The Detroit times., 1916-04-26
The international Sunday School
Lesson for April 80, "Peter oeliv'
cred from Prison."-Aets 1871

Action. Action. MOTE aCloh'
is the demand upon story-tellers.
playwrights and public speakers.
The present lesson fulfills the pre-
scription; il is story OF action
and more crowded with sensations
than a nickel novel. It's scenes range
from a kings palace 10 a prison
| dungeon, and from a CORY field OF
execution, where a saints head had
rolled on the ground. to sheltered
prayer meeting in the home OF the
mother of q since celebrated author.
A king. an angel. two apostles, a
group Of devoted women and some
slain soldiers all figure in the mar
rative.
OF unusual pertinency Is this story
of an early martyrdom. James, one
of the favored three companions OF
Jesus, had been beheaded. Peter
broke Jail by a miracle. Other I'M
named Christians had suffered. we
should do i'll. however, were We TO
confine our thought 10 these incl
dents. forgetting that within the
past 10 months there have been
million martyrs for the Names sake
in blood-soaked Armenia. The fate
of those first Christians was simple
and merciful compared with what
has befallen wearers OF the same
name within the memory OF every
Sunday school child.
This is the day TO recall the per
secutions of he Christians in Tur'
key. Some lave been imprisoned.
but most have been "deported,
which means sent away from home
and livelihood into desert wastes OF
starvation. They who were killed
by sword or bullet were counted the
most fortunate: for as ! heard one
Armenian say. "Massacres are mer
ciful as compared with this Star
walton, cold, WEAKNESS beyond
words. shelterless, soaked in rains
or bitten by frost, the prey OF wild
duIildiS anu WI 90 bANhs -
unspeakably that even the plain Ian
gauge OF that Oriental book called
1.-THE Bible presents no analogy for
their fate--the Christians of Ar
menia have touched the high-wates
mark OF the church's martyrdoms.
All that the eleventh chapter OF He
brews saws about the heroes OF the
faith has been more than duplicated
In the present case of the Armen-
ians. More than a million have
died: a million more may be saved
II the Christian church awakens TO
help.
So we may not become so en-
crossed in these martyrdoms OF 3
600 years ago. as to ignore the
greater ones of yesterday. Equally
marvellous have been the deliver
ances. Just as James died and Peter
lived so a million Christians have
persisted. and another million have
come through alive. Some have had
deliverances that seem miraculous.
After the Moslem butchers have left
some communities OF Christians,
there have crawled out literally from
beneath the heaps of the slain those
Tho have escaped untouched. We
have yet to hear the full story of the
deliverance of the Christians under
the Moslem attacks OF the past year.
When DR.. Clarence USHER. for in
stance, whose wife had died OF ty-
plus. and he himself had been smit'
ten with the same disease. which
emaciated him TO mere skeleton,
was being carried out OF the city OF
Van the bullets OF the Turks and
Kurds penetrated the canopy over
the litter that carried him, but he
himself was untouched
II IL OF first importance that We
recall not only the dealings OF God
with His children in the long ago.
but that God deals in the same way
with His children in this year OF
our Lord. 1916.
When the Church Cared
hlnS f1eTOu, nlrtTdOir pOiifltidur
wanted Jewish support. and so he
arrested representative Christians
Public order did not require this nor
his own instructions OF convictions.
He was but an ancient prototype OF
the class OF ofice-hoIders who will
sacrifice duty on the altar Of per
sonal popularity or political expe-
| diency.
James the dearly beloved Of Jesus.
Rad fallen under the sword. Peter
lay chained between two Roman sol.
diers.
A beautiful picture OF the simple.
ity and the solidarity OF the early
church Ia contained In this story
The whole brotherhood felt the blow
at their members. Peter In prison
was the object of continual supplica.
tion. As the record runs. Prayer
was made without ceasing Of the
church unto God for him" That Is
the proof OF the reality OF religion !;
the finest fruit OF Christian fellow
ship. As says the familiar hymn:
We share our mutual woes.
| Our national burdens bear,
And often for each other flows
/