Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-05-13
Explanatory.


"In the speech of Lycaonia": what this
language was, whether a corruption of
Greek or some Eastern dialect, we do not
| know. The question how Paul was able
to preach to them in their native tongue,
unless by miracle, has not been salts
| factorily answered, anu it is supposed by
many that the people would understand a
little Greek.-"The gods are come down
| to us in the likeness of men,: those famil-
| lar with classical literature will remember
| the story Of Jupiter and Mercury visiting
| the peasants Boucis and Philemon, as re-
lated by Hawthorne in his "Tanglewood
Tales" The aged couple entertained their
strange visitors as well as they could on
simple fare, and were splendidly reward
ed The people of the interior of Asia
Minor were far from being the cynical
| skeptics that the Romans were, and still
cling to many of the old superstitions.
Hence they were quite ready to believe,
| under the influence of excitement, that
| the old story of Boucis and Philemon was
| to be repeated. They formed in process
sion and marched through the streets,
| shouting aloud, THE gods have come
down to us in the likeness of men,"
There was no hesitation in the minds
of the apostles-no thought of gaining a
temporary power over the people by en-
c0uraging the delusion and then leading
them gradually to knowledge of the true
God. They knew that truth does not
travel in the shoes of lie. 1t is to the
credit of our early foreign missionaries
| that in similar circumstances they never
took advantage of their superior wisdom
| to deceive the ignorant people to whom
| they were sent.
How maliciously the Jews pursued Paul
and BarnaIbas from place to place, as if
they were dangerous men or criminals in
stead of peaceable preachers of right
eousness. Their task was an easy one,
for the tickle people were just as ready to
listen TO one side as the other. This ston-
ing of Paul he mentions in 2 Cor. H. 20
among the various pains and hardships he
had endured for the sake of Christ. 1t
was a most severe punishment, the stones
being large, and usually resulted in death
either immediate or ultimate.
The rest of the journey. so briefly told,
must have covered several months. Paul
would not have returned Immediately to
Lystra, for he was not lacking in ordinary
prudence; he probably spent some time in
WneIt Ho Oppocitioh - icNVhtcus
The return journey, confirming the souls
of the disciples" must have been a trying
one. but resulted in splendid fruit. 1t
may be mentioned again that according to
Ramsay these churches were the Gala
tan churches to which Paul later wrote
the epstle to the Galatians. That opin-
ion, however, is not held by most interpre-
ters. We learn from vs.. % that besides
encouraging the disciples, Paul began the
organization of the churches by appoint
ing elders, or presbyters. 'The elders in
the official sense of the term, were those
appointed in the first churches to watch
over their general discipline and welfare.
The sudden changes from popularity to
the reverse in Paul's life are strikingly
similar TO those of Christ himself. He
knew how to be abased, and how to
abound, and never complained. From this
time, even more definitely than before,
Pauls work was with the Gentiles. He
showed marvellous adaptation to their
modes Of thought, and 1t is shown by the
fragments of his addresses in Acts and in
his epistles yet the gospel which he
preached, though not a Jewish gospel,
was In no respect toned down or weaken
ed TO please Greeks and Galatians. 1t
was the message which he had received
from Christ and was universal.
Next Lesson-"The Conference at Jeru-
salem. Acts 10: 1-6, 22-20.