The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-05-13
TIE SlBBI1H-SCHO0L lISsoL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR MAY i6.

Lesson Text: "PauI Preaching to tn.
Gentiles," Acts xiv, II-.. Colder
Text; II Have Set Thee to he Light o
the Gentiles." Acts Niii.. a.-Co,nmcnts
The power OF God was so manifest in HI.
word through the apostles at Antioch that
the next sabbath almost the whole city
came together to hear the word of God
NNiii', 4i). This filed the Jews with such
envy that they contradicted and bias.
phemed and raised such persecution against
faul and Barnahas that they were expelled
I from the city; not, however, before many
pelleved and were filed with JOY and with
the holy Ghost, and We're encouraged to
continue IN the grace Of God. From
Antioch they went to Iconium. and so sunk,,
that multitude both of Jews and Greeks
believed. But they were compelled by
persecution to flee from there also and so
came To l.ystra and Dcrho and preached
the gospel. During the preaching a man
VINO was lame from his birth and had never
walked was perfectly healed by the Lord
through raul, and here our lesson begins.
IL, me gods arr come down to us in the
ihehess OF men, These were the words OF
the people when they saw the man that had
been lame ieaping and walking They saw
supernatural event in tho healing Of this
impotent man, and knowing only of the
mythical gods, such ns Jupiter and Mer.
curins, OF which Jupiter was the supreme
god OF the Greeks and Romans md Mer-
cury the god of clnluence, they supposed
that their gods had actually visited them.
L't us alter their words just u little, God
has come down to us In the likeness OF
man, and what glorious truth We have.
aud one fully proved by John l., IA; Tim,
ill.,, l6: Heb. Ill.,. II.
IL. And they called Barnabas JuIyt,r
and Paul Mercurius because he was the
rhief speaker Canon Fausset saws that
the mythology of Ovid represented Mrr-
GURUS as having once visited Phrygin with
Jupiter, his father and having been refused
hospitality by all but two old peasants
Hence the simple people of Lystra sup.
Iosed, from the miracle on the cripple, that
i""' ana BarnabhS were these two gods
again come to earth.
~. II was the supernatural power mun.
Tested through the apostles which caused
these people to attempt to Worship them
we may not perhaps have the working OF
miracles OF healing seen In US, for the spirit
divides HIS gifts to every one seyeraly as
lie Will Il Cor. xii. ID but WE NAV ali he
hlled with the Spirit and manifest in us the
supernatural life of meekness and quiet
ness, OF patience and long suffering, with
l"ytulness, to the glory of God.
III. They rent their clothes and ran in
among the people, crying out" While we
should earnestly desire the manifestation
q GLcis. u US, we should also trcmble lest
We get any Jfcai, for IT, The Lord alone
must be exalted and no flesh glory in His
presence. Most of us are too prone to en-
Joy little honor Nnl nattnry, but it must
g9t BE- tolerated.. See thou 20 it not; wor-
snip God, must be our word
- liz Turn from these vanities unto the
living G0a.&- AssY.ing the people that they
were but men Of like passions with them
selves, men such as themselves but for the
grace OF God, they told them of the one rue
and living God, the Creator of all things.
have been greatly Interested In noticing
now often the first verse IN all Scripture II
nsed by prophets and apostles AS for cx.
ample, In Deut. ". Il; Neh. ix., 6; Isa Xiv,
"a; Jer ". 1912; xxxii., II; Acts iv., -, etc.
and the connections in which they use II,
and believe We do not sufficiently con.
slider It.
l6. who in times past suffered al! Ma
tions to walk in their cwn ways" While
He draws US unto Himself and would have
us set apart for Himself" kept for Jesus
Christ, "a special people unto Him." yet
u we insist on our own ways He will suffer
u5, to our eternal loss in many respects.
While He is not willing that any should
perish, but that all should repent and be
saved, yet If people insist upon rejecting
His love He will let them Ps. lxNx., lila;
III Pet. ill.,, .; III Cor. it,. Is, l6)
II. Nevertheless He left no, TIimsclY
without witness" His eternal power and
GodhcGd are seen In the works Of His hands
and In His great goodness to all SO that all
are without excuse lEom. l., 20, 2D. Paul
would direct their minds to the goodness ot
God manifest in His daily mcrcirs to all for
N m t-,tl r 81. 4
mercies we are not consumed because His
compassons fail not. They are new every
morning" Liam. ill.,, %, 23)
Is. And with these sayings scare" re.
strained they the people, that they had not
done sacrillc" unto them" They saw Paul
and Barnnbas, but not Jesus Christ. They
saw the miracle. but not God only the
opened eyes can see God, but lie is willing
to open tn" eyes of all who will turn to
Him. Only the unwilling must STAY
blind. "ie will not come unto met" (John
", iO.)
~. And there came thithcr certain
Jews from Antioch and lronium, who per
suaded the people, and having stoned Paul
drew him out of the city, supposing he
had been dead A persevering devil gOoth
about seeking to destroy. II he cannot get
{ he soul he will do his best to kin the body;
but this we nrc told not to fear (Math. 4,
2S), for the breaking Of the body only sets
he spirit free to be with Christ. Paul was
TO all intcnts dead. though in speaking OF
this experience he says twice, whether in
the body or out Of the body | cannot tell
God knoweth' (I Cor. xii, 2, -.
20. "Howbeit, as the disciples stood
round about him, he rose up and came into
The city, and the next day he departed
with Barnabas to Derbr." | do not
loubt that the vision described in II Cor.
xii, 4, was his actual experience whilo
hey were dragging his seemingly lfrIess
body out of Lystra, and by this experience
le was lifted for greater and better things
or his Lord and Muster, concerning whom
lc could say, Whose am, and whom /
serve" iActs xvii, 23l.
Il. And when they had preached tho
gospel to that city and had taught many,
hey returned again to Lystra and to leon
um and Antioch The margin saws they
made many disciples. SO wherever they
vent the souls were saved God glorined
Ind the devil made angry. What courage
. go right back to Lystra whore he had
,een stoned, and to the other cities, from
whence they had been driven out. But
hey knew that Cod was with them. and
hey feared nothing. What denial of self
N IN hta ln. 1, 4.