The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-09-13
The Sunday School.
sHar. sunle. isii-Ac7s sInI.l

t&Ht ffss@ Eft# W. 80 AsaMaAA Naa
Pagi.a tismph q KPbesus. tie opp9
ssioa q thosc who spoke evil a that
way rosalliag 10 good The school q
< Iyrasuas Vas substituted faf tho synA
gogae - place q sorship many
beard usry 30 doubt believed A.
wih Moses % Egypt. - wiih El9ab a.
Mount CAfmel, 10 wi,h Paal The power
q God asserted itself % the djscom.
6,ure q heather magic The sons 81
scera. TIE high priest sbe,ber oi
Diana o. II Jehovah We cannot tell
were severely punished fer their At.
temp, h use The name Of Jesus 10 the
practice 81 magic art The evil spirit
which they sought TO exercise, turned
upon them with the terrible question
Jesus know. and paul l know, but
who arc yes They aed from bis pres.
euce. naked aua wounded TIE devils
believe and uemble. They recognise
aad honor the Lord Luke iy:3l.
james iil9 Eyil fights for The truth
and helps Il win the day
Bepenteucc. Confession. Conversion.
The knowledge Of the Defeat Of the sons
81 the signal defeat 81 the sons Of
scesa spread through the city Fear
fell upon them al and the name Of the
Lord Jesus was magnifed The ser.
moa which this unhallowed use Of the
Lord name was made 10 preach was
more powerful than Paul's own dis.
courses. All Ephesus saw that God
was with Paul, and not only did fear
fall upon both jews and Greeks. but
those who had continued 70 practice
magic 10 secret. while protesting to be.
lieye in Christ. repent u their sin, came
forward aud confessed IT, The test.
mony which the evil spirit bore to the
power Of God, went farther even than
this. 1t reached the magicians them
selves. Ii reached them TO some pur-
pose. They brought their books, their
magical formula, their receipts for the
practice Of curious arts, their written
amulets, the Ephesian letters OF history
and burned them, putting, as the use
Of the imperfect denotes, book after
book upon the flaming pile. They
burned them publicly, with the conyic-
ton that they were worthless. They
did not act from impulse but from pro-
found conviction. The genuiness Of
this conviction is made evident by the
value Of the property destroyed, so, 600
pieces Of Silver, between seven and
eight thousand dollars, if the pieces Of
silver be taken as the equivalent Of the
Roman penny, about fifteen cents Of
our money, rather than the Jewish
sheckel which was worth four times as
much. That conversions followed
were numerous and thorough, the state
ment Of the historian does not permit
US doubt So nightly grew the word
Of God aud prevailed the iirst part OIL
the expression referring to the extension
Of the gospel, its spread by preaching,
and individual testimony the second,
TO its power, its manifest strength.
Enlarged Plans Success at Ephe'
sus docs not satisfy the apostle He Il
not surprised at the turn affairs have
taken He has acted upon the certainty
Of the Lords triumph. But he cannot
stay aud enjoy that triumph. Ephesus
is but one Of the centers Of power he is
anxious to reach Hence his purpose
to travel again in Europe, confirming
the disciples there, going through
Macedonia and Auhaia, then to go vi
20 Jerusalem, with the collection men
toned in Cor xvi:l-4. after which he
will visit Rome and Spain. Rom. /
IS; xv: %, u, 2S,l How wonderful
,, were those plans executed, yet how diff
ferently from what Paul intended He
did visit Rome, but as prisoner aul
Of his journey to Spain we have NJ
Scripture account
Tinotheus aud Erastus are sent int
Macc5onl1, no doubt to prepare th,
churches for the apostolic visit, anC
while this work Of preparation is going
on, Paul remains in Asia, perhaps no
only 10 strengthen and encourage be
levers at Ephesas, but to select evan
!. gelists Tor the country round about
. And now comes, soon after the depar
S ture Of the brethren TO Europe as i
! would seem, what may be called thr
!, opposition 10 heathen labor The gos
/ pei has contended with those VIII,
b spoke evil Of its doctrines, with those
: who Simon-Magus like, were rcapiug
{ pccuniary advantage from its power
! il is now called 10 contend against thl
j. labor which false system Of religion
0 has organized and made profitable
There were men at Ephesus who wer,
!, shrewd enough TO see that Paul hal
b preached doctrines which would under
i. mine the very foundations upon vhicl
/, The worship Of Diana rested, and which
0 therefore endangered the trade 10 silvo
1 shrines, by which 50 many had game