Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-08-25
HE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LEScCN x, THIRD QUARTER, lNTC"-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 81.

~. Wv neleupOn, " hlng Agrlppa, was
not disobedient unto the heavenly vision"
Eome two years after the last lesson Felix
was succeeded by Festus, and Paul was
till prisoner. The high priest and the
Jews soon made mention of Paul, the pris-
oner, and asked that he might be brought
to Jerusalem for trial, hoping to kill him
on the way XIV, 2, 81. They were com
PEELED, however, to appear against him at
Cesarea, and it was then that Paul APP
pealed to Caesar. which necessitated his
being sent to Rome Meantime King Agrip-
on 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 as far
in his story rs his conversion on the way to
| Damascus and his consequent readiness to
obey his new Masters orders. See II Sam.
XIV, Is; lisa. /, 49, and take heed.
90 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. t. O. 10; Titus H.
ll-l3, and see how he insisted on these
things. We are all by nature against God
|
in the temple and W. mt 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
enmty of man against God, and it was
fully shown out in the persecution and
crucifixion 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
it, concerning Jesus chapters xvii, 2, 3,
xviii 49, Jesus himself taught that all
Scripture referred to Him duke xiv, %,
~ 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, Is;
xii 2, with Gal iii, Is; Ps. xxi, t. l6. lisa.
lii, s. 6, and elsewhere. His resurrection is
referred to in Ps. xvi, ID, with Acts iii, Is;
lisa. lii, 10; Hos. vi, 2, etc, while His being
light to the nations is seen in lisa. Kill 6;
Xix, 6, etc. Although all was so plainly
foretold the Jews shut their eyes to tie
true significance of these things and would
not hear of suffering Messiah John xii.
32-34).
"a And rs 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 lisa. lx, 10,
margin). The prophet is a fool; the spirit
ual man is mad Hos tx, y. 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.
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. i, lG; Thess ii, ~, but he did de
sire to please Him who had called him Ql
Cor. v, o, and II Tim. ii, 49,. And he had a
. great ambition to win men to Christ u
Cor. tx, 22) and to magnify Christ in his
body whether by life or death phil. i, 20)
90 For the king knoweth of these
things, before whom also speak FIRE ely, for
: this thing was not done in n corner" When
the high priest asked Jesus of His doctrine
g He said, 81 spake openly to the world;
ever taught in the synagogue and in the
: temple, whittier the Jews always resort,
i and in secret have | said nothing" (JohI
J xviii, 20). The story of Jesus of Nazareth
II was known far and wide, but it was to the
great majority simply n story of zone Jesus
who was dead, whom some affirmed to be
alive" ACTS XIV, l9). 1t is not much NOR,
to most people even now.
- 81. King Agrppa, beievest thou tn,
prophetsS ! know that thou believest.
One of Paul's notices was, Believing al
things which are written in the law and il
the prophets" (xXiv, 40 Jesus rebuke t.
a !, the two disciples was 20 fools and slow o
I. heart to believe all that the prophets hav
Re spoken duke xiv, 25). Surely the Lore
Cod will do nothing, but He revealeth Hi
a. secret unto HIS servants the prophets (Amo
s. iii, ~ therefore if we care anything abou
d the secret of the Lord we will sur ly stud
o. prophecy
2S. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Al
n. most thou persuadest me to be Chris
ne tian" The r. V. makes Agrippa say
5. with but little persuasion thou woulds
9, fain make me n Christian" Herod hear
rs John the Baptist gladly and did man
$. things: Felix trembled under the Spirit
e, words through Paul, and now Agrippa
~ moved, but nothing lasting ever came of
id in either case AS far as we know. The wor
preached does not profit unless mixed wit
faith in those who hear it (Ileb iv, y. w
have great Iced to take heed of the evi
heart of unbelief, and to take heed how W
hear Heb. iii, 10; Luke viii, 49,.
20. And Paul said, would to God tina
not only thou, but also all that hear IN
this day, were both almost and altogethe
such as am, except these bonds" 1t wa
not liberty that Paul sought, nor persona
comfort, except as he could use these fo
/ the glory of God, but he did always an
everywhere seek to win men to Chris
Whether they were rulers like Agrippi
Festus or Felix, or public servants like tn
jailer at Pbilppi, or slaves like Onesmui
he regarded not their circumstances, sougl
not their favor, despsed not their poverty
but most earnestly coveted their eternf
welfare.
1922 This man doeth nothing worth
of death or of bonds. This man might hav
been set at liberty if he had not appeale
unto Caesar" These three verses of ou
lesson tell of the private conference of til