The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-08-02

Beg.apisg Al 1eFusalem TIE preach
iag q the Gospel has ngw .eItendea
isio al ihe Poppleus regioss II Asa
Minor. Forbiddeu BY The Holy Ghoa,
e sFsnd farther tine ana ssreagth On
a fegioa DOT jet thoroughly evanEe
l.zsd. silef he great Coanel whose
decree served 20 establish The church
aaa greatly AL % their numbers. and
after personal Wait 10 the scenes d
previous gospel lflumphs. We and Paul,
s.las. Lake, and Timothy diviuely sent
iaso Europe The present lesson
closes with an account u the firsi mis-
si0n efforts aud the drst converts 10
that grad division q tue globe which
row constitutes the principal part Of
Clr,sieadom. Bat we need 70 accom-.
papy the great apostle IN his northern
journey. and notice those interesting
places towards which the present war
i again directing the eyes of the
world For il has been well said that
to understand him who became all
things 10 all mea that be might win
some, we need to understand the
thing" aud the inca Of bis tines
Preliminary tour Paul. with bus new
companion. Silas. passes rapidly among
the churches Of Syria aud Cilieia 10
Antioch. They then pass 10 north
easteHy direction sround the gull Of
Issus, and proceed by rough road
through the mountain passes Of the
Taurus 10 Derbe. and eastward TO Lys.
ira, tho interesting scene Of Paul's pre-.
yious success and subsequent perse-
cutiou. A joyful welcome from his
spiritual children everywhere greeted
the great apostle aud his co.worker.
Timothy, converted to Christ at tho
former visit. had remained steadiast.
His youth was not "despised," He
was 10 good repute with all the breth-
ren. His godly mother Eunice, and
bis grandmother Lois, had trained bis
mind from childhood in those Scriptures
on which the coming Of Christ, aud the
descent Of the Holy Ghost shed food
Of light His Greoian father, il still
living, does not object to his SON.
Christianity. Paul fixes upon Timothy
as his helper in the Gospel. To meet
Jewish prejudice against his Greek pa.
rentage, be circumcises him. 1t was
still the settled policy to preach the
Gospel TO the Jew first. All other
races were TO be reached through the
synagogue, aud hence the legal rite,
which the council at Jerusalem had just
declared not binding, is administered.
1t was an act Of expediency and not Of
necessity, on the principle that the
great apostle had elsewhere announced
as governing his own conduct, ITO
the Jew | became as a jew" { Cor.
tx 20,
One object Of this journey was to dis
tribute among tho distracted churches
the decree OF the council at Jerusa.
lem This placed no restriction on the
Gentle converts, but commanded all
TO abstain from heather temple rites,
nor even to eat the meat offered by
them in sacrifice, and TO beware Of
the moral impurity by which certain
heather gods were worshipped. Chap.
XIV. 23-29. In the state Of society
at that time such prohibitions were as
necessary as it is among us, to insist
that converted drunkard must show
the reality Of bis repentance by abstain
ing from his cups. The "decree" Of
the council contained the rule as to
circumstances. Paul's course with
Timothy was an exception Titus con-
tinued uncircumcised though Gentle
and a preacher. The early church
knew no difference between Jew. Greek,
Barbarian, Scythian, Bond or Free. II
never recognized Casts. No wonder
the churches were paciiied, established
aud daily increased in number by put
ting themselves on this common plat
form.
Missionary Journey Reinforced by
Timothy aud probably by Luke, the
writer OF the book, Paul and Silas pro.
coed. Their course should be traced
on the map Even that is imperfect be-
cause the later political divisions and
ancient names of places are used inter
changeahly One needs a map made
every bali century, as well as at the
close Of the frst. after Christ. But snch
guides we cannot have. Iconinm was
lew miles north Of Lystra. The
province Of Phrygia lay 10 the north.
eastheast Of these towns. On tue east,
toward Europe, was Galatia, peopled
by members Of the same race as that
which early took possession OF 'Gaul'
OF Francois people still manifesting
10 language, manners. and other charac'
teristics, marks Of their Celtic origin.
Asia, as the term is here used ,swas
neither The grand division Of modern
geographers, nor even the whole OF
Asia Minor, but the province some
times called Iona Ii was at one time