American National Preacher Acts 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brothers to the rulers of the city, crying… We may regard the words in three points of view. I. AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE DEEP-SEATED HOSTILITY OF THE HUMAN HEART AGAINST THE GOSPEL. The love of God — the service of God — the glory of God — the actual intercourse of the soul with God, are all in complete repugnance to the emotions and tastes of general society: therefore such a religion must be opposed and decried. But how shall this be done? It is too palpable a thing to say that we ought not to love God, or serve Him sincerely; but rather to be satisfied with a mere dead form of religion. Such language were too palpable an insult to the rights of Deity. To what delusion, then, must they have recourse in this perplexity? The difficulty has been met in this way. They affix a reproachful term to true religion, and then they proceed to decry it, under the shelter of that term. Thus they soothe their conscience under the sophistical delusion that it is error, rather than truth, which they oppose. II. AS A VERIFICATION OF THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. "The time will come," are the words of its great Author to His little band of brethren, "when he that killeth you will think that he doeth God service." "Ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake," is another of His predictions. "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution." III. AS THE UNWITTING TESTIMONY OF ENEMIES TO THE POWER AND DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL. They said that the apostles were revolutionists, disturbers of the peace, preachers of another king — "one Jesus." Politically, this was a gross falsehood: evangelically, it was, and still is, true. Sin has turned away the heart of man, his face, and feet, and hands, from God; and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, by which the entire moral nature of man is to be changed and converted from darkness to light — from sin to holiness — from alienation to friendship — and from the vassalage of Satan unto liberty and life. (American National Preacher.) Parallel Verses KJV: And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; |
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