Sketches From The Life of Paul
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 30: Paul Before Nero
When Paul was summoned to appear before
the emperor for his trial, it was with the near
prospect of certain death. The aggravated nature
of the crime charged against him, and the
prevailing animosity toward the Christians, left
little ground for hope of a favorable issue.
It was the practice among the Greeks and
Romans to allow an accused
person an advocate
to present his case in a court of justice, and to
plead in his behalf. By force of argument, by
his impassioned eloquence, or by entreaties, prayers,
and tears, such an advocate would often
secure a decision in favor of the prisoner, or failing
in this, would mitigate the severity of his
sentence. But no man ventured to act as Paul's
counsel or advocate; no friend was at hand, even
to preserve a record of the charges brought
against him by his accusers, or of the arguments
which he urged in his own defense. Among
the Christians at Rome, there was not one who
came forward to stand by him in that trying
hour. [p. 311]
The only record of the occasion is given in
the words of Paul himself, in the second letter
to Timothy: "At my first answer no man stood
with me, but all men forsook me; I pray God
that it may not be laid to their charge.
Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and
strengthened me; that by me the preaching might
be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might
hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion."
Paul before Nero—how striking the contrast!
The very height of earthly power, authority, and
wealth, as well as the lowest depths of crime and
iniquity, had been reached by the haughty monarch
before whom the man of God answered for
his faith. In his power and greatness, Nero
stood unrivaled, unapproached. There were none
to question his authority, none to resist his will.
The kings of the earth laid their crowns at his
feet. The most powerful armies marched at his
command. The ensigns of his navies upon the
seas betokened victory. His statue was set up
in the halls of justice, and the decrees of senators
and the decisions of judges were but the echo
of his will. Millions of subjects bowed in
obedience to his mandates. The name of Nero
made the world tremble. To incur his displeasure
was to lose property, liberty, and life. His
frown was more to be dreaded than the pestilence.
Yet while surrounded by all the outward
semblance of earthly pomp and greatness, adored
and reverenced as a god in human form, he
possessed the heart of a demon.
Paul the aged prisoner, without money, without
friends, without counsel, had been brought
forth from a loathsome dungeon to be tried for [p. 312] his life. He had lived a life of poverty, self-denial,
and suffering. With a sensitive nature
that thirsted for love and sympathy, he had
braved misrepresentation, reproach, hatred, and
abuse; shrinking with nervous dread from pain
and peril, he had fearlessly endured both. He
had been, like his Master, a homeless wanderer
upon the earth; he had lived and suffered for the
truth's sake, seeking to relieve the burdens of
humanity, and to exemplify in his life the life of
Christ. How could the capricious, passionate,
licentious tyrant, who had no conception of the
value of a self-denying, virtuous, noble life, be
expected to understand or appreciate the character
and motives of this son of God?
Paul and Nero face to face!—the youthful
monarch bearing upon his sin-stamped countenance
the shameful record of the passions that
reigned within; the aged prisoner's calm and
benignant face telling of a heart at peace with God
and man. The results of opposite systems
of training and education stood that day
contrasted,—the life of unbounded self-indulgence
and the life of utter self-sacrifice. Here were
the representatives of two religions,—Christianity
and paganism; the representatives of two
theories of life,—the simplicity of self-denying
endurance, ready to give up life itself, if need be,
for the good of others, and the luxury of
all-absorbing selfishness, that counts nothing too
valuable to sacrifice for a momentary gratification;
the representatives of two spiritual powers,—the
ambassador of Christ and the slave of
Satan. Their relative position showed to what
extent the course of this world was under the
rule of the prince of darkness. The wretch [p. 313] whose soul was stained with incest and matricide,
was robed in purple, and seated upon the throne,
while the purest and noblest of men stood before
the judgment-seat, despised, hated, and fettered.
The vast hall which was the place of trial was
thronged by an eager, restless crowd that surged
and pressed to the front to see and hear all that
should take place. Among those gathered there
were the high and the low, the rich and the poor,
the learned and the ignorant, the proud and the
humble. Yet all alike were destitute of the true
knowledge of the way of life and salvation.
Again the Jews urge against the prisoner the
old charges of sedition and heresy, while both
Jews and Romans accuse him of instigating the
burning of the city. While his enemies were
vehemently urging their accusations, Paul
preserved a quiet dignity; no shade of fear or anger
disturbed the peaceful serenity that rested upon
his countenance. The people and even the judges
beheld him with surprise. They had been present
at many trials, and had looked upon many
a criminal; but never had they seen a man wear
such a look of holy calmness as did the prisoner
before them. The keen eyes of the judges,
accustomed as they were to read the countenances
of their prisoners, searched the face of Paul for
some hidden trace of crime, but in vain. When
he was permitted to speak in his own behalf,
all listened with eager interest to his words.
Once more Paul had an opportunity to raise
aloft before a wondering multitude the banner of
the cross of Christ. With more than human
eloquence and power, he that day urged home
upon their hearts the truths of the gospel. The
wisdom of God was revealed through his servant. [p. 314] As Paul stands before the emperor of the world,
his words strike a chord which vibrates in the
hearts of even the most hardened, and which
thrills in unison with the mission of angels.
Truth, clear and convincing, overthrows error
and refutes falsehood. Never before had that
company listened to words like these. Light was
shining into darkened minds that would gladly
follow the guidance of its precious rays. The
truths spoken on that occasion would never die.
Though the utterance of a feeble and aged
prisoner, they were destined to shake the nations.
They were endowed with a power that would
live through all time, influencing the hearts of
men when the lips that uttered them should be
silent in a martyr's grave.
As Paul gazed upon the throng before him,—Jews,
Greeks, Romans, with strangers from many
lands,—his soul was stirred with an intense desire
for their salvation. He lost sight of the
occasion, of the perils which surrounded him, of
the terrible fate which seemed so near. He looked
above all this, to Jesus, the Divine Intercessor,
the Advocate pleading before the throne of God
in behalf of sinful men. Earnestly he pointed
his hearers to the great Sacrifice made in behalf
of the fallen race, and presented before them man
in his true dignity and value. An infinite price
had been paid for man's redemption; provision
had been made that he might be exalted to share
the throne of God and to become the heir of
immortal riches. By angel messengers, earth was
connected with Heaven, and all the deeds of man,
good or evil, were open before the eye of Infinite
Justice.
Thus pleads the advocate of truth; faithful [p. 315] among the faithless, loyal and true among the
disloyal and disobedient, he stands as God's
representative, and his words are as a voice from
Heaven. There is no trace of fear, sadness, or
discouragement in countenance or manner.
Strong in his conscious innocence, clothed with
the panoply of truth, he rejoices that he is a son
of God. His words are like a shout of victory
above the roar of the battle. The cause of truth
to which he has devoted his life, he makes appear
as the only cause that can never fail. Though
he may perish for the truth's sake, the gospel
will not perish. God lives, and the truth will
triumph.
His countenance glows with the light of
Heaven, as though reflecting the rays of the sun.
Many who looked upon him in that hall of
judgment "saw his face as it had been the face of an
angel." Tears dimmed many eyes that had never
before been seen to weep. The gospel message
found its way to the minds and hearts of many
who would never have listened to it but for the
imprisonment of Paul.
Never had Nero heard the truth as he heard
it upon that occasion. Never had the enormous
guilt of his own life been revealed to him as it
was revealed that day. The light of Heaven
had pierced the sin-polluted chambers of his soul.
He quaked with terror at the thought of a
tribunal before which he, the ruler of the world,
should be arraigned, and where his deeds should
meet a just reward. He was afraid of the
apostle's God, and he dared not pass sentence
upon Paul, against whom no accusation had been
sustained. A sense of awe for a time restrained
his bloodthirsty spirit. [p. 316]
For a moment, Heaven had been opened before
him by the words of Paul, and its peace and
purity had appeared desirable. That moment
the invitation of mercy was extended even to the
guilty and hardened Nero. But only for a
moment. The command was issued for Paul to
be taken back to his dungeon; and as the door
closed upon the messenger of God, so the door of
repentance was forever closed against the emperor
of Rome. Not another ray of light was
ever to penetrate the dense darkness that
enveloped him. There needed only this crowning act
of rejection of divine mercy to call down upon
him the retributive justice of God.
It was not long after this that Nero sailed on
his expedition to Greece, where he disgraced himself
and his kingdom by the most contemptible
and debasing frivolity. He returned to Rome
with great pomp, and in his golden palace,
surrounded by the most infamous of his courtiers, he
engaged in scenes of revolting debauchery. In
the midst of their revelry, a voice as of a tumult
in the streets was heard, and a messenger was
despatched to learn the cause. He hastily
returned with the appalling news that Galba, at
the head of an avenging army, was marching
rapidly upon Rome, that insurrection had already
broken out in the city, and the streets were filled
with an enraged mob threatening death to the
emperor and all his supporters, and rapidly urging
their way toward the palace.
The wretched tyrant, as cowardly as he was
cruel, was completely unmanned. He sprang
from the table at which he had been feasting and
drinking, overturning it in his blind terror, and
dashing the most costly wares to fragments. [p. 317] Like one beside himself, he rushed hither and
thither, beating his forehead, and crying, "I am
lost! I am lost!" He had not, like the faithful
Paul, a powerful, compassionate God to rely
upon in his hour of peril. He knew that if taken
prisoner he would be subjected to insult and
torture, and he considered how he might end his
miserable life with as little pain as possible. He
called for poison, but when it was brought, he
dared not take it; he called for a sword, but
after examining its sharp edge, he laid it also
aside. Then, disguised in woman's clothing, he
rushed from his palace, and fled through the dark,
narrow streets to the Tiber; but as he looked
into its murky depths, his courage again failed.
One of the few companions who had followed
him, suggested that he escape to a country-seat
a few miles distant, where he might find safety.
Concealing his face, he leaped upon a horse, and
succeeded in making his escape.
While the emperor was thus ingloriously fleeing
for his life, the Roman senate, emboldened
by the insurrection and the approach of Galba,
passed a decree declaring Nero to be the enemy
of his country, and condemning him to death.
The news of this decision being brought to Nero
by one of his companions, the monarch inquired
what manner of death he was to suffer, and was
told that he was to be stripped naked, to be
fastened by his head in the pillory, and to be
scourged to death. The monster who had
delighted to inflict upon Christians the most
inhuman torture, shrank with horror at the mere
thought of enduring like torture himself. He
seized a dagger, and again endeavored to nerve
himself to plunge it into his heart; but the prick [p. 318] of the instrument was all that he could endure.
As he threw it aside with a groan of despair,
horsemen were heard approaching. His retreat
was discovered; a few moments, and he would be
in the power of his enemies. Terrified alike at
the thought of torture and suicide, he still hesitated,
and was compelled at last to let a slave help
his trembling hand force a dagger into his
throat. Thus perished the tyrant Nero, at the
early age of thirty-two.
God in his infinite mercy bears long with the
transgressors of his law. In the days of Abraham
he declared that the idolatrous Amorites
should still be spared until the fourth generation;
for their iniquity was not yet full, and he could
not give command for their destruction. For
more than four hundred years he spared them,
but when, instead of turning to repentance, they
hardened their hearts in iniquity, and made war
upon his people, their day of probation closed,
and the mandate went forth for their utter
extinction. With unerring accuracy, the Infinite
One keeps a record of the impiety of nations and
individuals. Long is his mercy tendered to them,
with calls to repentance; but when their guilt
reaches a certain limit, which he has fixed, then
mercy ceases her pleadings, and the ministration
of wrath begins.
Click here to read the next chapter:
"Paul's Last Letter"
|
