Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-05-06

Lesson for May o.
Golden Text.-"Through this man 10
preached unto you the forgiveness Of
sins."-Acts 49, 80.
The lesson this week Is found in Acts
ID: $3.50, and has for its subject Paul
Preaching to the Jews The narrative Of
Paul's journeys is capable of an indefinite
amount of application, geographical,
historical, religious. Studied with proper
aids, II IL fascinating in the extreme.
When Paul, Barnabas and John Mark left
Cyprus in the spring (of 49, they sailed
to Perga, on the southern coast of Asia
Minor, large city of much importance
but very unhealthful in the spring. There
some unexpected obstacle met them to
change their plans, or ut least to deter
mine them not to stay in Perga. Two
plausible reasons are assigned. Conybeare
and Hawson think that at the time Of
their arrival, In May, they found the in
habitants just beginning their annual
migration to the northern mountains, to
escape the heat and malarious atmosphere
of Perga. Ramsay believes that while
Paul was preaching in Antioch, Iconium
and the other neighboring cities he was
still suffering from the after effects of the
fever, and later refers to this fact in a
letter to the churches then founded gal.
4: 13, through infrmity of the flesh
preached the gospel unto you at first').
However interesting these speculations
may be, ii is certain that some good rea-
son decided Paul to go at once to Antioch
in Pisidia-to be reached only by a long
and toilsome journey. John Marks heart
failed him and he turned back, to the dis
appointment of Paul.
Antioch in Pisidia twas on the central
tableland of Asia Minor, on the confines of
Pisidia and Phrygia. 1t was built by the
founder of the Syrian Antioch. 1t was
now an important city, inhabited by many
Greek, Romans and Jews" The first
mission of Paul here, as in some other
places, was to the Jews; and as soon as
he arrived he chose an early opportunity
to address them in the synagogue. The
outline Of the whole address should be
studied Tvs. 16-4D.
Explanatory.
BY his previous words, Paul has prepar-
ed the way for personal application. In
recountin theg national history he had
their sympathy; proceeding from that to
the promised Messiah, he led them natu-
rally to their own duty AID privilege, as
Jews. He offers to them in the verses
which form the lesson an unparalleled OPP
portunity-to show their understanding Of
the true meaning of scripture and of the
destiny of their race by accepting the
Messiah so blndly and obstinately reject
ed by the Jews of Palestine. That rejec-
ton has proved to the world that one great
section of the nation is blind to its obvi-
Gus destiny. Therefore ''to you is the
word of this salvation sent"
I'm that he hath raised up Jesus again.:
The application of the verse from the Sec
ond psalm to the resurrection of Christ
may need some explanation. 1t is some
times supposed that the passage in Psalms
refers to the incarnation; the wording of
it might indeed seem to point to time
when the Son did not exist-an Arian
heresy condemned at MEGA and rejected
to-day by orthodox Christians. Hackett
says: ''The original passage refers, not
to the incarnation of the Messiah, but to
his Inauguration or public acknowledge
ment on the part of God as the rightful
sovereign of men. To no moment in the
history of Christ would such a prediction
apply with such significance as to that of
his triumphant resurrection from the
dead Thou art my Son affirms the SON.
ship of the Messiah, which included his
divine nature. Hence L have begotten
thee cannot refer to the origin of this
relationship, but must receive fgurative
Interpretation; either Il have begotten
thee'-brought thee into a state of glory
and power such as Christ assumed after
his resurrection as mediator at the right
hand of God; or, according to a familiar
Hebrew usage, L have declared, exhibit
ed thee as begotten, ]. e., as my Son; viz,
by the resurrection from the dead"
This is just and valid argument
against the extreme rationalistic interpre
tation which would exclude all Messianic
references from such psalms. If, as some
would argue, the "holy one" is merely
David or Solomon or some other earthly
king, the promise is mere empty Boosting,
hardly conceivable even as oriental hyper
bole; for monarch and peasant alike adj
nit the sovereignty of death. David saw
corruption; Solomon saw corruption; so
did all the rulers of the chosen people.
The prophecy refers to king far more
exalted II speaks of Christ. The argu-
meht is as valid to-day as it was in Paul's
time. 1T is a reduction to the absurd of
the pretensions of unbelieving interpreters
of scripture ,ssest
How cogently Paul draws the thoughts
of his hearers. from the privileges of their
nation to their own duty and opportunity.
He was never guilty of the mistake of
some preachers hi making their sermons
so general that nobody in particular feels
himself addressed. The law Of Moses
could acquit or justify no one who failed
to obey it perfectly; that is fact inner
ent in the very nature of moral law. But
through Christ men may be acquitted of
the sins charged against them and en-
abled to begin again with fresh record.
Teaching Hints.
With all but the oldsr classes it will be
best not to limit the lesson to the portion
of Paul's sermon in the verses selected,
for they are not especially easy to teach
by themselves. The story of the ministry
of the TWO apostles in Antioch as a whole,
however, is not difficult to teach profita-
bly,. The scene in the synagogue may be
pictured. Let 1t be remembered that the
time was the middle of summer, and An
tioch was something of a summer resort,
30 there were many strangers present. The
custom of calling on such to address the
congregation IL they desired will be re-
called. The sermon itself Is emphatically
biblical, and shows us how Paul treated
the Old Testament.
Again we have the resurrection present
cd as the browning fact of the gospel his
tory. One can hardly go through the les
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