Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-10-18
SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson lv.-Fourth Quarter, For
Oct. q, 1916.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text OF the Lesson, Acts Sxvs, !, "a q.
Memory Verses, %, 2s-Goiden Text,
Acts xvi, 19-commentary Prepas cd
BY Rev. D. nj. Stearns.
With the king and queen and all
their pompous retinne. and the chief
captains and principal men of the city
{xxv. 23l. this was probably one Of
Pauls greatest opportunities to tell 10
earth's Sreat ones the wondrous story
Of re,,eeming grace Fesfus. having
had all brought In before this great
gathering said to the king and all
present ..ai although the Jews were
demanding his life. he had not been
abb % lid that he had committed
anything worthy of death. but that.
hal q. pcaled to Caesar. he was 60
ing to send him TO Rome. though he
could not sigIdf. any crime that he had
been guilty of. but he hoped that after
Agrippa had heard him and examined
him be might have something definite
to write
The kin. having given Paul permits
sion to q cak for himself. he began b.
saying Lat he was happy to be per
mitted to state his case before the
king because he knew him to be ex-
pert In all customs and questions
among the Jews. He therefore asked
to be heard patiently oversees l-3n
With word concerning his early life
at Jerusalem and his being brought up
q Pharisee and well known 10 all the
against him was that be had become a
follower Of Jesus. risen from the dead
and coming again to restore the king
dom to Israel. according to all thu
promises made by God through the
prophets to the fathers oversees 4-Si
We hope to consider or refer to some
Of these later In this lesson He then
confessed that. like the Jews who were
now persecuting him. he had himself
been also prosecutor Of the followers
Of Jesus of Nazareth. under the au,
thority of the chief priests and very
cruel one even going to distant cities
to arrest them verses Glib. Then he
told of his experience on the way to
Damascus and Of his commission from
the risen and assembled Christ and Of
HIS subsequent obedience to this CON
mission rp TO that day oversees 1923,
We ray lie sure that such an Assem-
blage never heard such a testimony lie
fore. and we can only hope that sorie
OF those who heard became followers
Of Jesus as Paul prayed that they
might Verse 29. Festus certainly
heard more about the Zone Jesus
fxxv l9n than he knew before. but he
had no use for such talk and told Paul
that he was mad and beside himself
verse ~. II was not pleasant TO be
told 20 publicly. brt this also was Eel
lcwahin with the Lord Jesus. for r'iey
said OF H.c. "Hs hath a devil and IL
mad: why hear re HIM." John I
so.l Long ago II was said OF the serv
ants Of tie Lord. "The prophet L,
fool: the spiritual man is mad" CLOS
x. .. and TIE wisdom Of this world Is
still Q. the same mind.
1t IS possible that some in the assem-
bly, thourht ranl to be more sane than
Festus. AMI II looks as II the King wa
Inclined to that opinion verse 2Si The
revised version reads. with but little
persuasion thou would'st fain make
me Christian and Paurs heart went
out to God In great desire. tina, not
only Agrippa. but all who heari him
speak. might become Christians. or. as
he put 1t. almost and altogether such
29). The king and governor and others
having gone aside to consult. their de
cision was that Paul had done not ing
worthy Of death or OF bonds. an1 that
II he had not appealed unto Caesar be
might have been set at liberty verses
30-32 But with such fanatical Jews
about. who were determined to kill
him. liberty would probably have
meant death to him. and we know
from the Lords night message that II
was In the plan for him to go to Rome
Going back in our lesson to Paul's
account of his commission by the Lord
Jesus. at the time of his conversion
WHICH Is u little lloEe Iul mere tListH
in the other two records. note the as
surance of deliverance from the people
and from the gentiles verses 16. 10.
and compare Jer. i. 8. 10; Isa.. xiii. 2
Then in lesson verse IS, how full
and clear and simple his instructions.
showing that all unsaved people are In
darkness and under the power of Sa-
tan, but that by the gospel they may
obtain light and deliverance. the for
giveness of sins and an eternal inheri
lance, the only condition being that
they repent and turn to God and then
prove the reality Of their repentance
by their works verse 2o). Not that
God needs any works OF ours to prove
TO Him our sincerity. for He reads the
heart but good works prove to men
the reality of our faith in Christ Tit.
Iii. 81. Paul declared that by the help
If God he had continued to teach the