The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-06-14
SUNDAY-SCHOOL
LESSON FOR JUNE IS
PAUL CROSSES TO EUROPE.
Acts, xvi:6-15.
BY REV. J. r. GILBERT, D. D.
Secretary OF American Society Of Religious
Education.


| to the happy conclusion of the controver-
| sy over circumcision In the church at
| Antioch Shortly afterward, Paul set
out on his second missionary journey. ac-
companied by sNas. Passing through
| Syria and Cllicia, he visited the
churches which he had founded. AT Lys-
| ira, Timothy, a young disciple, probably
| converted on the former visit (Acts, xiv,
| 81, was ordained to the ministry Il TIM,
iv:1D, and added to the party. Thence
| travelling northward the missionaries
| directed their steps in paths previously
| untrodden by the messengers Of Christ
| into the dark depths of Paganism. Little
| is known of what transpired In the way.
| The inspired writer had his mind on the
| objective point to be reached further on,
an account of which will be given in to-
| days lesson. The entire New Testament
narrative is a recital merely of those I'M
portant events OH which history turned,
leaving other events unnoticed (John
| xx:25).
JOURNEYING. - Our lesson opens
| oversees and ID with bare mention or
| the countries, all Roman provinces,
| through which the missionaries jour
neyed. The first, Phrygla. directly west
| of Lycaonia, contained three important
| cities. Hierapois Colosse and Laodicea,
but Paul deputed Epaphras (Col. iv:12)
| Christian of Green parentage, to labor
there and pushed on with Silas and Tim
| othy into Galatia, province to the
northeast The Gaiations were descend
| ants of band of adventurous Gauls. who,
about three centuries before the Christ
| ian era removed from their home in
western Europe. fought their way through
many obstacles and finally settled In
| Asia Minor. Warlike and democratic
these people. governed themselves. and
under the imperial dominion retained their
| own rulers. Paul's preaching made
powerful impression on their sensitive ma
| lures, and they cordially heard him and
| accepted the Gospel Gal iv:lo).
REsTRAINlNG.--On closing the labors
in Galatia the missionaries retraced their
steps, moving westward to the boundary
| of Mysia, one of the districts of the most
western province called Asia, from which
we obtain the name now applied to the
whole eastern continent. Here double
| restriction was laid upon Paul. He was
| forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach In
Asia (verse g. Inferring that this indi-
Gated the Lords pleasure as to the next
| field of labor. he was disposed to move
| northward and enter Bithynin (verse ..
province lsng along the southern shore
| of Pontus EuXinus, or, as it now termed,
| the Blac: Sea. But the Spirit again in
terposed This shows that the misSionar-
| moved by their own inclination and i'm
pulse. Spirit-guided with closed lips they
passed directly across Mysia, and came to
it's chief city, Troas, by the sea (verse
81, which stood near the site of ancient.
Troy, the scene of Homer's immortal
poem.
| DIRECTING. - Having been brought
| into a country where they are not allowed
to speak for Christ, what shall these
preachers do? They were not left alone
! in doubt. In the night Paul had a vis-
| ion. A Macedonian stood before him,
crying, "Come over to Macedonia and
help u.s. (verse 81. That man was the tit
representative of powerful nations which
had accomplished great things in the do.
main of politics, but We're growing old
and feeble. "Writhing in the restlessness
| of doubt at the foot of their world-famous
| altars of art and beauty, they were turn
ing tired eyes toward the East. seeking
| there a deliverance from evils of which
they had no longer any hope In them
| selves" Claudius was then the ruler Of
| the world. The puppet of mstresses and
favorites. he had laid upon the whole en-
pire a yoke of deepest humiliation, a
slavery accompanied by no redeemins ray
| of glory. 1t was, therefore, a most op-
perfume time for Paul and his associates
to enter Europe, carrying the everlasting
gospel, the only infallible cure for the ills
| of man.
| OBEYING. - Paul rightly interpreted
this vision as the call of God to a new
| field of labor, and he Immediately obeyed
| (vcrse 10. Taking boat at Troas, they
| sailed westward over the Aegean Sea.
| According to Eusebius (Ijccles. Hist, Iii,
a, another helper was added to the COM
pany at this point. Luke, the physician,
| fi,n1 10 1,n tln i,,SYN pl,rN ,inlnr ,f
the apostolic age. After a voyage of 100
miles SamothraCia, an island near the
| coast, was touched, and next day the mis-
| sionaries debarked at Neapois on the
main land. then city of considerable
| Importance, whose ruins to this day may
be seen little distance from the Turk
ish village of Kavalla (verse ID. Losing
no time the missionaries pushed on into
the interior, to Philippi. This city, built
by Phillip III, and rendered illustrious by
the famous battles in which the Roman
republic finally succumbed under Brutus.
had become tiourshing colony, the most
important in all that region. Paul, Silas.
Timothy, Luke obedient to the heavenly
vision (Acts XXvi:l9), We're for the first
time on the soil of Europe.
| PREACHING.-rhe restraint imposed in
Asia being removed the full function of
the ministry may be exercised But
where? Naturally Paul and Silas-Luke
and Timothy being Greeks-turned to
| their countrymen first of all, among
whom they might most certainly expect
sympathy. The jews We're not numerous
in Philippi, nor was their religion ac-
ceptable to the people. The culture of an.
| cient Greece, devoted to the worship of
form, idolatrous of beauty, both in Ian
guage and in art, was unfavorable to tho
purer morals inculcated by the syna-
gogue while the corruption of manners
and the political and religious despotism
| of Rome opposed any religion brought in
from without. The Jews were, therefore,
compelled to go out of the city for wor-
| Ship Building an oratory by the river
| side, they We're accustomed to assemble
there for prayer ON the Sabbath TO that
| place Paul repaired Verse IL. and, find-
ing small company of women assem-
bled, he sat down with them and preached
his first sermon In Europe.
the river side was woman named Lydia.
Formerly resident of Thyatira. in Asia,
| she had come across the sea and settled
| in Philippi to engage in the sale of purple
fabrics, made In her own country These
goods We're colored with liquid taken
| from the glands In the throat of a fish by
a very difficult and expensive process
| Hence the cloths were highly priced,
and were worn by kings and dignitaries
| Heather though she was by birth, she
had renounced the religion of her father,
| and had become worshipper of the God