Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-12-01
STONED AT LYSTRA.
LESSON x, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, DEC. q.

NJ. Stearns.
8. "And there sat a certain man at Lys
ira, impotent in his feet, who never had
walked" In chapter iii, 2, see a similar
case, and compare John V, 80. This mans
hysical condition is n picture of the spirit
hal condition of every one who has not
been born from above. There is not, as
rome assert without Scriptural authority
spark Of good even in the worst of men,
which only needs charging and cultivat-
ing, but all are by nature children of
wrath, and in us--that is in our flesh
there dweleth no good thing (Eph. ii, 3,
Rom. vii, lS).
o. "The same heard Paul speak" And
it is evident from this verse that as he
heard he received, for faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God
(Rom y, ~. The entrance Of Gods Word
giveth light ops cxiX 1900. We may i'm
agine Paul telling how Jesus when on
earth had healed instantly, with word
or a touch, the lame, the blind, the deaf,
the dumb, and how He had even raised the
dead; and that the ime signs and Won
ders had been wrong 1T in His name by His
servants since lie had assembled, proving
II i'm to be still the very same Jesus.
10. STAND upright on thy feet" Thus
spake Paul to the impotent man, as look
ing upon him he perceived that he had
faith to be healed, and Immediately he
leaped and walked. For the first time in
his life he stood on his feet and walked, it
was an entirely new experience by the
power Of God upon him. Jesus did the
work, Paul was the channel of blessing, the
| helpless man was the glad recipient. He
| giveth power to the faint and to them that
| buN; 1irrb 10 q ha CT trtb
Where is our faith?
II. "The gods are come down to us in
the likeness of men" Such was the testi-
| mony Of the blind heather who knew moth
| ing of the true God, but worshiped many
| fancitul gods which had no existence. God
! had come down to earth in the likeness of
man, and it was His power which had
made this man whole, but they knew Him
not q Tim. iii, lG).
| II. and they called Barnabas Jupiter"
etc. They gave to the servants of God
I these heather names as when Daniel and
/ his companions in Babylon We're also given
heather names. We must not be offended
| if people give US names that do not belong
to us, for they called Jesus Beelzebub,
| glutton, wine bibber. Neither may we
feel tlattered if high sounding titles are
bestowed upon us Love is not pulled up.
10. Then the priest of Jupiter would
have done sacrifice with the people" They
were about to worship Paul and Barnabas,
! believing them to be more than men. 1t
suggests the question as to whether in the
| lives of most Christians there is anything
! to cause people to say, That is not
natural; there IS something supernatural
about that person; that meekness or pa
thence or wisdom or power is of God"
H. "Balnabas and Paul rent their
| clothes" Are we as horrited if we hear
| given to us the praise which ought to be
given only to God, or are we apt to covet
this very thing and love to have it given
out that ourselves are some great people
/ Chapter viii, y. Unless we deligntto give
all glory to Cod and seek glory only for
/ God, we have not the Spirit of Chrst-for
/ lie sought neither Ills own Will nor His
own glory John vi, 3S viii, 5O).
10, Turn from these vanities unto the
living God, which made heaven and earth
and the sea ana all things that are there
! IN" With great earnestness did the
apostles seek to turn the people thoughts
from themselves TO God as when the angel
sald TO JOhn, see thou Go IL not, worship
. Goa Qtev. NXil, y. The tendency today is
to think more OF man than OF God, and the
great trouble Is that many men do not feel
/ troubled about 1t but love TO nave 1t So
forgetting Cor. /, 26-3l.
IL. wv no IN times past suffered all ma
/ tons to walk in their own ways" Since
God placed man ON earth lie has been try
ing him in every possible way-in Eden
and out OF Eden, without law and under
law, under grace and under the Holy
Spirit-and lie shall have one trial more
under the personal reign of the Lord Jesus.
In due time it shall be fully proven that
man apart from God is only failure.
II. Nevertheless He left not Himself
without witness" In Rom. i, 90 Il, 1T is
made plain that in all ages all are without
excuse, for God may be known by His
works, and even in the darkest corners of
earth there is n light which if lived in will
be recognized by God in some way, Com
pare Acts xvii, 50.
Is. and with these sayings scarce re-
strained they the people" Sight is a great
thing to the natural man, and what one
sees is apt to fully persuade. The spiritual
man makes more of that which he cannot
see. These people have seen the impotent