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jack would become eva's happy husband and would remain amidst the hurried duties of the eager world |
thinking of all this i went to sleep |
mister neverbend began the captain and i observed that up to that moment he had generally addressed me as president it cannot be denied that we have come here on an unpleasant mission |
you have received us with all that courtesy and hospitality for which your character in england stands so high |
it is a duty said i |
but your power is so superior to any that i can advance as to make us here feel that there is no disgrace in yielding to it |
not a doubt but had your force been only double or treble our own i should have found it my duty to struggle with you |
that is all quite true mister neverbend said sir ferdinando brown |
i can afford to smile because i am absolutely powerless before you but i do not the less feel that in a matter in which the progress of the world is concerned i or rather we have been put down by brute force |
you have come to us threatening us with absolute destruction |
therefore i feel myself quite able as president of this republic to receive you with a courtesy due to the servants of a friendly ally |
i can assure you he has not even allowed me to see the trigger since i have been on board |
then said sir ferdinando there is nothing for it but that he must take you with him |
there came upon me a sudden shock when i heard these words which exceeded anything which i had yet felt |
you hear what sir ferdinando brown has said replied captain battleax |
but what is the delicate mission i asked |
i was to be taken away and carried to england or elsewhere or drowned upon the voyage it mattered not which |
then the republic of britannula was to be declared as non existent and the british flag was to be exalted and a british governor installed in the executive chambers |
you may be quite sure it's there said captain battleax and that i can so use it as to half obliterate your town within two minutes of my return on board |
you propose to kidnap me i said |
what would become of your gun were i to kidnap you |
lieutenant crosstrees is a very gallant officer |
one of us always remains on board while the other is on shore |
what world wide iniquity such a speech as that discloses said i still turning myself to the captain for though i would have crushed them both by my words had it been possible my dislike centred itself on sir ferdinando |
you will allow me to suggest said he that that is a matter of opinion |
were i to comply with your orders without expressing my own opinion i should seem to have done so willingly hereafter |
the letter ran as follows |
sir i have it in command to inform your excellency that you have been appointed governor of the crown colony which is called britannula |
the peculiar circumstances of the colony are within your excellency's knowledge |
but in their selection of a constitution the britannulists have unfortunately allowed themselves but one deliberative assembly and hence have sprung their present difficulties |
it is founded on the acknowledged weakness of those who survive that period of life at which men cease to work |
but it is surmised that you will find difficulties in the way of your entering at once upon your government |
the john bright is armed with a weapon of great power against which it is impossible that the people of britannula should prevail |
you will carry out with you one hundred men of the north north west birmingham regiment which will probably suffice for your own security as it is thought that if mister neverbend be withdrawn the people will revert easily to their old habits of obedience |
when do you intend that the john bright shall start |
to day i shouted |
and i have no one ready to whom i can give up the archives of the government |
i shall be happy to take charge of them said sir ferdinando |
they of course must all be altered |
or of the habits of our people it is quite impossible |
your power is sufficient i said |
if you will give us your promise to meet captain battleax here at this time to morrow we will stretch a point and delay the departure of the john bright for twenty four hours |
and this plan was adopted too in order to extract from me a promise that i would depart in peace |
in every way they sought to undermine the authority of saint paul |
they said to the galatians you have no right to think highly of paul |
he was the last to turn to christ |
paul came later and is beneath us |
indeed he persecuted the church of christ for a long time |
do you suppose that god for the sake of a few lutheran heretics would disown his entire church |
against these boasting false apostles paul boldly defends his apostolic authority and ministry |
as the ambassador of a government is honored for his office and not for his private person so the minister of christ should exalt his office in order to gain authority among men |
paul takes pride in his ministry not to his own praise but to the praise of god |
paul an apostle not of men et cetera |
either he calls ministers through the agency of men or he calls them directly as he called the prophets and apostles |
paul declares that the false apostles were called or sent neither by men nor by man |
the most they could claim is that they were sent by others |
he mentions the apostles first because they were appointed directly by god |
the call is not to be taken lightly |
for a person to possess knowledge is not enough |
it spoils one's best work |
when i was a young man i thought paul was making too much of his call |
i did not then realize the importance of the ministry |
i knew nothing of the doctrine of faith because we were taught sophistry instead of certainty and nobody understood spiritual boasting |
this is no sinful pride it is holy pride |
and god the father who raised him from the dead |
the clause seems superfluous on first sight |
these perverters of the righteousness of christ resist the father and the son and the works of them both |
in this whole epistle paul treats of the resurrection of christ |
by his resurrection christ won the victory over law sin flesh world devil death hell and every evil |
verse two |
and all the brethren which are with me |
this should go far in shutting the mouths of the false apostles |
although the brethren with me are not apostles like myself yet they are all of one mind with me think write and teach as i do |
they do not go where the enemies of the gospel predominate they go where the christians are |
why do they not invade the catholic provinces and preach their doctrine to godless princes bishops and doctors as we have done by the help of god |
we look for that reward which eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath entered into the heart of man |
not all the galatians had become perverted |
these means cannot be contaminated |
they remain divine regardless of men's opinion |
wherever the means of grace are found there is the holy church even though antichrist reigns there |
so much for the title of the epistle now follows the greeting of the apostle verse three |
grace be to you and peace from god the father and from our lord jesus christ |
the terms of grace and peace are common terms with paul and are now pretty well understood |
the greeting of the apostle is refreshing |
grace involves the remission of sins peace and a happy conscience |
the world brands this a pernicious doctrine |
experience proves this |
however the grace and peace of god will |
men should not speculate about the nature of god |
was it not enough to say from god the father |
to do so is to lose god altogether because god becomes intolerable when we seek to measure and to comprehend his infinite majesty |
he came down to earth lived among men suffered was crucified and then he died standing clearly before us so that our hearts and eyes may fasten upon him |
embrace him and forget about the nature of god |
did not christ himself say i am the way and the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me |
when you argue about the nature of god apart from the question of justification you may be as profound as you like |
we are to hear christ who has been appointed by the father as our divine teacher |
at the same time paul confirms our creed that christ is very god |
that christ is very god is apparent in that paul ascribes to him divine powers equally with the father as for instance the power to dispense grace and peace |
to bestow peace and grace lies in the province of god who alone can create these blessings the angels cannot |
otherwise paul should have written grace from god the father and peace from our lord jesus christ |
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