The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-10
SABBATH SCHOOL,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
FEBRUARY II.
Lesson Text: The Prison Opened,''
Acts ". 1892 Golden
Text: Acts ". 29-
Commentary.

II. "Then the high priest rose up. and all
| they that were with him, and were filed
| with indignation" The preceding verses
| tell Of multitudes coming to Jerusalem to he
| healed, and they were healed. every one. 1t
seems that blessing came even from the
| shadow of Peter falling upon them. Multi
| tudes of men and women believed and were
| added to the Lord, and many signs and Won
| ders we're wrought by the bands OF the
| apostles. but it was all the work Of the risen
Christ through them by His Spirit. The
| Spirit is in every believer. but where are the
signs and won1ers to the glory OF God2 is
| II because believers do not live to honor
| Christ as the apostles did?
18. "And laid their hands on the apostles
| and put them IN the common prison. The
| high priest and the Sadducees were very relig-
ious people and professed to worship the one
living and true God, vet they thus manifested
| their anger against these men because they
| honored Jesus Christ risen from the dead
and because of the mighty works done in His
| name. The margin Of verse II says they
| were filled with envy, and there are still
| many religious people whose strange and
seemingly hateful conduct to others can be
accounted for only on the ground OF envy.
19. "But the angel Of the Lord by night
| opened the prison doors and brought them
forth" Wien the Lord wants BIS people
| all night in prlson, that is the place for them
| to be, as in chapter iv., 8. but when He
wants them out of prison He has angels
| enough to minister to them. and one angel
has more power than all the soldiers on
earth, and prison doors or walls are nothing
| to them.
20. "Go, stand and speak in the temple
to the people all the words OF this life"
| The words of God are Spirit and life John
vi. 63). Christ is life and apart from Him
| is no life (Col. ill.,. 4; John ", l2). II we
| have life In Christ, 1t Is that we may pass 1t
| on to others by holding forth the word OF
life phil. H., 16). If we have the bread of
| life and living water, it is that we nay pass
on the same to those who have them not.
| Five small loaves in the hands Of Christ fed
| over 5000 people. He is the very same
Jesus.
81. The apostles did as they were told and
taught the people in the temple. The high
priest, with the council and senate, assem-
| bled in the morning and sent to the prison TO
| bring the prisoners. It was evidently some
thing very important that these men, Peter
| and John, should be dealt with severely, and
hence the calling together Of the whole SEN
| ate as well as the council, and now that
| they had them safely in prison-as they sup
| posed-was the time to do something very
| decided.
"a, 28. The prison shut safely, the keepers
| before The doors, but no prisoners in the
! prison-this is what the officers came and
| found ano returned and told. The rulers
were taking counsel together against the
| Lord and against His anointed, and the
Lord was having them in derision (Ps. IT,,
2, -.
"a. The high priest and chief priests
| doubted whereunto these things would
grow. and well they might. for II lame peo-
| Die are made TO walk and all manner OF sick
ness healed, the prison. walls and faithful
! guards set ut naught, the rulers may we'll
ask, What next2 We know whereunto these
things will grow-they will keep growing
until to Him every knee shall bow. all
kings fall down before Him, and all nations
serve Him, and the kingdom and dominion
under the whole heavens be given to the
saints of the Most High.
rs, &c. Hearing from some one that the
prisoners were teaching the people In the
temple, the captain and officers went and
brought them without violence. The same
power that took the apostles out of prison.
and that sent the soldiers to the ground
when they came to take the Lord Jesus In
Gethsemane might have arrested this cap
tain and his officers if the Lord had thought
best. but His plan for them now seemed to
be that they should quietly go. with the off,
GERS. Quiet submission to circumstances,
trusting God to arrange the circumstances,
lS Tue way VI pcdSO IOl lAO DOACNShs = 1>hN
great help in this word, "Do as occasion
serve thee, for God is with thee" q Sam.
x.,I
27. 2s. Being set before the council, the
high priest accuses them of filling Jerusa-
lem with their doctrine and making the
council guilty Of the death OF Christ. and
this In spite Of the command OF the council
to stop teaching in the name OF Christ.
There is no reference to their escape from
Ian t,nxy a 0nD ia
to acknowledge the hand OF God in this and
dared say nothing against it, perhaps for
other reasons
29. 'Ihen Teter and the other apostles
answered and said, We ought to obey God
rather than men," In the presence OF the
council that put Christ to death they feared
not the same treatment II such had been the
will of God for them. They had prayed not
for deliverance from their enemies. but for
bodness in teaching whatever the result
might be (chapter iv., 29-3I. They remind
us OF the friends of Daniel, who, with the
fiery furnace before them, fealed not to honor
God and defy the king. The fear of God de-
livers from all fear of men.
so. i'The God Of our fathers raised up
Jesus, whom he slew and hanged on tree"
The end of all their conversation as well as
the beginning is Jesus Christ, the same yes
terday, to-day and forever (Heb. xiii, 2, 81.
They are not afraid to insist upon the fact
that the rulers al the Jews cructtled Christ.
and with triumph they assert that God raised
Him from tine dead.
81. "Him hath God exalted with His right
hand to be Prince and Saviour for to give
repentance to Israel anil forgiveness OF sins"
Humbled unto death and crucifed by His
enemies, God raised Him from the dead and
gave Him glory and exalted Him to give re-
pentance unto Israel first II they would ac-
oept it. for up to thistime it looks as if Christ
might have returned to give the kingdom to
Israel il only they had been willing to accept
Him. See Acts ill.,, 1891 R. v, and remem-
ber that all the believers thus far, though
numbering many thousands, were all Jews.
49, And we are His witnesses OF these
things, and go is also the holy Ghost, whom
God hath given to them that obey Him.
See tho partnership of the Holy Spirit and
these in themselves, weak and unworthy
vessels. See the Lord own words in Acts
l., 8, and let US be wilIingto be His witnesses;
then we may be sure that all our ways and
words will be chosen for US and our work
,rj1l ba ;,, bn pravanoe and mower of God.