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October 20, 1909. THE PRESBYTERIAN Sunday School PAUL A PRISONER?THE VOYAGE. October 31, 1909. Acta 27:13-26. GOLDEN TEXT.?"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:6. DAILY HOME READINGS. M.?Acts 27:1-12. Th.?Psalm 104:1-9. T?Acts 27:13-26. P.?Psalm 104:24-31. W.?Mark 7:24-30. S?Psalm 77:11-20. S.?Psalm 23. SHORTER CATECHISM. Q. 79. Which is the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment is, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wif?. nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's." TOPICAL OUTLINE. How Paul Started to Rome? The beginning of the voyage, vs. 1-13. The beginning of the storm, vs. 14-26. LESSON COMMENTS. Introductory.?Character studies are always fruitful. An analysis of the character of the apostle Paul reveals many most remarkable traits. He was almost a paragon of excellence, because Christ lived in him. His many-sided, unique life has always presented an attractive theme for authors. Luke kept a diary as he journeyed with the apostle, and wrntP n hinirronhv a# Paul M*..i - m. ? i *?*' ~.~o- ui . BUI iu oupci u Oljric 1UI me lUbpirunon of future ages. On all occasions Paul shows the power of a consecrated life. He now leaves the holy land forever. He bids farewell to the scene of his earthly labors and sets sail for the imperial city. He appealed to Caesar and must go to Rome. It will be profitable to trace on a good map Paul's irregular course on the Mediterranean sea to that city from Caeearea. Paul and the other prisoners were entrusted to a centurion named Julius, who was thoughtful of Paul's comfort, and they sailed to Sidon, a city on the coast of Palestine. Launching from Sidon, they sailed near the large island of Cyprus and, touching at various intervening points, after a long time, landed at Crete, a large island in the southern part of the Aegean sea. Paul advised them to remain at Fair Havens, as sailing was dangerous after that time in the year, and prophesied that if they proceeded they would endanger their lives and the ship's cargo. But Julius did not take Paul's advice, and he set sail for Phenice, another harbor in Crete, expecting to spend the winter there. Comment.?Having decided on this course, they then set sail, as the winds were favorable. Phenice was only forty miles from Fair Havens, and they doubtless felt confident of reaching that point. In a short time afterwards a typhoon arose and drove the ship in another direction, and it became unmanageable. "Modern navigators speak of sudden changes from a gentle south to a tempestuous north wind as not only frequent, but almost invariable, in that part of the Mediterranean." Kitto thinks that the word "Euroclydon" means "a ' ugn, wavy sea, ana men tne word would mean the wind which peculiarly excites the waves." The ship was driven to a small island south of Crete, called Clauda, where they found it difficult "to come by the boat"; that is, "the raging of the storm made it hard to secure the boat belonging to the ship and probably towed after It." (Alexander.) This boat they took up from the water to the deck and used such "helps" as they had on hoard to strengthen the ship; "undergirding it," "that is, passing four or five turns of cable-laid rope round the hull or frame of the ship, to enable her to resist the violence of the seas, an operation rarely resorted to in modern seamanship." (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown.) The dark clouds obscured the sun and stars for several days and nights, and they thought that they would all he lost at Ma. In their extremity, Paul, the prisoner, speaks words of comfort to them. In a very manly manner, he reminded them of his advice not to leave Crete at that time, and thus endanger their lives and sustain such loss. But he assured them in the name of God that, while the ship would be lost, t _ . i OF THE SOUTH. 13 ad their lives would be preserved. Qod had sent his angel to encourage his faithful servant and assure him that he would be brought before Caesar, to whom he had appealed his case. Paul rather told them that God had preserved their lives for his sake. He expressed his perfect confidence in the words of God and exhorted them to be cheerful. He informed them also that they would be driven by the great tempest to an island. Choice words these, under trying circumstances! The words of the inspired prophet were fulfilled. For, after a fortnight s experience with the storm, they anchored near the island of Melita. or Malta, nmith nt - 1? r __ , nucic iut uarbarians treated them kindly. "No one who has never been in a leaking ship in a long-continued gale can know what is suffered under such circumstances. The strain ot both mind and body, the incessant demand for the labor of all the crew, the terror of the passengers, the hopeless working at the pumps, the laboring of the ship's frame and cordage, the driving of the storm, the benumbing effect of the cold and wet make up a scene of no ordinary confusion, anxiety and fatigue." Doctrinal and Practical.?1. Nature is God's book, and the Bible is the best commentary upon it. Nature is a revelation of God. It is "the drapery that hides and yet reveals the Infinite One." The sunshine is his smile, Psalm 19:4, 5; the thunder is his voice. Job 40:9; the light is his robe. Psalm 104:2; the sky is his mirror, Job 37:18; the clouds are the dust of his feet, Nahum 1:3; the winds his paths, Psalm 104:3, and the earth is his footstool. "What if earth be but the shadow of heaven, and things that are therein, each to the other like, more than on earth is thought?" Euroclydon the stormy wind, fulfilled his pleasure, Psalm 148:8. Let the , children look through the objects in nature and see God's power, wisdom and goodness. 2. God overrules natural evils for the ultimate good of his creatures and the enhancement of his declarative glory. The storm, in the year 62, on the Mediterranean sea afforded God's messenger an opportunity to preach to an attentive congregation of two hundred and seventy-five people; to cheer them in the name of God; to show them that he was interested in tnelr physical health and to assure them of his immoveable faith In God. If it had not been a storm that destroyed the Spanish Armada, our great country might have been Catholic instead of Protestant. It was during a terrific storm that Martin Luther resolved to change his course in life and become a monk. It was a storm that destroyed the enemies of God and Israel at the Red Sea. A storm in the Levant was the occasion of discipline to the then unfaithful prophet Jonah. 3. Angels minister to God's people. Hebrews 1:14. They represent God. A messenger of God stood by Paul in his voyage and brought a cheerful message to him and for all on the ship. They frequently ministered to Jesus. "They pity our frailties and secretly suggest comfort when we per .v uw, mo; ar? us reauy io neip as as the bad angels are to tempt us." They are immaterial, invisible, spiritual beings and have no wings. The passage in Isaiah 6:2 Is highly symbolic. Our little children never become angels when they die. Christ took not on himself the nature of angels. Heb. 2:16. 4. Qod often blesses the wicked for the sake of the righteous. He preserved the lives of all on board the ship for Paul's sake. The world is benefited through Christ, who came by the family of Abram. Genesis 2:1-3. If God had found.ten good people in Sodom, he would not have destroyed that city. Genesis 18:32. God blessed Laban for Jacob's sake. Genesis 30:27. He also, for the same reason, frennonflv knfltAwa ?rvM*n?l 11 A 1 uvbwitd >|niuuai Bins o? wen as temporal good. James 5:16. Many ungodly persons fall to appreciate the benefits they enjoy by the presence of Sunday-schools, churches and Christian people In their midst. 5. Personal faith In the personal Qod anchors the soul. Paul never doubted Qod. Faith is a divine, victorious principle. Hebrews 11:32-40. Faith is taking God at his Word and acting upon It. It unites us to Christ and enables us to act and feel as if unseen and future things, that are matters of revelation, were present and real. Have faith in God! E. P. Davis.