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wr- -t . HTf;oa 3 HI iaji April 14, 1909. THE PRESBYTERI/ A process of ennobling the soul with all its faculties and capacities, is carried forward. Graces of character are nourished and matured. The image of Christ is wrought gradually more distinct and more beautiful In the soul. It is In fulfillment of an intelligent plan, exeouted according to preordained laws. Glorification is the culminating fulfillment of his gracious designs. The "far more exceeding and eternal weieht of glory'' is the heritage that is prepared for those whom he is preparing for it. It is the destination that he had in view for us from the beginning. Christ gave himself for the Church that he might present to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing." Sunday School THE GOSPEL AT ANTIOCH. Acts 11: 19-30; 12: 25. Lesson for Sunday April 25, 1909. GOLDEN TEXT.?"The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."?Acts 11: 20. SHORTER CATECHISM. Q. 52. Whit are the reasons annexed to the second commandment? A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are: lod's sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship. DAILY HOME READINGS. I M.?Acta 11: 19-20; 12: Th.?Luke 10: 17-24. T.?Matt. 10: 16-23. F.?1 Thess. 1. W.?Matt. 28: 16-20. S.?Acts 4: 32-37. S.?Rom. 1'2: 1-15. TOPICAL OUTLINE. A Great Church Founded? The revival in Antioch, vs, 19-21. What Barnabas finds there, vs. 22-25. Christians in name and in deed, vs. 26-30. LESSON COMMENT. It will be well at this time, before entering upon this lesson, to review some New Testament facts as to the proclamation or the Gospel. When Christ came to earth there were three principal nations with different national hopes, ideas, purposes. The Jew was living in the past, the man of tradition, hoping for the Messiah. The Greek looked to the future and had an ideal humanity as his goal; while the Roman was the man of the present, glorying in power and delighting to manifest it. When the inspiied writers came to set down the essential facts of the life ot Christ, the ideas of these three nations seem to have been kept*in mind; and we have the life of Christ set forth from three different points of view by the writers or tne synoptic Gospels. Matthew writes an account from the Jt?wlsh point of view presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah. Mark presents the Christ ct power and hence appeals to the Roman; and J^uke sets before us the ideal man and thus makes Christ attractive to the Greek, the man who is seeking the ideal. When these appeals and the preaching of ihe apostles have gathered out of these nations the body of Christians, John rear the close of his life writes the Gospel for the Christian and presents of Christ of the inner life, the Logos, the Kevealer of the Father. A study of the history of the early Church as given in the t-ook of Acts will show that the preaching of the Gospel has I LN OF THE SOUTH. ^15 three distinct centers from which it radiates. First, Jerusalem, the Jewish center; secondly from Antioch, the Greek center, and lastly, from Rome, the Roman center. Of course there is overlapping but in each center the dominating ideal are those given. The work of gathering the people of God out of the nations is progressing. We have already seen that Christ gave to the Church, in the beginning a definite program that was to he worked out. It was to be a campaign of testimony. For a number of years the disciples .lid not grasp the idea that they were to go outside of the Jewish church to do their work. Now the events we have been studying have begun the work of giving them a different conception. God is preparing a great worker to be the chief Apostle to the Gentiles and the events of Drevious lessons hnvo imon 1? * _ ?- v. wwu upcuiug me way lor him. Paul essayed to preach at Damascus and at Jerusalem soon after his conversion, but the antagonism of the Jews prevented. During the years following when he was in retirement and preparation the movement towards the Gentiles nad been going on and it had come from the right source, the Apostles themselves. The work is ready, and then happens one of those things that, humanly speaking, seenm small, but means much for the bringing together of the work and the worker. When Paul was at Jerusalem he had been vouched for and protected by one Barnabas. The acquaintance lasted only a very short time. Barnabas is sent to investigate the conditions at Antioch. Finding that the Gentiles have received the Gospel and that the work is larger than he can handle he thinks of the man he had known in Jerusalem and over to Tarsus he goes and prevails on Paul to come to Antioch and a work that is to mean great things for the world has been quietly launched. The work and the worker have been brought together. In a perfectly human way God's purposes are being carried out. This city of Antioch which is to be the headquarters of the Church for a great time will repay study. While it. is now under the domination of the Romans it was founded by the Greeks and is Greek in its ways and habits. At the time of ihe lesson It probably had a population of one-half million. It had magnificent government buildings and the unique distinction of beine nrohahlv tho nnlv ondont - -w , ? ' - J MMWVMV V*IJ WU l/C Ilguicu by public lamps. It was notorious for its wickedness. The grove of Daphne, situated near the city, was the scene of orgies, mostly in the name of religion, that are practically inconceivable tc us of this time. So wicked was it that it was said by a Roman writer: "The Orontes flows into the Tiber." It was in this city that the work of preaching to the Gentiles really began. The Gospel does not seek the easy places. C hrist caiue to seek apd to save that which was lost and his followers must do their work in that spirit. The events happening here at the time we are studying are interesting also as marking the beginning of Foreign Missions. Antioch '.s the first foreign mission headquarters of the Church. From it as a center the real work of evangelizing the world began. Our study of the city and its location will show how well it was adapted to this function. It was hero that members of the new sect were first called Christians. As has often been the case with names this one was first given in derision and it fitted so well and suited the needs of the case so 'well that it stuck. It has iviuc ui in*.- tum-ic ui me centuries 10 De one or tlie most used and effective of the world's terms. It has even come to be applied to tl:e era. That these early Christians soon caught the spirit of service is shown in their aid so beautifully extended to those in need elsewhere. This was a new thing in the times in which it occurred. ..Geo. D. Booth.