Pleasantville weekly press., 1897-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON !, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 4.


ory Verses, 1s-15-Golden Text, Ps. czix.
13o-Commentary by the Rev. D. M.
stearns.
6, 2. "Now, when they had gone through
out Phrygia and the region Of Galatia
and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to
preach the word In Asia, after they were
come to Mysia, they essayed to 60 into
Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them
not.' Our last lesson in this book intro
duced us to the apostles at the conference
In Jerusalem, from which Paul and Bar
nabas, with Silas and others, returned to
Antioch and continued there teaching and
preaching heword Of the Lord (Acts Nv,
85). After some time they start on their
second missionary tour, Barnabas taking
Mark and sailing for Cyprus, and Paul
taking Silas and starting through Syria
and Cilicia, confirming and establishing
the churches. At Lystra, where Paul had
been stoned and left for dead on his first
tour, he takes Timothy with him, of whom
he afterward says, II have no man so dear
unto me- (Phil ii, 90, marSin). As they
continued journeying And preaching
through Phrygia and Galatia they thought
to turn southwark and afterward north
and Bithynia, but were in each case pre-
vented by the Spirit from SO doing. The
Spirit sent them forth on His business for
Christ, and, being willing to be controlled
by Him, He controlled them and for some
good reason kept them at this time from
going into these two provinces, that He
might send them elsewhere.
g. "And they, passing by Mysia, came
doxx-v, to Tr0oc - Hiudarad IN tho riOhf
and left, they found that the open door
was straight ahead, and SO kept on to the
sea at Troas. Chime ears shall hear
word behind thee, saying: This is the way.
Walk ye in it when ye turn to the right
hand and when We turn to the left" Isa-
xxx, 21) To be sure that the Lord has q
purpose in your life, according to Eph. ii,
10, and that He will surely perform it ac-
cording to Isa. xiv, "a, make one quiet
before Him, not daring to murmur even
though with aching heart and streaming
eyes we say, Even so, Father" "My
Jesus, as Thou wilt"
g. "And a vision appeared to Paul In
the night. There stood man Of Mace
donia and prayed him, saying, Come over
into Macedonia and help u.s." In dream
or vision of the night God has often spoken
to men (Job xxxiii, 15) and will yet, If
necessary, though He. generally guides by
His Spirit either in His word or in the
events Of daily life. The right attitude is
to Watch the way" and "Watch to see
what He will say (Nah. ii, 1; Hab. ii, u,
then meekly walk in the way which He
opens before us, Doing as occasion serve
us, for God is with us'' Il Sam. x,7).
10. "And after he had seen the vision
Immediately we endeavored to go into
Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the
Lord had called us for to preach the gospel
unto them" Being willing to be guided
by the Spirit they were sure this was the
Spirits guiding. If we are willing and
earnestly desirous to be led Of the Spirit,
we may be perfectly sure that every him
drance and every opening is of Him. No
tice that they knew what help the people
Of Macedonia needed, and that was just
what they had to give-the gospel or good
tidings of the grace of God. They were not
on lecturing or an entertaining tour, but
only and wholly on business for God, to
win souls to Christ.
II. Therefore, loosing from Troas, we
came with straight course to Samothra-
cia, and the next day to Neapolis." This
lesson should be taught with the map be-
fore the scholars that they may see that
Paul and his company now crossed from
the continent of Asia to Europe; that Ne
apolis was the seaport of Philippi, and Sa-
mothracia an island about half way from
Troas to Neapolis. As In many another in
stance In the Scriptures, the incidents Of
the voyage or journey are wholly omitted.
They set forth and they arrived are all the
Spirit sees fit to record. From the heaven
ly standpoint, journeyings take no time,
for they run and return as a flash of light
ming (Ezek. i,14).
12. "And from thence to Philippi, which
is the chief city of that part Of Macedonia
and a colony, and we were in that city
abiding certain days." There seems to be
no welcome for them, no one specially ex-
pecting them, and yet they are in the land
to which they had been called, and doubt
less they gave themselves up to prayer that
the same Spirit who brought them thither
would now use them, They not only abode
in the city, but they abode in Christ.
13. "And on the Sabbath we went out
of the city by riverside, where prayer was
wont to be made, and we sat down and
spake unto the women which resorted
thither." 1t would seem, then, that the
first preaching of the gospel in Europe was
at a woman's prayer meeting, Mary, the
mother of our Lord, and other women were
assembled with the apostles for prayer dur
ing the waiting days between His ascen-
sion and Pentecost (Acts l, 14). 1t is prob
able that upon the women also the Spirit
came as tongues of fire, and as there were
present in the city at that time strangers
from Rome, there may also have been
some from Macedonia. However, it came
about, here are some worshipers of the
true God who had evidently been crying
to God for more light, and now God has
sent it. The same God who sent Gabriel
to Daniel and Simon Peter to Cornelius
sent Paul and Silas to Macedonia.
IA. "And certain woman named Lyd-
ia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thya-
tira, which worshiped God, heard us;
whose heart the Lord opened, that she att
tended unto the things which were spoken
of Paul" Here is business woman from
Asia, for Thyatira was in Asia (Rev. !, 11,
who was for the time living in Philippi,
and was evidently one of those chosen in
Christ before the foundation of the world
Eph. i, 4; II Tim. l, 81. 1t was worth
while going to Europe to find her. She
was probably another hungry soul like
Cornelius. Wherever on earth the eyes Of
the Lord see real thirst for Him, He will
find way to supply that thirst. blessed
are they that hunger, for they shall be
filed" "He satisieth the longing SOUL"
15 "And when she was baptized and
her household, she besought us, saying, II
ye have judged me to be faithful to the
Lord, come into my house and abide there
And she constrained us" Her heart be-
came a home for the Lord and her house
home for His disciples. There were prob
nbly. four at least in Paul's party, for Tim
othy had joined them at Lystra, and 1t
looks as if Luke had joined them at Troas
Contrast the "they' of verses 6 to 8 with
the i've" of verses 10, IL. Contrast the
spirit possessing the damsel Of verses 16 to
1S with the Holy Spirit now possessing
Lydia and her household, and remember
we are controlled by one or the other, et-
ther the Lord or the devil.