Arizona republican., 1916-10-07
International Sunday School Lesson for
 October 8
PAUL BEFORE FELIX

PAUL BEFORE FELIX
 Golden Text-"Herein I also exer- else myself to have a conscience void . of offense toward God and men al- [ ways" Ac. 24: 16
 Lesson Text.-Ac. A. Commit vs. l4, 15.
 10) Then Paul, after that the gov ernor had beckoned unto him to speak. ! answered, Forasmuch as l know that thou hast been of many years judge i unto this nation, do the more cheer | fully answer for myself; CID Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since went up to Jerusalem for to worship. CPD And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues nor in the city: Q3) Neither can they prove the things where of they now accuse me. GD But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: G5) And have hope toward God which they themselves also allow that there | shall be a resurrection of the dead. both of the just and unjust. G6) And 1 herein do 1 exercise myself, to have i always a conscience void of offense l toward God, and toward men. GO | Now after many years I came to bring aims to my nation, and offerings. GS) i WhereupOn certain Jews from Asia 1 found me purified in the tempe, neither with multitude, nor with tu- mutt. G9) Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me. (20) Or else It. found any evil doing in me while l stood before the council, CD Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.
 Time.-A. D. 5S or 59. PIace.-Cae- sarea.
 Exposition-I. "Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me" 10-13. Here we have an illustration of the courtesy and tact of the Apostle Paul Paul was in the best sense a gentleman and a diplo- mat. He would, bv all proper means Win the favor of those whom he would gain for Christ. In point of fact Felix was very bad man in his personal conduct and an unjust man in his official position. yet Paul never shrank from declaring the whole course of God (ch. 20: 27,) he told Felix himself before he got through with him the whole truth with the most fearless and unflinching plain ness ~. 25D but one can be frank and faithful without being brusqua and boorish But the combination Of utter fidelity and delicate courtesy which We find in Paul is exceedingly rare. The same thing is seen again in Paurs address before Agrippa (26: 2.) and over and over again in his epist- les He begins his letters with con- siderate commitments. but there are very plain and unsparing words before he closes This Spirit given tact and winsomeness of address is as mucn needed by the one who would ac ceptably serve Christ as is the Spirit given boldness of utterance. Paul says. Tn answer for myself" Cor make my defenseD but before he finishes it is really his Lord he is defending or declaring and dwelling upon his favorite theme the great truth of the resurrection (vs 14, 15.) Paul takes up the terms of the indict- ment brought against him (v. 3 and meets them with a flat and unanswer- able denial Paul exposes the utter hollowness of the charges against him by saying: Neither can they prove to thee the things whereof they now accuse me" It is one thing to make accusations; it is another thing to prove them. This many men forget. They fancy assertion is proof and there are not a few in this world who arc ready to accept assertion for proof. if the assertion is very posi- tive. Many superficial. but loud mouthed, higher critics" are assert ing that mo scholar now accepts the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch ' and immediately a gaping crowd of men who are too lazy to think for themselves, but who itch for repu- tation for scholarship and advanced thought" accept the mere assertion as a proven fact, when in fact it is a | bald lie. Some one else asserts. with the air of unnuestionable infallibility. that "the carly chapters of Genesis cannot be recunciled with the estab- lished conclusions of natural science and that neither their inspiration must he given up. or they must be inter- preted as allegory and not as history" and To, another wondering crowd ac- cents that absolutely baseless asser- ton as proven fact We need a few modern Pauls to sail halt upon tho accusers. and to demand proof instead of assertion. I ct us say with Paul
 iVithti 'tiii tHtN piONt tue l''ilS1 whereof they now accuse" the Bible The writer has had much satisfaction for some years past in demanding rroof of those who make wild asser- tions against Christ's apostles ans Gods prophets and law givers, anl then watching their confusion. They make no attempt to produce the nropf but contend themselves with re-as- sisting "all scholars arc agreed" an5 that any one who questions it is very docmatic and narrow. There is nc nroof, neither can they prove tho things" they say. N ot only are no 'all scholars agreed" but the verl best scholars repudiate the view: which they say are settled
 II. How Paul wOrshipped. what h. believed and what he preached. 14-2l