p. 51 | Paul Kept the Faith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 10, 1876

Paul Kept the Faith

PAUL kept the faith at Antioch, even when the infatuated crowd attempted to drown his voice with their clamor, and interrupted him, contradicting and blaspheming. He kept the faith at Iconium, when the envious Jews stirred up the people to see him. He kept the faith at Lystra, when the fate of Stephen almost became his, and he was dragged, wounded and bleeding, outside the ramparts of the town, and left there to languish, and, for aught they cared, to die. He kept the faith against his erring brother Peter, and withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. He kept the faith when shamefully treated at Philippi, and made the dungeon echo back the praises of his God. He kept the faith at Thessalonica, when lewd fellows of the baser sort accused him falsely of sedition. He kept the faith at Athens, when to the world's sages, he preached of Him whom they ignorantly worshiped as the unknown God. He kept the faith at Corinth, when compelled to abandon that hardened and obdurate city, and to shake off the dust of his garments as a witness against it. He kept the faith at Ephesus, when he pointed his hearers not to Diana but to Jesus Christ as their only Saviour. He kept the faith at Jerusalem, when stoned by the enraged and agitated mob—when placed upon the torturing rack and bound with iron fetters. He kept the faith at Cesarea, before the trembling, conscience-stricken Felix, when he reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come. He kept the faith before Agrippa, and, by his earnestness, compelled the king to say, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”—Sel.