The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-11-18

The topic of this lesson is "Paurs
Story of his Life" aud yet that seems
40 he more fully told in his testimony
Before Agrippa in chapter XVI. or even
an his address from the castle stairs
in chapter xii. or more conciSely in
p'hil. ill., or more fully by putting these
Ehree records together The verses as
signed us for tUday'S study are rather
"a resume of his suferings. with Spe-
cial reference to his being stoned to
death at Lystra and his marvellous eX-
perience at that time With such a
record as that in chapter XII DDS. who
is there today who has anything thai
gan begin TO compare with it in the
matter of suffering for Chrst's sake?
TAT the time of his conversion the Lord
said to AnaniaS. Il will shew him bow
great things he must suffer for my
sake" (ActS iX. 49, and this seems in
our eyes as if He had filled the bill
quite fully. Let us understand a lit,
Cle more fully The service of SUFFERING
bs set forth in Rom. Y, ,: Phil i. %;
Eol. j. p; Rev. ii. 10. and elsewhere
ut is made Enthusiastically plain that by
Ehe suffering of Christ in our stead.
Rs our sin bearer all who receive Him
ARE made meet to be partakcrS of the
inheritance. having in Him redemption
fhroUgh His blood, the forgiveness OF
Eins Col i. l2-14.
There is. however. another phase of
Che suffering question in Heb. ii. 10,
where il speaks of bringing us to His
glory and of Him as the captain of
,our salvation being made perfect
Through SufferingS. He is our high
pritst. who can be touched with the
fleeing OF our intirmitipS. for He was
In all points tempted like as we are
EHeb. ", 15l. Now. since by His
Rtonenent He has made us kings and
priests unto God. having washed us
krom our sins in His own blood and
I'VE are 10 reign with Him on the
Earth REV. i. ). &; Y. l0l. we must re
tmember that to be fitted to reign with
Min we must suffer with Him Oh
Tim H. ~. by His atonement made
Nit for his presence. but by our suffer
Sng with Him here as His redeemed
zones made fit to ill the place in His
&ingdom which He is preparing for us
%hile He prepares us for it; hence we
Eaye "a little light on the great mystery
6f the believers SutferiugS rs seen
everywhere in greater or less degree.
II by His grace we are patient under
all our trials we are winning for our
selves a special crown-the crown of
fife (Jas. i, II; Rev. H. POI, which we
shall have TO cast at His feet in that
day. And not only so but the power
of Christ is seen upon us to His glory,
the patience under trial as it could not
otherwise be seen. Paul therefore
says, Most gladly will glory in my
infrnlities that the power of Christ
may rest upon me- tXii, o.. This is
something like Phil. i. 20. where he says.
"Christ shall be magniied in my body,
whether it be by life or by death
While Paul had unusual fellowship
in suffering, he had also some unusual
revelations. Not only was his con
version unique, but the various maut
festations of the Lord to him after
"SlN NCl' WY i'llili NtlbIt. w tiS
also the revelation of the mystery" of
which he so often speaks. He tells US
that. lest the abundance of the reye-
latiOnS should unduly eXalt him. there
was given him thorn in the flesh. the
messenger of Satan. to buffet him. He
tells us, that he asked the Lord three
times 10 deliver him from it, but the
answer was. My grace is sufficient
for thee. for my strength is made per
feet in weakness verse 81. | do not
know how we can be quite sure as to
what this thorn in the flesh was till
Paul himself shall some day tell us
If it is bestNfor US to know. Some one
has said that we are not told what
it was in order that if any one has a
thorn in the flesh he may find bit
of comfort in supposing that that was
just what Paul had This certainly is
true-that if any believer has a phys
ical intirmity and cannot get it rPmov-
ed by prayer or by the physicians skill
then the answer to Paul must be &C
cepted and the Lord trusted for grace
to bear it meekly for His glory, for
while these words were said to Paul.
they were written for u.s.
As to the special vision and revela-
ton of our lesson, it seems to have
been about the time that Paul was
stoned to death at Lystra. and it is
quite probable that while Pauls dead
body was being dragged out of Lystra
(Acts xiv, l9l be was in the third
heaven. or paradise. which he here de
/Scribes. and saw and heard things that
he could not put into earthly language.
We have no record of anything that
Lazarus Of Bethany said when he
came back from the dead. probably
because words could not utter it, The
best thing | have ever read on these
heavenly realities il The Trance of
Rev. william Tenuent." once a minis
ter at Freehold. y. j., who was dead
FOR three days and afterward preach
ed the gospel for many years 1t is a
little tract published by Miss NJ. T..
Munson. II Bible House, New York.
The foundation of all that is beautiful
in this lesson is to be able to say. II
know a man in Christ" xii. y. for IN
Less we are 10 Christ we are certainly
lost. but being in Hin all is well for
time and eternity. Then to be able to