Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-01-28
The Trial of
Peter and John
Sunday School Lesson fss Jan. 81, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

lesson, and tho following morning. A few
weeks or months. possibly a year or more
after Pcntccost.
PLACES. Solomon's porch In the tenn
pie court; "A prison; the hail OF the san
hedrIm near the temple, n private room
in the city.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The miracle of healing the well
known lame beggar; Peters sermon
proclalmlng Jesus as the expected
Messiah, and charging the Jews, espe-
cially their rulers, with the crime OF
numbering him. but calling on them
to repent and be saved: and the fact
that thousands became the disciples of
Jesus and joined the new, enthusiastic
community, oil this aroused the lead.
ers to put a stop to this religion which
was turning the world upside down"
u) Tho Jewish authorities found
that the new religious OVEN was
the "installatlon OF a new station for
the distribution of currents OF influ-
entail opinion" and they determined
to cut tho wires, and stop tho flow OF
the current; but the only results were
n shock to themselves. and more pow
or and more lights. 90 Fools! they
thought II they could but wiring the
neck OF tho growing cock 1t would
never b" day. =
While these 5000 were all Jews,
they were something more; q new
stamp was on them (Stiher). a new
perfume, new atmosphere was
around them, q new light shonc In
their characters. They became new
forces in the world. There was some
such change in them as transformed
Peter and John. tho fishermen, into
APOSTLES who changed the face of the
world.
Apostlcs.-"The speakers vent to pris-
on; their words toOk wings, and flew
TO the uttermost parts Of the earth.
Hero is a beautiful marvel. What vi.
tally is In a spoken word! No won
der that men Ike Joubort and Elmer
son toll like slaves TO put a thought
into perfect language! Who would
not be content to 90 to prison. or to
death. II he could leave something like
the Twenty THIRD Psalm or the Bcati.
tudcs. or The thirteenth chapter OF /
S"Aih'hiahb, IN MS lCR0Cy W JIc
world? Behind those prison bars the
apostles comfOrtcl themselves by re-
mcmbcring that they had uttered
words which would not return to Jesus
Christ void, but would accomplish the
work w%hereunto he had sent them. -
Charles Frederic Goss.
The hall OF tho %sanhedrim, accord.
Ing TO both the latest great cyclopc.
dias. was within the temple court. Tho
sanhcdrim sat in IA scini circle, with
the president In the center, while op.
positc were three benches for the
scholars Of the s~anhedrists, who thus
practically learned law.
V. .. "Then Peter, filed with the
Holy Ghost" In fulNllment of
Christ's promise (Matt. 1919, 2O).
Thus Peter was given courage to
speak tho truth, and guided to the
choice Of the right things to say, and
the best way Of saying them. This
was his first experience in speaking
before this august assembly, and he,
an un!earncd fisherman, may well have
qhailed before such a tribunal with
such power over his fortunes, even
while he rejolced at the opportunity
to preach the Gospel to them. peter.
filled with the Holy Ghost is a thou.
sand Peters: Peter multiplied by tho
very Deity. Pctcr-a straw blown
away by the m0cking wind, by himself
But Peter filled with the Holy Ghost
was a man OF war. "A mighty captain, a
soldier not to be put down; clothed
with heavenly panOply, eloquent with
heavens thunder, gracious with heav.
ems love" "Ye rulers and
elders" Peter Is respectful, but these
very titles imply that they should bo
leaders in every good work, and favor
all that would help tho people.
V. II. This ls the stone which wa.
set ut nought OF you builders"
Peter applies to the sanhedrim the
Psalm nlS:22). which he had heard
the Master uso to IA deputation from
This same sanhedrim. This symbolic
Imagery seems to have been drawn
from one OF the stones. quarried, hewn
and marked, away from the site OF the
temple. which the builders, ignorant OF
the head architects plans, or finding
on II no mark. had put on one side an
having no place In the building, but
which was found afterward to BIO that
on which the completeness OF tho
structure depended. the head OF the
corner"-on which. as the chief cor.
ner stone. the two walls met and were
bonded together "-Plumptre
v. 20. On their return ito their own
company" they all Joined In a hymn