The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-11-10
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR NOVEMBER ID.

mans L., ,lo-COmmentafyO on the Days
Lesson bv the Rev. D. M. stearns.
IT, CATER three days Paul called the
chief OF the Jews together" The express
sion "three days" Is 80 suggestive Of resur-
rection that one cannot fail to think of 1t
who has anything Of the spirit Of Paul. who
had as one OF his heart utterances "That
I may know Him and the power OF His
resurrection" phil. ILL.,, 10Y. At his con-
version he was three days without sight,
and then Ananias came to him, sent of God.
Probably he gave himself to prayer these
three days in Rome that he might be fully
In the Lords hands as His messenger to ac-
complish His pleasure, and now the prin-
cipal Jews OF the city have come together
to hear what he has to say.
18. "There was no cause of death In me-"
Yet here he Is In Rome a prisoner by the
| will Of God. So there was no cause In
Christ why He should be hated (John xv.,
| 25) or cruciied, yet by the will OF God he
willing to endure hardship for the good of
others is Christike, for He loved US and
| gave Himself; for us, leaving His home In
! glory for over thirty-three years and suf-
iering all the humiliation consequent upon
His being the sinners substitute, that we
who accept Him might not only be saved,
but share His glory.
10. "Not that 7 had aught to accuse my
Nation Of" Although it was through, his
own people that he was now prisoner,
yet he would not accuse them, but rather
zee the hand Of God In it all and continue
to love and pray for his poor, blinded peo-
pie. See his heart for them in Rom. k,
3, and Z, 1, "I could wish that myself were
sccursed from Christ for nv brethren" !"
Brethren, MY hearts desire and prayer to
God for Israel is that they might be saved"
| And 1t was his custom always as here In
Rome to seek the Jews first.
20. "For the hope Of Israel I am bound
With this chain" By comparing chapters
xiii, 6; XIV, Is; xvi, 6, z, 1t Is evident
that the hope which Paul meant was asso-
cisted with resurrection, the resurrection
OF Christ and then of His people. The res.
direction spoken Of in Dan. xii, 1-9, and
In Hos. w., 2, and elsewhere-very fully In
Eek. xxxvii., where 1t Is said that they
shall be one nation In their own land un-
tered any more.
81, "a. Gas concerning this sect we know
chat everywhere 1t IS spoken against" !"
! They had heard nothing evil Of Paul, but
they had heard the followers Of this Jesus
| Christ spoken against. Simeon said to His
mother that BE would be for sign spoken
against luke H., 34), and 1t Is written,
| "All that will live godly In Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution" II. Tim. ILL.,, 12).
The csrnsl mind Is enmity against God,
and the wisdom Of this world knows not
God.
%. "He expounded and testified the king
| iom OF God, persuading them concerning
Jesus, both out Of the law Of Moses and
out of the prophets from morning till even
ing" Having appointed him day, they
came to him to his lodging, and thus he
talked to them. The beginning, middle
and end Of his talk was Jesus and His res.
direction, looking to the kingdom yet to be
established with Israel as a righteous ma
tion at the center, Jesus, the Son Of David
as their King, and all nations blessed
by all as King Of kings and Lord Of lords.
"a. "And some believed the things which
we're spoken and some believed not"
| 30 1t has been and will always be in this
age. Paul never expected that all would
believe him, but he 1abored that he might
| by all means save some Rom. n., "A; I. Cor.
lx., 22). Our Lord taught Us that some seed
| will fall by the wayside, some on stony sol,
| some among thorns and some on good
ground; that the tares will grow with the
wheat until the harvest and that the king.
dom will come at harvest time.
25-27. "And when they agreed not among
themselves they departed after that Paul
had spoken one word" That one word was
| quotation from lisa. w., 8, 10, and Is also
found In Math. Kill, IA, Is; John xii, 40;
Rom. xi., 8. Isaiah having seen His glory
and having heard the question, "Whom
shall I send and who will 90 for us?" re-
piled, "Here' am I, send me-" Then he was
! told that the people to whom he was sent
would not all receive his message. Jere-
miah and Ezekiel were also told the same
thing (the record is in 1Jer. l., and in Eek.
Il. and ILL.,. It Is the one business Of the
| message faithfully, diminishing not q word,
and trust the Lord to see to the results.
See Hag. l., 1S; Jer. xiii, 2S; XVI, 2. We
are not to think out the passage any more
than the prophets did or our Lord Jesus
| Christ Himself. Both He and they spake
only the words commanded them by God
John xii, 49; Jer. l., 8, 7; Ex. w., 12), and
we must not think to do otherwise.
%, 29. "To the Jew first was his way al
ways; then, when rejected by them, turn to
| the gentiles, sure that somehow the Lord
shall see Of the travail of his soul and shall
BIZ satisfied. Since He shall not fall nor be
discouraged Elsa. Kilt, ~, there is no room
for any servant OF His ever to be discour-
aged. We must remember His word to
Moses and to Joshua to put of their shoes,
which, II I understand 1t, signifed that the
work was the Lords and not theirs.
80. "And Paul dwelt two whole years In
his own hired house and received all that
came In unto him." During that time he
probably wrote the epistles to the Ephe.
slams, the Philippians, the Colossisns and
some others. When people came to him,
he would be ever ready to welcome them
and talk with them OF Him OF whom big
heart was so full.
81. Preaching the kingdom Of God and
teaching those things which concern the
Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence. no
man forbidding him." Thus this book Of
the Acts begins and ends with the king.
dom, for we read In chapter l., 8, that dur.
Ing the forty days between the resurrection
and ascension our Lord, when He appeared
from time to time, spoke Of the things per-
tanning to the kingdom Of God. The time
will come when the Kingdoms Of this world
shall have become the kingdom Of our
Lord and of His Christ, when all kings shall
fall down before Him and all nations serve
Him (Rev. H., 15;. Ps. lxxii., ~. What can
We do to hasten 1t? First let Him save US
freely by His grace, then let Him as our
Lord use US as He will and where he will
to make Him known to others, that they,
too, may receive Him and help complete
His body and hasten the time OF His re:
turn to bring the kingdom and restore all