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The Sunday School

The Sunday School image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
May
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The power of God was so manifest In His word through the apostles at Antioch that tho next Sabbath almost the whole city oame together to hear the word of God (xiii, 44). This fllled the Jews with Buoh envy that they contradictcd and blasphemed and raised such persecution against Paul and Barnabaa that theywere expelled from tho city; not, however, beforc miiny believed and were fllled with joy and with the Holy Ghost, and were enocmraged to continue in the graee of God. From Antioch they went to Iconium, and so spake that a multitude both of Jews and Greeks believed. But they were compelled by persecution to flee from there also, and so carne to Lystra and Derbo and preached the gospel. During the preaching a man who was lame from his birth and had never walked was perfectly healed by the Lord through Paul, and here our lesson begins. 11. "Thegods are come down to us in the likeness of men." These wen words (jf the people when they saw the man that had been lame leapingand walking. They sawa supematural event in the healing of this impotent man, and knowing only of tho mythical gods, such as Jnpiter and Mercurius, of whieh Júpiter was the supreme god of the Greeks and Romans and Mercury the god of eloquence, they supposed that their gods had actually vis; led them. Let us alter their words just ii littlc, "God has come down to us in tho likeness of man," and wliat a glorious truth we have, and one fully proved by John i, 14; I Tim. in, 10; Heb. ü, 14. 12. "And thcy called Barnal)as Júpiter and Paul Mercurius because he was the chief speaker. " Canon Fausset says that the mythology of Ovid repreaented Mercurius as havingoncevisited Phrygiawith Júpiter, his father, and having been refused hospitaüity by all but two old pe;:ants. Henee the simple people of Lystra supposed, from the miníele on the cripple, that Paul and Barnabas were these two gods again come to earth. 13. It was the supernataral power manifested through the apostles which e theso peoplo to attempt to worship them. We may not perhapa havo the working of miracles of healing secn in us, for tho Spirit divides His gifts to every one severallyas He will (I Cor. xii, 11), but we may ;ill be filled with the Spirit and manifest in us the supernntural life of meakness and quietness, of patience and long sufifering, with joyfulnoss, to the glory of God. 1-Í. "They rent their clothes and ran in among the pcople, crying out. " While we should earnestly desire the manifestation of Christ in us, we should also treinble lest we get any credit for it. The Lord alone must be exalted and no flesh glory in His presence. Most of us are too prone to enjoy a little honor and flattery, but it must not be tolerated. "Seo thou do it not; worship God," must be our word. 15. "Turn from these vanities unto the living God." Assuring the people that they were but men of like passions with tliemselves, men such as themselves but for the grace of God, they told them of the one true and living God, the Creator of all things. I have been greatly interested in notiring how oftcn tho first verse in all Seripture is used by prophets and apostles - as, for esample, in I)eut. x, 14; Neh. ix, 6; Isa. xliv, 24; .Ter. x, 10-12; xxxii, 17; Acts iv, 24, etc., and the connections in which they uso it, and I beliovo we do not sufficiently consider it. 10. Who intimes past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways." While He draws us unto Hunself and wonld have us "set apart f or Himself," " kept f or Jesus Christ, " "a special people unto Hiin," yet if we insist on our own ways Ho will suffer us, to our eternal loss in many respects. Whilo He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should repent and bo saved, yet if people insist upon rejecting His love newill letthem (Ps. lxxx, 11-14; II Pet. iil, 9; II Cor. ii, 15, 16). 17. "Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness. " His eternal power and Godhead aro seon in the works of His hands and in His great goodness to all, so that all are without excuse (Rom. i, 20, 21). Paul would direct their minds to the goodness of God manifest in His daily meroiea to all, for all may truly say : "It is of the Lord 's mercies we are not conBumod because His eompassions fail not. They are new every morning" (Lam. iii, 32, 23). 18. "And with these sayings scarce restrained they tho people, that they had not done sacrifice unto theni. " They saw Paul and Barnabas, but not Jesus Christ. They saw the miracle, but not God. Only tho opened eyes can see God, but He is willing to open the eyea of all who will turn to Him. Only the unwilling must stay blind. " Ye will not come unto me ! ' ' (John v, 40. ) 19. "And there carne thither certain Jews from Antioch and Ioonium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul drew him out oí the city, supposing he had been dead. ' ' A persevering devi] goeth about seeking to destroy. If he cannot get the soul, he'will do his best to kil', the body; but this wo are trild not to feai (Math. x, 28), for the breaking of the body only sets the spirit free to be with Christ. Paul wíis to all intents dead, though in speaking of this experience he says twice, "Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot teil; God knoweth" (II Cor. xii, 2, 8). 20. "Howbelt, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up and carne into the city, and the next day he departed with Bfirnabas to Derbe. " I do net doubt that the visión described in II Cor. xii, 1-4, was his actual experience while they were dragging his seemingly lifeless body out of Lystra, and by this experience he was fitted for greater and better things for his Lord and Master, concerning whom he could say, "Whose I ara, and whom I serve" (Acts xxvii, 23). 21.."Andwhen they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they roturned again to Lystra and to i um and Antioch. " ïhe margin says they made many disciples. So wherever they went tlic souls were saved, God glorifled and the devil made atigry. What coui'age ;o go right back to Lystra whcre he had been stoned, and to the other cities, from whence they liad beun driven out. But they knew that God w;is with them, and they feared nothing. What denial of self to turn his back upon his native ïarsus when he was so near home and go the long journcy over again to strengthen the disclplea ! j 22. ' ' Conflrming t he souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue iti the faith, and . that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." We can only be ennlirmed or cstab lished by believing God (II Chi-on. xx, SÜJ.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat