The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-07-26
The sunday school.
sum.r. Jut 20 Isis-Acr. " q $.

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isect 10 Syria
Circumstances Panl and harnabas
sss. from Derbe. rei4aoel he path d
their frsi missionary eowpaigp retarn,
isg irom perbe 70 Lyslra. Iconium,
Apiioch ia Piadia. confirming the
souls o. the disciples. aud ethoriing
ihem that they oohsisne Ia The faith.
and that we muss through much tribu.
lagioa enter into The kingdom d God"
aad il is ADDED throwing = food Of
light GA the manner. method. spirit
and results Of their church-building
work ''when they bad ordained them
elders pastors IN every church. aud
bad prayed with fasting. they com
meaded them 10 the Lord on whom
they bad believed" Returning through
Pisidia and Pampbyiia. they came down
10 Pefga. and thence 10 the coast OF the
Mediterranean al Alfalfa, whence they
sailed over 70 tntioch in Syria,
whence they had been recommended
20 The grace of God, l0r the work
which they bad now fulfilled Then,
gathering the church together, the mis-
sionaiies bad "rehearsed all that God
bad done with them. and bow be had
opened The door Of faith to the Gen
tiles Here they remained long
time with the disciples There was
work enough TO be doue. But. as the
Master himself had said. ut must
needs be that oflenses come The
trouble. this time. arose within the
church The dissension was stirred
up by certain men -doubtiessly osten-
tatiously conscientious" mcn--fresh
from the ritualistic atmosphere eff Je-
rusalem. Judaic prejudices, the more
hollow, out Of date, and unreasonable
they are, the harder do they die.
Statement Of the Question The
question 10 dispute between Paul aud
Barnabas, on the one hand, aud those
Judaizing teachers, fresh from the old
ecclesiastical capital. was whether
Gentiles must first be proselyted TO
Judaism aud be eircumcised before they
could be converted to Christ and ad-
mitted TO all rights and privileges Of
the Christian church. II Gentiles were
TO be admitted into full and equal
citizenship in the Christian common
wealth, the new kingdom Of heaven, :"
the New Jerusalem, what would be-
come of "the law of Moses" and that
whole Judaic system The question
was fair one. 1t was not to be slurred
over or sighted. All felt the gravity
of the question. Was Christianity to
take the place of Judaism by over
throwing and setting il at naught, or,
rather, by in some way verifying, fal-
filing, realizing all that had ever been
vital in the ancient system 1t may
seem TO us now, very easy question !;
but, il we will put ourselves in their
place, VIC shall see that it was a very
hard question. To men OF the dis
tinctively Judaic, conservative. ritual
istic, externalizing temperament. like
the Jerusalemite Christians lately come
TO Antioch, the gospel, according 10
the theory Of Paul and Barnabas, SEEM
ed to be an almost setting at naught Of
Moses and the Law. Precisely those
literalizing aud Undertaking principles
Of Scripture Interpretation, which have
so hindered and distorted the truth in
every period Of the church, were then
completely scandalized by the views
held by Paul. 1t takes time for new
truth to get itself distinctly understood.
People naturally stand in dread of the
consequences Of truths which as yet, 10
all their bearings aud conclusions they
do not quite comprehend. BE patient;
even the morning does not lift itself
upon the world in moment Aud no
man can build wall high enough to
keep il ont, when its time is fully
come.
The Judlcious Reference OF the Qucs-
ton to a Council Of the Apostles and
Elders The apostles were still lIy-
ing. aud the most Of them at or near
Jerusalem. They had received from
the Lord, in addition to all his imme.
diatc instructions by word of mouth.
the pledge Of plenary inspiration Of
wisdom by the Holy Spirit, TO qualify
them for the special work OF founding
the Christian institution.
The church in Antioch consent. Paul
aud Barnabas, and certain other Of
them. came 70 Jerusalem for this pur.
pose. They arrive. james rppears to
have been the President Of the Council.
4 multitude was present Discussion
was open and free Peter. recalling
ahe vision vouchsafed 10 him Al Joppa,
showed with wonderial clearness and
force how ttat God bad put no differ.
snce between Us and them. purifying
their hearts by faith, just - he had
their own. Now therefore why tempt
We God. to put yoke upon the necks