1ST'"" 'j
h,
fke Commoner
,'" 'rvoii- 2i, no. 12
8
i" rJ "Midi
Bi'
?J
i
t:
E
&
Mr. Bryan's Bible Talks
I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE
HEAVENLY VISION
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN '
: a
BIBLE TEXT LESSON FOR NOV. 20 .
(Acta 2C: 19-32) '
Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not. dis
obedient unto tlio heavenly vision:
But shewed first unto thorn of Damascus, and
at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of
Jullea, and 'then to tho Gentiles, that they should
repent and-.turn to God, and do works meet for
repentance.
For these causes tho Jews caught mo in tho
tomplo, and went about to kill me.
HavJns thoreforo obtained help of God, I con
tinue unto this day, ' witnessing both to small and
great, saying none other things than those, which
tho-prophets and Moses did say should come: '
That Christ should suffer, and that he Should
be the first that should ri.se from tho dead, and
should shew llglit unto the people, and to the
uenliles. T
And as ho thus snakq .for himself,1 Festus said
with a Joud voice, Paul, thou are beside .thyself:
much earning doth make thee mad.
But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus:
but speak for tho words of truth and soberness.
for the king knoweth of these things, before
whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that
I,"0A,.f theso things arc hidden from him; T for
this thing was not dono Jn a corner. i t
King Agrippa, bolievest. thou tho prophets? I
know that thou bolievest.
Then .Agrinpa said Unto Paul, Almost tfioU per
suadest mo to be a Christian.
And Paul said, I would to God, that not only
: thou, but also all that hear mo this day, ' wero
both almost, and altogether such as I am,' oxcept
these bonds. ',
And when ho had thus spoken, thVklng rose up,
a"itl t K.vernor' and Bernico, and they that Bat
And' when they were .gone aside, they talked be
tween themselves, saying, This man, 'doth nothing
worthy of death or of bonds. ' t
Then said Agrippa unto .Festus 'This man might
havo been set at liberty, if ho had not -appealed
unto Caesar.
For two years and longer Paul the Apostle
had lain in a Roman prison in Cosarea, in
Judea. Beforb Felix, tho governor, and Festus,
his successor, his enemies-had-sought his life. .
Sitting on the judgment , seat, Festus com
manded Paul to bo brought before his accusers,
who "laid many and grievous complaints against
Paul, which they could not prove." ,
"Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem," asked Festus,
and there be judged of these things before
me?1' , ,
Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat
CaoaaV USht t0 b Judt?od' ' ' ' aP pAo
Then Festus. when ' ho had conferred -with tho'
,?JxncA1 answered. Hast thou appealed unto1 Caesar?
unto Caesar shalt thou go. '
And after certain days king Agflppa and. Bernloo
came unto Cesarea to saluto Festus,
And when they had been there many days
Festus declared Paul's cause unto tho king? '
Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also
shaft hearTlm."80" Tomorrow' Bald he, thou
And now Paul had appeared before the Ro
man king, Agrippa, and there made a plea which,
from an oratorical standpoint, ranks high among
the great speeches of history. As a religious
challenge it stands alone. Hid courage compelled
respect.
PAUL'S HEAVENLY VISION
He began with a graceful compliment to the
king? he osteemed himself fortunate to answer
befpro him, especially because of the Matter's
large acquaintance With the subjects under con
sideration. Thon, after briefly reviewing his
early life, he recounted his activity against the
Christians, and "described the events connected
with his own conversion,
"Whereupon as I went" to Damascus with author-
lty and .commission from thp chief priests.
At midday. O king, I sawf'ln tho way a liKht
from heaven, above thq brightness of the sub. shin
ing -round about me and thorn which journeved
with mo. , J, 'w
. And when wo were all fallen to the earth T
heard a voice speaking unto me,, and savin frn
the Hebrew tongue. Saul, Saul, why ner&erutiSV
- ptojBme? it is hard for thee to ffic ?a?? the
And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And ho RnM
I om Jesus whom thou PQrsecutest.
One cannot read tho record of his speech as
presented in the early verses of the chanter of
our Talk without being thrilled by the earn
estness and the eloquence of" the speaker Hid
enthusiasm gives to the printed page a warmth
that centuries cannot chill. His commission re
ceived direct from the Master as he journovflS"
to Damascus, was the great thing in his life
those who listened to him could not doubt that
he spoke from the most intense conviction., God
consecrated a great brain and a great heart to a
transcendant work.
AN EXALTED UTTERANCE
Paul's mission, he told the king, as given him
in the words of the Master, was to "Open the
..eyes of the Gentiles, and to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in me." The text for
today's Talk begins with the next verse, where
in Paul utters one of the most exalted senti
ments that ever fell from the lips of man:
"Whereupon 0 king Agrfppa, I was not disobedi
ent unto the heavenly vision."
The words give an explanation of Paul's whole
life: God had opened before him a field of la
bor, pointed out to him a course to be .pursued,
supplied him with reasons unanswerable and set
before hfm a, glory beyond description. From
that day forth obedience to this vision was his
, supreme passion; Nothing could shake his pur-
. pose, no discouragements were too great, no
dangers too threatening. His trust was in God,
from whom he obtained help.
' WHY PAUL SEEMED MAD
Little wonder Festus interrupted him, ex
claiming in astonishment, "Paul, thou art be
side thyself, much learning doth make thee
mad.' If Paul had been an unlearned man his
seeming unreasonableness would have been at
tributed to some other cause, but Paul was a
scholar and so the blame was laid upon his
learning. There must bo SOME reason for such
conduct, and any reason would seem more
plausible than the real one.
Some years ago in Jamestown, New York, I
heard a preacher interpret this charge made
against Paul by Festus. He said that the world
could not comprehend tho zeal which Paul dis
, played in an altruistic cause. Had he devoted
himself to money making, he would have seemed
a normal man, Had he 'been thinking of him
self only he could have avoided giving offense
and, remained respectable, but to talk as he did
before a king was certainly shocking.
PAUL PRESSES HIS .CAUSE
The king thought that'he was there to defend
himself, but Paul forgot all about the charges
against him when he saw an opportunity to pre
sent the cause that was on his heart. Ho might
never have another chance and he could not af-
"t? ?hleti iS 0?Prtunlty so hy unimproved.
Even the loud voice of Festus did not irritate
or disconcert him. "I am not mad, most noM
Festus " he replied, "but speak forth the word!
of truth and soberness." vvuiub
He brushed aside the interruption as one
Would a fly and-amazing audacUycalled
King Agrippa as a witness on his side He as
truBarai5i,iraJe8ly T8 t wtatorSdw
to his (Paulls) conversion "for this thine
was not done in a corner." In his enthuaiaSf
hep dared to question the king himself "R'
ieves thoa the prophets," an wwSSt wait
believe3tSWered fr Mm' " know th
Even the king's effort to turn the matter off
With a facetious remark if we are to Sccent thA
Revised Version in place of the older text
could not swerve Paul from the Hue o hs argI
2v? ,?5L reTsPonse wa ready and so impres
sive that the king was compelled to admS that
or6bS!ed had dne nthIns worthr death
THE POWER OF VISION
up?n6 t&hfo0urEhUtBs:VeoCantUbeB .EST
pretatlon, and tho impression mido TOe '?
is necessary to great aohlmmmSSi . e flrflt
is natural, Ind tgSSl5fuS3TS3SS,5Sst'0em
No one can accomplish anything n?
SSWS She riffi&gS
fore them and be prepared for he tl
purpose may be purely selfish w u ?
a rea purpose backed by wi llingnesa tonSt b
thing necessary to accomplish it d any"
A young man may leave coIIapo wwh' ,
termmatioa to be rich; hXTAeat
miration which h rtfipnui nnnsniin , .
ing to sacrifice all else to accomplish ihml
that he lias in view afckjie is more iiM
succeed in making money than the man lu!
, another purpose, even though that Durnnno i
higher. So with the merchant, the uWVPr J8
physician, the teacher, the public man--. S
may succeed with a definite business rinn w
the vision that lqads to GREAT' things is Vp
heaven. irom
THE WORST OF SINS
Between the selfish purpose and the hpnv
. ly vision which inspired Paul there is an In!"
rtite distance; many stop at intermediate points
Each, other things being equal, will SUcSn
in proportion to toe intelligence and industry
that he puts into his work, but in pronorfiS
as the end is worthy will the result brine ?
isf action. ng sat
Disobedience to the visidn is a common sin
the worst of sins. Obedience is the one creat
virtue; whenever one catches a vision of un
selfish things to be accomplished he may kn
that it ip from God. y Know
He may not, like Paul, be Winded by lfcht
from above; the circumstances attending tho
communication of the vision may not bo as
dramatic as those that attended the revolution
in the great apostle's life, but it is the turning
point. Old things pass away and life fiom that
time on is entirely new. Materialists may scoff
at the supernatural they cannot understand
how one can be born again but nothing less
than the supernatural can account for a man
like Paul. Spiritual things are spiritual dis
cerned those who deal only with the physical
senses cannot comprehend them.
THE PRICE OF LOFTY VISION
In proportion as the vision is a lofty one and
the work to be done far-reaching in its extent
there will be misconceptions- and misinterpre
tations even among friends. The answer must
be in line with Paul's answer not indignation
or irritation, but PROOF. He lived what he
thought; he convinced by the irresistible logic
of deeds. ,
Every Christian who has been endowed with
spiritual power can trace it to an experience
that brought him into contact with the exhaust
less reservoir of God's love, and gave him a
sense of responsibility for the use of that pow-,
er. Christ in the life is the unanswerable argu
ment, tho argument that conquers.
THE FAITH THAT MAKES US
STRONG
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BIBLE TEXT LESSOR FOR NOV. 27
(From the description of Paul's shipwreck. Acts 27)
tho hi?;s J$e 8,lJpnen were about to flee out of
the RnP,W,ihen they had let down the boat Into
cast nnnw0er colour as though they would have
Pniii 2?w?ut of the foreahlp.
ErSni hoo t0 i11.1? centurion and to the soldiors,
saved d0 In the shIp yet cannot be
andhl?t her falf off.' Ut ff the ropeS of th
so5bf TSL1 th,? dayA was comlnff on, Paul be
S ? hL ff,?i? alLt0 take meat, . sayinff, This day
Sn &,SUKe,nth day. tnat ye havo tarried and
WhyinUastTIner' havine taken nothing.
thfQ if 2r.e l Ryyou to take some meat: for
fail fr&ourJlealth: for tere shall not an hair,
Ar,f7romu th0, head f any of you.
nnrf 2nhe.E h? had thus spoken, ho to.pk bread,
nPi- nhanics to,Go4 In the .presence of them
k&Ji ha,d broken.lt, he began to eat.
toSrSoXS meat.y aU 0f eood cheer' and they
bcoJa Yi0 a11 In tHo 6hlP two hundred three
BCro and sixteen souls, -
tho WnhSLthey had n enough, they lightened
Ari pand4.cast out th0 wheat intp the sea.
hut thnvS, U wa? day- they' know not the land;
fntn w?irtidISc.overQd a certain crook with a shore,
to thrust the esl lWer mlnded lf lt wer0 P03S,ble'
PnmSe?, theyjhad talen up thp anchors, they
vM1Ud themselves unto thq sea, and loosed the
d1ei'nb,a,nd3' ,and. hoisted up the mainsail to the
a 5;i a,ndmad.e toward shore. t
hnv 7.t.aViner J,nto a Place where two seas met,
"f?y S the ship aground; and the forepart stuck
wn ra,Jema.l!ed.,Unmovahle, but the hinder part
Abl?i!cen ?itn he violence of the waves. nn
i ihe soldJers' counsel was to" kill tho prison-
i,le8viny of. th.Qm should swim out, and escape.
th?1 fSS centurion, willing to save Paul, kept
thnv J?m the,,F Purpose; and commanded that
$?? Yhich could swim should cast themselves first
A0JhA,8ea' and et t0 lftnd: : , . nU,
o J?i-ee!J. 8onle on hoards, vand some on brok
tv?5l0aJ?th?,8hl' And so it came to pass, that
they eseapjed all safe to land. . .
i
' i v
Would you liko to read the most famous and
m1?4"0 accunt of shipwreck-" ever written l
Then turn lo the twelve hundred words of the
twenty-Beventh chapter of Acts. It is tho story
?l tlS a1?7entlre that befell the Apostle Paul la
the Mediterranean, on his way i fa Rome to ap
pear before Caesar as a Roman' citizen in P
i
.m
wji J
iWirt Wua, fe'5ls.(r.