The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1916-10-26
LESSON FOR OCTOBER 20
THE VOYAGE.

LESSON TExT-Acts z:f,sS.
GOLDEN TExT-Commit thy way unto
Jehovah: trust also In him, and he Will
bring 1t to pass.-Ps. N8.
Paul sailed from Caesarea August,
A. d. SO (Ramsey), few days after
bis address before Agrippa. He
reached. Malta about November 10.
Paul knew how to meet mOba,
but none of his adventures are more
outstanding than the one we are
studying today. Luke. his physician.
was companion, and the historian.
Josephus. states that ON board the
ship there were more than 600 people
travelling with Paul. Paul was man,
of distinction, Roman citizen He
had his own hired house In Rome.
A-istarchus may possibly have been
his servant to furnish comfort for
tho journey. Ramsey believes Paul
had received hereditary property, thus
making him Roman citizen Of rank,
OF learning and of standing finan-
cially.
l. Fair Weather and Contrary Winds
tvv. 1-12). Sidon was about 20
miles north Of Caesarea on the coast
of Palestine. Here Paul received lib
erty to go ashore and visit his Chris.
tlan friends. Myra is In Asia Minor.
It requires IA days to reach this point
from Sidon, distance of about 400
miles. Here, instead of going up the
Aegean sea route, often used in going
to Rome, the centurion found a grain
ship bound from Alexandria to Italy,
end put his prisoners on board. Sep
TENDER 1 they started for Italy. The
direct course would have been west
ward, but the wind was contrary, and
the progress was slow. On tie 23d
they were opposite Cnidus. the south
west point of Asia Mintr. 100 miles
from Myra. September rs they
entered the harbor Of Fair Haven,
near the middle of the south shore
Of the island of Crete. The fast day.
October 5, the day of tho great atone
ment, was observed in this place. The
question of going farther was de-
batable one, yet the commander per-
sisted, and about the 10th of October
they sailed for Fair Haven.
II. The Hurricane wv. 1920. TAX
ing advantage of a gentle wind they
Put out Of Fair Haven, and almost
Immediately encountered the hurri-
cane. 1t was perhaps hard for Paul
during those IA days to discern the
wise, gentle hand Of God Jonah
1-4). Gods most faithful servants do
not always find smooth sailing. (Phil.
As, z; Isaiah 26:3; John 16 1887, but
they may, no matter how ffercely tenn
pest tossed, know that God has not
ceased to look upon them with favor.
Sometimes the best thing for US to
do, when thus tempest tossed, is "to
tighten the ship" ". 49,.
III. The Message of Cheer: al Be-
lieve Gcd" wv. 20-26). Neither sun
nor stars having shone for many days,
and all hope that any should be saved
seemingly taken away, yet God Is able
to save in the darkness as well as in
the sunshine, in the tempest as well
as in the calm, and there was in that
beat one man at least whose hope was
not gone, for God had said to him,
'Thou must bear witness at Rome
also" (23 :11). Paul's message of
cheer in the midst OF this despair and
after they had been so long without
food, Immediately stamped him as a
leader of wisdom and power.
Paul could make this promise be-
o,xco ton anna1 ~ nod xxJhOco I on4
and whom serve" had come to him
ind assured him that God would re-
leem the promise made two years be-
'ore. This implies that Paul had given
himself to prayer. Observe how one
yodly man can save many ungodly
uen (Gen. 18:22-33). Gods vision
.ame to Paul, but Paul used it for the
comfort and cheer Of the whole ships
company (H Cor. 1-4). A modern IL
ustration of q similar experience was
hat of Mr.. Moody and General How
Lrd, returning from Europe on the
Spree in 1892
General Howard relates that Mr..
doody did a great deal to cheer the
by both his words and his
ctions, during those days Of stress
nd storm. The darker and stormier
he night, the more likely are the
ngels of God to appear IL we are In
eed his ". %: CT. On. Is 1928 :11).
Sometimes these angels stand beside
IS and we do not see them, we are
AIKEN up with the darkness and the
owling Of the storm. 1t Is a great
hing to be able to look up to the In
mite God and say, II am his.n To