The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-09-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for September 10
1S93-PauI at Rome-Acts 2s;2O-31.

1S93-PauI at Rome-Acts 2s;2O-31.
Especially Arranged from Peioubet's Notes.
GOLDEN TEXT am not ashamed of th,
Gospel OF Christ-Rom. I:16
TIME.-Paul arrived at Rome about the fra
Of March, A. ID. 6l. He remained there q pris
oner for two years, till March, A. D. s.
PLACE Rome, the capital city Of tho empire
and CHIEF city Of the world.
PAUL, aged ffty-nine
/ RULERs.-Nero. emperor OF the Roman EN-
pire eighth and ninth years.. Festus gov
ernor Of Judca till his death, November co. g.
Seneca and Burrhus, the leading and the bes,
statesmen Of Neros reign Early in A. d. 81
Burrhus died and Seneca retired from public
life.
3 THE SECTION OF HISTORY covers %: IO-3l
with such notices of Paul as are found in the
Epistles. especially 2 Tim. 4:6s
! LESSON NOTES
1t is not clear whether the Roman
centurion and his company of prison
ers took the land route round the
Pomptine marshes, or availed them.
selves of the canal which cut directly
through the morass, and which has
been made familiar to every classical
schoolboy by Horace humorous de-
scription of the journey to Brundusium.
The Christians who came to meet Paul
do not seem to have known which
OF the two routes might be chosen;
for they met him at Appii
Forum (the market of Appius), the
place at which the road and the canal
came together. In the city Paul was
permitted to dwell in his own hired
house, supported, no doubt, by the
Christians of Rome, where he could
meet Christians and preach the Gospel.
Paul received this privilege probably
from the favorable report that was
sent from Festus and Agrippa. and the
centurion Julius would certainly use
what influence he possessed on his be-
half. The custom was that the pris-
oner should be chained by one hand to
the soldier while he was on guard.
Paul Encouraged. When Paul was
met and greeted by the Christians of
Rome, "he thanked God and took cour-
age" He felt as Stanley did when he
emerged from the great Central Afri-
can forests into the open sunlight.
l. He entered Rome, not so much as a
criminal as an apostle with hosts of
friends. 2. Human sympathy warmed
his heart. 8. He found the church. for
which he had longed and PRAYED. safe
and prosperous, and sound in the faith.
4. He would have the needed aid for
preaching the Gospel at Rome. ~. The
great anxieties and dangers of the
journey were passed. 6. He would be
refreshed after his long labors.
Paul's First Interview with the
Jews. AS soon as possible after he was
settled in his lodgings, Paul sent for
the leading Jews, as distinct from the
Christians, to meet him at his home,
since he could not go to them.
Reasons for This Interview a. Paul
was naturally anxious to Justify himself
before them, and thus to remove anv
obstacle which might hinder the re-
eeption of the Gospel (2) He thought
that reports prejudicial to him might
have been sent and circulated among |,
them by the Jews of Judea. (3) Be- !
sides. the fact that he was a prisoner |
might cause the Roman Jews to re-
gard him with suspicion. az He also !
acted upon his principle of preaching
the Gospel to the Jew first, and then
to the Gentle (Rom. 1870. (5) He !
hoped that some of his countrymen
would yield to the truth and become
Christians.
Advantages of Paul's Position at |
Rome. ~ He was safe from all !
the intrigues and plots of the
Jews. He could not have been bet
ter guarded. (2) He was brought into !
conspicuous notice. Every one could |
hear of the famous prisoner, and learn !
the story of his past labors, and of his !
journey to Rome. The Gospel at Rome |
th,,c tsa nstrr caf l.. y /oNI
He, could preach the Gospel with per-
feet freedom to all who came. He could
converse with Individuals or preach to
companies (4) The soldier chained to |
him was relieved at stated intervals, |
SO that q large number Of soldiers !
would come under his influence. They |
would hear all he said to others; he !
would converse also with them per-
sonally. and they would be won by the |
sweetness of his spirit, his patience,
and love. Tradition saws |
that the greatest statesman, Seneca,
was among the converts to Christianity |
by the preaching of Paul. 1t is quite
possible, according to Prof. Lumby,
that the Gospel was introduced into |
England by some of those Roman
soldiers WHO heard Paul preach the |
Gospel in prison.
Paul's Subsequent History. Hints in
the Epistles and traditions supply all
that is known or conjectured respect
ing this last stage of the apostles min
istry. 1t is supposed that on being
liberated writers do not agree as to
the precise order) he visited again
parts of Asia Minor and Greece; went
to Crete and founded, or more prob
ably strengthened, the churches there;
made his long contemplated journey
TO Spain; wrote his first Epistle to
Timothy and his Epistle to Titus;
after several years of effective labor
was apprehended again as leader of
tho Christian sect; was brought q sec-
ond time as prisoner of Christ to
Rome; was tried there and condemned
A. end -