The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-23
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
LESSON IX, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. "a.
Text of the Lesson. Acts XVI. 1892
Memory Verses. 81, 23-GoIden Text.
1 Cor. 1, 24-Commentary by the Rev.
ID. VI. 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 prisoner. The high
priest and the Jews soon made mention
of Paul. the prisoner. and asked that he
might be brought TO Jerusalem for trial.
hoping to kill him on the way (xxv, 2.
81. They Were compelled, however. to
appear against him at Caesarea, and it
was then that Paul appealed to Caesar,
which necessitated his being sent to
Rome. Meantime King Agrippa 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 forgotten
as far in his story as his conversion on
the way to Damascus and his consequent
readiness to obey his new Masters or
ders. See IL Sam. XIV, Is; lisa. i, 10, and
take heed.
20. THAT they should repent and turn
to God and do works meet for repent
ance." He began at Damascus, then at
Jerusalem and so on in all the world,
preaching these things. Compare 1
Thess. /, 8, 10; Titus ii, 11-15, and
see how he insisted on these things. We
are all by nature against God.
q. For these causes the Jews caught
me in the temple and went about to kill
me- 1t does not seem possible that peo-
pie would hate a man and even try to
kill him just for being good, but the
hatred of Joseph by his brethren, and
of Daniel by has fellows, and Of Paul by
the jews SIMPLY prove the enmity of
man against God, and 1t was fully shown
out in the persecution and crucifiXion of
the Lord Jesus.
22. Saying none other things than
those which the prophets and Moses did
say should come BY the help of God
he continued witnessing to small and
great, reasoning out OF the old testa-
ment, as we call it, concerning Jesus
chapters xvii, 2, g. XVIII. 23). Jesus
himself taught that all scripture referred
to Him luke xiv, p, 44. 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 i'm Gen. iii, 10; xxi, 2, with
Gal iii, 16; Ps. xxi, l, 16; lisa. Iii, o,
6. and elsewhere. His resurrection is
referred to in Ps. xvi, 10, with Acts iii,
Is: lisa. lii. 10; Hos vi, 9, etc. while His
being a light 10 the nations is seen in
lisa. 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 myself; much learning doth
make thee mad" He that departeth
from evil is accounted mad lisa. hx, 10,
margin). The prophet is a fool; the
spiritual man is mad (Hos. tx, 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
others and seem to them to be beside
| ourselves.
%. But he said, am not mad, most
noble Festus but speak forth the words
| OF truth and soberness." Paul knew
whereof he affirmed and realized that he
was speaking in the hearing Of a greater
| than Festus or Agrippa He had no
ambition to please men Gal. i, 10; Thess.
| ii, a. but he did desire to please Him
who had called him OIL Cor. V, 8, and ii
| Tim. ii, 15). And he had a great ambi-
| ton to win men to Christ q Cor. tx, 22)
| and to magnify Christ in his body
| whether by life or death (Phil. l. 20).
20. For the king knoweth of these
things, before whom also l speak freely,