The Ancient Church: Its History, Doctrine, Worship, and ConstitutionKillen, W. D. (William Dool)
Religion
The Ancient Church: Its History, Doctrine, Worship, and Constitution
Killen, W. D. (William Dool)
Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
and imprisonments, his zeal burned with unquenched ardour. As the
soldier who kept him belonged to the Praetorian guards, it has been
thought that the apostle spent much of his time in the neighbourhood of
their quarters on the Palatine hill, [149:3] and that as he was now so
much conversant with military sights and sounds, we may in this way
account for some of the allusions to be found in his epistles written
during his present confinement. Thus, he speaks of Archippus and
Epaphroditus as his "fellow-soldiers;" [149:4] and he exhorts his
brethren to "put on the whole armour of God," including "the breastplate
of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit." [149:5] As the indefatigable old man, with the
soldier who had charge of him, passed from house to house inviting
attendance on his services, the very appearance of such "yoke-fellows"
[149:6] must have created some interest; and, when the congregation
assembled, who could remain unmoved as the apostle stretched forth his
chained hand, [149:7] and proceeded to expound his message! He seems
himself to have thought that the very position which he occupied, as
"the prisoner of the Lord," [149:8] imparted somewhat to the power of
his testimony. Hence we find him saying--"I would ye should understand,
brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather
unto _the furtherance of the gospel_, so that my bonds in Christ are
manifest in all the Praetorium, [150:1] and in all other places; and
many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much
more bold to speak the word without fear." [150:2]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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