Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-07-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ", THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 25.

"a - Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
20. "Then Paul stood in the midst of
Mars hill ank said, Ye men of Athens, 1
perceive that in all things We are too SUI
perstitious. The II. " margin says, "Re |
ligious." 1t was something like much Of |
the religion of today, which is described !
in Isa xxx, 13; Eek. xxxiii 81; Math.
XIV, 70, "a righteousness without any real |
ity, without any forgiveness of sins-all |
outward formalty. The peoples time was |
spent in talking of the news of the day |
(verse 21); as Paul waited for Silas and |
Timothy to come to him from Berea oversees /
IA to 16) he made good use of his time for
his Master, both in the synagogue and in |
the marketplace, and every day preached
Jesus and the resurrection.
90. "Whom therefore ye ignorantly wOr-
ship Him declare l unto you. He said
this with reference to the altar to the un-
known God, for it would seem that in
their worship of many gods or idols they
had an altar for one whom possibly they
might not have heard Of as yet, but if
there was such an one they would like his
favor also. Here is the one business of the
church, to make known to those who never
God who alone is worthy to be worshipped.
"a GOOD that made the world and all
things therein, seeing that He is Lord of
heaven and earth, dwcllcth not in temples
made with hands. " Prophets and apostles
dwclt much upon the great truth of crea-
ton, and emphasized that He whom they
preached was the Creator of all things.
See Isa. Xiv, PA Jer Y, 12; xxi, II;
Acts iv, 81. People may know of Him
by His works. But no one can truly know
Him except through Jesus Christ, who was
God manifest in the flesh (Niath. xi, 27;
John i, Is; / Tim. iii, 49, Life eternal
is to know Him (John xvii, 81.
25. He giyeth to all life and breath and
all things" Giving is His great charac-
teristic. and His browning act was to give
His only begottcn son, or in other words
to give Himself as IA sacrifice for our sins
Having given Himself, He has given all
things, for all things are in Him. The un-
godly are dependent upon Him for the
very breath with which they blaspheme
His name, and the words of Daniel to
Belshazzar are applicable to them-"The
God in whose hand thy breath is and whose
are all thy ways hast thou not glorified'
(Dan. V, 23).
90 "And hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell on all the face
of the earth " Not only has He determined
the bounds of their habitaton, but He has
done it with reference to His people Israel
(Deut. xxi, s., for it is His pleasure to
make Israel the center and bless all ma
tons through them. AS all on earth are
His creatures and He loved the world and
gave Himself for the world, surely it is
the great business of those who know this
to make it known to those who know it
not. What else are we here for but to honor
Him and make Him known?
81. THAT they should seek the Lord. "
Look at lisa. ", 6, Z; Zeph ii, 3; Jer. xxx,
ID, and Matt vi, 33 on seeking the Lord,
and observe everywhere that His great de
sire is to have people turn to Him. BY sin
we have turned our backs upon Him, and
misjudge Him, and misunderstood Him
and think and say hard things of Him.
! The Scriptures enlighten us about Him
and lead us to repent or change our mind
about Him, and when we know Him many
are glad to receive Him (.John l. IL, 12).
rs. For in Him we live and move and
have our being" If there is one thing
that is not known, it is the goodness and
love of God. Those who bear the name of
Christ are not showing forth His goodness
as they might day by day, but are too apt
to complain because of His chastenings
and thus lead Others 30 think that He is
not good. God is good God is love, and
if these truths were more manifest in His
people moro would want to know Him,
for the goodness of God leads to repentance
(Rom. H. -.
20. I'VE ought not to think that the
Godhcad is like unto gold or silver or
stone, craven by art and mans device "
For it cannot be that what we make made
US. The work of mems hands cannot be
mans creator and yet what millions seem
to think so AS they bow down to idols OF
wood and stone. See the folly of this fully
set forth in lisa. Xiv, g-19, and in verse 90
see the reason of such folly, "A deceived
heart hath turned him aside. "
30, And the times of this Ignorance
God winkcd at Or. v overlooked), but
now commander all men everywhere tc
repent God never makes light of sin and
never passes it by as if it were nothing, but
He is long suffering, slow to anger, not
willing that any should perish Oh Pet. iii
8, 100. How 1t must grleve Him to be
misunderstood as He is to be thought un
kind and cruel when He is wholly anG
only love. Is il any wonder that He com
mands all to repent, bat is it not great
wonder that He offers full and free for
giveness to all who turn to HimY (Hos
xiv 4; Rom iii, Pa
81. because He hath appointed day
in which He will judge the world il
righteousness by that man whom He haiti
ordained. The assurance of this is founC
: in risen Christ at Gods right hand. In
reference to this day we must remembe
that day sometimes means thousant
years ops Xc, /; III Pet iii, 81, and from
5 other Scriptures we gather that the period
/ OF Judgment will cover at least 900 years
, the saints and the living nations beinl
judged at the beginning, and the wicket
f dead at the end of the thousand years.
, 81. And when they heard of the resur
1 rection of the dead some Knocked, and 9th
! Brs said, We will hear thee again Of thi
( matter. The greatest and the browning
event in the work of our Lord Jesu
. Christ His resurrection from the dead, i
i that which seems to be the greatest STUN
I. bling block l Cor. Ky sets forth yer,
fully the benefits of His resurrection an,
what the results would have been if H
had not risen.