Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON I, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 2.

ESviih iD-Commentary by the Rev. ID.
NJ. Stearns.
g. "Now when they had gone throughout
Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and
were forbidden Of the Holy Ghost TO preach
the word in Asia" AS we left our studies
In this book six months ago we parted with
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Syria
teaching and preaching the word of the
Lord. Then came the separation Of these
two as they were about TO start on their
second tour Barnabas and Mark sailing
for Cyprus while Paul and Silas went
Through Syria AMI Cilicia. By'consulting
She map, without which it is impossible to
understand this lesson, we see them still
moving westward, but hedged lin on north
I and so'9th and compelled TO move on
through Mysia.
I. after they we're conieto Mysia they
assayed togo into ,Bithynia, but the Spirit
suffered them not.h One 0f the most strfk-
ing things an this book is the partnership
of the Holy Spirit and the apostles, just as
Jesus had said that it would be John xiv,
| 16, N; XIV, 28 "a; xvi, 10; Acts j. 81. And as
it was ;afterwbrd proved to be as when
they said, 1--WE are the witnesses, and so is
/ also the Holy Ghost;"' also when theSpirit
said into Philip to join himself TO tho
teunuch's chariot, when the Spirit called
/ Tor the special separation of Paul and
II Barbados, Nnd when the council ut Jerusa-
II leIh'Said to the Christians at Antioch, ut
seemed gUed to the Holy SpiritiAnd to us'
l (ASts v, 81; viii, go; xiii, Q; XIV, ;2s). Then
comes the questiss, Where lis this partner
Ship todsyY Are we who profess ito be
workers with Cad completely ana abso-
1utely under thenontrol Of the SPIRIT
g. "tsnd they, passing by Mysia, ca1ne
| tdownto' Troas-" 1t would not he safe TO
tsoncUSe thatspposition Was an Indication
sthat the Spiritfwas telling us to- moveon
Flor the opposition at lcohium rs given as
the reason wig Paul continued there Chap
terxtv, g. 81 and elsewhere he speaks of a
\ great door and effectual with ifaany adver-
' saries u Cor. xvi, o. also sat Corinth,
where thereSTas much opposition, the Lord
cam to him and strengthened him to abide
lSmonths IN that city (chaeter&viii, 6, 9,
10s. We may be sure of this, that if we
Are whol9y.ander the Spirits control, seek
ing only The glory of God, He willgguide us
IN some ,bhmistakRtlle ,wag Cps. >xxxii. 6:
Isa xxx, ,p1.)
9. Come over into Maeetlonia and help
1us." HnSing 1rTiSleH at, the seanoast, they
lno doubt continue I'm prayer and in the
tstillnessof the might this is thu message
There was no werdaUf ScriPtureto give them
specialRaidanre.aI my more than there was
to sendiPhilip from SSamaria to the way 10
GAIA. AS rule Vthe'word of God is full
and sufficient guido, and if aIyything more
is needed it shall he given toJEhe humble,
trusting soul by some event, of Providence
or some whisper of the>Spirit, but never in
| opposition to the written wOi1i
10. hAnd aftfT he had seen he vision i'm
mediately we endsavDred to go into Mace
| doniai Rassuredly gathering That the Lord
had called us fCr 10 preach the gospel unto
| them" The party seems to be increased
| here by the addition of the writer Luke,
for instead of saying they as heretofore,
it is ROW we" 1ntCol., nv, IA, he is called
'Lnke,,the beloved physician" and is else
where amentiOnhd Thy name in Phi. "a and
Ill Tim Nv, II. Observe Pa1l's promptness
4 in obeying the call and fancy he and his
party locking abOutTthe wharves for a wes-
sci IN which to crosstto Europe, or possibly
there was regularcomm Wecan-
not think of them going without nhlch
prayer.
IL. Therefore leesing from Troas. we
came with straight course to Samothra-
cha. and THE next day to .Neapolis" By
consulting the map we find that Same
thracia was an island in the >Egean sea, al
most in sldirect line from .Troas to Neapo-
us, and perhaps about half way across.
! Neapolis being the port OF Philippi and
aR0qlt 10 Rltles distant fromit What was
accomplished on theway acress or at Mean
OILS IS notHritten, hut we cannot suppose
the apostleand his companions to have let
SIP. any .9I portunity of making Jesus
KNOWN. He who teaches us to buy I'D the
opportunities CEph- ", is, iR ", margin)
Nwas. douhtlese accustomed to do the same.
r. And fppm thence to Philippi, which
I - nf hot of
aud aeolony.and we were in, that city abid-
ing certain days" Strangers in a strange
/ d nd; ieo oneato meet al d welcome them:
d. kindly greeting; not expected by any.
wv hatia good time for satan to get in some
yY9 rk ON his line, and probably .he tried i'll
Wei, FiAal, youere quite distance from
herne, and nobody knows you or wants
Y9u hereJgour man in the vision who called
You, this,way is met up to time; guess Won
have made a mistake; you are not wanted
here; better get back. Such comforting
suggestions wouldabsve been very like sa.
ttan, but Paul knew him, and be knew Je-
Sus! too.
ID. land on, the. Sabbath we went out of
ahe, city bya riverside, where prayer was
wont ito be made; apd we sat down and
sRake unto 1.-THE women which resorted
thlther!'" Thank God for the women who /
Pt~S GUY 'nHp ilOfe 10 meet Tor prayerl d
Note thatthe gospel was first preached In
Eun9pe at a wapen's prayer meeting. and |
listen to Paul ,exhortinG the brethren to
help the wo1enip this sEery place, women
who ksboreA with Aim in the gospel CPhil.
~, 81. We can readily imagine what PaaI
talked about. for he had but one chief
topic-one person had taken him captive
GahapterS tx, 40; xviii 2, 3; yxxviii, %, 3i).
az. And a certain woman dnamed lydia
a.eeller Of purple, of the city.of Thyatira.
which worshiped God. heard us, whose
heHyt'the Lord opened that she attended
unto the things which were spoken of
Paul" Paul WAS not suffered to 20 into
Asia% verse @ at this time, but, here was a
Eoman of Asia, who up to her light wor-
and doubtless eagerly prayed
Tor moreltght, and now she has received It
by a special messenger all the way from
syria, and, but recently from the Holy City. :
Jerusalem, one who had himself seen the
Lord III Cor. Ky, 81. This was the greatest
LAY in lsll herilife, for she had heard of Him /
II IA hQml MOSaa and tho l. II ! =