 'the       
,servant of the ,lord' and the words    
here are really a quotation from the    
great prophecies of the second part of  
the ,book of ,isaiah4 ,further1 the same
 word is employed in reference to ,king 
,david and in reference to ,jesus       
,christ4 ,in regard to the former1 it is
 evident that it must have the meaning  
of 'servant'2 and it would be too harsh 
to suppose that in the compass of so few
 verses the same expression should be   

used1 at one time in the one            
signification1 and at another in the    
other4 ,so1 then1 ,david and ,jesus are 
in some sense classified here together  
as both servants of ,god4 ,that is the  
first point that ,i desire to make4     
,then1 in regard to the third of my     
texts1 the expression is not the same   
there as in the other two4 ,the         
disciples do not venture to take the    
loftier designation4 ,rather they prefer
 the humble one1 'slaves1' bondmen1 the 
familiar expression found all through   
the ,new ,testament as almost a synonym 
to ,christians4  ,so1 then1 we have here
 three figures3 the ,psalmist-king1 the 
,messiah1 the disciples2 ,christ in the 
midst1 on the one hand a servant with   
whom ,he deigns to be classed1 on the   
other hand the slaves who1 through ,him1
 have become sons4 ,and ,i think ,i     
shall best bring out the intended       
lessons of these clauses in their       
connection if ,i ask you to note these  
two contrasts1 the servants and the     

,servant2 the ,servant and the slaves4  
',david ,thy servant'2 ',thy holy       
,servant ,jesus'2 us ',thy servants4'   
,i4 ,first1 then1 notice the servants   
and the ,servant4  ,the reason for the  
application of the name to the ,psalmist
 lies1 not so much in his personal      
character or in his religious elevation1
 as in the fact that he was chosen of   
,god for a specific purpose1 to carry on
 the divine plans some steps towards    
their realisation4 ,kings1 priests1     
prophets1 the collective ,israel1 as    
having a specific function in the world1
 and being1 in some sense1 the          
instruments and embodiments of the will 
of ,god amongst men1 have in an eminent 
degree the designation of ,his          
'servants4' ,and we might widen out the 
thought and say that all men who1 like  
the heathen ,cyrus1 are ,god's          
shepherds1 though they do not know      
it--guided by ,him1 though they         
understand not whence comes their power1
 and blindly do ,his work in the world1 

being 'epoch-making' men1 as the        
fashionable phrase goes now--are really1
 though in a subordinate sense1 entitled
 to the designation4  ,but then1 whilst 
this is true1 and whilst ,jesus ,christ 
comes into this category1 and is one of 
these special men raised up and adapted 
for special service in connection with  
the carrying out of the divine purpose1 
mark how emphatically and broadly the   
line is drawn here between ,him and the 
other members of the class to which1 in 
a certain sense1 ,he does belong4 ,peter
 says1 ',thy servant ,david1' but he    
says ',thy holy ,servant ,jesus4' ,and  
in the ,greek the emphasis is still     
stronger1 because the definite article  
is employed before the word 'servant4'  
',the holy ,servant of ,thine'--that is 
,his specific and unique designation4   
,there are many imperfect instruments of
 the divine will4 ,thinkers and heroes  
and saints and statesmen and warriors1  
as well as prophets and priests and     
kings1 are so regarded in ,scripture1   

and may profitably be so regarded by us2
 but amongst them all there is ,one who 
stands in their midst and yet apart from
 them1 because ,he1 and ,he alone1 can  
say1 ',i have done all ,thy pleasure1   
and into my doing of ,thy pleasure no   
bitter leaven of self-regard or by-ends 
has ever1 in the faintest degree1       
entered4' ',thy holy ,servant ,jesus' is
 the unique designation of the ,servant 
of the ,lord4  ,and what is the meaning 
of holy8 ,the word does not originally  
and primarily refer to character so much
 as to relation to ,god4 ,the root idea 
of holiness is not righteousness nor    
moral perfectness1 but something that   
lies behind these--viz1 separation for  
the service and uses of ,god4 ,the first
 notion of the word is consecration1    
and1 built upon that and resulting from 
it1 moral perfection4 ,so then these    
men1 some of whom had lived beside      
,jesus ,christ for all those years1 and 
had seen everything that ,he did1 and   
studied ,him through and through1 had   

summered and wintered with ,him1 came   
away from the close inspection of ,his  
character with this thought2 ,he is     
utterly and entirely devoted to the     
service of ,god1 and in ,him there is   
neither spot nor wrinkle nor blemish    
such as is found in all other men4  ,i  
need not remind you with what strange   
persistence of affirmation1 and yet with
 what humility of self-consciousness1   
our ,lord ,himself always claimed to be 
in possession of this entire            
consecration1 and complete obedience1   
and consequent perfection4 ,think of    
human lips saying1 ',i do always the    
things that please ,him4' ,think of     
human lips saying1 ',my meat is to do   
the will of ,him that sent me4' ,think  
of a man whose whole life's secret was  
summed up in this3 ',as the ,father hath
 given ,me commandment1 so'--no more1 no
 less1 no otherwise--'so ,i speak4'     
,think of a man whose inspiring         
principle was1 consciously to himself1  
'not ,my will1 but ,thine be done'2 and 

who could say that it was so1 and not be
 met by universal ridicule4 ,there      
followed in ,jesus the moral perfectness
 that comes from such uninterrupted and 
complete consecration of self to ,god4  
',thy servant ,david1'--what about      
,bathsheba1 ,david8 ,what about a great 
many other things in your life8 ,the    
poet-king1 with the poet-nature so      
sensitive to all the delights of sense1 
and so easily moved in the matter of    
pleasure1 is but like all ,god's other  
servants in the fact of imperfection4   
,in every machine power is lost through 
friction2 and in every man1 the noblest 
and the purest1 there is resistance to  
be overcome ere motion in conformity    
with the divine impulse can be secured4 
,we pass in review before our minds     
saints and martyrs and lovely characters
 by the hundred1 and amongst them all   
there is not a jewel without a flaw1 not
 a mirror without some dint in it where 
the rays are distorted1 or some dark    
place where the reflecting surface has  

been rubbed away by the attrition of    
sin1 and where there is no reflection of
 the divine light4 ,and then we turn to 
that meek ,figure who stands there with 
the question that has been awaiting an  
answer for nineteen centuries upon ,his 
lips1 and is unanswered yet3 ',which of 
you convinceth ,me of sin8' ',he is the 
holy ,servant1' whose consecration and  
character mark ,him off from all the    
class to which ,he belongs as the only  
one of them all who1 in completeness1   
has executed the ,father's purpose1 and 
has never attempted anything contrary to
 it4  ,now there is another step to be  
taken1 and it is this4 ,the ,servant who
 stands out in front of all the         
group--though the noblest names in the  
world's history are included            
therein--could not be the ,servant      
unless ,he were the ,son4 ,this         
designation1 as applied to ,jesus       
,christ1 is peculiar to these three or  
four earlier chapters of the ,acts of   
the ,apostles4 ,it is interesting       

because it occurs over and over again   
there1 and because it never occurs      
anywhere else in the ,new ,testament4   
,if we recognise what ,i think must be  
recognised1 that it is a quotation from 
the ancient prophecies1 and is an       
assertion of the ,messianic character of
 ,jesus1 then ,i think we here see the  
,church in a period of transition in    
regard to their conceptions of their    
,lord4 ,there is no sign that the proper
 ,sonship and ,divinity of our ,lord was
 clear before them at this period4 ,they
 had the facts1 but they had not yet    
come to the distinct apprehension of how
 much was involved in these4 ,but1 if   
they knew that ,jesus ,christ had died  
and had risen again--and they knew that1
 for they had seen ,him--and if they    
believed that ,he was the ,messiah1 and 
if they were certain that in ,his       
character of ,messiah there had been    
faultlessness and absolute              
perfection--and they were certain of    
that1 because they had lived beside     

,him--then it would not be long before  
they took the next step1 and said1 as ,i
 say1 ',he cannot be the ,servant unless
 ,he is more than man4'  ,and we may    
well ask ourselves the question1 if we  
admit1 as the world does admit1 the     
moral perfectness of ,jesus ,christ1 how
 comes it that this ,man alone managed  
to escape failures and deflections from 
the right1 and sins1 and that ,he only  
carried through life a stainless        
garment1 and went down to the grave     
never having needed1 and not needing    
then1 the exercise of divine            
forgiveness8 ,brethren1 ,i venture to   
say that it is hopeless to account for  
,jesus ,christ on naturalistic          
principles2 and that either you must    
give up your belief in ,his sinlessness1
 or advance1 as the ,christian ,church  
as a whole advanced1 to the other       
belief1 on which alone that perfectness 
is explicable3 ',thou art the ,king of  
,glory1 ,o ,christ6 ,thou art the       
,everlasting ,son of the ,father6'      

,,ii4 ,and so1 secondly1 let us turn to 
the other contrast here--the ,servant   
and the slaves4  ,i said that the humble
 group of praying1 persecuted believers 
seemed to have wished to take a lower   
place than their ,master's1 even whilst 
they ventured to assume that1 in some   
sense1 they too1 like ,him1 were doing  
the ,father's will4 ,so they chose1 by a
 fine instinct of humility rather than  
from any dogmatical prepossessions1 the 
name that expresses1 in its most        
absolute and roughest form1 the notion  
of bondage and servitude4 ,he is the    
,servant2 we standing here are slaves4  
,and that this is not an overweighting  
of the word with more than is meant by  
it seems to be confirmed by the fact    
that in the first clause of this prayer1
 we have1 for the only time in the ,new 
,testament1 ,god addressed as ',lord' by
 the correlative word to slave1 which   
has been transferred into ,english1     
namely1 despot4  ,the true position1    
then1 for a man is to be ,god's slave4  

,the harsh1 repellent features of that  
wicked institution assume an altogether 
different character when they become the
 features of my relation to ,him4       
,absolute submission1 unconditional     
obedience1 on the slave's part2 and on  
the part of the ,master complete        
ownership1 the right of life and death1 
the right of disposing of all goods and 
chattels1 the right of separating       
husband and wife1 parents and children1 
the right of issuing commandments       
without a reason1 the right to expect   
that those commandments shall be        
swiftly1 unhesitatingly1 punctiliously1 
and completely performed--these things  
inhere in our relation to ,god4 ,blessed
 the man who has learned that they do1  
and has accepted them as his highest    
glory and the security of his most      
blessed life6 ,for1 brethren1 such      
submission1 absolute and unconditional1 
the blending and the absorption of my   
own will in ,his will1 is the secret of 
all that makes manhood glorious and     

great and happy4  ,remember1 however1   
that in the ,new ,testament these names 
of slave and owner are transferred to   
,christians and ,jesus ,christ4 ',the   
,servant' has ,his slaves2 and ,he who  
is ,god's ,servant1 and does not ,his   
own will but the ,father's will1 has us 
for ,his servants1 imposes ,his will    
upon us1 and we are bound to render to  
,him a revenue of entire obedience like 
that which ,he hath laid at ,his        
,father's feet4  ,such slavery is the   
only freedom4 ,liberty does not mean    
doing as you like1 it means liking as   
you ought1 and doing that4 ,he only is  
free who submits to ,god in ,christ1 and
 thereby overcomes himself and the world
 and all antagonism1 and is able to do  
that which it is his life to do4 ,a     
prison out of which we do not desire to 
go is no restraint1 and the will which  
coincides with law is the only will that
 is truly free4 ,you talk about the     
bondage of obedience4 ,ah6 'the weight  
of too much liberty' is a far sorer     

bondage4 ,they are the slaves who say1  
',let us break ,his bonds asunder1 and  
cast away ,his cords from us'2 and they 
are the free men who say1 ',lord1 put   
,thy blessed shackles on my arms1 and   
impose ,thy will upon my will1 and fill 
my heart with ,thy love2 and then will  
and hands will move freely and          
delightedly4' ',if the ,son make you    
free1 ye shall be free indeed4'  ,such  
slavery is the only nobility4 ,in the   
wicked old empires1 as in some of their 
modern survivals to-day1 viziers and    
prime ministers were mostly drawn from  
the servile classes4 ,it is so in ,god's
 kingdom4 ,they who make themselves     
,god's slaves are by ,him made kings and
 priests1 and shall reign with ,him on  
earth4 ,if we are slaves1 then are we   
sons and heirs of ,god through ,jesus   
,christ4  ,remember the alternative4    
,you cannot be your own masters without 
being your own slaves4 ,it is a far     
worse bondage to live as chartered      
libertines than to walk in the paths of 

obedience4 ,better serve ,god than the  
devil1 than the world1 than the flesh4  
,whilst they promise men liberty1 they  
make them 'the most abject and          
downtrodden vassals of perdition4'  ,the
 ,servant-,son makes us slaves and sons4
 ,it matters nothing to me that ,jesus  
,christ perfectly fulfilled the law of  
,god2 it is so much the better for ,him1
 but of no value for me1 unless ,he has 
the power of making me like ,himself4   
,and ,he has it1 and if you will trust  
yourselves to ,him1 and give your hearts
 to ,him1 and ask ,him to govern you1   
,he will govern you2 and if you will    
abandon your false liberty which is     
servitude1 and take the sober freedom   
which is obedience1 then ,he will bring 
you to share in ,his temper of joyful   
service2 and even we may be able to say1
 ',my meat and my drink is to do the    
will of ,him that sent me1' and truly   
saying that1 we shall have the key to   
all delights1 and our feet will be1 at  
least1 on the lower rungs of the ladder 

whose top reaches to ,heaven4  ',what   
fruit had ye in the things of which ye  
are now ashamed8 ,but being made free   
from sin1 and become the slaves of ,god1
 ye have your fruit unto holiness2 and  
the end everlasting life4' ,brethren1 ,i
 beseech you1 by the mercies of ,god1   
that ye yield yourselves to ,him1       
crying1 ',o ,lord1 truly ,i am ,thy     
servant4 ,thou hast loosed my bonds4'   
,,the ,,wheat ,,and ,,the ,,tares  ',and
 the multitude of them that believed    
were of one heart and of one soul3      
neither said any of them that aught of  
the things which he possessed was his   
own2 but they had all things            
common4'--,,acts iv4 #cb4  ',and great  
fear came upon all the church1 and upon 
as many as heard these things4'--,,acts 
v4 #aa4  ,once more ,luke pauses and    
gives a general survey of the ,church's 
condition4 ,it comes in appropriately at
 the end of the account of the triumph  
over the first assault of civil         
authority1 which assault was itself not 

only baffled1 but turned to good4 ,just 
because persecution had driven them     
closer to ,god and to one another1 were 
the disciples so full of brotherly love 
and of grace as ,luke delights to paint 
them4  ,i4 ,we note the fair picture of 
what the ,church once was4 ,the recent  
large accessions to it might have       
weakened the first feelings of          
brotherhood1 so that it is by no means  
superfluous to repeat substantially the 
features of the earlier description     
7,acts ii4 #dd1 #de74 ',the multitude'  
is used with great meaning1 for it was a
 triumph of the ,spirit's influence that
 the warm stream of brotherly love ran  
through so many hearts1 knit together   
only by common submission to ,jesus4    
,that oneness of thought and feeling was
 the direct issue of the influx of the  
,spirit mentioned as the blessed result 
of the disciples' dauntless devotion    
7,acts iv4 #ca74 ,if our ,churches were 
'filled with the ,holy ,ghost1' we too  
should be fused into oneness of heart   

and mind1 though our organisations as   
separate communities continued1 just as 
all the little pools below high-water   
mark are made one when the tide comes   
up4  ,the first result and marvellous   
proof of that oneness was the so-called 
'community of goods1' the account of    
which is remarkable both because it all 
but fills this picture1 and because it  
is broken into two by verse #cc1 rapidly
 summarising other characteristics4 ,the
 two halves may be considered together1 
and it may be noted that the former     
presents the sharing of property as the 
result of brotherly unity1 while the    
latter traces it 7'for1' v4 #cd7 to the 
abundant divine grace resting on the    
whole community4 ,the terms of the      
description should be noted1 as         
completely negativing the notion that   
the fact in question was anything like  
compulsory abolition of the right of    
individual ownership4 ',not one of them 
said that aught of the things which he  
possessed was his own4' ,that implies   

that the right of possession was not    
abolished4 ,it implies1 too1 that the   
common feeling of brotherhood was       
stronger than the self-centred regard   
which looks on possessions as to be used
 for self4 ,thus they possessed as      
though they possessed not1 and each held
 his property as a trust from ,god for  
his brethren4  ,we must observe1        
further1 that the act of selling was the
 owners'1 as was the act of handing the 
proceeds to the ,apostles4 ,the         
community had nothing to do with the    
money till it had been given to them4   
,further1 the distribution was not      
determined by the rule of equality1 but 
by the 'need' of the recipients2 and its
 result was not that all had share and  
share alike1 but that 'none lacked4'    
,there is nothing of modern communism in
 all this1 but there is a lesson to the 
modern ,church as to the obligations of 
wealth and the claims of brotherhood1   
which is all but universally            
disregarded4 ,the spectre of communism  

is troubling every nation1 and it will  
become more and more formidable1 unless 
the ,church learns that the only way to 
lay it is to live by the precepts of    
,jesus and to repeat in new forms the   
spirit of the primitive ,church4 ,the   
,christian sense of stewardship1 not the
 abolition of the right of property1 is 
the cure for the hideous facts which    
drive men to shriek ',property is       
theft4'  ,luke adds two more points to  
his survey1--the power of the ,apostolic
 testimony1 and the great grace which   
lay like a bright cloud on the whole    
,church4 ,the ,apostles' special office 
was to bear witness to the              
,resurrection4 ,they held a position of 
prominence in the ,church by virtue of  
having been chosen by ,jesus and having 
been ,his companions1 but the ,book of  
,acts is silent about any of the other  
mysterious powers which later ages have 
ascribed to them4 ,the only ,apostles   
who appear in it are ,peter1 ,john1 and 
,james1 the last only in a parenthesis  

recording ,his martyrdom4 ,their        
peculiar work was to say1 ',behold6 we  
saw1 and know that ,he died and rose    
again4'  ,,ii4 ,the general description 
is followed by one example of the       
surrender of wealth1 which is noteworthy
 as being done by one afterwards to play
 a great part in the book1 and also as  
leading on to an example of hypocritical
 pretence4 ,side by side stand ,barnabas
 and the wretched couple1 ,ananias and  
,sapphira4  ,luke introduces the new    
personage with some particularity1 and1 
as ,he does not go into detail without  
good reason1 we must note his           
description4 ,first1 the man's character
 is given1 as expressed in the name     
bestowed by the ,apostles1 in imitation 
of ,christ's frequent custom4 ,he must  
have been for some time a disciple1 in  
order that his special gift should have 
been recognised4 ,he was a 'son of      
exhortation'2 that is1 he had the power 
of rousing and encouraging the faith and
 stirring the believing energy of the   

brethren4 ,an example of this was given 
in ,antioch1 where he 'exhorted them    
all1 that with purpose of heart they    
would cleave unto the ,lord4' ,so much  
the more beautiful was his              
self-effacement when with ,paul1 for it 
was the latter who was 'the chief       
speaker4' ,barnabas felt that his gift  
was less than his brother's1 and so1    
without jealousy1 took the second place4
 ,he1 being silent1 yet speaketh1 and   
bids us learn our limits1 and be content
 to be surpassed4  ,we are next told his
 rank4 ,he was a ,levite4 ,the tribe to 
which a disciple belongs is seldom      
mentioned1 but probably the reason for  
specifying ,barnabas' was the same as   
led ,luke1 in another place1 to record  
that 'a great company of the priests was
 obedient to the faith4' ,the connection
 of the tribe of ,levi with the ,temple 
worship made accessions from it         
significant1 as showing how surely the  
new faith was creeping into the very    
heart of the old system1 and winning    

converts from the very classes most     
interested in opposing it4 ,barnabas'   
significance is further indicated by the
 notice that he was 'a man of ,cyprus1' 
and as such1 the earliest mentioned of  
the ,hellenists or foreign-born and     
,greek-speaking ,jews1 who were to play 
so important a part in the expansion of 
the ,church4  ,his first appearance     
witnessed to the depth and simple       
genuineness of his character and faith4 
,the old law forbidding ,levites to hold
 land had gradually become inoperative1 
and perhaps ,barnabas' estate was in    
,cyprus1 though more probably it was1   
like that of his relative ,mary1 the    
mother of ,mark1 in ,jerusalem4 ,he did 
as many others were doing1 and brought  
the proceeds to the assembly of the     
brethren1 and there publicly laid them  
at the ,apostles' feet1 in token of     
their authority to administer them as   
they thought well4  ,,iii4 ,why was     
,barnabas' act singled out for mention1 
since there was nothing peculiar about  

it8 ,most likely because it stimulated  
,ananias and his wife to imitation4     
,wherever there are signal instances of 
,christian self-sacrifice1 there will   
spring up a crop of base copies4        
,ananias follows ,barnabas as surely as 
the shadow the substance4 ,it was very  
likely a pure impulse which led him and 
his wife to agree to sell their land2   
and it was only when they had the money 
in their hands1 and had to take the     
decisive step of parting with it1 and   
reducing themselves to pennilessness1   
that they found the surrender harder    
than they could carry out4 ,satan spoils
 many a well-begun work1 and we often   
break down half-way through a piece of  
,christian unselfishness4 ,well begun is
 half--but only half--ended4  ,be that  
as it may1 ,peter's stern words to      
,ananias put all the stress of the sin  
on its being an acted lie4 ,the motives 
of the trick are not disclosed4 ,they   
may have been avarice1 want of faith1   
greed of applause1 reluctance to hang   

back when others were doing like        
,barnabas4 ,it is hard to read the      
mingled motives which lead ourselves    
wrong1 and harder to separate them in   
the case of another4 ,how much ,ananias 
kept back is of no moment2 indeed1 the  
less he retained the greater the sin2   
for it is baser1 as well as more        
foolish1 to do wrong for a little       
advantage than for a great one4         
,peter's two questions bring out very   
strikingly the double source of the sin4
 ',why hath ,satan filled thy           
heart8'--an awful antithesis to being   
filled with the ,spirit4 ,then there is 
a real1 malign ,tempter1 who can pour   
evil affections and purposes into men's 
hearts4 ,but he cannot do it unless the 
man opens his heart1 as that 'why8'     
implies4 ,the same thought of our       
co-operation and concurrence1 so that1  
however ,satan suggests1 it is we who   
are guilty1 comes out in the second     
question1 ',how is it that thou hast    
conceived this thing in thy heart8'     

,reverently we may venture to say that  
not only ,christ stands at the door and 
knocks1 but that the enemy of ,him and  
,his stands there too1 and he too enters
 'if any man opens the door4' ,neither  
heaven nor hell can come in unless we   
will4  ,the death of ,ananias was not   
inflicted by ,peter1 ',hearing these    
words' he 'fell down and' died4 ,surely 
that expression suggests that the stern 
words had struck at his life1 and that  
his death was the result of the         
agitation of shame and guilt which they 
excited4 ,that does not at all conflict 
with regarding his death as a punitive  
divine act4  ,one can fancy the awed    
silence that fell on the congregation1  
and the restrained1 mournful movement   
that ran through it when ,sapphira      
entered4 ,why the two had not come in   
company can only be conjectured4        
,perhaps the husband had gone straight  
to the ,apostles after completing the   
sale1 and had left the wife to follow at
 her convenience4 ,perhaps she had not  

intended to come at all1 but had grown  
alarmed at the delay in ,ananias'       
return4 ,she may have come in fear that 
something had gone wrong1 and that fear 
would be increased by her not seeing her
 husband in her quick glance round the  
company4  ,if she came expecting to     
receive applause1 the silence and       
constraint that hung over the assembly  
must have stirred a fear that something 
terrible had happened1 which would be   
increased by ,peter's question4 ,it was 
a merciful opportunity given her to     
separate herself from the sin and the   
punishment2 but her lie was glib1 and   
indicated determination to stick to the 
fraud4 ,that moment was heavy with her  
fate1 and she knew it not2 but she knew 
that she had the opportunity of telling 
the truth1 and she did not take it4 ,she
 had to make the hard choice which we   
have sometimes to make1 to be true to   
some sinful bargain or be true to ,god1 
and she chose the worse part4 ,which of 
the two was tempter and which was       

tempted matters little4 ,like many a    
wife1 she thought that it was better to 
be loyal to her husband than to ,god1   
and so her honour was 'rooted in        
dishonour1' and she was falsely true and
 truly false4  ,the judgment on         
,sapphira was not inflicted by ,peter4  
,he foretold it by his prophetic power1 
but it was the hand of ,god which       
vindicated the purity of the infant     
,church4 ,the terrible severity of the  
punishment can only be understood by    
remembering the importance of preserving
 the young community from corruption at 
the very beginning4 ,unless the vermin  
are cleared from the springing plant1 it
 will not grow4 ,as ,achan's death      
warned ,israel at the beginning of their
 entrance into the promised land1 so    
,ananias and ,sapphira perished1 that   
all generations of the ,church might    
fear to pretend to self-surrender while 
cherishing its opposite1 and might feel 
that they have to give account to ,one  
who knows the secrets of the heart1 and 

counts nothing as given if anything is  
surreptitiously kept back4    ,,whom    
,,to ,,obey1--,,annas ,,or ,,angel8     
',then the high priest rose up1 and all 
they that were with him1 7which is the  
sect of the ,sadducees17 and were filled
 with indignation1 #ah4 ,and laid their 
hands on the apostles1 and put them in  
the common prison4 #ai4 ,but the angel  
of the ,lord by night opened the prison 
doors1 and brought them forth1 and said1
 #bj4 ,go1 stand and speak in the temple
 to the people all the words of this    
life4 #ba4 ,and when they heard that1   
they entered into the temple early in   
the morning1 and taught4 ,but the high  
priest came1 and they that were with    
him1 and called the council together1   
and all the senate of the children of   
,israel1 and sent to the prison to have 
them brought4 #bb4 ,but when the        
officers came1 and found them not in the
 prison1 they returned1 and told1 #bc4  
,saying1 ,the prison truly found we shut
 with all safety1 and the keepers       

standing without before the doors3 but  
when we had opened1 we found no man     
within4 #bd4 ,now when the high priest  
and the captain of the temple and the   
chief priests heard these things1 they  
doubted of them whereunto this would    
grow4 #be4 ,then came one and told them1
 saying4 ,behold1 the men whom ye put in
 prison are standing in the temple1 and 
teaching the people4 #bf4 ,then went the
 captain with the officers1 and brought 
them without violence3 for they feared  
the people1 lest they should have been  
stoned4 #bg4 ,and when they had brought 
them1 they set them before the council3 
and the high priest asked them1 #bh4    
,saying1 ,did not we straitly command   
you that ye should not teach in this    
name8 and1 behold1 ye have filled       
,jerusalem with your doctrine1 and      
intend to bring this man's blood upon   
us4 #bi4 ,then ,peter and the other     
apostles answered and said1 ,we ought to
 obey ,god rather than men4 #cj4 ,the   
,god of our fathers raised up ,jesus1   

whom ye slew and hanged on a tree4 #ca4 
,him hath ,god exalted with ,his right  
hand to be a ,prince and a ,saviour1 for
 to give repentance to ,israel1 and     
forgiveness of sins4 #cb4 ,and we are   
,his witnesses of these things2 and so  
is also the ,holy ,ghost1 whom ,god hath
 given to them that obey ,him4'--,,acts 
v4 #ag-cb4  ,the ,jewish ecclesiastics  
had been beaten in the first round of   
the fight1 and their attempt to put out 
the fire had only stirred the blaze4    
,popular sympathy is fickle1 and if the 
crowd does not shout with the           
persecutors1 it will make heroes and    
idols of the persecuted4 ,so the        
,apostles had gained favour by the      
attempt to silence them1 and that led to
 the second round1 part of which is     
described in this passage4  ,the first  
point to note is the mean motives which 
influenced the high-priest and his      
adherents4 ,as before1 the ,sadducees   
were at the bottom of the assault2 for  
talk about a resurrection was gall and  

wormwood to them4 ,but ,luke alleges a  
much more contemptible emotion than zeal
 for supposed truth as the motive for   
action4 ,the word rendered in the       
,authorised ,version 'indignation1' is  
indeed literally 'zeal1' but it here    
means1 as the ,revised ,version has it1 
nothing nobler than 'jealousy4' ',who   
are those ignorant ,galileans that they 
should encroach on the office of us     
dignified teachers8 and what fools the  
populace must be to listen to them6 ,our
 prestige is threatened4 ,if we don't   
bestir ourselves1 our authority will be 
gone4' ,a lofty spirit in which to deal 
with grave movements of opinion1 and    
likely to lead its possessors to discern
 truth6  ,the ,sanhedrin1 no doubt1     
talked solemnly about the progress of   
error1 and the duty of firmly putting it
 down1 and1 like ,jehu1 said1 ',come1   
and see our zeal for the ,lord'2 but it 
was zeal for greetings in the           
marketplace1 and the chief seats in the 
synagogues1 and the other advantages of 

their position4 ,so it has often been   
since4 ,the instruments which zeal for  
truth uses are argument1 ,scripture1 and
 persuasion4 ,that zeal which betakes   
itself to threats and force is1 at the  
best1 much mingled with the wrath and   
jealousy of man4  ,the arrest of the    
,apostles and their committal to prison 
was simply for detention1 not           
punishment4 ,the rulers cast their net  
wider this time1 and secured all the    
,apostles1 and1 having them safe under  
lock and key1 they went home triumphant1
 and expecting to deal a decisive blow  
to-morrow4 ,then comes one of the great 
'buts' of ,scripture4 ,annas and        
,caiaphas thought that they had scored a
 success1 but an angel upset their      
calculations4 ,to try to explain the    
miracle away is hopeless4 ,it is wiser  
to try to understand it4  ,the very fact
 that it did not lead to the ,apostles' 
deliverance1 but that the trial and     
scourging followed next day1 just as if 
it had not happened1 which has been     

alleged as a proof of its uselessness1  
and inferentially of its falsehood1 puts
 us on the right track4 ,it was not     
meant for their deliverance1 but for    
their heartening1 and for the bracing of
 all generations of ,christians1 by     
showing1 at the first conflict with the 
civil power1 that the ,lord was with    
,his ,church4 ,his strengthening power  
is operative when no miracle is wrought4
 ,if ,his servants are not delivered1 it
 is not that ,he lacks angels1 but that 
it is better for them and the ,church   
that they should lie in prison or die at
 the stake4  ,the miracle was a         
transient revelation of a perpetual     
truth1 and has shed light on many a dark
 dungeon where ,god's servants have lain
 rotting4 ,it breathed heroic constancy 
into the ,twelve4 ,how striking and     
noble was their prompt obedience to the 
command to resume the perilous work of  
preaching6 ,as soon as the dawn began to
 glimmer over ,olivet1 and the priests  
were preparing for the morning          

sacrifice1 there were these             
irrepressible disturbers1 whom the      
officials thought they had shut up      
safely last night1 lifting up their     
voices again as if nothing had happened4
 ,what a picture of dauntless           
persistence1 and what a lesson for us6  
,the moment the pressure is off1 we     
should spring back to our work of       
witnessing for ,christ4  ,the           
bewilderment of the ,council comes in   
strong contrast with the unhesitating   
action of the ,apostles4 ,there is a    
half ludicrous side to it1 which ,luke  
does not try to hide4 ,there was the    
pompous assembling of all the great men 
at early morning1 and their dignified   
waiting till their underlings brought in
 the culprits4 ,no doubt1 ,annas put on 
his severest air of majesty1 and all    
were prepared to look their sternest for
 the confusion of the prisoners4 ,the   
prison1 the ,temple1 and the judgment   
hall1 were all near each other4 ,so     
there was not long to wait4 ,but1       

behold6 the officers come back alone1   
and their report shakes the assembly out
 of its dignity4 ,one sees the          
astonished underlings coming up to the  
prison1 and finding all in order1 the   
sentries patrolling1 the doors fast 7so 
the angel had shut them as well as      
opened them71 and then entering ready to
 drag out the prisoners1 and--finding   
all silent4 ,such elaborate guard kept  
over an empty cage6  ,it was not the    
officers' business to offer             
explanations1 and it does not seem that 
any were asked4 ,one would have thought 
that the sentries would have been       
questioned4 ,herod went the natural way 
to work1 when he had ,peter's guards    
examined and put to death4 ,but ,annas  
and his fellows do not seem to have     
cared to inquire how the escape had been
 made4 ,possibly they suspected a       
miracle1 or perhaps feared that inquiry 
might reveal sympathisers with the      
prisoners among their own officials4 ,at
 any rate1 they were bewildered1 and    

lost their heads1 wondering what was to 
come next1 and how this thing was to    
end4  ,the further news that these      
obstinate fanatics were at their old    
work in the ,temple again1 must have    
greatly added to the rulers' perplexity1
 and they must have waited the return of
 the officers sent off for the second   
time to fetch the prisoners1 with       
somewhat less dignity than before4 ,the 
officers felt the pulse of the crowd1   
and did not venture on force1 from      
wholesome fear for their own skins4 ,an 
excited mob in the ,temple court was not
 to be trifled with1 so persuasion was  
adopted4 ,the brave ,twelve went        
willingly1 for the ,sanhedrin had no    
terrors for them1 and by going they     
secured another opportunity of ringing  
out their ,lord's salvation4 ,wherever a
 ,christian can witness for ,christ1 he 
should be ready to go4  ,the high-priest
 discreetly said nothing about the      
escape4 ,possibly he had no suspicion of
 a miracle1 but1 even if he had1 chapter

 iv4 #af shows that that would not have 
led to any modification of his          
hostility4 ,persecutors1 clothed with a 
little brief authority1 are strangely   
blind to the plainest indications of the
 truth spoken by their victims4 ,annas  
did not know what a question about the  
escape might bring out1 so he took the  
safer course of charging the ,twelve    
with disobedience to the ,sanhedrin's   
prohibition4 ,how characteristic of all 
his kind that is6 ,never mind whether   
what the martyr says is true or not4 ,he
 has broken our law1 and defied our     
authority2 that is enough4 ,are we to be
 chopping logic1 and arguing with every 
ignorant upstart who chooses to vent his
 heresies8 ,gag him1--that is easier and
 more dignified4  ,a world of           
self-consequence peeps out in that 'we  
straitly charged you1' and a world of   
contempt peeps out in the avoidance of  
naming ,jesus4 ',this name' and 'this   
man' is the nearest that the proud      
priest will come to soiling his lips by 

mentioning ,him4 ,he bears unconscious  
testimony to the ,apostles' diligence1  
and to the popular inclination to them1 
by charging them with having filled the 
city with what he contemptuously calls  
'your teaching1' as if it had no other  
source than their own ignorant notions4 
,then the deepest reason for the        
,sanhedrin's bitterness leaks out in the
 charge of inciting the mob to take     
vengeance on them for the death of      
,jesus4 ,it was true that the ,apostles 
had charged that guilt home on them1 but
 not on them only1 but on the whole     
nation1 so that no incitement to revenge
 lay in the charge4 ,it was true that   
they had brought 'this man's blood' on  
the rulers1 but only to draw them to    
repentance1 not to hound at them their  
sharers in the guilt4 ,had ,annas forgot
 ',his blood be on us1 and on our       
children'8 ,but1 when an evil deed is   
complete1 the doers try to shuffle off  
the responsibility which they were ready
 to take in the excitement of hurrying  

to do it4 ,annas did not trouble himself
 about divine vengeance2 it was the     
populace whom he feared4  ,so1 in its   
attempt to browbeat the accused1 in its 
empty airs of authority1 in its utter   
indifference to the truth involved1 in  
its contempt for the preachers and their
 message1 in its brazen denial of       
responsibility1 its dread of the mob1   
and its disregard of the far-off divine 
judgment1 his bullying speech is a type 
of how persecutors1 from ,roman         
governors down1 have hectored their     
victims4  ,and ,peter's brave answer is1
 thank ,god6 the type of what thousands 
of trembling women and meek men have    
answered4 ,his tone is severer now than 
on his former appearance4 ,now he has no
 courteous recognition of the court's   
authority4 ,now he brushes aside all    
,annas's attempts to impose on him the  
sanctity of its decrees1 and flatly     
denies that the ,council has any more   
right to command than any other 'men4'  
,they claimed to be depositaries of     

,god's judgments4 ,this revolutionary   
fisherman sees nothing in them but      
'men1' whose commands point one way1    
while ,god's point the other4 ,the angel
 bade them 'speak'2 the ,council had bid
 them be dumb4 ,to state the opposition 
was to determine their duty4 ,formerly  
,peter had said 'judge ye' which command
 it is right to obey4 ,now1 he wraps his
 refusal in no folds of courtesy1 but   
thrusts the naked ',we must obey ,god'  
in the ,council's face4 ,that was a     
great moment in the history of the world
 and the ,church4 ,how much lay in it1  
as in a seed1--,luther's ',here ,i      
stand1 ,i can do none other4 ,god help  
me6 ,amen'2 ,plymouth ,rock1 and many a 
glorious and blood-stained page in the  
records of martyrdom4  ,peter goes on to
 vindicate his assumption that in       
disobeying ,annas they are obeying ,god1
 by reiterating the facts which since   
,pentecost he had pressed on the        
national conscience4 ,israel had slain1 
and ,god had exalted1 ,jesus to ,his    

right hand4 ,that was ,god's verdict on 
,israel's action4 ,but it was also the  
ground of hope for ,israel2 for the     
exaltatior of ,jesus was that ,he might 
be ',prince or ,leader and ,saviour1'   
and from ,his exalted hand were shed the
 gifts of 'repentance and remission of  
sins1' even of the great sin of slaying 
,him4 ,these things being so1 how could 
the ,apostles be silent8 ,had not ,god  
bid them speak1 by their very knowledge 
of these8 ,they were ,christ's          
witnesses1 constituted as such by their 
personal acquaintance with ,him and     
their having seen ,him raised and       
ascending1 and appointed to be such by  
,his own lips1 and inspired for their   
witnessing by the ,holy ,spirit shed on 
them at ,pentecost4 ,peter all but      
reproduces the never-to-be-forgotten    
words heard by them all in the upper    
room1 ',he shall bear witness of ,me3   
and ye also shall bear witness1 because 
ye have been with ,me from the          
beginning4' ,silence would be treason4  

,so it is still4 ,what were ,annas and  
his bluster to men whom ,christ had     
bidden to speak1 and to whom ,he had    
given the ,spirit of the ,father to     
speak in them8    ,,our ,,captain  ',him
 hath ,god exalted with ,his right hand 
to be a ,prince4'--,,acts v4 #ca4  ,the 
word rendered ',prince' is a rather     
infrequent designation of our ,lord in  
,scripture4 ,it is only employed in all 
four times--twice in ,peter's earlier   
sermons recorded in this ,book of the   
,acts2 and twice in the ,epistle to the 
,hebrews4 ,in a former discourse of the 
,apostle's he had spoken of the crime of
 the ,jews in killing 'the ,prince of   
life4' ,here he uses the word without   
any appended epithet4 ,in the ,epistle  
to the ,hebrews we read once of the     
',captain of ,salvation1' and once of   
the ',author of ,faith4'  ,now these    
three renderings ',prince1' ',captain1' 
',author1' seem singularly unlike4 ,but 
the explanation of their being all      
substantially equivalent to the original

 word is not difficult to find4 ,it     
seems to mean properly a ,beginner1 or  
,originator1 who takes the lead in      
anything1 and hence the notions of      
chieftainship and priority are easily   
deduced from it4 ,then1 very naturally1 
it comes to mean something very much    
like cause2 with only this difference1  
that it implies that the person who is  
the ,originator is ,himself the         
,possessor of that of which ,he is the  
,cause to others4 ,so the two ideas of a
 ,leader1 and of a ,possessor who       
imparts1 are both included in the word4 
,my intention in this sermon is to deal 
with the various forms of this          
expression1 in order to try to bring out
 the fulness of the notion which        
,scripture attaches to this leadership  
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he is first of all1 
generally1 as our text sets ,him forth1 
the ,leader1 absolutely4 ,then there are
 the specific aspects1 expressed by the 
other three passages1 in which ,he is   
set forth as the ,leader through death  

to life2 the ,leader through suffering  
to salvation2 and the ,leader in the    
path of faith4 ,let us look1 then1 at   
these points in succession4  ,i4 ,first1
 we have the general notion of ,christ  
the ,leader4  ,now ,i suppose we are all
 acquainted with the fact that the names
 ',joshua' and ',jesus' are1 in the     
original1 one4 ,it is further to be     
noticed that1 in the ,greek translation 
of the ,old ,testament1 which was       
familiar to ,peter's hearers1 the word  
of our text is that employed to describe
 the office of the military leaders of  
,israel4 ,it is still further to be     
observed that1 in all the instances in  
the ,new ,testament1 it is employed in  
immediate connection with the name of   
,jesus4 ,now1 putting all these things  
together1 remembering to whom ,peter was
 speaking1 remembering the familiarity  
which many of his audience must have had
 with the ,old ,testament in its ,greek 
translation1 remembering the identity of
 the two names ,joshua and ,jesus1 it is

 difficult to avoid the supposition that
 the expression of our text is coloured 
by a reference to the bold soldier who  
successfully led his brethren into the  
,promised ,land4 ,joshua was the        
',captain of the ,lord's host' to lead  
them to ,canaan2 the second ,joshua is  
the ,captain of the ,host of the ,lord  
to lead them to a better rest4 ,of all  
the ,old ,testament heroes perhaps there
 is none1 at first sight1 less like the 
second ,joshua than the first was4 ,he  
is only a rough1 plain1 prompt1 and bold
 soldier4 ,no prophet was he1 no word of
 wisdom ever fell from his lips1 no     
trace of tenderness was in anything that
 he did2 meekness was alien from his    
character1 he was no sage1 he was no    
saint1 but decisive1 swift1 merciless   
when necessary1 full of resource1 sharp 
and hard as his own sword4 ,and yet a   
parallel may be drawn4  ,the second     
,joshua is the ,captain of the ,lord's  
host1 as was typified to the first one1 
in that strange scene outside the walls 

of ,jericho1 where the earthly          
commander1 sunk in thought1 was brooding
 upon the hard nut which he had to      
crack1 when suddenly he lifted up his   
eyes1 and beheld a man with a drawn     
sword4 ,with the instinctive alertness  
of his profession and character1 his    
immediate question was1 ',art thou for  
us or for our enemies8' ,and he got the 
answer ',no6 ,i am not on thy side1 nor 
on the other side1 but thou art on      
,mine4 ,as ,captain of the ,lord's host 
am ,i come up4'  ,so ,jesus ,christ1 the
 ',strong ,son of ,god1' is set forth by
 this military emblem as being ,himself 
the first ,soldier in the army of ,god1 
and the ,leader of all the host4 ,we    
forget far too much the militant        
character of ,jesus ,christ4 ,we think  
of ,his meekness1 ,his gentleness1 ,his 
patience1 ,his tenderness1 ,his         
humility1 and we cannot think of these  
too much1 too lovingly1 too wonderingly1
 too adoringly1 but we too often forget 
the strength which underlay the         

gentleness1 and that ,his life1 all     
gracious as it was1 when looked at from 
the outside1 had beneath it a continual 
conflict1 and was in effect the warfare 
of ,god against all the evils and the   
sorrows of humanity4 ,we forget the     
courage that went to make the gentleness
 of ,jesus1 the daring that underlay    
,his lowliness2 and it does us good to  
remember that all the so-called heroic  
virtues were set forth in supreme form1 
not in some vulgar type of excellence1  
such as a conqueror1 whom the world     
recognises1 but in that meek ,king whose
 weapon was love1 yet was wielded with a
 soldier's hand4  ,this general thought 
of ,jesus ,christ as the first ,soldier 
and ,captain of the ,lord's army not    
only opens for us a side of ,his        
character which we too often pass by1   
but it also says something to us as to  
what our duties ought to be4 ,he stands 
to us in the relation of ,general and   
,commander-in-,chief2 then we stand to  
,him in the relation of private         

soldiers1 whose first duty is           
unhesitating obedience1 and who in doing
 their ,master's will must put forth a  
bravery far higher than the vulgar      
courage that is crowned with wreathed   
laurels on the bloody battlefield1 even 
the bravery that is caught from ,him who
 'set ,his face as a flint' to do ,his  
work4  ,joshua's career has in it a     
great stumbling-block to many people1 in
 that merciless destruction of the      
,canaanite sinners1 which can only be   
vindicated by remembering1 first1 that  
it was a divine appointment1 and that   
,god has the right to punish2 and1      
second1 that those old days were under a
 different law1 or at least a less      
manifestly developed law of             
loving-kindness and mercy than1 thank   
,god6 we live in4 ,but whilst we look   
with wonder on these awful scenes of    
destruction1 may there not lie in them  
the lesson for us that antagonism and   
righteous wrath against evil in all its 
forms is the duty of the soldiers of    

,christ8 ,there are many causes to-day  
which to further and fight for is the   
bounden duty of every ,christian1 and to
 further and fight for which will tax   
all the courage that any of us can      
muster4 ,remember that the leadership of
 ,christ is no mere pretty metaphor1 but
 a solemn fact1 which brings with it the
 soldier's responsibilities4 ,when our  
,centurion says to us1 ',come6' we must 
come4 ,when ,he says to us1 ',go6' we   
must go4 ,when ,he says to us ',do      
this6' we must do it1 though heart and  
flesh should shrink and fail4           
,unhesitating obedience to ,his         
authoritative command will deliver us   
from many of the miseries of self-will2 
and brave effort at ,christ's side is as
 much the privilege as the duty of ,his 
servants and soldiers4  ,,ii4 ,so note1 
secondly1 the ,leader through death to  
life4  ,peter1 in the sermon which is   
found in the third chapter of this ,book
 of the ,acts1 has his mind and heart   
filled with the astounding fact of the  

,resurrection and ,ascension of ,jesus  
,christ1 and in the same breath as he   
gives forth the paradoxical indictment  
of the ,jewish sin1 ',you have killed   
the ,prince of ,life'--the ,leader of   
,life--he also says1 ',and ,god hath    
raised ,him from the dead4' ,so that the
 connection seems to point to the risen 
and glorified life into which ,christ   
,himself passed1 and by passing became  
capable of imparting it to others4 ,the 
same idea is here as in ,paul's other   
metaphor3 ',now is ,christ risen from   
the dead1 and become the first-fruits of
 them that slept'--the first sheaf of   
the harvest1 which was carried into the 
,temple and consecrated to ,god1 and was
 the pledge and prophecy of the reaping 
in due season of all the miles of golden
 grain that waved in the autumn         
sunshine4 ',so1' says ,peter1 ',he is   
the ,leader of ,life1 who ,himself has  
passed through the darkness1 for you    
killed ,him2 mystery of mysteries as it 
is that you should have been able to do 

it1 deeper mystery still that you should
 have been willing to do it1 deepest    
mystery of all that you did it not when 
you did it1 but that ,he became dead and
 is alive for evermore4 ,you killed the 
,prince of ,life1 and ,god raised ,him  
from the dead4'  ,he has gone before us4
 ,he is 'the first that should rise from
 the dead4' ,for1 although the partial  
power of ,his communicated life did     
breathe for a moment resuscitation into 
two dead men and one dead maiden1 these 
shared in no resurrection-life1 but only
 came back again into mortality1 and    
were quickened for a time1 but to die at
 last the common death of all4 ,but     
,jesus ,christ is the first that has    
gone into the darkness and come back    
again to live for ever4 ,across the     
untrodden wild there is one track       
marked1 and the footprints upon it point
 both ways--to the darkness and from the
 darkness4 ,so the dreary waste is not  
pathless any more4 ,the broad road that 
all the generations have trodden on     

their way into the everlasting darkness 
is left now1 and the 'travellers pass by
 the byway' which ,jesus ,christ has    
made by the touch of ,his risen feet4   
,thus1 not only does this thought teach 
us the priority of ,his                 
resurrection-life1 but it also declares 
to us that ,jesus ,christ1 possessing   
the risen life1 possesses it to impart  
it4 ,for1 as ,i remarked in my          
introductory observations1 the          
conception of this word includes not    
only the idea of a ,leader1 but that of 
,one who1 ,himself possessing or        
experiencing something1 gives it to     
others4 ,all men rise again4 ,yes1 'but 
every man in his own order4' ,there are 
two principles at work in the           
resurrection of all men4 ,they are      
raised on different grounds1 and they   
are raised to different issues4 ,they   
that are ,christ's are brought again    
from the dead1 because the life of      
,christ is in them2 and it is as        
'impossible' that they1 as that ',he1   

should be holden of it4' ,union with    
,jesus ,christ by simple faith is the   
means1 and the only means revealed to   
us1 whereby men shall be raised from the
 dead at the last by a resurrection     
which is anything else than a prolonged 
death4 ,as for others1 'some shall rise 
unto shame and everlasting contempt1'   
rising dead1 and dead after they are    
risen--dead as long as they live4 ,there
 be two resurrections1 whether          
simultaneous in time or not is of no    
moment1 and all of us must have our part
 in the one or the other2 and faith in  
,jesus ,christ is the only means by     
which we can take a place in the great  
army and procession that ,he leads down 
into the valley and up to the sunny     
heights4  ,if ,he be the ,leader through
 death unto life1 then it is certain    
that all who follow in ,his train shall 
attain to ,his side and shall share in  
,his glory4 ,the ,general wears no order
 which the humblest private in the ranks
 may not receive likewise1 and          

whomsoever ,he leads1 ,his leading will 
not end till ,he has led them close to  
,his side1 if they trust ,him4 ,so1     
calmly1 confidently1 we may each of us  
look forward to that dark journey       
waiting for us all4 ,all our friends    
will leave us at the tunnel's mouth1 but
 ,he will go with us through the gloom1 
and bring us out into the sunny lands on
 the southern side of the icy white     
mountains4 ,the ,leader of our souls    
will be our ,guide1 not only unto death1
 but far beyond it1 into ,his own life4 
,,iii4 ,so1 thirdly1 note the ,leader   
through suffering to salvation4  ,in the
 ,epistle to the ,hebrews it is written1
 ',it became ,him for whom are all      
things1 and by whom are all things1 in  
bringing many sons unto glory1 to make  
the ,captain'--or the ,leader--'of their
 salvation perfect through sufferings4' 
,that expression might seem at first to 
shut ,jesus ,christ out from any        
participation in the thing which ,he    
gives4 ,for salvation is ,his gift1 but 

not that which ,he ,himself possesses   
and enjoys2 but it is to be noticed that
 in the context of the words which ,i   
have quoted1 'glory' is put as          
substantially synonymous with salvation1
 and that the whole is suffused with the
 idea of a long procession1 as shown by 
the phrase1 'bringing many sons4' ,of   
this procession ,jesus ,christ ,himself 
is the ,leader4  ,so1 clearly1 the      
notion in the context now under         
consideration is that the life of ,jesus
 ,christ is the type to which all ,his  
servants are to be conformed4 ,he is the
 ,representative ,man1 who ,himself     
passes through the conditions through   
which we are to pass1 and ,himself      
reaches the glory which1 given to us1   
becomes salvation4  ',christ is         
perfected through sufferings4' ,so must 
we be4 ,perfected through sufferings8   
you say4 ,then did ,his humanity need   
perfecting8 ,yes1 and ,no4 ,there needed
 nothing to be hewn away from that white
 marble4 ,there was nothing to be purged

 by fire out of that pure life4 ,but ,i 
suppose that ,jesus ,christ's human     
nature needed to be unfolded by life2 as
 the ,epistle to the ,hebrews says1 ',he
 learned obedience1 though ,he were a   
,son1 through the things which ,he      
suffered4' ,and fitness for ,his office 
of leading us to glory required to be   
reached through the sufferings which    
were the condition of our forgiveness   
and of our acceptance with ,god4 ,so1   
whether we regard the word as expressing
 the agony of suffering in unfolding    
,his humanity1 or in fitting ,him for   
,his redeeming work1 it remains true    
that ,he was perfected by ,his          
sufferings4  ,so must we be4 ,our       
characters will never reach the         
refinement1 the delicacy1 the           
unworldliness1 the dependence upon ,god1
 which they require for their           
completion1 unless we have been passed  
through many a sorrow4 ,there are plants
 which require a touch of frost to      
perfect them1 and we all need the       

discipline of a ,father's hand4 ,the    
sorrows that come to us all are far more
 easily borne when we think that ,christ
 bore them all before us4 ,it is but a  
blunted sword which sorrow wields       
against any of us2 it was blunted on    
,his armour4 ,it is but a spent ball    
that strikes us2 its force was exhausted
 upon ,him4 ,sorrow1 if we keep close to
 ,him1 may become solemn joy1 and knit  
us more thoroughly to ,himself4 ,ah1    
brother6 we can better spare our joys   
than we can spare our sorrows4 ,only let
 us cleave to ,him when they fall upon  
us4  ,christ's sufferings led ,him to   
,his glory1 so will ours if we keep by  
,his side--and only if we do4 ,there is 
nothing in the mere fact of being       
tortured and annoyed here on earth1     
which has in itself any direct and      
necessary tendency to prepare us for the
 enjoyment1 or to secure to us the      
possession1 of future blessedness4 ,you 
often hear superficial people saying1   
',oh6 he has been very much troubled    

here1 but there will be amends for it   
hereafter4' ,yes2 ,god would wish to    
make amends for it hereafter1 but ,he   
cannot do so unless we comply with the  
conditions4 ,and it needs that we should
 keep close to ,jesus ,christ in sorrow1
 in order that it should work for us    
'the peaceable fruit of righteousness4' 
,the glory will come if the patient     
endurance has preceded1 and has been    
patience drawn from ,jesus4    ',i      
wondered at the beauteous hours1   ,the 
slow result of winter showers1   ,you   
scarce could see the grass for flowers4'
  ,the sorrows that have wounded any    
man's head like a crown of thorns will  
be covered with the diadem of ,heaven1  
if they are sorrows borne with ,christ4 
,,iv4 ,lastly1 we have ,jesus1 the      
,leader in the path of faith4  ',the    
,author of faith1' says the verse in the
 ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ',author'    
does not cover all the ground1 though it
 does part of it4 ,we must include the  
other ideas which ,i have been trying to

 set forth ,he is ',possessor' first and
 ',giver' afterwards4 ,for ,jesus       
,christ ,himself is both the ,pattern   
and the ,inspirer of our faith4 ,it     
would unduly protract my remarks to     
dwell adequately upon this2 but let me  
just briefly hint some thoughts         
connected with it4  ,jesus ,christ      
,himself walked by continual faith4 ,his
 manhood depended upon ,god1 just as    
ours has to depend upon ,jesus4 ,he     
lived in the continued reception of     
continual strength from above by reason 
of ,his faith1 just as our faith is the 
condition of our reception of ,his      
strength4 ,we are sometimes afraid to   
recognise the fact that the ,man ,jesus1
 who is our pattern in all things1 is   
our pattern in this1 the most special   
and peculiarly human aspect of the      
religious life4 ,but if ,christ was not 
the first of believers1 ,his pattern is 
wofully defective in its adaptation to  
our need4 ,rather let us rejoice in the 
thought that all that great muster-roll 

of the heroes of the faith1 which the   
,epistle to the ,hebrews has been       
dealing with1 have for their            
,leader--though1 chronologically1 ,he   
marches in the centre--,jesus ,christ1  
of whose humanity this is the document  
and proof that ,he says1 in the         
,prophet's words3 ',i will put ,my trust
 in ,him4'  ,remember1 too1 that the    
same ,jesus who is the ,pattern is the  
,object and the ,inspirer of our faith2 
and that if we fulfil the conditions in 
the text now under consideration1       
'looking off' from all others1          
stimulating and beautiful as their      
example may be1 sweet and tender as     
their love may be1 and 'looking unto    
,jesus1' ,he will be in us1 and above   
us--in us to inspire1 and above us to   
receive and to reward our humble        
confidence4  ,so1 dear friends1 it all  
comes to this1 ',follow thou ,me6' ,in  
that commandment all duty is summed1 and
 in obeying it all blessedness and peace
 are ensured4 ,if we will take ,christ  

for our ,captain1 ,he will teach our    
fingers to fight4 ,if we obey ,him we   
shall not want guidance1 and be saved   
from perplexities born of self-will4 ,if
 we keep close to ,him and turn our eyes
 to ,him1 away from all the false and   
fleeting joys and things of earth1 we   
shall not walk in darkness1 howsoever   
earthly lights may be quenched1 but the 
gloomiest path will be illuminated by   
,his presence1 and the roughest made    
smooth by ,his bleeding feet that passed
 along it4 ,if we follow ,him1 ,he will 
lead us down into the dark valley1 and  
up into the blessed sunshine1 where     
participation in ,his own eternal life  
and glory will be salvation4 ,if we     
march in ,his ranks on earth1 then shall
 we    ',with joy upon our heads arise  
,and meet our ,captain in the skies4'   
,,gamaliel',s ,,counsel  ',refrain from 
these men1 and let them alone2 for if   
this counsel or this work be of men1 it 
will come to nought3 #ci4 ,but if it be 
of ,god1 ye cannot overthrow it2 lest   

haply ye be found even to fight against 
,god4'--,,acts v4 #ch1 #ci4  ,the little
 that is known of ,gamaliel seems to    
indicate just such a man as would be    
likely to have given the advice in the  
text4 ,his was a character which1 on its
 good side and by its admirers1 would be
 described as prudent1 wise1 cautious   
and calm1 tolerant1 opposed to          
fanaticism and violence4 ,his position  
as president of the ,sanhedrin1 his long
 experience1 his ,rabbinical training1  
his old age1 and his knowledge that the 
national liberty depended on keeping    
things quiet1 would be very likely to   
exaggerate such tendencies into what his
 enemies would describe as worldly      
shrewdness without a trace of           
enthusiasm1 indifference to truth1 and  
the like4  ,it is1 of course1 possible  
that he bases his counsel of letting the
 followers of ,jesus alone1 on the      
grounds which he adduces1 because he    
knew that reasons more favourable to    
,christians would have had no weight    

with the ,sanhedrin4 ,old ,church       
traditions make him out to have been a  
,christian1 and the earliest ,christian 
romance1 a very singular book1 of which 
the main object was to blacken the      
,apostle ,paul1 roundly asserts that at 
the date of this advice he was 'secretly
 our brother1' and that he remained in  
the ,sanhedrin to further ,christian    
views4 ,but there seems not the         
slightest reason to suppose that4 ,he   
lived and died a ,jew1 spared the sight 
of the destruction of ,jerusalem which1 
according to his own canon in the text1 
would have proved that the system to    
which he had given his life was not of  
,god2 and the only relic of his wisdom  
is a prayer against ,christian heretics4
  ,it is remarkable that he should have 
given this advice2 but two things occur 
to account for it4 ,thus far            
,christianity had been very emphatically
 the preaching of the ,resurrection1 a  
truth which the ,pharisees believed and 
held as especially theirs in opposition 

to the ,sadducees1 and ,gamaliel was old
 and worldly-wise enough to count all as
 his friends who were the enemies of his
 enemies4 ,he was not very particular   
where he looked for allies1 and rather  
shrank from helping ,sadducees to punish
 men whose crime was that they 'preached
 through ,jesus a resurrection from the 
dead4'  ,then the ,jewish rulers had a  
very ticklish part to play4 ,they were  
afraid of any popular shout which might 
bring down the avalanche of ,roman power
 on them1 and they were nervously       
anxious to keep things quiet4 ,so       
,gamaliel did not wish to have any fuss 
made about 'these men1' lest it should  
be supposed that another popular revolt 
was on foot2 and he thought that to let 
them alone was the best way to reduce   
their importance4 ,perhaps1 too1 there  
was a secret hope in the old man's mind1
 which he scarcely ventured to look at  
and dared not speak1 that here might be 
the beginning of a rising which had more
 promise in it than that abortive one   

under ,theudas4 ,he could not venture to
 say this1 but perhaps it made him chary
 of voting for repression4 ,he had no   
objection to let these poor ,galileans  
fling away their lives in storming      
against the barrier of ,rome4 ,if they  
fail1 it is but one more failure4 ,if   
they succeed1 he and his like will say  
that they have done well4 ,but while the
 enterprise is too perilous for him to  
approve or be mixed up in it1 he would  
let it have its chance4  ,note that     
,gamaliel regards the whole movement as 
the probable germ of an uprising against
 ,rome1 as is seen from the parallels   
that he quotes4 ,it is not as a         
religious teaching which is true or     
false1 but as a political agitation1    
that he looks at ,christianity4  ,it is 
to his credit that he stood calm and    
curbed the howling of the fanatics round
 him1 and that he was the first and only
 ,jewish authority who counselled       
abstinence from persecution4  ,it is    
interesting to compare him with ,gallio1

 who had a glimpse of the true relation 
of the civil magistrate to religious    
opinion4 ,gamaliel has a glimpse of the 
truth of the impotence of material force
 against truth1 how it is of a quick and
 spiritual essence1 which cannot be     
cleaved in pieces with a sword1 but     
lives on in spite of all4 ,but while all
 this may be true1 the advice on the    
whole is a low and bad one4 ,it rests on
 false principles2 it takes a false view
 of a man's duty2 it is not wholly      
sincere2 and it is one impossible to be 
carried out4 ,it is singularly in       
accordance with many of the tendencies  
of this age1 and with modes of thought  
and counsels of action which are in     
active operation amongst us to-day1 and 
we may therefore criticise it now4  ,i4 
,here is disbelief professing to be     
'honest doubt4' ,gamaliel professes not 
to have materials for judging4          
',if--if'2 was it a time for 'ifs'8     
,what was that ,sanhedrin there for1 but
 to try precisely such cases as these8  

,they had had the works of ,christ2     
miracles which they had investigated and
 could not disprove2 a life which was   
its own witness2 prophecies fulfilled2  
,his own presence before their bar2 the 
,resurrection and the ,pentecost4  ,i am
 not saying whether these facts were    
enough to have convinced them1 nor even 
whether the alleged miracles were true4 
,all that ,i am concerned with is that1 
so far as we know1 neither ,gamaliel nor
 any of his tribe had ever made the     
slightest attempt to inquire into them1 
but had1 without examination1           
complacently treated them as lies4 ,all 
that body of evidence had been          
absolutely ignored4 ,and now he is1 with
 his 'ifs1' posing as very calm and     
dispassionate4  ,so to-day it is        
fashionable to doubt1 to hang up most of
 the ,christian truths in the category  
of uncertainties4  7a7 ,when that is the
 fashion1 we need to be on our guard4   
7b7 ,if you doubt1 have you ever taken  
the pains to examine8  7c7 ,if you      

doubt1 you are bound to go further1 and 
either reach belief or rejection4 ,doubt
 is not the permanent condition for a   
man4 ,the central truth of ,christianity
 is either to be received or rejected4  
,,ii4 ,here is disbelief masquerading as
 suspension of judgment4  ,gamaliel     
talked as if he did not know1 or had not
 decided in his own mind1 whether the   
disciples' claims for their ,master were
 just or not4 ,but the attitude of      
impartiality and hesitation was the     
cover of rooted unbelief4 ,he speaks as 
if the alternative was that either this 
'counsel and work' was 'of man' or 'of  
,god4' ,but he would have been nearer   
the truth if he had stated the          
antithesis--,god or devil2 a glorious   
truth or a hell-born lie4 ,if ,christ's 
work was not a revelation from above1 it
 was certainly an emanation from        
beneath4  ,we sometimes hear disbelief1 
in our own days1 talking in much the    
same fashion4 ,have we never listened to
 teachers who first of all prove to     

their own satisfaction that ,jesus is a 
myth1 that all the gospel story is      
unreliable1 and all the gospel message a
 dream1 and then turn round and overflow
 in praise of ,him and in admiration of 
it8 ,browning's professor in ,christmas 
,day first of all reduces 'the pearl of 
price' to dust and ashes1 and then      
',bids us1 when we least expect it1     
,take back our faith--if it be not just 
whole1   ,yet a pearl indeed1 as his    
tests affect it4'  ,and that is very    
much the tone of not a few very superior
 persons to-day4 ,but let us have one   
thing or the other--a ,christ who was   
what ,he claimed to be1 the ,incarnate  
,word of ,god1 who died for our sins and
 rose again for our justification2 or a 
,galilean peasant who was either a      
visionary or an impostor1 like ,judas of
 ,galilee and ,theudas4  ,,iii4 ,here is
 success turned into a criterion of     
truth4  ,it is such1 no doubt1 in the   
long run1 but not till then1 and so till
 the end it is utterly false to argue   

that a thing is true because multitudes 
think it to be so4 ,the very opposite is
 more nearly true4 ,it in usually       
minorities who have been right4         
,gamaliel laid down an immoral          
principle1 which is only too popular    
to-day1 in relation to religion and to  
much else4  ,,iv4 ,here is a selfish    
neutrality pretending to be judicial    
calmness4  ,even if it were true that   
success is a criterion1 we have to help 
,god to ensure the success of ,his      
truth4 ,no doubt1 taking sides is very  
inconvenient to a cool1 tolerant man of 
the world4 ,and it is difficult to be in
 a party without becoming a partisan4   
,we know all the beauty of mild1        
tolerant wisdom1 and that truth is      
usually shared between combatants1 but  
the dangers of extremes and exaggeration
 must be faced1 and perhaps these are   
better than the cool indifference of the
 eclectic1 sitting apart1 holding no    
form of creed1 but contemplating all4   
,it is not good for a man to stand aloof

 when his brethren are fighting4  ,in   
every age some great causes which are   
,god's are pressing for decision4 ,in   
many of them we may be disqualified for 
taking sides4 ,but feel that you are    
bound to cast your influence on the side
 which conscience approves1 and bound to
 settle which side that is1 ,deborah's  
fierce curse against ,meroz because its 
people came not up to the help of the   
,lord against the mighty was deserved4  
,but the region in which such judicial  
calmness1 which shrinks from taking its 
side1 is most fatal and sadly common1 is
 in regard to our own individual        
relation to ,jesus1 and in regard to the
 establishment of ,his kingdom among    
men4  ',he that is not with ,me is      
against ,me4' ,neutrality is opposition4
 ,not to gather with ,him is to scatter4
 ,not to choose ,him is to reject ,him4 
,gamaliel had a strange notion of what  
constituted 'refraining from these men  
and letting them alone1' and he betrayed
 his real position and opposition by his

 final counsel to scourge them1 before  
letting them go4 ,that is what the      
world's neutrality comes to4  ,how poor 
a figure this politic ecclesiastic1     
mostly anxious not to commit himself1   
ready to let whoever would risk a       
struggle with ,rome1 so that he kept out
 of the fray and survived to profit by  
it1 cuts beside the disciples1 who had  
chosen their side1 had done with 'ifs1' 
and went away from the ,council         
rejoicing 'that they were counted worthy
 to suffer shame for ,his ,name'6 ,who  
would not rather be ,peter or ,john with
 their bleeding backs than ,gamaliel1   
sitting soft in his presidential chair1 
and too cautious to commit himself to an
 opinion whether the name of ,jesus was 
that of a prophet or a pretender8       
,,filled ,,with ,,the ,,spirit  ',men   
444 full of the ,holy ,ghost and        
wisdom4' 444 ',a man full of faith and  
of the ,holy ,ghost4444' ',stephen1 full
 of faith and power4'--,,acts vi4 #c1   
#e1 #h4  ,i have taken the liberty of   

wrenching these three fragments from    
their context1 because of their         
remarkable parallelism1 which is        
evidently intended to set us thinking of
 the connection of the various          
characteristics which they set forth4   
,the first of them is a description1    
given by the ,apostles1 of the sort of  
man whom they conceived to be fit to    
look after the very homely matter of    
stifling the discontent of some members 
of the ,church1 who thought that their  
poor people did not get their fair share
 of the daily ministration4 ,the second 
and third of them are parts of the      
description of the foremost of these    
seven men1 the martyr ,stephen4 ,in     
regard to the first and second of our   
three fragmentary texts1 you will       
observe that the cause is put first and 
the effect second4 ,the 'deacons' were  
to be men 'full of the ,holy ,ghost1'   
and that would make them 'full of       
wisdom4' ,stephen was 'full of faith1'  
and that made him 'full of the ,holy    

,ghost4' ,probably the same relation    
subsists in the third of our texts1 of  
which the true reading is not1 as it    
appears in our ,authorised ,version1    
'full of faith and power1' but as it is 
given in the ,revised ,version1 'full of
 grace and power4' ,he was filled with  
grace--by which apparently is here meant
 the sum of the divine spiritual        
gifts--and therefore he was full of     
power4 ,whether that is so or not1 if we
 link these three passages together1 as 
,i have taken the liberty of doing1 we  
get a point of view appropriate for such
 a day ,footnote3 ,preached on ,whit    
,sunday4 as this1 when all that calls   
itself ,christendom is commemorating the
 descent of the ,holy ,spirit1 and ,his 
abiding influence upon the ,church4 ,so 
,i simply wish to gather together the   
principles that come out of these three 
verses thus concatenated4  ,i4 ,we may  
all1 if we will1 be full of the ,holy   
,spirit4  ,if there is a ,god at all1   
there is nothing more reasonable than to

 suppose that ,he can come into direct  
contact with the spirits of the men whom
 ,he has made4 ,and if that ,almighty   
,god is not an ,almighty indifference1  
or a pure devil--if ,he is love--then   
there is nothing more certain than that1
 if ,he can touch and influence men's   
hearts towards goodness and ,his own    
likeness1 ,he most certainly will4  ,the
 probability1 which all religion        
recognises1 and in often crude forms    
tries to set forth1 and by superstitious
 acts to secure1 is raised to an        
absolute certainty1 if we believe that  
,jesus ,christ1 the ,incarnate ,truth1  
speaks truth to us about this matter4   
,for there is nothing more certain than 
that the characteristic which           
distinguishes ,him from all other       
teachers1 is to be found not only in the
 fact that ,he did something for us on  
the ,cross1 as well as taught us by ,his
 word2 but that in ,his teaching ,he    
puts in the forefront1 not the          
prescriptions of our duty1 but the      

promise of ,god's gift2 and ever says to
 us1 ',open your hearts and the divine  
influences will flow in and fill you and
 fit you for all goodness4' ,the ,spirit
 of ,god fills the human spirit1 as the 
mysterious influence which we call life 
permeates and animates the whole body1  
or as water lies in a cup4  ,consider   
how that metaphor is caught up1 and from
 a different point of view is confirmed1
 in regard to the completeness which it 
predicates1 by other metaphors of       
,scripture4 ,what is the meaning of the 
,baptist's saying1 ',he shall baptise   
you in the ,holy ,ghost and fire'8 ,does
 that not mean a complete immersion in1 
and submersion under1 the cleansing     
flood8 ,what is the meaning of the      
,master's own saying1 ',tarry ye444 till
 ye be clothed with power from on high'8
 ,does not that mean complete           
investiture of our nakedness with that  
heavenly-woven robe8 ,do not all these  
emblems declare to us the possibility of
 a human spirit being charged to the    

limits of its capacity with a divine    
influence8  ,we do not here discuss     
questions which separate good ,christian
 people from one another in regard of   
this matter4 ,my object now is not to   
lay down theological propositions1 but  
to urge upon ,christian men the         
acquirement of an experience which is   
possible for them4 ,and so1 without     
caring to enter by argument on          
controversial matters1 ,i desire simply 
to lay emphasis upon the plain          
implication of that word1 'filled with  
the ,holy ,ghost4' ,does it mean less   
than the complete subjugation of a man's
 spirit by the influence of ,god's      
,spirit brooding upon him1 as the       
prophet laid himself on the dead child1 
lip to lip1 face to face1 beating heart 
to still heart1 limb to limb1 and so    
diffused a supernatural life into the   
dead8 ,that is an emblem of what all you
 ,christian people may have if you like1
 and if you will adopt the discipline   
and observe the conditions which ,god   

has plainly laid down4  ,that fulness   
will be a growing fulness1 for our      
spirits are capable1 if not of infinite1
 at any rate of indefinite1 expansion1  
and there is no limit known to us1 and  
no limit1 ,i suppose1 which will ever be
 reached1 so that we can go no          
further--to the possible growth of a    
created spirit that is in touch with    
,god1 and is having itself enlarged and 
elevated and ennobled by that contact4  
,the vessel is elastic1 the walls of the
 cup of our spirit1 into which the new  
wine of the divine ,spirit is poured1   
widen out as the draught is poured into 
them4 ,the more a man possesses and uses
 of the life of ,god1 the more is he    
capable of possessing and the more he   
will receive4 ,so a continuous expansion
 in capacity1 and a continuous increase 
in the amount of the divine life        
possessed1 are held out as the happy    
prerogative and possibility of a        
,christian soul4  ,this ,stephen had but
 a very small amount of the clear       

,christian knowledge that you and ,i    
have1 but he was leagues ahead of most  
,christian people in regard to this1    
that he was 'filled with the ,holy      
,spirit4' ,brethren1 you can have as    
much of that ,spirit as you want4 ,it is
 my own fault if my ,christian life is  
not what the ,christian lives of some of
 us1 ,i doubt not1 are4 ',filled with   
the ,holy ,spirit'6 rather a little drop
 in the bottom of the cup1 and all the  
rest gaping emptiness2 rather the fire  
died down1 ,pentecostal fire though it  
be1 until there is scarcely anything but
 a heap of black cinders and grey ashes 
in your grate1 and a little sandwich of 
flickering flame in one corner2 rather  
the rushing mighty wind died down into  
all but a dead calm1 like that which    
afflicts sailing-ships in the equatorial
 regions1 when the thick air is deadly  
still1 and the empty sails have not     
strength even to flap upon the masts2   
rather the 'river of the water of life' 
that pours 'out of the throne of ,god1  

and of the ,lamb1' dried up into a      
driblet4  ,that is the condition of many
 ,christian people4 ,i say not of which 
of us4 ,let each man settle for himself 
how that may be4 ,at all events here is 
the possibility1 which may be realised  
with increasing completeness all through
 a ,christian man's life4 ,we may be    
filled with the ,holy ,spirit4  ,,ii4   
,if we are 'full of faith' we shall be  
filled with the ,spirit4  ,that is the  
condition as suggested by one of our    
texts--'a man full of faith1' and       
therefore 'of the ,holy ,ghost4' ,now1  
of course1 ,i believe1 as ,i suppose all
 people who have made any experience of 
their own hearts must believe1 that     
before a soul exercises confidence in   
,jesus ,christ1 and passes into the     
household of faith1 there have been     
playing upon it the influences of that  
divine ,comforter whose first mission is
 to 'convince the world of sin4' ,but   
between such operations as these1 which 
,i believe are universally diffused1    

wheresoever the ,word of ,god and the   
message of salvation are                
proclaimed--between such operations as  
these1 and those to which ,i now refer1 
whereby the divine ,spirit not only     
operates upon1 but dwells in1 a man's   
heart1 and not only brings conviction to
 the world of sin1 there is a wide gulf 
fixed2 and for all the hallowing1       
sanctifying1 illuminating and           
strength-giving operations of that      
divine ,spirit1 the pre-requisite       
condition is our trust4 ,jesus ,christ  
taught us so1 in more than one          
utterance1 and ,his ,apostle1 in        
commenting on one of the most remarkable
 of ,his sayings on this subject1 says1 
',this spake ,he concerning the ,holy   
,spirit which they that believed in ,him
 were to receive4' ,faith is the        
condition of receiving that divine      
influence4 ,but what kind of faith8     
,well1 let us put away theological      
words4 ,if you do not believe that there
 is any such influence to be got1 you   

will not get it4 ,if you do not want it1
 you will not get it4 ,if you do not    
expect it1 you will not get it4 ,if     
professing to believe it1 and to wish   
it1 and to look for it1 you are behaving
 yourself in such a way as to show that 
you do not really desire it1 you will   
never get it4 ,it is all very well to   
talk about faith as the condition of    
receiving that divine ,spirit4 ,do not  
let us lose ourselves in the word1 but  
try to translate the somewhat threadbare
 expression1 which by reason of its     
familiarity produces little effect upon 
some of us1 and to turn it into         
non-theological ,english4 ,it just comes
 to this1--if we are simply trusting    
ourselves to ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1  
and if in that trust we do believe in   
the possibility of even our being filled
 with the divine ,spirit1 and if that   
possibility lights up a leaping flame of
 desire in our hearts which aspires     
towards the possession of such a gift1  
and if belief that our reception of that

 gift is possible because we trust      
ourselves to ,jesus ,christ1 and longing
 that we may receive it1 combine to     
produce the confident expectation that  
we shall1 and if all of these combine to
 produce conduct which neither quenches 
nor grieves that divine ,guest1 then1   
and only then1 shall we indeed be filled
 with the ,spirit4  ,i know of no other 
way by which a man can receive ,god into
 his heart than by opening his heart for
 ,god to come in4 ,i know of no other   
way by which a man can woo--if ,i may so
 say--the ,divine ,lover to enter into  
his spirit than by longing that ,he     
would come1 waiting for ,his coming1    
expecting it1 and being supremely       
blessed in the thought that such a union
 is possible4 ,faith1 that is trust1    
with its appropriate and necessary      
sequels of desire and expectation and   
obedience1 is the completing of the     
electric circuit1 and after it the spark
 is sure to come4 ,it is the opening of 
the windows1 after which sunshine cannot

 but flood the chamber4 ,it is the      
stretching out of the hand1 and no man  
that ever1 with love and longing1 lifted
 an empty hand to ,god1 dropped it still
 empty4 ,and no man who1 with penitence 
for his own act1 and trust in the divine
 act1 lifted blood-stained and foul     
hands to ,god1 ever held them up there  
without the gory patches melting away1  
and becoming white as snow4 ,not 'all   
the perfumes of ,araby' can sweeten     
those bloody hands4 ,lift them up to    
,god1 and they become pure4 ,whosoever  
wishes that he may1 and believes that he
 shall1 receive from ,christ the fulness
 of the ,spirit1 will not be            
disappointed4 ,brethren1 ',ye have not  
because ye ask not4' ',if ye1 being     
evil1 know how to give good gifts to    
your children1' shall not 'your         
,heavenly ,father give the ,holy ,spirit
 to them that ask ,him8'  ,,iii4        
,lastly1 if we are filled with the      
,spirit we shall be 'full of wisdom1    
grace1 and power4'  ,the ,apostles      

seemed to think that it was a very      
important business to look after a      
handful of poor widows1 and see that    
they had their fair share in the        
dispensing of the modest charity of the 
half-pauper ,jerusalem church1 when they
 said that for such a purely secular    
thing as that a man would need to be    
'full of the ,holy ,ghost and wisdom4'  
,surely1 something a little less august 
might have served their turn to qualify 
men for such a task6 ',wisdom' here1 ,i 
suppose1 means practical sagacity1      
common sense1 the power of picking out  
an impostor when she came whining for a 
dole4 ,very commonplace virtues6--but   
the ,apostles evidently thought that    
such everyday operations of the         
understanding as these were not too     
secular and commonplace to owe their    
origin to the communication to men of   
the fulness of the ,holy ,spirit4  ,may 
we not take a lesson from that1 that    
,god's great influences1 when they come 
into a man1 do not concern themselves   

only with great intellectual problems   
and the like1 but that they will operate
 to make him more fit to do the most    
secular and the most trivial things that
 can be put into his hand to do8 ,the   
,holy ,ghost had to fill ,stephen before
 he could hand out loaves and money to  
the widows in ,jerusalem4  ,and do you  
not think that your day's work1 and your
 business perplexities1 come under the  
same category8 ,perhaps the best way to 
secure understanding of what we ought to
 do1 in regard to very small and secular
 matters1 is to keep ourselves very near
 to ,god1 with the windows of our hearts
 opened towards ,jerusalem1 that all the
 guidance and light that can come from  
,him may come into us4 ,depend upon it1 
unless we have ,god's guidance in the   
trivialities of life1 ninety per cent41 
ay6 and more1 of our lives will be      
without ,god's guidance2 because        
trivialities make up life4 ,and unless  
my ,father in heaven can guide me about 
what we1 very mistakenly1 call 'secular'

 things1 and what we very vulgarly call 
trivial things1 ,his guidance is not    
worth much4 ,the ,holy ,ghost will give 
you wisdom for to-morrow1 and all its   
little cares1 as well as for the higher 
things1 of which ,i am not going to     
speak now1 because they do not come     
within my text4  ',full of grace1'--that
 is a wide word1 as ,i take it4 ,if1 by 
our faith1 we have brought into our     
hearts that divine influence1 the       
,spirit of ,god does not come           
empty-handed1 but ,he communicates to us
 whatsoever things are lovely and of    
good report1 whatsoever things are fair 
and honourable1 whatsoever things in the
 eyes of men are worthy to be praised1  
and by the tongues of men have been     
called virtue4 ,these things will all be
 given to us step by step1 not without  
our own diligent co-operation1 by that  
divine ,giver4 ,effort without faith1   
and faith without effort1 are equally   
incomplete1 and the co-operation of the 
two is that which is blessed by ,god4   

,then the things which are 'gracious1'  
that is to say1 given by ,his love1 and 
also gracious in the sense of partaking 
of the celestial beauty which belongs to
 all virtue1 and to all likeness in     
character to ,god1 these things will    
give us a strange1 supernatural power   
amongst men4 ,the word is employed in my
 third text1 ,i presume1 in its narrow  
sense of miracle-working power1 but we  
may fairly widen it to something much   
more than that4 ,our ,lord once said1   
when ,he was speaking about the gift of 
the ,holy ,spirit1 that there were two  
stages in its operation4 ,in the first1 
it availed for the refreshment and the  
satisfying of the desires of the        
individual2 in the second it became1 by 
the ministration of that individual1 a  
source of blessing to others4 ,he said1 
',if any man thirst1 let him come to ,me
 and drink1' and then1 immediately1 ',he
 that believeth on ,me1 out of his belly
 shall flow rivers of living water4'    
,that is to say1 whoever lives in touch 

with ,god1 having that divine ,spirit in
 his heart1 will walk amongst men the   
wielder of an unmistakable power1 and   
will be able to bear witness to ,god1   
and move men's hearts1 and draw them to 
goodness and truth4 ,the only power for 
,christian service is the power that    
comes from being clothed with ,god's    
,spirit4 ,the only power for            
self-government is the power that comes 
from being clothed with ,god's ,spirit4 
,the only power which will keep us in   
the way that leads to life1 and will    
bring us at last to the rest and the    
reward1 is the power that comes from    
being clothed with ,god's ,spirit4  ,i  
am charged to all who hear me now with  
this message4 ,here is a gift offered to
 you4 ,you cannot pare and batter at    
your own characters so as to make them  
what will satisfy your own consciences1 
still less what will satisfy the just   
judgment of ,god2 but you can put       
yourself under the moulding influences  
of ,christ's love4 ,dear brethren1 the  

one hope for dead humanity1 the bones   
very many and very dry1 is that from the
 four winds there should come the breath
 of ,god1 and breathe in them1 and they 
shall live1 'an exceeding great army4'  
,forget all else that ,i have been      
saying now1 if you like1 but take these 
two sentences to your hearts1 and do not
 rest till they express your own        
personal experience2 ,if ,i am to be    
good ,i must have ,god's ,spirit within 
me4 ,if ,i am to have ,god's ,spirit    
within me1 ,i must be 'full of faith4'  
,,stephen',s ,,vision  ',behold1 ,i see 
the heavens opened1 and the ,son of man 
standing on the right hand of           
,god'--,,acts vii4 #ef4  ,i4 ,the vision
 of the ,son of ,man1 or the abiding    
manhood of ,jesus4  ,stephen's ,greek   
name1 and his belonging to the          
,hellenistic part of the ,church1 make  
it probable that he had never seen      
,jesus during ,his earthly life4 ,if so1
 how beautiful that he should thus see  
and recognise ,him6 ,how significant1 in

 any case1 is it he should instinctively
 have taken on his lips that name1 'the 
,son of ,man1' to designate ,him whom he
 saw1 through the opened heavens1       
standing on the right hand of ,god6 ,we 
remember that in the same               
,council-chamber and before the same    
court1 ,jesus had lashed the rulers into
 a paroxysm of fury by declaring1       
',hereafter ye shall see the ,son of    
,man sitting at the right hand of       
power1' and now here is one of ,his     
followers1 almost1 as it were1 flinging 
in their teeth the words which they had 
called 'blasphemy1' and witnessing that 
he1 at all events1 saw their partial    
fulfilment4 ,they saw only the roof of  
the chamber1 or1 if the ,council met in 
the open court of the ,temple1 the      
quivering blue of the ,syrian sky2 but  
to him the blue was parted1 and a       
brighter light than that of its lustre  
was flashed upon his inward eye4 ,his   
words roused them to an even wilder     
outburst than those of ,jesus had set   

loose1 and with yells of fury1 and      
stopping their ears that they might not 
hear the blasphemy1 they flung          
themselves on him1 unresisting1 and     
dragged him to his doom4 ,their passion 
is a measure of the preciousness to the 
,christian consciousness of that which  
,stephen saw1 and said that he saw4     
,whatever more the great designation1   
',son of ,man1' means1 it unmistakably  
means the embodiment of perfect manhood4
 ,stephen's vision swept into his soul1 
as on a mighty wave1 the fact1          
overwhelming if it had not been so      
transcendently strengthening to the     
sorely bestead prisoner1 that the ,jesus
 whom he had trusted unseen1 was still  
the same ,jesus that ,he had been 'in   
the days of ,his flesh1' and1 with      
whatever changes1 still was 'found in   
fashion as a man4' ,he still 'bent on   
earth a brother's eye4' ,whatever ,he   
had dropped from ,him as ,he ascended1  
,his manhood had not fallen away1 and1  
whatever changes had taken place in ,his

 body so as to fit it for its           
enthronement in the heavens1 all that   
had knit ,him to ,his humble friends on 
earth was still ,his4 ,the bonds that   
united ,him and them had not been       
snapped by being stretched to span the  
distance between the ,council-chamber   
and the right hand of ,god4 ,his        
sympathy still continued4 ,all that had 
won their hearts was still in ,him1 and 
every tender remembrance of ,his love   
and leading was transformed into the    
assurance of a present possession4 ,he  
was still the ,son of ,man4  ,we are all
 too apt to feel as if the manhood of   
,jesus was now but a memory1 and1 though
 our creed affirms the contrary1 yet our
 faith has difficulty in realising the  
full force and blessedness of its       
affirmations4 ,for the ,resurrection and
 ,ascension seem to remove ,him from    
close contact with us1 and sometimes we 
feel as if we stretch out groping       
fingers into the dark and find no warm  
human hand to grasp4 ,his exaltation    

seems to withdraw ,him from our         
brotherhood1 and the cloud1 though it is
 a cloud of glory1 sometimes seems to   
hide ,him from our sight4 ,the          
thickening veil of increasing centuries 
becomes more and more difficult for     
faith to pierce4 ,what ,stephen saw was 
not for him only but for us all1 and its
 significance becomes more and more     
precious as we drift further and further
 away in time from the days of the life 
of ,jesus on earth4 ,more and more do we
 need to make very visible to ourselves 
this vision1 and to lay on our hearts   
the strong consolation of gazing        
steadfastly into heaven and seeing there
 the ,son of ,man4 ,so we shall feel    
that ,he is all to us that ,he was to   
those who companied with ,him here4 ,so 
shall we be more ready to believe that  
'this same ,jesus shall so come in like 
manner as ,he went1' and that till ,he  
come1 ,he is knit to us and we to ,him1 
by the bonds of a common manhood4  ,,ii4
 ,the vision of the ,son of ,man at the 

right hand of ,god1 or the glory of the 
,man ,jesus4  ,we will not discuss      
curious questions which may be asked in 
connection with ,stephen's vision1 such 
as whether the glorified humanity of    
,jesus implies ,his special presence in 
a locality2 but will rather try to grasp
 its bearings on topics more directly   
related to more important matters than  
dim speculations on points concerning   
which confident affirmations are sure to
 be wrong4 ,whether the representation  
implies locality or not1 it is clear    
that the deepest meaning of the         
expression 'the right hand of ,god1' is 
the energy of ,his unlimited power1 and 
that1 therefore1 the deepest meaning of 
the expression 'to be at ,his right     
hand1' is wielding the might of the     
divine ,omnipotence4 ,the vision is but 
the visible confirmation of ,jesus'     
words1 ',all power is given unto ,me in 
heaven and on earth4'  ,it is to be     
taken into account that ,scripture      
usually represents the ,christ as seated

 at the right hand of ,god1 and that    
posture1 taken in conjunction with that 
place1 indicates the completion of ,his 
work1 the majestic calm of ,his repose1 
like that creative rest1 which did not  
follow the creative work because the    
,worker was weary1 but because ,he had  
fulfilled ,his ideal4 ,god rested       
because ,his work was finished1 and was 
'very good4' ,so ,jesus sits1 because   
,he1 too1 has finished ,his work on     
earth4 ',when1' and because ',he had by 
,himself purged our sins1 ,he sat down  
on the right hand of ,god4'  ,further1  
that place at the right hand of ,god    
certifies that ,he is the ,judge4       
,further1 it is a blessed vision for    
,his children1 as being the sure pledge 
of their glory4  ,it is a glorious      
revelation of the capabilities of       
sinless human nature4  ,it makes heaven 
habitable for us4  ',i go to prepare a  
place for you4' ,an emigrant does not   
feel a stranger in new country1 if his  
elder brother has gone before him1 and  

waits to meet him when he lands4 ,the   
presence of ,jesus makes that dim1      
heavenly state1 which is so hard to     
imagine1 and from which we often feel   
that even its glories repel1 or1 at     
least1 do not attract1 home to those who
 love ,him4 ,to be where ,he is1 and to 
be as ,he is--that is heaven4  ,,iii4   
,the vision of the ,son of ,man standing
 at the right hand of ,god1 or the      
ever-ready help of the glorified ,jesus4
  ,the divergence of the vision from the
 usual representation of the attitude of
 ,jesus is not the least precious of its
 elements4 ,stephen saw ,him 'standing1'
 as if ,he had risen to ,his feet to see
 ,his servant's need and was preparing  
to come to his help4  ,what a rush of   
new strength for victorious endurance   
would flood ,stephen's soul as he beheld
 his ,lord thus1 as it were1 starting to
 ,his feet in eagerness to watch and to 
succour6 ,he looks down from amid the   
glory1 and ,his calm repose does not    
involve passive indifference to ,his    

servant's sufferings4 ,into it comes    
full knowledge of all that they bear for
 ,him1 and ,his rest is not the negation
 of activity on their behalf1 but its   
intensest energy4 ,just as one of the   
,gospels ends with a twofold picture1   
which at first sight seems to draw a sad
 distinction between the ,lord 'received
 up into heaven and set down at the     
right hand of ,god1' and ,his servants  
left below1 who 'went everywhere1       
preaching the word1' but of which the   
two halves are fused together by the    
next words1 'the ,lord also working with
 them1' so ,stephen's vision brought    
together the glorified ,lord and ,his   
servant1 and filled the martyr's soul   
with the fact that ,he not only         
'worked1' but suffered with those who   
suffered for ,his sake4  ,that vision is
 a transient revelation of an eternal   
fact4 ,jesus knows and shares in all    
that affects ,his servants4 ,he stands  
in the attitude to help1 and ,he wields 
the power of ,god4 ,he is1 as the       

prophet puts it1 'the ,arm of the       
,lord1' and the cry1 ',awake1 ,o ,arm of
 the ,lord6' is never unanswered4 ,he   
helps ,his servants by actually         
directing the course of ,providence for 
their sakes4 ,he helps by wielding the  
forces of nature on their behalf4 ,he   
'rebukes kings for their sake1 saying1  
,touch not ,mine anointed1 and do ,my   
prophets no harm4' ,he helps by         
breathing ,his own life and strength    
into them4 ,he helps by disclosing to   
them the vision of ,himself4 ,he helps  
even when1 like ,stephen1 they are      
apparently left to the murderous hate of
 their enemies1 for what better help    
could any of ,his followers get from    
,him than that ,he should1 as ,stephen  
prayed that ,he would1 receive their    
spirit1 and 'so give ,his beloved       
sleep'8 ,blessed they whose lives are   
lighted by that ,vision1 and whose      
deaths are such a falling on sleep6     
,,the ,,young ,,saul ,,and ,,the ,,aged 
,,paul ,footnote3 ,to the young4        

'444the witnesses laid down their       
clothes at a young man's feet1 whose    
name was ,saul4'--,,acts vii4 #eh4      
'444,paul the aged1 and now also a      
prisoner of ,jesus ,christ4'--,,philemon
 #i4  ,a far greater difference than    
that which was measured by years        
separated the young ,saul from the aged 
,paul4 ,by years1 indeed1 the difference
 was1 perhaps1 not so great as the words
 might suggest1 for ,jewish usage       
extended the term of youth farther than 
we do1 and began age sooner4 ,no doubt1 
too1 ,paul's life had aged him fast1 and
 probably there were not thirty years   
between the two periods4 ,but the       
difference between him and himself at   
the beginning and the end of his career 
was a gulf2 and his life was not        
evolution1 but revolution4  ,at the     
beginning you see a brilliant young     
,pharisee1 ,gamaliel's promising pupil1 
advanced above many who were his equals 
in his own religion1 as he says himself2
 living after its straitest sect1 and   

eager to have the smallest part in what 
seemed to him the righteous slaying of  
one of the followers of the blaspheming 
,nazarene4 ,at the end he was himself   
one of these followers4 ,he had cast    
off1 as folly1 the wisdom which took him
 so much pains to acquire4 ,he had      
turned his back upon all the brilliant  
prospects of distinction which were     
opening to him4 ,he had broken with     
countrymen and kindred4 ,and what had he
 made of it8 ,he had been persecuted1   
hunted1 assailed by every weapon that   
his old companions could fashion or     
wield2 he is a solitary man1 laden with 
many cares1 and accustomed to look      
perils and death in the face2 he is a   
prisoner1 and in a year or two more he  
will be a martyr4 ,if he were an        
apostate and a renegade1 it was not for 
what he could get by it4  ,what made the
 change8 ,the vision of ,jesus ,christ4 
,if we think of the transformation on   
,saul1 its causes and its outcome1 we   
shall get lessons which ,i would fain   

press upon your hearts now4 ,do you     
wonder that ,i would urge on you just   
such a life as that of this man as your 
highest good8  ,i4 ,i would note1 then1 
first1 that faith in ,jesus ,christ will
 transform and ennoble any life4  ,it   
has been customary of late years1       
amongst people who do not like miracles1
 and do not believe in sudden changes of
 character1 to allege that ,paul's      
conversion was but the appearance1 on   
the surface1 of an underground process  
that had been going on ever since he    
kept the witnesses' clothes4 ,modern    
critics know a great deal more about the
 history of ,paul's conversion than     
,paul did4 ,for to him there was no     
consciousness of undermining1 but the   
change was instantaneous4 ,he left      
,jerusalem a bitter persecutor1         
exceeding mad against the followers of  
the ,nazarene1 thinking that ,jesus was 
a blasphemer and an impostor1 and ,his  
disciples pestilent vermin1 to be       
harried off the face of the earth4 ,he  

entered ,damascus a lowly disciple of   
that ,christ4 ,his conversion was not an
 underground process that had been      
silently sapping the foundations of his 
life2 it was an explosion4 ,and what    
caused it8 ,what was it that came on    
that day on the ,damascus road1 amid the
 blinding sunshine of an ,eastern       
noontide8 ,the vision of ,jesus ,christ4
 ,an overwhelming conviction flooded his
 soul that ,he whom he had taken to be  
an impostor1 richly deserving the ,cross
 that ,he endured1 was living in glory1 
and was revealing ,himself to ,saul then
 and there4 ,that truth crumbled his    
whole past into nothing2 and he stood   
there trembling and astonished1 like a  
man the ruins of whose house have fallen
 about his ears4 ,he bowed himself to   
the vision4 ,he surrendered at          
discretion without a struggle4          
',immediately1' says he1 ',i was not    
disobedient to the heavenly vision1' and
 when he said ',lord1 ,lord1 what wilt  
,thou have me to do8' he flung open the 

gates of the fortress for the ,conqueror
 to come in4 ,the vision of ,christ     
reversed his judgments1 transformed his 
character1 revolutionised his life4     
,that initial impulse operated through  
all the rest of his career4 ,hearken to 
him3 ',i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ  
liveth in me4 ,to me to live is ,christ4
 ,whether we live1 we live unto the     
,lord2 or whether we die1 we die unto   
the ,lord4 ,living or dying1 we are the 
,lord's4' ',we labour that whether      
present or absent1 we may be accepted of
 ,him4' ,the transforming agency was the
 vision of ,christ1 and the bowing of   
the man's whole nature before the seen  
,saviour4  ,need ,i recall to you how   
noble a life issued from that fountain8 
,i am sure that ,i need do no more than 
mention in a word or two the wondrous   
activity1 flashing like a flame of fire 
from ,east to ,west1 and everywhere     
kindling answering flames1 the noble    
self-oblivion1 the continual communion  
with ,god and the ,unseen1 and all the  

other great virtues and nobleness which 
came from such sources as these4 ,i need
 only1 ,i am sure1 remind you of them1  
and draw this lesson1 that the secret of
 a transforming and noble life is to be 
found in faith in ,jesus ,christ4 ,the  
vision that changed ,paul is as         
available for you and me4 ,for it is all
 a mistake to suppose that the essence  
of it is the miraculous appearance that 
flashed upon the ,apostle's eyes4 ,he   
speaks of it himself1 in one of his     
letters1 in other language1 when he     
says1 ',it pleased ,god to reveal ,his  
,son in me4' ,and that revelation in all
 its fulness1 in all its sweetness1 in  
all its transforming and ennobling      
power1 is offered to every one of us4   
,for the eye of faith is no less gifted 
with the power of direct and certain    
vision--yea6 is even more gifted with   
this--than is the eye of sense4 ',if    
they hear not ,moses and the prophets1  
neither will they be persuaded though   
one rose from the dead4' ,christ is     

revealed to each one of us as really1 as
 veritably1 and the revelation may      
become as strong an impulse and motive  
in our lives as ever it was to the      
,apostle on the ,damascus road4 ,what is
 wanted is not revelation1 but the bowed
 will--not the heavenly vision1 but     
obedience to the vision4 ,i suppose that
 most of you think that you believe all 
that about ,jesus ,christ1 which        
transformed ,gamaliel's pupil into      
,christ's disciple4 ,and what has it    
done for you8 ,in many cases1 nothing4  
,be sure of this1 dear young friends1   
that the shortest way to a life adorned 
with all grace1 with all nobility1      
fragrant with all goodness1 and         
permanent as that life which does the   
will of ,god must clearly be1 is this1  
to bow before the seen ,christ1 seen in 
,his word1 and speaking to your hearts1 
and to take ,his yoke and carry ,his    
burden4 ,then you will build upon what  
will stand1 and make your days noble and
 your lives stable4 ,if you build on    

anything else1 the structure will come  
down with a crash some day1 and bury you
 in its ruins4 ,surely it is better to  
learn the worthlessness of a            
non-,christian life1 in the light of    
,his merciful face1 when there is yet   
time to change our course1 than to see  
it by the fierce light of the great     
,white ,throne set for judgment4 ,we    
must each of us learn it here or there4 
,,ii4 ,faith in ,christ will make a     
joyful life1 whatever its circumstances4
  ,i have said that1 judged by the      
standard of the ,exchange1 or by any of 
the standards which men usually apply to
 success in life1 this life of the      
,apostle was a failure4 ,we know1       
without my dwelling more largely upon   
it1 what he gave up4 ,we know what1 to  
outward appearance1 he gained by his    
,christianity4 ,you remember1 perhaps1  
how he himself speaks about the external
 aspects of his life in one place1 where
 he says ',even unto this present hour  
we both hunger and thirst1 and are      

naked1 and are buffeted1 and have no    
certain dwelling-place1 and labour1     
working with our own hands4 ,being      
reviled1 we bless2 being persecuted1 we 
suffer it2 being defamed1 we entreat4   
,we are made as the filth of the world1 
and as the offscouring of all things    
unto this day4'  ,that was one side of  
it4 ,was that all8 ,this man had that   
within him which enabled him to triumph 
over all trials4 ,there is nothing more 
remarkable about him than the undaunted 
courage1 the unimpaired elasticity of   
spirit1 the buoyancy of gladness1 which 
bore him high upon the waves of the     
troubled sea in which he had to swim4   
,if ever there was a man that had a     
bright light burning within him1 in the 
deepest darkness1 it was that little    
weather-beaten ,jew1 whose 'bodily      
presence was weak1 and his speech       
contemptible4' ,and what was it that    
made him master of circumstances1 and   
enabled him to keep sunshine in his     
heart when winter bound all the world   

around him8 ,what made this bird sing in
 a darkened cage8 ,one thing--the       
continual presence1 consciously with    
,him by faith1 of that ,christ who had  
revolutionised his life1 and who        
continued to bless and to gladden it4 ,i
 have quoted his description of his     
external condition4 ,let me quote two or
 three words that indicate how he took  
all that sea of troubles and of sorrows 
that poured its waves and its billows   
over him4 ',in all these things we are  
more than conquerors through ,him that  
loved us4' ',as the sufferings of       
,christ abound in us1 so our consolation
 aboundeth also by ,christ4' ',for which
 cause we faint not1 but though our     
outward man perish1 yet our inward man  
is renewed day by day4' ',most gladly   
therefore will ,i rather glory in my    
infirmities1 that the power of ,christ  
may rest upon me4' ',i have learned in  
whatsoever state ,i am therewith to be  
content4' ',as sorrowful1 yet always    
rejoicing2 as poor1 yet making many     

rich2 as having nothing1 yet possessing 
all things4'  ,there is the secret of   
blessedness1 my friends2 there is the   
fountain of perpetual joy4 ,cling to    
,christ1 set ,his will on the throne of 
your hearts1 give the reins of your life
 and of your character into ,his        
keeping1 and nothing 'that is at enmity 
with joy' can either 'abolish or        
destroy' the calm blessedness of your   
spirits4  ,you will have much to suffer2
 you will have something to give up4    
,your life may look1 to men whose tastes
 have been vulgarised by the glaring    
brightnesses of this vulgar world1 but  
grey and sombre1 but it will have in it 
the calm abiding blessedness which is   
more than joy1 and is diviner and more  
precious than the tumultuous transports 
of gratified sense or successful        
ambition4 ,christ is peace1 and ,he     
gives ,his peace to us2 and then ,he    
gives a joy which does not break but    
enhances peace4 ,we are all tempted to  
look for our gladness in creatures1 each

 of which satisfies but a part of our   
desire4 ,but no man can be truly blessed
 who has to find many contributories to 
make up his blessedness4 ,that which    
makes us rich must be1 not a multitude  
of precious stones1 howsoever precious  
they may be1 but one ,pearl of great    
price2 the one ,christ who is our only  
joy4 ,and ,he says to us that ,he gives 
us ,himself1 if we behold ,him and bow  
to ,him1 that ,his joy might remain in  
us1 and that our joy might be full1     
while all other gladnesses are partial  
and transitory4 ,faith in ,christ makes 
life blessed4 ,the writer of            
,ecclesiastes asked the question which  
the world has been asking ever since3   
',who knoweth what is good for a man in 
this life1 all the days of this vain    
life which he passeth as a shadow8' ,you
 young people are asking1 ',who will    
show us any good8' ,here is the         
answer--,faith in ,christ and obedience 
to ,him2 that is the good part which no 
man taketh from us4 ,dear young friend1 

have you made it yours8  ,,iii4 ,faith  
in ,christ produces a life which bears  
being looked back upon4  ,in a later    
,epistle than that from which my second 
text is taken1 we get one of the most   
lovely pictures that was ever drawn1    
albeit it is unconsciously drawn1 of a  
calm old age1 very near the gate of     
death2 and looking back with a quiet    
heart over all the path of life4 ,i am  
not going to preach to you1 dear        
friends1 in the flush of your early     
youth1 a gospel which is only to be     
recommended because it is good to die   
by1 but it will do even you1 at the     
beginning1 no harm to realise for a     
moment that the end will come1 and that 
retrospect will take the place in your  
lives which hope and anticipation fill  
now4 ,and ,i ask you what you expect to 
feel and say then8  ,what did ,paul say8
 ',i have fought the good fight1 ,i have
 finished my course1 ,i have kept the   
faith3 henceforth there is laid up for  
me a crown of righteousness4' ,he was   

not self-righteous2 but it is possible  
to have lived a life which1 as the world
 begins to fade1 vindicates itself as   
having been absolutely right in its main
 trend1 and to feel that the dawning    
light of ,eternity confirms the choice  
that we made4 ,and ,i pray you to ask   
yourselves1 ',is my life of that sort8' 
,how much of it would bear the scrutiny 
which will have to come1 and which in   
,paul's case was so quiet and calm8 ,he 
had had a stormy day1 many a            
thundercloud had darkened the sky1 many 
a tempest had swept across the plain2   
but now1 as the evening draws on1 the   
whole ,west is filled with a calm amber 
light1 and all across the plain1 right  
away to the grey ,east1 he sees that he 
has been led by1 and has been willing to
 walk in1 the right way to the ',city of
 habitation4' ,would that be your       
experience if the last moment came now8 
,there will be1 for the best of us1 much
 sense of failure and shortcoming when  
we look back on our lives4 ,but whilst  

some of us will have to say1 ',i have   
played the fool and erred exceedingly1' 
it is possible for each of us to lay    
himself down in peace and sleep1        
awaiting a glorious rising again and a  
crown of righteousness4  ,dear young    
friends1 it is for you to choose whether
 your past1 when you summon it up before
 you1 will look like a wasted           
wilderness1 or like a garden of the     
,lord4 ,and though1 as ,i have said1    
there will always be much sense of      
failure and shortcoming1 yet that need  
not disturb the calm retrospect2 for    
whilst memory sees the sins1 faith can  
grasp the ,saviour1 and quietly take    
leave of life1 saying1 ',i know in whom 
,i have believed1 and that ,he is able  
to keep that which ,i have committed to 
,him against that day4'  ,so ,i press   
upon you all this one truth1 that faith 
in ,jesus ,christ will transform1 will  
ennoble1 will make joyous your lives    
whilst you live1 and will give you a    
quiet heart in the retrospect when you  

come to die4 ,begin right1 dear young   
friends4 ,you will never find it so easy
 to take any decisive step1 and most of 
all this chiefest step1 as you do       
to-day4 ,you will get lean and less     
flexible as you get older4 ,you will get
 set in your ways4 ,habits will twine   
their tendrils round you1 and hinder    
your free movement4 ,the truth of the   
,gospel will become commonplace by      
familiarity4 ,associations and          
companions will have more and more power
 over you2 and you will be stiffened as 
an old tree-trunk is stiffened4 ,you    
cannot count on to-morrow2 be wise      
to-day4 ,begin this year aright4 ,why   
should you not now see the ,christ and  
welcome ,him8 ,i pray that every one of 
us may behold ,him and fall before ,him 
with the cry1 ',lord6 what wilt ,thou   
have me to do8'    ,,the ,,death ,,of   
,,the ,,master ,,and ,,the ,,death ,,of 
,,the ,,servant   ',and they stoned     
,stephen1 calling upon ,god1 and saying1
 ,lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit4 #fj4  

,and he kneeled down1 and cried with a  
loud voice1 ,lord1 lay not this sin to  
their charge4 ,and1 when he had said    
this1 he fell asleep4'--,,acts vii4 #ei1
 #fj4  ,this is the only narrative in   
the ,new ,testament of a ,christian     
martyrdom or death4 ,as a rule1         
,scripture is supremely indifferent to  
what becomes of the people with whom it 
is for a time concerned4 ,as long as the
 man is the organ of the divine ,spirit 
he is somewhat2 as soon as that ceases  
to speak through him he drops into      
insignificance4 ,so this same ,acts of  
the ,apostles--if ,i may so say--kills  
off ,james the brother of ,john in a    
parenthesis2 and his is the only other  
martyrdom that it concerns itself even  
so much as to mention4  ,why1 then1 this
 exceptional detail about the martyrdom 
of ,stephen8 ,for two reasons3 because  
it is the first of a series1 and the    
,acts of the ,apostles always dilates   
upon the first of each set of things    
which it describes1 and condenses about 

the others4 ,but more especially1 ,i    
think1 because if we come to look at the
 story1 it is not so much an account of 
,stephen's death as of ,christ's power  
in ,stephen's death4 ,and the theme of  
this book is not the acts of the        
,apostles1 but the acts of the risen    
,lord1 in and for ,his ,church4  ,there 
is no doubt but that this narrative is  
modelled upon the story of our ,lord's  
,crucifixion1 and the two incidents1 in 
their similarities and in their         
differences1 throw a flood of light upon
 one another4  ,i shall therefore look  
at our subject now with constant        
reference to that other greater death   
upon which it is based4 ,it is to be    
observed that the two sayings on the    
lips of the proto-martyr ,stephen are   
recorded for us in their original form  
on the lips of ,christ1 in ,luke's      
,gospel1 which makes a still further    
link of connection between the two      
narratives4  ,so1 then1 my purpose now  
is merely to take this incident as it   

lies before us1 to trace in it the      
analogies and the differences between   
the death of the ,master and the death  
of the servant1 and to draw from it some
 thoughts as to what it is possible for 
a ,christian's death to become1 when    
,christ's presence is felt in it4  ,i4  
,consider1 in general terms1 this death 
as the last act of imitation to ,christ4
  ,the resemblance between our ,lord's  
last moments and ,stephen's has been    
thought to have been the work of the    
narrator1 and1 consequently1 to cast    
some suspicion upon the veracity of the 
narrative4 ,i accept the correspondence1
 ,i believe it was intentional1 but ,i  
shift the intention from the writer to  
the actor1 and ,i ask why it should not 
have been that the dying martyr should  
consciously1 and of set purpose1 have   
made his death conformable to his       
,master's death8 ,why should not the    
dying martyr have sought to put himself 
7as the legend tells one of the other   
,apostles in outward form sought to do7 

in ,christ's attitude1 and to die as ,he
 died8  ,remember1 that in all          
probability ,stephen died on ,calvary4  
,it was the ordinary place of execution1
 and1 as many of you may know1 recent   
investigations have led many to conclude
 that a little rounded knoll outside the
 city wall--not a 'green hill1' but     
still 'outside a city wall1' and which  
still bears a lingering tradition of    
connection with ,him--was probably the  
site of that stupendous event4 ,it was  
the place of stoning1 or of public      
execution1 and there in all probability1
 on the very ground where ,christ's     
,cross was fixed1 ,his first martyr saw 
'the heavens opened and ,christ standing
 on the right hand of ,god4' ,if these  
were the associations of the place1 what
 more natural1 and even if they were    
not1 what more natural1 than that the   
martyr's death should be shaped after   
his ,lord's8  ,is it not one of the     
great blessings1 in some sense the      
greatest of the blessings1 which we owe 

to the ,gospel1 that in that awful      
solitude where no other example is of   
any use to us1 ,his pattern may still   
gleam before us8 ,is it not something to
 feel that as life reaches its highest1 
most poignant and exquisite delight and 
beauty in the measure in which it is    
made an imitation of ,jesus1 so for each
 of us death may lose its most poignant 
and exquisite sting and sorrow1 and     
become something almost sweet1 if it be 
shaped after the pattern and by the     
power of ,his8 ,we travel over a lonely 
waste at last4 ,all clasped hands are   
unclasped2 and we set out on the        
solitary1 though it be 'the common1 road
 into the great darkness4' ,but1 blessed
 be ,his ,name6 'the ,breaker is gone up
 before us1' and across the waste there 
are footprints that we    ',seeing1 may 
take heart again4'  ,the very climax and
 apex of the ,christian imitation of    
,christ may be that we shall bear the   
image of ,his death1 and be like ,him   
then4  ,is it not a strange thing that  

generations of martyrs have gone to the 
stake with their hearts calm and their  
spirits made constant by the remembrance
 of that ,calvary where ,jesus died with
 more of trembling reluctance1          
shrinking1 and apparent bewildered      
unmanning than many of the weakest of   
,his followers8 ,is it not a strange    
thing that the death which has thus been
 the source of composure1 and strength1 
and heroism to thousands1 and has lost  
none of its power of being so to-day1   
was the death of a ,man who shrank from 
the bitter cup1 and that cried in that  
mysterious darkness1 ',my ,god6 ,why    
hast ,thou forsaken ,me8'  ,dear        
brethren1 unless with one explanation of
 the reason for ,his shrinking and      
agony1 ,christ's death is less heroic   
than that of some other martyrs1 who yet
 drew all their courage from ,him4  ,how
 come there to be in ,him1 at one       
moment1 calmness unmoved1 and heroic    
self-oblivion1 and at the next1 agony1  
and all but despair8 ,i know only one   

explanation1 ',the ,lord hath laid on   
,him the iniquity of us all4' ,and when 
,he died1 shrinking and trembling1 and  
feeling bewildered and forsaken1 it was 
your sins and mine that weighed ,him    
down4 ,the servant whose death was      
conformed to his ,master's had none of  
these experiences because he was only a 
martyr4  ,the ,lord had them1 because   
,he was the ,sacrifice for the whole    
world4  ,,ii4 ,we have here1 next1 a    
,christian's death as being the         
voluntary entrusting of the spirit to   
,christ4  ',they stoned ,stephen4' ,now1
 our ordinary ,english idea of the      
manner of the ,jewish punishment of     
stoning1 is a very inadequate and       
mistaken one4 ,it did not consist merely
 in a miscellaneous rabble throwing     
stones at the criminal1 but there was a 
solemn and appointed method of execution
 which is preserved for us in detail in 
the ,rabbinical books4 ,and from it we  
gather that the modus operandi was this4
 ,the blasphemer was taken to a certain 

precipitous rock1 the height of which   
was prescribed as being equal to that of
 two men4 ,the witnesses by whose       
testimony he had been condemned had to  
cast him over1 and if he survived the   
fall it was their task to roll upon him 
a great stone1 of which the weight is   
prescribed in the ,talmud as being as   
much as two men could lift4 ,if he lived
 after that1 then others took part in   
the punishment4  ,now1 at some point in 
that ghastly tragedy1 probably1 we may  
suppose as they were hurling him over   
the rock1 the martyr lifts his voice in 
this prayer of our text4  ,as they were 
stoning him he 'called upon'--not ,god1 
as our ,authorised ,version has supplied
 the wanting word1 but1 as is obvious   
from the context and from the           
remembrance of the vision1 and from the 
language of the following supplication1 
'called upon ,jesus1 saying1 ,lord      
,jesus6 receive my spirit4'  ,i do not  
dwell at any length upon the fact that  
here we have a distinct instance of     

prayer to ,jesus ,christ1 a distinct    
recognition1 in the early days of ,his  
,church1 of the highest conceptions of  
,his person and nature1 so as that a    
dying man turns to ,him1 and commits his
 soul into ,his hands4 ,passing this by1
 ,i ask you to think of the resemblance1
 and the difference1 between this       
intrusting of the spirit by ,stephen to 
his ,lord1 and the committing of ,his   
spirit to the ,father by ,his dying     
,son4 ,christ on the ,cross speaks to   
,god2 ,stephen1 on ,calvary1 speaks1 as 
,i suppose1 to ,jesus ,christ4 ,christ1 
on the ,cross1 says1 ',i commit4'       
,stephen says1 ',receive1' or rather1   
',take4' ,the one phrase carries in it  
something of the notion that our ,lord  
died not because ,he must1 but because  
,he would2 that ,he was active in ,his  
death2 that ,he chose to summon death to
 do its work upon ,him2 that ,he        
'yielded up ,his spirit1' as one of the 
,evangelists has it1 pregnantly and     
significantly4 ,but ,stephen says1      

',take6' as knowing that it must be his 
,lord's power that should draw his      
spirit out of the coil of horror around 
him4 ,so the one dying word has         
strangely compacted in it authority and 
submission2 and the other dying word is 
the word of a simple waiting servant4   
,the ,christ says1 ',i commit4' ',i have
 power to lay down ,my life1 and ,i have
 power to take it again4' ,stephen says1
 ',take my spirit1' as longing to be    
away from the weariness and the sorrow  
and the pain and all the hell of hatred 
that was seething and boiling round     
about him1 but yet knowing that he had  
to wait the ,master's will4  ,so from   
the language ,i gather large truths1    
truths which unquestionably were not    
present to the mind of the dying man1   
but are all the more conspicuous because
 they were unconsciously expressed by   
him1 as to the resemblance and the      
difference between the death of the     
martyr1 done to death by cruel hands1   
and the death of the atoning ,sacrifice 

who gave ,himself up to die for our     
sins4  ,here we have1 in this dying cry1
 the recognition of ,christ as the ,lord
 of life and death4 ,here we have the   
voluntary and submissive surrender of   
the spirit to ,him4 ,so1 in a very real 
sense1 the martyr's death becomes a     
sacrifice1 and he too dies not merely   
because he must1 but he accepts the     
necessity1 and finds blessedness in it4 
,we need not be passive in death2 we    
need not1 when it comes to our turn to  
die1 cling desperately to the last      
vanishing skirts of life4 ,we may yield 
up our being1 and pour it out as a      
libation2 as the ,apostle has it1 ',if  
,i be offered as a drink-offering upon  
the sacrifice of your faith1 ,i joy and 
rejoice4' ,oh6 brethren1 to die like    
,christ1 to die yielding oneself to     
,him6  ,and then in these words there is
 further contained the thought coming   
gleaming out like a flash of light into 
some murky landscape--of passing into   
perennial union with ,him4 ',take my    

spirit1' says the dying man2 'that is   
all ,i want4 ,i see ,thee standing at   
the right hand4 ,for what hast ,thou    
started to ,thy feet1 from the eternal  
repose of ,thy session at the right hand
 of ,god the ,father ,almighty8 ,to help
 and succour me4 ,and dost ,thou succour
 me when ,thou dost let these cruel     
hands cast me from the rock and bruise  
me with heavy stones8 ,yes1 ,thou dost4 
,for the highest form of ,thy help is to
 take my spirit1 and to let me be with  
,thee4'  ,christ delivers ,his servant  
from death when ,he leads the servant   
into and through death4 ,brothers1 can  
you look forward thus1 and trust        
yourselves1 living or dying1 to that    
,master who is near us amidst the coil  
of human troubles and sorrows1 and      
sweetly draws our spirits1 as a mother  
her child to her bosom1 into ,his own   
arms when ,he sends us death8 ,is that  
what it will be to you8  ,,iii4 ,then1  
still further1 there are other words    
here which remind us of the final       

triumph of an all-forbearing charity4   
,stephen had been cast from the rock1   
had been struck with the heavy stone4   
,bruised and wounded by it1 he strangely
 survives1 strangely somehow or other   
struggles to his knees even though      
desperately wounded1 and1 gathering all 
his powers together at the impulse of an
 undying love1 prays his last words and 
cries1 ',lord ,jesus6 ,lay not this sin 
to their charge6'  ,it is an echo1 as ,i
 have been saying1 of other words1      
',father1 forgive them1 for they know   
not what they do4' ,an echo1 and yet an 
independent tone6 ,the one cries        
',father6' the other invokes the        
',lord4' ,the one says1 ',they know not 
what they do'2 the other never thinks of
 reading men's motives1 of apportioning 
their criminality1 of discovering the   
secrets of their hearts4 ,it was fitting
 that the ,christ1 before whom all these
 blind instruments of a mighty design   
stood patent and naked to their deepest 
depths1 should say1 ',they know not what

 they do4' ,it would have been unfitting
 that the servant1 who knew no more of  
his fellows' heart than could be guessed
 from their actions1 should have offered
 such a plea in his prayer for their    
forgiveness4  ,in the very humiliation  
of the ,cross1 ,christ speaks as knowing
 the hidden depths of men's souls1 and  
therefore fitted to be their ,judge1 and
 now ,his servant's prayer is addressed 
to ,him as actually being so4  ,somehow 
or other1 within a very few years of the
 time when our ,lord dies1 the ,church  
has come to the distinctest recognition 
of ,his ,divinity to whom the martyr    
prays2 to the distinctest recognition of
 ,him as the ,lord of life and death    
whom the martyr asks to take his spirit1
 and to the clearest perception of the  
fact that ,he is the ,judge of the whole
 earth by whose acquittal men shall be  
acquitted1 and by whose condemnation    
they shall be condemned4  ,stephen knew 
that ,christ was the ,judge4 ,he knew   
that in two minutes he would be standing

 at ,christ's judgment bar4 ,his prayer 
was not1 ',lay not my sins to my        
charge1' but ',lay not this sin to their
 charge4' ,why did he not ask           
forgiveness for himself8 ,why was he not
 thinking about the judgment that he was
 going to meet so soon8 ,he had done all
 that long ago4 ,he had no fear about   
that judgment for himself1 and so when  
the last hour struck1 he was at leisure 
of heart and mind to pray for his       
persecutors1 and to think of his ,judge 
without a tremor4 ,are you8 ,if you were
 as near the edge as ,stephen was1 would
 it be wise for you to be interceding   
for other people's forgiveness8 ,the    
answer to that question is the answer to
 this other one1--have you sought your  
pardon already1 and got it at the hands 
of ,jesus ,christ8  ,,iv4 ,one word is  
all that ,i need say about the last     
point of analogy and contrast here--the 
serene passage into rest3 ',when he had 
said this he fell asleep4'  ,the ,new   
,testament scarcely ever speaks of a    

,christian's death as death but as      
sleep1 and with other similar phrases4  
,but that expression1 familiar and all  
but universal as it is in the ,epistles1
 in reference to the death of believers1
 is never in a single instance employed 
in reference to the death of ,jesus     
,christ4 ,he did die that you and ,i may
 live4 ,his death was death indeed--,he 
endured not merely the physical fact1   
but that which is its sting1 the        
consciousness of sin4 ,and ,he died that
 the sting might be blunted1 and all its
 poison exhausted upon ,him4 ,so the    
ugly thing is sleeked and smoothed2 and 
the foul form changes into the sweet    
semblance of a sleep-bringing angel4    
,death is gone4 ,the physical fact      
remains1 but all the misery of it1 the  
essential bitterness and the poison of  
it is all sucked out of it1 and it is   
turned into 'he fell asleep1' as a tired
 child on its mother's lap1 as a weary  
man after long toil4    ',thou thy      
worldly task hast done1   ,home art     

gone1 and ta'en thy wages4'  ,death is  
but sleep now1 because ,christ has died1
 and that sleep is restful1 conscious1  
perfect life4  ,look at these two       
pictures1 the agony of the one1 the calm
 triumph of the other1 and see that the 
martyr's falling asleep was possible    
because the ,christ had died before4    
,and do you commit the keeping of your  
souls to ,him now1 by true faith2 and   
then1 living you may have ,him with you1
 and1 dying1 a vision of ,his presence  
bending down to succour and to save1 and
 when you are dead1 a life of rest      
conjoined with intensest activity4 ,to  
sleep in ,jesus is to awake in ,his     
likeness1 and to be satisfied4    ,,seed
 ,,scattered ,,and ,,taking ,,root      
',and ,saul was consenting unto his     
death4 ,and at that time there was a    
great persecution against the church    
which was at ,jerusalem2 and they were  
all scattered abroad throughout the     
regions of ,judaea and ,samaria1 except 
the apostles4 #b4 ,and devout men       

carried ,stephen to his burial1 and made
 great lamentation over him4 #c4 ,as for
 ,saul1 he made havock of the church1   
entering into every house1 and haling   
men and women committed them to prison4 
#d4 ,therefore they that were scattered 
abroad went everywhere preaching the    
word4 #e4 ,then ,philip went down to the
 city of ,samaria1 and preached ,christ 
unto them4 #f4 ,and the people with one 
accord gave heed unto those things which
 ,philip spake1 hearing and seeing the  
miracles which he did4 #g4 ,for unclean 
spirits1 crying with loud voice1 came   
out of many that were possessed with    
them3 and many taken with palsies1 and  
that were lame1 were healed4 #h4 ,and   
there was great joy in that city1 #i4   
,but there was a certain man1 called    
,simon1 which beforetime in the same    
city used sorcery1 and bewitched the    
people of ,samaria1 giving out that     
himself was some great one3 #aj4 ,to    
whom they all gave heed1 from the least 
to the greatest1 saying1 ,this man is   

the great power of ,god4 #aa4 ,and to   
him they had regard1 because that of    
long time he had bewitched them with    
sorceries4 #ab4 ,but when they believed 
,philip preaching the things concerning 
the kingdom of ,god1 and the name of    
,jesus ,christ1 they were baptized1 both
 men and women4 #ac4 ,then ,simon       
himself believed also3 and when he was  
baptized1 he continued with ,philip1 and
 wondered1 beholding the miracles and   
signs which were done4 #ad4 ,now when   
the apostles which were at ,jerusalem   
heard that ,samaria had received the    
word of ,god1 they sent unto them ,peter
 and ,john3 #ae4 ,who1 when they were   
come down prayed for them1 that they    
might receive the ,holy ,ghost3 #af     
7,for as yet he was fallen upon none of 
them3 only they were baptized in the    
name of the ,lord ,jesus47 #ag4 ,then   
laid they their hands on them1 and they 
received the ,holy ,ghost4'--,,acts     
viii4 #a-ag4  ,the note of time in verse
 #a is probably to be rendered as in the

 ,revised ,version1 'on that day4' ,the 
appetite for blood roused by ,stephen's 
martyrdom at once sought for further    
victims4 ,thus far the persecutors had  
been the rulers1 and the persecuted the 
,church's leaders2 but now the populace 
are the hunters1 and the whole ,church  
the prey4 ,the change marks an epoch4   
,luke does not care to make much of the 
persecution1 which is important to him  
chiefly for its bearing on the spread of
 the ,church's message4 ,it helped to   
diffuse the ,gospel1 and that is why he 
tells of it4 ,but before proceeding to  
narrate how it did so1 he gives us a    
picture of things as they stood at the  
beginning of the assault4  ,three points
 are noted3 the flight of the ,church   
except the ,apostles1 the funeral of    
,stephen1 and ,saul's eager search for  
the disciples4 ,we need not press 'all1'
 as if it were to be taken with         
mathematical accuracy4 ,some others     
besides the ,apostles may have remained1
 but the community was broken up4 ,they 

fled1 as ,christ had bid them do1 if    
persecuted in one city4 ,brave          
faithfulness goes with prudent          
self-preservation1 and a valuable 'part 
of valour is discretion4' ,but the      
disciples who fled were not necessarily 
less courageous than the ,apostles who  
remained1 nor were the latter less      
prudent than the brethren who fled4 ,for
 noblesse oblige2 high position demands 
high virtues1 and the officers should be
 the last to leave a wreck4 ,the        
,apostles1 no doubt1 felt it right to   
hold together1 and preserve a centre to 
which the others might return when the  
storm had blown itself out4  ,in        
remarkable contrast with the scattering 
,church are the 'devout men' who        
reverently buried the martyr4 ,they were
 not disciples1 but probably            
,hellenistic ,jews 7,acts ii4 #e72      
perhaps from the synagogue whose members
 had disputed with ,stephen and had     
dragged him to the council4 ,his words  
or death may have touched them1 as many 

a time the martyr's fire has lighted    
others to the martyr's faith4 ,stephen  
was like ,jesus in his burial by        
non-disciples1 as he had been in his    
death4  ,the eager zeal of the young    
,pharisee brought new severity into the 
persecution1 in his hunting out his     
victims in their homes1 and in his      
including women among his prisoners4    
,there is nothing so cruel as so-called 
religious zeal4 ,so ,luke lifts the     
curtain for a moment1 and in that       
glimpse of the whirling tumult of the   
city we see the three classes1 of the   
brave and prudent disciples1 ready to   
flee or to stand and suffer as duty     
called2 the good men who shrunk from    
complicity with a bloodthirsty mob1 and 
were stirred to sympathy with his       
victims2 and the zealot1 who with       
headlong rage hated his brother for the 
love of ,god4 ,but the curtain drops1   
and ,luke turns to his true theme4 ,he  
picks up the threads again in verse #d1 
telling of the dispersal of the         

disciples1 with the significant addition
 of their occupation when               
scattered1--'preaching the word4'  ,the 
violent hand of the persecutor acted as 
the scattering hand of the sower4 ,it   
flung the seeds broadcast1 and wherever 
they fell they sprouted4 ,these         
fugitives were not officials1 nor were  
they commissioned by the ,apostles to   
preach4 ,without any special command or 
position1 they followed the instincts of
 believing hearts1 and1 as they carried 
their faith with them1 they spoke of it 
wherever they found themselves4 ,a      
,christian will be impelled to speak of 
,christ if his personal hold of ,him is 
vital4 ,he should need no ecclesiastical
 authorisation for that4 ,it is riot    
every believer's duty to get into a     
pulpit1 but it is his duty to 'preach   
,christ4' ,the scattering of the        
disciples was meant by men to put out   
the fire1 but1 by ,christ1 to spread it4
 ,a volcanic explosion flings burning   
matter over a wide area4  ,luke takes up

 one of the lines of expansion1 in his  
narrative of ,philip's doings in        
,samaria1 which he puts first because   
,jesus had indicated ,samaria first     
among the regions beyond ,judaea 7i4    
#h74 ,philip's name comes second in the 
list of deacons 7vi4 #e71 probably in   
anticipation of his work in ,samaria4   
,how unlike the forecast by the         
,apostles was the actual course of      
things6 ,they had destined the seven for
 purely 'secular' work1 and regarded    
preaching the word as their own special 
engagement4 ,but ,stephen saw and       
proclaimed more clearly than they did   
the passing away of ,temple and ritual2 
and ,philip1 on his own initiative1 and 
apparently quite unconscious of the     
great stride forward that he was taking1
 was the first to carry the gospel torch
 into the regions beyond4 ,the ,church  
made ,philip a 'deacon1' but ,christ    
made him an 'evangelist'2 and an        
evangelist he continued1 long after he  
had ceased to be a deacon in ,jerusalem 

7xxi4 #h74  ,observe1 too1 that1 as soon
 as ,stephen is taken away1 ,philip     
rises up to take his place4 ,the noble  
army of witnesses never wants recruits4 
,its ,captain sends men to the front in 
unbroken succession1 and they are       
willing to occupy posts of danger       
because ,he bids them4 ,probably ,philip
 fled to ,samaria for convenience' sake1
 but1 being there1 he probably recalled 
,christ's instructions in chapter i4 #h1
 repealing ,his prohibition in ,matthew 
x4 #e4 ,what a different world it would 
be1 if it was true of ,christians now   
that they 'went down into the city of   
,so-and-,so and proclaimed ,christ'6    
,many run to and fro1 but some of them  
leave their ,christianity at home1 or   
lock it up safely in their travelling   
trunks4  ,jerusalem had just expelled   
the disciples1 and would fain have      
crushed the ,gospel2 despised ,samaria  
received it with joy4 ',a foolish       
nation' was setting ,israel an example  
7,deut4 xxxii4 #ba2 ,rom4 x4 #ai74 ,the 

,samaritan woman had a more spiritual   
conception of the ,messiah than the run 
of ,jews had1 and her countrymen seem to
 have been ready to receive the word4   
,is not the faith of our mission        
converts often a rebuke to us8  ,but the
 ,gospel met new foes as well as new    
friends on the new soil4 ,simon the     
sorcerer1 probably a ,jew or a          
,samaritan1 would have been impossible  
on ,jewish ground1 but was a            
characteristic product of that age in   
the other parts of the ,roman empire4   
,just as1 to-day1 people who are weary  
of ,christianity are playing with       
,buddhism1 it was fashionable in that   
day of unrest to trifle with ,eastern   
magic-mongers2 and1 of course1 demand   
created supply1 and where there was a   
crowd of willing dupes1 there soon came 
to be a crop of profit-seeking          
deceivers4 ,very characteristically1 the
 dupes claimed more for the deceiver    
than he did for himself4 ,he probably   
could perform some simple chemical      

experiments and conjuring tricks1 and   
had a store of what sounded to ignorant 
people profound teaching about deep     
mysteries1 and gave forth enigmatical   
utterances about his own greatness4 ,an 
accomplished charlatan will leave much  
to be inferred from nods and hints1 and 
his admirers will generally spin even   
more out of them than he meant4 ,so the 
,samaritans bettered ,simon's 'some     
great one' into 'that power of ,god     
which is called great1' and saw in him  
some kind of emanation of divinity4     
,the quack is great till the true       
teacher comes1 and then he dwindles4    
,simon had a bitter pill to swallow when
 he saw this new man stealing his       
audience1 and doing things which he1    
with his sorceries1 knew that he only   
pretended to do4 ,luke points very      
clearly to the likeness and difference  
between ,simon and ,philip by using the 
same word 7'gave heed'7 in regard to the
 ,samaritan's attitude to both1 while in
 reference to ,philip it was 'the things

 spoken by' him1 and in reference to    
,simon it was himself to which they     
attended4 ,the one preached ,christ1 the
 other himself2 the one 'amazed' with   
'sorceries1' the other brought good     
tidings and hid himself1 and his message
 called1 not for stupid1 open-mouthed   
astonishment1 but for belief and        
obedience to the name of ,jesus4 ,the   
whole difference between the religion of
 ,jesus and the superstitions which the 
world calls religions1 is involved in   
the significant contrast1 so            
inartificially drawn4  ',simon also     
himself believed4' ,probably there was  
in his action a good deal of swimming   
with the stream1 in the hope of being   
able to divert it2 but1 also1 he may    
have been all the more struck by        
,philip's miracles1 because he knew a   
real one1 by reason of his experience of
 sham ones4 ,at any rate1 neither       
,philip nor ,luke drew a distinction    
between his belief and that of the      
,samaritans2 and1 as in their cases1 his

 baptism followed on his profession of  
belief4 ,but he seems not to have got   
beyond the point of wondering at the    
miracles1 as it is emphatically said    
that he did even after his baptism4 ,he 
believed that ,jesus was the ,messiah1  
but was more interested in studying     
,philip to find out how he did the      
miracles than in listening to his       
teaching4 ,such an imperfect belief had 
no transforming power1 and left him the 
same man as before1 as was soon         
miserably manifest4  ,the news of       
,philip's great step forward reached the
 ,apostles by some unrecorded means4 ,it
 is not stated that ,philip reported his
 action1 as if to superiors whose       
authorisation was necessary4 ,more      
probably the information filtered       
through other channels4 ,at all events1 
sending a deputation was natural1 and   
needs not to be regarded as either a    
sign of suspicion or an act necessary in
 order to supplement imperfections      
inherent in the fact that ,philip was   

not an ,apostle4 ,the latter meaning has
 been read--not to say forced--into the 
incident2 but ,luke's language does not 
support it4 ,it was not because they    
thought that the ,samaritans were not   
admissible to the full privileges of    
,christians without ,apostolic acts1 but
 because they 'heard that ,samaria had  
received the word1' that the ,apostles  
sent ,peter and ,john4  ,the ,samaritans
 had not yet received the ,holy         
,ghost--that is1 the special gifts1 such
 as those of ,pentecost4 ,that fact     
proves that baptism is not necessarily  
and inseparably connected with the gift 
of the ,spirit2 and chapter x4 #dd1 #dg1
 proves that the ,spirit may be given   
before baptism4 ,as little does this    
incident prove that the imposition of   
,apostolic hands was necessary in order 
to the impartation of the ,spirit4      
,luke1 at any rate1 did not think so2   
for he tells how ,ananias' hand laid on 
the blind ,saul conveyed the gift to    
him4 ,the laying on of hands is a       

natural1 eloquent symbol1 but it was no 
prerogative of the ,apostles 7,acts x4  
#ag2 #a ,tim4 iv4 #ad74  ,the ,apostles 
came down to ,samaria to rejoice in the 
work which their ,lord had commanded1   
and which had been begun without their  
help1 to welcome the new brethren1 to   
give them further instruction1 and to   
knit closely the bonds of unity between 
the new converts and the earlier ones4  
,but that they came to bestow spiritual 
gifts which1 without them1 could not    
have been imparted1 is imported into1   
not deduced from1 the simple narrative  
of ,luke4    ,,simon ,,the ,,sorcerer   
',thou hast neither part nor lot in this
 matter3 for thy heart is not right in  
the sight of ,god4'--,,acts viii4 #ba4  
,the era of the birth of ,christianity  
was one of fermenting opinion and       
decaying faith4 ,then1 as now1 men's    
minds were seething and unsettled1 and  
that unrest which is the precursor of   
great changes in intellectual and       
spiritual habitudes affected the        

civilised world4 ,such a period is ever 
one of predisposition to superstition4  
,the one true bond which unites ,god and
 man being obscured1 and to the         
consciousness of many snapped1 men's    
minds become the prey of visionary      
terrors4 ,demand creates supply1 and the
 magician and miracle-worker1 the       
possessor of mysterious ways into the   
,unknown1 is never far off at such a    
time4 ,partly deceived and partly       
deceiving1 he is as sure a sign of the  
lack of profound religious conviction   
and of the presence of unsatisfied      
religious aspirations in men's souls1 as
 the stormy petrel or the floating      
seaweed is of a tempest on the seas4    
,so we find the early preachers of      
,christianity coming into frequent      
contact with pretenders to magical      
powers4 ,sadly enough1 they were mostly 
,jews1 who prostituted their clearer    
knowledge to personal ends1 and having  
tacked on to it some theosophic rubbish 
which they had learned from ,alexandria1

 or mysticism which had filtered to them
 from the ,east1 or magic arts from     
,phrygia1 went forth1 the only          
missionaries that ,judaism sent out1 to 
bewilder and torture men's minds4 ,what 
a fall from ,israel's destination1 and  
what a lesson for the stewards of the   
'oracles of ,god'6  ,of such a sort were
 ,elymas1 the sorcerer whom ,paul found 
squatting at the ear of the ,roman      
,governor of ,cyprus2 the magicians at  
,ephesus2 the vagabond ,jews exorcists1 
who with profitable eclecticism1 as they
 thought1 tried to add the name of      
,jesus as one more spell to their       
conjurations2 and1 finally1 this ,simon 
the sorcerer4 ,established in ,samaria1 
he had been juggling and conjuring and  
seeing visions1 and professing to be a  
great mysterious personality1 and had   
more than permitted the half-heathen    
,samaritans1 who seem to have had more  
religious susceptibility and less       
religious knowledge than the ,jews1 and 
so were a prepared field for all such   

pretenders1 to think of him as in some  
sense an incarnation of ,god1 and       
perhaps to set him up as a rival or     
caricature of ,him who in the           
neighbouring ,judaea was being spoken of
 as the power of ,god1 ,god manifest in 
the flesh4  ,to the city thus moved     
comes no ,apostle1 but a ,christian man 
who begins to preach1 and by miracles   
and teaching draws many souls to        
,christ4  ,the story of ,simon ,magus in
 his attitude to the ,gospel is a very  
striking and instructive one4 ,it       
presents for our purpose now mainly     
three points to which ,i proceed to     
refer4  ,i4 ,an instance of a wholly    
unreal1 because inoperative1 faith4     
',he believed1' says the narrative1 and 
believing was baptized4 ,it is worth    
noting1 in passing1 how the profession  
of faith without anything more was      
considered by the ,early ,church        
sufficient4 ,but obviously his was no   
true faith4 ,the event showed that it   
was not4  ,what was it which made his   

faith thus unreal8  ,it rested wholly on
 the miracles and signs2 he 'wondered'  
when he saw them4 ,of course1 miracles  
were meant to lead to faith2 but if they
 did not lead on to a deeper sense of   
one's own evil and need1 and so to a    
spiritual apprehension1 then they were  
of no use4  ,the very beginning of the  
story points to the one bond that unites
 to ,god1 as being the sense of need and
 the acceptance with heart and will of  
the testimony of ,jesus ,christ4 ,such a
 disposition is shown in the            
,samaritans1 who make a contrast with   
,simon in that they believed ,philip    
preaching1 while ,simon believed him    
working miracles4 ,the true place of    
miracles is to attract attention1 to    
prepare to listen to the word4 ,they are
 only introductory4 ,a faith may be     
founded on them1 but1 on the other hand1
 the impressions which they produce may 
be evanescent4 ,how subordinate then1   
their place at the most6 ,and the one   
thing which avails is a living contact  

of heart and soul with ,jesus ,christ4  
,again1 ,simon's belief was purely an   
affair of the understanding4 ,we are not
 to suppose1 ,i think1 that he merely   
believed in ,philip as a miracle-worker2
 he must have had some notion about     
,philip's ,master1 and we know that it  
was belief in ,jesus as the ,christ that
 qualified in the ,apostolic age for    
baptism4 ,so it is reasonable to suppose
 that he had so much of head knowledge4 
,but it was only head knowledge4 ,there 
was in it no penitence1 no              
self-abandonment1 no fruit in holy      
desires2 or in other words1 there was no
 heart4 ,it was credence1 but not trust4
  ,now it does not matter how much or   
how little you know about ,jesus        
,christ4 ,it does not matter how you    
have come to that knowledge4 ,it does   
not matter though you have received     
,christian ordinances as ,simon had4 ,if
 your faith is not a living power1      
leading to love and self-surrender1 it  
is really nought4 ,and here1 on its     

earliest conflict with heathen magic1   
the gospel proclaims by the mouth of the
 ,apostle what is true as to all        
formalists and nominal ,christians3     
',thou hast neither part nor lot in this
 matter1 for thy heart is not right4'   
,one thing only unites to ,god--a faith 
which cleanses the heart1 a faith which 
lays hold on ,christ with will and      
conscience1 a faith which1 resting on   
penitent acknowledgment of sin1 trusts  
wholly to ,his great mercy4  ,,ii4 ,an  
instance of the constant tendency to    
corrupt ,christianity with heathen      
superstition4  ,the ,apostles' bestowal 
of the ,holy ,ghost1 which was evidently
 accompanied by visible signs1 had      
excited ,simon's desire for so useful an
 aid to his conjuring1 and he offers to 
buy the power1 judging of them by       
himself1 and betraying that what he was 
ready to buy he was also intending to   
sell4  ,the offer to buy has been taken 
as his great sin4 ,surely it was but the
 outcome of a greater4 ,it was not only 

what he offered1 but what he desired1   
that was wrong4 ,he wanted that on      
'whomsoever ,i lay hands1 he may receive
 the ,holy ,ghost4' ,that preposterous  
wish was quite as bad as1 and was the   
root of1 his absurd offer to bribe      
,peter4 ,bribe ,peter1 indeed6 ,some of 
,peter's successors would have been     
amenable to such considerations1 but not
 the horny-handed fisherman who had once
 said1 ',silver and gold have ,i none4' 
,peter's answer1 especially the words of
 my text1 puts the ,christian principle 
in sharp antagonism to the heathen one4 
,simon regards what is sacred and       
spiritual purely as part of his         
stock-in-trade1 contributing to his     
prestige4 ,he offers to buy it4 ,and the
 foundation of all his errors is that he
 regards spiritual gifts as capable of  
being received and exercised apart      
altogether from moral qualifications4   
,he does not think at all of what is    
involved in the very name1 'the ,holy   
,ghost4'  ,now1 on the other hand1      

,peter's answer lays down broadly and   
sharply the opposite truth1 the         
,christian principle that a heart right 
in the sight of ,god is the             
indispensable qualification for all     
possession of spiritual power1 or of any
 of the blessings which ,jesus gives4   
,how the heart is made right1 and what  
constitutes righteousness is another    
matter4 ,that leads to the doctrine of  
repentance and faith4  ,the one thing   
that makes such participation impossible
 is being and continuing in 'the gall of
 bitterness1 and the bond of iniquity4' 
,or1 to put it into more modern words1  
all the blessings of the ,gospel are a  
gift of ,god1 and are bestowed only on  
moral conditions4 ,faith which leads to 
love and personal submission to the will
 of ,god makes a man a ,christian4      
,therefore1 outward ordinances are only 
of use as they help a man to that       
personal act4  ,therefore1 no other man 
or body of men can do it for us1 or come
 between us and ,god4  ,and in          

confirmation1 notice how ,peter here    
speaks of forgiveness4 ,his words do not
 sound as if he thought that he held the
 power of absolution1 but he tells      
,simon to go to ,god who alone can      
forgive1 and refers ,simon's fate to    
,god's mercy4  ,these tendencies1 which 
,simon expresses so baldly1 are in us   
all1 and are continually reappearing4   
,how far much of what calls itself      
,christianity has drifted from ,peter's 
principle laid down here1 that moral and
 spiritual qualifications are the only  
ones which avail for securing 'part or  
lot in the matter' of ,christ's gifts   
received for1 and bestowed on1 men6 ,how
 much which really rests on the opposite
 principle1 that these gifts can be     
imparted by men who are supposed to     
possess them1 apart altogether from the 
state of heart of the would-be          
recipient1 we see around us to-day6     
,simony is said to be the securing      
ecclesiastical promotion by purchase4   
,but it is much rather the belief that  

'the gift of ,god can be purchased with'
 anything but personal faith in ,jesus1 
the ,giver and the ,gift4 ,the effects  
of it are patent among us4 ,ceremonies  
usurp the place of faith4 ,a priesthood 
is exalted4 ,the universal ,christian   
prerogative of individual access to ,god
 is obscured4 ,christianity is turned   
into a kind of magic4  ,,iii4 ,an       
instance of the worthlessness of partial
 convictions4  ,simon was but slightly  
moved by ,peter's stern rebuke4 ,he paid
 no heed to the exhortation to pray for 
forgiveness and to repent of his        
wickedness1 but still remained in       
substantially his old error1 in that he 
accredited ,peter with power1 and asked 
him to pray for him1 as if the          
,apostle's prayer would have some       
special access to ,god which his1 though
 he were penitent1 could not have4      
,further1 he showed no sense of sin4    
,all that he wished was that 'none of   
the things which ye have spoken come    
upon me4'  ,how useless are convictions 

which go no deeper down than ,simon's   
did6  ,what became of him we do not     
know4 ,but there are old ecclesiastical 
traditions about him which represent him
 as a bitter enemy in future of the     
,apostle4 ,and ,josephus has a story of 
a ,simon who played a degrading part    
between ,felix and ,drusilla1 and who is
 thought by some to have been he4 ,but  
in any case1 we have no reason to       
believe that he ever followed ,peter's  
counsel or prayed to ,god for           
forgiveness4 ,so he stands for us as one
 more tragic example of a man1 once 'not
 far from the kingdom of ,god' and      
drifting ever further away from it1     
because1 at the fateful moment1 he would
 not enter in4 ,it is hard to bring such
 a man as near again as he once was4    
,let us learn that the one key which    
opens the treasury of ,god's blessings1 
stored for us all in ,jesus1 is our own 
personal faith1 and let us beware of    
shutting our ears and our hearts against
 the merciful rebukes that convict us of

 'this our wickedness1' and point us to 
the ',lamb of ,god which taketh away the
 sin of the world1' and therefore our   
sin4    ,a ,,meeting ,,in ,,the ,,desert
  ',and the angel of the ,lord spake    
unto ,philip1 saying1 ,arise1 and go    
toward the south unto the way that goeth
 down from ,jerusalem unto ,gaza1 which 
is desert4 #bg4 ,and he arose and went3 
and1 behold1 a man of ,ethiopia1 an     
eunuch of great authority under ,candace
 queen of the ,ethiopians1 who had the  
charge of all her treasure1 and had come
 to ,jerusalem for to worship1 #bh4 ,was
 returning1 and sitting in his chariot1 
read ,esaias the prophet4 #bi4 ,then the
 ,spirit said unto ,philip1 ,go near1   
and join thyself to this chariot4 #hj4  
,and ,philip ran thither to him1 and    
heard him read the prophet ,esaias1 and 
said1 ,understandest thou what thou     
readest8 #ca4 ,and he said1 ,how can ,i1
 except some man should guide me8 ,and  
he desired ,philip that he would come up
 and sit with him4 #cb4 ,the place of   

the scripture which he read was this1   
,he was led as a sheep to the slaughter2
 and like a lamb dumb before his        
shearer1 so opened ,he not ,his mouth3  
#cc4 ,in ,his humiliation ,his judgment 
was taken away2 and who shall declare   
,his generation8 for ,his life is taken 
from the earth4 #cd4 ,and the eunuch    
answered ,philip1 and said1 ,i pray     
thee1 of whom speaketh the prophet this8
 of himself1 or of some other man8 #ce4 
,then ,philip opened his mouth1 and     
began at the same scripture1 and        
preached unto him ,jesus4 #cf4 ,and as  
they went on their way1 they came unto a
 certain water3 and the eunuch said1    
,see1 here is water2 what doth hinder me
 to be baptized8 #cg4 ,and ,philip said1
 ,if thou believest with all thine      
heart1 thou mayest4 ,and he answered and
 said1 ,i believe that ,jesus ,christ is
 the ,son of ,god4 #ch4 ,and he         
commanded the chariot to stand still3   
and they went down both into the water1 
both ,philip and the eunuch2 and he     

baptized him4 #ci4 ,and when they were  
come up out of the water1 the ,spirit of
 the ,lord caught away ,philip1 that the
 eunuch saw him no more3 and he went on 
his way rejoicing4 #dj4 ,but ,philip was
 found at ,azotus3 and passing through1 
he preached in all the cities1 till he  
came to ,caesarea4'--,,acts viii4       
#bf-dj4  ,philip had no special divine  
command either to flee to1 or to preach 
in1 ,samaria1 but 'an angel of the      
,lord' and afterwards 'the ,spirit1'    
directed him to the ,ethiopian          
statesman4 ,god rewards faithful work   
with more work4 ,samaria was a          
borderland between ,jew and ,gentile1   
but in preaching to the eunuch ,philip  
was on entirely ,gentile ground4 ,so    
great a step in advance needed clear    
command from ,god to impel to it and to 
justify it4  ,i4 ,we have1 then1 first1 
the new commission4 ,philip might well  
wonder why he should be taken away from 
successful work in a populous city1 and 
despatched to the lonely road to ,gaza4 

,but he obeyed at once4 ,he knew not for
 what he was sent there1 but that       
ignorance did not trouble or retard him4
 ,it should be enough for us to see the 
next step4 ',we walk by faith1 not by   
sight1' for we none of us know what     
comes of our actions1 and we get light  
as we go4 ,do to-day's plain duty1 and  
when to-morrow is to-day its duty will  
be plain too4 ,the river on which we    
sail winds1 and not till we round the   
nearest bend do we see the course       
beyond4 ,so we are kept in the peaceful 
posture of dependent obedience1 and need
 to hold our communications with ,god   
open1 that we may be sure of ,his       
guidance4  ,no doubt1 as ,philip trudged
 along till he reached the ,gaza road1  
he would have many a thought as to what 
he was to find there1 and1 when he came 
at last to the solitary track1 would    
look eagerly over the uninhabited land  
for an explanation of his strange and   
vague instructions4 ,but an obedient    
heart is not long left perplexed1 and he

 who looks for duty to disclose itself  
will see it in due time4  ,,ii4 ,so we  
have next the explanation of the errand4
 ,luke's ',behold6' suggests the sudden 
sight of the great man's cortege in the 
distance4 ,no doubt1 he travelled with a
 train of attendants1 as became his     
dignity1 and would be conspicuous from  
afar4 ,philip1 of course1 did not know  
who he was when he caught sight of him1 
but ,luke tells his rank at once1 in    
order to lay stress on it1 as well as to
 bring out the significance of his      
occupation and subsequent conversion4   
,here was a full-blooded ,gentile1 an   
eunuch1 a courtier1 who had been drawn  
to ,israel's ,god1 and was studying     
,israel's prophets as he rode4 ,perhaps 
he had chosen that road to ,egypt for   
its quietness4 ,at any rate1 his        
occupation revealed the bent of his     
mind4  ,philip felt that the mystery of 
his errand was solved now1 and he       
recognised the impulse to break through 
conventional barriers and address the   

evidently dignified stranger1 as the    
voice of ,god's ,spirit1 and not his    
own4 ,how he was sure of that we do not 
know1 but the distinction drawn between 
the former communication by an angel and
 this from the ,spirit points to a clear
 difference in his experiences1 and to  
careful discrimination in the narrator4 
,the variation is not made at random4   
,philip did not mistake a buzzing in his
 ears from the heating of his own heart 
for a divine voice4 ,we have here no    
hallucinations of an enthusiast1 but    
plain fact4  ,how manifestly the meeting
 of these two1 starting so far apart1   
and so ignorant of each other and of the
 purpose of their being thrown together1
 reveals the unseen hand that moved each
 on his own line1 and brought about the 
intersection of the two at that exact   
spot and hour6 ,how came it that at that
 moment the ,ethiopian was reading1 of  
all places in his roll1 the very words  
which make the kernel of the gospel of  
the evangelical prophet8 ,surely such   

'coincidences' are a hard nut to crack  
for deniers of a ,providence that shapes
 our ends6  ,it is further to be noticed
 that the eunuch's conversion does not  
appear to have been of importance for   
the expansion of the ,church4 ,it       
exercised no recorded influence1 and was
 apparently not communicated to the     
,apostles1 as1 if it had been1 it could 
scarcely have failed to have been       
referred to when the analogous case of  
,cornelius was under discussion4 ,so1   
divine intervention and human journeying
 and work were brought into play simply 
for the sake of one soul which ,god's   
eye saw to be ripe for the ,gospel4 ,he 
cares for the individual1 and one sheep 
that can be reclaimed is precious enough
 in the ,shepherd's estimate to move    
,his hand to action and ,his heart to   
love4 ,not because he was a man of great
 authority at ,candace's court1 but     
because he was yearning for light1 and  
ready to follow it when it shone1 did   
the eunuch meet ,philip on that quiet   

road4  ,,iii4 ,the two men being thus   
strangely brought together1 we have next
 the conversation for the sake of which 
they were brought together4 ,the eunuch 
was reading aloud1 as people not very   
much used to books1 or who have some    
difficult passage in hand1 often do4    
,philip must have been struck with      
astonishment when he caught the1 to him1
 familiar words1 and must have seen at  
once the open door for his preaching4   
,his abrupt question wastes no time with
 apologies or polite1 gradual approaches
 to his object4 ,probably the very      
absence of the signs of deference to    
which he was accustomed impressed the   
eunuch with a dim sense of the          
stranger's authority1 which would be    
deepened by the home-thrust of his      
question4  ,the wistful answer not only 
shows no resentment at the brusque      
stranger's thrusting himself in1 but    
acknowledges bewilderment1 and responds 
to the undertone of proffered guidance  
in the question4 ,a teacher has often to

 teach a pupil his ignorance1 to begin  
with2 but it should be so done as to    
create desire for instruction1 and to   
kindle confidence in him as instructor4 
,it is insolent to ask1 ',understandest 
thou8' unless the questioner is ready   
and able to help to understand4  ,the   
invitation to a seat in the great man's 
chariot showed how eagerness to learn   
had obliterated distinctions of rank1   
and swiftly knit a new bond between     
these two1 who had never heard of each  
other five minutes before4 ,a true heart
 will hail as its best and closest      
friend him who leads it to know ,god's  
mind more clearly4 ,how earthly         
dignities dwindle when ,god's messenger 
lays hold of a soul6  ,so the chariot   
rolls on1 and through the silence of the
 desert the voices of these two reach   
the wondering attendants1 as they plod  
along4 ,the ,ethiopian was reading the  
,septuagint translation of ,isaiah1     
which1 though it missed part of the     
force of the original1 brought clearly  

before him the great figure of a        
,sufferer1 meek and dumb1 swept from the
 earth by unjust judgment4 ,he          
understood so much1 but what he did not 
understand was who this great1 tragic   
,figure represented4 ,his question goes 
to the root of the matter1 and is a     
burning question to-day1 as it was all  
these centuries ago on the road to      
,gaza4 ,philip had no doubt of the      
answer4 ,jesus was the 'lamb dumb before
 its shearers4' ,this is not the place  
to enter on such wide questions1 but we 
may at least affirm that1 whatever      
advance modern schools have made in the 
criticism and interpretation of the ,old
 ,testament1 the very spirit of the     
whole earlier ,revelation is missed if  
,jesus is not discerned as the ,person  
to whom prophet and ritual pointed1 in  
whom law was fulfilled and history      
reached its goal4  ,no doubt much       
instruction followed4 ,how long they had
 rode together before they came to 'a   
certain water' we know not1 but it      

cannot have been more than a few hours4 
,time is elastic1 and when the soil is  
prepared1 and rain and sunlight are     
poured down1 the seed springs up        
quickly4 ,people who deny the           
possibility of 'sudden conversions' are 
blind to facts1 because they wear the   
blinkers of a theory4 ,not always have  
they who 'anon with joy receive' the    
word 'no root in themselves4'  ,as is   
well known1 the answer to the eunuch's  
question 7v4 #cg7 is wanting in         
authoritative manuscripts4 ,the         
insertion may have been due to the      
creeping into the text of a marginal    
note4 ,a recent and most original       
commentator on the ,acts 7,blass7       
considers that this1 like other         
remarkable readings found in one set of 
manuscripts1 was written by ,luke in a  
draft of the book1 which he afterwards  
revised and somewhat abbreviated into   
the form which most of the manuscripts  
present4 ,however that may be1 the      
required conditions in the doubtful     

verse are those which the practice of   
the rest of the ,acts shows to have been
 required4 ,faith in ,jesus ,christ the 
,son of ,god was the qualification for  
the baptisms there recorded4  ,and there
 was no other qualification4 ,philip    
asked nothing about the eunuch's        
proselytism1 or whether he had been     
circumcised or not4 ,he did not1 like   
,peter with ,cornelius1 need the        
evidence of the gift of the ,spirit     
before he baptized2 but1 notwithstanding
 his experience of an unworthy candidate
 in ,simon the sorcerer1 he             
unhesitatingly administered baptism4    
,there was no ,church present to witness
 the rite4 ,we do not read that the     
,holy ,ghost fell on the eunuch4  ,that 
baptism in the quiet wady by the side of
 the solitary road1 while the swarthy   
attendants stood in wonder1 was a mighty
 step in advance2 and it was taken1 not 
by an ,apostle1 nor with ecclesiastical 
sanction1 but at the bidding of         
,christian instinct1 which recognised a 

brother in any man who had faith in     
,jesus1 the ,son of ,god4 ,the new faith
 is bursting old bonds4 ,the            
universality of the ,gospel is          
overflowing the banks of ,jewish        
narrowness4 ,probably ,philip was quite 
unconscious of the revolutionary nature 
of his act1 but it was done1 and in it  
was the seed of many more4  ,the eunuch 
had said that he could not understand   
unless some man guided him4 ,but when   
,philip is caught away1 he does not     
bewail the loss of his guide4 ,he went  
on his road with joy1 though his new    
faith might have craved longer support  
from the crutch of a teacher1 and fuller
 enlightenment4 ,what made him able to  
do without the guide that a few hours   
before had been so indispensable8 ,the  
presence in his heart of a better one1  
even of ,him whom ,jesus promised1 to   
guide ,his servants into all truth4 ,if 
those who believe that ,scripture       
without an authorised interpreter is    
insufficient to lead men aright1 would  

consider the end of this story1 they    
might find that a man's dependence on   
outward teachers ceases when he has     
,god's ,spirit to teach him1 and that   
for such a man the ,word of ,god in his 
hand and the ,spirit of ,god in his     
spirit will give him light enough to    
walk by1 so that1 in the absence of all 
outward instructors1 he may still be    
filled with true wisdom1 and in absolute
 solitude may go 'on his way rejoicing4'
    ,,philip ,,the ,,evangelist  ',but  
,philip was found at ,azotus3 and       
passing through he preached in all the  
cities1 till he came to                 
,caesarea4'--,,acts viii4 #dj4  ,the    
little that is known about ,philip1 the 
deacon and evangelist1 may very soon be 
told4 ,his name suggests1 though by no  
means conclusively1 that he was probably
 one of the so-called ,hellenists1 or   
foreign-born and ,greek-speaking ,jews4 
,this is made the more probable because 
he was one of the seven selected by the 
,church1 and after that selection       

appointed by the ,apostles1 to dispense 
relief to the poor4 ,the purpose of the 
appointment being to conciliate the     
grumblers in the ,hellenist section of  
the ,church1 the persons chosen would   
probably belong to it4 ,he left         
,jerusalem during the persecution 'that 
arose after the death of ,stephen4' ,as 
we know1 he was the first preacher of   
the ,gospel in ,samaria2 he was next the
 instrument honoured to carry the ,word 
to the first heathen ever gathered into 
the ,church2 and then1 after a journey  
along the sea-coast to ,caesarea1 the   
then seat of government1 he remained in 
that place in obscure toil for twenty   
years1 dropped out of the story1 and we 
hear no more of him but for one glimpse 
of his home in ,caesarea4  ,that is all 
that is told about him4 ,and ,i think   
that if we note the contrast of the     
office to which men called him1 and the 
work to which ,god set him2 and the     
other still more striking contrast      
between the brilliancy of the beginning 

of his course1 and the obscurity of his 
long years of work1 we may get some     
lessons worth the learning4 ,i take1    
then1 not only the words which ,i read  
for my text1 but the whole of the       
incidents connected with ,philip1 as our
 starting-point now2 and ,i draw from   
them two or three very well-worn1 but   
none the less needful1 pieces of        
instruction4  ,i4 ,first1 then1 we may  
gather a thought as to ,christ's        
sovereignty in choosing ,his            
instruments4  ,did you ever notice that 
events exactly contradicted the         
intentions of the ,church and of the    
,apostles1 in the selection of ,philip  
and his six brethren8 ,the ,apostles    
said1 ',it is not reason that we should 
leave the ,word of ,god and serve       
tables4 ,pick out seven                 
relieving-officers2 men who shall do the
 secular work of the ,church1 and look  
after the poor2 and we will give        
ourselves to prayer and to the ministry 
of the ,word4' ,so said man4 ,and what  

did facts say8 ,that as to these twelve1
 who were to 'give themselves to prayer 
and the ministry of the ,word1' we never
 hear that by far the larger proportion 
of them were honoured to do anything    
worth mentioning for the spread of the  
,gospel4 ,their function was to be      
'witnesses1' and that was all4 ,but1 on 
the other hand1 of the men that were    
supposed to be fitted for secular work1 
two at all events had more to do in the 
expansion of the ,church1 and in the    
development of the universal aspects of 
,christ's ,gospel1 than the whole of the
 original group of ,apostles4 ,so       
,christ picks ,his instruments4 ,the    
,apostles may say1 ',these shall do     
so-and-so2 and we will do so-and-so4'   
,christ says1 ',stephen shall proclaim a
 wider ,gospel than the ,apostles at    
first had caught sight of1 and ,philip  
shall be the first who will go beyond   
the charmed circle of ,judaism1 and     
preach the ,gospel4'  ,it is always so4 
,christ chooses ,his instruments where  

,he will2 and it is not the ,apostle's  
business1 nor the business of an        
ecclesiastic of any sort1 to settle his 
own work or anybody else's4 ,the        
,commander-in-,chief keeps the choosing 
of the men for special service in ,his  
own hand4 ,the ,apostolic ,college said1
 ',let them look after the poor1 and    
leave us to look after the ministry of  
the ,word'2 ,christ says1 ',go and join 
thyself to that chariot1 and speak there
 the speech that ,i shall bid thee4'    
,brethren1 do you listen for that voice 
calling you to your tasks1 and never    
mind what men may be saying4 ,wait till 
,he bids1 and you will hear ,him        
speaking to you if you will keep        
yourselves quiet4 ,wait till ,he bids   
you1 and then be sure that you do it4   
,christ chooses ,his instruments1 and   
chooses them often in strange places4   
,,ii4 ,the next lesson that ,i would    
take from this story is the spontaneous 
speech of a believing heart4  ,there    
came a persecution that scattered the   

,church4 ,men tried to fling down the   
lamp2 and all that they did was to spill
 the oil1 and it ran flaming wherever it
 flowed4 ,for the scattered brethren1   
without any ,apostle with them1 with no 
instruction given to them to do so1     
wherever they went carried their faith  
with them2 and1 as a matter of course1  
wherever they went they spoke their     
faith4 ,and so we read that1 not by     
appointment1 nor of set purpose1 nor in 
consequence of any ecclesiastical or    
official sanction1 nor in consequence of
 any supernatural and distinct          
commandment from heaven1 but just       
because it was the natural thing to do1 
and they could not help it1 they went   
everywhere1 these scattered men of      
,cyprus and ,cyrene1 preaching the word4
  ,and when this ,philip1 whom the      
officials had relegated to the secular  
work of distributing charity1 found     
himself in ,samaria1 he did the like4   
,the ,samaritans were outcasts1 and     
,peter and ,john had wanted to bring    

down fire from heaven to consume them4  
,but ,philip could not help speaking out
 the truth that was in his heart4  ,so  
it always will be3 we can all talk about
 what we are interested in4 ,the full   
heart cannot be condemned to silence4   
,if there is no necessity for speech    
felt by a professing ,christian1 that   
professing ,christian's faith is a very 
superficial thing4 ',we cannot but speak
 the things that we have seen and       
heard1' said one of the ,apostles1      
thereby laying down the great charter of
 freedom of speech for all profound     
convictions4 ',thy word was as a fire in
 my bones when ,i said1 ,i will speak no
 more in ,thy name1' so petulant and    
self-willed was ,i1 'and ,i was weary   
with forbearing1' and ashamed of my rash
 vow2 'and ,i could not stay4'  ,dear   
friends1 do you carry with you the      
impulse for utterance of ,christ's name 
wherever you go8 ,and is it so sweet in 
your hearts that you cannot but let its 
sweetness have expression by your lips8 

,surely1 surely this spontaneous        
instinctive utterance of ,philip1 by    
which a loving heart sought to relieve  
itself1 puts to shame the 'dumb dogs'   
that make up such an enormous proportion
 of professing ,christians4 ,and surely 
such an experience as his may well throw
 a very sinister light on the           
reality--nay6 ,i will not say the       
reality1 that would be too              
uncharitable--but upon the depth and    
vitality of the profession of           
,christianity which these silent ones   
make4  ,,iii4 ,another lesson that seems
 to me strikingly illustrated by the    
story with which we are concerned1 is   
the guidance of a divine hand in common 
life1 and when there are no visible nor 
supernatural signs4  ,philip goes down  
to ,samaria because he must1 and speaks 
because he cannot help it4 ,he is next  
bidden to take a long journey1 from the 
centre of the land1 away down to the    
southern desert2 and at a certain point 
there the ,spirit says to him1 ',go6    

join thyself to this chariot4' ,and when
 his work with the ,ethiopian statesman 
is done1 then he is swept away by the   
power of the ,spirit of ,god1 as        
,ezekiel had been long before by the    
banks of the river ,chebar1 and is set  
down1 no doubt all bewildered and       
breathless1 at ,azotus--the ancient     
,ashdod--the ,philistine city on the    
low-lying coast4 ,was ,philip less under
 ,christ's guidance when miracle ceased 
and he was left to ordinary powers8 ,did
 he feel as if deserted by ,christ1     
because1 instead of being swept by the  
strong wind of heaven1 he had to tramp  
wearily along the flat shore with the   
flashing ,mediterranean on his left hand
 reflecting the hot sunshine8 ,did it   
seem to him as if his task in preaching 
the ,gospel in these villages through   
which he passed on his way to ,caesarea 
was less distinctly obedience to the    
divine command than when he heard the   
utterance of the ,spirit1 ',go down to  
the road which leads to ,gaza1 which is 

desert'8 ,by no means4 ,to this man1 as 
to every faithful soul1 the guidance    
that came through his own judgment and  
common sense1 through the instincts and 
impulses of his sanctified nature1 by   
the circumstances which he devoutly     
believed to be ,god's providence1 was as
 truly direct divine guidance as if all 
the angels of heaven had blown          
commandment with their trumpets into his
 waiting and stunned ears4  ,and so you 
and ,i have to go upon our paths without
 angel voices1 or chariots of storm1 and
 to be contented with divine            
commandments less audible or perceptible
 to our senses than this man had at one 
point in his career4 ,but if we are wise
 we shall hear ,him speaking the word4  
,we shall not be left without ,his voice
 if we wait for it1 stilling our own    
inclinations until ,his solemn          
commandment is made plain to us1 and    
then stirring up our inclinations that  
they may sway us to swift obedience4    
,there is no gulf1 for the devout heart1

 between what is called miraculous and  
what is called ordinary and common4     
,equally in both does ,god manifest ,his
 will to ,his servants1 and equally in  
both is ,his presence perceived by      
faith4 ,we do not need to envy ,philip's
 brilliant beginning4 ,let us see that  
we imitate his quiet close of life4     
,,iv4 ,the last lesson that ,i would    
draw is this--the nobility of           
persistence in unnoticed work4  ,what a 
contrast to the triumphs in ,samaria1   
and the other great expansion of the    
field for the ,gospel effected by the   
,god-commanded preaching to the eunuch1 
is presented by the succeeding twenty   
years of altogether unrecorded but      
faithful toil6 ,persistence in such     
unnoticed work is made all the more     
difficult1 and to any but a very true   
man would have been all but impossible1 
by reason of the contrast which such    
work offered to the glories of the      
earlier days4 ,some of us may have been 
tried in a similar fashion1 all of us   

have more or less the same kind of      
difficulty to face4 ,some of us perhaps 
may have had gleams1 at the beginning of
 our career1 that seemed to give hope of
 fields of activity more brilliant and  
of work far better than we have ever had
 or done again in the long weary toil of
 daily life4 ,there may have been       
abortive promises1 at the commencement  
of your careers1 that seemed to say that
 you would occupy a more conspicuous    
position than life has had really in    
reserve for you4 ,at any rate1 we have  
all had our dreams1 for    ',if ,nature 
put not forth her power   ,about the    
opening of the flower1   ,who is there  
that could live an hour8'  and no life  
is all that the liver of it meant it to 
be when he began4 ,we dream of building 
palaces or temples1 and we have to      
content ourselves if we can put up some 
little shed in which we may shelter4    
,philip1 who began so conspicuously1 and
 so suddenly ceased to be the special   
instrument in the hands of the ,spirit1 

kept plod1 plod1 plodding on1 with no   
bitterness of heart4 ,for twenty years  
he had no share in the development of   
,gentile ,christianity1 of which he had 
sowed the first seed1 but had to do much
 less conspicuous work4 ,he toiled away 
there in ,caesarea patient1 persevering1
 and contented1 because he loved the    
work1 and he loved the work because he  
loved ,him that had set it4 ,he seemed  
to be passed over by his ,lord in ,his  
choice of instruments4 ,it was he who   
was selected to be the first man that   
should preach to the heathen4 ,but did  
you ever notice that although he was    
probably in ,caesarea at the time1      
,cornelius was not bid to apply to      
,philip1 who was at his elbow1 but to   
send to ,joppa for the ,apostle ,peter8 
,philip might have sulked and said3     
',why was ,i not chosen to do this work8
 ,i will speak no more in this ,name4'  
,it did not fall to his lot to be the   
,apostle to the ,gentiles4 ,one who came
 after him was preferred before him1 and

 the ,hellenist ,saul was set to the    
task which might have seemed naturally  
to belong to the ,hellenist ,philip4 ,he
 too might have said1 ',he must         
increase1 but ,i must decrease4' ,no    
doubt he did say it in spirit1 with     
noble self-abnegation and freedom from  
jealousy4 ,he cordially welcomed ,paul  
to his house in ,caesarea twenty years  
afterwards1 and rejoiced that one sows  
and another reaps2 and that so the      
division of labour is the multiplication
 of gladness4  ,a beautiful superiority 
to all the low thoughts that are apt to 
mar our persistency in unobtrusive and  
unrecognised work is set before us in   
this story4 ,there are many temptations 
to-day1 dear brethren1 what with        
gossiping newspapers and other means of 
publicity for everything that is done1  
for men to say1 ',well1 if ,i cannot get
 any notice for my work ,i shall not do 
it4'  ,boys in the street will refuse to
 join in games1 saying1 ',i shall not   
play unless ,i am captain or have the   

big drum4' ,and there are not wanting   
,christian men who lay down like        
conditions4 ',play well thy part'       
wherever it is4 ,never mind the honour4 
,do the duty ,god appoints1 and ,he that
 has the two mites of the widow in ,his 
treasury will never forget any of our   
works1 and at the right time will tell  
them out before ,his ,father1 and before
 the holy angels4    ,,grace            
,,triumphant  ',and ,saul1 yet breathing
 out threatenings and slaughter against 
the disciples of the ,lord1 went unto   
the high priest1 #b4 ,and desired of him
 letters to ,damascus to the synagogues1
 that if he found any of this way1      
whether they were men or women1 he might
 bring them hound unto ,jerusalem4 #c4  
,and as he journeyed1 he came near      
,damascus3 and suddenly there shined    
round about him a light from heaven3 #d4
 ,and he fell to the earth1 and heard a 
voice saying unto him1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why
 persecutest thou ,me8 #e4 ,and he said1
 ,who art ,thou1 ,lord8 ,and the ,lord  

said1 ,i am ,jesus whom thou            
persecutest3 it is hard for thee to kick
 against the pricks4 #f4 ,and he        
trembling and astonished said1 ,lord1   
what wilt ,thou have me to do8 ,and the 
,lord said unto him1 ,arise1 and go into
 the city1 and it shall be told thee    
what thou must do4 #g4 ,and the men     
which journeyed with him stood          
speechless1 hearing a voice1 but seeing 
no man4 #h4 ,and ,saul arose from the   
earth3 and when his eyes were opened1 he
 saw no man3 but they led him by the    
hand1 and brought him into ,damascus4   
#i4 ,and he was three days without      
sight1 and neither did eat nor drink4   
#aj4 ,and there was a certain disciple  
at ,damascus1 named ,ananias2 and to him
 said the ,lord in a vision1 ,ananias4  
,and he said1 ,behold4 ,i am here1      
,lord4 #aa4 ,and the ,lord said unto    
him1 ,arise1 and go into the street     
which is called ,straight1 and enquire  
in the house of ,judas for one called   
,saul1 of ,tarsus2 for1 behold1 he      

prayeth1 #ab4 ,and hath seen in a vision
 a man named ,ananias coming in1 and    
putting his hand on him1 that he might  
receive his sight4444 #ag4 ,and ,ananias
 went his way1 and entered ,into the    
house2 and putting his hands on him     
said1 ,brother ,saul1 the ,lord1 even   
,jesus1 that appeared unto thee in the  
way as thou earnest1 hath sent me1 that 
thou mightest receive thy sight1 and be 
filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 #ah4 ,and 
immediately there fell from his eyes as 
it had been scales3 and he received     
sight forthwith1 and arose1 and was     
baptized4 #ai4 ,and when he had received
 meat1 he was strengthened4 ,then was   
,saul certain days with the disciples   
which were at ,damascus4 #bj4 ,and      
straightway he preached ,christ in the  
synagogues1 that ,he is the ,son of     
,god4'--,,acts ix4 #a-ab2 #ag-bj4  ,this
 chapter begins with 'but1' which       
contrasts ,saul's persistent hatred1    
which led him to ,gentile lands to      
persecute1 with ,philip's expansive     

evangelistic work4 ,both men were in    
profound earnest1 both went abroad to   
carry on their work1 but the one sought 
to plant what the other was eager to    
destroy4 ,if the 'but' in verse #a      
contrasts1 the 'yet' connects the verse 
with chapter viii4 #c4 ,saul's fury was 
no passing outburst1 but enduring4 ,like
 other indulged passions1 it grew with  
exercise1 and had come to be as his very
 life-breath1 and now planned1 not only 
imprisonment1 but death1 for the        
heretics4  ,not content with carrying   
his hateful inquisition into the homes  
of the ,christians in ,jerusalem1 he    
will follow the fugitives to ,damascus4 
,the extension of the persectution was  
his own thought4 ,he was not the tool of
 the ,sanhedrin1 but their mover4 ,they 
would probably have been content to     
cleanse ,jerusalem1 but the young zealot
 would not rest till he had followed the
 dispersed poison into every corner     
where it might have trickled4 ,the high 
priest would not discourage such useful 

zeal1 however he might smile at its     
excess4  ,so ,saul got the letters he   
asked1 and some attendants1 apparently1 
to help him in his hunt1 and set off for
 ,damascus4 ,painters have imagined him 
as riding thither1 but more probably he 
and his people went on foot4 ,it was a  
journey of some five or six days4 ,the  
noon of the last day had come1 and the  
groves of ,damascus were1 perhaps1 in   
sight4 ,no doubt1 the young ,pharisee's 
head was busy settling what he was to   
begin with when he entered the city1 and
 was exulting in the thought of how he  
would harry the meek ,christians1 when  
the sudden light shone4  ,at all events1
 the narrative does not warrant the     
view1 often taken now1 that there had   
been any preparatory process in ,saul's 
mind1 which had begun to sap his        
confidence that ,jesus was a blasphemer1
 and himself a warrior for ,god4 ,that  
view is largely adopted in order to get 
rid of the supernatural1 and to bolster 
up the assumption that there are no     

sudden conversions2 but the narrative of
 ,luke1 and ,paul's own references1 are 
dead against it4 ,at one moment he is   
'yet breathing threatening and slaughter
 against the disciples of the ,lord1'   
and in almost the next he is prone on   
his face1 asking1 ',lord1 what wilt     
,thou have me to do8' ,it was not a case
 of a landslide suddenly sweeping down1 
but long prepared for by the gradual    
percolation of water to the slippery    
understrata1 but the solid earth was    
shaken1 and the mountain crashed down in
 sudden ruin4  ,the causes of ,saul's   
conversion are plain in the narrative1  
even though the shortened form is       
adopted1 which is found in the ,revised 
,version4 ,the received text has        
probably been filled out by additions   
from ,paul's own account in chapter     
xxvi4 ,first came the blaze of light    
outshining the midday sun1 even in that 
land where its beams are like swords4   
,that blinding light 'shone round about 
him1' enveloping him in its glory4      

,chapter xxvi4 7verse #ac7 tells that   
his companions also were wrapped in the 
lustre1 and that all fell to the earth1 
no doubt in terror4  ,saul is not said1 
either in this or in his own accounts1  
to have seen ,jesus1 but ,i ,corinthians
 xv4 #h establishes that he did so1 and 
,ananias 7v4 #ag7 refers to ,jesus as   
having 'appeared4' ,that appearance1    
whatever may have been the psychological
 account of it1 was by ,paul regarded as
 being equal in evidential value to the 
flesh-and-blood vision of the risen     
,lord which the other ,apostles         
witnessed to1 and as placing him in the 
same line as a witness4  ,it is to be   
noted also1 that1 while the attendants  
saw the light1 they were not blinded1 as
 ,saul was2 from which it may be        
inferred that he saw with his bodily    
eyes the glorified manhood of ,jesus1 as
 we are told that one day1 when ,he     
returns as ,judge1 'every eye shall see 
,him4' ,be that as it may1--and we have 
not material for constructing a theory  

of the manner of ,christ's appearance to
 ,saul1--the overwhelming conviction was
 flooded into his soul1 that the ,jesus 
whom he had thought of as a blasphemer1 
falsely alleged to have risen from the  
dead1 lived in heavenly glory1 amid     
celestial brightness too dazzling for   
human eyes4  ,the words of gentle       
remonstrance issuing from the flashing  
glory went still further to shake the   
foundations of the young ,pharisee's    
life2 for they1 as with one lightning   
gleam1 laid hare the whole madness and  
sin of the crusade which he had thought 
acceptable to ,god4 ',why persecutest   
thou ,me8' ,then the odious heretics    
were knit by some mysterious bond to    
this glorious ,one1 so that ,he bled in 
their wounds and felt their pains6 ,then
 ,saul had been1 as his old teacher     
dreaded they of the ,sanhedrin might be1
 fighting against ,god6 ,how the reasons
 for ,saul's persecution had crumbled   
away1 till there were none left with    
which to answer ,jesus' question6 ,jesus

 lived1 and was exalted to glory4 ,he   
was identified with ,his servants4 ,he  
had appeared to ,saul1 and deigned to   
plead with him4  ,no wonder that the man
 who had been planning fresh assaults on
 the disciples ten minutes before1 was  
crushed and abject as he lay there on   
the road1 and these tremendous new      
convictions rushed like a cataract over 
and into his soul6 ,no wonder that the  
lessons burned in on him in that hour of
 destiny became the centre-point of all 
his future teaching6 ,that vision       
revolutionised his thinking and his     
life4 ,none can affirm that it was      
incompetent to do so4  ,luke's account  
here1 like ,paul's in chapter xxii41    
represents further instructions from    
,jesus as postponed till ,saul's meeting
 with ,ananias1 while ,paul's other     
account in chapter xxvi4 omits mention  
of the latter1 and gives the substance  
of what he said in ,damascus as said on 
the road by ,jesus4 ,the one account is 
more detailed than the other1 that is   

all4 ,the gradual unfolding of the      
heavenly purpose which our narrative    
gives is in accord with the divine      
manner4 ,for the moment enough had been 
done to convert the persecutor into the 
servant1 to level with the ground his   
self-righteousness1 to reveal to him the
 glorified ,jesus1 to bend his will and 
make it submissive4 ,the rest would be  
told him in due time4  ,the attendants  
had fallen to the ground like him1 but  
seem to have struggled to their feet    
again1 while he lay prostrate4 ,they saw
 the brightness1 but not the ,person3   
they heard the voice1 but not the words4
 ,saul staggered by their help to his   
feet1 and then found that with open eyes
 he was blind4 ,imagination or          
hallucination does not play tricks of   
that sort with the organs of sense4     
,the supernatural is too closely        
intertwined with the story to be taken  
out of it without reducing it to        
tatters4 ,the greatest of ,christian    
teachers1 who has probably exercised    

more influence than any man who ever    
lived1 was made a ,christian by a       
miracle4 ,that fact is not to be got rid
 of4 ,but we must remember that once    
when ,he speaks of it ,he points to     
,god's revelation of ,his ,son 'in ,him'
 as its essential character4 ,the       
external appearance was the vehicle of  
the inward revelation4 ,it is to be     
remembered1 too1 that the miracle did   
not take away ,saul's power of accepting
 or rejecting the ,christ2 for he tells 
,agrippa that he was 'not disobedient to
 the heavenly vision4'  ,what a         
different entry he made into ,damascus  
from what he expected1 and what a       
different man it was that crawled up to 
the door of ,judas1 in the street that  
is called ,straight1 from the           
self-confident young fanatic who had    
left ,jerusalem with the high priest's  
letters in his bosom and fierce hate in 
his heart6  ,ananias was probably not   
one of the fugitives1 as his language   
about ,saul implies that he knew of his 

doings only by hearsay4 ,the report of  
,saul's coming and authority to arrest  
disciples had reached ,damascus before  
him1 with the wonderful quickness with  
which news travels in the ,east1 nobody 
knows how4 ,ananias's fears being       
quieted1 he went to the house where for 
three days ,saul had been lying lonely  
in the dark1 fasting1 and revolving many
 things in his heart4 ,no doubt his     
,lord had spoken many a word to him1    
though not by vision1 but by whispering 
to his spirit4 ,silence and solitude    
root truth in a soul4 ,after such a     
shock1 absolute seclusion was best4     
,ananias discharged his commission with 
lovely tenderness and power4 ,how sweet 
and strange to speaker and hearer would 
that ',brother ,saul' sound6 ,how strong
 and grateful a confirmation of his     
vision would ,ananias's reference to the
 appearance of the ,lord bring6 ,how    
humbly would the proud ,pharisee bow to 
receive1 laid on his head1 the hands    
that he had thought to bind with chains6

 ,what new eyes would look out on a     
world in which all things had become    
new1 when there fell from them as it had
 been scales1 and as quickly as had come
 the blinding1 so quickly came the      
restored vision6  ,ananias was neither  
,apostle nor official1 yet the laying on
 of his hands communicated 'the ,holy   
,ghost4' ,saul received that gift before
 baptism1 not after or through the      
ordinance4 ,it was important for his    
future relations to the ,apostles that  
he should not have been introduced to   
the ,church by them1 or owed to them his
 first human ,christian teaching4       
,therefore he could say that he was 'an 
,apostle1 not from men1 neither through 
man4' ,it was important for us that in  
that great instance that divine gift    
should have been bestowed without the   
conditions accompanying1 which have too 
often been regarded as necessary for1   
its possession4    ',,this ,,way'  ',any
 of this way4'--,,acts ix4 #b  ,the name
 of ',christian' was not applied to     

themselves by the followers of ,jesus   
before the completion of the ,new       
,testament4 ,there were other names in  
currency before that designation--which 
owed its origin to the scoffing wits of 
,antioch--was accepted by the ,church4  
,they called themselves 'disciples1'    
'believers1 'saints1' 'brethren1' as if 
feeling about for a title4  ,here is a  
name that had obtained currency for a   
while1 and was afterwards disused4 ,we  
find it five times in the ,book of the  
,acts of the ,apostles1 never elsewhere2
 and always1 with one exception1 it     
should be rendered1 as it is in the     
,revised ,version1 not 'this way1' as if
 being one amongst many1 but 'the way1' 
as being the only one4  ,now1 ,i have   
thought that this designation of        
,christians as 'those of the way' rests 
upon a very profound and important view 
of what ,christianity is1 and may teach 
us some lessons if we will ponder it2   
and ,i ask your attention to two or     
three of these for a few moments now4   

,i4 ,first1 then1 ,i take this name as  
being a witness to the conviction that  
in ,christianity we have the only road  
to ,god4  ,there may be some reference  
in the name to the remarkable words of  
our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 ',i am the    
,way4 ,no man cometh to the ,father but 
by ,me1'--words of which the audacity is
 unparalleled and unpardonable1 except  
upon the supposition that ,he bears an  
unique relation to ,god on the one hand1
 and to all mankind upon the other4 ,in 
them ,he claims to be the sole medium of
 communication between heaven and earth1
 ,god and man4 ,and that same           
exclusiveness is reflected in this name 
for ,christians4 ,it asserts that faith 
in ,jesus ,christ1 the acceptance of    
,his teaching1 mediation and guidance1  
is the only path that climbs to ,god1   
and by it alone do we come into         
knowledge of1 and communion with1 our   
divine ,father4  ,i do not dwell upon   
the fact that1 according to our ,lord's 
own teaching1 and according to the whole

 ,new ,testament1 ,christ's work of     
making ,god known to man did not begin  
with ,his ,incarnation and earthly life1
 but that from the beginning that       
eternal ,word was the agent of all      
divine activity in creation1 and in the 
illumination of mankind4 ,so that1 not  
only all the acts of the self-revealing 
,god were through ,him1 but that from   
,him1 as from the light of men1 came all
 the light in human hearts1 of reason   
and of conscience1 by which there were  
and are in all men1 some dim knowledge  
of ,god1 and some feeling after1 or at  
the lowest some consciousness of1 ,him4 
,but the historical facts of ,christ's  
incarnation1 life1 death1 resurrection1 
and ascension are the source of all     
solid certitude1 and of all clear       
knowledge of our ,father in ,heaven4    
,his words are spirit and life2 ,his    
works are unspoken words2 and by both   
,he declares unto ,his brethren the     
,name1 and is the self-manifestation of1
 the ,father4  ,think of the contrast   

presented by the world's conceptions of 
,godhead1 and the reality as unveiled in
 ,christ6 ,on the one hand you have gods
 lustful1 selfish1 passionate1          
capricious1 cruel1 angry1 vile2 or gods 
remote1 indifferent1 not only           
passionless1 but heartless1 inexorable1 
unapproachable1 whom no man can know1   
whom no man can love1 whom no man can   
trust4 ,on the other hand1 if you look  
at ,christ's tears as the revelation of 
,god2 if you look at ,christ's ruth and 
pity as the manifestation of the inmost 
glory of the divine nature2 if you take 
your stand at the foot of the ,cross--a 
strange place to see 'the power of ,god 
and the wisdom of ,god'6--and look up   
there at ,him dying for the world1 and  
are able to say1 ',lo6 this is our ,god6
 through all the weary centuries we have
 waited for ,him1 and this is ,he6' then
 you can understand how true it is that 
there1 and there only1 is the good news 
proclaimed that lifts the burden from   
every heart1 and reveals ,god the ,lover

 and the ,friend of every soul4  ,and   
if1 further1 we consider the difference 
between the dim 'peradventures1' the    
doubts and fears1 the uncertain         
conclusions drawn from questionable1 and
 often partial1 premises1 which         
confessedly never amount to             
demonstration1 if we consider the       
contrast between these and the daylight 
of fact which we meet in ,jesus ,christ1
 ,his love1 life1 and death1 then we can
 feel how superior in certitude1 as in  
substance1 the revelation of ,god in    
,jesus is to all these hopes1 longings1 
doubts1 and how it alone is worthy to be
 called the knowledge of ,god1 or is    
solid enough to abide comparison with   
the certainties of the most arrogant    
physical science4  ,there never was a   
time in the history of the world when1  
so clearly and unmistakably1 every      
thinking soul amongst cultivated nations
 was being brought up to this           
alternative--,christ1 the ,revealer of  
,god1 or no knowledge of ,god at all4   

,the old dreams of heathenism are       
impossible for us2 modern agnosticism   
will make very quick work of a deism    
which does not cling to the ,christ as  
the ,revealer of the ,godhead4 ,and ,i1 
for my part1 believe that there is one  
thing1 and one thing only1 which will   
save modern ,europe from absolute       
godlessness1 and that is the coming back
 to the old truth1 ',no man hath seen   
,god' by sense1 or intuition1 or reason1
 or conscience1 'at any time4 ,the only 
begotten ,son1 which is in the bosom of 
the ,father1 ,he hath declared ,him4'   
,but it is not merely as bringing to us 
the only certain knowledge of our       
,father ,god that ,christianity is 'the 
way1' but it is also because by it alone
 we come into fellowship with the ,god  
whom it reveals to us4 ,if there rises  
up before your mind the thought of ,him 
in the ,heavens1 there will rise up also
 in your consciousness the sense of your
 own sin4 ,and that is no delusion nor  
fancy2 it is the most patent fact1 that 

between you and your ,father in ,heaven1
 howsoever loving1 tender1              
compassionate1 and forgiving1 there lies
 a great gulf4 ,you cannot go to ,god1  
my brother1 with all that guilt heaped  
upon your conscience2 you cannot come   
near to ,him with all that mass of evil 
which you know is there1 working in your
 soul4 ,how shall a sinful soul come to 
a holy ,god8 ,and there is only one     
answer--that great ,lord1 by ,his       
blessed death upon the ,cross1 has      
cleared away all the mountains of guilt 
and sin that rise up frowning between   
each single soul and the ,father in     
,heaven2 and through ,him1 by a new and 
living way1 which ,he hath opened for   
us1 we have entrance to ,god1 and dwell 
with ,him4  ,and it is not only that ,he
 brings to us the knowledge of ,god1 and
 that ,he clears away all obstacles1 and
 makes fellowship between ,god and us   
possible for the most polluted and      
sinful of spirits1 but it is also that1 
by the knowledge of ,his great love to  

us1 love is kindled in our hearts1 and  
we are drawn into that path which1 as a 
matter of fact1 we shall not tread      
unless we yield to the magnetic         
attraction of the love of ,god as       
revealed 'in the face of ,jesus         
,christ4'  ,men do not seek fellowship  
with ,god until they are drawn to ,him  
by the love that is revealed upon the   
,cross4 ,men do not yield their hearts  
to ,him until their hearts are melted   
down by the fire of that ,infinite      
divine love which disdained not to be   
humiliated and refused not to die for   
their sakes4 ,practically and really we 
come to ,god1 when--and ,i venture upon 
the narrowness of saying1 only          
when--,god has come to us in ,his dear  
,son4 ',the way' to ,god is through     
,christ4 ,have you trod it1 my          
friend--that new and living way1 which  
leads within the veil1 into the secrets 
of loving communion with your ,father in
 ,heaven8  ,,ii4 ,then there is another 
principle1 of which this designation of 

our text is also the witness1 viz41 that
 in ,christianity we have the path of   
conduct and practical life traced out   
for us all4  ,the 'way of a man' is1 of 
course1 a metaphor for his outward life 
and conduct4 ,it is connected with the  
familiar old image which belongs to the 
poetry of all languages1 by which life  
is looked at as a journey4 ,that        
metaphor speaks to us of the continual  
changefulness of our mortal condition2  
it speaks to us1 also1 of the effort and
 the weariness which often attend it4   
,it proclaims also the solemn thought   
that a man's life is a unity1 and that1 
progressive1 it goes some whither1 and  
arrives at a definite goal4  ,and that  
idea is taken up in this phrase1 'the   
way1' in such a fashion as that there   
are two things asserted3 first1 that    
,christianity provides a way1 a path for
 the practical activity1 that it moulds 
our life into a unity1 that it          
prescribes the line of direction which  
it is to follow1 that it has a          

starting-point1 and stages1 and an end2 
also1 that ,christianity is the way for 
practical life1 the only path and mode  
of conduct which corresponds with all   
the obligations and nature of a man1 and
 which reason1 conscience1 and          
experience will approve4 ,let us look1  
just for a moment or two1 at these two  
thoughts3 ,christianity is a way2       
,christianity is the way4  ,it is a way4
 ,these early disciples must have       
grasped with great clearness and        
tenacity the practical side of the      
,gospel1 or they would never have       
adopted this name4 ,if they had thought 
of it as being only a creed1 they would 
not have done so4  ,and it is not only a
 creed4 ,all creed is meant to influence
 conduct4 ,if ,i may so say1 credenda1  
'things to be believed1' are meant to   
underlie the agenda1 the things to be   
done4 ,every doctrine of the ,new       
,testament1 like the great blocks of    
concrete that are dropped into a river  
in order to lay the foundation of a     

bridge1 or the embankment that is run   
across a valley in order to carry a     
railway upon it1--every doctrine of the 
,new ,testament is meant to influence   
the conduct1 the 'walk and              
conversation1' and to provide a path on 
which activity may advance and          
expatiate4  ,i cannot1 of course1 dwell 
upon this point with sufficient         
elaboration1 or take up one after       
another the teachings of the ,new       
,testament1 in order to show how close  
is their bearing upon practical life4   
,there is plenty of abstract theology in
 the form of theological systems1       
skeletons all dried up that have no life
 in them4 ,there is nothing of that sort
 in the principles as they lie on the   
pages of the ,new ,testament4 ,there    
they are all throbbing with life1 and   
all meant to influence life and conduct4
  ,remember1 my friend1 that unless your
 ,christianity is doing that for you1   
unless it has prescribed a path of life 
for you1 and moulded your steps into a  

great unity1 and drawn you along the    
road1 it is nought1--nought6  ,but the  
whole matter may be put into half a     
dozen sentences4 ,the living heart of   
,christianity1 either considered as a   
revelation to a man1 or as a power      
within a man1 that is to say1 either    
objective or subjective1 is love4 ,it is
 the revelation of the love of ,god that
 is the inmost essence of it as         
revelation4 ,it is love in my heart that
 is the inmost essence of it as a fact  
of my nature4 ,and is not love the most 
powerful of all forces to influence     
conduct8 ,is it not 'the fulfilling of  
the law1' because its one single self   
includes all commandments1 and is the   
ideal of all duty1 and also because it  
is the power which will secure the      
keeping of all the law which itself lays
 down8  ,but love may be followed out   
into its two main effects4 ,these are   
self-surrender and imitation4 ,and ,i   
say that a religious system which is1 in
 its inmost heart and essence1 love1 is 

thereby shown to be the most practical  
of all systems1 because thereby it is   
shown to be a great system of           
self-surrender and imitation4  ,the     
deepest word of the ,gospel is1 ',yield 
yourselves to ,god4' ,bring your wills  
and bow them before ,him1 and say1      
',here am ,i2 take me1 and use me as a  
pawn on ,thy great chessboard1 to be put
 where ,thou wilt4' ,when once a man's  
will is absorbed into the divine will1  
as a drop of water is into the ocean1 he
 is free1 and has happiness and peace1  
and is master and lord of himself and of
 the universe4 ,that system which       
proclaims love as its heart sets in     
action self-surrender as the most       
practical of all the powers of life4    
,love is imitation4 ,and ,jesus         
,christ's life is set before us as the  
pattern for all our conduct4 ,we are to 
follow ,in ,his footsteps4 ,these mark  
our path4 ,we are to follow ,him1 as a  
traveller who knows not his way will    
carefully tread in the steps of his     

guide4 ,we are to imitate ,him1 as a    
scholar who is learning to draw will    
copy every touch of the master's pencil4
  ,strange that that short life1        
fragmentarily reported in four little   
tracts1 full of unapproachable          
peculiarities1 and having no part in    
many of the relationships which make so 
large a portion of most lives1 is yet so
 transparently under the influence of   
the purest and broadest principles of   
righteousness and morality as that every
 age and each sex1 and men of all       
professions1 idiosyncrasies1            
temperaments1 and positions1 all stages 
of civilisation and culture1 of every   
period1 and of every country1 may find  
in it the all-sufficient pattern for    
them6  ,thus in ,christianity we have a 
way4 ,it prescribes a line of direction 
for the life1 and brings all its power  
to bear in marking the course which we  
should pursue and in making us willing  
and able to pursue it4  ,how different1 
how superior to all other systems which 

aspire to regulate the outward life that
 system is6 ,it is superior1 in its     
applicability to all conditions4 ,it is 
a very difficult thing for any man to   
apply the generalities of moral law and 
righteousness to the individual cases in
 his life4 ,the stars are very bright1  
but they do not show me which street to 
turn up when ,i am at a loss2 but       
,christ's example comes very near to us1
 and guides us1 not indeed in regard to 
questions of prudence or expediency1 but
 in regard to all questions of right or 
wrong4 ,it is superior1 in the help it  
gives to a soul struggling with         
temptation4 ,it is very hard to keep law
 or duty clearly before our eyes at such
 a moment1 when it is most needful to do
 so4 ,the lighthouse is lost in the fog1
 but the example of ,jesus ,christ      
dissipates many mists of temptation to  
the heart that loves ,him2 and 'they    
that follow ,him shall not walk in      
darkness4'  ,it is superior in this1    
further1 that patterns fail because they

 are only patterns1 and cannot get      
themselves executed1 and laws fail      
because they are only laws and cannot   
get themselves obeyed4 ,what is the use 
of a signpost to a man who is lame1 or  
who does not want to go down the road1  
though he knows it well enough8 ,but    
,christianity brings both the           
commandment and the motive that keeps   
the commandment4  ,and so it is the path
 along which we can travel4 ,it is the  
only road that corresponds to all our   
necessities1 and capacities1 and        
obligations4  ,it is the only path1 my  
brother1 that will be approved by       
reason1 conscience1 and experience4 ,the
 greatest of our ,english mystics says  
somewhere--,i do not profess to quote   
with verbal accuracy--',there are two   
questions which put an end to all the   
vain projects and designs of human life4
 ,the one is1 ,what for8 the other1     
,what good will the aim do you if       
attained8'  ,if we look at 'all the ways
 of men' calmly1 and with due regard to 

the wants of their souls1 reason cannot 
but say that they are 'vain and         
melancholy4' ,if we consult our own     
experience we cannot but confess that   
whatsoever we have had or enjoyed1 apart
 from ,god1 has either proved           
disappointing in the very moment of its 
possession1 or has been followed by a   
bitter taste on the tongue2 or in a     
little while has faded1 and left us     
standing with the stalk in our hands    
from which the bloom has dropped4       
,generation after generation has sighed 
its ',amen6' to the stern old word3     
',vanity of vanities2 all is vanity6'   
,and here to-day1 in the midst of the   
boasted progress of this generation1 we 
find cultured men amongst us1 lapped in 
material comfort1 and with all the light
 of this century blazing upon them1     
preaching again the old ,buddhist       
doctrine that annihilation is the only  
heaven1 and proclaiming that life is not
 worth living1 and that 'it were better 
not to be4'  ,dear brother1 one path1   

and one path only1 leads to what all men
 desire--peace and happiness4 ,one path1
 and one path only1 leads to what all   
men know they ought to seek--purity and 
godliness4 ,we are like men in the      
backwoods1 our paths go circling round  
and round1 we have lost our way4 ',the  
labour of the foolish wearieth every one
 of them1 for he knoweth not how to come
 to the city4' ,jesus ,christ has cut a 
path through the forest4 ,tread you in  
it1 and you will find that it is 'the   
way of pleasantness' and 'the path of   
peace4'  ,,iii4 ,and now1 one last word4
 ,this remarkable designation seems to  
me to be a witness also to another      
truth1 viz4 that in ,christianity we    
have the only way home4  ,the only way  
home6 ,all other modes and courses of   
life and conduct stop at the edge of a  
great gulf1 like some path that goes    
down an incline to the edge of a        
precipice1 and the heedless traveller   
that has been going on1 not knowing     
whither it led1 tilts over when he comes

 there4 ,every other way that men can   
follow is broken short off by death4    
,and if there were no other reason to   
allege1 that is enough to condemn them4 
,what is a man to do in another world if
 all his life long he has only          
cultivated tastes which want this world 
for their gratification8 ,what is the   
sensualist to do when he gets there8    
,what is the shrewd man of business in  
,manchester to do when he comes into a  
world where there are no bargains1 and  
he cannot go on ',change on ,tuesdays   
and ,fridays8 ,what will he do with     
himself8 ,what does he do with himself  
now1 when he goes away from home for a  
month1 and does not get his ordinary    
work and surroundings8 ,what will he do 
then8 ,what will a young lady do in an  
other world1 who spends her days here in
 reading trashy novels and magazines8   
,what will any of us do who have set our
 affections and our tastes upon this    
poor1 perishing1 miserable world8 ,would
 you think it was common sense in a     

young man who was going to be a doctor1 
and took no interest in anything but    
farming8 ,is it not as stupid a thing   
for men and women to train themselves   
for a condition which is transient1 and 
not to train themselves for the         
condition into which they are certainly 
going8  ,and1 on the other hand1 the    
path that ,christ makes runs clear on1  
without a break1 across the gulf1 like  
some daring railway bridge thrown across
 a mountain gorge1 and goes straight on 
on the other side without a curve1 only 
with an upward gradient4 ,the manner of 
work may change2 the spirit of the work 
and the principles of it will remain4   
,self-surrender will be the law of      
,heaven1 and 'they shall follow the     
,lamb whithersoever ,he goeth4' ,better 
to begin here as we mean to end yonder6 
,better to begin here what we can carry 
with us1 in essence though not in form1 
into the other life2 and so1 through all
 the changes of life1 and through the   
great change of death1 to keep one      

unbroken straight course6 ',they go from
 strength to strength2 every one of them
 in ,zion appeareth before ,god'4  ,we  
live in an else trackless waste1 but    
across the desert ,jesus ,christ has    
thrown a way2 too high for ravenous     
beasts to spring on or raging foes to   
storm2 too firm for tempest to overthrow
 or make impair able2 too plain for     
simple hearts to mistake4 ,we may all   
journey on it1 if we will1 and 'come to 
,zion with songs and everlasting joy    
upon our heads4'  ,christ is the ,way4  
,o brother ,i trust thy sinful soul to  
,his blood and mediation1 and thy sins  
will be forgiven4 ,and then1 loving     
,him1 follow ,him4 ',this is the way2   
walk ye in it4'    ,a ,,bird',s-,,eye   
,,view ,,of ,,the ,,early ,,church  ',so
 the ,church throughout all ,judaea and 
,galilee and ,samaria had peace1 being  
edified2 and1 walking in the fear of the
 ,lord1 and in the comfort of the ,holy 
,ghost1 was multiplied4'--,,acts ix4 #ca
 7,r4,v474  ,a man climbing a hill stops

 every now and then to take breath and  
look about him2 and in the earlier part 
of this ,book of the ,acts of the       
,apostles there are a number of such    
landing-places where the writer suspends
 the course of his narrative1 in order  
to give a general notion of the         
condition of the ,church at the moment4 
,we have in this verse one of the       
shortest1 but perhaps the most          
significant1 of these resting-places4   
,the original and proper reading1       
instead of 'the ,churches1' as our      
,version has it1 reads 'the ,church' as 
a whole--the whole body of believers in 
the three districts named--,judaea1     
,galilee1 and ,samaria--being in the    
same circumstances and passing through  
like experiences4 ,the several small    
communities of disciples formed a whole4
 ,they were 'churches' individually2    
they were collectively 'the ,church4'   
,christ's order of expansion1 given in  
chapter i41 had been thus far followed1 
and the sequence here sums up the       

progress which the ,acts has thus far   
recorded4 ,galilee had been the cradle  
of the ,church1 but the onward march of 
the ,gospel had begun at ,jerusalem4    
,before ,luke goes on to tell how the   
last part of our ,lord's programme--'to 
the uttermost parts of the earth'--began
 to be carried into execution by the    
conversion of ,cornelius1 he gives us   
this bird's-eye view4 ,to its           
significant items ,i desire to draw your
 attention now4  ,there are three of    
them3 outward rest1 inward progress1    
outward increase4  ,i4 ,outward rest4   
',then had the ,church rest throughout  
all ,judaea and ,galilee and ,samaria4' 
,the principal persecutor had just been 
converted1 and that would somewhat damp 
the zeal of his followers4 ,saul having 
gone over to the enemy1 it would be     
difficult to go on harrying the ,church 
with the same spirit1 when the chief    
actor was turned traitor4 ,and besides  
that1 historians tell us that there were
 political complications which gave both

 ,romans and ,jews quite enough to do to
 watch one another1 instead of          
persecuting this little community of    
,christians4 ,i have nothing to do with 
these1 but this one point ,i desire to  
make1 that the condition of security and
 tranquillity in which the ,church found
 itself conduced to spiritual good and  
growth4 ,this has not always been the   
case4 ,as one of our quaint divines     
says1 'as in cities where ground is     
scarce men build high up1 so in times of
 straitness and persecution the         
,christian community1 and the           
individuals who compose it1 are often   
raised to a higher level of devotion    
than in easier and quieter times4' ,but 
these primitive ,christians utilised    
this breathing-space in order to grow1  
and having a moment of lull and         
stillness in the storm1 turned it to the
 highest and best uses4 ,is that what   
you and ,i do with our quiet times8     
,none of us have any occasion to fear   
persecution or annoyance of that sort1  

but there are other thorns in our       
pillows besides these1 and other rough  
places in our beds1 and we are often    
disturbed in our nests4 ,when there does
 come a quiet time in which no outward  
circumstances fret us1 do we seize it as
 coming from ,god1 in order that1 with  
undistracted energies1 we may cast      
ourselves altogether into the work of   
growing like our ,master and doing ,his 
will more fully8 ,how many of us1 dear  
brethren1 have misused both our         
adversity and our prosperity by making  
the one an occasion for deeper          
worldliness1 and the other a reason for 
forgetting ,him in the darkness as in   
the light8 ,to be absorbed by earthly   
things1 whether by the enjoyment of     
their possession or by the bitter pain  
and misery of their withdrawal1 is fatal
 to all our spiritual progress1 and only
 they use things prosperous and things  
adverse aright1 who take them both as   
means by which they may be wafted nearer
 to their ,god4 ,whatsoever forces act  

upon us1 if we put the helm right and   
trim the sails as we ought1 they will   
carry us to our haven4 ,and whatsoever  
forces act upon us1 if we neglect the   
sailor's skill and duty1 we shall be    
washed backwards and forwards in the    
trough of the sea1 and make no progress 
in the voyage4 ',then had the ,church   
rest'--and grew lazy8 ',then had the    
,church rest'--and grew worldly8 ,then  
was ,i happy and prosperous and peaceful
 in my home and in my business1 and ,i  
said1 ',i shall never be moved1' and ,i 
forgot my ,god8 ',then had the ,church  
rest1 and was edified4'  ,now1 in the   
next place1 note the  ,,ii4 ,inward     
progress4  ,there are difficulties about
 the exact relation of the clauses here 
to one another1 the discussion of which 
would be fitter for a lecture-room than 
for a pulpit4 ,i do not mean to trouble 
you with these1 but it seems to me that 
we may perhaps best understand the      
writer's intention if we throw together 
the clauses which stand in the middle of

 this verse1 and take them as being a   
description of the inward progress1     
being 'edified' and 'walking in the fear
 of the ,lord1 and in the comfort of the
 ,holy ,ghost4' ,there are two things1  
then--the being 'edified' and 'walking'2
 and ,i wish to say a word or two about 
each of them4  ,now that word 'edified' 
and the cognate one 'edification' have  
been enfeebled in signification so as to
 mean very much less than they did to   
,luke4 ,when we speak of 'being         
edified1' what do we mean8 ,little more 
than that we have been instructed1 and  
especially that we have been comforted4 
,and what is the instrument of          
edification in our ordinary religious   
parlance8 ,good words1 wise teaching1 or
 pious speech4 ,but the ,new ,testament 
means vastly more than this by the word1
 and looks not so much to other people's
 utterances as to a man's own strenuous 
efforts1 as the means of edification4   
,much misunderstanding would have been  
avoided if our translators had really   

translated1 instead of putting us off   
with a ,latinised word which to many    
readers conveys little meaning and none 
of the significant metaphor of the      
original4 ',being edified' sounds very  
theological and far away from daily     
life4 ,would it not sound more real if  
we read 'being built up'8 ,that is the  
emblem of the process that ought to go  
on1 not only in the ,christian community
 as a whole1 but in every individual    
member of it4 ,each ,christian is bound 
to build himself up and to help to build
 up other ,christians2 and ,god builds  
them all up by ,his ,spirit4 ,we have   
brought before us the picture of the    
rising of some stately fabric upon a    
firm foundation1 course by course1 stone
 by stone1 each laid by a separate act  
of the builder's hand1 and carefully    
bedded in its place until the whole is  
complete4  ,that is one emblem of the   
growth of the ,christian community and  
of the ,christian individual1 and the   
other clause that is coupled with it in 

the text seems to me to give the same   
idea under a slightly different figure4 
,the rising of a stately building and   
the advance on a given path suggest     
substantially the same notion of        
progress4  ,and of these two metaphors1 
,i would dwell chiefly on the former1   
because it is the less familiar of the  
two to modern readers1 and because it is
 of some consequence to restore it to   
its weight and true significance in the 
popular mind4 ,edification1 then1 is the
 building up of ,christian character1   
and it involves four things3 a          
foundation1 a continuous progress1 a    
patient1 persistent effort1 and a       
completion4  ,now1 ,christian men and   
women1 this is our office for ourselves1
 and1 according to our faculty and      
opportunities1 for the ,churches with   
which we may stand connected1 that on   
the foundation which is ,jesus          
,christ--'and other foundation can no   
man lay'--we all should slowly1         
carefully1 unceasingly be at our        

building work2 each day's attainment1   
like the course of stones laid in some  
great temple1 becoming the basis upon   
which to-morrow's work is to be piled1  
and each having in it the toil of the   
builder and being a result and monument 
of his strenuous effort1 and each being 
built in1 according to the plan that the
 great ,architect has given1 and each   
tending a little nearer to the          
roof-tree1 and the time that 'the top   
stone shall be brought forth with the   
shout of rejoicing4' ,is that a         
transcript of my life and yours8 ,do we 
make a business of the cultivation of   
,christian character thus8 ,do we rest  
the whole structure of our lives upon   
,jesus ,christ8 ,and then1 do we1 hour  
by hour1 moment by moment1 lay the fair 
stones1 until    ',firm and fair the    
building rise1     ,a temple to ,his    
praise4'  ,the old worn metaphor1 which 
we have vulgarised and degraded into a  
synonym for a comfortable condition     
produced by a brother's words1 carries  

in it the solemnest teaching as to what 
the duty and privilege of all ,christian
 souls is-to 'build themselves up for an
 habitation of ,god through the         
,spirit4'  ,but note further the        
elements of which this progress         
consists4 ,may we not suppose that both 
metaphors refer to the clauses that     
follow1 and that 'the fear of the ,lord'
 and 'the comfort of the ,holy ,ghost'  
are the particulars in which the        
,christian is built up and walks8  ',the
 fear of the ,lord' is eminently an ,old
 ,testament expression1 and occurs only 
once or twice in the ,new4 ,but its     
meaning is thoroughly in accordance with
 the loftiest teaching of the new       
revelation4 ',the fear of the ,lord' is 
that reverential awe of ,him1 by which  
we are ever conscious of ,his presence  
with us1 and ever seek1 as our supreme  
aim and end1 to submit our wills to ,his
 commandment1 and to do the things that 
are pleasing in ,his sight4 ,are you and
 ,i building ourselves up in that8 ,do  

we feel more thrillingly and gladly     
to-day than we did yesterday1 that ,god 
is beside us8 ,and do we submit         
ourselves more loyally1 more easily1    
more joyously to ,his will1 in blessed  
obedience1 now than ever before8 ,have  
we learned1 and are we learning1 moment 
by moment1 more of that 'secret of the  
,lord' which 'is with them that fear    
,him1' and of that 'covenant' which ',he
 will show' to them8 ,unless we do1 our 
growth in ,christian character is a very
 doubtful thing4 ,and are we advancing1 
too1 in that other element which so     
beautifully completes and softens the   
notion of the fear of the ,lord1 'the   
encouragement' which the divine ,spirit 
gives us8 ,are we bolder to-day than we 
were yesterday8 ,are we ready to meet   
with more undaunted confidence whatever 
we may have to face8 ,do we feel ever   
increasing within us the full           
blessedness and inspiration of that     
divine visitant8 ,and do these sweet    
communications take all the 'torment'   

away from 'fear1' and leave only the    
bliss of reverential love8 ,they who    
walk in the fear of the ,lord1 and who  
with the fear have the courage that the 
divine ,spirit gives1 will 'have rest1' 
like the first ,christians1 whatsoever  
storms may howl around them1 and        
whatsoever enemies may threaten to      
disturb their peace4  ,and so1 lastly1  
note  ,,iii4 ,the outward growth4  ,thus
 building themselves up1 and thus       
growing1 the ,church 'was multiplied4'  
,of course it was4 ,christian men and   
women that are spiritually alive1 and   
who1 because they are alive1 grow1 and  
grow in these things1 the manifest      
reverence of ,god1 and the manifest     
'comfort' of the divine ,spirit's       
giving1 will commend their gospel to a  
blind world4 ,they will be an attractive
 force in the midst of men1 and their   
inward growth will make them eager to   
hold forth the word of life1 and will   
give them 'a mouth and wisdom' which    
nothing but genuine spiritual experience

 can give4  ,and so1 dear friends1      
especially those of you who set         
yourselves to any of the many forms of  
,christian work which prevail in this   
day1 learn the lesson of my text1 and   
make sure of 'a' before you go on to    
'b1' and see to it that before you set  
yourselves to try to multiply the       
,church1 you set yourselves to build up 
yourselves in your most holy faith4  ,we
 hear a great deal nowadays about       
'forward movements1' and ,i sympathise  
with all that is said in favour of them4
 ,but ,i would remind you that the      
precursor of every genuine forward      
movement is a ,godward movement1 and    
that it is worse than useless to talk   
about lengthening the cords unless you  
begin with strengthening the stakes4    
,the little prop that holds up the      
bell-tent that will contain half-a-dozen
 soldiers will be all too weak for the  
great one that will cover a company4    
,and the fault of some ,christian people
 is that they set themselves to work    

upon others without remembering that the
 first requisite is a deepened and      
growing godliness and devotion in their 
own souls4 ,dear friends1 begin at home1
 and remember that whilst what the world
 calls eloquence may draw people1 and   
oddities will draw them1 and all sorts  
of lower attractions will gather        
multitudes for a little while1 the one  
solid power which ,christian men and    
women can exercise for the numerical    
increase of the ,church is rooted in1   
and only tenable through1 their own     
personal increase day by day in         
consecration and likeness to the        
,saviour1 in possession of the ,spirit1 
and in loving fear of the ,lord4        
,,copies ,,of ,,christ',s ,,manner      
',and ,peter said unto him1 ,aeneas1    
,jesus ,christ maketh thee whole3 arise1
 and make thy bed4444 #dj4 ,but ,peter  
put them all forth1 and kneeled down and
 prayed2 and1 turning him to the body1  
said1 ,tabitha1 arise4--,,acts ix4 #cd1 
#dj4  ,i have put these two miracles    

together1 not only because they were    
closely connected in time and place1 but
 because they have a very remarkable and
 instructive feature in common4 ,they   
are both evidently moulded upon         
,christ's miracles2 are distinct        
imitations of what ,peter had seen ,him 
do4 ,and their likenesses to and        
differences from our ,lord's manner of  
working are equally noteworthy4 ,it is  
to the lessons from these two aspects1  
common to both miracles1 that ,i desire 
to turn now4  ,i4 ,first1 notice the    
similarities and the lesson which they  
teach4  ,the two cases before us are    
alike1 in that both of them find        
parallels in our ,lord's miracles4 ,the 
one is the cure of a paralytic1 which   
pairs off with the well-known story in  
the ,gospels concerning the man that was
 borne by four1 and let down through the
 roof into ,christ's presence4 ,the     
other of them1 the raising of ,dorcas1  
or ,tabitha1 of course corresponds with 
the three resurrections of dead people  

which are recorded in the ,gospels4     
,and now1 note the likenesses4 ,jesus   
,christ said to the paralysed man1      
',arise1 take up thy bed4' ,peter says  
to ,aeneas1 ',arise1 and make thy bed4' 
,the one command was appropriate to the 
circumstances of a man who was not in   
his own house1 and whose control over   
his long-disused muscles in obeying     
,christ's word was a confirmation to    
himself of the reality and completeness 
of his cure4 ,the other was appropriate 
to a man bedridden in his own house2 and
 it had precisely the same purpose as   
the analogous injunction from our ,lord1
 ',take up thy bed and walk4' ,aeneas   
was lying at home1 and so ,peter1       
remembering how ,jesus ,christ had      
demonstrated to others1 and affirmed to 
the man himself1 the reality of the     
miraculous blessing given to him1 copies
 his ,master's method1 ',aeneas1 make   
thy bed4' ,it is an echo and resemblance
 of the former incident1 and is a       
distinct piece of imitation of it4  ,and

 then1 if we turn to the other          
narrative1 the intentional moulding of  
the manner of the miracle1 consecrated  
in the eyes of the loving disciple1     
because it was ,christ's manner1 is     
still more obvious4 ,when ,jesus ,christ
 went into the house of ,jairus there   
was the usual hubbub1 the noise of the  
loud ,eastern mourning1 and ,he put them
 all forth1 taking with ,him only the   
father and mother of the damsel1 and    
,peter with ,james and ,john4 ,when     
,peter goes into the upper room1 where  
,tabitha is lying1 there are the usual  
noise of lamentation and the clack of   
many tongues1 extolling the virtues of  
the dead woman4 ,he remembers how       
,christ had gone about ,his miracle1 and
 he1 in his turn1 'put them all forth4' 
,mark1 who was ,peter's mouthpiece in   
his ,gospel1 gives us the very ,aramaic 
words which our ,lord employed when ,he 
raised the little girl1 ,talitha1 the   
,aramaic word for 'a damsel1' or young  
girl2 cumi1 which means in that language

 'arise4' ,is it not singular and       
beautiful that ,peter's word by the     
bedside of the dead ,dorcas is1 with the
 exception of one letter1 absolutely    
identical8 ,christ says1 ,talitha cumi4 
,peter remembered the formula by which  
the blessing was conveyed1 and he copied
 it4 ',tabitha cumi6' ,is it not clear  
that he is posing after his ,master's   
attitude2 that he is1 consciously or    
unconsciously1 doing what he remembered 
so well had been done in that other     
upper room1 and that the miracles are   
both of them shaped after the pattern of
 the miraculous working of ,jesus       
,christ8  ,well1 now1 although we are no
 miracle-workers1 the very same         
principle which underlay these two works
 of supernatural power is to be applied 
to all our work1 and to our lives as    
,christian people4 ,i do not know       
whether ,peter meant to do like ,jesus  
,christ or not2 ,i think rather that he 
was unconsciously and instinctively     
dropping into the fashion that to him   

was so sacred4 ,love always delights in 
imitation2 and the disciples of a great 
teacher will unconsciously catch the    
trick of his intonation1 even the       
awkwardness of his attitudes or the     
peculiarities of his way of looking at  
things--only1 unfortunately1 outsides   
are a good deal more easily imitated    
than insides4 ,and many a disciple      
copies such external trifles1 and talks 
in the tones that have1 first of all1   
brought blessed truths to him1 whose    
resemblance to his teacher goes very    
little further4 ,the principle that     
underlies these miracles is just        
this--get near ,jesus ,christ1 and you  
will catch ,his manner4 ,dwell in       
fellowship with ,him1 and whether you   
are thinking about it or not1 there will
 come some faint resemblance to that    
,lord into your characters and your way 
of doing things1 so that men will 'take 
knowledge of you that you have been with
 ,jesus4' ,the poor bit of cloth which  
has held some precious piece of solid   

perfume will retain fragrance for many a
 day afterwards1 and will bless the     
scentless air by giving it forth4 ,the  
man who keeps close to ,christ1 and has 
folded ,him in his heart1 will1 like the
 poor cloth1 give forth a sweetness not 
his own that will gladden and refresh   
many nostrils4 ,live in the light1 and  
you will become light4 ,keep near       
,christ1 and you will be ,christlike4   
,love ,him1 and love will do to you what
 it does to many a wedded pair1 and to  
many kindred hearts3 it will transfuse  
into you something of the               
characteristics of the object of your   
love4 ,it is impossible to trust        
,christ1 to obey ,christ1 to hold       
communion with ,him1 and to live beside 
,him1 without becoming like ,him4 ,and  
if such be our inward experience1 so    
will be our outward appearance4  ,but   
there may be a specific point given to  
this lesson in regard to ,christian     
people's ways of doing their work in the
 world and helping and blessing other   

folk4 ,although1 as ,i say1 we have no  
miraculous power at our disposal1 we do 
not need it in order to manifest ,jesus 
,christ and ,his way of working in our  
work4 ,and if we dwell beside ,him1     
then1 depend upon it1 all the           
characteristics--far more precious than 
the accidents of manner1 or tone1 or    
attitude in working a miracle--all the  
characteristics so deeply and blessedly 
stamped upon ,his life of self-sacrifice
 and man-helping devotion will be       
reproduced in us4 ,jesus ,christ1 when  
,he went through the wards of the       
hospital of the world1 was overflowing  
with quick sympathy for every sorrow    
that met ,his eye4 ,if you and ,i are   
living near ,him1 we shall never steel  
our hearts nor lock up our sensibilities
 against any suffering that it is within
 our power to stanch or to alleviate4   
,jesus ,christ never grudged trouble1   
never thought of ,himself1 never was    
impatient of interruption1 never        
repelled importunity1 never sent away   

empty any outstretched hand4 ,and if we 
live near ,him1 self-oblivious          
willingness to spend and be spent will  
mark our lives1 and we shall not        
consider that we have the right of      
possession or of sole enjoyment of any  
of the blessings that are given to us4  
,jesus ,christ1 according to the        
beautiful and significant words of one  
of the ,gospels1 'healed them that had  
need of healing4' ,why that singular    
designation for the people that were    
standing around ,him but to teach us    
that wide as men's necessity was ,his   
sympathy1 and that broad as the sympathy
 of ,christ were the help and healing   
which ,he brought8 ,and so1 with like   
width of compassion1 with like          
perfectness of self-oblivion1 with equal
 remoteness from consciousness of       
superiority or display of condescension1
 ,christian men should go amongst the   
sorrowful and the sad and the outcast   
and do their miracles--'greater works'  
than those which ,christ did1 as ,he    

,himself has told us--after the manner  
in which ,he did ,his4 ,if they did1 the
 world would be a different place1 and  
the ,church would be a different        
,church1 and you would not have people  
writing in the newspapers to demonstrate
 that ,christianity was 'played out4'   
,,ii4 ,further1 note the differences and
 the lessons from them4  ,take the first
 of the two miracles4 ',aeneas1 ,jesus  
,christ maketh thee whole3 arise1 and   
make thy bed4' ,that first clause points
 to the great difference4 ,take the     
second miracle1 ',jesus ,christ put them
 all forth1 and stretched out ,his hand1
 and said1 ,damsel1 arise6' ',peter put 
them all forth1 444 and said1 ,tabitha1 
arise6' but between the putting forth   
and the miracle he did something which  
,christ did not do1 and he did not do   
something which ,christ did do4 ',he    
kneeled down and prayed4' ,jesus ,christ
 did not do that4 ',and ,jesus put forth
 ,his hand1 and said1 ,arise6' ,peter   
did not do that4 ,but he put forth his  

hand after the miracle was wrought2 not 
to communicate life1 but to help the    
living woman to get to her feet2 and so1
 both by what he did in his prayer and  
by what he did not do after ,christ's   
pattern1 the extension of the hand that 
was the channel of the vitality1 he drew
 a broad distinction between the        
servant's copy and the ,master's        
original4  ,the lessons from the        
differences are such as the following4  
,christ works miracles by ,his inherent 
power2 ,his servants do their works only
 as ,his instruments and organs4 ,i need
 not dwell upon the former thought2 but 
it is the latter at which ,i wish to    
look for a moment4 ,the lesson1 then1 of
 the difference is that ,christian men1 
in all their work for the ,master and   
for the world1 are ever to keep clear   
before themselves1 and to make very     
obvious to other people1 that they are  
nothing more than channels and          
instruments4 ,the less the preacher1 the
 teacher1 the ,christian benefactor of  

any sort puts himself in the foreground1
 or in evidence at all1 the more likely 
are his words and works to be           
successful4 ,if you hear a man1 for     
instance1 preaching a sermon1 and you   
see that he is thinking about himself1  
he may talk with the tongues of men and 
of angels1 but he will do no good to    
anybody4 ,the first condition of work   
for the ,lord is--hide yourself behind  
your message1 behind your ,master1 and  
make it very plain that ,his is the     
power1 and that you are but a tool in   
the ,workman's hand4  ,and then1        
further1 another lesson is1 ,be very    
sure of the power that will work in you4
 ,what a piece of audacity it was for   
,peter to go and stand by the paralytic 
man's couch and say1 ',aeneas1 ,jesus   
,christ maketh thee whole4' ,yes1       
audacity2 unless he had been in such    
constant and close touch with his       
,master that he was sure that his       
,master was working through him4 ,and is
 it not beautiful to see how absolutely 

confident he is that ,jesus ,christ's   
work was not ended when ,he went up into
 heaven2 but that there1 in that little 
stuffy room1 where the man had lain     
motionless for eight long years1 ,jesus 
,christ was present1 and working8 ,o    
brethren1 the ,christian ,church does   
not half enough believe in the actual   
presence and operation of ,jesus        
,christ1 here and now1 in and through   
all ,his servants6 ,we are ready enough 
to believe that ,he worked when ,he was 
in the world long ago1 that ,he is going
 to work when ,he comes back to the     
world1 at some far-off future period4   
,but do we believe that ,he is verily   
putting forth ,his power1 in no         
metaphor1 but in simple reality1 at     
present and here1 and1 if we will1      
through us8  ',jesus ,christ maketh thee
 whole4' ,be sure that if you keep near 
,christ1 if you will try to mould       
yourselves after ,his likeness1 if you  
expect ,him to work through you1 and do 
not hinder ,his work by self-conceit and

 self-consciousness of any sort1 then it
 will be no presumption1 but simple     
faith which ,he delights in and will    
vindicate1 if you1 too1 go and stand by 
a paralytic and say1 ',jesus ,christ    
maketh thee whole1' or go and stand by  
people dead in trespasses and sins and  
say1 after you have prayed1 ',arise4'   
,we are here for the very purpose for   
which ,peter was in ,lydda and          
,joppa--to carry on and copy the healing
 and the quickening work of ,christ1 by 
,his present power1 and after ,his      
blessed example4    ,,what ,,god ,,hath 
,,cleansed  ',there was a certain man in
 ,caesarea called ,cornelius1 a         
centurion of the band called the        
,italian band1 #b4 ,a devout man1 and   
one that feared ,god with all his house1
 which gave much alms to the people1 and
 prayed to ,god alway4 #c4 ,he saw in a 
vision evidently about the ninth hour of
 the day an angel of ,god coming in to  
him1 and saying unto him1 ,cornelius4   
#d4 ,and when he looked on him1 he was  

afraid1 and said1 ,what is it1 ,lord8   
,and he said unto him1 ,thy prayers and 
thine alms are come up for a memorial   
before ,god4 #e4 ,and now send men to   
,joppa1 and call for one ,simon1 whose  
surname is ,peter3 #f4 ,he lodgeth with 
one ,simon a tanner1 whose house is by  
the sea-side3 he shall tell thee what   
thou oughtest to do4 #g4 ,and when the  
angel which spake unto ,cornelius was   
departed1 he called two of his household
 servants1 and a devout soldier of them 
that waited on him continually2 #h4 ,and
 when he had declared all these things  
unto them1 he sent them to ,joppa4 #i4  
,on the morrow1 as they went on their   
journey1 and drew nigh unto the city1   
,peter went up upon the housetop to pray
 about the sixth hour3 #aj4 ,and he     
became very hungry1 and would have      
eaten3 but while they made ready1 he    
fell into a trance1 #aa4 ,and saw heaven
 opened1 and a certain vessel descending
 unto him1 as it had been a great sheet 
knit at the four corners1 and let down  

to the earth3 #ab4 ,wherein were all    
manner of fourfooted beasts of the      
earth1 and wild beasts1 and creeping    
things1 and fowls of the air4 #ac4 ,and 
there came a voice to him1 ,rise1       
,peter2 kill1 and eat4 #ad4 ,but ,peter 
said1 ,not so1 ,lord2 for ,i have never 
eaten any thing that is common or       
unclean4 #ae4 ,and the voice spake unto 
him again the second time1 ,what ,god   
hath cleansed1 that call not thou       
common4 #af4 ,this was done thrice3 and 
the vessel was received up again into   
heaven4 #ag4 ,now while ,peter doubted  
in himself what this vision which he had
 seen should mean1 behold1 the men which
 were sent from ,cornelius had made     
inquiry for ,simon's house1 and stood   
before the gate1 #ah4 ,and called1 and  
asked whether ,simon1 which was surnamed
 ,peter1 were lodged there4 #ai4 ,while 
,peter thought on the vision1 the       
,spirit said unto him1 ,behold1 three   
men seek thee4 #bj4 ,arise therefore1   
and get thee down1 and go with them1    

doubting nothing2 for ,i have sent      
them4'--,,acts x4 #a-bj4  ,the ,church  
was at first in appearance only a       
,jewish sect2 but the great stride is   
now to be taken which carries it over   
the border into the ,gentile world1 and 
begins its universal aspect4 ,if we     
consider the magnitude of the change1   
and the difficulties of training and    
prejudice which it had to encounter in  
the ,church itself1 we shall not wonder 
at the abundance of supernatural        
occurrences which attended it4 ,without 
some such impulse1 it is difficult to   
conceive of its having been             
accomplished4  ,in this narrative we see
 the supernatural preparation on both   
sides4 ,god1 as it were1 lays ,his right
 hand on ,cornelius1 and ,his left on   
,peter1 and impels them towards each    
other4 ,philip had already preached to  
the ,ethiopian1 and probably the        
anonymous brethren in ,acts xi4 #bj had 
already spoken the word to pure ,greeks 
at ,antioch2 but the importance of      

,peter's action here is that by reason  
of his ,apostleship1 his recognition of 
,gentile ,christians becomes the act of 
the whole community4 ,his entrance into 
,cornelius's house ended the ,jewish    
phase of the ,church4 ,the epoch was    
worthy of divine intervention1 and the  
step needed divine warrant4 ,therefore  
the abundance of miracle at this point  
is not superfluous4  ,i4 ,we have the   
vision which guided the seeker to the   
light4 ,caesarea1 as the seat of        
government1 was the focus of ,gentilism1
 and that the ,gospel should effect a   
lodgment there was significant4 ,still  
more so was the person whom it first    
won1--an officer of the ,roman army1 the
 very emblem of worldly power1 loathed  
by every true ,jew4 ,a centurion was not
 an officer of high rank1 but           
,cornelius's name suggests the          
possibility of his connection with a    
famous ,roman family1 and the name of   
the 'band' or 'cohort1' of which his    
troop was part1 suggests that it was    

raised in ,italy1 and therefore properly
 officered by ,romans4 ,his residence in
 ,judaea had touched his spirit with    
some knowledge of1 and reverence for1   
the ,jehovah whom this strange people   
worshipped4 ,he was one of a class      
numerous in these times of religious    
unrest1 who had been more or less       
affected by the pure monotheism of the  
,jew4  ,it is remarkable that the       
centurions of the ,new ,testament are   
all more or less favourably inclined    
towards ,christ and ,christianity1 and  
the fact has been laid hold of to throw 
doubt on the narratives2 but it is very 
natural that similarity of position and 
training should have produced similarity
 of thought2 and that three or four such
 persons should have come in contact    
with ,jesus and ,his ,apostles makes no 
violent demands on probability1 while   
there was no occasion to mention others 
who were not like-minded4 ,quartered for
 considerable periods in the country1   
and brought into close contact with its 

religion1 and profoundly sceptical of   
their own1 as all but the lowest minds  
then were1 ,cornelius and his brother in
 arms and spirit whose faith drew       
wondering praise from ,jesus1 are bright
 examples of the possibility of earnest 
religious life being nourished amid     
grave disadvantages1 and preach a       
lesson1 often neglected1 that we should 
be slow to form unfavourable opinions of
 classes of men1 or to decide that those
 of such and such a profession1 or in   
such and such circumstances1 must be of 
such and such a character4  ,it would   
have seemed that the last place to look 
for the first ,gentile ,christian would 
have been in the barracks at ,caesarea2 
and yet there ,god's angel went for him1
 and found him4 ,it has often been      
discussed whether ,cornelius was a      
'proselyte' or not4 ,it matters very    
little4 ,he was drawn to the ,jews'     
religion1 had adopted their hours of    
prayer1 reverenced their ,god1 had      
therefore cast off idolatry1 gave alms  

to the people as acknowledgment that    
their ,god was his ,god1 and cultivated 
habitual devotion1 which he had diffused
 among his household1 both of slaves and
 soldiers4 ,it is a beautiful picture of
 a soul feeling after a deeper knowledge
 of ,god1 as a plant turns its          
half-opened flowers to the sun4  ,such  
seekers do not grope without touching4  
,it is not only 'unto the seed of       
,jacob' that ,god has never said1 ',seek
 ye ,me in vain4' ,the story has a      
message of hope to all such seekers1 and
 sheds precious light on dark problems  
in regard to the relation of such souls 
in heathen lands to the light and love  
of ,god1 ,the vision appeared to        
,cornelius in the manner corresponding  
to his spiritual susceptibility1 and it 
came at the hour of prayer4 ,god's      
angels ever draw near to hearts opened  
by desire to receive them4 ,not in      
visible form1 but in reality1           
'bright-harnessed angels stand' all     
around the chamber where prayer is made4

 ,our hours of supplication are ,god's  
hours of communication4  ,the vision to 
,cornelius is not to be whittled down to
 a mental impression4 ,it was an        
objective1 supernatural                 
appearance1--whether to sense or soul   
matters little4 ,the story gives most   
graphically the fixed gaze of terror    
which ,cornelius fastened on the angel1 
and very characteristically the         
immediate recovery and quick question to
 which his courage and military         
promptitude helped him4 ',what is it1   
,lord8' does not speak of terror1 but of
 readiness to take orders and obey4     
',lord' seems to be but a title of      
reverence here4  ,in the angel's answer1
 the order in which prayers and alms are
 named is the reverse of that in verse  
#b4 ,luke speaks as a man1 beginning    
with the visible manifestation1 and     
passing thence to the inward devotion   
which animated the external beneficence4
 ,the angel speaks as ,god sees1        
beginning with the inward1 and          

descending to the outward4 ,the strong  
'anthropomorphism' of the representation
 that man's prayer and alms keep ,god in
 mind of him needs no vindication and   
little explanation4 ,it substitutes the 
mental state which in us originates     
certain acts for the acts themselves4   
,god's 'remembrance' is in ,scripture   
frequently used to express ,his loving  
deeds1 which show that their recipient  
is not forgotten of ,him4  ,but the     
all-important truth in the words is that
 the prayers and alms 7coming from a    
devout heart7 of a man who had never    
heard of ,jesus ,christ were acceptable 
to ,god4 ,none the less ,cornelius      
needed ,jesus1 and the recompense made  
to him was the knowledge of the         
,saviour4 ,the belief that in many a    
heathen heart such yearning after a     
dimly known ,god has stretched itself   
towards light1 and been accepted of     
,god1 does not in the least conflict    
with the truth that 'there is none other
 ,name given among men1 whereby we must 

be saved1' but it sheds a bright and    
most welcome light of hope into that    
awful darkness4 ,christ is the only     
,saviour1 but it is not for us to say   
how far off from the channel in which it
 flows the water of life may percolate1 
and feed the roots of distant trees4    
,cornelius's religion was not a         
substitute for ,christ1 but was the     
occasion of his being led to ,christ1   
and finding full1 conscious salvation   
there4 ,god leads seeking souls by ,his 
own wonderful ways2 and we may leave all
 such in ,his hand1 assured that no     
heart ever hungered after righteousness 
and was not filled4  ,the instruction to
 send for ,peter tested ,cornelius's    
willingness to be taught by an unknown  
,jew1 and his belief in the divine      
origin of the vision4 ,the direction    
given by which to find this teacher was 
not promising4 ,a lodger in a tan-yard  
by the seaside was certainly not a man  
of position or wealth4 ,but military    
discipline helped religious reverence2  

and without delay1 as soon as the angel 
'was departed' 7an expression which     
gives the outward reality of the        
appearance strongly71 ,cornelius's      
confidential servants1 sympathisers with
 him in his religion1 were told all the 
story1 and before nightfall were on     
their march to ,joppa4 ,swift obedience 
to whatever ,god points out as our path 
towards the light1 even if it seem      
somewhat unattractive1 will always mark 
our conduct if we really long for the   
light1 and believe that ,he is pointing 
our way4  ,,ii4 ,the vision which guided
 the light-bearer to the seeker4--,all  
through the night the messengers marched
 along the maritime plain in which both 
,caesarea and ,joppa lay1 much          
discussing1 no doubt1 their strange     
errand1 and wondering what they would   
find4 ,the preparation of ,peter1 which 
was as needful as that of ,cornelius1   
was so timed as to be completed just as 
the messengers stood at the tanner's    
door4  ,the first point to note in      

regard to it is its scene4 ,it is of    
subordinate importance1 but it can      
scarcely have been entirely unmeaning1  
that the flashing waters of the         
,mediterranean1 blazing in midday       
sunshine1 stretched before ,peter's eyes
 as he sat on the housetop 'by the      
seaside4' ,his thoughts may have        
travelled across the sea1 and he may    
have wondered what lay beyond the       
horizon1 and whether there were men     
there to whom ,christ's commission      
extended4 ',the isles' of which prophecy
 had told that they should 'wait for    
,his law' were away out in the          
mysterious distance4 ,some expansion of 
spirit towards regions beyond may have  
accompanied his gaze4 ,at all events1 it
 was by the shore of the great highway  
of nations and of truth that the vision 
which revealed that all men were        
'cleansed' filled the eye and heart of  
the ,apostle1 and told him that1 in his 
calling as 'fisher of men1' a wider     
water than the land-locked ,sea of      

,galilee was his4  ,we may also note the
 connection of the form of the vision   
with his circumstances4 ,his hunger     
determined its shape4 ,the natural      
bodily sensations coloured his state of 
mind even in trance1 and afforded the   
point of contact for ,god's message4 ,it
 does not follow that the vision was    
only the consequence of his hunger1 as  
has been suggested by critics who wish  
to get rid of the supernatural4 ,but the
 form which it took teaches us how      
mercifully ,god is wont to mould ,his   
communications according to our needs1  
and how wisely ,he shapes them1 so as to
 find entrance through even the lower   
wants4 ,the commonest bodily needs may  
become avenues for ,his truth1 if our   
prayer accompanies our hunger4  ,the    
significance of the vision is plain to  
us1 though ,peter was 'much perplexed'  
about it4 ,in the light of the event1 we
 understand that the 'great sheet let   
down from heaven by four corners1' and  
containing all manner of creatures1 is  

the symbol of universal humanity 7to use
 modern language74 ,the four corners    
correspond to the four points of the    
compass1--north1 south1 east1 and       
west1--the contents to the swarming     
millions of men4 ,peter would perceive  
no more in the command to 'kill and eat'
 than the abrogation of ,mosaic         
restrictions4 ,meditation was needful to
 disclose the full extent of the        
revolution shadowed by the vision and   
its accompanying words4 ,the old nature 
of ,peter was not so completely changed 
but that a flash of it breaks out still4
 ,the same self-confidence which had led
 him to 'rebuke' ,jesus1 and to say1    
',this shall not be unto ,thee1' speaks 
in his unhesitating and irreverent ',not
 so1 ,lord6'  ,the naive reason he gives
 for not obeying--namely1 his never     
having done as he was now bid to do--is 
charmingly illogical and human4 ,god    
tells him to do a new thing1 and his    
reason for not doing it is that it is   
new4 ,use and wont are set up by us all 

against the fresh disclosures of ,god's 
will4 ,the command to kill and eat was  
not repeated4 ,it was but the           
introduction to the truth which was     
repeated thrice1 the same number of     
times as ,peter had denied his ,master  
and had received his charge to feed ,his
 sheep4  ,that great truth has manifold 
applications1 but its direct purpose as 
regards ,peter is to teach that all     
restrictions which differentiated ,jew  
from ,gentile are abolished4            
',cleansing' does not here apply to     
moral purifying1 but to the admission of
 all mankind to the same standing as the
 ,jew4 ,therefore the ,gospel is to be  
preached to all men1 and the ,jewish    
,christian has no pre-eminence4         
,peter's perplexity as to the meaning of
 the vision is very intelligible4 ,it   
was not so plain as to carry its own    
interpretation1 but1 like most other of 
,god's teachings1 was explained by      
circumstances4 ,what was next done made 
the best commentary on what had just    

been beheld4 ,while patient reflection  
is necessary to do due honour to ,god's 
teachings and to discover their bearing 
on events1 it is generally true that    
events unfold their significance as     
meditation alone never can4 ,life is the
 best commentator on ,god's word4 ,the  
three men down at the door poured light 
on the vision on the housetop4 ,but the 
explanation was not left to             
circumstances4 ,the ,spirit directed    
,peter to go with the messengers1 and   
thus taught him the meaning of the      
enigmatical words which he had heard    
from heaven4  ,it is to be remembered   
that the ,apostle had no need of fresh  
illumination as to the world-wide       
preaching of the ,gospel4 ,christ's     
commission to 'the uttermost parts of   
the earth' ever rang in his ears1 as we 
may be sure4 ,but what he did need was  
the lesson that the ,gentiles could come
 into the ,church without going through 
the gate of ,judaism4 ,if all peculiar  
sanctity was gone from the ,jew1 and all

 men shared in the 'cleansing1' there   
was no need for keeping up any of the   
old restrictions1 or insisting on       
,gentiles being first received into the 
,israelitish community as a stage in    
their progress towards ,christianity4   
,it took ,peter and the others years to 
digest the lesson given on the housetop1
 but he began to put it in practice that
 day4 ,how little he knew the sweep of  
the truth then declared to him6 ,how    
little we have learned it yet6 ,all     
exclusiveness which looks down on       
classes or races1 all monkish asceticism
 which taboos natural appetites and     
tastes1 all morbid scrupulosity which   
shuts out from religious men large      
fields of life1 all ,pharisaism which   
says ',the temple of the ,lord are we1' 
are smitten to dust by the great words  
which gather all men into the same      
ample1 impartial divine love1 and1 in   
another aspect1 give ,christian culture 
and life the charter of freest use of   
all ,god's fair world1 and place the    

distinction between clean and unclean in
 the spirit of the user rather than in  
the thing used4 ',unto the pure all     
things are pure3 but unto them that are 
defiled444 is nothing pure4'    ',,god  
,,is ,,no ,,respecter ,,of ,,persons'   
',and ,cornelius said1 ,four days ago ,i
 was fasting until this hour2 and at the
 ninth hour ,i prayed in my house1 and1 
behold1 a man stood before me in bright 
clothing1 #ca4 ,and said1 ,cornelius1   
thy prayer is heard1 and thine alms are 
had in remembrance in the sight of ,god4
 #cb4 ,send therefore to ,joppa1 and    
call hither ,simon1 whose surname is    
,peter2 he is lodged in the house of one
 ,simon a tanner by the sea-side3 who1  
when he cometh1 shall speak unto thee4  
#hc4 ,immediately therefore ,i sent to  
thee2 and thou hast well done that thou 
art come4 ,now therefore are we all here
 present before ,god1 to hear all things
 that art commanded thee of ,god4 #cd4  
,then ,peter opened his mouth1 and said1
 ,of a truth ,i perceive that ,god is no

 respecter of persons3 #ce4 ,but in     
every nation he that feareth ,him1 and  
worketh righteousness1 is accepted with 
,him4 #ce4 ,the word which ,god sent    
unto the children of ,israel1 preaching 
peace by ,jesus ,christ3 7,he is ,lord  
of all37 #cg4 ,that word1 ,i say1 ye    
know1 which was published throughout all
 ,judaea1 and began from ,galilee1 after
 the baptism which ,john preached2 #ch4 
,how ,god anointed ,jesus of ,nazareth  
with the ,holy ,ghost and with power3   
who went about doing good1 and healing  
all that were oppressed of the devil2   
for ,god was with ,him4 #ci4 ,and we are
 witnesses of all things which ,he did  
both in the land of the ,jews1 and in   
,jerusalem2 whom they slew and hanged on
 a tree3 #dj4 ,him ,god raised up the   
third day1 and shewed ,him openly2 #da4 
,not to all the people1 but unto        
witnesses chosen before of ,god1 even to
 us1 who did eat and drink with ,him    
after ,he rose from the dead4 #db4 ,and 
,he commanded us to preach unto the     

people1 and to testify that it is ,he   
which was ordained of ,god to be the    
,judge of quick and dead4 #dc4 ,to ,him 
give all the prophets witness1 that     
through ,his ,name whosoever believeth  
in ,him shall receive remission of sins4
 #dd4 ,while ,peter yet spake these     
words1 the ,holy ,ghost fell on all them
 which heard the word4'--,,acts x4      
#cj-dd4  ,this passage falls into three 
parts3 ,cornelius's explanation1        
,peter's sermon1 and the descent of the 
,spirit on the new converts4 ,the last  
is the most important1 and yet is told  
most briefly4 ,we may surely recognise  
the influence of ,peter's personal      
reminiscences in the scale of the       
narrative1 and may remember that ,luke  
and ,mark were thrown together in later 
days4  ,i4 ,cornelius repeats what his  
messengers had already told ,peter1 but 
in fuller detail4 ,he tells how he was  
occupied when the angel appeared4 ,he   
was keeping the ,jewish hour of prayer1 
and the fact that the vision came to him

 as he prayed had attested to him its   
heavenly origin4 ,if we would see       
angels1 the most likely place to behold 
them is in the secret place of prayer4  
,he tells1 too1 that the command to send
 for ,peter was a consequence of ,god's 
remembrance of his prayer 7'therefore1' 
verse #cb74 ,his prayers and alms showed
 that he was 'of the light1' and        
therefore he was directed to what would 
yield further light4  ,the command to   
send for ,peter is noteworthy in two    
respects4 ,it was1 first1 a test of     
humility and obedience4 ,cornelius1 as a
 ,roman officer1 would be tempted to    
feel the usual contempt for one of the  
subject race1 and1 unless his eagerness 
to know more of ,god's will overbore his
 pride1 to kick at the idea of sending  
to beg the favour of the presence and   
instruction of a ,jew1 and of one1 too1 
who could find no better quarters than a
 tanner's house4 ,the angel's voice     
commanded1 but it did not compel4       
,cornelius bore the test1 and neither   

waived aside the vision as a            
hallucination to which it was absurd for
 a practical man to attend1 nor recoiled
 from the lowliness of the proposed     
teacher4 ,he pocketed official and      
racial loftiness1 and1 as he emphasises1
 'forthwith' despatched his message4 ,it
 was as if an ,english official in the  
,punjab had been sent to a ,sikh ',guru'
 for teaching4  ,the other remarkable   
point about the command is that ,philip 
was probably in ,caesarea at the time4  
,why should ,peter have been brought1   
then1 by two visions and two long       
journeys8 ,the subsequent history       
explains why4 ,for the storm of         
criticism in the ,jerusalem church      
provoked by ,cornelius's baptism would  
have raged with tenfold fury if so      
revolutionary an act had been done by   
any less authoritative person than the  
leader of the ,apostles4 ,the ,lord     
would stamp ,his own approval on the    
deed which marked so great an expansion 
of the ,church1 and therefore ,he makes 

the first of the ,apostles ,his agent1  
and that by a double vision4  ',thou    
hast well done that thou art come1'--a  
courteous welcome1 with just a trace of 
the doubt which had occupied ,cornelius 
during the 'four days1' whether this    
unknown ,jew would obey so strange an   
invitation4 ,courtesy and preparedness  
to receive the unknown message          
beautifully blend in ,cornelius's       
closing words1 which do not directly ask
 ,peter to speak1 but declare the       
auditors' eagerness to hear1 as well as 
their confidence that what he says will 
be ,god's voice4  ,a variant reading in 
verse #cc gives 'in thy sight' for 'in  
the sight of ,god1' and has much to     
recommend it4 ,but in any case we have  
here the right attitude for us all in   
the presence of the uttered will and    
mind of ,god4 ,where such open-eared and
 open-hearted preparedness marks the    
listeners1 feebler teachers than ,peter 
will win converts4 ,the reason why much 
earnest ,christian teaching is vain is  

the indifference and non-expectant      
attitude of the hearers1 who are not    
hearkeners4 ,seed thrown on the wayside 
is picked up by the birds4  ,,ii4       
,peter's sermon is1 on the whole1 much  
like his other addresses which are      
abundantly reported in the early part of
 the ,acts4 ,the great business of the  
preachers then was to tell the history  
of ,jesus4 ,christianity is1 first1 a   
recital of historical events1 from      
which1 no doubt1 principles are deduced1
 and which necessarily lead on to       
doctrines2 but the facts are first4     
,but the familiar story is told to      
,cornelius with some variation of tone4 
,and it is prefaced by a great word1    
which crystallises the large truth that 
had sprung into consciousness and       
startling power in ,peter1 as the result
 of his own and ,cornelius's experience4
 ,he had not previously thought of ,god 
as 'a respecter of persons1' but the    
conviction that ,he was not had never   
blazed with such sun-clearness before   

him as it did now4 ,jewish narrowness   
had1 unconsciously to himself1 somewhat 
clouded it2 but these four days had     
burned in on him1 as if it were a new   
truth1 that 'in every nation' there may 
be men accepted of ,god1 because they   
'fear ,him and work righteousness4'     
,that great saying is twisted from its  
right meaning when it is interpreted as 
discouraging the efforts of ,christians 
to carry the ,gospel to the heathen2    
for1 if the 'light of nature' is        
sufficient1 what was ,peter sent to     
,caesarea for8 ,but it is no less       
maltreated when evangelical ,christians 
fail to grasp its world-wide            
significance1 or doubt that in lands    
where ,christ's name has not been       
proclaimed there are souls groping for  
the light1 and seeking to obey the law  
written on their hearts4 ,that there are
 such1 and that such are 'accepted of   
,him1' and led by ,his own ways to the  
fuller light1 is obviously taught in    
these words1 and should be a welcome    

thought to us all4  ,the tangled        
utterances which immediately follow1    
sound as if speech staggered under the  
weight of the thoughts opening before   
the speaker4 ,whatever difficulty       
attends the construction1 the intention 
is clear1--to contrast the limited scope
 of the message1 as confined to the     
children of ,israel1 with its universal 
destination as now made clear4 ,the     
statement which in the ,authorised and  
,revised ,versions is thrown into a     
parenthesis is really the very centre of
 the ,apostle's thought4 ,jesus1 who has
 hitherto been preached to ,israel1 is  
',lord of all1' and the message         
concerning ,him is now to be proclaimed1
 not in vague outline and at second     
hand1 as it had hitherto reached        
,cornelius1 but in full detail1 and as a
 message in which he was concerned4     
,contrast the beginning and the ending  
of the discourse1--'the word sent unto  
the children of ,israel' and 'every one 
that believeth on ,him shall receive    

remission of sins4' ,a remarkable       
variation in the text is suggested by   
,blass in his striking commentary1 who  
would omit ',lord' and read1 ',the word 
which ,he sent to the children of       
,israel1 bringing the good tidings of   
peace through ,jesus ,christ1--this word
 belongs to all4' ,that reading does    
away with the chief difficulties1 and   
brings out clearly the thought which is 
more obscurely expressed in a contorted 
sentence by the present reading4  ,the  
subsequent resume of the life of ,jesus 
is substantially the same as is found in
 ,peter's other sermons4 ,but we may    
note that the highest conceptions of our
 ,lord's nature are not stated4 ,it is  
hard to suppose that ,peter after       
,pentecost had not the same conviction  
as burned in his confession1 ',thou art 
the ,christ1 the ,son of the living     
,god4' ,but in these early discourses   
neither the ,divinity and ,incarnation  
nor the atoning sacrifice of ,jesus is  
set forth4 ,he is the ,christ1 'anointed

 with the ,holy ,ghost and with power4' 
,god is with ,him 7,nicodemus had got as
 far as that74 ,he is 'ordained of ,god 
to be the judge of quick and dead4'  ,we
 note1 too1 that ,his teaching is not   
touched upon1 nor any of the profounder 
aspects of ,his work as the ,revealer of
 ,god1 but ,his beneficence and         
miraculous deliverances of devil-ridden 
men4 ,his death is declared1 but without
 any of the accusations of ,his         
murderers1 which1 like lance-thrusts1   
'pricked' ,jewish hearers4 ,nor is the  
efficacy of that death as the sacrifice 
for the world's sin touched upon1 but it
 is simply told as a fact1 and set in   
contrast with the ,resurrection4 ,these 
were the plain facts which had first to 
be accepted4  ,the only way of          
establishing facts is by evidence of    
eye-witnesses4 ,so ,peter twice 7verses 
#ci1 #da7 adduces his own and his       
colleagues' evidence4 ,but the facts are
 not yet a gospel1 unless they are      
further explained as well as            

established4 ,did such things happen8   
,the answer is1 ',we saw them4' ,what   
did they mean8 ,the answer begins by    
adducing the 'witness' of the ,apostles 
to a different order of truths1 which   
requires a different sort of witness4   
,jesus had bidden them 'testify' that   
,he is to be ,judge of living and dead2 
that is1 of all mankind4 ,their witness 
to that can only rest on ,his word4     
,nor is that all4 ,there is yet another 
body of 'witnesses' to yet another class
 of truths4 ',all the prophets' bear    
witness to the great truth which makes  
the biography of the ,man the gospel for
 all men1--that the deepest want of all 
men is satisfied through the name which 
,peter ever rang out as all-powerful to 
heal and bless4 ,the forgiveness of sins
 through the manifested character and   
work of ,jesus ,christ is given on      
condition of faith to any and every one 
who believes1 be he ,jew or ,gentile1   
,galilean fisherman or ,roman centurion4
 ,cornelius may have known little of the

 prophets1 but he knew the burden of    
sin4 ,he did not know all that we know  
of ,jesus1 and of the way in which      
forgiveness is connected with ,his work1
 but he did know now that it was        
connected1 and that this ,jesus was     
risen from the dead1 and was to be the  
,judge4 ,his faith went out to that     
,saviour1 and as he heard he believed4  
,,iii4 ,therefore the great gift1       
attesting the divine acceptance of him  
and the rest of the hearers1 came at    
once4 ,there had been no confession of  
their faith1 much less had there been   
baptism1 or laying on of ,apostolic     
hands4 ,the sole qualification and      
condition for the reception of the      
,spirit which ,john lays down in his    
,gospel when he speaks of the ',spirit1 
which they that believe on ,him should  
receive1' was present here1 and it was  
enough4 ,peter and his brethren might   
have hesitated about baptizing an       
uncircumcised believer4 ,the ,lord of   
the ,church showed ,peter that ,he did  

not hesitate4  ,so1 like a true         
disciple1 ,peter followed ,christ's     
lead1 and though 'they of the           
circumcision' were struck with          
amazement1 he said to himself1 ',who am 
,i1 that ,i should withstand ,god8' and 
opened his heart to welcome these new   
converts as possessors of 'like precious
 faith' as was demonstrated by their    
possession of the same ,spirit4 ,would  
that ,peter's willingness to recognise  
all who manifest the ,spirit of ,christ1
 whatever their relation to             
ecclesiastical regulations1 had         
continued the law and practice of the   
,church6    ,,peter',s ,,apologia  ',and
 the apostles and brethren that were in 
,judaea heard that the ,gentiles had    
also received the word of ,god4 #b4 ,and
 when ,peter was come up to ,jerusalem1 
they that were of the circumcision      
contended with him1 #c4 ,saying1 ,thou  
wentest in to men uncircumcised1 and    
didst eat with them4 #d4 ,but ,peter    
rehearsed the matter from the beginning1

 and expounded it by order unto them1   
saying1 #e4 ,i was in the city of ,joppa
 praying3 and in a trance ,i saw a      
vision1 ,a certain vessel descend1 as it
 had been a great sheet1 let down from  
heaven by four corners2 and it came even
 to me3 #f4 ,upon the which when ,i had 
fastened mine eyes1 ,i considered1 and  
saw fourfooted beasts of the earth1 and 
wild beasts1 and creeping things1 and   
fowls of the air4 #g4 ,and ,i heard a   
voice saying unto me1 ,arise1 ,peter2   
slay1 and eat4 #h4 ,but ,i said1 ,not   
so1 ,lord3 for nothing common or unclean
 hath at any time entered into my mouth4
 #i4 ,but the voice answered me again   
from heaven1 ,what ,god hath cleansed1  
that call not thou common4 #aj4 ,and    
this was done three times3 and all were 
drawn up again into heaven4 #aa4 ,and1  
behold1 immediately there were three men
 already come unto the house where ,i   
was1 sent from ,caesarea unto me4 #ab4  
,and the ,spirit bade me go with them1  
nothing doubting4 ,moreover these six   

brethren accompanied me1 and we entered 
into the man's house3 #ac4 ,and he      
shewed us how he had seen an angel in   
his house1 which stood and said unto    
him1 ,send men to ,joppa1 and call for  
,simon1 whose surname is ,peter2 #ad4   
,who shall tell thee words1 whereby thou
 and all thy house shall be saved4 #ae4 
,and as ,i began to speak1 the ,holy    
,ghost fell on them1 as on us at the    
beginning4 #af4 ,then remembered ,i the 
word of the ,lord1 how that ,he said1   
,john indeed baptized with water2 but ye
 shall be baptized with the ,holy       
,ghost4 #ag4 ,forasmuch then as ,god    
gave them the like gift as ,he did unto 
us1 who believed on the ,lord ,jesus    
,christ2 what was ,i1 that ,i could     
withstand ,god8 #ah4 ,when they heard   
these things1 they held their peace1 and
 glorified ,god1 saying1 ,then hath ,god
 also to the ,gentiles granted          
repentance unto life4'--,,acts xi4      
#a-ah4  ,peter's action in regard to    
,cornelius precipitated a controversy   

which was bound to come if the ,church  
was to be anything more than a ,jewish  
sect4 ,it brought to light the first    
tendency to form a party in the ,church4
 ',they444 of the circumcision' were    
probably 'certain of the sect of the    
,pharisees which believed1' and were    
especially zealous for all the          
separating prescriptions of the         
ceremonial law4 ,they were scarcely a   
party as yet1 but the little rift was   
destined to grow1 and they became       
,paul's bitterest opponents through all 
his life1 dogging him with calumnies and
 counterworking his toil4 ,it is a black
 day for a ,church when differences of  
opinion lead to the formation of        
cliques4 ,zeal for truth is sadly apt to
 enlist spite1 malice1 and blindness to 
a manifest work of ,god1 as its allies4 
,poor ,peter1 no doubt1 expected that   
the brethren would rejoice with him in  
the extension of the ,gospel to 'the    
,gentiles1' but his reception in        
,jerusalem was very unlike his hopes4   

,the critics did not venture to cavil at
 his preaching to ,gentiles4 ,probably  
none of them had any objection to such  
being welcomed into the ,church1 for    
they can scarcely have wished to make   
the door into it narrower than that into
 the synagogue1 but they insisted that  
there was no way in but through the     
synagogue4 ,by all means1 said they1 let
 ,gentiles come1 but they must first    
become ,jews1 by submitting to          
circumcision and living as ,jews do4    
,thus they did not attack ,peter for    
preaching to the ,roman centurion and   
his men1 but for eating with them4 ,that
 eating not only was a breach of the    
law1 but it implied the reception of    
,cornelius and his company into the     
household of ,god1 and so destroyed the 
whole fabric of ,jewish exclusiveness4  
,we condemn such narrowness1 but do many
 of us not practise it in other forms8  
,wherever ,christians demand adoption of
 external usages1 over and above        
exercise of penitent faith1 as a        

condition of brotherly recognition1 they
 are walking in the steps of them 'of   
the circumcision4'  ,peter's answer to  
the critics is the true answer to all   
similar hedging up of the ,church1 for  
he contents himself with showing that he
 was only following ,god's action in    
every step of the way which he took1 and
 that ,god1 by the gift of the divine   
,spirit1 had shown that ,he had taken   
these uncircumcised men into ,his       
fellowship1 before ,peter dared to 'eat 
with them4' ,he points to four facts    
which show ,god's hand in the matter1   
and thinks that he has done enough to   
vindicate himself thereby4 ,the first is
 his vision on the housetop4 ,he tells  
that he was praying when it came1 and   
what ,god shows to a praying spirit is  
not likely to mislead4 ,he tells that he
 was 'in a trance1'--a condition in     
which prophets had of old received their
 commands4 ,that again was a guarantee  
for the divine origin of the vision in  
the eyes of every ,jew1 though nowadays 

it is taken by anti-supernaturalists as 
a demonstration of its morbidness and   
unreliableness4 ,he tells of his        
reluctance to obey the command to 'kill 
and eat4' ,a flash of the old brusque   
spirit impelled his flat refusal1 ',not 
so1 ,lord6' and his daring to argue with
 his ,lord still1 as he had done with   
,him on earth4 ,he tells of the         
interpreting and revolutionary word1    
evoked by his audacious objection1 and  
then he tells how 'this was done        
thrice1' so that there could be no      
mistake in his remembrance of it1 and   
then that the whole was drawn up into   
heaven1--a sign that the purpose of the 
vision was accomplished when that word  
was spoken4 ,what1 then1 was the meaning
 of it8  ,clearly it swept away at once 
the legal distinction of clean and      
unclean meats1 and of it1 too1 may be   
spoken what ,mark1 ,peter's mouthpiece1 
writes of earthly words of ,christ's3   
',this ,he said1 making all meats       
clean4' ,but with the sweeping away of  

that distinction much else goes1 for it 
necessarily involves the abrogation of  
the whole separating ordinances of the  
law1 and of the distinction between     
clean and unclean persons4 ,its wider   
application was not seen at the moment1 
but it flashed on him1 no doubt1 when   
face to face with ,cornelius4 ,god had  
cleansed him1 in that his prayers had   
'gone up for a memorial before ,god1'   
and so ,peter saw that 'in every        
nation1' and not among ,jews only1 there
 might be men cleansed by ,god4 ,what   
was true of ,cornelius must be true of  
many others4 ,so the whole distinction  
between ,jew and ,gentile was cut up by 
the roots4 ,little did ,peter know the  
width of the principle revealed to him  
then1 as all of us know but little of   
the full application of many truths     
which we believe4 ,but he obeyed so much
 of the command as he understood1 and   
more of it gradually dawned on his mind1
 as will always be the case if we obey  
what we know4  ,the second fact was the 

coincident arrival of the messengers and
 the distinct command to accompany them4
 ,peter could distinguish quite         
assuredly his own thoughts from divine  
instructions1 as his account of the     
dialogue in the trance shows4 ,how he   
distinguished is not told2 that he      
distinguished is4 ,the coincidence in   
time clearly pointed to one divine hand 
working at both ends of the             
line1--,caesarea and ,joppa4 ,it        
interpreted the vision which had 'much  
perplexed' ,peter as to what it 'might  
mean4' ,but he was not left to interpret
 it by his own pondering4 ,the ,spirit  
spoke authoritatively1 and the whole    
force of his justification of himself   
depends on the fact that he knew that   
the impulse which made him set out to   
,caesarea was not his own4 ,if the      
reading of the ,revised ,version is     
adopted in verse #ab1 'making no        
distinction1' the command plainly       
referred to the vision1 and showed      
,peter that he was to make no           

distinction of 'clean and unclean' in   
his intercourse with these ,gentiles4   
,the third fact is the vision to        
,cornelius1 of which he was told on     
arriving4 ,the two visions fitted into  
each other1 confirmed each other1       
interpreted each other4 ,we may estimate
 the greatness of the step in the       
development of the ,church which the    
admission of ,cornelius into it made1   
and the obstacles on both sides1 by the 
fact that both visions were needed to   
bring these two men together4 ,peter    
would never have dreamed of going with  
the messengers if he had not had his    
narrowness beaten out of him on the     
housetop1 and ,cornelius would never    
have dreamed of sending to ,joppa if he 
had not seen the angel4 ,the cleft      
between ,jew and ,gentile was so wide   
that ,god's hand had to be applied on   
both sides to press the separated parts 
together4 ,he had plainly done it1 and  
that was ,peter's defence4  ,the fourth 
fact is the gift of the ,spirit to these

 ,gentiles4 ,that is the crown of       
,peter's vindication1 and his question1 
',who was ,i1 that ,i could withstand   
,god8' might be profitably pondered and 
applied by those whose ecclesiastical   
theories oblige them to deny the        
'orders' and the 'validity of the       
sacraments' and the very name of a      
,church1 to bodies of ,christians who do
 not conform to their polity4 ,if ,god1 
by the gift of ,his ,spirit manifest in 
its fruits1 owns them1 they have the    
true 'notes of the ,church1' and 'they  
of the circumcision' who recoil from    
recognising them do themselves more harm
 thereby than they inflict on these4    
',as many as are led by the ,spirit of  
,god1 these are the sons of ,god1' even 
though some brother may be 'angry' that 
the ,father welcomes them4    ,,the     
,,first ,,preaching ,,at ,,antioch      
',and some of them were men of ,cyprus  
and ,cyrene1 which1 when they ware come 
to ,antioch1 spake unto the ,grecians1  
preaching the ,lord ,jesus4 #ba4 ,and   

the hand of the ,lord was with them3 and
 a great number believed1 and turned    
unto the ,lord4'--,,acts xi4 #bj1 #ba4  
,thus simply does the historian tell one
 of the greatest events in the history  
of the ,church4 ,how great it was will  
appear if we observe that the weight of 
authority among critics and commentators
 sees here an extension of the message  
of salvation to ,greeks1 that is1 to    
pure heathens1 and not a mere preaching 
to ,hellenists1 that is1 to             
,greek-speaking ,jews born outside      
,palestine4  ,if that be correct1 this  
was a great stride forward in the       
development of the ,church4 ,it needed a
 vision to overcome the scruples of     
,peter1 and impel him to the bold       
innovation of preaching to ,cornelius   
and his household1 and1 as we know1 his 
doing so gave grave offence to some of  
his brethren in ,jerusalem4 ,but in the 
case before us1 some ,cypriote and      
,african ,jews--men of no note in the   
,church1 whose very names have perished1

 with no official among them1 with no   
vision nor command to impel them1 with  
no precedent to encourage them1 with    
nothing but the truth in their minds and
 the impulses of ,christ's love in their
 hearts--solve the problem of the       
extension of ,christ's message to the   
heathen1 and1 quite unconscious of the  
greatness of their act1 do the thing    
about the propriety of which there had  
been such serious question in           
,jerusalem4  ,this boldness becomes even
 more remarkable if we notice that the  
incident of our text may have taken     
place before ,peter's visit to          
,cornelius4 ,the verse before our text1 
',they which were scattered abroad upon 
the persecution that arose about        
,stephen travelled1 444 preaching the   
word to none but unto the ,jews only1'  
is almost a verbatim repetition of words
 in an earlier chapter1 and evidently   
suggests that the writer is returning to
 that point of time1 in order to take up
 another thread of his narrative        

contemporaneous with those already      
pursued4 ,if so1 three distinct lines of
 expansion appear to have started from  
the dispersion of the ,jerusalem church 
in the persecution--namely1 ,philip's   
mission to ,samaria1 ,peter's to        
,cornelius1 and this work in ,antioch4  
,whether prior in time or no1 the       
preaching in the latter city was plainly
 quite independent of the other two4 ,it
 is further noteworthy that this1 the   
effort of a handful of unnamed men1 was 
the true 'leader'--the shoot that grew4 
,philip's work1 and ,peter's so far as  
we know1 were side branches1 which came 
to little2 this led on to a church at   
,antioch1 and so to ,paul's missionary  
work1 and all that came of that4  ,the  
incident naturally suggests some        
thoughts bearing on the general subject 
of ,christian work1 which we now briefly
 present4  ,i4 ,notice the spontaneous  
impulse which these men obeyed4         
,persecution drove the members of the   
,church apart1 and1 as a matter of      

course1 wherever they went they took    
their faith with them1 and1 as a matter 
of course1 spoke about it4 ,the coals   
were scattered from the hearth in       
,jerusalem by the armed heel of         
violence4 ,that did not put the fire    
out1 but only spread it1 for wherever   
they were flung they kindled a blaze4   
,these men had no special injunction 'to
 preach the ,lord ,jesus4' ,they do not 
seem to have adopted this line of action
 deliberately1 or of set purpose4 ',they
 believed1 and therefore spoke4' ,a     
spontaneous impulse1 and nothing more1  
leads them on4 ,they find themselves    
rejoicing in a great ,saviour-,friend4  
,they see all around them men who need  
,him1 and that is enough4 ,they obey the
 promptings of the voice within1 and lay
 the foundations of the first ,gentile  
,church4  ,such a spontaneous impulse is
 ever the natural result of our own     
personal possession of ,christ4 ,in     
regard to worldly good the instinct1    
except when overcome by higher motives1 

is to keep the treasure to oneself4 ,but
 even in the natural sphere there are   
possessions which to have is to long to 
impart1 such as truth and knowledge4    
,and in the spiritual sphere1 it is     
emphatically the case that real         
possession is always accompanied by a   
longing to impart4 ,the old prophet     
spoke a universal truth when he said3   
',thy word was as a fire shut up in my  
bones1 and ,i was weary with forbearing1
 and ,i could not stay4' ,if we have    
found ,christ for ourselves1 we shall   
undoubtedly wish to speak forth our     
knowledge of ,his love4 ,convictions    
which are deep demand expression4       
,emotion which is strong needs          
utterance4 ,if our hearts have any      
fervour of love to ,christ in them1 it  
will be as natural to tell it forth1 as 
tears are to sorrow or smiles to        
happiness4 ,true1 there is a reticence  
in profound feeling1 and sometimes the  
deepest love can only 'love and be      
silent1' and there is a just suspicion  

of loud or vehement protestations of    
,christian emotion1 as of any emotion4  
,but for all that1 it remains true that 
a heart warmed with the love of ,christ 
needs to express its love1 and will give
 it forth1 as certainly as light must   
radiate from its centre1 or heat from a 
fire4  ,then1 true kindliness of heart  
creates the same impulse4 ,we cannot    
truly possess the treasure for ourselves
 without pity for those who have it not4
 ,surely there is no stranger           
contradiction than that ,christian men  
and women can be content to keep ,christ
 as if ,he were their special property1 
and have their spirits untouched into   
any likeness of ,his divine pity for the
 multitudes who were as 'sheep having no
 shepherd4' ,what kind of ,christians   
must they be who think of ,christ as 'a 
,saviour for me1' and take no care to   
set ,him forth as 'a ,saviour for you'8 
,what should we think of men in a       
shipwreck who were content to get into  
the lifeboat1 and let everybody else    

drown8 ,what should we think of people  
in a famine feasting sumptuously on     
their private stores1 whilst women were 
boiling their children for a meal and   
men fighting with dogs for garbage on   
the dunghills8 ',he that withholdeth    
bread1 the people shall curse him4'     
,what of him who withholds the ,bread of
 ,life1 and all the while claims to be a
 follower of the ,christ1 who gave ,his 
flesh for the life of the world8        
,further1 loyalty to ,christ creates the
 same impulse4 ,if we are true to our   
,lord1 we shall feel that we cannot but 
speak up and out for ,him1 and that all 
the more where ,his name is unloved and 
unhonoured4 ,he has left ,his good fame 
very much in our hands1 and the very    
same impulse which hurries words to our 
lips when we hear the name of an absent 
friend calumniated should make us speak 
for ,him4 ,he is a doubtfully loyal     
subject who1 if he lives among rebels1  
is afraid to show his colours4 ,he is   
already a coward1 and is on the way to  

be a traitor4 ,our ,master has made us  
,his witnesses4 ,he has placed in our   
hands1 as a sacred deposit1 the honour  
of ,his name4 ,he has entrusted to us1  
as ,his selectest sign of confidence1   
the carrying out of the purposes for    
which on earth ,his blood was shed1 on  
which in heaven ,his heart is set4 ,how 
can we be loyal to ,him if we are not   
forced by a mighty constraint to respond
 to ,his great tokens of trust in us1   
and if we know nothing of that spirit   
which said3 ',necessity is laid upon me2
 yea1 woe is unto me1 if ,i preach not  
the gospel6' ,i do not say that a man   
cannot be a ,christian unless he knows  
and obeys this impulse4 ,but1 at least1 
we may safely say that he is a very weak
 and imperfect ,christian who does not4 
,,ii4 ,this incident suggests the       
universal obligation on all ,christians 
to make known ,christ4  ,these men were 
not officials4 ,in these early days the 
,church had a very loose organisation4  
,but the fugitives in our narrative seem

 to have had among them none even of the
 humble office-bearers of primitive     
times4 ,neither had they any command or 
commission from ,jerusalem4 ,no one     
there had given them authority1 or1 as  
would appear1 knew anything of their    
proceedings4 ,could there be a more     
striking illustration of the great truth
 that whatever varieties of function may
 be committed to various officers in the
 ,church1 the work of telling ,christ's 
love to men belongs to every one who has
 found it for himself or herself8 ',this
 honour have all the saints4'  ,whatever
 may be our differences of opinion as to
 ,church order and offices1 they need   
not interfere with our firm grasp of    
this truth4 ',preaching ,christ1' in the
 sense in which that expression is used 
in the ,new ,testament1 implies no one  
special method of proclaiming the glad  
tidings4 ,a word written in a letter to 
a friend1 a sentence dropped in casual  
conversation1 a lesson to a child on a  
mother's lap1 or any other way by which1

 to any listeners1 the great story of   
the ,cross is told1 is as truly--often  
more truly--preaching ,christ as the set
 discourse which has usurped the name4  
,we profess to believe in the priesthood
 of all believers1 we are ready enough  
to assert it in opposition to sacerdotal
 assumptions4 ,are we as ready to       
recognise it as laying a very real      
responsibility upon us1 and involving a 
very practical inference as to our own  
conduct8 ,we all have the power1        
therefore we all have the duty4 ,for    
what purpose did ,god give us the       
blessing of knowing ,christ ourselves8  
,not for our own well-being alone1 but  
that through us the blessing might be   
still further diffused4    ',heaven doth
 with us as men with torches do1        
,not light them for themselves4'  ',god 
hath shined into our hearts' that we    
might give to others 'the light of the  
knowledge of the glory of ,god in the   
face of ,jesus ,christ4' ,every         
,christian is solemnly bound to fulfil  

this divine intention1 and to take heed 
to the imperative command1 ',freely ye  
have received1 freely give4'  ,,iii4    
,observe1 further1 the simple message   
which they proclaimed4  ',preaching the 
,lord ,jesus1' says the text--or more   
accurately perhaps--'preaching ,jesus as
 ,lord4' ,the substance1 then1 of their 
message was just this--proclamation of  
the person and dignity of their ,master1
 the story of the human life of the     
,man1 the story of the divine sacrifice 
and self-bestowment by which ,he had    
bought the right of supreme rule over   
every heart2 and the urging of ,his     
claims on all who heard of ,his love4   
,and this1 their message1 was but the   
proclamation of their own personal      
experience4 ,they had found ,jesus to be
 for themselves ,lover and ,lord1       
,friend and ,saviour of their souls1 and
 the joy they had received they sought  
to share with these ,greeks1 worshippers
 of gods and lords many4  ,surely       
anybody can deliver that message who has

 had that experience4 ,all have not the 
gifts which would fit for public speech1
 but all who have 'tasted that the ,lord
 is gracious' can somehow tell how      
gracious ,he is4 ,the first ,christian  
sermon was very short1 and it was very  
efficacious1 for it 'brought to ,jesus' 
the whole congregation4 ,here it is3    
',he first findeth his brother ,simon1  
and saith unto him1 ,we have found the  
,messias4' ,surely we can all say that1 
if we have found ,him4 ,surely we shall 
all long to say it1 if we are glad that 
we have found ,him1 and if we love our  
brother4  ,notice1 too1 how simple the  
form as well as the substance of the    
message4 ',they spake4' ,it was no set  
address1 no formal utterance1 but       
familiar1 natural talk to ones and twos1
 as opportunity offered4 ,the form was  
so simple that we may say that there was
 none4 ,what we want is that ,christian 
people should speak anyhow4 ,what does  
the shape of the cup matter8 ,what does 
it matter whether it be gold or clay8   

,the main thing is that it shall bear   
the water of life to some thirsty lip4  
,all ,christians have to preach1 as the 
word is used here1 that is1 to tell the 
good news4 ,their task is to carry a    
message--no refinement of words is      
needed for that--arguments are not      
needed4 ,they have to tell it simply and
 faithfully1 as one who only cares to   
repeat what he has had given to him4    
,they have to tell it confidently1 as   
having proved it true4 ,they have to    
tell it beseechingly1 as loving the     
souls to whom they bring it4 ,surely we 
can all do that1 if we ourselves are    
living on ,christ and have drunk into   
,his ,spirit4 ,let ,his mighty          
salvation1 experienced by yourselves1 be
 the substance of your message1 and let 
the form of it be guided by the old     
words1 ',it shall be1 when the ,spirit  
of the ,lord is come upon thee1 that    
thou shalt do as occasion shall serve   
thee4'  ,,iv4 ,notice1 lastly1 the      
mighty ,helper who prospered their work4

  ',the hand of the ,lord was with      
them4' ,the very keynote of this ,book  
of the ,acts is the work of the ascended
 ,christ in and for ,his ,church4 ,at   
every turning-point in the history1 and 
throughout the whole narratives1 forms  
of speech like this occur1 bearing      
witness to the profound conviction of   
the writer that ,christ's active energy 
was with ,his servants1 and ,christ's   
,hand the origin of all their security  
and of all their success4  ,so this is a
 statement of a permanent and universal 
fact4 ,we do not labour alone2 however  
feeble our hands1 that mighty ,hand is  
laid on them to direct their movements  
and to lend strength to their weakness4 
,it is not our speech which will secure 
results1 but ,his presence with our     
words which will bring it about that    
even through them a great number shall  
believe and turn to the ,lord4 ,there is
 our encouragement when we are          
despondent4 ,there is our rebuke when we
 are self-confident4 ,there is our      

stimulus when we are indolent4 ,there is
 our quietness when we are impatient4   
,if ever we are tempted to think our    
task heavy1 let us not forget that ,he  
who set it helps us to do it1 and from  
,his throne shares in all our toils1 the
 ,lord still1 as of old1 working with   
us4 ,if ever we feel that our strength  
is nothing1 and that we stand solitary  
against many foes1 let us fall back upon
 the peace-giving thought that one man  
against the world1 with ,christ to help 
him1 is always in the majority1 and let 
us leave issues of our work in ,his     
hands1 whose hand will guard the seed   
sown in weakness1 whose smile will bless
 the springing thereof4  ,how little any
 of us know what will become of our poor
 work1 under ,his fostering care6 ,how  
little these men knew that they were    
laying the foundations of the great     
change which was to transform the       
,christian community from a ,jewish sect
 into a world-embracing ,church6 ,so is 
it ever4 ,we know not what we do when   

simply and humbly we speak ,his name4   
,the far-reaching results escape our    
eyes4 ,then1 sow the seed1 and ,he will 
'give it a body as it pleaseth ,him4'   
,on earth we may never know the fruits  
of our labours4 ,they will be among the 
surprises of heaven1 where many a       
solitary worker shall exclaim with      
wonder1 as he looks on the hitherto     
unknown children whom ,god hath given   
him1 ',behold1 ,i was left alone2 these1
 where had they been8' ,then1 though our
 names may have perished from earthly   
memories1 like those of the simple      
fugitives of ,cyprus and ,cyrene1 who   
'were the first that ever burst' into   
the night of heathendom with the torch  
of the ,gospel in their hands1 they will
 be written in the ,lamb's book of life1
 and ,he will confess them in the       
presence of ,his ,father in heaven4     
,,the ,,exhortation ,,of ,,barnabas     
,footnote3 ,preached before the         
,congregational ,union of ,england and  
,wales4  ',who1 when he came1 and had   

seen the grace of ,god1 was glad1 and   
exhorted them all1 that with purpose of 
heart they would cleave unto the        
,lord4'--,,acts xi4 #bc4  ,the first    
purely heathen converts had been brought
 into the ,church by the nameless men of
 ,cyprus and ,cyrene1 private persons   
with no office or commission to preach1 
who1 in simple obedience to the         
instincts of a ,christian heart1 leaped 
the barrier which seemed impassable to  
the ,church in ,jerusalem1 and solved   
the problem over which ,apostles were   
hesitating4 ,barnabas is sent down to   
see into this surprising new phenomenon1
 and his mission1 though probably not   
hostile1 was1 at all events1 one of     
inquiry and doubt4 ,but like a true man1
 he yielded to facts1 and widened his   
theory to suit them4 ,he saw the tokens 
of ,christian life in these ,gentile    
converts1 and that compelled him to     
admit that the ,church was wider than   
some of his friends in ,jerusalem       
thought4 ,a pregnant lesson for modern  

theorists who1 on one ground or another 
of doctrine or of orders1 narrow the    
great conception of ,christ's ,church6  
,can you see 'the grace of ,god' in the 
people8 ,then they are in the ,church1  
whatever becomes of your theories1 and  
the sooner you let them out so as to fit
 the facts1 the better for you and for  
them4  ,satisfied as to their true      
,christian character1 ,barnabas sets    
himself to help them to grow4 ,now1     
remember how recently they had been     
converted2 how1 from their ,gentile     
origin1 they can have had next to no    
systematic instruction2 how the taint of
 heathen morals1 such as were common in 
that luxurious1 corrupt ,antioch1 must  
have clung to them2 how unformed must   
have been their loose ,church           
organisation--and remembering all this1 
think of this one exhortation as summing
 up all that ,barnabas had to say to    
them4 ,he does not say1 ,do this1 or    
,believe that1 or ,organise the other2  
but he says1 ,stick to ,jesus ,christ   

the ,lord4 ,on this commandment hangs   
all the law2 it is the one all-inclusive
 summary of the duties of the ,christian
 life4  ,so1 brethren and fathers1 ,i   
venture to take these words now1 as     
containing large lessons for us all1    
appropriate at all times1 and especially
 in a sermon on such an occasion as the 
present4  ,we may deal with the thoughts
 suggested by these words very simply1  
just looking at the points as they      
lie--what ,barnabas saw1 what he felt1  
what he said4  ,i4 ,what ,barnabas saw4 
,the grace of ,god here has very        
probably the specific meaning of the    
miracle-working gift of the ,holy       
,spirit4 ,that is rendered probable by  
the analogy of other instances recorded 
in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 such as  
,peter's experience at ,caesarea1 where 
all his hesitations and reluctance were 
swept away when 'the ,holy ,ghost fell  
on them as on us at the beginning1 and  
they spake with tongues4' ,if so1 what  
convinced ,barnabas that these          

uncircumcised ,gentiles were ,christians
 like himself1 may have been their      
similar possession of the visible and   
audible effects of that gift of ,god4   
,but the language does not compel this  
interpretation2 and the absence of all  
distinct reference to these             
extraordinary powers as existing there1 
among the new converts at ,antioch1 may 
be intended to mark a difference in the 
nature of the evidence4 ,at any rate1   
the possibly intentional generality of  
the expression is significant and fairly
 points to an extension of the spiritual
 gifts much beyond the limits of        
miraculous powers4 ,there are other ways
 by which the grace of ,god may be seen 
and heard1 thank ,god6 than by speaking 
with tongues and working miracles2 and  
the first lesson of our text is that    
wherever that grace is made visible by  
its appropriate manifestations1 there we
 are to recognise a brother4  ,augustine
 said1 ',where ,christ is there is the  
,church1' and that is true1 but vague2  

for the question still remains1 ',and   
where is ,christ8' ,the only satisfying 
answer is1 ,christ is wherever          
,christlike men manifest a life drawn   
from1 and kindred with1 ,his life4 ,and 
so the true form of the dictum for      
practical purposes comes to be3 ',where 
the grace of ,christ is visible1 there  
is the ,church4'  ,that great truth is  
sinned against and denied in many ways4 
,most chiefly1 perhaps1 by the          
successors in modern garb of the more   
,jewish portion of that ,church at      
,jerusalem who sent ,barnabas to        
,antioch4 ,they had no objection to     
,gentiles entering the ,church1 but they
 must come in by the way of             
circumcision2 they quite believed that  
it was ,christ who saved1 and ,his grace
 which sanctified1 but they thought that
 ,his grace would only flow in a given  
channel2 and so do their modern         
representatives1 who exalt sacraments1  
and consequently priests1 to the same   
place as the ,judaizers in the early    

,church did the rite of the old         
,covenant4 ,such teachers have much to  
say about the notes of the ,church1 and 
have elaborated a complicated system of 
identification by which you may know the
 genuine article1 and unmask impostors4 
,the attempt is about as wise as to try 
to weave a network fine enough to keep  
back a stream4 ,the water will flow     
through the closest meshes1 and when    
,christ pours out the ,spirit1 ,he is   
apt to do it in utter disregard of notes
 of the ,church1 and of channels of     
sacramental grace4  ,we                 
,congregationalists1 who have no orders1
 no sacraments1 no ,apostolic           
succession2 who in order not to break   
loose from ,christ and conscience have  
had to break loose from ',catholic      
tradition1' and have been driven to     
separation by the true schismatics1 who 
have insisted on another bond of ,church
 unity than union to ,christ1 are denied
 nowadays a place in ,his ,church4  ,the
 true answer to all that arrogant       

assumption and narrow pedantry which    
confine the free flow of the water of   
life to the conduits of sacraments and  
orders1 and will only allow the wind    
that bloweth where it listeth to make   
music in the pipes of their organs1 is  
simply the homely one which shivered a  
corresponding theory to atoms in the    
fair open mind of ,barnabas4  ,the      
,spirit of ,christ at work in men's     
hearts1 making them pure and gentle1    
simple and unworldly1 refining their    
characters1 elevating their aims1 toning
 their whole being into accord with the 
music of ,his life1 is the true proof   
that men are ,christians1 and that      
communities of such men are ,churches of
 ,his4 ,mysterious efficacy is claimed  
for ,christian ordinances4 ,well1 the   
question is a fair one3 ,is the type of 
,christian character produced within    
these sacred limits1 which we are       
hopelessly outside1 conspicuously higher
 and more manifestly ,christlike than   
that nourished by no sacraments1 and    

grown not under glass1 but in the       
unsheltered open8 ,has not ,god set ,his
 seal on these communities to which we  
belong8 ,with many faults for which we  
have to be1 and are1 humble before ,him1
 we can point to the lineaments of the  
family likeness1 and say1 ',are they    
,hebrews8 so are we4 ,are they          
,israelites8 so are we4 ,are they the   
seed of ,abraham8 so are we4'  ,once get
 that truth wrought into men's minds1   
that the true test of ,christianity is  
the visible presence of a grace in      
character which is evidently ,god's1 and
 whole mountains of prejudice and error 
melt away4 ,we are just as much in      
danger of narrowing the ,church in      
accordance with our narrowness as any   
'sacramentarian' of them all4 ,we are   
tempted to think that no good thing can 
grow up under the baleful shadow of that
 tree1 a sacerdotal ,christianity4 ,we  
are tempted to think that all the good  
people are ,dissenters1 just as         
,churchmen are to think that nobody can 

be a ,christian who prays without a     
prayer-book4 ,our own type of           
denominational character--and there is  
such a thing--comes to be accepted by us
 as the all but exclusive ideal of a    
devout man2 and we have not imagination 
enough to conceive1 nor charity enough  
to believe in1 the goodness which does  
not speak our dialect1 nor see with our 
eyes4 ,dogmatical narrowness has built  
as high walls as ceremonial             
,christianity has reared round the fold 
of ,christ1 ,and the one deliverance for
 us all from the transformed            
selfishness1 which has so much to do    
with shaping all these wretched narrow  
theories of the ,church1 is to do as    
this man did--open our eyes with        
sympathetic eagerness to see ,god's     
grace in many an unexpected place1 and  
square our theories with ,his dealings4 
,it used to be an axiom that there was  
no life in the sea beyond a certain     
limit of a few hundred feet4 ,it was    
learnedly and conclusively demonstrated 

that pressure and absence of light1 and 
,i know not what beside1 made life at   
greater depths impossible4 ,it was      
proved that in such conditions creatures
 could not live4 ,and then1 when that   
was settled1 the ,challenger put down   
her dredge five miles1 and brought up   
healthy and good-sized living things1   
with eyes in their heads1 from that     
enormous depth4 ,so1 then1 the savant   
had to ask1 ,how can there be life8     
instead of asserting that there cannot  
be2 and1 no doubt1 the answer will be   
forth coming some day4  ,we have all    
been too much accustomed to set         
arbitrary limits to the diffusion of the
 life of ,christ among men4 ,let us     
rather rejoice when we see forms of     
beauty1 which bear the mark of ,his     
hand1 drawn from depths that we deemed  
waste1 and thankfully confess that the  
bounds of our expectation1 and the      
framework of our institutions1 do not   
confine the breadth of ,his working1 nor
 the sweep of ,his grace4  ,,ii4 ,what  

,barnabas felt4  ',he was glad4' ,it was
 a triumph of ,christian principle to   
recognise the grace of ,god under new   
forms1 and in so strange a place4 ,it   
was a still greater triumph to hail it  
with rejoicing4 ,one need not have      
wondered if the acknowledgment of a     
fact1 dead in the teeth of all his      
prejudices1 and seemingly destructive of
 some profound convictions1 had been    
somewhat grudging4 ,even a good1 true   
man might have been bewildered and      
reluctant to let go so much as was      
destroyed by the admission--',then hath 
,god granted to the ,gentiles also      
repentance unto life1'--and might have  
been pardoned if he had not been able to
 do more than acquiesce and hold his    
peace4 ,we are scarcely just to these   
early ,jewish ,christians when we wonder
 at their hesitation on this matter1 and
 are apt to forget the enormous strength
 of the prejudices and sacred conviction
 which they had to overcome4 ,hence the 
context seems to consider that the quick

 recognition of ,christian character on 
the part of ,barnabas1 and his gladness 
at the discovery1 need explanation1 and 
so it adds1 with special reference to   
these1 as it would seem1 'for he was a  
good man1 full of the ,holy ,ghost and  
of faith1' as if nothing short of such  
characteristics could have sufficiently 
emancipated him from the narrowness that
 would have refused to discern the good1
 or the bitterness that would have been 
offended at it4  ,so1 dear brethren1 we 
may well test ourselves with this       
question3 ,does the discovery of the    
working of the grace of ,god outside the
 limits of our own ,churches and        
communions excite a quick1 spontaneous  
emotion of gladness in our hearts8 ,it  
may upset some of our theories2 it may  
teach us that things which we thought   
very important1 'distinctive principles'
 and the like1 are not altogether as    
precious as we thought them2 it may     
require us to give up some pleasant     
ideas of our superiority1 and of the    

necessary conformity of all good people 
to our type4 ,are we willing to let them
 all go1 and without a twinge of envy or
 a hanging back from prejudice1 to      
welcome the discovery that ',god fulfils
 ,himself in many ways'8 ,have we       
schooled ourselves to say honestly1     
',therein ,i do rejoice1 yea1 and will  
rejoice'8  ,there is much to overcome if
 we would know this ,christlike         
gladness4 ,the good and the bad in us   
may both oppose it4 ,the natural deeper 
interest in the well-being of the       
,churches of our own faith and order1   
the legitimate ties which unite us with 
these1 our conscientious convictions1   
our friendships1 the esprit de corps    
born of fighting shoulder to shoulder1  
will1 of course1 make our sympathies    
flow most quickly and deeply in         
denominational channels4 ,and then come 
in abundance of less worthy motives1    
some altogether bad and some the        
exaggeration of what is good1 and we get
 swallowed up in our own individual     

work1 or in that of our 'denomination1' 
and have but a very tepid joy in anybody
 else's prosperity4  ,in almost every   
town of ,england1 your ,churches1 and   
those to which ,i belong1 with          
,presbyterians and ,wesleyans1 stand    
side by side4 ,the conditions of our    
work make some rivalry inevitable1 and  
none of us1 ,i suppose1 object to that4 
,it helps to keep us all diligent3 a    
sturdy adherence to our several         
'distinctive principles' and an         
occasional hard blow in fair fight on   
their behalf we shall all insist upon4  
,our brotherhood is all the more real   
for frank speech1 and 'the animated     
,no6' is an essential in all intercourse
 which is not stagnant or mawkish4      
,there is much true fellowship and much 
good feeling among all these4 ,but we   
want far more of an honest rejoicing in 
each other's success1 a quicker and     
truer manly sympathy with each other's  
work1 a fuller consciousness of our     
solidarity in ,christ1 and a clearer    

exhibition of it before the world4  ,and
 on a wider view1 as our eyes travel    
over the wide field of ,christendom1 and
 our memories go back over the long ages
 of the story of the ,church1 let       
gladness1 and not wonder or reluctance1 
be the temper with which we see the     
graces of ,christian character lifting  
their meek blossoms in corners strange  
to us1 and breathing their fragrance    
over the pastures of the wilderness4 ,in
 many a cloister1 in many a hermit's    
cell1 from amidst the smoke of incense1 
through the dust of controversies1 we   
should see1 and be glad to see1 faces   
bright with the radiance caught from    
,christ4 ,let us set a jealous watch    
over our hearts that self-absorption1 or
 denominationalism1 or envy do not make 
the sight a pain instead of a joy2 and  
let us remember that the eye-salve which
 will purge our dim sight to behold the 
grace of ,god in all its forms is that  
grace itself1 which ever recognises its 
own kindred1 and lives in the gladness  

of charity1 and the joy of beholding a  
brother's good4 ,if we are to have eyes 
to know the grace of ,god when we see   
it1 and a heart to rejoice when we know 
it1 we must get them as ,barnabas got   
his1 and be good men1 because we are    
full of the ,holy ,ghost1 and full of   
the ,holy ,ghost because we are full of 
faith4  ,,iii4 ,what ,barnabas said4    
',he exhorted them all1 that with       
purpose of heart they would cleave unto 
the ,lord4' ,the first thing that       
strikes one about this all-sufficient   
directory for ,christian life is the    
emphasis with which it sets forth 'the  
,lord' as the one object to be grasped  
and held4 ,the sum of all objective     
,religion is ,christ--the sum of all    
subjective ,religion is cleaving to     
,him4 ,a living ,person to be laid hold 
of1 and a personal relation to that     
,person1 such is the conception of      
,religion1 whether considered as        
revelation or as inward life1 which     
underlies this exhortation4 ,whether we 

listen to ,his own words about ,himself1
 and mark the altogether unprecedented  
way in which ,he was ,his own theme1 and
 the unique decisiveness and plainness  
with which ,he puts ,his own personality
 before us as the ,incarnate ,truth1 the
 pattern for all human conduct1 the     
refuge and the rest for the world of    
weary ones2 or whether we give ear to   
the teaching of ,his ,apostles2 from    
whatever point of view we approach      
,christianity1 it all resolves itself   
into the person of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he  
is the ,revelation of ,god2 theology1   
properly so called1 is but the          
formulating of the facts which ,he gives
 us2 and for the modern world the       
alternative is1 ,christ the manifested  
,god1 or no ,god at all1 other than the 
shadow of a name4 ,he is the perfect    
,exemplar of humanity6 ,the law of life 
and the power to fulfil the law are both
 in ,him2 and the superiority of        
,christian morality consists not in this
 or that isolated precept1 but in the   

embodiment of all goodness in ,his life1
 and in the new motive which ,he        
supplies for keeping the commandment4   
,wrenched away from ,him1 ,christian    
morality has no being4 ,he is the       
sacrifice for the world1 the salvation  
of which flows from what ,he does1 and  
not merely from what ,he taught or was4 
,his personality is the foundation of   
,his work1 and the gospel of forgiveness
 and reconciliation is all contained in 
the name of ,jesus4  ,there is a        
constant tendency to separate the       
results of ,christ's life and death1    
whether considered as revelation1       
atonement1 or ethics1 from ,him1 and    
unconsciously to make these the sum of  
our ,religion1 and the object of our    
faith4 ,especially is this the case in  
times of restless thought and eager     
canvassing of the very foundations of   
religious belief1 like the present4     
,therefore it is wholesome for us all to
 be brought back to the pregnant        
simplicity of the thought which         

underlies this text1 and to mark how    
vividly these early ,christians         
apprehended a living ,lord as the sum   
and substance of all which they had to  
grasp4  ,there is a whole world between 
the man to whom ,god's revelation       
consists in certain doctrines given to  
us by ,jesus ,christ1 and the man to    
whom it consists in that ,christ        
,himself4 ,grasping a living person is  
not the same as accepting a proposition4
 ,true1 the propositions are about ,him1
 and we do not know ,him without them4  
,but equally true1 we need to be        
reminded that ,he is our ,saviour and   
not they1 and that ,god has revealed    
,himself to us not in words and         
sentences but in a life4  ,for1 alas6   
the doctrinal element has overborne the 
personal among all ,churches and all    
schools of thought1 and in the necessary
 process of formulating and             
systematising the riches which are in   
,jesus1 we are all apt to confound the  
creeds with the ,christ1 and so to      

manipulate ,christianity until1 instead 
of being the revelation of a ,person and
 a gospel1 it has become a system of    
divinity4 ,simple1 devout souls have to 
complain that they cannot find even a   
dead ,christ1 to say nothing of a living
 one1 for the theologians have 'taken   
away their ,lord1 and they know not     
where they have laid ,him4'  ,it is1    
therefore1 to be reckoned as a distinct 
gain that one result of the course of   
more recent thought1 both among friends 
and foes1 has been to make all men feel 
more than before1 that all revelation is
 contained in the living person of      
,jesus ,christ4 ,so did the ,church     
believe before creeds were4 ,so it is   
coming to feel again1 with a            
consciousness enriched and defined by   
the whole body of doctrine1 which has   
flowed from ,him during all the ages4   
,that solemn1 gracious ,figure rises day
 by day more clearly before men1 whether
 they love ,him or no1 as the vital     
centre of this great whole of doctrines1

 laws1 institutions1 which we call      
,christianity4 ,round the story of ,his 
life the final struggle is to be waged4 
,the foe feels that1 so long as that    
remains1 all other victories count for  
nothing4 ,we feel that if that goes1    
there is nothing to keep4 ,the          
principles and the precepts will perish 
alike1 as the fair palace of the old    
legend1 that crumbled to dust when its  
builder died4 ,but so long as ,he stands
 before mankind as ,he is painted in the
 ,gospel1 it will endure4 ,if all else  
were annihilated1 ,churches1 creeds and 
all1 leave us these four ,gospels1 and  
all else would be evolved again4 ,the   
world knows now1 and the ,church has    
always known1 though it has not always  
been true to the significance of the    
fact1 that ,jesus ,christ is            
,christianity1 and that because ,he     
lives1 it will live also4  ,and         
consequently the sum of all personal    
religion is this simple act described   
here as cleaving to ,him4  ,need ,i do  

more than refer to the rich variety of  
symbols and forms of expression under   
which that thought is put alike by the  
,master and by ,his servants8 ,deepest  
of all are ,his own great words1 of     
which our text is but a feeble echo1    
',abide in ,me1 and ,i in you4' ,fairest
 of all is that lovely emblem of the    
vine1 setting forth the sweet mystery of
 our union with ,him4 ,far as it is from
 the outmost pliant tendril to the root1
 one life passes to the very            
extremities1 and every cluster swells   
and reddens and mellows because of its  
mysterious flow4 ',so also is ,christ4' 
,we remember how often the invitation   
flowed from ,his lips1 ,come unto ,me2  
how ,he was wont to beckon men away from
 self and the world with the great      
command1 ,follow ,me2 how ,he explained 
the secret of all true life to consist  
in eating ,him4 ,we may recall1 too1 the
 emphasis and perpetual reiteration with
 which ,paul speaks of being 'in ,jesus'
 as the condition of all blessedness1   

power1 and righteousness2 and the       
emblems which he so often employs of the
 building bound into a whole on the     
foundation from which it derives its    
stability1 of the body compacted and    
organised into a whole by the head from 
which it derives its life4  ,we begin to
 be ,christians1 as this context tells  
us1 when we 'turn to the ,lord4' ,we    
continue to be ,christians1 as ,barnabas
 reminded these ignorant beginners1 by  
'cleaving to the ,lord4' ,seeing1 then1 
that our great task is to preserve that 
which we have as the very foundation of 
our ,christian life1 clearly the truest 
method of so keeping it will be the     
constant repetition of the act by which 
we got it at first4 ,in other words1    
faith joined us to ,christ1 and         
continuously reiterated acts of faith   
keep us united to ,him4 ,so1 if ,i may  
venture1 fathers and brethren1 to cast  
my words into the form of exhortation1  
even to such an audience as the present1
 ,i would earnestly say1 ,let us cleave 

to ,christ by continual renewal of our  
first faith in ,him4  ,the longest line 
may be conceived of as produced simply  
by the motion of its initial point4 ,so 
should our lives be1 our progress not   
consisting in leaving our early acts of 
faith behind us1 but in repeating them  
over and over again till the points     
coalesce in one unbroken line which goes
 straight to the ,throne and ,heart of  
,jesus4 ,true1 the repetition should be 
accompanied with fuller knowledge1 with 
calmer certitude1 and should come from a
 heart ennobled and encircled by a      
,christ-possessing past4 ,as in some    
great symphony the theme which was given
 out in low notes on one poor instrument
 recurs over and over again1 embroidered
 with varying harmonies1 and unfolding a
 richer music1 till it swells into all  
the grandeur of the triumphant close1 so
 our lives should be bound into a unity1
 and in their unity bound to ,christ by 
the constant renewal of our early faith1
 and the fathers should come round again

 to the place which they occupied when  
as children they first knew ,him that is
 'from the beginning' to the end one and
 the same4  ,such constant reiteration  
is needed1 too1 because yesterday's     
trust has no more power to secure       
to-day's union than the shreds of cloth 
and nails which hold last year's growth 
to the wall will fasten this year's     
shoots4 ,each moment must be united to  
,christ by its own act of faith1 or it  
will be separated from ,him4 ,so living 
in the ,lord we shall be strong and     
wise1 happy and holy4 ,so dying in the  
,lord we shall be of the dead who are   
blessed4 ,so sleeping in ,jesus we shall
 at the last be found in ,him at that   
day1 and shall be raised up together1   
and made to sit together in heavenly    
places in ,christ ,jesus4  ,but more    
specially let us cleave to ,christ by   
habitual contemplation4 ,there can be no
 real continuous closeness of           
intercourse with ,him1 except by thought
 ever recurring to ,him amidst all the  

tumult of our busy days4 ,i do not mean 
professional thinking or controversial  
thinking1 of which we ministers have    
more than enough4 ,there is another mood
 of mind in which to approach our ,lord 
than these1 a mood sadly unfamiliar1 ,i 
am afraid1 in these days3 when poor     
,mary has hardly a chance of a          
reputation for 'usefulness' by the side 
of busy1 bustling ,martha--that still   
contemplation of the truth which we     
possess1 not with the view of           
discovering its foundations1 or         
investigating its applications1 or even 
of increasing our knowledge of its      
contents1 but of bringing our own souls 
more completely under its influence1 and
 saturating our being with its          
fragrance4 ,the ,church has forgotten   
how to meditate4 ,we are all so occupied
 arguing and deducing and elaborating1  
that we have no time for retired1 still 
contemplation1 and therefore lose the   
finest aroma of the truth we profess to 
believe4 ,many of us are so busy        

thinking about ,christianity that we    
have lost our hold of ,christ4 ,sure ,i 
am that there are few things more needed
 by our modern religion than the old    
exhortation1 ',come1 ,my people1 enter  
into thy chambers and shut thy doors    
about thee4' ,cleave to the ,lord by    
habitual play of meditative thought on  
the treasures hidden in ,his name1 and  
waiting like gold in the quartz1 to be  
the prize of our patient sifting and    
close gaze4  ,and when the great truths 
embodied in ,him stand clear before us1 
then let us remember that we have not   
done with them when we have seen them4  
,next must come into exercise the moral 
side of faith1 the voluntary act of     
trust1 the casting ourselves on ,him    
whom we behold1 the making our own of   
the blessings which ,he holds out to us4
 ,flee to ,christ as to our strong      
habitation to which we may continually  
resort4 ,hold tightly by ,christ with a 
grasp which nothing can slacken 7that   
whitens your very knuckles as you clutch

 ,him71 lean on ,christ all your weight 
and all your burdens4 ,cleave to the    
,lord with full purpose of heart4  ,let 
us cleave to the ,lord by constant      
outgoings of our love to ,him4 ,that is 
the bond which unites human spirits     
together in the only real union1 and    
,scripture teaches us to see in the     
sweetest1 sacredest1 closest tie that   
men and women can know1 a real1 though  
faint1 shadow of the far deeper and     
truer union between ,christ and us4 ,the
 same love which is the bond of         
perfectness between man and man1 is the 
bond between us and ,christ4 ,in no     
dreamy1 semi-pantheistic fusion of the  
believer with his ,lord do we find the  
true conception of the unity of ,christ 
and ,his ,church1 but in a union which  
preserves the individualities lest it   
should slay the love4 ,faith knits us to
 ,christ1 and faith is the mother of    
love1 which maintains the blessed union4
 ,so let us not be ashamed of the       
emotional side of our religion1 nor deem

 that we can cleave to ,christ unless   
our hearts twine their tendrils round   
,him1 and our love pours its odorous    
treasures on ,his sacred feet1 not      
without weeping and embraces4 ,cold     
natures may carp1 but ,love is justified
 of her children1 and ,christ accepts   
the homage that has a heart in it4      
,cleaving to the ,lord is not merely    
love1 but it is impossible without it4  
,the order is ,faith1 ,love1            
,obedience--that threefold cord knits   
men to ,christ1 and ,christ to men4 ,for
 the understanding1 a continuous grasp  
of ,him as the object of thought4 ,for  
the heart1 a continuous outgoing to ,him
 as the object of our love4 ,for the    
will1 a continuous submission to ,him as
 the ,lord of our obedience4 ,for the   
whole nature1 a continuous cleaving to  
,him as the object of our faith and     
worship4  ,such is the true discipline  
of the ,christian life4 ,such is the    
all-sufficient command2 as for the      
newest convert from heathenism1 with    

little knowledge and the taint of his   
old vices in his soul1 so for the saint 
fullest of wisdom and nearest the       
,light4  ,it is all-sufficient4 ,if     
,barnabas had been like some of us1 he  
would have had a very different style of
 exhortation4 ,he would have said1      
',this irregular work has been well     
done1 but there are no authorised       
teachers here1 and no provision has been
 made for the due administration of the 
sacraments of the ,church4 ,the very    
first thing of all is to give these     
people the blessing of bishops and      
priests4' ,some of us would have said1  
',valuable work has been done1 but these
 good people are terribly ignorant4 ,the
 best thing would be to get ready as    
soon as possible some manual of         
,christian doctrine1 and in the meantime
 provide for their systematic           
instruction in at least the elements of 
the faith4' ,some of us would have said1
 ',no doubt they have been converted1   
but we fear there has been too much of  

the emotional in the preaching4 ,the    
moral side of ,christianity has not been
 pressed home1 and what they chiefly    
need is to be taught that it is not     
feeling1 but righteousness4 ,plain1     
practical instruction in ,christian duty
 is the one thing they want4'  ,barnabas
 knew better4 ,he did not despise       
organisation1 nor orthodoxy1 nor        
practical righteousness1 but he knew    
that all three1 and everything else that
 any man needed for his perfecting would
 come1 if only the converts kept near to
 ,christ1 and that nothing else was of  
any use if they did not4 ,that same     
conviction should for us settle the     
relative importance which we attach to  
these subordinate and derivative things1
 and to the primary and primitive duty4 
,obedience to it will secure them4      
,they1 without it1 are not worth        
securing4  ,we spend much pains and     
effort nowadays in perfecting our       
organisations and consolidating our     
resources1 and ,i have not a word to say

 against that4 ,but heavier machinery   
needs more power in the engine1 and that
 means greater capacity in your boilers 
and more fire in your furnace4 ,the more
 complete our organisation1 the more do 
we need a firm hold of ,christ1 or we   
shall be overweighted by it1 shall be in
 danger of burning incense to our own   
net1 shall be tempted to trust in drill 
rather than in courage1 in mechanism    
rather than in the life drawn from      
,christ4 ,on the other hand1 if we put  
as our first care the preservation of   
the closeness of our union with ,christ1
 that life will shape a body for itself1
 and 'to every seed its own body4'      
,true conceptions of ,him1 and a        
definite theology1 are good and needful4
 ,let us cleave to ,him with mind and   
heart1 and we shall receive all the     
knowledge we need1 and be guided into   
the deep things of ,god4 ,in ,him are   
hid all the treasures of wisdom and     
knowledge1 and the basis of all theology
 is the personal possession of ,him who 

is 'the wisdom of ,god' and 'the ,light 
of the world4' ,every one that loveth is
 born of ,god and knoweth ,god4 ,pectus 
facit ,theologum4  ,plain1              
straightforward morality and everyday   
righteousness are better than all       
emotion and all dogmatism and all       
churchism1 says the world1 and          
,christianity says much the same2 but   
plain1 straightforward righteousness and
 everyday morality come most surely when
 a man is keeping close to ,christ4 ,in 
a word1 everything that can adorn the   
character with beauty1 and clothe the   
,church with glorious apparel1          
whatsoever things are lovely and of good
 report1 all that the world or ,god     
calls virtue and crowns with praise1    
they are all in their fulness in ,him1  
and all are most surely derived from    
,him by keeping fast hold of ,his hand1 
and preserving the channels clear       
through which ,his manifold grace may   
flow into our souls4 ,the same life is  
strength in the arm1 pliancy in the     

fingers1 swiftness in the foot1 light in
 the eye1 music on the lips2 so the same
 grace is ,protean in its forms1 and to 
,his servants who trust ,him ,christ    
ever says1 ',what would ye that ,i      
should do unto you8 ,be it even as thou 
wilt4' ,the same mysterious power lives 
in the swaying branch1 and in the veined
 leaf1 and in the blushing clusters4    
,with like wondrous transformations of  
the one grace1 the ,lord pours ,himself 
into our spirits1 filling all needs and 
fitting for all circumstances4          
,therefore for us all1 individuals and  
,churches1 this remains the prime       
command1 ',with purpose of heart cleave 
unto the ,lord4' ,dear brethren in the  
ministry1 how sorely we need this       
exhortation6 ,our very professional     
occupation with ,christ and ,his truth  
is full of danger for us2 we are so     
accustomed to handle these sacred themes
 as a means of instructing or impressing
 others that we get to regard them as   
our weapons1 even if we do not degrade  

them still further by thinking of them  
as our stock-in-trade and means of      
oratorical effect4 ,we must keep very   
firm hold of ,christ for ourselves by   
much solitary communion1 and so         
retranslating into the nutriment of our 
own souls the message we bring to men1  
else when we have preached to others we 
ourselves may be cast away4 ,all the    
ordinary tendencies which draw men from 
,him work on us1 and a host of others   
peculiar to ourselves1 and all around us
 run strong currents of thought which   
threaten to sweep many away4 ,let us    
tighten our grasp of ,him in the face of
 modern doubt2 and take heed to         
ourselves that neither vanity1 nor      
worldliness1 nor sloth2 neither the     
gravitation earthward common to all1 nor
 the temptations proper to our office2  
neither unbelieving voices without nor  
voices within1 seduce us from ,his side4
 ,there only is our peace1 there our    
wisdom1 there our power4  ,subtly and   
silently the separating forces are ever 

at work upon us1 and all unconsciously  
to ourselves our hold may relax1 and the
 flow of this grace into our spirits may
 cease1 while yet we mechanically keep  
up the round of outward service1 nor    
even suspect that our strength is       
departed from us4 ,many a stately elm   
that seems full of vigorous life1 for   
all its spreading boughs and clouds of  
dancing leaves1 is hollow at the heart1 
and when the storm comes goes down with 
a crash1 and men wonder1 as they look at
 the ruin1 how such a mere shell of life
 with a core of corruption could stand  
so long4 ,it rotted within1 and fell at 
last1 because its roots did not go deep 
down to the rich soil1 where they would 
have found nourishment1 but ran along   
near the surface among gravel and       
stones4 ,if we would stand firm1 be     
sound within1 and bring forth much      
fruit1 we must strike our roots deep in 
,him who is the anchorage of our souls1 
and the nourisher of all our being4     
,hearken1 beloved brethren1 in this     

great work of the ministry1 not to the  
exhortation of the servant1 but to the  
solemn command of the ,master1 ',abide  
in ,me1 and ,i in you4 ,as the branch   
cannot bear fruit of itself1 except it  
abide in the vine1 no more can ye1      
except ye abide in ,me4' ,and let us1   
knowing our own weakness1 take heed of  
the self-confidence that answers1       
',though all should forsake ,thee1 yet  
will not ,i1' and turn the vows which   
spring to our lips into the lowly       
prayer1 ',my soul cleaveth unto the     
dust1 quicken ,thou me according to ,thy
 word4' ,then1 thinking rather of ,his  
cleaving to us than of our cleaving to  
,him1 let us resolutely take as the     
motto of our lives the grand words3 ',i 
follow after1 if that ,i may lay hold of
 that for which ,i am also laid hold of 
by ,christ ,jesus6'    ,,what ,a ,,good 
,,man ,,is1 ,,and ,,how ,,he ,,becomes  
,,so  ',he was a good man1 and full of  
the ,holy ,ghost and of faith4'--,,acts 
xi1 #bd4  ',a good man4' ,how easily    

that title is often gained6 ,there is1  
perhaps1 no clearer proof that men are  
bad than the sort of people whom they   
consent to call good4  ,it is a common  
observation that all words describing   
moral excellence tend to deteriorate and
 to contract their meaning1 just as     
bright metal rusts by exposure1 or coins
 become light and illegible by use4 ,so 
it comes to pass that any decently      
respectable man1 especially if he has an
 easy temper and a dash of frankness and
 good humour1 is christened with this   
title 'good4' ,the ,bible1 which is the 
verdict of the ,judge1 is a great deal  
more chary in its use of the word4 ,you 
remember how ,jesus ,christ once rebuked
 a man for addressing ,him so1 not that 
,he repudiated the title1 but that the  
giver had bestowed it lightly and out of
 mere conventional politeness4 ,the word
 is too noble to be applied without very
 good reason4  ,but here we have a      
picture of ,barnabas hung in the gallery
 of ,scripture portraits1 and this is   

the description of it in the catalogue1 
',he was a good man4'  ,you observe that
 my text is in the nature of an         
analysis4 ,it begins at the outside1 and
 works inwards4 ',he was a good man4'   
,indeed2--how came he to be so8 ,he was 
'full of the ,holy ,ghost4' ,full of the
 ,holy ,ghost1 was he8 ,how came he to  
be that8 ,he was 'full of faith4' ,so   
the writer digs down1 as it were1 till  
he gets to the bed-rock1 on which all   
the higher strata repose2 and here is   
his account of the way in which it is   
possible for human nature to win this   
resplendent title1 and to be adjudged of
 ,god as 'good1' 'full of the ,holy     
,ghost and of faith4'  ,so these three  
steps in the exposition of the character
 and its secret will afford a framework 
for what ,i have to say now4  ,i4 ,note1
 then1 first1 the sort of man whom the  
,judge will call 'good4'  ,now1 ,i      
suppose ,i need not spend much time in  
massing together1 in brief outline1 the 
characteristics of ,barnabas4 ,he was a 

,levite1 belonging to the sacerdotal    
tribe1 and perhaps having some slight   
connection with the functions of the    
,temple ministry4 ,he was not a resident
 in the ,holy ,land1 but a ,hellenistic 
,jew1 a native of ,cyprus1 who had come 
into contact with heathenism in a way   
that had beaten many a prejudice out of 
him4 ,we first hear of him as taking a  
share in the self-sacrificing burst of  
brotherly love1 which1 whether it was   
wise or not1 was noble4 ',he1 having    
land1 sold it1 and brought the money1   
and laid it at the ,apostles' feet4'    
,and1 as would appear from a reference  
in one of ,paul's letters1 he had to    
support himself afterwards by manual    
labour4  ,then the next thing that we   
hear of him is that1 when the young man 
who had been a persecuting ,pharisee1   
and the rising hope of the              
anti-,christian party1 all at once came 
forward with some story of a vision     
which he had seen on the road to        
,damascus1 and when the older           

,christians were suspicious of a trick  
to worm himself into their secrets by a 
pretended conversion1 ,barnabas1 with   
the generosity of an unsuspicious       
nature1 which often sees deeper into men
 than do suspicious eyes1 was the first 
to cast the aegis of his recognition    
round him4 ,in like manner1 when        
,christianity took an entirely          
spontaneous and1 to the ,church at      
,jerusalem1 rather unwelcome new        
development and expansion1 when some    
unofficial believers1 without any       
authority from headquarters1 took upon  
themselves to stride clean across the   
wall of separation1 and to speak of     
,jesus ,christ to blank heathens1 and   
found1 to the not altogether gratified  
surprise of the ,christians at          
,jerusalem1 'that on the ,gentiles also 
was poured out the gift of the ,holy    
,ghost1' it was ,barnabas who was sent  
down to look into this surprising new   
phenomenon1 and we read that 'when he   
came and saw the grace of ,god1 he was  

glad4' ,the reason why he rejoiced over 
the manifestation of the grace of ,god  
in such a strange form was because 'he  
was a good man1' and his goodness       
recognised goodness in others and was   
glad at the work of the ,lord4 ,the new 
condition of affairs sent him to look   
for ,paul1 and to put him to work4 ,then
 we find him set apart to missionary    
service1 and the leader of the first    
missionary band1 in which he was        
accompanied by his friend ,saul4 ,he    
acquiesced frankly1 and without a       
murmur1 in the superiority of the       
junior1 and yielded up pre-eminence to  
him quite willingly4 ,the story of that 
missionary journey begins ',barnabas and
 ,saul1' but very soon it comes to be   
',paul and ,barnabas1' and it keeps that
 order throughout4 ,he was an older man 
than ,paul1 for when at ,lystra the     
people thought that the gods had come   
down in the likeness of men2 ,barnabas  
was ,jupiter1 and ,paul the quick-footed
 ,mercury1 messenger of the gods4 ,he   

was in the work before ,paul was thought
 of1 and it must have taken a great deal
 of goodness to acquiesce in ',he must  
increase and ,i must decrease4' ,then   
came the quarrel between them1 the      
foolish fondness for his runaway nephew 
,john ,mark1 whom he insisted on        
retaining in a place for which he was   
conspicuously unfitted4 ,and so he lost 
his friend1 the confidence of the       
,church1 and his work4 ,he sulked away  
into ,cyprus2 he had his nephew1 for    
whom he had given up all these other    
things4 ,a little fault may wreck a     
life1 and the whiter the character the  
blacker the smallest stain upon it4  ,we
 do not hear anything more of him4      
,apparently1 from one casual allusion1  
he continued to serve the ,lord in      
evangelistic work1 but the sweet        
communion of the earlier days1 and the  
confident friendship with the ,apostle1 
seem to have come to an end with that   
sharp contention4 ,so ,barnabas drops   
out of the rank of ,christian workers4  

,and yet 'he was a good man1 full of the
 ,holy ,ghost and of faith4'  ,now ,i   
have spent more time than ,i meant over 
this brief outline of the sort of       
character here pointed at4 ,let me just 
gather into one or two sentences what   
seem to me to be the lessons of it4 ,the
 first is this1 that the tap-root of all
 goodness is reference to ,god and      
obedience to ,him4 ,people tell us that 
morality is independent of religion4 ,i 
admit that many men are better than     
their creeds1 and many men are worse    
than their creeds2 but ,i would also    
venture to assert that morality is the  
garment of religion2 the body of which  
religion is the soul2 the expression of 
religion in daily life4 ,and although ,i
 am not going to say that nothing which 
a man does without reference to ,god has
 any comparative goodness in it1 or that
 all the acts which are thus void of    
reference to ,him stand upon one level  
of evil1 ,i do venture to say that the  
noblest deed1 which is not done in      

conscious obedience to the will of ,god1
 lacks its supreme nobleness4 ,the      
loftiest perfection of conduct is       
obedience to ,god4 ,and whatever        
excellence of self-sacrifice1           
'whatsoever things lovely and of good   
report1' there may be1 apart from the   
presence of this perfect motive1 those  
deeds are imperfect4 ,they do not       
correspond either to the whole          
obligations or to the whole             
possibilities of man1 and1 therefore1   
they are beneath the level of the       
highest good4 ,good is measured by      
reference to ,god4  ,then1 further1 let 
me remark that one broad feature which  
characterises the truest goodness is the
 suppression of self4 ,that is only     
another way of saying the same thing as 
,i have been saying4 ,it is illustrated 
for us all through this story of        
,barnabas4 ,whosoever can say1 ',i think
 not of myself1 but of others2 of the   
cause2 of the help ,i can give to men2  
and ,i lay not goods only1 nor          

prejudices only1 nor the pride of       
position and the supremacy of place only
 at the feet of ,god1 but ,i lay down my
 whole self2 and ,i desire that self may
 be crucified1 that ,god may live in    
me1'--he1 and only he1 has reached the  
height of goodness4 ,goodness requires  
the suppression of self4  ,further1 note
 that the gentler traits of character   
are pre-eminent in ,christian goodness4 
,there is nothing about this man heroic 
or exceptional4 ,his virtues are all of 
the meek and gracious sort--those which 
we relegate sometimes to an inferior    
place in our estimates4 ,these things   
make but a poor show by the side of some
 of the tawdry splendours of what the   
vulgar world calls virtues4 ,it requires
 an educated eye to see the harmony of  
the sober colouring of some great       
painter4 ,a child1 a clown1 a vulgar    
person--and there are such in all       
ranks--will prefer flaring reds and     
blues and yellows heaped together in    
staring contrast4 ,a thrush or a        

blackbird is but a soberly clad creature
 by the side of macaws and paroquets2   
but the one has a song and the others   
have only a screech4 ,the gentle virtues
 are the truly ,christian               
virtues--patience and meekness and      
long-suffering and sympathy and         
readiness to efface oneself for the sake
 of ,god and of men4  ,so there is a bit
 of comfort for us commonplace1 humdrum 
people1 to whom ,god has only given one 
or two talents1 and who can never expect
 to make a figure before men4 ,we may be
 little violets below a stone1 if we    
cannot be flaunting hollyhocks and tiger
 lilies4 ,we may have the beauty of     
goodness in us after ,christ's example1 
and that is better than to be great4    
,barnabas was no genius4 ,he was not    
even a genius in goodness2 he did not   
strike out anything original and out of 
the way4 ,he seems to have been a       
commonplace kind of man enough2 but 'he 
was a good man4' ,and the weakest and   
the humblest of us may hope to have the 

same thing said of us1 if we will4  ,and
 then1 note further1 that true goodness1
 thank ,god6 does not exclude the       
possibility of falling and sinning4     
,there is a black spot in this man's    
history2 and there are black spots in   
the histories of all saints4 ,thank     
,god6 the ,bible is1 as some people     
would say1 almost brutally frank in     
telling us about the imperfections of   
the best4 ,very often imperfections are 
the exaggerations of characteristic     
goodnesses1 and warn us to take care    
that we do not push1 as ,barnabas did1  
our facility to the point of criminal   
complicity with weaknesses2 and that we 
do not indulge1 instead of strenuously  
rebuking when need is4 ,never let our   
gentleness fall away1 like a badly made 
jelly1 into a trembling heap1 and never 
let our strength gather itself together 
into a repulsive attitude1 but guard    
against the exaggeration of virtue into 
vice4  ,remember that whilst there may  
be good men who sin1 there is ,one      

entire and flawless1 in whom all types  
of excellence do meet1 and who alone of 
humanity can front the verdict of the   
world1 and has fronted it now for       
nineteen centuries1 with the question   
upon ,his lips1 which none have dared to
 answer1 ',which of you convinceth ,me  
of sin8'  ,,ii4 ,secondly1 notice the   
divine ,helper who makes men good4      
,luke1 if he be the writer of the ,acts1
 goes on with his analysis4 ,he has done
 with the first fold1 the outer garment1
 as it were2 he strips it off and shows 
us the next fold1 'full of the ,holy    
,ghost4'  ,a divine ,helper1 not merely 
a divine influence1 but a divine        
,person1 who not only helps men from    
without1 but so enters into a man as    
that the man's whole nature is saturated
 with ,him--that is strange language4   
,mystical and unreal ,i dare say some of
 you may think it1 but let us consider  
whether some such divine ,helper is not 
plainly pointed as necessary1 by the    
experience of every man that ever       

honestly tried to make himself good4  ,i
 have no doubt that ,i am speaking to   
many persons who1 more or less          
constantly and courageously and         
earnestly1 have laboured at the task of 
self-improvement and self-culture4 ,i   
venture to think that1 if their standard
 of what they wish to attain is high1   
their confession of what they have      
attained will be very low4 ,ah1 brother6
 if we think of what it is that we need 
to make us good--viz4 the strengthening 
of these weak wills of ours1 which we   
cannot strengthen but to a very limited 
degree by any tonics that we can apply1 
or any supports with which we may bind  
them round2 if we consider the          
resistance which ourselves1 our         
passions1 our tastes1 our habits1 our   
occupations offer1 and the resistance   
which the world around us1 friends1     
companions1 and all the aggregate1 dread
 and formidable1 of material things     
present to our becoming1 in any lofty   
and comprehensive sense of the term1    

good men and women1 ,i think we shall be
 ready to listen1 as to a true ,gospel1 
to the message that says1 ',you do not  
need to do it by yourself4' ,you have   
got the wolf by the ears1 perhaps1 for a
 moment1 but there is tremendous        
strength in the brute1 and your hands   
and wrists will ache in holding him     
presently1 and what will happen then8   
,you do not need to try it yourself4    
,there is a divine ,helper standing at  
your sides and waiting to strengthen    
you1 and that ,helper does not work from
 outside2 ,he will pass within1 and     
dwell in your hearts and mould and      
strengthen your wills to what is good1  
and suppress your inclinations to evil1 
and1 by ,his inward presence1 teach     
'your hands to war and your fingers to  
fight4'  ,surely1 surely1 the experience
 of the world from the beginning1       
confirmed by the consciousness and      
conscience of every one of us1 tells us 
that of ourselves we are impotent1 and  
that the good that is within the reach  

of our unaided efforts is poor and      
fragmentary and superficial indeed4     
,the great promise of the ,gospel is    
precisely this promise4 ,we terribly    
limit and misunderstand what we call the
 ,gospel if we give such exclusive      
predominance to one part of it1 as some 
of us are accustomed to do4 ,thank ,god 
,i the first word that ,jesus ,christ   
says to any soul is1 ',thy sins be      
forgiven thee4' ,but that first word has
 a second that follows it1 ',arise6 and 
walk6' and it is for the sake of the    
second that the first is spoken4 ,the   
gift of pardon1 the consciousness of    
acceptance1 the fact of reconciliation  
with ,god1 the closing of the doors of  
the place of retribution1 the quieting  
of the stings of accusing conscience1   
all these are but meant to be           
introductory to that which ,jesus       
,christ ,himself1 in the ,gospel of     
,john1 emphatically calls more than once
 'the gift of ,god1' which ,he          
symbolised by 'living water1' which     

whosoever drank should never thirst1 and
 which whosoever possessed would give it
 forth in living streams of holy life   
and noble deeds4 ,the promise of the    
,gospel is the promise of new life1     
derived from ,christ and maintained in  
us by the indwelling ,spirit1 which will
 come like fresh reinforcements to an   
all but beaten army in some hard-fought 
field1 which will stand like a stay     
behind a man1 to us almost blown over by
 the gusts of temptation1 which will    
strengthen what is weak1 raise what is  
low1 illumine what is dark1 and will    
make us who are evil good with a        
goodness given by ,god through ,his     
,son4  ,surely there is nothing more    
congruous with that divine character    
than that ,he who ,himself is good1 and 
good from ,himself1 should rejoice in   
making us1 ,his poor children1 into ,his
 own likeness4 ,surely ,he would not be 
good unless ,he delighted to make us    
good4 ,surely it is something very like 
presumption in men to assert that the   

direct communication of the ,spirit of  
,god with the spirits whom ,god has made
 is an impossibility4 ,surely it is     
flying in the face of ,scripture        
teaching to deny that such communication
 is a promise4 ,surely it is a flagrant 
contradiction of the depths of          
,christian experience to falter in the  
belief that it is a very solid reality4 
',full of the ,holy ,ghost1' as a vessel
 might be to its brim of golden wine2   
,christian men and women6 does that     
describe you8 ,full8 ,a dribbling drop  
or two in the bottom of the jar4 ,whose 
fault is it8 ,why1 with that rushing    
mighty wind to fill our sails if we     
like1 should we be lying in the sickly  
calms of the tropics1 with the pitch    
oozing out of the seams1 and the idle   
canvas flapping against the mast8 ,why1 
with those tongues of fire hovering over
 our heads1 should we be cowering over  
grey ashes in which there lives a little
 spark8 ,why1 with that great rushing   
tide of the river of the water of life1 

should we be like the dry watercourses  
of the desert1 with bleached and white  
stones baking where the stream should be
 running8 ',o6 ,thou that art named the 
,house of ,israel1 is the ,spirit of the
 ,lord straitened8 ,are these ,his      
doings8'  ,,iii4 ,and so1 lastly1 we are
 shown how that divine ,helper comes to 
men4  ',full of the ,holy ,ghost1 and of
 faith4' ,there is no goodness without  
the impulse and indwelling of the divine
 ,spirit1 and there is no divine ,spirit
 to dwell in a man's heart without that 
man's trusting in ,jesus ,christ4 ,the  
condition of receiving the gift that    
makes us good is simply and solely that 
we should put our trust in ,jesus       
,christ the ,giver4 ,that opens the     
door1 and the divine ,spirit enters4    
,true6 there are convincing operations  
which ,he effects upon the world2 but   
these are not in question here4 ,these  
come prior to1 and independent of1      
faith4 ,but the work of the ,spirit of  
,god1 present within us to heal and     

hallow us1 has as condition our trust in
 ,jesus ,christ1 the ,great ,healer4 ,if
 you open a chink1 the water will come  
in4 ,if you trust in ,jesus ,christ1 ,he
 will give you the new life of ,his     
,spirit1 which will make you free from  
the law of sin and death4 ,that divine  
,spirit 'which they that believe in ,him
 should receive' delights to enter into 
every heart where ,his presence is      
desired4 ,faith is desire2 and desires  
rooted in faith cannot be in vain4      
,faith is expectation2 and expectations 
based upon the divine promise can never 
be disappointed4 ,faith is dependence1  
and dependence that reckons upon ,god1  
and upon ,god's gift of ,his ,spirit1   
will surely be recompensed4  ,the       
measure in which we possess the power   
that makes us good depends altogether   
upon ourselves4 ',open thy mouth wide   
and ,i will fill it4' ,you may have as  
much of ,god as you want1 and as little 
as you will4 ,the measure of your faith 
will determine at once the measure of   

your goodness1 and of your possession of
 the ,spirit that makes good4 ,just as  
when the prophet miraculously increased 
the oil in the cruse1 the golden stream 
flowed as long as they brought vessels1 
and stayed when there were no more1 so  
as long as we open our hearts for the   
reception1 the gift will not be         
withheld1 but ,god will not let it run  
like water spilled upon the ground that 
cannot be gathered up4 ,if we will      
desire1 if we will expect1 if we will   
reckon on1 if we will look to1 ,jesus   
,christ1 and1 beside all this1 if we    
will honestly use the power that we     
possess1 our capacity will grow1 and the
 gift will grow1 and our holiness and   
purity will grow with it4  ,some of you 
have been trying more or less           
continuously1 all your lives1 to mend   
your own characters and improve         
yourselves4 ,brethren1 there is a better
 way than that4 ,a modern poet says--   
',self-reverence1 self-knowledge1       
self-control1   ,these three alone lift 

life to sovereign power4'  ,taken by    
itself that is pure heathenism4 ,self   
cannot improve self4 ,put self into     
,god's keeping1 and say1 ',i cannot     
guard1 keep1 purge1 hallow mine own     
self4 ,lord1 do ,thou do it for me6' ,it
 is no use to try to build a tower whose
 top shall reach to heaven4 ,a ladder   
has been let down on which we may pass  
upwards1 and by which ,god's angels of  
grace and beauty will come down to dwell
 in our hearts4 ,if the ,judge is to say
 of each of us1 ',he was a good man1'   
,he must also be able to say1 ',he was  
full of the ,holy ,ghost and of faith4' 
,a ,,nickname ,,accepted  ',the         
disciples were called ,christians first 
in ,antioch'--,,acts xi4 #bf4  ,nations 
and parties1 both political and         
religious1 very often call themselves by
 one name1 and are known to the outside 
world by another4 ,these outside names  
are generally given in contempt2 and yet
 they sometimes manage to hit the very  
centre of the characteristics of the    

people on whom they are bestowed1 and so
 by degrees get to be adopted by them1  
and worn as an honour4  ,so it has been 
with the name ',christian4' ,it was     
given at the first by the inhabitants of
 the ,syrian city of ,antioch1 to a new 
sort of people that had sprung up       
amongst them1 and whom they could not   
quite make out4 ,they would not fit into
 any of their categories1 and so they   
had to invent a new name for them4 ,it  
is never used in the ,new ,testament by 
,christians about themselves4 ,it occurs
 here in this text2 it occurs in        
,agrippa's half-contemptuous            
exclamation3 ',you seem to think it is a
 very small matter to make me--me1 a    
king6--a ,christian1 one of those       
despised people6' ,and it occurs once   
more1 where the ,apostle ,peter is      
specifying the charges brought against  
them3 ',if any man suffer as a          
,christian1 let him not be ashamed2 but 
let him glorify ,god on this behalf 7#a 
,peter iv4 #af74 ,that sounds like the  

beginning of the process which has gone 
on ever since1 by which the nickname1   
flung by the sarcastic men of ,antioch1 
has been turned into the designation by 
which1 all over the world1 the followers
 of ,jesus ,christ have been proud to   
call themselves4  ,now in this text     
there are the outside name by which the 
world calls the followers of ,jesus     
,christ1 and one of the many interior   
names by which the ,church called       
itself4 ,i have thought it might be     
profitable now to put all the ,new      
,testament names for ,christ's followers
 together1 and think about them4  ,i4   
,so1 to begin with1 we deal with this   
name given by the world to the ,church1 
which the ,church has adopted4  ,observe
 the circumstances under which it was   
given4 ,a handful of large-hearted1     
brave men1 anonymous fugitives belonging
 to the little ,church in ,jerusalem1   
had come down to ,antioch2 and there1   
without premeditation1 without          
authority1 almost without               

consciousness--certainly without knowing
 what a great thing they were           
doing--they took1 all at once1 as if it 
were the most natural thing in the      
world1 a great step by preaching the    
,gospel to pure heathen ,greeks2 and so 
began the process by which a small      
,jewish sect was transformed into a     
world-wide church4 ,the success of their
 work in ,antioch1 amongst the pure     
heathen population1 has for its crowning
 attestation this1 that it compelled the
 curiosity-hunting1 pleasure-loving1    
sarcastic ,antiocheans to find out a new
 name for this new thing2 to write out a
 new label for the new bottles into     
which the new wine was being put4       
,clearly the name shows that the ,church
 was beginning to attract the attention 
of outsiders4  ,clearly it shows1 too1  
that there was a novel element in the   
,church4 ,the earlier disciples had been
 all ,jews1 and could be lumped together
 along with their countrymen1 and come  
under the same category4 ,but here was  

something that could not be called      
either ,jew or ,greek1 because it       
embraced both4 ,the new name is the     
first witness to the cosmopolitan       
character of the primitive ,church4     
,then clearly1 too1 the name indicates  
that in a certain dim1 confused way1    
even these superficial observers had got
 hold of the right notion of what it was
 that did bind these people together4   
,they called them                       
',christians'--,christ's men1 ,christ's 
followers4 ,but it was only a very dim  
refraction of the truth that had got to 
them2 they had no notion that ',christ' 
was not a proper name1 but the          
designation of an office2 and they had  
no notion that there was anything       
peculiar or strange in the bond which   
united its adherents to ,christ4 ,hence 
they called ,his followers              
',christians1' just as they would have  
called ,herod's followers ',herodians1' 
in the political world1 or ,aristotle's 
followers ',aristotelians' in the       

philosophical world4 ,still1 in their   
groping way1 they bad put their finger  
on the fact that the one power that held
 this heterogeneous mass together1 the  
one bond that bound up ',jew and        
,gentile1 barbarian1 ,scythian1 bond and
 free' into one vital unity1 was a      
personal relation to a living ,person4  
,and so they said--not understanding the
 whole significance of it1 but having   
got hold of the right end of the        
clue--they said1 ',they are             
,christians6' ',christ's people1' 'the  
followers of this ,christ4'  ,and their 
very blunder was a felicity4 ,if they   
had called them ',jesuits' that would   
have meant the followers of the mere    
man4 ,they did not know how much deeper 
they had gone when they said1 not       
followers of ,jesus1 but 'followers of  
,christ'2 for it is not ,jesus the ,man1
 but ,jesus ,christ1 the ,man with ,his 
office1 that makes the centre and the   
bond of the ,christian ,church4  ,these1
 then1 are the facts1 and the fair      

inferences from them4 ,a plain lesson   
here lies on the surface4 ,the          
,church--that is to say1 the men and    
women who make its members--should draw 
to itself the notice of the outside     
world4 ,i do not mean by advertising1   
and ostentation1 and sounding trumpets1 
and singularities1 and affectations4    
,none of all these are needed4 ,if you  
are live ,christians it will be plain   
enough to outsiders4 ,it is a poor      
comment on your consistency1 if1 being  
,christ's followers1 you can go through 
life unrecognised even by 'them that are
 without4' ,what shall we say of leaven 
which does not leaven1 or of light which
 does not shine1 or of salt which does  
not repel corruption8 ,it is a poor     
affair if1 being professed followers of 
,jesus ,christ1 you do not impress the  
world with the thought that 'here is a  
man who does not come under any of our  
categories1 and who needs a new entry to
 describe him4' ,the world ought to have
 the same impression about you which    

,haman had about the ,jews--',their laws
 are diverse from all people4'          
,christian professors1 are the world's  
names for each other enough to describe 
you by1 or do you need another name to  
be coined for you in order to express   
the manifest characteristics that you   
display8 ,the ,church that does not     
provoke the attention--,i use the word  
in its etymological1 not its offensive  
sense--the ,church that does not call   
upon itself the attention and interest  
of outsiders1 is not a ,church as ,jesus
 ,christ meant it to be1 and it is not a
 ,church that is worth keeping alive2   
and the sooner it has decent burial the 
better for itself and for the world6    
,there is another thing here1 viz43 this
 name suggests that the clear impression
 made by our conduct and character1 as  
well as by our words1 should be that we 
belong to ,jesus ,christ4 ,the eye of an
 outside observer may be unable to      
penetrate the secret of the deep sweet  
tie uniting us to ,jesus1 but there     

should be no possibility of the most    
superficial and hasty glance overlooking
 the fact that we are ,his4 ,he should  
manifestly be the centre and the guide1 
the impulse and the pattern1 the        
strength and the reward1 of our whole   
lives4 ,we are ,christians4 ,that should
 be plain for all folks to see1 whether 
we speak or be silent4 ,brethren1 is it 
so with you8 ,does your life need no    
commentary of your words in order that  
men should know what is the hidden      
spring that moves all its wheels2 what  
is the inward spirit that co-ordinates  
all its motions into harmony and beauty8
 ,is it true that like 'the ointment of 
the right hand which bewrayeth itself'  
your allegiance to ,jesus ,christ1 and  
the overmastering and supreme authority 
which ,he exercises upon you1 and upon  
your life1 'cannot be hid'8 ,do you     
think that1 without your words1 if you1 
living in the way you do1 were put down 
into the middle of ,pekin1 as these     
handful of people were put down into the

 middle of the heathen city of ,antioch1
 the wits of the ,chinese metropolis    
would have to invent a name for you1 as 
the clever men of ,antioch did for these
 people2 and do you think that if they  
had to invent a name1 the name that     
would naturally come to their lips1     
looking at you1 would be ',christians1' 
',christ's men'8 ,if it would not1 there
 is something wrong4  ,the last word    
that ,i say about this first part of my 
text is this4 ,it is a very sad thing1  
but it is one that is always occurring1 
that the world's inadequate notions of  
what makes a follower of ,jesus ,christ 
get accepted by the ,church4 ,why was it
 that the name ',christian' ran all over
 ,christendom in the course of a century
 and a half8 ,i believe very largely    
because it was a conveniently vague     
name2 because it did not describe the   
deepest and sacredest of the bonds that 
unite us to ,jesus ,christ4 ,many a man 
is quite willing to say1 ',i am a       
,christian1' who would hesitate a long  

time before he said1 ',i am a believer1'
 ',i am a disciple4' ,the vagueness of  
the name1 the fact that it erred by     
defect in not touching the central1     
deepest relation between man and ,jesus 
,christ1 made it very appropriate to the
 declining spirituality and increasing  
formalism of the ,christian ,church in  
the post-,apostolic age4 ,it is a sad   
thing when the ,church drops its        
standard down to the world's notion of  
what ,it ought to be1 and adopts the    
world's name for itself and its         
converts4  ,,ii4 ,i turn now to set side
 by side with this vague1 general1      
outside name the more specific and      
interior names--if ,i may so call       
them--by which ,christ's followers at   
first knew themselves4  ,the world said1
 ',you are ,christ's men'2 and the names
 which were self-imposed and are now to 
be considered might be taken as being   
the ,church's explanation of what the   
world was fumbling at when it so called 
them4 ,there are four of them3 of       

course1 ,i can only just touch on them4 
7a7 ,the first is in this               
verse-'disciples4' ,the others are      
believers1 saints1 brethren4 ,these four
 are the ,church's own christening of   
itself2 its explanation and expansion1  
its deepening and heightening1 of the   
vague name given by the world4  ,as to  
the first1 disciples1 any concordance   
will show that the name was employed    
almost exclusively during the time of   
,christ's life upon earth4 ,it is the   
only name for ,christ's followers in the
 ,gospels2 it occurs also1 mingled with 
others1 in the ,acts of the ,apostles1  
and it never occurs thereafter4  ,the   
name 'disciple1' then1 carries us back  
to the historical beginning of the whole
 matter1 when ,jesus was looked upon as 
a ,rabbi having followers called        
disciples2 just as were ,john the       
,baptist and his followers1 ,gamaliel   
and his school1 or ,socrates and his4   
,it sets forth ,christ as being the     
,teacher1 and ,his followers as being   

,his adherents1 ,his scholars1 who      
learned at ,his feet4  ,now that is     
always true4 ,we are ,christ's scholars 
quite as much as were the men who heard 
and saw with their eyes and handled with
 their hands1 of the ,word of ,life4    
,not by words only1 but by gracious     
deeds and fair1 spotless life1 ,he      
taught them and us and all men to the   
end of time1 our highest knowledge of   
,god of whom ,he is the final           
revelation1 our best knowledge of what  
men should and shall be by ,his perfect 
life in which is contained all morality1
 our only knowledge of that future in   
that ,he has died and is risen and lives
 to help and still to teach4 ,he teaches
 us still by the record of ,his life1   
and by the living influence of that     
,spirit whom ,he sends forth to guide us
 into all truth4 ,he is the ,teacher1   
the only ,teacher1 the ,teacher for all 
men1 the ,teacher of all truth1 the     
,teacher for evermore4 ,he speaks from  
,heaven4 ,let us give heed to ,his      

voice4  ,but that ,name is not enough to
 tell all that ,he is to us1 or we to   
,him1 and so after ,he had passed from  
earth it unconsciously and gradually    
dropped out of use by the disciples1 as 
they felt a deepened bond uniting them  
to ,him who was not only their ,teacher 
of the ,truth which was ,himself1 but   
was their ,sacrifice and ,advocate with 
the ,father4 ,and for all who hold the1 
as ,i believe1 essentially imperfect    
conception of ,jesus ,christ as being   
mainly a ,teacher1 either by word or by 
pattern2 whether it be put into the old 
form or into the modern form of         
regarding ,him as the ,ideal and        
,perfect ,man1 it seems to me a fact    
well worthy of consideration1 that the  
name of disciple and the relation       
expressed by it were speedily felt by   
the ,christian ,church to be inadequate 
as a representation of the bond that    
knit them to ,him4 ,he is our ,teacher1 
we ,his scholars4 ,he is more than that1
 and a more sacred bond unites us to    

,him4 ,as our ,master we owe ,him       
absolute submission4 ,when ,he speaks1  
we have to accept ,his dictum4 ,what ,he
 says is truth1 pure and entire4 ,his   
utterance is the last word upon any     
subject that ,he touches1 it is the     
ultimate appeal1 and the ,judge that    
ends the strife4 ,we owe ,him           
submission1 an open eye for all new     
truth1 constant docility1 as conscious  
of our own imperfections1 and a         
confident expectation that ,he will     
bless us continuously with high and as  
yet unknown truths that come from ,his  
inexhaustible stores of wisdom and      
knowledge4  7b7 ,teacher and scholars   
move in a region which1 though it be    
important1 is not the central one4 ,and 
the word that was needed next to express
 what the early ,church felt ,christ was
 to them1 and they to ,him1 lifts us    
into a higher atmosphere                
altogether1--'believers1' they who are  
exercising not merely intellectual      
submission to the dicta of the ,teacher1

 but who are exercising living trust in 
the person of the ,redeemer4 ,the belief
 which is faith is altogether a higher  
thing than its first stage1 which is the
 belief of the understanding4 ,there is 
in it the moral element of trust4 ,we   
believe a truth1 we trust a ,person2 and
 the trust which we are to exercise in  
,jesus ,christ1 and which knits us to   
,him1 is our trust in ,him1 not in any  
character that we may choose to ascribe 
to ,him1 but in the character in which  
,he is revealed in the ,new             
,testament--,redeemer1 ,saviour1        
,manifest ,god2 and therefore1 the      
,infinite ,friend and ,helper of our    
souls4  ,that trust1 my brethren1 is the
 one bond that binds1 men to ,god1 and  
the one thing that makes us ,christ's   
men4 ,apart from it1 we may be very near
 ,him1 but we are not joined to ,him4   
,by it1 and by it alone1 the union is   
completed1 and ,his power and ,his grace
 flow into our spirits4 ,are you1 not   
merely a ',christian1' in the world's   

notion1 being bound in some vague way to
 ,jesus ,christ1 but are you a          
,christian in the sense of trusting your
 soul's salvation to ,him8  7c7 ,then1  
still further1 there is another         
name--'saints4' ,it has suffered perhaps
 more at the hands both of the world and
 of the ,church than any other4 ,it has 
been taken by the latter and restricted 
to the dead1 and further restricted to  
those who excel1 according to the       
fantastic1 ascetic standard of mediaeval
 ,christianity4 ,it has suffered from   
the world in that it has been used with 
a certain bitter emphasis of resentment 
at the claim of superior purity supposed
 to be implied in it1 and so has come to
 mean on the world's lips one who       
pretends to be better than other people 
and whose actions contradict his claim4 
,but the name belongs to all ,christ's  
followers4 ,it makes no claim to special
 purity1 for the central idea of the    
word 'saint' is not purity4 ,holiness1  
which is the ,english for the ,latinised

 'sanctity1' holiness which is          
attributed in the ,old ,testament to    
,god first1 to men only secondarily1    
does not primarily mean purity1 but     
separation4 ,god is holy1 inasmuch as by
 that whole majestic character of ,his1 
,he is lifted above all bounds of       
creatural limitations1 as well as above 
man's sin4 ,a sacrifice1 the ,sabbath1 a
 city1 a priest's garment1 a mitre--all 
these things are 'holy1' not when they  
are pure1 but when they are devoted to  
,him4 ,and men are holy1 not because    
they are clean1 but because by free     
self-surrender they have consecrated    
themselves to ,him4  ,holiness is       
consecration1 that is to say1 holiness  
is giving myself up to ,him to do what  
,he will with4 ',i am holy' is not the  
declaration of my estimate ',i am pure1'
 but the declaration of the fact ',i am 
thine1 ,o ,lord4' ,so the ,new          
,testament idea of saint has in it these
 elements--consecration1 consecration   
resting on faith in ,christ1 and        

consecration leading to separation from 
the world and its sin4 ,and that glad   
yielding of oneself to ,god1 as wooed by
 ,his mercies1 and thereby drawn away   
from communion with our evil            
surroundings and from submission to our 
evil selves1 must be a part of the      
experience of every true ,christian4    
,all ,his people are saints1 not as     
being pure1 but as being given up to    
,him1 in union with whom alone will the 
cleansing powers flow into their lives  
and clothe them with 'the righteousness 
of saints4' ,have you thus consecrated  
yourself to ,god8  7d7 ,the last name is
 'brethren1'--a name which has been much
 maltreated both by the insincerity of  
the ,church1 and by the sarcasm of the  
world4 ,it has been an unreal           
appellation which has meant nothing and 
been meant to mean nothing1 so that the 
world has said that our 'brethren'      
signified a good deal less than their   
'brothers4' '',tis true1 'tis pity2 pity
 'tis1 'tis true4'  ,but what ,i ask you

 to notice is that the main thing about 
that name 'brethren' is not the relation
 of the brethren to one another1 but    
their common relation to their ,father4 
,when we call ourselves as ,christian   
people 'brethren1' we mean first this3  
that we are the possessors of a         
supernatural life1 which has come from  
one ,father1 and which has set us in    
altogether new relations to one another1
 and to the world round about us4 ,do   
you believe that if you have any of that
 new life which comes through faith in  
,jesus ,christ1 then you are the        
brethren of all those that possess the  
same8  ,as society becomes more         
complicated1 as ,christian people grow  
unlike each other in education1 in      
social position1 in occupation1 in their
 general outlook into the world1 it is  
more and more difficult to feel what is 
nevertheless true3 that any two         
,christian people1 however unlike each  
other1 are nearer each other in the very
 roots of their nature1 than a          

,christian and a non-,christian1 however
 like each other4 ,it is difficult to   
feel that1 and it is getting more and   
more difficult1 but for all that it is a
 fact4  ,and now ,i wish to ask you1    
,christian men and women1 whether you   
feel more at home with people who love  
,jesus ,christ--as you say that you love
 ,him--or whether you like better to be 
with people who do not8  ,there are some
 of you who choose your intimate        
associates1 whom you ask to your homes  
and introduce to your children as       
desirable companions1 with no reference 
at all to their religious character4    
,the duties of your position1 of course1
 oblige each of you to be much among    
people who do not share your faith1 and 
it is cowardly and wrong to shrink from 
the necessity4 ,but for ,christian      
people to make choice of heart friends1 
or close intimates1 among those who have
 no sympathy with their professed belief
 about1 and love to1 ,jesus ,christ1    
does not say much for the depth and     

reality of their religion4 ,a man is    
known by the company he keeps1 and if   
your friends are picked out for other   
reasons1 and their religion is no part  
of their attraction1 it is not an unfair
 conclusion that there are other things 
for which you care more than you do for 
faith in ,jesus ,christ and love to     
,him4 ,if you deeply feel the bond that 
knits you to ,christ1 and really live   
near to ,him1 you will be near to your  
brethren4 ,you will feel that 'blood is 
thicker than water1' and however like   
you may be to irreligious people in many
 things1 you will feel that the deepest 
bond of all knits you to the poorest1   
the most ignorant1 the most unlike you  
in social position2 ay6 and the most    
unlike you in theological opinion1 who  
love the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in        
sincerity4  ,now that is the sum of the 
whole matter4 ,and my last word to you  
is this3 ,do not you be contented with  
the world's vague notions of what makes 
,christ's man4 ,i do not ask you if you 

are ,christians2 plenty of you would    
say3 ',oh yes6 of course6 ,is not this a
 ,christian country8 ,was not ,i        
christened when ,i was a child8 ,are we 
not all members of the ,church of       
,england by virtue of our birth8 ,yes6  
of course ,i am6'  ,i do not ask you    
that2 ,i do not ask you anything2 but ,i
 pray you to ask yourselves these four  
questions3 ,am ,i ,christ's scholar8 ,am
 ,i believing on ,him8 ,am ,i           
consecrated to ,him8 ,am ,i the         
possessor of a new life from ,him8 ,and 
never give yourselves rest until you can
 say humbly and yet confidently1 ',yes6 
thank ,god1 ,i am6'    ,,the ,,martyrdom
 ,,of ,,james  ',herod killed ,james the
 brother of ,john with the              
sword4'--,,acts xii4 #b4  ,one might    
have expected more than a clause to be  
spared to tell the death of a chief man 
and the first martyr amongst the        
,apostles4 ,james1 as we know1 was one  
of the group of the ,apostles who were  
in especially close connection with     

,jesus ,christ4 ,he is associated in the
 ,gospels with ,peter and his brother   
,john1 and is always named before ,john1
 as if he were the more important of the
 two1 by reason of age or of other      
circumstances unknown to us4 ,but yet we
 know next to nothing about him4 ,in the
 ,acts of the ,apostles he is a mere lay
 figure2 his name is only mentioned in  
the catalogue at the beginning1 and here
 again in the brief notice of his death4
 ,the reticent and merely incidental    
character of the notice of his martyrdom
 is sufficiently remarkable4 ,i think   
the lessons of the fact1 and of the1 ,i 
was going to say1 slight way in which   
the writer of this book refers to it1   
may perhaps be most pointedly brought   
out if we take four contrasts--,james   
and ,stephen1 ,james and ,peter1 ,james 
and ,john1 ,james and ,james4 ,now1 if  
we take these four ,i think we shall    
learn something4  ,i4 ,first1 then1     
,james and ,stephen4  ,look at the      
different scale on which the incidents  

of the deaths of these two are told3 the
 martyrdom of the one is beaten out over
 chapters1 the martyrdom of the other is
 crammed into a corner of a sentence4   
,and yet1 of the two men1 the one who is
 the less noticed filled the larger     
place officially1 and the other was only
 a simple deacon and preacher of the    
,word4 ,the fact that ,stephen was the  
first ,christian to follow his ,lord in 
martyrdom is not sufficient to account  
for the extraordinary difference4 ,the  
difference is to be sought for in       
another direction altogether4 ,the      
,bible cares so little about the people 
whom it names because its true theme is 
the works of ,god1 and not of man2 and  
the reason why the ',acts of the        
,apostles' kills off one of the chief   
,apostles in this fashion is simply     
that1 as the writer tells us1 his theme 
is 'all that ,jesus' continued 'to do   
and to teach after ,he was taken up4'   
,since it is ,christ who is the true    
actor1 it matters uncommonly little what

 becomes of ,james or of the other ten4 
,this book is not the ',acts of the     
,apostles1' but it is the ,acts of      
,jesus ,christ4  ,i might suggest1 too1 
in like manner1 that there is another   
contrast which ,i have not included in  
my four1 between the scale on which the 
death of ,jesus ,christ is told by      
,luke1 and that on which this death is  
narrated4 ,what is the reason why so    
disproportionate a space of the ,gospel 
is concerned with the last two days of  
our ,lord's life on earth8 ,what is the 
reason why years are leaped over in     
silence and moments are spread out in   
detail1 but that the death of a man is  
only a death1 but the death of the      
,christ is the life of the world8 ,it is
 little needful that we should have     
poetical1 emotional1 picturesque        
descriptions of martyrdoms and the like 
in a book which is altogether devoted to
 tracking the footsteps of ,christ in   
history2 and which regards men as       
nothing more than the successive        

instruments of ,his purpose1 and the    
depositories of ,his grace4  ,another   
lesson which we may draw from the       
reticence in the case of the ,apostle1  
and the expansiveness in the case of the
 protomartyr1 is that of a wise         
indifference to the utterly             
insignificant accident of posthumous    
memory or oblivion of us and our deeds  
and sufferings4 ,james sleeps none the  
less sweetly in his grave1 or1 rather1  
wakes none the less triumphantly in     
heaven1 because his life and death are  
both so scantily narrated4 ,if we       
'self-infold the large results' of      
faithful service1 we need not trouble   
ourselves about its record on earth4    
,but another lesson which may be learned
 from this cursory notice of the        
,apostle's martyrdom is--how small a    
thing death really is6 ,looked at from  
beside the ,lord of life and death1     
which is the point of view of the author
 of this narrative1 'great death'       
dwindles to a very little thing4 ,we    

need to revise our notions if we would  
understand how trivial it really is4 ,to
 us it frowns like a black cliff        
blocking the upper end of our valley1   
but there is a path round its base1 and 
though the throat of the pass be narrow1
 it has room for us to get through and  
up to the sunny uplands beyond4 ,from a 
mountain top the country below seems    
level plain1 and what looked like an    
impassable precipice has dwindled to be 
indistinguishable4 ,the triviality of   
death1 to those who look upon it from   
the heights of eternity1 is well        
represented by these brief words which  
tell of the first breach thereby in the 
circle of the ,apostles4  ,,ii4 ,there  
is another contrast1 ,james and ,peter4 
,now this chapter tells of two things3  
the death of one of that pair of        
friends2 the miracle that was wrought   
for the deliverance of the other from   
death4 ,why could not the parts have    
been exchanged1 or why could not the    
miraculous hand that was stretched out  

to save the one fisherman of ,bethsaida 
have been put forth to save the other8  
,why should ,james be slain1 and ,peter 
miraculously delivered8 ,a question     
easily asked2 a question not to be      
answered by us4 ,we may say that the one
 was more useful for the development of 
the ,church than the other4 ,but we have
 all seen lives that1 to our poor       
vision1 seemed to be all but            
indispensable1 ruthlessly swept away1   
and lives that seemed to be1 and were1  
perfectly profitless1 prolonged to      
extreme old age4 ,we may say that       
maturity of character1 development of   
,christian graces1 made the man ready   
for glory4 ,but we have all seen some   
struck down when anything but ready2 and
 others left for the blessing of mankind
 many1 many a day after they were far   
fitter for heaven than thousands that1  
we hope1 have gone there4  ,so all these
 little explanations do not go down to  
the bottom of the matter1 and we are    
obliged just to leave the whole question

 in the loving ,hands that hold the keys
 of life and death for us all4 ,only we 
may be sure of this1 that ,james was as 
dear to ,christ as ,peter was1 and that 
there was no greater love shown in      
sending the angel that delivered the one
 out of the 'hand of ,herod and from all
 the expectation of the people of the   
,jews1' than was shown in sending the   
angel that stood behind the headsman and
 directed the stroke of the fatal sword 
on the neck of the other4  ,the one was 
as dear to the ,christ as the other--ay1
 and the one was as surely1 and more    
blessedly1 delivered 'from the mouth of 
the lion' as the other was1 though the  
one seemed to be dragged from his teeth1
 and the other seemed to be crushed by  
his powerful jaws4 ,james escaped from  
,herod when ,herod slew him but could   
not make him unfaithful to his ,master1 
and his deliverance was not less        
complete than the deliverance of his    
friend4  ,but let us remember1 also1    
that if thus1 to two equally beloved1   

there were dealt out these two different
 fates1 it must be because that evil1   
which1 as ,i said1 is not so great as it
 looks1 is also not so bitter as it     
tastes1 and there is no real evil1 for  
the loving heart1 in the stroke that    
breaks its bands and knits it to ,jesus 
,christ4 ,if we are ,christians1 the    
deepest desire of our souls is fuller   
communion with our ,lord4 ,we realise   
that1 in some stunted and scanty        
measure1 by life2 but oh6 is it not     
strange that we should shrink from that 
change which will enable us to realise  
it fully and eternally8 ,the contrast of
 ,james and ,peter may teach us the     
equal love that presides over the life  
of the living and the death of the      
dying4  ,,iii4 ,another contrast is that
 of ,james and ,john4  ,the close union1
 and subsequent separation by this      
martyrdom1 of that pair of brothers is  
striking and pathetic4 ,they seem to    
have together pursued their humble trade
 of fishermen in the little fishing     

village of ,bethsaida1 apparently as    
working partners with their father      
,zebedee4 ,they were not divided by     
discipleship1 as was the sad fate of    
many a brother delivered by a brother to
 death4 ,if we may attach any weight to 
the suggestion that the expression in   
,john's narrative1 ',he first findeth   
his own brother1 ,simon1' implies that  
'the other disciple' did the same by his
 brother1 ,james was brought to ,jesus  
by ,john1 and new tenderness and        
strength thereby given to their         
affection4 ,they were closely associated
 in their ,apostleship1 and were        
together the companions of ,jesus in the
 chief incidents of ,his life4 ,they    
were afterwards united in the leadership
 of the ,church4 ,by death they were    
separated very far3 the one the first of
 all the ,apostles to 'become a prey to 
,satan's rage1' the other 'lingering out
 his fellows all1' and 'dying in        
bloodless age1' living to be a hundred  
years old or more1 and looking back     

through all the long parting to the     
brother who had joined with him in the  
wish that even ,messiah's ,kingdom      
should not part them1 and yet had been  
parted so soon and parted so long4  ,ah6
 may we not learn the lesson that we    
should recognise the mercy and wisdom of
 the ministry of ,death the separator1  
and should tread with patience the      
lonely road1 do calmly the day's work1  
and tarry till ,he comes1 though those  
that stood beside us be gone8 ,we may   
look forward with the assurance that    
',god keeps a niche in heaven to hide   
our idols'2 and 'albeit ,he breaks them 
to our face1' yet shall we find them    
again1 like ,memnon's statue1 vocal in  
the rising sunshine of the heavens4     
,the brothers1 so closely knit1 so soon 
parted1 so long separated1 were at last 
reunited4 ,even to us here1 with the    
chronology of earth still ours1 the few 
years between the early martyrdom of    
,james and the death of the centenarian 
,john seem but a span4 ,the lapse of the

 centuries that have rolled away since  
then makes the difference of the dates  
of the two deaths seem very small1 even 
to us4 ,what a mere nothing it will have
 looked to them1 joined together once   
more before ,god6  ,,iv4 ,lastly1 ,james
 and ,james4 ,in his hot youth1 when he 
deserved the name of a son of           
thunder--so energetic1 boisterous1 ,i   
suppose1 destructive perhaps1 he was--he
 and his brother1 and their foolish     
mother1 whose name is kindly not told   
us1 go to ,christ and say1 ',grant that 
we may sit1 the one on ,thy right hand  
and the other on ,thy left1 in ,thy     
kingdom4' ,that was what he wished and  
hoped for1 and what he got was years of 
service1 and a taste of persecution1 and
 finally the swish of the headsman's    
sword4  ,and so our dreams get          
disappointed1 and their disappointment  
is often the road to their fulfilment1  
for ,jesus ,christ was answering ,james'
 prayer1 ',grant that we may sit on ,thy
 right hand in ,thy kingdom1' when ,he  

called him to ,himself1 by the brief and
 bloody passage of martyrdom4 ,james    
said1 when he did not know what he      
meant1 and the vow was noble though it  
was ignorant1 'we can drink of the cup  
that ,thou drinkest4' ,and all honour to
 him6 he stuck to his vow2 and when the 
cup was proffered to him he manfully1   
and like a ,christian1 took it and drank
 it to the dregs2 and1 ,i suppose1 went 
silently to his grave4 ,but the change  
between his ardent anticipations and his
 calm resignation1 and between his      
foolish dream and the stern reality1 may
 well teach us that1 whether our wishes 
be fulfilled or disappointed1 they all  
need to be purified1 and that the       
disappointment of them on earth is often
 ,god's way of fulfilling them for us in
 higher fashion than we dreamed or      
asked4  ,so1 brethren1 let us leave for 
ourselves1 and for all dear ones1 that  
question of living or dying1 to ,his    
decision4 ,only let us be sure that     
whether our lives be long like ,john's1 

or short like ,james'1 'living or dying 
we are the ,lord's4' ,and then1 whatever
 be the length of life or the manner of 
death1 both will bring us the fulfilment
 of our highest wishes1 and will lead us
 to ,his side at whose right hand all   
those shall sit who have loved ,him     
here1 and1 though long parted1 shall be 
reunited in common enjoyment of the     
pleasures for evermore which bloom      
unfading there4 ',and so shall we ever  
be with the ,lord4'    ,,peter',s       
,,deliverance ,,from ,,prison  ',peter  
therefore was kept in the prison3 but   
prayer was made earnestly of the ,church
 unto ,god for him4'--,,acts xii4 #e    
7,r4,v47  ,the narrative of ,peter's    
miraculous deliverance from prison is   
full of little vivid touches which can  
only have come from himself4 ,the whole 
tone of it reminds us of the ,gospel    
according to ,st4 ,mark1 which is in    
like manner stamped with peculiar       
minuteness and abundance of detail4 ,one
 remembers that at a late period in the 

life of the ,apostle ,paul1 ,mark and   
,luke were together with him2 and no    
doubt in those days in ,rome1 ,mark1 who
 had been ,peter's special companion and
 is called by one of the old ,christian 
writers his 'interpreter1' was busy in  
telling ,luke the details about ,peter  
which appear in the first part of this  
,book of the ,acts4  ,the whole story   
seems to me to be full of instruction as
 well as of picturesque detail2 and ,i  
desire to bring out the various lessons 
which appear to me to lie in it4  ,i4   
,the first of them is this3 the strength
 of the helpless4  ,look at that        
eloquent 'but' in the verse that ,i have
 taken as a starting-point3 ',peter     
therefore was kept in prison1 but prayer
 was made earnestly of the ,church unto 
,god for him4' ,there is another        
similarly eloquent 'but' at the end of  
the chapter3  ',herod 444 was eaten of  
worms1 and gave up the ghost1 but the   
,word of ,god grew and multiplied4'     
,here you get1 on the one hand1 all the 

pompous and elaborate                   
preparations--'four quaternions of      
soldiers'--four times four is           
sixteen--sixteen soldiers1 two chains1  
three gates with guards at each of them1
 ,herod's grim determination1 the       
people's malicious expectation of having
 an execution as a pleasant sensation   
with which to wind up the ,passover     
,feast4 ,and what had the handful of    
,christian people8 ,well1 they had      
prayer2 and they had ,jesus ,christ4    
,that was all1 and that is more than    
enough4 ,how ridiculous all the         
preparation looks when you let the light
 of that great 'but' in upon it6        
,prayer1 earnest prayer1 'was made of   
the ,church unto ,god for him4' ,and    
evidently1 from the place in which that 
fact is stated1 it is intended that we  
should say to ourselves that it was     
because prayer was made for him that    
what came to pass did come to pass4 ,it 
is not jerked out as an unconnected     
incident2 it is set in a logical        

sequence4 ',prayer was made earnestly of
 the ,church unto ,god for him'--and so 
when ,herod would have brought him      
forth1 behold1 the angel of the ,lord   
came1 and the light shined into the     
prison4 ,it is the same sequence of     
thought that occurs in that grand       
theophany in the eighteenth ,psalm1 ',my
 cry entered into ,his ears2 then the   
earth shook and trembled'2 and there    
came all the magnificence of the        
thunderstorm and the earthquake and the 
divine manifestation2 and this was the  
purpose of it all--',he sent from above1
 ,he took me1 ,he drew me out of many   
waters4' ,the whole energy of the divine
 nature is set in motion and comes      
swooping down from highest heaven to the
 trembling earth4 ,and of that fact the 
one end is one poor man's cry1 and the  
other end is his deliverance4 ,the      
moving spring of the divine             
manifestation was an individual's       
prayer2 the aim of it was the           
individual's deliverance4 ,a little     

water is put into a hydraulic ram at the
 right place1 and the outcome is the    
lifting of tons4 ,so the helpless men   
who could only pray are stronger than   
,herod and his quaternions and his      
chains and his gates4 ',prayer was      
made1' therefore all that happened was  
brought to pass1 and ,peter was         
delivered4  ,peter's companion1 ,james1 
was killed off1 as we read in a verse or
 two before4 ,did not the ,church pray  
for him8 ,surely they did4 ,why was     
their prayer not answered1 then8 ,god   
has not any step-children4 ,james was as
 dear to ,god as ,peter was4 ,one prayer
 was answered2 was the other left       
unanswered8 ,it was the divine purpose  
that ,peter1 being prayed for1 should be
 delivered2 and we may reverently say   
that1 if there had not been the many in 
,mary's house praying1 there would have 
been no angel in ,peter's cell4  ,so    
here are revealed the strength of the   
weak1 the armour of the unarmed1 the    
defence of the defenceless4 ,if the     

,christian ,church in its times of      
persecution and affliction had kept     
itself to the one weapon that is allowed
 it1 it would have been more            
conspicuously victorious4 ,and if we1 in
 our individual lives--where1 indeed1 we
 have to do something else besides      
pray--would remember the lesson of that 
eloquent 'but1' we should be less       
frequently brought to perplexity and    
reduced to something bordering on       
despair4 ,so my first lesson is the     
strength of the weak4  ,,ii4 ,my next is
 the delay of deliverance4  ,peter had  
been in prison for some time before the 
,passover1 and the praying had been     
going on all the while1 and there was no
 answer4 ,day after day 'of the         
unleavened bread' and of the festival   
was slipping away4 ,the last night had  
come2 'and the same night' the light    
shone1 and the angel appeared4 ,why did 
,jesus ,christ not hear the cry of these
 poor suppliants sooner8 ,for their     
sakes2 for ,peter's sake2 for our sakes2

 for ,his own sake4 ,for the eventual   
intervention1 at the very last moment1  
and yet at a sufficiently early moment1 
tested faith4 ,and look how beautifully 
all bore the test4 ,the ,apostle who was
 to be killed to-morrow is lying quietly
 sleeping in his cell4 ,not a very      
comfortable pillow he had to lay his    
head upon1 with a chain on each arm and 
a legionary on each side of him4 ,but he
 slept2 and whilst he was asleep ,christ
 was awake1 and the brethren were awake4
 ,their faith was tested1 and it stood  
the test1 and thereby was strengthened4 
,and ,peter's patience and faith1 being 
tested in like manner and in like manner
 standing the test1 were deepened and   
confirmed4 ,depend upon it1 he was a    
better man all his days1 because he had 
been brought close up to ,death and     
looked it in the fleshless eye-sockets1 
unwinking and unterrified4 ,and ,i dare 
say if1 long after1 he had been asked1  
',would you not have liked to have      
escaped those two or three days of      

suspense1 and to have been let go at an 
earlier moment8' he would have said1    
',not for worlds6 ,for ,i learned in    
those days that my ,lord's time is the  
best4 ,i learned patience'--a lesson    
which ,peter especially needed--'and ,i 
learned trust4'  ,do you remember       
another incident1 singularly parallel in
 essence1 though entirely unlike in     
circumstances1 to this one8 ,the two    
weeping sisters at ,bethany send their  
messenger across the ,jordan1 grudging  
every moment that he takes to travel to 
the far-off spot where ,jesus is4 ,the  
message sent is only this3 ',he whom    
,thou lovest is sick4' ,what an infinite
 trust in ,christ's heart that form of  
the message showed6 ,they would not say 
',come6'2 they would not ask ,him to do 
anything2 they did not think that to do 
so was needful3 they were quite sure    
that what ,he would do would be right4  
,and how was the message received8      
',jesus loved ,martha and ,mary and     
,lazarus4' ,well1 did that not make ,him

 hurry as fast as ,he could to the      
bedside8 ,no2 it rooted ,him to the     
spot4 ',he abode1 therefore'--because   
,he loved them--'two days still in the  
same place where ,he was1' to give him  
plenty of time to die1 and the sisters  
plenty of time to test their confidence 
in ,him4 ,their confidence does not seem
 to have altogether stood the test4     
',lord1 if ,thou hadst been here my     
brother had not died4' ',and why wast   
,thou not here8' is implied4 ,christ's  
time was the best time4 ,it was better  
to get a dead brother back to their arms
 and to their house than that they      
should not have lost him for those      
dreary four days4 ,so delay tests faith1
 and makes the deliverance1 when it     
comes1 not only the sweeter1 but the    
more conspicuously divine4 ,so1 brother1
 'men ought always to pray1 and not to  
faint'--always to trust that 'the ,lord 
will help them1 and that right early4'  
,,iii4 ,the next lesson that ,i would   
suggest is the leisureliness of the     

deliverance4  ,a prisoner escaping might
 be glad to make a bolt for it1 dressed 
or undressed1 anyhow4 ,but when the     
angel comes into the cell1 and the light
 shines1 look how slowly and1 as ,i say1
 leisurely1 he goes about it4 ',put on  
thy shoes4' ,he had taken them off1 with
 his girdle and his upper garment1 that 
he might lie the less uncomfortably4    
',put on thy shoes2 lace them2 make them
 all right4 ,never mind about these two 
legionaries2 they will not wake4 ,gird  
thyself2 tighten thy girdle4 ,put on thy
 garment4 ,do not be afraid4 ,do not be 
in a hurry2 there is plenty of time4    
,now1 are you ready8 ,come6' ,it would  
have been quite as easy for the angel to
 have whisked him out of the cell and   
put him down at ,mary's door2 but that  
was not to be the way4 ,peter was led   
past all the obstacles--'the first      
ward1' and the soldiers at it2 'the     
second ward1' and the soldiers at it2   
'and the third gate that leads into the 
city1' which was no doubt bolted and    

barred4 ,there was a leisurely          
procession through the prison4  ,why8   
,because ,omnipotence is never in a     
hurry1 and ,god1 not only in ,his       
judgments but in ,his mercies1 very     
often works slowly1 as becomes ,his     
majesty4 ',ye shall not go out with     
haste2 nor go by flight1 for the ,lord  
will go before you2 and the ,god of     
,israel shall be your rereward4' ,we are
 impatient1 and hurry our work over2    
,god works slowly2 for ,he works        
certainly4 ,that is the law of the      
divine working in all regions2 and we   
have to regulate the pace of our eager  
expectation so as to fall in with the   
slow1 solemn march of the divine        
purposes1 both in regard to our         
individual salvation and the providences
 that affect us individually1 and in    
regard to the world's deliverance from  
the world's evils4 ',an inheritance may 
be gotten hastily in the beginning1 but 
the end thereof shall not be blessed4'  
',he that believeth shall not make      

haste4'  ,,iv4 ,we see here1 too1 the   
delivered prisoner left to act for      
himself as soon as possible4  ,as long  
as the angel was with ,peter1 he was    
dazed and amazed4 ,he did not know--and 
small blame to him--whether he was      
sleeping or waking2 but he gets through 
the gates1 and out into the empty       
street1 glimmering in the morning       
twilight1 and the angel disappears1 and 
the slumbering city is lying around him4
 ,when he is left to himself1 he comes  
to himself4 ,he could not have passed   
the wards without a miracle1 but he can 
find his way to ,mary's house without   
one4 ,he needed the angel to bring him  
as far as the gate and down into the    
street1 but he did not need him any     
longer4 ,so the angel vanished into the 
morning light1 and then he felt himself1
 and steadied himself1 when             
responsibility came to him4 ,that is the
 thing to sober a man4 ,so he stood in  
the middle of the unpeopled street1 and 
'he considered the thing1' and found in 

his own wits sufficient guidance1 so    
that he did not miss the angel4 ,he said
 to himself1 ',i will go to ,mary's     
house4' ,probably he did not know that  
there were any praying there1 but it was
 near1 and it was1 no doubt1 convenient 
in other respects that we do not know   
of4 ,the economy of miraculous power is 
a remarkable feature in ,scriptural     
miracles4 ,god never does anything for  
us that we could do for ourselves4 ,not 
but that our doing for ourselves is1 in 
a deeper sense1 ,his working on us and  
in us1 but ,he desires us to take the   
share that belongs to us in completing  
the deliverance which must begin by     
supernatural intervention of a ,mightier
 than the angel1 even the ,lord of      
angels4  ,and so this little picture of 
the angel leading ,peter through the    
prison1 and then leaving him to his own 
common sense and courage as soon as he  
came out into the street1 is just a     
practical illustration of the great     
text1 ',work out your own salvation with

 fear and trembling1 for it is ,god that
 worketh in you4'    ,,the ,,angel',s   
,,touch  ',and1 behold1 the angel of the
 ,lord 444 smote ,peter4444 #bc4 ,and   
immediately the angel of the ,lord smote
 him ,herod4'--,,acts xii4 #g1 #bc4     
,the same heavenly agent performs the   
same action on ,peter and on ,herod4 ,to
 the one1 his touch brings freedom and  
the dropping off of his chains2 to the  
other it brings gnawing agonies and a   
horrible death4 ,these twofold effects  
of one cause open out wide and solemn   
thoughts1 on which it is well to look4  
,i4 ,the one touch has a twofold effect4
  ,so it is always when ,god's angels   
come1 or ,god ,himself lays ,his hand on
 men4 ,every manifestation of the divine
 power1 every revelation of the divine  
presence1 all our lives' experiences1   
are charged with the solemn possibility 
of bringing us one or other of two      
directly opposite results4 ,they all    
offer us an alternative1 a solemn       
'either--or4'  ,the ,gospel too comes   

charged with that double possibility1   
and is the intensest and most fateful   
example of the dual effect of all ,god's
 messages and dealings4 ,just as the ark
 maimed ,dagon and decimated the        
,philistine cities and slew ,uzzah1 but 
brought blessing and prosperity to the  
house of ,obed-edom1 just as the same   
pillar was light to ,israel all the     
night long1 but cloud and darkness to   
the ,egyptians1 so is ,christ set 'for  
the fall of' some and 'for the rising   
of' others amidst the 'many in ,israel1'
 and ,his ,gospel is either 'the savour 
of life unto life or of death unto      
death1' but in both cases is in itself  
'unto ,god1' one and the same 'sweet    
savour in ,christ4'  ,,ii4 ,these       
twofold effects are parts of one plan   
and purpose4  ,peter's liberation and   
,herod's death tended in the same       
direction--to strengthen and conserve   
the infant ,church1 and thus to prepare 
the way for the conquering march of the 
,gospel4 ,and so it is in all ,god's    

self-revelations and manifested         
energies1 whatever may be their effects4
 ,they come from one source and one     
motive1 they are fundamentally the      
operations of one changeless ,agent1    
and1 as they are one in origin and      
character1 so they are one in purpose4  
,we are not to separate them into       
distinct classes and ascribe them to    
different elements in the divine nature1
 setting down this as the work of ,love 
and that as the outcome of ,wrath1 or   
regarding the acts of deliverance as due
 to one part of that great whole and the
 acts of destruction as due to another  
part of it4 ,the angel was the same1 and
 his celestial fingers were moved by the
 same calm1 celestial will when he smote
 ,peter into liberty and life1 and      
,herod to death4  ,god changes ,his     
ways1 but not ,his heart4 ,he changes   
,his acts1 but not ,his purposes4       
,opposite methods conduce to one end1 as
 winter storms and ,june sunshine       
equally tend to the yellowed harvest4   

,,iii4 ,the character of the effects    
depends on the men who are touched4  ,as
 is the man1 so is the effect of the    
angel's touch4 ,it could only bring     
blessing to the one who was the friend  
of the angel's ,lord1 and it could bring
 only death to the other1 who was ,his  
enemy4 ,it could do nothing to the      
,apostle but cause his chains to drop   
from his wrists1 nor anything to the    
vainglorious king but bring loathsome   
death4  ,this1 too1 is a universal      
truth4 ,it is we ourselves who settle   
what ,god's words and acts will be to   
us4 ,the trite proverb1 ',one man's meat
 is another man's poison1' is true in   
the highest regions4 ,it is eminently1  
blessedly or tragically true in our     
relation to the ,gospel1 wherein all    
,god's self-revelation reaches its      
climax1 wherein 'the arm of the ,lord'  
is put forth in its most blessed energy1
 wherein is laid on each of us the      
touch1 tender and more charged with     
blessing than that of the angel who     

smote the calmly sleeping ,apostle4     
,that ,gospel may either be to us the   
means of freeing us from our chains1 and
 leading us out of our prison-house into
 sunshine and security1 or be the fatal 
occasion of condemnation and death4     
,which it shall be depends on ourselves4
 ,which shall ,i make it for myself8    
',,sober ,,certainty'  ',and when ,peter
 was come to himself1 he said1 ,now ,i  
know of a surety1 that the ,lord hath   
sent ,his angel1 and hath delivered me  
out of the hand of ,herod1 and from all 
the expectation of the people of the    
,jews4'--,,acts xii4 #aa4  ,where did   
,luke get his information of ,peter's   
thoughts in that hour8 ,this verse      
sounds like first-hand knowledge4 ,not  
impossibly ,john ,mark may have been his
 informant1 for we know that both were  
in ,rome together at a later period4 ,in
 any case1 it is clear that1 through    
whatever channels this piece of minute  
knowledge reached ,luke1 it must have   
come originally from ,peter himself4    

,and what a touch of naturalness and    
evident truth it is6 ,no wonder that the
 ,apostle was half dazed as he came from
 his dungeon1 through the prison        
corridors and out into the street4 ,to  
be wakened by an angel1 and to have such
 following experiences1 would amaze most
 men4  ,i4 ,the bewilderment of the     
released captive4  ,god's mercies often 
come suddenly1 and with a rush and a    
completeness that outrun our            
expectations and our power of immediate 
comprehension4 ,and sometimes ,he sends 
us sorrows in such battalions and so    
overwhelming that we are dazed for the  
moment4 ,a ,psalmist touched a deep     
experience when he sang1 ',when the     
,lord turned again the captivity of     
,zion1 we were like unto them that      
dream4'  ,the angel has to be gone      
before we are sure that he was really   
here4 ,the tumult of emotion in an      
experience needs to be calmed down      
before we understand the experience4    
,reflection discovers more of heaven and

 of ,god in the great moments of our    
lives than was visible to us while we   
were living through them1  ,there is one
 region in which this is especially     
true--that of the religious life4 ,there
 sometimes attend its beginnings in a   
soul a certain excitement and           
perturbation which disable from calm    
realising of the greatness of the change
 which has passed4 ,and it is well when 
that excitement is quieted down and     
succeeded by meditative reflection on   
the treasures that have been poured into
 the lap1 almost as in the dark4 ,no man
 understands what he has received when  
he first receives ,christ and ,christ's 
gifts4 ,it occupies a lifetime to take  
possession of that which we possess from
 the first in ,him1 and the oldest saint
 is as far from full possession of the  
unspeakable and infinite 'gift of ,god1'
 as the babes in ,christ are4  ,but1    
looking more generally at this          
characteristic of not rightly           
understanding the great epochs of our   

lives till they are past1 we may note   
that1 while in part it is inevitable and
 natural1 there is an element of fault  
in it4 ,if we lived in closer fellowship
 with ,god1 we should live in an        
atmosphere of continual calm1 and       
nothing1 either sorrowful or joyful1    
would be able so to sweep us off our    
feet that we should be bewildered by it4
 ,astonishment would never so fill our  
souls as that we could not rightly      
appraise events1 nor should we need any 
time1 even in the thick of the most     
wonderful experiences1 to 'come to'     
ourselves and discern the angel4  ,but  
if it be so that our lives disclose     
their meanings best1 when we look back  
on them1 how much of the understanding  
of them1 and the drawing of all its     
sweetness out of each event in them1 is 
entrusted to memory6 ,and how negligent 
of a great means of happiness and       
strength we are1 if we do not often muse
 on 'all the way by which ,god the ,lord
 has led us these many years in the     

wilderness'6 ,it is needful for         
,christian progress to 'forget the      
things that are behind1' and not to let 
them limit our expectations nor         
prescribe our methods1 but it is quite  
as needful to remember our past1 or     
rather ,god's past with us1 in order to 
confirm our grateful faith and enlarge  
our boundless hope4  ,,ii4 ,the         
disappearance of the angel4  ,why did he
 leave ,peter standing there1 half dazed
 and with his deliverance incomplete8   
,he 'led him through one street' only1  
and 'straightway departed from him4'    
,the ,apostle delivered by miracle has  
now to use his brains4 ,one             
distinguishing characteristic of ,new   
,testament miracles is their economy of 
miraculous power4 ,jesus raised         
,lazarus1 for ,he alone could do that1  
but other hands must 'loose him and let 
him go1' ,he gave life to ,jairus's     
little daughter1 but ,he bid others     
'give her something to eat' ,god does   
nothing for us that we can do for       

ourselves4 ,that economy was valuable as
 a preservative of the ,apostles from   
the possible danger of expecting or     
relying on miracles1 and as stirring    
them to use their own energies4         
,reliance on divine power should not    
lead us to neglect ordinary means4      
,alike in the natural and in the        
spiritual life we have to do our part1  
and to be sure that ,god will do ,his4  
,,iii4 ,the symbol here of a greater    
deliverance4  ,fancy may legitimately   
employ this story as setting forth for  
us under a lovely image the facts of    
,christian death1 if only we acknowledge
 that such a use is entirely the work of
 fancy4 ,but1 making that               
acknowledgment1 may we not make the use8
 ,is not ,death1 too1 ,god's messenger  
to souls that love ,him1 'mighty and    
beauteous1 though his face be hid'8     
,would it not be more ,christian-like1  
and more congruous with our eternal     
hope1 if we pictured him thus than by   
the hideous emblems of our cemeteries   

and tombs8 ,he comes to ,christ's       
servants1 and his touch is gentle though
 his fingers are icy-cold4 ,he removes  
only the chains that bind us1 and we    
ourselves are emancipated by his touch4 
,he leads us to 'the iron gate that     
leadeth into the city1' and it opens to 
us 'of its own accord4' ,but he         
disappears as soon as our happy feet    
have touched the pavement of that street
 of the city which is 'pure gold1 as    
transparent as glass1' and in the midst 
of which flows the river of the         
crystal-bright 'water of life proceeding
 out of the throne of ,god and of the   
,lamb4' ,then1 when we see the ,face as 
of the sun shining in his strength1 we  
shall come to ourselves1 and 'know of a 
surety that the ,lord hath sent ,his    
angel and delivered' us from all our    
foes and ills for evermore4    ,,rhoda  
',a damsel 444 named ,rhoda4'--,,acts   
xii #ac4  ',rhoda' means 'a rose1' and  
this rose has kept its bloom for        
eighteen hundred years1 and is still    

sweet and fragrant6 ,what a lottery     
undying fame is6 ,men will give their   
lives to earn it2 and this servant-girl 
got it by one little act1 and never knew
 that she had it1 and ,i suppose she    
does not know to-day that1 everywhere   
throughout the whole world where the    
,gospel is preached1 'this that she hath
 done is spoken of as a memorial to     
her4' ,is the love of fame worthy of    
being called 'the last infirmity of     
noble minds'8 ,or is it the delusion of 
ignoble ones8 ,why need we care whether 
anybody ever hears of us after we are   
dead and buried1 so long as ,god knows  
about us8 ,the 'damsel named ,rhoda' was
 little the better for the immortality  
which she had unconsciously won4  ,now  
there is a very singular resemblance    
between the details of this incident and
 those of another case1 when ,peter was 
recognised in dim light by his voice1   
and the ,evangelist ,luke1 who is the   
author of the ,acts of the ,apostles1   
seems to have had the resemblance       

between the two scenes--that in the high
 priest's palace and that outside       
,mary's door--in his mind1 because he   
uses in this narrative a word which     
occurs1 in the whole of the ,new        
,testament1 only here and in his account
 of what took place on that earlier     
occasion4 ,in both instances a          
maid-servant recognises ,peter by his   
voice1 and in both 'she constantly      
affirms' that it was so4 ,i do not think
 that there is anything to be built upon
 the resemblance1 but at all events ,i  
think that the use of the same unusual  
word in the two cases1 and nowhere else1
 seems to suggest that ,luke felt how   
strangely events sometimes double       
themselves2 and how the ,apostle who is 
here all but a martyr is re-enacting1   
with differences1 something like the    
former scene1 when he was altogether a  
traitor4 ,but1 be that as it may1 there 
are some lessons which we may gather    
from this vivid picture of ,rhoda and   
her behaviour on the one side of the    

door1 while ,peter stood hammering1 in  
the morning twilight1 on the other4  ,i4
 ,we may notice in the relations of     
,rhoda to the assembled believers a     
striking illustration of the new bond of
 union supplied by the ,gospel4  ,rhoda 
was a slave4 ,the word rendered in our  
version 'damsel' means a female slave4  
,her name1 which is a ,gentile name1 and
 her servile condition1 make it probable
 that she was not a ,jewess4 ,if one    
might venture to indulge in a guess1 it 
is not at all unlikely that her         
mistress1 ,mary1 ,john ,mark's mother1  
,barnabas' sister1 a well-to-do woman of
 ,jerusalem1 who had a house large      
enough to take in the members of the    
,church in great numbers1 and to keep up
 a considerable establishment1 had      
brought this slave-girl from the island 
of ,cyprus4 ,at all events1 she was a   
slave4 ,in the time of our ,lord1 and   
long after1 these relations of slavery  
brought an element of suspicion1 fear1  
and jealous espionage into almost every 

,roman household1 because every master  
knew that he passed his days and nights 
among men and women who wanted nothing  
better than to wreak their vengeance    
upon him4 ,a man's foes were eminently  
those of his own household4 ,and now    
here this child-slave1 a ,gentile1 has  
been touched by the same mighty love as 
her mistress2 and ,mary and ,rhoda were 
kneeling together in the prayer-meeting 
when ,peter began to hammer at the door4
 ,neither woman thought now of the      
unnatural1 unwholesome relation which   
had formerly bound them4 ,in ,god's good
 time1 and by the slow process of       
leavening society with ,christian ideas1
 that diabolical institution perished in
 ,christian lands4 ,violent reformation 
of immoralities is always a blunder4    
',raw haste' is 'half-sister to delay4' 
,settlers in forest lands have found    
that it is endless work to grub up the  
trees1 or even to fell them4 ',root and 
branch' reform seldom answers4 ,the true
 way is to girdle the tree by taking off

 a ring of bark round the trunk1 and    
letting nature do the rest4 ,dead trees 
are easily dealt with2 living ones blunt
 many axes and tire many arms1 and are  
alive after all4 ,thus the ,gospel waged
 no direct war with slavery1 but laid   
down principles which1 once they are    
wrought into ,christian consciousness1  
made its continuance impossible4 ,but1  
pending that consummation1 the immediate
 action of ,christianity was to         
ameliorate the condition of the slave4  
,the whole aspect of the ugly thing was 
changed as soon as master and slave     
together became the slaves of the ,lord 
,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,gospel has the    
same sort of work to do to-day1 and     
there are institutions in full          
flourishing existence in this and every 
other civilised community as entirely   
antagonistic to the spirit and          
principles of ,christianity as ,roman   
slavery was4 ,i1 for my part1 believe   
that the one uniting bond and healing   
medicine for society is found in ,jesus 

,christ2 and that in ,him1 and that the 
principles deducible from ,his          
revelation by word and work1 applied to 
all social evils1 are their cure1 and   
their only cure4 ,that slight1 girlish  
figure standing at the door of ,mary1   
her slave and yet her sister in ,christ1
 may be taken as pointing symbolically  
the way by which the social and civic   
evils of this day are to be healed1 and 
the war of classes to cease4  ,,ii4     
,note how we get here a very striking   
picture of the sacredness and greatness 
of small common duties4  ,bhoda came out
 from the prayer-meeting to open the    
gate4 ,it was her business1 as we say1  
'to answer the door1' and so she left   
off praying to go and do it4 ,so doing1 
she was the means of delivering the     
,apostle from the danger which still    
dogged him4 ,it was of little use to be 
praying on one side of the shut door    
when on the other he was standing in the
 street1 and the day was beginning to   
dawn2 ,herod's men would be after him as

 soon as daylight disclosed his escape4 
,the one thing needful for him was to be
 taken in and sheltered4 ,so the praying
 group and the girl who stops praying   
when she hears the knock1 to which it   
was her business to attend1 were working
 in the same direction4 ,it is not      
necessary to insist that no heights or  
delights of devotion and secret         
communion are sufficient excuses for    
neglecting or delaying the doing of the 
smallest and most menial task which is  
our task4 ,if your business is to keep  
the door1 you will not be leaving1 but  
abiding in1 the secret place of the     
,most ,high1 if you get up from your    
knees in the middle of your prayer1 and 
go down to open it4 ,the smallest1      
commonest acts of daily life are truer  
worship than is rapt and solitary       
communion or united prayer1 if the      
latter can only be secured by the       
neglect of the former4 ,better to be in 
the lower parts of the house attending  
to the humble duties of the slave than  

to be in the upper chamber1 uniting with
 the saints in supplication and leaving 
tasks unperformed4  ,let us remember how
 we may find here an illustration of    
another great truth1 that the smallest  
things1 done in the course of the quiet 
discharge of recognised duty1 and being1
 therefore1 truly worship of ,god1 have 
in them a certain quality of            
immortality1 and may be eternally       
commemorated4 ,it was not only the lofty
 and unique expression of devotion1     
which another woman gave when she broke 
the alabaster box to anoint the feet of 
the ,saviour which were to be pierced   
with nails to-morrow1 that has been held
 worthy of undying remembrance4 ,the    
name and act of a poor slave girl have  
been commemorated by that ,spirit who   
preserves nothing in vain1 in order that
 we should learn that things which we   
vulgarly call great1 and those which we 
insolently call small1 are regarded by  
,him1 not according to their apparent   
magnitude1 but according to their motive

 and reference to ,him4 ,he says1 ',i   
will never forget any of their works'2  
and this little deed of ,rhoda's1 like  
the rose petals that careful            
housekeepers in the country keep upon   
the sideboard in china bowls to diffuse 
a fragance through the room1 is given us
 to keep in memory for ever1 a witness  
of the sanctity of common life when     
filled with acts of obedience to ,him4  
,,iii4 ,the same figure of the 'damsel  
named ,rhoda' may give us a warning as  
to the possibility of forgetting very   
plain duties under the pressure of very 
legitimate excitement4  ',she opened not
 the door for gladness1' but ran in and 
told them4 ,and if1 whilst she was      
running in with her message1 ,herod's   
quaternions of soldiers had come down   
the street1 there would have been 'no   
small stir' in the church as to 'what   
had become of ,peter4' ,he would have   
gone back to his prison sure enough4    
,her first duty was to open the door2   
her second one was to go and tell the   

brethren1 'we have got him safe inside'2
 but in the rush of joyous emotions she 
naively forgot what her first business  
was1 'lost her head1' as we say1 and so 
went off to tell that he was outside1   
instead of letting him in4 ,now joy and 
sorrow are equally apt to make us forget
 plain and pressing duties1 and we may  
learn from this little incident the     
old-fashioned1 but always necessary     
advice1 to keep feeling well under      
control1 to use it as impulse1 not as   
guide1 and never to let emotion1 which  
should be down in the engine-room1 come 
on deck and take the helm4 ,it is       
dangerous to obey feeling1 unless its   
decrees are countersigned by calm common
 sense illuminated by ,scripture4       
,sorrow is apt to obscure duty by its   
darkness1 and joy to do so by its       
dazzle4 ,it is hard to see the road at  
midnight1 or at midday when the sun is  
in our eyes4 ,both need to be           
controlled4 ,duty remains the same1     
whether my heart is beating like a      

sledge-hammer1 or whether 'my bosom's   
lord sits lightly on its throne4'       
,whether ,i am sad or glad1 the door    
that ,god has given me to watch has to  
be opened and shut by me4 ,and whether  
,i am a door-keeper in the house of the 
,lord1 like ,rhoda in ,mary's1 or have  
an office that people think larger and  
more important1 the imperativeness of my
 duties is equally independent of my    
momentary emotions and circumstances4   
,remember1 then1 that duty remains while
 feeling fluctuates1 and that1 sorrowful
 or joyful1 we have still the same ,lord
 to serve and the same crown to win4    
,,iv4 ,lastly1 we have here an instance 
of a very modest but positive and       
fully-warranted trust in one's own      
experience in spite of opposition4  ,i  
need not speak about that extraordinary 
discussion which the brethren got up in 
the upper room4 ,they had been praying1 
as has often been remarked1 for ,peter's
 deliverance1 and now that he is        
delivered they will not believe it4 ,i  

am afraid that there is often a dash of 
unbelief in immediate answers to our    
prayers mingling with the prayers4 ,and 
although the petitions in this case were
 intense and fervent1 as the original   
tells us1 and had been kept up all night
 long1 and although their earnestness   
and worthiness are guaranteed by the    
fact that they were answered1 yet when  
the veritable ,peter1 in flesh and      
blood1 stood before the door1 the       
suppliants first said to the poor girl1 
',thou art mad1' and then1 ',it is his  
angel6 ,it cannot be he4' ,nobody seems 
to have thought of going to the door to 
see whether it was he or not1 but they  
went on arguing with ,rhoda as to       
whether she was right or wrong4 ,the    
unbelief that alloys even golden faith  
is taught us in this incident4  ,rhoda  
'constantly affirmed that it was so1'   
like the other porteress that had picked
 out ,peter's voice amongst the men     
huddled round the fire in the high      
priest's chamber4  ,the lesson is--trust

 your own experience1 whatever people   
may have to say against it4 ,if you have
 found that ,jesus ,christ can help you1
 and has loved you1 and that your sins  
have been forgiven1 because you have    
trusted in ,him1 do not let anybody     
laugh or talk you out of that           
conviction4 ,if you cannot argue1 do    
like ,rhoda1 'constantly affirm that it 
is so4' ,that is the right answer1      
especially if you can say to the        
antagonistic party1 ',have you been down
 to the door1 then1 to see8' ,and if    
they have to say ',no6' then the right  
answer is1 ',you go and look as ,i did1 
and you will come back with the same    
belief which ,i have4'  ,so at last they
 open the door and there he stands4     
,peter's hammer1 hammer1 hammer at the  
gate is wonderfully given in the story4 
,it goes on as a kind of running        
accompaniment through the talk between  
,rhoda and the friends4 ,it might have  
put a stop to the conversation1 one     
would have thought4 ,but ,another stands

 at the door knocking1 still more       
persistently1 still more patiently4     
',behold6 ,i stand at the door and      
knock4 ,if any man open the door ,i will
 come in4'    ,,peter ,,after ,,his     
,,escape  ',but he1 beckoning unto them 
with the hand to hold their peace1      
declared unto them how the ,lord had    
brought him forth out of the prison4    
,and he said1 ,go shew these things unto
 ,james1 and to the brethren1 ,and he   
departed1 and went into another         
place4'--,,acts xii4 #ag4  ,when the    
angel 'departed from him1' ,peter had to
 fall back on his own wits1 and they    
served him well4 ,he 'considered the    
thing1' and resolved to make for the    
house of ,mary4 ,he does not seem to    
have intended to remain there1 so       
dangerously near ,herod1 but merely to  
have told its inmates of his            
deliverance1 and then to have hidden    
himself somewhere1 till the heat of the 
hunt after him was abated4 ,apparently  
he did not go into the house at all1 but

 talked to the brethren1 when they came 
trooping after ,rhoda to open the gate4 
,the signs of haste in the latter part  
of the story1 where ,peter has to think 
and act for himself1 contrast strikingly
 with the majestic leisureliness of the 
action of the angel1 who gave his       
successive commands to him to dress     
completely1 as if careless of the       
sleeping legionaries who might wake at  
any moment4 ,there was need for haste1  
for the night was wearing thin1 and the 
streets of ,jerusalem were no safe      
promenade for a condemned prisoner1     
escaped from his guards4  ,we do not    
deal here with the scene in ,mary's     
house and at the gate4 ,we only note1 in
 a word1 the touch of nature in ,rhoda's
 forgetting to open 'for gladness1' and 
so leaving ,peter in peril1 if a        
detachment of his guards had already    
been told off to chase him4 ,equally    
true to nature1 alas1 is the incredulity
 of the praying 'many1' when the answer 
to their prayers was sent to them4 ,they

 had rather believe that the poor girl  
was 'mad' or that1 for all their        
praying1 ,peter was dead1 and this was  
his 'angel1' than that their intense    
prayer had been so swiftly and          
completely answered4 ,is their behaviour
 not a mirror in which we may see our   
own8  ,very like ,peter1 as well as very
 intelligible in the circumstances1 is  
it that he 'continued knocking1' ,well  
he might1 and evidently his energetic   
fusillade of blows was heard even above 
the clatter of eager tongues1 discussing
 ,rhoda's astonishing assertions4 ,some 
one1 at last1 seems to have kept his    
head sufficiently to suggest that       
perhaps1 instead of disputing whether   
these were true or not1 it might be well
 to go to the door and see4 ,so they all
 went in a body1 ,rhoda being possibly  
afraid to go alone1 and others afraid to
 stay behind1 and there they saw his    
veritable self4 ,but we notice that     
there is no sign of his being taken in  
and refreshed or cared for4 ,he waved an

 imperative hand1 to quiet the buzz of  
talk1 spoke two or three brief words1   
and departed4  ,i4 ,note ,peter's       
account of his deliverance4  ,we have   
often had occasion to remark that the   
very keynote of this ,book of ,acts is  
the working of ,christ from heaven1     
which to its writer is as real and      
efficient as was ,his work on earth4    
,peter here traces his deliverance to   
'the ,lord4' ,he does not stay to       
mention the angel4 ,his thoughts went   
beyond the instrument to the hand which 
wielded it4 ,nor does he seem to have   
been at all astonished at his           
deliverance4 ,his moment of             
bewilderment1 when he did not know      
whether he was dreaming or awake1 soon  
passed1 and as soon as 'the sober       
certainty of his waking bliss' settled  
on his mind1 his deliverance seemed to  
him perfectly natural4 ,what else was it
 to be expected that 'the ,lord' would  
do8 ,was it not just like ,him8 ,there  
was nothing to be astonished at1 there  

was everything to be thankful for4 ,that
 is how ,christian hearts should receive
 the deliverances which the ,lord is    
still working for them4  ,,ii4 ,note    
,peter's message to the brethren4       
,james1 the ,lord's brother1 was not an 
,apostle4 ,that he should have been     
named to receive the message indicates  
that already he held some conspicuous   
position1 perhaps some office1 in the   
,church4 ,it may also imply that there  
were no ,apostles in ,jerusalem then4   
,we note also that the 'many' who were  
gathered in ,mary's house can have been 
only a small part of the whole4 ,we here
 get a little glimpse into the          
conditions of the life of a persecuted  
,church1 which a sympathetic imagination
 can dwell on till it is luminous4 ,such
 gatherings as would attract notice had 
to be avoided1 and what meetings were   
held had to be in private houses and    
with shut doors1 through which entrance 
was not easy4 ,mary's 'door' had a      
'gate' in it1 and only that smaller     

postern1 which admitted but one at a    
time1 was opened to visitors1 and that  
after scrutiny4 ,but though assemblies  
were restricted1 communications were    
kept up1 and by underground ways        
information of events important to the  
community spread through its members4   
,the consciousness of brotherhood was   
all the stronger because of the common  
danger1 the universal peril had not made
 the brethren selfish1 but sympathetic4 
,we may note1 too1 how great a change   
had come since the time when the        
,christians were in favour with all the 
people1 and may reflect how fickle are  
the world's smiles for ,christ's        
servants4  ,,iii4 ,note ,peter's        
disappearance4  ,all that is said of it 
is that he 'went into another place4'   
,probably ,luke did not know where he   
went4 ,it would be prudent at the time  
to conceal it1 and the habit of         
concealment may have survived the need  
for it4 ,but two points suggest         
themselves in regard to the ,apostle's  

flight4 ,there may be a better use for  
an ,apostle than to kill him1 and       
,christ's boldest witnesses are         
sometimes bound to save themselves by   
fleeing into another city4 ,to hide     
oneself 'till the calamity be overpast' 
may be rank cowardice or commendable    
prudence4 ,all depends on the           
circumstances of each case4 ,prudence is
 an element in courage1 and courage     
without it is fool-hardiness4 ,there are
 outward dangers from which it is       
,christian duty to run1 and there are   
outward dangers which it is ,christian  
duty to face4 ,there are inward         
temptations which it is best to avoid1  
as there are others which have to be    
fought to the death4 ,peter was as brave
 and braver when he went and hid        
himself1 than when he boasted1 ',though 
all should forsake ,thee1 yet will not  
,i6' ,a morbid eagerness for martyrdom  
wrought much harm in the ,church at a   
later time4 ,the primitive ,church was  
free from it4  ,but we must not omit to 

note that here ,peter is dropped out of 
the history1 and is scarcely heard of   
any more4 ,we have a glimpse of him in  
chapter xv41 at the ,council in         
,jerusalem1 but1 with that exception1   
this is the last mention of him in      
,acts4 ,how little this ,book cares for 
its heroes6 ,or rather how it has only  
one ,hero1 and one ,name which it       
celebrates1 the name of that ,lord to   
whom ,peter ascribed his deliverance1   
and of whom he himself declared that    
'there is none other ,name under heaven1
 given among men1 whereby we must be    
saved4'    ,,end ,,of ,,vol4 ,i4        
,,expositions ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture   
,,alexander ,,maclaren1 ,d4 ,d41 ,litt4 
,d4  ,,the ,,acts  ,,chap4 ,,xiii ,,to  
,,end    ,,contents  ,,to ,,the         
,,regions ,,beyond 7,acts xiii4 #a-ac7  
,,why ,,saul ,,became ,,paul 7,acts     
xiii4 #i7  ,,john ,,mark 7,acts xiii4   
#ac7  ,,the ,,first ,,preaching ,,in    
,,asia ,,minor 7,acts xiii4 #bf-ci7     
,,luther--,a ,,stone ,,on ,,the ,,cairn 

7,acts xiii4 #cf1 #cg7  ,,rejecters     
,,and ,,receivers 7,acts xiii4 #dd-eb2  
xiv4 #a-g7  ,,unworthy ,,of ,,life      
7,acts xiii4 #df7  ',,full ,,of ,,the   
,,holy ,,ghost' 7,acts xiii4 #eb7       
,,deified ,,and ,,stoned 7,acts xiv4    
#aa-bb7  ,,dream ,,and ,,reality 7,acts 
xiv4 #aa7  ',,the ,,door ,,of ,,faith'  
7,acts xiv4 #bg7  ,,the ,,breaking ,,out
 ,,of ,,discord 7,acts xv4 #a-f7  ,,the 
,,charter ,,of ,,gentile ,,liberty      
7,acts xv4 #ab-bi7  ,a ,,good ,,man',s  
,,faults 7,acts xv4 #cg1 #ch7  ,,how    
,,to ,,secure ,a ,,prosperous ,,voyage  
7,acts xvi4 #aj1 #aa7  ,,paul ,,at      
,,philippi 7,acts xvi4 #ac1 ,r4,v47     
,,the ,,riot ,,at ,,philippi 7,acts xvi4
 #ai-cd7  ,,the ,,great ,,question ,,and
 ,,the ,,plain ,,answer 7,acts xvi4 #cj1
 #ca7  ,,thessalonica ,,and ,,berea     
7,acts xvii4 #a-ab7  ,,paul ,,at        
,,athens 7,acts xvii4 #bb-cd7  ,,the    
,,man ,,who ,,is ,,judge 7,acts xvii4   
#ca7  ,,paul ,,at ,,corinth 7,acts      
xviii4 #a-aa7  ',,constrained ,,by ,,the

 ,,word' 7,acts xviii4 #e7  ,,gallio    
7,acts xviii4 #ad1 #ae7  ,,two          
,,fruitful ,,years 7,acts xix4 #a-ab7   
,,would-,,be ,,exorcists 7,acts xix4    
#ae7  ,,the ,,fight ,,with ,,wild       
,,beasts ,,at ,,ephesus 7,acts xix4     
#ba-cd7  ,,parting ,,counsels 7,acts xx4
 #bb-he7  ,a ,,fulfilled ,,aspiration   
7,acts xx4 #bd2 #b ,tim4 iv4 #g7        
,,parting ,,words 7,acts xx4 #cb7  ,,the
 ,,blessedness ,,of ,,giving 7,acts xx4 
#ce7  ,,drawing ,,nearer ,,to ,,the     
,,storm 7,acts xxi4 #a-ae7  ,,philip    
,,the ,,evangelist 7,acts xxi4 #h7  ,,an
 ,,old ,,disciple 7,acts xxi4 #af7      
,,paul ,,in ,,the ,,temple 7,acts xxi4  
#bg-ci7  ,,paul ,,on ,,his ,,own        
,,conversion 7,acts xxii4 #f-af7  ,,rome
 ,,protects ,,paul 7,acts xxii4 #ag-cj7 
,,christ',s ,,witnesses 7,acts xxiii4   
#aa7  ,a ,,plot ,,detected 7,acts xxiii4
 #ab-bb7  ,a ,,loyal ,,tribute 7,acts   
xxiv4 #b1 #c7  ,,paul ,,before ,,felix  
7,acts xxiv4 #aj-be7  ,,felix ,,before  
,,paul 7,acts xxiv4 #be7  ,,christ',s   

,,remonstrances 7,acts xxvi4 #ad7       
,,faith ,,in ,,christ 7,acts xxvi4 #ah7 
',,before ,,governors ,,and ,,kings'    
7,acts xxvi4 #ai-cb7  ',,the ,,heavenly 
,,vision' 7,acts xxvi4 #ai7  ',,me ,a   
,,christian6' 7,acts xxvi4 #bh7         
,,tempest ,,and ,,trust 7,acts xxvii    
#ac-bf7  ,a ,,short ,,confession ,,of   
,,faith 7,acts xxvii4 #bc7  ,a ,,total  
,,wreck1 ,,all ,,hands ,,saved 7,acts   
xxvii4 #cj-dd7  ,,after ,,the ,,wreck   
7,acts xxviii4 #a-af7  ,,the ,,last     
,,glimpse ,,of ,,paul 7,acts xxviii4    
#ag-ca7  ,,paul ,,in ,,rome 7,acts      
xxviii4 #cj1 #ca7    ,,to ,,the         
,,regions ,,beyond  ',now there were in 
the church that was at ,antioch certain 
prophets and teachers2 as ,barnabas1 and
 ,simeon that was called ,niger1 and    
,lucius of ,cyrene1 and ,manaen1 which  
had been brought up with ,herod the     
tetrarch1 and ,saul4 #b4 ,as they       
ministered to the ,lord1 and fasted1 the
 ,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate me        
,barnabas and ,saul for the work        

whereunto ,i have called them4 #c4 ,and 
when they had fasted and prayed1 and    
laid their hands on them1 they sent them
 away4 ,a4 ,so they1 being sent forth by
 the ,holy ,ghost1 departed unto        
,seleucia2 and from thence they sailed  
to ,cyprus4 #e4 ,and when they were at  
,salamis1 they preached the word of ,god
 in the synagogues of the ,jews2 and    
they had also ,john to their minister4  
#f4 ,and when they had gone through the 
isle unto ,paphos1 they found a certain 
sorcerer1 a false prophet1 a ,jew1 whose
 name was ,bar-jesus3 #g4 ,which was    
with the deputy of the country1 ,sergius
 ,paulus1 a prudent man1 who called for 
,barnabas and ,saul1 and desired to hear
 the word of ,god4 #h4 ,but ,elymas the 
sorcerer 7for so is his name by         
interpretation7 withstood them1 seeking 
to turn away the deputy from the faith4 
#i4 ,then ,saul1 7who also is called    
,paul17 filled with the ,holy ,ghost1   
set his eyes on him1 #aj4 ,and said1 ,o 
full of all subtilty and all mischief1  

thou child of the devil1 thou enemy of  
all righteousness1 wilt thou not cease  
to pervert the right ways of the ,lord8 
#aa4 ,and now1 behold1 the hand of the  
,lord is upon thee1 and thou shalt be   
blind1 not seeing the sun for a season4 
,and immediately there fell on him a    
mist and a darkness2 and he went about  
seeking some to lead him by the hand4   
#ab4 ,then the deputy1 when he saw what 
was done1 believed1 being astonished at 
the doctrine of the ,lord4 #ac4 ,now    
when ,paul and his company loosed from  
,paphos1 they came to ,perga in         
,pamphylia3 and ,john departing from    
them returned to ,jerusalem4'--,,acts   
xiii4 #a-ac4  ,we stand in this passage 
at the beginning of a great step        
forward4 ,philip and ,peter had each    
played a part in the gradual expansion  
of the church beyond the limits of      
,judaism2 but it was from the church at 
,antioch that the messengers went forth 
who completed the process4 ,both its    
locality and its composition made that  

natural4  ,i4 ,the solemn designation of
 the missionaries is the first point in 
the narrative4 ,the church at ,antioch  
was not left without signs of ,christ's 
grace and presence4 ,it had its band of 
'prophets and teachers4' ,as might be   
expected1 four of the five named are    
,hellenists1--that is1 ,jews born in    
,gentile lands1 and speaking ,gentile   
languages4 ,barnabas was a ,cypriote1   
,simeon's byname of ,niger 7',black'7   
was probably given because of his dark  
complexion1 which was probably caused by
 his birth in warmer lands4 ,he may have
 been a ,north ,african1 as ,lucius of  
,cyrene was4 ,saul was from ,tarsus1 and
 only ,manaen remains to represent the  
pure ,palestinian ,jew4 ,his had been a 
strange course1 from being              
foster-brother of the ,herod who killed 
,john to becoming a teacher in the      
church at ,antioch4 ,barnabas was the   
leader of the little group1 and the     
younger ,pharisee from ,tarsus1 who had 
all along been ,barnabas's protege1     

brought up the rear4  ,the order        
observed in the list is a little window 
which shows a great deal4 ,the first and
 last names all the world knows2 the    
other three are never heard of again4   
,immortality falls on the two1 oblivion 
swallows up the three4 ,but it matters  
little whether our names are sounded in 
men's ears1 if they are in the ,lamb's  
book of life4  ,these five brethren were
 waiting on the ,lord by fasting and    
prayer4 ,apparently they had reason to  
expect some divine communication1 for   
which they were thus preparing          
themselves4 ,light will come to those   
who thus seek it4 ,they were commanded  
to set apart two of their number for    
'the work whereunto ,i have called      
them4' ,that work is not specified1 and 
yet the two1 like carrier pigeons on    
being let loose1 make straight for their
 line of flight1 and know exactly       
whither they are to go4  ,if we strictly
 interpret ,luke's words 7',i have      
called them'71 a previous intimation    

from the ,spirit had revealed to them   
the sphere of their work4 ,in that case1
 the separation was only the recognition
 by the brethren of the divine          
appointment4 ,the inward call must come 
first1 and no ecclesiastical designation
 can do more than confirm that4 ,but the
 solemn designation by the ,church      
identifies those who remain behind with 
the work of those who go forth2 it      
throws responsibility for sympathy and  
support on the former1 and it ministers 
strength and the sense of companionship 
to the latter1 besides checking that    
tendency to isolation which accompanies 
earnestness4 ,to go forth on even       
,christian service1 unrecognised by the 
brethren1 is not good for even a ,paul4 
,but although ,luke speaks of the       
,church sending them away1 he takes care
 immediately to add that it was the     
,holy ,ghost who 'sent them forth4'     
,ramsay suggests that 'sent them away'  
is not the meaning of the phrase in     
verse #c1 but that it should be rendered

 'gave them leave to depart4' ,in any   
case1 a clear distinction is drawn      
between the action of the ,church and   
that of the ,spirit1 which constituted  
,paul's real commission as an ,apostle4 
,he himself says that he was an         
,apostle1 'not from men1 neither through
 man4'  ,,ii4 ,the events in the first  
stage of the journey are next summarily 
presented4 ,note the local colouring in 
'went down to ,seleucia1' the seaport of
 ,antioch1 at the mouth of the river4   
,the missionaries were naturally led to 
begin at ,cyprus1 as ,barnabas's        
birthplace1 and that of some of the     
founders of the church at ,antioch4     
,so1 for the first time1 the ,gospel    
went to sea1 the precursor of so many   
voyages4 ,it was an 'epoch-making       
moment' when that ship dropped down with
 the tide and put out to sea4 ,salamis  
was the nearest port on the             
south-eastern coast of ,cyprus1 and     
there they landed1--,barnabas1 no doubt1
 familiar with all he saw2 ,saul        

probably a stranger to it all4 ,their   
plan of action was that to which ,paul  
adhered in all his after work1--to carry
 the ,gospel to the ,jew first1 a       
proceeding for which the manner of      
worship in the synagogues gave          
facilities4 ,no doubt1 many such were   
scattered through ,cyprus1 and ,barnabas
 would be well known in most4  ,they    
thus traversed the island from east to  
west4 ,it is noteworthy that only now is
 ,john ,mark's name brought in as their 
attendant4 ,he had come with them from  
,antioch1 but ,luke will not mention    
him1 when he is telling of the sending  
forth of the other two1 because ,mark   
was not sent by the ,spirit1 but only   
chosen by his uncle1 and his subsequent 
defection did not affect the            
completeness of their embassy4 ,his     
entirely subordinate place is made      
obvious by the point at which he        
appears4  ,nothing of moment happened on
 the tour till ,paphos was reached4     
,that was the capital1 the residence of 

the pro-consul1 and the seat of the foul
 worship of ,venus4 ,there the first    
antagonist was met4 ,it is not ,sergius 
,paulus1 pro-consul though he was1 who  
is the central figure of interest to    
,luke1 but the sorcerer who was attached
 to his train4 ,his character is drawn  
in ,luke's description1 and in ,paul's  
fiery exclamation4 ,each has three      
clauses1 which fall 'like the beats of a
 hammer4' ',sorcerer1 false prophet1    
,jew1' make a climax of wickedness4     
,that a ,jew should descend to dabble in
 the black art of magic1 and play tricks
 on the credulity of ignorant people by 
his knowledge of some simple secrets of 
chemistry2 that he should pretend to    
prophetic gifts which in his heart he   
knew to be fraud1 and should be recreant
 to his ancestral faith1 proved him to  
deserve the penetrating sentence which  
,paul passed on him4 ,he was a          
trickster1 and knew that he was3 his    
inspiration came from an evil source2 he
 had come to hate righteousness of every

 sort4  ,paul was not flinging bitter   
words at random1 or yielding to passion1
 but was laying the black heart bare to 
the man's own eyes1 that the seeing     
himself as ,god saw him might startle   
him into penitence4 ',the corruption of 
the best is the worst4' ,the bitterest  
enemies of ,god's ways are those who    
have cast aside their early faith4 ,a   
,jew who had stooped to be a juggler was
 indeed causing ,god's 'name to be      
blasphemed among the ,gentiles4'  ,he   
and ,paul each recognised in the other  
his most formidable foe4 ,elymas        
instinctively felt that the pro-consul  
must be kept from listening to the      
teaching of these two fellow-countrymen1
 and 'sought to pervert him from the    
faith1' therein perverting 7the same    
word is used in both cases7 'the right  
ways of the ,lord'2 that is1 opposing   
the divine purpose4 ,he was a specimen  
of a class who attained influence in    
that epoch of unrest1 when the more     
cultivated and nobler part of ,roman    

society had lost faith in the old gods1 
and was turning wistfully and with      
widespread expectation to the mysterious
 ,east for enlightenment4  ,so1 like a  
ship which plunges into the storm as    
soon as it clears the pier-head1 the    
missionaries felt the first dash of the 
spray and blast of the wind directly    
they began their work4 ,since this was  
their first encounter with a foe which  
they would often have to meet1 the duel 
assumes importance1 and we understand   
not only the fulness of the narrative1  
but the miracle which assured ,paul and 
,barnabas of ,christ's help1 and was    
meant to diffuse its encouragement along
 the line of their future work4 ,for    
,elymas it was chastisement1 which might
 lead him to cease to pervert the ways  
of the ,lord1 and himself begin to walk 
in them4 ,perhaps1 after a season1 he   
did see 'the better ,sun4'  ,saul's part
 in the incident is noteworthy4 ,we     
observe the vivid touch1 he 'fastened   
his eyes on him4' ,there must have been 

something very piercing in the fixed    
gaze of these flashing eyes4 ,but ,luke 
takes pains to prevent our thinking that
 ,paul spoke from his own insight or was
 moved by human passion4 ,he was 'filled
 with the ,holy ,ghost1' and1 as ,his   
organ1 poured out the scorching words   
that revealed the cowering apostate to  
himself1 and announced the merciful     
punishment that was to fall4 ,we need to
 be very sure that we are similarly     
filled before venturing to imitate the  
,apostle's tone4  ,,iii4 ,the shifting  
of the scene to the mainland presents   
some noteworthy points4 ,it is singular 
that there is no preaching mentioned as 
having been attempted in ,perga1 or     
anywhere along the coast1 but that the  
two evangelists seem to have gone at    
once across the great mountain range of 
,taurus to ,antioch of ,pisidia4  ,a    
striking suggestion is made by ,ramsay  
to the effect that the reason was a     
sudden attack of the malarial fever     
which is endemic in the low-lying coast 

plains1 and for which the natural remedy
 is to get up among the mountains4 ,if  
so1 the journey to ,antioch of ,pisidia 
may not have been in the programme to   
which ,john ,mark had agreed1 and his   
return to ,jerusalem may have been due  
to this departure from the original     
intention4 ,be that as it may1 he stands
 for us as a beacon1 warning against    
hasty entrance on great undertakings of 
which we have not counted the cost1 no  
less than against cowardly flight from  
work1 as soon as it begins to involve   
more danger or discomfort than we had   
reckoned on4  ,john ,mark was willing to
 go a-missionarying as long as he was in
 ,cyprus1 where he was somebody and much
 at home1 by his relationship to        
,barnabas2 but when ,perga and the climb
 over ,taurus into strange lands came to
 be called for1 his zeal and courage    
oozed out at his finger-ends1 and he    
skulked back to his mother's house at   
,jerusalem4 ,no wonder that ,paul       
'thought not good to take with them him 

who withdrew from them4' ,but even such 
faint hearts as ,mark's may take courage
 from the fact that he nobly retrieved  
his youthful error1 and won back ,paul's
 confidence1 and proved himself         
'profitable to him for the ministry4'   
,,why ,,saul ,,became ,,paul  ',saul    
7who also is called ,paul7' 444--,,acts 
xiii4 #i  ,hitherto the ,apostle has    
been known by the former of these names1
 henceforward he is known exclusively by
 the latter4 ,hitherto he has been      
second to his friend ,barnabas1         
henceforward he is first4 ,in an earlier
 verse of the chapter we read that      
',barnabas and ,saul' were separated for
 their missionary work1 and again1 that 
it was ',barnabas and ,saul' for whom   
the governor of ,cyprus sent1 to hear   
the word of the ,lord4 ,but in a        
subsequent verse of the chapter we read 
that ',paul and his company loosed from 
,paphos4'  ,the change in the order of  
the names is significant1 and the change
 in the names not less so4 ,why was it  

that at this period the ,apostle took up
 this new designation8 ,i think that the
 coincidence between his name and that  
of the governor of ,cyprus1 who believed
 at his preaching1 ,sergius ,paulus1 is 
too remarkable to be accidental4 ,and   
though1 no doubt1 it was the custom for 
the ,jews of that day1 especially for   
those of them who lived in ,gentile     
lands1 to have1 for convenience' sake1  
two names1 one ,jewish and one          
,gentile--one for use amongst their     
brethren1 and one for use amongst the   
heathen--still we have no distinct      
intimation that the ,apostle bore a     
,gentile name before this moment4 ,and  
the fact that the name which he bears   
now is the same as that of his first    
convert1 seems to me to point the       
explanation4  ,i take it1 then1 that the
 assumption of the name of ,paul instead
 of the name of ,saul occurred at this  
point1 stood in some relation to his    
missionary work1 and was intended in    
some sense as a memorial of his first   

victory in the preaching of the ,gospel4
  ,i think that there are lessons to be 
derived from the substitution of one of 
these names for the other which may well
 occupy us for a few moments4  ,i4      
,first of all1 then1 the new name       
expresses a new nature4  ,jesus ,christ 
gave the ,apostle whom ,he called to    
,himself in the early days1 a new name1 
in order to prophesy the change which1  
by the discipline of sorrow and the     
communication of the grace of ,god1     
should pass over ,simon ,barjona1 making
 him into a ,peter1 a ',man of ,rock4'  
,with characteristic independence1 ,saul
 chooses for himself a new name1 which  
shall express the change that he feels  
has passed over his inmost being4 ,true1
 he does not assume it at his           
conversion1 but that is no reason why we
 should not believe that he assumes it  
because he is beginning to understand   
what it is that has happened to him at  
his conversion4  ,the fact that he      
changes his name as soon as he throws   

himself into public and active life1 is 
but gathering into one picturesque      
symbol his great principle2 ',if any man
 be in ,christ ,jesus1 he is a new      
creature4 ,old things are passed away   
and all things are become new4'  ,so1   
dear brethren1 we may1 from this        
incident before us1 gather this one     
great lesson1 that the central heart of 
,christianity is the possession of a new
 life1 communicated to us through faith 
in that ,son of ,god1 ,who is the ,lord 
of the ,spirit4 ,wheresoever there is a 
true faith1 there is a new nature4      
,opinions may play upon the surface of a
 man's soul1 like moonbeams on the      
silver sea1 without raising its         
temperature one degree or sending a     
single beam into its dark caverns4 ,and 
that is the sort of ,christianity that  
satisfies a great many of you--a        
,christianity of opinion1 a             
,christianity of surface creed1 a       
,christianity which at the best slightly
 modifies some of our outward actions1  

but leaves the whole inner man          
unchanged4  ,paul's ,christianity meant 
a radical change in his whole nature4   
,he went out of ,jerusalem a persecutor1
 he came into ,damascus a ,christian4   
,he rode out of ,jerusalem hating1      
loathing1 despising ,jesus ,christ2 he  
groped his way into ,damascus1 broken1  
bruised1 clinging contrite to ,his feet1
 and clasping ,his ,cross as his only   
hope4 ,he went out proud1 self-reliant1 
pluming himself upon his many           
prerogatives1 his blue blood1 his pure  
descent1 his ,rabbinical knowledge1 his 
,pharisaical training1 his external     
religious earnestness1 his rigid        
morality2 he rode into ,damascus blind  
in the eyes1 but seeing in the soul1 and
 discerning that all these things were1 
as he says in his strong1 vehement way1 
'but dung' in comparison with his       
winning ,christ4  ,and his theory of    
conversion1 which he preaches in all his
 ,epistles1 is but the generalisation of
 his own personal experience1 which     

suddenly1 and in a moment1 smote his old
 self to shivers1 and raised up a new   
life1 with new tastes1 views1           
tendencies1 aspirations1 with new       
allegiance to a new ,king4 ,such        
changes1 so sudden1 so revolutionary1   
cannot be expected often to take place  
amongst people who1 like us1 have been  
listening to ,christian teaching all our
 lives4 ,but unless there be this       
infusion of a new life into men's       
spirits which shall make them love and  
long and aspire after new things that   
once they did not care for1 ,i know not 
why we should speak of them as being    
,christians at all4 ,the transition is  
described by ,paul as 'passing from     
death unto life4' ,that cannot be a     
surface thing4 ,a change which needs a  
new name must be a profound change4 ,has
 our ,christianity revolutionised our   
nature in any such fashion8 ,it is easy 
to be a ,christian after the superficial
 fashion which passes muster with so    
many of us4 ,a verbal acknowledgment of 

belief in truths which we never think   
about1 a purely external performance of 
acts of worship1 a subscription or two  
winged by no sympathy1 and a fairly     
respectable life beneath the cloak of   
which all evil may burrow               
undetected--make the ,christianity of   
thousands4 ,paul's ,christianity        
transformed him2 does yours transform   
you8 ,if it does not1 are you quite sure
 that it is ,christianity at all8  ,,ii4
 ,then1 again1 we may take this change  
of name as being expressive of a life's 
work4  ,paul is a ,roman name4 ,he      
strips himself of his ,jewish           
connections and relationships4 ,his     
fellow-countrymen who lived amongst the 
,gentiles were1 as ,i said at the       
beginning of these remarks1 in the habit
 of doing the same thing2 but they      
carried both their names2 their ,jewish 
for use amongst their own people1 their 
,gentile one for use amongst ,gentiles4 
,paul seems to have altogether disused  
his old name of ,saul4 ,it was almost   

equivalent to seceding from ,judaism4   
,it is like the acts of the renegades   
whom one sometimes hears of1 who are    
found by travellers1 dressed in turban  
and flowing robes1 and bearing some     
,turkish name1 or like some ,english    
sailor1 lost to home and kindred1 who   
deserts his ship in an island of the    
,pacific1 and drops his ,english name   
for a barbarous title1 in token that he 
has given up his faith and his          
nationality4  ,so ,paul1 contemplating  
for his life's work preaching amongst   
the ,gentiles1 determines at the        
beginning1 ',i lay down all of which ,i 
used to be proud4 ,if my ,jewish descent
 and privileges stand in my way ,i cast 
them aside4 ,circumcised the eighth day1
 of the stock of ,israel1 of the tribe  
of ,benjamin1 an ,hebrew of the         
,hebrews1 as touching the law1 a        
,pharisee1--all these ,i wrap together  
in one bundle1 and toss them behind me  
that ,i may be the better able to help  
some to whom they would have hindered my

 access4' ,a man with a heart will throw
 off his silken robes that his arm may  
be bared to rescue1 and his feet free to
 run to succour4  ,so we may1 from the  
change of the ,apostle's name1 gather   
this lesson1 never out of date1 that the
 only way to help people is to go down  
to their level4 ,if you want to bless   
men1 you must identify yourself with    
them4 ,it is no use standing on an      
eminence above them1 and patronisingly  
talking down to them4 ,you cannot scold1
 or hector1 or lecture men into the     
possession and acceptance of religious  
truth if you take a position of         
superiority4 ,as our ,master has taught 
us1 if we want to make blind beggars see
 we must take the blind beggars by the  
hand4  ,the spirit which led the        
,apostle to change the name of ,saul1   
with its memories of the royal dignity  
which1 in the person of its great       
wearer1 had honoured his tribe1 for a   
,roman name is the same which he        
formally announces as a deliberately    

adopted law of his life4 ',to them that 
are without law ,i became as without law
 444 that ,i might gain them that are   
without law 444 ,i am made all things to
 all men1 that ,i might by all means    
save some4'  ,it is the very inmost     
principle of the ,gospel4 ,the principle
 that influenced the servant in this    
comparatively little matter1 is the     
principle that influenced the ,master in
 the mightiest of all events4 ',he who  
was in the form of ,god1 and thought not
 equality with ,god a thing to be       
eagerly snatched at1 made ,himself of no
 reputation1 and was found in fashion as
 a man and in form as a servant1 and    
became obedient unto death4' ',for as   
much as the children were partakers of  
flesh and blood1 ,he ,himself likewise  
took part of the same'2 and the mystery 
of incarnation came to pass1 because    
when the ,divine would help men1 the    
only way by which the ,infinite love    
could reach its end was that the ,divine
 should become man2 identifying ,himself

 with those whom ,he would help1 and    
stooping to the level of the humanity   
that ,he would lift4  ,and as it is the 
very essence and heart of ,christ's     
work1 so1 my brother1 it is the         
condition of all work that benefits our 
fellows4 ,it applies all round4 ,we must
 stoop if we would raise4 ,we must put  
away gifts1 culture1 everything that    
distinguishes us1 and come to the level 
of the men that we seek to help4        
,sympathy is the parent of all wise     
counsel1 because it is the parent of all
 true understanding of our brethren's   
wants4 ,sympathy is the only thing to   
which people will listen1 sympathy is   
the only disposition correspondent to   
the message that we ,christians are     
entrusted with4 ,for a ,christian man to
 carry the ,gospel of ,infinite         
condescension to his fellows in a spirit
 other than that of the ,master and the 
,gospel which he speaks1 is an anomaly  
and a contradiction4  ,and1 therefore1  
let us all remember that a vast deal of 

so-called ,christian work falls utterly 
dead and profitless1 for no other reason
 than this1 that the doers have         
forgotten that they must come to the    
level of the men whom they would help1  
before they can expect to bless them4   
,you remember the old story of the      
heroic missionary whose heart burned to 
carry the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ     
amongst captives1 and as there was no   
other way of reaching them1 let himself 
be sold for a slave1 and put out his    
hands to have the manacles fastened upon
 them4 ,it is the law for all ,christian
 service2 become like men if you will   
help them1--',to the weak as weak1 all  
things to all men1 that we might by all 
means save some4'  ,and1 my brother1    
there was no obligation on ,paul's part 
to do ,christian work which does not lie
 on you4  ,,iii4 ,further1 this change  
of name is a memorial of victory4  ,the 
name is that of ,paul's first convert4  
,he takes it1 as ,i suppose1 because it 
seemed to him such a blessed thing that 

at the very moment when he began to sow1
 ,god helped him to reap4 ,he had gone  
out to his work1 no doubt1 with much    
trembling1 with weakness and fear4 ,and 
lo6 here1 at once1 the fields were white
 already to the harvest1  ,great        
conquerors have been named from their   
victories2 ,africanus1 ,germanicus1     
,nelson of the ,nile1 ,napier of        
,magdala1 and the like4 ,paul names     
himself from the first victory that ,god
 gives him to win2 and so1 as it were1  
carries ever on his breast a memorial of
 the wonder that through him it had been
 given to preach1 and that not without  
success1 amongst the ,gentiles 'the     
unsearchable riches of ,christ4'  ,that 
is to say1 this man thought of it as his
 highest honour1 and the thing best     
worthy to be remembered about his life1 
that ,god had helped him to help his    
brethren to know the common ,master4 ,is
 that your idea of the best thing about 
a life8 ,what would you1 a professing   
,christian1 like to have for an epitaph 

on your grave8 ',he was rich2 he made a 
big business in ,manchester'2 ',he was  
famous1 he wrote books'2 ',he was happy 
and fortunate'2 or1 ',he turned many to 
righteousness'8 ,this man flung away his
 literary tastes1 his home joys1 and his
 personal ambition1 and chose as that   
for which he would live1 and by which he
 would fain be remembered1 that he      
should bring dark hearts to the light in
 which he and they together walked4     
,his name1 in its commemoration of his  
first success1 would act as a stimulus  
to service and to hope4 ,no doubt the   
,apostle1 like the rest of us1 had his  
times of indolence and languor1 and his 
times of despondency when he seemed to  
have laboured in vain1 and spent his    
strength for nought4 ,he had but to say 
',paul' to find the antidote to both the
 one and the other1 and in the          
remembrance of the past to find a       
stimulus for service for the future1 and
 a stimulus for hope for the time to    
come4 ,his first convert was to him the 

first drop that predicts the shower1 the
 first primrose that prophesies the     
wealth of yellow blossoms and downy     
green leaves that will fill the woods in
 a day or two4 ,the first convert 'bears
 in his hand a glass which showeth many 
more4' ,look at the workmen in the      
streets trying to get up a piece of the 
roadway4 ,how difficult it is to lever  
out the first paving stone from the     
compacted mass6 ,but when once it has   
been withdrawn1 the rest is             
comparatively easy4 ,we can understand  
,paul's triumph and joy over the first  
stone which he had worked out of the    
strongly cemented wall and barrier of   
heathenism2 and his conviction that     
having thus made a breach1 if it were   
but wide enough to let the end of his   
lever in1 the fall of the whole was only
 a question of time4 ,i suppose that if 
the old alchemists had turned but one   
grain of base metal into gold they might
 have turned tons1 if only they had had 
the retorts and the appliances with     

which to do it4 ,and so1 what has       
brought one man's soul into harmony with
 ,god1 and given one man the true life1 
can do the same for all men4 ,in the    
first fruits we may see the fields      
whitening to the harvest4 ,let us       
rejoice then1 in any little work that   
,god helps us to do1 and be sure that if
 so great be the joy of the first       
fruits1 great beyond speech will be the 
joy of the ingathering4  ,,iv4 ,and now 
last of all1 this change of name is an  
index of the spirit of a life's work4   
',paul' means 'little'2 ',saul' means   
'desired4' ,he abandons the name that   
prophesied of favour and honour1 to     
adopt a name that bears upon its very   
front a profession of humility4 ,his    
very name is the condensation into a    
word of his abiding conviction3 ',i am  
less than the least of all saints4'     
,perhaps even there may be an allusion  
to his low stature1 which may be pointed
 at in the sarcasm of his enemies that  
his letters were strong1 though his     

bodily presence was 'weak4' ,if he was1 
as ,renan calls him1 'an ugly little    
,jew1' the name has a double            
appropriateness4  ,but1 at all events1  
it is an expression of the spirit in    
which he sought to do his work4 ,the    
more lofty the consciousness of his     
vocation the more lowly will a true     
man's estimate of himself be4 ,the      
higher my thought of what ,god has given
 me grace to do1 the more shall ,i feel 
weighed down by the consciousness of my 
unfitness to do it4 ,and the more       
grateful my remembrance of what ,he has 
enabled me to do1 the more shall ,i     
wonder that ,i have been enabled1 and   
the more profoundly shall ,i feel that  
it is not my strength but ,his that has 
won the victories4  ,so1 dear brethren1 
for all hope1 for all success in our    
work1 for all growth in ,christian grace
 and character1 this disposition of     
lowly self-abasement and recognised     
unworthiness and infirmity is absolutely
 indispensable4 ,the mountain-tops that 

lift themselves to the stars are barren1
 and few springs find their rise there4 
,it is in the lowly valleys that the    
flowers grow and the rivers run4 ,and it
 is they who are humble and lowly in    
heart to whom ,god gives strength to    
serve ,him1 and the joy of accepted     
service4  ,i beseech you1 then1 learn   
your true life's task4 ,learn how to do 
it by identifying yourselves with the   
humbler brethren whom you would help4   
,learn the spirit in which it must be   
done2 the spirit of lowly               
self-abasement4 ,and oh6 above all1     
learn this1 that unless you have the new
 life1 the life of ,god in your hearts1 
you have no life at all4  ,have you1 my 
brother1 that faith by which we receive 
into our spirits ,christ's own ,spirit1 
to be our life8 ,if you have1 then you  
are a new creature1 with a new name1    
perhaps but dimly visible and faintly   
audible1 amidst the imperfections of    
earth1 but sure to shine out on the     
pages of the ,lamb's ,book of ,life2 and

 to be read 'with tumults of acclaim'   
before the angels of ,heaven4 ',i will  
give him a white stone1 and in the stone
 a new name written1 which no man       
knoweth save he that receiveth it4'     
,,john ,,mark  '444 ,john1 departing    
from them1 returned to                  
,jerusalem4'--,,acts xiii4 #ac4  ,the   
few brief notices of ,john ,mark in     
,scripture are sufficient to give us an 
outline of his life1 and some inkling of
 his character4 ,he was the son of a    
well-to-do ,christian woman in          
,jerusalem1 whose house appears to have 
been the resort of the brethren as early
 as the period of ,peter's miraculous   
deliverance from prison4 ,as the cousin 
of ,barnabas he was naturally selected  
to be the attendant and secular factotum
 of ,paul and ,barnabas on their first  
missionary journey4 ,for some reason1   
faint-heartedness1 lack of interest1    
levity of disposition1 or whatever it   
may have been1 he very quickly abandoned
 that office and returned to his home4  

,his kindly-natured and indulgent       
relative sought to reinstate him in his 
former position on the second journey of
 ,paul and himself4 ,paul's kinder      
severity refused to comply with the wish
 of his colleague ,barnabas1 and so they
 part1 and ,barnabas and ,mark sail away
 to ,cyprus1 and drop out of the ,acts  
of the ,apostles4 ,we hear no more about
 him until near the end of the ,apostle 
,paul's life1 when the ,epistles to the 
,colossians and ,philemon show him as   
again the companion of ,paul in his     
captivity4 ,he seems to have left him in
 ,rome1 to have gone to ,asia ,minor for
 a space1 to have returned to the       
,apostle during his last imprisonment   
and immediately prior to his death1 and 
then to have attached himself to the    
,apostle ,peter1 and under his direction
 and instruction to have written his    
,gospel4  ,now these are the bones of   
his story2 can we put flesh and blood   
upon them3 and can we get any lessons   
out of them8 ,i think we may2 at any    

rate ,i am going to try4  ,i4 ,consider 
then1 first1 his--what shall ,i call it8
 well1 if ,i may use the word which     
,paul himself designates it by1 in its  
correct signification1 we may call it   
his--apostasy4  ,it was not a departure 
from ,christ1 but it was a departure    
from very plain duty4 ,and if you will  
notice the point of time at which ,mark 
threw up the work that was laid upon    
him1 you will see the reason for his    
doing so4 ,the first place to which the 
bold evangelists went was ,cyprus4      
,barnabas was a native of ,cyprus1 which
 was perhaps the reason for selecting it
 as the place in which to begin the     
mission4 ,for the same reason1 because  
it was the native place of his relative1
 it would be very easy work for ,john   
,mark as long as they stopped in        
,cyprus1 among his friends1 with people 
that knew him1 and with whom no doubt he
 was familiar4 ,but as soon as they     
crossed the strait that separated the   
island from the mainland1 and set foot  

upon the soil of ,asia ,minor1 so soon  
he turned tail2 like some recruit that  
goes into battle1 full of fervour1 but  
as soon as the bullets begin to 'ping'  
makes the best of his way to the rear4  
,he was quite ready for missionary work 
as long as it was easy work2 quite ready
 to do it as long as he was moving upon 
known ground and there was no great call
 upon his heroism1 or his               
self-sacrifice2 he does not wait to test
 the difficulties1 but is frightened by 
the imagination of them1 does not throw 
himself into the work and see how he    
gets on with it1 but before he has gone 
a mile into the land1 or made any real  
experience of the perils and hardships1 
has had quite enough of it1 and goes    
away back to his mother in ,jerusalem4  
,yes1 and we find exactly the same thing
 in all kinds of strenuous life4 ,many  
begin to run1 but one after another1 as 
'lap' after 'lap' of the racecourse is  
got over1 has had enough of it1 and     
drops on one side2 a hundred started1   

and at the end the field is reduced to  
three or four4 ,all you men that have   
grey hairs on your heads can remember   
many of your companions that set out in 
the course with you1 'did run well' for 
a little while3 what has become of them8
 ,this thing hindered one1 the other    
thing hindered another2 the swiftly     
formed resolution died down as fast as  
it blazed up2 and there are perhaps some
 three or four that1 'by patient        
continuance in well-doing1' have been   
tolerably faithful to their juvenile    
ideal2 and to use the homely word of the
 homely ,abraham ,lincoln1 kept 'pegging
 away' at what they knew to be the task 
that was laid upon them4  ,this is very 
'threadbare' morality1 very very        
familiar and old-fashioned teaching2 but
 ,i am accustomed to believe that no    
teaching is threadbare until it is      
practised2 and that however well-worn   
the platitudes may be1 you and ,i want  
them once again unless we have obeyed   
them1 and done all which they enjoin4   

,and so in regard to every career which 
has in it anything of honour and of     
effort1 let ,john ,mark teach us the    
lesson not swiftly to begin and         
inconsiderately to venture upon a       
course1 but once begun to let nothing   
discourage1 'nor bate one jot of heart  
or hope1 but still bear up and steer    
right onward4'  ,and still further and  
more solemnly still1 how like this story
 is to the experience of hundreds and   
thousands of young ,christians6 ,any man
 who has held such an office as ,i hold1
 for as many years as ,i have filled it1
 will have his memory full--and1 may ,i 
say1 his eyes not empty--of men and     
women who began like this man1 earnest1 
fervid1 full of zeal1 and who1 like him1
 have slackened in their work2 who were 
,sunday-school teachers1 workers amongst
 the poor1 ,i know not what1 when they  
were young men and women1 and who now   
are idle and unprofitable servants4     
,some of you1 dear brethren1 need the   
word of exhortation and earnest         

beseeching to contrast the sluggishness1
 the indolence of your present1 with the
 brightness and the fervour of your     
past4 ,and ,i beseech you1 do not let   
your ,christian life be like that snow  
that is on the ground about us          
to-day--when it first lights upon the   
earth1 radiant and white1 but day by day
 gets more covered with a veil of sooty 
blackness until it becomes dark and     
foul4  ,many of us have to acknowledge  
that the fervour of early days has died 
down into coldness4 ,the river that     
leapt from its source rejoicing1 and    
bickered amongst the hills in such swift
 and musical descent1 creeps sluggish   
and almost stagnant amongst the flats of
 later life1 or has been lost and       
swallowed up altogether in the thirsty  
and encroaching sands of a barren       
worldliness4 ,oh6 my friends1 let us all
 ponder this lesson1 and see to it that 
no repetition of the apostasy of this   
man darken our ,christian lives and     
sadden our ,christian conscience4  ,,ii4

 ,and now let me ask you to look next1  
in the development of this little piece 
of biography1 to ,mark's eclipse4  ,paul
 and ,barnabas differed about how to    
treat the renegade4 ,which of them was  
right8 ,would it have been better to    
have put him back in his old post1 and  
given him another chance1 and said      
nothing about the failure2 or was it    
better to do what the sterner wisdom of 
,paul did1 and declare that a man who   
had once so forgotten himself and       
abandoned his work was not the man to   
put in the same place again8 ,barnabas' 
highest quality1 as far as we know1 was 
a certain kind of broad generosity and  
rejoicing to discern good in all men4   
,he was a 'son of consolation'2 the     
gentle kindness of his natural          
disposition1 added to the ties of       
relationship1 influenced him in his wish
 regarding his cousin ,mark4 ,he made a 
mistake4 ,it would have been the        
cruellest thing that could have been    
done to his relative to have put him    

back again without acknowledgment1      
without repentance1 without his riding  
quarantine for a bit1 and holding his   
tongue for a while4 ,he would not then  
have known his fault as he ought to have
 known it1 and so there would never have
 been the chance of his conquering it4  
,the ,church manifestly sympathised with
 ,paul1 and thought that he took the    
right view2 for the contrast is very    
significant between the unsympathising  
silence which the narrative records as  
attending the departure of ,barnabas and
 ,mark--',barnabas took ,mark1 and      
sailed away to ,cyprus'--and the        
emphasis with which it tells us that the
 other partner in the dispute1 ,paul1   
'took ,silas and departed1 being        
recommended by the brethren to the grace
 of ,god4'  ,the people at ,antioch had 
no doubt who was right1 and ,i think    
they were right in so deciding4 ,so let 
us learn that ,god treats ,his renegades
 as ,paul treated ,mark1 and not as     
,barnabas would have treated him1 ,he is

 ready1 even infinitely ready1 to       
forgive and to restore1 but desires to  
see the consciousness of the sin first1 
and desires1 before large tasks are     
re-committed to hands that once have    
dropped them1 to have some kind of      
evidence that the hands have grown      
stronger and the heart purified from its
 cowardice and its selfishness4         
,forgiveness does not mean impunity4    
,the infinite mercy of ,god is not mere 
weak indulgence which so deals with a   
man's failures and sins as to convey the
 impression that these are of no moment 
whatsoever4 ,and ,paul's severity which 
said3 ',no1 such work is not fit for    
such hands until the heart has been     
broken and healed1' is of a piece with  
,god's severity which is love4 ',thou   
wast a ,god that forgavest them1 though 
,thou tookest vengeance of their        
inventions4' ,let us learn the          
difference between a weak charity which 
loves too foolishly1 and therefore too  
selfishly1 to let a man inherit the     

fruit of his doings1 and the large mercy
 which knows how to take the bitterness 
out of the chastisement1 and yet knows  
how to chastise4  ,and still further1   
this which ,i have called ,mark's       
eclipse may teach us another lesson1    
viz41 that the punishment for shirking  
work is to be denied work1 just as the  
converse is true1 that in ,god's        
administration of the world and of ,his 
,church1 the reward for faithful work is
 to get more to do1 and the filling a   
narrower sphere is the sure way to have 
a wider sphere to fill4 ,so if a man    
abandons plain duties1 then he will get 
no work to do4 ,and that is why so many 
,christian men and women are idle in    
this world2 and stand in the            
market-place1 saying1 with a certain    
degree of truth1 ',no man hath hired    
us4' ,no2 because so often in the past  
tasks have been presented to you1 forced
 upon you1 almost pressed into your     
unwilling hands1 that you have refused  
to take2 and you are not going to get   

any more4 ,you have been asked to       
work1--,i speak now to professing       
,christians--duties have been pressed   
upon you1 fields of service have opened 
plainly before you1 and you have not had
 the heart to go into them4 ,and so you 
stand idle all the day now1 and the work
 goes to other people that will do it4  
,thus ,god honours them1 and passes you 
by4  ,mark sails away to ,cyprus1 he    
does not go back to ,jerusalem2 he and  
,barnabas try to get up some little     
schismatic sort of mission of their own4
 ,nothing comes of it2 nothing ought to 
have come of it4 ,he drops out of the   
story2 he has no share in the joyful    
conflicts and sacrifices and successes  
of the ,apostle4 ,when he heard how     
,paul1 by ,god's help1 was flaming like 
a meteor from ,east to ,west1 do you not
 think he wished that he had not been   
such a coward8 ,when the ,lord was      
opening doors1 and he saw how the work  
was prospering in the hands of ancient  
companions1 and ,silas filled the place 

that he might have filled1 if he had    
been faithful to ,god1 do you not think 
the bitter thought occupied his mind1 of
 how he had flung away what never could 
come back to him now8 ,the punishment of
 indolence is absolute idleness4  ,so1  
my friends1 let us learn this lesson1   
that the largest reward that ,god can   
give to him that has been faithful in a 
few things1 is to give him many things  
to be faithful over4 ,beware1 all of you
 professing ,christians1 lest to you    
should come the fate of the slothful    
servant with his one burled talent1 to  
whom the punishment of burying it unused
 was to lose it altogether2 according to
 that solemn word which was fulfilled in
 the temporal sphere in this story on   
which ,i am commenting3 ',to him that   
hath shall be given1 and from him that  
hath not1 even that he hath shall be    
taken away4'  ,,iii4 ,again consider the
 process of recovery4  ,concerning it we
 read nothing indeed in ,scripture2 but 
concerning it we know enough to be able 

at least to determine what its outline  
must have been4 ,the silent and obscure 
years of compulsory inactivity had their
 fruit1 no doubt4 ,there is only one    
road1 with well-marked stages1 by which 
a backsliding or apostate ,christian can
 return to his ,master4 ,and that road  
has three halting-places upon it1       
through which the heart must pass if it 
have wandered from its early faith1 and 
falsified its first professions4 ,the   
first of them is the consciousness of   
the fall1 the second is the resort to   
the ,master for forgiveness2 and the    
last is the deepened consecration to    
,him4  ,the patriarch ,abraham1 in a    
momentary lapse from faith to sense1    
thought himself compelled to leave the  
land to which ,god had sent him1 because
 a famine threatened2 and when he came  
back from ,egypt1 as the narrative tells
 us with deep significance1 he went to  
the 'place where he had pitched his tent
 at the beginning2 to the altar which   
lie had reared at the first4' ,yes1 my  

friends1 we must begin over again1 tread
 all the old path1 enter by the old     
wicket-gate1 once more take the place of
 the penitent1 once more make           
acquaintance with the pardoning ,christ1
 once more devote ourselves in renewed  
consecration to ,his service4 ,no man   
that wanders into the wilderness but    
comes back by the ,king's highway1 if he
 comes back at all4  ,,iv4 ,and so      
lastly1 notice the reinstatement of the 
penitent renegade4  ,if you turn at your
 leisure to the remaining notices of    
,john ,mark in ,scripture1 you will     
find1 in two of ,paul's ,epistles of the
 captivity1 viz41 those to the          
,colossians and ,philemon1 references to
 him2 and these references are of a very
 interesting and beautiful nature4 ,paul
 says that in ,rome ,mark was one of the
 four born ,jews who had been a cordial 
and a comfort to him in his             
imprisonment4 ,he commends him1 in the  
view of a probable journey1 to the      
loving reception of the church at       

,colosse1 as if they knew something     
derogatory to his character1 the        
impression of which the ,apostle desired
 to remove4 ,he sends to ,philemon the  
greetings of the repentant renegade in  
strange juxtaposition with the greetings
 of two other men1 one who was an       
apostate at the end of his career       
instead of at the beginning1 and of whom
 we do not read that he ever came back1 
and one who all his life long is the    
type of a faithful friend and companion1
 ',mark1 ,demas1 ,luke' are bracketed as
 greeting ,philemon2 the first a runaway
 that came back1 the second a fugitive  
who1 so far as we know1 never returned1 
and the last the faithful friend        
throughout4  ,and then in ,paul's final 
,epistle1 and in almost the last words  
of it1 we read his request to ,timothy4 
',take ,mark1 and bring him with thee1  
for he is profitable to me for the      
ministry4' ,the first notice of him was3
 ',they had ,john to their minister'2   
the last word about him is3 'he is      

profitable for the ministry4' ,the      
,greek words in the original are not    
identical1 but their meaning is         
substantially the same4 ,so             
notwithstanding the failure1            
notwithstanding the wise refusal of     
,paul years before to have anything more
 to do with him1 he is now reinstated in
 his old office1 and the aged ,apostle1 
before he dies1 would like to have the  
comfort of his presence once more at his
 side4 ,is not the lesson out of that1  
this eternal ,gospel that even early    
failures1 recognised and repented of1   
may make a man better fitted for the    
tasks from which once he fled8 ,just as 
they tell us--,i do not know whether it 
is true or not1 it will do for an       
illustration--just as they tell us that 
a broken bone renewed is stronger at the
 point of fracture than it ever was     
before1 so the very sin that we commit1 
when once we know it for a sin1 and have
 brought it to ,christ for forgiveness1 
may minister to our future efficiency   

and strength4 ,the ,israelites fought   
twice upon one battlefield4 ,on the     
first occasion they were shamefully     
defeated2 on the second1 on the same    
ground1 and against the same enemies1   
they victoriously emerged from the      
conflict1 and reared the stone which    
said1 ',ebenezer6' ',hitherto the ,lord 
hath helped us4'  ,and so the           
temptations which have been sorest may  
be overcome1 the sins into which we most
 naturally fall we may put our foot     
upon2 the past is no specimen of what   
the future may be4 ,the page that is yet
 to be written need have none of the    
blots of the page that we have turned   
over shining through it4 ,sin which we  
have learned to know for sin and to     
hate1 teaches us humility1 dependence1  
shows us where our weak places are4 ,sin
 which is forgiven knits us to ,christ  
with deeper and more fervid love1 and   
results in a larger consecration4 ,think
 of the two ends of this man's          
life--flying like a frightened hare from

 the very first suspicion of danger or  
of difficulty1 sulking in his solitude1 
apart from all the joyful stir of       
consecration and of service2 and at last
 made an evangelist to proclaim to the  
whole world the story of the ,gospel of 
the ,servant4 ,god works with broken    
reeds1 and through them breathes ,his   
sweetest music4  ,so1 dear brethren1    
',take with you words1 and return unto  
the ,lord2 say unto ,him1 ,take away all
 iniquity1 and receive us graciously1'  
and the answer will surely be3--',i will
 heal their backsliding2 ,i will love   
them freely2 ,i will be as the dew unto 
,israel4'    ,,the ,,first ,,preaching  
,,in ,,asia ,,minor  ',men and brethren1
 children of the stock of ,abraham1 and 
whosoever among you feareth ,god1 to you
 is the word of this salvation sent4    
#bg4 ,for they that dwell at ,jerusalem1
 and their rulers1 because they knew    
,him not1 nor yet the voices of the     
prophets which are read every ,sabbath  
day1 they have fulfilled them in        

condemning ,him4 #bh4 ,and though they  
found no cause of death in ,him1 yet    
desired they ,pilate that he should be  
slain4 #bi4 ,and when they had fulfilled
 all that was written of ,him1 they took
 ,him down from the tree1 and laid ,him 
in a sepulchre4 #cj4 ,but ,god raised   
,him from the dead3 #ca4 ,and ,he was   
seen many days of them which came up    
with ,him from ,galilee to ,jerusalem1  
who are ,his witnesses unto the people4 
#cb4 ,and we declare unto you glad      
tidings1 how that the promise which was 
made unto the fathers1 #cc4 ,god hath   
fulfilled the same unto us their        
children1 in that ,he hath raised up    
,jesus again2 as it is also written in  
the second psalm4 ,thou art my ,son1    
this day have ,i begotten ,thee4 #cd4   
,and as concerning that ,he raised ,him 
up from the dead1 now no more to return 
to corruption1 ,he said on this wise1 ,i
 will give you the sure mercies of      
,david4 #ce4 ,wherefore ,he saith also  
in another psalm1 ,thou shalt not suffer

 thine ,holy ,one to see corruption4    
#cf4 ,for ,david1 after he had served   
his own generation by the will of ,god1 
fell on sleep1 and was laid unto his    
fathers1 and saw corruption3 #cg4 ,but  
,he1 whom ,god raised again1 saw no     
corruption4 #ch4 ,be it known unto you  
therefore1 men and brethren1 that       
through this ,man is preached unto you  
the forgiveness of sins3 #ci4 ,and by   
,him all that believe are justified from
 all things1 from which ye could not be 
justified by the law of ,moses4'--,,acts
 xiii4 #bf-ci4  ,the extended report of 
,paul's sermon in the synagogue at      
,antioch of ,pisidia marks it1 in       
accordance with ,luke's method1 as the  
first of a series4 ,it was so because1  
though the composition of the audience  
was identical with that of those in the 
synagogues of ,cyprus1 this was the     
beginning of the special work of the    
tour1 the preaching in the cities of    
,asia ,minor4 ,the part of the address  
contained in the passage falls into     

three sections1--the condensed narrative
 of the ,gospel facts 7vs4 #bf-ca71 the 
proof that the resurrection was         
prophesied 7vs4 #cb-cg71 and the pungent
 personal application 7v4 #ch to end74  
,i4 ,the substance of the narrative     
coincides1 as it could not but do1 with 
,peter's sermons1 but yet with          
differences1 partly due to the different
 audience1 partly to ,paul's            
idiosyncrasy4 ,after the preceding      
historical resume1 he girds himself to  
his proper work of proclaiming the      
,gospel1 and he marks the transition in 
verse #bf by reiterating his            
introductory words4  ,his audience      
comprised the two familiar classes of   
,jews and ,gentile proselytes1 and he   
seeks to win the ears of both4 ,his     
heart goes out in his address to them   
all as 'brethren1' and in his classing  
himself and ,barnabas among them as     
receivers of the message which he has to
 proclaim4 ,what skill1 if it were not  
something much more sacred1 even        

humility and warm love1 lies in that 'to
 us is the word of this salvation sent'6
 ,he will not stand above them as if he 
had any other possession of his message 
than they might have4 ,he1 too1 has     
received it1 and what he is about to say
 is not his word1 but ,god's message to 
them and him4 ,that is the way to       
preach4  ,notice1 too1 how skilfully he 
introduces the narrative of the         
rejection of ,jesus as the reason why   
the message has now come to them his    
hearers away in ,antioch4 ,it is 'sent  
forth' 'to us1' ,asiatic ,jews1 for the 
people in the sacred city would not have
 it4 ,paul does not prick his hearers'  
consciences1 as ,peter did1 by charging 
home the guilt of the rejection of      
,jesus on them4 ,they had no share in   
that initial crime4 ,there is a faint   
purpose of dissociating himself and his 
hearers from the people of ,jerusalem1  
to whom the ,dispersion were accustomed 
to look up1 in the designation1 'they   
that dwell in ,jerusalem1 and their     

rulers4' ,thus far the ,antioch ,jews   
had had hands clean from that crime2    
they had now to choose whether they     
would mix themselves up with it4  ,we   
may further note that ,paul says nothing
 about ,christ's life of gentle         
goodness1 ,his miracles or teaching1 but
 concentrates attention on ,his death   
and resurrection4 ,from the beginning of
 his ministry these were the main       
elements of his ',gospel' 7#a ,cor4 xv4 
#c1 #d74 ,the full significance of that 
death is not declared here4 ,probably it
 was reserved for subsequent            
instruction4 ,but it and the            
,resurrection1 which interpreted it1 are
 set in the forefront1 as they should   
always be4 ,the main point insisted on  
is that the men of ,jerusalem were      
fulfilling prophecy in slaying ,jesus4  
,with tragic deafness1 they knew not the
 voices of the prophets1 clear and      
unanimous as they were1 though they     
heard them every ,sabbath of their      
lives1 and yet they fulfilled them4 ,a  

prophet's words had just been read in   
the synagogue2 ,paul's words might set  
some hearer asking whether a veil had   
been over his heart while his ears had  
heard the sound of the word4  ,the      
,resurrection is established by the only
 evidence for a historical fact1 the    
testimony of competent eyewitnesses4    
,their competence is established by     
their familiar companionship with ,jesus
 during ,his whole career2 their        
opportunities for testing the reality of
 the fact1 by the 'many days' of ,his   
appearances4  ,paul does not put forward
 his own testimony to the ,resurrection1
 though we know1 from #a ,corinthians   
xv4 #h1 that he regarded ,christ's      
appearance to him as being equally valid
 evidence with that afforded by the     
other appearances2 but he distinguishes 
between the work of the ,apostles1 as   
'witnesses unto the people'--that is1   
the ,jews of ,palestine--and that of    
,barnabas and himself4 ,they had to bear
 the message to the regions beyond4 ,the

 ,apostles and he had the same work1 but
 different spheres4  ,,ii4 ,the second  
part turns with more personal address to
 his hearers4 ,its purport is not so    
much to preach the ,resurrection1 which 
could only be proved by testimony1 as to
 establish the fact that it was the     
fulfilment of the promises to the       
fathers4 ,note how the idea of fulfilled
 prophecy runs in ,paul's head4 ,the    
,jews had fulfilled it by their crime2  
,god fulfilled it by the ,resurrection4 
,this reiteration of a key-word is a    
mark of ,paul's style in his ,epistles1 
and its appearance here attests the     
accuracy of the report of his speech4   
,the second ,psalm1 from which ,paul's  
first quotation is made1 is prophetic of
 ,christ1 inasmuch as it represents in  
vivid lyrical language the vain         
rebellion of earthly rulers against     
,messiah1 and ,jehovah's establishing   
,him and ,his kingdom by a steadfast    
decree4 ,peter quoted its picture of the
 rebels1 as fulfilled in the coalition  

of ,herod1 ,pilate1 and the ,jewish     
rulers against ,christ4 ,the ,messianic 
reference of the ,psalm1 then1 was      
already seen2 and we may not be going   
too far if we assume that ,jesus        
,himself had included it among things   
written in the ,psalms 'concerning      
,himself1' which ,he had explained to   
the disciples after the ,resurrection4  
,it depicts ,jehovah speaking to        
,messiah1 after the futile attempts of  
the rebels3 ',this day have ,i begotten 
,thee4' ,that day is a definite point in
 time4 ,the ,resurrection was a birth   
from the dead2 so ,paul1 in ,colossians 
i4 #ah1 calls ,jesus 'the first begotten
 from the dead4' ,romans i4             
#d1';declared to be the ,son of ,god 444
 by the resurrection from the dead1' is 
the best commentary on ,paul's words    
here4  ,the second and third quotations 
must apparently be combined1 for the    
second does not specifically refer to   
resurrection1 but it promises to 'you1' 
that is to those who obey the call to   

partake in the ,messianic blessings1 a  
share in the 'sure' and enduring        
'mercies of ,david'2 and the third      
quotation shows that not 'to see        
corruption' was one of these 'mercies4' 
,that implies that the speaker in the   
,psalm was1 in ,paul's view1 ,david1 and
 that his words were his believing      
answer to a divine promise4 ,but ,david 
was dead4 ,had the 'sure mercy' proved1 
then1 a broken reed8 ,not so3 for       
,jesus1 who is ,messiah1 and is ,god's  
',holy ,one' in a deeper sense than     
,david was1 has not seen corruption4    
,the ,psalmist's hopes are fulfilled in 
,him1 and through ,him1 in all who will 
'eat' that their 'souls may live1'      
,,iii4 ,but ,paul's yearning for his    
brethren's salvation is not content with
 proclaiming the fact of ,christ's      
resurrection1 nor with pointing to it as
 fulfilling prophecy2 he gathers all up 
into a loving1 urgent offer of salvation
 for every believing soul1 and solemn   
warning to despisers4 ,here the whole   

man flames out4 ,here the characteristic
 evangelical teaching1 which is         
sometimes ticketed as ',pauline' by way 
of stigma1 is heard4 ,already had he    
grasped the great antithesis between    
,law and ,gospel4 ,already his great    
word 'justified' has taken its place in 
his terminology4 ,the essence of the    
,epistles to ,romans and ,galatians is  
here4 ,justification is the being       
pronounced and treated as not guilty4   
,law cannot justify4 ',in ,him' we are  
justified4 ,observe that this is an     
advance on the previous statement that  
'through ,him' we receive remission of  
sins4  ',in ,him' points1 thought but   
incidentally and slightly1 to the great 
truth of incorporation with ,jesus1 of  
which ,paul had afterwards so much to   
write4 ,the justifying in ,christ is    
complete and absolute4 ,and the sole    
sufficient condition of receiving it is 
faith4 ,but the greater the glory of the
 light the darker the shadow which it   
casts4 ,the broad offer of complete     

salvation has ever to be accompanied    
with the plain warning of the dread     
issue of rejecting it4 ,just because it 
is so free and full1 and to be had on   
such terms1 the warning has to be rung  
into deaf ears1 ',beware therefore6'    
,hope and fear are legitimately appealed
 to by the ,christian evangelist4 ,they 
are like the two wings which may lift   
the soul to soar to its safe shelter in 
the ,rock of ,ages4    ,,luther--,a     
,,stone ,,on ,,the ,,cairn  ',for       
,david1 after he had served his own     
generation by the will of ,god1 fell on 
sleep1 and was laid unto his fathers1   
and saw corruption3 #cg4 ,but ,he1 whom 
,god raised again1 saw no               
corruption4'--,,acts xiii4 #cf1 #cg4  ,i
 take these words as a motto rather than
 as a text4 ,you will have anticipated  
the use which ,i purpose to make of them
 in connection with the ,luther         
,commemoration4 ,they set before us1 in 
clear sharp contrast1 the distinction   
between the limited1 transient work of  

the servants and the unbounded1 eternal 
influence of the ,master4 ,the former   
are servants1 and that but for a time2  
they do their work1 they are laid in the
 grave1 and as their bodies resolve into
 their elements1 so their influence1    
their teaching1 the institutions which  
they may have founded1 disintegrate and 
decay4 ,he lives4 ,his relation to the  
world is not as theirs2 ,he is 'not for 
an age1 but for all time4' ,death is not
 the end of ,his work4 ,his ,cross is   
the eternal foundation of the world's   
hope4 ,his life is the ultimate1 perfect
 revelation of the divine ,nature which 
can never be surpassed1 or fathomed1 or 
antiquated4 ,therefore the last thought1
 in all commemorations of departed      
teachers and guides1 should be of ,him  
who gave them all the force that they   
had2 and the final word should be3      
',they were not suffered to continue by 
reason of death1 this ,man continueth   
ever4'  ,in the same spirit then as the 
words of my text1 and taking them as    

giving me little more than a            
starting-point and a framework1 ,i draw 
from them some thoughts appropriate to  
the occasion4  ,i4 ,first1 we have to   
think about the limited and transient   
work of this great servant of ,god4     
,the miner's son1 who was born in that  
little ,saxon village four hundred years
 ago1 presents at first sight a         
character singularly unlike the         
traditional type of mediaeval ,church   
fathers and saints4 ,their ascetic      
habits1 and the repressive system under 
which they were trained1 withdraw them  
from our sympathy2 but this sturdy      
peasant1 with his full-blooded humanity1
 unmistakably a man1 and a man all      
round1 is a new type1 and looks         
strangely out of place amongst doctors  
and mediaeval saints4  ,his character1  
though not complex1 is many-sided and in
 some respects contradictory4 ,the face 
and figure that look out upon us from   
the best portraits of ,luther tell us a 
great deal about the man4 ,strong1      

massive1 not at all elegant2 he stands  
there1 firm and resolute1 on his own    
legs1 grasping a ,bible in a muscular   
hand4 ,there is plenty of animalism--a  
source of power as well as of           
weakness--in the thick neck2 an iron    
will in the square chin2 eloquence on   
the full1 loose lips2 a mystic1 dreamy  
tenderness and sadness in the steadfast 
eyes--altogether a true king and a      
leader of men6  ,the first things that  
strike one in the character are the iron
 will that would not waver1 the         
indomitable courage that knew no fear1  
the splendid audacity that1             
single-handed1 sprang into the arena for
 a contest to the death with ,pope1     
,emperors1 superstitions1 and devils2   
the insight that saw the things that    
were 'hid from the wise and prudent1'   
and the answering sincerity that would  
not hide what he saw1 nor say that he   
saw what he did not4  ,but there was a  
great deal more than that in the man4   
,he was no mere brave revolutionary1 he 

was a cultured scholar1 abreast of all  
the learning of his age1 capable of     
logic-chopping and scholastic           
disputation on occasion1 and but too    
often the victim of his own over-subtle 
refinements4 ,he was a poet1 with a     
poet's dreaminess and waywardness1      
fierce alternations of light and shade1 
sorrow and joy4 ,all living things      
whispered and spoke to him1 and he      
walked in communion with them all4      
,little children gathered round his     
feet1 and he had a big heart of love for
 all the weary and the sorrowful4       
,everybody knows how he could write and 
speak4 ,he made the ,german language1 as
 we may say1 lifting it up from a       
dialect of boors to become the rich1    
flexible1 cultured speech that it is4   
,and his ,bible1 his single-handed work1
 is one of the colossal achievements of 
man2 like ,stonehenge or the ,pyramids4 
',his words were half-battles1' 'they   
were living creatures that had hands and
 feet'2 his speech1 direct1 strong1     

homely1 ready to borrow words from the  
kitchen or the gutter1 is unmatched for 
popular eloquence and impression4 ,there
 was music in the man4 ,his flute       
solaced his lonely hours in his home at 
,wittemberg2 and the ,marseillaise of   
the ,reformation1 as that grand hymn of 
his has been called1 came1 words and    
music1 from his heart4 ,there was humour
 in him1 coarse horseplay often2 an     
honest1 hearty1 broad laugh frequently1 
like that of a ,norse god4 ,there were  
coarse tastes in him1 tastes of the     
peasant folk from whom he came1 which   
clung to him through life1 and kept him 
in sympathy with the common people1 and 
intelligible to them4 ,and withal there 
was a constitutional melancholy1        
aggravated by his weary toils1 perilous 
fightings1 and fierce throes1 which led 
him down often into the deep mire where 
there was no standing2 and which sighs  
through all his life4 ,the penitential  
,psalms and ,paul's wail3 ',o wretched  
man that ,i am1' perhaps never woke more

 plaintive echo in any human heart than 
they did in ,martin ,luther's4  ,faults 
he had1 gross and plain as the heroic   
mould in which he was cast4 ,he was     
vehement and fierce often2 he was coarse
 and violent often4 ,he saw what he did 
see so clearly1 that he was slow to     
believe that there was anything that he 
did not see4 ,he was oblivious of       
counterbalancing considerations1 and    
given to exaggerated1 incautious1       
unguarded statements of precious truths4
 ,he too often aspired to be a driver   
rather than a leader of men2 and his    
strength of will became obstinacy and   
tyranny4 ,it was too often true that he 
had dethroned the pope of ,rome to set  
up a pope at ,wittemberg4 ,and foul     
personalities came from his lips1       
according to the bad controversial      
fashion of his day1 which permitted a   
licence to scholars that we now forbid  
to fishwives4  ,all that has to be      
admitted2 and when it is all admitted1  
what then8 ,this is a fastidious        

generation2 ,erasmus is its heroic type 
a great deal more than ,luther--,i mean 
among the cultivated classes of our     
day--and that very largely because in   
,erasmus there is no quick sensibility  
to religious emotion as there is in     
,luther1 and no inconvenient fervour4   
,the faults are there--coarse1 plain1   
palpable--and perhaps more than enough  
has been made of them4 ,let us remember1
 as to his violence1 that he was        
following the fashion of the day2 that  
he was fighting for his life2 that when 
a man is at death-grips with a tiger he 
may be pardoned if he strikes without   
considering whether he is going to spoil
 the skin or not2 and that on the whole 
you cannot throttle snakes in a graceful
 attitude4 ,men fought then with        
bludgeons2 they fight now with dainty   
polished daggers1 dipped in cold1       
colourless poison of sarcasm4 ,perhaps  
there was less malice in the rougher old
 way than in the new4  ,the faults are  
there1 and nobody who is not a fool     

would think of painting that homely     
,saxon peasant-monk's face without the  
warts and the wrinkles4 ,but it is quite
 as unhistorical1 and a great deal more 
wicked1 to paint nothing but the warts  
and wrinkles2 to rake all the faults    
together and make the most of them2 and 
present them in answer to the question3 
',what sort of a man was ,martin        
,luther8'  ,as to the work that he did1 
like the work of all of us1 it had its  
limitations1 and it will have its end4  
,the impulse that he communicated1 like 
all impulses that are given from men1   
will wear out its force4 ,new questions 
will arise of which the dead leaders    
never dreamed1 and in which they can    
give no counsel4 ,the perspective of    
theological thought will alter1 the     
centre of interest will change1 a new   
dialect will begin to be spoken4 ,so it 
comes to pass that all religious        
teachers and thinkers are left behind1  
and that their words are preserved and  
read rather for their antiquarian and   

historical interest than because of any 
impulse or direction for the present    
which may linger in them2 and if they   
founded institutions1 these too1 in     
their time1 will crumble and disappear4 
,but ,i do not mean to say that the     
truths which ,luther rescued from the   
dust of centuries1 and impressed upon   
the conscience of ,teutonic ,europe1 are
 getting antiquated4 ,i only mean that  
his connection with them and his way of 
putting them1 had its limitations and   
will have its end3 ',this man1 having   
served his own generation by the will of
 ,god1 was gathered to his fathers1 and 
saw corruption4'  ,what were the truths1
 what was his contribution to the       
illumination of ,europe1 and to the     
,church8 ,three great principles--which 
perhaps closer analysis might reduce to 
one2 but which for popular use1 on such 
an occasion as the present1 had better  
be kept apart--will state his service to
 the world4  ,there were three men in   
the past who1 as it seems to me1 reach  

out their hands to one another across   
the centuries--,paul1 ,st4 ,augustine1  
and ,martin ,luther1 ,the three very    
like each other1 all three of them      
joining the same subtle speculative     
power with the same capacity of         
religious fervour1 and of flaming up at 
the contemplation of divine truth2 all  
of them gifted with the same exuberant1 
and to fastidious eyes1 incorrect       
eloquence2 all three trained in a school
 of religious thought of which each     
respectively was destined to be the     
antagonist and all but the destroyer4   
,the young ,pharisee1 on the road to    
,damascus1 blinded1 bewildered1 with all
 that vision flaming upon him1 sees in  
its light his past1 which he thought had
 been so pure1 and holy1 and            
,god-serving1 and amazedly discovers    
that it had been all a sin and a crime1 
and a persecution of the divine ,one4   
,beaten from every refuge1 and lying    
there1 he cries3 ',what wouldst ,thou   
have me to do1 ,lord8'  ,the young      

,manichean and profligate in the fourth 
century1 and the young monk in his      
convent in the fifteenth1 passed through
 a similar experience2--different in    
form1 identical in substance--with that 
of ,paul the persecutor4 ,and so ,paul's
 ,gospel1 which was the description and 
explanation1 the rationale1 of his own  
experience1 became their ,gospel2 and   
when ,paul said3 ',not by works of      
righteousness which our own hands have  
done1 but by ,his mercy ,he saved us'   
7,titus iii4 #e71 the great voice from  
the ,north ,african shore1 in the midst 
of the agonies of barbarian invasions   
and a falling ,rome1 said ',amen4 ,man  
lives by faith1' and the voice from the 
,wittemberg convent1 a thousand years   
after1 amidst the unspeakable corruption
 of that phosphorescent and decaying    
,renaissance1 answered across the       
centuries1 ',it is true6' ',herein is   
the righteousness of ,god revealed from 
faith to faith4' ,luther's word to the  
world was ,augustine's word to the      

world2 and ,luther and ,augustine were  
the echoes of ,saul of ,tarsus--and     
,paul learned his theology on the       
,damascus road1 when the voice bade him 
go and proclaim 'forgiveness of sins1   
and inheritance among them which are    
sanctified by faith that is in ,me'     
7,acts xxvi4 #ah74 ,that is ,luther's   
first claim on our gratitude1 that he   
took this truth from the shelves where  
it had reposed1 dust-covered1 through   
centuries1 that he lifted this truth    
from the bier where it had lain1        
smothered with sacerdotal garments1 and 
called with a loud voice1 ',i say unto  
thee1 arise6' and that now the          
commonplace of ,christianity is this3   
,all men are sinful men1 justice        
condemns us all1 our only hope is ,god's
 infinite mercy1 that mercy comes to us 
all in ,jesus ,christ that died for us1 
and he that gets that into his heart by 
simple faith1 he is forgiven1 pure1 and 
he is an heir of ,heaven4  ,there are   
other aspects of ,christian truth which 

,luther failed to apprehend4 ,the       
,gospel is1 of course1 not merely a way 
of reconciliation and forgiveness4 ,he  
pushed his teaching of the uselessness  
of good works as a means of salvation   
too far4 ,he said rash and exaggerated  
things in his vehement way about the    
'justifying power' of faith alone4      
,doubtless his language was often       
overstrained1 and his thoughts          
one-sided1 in regard to subjects that   
need very delicate handling and careful 
definition4 ,but after all this is      
admitted1 it remains true that his      
strong arm tossed aside the barriers and
 rubbish that had been piled across the 
way by which prodigals could go home to 
their ,father1 and made plain once more 
the endless mercy of ,god1 and the power
 of humble faith4 ,he was right when he 
declared that whatever heights and      
depths there may be in ,god's great     
revelation1 and however needful it is   
for a complete apprehension of the truth
 as it is in ,jesus that these should   

find their place in the creed of        
,christendom1 still the firmness with   
which that initial truth of man's       
sinfulness and his forgiveness and      
acceptance through simple faith in      
,christ is held1 and the clear          
earnestness with which it is proclaimed1
 are the test of a standing or a falling
 ,church4  ,and then closely connected  
with this central principle1 and yet    
susceptible of being stated separately1 
are the other two2 of neither of which  
do ,i think it necessary to say more    
than a word4 ,following on that great   
discovery--for it was a discovery--by   
the monk in his convent1 of             
justification by faith1 there comes the 
other principle of the entire sweeping  
away of all priesthood1 and the direct  
access to ,god of every individual      
,christian soul4 ,there are no more     
external rites to be done by a          
designated and separate class4 ,there is
 one sacrificing ,priest1 and one only1 
and that is ,jesus ,christ1 who has     

sacrificed ,himself for us all1 and     
there are no other priests1 except in   
the sense in which every ,christian man 
is a priest and minister of the most    
high ,god4 ,and no man comes between me 
and my ,father2 and no man has power to 
do anything for me which brings me any  
grace1 except in so far as mine own     
heart opens for the reception1 and mine 
own faith lays hold of the grace given4 
,luther did not carry that principle so 
far as some of us modern ,nonconformists
 carry it4 ,he left illogical fragments 
of sacramentarian and sacerdotal        
theories in his creed and in his        
,church4 ,but1 for all that1 we owe     
mainly to him the clear utterance of    
that thought1 the warm breath of which  
has thawed the ice chains which held    
,europe in barren bondage4              
,notwithstanding the present portentous 
revival of sacerdotalism1 and the       
strange turning again of portions of    
society to these beggarly elements of   
the past1 ,i believe that the figments  

of a sacrificing priesthood and         
sacramental efficacy will never again   
permanently darken the sky in this land1
 the home of the men who speak the      
tongue of ,milton1 and owe much of their
 religious and political freedom to the 
reformation of ,luther4  ,and the third 
point1 which is closely connected with  
these other two1 is this1 the           
declaration that every illuminated      
,christian soul has a right and is bound
 to study ,god's ,word without the      
,church at his elbow to teach him what  
to think about it4 ,it was ,luther's    
great achievement that1 whatever else he
 did1 he put the ,bible into the hands  
of the common people4 ,in that          
department and region1 his work perhaps 
bears more distinctly the traces of     
limitation and imperfection than        
anywhere else1 for he knew nothing--how 
could he8--of the difficult questions of
 this day in regard to the composition  
and authority of ,scripture1 nor had he 
thought out his own system or done full 

justice to his own principle4  ,he could
 be as inquisitorial and as dogmatic as 
any ,dominican of them all4 ,he believed
 in force2 he was as ready as all his   
fellows were to invoke the aid of the   
temporal power4 ,the idea of the        
,church1 as helped and sustained--which 
means fettered1 and weakened1 and       
paralysed--by the civic government1     
bewitched him as it did his fellows4 ,we
 needed to wait for ,george ,fox1 and   
,roger ,williams1 and more modern names 
still1 before we understood fully what  
was involved in the rejection of        
priesthood1 and the claim that ,god's   
,word should speak directly to each     
,christian soul4 ,but for all that1 we  
largely owe to ,luther the creed that   
looks in simple faith to ,christ1 a     
,church without a priest1 in which every
 man is a priest of the ,most           
,high1--the only true democracy that the
 world will ever see--and a ,church in  
which the open ,bible and the indwelling
 ,spirit are the guides of every humble 

soul within its pale4 ,these are his    
claims on our gratitude4  ,luther's work
 had its limitations and its            
imperfections1 as ,i have been saying to
 you4 ,it will become less and less     
conspicuous as the ages go on4 ,it      
cannot be otherwise4 ,that is the law of
 the world4 ,as a whole green forest of 
the carboniferous era is represented now
 in the rocks by a thin seam of coal1 no
 thicker than a sheet of paper1 so the  
stormy lives and the large works of the 
men that have gone before1 are          
compressed into a mere film and line1 in
 the great cliff that slowly rises above
 the sea of time and is called the      
history of the world4  ,,ii4 ,be it so2 
be it so6 ,let us turn to the other     
thought of our text1 the perpetual work 
of the abiding ,lord4  ',he whom ,god   
raised up saw no corruption4' ,it is a  
fact that there are thousands of men and
 women in the world to-day who have a   
feeling about that                      
nineteen-centuries-dead ,galilean       

carpenter's son that they have about no 
one else4 ,all the great names of       
antiquity are but ghosts and shadows1   
and all the names in the ,church and in 
the world1 of men whom we have not seen1
 are dim and ineffectual to us4 ,they   
may evoke our admiration1 our reverence1
 and our wonder1 but none of them can   
touch our hearts4 ,but here is this     
unique1 anomalous fact that men and     
women by the thousand love ,jesus       
,christ1 the dead ,one1 the unseen ,one1
 far away back there in the ages1 and   
feel that there is no mist of oblivion  
between them and ,him4  ,that is because
 ,he does for you and me what none of   
these other men can do4 ,luther preached
 about the ,cross2 ,christ died on it4  
',was ,paul crucified for you8' there is
 the secret of ,his undying hold upon   
the world4 ,the further secret lies in  
this1 that ,he is not a past force but a
 present one4 ,he is no exhausted power 
but a power mighty to-day2 working in   
us1 around us1 on us1 and for us--a     

living ,christ4 ',this ,man whom ,god   
raised up from the dead saw no          
corruption1' the others move away from  
us like figures in a fog1 dim as they   
pass into the mists1 having a blurred   
half-spectral outline for a moment1 and 
then gone4  ,christ's death has a       
present and a perpetual power4 ,he has  
'offered one sacrifice for sins for     
ever'2 and no time can diminish the     
efficacy of ,his ,cross1 nor our need of
 it1 nor the full tide of blessings     
which flow from it to the believing     
soul4 ,therefore do men cling to ,him   
today as if it was but yesterday that   
,he had died for them4 ,when all other  
names carved on the world's records have
 become unreadable1 like forgotten      
inscriptions on decaying grave-stones1  
,his shall endure for ever1 deep graven 
on the fleshly tables of the heart4 ,his
 revelation of ,god is the highest      
truth4 ,till the end of time men will   
turn to ,his life for their clearest    
knowledge and happiest certainty of     

their ,father in heaven4 ,there is      
nothing limited or local in ,his        
character or works4 ,in ,his meek beauty
 and gentle perfectness1 ,he stands so  
high above us all that1 to-day1 the     
inspiration of ,his example and the     
lessons of ,his conduct touch us as much
 as if ,he had lived in this generation1
 and will always shine before men as    
their best and most blessed law of      
conduct4 ,christ will not be antiquated 
till ,he is outgrown1 and it will be    
some time before that happens4  ,but    
,christ's power is not only the abiding 
influence of ,his earthly life and      
death4 ,he is not a past force1 but a   
present one4 ,he is putting forth fresh 
energies to-day1 working in and for and 
by all who love ,him4 ,we believe in a  
living ,christ4  ,therefore the final   
thought1 in all our grateful            
commemoration of dead helpers and       
guides1 should be of the undying ,lord4 
,he sent whatsoever power was in them4  
,he is with ,his ,church to-day1 still  

giving to men the gifts needful for     
their times4 ,aaron may die on ,hor1 and
 ,moses be laid in his unknown grave on 
,pisgah1 but the ,angel of the          
,covenant1 who is the true ,leader1     
abides in the pillar of cloud and fire1 
,israel's guide in the march1 and       
covering shelter in repose4 ,that is our
 consolation in our personal losses when
 our dear ones are 'not suffered to     
continue by reason of death4' ,he who   
gave them all their sweetness is with us
 still1 and has all the sweetness which 
,he lent them for a time4 ,so if we have
 ,christ with us we cannot be desolate4 
,looking on all the men1 who in their   
turn have helped forward ,his cause a   
little way1 we should let their         
departure teach us ,his presence1 their 
limitations ,his all-sufficiency1 their 
death ,his life4  ,luther was once      
found1 at a moment of peril and fear1   
when he had need to grasp unseen        
strength1 sitting in an abstracted mood1
 tracing on the table with his finger   

the words ',vivit6 vivit6'--',he lives6 
,he lives6' ,it is our hope for         
ourselves1 and for ,god's truth1 and for
 mankind4 ,men come and go2 leaders1    
teachers1 thinkers speak and work for a 
season and then fall silent and         
impotent4 ,he abides4 ,they die1 but ,he
 lives4 ,they are lights kindled1 and   
therefore sooner or later quenched1 but 
,he is the true light from which they   
draw all their brightness1 and ,he      
shines for evermore4 ,other men are left
 behind and1 as the world glides        
forward1 are wrapped in ever-thickening 
folds of oblivion1 through which they   
shine feebly for a little while1 like   
lamps in a fog1 and then are muffled in 
invisibility4 ,we honour other names1   
and the coming generations will forget  
them1 but ',his name shall endure for   
ever1 ,his name shall continue as long  
as the sun1 and men shall be blessed in 
,him2 all nations shall call ,him       
blessed4'    ,,jewish ,,rejecters ,,and 
,,gentile ,,receivers  ',and the next   

,sabbath day came almost the whole city 
together to hear the word of ,god4 #de4 
,but when the ,jews saw the multitudes1 
they were filled with envy1 and spake   
against those things which were spoken  
by ,paul1 contradicting and blaspheming4
 #df4 ,then ,paul and ,barnabas waxed   
bold1 and said1 ,it was necessary that  
the word of ,god should first have been 
spoken to you3 but seeing ye put it from
 you1 and judge yourselves unworthy of  
everlasting life1 lo1 we turn to the    
,gentiles4 #dg4 ,for so hath the ,lord  
commanded us1 saying1 ,i have set thee  
to be a light of the ,gentiles1 that    
thou shouldest be for salvation unto the
 ends of the earth4 #dh4 ,and when the  
,gentiles heard this1 they were glad1   
and glorified the word of the ,lord3 and
 as many as were ordained to eternal    
life believed4 #di4 ,and the word of the
 ,lord was published throughout all the 
region4 #ej4 ,but the ,jews stirred up  
the devout and honourable women1 and the
 chief men of the city1 and raised      

persecution against ,paul and ,barnabas1
 and expelled them out of their coasts4 
#ea4 ,but they shook off the dust of    
their feet against them1 and came unto  
,iconium4 #eb4 ,and the disciples were  
filled with joy1 and with the ,holy     
,ghost4  ',and it came to pass in       
,iconium1 that they went both together  
into the synagogue of the ,jews1 and so 
spake1 that a great multitude both of   
the ,jews and also of the ,greeks       
believed4 #b4 ,but the unbelieving ,jews
 stirred up the ,gentiles1 and made     
their minds evil affected against the   
brethren4 #c4 ,long time therefore abode
 they speaking boldly in the ,lord1     
which gave testimony unto the word of   
,his grace1 and granted signs and       
wonders to be done by their hands4 #d4  
,but the multitude of the city was      
divided3 and part held with the ,jews1  
and part with the ,apostles4 #e4 ,and   
when there was an assault made both of  
the ,gentiles1 and also of the ,jews    
with their rulers1 to use them          

despitefully1 and to stone them1 #f4    
,they were ware of it1 and fled unto    
,lystra and ,derbe1 cities of ,lycaonia1
 and unto the region that lieth round   
about3 #g4 ,and there they preached the 
,gospel4'--,,acts xiii4 #dd-eb2 xiv4    
#a-g4  ,in general outline1 the course  
of events in the two great cities of    
,asia ,minor1 with which the present    
passage is concerned1 was the same4 ,it 
was only too faithful a forecast of what
 was to be ,paul's experience           
everywhere4 ,the stages are3 preaching  
in the synagogue1 rejection there1      
appeal to the ,gentiles1 reception by   
them1 a little nucleus of believers     
formed2 disturbances fomented by the    
,jews1 who swallow their hatred of      
,gentiles by reason of their greater    
hatred of the ,apostles1 and will riot  
with heathens1 though they will not pray
 nor eat with them2 and finally the     
,apostles' departure to carry the gospel
 farther afield4 ,this being the        
outline1 we have mainly to consider any 

special features diversifying it in each
 case4  ,their experience in ,antioch   
was important1 because it forced ,paul  
and ,barnabas to put into plain words1  
making very clear to themselves as well 
as to their hearers1 the law of their   
future conduct4 ,it is always a step in 
advance when circumstances oblige us to 
formularise our method of action4 ,words
 have a wonderful power in clearing up  
our own vision4 ,paul and ,barnabas had 
known all along that they were sent to  
the ,gentiles2 but a conviction in the  
mind is one thing1 and the same         
conviction driven in on us by facts is  
quite another4 ,the discipline of       
,antioch crystallised floating          
intentions into a clear statement1 which
 henceforth became the rule of ,paul's  
conduct4 ,well for us if we have open   
eyes to discern the meaning of          
difficulties1 and promptitude and       
decision to fix and speak out plainly   
the course which they prescribe6  ,the  
miserable motives of the ,jews'         

antagonism are forcibly stated in vs4   
#dd1 #de4 ,they did not 'contradict and 
blaspheme1' because they had taken a    
week to think over the preaching and had
 seen its falseness1 but simply because1
 dog-in-the-manger like1 they could not 
bear that 'the whole city' should be    
welcome to share the message4 ,no doubt 
there was a crowd of ',gentile dogs'    
thronging the approach to the synagogue2
 and one can almost see the scowling    
faces and hear the rustle of the robes  
drawn closer to avoid pollution4 ,who   
were these wandering strangers that they
 should gather such a crowd8 ,and what  
had the uncircumcised rabble of ,antioch
 to do with 'the promises made to the   
fathers'8 ,it is not the only time that 
religious men have taken offence at     
crowds gathering to hear ,god's word4   
,let us take care that we do not repeat 
the sin4 ,there are always some who--   
',taking ,god's word under wise         
protection1   ,correct its tendency to  
diffusiveness4'  ,it needed some courage

 to front the wild excitement of such a 
mob1 with calm1 strong words likely to  
increase the rage4  ',lo1 we turn to the
 ,gentiles4' ,this is not to be regarded
 as announcing a general course of      
action1 but simply as applying to the   
actual rejecters in ,antioch4 ,the      
necessity that the word should first be 
spoken to the ,jews continued to be     
recognised1 in each new sphere of work1 
by the ,apostle2 but wherever1 as here1 
men turned from the message1 the        
messengers turned from them without     
further waste of time4 ,paul put into   
words here the law for his whole career4
 ,the fit punishment of rejection is the
 withdrawal of the offer4 ,there is     
something pathetic in the persistence   
with which1 in place after place1 ,paul 
goes through the same sequence1 his     
heart yearning over his brethren        
according to the flesh1 and hoping on1  
after all repulses4 ,it was far more    
than natural patriotism2 it was an      
offshoot of ,christ's own patient love4 

,note also the divine command4 ,paul    
bases his action on a prophecy as to the
 ,messiah4 ,but the relation on which   
prophecy insists between the personal   
servant of ,jehovah and the collective  
,israel1 is such that the great office  
of being the ,light of the world        
devolves from ,him on it and the true   
,israel is to be a light to the         
,gentiles4 ,these very ,jews in         
,antioch1 lashing themselves into fury  
because ,gentiles were to be offered a  
share in ,israel's blessings1 ought to  
have been discharging this glorious     
function4 ,their failure showed that    
they were no parts of the real ,israel4 
,no doubt the two missionaries left the 
synagogue as they spoke1 and1 as the    
door swung behind them1 it shut hope out
 and unbelief in4 ,the air was fresh    
outside1 and eager hearts welcomed the  
word4 ,very beautifully is the gladness 
of the ,gentile hearers set in contrast 
with the temper of the ,jews4 ,it is    
strange news to heathen hearts that     

there is a ,god who loves them1 and a   
divine ,christ who has died for them4   
,the experience of many a missionary    
follows ,paul's here4  ',as many as were
 ordained to eternal life believed4'    
,the din of many a theological battle   
has raged round these words1 the writer 
of which would have probably needed a   
good deal of instruction before he could
 have been made to understand what the  
fighting was about4 ,but it is to be    
noted that there is evidently intended a
 contrast between the envious ,jews and 
the gladly receptive ,gentiles1 which is
 made more obvious by the repetition of 
the words 'eternal life4' ,it would seem
 much more relevant and accordant with  
the context to understand the word      
rendered 'ordained' as meaning 'adapted'
 or 'fitted1' than to find in it a      
reference to divine foreordination4     
,such a meaning is legitimate1 and      
strongly suggested by the context4 ,the 
reference then would be to the 'frame of
 mind of the heathen1 and not to the    

decrees of ,god4'  ,the only points     
needing notice in the further           
developments at ,antioch are the agents 
employed by the ,jews1 the conduct of   
the ,apostles1 and the sweet little     
picture of the converts4 ,as to the     
former1 piously inclined women in a     
heathen city would be strongly attracted
 by ,judaism and easily lend themselves 
to the impressions of their teachers4   
,we know that many women of rank were at
 that period powerfully affected in this
 manner2 and if a ,rabbi could move a   
,gentile of influence through whispers  
to the ,gentile's wife1 he would not be 
slow to do it4 ,the ease with which the 
,jews stirred up tumults everywhere     
against the ,apostle indicates their    
possession of great influence2 and their
 willingness to be hand in glove with   
heathen for so laudable an object as    
crushing one of their own people who had
 become a heretic1 measures the venom of
 their hate and the depth of their      
unscrupulousness4  ,the ,apostles had   

not to fear violence1 as their enemies  
were content with turning them out of   
,antioch and its neighbourhood2 but they
 obeyed ,christ's command1 shaking off  
the dust against them1 in token of      
renouncing all connection4 ,the         
significant act is a trace of early     
knowledge of ,christ's words1 long      
before the date of our ,gospels4  ,while
 the preachers had to leave the little  
flock in the midst of wolves1 there was 
peace in the fold4 ,like the ,ethiopian 
courtier when deprived of ,philip1 the  
new believers at ,antioch found that the
 withdrawal of the earthly brought the  
heavenly ,guide4 ',they were filled with
 joy4' ,what6 left ignorant1 lonely1    
ringed about with enemies1 how could    
they be glad8 ,because they were filled 
'with the ,holy ,ghost4' ,surely joy in 
such circumstances was no less          
supernatural a token of ,his presence   
than rushing wind or parting flames or  
lips opened to speak with tongues4 ,god 
makes us lonely that ,he may ,himself be

 our ,companion4  ,it was a long journey
 to the great city of ,iconium4         
,according to some geographers1 the way 
led over savage mountains2 but the two  
brethren tramped along1 with an unseen  
,third between them1 and that ,presence 
made the road light4 ,they had little to
 cheer them in their prospects1 if they 
looked with the eye of sense2 but they  
were in good heart1 and the remembrance 
of ,antioch did not embitter or         
discourage them4 ,straight to the       
synagogue1 as before1 they went4 ,it was
 their best introduction to the new     
field4 ,there1 if we take the plain     
words of ,acts xiv4 #a1 they found a new
 thing1 ',greeks1' heathens pure and    
simple1 not ,hellenists or              
,greek-speaking ,jews1 nor even         
proselytes1 in the synagogue4 ,this has 
seemed so singular that efforts have    
been made to impose another sense on the
 words1 or to suppose that the notice of
 ,greeks1 as well as ,jews1 believing is
 loosely appended to the statement of   

the preaching in the synagogue1 omitting
 notice of wider evangelising4 ,but it  
is better to accept than to correct our 
narrative1 as we know nothing of the    
circumstances that may have led to this 
presence of ,greeks in the synagogue4   
,some modern setters of the ,bible      
writers right would be all the better   
for remembering occasionally that       
improbable things have a strange knack  
of happening4  ,the usual results       
followed the preaching of the ,gospel4  
,the ,jews were again the               
mischief-makers1 and1 with the          
astuteness of their race1 pushed the    
,gentiles to the front1 and this time   
tried a new piece of annoyance4 ',the   
brethren' bore the brunt of the attack2 
that is1 the converts1 not ,paul and    
,barnabas4 ,it was a cunning move to    
drop suspicions into the minds of       
influential townsmen1 and so to harass1 
not the two strangers1 but their        
adherents4 ,the calculation was that    
that would stop the progress of the     

heresy by making its adherents          
uncomfortable1 and would also wound the 
teachers through their disciples4  ,but 
one small element had been left out of  
the calculation--the sort of men these  
teachers were2 and another factor which 
had not hitherto appeared came into     
play1 and upset the whole scheme4 ,paul 
and ,barnabas knew when to retreat and  
when to stand their ground4 ,this time  
they stood2 and the opposition launched 
at their friends was the reason why they
 did so4 ',long time therefore abode    
they4' ,if their own safety had been in 
question1 they might have fled2 but they
 could not leave the men whose          
acceptance of their message had brought 
them into straits4 ,but behind the two  
bold speakers stood 'the ,lord1' ,christ
 ,himself1 the true ,worker4 ,men who   
live in ,him are made bold by their     
communion with ,him1 and ,he witnesses  
for those who witness for ,him4  ,note  
the designation of the ,gospel as 'the  
word of ,his grace4' ,it has for its    

great theme the condescending1 giving   
love of ,jesus4 ,its subject is grace2  
its origin is grace2 its gift is grace4 
,observe1 too1 that the same connection 
between boldness of speech and signs and
 wonders is found in ,acts iv4 #bi1 #cj4
 ,courageous speech for ,christ is ever 
attended by tokens of ,his power1 and   
the accompanying tokens of ,his power   
make the speech more courageous4  ,the  
normal course of events was pursued4    
,faithful preaching provoked hostility1 
which led to the alliance of discordant 
elements1 fused for a moment by a common
 hatred--alas6 that enmity to ,god's    
truth should be often a more potent bond
 of union than love6--and then to a wise
 withdrawal from danger4 ,sometimes it  
is needful to fling away life for       
,jesus2 but if it can be preserved      
without shirking duty1 it is better to  
flee than to die4 ,an unnecessary martyr
 is a suicide4 ,the ,christian readiness
 to be offered has nothing in common    
with fanatical carelessness of life1 and

 still less with the morbid longing for 
martyrdom which disfigures some of the  
most pathetic pages of the ,church's    
history4 ,paul living to preach in the  
regions beyond was more useful than     
,paul dead in a street riot in ,iconium4
 ,a heroic prudence should ever         
accompany a trustful daring1 and both   
are best learned in communion with      
,jesus4    ,,unworthy ,,of ,,life  '444 
,seeing ye put it from you1 and judge   
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life1
 lo1 we turn to the ,gentiles4'--,,acts 
xiii4 #df4  ,so ended the first attempt 
on ,paul's great missionary journey to  
preach to the ,jews4 ,it is described at
 great length and the sermon given in   
full because it is the first4 ,a        
wonderful sermon it was2 touching all   
keys of feeling1 now pleading almost    
with tears1 now flashing with           
indignation1 now calmly dealing with    
,scripture prophecies1 now glowing as it
 tells the story of ,christ's death for 
men4 ,it melted some of the hearers1 but

 the most were wrought up to furious    
passion--and with characteristic        
vehemence1 like their ancestors and     
their descendants through long dreary   
generations1 fell to 'contradicting and 
blaspheming4' ,we can see the scene in  
the synagogue1 the eager faces1 the     
vehement gestures1 the hubbub of        
tongues1 the bitter words that stormed  
round the two in the midst1 ,barnabas   
like ,jupiter1 grave1 majestic1 and     
venerable2 ,paul like ,mercury1 agile1  
mobile1 swift of speech4 ,they bore the 
brunt of the fury till they saw it to be
 hopeless to try to calm it1 and then   
departed with these remarkable words4   
,they are even more striking if we      
notice that 'judge' here may be used in 
its full legal sense4 ,it is not merely 
equivalent to consider1 for these ,jews 
by no means thought themselves unworthy 
of eternal life1 but it means1 'ye      
adjudge and pass sentence on yourselves 
to be4' ,their rejection of the message 
was a self-pronounced sentence4 ,it     

proved them to be1 and made them1       
'unworthy of eternal life4' ,there are  
two or three very striking thoughts to  
be gathered from these words which ,i   
would dwell on now4  ,i4 ,what          
constitutes worthiness and unworthiness4
  ,there are two meanings to the word   
'worthy'--deserving or fit4 ,they run   
into each other and yet they may be kept
 quite apart4 ,for instance you may say 
of a man that 'he is worthy' to be      
something or other1 for which he is     
obviously qualified1 not thinking at all
 whether he deserves it or not4  ,now in
 the first of these senses--we are all  
unworthy of eternal life4 ,that is just 
to state in other words the tragic truth
 of universal sinfulness4 ,the natural  
outcome and issue of the course which   
all men follow is death4 ,but yet there 
are men who are fit for and capable of  
eternal life4 ,who they are and what    
fitness is can only be ascertained when 
we rightly understand what eternal life 
is4 ,it is not merely future blessedness

 or a synonym for a vulgar heaven4 ,that
 is the common notion of its meaning4   
,men think of that future as a blessed  
state to which ,god can admit anybody if
 ,he will1 and1 as ,he is good1 will    
admit pretty nearly everybody4 ,but     
eternal life is a present possession as 
well as a future one1 and passing by its
 deeper aspects1 it includes--          
,deliverance from evil habits and       
desires4  ,purity1 and love of all good 
and fair things4  ,communion with ,god4 
,as well as forgiveness and removal of  
punishment4  ,what then are the         
qualifications making a man worthy of1  
in the sense of fit for1 such a state8  
7a7 ,to know oneself to be unworthy4    
,he who judges himself to be worthy is  
unworthy4 ,he who knows himself to be   
unworthy is worthy4  ,the first         
requisite is consciousness of sin1      
leading to repentance4  7b7 ,to abandon 
striving to make oneself worthy4  ,by   
ourselves we never can do so4 ,many of  
us think that we must do our best1 and  

then ,god will do the rest4  ,there must
 be the entire cessation of all attempt 
to work out by our own efforts          
characters that would entitle us to     
eternal life4  7c7 ,to be willing to    
accept life on ,god's terms4  ,as a mere
 gift4  7d7 ,to desire it4  ,god cannot 
give it to any one who does not want it4
 ,he cannot force ,his gifts on us4     
,this then is the worthiness4  ,,ii4    
,how we pass sentence on ourselves as   
unworthy4  ,it is quite clear that      
'judge' here does not mean consider1 for
 a sense of unworthiness is not the     
reason which keeps men away from the    
,gospel4 ,rather1 as we have seen1 a    
proud belief in our worthiness keeps    
very many away4 ,but 'judge' here means 
'adjudicate' or 'pronounce sentence on1'
 and worthy means fit1 qualified4       
,consider then--  7a7 ,that our attitude
 to the ,gospel is a revelation of our  
deepest selves4  ,the ,gospel is a      
'discerner of thoughts and intents of   
the heart4' ,it judges us here and now1 

and by their attitude to it 'the        
thoughts of many hearts shall be        
revealed4'  7b7 ,that our rejection of  
it plainly shows that we have not the   
qualifications for eternal life4  ,no   
doubt some men are kept from accepting  
,christ by intellectual doubts and      
difficulties1 but even these would alter
 their whole attitude to ,him if they   
had a profound consciousness of sin1 and
 a desire for deliverance from it4  ,but
 with regard to the great bulk of its   
hearers1 no doubt the hindrance is      
chiefly moral4 ,many causes may combine 
to produce the absence of qualification4
 ,the excuses in the parable'--farm1    
oxen1 wife'--all amount to engrossment  
with this present world1 and such       
absorption in the things seen and       
temporal deadens desire4 ,so the ,gospel
 preached excites no longings1 and a man
 hears the offer of salvation without   
one motion of his heart towards it1 and 
thus proclaims himself 'unworthy of     
eternal life4'  ,but the great          

disqualification is the absence of all  
consciousness of sin4 ,this is the very 
deepest reason which keeps men away from
 ,christ4  ,how solemn a thing the      
preaching and hearing of this word is6  
,how possible for you to make yourselves
 fit6  ,how simple the qualification6   
,we have but to know ourselves sinners  
and to trust ,jesus and then we 'shall  
be counted worthy to obtain that world  
and the resurrection from the dead4'    
,then we shall be 'worthy to escape and 
to stand before the ,son of ,man4' ,then
 shall we be 'worthy of this calling1'  
and the ,judge himself shall say3 ',they
 shall walk with ,me in white1 for they 
are worthy4'    ',,full ,,of ,,the      
,,holy ,,ghost'  ',and the disciples    
were filled with joy1 and with the ,holy
 ,ghost4'--,acts xiii4 #eb4  ,that joy  
was as strange as a garden full of      
flowers would be in bitter winter       
weather4 ,for everything in the         
circumstances of these disciples tended 
to make them sad4 ,they had been but    

just won from heathenism1 and they were 
raw1 ignorant1 unfit to stand alone4    
,paul and ,barnabas1 their only guides1 
had been hunted out of ,antioch by a    
mob1 and it would have been no wonder if
 these disciples had felt as if they had
 been taken on to the ice and then left1
 when they most needed a hand to steady 
them4 ,luke emphasises the contrast     
between what might have been expected1  
and what was actually the case1 by that 
eloquent 'and' at the beginning of our  
verse1 which links together the         
departure of the ,apostles and the joy  
of the disciples4 ,but the next words   
explain the paradox4 ,these new         
converts1 left in a great heathen city1 
with no helpers1 no guides1 to work out 
as best they might a faith of which they
 had but newly received the barest      
rudiments1 were 'full of joy' because   
they were 'full of the ,holy ,ghost4'   
,now that latter phrase1 so striking    
here1 is characteristic of this book of 
the ,acts1 and especially of its earlier

 chapters1 which are all1 as it were1   
throbbing with wonder at the new gift   
which ,pentecost had brought4 ,let me   
for a moment1 in the briefest possible  
fashion1 try to recall to you the       
instances of its occurrence1 for they   
are very significant and very important4
  ,you remember how at ,pentecost 'all' 
the disciples were 'filled with the     
,holy ,ghost4' ,then when the first     
persecution broke over the ,church1     
,peter before the ,council is 'filled   
with the ,holy ,spirit1' and therefore  
he beards them1 and 'speaks with all    
boldness4' ,when he goes back to the    
,church and tells them of the           
threatening cloud that was hanging over 
them1 they too are filled with the ,holy
 ,spirit1 and therefore rise buoyantly  
upon the tossing wave1 as a ship might  
do when it passes the bar and meets the 
heaving sea4 ,then again the ,apostles  
lay down the qualifications for election
 to the so-called office of deacon as   
being that the men should be 'full of   

the ,holy ,ghost and wisdom'2 and in    
accordance therewith1 we read of the    
first of the seven1 ,stephen1 that he   
was 'full of faith and of the ,holy     
,ghost1' and therefore 'full of grace   
and power4' ,when he stood before the   
,council he was 'full of the ,holy      
,ghost1' and therefore looked up into   
heaven and saw it opened1 and the       
,christ standing ready to help him4 ,in 
like manner we read of ,barnabas that he
 'was a good man1 full of the ,holy     
,ghost and of faith4' ,and finally we   
read in our text that these new         
converts1 left alone in ,antioch of     
,pisidia1 were 'full of joy and of the  
,holy ,ghost4'  ,now these are the      
principal instances1 and my purpose now 
is rather to deal with the whole of     
these instances of the occurrence of    
this remarkable expression than with the
 one which ,i have selected as a text1  
because ,i think that they teach us     
great truths bearing very closely on the
 strength and joyfulness of the         

,christian life which are far too much  
neglected1 obscured1 and forgotten by us
 to-day4  ,i wish then to point you1    
first1 to the solemn thought that is    
here1 as to what should be--  ,i4 ,the  
experience of every ,christian1  ,note  
the two things1 the universality and the
 abundance of this divine gift4 ,i have 
often had occasion to say to you1 and so
 ,i merely repeat it again in the       
briefest fashion1 that we do not grasp  
the central blessedness of the          
,christian faith unless1 beyond         
forgiveness and acceptance1 beyond the  
mere putting away of the dread of       
punishment either here or hereafter1 we 
see that the gift of ,god in ,jesus     
,christ is the communication to every   
believing soul of that divine life which
 is bestowed by the ,spirit of ,christ  
granted to every believing heart4 ,but  
,i would have you notice how the        
universality of the gift is unmistakably
 taught us by the instances which ,i    
have briefly gathered together in my    

previous remarks4 ,it was no official   
class on which1 on the day of           
,pentecost1 the tongues of fire         
fluttered down4 ,it was to the whole    
,church that courage to front the       
persecutor was imparted4 ,when in       
,samaria the preaching of ,philip       
brought about the result of the         
communication of the ,holy ,spirit1 it  
was to all the believers that it was    
granted1 and when1 in the ,roman        
barracks at ,caesarea1 ,cornelius and   
his companion listened to ,peter1 it was
 upon them all that that ,divine ,spirit
 descended4  ,i suppose ,i need not     
remind you of how1 if we pass beyond    
this book of the ,acts into the         
,epistles of ,paul1 his affirmations do 
most emphatically insist upon the fact  
that 'we are all made to drink into one 
,spirit'2 and so convinced is he of the 
universality of the possession of that  
divine life by every ,christian1 that he
 does not hesitate to say that 'if any  
man have not the ,spirit of ,christ he  

is none of ,his1' and to clear away all 
possibility of misunderstanding the     
depth and wonderfulness of the gift1 he 
further adds in another place1 ',know ye
 not that the ,spirit is in you1 except 
ye be reprobates8' ,similarly another of
 the ,new ,testament writers declares1  
in the broadest terms1 that 'this spake 
he of the ,holy ,spirit1                
which'--,apostles8 no2 office-bearers8  
no2 ordained men8 no2 distinguished and 
leading men8 ,no--'they that believe on 
,him should receive4' ,christianity is  
the true democracy1 because it declares 
that upon all1 handmaidens and servants1
 young men and old men1 there comes the 
divine gift4 ,the world thinks of a     
divine inspiration in a more or less    
superficial fashion1 as touching only   
the lofty summits1 the great thinkers   
and teachers and artists and mighty men 
of light and leading of the race4 ,the  
,old ,testament regarded prophets and   
kings1 and those who were designated to 
important offices1 as the possessors of 

the ,divine ,spirit4 ,but ,christianity 
has seen the sun rising so high in the  
heavens that the humblest floweret1 in  
the deepest valley1 basks in its beams  
and opens to its light4 ',we have all   
been made to drink into the one         
,spirit4'  ,let me remind you too of    
how1 from the usage of this book1 as    
well as from the rest of the ,new       
,testament teaching1 there rises the    
other thought of the abundance of the   
gift4 ',full of the ,holy ,spirit'--the 
cup is brimming with generous wine4 ,not
 that that fulness is such as to make   
inconsistencies impossible1 as1 alas1   
the best of us know4 ,the highest       
condition for us is laid down in the sad
 words which yet have triumph in their  
sadness--',the flesh lusteth against the
 ,spirit1 and the ,spirit against the   
flesh4' ,but whilst the fulness is not  
such as to exclude the need of conflict1
 it is such as to bring the certainty of
 victory4  ,again if we turn to the     
instances to which ,i have already      

referred1 we shall find that they fall  
into two classes1 which are             
distinguished in the original by a      
slight variation in the form of the     
words employed4 ,some instances refer to
 a habitual possession of an abundant   
spiritual life moulding the character   
constantly1 as in the cases of ,stephen 
and ,barnabas4 ,others refer rather to  
occasional and special influxes of      
special power on account of special     
circumstances1 and drawn forth by       
special exigencies1 as when there poured
 into ,peter's heart the ,divine ,spirit
 that made him bold before the ,council2
 or as when the dying martyr's spirit   
was flooded with a new clearness of     
vision that pierced the heavens and     
beheld the ,christ4 ,so then there may  
be and ought to be1 in each of us1 a    
fulness of the ,spirit1 up to the edge  
of our capacity1 and yet of such a kind 
as that it may be reinforced and        
increased when special needs arise4     
,not only so1 but that which fills me   

to-day should not fill me to-morrow1    
because1 as in earthly love1 so in      
heavenly1 no man can tell to what this  
thing shall grow4 ,the more of fruition 
the more there will be of expansion1 and
 the more of expansion the more of      
desire1 and the more of desire the more 
of capacity1 and the more of capacity   
the more of possession4 ,so1 brethren1  
the man who receives a spark of the     
divine life1 through his most           
rudimentary and tremulous faith1 if he  
is a faithful steward of the gift that  
is given to him1 will find that it grows
 and grows1 and that there is no limit  
to its growth1 and that in its limitless
 growth there lies the surest prophecy  
of an eternal growth in the heavens4  ,a
 universal gift1 that is to say1 a gift 
to each of us if we are ,christians1 an 
abundant gift that fills the whole      
nature of a man1 according to the       
measure of his present power to         
receive--that is the ideal1 that is what
 ,god means1 that is what these first   

believers had4 ,it did not make them    
perfect1 it did not save them from      
faults or from errors1 but it was real1 
it was influential1 it was moulding     
their characters1 it was progressive4   
,and that is the ideal for all          
,christians4 ,is it our actual8 ,we are 
meant to be full of the ,holy ,ghost4   
,ah6 how many of us have never realised 
that there is such a thing as being thus
 possessed with a divine life1 partly   
because we do not understand that such a
 fulness will not be distinguishable    
from our own self1 except by bettering  
of the works of self1 and partly because
 of other reasons which ,i shall have to
 touch upon presently6 ,brethren1 we    
may1 every one of us1 be filled with the
 ,spirit4 ,let each of us ask1 ',am ,i8 
and if ,i am not1 why this emptiness in 
the presence of such abundance8'  ,and  
now let me ask you to look1 in the      
second place1 at what we gather from    
these instances as to--  ,,ii4 ,the     
results of that universal1 abundant     

life4  ,do not let us run away with the 
idea that the ,new ,testament1 or any   
part of it1 regards miracles and tongues
 and the like as being the normal and   
chiefest gifts of that ,divine ,spirit4 
,people read this book of the ,acts of  
the ,apostles and1 averse from the      
supernatural1 exaggerate the extent to  
which the primitive gift of the ,holy   
,spirit was manifested by signs and     
wonders1 tongues of fire1 and so on4 ,we
 have only to look at the instances to  
which ,i have already referred to see   
that far more lofty and far more        
conspicuous than any such external and  
transient manifestations1 which yet have
 their place1 are the permanent and     
inward results1 moulding character1 and 
making men4 ,and ,paul's ,first ,epistle
 to the ,corinthians goes as far in the 
way of setting the moral and spiritual  
effects of the divine influence above   
the merely miraculous and external ones1
 as the most advanced opponent of the   
supernatural could desire4  ,let us     

look1 and it can only be briefly1 at the
 various results which are presented in 
the instances to which ,i have referred4
 ,the most general expression for all1  
which is the result of the ,divine      
,spirit dwelling in a man1 is that it   
makes him good4 ,look at one of the     
instances to which we have referred4    
',barnabas was a good man'--was he8 ,how
 came he to be so8 ,because he was 'full
 of the ,holy ,ghost4' ,and how came he 
to be 'full of the ,holy ,ghost'8       
,because he was 'full of faith4' ,get   
the divine life into you1 and that will 
make you good2 and1 brethren1 nothing   
else will4 ,it is like the bottom heat  
in a green-house1 which makes all the   
plants that are there1 whatever their   
orders1 grow and blossom and be healthy 
and strong4 ,therein is the difference  
between ,christian morality and the     
world's ethics4 ,they may not differ    
much1 they do in some respects1 in their
 ideal of what constitutes goodness1 but
 they differ in this1 that the one says1

 ',be good1 be good1 be good6' but1 like
 the ,pharisees of old1 puts out not a  
finger to help a man to bear the burdens
 that it lays upon him4 ,the other says1
 ',be good1' but it also says1 'take    
this and it will make you good4' ,and so
 the one is ,gospel and the other is    
talk1 the one is a word of good tidings1
 and the other is a beautiful           
speculation1 or a crushing commandment  
that brings death rather than life4 ',if
 there had been a law given which could 
have given life1 verily righteousness   
had been by the law4' ,but since the    
clearest laying down of duty brings us  
no nearer to the performance of duty1 we
 need and1 thank ,god6 we have1 a gift  
bestowed which invests with power4 ,he  
in whom the ',spirit of ,holiness'      
dwells1 and he alone1 will be holy4 ,the
 result of the life of ,god in the heart
 is a life growingly like ,god's1       
manifested in the world4  ,then again   
let me remind you of how1 from another  
of our instances1 there comes another   

thought4 ,the result of this majestic1  
supernatural1 universal1 abundant1      
divine life is practical sagacity in the
 commonest affairs of life4 ',look ye   
out from among you seven men1 full of   
the ,holy ,ghost and of wisdom4' ,what  
to do8 ,to meet wisely the claims of    
suspicious and jealous poverty1 and to  
distribute fairly a little money4 ,that 
was all4 ,and are you going to invoke   
such a lofty gift as this1 to do nothing
 grander than that8 ,yes4 ,gravitation  
holds planets in their orbits1 and keeps
 grains of dust in their places4 ,and   
one result of the inspiration of the    
,almighty1 which is granted to          
,christian people1 is that they will be 
wise for the little affairs of life4    
,but ,stephen was also 'full of grace   
and power1' two things that do not often
 go together--grace1 gentleness1        
loveliness1 graciousness1 on the one    
side1 and strength on the other1 which  
divorced1 make wild work of character1  
and which united1 make men like ,god4   

,so if we desire our lives to be full of
 sweetness and light and beauty1 the    
best way is to get the life of ,christ  
into them2 and if we desire our lives   
not to be made placid and effeminate by 
our cult of graciousness and            
gracefulness1 but to have their beauty  
stiffened and strengthened by manly     
energy1 then the best way is to get the 
life of the 'strong ,son of ,god1       
immortal love1' into our lives4  ,the   
same ,stephen1 'full of the ,holy       
,ghost1' looked up into heaven and saw  
the ,christ4 ,so one result of that     
abundant life1 if we have it1 will be   
that even though as with him1 when he   
saw the heavens opened1 there may be    
some smoke-darkened roof above our      
heads1 we can look through all the shows
 of this vain world1 and our purged eyes
 can behold the ,christ4 ,again the     
disciples in our text 'were full of     
joy1' because 'they were full of the    
,holy ,spirit1' and we1 if we have that 
abundant life within us1 shall not be   

dependent for our gladness on the outer 
world1 but like explorers in the ,arctic
 regions1 even if we have to build a hut
 of snow1 shall be warm within it when  
the thermometer is far below zero2 and  
there will be light there when the long 
midnight is spread around the dwelling4 
,so1 dear friends1 let us understand    
what is the main thing for a ,christian 
to endeavour after1--not so much the    
cultivation of special graces as the    
deepening of the life of ,christ in the 
spirit4  ,we gather from some of these  
instances--  ,,iii4 ,the way by which we
 may be thus filled4  ,we read that     
,stephen was 'full of faith and of the  
,holy ,spirit1' and that ,barnabas was  
'full of the ,holy ,ghost and of faith1'
 and it is quite clear from the         
respective contexts that1 though the    
order in which these fulnesses are      
placed is different in the two clauses1 
their relation to each other is the     
same4 ,faith is the condition of        
possessing the ,spirit4 ,and what do we 

mean in this connection by faith8 ,i    
mean1 first1 a belief in the truth of   
the possible abiding of the divine      
,spirit in our spirits1 a truth which   
the superficial ,christianity of this   
generation sorely needs to have forced  
upon its consciousness far more than it 
has it4 ,i mean aspiration and desire   
after2 ,i mean confident expectation of4
 ,your wish measures your possession4   
,you have as much of ,god as you desire4
 ,if you have no more1 it is because you
 do not desire any more4 ,the ,christian
 people of to-day1 many of whom are so  
empty of ,god1 are in a very tragic     
sense1 'full1' because they have as much
 as they can take in4 ,if you bring a   
tiny cup1 and do not much care whether  
anything pours into it or not1 you will 
get it filled1 but you might have had a 
gallon vessel filled if you had chosen  
to bring it4 ,of course there are other 
conditions too4 ,we have to use the life
 that is given us4 ,we have to see that 
we do not quench it by sin1 which drives

 the dove of ,god from a man's heart4   
,but the great truth is that if ,i open 
the door of my heart by faith1 ,christ  
will come in1 in ,his ,spirit4 ,if ,i   
take away the blinds the light will     
shine into the chamber4 ,if ,i lift the 
sluice the water will pour in to drive  
my mill4 ,if ,i deepen the channels1    
more of the water of life can flow into 
them1 and the deeper ,i make them the   
fuller they will be4  ,brethren1 we have
 wasted much time and effort in trying  
to mend our characters4 ,let us try to  
get that into them which will mend them4
 ,and let us remember that1 if we are   
full of faith1 we shall be full of the  
,holy ,spirit1 and therefore full of    
wisdom1 full of grace and power1 full of
 goodness1 full of joy1 whatever our    
circumstances4 ,and when death comes1   
though it may be in some cruel form1 we 
shall be able to look up and see the    
opened heavens and the welcoming        
,christ4    ,,deified ,,and ,,stoned    
',and when the people saw what ,paul had

 done1 they lifted up their voices1     
saying in the speech of ,lycaonia1 ,the 
gods are come down to us in the likeness
 of men4 #ab4 ,and they called          
,barnabas1 ,jupiter2 and ,paul1         
,mercurius1 because he was the chief    
speaker4 #ac4 ,then the priest of       
,jupiter1 which was before their city1  
brought oxen and garlands unto the      
gates1 and would have done sacrifice    
with the people4 #ad4 ,which when the   
apostles1 ,barnabas and ,paul1 heard of1
 they rent their clothes1 and ran in    
among the people1 crying out4 #ae4 ,and 
saying1 ,sirs1 why do ye these things8  
,we also are men of like passions with  
you1 and preach unto you that ye should 
turn from these vanities unto the living
 ,god1 which made heaven1 and earth1 and
 the sea1 and all things that are       
therein3 #af4 ,who in times past        
suffered all nations to walk in their   
own ways4 #ag4 ,nevertheless he left not
 himself without witness1 in that he did
 good1 and gave us rain from heaven1 and

 fruitful seasons1 filling our hearts   
with food and gladness4 #ah4 ,and with  
these sayings scarce restrained they the
 people1 that they had not done         
sacrifice unto them4 #ai4 ,and there    
came thither certain ,jews from ,antioch
 and ,iconium1 who persuaded the people1
 and1 having stoned ,paul1 drew him out 
of the city1 supposing he had been dead4
 #bj4 ,howbeit1 as the disciples stood  
round about him1 he rose up1 and came   
into the city3 and the next day he      
departed with ,barnabas to ,derbe4 #ba4 
,and when they had preached the gospel  
to that city1 and had taught many1 they 
returned again to ,lystra1 and to       
,iconium1 and ,antioch4 #bb4 ,confirming
 the souls of the disciples1 and        
exhorting them to continue in the faith1
 and that we must through much          
tribulation enter into the kingdom of   
,god4'--,,acts xiv4 #aa-bb4  ,the scene 
at ,lystra offers a striking instance of
 the impossibility of eliminating the   
miraculous element from this book4 ,the 

cure of a lame man is the starting-point
 of the whole story4 ,without it the    
rest is motiveless and inexplicable4    
,there can be no explosion without a    
train and a fuse4 ,the miracle1 and the 
miracle only1 supplies these4 ,we may   
choose between believing and            
disbelieving it1 but the rejection of   
the supernatural does not make this book
 easier to accept1 but utterly chaotic4 
,i4 ,we have1 first1 the burst of       
excited wonder which floods the crowd   
with the conviction that the two        
,apostles are incarnations of deities4  
,it is difficult to grasp the           
indications of locality in the story1   
but probably the miracle was wrought in 
some crowded place1 perhaps the forum4  
,at all events1 it was in full view of  
'the multitudes1' and they were mostly  
of the lower orders1 as their speaking  
in 'the speech of ,lycaonia' suggests4  
,this half-barbarous crowd had the      
ancient faith in the gods unweakened1   
and the legends1 which had become dim to

 pure ,greek and ,roman1 some of which  
had originated in their immediate       
neighbourhood1 still found full credence
 among them4 ,a ,jew's first thought on 
seeing a miracle was1 'by the prince of 
the devils'2 an average ,greek's or     
,roman's was 'sorcery'2 these simple    
people's1 like many barbarous tribes to 
which white men have gone with the      
marvels of modern science1 was 'the gods
 have come down'2 our modern superior   
person's1 on reading of one1 is         
'hallucination1' or 'a mistake of an    
excited imagination4' ,perhaps the cry  
of the multitudes at ,lystra gets nearer
 the heart of the thing than those      
others4 ,for the miracle is a witness of
 present divine power1 and though the   
worker of it is not an incarnation of   
divinity1 ',god is with him4'  ,but that
 joyful conviction1 which shot through  
the crowd1 reveals how deep lies the    
longing for the manifestation of        
divinity in the form of humanity1 and   
how natural it is to believe that1 if   

there is a divine being1 he is sure to  
draw near to us poor men1 and that in   
our own likeness4 ,then is the          
,christian doctrine of the ,incarnation 
but one more of the many reachings out  
of the heart to paint a fair picture of 
the fulfilment of its longings8 ,well1  
since it is the only such that is       
alleged to have taken place in historic 
times1 and the only one that comes with 
any body of historic evidence1 and the  
only one that brings with it            
transforming power1 and since to believe
 in a ,god1 and also to believe that ,he
 has never broken the awful silence1 nor
 done anything to fulfil a craving which
 ,he has set in men's hearts1 is absurd1
 it is reasonable to answer1 ,no4 ',the 
gods are come down in the likeness of   
men' is a wistful confession of need1   
and a dim hope of its supply4 ',the     
,word became flesh1 and dwelt among us' 
is the supply4  ,barnabas was the older 
man1 and his very silence suggested his 
superior dignity4 ,so he was taken for  

,jupiter 7,zeus in the ,greek71 and the 
younger man for his inferior1 ,mercury  
7,hermes in the ,greek71 'the messenger 
of the gods4' ,clearly the two          
missionaries did not understand what the
 multitudes were shouting in their      
'barbarous' language1 or they would have
 intervened4 ,perhaps they had left the 
spot before the excitement rose to its  
height1 for they knew nothing of the    
preparations for the sacrifice till they
 'heard of it1 and then they 'sprang    
forth1' which implies that they were    
within some place1 possibly their       
lodging4  ,if we could be sure what     
'gates' are meant in verse #ac1 the     
course of events would be plainer4 ,were
 they those of the city1 in which case  
the priest and procession would be      
coming from the temple outside the      
walls8 or those of the temple itself8 or
 those of the ,apostles' lodging8       
,opinions differ1 and the material for  
deciding is lacking4 ,at all events1    
whether from sharing in the crowd's     

enthusiasm1 or with an eye to the       
reputation of his shrine1 the priest    
hurriedly procured oxen for a sacrifice1
 which one reading of the text specifies
 as an 'additional' offering--that is1  
over and above the statutory sacrifices4
 ,is it a sign of haste that the        
'garlands1' which should have been      
twined round the oxen's horns1 are      
mentioned separately8 ,if so1 we get a  
lively picture of the exultant hurry of 
the crowd4  ,,ii4 ,the ,apostles are as 
deeply moved as the multitude is1 but by
 what different emotions6 ,the horror of
 idolatry1 which was their inheritance  
from a hundred generations1 flamed up at
 the thought of themselves being made   
objects of worship4 ,they had met many  
different sorts of receptions on this   
journey1 but never before anything like 
this4 ,opposition and threats left them 
calm1 but this stirred them to the      
depths4 ',scoff at us1 fight with us1   
maltreat us1 and we will endure2 but do 
not make gods of us4' ,i do not know    

that their 'successors' have always felt
 exactly so4  ,in verse #ad ,barnabas is
 named first1 contrary to the order     
prevailing since ,paphos1 the reason    
being that the crowd thought him the    
superior4 ,the remonstrance ascribed to 
both1 but no doubt spoken by ,paul1     
contains nothing that any earnest       
monotheist1 ,jew or ,gentile            
philosopher1 might not have said4 ,the  
purpose of it was not to preach ,christ1
 but to stop the sacrifice4 ,it is      
simply a vehemently earnest protest     
against idolatry1 and a proclamation of 
one living ,god4 ,the comparison with   
the speech in ,athens is interesting1 as
 showing ,paul's exquisite felicity in  
adapting his style to his audience4     
,there is nothing to the peasants of    
,lycaonia about poets1 no argumentation 
about the degradation of the idea of    
divinity by taking images as its        
likeness1 no wide view of the course of 
history1 no glimpse of the mystic       
thought that all creatures live and move

 in ,him4 ,all that might suit the      
delicate ears of ,athenians1 but would  
have been wasted in ,lystra amidst the  
tumultuous crowd4 ,but we have instead  
of these the fearless assertion1 flung  
in the face of the priest of ,jupiter1  
that idols are 'vanities1' as ,paul had 
learned from ,isaiah and ,jeremiah2 the 
plain declaration of the one ,god1      
'living1' and not like these inanimate  
images2 of ,his universal creative      
power2 and the earnest exhortation to   
turn to ,him4  ,in verse #af ,paul meets
 an objection which rises in his mind as
 likely to be springing in his hearers3 
',if there is such a ,god1 why have we  
never heard of ,him till now8' ,that is 
quite in ,paul's manner4 ,the answer is 
undeveloped1 as compared with the       
,athenian address or with ,romans i4    
,but there is couched in verse #af a    
tacit contrast between 'the generations 
gone by' and the present1 which is drawn
 out in the speech on ,mars ,hill3 'but 
now commandeth all men everywhere to    

repent1' and also a contrast between the
 'nations' left to walk in their own    
ways1 and ,israel to whom revelation had
 been made4 ,the place and the temper of
 the listeners did not admit of         
enlarging on such matters4  ,but there  
was a plain fact1 which was level to    
every peasant's apprehension1 and might 
strike home to the rustic crowd4 ,god   
had left 'the nations to walk in their  
own ways1' and yet not altogether4 ,that
 thought is wrought out in ,romans i41  
and the difference between its          
development there and here is           
instructive4 ,beneficence is the        
sign-manual of heaven4 ,the orderly     
sequence of the seasons1 the rain from  
heaven1 the seat of the gods from which 
the two ,apostles were thought to have  
come down1 the yearly miracle of        
harvest1 and the gladness that it       
brings--all these are witnesses to a    
living ,person moving the processes of  
the universe towards a beneficent end   
for man4  ,in spite of all modern       

impugners1 it still remains true that   
the phenomena of 'nature1' their        
continuity1 their co-operation1 and     
their beneficent issues1 demand the     
recognition of a ,person with a loving  
purpose moving them all4 ',thou crownest
 the year with ,thy goodness2 and ,thy  
paths drop fatness4'  ,,iii4 ,the malice
 of the ,jews of ,antioch is remarkable4
 ,not content with hounding the         
,apostles from that city1 they came     
raging after them to ,lystra1 where     
there does not appear to have been a    
synagogue1 since we hear only of their  
stirring up the 'multitudes4' ,the      
mantle of ,saul had fallen on them1 and 
they were now 'persecuting' him 'even   
unto strange cities4'  ,no note is given
 of the time between the attempted      
sacrifice and the accomplished stoning1 
but probably some space intervened4     
,persuading the multitudes1 however     
fickle they were1 would take some time2 
and indeed one ancient text of ,acts has
 an expansion of the verse3 ',they      

persuaded the multitudes to depart from 
them the ,apostles1 saying that they    
spake nothing true1 but lied in         
everything4'  ,no doubt some time       
elapsed1 but few emotions are more      
transient than such impure religious    
excitement as the crowd had felt1 and   
the ebb is as great as the flood1 and   
the oozy bottom laid bare is foul4      
,popular favourites in other departments
 have to experience the same fate--one  
day1 'roses1 roses1 all the way'2 the   
next1 rotten eggs and curses4 ,other    
folks than the ignorant peasants at     
,lystra have had devout emotion surging 
over them and leaving them dry4  ,who   
are 'they' who stoned ,paul8            
,grammatically1 the ,jews1 and probably 
it was so4 ,they hated him so much that 
they themselves began the stoning2 but  
no doubt the mob1 which is always cruel1
 because it needs strong excitement1    
lent willing hands4 ,did ,paul remember 
,stephen1 as the stones came whizzing on
 him8 ,it is an added touch of brutality

 that they dragged the supposed corpse  
out of the city1 with no gentle hands1  
we may be sure4 ,perhaps it was flung   
down near the very temple 'before the   
city1' where the priest that wanted to  
sacrifice was on duty4  ,the crowd1     
having wreaked their vengeance1 melted  
away1 but a handful of brave disciples  
remained1 standing round the bruised1   
unconscious form1 ready to lay it       
tenderly in some hastily dug grave4 ,no 
previous mention of disciples has been  
made4 ,the narrative of ,acts does not  
profess to be complete1 and the argument
 from its silence is precarious4  ,luke 
shows no disposition to easy belief in  
miracles4 ,he does not know that ,paul  
was dead2 his medical skill familiarised
 him with protracted states of          
unconsciousness2 so all he vouches for  
is that ,paul lay as if dead on some    
rubbish heap 'without the camp1' and    
that1 with courage and persistence which
 were supernatural1 whether his reviving
 was so or not1 the man thus sorely     

battered went back to the city1 and next
 day went on with his work1 as if       
stoning was a trifle not to be taken    
account of4  ,the ,apostles turned at   
,derbe1 and coming back on their outward
 route1 reached ,antioch1 encouraging   
the new disciples1 who had now to be    
left truly like shepherdless sheep among
 wolves4 ,they did not encourage them by
 making light of the dangers waiting    
them1 but they plainly set before them  
the law of the ,kingdom1 which they had 
seen exemplified in ,paul1 that we must 
suffer if we would reign with the ,king4
 ,that 'we' in verse #bb is evidently   
quoted from ,paul1 and touchingly shows 
how he pointed to his own stoning as    
what they too must be prepared to       
suffer4 ,it is a thought frequently     
recurring in his letters4 ,it remains   
true in all ages1 though the manner of  
suffering varies4    ,,dream ,,and      
,,reality  ',the gods are come down to  
us in the likeness of men4'--,,acts xiv4
 #aa4  ,this was the spontaneous        

instinctive utterance of simple         
villagers when they saw a deed of power 
and kindness4 ,many an ,english         
traveller and settler among rude people 
has been similarly honoured4 ,and in    
,lycaonia the ,apostles were close upon 
places that were celebrated in ,greek   
mythology as having witnessed the very  
two gods1 here spoken of1 wandering     
among the shepherds and entertained with
 modest hospitality in their huts4  ,the
 incident is a very striking and        
picturesque one4 ,the shepherd people   
standing round1 the sudden flash of awe 
and yet of gladness which ran through   
them1 the tumultuous outcry1 which1     
being in their rude dialect1 was        
unintelligible to the ,apostles till it 
was interpreted by the appearance of the
 priest of ,jupiter with oxen and       
garlands for offerings1 the glimpse of  
the two ,apostles--the older1 graver1   
venerable ,barnabas1 the younger1 more  
active1 ready-tongued ,paul1 whom their 
imaginations converted into the ,father 

of gods and men1 and the herald         
,mercury1 who were already associated in
 local legends2 the priest1 eager to    
gain credit for his temple 'before the  
city1' the lowing oxen1 and the vehement
 appeal of the ,apostles1 make a picture
 which is more vividly presented in the 
simple narrative than even in the       
cartoon of the great painter whom the   
narrative has inspired4  ,but we have   
not to deal with the picturesque element
 alone4 ,the narratives of ,scripture   
are representative because they are so  
penetrating and true4 ,they go to the   
very heart of the men and things which  
they describe3 and hence the words and  
acts which they record are found to     
contain the essential characteristics of
 whole classes of men1 and the portrait 
of an individual becomes that of a      
class4 ,this joyful outburst of the     
people of ,lycaonia gives utterance to  
one of the most striking and universal  
convictions of heathenism1 and stands in
 very close and intimate relations with 

that greatest of all facts in the       
history of the world1 the ,incarnation  
of the ,eternal ,word4 ,that the gods   
come down in the likeness of men is the 
dream of heathenism4 ',the ,word was    
made flesh and dwelt among us1' is the  
sober1 waking truth which meets and     
vindicates and transcends that cry4  ,i4
 ,the heathen dream of incarnation4  ,in
 all lands we find this belief in the   
appearance of the gods in human form4   
,it inspired the art and poetry of      
,greece4 ,rome believed that gods had   
charged in front of their armies and    
given their laws4 ,the solemn1 gloomy   
religion of ,egypt1 though it worshipped
 animal forms1 yet told of incarnate and
 suffering gods4 ,the labyrinthine      
mythologies of the ,east have their     
long-drawn stories of the avatars of    
their gods floating many a rood on the  
weltering ocean of their legends4 ,tibet
 cherishes each living sovereign as a   
real embodiment of the divine4 ,and the 
lowest tribes1 in their degraded        

worship1 have not departed so far from  
the common type but that they too have  
some faint echoes of the universal      
faith4  ,do these facts import anything 
at all to us8 ,are we to dismiss them as
 simply the products of a stage which we
 have left far behind1 and to plume     
ourselves that we have passed out of the
 twilight8  ,even if we listen to what  
comparative mythology has to say1 it    
still remains to account for the        
tendency to shape legends of the earthly
 appearance of the gods2 and we shall   
have to admit that1 while they belong to
 an early stage of the world's progress1
 the feelings which they express belong 
to all stages of it4  ,now ,i think we  
may note these thoughts as contained in 
this universal belief3  ,the            
consciousness of the need of divine     
help4  ,the certainty of a fellowship   
between heaven and earth4  ,the high    
ideal of the capacities and affinities  
of man4  ,we may note further what were 
the general characteristics of these    

incarnations4 ,they were transient1 they
 were 'docetic1' as they are            
called--that is1 they were merely       
apparent assumptions of human form which
 brought the god into no nearer or truer
 kindred with humanity1 and they were1  
for the most part1 for very             
self-regarding and often most immoral   
ends1 the god's personal gratification  
of very ungodlike passions and lust1 or 
his winning victories for his           
favourites1 or satisfying his anger by  
trampling on those who had incurred his 
very human wrath4  ,,ii4 ,the divine    
answer which transcends the human dream4
  ,we have to insist that the truth of  
the ,incarnation is the corner-stone of 
,christianity4 ,if that is struck out   
the whole fabric falls4 ,without it     
there may be a ,christ who is the       
loftiest and greatest of men1 but not   
the ,christ who 'saves ,his people from 
their sins4'  ,that being so1 and       
,christianity having this feature in    
common with all the religions of men1   

how are we to account for the           
resemblance8 ,are we to listen to the   
rude solution which says1 ',all lies    
alike'8 ,are we to see in it nothing but
 the operation of like tendencies1 or   
rather illusions1 of human              
thought--man's own shadow projected on  
an illuminated mist8 ,are we to let the 
resemblance discredit the ,christian    
message8 ,or are we to say that all     
these others are unconscious            
prophecies--man's half-instinctive      
expression of his deep need and much    
misunderstood longing1 and that the     
,christian proclamation that ,jesus is  
',god manifest in the flesh' is the     
trumpet-toned announcement of ,heaven's 
answer to earth's cry8  ,fairly to face 
that question is to go far towards      
answering it4 ,for as soon as we begin  
to look steadily at the facts1 we find  
that the differences between all these  
other appearances and the ,incarnation  
are so great as to raise the presumption
 that their origins are different4 ,the 

'gods' slipped on the appearance of     
humanity over their garment of deity in 
appearance only1 and that for a moment4 
,jesus is 'bone of our bone and flesh of
 our flesh1' and is not merely 'found in
 fashion as a man1' but is 'in all      
points like as we are4' ,and that garb  
of manhood ,he wears for ever1 and in   
,his heavenly glory is 'the ,man ,christ
 ,jesus4'  ,but the difference between  
all these other appearances of gods and 
the ,incarnation lies in the acts to    
which they and it respectively led1 and 
the purposes for which they and it      
respectively took place4 ,a god who came
 down to suffer1 a god who came to die1 
a god who came to be the supreme example
 of all fair humanities1 a god who came 
to suffer and to die that men might have
 life and be victors over sin--where is 
he in all the religions of the world8   
,and does not the fact that             
,christianity alone sets before men such
 a ,god1 such an ,incarnation1 for such 
ends1 make the assertion a reasonable   

one1 that the sources of the universal  
belief in gods who come down among men  
and of the ,christian proclamation that 
the ,eternal ,word became flesh are not 
the same1 but that these are men's      
half-understood cries1 and this is      
,heaven's answer8    ',,the ,,door ,,of 
,,faith'  ',and when they were come1 and
 had gathered the church together1 they 
rehearsed all that ,god had done with   
them1 and how he had opened the door of 
faith unto the ,gentiles4'--,,acts xiv4 
#bg4  ,there are many instances of the  
occurrence of this metaphor in the ,new 
,testament1 but none is exactly like    
this4 ,we read1 for example1 of 'a great
 door and effectual' being opened to    
,paul for the free ministry of the word2
 and to the angel of the ,church in     
,philadelphia1 ',he that openeth and    
none shall shut' graciously says1 ',i   
have set before thee a door opened1     
which none can shut4' ,but here the door
 is faith1 that is to say faith is      
conceived of as the means of entrance   

for the ,gentiles into the ,kingdom1    
which1 till then1 ,jews had supposed to 
be entered by hereditary rite4  ,i4     
,faith is the means of our entrance into
 the ,kingdom4  ,the ,jew thought that  
birth and the rite of circumcision were 
the door1 but the 'rehearsing' of the   
experiences of ,paul and ,barnabas on   
their first missionary tour shattered   
that notion by the logic of facts4      
,instead of that narrow postern another 
doorway had been broken in the wall of  
the heavenly city1 and it was wide      
enough to admit of multitudes entering4 
,gentiles had plainly come in4 ,how had 
they come in8 ,by believing in ,jesus4  
,whatever became of previous exclusive  
theories1 there was a fact that had to  
be taken into account4 ,it distinctly   
proved that faith was 'the gate of the  
,lord into which1' not the circumcised  
but the 'righteous1' who were righteous 
because believing1 'should enter4'  ,we 
must not forget the other use of the    
metaphor1 by our ,lord ,himself1 in     

which4 ,he declares that ,he is the     
,door4 ,the two representations are     
varying but entirely harmonious1 for the
 one refers to the objective fact of    
,christ's work as making it possible    
that we should draw near to and dwell   
with ,god1 and the other to our         
subjective appropriation of that        
possibility1 and making it a reality in 
our own blessed experience4  ,,ii4      
,faith is the means of ,god's entrance  
into our hearts4  ,we possess the       
mysterious and awful power of shutting  
,god out of these hearts4 ,and faith1   
which in one aspect is our means of     
entrance into the ,kingdom of ,god1 is1 
in another1 the means of ,god's entrance
 into us4 ,the ,psalm1 which invokes the
 divine presence in the ,temple1 calls  
on the 'everlasting doors' to be 'lifted
 up1' and promises that then 'the ,king 
of ,glory will come in4' ,and the voice 
of the ascended ,christ1 the ,king of   
,glory1 knocking at the closed door1    
calls on us with our own hands to open  

the door1 and promises that ,he 'will   
come in4'  ,paul prayed for the         
,ephesian ,christians 'that ,christ may 
dwell in your hearts through faith1' and
 there is no other way by which ,his    
indwelling is possible4 ,faith is not   
constituted the condition of that divine
 indwelling by any arbitrary            
appointment1 as a sovereign might       
determine that he would enter a city by 
a certain route1 chosen without any     
special reason from amongst many1 but in
 the nature of things it is necessary   
that trust1 and love which follows      
trust1 and longing which follows love   
should be active in a soul if ,christ is
 to enter in and abide there4  ,,iii4   
,faith is the means of the entrance of  
the ,kingdom into us4  ,if ,christ comes
 in ,he comes with ,his pierced hands   
full of gifts4 ,through our faith we    
receive all spiritual blessings4 ,but we
 must ever remember1 what this metaphor 
most forcibly sets forth1 that faith is 
but the means of entrance4 ,it has no   

worth in itself1 but is precious only   
because it admits the true wealth4 ,the 
door is nothing4 ,it is only an opening4
 ,faith is the pipe that brings the     
water1 the flinging wide the shutters   
that the light may flood the dark room1 
the putting oneself into the path of the
 electric circuit4 ,salvation is not    
arbitrarily connected with faith4 ,it is
 not the reward of faith but the        
possession of what comes through faith1 
and cannot come in any other way4 ,our  
'hearts' are 'purified by faith1'       
because faith admits into our hearts the
 life1 and instals as dominant in them  
the powers1 the motives1 the ,spirit1   
which purify4 ,we are 'saved by faith1' 
for faith brings into our spirits the   
,christ who saves ,his people from their
 sins1 when ,he abides in them and they 
abide in ,him through their faith4      
,,the ,,breaking ,,out ,,of ,,discord   
',and certain men which came down from  
,judaea taught the brethren1 and said1  
,except ye be circumcised after the     

manner of ,moses1 ye cannot be saved4   
#b4 ,when therefore ,paul and ,barnabas 
had no small dissension and disputation 
with them1 they determined that ,paul   
and ,barnabas1 and certain other of     
them1 should go up to ,jerusalem unto   
the apostles and elders about this      
question4 #c4 ,and being brought on     
their way by the church1 they passed    
through ,phenice and ,samaria1 declaring
 the conversion of the ,gentiles3 and   
they caused great joy unto all the      
brethren4 #d4 ,and when they were come  
to ,jerusalem1 they were received of the
 church1 and of the apostles and elders1
 and they declared all things that ,god 
had done with them4 #e4 ,but there rose 
up certain of the sect of the ,pharisees
 which believed1 saying1 ,that it was   
needful to circumcise them1 and to      
command them to keep the law of ,moses4 
#f4 ,and the apostles and elders came   
together 'for to consider of this       
matter4'--,,acts xv4 #a-f4  ,the        
question as to the conditions on which  

,gentiles could be received into        
,christian communion had already been   
raised by the case of ,cornelius1 but it
 became more acute after ,paul's        
missionary journey4 ,the struggle       
between the narrower and broader views  
was bound to come to a head4 ,traces of 
the cleft between ,palestinian and      
,hellenist believers had appeared as far
 back as the 'murmuring' about the      
unfair neglect of the ,hellenist widows 
in the distribution of relief1 and the  
whole drift of things since had been to 
widen the gap4  ,whether the 'certain   
men' had a mission to the ,church in    
,antioch or not1 they had no mandate to 
lay down the law as they did4 ,luke     
delicately suggests this by saying that 
they 'came down from ,judaea1' rather   
than from ,jerusalem4 ,we should be fair
 to these men1 and remember how much    
they had to say in defence of their     
position4 ,they did not question that   
,gentiles could be received into the    
,church1 but 'kept on teaching' 7as the 

word in the ,greek implies7 that the    
divinely appointed ordinance of         
circumcision was the 'door' of entrance4
 ,god had prescribed it1 and through all
 the centuries since ,moses1 all who    
came into the fold of ,israel had gone  
in by that gate4 ,where was the         
commandment to set it aside8 ,was not   
,paul teaching men to climb up some     
other way1 and so blasphemously         
abrogating a divine law8  ,no wonder    
that honest believers in ,jesus as      
,messiah shrank with horror from such a 
revolutionary procedure4 ,the fact that 
they were ,palestinian ,jews1 who had   
never had their exclusiveness rubbed    
off1 as ,hellenists like ,paul and      
,barnabas had had1 explains1 and to some
 extent excuses1 their position4 ,and   
yet their contention struck a fatal blow
 at the faith1 little as they meant it4 
,paul saw what they did not see--that if
 anything else than faith was brought in
 as necessary to knit men to ,christ1   
and make them partakers of salvation1   

faith was deposed from its place1 and   
,christianity sank back to be a religion
 of 'works4' ,experience has proved that
 anything whatever introduced as        
associated with faith ejects faith from 
its place1 and comes to be recognised as
 the means of salvation4 ,it must be    
faith or circumcision1 it cannot be     
faith and circumcision4 ,the lesson is  
needed to-day as much as in ,antioch4   
,the controversy started then is a      
perennial one1 and the ,church of the   
present needs ,paul's exhortation1      
',stand fast therefore in the liberty   
wherewith ,christ hath made us free1 and
 be not entangled again with the yoke of
 bondage4'  ,the obvious course of      
appealing to ,jerusalem was taken1 and  
it is noteworthy that in verse #b the   
verb 'appointed' has no specified       
subject4 ,plainly1 however1 it was the  
,church which acted1 and so natural did 
that seem to ,luke that he felt it      
unnecessary to say so4 ,no doubt ,paul  
concurred1 but the suggestion is not    

said to have come from him4 ,he and     
,barnabas might have asserted their     
authority1 and declined to submit what  
they had done by the ,spirit's guidance 
to the decision of the ,apostles1 but   
they seek the things that make for      
peace4  ,no doubt the other side was    
represented in the deputation4          
,jerusalem was the centre of unity1 and 
remained so till its fall4 ,the         
,apostles and elders were the recognised
 leaders of the ,church4 ,elders here   
appear as holding a position of         
authority2 the only previous mention of 
them is in ,acts xi4 #cj1 where they    
receive the alms sent from ,antioch4 ,it
 is significant that we do not hear of  
their first appointment4 ,the           
organisation of the ,church took shape  
as exigencies prescribed4  ,the         
deputation left ,antioch1 escorted      
lovingly for a little way by the        
,church1 and1 journeying by land1       
gladdened the groups of believers in    
',phenicia and ,samaria' with the news  

that the ,gentiles were turning to ,god4
 ,we note that they are not said to have
 spoken of the thorny question in these 
countries1 and that it is not said that 
there was joy in ,judaea4 ,perhaps the  
,christians in it were in sympathy with 
the narrower view4  ,the first step     
taken in ,jerusalem was to call a       
meeting of the ,church to welcome the   
deputation4 ,it is significant that the 
latter did not broach the question in   
debate1 but told the story of the       
success of their mission4 ,that was the 
best argument for receiving ,gentile    
converts without circumcision4 ,god had 
received them2 should not the ,church do
 so8 ,facts are stronger than theories4 
,it was ,peter's argument in the case of
 ,cornelius3 they 'have received the    
,holy ,ghost as well as we1' 'who was   
,i1 that ,i could withstand ,god8' ,it  
is the argument which shatters all      
analogous narrowing of the conditions of
 ,christian life4 ,if men say1 ',except 
ye be' this or that 'ye cannot be       

saved1' it is enough to point to the    
fruits of ,christian character1 and say1
 ',these show that the souls which bring
 them forth are saved1 and you must     
widen your conceptions of the           
possibilities to include these          
actualities4' ,it is vain to say ',ye   
cannot be' when manifestly they are4    
,but the logic of facts does not        
convince obstinate theorists1 and so the
 ,judaising party persisted in their    
',it is needful to circumcise them4'    
,none are so blind as those to whom     
religion is mainly a matter of ritual4  
,you may display the fairest graces of  
,christian character before them1 and   
you get no answer but the reiteration of
 ',it is needful to circumcise you4'    
,but on their own ground1 in ,jerusalem1
 the spokesmen of that party enlarged   
their demands4 ,in ,antioch they had    
insisted on circumcision1 in ,jerusalem 
they added the demand for entire        
conformity to the ,mosaic law4 ,they    
were quite logical2 their principle     

demanded that extension of the          
requirement1 and was thereby condemned  
as utterly unworkable4 ,now that the    
whole battery was unmasked the issue was
 clear--,is ,christianity to be a       
,jewish sect or the universal religion8 
,clear as it was1 few in that assembly  
saw it4 ,but the parting of the ways had
 been reached4    ,,the ,,charter ,,of  
,,gentile ,,liberty  ',then all the     
multitude kept silence1 and gave        
audience to ,barnabas and ,paul1        
declaring what miracles and wonders ,god
 had wrought among the ,gentiles by     
them4 #ac4 ,and after they had held     
their peace1 ,james answered1 saying1   
,men and brethren1 hearken unto me3 #ad4
 ,simeon hath declared how ,god at the  
first did visit the ,gentiles1 to take  
out of them a people for ,his name4 #ae4
 ,and to this agree the words of the    
prophets2 as it is written1 #af4 ,after 
this ,i will return1 and will build     
again the tabernacle of ,david1 which is
 fallen down2 and ,i will build again   

the ruins thereof1 and ,i will set it   
up3 #ag4 ,that the residue of men might 
seek after the ,lord1 and all the       
,gentiles1 upon whom ,my name is called1
 saith the ,lord1 who doeth all these   
things4 #ah4 ,known unto ,god are all   
,his works from the beginning of the    
world4 #ai4 ,wherefore my sentence is1  
that we trouble not them1 which from    
among the ,gentiles are turned to ,god3 
#bj4 ,but that we write unto them1 that 
they abstain from pollutions of idols1  
and from fornication1 and from things   
strangled1 and from blood4 #ba4 ,for    
,moses of old time hath in every city   
them that preach ,him1 being read in the
 synagogues every sabbath day4 #bb4     
,then pleased it the apostles and       
elders1 with the whole church1 to send  
chosen men of their own company to      
,antioch with ,paul and ,barnabas2      
namely1 ,judas surnamed ,barsabas1 and  
,silas1 chief men among the brethren3   
#bc4 ,and they wrote letters by them    
after this manner2 ,the apostles and    

elders and brethren send greeting unto  
the brethren which are of the ,gentiles 
in ,antioch and ,syria and ,cilicia3    
#bd4 ,forasmuch as we have heard1 that  
certain which went out from us have     
troubled you with words1 subverting your
 souls1 saying1 ,ye must be circumcised1
 and keep the law3 to whom we gave no   
such commandment3 #be4 ,it seemed good  
unto us1 being assembled with one       
accord1 to send chosen men unto you with
 our beloved ,barnabas and ,paul1 #bf4  
,men that have hazarded their lives for 
the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4   
#bg4 ,we have sent therefore ,judas and 
,silas1 who shall also tell you the same
 things by mouth4 #bh4 ,for it seemed   
good to the ,holy ,ghost1 and to us1 to 
lay upon you no greater burden than     
these necessary things2 #bi4 ,that ye   
abstain from meats offered to idols1 and
 from blood1 and from things strangled1 
and from fornication3 from which if ye  
keep yourselves1 ye shall do well4 ,fare
 ye well4'--,,acts xv4 #ab-bi4  ,much   

was at stake in the decision of this    
gathering of the ,church4 ,if the       
,jewish party triumphed1 ,christianity  
sank to the level of a ,jewish sect4    
,the question brought up for decision   
was difficult1 and there was much to be 
said for the view that the ,mosaic law  
was binding on ,gentile converts4 ,it   
must have been an uprooting of deepest  
beliefs for a ,jewish ,christian to     
contemplate the abrogation of that law1 
venerable by its divine origin1 by its  
hoary antiquity1 by its national        
associations4 ,we must not be hard upon 
men who clung to it2 but we should learn
 from their final complete drifting away
 from ,christianity how perilous is the 
position which insists on the necessity 
to true discipleship of any outward     
observance4  ,our passage begins in the 
middle of the conference4 ,peter has1   
with characteristic vehemence1 dwelt    
upon the divine attestation of the      
genuine equality of the uncircumcised   
converts with the ,jewish1 given by     

their possession of the same divine     
,spirit1 and has flung fiery questions  
at the ,judaisers1 which silenced them4 
,then1 after the impressive hush        
following his eager words1 ,barnabas and
 ,paul tell their story once more1 and  
clinch the nail driven by ,peter by     
asserting that ,god had already by      
'signs and wonders' given ,his sanction 
to the admission of ,gentiles without   
circumcision4 ,characteristically1 in   
,jerusalem ,barnabas is restored to his 
place above ,paul1 and is named first as
 speaking first1 and regarded by the    
,jerusalem ,church as the superior of   
the missionary pair4  ,the next speaker 
is ,james1 not an ,apostle1 but the     
bishop of the ,church in ,jerusalem1 of 
whom tradition tells that he was a      
zealous adherent to the ,mosaic law in  
his own person1 and that his knees were 
as hard as a camel's through continual  
prayer4 ,it is singular that this       
meeting should be so often called 'the  
,apostolic council1' when1 as a fact1   

only one ,apostle said a word1 and he   
not as an ,apostle1 but as the chosen   
instrument to preach to the ,gentiles4  
',the elders1' of whose existence we now
 hear for the first time in this wholly 
incidental manner1 were associated with 
the ,apostles 7ver4 #f71 and the        
'multitude' 7ver4 #ab7 is most naturally
 taken to be 'the whole ,church' 7ver4  
#bb74 ,james represents the eldership1  
and as bishop in ,jerusalem and an eager
 observer of legal prescriptions1       
fittingly speaks4 ,his words practically
 determined the question4 ,like a wise  
man1 he begins with facts4 ,his use of  
the intensely ,jewish form of the name  
,simeon is an interesting reminiscence  
of old days4 ,so he had been accustomed 
to call ,peter when they were all young 
together1 and so he calls him still1    
though everybody else named him by his  
new name4 ,what ,god had done by him    
seems to ,james to settle the whole     
question2 for it was nothing else than  
to put the ,gentile converts without    

circumcision on an equality with the    
,jewish part of the ,church4  ,note the 
significant juxtaposition of the words  
',gentiles' and 'people'--the former the
 name for heathen1 the latter the sacred
 designation of the chosen nation4 ,the 
great paradox which1 through ,peter's   
preaching at ,caesarea1 had become a    
fact was that the 'people of ,god' were 
made up of ,gentiles as well as         
,jews--that ,his name was equally       
imparted to both4 ,if ,god had made     
,gentiles ,his people1 had ,he not      
thereby shown that the special          
observances of ,israel were put aside1  
and that1 in particular1 circumcision   
was no longer the condition of entrance8
 ,the end of national distinction and   
the opening of a new way of             
incorporation among the people of ,god  
were clearly contained in the facts4    
,how much ,christian narrowness would be
 blown to atoms if its advocates would  
do as ,james did1 and let ,god's facts  
teach them the width of ,god's purposes 

and the comprehensiveness of ,christ's  
,church6 ,we do wisely when we square   
our theories with facts2 but many of us 
go to work in the opposite way1 and snip
 down facts to the dimension of our     
theories4  ,james's next step is marked 
equally by calm wisdom and              
open-mindedness4 ,he looks to ,god's    
word1 as interpreted by ,god's deeds1 to
 throw light in turn on the deeds and to
 confirm the interpretation of these4   
,two things are to be noted in          
considering his quotation from          
,amos--its bearing on the question in   
hand1 and its divergence from the       
existing ,hebrew text4 ,as to the       
former1 there seems at first sight      
nothing relevant to ,james's purpose in 
the quotation1 which simply declares    
that the ,gentiles will seek the ,lord  
when the fallen tabernacle of ,david is 
rebuilt4 ,that period of time has at    
least begun1 thinks ,james1 in the work 
of ,jesus1 in whom the decayed dominion 
of ,david is again in higher form       

established4 ,the return of the         
,gentiles does not merely synchronise   
with1 but is the intended issue of1     
,christ's reign4 ,lifted from the earth1
 ,he will draw all men unto ,him1 and   
they shall 'seek the ,lord1' and on them
 ,his name will be called4  ,now the    
force of this quotation lies1 as it     
seems1 first in the fact that ,peter's  
experience at ,caesarea is to be taken  
as an indication of how ,god means the  
prophecy to be fulfilled1 namely1       
without circumcision2 and secondly1 in  
the argumentum a silentio1 since the    
prophet says nothing about ritual or the
 like1 but declares that moral and      
spiritual qualifications--on the one    
hand a true desire after ,god1 and on   
the other receiving the proclamation of 
,his name and calling themselves by     
it--are all that are needed to make     
,gentiles ,god's people4 ,just because  
there is nothing in the prophecy about  
observing ,jewish ceremonies1 and       
something about longing and faith1      

,james thinks that these are the        
essentials1 and that the others may be  
dropped by the ,church1 as ,god had     
dropped them in the case of ,cornelius1 
and as ,amos had dropped them in his    
vision of the future kingdom4 ,god knew 
what ,he meant to do when ,he spoke     
through the prophet1 and what ,he has   
done has explained the words1 as ,james 
says in verse #ah4  ,the variation from 
the ,hebrew text requires a word of     
comment4 ,the quotation is substantially
 from the ,septuagint1 with a slight    
alteration4 ,probably ,james quoted the 
version familiar to many of his hearers4
 ,it seems to have been made from a     
somewhat different ,hebrew text in verse
 #ag1 but the difference is very much   
slighter than an ,english reader would  
suppose4 ,our text has ',edom' where the
 ,septuagint has 'men'2 but the ,hebrew 
words without vowels are identical but  
for the addition of one letter in the   
former4 ,our text has 'inherit' where   
the ,septuagint has 'seek after'2 but   

there again the difference in the two   
,hebrew words would be one letter only1 
so that there may well have been a      
various reading as preserved in the     
,septuagint and ,acts4 ,james adds to   
the ,septuagint 'seek' the evidently    
correct completion 'the ,lord4'  ,now it
 is obvious that1 even if we suppose his
 rendering of the whole verse to be a   
paraphrase of the same ,hebrew text as  
we have1 it is a correct representation 
of the meaning2 for the 'inheriting of  
,edom' is no mere external victory1 and 
,edom is always in the ,old ,testament  
the type of the godless man4 ,the       
conquest of the ,gentiles by the        
restorer of ,david's tabernacle is      
really the seeking after the ,lord1 and 
the calling of ,his name upon the       
,gentiles4  ,the conclusion drawn by    
,james is full of practical wisdom1 and 
would have saved the ,church from many a
 sad page in its history1 if its spirit 
had been prevalent in later 'councils4' 
,note how the very designation given to 

the ,gentile converts in verse #ai      
carries argumentative force4 ',they turn
 to ,god from among the ,gentiles'--if  
they have done that1 surely their new   
separation and new attachment are       
enough1 and make insistence on          
circumcision infinitely ridiculous4     
,they have the thing signified2 what    
does it matter about the sign1 which is 
good for us ,jews1 but needless for     
them8 ,if ,church rulers had always been
 as open-eyed as this bishop in         
,jerusalem1 and had been content if     
people were joined to ,god and parted   
from the world1 what torrents of blood1 
what frowning walls of division1 what   
scandals and partings of brethren would 
have been spared6  ,the observances     
suggested are a portion of the precepts 
enjoined by ,judaism on proselytes4 ,the
 two former were necessary to the       
,christian life2 the two latter were    
not1 but were concessions to the ,jewish
 feelings of the stricter party4 ,the   
conclusion may be called a compromise1  

but it was one dictated by the desire   
for unity1 and had nothing unworthy in  
it4 ,there should be giving and taking  
on both sides4 ,if the ,jewish          
,christians made the1 to them1 immense  
concession of waiving the necessity of  
circumcision1 the ,gentile section might
 surely make the small one of abstinence
 from things strangled and from blood4  
,similarities in diet would daily       
assimilate the lives of the two parties1
 and would be a more visible and        
continuous token of their oneness than  
the single act of circumcision4  ,but   
what does the reason in verse #ba mean8 
,why should the reading of ,moses every 
,sabbath be a reason for these          
concessions8 ,various answers are given3
 but the most natural is that the       
constant promulgation of the law made   
respect for the feelings 7even if       
mistaken7 of ,jewish ,christians        
advisable1 and the course suggested the 
most likely to win ,jews who were not   
yet ,christians4 ,both classes would be 

flung farther apart if there were not   
some yielding4 ,the general principle   
involved is that one cannot be too      
tender with old and deeply rooted       
convictions even if they be prejudices1 
and that ,christian charity1 which is   
truest wisdom1 will consent to          
limitations of ,christian liberty1 if   
thereby any little one who believes in  
,him shall be saved from being offended1
 or any unbeliever from being repelled4 
,the letter embodying ,james's wise     
suggestion needs little further notice4 
,we may observe that there was no       
imposing and authoritative decision of  
the ,ecclesia1 but that the whole thing 
was threshed out in free talk1 and then 
the unanimous judgment of the community1
 ',apostles1 elders and the whole       
,church1' was embodied in the epistle4  
,observe the accurate rendering of verse
 #be 7,r4,v471 'having come to one      
accord1' which gives a lively picture of
 the process4 ,note too that ,james's   
proposal of a letter was mended by the  

addition of a deputation1 consisting of 
an unknown ',judas called ,barsabas'    
7perhaps a relative of ',joseph called  
,barsabas1' the unsuccessful nominee for
 ,apostleship in chap4 i471 and the     
well-known ,silas or ,silvanus1 of whom 
we hear so much in ,paul's letters4     
,that journey was the turning-point in  
his life1 and he henceforward1 attracted
 by the mass and magnetism of ,paul's   
great personality1 revolved round him1  
and forsook ,jerusalem4  ,probably      
,james drew up the document1 which has  
the same somewhat unusual 'greeting' as 
his ,epistle4 ,the sharp reference to   
the ,judaising teachers would be        
difficult for their sympathisers to     
swallow1 but charity is not broken by   
plain repudiation of error and its      
teachers4 ',subverting your souls' is a 
heavy charge4 ,the word is only here    
found in the ,new ,testament1 and means 
to unsettle1 the image in it being that 
of packing up baggage for removal4 ,the 
disavowal of these men is more complete 

if we follow the ,revised ,version in   
reading 7ver4 #bd7 'no commandment'     
instead of 'no such commandment4'       
,these unauthorised teachers 'went'2    
but1 in strong contrast with them1      
,judas and ,silas are chosen out and    
sent4 ,another thrust at the ,judaising 
teachers is in the affectionate eulogy  
of ,paul and ,barnabas as 'beloved1'    
whatever disparaging things had been    
said about them1 and as having 'hazarded
 their lives1' while these others had   
taken very good care of themselves1 and 
had only gone to disturb converts whom  
,paul and ,barnabas had won at the peril
 of their lives4  ,the calm             
matter-of-course assertion that the     
decision which commended itself to 'us' 
is the decision of 'the ,holy ,ghost'   
was warranted by ,christ's promises1 and
 came from the consciousness that they  
had observed the conditions which ,he   
had laid down4 ,they had brought their  
minds to bear upon the question1 with   
the light of facts and of ,scripture1   

and had come to a unanimous conclusion4 
,if they believed their ,lord's parting 
words1 they could not doubt that ,his   
,spirit had guided them4 ,if we lived   
more fully in that ,spirit1 we should   
know more of the same peaceful          
assurance1 which is far removed from the
 delusion of our own infallibility1 and 
is the simple expression of trust in the
 veracious promises of our ,lord4  ,the 
closing words of the letter are         
beautifully brotherly1 sinking          
authority1 and putting in the foreground
 the advantage to the ,gentile converts 
of compliance with the injunctions4 ',ye
 shall do well1' rightly and conformably
 with the requirements of brotherly love
 to weaker brethren4 ,and thus doing    
well1 they will 'fare well1' and be     
strong4 ,that is not the way in which   
'lords over ,god's heritage' are        
accustomed to end their decrees4        
,brotherly affection1 rather than       
authority imposing its will1 breathes   
here4 ,would that all succeeding        

',councils' had imitated this as well as
 'it seemed good to the ,holy ,ghost1   
and to us'6    ,a ,,good ,,man',s       
,,faults  ',and ,barnabas determined to 
take with them ,john1 whose surname was 
,mark4 #ch4 ,but ,paul thought not good 
to take him with them1 who departed from
 them from ,pamphylia1 and went not with
 them to the work4'--,,acts xv4 #cg1    
#ch4  ,scripture narratives are         
remarkable for the frankness with which 
they tell the faults of the best men4   
,it has nothing in common with the      
cynical spirit in historians1 of which  
this age has seen eminent examples1     
which fastens upon the weak places in   
the noblest natures1 like a wasp on     
bruises in the ripest fruit1 and        
delights in showing how all goodness is 
imperfect1 that it may suggest that none
 is genuine4 ,nor has it anything in    
common with that dreary melancholy which
 also has its representatives among us1 
that sees everywhere only failures and  
fragments of men1 and has no hope of    

ever attaining anything beyond the      
common average of excellence4 ,but      
,scripture frankly confesses that all   
its noblest characters have fallen short
 of unstained purity1 and with boldness 
of hope as great as its frankness       
teaches the weakest to aspire1 and the  
most sinful to expect perfect likeness  
to a perfect ,lord1 ,it is a plane      
mirror1 giving back all images without  
distortion4  ,we recall how emphatically
 and absolutely it eulogised ,barnabas  
as 'a good man1 full of the ,holy ,ghost
 and of faith'--and now we have to      
notice how this man1 thus full of the   
seminal principle of all goodness1      
derived into his soul by deep and       
constant communion through faith1 and   
showing in his life practical           
righteousness and holiness1 yet goes    
sadly astray1 tarnishes his character1  
and mars his whole future4  ,the two    
specific faults recorded of him are his 
over-indulgence in the case of ,mark1   
and his want of firmness in opposition  

to the ,judaising teachers who came down
 to ,antioch4 ,they were neither of them
 grave faults1 but they were real4 ,in  
the one he was too facile in overlooking
 a defect which showed unfitness for the
 work1 and seems to have yielded to     
family affection and to have sacrificed 
the efficiency of a mission to it4 ,not 
only was he wrong in proposing to       
condone ,mark's desertion1 but he was   
still more wrong in his reception of the
 opposition to his proposal4 ,with the  
firmness which weak characters so often 
display at the wrong time1 he was       
resolved1 come what would1 to have his  
own way4 ,temper rather than principle  
made him obstinate where he should have 
been yielding1 as it had made him in    
,antioch yielding1 where he should have 
been firm4 ,paul's remonstrances have no
 effect4 ,he will rather have his own   
way than the companionship of his old   
friend1 and so there come alienation and
 separation4 ,the ,church at ,antioch   
takes ,paul's view--all the brethren are

 unanimous in disapproval4 ,but         
,barnabas will not move4 ,he sets up his
 own feeling in opposition to them all4 
,the sympathy of his brethren1 the work 
of his life1 the extension of ,christ's 
kingdom1 are all tossed aside4 ,his own 
foolish purpose is more to him in that  
moment of irritation than all these4 ,so
 he snaps the tie1 abandons his work1   
and goes away without a kindly word1    
without a blessing1 without the         
,church's prayers--but with his nephew  
for whom he had given up all these4     
,paul sails away to do ,god's work1 and 
the ,church 'recommends him to the grace
 of ,god1' but ,barnabas steals away    
home to ,cyprus1 and his name is no more
 heard in the story of the planting of  
the kingdom of ,christ4  ,one hopes that
 his work did not stop thus1 but his    
recorded work does1 and in the band of  
friends who surrounded the great        
,apostle1 the name of his earliest      
friend appears no more4 ,other          
companions and associates in labour take

 his place2 he1 as it appears1 is gone  
for ever4 ,one reference 7#a ,cor4 ix4  
#f7 at a later date seems most naturally
 to suggest that he still continued in  
the work of an evangelist1 and still    
practised the principle to which he and 
,paul had adhered when together1 of     
supporting himself by manual labour4    
,the tone of the reference implies that 
there were relations of mutual respect4 
,but the most we can believe is that    
probably the two men still thought      
kindly of each other and honoured each  
other for their work's sake1 but found  
it better to labour apart1 and not to   
seek to renew the old companionship     
which had been so violently torn        
asunder4  ,the other instance of        
weakness was in some respects of a still
 graver kind4 ,the cause of it was the  
old controversy about the obligations of
 ,jewish law on ,gentile ,christians4   
,paul1 ,peter1 and ,barnabas all        
concurred in neglecting the restrictions
 imposed by ,judaism1 and in living on  

terms of equality and association in    
eating and drinking with the heathen    
converts at ,antioch4 ,a principle was  
involved1 to which ,barnabas had bean   
the first to give in his adhesion1 in   
the frank recognition of the ,antioch   
,church4 ,but as soon as emissaries from
 the other party came down1 ,peter and  
he abandoned their association with     
,gentile converts1 not changing their   
convictions but suppressing the action  
to which their convictions should have  
led4 ,they pretended to be of the same  
mind with these narrow ,jews from       
,jerusalem4 ,they insulted their        
brethren1 they deserted ,paul1 they     
belied their convictions1 they          
imperilled the cause of ,christian      
liberty1 they flew in the face of what  
,peter had said that ,god ,himself had  
showed him1 they did their utmost to    
degrade ,christianity into a form of    
,judaism--all for the sake of keeping on
 good terms with the narrow bigotry of  
these ,judaising teachers4  ,now if we  

take these two facts together1 and set  
them side by side with the eulogy       
pronounced on ,barnabas as 'a good man1 
full of the ,holy ,ghost and of faith1' 
we have brought before us in a striking 
form some important considerations4  ,i4
 ,the imperfect goodness of good men4   
,a good man does not mean a faultless   
man4 ,of course the power which works on
 a believing soul is always tending to  
produce goodness and only goodness4 ,but
 its operation is not such that we are  
always equally1 uniformly1 perfectly    
under its influence4 ,power in germ is  
one thing1 in actual operation another4 
,there may be but a little ragged patch 
of green in the garden1 and yet it may  
be on its way to become a flower-bed4 ,a
 king may not have established dominion 
over all his land4 ,the actual operation
 of that transforming ,spirit at any    
given moment is limited1 and we can     
withdraw ourselves from it4 ,it does not
 begin by leavening all our nature4  ,so
 we have to note--  ,the root of        

goodness4  ,the main direction of a     
life4  ,the progressive character of    
goodness4  ,the highest style of        
,christian life is a struggle4 ,so we   
draw practical inferences as to the     
conduct of life4  ,this thought of      
imperfection does not diminish the      
criminality of individual acts4  ,it    
does not weaken aspiration and effort   
towards higher life4  ,it does alleviate
 our doubts and fears when we find evil 
in ourselves4  ,,ii4 ,the possible evil 
lurking in our best qualities4  ,in     
,barnabas1 his amiability and openness  
of nature1 the very characteristics that
 had made him strong1 now make him weak 
and wrong4  ,how clearly then there is  
brought out here the danger that lurks  
even in our good6 ,i need not remind you
 how every virtue may be run to an      
extreme and become a vice4 ,liberality  
is exaggerated into prodigality2        
firmness1 into obstinacy2 mercy1 into   
weakness2 gravity1 into severity2       
tolerance1 into feeble conviction2      

humility1 into abjectness4  ,and these  
extremes are reached when these graces  
are developed at the expense of the     
symmetry of the character4  ,we are not 
simple but complex1 and what we need to 
aim at is a character1 not an           
excrescence4 ,some people's goodness is 
like a wart or a wen4 ,their virtues are
 cases of what medical technicality     
calls hypertrophy4 ,but our goodness    
should be like harmonious ,indian       
patterns1 where all colours blend in a  
balanced whole4  ,such considerations   
enforce the necessity for rigid         
self-control4 ,and that in two          
directions4  7a7 ,beware of your        
excellences1 your strong points4  7b7   
,cultivate sedulously the virtues to    
which you are not inclined4  ,the       
special form of error into which        
,barnabas fell is worth notice4 ,it was 
over-indulgence1 tolerance of evil in a 
person2 feebleness of grasp1 a          
deficiency of boldness in carrying out  
his witness to a disputed truth4 ,in    

this day liberality1 catholicity1 are   
pushed so far that there is danger of   
our losing the firmness of our grasp of 
principles1 and indulgence for faults   
goes so far that we are apt to lose the 
habit of unsparing1 though unangry1     
condemnation of unworthy characters4    
,this generation is like ,barnabas2 very
 quick in sympathy1 generous in action1 
ready to recognise goodness where-ever  
it is beheld4 ,but ,barnabas may be a   
beacon1 warning us of the possible evils
 that dog these excellences like their  
shadows4  ,,iii4 ,the grave issues of   
small faults4  ,comparatively trivial as
 was ,barnabas's error1 it seems to have
 wrecked his life1 at least to have     
marred it for long years1 and to have   
broken his sweet companionship with     
,paul4 ,i think we may go further and   
say1 that most good men are in more     
danger from trivial faults than from    
great ones4 ,no man reaches the         
superlative degree of wickedness all at 
once4 ,few men spring from the height to

 the abyss1 they usually slip down4 ,the
 erosive action of the sand of the      
desert is said to be gradually cutting  
off the ,sphinx's head4 ,the small      
faults are most numerous4 ,we are least 
on our guard against them4 ,there is a  
microscopic weed that chokes canals4    
,snow-flakes make the sky as dark as an 
eclipse does4 ,white ants eat a carcase 
quicker than a lion does4  ,so we urge  
the necessity for bringing ordinary     
deeds and small actions to be ruled and 
guided by ,god's ,spirit4  ,how the     
contemplation of the imperfection1 which
 is the law of life1 should lead us to  
hope for that heaven where perfection   
is4  ,how the contemplation of the      
limits of all human goodness should lead
 us to exclusive faith in1 and imitation
 of1 the one perfect ,lord4 ,he stands  
stainless among the stained4 ,in ,him   
alone is no sin1 from ,him alone like   
goodness may be ours4    ,,how ,,to     
,,secure ,a ,,prosperous ,,voyage  ',and
 after ,paul had seen the vision1       

immediately we endeavoured to go into   
,macedonia1 assuredly gathering that the
 ,lord had called us for to preach the  
gospel unto them4 #aa4 ,therefore 444 we
 came with a straight course4'--,,acts  
xvi4 #aj1 #aa4  ,this book of the ,acts 
is careful to point out how each fresh  
step in the extension of the ,church's  
work was directed and commanded by      
,jesus ,christ ,himself4 ,thus ,philip  
was sent by specific injunction to 'join
 himself' to the chariot of the         
,ethiopian statesman4 ,thus ,peter on   
the house-top at ,joppa1 looking out    
over the waters of the western sea1 had 
the vision of the great sheet1 knit at  
the four corners4 ,and thus ,paul1 in   
singularly similar circumstances1 in the
 little seaport of ,troas1 looking out  
over the narrower sea which there       
separates ,asia from ,europe1 had the   
vision of the man of ,macedonia1 with   
his cry1 ',come over and help us6' ,the 
whole narrative before us bears upon the
 one point1 that ,christ ,himself       

directs the expansion of ,his kingdom4  
,and there never was a more fateful     
moment than that at which the ,gospel1  
in the person of the ,apostle1 crossed  
the sea1 and effected a lodgment in the 
progressive quarter of the world4  ,now 
what ,i wish to do is to note how ,paul 
and his little company behaved          
themselves when they had received       
,christ's commandment4 ,for ,i think    
there are lessons worth the gathering to
 be found there4 ,there was no doubt    
about the vision2 the question was what 
it meant4 ,so note three stages4 ,first1
 careful consideration1 with one's own  
common sense1 of what ,god wants us to  
do--',assuredly gathering that the ,lord
 had called us4' ,then1 let no grass    
grow under our feet--immediate          
obedience--',straightway we endeavoured 
to go into ,macedonia4' ,and then1      
patient pondering and instantaneous     
submission get the reward--',we came    
with a straight course4' ,he gave the   
winds and the waves charge concerning   

them4 ,now there are three lessons for  
us4 ,taken together1 they are patterns  
of what ought to be in our experience1  
and will be1 if the conditions are      
complied with4  ,i4 ,first1 ,careful    
,consideration4  ,paul had no doubt that
 what he saw was a vision from ,christ1 
and not a mere dream of the night1 born 
of the reverberation of waking thoughts 
and anxieties1 that took the shape of   
the plaintive cry of the man of         
,macedonia4 ,but then the next step was 
to be quite sure of what the vision     
meant4 ,and so1 wisely1 he does not make
 up his mind himself1 but calls in the  
three men who were with him4 ,and what a
 significant little group it was6 ,there
 were ,timothy1 ,silas1 and             
,luke--,silas1 from ,jerusalem2         
,timothy1 half a ,gentile2 ,luke1       
altogether a ,gentile2 and ,paul        
himself--and these four shook the world4
 ,they come together1 and they talk the 
matter over4 ,the word of my text       
rendered 'assuredly gathering' is a     

picturesque one4 ,it literally means    
'laying things together4' ,they set     
various facts side by side1 or as we say
 in our colloquial idiom1 ',they put    
this and that together1' and so they    
came to understand what the vision      
meant4  ,what had they to help them to  
understand it8 ,well1 they had this     
fact1 that in all the former part of    
their journey they had been met by      
hindrances2 that their path had been    
hedged up here1 there1 and everywhere4  
,paul set out from ,antioch1 meaning a  
quiet little tour of visitation amongst 
the churches that had been already      
established4 ,jesus ,christ meant       
,philippi and ,athens and ,corinth and  
,ephesus1 before ,paul got back again4  
,so we read in an earlier portion of the
 chapter that the ,spirit of ,jesus     
forbade them to speak the ,word in one  
region1 and checked and hindered them   
when1 baffled1 they tried to go to      
another4 ,there then remained only one  
other road open to them1 and that led to

 the coast4 ,thus putting together their
 hindrances and their stimuluses1 they  
came to the conclusion that unitedly the
 two said plainly1 ',go across the sea1 
and preach the word there4'  ,now it is 
a very commonplace and homely piece of  
teaching to remind you that time is not 
wasted in making quite sure of the      
meaning of providences which seem to    
declare the will of ,god1 before we     
begin to act4 ,but the commonest duties 
are very often neglected2 and we        
preachers1 ,i think1 would very often do
 more good by hammering at commonplace  
themes than by bringing out original and
 fresh ones4 ,and so ,i venture to say a
 word about the immense importance to   
,christian life and ,christian service  
of this preliminary step--'assuredly    
gathering that the ,lord had called us4'
 ,what have we to do in order to be     
quite sure of ,god's intention for us8  
,well1 the first thing seems to me to   
make quite sure that we want to know it1
 and that we do not want to force our   

intentions upon ,him1 and then to plume 
ourselves upon being obedient to ,his   
call1 when we are only doing what we    
like4 ,there is a vast deal of          
unconscious insincerity in us all2 and  
especially in regard to ,christian work 
there is an enormous amount of it4      
,people will say1 ',oh1 ,i have such a  
strong impulse in a given direction1 to 
do certain kinds of ,christian service1 
that ,i am quite sure that it is ,god's 
will4' ,how are you sure8 ,a strong     
impulse may be a temptation from the    
devil as well as a call from ,god4 ,and 
men who simply act on untested impulses1
 even the most benevolent which spring  
directly from large ,christian          
principles1 may be making deplorable    
mistakes4 ,it is not enough to have pure
 motives4 ,it is useless to say1 ',such 
and such a course of action is clearly  
the result of the truths of the         
,gospel4' ,that may be all perfectly    
true1 and yet the course may not be the 
course for you4 ,for there may be       

practical considerations1 which do not  
come into our view unless we carefully  
think about them1 which forbid us to    
take such a path4 ,so remember that     
strong impulses are not guiding lights2 
nor is it enough to vindicate our       
pursuing some mode of ,christian service
 that it is in accordance with the      
principles of the ,gospel4              
',circumstances alter cases' is a very  
homely old saying2 but if ,christian    
people would only bring the common sense
 to bear upon their religious life which
 they need to bring to bear upon their  
business life1 unless they are going    
into the ,gazette1 there would be less  
waste work in the ,christian ,church    
than there is to-day4 ,i do not want    
less zeal2 ,i want that the reins of the
 fiery steed shall be kept well in hand4
 ,the difference between a fanatic1 who 
is a fool1 and an enthusiast1 who is a  
wise man1 is that the one brings calm   
reason to bear1 and an open-eyed        
consideration of circumstances all      

round2 and the other sees but one thing 
at a time1 and shuts his eyes1 like a   
bull in a field1 and charges at that4   
,so let us be sure1 to begin with1 that 
we want to know what ,god wants us to   
do2 and that we are not palming our     
wishes upon ,him1 and calling them ,his 
providences4  ,then there is another    
plain1 practical consideration that     
comes out of this story1 and that is1   
,do not be above being taught by        
failures and hindrances4 ,you know the  
old proverb1 ',it is waste time to flog 
a dead horse4' ,there is not a little   
well-meant work flung away1 because it  
is expended on obviously hopeless       
efforts to revivify1 perhaps1 some      
moribund thing or to continue1 perhaps1 
in some old1 well-worn rut1 instead of  
striking out into a new path4 ,paul was 
full of enthusiasm for the              
evangelisation of ,asia ,minor1 and he  
might have said a great deal about the  
importance of going to ,ephesus4 ,he    
tried to do it1 but ,christ said ',no4' 

and ,paul did not knock his head against
 the stone wall that lay between him and
 the accomplishment of his purpose1 but 
he gave it up and tried another tack4   
,he next wished to go up into ,bithynia1
 and he might have said a great deal    
about the needs of the people by the    
,euxine2 but again down came the        
barrier1 and he had once more to learn  
the lesson1 ',not as thou wilt1 but as  
,i will4' ,he was not above being taught
 by his failures4 ,some of us are2 and  
it is very difficult1 and needs a great 
deal of ,christian wisdom and           
unselfishness1 to distinguish between   
hindrances in the way of work which are 
meant to evoke larger efforts1 and      
hindrances which are meant to say1 ',try
 another path1 and do not waste time    
here any longer4'  ,but if we wish      
supremely to know ,god's will1 ,he will 
help us to distinguish between these two
 kinds of difficulties4 ,some one has   
said1 ',difficulties are things to be   
overcome4' ,yes1 but not always4 ,they  

very often are1 and we should thank ,god
 for them then2 but they sometimes are  
,god's warnings to us to go by another  
road4 ,so we need discretion1 and       
patience1 and suspense of judgment to be
 brought to bear upon all our purposes  
and plans4  ,then1 of course1 ,i need   
not remind you that the way to get light
 is to seek it in the ,book and in      
communion with ,him whom the ,book      
reveals to us as the true ,word of ,god3
 ',he that followeth ,me shall not walk 
in darkness1 but shall have the light of
 life4' ,so careful consideration is a  
preliminary to all good ,christian work4
 ,and1 if you can1 talk to some ,timothy
 and ,silas and ,luke about your course1
 and do not be above taking a brother's 
advice4  ,,ii4 ,the next step is        
,immediate ,submission4  ,when they had 
assuredly gathered that the ,lord had   
called them1 'immediately'--there is    
great virtue in that one word--'we      
endeavoured to go into ,macedonia4'     
,delayed obedience is the brother--and1 

if ,i may mingle metaphors1 sometimes   
the father--of disobedience4 ,it        
sometimes means simple feebleness of    
conviction1 indolence1 and a general    
lack of fervour4 ,it means very often a 
reluctance to do the duty that lies     
plainly before us4 ,and1 dear brethren1 
as ,i have said about the former lesson1
 so ,i say about this4 ,the homely      
virtue1 which we all know to be         
indispensable to success in common daily
 life and commercial undertakings1 is no
 less indispensable to all vigour of    
,christian life and to all nobleness of 
,christian service4 ,we have no hours to
 waste2 the time is short4 ,in the      
harvest-field1 especially when it is    
getting near the end of the week1 and   
the ,sunday is at hand1 there are little
 leisure and little tolerance of slow   
workers4 ,and for us the fields are     
white1 the labourers are few1 the ,lord 
of the harvest is imperative1 the sun is
 hurrying to the west1 and the sickles  
will have to be laid down before long4  

,so1 'immediately we endeavoured4'      
,delayed duty is present discomfort4 ,as
 long as a man has a conscience1 so long
 will he be restless and uneasy until he
 has1 as the ,quakers say1 'cleared     
himself of his burden1' and done what he
 knows that he ought to do1 and got done
 with it4 ,delayed obedience means      
wasted possibilities of service1 and so 
is ever to be avoided4 ,the more        
disagreeable anything is which is       
plainly a duty1 the more reason there is
 for doing it right away4 ',i made      
haste1 and delayed not1 but made haste  
to keep ,thy commandments4'  ,did you   
ever count how many 'straightways' there
 are in the first chapter of ,mark's    
,gospel8 ,if you have not1 will you do  
it when you go home2 and notice how they
 come in8 ,in the story of ,christ's    
opening ministry every fresh incident is
 tacked on to the one before it1 in that
 chapter1 by that same word             
'straightway4' ',straightway' ,he does  
that2 'anon' ,he does this2             

'immediately' ,he does the other thing4 
,all is one continuous stream of acts of
 service4 ,the ,gospel of ,mark is the  
,gospel of the servant1 and it sets     
forth the pattern to which all          
,christian service ought to be          
conformed4  ,so if we take ,jesus       
,christ for our ,example1 unhasting and 
unresting in the work of the ,lord1 we  
shall let no moment pass burdened with  
undischarged duty2 and we shall find    
that all the moments are few enough for 
the discharge of the duties incumbent   
upon us4  ,,iii4 ,so1 lastly1 careful   
consideration and unhesitating obedience
 lead to a ,straight ,course4  ,well1 it
 is not so always1 but it is so         
generally4 ,there is a wonderful power  
in diligent doing of ,god's known will  
to smooth away difficulties and avoid   
troubles4 ,i do not1 of course1 mean    
that a man who thus lives1 patiently    
ascertaining and then promptly doing    
what ,god would have him do1 has any    
miraculous exemption from the ordinary  

sorrows and trials of life4 ,but sure ,i
 am that a very1 very large proportion  
of all the hindrances and               
disappointments1 storms and quicksands1 
calms which prevent progress and        
headwinds that beat in our faces1 are   
directly the products of our negligence 
in one or other of these two respects1  
and that although by no means           
absolutely1 yet to an extent that we    
should not believe if we had not the    
experience of it1 the wish to do ,god's 
will and the doing of it with our might 
when we know what it is have a          
talismanic power in calming the seas and
 bringing us to the desired haven4  ,but
 though this is not always absolutely   
true in regard of outward things1 it is1
 without exception or limitation1 true  
in regard of the inward life4 ,for if my
 supreme will is to do ,god's will then 
nothing which is ,his will1 and comes to
 me because it is can be a hindrance in 
my doing that4  ,as an old proverb says1
 ',travelling merchants can never be out

 of their road4' ,and a ,christian man  
whose path is simple obedience to the   
will of ,god can never be turned from   
that path by whatever hindrances may    
affect his outward life4 ,so1 in deepest
 truth1 there is always a calm voyage   
for the men whose eyes are open to      
discern1 and whose hands are swift to   
fulfil1 the commandments of their       
,father in heaven4 ,for them all winds  
blow them to their port2 for them 'all  
things work together for good'2 with    
them ,god's servants who hearken to the 
voice of ,his commandments1 and are ,his
 ministers to do ,his pleasure1 can     
never be other than in amity and        
alliance4 ,he who is ,god's servant is  
the world's master4 ',all things are    
yours if ye are ,christ's4'  ,so1       
brethren1 careful study of providences  
and visions1 of hindrances and stimulus1
 careful setting of our lives side by   
side with the ,master's1 and a swift    
delight in doing the will of the ,lord1 
will secure for us1 in inmost truth1 a  

prosperous voyage1 till all storms are  
hushed1 'and they are glad because they 
be quiet2 so ,he bringeth them to their 
desired haven4'    ,,paul ,,at          
,,philippi  ',and on the sabbath day we 
went forth without the gate1 by a river 
side1 where we supposed there was a     
place of prayer2 and we sat down1 and   
spake unto the women which were come    
together4'--,,acts xvi4 #ac 7,r4,v474   
,this is the first record of the        
preaching of the ,gospel in ,europe1 and
 probably the first instance of it4 ,the
 fact that the vision of the man of     
,macedonia was needed in order to draw  
the ,apostle across the straits into    
,macedonia1 and the great length at     
which the incidents at ,philippi are    
recorded1 make this probable4 ,if so1 we
 are here standing1 as it were1 at the  
wellhead of a mighty river1 and the thin
 stream of water assumes importance when
 we remember the thousand miles of its  
course1 and the league-broad estuary in 
which it pours itself into the ocean4   

,here is the beginning2 the ,europe of  
to-day is what came out of it4 ,there is
 no sign whatever that the ,apostle was 
conscious of an epoch in this           
transference of the sphere of his       
operations1 but we can scarcely help    
being conscious of such4  ,and so1      
looking at the words of my text1 and    
seeing here how unobtrusively there     
stole into the progressive part of the  
world the power which was to shatter and
 remould all its institutions1 to guide 
and inform the onward march of its      
peoples1 to be the basis of their       
liberties1 and the starting-point of    
their literature1 we can scarcely avoid 
drawing lessons of importance4  ,the    
first point which ,i would suggest1 as  
picturesquely enforced for us by this   
incident1 is--  ,i4 ,the apparent       
insignificance and real greatness of    
,christian work4  ,there did not seem in
 the whole of that great city that      
morning a more completely insignificant 
knot of people than the little          

weather-beaten ,jew1 travel-stained1 of 
weak bodily presence1 and of            
contemptible speech1 with the handful of
 his attendants1 who slipped out in the 
early morning and wended their way to   
the quiet little oratory1 beneath the   
blue sky1 by the side of the rushing    
stream1 and there talked informally and 
familiarly to the handful of women4 ,the
 great men of ,philippi would have      
stared if any one had said to them1     
',you will be forgotten1 but two of     
these women will have their names       
embalmed in the memory of the world for 
ever4 ,everybody will know ,euodia and  
,syntyche4 ,your city will be forgotten1
 although a battle that settled the fate
 of the civilised world was fought      
outside your gates4 ,but that little    
,jew and the letter that he will write  
to that handful of believers that are to
 be gathered by his preaching will last 
for ever4' ,the mightiest thing done in 
,europe that morning was when the       
,apostle sat down by the riverside1 'and

 spake to the women which resorted      
thither4'  ,the very same vulgar mistake
 as to what is great and as to what is  
small is being repeated over and over   
again2 and we are all tempted to it by  
that which is worldly and vulgar in     
ourselves1 to the enormous detriment of 
the best part of our natures4 ,so it is 
worth while to stop for a moment and ask
 what is the criterion of greatness in  
our deeds8 ,i answer1 three             
things--their motive1 their sphere1     
their consequences4 ,what is done for   
,god is always great4 ,you take a pebble
 and drop it into a brook1 and          
immediately the dull colouring upon it  
flashes up into beauty when the sunlight
 strikes through the ripples1 and the   
magnitude of the little stone is        
enlarged4 ,if ,i may make use of such a 
violent expression1 drop your deeds into
 ,god1 and they will all be great1      
however small they are4 ,keep them apart
 from ,him1 and they will be small1     
though all the drums of the world beat  

in celebration1 and all the vulgar      
people on the earth extol their         
magnitude4 ,this altar magnifies and    
sanctifies the giver and the gift4 ,the 
great things are the things that are    
done for ,god4  ,a deed is great        
according to its sphere4 ,what bears on 
and is confined to material things is   
smaller than what affects the           
understanding4 ,the teacher is more than
 the man who promotes material good4    
,and on the very same principle1 above  
both the one and the other1 is the doer 
of deeds which touch the diviner part of
 a man's nature1 his will1 his          
conscience1 his affections1 his         
relations to ,god4 ,thus the deeds that 
impinge upon these are the highest and  
the greatest2 and far above the         
scientific inventor1 and far above the  
mere teacher1 as ,i believe1 and as ,i  
hope you believe1 stands the humblest   
work of the poorest ,christian who seeks
 to draw any other soul into the light  
and liberty which he himself possesses4 

,the greatest thing in the world is     
charity1 and the purest charity in the  
world is that which helps a man to      
possess the basis and mother-tincture of
 all love1 the love towards ,god who has
 first loved us1 in the person and the  
work of ,his dear ,son4  ,that which    
being done has consequences that roll   
through souls1 'and grow for ever and   
for ever1' is a greater work than the   
deed whose issues are more short-lived4 
,and so the man who speaks a word which 
may deflect a soul into the paths which 
have no end until they are swallowed up 
in the light of the ,god who 'is a      
,sun1' is a worker whose work is truly  
great4 ,brethren1 it concerns the       
nobleness of the life of us ,christian  
people far more closely than we         
sometimes suppose1 that we should purge 
our souls from the false estimate of    
magnitudes which prevails so extensively
 in the world's judgment of men and     
their doings4 ,and though it is no      
worthy motive for a man to seek to live 

so that he may do great things1 it is a 
part of the discipline of the ,christian
 mind1 as well as heart1 that we should 
be able to reduce the swollen bladders  
to their true flaccidity and            
insignificance1 and that we should      
understand that things done for ,god1   
things done on men's souls1 things done 
with consequences which time will not   
exhaust1 nor eternity put a period to1  
are1 after all1 the great things of     
human life4  ,ah1 there will be a       
wonderful reversal of judgments one day6
 ,names that now fill the trumpet of    
fame will fall silent4 ,pages that now  
are read as if they were leaves of the  
',book of ,life' will be obliterated and
 unknown1 and when all the flashing     
cressets in ,vanity ,fair have smoked   
and stunk themselves out1 ',they that be
 wise shall shine as the brightness of  
the firmament1 and they that turn many  
to righteousness as the stars for ever  
and ever4' ,the great things are the    
,christian things1 and there was no     

greater deed done that day1 on this     
round earth1 than when that ,jewish     
wayfarer1 travel-stained and            
insignificant1 sat himself down in the  
place of prayer1 and 'spake unto the    
women which resorted thither4' ,do not  
be over-cowed by the loud talk of the   
world1 but understand that ,christian   
work is the mightiest work that a man   
can do4  ,let us take from this incident
 a hint as to--  ,,ii4 ,the law of      
growth in ,christ's ,kingdom4  ,here1 as
 ,i have said1 is the thin thread of    
water at the source4 ,we to-day are on  
the broad bosom of the expanded stream4 
,here is the little beginning2 the world
 that we see around us has come from    
this1 and there is a great deal more to 
be done yet before all the power that   
was transported into ,europe1 on that   
,sabbath morning1 has wrought its       
legitimate effects4 ,that is to say1    
'the ,kingdom of ,god cometh not by     
observation4' ,let me say a word1 and   
only a word1 based on this incident1    

about the law of small beginnings and   
the law of slow1 inconspicuous          
development4  ,we have here an instance 
of the law of small1 silent beginnings4 
,let us go back to the highest example  
of everything that is good2 the life of 
,jesus ,christ4 ,a cradle at ,bethlehem1
 a carpenter's shop in ,nazareth1 thirty
 years buried in a village1 two or three
 years1 at most1 going up and down      
quietly in a remote nook of the earth1  
and then ,he passed away silently and   
the world did not know ,him4 ',he shall 
not strive nor cry1 nor cause ,his voice
 to be heard in the streets4' ,and as   
the ,christ so ,his ,church1 and so ,his
 ,gospel1 and so all good movements that
 begin from ,him4 ,destructive          
preparations may be noisy2 they         
generally are4 ,constructive beginnings 
are silent and small4 ,if a thing is    
launched with a great beating of drums  
and blowing of trumpets1 you may be     
pretty sure there is very little in it4 
,drums are hollow1 or they would not    

make such a noise4 ,trumpets only catch 
and give forth wind4 ,they say--,i know 
not whether it is true--that the        
,wellingtonia gigantea1 the greatest of 
forest trees1 has a smaller seed than   
any of its congeners4 ,it may be so1 at 
any rate it does for an illustration4   
,the germ-cell is always microscopic4 ,a
 little beginning is a prophecy of a    
great ending4  ,in like manner there is 
another large principle suggested here  
which1 in these days of impatient haste 
and rushing to and fro1 and religious as
 well as secular advertising and        
standing at street corners1 we are very 
apt to forget1 but which we need to     
remember1 and that is that the rate of  
growth is swift when the duration of    
existence is short4 ,a reed springs up  
in a night4 ,how long does an oak take  
before it gets too high for a sheep to  
crop at8 ,the moth lives its full life  
in a day4 ,there is no creature that has
 helpless infancy so long as a man4 ,we 
have the slow work of mining2 the       

dynamite will be put into the hole one  
day1 and the spark applied--and then8   
,so 'an inheritance may be gotten       
hastily at the beginning1 but the end   
thereof shall not be blessed4'  ,let us 
apply that to our own personal life and 
work1 and to the growth of ,christianity
 in the world1 and let us not be        
staggered because either are so slow4   
',the ,lord is not slack concerning ,his
 promises1 as some men count slackness4 
,one day is with the ,lord as a thousand
 years1 and a thousand years as one     
day4' ,how long will that day be of     
which a thousand years are but as the   
morning twilight8 ,brethren1 you have   
need of patience4 ,you ,christian       
workers1 and ,i hope ,i am speaking to a
 great many such now2 how long does it  
take before we can say that we are      
making any impression at all on the vast
 masses of evil and sin that are round  
about us8 ,god waited1 nobody knows how 
many millenniums and more than          
millenniums1 before ,he had the world   

ready for man4 ,he waited for more years
 than we can tell before ,he had the    
world ready for the ,incarnation4 ,his  
march is very slow because it is ever   
onwards4 ,let us be thankful if we forge
 ahead the least little bit2 and let us 
not be impatient for swift results which
 are the fool's paradise1 and which the 
man who knows that he is working towards
 ,god's own end can well afford to do   
without4  ,and now1 lastly1 let me ask  
you to notice1 still further as drawn   
from this incident--  ,,iii4 ,the       
simplicity of the forces to which ,god  
entrusts the growth of ,his ,kingdom4   
,it is almost ludicrous to think1 if it 
were not pathetic and sublime1 of the   
disproportion between the end that was  
aimed at and the way that was taken to  
reach it1 which the text opens before   
us4 ',we went out to the riverside1 and 
we spake unto the women which resorted  
thither4' ,that was all4 ,think of      
,europe as it was at that time4 ,there  
was ,greece over the hills1 there was   

,rome ubiquitous and ready to exchange  
its contemptuous toleration for active  
hostility4 ,there was the unknown       
barbarism of the vague lands beyond4    
,think of the established idolatries    
which these men had to meet1 around     
which had gathered1 by the superstitious
 awe of untold ages1 everything that was
 obstinate1 everything that was         
menacing1 everything that was venerable4
 ,think of the subtleties to which they 
had to oppose their unlettered message4 
,think of the moral corruption that was 
eating like an ulcer into the very heart
 of society4 ,did ever a ,cortez on the 
beach1 with his ships in flames behind  
him1 and a continent in arms before1    
cast himself on a more desperate        
venture8 ,and they conquered6 ,how8     
,what were the small stones from the    
brook that slew ,goliath8 ,have we got  
them8 ,here they are1 the message that  
they spoke1 the white heat of           
earnestness with which they spoke it1   
and the divine ,helper who backed them  

up4 ,and we have this message4          
,brethren1 that old word1 ',god was in  
,christ reconciling the world to        
,himself1' is as much needed1 as potent1
 as truly adapted to the complicated    
civilisation of this generation1 as     
surely reaching the deepest wants of the
 human soul1 as it was in the days when 
first the message poured1 like a red-hot
 lava flood1 from the utterances of     
,paul4 ,like lava it has gone cold      
to-day1 and stiff in many places1 and   
all the heat is out of it4 ,that is the 
fault of the speaker1 never of the      
message4 ,it is as mighty as ever it    
was1 and if the ,christian ,church would
 keep more closely to it1 and would     
realise more fully that the ,cross does 
not need to be propped up so much as to 
be proclaimed1 ,i think we should see   
that it is so4 ,that sword has not lost 
its temper1 and modern modes of warfare 
have not antiquated it4 ,as ,david said 
to the high priests at ,nob1 when he was
 told that ,goliath's sword was hid     

behind the ephod1 ',give me that4 ,there
 is none like it4' ,it was not miracles1
 it was the ,gospel that was preached1  
which was 'the power of ,god unto       
salvation4'  ,and that message was      
preached with earnestness4 ,there is one
 point in which every successful servant
 of ,jesus ,christ who has done work for
 ,him1 winning men to ,him1 has been    
like every other successful servant1 and
 there is only one point4 ,some of them 
have been wise men1 some of them have   
been foolish4 ,some of them have been   
clad with many puerile notions and much 
rubbish of ceremonial and sacerdotal    
theories4 ,some of them have been high  
,calvinists1 some of them low           
,arminians2 some of them have been      
scholars1 some of them could hardly     
read4 ,but they have all had this one   
thing3 they believed with all their     
hearts what they spake4 ,they fulfilled 
the ,horatian principle1 ',if you wish  
me to weep1 your own eyes must          
overflow'--and if you wish me to        

believe1 you must speak1 not 'with bated
 breath and whispering humbleness1' but 
as if you yourself believed it1 and were
 dead set on getting other people to    
believe it1 too4  ,and then the third   
thing that ,paul had we have1 and that  
is the presence of the ,christ4 ,note   
what it says in the context about one   
convert who was made that morning1      
,lydia1 'whose heart the ,lord opened4' 
,now ,i am not going to deduce          
,calvinism or any other 'ism' from these
 words1 but ,i pray you to note that    
there is emerging on the surface here   
what runs all through this book of      
,acts1 and animates the whole of it1    
viz41 that ,jesus ,christ ,himself is   
working1 doing all the work that is done
 through ,his servants4 ,wherever there 
are men aflame with that with which     
every ,christian man and woman should be
 aflame1 the consciousness of the       
preciousness of their ,master1 and their
 own responsibility for the spreading of
 ,his ,name1 there1 depend upon it1 will

 be the ,christ to aid them4 ,the       
picture with which one of the           
,evangelists closes his ,gospel will be 
repeated3 ',they went everywhere        
preaching the word1 the ,lord working   
with them1 and confirming the word with 
signs following4'  ,dear brethren1 the  
vision of the man of ,macedonia which   
drew ,paul across the water from ,troas 
to ,philippi speaks to us4 ',come over  
and help us1' comes from many voices4   
,and if we1 in however humble and       
obscure1 and as the foolish purblind    
world calls it1 'small1' way1 yield to  
the invitation1 and try to do what in us
 lies1 then we shall find that1 like    
,paul by the riverside in that oratory1 
we are building better than we know1 and
 planting a little seed1 the springing  
whereof ,god will bless4 ',thou sowest  
not that which shall be1 but bare grain 
444 and ,god giveth it a body as it hath
 pleased ,him4'    ,,the ,,riot ,,at    
,,philippi  ',and when her masters saw  
that the hope of their gains was gone1  

they caught ,paul and ,silas1 and drew  
them into the marketplace unto the      
rulers1 #bj4 ,and brought them to the   
magistrates1 saying1 ,these men1 being  
,jews1 do exceedingly trouble our city1 
#ba4 ,and teach customs1 which are not  
lawful for us to receive1 neither to    
observe1 being ,romans4 #bb4 ,and the   
multitude rose up together against them3
 and the magistrates rent off their     
clothes1 and commanded to beat them4    
#bc4 ,and when they had laid many       
stripes upon them1 they cast them into  
prison1 charging the jailer to keep them
 safely3 #bd4 ,who1 having received such
 a charge1 thrust them into the inner   
prison1 and made their feet fast in the 
stocks4 #be4 ,and at midnight ,paul and 
,silas prayed1 and sang praises unto    
,god3 and the prisoners heard them4 #bf4
 ,and suddenly there was a great        
earthquake1 so that the foundations of  
the prison were shaken3 and immediately 
all the doors were opened1 and every    
one's bands were loosed4 #bg4 ,and the  

keeper of the prison awaking out of his 
sleep1 and seeing the prison doors open1
 he drew out his sword1 and would have  
killed himself1 supposing that the      
prisoners had been fled4 #bh4 ,but ,paul
 cried with a loud voice1 saying1 ,do   
thyself no harm3 for we are all here4   
#bi4 ,then he called for a light1 and   
sprang in1 and came trembling1 and fell 
down before ,paul and ,silas1 #cj4 ,and 
brought them out1 and said1 ,sirs1 what 
must ,i do to be saved8 #ca4 ,and they  
said1 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus      
,christ1 and thou shalt be saved1 and   
thy house4 #cb4 ,and they spake unto him
 the word of the ,lord1 and to all that 
were in his house4 #cc4 ,and he took    
them the same hour of the night1 and    
washed their stripes2 and was baptized1 
he and all his1 straightway4 #cd4 ,and  
when he had brought them into his house1
 he set meat before them1 and rejoiced1 
believing ,in ,god with all his         
house4'--,,acts xvi4 #ai-cd4  ,this     
incident gives us the ,apostle's first  

experience of purely ,gentile           
opposition4 ,the whole scene has a      
different stamp from that of former     
antagonisms1 and reminds us that we have
 passed into ,europe4 ,the accusers and 
the grounds of accusation are new4      
,formerly ,jews had led the attack2 now 
,gentiles do so4 ,crimes against        
religion were charged before2 now crimes
 against law and order4 ,hence the      
narrative is more extended1 in          
accordance with the prevailing habit of 
the book1 to dilate on the first of a   
series and to summarise subsequent      
members of it4 ,we may note the         
unfounded charge and unjust sentence2   
the joyful confessors and the answer to 
their trust2 the great light that shone 
on the jailer's darkness4  ,i4 ,this was
 a rough beginning of the work          
undertaken at the call of ,christ4 ,less
 courageous and faithful men might have 
thought1 ',were we right in assuredly   
gathering that ,his hand pointed us     
hither1 since this is the reception we  

find8' ,but though the wind meets us as 
soon as we clear the harbour1 the salt  
spray dashing in our faces is no sign   
that we should not have left shelter4 ,a
 difficult beginning often means a      
prosperous course2 and hardships are not
 tokens of having made a mistake4  ,the 
root of the first antagonism to the     
,gospel in ,europe was purely mercenary4
 ,the pythoness's masters had no horror 
of ,paul's doctrines4 ,they were        
animated by no zeal for ,apollo4 ,they  
only saw a source of profit drying up4  
,infinitely more respectable was ,jewish
 opposition1 which was1 at all events1  
the perverted working of noble          
sentiments4 ,zeal for religion1 even    
when the zeal is impure and the notions 
of religion imperfect1 is higher than   
mere anger at pecuniary loss4 ,how much 
of the opposition since and to-day comes
 from the same mean source6 ,lust and   
appetite organise profitable trades1 in 
which 'the money has no smell1' however 
foul the cesspool from which it has been

 brought4 ,and when ,christian people   
set themselves against these            
abominations1 capital takes the command 
of the mob of drink-sellers and         
consumers1 or of those from haunts of   
fleshly sin1 and shrieks about          
interfering with honest industry1 and   
seeking to enforce sour-faced           
,puritanism on society4 ,the ,church may
 be very sure that it is failing in some
 part of its duty1 if there is no class 
of those who fatten on providing for sin
 howling at its heels1 because it is    
interfering with the hope of their      
gains4  ,the charge against the little  
group took no heed of the real character
 of their message4 ,it artfully put     
prominent their nationality4 ,these     
early anti-,semitic agitators knew the  
value of a good solid prejudice1 and of 
a nickname4 ',jews'--that was enough4   
,the rioters were ',romans'--of a sort1 
no doubt1 but it was poor pride for a   
,macedonian to plume himself on having  
lost his nationality4 ,the great crime  

laid to ,paul's charge was--troubling   
the city4 ,so it always is4 ,whether it 
be ,george ,fox1 or ,john ,wesley1 or   
the ,salvation ,army1 the disorderly    
elements of every community attack the  
preachers of the ,gospel in the name of 
order1 and break the peace in their     
eagerness to have it kept4 ,there was no
 'trouble' in ,philippi1 but the uproar 
which they themselves were making4 ,the 
quiet praying-place by the riverside1   
and the silencing of the maiden's shout 
in the streets1 were not exactly the    
signs of disturbers of civic            
tranquillity4  ,the accuracy of the     
charge may be measured by the ignorance 
of the accusers that ,paul and his      
friends were in any way different from  
the run of ,jews4 ,no doubt they were   
supposed to be teaching ,jewish         
practices1 which were supposed to be    
inconsistent with ,roman citizenship4   
,but if the magistrates had said1 ',what
 customs8' the charge would have        
collapsed4 ,thank ,god1 the ,gospel has 

a witness to bear against many          
'customs'2 but it does not begin by     
attacking even these1 much less by      
prescribing illegalities4 ,its errand   
was and is to the individual first4 ,it 
sets the inner man right with ,god1 and 
then the new life works itself out1 and 
will war against evils which the old    
life deemed good2 but the conception of 
,christianity as a code regulating      
actions is superficial1 whether it is   
held by friends or foes4  ,there is     
always a mob ready to follow any leader1
 especially if there is the prospect of 
hurting somebody4 ,the lovers of        
tranquillity showed how they loved it by
 dragging ,paul and ,silas into the     
forum1 and bellowing untrue charges     
against them4 ,the mob seconded them2   
'they rose up together with the         
slave-owners against ,paul and ,silas4' 
,the magistrates1 knowing the ticklish  
material that they had to deal with1 and
 seeing only a couple of ,jews from     
nobody knew where1 did not think it     

worth while to inquire or remonstrate4  
,they were either cowed or indifferent2 
and so1 to show how zealous they and the
 mob were for ,roman law1 they drove a  
coach-and-six clean through it1 and     
without the show of investigation1      
scourged and threw into prison the      
silent ,apostles4 ,it was a specimen of 
what has happened too often since4 ,how 
many saints have been martyred to keep  
popular feeling in good tune6 ,and how  
many politicians will strain conscience 
to-day1 because they are afraid of what 
,luke here unpolitely calls 'the        
multitude1' or as we might render it1   
'the mob1' but which we now fit with a  
much more respectful appellation6  ,the 
jailer1 on his part1 in the true spirit 
of small officials1 was ready to better 
his instructions4 ,it is dangerous to   
give vague directions to such people4   
,when the judge has ordered unlawful    
scourging1 the turnkey is not likely to 
interpret the requirement of safe       
keeping too leniently4 ,one would not   

look for much human kindness in a       
,philippian jail4 ,so it was natural    
that the deepest1 darkest1 most         
foul-smelling den should be chosen for  
the two1 and that they should he thrust1
 bleeding backs and all1 into the       
stocks1 to sleep if they could4  ,,ii4  
,these birds could sing in a darkened   
cage4 ,the jailer's treatment of them   
after his conversion shows what he had  
neglected to do at first4 ,they had no  
food2 their bloody backs were unsponged2
 they were thrust into a filthy hole1   
and put in a posture of torture4 ,no    
wonder that they could not sleep6 ,but  
what hindered sleep would1 with most    
men1 have sorely dimmed trust and       
checked praise4 ,not so with them4 ,god 
gave them 'songs in the night4' ,we can 
hear the strains through all the        
centuries1 and they bid us be cheerful  
and trustful1 whatever befalls4 ,surely 
,christian faith never is more noble    
than when it triumphs over              
circumstances1 and brings praises from  

lips which1 if sense had its way1 would 
wail and groan4 ',this is the victory   
that overcometh the world4' ,the true   
anaesthetic is trust in ,god4 ,no wonder
 that the baser sort of prisoners--and  
base enough they probably were--'were   
listening to them1' for such sounds had 
never been heard there before4 ,in how  
many a prison have they been heard      
since6  ,we are not told that the       
,apostles prayed for deliverance4 ,such 
deliverance had not been always granted4
 ,peter indeed had been set free1 but   
,stephen and ,james had been martyred1  
and these two heroes had no ground to   
expect a miracle to free them4 ,but     
thankful trust is always an appeal to   
,god4 ,and it is always answered1       
whether by deliverance from or support  
in trial4  ,this time deliverance came4 
,the tremor of the earth was the token  
of ,god's answer4 ,it does not seem     
likely that an earthquake could loosen  
fetters in a jail full of prisoners1 but
 more probably the opening of the doors 

and the falling off of the chains were  
due to a separate act of divine power1  
the earthquake being but the audible    
token thereof4 ,at all events1 here     
again1 the first of a series has        
distinguishing features1 and may stand  
as type of all its successors4 ,god will
 never leave trusting hearts to the fury
 of enemies4 ,he sometimes will stretch 
out a hand and set them free1 ,he       
sometimes will leave them to bear the   
utmost that the world can do1 but ,he   
will always hear their cry and save     
them4 ,paul had learned the lesson which
 ,philippi was meant to teach1 when he  
said1 though anticipating a speedy death
 by martyrdom1 ',the ,lord will deliver 
me from every evil work1 and will save  
me into ,his heavenly ,kingdom4'  ,,iii4
 ,the jailer behaves as such a man in   
his position would do4 ,he apparently   
slept in a place that commanded a view  
of the doors2 and he lay dressed1 with  
his sword beside him1 in case of riot or
 attempted escape4 ,his first impulse on

 awaking is to look at the gates4 ,they 
are open2 then some of his charge have  
broken them4 ,his immediate thought of  
suicide not only shows the savage       
severity of punishment which he knew    
would fall on him1 but tells a dreary   
tale of the desperate sense of the      
worthlessness of life and blank         
ignorance of anything beyond which then 
infected the ,roman world4 ,suicide1 the
 refuge of cowards or of pessimists1    
sometimes becomes epidemic4 ,faith must 
have died and hope vanished before a man
 can say1 ',i will take the leap into   
the dark4'  ,paul's words freed the man 
from one fear1 but woke a less selfish  
and profounder awe4 ,what did all this  
succession of strange things mean8 ,here
 are doors open2 how came that8 ,here   
are prisoners with the possibility of   
escape refusing it2 how came that8 ,here
 is one of his victims tenderly careful 
of his life and peacefulness1 and taking
 the upper hand of him2 how came that8  
,a nameless awe begins to creep over    

him2 and when he gets lights1 and sees  
the two whom he had made fast in the    
stocks standing there free1 and yet not 
caring to go forth1 his rough nature is 
broken down4 ,he recognises his         
superiors4 ,he remembers the pythoness's
 testimony1 that they told 'the way of  
salvation4'  ,his question seems        
'psychologically impossible' to critics1
 who have probably never asked it       
themselves4 ,wonderful results follow   
from the judicious use of that imposing 
word 'psychologically'2 but while we are
 not to suppose that this man knew all  
that 'salvation' meant1 there is no     
improbability in his asking such a      
question1 if due regard is paid to the  
whole preceding events1 beginning with  
the maiden's words1 and including the   
impression of ,paul's personality and   
the mysterious freeing of the prisoners4
  ,his dread was the natural fear that  
springs when a man is brought face to   
face with ,god2 and his question1 vague 
and ignorant as it was1 is the cry of   

the dim consciousness that lies dormant 
in all men--the consciousness of needing
 deliverance and healing4 ,it erred in  
supposing that he had to 'do' anything2 
but it was absolutely right in supposing
 that he needed salvation1 and that     
,paul could tell him how to get it4 ,how
 many of us1 knowing far more than he1  
have never asked the same wise question1
 or have never gone to ,paul for an     
answer8 ,it is a question which we      
should all ask2 for we all need         
salvation1 which is deliverance from    
danger and healing for soul-sickness4   
,paul's answer is blessedly short and   
clear4 ,its brevity and decisive        
plainness are the glory of the ,gospel4 
,it crystallises into a short sentence  
the essential directory for all men4    
,see how little it takes to secure      
salvation4 ,but see how much it takes2  
for the hardest thing of all is to be   
content to accept it as a gift1 'without
 money and without price4' ,many people 
have listened to sermons all their      

lives1 and still have no clear          
understanding of the way of salvation4  
,alas that so often the divine          
simplicity and brevity of ,paul's answer
 are darkened by a multitude of         
irrelevant words and explanations which 
explain nothing6  ,the passage ends with
 the blessing which we may all receive4 
,of course the career begun then had to 
be continued by repeated acts of faith1 
and by growing knowledge and obedience4 
,the incipient salvation is very        
incomplete1 but very real4 ,there is no 
reason to doubt that1 for some          
characters1 the only way of becoming    
,christians is to become so by one      
dead-lift of resolution4 ,some things   
are best done slowly2 some things best  
quickly4 ,one swift blow makes a cleaner
 fracture than filing or sawing4 ,the   
light comes into some lives like        
sunshine in northern latitudes1 with    
long dawn and slowly growing brightness2
 but in some the sun leaps into the sky 
in a moment1 as in the tropics4 ,what   

matter how long it takes to rise1 if it 
does rise1 and climb to the zenith8     
,,the ,,great ,,question ,,and ,,the    
,,plain ,,answer  ',he brought them out1
 and said1 ,sirs1 what must ,i do to be 
saved8 #ca4 ,and they said1 ,believe on 
the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and thou shall
 be saved4'--,,acts xvi4 #cj1 #ca4  ,the
 keeper of a ,macedonian jail was not   
likely to be a very nervous or          
susceptible person4 ,and so the         
extraordinary state of agitation and    
panic into which this rough jailer was  
cast needs some kind of explanation4    
,there had been1 as you will all        
remember1 an earthquake of a strange    
kind1 for it not only opened the prison 
doors1 but shook the prisoner's chains  
off4 ,the doors being opened1 there was 
on the part of the jailer1 who probably 
ought not to have been asleep1 a very   
natural fear that his charge had        
escaped4  ,so he was ready1 with that   
sad willingness for suicide which marked
 his age1 to cast himself on his sword1 

when ,paul encouraged him4  ,that fear  
then was past2 what was he afraid of    
now8 ,he knew the prisoners were all    
safe2 why should he have come pale and  
trembling8 ,perhaps we shall find an    
answer to the question in another one4  
,why should he have gone to ,paul and   
,silas1 his two prisoners1 for an       
anodyne to his fears8  ,the answer to   
that may possibly be found in           
remembering that for many days before   
this a singular thing had happened4 ,up 
and down the streets of ,philippi a     
woman possessed with 'a spirit of       
divination' had gone at the heels of    
these two men1 proclaiming in such a way
 as to disturb them3 ',these are the    
servants of the ,most ,high ,god1 which 
show unto us the way of salvation4' ,it 
was a new word and a new idea in        
,philippi or in ,macedonia4 ,this jailer
 had got it into his mind that these two
 men had in their hands a good which he 
only dimly understood4 ,the panic caused
 by the earthquake deepened into a      

consciousness of some supernatural      
atmosphere about him1 and stirred in his
 rude nature unwonted aspirations and   
terrors other than he had known1 which  
cast him at ,paul's feet with this      
strange question4  ,now do you think    
that the jailer's question was a piece  
of foolish superstition8 ,i daresay some
 of you do1 or some of you may suppose  
too that it was one very unnecessary for
 him or anybody to ask4 ,so ,i wish now1
 in a very few words1 to deal with these
 three points--the question that we     
should all ask1 the answer that we may  
all take1 the blessing that we may all  
have4  ,i4 ,the question that we should 
all ask4  ,i know that it is very       
unfashionable nowadays to talk about    
'salvation' as man's need4 ,the word has
 come to be so worn and commonplace and 
technical that many men turn away from  
it2 but for all that1 let me try to stir
 up the consciousness of the deep       
necessity that it expresses4  ,what is  
it to be saved8 ,two things2 to be      

healed and to be safe4 ,in both aspects 
the expression is employed over and over
 again in ,scripture4 ,it means either  
restoration from sickness or deliverance
 from peril4 ,i venture to press upon   
every one of my hearers these two       
considerations--we all need healing from
 sickness2 we all need safety from      
peril4  ,dear brethren1 most of you are 
entire strangers to me2 ,i daresay many 
of you never heard my voice before1 and 
probably may never hear it again4 ,but  
yet1 because 'we have all of us one     
human heart1' a brother-man comes to you
 as possessing with you one common      
experience1 and ventures to say on the  
strength of his knowledge of himself1 if
 on no other ground1 ',we have all      
sinned and come short of the glory of   
,god4'  ,mind1 ,i am not speaking about 
vices4 ,i have no doubt you are a       
perfectly respectable man1 in all the   
ordinary relations of life4 ,i am not   
speaking about crimes4 ,i daresay there 
may be a man or two here that has been  

in a dock in his day4 ,possibly4 ,it    
does not matter whether there is or not4
 ,but ,i am not speaking about either   
vices or crimes2 ,i am speaking about   
how we stand in reference to ,god4 ,and 
,i pray you to bring yourselves--for no 
one can do it for you1 and no words of  
mine can do anything but stimulate you  
to the act--face to face with the       
absolute and dazzlingly pure            
righteousness of your ,father in        
,heaven1 and to feel the contrast       
between your life and what you know ,he 
desires you to be4 ,be honest with      
yourselves in asking and answering the  
question whether or not you have this   
sickness of sin1 its paralysis in regard
 to good or its fevered inclination to  
evil4 ,if salvation means being healed  
of a disease1 we all have the disease2  
and whether we wish it or no1 we want   
the healing4  ,and what of the other    
meaning of the word8 ,salvation means   
being safe4 ,are you safe8 ,am ,i safe8 
,is anybody safe standing in front of   

that awful law that rules the whole     
universe1 ',whatsoever a man soweth1    
that shall he also reap'8 ,i am not     
going to talk about any of the moot     
points which this generation has such a 
delight in discussing1 as to the nature1
 the duration1 the purpose1 or the like1
 of future retribution4 ,all that ,i am 
concerned in now is that all men1 deep  
down in the bottom of their             
consciousness--and you and ,i amongst   
the rest--know that there is such a     
thing as retribution here2 and if there 
be a life beyond the grave at all1      
necessarily in an infinitely intenser   
fashion there4 ,somewhere and somehow1  
men will have to lie on the beds that   
they have made2 to drink as they have   
brewed4 ,if sin means separation from   
,god1 and separation from ,god means1 as
 it assuredly does1 death1 then ,i ask  
you--and there is no need for any       
exaggerated words about it--,are we not 
in danger8 ,and if salvation be a state 
of deliverance from sickness1 and a     

state of deliverance from peril1 do we  
not need it8  ,ah1 brethren1 ,i venture 
to say that we need it more than        
anything else4 ,you will not            
misunderstand me as expressing the      
slightest depreciation of other remedies
 that are being extensively offered now 
for the various evils under which       
society and individuals groan4 ,i       
heartily sympathise with them all1 and  
would do my part to help them forward2  
but ,i cannot but feel that whilst      
culture of the intellect1 of the taste1 
of the sense of beauty1 of the refining 
agencies generally1 is very valuable2   
and whilst moral and social and         
economical and political changes will   
all do something1 and some of them a    
great deal1 to diminish the sum of human
 misery1 you have to go deeper down than
 these reach4 ,it is not culture that we
 want most2 it is salvation4 ,brethren1 
you and ,i are wrong in our relation to 
,god1 and that means death and--if you  
do not shrink from the vulgar old       

word--damnation4 ,we are wrong in our   
relation to ,god1 and that has to be set
 right before we are fundamentally and  
thoroughly right4 ,that is to say1      
salvation is our deepest need4  ,then   
how does it come that men go on1 as so  
many of my friends here now have gone   
on1 all their days paying no attention  
to that need8 ,is there any folly1      
amidst all the irrationalities of that  
irrational creature man1 to be matched  
with the folly of steadily refusing to  
look forward and settle for ourselves   
the prime element in our                
condition--viz41 our relation to ,god8  
,strange is it not--that power that we  
have of refusing to look at the         
barometer when it is going down1 of     
turning away from unwholesome subjects  
just because we know them to be so      
unwelcome and threatening1 and of buying
 a moment's exemption from discomfort at
 the price of a life's ruin8  ,do you   
remember that old story of the way in   
which the prisoners in the time of the  

,french ,revolution used to behave8 ,the
 tumbrils came every morning and carried
 off a file of them to the guillotine1  
and the rest of them had a ghastly      
make-believe of carrying on the old     
frivolities of the life of the salons   
and of society4 ,and it lasted for an   
hour or two1 but the tumbril came next  
morning all the same1 and the guillotine
 stood there gaping in the ,place4 ,and 
so it is useless1 although it is so     
frequently done by so many of us1 to try
 to shut out facts instead of facing    
them4 ,a man is never so wise as when he
 says to himself1 ',let me fairly know  
the whole truth of my relation to the   
unseen world in so far as it can be     
known here1 and if that is wrong1 let me
 set about rectifying it if it be       
possible4' ',what will ye do in the     
end8' is the wisest question that a man 
can ask himself1 when the end is as     
certain as it is with us1 and as        
unsatisfactory as ,i am afraid it       
threatens to be with some of us if we   

continue as we are4  ,have ,i not a     
right to appeal to the half-sleeping and
 half-waking consciousness that endorses
 my words in some hearts as ,i speak8 ,o
 brethren1 you would be far wiser men if
 you did like this jailer in the        
,macedonian prison1 came and gave       
yourselves no rest till you have this   
question cleared up1 ',what must ,i do  
to be saved8'  ,there was an old ,rabbi 
who used to preach to his disciples1    
',repent the day before you die4' ,and  
when they said to him1 ',rabbi1 we do   
not know what day we are going to die4' 
',then1' said he1 'repent to-day4' ,and 
so ,i say to you1 ',settle about the end
 before the end comes1 and as you do not
 know when it may come1 settle about it 
now4'  ,,ii4 ,that brings me to the next
 point here1 viz41 the blessed1 clear   
answer that we may all take4  ,paul and 
,silas were not non-plussed by this     
question1 nor did they reply to it in   
the fashion in which many men would have
 answered it4 ,take a specimen of other 

answers4 ,if anybody were so far left to
 himself as to go with this question to 
some of our modern wise men and         
teachers1 they would say1 ',saved8 ,my  
good fellow1 there is nothing to be     
saved from4 ,get rid of delusions1 and  
clear your mind of cant and             
superstition4' ,or they would say1      
',saved8 ,well1 if you have gone wrong1 
do the best you can in the time to      
come4' ,or if you went to some of our   
friends they would say1 ',come and be   
baptized1 and receive the grace of      
regeneration in holy baptism2 and then  
come to the sacraments1 and be faithful 
and loyal members of the ,church which  
has ,apostolic succession in it4' ,and  
some would say1 ',set yourselves to work
 and toil and labour4' ,and some would  
say1 ',don't trouble yourselves about   
such whims4 ,a short life and a merry   
one2 make the best of it1 and jump the  
life to come4' ,neither cold morality1  
nor godless philosophy1 nor wild        
dissipation1 nor narrow ecclesiasticism 

prompted ,paul's answer4 ,he said1      
',believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1  
and thou shalt be saved4'  ,what did    
that poor heathen man know about the    
,lord ,jesus ,christ8 ,next to nothing4 
,how could he believe upon ,him if he   
knew so little about ,him8 ,well1 you   
hear in the context that this summary   
answer to the question was the          
beginning1 and not the end1 of a        
conversation1 which conversation1 no    
doubt1 consisted largely in extending   
and explaining the brief formulary with 
which it had commenced4 ,but it is a    
grand thing that we can put the         
all-essential truth into half a dozen   
simple words1 and then expound and      
explain them as may be necessary4 ,and  
,i come to you now1 dear brethren1 with 
nothing newer or more wonderful1 or more
 out of the ordinary way than the old   
threadbare message which men have been  
preaching for nineteen hundred years1   
and have not exhausted1 and which some  
of you have heard for a lifetime1 and   

have never practised1 ',believe on the  
,lord ,jesus ,christ4'  ,now ,i am not  
going to weary you with mere            
dissertations upon the significance of  
these words4 ,but let me single out two 
points about them1 which perhaps though 
they may be perfectly familiar to you1  
may come to you with fresh force from my
 lips now4  ,mark1 first1 whom it is    
that we are to believe on4 ',the ,lord1'
 that is the divine ,name2 ',jesus1'    
that is the name of a ,man2 ',christ1'  
that is the name of an office4 ,and if  
you put them all together1 they come to 
this1 that ,he on whom we sinful men may
 put our sole trust and hope for our    
healing and our safety1 is the ,son of  
,god1 who came down upon earth to live  
our life and to die our death that ,he  
might bear on ,himself our sins1 and    
fulfil all which ancient prophecy and   
symbol had proclaimed as needful1 and   
therefore certain to be done1 for men4  
,it is not a starved half-,saviour whose
 name is only ,jesus1 and neither ,lord 

nor ,christ1 faith in whom will save    
you4 ,you must grasp the whole          
revelation of ,his nature and ,his power
 if from ,him there is to flow the life 
that you need4  ,and note what it is    
that we are to exercise towards ,jesus  
,christ4 ,to 'believe on ,him' is a very
 different thing from believing ,him4   
,you may accept all that ,i have been   
saying about who and what ,he is1 and be
 as far away from the faith that saves a
 soul as if you had never hoard ,his    
name4 ,to believe on the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ is to lean the whole weight of  
yourselves upon ,him4 ,what do you do   
when you trust a man who promises you   
any small gift or advantage8 ,what do   
you do when dear ones say1 ',rest on my 
love'8 ,you simply trust them4 ,and the 
very same exercise of heart and mind    
which is the blessed cement that holds  
human society together1 and the power   
that sheds peace and grace over         
friendships and love1 is the power      
which1 directed to ,jesus ,christ1      

brings all ,his saving might into       
exercise in our lives4 ,brethren1 trust 
,him1 trust ,him as ,lord1 trust ,him as
 ,jesus1 trust ,him as ,christ4 ,learn  
your sickness1 learn your danger2 and be
 sure of your ,healer and rejoice in    
your security4 ',believe on the ,lord   
,jesus ,christ1 and thou shalt be       
saved4'  ,,iii4 ,lastly1 consider the   
blessing we may all receive4 ,this      
jailer about whom we have been speaking 
was a heathen when the sun set and a    
,christian when it rose4 ,on the one day
 he was groping in darkness1 a          
worshipper of idols1 without hope in the
 future1 and ready in desperation to    
plunge himself into the darkness beyond1
 when he thought his prisoners had fled4
 ,in an hour or two 'he rejoiced1       
believing in ,god with all his house4'  
,a sudden conversion1 you say1 and      
sudden conversions are always           
suspicious4 ,i am not so sure about     
that2 they may be1 or they may not be1  
according to circumstances4 ,i know very

 well that it is not fashionable now to 
preach the possibility or the           
probability of men turning all at once  
from darkness to light1 and that people 
shrug their shoulders at the old theory 
of sudden conversions4 ,i think1 so much
 the worse4 ,there are a great many     
things in this world that have to be    
done suddenly if they are ever to be    
done at all4 ,and ,i1 for my part1 would
 have far more hope for a man who1 in   
one leap1 sprung from the depth of the  
degradation of that coarse jailer into  
the light and joy of the ,christian     
life1 than for a man who tried to get to
 it by slow steps4 ,you have to do      
everything in this world worth doing by 
a sudden resolution1 however long the   
preparation may have been which led up  
to the resolution4 ,the act of resolving
 is always the act of an instant4 ,and  
when men are plunged in darkness and    
profligacy1 as are1 perhaps1 some of my 
hearers now1 there is far more chance of
 their casting off their evil by a      

sudden jerk than of their unwinding the 
snake by slow degrees from their arms4  
,there is no reason whatever why the    
soundest and solidest and most lasting  
transformation of character should not  
begin in a moment's resolve4  ,and there
 is an immense danger that with some of 
you1 if that change does not begin in a 
moment's resolve now1 you will be       
further away from it than ever you were4
 ,i have no doubt there are many of you 
who1 at any time for years past1 have   
known that you ought to be ,christians1 
and who1 at any time for years past1    
have been saying to yourselves3 ',well1 
,i will think about it1 and ,i am       
tending towards it1 but ,i cannot quite 
make the plunge4' ,why not2 and why not 
now8 ,you can if you will2 you ought2   
you will be a better and happier man if 
you do4 ,you will be saved from your    
sickness and safe from your danger4     
,the outcast jailer changed             
nationalities in a moment4 ,you who have
 dwelt in the suburbs of ,christ's      

,kingdom all your lives--why cannot you 
go inside the gate as quickly8 ,for many
 of us the gradual 'growing up in the   
nurture and admonition of the ,lord' has
 been the appointed way4 ,for some of us
 ,i verily believe the sudden change is 
the best4 ,some of us have a sunrise as 
in the tropics1 where the one moment is 
grey and cold1 and next moment the seas 
are lit with the glory4 ,others of us   
have a sunrise as at the poles1 where a 
long slowly-growing light precedes the  
rising1 and the rising itself is scarce 
observable4 ,but it matters little as to
 how we get to ,christ1 if we are there1
 and it matters little whether a man's  
faith grows up in a moment1 or is the   
slow product of years4 ,if only it be   
rooted in ,christ it will bear fruit    
unto life eternal4  ,and so1 dear       
brethren1 ,i come to you with my last   
question1 this man rejoiced1 believing  
in the ,lord2 why should not you2 and   
why should not you now8 ',look unto ,me1
 and be ye saved1 all the ends of the   

earth4' ,a look is a swift act1 but if  
it be the beginning of a lifelong gaze1 
it will be the beginning of salvation   
and of a glory longer than life4        
,,thessalonica ,,and ,,berea  ',now1    
when they had passed through ,amphipolis
 and ,apollonia1 they came to           
,thessalonica1 where was a synagogue of 
the ,jews3 #b4 ,and ,paul1 as his manner
 was1 went in unto them1 and three      
sabbath-days reasoned with them out of  
the scriptures1 #c4 ,opening and        
alleging1 that ,christ must needs have  
suffered1 and risen again from the dead2
 and that this ,jesus1 whom ,i preach   
unto you1 is ,christ4 #d4 ,and some of  
them believed1 and consorted with ,paul 
and ,silas2 and of the devout ,greeks a 
great multitude1 and of the chief women 
not a few4 #e4 ,but the ,jews which     
believed not1 moved with envy1 took unto
 them certain lewd fellows of the baser 
sort1 and gathered a company1 and set   
all the city on an uproar1 and assaulted
 the house of ,jason1 and sought to     

bring them out to the people1 #f4 ,and  
when they found them not1 they drew     
,jason and certain brethren unto the    
rulers of the city1 crying1 ,these that 
have turned the world upside down are   
come hither also2 #g4 ,whom ,jason hath 
received2 and these all do contrary to  
the decrees of ,caesar1 saying that     
there is another king1 one ,jesus4 #h4  
,and they troubled the people and the   
rulers of the city1 when they heard     
these things4 #i4 ,and when they had    
taken security of ,jason1 and of the    
other1 they let them go4 #aj4 ,and the  
brethren immediately sent away ,paul and
 ,silas by night unto ,berea3 who coming
 thither went into the synagogue of the 
,jews4 #aa4 ,these were more noble than 
those in ,thessalonica1 in that they    
received the word with all readiness of 
mind1 and searched the scriptures daily1
 whether those things were so4 #ab4     
,therefore many of them believed2 also  
of honourable women which were ,greeks1 
and of men1 not a few4'--,,acts xvii4   

#a-ab4  ',shamefully entreated at       
,philippi1' ,paul tells the             
,thessalonians1 he 'waxed bold in our   
,god to' preach to them4 ,his experience
 in the former city might well have     
daunted a feebler faith1 but opposition 
affected ,paul as little as a passing   
hailstorm dints a rock4 ,to change the  
field was common sense2 to abandon the  
work would have been sin4 ,but ,paul's  
brave persistence was not due to his own
 courage2 he drew it from ,god4 ,because
 he lived in communion with ,him1 his   
courage 'waxed' as dangers gathered4 ,he
 knew that he was doing a daring thing1 
but he knew who was his helper4 ,so he  
went steadily on1 whatever might front  
him4 ,his temper of mind and the source 
of it are wonderfully revealed in his   
simple words4  ,the transference to     
,thessalonica illustrates another       
principle of his action2 namely1 his    
preference of great centres of          
population as fields of work4 ,he passes
 through two less important places to   

establish himself in the great city4 ,it
 is wise to fly at the head4 ,conquer   
the cities1 and the villages will fall  
of themselves4 ,that was the policy     
which carried ,christianity through the 
empire like a prairie fire4 ,would that 
later missions had adhered to it6  ,the 
methods adopted in ,thessalonica were   
the usual ones4 ,luke bids us notice    
that ,paul took the same course of      
action in each place3 namely1 to go to  
the synagogue first1 when there was one1
 and there to prove that ,jesus was the 
,christ4 ,the three ,macedonian towns   
already mentioned seem not to have had  
synagogues4 ,probably there were        
comparatively few ,jews in them1 and    
these were ecclesiastically dependent on
 ,thessalonica4 ,we can fancy the       
growing excitement in the synagogue1 as 
for three successive ,sabbaths the      
stranger urged his proofs of the two    
all-important but most unwelcome        
assertions1 that their own scriptures   
foretold a suffering ,messiah1--a side  

of ,messianic prophecy which was ignored
 or passionately denied--and that ,jesus
 was that ,messiah4 ,many a vehement    
protest would be shrieked out1 with     
flashing eyes and abundant              
gesticulation1 as he 'opened' the sense 
of ,scripture1 and 'quoted              
passages'--for that is the meaning here 
of the word rendered 'alleging4' ,he    
gives us a glimpse of the hot           
discussions when he says that he        
preached 'in much conflict'7#a ,thess4  
ii4 #b74  ,with whatever differences in 
manner of presentation1 the true message
 of the ,christian teacher is still the 
message that woke such opposition in the
 synagogue of ,thessalonica1--the bold  
proclamation of the personal ,christ1   
,his death and resurrection4 ,and with  
whatever differences1 the instrument of 
conviction is still the ,scriptures1    
'the sword of the ,spirit1 which is the 
,word of ,god4' ,the more closely we    
keep ourselves to that message and that 
weapon the better4  ,the effects of the 

faithful preaching of the gospel are as 
uniform as the method4 ,it does one of  
two things to its hearers--either it    
melts their hearts and leads them to    
faith1 or it stirs them to more violent 
enmity4 ,it is either a stone of        
stumbling or a sure corner-stone4 ,we   
either build on or fall over it1 and at 
last are crushed by it4 ,the converts   
included ,jews and proselytes in larger 
numbers1 as may be gathered from the    
distinction drawn by 'some'--referring  
to the former1 and 'a great             
multitude'--referring to the latter4    
,besides these there were a good many   
ladies of rank and refinement1 as was   
also the case presently at ,beroea4     
,probably these1 too1 were proselytes4  
,the prominence of women among the      
converts1 as soon as the gospel is      
brought into ,europe1 is interesting and
 prophetic4 ,the fact of the social     
position of these ladies may suggest    
that the upper classes were freer from  
superstition than the lower1 and may    

point a not favourable contrast with    
present social conditions1 which do not 
result in a similar accession of women  
of 'honourable estate' to the ,church4  
,opposition follows as uniform a course 
as the preaching4 ,the broad outlines   
are the same in each case1 while the    
local colouring varies4 ,if we compare  
,paul's narrative in ,i ,thessalonians1 
which throbs with emotion1 and1 as it   
were1 pants with the stress of the      
conflict1 with ,luke's calm account     
here1 we see not only how ,paul felt1   
but why the ,jews got up a riot4 ,luke  
says that they 'became jealous4' ,paul  
expands that into 'they are contrary to 
all men2 forbidding us to speak to the  
,gentiles that they may be saved4' ,then
 it was not so much dislike to the      
preaching of ,jesus as ,messiah as it   
was rage that their ,jewish prerogative 
was infringed1 and the children's bread 
offered to the dogs1 that stung them to 
violent opposition4 ,israel had been    
chosen1 that it might be ,god's witness1

 and diffuse the treasure it possessed  
through all the world4 ,it had become1  
not the dispenser1 but the would-be     
monopolist1 of its gift4 ,have there    
been no ,christian communities in later 
days animated by the same spirit8       
,there were plenty of loafers in the    
market-place ready for any mischief1 and
 by no means particular about the       
pretext for a riot4 ,anything that would
 give an opportunity for hurting        
somebody1 and for loot1 would attract   
them as corruption does flesh-flies4 ,so
 the ,jewish ringleaders easily got a   
crowd together4 ,to tell their real     
reasons would scarcely have done1 but to
 say that there was a house to be       
attacked1 and some foreigners to be     
dragged out1 was enough for the present4
 ,jason's house was probably ,paul's    
temporary home1 where1 as he tells us in
 #a ,thessalonians ii4 #i1 he had worked
 at his trade1 that he might not be     
burdensome to any4 ,possibly he and     
,silas had been warned of the approach  

of the rioters and had got away         
elsewhere4 ,at all events1 the nest was 
empty1 but the crowd must have its      
victims1 and so1 failing ,paul1 they    
laid hold of ,jason4 ,his offence was a 
very shadowy one4 ,but since his day    
there have been many martyrs1 whose only
 crime was 'harbouring' ,christians1 or 
heretics1 or recusant priests1 or       
,covenanters4 ,if a bull cannot gore a  
man1 it will toss his cloak4  ,the      
charge against ,jason is that he        
receives the ,apostle and his party1 and
 constructively favours their designs4  
,the charge against them is that they   
are revolutionists1 rebels against the  
,emperor1 and partisans of a rival4 ,now
 we may note three things about the     
charge4 ,first1 it comes with a very    
distinct taint of insincerity from      
,jews1 who were1 to say the least1 not  
remarkable for loyalty or peaceful      
obedience4 ,the ,gracchi are complaining
 of sedition6 ,a ,jew zealous for       
,caeesar is an anomaly1 which might     

excite the suspicions of the least      
suspicious ruler4 ,the charge of        
breaking the peace comes with remarkable
 appropriateness from the leaders of a  
riot4 ,they were the troublers of the   
city1 not ,paul1 peacefully preaching in
 the synagogue4 ,the wolf scolds the    
lamb for fouling the river4  ,again1 the
 charges are a violent distortion of the
 truth4 ,possibly the ,jewish           
ringleaders believed what they said1 but
 more probably they consciously twisted 
,paul's teachings1 because they knew    
that no other charges would excite so   
much hostility or be so damning as those
 which they made4 ,the mere suggestion  
of treason was often fatal4 ,the wild   
exaggeration that the ,christians had   
'turned the whole civilised world upside
 down' betrays passionate hatred and    
alarm1 if it was genuine1 or crafty     
determination to rouse the mob1 if it   
was consciously trumped up4 ,but whether
 the charges were believed or not by    
those who made them1 here were ,jews    

disclaiming their nation's dearest hope1
 and1 like the yelling crowd at the     
,crucifixion1 declaring they had no king
 but ,caesar4 ,the degradation of       
,israel was completed by these fanatical
 upholders of its prerogatives4  ,but1  
again1 the charges were true in a far   
other sense than their bringers meant4  
,for ,christianity is revolutionary1 and
 its very aim is to turn the world      
upside down1 since the wrong side is    
uppermost at present1 and ,jesus1 not   
,caesar1 or any king or emperor or czar1
 is the true ,lord and ruler of men4    
,but the revolution which ,he makes is  
the revolution of individuals1 turning  
them from darkness to light2 for ,he    
moulds single souls first and society   
afterwards4 ,violence is always a       
mistake1 and the only way to change evil
 customs is to change men's natures1 and
 then the customs drop away of          
themselves4 ,the true rule begins with  
the sway of hearts2 then wills are      
submissive1 and conduct is the          

expression of inward delight in a law   
which is sweet because the lawgiver is  
dear4  ,missing ,paul1 the mob fell on  
,jason and the brethren4 ,they were     
'bound over to keep the peace4'         
,evidently the rulers had little fear of
 these alleged desperate                
revolutionaries1 and did as little as   
they dared1 without incurring the       
reproach of being tepid in their        
loyalty4  ,probably the removal of ,paul
 and his travelling companions from the 
neighbourhood was included in the terms 
to which ,jason had to submit4 ,their   
hurried departure does not seem to have 
been caused by a renewal of             
disturbances4 ,at all events1 their     
,beroean experience repeated that of    
,philippi and of ,thessalonica1 with one
 great and welcome difference4 ,the     
,beroean ,jews did exactly what their   
compatriots elsewhere would not do--they
 looked into the subject with their own 
eyes1 and tested ,paul's assertions by  
,scripture4 ',therefore1' says ,luke1   

with grand confidence in the impregnable
 foundations of the faith1 'many of them
 believed4' ,true nobility of soul      
consists in willingness to receive the  
,word1 combined with diligent testing of
 it4 ,christ asks for no blind adhesion4
 ,the true ,christian teacher wishes for
 no renunciation1 on the part of his    
hearers1 of their own judgments4 ',open 
your mouth and shut your eyes1 and      
swallow what ,i give you1' is not the   
language of ,christianity1 though it has
 sometimes been the demand of its       
professed missionaries1 and not the     
teacher only1 but the taught also1 have 
been but too ready to exercise blind    
credulity instead of intelligent        
examination and clear-eyed faith4 ,if   
professing ,christians to-day were      
better acquainted with the ,scriptures1 
and more in the habit of bringing every 
new doctrine to them as its touchstone1 
there would be less currency of errors  
and firmer grip of truth4    ,,paul ,,at
 ,,athens  ',then ,paul stood ,in the   

midst of ,mars-hill1 and said1 ,ye men  
of ,athens1 ,i perceive that in all     
things ye are too superstitious4 #bc4   
,for as ,i passed by1 and beheld your   
devotions1 ,i found an altar with this  
inscription1 ,to the ,unknown ,god4     
,whom therefore ye ignorantly worship1  
him declare ,i unto you4 #bd4 ,god1 that
 made the world1 and all things therein1
 seeing that ,he is ,lord of heaven and 
earth1 dwelleth not in temples made with
 hands2 #be4 ,neither is worshipped with
 men's hands1 as though ,he needed any  
thing1 seeing ,he giveth to all life1   
and breath1 and all things2 #bf4 ,and   
hath made of one blood all nations of   
men for to dwell on all the face of the 
earth1 and hath determined the times    
before appointed1 and the bounds of     
their habitation2 #bg4 ,that they should
 seek the ,lord1 if haply they might    
feel after ,him1 and find ,him1 though  
,he be not far from every one of us3    
#bh4 ,for in ,him we live1 and move1 and
 have our being2 as certain also of your

 own poets have said1 ,for we are also  
,his offspring4 #bi4 ,forasmuch then as 
we are the offspring of ,god1 we ought  
not to think that the ,godhead is like  
unto gold1 or silver1 or stone1 graven  
by art and man's device4 #cj4 ,and the  
times of this ignorance ,god winked at2 
but now commandeth all men every where  
to repent3 #ca4 ,because he hath        
appointed a day1 in the which ,he will  
judge the world in righteousness by that
 ,man whom ,he hath ordained2 whereof   
,he hath given assurance unto all men1  
in that ,he hath raised ,him from the   
dead4 #cb4 ,and when they heard of the  
resurrection of the dead1 some mocked3  
and others said1 ,we will hear thee     
again of this matter4 #cc4 ,so ,paul    
departed from among them4 #cd4 ,howbeit 
certain men clave unto him1 and         
believed3 among the which was ,dionysius
 the ,areopagite1 and a woman named     
,damaris1 and others with them4'--,,acts
 xvii4 #bb-cd4  ',i am become all things
 to all men1' said ,paul1 and his       

address at ,athens strikingly           
exemplifies that principle of his       
action4 ,contrast it with his speech in 
the synagogue of ,pisidian ,antioch1    
which appeals entirely to the ,old      
,testament1 and is saturated with       
,jewish ideas1 or with the remonstrance 
to the rude ,lycaonian peasants 7,acts  
xiv4 #ae1 etc471 which1 while handling  
some of the same thoughts as at ,athens1
 does so in a remarkably different      
manner4 ,there he appealed to ,god's    
gifts of 'rain from heaven1 and fruitful
 seasons1' the things most close to his 
hearers' experience2 here1 speaking to  
educated 'philosophers1' he quotes      
,greek poetry1 and sets forth a reasoned
 declaration of the nature of the       
,godhead and the relations of a         
philosophy of history and an argument   
against idolatry4 ,the glories of ,greek
 art were around him2 the statues of    
,pallas ,athene and many more fair      
creations looked down on the little ,jew
 who dared to proclaim their nullity as 

representations of the ,godhead4        
,paul's flexibility of mind and power of
 adapting himself to every circumstance 
were never more strikingly shown than in
 that great address to the quick-witted 
,athenians4 ,it falls into three parts3 
the conciliatory prelude 7vers4 #bb1    
#bc72 the declaration of the ,unknown   
,god 7vers4 #bd-bi72 and the            
proclamation of the ,god-ordained ,man  
7vers4 #cj1 #ca74  ,i4 ,we have1 first1 
the conciliatory prelude4 ,it is always 
a mistake for the apostle of a new truth
 to begin by running a tilt at old      
errors4 ,it is common sense to seek to  
find some point in the present beliefs  
of his hearers to which his message may 
attach itself4 ,an orator who flatters  
for the sake of securing favour for     
himself is despicable2 a missionary who 
recognises the truth which lies under   
the system which he seeks to overthrow1 
is wise4  ,it is incredible that ,paul  
should have begun his speech to so      
critical an audience by charging them   

with excessive superstition1 as the     
,authorised ,version makes him do4 ,nor 
does the modified translation of the    
,revised ,version seem to be precisely  
what is meant4 ,paul is not blaming the 
,athenians1 but recording a fact which  
he had noticed1 and from which he       
desired to start4 ,ramsay's translation 
gives the truer notion of his           
meaning--'more than others respectful of
 what is divine4' ',superstition'       
necessarily conveys a sense of blame1   
but the word in the original does not4  
,we can see ,paul as a stranger         
wandering through the city1 and noting  
with keen eyes every token of the       
all-pervading idolatry4 ,he does not    
tell his hearers that his spirit burned 
within him when he saw the city full of 
idols2 but he smothers all that1 and    
speaks only of the inscription which he 
had noticed on one1 probably obscure and
 forgotten1 altar3 ',to the ,unknown    
,god4' ,scholars have given themselves a
 great deal of trouble to show from     

other authors that there were such      
altars4 ,but ,paul is as good an        
'authority' as these1 and we may take   
his word that he did see such an        
inscription4 ,whether it had the full   
significance which he reads into it or  
not1 it crystallised in an express      
avowal that sense of ,something behind  
and above the 'gods many' of ,greek     
religion1 which found expression in the 
words of their noblest thinkers and     
poets1 and lay like a nightmare on them4
  ,to charge an ,athenian audience1     
proud of their knowledge1 with          
ignorance1 was a hazardous and audacious
 undertaking2 to make them charge       
themselves was more than an oratorical  
device4 ,it appealed to the deepest     
consciousness even of the popular mind4 
,even with this prelude1 the claims of  
this wandering ,jew to pose as the      
instructor of ,epicureans and ,stoics1  
and to possess a knowledge of the       
,divine which they lacked1 were daring4 
,but how calmly and confidently ,paul   

makes them1 and with what easy and      
conciliatory adoption of their own      
terminology1 if we adopt the reading of 
verse #bc in ,revised ,version 7',what  
ye worship 444 this1' etc471 which puts 
forward the abstract conception of      
divinity rather than the personal ,god4 
,the spirit in which ,paul approached   
his difficult audience teaches all      
,christian missionaries and             
controversialists a needed and neglected
 lesson4 ,we should accentuate points of
 resemblance rather than of difference1 
to begin with4 ,we should not run a tilt
 against even errors1 and so provoke to 
their defence1 but rather find in creeds
 and practices an ignorant groping      
after1 and so a door of entrance for1   
the truth which we seek to recommend4   
,,ii4 ,the declaration of the ,unknown  
,god has been prepared for1 and now     
follows1 and with it is bound up a      
polemic against idolatry4 ,conciliation 
is not to be carried so far as to hide  
the antagonism between the truth and    

error4 ,we may give non-,christian      
systems of religion credit for all the  
good in them1 but we are not to blink   
their contrariety to the true religion4 
,conciliation and controversy are both  
needful2 and he is the best ,christian  
teacher who has mastered the secret of  
the due proportion between them4  ,every
 word of ,paul's proclamation strikes   
full and square at some counter belief  
of his hearers4 ,he begins with         
creation1 which he declares to have been
 the act of one personal ,god1 and      
neither of a multitude of deities1 as   
some of his hearers held1 nor of an     
impersonal blind power1 as others       
believed1 nor the result of chance1 nor 
eternal1 as others maintained4 ,he      
boldly proclaims there1 below the shadow
 of the ,parthenon1 that there is but   
one ,god1--the universal ,lord1 because 
the universal ,creator4 ,many           
consequences from that fact1 no doubt1  
crowded into ,paul's mind2 but he       
swiftly turns to its bearing on the pomp

 of temples which were the glory of     
,athens1 and the multitude of sacrifices
 which he had beheld on their altars4   
,the true conception of ,god as the     
,creator and ,lord of all things cuts up
 by the roots the pagan notions of      
temples as dwelling-places of a god and 
of sacrifices as ministering to his     
needs4 ,with one crushing blow ,paul    
pulverises the fair fanes around him1   
and declares that sacrifice1 as         
practised there1 contradicted the plain 
truth as to ,god's nature4 ,to suppose  
that man can give anything to ,him1 or  
that ,he needs anything1 is absurd4 ,all
 heathen worship reverses the parts of  
,god and man1 and loses sight of the    
fact that ,he is the giver continually  
and of everything4 ,life in its         
origination1 the continuance thereof    
7breath71 and all which enriches it1 are
 from ,him4 ,then true worship will not 
be giving to1 but thankfully accepting  
from and using for1 ,him1 ,his manifold 
gifts4  ,so ,paul declares the one ,god 

as ,creator and ,sustainer of all4 ,he  
goes on to sketch in broad outline what 
we may call a philosophy of history4    
,the declaration of the unity of mankind
 was a wholly strange message to proud  
,athenians1 who believed themselves to  
be a race apart1 not only from the      
'barbarians1' whom all ,greeks regarded 
as made of other clay than they1 but    
from the rest of the ,greek world4 ,it  
flatly contradicted one of their most   
cherished prerogatives4 ,not only does  
,paul claim one origin for all men1 but 
he regards all nations as equally cared 
for by the one ,god4 ,his hearers       
believed that each people had its own   
patron deities1 and that the wars of    
nations were the wars of their gods1 who
 won for them territory1 and presided   
over their national fortunes4 ,to all   
that way of thinking the ,apostle       
opposes the conception1 which naturally 
follows from his fundamental declaration
 of the one ,creator1 of ,his           
providential guidance of all nations in 

regard to their place in the world and  
the epochs of their history4  ,but he   
rises still higher when he declares the 
divine purpose in all the tangled web of
 history--the variety of conditions of  
nations1 their rise and fall1 their     
glory and decay1 their planting in their
 lands and their rooting out1--to be to 
lead all men to 'seek ,god4' ,that is   
the deepest meaning of history4 ,the    
whole course of human affairs is ,god's 
drawing men to ,himself4 ,not only in   
,judea1 nor only by special revelation1 
but by the gifts bestowed1 and the      
schooling brought to bear on every      
nation1 ,he would stir men up to seek   
for ,him4  ,but that great purpose has  
not been realised4 ,there is a tragic   
'if haply' inevitable2 and men may      
refuse to yield to the impulses towards 
,god4 ,they are the more likely to do   
so1 inasmuch as to find ,him they must  
'feel after ,him1' and that is hard4    
,the tendrils of a plant turn to the    
far-off light1 but men's spirits do not 

thus grope after ,god4 ,something has   
come in the way which frustrates the    
divine purpose1 and makes men blind and 
unwilling to seek ,him4  ,paul docs not 
at once draw the two plain inferences1  
that there must be something more than  
the nations have had1 if they are to    
find ,god1 even ,his seeking them in    
some new fashion2 and that the power    
which neutralises ,god's design in      
creation and providence is sin4 ,he has 
a word to say about both these1 but for 
the moment he contents himself with     
pointing to the fact1 attested by his   
hearers' consciousness1 and by many a   
saying of thinkers and poets1 that the  
failure to find ,god does not arise from
 ,his hiding ,himself in some remote    
obscurity4 ,men are plunged1 as it were1
 in the ocean of ,god1 encompassed by   
,him as an atmosphere1 and--highest     
thought of all1 and not strange to      
,greek thought of the nobler            
sort--kindred with ,him as both drawing 
life from ,him and being in ,his image4 

,whence1 then1 but from their own fault1
 could men have failed to find ,god8 ,if
 ,he is 'unknown1' it is not because ,he
 has shrouded ,himself in darkness1 but 
because they do not love the light4 ,one
 swift glance at the folly of idolatry1 
as demonstrated by this thought of man's
 being the offspring of ,god1 leads     
naturally to the properly ,christian    
conclusion of the address4  ,,iii4 ,it  
is probable that this part of it was    
prematurely ended by the mockery of some
 and the impatience of others1 who had  
had enough of ,paul and his talk1 and   
who1 when they said1 ',we will hear thee
 again1' meant1 ',we will not hear you  
now4' ,but1 even in the compass         
permitted him1 he gives much of his     
message4  ,we can but briefly note the  
course of thought4 ,he comes back to his
 former word 'ignorance1' bitter pill as
 it was for the ,athenian cultured class
 to swallow4 ,he has shown them how     
their religion ignores or contradicts   
the true conceptions of ,god and man4   

,but he no sooner brings the charge than
 he proclaims ,god's forbearance4 ,and  
he no sooner proclaims ,god's           
forbearance than he rises to the full   
height of his mission as ,god's         
ambassador1 and speaks in authoritative 
tones1 as bearing ,his 'commands4'  ,now
 the hint in the previous part is made  
more plain4 ,the demand for repentance  
implies sin4 ,then the 'ignorance' was  
not inevitable or innocent4 ,there was  
an element of guilt in men's not feeling
 after ,god1 and sin is universal1 for  
'all men everywhere' are summoned to    
repent4 ,philosophers and artists1 and  
cultivated triflers1 and sincere        
worshippers of ,pallas and ,zeus1 and   
all 'barbarian' people1 are alike here4 
,that would grate on ,athenian pride1 as
 it grates now on ours4 ,the reason for 
repentance would be as strange to the   
hearers as the command was--a universal 
judgment1 of which the principle was to 
be rigid righteousness1 and the ,judge1 
not ,minos or ,rhadamanthus1 but 'a     

,man' ordained for that function4  ,what
 raving nonsense that would appear to   
men who had largely lost the belief in a
 life beyond the grave6 ,the universal  
,judge a man6 ,no wonder that the quick 
,athenian sense of the ridiculous began 
to rise against this ,jew fanatic1      
bringing his dreams among cultured      
people like them6 ,and the proof which  
he alleged as evidence to all men that  
it is so1 would sound even more         
ridiculous than the assertion meant to  
be proved4 ',a man has been raised from 
the dead2 and this anonymous ,man1 whom 
nobody ever heard of before1 and who is 
no doubt one of the speaker's           
countrymen1 is to judge us1 ,stoics1    
,epicureans1 polished people1 and we are
 to be herded to ,his bar in company    
with ,boeotians and barbarians6 ,the man
 is mad4'  ,so the assembly broke up in 
inextinguishable laughter1 and ,paul    
silently 'departed from among them1'    
having never named the name of ,jesus to
 them4 ,he never more earnestly tried to

 adapt his teaching to his audience2 he 
never was more unsuccessful in his      
attempt by all means to gain some4 ,was 
it a remembrance of that scene in       
,athens that made him write to the      
,corinthians that his message was 'to   
the ,greeks foolishness'8    ,,the ,,man
 ,,who ,,is ,,judge  '444,he will judge 
the world in righteousness by that ,man 
whom ,he hath ordained2 whereof ,he hath
 given assurance unto all men1 in that  
,he hath raised ,him from the           
dead4'--,,acts xvii4 #ca4  ,i4 ,the     
,resurrection of ,jesus gives assurance 
of judgment4  7a7 ,christ's             
,resurrection is the pledge of ours4    
,the belief in a future life1 as        
entertained by ,paul's hearers on ,mars 
,hill1 was shadowy and dashed with much 
unbelief4 ,disembodied spirits wandered 
ghostlike and spectral in a shadowy     
underworld4  ,the belief in the         
,resurrection of ,jesus converts the    
,greek peradventure into a fact4 ,it    
gives that belief solidity and makes it 

easier to grasp firmly4 ,unless the     
thought of a future life is completed by
 the belief that it is a corporeal life1
 it will never have definiteness and    
reality enough to sustain itself as a   
counterpoise to the weight of things    
seen4  7b7 ,resurrection implies        
judgment4  ,a future bodily life affirms
 individual identity as persisting      
beyond the accident of death1 and can   
only be conceived of as a state in which
 the earthly life is fully developed in 
its individual results4 ,the dead1 who  
are raised1 are raised that they may    
'receive the things done in the body1   
according to that they have done1       
whether it be good or bad4'             
,historically1 the two thoughts have    
always gone together2 and as has been   
the clearness with which a resurrection 
has been held as certain1 so has been   
the force with which the anticipation of
 judgment to come has impinged on       
conscience4  ,jesus is1 even in this    
respect1 our ,example1 for the glory to 

which ,he was raised and in which ,he   
reigns now is the issue of ,his earthly 
life2 and in ,his ,resurrection and     
,ascension we have the historical fact  
which certifies to all men that a life  
of self-sacrifice here will assuredly   
flower into a life of glory there1      
',ours the ,cross1 the grave1 the       
skies4'  ,,ii4 ,the ,resurrection of    
,jesus gives the assurance that ,he is  
,judge4  ,the bare fact that ,he is     
risen does not carry that assurance2 we 
have to take into account that ,he has  
risen4  ,after such a life4  ,his       
,resurrection was ,god's setting the    
seal of ,his approval and acceptance on 
,christ's work2 ,his endorsement of     
,christ's claims to special relations   
with ,him2 ,his affirmation of ,christ's
 sinlessness4 ,jesus had declared that  
,he did always the things that pleased  
the ,father2 had claimed to be the pure 
and perfect realisation of the divine   
ideal of manhood2 had presented ,himself
 as the legitimate object of utter      

devotion and of religious trust1 love1  
and obedience1 and as the only way to   
,god4 ,men said that ,he was a          
blasphemer2 ,god said1 and said most    
emphatically1 by raising ,him from the  
dead3 ',this is ,my beloved ,son1 in    
whom ,i am well pleased4'  ,with such a 
sequel4  ',christ being raised from the 
dead1 dieth no more1' and that fact sets
 ,him apart from others who1 according  
to ,scripture1 have been raised4 ,his   
resurrection is1 if we may use such a   
figure1 a point2 ,his ,ascension and    
,session at the right hand of ,god are  
the line into which the point is        
prolonged4 ,and from both the point and 
the line come the assurance that ,he is 
the ,judge4  ,,iii4 ,the risen ,jesus is
 ,judge because ,he is ,man4  ,that     
seems a paradox4 ,it is a commonplace   
that we are incompetent to judge        
another1 for human eyes cannot read the 
secrets of a human heart1 and we can    
only surmise1 not know1 each other's    
motives1 which are the all-important    

part of our deeds4 ,but when we rightly 
understand ,christ's human nature1 we   
understand how fitted ,he is to be our  
,judge1 and how blessed it is to think  
of ,him as such4 ,paul tells the        
,athenians with deep significance that  
,he who is to be their and the world's  
,judge is 'the ,man4' ,he sums up human 
nature in ,himself1 ,he is the ideal and
 the real ,man4  ,and further1 ,paul    
tells his hearers that ,god judges      
'through' ,him1 and does so 'in         
righteousness4' ,he is fitted to be our 
,judge1 because ,he perfectly and       
completely bears our nature1 knows by   
experience all its weaknesses and       
windings1 as from the inside1 so to     
speak1 and is 'wondrous kind' with the  
kindness which 'fellow-feeling'         
enkindles4 ,he knows us with the        
knowledge of a ,god2 ,he knows us with  
the sympathy of a brother4  ,the ,man   
who has died for all men thereby becomes
 the ,judge of all4 ,even in this life1 
,jesus and ,his ,cross judge us4 ,our   

disposition towards ,him is the test of 
our whole character4 ,by their attitude 
to ,him1 the thoughts of many hearts are
 revealed4 ',what think ye of ,christ8' 
is the question1 the answer to which    
determines our fate1 because it reveals 
our inmost selves and their capacities  
for receiving blessing or harm from ,god
 and ,his mercy4 ,jesus ,himself has    
taught us that 'in that day' the        
condition of entrance into the ,kingdom 
is 'doing the will of ,my ,father which 
is in heaven4' ,he has also taught us   
that 'this is the work of ,god1 that ye 
believe on ,him whom ,he hath sent4'    
,faith in ,jesus as our ,saviour is the 
root from which will grow the good tree 
which will bring forth good fruit1      
bearing which our love will be 'made    
perfect1 that we may have boldness      
before ,him in the day of judgment4'    
,,paul ,,at ,,corinth  ',after these    
things ,paul departed from ,athens1 and 
came to ,corinth2 #b4 ,and found a      
certain ,jew named ,aquila1 born in     

,pontus1 lately come from ,italy1 with  
his wife ,priscilla2 7because that      
,claudius had commanded all ,jews to    
depart from ,rome37 and came unto them4 
#c4 ,and because he was of the same     
craft1 he abode with them1 and wrought3 
for by their occupation they were       
tent-makers4 #d4 ,and he reasoned in the
 synagogue every sabbath1 and persuaded 
the ,jews and the ,greeks4 #e4 ,and when
 ,silas and ,timotheus were come from   
,macedonia1 ,paul was pressed in the    
spirit1 and testified to the ,jews that 
,jesus was ,christ4 #f4 ,and when they  
opposed themselves1 and blasphemed1 he  
shook his raiment1 and said unto them1  
,your blood be upon your own heads2 ,i  
am clean3 from henceforth ,i will go    
unto the ,gentiles4 #g4 ,and he departed
 thence1 and entered into a certain     
man's house1 named ,justus1 one that    
worshipped ,god1 whose house joined hard
 to the synagogue4 #h4 ,and ,crispus1   
the chief ruler of the synagogue1       
believed on the ,lord with all his      

house2 and many of the ,corinthians     
hearing believed1 and were baptized4 #i4
 ,then spake the ,lord to ,paul in the  
night by a vision1 ,be not afraid1 but  
speak1 and hold not thy peace3 #aj4 ,for
 ,i am with thee1 and no man shall set  
on thee to hurt thee3 for ,i have much  
people in this city4 #aa4 ,and he       
continued there a year and six months1  
teaching the word of ,god among         
them4'--,,acts xviii4 #a-aa4  ,solitude 
is a hard trial for sensitive natures1  
and tends to weaken their power of work4
 ,paul was entirely alone in ,athens1   
and appears to have cut his stay there  
short1 since his two companions1 who    
were to have joined him in that city1   
did not do so till after he had been    
some time in ,corinth4 ,his long stay   
there has several well-marked stages1   
which yield valuable lessons4  ,i4      
,first1 we note the solitary ,apostle1  
seeking friends1 toiling for bread1 and 
withal preaching ,christ4 ,corinth was a
 centre of commerce1 of wealth1 and of  

moral corruption4 ,the celebrated local 
worship of ,aphrodite fed the corruption
 as well as the wealth4 ,the ,apostle   
met there with a new phase of ,greek    
life1 no less formidable in antagonism  
to the ,gospel than the culture of      
,athens4 ,he tells us that he entered on
 his work in ,corinth 'in weakness1 and 
in fear1 and in much trembling1' but    
also that he did not try to attract by  
adaptation of his words to the          
prevailing tastes either of ,greek or   
,jew1 but preached ',jesus ,christ1 and 
,him crucified1' knowing that1 while    
that appeared to go right in the teeth  
of the demands of both1 it really met   
their wants4 ,this ministry was begun1  
in his usual fashion1 very unobtrusively
 and quietly4 ,his first care was to    
find a home2 his second1 to provide his 
daily bread2 and then he was free to    
take the ,sabbath for ,christian work in
 the synagogue4  ,we cannot tell whether
 he had had any previous acquaintance   
with ,aquila and his wife1 nor indeed is

 it certain that they had previously    
been ,christians4 ,paul's reason for    
living with them was simply the         
convenience of getting work at his      
trade1 and it seems probable that1 if   
they had been disciples1 that fact would
 have been named as part of his reason4 
,pontus lay to the north of ,cilicia1   
and though widely separated from it1 was
 near enough to make a kind of bond as  
of fellow-countrymen1 which would be the
 stronger because they had the same     
craft at their finger-ends4  ,it was the
 wholesome practice for every ,rabbi to 
learn some trade4 ,if all graduates had 
to do the same now there would be fewer 
educated idlers1 who are dangerous to   
society and burdens to themselves and   
their friends4 ,what a curl of contempt 
would have lifted the lips of the rich  
men of ,corinth if they had been told   
that the greatest man in their city was 
that little ,jew tent-maker1 and that in
 this unostentatious fashion he had     
begun to preach truths which would be   

like a charge of dynamite to all their  
social and religious order6 ,true zeal  
can be patiently silent4  ,sewing rough 
goat's-hair cloth into tents may be as  
truly serving ,christ as preaching ,his 
name4 ,all manner of work that          
contributes to the same end is the same 
in worth and in recompense4 ,perhaps the
 wholesomest form of ,christian ministry
 is that after the ,apostolic pattern1  
when the teacher can say1 as ,paul did  
to the people of ,corinth1 ',when ,i was
 present with you and was in want1 ,i   
was not a burden on any man4' ,if not in
 letter1 at any rate in spirit1 his     
example must be followed4 ,if the       
preacher would win souls he must be free
 from any taint of suspicion as to      
money4  ,,ii4 ,the second stage in      
,paul's ,corinthian residence is the    
increased activity when his friends1    
,silas and ,timothy1 came from ,beroea4 
,we learn from ,philippians iv4 #ae1 and
 #b ,corinthians xi4 #i1 that they      
brought gifts from the ,church at       

,philippi2 and from #a ,thessalonians   
iii4 #f1 that they brought something    
still more gladdening namely1 good      
accounts of the steadfastness of the    
,thessalonian converts4 ,the money would
 make it less necessary to spend most of
 the week in manual labour2 the glad    
tidings of the ,thessalonians' 'faith   
and love' did bring fresh life1 and the 
presence of his helpers would cheer him4
 ,so a period of enlarged activity      
followed their coming4  ,the reading of 
verse #e1 ',paul was constrained by the 
word1' brings out strikingly the        
,christian impulse which makes speech of
 the ,gospel a necessity4 ,the force of 
that impulse may vary1 as it did with   
,paul2 but if we have any deep          
possession of the grace of ,god for     
ourselves1 we shall1 like him1 feel it  
pressing us for utterance1 as soon as   
the need of providing daily bread       
becomes less stringent and our hearts   
are gladdened by ,christian communion4  
,it augurs ill for a man's hold of the  

word if the word does not hold him4 ,he 
who never felt that he was weary of     
forbearing1 and that the word was like a
 fire1 if it was 'shut up in his bones1'
 has need to ask himself if he has any  
belief in the ,gospel4 ,the craving to  
impart ever accompanies real possession4
  ,the ,apostle's solemn symbolism1     
announcing his cessation of efforts     
among the ,jews1 has of course reference
 only to ,corinth1 for we find him in   
his subsequent ministry adhering to his 
method1 'to the ,jew first4' ,it is a   
great part of ,christian wisdom in      
evangelical work to recognise the right 
time to give up efforts which have been 
fruitless4 ,much strength is wasted1 and
 many hearts depressed1 by obstinate    
continuance in such methods or on such  
fields as have cost much effort and     
yielded no fruit4 ,we often call it     
faith1 when it is only pride1 which     
prevents the acknowledgment of failure4 
,better to learn the lessons taught by  
,providence1 and to try a new 'claim1'  

than to keep on digging and washing when
 we only find sand and mud4 ,god teaches
 us by failures as well as by successes4
 ,let us not be too conceited to learn  
the lesson or to confess defeat1 and    
shift our ground accordingly4  ,it is a 
solemn thing to say ',i am clean4' ,we  
need to have been very diligent1 very   
loving1 very prayerful to ,god1 and very
 persuasive in pleading with men1 before
 we dare to roll all the blame of their 
condemnation on themselves4 ,but we have
 no right to say1 ',henceforth ,i go to'
 others1 until we can say that we have  
done all that man--or1 at any rate1 that
 we--can do to avert the doom4  ,paul   
did not go so far away but that any     
whose hearts ,god had touched could     
easily find him4 ,it was with a         
lingering eye to his countrymen that he 
took up his abode in the house of 'one  
that feared ,god1' that is1 a proselyte2
 and that he settled down next door to  
the synagogue4 ,what a glimpse of       
yearning love which cannot bear to give 

,israel up as hopeless1 that simple     
detail gives us6 ,and may we not say    
that the yearning of the servant is     
caught from the example of the ,master8 
',how shall ,i give thee up1 ,ephraim8' 
,does not ,christ1 in ,his              
long-suffering love1 linger in like     
manner round each closed heart8 and if  
,he withdraws a little way1 does ,he not
 do so rather to stimulate search after 
,him1 and tarry near enough to be found 
by every seeking heart8  ,paul's purpose
 in his solemn warning to the ,jews of  
,corinth was partly accomplished4 ,the  
ruler of the synagogue 'believed in the 
,lord with all his house4' ,thus men are
 sometimes brought to decision for      
,christ by the apparently impending     
possibility of ,his ,gospel leaving them
 to themselves4 ',blessings brighten as 
they take their flight4' ,severity      
sometimes effects what forbearance fails
 to achieve4 ,if the train is on the    
point of starting1 the hesitating       
passenger will swiftly make up his mind 

and rush for a seat4 ,it is permissible 
to press for immediate decision on the  
ground that the time is short1 and that 
soon these things 'will be hid from the 
eyes4'  ,we learn from #a ,corinthians  
i4 #ad1 that ,paul deviated from his    
usual practice1 and himself baptized    
,crispus4 ,we may be very sure that his 
doing so arose from no unworthy         
subserviency to an important convert1   
but indicated how deeply grateful he was
 to the ,lord for giving him1 as a seal 
to a ministry which had seemed barren1  
so encouraging a token4 ,the opposition 
and blasphemy of many are outweighed1 to
 a true evangelist1 by the conversion of
 one2 and while all souls are in one    
aspect equally valuable1 they are       
unequal in the influence which they may 
exert on others4 ,so it was with        
,crispus1 for 'many of the ,corinthians 
hearing' of such a signal fact as the   
conversion of the chief of the          
synagogue1 likewise 'believed4' ,we may 
distinguish in our estimate of the value

 of converts1 without being untrue to   
the great principle that all men are    
equally precious in ,christ's eyes4     
,,iii4 ,the next stage is the vision to 
,paul and his consequent protracted     
residence in ,corinth4 ,god does not    
waste visions1 nor bid men put away     
fears which are not haunting them4 ,this
 vision enables us to conceive ,paul's  
state of mind when it came to him4 ,he  
was for some reason cast down4 ,he had  
not been so when things looked much more
 hopeless4 ,but though now he had his   
friends and many converts1 some mood of 
sadness crept over him4 ,men like him   
are often swayed by impulses rising     
within1 and quite apart from outward    
circumstances4 ,possibly he had reason  
to apprehend that his very success had  
sharpened hostility1 and to anticipate  
danger to life4 ,the contents of the    
vision make this not improbable4  ,but  
the mere calming of fear1 worthy object 
as it is1 is by no means the main part  
of the message of the vision4 ',speak1  

and hold not thy peace1' is its central 
word4 ,fear which makes a ,christian    
dumb is always cowardly1 and always     
exaggerated4 ,speech which comes from   
trembling lips may be very powerful1 and
 there is no better remedy for terror   
than work for ,christ4 ,if we screw     
ourselves up to do what we fear to do1  
the dread vanishes1 as a bather recovers
 himself as soon as his head has once   
been under water4  ,why was ,paul not to
 be afraid8 ,it is easy to say1 ',fear  
not1' but unless the exhortation is     
accompanied with some good reason shown1
 it is wasted breath4 ,paul got a truth 
put into his heart which ends all       
fear--',for ,i am with thee4' ,surely   
that is enough to exorcise all demons of
 cowardice or despondency1 and it is the
 assurance that all ,christ's servants  
may lay up in their hearts1 for use at  
all moments and in all moods4 ,his      
presence1 in no metaphor1 but in deepest
 inmost reality1 is theirs1 and whether 
their fears come from without or within1

 ,his presence is more than enough to   
make them brave and strong4  ,paul      
needed a vision1 for ,paul had never    
seen ,christ 'after the flesh1' nor     
heard ,his parting promise4 ,we do not  
need it1 for we have the unalterable    
word1 which ,he left with all ,his      
disciples when ,he ascended1 and which  
remains true to the ends of the world   
and till the world ends4  ,the          
consequence of ,christ's presence is not
 exemption from attacks1 but            
preservation in them4 ,men may 'set on' 
,paul1 but they cannot 'hurt' him4 ,the 
promise was literally fulfilled when the
 would-be accusers were contemptuously  
sent away by ,gallio1 the embodiment of 
,roman even-handedness and despising of 
the deepest things4 ,it is fulfilled no 
less truly to-day2 for no hurt can come 
to us if ,christ is with us1 and        
whatever does come is not hurt4  ',i    
have much people in this city4' ,jesus  
saw what ,paul did not1 the souls yet to
 be won for ,him4 ,that loving ,eye     

gladly beholds ,his own sheep1 though   
they may be yet in danger of the wolves1
 and far from the ,shepherd4 ',them also
 ,he must bring'2 and ,his servants are 
wise if1 in all their labours1 they     
cherish the courage that comes from the 
consciousness of ,his presence1 and the 
unquenchable hope1 which sees in the    
most degraded and alienated those whom  
the ,good ,shepherd will yet find in the
 wilderness and bear back to the fold4  
,such a hope will quicken them for all  
service1 and such a vision will embolden
 them in all peril4    ',,constrained   
,,by ,,the ,,word'  ',and when ,silas   
and ,timotheus were come from           
,macedonia1 ,paul was pressed in the    
spirit1 and testified4'--,,acts xviii4  
#e4  ,the ,revised ,version1 in         
concurrence with most recent            
authorities1 reads1 instead of 'pressed 
in the spirit1' 'constrained by the     
word4' ,one of these alterations depends
 on a diversity of reading1 the other on
 a difference of translation4 ,the one  

introduces a significant difference of  
meaning2 the other is rather a change of
 expression4 ,the word rendered here    
'pressed1' and by the ,revised ,version 
'constrained1' is employed in its       
literal use in ',master1 the multitude  
throng ,thee and press ,thee1' and in   
its metaphorical application in ',the   
love of ,christ constraineth us4' ,there
 is not much difference between         
'constrained' and 'pressed1' but there  
is a large difference between 'in the   
spirit' and 'by the word4' ',pressed in 
the spirit' simply describes a state of 
feeling or mind2 'constrained by the    
word' declares the force which brought  
about that condition of pressure or     
constraint4 ,what then does 'constrained
 by the word' refer to8 ,it indicates   
that ,paul's message had a grip of him1 
and held him hard1 and forced him to    
deliver it4  ,one more preliminary      
remark is that our text evidently brings
 this state of mind of the ,apostle1 and
 the coming of his two friends ,silas   

and ,timothy1 into relation as cause and
 effect4 ,he had been alone in ,corinth4
 ,his work of late had not been         
encouraging4 ,he had been comparatively 
silent there1 and had spent most of his 
time in tent-making4 ,but when his two  
friends came a cloud was lifted off his 
spirit1 and he sprang back again1 as it 
were1 to his old form and to his old    
work4  ,now if we take that point of    
view with regard to the passage before  
us1 ,i think we shall find that it      
yields valuable lessons1 some of which  
,i wish to try to enforce now4  ,i4 ,let
 me ask you to look with me at the      
downcast ,apostle4  ',downcast1' you    
say2 'is not that an unworthy word to   
use about a minister of ,jesus ,christ  
inspired as ,paul was8' ,by no means4   
,we shall very much mistake both the    
nature of inspiration and the character 
of this inspired ,apostle1 if we do not 
recognise that he was a man of many     
moods and tremulously susceptible to    
external influences4 ,such music would  

never have come from him if his soul had
 not been like an ,aeolian harp1 hung in
 a tree and vibrating in response to    
every breeze4 ,and so we need not       
hesitate to speak of the ,apostle's     
mood1 as revealed to us in the passage  
before us1 as being downcast4  ,now     
notice that in the verses preceding my  
text his conduct is extremely abnormal  
and unlike his usual procedure4 ,he goes
 into ,corinth1 and he does next to     
nothing in evangelistic work4 ,he       
repairs to the synagogue once a week1   
and talks to the ,jews there4 ,but that 
is all4 ,the notice of his reasoning in 
the synagogue is quite subordinate to   
the notice that he was occupied in      
finding a lodging with another pauper   
,jew and stranger in the great city1 and
 that these two poor men went into a    
kind of partnership1 and tried to earn a
 living by hard work4 ,such procedure   
makes a singular contrast to ,paul's    
usual methods in a strange city4  ,now  
the reason for that slackening of       

impulse and comparative cessation of    
activity is not far to seek4 ,the first 
,epistle to ,thessalonica was written   
immediately after these two brethren    
rejoined ,paul4 ,and how does the       
,apostle describe in that letter his    
feelings before they came8 ,he speaks of
 'all our distress and affliction4' ,he 
tells that he was tortured by anxiety as
 to how the new converts in             
,thessalonica were getting on1 and could
 not forbear to try to find out whether 
they were still standing steadfast4     
,again in the first ,epistle to the     
,corinthians1 you will find that there1 
looking back to this period1 he         
describes his feelings in similar       
fashion and says3 ',i was with you in   
weakness1 and in fear1 and in much      
trembling4' ,and if you look forward a  
verse or two in our chapter you will see
 that a vision came to ,paul1 which     
presupposes that some touch of fear1 and
 some temptation to silence1 were busy  
in his heart4 ,for ,god shapes ,his     

communications according to our need1   
and would not have said1 ',do not be    
afraid1 and hold not thy peace1 but     
speak1' unless there had been a danger  
both of ,paul's being frightened and of 
his being dumb4  ,and what thus brought 
a cloud over his sky8 ,a little exercise
 of historical imagination will very    
sufficiently answer that4 ,a few weeks  
before1 in obedience1 as he believed1 to
 a direct divine command1 ,paul had made
 a plunge1 and ventured upon an         
altogether new phase of work4 ,he had   
crossed into ,europe1 and from the      
moment that he landed at the harbour of 
,philippi1 up to the time when he took  
refuge in some quiet little room in     
,corinth1 he had had nothing but trouble
 and danger and disappointment4 ,the    
prison at ,philippi1 the riots that     
hounded him out of ,thessalonica1 the   
stealthy1 hurried escape from ,beroea1  
the almost entire failure of his first  
attempt to preach the ,gospel to ,greeks
 in ,athens1 his loneliness1 and the    

strangeness of his surroundings in the  
luxurious1 wicked1 wealthy ,greek city  
of ,corinth--all these things weighed on
 him1 and there is no wonder that his   
spirits went down1 and he felt that now 
he must lie fallow for a time and rest1 
and pull himself together again4  ,so   
here we have1 in this great champion of 
the faith1 in this strong runner of the 
,christian race1 in this chief of men1  
an example of the fluctuation of mood1  
the variation in the way in which we    
look at our duties and our obligations  
and our difficulties1 the slackening of 
the impulse which dominates our lives1  
that are too familiar to us all4 ,it    
brings ,paul nearer us to feel that he1 
too1 knew these ups and downs4 ,the     
force that drove this meteor through the
 darkness varied1 as the force that     
impels us varies to our consciousness4  
,it is the prerogative of ,god to be    
immutable2 men have their moods and     
their fluctuations4 ,kindled lights     
flicker2 the sun burns steadily4 ,an    

,elijah to-day beards ,ahab and ,jezebel
 and all their priests1 and to-morrow   
hides his head in his hands1 and says1  
',take me away1 ,i am not better than my
 fathers4' ,there will be ups and down  
in the ,christian vigour of our lives1  
as well as in all other regions1 so long
 as men dwell in this material body and 
are surrounded by their present         
circumstances4  ,brethren1 it is no     
small part of ,christian wisdom and     
prudence to recognise this fact1 both in
 order that it may prevent us from      
becoming unduly doubtful of ourselves   
when the ebb tide sets in on our souls1 
and also in order that we may lay to    
heart this other truth1 that because    
these moods and changes of aspect and of
 vigour will come to us1 therefore the  
law of life must be effort1 and the duty
 of every ,christian man be to minimise1
 in so far as possible1 the fluctuations
 which1 in some degree1 are inevitable4 
,no human hand has ever drawn an        
absolutely straight line4 ,that is the  

ideal of the mathematician1 but all ours
 are crooked4 ,but we may indefinitely  
diminish the magnitude of the curves4   
,no two atoms are so close together as  
that there is no film between them4 ,no 
human life has ever been an absolutely  
continuous1 unbroken series of equally  
holy and devoted thoughts and acts1 but 
we may diminish the intervals between   
kindred states1 and may make our lives  
so far uniform as that to a bystander   
they shall look like the bright circle1 
which a brand whirled round in the air  
makes the impression of1 on the eye that
 beholds4 ,we shall have times of       
brightness and of less brilliancy1 of   
vigour and of consequent reaction and   
exhaustion4 ,but ,christianity has1 for 
one of its objects1 to help us to master
 our moods1 and to bring us nearer and  
nearer1 by continual growth1 to the     
steadfast1 immovable attitude of those  
whose faith is ever the same4  ,do not  
forget the plain lesson which comes from
 the incident before us--viz41 that the 

wisest thing that a man can do1 when he 
feels that the wheels of his religious  
being are driving heavily1 is to set    
himself doggedly to the plain1 homely   
work of daily life4 ,paul did not sit   
and bemoan himself because he felt this 
slackening of impulse1 but he went away 
to ,aquila1 and said1 ',let us set to   
work and make camel's-hair cloth and    
tents4' ,be thankful for your homely1   
prosaic1 secular1 daily task4 ,you do   
not know from how many sickly fancies it
 saves you1 and how many breaches in the
 continuity of your ,christian feeling  
it may bridge over4 ,it takes you away  
from thinking about yourselves1 and     
sometimes you cannot think about        
anything less profitably4 ,so stick to  
your work2 and if ever you feel1 as     
,paul did1 'cast down1' be sure that the
 workshop1 the office1 the desk1 the    
kitchen will prevent you from being     
'destroyed1' if you give yourselves to  
the plain duties which no moods alter1  
but which can alter a great many moods4 

,,ii4 ,and now note the 'constraining   
word4'  ,i have already said that the   
return of the two1 who had been sent to 
see how things were going with the      
recent converts in the infant ,churches1
 brought the ,apostle good tidings1 and 
so lifted off a great load of anxiety   
from his heart4 ,no wonder6 ,he had left
 raw recruits under fire1 with no       
captain1 and he might well doubt whether
 they would keep their ranks4 ,but they 
did4 ,so the pressure was lifted off1   
and the pressure being lifted off1      
spontaneously the old impulse gripped   
him once more2 like a spring which leaps
 back to its ancient curve when some    
alien force is taken from it4 ,it must  
have been a very deep and a very        
habitual impulse1 which thus instantly  
reasserted itself the moment that the   
pressure of anxiety was taken out of the
 way4  ,the word constrained him4 ,what 
to do8 ,to declare it4 ,paul's example  
brings up two thoughts--that that       
impulse may vary at times1 according to 

the pressure of circumstances1 and may  
even be held in abeyance for a while2   
and that if a man is honestly and really
 a ,christian1 as soon as the incumbent 
pressure is taken away1 he will feel1   
',necessity is laid upon me2 yea1 woe is
 me if ,i preach not the ,gospel4' ,for 
though ,paul's sphere of work was       
different from ours1 his obligation to  
work and his impulse to work were such  
as are1 or should be1 common to all     
,christians4 ,the impulse to utter the  
word that we believe and live by seems  
to me to be1 in its very nature1        
inseparable from earnest ,christian     
faith4 ,all emotion demands expression2 
and if a man has never felt that he must
 let his ,christian faith have vent1 it 
is a very bad sign4 ,as certainly as    
fermentation or effervescence demands   
outgush1 so certainly does emotion      
demand expression4 ,we all know that4   
,the same impulse that makes a mother   
bend over her babe with unmeaning words 
and tokens that seem to unsympathetic   

onlookers foolish1 ought to influence   
all ,christians to speak the ,name they 
love4 ,all conviction demands           
expression4 ,there may be truths which  
have so little bearing upon human life  
that he who perceives them feels little 
obligation to say anything about them4  
,but these are the exceptions2 and the  
more weighty and the more closely       
affecting human interests anything that 
we have learned to believe as truth is1 
the more do we feel in our hearts that1 
in making us its believers1 it has made 
us its apostles4 ,christ's saying1      
',what ye hear in the ear1 that preach  
ye on the housetops1' expresses a       
universal truth which is realised in    
many regions1 and ought to be most      
emphatically realised in the ,christian4
 ,for surely of all the truths that men 
can catch a glimpse of1 or grapple to   
their hearts1 or store in their         
understandings1 there are none which    
bring with them such tremendous         
consequences1 and therefore are of so   

solemn import to proclaim to all the    
children of men1 as the truth1 which we 
profess we have received1 of personal   
salvation through ,jesus ,christ4  ,if  
there never had been a single           
commandment to that effect1 ,i know not 
how the ,christian ,church or the       
,christian individual could have        
abstained from declaring the great and  
sweet ,name to which it and he owe so   
much4 ,i do not care to present this    
matter as a commandment1 nor to speak   
now of obligation or responsibility4    
,the impulse is what ,i would fix your  
attention upon4 ,it is inseparable from 
the ,christian life4 ,it may vary in    
force1 as we see in the incident before 
us4 ,it will vary in grip1 according as 
other circumstances and duties insist   
upon being attended to4 ,the form in    
which it is yielded to will vary        
indefinitely in individuals4 ,but if    
they are ,christian people it is always 
there4  ,well then1 what about the      
masses of so-called ,christians who feel

 nothing of any such constraining force8
 ,and what about the many who feel      
enough of it to make them also feel that
 they are wrong in not yielding to it1  
but not enough to make their conduct be 
influenced by it8 ,brethren1 ,i venture 
to believe that the measure in which    
this impulse to speak the word and use  
direct efforts for somebody's conversion
 is felt by ,christians1 is a very fair 
test of the depth of their own religion4
 ,if a vessel is half empty it will not 
run over4 ,if it is full to the brim1   
the sparkling treasure will fall on all 
sides4 ,a weak plant may never push its 
green leaves above the ground1 but a    
strong one will rise into the light4 ,a 
spark may be smothered in a heap of     
brushwood1 but a steady flame will burn 
its way out4 ,if this word has not a    
grip of you1 impelling you to its       
utterance1 ,i would have you not to be  
too sure that you have a grip of it4    
,,iii4 ,lastly1 we have here the witness
 to the word4  ',he was constrained by  

the word1 testifying4' ,now ,i do not   
know whether it is imposing too much    
meaning upon a non-significant          
difference of expression1 if ,i ask you 
to note the difference between that     
phrase and the one which describes his  
previous activity3 ',he reasoned in the 
synagogue every ,sabbath1 and tried to  
persuade' the ,jews and the ,greeks1 but
 when the old impulse came back in new  
force1 reasoning was far too cold a     
method1 and ,paul took to testifying4   
,whether that be so or no1 mark that the
 witness of one's own personal          
conviction and experience is the        
strongest weapon that a ,christian can  
use4 ,i do not despise the place of     
reasoning1 but arguments do not often   
change opinions2 they never change      
hearts4 ,logic and controversial        
discoursing may 'prepare the way of the 
,lord1' but it is 'in the wilderness4'  
,but when a man calls aloud1 ',come and 
hear all ye1 and ,i will declare what   
,god hath done for my soul'2 or when he 

tells his brother1 ',we have found the  
,messias'2 or when he sticks to ',one   
thing ,i know1 that whereas ,i was      
blind1 now ,i see1' it is difficult for 
any one to resist1 and impossible for   
any one to answer1 that way of          
testifying1  ,it is a way that we can   
all adopt if we will4 ,christian men and
 women can all say such things4 ,i do   
not forget that there are indirect ways 
of spreading the ,gospel4 ,some of you  
think that you do enough when you give  
your money and your interest in order to
 diffuse it4 ,you can buy a substitute  
in the militia1 but you cannot buy a    
substitute in ,christ's service4 ,you   
have each some congregation to which you
 can speak1 if it is no larger than     
,paul's--namely1 two people1 ,aquila and
 ,priscilla4 ,what talks they would have
 in their lodging1 as they plaited the  
wisps of black hair into rough cloth1   
and stitched the strips into tents6     
,aquila was not a ,christian when ,paul 
picked him up1 but he became one very   

soon2 and it was the preaching in the   
workshop1 amidst the dust1 that made him
 one4 ,if we long to speak about ,christ
 we shall find plenty of people to speak
 to4 ',ye are my witnesses1 saith the   
,lord4'  ,now1 dear friends1 ,i have    
only one word more4 ,i have no doubt    
there are some among us who have been   
saying1 ',this sermon does not apply to 
me at all4' ,does it not8 ,if it does   
not1 what does that mean8 ,it means that
 you have not the first requisite for   
spreading the word--viz4 personal faith 
in the word4 ,it means that you have put
 away1 or at least neglected to take in1
 the word and the ,saviour of whom it   
speaks1 into your own lives4 ,but it    
does not mean that you have got rid of  
the word thereby4 ,it will not in that  
case lay the grip of which ,i have been 
speaking upon you1 but it will not let  
you go4 ,it will lay on you a far more  
solemn and awful clutch1 and like a     
jailer with his hand on the culprit's   
shoulder1 will 'constrain' you into the 

presence of the ,judge4 ,you can make it
 a savour of life unto life1 or of death
 unto death4 ,and though you do not     
grasp it1 it grasps and holds you4 ',the
 word that ,i speak unto him1 the same  
shall judge him at the last day4'       
,,gallio  ',and when ,paul was now about
 to open his mouth1 ,gallio said unto   
the ,jews1 ,if it were a matter of      
wrong3 or wicked lewdness1 ,o ye ,jews1 
reason would that ,i should bear with   
you3 #ae4 ,but if it be a question of   
words and names1 and of your law1 look  
ye to it2 for ,i will be no judge of    
such matters4'--,,acts xviii4 #ad1 #ae4 
,there is something very touching in the
 immortality of fame which comes to the 
men who for a moment pass across the    
,gospel story1 like shooting stars      
kindled for an instant as they enter our
 atmosphere4 ,how little ,gallio dreamed
 that he would live for ever in men's   
mouths by reason of this one judicial   
dictum6 ,he was ,seneca's brother1 and  
was possibly leavened by his philosophy 

and indisposed to severity4 ,he has been
 unjustly condemned4 ,there are some    
striking lessons from the story4  ,i4   
,the remarkable anticipation of the true
 doctrine as to the functions of civil  
magistrates4  ,gallio draws a clear     
distinction between conduct and opinion1
 and excepts the whole of the latter    
region from his sway4 ,it is the first  
case in which the civil authorities     
refused to take cognisance of a charge  
against a man on account of his         
opinions4 ,nineteen hundred years have  
not brought all tribunals up to that    
point yet4 ,gallio indeed was influenced
 mainly by philosophic contempt for the 
trivialities of what he thought a       
superstition4 ,we are influenced by our 
recognition of the sanctity of          
individual conviction1 and still more by
 reverence for truth and by the belief  
that it should depend only on its own   
power for progress and on itself for the
 defeat of its enemies4  ,,ii4 ,the     
tragic mistake about the nature of the  

,gospel which men make4  ,there is      
something very pathetic in the erroneous
 estimates made by those persons        
mentioned in ,acts who some once or     
twice come in contact with the preachers
 of ,christ4 ,how little they recognise 
what was before them6 ,their            
responsibility is in better hands than  
ours4 ,but in ,gallio there is a trace  
of tendencies always in operation4  ,we 
see in him the practical man's contempt 
for mere ideas4 ,the man of affairs1 be 
he statesman or worker1 is always apt to
 think that things are more than        
thoughts4 ,gallio1 proconsul in         
,corinth1 and his brother official1     
,pilate1 in ,jerusalem1 both believed in
 powers that they could see4 ,the       
question of the one1 for an answer to   
which he did not wait1 was not the      
inquiry of a searcher after truth1 but  
the exclamation of a sceptic who thought
 all the contradictory answers that rang
 through the world to be demonstrations 
that the question had no answer4 ,the   

impatient refusal of the other to have  
any concern in settling 'such matters'  
was steeped in the same                 
characteristically ,roman spirit of     
impatient distrust and suspicion of mere
 ideas4 ,he believed in ,roman force and
 authority1 and thought that such       
harmless visionaries as ,paul and his   
company might be allowed to go their own
 way1 and he did not know that they     
carried with them a solvent and         
constructive power before which the     
solid-seeming structure of the ,empire  
was destined to crumble1 as surely as   
thick-ribbed ice before the sirocco4    
,and how many of us believe in wealth   
and material progress1 and regard the   
region of truth as very shadowy and     
remote6 ,this is a danger besetting us  
all4 ,the true forces that sway the     
world are ideas4  ,we see in ,gallio    
supercilious indifference to mere       
'theological subtleties4' ,to him       
,paul's preaching and the ,jews'        
passionate denials of it seemed only a  

squabble about 'words and names4'       
,probably he had gathered his impression
 from ,paul's eager accusers1 who would 
charge him with giving the name of      
',christ' to ,jesus4  ,gallio's attitude
 was partly ,stoical contempt for all   
superstitions1 partly1 perhaps1 an      
eclectic belief that all these warring  
religions were really saying the same   
thing and differed only in words and    
names2 and partly sheer indifference to 
the whole subject4 ,thus ,christianity  
appears to many in this day4  ,what is  
it in reality8 ,not words but power3 a  
,name1 indeed1 but a ,name which is     
life4 ,alas for us1 who by our jangling 
have given colour to this misconception6
  ,we see in ,gallio the mistake that   
the ,gospel has little relation to      
conduct4 ,gallio drew a broad           
distinction between conduct and opinion1
 and there he was right4 ,but he        
imagined that this opinion had nothing  
to do with conduct1 and how wrong he was
 there we need not elaborate4  ,the     

,gospel is the mightiest power for      
shaping conduct4  ,,iii4 ,the ignorant  
levity with which men pass the crisis of
 their lives4  ,how little ,gallio knew 
of what a possibility was opened out    
before him6 ,angels were hovering       
unseen4 ,we seldom recognise the fateful
 moments of our lives till they are     
past4  ,the offer of salvation in       
,christ is ever a crisis4 ,it may never 
be repeated4 ,was ,gallio ever again    
brought into contact with ,paul or      
,paul's ,lord8 ,we know not4 ,he passes 
out of sight1 the search-light is turned
 in another direction1 and we lose him  
in the darkness4 ,the extent of his     
criminality is in better hands than     
ours1 though we cannot but let our      
thoughts go forward to the time when he1
 like us all1 will stand at the judgment
 bar of ,jesus1 no longer a judge but   
judged4 ,let us hope that before he     
passed hence1 he learned how full of    
spirit and of life the message was1     
which he once took for a mere squabble  

about 'words and names1' and thought too
 trivial to occupy his court4 ,and let  
us remember that the ,jesus1 whom we are
 sometimes tempted to judge as of little
 importance to us1 will one day judge   
us1 and that ,his judgment will settle  
our fate for evermore4    ,,two         
,,fruitful ,,years  ',and it came to    
pass1 that1 while ,apollos was at       
,corinth1 ,paul having passed through   
the upper coasts came to ,ephesus3 and  
finding certain disciples4 #b4 ,he said 
unto them1 ,have ye received the ,holy  
,ghost since ye believed8 ,and they said
 unto him1 ,we have not so much as heard
 whether there be any ,holy ,ghost4 #c4 
,and he said unto them1 ,unto what then 
were ye baptized8 ,and they said1 ,unto 
,john's baptism4 #d4 ,then said ,paul1  
,john verily baptized with the baptism  
of repentance1 saying unto the people1  
that they should believe on ,him which  
should come after him1 that is1 on      
,christ ,jesus4 #e4 ,when they heard    
this1 they were baptized in the name of 

the ,lord ,jesus4 #f4 ,and when ,paul   
had laid his hands upon them1 the ,holy 
,ghost came on them2 and they spake with
 tongues1 and prophesied4 #g4 ,and all  
the men were about twelve4 #h4 ,and he  
went into the synagogue1 and spake      
boldly for the space of three months1   
disputing and persuading the things     
concerning the kingdom of ,god4 #i4 ,but
 when divers were hardened1 and believed
 not1 but spake evil of that way before 
the multitude1 he departed from them1   
and separated the disciples1 disputing  
daily in the school of one ,tyrannus4   
#aj4 ,and this continued by the space of
 two years2 so that all they which dwelt
 in ,asia heard the word of the ,lord   
,jesus1 both ,jews and ,greeks4 #aa4    
,and ,god wrought special miracles by   
the hands of ,paul3 #ab4 ,so that from  
his body were brought unto the sick     
handkerchiefs or aprons1 and the        
diseases departed from them1 and the    
evil spirits went out of them4'--,,acts 
xix4 #a-ab4  ,this passage finds ,paul  

in ,ephesus4 ,in the meantime he had    
paid that city a hasty visit on his way 
back from ,greece1 had left his friends1
 ,aquila and ,priscilla1 in it1 and had 
gone on to ,jerusalem1 thence returning 
to ,antioch1 and visiting the churches  
in ,asia ,minor which he had planted on 
his former journeys4 ,from the inland   
and higher districts he has come down to
 the coast1 and established himself in  
the great city of ,ephesus1 where the   
labours of ,aquila1 and perhaps others1 
had gathered a small band of disciples4 
,two points are especially made         
prominent in this passage--the          
incorporation of ,john's disciples with 
the ,church1 and the eminent success of 
,paul's preaching in ,ephesus4  ,the    
first of these is a very remarkable and1
 in some respects1 puzzling incident4   
,it is tempting to bring it into        
connection with the immediately         
preceding narrative as to ,apollos4 ,the
 same stage of spiritual development is 
presented in these twelve men and in    

that eloquent ,alexandrian4 ,they and he
 were alike in knowing only of ,john's  
baptism2 but if they had been ,apollos' 
pupils1 they would most probably have   
been led by him into the fuller light   
which he received through ,priscilla and
 ,aquila4 ,more probably1 therefore1    
they had been ,john's disciples1        
independently of ,apollos4 ,their being 
recognised as 'disciples' is singular1  
when we consider their very small       
knowledge of ,christian truth2 and their
 not having been previously instructed  
in its rudiments1 if they were          
associating with the ,church1 is not    
less so4 ,but improbable things do      
happen1 and part of the reason for an   
event being recorded is often its       
improbability4 ,luke seems to have been 
struck by the singular similarity       
between ,apollos and these men1 and to  
have told the story1 not only because of
 its importance but because of its      
peculiarity4  ,the first point to note  
is the fact that these men were         

disciples4 ,paul speaks of their having 
'believed1' and they were evidently     
associated with the ,church4 ,but the   
connection must have been loose1 for    
they had not received baptism4 ,probably
 there was a fringe of partial converts 
hanging round each church1 and ,paul1   
knowing nothing of the men beyond the   
fact that he found them along with the  
others1 accepted them as 'disciples4'   
,but there must have been some reason   
for doubt1 or his question would not    
have been asked4 ,they 'believed' in so 
far as ,john had taught the coming of   
,messiah4 ,but they did not know that   
,jesus was the ,messiah whose coming    
,john had taught4  ,paul's question is1 
',did you receive the ,holy ,spirit when
 you believed8' ,obviously he missed the
 marks of the ,spirit in them1 whether  
we are to suppose that these were       
miraculous powers or moral and religious
 elevation4 ,now this question suggests 
that the possession of the ,holy ,spirit
 is the normal condition of all         

believers2 and that truth cannot be too 
plainly stated or urgently pressed      
to-day4 ,he is 'the ,spirit1 which they 
that believe on ,him' shall 'receive4'  
,the outer methods of ,his bestowment   
vary3 sometimes ,he is given after      
baptism1 and sometimes1 as to           
,cornelius1 before it2 sometimes by     
laying on of ,apostolic hands1 sometimes
 without it4 ,but one thing constantly  
precedes1 namely1 faith2 and one thing  
constantly follows faith1 namely1 the   
gift of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,modern      
,christianity does not grasp that truth 
as firmly or make it as prominent as it 
ought4  ,the question suggests1 though  
indirectly1 that the signs of the       
,spirit's presence are sadly absent in  
many professing ,christians4 ,paul asked
 it in wonder4 ,if he came into modern  
churches1 he would have to ask it once  
more4 ,possibly he looked for the       
visible tokens in powers of             
miracle-working and the like4 ,but these
 were temporary accidents1 and the      

permanent manifestations are holiness1  
consciousness of sonship1 ,god-directed 
longings1 religious illumination1       
victory over the flesh4 ,these things   
should be obvious in disciples4 ,they   
will be1 if the ,spirit is not quenched4
 ,unless they are1 what sign of being   
,christians do we present8  ,the answer 
startles4 ,they had not heard whether   
the ,holy ,ghost had been given2 for    
that is the true meaning of their reply4
 ,john had foretold the coming of ,one  
who should baptize with the fire of that
 divine ,spirit4 ,his disciples1        
therefore1 could not be ignorant of the 
existence thereof2 but they had never   
heard whether their ,master's prophecy  
had been fulfilled4 ,what a glimpse that
 gives us of the small publicity        
attained by the story of ,jesus6        
,paul's second question betrays even    
more astonishment than did his first4   
,he had taken for granted that1 as      
disciples1 the men had been baptized2   
and his question implies that a         

pre-requisite of ,christian baptism was 
the teaching which they said that they  
had not had1 and that a consequence of  
it was the gift of the ,spirit1 which he
 saw that they did not possess4 ,of     
course ,paul's teaching is but          
summarised here4 ,its gist was that     
,jesus was the ,messiah whom ,john had  
heralded1 that ,john had himself taught 
that his mission was preliminary1 and   
that therefore his true disciples must  
advance to faith in ,christ4  ,the      
teaching was welcomed1 for these men    
were not of the sort who saw in ,jesus a
 rival to ,john1 as others of his       
disciples did4 ,they became 'disciples  
indeed1' and then followed baptism1     
apparently not administered by ,paul1   
and imposition of ,paul's hands4 ,the   
,holy ,spirit then came on them1 as on  
the disciples on ,pentecost1 and 'they  
spoke with tongues and prophesied4' ,it 
was a repetition of that day1 as a      
testimony that the gifts were not       
limited by time or place1 but were the  

permanent possession of believers1 as   
truly in heathen ,ephesus as in         
,jerusalem2 and we miss the meaning of  
the event unless we add1 as truly in    
,britain to-day as in any past4 ,the    
fire lit on ,pentecost has not died down
 into grey ashes4 ,if we 'believe1' it  
will burn on our heads and1 better1 in  
our spirits4  ,much ingenuity has been  
expended in finding profound meanings in
 the number of 'twelve' here4 ,the      
,apostles and their supernatural gifts1 
the patriarchs as founders of ,israel1  
have been thought of as explaining the  
number1 as if these men were founders of
 a new ,israel1 or ,apostolate4 ,but all
 that is trifling with the story1 which 
gives no hint that the men were of any  
special importance1 and it omits the    
fact that they were 'about twelve1' not 
precisely that number4 ,luke simply     
wishes us to learn that there was a     
group of them1 but how many he does not 
exactly know4 ,more important is it to  
notice that this is the last reference  

to ,john or his disciples in the ,new   
,testament4 ,the narrator rejoices to   
point out that some at least of these   
were led onwards into full faith4  ,the 
other part of the section presents      
mainly the familiar features of         
,apostolic ministration1 the first      
appeal to the synagogue1 the rejection  
of the message by it1 and then the      
withdrawal of ,paul and the ,jewish     
disciples4 ,the chief characteristics of
 the narrative are ,paul's protracted   
stay in ,ephesus1 the establishment of a
 centre of public evangelising in the   
lecture hall of a ,gentile teacher1 the 
unhindered preaching of the ,gospel1 and
 the special miracles accompanying it4  
,the importance of ,ephesus as the eye  
and heart of proconsular ,asia explains 
the lengthened stay4 ',a great door and 
effectual1' said ,paul1 'is opened unto 
me'2 and he was not the man to refrain  
from pushing in at it because 'there are
 many adversaries4' ,rather opposition  
was part of his reason for persistence1 

as it should always he4  ,there comes a 
point in the most patient labour1       
however1 when it is best no longer to   
'cast pearls' before those who 'trample 
them under foot1' and ,paul set an      
example of wise withdrawal as well as of
 brave pertinacity1 in leaving the      
synagogue when his remaining there only 
hardened disobedient hearts4 ,note that 
word disobedient4 ,it teaches that the  
moral element in unbelief is resistance 
of the will4 ,the two words are not     
synonyms1 though they apply to the same 
state of mind4 ,rather the one lays bare
 the root of the other and declares its 
guilt4 ,unbelief comes from             
disobedience1 and therefore is fit      
subject for punishment4 ,again observe  
that expression for ,christianity1 'the 
,way1' which occurs several times in the
 ,acts4 ,the ,gospel points the path for
 us to tread4 ,it is not a body of truth
 merely1 but it is a guide for practice4
 ,discipleship is manifested in conduct4
 ,this ,gospel points the way through   

the wilderness to ,zion and to rest4 ,it
 is 'the ,way1' the only path1 'the ,way
 everlasting4'  ,it was a bold step to  
gather the disciples in 'the school of  
,tyrannus4' ,he was probably a ,greek   
professor of rhetoric or lecturer on    
philosophy1 and ,paul may have hired his
 hall1 to the horror1 no doubt1 of the  
,rabbis4 ,it was a complete breaking    
with the synagogue and a bold appeal to 
the heathen public4 ,ephesus must have  
been better governed than ,philippi and 
,lystra1 and the ,jewish element must   
have been relatively weaker1 to allow of
 ,paul's going on preaching with so much
 publicity for two years4  ,note the    
flexibility of his methods1 his         
willingness to use even a heathen       
teacher's school for his work1 and the  
continuous energy of the man4 ,not on   
,sabbath days only1 but daily1 he was at
 his post4 ,the multitudes of visitors  
from all parts to the great city        
supplied a constant stream of listeners1
 for ,ephesus was a centre for the whole

 country4 ,we may learn from ,paul to   
concentrate work in important centres1  
not to be squeamish about where we stand
 to preach the ,gospel1 and not to be   
afraid of making ourselves conspicuous4 
,paul's message hallows the school of   
,tyrannus2 and the school of ,tyrannus1 
where men have been accustomed to go for
 widely different teaching1 is a good   
place for ,paul to give forth his       
message in4  ,the 'special miracles'    
which were wrought are very remarkable1 
and unlike the usual type of miracles4  
,it does not appear that ,paul himself  
sent the 'handkerchiefs and aprons1'    
which conveyed healing virtue1 but that 
he simply permitted their use4 ,the     
converts had faith to believe that such 
miracles would be wrought1 and ,god     
honoured the faith4 ,but note how       
carefully the narrative puts ,paul's    
part in its right place4 ,god 'wrought'2
 ,paul was only the channel4 ,if the    
eager people1 who carried away the      
garments1 had superstitiously fancied   

that there was virtue in ,paul1 and had 
not looked beyond him to ,god1 it is    
implied that no miracles would have been
 wrought4 ,but still the cast of these  
healings is anomalous1 and only         
paralleled by the similar instances in  
,peter's case4  ,the principle laid down
 by ,peter 7ch4 iii4 #ab7 is to be kept 
in view in the study of all the miracles
 in the ,acts4 ,it is ,jesus ,christ who
 works1 and not ,his servants who heal  
by their 'own power or holiness4' ,jesus
 can heal with or without material      
channels1 but sometimes chooses to      
employ such vehicles as these1 just as  
on earth ,he chose to anoint blind eyes 
with clay1 and to send the man to wash  
it off at the pool4 ,sense-bound faith  
is not rejected1 but is helped according
 to its need1 that it may be            
strengthened and elevated4              
,,would-,,be ,,exorcists  '444,jesus ,i 
know1 and ,paul ,i know2 but who are    
ye8'--,,acts xix4 #ae4  ,these exorcists
 had no personal union with ,jesus4 ,to 

them ,he was only ',jesus whom ,paul    
preached4' ,they spoke ,his name        
tentatively1 as an experiment1 and      
imitatively4 ,to command 'in the name of
 ,jesus' was an appeal to ,jesus to     
glorify ,his name and exert ,his power1 
and so when the speaker had no real     
faith in the name or the power1 there   
was no answer1 because there was really 
no appeal4  ,i4 ,the only power which   
can cast out the evil spirits is the    
name of ,jesus4  ,that is a commonplace 
of ,christian belief4 ,but it is often  
held in a dangerously narrow way and    
leads to most unwise pitting of the     
,gospel against other modes of bettering
 and elevating men1 instead of          
recognising them as allies4 ,earnest    
,christian workers are tempted to forget
 ,jesus' own word3 ',he that is not     
against us is for us4' ,there is no need
 to disparage other agencies because we 
believe that it is the ,gospel which is 
'the power of ,god unto salvation4'     
,many of the popular philanthropic      

movements of the day1 many of its       
curbing and enlightening forces1 many of
 its revolutionary social ideas1 are    
really in their essence and historically
 in their origin1 profoundly ,christian1
 and are the application of the         
principles inherent in 'the ,name' to   
the evils of society4 ,no doubt many of 
their eager apostles are non-,christian 
or even anti-,christian1 but though some
 of them have tried violently to pluck  
up the plant by the root from the soil  
in which it first flowered1 much of that
 soil still adheres to it1 and it will  
not live long if torn from its native   
'habitat4'  ,it is not narrowness or    
hostility to non-,christian efforts to  
cast out the demons from humanity1 but  
only the declaration of a truth which is
 taught by the consideration of what is 
the difference between all other such   
efforts and ,christianity1 and is       
confirmed by experience1 if we maintain 
that1 whatever good results may follow  
from these other influences1 it is the  

powers lodged in the ,name of ,jesus1   
and these alone which can1 radically and
 completely1 conquer and eject the      
demons from a single soul1 and          
emancipate society from their tyranny4  
,for consider that the ,gospel which    
proclaims ,jesus as the ,saviour is the 
only thing which deals with the deepest 
fact in our natures1 the fact of sin2   
gives a personal ,deliverer from its    
power2 communicates a new life of which 
the very essence is righteousness1 and  
which brings with it new motives1 new   
impulses1 and new powers4  ,contrast    
with this the inadequate diagnosis of   
the disease and the consequent          
imperfection of the remedy which other  
physicians of the world's sickness      
present4 ,most of them only aim at      
repressing outward acts4 ,none of them  
touch more than a part of the whole     
dreadful circumference of the dark orb  
of evil4 ,law restrains actions4 ,ethics
 proclaims principles which it has no   
power to realise4 ,it shows men a       

shining height1 but leaves them lame and
 grovelling in the mire4 ,education     
casts out the demon of ignorance1 and   
makes the demons whom it does not cast  
out more polite and perilous4 ,it brings
 its own evils in its train4 ,every kind
 of crop has weeds which spring with it4
 ,the social and political changes1     
which are eagerly preached now1 will do 
much2 but one thing1 which is the       
all-important thing1 they will not do1  
they will not change the nature of the  
individuals who make up the community4  
,and till that nature is changed any    
form of society will produce its own    
growth of evils4 ,a ,christless         
democracy will be as bad as1 if not     
worse than1 a ,christless monarchy or   
aristocracy4 ,if the bricks remain the  
same1 it does not much matter into what 
shape you build them4  ,these would-be  
exorcists but irritated the demons by   
their vain attempts at ejecting them1   
and it is sometimes the case that       
efforts to cure social diseases only    

result in exacerbating them4 ,if one    
hole in a ,dutch dyke is stopped up1    
more pressure is thrown on another weak 
point and a leak will soon appear there4
 ,there is but one ,name that casts a   
spell over all the ills that flesh is   
heir to4 ,there is but one ,saviour of  
society--,jesus who saves from sin      
through ,his death1 and by participation
 in ,his life delivers men from that    
life of self which is the parent of all 
the evils from which society vainly     
strives to be delivered by any power but
 ,his4  ,,ii4 ,that ,name must be spoken
 by believing men if it is to put forth 
its full power4  ,these exorcists had no
 faith4 ,all that they knew of ,jesus   
was that ,he was the one 'whom ,paul    
preached4' ,even the name of ,jesus is  
spoiled and is powerless on the lips of 
one who repeats it1 parrot-like1 because
 he has seen its power when it came     
flame-like from the fiery lips of some  
man of earnest convictions4  ,in all    
regions1 and especially in the matter of

 art or literature1 imitators are poor  
creatures1 and men are quick to detect  
the difference between the original and 
the copy4 ,the copyists generally       
imitate the weak points1 and seldom get 
nearer than the imitation of external   
and trivial peculiarities4 ,it is more  
feasible to reproduce the 'contortions  
of the ,sibyl' than to catch her        
'inspiration4'  ,this absence or        
feebleness of personal faith is the     
explanation of much failure in so-called
 ,christian work4 ,no doubt there may be
 other causes for the want of success1  
but after all allowance is made for     
these1 it still remains true that the   
chief reason why the ,gospel message is 
often proclaimed without casting out    
demons is that it is proclaimed with    
faltering faith1 tentatively and without
 assured confidence in its power1 or    
imitatively1 with but little1 if any1   
inward experience of the magic of its   
spell4 ,the demons have ears quick to   
discriminate between ,paul's fiery      

accents and the cold repetition of them4
 ,incomparably the most powerful agency 
which any man can employ in producing   
conviction in others is the utterance of
 his own intense conviction4 ',if you   
wish me to weep1 your own tears must    
flow1' said the ,roman poet4 ,other     
factors may powerfully aid the          
exorcising power of the word spoken by  
faith1 and no wise man will disparage   
these1 but they are powerless without   
faith and it is powerful without them4  
,consider the effect of that personal   
faith on the speaker--in bringing all   
his force to bear on his words2 in      
endowing him for a time with many of the
 subsidiary qualities which make our    
words winged and weighty2 in lifting to 
a height of self-oblivion1 which itself 
is magnetic4  ,consider its effect on   
the hearers--how it bows hearts as trees
 are bent before a rushing wind4        
,consider its effect in bringing into   
action ,god's own power4 ,of the man1   
all aflame with ,christian convictions  

and speaking them with the confidence   
and urgency which become them and him1  
it may truly be said1 ',it is not ye    
that speak1 but the ,spirit of your     
,father that speaketh in you4'  ,here   
then we have laid bare the secret of    
success and a cause of failure1 in      
,christian enterprise4 ,here we see1 as 
in a concrete example1 the truth        
exemplified1 which all who long for the 
emancipation of demon-ridden humanity   
would be wise to lay to heart1 and      
thereby to be saved from much eager     
travelling on a road that leads         
nowhither1 and much futile expenditure  
of effort and sympathy1 and many        
disappointments4 ,it is as true to-day  
as it was long ago in ,ephesus1 that the
 evil spirits 'feel the ,infant's hand  
from far ,judea's land1' and are forced 
to confess1 ',jesus we know and ,paul we
 know'2 but to other would-be exorcists 
their answer is1 ',who are ye8' ',when a
 strong man armed keepeth his house1 his
 goods are in peace4' ,there is but     

',one stronger than he who can come upon
 him1 and having overcome him1 can take 
from him all his armour wherein he      
trusted and divide the spoils1' and that
 is the ,christ1 at whose name1         
faithfully spoken1 'the devils fear and 
fly4'    ,,the ,,fight ,,with ,,wild    
,,beasts ,,at ,,ephesus  ',after these  
things were ended1 ,paul purposed in the
 spirit1 when he had passed through     
,macedonia and ,achaia1 to go to        
,jerusalem1 saying1 ,after ,i have been 
there1 ,i must also see ,rome4 #bb4 ,so 
he sent into ,macedonia two of them that
 ministered unto him1 ,timotheus and    
,erastus2 but he himself stayed in ,asia
 for a season4 #bc4 ,and the same time  
there arose no small stir about that    
way4 #bd4 ,for a certain man named      
,demetrius1 a silversmith1 which made   
silver shrines for ,diana1 brought no   
small gain unto the craftsmen2 #be4     
,whom he called together with the       
workmen of like occupation1 and said1   
,sirs1 ye know that by this craft we    

have our wealth4 #bf4 ,moreover ye see  
and hear1 that not alone at ,ephesus1   
but almost throughout all ,asia1 this   
,paul hath persuaded and turned away    
much people1 saying that they be no     
gods1 which are made with hands3 #bg4   
,so that not only this our craft is in  
danger to be set at nought2 but also    
that the temple of the great goddess    
,diana should be despised1 and her      
magnificence should be destroyed1 whom  
all ,asia and the world worshippeth4    
#bh4 ,and when they heard these sayings1
 they were full of wrath1 and cried out1
 saying1 ,great is ,diana of the        
,ephesians4 #bi4 ,and the whole city was
 filled with confusion3 and having      
caught ,gaius and ,aristarchus1 men of  
,macedonia1 ,paul's companions in       
travel1 they rushed with one accord into
 the theatre4 #cj4 ,and when ,paul would
 have entered in unto the people1 the   
disciples suffered him not4 #ca4 ,and   
certain of the chief of ,asia1 which    
were his friends1 sent unto him1        

desiring him that he would not adventure
 himself into the theatre4 #cb4 ,some   
therefore cried one thing1 and some     
another3 for the assembly was confused2 
and the more part knew not wherefore    
they were come together4 #cc4 ,and they 
drew ,alexander out of the multitude1   
the ,jews putting him forward4 ,and     
,alexander beckoned with the hand1 and  
would have made his defence unto the    
people4 #cd4 ,but when they knew that he
 was a ,jew1 all with one voice about   
the space of two hours cried out1 ,great
 is ,diana of the ,ephesians4'--,,acts  
xix4 #ba-cd4  ,paul's long residence in 
,ephesus indicates the importance of the
 position4 ,the great wealthy city was  
the best possible centre for            
evangelising all the province of ,asia1 
and that was to a large extent effected 
during the ,apostle's stay there4 ,but  
he had a wider scheme in his mind4 ,his 
settled policy was always to fly at the 
head1 as it were4 ,the most populous    
cities were his favourite fields1 and   

already his thoughts were travelling    
towards the civilised world's capital1  
the centre of empire--,rome4 ,a blow    
struck there would echo through the     
world4 ,paul had his plan1 and ,god had 
,his1 and ,paul's was not realised in   
the fashion he had meant1 but it was    
realised in substance4 ,he did not      
expect to enter ,rome as a prisoner4    
,god shaped the ends which ,paul had    
only rough-hewn4  ,the programme in     
verses #ba and #bb was modified by      
circumstances1 as some people would say2
 ,paul would have said1 by ,god4 ,the   
riot hastened his departure from        
,ephesus4 ,he did go to ,jerusalem1 and 
he did see ,rome1 but the chain of      
events that drew him there seemed to    
him1 at first sight1 the thwarting1     
rather than the fulfilment1 of his      
long-cherished hope4 ,well it is for us 
to carry all our schemes to ,god1 and to
 leave them in ,his hands4  ,the account
 of the riot is singularly vivid and    
lifelike4 ,it reveals a new phase of    

antagonism to the ,gospel1 a kind of    
trades-union demonstration1 quite unlike
 anything that has met us in the ,acts4 
,it gives a glimpse into the civic life 
of a great city1 and shows demagogues   
and mob to be the same in ,ephesus as in
 ,england4 ,it has many points of       
interest for the commentator or scholar1
 and lessons for all4 ,luke tells the   
story with a certain dash of covert     
irony4  ,we have1 first1 the protest of 
the shrine-makers' guild or             
trades-union1 got up by the skilful     
manipulation of ,demetrius4 ,he was     
evidently an important man in the trade1
 probably well-to-do4 ,as his speech    
shows1 he knew exactly how to hit the   
average mind4 ,the small shrines which  
he and his fellow-craftsmen made were of
 various materials1 from humble pottery 
to silver1 and were intended for        
'votaries to dedicate in the temple1'   
and represented the goddess ,artemis    
sitting in a niche with her lions beside
 her4 ,making these was a flourishing   

industry1 and must have employed a large
 number of men and much capital4 ,trade 
was beginning to be slack1 and sales    
were falling off4 ,no doubt there is    
exaggeration in ,demetrius's rhetoric1  
but the meeting of the craft would not  
have been held unless a perceptible     
effect had been produced by ,paul's     
preaching4 ,probably ,demetrius and the 
rest were more frightened than hurt2 but
 men are very quick to take alarm when  
their pockets are threatened4  ,the     
speech is a perfect example of how      
self-interest masquerades in the garb of
 pure concern for lofty objects1 and yet
 betrays itself4 ,the danger to 'our    
craft' comes first1 and the danger to   
the 'magnificence' of the goddess       
second2 but the precedence given to the 
trade is salved over by a 'not only1'   
which tries to make the religious motive
 the chief4 ,no doubt ,demetrius was a  
devout worshipper of ,artemis1 and      
thought himself influenced by high      
motives in stirring up the craft4 ,it is

 natural to be devout or moral or       
patriotic when it pays to be so4 ,one   
would not expect a shrine-maker to be   
easily accessible to the conviction that
 'they be no gods which are made with   
hands4'  ,such admixture of zeal for    
some great cause1 with a shrewd eye to  
profit1 is very common1 and may deceive 
us if we are not always watchful4 ,jehu 
bragged about his 'zeal for the ,lord'  
when it urged him to secure himself on  
the throne by murder2 and he may have   
been quite honest in thinking that the  
impulse was pure1 when it was really    
mingled4 ,how many foremost men in      
public life everywhere pose as pure     
patriots1 consumed with zeal for        
national progress1 righteousness1 etc41 
when all the while they are chiefly     
concerned about some private bit of     
log-rolling of their own6 ,how often in 
churches there are men professing to be 
eager for the glory of ,god1 who are1   
perhaps half-unconsciously1 using it as 
a stalking-horse1 behind which they may 

shoot game for their own larder6 ,a drop
 of quicksilver oxidises and dims as    
soon as exposed to the air4 ,the purest 
motives get a scum on them quickly      
unless we constantly keep them clear by 
communion with ,god4  ,demetrius may    
teach us another lesson4 ,his opposition
 to ,paul was based on the plain fact   
that1 if ,paul's teaching prevailed1 no 
more shrines would be wanted4 ,that was 
a new ground of opposition to the       
,gospel1 resembled only by the motive   
for the action of the owners of the     
slave girl at ,philippi2 but it is a    
perennial source of antagonism to it4   
,in our cities especially there are many
 trades which would be wiped out if     
,christ's laws of life were universally 
adopted4 ,so all the purveyors of       
commodities and pleasures which the     
,gospel forbids a ,christian man to use 
are arrayed against it4 ,we have to make
 up our minds to face and fight them4 ,a
 liquor-seller1 for instance1 is not    
likely to look complacently on a        

religion which would bring his 'trade   
into disrepute'2 and there are other    
occupations which would be gone if      
,christ were ,king1 and which therefore1
 by the instinct of self-preservation1  
are set against the ,gospel1 unless1 so 
to speak1 its teeth are drawn4          
,according to one reading1 the shouts of
 the craftsmen which told that          
,demetrius had touched them in the      
tenderest part1 their pockets1 was an   
invocation1 ',great ,diana6' not a      
profession of faith2 and we have a more 
lively picture of an excited crowd if we
 adopt the alteration4 ,it is easy to   
get a mob to yell out a watchword1      
whether religious or political2 and the 
less they understand it1 the louder are 
they likely to roar4 ,in ,athanasius'   
days the rabble of ,constantinople made 
the city ring with cries1 degrading the 
subtlest questions as to the ,trinity1  
and examples of the same sort have not  
been wanting nearer home4 ,it is        
criminal to bring such incompetent      

judges into religious or political or   
social questions1 it is cowardly to be  
influenced by them4 ',the voice of the  
people' is not always 'the voice of     
,god4' ,it is better to 'be in the right
 with two or three' than to swell the   
howl of ,diana's worshippers1  ,,ii4 ,a 
various reading of verse #bh gives an   
additional particular1 which is of      
course implied in the received text1 but
 makes the narrative more complete and  
vivid if inserted4 ,it adds that the    
craftsmen rushed 'into the street1' and 
there raised their wild cry1 which      
naturally 'filled' the city with        
confusion4 ,so the howling mob1 growing 
larger and more excited every minute1   
swept through ,ephesus1 and made for the
 theatre1 the common place of assembly4 
,on their road they seem to have come   
across two of ,paul's companions1 whom  
they dragged with them4 ,what they meant
 to do with the two they had probably   
not asked themselves4 ,a mob has no     
plans1 and its most savage acts are     

unpremeditated4 ,passion let loose is   
almost sure to end in bloodshed1 and the
 lives of ,gaius and ,aristarchus hung  
by a thread4 ,a gust of fury storming   
over the mob1 and a hundred hands might 
have torn them to atoms1 and no man have
 thought himself their murderer4  ,what 
a noble contrast to the raging crowd the
 silent submission1 no doubt accompanied
 by trustful looks to ,heaven and       
unspoken prayers1 presents6 ,and how    
grandly ,paul comes out6 ,he had not    
been found1 probably had not been sought
 for1 by the rioters1 whose rage was too
 blind to search for him1 but his brave 
soul could not bear to leave his friends
 in peril and not plant himself by their
 sides4 ,so he 'was minded to enter in  
unto the people1' well knowing that     
there he had to face more ferocious     
'wild beasts' than if a cageful of lions
 had been loosed on him4 ,faith in ,god 
and fellowship with ,christ lift a soul 
above fear of death4 ,the noblest kind  
of courage is not that born of flesh or 

temperament1 or of the madness of       
battle1 but that which springs from calm
 trust in and absolute surrender to     
,christ4  ,not only did the disciples   
restrain ,paul as feeling that if the   
shepherd were smitten the sheep would be
 scattered1 but interested friends      
started up in an unlikely quarter4 ,the 
'chief of ,asia' or ,asiarchs1 who sent 
to dissuade him1 'were the heads of the 
imperial political-religious            
organisation of the province1 in the    
worship of ,rome and the emperors2 and  
their friendly attitude is a proof both 
that the spirit of the imperial policy  
was not as yet hostile to the new       
teaching1 and that the educated classes 
did not share the hostility of the      
superstitious vulgar' 7,ramsay1 ,st4    
,paul the ,traveller1 p4 #bha74 ,it is  
probable that1 in that time of crumbling
 faith and religious unrest1 the people 
who knew most about the inside of the   
established worship believed in it      
least1 and in their hearts agreed with  

,paul that 'they be no gods which are   
made with hands4'  ,so we have in these 
verses the central picture of calm      
,christian faith and patient courage1   
contrasted on the one hand with the     
ferocity and excitement of heathen      
fanatical devotees1 and on the other    
with the prudent regard to their own    
safety of the ,asiarchs1 who had no such
 faith in ,diana as to lead them to     
joining the rioters1 nor such faith in  
,paul's message as to lead them to      
oppose the tumult1 or to stand by his   
side1 but contented themselves with     
sending to warn him4 ,who can doubt that
 the courage of the ,christians is      
infinitely nobler than the fury of the  
mob or the cowardice of the ,asiarchs1  
kindly as they were8 ,if they were his  
friends1 why did they not do something  
to shield him8 ',a plague on such       
backing6'  ,,iii4 ,the scene in the     
theatre1 to which ,luke returns in verse
 #cb1 is described with a touch of scorn
 for the crowd1 who mostly knew not what

 had brought them together4 ,one section
 of it kept characteristically cool and 
sharp-eyed for their own advantage4 ,a  
number of ,jews had mingled in it1      
probably intending to fan the flame     
against the ,christians1 if they could  
do it safely4 ,as in so many other cases
 in ,acts1 common hatred brought ,jew   
and ,gentile together1 each pocketing   
for the time his disgust with the other4
 ,the ,jews saw their opportunity4 ,half
 a dozen cool heads1 who know what they 
want1 can often sway a mob as they will4
 ,alexander1 whom they 'put forward1'   
was no doubt going to make a speech     
disclaiming for the ,jews settled in    
,ephesus any connection with the        
obnoxious ,paul4 ,we may be very sure   
that his 'defence' was of the former1   
not of the latter4  ,but the rioters    
were in no mood to listen to fine       
distinctions among the members of a race
 which they hated so heartily4 ,paul was
 a ,jew1 and this man was a ,jew2 that  
was enough4 ,so the roar went up again  

to ,great ,diana1 and for two long hours
 the crowd surged and shouted themselves
 hoarse1 ,gaius and ,aristarchus        
standing silent all the while and       
expecting every moment to be their last4
 ,the scene reminds one of ,baal's      
priests shrieking to him on ,carmel4 ,it
 is but too true a representation of the
 wild orgies which stand for worship in 
all heathen religions4 ,it is but too   
lively an example of what must always   
happen when excited crowds are          
ignorantly stirred by appeals to        
prejudice or self-interest4  ,the more  
democratic the form of government under 
which we live1 the more needful is it to
 distinguish the voice of the people    
from the voice of the mob1 and to beware
 of exciting1 or being governed by1     
clamour however loud and long4          
,,parting ,,counsels  ',and now1 behold1
 ,i go bound in the spirit unto         
,jerusalem1 not knowing the things that 
shall befall me there3 #bc4 ,save that  
the ,holy ,ghost witnesseth in every    

city1 saying that bonds and afflictions 
abide me4 #bd4 ,but none of these things
 move me1 neither count ,i my life dear 
unto myself1 so that ,i might finish my 
course with joy1 and the ministry1 which
 ,i have received of the ,lord ,jesus1  
to testify the gospel of the grace of   
,god4 #be4 ,and now1 behold1 ,i know    
that ye all1 among whom ,i have gone    
preaching the kingdom of ,god1 shall see
 my face no more4 #bf4 ,wherefore ,i    
take you to record this day1 that ,i am 
pure from the blood of all men4 #bg4    
,for ,i have not shunned to declare unto
 you all the counsel of ,god4 #bh4 ,take
 heed therefore unto yourselves1 and to 
all the flock1 over the which the ,holy 
,ghost hath made you overseers1 to feed 
the church of ,god1 which ,he hath      
purchased with ,his own blood4 #bi4 ,for
 ,i know this1 that after my departing  
shall grievous wolves enter in among    
you1 not sparing the flock4 #cj4 ,also  
of your own selves shall men arise1     
speaking perverse things1 to draw away  

disciples after them4 #ca4 ,therefore   
watch1 and remember1 that by the space  
of three years ,i ceased not to warn    
every one night and day with tears4 #cb4
 ,and now1 brethren1 ,i commend you to  
,god1 and to the word of ,his grace1    
which is able to build you up1 and to   
give you an inheritance among all them  
which are sanctified4 #cc4 ,i have      
coveted no man's silver1 or gold1 or    
apparel4 #cd4 ,yea1 ye yourselves know1 
that these hands have ministered unto my
 necessities1 and to them that were with
 me4 #ce4 ,i have shewed you all things1
 how that so labouring ye ought to      
support the weak1 and to remember the   
words of the ,lord ,jesus1 how ,he said1
 ,it is more blessed to give than to    
receive4'--,,acts xx4 #bb-ce4  ,this    
parting address to the ,ephesian elders 
is perfect in simplicity1 pathos1 and   
dignity4 ,love without weakness and     
fervent yet restrained self-devotion    
throb in every line4 ,it is personal    
without egotism1 and soars without      

effort4 ,it is ',pauline' through and   
through1 and if ,luke or some unknown   
second-century ,christian made it1 the  
world has lost the name of a great      
genius4 ,in reading it1 we have to      
remember the ,apostle's long stay in    
,ephesus1 and his firm conviction that  
he was parting for ever from those over 
whom he had so long watched1 and so long
 loved1 as well as guided4 ,parting     
words should be tender and solemn1 and  
these are both in the highest degree4   
,the prominence given to personal       
references is very marked and equally   
natural4 ,the whole address down to     
verse #bg inclusive is of that nature1  
and the same theme recurs in verse #ca1 
is caught up again in verse #cc1 and    
continues thence to the end4 ,that      
abundance of allusions to himself is    
characteristic of the ,apostle1 even in 
his letters2 much more is it to be      
looked for in such an outpouring of his 
heart to trusted friends1 seen for the  
last time4 ,few religious teachers have 

ever talked so much of themselves as    
,paul did1 and yet been as free as he is
 from taint of display or               
self-absorption4  ,the personal         
references in verses #bb to #bg turn on 
two points--his heroic attitude in      
prospect of trials and possible         
martyrdom1 and his solemn washing his   
hands of all responsibility for 'the    
blood' of those to whom he had declared 
all the counsel of ,god4 ,he looks back1
 and his conscience witnesses that he   
has discharged his ministry2 he looks   
forward1 and is ready for all that may  
confront him in still discharging it1   
even to the bloody end4  ,nothing tries 
a man's mettle more than impending evil 
which is equally certain and undefined4 
,add that the moment of the sword's     
falling is unknown1 and you have a      
combination which might shake the       
firmest nerves4 ,such a combination     
fronted ,paul now4 ,he told the elders1 
what we do not otherwise know1 that at  
every halting-place since setting his   

face towards ,jerusalem he had been met 
by the same prophetic warnings of 'bonds
 and afflictions' waiting for him4 ,the 
warnings were vague1 and so the more    
impressive4 ,fear has a vivid           
imagination1 and anticipates the worst4 
,paul was not afraid1 but he would not  
have been human if he had not recognised
 the short distance for him between a   
prison and a scaffold4 ,but the prospect
 did not turn him a hairsbreadth from   
his course4 ,true1 he was 'bound in the 
spirit1' which may suggest that he was  
not so much going joyfully as impelled  
by a constraint felt to be irresistible4
 ,but whatever his feelings1 his will   
was iron1 and he went calmly forward on 
the road1 though he knew that behind    
some turn of it lay in wait1 like beasts
 of prey1 dangers of unknown kinds4     
,and what nerved him thus to front death
 itself without a quiver8 ,the supreme  
determination to do what ,jesus had     
given him to do4 ,he knew that his ,lord
 had set him a task1 and the one thing  

needful was to accomplish that4 ,we have
 no such obstacles in our course as     
,paul had in his1 but the same spirit   
must mark us if we are to do our work4  
,consciousness of a mission1 fixed      
determination to carry it out1 and      
consequent contempt of hindrances1      
belong to all noble lives1 and          
especially to true ,christian ones4     
,perils and hardships and possible evils
 should have no more power to divert us 
from the path which ,christ marks for us
 than storms or tossing of the ship have
 to deflect the needle from pointing    
north4  ,it is easy to talk heroically  
when no foes are in sight2 but ,paul was
 looking dangers in the eyes1 and felt  
their breath on his cheeks when he      
spoke4 ,his longing was to 'fulfil his  
course4' ',with joy' is a weakening     
addition4 ,it was not 'joy1' but the    
discharge of duty1 which seemed to him  
infinitely desirable4 ,what was         
aspiration at ,miletus became fact when1
 in his last ,epistle1 he wrote1 ',i    

have finished my course4'  ,in verses   
#be to #bg the ,apostle looks back as   
well as forward4 ,his anticipation that 
he was parting for ever from the        
,ephesian elders was probably mistaken1 
but it naturally leads him to think of  
the long ministry among them which was  
now1 as he believed1 closed4 ,and his   
retrospect was very different from what 
most of us1 who are teachers1 feel that 
ours must be4 ,it is a solemn thought   
that if we let either cowardice or love 
of ease and the good opinion of men hold
 us back from speaking out all that we  
know of ,god's truth1 our hands are     
reddened with the blood of souls4  ,we  
are all apt to get into grooves of      
favourite thoughts1 and to teach but    
part of the whole ,gospel4 ,if we do not
 seek to widen our minds to take in1 and
 our utterances to give forth1 all the  
will of ,god as seen by us1 our         
limitations and repetitions will repel  
some from the truth1 who might have been
 won by a completer presentation of it1 

and their blood will be required at our 
hands4 ,none of us can reach to the     
apprehension1 in its full extent and due
 proportion of its parts1 of that great 
gospel2 but we may at least seek to come
 nearer the ideal completeness of a     
teacher1 and try to remember that we are
 'pure from the blood of all men1' only 
when we have not 'shrunk from declaring 
all ,god's counsel4' ,we are not        
required to know it completely1 but we  
are required not to shrink from         
declaring it as far as we know it4      
,paul's purpose in this retrospect was  
not only to vindicate himself1 but to   
suggest to the elders their duty4       
,therefore he passes immediately to     
exhortation to them1 and a forecast of  
the future of the ,ephesian ,church4    
',take heed to yourselves4' ,the care of
 one's own soul comes first4 ,he will be
 of little use to the ,church whose own 
personal religion is not kept warm and  
deep4 ,all preachers and teachers and   
men who influence their fellows need to 

lay to heart this exhortation1          
especially in these days when calls to  
outward service are so multiplied4 ,the 
neglect of it undermines all real       
usefulness1 and is a worm gnawing at the
 roots of the vines4  ,we note also the 
condensed weightiness of the following  
exhortation1 in which solemn reasons are
 suggested for obeying it4 ,the divine  
appointment to office1 the inclusion of 
the 'bishops' in the flock1 the divine  
ownership of the flock1 and the cost of 
its purchase1 are all focussed on the   
one point1 ',take heed to all the       
flock4' ,of course a comparison with    
verse #ag shows that elder and bishop   
were two designations for one officer2  
but the question of the primitive       
organisation of church offices1         
important as it is1 is less important   
than the great thoughts as to the       
relation of the ,church to ,god1 and as 
to the dear price at which men have been
 won to be truly ,his4  ,we note the    
reading in the ,revised ,version of     

v4#bh 7margin71 'the flock of the       
,lord1' but do not discuss it4 ,the     
chief thought of the verse is that the  
,church is ,god's flock1 and that the   
death of ,jesus has bought it for ,his1 
and that negligent under-shepherds are  
therefore guilty of grievous sin4  ,the 
,apostle had premonitions of the future 
for the ,church as well as for himself1 
and the horizons were dark in both      
outlooks4 ,he foresaw evils from two    
quarters1 for 'wolves' would come from  
without1 and perverse teachers would    
arise within1 drawing the disciples     
after them and away from the ,lord4 ,the
 simile of wolves may be an echo of     
,christ's warning in ,matthew vii #ae4  
,how sadly ,paul's anticipations were   
fulfilled the ,epistle to the ,church in
 ,ephesus 7,revelation ii47 shows too   
clearly4 ,unslumbering alertness1 as of 
a sentry in front of the enemy1 is      
needed if the slinking onset of the wolf
 is to be beaten back4 ,paul points to  
his own example1 and that in no         

vainglorious spirit1 but to stimulate   
and also to show how watchfulness is to 
be carried out4 ,it must be unceasing1  
patient1 tenderly solicitous1 and       
grieving over the falls of others as    
over personal calamities4 ,if there were
 more such 'shepherds1' there would be  
fewer stray sheep4  ,anxious forebodings
 and earnest exhortations naturally end 
in turning to ,god and invoking ,his    
protecting care4 ,the ,apostle's heart  
runs over in his last words 7vs4        
#cb-ce74 ,he falls back for himself1 in 
the prospect of having to cease his care
 of the ,church1 on the thought that a  
better ,guide will not leave it1 and he 
would comfort the elders as well as     
himself by the remembrance of ,god's    
power to keep them4 ,so ,jacob1 dying1  
said1 ',i die1 but ,god shall be with   
you4' ,so ,moses1 dying1 said1 ',the    
,lord hath said unto me1 thou shalt not 
go over this ,jordan4 ,the ,lord thy    
,god1 ,he will go before thee4' ,not    
even ,paul is indispensable4 ,the       

under-shepherds die1 the ,shepherd      
lives1 and watches against wolves and   
dangers4 ,paul had laid the foundation1 
and the edifice would not stand         
unfinished1 like some half-reared palace
 begun by a now dead king4 ,the growth  
of the ,church and of its individual    
members is sure4 ,it is wrought by ,god4
  ,his instrument is 'the word of ,his  
grace4' ,therefore if we would grow1 we 
must use that word4 ,christian progress 
is no more possible1 if the word of ,god
 is not our food1 than is an infant's   
growth if it refuses milk4 ,that        
building up or growth or advance 7for   
all three metaphors are used1 and mean  
the same thing7 has but one natural end1
 the entrance of each redeemed soul into
 its own allotment in the true land of  
promise1 the inheritance of those who   
are sanctified4 ,if we faithfully use   
that word which tells of and brings     
,god's grace1 that we may grow thereby1 
,he will bring us at last to dwell among
 those who here have growingly been made

 saints4 ,he is able to do these things4
 ,it is for us to yield to ,his power1  
and to observe the conditions on which  
it will work on us4  ,even at the close 
,paul cannot refrain from personal      
references4 ,he points to his example of
 absolute disinterestedness1 and with a 
dramatic gesture holds out 'these hands'
 to show how they are hardened by work4 
,such a warning against doing ,god's    
work for money would not have been his  
last word1 at a time when all hearts    
were strung up to the highest pitch1    
unless the danger had been very real4   
,and it is very real to-day4 ,if once   
the suspicion of being influenced by    
greed of gain attaches to a ,christian  
worker1 his power ebbs away1 and his    
words lose weight and impetus4  ,it is  
that danger which ,paul is thinking of  
when he tells the elders that by        
'labouring' they 'ought to support the  
weak'2 for by weak he means not the     
poor1 but those imperfect disciples who 
might be repelled or made to stumble by 

the sight of greed in an elder4         
,shepherds who obviously cared more for 
wool than for the sheep have done as    
much harm as 'grievous wolves4'  ,paul  
quotes an else unrecorded saying of     
,christ's which1 like a sovereign's     
seal1 confirms the subject's words4 ,it 
gathers into a sentence the very essence
 of ,christian morality4 ,it reveals the
 inmost secret of the blessedness of the
 giving ,god4 ,it is foolishness and    
paradox to the self-centred life of     
nature4 ,it is blessedly true in the    
experience of all who1 having received  
the 'unspeakable gift1' have thereby    
been enfranchised into the loftier life 
in which self is dead1 and to which it  
is delight1 kindred with ,god's own     
blessedness1 to impart4    ,a           
,,fulfilled ,,aspiration  ',so that ,i  
might finish my course4444'--,,acts xx4 
#bd4  ',i have finished my              
course4444'--#b ,,tim4 iv4 #g4  ,i do   
not suppose that ,paul in prison1 and   
within sight of martyrdom1 remembered   

his words at ,ephesus4 ,but the fact    
that what was aspiration whilst he was  
in the very thick of his difficulties   
came to be calm retrospect at the close 
is to me very beautiful and significant4
 ',so that ,i may finish my course1'    
said he wistfully2 whilst before him    
there lay dangers clearly discerned and 
others that had all the more power over 
the imagination because they were but   
dimly discerned--',not knowing the      
things that shall befall me there1' said
 he1 but knowing this1 that 'bonds and  
afflictions abide me4' ,when a man knows
 exactly what he has to be afraid of he 
can face it4 ,when he knows a little    
corner of it1 and also knows that there 
is a great stretch behind that is       
unknown1 that is a state of things that 
tries his mettle4 ,many a man will march
 up to a battery without a tremor who   
would not face a hole where a snake lay4
 ,and so ,paul's ignorance1 as well as  
,paul's knowledge1 made it very hard for
 him to say ',none of these things move 

me' if only ',i might finish my course4'
  ,now there are in these two passages1 
thus put together1 three points that ,i 
touch for a moment4 ,these are1 ,what   
,paul thought that life chiefly was2    
what ,paul aimed at2 and what ,paul won 
thereby4  ,i4 ,what he thought that life
 chiefly was4  ',that ,i may finish my  
course4' ,now 'course1' in our modern   
,english1 is far too feeble a word to   
express the ,apostle's idea here4 ,it   
has come to mean with us a quiet        
sequence or a succession of actions     
which1 taken together1 complete a       
career2 but in its original force the   
,english word 'course1' and still more  
the ,greek1 of which it is a            
translation1 contain a great deal more  
than that4 ,if we were to read 'race1'  
we should get nearer to at least one    
side of the ,apostle's thought4 ,this   
was the image under which life presented
 itself to him1 as it does to every man 
that does anything in the world worth   
doing1 whether he be ,christian or      

not--as being not a place for enjoyment1
 for selfish pursuits1 making money1    
building family1 satisfying love1       
seeking pleasure1 or the like2 but      
mainly as being an appointed field for a
 succession of efforts1 all in one      
direction1 and leading progressively to 
an end4 ,in that image of life as a     
race1 threadbare as it is1 there are    
several grave considerations involved1  
which it will contribute to the         
nobleness of our own lives to keep      
steadily in view4  ,to begin with1 the  
metaphor regards life as a track or path
 marked out and to be kept to by us4    
,paul thought of his life as a          
racecourse1 traced for him by ,god1 and 
from which it would be perilous and     
rebellious to diverge4 ,the             
consciousness of definite duties loomed 
larger than anything else before him4   
,his first waking thought was1 ',what is
 ,god's will for me to-day8 ,what stage 
of the course have ,i to pass over      
to-day8' ,each moment brought to him an 

appointed task which at all hazards he  
must do4 ,and this elevating1 humbling1 
and bracing ever-present sense of       
responsibility1 not merely to           
circumstances1 but to ,god1 is an       
indispensable part of any life worth the
 living1 and of any on which a man will 
ever dare to look back4  ',my course4'  
,o brethren6 if we carried with us1     
always present1 that solemn1 severe     
sense of all-pervading duty and of      
obligation laid upon us to pursue       
faithfully the path that is appointed   
us1 there would be less waste1 less     
selfishness1 less to regret1 and less   
that weakens and defiles1 in the lives  
of us all4 ,and blessed be ,his name6   
however trivial be our tasks1 however   
narrow our spheres1 however secular and 
commonplace our businesses or trades1 we
 may write upon them1 as on all sorts of
 lives1 except weak and selfish ones1   
this inscription1 ',holiness to the     
,lord4'  ,the broad arrow stamped on    
,crown property gives a certain dignity 

to whatever bears it1 and whatever small
 duty has the name of ,god written      
across it is thereby ennobled4 ,if our  
days are to be full-fraught with the    
serenity and purity which it is possible
 for them to attain1 and if we ourselves
 are to put forth all our powers and    
make the most of ourselves1 we must     
cultivate the continual sense that life 
is a course--a series of definite duties
 marked out for us by ,god4  ,again1 the
 image suggests the strenuous efforts   
needed for discharge of our appointed   
tasks4 ,the ,apostle1 like all men of   
imaginative and sensitive nature1 was   
accustomed to speak in metaphors1 which 
expressed his fervid convictions more   
adequately than more abstract           
expressions would have done4 ,that      
vigorous figure of a 'course' speaks    
more strongly of the stress of continual
 effort than many words4 ,it speaks of  
the straining muscles1 and the intense  
concentration1 and the forward-flung    
body of the runner in the arena4 ,paul  

says in effect1 ',i1 for my part1 live  
at high pressure4 ,i get the most that  
,i can out of myself4 ,i do the very    
best that is in me4' ,and that is a     
pattern for us4  ,there is nothing to be
 done unless we are contented to live on
 the stretch4 ,easygoing lives are      
always contemptible lives4 ,a man who   
never does anything except what he can  
do easily never comes to do anything    
greater than what he began with1 and    
never does anything worth doing at all4 
,effort is the law of life in all       
departments1 as we all of us know and   
practise in regard to our daily         
business4 ,but what a strange thing it  
is that we seem to think that our       
,christian characters can be formed and 
perfected upon other conditions1 and in 
other fashions1 than those by which men 
make their daily bread or their worldly 
fortunes6  ,the direction which effort  
takes is different in these two regions4
 ,the necessity for concentration and   
vigorous putting into operation of every

 faculty is far more imperative in the  
,christian course than in any other form
 of life4  ,i believe most earnestly    
that we grow ,christlike1 not by effort 
only1 but by faith4 ,but ,i believe that
 there is no faith without effort1 and  
that the growth which comes from faith  
will not be appropriated and made ours  
without it4 ,and so ,i preach1 without  
in the least degree feeling that it     
impinges upon the great central truth   
that we are cleansed and perfected by   
the power of ,god working upon us1 the  
sister truth that we must 'work out our 
own salvation with fear and trembling4' 
,brethren1 unless we are prepared for   
the dust and heat of the race1 we had   
better not start upon the course4       
,christian men have an appointed task1  
and to do it will take all the effort   
that they can put forth1 and will       
assuredly demand continuous             
concentration and the summoning of every
 faculty to its utmost energy4  ,still  
further1 there is another idea that lies

 in the emblem1 and that is that the    
appointed task which thus demands the   
whole man in vigorous exercise ought in 
fact to be1 and in its nature is1       
progressive4 ,is the ,christianity of   
the average church member and professing
 ,christian a continuous advance8 ,is   
to-day better than yesterday8 ,are      
former attainments continually being    
left behind8 ,does it not seem the      
bitterest irony to talk about the usual 
life of a ,christian as a course8 ,did  
you ever see a squad of raw recruits    
being drilled in the barrack-yard8 ,the 
first thing the sergeants do is to teach
 them the 'goose-step1' which consists  
in lifting up one foot and then the     
other1 ad infinitum1 and yet always     
keeping on the same bit of ground4 ,that
 is the kind of 'course' which hosts of 
so-called ,christians content themselves
 with running--a vast deal of apparent  
exercise and no advance4 ,they are just 
at the same spot at which they stood    
five1 ten1 or twenty years ago2 not a   

bit wiser1 more like ,christ1 less like 
the devil and the world2 having gained  
no more mastery over their              
characteristic evils2 falling into      
precisely the same faults of temper and 
conduct as they used to do in the       
far-away past4 ,by what right can they  
talk of running the ,christian race8    
,progress is essential to real          
,christian life4  ,,ii4 ,turn now to    
another thought here1 and consider what 
,paul aimed at4  ,it is a very easy     
thing for a man to say1 ',i take the    
discharge of my duty1 given to me by    
,jesus ,christ1 as my great purpose in  
life1' when there is nothing in the way 
to prevent him from carrying out that   
purpose4 ,but it is a very different    
thing when1 as was the case with ,paul1 
there lie before him the certainties of 
affliction and bonds1 and the           
possibilities which very soon           
consolidated themselves into            
certainties1 of a bloody death and that 
swiftly4 ,to say then1 without a        

quickened pulse or a tremor in the      
eyelid1 or a quiver in the voice1 or a  
falter in the resolution1 to say then1  
'none of these things move me1 if only  
,i may do what ,i was set to do'--that  
is to be in ,christ indeed2 and that is 
the only thing worth living for4  ,look 
how beautifully we see in operation in  
these heartfelt and few words of the    
,apostle the power that there is in an  
absolute devotion to ,god-enjoined duty1
 to give a man 'a solemn scorn of ills1'
 and to lift him high above everything  
that would bar or hinder his path4 ,is  
it not bracing to see any one actuated  
by such motives as these8 ,and why      
should they not be motives for us all8  
,the one thing worth our making our aim 
in life is to accomplish our course4    
,now notice that the word in the        
original here1 'finish1' does not merely
 mean 'end1' which would be a very poor 
thing4 ,time will do that for us all4   
,it will end our course4 ,but an ended  
course may yet be an unfinished course4 

,and the meaning that the ,apostle      
attaches to the word in both of our     
texts is not merely to scramble through 
anyhow1 so as to get to the last of it2 
but to complete1 accomplish the course1 
or1 to put away the metaphor1 to do all 
that it was meant by ,god that he should
 do4  ,now some very early transcriber  
of the ,acts of the ,apostles mistook   
the ,apostle's meaning1 and thought that
 he only said that he desired to end his
 career2 and so1 with the best          
intentions in the world1 he inserted1   
probably on the margin1 what he thought 
was a necessary addition--that          
unfortunate 'with joy1' which appears in
 our ,authorised ,version1 but has no   
place in the true text4 ,if we put it in
 we necessarily limit the meaning of the
 word 'finish' to that low1 superficial 
sense which ,i have already dismissed4  
,if we leave it out we get a far nobler 
thought4 ,paul was not thinking about   
the joy at the end4 ,what he wanted was 
to do his work1 all of it1 right through

 to the very last4 ,he knew there would 
be joy1 but he does not speak about it4 
,what he wanted1 as all faithful men do1
 was to do the work1 and let the joy    
take care of itself4  ,and so for all of
 us1 the true anaesthetic or            
'painkiller' is that all-dominant sense 
of obligation and duty which lays hold  
upon us1 and grips us1 and makes us1 not
 exactly indifferent to1 but very       
partially conscious of1 the sorrows or  
the hindrances or the pains that may    
come in our way4 ,you cannot stop an    
express train by stretching a rope      
across the line1 nor stay the flow of a 
river with a barrier of straw4 ,and if a
 man has once yielded himself fully to  
that great conception of ,god's will    
driving him on through life1 and        
prescribing his path for him1 it is     
neither in sorrow nor in joy to arrest  
his course4 ,they may roll all the      
golden apples out of the garden of the  
,hesperides in his path1 and he will not
 stop to pick one of them up2 or ,satan 

may block it with his fiercest flames1  
and the man will go into them1 saying1  
',when ,i pass through the fires ,he    
will be with me4'  ,,iii4 ,lastly1 what 
,paul won thereby4  ',that ,i may finish
 my course 444 ,i have finished my      
course'2 in the same lofty meaning1 not 
merely ended1 though that was true1 but 
'completed1 accomplished1 perfected4'   
,now some hyper-sensitive people have   
thought that it was very strange that   
the ,apostle1 who was always preaching  
the imperfection of all human obedience 
and service1 should1 at the end of his  
life1 indulge in such a piece of what   
they fancy was self-complacent          
retrospect as to say ',i have kept the  
faith2 ,i have fought a good fight2 ,i  
have finished my course4' ,but it was by
 no means complacent self-righteousness4
 ,of course he did not mean that he     
looked back upon a career free from     
faults and flecks and stains4 ,no4      
,there is only one pair of human lips   
that ever could say1 in the full        

significance of the word1 ',it is       
finished6 444 ,i have completed the work
 which ,thou gavest ,me to do4' ,jesus  
,christ's retrospect of a stainless     
career1 without defect or discordance at
 any point from the divine ideal1 is not
 repeated in any of ,his servants'      
experiences4 ,but1 on the other hand1 if
 a man in the middle of his difficulties
 and his conflict pulls himself         
habitually together and says to himself1
 ',nothing shall move me1 so that ,i may
 complete this bit of my course1' depend
 upon it1 his effort1 his believing     
effort1 will not be in vain2 and at the 
last he will be able to look back on a  
career which1 though stained with many  
imperfections1 and marred with many     
failures1 yet on the whole has realised 
the divine purpose1 though not with     
absolute completeness1 at least         
sufficiently to enable the faithful     
servant to feel that all his struggle   
has not been in vain4  ,brethren1 no one
 else can4 ,and oh6 how different the   

two 'courses' of the godly man and the  
worldling look1 in their relative       
importance1 when seen from this side1 as
 we are advancing towards them1 and from
 the other as we look back upon them6   
,pleasures1 escape from pains1 ease1    
comfort1 popularity1 quiet lives--all   
these things seem very attractive2 and  
,god's will often seems very hard and   
very repulsive1 when we are advancing   
towards some unwelcome duty4 ,but when  
we get beyond it and look back1 the two 
careers have changed their characters2  
and all the joys that could be bought at
 the price of the smallest neglected    
duty or the smallest perpetrated sin1   
dwindle and dwindle and dwindle1 and the
 light is out of them1 and they show for
 what they are--nothings1 gilded        
nothings1 painted emptinesses1 lies     
varnished over4 ,and on the other hand1 
to do right1 to discharge the smallest  
duty1 to recognise ,god's will1 and with
 faithful effort to seek to do it in    
dependence upon ,him1 that towers and   

towers and towers1 and there seems to   
be1 as there really is1 nothing else    
worth living for4  ,so let us live with 
the continual remembrance in our minds  
that all which we do has to be passed in
 review by us once more1 from another   
standpoint1 and with another            
illumination falling upon it4 ,and be   
sure of this1 that the one thing worth  
looking back upon1 and possible to be   
looked back upon with peace and         
quietness1 is the humble1 faithful1     
continual discharge of our appointed    
tasks for the dear ,lord's sake4 ,if you
 and ,i1 whilst work and troubles last1 
do truly say1 ',none of these things    
move me1 so that ,i might finish my     
course1' we too1 with all our           
weaknesses1 may be able to say at the   
last1 ',thanks be to ,god6 ,i have      
finished my course4'    ,,parting       
,,words ,footnote3 ,preached prior to a 
long absence in ,australia4  ',and now1 
brethren1 ,i commend you to ,god1 and to
 the word of ,his grace4444'--,,acts xx4

 #cb4  ,i may be pardoned if my remarks 
now should assume somewhat of a more    
personal character than is my wont4 ,i  
desire to speak mainly to my own        
friends1 the members of my own          
congregation2 and other friends who have
 come to give me a parting ',godspeed'  
will forgive me if my observations have 
a more special bearing on those with    
whom ,i am more immediately connected4  
,the ,apostle whose words ,i have taken 
for my text was leaving1 as he supposed1
 for the last time1 the representatives 
of the ,church in ,ephesus1 to whom he  
had been painting in very sombre colours
 the dangers of the future and his own  
forebodings and warnings4 ,exhortations1
 prophecies of evil1 expressions of     
anxious solicitude1 motions of          
,christian affection1 all culminate in  
this parting utterance4 ,high above them
 all rises the thought of the present   
,god1 and of the mighty word which in   
itself1 in the absence of all human     
teachers1 had power to 'build them up1  

and to give them an inheritance amongst 
them that are sanctified4'  ,if we think
 of that ,church in ,ephesus1 this brave
 confidence of the ,apostle's becomes   
yet more remarkable4 ,they were set in  
the midst of a focus of heathen         
superstition1 from which they themselves
 had only recently been rescued4 ,their 
knowledge was little1 they had no       
,apostolic teacher to be present with   
them2 they were left alone there to     
battle with the evils of that corrupt   
society in which they dwelt4 ,and yet   
,paul leaves them--'sheep in the midst  
of wolves1' with a very imperfect       
,christianity1 with no ,bible1 with no  
teachers--in the sure confidence that no
 harm will come to them1 because ,god is
 with them1 and the 'word of ,his grace'
 is enough4  ,and that is the feeling1  
dear brethren1 with which ,i now look   
you in the face for the last time for a 
little while4 ,i desire that you and ,i 
should together share the conviction    
that each of us is safe because ,god and

 the 'word of ,his grace' will go and   
remain with us4  ,i4 ,so then1 first of 
all1 let me point you to the one source 
of security and enlightenment for the   
,church and for the individual4  ,we are
 not to separate between ,god and the   
'word of ,his grace1' but rather to     
suppose that the way by which the       
,apostle conceived of ,god as working   
for the blessing and the guardianship of
 that little community in ,ephesus was  
mainly1 though not exclusively1 through 
that which he here designates 'the word 
of ,his grace4' ,we are not to forget   
the ever-abiding presence of the        
indwelling ,spirit who guards and keeps 
the life of the individual and of the   
community4 ,but what is in the          
,apostle's mind here is the objective   
revelation1 the actual spoken word 7not 
yet written7 which had its origin in    
,god's condescending love1 and had for  
its contents1 mainly1 the setting forth 
of that love4 ,or to put it into other  
words1 the revelation of the grace of   

,god in ,jesus ,christ1 with all the    
great truths that cluster round and are 
evolved from it1 is the all-sufficient  
source of enlightenment and security for
 individuals and for ,churches4 ,and    
whosoever will rightly use and          
faithfully keep that great word1 no evil
 shall befall him1 nor shall he ever    
make shipwreck of the faith4 ,it is     
'able to build you up1' says ,paul4 ,in 
,god's ,gospel1 in the truth concerning 
,jesus ,christ the divine ,redeemer1 in 
the principles that flow from that      
,cross and ,passion1 and that risen life
 and that ascension to ,god1 there is   
all that men need1 all that they want   
for life1 all that they want for        
godliness4 ,the basis of their creed1   
the sufficient guide for their conduct1 
the formative powers that will shape    
into beauty and nobleness their         
characters1 all lie in the germ in this 
message1 ',god was in ,christ           
reconciling the world unto ,himself4'   
,whoever keeps that in mind and memory1 

ruminates upon it till it becomes the   
nourishment of his soul1 meditates on it
 till the precepts and the promises and 
the principles that are enwrapped in it 
unfold themselves before ,him1 needs    
none other guide for life1 none other   
solace in sorrow1 none other anchor of  
hope1 none other stay in trial and in   
death4 ',i commend you to ,god and the  
word of ,his grace1' which is a         
storehouse full of all that we need for 
life and for godliness4 ,whoever has it 
is like a landowner who has a quarry on 
his estate1 from which at will he can   
dig stones to build his house4 ,if you  
truly possess and faithfully adhere to  
this ,gospel1 you have enough4          
,remember that these believers to whom  
,paul thus spoke had no ,new ,testament1
 and most of them1 ,i dare say1 could   
not read the ,old4 ,there were no       
written ,gospels in existence4 ,the     
greater part of the ,new ,testament was 
not written2 what was written was in the
 shape of two or three letters that     

belonged to ,churches in another part of
 the world altogether4 ,it was to the   
spoken word that he commended them4 ,how
 much more securely may we trust one    
another to that permanent record of the 
divine revelation which we have here in 
the pages of ,scripture6  ,as for the   
individual1 so for the ,church1 that    
written word is the guarantee for its   
purity and immortality4 ,christianity is
 the only religion that has ever passed 
through periods of decadence and        
purified itself again4 ,they used to say
 that ,thames water was the best to put 
on shipboard because1 after it became   
putrid1 it cleared itself and became    
sweet again4 ,i do not know anything    
about whether that is true or not1 but  
,i know that it is true about           
,christianity4 ,over and over again it  
has rotted1 and over and over again it  
has cleared itself1 and it has always   
been by the one process4 ,men have gone 
back to the word and laid hold again of 
it in its simple omnipotence1 and so a  

decadent ,christianity has sprung up    
again into purity and power4 ,the word  
of ,god1 the principles of the          
revelation contained in ,christ and     
recorded for ever in this ,new          
,testament1 are the guarantee of the    
,church's immortality and of the        
,church's purity4 ,this man and that man
 may fall away1 provinces may be lost   
from the empire for a while1 standards  
of rebellion and heresy may be lifted1  
but 'the foundation of ,god standeth    
sure1' and whoever will hark back again 
and dig down through the rubbish of     
human buildings to the living ,rock will
 build secure and dwell at peace4 ,if   
all our churches were pulverised        
to-morrow1 and every formal creed of    
,christendom were torn in pieces1 and   
all the institutions of the ,church were
 annihilated--if there was a ,new       
,testament left they would all be built 
up again4 ',i commend you to ,god1 and  
to the word of ,his grace4'  ,,ii4      
,secondly1 notice the possible benefit  

of the silencing of the human voice4    
,paul puts together his absence and the 
power of the word4 ',now ,i know that   
you will see my face no more'--',i      
commend you to ,god4' ,that is to say1  
it is often a good thing that the voice 
of man may be hushed in order that the  
sweeter and deeper music of the word of 
,god1 sounding from no human lips1 may  
reach our hearts4 ,of course ,i am not  
going to depreciate preachers and books 
and religious literature and the thought
 and the acts of good and wise men who  
have been interpreters of ,god's meaning
 and will to their brethren1 but the    
human ministration of the divine word1  
like every other help to knowing ,god1  
may become a hindrance instead of a     
help2 and in all such helps there is a  
tendency1 unless there be continual     
jealous watchfulness on the part of     
those who minister them1 and on the part
 of those who use them1 to assert       
themselves instead of leading to ,god1  
and to become not mirrors in which we   

may behold ,god1 but obscuring media    
which come between us and ,him4 ,this   
danger belongs to the great ordinance   
and office of the ,christian ministry1  
large as its blessings are1 just as it  
belongs to all other offices which are  
appointed for the purpose of bringing   
men to ,god4 ,we may make them ladders  
or we may make them barriers2 we may    
climb by them or we may remain in them4 
,we may look at the colours on the      
painted glass until we do not see or    
think of the light which strikes through
 the colours4  ,so it is often a good   
thing that a human voice which speaks   
the divine word1 should be silenced2    
just as it is often a good thing that   
other helps and props should be taken   
away4 ,no man ever leans all his weight 
upon ,god's arm until every other crutch
 on which he used to lean has been      
knocked from him4  ,and therefore1 dear 
brethren1 applying these plain things to
 ourselves1 may ,i not say that it may  
and should be the result of my temporary

 absence from you that some of you      
should be driven to a more first-hand   
acquaintance with ,god and with ,his    
word8 ,i1 like all ,christian ministers1
 have of course my favourite ways of    
looking at truth1 limitations of        
temperament1 and idiosyncrasies of      
various sorts1 which colour the         
representations that ,i make of ,god's  
great word4 ,all the river cannot run   
through any pipe2 and what does run is  
sure to taste somewhat of the soil      
through which it runs4 ,and for some of 
you1 after thirty years of hearing my   
way of putting things--and ,i have long 
since told you all that ,i have got to  
say--it will be a good thing to have    
some one else to speak to you1 who will 
come with other aspects of that great   
,truth1 and look at it from other angles
 and reflect other hues of its perfect  
whiteness4 ,so partly because of these  
limitations of mine1 partly because you 
have grown so accustomed to my voice    
that the things that ,i say do not      

produce half as much effect on many of  
you as if ,i were saying them to        
somebody else1 or somebody else were    
saying them to you1 and partly because  
the affection1 born of so many years of 
united worship1 for which in many       
respects ,i am your debtor1 may lead you
 to look at the vessel rather than the  
treasure1 do you not think it may be a  
means of blessing and help to this      
congregation that ,i should step aside  
for a little while and some one else    
should stand here1 and you should be    
driven to make acquaintance with ',god  
and the word of ,his grace' a little    
more for yourselves8 ,what does it      
matter though you do not have nay       
sermons8 ,you have your ,bibles and you 
have ,god's ,spirit4 ,and if my silence 
shall lead any of you to prize and to   
use these more than you have done1 then 
my silence will have done a great deal  
more than my speech4 ,ministers are like
 doctors1 the test of their success is  
that they are not needed any more4 ,and 

when we can say1 ',they can stand       
without us1 and they do not need us1'   
that is the crown of our ministry4      
,,iii4 ,thirdly1 notice the best        
expression of ,christian solicitude and 
affection4  ',i commend you1' says      
,paul1 'to ,god1 and to the word of ,his
 grace4' ,if we may venture upon a very 
literal translation of the word1 it is1 
',i lay you down beside ,god4' ,that is 
beautiful1 is it not8 ,here had ,paul   
been carrying the ,ephesian ,church on  
his back for a long time now4 ,he had   
many cares about them1 many forebodings 
as to their future1 knowing very well   
that after his departure grievous wolves
 were going to enter in4 ,he says1 ',i  
cannot carry the load any longer2 here  
,i lay it down at the ,throne1 beneath  
those pure ,eyes1 and that gentle and   
strong ,hand4' ,for to commend them to  
,god is in fact a prayer casting the    
care which ,paul could no longer        
exercise1 upon ,him4  ,and that is the  
highest expression of1 as it is the only

 soothing for1 manly ,christian         
solicitude and affection4 ,of course you
 and ,i1 looking forward to these six   
months of absence1 have all of us our   
anxieties about what may be the issue4  
,i may feel afraid lest there should be 
flagging here1 lest good work should be 
done a little more languidly1 lest there
 should be a beggarly account of empty  
pews many a time1 lest the bonds of     
,christian union here should be         
loosened1 and when ,i come back ,i may  
find it hard work to reknit them4 ,all  
these thoughts must be in the mind of a 
true man who has put most of his life1  
and as much of himself as during that   
period he could command1 into his work4 
,what then8 ',i commend you to ,god4'   
,you may have your thoughts and         
anxieties as well as ,i have mine4 ,dear
 brethren1 let us make an end of        
solicitude and turn it into petition and
 bring one another to ,god1 and leave   
one another there4  ,this 'commending1' 
as it is the highest expression of      

,christian solicitude1 so it is the     
highest and most natural expression of  
,christian affection4 ,i am not going to
 do what is so easy to do--bring tears  
at such a moment4 ,i do not purpose to  
speak of the depth1 the sacredness of   
the bond that unites a great many of us 
together4 ,i think we can take that for 
granted without saying any more about   
it4 ,but1 dear brethren1 ,i do want to  
pledge you and myself to this1 that our 
solicitude and our affection should find
 voice in prayer1 and that when we are  
parted we may be united1 because the    
eyes of both are turned to the one      
,throne4 ,there is a reality in prayer4 
,do you pray for me1 as ,i will for you1
 when we are far apart4 ,and as the     
vapour that rises from the southern seas
 where ,i go may fall in moisture1      
refreshing these northern lands1 so what
 rises on one side of the world from    
believing hearts in loving prayers may  
fall upon the other in the rain of a    
divine blessing4 ',i commend you to     

,god1 and the word of ,his grace4'      
,,iv4 ,lastly1 notice the parting       
counsels involved in the commendation4  
,if it be true that ,god and ,his ,word 
are the source of all security and      
enlightenment1 and are so1 apart        
altogether from human agencies1 then to 
commend these brethren to ,god was      
exhortation as well as prayer1 and      
implied pointing them to the one source 
of security that they might cling to    
that source4 ,i am going to give no     
advices about little matters of church  
order and congregational prosperity4    
,these will all come right1 if the two  
main exhortations that are involved in  
this text are laid to heart2 and if they
 are not laid to heart1 then ,i do not  
care one rush about the smaller things1 
of full pews and prosperous subscription
 lists and ,christian work4 ,these are  
secondary1 and they will be consequent  
if you take these two advices that are  
couched in my text3--  7a7 ',cleave to  
the ,lord with full purpose of heart1'  

as the limpet does to the rock4 ,cling  
to ,jesus ,christ1 the revelation of    
,god's grace4 ,and how do we cling to   
,him8 ,what is the cement of souls8     
,love and trust2 and whoever exercises  
these in reference to ,jesus ,christ is 
built into ,him1 and belongs to ,him1   
and has a vital unity knitting him with 
that ,lord4 ,cleave to ,christ1 brother1
 by faith and love1 by communion and    
prayer1 and by practical conformity of  
life4 ,for remember that the union which
 is effected by faith can be broken by  
sin1 and that there will be no reality  
in our union to ,jesus unless it is     
manifested and perpetuated by           
righteousness of conduct and character4 
,two smoothly-ground pieces of glass    
pressed together will adhere4 ,if there 
be a speck of sand1 microscopic in      
dimensions1 between the two1 they will  
fall apart2 and if you let tiny grains  
of sin come between you and your        
,master1 it is delusion to speak of     
being knit to ,him by faith and love4   

,keep near ,jesus ,christ and you will  
be safe4  7b7 ,cleave to 'the word of   
,his grace4' ,try to understand its     
teachings better2 study your ,bibles    
with more earnestness2 believe more     
fully than you have ever done that in   
that great ,gospel there lie every truth
 that we need and guidance in all       
circumstances4 ,bring the principles of 
,christianity into your daily life2 walk
 by the light of them2 and live in the  
radiance of a present ,god4 ,and then   
all these other matters which ,i have   
spoken of1 which are important1 highly  
important but secondary1 will come      
right4  ,many of you1 dear brethren1    
have listened to my voice for long      
years1 and have not done the one thing  
for which ,i preach--viz4 set your      
faith1 as sinful men1 on the great      
atoning ,sacrifice and ,incarnate ,lord4
 ,i beseech you let my last word go     
deeper than its predecessors1 and yield 
yourselves to ,god in ,christ1 bringing 
all your weakness and all your sin to   

,him1 and trusting yourselves wholly and
 utterly to ,his sacrifice and life4    
',i commend you to ,god and to the word 
of ,his grace1' and beseech you 'that1  
whether ,i come to see you or else be   
absent1 ,i may hear of your affairs1    
that ye stand fast in one spirit1 with  
one mind striving together for the faith
 of the ,gospel4'    ,,the ,,blessedness
 ,,of ,,giving  '444,it is more blessed 
to give than to receive4'--,,acts xx4   
#ce4  ,how 'many other things ,jesus    
did' and said 'which are not written in 
this book'6 ,here is one precious       
unrecorded word1 which was floating down
 to the ocean of oblivion when ,paul    
drew it to shore and so enriched the    
world4 ,there is1 however1 a saying     
recorded1 which is essentially parallel 
in content though differing in garb1    
',the ,son of ,man came not to be       
ministered unto1 but to minister4' ,it  
is tempting to think that the text gives
 a glimpse into the deep fountains of   
the pure blessedness of ,jesus ,himself1

 and was a transcript of ,his own human 
experience4 ,it helps us to understand  
how the ,man of ,sorrows could give as a
 legacy to ,his followers ',my joy1' and
 could speak of it as abiding and full4 
,i4 ,the reasons on which this saying   
rests4  ,it is based not only on the    
fact that the act of giving has in it a 
sense of power and of superiority1 and  
that the act of receiving may have a    
painful consciousness of obligation1    
though a cynic might endorse it on that 
ground1 but on a truth far deeper than  
these1 that there is a pure and godlike 
joy in making others blessed4  ,the     
foundation on which the axiom rests is  
that giving is the result of love and   
self-sacrifice4 ,whenever they are not  
found1 the giving is not the giving     
which 'blesses him that gives4' ,if you 
give with some arriere pensee of what   
you will get by it1 or for the sake of  
putting some one under obligation1 or   
indifferently as a matter of compulsion 
or routine1 if with your alms there be  

contempt to which pity is ever near     
akin1 then these are not examples of the
 giving on which ,christ pronounced ,his
 benediction4 ,but where the heart is   
full of deep1 real love1 and where that 
love expresses itself by a cheerful act 
of self-sacrifice1 then there is felt a 
glow of calm blessedness far above the  
base and greedy joys of self-centred    
souls who delight only in keeping their 
possessions1 or in using them for       
themselves4 ,it comes not merely from   
contemplating the relief or happiness in
 others of which our gifts may have been
 the source1 but from the working in our
 own hearts of these two godlike        
emotions4 ,to be delivered from making  
myself my great object1 and to be       
delivered from the undue value set upon 
having and keeping our possessions1 are 
the twin factors of true blessedness4   
,it is heaven on earth to love and to   
give oneself away4  ,then again1 the    
highest joy and noblest use of all our  
possessions is found in imparting them4 

,true as to this world's goods4  ,the   
old epitaph is profoundly true1 which   
puts into the dead lips the declaration3
 ',what ,i kept ,i lost4 ,what ,i gave  
,i kept4' ,better to learn that and act 
on it while living6  ,true as to truth1 
and knowledge4  ,true as to the ,gospel 
of the grace of ,god4  ,,ii4 ,the great 
example in ,god of the blessedness of   
giving4  ,god gives--gives only--gives  
always--and ,he in giving has joy1      
blessedness4 ,he would not be 'the      
ever-blessed ,god' unless ,he were 'the 
giving ,god4' ,creation we are perhaps  
scarcely warranted in affirming to be a 
necessity to the divine nature1 and we  
run on perilous heights of speculation  
when we speak of it as contributing to  
,his blessedness2 but this at least we  
may say1 that ,he1 in the deep words of 
the ,psalmist1 'delights in mercy4'     
,before creation was realised in time1  
the divine ,idea of it was eternal1     
inseparable from ,his being1 and        
therefore from everlasting ,he 'rejoiced

 in the habitable parts of the earth1   
and ,his delights were with the sons of 
men4'  ,the light and glory thus thrown 
on ,his relation to us4  ,he gives4 ,he 
does not exact until ,he has given4 ,he 
gives what ,he requires4 ,the           
requirement is made in love and is      
itself a 'grace given1' for it permits  
to ,god's creatures1 in their relation  
to ,him1 some feeble portion and shadow 
of the blessedness which ,he possesses1 
by permitting them to bring offerings to
 ,his throne1 and so to have the joy of 
giving to ,him what ,he has given to    
them4 ',all things come of ,thee1 and of
 ,thine own have we given ,thee4' ,then 
how this thought puts an end to all     
manner of slavish notions about ,god's  
commands and demands1 and about worship1
 and about merits1 or winning heaven by 
our own works4  ,notice that the same   
emotions which we have found to make the
 blessedness of giving are those which  
come into play in the act of receiving  
spiritual blessings4 ,we receive the    

,gospel by faith1 which assuredly has in
 it love and self-sacrifice4  ,having   
thus the great ,example of all giving in
 heaven1 and the shadow and reflex of   
that example in our relations to ,him on
 earth1 we are thereby fitted for the   
exemplification of it in our relation to
 men4 ,to give1 not to get1 is to be our
 work1 to love1 to sacrifice ourselves4 
,this axiom should regulate ,christians'
 relation to the world1 and to each     
other1 in every way4 ,it should shape   
the ,christian use of money4 ,it should 
shape our use of all which we have4     
,,drawing ,,nearer ,,to ,,the ,,storm   
',and it came to pass1 that1 after we   
were gotten from them1 and had launched1
 we came with a straight course unto    
,coos1 and the day following unto       
,rhodes1 and from thence unto ,patara3  
#b4 ,and finding a ship sailing over    
unto ,phenicia1 we went aboard1 and set 
forth4 #c4 ,now when we had discovered  
,cyprus1 we left it on the left hand1   
and sailed into ,syria1 and landed at   

,tyre3 for there the ship was to unlade 
her burden4 #d4 ,and finding disciples1 
we tarried there seven days3 who said to
 ,paul through the ,spirit1 that he     
should not go up to ,jerusalem4 #e4 ,and
 when we had accomplished those days1 we
 departed and went our way2 and they all
 brought us on our way1 with wives and  
children1 till we were out of the city3 
and we kneeled down on the shore1 and   
prayed4 #f4 ,and when we had taken our  
leave one of another1 we took ship2 and 
they returned home again4 #g4 ,and when 
we had finished our course from ,tyre1  
we came to ,ptolemais1 and saluted the  
brethren1 and abode with them one day4  
#h4 ,and the next day we that were of   
,paul's company departed1 and came unto 
,caesarea3 and we entered into the house
 of ,philip the evangelist1 which was   
one of the seven2 and abode with him4   
#i4 ,and the same man had four          
daughters1 virgins1 which did prophesy4 
#aj4 ,and as we tarried there many days1
 there came down from ,judaea a certain 

prophet1 named ,agabus4 #aa4 ,and when  
he was come unto us1 he took ,paul's    
girdle1 and bound his own hands and     
feet1 and said1 ,thus saith the ,holy   
,ghost1 ,so shall the ,jews at          
,jerusalem bind the man that owneth this
 girdle1 and shall deliver him into the 
hands of the ,gentiles4 #ab4 ,and when  
we heard these things1 both we1 and they
 of that place1 besought him not to go  
up to ,jerusalem4 #ac4 ,then ,paul      
answered1 ,what mean ye to weep and to  
break mine heart8 for ,i am ready not to
 be bound only1 but also to die at      
,jerusalem for the name of the ,lord    
,jesus4 #ad4 ,and when he would not be  
persuaded1 we ceased1 saying1 ,the will 
of the ,lord be done4 #ae4 ,and after   
those days we took up our carriages1 and
 went up to ,jerusalem4'--,,acts xxi4   
#a-ae4  ,paul's heroic persistency in   
disregarding the warnings of 'bonds and 
afflictions' which were pealed into his 
ears in every city1 is the main point of
 interest in this section4 ,but the     

vivid narrative abounds with details    
which fill it with life and colour4 ,we 
may gather it all round three           
points--the voyage1 ,tyre1 and          
,caesarea4  ,i4 ,the log of the voyage1 
as given in verses #a-c1 shows the      
leisurely way of navigation in those    
days and in that sea4 ,obviously the    
coaster tied up or anchored in port at  
night4 ,running down the coast from     
,miletus1 they stayed overnight1 first  
at the small island of ,coos1 then      
stretched across the next day to        
,rhodes1 and on the third struck back to
 the mainland at ,patara1 from which1   
according to one reading1 they ran along
 the coast a little further east to     
,myra1 the usual port of departure for  
,syria4 ,ramsay explains that the       
prevalent favourable wind for a vessel  
bound for ,syria blows steadily in early
 morning1 and dies down towards         
nightfall1 so that there would have been
 no use in keeping at sea after sundown4
  ,at ,patara 7or ,myra7 ,paul and his  

party had to tranship1 for their vessel 
was probably of small tonnage1 and only 
fit to run along the coast4 ,in either  
port they would have no difficulty in   
finding some merchantman to take them   
across to ,syria4 ,accordingly they     
shifted into one bound for ,tyre1 and   
apparently ready to sail4 ,the second   
part of their voyage took them right out
 to sea1 and their course lay to the    
west1 and then to the south of ,cyprus1 
which ,luke mentions as if to remind us 
of ,paul's visit there when he was      
beginning his missionary work4 ,how much
 had passed since that day at ,paphos   
7which they might have sighted from the 
deck76 ,he had left ,paphos with        
,barnabas and ,john ,mark--where were   
they8 ,he had sailed away from ,cyprus  
to carry the ,gospel among ,gentiles2 he
 sails past it1 accompanied by a group  
of these whom he had won for ,christ4   
,there he had begun his career2 now the 
omens indicated that possibly its end   
was near4 ,many a thought would be in   

his mind as he looked out over the blue 
waters and saw the glittering roofs and 
groves of ,paphos4  ,tyre was the first 
port of call1 and there the cargo was to
 be landed4 ,the travellers had to wait 
till that was done1 and probably another
 one shipped4 ,the seven days' stay is  
best understood as due to that cause2   
for we find that ,paul re-embarked in   
the same ship1 and went in her as far as
 ,ptolemais1 at all events1 perhaps to  
,caesarea4  ,we note that no brethren   
are mentioned as having been met at any 
of the ports of call1 and no            
evangelistic work as having been done in
 them4 ,the party were simple           
passengers1 who had to shape their      
movements to suit the convenience of the
 master of the vessel1 and were only in 
port at night1 and off again next       
morning early4 ,no doubt the leisure at 
sea was as restorative to them as it    
often is to jaded workers now4  ,,ii4   
,tyre was a busy seaport then1 and in   
its large population the few disciples  

would make but little show4 ,they had to
 be sought out before they were 'found4'
 ,one can feel how eagerly the          
travellers would search1 and how        
thankfully they would find themselves   
again among congenial souls4 ,since     
,miletus they had had no ,christian     
communion1 and the sailors in such a    
ship as theirs would not be exactly     
kindred spirits4 ,so that week in ,tyre 
would be a blessed break in the voyage4 
,we hear nothing of visiting the        
synagogue1 nor of preaching to the      
non-,christian population1 nor of       
instruction to the little ,church4  ,the
 whole interest of the stay at ,tyre is1
 for ,luke1 centred on the fact that    
here too the same message which had met 
,paul everywhere was repeated to him4   
,it was 'through the ,spirit4' ,then was
 ,paul flying in the face of divine     
prohibitions when he held on his way in 
spite of all that could be said8        
,certainly not4 ,we have to bring common
 sense to bear on the interpretation of 

the words in verse #d1 and must suppose 
that what came from 'the ,spirit' was   
the prediction of persecutions waiting  
,paul1 and that the exhortation to avoid
 these by keeping clear of ,jerusalem   
was the voice of human affection only4  
,such a blending of clear insight and of
 mistaken deductions from it is no      
strange experience4  ,no word is said as
 to the effect of the ,tyrian           
,christians' dissuasion4 ,it had none4  
,luke mentions it in order to show how  
continuous was the repetition of the    
same note1 and his silence as to the    
manner of its reception is eloquent4    
,the parting scene at ,tyre is like1 and
 yet very unlike1 that at ,miletus4 ,in 
both the ,christians accompany ,paul to 
the beach1 in both they kneel down and  
pray4 ,it would scarcely have been a    
,christian parting without that4 ,in    
both loving farewells are said1 and     
perhaps waved when words could no longer
 be heard4 ,but at ,tyre1 where there   
were no bonds of old comradeship nor of 

affection to a spiritual father1 there  
was none of the yearning1 clinging love 
that could not bear to part1 none of the
 hanging on ,paul's neck1 none of the   
deep sorrow of final separation4 ,the   
delicate shades of difference in two    
scenes so similar tell of the hand of an
 eye-witness4 ,the touch that 'all' the 
,tyrian ,christians went down to the    
beach1 and took their wives and children
 with them1 suggests that they can have 
been but a small community1 and so      
confirms the hint given by the use of   
the word 'found' in verse #d4  ,,iii4   
,the vessel ran down the coast to       
,ptolemais where one day's stop was     
made1 probably to land and ship cargo1  
if1 as is possible1 the further journey 
to ,caesarea was by sea4 ,but it may    
have been by land2 the narrative is     
silent on that point4 ,at ,ptolemais1 as
 at ,tyre1 there was a little company of
 disciples1 the brevity of the stay with
 whom1 contrasted with the long halt in 
,caesarea1 rather favours the           

supposition that the ship's convenience 
ruled the ,apostle's movements till he  
reached the latter place4 ,there he     
found a haven of rest1 and1 surrounded  
by loving friends1 no wonder that the   
burdened ,apostle lingered there before 
plunging into the storm of which he had 
had so many warnings4  ,the eager haste 
of the earlier part of the journey1     
contrasted with the delay in ,caesarea  
at the threshold of his goal1 is        
explained by supposing that at the      
beginning ,paul's one wish had been to  
get to ,jerusalem in time for the       
,feast1 and that at ,caesarea he found  
that1 thanks to his earlier haste and   
his good passages1 he had a margin to   
spare4 ,he did not wish to get to the   
,holy ,city much before the ,feast4     
,two things only are told as occurring  
in ,caesarea--the intercourse with      
,philip and the renewed warnings about  
going to ,jerusalem4 ,apparently ,philip
 had been in ,caesarea ever since we    
last heard of him 7chap4 viii474 ,he had

 brought his family there1 and settled  
down in the headquarters of ,roman      
government4 ,he had been used by ,christ
 to carry the ,gospel to men outside the
 ,covenant1 and for a time it seemed as 
if he was to be the messenger to the    
,gentiles2 but that mission soon ended1 
and the honour and toil fell to another4
 ,but neither did ,philip envy ,paul1   
nor did ,paul avoid ,philip4 ,the       
,master has the right to settle what    
each slave has to do1 and whether ,he   
sets him to high or low office1 it      
matters not4  ,philip might have been   
contemptuous and jealous of the younger 
man1 who had been nobody when he was    
chosen as one of the ,seven1 but had so 
far outrun him now4 ,but no paltry      
personal feeling marred the ,christian  
intercourse of the two1 and we can      
imagine how much each had to tell the   
other1 with perhaps ,cornelius for a    
third in company1 during the            
considerably extended stay in ,caesarea4
 ,no doubt ,luke too made good use of   

the opportunity of increasing his       
knowledge of the first days1 and        
probably derived much of the material   
for the first chapters of ,acts from    
,philip1 either then or at his          
subsequent longer residence in the same 
city4  ,we have heard of the prophet    
,agabus before 7chap1 xi4 #bh74 ,why he 
is introduced here1 as if a stranger1 we
 cannot tell1 and it is useless to      
guess1 and absurd to sniff suspicion of 
genuineness in the peculiarity4 ,his    
prophecy is more definite than any that 
preceded it4 ,that is ,god's way4 ,he   
makes things clearer as we go on1 and   
warnings more emphatic as danger        
approaches4 ,the source of the          
'afflictions' was now for the first time
 declared1 and the shape which they     
would take4 ,jews would deliver ,paul to
 ,gentiles1 as they had delivered       
,paul's ,master4  ,but there the curtain
 falls4 ,what would the ,gentiles do    
with him8 ,that remained unrevealed4    
,half the tragedy was shown1 and then   

darkness covered the rest4 ,that was    
more trying to nerves and courage than  
full disclosure to the very end would   
have been4 ,imagination had just enough 
to work on1 and was stimulated to shape 
out all sorts of horrors4 ,similarly    
incomplete and testing to faith are the 
glimpses of the future which we get in  
our own lives4 ,we see but a little way 
ahead1 and then the road takes a sharp  
turn1 and we fancy dreadful shapes      
hiding round the corner4  ,paul's       
courage was unmoved both by ,agabus's   
incomplete prophecy and by the tearful  
implorings of his companions and of the 
,caesarean ,christians4 ,his pathetic   
words to them are misunderstood if we   
take 'break my heart' in the modern     
sense of that phrase1 for it really     
means 'to melt away my resolution1' and 
shows that ,paul felt that the          
passionate grief of his brethren was    
beginning to do what no fear for himself
 could do--shake even his steadfast     
purpose4 ,no more lovely blending of    

melting tenderness and iron             
determination has ever been put into    
words than that cry of his1 followed by 
the great utterance which proclaimed his
 readiness to bear all things1 even     
death itself1 for 'the name of the ,lord
 ,jesus4' ,what kindled and fed that    
noble flame of self-devotion8 ,the love 
of ,jesus ,christ1 built on the sense   
that ,he had redeemed the soul of ,his  
servant1 and had thereby bought him for 
,his own4  ,if we feel that we have been
 'bought with a price1' we too1 in our  
small spheres1 shall be filled with that
 ennobling passion of devoted love which
 will not count life dear if ,he calls  
us to give it up4 ,let us learn from    
,paul how to blend the utmost gentleness
 and tender responsiveness to all love  
with fixed determination to glorify the 
,name4 ,a strong will and a loving heart
 make a marvellously beautiful          
combination1 and should both abide in   
every ,christian4    ,,philip ,,the     
,,evangelist  '444 ,we entered into the 

house of ,philip the evangelist1 which  
was one of the seven2 and abode with    
him4'--,,acts xxi4 #h4  ,the life of    
this ,philip1 as recorded1 is a very    
remarkable one4 ,it is divided into two 
unequal halves3 one full of conspicuous 
service1 one passed in absolute         
obscurity4 ,like the moon in its second 
quarter1 part of the disc is shining    
silver and the rest is invisible4 ,let  
us put together the notices of him4  ,he
 bears a name which makes it probable   
that he was not a ,palestinian ,jew1 but
 one of the many who1 of ,jewish        
descent1 had lived in ,gentile lands and
 contracted ,gentile habits and         
associations4 ,we first hear of him as  
one of the ,seven who were chosen by the
 ,church1 at the suggestion of the      
,apostles1 in order to meet the         
grumbling of that section of the        
,church1 who were called ',hellenists1' 
about their people being neglected in   
the distribution of alms4 ,he stands in 
that list next to ,stephen1 who was     

obviously the leader4 ,then after       
,stephen's persecution1 he flies from   
,jerusalem1 like the rest of the        
,church1 and comes down to ,samaria and 
preaches there4 ,he did that because    
circumstances drove him2 he had become  
one of the ,seven because his brethren  
appointed him1 but his next step was in 
obedience to a specific command of      
,christ4 ,he went and preached the      
,gospel to the ,ethiopian eunuch1 and   
then he was borne away from the new     
convert1 and after the ,spirit had put  
him down at ,ashdod he had to tramp all 
the way up the ,palestinian coast1 left 
to the guidance of his own wits1 until  
he came to ,caesarea4 ,there he remained
 for twenty years2 and we do not hear a 
word about him in all that time4 ,but at
 last ,paul and his companions1 hurrying
 to keep the ,feast at ,jerusalem1 found
 that they had a little time to spare   
when they reached ,caesarea1 and so they
 came to 'the house of ,philip the      
evangelist1' whom we last heard of      

twenty years before1 and spent 'many    
days' with him4 ,that is the final      
glimpse that we have of ,philip4  ,now  
let us try to gather two or three plain 
lessons1 especially those which depend  
on that remarkable contrast between the 
first and the second periods of this    
man's life4 ,there is1 first1 a brief   
space of brilliant service1 and then    
there are long years of obscure toil4   
,i4 ,the brief space of brilliant       
service4  ,the ,church was in a state of
 agitation1 and there was murmuring     
going on because1 as ,i have already    
said1 a section of it thought that their
 poor were unfairly dealt with by the   
native-born ,jews in the ,church4 ,and  
so the ,apostles said3 ',what is the use
 of your squabbling thus8 ,pick out any 
seven that you like1 of the class that  
considers itself aggrieved1 and we will 
put the distribution of these           
eleemosynary grants into their hands4   
,that will surely stop your mouths4 ,do 
you choose whom you please1 and we will 

confirm your choice4' ,so the ,church   
selected seven brethren1 all apparently 
belonging to the ',grecians' or         
,greek-speaking ,jews1 as the ,apostles 
had directed that they should be1 and   
one of them1 not a ,jew by birth1 but a 
'proselyte of ,antioch4' ,these men's   
partialities would all be in favour of  
the class to which they belonged1 and to
 secure fair play for which they were   
elected by it4  ,now these seven are    
never called 'deacons' in the ,new      
,testament1 though it is supposed that  
they were the first holders of that     
office4 ,it is instructive to note how  
their office came into existence4 ,it   
was created by the ,apostles1 simply as 
the handiest way of getting over a      
difficulty4 ,is that the notion of      
,church organisation that prevails among
 some of our brethren who believe that  
organisation is everything1 and that    
unless a ,church has the three orders of
 bishops1 priests1 and deacons1 it is   
not worth calling a ,church at all8 ,the

 plain fact is that the ,church at the  
beginning had no organisation4 ,what    
organisation it had grew up as          
circumstances required4 ,the only two   
laws which governed organisation were1  
first1 ',one is your ,master1 even      
,christ1 and all ye are brethren'2 and  
second1 ',when the ,spirit of the ,lord 
is come upon thee1 thou shalt do as     
occasion shall serve thee4' ,thus these 
seven were appointed to deal with a     
temporary difficulty and to distribute  
alms when necessary2 and their office   
dropped when it was no longer required1 
as was probably the case when1 very soon
 after1 the ,jerusalem ,church was      
scattered4 ,then1 by degrees1 came      
elders and deacons4 ,people fancy that  
there is but one rigid1 unalterable type
 of ,church organisation1 when the      
reality is that it is fluent and        
flexible1 and that the primitive ,church
 never was meant to be the pattern      
according to which1 in detail1 and      
specifically1 other ,churches in        

different circumstances should be       
constituted4 ,there are great principles
 which no organisation must break1 but  
if these be kept1 the form is a matter  
of convenience4  ,that is the first     
lesson that ,i take out of this story4  
,although it has not much to do with    
,philip himself1 still it is worth      
saying in these days when a particular  
organisation of the ,church is supposed 
to be essential to ,christian           
fellowship1 and we ,nonconformists1 who 
have not the 'orders' that some of our  
brethren seem to think indispensable1   
are by a considerable school unchurched1
 because we are without them4 ,but the  
primitive ,church also was without them4
  ,still further and more important for 
us1 in these brief years of brilliant   
service ,i note the spontaneous impulse 
which sets a ,christian man to do       
,christian work4 ,it was his brethren   
that picked out ,philip1 and said1 ',now
 go and distribute alms1' but his       
brethren had nothing to do with his next

 step4 ,he was driven by circumstances  
out of ,jerusalem1 and he found himself 
in ,samaria1 and perhaps he remembered  
how ,jesus ,christ had said1 on the day 
when ,he went up into ,heaven1 ',ye     
shall be witnesses unto ,me1 both in    
,jerusalem and in ,samaria1 and unto the
 uttermost parts of the earth4' ,but    
whether he remembered that or not1 he   
was here in ,samaria1 amongst the       
ancestral enemies of his nation4 ,nobody
 told him to preach when he went to     
,samaria4 ,he had no commission from the
 ,apostles to do so4 ,he did not hold   
any office in the ,church1 except that  
which1 according to the ,apostles'      
intention in establishing it1 ought to  
have stopped his mouth from preaching4  
,for they said1 when they appointed     
these seven1 ',let them serve tables1   
and we will give ourselves to the       
ministry of the word4' ,but ,jesus      
,christ has a way of upsetting men's    
restrictions as to the functions of ,his
 servants4 ,and so ,philip1 without a   

commission1 and with many prejudices to 
stop his mouth1 was the first to break  
through the limitations which confined  
the message of salvation to the ,jews4  
,because he found himself in ,samaria1  
and they needed ,christ there1 he did   
not wait for ,peter and ,james and ,john
 to lay their hands upon his head1 and  
say1 ',now you are entitled to speak    
about ,him'2 he did not wait for any    
appointment1 but yielded to his own     
heart1 a heart that was full of ,jesus  
,christ1 and must speak about ,him2 find
 he proclaimed the ,gospel in that city4
  ,so he has the noble distinction of   
being the very first ,christian man who 
put a bold foot across the boundary of  
,judaism1 and showed a light to men that
 were in darkness beyond4 ,remember he  
did it as a simple private ,christian2  
uncalled1 uncommissioned1 unordained by 
anybody2 and he did it because he could 
not help it1 and he never thought to    
himself1 ',i am doing a daring1 new     
thing4' ,it seemed the most natural     

thing in the world that he should preach
 in ,samaria4 ,so it would be to us1 if 
we were ,christians with the depth of   
faith and of personal experience which  
this man had4  ,there is another lesson 
that ,i take from these first busy years
 of ,philip's service4 ,christ provides 
wider spheres for men who have been     
faithful in narrower ones4 ,it was      
because he had 'won his spurs1' if ,i   
may so say1 in ,samaria1 and proved the 
stuff he was made of1 that the angel of 
the ,lord came and said to ,philip1 ',go
 down on the road to ,gaza1 which is    
desert4 ,do not ask now what you are to 
do when you get there4 ,go6' ,so with   
his sealed orders be went4 ,no doubt he 
thought to himself1 ',strange that ,i   
should be taken from this prosperous    
work in ,samaria1 and sent to a desert  
road1 where there is not a single human 
being6' ,but he went2 and when he struck
 the point of junction of the road from 
,samaria with that from ,jerusalem1     
looked about to discover what he had    

been sent there for4 ,the only thing in 
sight was one chariot1 and he said to   
himself1 ',ah1 that is it1' and he drew 
near to the chariot1 and heard the      
occupant reading aloud ,isaiah's great  
prophecy4 ,the ,ethiopian chamberlain   
was probably not very familiar with the 
,greek translation of the ,old          
,testament1 which he seems to have been 
using and1 as poor readers often do1    
helped his comprehension by speaking the
 words he sees on the page4 ,philip knew
 at once that here was the object of his
 mission1 and so 'joined himself to the 
chariot1' and set himself to his work4  
,so ,christ chooses ,his agents for     
further work from those who1 out of     
their own spontaneous love of ,him1 have
 done what lay at their hands4 ',to him 
that hath shall be given4' ,if you are  
ambitious of a wider sphere1 be sure    
that you fill your narrow one4 ,it will 
widen quite fast enough for your        
capacities4  ,,ii4 ,now let me say a    
word about the long years of obscurity4 

,philip went down to ,caesarea1 and1 as 
,i said1 he drops out of the story for  
twenty years4 ,i wonder why it was that 
when ,jesus ,christ desired that        
,cornelius1 who lived in ,caesarea1     
should hear the gospel1 ,he did not     
direct him to ,philip1 who also was in  
,caesarea1 but bid him send all the way 
to ,joppa to bring ,peter thence8 ,i    
wonder why it was that when ,barnabas at
 ,antioch turned his face northwards to 
seek for young ,saul at ,tarsus1 he     
never dreamed of turning southwards to  
call out ,philip from ,caesarea8 ,i     
wonder how it came to pass that this    
man1 who at one time looked as if he was
 going to be the leader in the extension
 of the ,church to the ,gentiles1 and   
who1 as a matter of fact1 was the first1
 not only in ,samaria but on the desert 
road1 to press beyond the narrow bounds 
of ,judaism1 was passed over in the     
further stages by ,jesus1 and why his   
brethren passed him over1 and left him  
there all these years in ,caesarea1     

whilst there was so much going on that  
was the continuation and development of 
the very movement that he had begun4 ,we
 do not know why1 and it is useless to  
try to speculate1 but we may learn      
lessons from the fact4  ,here is a      
beautiful instance of the contented     
acceptance of a lot very much less      
conspicuous1 very much less brilliant1  
than the early beginnings had seemed to 
promise4 ,i suppose that there are very 
few of us but have had1 back in the     
far-away past1 moments when we seemed to
 have opening out before us great       
prospects of service which have never   
been realised2 and the remembrance of   
the brief moments of dawning splendour  
is very apt to make the rest of the life
 look grey and dull1 and common things  
flat1 and to make us sour4 ,we look back
 and we think1 ',ah1 the gates were     
opened for me then1 but how they have   
slammed to since6 ,it is hard for me to 
go on in this lowly condition1 and this 
eclipsed state into which ,i have been  

brought1 without feeling how different  
it might have been if those early days  
had only continued4' ,well1 for ,philip 
it was enough that ,jesus ,christ sent  
him to the eunuch and did not send him  
to ,cornelius4 ,he took the position    
that his ,master put him in and worked  
away therein4  ,and there is a further  
lesson for us1 who1 for the most part1  
have to lead obscure lives4 ,for there  
was in ,philip not only a contented     
acceptance of an obscure life1 but there
 was a diligent doing of obscure work4  
,did you notice that one significant    
little word in the clause that ,i have  
taken for my text3 ',we entered into the
 house of ,philip the evangelist1 which 
was one of the seven'8 ,luke does not   
forget ,philip's former office1 but he  
dwells rather on what his other office  
was1 twenty years afterwards4 ,he was   
'an evangelist' now1 although the       
evangelistic work was being done in a   
very quiet corner1 and nobody was paying
 much attention to it4 ,time was when he

 had a great statesman to listen to his 
words4 ,time was when a whole city was  
moved by his teaching4 ,time was when it
 looked as if he was going to do the    
work that ,paul did4 ,but all these     
visions were shattered1 and he was left 
to toil for twenty long years in that   
obscure corner1 and not a soul knew     
anything about his work except the      
people to whom it was directed and the  
four unmarried girls at home whom his   
example had helped to bring to ,jesus   
,christ1 and who were 'prophetesses4'   
,at the end of the twenty years he is   
',philip the evangelist4'  ,there is    
patient perseverance at unrecompensed1  
unrecorded1 and unnoticed work4 ',great'
 and 'small' have nothing to do with the
 work of ,christian people4 ,it does not
 matter who knows our work or who does  
not know it1 the thing is that ,he knows
 it4 ,now the most of us have to do     
absolutely unnoticed ,christian service4
 ,those of us who are in positions like 
mine have a little more notoriety--and  

it is no blessing--and a year or two    
after a man's voice ceases to sound from
 a pulpit he is forgotten4 ,what does it
 matter8 ',surely ,i will never forget  
any of their works4' ,and in these      
advertising days1 when publicity seems  
to be the great good that people in so  
many cases seek after1 and no one is    
contented to do his little bit of work  
unless he gets reported in the columns  
of the newspapers1 we may all take      
example from the behaviour of ,philip1  
and remember the man who began so       
brilliantly1 and for twenty years was   
hidden1 and was 'the evangelist' all the
 time4  ,,iii4 ,now1 there is one last  
lesson that ,i would draw1 and that is  
the ultimate recognition of the work and
 the joyful meeting of the workers4  ,i 
think it is very beautiful to see that  
when ,paul entered ,philip's house he   
came into a congenial atmosphere2 and   
although he had been hurrying1 out of   
breath as it were1 all the way from     
,corinth to get to ,jerusalem in time   

for the ,feast1 he slowed off at once2  
partly1 no doubt1 because he found that 
he was in time1 and partly1 no doubt1   
that he felt the congeniality of the    
society that he met4  ,so there was no  
envy in ,philip's heart of the younger  
brother that had so outrun him4 ,he was 
quite content to share the fate of      
pioneers1 and rejoiced in the junior who
 had entered into his labour4 ',one     
soweth and another reapeth'2 he was     
prepared for that1 and rejoiced to hear 
about what the ,lord had done by his    
brother1 though once he had thought it  
might have been done by him4 ,how they  
would talk6 ,how much there would be to 
tell6 ,how glad the old man would be at 
the younger man's success6  ,and there  
was one sitting by who did not say very 
much1 but had his ears wide open1 and   
his name was ,luke4 ,in ,philip's long1 
confidential conversations he no doubt  
got some of the materials1 which have   
been preserved for us in this book1 for 
his account of the early days of the    

,church in ,jerusalem4  ,so ,philip1    
after all1 was not working in so obscure
 a corner as he thought4 ,the whole     
world knows about him4 ,he had been     
working behind a curtain all the while1 
and he never knew that 'the beloved     
physician1' who was listening so eagerly
 to all he had to tell about the early  
days1 was going to twitch down the      
curtain and let the whole world see the 
work that he thought he was doing1 all  
unknown and soon to be forgotten4  ,and 
that is what will happen to us all4 ,the
 curtain will be twitched down1 and when
 it is1 it will be good for us if we    
have the same record to show that this  
man had--namely1 toil for the ,master1  
indifferent to whether men see or do not
 see2 patient labour for ,him1 coming   
out of a heart purged of all envy and   
jealousy of those who have been called  
to larger and more conspicuous service4 
,may we not take these many days of     
quiet converse in ,philip's house1 when 
the pioneer and the perfecter of the    

work talked together1 as being a kind of
 prophetic symbol of the time when all  
who had a share in the one great and    
then completed work will have a share in
 its joy8 ,no matter whether they have  
dug the foundations or laid the early   
courses or set the top stone and the    
shining battlements that crown the      
structure1 they have all their share in 
the building and their portion in the   
gladness of the completed edifice1 'that
 he that soweth and he that reapeth may 
rejoice together4'    ,,an ,,old        
,,disciple  '444 ,one ,mnason of        
,cyprus1 an old disciple1 with whom we  
should lodge4'--,,acts xxi4 #af4  ,there
 is something that stimulates the       
imagination in these mere shadows of men
 that we meet in the ,new ,testament    
story4 ,what a strange fate that is to  
be made immortal by a line in this      
book--immortal and yet so unknown6 ,we  
do not hear another word about this host
 of ,paul's1 but his name will be       
familiar to men's ears till the world's 

end4 ,this figure is drawn in the       
slightest possible outline1 with a      
couple of hasty strokes of the pencil4  
,but if we take even these few bare     
words and look at them1 feeling that    
there is a man like ourselves sketched  
in them1 ,i think we can get a real     
picture out of them1 and that even this 
dim form crowded into the background of 
the ,apostolic story may have a word or 
two to say to us4  ,his name and his    
birthplace show that he belonged to the 
same class as ,paul1 that is1 he was a  
,hellenist1 or a ,jew by descent1 but   
born on ,gentile soil1 and speaking     
,greek4 ,he came from ,cyprus1 the      
native island of ,barnabas1 who may have
 been a friend of his4 ,he was an 'old  
disciple1' which does not mean simply   
that he was advanced in life1 but that  
he was 'a disciple from the beginning1' 
one of the original group of believers4 
,if we interpret the word strictly1 we  
must suppose him to have been one of the
 rapidly diminishing nucleus1 who thirty

 years or more ago had seen ,christ in  
the flesh1 and been drawn to ,him by    
,his own words4 ,evidently the mention  
of the early date of his conversion     
suggests that the number of his         
contemporaries was becoming few1 and    
that there were a certain honour and    
distinction conceded by the second      
generation of the ,church to the        
survivors of the primitive band4 ,then1 
of course1 as one of the earliest       
believers1 he must1 by this time1 have  
been advanced in life4 ,a ,cypriote by  
birth1 he had emigrated to1 and resided 
in a village on the road to ,jerusalem2 
and must have had means and heart to    
exercise a liberal hospitality there4   
,though a ,hellenist like ,paul he does 
not seem to have known the ,apostle     
before1 for the most probable rendering 
of the context is that the disciples    
from ,caesarea1 who were travelling with
 the ,apostle from that place to        
,jerusalem1 'brought us to ,mnason1'    
implying that this was their first      

introduction to each other4 ,but though 
probably unacquainted with the great    
teacher of the ,gentiles--whose ways    
were looked on with much doubt by many  
of the ,palestinian ,christians--the old
 man1 relic of the original disciples as
 he was1 had full sympathy with ,paul1  
and opened his house and his heart to   
receive him4 ,his adhesion to the       
,apostle would no doubt carry weight    
with 'the many thousands of ,jews which 
believed1 and were all zealous of the   
law1' and was as honourable to him as it
 was helpful to ,paul4  ,now if we put  
all this together1 does not the shadowy 
figure begin to become more substantial8
 and does it not preach to us some      
lessons that we may well take to heart8 
,i4 ,the first thing which this old     
disciple says to us out of the misty    
distance is3 ,hold fast to your early   
faith1 and to the ,christ whom you have 
known4  ,many a year had passed since   
the days when perhaps the beauty of the 
,master's own character and the         

sweetness of ,his own words had drawn   
this man to ,him4 ,how much had come and
 gone since then--,calvary and the      
,resurrection1 ,olivet and the          
,pentecost6 ,his own life and mind had  
changed from buoyant youth to sober old 
age4 ,his whole feelings and outlook on 
the world were different4 ,his old      
friends had mostly gone4 ,james indeed  
was still there1 and ,peter and ,john   
remained until this present1 but most   
had fallen on sleep4 ,a new generation  
was rising round about him1 and new     
thoughts and ways were at work4 ,but one
 thing remained for him what it had been
 in the old days1 and that was ,christ4 
',one generation cometh and another     
goeth1 but the ,christ abideth for      
ever4'    ',we all are changed by still 
degrees2     ,all but the basis of the  
soul1'  and the 'basis of the soul1' in 
the truest sense1 is that one ,god-laid 
foundation on which whosoever buildeth  
shall never be confounded1 nor ever need
 to change with changing time4 ,are we  

building there8 and do we find that     
life1 as it advances1 but tightens our  
hold on ,jesus ,christ1 who is our hope8
  ,there is no fairer nor happier       
experience than that of the old man who 
has around him the old loves1 the old   
confidences1 and some measure of the old
 joys4 ,but who can secure that blessed 
unity in his life if he depend on the   
love and help of even the dearest1 or on
 the light of any creature for his      
sunshine8 ,there is but one way of      
making all our days one1 because one    
love1 one hope1 one joy1 one aim binds  
them all together1 and that is by taking
 the abiding ,christ for ours1 and      
abiding in ,him all our days4 ,holding  
fast by the early convictions does not  
mean stiffening in them4 ,there is      
plenty of room for advancement in       
,christ4 ,no doubt ,mnason1 when he was 
first a disciple1 knew but very little  
of the meaning and worth of his ,master 
and ,his work1 compared with what he had
 learned in all these years4 ,and our   

true progress consists1 not in growing  
away from ,jesus but in growing up into 
,him1 not in passing through and leaving
 behind our first convictions of ,him as
 ,saviour1 but in having these verified 
by the experience of years1 deepened and
 cleared1 unfolded and ordered into a   
larger1 though still incomplete1 whole4 
,we may make our whole lives helpful to 
that advancement and blessed shall we be
 if the early faith is the faith that   
brightens till the end1 and brightens   
the end4 ,how beautiful it is to see a  
man1 below whose feet time is crumbling 
away1 holding firmly by the ,lord whom  
he has loved and served all his days1   
and finding that the pillar of cloud1   
which guided him while he lived1 begins 
to glow in its heart of fire as the     
shadows fall1 and is a pillar of light  
to guide him when he comes to die6 ,dear
 friends1 whether you be near the       
starting or near the prize of your      
,christian course1 'cast not away your  
confidence1 which hath great recompense 

of reward4' ,see to it that the         
'knowledge of the ,father1' which is the
 'little children's' possession1 passes 
through the strength of youth1 and the  
'victory over the world' into the calm  
knowledge of ,him 'that is from the     
beginning1' wherein the fathers find    
their earliest convictions deepened and 
perfected1 ',grow in grace and in the   
knowledge' of ,him1 whom to know ever so
 imperfectly is eternal life1 whom to   
know a little better is the true        
progress for men1 whom to know more and 
more fully is the growth and gladness   
and glory of the heavens4 ,look at this 
shadowy figure that looks out on us     
here1 and listen to his far-off voice   
'exhorting us all that with purpose of  
heart we should cleave unto the ,lord4' 
,,ii4 ,but there is another and1 as some
 might think1 opposite lesson to be     
gathered from this outline sketch1      
namely1 ,the welcome which we should be 
ready to give to new thoughts and ways4 
,it is evidently meant that we should   

note ,mnason's position in the ,church  
as significant in regard to his         
hospitable reception of the ,apostle4   
,we can fancy how the little knot of    
'original disciples' would be apt to    
value themselves on their position1     
especially as time went on1 and their   
ranks were thinned4 ,they would be      
tempted to suppose that they must needs 
understand the ,master's meaning a great
 deal better than those who had never   
known ,christ after the flesh2 and no   
doubt they would be inclined to share in
 the suspicion with which the           
thorough-going ,jewish party in the     
,church regarded this ,paul1 who had    
never seen the ,lord4 ,it would have    
been very natural for this good old man 
to have said1 ',i do not like these     
new-fangled ways4 ,there was nothing of 
this sort in my younger days4 ,is it not
 likely that we1 who were at the        
beginning of the ,gospel1 should        
understand the ,gospel and the ,church's
 work without this new man coming to set

 us right8 ,i am too old to go in with  
these changes4' ,all the more honourable
 is it that he should have been ready   
with an open house to shelter the great 
champion of the ,gentile ,churches2 and1
 as we may reasonably believe1 with an  
open heart to welcome his teaching4     
,depend on it1 it was not every 'old    
disciple' that would have done as much4 
,now does not this flexibility of mind  
and openness of nature to welcome new   
ways of work1 when united with the      
persistent constancy in his old creed1  
make an admirable combination8 ,it is   
one rare enough at any age1 but         
especially in elderly men4 ,we are      
always disposed to rend apart what ought
 never to be separated1 the inflexible  
adherence to a fixed centre of belief1  
and the freest ranging around the whole 
changing circumference4 ,the man of     
strong convictions is apt to grip every 
trifle of practice and every unimportant
 bit of his creed with the same tenacity
 with which he holds its vital heart1   

and to take obstinacy for firmness1 and 
dogged self-will for faithfulness to    
truth4 ,the man who welcomes new light1 
and reaches forward to greet new ways1  
is apt to delight in having much fluid  
that ought to be fixed1 and to value    
himself on a 'liberality' which simply  
means that he has no central truth and  
no rooted convictions4 ,and as men grow 
older they stiffen more and more1 and   
have to leave the new work for new      
hands1 and the new thoughts for new     
brains4 ,that is all in the order of    
nature1 but so much the finer is it when
 we do see old ,christian men who join  
to their firm grip of the old ,gospel   
the power of welcoming1 and at least    
bidding ,god-speed to1 new thoughts and 
new workers and new ways of work4  ,the 
union of these two characteristics      
should be consciously aimed at by us    
all4 ,hold unchanging1 with a grasp that
 nothing can relax1 by ,christ our life 
and our all2 but with that tenacity of  
mind1 try to cultivate flexibility too4 

,love the old1 but be ready to welcome  
the new4 ,do not invest your own or     
other people's habits of thought or     
forms of work with the same sanctity    
which belongs to the central truths of  
our salvation2 do not let the           
willingness to entertain new light lead 
you to tolerate any changes there4 ,it  
is hard to blend the two virtues        
together1 but they are meant to be      
complements1 not opposites1 to each     
other4 ,the fluttering leaves and       
bending branches need a firm stem and   
deep roots4 ,the firm stem looks noblest
 in its unmoved strength when it is     
contrasted with a cloud of light foliage
 dancing in the wind4 ,try to imitate   
the persistency and the open mind of    
that 'old disciple' who was so ready to 
welcome and entertain the ,apostle of   
the ,gentile ,churches4  ,,iii4 ,but    
there is still another lesson which1 ,i 
think1 this portrait may suggest1 and   
that is1 the beauty that may dwell in an
 obscure life4  ,there is nothing to be 

said about this old man but that he was 
a disciple4 ,he had done no great thing 
for his ,lord4 ,no teacher or preacher  
was he4 ,no eloquence or genius was in  
him4 ,no great heroic deed or piece of  
saintly endurance is to be recorded of  
him1 but only this1 that he had loved   
and followed ,christ all his days4 ,and 
is not that record enough8 ,it is his   
blessed fate to live for ever in the    
world's memory1 with only that one word 
attached to his name--a disciple4  ,the 
world may remember very little about us 
a year after we are gone4 ,no thought1  
no deed may be connected with our names 
but in some narrow circle of loving     
hearts4 ,there may be no place for us in
 any record written with a man's pen4   
,but what does that matter1 if our      
names1 dear friends1 are written in the 
,lamb's ,book of ,life1 with this for   
sole epitaph1 'a disciple'8 ,that single
 phrase is the noblest summary of a     
life4 ,a thinker8 a hero8 a great man8 a
 millionaire8 ,no1 a 'disciple4' ,that  

says all4 ,may it be your epitaph and   
mine6  ,what ,mnason could do he did4   
,it was not his vocation to go into the 
'regions beyond1' like ,paul2 to guide  
the ,church1 like ,james2 to put his    
remembrances of his ,master in a book1  
like ,matthew2 to die for ,jesus1 like  
,stephen4 ,but he could open his house  
for ,paul and his company1 and so take  
his share in their work4 ',he that      
receiveth a prophet in the name of a    
prophet shall receive a prophet's       
reward4' ,he that with understanding and
 sympathy welcomes and sustains the     
prophet1 shows thereby that he stands on
 the same spiritual level1 and has the  
makings of a prophet in him1 though he  
want the intellectual force and may     
never open his lips to speak the burden 
of the ,lord4 ,therefore he shall be one
 in reward as he is in spirit4 ,the old 
law in ,israel is the law for the       
warfare of ,christ's soldiers4 ',as his 
part is that goeth down to the battle1  
so shall his part be that abideth by the

 stuff3 they shall part alike4' ,the men
 in the rear who guard the camp and keep
 the communications open1 may deserve   
honours1 and crosses1 and prize-money as
 much as their comrades who led the     
charge that cut through the enemy's line
 and scattered their ranks4 ,it does not
 matter1 so far as the real spiritual   
worth of the act is concerned1 what we  
do1 but only why we do it4 ,all deeds   
are the same which are done from the    
same motive and with the same devotion2 
and ,he who judges1 not by our outward  
actions but by the springs from which   
they come1 will at last bracket together
 as equals many who were widely         
separated here in the form of their     
service and the apparent magnitude of   
their work4  ',she hath done what she   
could4' ,her power determined the       
measure and the manner of her work4 ,one
 precious thing she had1 and only one1  
and she broke her one rich possession   
that she might pour the fragrant oil    
over ,his feet4 ,therefore her useless  

deed of utter love and uncalculating    
self-sacrifice was crowned by praise    
from ,his lips whose praise is our      
highest honour1 and the world is still  
'filled with the odour of the ointment4'
  ,so this old disciple's hospitality is
 strangely immortal1 and the record of  
it reminds us that the smallest service 
done for ,jesus is remembered and       
treasured by ,him4 ,men have spent their
 lives to win a line in the world's     
chronicles which are written on sand1   
and have broken their hearts because    
they failed2 and this passing act of one
 obscure ,christian1 in sheltering a    
little company of travel-stained        
wayfarers1 has made his name a          
possession for ever4 ',seekest thou     
great things for thyself8 seek them     
not'2 but let us fill our little        
corners1 doing our unnoticed work for   
love of our ,lord1 careless about man's 
remembrance or praise1 because sure of  
,christ's1 whose praise is the only     
fame1 whose remembrance is the highest  

reward4 ',god is not unrighteous to     
forget your work and labour of love4'   
,,paul ,,in ,,the ,,temple  ',and when  
the seven days were almost ended1 the   
,jews which were of ,asia when they saw 
him in the temple1 stirred up all the   
people1 and laid hands on him4 #bh4     
,crying out1 ,men of ,israel1 help3     
,this is the man1 that teacheth all men 
everywhere against the people1 and the  
law1 and this place3 and further brought
 ,greeks also into the temple1 and hath 
polluted this holy place4 #bi4 7,for    
they had seen before with him in the    
city ,trophimus an ,ephesian1 whom they 
supposed that ,paul had brought into the
 temple47 #cj4 ,and all the city was    
moved1 and the people ran together3 and 
they took ,paul1 and drew him out of the
 temple3 and forthwith the doors were   
shut4 #ca4 ,and as they went about to   
kill him1 tidings came unto the chief   
captain of the band1 that all ,jerusalem
 was in an uproar4 #cb4 ,who immediately
 took soldiers and centurions1 and ran  

down unto them3 and when they saw the   
chief captain and the soldiers1 they    
left beating of ,paul4 #cc4 ,then the   
chief captain came near1 and took him1  
and commanded him to be bound with two  
chains2 and demanded who he was1 and    
what he had done4 #cd4 ,and some cried  
one thing1 some another1 among the      
multitude3 and when he could not know   
the certainty for the tumult1 he        
commanded him to be carried into the    
castle4 #ce4 ,and when he came upon the 
stairs1 so it was1 that he was borne of 
the soldiers for the violence of the    
people4 #cf4 ,for the multitude of the  
people followed after1 crying1 ,away    
with him4 #cg4 ,and as ,paul was to be  
led into the castle1 he said unto the   
chief captain1 ,may ,i speak unto thee8 
,who said1 ,canst thou speak ,greek8    
#ch4 ,art not thou that ,egyptian1 which
 before these days madest an uproar1 and
 leddest out into the wilderness four   
thousand men that were murderers8 #ci4  
,but ,paul said1 ,i am a man which am a 

,jew of ,tarsus1 a city in ,cilicia1 a  
citizen of no mean city3 and1 ,i beseech
 thee1 suffer me to speak unto the      
people4'--,,acts xxi4 #bg-ci4  ,the     
stronger a man's faith1 the greater will
 and should be his disposition to       
conciliate4 ,paul may seem to have      
stretched consideration for weak        
brethren to its utmost1 when he         
consented to the proposal of the        
,jerusalem elders to join in performing 
the vow of a ,nazarite1 and to appear in
 the ,temple for that purpose4 ,but he  
was quite consistent in so doing2 for it
 was not ,jewish ceremonial to which he 
objected1 but the insisting on it as    
necessary4 ,for himself1 he lived as a  
,jew1 except in his freedom of          
intercourse with ,gentiles4 ,no doubt he
 knew that the death-warrant of ,jewish 
ceremonial had been signed1 but he could
 leave it to time to carry out the      
sentence4 ,the one thing which he was   
resolved should not be was its          
imposition on ,gentile ,christians4     

,their road to ,jesus was not through   
,temple or synagogue4 ,as for ,jewish   
,christians1 let them keep to the ritual
 if they chose4 ,the conciliatory plan  
recommended by the elders1 though       
perfectly consistent with ,paul's views 
and successful with the ,jewish         
,christians1 roused non-,christian ,jews
 as might have been expected4  ,this    
incident brings out very strikingly the 
part played by each of the two factors  
in carrying out ,god's purposes for     
,paul4 ,they are unconscious            
instruments1 and co-operation is the    
last thing dreamed of on either side2   
but ,jew and ,roman together work out a 
design of which they had not a glimpse4 
,i4 ,note the charge against ,paul4 ,the
 ',jews from ,asia' knew him by sight1  
as they had seen him in ,ephesus and    
elsewhere2 and possibly some of them had
 been fellow-passengers with him from   
,miletus4 ,no wonder that they construed
 his presence in the ,temple into an    
insult to it4 ,if ,luther or ,john ,knox

 had appeared in ,st4 ,peter's1 he would
 not have been thought to have come as a
 worshipper4 ,paul's teaching may very  
naturally have created the impression in
 hot-tempered partisans1 who could not  
draw distinctions1 that he was the enemy
 of ,temple and sacrifice4  ,it has     
always been the vice of religious       
controversy to treat inferences from    
heretical teaching1 which appear plain  
to the critics1 as if they were articles
 of the heretic's belief4 ,these ,jewish
 zealots practised a very common method 
when they fathered on ,paul all which   
they supposed to be involved in his     
position4 ,their charges against him are
 partly flat lies1 partly conclusions   
drawn from misapprehension of his       
position1 partly exaggeration1 and      
partly hasty assumptions4 ,he had never 
said a word which could be construed as 
'against the people4' ,he had indeed    
preached that the law was not for       
,gentiles1 and was not the perfect      
revelation which brought salvation1 and 

he had pointed to ,jesus as in ,himself 
realising all that the ,temple shadowed2
 but such teaching was not 'against'    
either1 but rather for both1 as setting 
both in their true relation to the whole
 process of revelation4 ,he had not     
brought ',greeks' into the ,temple1 not 
even the one ,greek whom malice         
multiplied into many4 ,when passion is  
roused1 exaggerations and assumptions   
soon become definite assertions4 ,the   
charges are a complete object-lesson in 
the baser arts of religious 767         
partisans2 and they have been but too   
faithfully reproduced in all ages4 ,did 
,paul remember how he had been          
'consenting' to the death of ,stephen on
 the very same charges8 ,how far he has 
travelled since that day6  ,,ii4 ,note  
the immediately kindled flame of popular
 bigotry4 ,the always inflammable       
population of ,jerusalem was more than  
usually excitable at the times of the   
,feasts1 when it was largely increased  
by zealous worshippers from a distance4 

,noble teaching would have left the mob 
as stolid as it found them2 but an      
appeal to the narrow prejudices which   
they thought were religion was a spark  
in gunpowder1 and an explosion was      
immediate4 ,it is always easier to rouse
 men to fight for their 'religion' than 
to live by it4 ,jehu was proud of what  
he calls his 'zeal for the ,lord1' which
 was really only ferocity with a mask   
on4 ,the yelling crowd did not stop to  
have the charges proved4 ,that they were
 made was enough4 ,in ,scotland people  
used to talk of ',jeddart justice1'     
which consisted in hanging a man first1 
and trying him leisurely afterwards4 ,it
 was usually substantially just when    
applied to moss-troopers1 but does not  
do so well when administered to         
,apostles4  ,notice the carefulness to  
save the ,temple from pollution1 which  
is shown by the furious crowds dragging 
,paul outside before they kill him4     
,they were not afraid to commit murder1 
but they were horror-struck at the      

thought of a breach of ceremonial       
etiquette4 ,of course6 for when religion
 is conceived of as mainly a matter of  
outward observances1 sin is reduced to a
 breach of these4 ,we are all tempted to
 shift the centre of gravity in our     
religion1 and to make too much of ritual
 etiquette4 ,kill ,paul if you will1 but
 get him outside the sacred precincts   
first4 ,the priests shut the doors to   
make sure that there should be no       
profanation1 and stopped inside the     
,temple1 well pleased that murder should
 go on at its threshold4 ,they had      
better have rescued the victim4 ,time   
was when the altar was a sanctuary for  
the criminal who could grasp its horns1 
but now its ministers wink at bloodshed 
with secret approval4 ,paul could easily
 have been killed in the crowd1 and no  
responsibility for his death have clung 
to any single hand4 ,no doubt that was  
the cowardly calculation which they     
made1 and they were well on the way to  
carry it out when the other factor comes

 into operation4  ,,iii4 ,note the      
source of deliverance4 ,the ,roman      
garrison was posted in the fortress of  
,antonia1 which commanded the ,temple   
from a higher level at the north-west   
angle of the enclosure4 ,tidings 'came  
up' to the officer in command1 ,claudius
 ,lysias by name 7,acts xxiii4 #bf71    
that all ,jerusalem was in confusion4   
,with disciplined promptitude he turned 
out a detachment and 'ran down upon     
them4' ,the contrast between the quiet  
power of the legionaries and the noisy  
feebleness of the mob is striking4 ,the 
best qualities of ,roman sway are seen  
in this tribune's unhesitating action1  
before which the excited mob cowers in  
fright4 ,they 'left beating of ,paul1'  
as knowing that a heavier hand would    
fall on them for rioting4 ,with swift   
decision ,lysias acts first and talks   
afterwards1 securing the man who was    
plainly the centre of disturbance1 and  
then having got him fast with two chains
 on him1 inquiring who he was1 and what 

he had been doing4  ,then the crowd     
breaks loose again in noisy and         
contradictory explanations1 all at the  
top of their voices1 and each drowning  
the other4 ,clearly the bulk of them    
could not answer either of ,lysias'     
questions1 though they could all bellow 
',away with him6' till their throats    
were sore4 ,it is a perfect picture of a
 mob1 which is always ferocious and     
volubly explanatory in proportion to its
 ignorance4 ,one man kept his head in   
the hubbub1 and that was ,lysias1 who   
determined to hold his prisoner till he 
did know something about him4 ,so he    
ordered him to be taken up into the     
castle2 and as the crowd saw their prey 
escaping they made one last fierce rush1
 and almost swept away the soldiers1 who
 had to pick ,paul up and carry him4    
,once on the stairs leading to the      
castle they were clear of the crowd1    
which could only send a roar of baffled 
rage after them1 and to this the stolid 
legionaries were as deaf as were their  

own helmets4  ,the part here played by  
the ,roman authority is that which it   
performs throughout the ,acts4 ,it      
shields infant ,christianity from       
,jewish assailants1 like the wolf which1
 according to legend1 suckled ,romulus4 
,the good and the bad features of ,roman
 rule were both valuable for that       
purpose4 ,its contempt for ideas1 and   
above all for speculative differences in
 a religion which it regarded as a      
hurtful superstition1 its unsympathetic 
incapacity for understanding its subject
 nations1 its military discipline1 its  
justice1 which though often tainted was 
yet better than the partisan violence   
which it coerced1 all helped to make it 
the defender of the first ,christians4  
,strange that ,rome should shelter and  
,jerusalem persecute6  ,mark1 too1 how  
blindly men fulfil ,god's purposes4 ,the
 two bitter antagonists1 ,jew and       
,roman1 seem to themselves to be working
 in direct opposition2 but ,god is using
 them both to carry out ,his design4    

,paul has to be got to ,rome1 and these 
two forces are combined by a wisdom     
beyond their ken1 to carry him thither4 
,two cogged wheels turning in opposite  
directions fit into each other1 and     
grind out a resultant motion1 different 
from either of theirs4 ,these soldiers  
and that mob were like pawns on a       
chessboard1 ignorant of the intentions  
of the hand which moves them4  ,,iv4    
,note the calm courage of ,paul4 ,he too
 had kept his head1 and though bruised  
and hustled1 and having but a minute or 
two beforehand looked death in the face1
 he is ready to seize the opportunity to
 speak a word for his ,master4 ,observe 
the quiet courtesy of his address1 and  
his calm remembrance of the tribune's   
right to prevent his speaking4 ,there is
 nothing more striking in ,paul's       
character than his self-command and     
composure in all circumstances4 ,this   
ship could rise to any wave1 and ride in
 any storm4 ,it was not by virtue of    
happy temperament but of a fixed faith  

that his heart and mind were kept in    
perfect peace4 ,it is not easy to       
disturb a man who counts not his life   
dear if only he may complete his course4
 ,so these two men front each other1 and
 it is hard to tell which has the       
quieter pulse and the steadier hand4    
,the same sources of tranquil           
self-control and calm superiority to    
fortune which stood ,paul in such good  
stead are open to us4 ,if ,god is our   
rock and our high tower we shall not be 
moved4  ,the tribune had for some       
unknown reason settled in his mind that 
the ,apostle was a well-known           
',egyptian1' who had headed a band of   
',sicarii' or 'dagger-men1' of whose    
bloody doings ,josephus tells us4 ,how  
the ,jews should have been trying to    
murder such a man ,lysias does not seem 
to have considered4 ,but when he heard  
the courteous1 respectful ,greek speech 
of the ,apostle he saw at once that he  
had got no uncultured ruffian to deal   
with1 and in answer to ,paul's request  

and explanation gave him leave to speak4
 ,that has been thought an              
improbability4 ,but strong men recognise
 each other1 and the brave ,roman was   
struck with something in the tone and   
bearing of the brave ,jew which made him
 instinctively sure that no harm would  
come of the permission4 ,there ought to 
be that in the demeanour of a ,christian
 which is as a testimonial of character 
for him1 and sways observers to         
favourable constructions4    ,,paul ,,on
 ,,his ,,own ,,conversion  ',and it came
 to pass1 that1 as ,i made my journey1  
and was come nigh unto ,damascus about  
noon1 suddenly there shone from heaven a
 great light round about me4 #g4 ,and ,i
 fell unto the ground1 and heard a voice
 saying unto me1 ,saul1 ,saul1 why      
perseoutest thou ,me8 #h4 ,and ,i       
answered1 ,who art ,thou1 ,lord8 ,and   
,he said unto me1 ,i am ,jesus of       
,nazareth1 whom thou persecutest4 #i4   
,and they that were with me saw indeed  
the light1 and were afraid2 but they    

heard not the voice of ,him that spake  
to me4 #aj4 ,and ,i said1 ,what shall ,i
 do1 ,lord8 ,and the ,lord said unto me1
 ,arise1 and go into ,damascus2 and     
there it shall be told thee of all      
things which are appointed for thee to  
do4 #aa4 ,and when ,i could not see for 
the glory of that light1 being led by   
the hand of them that were with me1 ,i  
came into ,damascus4 #ab4 ,and one      
,ananias1 a devout man according to the 
law1 having a good report of all the    
,jews which dwelt there1 #ac4 ,came unto
 me1 and stood1 and said unto me1       
,brother ,saul1 receive thy sight4 ,and 
the same hour ,i looked up upon him4    
#ad4 ,and he said1 ,the ,god of our     
fathers hath chosen thee1 that thou     
shouldest know ,his will1 and see that  
,just ,one1 and shouldest hear the voice
 of ,his mouth4 #ae4 ,for thou shalt be 
,his witness unto all men of what thou  
hast seen and heard4 #af4 ,and now why  
tarriest thou8 arise1 and be baptized1  
and wash away thy sins1 calling on the  

name of the ,lord4'--,,acts xxii4 #f-af4
  ,we follow ,paul's example when we put
 ,jesus' appearance to him from heaven  
in a line with ,his appearances to the  
disciples on earth4 ',last of all1 ,he  
appeared to me also4' ,but it does not  
follow that the appearances are all of  
the same kind1 or that ,paul thought    
that they were4 ,they were all equally  
real1 equally 'objective1' equally valid
 proofs of ,jesus' risen life4 ,on two  
critical occasions ,paul told the story 
of ,jesus' appearance as his best       
',apologia4' ',i saw and heard ,him1 and
 that revolutionised my life1 and made  
me what ,i am4' ,the two accounts are   
varied1 as the hearers were1 but the    
differences are easily reconciled1 and  
the broad facts are the same in both    
versions1 and in ,luke's rendering in   
chapter ix4  ,a favourite theory in some
 quarters is that ,paul's conversion was
 not sudden1 but that misgivings had    
been working in him ever since          
,stephen's death4 ,surely that view is  

clean against facts4 ,persecuting its   
adherents to the death is a strange     
result of dawning belief in 'this way4' 
,paul may be supposed to have known his 
state of mind as well as a critic       
nineteen centuries off does1 and he had 
no doubt that he set out from ,jerusalem
 a bitter hater of the convicted        
impostor ,jesus1 and stumbled into      
,damascus a convinced disciple because  
he had seen and heard ,him4 ,that is his
 account of the matter1 which would not 
have been meddled with if the meddlers  
had not taken offence at 'the           
supernatural element4' ,we note the     
emphasis which ,paul puts on the        
suddenness of the appearance1 implying  
that the light burst all in a moment4 ,a
 little bit of personal reminiscence    
comes up in his specifying the time as  
'about noon1' the brightest hour4 ,he   
remembers how the light outblazed even  
the blinding brilliance of a ,syrian    
noontide4 ,he insists too on the fact   
that his senses were addressed1 both eye

 and ear4 ,he saw the glory of that     
light1 and heard the voice4 ,he does not
 say here that he saw ,jesus1 but that  
he did so is clear from ,ananias' words1
 'to see the ,righteous ,one' 7ver4     
#ad71 and from ,i ,corinthians xv4 #h4  
,further1 he makes it very emphatic that
 the vision was certified as no morbid  
fancy of his own1 but yet was marked as 
meant for him only1 by the double fact  
that his companions did share in it1 but
 only in part4 ,they did see the light1 
but not 'the ,righteous ,one'2 they did 
hear the sound of the voice1 but not so 
as to know what it said4 ,the difference
 between merely hearing a noise and     
discerning the sense of the words is    
probably marked by the construction in  
the ,greek1 and is certainly to be      
understood4  ,the blaze struck all the  
company to the ground 7,acts xxvi4 #ad74
 ,prone on the earth1 and probably with 
closed eyes1 their leader heard his own 
name twice sounded1 with appeal1        
authority1 and love in the tones4 ,the  

startling question which followed not   
only pierced conscience1 and called for 
a reasonable vindication of his action1 
but flashed a new light on it as being  
persecution which struck at this unknown
 heavenly speaker4 ,so the first thought
 in ,saul's mind is not about himself or
 his doings but about the identity of   
that ,speaker4 ,awe1 if not actual      
worship1 is expressed in addressing ,him
 as ,lord4 ,wonder1 with perhaps some   
foreboding of what the answer would be1 
is audible in the question1 ',who art   
,thou8' ,who can imagine the shock of   
the answer to ,saul's mind8 ,then the   
man whom he had thought of as a vile    
apostate1 justly crucified and not risen
 as his dupes dreamed1 lived in heaven1 
knew him1 ,saul1 and all that he had    
been doing1 was 'apparelled in celestial
 light1' and yet in heavenly glory was  
so closely identified with these poor   
people whom he had been hunting to death
 that to strike them was to hurt ,him6  
,a bombshell had burst1 shattering the  

foundation of his fortifications4 ,a    
deluge had swept away the ground on     
which he had stood4 ,his whole life was 
revolutionised4 ,its most solid elements
 were dissolved into vapour1 and what he
 had thought misty nonsense was now the 
solid thing4 ,to find a 'why' for his   
persecuting was impossible1 unless he   
had said 7what in effect he did say71   
',i did it ignorantly4' ,when a man has 
a glimpse of ,jesus exalted to heaven1  
and is summoned by ,him to give a reason
 for his life of alienation1 that life  
looks very different from what it did1  
when seen by dimmer light4 ,clothes are 
passable by candle-light that look very 
shabby in sunshine4 ,when ,jesus comes  
to us1 ,his first work is to set us to  
judge our past1 and no man can muster up
 respectable answers to ,his question1  
',why8' for all sin is unreasonable1 and
 nothing but obedience to ,him can      
vindicate itself in ,his sight4  ,saul  
threw down his arms at once4 ,his       
characteristic impetuosity and eagerness

 to carry out his convictions impelled  
him to a surrender as complete as his   
opposition4 ,the test of true belief in 
the ascended ,jesus is to submit the    
will to ,him1 to be chiefly desirous of 
knowing ,his will1 and ready to do it4  
',who art ,thou1 ,lord8' should be      
followed by ',what shall ,i do1 ,lord8' 
,blind ,saul1 led by the hand into the  
city which he had expected to enter so  
differently1 saw better than ever       
before4 ',the glory of that light'      
blinds us to things seen1 but makes us  
able to see afar off the only realities1
 the things unseen4 ,speaking to ,jews1 
as here1 ,paul described ,ananias as a  
devout adherent of the law1 in order to 
conciliate them and to suggest his great
 principle that a ,christian was not an 
apostate but a complete ,jew4 ,to       
,agrippa he drops all reference to      
,ananias as irrelevant1 and throws      
together the words on the road and the  
commission received through ,ananias as 
equally ,christ's voice4 ,here he lays  

stress on his agency in restoring sight1
 and on his message as including two    
points--that it was 'the ,god of our    
fathers' who had 'appointed' the vision1
 and that the purpose of the vision was 
to make ,saul a witness to all men4 ,the
 bearing of this on the conciliatory aim
 of the discourse is plain4 ,we note    
also the precedence given in the        
statement of the particulars of the     
vision to 'knowing his will'--that was  
the end for which the light and the     
voice were given4 ,observe too how the  
twofold evidence of sense is signalised1
 both in the reference to seeing the    
,righteous ,one and to hearing ,his     
voice and in the commission to witness  
what ,saul had seen and heard4 ,the     
personal knowledge of ,jesus1 however   
attained1 constitutes the qualification 
and the obligation to be ,his witness4  
,and the convincing testimony is when we
 can say1 as we all can say if we are   
,christ's1 ',that which we have heard1  
that which we have seen with our eyes1  

that 444 declare we unto you4'    ,,rome
 ,,protects ,,paul  ',and it came to    
pass1 that1 when ,i was come again to   
,jerusalem1 even while ,i prayed in the 
,temple1 ,i was in a trance2 #ah4 ,and  
saw ,him saying unto me1 ,make haste1   
and get thee quickly out of ,jerusalem3 
for they will not receive thy testimony 
concerning ,me4 #ai4 ,and ,i said1      
,lord1 they know that ,i imprisoned and 
beat in every synagogue them that       
believed on ,thee3 #bj4 ,and when the   
blood of ,thy martyr ,stephen was shed1 
,i also was standing by1 and consenting 
unto his death1 and kept the raiment of 
them that slew him4 #ba4 ,and ,he said  
unto me1 ,depart3 for ,i will send thee 
far hence unto the ,gentiles4 #bb4 ,and 
they gave him audience unto this word1  
and then lifted up their voices1 and    
said1 ,away with such a fellow from the 
earth3 for it is not fit that he should 
live4 #bc4 ,and as they cried out1 and  
cast off their clothes1 and threw dust  
into the air1 #bd4 ,the chief captain   

commanded him to be brought into the    
castle1 and bade that he should be      
examined by scourging2 that he might    
know wherefore they cried so against    
him4 #be4 ,and as they bound him with   
thongs1 ,paul said unto the centurion   
that stood by1 ,is it lawful for you to 
scourge a man that is a ,roman1 and     
uncondemned8 #bf4 ,when the centurion   
heard that1 he went and told the chief  
captain1 saying1 ,take heed what thou   
doest3 for this man is a ,roman4 #bg4   
,then the chief captain came1 and said1 
,tell me1 art thou a ,roman8 ,he said1  
,yea4 #bh4 ,and the chief captain       
answered1 ,with a great sum obtained ,i 
this freedom4 ,and ,paul said1 ,but ,i  
was free born4 #bi4 ,then straightway   
they departed from him which should have
 examined him3 and the chief captain    
also was afraid1 after he knew that he  
was a ,roman1 and because he had bound  
him4 #cj4 ,on the morrow1 because he    
would have known the certainty wherefore
 he was accused of the ,jews1 he loosed 

him from his bands1 and commanded the   
chief priests and all their council to  
appear1 and brought ,paul down1 and set 
him before them4'--,,acts xxii4 #ag-cj4 
,the threatened storm soon burst on     
,paul in ,jerusalem4 ,on the third day  
after his arrival he began the          
ceremonial recommended by the elders to 
prove his adherence to the law4 ,before 
the seven days during which it lasted   
were over the riot broke out1 and he was
 saved from death only by the military  
tribune hurrying down to the ,temple and
 dragging him from the mob4  ,the       
tribune's only care was to stamp out a  
riot1 and whether the victim was 'that  
,egyptian' or not1 to prevent his being 
murdered4 ,he knew nothing1 and cared as
 little1 about the grounds of the       
tumult1 but he was not going to let a   
crowd of turbulent ,jews take the law   
into their own hands1 and flout the     
majesty of ,roman justice4 ,so he lets  
the nearly murdered man say his say and 
keeps the mob off him4 ,it was a strange

 scene--below1 the howling zealots2     
above1 on the stairs1 the ,christian    
apologists guarded from his countrymen  
by a detachment of legionaries2 and the 
assembly presided over by a ,roman      
tribune4  ,it is very characteristic of 
,paul that he thought that his own      
conversion was the best argument that he
 could use with his fellow-,israelites4 
,so he tells his story1 and this section
 strikes into his speech at the point   
where he is coming to very thin ice     
indeed1 and is about to vindicate his   
work among the ,gentiles by declaring   
that it was done in obedience to a      
command from heaven4 ,we need not       
discuss the date of the trance1 whether 
it was in his first visit to ,jerusalem 
after his conversion or1 as ,ramsay     
strongly argues1 is to be put at the    
visit mentioned in ,acts xi4 #cj and    
xii4 #be4  ,we note the delicate1       
conciliatory skill with which he brings 
out that his conversion had not made him
 less a devout worshipper in the        

,temple1 by specifying it as the scene  
of the trance1 and prayer as his        
occupation then4 ,the mention of the    
,temple also invested the vision with   
sanctity4  ,very noticeable too is the  
avoidance of the name of ,jesus1 which  
would have stirred passion in the crowd4
 ,we may also observe that the first    
words of our ,lord1 as given by ,paul1  
did not tell him whither he was to go1  
but simply bade him leave ,jerusalem4   
,the full announcement of the mission to
 the ,gentiles was delayed both by      
,jesus to ,paul and by ,paul to his     
brethren4 ,he was to 'get quickly out of
 ,jerusalem'2 that was tragic enough4   
,he was to give up working for his own  
people1 whom he loved so well4 ,and the 
reason was their rooted incredulity and 
their hatred of him4 ,other preachers   
might do something with them1 but ,paul 
could not4 ',they will not receive      
testimony of thee4'  ,but the ,apostle's
 heart clung to his nation1 and not even
 his ,lord's command was accepted       

without remonstrance4 ,his patriotism   
led him to the verge of disobedience1   
and encouraged him to put in his ',but1 
,lord1' with boldness that was all but  
presumption4 ,he ventures to suggest a  
reason why the ,jews would1 as he       
thinks1 receive his testimony4 ,they    
knew what he had been1 and they must    
bethink themselves that there must be   
something real and mighty in the power  
which had turned his whole way of       
thinking and living right round1 and    
made him love all that he had hated1 and
 count all that he had prized 'but      
dung4' ,the remonstrance is like        
,moses'1 like ,jeremiah's1 like that of 
many a ,christian set to work that goes 
against the grain1 and called to        
relinquish what he would fain do1 and do
 what he would rather leave undone4     
,but ,jesus does not take ,his servants'
 remonstrances amiss1 if only they will 
make them frankly to ,him1 and not keep 
muttering them under their breath to    
themselves4 ,let us say all that is in  

our hearts4 ,he will listen1 and clear  
away hesitations1 and show us our path1 
and make us willing to walk in it4      
,jesus did not discuss the matter with  
,paul1 but reiterated the command1 and  
made it more pointed and clear2 and then
 ,paul stopped objecting and yielded his
 will1 as we should do4 ',when he would 
not be persuaded1 we ceased1 saying1    
,the will of the ,lord be done4' ,the   
,apostle had kept from the obnoxious    
word as long as he could1 but it had to 
come1 and he tells the enraged listeners
 at last1 without circumlocution1 that  
he is the ,apostle of the ,gentiles1    
that ,jesus has made him so against his 
will1 and that therefore he must do the 
work appointed him1 though his          
heart-strings crack with seeming to be  
cold to ,israel4  ,the burst of fury1   
expressed in gestures which anybody who 
has ever seen two ,easterns quarrelling 
can understand1 looks fitter for a      
madhouse than an audience of men in     
their senses4 ,they yelled and tore     

their garments 7and their beards1 no    
doubt71 and clutched handfuls of dust   
and tossed it in the air1 like ,shimei  
cursing ,david4 ,what a picture of      
frenzied hate6 ,and what was it all for8
 ,because ,gentiles were to be allowed  
to share in ,israel's privileges4 ,and  
what were the privileges which they thus
 jealously monopolised8 ,the favour and 
protection of the ,god who1 as their own
 prophets had taught them1 was the ,god 
of the whole earth1 and revealed ,him to
 ,israel that ,israel might reveal ,him 
to the world4  ,the less they entered   
into the true possession of their       
heritage1 the more savagely they        
resented sharing it with the nations4   
,the more their prerogative became a    
mere outward thing1 the more they       
snarled at any one who proposed to      
participate in it4 ,to seek to keep     
religious blessings to one's self is a  
conclusive proof that they are not      
really possessed4 ,if we have them we   
shall long to impart them4 ,formal      

religionists always dislike missionary  
enterprise4  ,the tribune no doubt had  
been standing silently watching1 in his 
strong1 contemptuous ,roman way1 the    
paroxysm of rage sweeping over his      
troublesome charge4 ,of course he did   
not understand a word that the culprit  
had been saying1 and could not make out 
what had produced the outburst4 ,he felt
 that there was something here that he  
had not fathomed1 and that he must get  
to the bottom of4 ,it was useless to lay
 hold of any of these shrieking maniacs 
and try to get a reasonable word out of 
them4 ,so he determined to see what he  
could make of the orator1 who had       
already astonished him by traces of     
superior education1 and was evidently no
 mere vulgar firebrand or               
sedition-monger4 ,he might have tried   
gentler means of extracting the truth   
than scourging1 but that process of     
'examination1' as it is flatteringly    
called1 was common1 and has not been    
antiquated for so many centuries that we

 need wonder at this ,roman officer     
using it4  ,paul submitted1 and was     
already tied up to some whipping-post1  
in an attitude which would expose his   
back to the lash1 when he quietly       
dropped1 to the inferior officer        
detailed to superintend the flogging1   
the question which fell like a          
bombshell4 ,possibly the ,apostle had   
not known what the soldiers were ordered
 to do with him till he was tied up4 ,we
 cannot tell why he did not plead his   
citizenship sooner4 ,but we may remember
 that at ,philippi he did not plead it  
at all till after the scourging4 ,why he
 delayed so long in the present         
instance1 and why he at last spoke the  
magic words1 ',i am a ,roman citizen1'  
we cannot say4 ,but we may gather the   
two lessons that ,christ's servants are 
often wise in submitting silently to    
wrongs1 and that they are within their  
rights in availing themselves of legal  
defences against illegal treatment4     
,whether silence or protest is the more 

expedient must be determined in each    
case by conscience1 guided by the       
sought-for guidance of the enlightening 
,spirit4 ,the determining consideration 
should be1 ,which course will best      
glorify my ,master8  ,the information   
brought the tribune in haste to the     
place where the ,apostle was still tied 
up4 ,the tables were turned indeed4 ,his
 brief answer1 ',yea1' was accepted at  
once1 for to claim the sacred name of   
,roman falsely would have been too      
dangerous1 and no doubt ,paul's bearing 
impressed the tribune with a conviction 
of his truthfulness4 ,a hint of contempt
 and doubt lies in his remark that he   
had paid dearly for the franchise1 which
 remark implies1 ',where did a poor man 
like you get the money then8' ,a        
shameful trade in selling citizens'     
rights was carried on in the degraded   
days of the ,empire by underlings at    
court1 and no doubt the tribune had     
procured his citizenship in that way4   
,paul's answer explains that he was born

 free1 and so was above his questioner4 
,that discovery put an end to all       
thought of scourging4 ,paul was at once 
liberated1 and the tribune1 terrified   
that he might be reported1 seeks to     
repair his error and changes his        
tactics1 retaining ,paul for safety in  
the castle1 and summoning the           
,sanhedrim1 to try to find out more of  
this strange affair through them4 ,the  
great council of the nation had sunk low
 indeed when it had to obey the call of 
a ,roman soldier4  ,thus once more1 as  
so continually in the ,acts1 ,rome is   
friendly to the ,christian teachers and 
saves them from ,jewish fury4 ,to point 
out that early protection and benevolent
 sufferance is one purpose of the whole 
book4 ,the days of ,roman persecution   
had not yet come4 ,the ,empire was      
favourable to ,christianity1 not only   
because its officials were too proud to 
take interest in petty squabbles between
 two sects of ,jews about their absurd  
superstitions1 but reasons of political 

wisdom combined with supercilious       
indifference to bring about this        
attitude4  ,the strong hand of ,rome1   
too1 if it crushed national             
independence1 also suppressed violence1 
kept men from flying at each other's    
throats1 spread peace over wide lands1  
and made the journeyings of ,paul and   
the planting of the early ,christian    
,churches possible4 ,it was a           
,god-appointed1 though an imperfect1 and
 in some aspects1 mischievous unity1 and
 prepared the way for that higher form  
of unity realised in the ,church which  
finally shattered the coarser ,empire   
which had at first sheltered it4 ,the   
,caesars were doing ,god's work when    
they were following their own lust of   
empire4 ,they were yoked to ,christ's   
chariot1 though unwitting and unwilling4
 ,to them1 as truly as to ,cyrus1 might 
the divine voice have said1 ',i girded  
thee1 though thou hast not known ,me4'  
,,christ',s ,,witnesses  ',and the night
 following the ,lord stood by him1 and  

said1 ,be of good cheer1 ,paul3 for as  
thou hast testified of ,me in           
,jerusalem1 so must thou bear witness   
also at ,rome4'--,,acts xxiii4 #aa4  ,it
 had long been ,paul's ambition to      
'preach the ,gospel to you that are at  
,rome also4' ,his settled policy1 as    
shown by this ,book of the ,acts1 was to
 fly at the head1 to attack the great   
centres of population4 ,we trace him    
from ,antioch to ,philippi1             
,thessalonica1 ,athens1 ,corinth1       
,ephesus2 and of course ,rome was the   
goal1 where a blow struck at the heart  
might reverberate through the empire4   
,so he had planned for it1 and prayed   
about it1 and thought about it1 and     
spoken about it4 ,but his wish was      
accomplished1 as our prayers and        
purposes so often are1 in a manner very 
strange to him4 ,a popular riot in      
,jerusalem1 a half-friendly arrest by   
the contemptuous impartiality of a      
,roman officer1 a final rejection by the
 ,sanhedrim1 a prison in ,caesarea1 an  

appeal to ,caesar1 a weary voyage1 a    
shipwreck3 this was the chain of        
circumstances which fulfilled his       
desire1 and brought him to the imperial 
city4  ,my text comes at the crisis of  
his fate4 ,he has just been rejected by 
his people1 and for the moment is in    
safety in the castle under the charge of
 the ,roman garrison4 ,one can fancy    
how1 as he lay there in the barrack that
 night1 he felt that he had come to a   
turning-point2 and the thoughts were    
busy in his mind1 ',is this for life or 
for death8 ,am ,i to do any more work   
for ,christ1 or am ,i silenced for      
ever8'--',and the ,lord stood by him and
 said1 ,be of good cheer1 ,paul6' ,the  
divine message assured him that he      
should live2 it testified of ,christ's  
approbation of his past1 and promised   
him that1 in recompense for that past1  
he should have wider work to do4 ,so he 
passed to the unknown future quietly2   
and went on his way with the ,master by 
his side4  ,now1 dear friends1 it seems 

to me that in these great words there   
lie lessons applying to all ,christian  
people as truly1 though in different    
fashion1 as they did to the ,apostle1   
and having an especial bearing on that  
great enterprise of ,christian missions1
 with which ,i would connect them in    
this sermon4 ,i desire1 then1 to draw   
out the lessons which seem to me to lie 
under the surface of this great promise4
  ,i4 ,to live ought to be1 for a       
,christian1 to witness4  ,the promise in
 form is a promise of continued         
testimony-bearing2 in its substance1 one
 might say1 it is a promise of continued
 life4 ,paul is cheered1 not by being   
told that the wrath of the enemy will   
launch itself at his head in vain1 and  
that he will bear a charmed life through
 it all1 but by being told that there is
 work for him to do yet4 ,that is the   
shape in which the promise of life is   
held out to him4 ,so it always ought to 
be2 a ,christian man's life ought to be 
one continuous witnessing for that ,lord

 ,christ who stood by the ,apostle in   
the castle at ,jerusalem4  ,let me just 
urge this upon you for a few moments4   
,it seems to me that to raise up        
witnesses for ,himself is1 in one       
aspect1 the very purpose of all         
,christ's work4 ,you and ,i1 dear       
brethren1 if we have any living hold of 
that ,lord1 have received ,him into our 
hearts1 not only in order that for      
ourselves we may rejoice in ,him1 but in
 order that1 for ourselves rejoicing in 
,him1 we may 'show forth the virtues of 
,him who hath called us out of darkness 
into ,his marvellous light4' ,there is  
no creature so great as that he is not  
regarded as a means to a further end2   
and there is no creature so small but   
that he has the right to claim happiness
 and blessing from the ,hand that made  
him4 ,jesus ,christ has drawn us to     
,himself1 that we may know the sweetness
 of ,his presence1 the cleansing of ,his
 blood1 the stirring and impulse of ,his
 indwelling life in us for our own joy  

and our own completion1 but also that we
 may be ,his witnesses and weapons1     
according to that great word3 ',this    
people have ,i formed for ,myself4 ,they
 shall shew forth ,my praise4'  ,god has
 'shined into our hearts in order that  
we may give1' reflecting the beams that 
fall upon them1 'the light of the       
knowledge of the glory of ,god1 in the  
face of ,jesus ,christ4' ,brother and   
sister1 if you have the ,christian life 
in your souls1 one purpose of your      
possessing it is that you may bear      
witness for ,him4  ,again1 such         
witness-bearing is the result of all    
true1 deep1 ,christian life4 ,all life  
longs to manifest itself in action4     
,every conviction that a man has seeks  
for utterance2 especially so do the     
beliefs that go deepest and touch the   
moral and spiritual nature and          
relationships of a man4 ,he that        
perceives them is thereby impelled to   
desire to utter them4 ,there can be no  
real1 deep possession of that great     

truth of the ,gospel which we profess to
 be the foundation of our personal      
lives1 unless we have felt the impulse  
to spread the name and to declare the   
sweetness of the ,lord4 ,the very same  
impulse that makes the loving heart     
carve the beloved name on the smooth    
rind of the tree makes it sweet to one  
who is in real touch and living         
fellowship with ,jesus ,christ to speak 
about ,him4 ,o brother6 there is a very 
sharp test for us4 ,i know that there   
are hundreds of professing              
,christians--decent1 respectable sort of
 people1 with a tepid1 average amount of
 ,christian faith and principle in      
them--who never felt that overmastering 
desire1 ',i must let this thing out     
through my lips4' ,why8 ,why do they not
 feel it8 ,because their own possession 
of ,christ is so superficial and        
partial4 ,jeremiah's experience will be 
repeated where there is vigorous        
,christian life3 ',thy word shut up in  
my bones was like a fire'--that burned  

itself through all the mass that was    
laid upon it1 and ate its way           
victoriously into the light--'and ,i was
 weary with forbearing1 and ,i could not
 stay4' ,christian men and women1 do you
 know anything of that o'er-mastering   
impulse8 ,if you do not1 look to the    
depth and reality of your ,christian    
profession4  ,again1 this witnessing is 
the condition of all strong life4 ,if   
you keep nipping the buds off a plant   
you will kill it4 ,if you never say a   
word to a human soul about your         
,christianity1 your ,christianity will  
tend to evaporate4 ,action confirms and 
strengthens convictions2 speech deepens 
conviction2 and although it is possible 
for any one--and some of us ministers   
are in great danger of making the       
possibility a reality--to talk away his 
religion1 for one of us who loses it by 
speaking too much about it1 there are   
twenty that damage it by speaking too   
little4 ,shut it up1 and it will be like
 some wild creature put into a cellar1  

fast locked and unventilated2 when you  
open the door it will be dead4 ,shut it 
up1 as so many of our average ,christian
 professors and members of our          
congregations and churches do1 and when 
you come to take it out1 it will be like
 some volatile perfume that has been put
 into a vial and locked away in a drawer
 and forgotten2 there will be nothing   
left but an empty bottle1 and a rotten  
cork4 ,speak your faith if you would    
have your faith strengthened4 ,muzzle   
it1 and you go a long way to kill it4   
,you are witnesses1 and you cannot blink
 the obligation nor shirk the duties    
without damaging that in yourselves to  
which you are to witness4  ,further1    
this task of witnessing for ,christ can 
be done by all kinds of life4 ,i do not 
need to dwell upon the distinction      
between the two great methods which open
 themselves out before every one of us4 
,they do so2 for direct work in speaking
 the name of ,jesus ,christ is possible 
for every ,christian1 whoever he or she 

is1 however weak1 ignorant1             
uninfluential1 with howsoever narrow a  
circle4 ,there is always somebody that  
,god means to be the audience of ,his   
servant whenever that servant speaks of 
,christ4 ,do you not know that there are
 people in this world1 as wives1        
children1 parents1 friends of different 
sorts1 who would listen to you more     
readily than they would listen to any   
one else speaking about ,jesus ,christ8 
,friend1 have you utilised these        
relationships in the interests of that  
great ,name1 and in the highest         
interests of the persons that sustain   
them to you1 and of yourselves who      
sustain these to them8  ,and then there 
is indirect work that we can all do in  
various ways1 ,i do not mean only by    
giving money1 though of course that is  
important1 but ,i mean all the manifold 
ways in which ,christian people can show
 their sympathy with1 and their interest
 in1 the various forms in which         
adventurous1 chivalrous1 enterprising   

,christian benevolence expresses itself4
 ,it was an old law in ,israel that 'as 
his part was that went down into the    
battle1 so should his part be that      
tarried by the stuff4' ,when victory was
 won and the spoil came to be shared1   
the men who had stopped behind and      
looked after the base of operations and 
kept open the communications received   
the same portion as the man that1 in the
 front rank of the battle1 had rushed   
upon the spears of the ,amalekites4     
,why8 ,because from the same motive they
 had been co-operant to the same great  
end4 ,the ,master has taken up that very
 thought1 and has applied it in relation
 to the indirect work of ,his people1   
when ,he says1 ',he that receiveth a    
prophet in the name of a prophet shall  
receive a prophet's reward4' ,the motive
 is the same2 therefore the essential   
character of the act is the same2       
therefore the recompense is identical4  
,you can witness for ,christ directly1  
if you can say--and you can all say if  

you like--',we have found the ,messias1'
 and you can witness for ,christ by     
casting yourselves earnestly into       
sympathy with and1 so far as possible1  
help to the work that your brethren are 
doing4 ,dear friends1 ,i beseech you to 
remember that we are all of us1 if we   
are ,his followers1 bound in our humble 
measure and degree1 and with a reverent 
apprehension of the gulf between us and 
,him1 still to take up ,his words and   
say1 ',to this end was ,i born1 and for 
this cause came ,i into the world1 that 
,i might bear witness to the truth4'    
,,ii4 ,there is a second thought that ,i
 would suggest from these words1 and    
that is that secular events are ordered 
with a view to this witnessing4  ,take  
the case before us4 ,here are two       
independent and hostile powers2 on the  
one hand the bigoted ,jewish ,sanhedrim1
 hating the ,roman yoke2 and on the     
other hand the haughty and cruel        
pressure of that yoke on a recalcitrant 
and reluctant people3 and these two     

internecine enemies are working on their
 own lines1 each very willing to thwart 
the other1 ,mechanicians talk of the    
'composition of forces1' by which two   
pressures acting at right angles to each
 other on a given object1 impart to it a
 diagonal motion4 ,the ,sanhedrim on the
 one side1 representing ,judaism1 and   
the captain of the castle on the other1 
representing the ,roman power1 work into
 each other's hands1 although neither of
 them knows it2 and work out the        
fulfilment of a purpose that is hidden  
from them both4  ,no doubt it would be a
 miserably inadequate account of things 
to say that the ,roman ,empire came into
 existence for the sake of propagating  
,christianity4 ,no doubt it is always   
dangerous to account for any phenomenon 
by the ends which1 to our apprehension1 
it serves4 ,but at the same time the    
study of the purposes which a given     
thing1 being in existence1 serves1 and  
the study of the forces which brought it
 into existence1 ought to be combined1  

and when combined1 they present a double
 reason for adoring that great          
,providence which 'makes the wrath of   
men to praise' it1 and uses for moral   
and spiritual ends the creatures that   
exist1 the events that emerge1 and even 
the godless doings of godless men4  ,so 
here we have a standing example of the  
way in which1 like silk-worms that are  
spinning threads for a web that they    
have no notion of1 the deeds of men that
 think not so are yet grasped and twined
 together by ,jesus ,christ1 the ,lord  
of providence1 so as to bring about the 
realisation of ,his great purposes4 ,and
 that is always so1 more or less        
clearly4  ,for instance1 if we wish to  
understand our own lives1 do not let us 
dwell upon the superficialities of joy  
or sorrow1 gain or loss1 but let us get 
down to the depth1 and see that all     
these externals have two great purposes 
in view--first1 that we may be made like
 our ,lord1 as the ,scripture itself    
says1 ',that we may be partakers of ,his

 holiness1' and then that we may bear   
our testimony to ,his grace and love4   
,oh1 if we would only look at life from 
that point of view1 we should be brought
 to a stand less often at what we choose
 to call the mysteries of providence6   
,not enjoyment1 not sorrow1 but our     
perfecting in godliness and of the      
increase of our power and opportunities 
to bear witness to ,him1 are the        
intention of all that befalls us4  ,i   
need not speak about how this same      
principle must be applied1 by every man 
who believes in a divine providence1 to 
the wider events of the world's history1
 ,i need not dwell upon that1 nor will  
your time allow me to do it1 but one    
word ,i should like to say1 and that is 
that surely the two facts that we1 as   
,christians1 possess1 as we believe1 the
 pure faith1 and that we1 as            
,englishmen1 are members of a community 
whose influence is world-wide1 do not   
come together for nothing1 or only that 
some of you might make fortunes out of  

the ,east ,indian and ,china trade1 but 
in order that all we ,english           
,christians might feel that1 our        
speaking as we do the language which is 
destined1 as it would appear1 to run    
round the whole world1 and our having1  
as we have1 the faith which we believe  
brings salvation to every man of every  
race and tongue who accepts it1 and our 
having this responsible necessary       
contact with the heathen races1 lay upon
 us ,english ,christians obligations the
 pressure and solemnity of which we have
 yet failed to appreciate4  ,paul was   
immortal till his work was done4 ',be of
 good cheer1 ,paul2 thou must bear      
witness at ,rome4' ,and so1 for         
ourselves and for the ,gospel that we   
profess1 the same divine ,providence    
which orders events so that ,his        
servants may have the opportunities of  
witnessing to it1 will take care that it
 shall not perish--notwithstanding all  
the premature jubilation of             
anti-,christian literature and thought  

in this day--until it has done its work4
 ,we need have no fear for ourselves1   
for though our blind eyes often fail to 
see1 and our bleeding hearts often fail 
to accept1 the conviction that there are
 no unfinished lives for ,his servants1 
yet we may be sure that ,he will watch  
over each of ,his children till they    
have finished the work that ,he gives   
them to do4 ,and we may be sure1 in     
regard to ,his great ,gospel1 that      
nothing can sink the ship that carries  
,christ and ,his fortunes4 ',be of good 
cheer 444 thou hast borne witness 444   
thou must bear witness4'  ,,iii4        
,lastly1 we have here another           
principle--namely that faithful         
witnessing is rewarded by further       
witnessing4  ',thou hast 444 in         
,jerusalem1' the little city perched    
upon its crag2 ',thou must 444 in       
,rome1' the great capital seated on its 
seven hills4 ,the reward for work is    
more work4 ,jesus ,christ did not say to
 the ,apostle1 though he was 'wearied   

with that which came upon him daily1 the
 care of all the churches1' ',thou hast 
borne witness1 and now come apart and   
rest'2 but ,he said to him1 ',thou hast 
filled the smaller sphere2 for          
recompense ,i put thee into a larger4'  
,that is the law for life and           
everywhere1 the tools to the hand that  
can use them4 ,the man that can do a    
thing gets it to do in too large a      
measure1 as he sometimes thinks2 but he 
gets it1 and it is all right that he    
should4 ',to him that hath shall be     
given4' ,and it is the law for heaven4  
',thou hast borne witness down on the   
little dark earth2 come up higher and   
witness for ,me here1 amid the blaze4'  
,it is the law for this ,christian work 
of ours4 ,if you have shone faithfully  
in your 'little corner1' as the child's 
hymn says1 you will be taken out and set
 upon the lamp-stand1 that you 'may give
 light to all that are in the house4'   
,and it is the law for this great       
enterprise of ,christian missions1 as we

 all know4 ,we are overwhelmed with our 
success4 ,doors are opening around us on
 every side4 ,there is no limit to the  
work that ,english ,churches can do1    
except their inclination to do it4 ,but 
the opportunities open to us require a  
far deeper consecration and a far closer
 dwelling beside our ,master than we    
have ever realised4 ,we are half asleep 
yet2 we do not know our resources in    
men1 in money1 in activity1 in prayer4  
,surely there can be no sadder sign of  
decadence and no surer precursor of     
extinction than to fall beneath the     
demands of our day2 to have doors       
opening at which we are too lazy or     
selfish to go in2 to be so sound asleep 
that we never hear the man of ,macedonia
 when he stands by us and cries1 ',come 
over and help us6' ,we are members of a 
,church that ,god has appointed to be   
,his witnesses to the ends of the earth4
 ,we are citizens of a nation whose     
influence is ubiquitous and felt in     
every land4 ,by both characters1 ,god   

summons us to tasks which will tax all  
our resources worthily to do4 ,we       
inherit a work from our fathers which   
,god has shown that ,he owns by giving  
us these golden opportunities4 ,he      
summons us3 ',lengthen thy cords and    
strengthen thy stakes4 ,come out of     
,jerusalem2 come into ,rome4' ,shall we 
respond8 ,god give us grace to fill the 
sphere in which ,he has set us1 till ,he
 lifts us to the wider one1 where the   
faithfulness of the steward is exchanged
 for the authority of the ruler1 and the
 toil of the servant for the joy of the 
,lord6    ,a ,,plot ,,detected  ',and   
when it was day1 certain of the ,jews   
banded together1 and bound themselves   
under a curse1 saying that they would   
neither eat nor drink till they had     
killed ,paul4 #ac4 ,and they were more  
than forty which had made this          
conspiracy4 #ad4 ,and they came to the  
chief priests and elders1 and said1 ,we 
have bound ourselves under a great      
curse1 that we will eat nothing until we

 have slain ,paul4 #ae4 ,now therefore  
ye with the council signify to the chief
 captain that he bring him down unto you
 to-morrow1 as though ye would inquire  
something more perfectly concerning him3
 and we1 or ever he come near1 are ready
 to kill him4 #af4 ,and when ,paul's    
sister's son heard of their lying in    
wait1 he went and entered into the      
castle1 and told ,paul4 #ag4 ,then ,paul
 called one of the centurions unto him1 
and said1 ,bring this young man unto the
 chief captain3 for he hath a certain   
thing to tell him4 #ah4 ,so he took him1
 and brought him to the chief captain1  
and said1 ,paul the prisoner called me  
unto him1 and prayed me to bring this   
young man unto thee1 who hath something 
to say unto thee4 #ai4 ,then the chief  
captain took him by the hand1 and went  
with him aside privately1 and asked him1
 ,what is that thou hast to tell me8    
#bj4 ,and he said1 ,the ,jews have      
agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest
 bring down ,paul to-morrow into the    

council1 as though they would enquire   
somewhat of him more perfectly4 #ba4    
,but do not thou yield unto them3 for   
there lie in wait for him of them more  
than forty men1 which have bound        
themselves with an oath1 that they will 
neither eat nor drink till they have    
killed him3 and now are they ready1     
looking for a promise from thee4 #bb4   
,so the chief captain then let the young
 man depart1 and charged him1 ,see thou 
tell no man that thou hast shewed these 
things to me4'--,,acts xxiii4 #ab-bb4   
',the wicked plotteth against the       
just4444 ,the ,lord will laugh at him4' 
,the ,psalmist's experience and his     
faith were both repeated in ,paul's     
case4 ,his speech before the ,council   
had set ,pharisees and ,sadducees       
squabbling1 and the former had swallowed
 his ,christianity for the sake of his  
being 'a ,pharisee and the son of a     
,pharisee4' ,probably1 therefore1 the   
hatchers of this plot were ,sadducees1  
who hated ,pharisees even more than they

 did ,christians4 ,the ,apostle himself 
was afterwards not quite sure that his  
skilful throwing of the apple of discord
 between the two parties was right      
7,acts xxiv4 #ba71 and apparently it was
 the direct occasion of the conspiracy4 
,a ,christian man's defence of himself  
and his faith gains nothing by clever   
tactics4 ,it is very doubtful whether   
what ,paul spoke 'in that hour' was     
taught him by the ,spirit4  ',the       
corruption of the best is the worst4'   
,there is a close and strange alliance  
between formal religion and murderous   
hatred and vulpine craft1 as the history
 of ecclesiastical persecution shows2   
and though we have done with fire and   
faggot now1 the same evil passions and  
tempers do still in modified form lie   
very near to a ,christianity which has  
lost its inward union with ,jesus and   
lives on surface adherence to forms4 ,in
 that sense too 'the letter killeth4'   
,we lift up our hands in horror at these
 fierce fanatics1 'ready to kill' ,paul1

 because he believed in resurrection1   
angel1 and spirit4 ,we need to guard    
ourselves lest something of their temper
 should be in us4 ,there is a devilish  
ingenuity about the details of the plot1
 and a truly ,oriental mixture of       
murderous passion and calculating craft4
 ,the serpent's wisdom and his poison   
fangs are both apparent4 ,the forty     
conspirators must have been 'ready1' not
 only to kill ,paul1 but to die in the  
attempt1 for the distance from the      
castle to the council-chamber was short1
 and the detachment of legionaries      
escorting the prisoner would have to be 
reckoned with4  ,the pretext of desiring
 to inquire more fully into ,paul's     
opinions derived speciousness from his  
ambiguous declaration1 which had set the
 ,council by the ears and had stopped   
his examination4 ,luke does not tell us 
what the ,council said to the           
conspirators1 but we learn from what    
,paul's nephew says in verse #bj that it
 'agreed to ask thee to bring down      

,paul4' ,so once more the tail drove on 
the head1 and the ,council became the   
tool of fierce zealots4 ,no doubt most  
of its members would have shrunk from   
themselves killing ,paul1 but they did  
not shrink from having a hand in his    
death4 ,they were most religious and    
respectable men1 and probably soothed   
their consciences with thinking that1   
after all1 the responsibility was on the
 shoulders of the forty conspirators4   
,how men can cheat themselves for a     
while as to the criminality of          
indirectly contributing to criminal     
acts1 and how rudely the thin veil will 
be twitched aside one day6  ,,ii4 ,the  
abrupt introduction of ,paul's nephew   
into the story piques curiosity1 but we 
cannot say more about him than is told  
us here4 ,we do not know whether he was 
moved by being a fellow-believer in     
,jesus1 or simply by kindred and natural
 affection4 ,possibly he was1 as his    
uncle had been1 a student under some    
distinguished ,rabbi4 ,at all events1 he

 must have had access to official       
circles to have come on the track of the
 plot1 which would1 of course1 be       
covered up as much as possible4 ,the    
rendering in the margin of the ,revised 
,version gives a possible explanation of
 his knowledge of it by suggesting that 
he had 'come in upon them'2 that is1    
upon the ,council in their              
deliberations4 ,but probably the        
rendering preferred in the text is      
preferable1 and we are left to          
conjecture his source of information1 as
 almost everything else about him4 ,but 
it is more profitable to note how ,god  
works out ,his purposes and delivers    
,his servants by 'natural' means1 which 
yet are as truly divine working as was  
the sending of the angel to smite off   
,peter's chains1 or the earthquake at   
,philippi4  ,this lad was probably not  
an inhabitant of ,jerusalem1 and that he
 should have been there then1 and come  
into possession of the carefully guarded
 secret1 was more than a fortunate      

coincidence4 ,it was divinely ordered1  
and ,god's finger is as evident in the  
concatenation of co-operating natural   
events as in any 'miracle4' ,to         
co-ordinate these so that they concur to
 bring about the fulfilment of ,his will
 may be a less conspicuous1 but is not a
 less veritable1 token of a sovereign   
,will at work in the world than any     
miracle is4 ,and in this case how       
wonderfully separate factors1 who think 
themselves quite independent1 are all   
handled like pawns on a chessboard by   
,him who 'makes the wrath of man to     
praise ,him1 and girds ,himself with the
 remainder thereof6' ,little did the    
fiery zealots who were eager to plunge  
their daggers into ,paul's heart1 or the
 lad who hastened to tell him the secret
 he had discovered1 or the ,roman       
officer who equally hastened to get rid 
of his troublesome prisoner1 dream that 
they were all partners in bringing about
 one ,god-determined result--the        
fulfilment of the promise that had      

calmed ,paul in the preceding night3    
',so must thou bear witness also at     
,rome4'  ,,iii4 ,paul had been quieted  
after his exciting day by the vision    
which brought that promise1 and this new
 peril did not break his peace4 ,with   
characteristic clear-sightedness he saw 
the right thing to do in the            
circumstances1 and with characteristic  
promptitude he did it at once4 ,luke    
wastes no words in telling of the       
,apostle's emotions when this formidable
 danger was sprung on him1 and the very 
reticence deepens the impression of     
,paul's equanimity and practical wisdom4
 ,a man who had had such a vision last  
night might well possess his soul in    
patience1 even though such a plot was   
laid bare this morning2 and each servant
 of ,jesus may be as well assured1 as   
was ,paul the prisoner1 that the ,lord  
shall 'keep him from all evil1' and that
 if his life is 'witness' it will not   
end till his witness is complete4 ,our  
faith should work in us calmness of     

spirit1 clearness of perception of the  
right thing to do1 swift seizing of     
opportunities4 ,paul trusted ,jesus'    
word that he should be safe1 whatever   
dangers threatened1 but that trust      
stimulated his own efforts to provide   
for his safety4  ,,iv4 ,the behaviour of
 the captain is noteworthy1 as showing  
that he had been impressed by ,paul's   
personal magnetism1 and that he had in  
him a strain of courtesy and kindliness4
 ,he takes the lad by the hand to       
encourage him1 and he leads him aside   
that he may speak freely1 and thereby   
shows that he trusted him4 ,no doubt the
 youth would be somewhat flustered at   
being brought into the formidable       
presence and by the weight of his       
tidings1 and the great man's gentleness 
would be a cordial4 ,a superior's       
condescension is a wonderful lip-opener4
 ,we all have some people who look up to
 us1 and to whom small kindlinesses from
 us are precious4 ,we do not 'render to 
all their dues1' unless we give gracious

 courtesy to those beneath1 as well as  
'honour' to those above1 us4 ,but the   
captain could clothe himself too with   
official reserve and keep up the dignity
 of his office4 ,he preserved an        
impenetrable silence as to his          
intentions1 and simply sealed the young 
man's lips from tattling about the plot 
or the interview with him4 ,promptly he 
acted1 without waiting for the          
,council's application to him4 ,at once 
he prepared to despatch ,paul to        
,caesarea1 glad enough1 no doubt1 to    
wash his hands of so troublesome a      
charge4 ,thus he too was a cog in the   
wheel1 an instrument to fulfil the      
promise made in vision1 ,god's servant  
though he knew it not4    ,a ,,loyal    
,,tribute ,footnote3 ,preached on the   
occasion of the ,jubilee of ,queen      
,victoria4  '444,seeing that by thee we 
enjoy great quietness1 and that very    
worthy deeds are done unto this nation  
by thy providence1 #c4 ,we accept it    
always 444 with all                     

thankfulness4'--,,acts xxiv4 #b-c4      
,these words were addressed by a        
professional flatterer to one of the    
worst of the many bad ,roman governors  
of ,syria4 ,the speaker knew that he was
 lying1 the listeners knew that the     
eulogium was undeserved2 and among all  
the crowd of bystanders there was       
perhaps not a man who did not hate the  
governor1 and would not have been glad  
to see him lying dead with a dagger in  
his breast4  ,but both the fawning      
,tertullus and the oppressor ,felix knew
 in their heart of hearts that the words
 described what a governor ought to be4 
,and though they are touched with the   
servility which is not loyalty1 and     
embrace a conception of the royal       
function attributing far more to the    
personal influence of a monarch than our
 ,state permits1 still we may venture to
 take them as the starting-point for two
 or three considerations suggested to   
us1 by the celebrations of the past     
week4  ,i almost feel that ,i owe an    

apology for turning to that subject1 for
 everything that can be said about it   
has been said far better than ,i can say
 it4 ,but still1 partly because my      
silence might be misunderstood1 and     
partly because an opportunity is thereby
 afforded for looking from a ,christian 
point of view at one or two subjects    
that do not ordinarily come within the  
scope of one's ministry1 ,i venture to  
choose such a text now4  ,i4 ,the first 
thing that ,i would take it as          
suggesting is the grateful              
acknowledgment of personal worth4  ,i   
suppose the world never saw a national  
rejoicing like that through which we    
have passed4 ,for the reigns that have  
been long enough to admit of it have    
been few1 and those in which            
intelligently and sincerely a whole     
nation of freemen could participate have
 been fewer still4 ,but now all ,england
 has been one2 whatever our divisions of
 opinion1 there have been no divisions  
here4 ,not only have the bonfires flared

 from hill to hill in this little island
 of ours1 but all over the world1 into  
every out of the way corner where our   
widely-spread race has penetrated1 the  
same sentiment has extended4 ,all have  
yielded to the common impulse1 the      
rejoicing of a free people in a good    
,queen4  ,that common sentiment has     
embraced two things1 the office and the 
person4 ,there was a pathetic contrast  
between these two when that sad-hearted 
widow walked alone up the nave of       
,westminster ,abbey1 and took her seat  
on the stone of destiny on which for a  
millennium kings have been crowned4 ,the
 contrast heightened both the reverence 
due to the office and the sympathy due  
to the woman4 ,the ,sovereign is the    
visible expression of national power1   
the incarnation of ,england1 living     
history1 the outcome of all the past1   
the representative of harmonised and    
blended freedom and law1 a powerful     
social influence from which much good   
might flow1 a moderating and uniting    

power amidst fierce partisan bitterness 
and hate1 a check against rash change4  
,there is no nobler office upon earth4  
,and when1 as is the case in this long  
reign1 that office has been filled with 
some consciousness of its               
responsibilities1 the recognition of the
 fact is no flattery but simple duty4   
,we cannot attribute to the personal    
initiative of the ,queen the great and  
beneficent changes which have coincided 
with her reign4 ,thank ,god1 no monarch 
can make or mar ,england now4 ,but this 
we can say1    ',her court was pure1 her
 life serene4'  ,a life touched with    
many gracious womanly charities1        
delighting in simple country pleasures1 
not strange to the homes of the poor1   
quick to sympathise with sorrow1        
especially the humblest1 as many a      
weeping widow at a pit mouth has        
thankfully felt2 sternly repressive of  
some forms of vice in high places1 and1 
as we may believe1 not ignorant of the  
great ,comforter nor disobedient to the 

,king of kings1--for such a royal life a
 nation may well be thankful4 ,we       
outsiders do not know how far personal  
influence from the throne has in any    
case restrained or furthered national   
action1 but if it be true1 as is        
alleged1 that twice in her reign the    
,queen has kept ,england from the sin   
and folly of war1 once from a           
fratricidal conflict with the great new 
,england across the ,atlantic1 then we  
owe her much4 ,if in later years that   
life has somewhat shrunk into itself and
 sat silent1 with ,grief for a          
companion1 those who know a like        
desolation will understand1 and even the
 happy may honour an undying love and   
respect the seclusion of an undying     
sorrow4 ,so ,i say3 ',forasmuch as under
 thee we enjoy great quietness1 we      
accept it with all thankfulness4'  ,,ii4
 ,my text may suggest for us a wider    
view of progress which1 although not    
initiated by the ,queen1 has coincided  
with her fifty years' reign4  ,in the   

,revised ,version1 instead of 'worthy   
deeds are done1' we read 'evils are     
corrected'2 and that is the true        
rendering4 ,the double function which is
 here attributed falsely to an          
oppressive tyrant is the ancient ideal  
of monarchy--first1 that it shall       
repress disorders and secure            
tranquillity within the borders and     
across the frontiers2 and second1 that  
abuses and evils shall be corrected by  
the foresight of the monarch4  ,now1 in 
regard to both these functions we have  
learned that a nation can do them a     
great deal better than a sovereign4 ,and
 so when we speak of progress during    
this fifty years' reign1 we largely mean
 the progress which ,england in its     
toiling millions and in its thinking few
 has won for itself4 ,let me in very    
brief words try to touch upon the       
salient points of that progress for     
which as members of the nation it       
becomes us as ,christian people to be   
thankful4 ,enough hosannas have been    

sung already1 and ,i need not add my    
poor voice to them1 about material      
progress and commercial prosperity and  
the growth of manufacturing industry and
 inventions and all the rest of it4 ,i  
do not for a moment mean to depreciate  
these1 but it is of more importance that
 a telegraph should have something to   
say than that it should be able to speak
 across the waters1 and 'man doth not   
live by bread alone1 but by every word  
that proceedeth out of the mouth of     
,god4' ,we who live in a great          
commercial community and know how solid 
comfort and hope and gladness are all   
contingent1 in millions of humble homes1
 upon the manufacturing industry of     
these districts1 shall never be likely  
to underrate the enormous expansion in  
national industry1 and the consequent   
enormous increase in national wealth1   
which belongs to this last half century4
 ,i need say nothing about these4  ,let 
me remind you1 and ,i can only do it in 
a sentence or two1 of more important    

changes in these fifty years4 ,english  
manners and morals have been bettered1  
much of savagery and coarseness has been
 got rid of2 low1 cruel amusements have 
been abandoned4 ,thanks to the great    
,total ,abstinence movement very        
largely1 the national conscience has    
been stirred in regard to the great     
national sin of intoxication4 ,a        
national system of education has come   
into operation and is working wonders in
 this land4 ,newspapers and books are   
cheapened2 political freedom has been   
extended and 'broadened slowly down1' as
 is safe1 'from precedent to precedent1'
 so that no party thinks now of         
reversing any of the changes1 howsoever 
fiercely they were contested ere they   
were won4 ,religious thought has        
widened1 the sects have come nearer each
 other1 men have passed from out of a   
hard doctrinal ,christianity1 in which  
the person of ,christ was buried beneath
 the cobwebs of theology1 into a far    
freer and a far more ,christ-regarding  

and ,christ-centred faith4 ,and if we   
are to adopt such a point of view as the
 brave ,apostle ,paul took1 the         
antagonism against religion1 which is a 
marked feature of our generation1 and   
contrasts singularly with the sleepy    
acquiescence of fifty years ago1 is to  
be put down to the credit side of the   
account4 ',for1' he said1 like a bold   
man believing that he had an            
irrefragable truth in his hands1 ',i    
will tarry here1 for a great door and an
 effectual is opened1 and there are many
 adversaries4' ,wherever a whole nation 
is interested and stirred about         
religious subjects1 even though it may  
be in contradiction and antagonism1     
,god's truth can fight opposition far   
better than it can contend with         
indifference4 ,then if we look upon our 
churches1 whilst there is amongst them  
all abounding worldliness much to be    
deplored1 there is also1 thank ,god1    
springing up amongst us a new           
consciousness of responsibility1 which  

is not confined to ,christian people1   
for the condition of the poor and the   
degraded around us2 and everywhere we   
see good men and women trying to stretch
 their hands across these awful gulfs in
 our social system which make such a    
danger in our modern life1 and to       
reclaim the outcasts of our cities1 the 
most hopeless of all the heathen on the 
face of the earth4 ,these things1 on    
which ,i have touched with the lightest 
hand1 all taken together do make a      
picture for which we may be heartily    
thankful4  ,only1 brethren1 let us      
remember that that sort of talk about   
,england's progress may very speedily   
become offensive self-conceit1 and a    
measuring of ourselves with ludicrous   
self-satisfaction against all other     
nations4 ,there is a bastard patriotism 
which has been very loud-mouthed in     
these last days1 of which wise men      
should beware4  ,further1 such a        
contemplation of the elements of        
national progress1 which we owe to no   

monarch and to no legislature1 but      
largely to the indomitable pluck and    
energy of our people1 to ,anglo-,saxon  
persistence not knowing when it is      
beaten1 and to the patient meditation of
 thoughtful minds and the self-denying  
efforts of good philanthropical and     
religious people--such a contemplation1 
,i say1 may come between us and the     
recognition of the highest source from  
which it flows1 and be corrupted into   
forgetfulness of ,god4 ',beware lest    
when thou hast eaten and art full1 and  
thy silver and thy gold is multiplied1  
and all that thou hast is multiplied1   
then thine heart be lifted up1 and thou 
forget the ,lord thy ,god444 and thou   
say in thine heart1 ,my power1 and the  
might of mine hand1 hath gotten me this 
wealth4 ,but thou shalt remember the    
,lord thy ,god1 for it is ,he that      
giveth thee power to get wealth4'  ,and 
the last caution that ,i would put in   
here is1 let us beware lest the hosannas
 over national progress shall be turned 

into ',rest and be thankful1' or shall  
ever come in the way of the strenuous   
and persistent reaching forth to the    
fair ideal that lies so far before us4  
,,iii4 ,that leads me to the last point 
on which ,i would say a word1 viz41 that
 my text with its reference to the      
correction of evils1 as one of the twin 
functions of the monarch1 naturally     
suggests to us the thought which should 
follow all recognition of progress in   
the past--the consideration of what yet 
remains to be done4  ,a great           
controversy has been going on1 or at    
least a remarkable difference of opinion
 has been expressed in recent months by 
two of the greatest minds and clearest  
heads in ,england2 one of our greatest  
poets and one of our greatest statesmen4
 ,the one looking back over sixty years 
sees but foiled aspirations and present 
devildom and misery4 ,the other looking 
back over the same period sees          
accomplished dreams and the prophecy of 
further progress4 ,it is not for me to  

enter upon the strife between such      
authorities4 ,both are right4 ,much has 
been achieved4 ',there remaineth yet    
very much land to be possessed4'        
,whatever have been the victories and   
the blessings of the past1 there are    
rotten places in our social state which1
 if not cauterised and healed1 will     
break out into widespread and virulent  
sores4 ,there are dangers in the near   
future which may well task the skill of 
the bravest and the faith of the most   
trustful4 ,there are clouds on the      
horizon which may speedily turn         
jubilations into lamentations1 and the  
best security against these is that each
 of us in his place1 as a unit however  
insignificant in the great body politic1
 should use our little influence on the 
side that makes for righteousness1 and  
see to it that we leave some small      
corner of this ,england1 which ,god has 
given us in charge1 sweeter and holier  
because of our lives4 ,the ideal for you
 ,christian men and women is the        

organisation of society on ,christian   
principles4 ,have we got to that yet1 or
 within sight of it1 do you suppose8    
,look round you4 ,does anybody believe  
that the present arrangements in        
connection with unrestricted competition
 and the distribution of wealth coincide
 accurately with the principles of the  
,new ,testament8 ,will anybody tell me  
that the state of a hundred streets     
within a mile of this spot is what it   
would be if the ,christian men of this  
nation lived the lives that they ought  
to live8 ,could there be such rottenness
 and corruption if the 'salt' had not   
'lost his savour'8 ,will anybody tell me
 that the disgusting vice which our     
newspapers do not think themselves      
degraded by printing in loathsome       
detail1 and so bringing the foulness of 
a common sewer on to every              
breakfast-table in the kingdom1 is in   
accordance with the organisation of     
society on ,christian principles8       
,intemperance1 social impurity1 wide1   

dreary tracts of ignorance1 degradation1
 bestiality1 the awful condition of the 
lowest layer in our great cities1       
crushed like some crumbling bricks      
beneath the ponderous weight of the     
splendid superstructure1 the bitter     
partisan spirit of politics1 where the  
followers of each chief think themselves
 bound to believe that he is immaculate 
and that the other side has no honour or
 truth belonging to it--these things    
testify against ,english society1 and   
make one almost despair when one thinks 
that1 after a thousand years and more of
 professing ,christianity1 that is all  
that we can show for it4  ,o brethren6  
we may be thankful for what has been    
accomplished1 but surely there had need 
also to be penitent recognition of      
failure and defect4 ,and ,i lay it on   
the consciences of all that listen to me
 now to see to it that they do their    
parts as members of this body politic of
 ,england4 ,a great heritage has come   
down from our fathers2 pass it on       

bettered by your self-denial and your   
efforts4 ,and remember that the way to  
mend a kingdom is to begin by mending   
yourselves1 and letting ,christ's       
kingdom come in your own hearts4 ,next  
we are bound to try to further its      
coming in the hearts of others1 and so  
to promote its leavening society and    
national life4 ,no ,christian is clear  
from the blood of men and the guilt of  
souls who does not1 according to        
opportunity and capacity1 repair before 
his own door1 and seek to make some one 
know the unsearchable riches of the     
,gospel of ,christ4  ,there is no       
finality for a ,christian patriot until 
his country be organised on ,christian  
principles1 and so from being merely a  
'kingdom of the world' become 'a        
,kingdom of our ,god and of ,his        
,christ4' ,to help forward that         
consummation1 by however little1 is the 
noblest service that prince or peasant  
can render to his country4 ,by          
conformity to the will of ,god and not  

by material progress or intellectual    
enlightenment is a state prosperous and 
strong4 ,to keep ,his statutes and      
judgments is 'your wisdom and           
understanding in the sight of the       
nations1 which shall hear all these     
statutes and say1 ,surely this great    
nation is a wise and understanding      
people4'    ,,paul ,,before ,,felix     
',then ,paul1 after that the governor   
had beckoned unto him to speak1         
answered1 ,forasmuch as ,i know that    
thou hast been of many years a judge    
unto this nation1 ,i do the more        
cheerfully answer for myself3 #aa4      
,because that thou mayest understand1   
that there are yet but twelve days since
 ,i went up to ,jerusalem for to        
worship4 #ab4 ,and they neither found me
 in the temple disputing with any man1  
neither raising up the people1 neither  
in the synagogues1 nor in the city3 #ac4
 ,neither can they prove the things     
whereof they now accuse me4 #ad4 ,but   
this ,i confess unto thee1 that after   

the way which they call heresy1 so      
worship ,i the ,god of my fathers1      
believing all things which are written  
in the law and in the prophets3 #ae4    
,and have hope toward ,god1 which they  
themselves also allow1 that there shall 
be a resurrection of the dead1 both of  
the just and unjust4 #af4 ,and herein do
 ,i exercise myself1 to have always a   
conscience void of offence toward ,god1 
and toward men4 #ag4 ,now after many    
years ,i came to bring alms to my       
nation1 and offerings4 #ah4 ,whereupon  
certain ,jews from ,asia found me       
purified in the temple1 neither with    
multitude1 nor with tumult #ai4 ,who    
ought to have been here before thee1 and
 object1 if they had ought against me4  
#bj4 ,or else let these same here say1  
if they have found any evil-doing in me1
 while ,i stood before the council1 #ba4
 ,except it be for this one voice1 that 
,i cried standing among them1 ,touching 
the resurrection of the dead ,i am      
called in question by you this day4 #bb4

 ,and when ,felix heard these things1   
having more perfect knowledge of that   
way1 he deferred them1 and said1 ,when  
,lysias the chief captain shall come    
down1 ,i will know the uttermost of your
 matter4 #bc4 ,and he commanded a       
centurion to keep ,paul1 and to let him 
have liberty1 and that he should forbid 
none of his acquaintance to minister or 
come unto him4 #bd4 ,and after certain  
days1 when ,felix came with his wife    
,drusilla1 which was a ,jewess1 he sent 
for ,paul1 and heard him concerning the 
faith in ,christ4 #be4 ,and as he       
reasoned of righteousness1 temperance1  
and judgment to come1 ,felix trembled1  
and answered1 ,go thy way for this time2
 when ,i have a convenient season1 ,i   
will call for thee4'--,,acts xxiv4      
#aj-be4  ,tertellus made three charges  
against ,paul3 first1 that he incited to
 rebellion2 second1 that he was a       
principal member of a 'sect'2 third     
7with a 'moreover1' as if an            
afterthought71 that he had profaned the 

,temple4 ,it was more clever than honest
 to put the real cause of ,jewish hatred
 last1 since it was a trifle in ,roman  
eyes1 and to put first the only thing   
that ,felix would think worth notice4 ,a
 duller man than he might have scented  
something suspicious in ,jewish         
officials being so anxious to suppress  
insurrection against ,rome1 and probably
 he had his own thoughts about the good 
faith of the accusers1 though he said   
nothing4 ,paul takes up the three points
 in order4 ,unsupported charges can only
 be met by emphatic denials4  ,i4       
,paul's speech is the first part of the 
passage4 ,its dignified1 courteous      
beginning contrasts well with the       
accuser's dishonest flattery4 ,paul will
 not lie1 but he will respect authority1
 and will conciliate when he can do so  
with truth4 ,felix had been 'judge' for 
several years1 probably about six4 ,what
 sort of a judge he had been ,paul will 
not say4 ,at any rate he had gained     
experience which might help him in      

picking his way through ,tertullus's    
rhetoric4  ,the ,apostle answers the    
first charge with a flat denial1 with   
the remark that as the whole affair was 
less than a fortnight old the truth     
could easily be ascertained1 and that   
the time was very short for the ,jews to
 have 'found' him such a dangerous      
conspirator1 and with the obviously     
unanswerable demand for proof to back up
 the charge4 ,in the absence of         
witnesses there was nothing more to be  
done about number one of the            
accusations1 and a just judge would have
 said so and sent ,tertullus and his    
clients about their business4  ,the     
second charge ,paul both denies and     
admits4 ,he does belong to the followers
 of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,but that is   
not a 'sect'2 it is 'the ,way4' ,it is  
not a divergence from the path in which 
the fathers have walked1 trodden only by
 some self-willed schismatics1 but it is
 the one ,god-appointed path of life1   
'the old way1' the only road by which a 

man can walk nobly and travel to the    
skies4 ,paul's whole doctrine as to the 
relation of ,judaism to ,christianity is
 here in germ and in a form adapted to  
,felix's comprehension4 ,this so-called 
sect 7ver4 #ad takes up ,tertullus's    
word in ver4 #e7 is the true ,judaism1  
and its members are more truly ',jews'  
than they who are such 'outwardly4' ,for
 what has ,paul cast away in becoming a 
,christian8 ,not the worship of the ,god
 of ,abraham and of ,isaac and of       
,jacob1 not the law1 not the prophets1  
not the hope of a resurrection4  ,he    
does not say that he practises all the  
things written in the law1 but that he  
'believes' them4 ,then the law was      
revelation as well as precept1 and was  
to be embraced by faith before it could 
be obeyed in practice2 it was1 as he    
says elsewhere1 a 'schoolmaster to bring
 us unto ,christ4' ,judaism is the bud2 
,christianity is the bright consummate  
flower4 ,paul was not preaching his     
whole ,gospel1 but defending himself    

from a specific charge2 namely that1 as 
being a ',nazarene1' he had started off 
from the main line of ,jewish religion4 
,he admits that he is a ',nazarene1' and
 he assumes correctly that ,felix knew  
something about them1 but he denies that
 he is a sectary1 and he assumes that   
the charge would be more truly made     
against those who1 accusing him1        
disbelieved in ,christ4 ,he hints that  
they did not believe in either law or   
prophets1 else they would have been     
,nazarenes too4  ,the practical results 
of his faith are stated4 ',herein'2 that
 is in the faith and hope just spoken   
of4 ,he will not say that these make him
 blameless towards ,god and men1 but    
that such blamelessness is his aim1     
which he pursues with earnest toil and  
self-control4 ,a ,christianity which    
does not sovereignly sway life and brace
 its professor up to the self-denial    
needful to secure a conscience void of  
offence is not ,paul's kind of          
,christianity4 ,if we move in the circle

 of the great ,christian truths we shall
 gird ourselves to subdue the flesh1 and
 will covet more than aught else the    
peace of a good conscience4 ,but1 like  
,paul1 we shall be slow to say that we  
have attained1 yet not afraid to say    
that we strive towards1 that ideal4     
,the third charge is met by a plain     
statement of his real purpose in coming 
to ,jerusalem and frequenting the       
,temple4 ',profane the ,temple6 ,why1 ,i
 came all the way from ,greece on       
purpose to worship at the ,feast2 and ,i
 did not come empty-handed either1 for  
,i brought alms for my nation'--the     
contributions of the ,gentiles to       
,jews--'and ,i was a worshipper1        
discharging the ceremonial              
purifications4' ,they called him a      
',nazarene'2 he was in the ,temple as a 
',nazarite4' ,was it likely that1 being 
there on such an errand1 he should have 
profaned it8  ,he begins a sentence1    
which would probably have been an       
indignant one1 about the 'certain ,jews 

from ,asia1' the originators of the     
whole trouble1 but he checks himself    
with a fine sense of justice4 ,he will  
say nothing about absent men4 ,and that 
brings him back to his strong point1    
already urged1 the absence of proof of  
the charges4 ,tertullus and company had 
only hearsay4 ,what had become of the   
people who said they saw him in the     
,temple8 ,no doubt they had thought     
discretion the better part of valour1   
and were not anxious to face the ,roman 
procedure4  ,the close of the speech    
carries the war into the enemy's        
quarters1 challenging the accusers to   
tell what they had themselves heard4    
,they could be witnesses as to the scene
 at the ,council1 which ,tertullus had  
wisely said nothing about4 ,pungent     
sarcasm is in ,paul's closing words1    
especially if we remember that the high 
officials1 like ,ananias the            
high-priest1 were ,sadducees4 ,the      
,pharisees in the ,council had acquitted
 him when they heard his profession of  

faith in a resurrection4 ,that was his  
real crime1 not treason against ,rome or
 profanation of the ,temple4 ,the       
present accusers might be eager for his 
condemnation1 but half of their own     
,sanhedrim had acquitted him4 ',and     
these unworthy ,jews1 who have cast off 
the nation's hope and believe in no     
resurrection1 are accusing me of being  
an apostate6 ,who is the sectary--,i or 
they8'  ,,ii4 ,there was only one       
righteous course for ,felix1 namely1 to 
discharge the prisoner4 ,but he yielded 
to the same temptation as had mastered  
,pilate1 and shrank from provoking      
influential classes by doing the right  
thing4 ,he was the less excusable1      
because his long tenure of office had   
taught him something1 at all events1 of 
'the ,way4' ,he had too many crimes to  
venture on raising enemies in his       
government2 he had too much lingering   
sense of justice to give up an innocent 
man4 ,so like all weak men in difficult 
positions he temporised1 and trusted to 

accident to make the right thing easier 
for him4  ,his plea for delay was       
conveniently indefinite4 ,when was      
,lysias coming8 ,his letter said nothing
 about such an intention1 and took for  
granted that all the materials for a    
decision would be before ,felix4 ,lysias
 could tell no more4 ,the excuse was    
transparent1 but it served to stave off 
a decision1 and to-morrow would bring   
some other excuse4 ,prompt carrying out 
of all plain duty is the only safety4   
,the indulgence given to ,paul1 in his  
light confinement1 only showed how      
clearly ,felix knew himself to be doing 
wrong1 but small alleviations do not    
patch up a great injustice4  ,,iii4 ,one
 reading inserts in verse #bd the       
statement that ,drusilla wished to see  
,paul1 and that ,felix summoned him in  
order to gratify her4 ,very probably    
she1 as a ,jewess1 knew something of    
'the ,way1' and with a love of anything 
odd and new1 which such women cannot do 
without1 she wanted to see this curious 

man and hear him talk4 ,it might amuse  
her1 and pass an hour1 and be something 
to gossip about4  ,she and ,felix got   
more than they bargained for4 ,paul was 
not now the prisoner1 but the preacher2 
and his topics were not wanting in      
directness and plainness4 ,he 'reasoned 
of righteousness' to one of the worst of
 unrighteous governors2 of 'temperance' 
to the guilty couple who1 in calling    
themselves husband and wife1 were       
showing themselves given over to sinful 
passions2 and of 'judgment to come' to a
 man who1 to quote the ,roman historian1
 'thought that he could commit all evil 
with impunity4'  ,paul's strong hand    
shook even that obdurate soul1 and      
roused one of the two sleeping          
consciences4 ,drusilla may have been too
 frivolous to be impressed1 but ,felix  
had so much good left that he could be  
conscious of evil4 ,alas6 he had so much
 evil that he suppressed the good4 ,his 
'convenient season' was then2 it never  
came again4 ,for though he communed with

 ,paul often1 he trembled only once4 ,so
 he passed into the darkness4    ,,felix
 ,,before ,,paul  ,a ,sermon to the     
,young  ',and as ,paul reasoned of      
righteousness1 temperance1 and judgment 
to come1 ,felix trembled1 and answered1 
,go thy way for this time2 when ,i have 
a convenient season1 ,i will call for   
thee4'--,,acts xxiv4 #be4  ,felix and   
his brother had been favourite slaves of
 the ,emperor1 and so had won great     
power at court4 ,at the date of this    
incident he had been for some five or   
six years the procurator of the ,roman  
province of ,judaea2 and how he used his
 power the historian ,tacitus tells us  
in one of his bitter sentences1 in which
 he says1 ',he wielded his kingly       
authority with the spirit of a slave1 in
 all cruelty and lust4'  ,he had tempted
 from her husband1 ,drusilla1 the       
daughter of that ,herod whose dreadful  
death is familiar to us all2 and his    
court reeked with blood and debauchery4 
,he is here face to face with ,paul for 

the second time4 ,on a former interview 
he had seen good reason to conclude that
 the ,roman ,empire was not in much     
danger from this one ,jew whom his      
countrymen1 with suspicious loyalty1    
were charging with sedition2 and so he  
had allowed him a very large margin of  
liberty4  ,on this second occasion he   
had sent for him evidently not as a     
judge1 but partly with a view to try to 
get a bribe out of him1 and partly      
because he had some kind of languid     
interest1 as most ,romans then had1 in  
,oriental thought--some languid interest
 perhaps too in this strange man4 ,or he
 and ,drusilla were possibly longing for
 a new sensation1 and not indisposed to 
give a moment's glance at ,paul with his
 singular ideas4  ,so they called for   
the ,apostle1 and the guilty couple     
found a judge in their prisoner4 ,paul  
does not speak to them as a ,greek      
philosopher1 anxious to please high     
personages1 might have done1 but he goes
 straight at their sins3 he reasons 'of 

righteousness' with the unjust judge1   
'of temperance' with the self-indulgent1
 sinful pair1 'of the judgment to come' 
with these two who thought that they    
could do anything they liked with       
impunity4 ,christianity has sometimes to
 be exceedingly rude in reference to the
 sins of the upper classes4  ,as ,paul  
went on1 a strange fear began to creep  
about the heart of ,felix4 ,it is the   
watershed of his life that he has come  
to1 the crisis of his fate4 ,everything 
depends on the next five minutes4 ,will 
he yield8 ,will he resist8 ,the tongue  
of the balance trembles and hesitates   
for a moment1 and then1 but slowly1 the 
wrong scale goes down2 ',go thy way for 
this time4' ,ah6 if he had said1 ',come 
and help me to get rid of this strange  
fear1' how different all might have     
been6 ,the metal was at the very point  
of melting4 ,what shape would it take8  
,it ran into the wrong mould1 and1 as   
far as we know1 it was hardened there4  
',it might have been once1 and he missed

 it1 lost it for ever4 ,no sign marked  
out that moment from the common         
uneventful moments1 though it saw the   
death of a soul4'  ,now1 my dear young  
friends1 ,i do not intend to say        
anything more to you of this man and his
 character1 but ,i wish to take this    
incident and its lessons and urge them  
on your hearts and consciences4  ,i4    
,let me say a word or two about the     
fact1 of which this incident is an      
example1 and of which ,i am afraid the  
lives of many of you would furnish other
 examples1 that men lull awakened       
consciences to sleep and excuse delay in
 deciding for ,christ by half-honest    
promises to attend to religion at some  
future time4  ',go thy way for this     
time' is what ,felix is really anxious  
about4 ,his one thought is to get rid of
 ,paul and his disturbing message for   
the present4 ,but he does not wish to   
shut the door altogether4 ,he gives a   
sop to his conscience to stop its       
barking1 and he probably deceives       

himself as to the gravity of his present
 decision by the lightly given promise  
and its well-guarded indefiniteness1    
',when ,i have a convenient season ,i   
will send for thee4' ,the thing he      
really means is--,not now1 at all       
events2 the thing he hoodwinks himself  
with is--,by and by4 ,now that is what  
,i know that some of you are doing2 and 
my purpose and earnest prayer are to    
bring you now to the decision which1 by 
one vigorous act of your wills1 will    
settle the question for the future as to
 which ,god you are going to follow4    
,so then ,i have just one or two things 
to say about this first part of my      
subject4 ,let me remind you that however
 beautiful1 however gracious1 however   
tender and full of love and mercy and   
good tidings the message of ,god's love 
in ,jesus ,christ is1 there is another  
side to it1 a side which is meant to    
rouse men's consciences and to awaken   
men's fears4  ,if you bring a man like  
the man in the story1 ,felix1 or a very 

much better man than he--any of you who 
hear me now--into contact with these    
three thoughts1 ',righteousness1        
temperance1 judgment to come1' the      
effect of such a direct appeal to moral 
convictions will always be more or less 
to awaken a sense of failure1           
insufficiency1 defect1 sin1 and to      
create a certain creeping dread that if 
,i set myself against the great law of  
,god1 that law of ,god will have a way  
of crushing me4 ,the fear is well       
founded1 and not only does the          
contemplation of ,god's law excite it4  
,god's gospel comes to us1 and just     
because it is a gospel1 and is intended 
to lead you and me to love and trust    
,jesus ,christ1 and give our whole      
hearts and souls to ,him--just because  
it is the best 'good news' that ever    
came into the world1 it begins often    
7not always1 perhaps7 by making a man   
feel what a sinful man he is1 and how he
 has gone against ,god's law1 and how   
there hang over him1 by the very        

necessities of the case and the         
constitution of the universe1           
consequences bitter and painful4 ,now ,i
 believe that there are very few people 
who1 like you1 come occasionally into   
contact with the preaching of the truth1
 who have not had their moments when    
they felt--',yes1 it is all true--it is 
all true4 ,i am bad1 and ,i have broken 
,god's law1 and there is a dark lookout 
before me6' ,i believe that most of us  
know what that feeling is4  ,and now my 
next step is--that the awakened         
conscience is just like the sense of    
pain in the physical world1 it has a    
work to do and a mission to perform4 ,it
 is meant to warn you off dangerous     
ground4 ,thank ,god for pain6 ,it keeps 
off death many a time4 ,and in like     
manner thank ,god for a swift conscience
 that speaks6 ,it is meant to ring an   
alarm-bell to us1 to make us1 as the    
,bible has it1 'flee for refuge to the  
hope that is set before us4' ,my        
imploring question to my young friends  

now is3 ',have you used that sense of   
evil and wrongdoing1 when it has been   
aroused in your consciences1 to lead you
 to ,jesus ,christ1 or what have you    
done with it8'  ,there are two persons  
in this ,book of the ,acts of the       
,apostles who pass through the same     
stages of feeling up to a certain point1
 and then they diverge4 ,and the two    
men's outline history is the best sermon
 that ,i can preach upon this point4    
,felix becoming afraid1 recoils1 shuts  
himself up1 puts away the message that  
disturbs him1 and settles himself back  
into his evil4 ,the ,philippian jailer  
becoming afraid 7the phrases in the     
original being almost identical71 like a
 sensible man tries to find out the     
reason of his fear and how to get rid of
 it2 and falls down at the ,apostles'   
feet and says1 ',sirs1 what must ,i do  
to be saved8'  ,the fear is not meant to
 last2 it is of no use in itself4 ,it is
 only an impelling motive that leads us 
to look to the ,saviour1 and the man    

that uses it so has used it rightly4    
,yet there rises in many a heart that   
transparent self-deception of delay4    
',they all with one consent began to    
make excuse'2 that is as true to-day as 
it was true then4 ,my experience tells  
me that it will be true in regard to a  
sad number of you who will go away      
feeling that my poor word has gone a    
little way into their hardened hide1 but
 settling themselves back into their    
carelessness1 and forgetting all        
impressions that have been made4 ,o dear
 young friend1 do not do that1 ,i       
beseech you6 ,do not stifle the         
wholesome alarm and cheat yourself with 
the notion of a little delay6  ,,ii4    
,and now ,i wish next to pass very      
swiftly in review before you some of the
 reasons why we fall into this habit of 
self-deceiving1 indecision1 and         
delay--',go thy way' would be too sharp 
and unmistakable if it were left alone1 
so it is fined off4 ',i will not commit 
myself beyond to-day1' 'for this time go

 thy way1 and when ,i have a convenient 
season ,i will call for thee4'  ,what   
are the reasons for such an attitude as 
that8 ,let me enumerate one or two of   
them as they strike me4 ,first1 there is
 the instinctive1 natural wish to get   
rid of a disagreeable subject--much as a
 man1 without knowing what he is doing1 
twitches his hand away from the         
surgeon's lancet4 ,so a great many of us
 do not like--and no wonder that we do  
not like--these thoughts of the old     
,book about 'righteousness and          
temperance and judgment to come1' and   
make a natural effort to turn our minds 
away from the contemplation of the      
subject1 because it is painful and      
unpleasant4 ,do you think it would be a 
wise thing for a man1 if he began to    
suspect that he was insolvent1 to refuse
 to look into his books or to take      
stock1 and let things drift1 till there 
was not a halfpenny in the pound for    
anybody8 ,what do you suppose his       
creditors would call him8 ,they would   

not compliment him on either his honesty
 or his prudence1 would they8 ,and is it
 not the part of a wise man1 if he      
begins to see that something is wrong1  
to get to the bottom of it and1 as      
quickly as possible1 to set it right8   
,and what do you call people who1       
suspecting that there may be a great    
hole in the bottom of the ship1 never   
man the pumps or do any caulking1 but   
say1 ',oh1 she will very likely keep    
afloat until we get into harbour'8  ,do 
you not think that it would be a wiser  
thing for you if1 because the subject is
 disagreeable1 you would force yourself 
to think about it until it became       
agreeable to you8 ,you can change it if 
you will1 and make it not at all a      
shadow or a cloud or a darkness over    
you4 ,and you can scarcely expect to    
claim the designation of wise and       
prudent orderers of your lives until you
 do4 ,certainly it is not wise to       
shuffle a thing out of sight because it 
is not pleasing to think about4  ,then  

there is another reason4 ,a number of   
our young people say1 ',go thy way for  
this time1' because you have a notion   
that it is time enough for you to begin 
to think about serious things and be    
religious when you grow a bit older4    
,and some of you even1 ,i dare say1 have
 an idea that religion is all very well 
for people that are turned sixty and are
 going down the hill1 but that it is    
quite unnecessary for you4 ,shakespeare 
puts a grim word into the mouth of one  
of his characters1 which sets the theory
 of many of us in its true light1 when1 
describing a dying man calling on ,god1 
he makes the narrator say3 ',i1 to      
comfort him1 bid him he should not think
 of ,god4 ,i hoped there was no need to 
trouble himself with any such thoughts  
yet4'  ,some of my hearers practically  
live on that principle1 and are tempted 
to regard thoughts of ,god as in place  
only among medicine bottles1 or when the
 shadows of the grave begin to fall cold
 and damp on our path4 ',young men will 

be young men1' ',we must sow our wild   
oats1' ',you can't put old heads on     
young shoulders'--and such like sayings1
 often practically mean that vice and   
godlessness belong to youth1 and virtue 
and religion to old age1 just as flowers
 do to spring and fruit to autumn4 ,let 
me beseech you not to be deceived by    
such a notion2 and to search your own   
thoughts and see whether it be one of   
the reasons which leads you to say1 ',go
 thy way for this time4'  ,then again   
some of us fall into this habit of      
putting off the decision for ,christ1   
not consciously1 not by any distinct act
 of saying1 ',no1 ,i will not1' but     
simply by letting the impressions made  
on our hearts and consciences be crowded
 out of them by cares and enjoyments and
 pleasures and duties of this world4 ,if
 you had not so much to study at        
,college1 you would have time to think  
about religion4 ,if you had not so many 
parties and balls to go to1 you would   
have time to nourish and foster these   

impressions4 ,if you had not your place 
to make in the warehouse1 if you had not
 this1 that1 and the other thing to do2 
if you had not love and pleasure and    
ambition and advancement and mental     
culture to attend to1 you would have    
time for religion2 but as soon as the   
seed is sown and the sower's back is    
turned1 hovering flocks of light-winged 
thoughts and vanities pounce down upon  
it and carry it away1 seed by seed4 ,and
 if some stray seed here and there      
remains and begins to sprout1 the ill   
weeds which grow apace spring up with   
ranker stems and choke it4 ',the cares  
of this world1 and the deceitfulness of 
riches1 and the lusts of other things   
entering in1 choke the word1 and efface 
the impression made upon your hearts4   
,here as ,i speak some serious thought  
is roused2 by to-morrow at midday it has
 all gone4 ,you did not intend it to go1
 you did not set yourself to banish it1 
you simply opened the door to the       
flocking in of the whole crowd of the   

world's cares and occupations1 and away 
went the shy1 solitary thought that1 if 
it had been cared for and tended1 might 
have led you at last to the ,cross of   
,jesus ,christ4 ,do not allow yourselves
 to be drifted1 by the rushing current  
of earthly cares1 from the impressions  
that are made upon your consciences and 
from the duty that you know you ought to
 do6  ,and then some of you fall into   
this attitude of delay1 and say to the  
messenger of ,god's love1 ',go thy way  
for this time1' because you do not like 
to give up something that you know is   
inconsistent with ,his love and service4
 ,felix would not part with ,drusilla   
nor disgorge the ill-gotten gains of his
 province4 ,felix therefore was obliged 
to put away from him the thoughts that  
looked in that direction4 ,i wonder if  
there is any young man listening to me  
now who feels that if he lets my words  
carry him where they seek to carry him1 
he will have to give up 'fleshly lusts  
which war against the soul'8 ,i wonder  

if there is any young woman listening to
 me now who feels that if she lets my   
words carry her where they would carry  
her1 she will have to live a different  
life from that which she has been       
living1 to have more of a high and a    
noble aim in it1 to live for something  
else than pleasure8 ,i wonder if there  
are any of you who are saying1 ',i      
cannot give up that'8 ,my dear young    
friend1 ',if thine eye offend thee1     
pluck it out and cast it from thee4 ,it 
is better for thee to enter into life   
blind than with both eyes to be cast    
into hell-fire4'  ,reasons for delay1   
then1 are these3 first1 getting rid of  
an unpleasant subject2 second1 thinking 
that there is time enough2 third1       
letting the world obliterate the        
impressions that have been made2 and    
fourth1 shrinking from the surrender of 
something that you know you will have to
 give up4  ,,iii4 ,and now let me very  
briefly1 as my last point1 put before   
you one or two of the reasons which ,i  

would fain might be conclusive with you 
for present decision to take ,christ for
 your ,saviour and your ,master4  ,and  
,i say1 ,do not delay1 but now choose   
,him for your ,redeemer1 your ,friend1  
your ,helper1 your ,commander1 your     
,all2 because delay is really decision  
in the wrong way4 ,do not delay1 but    
take ,jesus ,christ as the ,saviour of  
your sinful souls1 and rest your hearts 
upon ,him to-night before you sleep2    
because there is no real reason for     
delay4 ,no season will be more          
convenient than the present season4     
,every time is the right time to do the 
right thing1 every time is the right    
time to begin following ,him4 ,there is 
nothing to wait for4 ,there is no reason
 at all1 except their own               
disinclination1 why every man and woman 
listening to me should not now grasp the
 ,cross of ,christ as their only hope   
for forgiveness and acceptance1 and     
yield themselves to that ,lord1 to live 
in ,his service for ever4 ,let not this 

day pass without your giving yourselves 
to ,jesus ,christ1 because every time   
that you have this message brought to   
you1 and you refuse to accept it1 or    
delay to accept it1 you make yourselves 
less capable of receiving it another    
time4  ,if you take a bit of phosphorus 
and put it upon a slip of wood and      
ignite the phosphorus1 bright as the    
blaze is1 there drops from it a white   
ash that coats the wood and makes it    
almost incombustible4 ,and so when the  
flaming conviction laid upon your hearts
 has burnt itself out1 it has coated the
 heart1 and it will be very difficult to
 kindle the light there again4 ,felix   
said1 ',go thy way1 when ,i have a more 
convenient season ,i will send for      
thee4' ,yes1 and he did send for ,paul1 
and he talked with him often--he        
repeated the conversation1 but we do not
 know that he repeated the trembling4   
,he often communed with ,paul1 but it   
was only once that he was alarmed4 ,you 
are less likely to be touched by the    

,gospel message for every time that you 
have heard it and put it away4 ,that is 
what makes my place here so terribly    
responsible1 and makes me feel that my  
words are so very feeble in comparison  
with what they ought to be4 ,i know that
 ,i may be doing harm to men just       
because they listen and are not         
persuaded1 and so go away less and less 
likely to be touched4  ,ah1 dear        
friends6 you will perhaps never again   
have as deep impressions as you have    
now2 or at least they are not to be     
reckoned upon as probable1 for the      
tendency of all truth is to lose its    
power by repetition1 and the tendency of
 all emotion which is not acted upon is 
to become fainter and fainter4 ,and so  
,i beseech you that now you would       
cherish any faint impression that is    
being made upon your hearts and         
consciences4 ,let it lead you to        
,christ2 and take ,him for your ,lord   
and ,saviour now4  ,i say to you3 ,do   
that now because delay robs you of large

 blessing4 ,you will never want ,jesus  
,christ more than you do to-day4 ,you   
need ,him in your early hours4 ,why     
should it be that a portion of your     
lives should be left unfilled by that   
rich mercy8 ,why should you postpone    
possessing the purest joy1 the highest  
blessing1 the divinest strength8 ,why   
should you put off welcoming your best  
,friend into your heart8 ,why should    
you8  ,i say to you again1 ,take ,christ
 for your ,lord1 because delay          
inevitably lays up for you bitter       
memories and involves dreadful losses4  
,there are good ,christian men and      
women1 ,i have no doubt1 in this world  
now1 who would give all they have1 if   
they could blot out of the tablets of   
their memories some past hours of their 
lives1 before they gave their hearts to 
,jesus ,christ4 ,i would have you       
ignorant of such transgression4 ,o young
 men and women6 if you grow up into     
middle life not ,christians1 then should
 you ever become so1 you will have      

habits to fight with1 and remembrances  
that will smart and sting2 and some of  
you1 perhaps1 remembrances that will    
pollute1 even though you are conscious  
that you are forgiven4 ,it is a better  
thing not to know the depths of evil    
than to know them and to have been      
raised from them4 ,you will escape      
infinite sorrows by an early cleaving to
 ,christ your ,lord4  ,and last of all  
,i say to you1 give yourselves now to   
,jesus ,christ1 because no to-morrow may
 be yours4 ,delay is gambling1 very     
irrationally1 with a very uncertain     
thing--your life and your future        
opportunities4 ',you know not what shall
 be on the morrow4'  ,for a generation  
,i have preached in ,manchester these   
annual sermons to the young4 ,ah1 how   
many of those that heard the early ones 
are laid in their graves2 and how many  
of them were laid in early graves2 and  
how many of them said1 as some of you   
are saying1 ',when ,i get older ,i will 
turn religious'6 ,and they never got    

older4 ,it is a commonplace word that1  
but ,i leave it on your hearts4 ,you    
have no time to lose4  ,do not delay1   
because delay is decision in the wrong  
way2 do not delay1 because there is no  
reason for delay2 do not delay1 because 
delay robs you of a large blessing2 do  
not delay1 because delay lays up for    
you1 if ever you come back1 bitter      
memories2 do not delay1 because delay   
may end in death4 ,and for all these    
reasons1 come as a sinful soul to       
,christ the ,saviour2 and ask ,him to   
forgive you1 and follow in ,his         
footsteps1 and do it now6 ',to-day1 if  
ye will hear ,his voice1 harden not your
 hearts4'    ,,christ',s ,,remonstrances
  ',and when we were all fallen to the  
earth1 ,i heard a voice speaking unto   
me1 and saying in the ,hebrew tongue1   
,saul1 ,saul1 why perseoutest thou ,me6 
it is hard for thee to kick against the 
pricks4'--,,acts xxvi4 #ad4  ',can the  
,ethiopian change his skin1 or the      
leopard his spots8' ,no4 ,but ,god can  

change the skin1 because ,he can change 
the nature4 ,in this story of the       
conversion of the ,apostle ,paul--the   
most important thing that happened that 
day--we have an instance how brambles   
may become vines2 tares may become      
wheat2 and a hater of ,jesus ,christ may
 be changed in a moment into ,his lover 
and servant1 and1 if need be1 ,his      
martyr4  ,now the very same motives and 
powers which were brought to bear upon  
the ,apostle ,paul by miracle are being 
brought to bear upon every one of us2   
and my object now is just to trace the  
stages of the process set forth here1   
and to ask some of you1 if you1 like    
,paul1 have been 'obedient to the       
heavenly vision4' ,stages1 ,i call them1
 though they were all crowded into a    
moment1 for even the lightning has to   
pass through the intervening space when 
it flashes from one side of the heavens 
to another1 and we may divide its path  
into periods4 ,time is very elastic1 as 
any of us whose lives have held great   

sorrows or great joys or great          
resolutions well know4  ,i4 ,the first  
of these all but simultaneous and yet   
separable stages was the revelation of  
,jesus ,christ4  ,of course to the      
,apostle it was mediated by miracle2 but
 real as he believed that appearance of 
the risen ,lord in the heavens to be1   
and valid as he maintained that it was  
as the ground of his ,apostleship1 he   
himself1 in one of his letters1 speaks  
of the whole incident as being the      
revelation of ,god's ,son in him4 ,the  
revelation in heart and mind was the    
main thing1 of which the revelation to  
eye and ear were but means4 ,the means1 
in his case1 are different from those in
 ours2 the end is the same4 ,to ,paul it
 came like the rush of a cataract that  
the ,christ whom he had thought of as   
lying in an unknown grave was living in 
the heavens and ruling there4 ,you and  
,i1 ,i suppose1 do not need to be       
convinced by miracle of the resurrection
 of ,jesus ,christ2 but the bare fact   

that ,jesus was living in the heavens   
would have had little effect upon ,saul1
 unless it had been accompanied with the
 revelation of the startling fact that  
between him and ,jesus ,christ there    
were close personal relations1 so that  
he had to do with ,jesus1 and ,jesus    
with him4  ',saul1 ,saul6 why           
persecutest thou ,me8' ,they used to    
think that they could wake sleep-walkers
 by addressing them by name4 ,jesus     
,christ1 by speaking ,his name to the   
,apostle1 wakes him out of his diseased 
slumber1 and brings him to wholesome    
consciousness4 ,there are stringency and
 solemnity of address in that double use
 of the name ',saul1 ,saul6'  ,what does
 such an address teach you and me8 ,that
 ,jesus ,christ1 the living1 reigning   
,lord of the universe1 has perfect      
knowledge of each of us1 and that we    
each stand isolated before ,him1 as if  
all the light of omniscience were       
focussed upon us4 ,he knows our         
characters2 ,he knows all about us1 and 

more than that1 ,he directly addresses  
,himself to each man and woman among us4
  ,we are far too apt to hide ourselves 
in the crowd1 and let all the messages  
of ,god's love1 the warnings of ,his    
providences1 as well as the teachings   
and invitations and pleadings of ,his   
gospel1 fly over our heads as if they   
were meant vaguely for anybody4 ,but    
they are all intended for thee1 as      
directly as if thou1 and thou only1 wert
 in the world4 ,i beseech you1 lay this 
to heart1 that although no audible      
sounds may rend the silent heavens1 nor 
any blaze may blind thine eye1 yet that 
as really1 though not in the same       
outward fashion as ,saul1 when they were
 all fallen to the earth1 felt himself  
to be singled out1 and heard a voice    
'speaking to him in the ,hebrew tongue1 
saying1 ,saul1 ,saul6' thou mayest hear 
a voice speaking to thee in the ,english
 tongue1 by thy name1 and directly      
addressing its gracious remonstrances   
and its loving offers to thy listening  

ear4 ,i want to sharpen the blunt       
'whosoever' into the pointed 'thou4'    
,and ,i would fain plead with each of my
 friends hearing me now to believe that 
the gospel of ,jesus ,christ is meant   
for thee1 and that ,christ speaks to    
thee4 ',i have a message from ,god unto 
thee1' just as ,nathan said unto ,david4
 ',thou art the man6'  ,do not lose     
yourselves in the crowd or hide         
yourselves from the personal incidence  
of ,christ's offer1 but feel that you   
stand1 as you do indeed1 alone the      
hearer of ,his voice1 the possible      
recipient of ,his saving mercy4  ,,ii4  
,secondly1 notice1 as another stage in  
this process the discovery of the true  
character of the past4  ',why           
persecutest thou ,me8' ,now ,i am not   
going to be tempted from my more direct 
purpose in this sermon to dwell even for
 a moment on the beautiful1 affecting1  
strengthening thought here1 of the unity
 of ,jesus ,christ with all the humble  
souls that love ,him1 so as that1       

whatsoever any member suffers1 the ,head
 suffers with it4 ,i must leave that    
truth untouched4  ,saul was brought to  
look at all his past life as standing in
 immediate connection with ,jesus       
,christ4 ,of course he knew before the  
vision that he had no love to ,him whom 
he thought to be a ,galilean impostor1  
and that the madness with which he hated
 the servants was only the glancing off 
of the arrow that he would fain have    
aimed at the ,master4 ,but he did not   
know that ,jesus ,christ counted every  
blow struck at one of ,his servants as  
being struck at ,him4 ,above all he did 
not know that the ,christ whom he was   
persecuting was reigning in the heavens4
 ,and so his whole past life stood      
before him in a new aspect when it was  
brought into close connection with      
,christ1 and looked at as in relation to
 ,him4  ,the same process would yield   
very remarkable results if applied to   
our lives4 ,if ,i could only get you for
 one quiet ten minutes1 to lay all your 

past1 as far as memory brought it to    
your minds1 right before that pure and  
loving ,face1 ,i should have done much4 
,one infallible way of judging of the   
rottenness or goodness of our actions is
 that we should bring them where they   
will all be brought one day1 into the   
brightness of ,christ's countenance4 ,if
 you want to find out the flaws in some 
thin1 badly-woven piece of cloth1 you   
hold it up against the light1 do you    
not8 and then you see all the specks and
 holes1 and the irregular threads4 ,hold
 up your lives in like fashion against  
the light1 and ,i shall be surprised if 
you do not find enough there to make you
 very much ashamed of yourselves4 ,were 
you ever on the stage of a theatre in   
the daytime8 ,did you ever see what     
miserable daubs the scenes look1 and how
 seamy it all is when the pitiless      
sunshine comes in8 ,let that great light
 pour on your life1 and be thankful if  
you find out what a daub it has been1   
whilst yet colours and brushes and time 

are at your disposal1 and you may paint 
the future fairer than the past4        
,again1 this revelation of ,saul's past 
life disclosed its utter                
unreasonableness4 ,that one question1   
',why persecutest thou ,me8' pulverised 
the whole thing4 ,it was like the       
wondering question so unanswerable in   
the ,psalm1 ',why do the heathen rage1  
and the people imagine a vain thing8'   
,if you take into account what you are1 
and where you stand1 you can find no    
reason1 except utterly unreasonable     
ones1 for the lives that ,i fear some of
 us are living--lives of godlessness and
 ,christlessness4 ,there is nothing in  
all the world a tithe so stupid as sin4 
,there is nothing so unreasonable1 if   
there be a ,god at all1 and if we depend
 upon ,him1 and have duties to ,him1 as 
the lives that some of you are living4  
,you admit1 most of you1 that there is  
such a ,god2 you admit1 most of you1    
that you do hang upon ,him2 you admit1  
in theory1 that you ought to love and   

serve ,him4 ,the bulk of you call       
yourselves ,christians4 ,that is to say1
 you believe1 as a piece of historical  
fact1 that ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of  
,god1 came into this world and died for 
men4 ,and1 believing that1 you turn your
 back on ,him1 and neither love nor     
serve nor trust ,him nor turn away from 
your iniquity4 ,is there anything       
outside a lunatic asylum more madlike   
than that8 ',why persecutest thou8'     
',and he was speechless1' for no answer 
was possible4 ,why neglectest thou8 ,why
 forgettest thou8 ,why1 admitting what  
thou dost1 art thou not an out-and-out  
,christian8 ,if we think of all our     
obligations and relations1 and the facts
 of the universe1 we come back to the   
old saying1 ',the fear of the ,lord is  
the beginning of wisdom1' and any man   
who1 like many of my hearers1 fails to  
give his heart and life to ,jesus       
,christ will one day have to say1       
',behold1 ,i have played the fool1 and  
erred exceedingly4' ,wake up1 my        

brother1 to apply calm reason to your   
lives while yet there is time1 and face 
the question1 ,why dost thou stand as   
thou dost to ,jesus ,christ8 ,there is  
nothing sadder than the small share that
 deliberate reason and intelligent      
choice have in the ordering of most     
men's lives4 ,you live by impulse1 by   
habit1 by example1 by constraint of the 
outward necessities of your position4   
,but ,i am sure that there are many     
amongst us now who have very seldom1 if 
ever1 sat down and said1 ',now let me   
think1 until ,i get to the ultimate     
grounds of the course of life that ,i am
 pursuing4' ,you can carry on the       
questions very gaily for a step or two1 
but then you come to a dead pause4      
',what do ,i do so-and-so for8'         
',because ,i like it4' ',why do ,i like 
it8' ',because it meets my needs1 or my 
desires1 or my tastes1 or my intellect4'
 ,why do you make the meeting of your   
needs1 or your desires1 or your tastes1 
or your intellect your sole object8 ,is 

there any answer to that8 ,the ,hindoos 
say that the world rests upon an        
elephant1 and the elephant rests upon a 
tortoise4 ,what does the tortoise rest  
on8 ,nothing6 ,then that is what the    
world and the elephant rest on4 ,and so1
 though you may go bravely through the  
first stages of the examination1 when   
you come to the last question of all1   
you will find out that your whole scheme
 of life is built upon a blunder2 and   
the blunder is this1 that anybody can be
 blessed without ,god4  ,further1 this  
disclosure of the true character of his 
life revealed to ,saul1 as in a         
lightning flash1 the ingratitude of it4 
',why persecutest thou ,me8' ,that was  
as much as to say1 ',what have ,i done  
to merit thy hate8 ,what have ,i not    
done to merit rather thy love8' ,paul   
did not know all that ,jesus ,christ had
 done for him4 ,it took him a lifetime  
to learn a little of it1 and to tell his
 brethren something of what he had      
learned4 ,and he has been learning it   

ever since that day when1 outside the   
walls of ,rome1 they hacked off his     
head4 ,he has been learning more and    
more of what ,jesus ,christ has done for
 him1 and why he should not persecute   
,him but love ,him4  ,but the same      
appeal comes to each of us4 ,what has   
,jesus ,christ done for thee1 my friend1
 for me1 for every soul of man8 ,he has 
loved me better than ,his own life4 ,he 
has given ,himself for me4 ,he has      
lingered beside me1 seeking to draw me  
to ,himself1 and ,he still lingers4 ,and
 this1 at the best1 tremulous faith1    
this1 at the warmest1 tepid love1 this1 
at the completest1 imperfect devotion   
and service1 are all that we bring to   
,him2 and some of us do not bring even  
these4 ,some of us have never known what
 it was to sacrifice one inclination for
 the sake of ,christ1 nor to do one act 
for ,his dear love's sake1 nor to lean  
our weakness upon ,him1 nor to turn to  
,him and say1 ',i give ,thee myself1    
that ,i may possess ,thee4' ',do ye thus

 requite the ,lord1 ,o foolish people   
and unwise8' ,i have heard of wounded   
soldiers striking with their bayonets at
 the ambulance men who came to help     
them4 ,that is like what some of you do 
to the ,lord who died for your healing1 
and comes as the ,physician1 with       
bandages and with balm1 to bind up the  
brokenhearted4 ',saul1 ,saul1 why       
persecutest thou ,me8'  ,,iii4 ,lastly1 
we have here a warning against          
self-inflicted wounds4  ,that second    
clause of the remonstrance on the lips  
of ,christ in my text is1 according to  
the true reading1 not found in the      
account of ,paul's conversion in the    
ninth chapter of this book4 ,my text is 
from ,paul's own story2 and it is       
interesting to notice that he adds this 
eminently pathetic and forcible appeal  
to the shorter account given by the     
writer of the book4 ,it had gone deep   
into his heart1 and he could not forget4
  ,the metaphor is a very plain one4    
,the ox-goad was a formidable weapon1   

some seven or eight feet in length1 shod
 with an iron point1 and capable of     
being used as a spear1 and of inflicting
 deadly wounds at a pinch4 ,held in the 
firm hand of the ploughman1 it presented
 a sharp point to the rebellious animal 
under the yoke4 ,if the ox had readily  
yielded to the gentle prick1 given1 not 
in anger1 but for guidance1 it had been 
well4 ,but if it lashes out with its    
hoofs against the point1 what does it   
get but bleeding flanks8 ,paul had been 
striking out instead of obeying1 and he 
had won by it only bloody hocks4  ,there
 are two truths deducible from this     
saying1 which may have been a proverb in
 common use4 ,one is the utter futility 
of lives that are spent in opposing the 
divine will4 ,there is a strong current 
running1 and if you try to go against it
 you will only be swept away by it4     
,think of some little fishing coble     
coming across the bow of a great        
ocean-going steamer4 ,what will be the  
end of that8 ,think of a pony-chaise    

jogging up the line1 and an express     
train thundering down it4 ,what will be 
the end of that8 ,think of a man lifting
 himself up and saying to ,god1 ',i will
 not6' when ,god says1 ',do thou this6' 
or ',be thou this6' ,what will be the   
end of that8 ',the world passeth away1  
and the lusts thereof1 but he that doeth
 the will of ,god abideth for ever4'    
',it is hard for thee to kick against   
the pricks'--hard in regard to breaches 
of common morality1 as some of my       
friends sitting quietly in these pews   
very well know4 ,it is hard to indulge  
in sensual sin4 ,you cannot altogether  
dodge what people call the 'natural     
consequences'2 but it was ,god who made 
,nature2 and so ,i call them            
,god-inflicted penalties4 ,it is hard to
 set yourselves against ,christianity4  
,i am not going to speak of that at all 
now1 only when we think of the          
expectations of victory with which so   
many antagonists of the ,cross have     
gaily leaped into the arena1 and of how 

the foes have been forgotten and there  
stands the ,cross still1 we may say of  
the whole crowd1 beginning with the     
earliest1 and coming down to the latest 
brand-new theory that is going to       
explode ,christianity--'it is hard to   
kick against the pricks4' ,your own     
limbs you may wound2 you will not do the
 goad much harm4  ,but there is another 
side to the proverb of my text1 and that
 is the self-inflicted harm that comes  
from resisting the pricks of ,god's     
rebukes and remonstrances1 whether      
inflicted by conscience or by any other 
means2 including1 ,i make bold to say1  
even such poor words as these of mine4  
,for if the first little prick of       
conscience1 a warning and a guide1 be   
neglected1 the next will go a great deal
 deeper4 ,the voice which1 before you do
 the wrong thing1 says to you1 ',do not 
do it1' in tones of entreaty and        
remonstrance1 speaks1 after you have    
done it1 more severely and more         
bitterly4 ,the ,latin word remorse1 and 

the old ,english name for conscience1   
'again-bite'--which latter is a         
translation of the other--teach us the  
same lesson1 that the gnawing which     
comes after wrong done is far harder to 
bear than the touch that should have    
kept us from the evil4 ,the stings of   
marine jelly-fish will burn for days    
after1 if you wet them4 ,and so all     
wrong-doing1 and all neglect of         
right-doing of every sort1 carries with 
it a subsequent pain1 or else the       
wounded limb mortifies1 and that is     
worse4 ,there is no pain then2 it would 
be better if there were4 ,there is such 
a possibility as to have gone on so     
obstinately kicking against the pricks  
and leaving the wounds so unheeded1 as  
that they mortify and feeling goes4 ,a  
conscience 'seared with a hot iron' is  
ten times more dreadful than a          
conscience that pains and stings4  ,so1 
dear brethren1 let me beseech you to    
listen to the pitying ,christ1 who says 
to us each1 more in sorrow than in      

anger1 ',it is hard for thee to kick    
against the pricks4' ,it is no pleasure 
to ,him to hold the goad1 nor that we   
should wound ourselves upon it4 ,he has 
another question to put to us1 with     
another 'why1' ',why should ye be       
stricken any more8 ,turn ye1 turn ye2   
why will ye die1 ,o house of ,israel8'  
,there is another metaphor drawn from   
the employment of oxen which we may set 
side by side with this of my text3      
',take ,my yoke upon you1 and ye shall  
find rest unto your souls4' ,the yoke   
accepted1 the goad is laid aside2 and   
repose and healing from its wounds are  
granted to us4 ,dear brethren1 if you   
will listen to the ,christ revealed in  
the heavens1 as knowing all about you1  
and remonstrating with you for your     
unreasonableness and ingratitude1 and   
setting before you the miseries of      
rebellion and the suicide of sin1 then  
you will have healing for all your      
wounds1 and your lives will neither be  
self-tormenting1 futile1 nor            

unreasonable4 ,the mercy of ,jesus      
,christ lavished upon you makes your    
yielding yourselves to ,him your only   
rational course4 ,anything else is folly
 beyond comparison and harm and loss    
beyond count4    ,,faith ,,in ,,christ  
'444,faith that is in ,me4'--,,acts     
xxvi4 #ah4  ,it is commonly said1 and so
 far as the fact is concerned1 said     
truly1 that what are called the         
distinguishing doctrines of             
,christianity are rather found in the   
,epistles than in the ,gospels4 ,if we  
wish the clearest statements of the     
nature and person of ,christ1 we turn to
 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,colossians4   
,if we wish the fullest dissertation    
upon ,christ's work as a sacrifice1 we  
go to the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 ,if 
we seek to prove that men are justified 
by faith1 and not by works1 it is to the
 ,epistles to ,romans and ,galatians    
that we betake ourselves1--to the       
writings of the servant rather than the 
words of the ,master4 ,now this fuller  

development of ,christian doctrine      
contained in the teaching of the        
,apostles cannot be denied1 and need not
 be wondered at4 ,the reasons for it ,i 
am not going to enter upon at present2  
they are not far to seek4 ,christ came  
not to speak the ,gospel1 but to be the 
,gospel4 ,but then1 this truth of a     
fuller development is often             
over-strained1 as if ,christ 'spake     
nothing concerning priesthood1'         
sacrifices1 faith4 ,he did so speak when
 on earth4 ,it is often misused by being
 made the foundation of an inference    
unfavourable to the authority of the    
,apostolic teaching1 when we are told1  
as we sometimes are1 that not ,paul but 
,jesus speaks the words which we are to 
receive4  ,here we have ,christ ,himself
 speaking from the heavens to ,paul at  
the very beginning of the ,apostle's    
course1 and if any one asks us where did
 ,paul get the doctrines which he       
preached1 the answer is1 ,here1 on the  
road to ,damascus1 when blind1 bleeding1

 stunned1 with all his self-confidence  
driven out of him--with all that he had 
been crushed into shivers--he saw his   
,lord1 and heard ,him speak4 ,these     
words spoken then are the germ of all   
,paul's ,epistles1 the keynote to which 
all his writings are but the melody that
 follows1 the mighty voice of which all 
his teaching is but the prolonged echo4 
',delivering thee1' says ,christ to him1
 'from the people1 and from the         
,gentiles1 unto whom now ,i send thee1  
to open their eyes1 to turn them from   
darkness to light1 and from the power of
 ,satan unto ,god2 that they may receive
 forgiveness of sins1 and inheritance   
among them that are sanctified by faith 
that is in ,me4' ,now1 ,i ask you1 what 
of ,paul's ,gospel is not here8 ,man's  
ruin1 man's depravity and state of      
darkness1 the power of ,satan1 the sole 
redemptive work of ,christ1             
justification by belief in that1        
sanctification coming with              
justification1 and glory and rest and   

heaven at last--there they all are in   
the very first words that sounded upon  
the quickened ear of the blinded man    
when he turned from darkness to light4  
,it would be foolish1 of course1 to try 
to exhaust such a passage as this in a  
sermon4 ,but notice1 what a complete    
summary of ,christian truth there lies  
in that one last clause of the verse1   
',inheritance among them which are      
sanctified by faith that is in ,me4'    
,translate that into distinct           
propositions1 and they are these3 ,faith
 refers to ,christ2 that is the first   
thing4 ,holiness depends on faith2 that 
is the next3 'sanctified by faith4'     
,heaven depends on holiness3 that is the
 last3 'inheritance among them which are
 sanctified by faith that is in ,me4'   
,so there we have the whole gospel6  ,to
 the one part of this comprehensive     
summary which is contained in my text ,i
 desire to turn now1 in hope of         
gathering from it some truths as to that
 familiar word 'faith' which may be of  

use to us all4 ,the expression is so    
often on our lips that it has come to be
 almost meaningless in many minds4      
,these keywords of ,scripture meet the  
same fate as do coins that have been    
long in circulation4 ,they pass through 
so many fingers that the inscriptions   
get worn off them4 ,we can all talk     
about faith and forgiveness and         
justifying and sanctifying1 but how few 
of us have definite notions as to what  
these words that come so easily from our
 lips mean6 ,there is a vast deal of    
cloudy haze in the minds of average     
church and chapel goers as to what this 
wonder-working faith may really be4     
,perhaps we may then be able to see     
large and needful truths gleaming in    
these weighty syllables which ,christ   
,jesus spoke from heaven to ,paul1      
'faith that is in ,me4'  ,i4 ,in the    
first place1 then1 the object of faith  
is ,christ4  ',faith that is in ,me' is 
that which is directed towards ,christ  
as its object4 ,christianity is not     

merely a system of truths about ,god1   
nor a code of morality deducible from   
these4 ,in its character of a           
revelation1 it is the revelation of ,god
 in the person of ,his ,son4            
,christianity in the soul is not the    
belief of these truths about ,god1 still
 less the acceptance and practice of    
these pure ethics1 but the affiance and 
the confidence of the whole spirit fixed
 upon the redeeming1 revealing ,christ1 
,true1 the object of our faith is       
,christ as made known to us in the facts
 of ,his recorded life and the teaching 
of ,his ,apostles4 ,true1 our only means
 of knowing ,him as of any other person 
whom we have never seen1 are the        
descriptions of ,him1 ,his character and
 work1 which are given4 ,true1 the empty
 name ',christ' has to be filled with   
the doctrinal and biographical          
statements of ,scripture before the     
,person on whom faith is to fix can be  
apprehended or beheld4 ,true1 it is     
,christ as ,he is made known to us in   

the word of ,god1 the ,incarnate ,son1  
the perfect ,man1 the atoning           
,sacrifice1 the risen ,lord1 the        
ascended ,intercessor in whom we have to
 trust4 ,the characteristics and        
attributes of ,christ are known to us   
only by biographical statements and by  
doctrinal propositions4 ,these must be  
understood in some measure and accepted1
 ere there can be faith in ,him4 ,apart 
from them1 the image of ,christ must    
stand a pale1 colourless phantom before 
the mind1 and the faith which is        
directed towards such a nebula will be  
an unintelligent emotion1 as nebulous   
and impotent as the vagueness towards   
which it turns4  ,thus far1 then1 the   
attempt which is sometimes made to      
establish a ,christianity without       
doctrines on the plea that the object of
 faith is not a proposition1 but a      
person1 must be regarded as nugatory2   
for how can the 'person' be an object of
 thought at all1 but through the        
despised 'propositions'8  ,but while on 

the one hand it is true that ,christ as 
revealed in these doctrinal statements  
of ,scripture1 the divine human         
,saviour1 is the ,object of faith1 on   
the other hand it is to be remembered   
that it is ,he1 and not the statements  
about ,him1 who is the ,object4  ,look  
at ,his own words4 ,he does not merely  
say to us1 ',believe this1 that1 and the
 other thing about ,me2 put your        
credence in this and the other doctrine2
 accept this and the other promise2 hope
 for this and the other future thing4'  
,all these come with but are not the    
central act4 ,he says1 ',believe3       
believe in ,me6 ,i am the ,way1 and the 
,truth1 and the ,life3 ,he that cometh  
to ,me shall never hunger1 and he that  
believeth in ,me shall never thirst4'   
,do we rightly appreciate that8 ,i think
 that if people firmly grasped this     
truth--that ,christ is the ,gospel1 and 
that the ,object of faith is not simply 
the truths that are recorded here in the
 word1 but ,he with regard to whom these

 truths are recorded--it would clear    
away rolling wreaths of fog and mist    
from their perceptions4 ,the whole      
feeling and attitude of a man's mind is 
different1 according as he is trusting a
 person1 or according as he is believing
 something about a person4 ,and this1   
therefore1 is the first broad truth that
 lies here4 ,faith has reference not    
merely to a doctrine1 not to a system2  
but deeper than all these1 to a living  
,lord--'faith that is in ,me4'  ,i      
cannot help observing1 before ,i go     
on--though it may be somewhat of a      
digression--what a strong inference with
 regard to the divinity of ,christ is   
deducible from this first thought that  
,he is the ,object to whom faith has    
reference4 ,if you look into the ,old   
,testament1 you will find constantly1   
',trust ye in the ,lord for ever'2 ',put
 thy trust in ,jehovah6' ,there1 too1   
though under the form of the ,law1      
there1 too1 faith was the seed and germ 
of all religion4 ,there1 too1 though    

under the hard husk of apparently       
external obedience and ceremonial       
sacrifices1 the just lived by faith4    
,its object was the ,jehovah of that    
ancient covenant4 ,religion has always  
been the same in every dispensation4 ,at
 every time1 that which made a man a    
devout man has been identically the same
 thing4 ,it has always been true that it
 has been faith which has bound man to  
,god1 and given man hope4 ,but when we  
come to the ,new ,testament1 the centre 
is shifted1 as it would seem4 ,what has 
become of the grand old words1 ',trust  
ye in the ,lord ,jehovah'8 ,look6       
,christ stands there1 and says1         
',believe upon ,me'6 ,with calm1 simple1
 profound dignity1 ,he lays ,his hand   
upon all the ancient and consecrated    
words1 upon all the ancient and hallowed
 emotions that used to set towards the  
unseen ,god between the cherubim1       
throned above judgment and resting upon 
mercy2 and ,he says1 ',they are         
,mine--give them to ,me6 ,that ancient  

trust1 ,i claim the right to have it4   
,that old obedience1 it belongs to ,me4 
,i am ,he to whom in all time the loving
 hearts of them that loved ,god1 have   
set4 ,i am the ,angel of the ,covenant1 
in whom whoever trusteth shall never be 
confounded4' ,and ,i ask you just to    
take that one simple fact1 that ,christ 
thus steps1 in the ,new ,testament--in  
so far as the direction of the religious
 emotions of faith and love are         
concerned--that ,christ steps into the  
place filled by the ,jehovah of the     
,old2 and ask yourselves honestly what  
theory of ,christ's nature and person   
and work explains that fact1 and saves  
,him from the charge of folly and       
blasphemy8 ',he that believeth upon ,me 
shall never hunger4' ,ah1 my brother6   
,he was no mere man who said that4 ,he  
that spake from out of the cloud to the 
,apostle on the road to ,damascus1 and  
said1 ',sanctified by faith that is in  
,me1' was no mere man4 ,christ was our  
brother and a man1 but ,he was the ,son 

of ,god1 the divine ,redeemer4 ,the     
,object of faith is ,christ2 and as     
,object of faith ,he must needs be      
divine4  ,,ii4 ,and now1 secondly1      
closely connected with and springing    
from this thought as to the true object 
of faith1 arises the consideration as to
 the nature and the essence of the act  
of faith itself4  ,whom we are to trust 
in we have seen3 what it is to have     
faith may be very briefly stated4 ,if   
the ,object of faith were certain       
truths1 the assent of the understanding 
would be enough4 ,if the ,object of     
faith were unseen things1 the confident 
persuasion of them would be sufficient4 
,if the ,object of faith were promises  
of future good1 the hope rising to      
certainty of the possession of these    
would be sufficient4 ,but if the ,object
 be more than truths1 more than unseen  
realities1 more than promises2 if the   
,object be a living ,person1--then there
 follows inevitably this1 that faith is 
not merely the assent of the            

understanding1 that faith is not merely 
the persuasion of the reality of unseen 
things1 that faith is not merely the    
confident expectation of future good2   
but that faith is the personal relation 
of him who has it to the living ,person 
its ,object1--the relation which is     
expressed not more clearly1 perhaps a   
little more forcibly to us1 by          
substituting another word1 and saying1  
,faith is trust4  ,and ,i think that    
there again1 by laying hold of that     
simple principle1 ,because ,christ is   
the ,object of ,faith1 therefore ,faith 
must be trust1 we get bright and        
beautiful light upon the grandest truths
 of the ,gospel of ,god4 ,if we will    
only take that as our explanation1 we   
have not indeed defined faith by        
substituting the other word for it1 but 
we have made it a little more clear to  
our apprehensions1 by using a           
non-theological word with which our     
daily acts teach us to connect an       
intelligible meaning4 ,if we will only  

take that as our explanation1 how       
simple1 how grand1 how familiar too it  
sounds1--to trust ,him6 ,it is the very 
same kind of feeling1 though different  
in degree1 and glorified by the majesty 
and glory of its ,object1 as that which 
we all know how to put forth in our     
relations with one another4 ,we trust   
each other4 ,that is faith4 ,we have    
confidence in the love that has been    
around us1 breathing benedictions and   
bringing blessings ever since we were   
little children4 ,when the child looks  
up into the mother's face1 the symbol to
 it of all protection1 or into the      
father's eye1 the symbol to it of all   
authority1--that emotion by which the   
little one hangs upon the loving hand   
and trusts the loving heart that towers 
above it in order to bend over it and   
scatter good1 is the same as the one    
which1 glorified and made divine1 rises 
strong and immortal in its power1 when  
fixed and fastened on ,christ1 and saves
 the soul4 ,the ,gospel rests upon a    

mystery1 but the practical part of it is
 no mystery4 ,when we come and preach to
 you1 ',trust in ,christ and thou shalt 
be saved1' we are not asking you to put 
into exercise some mysterious power4 ,we
 are only asking you to give to ,him    
that which you give to others1 to       
transfer the old emotions1 the blessed  
emotions1 the exercise of which makes   
gladness in life here below1 to transfer
 them to ,him1 and to rest safe in the  
,lord4 ,faith is trust4 ,the living     
,person as its ,object rises before us  
there1 in ,his majesty1 in ,his power1  
in ,his gentleness1 and ,he says1 ',i   
shall be contented if thou wilt give to 
,me these emotions which thou dost fix  
now1 to thy death and loss1 on the      
creatures of a day4' ,faith is mighty1  
divine1 the gift of ,god2 but ,oh6 it is
 the exercise of a familiar habit1 only 
fixed upon a divine and eternal ,person4
  ,and if this be the very heart and    
kernel of the ,christian doctrine of    
faith--that it is simple personal trust 

in ,jesus ,christ2 it is worthy of      
notice1 how all the subsidiary meanings 
and uses of the word flow out of that1  
whilst it cannot be explained by any of 
them4 ,people are in the habit of       
setting up antitheses betwixt faith and 
reason1 betwixt faith and sight1 betwixt
 faith and possession4 ,they say1 ',we  
do not know1 we must believe'2 they say1
 ',we do not see1 we must have faith'2  
they say1 ',we do not possess1 we must  
trust4' ,now faith--the trust in        
,christ--the simple personal relation of
 confidence in ,him--that lies beneath  
all these other meanings of the word4   
,for instance1 faith is1 in one sense1  
the opposite and antithesis of sight2   
because ,christ1 unseen1 having gone    
into the unseen world1 the confidence   
which is directed towards ,him must     
needs pass out beyond the region of     
sense1 and fix upon the immortal        
verities that are veiled by excess of   
light at ,god's right hand4 ,faith is   
the opposite of sight2 inasmuch as      

,christ1 having given us assurance of an
 unseen and everlasting world1 we1      
trusting in ,him1 believe what ,he says 
to us1 and are persuaded and know that  
there are things yonder which we have   
never seen with the eye nor handled with
 the hand4 ,similarly1 faith is the     
completion of reason2 because1 trusting 
,christ1 we believe what ,he says1 and  
,he has spoken to us truths which we in 
ourselves are unable to discover1 but   
which1 when revealed1 we accept on the  
faith of ,his truthfulness1 and because 
we rely upon ,him4 ,similarly1 faith is 
contrasted with present possession1     
because ,christ has promised us future  
blessings and future glories2 and having
 confidence in the ,person1 we believe  
what ,he says1 and know that we shall   
possess them4 ,but the root from which  
spring the power of faith as the        
opposite of sight1 the power of faith as
 the telescope of reason1 the power of  
faith as the 'confidence of things not  
possessed1' is the deeper thing--faith  

in the ,person1 which leads us to       
believe ,him whether ,he promises1      
reveals1 or commands1 and to take ,his  
words as verity because ,he is 'the     
,truth4'  ,and then1 again1 if this1 the
 personal trust in ,christ as our living
 ,redeemer--if this be faith1 then there
 come also1 closely connected with it1  
certain other emotions or feelings in   
the heart4 ,for instance1 if ,i am      
trusting to ,christ1 there is           
inseparably linked with it              
self-distrust4 ,there are two sides to  
the emotion2 where there is reliance    
upon another1 there must needs be       
non-reliance upon self4 ,take an        
illustration4 ,there is the tree3 the   
trunk goes upward from the little seed1 
rises into the light1 gets the sunshine 
upon it1 and has leaves and fruit4 ,that
 is the upward tendency of faith--trust 
in ,christ4 ,there is the root1 down    
deep1 buried1 dark1 unseen4 ,both are   
springing1 but springing in apposite    
directions1 from the one seed4 ,that is1

 as it were1 the negative side1 the     
downward tendency--self-distrust4 ,the  
two things go together--the positive    
reliance upon another1 the negative     
distrust of myself4 ,there must be deep 
consciousness not only of my own        
impotence1 but of my own sinfulness4    
,the heart must be emptied that the seed
 of faith may grow2 but the entrance in 
of faith is itself the means for the    
emptying of the heart4 ,the two things  
co-exist2 we can divide them in thought4
 ,we can wrangle and squabble1 as       
divided sects hare done1 about which    
comes first1 the fact being1 that though
 you can part them in thought1 you      
cannot part them in experience1 inasmuch
 as they are but the obverse and the    
reverse1 the two sides of the same coin4
 ,faith and repentance--faith and       
self-distrust--they are done in one and 
the same indissoluble act4  ,and again1 
faith1 as thus conceived of1 will       
obviously have for its certain and      
immediate consequence1 love4 ,nay1 the  

two emotions will be inseparable and    
practically co-existent4 ,in thought we 
can separate them4 ,logically1 faith    
comes first1 and love next1 but in life 
they will spring up together4 ,the      
question of their order of existence is 
an often-trod battle-ground of theology1
 all strewed with the relics of former  
fights4 ,but in the real history of the 
growth of religious emotions in the     
soul1 the interval which separates them 
is impalpable1 and in every act of      
trust1 love is present1 and fundamental 
to every emotion of love to ,christ is  
trust in ,christ4  ,but without further 
reference to such matters1 here is the  
broad principle of our text4 ,trust in  
,christ1 not mere assent to a principle1
 personal dependence upon ,him revealed 
as the ',lamb of ,god that taketh away  
the sin of the world1' an act of the    
will as well as of the understanding1   
and essentially an act of the will and  
not of the understanding--that is the   
thing by which a soul is saved4 ,and    

much of the mist and confusion about    
saving faith1 and non-saving faith1     
might be lifted and dispersed if we once
 fully apprehended and firmly held by   
the divine simplicity of the truth1 that
 faith is trust in ,jesus ,christ4      
,,iii4 ,once more3 from this general    
definition there follows1 in the third  
place1 an explanation of the power of   
faith4  ',we are justified1' says the   
,bible1 'by faith4' ,if a man believes1 
he is saved4 ,why so8 ,not1 as some     
people sometimes seem to fancy1 as if in
 faith itself there was any merit4      
,there is a very strange and subtle     
resurrection of the whole doctrine of   
works in reference to this matter2 and  
we often hear belief in the ,gospel of  
,christ spoken about as if it1 the work 
of the man believing1 was1 in a certain 
way and to some extent1 that which ,god 
rewarded by giving him salvation4 ,what 
is that but the whole doctrine of works 
come up again in a new form8 ,what      
difference is there between what a man  

does with his hands and what a man feels
 in his heart8 ,if the one merit        
salvation1 or if the other merit        
salvation1 equally we are shut up to    
this1--,men get heaven by what they do2 
and it does not matter a bit what they  
do it with1 whether it be body or soul4 
,when we say we are saved by faith1 we  
mean accurately1 through faith4 ,it is  
,god that saves4 ,it is ,christ's life1 
,christ's blood1 ,christ's sacrifice1   
,christ's intercession1 that saves4     
,faith is simply the channel through    
which there flows over into my emptiness
 the divine fulness2 or1 to use the good
 old illustration1 it is the hand which 
is held up to receive the benefit which 
,christ lays in it4 ,a living trust in  
,jesus has power unto salvation1 only   
because it is the means by which 'the   
power of ,god unto salvation' may come  
into my heart4 ,on one side is the great
 ocean of ,christ's love1 ,christ's     
abundance1 ,christ's merits1 ,christ's  
righteousness2 or1 rather1 there is the 

great ocean of ,christ ,himself1 which  
includes them all2 and on the other is  
the empty vessel of my soul--and the    
little narrow pipe that has nothing to  
do but to bring across the refreshing   
water1 is the act of faith in ,him4     
,there is no merit in the dead lead1 no 
virtue in the mere emotion4 ,it is not  
faith that saves us2 it is ,christ that 
saves us1 and saves us through faith4   
,and now1 lastly1 these principles      
likewise help us to understand wherein  
consists the guilt and criminality of   
unbelief4 ,people are sometimes disposed
 to fancy that ,god has arbitrarily     
selected this one thing1 believing in   
,jesus ,christ1 as the means of         
salvation1 and do not distinctly see why
 and how non-belief is so desperate and 
criminal a thing4 ,i think that the     
principles that ,i have been trying     
feebly to work out now1 help us to see  
how faith is not arbitrarily selected as
 the instrument and means of our        
salvation4 ,there is no other way of    

effecting it4 ,god could not save us in 
any other way than that1 salvation being
 provided1 the condition of receiving it
 should be trust in ,his ,son4  ,and    
next they show where the guilt of       
unbelief lies4 ,faith is not first and  
principally an act of the understanding2
 it is not the mere assent to certain   
truths4 ,i believe1 for my part1 that   
men are responsible even for their      
intellectual processes1 and for the     
beliefs at which they arrive by the     
working of these2 and ,i think it is a  
very shallow philosophy that stands up  
and says--7it is almost exploded now1   
and perhaps not needful even to mention 
it7--that men are 'no more responsible  
for their belief than they are for the  
colour of their hair4' ,why1 if faith   
were no more than an intellectual       
process1 it would still be true that    
they are responsible for it2 but the    
faith that saves a man1 and unbelief    
that ruins a man1 are not processes of  
the understanding alone4 ,it is the     

will1 the heart1 the whole moral being1 
that is concerned4 ,why does any one not
 trust ,jesus ,christ8 ,for one reason  
only3 because he will not4 ,why has any 
one not faith in the ,lamb of ,god8     
,because his whole nature is turning    
away from that divine and loving ,face1 
and is setting itself in rebellion      
against it4 ,why does any one refuse to 
believe8 ,because he has confidence in  
himself2 because he has not a sense of  
his sins2 because he has not love in his
 heart to his ,lord and ,saviour4 ,men  
are responsible for unbelief4 ,unbelief 
is criminal1 because it is a moral      
act--an act of the whole nature4 ,belief
 or unbelief is the test of a man's     
whole spiritual condition1 just because 
it is the whole being1 affections1 will1
 conscience and all1 as well as the     
understanding1 which are concerned in   
it4 ,and therefore ,christ1 who says1   
',sanctified by faith that is in ,me1'  
says likewise1 ',he that believeth not1 
shall be condemned4'  ,and now1         

brethren1 take this one conviction into 
your hearts1 that what makes a man a    
,christian--what saves my soul and      
yours--what brings the love of ,christ  
into any life1 and makes the sacrifice  
of ,christ a power to pardon and        
purify1--that that is not merely        
believing this ,book1 not merely        
understanding the doctrines that are    
there1 but a far more profound act than 
that4 ,it is the casting of myself upon 
,himself1 the bending of my willing     
heart to ,his loving ,spirit2 the close 
contact1 heart to heart1 soul to soul1  
will to will1 of my emptiness with ,his 
fulness1 of my sinfulness with ,his     
righteousness1 of my death with ,his    
life3 that ,i may live by ,him1 be      
sanctified by ,him1 be saved by ,him1   
'with an everlasting salvation4' ,faith 
is trust3 ,christ is the ,objeet of     
faith4 ,faith is the condition of       
salvation2 and unbelief is your fault1  
your loss--the crime which ruins men's  
souls6    ',,before ,,governors ,,and   

,,kings'  ',whereupon1 ,o king ,agrippa1
 ,i was not disobedient unto the        
heavenly vision3 #bj4 ,but shewed first 
unto them of ,damascus1 and at          
,jerusalem1 and throughout all the      
coasts of ,judsea1 and then to the      
,gentiles1 that they should repent and  
turn to ,god1 and do works meet for     
repentance4 #ba4 ,for these causes the  
,jews caught me in the temple1 and went 
about to kill me4 #bb4 ,having therefore
 obtained help of ,god1 ,i continue unto
 this day1 witnessing both to small and 
great1 saying none other things than    
those which the prophets and ,moses did 
say should come2 #bc4 ,that ,christ     
should suffer1 and that ,he should be   
the first that should rise from the     
dead1 and should show light unto the    
people1 and to the ,gentiles4 #bd4 ,and 
as he thus spake for himself1 ,festus   
said with a loud voice1 ,paul1 thou art 
beside thyself2 much learning doth make 
thee mad4 #be4 ,but he said1 ,i am not  
mad1 most noble ,festus2 but speak forth

 the words of truth and soberness4 #bf4 
,for the king knoweth of these things1  
before whom also ,i speak freely3 for ,i
 am persuaded that none of these things 
are hidden from him2 for this thing was 
not done in a corner4 #bg4 ,king        
,agrippa1 believest thou the prophets8  
,i know that thou believest4 #bh4 ,then 
,agrippa said unto ,paul1 ,almost thou  
persuadest me to be a ,christian4 #bi4  
,and ,paul said1 ,i would to ,god1 that 
not only thou1 but also all that hear me
 this day1 were both almost and         
altogether such as ,i am1 except these  
bonds4 #cj4 ,and when he had thus       
spoken1 the king rose up1 and the       
governor1 and ,bernice1 and they that   
sat with them3 #ca4 ,and when they were 
gone aside1 they talked between         
themselves1 saying1 ,this man doeth     
nothing worthy of death or of bonds4    
#cb4 ,then said ,agrippa unto ,festus1  
,this man might have been set at        
liberty1 if he had not appealed unto    
,caesar4'--,,acts xxvi4 #ai-cb4  ,festus

 was no model of a righteous judge1 but 
he had got hold of the truth as to      
,paul1 and saw that what he             
contemptuously called 'certain questions
 of their own superstition1' and        
especially his assertion of the         
,resurrection1 were the real crimes of  
the ,apostle in ,jewish eyes4 ,but the  
fatal wish to curry favour warped his   
course1 and led him to propose a removal
 of the 'venue' to ,jerusalem4 ,paul    
knew that to return thither would seal  
his death-warrant1 and was therefore    
driven to appeal to ,rome4  ,that took  
the case out of ,festus's jurisdiction4 
,so that the hearing before ,agrippa was
 an entertainment1 got up for the king's
 diversion1 when other amusements had   
been exhausted1 rather than a regular   
judicial proceeding4 ,paul was examined 
'to make a ,roman holiday4' ,festus's   
speech 7chap4 xxv4 #bd-bg7 tries to put 
on a colour of desire to ascertain more 
clearly the charges1 but that is a very 
thin pretext4 ,agrippa had said that he 

would like 'to hear the man1' and so the
 performance was got up 'by request4'   
,not a very sympathetic audience fronted
 ,paul that day4 ,a king and his sister1
 a ,roman governor1 and all the elite of
 ,caesarean society1 ready to take their
 cue from the faces of these three1 did 
not daunt ,paul4 ,the man who had seen  
,jesus on the ,damascus road could face 
'small and great4'  ,the portion of his 
address included in the passage touches 
substantially the same points as did his
 previous 'apologies4' ,we may note how 
strongly he puts the force that impelled
 him on his course1 and lays bare the   
secret of his life4 ',i was not         
disobedient to the heavenly vision'2    
then the possibility of disobedience was
 open after he had heard ,christ ask1   
',why persecutest thou ,me8' and had    
received commands from ,his mouth4      
,then1 too1 the essential character of  
the charge against him was that1 instead
 of kicking against the owner's goad1 he
 had bowed his neck to his yoke1 and    

that his obstinate will had melted4     
,then1 too1 the 'light above the        
brightness of the sun' still shone round
 him1 and his whole life was one long   
act of obedience4  ,we note also how he 
sums up his work in verse #bj1          
representing his mission to the         
,gentiles as but the last term in a     
continuous widening of his field1 from  
,damascus to ,jerusalem1 from ,jerusalem
 to ,judaea 7a phase of his activity not
 otherwise known to us1 and for which1  
with our present records1 it is         
difficult to find a place71 from ,judaea
 to the ,gentiles4 ,step by step he had 
been led afield1 and at each step the   
'heavenly vision' had shone before him4 
,how superbly1 too1 ,paul overleaps the 
distinction of ,jew and ,gentile1 which 
disappeared to him in the unity of the  
broad message1 which was the same to    
every man4 ,repentance1 turning to ,god1
 works worthy of repentance1 are as     
needful for ,jew as for ,gentile1 and as
 open to ,gentile as to ,jew4 ,what but 

universal can such a message be8 ,to    
limit it would be to mutilate it4  ,we  
note1 too1 the calmness with which he   
lays his finger on the real cause of    
,jewish hate1 which ,festus had already 
found out4 ,he does not condescend to   
rebut the charge of treason1 which he   
had already repelled1 and which nobody  
in his audience believed4 ,he is neither
 afraid nor angry1 as he quietly points 
to the deadly malice which had no ground
 but his message4  ,we further note the 
triumphant confidence in ,god and       
assurance of ,his help in all the past1 
so that1 like some strong tower after   
the most crashing blows of the          
battering-ram1 he still 'stands4' ',his 
steps had wellnigh slipped1' when foe   
after foe stormed against him1 but ',thy
 mercy1 ,o ,lord1 held me up4'          
,finally1 ,paul gathers himself         
together1 to leave as his last word the 
mighty sentence in which he condenses   
his whole teaching1 in its aspect of    
witness-bearing1 in its universal       

destination and identity to the poorest 
and to loftily placed men and women1    
such as sat languidly looking at him    
now1 in its perfect concord with the    
earlier revelation1 and in its threefold
 contents1 that it was the message of   
the ,christ who suffered1 who rose from 
the dead1 who was the ,light of the     
world4 ,surely the promise was fulfilled
 to him1 and it was 'given him in that  
hour what he should speak4'  ,the rustle
 in the crowd was scarcely over1 when   
the strong masterful voice of the       
governor rasped out the coarse taunt1   
which1 according to one reading1 was    
made coarser 7and more lifelike7 by     
repetition1 ',thou art mad1 ,paul2 thou 
art mad4' ,so did a hard 'practical man'
 think of that strain of lofty          
conviction1 and of that story of the    
appearance of the ,christ4 ,to be in    
earnest about wealth or power or science
 or pleasure is not madness1 so the     
world thinks2 but to be in earnest about
 religion1 one's own soul1 or other     

people's1 is4 ,which was the saner1     
,paul1 who 'counted all things but dung 
that he might win ,christ1' or ,festus1 
who counted keeping his governorship1   
and making all that he could out of it1 
the one thing worth living for8 ,who is 
the madman1 he who looks up and sees    
,jesus1 and bows before ,him for        
lifelong service1 or he who looks up and
 says1 ',i see nothing up there2 ,i keep
 my eyes on the main chance down here'8 
,it would be a saner and a happier world
 if there were more of us mad after     
,paul's fashion4  ,paul's unruffled calm
 and dignity brushed aside the rude     
exclamation with a simple affirmation   
that his words were true in themselves1 
and spoken by one who had full command  
over his faculties2 and then he turned  
away from ,festus1 who understood       
nothing1 to ,agrippa1 who1 at any rate1 
did understand a little4 ,indeed1       
,festus has to take the second place    
throughout1 and it may have been the    
ignoring of him that nettled him4 ,for  

all his courtesy to ,agrippa1 he knew   
that the latter was but a vassal king1  
and may have chafed at ,paul's          
addressing him exclusively4  ,the       
,apostle has finished his defence1 and  
now he towers above the petty           
dignitaries before him1 and goes        
straight at the conscience of the king4 
,festus had dismissed the ,resurrection 
of 'one ,jesus' as unimportant3 ,paul   
asserted it1 the ,jews denied it4 ,it   
was not worth while to ask which was    
right4 ,the man was dead1 that was      
agreed4 ,if ,paul said ,he was alive    
after death1 that was only another proof
 of madness1 and a ,roman governor had  
more weighty things to occupy him than  
investigating such obscure and absurd   
trifles4 ,but ,agrippa1 though not      
himself a ,jew1 knew enough of the      
history of the last twenty years to have
 heard about the ,resurrection and the  
rise of the ,church4 ,no doubt he would 
have been ready to admit his knowledge1 
but ,paul shows a disposition to come to

 closer quarters by his swift thrust1   
',believest thou the prophets8' and the 
confident answer which the questioner   
gives4  ,what was the ,apostle bringing 
these two things--the publicity given to
 the facts of ,christ's life1 and the   
belief in the prophets--together for8   
,obviously1 if ,agrippa said ,yes1 then 
the next question would be1 ',believest 
thou the ,christ1 whose life and death  
and resurrection thou knowest1 and who  
has fulfilled the prophets thereby8'    
,that would have been a hard question   
for the king to answer4 ,his conscience 
begins to be uncomfortable1 and his     
dignity is wounded by this extremely    
rude person1 who ventures to talk to him
 as if he were a mere common man4 ,he   
has no better answer ready than a       
sarcasm2 not a very forcible one1       
betraying1 however1 his penetration     
into1 and his dislike of1 and his       
embarrassment at1 ,paul's drift4 ,his   
ironical words are no confession of     
being 'almost persuaded1' but a taunt4  

',and do you really suppose that it is  
so easy a matter to turn me--the great  
,me1 a ,herod1 a king1' and he might    
have added1 a sensual bad man1 'into a  
,christian8'  ,paul met the sarcastic   
jest with deep earnestness1 which must  
have hushed the audience of sycophants  
ready to laugh with the king1 and       
evidently touched him and ,festus4 ,his 
whole soul ran over in yearning desire  
for the salvation of them all4 ,he took 
no notice of the gibe in the word       
,christian1 nor of the levity of        
,agrippa4 ,he showed that purest love   
fills his heart1 that he has found the  
treasure which enriches the poorest and 
adds blessedness to the highest4 ,so    
peaceful and blessed is he1 a prisoner1 
that he can wish nothing better for any 
than to be like him in his faith4 ,he   
hints his willingness to take any pains 
and undergo any troubles for such an    
end2 and1 with almost a smile1 he looks 
at his chains1 and adds1 'except these  
bonds4'  ,did ,festus wince a little at 

the mention of these1 which ought not to
 have been on his wrists8 ,at all       
events1 the entertainment had taken     
rather too serious a turn for the taste 
of any of the three1--,festus1 ,agrippa1
 or ,bernice4 ,if this strange man was  
going to shake their consciences in that
 fashion1 it was high time to end what  
was1 after all1 as far as the rendering 
of justice was concerned1 something like
 a farce4  ,so with a rustle1 and amid  
the obeisances of the courtiers1 the    
three rose1 and1 followed by the        
principal people1 went through the form 
of deliberation4 ,there was only one    
conclusion to be come to4 ,he was       
perfectly innocent4 ,so ,agrippa        
solemnly pronounced1 what had been known
 before1 that he had done nothing worthy
 of death or bonds1 though he had 'these
 bonds' on his arms2 and salved the     
injustice of keeping an innocent man in 
custody by throwing all the blame on    
,paul himself for appealing to ,csesar4 
,but the person to blame was ,festus1   

who had forced ,paul to appeal in order 
to save his life4    ',,the ,,heavenly  
,,vision'  ',whereupon1 ,o ,king        
,agrippa1 ,i was not disobedient unto   
the heavenly vision4' ,acts xxvi4 #ai4  
,this is ,paul's account of the decisive
 moment in his life on which all his own
 future1 and a great deal of the future 
of ,christianity and of the world1 hung4
 ,the gracious voice had spoken from    
heaven1 and now everything depended on  
the answer made in the heart of the man 
lying there blind and amazed4 ,will he  
rise melted by love1 and softened into  
submission1 or hardened by resistance to
 the call of the exalted ,lord8 ,the    
somewhat singular expression which he   
employs in the text1 makes us spectators
 of the very process of his yielding4   
,for it might be rendered1 with perhaps 
an advantage1 ',i became not            
disobedient'2 as if the 'disobedience'  
was the prior condition1 from which we  
see him in the very act of passing1 by  
the melting of his nature and the       

yielding of his will4 ,surely there have
 been few decisions in the world's      
history big with larger destinies than  
that which the captive described to     
,agrippa in the simple words3 ',i became
 not disobedient unto the heavenly      
vision4'  ,i4 ,note1 then1 first1 that  
this heavenly vision shines for us too4 
,paul throughout his whole career looked
 back to the miraculous appearance of   
,jesus ,christ in the heavens1 as being 
equally availably as valid ground for   
his ,christian convictions as were the  
appearances of the ,lord in bodily form 
to the ,eleven after ,his resurrection4 
,and ,i may venture to work the parallel
 in the inverse direction1 and to say to
 you that what we see and know of ,jesus
 ,christ is as valid a ground for our   
convictions1 and as true and powerful a 
call for our obedience1 as when the     
heaven was rent1 and the glory above the
 midday sun bathed the persecutor and   
his followers on the stony road to      
,damascus4 ,for the revelation that is  

made to the understanding and the heart1
 to the spirit and the will1 is the same
 whether it be made1 as it was to ,paul1
 through a heavenly vision1 or1 as it   
was to the other ,apostles1 through the 
facts of the life1 death1 resurrection1 
and ascension of ,jesus1 which their    
senses certified to them1 or1 as it is  
to us1 by the record of the same facts1 
permanently enshrined in ,scripture4    
,paul's sight of ,christ was for a      
moment2 we can see ,him as often and as 
long as we will1 by turning to the pages
 of this ,book4 ,paul's sight of ,christ
 was accompanied with but a partial     
apprehension of the great and           
far-reaching truths which he was to     
learn and to teach1 as embodied in the  
,lord whom he saw4 ,to see ,him was the 
work of a moment1 to 'know ,him' was the
 effort of a lifetime4 ,we have the     
abiding results of the lifelong process 
lying ready to our hands in ,paul's own 
letters1 and we have not only the       
permanent record of ,christ in the      

,gospels instead of the transient vision
 in the heavens1 and the unfolding of   
the meaning and bearings of the         
historical facts1 in the authoritative  
teaching of the ,epistles1 but we have  
also1 in the history of the ,church     
founded on these1 in the manifest       
workings of a divine power for and      
through the company of believers1 as    
well as in the correspondence between   
the facts and doctrines of ,christianity
 and the wants of humanity1 a vision    
disclosed and authenticated as heavenly1
 more developed1 fuller of meaning and  
more blessed to the eyes which see it1  
than that which was revealed to the     
persecutor as he reeled from his horse  
on the way to the great city4  ,dear    
brethren1 they who see ,christ in the   
word1 ,in the history of the world1 in  
the pleading of the preacher1 in the    
course of the ages1 and who sometimes   
hear ,his voice in the warnings which   
,he breathes into their consciences1 and
 in the illuminations which ,he flashes 

on their understanding1 need ask for no 
loftier1 no more valid and irrefragable 
manifestation of ,his gracious self4 ,to
 each of us this vision is granted4 ,may
 ,i say1 without seeming egotism to you 
it is granted even through the dark and 
cloudy envelope of my poor words8  ,,ii4
 ,the vision of ,christ1 howsoever      
perceived1 comes demanding obedience4   
,the purpose for which ,jesus ,christ   
made ,himself known to ,paul was to give
 him a charge which should influence his
 whole life4 ,and the manner in which   
the ,lord1 when ,he had appeared1       
prepared the way for the charge was     
twofold4 ,he revealed ,himself in ,his  
radiant glory1 in ,his exalted being1 in
 ,his sympathetic and mysterious unity  
with them that loved ,him and trusted   
,him1 in ,his knowledge of the doings of
 the persecutor2 and ,he disclosed to   
,saul the inmost evil that lurked in his
 own heart1 and showed him to his       
bewilderment and confusion1 how the     
course that he thought to be            

righteousness and service was blasphemy 
and sin4 ,so1 by the manifestation of   
,himself enthroned omniscient1 bound by 
the closest ties of identity and of     
sympathy with all that love ,him1 and by
 the disclosure of the amazed gazer's   
evil and sin1 ,jesus ,christ opened the 
way for the charge which bore in its    
very heart an assurance of pardon1 and  
was itself a manifestation of ,his love4
  ,in like manner all heavenly visions  
are meant to secure human obedience4 ,we
 have not done what ,god means us to do 
with any knowledge of ,him which ,he    
grants1 unless we utilise it to drive   
the wheels of life and carry it out into
 practice in our daily conduct4         
,revelation is not meant to satisfy mere
 curiosity or the idle desire to know4  
,it shines above us like the stars1 but1
 unlike them1 it shines to be the guide 
of our lives4 ,and whatsoever glimpse of
 the divine nature1 or of ,christ's     
love1 nearness1 and power1 we have ever 
caught1 was meant to bow our wills in   

glad submission1 and to animate our     
hands for diligent service and to       
quicken our feet to run in the way of   
,his commandments4  ,there is plenty of 
idle gazing1 with more or less of       
belief1 at the heavenly vision4 ,i      
beseech you to lay to heart this truth1 
that ,christ rends the heavens and shows
 us ,god1 not that men may know1 but    
that men may1 knowing1 do2 and all ,his 
visions are the bases of commandments4  
,so the question for us all is1 ,what   
are we doing with what we know of ,jesus
 ,christ8 ,nothing8 ,have we translated 
our thoughts of ,him into actions1 and  
have we put all our actions under the   
control of our thoughts of ,him8 ,it is 
not enough that a man should say1       
',whereupon ,i saw the vision1' or1     
',whereupon ,i was convinced of the     
vision1' or1 ',whereupon ,i understood  
the vision4' ,sight1 apprehension1      
theology1 orthodoxy1 they are all very  
well1 but the right result is1          
',whereupon ,i was not disobedient to   

the heavenly vision4' ,and unless your  
knowledge of ,christ makes you do1 and  
keep from doing1 a thousand things1 it  
is only an idle vision1 which adds to   
your guilt4  ,but notice1 in this       
connection1 the peculiarity of the      
obedience which the vision requires4    
,there is not a word1 in this story of  
,paul's conversion1 about the thing     
which ,paul himself always puts in the  
foreground as the very hinge upon which 
conversion turns--viz4 faith4 ,not a    
word4 ,the name is not here1 but the    
thing is here1 if people will look4 ,for
 the obedience which ,paul says that he 
rendered to the vision was not rendered 
with his hands4 ,he got up to his feet  
on the road there1 'not disobedient1'   
though he had not yet done anything4    
,this is to say1 the man's will had     
melted4 ,it had all gone with a run1 so 
to speak1 and the inmost being of him   
was subdued4 ,the obedience was the     
submission of self to ,god1 and not the 
more or less diligent and continuous    

consequent external activity in the way 
of ,god's commandments4  ,further1      
,paul's obedience is also an obedience  
based upon the vision of ,jesus ,christ 
enthroned1 living1 bound by ties that   
thrill at the slightest touch to all    
hearts that love ,him1 and making common
 cause with them4  ,and furthermore1 it 
is an obedience based upon the          
shuddering recognition of ,paul's own   
unsuspected evil and foulness1 how all  
the life1 that he had thought was being 
built up into a temple that ,god would  
inhabit1 was rottenness and falsehood4  
,and it is an obedience1 further1 built 
upon the recognition of pity and pardon 
in ,christ1 who1 after ,his sharp       
denunciation of the sin1 looks down from
 ,heaven with a smile of forgiveness    
upon ,his lips1 and says3 ',but rise and
 stand upon thy feet1 for ,i will send  
thee to make known ,my name4'  ,an      
obedience which is the inward yielding  
of the will1 which is all built upon the
 revelation of the living ,christ1 who  

was dead and is alive for evermore1 and 
close to all ,his followers2 and is1    
further1 the thankful tribute of a heart
 that knows itself to be sinful1 and is 
certain that it is forgiven--what is    
that but the obedience which is of      
faith8 ,and thus1 when ,i say that the  
heavenly vision demands obedience1 ,i do
 not mean that ,christ shows ,himself to
 you to set you to work1 but ,i mean    
that ,christ shows ,himself to you that 
you may yield yourselves to ,him1 and in
 the act may receive power to do all    
,his sweet and sacred will4  ,,iii4     
,thirdly1 this obedience is in our own  
power to give or to withhold4  ,paul1 as
 ,i said in my introductory remarks1    
puts us here as spectators of the very  
act of submission4 ,he shows it to us in
 its beginning--he shows us the state   
from which he came and that into which  
he passed1 and he tells us1 ',i         
became--not disobedient4' ,in his case  
it was a complete1 swift1 and permanent 
revolution1 as if some thick-ribbed ice 

should all at once melt into sweet      
water4 ,but whether swift or slow it was
 his own act1 and after the ,voice had  
spoken it was possible that ,paul should
 have resisted and risen from the       
ground1 not a servant1 but a persecutor 
still4 ,for ,god's grace constrains no  
man1 and there is always the possibility
 open that when ,he calls we refuse1 and
 that when ,he beseeches we say1 ',i    
will not4'  ,there is the mystery on    
which the subtlest intellects have      
tasked their powers and blunted the edge
 of their keenness in all generations2  
and it is not likely to be settled in   
five minutes of a sermon of mine4 ,but  
the practical point that ,i have to urge
 is simply this3 there are two          
mysteries1 the one that men can1 and the
 other that men do1 resist ,christ's    
pleading voice4 ,as to the former1 we   
cannot fathom it4 ,but do not let any   
difficulty deaden to you the clear voice
 of your own consciousness4 ,if ,i      
cannot trust my sense that ,i can do    

this thing or not do it1 as ,i choose1  
there is nothing that ,i can trust4     
,will is the power of determining which 
of two roads ,i shall go1 and1 strange  
as it is1 incapable of statement in any 
more general terms than the reiteration 
of the fact2 yet here stands the fact1  
that ,god1 the infinite ,will1 has given
 to men1 whom ,he made in ,his own      
image1 this inexplicable and awful power
 of coinciding with or opposing ,his    
purposes and ,his voice4    ',our wills 
are ours1 we know not how2   ,our wills 
are ours1 to make them ,thine4'  ,for   
the other mystery is1 that men do       
consciously set themselves against the  
will of ,god1 and refuse the gifts which
 they know all the while are for their  
good4 ,it is of no use to say that sin  
is ignorance4 ,no2 that is only a       
surface explanation4 ,you and ,i know   
too well that many a time when we have  
been as sure of what ,god wanted us to  
do as if we had seen it written in      
flaming letters on the sky there1 we    

have gone and done the exact opposite4  
,i know that there are men and women who
 are convinced in their inmost souls    
that they ought to be ,christians1 and  
that ,jesus ,christ is pleading with    
them at the present hour1 and yet in    
whose hearts there is no yielding to    
what1 they yet are certain1 is the will 
and voice of ,jesus ,christ4  ,,iv4     
,lastly1 this obedience may1 in a       
moment1 revolutionise a life4  ,paul    
rode from ,jerusalem 'breathing out     
threatenings and slaughters4' ,he fell  
from his warhorse1 a persecutor of      
,christians1 and a bitter enemy of      
,jesus4 ,a few moments pass4 ,there was 
one moment in which the crucial decision
 was made2 and he staggered to his feet1
 loving all that he had hated1 and      
abandoning all in which he had trusted4 
,his own doctrine that 'if any man be in
 ,christ he is a new creature1 old      
things are passed away and all things   
are become new1' is but a generalisation
 of what befell himself on the ,damascus

 road4 ,it is of no use trying to say   
that there had been a warfare going on  
in this man's mind long before1 of which
 his complete capitulation was only the 
final visible outcome4 ,there is not a  
trace of anything of the kind in the    
story4 ,it is a pure hypothesis pressed 
into the service of the                 
anti-supernatural explanation of the    
fact4  ,there are plenty of analogies of
 such sudden and entire revolution4 ,all
 reformation of a moral kind is best    
done quickly4 ,it is a very hopeless    
task1 as every one knows1 to tell a     
drunkard to break off his habits        
gradually4 ,there must be one moment in 
which he definitely turns himself round 
and sets his face in the other          
direction4 ,some things are best done   
with slow1 continuous pressure2 other   
things need to be done with a wrench if 
they are to be done at all4  ,there used
 to be far too much insistence upon one 
type of religious experience1 and all   
men that were to be recognised as       

,christians were1 by evangelical        
,nonconformists1 required to be able to 
point to the moment when1 by some sudden
 change1 they passed from darkness to   
light4 ,we have drifted away from that  
very far now1 and there is need for     
insisting1 not upon the necessity1 but  
upon the possibility1 of sudden         
conversions4 ,however some may try to   
show that such experiences cannot be1   
the experience of every earnest         
,christian teacher can answer--well6    
whether they can be or not1 they are4   
,jesus ,christ cured two men gradually1 
and all the others instantaneously4 ,no 
doubt1 for young people who have been   
born amidst ,christian influences1 and  
have grown up in ,christian households1 
the usual way of becoming ,christians is
 that slowly and imperceptibly they     
shall pass into the consciousness of    
communion with ,jesus ,christ4 ,but for 
people who have grown up irreligious    
and1 perhaps1 profligate and sinful1 the
 most probable way is a sudden stride   

out of the kingdom of darkness into the 
kingdom of ,god's dear ,son4 ,so ,i come
 to you all with this message4 ,no      
matter what your past1 no matter how    
much of your life may have ebbed away1  
no matter how deeply rooted and         
obstinate may be your habits of evil1 no
 matter how often you may have tried to 
mend yourself and have failed1 it is    
possible by one swift act of surrender  
to break the chains and go free4 ,in    
every man's life there have been moments
 into which years have been crowded1 and
 which have put a wider gulf between his
 past and his present self than many    
slow1 languid hours can dig4 ,a great   
sorrow1 a great joy1 a great1 newly     
discerned truth1 a great resolve will   
make 'one day as a thousand years4' ,men
 live through such moments and feel that
 the past is swallowed up as by an      
earthquake4 ,the highest instance of    
thus making time elastic and crowding it
 with meaning is when a man forms and   
keeps the swift resolve to yield himself

 to ,christ4 ,it may be the work of a   
moment1 but it makes a gulf between past
 and future1 like that which parted the 
time before and the time after that in  
which ',god said1 ,let there be light3  
and there was light4' ,if you have never
 yet bowed before the heavenly vision   
and yielded yourself as conquered by the
 love which pardons1 to be the glad     
servant of the ,lord ,jesus who takes   
all ,his servants into wondrous oneness 
with ,himself1 do it now4 ,you can do   
it4 ,delay is disobedience1 and may be  
death4 ,do it now1 and your whole life  
will be changed4 ,peace and joy and     
power will come to you1 and you1 made a 
new man1 will move in a new world of new
 relations1 duties1 energies1 loves1    
gladnesses1 helps1 and hopes4 ,if you   
take heed to prolong the point into a   
line1 and hour by hour to renew the     
surrender and the cry1 ',lord1 what wilt
 ,thou have me to do8' you will ever    
have the vision of the ,christ          
enthroned1 pardoning1 sympathising1 and 

commanding1 which will fill your sky    
with glory1 point the path of your feet1
 and satisfy your gaze with ,his beauty1
 and your heart with ,his all-sufficing 
and ever-present love4    ',,me ,a      
,,christian6'  ',then ,agrlppa said unto
 ,paul1 ,almost thou persuadest me to be
 a ,christian4'--,,acts xxvi #bh4  ,this
 ,agrippa was son of the other ,herod of
 whom we hear in the ,acts as a         
persecutor4 ,this one appears from other
 sources1 to have had the vices but not 
the force of character of his bad race4 
,he was weak and indolent1 a mere       
hanger-on of ,rome1 to which he owed his
 kingdom1 and to which he stoutly stuck 
during all the tragedy of the fall of   
,jerusalem4 ,in position and in         
character 7largely resulting from the   
position7 he was uncommonly like those  
semi-independent rajahs in ,india1 who  
are allowed to keep up a kind of shadow 
of authority on condition of doing what 
,calcutta bids them4 ,of course         
frivolity and debauchery become the     

business of such men4 ,what sort of a   
man this was may be sufficiently        
inferred from the fact that ,bernice was
 his sister4  ,but he knew a good deal  
about the ,jews1 about their opinions1  
their religion1 and about what had been 
going on during the last half century   
amongst them4 ,or grounds of policy he  
professed to accept the ,jewish         
faith--of which an edifying example is  
given in the fact that1 on one occasion1
 ,bernice was prevented from            
accompanying him to ,rome because she   
was fulfilling a ,nazarite vow in the   
,temple at ,jerusalem6  ,so the ,apostle
 was fully warranted in appealing to    
,agrippa's knowledge1 not only of       
,judaism1 but of the history of ,jesus  
,christ1 and in his further assertion1  
',i know that thou believest4' ,but the 
home-thrust was too much for the king4  
,his answer is given in the words of our
 text4  ,they are very familiar words1  
and they have been made the basis of a  
great many sermons upon being all but   

persuaded to accept of ,christ as       
,saviour4 ,but1 edifying as such a use  
of them is1 it can scarcely be sustained
 by their actual meaning4 ,most         
commentators are agreed that our        
,authorised ,version does not represent 
either ,agrippa's words or his tone4 ,he
 was not speaking in earnest4 ,his words
 are sarcasm1 not a half melting into   
conviction1 and the ,revised ,version   
gives what may1 on the whole1 be        
accepted as being a truer representation
 of their intention when it reads1      
',with but little persuasion thou       
wouldst fain make me a ,christian4'  ,he
 is half amused and half angry at the   
,apostle's presumption in supposing that
 so easily or so quickly he was going to
 land his fish4 ',it is a more difficult
 task than you fancy1 ,paul1 to make a  
,christian of a man like me4' ,that is  
the real meaning of his words1 and ,i   
think that1 rightly understood1 they    
yield lessons of no less value than     
those that have been so often drawn from

 them as they appear in our ,authorised 
,version4 ,so ,i wish to try and gather 
up and urge upon you now these          
lessons3--  ,i4 ,first1 then1 ,i see    
here an example of the danger of a      
superficial familiarity with ,christian 
truth4  ,as ,i said1 ,agrippa knew1 in a
 general way1 a good deal not only about
 the prophets and the ,jewish religion1 
but of the outstanding facts of the     
death and ,resurrection of ,jesus       
,christ4 ,paul's assumption that he knew
 would have been very quickly repudiated
 if it had not been based upon fact4    
,and the inference from his acceptance  
without contradiction of the ,apostle's 
statement is confirmed by his use of the
 word ',christian1' which had by no     
means come into general employment when 
he spoke2 and in itself indicates that  
he knew a good deal about the people who
 were so named4 ,mark the contrast1 for 
instance1 between him and the bluff     
,roman official at his side4 ,to        
,festus1 ,paul's talking about a dead   

man's having risen1 and a risen ,jew    
becoming a light to all nations1 was    
such utter nonsense that1 with          
characteristic ,roman contempt for men  
with ideas1 he breaks in1 with his      
rough1 strident voice1 ',much learning  
has made thee mad4' ,there was not much 
chance of that cause producing that     
effect on ,festus4 ,but he was          
apparently utterly bewildered at this   
entirely novel and unintelligible sort  
of talk4 ,agrippa1 on the other hand1   
knows all about the ,resurrection2 has  
heard that there was such a thing1 and  
has a general rough notion of what ,paul
 believed as a ,christian4  ,and was he 
any better for it8 ,no2 he was a great  
deal worse4 ,it took the edge off a good
 deal of his curiosity4 ,it made him    
fancy that he knew beforehand all that  
the ,apostle had to say4 ,it stood in   
the way of his apprehending the truths  
which he thought that he understood4    
,and although the world knows a great   
deal more about ,jesus ,christ and the  

,gospel than he did1 the very same thing
 is true about hundreds and thousands of
 people who have all their lives long   
been brought into contact with          
,christianity4 ,superficial knowledge is
 the worst enemy of accurate knowledge1 
for the first condition of knowing a    
thing is to know that we do not know it4
 ,and so there are a great many of us   
who1 having picked up since childhood   
vague and partially inaccurate notions  
about ,christ and ,his ,gospel and what 
,he has done1 are so satisfied on the   
strength of these that we know all about
 it1 that we listen to preaching about  
it with a very languid attention4 ,the  
ground in our minds is preoccupied with 
our own vague and imperfect             
apprehensions4 ,i believe that there is 
nothing that stands more in the way of  
hundreds of people coming into real     
intelligent contact with ,gospel truth  
than the half knowledge that they have  
had of it ever since they were children4
 ,you fancy that you know all that ,i   

can tell you4 ,very probably you do4    
,but have you ever taken a firm hold of 
the plain central facts of              
,christianity--your own sinfulness and  
helplessness1 your need of a ,saviour1  
the perfect work of ,jesus ,christ who  
died on the ,cross for you1 and the     
power of simple faith therein to join   
you to ,him1 and1 if followed by        
consecration and obedience1 to make you 
partakers of ,his nature1 and heirs of  
the inheritance that is above8 ,these   
are but the fundamentals1 the outlines  
of ,gospel truth4 ,but far too many of  
you see them1 in such a manner as you   
see the figures cast upon a screen when 
the lantern is not rightly focussed1    
with a blurred outline1 and the blurred 
outline keeps you from seeing the       
sharp-cut truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,in 
all regions of thought inaccurate       
knowledge is the worst foe to further   
understanding1 and eminently is this the
 case in religion4 ,brethren1 some of   
you are in that position4  ,then there  

is another way in which such knowledge  
as that of which the king in our text is
 an example is a hindrance1 and that is1
 that it is knowledge which has no      
effect on character4 ,what do hundreds  
of us do with our knowledge of          
,christianity8 ,our minds seem built in 
watertight compartments1 and we keep the
 doors of them shut very close1 so that 
truths in the understanding have no     
influence on the will4 ,many of you     
believe the ,gospel intellectually1 and 
it does not make a hairsbreadth of      
difference to anything that you ever    
either thought or wished or did4 ,and   
because you so believe it1 it is utterly
 impossible that it should ever be of   
any use to you4 ',agrippa1 believest    
thou the prophets8 ,i know that thou    
believest4' ',yes1 believest the        
prophets1 and ,bernice sitting by thy   
side there--believest the prophets1 and 
livest in utter bestial godlessness4'   
,what is the good of a knowledge of     
,christianity like that8 ,and is it not 

such knowledge of ,christianity that    
blocks the way with some of you for     
anything more real and more operative8  
,there is nothing more impotent than a  
firmly believed and utterly neglected   
truth4 ,and that is what the            
,christianity of some of you is when it 
is analysed4  ,,ii4 ,now1 secondly1     
notice how we have here the example of a
 proud man indignantly recoiling from   
submission1  ,there is a world of       
contempt in ,agrippa's words1 in the    
very putting side by side of the two    
things4 ',me6 ,me1' with a very large   
capital ,m--',me a ,christian8' ,he     
thinks of his dignity1 poor creature4   
,it was not such a very tremendous      
dignity after all4 ,he was a petty      
kinglet1 permitted by the grace of ,rome
 to live and to pose as if he were the  
real thing1 and yet he struts and claps 
his wings and crows on his little       
hillock as if it were a mountain4 ',me a
 ,christian8' ',the great ,agrippa a    
,christian6' ,and he uses that word     

',christian' with the intense contempt  
which coined it and adhered to it1 until
 the men to whom it was applied were    
wise enough to take it and bind it as a 
crown of honour upon their head4 ,the   
wits at ,antioch first of all hit upon  
the designation4 ,they meant a very     
exquisite piece of sarcasm by their     
nickname4 ,these people were            
',christians1' just as some other people
 were ,herodians--,christ's men1 the men
 of this impostor who pretended to be a 
,messiah4 ,that seemed such an intensely
 ludicrous thing to the wise people in  
,antioch that they coined the name2 and 
no doubt thought they had done a very   
clever thing4 ,it is only used in the   
,bible in tike notice of its origin2    
here1 with a very evident connotation of
 contempt2 and once more when ,peter in 
his letter refers to it as being the    
indictment on which certain disciples   
suffered4 ,so when ,agrippa says1 ',me a
 ,christian1' he puts all the bitterness
 that he can into that last word4 ,as if

 he said1 ',do you really think that    
,i--,i--am going to bow myself down to  
be a follower and adherent of that      
,christ of yours8 ,the thing is too     
ridiculous6 ,with but little persuasion 
you would fain make me a ,christian4    
,but you will find it a harder task than
 you fancy4'  ,now1 my dear friends1 the
 shape of this unwillingness is changed 
but the fact of it remains4 ,there are  
two or three features of what ,i take to
 be the plain ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ 
which grate very much against all       
self-importance and self-complacency1   
and operate very largely1 though not    
always consciously1 upon very many      
amongst us4 ,i just run them over1 very 
briefly4  ,the ,gospel insists on       
dealing with everybody in the same      
fashion1 and on regarding all as        
standing on the same level4 ,many of us 
do not like that4 ,translate ,agrippa's 
scorn into words that fit ourselves3 ',i
 am a well-to-do ,manchester man4 ,am ,i
 to stand on the same level as my       

office-boy8' ,yes6 the very same4 ',i1 a
 student1 perhaps a teacher of science1 
or a cultivated man1 a scholar1 a       
lawyer1 a professional man--am ,i to    
stand on the same level as people that  
scarcely know how to read and write8'   
,yes1 exactly4 ,so1 like the man in the 
,old ,testament1 'he turned and went    
away in a rage4' ,many of us would like 
that there should be a little private   
door for us in consideration of our     
position or acquirements or             
respectability1 or this1 that1 or the   
other thing4 ,at any rate we are not to 
be classed in the same category with the
 poor and the ignorant and the sinful   
and the savage all over the world4 ,but 
we are so classed4 ,do not you and the  
men in ,patagonia breathe the same air8 
,are not your bodies subject to the same
 laws8 ,have you not to be contented to 
be fed in the same fashion1 and to sleep
 and eat and drink in the same way8 ',we
 have all of us one human heart'2 and   
'there is no difference1 for all have   

sinned and come short of the glory of   
,god4' ,the identities of humanity1 in  
all its examples1 are deeper than the   
differences in any4 ,we have all the one
 ,saviour and are to be saved in the    
same fashion4 ,that is a humbling thing 
for those of us who stand upon some     
little elevation1 real or fancied1 but  
it is only the other side of the great  
truth that ,god's love is world-wide1   
and that ,christ's ,gospel is meant for 
humanity4 ,naaman1 to whom ,i have      
already referred in passing1 wanted to  
be treated as a great man who happened  
to be a leper2 ,elisha insisted on      
treating him as a leper who happened to 
be a great man4 ,and that makes all the 
difference4 ,i remember seeing somewhere
 that a great surgeon had said that the 
late ,emperor of ,germany would have had
 a far better chance of being cured if  
he had gone incognito to the hospital   
for throat diseases4 ,we all need the   
same surgery1 and we must be contented  
to take it in the same fashion4 ,so1    

some of us recoil from humbling equality
 with the lowest and worst4  ,then      
again1 another thing that sometimes     
makes people shrink back from the       
,gospel is that it insists upon every   
one being saved solely by dependence on 
,another4 ,we would like to have a part 
in our salvation1 and many of us had    
rather do anything in the way of        
sacrifice or suffering or penance than  
take this position3    ',nothing in my  
hand ,i bring1    ,simply to ,thy ,cross
 ,i cling4'  ,corrupt forms of          
,christianity have taken an acute       
measure of the worst parts of human     
nature1 when they have taught men that  
they can eke out ,christ's work by their
 own1 and have some kind of share in    
their own salvation4 ,dear brethren1 ,i 
have to bring to you another ,gospel    
than that1 and to say1 ,all is done for 
us1 and all will be done in us1 and     
nothing has to be done by us4 ,some of  
you do not like that4 ,just as a man    
drowning is almost sure to try to help  

himself1 and get his limbs inextricably 
twisted round his would-be rescuer and  
drown them both1 so men will not1       
without a struggle1 consent to owe      
everything to ,jesus ,christ1 and to let
 ,him draw them out of many waters and  
set them on the safe shore4 ,but unless 
we do so1 we have little share in ,his  
,gospel4  ,and another thing stands in  
the way--namely1 that the ,gospel       
insists upon absolute obedience to      
,jesus ,christ4 ,agrippa fancied that it
 was an utterly preposterous idea that  
he should lower his flag1 and doff his  
crown1 and become the servant of a      
,jewish peasant4 ,a great many of us1   
though we have a higher idea of our     
,lord than his1 do yet find it quite as 
hard to submit our wills to ,his1 and to
 accept the condition of absolute       
obedience1 utter resignation to ,him1   
and entire subjection to ,his           
commandment4 ,we say1 ',let my own will 
have a little bit of play in a corner4' 
,some of us find it very hard to believe

 that we are to bring all our thinking  
upon religious and moral subjects to    
,him1 and to accept ,his word as        
conclusive1 settling all controversies4 
',i1 with my culture2 am ,i to accept   
what ,christ says as the end of strife8'
 ,yes1 absolute submission is the       
plainest condition of real              
,christianity4 ,the very name tells us  
that4 ,we are ,christians1 i4e4         
,christ's men2 and unless we are1 we    
have no right to the name4 ,but some of 
us had rather be our own masters and    
enjoy the miseries of independence and  
self-will1 and so be the slaves of our  
worse selves1 than bow ourselves utterly
 before that dear ,lord1 and so pass    
into the freedom of a service           
love-inspired1 and by love accepted1    
',thou wouldst fain persuade me to be a 
,christian1' is the recoil of a proud   
heart from submission4 ,brethren1 let me
 beseech you that it may not be yours4  
,,iii4 ,again1 we have here an example  
of instinctive shrinking from the       

personal application of broad truths4   
,agrippa listened1 half-amused and a    
good deal interested1 to ,paul as long  
as he talked generalities and described 
his own experience4 ,but when he came to
 point the generalities and to drive    
them home to the hearer's heart it was  
time to stop him4 ,that question of the 
,apostle's1 keen and sudden as the flash
 of a dagger1 went straight home1 and   
the king at once gathered himself       
together into an attitude of resistance4
 ,ah1 that is what hundreds of people   
do6 ,you will let me preach as long as  
,i like--only you will get a little     
weary sometimes--you will let me preach 
generalities ad libitum4 ,but when ,i   
come to ',and thou8' then ,i am 'rude'  
and 'inquisitorial' and 'personal' and  
'trespassing on a region where ,i have  
no business1' and so on and so on4 ,and 
so you shut up your heart if not your   
ears4  ,and yet1 brethren1 what is the  
use of toothless generalities8 ,what am 
,i here for if ,i am not here to take   

these broad1 blunt truths and sharpen   
them to a point1 and try to get them in 
between the joints of your armour8 ,can 
any man faithfully preach the ,gospel   
who is always flying over the heads of  
his hearers with universalities1 and    
never goes straight to their hearts with
 ',thou--thou art the man6' ',believest 
thou8'  ,and so1 dear friends1 let me   
press that question upon you4 ,never    
mind about other people4 ,suppose you   
and ,i were alone together and my words 
were coming straight to thee4 ,would    
they not have more power than they have 
now8 ,they are so coming4 ,think away   
all these other people1 and this place1 
ay1 and me too1 and let the word of     
,christ1 which deals with no crowds but 
with single souls1 come to you in its   
individualising force3 ',believest      
thou8' ,you will have to answer that    
question one day4 ,better to face it now
 and try to answer it than to leave it  
all vague until you get yonder1 where   
'each one of us shall give account of   

himself to ,god4  ,,iv4 ,lastly1 we have
 here an example of a soul close to the 
light1 but passing into the dark4       
,agrippa listens to ,paul2 ,bernice     
listens2 ,festus listens4 ,and what     
comes of it8 ,only this1 ',and when they
 were gone aside1 they talked between   
themselves1 saying1 ,this man hath done 
nothing worthy of death or of bonds4'   
,may ,i translate into a modern         
equivalent3 ,and when they were gone    
aside1 they talked between themselves1  
saying1 ',this man preached a very      
impressive sermon1' or1 ',this man      
preached a very wearisome sermon1' and  
there an end4  ,agrippa and ,bernice    
went their wicked way1 and ,festus went 
his1 and none of them knew what a       
fateful moment they had passed through4 
,ah1 brethren6 there are many such in   
our lives when we make decisions that   
influence our whole future1 and no sign 
shows that the moment is any way        
different from millions of its          
undistinguished fellows4 ,it is         

eminently so in regard to our relation  
to ,jesus ,christ and ,his ,gospel4     
,these three had been in the light2 they
 were never so near it again4 ,probably 
they never heard the ,gospel preached   
any more1 and they went away1 not       
knowing what they had done when they    
silenced ,paul and left him4 ,now you   
will probably hear plenty of sermons in 
future4 ,you may or you may not4 ,but be
 sure of this1 that if you go away from 
this one1 unmelted and unbelieving1 you 
have not done a trivial thing4 ,you have
 added one more stone to the barrier    
that you yourself build to shut you out 
from holiness and happiness1 from hope  
and heaven4 ,it is not ,i that ask you  
the question1 it is not ,paul that asks 
it1 ,jesus ,christ ,himself says to you1
 as ,he said to the blind man1 ',dost   
thou believe on the ,son of ,god8' or as
 ,he said to the weeping sister of      
,lazarus1 ',believest thou this8' ,o    
dear friends1 do not answer like this   
arrogant bit of a king1 but cry with    

tears1 ',lord1 ,i believe2 help ,thou   
mine unbelief6'    ,,tempest ,,and      
,,trust  ,and when the south wind blew  
softly1 supposing that they had obtained
 their purpose1 loosing thence1 they    
sailed close by ,crete4 #ad4 ,but not   
long after there arose against it a     
tempestuous wind1 called ,euroclydon4   
#ae4 ,and when the ship was caught1 and 
could not bear up into the wind1 we let 
her drive4 #af4 ,and running under a    
certain island which is called ,clauda1 
we had much work to come by the boat3   
#ag4 ,which when they had taken up1 they
 used helps1 undergirding the ship2 and1
 fearing lest they should fall into the 
quicksands1 strake sail1 and so were    
driven4 #ah4 ,and we being exceedingly  
tossed with a tempest1 the next day they
 lightened the ship2 #ai4 ,and the third
 day we cast out with our own hands the 
tackling of the ship4 #bj4 ,and when    
neither sun nor stars in many days      
appeared1 and no small tempest lay on   
us1 all hope that we should be saved was

 then taken away4 #ba4 ,but after long  
abstinence ,paul stood forth in the     
midst of them1 and said1 ,sirs1 ye      
should have hearkened unto me1 and not  
have loosed from ,crete1 and to have    
gained this harm and loss4 #bb4 ,and now
 ,i exhort you to be of good cheer3 for 
there shall be no loss of any man's life
 among you1 but of the ship4 #bc4 ,for  
there stood by me this night the angel  
of ,god1 whose ,i am1 and whom ,i serve1
 #bd4 ,saying1 ,fear not1 ,paul2 thou   
must be brought before ,caesar3 and1 lo1
 ,god hath given thee all them that sail
 with thee4 #be4 ,wherefore1 sirs1 be of
 good cheer3 for ,i believe ,god1 that  
it shall be even as it was told me4 #bf4
 ,howbeit we must be cast upon a certain
 island4'--,,acts xxvii4 #ac-bf4        
,luke's minute account of the shipwreck 
implies that he was not a ,jew4 ,his    
interest in the sea and familiarity with
 sailors' terms are quite unlike a      
persistent ,jewish characteristic which 
still continues4 ,we have a ,jew's      

description of a storm at sea in the    
,book of ,jonah1 which is as evidently  
the work of a landsman as ,luke's is of 
one who1 though not a sailor1 was well  
up in maritime matters4 ,his narrative  
lays hold of the essential points1 and  
is as accurate as it is vivid4 ,this    
section has two parts3 the account of   
the storm1 and the grand example of calm
 trust and cheery encouragement given in
 ,paul's words4  ,i4 ,the consultation  
between the captain of the vessel and   
the centurion1 at which ,paul assisted1 
strikes us1 with our modern notions of a
 captain's despotic power on his own    
deck1 and single responsibility1 as     
unnatural4 ,but the centurion1 as a     
military officer1 was superior to the   
captain of an ,alexandrian corn-ship1   
and ,paul had already made his force of 
character so felt that it is not        
wonderful that he took part in the      
discussion4 ,naturally the centurion was
 guided by the professional rather than 
by the amateur member of the council1   

and the decision was come to to push on 
as far and fast as possible4  ,the ship 
was lying in a port which gave scanty   
protection against the winter weather1  
and it was clearly wise to reach a more 
secure harbour if possible4 ,so when a  
gentle southerly breeze sprang up1 which
 would enable them to make such a port1 
westward from their then position1 they 
made the attempt4 ,for a time it looked 
as if they would succeed1 but they had a
 great headland jutting out in front    
which they must get round1 and their    
ability to do this was doubtful4 ,so    
they kept close in shore and weathered  
the point4 ,but before they had made    
their harbour the wind suddenly chopped 
round1 as is frequent of that coast1 and
 the gentle southerly breeze turned into
 a fierce squall from the north-east or 
thereabouts1 sweeping down from the     
,cretan mountains4 ,that began their    
troubles4 ,to make the port was         
impossible4 ,the unwieldy vessel could  
not 'face the wind1' and so they had to 

run before it4 ,it would carry them in a
 south-westerly direction1 and towards a
 small island1 under the lee of which   
they might hope for some shelter4 ,here 
they had a little breathing time1 and   
could make things rather more ship-shape
 than they had been able to do when     
suddenly caught by the squall4 ,their   
boat had been towing behind them1 and   
had to be hoisted on deck somehow4  ,a  
more important1 and probably more       
difficult1 task was to get strong       
hawsers under the keel and round the    
sides1 so as to help to hold the timbers
 together4 ,the third thing was the most
 important of all1 and has been         
misunderstood by commentators who knew  
more about ,greek lexicons than ships4  
,the most likely explanation of         
'lowering the gear' 7,rev4 ,ver47 is    
that it means 'leaving up just enough of
 sail to keep the ship's head to the    
wind1 and bringing down everything else 
that could be got down' 7,ramsay1 ,st4  
,paul1 p4 #cbi74  ,note that ,luke says 

'we' about hauling in the boat1 and     
'they' about the other tasks4 ,he and   
the other passengers could lend a hand  
in the former1 but not in the latter1   
which required more skilled labour4 ,the
 reason for bringing down all needless  
top-hamper1 and leaving up a little     
sail1 was to keep the vessel from       
driving on to the great quicksands off  
the ,african coast1 to which they would 
certainly have been carried if the wind 
held4  ,as soon as they had drifted out 
from the lee of the friendly little     
island they were caught again in the    
storm4 ,they were in danger of going    
down4 ,as they drifted they had their   
'starboard' broadside to the force of   
the wild sea1 and it was a question how 
long the vessel's sides would last      
before they were stove in by the        
hammering of the waves1 or how long she 
would be buoyant enough to ship seas    
without foundering4 ,the only chance was
 to lighten her1 so first the crew      
'jettisoned' the cargo1 and next day1 as

 that did not give relief enough1'they1'
 or1 according to some authorities1     
'we'--that is passengers and all--threw 
everything possible overboard4  ,that   
was the last attempt to save themselves1
 and after it there was nothing to do   
but to wait the apparently inevitable   
hour when they would all go down        
together4 ,idleness feeds despair1 and  
despair nourishes idleness4 ,food was   
scarce1 cooking it was impossible1      
appetite there was none4 ,the doomed men
 spent the long idle days--which were   
scarcely day1 so thick was the air with 
mist and foam and tempest--crouching    
anywhere for shelter1 wet1 tired1       
hungry1 and hopeless4 ,so they drifted  
'for many days1' almost losing count of 
the length of time they had been thus4  
,it was a gloomy company1 but there was 
one man there in whom the lamp of hope  
burned when it had gone out in all      
others4 ,sun and stars were hidden1 but 
,paul saw a better light1 and his sky   
was clear and calm4  ,,ii4 ,a common    

danger makes short work of distinctions 
of rank4 ,in such a time some hitherto  
unnoticed man of prompt decision1       
resource1 and confidence1 will take the 
command1 whatever his position4 ,hope1  
as well as timidity and fear1 is        
infectious1 and one cheery voice will   
revive the drooping spirits of a        
multitude4 ,paul had already established
 his personal ascendency in that motley 
company of ,roman soldiers1 prisoners1  
sailors1 and disciples4 ,now he stands  
forward with calm confidence1 and       
infuses new hope into them all4 ,what a 
miraculous change passes on externals   
when faith looks at them6 ,the          
circumstances were the same as they had 
been for many days4 ,the wind was       
howling and the waves pounding as       
before1 the sky was black with tempest1 
and no sign of help was in sight1 but   
,paul spoke1 and all was changed1 and a 
ray of sunshine fell on the wild waters 
that beat on the doomed vessel4  ,three 
points are conspicuous in his strong    

tonic words4 ,first1 there is the       
confident assurance of safety4 ,a less  
noble nature would have said more in    
vindication of the wisdom of his former 
advice4 ,it is very pleasant to small   
minds to say1 ',did ,i not tell you so8 
,you see how right ,i was4' ,but the    
,apostle did not care for petty triumphs
 of that sort4 ,a smaller man might have
 sulked because his advice had not been 
taken1 and have said to himself1 ',they 
would not listen to me before1 ,i will  
hold my tongue now4' ,but the ,apostle  
only refers to his former counsel and   
its confirmation in order to induce     
acceptance of his present words4  ,it is
 easy to 'bid' men 'be of good cheer1'  
but futile unless some reason for good  
cheer is given4 ,paul gave good reason4 
,no man's life was to be lost though the
 ship was to go4 ,he had previously     
predicted that life1 as well as ship and
 lading1 would be lost if they put to   
sea4 ,that opinion was the result of his
 own calculation of probabilities1 as he

 lets us understand by saying that he   
'perceived' it 7ver4 #aj74 ,now he      
speaks with authority1 not from his     
perception1 but from ,god's assurance4  
,the bold words might well seem folly to
 the despairing crew as they caught them
 amidst the roar of tempest and looked  
at their battered hulk4 ,so ,paul goes  
at once to tell the ground of his       
confidence--the assurance of the angel  
of ,god4  ,what a contrast between the  
furious gale1 the almost foundering     
ship1 the despair in the hearts of the  
sleeping company1 and the bright vision 
that came to ,paul6 ,peter in prison1   
,paul in ,caesarea and now in the storm1
 see the angel form calm and radiant4   
,god's messengers are wont to come into 
the darkest of our hours and the wildest
 of our tempests4  ,paul's designation  
of the heavenly messenger as 'an angel  
of the ,god whose ,i am1 whom also ,i   
serve1' recalls ,jonah's confession of  
faith1 but far surpasses it1 in the     
sense of belonging to ,god1 and in the  

ardour of submission and of active      
obedience1 expressed in it4 ,what ,paul 
said to the ,corinthians 7#a ,cor4 vi4  
#ai7 he realised for himself3 ',ye are  
not your own2 for ye were bought with a 
price4' ,to recognise that we are       
,god's1 joyfully to yield ourselves to  
,him1 and with all the forces of our    
natures to serve ,him1 is to bring ,his 
angel to our sides in every hour of     
tempest and peril1 and to receive       
assurance that nothing shall by any     
means harm us4 ,to yield ourselves to be
 ,god's is to make ,god ours4 ,it was   
because ,paul owned that he belonged to 
,god1 and served ,him1 that the angel   
came to him1 and he explains the vision 
to his hearers by his relation to ,god4 
,anything was possible rather than that 
his ,god should leave him unhelped at   
such an hour of need4  ,the angel's     
message must have included particulars  
unnoticed in ,luke's summary2 as1 for   
instance1 the wreck on 'a certain       
island4' ,but the two salient points in 

it are the certainty of ,paul's own     
preservation1 that the divine purpose of
 his appearing before ,caesar might be  
fulfilled1 and the escape of all the    
ship's company4 ,as to the former1 we   
may learn how ,paul's life1 like every  
man's1 is shaped according to a divine  
plan1 and how we are 'immortal till our 
work is done1' and till ,god has done   
,his work in and on and by us4 ,as to   
the latter point1 we may gather from the
 word 'has given' the certainty that    
,paul had been praying for the lives of 
all that sailed with him1 and may learn1
 not only that the prayers of ,god's    
servants are a real element in          
determining ,god's dealings with men1   
but that a true servant of ,god's will  
ever reach out his desires and widen his
 prayers to embrace those with whom he  
is brought into contact1 be they        
heathens1 persecutors1 rough and        
careless1 or fellow-believers4 ,if      
,christian people more faithfully       
discharged the duty of intercession1    

they would more frequently receive in   
answer the lives of 'all them that sail 
with' them over the stormy ocean of     
life4  ,the third point in the          
,apostle's encouraging speech is the    
example of his own faith1 which is      
likewise an exhortation to the hearers  
to exercise the same4 ,if ,god speaks by
 ,his angel with such firm promises1    
man's plain wisdom is to grasp the      
divine assurance with a firm hand4 ,we  
must build rock upon rock4 ',i believe  
,god1' that surely is a credence        
demanded by common sense and warranted  
by the sanest reason4 ,if we do so      
believe1 and take ,his word as the      
infallible authority revealing present  
duty and future blessings1 then1 however
 lowering the sky1 and wild the water1  
and battered the vessel1 and empty of   
earthly succour the gloomy horizon1 and 
heavy our hearts1 we shall 'be of good  
cheer1' and in due time the event will  
warrant our faith in ,god and ,his      
promise1 even though all around us seems

 to make our faith folly and our hope a 
mockery4    ,a ,,short ,,confession ,,of
 ,,faith  '444,there stood by me this   
night the angel of ,god1 whose ,i am1   
and whom ,i serve4'--,,acts xxvii4 #bc4 
,i turn especially to those last words1 
',whose ,i am and whom ,i serve4'  ,a   
great calamity1 borne by a crowd of men 
in common1 has a wonderful power of     
dethroning officials and bringing the   
strong man to the front4 ,so it is      
extremely natural1 though it has been   
thought to be very unhistorical1 that in
 this story of ,paul's shipwreck he     
should become guide1 counsellor1        
inspirer1 and a tower of strength2 and  
that centurions and captains and all the
 rest of those who held official        
positions should shrink into the        
background4 ,the natural force of his   
character1 the calmness and serenity    
that came from his faith--these things  
made him the leader of the bewildered   
crowd4 ,one can scarcely help           
contrasting this shipwreck--the only one

 in the ,new ,testament--with that in   
the ,old ,testament4 ,contrast ,jonah   
with ,paul1 the guilty stupor of the    
one1 down 'in the sides of the ship'    
cowering before the storm1 with the calm
 behaviour and collected courage of the 
other4  ,the vision of which the        
,apostle speaks does not concern us     
here1 but in the words which ,i have    
read there are several noteworthy       
points4 ,they bring vividly before us   
the essence of true religion1 the bold  
confession which it prompts1 and the    
calmness and security which it ensures4 
,let us then look at them from these    
points of view4  ,i4 ,we note the clear 
setting forth of the essence of true    
religion4  ,remember that ,paul is      
speaking to heathens2 that his present  
purpose is not to preach the ,gospel1   
but to make his own position clear4 ,so 
he says 'the ,god'--never mind who ,he  
is at present--'the ,god to whom ,i     
belong '--that covers all the inward    
life--'and whom ,i serve'--that covers  

all the outward4  ',whose ,i am4' ,that 
expresses the universal truth that men  
belong to ,god by virtue of their being 
the creatures of ,his hand4 ,as the     
#ajjth ,psalm says1 according to one1   
and that a probably correct reading1    
',it is ,he that hath made us1 and we   
are ,his4' ,but the ,apostle is going a 
good deal deeper than any such thoughts1
 which he1 no doubt1 shared in common   
with the heathen men around him1 when he
 declares that1 in a special fashion1   
,god had claimed him for ,his1 and he   
had yielded to the claim4 ',i am        
,thine1' is the deepest thought of this 
man's mind and the deepest feeling of   
his heart4 ,and that is godliness in its
 purest form1 the consciousness of      
belonging to ,god4 ,we must interpret   
this saying by others of the ,apostle's1
 such as1 ',ye are not your own1 ye are 
bought with a price4 ,therefore1 glorify
 ,god in your bodies and spirits which  
are ,his4' ,he traces ,god's possession 
of him1 not to that fact of creation    

7which establishes a certain outward    
relationship1 but nothing more71 nor    
even to the continuous facts of benefits
 showered upon his head1 but to the one 
transcendent act of the divine ,love1   
which gave itself to us1 and so acquired
 us for itself4 ,for we must recognise  
as the deepest of all thoughts about the
 relations of spiritual beings1 that1 as
 in regard to ourselves in our earthly  
affections1 so in regard to our         
relations with ,god1 there is only one  
way by which a spirit can own a spirit1 
whether it be a man on the one side and 
a woman on the other1 or whether it be  
,god on the one side and a man on the   
other1 and that one way is by the       
sweetness of complete and reciprocal    
love4 ,he who gives himself to ,god gets
 ,god for himself4 ,so when ,paul said1 
',whose ,i am1' he was thinking that he 
would never have belonged either to ,god
 or to himself unless1 first of all1    
,god1 in ,his own ,son1 had given       
,himself to ,paul4 ,the divine ownership

 of us is only realised when we are     
consciously ,his1 because of the        
sacrifice of ,jesus ,christ4  ,brethren1
 ,god does not count that a man belongs 
to ,him simply because ,he made him1 if 
the man does not feel his dependence1   
his obligation1 and has not surrendered 
himself4 ,he in the heavens loves you   
and me too well to care for a formal and
 external ownership4 ,he desires hearts1
 and only they who have yielded         
themselves unto ,god1 moved thereto by  
the mercies of ,god1 and especially by  
the encyclopaediacal mercy which        
includes all the rest in its sweep1 only
 they belong to ,him1 in the estimate of
 the heavens4  ,and if you and ,i are   
,his1 then that involves that we have   
deposed from his throne the rebel ,self1
 the ancient ,anarch that disturbs and  
ruins us4 ,they who belong to ,god cease
 to live to themselves4 ,there are two  
centres for human life1 and ,i believe  
there are only two--the one is ,god1 the
 other is my wretched self4 ,and if we  

are swept1 as it were1 out of the little
 orbit that we move in1 when the latter 
is our centre1 and are drawn by the     
weight and mass of the great central sun
 to become its satellites1 then we move 
in a nobler orbit and receive fuller and
 more blessed light and warmth4 ,they   
who have themselves for their centres   
are like comets1 with a wide elliptical 
course1 which carries them away out into
 the cold abysses of darkness4 ,they who
 have ,god for their sun are like       
planets4 ,the old fable is true of these
 'sons of the morning'--they make music 
as they roll and they flash back ,his   
light4  ,and then do not let us forget  
that this yielding of one's self to     
,him1 swayed by ,his love1 and this     
surrendering of will and purpose and    
affection and all that makes up our     
complex being1 lead directly to the true
 possession of ,him and the true        
possession of ourselves4  ,i have said  
that the only way by which spirit       
possesses spirit is by love1 and that it

 must needs be on both sides4 ,so we get
 ,god for ourselves when we give        
ourselves to ,god4 ,there is a wonderful
 alternation of giving and receiving    
between the loving ,god and his beloved 
lovers2 first the impartation of the    
divine to the human1 then the surrender 
of the human to the divine1 and then the
 larger gift of ,god to man1 just as in 
some series of mirrors the light is     
flashed back from the one to the other1 
in bewildering manifoldness and         
shimmering of rays from either polished 
surface4 ,god is ours when we are       
,god's4 ',and this is the covenant that 
,i will make with them after these days1
 saith the ,lord4 ,i will be their ,god1
 and they shall be ,my people4'  ,and1  
in like manner1 we never own ourselves  
until we have given ourselves to ,god4  
,each of us is like some feudatory      
prince1 dependent upon an overlord4 ,his
 subjects in his little territory rebel1
 and he has no power to subdue the      
insurgents1 but he can send a message to

 the capital1 and get the army of the   
king1 who is his sovereign and theirs1  
to come down and bring them back to     
order1 and establish his tottering      
throne4 ,so if you desire to own        
yourself or to know the sweetness that  
you may get out of your own nature and  
the exercise of your powers1 if you     
desire to be able to govern the realm   
within1 put yourself into ,god's hands  
and say1 ',i am ,thine2 hold ,thou me   
up1 and ,i shall be safe4'  ,i need not 
say more than just a word about the     
other side of ,paul's confession of     
faith1 ',whom ,i serve4' ,he employs the
 word which means the service of a      
worshipper1 or even of a priest1 and not
 that which means the service of a      
slave4 ,his purpose was to represent    
how1 as his whole inward nature bowed in
 submission to1 and was under the       
influence of1 ,god to whom he belonged1 
so his whole outward life was a life of 
devotion4 ,he was serving ,him there in 
the ship1 amidst the storm and the      

squalor and the terror4 ,his calmness   
was service2 his confidence was service2
 the cheery words that he was speaking  
to these people were service4 ,and on   
his whole life he believed that this was
 stamped1 that he was devoted to ,god4  
,so there is the true idea of a         
,christian life1 that in all its        
aspects1 attitudes1 and acts it is to be
 a manifestation1 in visible form1 of   
inward devotion to1 and ownership by1   
,god4 ,all our work may be worship1 and 
we may 'pray without ceasing1' though no
 supplications come from our lips1 if   
our hearts are in touch with ,him and   
through our daily life we serve and     
honour ,him4 ,god's priests never are   
far away from their altar1 and never are
 without1 somewhat to offer1 as long as 
they have the activities of daily duty  
and the difficulties of daily conflict  
to bring to ,him and spread before ,him4
  ,,ii4 ,so let me turn for a moment to 
some of the other aspects of these words
 to which ,i have already referred1 ,i  

find in them1 next1 the bold confession 
which true religion requires4           
,shipboard is a place where people find 
out one another very quickly4 ,character
 cannot well be hid there4 ,and such    
circumstances as ,paul had been in for  
the last fortnight1 tossing up and down 
in ,adria1 with ,death looking over the 
bulwarks of the crazy ship every moment1
 were certain to have brought out the   
inmost secrets of character4 ,paul durst
 not have said to these people 'the ,god
 whose ,i am and whom ,i serve' if he   
had not known that he had been living   
day by day a consistent and godly life  
amongst them4  ,and so1 ,i note1 first  
of all1 that this confession of         
individual and personal relationship to 
,god is incumbent on every ,christian4  
,we do not need to be always brandishing
 it before people's faces4 ,there is    
very little fear of the average         
,christian of this day blundering on    
that side4 ,but we need1 still less1 to 
be always hiding it away4 ,one hears a  

great deal from certain quarters about a
 religion that does not need to be vocal
 but shows what it is1 without the      
necessity for words4 ,blessed be ,god6  
there is such a religion1 but you will  
generally find that the people who have 
most of it are the people who are least 
tongue-tied when opportunity arises2 and
 that if they have been witnessing for  
,god in their quiet discharge of duty1  
with their hands instead of their lips1 
they are quite as ready to witness with 
their lips when it is fitting that they 
should do so4 ,and surely1 surely1 if a 
man belongs to ,god1 and if his whole   
life is to be the manifestation of the  
ownership that he recognises1 that which
 specially reveals him--viz41 his own   
articulate speech--cannot be left out of
 his methods of manifestation4  ,i am   
afraid that there are a great many      
professing ,christian people nowadays   
who never1 all their lives1 have said to
 any one1 ',the ,god whose ,i am and    
whom ,i serve4' ,and ,i beseech you1    

dear brethren1 suffer this word of      
exhortation4 ,to say so is a far more   
effectual1 or at least more powerful1   
means of appeal than any direct         
invitation to share in the blessings4   
,you may easily offend a man by saying  
to him1 ',won't you be a ,christian     
too8' ,but it is hard to offend if you  
simply say that you are a ,christian4   
,the statement of personal experience is
 more powerful by far than all          
argumentation or eloquence or pleading  
appeals4 ,we do more when we say1 ',that
 which we have tasted and felt and      
handled of the ,word of ,life1 declare  
we unto you1' than by any other means4  
,only remember that the avowal must be  
backed up by a life1 as ,paul's was     
backed up on board that vessel4 ,for    
unless it is so1 the profession does far
 more harm than good4 ,there are always 
keen critics round us1 especially if we 
say that we are ,christians4 ,there were
 keen critics on board that ship4 ,do   
you think that these ,roman soldiers1   

and the other prisoners1 would not have 
smiled contemptuously at ,paul1 if this 
had been the first time that they had   
any reason to suppose that he was at all
 different from them8 ,they would have  
said1 ',the ,god whose you are and whom 
you serve8 ,why1 you are just the same  
sort of man as if you worshipped        
,jupiter like the rest of us6' ,and that
 is what the world has a right to say to
 ,christian people4 ,the clearer our    
profession1 the holier must be our      
lives4  ,,iii4 ,last of all1 ,i find in 
these words the calmness and security   
which true religion secures4  ,the      
story1 as ,i have already glanced at it 
in my introductory remarks1 brings out  
very wonderfully and very beautifully   
,paul's promptitude1 his calmness in    
danger1 his absolute certainty of       
safety1 and his unselfish thoughtfulness
 about his companions in peril4 ,and all
 these things were the direct results of
 his entire surrender to ,god1 and of   
the consistency of his daily life4 ,it  

needed the angel in the vision to assure
 him that his life would be spared4 ,but
 whether the angel had ever come or not1
 and though death had been close at his 
hand1 the serenity and the peaceful     
assurance of safety which come out so   
beautifully in the story would have been
 there all the same4 ,the man who can   
say ',i belong to ,god' does not need to
 trouble himself about dangers4 ,he will
 have to exercise his common sense1 as  
the ,apostle shows us2 he will have to  
use all the means that are in his power 
for the accomplishment of ends that he  
knows to be right and legitimate4 ,but  
having done all that1 he can say1 ',i   
belong to ,him1' it is ,his business to 
look after ,his own property4 ,he is not
 going to hold ,his possessions with    
such a slack hand as that they shall    
slip between ,his fingers1 and be lost  
in the mire4 ',thou wilt not lose the   
souls that are ,thine in the grave1     
neither wilt ,thou suffer the man whom  
,thou lovest to see corruption4' ,god   

keeps ,his treasures1 and the surer we  
are that ,he is able to keep them unto  
that day1 the calmer we may be in all   
our trouble4  ,and the safety that      
followed was also the direct result of  
the relationship of mutual possession   
and love established between ,god and   
the ,apostle4 ,we do not know to which  
of the two groups of the shipwrecked    
,paul belonged2 whether he could swim or
 whether he had to hold on to some bit  
of floating wreckage or other1 and so   
got 'safe to land4' ,but whichever way  
it was1 it was neither his swimming nor 
the spar to which1 perhaps1 he clung1   
that landed him safe on shore4 ,it was  
the ,god to whom he belonged4 ,faith is 
the true lifebelt that keeps us from    
being drowned in any stormy sea4 ,and if
 you and ,i feel that we are ,his1 and  
live accordingly1 we shall be calm amid 
all change1 serene when others are      
troubled1 ready to be helpers of others 
even when we ourselves are in distress4 
,and when the crash comes1 and the ship 

goes to pieces3 'so it will come to pass
 that1 some on boards1 and some on      
broken pieces of the ship1 they all come
 safe to land1' and when the ,owner     
counts ,his subjects and possessions on 
the quiet shore1 as the morning breaks1 
there will not be one who has been lost 
in the surges1 or whose name will be    
unanswered to when the muster-roll of   
the crew is called4    ,a ,,total       
,,wreck1 ,,all ,,hands ,,saved  ',and as
 the shipmen were about to flee out of  
the ship1 when they had let down the    
boat into the sea1 under colour as      
though they would have cast anchors out 
of the foreship1 #ca4 ,paul said to the 
centurion and to the soldiers1 ,except  
these abide in the ship1 ye cannot be   
saved4 #cb4 ,then the soldiers cut off  
the ropes of the boat1 and let her fall 
off4 #cc4 ,and while the day was coming 
on1 ,paul besought them all to take     
meat1 saying1 ,this day is the          
fourteenth day that ye have tarried and 
continued fasting1 having taken nothing4

 #cd4 ,wherefore ,i pray you to take    
some meat2 for this is for your health2 
for there shall not an hair fall from   
the head of any of you4 #ce4 ,and when  
he had thus spoken1 he took bread1 and  
gave thanks to ,god in presence of them 
all2 and when he had broken it1 he began
 to eat4 #cf4 ,then were they all of    
good cheer1 and they also took some     
meat4 #cg4 ,and we were in all in the   
ship two hundred threescore and sixteen 
souls4 #ch4 ,and when they had eaten    
enough1 they lightened the ship1 and    
cast out the wheat into the sea4 #ci4   
,and when it was day1 they knew not the 
land2 but they discovered a certain     
creek with a shore1 into the which they 
were minded1 if it were possible1 to    
thrust in the ship4 #dj4 ,and when they 
had taken up the anchors1 they committed
 themselves unto the sea1 and loosed the
 rudder-bands1 and noised up the        
main-sail to the wind1 and made toward  
shore4 #da4 ,and falling into a place   
where two seas met1 they ran the ship   

aground3 and the fore part stuck fast1  
and remained unmoveable1 but the hinder 
part was broken with the violence of the
 waves4 #db4 ,and the soldiers' counsel 
was to kill the prisoners1 lest any-of  
them should swim out1 and escape4 #dc4  
,but the centurion1 willing to save     
,paul1 kept them from their purpose3 and
 commanded that they which could swim   
should cast themselves first into the   
sea1 and get to land3 #dd4 ,and the rest
 some on boards1 and some on broken     
pieces of the ship4 ,and so it came to  
pass1 that they escaped all safe to     
land4'--,,acts xxvii #cj-dd4  ,the ,jews
 were not seafaring people4 ,their coast
 had no safe harbours1 and they seldom  
ventured on the ,mediterranean4 ,to find
 ,paul in a ship with its bow pointed   
westwards is significant4 ,it tells of  
the expansion of ,judaism into a        
world-wide religion1 and of the future  
course of ,christianity4 ,the only ,old 
,testament parallel is ,jonah1 and the  
dissimilarities of the two incidents are

 as instructive as are their            
resemblances4  ,this minute narrative is
 evidently the work of one of the       
passengers who knew a good deal about   
nautical matters4 ,it reads like a      
log-book4 ,but as ,james ,smith has well
 noted in his interesting monograph on  
the chapter1 the writer's descriptions1 
though accurate1 are unprofessional1    
thus confirming ,luke's authorship4     
,where had the 'beloved physician'      
learned so much about the sea and ships8
 ,did the great galleys carry surgeons  
as now8 ,at all events the story is one 
of the most graphic accounts ever       
written4 ,this narrative begins when the
 doomed ship has cast anchor1 with a    
rocky coast close under her lee4 ,the   
one question is1 ,will the four anchors 
hold8 ,no wonder that the passengers    
longed for daylight6  ,the first point  
is the crew's dastardly trick to save   
themselves1 frustrated by ,paul's       
insight and promptitude4 ,the pretext   
for getting into the boat was specious4 

,anchoring by the bow as well as by the 
stern would help to keep the ship from  
driving ashore2 and if once the crew    
were in the boat and pulled as far as   
was necessary to lay out the anchors1 it
 would be easy1 under cover of the      
darkness1 to make good their escape on  
shore and leave the landsmen on board to
 shift for themselves4 ,the boat must   
have been of considerable size to hold  
the crew of so large a ship4 ,it was    
already lying alongside1 and landsmen   
would not suspect what lay under the    
apparently brave attempt to add to the  
vessel's security1 but ,paul did so4    
,his practical sagacity was as          
conspicuous a trait as his lofty        
enthusiasm4 ,common sense need not be   
divorced from high aims or from the     
intensest religious self-devotion4 ,the 
idealist beat the practical centurion in
 penetrating the sailors' scheme4  ,that
 must have been a great nature which    
combined such different characteristics 
as the ,apostle shows4 ,unselfish       

devotion is often wonderfully           
clear-sighted as to the workings of its 
opposite4 ,the ,apostle's promptitude is
 as noticeable as his penetration4 ,he  
wastes no time in remonstrance with the 
cowards1 who would have been over the   
side and off in the dark while he       
talked1 but goes straight to the man in 
authority4 ,note1 too1 that he keeps his
 place as a prisoner4 ,it is not his    
business to suggest what is to be done4 
,that might have been resented as       
presumptuous2 but he has a right to     
point out the danger1 and he leaves the 
centurion to settle how to meet it4     
,significantly does he say 'ye1' not    
'we4' ,he was perfectly certain that he 
'must be brought before ,caesar'2 and   
though he believed that all on board    
would escape1 he seems to regard his own
 safety as even more certain than that  
of the others4  ,the lesson often drawn 
from his words is rightly drawn4 ,they  
imply the necessity of men's action in  
order to carry out ,god's purpose4 ,the 

whole shipful are to be saved1 but      
'except these abide 444 ye cannot be    
saved1' ,the belief that ,god wills     
anything is a reason for using all means
 to effect it1 not for folding our hands
 and saying1 ',god will do it1 whether  
we do anything or not4' ,the line       
between fatalism and ,christian reliance
 on ,god's will is clearly drawn in     
,paul's words4  ,note too the prompt1   
decisive action of the soldiers4 ,they  
waste no words1 nor do they try to      
secure the sailors1 but out with their  
knives and cut the tow-rope1 and away   
into the darkness drifts the boat4 ,it  
might have been better to have kept it1 
as affording a chance of safety for all2
 but probably it was wisest to get rid  
of it at once4 ,many times in every life
 it is necessary to sacrifice possible  
advantages in order to secure a more    
necessary good4 ,the boat has to be let 
go if the passengers in the ship are to 
be saved4 ,misused good things have     
sometimes to be given up in order to    

keep people from temptation4  ,the next 
point brings ,paul again to the front4  
,in the night he had been the saviour of
 the whole shipload of people4 ,now as  
the twilight is beginning1 and the time 
for decisive action will soon be here   
with the day1 he becomes their          
encourager and counsellor4 ,again his   
saving common sense is shown4 ,he knew  
that the moment for intense struggle was
 at hand1 and so he prepares them for it
 by getting them to eat a substantial   
breakfast4 ,it was because of his faith 
that he did so4 ,his religion did not   
lead him to do as some people would have
 done--begin to talk to the soldiers    
about their souls--but he looked after  
their bodies4 ,hungry1 wet1 sleepless1  
they were in no condition to scramble   
through the surf1 and the first thing to
 be done was to get some food into them4
 ,of course he does not mean that they  
had eaten absolutely nothing for a      
fortnight1 but only that they had had   
scanty nourishment4 ,but ,paul's        

religion went harmoniously with his care
 for men's bodies4 ,he 'gave thanks to  
,god in presence of them all'2 and who  
shall say that that prayer did not touch
 hearts more deeply than religious talk 
would have done8 ,paul's calmness would 
be contagious2 and the root of it1 in   
his belief in what his ,god had told    
him1 would be impressively manifested to
 all on board4 ,moods are infectious2 so
 'they were all of good cheer1' and no  
doubt things looked less black after a  
hearty meal1  ,a little point may be    
noticed here1 namely1 the naturalness of
 the insertion of the numbers on board  
at this precise place in the narrative4 
,there would probably be a muster of all
 hands for the meal1 and in view of the 
approaching scramble1 in order that1 if 
they got to shore1 there might be       
certainty as to whether any were lost4  
,so here the numbers come in4 ,they were
 still not without hope of saving the   
ship1 though ,paul had told them it     
would be lost2 and so they jettison the 

cargo of wheat from ,alexandria4 ,by    
this time it is broad day and something 
must be done4  ,the next point is the   
attempt to beach the vessel4 ',they knew
 not the land1' that is1 the part of the
 coast where they had been driven2 but  
they saw that1 while for the most part  
it was iron-bound1 there was a shelving 
sandy bay at one point on to which it   
might be possible to run her ashore4    
,the ,revised ,version gives a much more
 accurate and seaman-like account than  
the ,authorised ,version does4 ,the     
anchors were not taken on board1 but to 
save time and trouble were 'left in the 
sea1' the cables being simply cut4 ,the 
'rudder-bands'--that is1 the lashings   
which had secured the two paddle-like   
rudders1 one on either beam1 which had  
been tied up to be out of the way when  
the stern anchors were put out--are     
loosed1 and the rudders drop into place4
 ,the foresail 7not 'mainsail1' as the  
,authorised ,version has it7 is set to  
help to drive the ship ashore4 ,it is   

all exactly what we should expect to be 
done4  ,but an unexpected difficulty met
 the attempt1 which is explained by the 
lie of the coast at ,st4 ,paul's ,bay1  
,malta1 as ,james ,smith fully describes
 in his book4 ,a little island1         
separated from the mainland by a channel
 of not more than one hundred yards in  
breadth1 lies off the north-east point  
of the bay1 and to a beholder at the    
entrance to the bay looks as if         
continuous with it4 ,when the ship got  
farther in1 they would see the narrow   
channel1 through which a strong current 
sets and makes a considerable           
disturbance as it meets the run of the  
water in the bay4 ,a bank of mud has    
been formed at the point of meeting4    
,thus not only the water shoals1 but the
 force of the current through the       
narrows would hinder the ship from      
getting past it to the beach4 ,the two  
things together made her ground1 'stem  
on' to the bank2 and then1 of course1   
the heavy sea running into the bay1     

instead of helping her to the shore1    
began to break up the stern which was   
turned towards it4  ,common peril makes 
beasts of prey and their usual victims  
crouch together4 ,benefits received     
touch generous hearts4 ,but the         
legionaries on board had no such        
sentiments4 ,paul's helpfulness was     
forgotten4 ,a still more ignoble        
exhibition of the instinct of           
self-preservation than the sailors had  
shown dictated that cowardly1 cruel     
suggestion to kill the prisoners4       
,brutal indifference to human life1 and 
,rome's iron discipline holding terror  
over the legionaries' heads1 are vividly
 illustrated in the 'counsel1' ,so were 
,paul's kindnesses requited6 ,it is hard
 to melt rude natures even by kindness2 
and if ,paul had been looking for       
gratitude he would have been            
disappointed1 as we so often are4 ,but  
if we do good to men because we expect  
requital1 even in thankfulness1 we are  
not pure in motive4 ',looking for       

nothing again' is the spirit enforced by
 ,god's pattern and by experience4  ,the
 centurion had throughout1 like most of 
his fellows in ,scripture1 been kindly  
disposed1 and showed more regard for    
,paul than the rank and file did4 ,he   
displays the good side of militarism1   
while they show its bad side2 for he is 
collected1 keeps his head in            
extremities1 knows his own mind1 holds  
the reins in a firm hand1 even in that  
supreme moment1 has a quick eye to see  
what must be done1 and decision to order
 it at once4 ,it was prudent to send    
first those who could swim2 they could  
then help the others4 ,the distance was 
short1 and as the bow was aground1 there
 would be some shelter under the lee of 
the vessel1 and shoal water1 where they 
could wade1 would be reached in a few   
minutes or moments4  ',and so it came to
 pass1 that they all escaped safe to the
 land4' ,so ,paul had assured them they 
would4 ,god needs no miracles in order  
to sway human affairs4 ,everything here 

was perfectly 'natural1' and yet ,his   
hand wrought through all1 and the issue 
was ,his fulfilment of ,his promises4   
,if we rightly look at common things1 we
 shall see ,god working in them all1 and
 believe that ,he can deliver us as     
truly without miracles as ever ,he did  
any by miracles4 ,promptitude1 prudence1
 skill1 and struggle with the waves1    
saved the whole two hundred and         
seventy-six souls in that battered ship2
 yet it was ,god who saved them all4    
,whether ,paul was among the party that 
could swim1 or among the more helpless  
who had to cling to anything that would 
float1 he was held up by ,god's hand1   
and it was ,he who 'sent from above1    
took him1 and drew him out of many      
waters4'    ,,after ,,the ,,wreck  ',and
 when they were escaped1 then they knew 
that the island was called ,melita4 #b4 
,and the barbarous people showed us no  
little kindness3 for they kindled a     
fire1 and received us every one1 because
 of the present rain1 and because of the

 cold4 #c4 ,and when ,paul had gathered 
a bundle of sticks1 and laid them on the
 fire1 there came a viper out of the    
heat1 and fastened on his hand4 #d4 ,and
 when the barbarians saw the venomous   
beast hang on his hand1 they said among 
themselves1 ,no doubt this man is a     
murderer1 whom1 though he hath escaped  
the sea1 yet vengeance suffereth not to 
live4 #e4 ,and he shook off the beast   
into the fire1 and felt no harm4 #f4    
,howbeit they looked when he should have
 swollen1 or fallen down dead suddenly3 
but after they had looked a great while1
 and saw no harm come to him1 they      
changed their minds1 and said that he   
was a god4 #g4 ,in the same quarters    
were possessions of the chief man of the
 island1 whose name was ,publius3 who   
received us1 and lodged us three days   
courteously4 #h4 ,and it came to pass1  
that the father of ,publius lay sick of 
a fever1 and of a bloody flux3 to whom  
,paul entered in1 and prayed1 and laid  
his hands on him1 and healed him4 #i4   

,so when this was done1 others also1    
which had diseases in the island1 came1 
and were healed3 #aj4 ,who also honoured
 us with many honours3 and when we      
departed1 they laded us with such things
 as were necessary4 #aa4 ,and after     
three months we departed in a ship of   
,alexandria1 which had wintered in the  
isle1 whose sign was ,castor and        
,pollux4 #ab4 ,and landing at ,syracuse1
 we tarried there three days4 #ac4 ,and 
from thence we fetched a compass1 and   
came to ,rhegium3 and after one day the 
south wind blew1 and we came the next   
day to ,puteoli2 #ad4 ,where we found   
brethren1 and were desired to tarry with
 them seven days3 and so we went toward 
,rome4 #ae4 ,and from thence1 when the  
brethren heard of us1 they came to meet 
us as far as ,appii ,forum1 and ,the    
three taverns3 whom when ,paul saw1 he  
thanked ,god1 and took courage4 #af4    
,and when we came to ,rome1 the         
centurion delivered the prisoners to the
 captain of the guard3 but ,paul was    

suffered to dwell by himself with a     
soldier that kept him4'--,,acts xxviii4 
#a-af4  ',they all escaped safe to      
land1' says ,luke with emphasis1        
pointing to the verification of ,paul's 
assurance that there should be no loss  
of life4 ,that two hundred and          
seventy-six men on a wreck should all be
 saved was very improbable1 but the     
angel had promised1 and ,paul had       
believed that it should be 'even so as  
it had been spoken unto him4' ,therefore
 the improbable came to pass1 and every 
man of the ship's company stood safe on 
the shore4 ,faith which grasps ,god's   
promise 'laughs at impossibilities' and 
brings them into the region of facts4   
,wet1 cold1 weary1 and anxious1 the     
rescued men huddled together on the     
shore in the early morning1 and no doubt
 they were doubtful what reception they 
would have from the islanders who had   
been attracted to the beach4 ,their     
first question was1 ',where are we8' so 
completely had they lost their          

reckoning4 ,some of the inhabitants     
could speak ,greek or ,latin1 and could 
tell them that they were on ,melita1 but
 the most part of the crowd that came   
round them could only speak in a tongue 
strange to ,luke1 and are therefore     
called by him 'barbarians1' not as being
 uncivilised1 but as not speaking       
,greek4 ,but they could speak the       
eloquent language of kindness and pity4 
,they were heathens1 but they were men4 
,they had not come down to the wreck for
 plunder1 as might have been feared1 but
 to help the unfortunates who were      
shivering on the beach in the downpour  
of rain1 and chilled to the bone by     
exposure4  ,as always1 ,paul fills      
,luke's canvas2 the other two hundred   
and seventy-five were ciphers4 ,two     
incidents1 in which the ,apostle appears
 as protected by ,god from danger1 and  
as a fountain of healing for others1 are
 all that is told of the three months'  
stay in ,malta4 ,taken together1 these  
cover the whole ground of the           

,christian's place in the world2 he is  
an object of divine care1 he is a medium
 of divine blessing4 ,in the former one1
 we see in ,paul's activity in gathering
 his bundle of brushwood an example of  
how he took the humblest duties on      
himself1 and was not hindered either by 
the false sense of dignity which keeps  
smaller men from doing small things1 as 
,chinese gentlemen pride themselves on  
long nails as a token that they do no   
work1 or by the helplessness in         
practical matters which is sometimes    
natural to1 and often affected by1 men  
of genius1 from taking his share in     
common duties4  ,the shipwreck took     
place in ,november probably1 and the    
'viper' had curled itself up for its    
winter sleep1 and had been lifted with  
the twigs by ,paul's hasty hand4 ,roused
 by the warmth1 it darted at ,paul's    
hand before it could be withdrawn1 and  
fixed its fangs4 ,the sight of it       
dangling there excited suspicions in the
 mind of the natives1 who would know    

that ,paul was a prisoner1 and so jumped
 to the conclusion that he was a        
murderer pursued by the ,goddess of     
,justice4 ,these rude islanders had     
consciences1 which bore witness to a    
divine law of retribution4  ,however    
mistaken may be heathens' conceptions of
 what constitutes right and wrong1 they 
all know that it is wrong to do wrong1  
and the dim anticipation of             
,god-inflicted punishment is in their   
hearts4 ,the swift change of opinion    
about ,paul is like1 though it is the   
reverse of1 what the people of ,lystra  
thought of him4 ,they first took him for
 a god1 and then for a criminal1        
worshipping him to-day and stoning him  
to-morrow4 ,this teaches us how unworthy
 the heathen conception of a deity is1  
and how lightly the name was given4 ,it 
may teach us too how fickle and easily  
led popular judgments are1 and how they 
are ever prone to rush from one extreme 
to another1 so that the people's idol of
 one week is their abhorrence the next1 

and the applause and execration are     
equally undeserved4 ,these ,maltese     
critics did what many of us are doing   
with less excuse--arguing as to men's   
merits from their calamities or         
successes4 ,a good man may be stung by a
 serpent in the act of doing a good     
thing2 that does not prove him to be a  
monster4 ,he may be unhurt by what seems
 fatal2 that does not prove him to be a 
god or a saint4  ,the other incident    
recorded as occurring in ,malta brings  
out the ,christian's relation to others 
as a source of healing4 ,an interesting 
incidental proof of ,luke's accuracy is 
found in the fact that inscriptions     
discovered in ,malta show that the      
official title of the governor was      
',first of the ,melitaeans4' ,the word  
here rendered 'chief' is literally      
'first4' ,luke's precision is shown in  
another direction in his diagnosis of   
the diseases of ,publius's father1 which
 are described by technical medical     
terms4 ,the healing seems to have been  

unasked4 ,paul 'went in1' as if from a  
spontaneous wish to render help4 ,there 
is no record of any expectation or      
request from ,publius4  ,christians are 
to be 'like the dew on the grass1 which 
waiteth not for man1' but falls         
unsought4 ,the manner of the healing    
brings out very clearly its divine      
source1 and ,paul's part as being simply
 that of the channel for ,god's power4  
,he prays1 and then lays his hands on   
the sick man4 ,there are no words       
assuring him of healing4 ,god is        
invoked1 and then ,his power flows      
through the hands of the suppliant4 ,so 
with all our work for men in bringing   
the better cure with which we are       
entrusted1 we are but channels of the   
blessing1 pipes through which the water 
of life is brought to thirsty lips4     
,therefore prayer must precede and      
accompany all ,christian efforts to     
communicate the healing of the ,gospel2 
and the most gifted are but1 like ,paul1
 'ministers through whom' faith and     

salvation come4  ,the argument from     
silence is precarious1 but the entire   
omission of notice of evangelistic work 
in ,melita is noteworthy4 ,probably the 
,apostle as a prisoner was not free to  
preach ,christ in any public manner4    
,ancient navigation was conducted in a  
leisurely fashion very strange to us4   
,three months' delay in the island1     
rendered necessary by wintry storms1    
would end about the early part of       
,march1 when the season for safe sailing
 began4 ,so the third ship which was    
used in this voyage set sail4 ,luke     
notices its 'sign' as being that of the 
,twin ,brethren1 the patrons of sailors1
 whose images were1 no doubt1 displayed 
on the bow1 just as to-day boats in that
 region often have a ,madonna nailed on 
the mast4 ,strange conjunction--,castor 
and ,pollux on the prow1 and ,paul on   
the deck6  ,puteoli1 on the bay of      
,naples1 was the landing-place1 and     
there1 after long confinement with      
uncongenial companions1 the three       

,christians1 ,paul1 ,aristarchus1 and   
,luke1 found brethren4 ,we can          
understand the joy of such a meeting1   
and can almost hear the narrative of    
perils which would be poured into       
sympathetic ears4 ,observe that1        
according to what seems the true        
reading1 verse #ad says1 ',we were      
consoled among them1 remaining seven    
days4' ,the centurion could scarcely    
delay his march to please the           
,christians at ,puteoli2 and the thought
 that the ,apostle1 whose spirit had    
never flagged while danger was near and 
effort was needed1 felt some tendency to
 collapse1 and required cheering when   
the strain was off1 is as natural as it 
is pathetic4  ,so the whole company set 
off on their march to ,rome--about a    
hundred and forty miles4 ,the week's    
delay in ,puteoli would give time for   
apprising the church in ,rome of the    
,apostle's coming1 and two parties came 
out to meet him1 one travelling as far  
as ,appii ,forum1 about forty ,roman    

miles from the city2 the other as far as
 ',the ,three ,taverns1' some ten miles 
nearer it4 ,the simple notice of the    
meeting is more touching than many words
 would have been4 ,it brings out again  
the ,apostle's somewhat depressed state1
 partly due1 no doubt1 to nervous       
tension during the long and hazardous   
voyage1 and partly to his consciousness 
that the decisive moment was very near4 
,but when he grasped the hands and      
looked into the faces of the ,roman     
brethren1 whom he had so long hungered  
to see1 and to whom he had poured out   
his heart in his letter1 he 'thanked    
,god1 and took courage4' ,the most      
heroic need1 and are helped by1 the     
sympathy of the humble4 ,luther was     
braced for the ,diet of ,worms by the   
knight who clapped him on the back as he
 passed in and spoke a hearty word of   
cheer4  ,there would be some old friends
 in the delegation of ,roman            
,christians1 perhaps some of those who  
are named in ,romans xvi41 such as      

,priscilla and ,aquila1 and the unnamed 
matron1 ,rufus's mother1 whom ,paul     
there calls 'his mother and mine4' ,it  
would be an hour of love and effusion1  
and the shadow of appearing before      
,caesar would not sensibly dim the      
brightness4 ,paul saw ,god's hand in    
that glad meeting1 as we should do in   
all the sweetness of congenial          
intercourse4 ,it was not only because   
the welcomers were his friends that he  
was glad1 but because they were         
,christ's friends and servants4 ,the    
,apostle saw in them the evidence that  
the kingdom was advancing even in the   
world's capital1 and under the shadow of
 ,caesar's throne1 and that gladdened   
him and made him forget personal        
anxieties4 ,we too should be willing to 
sink our own interests in the joy of    
seeing the spread of ,christ's kingdom4 
,paul turned thankfulness for the past  
and present into calm hope for the      
future3 ',he took courage4' ,there was  
much to discourage and to excuse tremors

 and forebodings1 but he had ,god and   
,christ with him1 and therefore he could
 front the uncertain future without     
flinching1 and leave all its            
possibilities in ,god's hands4 ,those   
who have such a past as every ,christian
 has should put fear far from them1 and 
go forth to meet any future with quiet  
hearts1 and minds kept in perfect peace 
because they are stayed on ,god4        
,,the ,,last ,,glimpse ,,of ,,paul      
',and it came to pass1 that1 after three
 days1 ,paul called the chief of the    
,jews together3 and when they were come 
together1 he said unto them1 ,men and   
brethren1 though ,i have committed      
nothing against the people or customs of
 our fathers1 yet was ,i delivered      
prisoner from ,jerusalem into the hands 
of the ,romans2 #ah4 ,who1 when they had
 examined me1 would have let me go1     
because there was no cause of death in  
me4 #ai4 ,but when the ,jews spake      
against it1 ,i was constrained to appeal
 unto ,caesar2 not that ,i had ought to 

accuse my nation of4 #bj4 ,for this     
cause therefore have ,i called for you1 
to see you1 and to speak with you3      
because that for the hope of ,israel ,i 
am bound with this chain4 #ba4 ,and they
 said unto him1 ,we neither received    
letters out of ,judaea concerning thee1 
neither any of the brethren that came   
shewed or spake any harm of thee4 #bb4  
,but we desire to hear of thee what thou
 thinkest3 for as concerning this sect1 
we know that everywhere it is spoken    
against4 #bc4 ,and when they had        
appointed him a day1 there came many to 
him into his lodging2 to whom he        
expounded and testified the kingdom of  
,god1 persuading them concerning ,jesus1
 both out of the law of ,moses1 and out 
of the prophets1 from morning till      
evening4 #bd4 ,and some believed the    
things which were spoken1 and some      
believed not4 #be4 ,and when they agreed
 not among themselves1 they departed1   
after that ,paul had spoken one word1   
,well spake the ,holy ,ghost by ,esias  

the prophet unto our fathers1 #bf4      
,saying1 ,go unto this people1 and say4 
,hearing ye shall hear1 and shall not   
understand2 and seeing ye shall see1 and
 not perceive3 #bg4 ,for the heart of   
this people is waxed gross1 and their   
ears are dull of hearing1 and their eyes
 have they closed2 lest they should see 
with their eyes1 and hear with their    
ears1 and understand with their heart1  
and should be converted1 and ,i should  
heal them4 #bh4 ,be it known therefore  
unto you1 that the salvation of ,god is 
sent unto the ,gentiles1 and that they  
will hear it4 #bi4 ,and when he had said
 these words1 the ,jews departed1 and   
had great reasoning among themselves4   
#cj4 ,and ,paul dwelt two whole years in
 his own hired house1 and received all  
that came in unto him1 #ca4 ,preaching  
the kingdom of ,god1 and teaching those 
things which concern the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ1 with all confidence1 no man    
forbidding him4'--,,acts xxviii4 #ag-ca4
  ,we have here our last certain glimpse

 of ,paul4 ,his ambition had long been  
to preach in ,rome1 but he little knew  
how his desire was to be fulfilled4 ,we 
too are often surprised at the shape    
which ,god's answers to our wishes take4
 ,well for us if we take the unexpected 
or painful events which accomplish some 
long-cherished purpose as cheerfully and
 boldly as did ,paul4 ,we see him in    
this last glimpse as the centre of three
 concentric widening circles4  ,i4 ,we  
have ,paul and the leaders of the ,roman
 synagogue4 ,he was not the man to let  
the grass grow under his feet4 ,after   
such a voyage a pause would have been   
natural for a less eager worker2 but    
three days were all that he allowed     
himself1 and these would1 no doubt1 be  
largely occupied by intercourse with the
 ,roman ,christians1 and with the       
multitude of little things to be looked 
after on entering on his new lodging4   
,paul had gifts that we have not1 he    
exemplified many heroic virtues which we
 are not called on to repeat2 but he had

 eminently the prosaic virtue of        
diligence and persistence in work1 and  
the humblest life affords a sphere in   
which that indispensable though homely  
excellence of his can be imitated4 ,what
 a long holiday some of us would think  
we had earned1 if we had come through   
what ,paul had encountered since he left
 ,caesarea6  ,the summoning of the      
'chief of the ,jews' to him was a       
prudent preparation for his trial rather
 than an evangelistic effort4 ,it was   
important to ascertain their feelings1  
and if possible to secure their         
neutrality in regard to the approaching 
investigation4 ,hence the ,apostle seeks
 to put his case to them so as to show  
his true adherence to the central       
principles of ,judaism1 insisting that  
he is guiltless of revolt against either
 the nation or the law and traditional  
observances2 that he had been found     
innocent by the ,palestinian            
representatives of ,roman authority2    
that his appeal to ,caesar1 which would 

naturally seem hostile to the rulers in 
,jerusalem1 was not meant as an         
accusation of the nation to which he    
felt himself to belong1 and so was no   
sign of deficient patriotism1 but had   
been forced on him as his only means of 
saving his life4  ,it was a difficult   
course which he had to steer1 and he    
picked his way between the shoals with  
marvellous address4 ,but his explanation
 of his position is not only a skilful  
piece of apologia1 but it embodies one  
of his strongest convictions1 which it  
is worth our while to grasp firmly2     
namely1 that ,christianity is the true  
fulfilment and perfecting of the old    
revelation4 ,his declaration that1 so   
far from his being a deserter from      
,israel1 he was a prisoner just because 
he was true to the ,messianic hope which
 was ,israel's highest glory1 was not a 
clever piece of special pleading meant  
for the convincing of the ,roman ,jews1 
but was a principle which runs through  
all his teaching4 ,christians were the  

true ,jews4 ,he was not a recreant in   
confessing1 but they were deserters in  
denying1 the fulfilment in ,jesus of the
 hope which had shone before the        
generation of 'the fathers4' ,the chain 
which bound him to the legionary who    
'kept him1' and which he held forth as  
he spoke1 was the witness that he was   
still 'an ,hebrew of the ,hebrews4'     
,the heads of the ,roman synagogue went 
on the tack of non-committal1 as was    
quite natural4 ,they were much too      
astute to accept at once an ex parte    
statement1 and so took refuge in        
professing ignorance4 ,probably they    
knew a good deal more than they owned4  
,their statement has been called        
'unhistorical1' and1 oddly enough1 has  
been used to discredit ,luke's          
narrative4 ,it is a remarkable canon of 
criticism that a reporter is responsible
 for the truthfulness of assertions     
which he reports1 and that1 if he has   
occasion to report truthfully an        
untruth1 he is convicted of the untruth 

which he truthfully reports4 ,luke is   
responsible for telling what these      
people found it convenient to say2 they 
are responsible for its veracity4 ,but  
they did not say quite as much as is    
sometimes supposed4 ,as the ,revised    
,version shows1 they simply said that   
they had not had any official deputation
 or report about ,paul1 which is        
perfectly probable1 as it was extremely 
unlikely that any ship leaving after    
,paul's could have reached ,italy4 ,they
 may have known a great deal about him1 
but they had no information to act upon 
about his trial4 ,their reply is plainly
 shaped so as to avoid expressing any   
definite opinion or pledging themselves 
to any course of action till they do    
hear from 'home4'  ,they are politely   
cautious1 but they cannot help letting  
out some of their bile in their         
reference to 'this sect4' ,paul had said
 nothing about it1 and their allusion   
betrays a fuller knowledge of him and it
 than it suited their plea for delay to 

own4 ,their wish to hear what he thought
 sounded very innocent and impartial1   
but was scarcely the voice of candid    
seekers after truth4 ,they must have    
known of the existence of the ,roman    
,church1 which included many ,jews1 and 
they could scarcely be ignorant of the  
beliefs on which it was founded2 but    
they probably thought that they would   
hear enough from ,paul in the proposed  
conference to enable them to carry the  
synagogue with them in doing all they   
could to procure his condemnation4 ,he  
had hoped to secure at least their      
neutrality2 they seem to have been      
preparing to join his enemies4 ,the     
request for full exposition of a        
prisoner's belief has often been but a  
trap to ensure his martyrdom4 ,but we   
have to 'be ready to give to every man a
 reason for the hope that is in us1'    
even when the motive for asking it may  
be anything but the sincere desire to   
learn4  ,,ii4 ,therefore ,paul was      
willing to lay his heart's belief open1 

whatever doing so might bring4 ,so the  
second circle forms round him1 and we   
have him preaching the ,gospel to 'many'
 of the ,jews4 ,he could not go to the  
synagogue1 so much of the synagogue came
 to him4 ,the usual method was pursued  
by ,paul in arguing from the old        
revelation1 but we may note the twofold 
manner of his preaching1 'testifying'   
and 'persuading1' the former addressed  
more to the understanding1 and the      
latter to the affections and will1 and  
may learn how ,christian teachers should
 seek to blend both--to work their      
arguments1 not in frost1 but in fire1   
and not to bully or scold or frighten   
men into the ,kingdom1 but to draw them 
with cords of love4 ,persuasion without 
a basis of solid reasoning is puerile   
and impotent2 reasoning without the     
warmth of persuasion is icy cold1 and   
therefore nothing grows from it4  ,note 
too the protracted labour 'from morning 
till evening4' ,one can almost see the  
eager disputants spending the livelong  

day over the rolls of the prophets1     
relays of ,rabbis1 perhaps1 relieving   
one another in the assault on the one   
opponent's position1 and he holding his 
ground through all the hours--a pattern 
for us teachers of all degrees4  ,the   
usual effects followed4 ,the multitude  
was sifted by the ,gospel1 as its       
hearers always are1 some accepting and  
some rejecting4 ,these double effects   
ever follow it1 and to one or other of  
these two classes we each belong4 ,the  
same fire melts wax and hardens clay2   
the same light is joy to sound eyes and 
agony to diseased ones2 the same word is
 a savour of life unto life and a savour
 of death unto death2 the same ,christ  
is set for the fall and for the rising  
of men1 and is to some the sure         
foundation on which they build secure1  
and to some the stone on which1         
stumbling1 they are broken1 and which1  
falling on them1 grinds them to powder4 
,paul's solemn farewell takes up        
,isaiah's words1 already used by ,jesus4

 ,it is his last recorded utterance to  
his brethren after the flesh1 weighty1  
and full of repressed yearning and      
sorrow4 ,it is heavy with prophecy1 and 
marks an epoch in the sad1 strange      
history of that strange nation4 ,israel 
passes out of sight with that dread     
sentence fastened to its breast1 like   
criminals of old1 on whose front was    
fixed the record of their crimes and    
their condemnation4 ,so this tragic     
self-exclusion from hope and life is the
 end of all that wondrous history of    
ages of divine revelation and patience1 
and of man's rebellion4 ,the ,gospel    
passes to the ,gentiles1 and the ,jew   
shuts himself out4 ,so it has been for  
nineteen centuries4 ,was not that scene 
in ,paul's lodging in ,rome the end of  
an epoch and the prediction of a sad    
future8  ,,iii4 ,not less significant   
and epoch-making is the glimpse of ,paul
 which closes the ,acts4 ,we have the   
third concentric circle--,paul and the  
multitudes who came to his house and    

heard the ,gospel4 ,we note two points  
here4 ,first1 that his unhindered       
preaching in the very heart of the      
world's capital for two whole years is1 
in one aspect1 the completion of the    
book4 ,as ,bengel tersely says1 ',the   
victory of the word of ,god1 ,paul at   
,rome4 ,the apex of the ,gospel1 the end
 of ,acts4'  ,but1 second1 as clearly1  
the ending is abrupt1 and is not a      
satisfying close4 ,the lengthened       
account of the whole process of ,paul's 
imprisonments and hearings before the   
various ,roman authorities is most      
unintelligible if ,luke intended to     
break off at the very crucial point1 and
 say nothing about the event to which he
 had been leading up for so many        
chapters4 ,there is much probability in 
,ramsay's suggestion that ,luke intended
 to write a third book1 containing the  
account of the trial and subsequent     
events1 but was prevented by causes     
unknown1 perhaps by martyrdom4 ,be that 
as it may1 these two verses1 with some  

information pieced out of the ,epistles 
written during the imprisonment1 are all
 that we know of ,paul's life in ,rome4 
,from ,philippians we learn that the    
,gospel spread by reason of the earlier 
stages of his trial4 ,from the other    
,epistles we can collect some           
particulars of his companions1 and of   
the oversight which he kept up of the   
,churches4  ,the picture here drawn lays
 hold1 not on anything connected with   
his trial1 but on his evangelistic      
activity1 and shows us how1             
notwithstanding all hindrances1         
anxieties about his fate1 weariness1 and
 past toils1 the flame of evangelistic  
fervour burned undimmed in ',paul the   
aged1' as the flame of mistaken zeal had
 burned in the 'young man named ,saul1' 
and how the work which had filled so    
many years of wandering and homelessness
 was carried on with all the old        
joyfulness1 confidence1 and success1    
from the prisoner's lodging4 ,in such   
unexpected fashion did ,god fulfil the  

,apostle's desire to 'preach the ,gospel
 to you that are at ,rome also4' ,to    
preach the word with all boldness is the
 duty of us ,christians who have entered
 into the heritage of fuller freedom    
than ,paul's1 and of whom it is truer   
than of him that we can do it1 'no man  
forbidding' us4    ,,paul ,,in ,,rome   
,and ,paul dwelt two whole years in his 
own hired house1 and received all that  
came in unto him1 #ca4 ,preaching the   
kingdom of ,god1 and teaching those     
things which concern the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ1 with all confidence1 no man    
forbidding him4'--,,acts xxviii4 #cj1   
#ca4  ,so ends this book4 ,it stops     
rather than ends4 ,many reasons might be
 suggested for closing here4 ,probably  
the simplest is the best1 that nothing  
more is said for nothing more had yet   
been done4 ,probably the book was       
written during these two years4 ,this   
abrupt close suggests several noteworthy
 thoughts4  ,i4 ,the true theme of the  
book4  ,how convenient if ,luke had told

 us a little more6 ,but ,paul's history 
is unfinished1 like ,peter's and        
,john's4 ,this book's treatment of all  
the ,apostles teaches1 as we have often 
had to remark1 that ,christ and ,his    
acts are its true subject4  ,we are wise
 if we learn the lesson of keeping all  
human teachers1 even a ,paul1 in their  
inferior place1 and if we say of each of
 them3 ',he was not the ,light1 but came
 that he might bear witness of the      
,light4'  ,,ii4 ,god's unexpected and   
unwelcome ways of fulfilling our        
desires1 and ,his purposes4  ,it had    
long been ,paul's dream to 'see ,rome4' 
,how little he knew the steps by which  
his dream was to be fulfilled6 ,he told 
the ,ephesian elders that he was going  
up to ,jerusalem under compulsion of the
 ,spirit1 and 'not knowing the things   
that should befall him there1' except   
that he was certain of 'bonds and       
imprisonment4' ,he did not know that    
these were ,god's way of bringing him to
 ,rome4 ,jewish fury1 ,roman statecraft 

and law-abidingness1 two years of a     
prison1 a stormy voyage1 a shipwreck1   
led him to his long-wished-for goal4    
,god uses even man's malice and         
opposition to the ,gospel to advance the
 progress of the ,gospel4 ,men1 like    
coral insects1 build their little bit1  
all unaware of the whole of which it is 
a part1 but the reef rises above the    
waves and ocean breaks against it in    
vain4  ,so we may gather lessons of     
submission1 of patient acceptance of    
apparently adverse circumstances1 and of
 quiet faith that ,he who 'makes stormy 
winds to fulfil ,his word and flaming   
fires ,his ministers1' will bend to the 
carrying out of ,his designs all things1
 be they seemingly friendly or hostile1 
and will realise our dreams1 if in      
accordance with ,his will1 even through 
events which seem to shatter them4 ,let 
us trust and be patient till we see the 
issues of events4  ,,iii4 ,the world's  
mistaken estimate of greatness4  ,who   
was the greatest man in ,rome at that   

hour8 ,not the ,caesar but the poor     
,jewish prisoner4 ,how astonished both  
would have been if they had been told   
the truth6 ,the two kingdoms were1 so to
 speak1 set face to face in these two1  
their representatives1 and neither of   
them knew his own relative importance4  
,the ,caesar was all unaware that1 for  
all his legions and his power1 he was   
but 'a noise'2 ,paul was as unconscious 
that he was incomparably the most       
powerful of the influences that were    
then at work in the world4 ,the haughty 
and stolid eyes of ,romans saw in him   
nothing but a prisoner1 sent up from a  
turbulent subject land on some obscure  
charge1 a mere nobody4 ,the crowds in   
forum and amphitheatre would have       
laughed at any one who had pointed to   
that humble 'hired house1' and said1    
',there lodges a man who bears a word   
that will shatter and remould the city1 
the ,empire1 the world4'  ,let us have  
confidence in the greatness of the word1
 though the world may be deaf to its    

music and blind to its power1 and let us
 never fear to ally ourselves with a    
cause which we know to be ,god's1       
however it may be unpopular and made    
light of by the 'leaders of opinion4'   
,,iv4 ,the true relation between the    
,church and the ,state4  ',none         
forbidding him' marks a great step      
forward4 ,paul's unhindered freedom of  
speech in ,rome itself marks 'the       
victory of the word1 the apex of the    
,gospel4' ,the neutral attitude of the  
imperial power was1 indeed1 broken by   
subsequent persecutions1 but we may say 
that on the whole ,rome let             
,christianity alone4 ,that is the best  
service that the ,state can render to   
the ,church4 ,anything more is help     
which encumbers and is harmful to the   
true spiritual power of the ,gospel4    
,the real requirement which it makes on 
the civil power is simply what the      
,greek philosopher asked of the king who
 was proffering his good offices1       
',stand out of the sunshine6'