Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-08-18
international grssolls.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 2e.

LESSON TX, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 2e.
! Text of the Lesson. Acts XIX. 21-34-Mem-
ory Verses, 24-28-Golden Text, Luke
xii, 15-Commertary by the Rev. d. NJ.
stearns.
81. "Aft+r these things were ended,
Paul purposed in tho spirit to go to Je-
rusalem. saying, 'Aftor have been there
I must also sec Rome - Our last lesson
In the Acts left Paul at Corinth, where he
continued year and six months teaching
the word of God. He then returned to
Antioch in Syria, taking Ephesus, Cesa-
rea and Jerusalem on his way. After
some time spent at Antioch Paul started
on his third missionary tour, going
through Galatia and Phrygia till he came
to Ephesus, where he had left Aquila and
Priscilla, and to which city he had prom
ised to return, God willing (chapter xviii,
a1) He tarried at Ephesus over two years
xix, 10; xx, 31), and all the province Of
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus so
that many believed, the name of the
Lord Jesus was magnifed, the word OF
God grew nightly and prevailed, and
thousands of dollars worth of bad books
were burnedA Here begins our lesson.
90. "His purpose was to 60 through
Macedonia and Achaia, where no had been
on his previous tour, but he still tarries
In Asia season while he sends Timotheus
20 r. i,f
In future lesson we shall have his testi-
mony as to his labors In Asia. Whether
sojourning or journeying his one ambition
was that Christ should be magnifled In
him and that he might better know Him
(Phil. /, 90; iii, 10).
%. "And about that time there arose
no small stir concerning tho way" (R. w..
In the margin of chapter tx, 2, this way Is
called 1.-The Way" See also in the R.
v. chapters xix, 8; xii, 4; xiv, IA, %.
Jesus Himself said, 81 am the Way" JAS
xiv, g.. In Ps. cxix, l, we read, blessed
arc the undcfllcd in the way who walk In
the law of the Lord. 1t Is q heavenly
way, but very narrow, and few there be
that find 1t. 1t is in Him, and with Him
and excludes all that is not of Him.
"a, 25. "Sirs, ye know that by this craft
we have our wealth." This is the begin
ming of the address of Demetrius, silver
smith, to his fellow workmen, whom he
had called together. His theme was their
craft or trade or manner of making
money, a subject which will get an inter-
ested audience almost any time. Witness
the labor organizations and the strikes
often associated herewith in our own
day. Whatever will seem to turn moro
money into peoples pockets is apt to bo
an interesting subject.
90. "Not alone ut Ephesus, but almost
throughout all Asia, this Panl hath per-
suaded and turned away much people. !"
What O good testimony to Paul, or rather
to- tho Spirits work through Paul, in the
name Of tho Lord Jcsusl The Lord,
through him, had turned many from idols
unto God q Thess. i, 81, so many that the
idol business was suffering severely, and
those interested were greatly stirred.
81. "Not only this our craft Is in danger
to be set at nought, but also that the tenn
pie of the great goddess Diana should be
despised" 1t would never do to have
such magni1cence that oil tho world wor-
SHIPPED. despised, for what would all the
world ever do without Diana2 Yet three
men dared to despise Nebuchadnezzar' s
image, which all the world worshiped, and
the time will come when many will dare
to despise another image, which all the
world will worship (Rev. xiii, 8, 15),
choosing death rather than such favor.
%. "And when they heard they were
full of wrath and cried OUT saying, Great
is Diana Of the Ephesians. Thendas
boasted himself to be somebody; Simon
the sorcerer gave out that himself was
some great one; tho coming antichrisu
will proclaim that he himself Is God, and
many will believe it, and great will be his
wrath against all who oppose him. The
devil will gather the armies Of earth
against God both at the beginning and
end of the next thousand years, but all
will be overcome by the Lamb, for He is
King of kings and Lord Of lords (Rev.
xix, 10; 1x, 8; xvii, Il; II Thoss. ii, 4, 81.
&c. "And the whole city was filled with
confusion" Confusion and chaos are not
the work of God, but Of tho devil, whether
in an individual or in household or In
the world, and therefore some think that
the work Of the devil may be seen as far
back in the Bible story as Gen. j, O.; that
in the beginning God must have created
all things good and that an enemy was re-
sponsible for the chaos of verse2.
80, 81. Paul would willingly have stood
by his friends, who for his sake and for
Christ's sake were in danger, but his
friends would not suffer him. He had al
ready been stoned and loft for dead, and
he was ready at any time to die for Christ
xiv, 10; xxi, 13). 1t was never with him
a thought of personal comfort, but only of
how he could magnify Christ Sometimes
we are compelled by circumstances to 60
forward when we would fain keep back
and sometimes to keep back when we
would fain go forward. The way of rest
Is to do what you can-go forward If tho
way opens, and, If not, stay. "Do as oc-
casion servo thee, for God Is with thee"
Il Sam. x, y. Trust Him to manage ev-
erything, and believe that He does, and
be quiet and confident.
92 "Some therefore cried one thing,
and some another, for tho assembly was
confused, and the more part know not
wherefore they were come together. This
was not an assembly of believers, but of
the worlds people, the enemies Of God,
and yet it is fair description of the so
called church of today, for tho preachers
are crying ono thing and another, and it
might be said that tho most of those who
90 to church once week know not why
they go or what they really do believe.
33. "And they drew Alexander out of
the multitude, the Jews putting him for
ward" If this was the same Alexander
as he of II Tim. iv, II, Alexander the
coppersmith, then the smiths were right
in this squubblc, silvcrsmiths and copper
smiths (versc 24), or, In other words, 1t
was business and idolutry versus Christ.
1t certainly should not be so that business
should be against Christ, but it Is too
much the case, and will DO very decidedly
so ut the time of His coming in power and
glory (Rcy xiii, II; xviii, 11-16).