Galatians 1:15-16 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,… But this is a hard lesson to learn. I read some time ago of a German captain who found this out. He was drilling a company of volunteers. The parade ground was a field by the seaside. The men were going through their exercises very nicely, but the captain thought he would give them a lesson about obeying orders. They were marching up and down in the line of the water at some distance from it. He concluded to give them an order to march directly towards the water and see how far they would go. The men are marching along. "Halt, company," says the captain. In a moment they halt. "Right face" is the next word, and instantly they wheel round. "Forwart martch," is then the order. At once they begin to march directly towards the water: on they go, nearer and nearer to it. Soon they reach the edge of the water. Then there is a sudden halt. "Vat for you stop? I no say, Halt," cried the captain. "Why, captain, here is the water," said one of the men. "Vell, vet of it," cried he, greatly excited, "Vater is nothing; fire is nothing; everything is nothing. Ven I say, Forwart martch, then you must forwart martch." The captain was right; the first duty of a soldier is to learn to obey. (Dr. Richard Newton.) Parallel Verses KJV: But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, |
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