The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-09-08

lo03-Poul - Rome-Aets 3s:3o-Sl.
Especially Arranged from Pclouhct's Notea1
GOLDEN TExr-I am not ashamed Of tha
Gospel OF Christ-Rorl liza
TINE arrived - Rome about tho dfUo
Of March. A. ID g. He remained there prtos
oner for TWO years. TIL March, A. d a.
PLAcK-Rome. the capital city Of the empire
and chief city OF the world.
PAUL. aged nffy-nine
RuLERs-Nero. emperor Of the Roman cm
pire eighth and ninth yearsl Fcstus. gov
ernor Of Judca till his death, November ~ o.
Seneca and Burrhus, the leading and tue beat
statesmen OF Nero's reign Early in A d. -
Burrhus died. and Seneca retired from public
life.
with such notices OF Paul ~ are found in ths
Epistles. especially Tim Goa
LESSON NOTES.
II is not clear whether the Roman
centurion and his company Of prison.
ers took the land route round tbs
Pomptine marshes. or awaited them
selves of the canal which cut directly
through the morass, and which has
been made familiar to every classical
schoolboy by Horace humorous de-
scription Of the journey to Brundusium-
The Christians who came to meet Paul
do not seem to have known which
of the two routes might be chosen;
for they met him at Appii
Forum 1.-THE market Of Appius), the
place at which the road and the canal
came together. In the city Paul was
permitted TO dwell in his own hired
house, supported. no doubt, by the
Christians of Rome, where he could
meet Christians and preach the Gospel.
Paul received this privilege probably
from the favorable report that was
sent from Festus and Agrippa, and the
centurion julius would certainly use
what influence he possessed on his be-
half. The custom was that the pris:
oner should be chained by one hand to
the soldier while he was on guard.
Paul Encouraged. When Paul was
met and greeted by the Christians Of
Rome, The thanked God and took cour-
age" He felt as Stanley did when he
emerged from the great Central Afri-
can forests into the open sunlight.
/. He entered Rome, not so much as .
criminal rs an apostle with hosts of
friends. .. Human sympathy warmed
his heart. 3. He found the church, for
which he had longed and prayed, safe
and prosperous, and sound in the faith.
4. He would have the needed aid for
preaching the Gospel at Rome. 8. The
great anxieties and dangers of the
journey were passed. 9. lie would be
refreshed after his long labors-
Paul's First Interview with the
Jews. AS soon as possible after he was
settled in his lodgings. Paul sent for
the leading Jews, as distinct from the
Christians. to meet him a; his home.
since he could not go to them
Reasons for This Interview. (1) Paul
was naturally anxious to justify himself
before them. and thus to remove any
obstacle which might hinder the re-
ception of the Gospel t2) lie thought
that reports prejudicial to him might
have been sent and circulated among
them by the Jews of Judea. (3) Be
sides, the fact that he was a prisoner
might cause the Roman Jews to re-
gard him with suspicion a. He also
acted upon his principle of preaching
the Gospel to the jew first. and then
to the Gentle Rom. 1:lC). (5) He
hoped that some of his countrymen
would yield to the truth and become
Christians.
Advantages of Paul's Position at
Rome. ~ lie was safe from all
the intrigues and plots of the
Jews. He could not have been bet
ter guarded. ta) He was brought into
conspicuous notice. ES cry one could
hear of the famous prisoner. and learn
the story Of his past labors, and of his
journey TO Rome. The Gospel at Rome
was thus "a city set upon hill" t3)
lie could preach the Gospel with per-
feet freedom to all who came He could
converse with individuals or preach to
companies t4) The soldier chained to
him was relieved at stated intervals.
so that large number Of soldiers
would come under his influence They
would hear all he said 10 others; he
would converse also with them per-
sonally. and they would be won by the
sweetness Of his spirit. his patience,
earnestness and love. Tradition says
that the greatest statesman. Seneca,
was among the converts to Christianity
by the preaching Of Paul II Is quite
possible, according to Prof. Lurnby,
that the Gospel was introduced into
England by some of those Roman
soldiers who heard Paul preach the
Gospel in prison.
Paul's Subsequent History. Hints in
the Epistles.and traditions supply all
that is known or conjcctured respect
ing this last stage of the apostles min
istry. II Is supposed that on being
liberated twriters do not agree as to
the precise order) he visited again
parts of Asia Minor and Greece: went
to Crete and founded. or more prob
ably strengthened, the churches there;
made his long contemplated journey
TO Spain; wrote his first Epistle 70
Timothy and his Epistlc to Titus:
after several years of effective labor
was apprehended again as leader IF
the Christian sect; was brought Sec
ond time rs q prisoner Of Christ to
Rome; was tried there and condemned
to suffer death. His Roman citizenship
exempted him from the ignominy Of
crucifixion. and hence, according to
the universal tradition. he was behcad-
ed by the AK of the lictor. The same
49, -. n