The Detroit times., 1916-05-30
he international Sunday School
Lesson for June 4 10 1.-THE Call OF
the West."-Acts 1886 to is: Is.
~ WILLIAM r. ELLIS


Nobody yet knows OF a certainty
Which of the battles OF the world
WAR will be written down In history
10 the whether the battle
BIZ the Marne. OF verdun. or Erze-
um, or Using Tau. or some other
tet unfought. The importance Of an
spochal hour Is seldom seen until
that hour Ia past Neither a man
f}or q nation can surely tell when
the clock of destiny strikes. The
Grecian navigators who saw a little
boat beat dts way from Troas to
Neapolis, one spring day In the year
| 80 A. D.. gave no second look TO II,
nor dreamed that II held the fate
of Europe as It's cargo. The destiny
OF the west was wrapped UP In the
worn coat OF the dreamy-eyed little
Jew who was n passenger that day
| across the Aegean.
This Journey says Prof. James
\ Stalker, was perhaps the most
momentous recorded in the annals
| of the human race. In Its issues IL
|, far ontrivaled the expedition OF Alex
ander the Great when he carried
the arms and civilization OF Greece
4 into the heart OF Asia: or that OF
\ Caesar. when he landed on the
] shores Of Britain: or even the great
voyage OF Columbus when he dis
covered a new world.
=. 49, OiA nj
II raging over the scenes OF Paul =
tourney. aud when huge warships,
watchful against hidden subma
rines, are sailing the very waters
covered by Paui's ship. It is OF I'M
usual Thickness and Importance for
the whole Sunday school world to
contemplate anew the reality ana
Significance OF the great event when
Paul carried Christianity from Asia
across into Europe.
This Is a lesson to study with out
spread maps; for In these days q
little bit OF geography Eliminates
many problem. Perhaps the old
est political conflict In history has
been for the possession OF this juno
ton of Asia and Europe which Paul
won for his Master. Had the apos-
tie been making his crossing in re-
cent months he would have heard
the guns OF Gallipoli roaring, and
he would have been challenged by
many naval vessel.
Two Young Men
This climax OF Paul's journey
the carrying OF the Cross into Eu'
rope-occurred on his second mis-
sionary journey, when II WAS pro-
posed that he and Barnabas visit
the churches they had established
and hearten them In the faith.
There was a special reason for 60
ing over the ground once more. be-
cause that letter from the council
at Jerusalem must be read and ex-
pounded TO the churches. Right away
a dificulty arose. Barnabas wanted
his cousin, John Mark. TO go with
them. Paul took an attitude some
thing like this: mo, that cannot
be. Mark deserted us on the pre-
vious journey. He failed In loyalty.
He has disqualified himself for this
kind OF work"
But Barnabas. whose emotional
nature was stronger than his judg'
ment. stood up for Mark, even to the
point of clashing with Paul. There
was a serious disagreement between
the two great missionaries. Neither
would give in--and we are rather
glad that they both believed in their
conviction to the sticking point. So
Barnabas took Mark and went OF
to Cyprus. And as Sir William
Ramsey says, he passes out OF his
tory. We part from the honorable
and gracious personality OF Barna-
bas with deep regret; but history
marches with Paul Later on. after
Mark had proved himself. Paul again
gave him his friendship and conf
dence.
For a companion instead OF Bar
nabas. Paul chose Silas. about whom
we know little. except that he was
the sort of man who could sing songs
In the night in prison cell. We do
not need TO know much more about
him. The first quality OF good
travelling companion is that he can
endure without complaining the DIM
culties by the way.
Wise Paul, who understood the
Importance of training up leaders,
wanted also young man to share
the journey. Mark had failed, but
ut Zystra Paul found young limo
thy, son OF one OF his converts.
though with heather father. The
narrative has most casual allusion
to the selection of Timothy. yet the
vast consequences Of that act can.
not be measured. We have only TO
read the two books Of the New Tes-
lament which Paul wrote 10 limo
thy 10 understand the place In the
older mans heart that this youth
soon won. II the major part OF this
lesson were not OF such command.
Ing Importance we might make an
excursion into the study OF the two
types of young men represented by
Mark and Timothy.