Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-11-11
SENT BY THE SPIRIT.
LESSON VII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, NOV. 10.

Text of the Lesson, Acts xiii, l-13-Mem-
DRY Verses, 2-4-Golden Text, Luke xiv,
47-Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
Stearns.
|. Nov there were in the church that
was at Antioch certain prophets and teach
ers." Barnabas and Saul having con-
tinued whole year at Antioch teaching
much people, were afterward sent to Jeru-
salem with the offering for the needy
brethren of Judea chapter ri, 5000. In
due time they returned, having fulfilled
their mission, and brought with them
John Mark, son of Mary, Barnabas' sister,
at whose house the prayer meeting had
been held on behalf of Peter Chapter xii,
H. 25; Col. iv, l0O.
9. Gas they ministered to the Lord and
tasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me,
Barnabas and Saul for the work where
unto have called them" To stand before
God and serve Him and minister unto Him
on Chron. xxx, ID should be the attitude
and daily life of every Christian, the most
ordinary work of the daily routine being
done to His glory Il Cor. y, 81. TASTED
implies at least more thought given to the
body. Barnabas and Saul had been dill
gently serving the Lord and living this
consecrated life, but the Holy Spirit has
special work for them to which He now
calls them (Eph. ii, 100.
g. "And when they had tasted and
prayed and laid their hands on them
they sent them away The indulgence of
the body in eating and drinking is not con
sistent with a holy life That which is suf-
ficient for health God will bless, but the
health of the SOUL communion with God,
delightng in the will of God and ready to
do it, desire above all things to he filled
with His Spirit for His service-this will
bring power from on high and make us
channels whereby God may reveal Himself
to men.
4. 80 they, being sent forth by the Holy
Ghost, departed unto Selencia, and from
thence they sailed to Cyprus" They are
right in going forth on this tour, for they
are sent by the Spirit of God, and he can
not do wrong, but how they knew that they
were to 90 to Selencia, the seaport of An
tioch, and thence to Cyprus, is not clear to
us. To begin at home, or with those dear
est to us, seems to be a Scriptural princi-
pie luke viii, 80; xiv, 40.
5. And when they were at Salamis
they preached the word of God in the syna-
gocue of the Jews, and they had also John
to be their minister" Salamis was the east
ern or nearest part of Cyprus to Selencia,
while Paphos of the next verse was at the
extreme west of the island. "To the jew
first" was the regular custom of the
| apostles wherever they went (Rom. i, 16;
Acts iii, 26; xiii, 46). The preaching was
never sermon or essay to show their own
e1- 81 g . ,A
Word of God.
6. and when they had gone through
the isle unto Paphos they found certain
sorcerer, false prophet, jew, whose
name was Bar-jesus" We do not read of
any success, any results of their preaching
at Salamis, but we know they must have
given faithful testimony, and as brother
in the ministry once said to me, Faith
fulness is success" If we are faithful
God will see to the results. Consider Luke
xii, ~; xix, II; Rev. ii, 10. We do not
read of any followers of Jesus on the whole
island, but we do find false prophet.
I. (which was with the deputy of the
country, Sergus Paulus a prudent man;
who called for Barnabas and Saul, and de-
sired to hear the word of God" The false
prophet had made friends in high places,
and satan was no doubt well pleased with
his servants success. There have been
many false prophets who have had much
success, and there will be many more.
s. But Elymas, the sorcerer, withstood
them, seeking to turn away the deputy
from the faith" There is direct opposi
ton and antagonism between Christ and
antichrist, the true and the false, and
when preachers of truth find no one resist
ing them it is clear that the devil does not
l,ai,.
harm to his kingdom from their milk and
water, mandy PANTY, gooly goody kind ol
talk. If the preaching is Gods own truth
the devil will hate it and soon show it.
0. Then Saul (who is also called PauD
filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes OF
him." This is the first time that Saul i.
called Paul, and it is interesting to notice
that the deputy's name is Paulus. Her,
is n face to face encounter between n serv
ant of Christ and Il servant of satan in the
presence of the deputy, reminding us o.
the magicians who withstood Moses ant
Aaron, and taking us back even to the
time of Cain and Abel.
10. "And said, o full of all subtility ant
all mischief, thou child of Il e devil, thor
enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou moi
cease to pervert the right ways of tn,
Lord:" So Peter was enabled by the Spirit
to read the hearts Of Ananas and Sap
phira Chapter V, %. Thus plainly Je
sus spoke to the self righteous Jews, tell
ing them that they We're of their father
the devil John viii, 40 How much re
ligiousness there is today which is only
perversion of the truth of God, and there
fore of the devil God only knows, but i
will all be overthrow in due time unde
the name OF Babylon (Rev. xviii, 2l-24)
Contrast the true and the false in Jer
XIII, 2S 36.
II. "And now behold the hand of thu
Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind
not seeing the sun for season. And i'm
mediately there fell on him mist and
darkness and he went about seeking SOM
to lead him by the hand" The hand O
our God is upon all them for good tina
seek Him, but His power and His wrath i
against all them that forsake Him. Will
: His right hand He dashes in pieces tn
: enemy ezra viii, ~; Elk. XIV, g. TIL
hand of God by His servant when lai,
upon Saul gave him sight and filled hin
with the Spirit acts tx, II, 49, but nov
Al lie -