Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ill THE PURITANS OF NEW ENGLAND1 " These are not drunken." Acts 2 : 15. It is noteworthy that the first sermon of the first Christian preacher began with an apology. A strange thing had happened in Jerusalem. One hundred and twenty men and women, for many days sad and glum, had suddenly become radiant and vocal. A phenomenon so unusual demanded an explanation. An explanation was immediately forthcoming. Men were at hand ready to say that all this hilarity and boisterousness were due to an excitation of the nerves, induced by a free indulgence in alcoholic liquors. " These men are drunk ! " the scoffers said, and Peter took hold of the black lie and strangled it. " These are not drunken," he declared, and then went on to prove the truth of his assertion by an argument which, however weak to the occidental mind in a changed environment, was altogether convincing to the men to whom it was delivered. The crowd, which began with thinking that the Apostolic company were drunk, went away with the conviction that these men and women had been indeed baptized with the spirit of the Eternal. Why did Peter pay attention to a sneer? Why did he not ignore the calumny and go on and proclaim his truth? Because he was in dead earnest to make room in Jerusalem for a message of vast significance, and he knew that truth can gain no admittance into hearts filled with prejudiceand scorn. Spiritual influences cannot flow through souls which are choked with hate. A teacher of religion must not only possess a truth, but he himself must have a reputation which will incline the ears of men to listen. A man supposedly drunk, even though entirely sober, can teach the world nothing about God. Men shut themselves out from the influence of any teacher against whom they cherish a fixed dislike. We ar...