The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-03-04
Philip and
the Ethiopian
Sunday School Lesson for March 7, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper


| verses 29-3l.
| GOLDEN TEXT.-Search the Scrip
lures: for in them We think We have eter-
nal life; and they are they which testify
| of rne.-JOhn 5:39 49,
| TIME.-SUmmer of 4. d. Sc or 81 So
| after the last lesson.
| PLACE-Where the road from samaria
| TO GAIA crosses or joins the road from
| Jerusalem to GAIA in the uncultivated
| region southwest of Jerusalem, toward
| the old Phiistine country.
Comment and suggestive Thought.
VS.. 81, %. "A man of Ethiopia" A
general term for the lands south of
Egypt. But from the name of Queen
Candace it was probably Meroe, a
country which lay on the right ank of
the Nile from its junction with the
Atbara as far as Khartoum, and
thence to the east of the blue Nile to
the Abyssinian mountains. "Of great
authority" A man of power of wide
influence, a prince.
" Is. Was returning" Guided by
Providence at exactly the right time.
Read" twas reading) 'Fsaias."
/ Greek form of Isaiah He was reading
aloud as was the custom, so that
Philip was able to hear it. 1t was a
pleasant and profitable custom on long
journeys.
Reading Aloud The great Jewish
teachers insisted, in many instances,
upon their scholars reading aloud"
Il speak to the experience, probably,
of many, when l say that utterance
aloud is often very powerful aid to
mental retentiveness," says Joseph
Parker 1t is more than this, reading
| aloud helps us to understand the
meaning of the Word. For in order 10
read well we must understand every
shade OF the meaning, or we will mis-
interpret Gods Word A mono onous,
singsong. woodeny, or artificial read
ing such as we often hear, comes
very near 10 being a crime, for it de-
prives the Word of its natural mean
ing. and makes the hearers inatten-
tive, or repels them from the Word.
Those who wish to know the truth
take great pains and spare no ex-
! pense to obtain it.
Young people often say that it is
hard to become interested in reading
| the Scriptures. But II anyone reads
them In order to find out what to do.
and what to believe, he will of neces-
sity, find a deep interest in the study,
as one finds a map interesting when
he is planning journey. or a chart
when he is crossing the ocean.
God is no respecter of persons.
| Twice Africans are brought to our no.
| tice-.are, and when Simon the Cy-
/ renian helped Jesus to bear his cross.
AS for the nationality of the Eth
| opian," says Farrar, 1T must be Dor
in mind that even Moses himself h.
once married an Ethiopian wife"
We can meet God and learn his will
in the desert places Of life, as Moses
saw the burning bush, and Elijah
! heard the voice of God in the lonely
places of Horeb. and Paul spent three
! years in the deserts of Arabia.
1t is good to use every spare oppor-
tunity in studying and meditating on
the Word of God. What we do with
our spare moments often determines
our characters even more than our
daily labors do
The books we choose and are ia.
miliar with, like our chosen friends,
| mold our characters and guide our
destiny.
V. 30 Then the Spirit said" The
Spirit speaks not only to our feelings,
| but TO our judgment and conscience.
! Whoever is perfectly willing to obey
the voice Of the Spirit will be guided
Alright. Preiudices, unwillingness to
obey, past training or failure of train
ing In so far as We allow them to ex-
ert an influence, will lead us astray;
as iron near the compass on a ship
will defect the guiding magnetic
needle. Join myself to this chariot"
| An excellent illustration is found in
! Pilgrims Progress" where Christian
is wandering around in doubt, and
meeting Evangelist is directed TO the
| right way
" S5. Then Philip began
at the same Scripture" Which was
fulfilled in Jesus, and has been full.
| filled in no other And preached"
announced the glad tidings of Jesus.
| Philip showed the strange and mar
velous correspondence between the
many descriptions of the Messiah in
the prophets and the then wellknown
! life of Jesus of Nazareth
The Progress of a Soul Into tas
Kingdom. Compare with Bunyan's
"Pilgrim's Progress as far as the Pal
ace Beautiful, whence he was sen.
forth clothed in Christian armor
l. He was deeply in earnest. aAd
went on a long, dangerous, and costly
journey to find the true religion.
,. Tic did this against many ilhau
erces hat held him back
}. He went to the religious ptaouls
and meetings where he thought he
could learn about the true God and his
/ 5aryice.
4 He read the Bible carefully to-
| learn the way.
/ 3. He was not discouraged BE- "aus
did not find the light.
g. He accepted the help OF one
knew the truth from experience.
l. AS soon as he saw that Jesus v
the true Saviour, he accepted him.
s. AS soon as he felt he was n
| true disciple he desired to confess