Felix was a pagan.  His religion, if he had any belief at all in the supernatural, was idolatry.  Paul did not appeal to his affections, to his emotional nature, but to his rational part.  He reasoned upon his great subject.  We may justly conclude that he proceeded in a way similar to that which he took in addressing the Athenians on Mars’ Hill.  “The God whom ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”  And he set him forth in a rational light.  He told them about God’s righteousness.  He told them that God had appointed a day in which he would judge the world in RIGHTEOUSNESS by that man whom he hath ordained, and of whom he hath given assurance or proof unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.  This man was Jesus Christ the Lord.  Here, also, he spoke of a JUDGMENT to come.  And it becomes a thing self-evident that a judgment to come is the main fact upon which all moral and religious truth depends for its power over the hearts and lives of men.  Take away from man all fear of accountability in a future state, and his bestial appetites assert their sway.  “Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die” gives loose rein to every passion, and lust holds high carnival.

For our instruction here, it may be well to speak upon the subject of righteousness.  What is it?  Righteousness is obedience to law.  This is its most general meaning.  This is its human sense.  In its divine sense it is obedience to the laws of God.  Wherein the laws of men depart from the laws of God obedience to their laws is disobedience to God’s laws.  Here arises a conflict in which each individual may decide for himself which he will do, the will of men or the will of God.  The decision of the apostles was “to obey God rather than men.”  By this obedience they stood righteous in the eyes of God.  To be sinners in the sight of men gave them no distress, so long as they felt sure of being righteous in the sight of God.

Jesus is called Christ the righteous.  He is set forth in the Word as the only example of perfect righteousness the world has ever had, for “he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.”  He challenged the Jews with the question:  “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” They could bring up no charge.  Sin is the opposite of righteousness.  It is sin, or the love of sin, which is impersonated by our Lord in Matt. 10:28 as a monster of awful power:  “And be not afraid of them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:  but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  The version of the same matter as given by Luke is terribly sublime:  “Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell:  yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”  Brethren and friends, this is the only power we have real cause to be afraid of, and this is the enemy of all righteousness.  And this enemy is right in ourselves.  We need not go far to find him.  Paul calls him by way of eminence as well as age “the