THE PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2618, 30 May 1877, Page 2

THE PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL.

Some years since the pastor of a New England village church adopted a plan to interest the members of his flock in the study of the Bible. It, was this. At the Wednesday evening meeting he would give out some topic to be discussed in the ensuing week, thus giving a. week for them to ■ study up. One week the subject was. St. Paul. After the preliminary devotional . exercises, the pastor called upon his deacons to speak "to the question." One immediately arose and began to describe the persona^l appearance of the great Apostle to "the Gentiles. He said St. Paul was a tall, rather spare man, with black hair and eyes, dark complexion, bilious temperament, etc. His picture of Paul was a faithful portrait of himself. He sat down, and another pillar of the church arose and said : " I think the brother ! preceding me has read the Scriptures to little purpose if his description of St. Paul is a sample of his biblical knowledge.. St. Paul was, as I understand it, a short thickset man with sandy hair, . grey . eyes, florid complexion, and • a nervous-sanguine temperament," giving, like his predecessor, an accurate picture of himself. He was followed by another, who had a keen sense of the ludicrous, and who was withal an inveterate stammerer. He-spoke about as follows :" My bre-bre'-brethern, I have ne-never fo-found much ab-bout the pe-pe-personal ap-pe-pearaneo of St. P-p-panl. But one thing is clearly established, and tha-that is, St. P-paul had an imp-pc-pediment in his speech." The effect can be imagined. A " tidal wave of audible smiles swept over the congregation, the good clergyman taking his full quota, He immediately-, arose and dismissed the assembly.Harper's Magazine.