Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-09-08
HE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson XII, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 10.

Text of the Lesson, Acts xviii, 20-ci.
Memory Verses, 2S-31-Golden Text,
Rom. / 1G-Commentary by the Rev. ID.
NJ. ste irns.
90. Fer this cause therefore haveI called
for you 20 see you and to speak with you,
because that for the hope of Israel | am
bound with this chain" During the three
months at Malta many miracles were
wrought by Paul in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and many must have heard the gos-
pei (verses lid. In due time arriving at
Rome, Paul was suffered to dwell by him
self with a soldier that kept him, and after
three days he called together the chiefs of the
Jews and made known to them why he was
n prisoner and why at Rome. Before Agrip
pa he had spoken Of the hope of the prom
Use made of God unto the fathers as some
thing concerning the IL tribes (xxvi, 6, y.
81. And they said unto him. We neither
received letters out of Judea concerning
Oh g, neither any Of the brethren that came
Ihewed or spake any harm of thee" They
did not have daily papers with the news
from all the world in each issue. 1t may
have been some comfort to Paul to know
that tongues in this part of the world had
not yet opened fire on him He had been
enjoying his share of it elsewhere and had
found some Pleasure in it Oh Cor xii, 10).
90. But we desire to hear of thee what
thou thinllest, for as concerning this sect
we know that everywhere it is spoken
against" In chapter xiv, 8, the followers
of Jesus are called the sect of the NaZarenes.
If Paul had not been spoken against at
Rome up to this time, it would now be evil
dent to him that his Master had, and his
l T,11. !, l.,
Paul was ready, for his prayer was to know
Him, and the power of His resurrection, and
the fellowship of His sufferings phil. hi, 10).
%. HE eXpounded and testihedt the king.
dom of God, persuading them concerning
Jesus both out of the law of Moses and out
of the prophets from morning until even.
ing" Having gathered unto him in his
lodging a company of Jews, he, as his Gus
tom was, preached unto them Jesus as Son
of David and coming King from their own
Scriptures (chaptT xvii, 2, B; xix, s; xiv,
l4). Doubtless Acts xiii, l6-41, is a fair sam
pie of his preaching and reasoning He
sought to convince them that Jesus of Naz-
areth was indeed the promised Messiah,
/ that it was all foretold that He should die
and rise again, and that now they were to
receive Him, serve Him patiently and faith
| fully and wait for His return Acts iii, 1921
/ | Ihess. i, O. 10; Titus ii, lib.
"a And some believed the things which
were spoken, and some believed not" We
are nowhere taught that the good news Will
be universally received III this age Some
seed will fall by the wayside and some on
rocky soil, but a portion will find good
ground; some will be saved, and the church
shall be completed (Math. xiii 1928; Cor
tx, -; Eph' w Even IN the next age
when satan snail be bound there Will be
decelvers VINO val only yleld ielgned
obedience and VIII follow satan when he
comes out OF the pit US lXVl' d, margin;
KEY NJ {, o.
20 ana When they agreed not among
themselves they departed after that Paul
had spoken one WAd' wen spake the
Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our
fathers. mat 1t was not the prophets
VINO spake OF wrote, out goa py his spirit
through the prophets Is everywhere taught.
Compare Acts l. Z; II, Il; ~, 20, and notice
VINO IL IS that speaks. David In his last
words SAID, The spirit OF the Lord spake
by me, ana his word was IN my tongue
~ sam. XIII, ~ Feter says II was the
spirit OF Christ who spoke through the
prophets Il Pet l, 10, ~
20 Hearing ye shall hear and shall not
understand, and seeing We shall see and
not perceive" 1t was not very encouraging
to the prophet to be told chat the peonl,
would neither perceive nor understand hi,
message, but jeremiah and Ezekiel had tn,
same prospect before them. "They shal
fight against thee" THE house of Israe
will not hearken unto me" der i, 49, Eek
iii, y. The messenger Of the Lord has onl,
to deliver the message faithfully der. xiii
PSI, sure that it will accomplish the Lord
pleasure lisa. lv, ID, and take refuge an,
j comfort in Luke X, l6.
81. For the heart of this people is wake,
, gross, and their ears are dull of hearing
. and their eyes have they closed, lest | shout,
heal them" The difficulty is not on God
side, but wholly on the side of man, VIII
will not listen to God 1t is written tina
the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao'
and also that Pharaoh hardened his owt
! heart (Ex. X, /, 20, 81; viii, Is. 32). The Lor
did it by giving him a command which b
would not obey, and Pharaoh did it by
fusing to obey the Lords command. Go
is always right, but man wrong.
oS .Ila r. Lno,,-, +haroforo 49, - no., - -