The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-25
SUNDAY-SCH0OL
LESSON FOR JAN. 26
THE LAME MAN HEALED.
Acts. iii, lie.
BY REV. ]. Z. GILBERT, D. d.


Secretary OF American Society of Religious
| Education.
| THE REVlEW.-'rhe book now studied. as its
| name implies, contains a record of the deeds of
| the apostles. In the first chapter and the first
| four verses of the second chapter, they lep-
| resented as they were before and after the hap
tism of the Holy Spirit. The remainder of the
| second chapter exhibits their wonderful efficiency
after the enduement from on high, resulting in
| lie conversion OF three thousand souls in single
day. After this remarkable increase in the church
the apostles gradually widcned the sphere of ther
activity until they assumed a missionary att.
| tude TO carry the gospel into all the world. In
| this extended ministry they manifested the zeal
of their illustrious Master and exceeded the labor
which made his career glorious. 1t has been to
some a cause of measured surprise that they
| should have received power to work miracles
but this doubtless granted Divine at
| testation 10 their commissions (Nlark xvi:
| 17.1S.
| THE BEGC;AR Nerses l. ., a).-'rhe ministry
| here TO be described was purely incidental, like
most of that rendered by the Savior--it was
| called out not by stated appointment bpt by a
casual circumstance IT was 3 o'clock in the al
| ternoon the ninth hour OF Jewish time set
| apart by ecclesiastical law for daily prayer. when
| the people of Jerusale!n repaired to the temple
psalm ": 10. Peter and John, the oldest and
the youngest Of the apostles, wended their way
TO the sanctuary. As they were about to enter,
Il cripple, lame from birth. was carried By
friends, their daily custom, to be laid at the
gate that he might receive aims. Immediately
| rs the two men were seen, pleading began. This
was uncommon spectacle Many unfortunatcs
there for whom medical science offered
| nothing, to whom the cold hand Of charity cX-
tended but few pennies that prolonged Il lais-
erablc existence And those gifts were only he.
slowed because the law required Duet. Xv:O
and the keeping OF its letter was regarded vir-
the by Il hard-hearted people (Nlatt. XIX: 2Ol.
THE APOSTLES Verses 4 and 5).-rlle incl
dent raised an important question--how will the
ministers OF Christ treat bcggar? viii they
satisfy their COnsciences by tossing few small
coins3 Will they pass by, refusing all assist
| ance? Tile answer TO these questions is in three
parts. First, there WAS a mutual recognition.
They who carried the lame man paused. Peter
and John paused. The cripple by direction turned
his eyes upon the apostles, who stood and eazed
upon him. The first effect TO awaken an
expectation in the mind of the needy, but That
soon passed away lisa. NV: 22). There fol-
lowed 1t what was OF priceless value. The un-
fortunate saw two men, followers OF Jesus, com
missioned to preach, whose faces must have dis
closed something OF the joy and love of their
hearts, and that look would do him good But
Peter and John saw the face OF man, forty
years old, in which appeared the sorrow and
hopec'sness OF a lifeimec, and that sight would
awaken their pity CIatt. ix: So)
THE COMMAND (Ncrse G).--In this way a new
relation was established. The eyes of want and
sorrow had met the eyes OF strength and
passion. A Jerusalem pauper and two Gailean
fishermen had come together, to he transformed
by their sympathetic spiritual touch II was the
same change that has been effected in multitudes
nf tIn .Nf In -
Christ that sends bcnefactors into world Of
trouble. And Peter, still exercising primlcy,
(Whether by Divine appointment or selI'asse,tion
matters noD, addressed the beggar. There was,
first, disclamer-he had neither silver nor
gold, that which had been asked. One thing lie
had-a power recently impaired better than sill.
YER or gold and yet not power resident in
him, but power which he might invoke Then
came the command, Rise up and walk" dc.
lVered in the name Of Christ To many that
might have seemed hasphemous or at least
presumptuons. Who gave him such authority
over diseased bodies? All, Peter remembered his
Masters words (Jom xiv: l2lD,
THE CURE Verses and SIT was ncces.
sary that still closer relation should exist be-
tween Peter and The beggar. There had been the
arrested attention. the responsive look, the re,
fused aims, the positive Injunction, The unior.
tunate man is not yet ready to be the recipient
OF a profeled blessing lC Is too much to expect
that in such brief time his faith can be awakened
TO seize the possibilities, Peters hand was en-
tended to grasp the hand OF the helpless.
Strength, impaired first by the human touch,
came afterwald by the Divine touch, the visible
preceding the invisible. Gradually the life cur.
rent pursued its course, carrying vigor to every
part. The feet and ankle bones long unused,
came into service. The man stood up, leaped
lisa. NNNy: %, walked, lie praised God realiz-
ing that he had been under Divine power, and
with The two apostles he entered the temple.
The hrst steps of his Life were into the sane.
tuary psalm cXXii y.
THE WONDER Cyerses o, 10, lD.-The cripple
can walk. Tile man wh1 has daily been laid at
the gate of the temple for years past indeed, for
a generation, whom all have seen as an object Of
charity, whose familiar aud PROSTATE form has
been looked for by all who came that way to
perform their dcvotioni-this man can walk. An
hour ago, borne by his friends; now leaping for
JOY. This remarkable event was soon made
known, and all who heard of il were amazed. II
was an occurrence something like that in the Hfe.
time OF Jesus (John iS: 81, reproduction, there.
fore, Cf those strange deeds that had agitlted
Jerusalem but short time ago. 10 increase The
wonder, after entering The temple the cured man
with passionate gratitude held Peter and Johu in
his firm and atfectionlte grasp, thereby indicat.
ing that they We're in some sense beneiactorS
Many gathered about the three, witnesses of this
demonstration, but unable 10 explain what they
saw.
THE DISCLAIMER Cyerse l2) There were two
dangars IN which tha naanIa kvora pxnosad h,t,