Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-10-06
Jnternational gessolls.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ~, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. ~.

LESSON Ill, fOOH ] n lONni en-, h<'@"
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. II.
Text Of the Lesson, Acts xiv, 1O-26-Mem-
ory Verses, 14-16-Golden Text, Isa- XII,
10 Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
Stearns.
10. After five days Paul Is now before
Felix, the governor, and Is permitted to
speak for himself in the presence Of his ac-
ousers, the high priest and others who have
come from Jerusalem to condemn him
(verse y. They accused him of many
things, but all their accusations were false
(yerses 5-9), and thus be had increased fell
lowship with his Lord In that they spoke
mischievous things Of him, imagined de-
ceits and laid to his charge things he knew
not of FPS. x11viii, IL; Xix, -. All man
ner of fellowship with God and with Christ
should be priced by US as gift as much
as to believe on Him (Phil. !, 29).
11-13. Paul with few words sweeps away
all their accusations as utterly untrue and
without foundation. He knew that God
was with him, and he had no fear. He
could calmly face all his accusers, and the
devil himself, their captain. He knew IN
bis soul that there were more with him
than with them III Kings vi, 16) and could
soy "Though my soul Is among lions, men
whose teeth are spears and arrows, and
their tongue sharp sword, be thou exalt-
ed, o God. My heart Is fixed. will sing
and give praise" (Ps. lvii, ~.
a i L- -, ,So okof fI,au 10ofr so
Of their anger against him. He believed
all things written in the law and in the
prophets, and that made him very trou-
blesome fellow to these religious people,
who did not believe God. A minister In
Chicago said the other day that these peo-
pie calling themselves Bible students were
very troublesome, and certainly they must
be to suoh ministers as prefer their own
ease, with lots Of cricket and lawn tennis
and hunting and fishing, rather than Bible
study and real WORK for God.
Is. "There shall be Il resurrection Of the
dead both of the just and Of the unjust. I"
This was and Is even to this day trou'
blesome doctrine to many, though plainly
taught even in the cheruSim story of Gen.
Iii, and very clearly set forth in Dan. xii,
1-S. Not that just and unjust shall rise
at the same time, for Rev. XIX, 5, 8, says
that thousand years shall intervene, and
to this there Is no contradiction In all
Scripture, for the hour of John v, %, will
cover the thousand years as easily as the
hour Of John v, 25, has already covered
over 1900 years. Our Lord Jesus made q
very evident distinction between the two
resurrections when He told a certain ono
of rewards at the resurrection OF the just
(Luke xiv, 14.
16. The blessed hope Of the return OF
Christ, the resurrection of the righteoua
and their rewards for service at His com
ina for His saints Is that which purifel
us from the def1lements and the entangle.
ments of this present evil world and makes
us labor to be ever acceptable to Him
Every believer is accepted In Him (Eph. l.
g., and that stands unchanged, but be-
cause OF this we seek to be acceptable tn
Him In all things, and trust Him to work
In us those things which are well pleasing
in His sight (Heb. xiii, s1).
1918. Here is a true and brief statement
of the case as to why he was In Jerusalem
and why in the temple when they found
him there, and who his accusers ought to
have been, If any. The secret Of the whole
trouble was that which Paul well under.
stood, for he himself was once heartily
one with the high priest and elders In their
hatred Of Jesus and the story of His reSur
rection from the dead. If Jesus of Naza'
reth was really Israel's Messiah, then the
nation was guilty Of crucifying their King,
and that they would not submit to. Paul
had actually seen Him, and knew that II
was even so, and that the crucifed Christ
was really risen from the dead and was at
the right hand of God, Israel's true and
only Messiah, Son Of David, Son Of Abra.
ham.
20, 81. "Touching the resurrection Of
the dead am called in question by you
this day." 1t was that which set the
council In an uproar (xxiii, 6, y, and they
knew it. 1t was the resurrection from the
dead which with power declared Him to
be the Son of God (Rom. l, y, and the
full import of the great fact Is finely set
forth In Cor. xv There is no gospel, NC
salvation, no forgiveness Of sins, no use In
preaching, no ground for faith, no sensc
In baptism or any ordinance Of the church
If Christ be not risen. His life and death
were all in vain If He be not risen. But
He is risen, and that secures everything
for all who are His or are willing to be-
come His by faith In Him.
g. Felix evidently saw moro clearly into
the whole business than the high priest and
elders wished that he might, and the man
who could now give the most important
testimony, next In order, was the chief cap
tain who had twice rescued him from the
infuriated Jews. There was, therefore,
nothing further to be done till Lysias
should come. The waiting times for the
people Of God when the work seems hin.
dered by the Indifference or open opposition
Of the enemies Of God Is one Of the mys'
teries 1t would seem from verse 81 that
Pa1l was prisoner at Casarea for two
years. Might all this have been escaped
If he had not insisted upon going to Jeru.
salem just at that time? Anyway, to rest
in the Lord and wait patiently for Him is
surely good.
%. Paul is kind of free prisoner. He
is under guard, but at liberty to see all
who come to him. So 1t was also on the
way to Rome and at Rome (xxvii, S;xxviii,
l6), and Paul doubtless made the best pos
sible use of his liberty for the glory Of God
and to magnify the Lord Jesus, for that
was the whole aim of his life and the end
of all his teaching (Gal. ii, 90; Phil. i, 20,
21). Let each one ask, Can I say truly
"For me to live is Christi" ~ live, yet
not I, but Christ liveth in mep" "Christ
shall be magnifed."
"a. How glad Paul would be Of this op-
portunity to set forth the faith In Christ,
and especially to Jewess, for one Of his
notices was, "To the Jew first" (Rom. l,
16). He did not need time to think out or
prepare his discourse, for be was full of it,
or rather Of Christ, and always ready for
such an opportunity. Every preacher
ebo,1d bo on full of tho ypord of God that