" Give us life, for we gave you death. Give us
help for we gave you ruin. Paul was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision. The Christian Alexander, he crosses to Macedon with the words of
peace instead of war,--the Christian shepherd of the people, he carries
to Greece, from Troy, the tidings of salvation instead of carnage, of
charity instead of license. And he knows that to Europe it is the
beginning of her new civilization, it is the dawn of her new warfare, of
her new poetry, of her reign of heroes who are immortal.

That _faith_ of his, now years old, has this day received its crowning
victory. This day, when he has faced Nero and Seneca together, may well
stand in his mind as undoing centuries of bloodshed and of license.

And in this effort, and in that spiritual strength which had nerved him
in planning it and carrying it through, was the "Asian mystery." Ask
what was the secret of Paul's power as he bearded the baby Emperor, and
abashed the baby Philosopher? What did he give the praise to, as he left
that scene? What was the principle in action there, but faith in the new
life, faith in the God who gave it!

We do not wonder, as Seneca wondered, that such a man as Paul dared say
anything to such a boy as Nero! The absolute courage of the new faith
was the motive-power which forced it upon the world. Here were the
sternest of morals driven forward with the most ultra bravery.

Perfect faith gave perfect courage to the first witnesses. And there was
the "mystery" of their victories.

And so, in this case, when after a while Seneca again reminded Nero of
his captive, poor Nero did not dare but meet him again. Yet, when he met
him again in that same judgment-hall, he did not dare hear him long;
and we may be sure that there were but few words before, with such
affectation of dignity as he could summon, he bade them set the prisoner
free.

Paul free! The old had faced the new. Each had named its champion. And
the new conquers!

FOOTNOTES:

[9] Anno Christi, 60.

[10] Tacit. Annal., xiv. 9.

[11] Anno Christi, 60. See Neander, P. & T., B. iii. ch. x.

[12] This correspondence, as preserved in the collections of fragments,
has too much the aspect of a school-boy exercise to claim much credit,
though high authorities support it as genuine. But the probability that
there was such a correspondence, though now lost, is very strong.

THE DOT AND LINE ALPHABET.

[This sketch was originally publi