The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON X, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH 2.


Text OF the Lesson, Acts viii. 2s-z0-Mem-
DRY Verses, 1881 - Golden Text, Acts
viii. 35-Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
stearns.
26. "Arise and go toward the south"
Thus spake the angel of the Lord to Philip
while he was in the midst OF this great
work I'm Samaria. He i, sent from what
seems to be very great work out into the
desert, and he Is not told why he Is sent.
Simple and whole hearted obedience Is the
one thing required Of a servant or SOL
dier. Angels that excel In strength do
His commandments, hearkening unto the
voice of His word. They do His pleasure
Cps. Gill, 90, ely. If we are good servants
and soldiers we will hold ourselves ac-
cording to III Sam. XIV, 10; Chron. xviii,
81; III Sam. ill., 80.
%. "And he arose and went, and, be-
hold, a man of Ethiopia" Philip sees
what may he the object of his mission,
one man. an Ethiopian, the treasurer of
Queen Candace, who had been to .Jeru-
salem to worship The time will yet come
when Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands
to God, when from beyond the rivers of
to the Lord (Zep. iii, 10; Ps xviii, 81.
But whether a nation or an individual,
God regards all who truly seek Him Job
xxxiv, 800.
20. "Sitting in his chariot, read Esaias
the prophet" What he had heard or seen
at Jerusalem we are not told, but we may
well imagine that he had heard somewhat
concerning those who had filled Jerusalem
| with their doctrine and concerning Him
of whom they spake. He must have been
an earnest seeker after light, for God sent
Philip all the way from Samaria to be his
teacher and to lead him to Christ
90 "Then the Spirit said to Philip, Go
near and join thyself to this chariot. "
Whatever Philip may have thought he
now knew the object of his mission His
trained ear heard the message Of the Spirit,
and without hesitation or question he
obeys believe 1t Is possible to live al
| ways and fully under the control OF the
Spirit and have God working In US both
to will and to do of His good pleasure II
this Is our whole hearted desire, He will
fulfill the desire of them that fear Him
(Pa cxlv, 49,
30. UNDERSTANDINGS thou what thou
readest9" With this question Philip intro
duced himself to the man In the chariot,
having run to him rs soon rs he was COM
manded by the Spirit. When the Lord sees
any one intent upon understanding His
word He will take pains to instruct him.
The marginal reading of Job x, 8, Is very
suggestive, Chime hands took pains
about me-" Gabriel was sent from heaven
to Daniel to make him understand and
to show him the truth dan. K, IA, 81; xi,
g. The Holy Spirit Las boon given to ev-
| l. if1. ipffs oil
truth John xiv, 90; xvi, 13).
81. "How can /, except some man should
guide me9" Thus graciously answered the
treasurer, and he invited Philip to step in
to the chariot with him. How smoothly
everything goes when the Spirit is work
ing! Philip, sent by the Spirit, finds one
in whom the Spirit has been working, and
therefore one ready to be taught The
Spirit might have taught the eunuch Him
self without the help Of any man l John
ii, 27), but He saw fit to use human instru'
mentality. How blessed to bc used of God
Only be willing, and He will use you.
32. 33. He was led as sheep to the
slaughter. - Thus lie read in what We
Womb call las .lii,. ~ q. c.lnccTQln. II i'm
of whom Mosfy and all the prophets die
,,,r;ta Iesus - Nazareth, the Son of 10
senb Cobn 4. 45), but he knew Him not.
Tbis whole caapter will doubtless be the
General confession of Israel as nation
after thew ahln have looked upon Him
whom they iave pieroed Czech. xii, 10)
q J. an the day whsn they shall say, "Lo, this
. =. isGss vi We h3ye waited for Him. and
8 "a at nrSvthee, of whom spo.-
: rro,hot th,sS Whether the prophet wa
: s,,erlsny of aimseif or of some other man
. the eunuch could not make out. Thu
!. prophets wee types of Christ and did II
their lives fprsshadow In some measure
Q the sufferinss of Chriso. -, ~, apd hi
n children were signs In lsraei lcn w 1I wa
I; lS). snd Jeremiah says OF himsen, .ht :
IS like n lamb or -. OK that Is pro"Sh0
n the slaughter" Tier. xi, i9).
:. a5 philip began at the same Scriptur
~ aud preached unto him Jesus. He woui
l. nrohably 90 back to the Passover lamp
le Ex xii and to the daily burnt ouerlnt
r. and possibly to the coats OF skins Oh 1e'
a., 81. then on to the Lamb OF Goa,
,e whom John the Baptist spake. lie cou
IN easily find in Isa lii the sufferings' ued'
- resurrection and future glory OF Chris
ly have. tower line he took, he musc cerS s,a
, Jour of sinners Christ to be the only oa
IL. type and shadow. nlii'ilnen' - w
!, SO. The treasurer evidently =.
~ In and received Jesus Christ as hiss
he Jour, for, coming to water, he asked
es, baptism. Having received Christ,
i'll would as quickly as possible confess 1t
a fore all who journeyed with him,
re- doubtless he would preach Christ to maj
nd for he could not keep the good news
of himself.
~ 81. IF thou believest with oil thi
' heart, thou mayest." This is the ono OF
"a essential to salvation, that Christ be tr'
no received In the heart "If tl.ou shalt o.
SS fess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus
rly shalt believe In thine heart that God Ia
D a raised Him from the dead, thou shalt
he saved" from. K, 81. To believe on II
o,, is to receive Him John 1, 12), and II
80 be not truly received there Is no saw
80 faith I John v, 12).
ny 80. The driver Of the chariot and OF
attendants may have overheard ard und
stood the whole conversation. They c
tainly now beheld that which the treasu
led could more fully explain to them as Il
VI went on their WY. Whether the one b
!, a t,zed was immersed or had the wa
ess poured upon him does not clearly appe
,bo II those who think that immersion Is