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May 12, xgog. THE PRESBYTERIA1
| Sunday School
THE COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM.
Acts IB: 1-5, 22-29.
Lesson For May 23, 1909.
GOLDEN TEXT.?"We believe that through the grace of the
Lord Jesus we shall be saved, even as they."?Acts 15: 11.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 5G. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that
however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment
from men. >et the Lord our God will not suffer them
to escape His righteous judgment.
DAILY HOME READINGS
M.?Acts 15: 1-11. T.?Acts 15: 12-21.
W.?Acts 15: 22-35. Th.?Matt. 23: 1-13.
F?Gal. 2: 1-10. 8.?Gal. 5: 1-14.
S.?Gal. 6: 7-18.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
The First General Assembly?
How it came about, vs. 1-6.
The speeches, vs. 6-21.
The decision, vs. 22-29.
LESSON COMMENT.
The Route of Travel.
We noticed last week that Paul, instead of turning south
from Derbe to Tarsus, went westwardly through Lystra,
iconium and Antioch, in Pisidia, to comfort the disciples and
c-rdain elders in every church. From Antioch he went south
to Perga, thence to Attalia, the seaport of Perga, and thence
by ship back to Seleucia and Antioch, in Syria. Why this
return? Why should they not have pressed on into Phrygia and
Galntia and Troaa? We do not certainly know. But several
suggestions are possible: 1. The Holy Ghost called them
back by means of some instrumentality or other, in order that
I the proper preparations for the work of Foreign Missions
I might be completed, before the work should be pushed farther.
The important question of the relations which the Gentile
believers should bear to the Mosaic law, must be settled before
| the work could be vigorously prosecuted. God knew exactly
R what that decision ought to be.
I 2. The instrumentality which directed them homeward is
unknown to us. It may have been the loneliness which corae3
over the missionary as he labors in distant lands; it may
I li&ve been health broken by the excitement of the perils met
and by the stoning. It may have been that they felt a doubt
about the proper treatment of the Qentile converts and wanted
the advice of others.
The Issue.
Jlut certain converted Pharisees, in Antioch began a criticism
upon the Apostles. These argued that these oonverted Gentiles
ought to have been required to observe the Mosaic law,
circumcision, the annual feasts, and the sacrifices, when they
/-M.-l-.l
__ ,,w? wm.wvu iuhi uic vuiiBuuu ^nurcu. ineir dogmas wont
farther: "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses,
ye can not be saved." They argued that circumcision was
both obligatory on the converts, and essential to salvation.
Just here we have an illustration of human nature: 1. Men
Jovo the ceremonials of religion, and are apt to become
so much attached to them as to exalt them to an equality with
piety Itself. Sometimes we suspect our Episcopal brethren of
erring In this way, and loving the "Church service" too much.
But while we can see the errors of others, we may perh&pB
be at fault in this regard ourselves. Sometimes we become
so much attached to our mode of hold'ng communion, to our
N OF THE SOUTH. 15
mode of preaching, or of baptizing that we can not see the
excellence of the customs of others. Sometimes we become
? 0 much interested in arguing the doctrines of election and
perseverance, that we overlook th* hom"1'" - -
? in ? now neart.
2. Where the attachment to ceremonials Is not so great as
this, still there is danger that we may become so attached to
one church building, or to one pew, or to one hymu-book, or
to one preacher, or to one form of worship, that we can not
worship satisfactorily in any other place or circumstances.
"Neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem,is the only
plate of worship, but they that worship God should worship
him anywhere in spirit and in truth.
The Settlement.
Tnotohil rt-f K/vl J'?? ?
v/i uuiumg a protracted meeting which should sunder
the church, they called a council to decide the matter. To
this council they seemed to have called all the apostles who
were accessible, and a great company of elders from all the
churches. See verse 3. The churches of Phoenicia and Samaria
were notified of the council. 1 do not know whether
to call this assemblage a Synod or a General Assembly. It
certainly war a court of appeals for the disputants of Anliooh.
Our Presbyterian Synods are constituted just like this,
by an assemhlnvp ' 4 ~
me apostles are long since
dead, of course ne can not have their help in cur Synods.)
It is noticeable that in the deliberations of the Council, the
apostles deliberated, not in their character as inspired apostles,
able to decide the issue by inspiration, but in their character
as elders. They did not undertake to settle the question
as a prophet would, "by authority," but they argued the question
on an equality with fellow-elders. I apprehend that God
caused them to do it thus., in order to set before us an example
of the manner in which our Synods and Assemblies ^ought to
deliberate. Let us learn from that council, and have none
in our church courts who shall be lords over God's heritage.
One phrase demands our attention. "When there had been
miith V,-J
u^uvuis, reier rose up/' There was a free discussion.
And the apostles refrained from speaking until the younger
elders had been heard. If we would observe this custom in
our Presbyteries, ruling elders would take more interest in
attending.
The Arguments.
We have three arguments reported. 1. That of Peter. God
told me to go and preach to the Gentiles (v. 7). God gave
them (v. 8) the gift of the Holy Ghost and acknowledged
them as his people without circumcision. God mirifipii
hearts by faith (v. 9) without circumcision, the sign of purification.
If you compel them to observe the Mosaic law,
you will tempt them to try after salvation by works, (v. 10)
and this is a yoke that they can not bear. And (v. 11) as
they and we are both saved by grace, not by ceremonies,
it is not necessary to impose these ceremonies on them. The
address came happily from Peter the Apostle to the Jews.
Paul and Barnabas argued that the success of-their work,
and God's endorsement of it by miracles, proved that they
were not doing wrong. James summed up the argument by
4 ,111 ? - ? * - *
itiiuig meui mat an tins Is In accordance with the prophecies
i Amos 9: 11. 12) which foretold the salvation of the Gentiles.
Then he advised this conclusion: that we insist upon their
observing those ceremonies which have a ground work in
moral obligation. God made these prohibitions to Noah long
before the days of Moses?prohibitions aarstlnat ? *
_ - ?w f/Mi b?vtj/aviuu ill
idolatry, fornication, blood and things strangled.
The council approved this action, and thus was settled for
all time the ritual of the Christian Church. From that time it
has had no earthly priests, no earthly sacrifices, no earthly
temple, no ceremonies, except those of the New Testament.
Yet men clung to ceremonies in spite of the decision, and
as late as the year 300 A. D., the pass-over feast was observed
hy many individual Christiana