Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-07-29
APOSTLES ON TRIAL.
LESS On v, Ttn7c QUARTER, INTER-
MAJ iONhL SERlL-. JULY 81.

Text of the Lesson, Acts iv, f-is-Mem-
DRY Verses, s-11-Golden Text, Acts
iv. 1a-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
l. "And as they spake unto the people,
the priests and the captain of the temple
and the Sadducees came upon them" Peter
was preaching to the people who came to-
gether because of the healing of the lame
man, that Jesus whom they had crucifed
was indeed the Christ, and that God had
borne witness to the fact by raising Him
from the dead, and that therefore they
should receive Him, obtain forgiveness
and wait for His return to restore all things
of which the prophets have spoken Chapter
iii, 10, 21).
?. Being grieved that they taught the
people and preached through Jesus the
resurrection from the dead" The Saddu
Gees did not believe in a resurrection
(Math. xii, %; Acts xiii, s., but observe
here the expression from the dead" and
compare Phil. iii, II, r. v AS the resur
rectiop Of Jesus and those who rose with
Him (Math. xvii, so, 53) was a resurrec-
ton of saints, only leaving others still
asleep as to their bodies, SO shall it be at
His coming Il Thess. iv 1918; Rev. XXX, 81.
3. and they laid hands on them, and
put them in hold unto the next day, for it
was now eventide" Jesus had told them
that it would be even so John XIV, 20; xvi,
9, therefore it is probable that they were
not surprised at this treatment. Compare
Jer. xxXviii, 6; Heb. xi, SO, 81.
4. "Howbeit many of them which heard
the word believed, and the number of the
men was about five thousand" AS it was,
=. Iii H. 81. Ia1s
and some believe not acts xviii, PA, but
His word will accomplish His pleasure
and God will be glorifed lisa. ", II; II
Cor. ii, Is, 16) Put this 5000 with the
5000 of ii, Il. and consider the work of the
Spirit as foretold in John xvi, g. Notice
that all these converts were Jews. Where
is this power today9
81. And it came to pass on the morrow
that their rulers and elders and scribes,
when they had set them in the midst, they
asked, By what power or by what name
have ye done thisi" So also they asked
Jesus in Math. xxi, 49, not that they want
ed such power for themselves, but they
hated all that proceeded not from them
selves There are many such in the church
today who cannot tolerate anything that
does not originate with them; but it is we'll
to remember that all that does not origi-
nate with God shall come to naught.
S, 0. Then Peter, filed with the Holy
Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the
people and elders of Israel" Mark now
the fulfillment of that great promise in
Math. Y, 10, 90 and remember also such
encouragements as Jer. i, II, 10; Eek. ii,
6, Z. See how a man filed with the Spirit
fears not the face of rulers or elders, even
though the man be one who had not long
before basely denied his Master.
10. Be it known unto you all. and to all
the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jusus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye cru
Gifted, whom God raised from the dead,
even by Him doth this man stand here be-
fore you whole" This is the whole story
briefly and yet in full; Jesus died, Jesus lives,
Jesus has all power to forgive sins and also
to heal bodies and He is ready to manifest
that power on behalf Of those who are
willing to be His faithful witnesses, for II
Chron. xvi, 0, is rs true today as ever, and
do not know any hindrance to the mani.
festation of the power OF Christ so great as
our lack of faith and conservation (Mal. iii,
| 10; Eph. iii, 20).
II. This is the stone which was set at
nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner" Read here Gen.
Xix, "a; Isa viii, IA; xviii, Is; Ps cxviii,
p: Zech. iii, 9; iv, I; | Pet. it, IS, and see
what fruitful smile you have in this
stone, which so wondrously speaks of
| Christ. Fail not to read also Dan. ii, A,
Is. And see that you are in the Rock and
drinking from it ZEN xxxiii % lisa. XVI,
H. margin: Cor X, y.
II. Neither is there salvation in any
other for there is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we
must be saved" Other foundation can no
man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ q Cor iii, IL, and he who builds on
aught else is building on the sand. Israels
mistake was that, being ignorant of God s
righteousness, they sought to establish
their own, which was only filthy rags in
Gods sight Rom. X, g. 4; lisa. Xiv, 6: Math.
vii, 2+21.
10. They took knowledge of them that
they had been with Jesus" Like their
master they had not been taught in the
schools; they had not the wisdom of man,
but they had the power of God which made
itself manifest in them. God uses the
weak things and reveals Himself to babes.
IA. And beholding the man which was
healed standing with them, they could say
nothing against it," The power of Christ
manifest in us is the strongest kind OF
preaching, and when they saw it not only
in the apostles but in this poor helpless
be6 gar, their mouths. were shut. AS God
was glorified in these and in Paul, so He
desires to be in US Gal. l. 24 ! Cor. vi
10, 20).
Is, l6. What shall we do to these
men," The apostles being sent aside that
the council might confer together, we can
fancy how in their hearts, at least if not
yet aloud because Of their keepers they