find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. You who wish for true
success in life, pray. Pray, if you never prayed before, morning and
evening, with your whole hearts, for that Spirit of God which is
truth, justice, peace, faith, and hope--and you shall not pray in
vain.



SERMON XII.--PAUL AND FELIX



ACTS xxiv. 25.

And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to
come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I
have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

This is a well-known text, on which many a sermon has been preached,
and with good reason, for it is an important text. It tells us of a
man who, like too many men in all times, trembled when he heard the
truth about his wicked life, but did not therefore repent and mend;
and a very serious lesson we may draw from his example.

But even a more important fact about the text is, that it tells us
what were really the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion
in those early times, about twenty-five years, seemingly, after our
Lord's death; what St. Paul used to preach about; what he considered
was the first thing which he had to tell men.