Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-06-30
9nternatiunal gessol1s.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON u, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY II.

LESSON u, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY II.
| Text of the Lesson, Acts xvi, 22-34-Mem-
ory Verses, 2s-31-Golden Text, Acts
xvi, 31-Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
j Stearns.
90. "And the multitude rose up togeth-
er against them, and the magistrates rent
off their clothes and commanded to beat
them" So much for their interfering
with the god of this world, tho prince of
the power of the air, for, when the devils
property Is touched, he soon begins to roar.
Our Lord has taught us that true fellow
ship with Him will surely bring the same
treatment that He received John xv, 49,
2O). The world, the flesh and the devil
are all decidedly against God, and If we
are for God we must be against them at
all costs.
90. "And when they had laid many
stripes upon them they cast them into
prison, charging the jailer to keep them
safely" With no gentle hand had they
|
no love nor gentleness In this scourging.
It meant many and heavy stripes upon
their bare backs 1t meant real pain and
much Of it, besides the humiliation Of be-
ing treated as criminals when they were
perfectly innocent. Paul, afterward speak
ing of 1t, says, "We were shamefully treat
ed at Philippi" Il Thess. ii, p.
"a. "Who, having received such charge,
thrust them into the inner prison and
made their feet fast in the stocks" Nei-
ther is there any tenderness in this man s
handling of them. 1t is injustice and
cruelty throughout, the devil and his fol-
lowers let loose upon the children Of God,
strange mystery of iniquity which has
been causing the people Of God to suffer
ever since sin entered this world, and the
end Is not yet. If any one can tell why
God permitted the devil to tempt Eve, we
will gladly listen. If not, we will still be-
lieve that God is love, trust Him for grace
to endure meekly all that comes and walt
for the hereafter, when we shall know.
25. "And ut midnight Paul and Silas
prayed and sang praises unto God, and the
prisoners heard them" Here, surely, Is
the victory of faith and obedience to the
word, "Rcjoice and be exceeding glad, for
great is your reward In heaven" Math. ",
l2). The same God who could prevent the
fire from burning Daniels friends could
sooth the bleeding backs of Paul and Silas
and fill them and their dungeon with His
glory. They did not praise because of cir
cumstances, but In spite of circumstances
Consider that mighty "yet' Of Hab. iii,
II, 18.
26. "And suddenly there was great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison We're shaken, and Immediately all
the doors were opened, and every ones
bonds were loosed." One has said that, al
though they had not influence enough nor
earthly friends enough to keep them out of
prison, there was power enough on their
side to shake the whole earth, If necessary
81. "And the keeper of the prison, awak-
ing out of his sleep and seeing the prison
doors open, he drew out his sword and
would have killed himself, supposing that
the prisoners had been fled" 1t was some
thing new in his experience to have pris-
oners safc without bonds or bolts and bars
It was natural for him to suppose that
open doors meant escaped prisoners, and II
this were so it mc,lnt dcath to him, which
he purposcd accomplishing by his own
hand rather than that of others.
20. "But Paul cried with u loud voice,
saying, Do thyself no harm, for we arc all
here" Here was good for evil surely. The
jailcr had not thought probably of easing
their sufferings in the least degree, but
Paul would have no harm come to the jail
er if he could prevent it. This is like Him
who prayed, "Fathcr, forgive them, for
they know not what they do" Have we
this spirit of forgiveness and love?
| 20. "Then he called for q light and
sprang in and came trembling and fell
down before Paul and Silas." How God
docs turn the tables! See the man In au-
thority bowling before the apparently help
less prisoners. He now saw In them repre-
scntatives of the God who could do such
wonders Us shake the earth and open prison
doors. Was is not worth while to suffer as
they did thus to afford an opportunity for
God to show Himself through them and on
their bchalfP Let us accept all events as
opportunities for God to show Himself in
and through us.
80. "And brought them out and said,
Sirs, what must / do to bo savedP" He
does not seem to have considered whether
this treatment Of prisoners was right or
wrong in the eyes of the law. He only
seems to know that he Is q sinful man
having special dealings with great God
whom he is not prepared to meet, and that
he had better consider tho matter at all
costs, and that very quickly.
81 "And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house." What simple message and
how definite. He is not told to stop doing
wrong and try to do better; to follow
Christ and do somewhat rs He did; to give
up his occupation and 60 preaching with
tho apostles. He is not even told to pray
or read the Scriptures, but just to do the
one only thing that helpless sinner can
do, and that is to receive US u gift the Lord
Jesus Christ John 1, IL; Rom. ill, "a; vi,
90; iv, s.; Titus iii, 81.
49, "And they spake unto him the word
Of the Lord and to all that were in his
house" They were the messengers Of the
Lord of Hosts, and always ready to deliv-
er their message, or rather His message
| They would speak of Him who was foreor-
dained before the foundation Of the world,
but had been recently manifested In the
flesh as the Son of God and only Saviour
of sinners.
88. "And he took them the same hour
of the night and washed their stripes, and
was baptized, he and all his straightway. /"
Halleluiah, what Saviourl He saves In
stantly I'LL who receive Him. He saves
them fully and freely by His own precious
blood without any works Of theirs, and
then begins ut once to work in them the
good works which He has before prepared
1Eph. Ii, s, 10Y. We do not know that the
jailer or any of his household ever heard
these tidings before, and yet they believe
as soon as they hear. May God by His
Spirit awaken His people to give all on