The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1902-04-10
International Sunday-School Lesson
QUARTER. LESSON II. APRIL IS
1902. ACTS TX, 32-43.
PETER, ENRAS, AND DORCAs.

PETER, ENEAS, AND DOECAS.
| Copyright, Davis w. Clark.
The ninth chapter Of Acts contains
lovely photograph of the Church in
its ninth year after Pentecost. This
likeness yies with that OF Acts ii, 41-47
III beauty, and reveals the fact that
while the glories of Pentecost were re-
cedlng and persecution coming or
apace, yet the Church was ever galu
ing in grace and usefulness.
The charming lineaments OF thi:
portrait are such as these: The
Church was sanity; Peter came down
also to the saints which dwelt at LYDIA
ffty-six times in the New Testament
believers are called saints the Apostol-
lc Church was made up of people set
apart, who felt themselves called to be
saints.
Another feature: Not the saints at
LYDIA only, but all those in Judea
Gallilee and Samaria, were edited.
That word is borrowed from the build.
er's art. AS he lays the foundation,
| rears the superstructure, and makes q
dwelling for man, so these primitive
| Christians coming to Christ as foun-
dation, build dwelling for the Spirit
of God.
Again they walked in the fear of the
Lord. Christianity was not to them
an abstract, impersonal system, IN
loved and unlovabie. Back of all doc
trine, precept, and ordinance. there
| was the inefable person, Jesus Christ
In awe of him, in loving reverence,
they lived with the question constant
ly on their lips, "What would he
have me do?"
Finally, they walked in the comfort
of the Holy Ghost. He was net to
them an abstraction, doctrine, but
divine and blessed presence. They
could say something better than the
Greed. Not 81 believe in the Holy
Ghost" but ~ haye the Holy Ghost
Do you wo:der that a Church with
such characteristics was irresistibly at
tractive, and that it multiplied?
But all these were subjective traits
our lesson brings US to the objective
life OF the apostolic Church. That
Church sought not only to be good /,
but to do go good. It sought to IRA
date the dark places of want and suf-
fering with practical benefcence.
Peter healing palsled Eneas, and Dor
cas- with her good works and aims
deeds-coats and garments--well repre-
sent the Church in her aggressive
mission OF mercy and helpfulness.
Dorcas was probably unhampered by
a domestic esta blishment OF her own.
We haye no mention of husband or
children. She must have had COM
petence for she needed not to toll fer
herself. Possibly she had fortune.
She felt called Of God to this ministry.
With a rational abandon she threw her
time, talent, fortune, self, into the
loving service OF the unfortunate.
Her very mind and heart we're per-
'neated with the spirit of philanthropy.
She was full of good works and aims
deeds which she did. She had an
embryo deaconess society about her.
Her eye was that of t'gazelle" Gas her
name signifes), not only benignant in
pity for the poor, but alert to detect at
once their need, and the means to re-
lieve 1t. At the very moment she
-eemed most indispensable to the sue
cess of her charitable enterprises, it
came to pass in those days she was
sick and died.
If ':death ends ALL" then such I'm
timely deaths are inexplicable. But
if there Is future life, then into it
the split enters with all the adyan-
tage OF its discipline and experience in
the present life, and in nobler spheres,
under conditions more favorable, it