“They Changed Their Minds.” Acts 28:6 (January 8, 1883)

Acts They changed their minds. 28:6 These words record what occurred [when Paul] in the case of certain Maltese people who, when Paul was shipwrecked upon their island, and when there crawled out of the fire their hospitality [had kindled] was kindling, a venemous snake to fasten itself on his hand, and, concluded that he was [a] some murderer [at least] whom at least the fates had overtaken and would they destroy. But, contrary to their sure expectation, he did not receive the deadly poison [of] which this creature[s bite which had his] was known which to carry in its ready fang, or, if [the bite was made] he did, it [for once] failed to kill: [a thing] [awestruck] a wonder hitherto unheard of. The simple-[minded] souled islanders passed therefore at once to a conclusion the very opposite of that which they had at first formed: he was not a murderer, then: far from it: he was a god; for none but a superhuman being [in] might thus escape a doom which, to mere mortals, had They changed their minds Wilson n. January 1, 1882. 2 hitherto been prompt and inevitable. And so, it is said of them, they changed their minds changed them completely, although not rashly in the light they had changed them, upon what seemed to themselves good gounds. [for] [the change.] That is, they came to a [better] larger judgement tinding the matter in hand [I] or, adopted a more enlightened opinion. / Undoubtedly these [made] men are to be [show] commended not because they changed, but changed from worse to better, so far as they could know of the state of the facts. / / And it has occurred to me that some good use might be made of their example in our own cases: also, that a new-years day is a day suitable for asking ourselves what [use] such good use may be: [this being the time] a day [a] when thoughtful persons are accustomed to 3 look into themselves with an eye of more [care] carefulness than [at] or other days, to see whether all is going right [there] in the house of their souls [] and if not, to determine upon what change of mind [or] i.e., what alteration in them way of judging of things seems to be called for. I have already stated my conviction and, let me presume, zones as well, that those barbarians who gazed with surprise upon Pauls seeming superiority to that vipers sting, and who, from thinking him a criminal whom the gods had finally overtaken with their vengeance, began to think of him as himself one of [their] the worlds ruling deities that they thus displayed wisdom for not adhering to what they at first thought, but for [changing] turning their minds [for] squarely around on the hinge of what appeared to them a [sound] just reason: in this recognizing a truth of wider application: of 4 application to all men who have wrongly set their minds upon what they may easily discover to be false. It is true that [those] they with immediate reference to whom the words of my text were spoken were just as far astray in their revised conclusion as they were in their original belief but still it is to be put to their credit that when, in their way of looking at things they saw [cause] proof for changing that [one] belief for this [other] conclusion, they unhesitatingly [yield] yielded to the new evidence. / / Merely to change ones mind is not much i.e. to change it for no sufficient cause. [is still less] This is to be a weather-cock. / It [comes] reveals a mind weak and unstable, when it is forever going about and about with each fresh wind of opinion that may blow upon it. / There are such minds, which, no two days together, are at the same point of certainty touching [even] matters of any importance. 5 They take the last push that is given them by the last person they have happened to meet going hither and thither in a perpetual dance of changing positions like an [uncathable] uncatchable globule of meaning upon a smooth table. / There is certainly a variety of subjects upon which mens minds ought, firmly & conclusively, to be made up; [and, if made up intetlig with] [and from] their hold upon [these ought] them [shameful being] being [no] not [be] that of or feather tossed hither & thither by each [passing] crossing breeze, but that a rock which even a storm cannot shake: or, if there be any change, it ought to be that which is due to enlarging knowledge, widening and strengthening the grasping hand. This, however, takes for granted that the judgements formed are intelligent judgements, not mere dogger prejudices or bull-headed obscenities. Whilst, however, there are minds which are always [changing] changeful because always 6 careless, and are therefore to be regarded as so many whimsical whirligigs, only fit to be played with and even to be despised, there are other which never know how to change because they never learn, anything being fixed in their views by reason of being fixed in their ignorance. [of] These are uniformly the same in what they call their opinions, not because they have so far examined and tested them as to be certain of their rightness, but just because they refuse to look into their foundations and one constantly assuming their soundness. Persons who possess such minds are as much too hard to move as [those] they who possess the lighter kind I have described are too easy to move. In a word, then, [every] no man ought to change his mind as to anything of consequence unless he has good reason for so doing, and every man 7 ought to change his mind, [in order] if by so doing he [to] markes it larger- viewed at least, [if and even to give it altogether] [different views, if there be solid cause therefor.] Now, here we are on one of those hill-tops which [time builds [up upon] pit of the past] tune gives to us every twelfth month which an outlook towards the past with an outlook upon the future. [reminding us] we gaze [of changes many in whi] backwards and behold changes, many, written the year gone changes that affect us personally for better or for worse the principal change being, however, in ourselves although we did not produce it: we are all, by the will of God, one year older i.e., He has caused us to take another of those long steps in life of which [almost] very few [no man] men take more than eighty or [nine] ninty, but of which each of us has already taken a good many. 8 There is thus, ?, a necessity for gazing into His fortune, too: the little future that may yet [be] await [betwixt] us before the coffin shall shut our bodies up, and the big future that stretches [beyond whose] into regions [living man has ever] which the very highest of times [peaks] hill-tops [fails to] [are] is too low to afford much scope to the [enquring] searching eye. / Well: nature may change her aspects providence may change its allotments our own bodies may change their activities, and [rum] time itself may change its appearances whether we look behind or ahead: but, what of our minds, how, meanwhile, do they change? / Everything that touches upon our welfare turns upon this most important question of all: the mind being the man; [to whom] and that man who is lowest in the scale of our ammen humanity is worth more than [is] years numbered by multiplied millions: for the years are 9 to cease one day, but he, never is. / As the entire past was needed for the make up of each person to-day alive, so the entire future is his destination. And it is this his own vast consequence (to himself at least[.]) that he is to consider always: a consequence which imparts to any change he may made, especially in the inner being of him, [a] of very weighty significance. / But such changes he must make, seeing that he can no more stand still than can a [burning] flowing stream or a forming cloud. [?] The great thing is, [shall] does he make the right changes or the wrong; or, is he content to have them made for him, in this direction or in that, be the mere circumstances which suround and press upon him. Shall he be his own master in giving guidance to his curent career, or allow what is not he, to do so in his stead? 10 It would take me long were I to attempt an [emun] enumeration of the various changes which ought to be made by this individual or that indeed such as enumeration is not possible. But, by [dividing into] [separating ?? ourselves] laying off [into men] society into classes something to the point may be said. 1 There are those who are known as professing Christians. Well, all of these need to have it remarked of them, they changed their mind even such of their no. as are shining lights in the bluends. No Christhian ought to change with respect to the great choice he has made, by going back from it nor [???] you, by any arguments, persuade him to do so. / [He has] For leaving chosen Christ [for His] to be his supreme Master, as well as his only Savior, and having these exhibited the wisest choice that can be made or that even was by a sinful man, he intends to adhere to it, come what may of hinderance or of reproach. [But] He is resolved upon heaven even 11 though the path thither lay through the fires of martyrdom. But yet he may have to change his mind, time and again, as to the efforts he is putting forth for getting more knowledge of of the blessed path, [and wides] larger views of the [end] place where [it] this path loses itself in endless life. clearer notions of daily duty, [to] and [loftier] truer anceptions [of every] on every side, of the example of his Lord: so that he shall be recognized as a growing believer, [whose] [increasing] [light be is not always that] who, not content with the [progress] height he has already reached, [shifts his] shoulders himself to a higher & higher position [to] on the thill he is [from] climbing until the increasing light that plays about his [uprising] [upqoin] uplifting head shall be seen to be [so the] caught from the full face of God. If he has ever been minded to stop in his career, thinking that he has now done and sacrificed enough for his Redeemer but him change this mind, and think as baesan used 12 to think when conquests still awaited his already-victorious aims, that nothing is done whilst anything remains to be done. / / And as for those church-members about whose persons there is, almost never, seen to play the light of a gospel attraction whether at home or abroad, whose chief concern is not very visibly at least the uplaying of treasures in heaven; who would rather postpone a Christian duty than a company-engagement or a commercial-barter; who prefer the easy fire-side shipper to the harder shoe of a forth-going charity; who make no conscience-scruple of a neglect Sabbath-service, or of an avoided week-day prayer meeting; who, in short, are in danger of converting their holy religion into a holiday recreation rather than maintain it as a life-long regeneration. They are 13 not bad men these: as we commonly use this word on the contrary, are probably good men in more than one sense of the description. But, they are wofully mistaken men, if their minds are made up to treat their religion as a mere side-issue, [as] a merely margined affair, excellent [to] enough for a safe resort in the one hour of prostrating death, yet not so trustworthy for imparting glory to the [every day] many hours of preparing life and now is the time to have it said of them they changed their minds took a better look at things gave a truer push to their Christian purpose placed their thoughts more fully in contact with the thoughts of the divine teacher brought their hearts nearer to the fine that melts [and prod] in the heart of God and began to mould[ed] their activities afresh in the pattern [where] which the saints used who now flame suns and stars in the everlasting skies. 14 But there are others who need to change their minds. Many upright persons are to be formed in every community which is populous enough to have a church in it, who, with more or less segularity, wait upon its ministrations yet who care not to be a potion of its membership, because seeing no charm in [its] a society so set off from the world: no such charm, at any rate, as they might see were they to examine closely the principles which bind it together. They have, perhaps, watched and weighed certain of the individuals who compose it, and, judging of all by some, concluded that they are themselves just as well off where they are. They fail, however, to get thus a right view of this important institution, else they would find cause for changing their minds: that right view being taken only when they see [things] the Church with the eye of God. As imperfect 15 imperfect as it now is, it is not more so than it has always been from apostolic days down to ours and yet He who ordained it has evermore regarded it with favor, because, shabby as it sometimes appears, [only] [cluelby] by its means are men to be trained for the [spore] church above. Thus, whilst there are constantly in it such as mar its beauty and degrade its benefits; nevertheless out of it rise to heaven the multitudes who have honestly accepted its worship, and humbly bore its burdens, and [steadfastly] heartfully prized its brotherly [communion] communings, and steadfastly helped to bear forward its banners of conquest. The Church is, indeed nothing without its [glorious] mighty Head, but, Christ the Royal Savior being this Head, [she] it institutes [ragged as] His Body, and if appointed to share His shames, [and yet] it is also destined to share His glories. Although, ?, the Church has no power to save, it is [the] 16 [great instrument] employed by [in the hand of] Him who does posses this power, [to] as His chief instrument of salvation. Union with Him is everlasting life, and union with His people is that lifes Feeder and Helper. It is this nursery and school and workshop. Let them [accord] change their minds, then, who have been accustomed to esteem the lelurch as [a mere mans] an association, of mans device, and hence of mans [oco] blameless choice to stay out of it if he will. The very same law that commands [His] allegiance to the heaven-ascended [Christ] [the Kin] King commands alliance with [the] His [earth] earth-welcoming kingdom. The same grace that asks us to give to Xt. our loving hearts invites us to give to His followers our living hands. Identity with Him is identity with His. 17 I have thus confirmed my illustrations [thus for] to the matters of religion and you will at once perceive the reason. It is because these are the important matters and include all else, just as a [dollar] great bank draft includes the thousand items it may purchase. Let a man effectually change his mind so far as to make it right in the religions direction so far, i. e., as to have it accord with the Mind of [God] Christ and, without an effort, without a wrench or a jar, his mind that has gone wrong in other directions, will swing to its true place. The God of grace being his polestar, the needle of his life-compass will invariably [point] direct him in the path of safety, even thru darkness and tempest. But if He be not this fixed and guiding star, all ye changings will avail but little, for you are still like those 18 ancient manners who shipwrecked Paul on the isle of Malta, who had to haul to treacherous winds and unseen undercurents and [shrewd] deceptive guessings, in order to make their hazardous trip. It was [only] Paul himself, who alive was able to act as -prlat (Captain when all ordinary seamanship failed; and he, looking to [the] that Sun which to his soul never set, saw dearly what to do and not a man was lost even [in] when [the] despair was devouring with its black jaws: and he became that enlightened Commander of himself and others [that] which he so conspicuously was on this and many occasions, because, once, he saw reason for changing his mind that time when he beheld his Savior and heard his appeal from the skies the same Savior who appears to us as truly if not as shingingly, and appear 19 appear to us as loudly, if not [with] as marvellously And what does He say with that gospel-tongue of His which [is] utters the wisest and the sweetest connsilings ever known: Suk ye first the kingdom of [heaven] God and His righteousness and all [other] these things shall be added unto you. Turn to the higher and all lower things will turn on the same hinge. Get the greatest thing and the smaller will take care of themselves. Be right Christianly and you will be right worldlily. And now, I repeat, is the time to think of changing there [this] changing is needed this new years day. For [we] now it is that the very Sun himself seems to teach[es] us the lesson. The 1st of January begins the year, because it marks the period when the great orb whose full beams bring us summer and whose partial beams make our winter, [le] has fairly begun his journey back 20 again from his farthest step towards the south [to] in the direction of his mighty swing towards the north and as he proceeds, he reawakens the sleeping earth that gradually responds to his cheery call, re-opens [his] by degrees the treasuries of her spreading verdune renews the bloom in her [clowly] maturing gardens and [restores] repeats the growing promise of her great harvest-fields. [A] [Such a change in us] [perm] Let us imitate the sun and change what is cold in our [hearts] piety as towards God or in our benevolence as towards man, being some of [the] a lovelier life, and, when it must come, of a gladder death.