Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-07-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson Iv.--ThTd' Quarter, For
July rs, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

lHE IN EMMA lUNAL SEniES'
Text Of the Lesson, Acts xvii, 1884
Memory Verse, 29-eolden Text, John
Nv, 24-commentary Prepared by
Rev. D. M. Stearns.
copyright, 1909, by American Press Association
In this lesson we find Paul at Ath-
ems, which might be called the seat OF
earthly wisdom, and while he waited
for Silas and Timothy to come to him
from Berea his spirit was stirred as
he saw the idolatry Of the city, and,
knowing that the same Jesus who
saved him would save them, too, he
could not refrain from preaching Je-
sus to them, not only In the synagogues
Of the Jews, but publicly In the mar
ket every day and at all times to such
devout people as were willing to listen
to him. Some Of the lovers Of wisdom
took him to Mars hill, and there he
discoursed to them, as recorded In the
lesson today-not reasoning out Of the
Scriptures, as with the Jews, who
knew the Scriptures, but preaching
Jesus to them as the Creator and as
the Judge Of all mankind, commanding
all men everywhere to repent and turn
to Him that they might b. saved.
We will not have the zeal for souls
that Paul had unless we see them as
he did-"without strength, ungodly,
sinners, enemies" Rom. v, 6-10), "chil-
dren Of disobedience under the prince
of the power of the air, children OF
wrath, without Christ, having no hope
and without God in the world Eph. IL,
2, 8, ~. Then we must have the mind
Of God toward them. not willing that
any should perish. but believing that
He would have all to be saved by re-
ceiving Jesus, who gave Himself for
our sins and was made curse for US
(Gal. 1, 4; Ill, 13). Paul saw In these
wise but foolish Athenians men for
whom Christ died, and he longed for
their deliverapce from the prince or
this world and from the powers OF
darkness. He took as his topic the In
scription on one Of their many affairs,
ITO the unknown God" and he
preached to them the only living and
true God, the Creator of all things, for
II any man will come to God he must
believe that He is and that He is re-
warder of them that diligently seek
Him fHeb. XII, g.. The opening words
Of Paul's discourse concerning the Gre
ator bring to mind Gen. 1. 1; John l,
1-3; Col. l. 16; Heb. 1, 1-3, along with
Ps. xxxiii, 6; lisa. xl, %; Jer xxxii, II;
Acts iv, "a, and many more. His CIV
ing to all life and breath and all things
and that in Him we live and move and
have our being oversees %, 2S) make US
think Of Dan. v, %, "The God In
whose hand thy breath is and whose
are all thy ways" and of Heb. ", 10,
Neither Is there any creature that Is
not manifest in His sight, but all
things are naked and opened unto the
eyes Of Him with whom we have to
do"
That He has made Of one blood all
nations Of men to dwell on all the face
Of the earth and appointed the bounds
Of their habitation Verse 26) does not
seem to be quite In accord with the
love Of ones native land that so many
sing about. Let the world sing. my
Country, IT'S Of Thee" but the Chris
tian whose citizenship is In heaven
and who pays, "Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth as 1t Is In
heaven" should take wider view and
sing, "All nations whom Thou hast
made shall come and worship before
thee, o Lord, and shall glorify Thy
name" Cps. lxxxvi, 81, Gall nations
shall come and worship before thee"
(Rev. Nv, ~, and live anywhere on
earth with equal cheerfulness II only
through us the church, His body, may |
be gathered from all nations and the |
time Of His worldwide kingdom has
tened. 1t Is His desire that all should !
seek Him and find Him, but while |
many are ignorantly feeling after Him
hew can they ever f1nd Him II no one
ever tells them Of Him? Does 1t not |
seem clear as the light that the one |
thing q believer is on earth for is to |
declare to all the righteousness Of God |
in Christ; that all who will may OBJ |
tain this righteousness and be justified |
freely by His grace through the re /
demption that is In Christ Jesusl This
Jesus, Son of God, whom He raised |
from the dead, He has ordained to be
Judge Of all the world, and therefore
He commands all men to repent that
He may not have to say to them, "De
part from me. We cursed. into everlast
ing fire prepared for the devil and his
angels" Matt XIV, Al. He will have
no pleasure In saying this to any. but
II is written again and again that
some shah have to 90 to the lake Of
fire and birthstone (Rev. xiv. 10; xix,
20; Xxx, Is; xxi. 81. Many call this q
horrible doctrine and will not tolerate
the thought of 1t and have no use for |
or send any one to it, All such are
blinded by the god of this world, for
whom the awful place was prepared.
and If they persist in their blindness
and in rejecting the gift Of eternal life
their doom will by their own choice be
as awful as the record reads.
The day CT judgment here spoken Of
will last at least thousand years, at !
the beginning Of which there will be
the Judgment Of the saints only at the
Judgment seat Of Christ; then the
Judgment Of the living nations, wher
we come with Christ In His glory t.
set up His kingdom and at the end o.
the thousand years the great white
throne for the ungodly (see my tract
on "The Four Judgments" published |