Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-07-15


wholesome Food for Thought
studying the scriptural Lesson In
teIIigently and Probably.
Lcss0u for July ID. f,f
Golden Text.--'"They received the word
with all readiness Of mind, and searched
the Scriptures daily."-Acts 17:,11.
Paul is at Thessalonica and Berea in
this lesson-Acts IT: LIP. After the de-
liveration of Paul and Silas from the Phil
ippian prison, they made brief visit al
the house of Lydia, where they had been
staying previous to their arrest, and then
left the city In compliance with the re
quest Of the magistrates. Their route
thence lay westward on great Roman
road called the Via Egnatia, which con
nected the cities of Thrace and Macedo'
MIA. Ainphipolis was thirty-three miles
from Philippi; Apollonia, thirty miles fur
Their on, and Thessalonica thirty-seven
miles beyond. Thus the journey proba
bly, occupied three days, the first night
being spent in Amphipolis and the second
in Apollonia. Thessalonica, the city
whittier Paul and Timothy were destin
ed, was full of historic interest. under
the name of Therma it was the resting
place Of Xerxes on his march; 1t is not
unmentioned in the Peloponnesian war
and 1t was n frequent subject Of debate
in the last independent assemblies OF
Athens when the Macedonian power be-
gan to overshadow all the countries where
Greek was spoken, this city received Its
new name. A sister of Alexander the
Great was called Thessalonica, and heI
name was given to the city of Therma.' "
The present name, Saloniki, is an abbre'
waited form of this name. In the time OF
Paul it was the chief city of Macedonia
rich and populous.
Explanatory.
Thessalonica, being a trading town, was
also a center of Jewish life. Awhile al
Philippi the. Jews had only place OF
prayer" here they had synagogue. On
three Sabbaths he preached to the Jews
how much longer he remained preaching
to the Gentiles we are not informed. His
preaching was strictly biblical when he
addressed Jews-naturally enough, since
they were everywhere a people jealous for
the letter of scripture, though often ignor-
antly.
Opening and alleging: that is, explain.
ing and setting forth. The doctrine of q
suffering Messiah was almost new one
to Paups hearers. Their iden of Mes
siah was powerful king. Those passages
in the Psalms and in Isaiah which speak
of suffering as his destiny were either ex-
planned away or ignored. The Targum on
the prophets, for instance, which is the
in the Arannc of the original
Hebrew, so distorts the meaning of the
fifty-third chapter of Isaiah that it repre-
sents the wicked as suffering instead of
the Messiah. During the three centuries
preceding the coming Of Christ nearly all
thought of suffering Messiah had dis
Hence even Jesus own disci-
Piles could not at first understand his ref
srence to the meaning of his death, nor did
they Immediately perceive the fulfillment
of prophecy in his crucifxion and the res
direction. But both Peter and Paul af-
terward made this the center of their
preaching-"Christ and him crucified."
"Some of them believed, and of the de-
vout Greeks a great multitude: Many
interesting details about Paurs work here
may be found in the first and second chap
tiers of his first epistle to the Thessalo-
mans. See especially 2: lip. The indi-
cations are that he remained in Thessa-
lonica a long time, supporting himself by
working at his trade, though he received
some aid from the Philippian Church
phil. A: 16). The Thessalonians received
the gospel with greater eagerness than al
most any other city where Paul preached
Il Thes. 2: 49,
1t is often the poor occupation of those
who believe not to attack those who do
believe, from no other motive than envy
and love of destruction. But such attacks
hurt the assailants most. These that
have turned the world upside down.;
They spoke more truly than they knew.
The world was already beginning to feel
the mighty power of the gospel, which
did literally turn it upside down three cen
turtles later, when the great Roman En-.
pire became, nominally at least, a Chris
tian state.
The accusation was cunningly framed
to catch the ear of people and ruler. They
cared little for the quarrels of Jews, but
were quick to listen to any charge of trea-
son, for men in the remotest provinces of
the empire feared that charge. The Sc
curity which Jason gave for the immedi-
L
their return in the future as well; at least
that seems to be the reason why they did
not return, though desiring to do so. Il
Thes. 2: II, 49,
Teaching Hints.
The sufferings at Philippi made Paul
and Silas all the holder ut Thessalonica
(see 1 Thes. 2: p. But the holiness was
not forwardness. They were bold in
our God" and they left when it seemed
that they could accomplish no more. Some
good men confound fearlessness and bra
vado. They defy public opinion, or the
press, or the laws, just for the sake of
defiance, and then expect to be regarded
as martyrs.
Salonika to-day, though a city Of COM
mercial Importance, is far from being the
place it was in the early Christian centu-
ries. Mohammedan, the Jew, and Greek
Christian have left little of the simple
faith in Christ which made the city great
after the visit of Paul of Tarsus. SO
with the cities Of Asia Minor; so with
Antioch, and with Jerusalem itself. Cities
rise and fall, but the kingdom never
wanes. The scepter passes from east to
west, but never does its power grow less.
Will the day ever come when these an
cient cities of the East, either through the
work Of Christian missions, or through a
and publication of the Greek
Church, shall become again famous for
piety and good works. The eastern