The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-04-08
PETER DELIVERED
FROM PRISON
Sunday School Lesson for April ii, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT.-Acts BILL Memory
| verse =
GOLDEN TEXT-"The angel of the
Lord encampeth round about them that
fear him, and delivereth them. Psalm
| S4:T
| TlME-The Passover feast (''the days
| of unleavened bread" verse 81, April 1-s.
| A. D. a. Herod had left his capita
| Caesarea. and was in jerusalem for
| feast.
PIACE-Jerusalem-t fortress of An
tonia, and the home of Mary. the mother
| of John Mark
| RCLERS.-Herod Agripps L. king OF
| all Palestine. the realm of Herod the
| Great, his grandfather. He was "a years
| old. Claudius, Roman emperor, A. d.
| 41-54
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
During our last lesson and this from
| four to six years have elapsed During
| that time have occurred the founding
! of the great Gentle church at Antioch
and the calling thither Of Barnabas
! from Jerusalem and Paul from Tarsus.
| The famine, and the famine relief sent
! to jerusalem from Antioch.
V. He "vexed" the church. The
| Greek means to torment, Cypress,
which is the meaning "vex' bore in
! old English. As a climax, he killed
James the brother Of John with the
sword by beheading "a mode OF
! death regarded as very disgraceful
among the Jews "-Expositor's Greek
| Testament.
V 4-"When he had apprehended
| him" There had been some delay and
difficulty in arresting Peter. "Proba-
| bly, Peter had concealed himself after
| the execution of James, but ventured
| forth to the feast relying on the sa-
| credness of the season and so gave
| Herod's officers opportunity to arrest
! him Kendall
The power OF prayer, that was
made without ceasing stretched out,
| either in time or intensity-either
| ceaselessly or earnestly as the r. v
translates it, of the church unto God
| for him" The central meeting place
| ". 12) was the house of Mary, the
| mother of John Mark-that Mary who
wrote the gospel. and went on Paul's
| first missionary Journey with his cou.
| sin Barnabas He may appear, name
| less. in Mark 14:51"-Prof. H. P.
! Forbes. There the Christians going
| in relays during the Passover kept up
| continual supplicaton for the release
! OF their beloved leader, and doubtless,
that he might be upheld in his suffer.
| ings, and the cause of Christ prospered
| whatever might be the outcome
| microscopy prayer-"How happy
| that in all eXtremities. and when every
other eXpedient is precluded or I'M
| ayailing, the greatest of all still re-
| mains, john Foster We do not use
this power half enough. or believe in
| IT half as strongly as we should
Peter was in prison till near II
| close of the Passover. when Her
| would have brought him forth"
Peter was not released earlier by
| angel for the same reason that
causes a delay in the answer to
| prayers-to test our faith
| strengthen our characters by the t.
durance Of aIiiction This waiting
and the bearing of trouble, teach II
| patience, courage, hopefulness, cheer
| fulness and faith What school has
nobler curriculum?
Peter was sleeping quietly, Xix
| David (Psa. $50 when Absalom an
all his foes pursued him. For so h
| gyeth his beloved sleep" or lin thei
sleep" (Psa. 127:2D 1t was in tn,
last watch of the night, between three
| and six O'Clock, for Peter was IN
| missed at three, when the guards
| changed again In this "dal kest
| which is just before the dawn"
angel of the Lord came upon
| tstoOd by him)-a brilliant prese
radiating light which filled the
Peter was sleeping so soundly that
| light did not wake him, and the an
"smote Peter on the side" Kebe
his poem on the subject, suggests
| Peter may have been dreaming of
| coming execution and may h
| thought this stroke was his sunni
to it, What a blessed change, Pre-
bly, the same stroke served also
strike off the chains that bound P
to the soldiers, who were held
profound slumber.
V. She was hidden: "Gird
self" that is, bind his tunic (long
dergarment with the girdle for
entails do not change their dress '
they go to rest, but merely loose
Over this tunic he was to throw
garment the outer cloak or ma
He was to bind on his sandals,
wooden soles, the shoes of the pc
Then he followed the angel, but "
Thought, from the same root as
it was all a dream. Peters II
dulity as to the occurrence witne
to its reality. ''-Burrell
Note that Peter was hidden to
what he could; it was not all done
him Thus it was human mus
that rolled the stone from the
of Lazarus. I'm the heart of g
miracle we find these human pov
employed. That is the spiritual
of the old proverb, that God
those who help themselves. Re
H. Morrison.
The guards (wards) were aslee.
were kept by supernatural meansf
preventing them. The first guardi
have been placed outside the cell
and the second AT the gate les