The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-11-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson V.-FOurth Quarter, For
Get. 81, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

As we hear Agrippa say privately to
Festus, This man might have been
set at liberty if he had not appealed
unto Caesar (XXvi 81. we are tempt
ed to feel 4 pang of regret that Paul
had thus appealed. but when we re-
member that his liberty would proba-
the Jews, who were watching their
opportunity to kill him. we are glad
that his life is still protected Paul
and other prisoners were committed to
the care of Julius, Roman centurion.
and set sail for Italy. Aristarchus Of
Macedonia xix. 20 BET. one of the
company. We have no ac.o cunt of fare
wells, rs at other places. though we
cannot imagine that u.h were lack
ing, but we have quite a detailed ac-
count of the voyage. We note, with
gratitude to God, the centurion's cour-
teouS treatment of Paul and that when
they touched at Sidon he was allowed
to go unto his friends to refresh him
self Verse p. We cannot but hope
that this centurion ere he parted com
pany with Paul had received Jesus as
the Christ and thus become an heir of
the Inheritance and a joint heir with
Christ Himself
After sailing by Crete they met the
storm, as Paul had feared, and for
two weeks they were exceedingly
tossed by the tempest. saw neither sun
nor stars in many days, and all hope
that they should be saved was taken
away. A glance at the map will show
that they had completed about half the
voyage from Syria to Italy before
they ran into this storm. | remember
thinking much about it as one beauti-
full day in the fall of 1897 we sailed
across from Port Said in Egypt. to
Brindisi, in Italy and we passed close
by Crete. | can never forget that
| most refreshing sail across the Medi-
terranean after the heat of China and
India and tropical seas and. last of all
the blue Red sea. which, the captain
said, may have been called red be-
| cause it was 50 often red hot We met
nv NNAONlS tOii, anu lIlOuSll lttNt
been in some storms. yet never have
known anything like this that Paul
/ passed through. Thank God for all
who know in storm and fair weather
the refuge and rest there are in the
Lord Himself and in the consciousness
of His presence and care. He is in
deed our refuge and strength, a very
/ IAr.I IgIY
the storm ops. XVI, l; lisa. XIV. A.. He
was watching over his servant in all
this storm and probably comforted
him with the assurance, The Lord on
high is mightier than the noise Of
| many watershed. than the mighty
waves of the sea- Cps. xciii. A. No
doubt the assurance in chapter xiii.
II, Thou must bear witness also at
Rome" rested Paul and made him be-
lieve that there was some way out of
this, although the others had given up
all hope. Well, there came a day when
Paul stood forth in the midst of them
and, with word about the mistake
they had made in loosing from Crete
told them how messenger from God
had come TO him the night before and
had assured him that. while the ship
would be lost by being wrecked upon
some island. there would be no loss of
any mans life. and he added in the
words of the proverbial saying. There
shall not an hair fall from the head of
any of you" Compare l Sam. xiv. 40;
II Sam. xiv, II; Kings i. 50; Matt Y
80; Luke xii, I; xxi, IS. He exhorted
them TO ''be of good cheer" 90. % 3d.
| and he was successful. for as he took
bread and gave thanks to God in the
presence of them all and began to eat
they also ate enough to strengthen
| them and were all of good cheer
Thus one man helped 275 others by
his confidence in God oversees 34-30
What a beautiful Illustration of "In
quietneSs and in confidence shall be
your strength" lisa. xxx, 10. They
were of good cheer not because the
storm had ceased, but because they
had words from heaven on which to
rest. No words of earth or of mans
wisdom can give rest in time Of real
trouble, but we can rest quietly and
unwaveringly on the words of Him
who died for us and rose again and
who has all power in heaven and on
earth. Whether this was another APP
pearance of the Lord Jesus Himself,
as on three previous occasions ok. IT;
xviii, 9; xiii, III. or messenger such
as Gabriel, 1t was certainly Il message
straight from heaven reminding Paul
that he must be brought before Caesar
and that he must not be afraid Verse
24. Then there was added and, 10,
God hath given thee all them that sail
with thee"
How grand are Paul's words con,
corning his relationship to the Lord.
Whose | am and whom | serve (231
the property of no earthly master I'M
der no mans thumb. however great,
but able to say with Elijah and Elisha.
THE Lord of Hosts liveth. before
whom | stand" We know that one Of
his great principles was mot as pleas
ing men, but God, who hieth our
hearts" Il Thess. H. A. Then his words
| of simple confidence in God, Il believe
God, that it shall be even us it was
told me" (25)--what a motto for life
time! Let us say it concerning every
promise and prediction in all the book