Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-09
Sunday School Lesson for Tomorrow

death. But recent events had convinced
them that they could accomplish their
purpose by strategy only. Forty Of them
therefore entered into a. plot They
bound themselves "by fearful oath that
they would neither eat nor drink till they
had killed Paul" The plan was simple
1t had the appearance of being reasonable
Paul was the preacher of a new doctrine
There were some things in his teaching
that they did not understand. The chief
captain would be requested to permit him
to come down to them for the purpose OF
explanation. The guard accompanying him
would be small and easily overpowered
and they would be waiting to bring about
his death. The plan was so we'll laid that
there seemed to be but little danger Of its
miscarrying. The chief priests and elders
had given it their sanction; and all was
in readiness for its final accomplishment
1t was apparently a trifling thing that a
lad moving about among the people
should overhear one telling of the plot.
A trif1ing thing. There are no trifins
things in Gods providence. When CO.
lumbus was almost discouraged, when his
men were on the point of mutiny. de-
manding that he should return, it seemed
hoating seaweeds and passing birds; but
they told Columbus of land. When Wash
ington crossed the Delaware it seemed
to be trifling thing that the weather
grew cold and the ground froze so that
1t bore the wagons of the Americans. But
to that fact was due the victory of Wash
ington. And that was the turning point
In the history of the revolution These
are Gods trifies. And of such things the
world Is full
1t happened as men saw tbot III. !. =
who heard the whisperings OF the blot
was Paul's sisters son. 1t would seem
that some. at least. of Pauls family had
become reconciled to him. His nephew at
once took steps to Illustrate the plot. He
had no influence with the Roman authori-
ties. but he could tell Paul. whose for
tunes he had evidently followed with sim
cere sOlicitude. Without hesitation. Paul
called Centurion and babe him take the
lad to the chief captain, with the assur-
ance that the lad had information of inn
portance to lay before that officer. The
story Of the lad was so simple and
straightforward that it convinced the
chief captain of its truth. He determined
safety. At Cesarea. sixty-eight miles
away. was a Roman fortress. in which
was a prison. Here he would be safe.
and here, all questions of his guilt or in
nocence could be quietly settled. The
command was Immediately givec .or the
preparation to depart. Two hundred in
fantry. the ordinary Roman soldiers, 200
spear men. a special class of light armed
soldiers. and band of seventy cavalry
men formed the escort of Paul as he
started from Jerusalem. 1t was a sad
leaving. He was never again to tread its
streets. or to gaze upon it's temple But
Paul was safe from the fury of his coun-
trymen. If the purpose of Lysias had
become known, the forty maddened
nealots would have been powerless to
prevent it, At 9 o'clock in the evening
they started on their journey. At Anti
PATHS. a fortress little more than half
way to Cesarea. the footmen halted, and
the cavalry proceeded to the place of des-
tination. letter to Felix. the governor,
explained the conduct of Lysias. And Fe-
lix ordered Paul to be kept in Herod's
judgment hall until his enemies should
come.