The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-07-05
The sunday School.
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4 few Sc graphical facts should here
K boies Paais earlier missionary
lal,ora wcre spcat In what Is called
Asia Miaor, ,eas is. that lesser por,iea
II tac eeulueat If Asia which lee be.
tween he Black Sea 90 tie norlb, tie
Hgcau Sea 90 the west, aud tho east
cm portion of tie Mediterranean On the
soalh. Il was thea the subject 70 the
az ruling Roman Kmpife. bnt divided
inio numefoas Provinces o. States, a.
Bi,hyuia, Ponius, CAppadociA. Ciiicia,
Galalia, Pamphyla, PhvgiA. and N.Y.
sia This whole region nos Is included
10 tie eastern half q The Turkish I'm
pife. Pefga. city 90 the Mcditerra-
mean. lies northwest Of Cyprus, in the
province u Pamphylia, Having sailed
from Paphos 70 Perga, Paal and Barna-
bas 70 up into the interior Of the conn.
try. about one hundred and fifteen
miles. to Antioch not Antioch IN SYRIA
aear the central tablelaDds Of Asia
Minor Il was large aud important
liOmah city It's population was a
aggregation Of various ma
Among them were numer.
Gus Jews. But how il was that the
found 20 many Jews, with
their synagogues. ia all those regions.
deserves attention The fact that they
did iind SO many is remarkable. The
existence Of them must be regarded as
They had great deal
10 DO with the spread Of the FIRST Chris
tian missions. II Jews were often the
most violent stirrers.up Of strife and
they bad not been with
out Use in preparing the way for others
TO accept tho truth, even though they
themselves might reject it. A spuri::
GUS Judaism. with its hollow Formally,
its blind worship of ritualism and ira.
was then, as now, one Of the
most obstinate hindrances to the truth
but even so il held many truths in ad-
vance Of Paganism.
Je,cs ia Foreign Countries The Jews
Of the Dispersion we're everywhere.
More Jews outside the land than in il,
as there are more Irish outside OF Ire.
land than in it. After their country
had become hopelessly subiugated TO
foreign powers, there seemed less rea-
sons for staying at home, and many
more for going forth to seek their for.
tunes, anywhere. Every Jew was
taught some trade; and the growing,
thriving cities of the world needed
skilled artisans. Besides, from Jacob
down, they had an eyes for business"
and were good at bargain. So it had
come TO pass that nearly all important
centers of commerce and business,
from the Nile and the Tiber to the
Tigrls and the Euphrates, abounded in
groups or quarters" of Jewish settle.
ments. But then, as now, the Jew
always meant to take his religion"
along with him. Though it might have
pretty much lost all heart out Of it, he
chung to it none the less tenaciously--
with the fierce tenacity Of superstition.
Aud where these groups Of Hebrew
settlements were, there they built their
synagogues, or meeting houses. Here
they congregated every Sabbath in
both religious and social way. Sc.
Iections from the Scriptures were ain
toned. and some prayers, psalms, or
other hymns SAID aud sung. Commonly,
nothing like a sermon was preached !;
but IL one felt moved to speak, an op.
portunity would be given. How they
helped. and how too they hindered, the
spread Of the gospel, will clearly APP
pear in this and succeeding lessons
The Saaahoa--P and Barnabas
mad Just come up TO the heart Of Asia
Minor. the chief city Of the region
Antioch Of pisidia. They were mainly
II not wholly strangers They pur,
ported 10 be Jews. They were quite
at home ia a synagogue. Their air AID
manner showed them at once to be per-
sons Of uncommon culture, force of
character land purpose Their very
presence there created a kind of "sen.
sation" The rulers Of the synagogue
took extreme pains to show them atten.
ton, and invite them, il they had any
word Of cxhortation for the people, to
say on The Invitation was accepted.
Paul rose up, evidently with peculiar
impressiseness Of manner, aud beck.
oning with his hand, said Men of Is.
rael. and ye that fear God. give audi.
ence.
Paugs SermJa--It il the first dis.
course Of bis on record. II was re.
markably like the first sermon Of Peter,
aud the last one Of the First Martyr,
Stephen--a sermon Paul never forgot.
(See Acts IL, la-a0 ill.,. IL 20 w.,
s-ls; aud vii The sermon was. first
Of all. historical. Il began with such
facts as bis hearers were familiar with.
He placed himself at the start on terms
81 syEpaihy with them From history
a - II .