Paul Before Nero
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made the world tremble. To incur his displeasure was to lose property,
liberty, life; and his frown was more to be dreaded than a pestilence.
Without money, without friends, without counsel, the aged pris-
oner stood before Nero—the countenance of the emperor bearing the
shameful record of the passions that raged within; the face of the ac-
cused telling of a heart at peace with God. Paul’s experience had been
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one of poverty, self-denial, and suffering. Notwithstanding constant
misrepresentation, reproach, and abuse, by which his enemies had en-
deavored to intimidate him, he had fearlessly held aloft the standard of
the cross. Like his Master, he had been a homeless wanderer, and like
Him, he had lived to bless humanity. How could Nero, a capricious,
passionate, licentious tyrant, understand or appreciate the character
and motives of this son of God?
The vast hall was thronged by an eager, restless crowd that surged
and pressed to the front to see and hear all that should take place. The
high and the low were there, the rich and the poor, the learned and
the ignorant, the proud and the humble, all alike destitute of a true
knowledge of the way of life and salvation.
The Jews brought against Paul the old charges of sedition and
heresy, and both Jews and Romans accused him of instigating the
burning of the city. While these accusations were urged against him,
Paul preserved an unbroken serenity. The people and the judges looked
at him in surprise. They had been present at many trials and had looked
upon many a criminal, but never had they seen a man wear a look of
such holy calmness as did the prisoner before them. The keen eyes of
the judges, accustomed to read the countenances of prisoners, searched
Paul’s face in vain for some evidence of guilt. When he was permitted
to speak in his own behalf, all listened with eager interest.
Once more Paul has an opportunity to uplift before a wondering
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multitude the banner of the cross. As he gazes upon the throng before
him,—Jews, Greeks, Romans, with strangers from many lands,—his
soul is stirred with an intense desire for their salvation. He loses sight
of the occasion, of the perils surrounding him, of the terrible fate that
seems so near. He sees only Jesus, the Intercessor, pleading before
God in behalf of sinful men. With more than human eloquence and
power, Paul presents the truths of the gospel. He points his hearers to
the sacrifice made for the fallen race. He declares that an infinite price
has been paid for man’s redemption. Provision has been made for him