The Churches - 28 October 1889

THE CHURCHES

Sermons Delivered in Brooklyn Pulpits Yesterday

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 28 October 1889, Page 1, Volume XLIX, No. 298 

The Rev. S. B. Halliday, pastor of the Tabernacle Congregational Church, is preaching to growing congregations. The subject of his discourse yesterday morning was as follows: "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us." Acts XXI:9. Rev. Mr. Halliday said:

Paul and Barnabas had been associated together in evangelistic labors from place to place. They had come to Antioch, where they continued "teaching and preaching the word of the Lord." Presently Paul said unto Barnabas, "Let us go again and visit our brethren in every day where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do." Barnabas wanted his nephew Mark to accompany them on visit, which for reasons that do not appear Paul was opposed to. This disagreement proved a source of sore contention, which ended in separating them the one from the other. Barnabas "taking Mark, sailed to Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas and departed being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God." Passing on from place to place under the leadings of the Holy Ghost, the finally came to Troas is used to denote the whole country of the Trojans, where the ancient city of Troy stood. It was here that Paul's night vision occurred. "There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us." This vision of the apostle has been a subject of some speculation. Was it a dream in which there was the appearance of a man arrayed after the manner or custom of the people of Macedonia and his speech like that of the Macedonians? Or was it a representation made to the senses while awake? I do not know. In different ways God has appeared to His servants to make known His will to them, and whatever way, by what agency or medium this message was brought to the apostle, he unquestionably regarded it as the voice of the Master to him, for he declares, "Immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the Gospel unto them." Macedonia covered a large a territory of Greece and was the first country of Europe in which we have information of the Gospel being preached. Phillippi seems to have been the first place in Macedonia in which the apostle labored, being the principal city at that part of Macedonia. His preaching was blessed from the first, and souls under it were made converts to the religion of Jesus. It was here, remember, that Paul and Silas were mobbed, whipped and thrust into prison, and "that they might not escape they were thrust into the inner prison and their feet made fast in the stocks," a most cruel and suffering infliction. "And in midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them; and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were loosed." This was among the first experiences of the apostle under his response to the Macedonian cry, "Come over and help us." I am sure non of us are surprised at the quick attention and obedience of these men to this cry for help. It would seem to us unnatural for them to have done otherwise, and the entire history of Paul shows him to have been a minute man, always really; no second call or command of his great Captain was ever needed. He was always ready to march on the instant. His words were, "Immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia." He was a soldier after Christ's own heart, always ready for marching orders, sleeping on his arms. This effort to reach Macedonia was emphasized by the cry of want. "Help, help!" was the cry; "Come over into Macedonia and help us." How much or how little the apostles knew about Macedonia and its people we are not told. It is quite possible that there were Jews dwelling in that region, for they are, and always have been and always will be, everywhere on the face of the globe, and though so far from their country and countrymen, communication would be kept up between these separated people, so that it seems reasonable to suppose that Paul and Silas were not wholly ignorant in regard to the condition of the people to whom they felt called to go...