: 80

HOMILETIC GLANCE AT THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

university of Alexandria, the greatest school in the world, was not above learning of this humble tent-maker and his wife. Great souls are always docile. The unlearning preacher -a no uncommon character, alas !-dishonours his office and imposes on his hearers.

IV. VARIED CAPACITY FOR USEFULNESS. "And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the Scrip tures that Jesus was Christ." What disposed him to pass into Achaia does not appear. He had heard, perhaps, of the triumphs of Paul at Corinth, and desired to help forward the good cause. It would seem from 1 Cor. i. 12, iii. 4, 5, that his eloquence had so wonderfully charmed certain members of the church at Corinth, that division sprang up. The description of his work here in these two verses show that he had a twofold capacity for usefulness.

First: A capacity for confirming those who believed. It is said, "he helped them much which had believed." He helped them, no doubt, by dissipating their doubts, enlarging their conceptions, strengthening their faith, argumentatively vanquishing their assailants.

Secondly: A capacity for convincing those who did not believe. It is said that he "mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly." It appears therefore, from these verses, that he was a man capable of performing the two grand functions of the true preacher-edifying the church, and converting the sinner.

Here, then, are the leading features of a great preacher :Superior Biblical knowledge, effective powers of expression, fine attributes of spirit, and varied capacity of usefulness.

Germs of Thought.

Analysis of Homily the Seven Hundred and Twenty-Seventh.

"I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds."-Philemon, 10th verse.

THE

HE chief topic of this letter is the conversion of a runaway slave. Around this topic are grouped several biographical facts having reference to the former condition of Onesimus, to Philemon (his master), and also to the Apostle Paul himself.

This letter of Paul to Philemon, short and simple as it is, abounds with beauties peculiarly its own, and which have proved a rich mental and spiritual repast to thoughtful students of God's Word in every age of the Christian Church. This Epistle is not a mighty mountain of Scripture; but there are many mountains worth visiting, though not so high as the Alps or the Andes. This Epistle is not a mighty oak; but there are flowers at the foot of the oak, which the lover of God's works will not overlook. The astronomer does not despise the stars of the firmament, though they shine not with the silvery brightness of the moon, with the golden splendour of the sun. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God."

Among the many interesting facts of this Epistle to Philemon-of which the text may be said to be the keystone, or central point, let us notice the following:

I. We see from the text HOW COMPASSIONATE THE GOSPEL MAKES A MAN TOWARD HIS SUFFERING FELLOW-MEN. The writer of this letter was probably the greatest man that ever lived the greatest as an intellectual man, and certainly the greatest in a moral and spiritual point of view. He had been miraculously converted; he himself possessed the power to work miracles; by his natural endowments, by his spiritual gifts, by his labours, sufferings, and successes in the cause of

son con

Christ, he was the very "chiefest of the Apostles ;" and yet with what tender kindness he devotes himself to the spiritual welfare of Onesimus, a runaway slave! How condescending Paul's religion had made him! Though the greatest man then on the face of the earth-far greater than the Emperor of Rome himself-Paul, illustrious in the estimation of all the Angels, is trying to do good to a poor runaway slave, whom the pagan Romans looked upon as a mere dog, the like of whom many a Roman master had flogged to death, and then flung into his pond to feed the fish. He acts towards Onesimus as a father; he calls him his " verted in his bonds." In another part of the Epistle he speaks of him as his own flesh and blood, and beseeches Philemon to receive him with all the kindness with which he would receive the Apostle himself. Then notice for a moment the prudence and tact with which Paul writes concerning Onesimus. When a prudent person wishes to convey a piece of painful news to another, he tries to prepare the mind of the hearer for the bad news about to be conveyed. For example, when the messenger conveyed to Achilles the news of the death of his beloved friend Patroclus, he used a word which means both to be dead and to be asleep.

(Κειται Πάτροκλος.

(Kei Taι Пáтроxλos. See "Iliad," Book XVII.) So if we wanted successfully to plead the cause of a son who had grievously offended his father, we should keep out of sight as long as we could the faults of the son, and mention all we could in his favour. So Paul acts in pleading the cause of Onesimus with Philemon. This is more apparent in the Greek of the text than in the English version. In the Greek, Paul puts the name of Onesimus last, because he knew the name of a slave who had robbed his master, and then run away, must be disagreeable. In order to induce Philemon to take back Onesimus, he first calls him "his child ;" and of course Philemon would respect any one Paul called by so tender a name. He then calls him "his convert," and of course Philemon would treat with affection any convert of Paul. He then speaks of his conversion during his imprison

ment, and then, last (in the Greek), comes his name, "Onesimus."

II. We see from the text HOW MYSTERIOUSLY GOD OFTEN Onesimus was most probably born at Colosse, in Asia Minor. There he certainly was in the service of Philemon, and, having robbed his master, he travelled hundreds of miles to Rome, to hide himself from pursuit in the vast population of the Imperial City. Yet there the Lord met with him, far away from his home. Providence led him to the "hired house" of Paul. He there heard the apostle preach of the mercy of God through Christ to poor sinners. That mercy touched his heart, and the poor runaway slave became a "member of Christ, a child of God, an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven." Perhaps it was the result of the merest accident that he was induced to enter Paul's humble abode. Perhaps he was in the deepest poverty, and meditated drowning himself in the Tiber, when some Christian person saw him, pitied him, and induced him to listen to that Gospel he had often heard and slighted at Colosse. The conversion of Onesimus teaches us a lesson we should do well constantly to keep in mind. We are sometimes tempted to despair of the conversion of those who are far gone in impiety and vice; and we are ready to think that God has given them over to a reprobate mind, and "sworn in his wrath that they should not enter into His rest." Let the case of Onesimus teach us not to despair of any man's conversion.

WORKS IN THE CONVERSION OF SINFUL MEN.

We lately heard of a young man who robbed his master of £10, and from fear of detection escaped to India. The preaching of a missionary was the means of his conversion, and, as soon as possible, he sent to his master threefold the amount stolen, with a full and contrite confession of his guilt.

Let not any man despair of the conversion of his children. God's feeling of compassion towards poor sinners is much stronger than ours can be. If we earnestly pray to Him on behalf of any wretched wanderer, we may rest assured that

"praying breath will not be spent in vain." He will meet with and bless the poor Onesimus, and the angels of heaven will rejoice on account of the prodigal's return.

III. We learn from this text THAT THE AFFLICTIONS OF GOD'S SERVANTS NEED BE NO BARRIER TO THEIR SPIRITUAL USEFULNESS. "Whom I have converted in my bonds." The apostle was a prisoner in Rome when the conversion of Onesimus took place; he had appealed to Cæsar against the unjust accusation of the Jewish people; he was sent to Rome, and detained a prisoner there in his own house for two years. But these two years were far from among the least useful of his life. During those two years he was privileged to preach the Gospel almost daily to the Jews who visited him; he was the means of converting Onesimus and some of the soldiers who composed the body-guard of the Emperor Nero; and during that period he was privileged to write his Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, to the Philippians and Philemon,

Thus it was always with the apostle, he might "sow in tears," but he "reaped in joy." We know what a painful persecution he endured at Philippi, yet on the very night of his scourging and imprisonment the jailer and his family were converted to God; and thus the foundation was laid of one of the most consistent and flourishing churches of apostolic times. Yes, our seasons of affliction need not be useless times either to ourselves or others. Martin Luther was called to endure a long and dreary confinement, but during that confinement he produced his marvellous translation of the Scriptures. Richard Baxter wrote some of his most beautiful works in prison, or at seasons of bodily affliction; and if John Bunyan had not been confined in Bedford jail, most likely the "Pilgrim's Progress" would never have been written. Persecutors have tried to trample under foot the piety of the people of God, but like the aromatic herb, the more it was pressed, the more sweet odours it sent forth. "The blood of the martyrs