2.25. Death of the Apostle Paul

(this chapter was incomplete in the original source) was absorbing and entire, fixed and immovable. It was with him (whether as a Pharisee or a Christian) the supreme thing; every thing else was made subordinate to it. After his conversion to Christ, he was still the profound thinker,— having subjects to think upon better fitted to develope his powers of thought. He was still the profound reasoner,—having subjects to reason upon more worthy of his great powers. He was still the man of eloquence,—having subjects better adapted to call forth his talent; for the power of speech is most noble, and reaches its highest results, when employed in preaching the gospel. Whitfield at the Collieries, was greater in the results of his speaking than Burke amid the splendours of Westminster Hall on the trial of Warren Hastings, or than Patrick Henry was when summoning the American colonies to freedom. So Paul, when proclaiming Christian truth on Mars’ Hill, was greater than Demosthenes when thundering against Philip.

(b.) It is not difficult to characterize the religion and the religious system of Paul as a Christian. The grand idea —the central point is the universality of the Gospel. Every barrier between men is broken down by the fact that Christ died for all. They are no longer divided into Jews and Gentiles; into Greeks, Barbarians, Scythians, bond, and free. There is one God; one Saviour; one family; one baptism; one ground of hope; one heaven; one great scheme of salvation. That is to be made known to all the world. That is ultimately to triumph in the earth. In the gospel scheme, according to Paul, God is all and in all; supreme and absolute; having His own plans to execute, and having formed those plans before the foundation of the world. Man is fallen and ruined. He is under the curse of the law in this life, and he is exposed to its eternal penalty in the life to come. As a fallen being, he has no germ of goodness; no holiness. There is nothing in his nature which can by cultivation and developement become true religion. He must, therefore, be regenerated by the Spirit ot God, and begin to live anew. He has no merit of his own, but is to be saved wholly by the merit of his Redeemer. His own works are of no avail in the matter of salvation; but his sole ground of hope is to be found in the Saviour. The benefits of the work of Christ are bestowed upon men freely in accordance with an eternal plan, and so bestowed that the glory is of God and not of man: in such a manner that God in all things will be honoured, and His government best established over the world.

(e.) In regard to personal religion, Paul was humble, earnest, sincere, prayerful. Principle, not feeling—truth, not emotion,—was at the foundation. Duty, honesty, integrity, sincerity, characterized the whole. And all this was connected with an energy that never tired, a love that never became cold.

3. Paul was a martyr, and one of the most eminent of the martyrs. He was not the first, but he was one of the first, for his very life may be considered as a martyrdom. The simple idea in being a martyr is that of bearing testimony, or being a witness; and the word is applied to " the martyrs" as such, because they bore witness to the truth of the Gospel in the face of all that was employed to deter them from it. Through suffering, persecution, poverty, sorrow, Paul thus bore faithful testimony to the truth of the gospel; and when the time came for him to seal his faith with his blood, he did not refuse to die. In conclusion. Paul in heaven has seen more than he could have seen on earth as to the results of his conversion to Christ, and of his labours in his Master’s service. Can we think that he now regrets the choice which he made, the change which he underwent, when he identified himself with the cause of the Saviour? No :—not now, nor ever will he for one moment in the long eternity before him. And I would say to those especially who are entering on life with high hopes and brilliant worldly prospects, that they also, if they would renounce all these for Christ, would never repent the decision. No: come poverty; come disappointment; come toil; come care; come persecution; come obloquy, reproach, and scorn; come death in its most fearful form,—the time never would arrive when you for one moment would regret that you had taken such a step. Living, dying, and for ever, you would rejoice that you had been able to give up all For Chr1st. THE END.