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September 29, 1909. THE PRESBYTERIAN
Sunday School
PAUL A PRISONER?THE PLOT.
October 10. 1909. Acts 29- 11-24
GOLDEN TEXT.?"I will say of the Lord, He Is my refuge
and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust." Psalm 91:2.
DAILY HOME READING.
M? Acts 22: 30 and 23: 11. Thur.?Phil. 3: 1-14.
T.?-Acts 23: 12-22. P.?Luke 21: 10-19.
W.?Acts 23: 23-35. S.?Psalm 27.
S.? Psalm 91.
SHORTER CATECHISM.
Q. 76. Which is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor.
TOPICAL OUTLINE.
God gives Paul assurance. Verse 11.
The conspiracy formed against him. Verses 12-15.
The conspiracy providentially discovered. Verses 16-22.
Paul's safe conduct to Felix. Verses 23, 24.
LESSON COMMENTS.
Introductory.?The twenty-second chapter records the
unponli nf Donl ?? T T ~ J ?""
v.. i ?ui uu mt- oLttiiB. ne uenvereu it in me Hebrew
language to the angry crowd before him. He graphically
told of his birth, rearing, education, morals, persecuting spirit,
conversion, call to the ministry, baptism and mission to the
Gentiles. The mob then demanded his death; and as he was
being bound, he pleaded his rights as a Roman citizen; and
the next day was liberated and allowed to make his defense
before the council. Perceiving that there were Pharisees and
Sadducees present, he, by a fine stroke of policy, cried out
that he was a Pharisee, and thus divided their attention, and
a controversy at once arose between these two sects. The
Pharisees exonerated him but he. being in danger or bodily
injury, was forcibly removed to the castle by the Roman authorities.
After such exciting experiences, he needed the
sweet assurances of His Lord's presence and help.
Comment.?Perseverance in holy living and witnessing
primarily depends upon the communications of God's grace
to us, and not upon our use of the means of grace, or Btrength
of character. No gracious principle or disposition is In itself
indestructible. It must be constantly fed with the oil of
divine grace (Zech. 4: 12). The Lord Jesus prepared the
apostle for further testimony and suffering by words of
cheer. The Lord of glory can illumine the darkest night of
trial, ignorance or sorrow. His presence enabled Paul and
Silas to sing and pray in the prison at Philippi. Christ Himself
was the faithful and the true witness. Paul had given
his testimony concerning Christ in the holy city, and his
Lord strengthened every spiritual fiber of his being for witness-bearing
in Rome. All true believers are the representatives
of Jesus Christ on earth.
Very soon the faith, courage and fidelity- of the noted
prisoner were tested. The Jews conspired to take his life.
Forty of them resolved that they would not eat nor drink
until they had destroyed him. So they went to the Sanhedrim
and revealed their plans to the authorities. "We have
here a specimen of that fanatical, yet conscientious, zealotry,
which ultimately brought about the downfall of Jerusalem.
We learn from Josephus that this bigoted and sanguinary
zeal was gradually ripening for years before the great catastrophe."
They asked that body to request Lysias to bring
Paul down from the tower, as if they wished to hear him
again, and they were ready to dispatch him before he came
within the place of assembly. "The wicked plotteth against
the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth" (Ps. 37: 12).
Judas conspired against Jesus, apd Saul secretly planned
David's death. "Sinners in the hands of an angry God, and
yet plotting against His children. Poor souls, thus to run
upon the point of Jehovah's spear."?Spurgeon.
But the conspiracy was providentially discovered. The
secret devices of men and devils can not frustrate God's
plans. The Lord had told Paul the night before that he was
to bear witness in Rome; and neither human nor angelic
V*
[ OF THE SOUTH. is
foes could prevent htm from executing God's purpose. Paul's
sister's son heard the plot and went into the castie of Antonla
and Informed Paul. The apostle at once called a centurion
and asked him to take the young man to Lysias, as
be had some important news for him. The centurion acceded
to Paul's request, and the young man informed the
chief captain of the conspiracy of the Jews to kill the prisoner,
whenever a suitable occasion ofTered. He urged Lysias to
refuse to allow Paul to go to the Sanhedrim the next day, and
mentioned the details of the plan to take the apostle's life,
as hfi hail heard t .? I j?
vucui. u;oma ui?n uismissea the young
man, after charging him to say nothing about giving him the
information. He at once commanded two centurions to take
two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred
spearmen, and conduct Paul, at nine o'clock at night, to Felix
at Caesarea. The plans of the assassins therefore failed, and
the valuable life of the apostle to the Gentiles was saved.
Doctrinal and Practical.?1. The companionship of Jesus
encourages the heart and makes us cheerful in trials. Christ
does not promise us exemption from tribulation in this world,
but He does promise us good cheer (John 16: 33). The
Christian's sources of happiness are too deep to be affected
by the world, the flesh and the devil. The joy of the Lord
is his strength (Nehemiah 8: 10). The best people somehmoa
foil r>r. "* '
..... ... unvuc uiscuuragea, ouc jenovah Jesus never
does (Isaiah 42:4). The presence of the Son of God protected
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
Henry Martyn, in Peria, and David Livingston, in
Africa, could die happily almost alone, with God as their
Comforter. In an hour of depression, Luther used to say to
Malancthon: "Come, Philip, let us sing the forty-sixth Psalm."
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not?I will not desert to his foes;
That soul?though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never?no, never?no never, forsake."
2. Christian people should not expect to prosecute their
work undisturbed. The agents of Satan will strive to hinder
it and defeat their plans. The wicked one has emissaries in
all parts of the world who plan the downfall of Christian
lp?r)cre hw mnsni,.... ? ? *
wusyuai.;, omuucr, opposiuon ana deception.- Absalom
conspired against his own father, and the brothers
of Joseph against him. Daniel was one of the three men
whom God mentioned as noted for his righteousness (Ezekiel
14: 14), and yet the presidents and princes of the kingdom
of Persia conspired against him. Fidelity to duty and
nobility of character are no guarantees against the plots of
the wicked. The causes of temperance, Sabbath observance,
education, purity, municipal reform and religion ail hsv?
their foes that secretly and openly oppose their progress.
"The Romans, a brave and generous people, disdained to practice
treachery towards their avowed enemies. Christianity
teaches us to forgive injuries, but to resent them under the
disguise of friendship and benevolence argues a degeneracy
at which common humanity and justice must blush."
3. God's purposes and His providences always agree. It
was God's plan for Paul to go to Rome, and in his wise
providence, the conspiracy against him failed. "No weapon
uiui is iorraea against thee shall prosper" (Isa. 54: 17). The
wickedness of the conspirators frequently returns upon their
own heads. Absalom was slain. Haman was hanged on
his own gallows. Those who planned the destruction of
Daniel were devoured by the lions. God can take care of His
people. Golden Text.
4. Boys and girls may be useful in the causes of righteousness
and religion. How we should try to win and keep
the boys in the Sunday-school and church! Many of them
are to be our future ministers, elders, deacons, members and
citizens. "In his college religious work, Professor Drummond
always sought to win for Christ strong, athletic, popular
young men,- the leaders, no matter how wild they were, and
his sagacity always proved Itself."
5 God overrules the powers that be for the accomplishment
of His purposes. Lystas saved Paul's life. God raised
up Pharaoh to carry out His will (Romans 9: 17). Commodore
Perry opened Japan, and Admiral Dewey, the Philippines,
to Protestantism.
E. P. Davis.