Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-08-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL 9ERIES, AUG. 27.

Stearns.
10. "Whereupon, o King Agrippa, was
not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. {"
Some two years after the last lesson Felix
was succeeded by Festus, and Paul was
still a prisoner The high priest and the
Jews soon made mention of Paul, the pris.
Oner, and ask ed that he might be brought
TO Jerusalem for trial, hoping to kill him
ON the way txxv, 2, 81. They were COM
PEELED, howevcf' to appear against him Mt
CBsarea, and it was then that Paul ap-
pealed to Cesar, which necessitated his
being sent to Rome. Meantime King Agrip
pa and Bernice visit Festus, and he tells
them Of Paul and of his appeal to Caesar,
but that he has no definite accusation
against him, upon which Agrippa desires
to hear him. Paul is now before Agrippa
and Festus and the chief captains and prin-
cipal men of the city, and has gotten az far
in his story us his conversion on the way to
Damascus and his consequent readiness to
obey his new Masters orders See ii Sam.
XIV, 10; lsa /, 10, and take heed
20 That they should repent and turn to
God and do works meet for repentance"
lie began at Damascus, then at Jerusalem
and so on in all the world, preaching these
things. Compare ! Thess. !, Q, 10; Titus ii,
lib, and see how he insisted on these
things We are all by nature against God.
81. For these causes the Jews caught me
in the temple and went about to kill me"
1t does not seem possible that people would
hate IA man and even try to kill him Just
for being good, but the hatred of Joseph by
his brethren, and of Daniel by his fellows,
and of Paul by the Jews simply prove the
enmity of man against God, and it was
fully shown out in the persecution and
crucifXion Of the Lord Jesus.
%. Saying none other things than those
which the prophets and Moses did say
should come" BY the help of God he con-
tinued witnessing to small and great, rea
soning out of the Old Testament, as we call
1t, concerning Jesus Chapters xvii, ., 3;
xviii, 23) jesus himself taught that all
Scripture referred to Him duke xiv, 81,
AZ. Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian
from lisa. lii.
%. THAT Christ should suffer, and that
He should be the first that should rise from
the dead and should show light unto the
people and to the Gentiles." The suffering
and death of Christ are seen in Gen. iii, 15
sXli, 2, with Gal. iii, 10; Ps. xxi, |, l6; lisa.
IN, ., T., and elsewhere. His resurrection is
referred to in Ps. xvi 10, with Acts iii, l5
l>a. lii. 10; Hos vi, 2, etc, while His being
light to the nations is seen in lisa. xiii g.
XIX, o, etc. Although all was so plainly
loretold, the Jews shut their eyes to the
true significance of these things and would
not hear of suffering Messiah John xii,
2-3).
-. And us he thus spake for himself
Fcstus said with loud voice, Paul, thou
art beside thyself, much learning doth
make thee mad. He that departeth
from evil is accounted mad lisa. lix, 10,
margn). The prophet is a fool the spirit
nal man is mad Qlos. tx, ~ Jesus himself
was repeatedly told that He had devil
John vii, 20; viii 49,. If we make Christ
our center, we must of necessity be eccen-
trio in the eyes Of others and seem to them
to be beside ourselves
%, But he said, am not mad, most no
BILE Festus, but speak forth the words Of
truth and soberness." Paul knew whereof
he affirmed and realized that he was speak
ing in he hearing Of Il greater than Festus
or Agrippa. lie had no ambition to please
men Gal. j. 10; Thess. ii, y, but he did de-
lire to please Him who had called him Oh
Cor. V, ., and II Tim. ii, l5). And he had a
Ercat ambition to win men to Christ Il
Cor. tx, 90 and to magnify Christ in his
Body whether by life or death 0'hil. i, 20.
20. For the king knoweth of these
things before whom also | speak freely, for
this thing was not done in corner" When
the high priest asked Jesus of His doctrine,
lie said, Il spake openly to the world; l
ever taught in the synagogue and in the
temple, whittier the Jews always resort
and in secret have | said nothing" John
xviii, 2O). The story of Jesus of Nazareth
was known far and wide, but it was to the
great majority simplya story of zone Jesus,
who was dead, whom some affirmed to be
alive" (Acts XIV, 49, 1t is not much more
TO most people even now
~ king Agrippa, believest thou the
prophets9 | know that thou believest."
One of Pauls notices was, Believing all
things which are written in the law and in
the prophets" (xxiv, 14. Jesus rebuke to
the two disciples was, 30 fools and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets have
spoken" duke xiv, 25). Surely the Lord
God will do nothing, but He revealeth His
secret unto His wants the prophets amos
iii, y; therefore if we care anything about
the secret of the Lord we will surely study
prophecy.