Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-01-21
THE LAME MAN
HEALED
School Lesson for Jan. "a, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

GOLDEN TEXT.-"His name. through
faith In his name, hath made this man
strong, whom We see and know,"-Acts
3:l6.
TIME.-The time IL unknown within
one or more years. Possibly the event
OF this lesson took place not long after
PentecOst In the summer of a. -. 30. But
since II was connected with prosecutions,
1t may have been II year or two later.
PLACE.-Jerusalcm. in the outer court
OF the temple near the beautiful gate
which led from the outer court. the Court
OF the Gentiles. to the Court of the Wom-
en-, !. O., the court In which women were
allowed but beyond which they could not
go. Peters sermon was preached in
Solomon porch on the east side Of the
Court of the Gentilcs.
PLACE IN H1STOIIY.-An example Of
the work of Christianity. and the Begin
ming OF persecution.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Old and New Forms of Worship.
1t was the custom Of the early Chris.
tians to worship I'm their old accus.
toned way as well as In the new ways
taught them by the Spirit. If they
broke the old bottles" before the
new bottles" were prepared, they
would lose the very spirit and power
of worship. AS it was. they filed the
old forms full Of the spirit of worship,
and thus were prepared to use the
new alone.
V. 2. And a certain nan lame" All
we know of him is % that he was born
lame; ca his lameness was caused
by weakness of his feet and ankles
". y; go he a unable to walk;
ca he was poor; 90 he had been
lame 40 years (Acts 4:22) Was car
ried." WAS being carried" possibly
at the same time that Peter and John
were entering. Whom they laid"
Were accustomed to lay" as the
tense shows. AT the gate" tone OF
the several gates) of the temple"
The word includes not only the house
but the courts and their buildings.
(Which Is called Beautiful" Prob
ably the gateway between the Court
of the Gentiles and the Court Of
the Women, where the Jews vent
for worship. This gateway had mag
nificent doors of Corinthian brass rs
feet high, and adorned with plates OF
silver and gold.
The Gate Beautiful.--There are
many beautiful gates in life to higher
and better things. The Gate of Hope,
the Gate Of Love, the Gate of Char
acter, the Gate of Faithfulness, the
Gate Of Prayer. JESUS Christ is the
Beautiful Gate to eternal life.
Such AS | Have Give | Thec.-Only
such as IA person has can he give to
others, and only In so far as he really
possesses it. Pictures of fire will not
warm, nor will semblances OF virtues
impart virtues. If a mar has money
he can give money. II he has truth
he can impart truth. If one has cour-
age, hope, love, goodness, he can in.
fuse them into other souls. II he him
self Is full of doubts, hate, ill,temper,
bad passions. it is these he will i'm
part to those around him, and by no
means can such a one impart to 9th.
ers the good he has not himself.
Hence 1t is that the most important
element in teaching and in preaching
is the man behind them. A cold
church annot warm the %impenitent to
shiS WV ohiIi hih'tIS Nv uIll'Do
we ourselves are on fire.
The test of true religion is its power
to help men, to relieve suffering, to
transform the lives of men. The Cos.
pei of Christ lis the power Of God un.
to salvation to everyone that be-
l~ieves;" that is, to everyone who Is
willing to receive the salvation.
"Christianity IS nothing, according
to the writer's Of the New Testament,
unless It moves in the realm of pow.
er."--C. r. Jefferson.
Does the church exert its whole
power of healing disease and alleviat.
ing suffering? There has been a sad
neglect Of the power of prayer and
faith, and of personal uplift for the
sick and suffering. Christian Science
Ia a reaction against this neglect.
Professors of psychology are begin.
ming to advocate the power of mind
e body. Doctors are using this
power more than hitherto. MANY dis
eases can be shaken of by simply lift
ing up the ton of the interior life.
Elizabeth Barrett was a sick woman,
confined to her bed, and Robert
Browning called upon her. She fell
in love with him, and her love for
him lifted her out Of bed and gave
her health again. Anything that quick
n the emotions, and fills the heart
with thoughts of God, must have its
influence on every organ OF the body,
and make 1t more difficult for disease
to work its ravages there."--C. e. JEFF
ferson.