A PATTERN CHRISTIAN
"Called from above and heavenly men by birth (Who once were but the citizens of earth), As pilgrims here, we seek a heavenly home; Our portion in the ages yet to come."
The Call.
An ardent follower of the religion of his fathers is seeking to establish his own righteousness by compliance to the law and its ordinances. He is a strict religionist, impatient with those who would show him in error, and his zeal flames out against the Nazarene's hated name and against His disciples ; his ardent nature and religious zeal urge him to violence against them; he will make them recant or cast them into vile dungeons. Such was " Saul who is also called Paul."
But, lo ! a sovereign Voice from heaven calls, 1 "Saul! Saul! why persecutest thou Me? "
"Who art thou who says I am persecuting thee?"-and the majestic yet tender Voice answers, "I am JESUS whom thou persecutest."-Jesus!!
-thou, alive ? thou whom I've reckoned an impostor and dead! Thou alive; and calling to me ? Ah, the astounded and prostrate persecutor is not contending about a system of religion now; he is face to face with a living, glorious Person- JESUS whom he had hated. (Is "religion," or the living, glorious JESUS, controlling the reader's mind ?)
The Conversion.
Three days of sightless night! -sightless to all but the vision of JESUS shining upon the persecutor's past days of blind zeal and mad deeds. No earthly food or refreshment could minister to this broken and helpless man, but the heavenly Voice says of him, " Behold, he prayeth; " and the heaven-sent messenger goes and salutes him with the gracious words, Brother Saul, the Lord, even JESUS, that appeared to thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou might-est receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Truly, truly, it was JESUS that had sought and chosen him; not Saul that had chosen and sought Jesus. And now he is appointed to be a messenger of what he had sought to destroy. " He is a chosen vessel unto Me," says the Lord, "to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake."
The Path.-Not religious observances now ; not to establish his own righteousness any longer; not to seek man's praise or favor, but in love serve HIM, " who loved me and gave Himself for me." " Yea," he says," I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but refuse;" and he goes on "through good and evil report, through honor and dishonor, with stripes and imprisonments, in labors and watchings and fastings"-all for his precious and worthy Lord Jesus Christ, who had called him by His grace. And "for this cause I obtained mercy," he says, "that in me first (preeminently) Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should here-after believe on Him to life everlasting" (i Tim. i :16).
The End.-"I have fought the good fight (of faith), I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing " (2 Tim. 4 :7, 8).
"Jesus, my Saviour, Thou art mine;
The Father's gift of love divine;
All Thou hast done, and all Thou Art,
Are now the portion of my heart."