The National tribune., 1892-07-14
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

| -noiaIg-
A Study of the International Sunday
/ sw odv
School LessO1A. Appointed for July
"a, 1892. ''S %. VIC
| 1osq
Subject: The Lamd'Nfa Healed. Acts, s:1-
| All!
| / St1aTc
| Zone reading thesesnotes should first carefully
| study the paragraph ndm Afe Holy Scriptures as
| indicated above.l g
INTRODUCTION.
| We now study the account of the first specific
| miracle performed by the Apostles after Cbrists
| resurrection. The miracles effected by them
prior to Pentecost Day are not given in detail.
| We have in 2:43 intimation that, before the
curing of the lame man, the Apostles had per-
formed some sort of miracles at the close of st.
| Peters sermon on Pentecost Day. We have no
| particulars as to tho nature of said wonders"
| We find the power impaired to the Apostles by
| the outpouring Of theinfnences of the Holy
| Spirit enabled them to effect miraculous works
other than the speaking Of foreign languages.
We cannot discuss the question as to how
long the leaders in Church enterprise had
power to work miracles. We have divines
who think this power is still possessed by the
| Church, and that only lack Of faith has prac-
| tically banshed miracles from the Church.
The Roman Catholic Church recognizes modern
miracles. There are ProteStants who think
that in an emergency now, God would enable
| His servants to perform supernatural products.
/ We proceed to the study of the first Apostolic
miracle.
| /. References.
The following references will be given verse
by verse: 3
". l. Peter and John went up together into
| the Temple 9 46; st. L., "a: 3d. Hour of
Prayer, 2: Is; 90; Ex., 30: 1871; Ps,
/ SIS IL; 119: 1854; DAN, 6 10.
w. Lame from womb, ID: 8; st. John. 9: ].
Compare ST. John. 81: 5. Carried. st. Mark,
2:3; ST. John, 81. Compare Is, So 6, Z; St
Mt, 5:42; 25 31-46. At the gate. V. 10;
ST. Nix. 10: 46: st. Lu, Is 20. Ask aims.
4 VS.. g. 10; st. John, 9:6.
Va. Fastening his eyes. Compare the
following, all from the Same Greek Originally
beholding. IA 9; Cor, B: z. ID. Earnestly
looked. Acts, 3: II; st. Luke %: So. Looked
| 1914. Earnestly beholding. %: ]. '3n'
| We. Silver and gold have none. 1--WE find,
4 35, 81; So. moneys were put into the
hands of the Apostles, but those cases were
later than onr lessons and the sums in hand
were not personal property, but trust funds)
In the name of Jesus Christ. 3: IL. 16; Al,
10, IL, 30. Compare with Jesus" Y. 49,
st. Nix, 16: II; st. John, 16 %. st. Peter
secured for the man power to walk. st. Mt,
n 10: i, 8. Rise aud walk. st. Mt, 9: 6; st.
W W.. Took him BY band. St. Peter imi.
Notice case of st. Peters mother-in-law. ST.
4 Nix, l. 31-the Stammer of the Decapolis,
Z: 32-the blind man at Bethesda. 8: 53-the
demoniac at the foot Of Mt. Hermon. 9: 81
the daughter of Jairus. st. Mt, 8 25-et al.
Immediately. st. John,5:9.
V. 8. Leaping Is.,,35:G
V.9. All saw him walking. a 16, 81.
V. IL. Solomon's porch, SIP; st. John.
10: 90.
g Time
I 1t is difficult to fix the date with cIoseress.
We would think it not far off from Penteccst
Day Rev. J. r. Kendrick, DID,, says: How
long after the events Of Pentecost the incident
now to be considered occurred, il is impossible
to determine 1t is only clear that the interval
could not have been more than few months
at farthest The chronology of the Acts is in
:. volved in mnch uncertainty" -sn .,aas
4 Pentecost Day occurred early IN May, A. d.
the same day as the descent of the Holy Spirit.
We find the Pentecostal shower took place at
about a. m. third hour of the day by Jewish
reckonine.) Then followed st. Peters sermon,
the baptism of 5000 converts e.: Az, wonders
and signs e.: 43). Then came the ninth hour
%: H. with the imparting of power to the lame
man. But we can see this supposition crowds
too much into the possibilities Of few hours.
The ninth hour was p. m. We read in 3
that little after the miracle was performed.
it was eventdc. We must suppose some time,
days perhaps. interviewed between Pentecost
Day and this miracle. And yet those were
busy times. The Apostles could not let any
precious opportunity slip by without improve.
ment. We have no account of anything being
done between Pentecost and this miracle, and
hence We cannot allow any great interval be-
tween the two events.
The man had been laid daily at the gate"
". 81 We have way of telling for how
long. 1t may have been for years. We find
he had been disabled for 40 years. "a: 22)
For effecting the miracle practically no time
was required ~. ~
The hours of prayer at the temple ~. ~
were a. III. and 3 p. m. We find the first
season of prayer noticed at 2: Is and the second
at 81. David and Daniel speak of praying
three times daily. Cps, So: II; Dam, 6: 10)
The hours were probably 3 a. m, IL M, and 3
p. m. Ps., 80: II specifies these three seasons
of prayer evening and morning. and at noon."
Again David declares he praises God seven
times day. (Ps., 119: 164.) We have the
statement in Acts 10: 8 that St Peter prayed
at the sixth hour noon.
g. Place.
The Temple consisted Of several courts all
facing east. The first court approached was
known as the Court Of the Gentiles, 912 feet
square. 1t was entered at the east by the Gate
Shushan. The next court went by the name
Court of the Women, about 240 feet square.
This was entered from the east by the Gate
Beautiful. Said gate was about 81 feet high
and Ga feet wide. 1t was of folding doors, so
each door was 32 feet wide. Josephus says 1t
was Of fine Corinthian brass, plated with gold
and silver, and so ponderous as to require 90
men to open or shut it, The man begged near
this gate, he not being in the Temple proper,
but in the Court of the Gentiles. So we read
in verse that after the cure he went into the
Temple; but many students hold that, in fact,
the Gate Shusan was beautiful, and that it is
more likely the beggar was wholly outside of
the Temple and simply near the eastern gate Of
entrance to the Court Of the Gentiles. So Ben
gel, DE-. Adam Clarke, Barnes. The reference to
SolOmon's porch ". III fayors this view.
In early times it was the custom for beggars
to take position at entrances to temples. The
places of worship Of tho heather were crowded
with the needy and afflicted. One even yet no.
tees near the doors of churches in parts Of Eu-
rope men and women seeking aims. Such gates
are thronged, and persons on way to or from