Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-10-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ", FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. "a.

Ma llOlNRL OGhlEOt w !. ~.
Text of the Lesson, Acts xvi, 1o-32-Mem-
DRY VERSES ~, 20 Golden Text, Math. <.
80 - Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearns.
Festus succeeded Felix, and both were
willing to please the Jews at Pauls ex-
ponse (xxiv, 27; XIV, 81. Paul appealed
to Caesar; therefore the case had to go to
Rome. King Agrippa coming to Cmsarea,
Festus states the case to him as far as he
knows it, which is that it concerns tone
Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul af-
firmcd to be alive" (xxv, 19). Agrippa
desiring tohear for himself, Paul is brought
forth in the presence of Agrippa Bcrnicc,
Festus and the chief captains and princi-
pal men of tho city and allowed to speak
for himself. He states briefly his early
history ms an enemy of Jesus, and then
more fully his conversion on the way to
Damascus and his commission from the
Lord Himself
10. "WhcrcupOn, King Agrippa, l
was not disohcdient unto the heavenly vi
sion. When he heard one speaking to
him from heaven, saying, ~ am Jesus,
whom thou Icrsecutcst," be could no lon
ger doubt hut that he had been greatly mis-
taken and that Jesus of Nazareth was ac-
tually alive and in heaven. ana at once he
yielded TO Him, saying, "Lord, what wilt
thou have me to duy' We cannot expect
such vision or voice from heaven, but
the word of God should be to us as much
voice from heaven as that which he heard.
90. "Rcpcnt and turn to God and do
works meet for repentance. This he
preached everywhere proclaiming that
God was i'm Christ, God manifest in the
flesh, and that the only way to turn to
God was to turn to Christ Il Cor iii, 11,
and then let your life prove that you had
really turned to Him, for while no works
of ours can save us, yet if saved by His
finished work we will surely show it by
our works.
21. For these causes the Jews caught
me in the temple and went about to kill
me Jesus was the cause of all their
hatred. There are gods many and lords
many in ChristendOm as well as in heath
endom, but there is only one living and
true God, who so loved us as to give His
only hcgOtten Son for us, and when we
receive Him He and His Spirit will be
manifest in us and will provoke moro or
less opposition from the world and also
from religious people who do not truly
know Him, for 1he carnal mind. whether
religious or otherwise lis onmity against
God CRom. viii, -.
-, %. "From Moses and the prophets
he continually proclaimed that ii had been
fOretold that the Messiah should suffer
and die and rise from the dead before He
could be Isracl's Messiah or light to the
gentilos 30 also our Lord Himself, for
Moses and the prophets set forth that His
i II a.
xiv, 2j-27). We receive Him, and by
His finished work are saved eternally, but
if we would reign with Him in glory we
must be content to suffer with Him this
little while and by life and doctrine pro-
claim Him to all the world (Math. X, 81
80; Rom viii, II; III Tim. ii, ~.
"a. Paul, thou art beside myself
Much learning doth make thee mad. He
had not been speaking the wisdom of men,
but had been telling earnestly the story of
Jesus, and to this day those who are much
in love with Jesus and carried away with
Him are accounted beside themselves.
They said of Christ "He bath devil and
is mad" (Jchn X, 20). The prophets testi-
fled that people said, The Man of the
Spirit is mad. - He that departeth from
evil is accounted mad" (Hos. tx, Z, mar
gin, and lisa. lix, 10, margin).
20, 26. Il am not mad, most noble
Festus but speak forth the words of truth
and soberness" Yet these are the very
words that are not palatable to men of
the world. The time will come, is even
now come, when many who bear the name
of Christ will not endure sound doctrine
They have a form of godiness, but deny
the power thereof Oh Tim. iv, 8; Iii, 81.
Like Festus, they know all about it, but
they will not yield to it ana be obedient to
It, They know all about Him who is the
only Saviour, but will not submit to Him
or be ruled by Him.
81 king Agrippa, believest thou the
prophets? | know that thou believest "
From verse it would appear that the
king was well acquainted with the Jews
and their affairs and the promises concern
ing them and their Messiah, but it is not
what we know that helps us, but only the
knowledge we make use of. 1t is not the
food we look at and can talk about and
even prepare for others that benefits our
selves, but only that which we personally
appropriate. We must receive Him.
rs. "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, AL
most thou pcrsuadest me to be Chris
tan" Another translation is, Lightly
art thou persuading myself that thou
canst make me IA Christian" The word
word much used in the Bible being only
found in two other places (Acts XII, 26 1
Pet. iy, l6). The word saint" or "he-
lever or brethren" is much more com
mon.
80 Il would to God that not only thou,
/ but also all that hear me this day, were
: both almost and altogether such as / am,
except these bonds. " He was addressing
/ the king and the governor and the chief
captains and mighty men, and yet felt that
with the exception of his bonds he was bet
/ ter OFF than they and that what he had they
might well desire to have. What could it
be- What but this, that their position and
honor were but temporary and transient,
while he, though for IA time their prisoner,
/ was one with Him who was at God right
/ hand a joint heir with Christ, king and
priest unto God (Rom. viii, II; Rev. i,
b, Is; Y, 9, 100, and that he would surely In
due time enjoy His heavenly kingdom