The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-05-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESsONvlli, SECOND QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY "a.

copyright 1868, by American Press Association
10. Whereupon, o King Agrippa, l was
not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.
Our last lesson gave us Paurs testi-
mony before Felix and his wife. After
two years Festus succeeded Felix, ands
Paul was still a prisoner. The hatred
of the high priest and the Jewish rul-
ers was undated, and they were still
longing to kill Paul. Festus told them
to come to Cesarea and give their tes-
timony against him, which they did,
but, as before, could prove nothing.
When Festus asked him if he was will
ing to go to Jerusalem and be tried
there, he appealed to Caesar. In due
time King Agrippa and Bernice come
to Cpsarea to visit Festus, and he tells
them of Paul the prisoner and how the
whole trouble between him and his ac-
cusers seemed to be about lone Jesus,
who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to
be alive" (Xxv, 49,. King Agrippa de-
string TO hear him, and he, with Ber-
nice and all the great ones being as
sembied, Paul is brought before them
and is permitted to speak for himself.
He told Of his early life, his zeal in
the Jews religion, the appearance OF
the Lord Jesus To him on the way TO
Damascus and His commission TO car
~ TO the gentiles the knowledge of the
forgiveness Of sins and Inheritance in
the kingdom through Jesus Christ.
nd fur
to God and do works meet for repentance.
These things he preached as he was
commissioned at Damascus, Jerusa-
lem, throughout Jud@a and TO the gen.
tiles, and because of this, he said, the
Jews wanted to kill him. Well, they
had killed the Lord Jesus and stephen
and James and others, and Paul him
self had taken a hand in some Of 1t,
so he knew just what it meant and
why ii was, and no one knew better.
But his eyes had been opened, and now
the risen Christ was TO him the great
est reality in the universe.
%. Having therefore obtained help OF
God, / continue unto this day. witnessing
both 10 small and great saying none 9TH
er things than those which the prophets
and Moses did say should come.
All could see that there were certain
writings and certain person spoken
of in those writings in which and in
whom Paul had absolute confidence.
1t was certainly n great privilege thus
to he permitted to bear witness to
Christ and the Scriptures before such
congregation, but it was a very serious
matter for the congregation. Better
for them never to have heard the good
news than to hear and reject it. Yet
we are commissioned to proclaim it to
every creature, and God will take care
of the results.
3d. That Christ should suffer and that
He should be the first that should rise
from the dead and should shew light unto
the people and TO the gentiles.
Christ Himself taught that it be-
hoovcd Him to suffer and TO rise from
the dead the third day and that repent
ance and remission of sins should be
preached in His name among all ma
tons duke xiv, 46, 40. The gospel
which Paul preached was that Christ
died for our sins according to the
Scriptures. and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day,
according to the Scriptures, and that
through Him is preached the forgive
ness of sins. and by Him all that be-
lieve are justified from all things Il
Cor. XIV, 8, 4; Acts xiii, SO, 80.
24-26. And as he thus spake for himself
Festus said, with loud voice: Paul. thou
los 10TH
make thee mad.
Paul said that he was not mad, but
had only spoken words of truth and
soberness and was persuaded that
Agrippa knew the truth of the things
whereof he had spoken. In lisa. lix,
TO- margin, it is written, Yea, truth
faileth, and he that departeth from evil
is accounted mad" In Hos. tx, Z, we
read, The prophet is a fool, the spir.
itual man is mad" They said to the
Lord Jesus Thou art a Samaritan and
hast devil'' John vii. 20; viii, 4S); so
we need not wonder when hard things
are said of us or to us for Christ's
sake.
27. King Agrippa. beievest thou the
prophets? / know that thou believest.
Paul was persuaded that the king
was not ignorant of the events which
had so recently transpired at Jerusa
lem or of the predictions thus in part
fulfilled. If the question should be
asked Of believers now, "Believest thou
the prophetsT the answers might be
very varied, but no doubt many would
have to plead ignorance of what the
prophets had written.
rs. 20. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, AL
most thou persuadest me to be a Chris
! tan
The revised version says, "With but
| little persuasion thou wouldst fain
make me a Christian" Paul's reply
that he earnestly wished before God
that all who heard him that day were
not only almost, but altogether, Chris
tians seems to me to indicate that
Agrippa was much moved thereto. But,
alas, almost a Christian is TO be lost.
Balaam and Judas Iscariot were per-
haps as near to being Christians as
men could be, yet we have no reason
10 think that either was saved. There
/ 10 tn fnar that