The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1903-02-27

PLEASANT FIELDS OF HOLY WRIT
save for my daily range
Among the pleasant fields of Holy Writ,
nigh! despair. -IennySon.
The International Sunday School
Lesson.
First Quarter. Lesson tx, Acts
xviii, "a; xix, 6. March |, 1903.
DAM Avn 4 ppTTnS

PAUL AND APOLLOs.
The city of Ephesus will ever have
Il peculiar charm for those who are
interested in the beginnings of Chris
tianity. Here lived and labored,
at different periods, two of the apos-
ties whose characters were i'll
marked contrast. John, the loving
and beloved, here wrote his Gospel
and Epistles, the keynote Of each
being "love." Into the congregation
of believers he was carried in his
chair, and, lifting his trembling
hands, pronounced his parting bene-
diction, Little children, love one
another Here he discharged to
the end the sacred obligation which
the Lord placed upon him when
from the cross he cried to him, Be
hold thy moIher.' In his home in
this city, Mary, fairest lily of the
Hebrew race, most honored OF all
women, fell on sleep. Here John
himself died II natural and peaceful
death in extreme old age, forming
the only exception to the rule Oi
martyrdOm among the apostles.
In contrast to the peaceful ana
even flow of Johns life in Ephesus is
the impetuous torrent of Paul's.
With his tireless zeal and irresistioIe
logic he threw himself, upon the one
hand, against a Judaism that cur
tanned its heart in unbelief whenever
Moses was read; and on the other,
against heathenism thoroughly i'll
fused with Oriental magic and sor-
Gerry. Paul's life in Ephesus was
that of a gladiator. 1t is his own
figure when he says. After the
manner of men, | have fought with
beasts at Ephesus.' And again:
God hath set forth us, the apostles.
| last, as it were appointed to DEATH:
| for we are made spectacle unto the
world" The blood-curdling climax
of the Ephesian spectacleS was when
! The fighters with beasts were set
! forth. last of all, to contend with
powerful and ravenous brutes, while
10000 spectators gazed down, from
their marble seats beneath the silken
'butchered to make an Ephesian
! nOllUdN.
Such were Paul's perils. The con-
trast OF his life in Ephesus and
Johns life in the same city. is the
contrast between foaming cataract
and Il sea of glass. There is deep
significance in the order of their resi-
dence. The placidity of Johns life
was rendered possible by Paul's pri-
oritv of abode there. With the
dauntless courage of Christian
gladiator Paul met the beast of Asi.
attic heathenisn. and if he did not
actually throttle it to death. so sub.
dued il AS to make the ascendency OF
Christianity in the next century
possible.
The method of Paul's procedure il
FDhesus will reveal to us the logical
the divine order, in the introduction
of istianitv everywhere. And 81
its study is of transceudent impor
lance,
His first step was to draw wholly
into the kingdom certain semi-Chris
tians resident in Ephesus. BY tn
means he not only augmented tn,
Christian force. bat he removed di
verse, confusing. and lnisleadin!
types OF Christian faith and life.
PAIL. ever alert for opportunities
soon heard OF a little company 0
discinles of John the Raptist. The,
had received the baptism to repent.
ance: possibly they knew of Jesus IA
Messiah: but certainly they knew
nothing OF PentecoSt and the etfu
: sion of the Holy Ghost.
Paul sought an early lhtrouuctlOi
10 these Joilhnueau ulsclples' o. iI
came INTO tHeIr company nor VIII
tne lnaslsttrlai ar Vi an ecGles iasll &c
out WIN the sllliPte moran eaIu .sE y
ness ol orothGrI ne Ihqulreu lnI'
thelr state OF Dellei anu experience
ana gently showed theili no" th
= tacts OF gospel history OF Whlch tne.
mad not Deen so fortunate as TO De
come acquainted httea INTO tnel
present XIV" leuNe anu eAPoI cue
Ike SO many lemons INTO mortlses
HIS ueilgEteu AUDITORS proved s.
teachaDte 1hat lheE gIlaea easllN
ana instantly mo Ihe kllSuoill
grace lheE were oaPtlZGu' not re
DaPtlZed, never having DGiore re
celFea Chflstiah paPtlslli' IheI w
apostle Ial9 ms hahus upon UIelli
ana instantly tllere Was llICle rem
tecQst there uhdef the very sEadop
OF Dlana great temple gleamlhs
with ltS staTliKe faulahce. ana the!
were ali nlled with the hoiy Nhost
and began 70 speak with othe
tongues as the SPlFlI gave tnelh Ut
terance'
THE TEACHERS LANTERN.
The incident of Apollos is n it'll,
narrative in parenthasis. ThOupl
hrief il is exceedingly suggestive,
Anoiios is a fvne Of the nonula,
teacher or preacher who. thougI
himself not adequately instructed
has a subtle enthusiasm which gain,
him an auditory where the scholar
accurate bat cold. fails. Yet the su
nerinritv of ApollO's enthusiasm i,