Passaic City record., 1893-08-26
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST 27.
Lesson Text: ssPaul Before Agrippa,"
Acts XVI, 1882 - Golden
Text: Cor. L., "a
Commentary.


not disobedient unto the heavenly vision"
Some two years after the last lesson Felix
was succeeded by Festus, and Paul was still
prisoner. The high priest and the Jews
soon made mention of Paul, the prisoner,
and asked that he might be brought to Jeru-
salem for trial, hoping to kill him on the
way (xxv., 2 81. They were compelled, how
ever, to appear against him at C@sarea, and
it was then that Paul appealed to Cesar,
which necessitated bis being sent to Rome.
Meantime King Agrippa and Bernice visited
Festus, and he tells them of Paul and of hie
appeal to Cesar, but that he has no definite
accusation against him, upon which ASrippa
desires to hear him. Paul is now before
Agrippa and Festus and the chief captain and
principal men of the city, and has gotten as
far in his story as his conversation the way
to Damascus and his consequent readiness
to obey his new Masters orders. See II Sam
XIV. 10; Isa. j., 19, and take heed.
20. '.That they should repent and turn to
God and do works meet for repentance"
He began at Damascus, then at Jerusalem
and SO on in all the world, preaching these
things. Compare Thess. j., 9, 10 Titus H.,
Ills, 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 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.
o. ''Saying none other things than those
which the prophets of Moses did say should
come" BY the help of God he continued
witnessing to small and great, reasoning out
of the Old Testament, as we call it, concern
ing Jesus Chapters xvii, 2, 8 xviii, 23).
Jesus Himself taught that all Scripture re-
ferred to Him duke XIV, 81, Az. Philip
preached Jesus to the Ethiopian from lisa.
Lii.
%. i'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. ill.,, Is !;
xii, 2, with Gal. ill.,, Is; Ps. xxii., /, Is !;
Is referred to in Ps. XVII, 10, with Acts ill.,,
IS; Isa. ill.,, 10 Hos. vi, 2, etc., while His
being light to the nations is seen in Isa.
xiii, 6; Xix, 6, etc. Although all was so
plainly foretold the Jews shut their eyes to
the true significance of these things and
would not hear of a suffering Messiah (John
xii, 32-34).
"a ''And as he thus spake for himself
Festus said with loud voice, Paul, thou
art beside thyself much learning doth make
thee mad" He that departeth from evil is
accounted mad Isa. lix., Is, margin). The
prophet is fools the spiritual man is mad
(Hos. ix., y. Jesus Himself was repeatedly
told that He had a devil (John vii, 90, viii,
49,. If we make Christ our center, we must
of necessity be eccentric in the eyes of 9TH
ers and seem to them to be beside ourselves.
25. "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 the hearing of a greater than Festus
or Agrippa. He had no ambition to please
men gal. l., 10; Thess IL, A., but he did
desire to please Him who had called him.
(II Cor ", g. and II Tim. H.. 15). And he
had a great ambition to win men to Christ
q Cor. tx, 22) and to magnify Christ in his
body whether by life or death Phil. l., 20).
26. '.For the king knoweth of these
things, before whom also I speak freely, for
TINS thing was not done in q corner" When
the high priest asked Jesus of His doctrine,
He said, 81 spake openly to the world I
ever taught in the synagogue and in the
temple, whittier the Jews always resort, aud
in secret have said nothing" (John xviii,
20.) The story of Jesus of Nazareth was
known far and wide but it was to the great
majority simply a story of zone Jesus, who
was dead, whom some affirmed to be alive"
(Acts XIV, 19). 1t is not much more to most
people even now.
81. 'sKing Agrippa, believest thou the
prophets? know that thou believest." One
OF Paul's notices was, believing all things
which are written in the law and in the
prophets" (xxiv., 14). Jesus's rebuke to the
two disciples was, so fools and slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets have spoken
OIuke XIV, 25). Surely the Lord God will
do nothing. but He revealeth His secret unto
His servants the prophets (AmOs ill.,, y !;
therefore if we care anything about the secret
of the Lord we will surely study prophecy.
%. ''Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Al
most thou persuadest me to be a Christian"
The r. v. makes Agrippa say. 'With but
little persuasion thou wouldst fain make me
a Christian Herod heard John the Bap-
tist gladly and did many things Felix trem-
bled under the Spirits words through Paul,
and now Agrippa is moved, but nothing
lasting ever came of it in either case as far as
we know The word preached does not
profit unless mixed with faith in those who
hear it (Heb iv, q. We have great need to
take heed of the evil heart of unbelief, and
to take heed how we hear (Heb. ill.,, II |;
Luke viii, 18).
90. "And Paul said, would to God that
not only thou. but also all that hear me this
day. were both almost and altogether such
as 1 am, except these bonds" 1t was not
liberty that Paul sought, nor personal COM
fort, except as he could use these for the
glory OF God, but he did always and every
where seek to win men to Christ. Whether
they were rulers like Agrippa, Festus or
Felix, or public servants like the jailer at
Phiippi. or slaves like Onesimus, he re-
garded not their circumstances, sought not
their favor despised not their poverty, but
most earnestly coveted their eternal welfare.
1892 '.This man doeth nothing worthy
of death or of bonds. This man might have
been set at liberty if he had not appealed
unto Caesar" These three verses of our les
son tell of the private conference of the king,
the governor, Bernice and they that sat with
them when they had retired from the public
assembly after Paul had finished his testi-
T
give their decision. and as we read them we
feel like wishing that Paul had not appealed
unto Caesar. But when we read chapter
xiii. IL. ''The night following the Lord
stood by him and said, Be of good cheer,
Paul, for as thou has testified of Me in Jeru-
salem so must thou bear witness also al
Rome" we are compelled to be still and SET
God working out His own purposeS in His