The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-03-05
ruE SUNDAY SCnOOI.
.,.,ai Lesson for March =, 1897
Ipsef"'.,,,.lan Convcrt-ActsS $4,000.

So s,.cTION includes simply the les
lhH,,b ia relations 10 the history.
son; ~, M The early summer OF A. ID. ~.
"after the last lesson, .,,
flaO southwest OF Jerusalem, toward
reglo" which is near the coast OF the Med
iierranea" EXPLANATORY.
presidential Preparations through
~ philip and CD the Man OF Ethiopia.
" o6 ~. 90. "And the DIETER. AMI
-, ~ the Lord" Whether he APP
'ns rod in some visible form, or by some
Fard communication. or by vision,
.anot revealed, and is matter Of small
.anseouence. "Spakc unto Philip" The
bacon. or evangelist, not the apostle.
o. "And he arose and vent" To
mere his road entered the Jerusalem
"a GAIA road. He does not seem to
.ove known the object of his journey.
"a uon Of Ethiopia:" In general,
rthjopia is vague term for the lands
.outh Of Egypt, but in this case we are
oble 10 identify it with the ancient
r,hioplc kingdom of Meroc by the name
- its queen. Candace. ~ eunuch OF
rreat authority:" The word, although
moaning a chamberlain or a servant of
me bedchambcr, denoted, as now, the
condition of n man who was chosen to
vatch over the womeu's apartment in
creat houses. Such persons, deprived
n family ambition, were thought more
trustworthy than Others, and often held
tirh Offices. lie was at the head OF
,be financial department OF the king
dom, chancellor of the exchequcr, sec
vary of the treasury.
Il. Seeking the Light VS.. 27, %. %.
Had come to Jerusalem for to wor-
hip:" lie had accepted the truth that
was given him, which fact in itself,
be being leading man, amid great
temptations, showed deeply sincere
and earnest soul. But he wanted more
light. and he Travelled Il long distance,
at great expense, that he might obtain
il.
%. "Was returning:" From Jerusa-
lem. where he must have heard of
Jesus and His claim TO be The Messiah,
and of His disciples and their deeds.
and il is almost wonderful that he did
not there join them TO learn about the
truth. But il was natural that he
should go first to the Jewish leaders,
and they would misrepresent the Chris
tians to him. Still the very air was full
of discussion Of the Scriptures relating
10 the Messiah. which would awaken
in him a desire to study them for him.
self. Hence he had turned TO the
particular passage in Isaiah, and was
studying the question as he was sit
ting in his chariot"
III. Unexpected Help.-Vs. 20-3l. 20
"Then the Spirit said unto Philip
Now came the explanation of the com
mand to take the journey. Go near
and join myself TO this chariot" Nc
doubt this royal treasurer had nu
merous retinuc, and a single traveller OF
a desert road would be doing what was
natural In attaching himself to trair
OF people who were journeying in the
same direction. Philip would there
fore be able 10 approach and hear wha
was read without being deemed an in
trudcr. "Understandeth thou?' Th'
question would imply that Philip wa
ready to explain. The Christians ~
been enlightened by the Holy Spirit
and the continual necessity of explain
ing and interpreting must have mad
them familiar with all the Scripture
referring to Christ.
". New Light Upon Old Scriptures
vs.. 1925. 81. THE place OF the SCRIP
lure Elsa. 53:7. 81"
20. "Then Philip began
he same Scripture:" Which was flu
filed in Jesus. and has been fulfilled i
no other. And PREACHED unto hir
Jesus:" Literally, announced TO hir
the glad tidings, Jcsus.--Abbott. Phil
showed the strange and marvellous col
respondence between the many descriI
lions of the Messiah in the prophets an
the then well-known life of Jesus {
Nazareth. He placed Jesus in His lif'
death and character. beside the pictur
OF the Messiah which The prophets ha
painted, and all could see that the pi'
ture was portrait Of Jesus.
V. Accepting and Confessing Chris
VS.. 36-3s. &c. ''Came unto n ccrtai
water" They had been riding SON
time together, and this marks the plae
where they parted. 'See. here
water" Or, simply: "Behold water
This was saying: Il believe in Jesu
] accept Him as my Saviour. and now
wish to confess Him by baptism" as
other Christians had been doing.
~. lie commanded the chariot:" ]
ordered the chariot driver to stop. M
of course the whole retinue would 81
what took place. and they may certai
ly he regarded as the nucleus OF co
gregation to be established in Ethiopi
He baptized HIM" Without waitir
further to instruct him, or delaying I,
public ceremonial. Baptism was q
Divine mode of confessing Christ.
vi. The Parting Ways. Each Man
His Work.-vs. 80, 40. 80. ''The Spir
OF the Lord caught away Philip" T.
expression asserts that he left u
eunuch suddenly, under the impulse
an urgent motion from above. but n
that the mode of his departure w
miraculous in any other respect.
Hackett. Others think 1t was mirac
lous "And he" (the eunuch) 1--WE