PRESENTED TO THE LIBRARY 
 
 PRINCETON THEOLOGIML SEMINKRY 
 
 Pfofessop |4entty van Dyke, D.D., lili.O. 
 
 BVTTS 6 0^. V 5 6 1884 " ] 
 
 Vincent, John Heyl, 1832- i 
 
 1920. 
 The lesson commentary on th< 
 
 International Sunday-Schoo! 
 
THE 
 
 Wesson Commentary 
 
 INTEMATIONAL SUNDAY-SCIIOOL LESSONS 
 
 FOR 1884. 
 
 REV. JOHN II. VINCENT, D.D., 
 
 AND 
 
 REV. J. L.'hURLBUT, D.D. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 162 -WASHINGTON STREET. 
 
PREFATORY. 
 
 AGAIN the table is set and tlie banquet spread. Good food from 
 many fields is here furnished, and flowers from many gardens. 
 Blessed are they who sit down with sharp appetite to partake and to 
 gain strength, that being strong they may give help to others. 
 
 The Lesson Commentary for the new year has been prepared with 
 great care. Experience in compilation through the years has given 
 judgment and discrimination. Familiarity with the ever-widening 
 tield of exegetical literature has increased the compiler's resources, and 
 I firmly believe tliat the provisions made in this volume by our able 
 fellow-worker, the Eev. Jesse Lyman IIurlbut, D.D., will more than 
 ever aid and gratify the Superintendents and Teachers for whom this 
 work is compiled. 
 
 A valuable contribution has been made to the current volume in the 
 " Sermon Outlines " prepared by a number of distinguished ministers. 
 They have been requested, in rendering this service, to provide sermon- 
 sketches \vhich would indicate to pastors a plan by which the teachings 
 of the weekly lessons may be made to tell in [)ulpit discourses. 
 
 These compilations and sermon-outlines are man's contril)ution to 
 the work of God in the edification of the Church. The human 
 preparation is impotent without the Divine interposition. The fire 
 
 5 
 
PREFATORY. 
 
 must descend from heaven upon the altar ; the Divine reservoirs must 
 be connected with conduit and fountain ; the Divine Spirit must enter 
 the body of flesh and blood. Therefore I beseech all students of these 
 notes to invoke, in their perusal and in their application to the work of 
 teaching, the blessing of the Father who has promised to give the Holy 
 Spirit to those who ask. 
 
 J. H. YiNCENT. 
 
 New York, Septemher 1, 1883. 
 
LIST OF AUTHORS QUOTED. 
 
 Al.hott, L. 
 Akxjiiukr, J. A. 
 AUxiiiiWiT, .1. \V. 
 A in. id, 11. 
 Amlrowfs, Bishop. 
 Aniot. W. 
 Auijutitine. 
 
 Hi.lir. 
 
 Baker. 
 
 Bunics, A. 
 
 Biitcs, John. 
 
 Biuiiii^iirten. 
 
 Beet, J. A. 
 
 Bengel, J. A. 
 
 Be:*ser. R. 
 
 Bezji, T. 
 
 Bernard, St. 
 
 Berniird, T. D. 
 
 Bimay, T. 
 
 Bibliwil .Museum. 
 
 Biseoe, K. 
 
 Bispinsr. 
 
 Bk1iIii1|.1i, Thomas T. 
 
 Bloomtield. 
 
 Bonnr, 11. 
 
 Bowes. 
 
 Boys, Dian. 
 
 Brandt, J. 
 
 Brown, D. 
 
 Brownris;, Bisliop. 
 
 Brcw.ster. 
 
 Briff!^, C. A. 
 
 Burkitt, A. 
 
 Butkr, J. G. 
 
 Butler, \V. A. 
 
 Bunyan, J. 
 
 Burton. 
 
 Bushuell, H. 
 
 Ca.spci-s, A. 
 Caird, .1. 
 
 Canihridfre Bible. 
 Carlyle, T. 
 Catherwood, T. 
 Calvin, Jolin. 
 Chrysostom. 
 Clement of Alexandria. 
 Clarke, Adam. 
 Conybeare, W. J. 
 Collier, Jircmiah. 
 Cook, Canon. 
 Cuyler, T. L. 
 Cyprian. 
 
 De Wette. 
 Delitzsch, F. 
 Dick, Dr. John. 
 D'luiiluimc, Bishop. 
 D.Kldiid-e. 
 
 PMmunds. 
 Ellicott, ('. J. 
 Krdnmini, C. F. D. 
 Estius. 
 Ewal.l, II. 
 
 Farindon, A. 
 Farrar, F. W. 
 Ford, J. 
 Foster, .J. 
 Eraser, D. 
 Freeman, J. M. 
 
 Gadsby, John. 
 Geier, Martin. 
 Geikie, C. 
 Gerhich, O. V. 
 Gerok, C. 
 Gloajr, P. J. 
 Goode, F. 
 Goulburn, E. M. 
 Gray, J. C. 
 Gurnall. 
 
 Haeftenus. 
 Hamilton, J. 
 Hall, Bi.shop. 
 Ihiokett. II. B. 
 llardwiekc. 
 Hammond. 
 Ilaveriral, F. R. 
 Henry, M. 
 Iledingrer. 
 Heiigstonbernr. 
 Ilervev, Bishop J. 
 Hibl.aVd, F. G. 
 Hitziff. 
 Hodfje, C. 
 llofmann. 
 Hood, E. P. 
 Home, J. II. 
 llowson, J. S. 
 Huntington, Bishop. 
 Humi.hrev. 
 Hunter, W. 
 Hupfeld. 
 
 Jaeobson, W. 
 
 James, J. A. 
 Janiieson, K. 
 J ebb. Bishop. 
 Jenkvn. 
 Johnson, F. 
 Jowett. 
 
 Keil, C. F. 
 
 Kitto, J. 
 
 Kling. 
 
 Kno.x, A. 
 
 Krummachcr, F. W. 
 
 Kuinoel. 
 
 Kurtz. 
 
 Langre, J. P. 
 Leehlcr, G. V. 
 Loijrhton, Archbishop. 
 Li-rlitfoot, J. 
 Luther, M. 
 
 Maekni{,']it, J. 
 ISIariton, T. 
 Maurice, F. D. 
 MTurdv, J. F. 
 M'llvaine, Bishop. 
 .Mi.rtvr, P. 
 :Slason, J. 
 Mever. 
 
 ileianclithon, P. 
 Milncr, J. 
 Moll, C. B. 
 Morrison, J. 
 iludge. 
 
 Neander, J. A. W. 
 
 Oehler. 
 Olshausen, H. 
 Origen. 
 Osiander. 
 
 Palmer. B. M. 
 Perowne, J. J. S. 
 Plumptre, E. II. 
 Plumer, \V. S. 
 Pool. M. 
 Pulsford, John. 
 I'usey, Dr. 
 
 Quesnel, P. 
 
 Raleigh, A. 
 Kawlinsou, Canon, 
 

 LIST 
 
 OF AUTHORS QUOTED. 
 
 Eaphelius. 
 
 
 Stanley, Dean. 
 
 Van Lennep, H. J. 
 
 Rieger. 
 
 
 Starke. 
 
 "Van Oosterzee. 
 
 Ridgaway, H. B. 
 
 
 Steele, D. 
 
 Vilmar. 
 
 Riggeubach, C. J, 
 Robertson, F. W. 
 
 
 Stier. 
 Stock, E. 
 
 Walker, R. 
 
 Robinson. 
 
 
 Stuart, M. 
 
 Webster. 
 
 Rocs. 
 
 
 
 Westcott, B. F. 
 
 Ruckert. 
 
 
 Taylor, Isaac. 
 
 Whedon, D. A. 
 
 
 
 Temple, Bishop. 
 
 Whedon, D. D. 
 
 Saphir, A. 
 Scfiatf, P. 
 
 
 Terry, M. S. 
 
 Whichcote, Dr. 
 
 
 Theodoret. 
 
 Wiesinger. 
 
 Schlier. 
 
 
 Tholuck. 
 
 Wieaeler. 
 
 Schmoller. 
 
 
 Thompson, J. P. 
 
 Wilkinson. 
 
 Scott, J. 
 
 
 Tittmann. 
 
 Windischmann. 
 
 Seneca. 
 
 
 Toplady, A. 
 
 Wordsworth, C. 
 
 Smith, T. 
 
 
 Toy, C. H. 
 
 
 Spurgeon, C. H. 
 
 
 Trapp, John. 
 
 Zockler. 
 
LESSONS AND GOLDEN TEXTS FOR 1884. 
 
 STUDIES IS TUE ACTS MD El'lSTLES. 
 
 First Qvinrter. 
 LcfHon 
 
 I. Jan. 6.— The Conkerkxce at Jerusalem. Acts 
 
 1.^. 1-11. Commit vs. 8-11. Golden Text: 
 We believe, that throuRli the grace of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, we shall he saved, even as they. 
 Acts. 15. 11. 
 
 II. Jan. 1.3.— Hearing and Doing. James 1. IC- 
 27. Commit vs. 22-25. (Jolden Text: Be ye 
 doers of the word, and not heiuvi-s ouly. James 
 1. 22. 
 
 III. Jan. 20.— The Power of the Tongue. James 
 .3. 1-18. CommU vs. 2-5. (iOLDEN Te.\t: By 
 thy words thou shalt be JustiQed, and by thy 
 words thou shalt be coudemued. Matt. 12. 37. 
 
 IV. Jan. 27.— Living as in God's Sight. James 4. 
 7-17. Commit vs. 13-15. GOLDEN Text : Hum- 
 ble yourselves in the si<rht of the Lord, and he 
 shall lift you up. James 4. 10. 
 
 V. Feb. 3.— Paul's SEfOND Missionary Journey. 
 
 Arts 15. a>-41, and 10. 1-10. Com out rs. 9, 10. 
 Golden Text: Come over into Macedonia, and 
 help us. Acts 16. 9. 
 
 n. Feb. 10.— The Conversion of Lydia. Acts 16. 
 11-34. Commit rs. 13-15. Golden Text: 
 Whose heart the Lord oix^nert, that she attended 
 unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 
 Acts 16. 14. 
 
 VII. Feb. 17.— The Conversion of the Jailer. 
 Acts 16. 2">-J0. Co)nmit vs. 29-;}4. Golden 
 Text: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 thou shalt be saved, and thy bouse. Acts 16. 31. 
 
 VIII. Feb. 24.— Thessalonia.\3 and Bereans. 
 Acts 17. 1-14. Commit vs. 2-4. Golden Text : 
 These were more noble than those in Thessa- 
 lonica, in that they received the word with all 
 readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures 
 daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17. 11. 
 
 IX. March 2.— Paul at Athens. Acts 17. 22-34. 
 Commit vs. 29-31. GOLDEN Text: In him we 
 live, and move, and have our being. Acts 17. 28. 
 
 X. March 9.— Paul at Corinth. Acts 18. 1 17. 
 Commit vs. 9-11. Golden Text: I am with 
 thee, and no man shall set on thee, to hurt thee : 
 for I have much people In this city. Acts 
 
 Lesson 
 
 XL March IC.— The Coming of the Lord. 1 Thess- 
 4. 13-18, and 5. 1-8. Commit vs. 14-17. Gold- 
 en Text: For if we believe that Jesus died 
 and rose again, even so them also which sleep 
 la' Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thess. 4. 
 14. 
 
 XII. March 23.— Christian Diligence. 2 Thess. 
 3. 1-18. Commit vs. 1-5. GOLDEN Text: Be 
 not weary in well doing. 2 Thess. 3. 13. 
 
 XIII. March 30.— Review ; or. Missionary, Tem- 
 perance, or other Ltjsson selected by the school- 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 I. April 6.— Paul's Third Missionary Journey. 
 
 Acts 18. 2.3-28, and 19. 1-7. Commit vs. 24-2G. 
 Golden Text: And when Paul had laid his 
 hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them. 
 Acts 19. 6. 
 
 II. April 13.-PAUL AT Ephesus. Acts 19. 8-22, 
 Commit vs. 8-10. Golden Text: And many 
 that beliered came, and confessed, and showed 
 their deeds. Acts 19. 18. 
 
 III. April 20.— Paul's Preaching. 1 Cor. l. 17-.31. 
 Commit vs. 17-19. Golden Text: We preach 
 Christ cruciOed, unto the Jews a stumbling- 
 block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. 1 Cor. 
 1. 23. 
 
 IV. April 27.— Abstinence for the Sake of Oth- 
 ers. 1 Cor. 8. 1-13. Commit vs. 10-13. Gold- 
 en Text: If meat make my brother to oITend, 
 I will eat no flesh while the world staudeth. 
 1 Cor. 8. 13. 
 
 V. May 4.-CHRISTIAN LovE.-l Cor. 13. 1-13. Com- 
 
 mit vs. n-iS. Golden Te.xt: Love is the ful- 
 fllling of the law. Rom. 13. 10. 
 
 VI May 11.— Victory over Death. 1 Cor. 15. 
 50-58. Com?7iif. rs. 55-58. Golden Text. 
 Death Is swaUowed up in victory. 1 Cor. 
 15.54. 
 
 VII. May 18.— The Uproar at Ephesus. Acts 19. 
 23-41, and 20. 1, 2. Commit vs. .38-40. GOLDEN 
 Text : Why do the heathen rage, and the peo- 
 ple imagine a vain thing y Paa. 2. 1. 
 
LESSONS FOR 1884. 
 
 Lt-SKon 
 
 V'lII. May 25.— Liberal Giving. 2 Cor. 9. 1-15. 
 Commit vs. 6-8. Golden Text: God loveth a 
 cheerful gher. 2 Cor. 9. 7. 
 
 IX. June 1.— Christian Liberty. GaL 4. 1-16. 
 Commit vs. -i-G. Goldex Text: stand fast 
 therefore in the liberty Avherewlth Christ hath 
 made us free. Gal. 5. 1. 
 
 X. June 8.— Justification by Faith. Rom. 3. 19- 
 31. Commit vs. 24^26. Golden Text: There- 
 fore being justiQed by faith, we have peace 
 with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 
 5.1. 
 
 Lesson 
 
 XI. June 15.— The Blessedness of Believers. 
 Rom. 8. 28-39. Commit vs. 37-39. Golden 
 Text : We know that all things work together 
 for good to them that love God. Romans 8. 
 
 28. 
 
 XII. June 23.— Obedience to Law. Rom. 13. 1-10. 
 Commit vs. 7-10. Golden Text: Let every 
 soul be subject unto the higher powers. Rom. 
 13. 1. 
 
 XIII. June 29.— Review ; or, Missionary, Tem- 
 perance, or other Lesson selected by the 
 school. 
 
 THEEE MONTHS WITH DAVID AND THE PSALMS. 
 
 Third. Quarter. 
 Lesson 
 
 I. July 6.— David King over all Israel. 2 Sam. 
 
 5.1-12. Commit I's. 10-12. Golden Text: I 
 liave found David my servant ; with my holy 
 oil have I anointed him. Psa. 89. 20. 
 
 II. July 13.— The Ark in the HorsE. 2 Sam. 6. 1- 
 12. Commit vs. 11, 12. Golden Text: He 
 blesseth the habitation of the just. Proverbs 
 3.33. 
 
 III. July 20.— God's Covenant with David. 
 2 Sam. 7. 1-16, Commit vs. 13-16. Golden 
 Text : Thy throne shall be established forever. 
 2 Sam. 7. 16. 
 
 IV. July 27. — Kindness to Jonathan's Son. 
 2 Sam. 9. 1-13. Commit vs. 6, 7. Golden 
 TEXT : Thine own friend, and thy father's 
 friend, forsake not. Prov. 27. 10. 
 
 V. Aug. 3.— David's Repentance. Psa. 51. 1-19. 
 
 Commit vs. 9-12. Golden Text: My sin is 
 ever before me. Psa. 51. 3. 
 
 VI. Aug. 10.— Absalom's Rebellion. 2 Sam. 15. 
 1-14. Commit vs. 4-6. Golden Text : Honor 
 thy father and thy mother : that thy days may 
 be long upon the land which the Lord thy 
 God giveth thee. Eiod. 20. 12. 
 
 10 
 
 Lesson 
 
 VII. Aug. 17.— Absalom's Death. 2 Sam. 18. 24-33. 
 Commit vs. 32, 33. Golden Text : Wboso curs- 
 eth father or mother, let him die the death. 
 Mark 7. 10. 
 
 VIII. Aug. 24.— The Plague Stated. 2 Sam. 34. 
 15-25. Commit vs. 24, 25. GOLDEN Text : So 
 the Lord was entreated for the land, and the 
 plague was stayed from Israel. 2 Sam. 31. 25. 
 
 IX. Aug. 31.— God's Works and Word. Psa. 19. 
 1-14. Commit vs. 7-11. Golden Text: Thou 
 hast magnlfled thy word above all thy name. 
 Psa. 138. 2. 
 
 X. Sept. 7.— Confidence in God. Psa. 27. 1-14. 
 
 Commit vs. 4, 5. Golden Text: The Lord is 
 my light and my salvation ; whom shall I lear? 
 Psa. 27. 1. 
 
 XI. Sept. 14.— Waiting for the Lord. Psa. 40. 1- 
 17. Commit vs. 1-4. Golden Text: I delight 
 to do thy will, O my God. Psa. 40. 8. 
 
 XII. Sept. 21.— A Song of Praise. Psa. 103. 1-22, 
 Commit vs. 1-5. Golden Text: Bless th« 
 Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. 
 Psa. 103. 2. 
 
 Xin. Sept. 28.— Review ; or. Missionary, Temper- 
 ance, or other Lesson selected by the school. 
 
LESSONS FOR 1884. 
 
 THREE MONTHS WITH SOLOMON AND THE BOOKS OF WISDOM. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 Lesson 
 
 I. Oct. 5.— SOLOMO.V SCCCKEDI.NO DAVID. 1 KIngS 
 
 1. -ii-SS. Commit rs. 28-30. Goi.dkn Tk.xt: 
 Ami thou, Sdlomon, my son, know thou the 
 UotI of ihy father, and .seiTo hlni with a perfect 
 heart, ami with a willing niinU. 1 Chron. 'M. 9. 
 
 II. Oct. 12. — David's Charge to Solomon. 
 
 1 Chron. 22. C-19. Omimit vs. 17-19. GOLD- 
 KN Tkxt: Arise, therefore, and bo doing, and 
 llie Lord be with thee. 1 Chron. 22. IC. 
 
 III. Oct. 19.— Solomon's Choice. 1 Kings .3. .5-35. 
 Oimmif ns. 9, 10. (ioLOKN Text: Wisdom Is 
 the principal thing, therefore get wisdom. I'rov. 
 
 IV. Oct. 20.— The Temim.e Biilt. 1 KinsrsG. 1-14. 
 C(wiinit vs. 11-13. (ioLDE.N Text : Mine house 
 shall be called an house of prayer. Isa. 56. 7. 
 
 V. Nov. 2.— The Temple Dedicated. 1 Kings 8. 
 22-36. Com min'.s. 22-24. GOLDEN Text : Be- 
 hold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot 
 contain thee. 1 Kings 8. 27. 
 
 VI. Nov. 9.— The Wisdom OK Solomon, l Kings 10. 
 1-13. 0-m//u7 rs. 8,9. Golden Text : Behold, 
 a greater than Solomon Is here. Matt. 12. 24. 
 
 Lffwon 
 
 VII. Nov. 16.— Solomon's Sin. 1 Kings 11. 4-13. 
 Vvmmit vs. 9, 10. goldkn Te.\t: Keep thy 
 heart with all diligence; for out of It are the 
 issues of life. Prov. 4. 23. 
 
 VIII. .Nov. 23.— Proverbs of Solomon. Prov. 1. 
 1-lC. Commit vs. 8-10. Golden Text: The 
 fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 
 Prov. 1. 7. 
 
 IX. Nov. 30.— Trie Wisdom. Prov. 8. 1-17. Com- 
 mit vs. 10, 11. Golden Text: I love them 
 that love me ; and those that seek me early 
 shall And me. Prov. 8. 17. 
 
 X. Dec. 7.— DRfNKENNESS. Prov. 23. 29 35. Cntn- 
 
 )ii it vs. 29-32. Golden Text: He not among 
 wine-biblteis. Prov. 23. 20. 
 
 XI. Dec. 14.— Vanity of Worldly Pleasire. 
 Eccles. 2. 1-13. Commit vs. 10, 11. Golden 
 Text : Wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light 
 excelleth darkness. Eccles. 2. 13. 
 
 XII. Dec. 2f.— The Creator Uemkmheued. Eccles. 
 12.1-14. Commit vs. 13,14. (ioLDEN Text: 
 Ilemember now thy Creator in the duys of thy 
 youth. Eccles. 12. 1. 
 
 XIII. Dec. 28.— Review ; or. Missionary, Temper- 
 ance or oiher Lesson selected by the school. 
 
 Bethiny, Mount of OliTei, and Jerusalem. 
 

NAMES AND RESIDENCES OF PUPILS. 
 
 ^^././ 3"^. 
 
 i/eac/u 
 
 ^^a. 
 
 fS^e-Ju/eiic^, 
 
 NAMES. 
 
 RESIDENCE. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
AUTOGRAPHS. 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE LESSONS OF THE FIRST AND 
 SECOND QUARTERS. 
 
 I. Time. 
 
 The lessons of tlic first six months belong 
 mainly to the life and letters of tiie Apo.stle 
 I'aul, and include the events from the Conference 
 ut Jerusalem, about A. D. 50, to the writing of 
 tiie Epistle to the Romans, A. D. 57. These 
 seven years formed one of the most important 
 epochs in the history of Christianity, as at this 
 time began the great division which made the 
 Gospel no more the property of a Jewish sect, 
 but a world-wide Church. 
 
 II. Secular History. 
 
 At this period the Roman Empire ruled all 
 the world from the Euphrates to the Straits of 
 Gibraltar, and from the North ^ea to the Great 
 Desert of Africa. The Mediterranean Sea and all 
 the lands aromid it were under the authority of 
 one government, and in the main its rule was 
 wise and beneficent. Though the emperors 
 were sometimes wicked in their private lives, 
 and their subordinate rulers were sometimes ra- 
 pacious, yet the government of Rome as a 
 whole was better than that of even the best of 
 the kingdoms wliich'it had supplanted. At the 
 opening of the lessons, the reigning emperor 
 was Claudius Crcsar, a mild ruler, sometimes 
 considered weak in intellect, though the modern 
 judgment has placed him higher in ability than 
 the ancient. In A. D. 54 he was murdered, 
 and Nero, his step-son, ascended the throne of 
 the world. At first Nero was a wise and just 
 sovereign, and not until after the period of our 
 lessons did he develop those traits which have 
 made him memorable as the most cruel and 
 abominable of all the Roman emperors. During 
 thetimeof our lessons Plutarch, tlie biographer, 
 and Seneca, the philosopher, were both living at 
 Borne, and Epictetus, the greatest heathen mor- 
 alist, was a young slave in the same city. The 
 Jews were at this period governed by Quadratus, 
 an legate of Syria, and Cumanus, succeeded in 
 A. D, 53 by Claudius Feli.x, as procurator of 
 Judea. The kingdom of Herod Agrippa 1., the 
 slayer of the Apostle James, was broken up at his 
 death in A. D. 44, and his successor on the 
 throne, Agrippa II., was permitted to retain only 
 2 
 
 the country north-east of the Sea of Galilee, while 
 the rest of the kingdom, including Judea and 
 Galilee, was annexed to the Roman Empire. At 
 the opening of the lessons, Ananias, son of 
 NehedtBus, was high-prie.st of the Jews ; but in 
 A. D. 52 he was succeeded by Islimael ben 
 Plmbi. The Jews were apparently loyal to the 
 Roman Empire, but in reality dissatisfied and 
 eager lor independence, and already manifesting 
 the turbulent spirit which, in less than twenty 
 years after, arose in rebellion, and drew upon 
 them the destruction of their city and the final 
 extinction of the Jewish state. 
 
 III. Events of the Period. 
 
 Our lessons open immediately after Paul's 
 First Missionary Journey, in which, with Barna- 
 bas, he liad traversed Cyprus, Pamphylia, Ly- 
 caonia, and Pisidia, preaching the Gospel. The 
 two missionaries were at Antioch, when emissa- 
 ries of the J udaizing faction in the Church came 
 demanding the circumcision of the Gentile 
 Christians, and obedience' to the law of Mo.ses, 
 as interpreted by the scribes. This wius refused 
 by the broad-minded disciples of Antioch, and 
 a dispute began between the two elements in 
 the Church, which was not finally settled until 
 the destruction of Jerusalem finally broke off 
 the Gospel from all Jewish relationship. The 
 council at Jerusalem (Lesson I) gave liberty 
 to the Gentiles, requiring only the observance 
 of the moral law. Probably about this time 
 was written the Epistle of James, containing 
 Lessons II, III, IV. 
 
 The next event was the Second Missionary 
 Journey of Paul, in which he was accompanied 
 by Silas and Timothy. To this belong Les.sons 
 V-XII of the First Quarter. This tour extended 
 the Gospel to Europe, in Macedonia and Greece, 
 and led to Churches in Philippi, The.ssulonica, 
 Berea, and Corinth. To the disciples at the 
 second of these places Paul wrote at this time 
 the First and Second Epistles to the Thessaloni- 
 ans, the earliest of his letters now extant from 
 which we have Lessons XI, XII. 
 
 After a brief visit at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, 
 Paul went to Jerusalem, and thence to Antioch, 
 from wliiuh be started upon his Third AlixxU/itr- 
 
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST AND SECOND QUARTERS. 
 
 ary Journey, to which belong all the lessons of 
 the Second Quarter. Its principal stopping- 
 places were (1 ) Galatia, not here named, but 
 referred to in the epistle, and an important visit. 
 (2) Epliesus, where Paul stayed for more than 
 two years, and laid the foundation of a strong 
 Church, (Lessons I, II.) While here he wrote 
 the First Epistle to the Corinthians, (Lesson, 
 III, IV, V, VI,) and soon after leaving, (Lesson 
 VII,) tlie Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 
 (Lesson VIII.) (3) Vurinth : here he wrote the 
 Epistle to the Galatians, (Lesson IX,) and the 
 greatest of all his writings, the grand statement 
 of Christian doctrine, the Epistle to the Romans, 
 (Lessons X, XI, XII.) Our lessons leave the 
 apostle just as he is about starting upon his 
 last journey to Jerusalem. 
 
 IV. The Christianity of the Period. 
 
 There were certain traits which marked the 
 Church of this important epoch : (1) We notice a 
 rapid and wide spread of the Gospel, under the 
 leadership of the Apostle Paul. From Antioch 
 as a center the Church has reached the bolder of 
 Asia Minor, crossed the ^geau Sea, won vic- 
 
 tories in Macedonia and Greece, and established 
 itself, even in Rome itself, in the very household 
 of the emperor. (2) The Church is becoming 
 less and less Jewish and more and more Gentile 
 in its type. At first Gentiles were admitted only 
 on sufferance into the Churches, but already we 
 see that the Gentile branch has become domi- 
 nant, and, except in Palestine itself, the Jewish 
 influence is scarcely felt. (3) We notice a more 
 definite organization of the Church, Paul's apos- 
 tleship is recognized, and he exercises a general 
 supervision over the Churches established by 
 himself, appointing officers, gathering every- 
 where a contribution for " the poor saints in 
 Jerusalem," writing letters of apostolic author- 
 ity, and bringing the entire work into unity. 
 (4) More than in the earlier stage, we notice the 
 development of a doctrinal system, hinted at 
 in the earlier letters, but brought out complete- 
 ly in the great Epistle to the Romans, from 
 which the Church has drawn its body of di- 
 vinity during eighteen centuries. The doctrines 
 preached by Paul at Ephesus, and written to 
 the Church at Rome, are those which are still 
 recognized as the fundamentals of Christian 
 faith. 
 
THE 
 
 LESSON COMMENTARY. 
 
 FIRST QUARTER. 
 
 STUDIES IN THE ^CTS AJSTD EPISTLES. 
 
 A. D. 50.] 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 The Coxference at Jerusalem. — Acts 15. 1-11. 
 
 [Jan. 6. 
 
 UOLDEiV TEXT.— We believe, that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be 
 saved, even as they.— ACTS 15. 11. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 60, while Claudius wivs emperor of Rome ; Quadratus prefect or Roman governor of 
 Syria; Cumanus procurator of Judea ; Ananias, son of Nebedivus, hlgh-prlest of the Jews. 
 
 Placks.— Antloch In Syria, and Jerusalem, the capital of Judea. 
 
 iNTRODi-CTio.N.— We have here an account of the famous controversy which arose within the primitive 
 Church, and threatened its disruption into two branches— a Jewish-Christian Church, and a Gentile-Chris- 
 tian Church. Ever since the admission of the Gentiles, In the person of Cornelius, without circumcision, 
 there was a strong Jewish party among believers, who held fast to their peculiar privileges as God's 
 people, and wished to enforce circumcision and the other rites of Judaism upon the Gentile Christians. 
 The defense of Peter (Acts 11. 1-18) only quieted for a time the complaints of these Judaizers; but on 
 the report of the success of Paul and Barnabas among the Gentiles, and of the free Gospel which they 
 preached, these complaints broke out afresh. The Church was now passing through a great crisis. The 
 subject to be decided was, whether Christianity should be engrafted upon Judaism, or whether it should 
 be freed from the restrictions of the Jewish law ; whether, in fact, it should be confined to the narrow- 
 ness of a Jewish sect, or be propagated as the religion of the world. Even the decision of the question 
 by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem did not settle the dispute. The controversy reappeared in vari- 
 ous forms, and greatly disturbed the peace of the primitive Church, until at length, in the second cent- 
 ury, these Judaizing Christians finally separated from the great body of believeis, and propagated their 
 opinions under the names of Ebionites and Nazarites.— 6'ioaa. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 And ' certain men which came down 
 from Ju-de'a taught the brethren, arid 
 
 1. Certain men— Converts from among the 
 Pharisees, still zealous for the 
 Law, (21. 20,) unable to under- 
 stand the spread of the Gospel 
 among the Gentiles, with their 
 prejudices exasperated by ad- 
 mission to the Church without 
 circumcision. Their teaching 
 had no sanction from tlie 
 Church at Jerusalem, (v. 24,) 
 and Paul characterized them 
 as false bretlircii. Gal. 2. 4.— 
 W. Jacohxon. Came down — 
 From Jerusalem to Antioch in Syria, a jourm-y 
 of 250 miles. They came to Antioch, because 
 tliat was the head-quarters of those who preached 
 the Gospel to the Gentiles, and the chief seat of 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 1 And certain men came down from 
 Ju-de'a and taught the brethren, say- 
 
 Gentile Christianity, It is evident that they 
 did not come accidentally, but with the design 
 of inculcating their opinions. — Gloag. Taught 
 — According to the Greek imperfect, were con- 
 tiawmly teaching. The brethren— Gentile 
 converts at Antioch, who understood the free- 
 ncss of the Christian dispensation all the 
 better after the successful results of the mis- 
 sion of Paul and Barnabas. — W. Jacobson. 
 Except ye be circtmicised— They regarded 
 Christianity as something added to Judaism, 
 and hence held that a man must become a 
 Jew before it would be possible for him to 
 become a Christian. After the manner ot 
 Moses— According to the custom of the Mosaic 
 law. [liitwYbT., After the ciisUym.] Yecannot 
 be saved— The point of the teachiiig wa.s not, 
 
Acts 15. 1-11. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 First Quarter, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 said, 'Except ye be circumcised ^ after 
 the manner of Mo'ses, ye cannot be 
 saved. 
 
 2 When therefore Paul and Bar'na- 
 bas had no small dissension and dispu- 
 tation with them, they determined that 
 ^ Paul and Bar'na-bas, and certain other 
 of them, should go up to Je-ru'sa-lem 
 unto the apostles and elders about this 
 question. 
 
 therefore, that it was expedient to be circum- 
 cised as a concession to the prejudices of others, 
 but that circumcision was essential to salvation. 
 It was this substitution of an external rite for 
 the spiritual life of faith in a personal Saviour 
 which rendered their teaching subversive of the 
 soul. — L. Abbott. It is to be observed that such 
 extreme views were then more plausible than 
 they now appear to us. The Jewish religion 
 was of divine origin ; circumcision was the 
 badge of the covenant; and hence it was not 
 easy for Jews to admit that its observance was 
 to be abolished, or at least to be regarded as 
 unessential. — Gloag. 
 
 From the very first the Church's doctrine was 
 assailed by her own people.— QuesjieJ. 
 
 The circumcision of the heart Is necessary ; but 
 that of the body is now become dead and de- 
 structive in Christ.— Hmftcnun. 
 
 It is common for proud Imposers to enforce 
 their own Inventions, under pain of damnation ; 
 and to tell people, unless they believe just as they 
 would have them believe, and do just as they 
 would have them do, they cannot be saved.— M. 
 Henry. 
 
 2. Paul and Barnabas — Who were then at 
 Antioch, having returned from their first mis- 
 Bionary journey. Dissension and disputa- 
 tion. [Eev. Ver., dissension and questioning.'] 
 — The former word, elsewhere rendered insur- 
 rection, sedition, and uproar, (Mark 15. 7 ; Luke 
 23. 19, 25 ; Acts 19. 40,) implies a vigorous 
 and determined resistance to the Judaizers by 
 Paul and Barnabas ; the latter word, literally 
 questioning, (as in Kev. Ver., 1 Tim. 1. 4; 
 6. 4,) implies debate ; the doctrine and the au- 
 thority of these Judaizers were probably both 
 questioned. In fact, they had no authority to 
 speak for the Church at Jerusalem. — L. Abbott. 
 They determined [Eev. Ver., The brethren 
 ajrpointeiL] — Luke, of course, tells the external 
 side of the event ; wliich was that Paul went by 
 desire of the Church of Antioch ; but Paul him- 
 self, omitting this as irrelevant to his purpose, 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 itig, Except ye be circumcised after 
 the custom of Moses, ye cannot be 
 
 And when Paul and Bar'na- 
 bas had no small dissension and ques- 
 tioning M'ith them, the brethren ap- 
 pointed tliat Paul and Bar'na-bas, and 
 certain other of them, should go up 
 to Je-ru'sa-lem unto the apostles and 
 elders about this question. They 
 
 or regarding it as an expression of the will of 
 heaven, tells his converts that he went up " by 
 revelation." Gal. 2. 2. — Farrar, I cannot see 
 it necessarily implied that the revelation was 
 made to himself, but that there was some inti- 
 mation of the Holy Ghost, similar, perhaps, to 
 that in chap. 13. 2, in accordance with which the 
 Church at Antioch sent him and Barnabas; 
 there being X)'>'ophets there, by whom the Spirit 
 spoke his will. — Alford. Certain other of 
 them — Titus was one, (Gal. 2. 1, 3,) and that, 
 in all probability, in order to give an example 
 of a Gentile convert of the uucircumcision en- 
 dowed with gifts of the Holy Spirit.— .4^orcJ. 
 Should go up to Jerusalem — Jerusalem was 
 the mother Church of Christianity : it was the 
 stated residence of the apostles, and, therefore, 
 was regarded with veneration by the other 
 Churches. — Gloag. The Church of Jerusalem 
 might out of respect be consulted, but it had no 
 claim to superiority, no abstract prerogative to 
 bind its decisions on the free Church of God. — 
 Fai-rar. Apostles and elders — The apostles 
 were governors of the whole Church. The eld- 
 ers were not merely local, but representatives of 
 that order in the Churches throughout Judea 
 and elsewhere. — W. Jacobson. About tMa 
 question — It may be imagined with what eager 
 interest the Gentile proselytes would await the 
 result of a controversy which was to decide 
 whether it was enough that they should bring 
 forth the fruits of the Spirit— love, joy, peace, 
 long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek- 
 ness, temperance — or whether they must also 
 stick up mezuzoth on their houses, and submit 
 to a concision, and abstain from the free pur- 
 chases of the market, and not touch perfectly 
 harmless kinds of food, and petrify one day of 
 every seven with a rigidity of small and con- 
 ventionalized observances. — Farrar. 
 
 It is better to choose strife and retain the truth, 
 
 than to choose peace and sacriflce the truth.— 
 
 SUirhe. 
 
Jan. 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Acts 15. 1-11 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 8 And M)ein<r brought on tlieir way 
 by the churcli, thoy passed through 
 Phe-nicc antl Sa-ma'ri-a, dt'chvring 'the 
 conversion of the Gentiles: and tliey 
 caused great joy unto all tlie brethren. 
 
 4 And wlien they were come to Je- 
 ru'sa-leni, tliey were received of the 
 church, and of the apostles and elders, 
 and they declared all things that God 
 bad done witl\ theui. 
 
 5 But there "rose up certain of the 
 sect of the Phar'i-sees which believed, 
 
 Heresies occasion true doctriue to be more dili- 
 gently discussed.— P. Maityr. 
 
 3. Being brought on their way— This 
 seems to Imve been soiuetliiiii^ of an otfieiul 
 escorting of tlieiii on the way, and, periiaps, 
 partiiijr from tliem with solemn commendation 
 to God. — Aljord. The Bvmpalliy of the Church 
 in Antioch was with them, not with the Judaiz- 
 ers. Acts 20. 38 ; 21. 5.— W. Jacobson. Through 
 Phenice [Kev. Ver., Pltanicia.] — The nar- 
 row strip of land between Mount Lebanon and 
 the sea, north of Palestine, having Tyre and 
 Sidon for m chief cities. And Samaria — They 
 traveled along the coast, as far southward as 
 Ptoleinais, (Acts 21. 7,) and then crossed the plain 
 of Esdraelon into Samaria, taking their course 
 among converts not nurtm-ed in Jewish prej- 
 udices. — W. Jacohsun. They mij^lit liave gone 
 to Joppa, and so have avoided the old Caniuinite 
 cities and the region of the hated Samaritans. 
 Tlie very journey was, therefore, an assertion of 
 the principles for which they were contending. 
 The facts imply tliat they found bretht-en, i. e., 
 established Christian societies, in both regions. 
 " Tyre and Sidon" had repented and believed, 
 though Chorazin and Bethsaida had hardened 
 tliemselves in unbelief. Luke 11. 13. The 
 " woman of Canaan," of Mark 7. 2f>, may, by this 
 time, have eaten, not of the " crumbs," but of 
 tiie "Bread" of life. Every thing points to 
 Philip as the probable evangelist of this region, 
 as well as of Samaria. — E. 11. Plmnptre. De- 
 claring the conversion of the Gentiles — 
 That they were not going to Jerusalem to learn 
 from the Church there whether Gentiles could 
 be converted without oircunici>i'pn is very evi- 
 dent. — L. Abbott. They caiised great joy— 
 Tlie ten.so implies continued action. Wherever 
 they went the tidings of the conversion of the 
 Gentiles were received by the disciples at large 
 with a gladness which presented tlie strongest 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 therefore, being brought on their way 
 by the church, passed through both 
 Plice-ni'cia and Sa-nia'ri-a, declaring 
 the conversion of the Gen'tiles: and 
 they caused great joy unto all the 
 
 4 brethren. And wiien they were come 
 to Je-ru'sa-lem, tlu-y were received of 
 tlie church and the apostles and the 
 elders, and they reiiearse<l all things 
 
 5 that God had done with them. But 
 there rose up certain of the sect of tiie 
 Phar'i-sees who believed, saying, It 
 
 possible contrast to the narrowness and bitter- 
 ness of the Pharisee section of the Church of 
 Jerusalem. — Piumptre. Unto all the brethren 
 — The Judaic faction had small influence in 
 these churciies. — L. Abbott. 
 
 O how beautiful should the feet be of them that 
 preacli the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings 
 of good things, even the joyful tidings of salva- 
 tion, to the ears of a lost world.— Bur/n7(. 
 
 4. "WTien they were come to Jerusalem — 
 This Wiis Paul's tliird visit since his conversion, 
 and about seventeen years after it. See, for 
 the earlier visits, Acts 9. 26 ; 11. 30. They 
 were received— They were publicly and hon- 
 orably received, as embiissadors of the congre- 
 gation in Antioch, by the congregation in Je- 
 i-usalem, as well as by the apostles and elders 
 in a solemn assembly, after having, as it is ob- 
 vious, previously informed some individuals of 
 the object of their mission. — Lechler. The 
 words imply a general gathering of the Church, 
 members of dift'urent synagogues coming to- 
 gether, with the ciders who jiresidod over them. 
 — riuynptre. They declared — This obviously 
 implied a narrative of considerable length, the 
 history of acts and suflferings, of signs and won- 
 ders, of the fruits of the Spirit as seen in the 
 purity and truth and love of the Gentile converts. 
 — Piumptre. During this interval before the 
 general meeting Paul held his private interview 
 with James, Peter, awl John, (Gal. 2. 2-9,) 
 wiiich, together with the public discussions, re- 
 sulted in settling Paul's equal apostleship. — D. 
 D. Whedon. God had done with them— 
 They made prominent in their recital the di- 
 vine leadings and the converting grace of God 
 among the Gentiles, tints showing that it waa 
 God's work, and not their own. 
 
 5. Pharisees w^hich believed — The Phari 
 sees were the stnctest adherents to the law of 
 Moses: they were the representatives of an 
 
 21 
 
Acts 15. 1-11. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 First Qua.rter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 saying, That it was needful to circum- 
 cise tliem, and to command them to keep 
 the law of Mo'ses. 
 
 6 And the apostles and elders came 
 together for to consider of this matter. 
 
 7 And when there had been much 
 disputing, Pe'ter rose up, and said unto 
 
 extreme Judaism. Paul himself had belonged 
 to this .sect, but he had cast off their narrow- 
 miiideduess. Although these Pharisees were, 
 like him, believers iu Jesus as the Christ, yet 
 they had not become liberal as he: tliey still 
 retained their e.xtreme Jewish notions; they 
 held fast the indispensable obligation of the 
 Mosaic law, and wished to make the Gentiles, 
 through the medium of Christianity, Jews. — 
 Gloag. It was needful to circumcise — The 
 assertion of the Christians who entertained 
 Pharisaic views, although essentially the same 
 as those made by the Judaizers in Autioch, 
 nevertheless difter in the following particulars : 
 (1) Those in Jerasalem demand the circumcision 
 of the Gentiles as a duty which must be author- 
 itatively prescribed to them, a duty which they 
 must be compelled to perform. Those in An- 
 tiocli had simply taught that the Gentile- 
 Christiaus ought to submit voluntarily to cir- 
 cumcision. (2) In Antioch the claims of the 
 Mosaic law were advocated only in so far as it 
 sanctioned their demand respecting circumcis- 
 ion, and required the observance of that rite as 
 a custom and usage ; but here in Jerusalem far 
 more was expected ; the demand was distinctly 
 made that the observance of the Mosaic law in 
 general should be imposed on Gentile Christians 
 as a duty. — Lechler. 
 
 How difflcult it is to cast away the Pharisaical 
 leaven, and to cling solely to the grace of God ! 
 But faith does not at once deliver us from errors 
 and infirmities ; long - continued exercise and 
 many struggles precede our deliverance.— 
 Starke. 
 
 God hath written a Law and a Gospel : the Law 
 to humble us, and the Gospel to comfort us ; the 
 Law to cast us down, and the Gospel to raise us 
 up ; the Law to convince us of our misery, and 
 the Gospel to convince us of his mercy ; the Law 
 to discover sin, and the Gospel to discover grace 
 and Christ.— J. Mason. 
 
 6. The apostles and elders— This was not 
 
 a representative council of the Churches of 
 Christendom, nor even of Palestine, but only 
 the officers and laity of the Chiu-ch at Jerusa- 
 lem, together with the apostles ; the latter, as 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 is needful to circumcise them, and to 
 cliarge them to keep the law of 
 Mo'ses. 
 
 6 And the apostles and the elders were 
 gathered together to consider of this 
 
 7 matter. And when there had been 
 much questioning, Pe'ter rose up, and 
 said unto them. 
 
 the immediate life companions of our Lord, 
 would have had great intlueuce irrespective of 
 any ecclesiastical authority which they may have 
 possessed. — L. Abbott. The whole body of the 
 Church were present at the deliberation, (v. 12,) 
 and concurred in the decision. — W. Jacobsoii. 
 To consider — The divine inspiration, by which 
 the apostles were guided when they spoke and 
 wrote, did not render their common consulta- 
 tions and their meditations on tlie divine word 
 superfluous. — Starlce. This matter — There 
 were two great questions : (1) Must the Gentiles 
 be circumcised '{ Answei'ed in the negative, 
 (v. 19.) (2) Were they bound to observe the 
 Ceremonial Law? They were not to give of- 
 fense, and to avoid sins of the flesh, (v. 20, 28, 
 29.) — W. Jacobson. Humanly speaking, the 
 future of the Church depended on the decision 
 of this question. If the Pliarisaic party had tri- 
 umphed, the Christian Church would have beea 
 buried in the grave of Judaism. — L. Abbott. 
 
 7. Much disputing [Rev. Ver., questioning.'] 
 — It was not an angry dispute, but a long dis- 
 cussion, during which the arguments on both 
 sides were carefully weighed. This procedure 
 was honorable to the apostles, and bears witness 
 alike to their gentleness, since they listened to 
 the opinions of infei-ior brethren ; and also to 
 their diligence and care, since they considered 
 divine truth not superficially, but maturely. — 
 Brandt. Tliere were, doubtless, four varieties 
 of opinion in the Church on this subject. (1) The 
 Pauline vie\v, that obedience to the Mosaic law 
 was not essential, yet it might be observed by 
 those Jews who preferred it, provided they did 
 not claim it as a necessary part of Christianity. 
 (2) The view of James, who kept the law him- 
 self, and probably counseled other Jews to keep 
 it, yet did not insist upon its obedience by Gen- 
 tiles who believed. (3) The ultra-Jewish view, 
 that circumcision and the Mosaic regulations 
 were essential to salvation. (4) The ultra-Gentile 
 view, not likely presented at this conference 
 discarding circumcision and the law as things en- 
 tirely passed away. Peter rose up — The posi- 
 tion of the apostle is one of authority, but not of 
 primacy. He does not preside, nor even pro~ 
 
Jan. 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Acts. 15. 1-11. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 them, Men and hrt'tlircn, ye know how 
 that a good while ago God made choice 
 among us, that the Gentiles by my 
 moutii should hear the word of the 
 Gospel, and believe. 
 
 8 And God, ' which knoweth the 
 hearts, bare them ^vitness, * giving them 
 tJie Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 
 
 9 And " put no difference between us 
 and tlicm, '"purifying their hearts by 
 faith. 
 
 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, 
 to "put a yoke upon the neck of the 
 disciples which neither our fathers nor 
 we were al)le to l)ear ? 
 
 'Ubron. «8. 9;-J9. 17; Jer. II. SO; 17.10; SO. IS; clmp. 1.24; 
 
 lUli. 4. 13 ; Rev. ». «;). "Chap. 10. 44. »Rnm. 10. II. 
 
 •"Chsp. 10. 43; 1 Cor. 1. 2; 1 Pet. 1. ii. «« Mtttl. 23. 4; 
 
 pose, 08 we nhould say, a definite canon or reso- 
 lution. His authority is that of a pei-sonal and 
 moral influeiKX-, but nothing more. — E. H. 
 Huinptre. On this occasion we liear him speak 
 for tlie last time in The Acts. "VVe see him ex- 
 tend the hand of brotherly love to Paul, and we 
 listen to their concurrent testimony respecting 
 the mystery of grace, the actual revelation of 
 which constitutes the theme of The Acts of tht 
 A]>ostles.—Bexser. And said— His speech was 
 in accordance with the practical, forthright, non- 
 argumentative turn of his mind. — Fairar. Ye 
 know, says Peter, not : Know ye ! He speaks, 
 not as a dictator, but as a brother ; he does not 
 proclaim his will authoritatively, neither does 
 he sjKjak ex cathedra; but, with his brethren, 
 presents himself before the throne of the sole 
 Lord of the Church. — &#.«/•. A good ■while 
 ago — Ten or fourteen years, according to dill'cr- 
 ent schemes of chronology ; a long time in pro- 
 )iortion to the entire interval since the day of 
 Pentecost. — Jacobson. The length of time elapsed 
 is placed i>y Peter in the strongest light, to .show 
 that the question had in fact been settled by di- 
 vine interference long since. — Al/urd. God 
 made choice. . .by my mouth — The preaching 
 of the Gospel, in coiL-^equenee of which those 
 pagans had become believers, was not exclu- 
 sively his own (Peter's) work, but had at that 
 lime been assigned to the whole Church. God 
 had chosen him merely on this special occasion. 
 — Lechler. 
 
 8. God, which knoweth the hearts — To 
 the Judeans a refusal to be circumcised was an 
 evidence of imperfect repentance and consecra- 
 tion, as with us a refusal to be baptized or to 
 make a public profession of faith. To this un- 
 
 Be vised Version. 
 
 Brethren, ye know how that *a 
 good while ago God made choice 
 among you, that by my mouth the 
 Gen 'tiles should hear the word of the 
 
 8 gospel, and believe. And God, which 
 knoweth tlie heart, bare them wit- 
 ness, giving them the Holy Ghost, 
 
 9 even as he did unto us; and he made 
 no distinction between us and them, 
 
 10 cleansing their hearts by faith. Now 
 therefore why tempt ye God, that ye 
 sliould i)ut a yoke upon the neck of 
 the disciples, wliich neither our 
 fathers nor we were able to bear ? 
 
 ' Gr. from tariff dayt. 
 
 expressed feeling Peter replies, The heart-know- 
 ing God (Jer. 17. 10) has borne witness to the 
 genuineness of their godly character by giving 
 to them the Holy Ghost. — L. Abbott. Giving 
 them the Holy Ghost — As first to Cornelius 
 and other Gentiles at Cesarea, (Acts 10,) and 
 afterward to the Gentile Church at Antioch. 
 
 9. Put no difference [Eev. N ax. ^ Made no 
 difttiiictioii.] — Rather, recognized no ditierence • 
 did not discriminate between them and us, hav- 
 ing broken down by Christ the middle wall of 
 partition between Jew and Gentile. See Eph. 
 2. 14.— Z. Abbott. Purifying their hearts— 
 The real uucleanness of the Gentiles wa.- not in 
 the body, as the Jews thought, but in the heart ; 
 and for that, faith, not circumcision, Wiis the 
 true remedy. — Jacobsmi. By faith — As ex- 
 plained by Peter himself, in 1 Pet. 1. 22, that 
 faith which obeys the truth through tlie spirit 
 luito unfeigned love. The essential truth under- 
 lying Peter's argument, and equally applicable 
 to modern times, is, that he whose heart has 
 been purified by the Spirit of God, and who 
 gives evidence thereof by the fruits of the Spirit, 
 as portrayed in Gal. 5. 22, 23, is a child of God, 
 however he may fall short of the ecclesiastical 
 requirements of the Church.— Z. Abbott. 
 
 10. "Why tempt ye God— By in.sistingon cir- 
 cumcision as an e.s.sential prerequisite for salva- 
 tion, they tempted God ; because they opposed his 
 intentions, shown by the bestowal of the Holy 
 Ghost, of receiving the Gentiles without circum- 
 cision into the ChxxTch.— Gloag. To put a 
 yoke — The law of ceremonies imposed upon the 
 Jews might well be called a yoke, if we con- 
 sider: (1) Their number and variety: tliere 
 w ere a multitude of legal observations. (2) Their 
 
 23 
 
Acts 15. 1-11. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 First Quabtkb. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 11 But '^ we believe that through the 
 grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall 
 be saved, even as they. 
 
 burden and difficulty : the ceremonial law was a 
 most laborious administration of a very painful 
 service. (3) They were very costly and charge- 
 able : so many bullocks, rams, and lambs for 
 sacrifice, that the misers of this age would think 
 themselves undone with the expense. (4) Their 
 insutficiency : they were only shadows of good 
 things to come, and could not naake the observers 
 of them perfect. — Burkitt. Ovir fathers — Not 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom the seal of 
 the Covenant was no burden, (Eom. 4. 9-12,) 
 but the Israelites under Moses, and afterward. 
 TSoT we — A most remarkable appeal to the con- 
 sciences of the Jews, especially as coming from 
 the apostle of the circumcision. — Jacobson. 
 
 When oxen have long borne the yoke, and 
 dragged heavy weights, all that they earn by their 
 work, beyond their daily food, is to be struck on 
 the head and be butchered ; such is the experience 
 of those who hope to be justified by the law- 
 They are taken captive and burdened with a 
 heavy yoke, and then, after they have long and 
 painfully labored to do the works of the law, all 
 that they finally earn is, to remain eternally poor 
 and wretched servants.— ij!(</u'r. 
 
 The Jewish ordinances were nothing else than 
 the open exposure of man's misery.— Beza. 
 
 11. But we believe — But ihrougJi the grace 
 of the Lord Jesux vse trtist to be saved, in which 
 way they also. This is the literal rendering of 
 verse 11, which consummates the apostle's argu- 
 ment ; the Jewish Cliristians are saved, not 
 through circumcision, but througli the grace of 
 Jesus Christ ; and that which does not bring sal- 
 vation to the Jew cannot to the Gentile. — 
 L. Abbott. Grace . . . saved— Peter here goes 
 the full length of tlie Pauline doctrine — salvation 
 by grace of Christ to Jew and Gentile alike. — 
 I). D. Whedon. If I have read arighUthis nar- 
 rative, it throws small light on methods of ecclesi- 
 astical procedure in New Testament times; it 
 gives no authority for Church councils, as a di- 
 vinely apppiuted method of settling questions in 
 Church government or administration ; but it 
 attests the trutli, which even the Church of Christ 
 has not yet learned, that religion consists wholly 
 in heart-life and its issues, not at all in any rite or 
 ceremony, however sacred in origin or hallowed 
 by usage ; it points out the method of preventing 
 ecclesiastical contentions and quarrels, and it 
 indicates the difference between principle and 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 11 But we believe that we shall be saved 
 through the grace of the Lord Je'sus, 
 in like manner as they. 
 
 policy — the former to be held with inflexible 
 tenacity ; the latter to be readily yielded m ac- 
 commodation to even unreasonable prejudices? 
 (comp. ver. 20, 21, with Gal. 2. 5.)— Z. Abbott. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Good commentaries on the Book of Acts for the 
 teacher's use are those of Lyman Abbott, Paton 
 J. Gloag, Dean Alford, (The New Testament for 
 English Headers,) The Bible Commentary, gen- 
 erally known as the Speaker's Connnentary, Dr. 
 D. D. Whedon, E. li. Plumptre, (The Handy 
 Commentary,) Albert Barnes, and A mot's The 
 Chui-ch in the House. The life of tlie Apostle 
 Paul will be of great value in all these lessons, 
 and should be studied. The leading works are 
 those of Canon Farrar, Conybeare and Howson, 
 and Lewin. We consider Earrar's as the best. 
 On this period, Schaff's History of the Apostolic 
 Church, Fisher's Begimiings of Christianity, 
 Neander's Planting of the Church, and Farrar'a 
 Early Days of Christianity, are also valuable. 
 (Jn this lesson, sermons by J. Edmondson, and 
 Dr.Emmons. Foster'sCyclopedia of Illustrations, 
 [numbers marked by a star refer to the poetical 
 volumes ; all others to the prose,] ver. 1 : 7017 ; 
 2: *3151; 3: 8942; 5: 8819; 7: *3456; 10: 
 T018. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [salvation.] 
 
 1. In every age men have vainly rested their 
 salvation upon ordinances and outward forms. 
 Ver. 1. 
 
 2. Salvation is for all men, Jew and Gentile. 
 
 3. The news of salvation brings joy to all 
 hearts in fellowship with God. Vers. 3. 
 
 4. Salvation through Christ emancipates from 
 bondage to the law of ordinances. Ver. 5. 
 
 5. Salvation is proffered to all mankind upon 
 the same terms of faith. Ver. 7. 
 
 6. Salvation has its inward witness in the 
 testimony of the Holy Spirit to the heart. 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 7. Salvation has its result in purity of heart 
 and life. Ver. 10. 
 
 8. Salvation is through the grace of the Lord, 
 and not by human righteousness. Ver. 11. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 After God has given a great blessing to men as 
 
 a right, it is almost always necessary to wrest it as 
 
Jax. 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Acts 15. 1-11. 
 
 a prii'ihiie tmin thos«> who have the power. So 
 alaves have praiiied fi-eedom ; so the lomiium people 
 have obtained llie privileges of holding property, 
 g}iiniiiK education, rt^tulnltiK olllee, and easting' the 
 ballot. The Jewish Church assumed that circum- 
 cision was the only key to the kingdom of (iod. 
 Peter Is here lighting our battle, and I'aul afterward 
 won and wn^sted from the unwilling hands of the 
 "conservatives" the right of every Gentile Chris- 
 tian to be considered a child of (iod. 
 
 I. Salvation thmui/li /or/iix.— In the beginning 
 God eoMindtted his revealetl religion to a single na- 
 tion. This made the accident of birth and the rite 
 of circumcision of the greatest Importance. Grad- 
 ually the Jew came to think that these privileges 
 were his righUs, and that he held every key to the 
 favor of Ciod, and that there was a saving power In 
 these religious forms. In some such way men look 
 at the rite of infant baptism, or attendance on 
 Church .services. lUit the new wine of the kingdom 
 burst the old .skins. The Jew thought religion was 
 In danger when It was only his e.xduslve privileges 
 and the old forms that were passing away. 
 
 II. aalcaikm tltiuinjli y/tict.— It was no more a 
 
 question of race or age or sex, but simply a ques- 
 tion of faith In the Lord Jesus Christ, that wa.s to 
 dett'rnUne salvation. It came as the free gift of 
 God to lost men, " without money or price." No 
 man could merit It any more than did the Jew, but 
 every man might now accept It. The ransom price 
 had been paid, each one might go free. We are 
 saved, not because we deserve It, but because Christ 
 died. 
 
 III. Salvation as an experience.— But It Is not 
 now conflued to a question of interpreting the 
 Scriptures. While the old Jewswere studying the tra- 
 ditions, the Spirt of God was at work converting and 
 saving the heathen. The new convert could put 
 his e.xperience against the questions of every Jew- 
 ish priest In the land. He knew he was saved, even 
 as James or John, and had the witness and fruits of 
 the Spirit. 
 
 IV. Attplicatinii.— let no one build their hopeof 
 heaven on their privileges or their Church member- 
 ship. Both of these are good, but an experience is 
 better. And it Is because you have the experience 
 of being saved that you ought to become at once a 
 member of Christ's Church. 
 
 A. D. 50 J 
 
 LESSON n. 
 
 TIearin'G and Dolng. — James 1. 16-27. 
 
 CJan. 13. 
 
 GOLDEX TEXT.— Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.— James 1. 22. 
 
 TIME.— A. n. ."lO. stxin after the events of the last lesson. For rulers, etc., see Lesson I. Some com- 
 mentators give the time as eleven years later. 
 
 Place.— This epistle was written from Jerusalem by James, the Lord's brother, to the Jewish disciples 
 of Christ throughout the Roman Empire. 
 
 iNTRODiCTio.v.— This epistle Wiis designed, (1) To correct errors Into which the Jewish Christians had 
 fallen, espe<-lally relating to justiflcation by faith. (2) To animate their hope and strengthen their faith, 
 •n view of alllictlons felt and feared. (-3) To excite the unbelieving Jews to repentance toward (iod and 
 faith In the rejected Messlidi. In it the name of our blessed Lord occurs but twice, but %vith great rev- 
 erence, as the Divine Master (chap. 1. 1) and "tlie Lord of glory," (chap. 2. 1.) The epistle strongly re- 
 wmbles the preaching of John the Baptist and the Sermon on the Moimt. The main stress is laid on 
 works rather than faith. It enforces an eminently practical Christianity, which manifests itself in good 
 fruits.— Sc/utiT. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 16 Do not err, my l)el<ived brethren. 
 
 17 Every good gift and every perfect 
 
 16. Do not err [Rev. Ver., Be not deceived.] 
 — Tlie succeeding verse shows that the error 
 against whicii James is endeavoring to guard the 
 disciples is the view tluit God is tlic autiior of 
 sin, and that the evils of tlie world arc to he 
 traced to luiu. Tliere wa.s groat danger that tiiey 
 would enihraoe that opinion, for e.xperience hits 
 shown that it is a danger into which men are 
 always prone to fall. To meet the danger, he 
 •ays that, so far is it from behig true that God 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 10 Be not deceived, my beloved breth- 
 17 ren. Every good 'gift and every 
 
 ' Or, jiv 
 
 is the source of evil, he is in fact the author of 
 all that is good : every ffood gift and every per- 
 fect gift (ver. 17) is from him. Ver. IS.— Barnes. 
 The best mode of opposing error is seldom 
 directly to advert to it, but calmly and attractively 
 to exhibit the opposite right and truth : for truth 
 wins its own way. It affects, it warms. It Invig- 
 orates, It controls, by Its own proix-r and peculiar 
 energy.— /ip. Jehl). 
 
 17. Every good gift . . . from above fKev. 
 
James 1. 16-27. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 gift is from above, aud cometh down 
 from the Fa'ther of lights, with ' wliom 
 is no variableness, neither shadow of 
 turning. 
 
 18 Of "his own will begat he us with 
 the word of truth, that we should be a 
 kind of first-fruits ^ of his creatures. 
 
 Ver., Evei'y good gift and every perfect boon,^^ — 
 All good things flow from the upper spring. 
 There are lower channels or conveyances, such 
 as the written word, sacraments, prayer, medi- 
 tation. And then for ordinary blessings there 
 is your prudence and industry aud care; but 
 your freshest spriugs are in God, and in all 
 th'mgs we may, and we must be, thankful, but 
 look up.— T. Manton. Father of lights— The 
 word Father here is used in a sense which is 
 common in Hebrew as denoting that which is 
 the source of any thing, or that from which any 
 thing proceeds. Of lights— It seems now gen- 
 erally agreed that by the lights here is meant the 
 heavenly bodifs, aud by Father the ci'eator, orig- 
 inator, as in Job 38. 28 : " Who is the father of 
 the rain?'''' Being this, being the Father of 
 tliose glorious fountains of light, and thus puier 
 and clearer than they all, it caunot be that he 
 should tempt to evil. — Alf'ord. No variable- 
 ness [Eev. Ver., With whom can he no vavia- 
 tion.\—TciQ: design here is clearly to contrast God 
 with the sun in a certain respect. As the source 
 of light there is a strong resemblance. But in 
 the smi there are certain changes. It does not 
 shine on all parts of the earth at the same time, 
 nor in the same manner all the year. It rises 
 and sets ; it crosses the line aud seems to go far 
 to the south, and sends its rays obliquely on the 
 earth ; then it ascends to the north, i-ecrosses 
 the line, and sends its rays obliquely on southern 
 regions. By its revolutions it produces the 
 changes of the seasons, and makes a constant 
 variety on the earth in the productions of differ- 
 ent climes. In this respect God is not, indeed, 
 like the sun. With him there is no variable- 
 ness, not even the appearance of turning. He 
 is always the same at all seasons of the year aud 
 in all ages ; there is no change in his character, 
 his mode of being, his purposes aud j^lans. — 
 Barnes. Nor shadow [Eev. Ver. , Neither shad- 
 ow that is cast hy ti(.rning J\—\\q has no change, 
 no, not even the shadow of a change. — Whedon. 
 God is most free of his best blessings. He af- 
 fords salvation in common to all his people. He 
 gives honor and riches but to few of them: he 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 perfect boon is from above, coming 
 down from tlie Father of lights, with 
 whom can be no variation, neither 
 18 shadow tliat is cast by turning. Of 
 his own will he brought us forth by 
 the word of truth, that we should be 
 a kind of lirstfruits of his creatures. 
 
 gives Christ and heaven to them all. God some- 
 times denies a crumb even to him on whom he 
 bestows a kingdom. There are many things that 
 a child of God cannot promise to himself, but 
 heaven he may reckon upon.— Jejifcyn. 
 
 18. Of his own wUl — The object of the 
 statement here seems to be to direct the mind up 
 to God as the som-ce of good and not evil; and 
 among the most eminent illustrations of his 
 goodness is this, that by his mere will, without 
 any external power to control him, and where 
 there could be nothing but benevolence, he has 
 adopted us into his family, and given us a most 
 exalted condition, as renovated beings, among 
 his creatures. — Barnes. Begat he us [Rev. 
 Ver., brought us forth] — The change which God 
 produces in men's dispositions and actions, by 
 the truths of the Gospel impressed on their 
 minds, is so great that it may be called a beget- 
 thiq or creat'mg them anew. — Mactnight. "Word 
 of truth — The preached Gospel was the external 
 instrument by which he regenerated us. — Whe- 
 don. By this he convinces of sin ; by this he 
 reveals Christ as a suitable and all-sufficient 
 Saviour ; and having thus caused the souls whom 
 he has touched to discover their own need, and 
 Christ's fullness, he enables them by the gift of 
 precious faith, called " the faith of God's elect," 
 to embrace God's record of his Son ; to appro- 
 priate him and his work as an atonement for 
 their sins, a righteousness for their persons, a 
 sufficient title to the inheritance of eternal life. 
 F. Goode. First fruits — The first gatherings of 
 the harvest were by the Hebrews gratefully con- 
 secrated to God. Hence the word first-fruits 
 symbolically indicates pre-eminent excellence 
 aud divine consecration. We are regenerated 
 by divine unchanging will through the promul- 
 gated word, that among the creatures of God we 
 may be the consecrated and truly first in rank 
 and value.— Whedon. It is to be remembered 
 that James is writing to Jewish Christians. He 
 reminds them that in the harvest of souls they 
 are the first-fruits, for the Gospel came " to the 
 Jew first;" and that though the number of 
 Jews who accepted Christ seemed small, yet 
 
Jan. 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 James 1. 16-27. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 19 ■VVheret'ore, my beloved brethren, 
 let every man be swift to hear, slow to 
 speiik, slow to wriith : 
 
 20 For tlie wrath of mau worketh not 
 the rii,'liti'i)usiics3 of God. 
 
 21 Wlicicfore lay apart all filthiness 
 and sui)eilluity of naughtiness, and re- 
 ceive wiih meekness the ingrafted word, 
 ' which is able to save your soids. 
 
 they wore the first sheaf in the great harvest of 
 tlie worlil's salvation. 
 
 19. "WTierefore, my beloved brethren f Rov. 
 Ver., I'e know t/iig\ — To understanil the em- 
 phasis laid by James in the rest of this chapter 
 on moderation of langiiage and candid listening, 
 we must conceive something of a picture of dis- 
 cussions in the Hyna<jogues in which replies of 
 cavilers could interrupt the Christian preacher. 
 1 Cor. 14. 27-33. The epistle, in its address, 
 comprehends not only Christian Jews, but all 
 Jews inohned to read and listen, and hence the 
 import«mce of impressing the whole with the 
 necessity of decency, candor, and readiness in a 
 spirit of meekness to receive the word of the Gos- 
 pel. Inquirers must calmly listen, they must 
 learn in order to practice ; but especially must 
 they bridle the tongue, or else the pretenses and 
 attempts at religion are futile. — Whedon. Swift 
 to hear— The importance and brief opportunity 
 of the truth demand quick and earnest listening. 
 It is too valuable to be slighted, and to-morrow 
 may be too late. Slow to speak— Our appro- 
 priate condition is rather that of har iters than 
 indructors ; and the attitude of mind which we 
 should cultivate is tiiat of a readiness to receive 
 information from any quarter. Slow to wrath 
 — We should lay aside all anger and wrath, and 
 should come to the investigation of truth with a 
 calm mind and an imperturbed spirit. A state 
 of wrath or anger is always unfavorable to the 
 investigation of truth. Such an investigation 
 demands a calm spirit, and he whose mind is 
 excited or enraged is not in a condition to see 
 the value of truth, or to weigh the evidence for 
 it. — Barnes. Tittmann tliinks not so much 
 "wrath" is meant as an indignant feeling of 
 fretfulnesa under the calamities to whicli the 
 whole of the human life ise.xjwsed; this accords 
 with the " divers temptations " in verse 2. Has- 
 tiness of temper hinders hearing God's word : 
 80 Nuaman, 2 Kings 5. 11 ; Luke 4. 28. 
 
 20. The wrath of man— Be not intemper- 
 atcly zealous, hastily rash to speak and to 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 19 'Ye know this, my beloved breth- 
 ren. But let every man be swift to 
 hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 
 
 20 for the wratli of man worketh not 
 
 21 the riuliteousncss of tJod. Where- 
 fore putting away all lilthincss and 
 overflowing of 'wickedness, receive 
 with meekness tlie Mmplanted word, 
 wdiich is able to save vour souls. 
 
 » Or, i'now ft.- 
 
 angered, even in God's behalf, (tor this is im- 
 plied ;) be humble, ready to listen ; for your an- 
 gry zeal, your quick speaking, work not God's 
 righteous purposes, serve not him, arc not car- 
 riers forward of that righteousness which is the 
 characteristic of his kingdom. Clui]>. 3. 18.— 
 A ford. "Worketh not the righteousness — 
 A man is never sure of doing rigiit under the 
 influence of excited feelings; ho maij do that 
 which is in the highest sense wrong, and which 
 he will regret all his life. The particular mean- 
 ing of this passage is, that wrath in the mind of 
 man will not have any tendency to make him 
 righteous. — Barnes. 
 
 21. Lay apart [Rev. Ver., putting awai/] all 
 filthiness— It is very possible that the agricult- 
 ural similitude in the word implanted [Rev. 
 Ver.] may have influenced the choice of both 
 these words, Jilth ine.f.t and snperabuiidance. The 
 ground must be ridded of all that pollutes and 
 chokes it before the seed can sink in and come 
 to maturity. — Alford. Sin may be contem- 
 plated as a wrong thing ; as a violation of law ; 
 as evil in its nature and tendency, and therefore 
 to be avoided ; or it may be contemplated as 
 dixgiiding, offensive, loathsome. To a pure mind 
 this is one of its most odious characteristics ; for 
 to such a mind sin in any form is more loath- 
 some than the most oflensive object can be to 
 any of the senses.— ^H-ne*. Superfluity of 
 naughtiness [Hev. Ver., ovti-flowing of wicked- 
 ;/«->.■.<.]— He had just spoken of sin, in one aspect, 
 asflthy, loathsome, detestable ; here he designs to 
 express his abhorrence of it by a still more em- 
 phatic description, and he speaks of it not mere- 
 ly as an evil, but as an evil abounding, ovcr- 
 fowiny; an evil in the highest degree. The 
 thing referred to had the essence of evil in it ; 
 but it was not merely evil, it was evil that was 
 aggravated, that was overflowing, that was emi- 
 nent in degree. Receive with meekness— lie 
 compares the word to a idant of excellent vir- 
 tue, the very tree of life, the word that is able 
 to save yoiu* souls. But the only soU wherein 
 27 
 
James 1. 16-27. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 22 But be ye doers of the word, and 
 not hearers only, deceiving your own 
 selves. 
 
 23 For *if any be a hearer of the word, 
 and not a doer, he is like unto a man 
 beholding his natural face in a glass : 
 
 24 For he beholdeth himself, and 
 goeth his way, and straightway for- 
 getteth what manner of man he was. 
 
 25 But " whoso looketh into the per- 
 
 il will grow is a heart full of meekness, a heart, 
 that is purged of those luxuriant weeds that 
 grow so rank in it Ijy nature ; they must 
 plucked up and thrown out to make place for 
 this word. — Leighton. The engrafted word 
 [Eev. Ver., the implanted u-ovd.] — The allusion 
 is apparently to the parable of the sower, and it 
 is the word implanted, [equivalent to which has 
 been soww,] the word whose attribute and virtue 
 is to be irnpLanted, and which is implanted, 
 awaiting your reception of it to spring up and 
 take up your being into it and make you new 
 plants. — Alford. Able to save your sotds — 
 It is the soul which carries the personality of the 
 man : which is between the sinrit drawing it 
 upward, and the flesh drawing it downward, 
 and is saved or lost, passes into life or death, 
 according to the choice between these two. — 
 Alford. 
 
 22. But be ye doers of the word— (Viz., 
 of the implanted word, the word of truth.) 
 Observe, not only " do," but be doers : the sub- 
 stantive means more than the verb ; it carries 
 an enduring, a sort of official, force with it : 
 " let this be your occupation." — Alford. Not 
 hearers only, deceiving [Eev. Ver., deluding] 
 your own selves — We imagine we are quite 
 good, while in fact we are unsaved. Going to 
 church, reading the Bible, and yet neglecting a 
 holy life, is a delusive co\irsQ.— Whedon. Do 
 not then deceive yourselves on the ground of 
 your having come eagerly to hear the word, if 
 you do not perform what you inadequately hear. 
 — Augustine. 
 
 23. Beholding his natural face — Literally, 
 the face of his birth ; the face he was born with, 
 and which he had been in the habit of seeing all 
 his life ; and so the stranger that he should for- 
 get it the moment he ceases looking at it.— 
 
 Whedon. In a glass [Rev. Ver., in a mirror] 
 —The word glass here means mirror. Glass 
 was not conmionly used for mirrors among the 
 ancients, but they were made of polished plates 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 23 But be ye doers of the word, and 
 not hearers only, deluding your own 
 
 23 selves. For if any one is a hearer of 
 the word, and not a doer, he is like 
 unto a man beholding *his natural 
 
 24 face in a mirror: for he beholdeth 
 himself, and goeth away, and straight- 
 way forgetteth what manner of man 
 
 25 he was. But he that looketh into 
 
 i Gt. the face 0/ his birth. 
 
 of metal. When we hear the word of God it is 
 like a mirror held up before us. In the perfect 
 precepts of the law, and the perfect require- 
 ments of the Gospel, we see our own shortcom- 
 
 Anclent Mirror. 
 
 ings and defects, and perhaps think that we will 
 correct them. But we turn away immediately, 
 and forget it all. — Barnes. 
 
 24. Straightway forgetteth — A curious 
 and inexplicable fact, that, however clearly we 
 behold ourself in the glass, we retain no dis- 
 tinct impression of our own lace. If walking 
 down the street, he could meet himself, he would 
 not, by the countenance, recognize himself. So 
 the man who beholds his own spiritual charac- 
 ter and moral destiny in the word, as in a glass, 
 may pass away and retain no true impression. — 
 Whedon. 
 
 25. But whoso looketh into— The man is 
 not now standing and transiently lookmg into 
 
 mirror; he is bending down and poring 
 
Jan. 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Jamks 1. 10-27. 
 
 Authorized Vci-sion. 
 
 feet Iftw of lilKTty, and coiitinueth there- 
 in, he heiiij^ not u for<ietful heiirer, but 
 11 doer of tl>e work, this ^ man shall be 
 blessed in his "deed. 
 
 26 If any man among you seem to be 
 religious, and bridletli not liis tongue, 
 l)Ut deceiveth his own heart, this man's 
 religion is vain. 
 
 27 Pure relision and undetiled before 
 
 steadily, as it were, into a book, just as the 
 cherubim stooped down ou the ink to look at 
 tlie deottlojrui'.— ir/itt/oH. The perfect law— 
 Not tlie Gospel as contrasted with the law, nor 
 the covenant of faith as more ixirtcct than that 
 of lejral obedience ; but the rule of life as re- 
 vealed in the Gospel, whicli is pcrfiet and per- 
 feeting. — Alfard. The perfect law of liberty 
 PRev. Ver., TJiepo-ftd law,tkclutv ofUbtttij.]— 
 Thftt law which, wheu studied in its own spirit 
 and with gracious aids, is obeyed with such glad 
 spontaneity that the most perfect obedience is 
 the most perfect liberty. Continueth — To 
 look and meditate therein, iusteatl of strahjlilivuij 
 goiug his way. The holy volume stii-s iiis lieart 
 and attracts his intense study. Not a forget- 
 ful hearer [Rev. Ver., not a hearer t/iai for- 
 yetteth.] — For what .so stirs, fascinates, and fixes 
 him, writes itself indelibly on his memory. — 
 Whedon. Blessed in his deed [Rev. Ver., in 
 his doiitij.] — The words imply that even in the 
 act there is blessing : the life of obedience is 
 the element wherein the blessedness is found 
 and consists. — Alford. It will produce peace of 
 conscience ; it will impart happiness of a high 
 order to his mind ; it will exert a good influence 
 over his whole soul. Psa. 19. 11 : " In keeping 
 of them there is great reward." 
 
 The Gospel Is called the law of liberty, (1) Be- 
 cause It delivers men from tlie slavery of their 
 hearts, and restores the dominion of reason and 
 conscience in their minds, which is true liberty. 
 (2) Because it hath freed the Jews from the law 
 of Moses, which was a yoke of bondage they were 
 not able to bear. (3) Because It delivers all true 
 believers from the punishment of sin. (4) Be- 
 cause it assures us that in the eye of God all 
 men are on a level, and equally entitled to the 
 privileKesof the Gospel. (5) Because it forbids the 
 acceptance of persons In judgment. Chap. 2. 12.— 
 Mackni{iM. 
 
 Religious truth cannot be of the intellect only. 
 It must, if it be held vitally, show Itself in life.— 
 B. F. Wcxtcott. 
 
 26. Seem to be— Rev. Ver. has thinhth him- 
 itl/ to be, which is better, and expresses the em- 
 
 Bo vised Version, 
 the perfect law, the law of lilterty, 
 and «o conlinueth, l)eing not a liearer 
 that forgettetii, i)ut a doer that work- 
 eth, this man sliall l)e blessed in iiis 
 
 26 doing. If any man "thinketli him- 
 self to be religious, while he l)ridleth 
 not iiis tongue Ijut deceiveth his 
 heart, this man's religion is vain. 
 
 27 Pure religion ami undetiled before 
 
 j)ha.sis on '" deceiveth Ids heart." Keligious — 
 Rather, as the Greek signifies, ii'orKhipful ; strict 
 and regular in formal woi-ship, a due perlbrmer 
 of synagogue service. The word emphasizes the 
 external rite without excluding the internal devo- 
 tion. Eitualism., in a good sense, nearly ex- 
 presses it. — Whedon. Bridleth not his tongue 
 — As a steed which uuist be checked with bit 
 and bridle. Religion in the heart, if it be true 
 and complete, will control every passion within 
 and every action without. Deceiveth his own 
 heart — By making himself believe that he is re- 
 ligious wlien he is only ritualistic. — \yhedon. 
 That man's religion is vain— The idea of the 
 writer is that all merely outward ritualism and 
 religious service Ls useless. It does not mean 
 that the utterance of a passionate word proves 
 that the one who uttered it has no true religion. 
 For the word here translated "religion" means 
 only its outward forms. A man's church attend- 
 ance and religious forms are vain unless they 
 influence his life. 
 
 27. Pvire religion— Wo must keep in mind 
 just what James means in the word translated re- 
 ligion ; not religion in its essence in the heart, 
 nor faitli in Christ ; but its outward acts. Per- 
 haps the word " worshipfulness " would express 
 Ids idea. That worshipful habit alone is pure 
 and undefiled in God's sight which has its proper 
 eft'ect upon the character and the conduct. If 
 it fails to make the worshiper holy and helpful, 
 it is vain ; if it results- in deeds of charity and a 
 life of purity, it is genuine and acceptable to 
 God. Not that deeds of philanthropy or a blame- 
 less character have saving power in themselves, 
 but that these are an index of the heart within. 
 And undefiled — Rosenmidler supposes that 
 there is a metaplior here taken from pearls or 
 gems, which should be pure, or witliout stain. 
 Pure is that love which lias in it no foreign, ad- 
 mixture^ as self-deceit and hypocrisy. Undefiled 
 is the means of its hcmgpure. — Tittmann. Be- 
 fore God — Not in the eyes of men, but in the 
 sight of God, who tries all hearts. Is this— Or 
 results in tills. If a man is truly benevolent, he 
 
James 1. 16-27. 
 
 LESSON ir. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 God and the Father is this, To visit 
 tiie fatherless and widows in their af- 
 fliction, * and to keep himself unspotted 
 from the world. 
 
 aisa. 1. 16; 1 Tin 
 
 > Rom. 12. 2. 
 
 bears the image of that God who is the fountain 
 of benevolence ; if he is pure and uncontanii- 
 nated in his walk and deportment, he also resem- 
 bles his Maker, for he is holy. — Barnes. To 
 visit the fatherless— Orphans and widows in 
 the East are in a peculiarly helpless and pitiful 
 condition. They are named as general types of 
 all who need assistance : and a reference to serv- 
 ice in their behalf includes all acts of benevo- 
 lence. Unspotted from the world. — Not 
 merely earthly things as far as they tempt to 
 sin ; still less the natural evil disposition of 
 men ; but, as in chap. 4. 4, theiohole earthly crea- 
 tion, separated from God, and lying in sin, 
 which, whether considered as consisting in the 
 men who serve it, or the enticements which it 
 holds out to evil lusts, is to Christians a source 
 of continual defilement. They, by their new 
 birth under God, are taken out of the world ; 
 but at the same time, by sin still dwelling in 
 them, are ever liable to be enticed and polluted 
 by it ; and therefore must keep themselves (iTim. 
 6. 14) for fear of such pollution. — Alford. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See Farrar's Early Days of Christianity, book 
 iv, chaps. xix-.xxiii. Schaflf s Apostolic Church, 
 pp. 377, 382. Sermons, by S. L. Pomroy in 
 National Preacher on The Unchangeable God ; 
 H. Blair, The Unchangeableness of the Divine 
 Nature ; H. Binney, Eegeneration and Renew- 
 al ; R. Hall, The Cause, Agent, and Purpose 
 of Regeneration ; A. D. Smith, Half-Day Hear- 
 ers, (National Preacher;) J. Howe, Hearing 
 and Obeying the Word ; C. G. Finney. Self- 
 Deceivers ; H. E. Manning, Danger of Mis- 
 taking Knowledge for Obedience ; J. Summer- 
 field, Pure Religion ; T. Guthrie, Doing Good 
 and Being Good. Preacher's Lantern, iv, 379 ; 
 iii, 185. Pulpit Analyst, ii, 31. Foster's Cy- 
 clopedia, [numbers marked witli a star refer to 
 poetical volumes,] ver. 16 : *1113, 8997 ; 17 : 2484, 
 9008; 18:4123; 19: 3317,5628; 22: 2813, 2818; 
 23, 24: 2812 ; 24 : 9361 ; 26 : 5739, 12014 ; 27 : 4276. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the doer of the word.] 
 
 1. The doer of the word has for his supreme 
 
 motive gratitude to God for his mercies. Ver, 17. 
 
 30 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 our God and Fatlier is this, to visit 
 the fatherless and widows in their 
 affliction, and to keep himself un- 
 spotted from the world. 
 
 2. The doer of the word regards himself as the 
 first-fruits of creation, converted to God. Ver. 18. 
 
 3. The doer of the word strives to hold his 
 impulses and utterances mider the control of 
 wisdom. Ver. 19. 
 
 4. The doer of the word aims for a righteous- 
 ness according to God's will. Ver. 20. 
 
 5. The doer of the word separates himself 
 from all that would hinder the growth of the 
 word in his heart. Ver. 21. 
 
 6. The doer of the word recognizes his own 
 needs, and ever keeps his true condition in 
 mind. Vers. 23, 25. 
 
 7. The doer of the word contemplates God's 
 law as the soul's highest liberty. Ver. 25. 
 
 8. The doer of the word aims both to be 
 good and to do good. Ver. 27. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. JESSE BOWMAN YOUNG, A.M. 
 
 Among the lessons of this passage there is one 
 which echoes In startling and alarming words 
 throughout the paragraph, as indeed also through- 
 out the Scriptures, the truth that sin is deceitful 
 and treacherous, that men are in constant danger 
 from its delusions and .snares. " Be not deceived," 
 is the first word of admonition spoken here in set- 
 ting forth the deceitfulness of sin. This is fol- 
 lowed by the caution which urges men to be doers 
 of the word, not hearers only, deluding their own 
 selves. Further, we are told of the man who bri- 
 dleth not his tongue, that he deceiveth his own 
 heart. Thus the apostle, discerning the real char- 
 acter of evil, peering with keen insight into its 
 disguises, unmasking its hypocrisies, warns men 
 against self-deception, and cries out : " Beware of 
 sin. Take heed lest ye be blinded by its delusions, 
 led astray by its allurements, hardened by its de- 
 ceitfulness." 
 
 It is hardly needful to suggest that this truth is 
 brought to view constantly in the Bible. In the 
 pictures which it gives of the workings, the ruin- 
 ous operations of sin, in the voice of the awakened 
 sinner heard crying out, "Sin deceived me, be- 
 guiled me, slew me ; " in the exhortations and ap- 
 peals of prophet and apostle ; in the lying promises 
 made by the tempter in Eden—" Ye shall not die, ye 
 shall be as gods ;" and in the final testimony concern- 
 ing the same crafty agent and leader of the powers 
 of darkness, " He deceiveth the whole world," 
 from the opening to the close of the book, this ter- 
 rible truth arrests attention, that the very essence 
 [Continued on page 309.] 
 
Jan. 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 James 3. 1-18. 
 
 A. D. 50.] 
 
 LESSON in. 
 
 [Jan. 20. 
 
 TlIK POWKR OK Tl 
 
 K. — James 3. 1- 
 
 GOLDE\ TEXT.-By lliy wor.N 
 
 (lioii Hlialt lie JiiHtifled, 
 deiliiied.- MaTT. 12. '67. 
 
 iiid by thy words thou xhalt be con. 
 
 TiMK.— A. D. 50. Soe on lesson I. 
 
 CoN.NECTiNi; Links.— The topics of the opistle, followlnpr the last lesson, are : (1) The duty of Impar- 
 tiality, chapter •-'. l-l.'J. (i) The relation between faith and works, chapter 2. 14-20. 
 
 IXTRODrfTioN.— It Is not easy to see any coinicction between what is said In this chapter and what is 
 found In other parts of the epistle. The design seems to have been to notice such things as the apostle 
 supposed claimed his attention, without particular regard to a logical connection. Some of the errors and 
 Improprieties wliich existed among them had been noticed in the previous chapters, and others are re- 
 ferred to In chaptei-s 4, 5. Those wtiich are noticed in this chapter grew out of the desire of being public 
 teachers of religion. It seems probable that he had this subject in his eye In the whole of this chapter, 
 and this will give a clew to the course of thought which he pursues. Let it be supposed thai there was a 
 prevailing desire among those to whom he wrote to become public teachers, without much regard for the 
 proper quuliflcatious for that oQlce, and the Interpretation of the chapter will become easy.— Carnes. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 My brethren, ' be not many masters, 
 knowing ' that we shall receive the 
 greater "condemnation. 
 
 2 For ' in many things we offend all. 
 
 Eccl. 7. iU ; 1 John I. 
 
 1. My brethren — Our apostle's staud-poiut 
 is still in tlie Christian si/na{/0(/t<es, where he is 
 cheeking the errors and faults of his brethren. — 
 
 Whedon. Be not many masters [Rev. Ver., 
 teac/urs.] — The word here rendered master's 
 ehould have been rendered teachers. It is so 
 rendered in John 3. 2; Acts 13. 1 ; Rom. 2. 20; 
 1 Cor. 12. 28, 29; Eph. 4. 11 ; 1 Tim. 2. 11; 
 4. 3 ; Heb. 5. 12, though it is elsewhere frequent- 
 ly rendered master. It has, however, in it 
 primarily the notion of teaching^ even when 
 rendered master ; and the word master is often 
 used in the New Testament, a-s it is with us, to 
 denote an instructor as the " school-master." — 
 JSarnes. This did not forbid the expression of 
 Christian experience and iutercliauge of exhor- 
 tation and counsel by the many. Nor did it 
 forbid catechists and imparters of the elements 
 of established Christian knowledge to be inany. 
 Nor does it forbid Sabbath-school instructors at 
 the present day, wlio are happily very many ; 
 but it reprehends self-conceited and self-ap- 
 pointed doctrinaires, ready to blurt their individ- 
 ual notions and maintain them in the assemblies. 
 The result would bo crude theologies, heated 
 disputations, and erratic sects and liercsies. — 
 
 Whedon. Receive the greater condemna- 
 tion [Rev. Ver., heavier judgment. \ — Or rather, 
 a severe judgment ; that is, we shall have a 
 severe trial, and give a stricter account. The 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 3 Be not many teachers, my brethren, 
 knowing that we shall receive ' hcav- 
 
 2 ier judgment. For in many things 
 
 1 Gr. gnater 
 
 word here used does not necessarily here mean 
 co7ideinnafioji, hut judgment, trial, account ; and 
 the consideration wliich the apostle suggests is 
 not that those who were public teachers would 
 be condemned, but that there woulil be a much 
 more solemn account to be rendered by them 
 than by other men, and that they ought duly to 
 reflect on this in seeking the office of the minis- 
 try. — Barnes. 
 
 This " itch of teaching," this oracular egotism, is 
 the natural result of vanity and selQshness dis- 
 guising themselves under the cloak of Gospel 
 proselytism. With all such men words take the 
 place of works, and dogmatizing contentiousness 
 of peace and love. Therefore he warns them 
 against being many teachers — self-constituted 
 ministers— " other people's bishops," (1 Pet. 14. 
 15,) persons of that large class who assume tliat no 
 incompetence is too absolute to rob them of the 
 privilege of infallibility in laying down the law of 
 truth for others.— Focrar. 
 2. In many things— If anywhere the im- 
 proper use of the tongue will do mischief, it is in 
 the office of a religious teacher ; and to show the 
 danger of this, and the importance of caution in 
 seeking that office, the apostle proceeds to show 
 what mischief the tongue is capable of effecting. 
 —Barnes. We — He joins himself with the 
 pei-sons to whom he wrote, to mitigate tlie harsh- 
 ness of liis reproof. — Macknight. "We offend 
 all [Rev. Ver., We all stuni,blc. l—Tho mere Eu- 
 81 
 
James 3. 1-18. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 ■•If any man oifend not in word, ^ the 
 same is a perfect man, and able also to 
 bridle the whole body. 
 
 3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' 
 mouths, that they may obey us; and we 
 turn about their wliole body. 
 
 4 Beliold also the ships, which though 
 they be so great, and are driven of fierce 
 winds, yet are they turned about with a 
 
 * Psa. 34. 13 ; 1 Peter 3. 10.- 
 
 -5 Matt. 12. 37. 
 
 glish reader is very apt to understand our trans- 
 lation to mean, we offend every hody ; making 
 all the object. The true meaning is, that in 
 mamj things we all stumble ; that is, make in- 
 tellectual and moral mistakes and blunders ; 
 which is true enough of the wisest and holiest 
 of us. And, therefore, our apostle cautions us 
 to avoid setting up for too much. — Whedon. 
 This is a metaphor taken from persons who, in 
 walking on slippery or rough ground, slide or 
 stumble without falling ; as is plain from Eom. 
 11. 11. — Macknight. If any man oflEend. not 
 [Eev. Ver., If any stumUeth w(>^.]— In word- 
 In performance of his assmnption to be a teacher 
 in the synagogue. A perfect man— Perfect in 
 the sense in which the apostle immediately ex- 
 plains himself; that he is able to keep every 
 other member of his body in subjection. — 
 Barnes, Able also — For, so far as he is able to 
 speaTc perfectly right, it is probable that he can 
 do perfectly right. The wisdom and moral power 
 with which he can govern his tongue is very 
 likely to govern his whole lody. — Whedon. To 
 bridle — The word rendered " to bridle " means 
 to lead or guide with a bit ; then to rein in, to 
 check, to moderate, to restrain. A man always 
 has complete government over himself if he has 
 the entire control of his tongue. — Barnes. His 
 whole body — The body, as the whole organ of 
 the soul, with its susceptibilities to temptation, 
 and its limbs as the instruments of right or 
 wrong, as the /, the will, directs. — Whedon. 
 Few men suspect how much mere talk fritters 
 away spiritual energy— that which should be 
 spent in action spends Itself in words. The 
 fluent boaster Is not the man who is steadiest be- 
 fore the enemy. Loud utterance of virtuous In- 
 dignation against evil from the platform, or in 
 the drawing-room, is wasted, taken away from 
 the work of coping with evil; the man has so 
 much less left. And hence he who restrains that 
 love of talk lays up a fund of spiritual strength.— 
 F. W. Robertson. 
 
 3. "We put bits [Eev. Ver., Mw, if toe put the 
 Aorses^ bridles into their mouths, etc., we turn 
 S2 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 we all stumble. If any stumbleth 
 not in word, the same is a perfect 
 man, able to bridle the whole body 
 
 3 also. Now if we put the horses' 
 bridles into their mouths, that they 
 may obey us, we turn about their 
 
 4 whole body also. Behold, the ships 
 also, though they are so gi'eat, and 
 are driven by rough winds, are yet 
 
 about their whole body also.] — This mention of 
 bridling, and the situation of the tongue where the 
 bridle also is placed, introduce this similitude : 
 bridle and mouth being ideas already given by the 
 context. — Alford. That they may obey us — 
 In. order to their obeying us, (thus showing, by 
 the expression of their purpose, that we recog- 
 nize the principle of turning the whole body by 
 the tongue.) "We turn about tlieir wbole 
 body — As a horseman with bits turns the whole 
 horse ; so a speaker with a persuasive tongue 
 will turn a whole man, nay, a whole body of 
 men. The tongue of the eloquent orator tui-ns 
 whole assemblies, and controls the destinies of 
 states. And so the tongue of the wily errorist 
 may turn a whole Church, may introduce a 
 strange doctrine, or establish a new sect. And 
 so the unrestrained tongues of a synagogue may 
 raise a great buzz, and produce disorder and 
 every evil work. Hence the importance of Church 
 unity under the control of apostolic teaching. — 
 Whedon. 
 
 The grace of God is both spur and bridle to the 
 tongue of man ; grace, like a spur, provokes to 
 speak for God. and for the good of others ; and 
 grace, like a bridle, stops us from speaking what 
 may grieve the Spirit of God, and justly offend 
 others.— Bur7£itt. 
 
 4. Behold also the ships — A ship is a large 
 object. It seems to lie unmanageable by its 
 vastness, and is also impelled by driving storms. 
 Yet it is ea-sily managed by a small rudder, and 
 he that has control of that has control of the 
 ship itself. So with the tongue. It is a small 
 member as compared with the body ; in its size 
 not unlike the rudder as compared with the ship. 
 Yet the proper control of the tongue in respect 
 to its influence on the whole man is not unlike 
 the control of the rudder in its power over the 
 shiTp.— Barnes. Driven of fierce [Eev. Ver., 
 rough] "winds- Bede interprets this as having a 
 meaning respecting ourselves, the winds being 
 the appetites and pa.'^sions. Turned about 
 •with a very small helm— The ancient rudder, 
 
Jan. 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON HI. 
 
 .Tamks .3. 1-18. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 very small lielin, whilheisoever tlie 
 governor listetli. 
 
 5 Even so tlie tongue is a little mem- 
 ber, and boasteth great tilings. Heliokl 
 liow great 'a matter a little (ire kin- 
 (lleth ! 
 
 (5 And the tongue ix a fire, a world of 
 iniquity: so is the tongue among our 
 menibeis, that "it dedleth the whole 
 body, and setteth on tire the 'course of 
 nature; and it is set on tire of hell. 
 
 or helm, wius miule in the shape of un oar. This 
 was very small when compared with the size of 
 
 Ancient Rudders. 
 
 the vessel — ahout as small as the tonofue is as 
 oompnred with the hody.— Barnes. "Whither- 
 ■oever the governor listeth [Rev. Ver., 
 Wiither the impithe of the fteermian willeth.] 
 Behold how great [Rev. Ver., Behold fio?v 
 mwh wood CmarL'in, forest) is kindled hy how 
 tmall afire.]— '■'■How great a forest." The words 
 also sometimes signalized '■^matter" and thus 
 the A. V. But the ordinary meaning, fore.'^t, 
 gives a far livelier and more graphic sense here. 
 —Alford. 
 
 5. The tongue is a little member — The 
 especial point is, that the smallness of the tongue 
 should not blind us to the importance of con- 
 trolling it hy the conscience, hut, in fact, arouse 
 us to the thouirht of the greatness of its effects 
 and the importance of its control. — jnedon. 
 Boasteth great things — f'lainis to have great 
 power, and is fully conscious of its importance ; 
 an importance wliich it really j>ossosses. The 
 city of Portland. Maine, was laid in a.slics from 
 a fire kindled by a fire-cracker on the Foiuth of 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 turned about by a very small rudder, 
 wliitiier the impulse of the steersman 
 
 5 willcth. So the tongue also is a little 
 meml>er, and i)oasteth great things. 
 IJehold, '' how much wood is kindled 
 
 6 by how small a tire! And the tongue 
 is 'a fire: * the world of iniquity 
 among our mend)ers is the tongue, 
 which defiU'th the wliole body, and 
 setteth on fire the wlieel of ' nature, 
 
 7 and is set on fire by liell. For every 
 
 I Or, afirr, that worffi of ini<fuitf/ : 
 
 r lial ii'hki, etc. *l)r,t/iul utirld 
 
 g OUT uiemiters that which, ttc. 
 
 a Or, hoic great a /or, 
 Ac tonaitt ia among tmr 
 <t' inti^uitg, the tungut, 
 
 July ; and the burning of Chicago came from a 
 kerosene lamp kicked over by a cow. 
 
 You cannot stop the con.sequences of a slander; 
 you may pul)licly prove its falsehood ; you may 
 sift every atom, explain and annihilate it, and 
 yet, years after you had thought that all had been 
 disposed of forever, the mention of a name wakes 
 up associations in the mind of some one who heard 
 the calumny, but never heard or never attended 
 to the refutation, or who has only a vague and 
 confused recollection of the whole.— F. W. Roh- 
 
 6. A world of iniqmty — A complete reper- 
 tory of all wickedness, as tlie world is of all 
 things. — Alford. Defileth the w^hole body — 
 When a man speaks evil he will commit it. 
 When the tongue has the boldness to talk of sin, 
 tlie rest of the memVjcrs have the boldness to act. 
 First wo think, tlien s/na/i, then do. — Manton. 
 The course of nature [Rev. Ver., the whole 
 of nature.] — To this peculiar expression different 
 meanings have been assigned. Alford, Farrar, 
 and others translate, "the orb or cycle of crea- 
 tion," and regard it as referring to the material 
 universe, spoken of figuratively, as "setting the 
 whole world on fire." Barnes has "the wheel 
 of birth ; " the wheel set in motion at birth, and 
 running on through life; or the affairs of the 
 world as they roll on from age to age, all en- 
 kindled hy the tongue, and keeping the world 
 in a constant blaze of excitement. Whedon 
 translates "the wheel of generation," and makes 
 it refer to the human body, with its alimentary, 
 sexual, and passional appetites, so powerfully 
 affected by the tongue. The first view .seems 
 to have the sanction of the Revised Version. 
 Set on fire of hell— It is the devil, for whom 
 hell is prepared, that is the tempter and insti- 
 gator of the habituid sins of the tongue. It is 
 out of the question to regard the sentence as 
 alluding to the original temptations of the fall ; 
 33 
 
James 3. 1-18, 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 7 For every ''kind of beasts, and of 
 birds, aud of serpents, and of things in 
 the sea, is tamed, aud hath been tamed 
 of 'mankind : 
 
 8 But the tongue can no man tame ; 
 it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 
 
 9 Therewith bless we God, even the 
 Father; and tlierewith curse we men, 
 which are ^ made after the similitude of 
 God. 
 
 equally so, to suppose it to have a future refer- 
 ence, aud to imply that the tongue shall be 
 tormented iii liell. — Alford. 
 
 If vain words, the signs and Immediate effects 
 of a vain mind, shall sadly increase our accounts, 
 how much more all the contentious, fierce, and 
 revengeful words ; the detracting, false, contume- 
 lious, and injurious words; the impure, filthy, and 
 contagious words ; the profane, blasphemous, and 
 impious words that "flow from the evil treasure 
 of the heart " ? O, their dreadful number and 
 oppressing weight I— Bates. 
 
 7. Every kind of beasts— Liteially, every 
 nature; wliere, as Huther well remarks, not the 
 tanihig of individuals is meant, but of the brutal 
 iMtures. Tlie natures of the four great orders 
 here enumerated have been brought under con- 
 trol by the nature and genius of man. — Whe- 
 don. Is tamed, and hath, been tamed— The 
 examples given by Pliny, of creatures tamed 
 by men, relate to elephants, lions, aud tigers, 
 among beasts ; to the eagle, among birds ; to 
 asps, and other serpents ; and to crocodiles aud 
 various fishes, among the inhabitants of the wa- 
 ter. The lion was very commonly tamed by 
 the ancient Egyptians, aud trained to assist 
 both in huntmg and in war. — Eitto. It is to be 
 remembered that neai'ly all those beasts which 
 we now speak of as "domestic animals," and 
 which we are accustomed to see only when they 
 are tame, were once fierce and savage races. 
 Tliis is the case with the horse, the ox, the ass, 
 the swine, the dog, the cat, etc. — Barnes. 
 
 8. The tongue can no man tame — The 
 apostle does not say none can tame the tongue, 
 but " no man ; " no human art or power can find 
 a sufficient remedy or curb for it. The horse, 
 the camel, the elephant, do not tame themselves, 
 nor man himself. Man tames the beast, but 
 God tames man. — Manton. It is an nnruly 
 evil— The Greek implies that it is at once rest- 
 le.ss and incapable of restraint. Nay, though na- 
 ture has hedged it in a double barrier of the lips 
 and teeth, it bursts from its barriers to assail 
 
 34 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 * kind of beasts and birds, of creeping 
 things and tilings in the sea, is tamed, 
 aud hath been tamed 'by * mankind; 
 
 8 Init tlie tongue can no man tame ; if 
 is a restless evil, it is full of deadly 
 
 9 poison. Therewith bless we the 
 Lord and Father; and therewith 
 curse we men, which are made after 
 
 10 the likeness of God: out of the same 
 
 aud ruin men. — Estius. Full of deadly poi- 
 son— There is no sting of a serpent that does so 
 much evil in the world ; there is no poison 
 more deadly to the frame than the poison of the 
 tongue is to the happiness of man. Who, for 
 example, can stand before the power of the slan- 
 derer ? What miscliief can be done in society 
 that can be compared with that which he may 
 do ? — Barnes. 
 
 Soci'ates, when asked what was the beast most 
 dangerous to man, answered, " Of tame beasts, 
 the flatterer ; of wild beasts, the slanderer." 
 
 Nature has set a double guard about the tongue, 
 namely, the teeth and the lips, and grace has laid 
 many restraints upon it, and yet it breaks out 
 full of deadly poison : intimating that the tongue 
 is as deadly as a venomous beast.— Bwrfcitt. 
 
 9. Therewith bless we — In verses 9 and 10 
 our apostle passes beyond the limits of the Chris- 
 tian synagogue into the length and breadth of 
 the twelve tribes. And his we includes hinaself, 
 by com-tesy, even among the profane users of the 
 tongue. — Whedon. God, even the Father 
 [Kev. Ver., the Lord and Father.] — Both terms 
 are to be taken of the Father • the former on the 
 side of his power ; the latter on that of his love. 
 
 Alford. Curse we men — Perhaps the apos- 
 tle in this glanced at the unconverted Jews who, 
 as Justin Martyr informs us in his dialogue with 
 Trypho the Jew, often cursed the Christians 
 bitterly m their synagogues. — Machnight. The 
 likeness of God — Which remains in us, marred 
 indeed, but not, as is sometimes carelessly said, 
 destroyed. Tliis likeness we ought to revere in 
 ourselves and in others, and he who curses de- 
 spises it. Not man's original state, but man's 
 present state, is here under consideration, and on 
 that consideration depends the force of the apos- 
 tle's argument. — Alford. 
 
 Party spirit has always been a curse and a dis- 
 ease of every religion, even of the Christian. 
 The formulas of Christian councils have been 
 tagged with anathemas; Te Deums have been 
 chanted at Autos da Fe.— Fa/rar. 
 
Jan. 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 James 3. 1-18. 
 
 Authorlzod Version. 
 
 10 Out of tlie suinc moutli proceedeth 
 blessing and cursing. My brethren, 
 tliese tilings ought not so to be. 
 
 11 Doth 11 fountain send forth at the 
 S!Xine-''phice sweet water and bitter ? 
 
 12 Can tlie tig tree, my brethren, bear 
 olive berries ? either a vine, tigs ? so can 
 no fountaia both yield salt water and 
 fresh. 
 
 13 Who ^ is a wise man and endued 
 with knowledge among you ? let him 
 show out of a good conversation his 
 works with meekness of wisdom. 
 
 14 But if ye have "bitter envying and 
 strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie 
 not against the truth. 
 
 15 This '" wisdom descendeth not 
 
 /Or.l 
 
 10-12. Same mouth . . . blessing and 
 cursing — The tongue, says ^sop, is at ouco the 
 best and tlie worst of things. So in a fable, a 
 man with the sanie ))reatli blows hot and cold. 
 — D. Brown. Ought not so to be— The same 
 heart cannot be occupied by God and the devil, 
 nor the same tongue be employed to such diflcr- 
 ent uses.— J/antoa. Fountiiin, at the same 
 place [Rev. Ver., openiiKj.'] — Hole from which 
 the water flows, in a rock, or in the earth. 
 Fig-tree . . . olive berries— The reasoning is 
 not, here, that we must not look for good fruit 
 from a bad tree, but that no tree can bring 
 forth fruit inconsistent with its own nature. 
 Salt water and fresh— That is, if the mouth 
 emit cursi))g, thereby making itself a brackisli 
 spring, it cannot to any purpose also emit the 
 sweet streani of praise and good words ; if it ap- 
 pear to do so, all must be hypocrisy and mere 
 seeming. — Al/urcL 
 
 13. "WTio is a wise man— This is spoken 
 with reference to the work of public teaching, 
 and the meaning of the apostle is, that if there 
 were such persons among them, t/ieij should be 
 selected for that office. — Barnes. Let him 
 show — Like a good fountain let him pour foi tli 
 the sweet and not the bitter stream, like a good 
 tree, the right fruit. — Whedon. Out of a good 
 conversation [Rev. Ver., 6y his ijmd life.^— 
 The tcnn here rendered "convei-sation," signi- 
 fies the whole action of life, the development of 
 character, tlie way a man works, turns, or be- 
 haves himself in the world. The use of knowl- 
 edge is to guide and elevate the life. — BMmp 
 Huntington. His works— His acts of uprii.'ht- 
 ness and piety. He should be a man of a holy 
 life. — Barnes. Meekness of wisdom — In that 
 
 ReviBod Version. 
 
 mouth Cometh forth blessing and 
 cursing. My brethren, these things 
 
 11 ought not so be. Doth the fountain 
 send forth from the same opening 
 Bweet xoaier and bitter ? can a fig 
 tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a 
 vine tigs ? neither can salt water 
 yield sweet. 
 
 13 Who is wise and understanding 
 among you ? let him shew by his 
 good life his works in meekness of 
 
 14 wisdom. But if ye have bitter jeal- 
 ousy and faction in your Iicart, glory 
 not and lie not against the truth. 
 
 15 This wisdom is not a wisdom that 
 
 meekness which is tlio proper attribute of wis- 
 dom. The truly wise man is always char- 
 acterized by a calm spirit, a wise and placid 
 demeanor, and by a gentle, though firm, enun- 
 ciation of hia sentiments. — Barin>s. 
 
 Meekness is love at school— love at the Saviour*! 
 school. It Is Christian lowlihood. It is the dis- 
 ciple learning to know himself ; learning to fear 
 and distrust and abhor himself. It is the disciple 
 practicing the sweet but self-emptying lesson of 
 putting on the Lord Jesus, and flucUng all his 
 righteousness in that righteous Lord. It is the 
 disciple learning the defects of his own character 
 and taking hints from hostile as well as friendly 
 monitors. It is the disciple praying and watch- 
 ing for the Improvement of his talents, the mel- 
 lowing of his temper, and the amelioration of 
 his character. It is the living Christian at the 
 Saviour's feet, learning of him who Is meek 
 and lowly, and finding rest for his o\vn soul. — 
 Hamilton. 
 
 14. If ye have bitter envying and strife 
 [Rev. Ver., bitter jealousy and faction.] — There 
 is reference licre to a fierce and unholy zeal 
 against each other; a spirit of ambition and con- 
 tention. Glory not — Do not boast in such a 
 case of your qualification to be public teachers. 
 Nothing would render you more unfit for such 
 an oflice than such a spirit. — Barnes. Lie not 
 against the truth— By depreciating its excel- 
 lence ill order to exalt your worldly vices. The 
 worldly emulous spirit fancies itself to be infi- 
 nitely superior to the meekness and wisdom of 
 tlie Gospel, having a loixUier wisdom ol its own, 
 and tfiis wisdom James characteiizes in the next 
 verse. — ]r7iedon. 
 
 15. This wisdom descendeth not [Rev. 
 Ver., is not a wisdom, thai cometk down,.] — In the 
 
 85 
 
James 3. 1-18. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 from above, but is earthly, ^sensual, 
 devilish. 
 
 16 For "wliere envying and strife is, 
 there is * confusion and even evil work. 
 
 17 But "'the wisdom that is from 
 above is first pure, then peaceable, gen- 
 tle, and easv to be entreated, full of 
 
 jfOr, natural ; Jude 
 
 contentions which are in the world, in Church 
 and State, in neighborhoods and families, at 
 the bar, in iDolitical life, and in theological dis- 
 pute ; even where there is the manifestation of 
 enraged and irascible feeling, there is often much 
 of a certain kind of icisdom. There is learning, 
 shrewdness, tact, logical skill, subtle and skill- 
 ful argumentation— " making the worse appear 
 the better reason ; " but all this is often con- 
 nected with a spirit so narrow, bigoted, and con- 
 tentious, as to show clearly that it has not its 
 origin in heaven. — Barnes. Is earthly — It is 
 such as men exhibit who are governed only by 
 worldly maxims and principles.— ^arwes. Sen- 
 sual [Rev. Ver., margin, anivial.]— It is almost 
 impossible to express satisfactorily in English 
 the idea given by the original word here, {psy- 
 chic, from psyche, the soul.] Our '■'■soul" is so 
 identified with man's spiritual part, in common 
 parlance, that we have lost the distinction be- 
 tween soul and spirit, except when we can give 
 a periphrastic explanation. The idea here is, 
 belonging to tlie unspiritual mind of man. — Al- 
 /ord. Devilish— This word nmst not be figur- 
 atively taken ; it betokens Iwth the origin of 
 this hypocritical wisdom [compare set on fire by 
 hell, above, verse 6] and its character; it is 
 from, not, God, the giver of all true wisdom, 
 (chapter 1. 5,) but the devil, and bears the char- 
 acter of its author. — Alford. 
 
 16. "Whose envying and strife [Rev. Ver., 
 jealousy and/action.'] — The characteristics of this 
 >^ worldly ivisdom are envying, rather, enmdation 
 and stri/e, or rivalry. It is the ivisdom of mak- 
 ing yourself great in disregard of the rights and 
 well-being of all or any others. — Whedon. Con- 
 fusion and every evil work [Rev. Ver., every 
 ■vile deed.] — Of the truth of this no one can have 
 any doubt who has observed the effects in a 
 family or neighborhood where a spirit of strife 
 prevails. All love and harmony of course are 
 banished ; all happiness disappears ; all pros- 
 perity is at an end. In place of the peaceful 
 virtues which ought to prevail, there springs up 
 every evil passion that tends to mar the peace 
 of a commuxiity. Where this spirit prevails in a 
 36 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 Cometh down from above, but is 
 
 16 earthly, ^sensual, '"devilish. For 
 where jealousy and faction are, there 
 is confusion and every vile deed. 
 
 17 But the wisdom that is from above 
 is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, 
 easy to be intreated, full of mercy 
 
 *>Or, natural. Or, aninud. ^^ Gr. demcmiacal. 
 
 church, it is of course impossible to expect any 
 progress in divine things ; and in such a church 
 any effort to do good is vain. — Barnes. 
 
 17. The wisdom that is from above — The 
 meaning here is, that the first and immediate 
 etfect of religion is not on the intellect, to make 
 it more enlightened ; or on the imagination to 
 make it more discursive and brilliant ; or on the 
 memory and judgment, to make them clearer 
 and stronger ; but it is to purify the heart, to 
 make the man upright, moffensive, and good. 
 This passage should not be applied, as it often 
 is, to the doctrines of religion, as if it were tha 
 first duty of a church to keep itself free from 
 errors in doctrine, and that this ought to be 
 sought even in preference to the maintenance of 
 peace — as if it meant that in doctrine a church 
 should he '■^ first i)ure, then peaceable/" but it 
 should be applied to the individual consciences 
 of men, as showing the eftect of religion on the 
 heart and life. — Barnes. First pure— To be 
 pure is to be untainted by the tempers expressed 
 in verse 16. — Whedon. The wisdom is only 
 said to be '■'first pure," because " purity " de- 
 scribes its inward essence, and the other epithets 
 its outward manifestations. — Farrar, Peace- 
 able—In antithesis against envying and strife, 
 verse 16. Gentle — Every one has a clear idea 
 of the virtue of gentleness — gentleness of spirit, 
 of deportment, and of manners ; and every one 
 can see that that is the appropriate spirit of re- 
 ligion. It is from this word that we have de- 
 rived the word gentleman; and the efi'ect ol 
 true religion is to make every one, in the propei 
 and liest sense of the term, a gentleman.— 
 Barnes. Easy to be entreated — It means 
 easily persuaded, compliant. Of course, this re- 
 fers only to cases where it is right and proper tA 
 be easily persuaded and complying. It cannot 
 refer to things which are in themselves wrong, 
 The sense is, that he who is under the influenc< 
 of the wisdom which is from above is not t 
 stiff, stern, obstinate, unyielding man. He does 
 not take a position, and then hold it whethei 
 right or wrong ; he is not a man on whom no 
 arguments or persuasions can have any iuflu- 
 
Jan. 20, 1884, 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 James 3. 1-18. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 mercy and good fruits, ' without parti- 
 ality, "and without iiypocrisy. 
 
 18 And 'Uhc fruit of ri<fliti!ousne8s is 
 sown in peace of them that make peace. 
 
 iOr, vithuut wrniinliii 
 
 euce. — Rirnm. "Without partiality, | Rev. 
 Ver., uithout variaiui] and without hypoc- 
 risy— Tlieso two clauses aru two Grcik wonls in 
 the orif^inal wliioli have siinihu- terminations, 
 and so make a word-eeho. We might nearly 
 parallel them by the words neither hypercrit- 
 iml nor hypocritical. The first of the two 
 Greek words may signify, making no undue dis- 
 tinctions, (hence /<(//', impartial,} as, for in- 
 stance, between rich and [loor. Or, it may 
 incaii unequivocal, unambiguous, clear from 
 eiiuivocation or just liability to being doubted. 
 The latter of the two words is, accordingly, ren- 
 dered rightly in the Knglish translation. We 
 might (with these last definitions of the two) 
 preserve the terminal similarity of sound by 
 without eqiiicocation or ilissi»iulatio/i. — Whe- 
 don. "Without hypocrisy — I would under- 
 stand by it/rtf front all ambiguity and siiti'/la- 
 tio„.— 'M/ord. ' 
 
 18. The fruit of righteousness — Fruit 
 consisting in righteousness, not /ruit produced 
 by righttousness. By fruit is meant the har- 
 vest, crop, or product ; and this is virtually soicn 
 in the seed that produces it. — Whedon. Is sown 
 in peace — The farmer sows his seed in peace. 
 The lields are not sown amid the tumults of a 
 mob, or tJie excitements of a liattle or a camp. 
 So it is ill sowing the " seed of the kingdom," 
 in preparing for the great harvest of righteous- 
 ness in the world. It is done by men of peace ; 
 it is done in peaceful scenes, and with a i>eacc- 
 ful spirit; it is not in the tumult of war, or 
 amid the hoarse braw ling of a mob. — Ihr)ies. 
 Of them [Kev. Yer., To them] that make 
 peace — " Peace-makei-s," not merely they who 
 reconcile others, but who work j)eace. "Cuhi- 
 vate peace." — Estius. 
 
 Let every one of God's ministers be ambitious 
 of that praise which Gregory Nazianzen pives to 
 Athasi'us, namely, to be au adamant to them that 
 strilie, and a liadMoue to tliem that dissent from 
 him— the one not to be removed with wrong, the 
 other to draw those hearts who disagree.— lip. 
 JIalL 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See references to Farrar and Scluilf on Lesson 
 
 II. John Wesley's Sermons. II. Bushnell, 
 
 (Christ and his Salvation, p. D'.l.) F. W. Hob- 
 
 ertsou, semiou ou " The Tongue." Seruious, by 
 
 Kovlflod Version. 
 
 and good fruits, without "variance, 
 18 without hypocrisy. And the fruit 
 of riffhteousness is sown in peace 
 "for them that make peace. 
 
 " Or, doukl/ulnitt, Or, partialilf. «» Or, 6y. 
 
 Harrow, Lardner, Uirticulty of Governing the 
 Tongue; Archbishop Whatcly, (Bampton 
 Lectures ;) W. Arnot, in Koots and Fruits of 
 the Christian Life ; II. Blair, Gentleness ; 
 Archbishop Leighton, Heavenly Wisdom ; U. 
 South, On Envy ; Preacher's Lantern, iv, 
 37S; ii, 7'Jl. Foster's Cyclopedia, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical illustra- 
 tions,] ver. 2: 537"J, 78G0; 3: 5741, 12006 ; 5: 
 5778; G: *27ti0 ; 7: 12011; 9: 12009; 10: 
 12008; 12: 9213; 13: 1058; 1«: *1105. 
 
 Practical Tliougl-its. 
 [the i'owek of the tonole. 
 
 1. The tongue has power to increase greatly 
 the degree of our responsibility. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The tongue measures our consecration to 
 God and our control over self. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. The tongue has power, both for good and 
 evil over the entire character. Vei-s. 3-5. 
 
 4. The evil tongue defiles the whole nature, 
 and is itself inspired by the powers of evil. 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 5. The evil tongue cannot be transformed by 
 any power less than divine. Ver. 8. 
 
 6. The tongue shows true wisdom when its 
 utterances are marked by meekness. Ver. 13. 
 
 7. The tongue will .show the heavenly w'lsdom 
 when it is both pure and peaceable. Ver. 17. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 The slave jEsop was commanded by his master to 
 prepare a banquet consisting of " the best things In 
 the world." To his surprise, the master found only 
 tnnques upon the table, wliereupon yEsop showed 
 him that in all the world there was nothing with 
 greater power for good than the tongue. The slave 
 was then ordered to present on the morrow a dinner 
 of the worst things in the world, and, again, only 
 tongues were on the table ; and JEsoyi showed that 
 the earth had uo greater evil than tlie tongue. Our 
 lesson shows— 
 
 I. Certain Tacts concerning the tongue. 
 
 II. Certain laws tor the tongue. 
 
 I. Our lesson presents certain facts concerning 
 the tongue. 
 
 1. The fact that we are rrfnwnnihle for the use of 
 the tnnuue. Verso 1. The silent man has less to ac- 
 count for than the speaker. As we see the power of 
 the orator over his audience, do we wonder at the 
 warning of the apostle, that those who undertake 
 to instruct others have a greater measure of ac- 
 countability Ixjfore God ? 
 
 87 
 
James 3. 1-18, 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 2. The fact that the tongue is an index of char- 
 acter. Verse 2. He that can avoid offending in 
 •word Is the perfect man ; for if he controls his 
 tongue he can control every other element of his 
 nature ; and the use of his tongue reveals his inner 
 nature. An oath is a small thing, appai'ently, but 
 it will show the power to which its utterer paysal- 
 legiauce ; like an estate in Scotland which pays a 
 quarterly rental of three grains of com, just to 
 show who is its owner. 
 
 3. The fact that the tongue han a mighty in- 
 fluence. Verses 3-6. It is compared to the bit, 
 guiding the horse ; to the helm, directing the ship ; 
 to the fire, burning the forest— all small, yet in- 
 fluential. The tongue of the orator, like Pitt, 
 has marshaled armies ; of a statesman, like Web- 
 ster, has shaped the destinies of states ; of a slan- 
 derer, has ruined a reputation ; of the Christian 
 teacher, has guided souls to eternal life. 
 
 4. The fact that the tongue cannot be trans- 
 formed by any human power. Verses 7-12. Every 
 kind of wild beast Is tamed, except the tongue. 
 Socrates, when asked what beast is most dangerous 
 to man, answered, " Of wild beasts, the slanderer ; 
 of tame beasts, the flatterer ! " Man has no power 
 to change the nature of his tongue ; but God can 
 work the transformation. 
 
 II. Laws for the tongue. 
 
 1. Tlielaw of meeltncss. The tongue should be 
 controlled by the spirit of gentleness, for therein is 
 true wisdom. Verse 13. 
 
 2. Tlte law of spu-ituality. Verse 15. The alms 
 of the tongue should be to express the thought of 
 heaven, and not that of earth. 
 
 3. The law of purity. Verse 17. '"First pure.'' 
 Out of the pure heart will flow a pure utterance. 
 
 4. The law of sincerity. Verse 17. Above all 
 else, let the tongue be honest, "without hypocrisy." 
 
 A.D.50.] LESSON IV. [Jan. 27. 
 
 Living as in God's Sight. — James 4. 7-17. 
 GOLDEIV TEXT.— Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.— 
 
 James 3. 10. 
 
 Time, Place, etc.— A. D. 50. See Lesson I. 
 
 Introduction.— The object of the command here, and in the succeeding injunctions to particular 
 duties, is to show them how they might obtain the grace which God is willing to bestow, and how they 
 might overcome the evils against which the apostles had been endeavoring to guard them. The tru» 
 method of doing this is by submitting ourselves in all things to God.— Barnes. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. 
 'Resist tlie devil, and he will flee from 
 you. 
 
 8 Draw "nigh to God, and he will 
 
 ■Eph. 4. 27 ; 1 Peter 5. 
 
 7. Submit yourselves — Tlie previous verse 
 supplies the connection. Because God gives 
 grace to the liunible and resists the proud, 
 therefore we sliould seek entire submission to 
 the will of God. The same antithesis as that in 
 verse 4 is cairied through the paragraph. It is 
 between the proud and the kumble, between 
 God., to be submitted and approached, and the 
 devil, to be resisted ; between cleanse and miners, 
 between jnirify and double-minded, between 
 laughter and mourning, and, finally, between 
 penitent humiliaiion and a divine exaltation. — 
 Whedon. There is a three/old submission to 
 God: of our carnal hearts to his holiness; of our 
 p^'oud hearts to his mercy ; and of our revolting 
 hearts to his sovereignty ; and all this that we 
 may be pure, humble, and obedient. — Manton, 
 Kesist the devil — While you yield to God in 
 all things, you are to yield to the devil in none. 
 You are to resist and oppose him in whatever 
 ■way he may approach you, whether by allure- 
 
 Hevised Version. 
 
 7 Be subject therefore unto God; but 
 resist the devil, aud he will flee from 
 
 8 you. Draw nigh to God, and he will 
 draw nigh to yon. Cleanse your 
 
 ments, by flattering promises, by the fascinations 
 of the world, by temptation, or by threats. See 
 1 Pet. 5. 9. No one is safe who yields in the 
 least to the suggestions of the tempter ; thei-e is 
 no one who is not safe if he does not yield. A 
 man, for example, is always safe from intemper- 
 ance if he resists all allurements to indulgence in 
 strong drink and never yields in the slightest 
 degree; no one is certainly safe if he drinks even 
 moderately. — Barnes. He will flee from you 
 — Temptations repelled disappear, and when 
 habitually kept at a distance cease to exist. The 
 firmly formed habit of virtue comparatively 
 places the soul out of the normal reach of temp- 
 tation. — Whedon. Only resist, only show your 
 face as conscious of your divine origin, only 
 adore God, and Satan, powerless and abashed, 
 will flee from you. There is no real connection 
 between us and Satan. — A. Saphir. 
 
 8. Draw nigh — ^The reverse of resist. The 
 former should be done to God, the latter to tha 
 
Jan. 27, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 James 4. 7-17. 
 
 Authoriced Version. 
 
 draw nigh to you. Cleunse your hands, 
 ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye 
 dout)le-iniiided. 
 
 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep : 
 let your hiugliter he turned to mourn- 
 ing, and your joy to lieaviness. 
 
 10 Ilumhle yourselves in the sight of 
 the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 
 
 devil— ihfi two sidus of tlie j^ieiit battle tor pos- 
 session ot the human ^^oul. — Wliedon. We can- 
 not come literally any nearer to God than we al- 
 ways are, for he is always round about us, but 
 we may come nearer in a spiritual sense. We 
 may address him directly in prayer; we may ap- 
 proacii him by meditation on his character ; we 
 may draw near to him in the ordinances of re- 
 ligion.— iiSatrwo. He will draw nigh to you 
 — He himself, althoujrli lie may use various clian- 
 nels and instruments — it may be affliction or 
 prosperity ; it may be tlirough the voice of Na- 
 ture or of Providence ; it may be throuirh the 
 word or the example of a Christian — yet it is 
 God himself. But, of all instruments and chan- 
 nels, the written word is of the utmost impor- 
 tance ; it stands supreme. It is through Script- 
 ure, eminently, that God draws nitfh to the soul. 
 — A. Saphir. Cleanse your hands — The hands 
 being the external organs of action, and becom- 
 ing polluted by the act, as, e. g., by blood in 
 the act of murder (see Isa. 1. 15; 59. 3; 1 Tim. 
 2. S.I — Al/orJ. The dnner is the actual trans- 
 gressor ; his hands are stained with blood or 
 other blot of sin ; he must cleanse by reformation 
 that he may spread clean hands in prayer to God. 
 — Whedon. Purify your hearts — The heart is 
 the seat of motives and intentions — that by 
 which we devise any thing ; the fiands, the in- 
 Btrumeut-s by which we execute our purposes. 
 Do not rest satisfied with a mere external refor- 
 mation; with putting away your outward trans- 
 gressions. There must be a deeper work than 
 that, a work which shall reach to the heart, and 
 which shall purify the atfections. — Barnes. Ye 
 double-minded — Ye whose affections are di- 
 vided between God and the world. The apostle 
 IS addressing not two classes of persons, but one 
 anil the same: the dnners are double-minded. — 
 Al/ord. 
 
 9. Be afaicted — The double-minded and 
 sinners are still addressed. They have been 
 exhorted to purify their hearts. But this can- 
 not be done w ithout tru/> and earnest repentance, 
 leading them through deep sorroiv. They must 
 realize their condition and be penitent in view 
 of it. The sins to which the apostle refers are 
 
 BevlBed Version. 
 
 hands, ye sinners ; and purify your 
 
 9 hearts, ye doubleminded. Be af- 
 flicted, and mourn, and weep: let 
 your laughter be turned to mourn- 
 ing, and your joy to heaviness. 
 
 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of 
 the Lord, and he shall exalt you. 
 
 those which he had specified in the previous part 
 of the chapter, and which he had spoken of as so 
 evil in their nature, and so dangerous in their 
 tendency. Your laughter— It is often the 
 case that those for whom the deep sorrows of 
 repentance would be peculiarly ajipropriate 
 give themselves to mirth and vanity.— ^Vnvt**. 
 Turned to mourning — He means that it is a 
 good exchange to put away carnal joy for godly 
 sorrow, for then we have that in the duty which 
 we expected in the sin, and in a more pure, full, 
 and sweet way. When the world repents of its 
 joy, the Christian will never repent of hia sor- 
 row. — Manton. We are to remember that 
 these exhortations are not to Christians in 
 the enjoyment of salvation, but to sinners 
 and those vacillating between the world and 
 the Church. 
 
 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of 
 the Lord — Be willing to take your appropriate 
 place in the dust on account of your transgres- 
 sions. This is to be " in the sight of the 
 Lord," or before him. Our sins have been com- 
 mitted against him, and their principal aggrava- 
 tion, whoever may have been wronged by them 
 and great as is their criminality in other respects, 
 arises from that consideration. — Barnes. He 
 shall lift you up — He will exalt you from the 
 condition of a broken-hearted penitent to that 
 of a forgiven child ; will wipe away your tears, 
 remove the sadness of your heart, fill you with 
 joy, and clothe you with the garments of salva- 
 tion. — Barnes. 
 
 No humility is perfect and proportioned but 
 that which makes us hate ourselves as corrupt, 
 but re.spect ourselves as immortal— the humility 
 that kneels in the dust, but gazes on the skies.— 
 W. A. Butler. 
 
 Srfk humility, and thou wilt find it, and when 
 thou hast found it thou wilt love it, and by God's 
 grace wilt not part with it ; with it thou canst 
 not perish.— I>r. PuKcy. 
 
 Bring into captivity every thought to the obe- 
 dience of Christ. Order thy life according to the 
 life of Jesus, after Jesus hath put his life withlo 
 thee. Humble thyself, so shalt thou be exalted. 
 Be poor, so shall thou be rich. Have nothing, so 
 thou canst receive all things.—^. Ctwpers. 
 
James 4, 7-17. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 11 Speak not evil one of anotlier, 
 brethren. He that speaketh evil of hu 
 brother, and judgetli his brother, speak- 
 eth evil of the law, and judgetli the 
 law; but if thou judge the law, thou 
 art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 
 
 13 Tliere is one lawgiver, ^ who is 
 able to save and to destroy: who art 
 thou that judgest another ? 
 
 1.3 Go to now, ye that say, To-day or 
 
 11. Speak not evil — The evil here referred 
 to is that of talking against others — against 
 their actions, their motives, their manner of 
 living, their families, etc. Few things are more 
 common in the world, nothing is more decided- 
 ly against the true spirit of religion. — Barnes. 
 This does not forbid just criticism, but it does 
 forbid a recivless overbearing toward one whom 
 we liave reason to believe conscientious in which 
 our own pride of decision is involved.^ Whe- 
 don. Brethren — It did not need this tender 
 word to show us that a different class is now 
 addressed from the sinners of the last terrible par- 
 agraph. — Whedon. Of his brother— One who, 
 it may be assumed, tries to be, and believes lie 
 is, right. Speaketh. evil of the law [Rev. 
 Ver., Spuaketh against the law.'] — The law here 
 referred to is probably the law of Christ, or the 
 rule which all Christians profess to obey. It is 
 that which James elsewhere calls the " law of 
 liberty ; " the law which released men from the 
 servitude of the Jewish rites, and gave them 
 liberty to worship God without restraint and 
 bondage, (iVcts 15. 10 ; Gal. 4. 21-31,) implied 
 in that ancient system of worship, and the law 
 by which it was contemplated that they should 
 be free from sin. — Barnes. Judgeth the law 
 — Decides upon the exact nature and force of the 
 law, and its absolute bearing on the particular 
 case of the brother. We may have our opinion, 
 and the brother may have his ; what is con- 
 deiimed is our overriding his judgment, as if he 
 were a culprit who had no right to an opinion. 
 ^ Whedon. Not a doer of the law — Our bus- 
 iness in religion is not to make laws, or to de- 
 clare what tljey should have been, or to amend 
 those that are made ; it is simply to obey those 
 which are appointed, and to allow others to do 
 the same, as they understand them. — Barnes. 
 
 12. There is but one lawgiver— The Lord 
 Jesus Christ, the Founder of tlie Church, is its 
 only authoritative legislator. No man, no body 
 of men, lias a right to add to the laws which he 
 
 40 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 11 Speak not one against another, 
 brethren. He that speaketh against 
 a brother, or judgeth his brother, 
 speaketh against tlie law, and judg- 
 eth the law: but if thou judgest the 
 law, thou art not a doer of the law, 
 
 13 but a judge. One only is the law- 
 giver and judge, even'ho. who is able 
 to save and to destroy : but who art 
 thou that judgest thy neighljor ? 
 
 13 Go to now. }'e that say, To-day or 
 
 has laid down. The Eev. Ver. here reads, '• One 
 only is the lawgiver and judge, i^ven he who is 
 able to save and to destroy." Who is able to 
 save and to destroy — It may mean that he is 
 intrusted with all power, and is abundantly 
 able to administer his government : to restrain 
 where it is necessary to lestrain ; to save where 
 it is proper to save ; to punish w'here it is just 
 to punish. The whole matter pertaining to 
 judgment, therefore, may be safely left in his 
 hands, and, as he is abundantly qualified for it, 
 we should not usurp his prerogatives. — Barnes. 
 In spiritual things, none else but the Lord can 
 give laws to the conscience ; in external policy 
 the laws and edicts of men are to be observed. 
 But here the apostle speaks of the internal gov- 
 ernment of the conscience where God alone 
 judges, since God alone can give laws to the 
 conscience. — J. G. Butler. "Wlio art thou — 
 The tendency every-where has been to enact 
 other laws than those appointed by Christ— the 
 laws of synods and councils — and to claim that 
 Christians are bound to observe them, and 
 should be punished if they do not. — Barnes. 
 That judgest another — There are three things 
 exempted from man's judicatory : God's coun- 
 sels, the Eoly Scriptures, and the hearts of men. 
 —J. a. Butler. 
 
 13. Go to now — Bengel calls this an excla- 
 mation to e.xcite attention. This seems to be the 
 true view of it: "Come on," let us reason to- 
 gether; as in Isa. 1. \i.—Alford. Ye that say 
 — Having before spoken against those that con- 
 temned the law, he now speaks against those that 
 contemned Providence ; promising themselves a 
 long time in the world, and a happy accomplish- 
 ment of their worldly projects, without any 
 sense or thought of their own frailty , or the sud- 
 den strokes of God. — Manton. To-day or to- 
 morrow — The number of precise particulars, to- 
 morrow, such a city, a year, buy, sell, get gain, 
 presumes upon many contingent points in which 
 there is probability of failure, especially the cloa- 
 
Jax. 27, 1P84. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 James 4. 7-17. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 to-morrow wc will <><> into sucli a city, 
 and continue tliere a year, and l)uy and 
 sell, an<l <;et j,'ain: 
 
 14 Whereas ye know not what uliall 
 he on thw morrow. For what is your 
 life? "It is even a vapour, that apjjear- 
 eth for a little time, and then vanislieth 
 away. 
 
 l.i For that ye ought to say, If the 
 Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or 
 tliat. 
 
 16 But now ye njoico in your boast- 
 in<;s: all such rejoieinuf is evil. 
 
 17 Tlierefore Ho him that knovveth to 
 do Ljood, and doetli it not, to him it is 
 sin. 
 
 «f>r, Forit i«.- 
 
 John •». 41 ; 16. -i-i; Rom. I 
 
 inj; one, which is the real aim of all tlie rest. — 
 Wh.do,,. We wiU go— The j;reat Lord of all 
 hiu< IK) part ill tlii.< .solieine. The.-<e little arrogant 
 wonls, we ivill, thni.st liiinout atonoe, and occu- 
 py ills place. — li. U'u/i-er. Continue there a 
 year— More accurately, Spend a year then', [a.s 
 in Kev. Vcr.J Wliich savow of presumption 
 much moie .strongly and vividly. Tiiey i^peak, 
 as Bengel says, as if intending afterward to settle 
 aliont the following years. — Alford. Buy and 
 sell — It is not improbable tluit there is an allu- 
 sion here to the commercial habits of the Jews 
 at the time when the apostle wrote. Many of 
 them were engaged in foreign tratHe, and for 
 tliL-i purpose made long journeys to distant trad- 
 ing cities as Alexandria, Antioch, Ephesus, 
 Corinth, etc. — Bl'ioi/iriild. 
 
 14. Ye know not what shall be— .V sen- 
 tence so true that men utterly forget it. Not a 
 man in all the world knows of a single cer- 
 tainty concerning his own future, except that at 
 Borne time he must die. Yet men are planning 
 a." if expecting to live forever. It is even a 
 vapor [Rev. Ver., Teare a vapor.'] — A pret'erred 
 readmg is, ye are. It is not our life., but even 
 % ^-oi/z-'f/tifo-, that is an appearing and then vanish- 
 -. Uig vapor or m\»i.— Whtdon. A mist, an ex- 
 halatii)n, a smoke; such a vapor as we see a.s- 
 ceiM.ling fromastream, or as lies on the mountain 
 «id>- in the morning, or as floats for a little in the 
 air, but which is dissipated by the rising sun, 
 leavmg not a trace behind. — Barnes. Vanish- 
 eth away— The works of art that man has 
 made, tlie house that he has built, or the book 
 that he has written, remain for a little time, but 
 the life has gone. There is nothing of it re- 
 maining—any more than there is of the vapor 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 to-morrow we will go into this city, 
 and spend a year there, and trade, 
 
 14 and get gain: whereas ye know not 
 what shall be on the morrow. What 
 is your life ? For ye are a vapour, 
 that appeareth for a little time, and 
 
 15 then vanisheth away. ' For that ye 
 ought to say. If the Lord will, we 
 shall both live, and do this or that. 
 
 10 But now ye glory in your vauntings: 
 
 17 all such glorying is evil. To him 
 tlicrelore that knoweth to do good, 
 • and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 
 
 Instead of your saying. 
 
 which in the morning climbed silently up the 
 mountain side. — Barnen. 
 
 15, 16. Ye ought to say. If the Lord wiU 
 — The apostle does not mean that these words 
 should always be used by us when we speak of 
 our purposes respecting futurity ; but that ou 
 such occasions the sentiment which these words 
 express should always be present to our mind. 
 —JIackn ight. Ye rejoice in your boastings— 
 The word signifies the self-deceived and ground- 
 less confidence in the stability of life and health 
 on which the worldly pride themselves. On 
 this, as on its foundation, your boastful speeches 
 are built. — Alford. You form your plans for 
 the future as if with consummate wisdom, and 
 are confident of success. Y'ou do not anticipate 
 a failure ; you do not see how plans so skillfully 
 formed can fail. Y'ou form them as if you were 
 certain that you would live ; as if secure from 
 the numberless casualties which may defeat your 
 schemes. — Barnes. 
 
 17. Knoweth — The apostle addresses,' not 
 Gentiles ignorant of God's providence, but Jews, 
 who are expected to know the truth and their 
 own duty. To do good — Rather, to do well, in 
 opposition to the evil of the last vei-se. The 
 doinri well is the ceasing from such boaMng, 
 and the trusting ourselves to the divine hand. 
 It is not the purpose ol the text to condemn sins 
 of omission. — }niedon. Still, the proposition 
 will admit of a more general application. It is 
 univei-sally true that if a man knows what La 
 right, and does not do it, he is guilty of sin. If 
 he understands what his duty is ; if he has the 
 means of doing good to others ; if by his name, 
 his influence, his wealth, he can promote a good 
 cause : if he can, consistently with other duties, 
 41 
 
James 4. 7-17. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 relieve the distressed, the poor, the prisoner, the 
 oppressed ; if he can send tiie Gospel to other 
 lands, or can wipe away the tear of the mourner ; 
 if he has talents by which he can lift a voice 
 that shall be heard in favor of temperance, 
 chastity, liberty, and religion, he is under obli- 
 gations to do it ; and if, by indolence, or avarice, 
 or selfishness, or tlie dread of the loss of popu- 
 larity, he does not do it, he is guilty of sin be- 
 fore God. — Barnes. To him it is sin— Sins of 
 knowledge are most dangerous. They are more 
 sins than others, as having more malice and con- 
 tempt in them : contempt both of the law of God 
 and his kindness. Sins against knowledge have 
 more of God's vengeance upon them. — Mauton. 
 For a Jew to talk thus, as if there were no God, 
 or as though he took no part In the concerns of 
 life, was to run counter to the central thought of 
 their whole dispensation. A sense of God's near- 
 ness was the one thing which, more than all others, 
 separated the Jews from other races as a chosen 
 people. To abnegate this conviction in common 
 talk was to show a practical apostasy. The Rab- 
 binists also felt this. In Deborim Rahba, § 9, a 
 father, at his son's circumcision, produces wine 
 seven years old, and says : " With this wine will 
 I continue for a long time to celebrate the birth of 
 my new-born son." That night Rabbi Simeon 
 meets the Angel of Death, and asks him " Why he 
 Is wandering about." " Because," said Asrael, " I 
 slay those who say. We will do this or that, and 
 think not how soon death may overtake them. 
 The man who said he would drink that wine often 
 shall die in thirty days."— Farrar. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See Schaff and Farrar, in Lesson II, and also 
 in the following: Stems and Twigs, i, 140 
 Homiletical Monthly, iii, 827. Pulpit Analyst, 
 1, 155. Guthrie's Sunday Magazine, 1, 229. 
 Sermons by T. Chalmers, The Guilt of Calum- 
 ny ; Dr. Barrow, Against Detraction ; Syd- 
 ney Smith, On Slander ; E. Hall, Humility be- 
 fore God ; Bishop Hall, Drawing Nigh to God ; 
 Bishop Suiibridge, On Double-mindedness ; 
 C. G. Finney, True Submission ; Archbishop 
 Trench, Eesisting the Devil ; J. C. Hare, Draw 
 Nigh to God. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustra- 
 tions, [numbers marked with a star refer to 
 poetical illustrations,] ver. 7 . 2522, 11930 ; 
 8: *519, 9403; 9: 5114; *2890, 4153; 14:4711, 
 10269 ; 15 : 9069, 10999 ; 16 : 6870 ; 17 : *947, 
 3504. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the life of faith.] 
 
 1. The life of faith requires submission to the 
 will of God. Ver. 7. 
 
 2. The life of faith requires separation from 
 all that is opposed to God. Ver. 7. 
 
 42 
 
 3. The life of faith has the promise of victory 
 over the arts and attacks of Satan. Ver. 7. 
 
 4. The life of faith brings men nigh to God, 
 and God nigh to them. Ver. 8. 
 
 5. The life of faith demands purity of hfe and 
 singleness of heart. Ver. 8. 
 
 6. The life of faith requires charitableness ia 
 judgments concerning our fellow-men. Ver. 11. 
 
 7. The life of faith requires a self-renouncing 
 trust in God. Vers. 14-16. 
 
 8. The life of faith requires not only knowl- 
 edge of the right, but doing it. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. D. S. MONROE, D.D. 
 
 The life of St. James was itself a beautiful Illus- 
 tration of this text. Though closely related to the 
 Saviour, and called upon to occupy some of the most 
 responsible positions in the early Church, there is 
 not the slightest allusion in his epistle to these 
 great honors, nor the least assumption of superi- 
 ority. How rare are such instances! How fre- 
 quently men elevated to places of power look down 
 upon those by whom they have been favored, and 
 treat as menials their masters ! 
 
 I. Humility is requisite to Christian Disciple- 
 ship. — Said our Saviour, "Whosoever will come 
 after me, let him deny himself, and take up his 
 cross, and come after me." These are the three 
 steps to every true life. As this humility must be 
 in the " sight of the Lord," it must be sincere. 
 
 1. Humility is not humiliation— As Christian 
 discipleship conforms us to the spirit and life of 
 Christ, there can be nothing humUiating connected 
 with it. That spirit is beautiful, noble, true, and 
 holy. 
 
 2. Humility gives its correct views of ourselves. 
 —This is essential to genuine Christian life. How 
 difficult it is to know ourself ! Said Hazael, " Is thy 
 servant a dog that he should do this great thing ? " 
 and yet on the morrow he slew his master. 
 
 3. Humility will fit us the better for true Chris- 
 tian work.— It is while engaged in works of useful- 
 ness among the lowly, the dependent, and the sor- 
 rowful, that the highest elements of character are 
 acquired ; so that while serving others we thought 
 at first our inferiors, we are ourselves strengthened 
 to bear the trials and to meet the demands of dis- 
 cipleship. The moment a man becomes wholly 
 Christ's his exclusiveness vanishes. 
 
 II. Humility is requisite to honorable distinc- 
 tion.— A Greek philosopher having been asked, 
 "What is Jupiter doing?" replied, "Exalting the 
 lowly and abasing the lofty." In that beautiful par- 
 able of the Pharisee and the Publican our Saviour 
 declared, "as the fundamental law of the kingdom 
 of God," " Every one that exalteth himself shall be 
 abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be 
 exalted." 
 
 1. An honorable ambition is commendable.— 
 
 Christianity does not require the surrender of either 
 
 iContinued on page 309.J 
 
Feb. 3, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Acts 15. 35-41 ; 16. 1-10. 
 
 A. D. 51.] 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Paul's Second Missionary Jolknky. — Acts 15. 35-41; 16. 1-10. 
 
 [Feb. 3. 
 
 UOLDE.\ TEXT.— Come over liilo Macedonia, and hi-lp u».— ACTS 16. 9. 
 
 TiMK.— A. D. 51. For rulers, see Lesson 1. 
 
 PLAcra.— Antloch, In Syria; Lystra, la Lycaonla; Troas, In Mysla. See Descriptive Index. 
 
 CONNKCTi.vd Links.- (1) Tlie report of Paul and Barnabas.. Acts 14. 12. (-i) The address of Jamea. 
 Acts 14. i;J-ai. (3) The letter to the Churches. Acta 14. i^a-i^lt. (4) The return to Antioch. Acts 14. 30-a4. 
 (5) Peter's visit to Antioch, and his rebuke by Paul. Gal. 2. 11-14. 
 
 INTRODICTION.— Paul now, with a companionship ready to second his own heroic spirit, starting from 
 Antioch, revisits his four posts of Christianity in Asia Minor, and then for awliile pauses, soon to plume 
 himself for a bolder tli^lit. He starts forth thence, Splrlt-Kulded, and Unds his way to the Hellespont, 
 dividing.' the continents, and crosses over into Europe. He plauta tlie flrst linown Church In Europe. 
 PluUi'pi, in MacciUmio, enjoys that Imperishable precedence. Tlience, cutting through southern 
 (Jreece, he visits Atlunn, the home of ancient classic genius, and Corintli, the abode of the most volup- 
 tuous Grecian rellnement. Thence returning, passing through Ephesus, he rallies bacli to the center 
 whence he tooli his first commission, and his second starting-point, Aiitkicli. Chap. lt<. Zi.—D. D. Wh^ 
 don. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 35 Paul 'also and Bar'na-bas contin- 
 ued in An'ti-ocli, teaching and preach- 
 ing the word of the Lord, with many 
 others also. 
 
 36 And some days after, Paul said 
 unto iiar'na-bas, Let us go again and 
 visit our Ijrethren 'in every city where 
 we have preached the word of the Lord, 
 and see how they do. 
 
 'Chap. 13. 1. »Chap. 14. 1 
 
 35. Paul also and Barnabas — Ilavini^ re- 
 turned from the eonfirence at Jerusalem named 
 in Lesson I. Continued — There is nothing to 
 indicate how lonfr, l)Ut the time mast have been 
 short, from the ne.\t verse. Perliaps (?) during 
 this time took place that visit of Peter to Anti- 
 och mentioned Gal. 2. 11, ./f., when he sacrificed 
 his Cliristian consistency and better persua.sions 
 to please some Judaizers; and even Barnabas 
 was led away with the dissimulation. On this 
 occasion Paul boldly rebuked him. — Alford. 
 Antiocli — If the map be consulted it will be 
 Been that Antioch is situated nearly in the angle 
 where the coast-line of Cilicia, running eastward, 
 and that of Palestine, extending northward, are 
 brought to an abrupt meeting. By its harbor 
 of Seleucia Antioch was in communication with 
 all the trade of the Mediterranean ; and through 
 the open country beliind the Lebanon it could 
 be conveniently approached by the caravans of 
 Mesopotjunia and Arabia. Tliere was, in fact, 
 every thing in the situation and circumstances 
 of the city to render it a place of most miscella- 
 neouB concourse; and in the timeof theapo.stlcs 
 it was an Oriental Rome, in which all the forms 
 
 Eevised Version. 
 
 35 But Paul and Bar'na-lias tarried in 
 An'ti-och, teaching and preaciiing 
 the word of the Lord, with many 
 others also. 
 
 36 And after some days Paul said 
 unto Bar'na-bas, Let us return now 
 and visit the brethren in every city 
 wherein we proclaimed the word of 
 the Loi'd, and see liow they faro. 
 
 of civilized life in the empire found some repre- 
 sentative.— /uVdo. Teaching and preaching 
 — Teacliing the Christian disciples ; preaching, 
 as heralds, the Gospel to those that knew it not. 
 This is the twofold function of the ministry. — 
 L. Abbott. "With many others — Among these 
 we may fairly reckon the propliets of chap. 13. 1. 
 Looking to the later history of the Chirreh of 
 Antioch, it is not improbable that we may think 
 also of the martyr Ignatius, and Euodius, after- 
 ward Bishop of Antioch, as among those who 
 were thus active, though they were not promi- 
 nent enough, when Luke wrote, to be specially 
 named.— J?. Il.Phnnptre. 
 
 36. Visit our brethren — Paul had no further 
 thought in starting out than to visit the Churches 
 already established in the field previously vis- 
 ited by Barnabas and himself From place to 
 place, and definitely from Asia to Europe, he 
 was led by the Holy Spirit; and, as he was di- 
 rected, he went.— tX O. Butler. "Where wo 
 have preached — In Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pi- 
 sidia, and Lycaonia, during the first missionary 
 tour. How they do— We may well believe 
 that it was u dcbiic to know, not only the gen- 
 4S 
 
Acts 15, 35-41; 16. 1-10. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 37 And Bar'na-bas determined to take 
 witli them ^John, whose surname was 
 Mark. 
 
 38 But Paul thought not good to 
 take him with them, ^who departed 
 from them from Pam-phyl'i-a, and went 
 not with them to the work. 
 
 39 And the contention was so sharp 
 between tliem, that they departed asun- 
 der one from the other : and so Bar'na- 
 bas took Mark, and sailed unto Cy'prus ; 
 
 €ral condition of the Churches, but the spiritual 
 growtli of each individual member. — Plumptre. 
 Having been in winter quarters long enough, 
 he is for taking the field again, and making an- 
 other campaign, in a vigorous prosecution of this 
 holy war against Satan's lungdom.— ilf. Henry. 
 
 37. Barnabas determined [Rev. Ver., was 
 minded] to take with them— Barnabas, who 
 had just before himself yielded to Peter's wrong 
 example, could more readily overlook Mark's 
 weakness. His love, too, to his young kinsman, 
 who had now returned from Jerusalem ready 
 for toil, and his strong desire to have Mark 
 permanently engaged in Christian work, joined 
 possibly witli some remaining vigor of the old 
 lattiire^ led him to persist to the point of entire 
 separation from Paul.— t/". (?. Butler. John, 
 •whose surname was Mark — He was the son 
 of Mary of Jerusalem, the sister of Barnabas, at 
 whose house the prayer-meeting was held while 
 Peter was in prison, (Acts 12. 12,) and accom- 
 panied Barnabas and Paul on the first journey ; 
 but abandoned them at Cyprus. Afterward he 
 regained the favor of Paul, and received his 
 commendation in 2 Tim. 4. 11. He was the 
 author of the second gospel. 
 
 38. Paul thought not good— The form of 
 this verse, as literally rendered from the Greek, 
 is : Bui Paul thought proper^ (as to) one who had 
 /alien off from them from Pamphylia, and had 
 not gone with them to the work., not to take with 
 them that man. We may well believe that Paul's 
 own mouth gave originally the character to the 
 sentence.— 4//orf/. The term designates a moral 
 judgment : He does not deserve that we should 
 take him with us ; he has made himself unwor- 
 thy of it." — Lechler. Departed from them 
 [Rev. Ver., Withdreiv from. <//«»]— Mark's fault 
 is unreliability, desertion from the post where 
 he was invited and needed. — D. I). Whedon. At 
 Pamphylia— On the southern shore of Asia 
 Minor. See Acts 13. 13. Went not with them 
 
 Revised Version, 
 
 37 And Bar'na-bas was minded to take 
 with them John also, who was called 
 
 38 Mark. But Paul thought not good 
 to take with them him who with- 
 drew from tliem from Pam-phyl'i-a, 
 and went not with them to the work. 
 
 39 And there arose a sharp contention, 
 so that they parted asunder one from 
 the other, and Bar'na-bas took Mark 
 with him, and sailed away unto 
 
 — There was a "severe earnestness" about Paul, 
 a sort of intense whole-heartedness, which could 
 make no allowance whatever for one who, at 
 the very point at which dangers began to thick- 
 en, deserted a great and sacred work. — Farrar. 
 Paul sought justice, Barnabas courtesy. — Ohrys- 
 ostom. 
 
 39. And the contention was so sharp [Rev. 
 Ver., There arose a sharp contention.'] — The orig- 
 inal indicates bitterness in the controversy, and 
 implies blame on both sides. — L. Abbott. Excess 
 of sharpness was perhaps the only thing really 
 wrong. They acted respectively according to 
 their several gifts. — W. Jacobson. The sum total 
 of the facts, as he states them, combined with facts 
 elsewhere learned, produce the impression that 
 Barnabas acted from personal affection to a rela- 
 tive ; Paul from a regard to the apparent right and 
 the good of the enterprise. He takes his nephew 
 and flies off the track, leaving Paul to select a 
 new colleague, instead of Barnabas, in Silas, a 
 new minister, instead of Mark and Tunotliy. He 
 goes unblest of the Church, even his own Anti- 
 och, leaving Paul and his chosen to i-eceive its 
 commendation to the grace of God. — D. D. Whe- 
 don. [With regard to the " commendation," see 
 note on the next verse.] They departed [Rev. 
 Ver., farted] asunder — We cannot, however, 
 suppose that Paul and Barnabas parted like ene- 
 mies, in auger and hatred. It is very likely that 
 they made a deliberate and amicable arrangement 
 to divide the region of their first mission between 
 them, Paul taking the continental, and Barnabas 
 the insular, part of the proposed visitation. Of 
 this, at least, we are certain, that the quarrel was 
 overruled by divine Providence to a good result. 
 One stream of missionary labor had lieeu divided, 
 and the regions blessed by the waters of life were 
 proportionally multiplied. — Lechler. Barnabas 
 took Mark — An abruptness of leaving indicat- 
 ing passion. He loses the honor of bearing the 
 banner of the cross with Paul into Europe. 
 
Fki5, 3, 18!^ 4. 
 
 LESSON V 
 
 Acts 15. 35-41; 1(3. 1-10. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 40 And Paul cliose Si'las, and de- 
 parted, being reconiinendtd by tlie 
 brctliren unto the grace of God. 
 
 41 And lio went tlirougb Syr'i-a and 
 Ci-li'ci-a, confirming tlie cluirches. 
 
 1 Tlicn eauie he to 'Der'bc aud Lys'- 
 
 • Chap. U. 6. 
 
 Bamubas heneeforlh di.-^iippL'urs Irom all authen- 
 tic history, being mentioned by Paul alone, 
 1 Cor. 9. 6. As it was to bis native Cyprus he 
 went with his young relative, in Cyprus be sccm.s 
 to have remained. Very possibly the quietude 
 of approaching age had .some influence in sepa- 
 Ritiiig him from the young and too active Paul, 
 begeuds alone pretend to relate his subsequent 
 lite and his martyrdom in Cyprus. xVn epi.stle 
 early as the second century bears his name, but 
 is neither wortliy of his fiune nor accepted as in- 
 disputably genuine by the early Church. — D. D. 
 ]\'/i€Jon. Murk, who is afterward found walk- 
 ing in the riglit way, (Col. 4. 10,) may have, on 
 the one hand, been deeply humbled by the rigor 
 of Paul, and on the other comforted and encour- 
 nired by the indulgent love of Barnaba.s. The 
 one was as necessary to him as the other. — 
 Iiuger. Sailed into Cyprus — Tlie i-sland in 
 the north-east corner of the Mediterranean from 
 ^^ hich Barnabas had originally come. Acts 4. 36. 
 "Wliile we have no record of the labors of Barna- 
 bas and ilark in Cyprus, (as wo have none of 
 the many other laborers — apostles and disciples,) 
 the ultimate marked success of tlie Gospel in 
 Cyprus may justly be attributed, in great part, 
 to their liiithful and efficient ministry.— e/. G. 
 BuUer. 
 
 We must o^vn it was their innrmity, and is re- 
 corded for our admonition ; not that we must make 
 use of it to excuse our own intemperate heats 
 and passions, or to rebate the edj^e of our sorrow 
 and shame for them ; we must not say, What if I 
 \cas in a passion, were not Paul and IJarnabas so? 
 Ko ; but it must check our censures of others, and 
 moderate them.— J/, llciu-y. 
 
 Nothing should alienate us from one another 
 but that which alienates us from God. — Dr. 
 JMiWicotc. 
 
 40. Paul chose Silas— Silas was in every re- 
 spect qualified to be the companion of Paul. He 
 was one of the deputies sent from Jeru.saleni to 
 Antioch; he was highly esteemed by the apos- 
 tles, and he could from personal knowledge tes- 
 tify to the agreement in doctrine between Paul 
 and the original apostles, being himself present 
 at the Counril of Jerusalem. — (rloar/. Being 
 recommended by tlie brethren — This obvi- 
 
 Beviscd Version. 
 
 40 Cy'prus; but Paul cliose Si'las, and 
 Went forth, being commended by the 
 brethren to the grace of tiie Lord. 
 
 41 And lie went tlirougli Syr'i-a aud Ci- 
 li'ci-a, confirming the cluirches. 
 
 16 And he came also to Der'be and to 
 
 ou-sly implied a full gathering of the Church> 
 and a special service of prayer on the departure of 
 the two apostles. Silas, as thus scut forth by the 
 Church, might now claim that title no less than 
 Barnabiis. — £. H. Pluviptre. It does not follow 
 from the historian's silence that Barnabas was 
 not 80 reconunended too ; for this is the la.st men- 
 tion of Barnabas in the history whose whole ob- 
 ject now is to relate the proceedings of Paul. — 
 D. Brown. 
 
 Both persisted, and both suffered. Paul went 
 his way, and many a time, in the stormy and agi- 
 tated days which followed, must he have sorely 
 missed, amid the provoking of all men and the 
 strife of tongues, the repose and generosity which 
 breathed through the life and character of the Soa 
 of E.xhortation. Barnabas went his way, and, dis- 
 severed from the grandeur and vehemence of 
 Paul, passed into comparative obscurity, in which, 
 so far from sharing the immortal gratitude wliich 
 embalms the memory of his colleague, his name 
 is never heard again except in the isolated allu- 
 sions of the letters of his friend.— Fa/var. 
 
 41. Syria and Cilicia — The Churches visited 
 in Syria would possibly include those in and 
 about Damascus. In the sketch of his journey 
 which follows we have no other indications to 
 guide us than the mountain passes and some re- 
 mains of ancient Roman roads. From these in- 
 dications we judge that he crossed Mt. Ainanus, 
 the natural boundary between Syria aud Cilicia, 
 by the gorge anciently called the Syrian Gate, 
 now known as the Beilan Pass. In Cilicia, 
 whatever other Churches he visited, he probably 
 did not omit that which had been almost certain- 
 ly established by his labors in his native city of 
 "Tarsus. Thence he must have crossed Mt. 
 Taurus into the province of Lycaonia, probably 
 through the great fissure known in ancient days 
 as the Cilician Gates, a gorge extending, from 
 north to soutli, a distance of some 80 miles. — 
 L. Abhoft. 
 
 1. Came he— Paul is now viewed by Luke as 
 t}w man, Silas as his second, and Timothy will 
 soon be his minister, as Jolin Mark was once in- 
 vited to be.— Whedon. Derbe and Lystra^-The 
 site of botli towns is uncertain. Lystra was un- 
 doubtedly in the eastern part of the great plain 
 of Lycaonia, and there are very strong 
 
 45 
 
Acts 15. 35-41; 16. 1-10. LESSON" V. 
 
 First Quartkr. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 tra, and, behold, a certain disciple was 
 there, * named Ti-nio'the-us, (the son of 
 a certain woman, which was a Jewess, 
 and believed, but his father was a 
 Greek ;) 
 
 2 Wliich ' was well reported of by the 
 brethren that were at Lys'tra and I-co'- 
 ni-um. 
 
 3 Him would Paul have to go forth 
 
 »Chap. 19. n- Rom. 16. 21; 
 3. 2; 1 Tim. 1. 2; 2 Tim. 
 
 1 Cor. 4. n ; Phil. 
 1.2. IChap. 6.3 
 
 ^•i!^. 
 
 Thess. 
 3. 15. 
 
 for identifying its site with the ruins called Bin- 
 bir-Kilisseh, at the base of a conical mountain 
 of volcanic structure, named the Karadaph. 
 Derbe was in the eastern part of the great upland 
 plain of Lycaonia, somewhere near the place 
 where the pass called the Ciliciau Gates opened 
 a way from the low plain of Cilicia to the table- 
 land of the interior ; and probably it was a stage 
 upon the great road which passed this way.— Z. 
 Abbott. This was the soil which Paul had 
 moistened with his l5lood, (chap. 14. 19 ;) but how 
 abundant were those fruits of his sufferings 
 which God afterward enabled him to witness 
 with joy ! He here linds a number of disciples, 
 when he revisits the spot, and among them his 
 own Timotheus — the trophies of his sufferings, 
 the seals of his apostleship. — Brandt. A cer- 
 tain disciple was there— That is, at Lystra. 
 The language of chap. 20. 4, does not imply that 
 Timothy came from Derbe, rather the reverse. 
 He had probably been converted at Paul's pre- 
 vious visit to Lystra. His mother's name was 
 Eunice, his grandmother's name Lois, (2 Tim. 
 1. 5;) they were both Christians, probably hav- 
 ing been converted at Paul's previous visit. 
 Prom childhood he had been instructed in the 
 Jewish Scriptures (2 Tim. 3. 15) at home, for 
 there is no indication of any synagogue at Lys- 
 tra. A Jewess, and believed— A Jewess by 
 birth and education; a Christian believer by 
 personal conviction.— Z. Abbott. His father 
 was a Greek— There is no indication whatever 
 here found that the latter had embraced the 
 Christian religion ; it may, on the contrary, be 
 inferred from the words that he was still a pa- 
 gan at that time, and that he had neither be- 
 come a Jewish proselyte nor been converted to 
 Christ. — Lechler. 
 
 Dr. Spencer tells us that out of the two hundred 
 and thirty-flve hopeful converts in his church one 
 hundred and thlrty-elglit were under twenty years, 
 only four had passed their fiftieth year. I have 
 been permitted during my ministry to receive 
 nearly one thousand persons into the Church on 
 
 46 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 Lys'tra: and behold, a certain dis- 
 ciple was there, named Tim'o-thy, the 
 son of a Jew'ess which believed; but 
 
 3 his fatlier was a Greek. The same 
 was well reported of by the brethren 
 that were at Lys'tra and I-co'ni-um. 
 
 3 Him would Paul have to go forth with 
 
 confession of their faith, and not one dozen of 
 these had outgrown their fiftieth year. I did, in- 
 deed, once baptize a veteran of eighty-five, but 
 the case was so remarkable that it excited the talk 
 and wonder of the town. Such late repentances 
 are too much like what the blunt dying soldier 
 called "flinging the fag-end of one's life into the 
 face of the Almighty.— T. L. Cuyler. 
 
 2. "Well reported— Some of these testhno- 
 nies were probably intimations of the Spirit re- 
 specting his fitness for the work, for Paul speaks 
 (1 Tim. 1. 18) of " the prophecies which went 
 before on thee." See chap. 13. 1, 3. He was 
 set apart for the work by the laying on of the 
 hands of Paul and of the presbytery, (1 Tim. 4. 
 14 ; 2 Tim. 1. 6,) after he had made a good con- 
 fession before many witnesses. 1 Tim. 6. 12. — 
 Alford. Paul himself observeth the like man- 
 ner of choice, as he prescribes elsewhere to be 
 observed in the appointment of ministers.— Ca^- 
 vm. The two epistles written by Paul to Tim- 
 othy contain indications of his character; he 
 was not robust, (1 Tim. 5. 23,) naturally shrank 
 from opposition and responsibility, (1 Tim. 4. 
 12-16; 5. 20; 6. 11-14; 2 Tim. 2. 1-7,) was ten- 
 der and sensitive, (2 Tim. 1. 4,) and devout and 
 earnestly consecrated to the service of God — this 
 last being indicated by his abandonment of his 
 home to accompany the apostle and by his sub- 
 mission to the rite of circumcision. — Z. Abbott. 
 The brethren — Showing that the earlier work 
 of Paul had not been in vain. There were or- 
 ganized Churches, having relations of brother- 
 hood with each other, and recognizing the unity 
 of the Gospel. Iconium was between ten and 
 twenty miles from Lystra. 
 
 3. Him would Paul have — To accompany 
 himself as attendant and courier in place of the 
 rejected Mark. His double connection with the 
 Jews by the mother's side, and with the Gentiles 
 by the father's, would strike the apostle as a pe- 
 culiar qualification for his own sphere of labor. — 
 D. Broivn. So far as appears, Timothy is the 
 first Gentile who, after his conversion, comes 
 
Feb. 3, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. Acts 15. 35-41; 16. 1-10. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 with him: and 'took and circumcised 
 Inm because of the Jews wliich were in 
 tliose quarters; tor tliey knew all that 
 his father was a Greek. 
 
 4 And as tliey went throu^^ii the cities 
 they delivered them the decrees for to 
 keep, that 'were ordained of the apos- 
 tles and eiders vvliich were at Je-ru'sa- 
 lem. 
 
 5 And '"so were the churches estah- 
 lislieti in the faitii, and increased in 
 nil miter daily. 
 
 6 Now wlien they had gone tlirough- 
 
 before us as a regular niissiouary, for what is 
 said of Titus (Gal. 2. 3) refers to a later perioil. 
 — Wiesinger. Circumcised him — Paul had 
 two sufficient reasons for cirouiucisinu: Timothy 
 before inducting him into the ministry : the 
 chief one was that as a« uncircumcised Jew Tim- 
 othy could not be admitted into the syniVgo<,'ues 
 nor listened to with respect by the unconvertetl 
 Jews. Besides this positive necessity, no prin- 
 ciple was compromised in the case of Timothy. 
 Further, Paul was willinor to avail himself of 
 tills opportunity (as he did of one other, Act 21) 
 practically to correct certain misrepresentations 
 that his enemies had made against him — the 
 same that had lieen made against the Master- 
 that he had despised and blasphemed the law of 
 Moses. And it is to be noted that Paul's refusal 
 to circumcise Titus while at Jerusalem (Gal. 2. 
 3-5) was perfectly consistent with liis action 
 here ; for Titus was a Greek, a heathen born, 
 with no claim to the Jewish rite or privilege. 
 Those who demanded his circumcision tlid it 
 upon the e.vpress grounds that the Gentiles 
 mu.st become Jews before they could become 
 Christians, that the burden of ceremonials must 
 be assumed, and especially circumcision, as an 
 essential condition of ."^alvation. — J. G. Butler. 
 Because of the Jews- Not from fear of them, 
 but in order not to prevent his own usefulness 
 among them, when, by conceding a point where 
 no principle was at stake, he could gain their 
 favor. 
 
 4. As they vtrent through the cities — 
 Iconium, and perhaps Antioch, in Pisidia. He 
 might at Iconium see the elders of the Church 
 of Antioch as he did afterward those of Ephesus 
 at Miletus. If he went to Antiocii, he might re- 
 gain ills route into Phrygiaand Galatia by cross- 
 ing the liills east of that c\ty .— Al ford. The 
 decrees — The word rendered " decrees " in 
 
 Be vised Version. 
 
 him; and he took and circumcised 
 him because of tiie Jews that were in 
 those parts : for they all knew that his 
 
 4 fiitlier was a Greek. And as they 
 went on their way tlirougli the cities, 
 tliey delivered tiiem the (itcrecs for 
 to keep, whicli had been ordained of 
 tlie apostles and elders that were at 
 
 5 Je-ru'sa-lcm. So the churches were 
 strengthened in the faitii, and in- 
 creased in number daily. 
 
 6 And they went through the region 
 
 classical Greek signifies, first an opinion, then a 
 public resolution, finally an authoritative gov- 
 ernmental decree, in which sense it is ordinari- 
 ly used in the New Testament. Luke 2. 1 ; Acts 
 17. 7. Nothing more, however, is necessarily 
 indicated here than that Paul and .Silas reported 
 to the Christiim Churches tire judgment or opin- 
 ion of the Church at Jerusalem as embodied in 
 their public resolution, to which, confirmed as it 
 was by the unanimous agreement of the life- 
 companions of their Lord, Gentile Christians 
 would naturally yield a ready compliance. That 
 it was not regarded by Paul as a law of perma- 
 nent obligation is evident from his language 
 subsequently to the Corinthians. 1 Cor. 8; 
 comp. liorn. 14. 14.— Z. Abholt. Ordained of 
 the apostles — See Lesson I. 
 
 5. And so — Therefore., both because peace 
 was secured between the Jewish and Gentile eon- 
 verts, and also because both were taught to rest 
 their hopes, not upon rites and ceremonies, the 
 righteousness that is of tlie law, but upon the 
 mercy of God through Jesus Christ. —Z. Abbott. 
 Established . . . and increased — Converts 
 already made rejoiced in the relief given by the 
 determinations of the council ; and Gentiles 
 would no longer be deterred by apprehen- 
 sion of havini; to take upon themselves the 
 yoke of the Mosaic Law. — W. Jncobson. A rare 
 increase— in numbers and, at the same time, in 
 the measure of faith. — Bengel. 
 
 6. Had gone throughout — Our historian 
 here pjisses hastily, and with large omissions, 
 over an extensive ground of work and travel. The 
 reason, we think, is, Jlrst, that Luke believed he 
 had given a sufficient specimen of the Asiatic 
 work in the former missionary tour; and, second, 
 narrating, as we have maintained, the Gentiiizing 
 of the Church down to its establishment in Rome, 
 he recognizes the need of brevity in the eastern 
 
Acts 15, 85-41; 16. 1-10. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 out Pliryg'i-a and the region of Ga-la'- 
 ti-a, and were forbidden of the Holy 
 Ghost to preach the word in A'si-a, 
 
 7 After they were come to My'si-a 
 they assayed to go into Bi-thyn'i-a ; but 
 the Spirit suffered them not. 
 
 8 And they passing by My'si-a came 
 down to "Tro'as. 
 
 ! Col. 2. 15; 2 Tim. 
 
 field, and wisely hastens to the transit into 
 Europe. There he forthwith deals in minute 
 
 and full pictures. — Whedon. Phrygia 
 — The great central space of Asia Minor, yet re- 
 taining the name of its earliest inhabitants, and, 
 on account of its being politically subdivided 
 among the contiguous provinces, impossible to 
 define accurately. Galatia— The midland dis- 
 trict, known as Galatia, or Gallo-Gr£ecia, was 
 inhabited by the descendants of those Gauls who 
 invaded Greece and Asia in the third century 
 B. C, and after various incursions and wars, 
 settled and became mi.xed with the Greeks in 
 the center of Asia Minor. They were known as 
 a brave and freedom-loving people, fond of war, 
 and, either on their own or others' account, al- 
 most always in arms, and generally as cavalry. 
 — Alford. The incidental reference to this 
 journey in Gal. 4. 13-15, enables us to fill up 
 Luke's outline. Paul seems to have been de- 
 tained in Galatia by severe illness, probably by 
 cue of the attacks of acute pain in the nerves of 
 the eye in which many writers liave seen an ex- 
 planation of the mysterious " thorn in the flesh " 
 of 2 Cor. 12. 7, which led to his giving a longer 
 time to his missionary work there than he had 
 at first intended. In this illness the Galatians 
 had shown themselves singularly devoted to him. 
 They had received him "as an angel of God, 
 even as Christ Jesus." They had not shrunk 
 from what would seem to have been repulsive in 
 the malady from which he suffered; they would 
 have "plucked out their own eyes," had it 
 48 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 of Phry-gi'a and Gal-a'ti-a, having been 
 forbidden of the Holy Ghost to speak 
 
 7 the word in A'si-a ; and when they were 
 come over against My'si-a, they as- 
 sayed to go into Bi-thyn'i-a; and the 
 Spirit of Jesus suffered tliemnot; and 
 passing by My'si-a, they came down to 
 
 been possible ; and given them to replace those 
 which were to him the cause of so much suffer- 
 ing. — Plumptre. Forbidden of the Holy- 
 Ghost — How forbidden, whether by some special 
 providence, or by the direct communication of 
 the Spirit, is not indicated. — L. Abbott. In. 
 Asia— The Asia of the Acts is not even our Asia 
 Minor, which name is not used till the fourth 
 century A. D., but only a portion of the western 
 coast of that great peninsula. This, which was 
 the Roman province o/Asia—Xsla. Proper — as 
 spoken of in the Acts, includes only Mysia, Ly- 
 dia, and Caria, excluding Phrygia. — Alford. 
 
 7. Came to Mysia — He had arrived, ap- 
 parently, at the point where the corners of 
 Phrygia, Mysia, and Bithynia meet. Mysia 
 — A province sometimes regarded as included 
 in Asia. Like Phrygia, the term is used to 
 designate a people rather than a political divis - 
 ion. Bithynia— This province borders on the 
 Eu.xine or Black Sea, embracing the northern- 
 most portion of Asia Minor, and extending from 
 the Black Sea on the east to the Bosphorus on 
 the west. Bithynia and Mysia are mentioned 
 in the N. T. only.— i. Abbott. The Spirit 
 [Kev. Ver., Spirit of Jesus.]— 'Ih<i better MSS. 
 and Versions give the reading, "the Spirit of 
 Jesus," which is of some dogmatic impoitance, 
 as confirming the doctrine that the Spirit stands 
 in the same relation to the Son as to the Father, 
 and may therefore be spoken of either as the Spirit 
 of God, or of Christ, (Eom. 8. 9,) or of Jesus.— 
 Plumptre. The Spirit of the glorified Re- 
 deemer, who truly lives and reigns, directly 
 interposed on this occasion, where the Gospel 
 was to be carried beyond the confines of one 
 quarter of the globe, and brought to Europe.— 
 Lechler. 
 
 8. Came down to Troas— Their travels had 
 at last led them to the coast, and they looked 
 out upon the waters of the iEgeau. The town 
 of Alexandria Troas, at this time reckoned as a 
 Eoman colony and a free city, recalls to our 
 memories, without entering into vexed questions 
 as to its identity with the site of the older Troy, 
 
Feb. 3, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Acts 15. 35-41; 16.1-10. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 9 And a '^vision apiteaied to Paul in 
 the niijfht: 'I'lifie stoDtl a man of Mac-e- 
 do'ni-a, and prayed him, sayiiij,', Come 
 over into Mac-e-do'ni-a, and help us. 
 
 lU And after he liad seen the vision, 
 imMie<liatelv we endeavoured to '-'go 
 into Mac-e-do'ni-a, assuredly gathering 
 that the Lord liad called us for to preach 
 the gospel unto them. 
 
 x.NuiD. l-i. <; ch> 
 
 Eccl. 
 
 lu; 
 
 the itrrent )>oeiii «\' Ihiiiier wliich tells us the tule 
 of Ilium. To Piuil tiiat poem was probably un- 
 known, and had it been otherwise, the associa- 
 tions connected with it would have had no 
 charms for him. The question which must 
 have occupied all his thoughts was, where he 
 was next to proclaim the glad tidings of the 
 Christ, and of tbrgiveness and peace through 
 him. That question, we may well believe, ex- 
 pressed itself in prayer, and to that prayer the 
 vision of the ne.xt verse was an answer. — E. II. 
 Bumptr,. 
 
 9. A vision appeared— Stretching his eye 
 across the .ilgean Sua, from Troas on the north- 
 east to the Macedonian hills visible on the 
 nortli-west, the apostle could hardly fail to think 
 this the destined scene of his future labors ; and 
 if he retired to rest with this thought he would 
 be thoroughly prepared for tlie remarkable inti- 
 mation of the divine will now to be triveu him. 
 This visional Macedonian discovered himself by 
 what he said. But it was a cry, not of conscious 
 desire for the Gospel, but of deep need of it and 
 unconscious preparedness to receive it, not only 
 in that rt^gion, but, we may well say, through- 
 out all the Western Empire which Macedonia 
 might be said to represent. — D. Brown. The 
 vision seems to have appeared in the same way as 
 that sent to Peter in chajj. 10. It was an unreal 
 apparition, designed to convey a practical mean- 
 ing. The context precludes our undei-standing 
 it as a dream.— Alford. A man of Macedonia 
 — Known probably by the affecting words spoken 
 by him. There would hardly be any peculiarity 
 of dress by which a Macedonian could be recog- 
 nized. — Alford. Come over . . . and help us 
 — This vision is still perpetuated. The cry of 
 humanity in its sense of need — its guilt and 
 wretchedness, its helpless, hopeless despair — is 
 still sounding now from east to west, as then 
 from west to east. It comes from every heathen 
 continent, and from the many islands, to the 
 Church of every religion, and to the Christian 
 of every name. — /. G. Butler. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 9 Tro'as. And a vision appeared to 
 Paul in the night ; There was a man 
 of Mac-e-do'ni-a standing, beseeching 
 liim, and saying, Come over into 
 
 10 Mac-e-do'ni-a, and iielp us. And when 
 lie had seen the vision, straiglitway 
 we sought to go forth into Mac-e- 
 do'ni-a, concluding that God liad 
 called us for to preach the gospel 
 unto them. 
 
 Faithful servants of Jesus walk as in the pres- 
 ence of (iod continually, by night as well as by 
 day, and conform to his will; when they awake 
 they are still with him. Psa. 139. \».—Bramlt. 
 10. After he had seen — Paul must have 
 consulted his companions as to the purjvirt of the 
 vision. — 11'. Jacobson. "We endeavored — 
 This change in the pronoun is the simple, quiet 
 intimation that at and from Troas the narrator 
 became the companion of Paul. This was just 
 after the sojourn in Galatia, where sickness had 
 detained the apostle, (Gal. 4. 13 ;) and it has been 
 thought not unlikely that the beloved physician, 
 being found resident at Troas, was consulted by 
 Paul about his health. From this point the 
 narrative becomes more circumstantial. — W. 
 Jacobson. Macedonia — The Koman province 
 of Macedonia comprised Macedonia pi'oper, Epi- 
 rus, Thessaly, and part of lllyricum.— 6^^^^. 
 The Lord had called us for to preach— This 
 IIS indicates that Luke was not only " the be- 
 loved physician," and Paul's " fellow-laborer," 
 and the most eminent historian of Christ and 
 the Church, but that he was called for to preach," 
 and so was a minister of the word. — Z>. Z>. 
 iVhedon. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See on Lesson I, and also Conybeare and 
 Howson, chap. 8. Farrar's St. Paul, book vi, 
 chap. 24. Schaflf's History of Apostolic Church, 
 p. 260. Keble's Christian Year. Stems and 
 Twigs, i, 116. Sermons by Monday Club, 1877, 
 270. Dean Melville's Sermons, ii, 351. See also 
 Lesson Helps for 1877, Third Quarter. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical volumes,] ver. 36-39 : 
 *3735 ; 39 : 1021, 7469 ; 3 : 4278 ; 6 : 7961 ; 6-10 ; 
 *3725 ; 9 : 8040, 10586 ; 10 : 8741, 4781. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [workers for CHRIST.] 
 
 1. Workers for Christ feel a deep interest in 
 the spiritual state of the Churches which they 
 have founded. Ver. 86. 
 
 49 
 
Acts 15. 35-41; 16. 1-10. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 FiEST Quarter. 
 
 2. Workers for Christ may have serious dif- 
 ferences with each other, while whole-hearted 
 in their love for Christ. Vers. 37-39. 
 
 3. Workers for Christ should not allow their 
 own differences to interfere with their labor in 
 the Gospel. "Vers. 40, 41. 
 
 4. Workers for Christ need companionship 
 and fellowsliip in their ^oil. Vers. 40, 41. 
 
 6. The Christian home is the best school for 
 training workers for Christ. Vers. 1-3. 
 
 6. Workers for Christ should seek to follow 
 the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Vers. 6, T. 
 
 7. Workers for Christ find the hearts of men 
 eager for salvation. Vers. 9, 10. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. 0. H. TIFFANY, D.D. 
 
 The oflSce of ministering is of so great importance 
 that caution has always been exercised in the selec- 
 tion of those who are to fulfill its duties. 
 
 Gen. 18. 19, " For I know him, that he will com- 
 mand his children and his household after him, and 
 they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice 
 and judgment ; that the Lord may bring upon Abra- 
 ham that which he hath spoken of him," shows that 
 in selecting a priest for a household care was taken 
 to know his qualifications. 
 
 Num. 17. 8, " And it came to pass, that on the 
 morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness ; 
 and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi 
 was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed 
 blossoms, and yielded almonds," shows that in 
 choosing a priest for a nation care was taken to se- 
 lect one whose ministry should be vigorous, full of 
 life and beauty and f ruitf ulness. 
 
 Matt. 10. 1-5, " And when he had called unto him 
 his twelve disciples, he gave them power against 
 unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all 
 mannerof sickness, and all mannerof disease Now 
 the names of the tv^elve apostles are these, The 
 
 first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his 
 brother ; James the son of Zebedee, and John his 
 brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and 
 Matthew the publican ; James the son of Alpheus, 
 and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus ; Simon 
 the Canaanite, and Juda* Iscariot, who also be- 
 trayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and 
 commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of 
 the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans 
 enter ye not," show that Christ personally selected 
 the twelve. 
 
 Acts 26. 16, " But rise, and stand upon thy feet : 
 for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to 
 make thee a minister and a witness both of these 
 things which thou hast seen, and of those things In 
 the which I will appear unto thee," shows that he 
 re-appeared after his ascension to fill the vacancy 
 created by the tragic end of Judas. 
 
 Acts 6. 3, " Wherefore, brethren, look ye out 
 among you seven men of honest report, full of the 
 Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint 
 over this business," gives the qualifications neces- 
 sary for those who were to fill even the secular 
 places in the economy of the infant Church. 
 
 In the incident before us we see that in exercis- 
 ing this care a difference of opinion arose which 
 led to a separation of friends and an abandonment 
 of previously arranged plans. 
 
 We are thus warned against the danger of allow- 
 ing personal feeling to influence so important a 
 decision. 
 
 Barnabas desired to select " his sister's son ; "— 
 the evils of nepotism have been seen in many 
 branches of the Church. 
 
 Paul was influenced, by a previous disappoint- 
 ment, to believe in the impossibility of future use- 
 fulness from one who had once failed him. 
 
 Both are probably in error. 
 
 Barnabas' nephew may not have possessed the 
 necessary fortitude for this proposed missionary 
 expedition; but Paul, afterward, called him "fel- 
 low-laboier," (Phlle lu '..'l ) and " profitable for th9 
 ministry." 2 Tin 
 
 Interior of Oriental Hou 
 
Fei?. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Acts 1G. 11-24. 
 
 A. D. 52.] 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 The Conversiun ok Lyuia. — Acts 16. 11-24. 
 
 [Feb. 10. 
 
 GOLDE.V TEXT.— WhOMe heart llif Lord o|ieiii-d, that she attended unto the thingH which were 
 Npoken ofPoul.— ACTS 16. 1-1. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 52, directly followiuR thu I'veuts of tlie last lesaoa. For rulers, see Lesson I. 
 
 Place.— I'lillippi. Ill Macedonia. See Descriptive Index. 
 
 I.NTRODLCTiox.— These four men go on txmrd the vessel— Paul, with his fervent soul and his strong In- 
 tellect: Silas, with his zeal and his prophetic gifts; Luke, with his scholarly culture and professional 
 accoinplishiiii'uts ; and Timothy, with his youthful earnestness and as yet undt^veloped powers for work. 
 TlUi^c fimr nun, nitiiliil Ity the Divine Spiril, come to Europe! And that ship hiisin It the seeds of all 
 that Is to be develoiR'd in the religion and learning, the philosophy, legislation, art, science, and every 
 thing else that has made European nations the acknowledged regal masters of the world.— T. Bituiey. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 11 Therefore loosing from Tro'as, we 
 came with a struiglit course to SiXiu'o- 
 thra'ci-a, and the ne.\t day to Ne-ap'- 
 o-lis; 
 
 13 And from thence to ' Phi-lip'pi, 
 which is "the chief city of that part of 
 Mac-e-do'ui-a, and a colony : and we 
 were in that city abiding certain days ; 
 
 « Phil. 
 
 I Or, the first. 
 
 11. Therefore — .\s a result of the vision 
 named in the last lesson. Loosing [Rev. Ver., 
 Setting sail] from Troas — See last lesson, 
 note on vei-se 8. We came by a straight course, 
 a nautical expression, referring to the favorable 
 nature of the voyage — " we sailed before the 
 wind " — two days were occupied in sailing from 
 Troas to Neapolis, whereas five days were con- 
 sumed in sailing in a contrary direction from Ne- 
 apolis to Troas. Acts. 20. d.—Gloag. To Samo- 
 thracla — Samothracia, a small island eight miles 
 long and six broad, in the ..Egean Sea, was so 
 called because it lay off the coast of Thrace, and 
 to distiuguLsh it from tiie island of Samos, off the 
 coast of Ionia. Acts 20. 15. Its modern name is 
 Samotraki. — Gloag. Neapolis— On the Mace- 
 donian, or rather Thracian, coast, about sixty- 
 five miles from Samothracia, and ten from Phi- 
 lippi, of which it is the harbor.—/). Jirown. 
 When Paul debarks at Neapolis he sets his 
 foot for the first time on the soil of Europe. 
 From Neapolis, moving to the north-west, he 
 ascends a mountain ridge, from which, in the 
 rear, a beautiful view of the sea which they have 
 crossed is spread before their eyes, while in front 
 they behold the vast plain of Philippi, where 
 was fought one of the great decisive battles of 
 the world. — Whedon. 
 
 12. And from thence — As at Seleucia and 
 Attalia and Perga and Piraeus and Cenohrea, 
 he seemed to regard the port as being merely a 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 11 Setting sail tiierofore from Tro'as, we 
 made a straight course to Sam'o- 
 thra'ce, and the day following to 
 
 12 Ne-ap'o-lis; and from thence to Pbi- 
 lip'pi, which is a city of Mac-e-do'- 
 ni-a, the first of the district, a Ro'man 
 colony: and we were in this city 
 
 startuig-point for the inland town. — Farrar. 
 To Philippi— Philippi was situated about ten 
 miles from the sea, with which it communi- 
 cated by its port Neapolis. The original name 
 was Crenides, or the Fountains, so called from 
 its numerous springs, afterward it was known 
 by the name of Datum. Datum was a Thra- 
 cian town, but was conquered by Philip, who 
 rebuilt and fortified it, giving it the name of 
 Philippi after himself B. C. 358. Philippi is 
 celebrated in history as the battle-field where 
 the Roman republic received its death-blow 
 when Brutus and Cassius were totally over- 
 thrown by Augustus and Antony. But to 
 Christians it is still more interesting as the city 
 where Paul first preached the Gospel in Europe, 
 and to the Church of which he ^vrote his epis- 
 tle. Its site is now occupied by an insignifi- 
 cant village called Filiba. The ruins are ex- 
 tensive, though the only remains of importance 
 are two gate-ways, supposed to belong to the 
 age of Claudius. — Gloag. And now a Jewish 
 apostle came to the same place to win a greater 
 victory than that of Philippi, and to found a 
 more durable empire than that of Augustus. — 
 Howson. The chief city— The first city of the 
 district of Macedonia, that is, of Macedonia 
 proper, at which Paul arrived. The expression 
 is thus understood in a topographical sense. — 
 Gloag. A. colony — A body of Roman citizens 
 thither transferred, as a part of Rome itself, 
 
Acts 16. 11-24, 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 13 Aud on the * sabbath we went out 
 of the city by a river side, wliere prayer 
 was wont to be made ; and we sat down, 
 and spake unto the women which re- 
 sorted thither. 
 
 14 And a certain woman named 
 Lyd'i-a, a seller of purple, of the city of 
 '^ Tliy-a-ti'ra, which worshipped God, 
 heard Ms; whose heart Hhe Lord opened, 
 
 -3 Luke 
 
 with all the rights of Koman citizenship. It 
 proudly flaunted all the insignia of Eome. Its 
 magistrates ambitiously bore the Koman titles, 
 as we shall learn from Luke before his naiTative 
 is finished. The city itself aimed to be a min- 
 iature Eome. The Romans planted here were 
 the soldiers of Antony, sent by Augustus. Of 
 course, it would be a very serious thing here to 
 violate the sacred person of a Roman. — Whe- 
 don. Abiding certain days — Perhaps some 
 days previous to the Sabbath mentioned in 
 the next verse.— Z. Abbott. Probably at a 
 public house, and at their own charge, for 
 they had no friend to invite them so much 
 as to a meal's meat till Lydia welcomed them. 
 — M. Henry. 
 
 13. On the Sabbath— The seventh day of 
 the week. "We went out [Rev. Ver. , We went 
 forth vdthout the gate'] by a river-side — 
 Probably the Gangas, or Gangites, a small rivu- 
 let which flows close by Philippi, generally dry 
 in summer, but swollen in vimtQr.—Hackett. 
 From many sources we learn that it was the 
 practice of the Jews to hold their assemblies for 
 prayer near water, whether of tlie sea or of riv- 
 ers, probably on account of the frequent wash- 
 ings customary among them. — Alford. "WTiere 
 prayer was wont to be made [Rev. Ver., 
 W/oere ice supposed ivasaplace of prayer'] — Where 
 a place of prayer {proseucha) teas loout to he. 
 The proseucha were places of prayer which the 
 Jews had in cities where, either on account of 
 the smallness of their numbers, or the prohibi- 
 tion of the magistrates, they had no synagogues. 
 Sometimes they were buildings, and at other 
 times they were open places, such as groves, 
 gardens, etc. Sometimes they were within the 
 walls of cities, huf in general without the gates. 
 — Gloag. It would appear that there was 
 no synagogue at Philippi. The number of 
 Jews seems to have been small, as it was not a 
 mercantile, but a military, town. We do not 
 read of opposition from the Jews as in other 
 places, and the proseucha by the river-side was 
 52 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 13 tarrying certain days. Aud on the 
 sabbath day we went forth without 
 the gate by a river-side, where we 
 supposed there was a place of prayer; 
 and we sat down, and spake unto 
 the women which were come together. 
 
 14 And a certain women named Lyd'i-a, 
 a seller of purple, of the city of Thy- 
 a-ti'ra, one that worshipped God, 
 
 frequented only by women.— Gloag. Sat down 
 —The postureofteachers,chap.lS.14 ; Luke 4. 20. 
 Spake mito the women— Like the Master at 
 Jacob's well, Paul throws into this simple 
 ministry as much earnestness of purpose and 
 thoroughness of instruction as afterward he 
 employed in addressing the vast multitude of 
 cultured Athenians. And this unreported con- 
 versation produced a rich harvest, while the 
 grand discourse at Athe:is was almost barren of 
 fruit.—/. G. Batler. . ' 
 
 14. Lydia, a seller of purple— That is, of 
 purple dyes, and of goods dyed purple. The 
 Lydians, particularly the inhabitants of Thya- 
 tira, were celebrated for their dyeing, in which 
 they inherited the reputation of tlie Tyrians. 
 Inscriptions to this effect, yet remaining, con- 
 firm the accuracy of our historian. This woman 
 appears to have been in good circumstances, hav- 
 ing an establishment at Philippi large enough to 
 accommodate the mi ssionary party, ( verse 1 5, ) and 
 receiving her goods from her native town. — B. 
 Brown. Dyeing is still a customary ti-ade in the 
 East ; the dyer's shop, a room not more tlian ten 
 or twelve feet square, is usually placed directly 
 on the street among otliers of the same trade ; 
 the cloths, after dipping in the vats, are hung 
 outside to dry, the passers in the streets avoid- 
 ing them if they can. — L. Abbott. Of Thyatira 
 — A city of Lydia in Asia Minor. The fact that 
 Lydia is described as of the city of Thyatira, does 
 not indicate tliat Philippi was not at this time her 
 permanent residence. Similarly Paul speaks of 
 himself as a Jew of Tarsus, in chaps. 21. 39; 22. 
 3. — L. Abbott. The first convert in Greece is 
 from the very province in Asia Minor where the 
 Spirit had forbidden them to preach. — J. G. 
 Butler. ■Which w^orshiped God— She was a 
 proselyte, and, as the sequel shows, one of the 
 better type drawn to Judaism, not by supersti- 
 tious fear, or weak credulity, but by the higher 
 ethical and spiritual teaching which it presented. 
 — Plumptre. Heart the Lord opened — The 
 heart is of itself closed ; but it ia for God to open 
 
Feb. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Acts. 1G. 11-24. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 that she attended unto the things which 
 were spoken of Paul. 
 
 15 Ami when she was baptized, and 
 her household, she ijcsouf^ht ««, saying, 
 If ye have jiuli,'e(l me to be faithful * to 
 the Lord, couie into my house, and 
 abide there. And she 'constrained us. 
 
 IG 
 
 And 
 
 it 
 
 came 
 
 to 
 
 pass. 
 
 as 
 
 we 
 
 went 
 
 •Gal. 6. 
 
 ii.._» 
 
 .„ 
 
 . 19. 3 ; 3 
 
 i. 11 
 
 Ju.lj.o» 
 
 i;>. J 
 
 ; L.,l< 
 
 e i-l. 29. 
 
 iL—Btngel. The things which were spoken 
 — It af>pears rather to have been a conversation 
 (notice above, we »poke — not "we spoke the 
 toord'^j than a set discourse. — Alford. 
 
 The prace of (iod comes quite as freely, and. It 
 Is to be feared, more frequently, to "the maker 
 and seller of purple," tlian lo the wearer of It.— 
 J. Ford. 
 
 He did open the heart of Lydia to conceive 
 well ; the ears of the prophet (Isa. 50) to hear 
 well ; the eyes of Elisha's servant (2 Kings C) to 
 see well, and the lips of David (Psa. 51) lo speak 
 vreU.—Dcan Uuus. 
 
 15. She was baptized, and her household 
 — Upon this statement, as an evidence of infant 
 baptism. Dr. Schart' well argues, quoting the 
 well-known passages : Acts 10. 2, 44^8 ; 16.15, 
 80-33; 18. 8 ; 1 Cor. 1. Ifi ; 16. 15. In none of 
 these places, it is said, are children expressly 
 mentioned, and the families concerned might 
 possibly have consisted entirely of adults. But 
 this is, even in itself, exceedingly improbable, 
 since we have here, not one case only, but five, 
 and the.'^e given merely as examples, whence we 
 may readily infer that there were many others. 
 A glance at any neighborhood will show that 
 families without children are the exceptions, not 
 the rule. But, besides, it is hardly conceivable 
 that all the adult sons and daughters, in these 
 five cases, so quickly determined on going over 
 with their parents to a despised and pei"secuted 
 religious society ; whereas, if we suppose the chil- 
 dren to have been still young, and thei-efore en- 
 tirely under paternal authority, the matter presents 
 no ditHculty at all." — Schaff. [On the other side 
 of tlie argument we give a Baptist commentator's 
 view.] No hint is given that Lydia had a hus- 
 band or children. But even if she had, there is no 
 reason to suppose they were then with her ; she 
 was at a long distance from home, nearly three 
 hundred miles, according to the usual computa- 
 tion, and on a trading journey. She was tem- 
 porarily in a foreign city, pursuing her traffic. 
 Her household, there can be no reasonable doubt, 
 consisted of persons who were associated with 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 heard us: wiiose heart the Lord 
 opened, to give heed unto the things 
 
 15 wliich were spoken by Paul. And 
 when she was baptized, and her 
 household, slie besought us, saying. 
 If ye have judged me to lie faithful 
 to llie Lord, come into my house, and 
 abide there. And she constrained us. 
 
 16 And it came to pass, as we were 
 
 her, or employed by her, in her business. Chry- 
 sostora, an ancient distinguished Greek inter- 
 preter, as well as preacher, says on this passage, 
 "See how she persuaded them all!" taking it 
 for granted, from the eircuiiistances of the case, 
 that the memliers of her household were of an 
 age capable of instruction and persuasion. — H. 
 J. Ripley. What may fairly be deduced from 
 the language of this verse is this : that by 
 reason of Lydia's faith her household were 
 brought unto Christ and liis Church. The 
 first field for the ministry of the young 
 convert is his home. — L. Abbott. She be- 
 sought us — Not a mere invitation, but 
 earnest entreaty is indicated. If ye have 
 judged me to be faithful — If you deem 
 me a Christian, or a believer. — Bai-nes. Come 
 into my house — Up to this time the teach- 
 ei-s, four in number, had been, we must be- 
 lieve, living in a lodging and maintaining 
 themselves, as usual, by labor, Paul as a tent- 
 maker, Luke, probably, as a physician. Now 
 the large-hearted hospitality of Lydia (the 
 ofler implies a certain measure of wealth, as, 
 indeed, did her occupation, which required a 
 considerable capital) led tier to receive them as 
 her guests. They did not readily abandon the 
 independent position which their former prac- 
 tice secured them, and only yielded to the kind 
 "constraint" to which they were exposed.— 
 Plumptre. 
 
 The life of hospitality Is cheerfulness. Let our 
 cheer be never so great, if we do not read our 
 welcome in our friend's face, as well as in his 
 dishes, we take no pleasure In ix,.— Bishop Hall. 
 
 16. It came to pass— Not on the same day, 
 but, evidently, some time after. Paul and his 
 companions continued for several Sabbaths to 
 frequent the proseucha by the river-side, and 
 to discourse there to the women assembled. — 
 Gloag. As we went to prayer [Rev. Ver., As 
 ive were going to the /)/'«v of prai/er.]— They 
 habitually re.<iorted to this place of prayer to 
 teach, and what follows happened on such oc- 
 
Acts 16. 11-24. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 First Quarteh. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 to prayer, a certain * damsel possessed 
 with a spirit <of divination met us, 
 "which brought her masters 'much gain 
 by soothsaying: 
 
 17 The same followed Paul and us, 
 and cried, saying, These men are the 
 servants of the most high God, which 
 show unto us the way of salvation. 
 
 18 And this did she many days. But 
 Paul, being * grieved, turned and said to 
 
 Pytho 
 1. 25, 
 
 casions. — Alford. A spirit of divination — 
 
 Literally, A Pythonic spirit. Python was the 
 serpent that guarded Delphi, which was slain by 
 Apollo ; and hence that god was called Pythias. 
 In the temple of Apollo the organ of the oracle 
 was always a woman, said to be inspired by the 
 god. The heathen inhabitants of Philippi, ac- 
 cordingly, regarded this woman as inspired by 
 Apollo ; and Luke here uses the term in accom- 
 modation to their views. She was a demoniac, 
 and not an impostor. Paul addresses the evil 
 spirit, and commands him to come out of her ; 
 and we are informed that he came out of her the 
 same hour. We are not, however, to suppose 
 that Paul adopted the superstitious notions of 
 the heathen, that this woman was inspired by 
 Apollo. He himself asserts that an idol is 
 nothing in the world. 1 Cor. 8. 4. To him the 
 individual deity, Apollo, was a nonentity — a 
 mere phantom of the imagination. Apollo did 
 not actuate this slave, but some evil spirit did. 
 According to the views of the heathens, she had 
 a Pythonic spirit; according to the views of 
 Paul, she was a demoniac, similar to those who 
 are so frequently mentioned in the gospels. — 
 Gloag. This case may answer the question. 
 How is it that demoniac possession is unknown 
 out of Palestine and out of the time of our Sav- 
 iour's life ? Underlying all the falsehood and de- 
 ception of heathen myths and oracles there was 
 a demoniac element. In the frenzy of the bac- 
 chanals, the corybantes, and the pythonesses, 
 there was a true possession, modified by the na- 
 ture of that dispensation. — WTiedon. Brouglit 
 her masters — She was a slave, and the prop- 
 erty of several owners in a copartnership. Much, 
 gain by soothsaying — In ancient times the 
 fortune-tellers and magicians were more largely 
 believed in and more generally consulted than 
 in the present age of intelligence. Yet many 
 have amassed fortunes, even in this age, by 
 pretending to read the future. 
 17. Followed Paul and us — Not on one oc- 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 going to the place of prayer, that a 
 certain maid having ' a spirit of div- 
 ination met us, which brought her 
 masters much gain by soothsaying. 
 
 17 The same following after Paul and 
 us cried out, saying. These men are 
 ' servants of the Most High God, 
 which proclaim unto you ' the way 
 
 18 of salvation. And this slie did for 
 many days. But Paul being sore 
 
 -aCr. bond-aen 
 
 -3 Or, a ^vay. 
 
 casiou only, but as a habit. Cried saying — 
 Note some symptom of a divided consciousness. 
 We lose much of the human interest of the nar- 
 rative if we merely think of a demon bearing, as 
 in mockery, his witness to the work of Christ, in 
 order that he might thwart that work. That 
 continual cry spoke, we may well believe, of the 
 girl's mind as longing for deliverance and peace 
 and calm. She sees in the preachers those whom 
 she recognizes as able to deliver her, as unlike 
 as possible to the masters who traded on her 
 maddened misery. And yet the thralldom in 
 which she found herself led her to the cries that 
 simply impeded their work. — E. 11. Flumptre. 
 'W&Y of salvation — Secular men cannot indulge 
 usually in language so spiritual ; but the demons 
 knew the full force of spiritual phraseology. 
 The devils believe and tremble. — Whedon. 
 
 18. This did she many days — Why Paul 
 allowed the evil spirit to go on uurebuked for 
 many days it is difficult to say, unless it be an 
 indication of hesitation, if not timidity, of which 
 other indications are afforded by his course, in 
 preaching only to the proselytes at Philippi, 
 (verse 13,) to the Jews only at Thessalonica and 
 Berea, (chap. 17. 2, 10,) and his first ministry at 
 Corinth, (chap. 18. 1-5; 1 Cor. 2. 3.) From pru- 
 dential motives he perhaps hesitated to provoke 
 a controversy with heathenism by ti direct at- 
 tack on one of its most cherished and potent 
 superstitions. — L. Abbott. Paul being grieved 
 [Kev. Ver., Sore troubled.'] — Paul was grieved ; 
 probably, (1) Because her presence was trouble- 
 some to him ; (2) Because it might be said that 
 he was in alliance with her, and that his preten- 
 sions were just like hers ; (3) Because what she 
 did was for the sake of gain, and was a base im- 
 position ; (4) Because her state was one of bond- 
 age and delusion, and it was proper to free her 
 from this demoniacal possession, and (5) Because 
 the system under which she was acting was a 
 part of a vast scheme of delusion and imposture, 
 which had spread over a large portion of the 
 
Feb. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Acts 16. 11-24. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 the spirit, I commaml thee in the name 
 of Jesus Christ to come out of her. 
 •And he came out the same lioiir. 
 
 19 And '"wlKn her masters saw that 
 the liope of their j^ains was gone, 
 "tliey caught Paul and Si'las, and 
 "drew them into the ''market-phice unto 
 tiie rulers. 
 
 20 And hroutrht them to the magis- 
 trates, saying. These men, being Jews, 
 do "exceedingly troul)le our city. 
 
 21 And teach customs, which are not 
 lawful for us to receive, neither to ob- 
 serve, l)eing Romans. 
 
 p«igan world, and which was tlien holding it in 
 bondage. — JxtritDi. In the name of Jesus 
 Christ — Christ pcrfurnied miracles in his own 
 name ; the apostle did so in the name of Christ. 
 The one was the Sou; the othci-s were the servants 
 of the household. — (r7(/(7f/. Come out of her— 
 It seems to me, both from Paul's language and 
 from Luke's, that this was a case of such po.sses- 
 sion, and that the act of Paul did not merely ex- 
 pose a fraud, nor calm the perturbed mind of a 
 lunatic, but really delivered this unfortunate 
 from the evil spirit which possessed her. — L. 
 Abbott. Came out the same hour — Here the 
 history ends, as far as the damsel wa-s concerned ; 
 but we can hardly think that she was left to 
 drift back into ignorance and unbelief. Would 
 not such a one find shelter and comfort at the 
 hands of the women who " labored " with the 
 ajiObtle l—£. II. I'bimptre. 
 
 19. The hope of their gains was gone — The 
 first heatheu persecution, like that subsequently 
 at Ephesus, (chap. 19. 25-27,) was set on foot by 
 oovetousness. Conip. 1 Tim. 6. 9, 10. Like 
 tlie Gergesenes, (Matt. 8. 28-31,) they cared noth- 
 ing that a soul had been saved in comparison 
 with the loss of their gains.— Z. Abbott. Caught 
 Paul and Silaa — As the leaders. Luke and 
 Timothy seem not to have been seized, either 
 because they were not present, or because they 
 were less prominent, or because, not being Jews, 
 they were less obno.xious to the Greek popula- 
 tion. — L. Abbott. Market-place — The agora 
 or forum ; where legal business was transacted 
 by the magistrates.— Z*. D. WhcJon. 
 
 Many a slave-dealer, and many a trafficker In 
 ardent spirits, and many a man engaged In other 
 unlawful nuxles of gain, have been unwilling to 
 abandon their ecpJoyments, sluiply because the 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 troubled, turned and said to the 
 spirit, I charge thee in the name of 
 Je'sus Ciirist to cimie out of her. 
 And it came out that very hour. 
 
 19 But when her masters saw that 
 the hope of their gain was * gone, 
 tiiey laid hold on Paul and Si'las, 
 and dragged them into the market- 
 
 20 place before the rulers, and when 
 they had brought them into the 
 'nuigist rates, they said, these men, 
 being Jews, do exceeding trouble 
 
 31 our city, and set forth customs which 
 
 it is not lawful for us to receive, or 
 
 23 to observe, being Ro'mans. And the 
 
 ' Gr. prceto- 
 
 hopes of their gain would be destroyed. No small 
 part of the opposition to the Gospel arises from the 
 fact that, if embraced, it would strike at so much 
 of the dishonorable employment of men, and 
 make them honest and conscientious.— Baniefl. 
 
 20. Brought them to the magistrates 
 
 (Greek prdtors.) — The usual name of the two 
 chief magistrates of a Roman colony was du- 
 umviri, answering to the consuls of Rome. 
 They, however, took a pride in caljing them- 
 selves by the Roman title, prcetores, as being a 
 more honorable appellation. — Gloag. Being 
 Jews — Used in a contemptuous manner, to ex- 
 cite the prcetors and the multitude against the 
 disciples. The Jews were despised and hated 
 by the Gentiles, and were at this time in special 
 disgrace, as they had lately been banished from 
 Rome by Claudius. The magistrates would be 
 especially enraged if they found that Jews were 
 propagating their noxious opinions among the 
 citizens. The distinction between Christians 
 and Jews does not appear to have been recog- 
 nized at Philippi. — Gloag. A mob, with a 
 magistrate to match, will be at no loss for a 
 charge against their common victim. — Wliedon. 
 
 21. Customs not lawful— Judaism was a 
 permitted religion for the Jews. Nevertheless 
 they were not allowed to propagate their religion 
 among the Roman pagans, who were expressly 
 forbidden, under heavy penalties, to uudergo cir- 
 cumcision. — Ntander. Being Romans — The 
 accusation was craftily composed ; on the one 
 hand, they boast of the name of Romans, than 
 which no name wa.s more honorable ; on the 
 other hand, they excite hatred against the apos- 
 tles, and bring them into contempt by calling 
 them Jews, which name was at that time infa- 
 mous ; for, as regards religion, the Romans had 
 
 56 
 
Acts 16. 11-24. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 22 Aud the multitude rose uj? to- 
 gether against tliem ; and the magis- 
 trates rent oflF their clothes, and '^com- 
 manded to beat them. 
 
 23 Aud '^when they had laid many 
 stripes upon them, they cast them into 
 prison, charging the jailer to keep them 
 safely : 
 
 24 Who, having received such a 
 charge, thrust them iuto the inner 
 prison, aud made their feet fast in the 
 "stocks. 
 
 J; Eph. 3. 1-13; Rev. 2. 
 
 less affinity to the Jews than any other nation. 
 —Cahin. 
 
 22. The multitude rose up — The multitude 
 made common cause with the masters of the fe- 
 male slave against the Christians : there was a 
 popular tumult ; and the ^jrato^-.v, terrified there- 
 by, without examining iuto the case, hastily 
 commanded Paul and Silas to be beaten, in or- 
 der to appease the clamoi-s of the people. — 
 Magistrates rent oflf their clothes — They 
 coiumauded the lictoi's to do so. "When per- 
 sons were ordered to be scourged, the clothes 
 were violently pulled oif by the executioners. 
 Commanded to beat them — The usual 
 sentence was concisely aud majestically Eo- 
 muii : Summove lictor, despolia., verbera — 
 " Take lictor, strip, scourge." — D. D. Whedon. 
 Probably in the tumult there was uo opportunity 
 for Paul and Silas to claim their 
 privilege of Eoman citizenship ; or 
 it may be that a Divine intimation 
 was given them that the Gospel 
 would be the more honored by 
 their submission, for the time be- 
 ing, to the wrong. 
 
 23. Laid many stripes — There 
 w^as no limitation of the number) 
 
 as under the Mosaic Law. The apostle refers 
 to this outrage 1 Tliess. 2. 2 ; 2 Cor. 6. 5. 
 The magistrates probably intended to uaves- 
 tigate the case on the morrow. This scourg- 
 ing, it may be presumed, was to keep the people 
 qui.'t for the night. — W. Jacohson. Such hoiTors 
 oceuiTed eight times at least in the story of one 
 whose frame was more frail with years of suffer- 
 ing than that of our English missionaries, and in 
 whose life these pangs were but such a drop in 
 the ocean of his endurance that, of the eight 
 occasions on which he underwent these horrible 
 Bcourgiiigs, this alone has been deemed wortiiy 
 of even passing commemoration. — Farrar. To 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 multitude rose up together against 
 them: and the * magistrates rent 
 their garments off them, and com- 
 manded to beat them with rods. 
 
 23 And when they had laid many stripes 
 upon them, they cast them into pris- 
 on, charging the jailor to keep them 
 
 24 safely: -who, having received such a 
 charge, cast them into tlie inner pris- 
 on, and made their feet fast in the 
 stocks. 
 
 S Gr. proctors. 
 
 keep them safely — Perhaps, afler the exorcism, 
 it was apprehended that they might have some 
 mysterious power for affecting their own libera- 
 tion. — W. Jacohson. 
 
 24. The inner prison — This may mean 
 either the cell in the center of the building, or 
 more likely the lower dungeon. The Roman 
 prison was in three stories, of which the lower 
 was below the ground, and entered only by a 
 hole in the roof, down which the prisoner was 
 thrown, and through which alone could light and 
 air enter. Howson illustrates this inner prison by 
 that "dungeou in the court of the prison," into 
 which Jeremiah was let down with cords, and 
 where he " sunk in the mire." " They were 
 cells, damp and cold, from which the light was 
 excluded, and where the chains rusted on the 
 limbs of the prisoners." — Whedon. Past in 
 
 the stocks— The stocks was an instrument not 
 only of detention, but of torture. It consisted of 
 a wooden block, furnished with holes, into 
 which the legs of the prisoner were put, and 
 which could be stretched from each other. Pot- 
 ter, in his Eoman Antiquities., tells us that, not 
 uufrequently, they dislocated the joints. Euse- 
 bius informs us that Origen, in his old age, was 
 put to this torture. " For many days he was 
 extended and stretched to the distance of four 
 holes on the rack." Hist. Eccles.., vi, 39. 
 In this condition it might be necessary for 
 them to lie on their backs ; and if this, as is 
 probable, was on the cold ground, after their 
 
Feu. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Acts 1G. 11-24. 
 
 severo scourging, their Buflerings must have 
 been very great. — Barnes. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Sec list of comuieuturles, Lesson I. Farriir's St. 
 Taul, cliai). x.xv, Conybcnro and llowson, chap. 
 ix. Dr. Seliaff, p. 202. Freenuui's Manners and 
 Customs, 838, 839, 806. E. II. Plumptre's Bib- 
 lical Studies, 402. Guthrie's Sunday Magazine 
 1870, p. 405. Pulpit Analyst, ii, 278; iii, 533. 
 Monday Club Sermons 1(:77, p. 2S0. Lesson 
 Helps lor 1877, 3d Quaiter. Sermons on the 
 Cou version of Lydia, by Wm. Jay. J. B. Ro- 
 meyn, H. M. Dexter. On Paul and Silas in 
 Prison, by N. W. Taylor. Foster's Cyclopedia 
 of Illustrations, [numbers marked with a star 
 refer to poetical illustrations,] ver. 12-18 : *3725 ; 
 18: llOCl; 14, 15: *3723, 2826; 15: 3255, 
 «632; 16: 89141; 20, 21: 4405. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [how THKIST BlILDS HIS CHURCH.] 
 
 1. Christ builds his Church by controlling the 
 forces of uature, wiuds aud waves, in its interest. 
 Ver. 11. 
 
 2. Christ builds hLs Cliurch in the hearts of 
 people who are sincere seekera after the truth. 
 Ver. 13. 
 
 3. Christ chooses for his Church those who are 
 workers and not idlers, belonging to the fellow- 
 ship of toil. Ver. 14. 
 
 4. Christ builds his Church by opening the 
 heart to the influences of truth. Ver. 14. 
 
 5. Christ develops in his Church the spirit of 
 hospitality, gladly givuig entertainment to his 
 woikers. Ver. 15. 
 
 6. Christ builds his Church by compelling 
 even demons to honor his servants. Vers. 
 16-18. 
 
 7. Christ builds his Church through persecu- 
 tions, when they wUl minister to his glory. Vers. 
 ly-24. 
 
 Sermon-Outline. 
 
 BY D. WISE, D.D. 
 
 IXTRODCCTION.— Paul's Call into Macedonia. Vers. 
 0, 10. Arrival at Philippi, a Roman colony ; few resi- 
 dent Jews, no synagogue, only one of those slight 
 stiuctures, called Proseucha, by the river (the 
 Giingltas) side for the sake of quiet and of water for 
 their ablutions. On Sabbath Paul found a small 
 band, chiefly women, at this spot, among them Lydia, 
 not a Jewess, but a proselyte from Thyatira, a 
 place famous for its " guild of dyers." Here Paul 
 preached probably the first (Jospel sennon ever 
 heard In Euroi)e. And this Lydia, an Asiatic by 
 birth, was its flrst-fruit. Let us study the process 
 of her conversion aud lis results. 
 
 L The prooeMH of her coiiverHion. Three influ- 
 ences or moral forces co-oi)enited In bringing It 
 about, (d) a human Instrument ; (b) a divine agent ; 
 (e) her own will. 
 
 1. Tlie human instrument. Paul. He spoke to 
 the little knot of worshipers, no doubt, with sim- 
 plicity, earnestness, sincerity, telling them the story 
 of the Cross. Nothing in his sermon not to be 
 found In his discourses and letters as we have 
 them. Nothing essentially cllfTerent from a single 
 Gospel sermon by a fervent preacher of to-day. 
 
 2. The divine Agent. The Lord, the Holy Spirit, 
 opened her heart. Not by any extraordinary 
 measure of spiritual energy, but by that breathing, 
 gentle Infliieiu-e implied in the phrase of the text. 
 Nothing irresistible, but Just that irradiation of the 
 intellect suggested by his operation as the " Ught 
 that llghteth every man that cometh into the 
 world." That light quickened her conscience so 
 that she felt hei-self to be a sinner; it also helped 
 her to see the love of Christ, and tlie willingness of 
 God to save her. What the Spirit did In Lydia 's 
 mind he does constantly in all who bear a pure (Jos- 
 pel preached. 
 
 3. Lydia's will determined the result. She 
 might have listened to her prejudices, to her natu- 
 ral dislike of the high ethical claims of the Gospel 
 to her fear of pei-secutlon, or to her pride, and have 
 remained as she was— a proselyte of the Jews. But 
 she willed otherwise. She listened attentively- 
 She permitted the truth to pass through her intellect 
 and conscience into her affections. She submitted 
 to Christ, she believed. By this voluntary co-oper- 
 ation with the sweet influences of the divine Agent 
 she found salvation, as all may who hear the Gospel 
 to-day. 
 
 n. Its result. 
 
 1. A prompt public profession of her faith. 
 She accepted baptism at once. There was no 
 cowardly hesitation, no doubting, no shrinking 
 from consequences, but a noble self-surrender 
 to Christ and his cause. The new life in her heart 
 was proof enough for her that Paul's Gospel was 
 divmely true. Hers is a grand example for mod- 
 em converts. 
 
 2. An immediate interest in the spiritual wel- 
 fare of her household. Of what her household 
 consisted we are not told. Whether of children, 
 servants, or assistants in her business is not stated. 
 But such as it was, she persuaded them to follow 
 her example, ftiereby teaching us that one natural 
 fruit of sound conversion is concern for the spirit- 
 ual affairs of one's family and friends. 
 
 3. A generous Christian hospitalit,/. She co?i- 
 st}-ained Paul and his companions to 'uake her 
 house their home. This was a virtue In her, and a 
 benediction to those who had led her into the truth. 
 It Is a virtue but too little practiced In modern 
 times. Yet how and when it is to be practiced must 
 be determined by individual judgment. 
 
 4. She did not slirinh from the cause when it 
 vxis persecuted in the pcmm of Paid a'ld Silas. 
 
 57 
 
Acts 16. 11-24. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 After their scourging and imprisonment slie still 
 kept lier house open for their shelter. Ver. 40. This 
 act proved the genuineness of her faith, the bravery 
 of her woman's nature, the greatness of her fidelity 
 to Christ. Times have changed, but her spirit is as 
 necessary to-d;iy as it was when she lived. Christ 
 still needs disciples who are superior to the scorn, 
 
 the contempt, the hostility of sinners and half- 
 hearted professors to his cause. 
 
 Tli 6 lesson . Lydia, in her submission to Chrlst,is an 
 example to unregenerate hearers of the Gospel. In 
 her consistent care for her household, and her fidelity 
 to Paul in his persecutions, she is a mirror reflecting 
 a beautiful illustration of Christian consistency. 
 
 A. D. 52.: 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 The Conversiox of the Jailer. — Acts 16. 25-40. 
 
 CFeb. 17. 
 
 GOLDEiV TEXT.— Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.— 
 
 ACTS 16. 31. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 52, directly following the events of the last lesson. For rulers, see Lesson I. 
 
 Place.— Philippi, in Macedonia. See Descriptive Index. 
 
 Introduction.— Though the speakers were bound that night, the Word was free ; not only the word 
 that went upward to the throne of God, but also the echo of that word that pierced the gloomy partition- 
 walls and sank into the startled ears of weary and wretched prisoners. It seemed a roundabout road that 
 the word of the Gospel took to reach these motley groups of Greek and Latin Gentiles, but the word did 
 not miss its way. There was a dead wall between the apostles and their audience, and therefore they 
 did not preach that night. But there was no wall between them and the Father of their spirits : praying, 
 they hymned God in the inner prison, and the prayer seut upward fell down again on the other side of 
 the partition, falling there on listening ears. In this circuitous method the Gospel reached some needy 
 souls.— Arnof. Observe the character of the jailer : a heathen, with no previous knowledge of the Gospel, 
 and no faith in, probably no knowledge even of, the one true God. That he was not a proselyte is cer- 
 tain from verse 34 ; that he had no previous sympathy with the apostles is equally certain from his treat- 
 ment of them. Ver. 'H. Not only a heathen, but a man of probably brutal nature. The jailers were also 
 torturers and executioners, were taken from the lower classes of society, and were brutalized by their 
 vocation. No more hopeless case for conversion can be readily conceived.— i. Abbott. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 25 And at midnight Paul and Si'las 
 prayed, and ' sang praises unto God : and 
 the prisoners heard them. 
 
 chap. 5. 41 ; Co 
 
 25. Midnight — When perfect exhaustion from 
 Bcourge and stocks might have been expected. — 
 D. D. Wheilon. Prayed and sang praises- 
 Better, praying, they were singing hymns, tlie 
 Greek expressing one act rather than two. The 
 act was, we may beheve, habitual, and they 
 would not intermit it even in the dungeon, and 
 fastened as they were so that they could not 
 kneel. — E. H. Plumptre. Praises unto God — 
 For the high privilege of suffering for Christ. 
 Here, as in the case of Stephen, the joy of the 
 martyr in suffering was displayed for an example 
 to all who should suffer. So by glorious suffer- 
 ing the cause of a suffering Master should tri- 
 umph. — D. D. Whedon. Their legs in the stocks 
 pained them not whose souls were in heaven. — 
 Tertullian. Tlie prisoners heard them [Rev. 
 Ver., Were listening to them.'] — Better, tvere list- 
 ening eagerly, the kind of listening which men 
 give to a musical performance. Never before, 
 58 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 35 But about midnight Paul and Si'las 
 were praying and singing hymns 
 unto God, and the prisoners were 
 
 we may be sure, had those outcasts and crimi- 
 nals heard such sounds in such a place. For the 
 most part those vaults echoed only with wild 
 curses and foul jests.— ^. B. Humptre. It is 
 altogether probahle that some who heard that 
 strange psalm-singing were among the Philip- 
 pian Christians to whom Paul subsequently ad- 
 dressed his most affectionate letter from another 
 prison in Rome. — Arnot. 
 
 When Madame Guyon was imprisoned in the 
 Castle of Vincennes, in 1695, she not only sang, 
 but wrote songs of praise to her God. " It some- 
 times seemed to me," she said, "as If I were a 
 little bird whom the Lord had placed in a cage, 
 and that I had nothing now to do but sing. The 
 joy of my heart gave a brightness to the objects 
 around me. The stones of my prison looked in my 
 eyes like rubies. I esteemed them more than all 
 the gaudy brilliances of a vain world. My heart 
 was full of that joy which Thou givest to them 
 that love thee in the midst of their greatest croaa- 
 Qs."— Biblical Museum, 
 
Feb, 17, 1884, 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Acts 16, 25-40. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 26 And 'suddenly tlierc wfts a great 
 earthquake, so that the fouiuhitions of 
 the prison were shaken: and inunediiite- 
 1}' 'all the doors were opened, and every 
 one's hanils were looseil. 
 
 27 And the keeper of tiie prison awak- 
 ing out of his sleep, and seeing the pris- 
 on doors open, he drew out his sword, 
 and wouhl liave killed himself. supposing 
 that tiie prisoners had been fled. 
 
 28 Hut Paid cried with a hnid voice, 
 Baying, * Do thyself no harm ; for we are 
 all here. 
 
 iCUp. 
 
 . * Exod. 80. 13 ; 1 John 3. 16. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 26 listening to them ; and suddenly 
 tliere was a great earthquake, so that 
 the foundations of the prison-house 
 were shaken: and immediately all 
 the doors were opened ; and every 
 
 27 one's bands were loosed. And the 
 jailor being roused out of sleej), and 
 seeing the prison doors open, drew 
 his sword, and was about to kill 
 himself, supposing that the prisoners 
 
 28 had escaped. But Paul cried with 
 a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no 
 
 29 harm: for we are all here. And he 
 
 26. And suddenly— This miracle was a true, 
 illustrious, uud uecessaiy " divine sign," con- 
 firming tlie apostles in tlie renlity of the divine 
 invitation, from the man of Macedonia, of Ciiri-s- 
 tiunity into Europe. — Whedon. Tliere was a 
 great earthquake— In the year 53 A. D., the 
 dute of this event, according to one scheme of 
 cJironology, Apamea suftered so severely from 
 an earthquake that all tribute was remitted for 
 five years. Such a shock might well have been 
 felt in Macedonia ; and the coincidence, if it ad- 
 mitted of proof, would not impair the emphasis 
 and importance of the testimony borne to the 
 teaching of Paul and Silas. — W. Jacohson. 
 Doors were opened — The walls being shaken) 
 the doors wore tlung apart by the concussion. 
 Bands were loosed — Tlie chains of the prison- 
 ers were fitstened, we must remember, to rings 
 or staples in the wall, and the effect of a great 
 shock would be to loosen the stones, and so 
 make it easy to escape. — Plumptre. A remark- 
 able illustmtion of answer to prayer; and ob- 
 serve that this answer involves a divine interfer- 
 ence with nature, tliough not a violation of 
 natural law. We must know a great deal more 
 about earthquakes and their causes than we do 
 now to as.sert that it is irrational to believe that 
 such an earthquake should be sent in answer to 
 prayer. — L. Abbott. 
 
 Baumparten also plausibly shows that this whole 
 scene was a SNTnbol and a shaflow of the future 
 hlsU)ry of Christianity in Europe. Phllippi, as a 
 cnlouia. is an iinape, ambitiously .so, of the Roman 
 pafran power. She ojiens the first ('entile j^erse- 
 cutloii apiinst the Church, emblem of the pa^an 
 persecution for four centuries. For three centu- 
 ries the martyred Church sings her songs of tri- 
 umph in the midnight, the bloodshed, and the 
 stocks. Yet the very foundations of that inner 
 structure are shaken, and by the very maje.sty of 
 the secular power is the Church at last enfran- 
 chlaed.— X). D. ^Vhcdon. 
 
 27. Keeper of the prison — Often a veteran 
 soldier ; most likely to have been so in a military 
 colony. — Jacobso)!. Awaking — Luke omits his 
 rising and hurrying to the prison cells with a dim 
 torch for examination. lie has seen at a glance 
 that the doors arc open, and hastily concludes that 
 all have tied. He is before the open cell of Paul, 
 more visible, by the light of his own torch, to 
 Paul than Paul to him. — WlieJon. Drew out 
 hia sword — The well-known Komau sword, 
 
 O^ 
 
 short and double-edged. "Wotild have killed 
 himself [Kev.Ver., Was abuutto kill himself. \ — 
 Suicide to a Eoman of that day was very much 
 a matter of indifference. Brutus and Cassius, 
 models of Roman virtue, had committed it at or 
 near Philippi, and many of their adherents, find- 
 ing themselves proscribed, did the same. Chris- 
 tianity first taught men to estimate life and 
 death rightly. — W. Jacohson. Under the Ro- 
 man law the jailer was liable to undergo the pun- 
 ishment which the malefactors who escaped by 
 his negligence were to have suffered. See chap. 
 12. 19. Hence the pains which the soldiers 
 took to make sure of the death of Christ. John 
 19. 34. The jailer would have avoided death 
 and disgrace hy suicide. — L. Abbott. That the 
 prisoners had been- fled— Wius the contrary 
 the result of awe, or were they under supernat- 
 ural restraint? — M'. Jacohson. 
 
 28. Paul cried— Perfectly self-possessed, as 
 afterward in the shipwreck. Did some desperate 
 utterance of the jailer betray his purpose, or was 
 it divinely intimated to the apostle i — Jacohson. 
 
Acts 16. 25-40. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 FlEST QUAETEE. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 29 Then he called for a light, and 
 sprang in, and came trembling, and fell 
 down before Paul and Si'las. 
 
 30 And brought them out, and said. 
 Sirs, what ^niust I do to be saved? 
 
 31 And they said,^ Believe on the Lord 
 Je'sus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, 
 and thy house. 
 
 I Isa. 45. 22 ; John 3. 16, 36 ; 6. 47 ; 1 John 5. 
 
 Do thyself no harm— Few and simple as the 
 ■words are, they are eminently characteristic of the 
 love and sympathy which burnt in Paul's heart. 
 For him the suicide which others would have ad- 
 mired, or at least have thought of without horror, 
 ■would have been the most terrible of all forms 
 of death. — Plumptre. A memorable caution 
 ■which Christianity addressee, not only to this 
 desperate purpose of suicide, but to every man 
 who is ruining himself by sin, whether in health, 
 in estate, in body, in intellect, in soul. All sin- 
 ners are suicides, cruel to themselves, relentless 
 upon their own natures.— Whedon. Contrast 
 with it the counsel of Seneca, " If life pleases 
 you, live ; if not, you have a right to return 
 whence you came." 
 
 29. Called for a light [Rev. Ver., lights.]— 
 More truly, called for lights., plural. He must 
 have already had light sufficient to have learned 
 the state of things. He now calls upon the 
 servants to bring lights to restore the prison to 
 order while he proceeds to bring the apostles 
 from their inner cell. — Whedon. Sprang in — 
 Into the cell where Paul and Silas were. Came 
 trembling — Under the resistless conviction 
 that there must be something supernatural in 
 their instantaneous liberation without human 
 hand, such wonder and awe should ]iossess them 
 as to take away for the time not only all desire 
 of escape, but even all thought on the subject. — 
 D. Brown. FeU down before PatQ and 
 Silas— Not worshiping them as gods but, like 
 the pythoness, recognizing them as the showere 
 of the way of salvation ; salvation, namely, from 
 divine justice. — Whedon. 
 
 30. Brought them out — He may have 
 brought them into the hall or aisle between the 
 inner and outer rows of cells. The other pris- 
 oners probably remained within their cells, as 
 none appear to have escaped, and to none does 
 the word seem to have been preached. — Whedon. 
 "What must I do to be saved— It is the Gos- 
 pel salvation after which he inquires, the salva- 
 tion which Paul and Silas had proclaimed ; and 
 80 Paul understood the question. Paul and 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 called for lights, and sprang in, and, 
 trembling for fear, fell down before 
 
 30 Paul and Si'las, and brought them 
 out, and said. Sirs, what must I do 
 
 31 to be saved? And they said, Believe 
 on the Lord Je'sus, and thou shalt 
 
 32 be saved, thou and thy house. And 
 
 Silas had probably been for several weeks in 
 Philippi preaching the Gospel before they had 
 been arrested. Their preaching must have 
 created excitement in the city, and, without 
 doubt, reports of it had reached the jailer, even 
 if he himself had not heard them. And thus 
 awakened in his conscience, and believing, in 
 some confused manner, that these men were 
 " the servants of the most high God, who an- 
 nomice the way of salvation," he asks the most 
 momentous question which can be put by any 
 human being. — Qloag. Such an event as this 
 earthquake brings the eternal world near, and 
 gives to the dullest soul some sense of his spir- 
 itual needs. The same motive which leads the 
 soldier in battle, and the sailor in storm, to 
 pray, though he has never prayed before, led 
 the jailer to ask one who had proved himself 
 an unexpected friend what he should do for per- 
 sonal salvation. — L. Abbott. 
 
 31. And they said— The plural pronoun is 
 not without significance. Paul was not the only 
 teacher. Silvanus also took part in the work 
 of conversion. — Plumptre. Considering who the 
 person was that asked the question — a heathen in 
 the depths of ignorance and sin — and how in- 
 disputably, therefore, the answer embraces all 
 sinners whatever— there perhaps does not stand 
 on record in the whole book a more important 
 answer than this of Paul — or, I may add, one 
 more strikingly characteristic of the apostle him- 
 self than his teaching. — Alford. Believe — 
 It meant full self-surrender, in face of whatever 
 persecution of body, soul, and spirit, of life, 
 name, and history over to Christ. Yet instant" 
 ly, completely, and probably forever, was this 
 great revolution of soul completed. — Whedon. 
 On the Lord Jesus Christ — The Greek pre- 
 sents a contrast which is lost in the English. 
 He had called them by the usual title of re- 
 spect, Kyrii, (sirs, or lords;) they answer that 
 there is one Kyrios, the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
 alone can save. — Plumptre. And thy house — 
 Not that they should be saved without faith, 
 but that their faith should be awakened through 
 
Feh. 17, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Acts lU. "25-40. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 32 And they spake unto him tlie woril 
 of the Lord, and to nil that were in his 
 house. 
 
 ;53 And he took them the same hour 
 of tiie ni<,'lit, and washed their str\pcs\ 
 and was baptized, he and all his, strai^jht- 
 way. 
 
 ;i4 And when he had brought them 
 into his house, ' he set meat l)efore them, 
 " and rejoiced, believing in God with all 
 liis house. 
 
 35 And when it was day, the magis- 
 
 10; Pta.5. n 
 
 his.— L. Abbott. Or, as Alford suggests, " Thy 
 hou.-*chokl inny be saved on the same terms." 
 
 32. They spake . . . the word — Tlio apos- 
 tles lengthened their reply to the jailer's ear- 
 nest question by e.vr>laiiiiiig to him in the briefest 
 words the wai/ of salvation. The lights had 
 been brought, and naturally his whole family 
 gather around lum and the apostles standing in' 
 the hall, so that the word reaches all that were 
 in his house, but not all that were in the prison. 
 — D. D. Whedon . Unto all ... in his house 
 — Apparently either in the large room of the 
 prison, or in the court- yard ; certainly the mem- 
 bers of his household, and possibly the other 
 prisoners, were auditors with him. — L. Abbott. 
 
 33. "Washed their stripes— He washed and 
 cleansed them from their stri[>cs ; that is, from 
 the blood caused by their stripes, with which 
 they were covered.— C^/oa//. "Was baptized— 
 With regard to the method of the baptism, we 
 insert notes from difterent writers giving the two 
 opposite views. The following is Dr. Whedon's : 
 " It can hardly be supposed that so many per- 
 sona ehould be successively immersed at mid- 
 night in the same well, fountain, or tank. Nor 
 could they all have gone down to the river, for 
 Paul's message to the magistrates (verse 37) 
 clearly impliee that he had not left the pris- 
 on limits." " ' The rite may have been per- 
 fonned,' says De Wette, ' in the same fountain 
 or tank in which the jailer had washed them.' 
 • Perhaps the water,' says Meyer, ' was in the 
 court of the house ; and the baptism was that of 
 immersion which formed an essential part of 
 the symbolism of the act.' (See Kom. 6. 3, seq.) 
 Ancient houses, as usually built, inclosed a rec- 
 tangular reservoir or basin (the impluvitim, so- 
 called) for receiving the rain, which flowed from 
 the slightly inclined roof. Some suggest that 
 they may have used a swimming batli, found 
 within the walk of the prison. Such a bath was 
 
 Bevised VerBion. 
 
 they spake the word of 'the Lord 
 uuto him, with all that were in his 
 
 33 house. And he took them tlie same 
 hour of the night, and washed their 
 stripes; and was baptized, he and 
 
 34 all his, immediately. And he 
 brought them up into his house, and 
 set '^ meat before them, and rejoiced 
 greatly, with all his house, ' having 
 believed in God. 
 
 35 But when it was day, the ^magis- 
 
 a common appurtenance of houses and public 
 editices among the Greeks and Romans." — L. 
 Abbott. He and all his — The most important 
 feature of the subject [of the baptism of the 
 households of Lydia and the jailer] is not con- 
 nected with the questions whether there were 
 children in those families, or what their ages 
 may have been. It is rather the indisputable 
 fact, that in both cases the whole household, or 
 all who belonged to the families, were baptized 
 with the respective heads, which is here of a 
 decisive character. It involves the conception 
 of a Christian famihj, a Christian household. 
 Personal self-detemiination is indeed a lofty 
 privilege; still, it is not consistent with the 
 truth to isolate the individual; the unity of the 
 family in Christ, the consecration of the house- 
 hold through grace, the entire subjection of all 
 to one Lord— these seem to us to be here re- 
 quired by the will of God. — Lechler, 
 
 34. He set meat — Literally, he set a table. 
 The night which began in woe ended in rejoic- 
 ing. — L. Abbott. Believing in God— The ex- 
 pression believing iii Ood could only be used of 
 a converted heathen, not of a Jew ; in chap. 
 18. 8, of a Jew, we have " believed \on'\ the 
 Lord.'''' — Alford. The evidence he gave of the 
 reality of his conversion : by listening to the 
 word of the Lord spoken by his prisoners ; by 
 accepting baptism at their hands ; by releasing' 
 them from prison and the stocks, and making 
 them his guests ; all of which was done at the 
 hazard of his office, if not of his life.— Z. 
 Abbott. 
 
 35, 36. The magistrates— [On their title, 
 prcEtors, see notes, Lesson VI, verse 22. J They 
 had fonnerly acted in the excitement of the mo- 
 ment, under the influence of popular commotion, 
 and that on reflection they found that they had 
 acted rashly and illegally; and therefore they 
 thought it tiie wisest course to hush up the mat- 
 
Acts 16. 25-40. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 trates sent the Serjeants, saying, let those 
 men go. 
 
 36 And the keeper of the prison told 
 this saying to Paul, The magistrates 
 have sent to let you go: now therefore 
 depart, and go in peace. 
 
 37 But Paul said unto them, They have 
 beaten us openly uncondemned, ^ being 
 Ro'mans, and have cast ^ls into prison ; 
 and now do they thrust us out privily? 
 nay verily ; '° but let them come them- 
 selves and fetch us out. 
 
 38 And the Serjeants told these words 
 to the magistrates: and they feared, 
 when they heard that they were Ro'- 
 mans. 
 
 .'Chap. 22. 25. lOPsa. 37. 6; Micah 7. 9, 10; Matt. 10. 16. 
 
 ter as quietly as possible. — Gloag. Serjeants 
 — Literally, rod-bearers^ sheriffs, or constables, 
 who performed judicial orders, called by the Ko- 
 mans lictors. The provincial lietors carried a 
 bundle of rods as their ensign of office ; the lic- 
 tors at Eome bore rods and axes, implements 
 of scourging and beheading.— Whedon. They 
 would probably be the very officers who had 
 inflicted the stripes. — Plumptre. Those men — 
 Words indicative not so much of contempt^ as 
 some suppose, as of an awkward feeling of hav- 
 ing two unwelcome cases on their hands. Their 
 course had broken the Eoman law, and de- 
 graded their own Eoman official dignity. They 
 wish the past undone and their victims well 
 away. — Whedon. Go in peace — A common, 
 here a Christian, salutation. The jailer accepts 
 the message with joy, and anticipates its accep- 
 tance by Paul. To him it seems a great victory 
 that Paul should be released ; the manner of the 
 release he does not consider. — L. Abbott. Paul 
 said imto them — Namely, to the lictors. 
 Openly [Rev. Ver., publicly] uncondemned 
 — Paul liere accuses the prcetors of two vio- 
 lations of the law ; they had beaten those who 
 were uncondemned, (Acts 25. 16 ;) and they had 
 beaten those who were Eoman citizens. — Gloag. 
 Being Eomans— Silas also must have been a 
 Eoman citizen, which accounts for the Eoman 
 form of his name, Silvanus. Paul was free-born. 
 See chap. 22. "iS.—Jacobson. The privilege of 
 Eoman citizenship was not so uncommon among 
 the Jews as some suppose. It is frequently ad- 
 verted to by Josephus ; he mentions those who 
 were by birth Jews, and yet were Eomans, and 
 that even of the equestrian order, (Bell., Jud. ii. 
 14, 9.) — Oloag. Do they thrust us out priv- 
 ily — They had been pubUcly scourged and im- 
 62 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 trates sent the ' Serjeants, saying, 
 
 36 Let those men go. And the jailor 
 reported the words to Paul, saying, 
 the ® magistrates have sent to let you 
 go: now therefore come forth, and 
 
 37 go in peace. But Paul said unto 
 them, They have beaten us publicly, 
 uncondemned, men that are Ro'mans, 
 and have cast us into prison ; and do 
 they now cast us out privily ? nay 
 verily ; but let them come themselves 
 
 38 and bring us out. And the 'Ser- 
 jeants reported these words unto the 
 " magistrates : and they feared, when 
 they heard that they were Ro'mans; 
 
 ' Gr. prastors. "^ Gr. lictors.- 
 
 prisoned ; if, therefore, they had departed with- 
 out a public declaration of their innocence, a 
 stain would have rested on their reputation, and 
 thus the cause of the Gospel would have been in- 
 jured. Besides, such a public declaration of the 
 illegality of their punishment on the part of the 
 magistrates would undoubtedly encourage the 
 new converts, and at the same time shield them 
 from popular violence. — Gloag. Fetch us out 
 — PubUcly declare our innocence by escorting 
 us. The insisting on this must'liave convinced 
 the whole city, secured the jailer from suffering 
 m consequence of indulgence shown to pris- 
 oners, and raised the public estimation of the 
 new faith. — Jacobson. 
 
 One of Cicero's orations, that against Verres, 
 who had put a Roman citizen to death without 
 trial, refers frequently to the privilege of citizen- 
 ship. " It is." says Cicero, " a misdeed to bind a 
 Roman citizen — a crime to scourge him — almost 
 parricide to put him to death." " How often has 
 this exclamation, ' I am a Roman citizen,* brought 
 aid and safety, even among barbarians, in the re- 
 motest part of the earth ! " " There was a Ro- 
 man citizen scourged with rods in the market- 
 place of Messina. In the midst of his pain and 
 the noise of the rods nothing was heard from 
 this wretched man than the words, ' I am a Ro- 
 man citizen.' " 
 
 38. They feared when they heard— The 
 Eoman law cared little for human rights, but a 
 great deal for the rights of a Eoman citizen. 
 The Valerian law exempted the Roman citizen 
 from stripes and tortures until an appeal to the 
 people was decided ; the Porcian law absolutely 
 forbade the infliction of stripes upon a Roman. 
 The violation of these laws rendered the magis- 
 trate liable to indictment for treason, the penalty 
 being death and the confiscation of his property. 
 
Feb. 17, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Acts 10. 25-40. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 89 And they came and Ijcsoupjlit tliem, 
 and l)roii<'lit them out, " and desired 
 them to depart out of tlie city. 
 
 40 And tlicy went out of the prison, 
 and entered into tJte house of h\i\'i-i\: and 
 when they had seen tlie hnthreu, they 
 " comforted tlieni, and departed. 
 
 . 34. '« Luke M. 34 ; 1 Then. 3. S, 3 ; 4. 18 ; 6. 
 
 — L. Abbott. In tho year 44 Claudius had de- 
 prived the Rliodians of their privileges because 
 soiue Koinun citizens had heen put to death by 
 thdin.—.Iacobfon . 
 
 39. They came and besought them — The 
 word so rendered is the same one translated 
 comforted in the ne.xt verse. They used fair 
 words to atone for a foul deed ; they were now 
 as ob-secjuious as tliey had been tyrannical. — L- 
 Abbott. And brought (Kev. Vcr., And when 
 they had brought tht/n out they asked them.\ — 
 To depart out of the city lest tliere should be 
 any further disturbance among the people.— 
 Gloag. 
 
 40. Entered into the house of Lydia— As 
 if to show by this leisurely proceeding that they 
 had not been made to leave, but were at full 
 liberty to consult their own convenience. — D. 
 Brown. Notice, too, Lydk's courage and faith- 
 fulness in receiving the men whose presence 
 might create another disturbance and injure her 
 own business. Seen the brethren— Lydia's 
 house appears to have been the meeting-place of 
 the brethren as well as the lodging of the apostle 
 and his party. —Plumptre. Departed— Though 
 many circumstances might have invited their 
 continuance at Philippi, yet, from respect to the 
 authorities, they comply with the request of the 
 prcetors, and depart. — (^'loag. The narrative 
 here passes into the third person. Luke re- 
 mained at Philippi, probably to confirm the 
 faith of the convert-*, and rejoined the apostles at 
 Troas, chap. 20. 6, after an interval of seven years, 
 according to a calculation followed by Cook and 
 Plumptre. — IV. Jacohson. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See on Le.'^son VI, and the following: Ilomi- 
 letical Monthly, iii. 185. Preacher's Lantern, i, 
 699. Freeman's Manners and Customs, 80(5, 
 8.39, 840, 841. Sermons, by T. Halyburton, 
 The Convicted Sinner's Case and Cure; J. C. 
 Hare, The Jailer at Philippi ; C. G. Fin- 
 ney, The Condition of Being Saved ; C. 
 Spurgeon, (Series 7,) The King's Highway 
 Opened; Leonard Bacon, What it is to Be- 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 39 and they came and besought them; 
 and when tliey had brouglit them 
 out, tliey asked them to go away 
 
 40 from the city. And they went out 
 of tlie prison, and entered into the 
 house of Lyd'i-a: and wlien they had 
 seen the brethren, they ' comforted 
 tliem, and departed. 
 
 •Or, exhorted. 
 
 come a Christian. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illus- 
 trations, [numbers marked with a star refer to 
 poetical illustrations,] ver. 25-40 : *3862 ; 25 : 
 4G93 ; 28 : 2r,Sl ; 29-31 : *35o6 ; 30; 4093, 7567 ; 
 31: 2122, 12074; 33: 5176. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the way of salvation.] 
 
 1. The example of disciples, in joyful endur- 
 ance of trial, influences many to seek salvation. 
 Ver. 25. 
 
 2. The events of God's providence, bringing 
 men suddenly face to face with death, power- 
 fully awaken them to their need of salvation. 
 Vers. 26, 27. 
 
 3. One whose conscience is aroused by the 
 word and the Spirit is eager to find the way of 
 salvation. Ver. 30. 
 
 4. The way of salvation is by faith in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Ver. 31. 
 
 5. The salvation of the head of a household 
 leads often to that of his family. Vers. 31, 32. 
 
 6. Salvation requires that the saved man shall 
 openly renounce the world, and ally himself to 
 Christ by baptism. Ver. 33. 
 
 7. Salvation opens the heart, and turns men 
 from cruelty to kindness. Ver. 35. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 First.— Public introduction of the lesson by giv- 
 ing plainly, and very brielly, its hi.story. 
 
 Second.— An e.xegetical reading of it to the con- 
 gregation. 
 
 Third.— Impress its incidental purpose. 
 
 a. No hour of the day is devotionally inoppor- 
 tune. 
 
 h. " Natural phenomena " are in reality methods 
 or Instrumentalities of Divine administration. 
 
 c. Prayer wonderfully triumphant. 
 
 (I. In the simplicity of devout trust In God Is 
 greater safety than In the wisdom and fleetness of 
 flight. 
 
 c. The faithfulness of the omnipresent Spirit, 
 according to the Ma-ster's recent assurance in con- 
 victing of sin. 
 
 /. The flrst thought of a convicted and converted 
 
Acts 16. 25-40. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 First Quaeteb. 
 
 sinner is for ttie spiritual safety of his best be- 
 loved. 
 
 gf. Christian conversion is at once shown by Chris- 
 tian confession in ecclesiastical ordinance and 
 
 h. The disposition of human nature to dismiss 
 what it cannot manage. 
 
 i. The defiant boldness of consciously loyal and 
 righteous citizenship. 
 
 Fourth.— Dwell with all clearness, eloquence, 
 learning, beauty, and fervor upon the primary pur- 
 pose of the lesson, " WTiat must I do to be saved ? " 
 
 Fifth.— Reflecting upon this primary purpose, it 
 may be observed, 
 
 a. Manifestly one cannot "believe "on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ unless he knows him, and God's chos- 
 en, if not exclusive, method of informing men 
 of their Saviour is through his word. I 
 
 b. One reason why so few comparatively "be- 
 lieve " on the Lord Jesus Christ is that, not know- 
 ing him through his word, they have nothing to "be- 
 lieve" concerning him, and they w ill not come to 
 his word and learn of him. 
 
 c. An earnest, devout seeker after the truth, and 
 every human being may be such a seeker, cannot 
 form the acquaintance of Jesus Christ in his word 
 without " believing " on him. 
 
 d. No man can "believe " on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ without at once experiencing that transfor- 
 mation of character we call the " new birth," by 
 which he is placed on the right side of every issue 
 in morals to the extent of his information. 
 
 6. Many try to "believe" on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ without knowing him through his word, and 
 in consequence ever deplore a want of convincing 
 and compensating experience. 
 
 [Feb. 24. 
 
 A.D.52.] LESSON Vm. 
 
 Thessalonians akd Bereans. — Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 GOLDEIV TEXT.— These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the 
 word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those tilings were 
 
 8o — Acts 17. 11. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 52, immediately following the events of the last lesson. For rulers, see Lesson I. 
 
 Places.— Thessalonica and Berea, both in Macedonia. See Descriptive Index. 
 
 Introduction. TheCity of Thessalonica.— iio city on the great Ignatlan Way surpassed Thessalo- 
 nica In importance. Under its ancient name of Therma it was the passage-way of the great army of 
 Xerxes in his invasion of Greece. It received its new name, Thessalonica, from a sister of Alexander 
 the Great, on being rebuilt by her husband, and this name it still retains in the abbreviated form of Sa- 
 lonlil. The apostle found It the most populous city of Macedonia, and, until the founding of Constanti- 
 64 
 
Feb. 24, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 nople, It was virtually the capital of northern, If not of entire, Greece.— D. D. Whulou. Here Cicero 
 had spent his days of melancholy exile. Here a triumphal arch, still standing, commemorates the vic- 
 tory of Octavlanus and Antony at I'hillppi. From hence, as with the blast of a trum[)et, not only In Paul's 
 days, but for centuries afterward, the word of God sounded forth among the neighboring tribes. Here 
 Theodoslus was guilty of that cruel massacre for which St. Ambrose, with heroic faithfulness, kept, him 
 for eight months from the cathednil of Milan. Here Its good and learned Bishop Eustathlus wrote those 
 iKholia on Homer which place him in the Urst rank of ancient couimentators. It received the title of 
 "the orthodox city " because it was for centuries a bulwark of Cliristendom, but It was taken by Amu- 
 rath II. In 14.30.— Fanar. Haul apparently still desires to preach the Gospel tlret to his own nation, and 
 Is driven by the providence of God from the Jew to the Gentile. Thus he pa.sses through Amphlpolis and 
 ApoUonia, where, we may presume, there was no Jewish synagogue; preaches at Thessalonica to the 
 Jews; driven thence by the mob, preaches In the synagogue at Berea; and not till he Is driven from that 
 city comes to Athens, the center of Grecian philosophy and idolatry.— L. Abbutt. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 Now wlioii they had passed through 
 Am-pliip'o-lis and Ap-ol-h)'ni-a, they 
 came to Tlies-sa-lo-ni'ca, where was a 
 synagogue of the Jews : 
 
 2 And Paul, as liis manner was, went 
 ' in unto them, and tliree sabbath days 
 
 l.uke 4. 16; tli.ip. 
 
 16. 13; 19. 8. 
 
 1. "When they had passed through— Our 
 apostle leaving Luke at Pliilippi, banished but 
 
 triumphant, attended by Silas and Timothy, 
 takes the high Ignatian road westward. In ac- 
 cordance with his plan, rather to plant the Gos- 
 pel in the greater capitals of the world, he rapid- 
 ly passed the lesser towns of Amphipolis and 
 ApoUonia, lying on the great way. — D. D. 
 Whedon. The apostle now understood the wide 
 extent of the field in which he was called to 
 labor. The movement is westward throughout, 
 bringing him nearer to the capital of the world. 
 — W. Jacobson. Amphipolis— About 33 miles 
 from Philippi, to the south-we.st, had its name 
 from the river Strymon flowing almost around it. 
 It wa-s originally called Nine Ways, because tlie 
 roads north and south converged in its site. 
 The Romans made it a free city and the capital 
 of the first of the four districts into which they 
 divided Macedonia. — W. Jacobson. ApoUonia 
 —There were several places of this name, of 
 which three were in the province of Macedonia. 
 The ApoUonia through which Paul now passed 
 was a colony of the Corinthians in the district 
 of Mygdonia. PUuy, iv, 7. it was a place of 
 
 Kevlsed Version. 
 
 17 Xow when they had passed thiough 
 Am-phip'o-lis and Ap-ol-lo'ni-a, tiiey 
 came to Thes-sa-lo-ni'ca, where was 
 
 2 a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, 
 as his custom was, went in unto 
 tliem, and for three 'sabbatli days 
 
 .small importance, and must not be confounded 
 with a much more celebrated ApoUonia in 11- 
 lyrian Macedonia, near Dyrrhachium. Its situa- 
 tion is uncertain; some identify it with Klisali, 
 a modern post-station, and others with a village 
 called Pollina. — Gloag. Came to Thesealo- 
 nica [See Introduction to the lesson, j — We see at 
 once how appropriate a place it was for one of 
 the starting points of the Gospel in Europe, and 
 can appreciate the force of what Paul said to the 
 Thessalonians within a few months of his de- 
 parture from them : " From you the word of the 
 Lord sounded forth like a trumpet, not only in 
 Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place." 
 1 Thess. 1. S.—Homon. "Where was a S3rii- 
 agogue — This signifies that it was the chief, in 
 not the only, synagogue of the district. At Phi- 
 lippi there was no synagogue, but only a proseu- 
 cha ; and probably this was also the case with 
 Amphipolis and ApoUonia. Thessalonica, being 
 a large commercial city, would be much fre- 
 quented by Jews. In the present day there is 
 no town in Europe which has such a large pro- 
 portion of Jews. They are said to amount to 
 35,000, or nearly one half of the population, and 
 to have no fewer than 36 synagogues.— tr/o«^. 
 
 2. As his mamaer -was — As elsewhere mak- 
 ing the first oflfer of the Gospel to the Jew«. 
 chap. 9. 20 ; 13. 5 ; 14. 1. "Went in unto them— 
 Paul's own account in his Epistles to the Thessa- 
 lonians interestingly reveals what his eidranc* 
 was after he had been nhamefulhj entreated at 
 Philippi. He used no flattering words, no cloak 
 of covetoumeas. Laboring night and day, prob- 
 
 65 
 
Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 reasoned with them out of the Script 
 ures; 
 
 3 Opening and alleging ' that Christ 
 must needs have suffered, and risen 
 again from the dead ; and that this 
 Je'sus, "whom I preach unto you, is 
 Christ. 
 
 4 And ' some of them believed, and 
 consorted with Paul *and Si'Ias; and 
 of the devout Greeks a great multi- 
 tude, and of the chief women not a 
 few. 
 
 ably at his handicraft of tent-making, he refused 
 to be chargeable unto any. Holily., and justly^ 
 and nnblamably living himself, he could enjoin 
 holy living upon others with a boundless au- 
 thority. — Whedon. Three sabbath days — 
 Perhaps Paul preached for three successive Sab- 
 baths in the synagogue, but finding the Jews 
 obstinate he desisted and turned to the Gentiles, 
 for the epistles give evidence of a longer stay. 
 Reasoned — The tense implies that, on both oc- 
 casions, the argument was resumed and contin- 
 ued. Discussion was allowed in synagogues. 
 Matt. 12. 10; Luke 4. 21-24; John 6. 59.— ^a- 
 cobson. Out of the Scriptvires — What we read 
 of as occurring in the Pisidian Antioch (chap. 
 13. 14, 15) was, we may believe, now reproduced. 
 That he was allowed to preach for three Sab- 
 baths in succession shows the respect commanded 
 by his character as a rabbi, and, it may be, by 
 his earnest eloquence. — E. H. Plumptre. 
 
 3. Opening and alleging— The latter word 
 is used in the sense of bringing foward proofs, 
 and the two words imply an argument from the 
 prophecies of the Messiah, like in kind to that 
 at the Pisidian Antioch. In the intervals be- 
 tween the Sabbaths, the apostle worked, as 
 usual, for liis livelihood ; probably, of course, as 
 a tent-maker. 2 Thess. 3. 8. — Plumptre. That 
 Christ must needs have suffered [Eev. Ver., 
 That it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise 
 again.] — Unfolding two great points in order ; 
 namely, there was, according to the Scriptures, 
 to be a suffering, dying, and risen Messiah ; 
 and, second, that our Jesus has perfectly filled 
 out that prophetic idea, so that Jesus is truly the 
 long-e.xpected Christ— Messiah. To the Jews a 
 glorious Messiah was far more welcome than a 
 suffering. A conquering Messiah is, indeed, far 
 more copiously described by the prophets, but a 
 Buffering Messiah is shadowed by the entire sys- 
 tem of piacular sacrifices. — Whedon. Jesus . . . 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 reasoned with tliem from the script- 
 
 3 ures, opening and alleging, that it 
 behoved the Christ to suffer, and to 
 rise again from the dead; and that 
 this Je'sus, whom, said he, I proclaim 
 
 4 unto you, is tlie Christ. And some 
 of them were persuaded, and consorted 
 M'ith Paul and Si'Ias; and of the 
 devout Greeks a great multitude, and 
 
 5 of the chief women not a few. But 
 
 is Christ — The meaning is obvious: the per- 
 son Jesus is the Messiah who, according to the 
 Scriptures, was to suffer and rise again. — 
 Gloag. 
 
 The Old Testament he treated as a nut. He 
 broke the shell, opened out the kernel, and pre- 
 sented it as food to the hungry. The Jews were 
 like little children who had a fruit-tree in their 
 garden, their father's legacy. The children had 
 gathered the nuts as they grew, and laid them up 
 with reverence in a store-house ; but they knew 
 not how to break open the shell, and so reach the 
 kernel for food. Paul acts the part of elder broth- 
 er to these Uttle ones. He skillfuUy pierces the 
 crust and extracts the fruit, and divides it among 
 them.— ^rnot. 
 
 4. Some of them believed — Some, that is, 
 of the synagogue worshipers ; mainly the prose- 
 lytes, not the Hebrews by birth. Consorted 
 with Paul and Silas — Cast in their lot with 
 Paul and Silas ; not only accepted theoretically 
 their interpretation of prophecy, but practically 
 adopted the Christian life with all the dangers 
 which such a course entailed. — L. Abbott. The 
 devout Greeks — These were Gentiles, who, 
 tired of idolatry, had adopted the worship of 
 Jehovah, and attended the services of the syna- 
 gogue; but had not received circumcision as 
 proselytes to the Jewish Church. They were 
 called " proselytes of the gate," i. e., those with- 
 out the door of the Church. Chief women — In 
 every age, women have been interested in relig- 
 ion more numerously than men. And in the 
 Roman world, wherever there was a synagogue, 
 were found many women, especially those of the 
 higher classes, who regularly attended the serv- 
 ices, and were recognized as worshipers of God. 
 Many of them became proselytes, and from their 
 zeal in the Jewish faith exercised great influ- 
 ence. The women worehiped in the synagogue 
 in a latticed gallery, where they could see and 
 hear, but remain unseen. 
 
Feb. 24, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 5 But the Jews which believed not, 
 moved with envy, took unto tliem cer- 
 tain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and 
 gathered a coin])any, and set all the city 
 on an uproar, and assaulted the house 
 'of Ja'son, and sought to bring them 
 out to the people. 
 
 6 And wlicn they found them not, 
 they drew Ja'son and certain brethren 
 unto the rulers of the city, crying, These 
 • that have turned the world upside 
 down are come hither also; 
 
 7 Whom Ja'son hath received: and 
 
 iKom. 16. 21. 6] Kings 13. 17; chap. 16. 
 
 5. Moved with envy [Rev. YtiT.,jealou^j.] 
 — At secui;; the adherence of persous of rank bc- 
 coiiiiug Christians, by wliich the Jewish influ- 
 ence was undermined.- Whedoii. Certain lewd 
 fellows of the baser sort [Kev. Ver., Vile fel- 
 lows of the rabble.] — Literally, of men out of tJie 
 markets, or louii(]ers in the forum ; such per- 
 bons iw are every-where known to be the scum 
 of the population. — Alford. Owing to the dis- 
 honor in which manual pursuit-s were held in 
 ancient days, every large city had a superfluous 
 population of worthless idlers — clients who lived 
 on the doles of the wealthy, flatterers who fawned 
 at the feet of the influential, the lazaroni of 
 streets, mere loafers and loiterers, the hangers- 
 on of forum, the daquers of law-courts, the 
 scum that gathered about the shallowest outmost 
 waves of civilization. — Farrar. Assavilted the 
 liOTise of Jason — With whom the apostle and his 
 companions were staying as guests. He has been 
 identified with Jason, mentioned in Rom. 16. 21, 
 whom Paul calls one of his kinsmen. If so, he 
 must have removed to Corinth, from which city 
 the Epistle to the Romans was written. The 
 name, however, was common, so that such an 
 identification is extremely doubtful ; and, as a 
 general rule, all such identifications are to be 
 discountenanced. — Gloag. To bring them out 
 to the people— Thessalonica was a free Greek 
 city, and the Jews accordingly, in the first in- 
 stance, intended to bring the matter before the 
 popular ecclesia, or assembly. — Plumptre. 
 
 Observe the unscrupulousness of religious ani- 
 mosity. The Jews invite the co-operation of the 
 heathens, and of tlie lowest class of the heathens ; 
 they throw the whole city into tumult; they present 
 what they know to be a false charge ; they apos- 
 tatize ft-om their own faith in repudiating a Mes- 
 siah, and demanding the punishment of one of 
 their own nation for preaching that kingdom of 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 the Jews, being moved with jealousy, 
 took unto then) certain vile fellows of 
 the rabble, and gathering a crowd, 
 set the city on an uproar; and assault- 
 ing the house of Ja'son, they sought 
 to bring them forth to the people. 
 
 6 And when they found them not, they 
 dragged Ja'son and certain brethren 
 before the rulers of the city, crying. 
 These that have turned Mhe world 
 upside down are come hither also; 
 
 7 whom Ja'son hath received : and these 
 
 God which was, and still Is, the stay and hope of 
 the devout Jew in his exile.— Z. Abbott. 
 6, 7. Found them not — Probably, anticipat- 
 ing the mob, Paul and his attendants withdrew 
 to some other house. The rulers of the city 
 — Literally, " to the politarchs." It is to be ob- 
 served that the chief magistrates of Thessalonica 
 are here called by a title different from that of 
 the chief magistrates of Philippi, and this differ- 
 ence corresponds with the difi'erent characters 
 of the cities. Philippi was a Roman colony, 
 {colonia,) and hence its magistrates resembled 
 those at Rome, and were qsW&A prcetores, duum- 
 viri, whereas Thessalonica was not a Roman 
 colony, but a " tree city," {urbs libera,} and 
 was governed by its own rulers, and hence its 
 chief magistrates were called politarchs, city 
 rukrs. It is a very remarkable and striking co- 
 incidence that this rare word is seen to this day 
 on an inscription upon an arch at Thessalonica. 
 There the names of the politarchs of Thessalo- 
 nica are mentioned, seven in number, thus prov- 
 ing the extreme accuracy of Luke in using this 
 tenn to denote the magistrates of that city. The 
 arch is by competent antiquarians thought to 
 have been built in commemoration of the vic- 
 tory of Philippi, and if so, was standing when 
 Paul was at Thessalonica.— (r^oap'. Turned 
 the world upside down— Their exaggerated 
 statement respecting Paul and Silas, in the In- 
 tro iuction to their charge against Jason and the 
 rest, affords striking evidence of the wide-spread 
 and deep impression made by the Gospel in the 
 few years of Paul's ministry. — J. G. Butler. 
 There is more truth in this hyperbole than 
 they suppose. The world is wrong side up, 
 and needs to be turned upside down to be 
 brought right side up. — Whedon. "WTiom Ja- 
 son hath received— Paul and Silas were, it 
 seems, his guests. Possibly the converts assem- 
 67 
 
Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 these all ' do contrary to the decrees of 
 Ce'sar, saying ^that there is another 
 king, one Je'sus. 
 
 8 And they troubled the people and 
 the rulers of the city, when they heard 
 these things. 
 
 9 And when they had taken security 
 of Ja'son, and of the other, they let 
 them go. 
 
 10 And 'the l)rethren immediately 
 sent away Paul and Si'las by night 
 unto Be-re'a: who coming thither went 
 into the synagogue of the Jews. 
 
 11 These were more noble than those 
 in Thes-sa-lo-ni'ca, in that they received 
 tlie.word witli all readiness of mind, 
 
 Ezra 4. 12; Dan. 3. 
 
 bled for woi'ship in his house. — Jacobsori. Con- 
 trary to the decrees of Cesar— The emperor 
 at Kome, ruling over all the world. There is 
 another king — This charge here corresponds 
 to tliat presented before Pilate against Jesus. 
 Luke 23. 2; John 19. 12. Not improbably 
 the report of that accusation had reached the 
 Jews at Tliessalonica, and was borrowed by 
 them for this occasion. Some color was given 
 to it by the peculiar character of Paul's preach- 
 ing at Tliessalonica, in which Christ's kin;,'ly 
 character, second advent, and final kingdom 
 upon the earth appear to have been prominent. 
 — Z. Abbott. It is not improbable that the title 
 Lord, so frequently given by Christians to their 
 great Master, may have given occasion to such a 
 charge. — Gloag. 
 
 8, 9. They troubled the people— The poli- 
 tarchs feared a tumult, the people feared the 
 Eomans. — Kuinoel. And the rulers — The ac- 
 cusation was artfully made ; it was one into 
 which it behooved the city rulers to inquire ; 
 whereas, if the Jews had accused them merely 
 of disturbing their mode of worship, the com- 
 plaint would proliably not have been listened to. 
 — GJoag. Taken security — That there should 
 be no violation of the public peace, and that 
 those persons who had been alleged as the cause 
 of this disturbance should quit the city. — Nean- 
 der. Jason, and of the other — It is clear fi-om 
 1 Thess. 1. 6 ; 2. 14, that Paul and Silas were 
 not the only sufferers. The Gentile converts 
 were exposed alike to the violence of their own 
 countrymen and to the malice of the Jews. — 
 Plumptre. They let them go— The conduct 
 of the magistrates of Tliessalonica appears in a 
 favorable light when compared with that of the 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 all act contrary to the decrees of 
 Cae'sar, saying that there is another 
 
 8 king, one Je'sus. And they troubled 
 the multitude and the rulers of the 
 city, when they heard these things. 
 
 9 And when they had taken security 
 from Ja'son and the rest, they let 
 them go. 
 
 10 And the brethren immediately 
 sent away Paul and Si'las by night 
 unto Be-rse'a: who when they were 
 come thither went into the synagogue 
 
 11 of the Jews. Now these were more 
 noble than those in Thes-sa-lo-ni'ca, 
 in that they received the word with 
 all readiness of mind, examiniuo- the 
 
 magistrates of Philippi in similar circumstances. 
 — Gloag. 
 
 10. The brethren . . . sent away — Al- 
 though Paul and Silas were not compelled to de- 
 part, yet the safety of the Christians at Thessa- 
 lonica, who had become surety for them, would 
 be endangered by their presence, as the disturb- 
 ance might be renewed by the Jewish faction. 
 — Gloag. Paul and Silas — Timotheus appar- 
 ently remained behind, partly to help the Thes- 
 salonian converts under their present trials, 
 partly to be able to bring word to Paul as to 
 their condition.— P^«?«j9<re. Unto Berea— Its 
 former name was Phertea, but pronounced by 
 the Macedonians Berea, afterward it was called 
 Irenopolis, "the city of peace." Little noticed 
 by ancient writers, it does not appear to have 
 been a place of much consequence. It is now a 
 town of the second rank in European Turkey, 
 containing a population of about 20,000, and is 
 known by its most ancient name, Phersea, cor- 
 rupted into Verria, or Kara-Verria. — Gloag. 
 Into the synagogue— The worship of believers 
 in God and in the Scripture eveiy-where paved 
 the way to instruction in the faith of Christ. 
 
 11. These were more noble— The word for 
 noble (literally, well-born., as m 1 Cor. 1. 26) 
 had, like most words of like origin, a wide lati- 
 tude of meaning. Here it stands for the gener- 
 ous, loyal temper which was ideally supposed to 
 characterize those of noble origin. — Plumptre. 
 They received the word — One of the very 
 few instances of Paul being well received by 
 his countrymen, for whose spiritual welfare he 
 yearned so earnestly. Eom. 9. Z. — Jacobson. 
 Readiness of mind — A willingness to consider, 
 and, if true, to receive it. Observe, their readi- 
 
Feb. 24, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 AuthoriEed Version. 
 
 and searched '" the IScriptures daily, 
 whether tliose thin«rs were so. 
 
 12 Tlu'iTfori' inuiiy of tliem believed ; 
 also of honounilije woincu which were 
 Greeks, aud of men, not u few. 
 
 13 But when the Jews of Thes-sa-lo- 
 ni'cji hiul knowledjje tliat the word of 
 God was jueac lu'd of I'aul at Be-rc'a, 
 "they came tiiillier also, anil stirred up 
 the people. 
 
 14 .\nd ''Hhen immediately the breth- 
 ren sent away Paul, to go as it were to 
 
 ness wjis not tlmt of a sujjerstitious credulity, as 
 tliatof the Lyeaonians, (cliap. 14. 11,) for they 
 searched the Scriptures daily to see whether 
 these things were so. They illustrate Paul's di- 
 rectioiLS to the Tliessaloiiiaiis. 1 Thcss. 5. 21.— Z. 
 Abbott. Searched the Scriptures— Tlicy com- 
 jiared what I'aul said wiili tlic Si-iiptuies of the 
 Old Testament, and especially the life aud suf- 
 ferings of Jesus with the words of the prophets ; 
 and, seeing the corresi^ndence, they came to the 
 conclusion tJiat this Jesus whom Paul preaelied 
 mito them was the Messiah. — Gloag. These two 
 qualities are distinct from each other, and yet 
 are so hound toirether as to constitute a pair. 
 The one is a tender, child-like receptiveuess for 
 revealed truth ; the other is a manly indepen- 
 dence of judgment. Their hearts drank in read- 
 ily the water of life ; hut their understandings 
 eifted the doctrines that were preached, aud tried 
 them by the law and the testimony. — Arnot. 
 These things— Namely, tlie doctrine of verse 3, 
 which Paul and Silas preached here also. — 
 Alford. 
 
 The Berean converts have naturally been re- 
 garded, esi)eclally ainonp those w)io urge the 
 duty, or claim the ripht, of private juilpment, as 
 a representative Instance of the right relations of 
 reason and faith, occupying a middle position be- 
 tween credulity and skepticism, to be repro- 
 duced, mutatis mutandu^, according to the dif- 
 ferent aspects which each presents In successive 
 ages.— Plumptre. 
 
 12. Many of them believed — These were 
 not, as some think, Hellenistic Jews, but partly 
 proselytes and devout Gentiles who heard Paul 
 preach in the synagogue, and partly heathens 
 converted to Christianity by the more private 
 discourses of the apostle. — (iloag. Honorable 
 ■women — Women belonging to the higher 
 classes, as in verse 4. [Rev. Ver., Greek women 
 <^ honorable estaU.] Greeks — Greek prose- 
 
 Be vised Version, 
 scriptures daily, whether these things 
 
 12 were so. Many of them therefore 
 believed ; also of the Greek women 
 of honourable estate, and of men, 
 
 13 not a few. But wiien the Jews of 
 Thes-sa-lo-ni'ca had knowledge that 
 the word of God was proclaimed of 
 Paul at Be ne'a also, they came 
 thither likewise, stirring up and 
 
 14 troubling the multitudes. And then 
 immediately tiie brethren sent forth 
 Paul to go as far as to the sea: and 
 
 lytes ; heathens would not have searched the 
 Jewish Scriptures for evidence of Paul's message. 
 —L. Abbott. 
 
 The most prominent and Invariable cause of 
 infldelity Is found In the fact that men will not 
 investigate the Scriptures. Many Infldels have 
 confessed that they had never carefully read the 
 New Testament. Thomas Paine confessed that 
 he wrote the first part of the '* Age of Reason " 
 without having a Bible at hand, and without Its 
 being possible to procure one where he then was, 
 (in Paris.) "I had," says he, "neither Bible 
 nor Testament to refer to, though I was writing 
 against both ; nor could I procure any."— Barnes. 
 
 13. The Jews . . . came thither — Believers 
 seldom labor with as much zeal for the truth as 
 the ungodly exhibit in opposing it ; for the path 
 of the former leads upward, and is difficult; that 
 of the latter descends, and is easy. — Quesnel. 
 Stirred up — In the original a strong word, fig- 
 urative of the action of a storm upon the sea. 
 1 Thess. 2. 15, has been thought to refer to this 
 action of the Jews. They were numerous and 
 influential in Berea. — Jacobson. 
 
 14. Sent away Pavil— Paul would gladly 
 have now returned to visit his dear Thessa- 
 lonian Church, but " Satan," instigating his 
 Jewish foes, "hindered" him, and he diverges 
 still farther to the south-east. — Whedon. To go 
 as it were to the sea [Rev. Ver., as far as to 
 tlie 8ea:\ — The English version conveys the im- 
 pression that the movement was a feint in order 
 to baffle the pursuers. Many of the better MSS., 
 however, give "as far as the sea;" and this is, 
 probably, the meaning even of the reading fol- 
 lowed by the Authorized Vei-sion. The absence 
 of any mention of places between Berea and 
 Athens (as, e. g., Amphipolis and ApoUonia are 
 mentioned in verse 1) is presumptive evidence 
 that Paul actually traveled by sea, and, rounding 
 the promontory of Suuium, entered Athens by 
 
 69 
 
Acts 17. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 the sea: but Si'las and Ti-mo'the-us 
 abode there still. 
 
 the Piraeus. — Plumptre. The distance between 
 Berea and Athens by land is 250 Eoman miles, 
 and would have occupied about twelve days ; 
 whereas three days would have sufficed for the 
 voyage by eea ; and it is natural to suppose that 
 Paul would take the most expeditious mode of 
 traveling. — Gloag. Silas and Timotheus re- 
 main to cherish the infant Church. Yet a charge 
 is left for them to follow, as soon as may be, the 
 apostle to Athens. This they failed to do. Paul 
 had to stand up single and alone in Athens, but 
 was joined by Silas and Timothy at Corinth. 
 Chap. 18. 5.— WhedoJi. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See on Lesson I, and Farrar, chap. xxvi. Co- 
 nybeare and Howson, chap. ix. Lesson Helps 
 for 1877, Third Quarter. Monday Club, 1877, 
 p. 290. Sermons by C. Spurgeon, (Series 5,) 
 Tlie World turned Upside Down ; Talmage, 
 Eevelation; J. B. Komeyn, The Example of 
 the Bereans ; Dr. Emmons, The Eight of Private 
 Judgment. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, 
 [numbers marked with a star refer to poetical 
 illustrations,] ver. 2: *240, 349; 3: 655, 663, 
 *3233 ; 5 : 11533 ; 6 : 24, 8383 ; 11 : *247, 6812. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [helps to the gospel.] 
 
 1. The worship on the Sabbath has ever been 
 found a help to the Gospel, by its opportunity 
 of preaching the truth to thoughtful and wor- 
 shiping people. Vers. 1, 2. 
 
 2. The Scriptures of the Old Testament give 
 help to the Gospel by their foreshadowings of 
 Jesus as the Messiah. Vers. 2, 3. 
 
 3. The story of the Saviour's life, death, and 
 resurrection is a mighty help to the Gospel, by 
 inspiring conviction of its truth. Ver. 3. 
 
 4. Association with the disciples of Jesus helps 
 the progress of the Gospel, by its examples and 
 Instruction. Ver. 4. 
 
 5. The patient endurance of trial helps the 
 Gospel, by showing faith and love triumphant 
 over all obstacles, and winning hearts. Vers. 
 5-9. 
 
 6. The patient search of the Scriptures ever 
 proves a help to the Gospel, resulting in well- 
 grounded faith. Vers. 11, 12. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 Thessalonica and Berea were two neighboring 
 
 cities. Their people were almost Identical in race 
 
 and civilization. In both of them there were col- , 
 
 70 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 Si'las and Tim'o-thy abode there 
 
 still. 
 
 onles of Jews, possessing synagogues and sustain- 
 ing the worship of the God of their fathers, and 
 obedient to the Mosaic rites and ceremonies. They 
 were alike in the possession of the Old Testament 
 Scriptures, which they reverently regarded as the 
 revealed will of God. 
 
 Paul, in the course of his ministry, found himself 
 in the city of Thessalonica. The doors of the Jew- 
 ish synagogue were opened to him, and, as was his 
 custom, he commenced to preach the Gospel. 
 
 He rehearsed the facts in connection with the 
 life, sufferings, and resurrection of Christ, and 
 proved from the Old Testament Scriptures that all 
 the prophecies concerning the promised and long- 
 expected Messiah had found their complete ful- 
 nilment In Jesus of Nazareth. A few of the Jews 
 and many of the Greeks, and among them some 
 of the prominent people of the city, accepted the 
 apostle's demonstration and believed in Christ. 
 
 The unbelieving Jews excited a storm of perse- 
 cution, and Paul was driven from the city. 
 
 Leaving Thessalonica, he fled to Berea, and, un- 
 der almost precisely the same circumstances as at 
 the former place, he preached Christ in the syna- 
 gogue of the Berean Jews. The text says of them 
 that " they were more noble than those in Thessa- 
 lonica, in that they received the word with all 
 readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptm-es daily 
 whether those things were so." 
 
 It is not an impossible thing to know the truth ; 
 especially is this the case in regard to the fun- 
 damental principles of the Gospel, since they are 
 either historical or experimental. 
 
 The Bereans constitute a type of thinkers and 
 Investigators worthy of all commendation. The 
 spirit and action of the Bereans has given them a 
 most enviable fame. 
 
 Their name Is borne to-day by one of the grand- 
 est and most remarkable movements in the relig- 
 ious and Intellectual activity of modern times. 
 
 The Thessalonlans constitute a type of thinkers 
 unworthy of imitation. They refused to listen ; 
 they would not investigate ; they answered reason 
 and argument with physical abuse and persecution. 
 They are the prototypes of papal inquisition and 
 modern infidels. 
 
 The Gospel, the history of redemption, the plan 
 of salvation, the demonstration of Jesus' Messiah- 
 ship, the offer of life on the simple conditions of 
 repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus 
 —this was the message proclaimed by Paul to both 
 Thessalonlans and Bereans. The first took no 
 pains to Investigate the claims of the Gospel, nor to 
 examine the foundations upon which those claims 
 rested. The latter were willing and anxious to do 
 both. Four things prevent men seeking after the 
 truth : 
 
 a. The natural perversity of the unregenerate 
 \.Continvi£,A on page 310.] 
 
March 
 
 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Acts 17. 22-34, 
 
 A. D. 52.] 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Paul at Atiikns.— Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 [March 2. 
 
 GOLDBIV TEXT.— In him we live, and move, and have our being.— Acts 17. 28. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 5J. For rulers, see Lesson I. 
 
 PLACE.— Athens in Greete. See Descriiitive Index. 
 
 CoNNKCTiNo Links.— (1) Paul's lourney to Athens. Acts 17. 15. (2) Paul's discussions with the Athe- 
 nians. Acts 17. 16-21. 
 
 l.NTKODUCTio.N.— Sailing from Diura, the apostle would look a repretful farewell upon the distant 
 mountain tops of Thessalonica ; and, more near, the snowy Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the 
 Houieric gods, would recede from sight. He would sail by Thermopyhe, 
 where Leonidus, with his three hundred, died for Grecian liberty; and 
 Marathon, where Miltliides repelled the invading Persian. Finally, after 
 probably about three days' sail, he sweeps round into the Plra?us, the 
 celebrated harbor of Athens, and debarks to visit her streets. To the cult- 
 ured mind few passages in the history of tlie Church are more interest- 
 ing or full of suggestions than this contact-point between Christianity 
 and classicism.— D. D. Wltiilon. Paul «« Mars Hill.— The remark- 
 able speech which follows can only be fully understood by taking into 
 consideration the position in which Paul was placed. His audience 
 consisted of the wise and learned of Athens— the philosophers of the 
 Grecian schools. He takes as his te.xt the Inscription on an altar which 
 he saw, " To an Unknown God ; " and from this he proclaims the true God as the Creator and Preserver 
 of the world, and of all things therein. Surrounded with splendid t«mples, he asserts the folly of think- 
 ing that the Godhead resides in temples made with hands ; and pointing to those magnificent statues 
 In his Immediate neighborhood, he exclaims, " We ought not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, 
 or silver, or sti>ne, to an image of art, or the device of a man." And having thus asserted the majesty of 
 God, and man's dependence upon him— the great truths of natural religion— he proceeds to the message 
 with which he was peculiarly intrusted, the call to repentance, the future judgment, and the resurrec- 
 tion, when he is interrupted, and his speech left unfinished. —Gfoai^. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 22 Then Paul stood in the midst of 
 .Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Ath'ens, 
 I perceive that in all things ye are 'too 
 superstitious. 
 
 22. In the midst of Mars TTin [Rev. Ver., 
 i?i€ Ar(opagw.]—The Areopagus, or Mars Hill, 
 was a rocky eminence to the west of the Acrop- 
 
 olis. It was so called from the legend of the 
 trial of Mars for the murder of the son of Nep- 
 tune. It is much lower than the Acropolis, 
 
 Eevised Version. 
 
 22 And Paul stood in tlie midst of the 
 A-re-op'a-gus, and said, 
 
 Ye men of Ath'ens, in all things I 
 perceive that ye are somewhat ' su- 
 
 being only sixty feet above the valley. This 
 was the meeting-place of the illustrious Senate 
 of Athens, who were in consequence called Are- 
 opagites. They sat in the open air, and their 
 stone seats may still be discerned on the Are- 
 opagus. The court was composed of the noblest 
 and most virtuous men in Athens. Although 
 the city had now lost, m a great measure, its 
 independence, yet being a free city, it was 
 governed by its own laws ; so that under the 
 Romans the council of the Areopagus was still 
 a constituted court, invested with considerable 
 powers. It was before this court that Socrates 
 was tried and condemned. — Gloag. Ye men of 
 Athens— The usual fomi of address employed by 
 their orators. — GIomi. Ye are too supersti- 
 tious (Kev. Ver., someivhat superstitious.) — Car- 
 rying your religious reverence very far ; an iu_ 
 stance of which follows, in that they, not con- 
 71 
 
Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 First Qitartkb. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 23 For as I passed by, and beheld 
 your •> devotions, I found an altar with 
 this inscription, ^ TO THE UNKNOWN 
 GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly 
 worship, him declare I unto you. 
 
 24 God ' that made the world and all 
 things therein, seeing that he is * Lord 
 of heaven and earth, dvvelleth ^ not in 
 temples made with hands; 
 
 tent with worshiping named and known gods, 
 worshiped even an unknown one. Blame is 
 neither expressed, nor even implied ; but their 
 exceeding veneration for religion laid hold of as 
 a fact, on which Paul, with exquisite skill, en- 
 grafts his proof that he is introducing no new 
 gods, but enlightening them with regard to an 
 object of worship on which they were confessed- 
 ly in the dark. — Alford. The Scriptures here 
 recognize a certain religionism of the heathen as 
 something good ; and if, in our overpowering 
 zeal, we are not willing to acknowledge this, the 
 full force of this discourse of Paul must be hid- 
 den from us. — Slier. 
 
 23. As I passed by [Eev. "Ver., passed along'] 
 and beheld your devotions [Eev. Ver., ob- 
 served the objects of your worship.} — Your sacred 
 things ; not, as in our vei-sion, " your devo- 
 tions." The word denotes all objects of their 
 worship — their temples, altars, and images. — 
 Gloag. An altar with this inscription, TO 
 THE UNKNOWN GOD (Eev. Ver., ati un- 
 known god.] — That there was at least one altar at 
 Athens with this inscription would appear histor- 
 ically ceitain from this passage itself, even though 
 other testimonies were wanting, since Paul ap- 
 peals to a fact of his own observation, aTid that, 
 too, in the presence of the Athenians themselves. 
 —Meyer. We are told that there were at Ath- 
 ens altars erected to unknown gods. Thus, Phi- 
 lostratus says. At Athe7is, where are built altars 
 to unknown gods. And Pausanias says, in his 
 description of Attica, that altars of unknown 
 god~^ ^yere in the Phaleric harbor of Athens. The 
 language does not unequivocally decide whether 
 each single altar was devoted to a single unknown 
 god, or to several, or all. But, first, we learn 
 by these passages, at any rate, that the Athe- 
 nians did erect altars to unknown divine pow- 
 ers ; and, second, we may then fairly allow the 
 apostle's word to decide for the singular. — 
 Whedon. ■NAThom therefore [Eev. Ver., i\liat 
 therefore ye worship in ignorance, this set I forth 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 23 perstitious. For as I passed along, 
 and observed the objects of your wor- 
 ship, I found also an altar with this 
 inscription, ''to an unknown god. 
 What therefore ye worship in igno- 
 rance, this set I forth unto you. 
 
 34 The God that made the world and 
 all things therein, he, being Lord of 
 heaven and earth, dwelleth not in 
 
 25 ^temples made with hands; neither 
 
 a Or, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.- 
 
 Or, sanctuariet. 
 
 unto J/OM.J— Paul does not exactly identify the 
 true God witli the unknown god to whom the 
 altar was inscribed ; but draws the inference 
 that the Athenians, besides the known gods, 
 recognized something divine to be worshiped 
 which was different from them. And justly 
 might Paul make this application : Ye worship 
 an unknown god; ye thus acknowledge tliat 
 there is a divinity Mhom you know not; uow 
 such a divinity do I declare to you. — Gloag. 
 Paul acted upon the tittle of rectitude, the mere 
 shadow of a shade of truth, that he found among 
 the Athenians. He viewed their devotio)is be- 
 fore he attempted to reform their principles, and 
 though, in all he saw, he saw but one object which 
 was not wretchedly wrong, he passed by the ac- 
 cumulated heaps of error to make a gentle and 
 conciliatory use of that solitary atom, of abetter 
 element. You see, too, he had acquainted himself 
 with what was good in their poets, and seizes the 
 opportunity of meeting them on their common 
 ground. Let the zealous Protestants of this day 
 act only toward their fellow Christians as Paul 
 acted, in this celebrated instance, toward Pagans. 
 —A. Knox. 
 
 24. God [Eev. Ver., The God.]—k personal 
 being, not a blind force or law of nature ; not the 
 sum total of natui-e's laws personified ; but One 
 who exists independently of nature. — Whedon. 
 Paul begins with the foundation ; he does not 
 preach Christ crucified as a Eedeemer till he has 
 preached the one only God as Creator. — L. Ab- 
 bott. That made the w^orld — In a single sen- 
 tence he sets forth the fundamental tenet of the 
 Christian religion, in contrast with Epicurean- 
 ism, which taught that there was no God, and 
 that the world was only a happy accident ; with 
 Stoicism, which taught that the world was God 
 and God the world ; and with popular mythol- 
 ogy, which believed in as many gods or god- 
 desses as domains in nature or political divisions 
 n the state. — L. Abbott. No wonder that the 
 devil, in order to diffuse idolatry, has blotted 
 out among all heathen nations the recognition 
 
March 2, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 25 Neither is worshipped with men's 
 hands, 'as though he needed any tiling, 
 seeing ' he giveth to all life, and breath, 
 and all things; 
 
 26 And hath made of one blood all 
 nations of men for to dwell on all the 
 face of the earth, and 'hath determined 
 the times before appointed, and "the 
 bounds (tf their habitation; 
 
 27 That '"they should seek the Lord, 
 if haply they might feel after him, and 
 
 of Crtation. The true iloetriuo of creutiou is 
 the I'loper refutatiim ot'all idolatry.— iiVo«. 
 
 25. Neither is worshiped [lie v. Ver., 
 »ervid] with men's hands — Not worshiped, 
 tlie Greek will not bear this iiieauiiijf, and the 
 declaniliou so rendered is not true. On the 
 contrai-y, he calls for worship from men's hands. 
 Psn. 29. 2 ; b9. 7 ; Isa. 5G. 6, 7 ; Ilab. 2. 20 ; 
 John 4. 23 ; 1 Tim. 2. 8 ; llcb. 12. 28. But this 
 worship is not service, in it God serves us ; we 
 do not serve him. The heathens brought costly 
 oflerings, and food and drink, supposing that 
 tlie gods consumed them ; this idea of the 
 dependence of God on men, the reversal of the 
 trutJi, aai one common to all heathen and hea- 
 thenish sj'stcms, Paul disclaims and disproves. 
 Comp. Psa. 50. <)_15.— Z. Abbott. As though 
 he needed any thing — A fatal blow at the 
 whole system of pagan rituals, wliieh assumed 
 that its sacrifices and incense gratitied the appe- 
 tites and senses of the human-like deities.— 
 
 W/itdon. Seeing he [Kev. Ver., he Jiimself] 
 giveth— The fact that all comes from God, and 
 is runstantly preserved by God, is a sufficient 
 evidence that we cannot serve him by giving 
 any thing to him. Comp. 1 Chron. 29. 14. — 
 — Z. Abbott. 
 
 It Is very true that Idols need the services which 
 human hands can render ; there are, indeed, 
 workshops to be found in the cities of India and 
 China, the signs of which liear the inscription, 
 " Here old gods are repaired, and new ones 
 made."— L€c/i/<r. 
 
 26. Hath made of one blood — Paul intro. 
 d .ces this remark in opposition to the polythe- 
 ism of the heathen, who regarded the different 
 nations as derived from different sources, and 
 a** consequently under the superintendence of 
 diflcrent divinities. — (lloag. Hath deter- 
 mined the times before appointed [Kev. 
 Ver., Their appointed seasons. \ — In assigning to 
 the nations their respective abodes, he hath fixed 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 is he served by men's hands, as though 
 he needed any thing, seeing he him- 
 self giveth to all life, and breath, and 
 
 26 all things; and he made of one every 
 nation of men for to dwell on all the 
 face of the earth, having determined 
 their appointed seasons, and the 
 
 27 boundsof their habitation; that they 
 should seek God, if haply they 
 might feel after him, and dnd him. 
 
 both the seasons of their pro.spcrity and the lim- 
 its of their territory, that is, it was he who de- 
 cided wlien and Tmw long they should flourish, 
 and hcnv far their dominion should extend. 
 We have the same idea exactly in Job 12. 23.— 
 Hackett. Boiinds of their habitation— The 
 .•special gifts of character of each race— Hebrew, 
 thoughts of God ; Greek, sense of beauty ; and 
 Roman, sense of law ; and Teutonic, truthful- 
 ness; and Keltic, impulsiveness; and Negro, 
 docility— have all their special work to do. All 
 local circumstances of soil and climate that in- 
 fluence character come under the head of the 
 " bounds of men's habitation." All conditions 
 of time — the period at wliicli each race has been 
 called to play its part in the drama of the 
 world's history — comes under the head of the 
 " appointed seasons." — Plumptre. 
 
 If we would trace our descents we should find 
 all slaves to come from princes, and all princes 
 from slaves.— Seneca. 
 
 If all the leading variations of the human fam- 
 ily sprang originally from a single pair, a doc- 
 trine against which there seems to be no sound 
 objection, a much greater lapse of time is re- 
 quired for the slow and gradual formation of 
 races, such as the Caucasian, Mongolian, and 
 Negro, than is embraced in any of the i>opular 
 systems of chronology.— Sir Charles Lyell, Prin^ 
 ciplcs of Ocology, p. OGO. 
 
 27. That they should seek the Lord— 
 
 The whole object of the divine Providence, in 
 his dealings with nations as well as with indi- 
 viduals, is to bring them to a knowledge of the 
 one true God. This is the declaration of the 
 apostles, that it has important bearings on the 
 Cliristian conception of national life, and one 
 peculiarly api'licable to our own times, is ap- 
 parent. They might feel after him— As a 
 blind man gropes for some object which he is 
 unable to see. How the heathen became so 
 blinded that they must thus grope after God, 
 73 
 
Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 First Quaeter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 find him, " though he be not far from 
 every one of us : 
 
 28 For " in him we live, and move, 
 and have our being; " as certain also of 
 your own poets liave said, For we are 
 also liis oflfspring. 
 
 29 Forasmuch then as we are the off- 
 spring of God, '* we ought not to think 
 that the Godhead is like unto gold, or 
 silver, or stone, graven by art and man's 
 device. 
 
 1 Kings 8. -ll: .Ter. 2.i. 24. »»Col. 1. 17; Hcb. 1. 
 
 Bee Kora. 1. 21. — Z. Abbott. Though lie be 
 not far — Better, And yet he is not far. The 
 speaker appeals, as he does in Eom. 2. 15, to the 
 witness borne by man's consciousness and con- 
 science. There, in the depths of each man's 
 being, not in temples made with hands, men 
 might find God and hold communion with him. 
 — Plumptre. He is hard to find, not because he 
 withdraws from ua, but because we withdraw 
 from him. Our iniquities separate us from liim. 
 —L. Abbott. 
 
 28. For in him — We are surrounded by his 
 pervading Spirit as by an atmosphere ; yet, con- 
 trary to pantheism, distinct from him. — Whe- 
 don. "We live, and move, and have our 
 being — Better, We live, and are moved, and are. 
 Each of the verbs used has a definite philosoph- 
 ical significance. The first points to our animal 
 life ; the second — from whicli is derived the 
 Greek word used by ethical writers for passions, 
 such as fear, love, hate, and the like — not, as 
 the English verb suggests, to man's power of 
 bodily motion in space, but to our emotional 
 nature ; the third, to that which constitutes our 
 true essentud being, the intellect and will of 
 man. What the words express is not merely tlie 
 Omnipresence of the Deity ; they tell us that the 
 power for every act and sensation and thought 
 comes from him. — Plumptre. As certain also of 
 your own poets — Ob.serve that Paul does not 
 quote tlie Bible, but a heathen poet ; he quotes 
 ^s an authority that whicli his audience will 
 accept as such. Contrast his course in tlie 
 Vnagogue at Antioch (chap. 13) where his 
 whole address is based on Scripture. — L. Abbott. 
 For w^e are also his oflfspring — The quotation 
 has a special interest as being taken from a 
 poet who was a countryman of Paul's. Aratus, 
 probably of Tarsus, (about B. C. 272,) liad 
 written a didactic poem under the title of 
 Phcenorn.ena, comprising the main facts of as- 
 tronomical and meteorological science as then , 
 74 
 
 Kevifled Version. 
 
 though be is not far from each 
 
 one of us: for in him we live, and 
 move, and have our being ; as certain 
 even of your own poets have said, 
 
 For we are also his offspring. Being 
 then the offspring of God, we ought 
 not to think that ■* the Godhead is 
 like unto gold, or silver, or stone, 
 graven by art and device of man. 
 
 ' Or, that which !j diifine. 
 
 known. It opens with an invocation to Zeus, 
 which contains the words that Paul quotes. 
 Like words are found in a hymn to Zeus by 
 Cleanthes, B. C. 300. Both passages are worth 
 quoting : 
 
 From Zeus begin we ; never let us leave 
 
 His name unloved. With .him, with Zeus, are 
 
 flUed. 
 All paths we tread, and all the marts of men, 
 FlUed, too, the sea, and every creek and bay ; 
 And all in all things need we help of Zeus, 
 Fo7- we, too, are his offspring. 
 
 —Aratus, Phcenom., 1-5. 
 
 Most glorious of immortals, many-named. 
 Almighty and forever, thee, O Zeus, 
 Sovran o'er nature, guiding with thy hand 
 All things that are, we greet with praises. 
 
 Thee 
 'Tls meet that mortals call with one accord. 
 For we thine offspring are, and we alone 
 Of all that live and move upon this earth. 
 Receive the gift of imitative speech. 
 
 — CLEAJiTHES, Hymn to Zeus. 
 — Pkimptre. 
 
 29. Forasmuch then — If we are God's off- 
 spring our conception of him should mount up- 
 ward from what is highest in ourselves, from 
 our moral and spiritual nature, instead of pass- 
 ing downward to that which, being the creature 
 of our hands, is below us. —Plumptre. The God- 
 head—In the original a vague, philosophic tenn 
 used, we may presume, by Paul in consideration 
 of the habit of thought of his hearers.— Jacobson. 
 Gold, or silver, or stone— The first word re- 
 minds us of the lavish use of gold in the colossal 
 statue of Zeus by Phidias. Silver was less com- 
 monly used, but the shrines of Artemis at Ephe- 
 sus supply an instance of it. " Stone" was the 
 term commonly applied to the marble of Pentel- 
 icus, which was so lavishly employed in the 
 sculpture and architecture of Athens. — Plump- 
 tre. 
 
March 2, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 Authorised Version. 
 
 30 And " the times of this ignorance 
 God winked at ; but " now commandeth 
 all men evcry-uhere to repent: 
 
 81 Because lie hatli appointed a day, 
 in the which " lie will judye the world 
 in righteousness by thttt man whom he 
 hath ordained; whereof he hath <^given 
 assurance unto all inen, iu that he hath 
 raised him from the dead. 
 
 32 And when they heard of the resur- 
 rection of the deail, some mocked: and 
 others said, We will hear thee again of 
 this mutter. 
 
 : Or, olTiTcd 
 
 Observe that it applies to all use of images for 
 the purpose of bringing God near to the soul 
 through the imagination. This is the reason giv- 
 en for their use in the Romish Church lo-day ; the 
 truth is, however, that the Godhead is not like to 
 such images, and this is equally true of art repre- 
 sentations of Christ, since what is adorable in 
 hira is not the fleshly form, (2 Cor. 5. 10,) but the 
 inward, impalpable spuit.— i. Abbott. 
 
 30. This ignorance — The i>rnorance ex- 
 pressed iu verse '23, and e.xempiitied in the idola- 
 trous scene around him. — Whedon. lie calls 
 those tunes wherein Chri.st was unknown to 
 tlieiu, the timet of their igiioiauce. Thouj^h the 
 stars shine never so bright, and the moon with 
 tliem iu its lull, yet they do not, altogether, 
 make it day ! still it is nif^ht till tiie sun appear. 
 — Archbishop Leighton. God wrinked at [Rev. 
 Ver., overlool-ed.] — That is, did not appear to 
 take notice of them by sending express messages 
 to them as ho formerly did to the Jews, or did 
 not observe them with a view to punishment : 
 God, in his mercy, passed them by. — Glvug. 
 But now — The proclamation of the Gospel 
 temiinates the period of excusable ignorance. 
 Knowledge, to whomsoever it comes, creates new 
 cbUgJitions and destroys ancient excuses. — D. D. 
 
 Whedon. All men every-where [Rev. Ver., 
 Commandeth inen that tliey should ei>ery-ii'here.] 
 — Tlius emphatically asserting the universal 
 character of Christianity. To repent — To 
 change their mind and their views, to renounce 
 their idolatries. The command saith, " I^t'ow 
 repent." The imiierative hath no future ten.se. 
 — GurnaU. 
 
 31. He hath appointed a day— The lan- 
 guage certainly implies -a definite and fixed occa- 
 sion of judgment in the future. It is hardly 
 consistent with the idea of a continuous judg- 
 ment before which the souls of the dying appear 
 
 Bevi8«;d Version. 
 
 30 The times of ignorance therefore God 
 overlooked; but now lie 'command- 
 eth men that they hhould all every- 
 
 31 where repent: inasmuch as he hath 
 ajipointed a day, in the which he 
 will judge "the world in righteous- 
 ness 'by * the man whom he hath 
 ordained ; w hereof lie hath given 
 assurance unto all men, in tliat he 
 Lath raised him from the dead. 
 
 33 JS'ow when they heard of the res- 
 nrrectiou of the dead, some mocked ; 
 but others said, We will hear thee 
 
 33 concerning this yet again. Thus 
 
 immediately upon death, and certainly not with 
 the idea of a gradual development in the future 
 life, carried on in all alike, from the stage at- 
 tained by the discipline of earth. — L. Abbott^ 
 Judge the world — Aptly is this uttered on the 
 Areopagus, the seat ot judgment.— i/f/(f/e/. In. 
 righteousness— With an absolutely just judg- 
 ment and a rigliteous sentence for every man. 
 That man — Crowning the scheme of human 
 history is this judgment-</a^, at which man^ the 
 image and offspring of God, is by man to be 
 judged. "Wliom he hath ordained— As the 
 God of all ages has appointed the day, so he, the 
 God of all notions, hath ordained the man. 
 Kaised him from the dead— That a common 
 man sljould be raised from the dead is not cred- 
 ible, for God would not do such a thing. But 
 that a wonderful man, an exceptional man, a 
 miraculous man, the race-born Son of man, or- 
 dained by God and set forth by him, should be 
 raised, is credible. And when God has done 
 such a thing, then he furnishes men good reason 
 to lu'lieve when he declares that the man raised 
 from the dead will jtidge the world in, righteous- 
 ness. — Whedon. 
 
 32. "WTien they heard of the resurrection 
 — Whenever Paul spoke of the resurrection he 
 was interrupted, and thus his speech remained 
 unfinished. Tie had not as yet even named 
 Jesus, but had directed attention to his person ; 
 and evidently, had he been allowed to proceed, 
 he would have discoursed upon his life and 
 sufferings. — Gloag. Some mocked : and 
 others said— If we be permitted to distinguish 
 between these two parties, we would refer the 
 " some who mocked " to the Epicureans, and the 
 others who deferred the further hearing of tlie 
 apostle to the Stoies, but there are not sufliciuut 
 groiuids for this distinction. "We will hear 
 
Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 33 So Paul departed from among 
 them. 
 
 84 Howbeit " certain men clave unto 
 him, and believed: among the which 
 was Di-o-ny'si-us the Ar-e-op'a-gite, and 
 a woman named Daui'a-ris, and others 
 with them. 
 
 thee again — The words contain merely a po- 
 lite dismissal, although those who spoke them 
 might for the time be impressed, perhaps feel- 
 ing that there was some truth in what Paul said. 
 '—Gioag. 
 
 33. From among them— From the assem- 
 bly on Mars Hill. His departure from the city 
 is- expressly noticed in the first verse of the fol- 
 lowing chapters, and, Paley remarks, there is 
 no hint of his quitting Atliens sooner than he 
 had intended. — Jacobson. He went from the 
 midst of them sorry, it may be, for their jeers, 
 fieeing through their spiritual incapacity, but 
 conscious that in that city his public work, at 
 least, was over. He could brave opposition ; he 
 was discouraged by indifference. — Farrar. 
 
 34. Certain men clave unto him — But 
 evidently an inconsiderable number. Luke has 
 no pompous falsehoods to tell us. Paul was de- 
 spised and ridiculed, and he does not for a 
 moment attempt to represent it otherwise ; 
 Paul's speech, so far as any immediate effects 
 were concerned, was an all but total failure, and 
 Luke does not conceal its ineffectiveness. He 
 shows us that the apostle was e.xposed to the ridi- 
 cule of indifferentism, no less than to the per- 
 secutions of exasperated bigotry. — Farrar. 
 Dionysius the Areopagite— A member of the 
 high council at whose place of meeting Paul 
 had spoken. Nothing is known concerning him. 
 Damaris — Nothing else is known of her; there 
 is no adequate reason for the conjecture that she 
 was the wife of Dionysius.— Z. Abbott. Cer- 
 tain others -with them— Though the immedi- 
 ate effect of the apostle's sermon was not 
 great the Parthenon in time became a Christian 
 church. Athens ceased to be " a city full of 
 idols," and the repugnance of the Greeks to 
 images became so great as to be a principal 
 cause of the schism between the Churches of the 
 East and West in the eighth century. — Mum- 
 ^hrey. 
 
 The forms of unbelief have changed ; their es- 
 sential spirit and character are unchanged. 
 Stoicism answers to modern pantheism, the doc- 
 trine that God is all and all Is God ; Epicurean- 
 ism answers to modern materialism, the doctrine 
 
 76 
 
 Kevlsed Version. 
 
 Paul went out from among them. 
 
 34 But certain men clave unto him, and 
 believed: among whom also was Di- 
 o-ny'si-us the Ar-e-op'a-gite, and a 
 woman named Dam'a-ris and others 
 with them. 
 
 that there is no spirit, nothing but a mode of mo- 
 tion; the inscription to the unknown God rep- 
 resents the aspirations which, in a different form, 
 still express themselves in the writings of those 
 who declare the Deity to be the unknown and 
 the unknowable. Paul's treatment of the skep- 
 ticism of Athens is equally applicable to the 
 parallel skepticism of our own times. We are to 
 recognize it as a fact ; to unhesitatingly attack 
 it ; to treat it as a genuine conviction with re- 
 spect, and yet as a spiritual blindness that is a 
 sin to be repented of, and we are to meet it, not 
 by arguments drawn from Scripture, whose au- 
 thority it does not recognize, nor by preaching 
 the higher doctrines of Christianity— the Incarna- 
 tion, atonement, and second coming of Christ— 
 but by appealing to the inner consciousness of 
 men witnessed in and by themselves, and by lay- 
 ing the foundation, in demonstrating the truth 
 of theism, for a demonstration of the truth of 
 Christianity.— i. Abbott. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Farrar, chap, xxvii. Conybeare and Howson, 
 chap. X. Schaff's Apostolic Church, p. 267. 
 Freeman's Manners and Customs, 638, 842, 
 843. Stems and Twigs, ii, 179. Guthrie's 
 Sunday Magazine, i, 570. Monday Club Ser- 
 mons, 1877, p. S02. Lesson Helps for 1877, 
 Third Quarter. Pulpit Analyst, ii, 261. Preach- 
 er's Lantern, ii, 369. Bonar's Light and Truth, 
 iii, 163. Preacher's Lantern, i, 700. E. de Pres- 
 sense, Preparation for the Coming of Christ. 
 Sermons, by F. W. Robertson, Paul at Ath- 
 ens ; II. Bushnell, (Living Subjects,) Eelig- 
 ious Nature and Eeligious Character ; T. Bin- 
 ney. Natural and Revealed Eeligion ; A. 
 Barnes, This Earth a Place of Probation ; 
 President Edwards, The Final Judgment. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical quotations,] 
 ver. 22: 5547, 10360; 23: 6206, 9018; 24: 
 2497, 2489; 25: 12304; 26: *288; 27: 2538; 
 28: *3668, 9037; 29: 9045; 30: 11411; 31: 
 3416, *2050 ; 32 : *3931. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the gospel revelation of god.] 
 
 1. The Gospel recognizes every longing of 
 the human heart after God, and sees the truth 
 
March 2, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 underlying tho errors of i>agani.siu. Vers. ii2, 
 23. 
 
 2. Tlio Gospel brings to the human heart a 
 knowledge of the God whom it worehips even 
 in its ignorance. Ver. 23. 
 
 3. Tlie Gijbspel reveals God as the one creator 
 and author of nature, whicli arose, not by chance, 
 but by the fiat of tho Almighty. Ver. 24. 
 
 4. The Gospel reveals God as a spiritual be- 
 ing. Lord of uU, and every-wliere present. 
 Ver. 24. 
 
 6. Tho Gospel reveals God as in direct per- 
 sonal relation with men, giving us all blessings. 
 Ver. 25. 
 
 G. The Gospel reveals God, not as a being fur 
 off apart from us, but as one who is near us, re- 
 sponsive to our yearnings after him. Ver. 27. 
 
 7. The Gospel reveals God as the Father of 
 mankind, bringing us into the privilege of son- 
 ship witii the Almighty. Vers. 28, 29. 
 
 8. The Gospel reveals God manifest in the 
 flesh in tho person of his Son, the Saviour and 
 the Judge of all mankind. Ver. 31. 
 
 Serinon Outline. 
 BY REV. C. W. CCSHING, D.D. 
 
 Paul with his co-laborers, Silas and Timotheus, 
 had Just planted the second and third Christian 
 Churches In Europe at Thessalonica and Berea. 
 From both these places they were driven by the 
 persecutions of the Jews, though Silas and Tim- 
 otheus had remained at Berea, and only Paul had 
 actually been sent away. Alone he departs to offer 
 Christ to the cultured Athenians, though this .seems 
 not to have entered into his plans. The three days' 
 Toyage was alongside historic ground, calculated 
 to charge the nerve and knot the muscle of one 
 like Paul. Here was Therino])yla?, where Leoni- 
 das and his brave three hundred gave their lives 
 for Grecian liberty ; and here, too, was Marathon, 
 where Miltiades beat back the Persian foe. Ar- 
 rived at Athens, entering the city from the Pirasus, 
 " the spirit of Paul is stirred in him " as he sees the 
 almost numberless images of rare beauty which 
 meet his eye at every turn. Idolatry stared him in 
 the face every-where. With such an environment 
 Paul could not be .silent. He disputed with the 
 Jews in the synagogues. Then he encountered the 
 philos<iphers, both Epicureans and Stoics. The 
 former were atheists, the latter, pantheists. Both 
 were ignorant of the true God, and had no faith in 
 a future existence. They were, therefore, at open 
 war with the Gospel which Paul had come to preach. 
 Either the exfstenee of one supreme (Jod, or the 
 truth of the doctrine of the resurrection, would 
 annihilate all their theories at a stroke. But these 
 men were philosophers who prided themselves upon 
 argument, and their dignity would not allow them 
 to thrust aside one who came to meet them with 
 
 argument. So they courteously brought Paul to 
 Areopagus, or, more correctly and literally, to tho 
 hill of Mars. Strictly, the Areopagus wius the high- 
 est court of Athens, and It was held on this hill. 
 Tradition says It was called hill of Mars because 
 the god Mars was tried hero before all the gods 
 for the mui-der of Ualirrhothiu.s, the sou of Nep- 
 tuue. 
 
 There Is no evidence that Paul was brought be- 
 fore the court of Areopagus, though one of Its 
 judges at least was present and converted. Acts 
 17. 34. 
 
 Paul had been disputing daily in the market or 
 Agora in the valley below. Now these philosophers 
 mvite him to this Athenian forum, opposite the 
 Acropolis, while they occupy the seats of the judges, 
 and the multitudes stand about. On this sublime 
 height, elevated sixty feet on a broad plateau, 
 with no roof but the overarching sky, Paul stands 
 in one of the most eventful moments of his life. 
 Before him was the bold summit of the Acropolis 
 crowned with the famous Parthenon, Itself sur- 
 mounted by the colossal statue of Athene, (or Miner- 
 va,) goddessof wisdom and war, and protector alike 
 of the philosophy, art, and religion of Athens. Be- 
 low him was city of temples, altars, theaters, 
 and statues, works of art unsurpassed. With such 
 surroundings, and in the presence of an audience 
 of cidtured Idolaters, Paul began his discourse. 
 Every word was In keeping with the place, and 
 evinced dignity and broadest culture. His first 
 declaration was the gleaming of a two-edged 
 sword : " I perceive that In all things ye are too 
 superstitious;" Uterally, too deity-fearing, too re- 
 ligious. You have too many objects of worship, 
 " For as I passed by and beheld your devotions " — 
 better, your objects of devotion, your temples, 
 your altars, etc., as I beheld so many objects and 
 evidences of worship— "I found an altar to the 
 unknown god." The pagans had many gods, and 
 often did not know to which to appeal. So here 
 was an altar to an unknown god. There is the 
 best authority for believing this literally true. 
 Diogenes Sarrtius says that six hundred yeare B. C. 
 the people had been delivered from a terrible pes- 
 tilence by sacrificing to the god who had power to 
 deliver them, not knowing his name. So tliey had 
 erected altars to this unknown god. Nor was this 
 an uncommon confession, even among the most 
 enlightened heathens. Horace prays, O dcomm 
 qviajvAd, in crvlo regit—" O whichever of the gods 
 rules in the sky." 
 
 Taking advantage of this public, standing con- 
 fession of their Ignorance, Paul says, " What ye 
 Ignorantly worship that I make known to you." 
 I am here to tell you what this God Is, and who he 
 is. " This God made the heavens and the earth." 
 This was a deadly thrust at pantheism, if true. 
 Proceeding, he says, this God, "seeing that he Is 
 Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not In temples 
 made with men's hands." He is not a part of the 
 universe, and hence needing shelter as you teach. 
 77 
 
Acts 17. 22-34. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 He made it all ! " He Is not worshiped with men's 
 hands," does not need their help, their offerings, 
 etc. A fatal blow at pagan sacrifices. He needs 
 nothing from us. The rather we receive all things 
 from him. All nations came from him, and ought, 
 therefore, to be subject to him. These gifts were 
 bestowed on them that they might be led to seek 
 him. For, though apparently hidden, " he is not 
 far from every one of us," for we live, move, and 
 have our being in him." Subsistence, action, and 
 existence Itself are all from him. Even your own 
 great poets, at least two of them, Aratus and 
 Cleanthes, have said, "We also are his oflfspriug." 
 If this be true, if we are the offspring of God, we 
 ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto 
 gold or silver or stone graven by art or man's 
 device." And yet, on every side of them were 
 temples filled with these idols of gold, silver, and 
 stone. How, says Paul, can we be the offspring of 
 such lifeless, senseless things ? 
 
 He declares there were times when God over- 
 looked such ignorance. But there is no apology 
 for it now. In the concentrated light of their time 
 "he commands all men to repent." The coming 
 of Christ into the world removes all ground for 
 excuse, and he will finally judge all men on this 
 basis by Christ whom he hath raised from the 
 dead. 
 
 This reference to the resurrection of Christ and 
 the future state aroused both Epicureans and 
 
 Stoics, for they believed in neither. Some of them 
 lost their dignity and mocked, while others retired 
 by saying, " We will hear thee again upon this 
 matter." 
 
 This was Paul's only visit to Athens, but he had 
 assaulted the fortress at its strongest point, and 
 made breaches in the walls. Moreover, he had 
 planted under the walls seeds full of persistent 
 vitality which must ultimately topple them over. 
 Whether he regarded it as a defeat or victory we 
 do not know. We only know that some were con- 
 verted, among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite; 
 that ultimately the Parthenon became a Christian 
 temple, and that idolatry came to be very repug- 
 nant to the Greeks. It is but reasonable to sup- 
 pose that this bold and conclusive discourse of Paul 
 must have had much to do in bringing about that 
 result. 
 
 We may learn from this, not to be bewildered 
 by the achievements of the wicked, nor intimidated 
 by their dignity or attainments. 
 
 We may learn, too, how to present truth, adapt 
 it to the character of the hearers. Paul did not 
 denounce them or their works. He seized upon 
 the most natural way of approach to his audi- 
 ence; then, in the light of their own admissions, 
 showed the inconsistency of their conclusions. 
 His most effectual weapons were from the ar- 
 senal of the enemy. This is the perfection of 
 argument. 
 
 A. 0. 50J 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Paul at Corinth. — Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 [March 9. 
 
 GOLDEIV TEXT — I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee, to hurt thee, for I have much 
 people in this city.— ACTS 18. 1-17. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 52, Immediately following the events of the last lesson. For rulers, see Lesson I. 
 
 Place.— Corinth in Greece. See Descriptive Index. 
 
 Introduction.— Corinth was situated on the Isthmus, between the two parts of Greece known as 
 Helles and Peloponnesus. It had been destroyed about 200 years before, but rebuilt, and was now the 
 capital of the Greek province, and, more than Athens, the center of Greek life. It was the largest city 
 In Greece, and, from its commercial relations, inhabited by a diverse population. Its military center was 
 the Acro-Corinthus, a rocky height strongly fortified, in the middle of the town. It was the Paris of the 
 ancient world, devoted to pleasure, and so notorious for profligacy that " to Corinthianize" was a current 
 term for the practice of licentiousness. Tlie coming of Paul to Corinth.— It was to Corinth, with its 
 mongrel and heterogeneous population of Greek adventurers and Roman bourgeois, with a tainting in- 
 fusion of Phoenicians— this mass of Jews, ex-soldiers, philosophers, merchants, sailors, freedmen, slaves, 
 trades-people, hucksters, and agents of every form of vice— a colony "without aristocracy, without tradi- 
 tion, without well-established citizens "—that the toil-worn Jewish wanderer made his way. He entered 
 It as he had entered Athens— a stricken and lonely worker ; but here he was lost even more entirely in 
 the low and careless crowd. Yet this was the city from which and to whose inhabitants he was to write 
 those memorable letters which were to influence the latest history of the world. How little we under- 
 stand what is going on around us ! How little did the wealthy magnates of Corinth suspect that the main 
 historic significance of their city during this epoch would be centered in the disputes conducted in a petty 
 synagogue, and the thoughts written in a tent-maker's cell by that bent and weary Jew, so solitary and 
 so wretched, so stained with the dust of travel, so worn with the attacks of sickness and persecution! 
 How true It Is that the Uving world often knows nothing of Its greatest men \~Farrar. 
 IS 
 
March 9, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 1 After these things Paul departed 
 from Ath'ens, and came to Cor'intli ; 
 
 2 And found a certain 'Jew named 
 Aq'ui-la, born in Pon'tus, lately come 
 from It'a-ly, with liis wife Pris-cil'la; 
 
 (or. 16. 19; !(Tlm. 4. 19 
 
 1. After these things— The events of the 
 last le.-<soii. Departed from Athens — We have 
 no frrouiuls t'nr a.tciiiiininu' the length of Paul's 
 stay at Athens. 
 Some have as- 
 >ii;neJ only a fort- 
 iii,Lrht, others liave 
 -ren reason to ex- 
 '.lul it to three 
 ;i ninths. He had 
 inteuded to await 
 the arrival of Silas 
 a n d Timothy, 
 (chap. 17. 16.) but they did not rejoin him till 
 he was at Corinth. He lett Athens, not under 
 any pressure of perseeution, but because his 
 tviacliinfT found no acceptance there. Though 
 ona» and again near Athens in his third mis- 
 Bionary circuit, he did not revisit it. — W. Jacob- 
 
 Ke vised Version. 
 
 1§ After these things he departed 
 from Ath'ens, and came to Cor'inth. 
 
 3 And he found a certain Jew named 
 Aq'ui-la, a man of Pon'tus by race, 
 lately come from It'a-ly, with his wife 
 
 son. Came to Corinth— The journey may 
 have been either by land, along the Isthmus of 
 Corinth, or by sea, from the Piraius to Cenchrea. 
 —K H. Plumptre. 
 
 How great Is the mercy of God ! Nineveh, 
 Sodom, Corinth— no city is so corrupt that he 
 does not send preachers of righteousness to the 
 people.— S<a»7ce. 
 
 2. Aquila — A Roman name, assumed, accord- 
 ing to custom, signifying eagle; in fact, both 
 aquila and eatjle are different shapes of the same 
 primitive word. Pontus — A province bordering 
 on the Eu.\ine Sea, where, induced by advan- 
 tages of trade, the Jews were numerous. Pris- 
 cilla — Also a Koman name, which was strictly 
 Prhca, (2 Tim. 4. 19,) signifying antique. As in 
 our day it is the fancy to use in feminine names 
 the pet termination ie, (as Lizzie for Elizabeth, 
 and Carrie for Caroline,) the Romans ascd the 
 79 
 
Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 (because that Clau'di-us had commanded 
 all Jews to depart from Home:) ^aud 
 carae unto them. 
 
 3 And because he was of the same 
 craft, he abode with them, antl 
 = wrought: for by their occupation they 
 were tent-makers. 
 
 31 Cor. 4. 12; 1 Thess. 2. 9. 
 
 more euphonius terniiuation ilia. So Teveutia, 
 Prima, Prisca, became Terentilla, Primilla, Pris- 
 cilla.— Whedoii.. It appears that Priscilla was a 
 woman of marked abihty, being not only men- 
 tioned as sharing in the hospitality of the fam- 
 ily, but also in the theological instruction of 
 Apollos. From the fact that her name is always 
 mentioned first it has been inferred that she was 
 the more energetic of the two, but it is a fact 
 worthy of note that the two are always men- 
 tioned together, from which we may conclude 
 that they furnish a happy example of harmony 
 and sympathy in Christian life. — L. Abbott. 
 Claudius — Fourth Eoman emperor; his full 
 name was Tiberius Claudius Nero Drusus Ger- 
 manicus. He was called from a quiet and ob- 
 scure life to succeed Caligula, A. D. 41. He had 
 been considered from childhood lacking in intel- 
 lect, the natural irresoluteness of his character 
 had been increased by contemptuous treatment 
 from his relatives, and harshness and cruelty 
 from servants. The evil wrought during his 
 reign is ascribed to others rather than to him, 
 and he is said to have been good and honest.— 
 L. Abbott. All Jews to depart from Rome 
 —The historian, Suetonius, says that Claudius 
 drove the Jews from Eome because they were 
 incessantly raising tumults at the instigation of 
 a certain Chrestus. Chrestus was a common 
 name, Christus was not; the two were often 
 used interchangeably ; the pronunciation was 
 the same, or nearly so ; hence the surmise is 
 not unreasonable that Christianity had already 
 reached Eome at this time ; that the Jews insti- 
 gated riots against their Christian brethren, as 
 in other places in the Eoman Empire — Corinth, 
 (verse 12; Berea, (chap. 17. 13;) Thessaloniea, 
 (chap. 17. 5;) Iconium, (chap. 14. 19 ;) Antioch 
 in Pisidia, (chap. 13. 50;) and that Suetonius, 
 who wrote half a century after the event, which 
 he dismisses in a sentence, formed the impres- 
 sion that this Christus, or Chrestus, was some- 
 how responsible for the outbreaks, and, there- 
 fore, represented him as their instigator. The 
 decree, whatever it was, did not remain long in 
 force, for we find Aquila not long after in Kome, 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 Pris-cil'la, because Olau'di-us had com- 
 manded all the Jews to depart from 
 
 3 Rome: and he came unto them; and 
 because he was of the same trade, he 
 abode with them, and tliey wrought; 
 for by trade they were tent-makers. 
 
 (Eom. 16. 3,) and many Jews resident there. 
 Chap. 28. 15. — L. Abbott. Came unto tliem 
 — The question arises, whether Aquila was al- 
 ready a believer in Christ, or was at this time 
 led by Paul to faith in the Gospel. The former 
 was probably the case, for the following reasons: 
 (1) There is no mention of their listening to Paul, 
 and believing, as, e. g., in the case of Lydia, 
 (chap. 16. 14;) and it is hardly conceivable that 
 Luke, who relates that case so fully, would have 
 omitted a fact of such importance. (2) Paul joins 
 himself to them, as able to share his thoughts 
 and hopes even before he began preaching in the 
 synagogue, as in verse 4. (8) An unbelieving 
 Jew was not likely to have admitted Paul into a 
 partnership in his business. — E. H. Plumptre. 
 
 3. He abode with them — Dwelling at their 
 home, and perhaps in partnership with their busi- 
 ness. Tent-makers — The general oi^inion now 
 is, that Paul was a maker of tents from the "cili- 
 cium," or hair-cloth of Cilician goats. If it be ob- 
 jected that he would hardly find the raw material 
 for this work in cities far from Cilicia, it may be 
 answered that this would not be required in the 
 fabrication of tents from the hair-cloth^ which, 
 doubtless, itself, would be an article of commerce 
 in the markets of Greece. Chrysostom calls 
 Paul, sometimes, a leather-cutter., imagining that 
 the tents were made of leather. — Alford. Tent- 
 making constitutes an important occupation in 
 Western Asia at the present day. In all the 
 larger cities, and particularly at Constantinople, 
 there is a portion of the bazaar, or business part 
 of the town, entirely devoted to this branch of 
 industry. Here may be seen men engaged in 
 cutting and sewing canvas, in constructing or 
 finishing off tents of various forms and sizes, in 
 mending and repairing those long used, or pack- 
 ing them up for their customers. — Van Lennep. 
 
 The preacher of the Gospel and the tent-maker 
 are not two distinct persons, but one and the 
 same ; in a higher and lower sphere, animated by 
 the same principle, and with the question on his 
 lips, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"— 
 Van Oosterzee. 
 
 Let none be ashamed who follow a trade ; but 
 
March 0, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 4 Ami he reasoned in the synagogue 
 every s:ii)li;itl), and persuaded the Jews 
 and "the Greeks. 
 
 5 And = when Si'las and Ti-mo'the-us 
 were come from Mac-e-tio'ni-a, Paul was 
 l)resse(l in*tlie spirit, and testitied to 
 the Jews thit Je'sus teas " Christ. 
 
 6 And ' wlien they opposed them- 
 selves, and blasphemed, "he shook his 
 raiment, and said unto them, Your ' 
 blood he upon your own heads; I "am 
 
 only let those be ashamed who live to no purpose, 
 and are Idle. The souls of those who are always 
 at work are purer and stronger; for the Idler 
 speaks and does many vain things. But he who 
 labors aright does not easily allow any thing use- 
 less, either in work, word, or thought; for his 
 soul is always directed to a life of labor. For we 
 are the disciples of the fishermen, of the public- 
 ans, of the tent-makers, of Him who was brought 
 up in the carpenter's house.— C/irysostom. 
 
 4. Reasoned in the sjmagogue— Engaged 
 in discussion, proving from the Old Testament 
 that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Every 
 Sabbath — Every- where the services of the syna- 
 gogue formed a starting-point for the Gospel, for 
 those in attendance upon them were already be- 
 lievers ill God, familiar with the Scriptures, and 
 devout in spirit, however narrow-iniuded in their 
 views. The Jews and the Greeks— The latter 
 word does not mean Greek-speaking Jews, or 
 proselytes in the full sense of the word, but, as 
 elsewhere, is used for those who were Gentiles 
 by birth, and who, though worshiping in the 
 synagogue, had not accepted circumcision. — 
 Fluuiptre. 
 
 The tcork of the week, and the sanctiftcation 
 of the mbhath—cach requiring and mstainiug 
 the other: (1) The former creates a hunger and 
 thirst for the repose and the nourishment which 
 the latter affords ; (2) The latter Imparts strength 
 and pleasure in doing the work of the week.— 
 Gerok. 
 
 5. "When Silas and Timotheus were 
 come — Silas from Berea, Timothy from Tliensa- 
 lonioa. 1 Thess. 3. 2. It is not necessarily im- 
 plied that they came together. From Mace- 
 donia — See Lesson VIII, verse 14. Pavd was 
 pressed in the spirit [Rev. Ver., Constrained 
 by the icon!.] — The best reading is to the tvord, 
 not in the spirit. Tlie meaning is not perfectly 
 clear. It may indicate (as Alford and Alex- 
 ander) that Silas and Tuaothy found Taul 
 
 HeviBed Version. 
 
 4 And lie reasoned in tlie synagogue 
 every sabbath, and 'persuaded Jews 
 and Greeks. 
 
 5 But when Si'las and Tim'o-tliy came 
 down from Mac-e-do'ni-a, Paul was 
 constrained by the word, testifyint^ to 
 the Jews that Je'sus was the Clnist. 
 
 6 And when they ojjposed themselves, 
 and "blaspheuietl, lie shook out his 
 raiment, and .'^aid unto them. Your 
 blood he upon your own heads; I am 
 
 I Gr. sought to }itriuade. 30r, raihd. 
 
 " more than usually absorbed in the work of 
 testifying to the Jews, a crisis in the work being 
 imminent, which resulted in their rejection of 
 the word of life;" or it may mean (as Hackett 
 and Kobinson) that after they came he gave him- 
 self wholly to the word, being relieved by the 
 contribution which they brought him from the 
 Macedonian Churches (2- Cor. 11. 9) from the 
 necessity of devoting a considerable part of his 
 time to manual labor, in order to earn his daily 
 bread. — L. Abbott. The word was within him 
 as a constraining power, compelling him to give 
 utterance to it. His " heart was hot whliin him, 
 and while he was musing the lire kindled." Psa. 
 39. A. — Phimptre. Testified to the Jews— 
 Literally, Tcstifi/infj to the Jeivs the Messiah 
 Jesus. Not merely, as in our English version, 
 that Jesus was Christ, but the whole truth re- 
 specting the life of Jesus, and how his life ful- 
 filled the prophecies of the Old Testament con- 
 cerning the Messiah. See chap. 13. — Z. Abbott. 
 6. Opposed themselves — In the original a 
 military term, iniplyiu:.'' orLTanized and system- 
 atic opposition. Blasphemed— Chap. 13. 45. 
 Resistance to the truth led on from bad to worse. 
 — Jacobson. Shook his raiment — A symbol of 
 similar import with shaking otF the dust from 
 the feet. (Acts 13. 51,) denoting his entire separa- 
 tion from them— 67o«^. It was the Isist re- 
 source of one who found appeals to reason and 
 conscience powerless, and was met by brute 
 violence and clamor. — Plumptre. Your blood 
 be on your own heads — As no blood-guiltiness, 
 in a literal sense, had been here contracted, the 
 words must refer to spiritual self-murder. When 
 these people rejected the life whicli is in Christ, 
 they became guilty of spiritual suicide.— .S/«rie. 
 I am clean — " 1 have done my duty." Observe 
 in this sentence a liint of the motive which led 
 Paul always first to preach to tlie Jews ; because 
 he could not, with a good conscience, go to the 
 Gentiles without first otferiug the Gospel to his 
 81 
 
Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized. Version. 
 
 clean: 'from henceforth I will go unto 
 the Gen'tiles. 
 
 7 And he departed thence, and en- 
 tered into a certain mail's house, named 
 Jus'tus, one that worshipped God, whose 
 house joined hard to the synagogue. 
 
 8 And '" Cris'pus, the chief ruler of 
 the synagogue, believed on the Lord 
 with all his house : and many of the Co- 
 rinth'i-ans hearing believed, and were 
 baptized. 
 
 9 Then " spake the Lord to Paul in 
 the night by a vision. Be not afraid, but 
 speak, and hold not thy peace: 
 
 • Chap. 2S. 2S. lOlCor. 1. 14. " Isa. 5S. 21. 
 
 own people.— Z. Ahhott. Unto the Gentiles— 
 This repudiation of the Jews was local, limited 
 to Corinth. Elsewhere, after this, Paul strove 
 with all his energy for the conversion of his 
 countrymen. — Jacohsoh. 
 
 7. Thence — Out of the synagogue, ceasing 
 from this time to attend its services. — Jacobson. 
 Entered into a . . . house — Not to live, but to 
 preach. The fact that it adjomed the synagogue 
 made it convenient for this purpose., — L. Abbott. 
 Named Justus [Rev. Ver., Titus Justm.]— 
 The description of him as otie that worshij)ed 
 God, indicates that he was a heathen proselyte, 
 but not necessarily at this time a Christian, 
 though sympathizing with Paul rather than with 
 his heathen persecutors. Justus evidently was 
 a settled resident in Corinth. The house of a 
 proselyte afforded to both Hebrews and Greeks 
 greater facilities for access to the apostle than 
 any other. The entire numbers of the Corinth- 
 ian converts were probably small — to be counted 
 rather by scores than by hundreds. This is cer- 
 tain, because otherwise they could not have met 
 in a single room in the small houses of the an- 
 cients, nor could they have been all present at 
 common meals. The minute regulations about 
 married women, widows, and virgins seem to 
 show that the female element of the little congre- 
 gation was large in proportion to the men, and 
 it was even necessary to lay down the rule that 
 women were not to teach or preach among them, 
 though Priscilla and Phoebe had been conspicu- 
 ous for their services. — Farrar. 
 
 8. Crispus, the chief ruler of the syna- 
 gogue — This ruler of the synagogue was the 
 president of its board of elders. From his office 
 it may be presumed that he was a man of learn- 
 ing and high character. His conversion was re- 
 garded as of great importance, for Crispus was 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 clean : from henceforth I will go unto 
 
 7 the Gen'tiles. And he departed 
 thence, and went into the house of a 
 certain man named Ti'tus Jus'tus, one 
 that worshipped God, whose house 
 
 8 joined hard to the synagogue. And 
 Cris'pus, the ruler of the synagogue, 
 'believed in the Lord with all his 
 house ; and many of the Co-rinth'i- 
 ans hearing believed, and were bap- 
 
 9 tized. And the Lord said unto Paul 
 in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, 
 but speak, and hold not thy peace: 
 
 biliertd Che Lord. 
 
 one of the very few who received baptism from 
 the hands of Paul. 1 Cor. 1. 14. There was a 
 tradition that he became Bishop of ^gina. — IF- 
 Jacobson. "With aU his house— The first re- 
 corded instance of the conversion of an entire 
 Jewish family. Many of the Corinthians— 
 Probably Paul's separation from the synagogue 
 brought matters to a crisis, so that many waver- 
 ers became avowed disciples. Among the con- 
 verts we may note Gaius, or Caius, probably a 
 man of higher social position than oihere, who 
 made his house the meeting-place of the Church, 
 and at Paul's second visit received him as a 
 guest, (Eom. 16. 23,) and the household of 
 Stephanas, who, as " the first-fruits of Achaia," 
 must have been among the earliest converts. 
 1 Cor. 16. 15. These also Paul baptized hin>- 
 self. 1 Cor. 1. 14, 15. Fortunatus and Achaicus, 
 and Chloe, a prominent female convert, (1 Cor. 
 1. 11,) with Qnartus, and Erastus, the chamber- 
 lain of the city, (Eom. 16. 23,) and Epenetus, 
 also among the " first-fruits of Achaia," (Rom. 
 16. 5,) may also be counted among the disciples 
 made now or soon afterward. — Plumptre. 
 
 9. Then spake the Lord — We observe that 
 these visions were given at several great crises 
 of the apostle's life. He had seen the Lord at 
 his conversion. Chap. 9. 4-6. He had heard the 
 same voice and seen the same form in his trance 
 in the temple at Jerusalem. Chap. 22. 17. Now 
 he saw and heard them once more, at a time 
 when lie was subject to fear and depression, and 
 felt keenly the trial of seeming failure and com- 
 parative isolation. By a vision— That is, by 
 some supernatural appearance to him, though, 
 very possibly, in a dream. Be not afraid — 
 Possibly, after so determined and bold a renun- 
 ciation of the Jews, the apostle suffered a reao- 
 tion, and doubted whether he had not destroyed 
 
March 9, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 Authorised Version. 
 
 10 For " I am with thee, and no man 
 shall set on thee to hurt thee: "for I 
 have much people in this city. 
 
 11 And he ^continued there a year 
 and six months, teaching the word of 
 God among them. 
 
 12 And when Gal'li-o was the deputy 
 of A-cha'ia, the Jews made insurrection 
 with one accord against Paul, and 
 brought iiim to the judgment seat. 
 
 13 Saying, This fellmo persuadcth 
 
 the liope of further work. — L. Abbott. Tliodoublu 
 form, artirmutive and iityative, adds empliasis. 
 
 10. I am with, thee— .iVs a helper aiid com- 
 forter tlio Saviour promises his presence ; an 
 as.-urance more than sufficient to dispel the 
 apostle's anxiety. No man shall set on thee 
 — No person shall oppose in suoh denfree ;i.s to 
 result in injury. The recollection of his suffer- 
 ing's at Philippi was still fresh in Paul's mind. 
 I have much people— There were souls yearn- 
 intr for deliverance, in whom conscience was not 
 dead, and was waiting only for the call to re- 
 pentance. — Piumptre. Divine prescience fore- 
 saw who would exercise the power to accept, and 
 styles that class, more or les.s, by anticipation, 
 the Lord^s people. — IVheJon. In this city — As 
 our hord/orewarned Paul in Jerusalem that they 
 icould not receive his testimony concerning him, 
 so here he encourageji him by a promise of much 
 success in Corinth. ^.iZ/o/'c/. 
 
 11. A year and six months— The main 
 thought of the words which the Lord spoke to Paul 
 in the vision is undoubtedly, " Speak in this city, 
 and be not silent ; " and, accordingly, the period 
 of time during which the apostle obeys this 
 command of Christ must refer to the whole time 
 in which he spoke at Corinth, and, therefore, 
 must include the tune until his departure. — 
 Gloag. Teaching the word of God among 
 them— Paul, like Wesley, " regarded all the 
 world as his parish," and it is little likely that 
 his restless zeal would have made him stay for 
 nearly two years within the city walls. We 
 know that there was a Church at Cenchrea, 
 whose deaconess afterward " carried under the 
 folds of her robe the whole future of Christian 
 tlieology ; " and saints were scattered in small 
 communities throughout all Achaia. — Farrar. 
 Corinth being a commercial and maritime city, 
 visited by strangers from all parts, Paul had an 
 opportunity of [Teaching the Gospel to the na- 
 tives of many countries. — Gloag. 
 
 BevlBed Version. 
 
 10 for I am with tliee, and no man 
 shall set on thee to harm thee: for I 
 
 11 have much people in this city. And 
 lie dwelt there a year and six months, 
 teaching the word of God among 
 them. 
 
 13 But when Gal'li-o was proconsul 
 of A-cha'ia, the Jews with one accord 
 rose up against Paul, and brought 
 
 13 him before the judgement-seat, say- 
 ing, This man persuadeth men to 
 
 12. Gallic — Gallio, or, to give his full name, 
 M. Anmeus Novatus, who had taken the agno- 
 men [after-name] of Gallio on his adojition by the 
 rhetorician of that name, was the brother of L. 
 Anna?us Seneca, the tutor of Nero. The phi- 
 losopher dedicated to him two treatises on Anger 
 and the Blessed Life ; and the kindliness of his 
 nature made him a general favorite. He was 
 every body's " dulcis Gallio," was praised by 
 his brother for his disinterestedness and calm- 
 ness of temper, as one " whom those even who 
 could not love him more than they did, loved all 
 too little." — Seneca, Ep. civ. On the whole, 
 therefore, we may see in him a very favorable 
 example of what philosophic culture was able to 
 do for a Roman statesman.— Piumptre. Pro- 
 consul — This W!is the correct style of the gov- 
 ernor of Achaia at this time, Claudius having 
 transferred to the Senate that province, which, 
 under Tiberius and Caligula, had been in the 
 hands of the emperor, and accordingly governed 
 by a procurator. If the " Life of Claudius," by 
 Suetonius, had not survived, the designation 
 here employed might have been noted as an ex- 
 ception to Luke's habitual accuracy.— /aco6«on. 
 Achaia — The Roman province, with Corinth for 
 its capital, answering very nearly to the modem 
 kingdom of Greece, that is, Peloponnesus and 
 Greece proper. The other province compre- 
 hended Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, and part 
 of lUyria. The Jews made insurrection 
 [Rev. Ver., rose vp a</aiH*i.]— Probably the 
 change of government on the arrival of Gallio 
 encouraged the unbelieving Jews to make this 
 assault on VavX.— Gloag. Brought him to the 
 judgment-seat — The habit of the Roman gov- 
 ernors of provinces was commonly to hold their 
 court in the agora, or market-place, on certain 
 fixed days. — Piumptre. 
 
 13. Saying— From Gallio's words it is clear 
 that the indictment cmtnined a statement of 
 some length, not given by Luke, which he heard 
 
Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 men to worship God contrary to the 
 law. 
 
 14 And when Paul was now about to 
 open his mouth, Gal'li-o said unto the 
 Jews, '* If it were a matter of wrong or 
 wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason 
 would that I should bear with you: 
 
 15 But if it be a question of words 
 and names, and of your law, look ye to 
 it; for I will be no judge of such mat- 
 ters. 
 
 16 And he drave them from the judg- 
 ment seat. 
 
 17 Then all the Greeks ''took Sos'the- 
 
 •Chap. 23.29; 25. 11, 19.- 
 
 completely through. — Whedon. Tliis fellow 
 [Rev. Ver., This man.] — The words thisfelloio, 
 though the substantive is an interpolation, fairly 
 express the contempt implied iu the use of the 
 Greek pronoun. — Phimptre. Persuadeth— The 
 word in the original implies the undermining of 
 previous belief. — Jacobson. To worship God 
 contrary to the law — Tlie Eomanshad granted 
 the Jews full liberty to practice their own relig- 
 ion ; and, therefore, Paul's accusers- hoped that 
 Gallio would interfere and punish him for teach- 
 ing doctrines which they asserted were in oppo- 
 sition to the law of Moses. According to their 
 views, it was the duty of the Eoman government 
 to prevent any attempt to pervert or overturn 
 their religion. — Gloag. 
 
 14. Paul was now about to open his 
 mouth— The phrase always implies, as has been 
 noticed, the beginning of a set discourse. Paul 
 was about to begin a formal apologia., or defense. 
 This, however, proved to be unnecessary. — 
 Flumptre. Gallio said— Gallio does not per- 
 mit Paul to reply, not from any disrespect to 
 the apostle, but because he did not think it nec- 
 essary for him to enter upon his defense. He 
 was accused of no crime which came under the 
 cognizance of the Eoman law. — Gloag. A mat- 
 ter of wrong or wicked lewdness [Eev. 
 Ver., viiched ■villainy.']— If it loere a matter of 
 injxistice (a plain violation of law, infringing on 
 the rights of others) or ivicked mischief, (even 
 a mischievous act of a malicious kind, not di- 
 rectly contravening any special statute.) — L. 
 Abbott. Both words were probably used in a 
 strictly forensic sense — the first for acts of open 
 wrong, such as robbery or assault ; the second 
 for those in which a fraudulent cxmning was the 
 ohief element. — Flumptre. I should bear with 
 you — The very turn of the phrase expresees an 
 81 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 worship God contrary to the law. 
 
 14 But when Paul was about to open 
 his mouth, Gal'li-o said unto the 
 Jews, If indeed it were a matter of 
 wrong or of wicked villany, O ye Jews, 
 reason would that I should bear with 
 
 15 you: but if they are questions about 
 words and names and your own law, 
 look to it yourselves; I am not 
 minded to be a judge of these mat- 
 
 16 ters. And he drave them from the 
 
 17 judgement-seat. And they all laid 
 
 intense impatience. Even in the case supposed, 
 his tolerance would have required an effort. As 
 it was, those Jews were now altogether intoler- 
 able. — Flumptre. 
 
 15. "Words and names — To a Eoman, the 
 question whether Jesus was the Christ would 
 seem to be a mere question of names. — L. Abbott. 
 Of your law— As a Eoman official he refused 
 to recognize the authority of the law of Moses. 
 Look ye to it—" Settle it as best you are able " 
 is the purport. This was not a permission for 
 the Jews to execute judgment according to their 
 own will, but a warning that they must not 
 expect the Eoman courts to interfere in their 
 petty differences. I w^ill be no judge [Eev. 
 Ver., / am not minded to be a judge.] — Of 
 such matters. This conduct entirely agrees 
 with the character of Gallio given by his broth- 
 er Seneca — that of an amiable and upright man. 
 — Gloag. 
 
 16. Drave them— Bid them clear the room 
 so peremptorily as indicated ready compulsion 
 by officers. — Wtedon. Observe, as an indication 
 of the simple truthfulness of the narrative, that 
 the narrator does not hesitate to describe the 
 contempt of a Eoman official for the Jewish na- 
 tion and the Christian cause. —L. Abbott. 
 
 Let us at least do justice to Roman impartiality. 
 In Gallio, In Lysias, In Felix, In Festus, In the cen- 
 turion Julius, even In Pilate, different as were 
 their degrees of rectitude, we cannot but admire 
 the trained judicial insight with which they at 
 once saw through the subterranean Injustice and 
 virulent animosity of the Je.ws in bringing false 
 charges against Innocent men.— Farrar. 
 
 17. All the Greeks— The crowd present at 
 the public place of judgment. The Greeks of 
 this degenerate age had learned to watch their 
 Eoman arbiter's eye with servile adulation, and 
 
March 9, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 nes, tlie chief ruler of the synagogue, 
 and beat him before the judgment seat. 
 And Gal'li-o cared for none of those 
 things. 
 
 to take the cue from liis words. When, there- 
 fore, Gallio ordered the Jews out of his presence 
 these Greeks seem, without rebuke from GuUio, 
 to liave cauyiit their rinj^leader and cliastised 
 him tor having cuiue into tlie judicial jtresence. 
 But, ill addition to the present unpopularity of 
 the Jewish race, this set of Greeks here present 
 had, probably, Uikeu some interest in this case. 
 They knew that the quarrel between the Jews 
 and Paul was a Jew and Gentile strife. With- 
 out any deep sympathy with Paul's religion they 
 were at any rate wjainst tlie Jttvs in the con- 
 test. — Whedon. Sosthenes, the chief ruler— 
 Probably Sosthenes had succeeded Crisjuis as 
 ■chief ruler of the synagogue, and was a leader in 
 this movement. There is no reason for identi- 
 iying him with the Sosthenes who is united with 
 Paul in the salutation of the First Epistle to the 
 ■Corinthians. 1 Cor. 1. 1. Beat him — Cufl'ed 
 and butJ'eted, not .scourged. Gallio cared for 
 ■none of those things — The oliject of this re- 
 mark is to represent the complete failure of the 
 attempt of the Jews. So little did the charge 
 against Paul prosper that the accusers were 
 themselves beaten without tlie interference of 
 the judge, who by this inditferencc declared him- 
 self on the side of the accused. — Meyer. Per- 
 haps he was not unwilling that he who had 
 joined in a furious and unprovoked persecution 
 should feel the effect of it in the excited passions 
 of the people. At all events he wa.s but follow- 
 ing the common practice among the Komans, 
 ■which ■was to regard the Jews ■«ith contempt, 
 *nd to care little how much they w^ere exposed 
 io popular fury and rage. — Barnes. 
 
 The haughty, distinguished, and cultivated Gal- 
 lic, brother of Seneca, Proconsul of Achaia, the 
 most popular man and the most eminent (i7tera<ei(r 
 of his day, would have been to the last degree 
 amazed had any one told him that so paltry an 
 occurrence would be forever recorded In history '- 
 that it would be the only scene in his life In 
 which posterity would feel a moment's interest; 
 that he would owe to it any immortality he pos- 
 sesses; that he would for all time be mainly 
 Judged of by the plimpse we get of him on that 
 particular morning ; that he had tlung away the 
 greatest opportunity of his life when he closed 
 the lips of the haggard Jewish prisoner whom his 
 decision rescued from the clutches of his country- 
 men.— i-'arrar. 
 
 Revised ■Version. 
 
 hold on Sos'tlie-nes, the ruler of the 
 synagogue, aud beat him before the 
 judgement-seat. And Gal'li-o cared 
 ior none of tlieso things. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Farrar, chap, xxvii. Conybeare and Ilowson, 
 chap. xi. Schati"'s Apostolic Church, p. 273. 
 Lesson Helps for lb77, Third Quarter. Bib- 
 lical Studies, p. 417. Freeman's Manners aud 
 Customs, 844, 380, 834, 851, 630. B<jnar's Light 
 and Trutii, iii, 1G8. Guthrie's Sunday Magazine, 
 1871, p. 331. Sermons, by F. \V. Robertson, 
 The Word and tlie World ; II. Melvill, Paul, a 
 Tent-maker; Bishop F. D. Huntingdon, En- 
 trance in the Church ; W. Jay, Spiritual Suc- 
 cor from Appointed Means; S. Leathes, (Bamp- 
 ton Lectures,) The Christ of the Acts. Forster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 
 4^6 ; *3863 ; 6 : 2633, 2636 ; 8 : 2815 ; 10 : 11429 ; 
 17: 544. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the christian in VAKIOt;S RELATIONS.] 
 
 1. The Christian will seek out in every place 
 those who are of the same character with him- 
 self, and will enjoy fellowship with them. Ver. 2. 
 
 2. The Christian will be diligent in secular 
 business, having as his motive faithfulness to 
 every task as done to the Lord. Ver. 3. 
 
 3. The Christian will not permit his week-day 
 work to interfere with the call of God to work 
 for souls. Ver. 4. 
 
 4. The Christian will be ready every-where to 
 hear testimony to the Gospel, and to persuade 
 men to repentance. Vers. 4, 5. 
 
 5. The Christian will be broad in his sympa- 
 thies, and invite all men, of every race aud con- 
 dition, to salvation. Ver. 6. 
 
 6. The Christian will Uve in fellowship with 
 Christ, and will find comfort for trial in the Sav- 
 iour's presence. Vers. 9, 10. 
 
 7. The Christian will see the results of his la- 
 bore, and be encouraged in knowing that he has 
 not lived in vain. Vers. 10, 11. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. D. H. MrLLER, D.D. 
 
 The evangelistic work of Paul can never fall to 
 Interest the Christian liellever and statesman. The 
 varied epistles to the Churches, with their impor- 
 tant contents ; the apostolic method of preaching 
 and planting Churches In the great centers of pop- 
 ulation and activity ; each peculiar city testing the 
 85 
 
Acts 18. 1-17. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 adaptability of the Gospel, and the conquests made, 
 all the outcome of Paul's missionary labors, make 
 the history of his work inspiring and suggestive. 
 To the believer it strengthens confidence in the 
 dlvlneness of Gospel truth. To the statesman it 
 demonstrates the only solution of earnest social and 
 political problems, and presents an elllcient remedy 
 for manifold local and general evils. To Corinth, 
 a city of vices, full of worldliness and licentious- 
 ness fostered, if not created, by commercial pros- 
 perity; a city of composite population, in which su- 
 perstition, paganism, intellectual speculative skep- 
 ticism, and bigoted traditionalism were represented 
 by Roman, Greek, and Jew, Paul came with the 
 word of God, and presents the picture of the Gospel 
 confronting social corruption, and in the victory 
 achieved attests that Gospel to be the power and 
 wisdom of God. 
 To secure this result :— 
 
 1. Conflicts were encountered, (a) In the oppo- 
 sition of Jews. Reform in Church meets bitter op- 
 position. Savonarola, Luther, Wesley, etc. (b) In the 
 corrupt condition of the Gentiles. The worship of 
 the infamous goddess Aphrodite, with one thousand 
 priestesses, reveals the debasement and impurity 
 of the people. The minister to-day confronts the 
 same antagonisms in Ritualism, that is, Romanism, 
 etc. ; and Rationalism, that is, Materialism, or Ag- 
 nosticism, the modern name for Epicureanism. 
 
 2. Courage required renewal, (a) The apostle 
 was discouraged by straitened circumstances. The 
 same embarrassment fetters many workers, and 
 hinders grand enterprises, (b) He found foes where 
 he expected to And friends. This is always a severe 
 test of faith, (c) The populous and dissolute city 
 impressed melancholy. The experiences of De 
 Quincey on entering London for the first time have 
 been shared by persons whose susceptibilities were 
 
 less acute than his. The sense of isolation, blended 
 with thoughts of toil and peril, produces this feel- 
 ! ing. (fl) Apparent failure in Athens was a factor of 
 the apostle's depression. To relieve this despond- 
 I ency (c) the apostle was strengthened by a vision of 
 the Lord— by a voice of command— by the assurance 
 I of protection— by a prophecy of fulfilled success. 
 
 Our relief from depression is God. Here is the 
 j secret of Christian endurance. We have a source 
 j of strength which never fails. His Spirit whispers 
 I peace to our souls. His word reveals his love more 
 I than any vision. Whatever our anxiety or trouble, 
 j the Lord speaks to us, saying, " Be of good cheer, 
 j thy hopes shall be realized. Thou art under divine 
 I care. Thou shalt receive God's protection. Do thy 
 i appointed work for his glory, and at last thou shalt 
 enter on thy reward." 
 
 3. Conquests were made, (a) The Gospel was 
 accepted by Jew and Gentile, (h) Reforms were 
 wrought. All reforms spring from Christ, (c) A 
 Church was planted. We have the same work, 
 weapons, and assured triumph as Paul. .Salvation 
 of America hinges largely on the salvation of her 
 cities. The Gospel of a divine Person and Fact will 
 win. Nor legislation nor education will save our 
 nation or the world. The Gospel, simple and pure, 
 is the sovereign remedy. This Paul offered to the 
 corrupt pagan city of Corinth, and it is our muni- 
 tion and defense to-day. " Christ and him cruci- 
 fied " is a theme large enough for the uttermost of 
 the world's need. 
 
 The reasons that emphasize a vigorous and speedy 
 use of the remedy, are— 
 
 1. The mateiial growth and safety of a city, na- 
 tion, and the world depend upon the activity and 
 purity of moral and spiritual forces. 
 
 2. A common origin, brotherhood, and destiny 
 should make us swift to extend i 
 
 86 
 
 Map of the Vicinity of Ejihesus. 
 
Makcii 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 1 TiiKSS. 4. 13-18: 5. 1-8. 
 
 A. D. 52.] LESSON XL CMarch 16. 
 
 The Coming of the Lord. — 1 Thess. 4. 13-18 ; 5. 1-8. 
 
 GOLDG.\ TEXT.— For If we lielleve that JemiH Jlt-d anil roBe ntfaiii, even mo them aUo which 
 
 Hieep in JeBim will 4iud brin^ with him.— 1 TUESS. 4. 1^. 
 Time.— A. P. 52. For rulers, .see Lesson I. 
 
 Plack.— This epistle was written, while Paul was at Corinth, to the Church at Thessalonlca. 
 ISTR0DVCT10S.—T)ie First EiJiatlc to tin- TliaixaUmiann.— First WTltten of Paul's thirteen apostolical 
 epistles, it stands tlrst In those editions of the Greek Testament, lilte Wet- 
 stein's and Wordsworth's, which jfive the epistles in chronological order. 
 It exhibits the freshness of the apostle's manhood In its style. It deals 
 with the earlier foes of his preaching, the pagans and the hostile Jews, 
 not with the later, the Judaizers and the Gnostics. It states glowingly 
 the first principles of the blessed Gospel ; 11 teaches by vivid pictures the 
 doctrine of the resurrection, the advent, and the retribution ; but en- 
 tere into no full elaborations, lilte the Epistles to the Romans, Gala- 
 tians, and Corinthians. It is not only in time Paul's earliest epistle, 
 but it is, In freshness, simplicity, and vigor, his yoiuwcst epistle. Thessalonlca was Paul's second Euro- 
 pean Church. Of his first entrance there, after his shameful Inflictions at Philippi ; his holy life, arduous 
 manual labor, and impressive preaching-; his descriptions of Christ's second advent, so vivid as to create 
 its "Ideal presence " in the imagination of his hearers; his exaltation of Christen the throne of the 
 world so lofty as to provoke the mobocrats to arraign him before the Demos on charge of treason against 
 Ca?sar ; and of his final discharge on bail by Jason, obliging his exile from the city, the brief history is 
 given in Acts 17. 4-9.— ir/ie<?o». The epistle was written from Corinth (not from Athens, as the unau- 
 thorized subscription states) on the receipt of news from the Church, soon after Paul had left it, (see Les- 
 son VIII,) that its members were perplexed by certain questions concf ming the state of the dead and the 
 second coming of Christ. Those to whom the apostle now wrote had been recently converted from 
 heathenism ; that they had enjoyed his preaching but a short time ; that they had few or no books on the 
 subject of religion ; and that they were surrounded by those who had )w faith in the doctrine of the res- 
 urrection at all, and who were doubtless able— as skeptical philosophers often are now— to urge their ob- 
 jections to the doctrine in such a way as greatly to perplex Christians.— lianies. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 13 But I would not have you to be ig- 
 norant, brethren, concerning them which 
 are asleep, tiiat ye sorrow not, even ' as 
 others which have no hope. 
 
 is ; n.:ul. 14. I, i ; 2 Sam. 12. 20. 
 
 13. Have . . . ignorant — Paul's haljitual 
 formular, in negative or positive shape, of start- 
 intf a new topic. " 1 -would that ye know." 
 Col. 2. 1. "I would not that ye should he ii;- 
 norant." 1 Cor. 10. 1. So 1 Cor. 11. 3, .ind Pliil. 
 1. \2.— W/iedo7i. Concerning them which 
 are asleep — The Thessaloniaus perhaps had 
 asked a question, or Timothy may have given 
 information respecting their uneasiness about 
 some of their number who had died. Whether 
 tliese were many or few, or even none at all, so 
 that they were troubled merely by the imminent 
 peril of death, they had no clearness of view as 
 to tlieir fate. — Eitigenhach. They seem espe- 
 cially to have feared that those of their brethren 
 who had fallen on sleep before the expected ad- 
 vent of the Lord would not participate in its 
 blessings and glories. — Ellicott. Asleep— Tlu.-i 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 13 But we would not have you igno- 
 rant, bretliren, concerning them that 
 fall asleep ; tiiat ye sorrow not, even 
 as the rest, whicli have no hope. 
 
 was an expression conveying definite meaning 
 to the Thessalonians as importing the dead in 
 the Church. Verse 16. No inference must there- 
 fore be drawn from the apostle's use of this word, 
 as to the intermediate .state ; for the word is a 
 mere common term. — A[ford. That ye sorrow 
 not — The word sorrow is absolute, that ye mourn 
 not all : not to be joined with what follows, and 
 to be made only to mean that ye sorrow not in 
 the same manner as, etc. He forbids mourning 
 altogether. But we must remember what sort 
 of mourninij it was. It was mourning for them : 
 not mourning for our loss in their absence, but 
 for thdrs, and in so far, for ours tiUo.—Al/ord. 
 Even as others [Rev. Ver., £ven as the rest.'\ — 
 The others (Eph. 2. 3) obviously includes all^ 
 whether skeptical Jews or unenlightened hea- 
 thens, (Chrysostom,) \vho had no sure hope in 
 67 
 
1 Thess. 4. 13-18; 5. 1- 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 FlKST QUAETEB. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 14 ForMf we believe that Je'sus died 
 and rose again, even so them also which 
 sleep iu Je'sus will God bring with 
 him. 
 
 15 For this we say unto you 'by 
 the word of the Lord, that we wliich 
 are alive and remain unto the coming 
 of the Lord shall not prevent them 
 wliich are asleep. 
 
 any future resurrection. — EUicott. It was the 
 custom of the heathens, on the' death of their 
 relations, to make a show of excessive grief by 
 shaving their heads and cutting tlieir flesh, and 
 by loud bowlings and lamentations over the dead. 
 They even hired persons, who had it for a trade 
 to make these bowlings and cries. — Macknight. 
 "Which have no hope — Notliing in all poetry 
 is more pathetic than the lines of the Greek 
 Moschus, ending with " we shall sleep the long, 
 limitless, unawakable slumber." Theocritus 
 says, " There are hopes in the living, but hope- 
 less are the dead." ^schylus, "Of the once 
 dead there is no resurrection." And the pagan 
 epitaphs are often sentences of everlasting ex- 
 tinction. Says Mr. Withrow, m his work on the 
 Catacombs: '■'■ Domus cuterna, &n eternal home, 
 and Somno aternali, in eternal sleep, are writ- 
 ten on their tombs, frequently accompanied by 
 an inverted torch, the emblem of despair." — 
 Whedon. 
 
 We must, Indeed, long after them, but not be- 
 wail them ; we ought not, for their sakes, to put 
 on black garments, since there they are already 
 clothed in white. We must not give the heathen 
 an opportunity justly to blame Christians by sor- 
 rowing for those whom they speak of as living 
 with God, as if they were lost and perished men. 
 —Cyprian. 
 
 14. Died and rose again — The two founda- 
 tions of Christian faith united in one enunciation. 
 — Lllicott. That Jesus (he uses the human 
 name) died, (here not fell asleep, but without any 
 disguise he speaks of death.) He brought to 
 ligbt a victorious life. But he arose out of death, 
 was not glorified without passing through death ; 
 not even Christ. — Riggenhach. Them also 
 which sleep in Jesus [Eev. Ver., tliat are 
 fallen asleep in Jesas.'] — '■'■Sleep in Jesits" ought 
 to be "fell asleep through Jesus," that is, by 
 his merits have had their death turned into sleep. 
 " Sleep in Jesus " is a beautiful and true expres- 
 sion ; but it is not the one used here. — Alford, 
 Tlie apostle says Jesus died, the saints sleep ; a 
 belie\er's death Ls called a sleep. I do not find 
 88 
 
 Ke vised Version. 
 
 14 For if we believe that Je'sus died 
 and rose again, even so them also 
 that are fallen asleep * in Je'sus will 
 
 15 God bring with him. For this we 
 say unto you by the word of the 
 Lord, that we that are alive, that are 
 left unto the ^ coming of the Lord, 
 shall in no wise precede them that 
 
 till God through Jem 
 
 that Christ's death is called a sleep; no, hie 
 death was death indeed, death with a curse iu 
 it ; but the believer's death is turned by Christ 
 into a sweet and silent sleep. — Barkitt. "Will 
 God. bring with him — Wlien He brings Jesus 
 into the world again, (Hebrews 1. 6,) he will 
 bring them, cause them to come, along with 
 Jesus, will let them share in his heavenly mani- 
 festation. — Hqfmann, 
 
 15. "We say ... by the word of the 
 Lord — Not in my words do I speak ; my state- 
 ment confines itself within the sphere of a word 
 of the Lord. — Riggenhach. "We which are 
 alive and remain [Eev. Ycr. , that arealiveand 
 are left.] — The " we " is an afi'ectionate identify- 
 ing of ourselves with our fellows of all ages, as 
 members of the same body, under the same 
 Head, Christ Jesus. — Edmunds. Paul is to be 
 understood as classing himself with " those 
 who are being left on earth," (compare Acts 
 2. 47,) without being conceived to imply that he 
 had any precise or definite expectations as to his 
 own case. — Lllicott. Unto the coming of the 
 Lord — The coming again of the Lord is not one 
 single act, as bis resurrection, or the descent of 
 the Spirit, or the final coming to judgment, but 
 the great complex of all these, the result of 
 which shall be his taking his people to himself, 
 to be where he is. — Alford. And yet all these 
 expressions seem to point toward one definite 
 event which is yet to take place, according to 
 the opinion of most commentators. Shall not 
 prevent [Eev. Ver., Shall inno ivise precede.] — 
 Shall not arrive into the presence of the Lord, 
 and share the blessings and glories of his advent, 
 before others.— Mlicott. Them which are 
 asleep — Those who have passed away before the 
 coming of the Lord. 
 
 To the primitive Christians all this was reality. 
 They have left their faith and hope recorded upon 
 the tombs which they constructed in their hiding- 
 places in the subterranean excavations or quar- 
 ries of the city of Rome. In those Inng galleries 
 of catacombs where the bodies of martyrs and 
 persecuted saints were laid to rest there is not one 
 
March 16, 1SR4. 
 
 LESSON XL 1 TiiEss. 4. 13-18; 5. 1-8. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 16 Fi)r * tlie Lord himself shall de- 
 BCcud from heiiveii witli a shout, witli 
 tlie voice of the archiingel, :xritl witli 
 the trump of God: aud the dead in 
 Christ shall rise first: 
 
 17 Then we whicii are alive and re- 
 main shall be cauixlit up together witli 
 them 'in tlie clouds, to meet the Lord 
 
 I. I. ll;2Tli. 
 
 1.9; Rev. 1. 15. 
 
 trace of despondency or gloom. It Is written over 
 one and another, "She sleeps;" "In peace;" 
 " With t'hrist." The anchor, the cross, the crown, 
 the syinliols of the resurrection and immortality, 
 make those dark galleries bright with the pres- 
 ence of an eternal life.— J. P. Thompson. 
 
 16. Lord himself— Not by messenger or rep- 
 resontativc, but liis own personal seff. Then 
 sli:ill our eyes heliold him. The hiini^e// is eiii- 
 pluitio with divine di^mity. — W/itJon. Shall 
 descend from heaven — Said for solemnity's 
 Bake, ami to show that it will not be a mere 
 galheriiiii to him, but he Tiitnself will descend, 
 and we all shall bo summoned before him. — 
 Alt'orJ. Shout . . . voice . . . trump— We 
 have to recognize three particulars following 
 eiioh other hi rapid succession : the commander's 
 cull of the king himself; the voice of the arch- 
 angel summoning the other angels ; the trumpet 
 which awakes the dead and collects the believ- 
 ers. — Jiiygenhach. Three sounds are distinctly 
 mentioned, but 1 do not pretend to know what 
 tliey are. — Dr. John Dick. 'With a shout — 
 Whether this shout proceed.s from the descend- 
 ing Clirist or the attending host is not here 
 Btated. The ancient expositors generally re- 
 garded it as the summons of Christ to the living 
 and the dead. Luther translates it " war-cry," 
 and undei-stands it as the joyful exclamation of 
 the angelic host, "the van and the guards;" 
 EUicott says : " It apjiears, however, more plaus- 
 iVile to refer it directly to the archangel, as 
 Christ's minister, and to regard it as a general 
 txpression of wdiat is afterward more distinctly 
 specitied by the substantives which follow." 
 The archangel— Literally, " chief angel." He 
 iJiiLst be an angel, the highest among the an- 
 gels, answering to the hinh-priest as compared 
 with the priests. — Eiijgoihach. Trump of God 
 — Vvcal ^ynlbol of the divine presence and per- 
 son ; as tlie glory is the visible symbol. It tones 
 are heard, but no instrument is seen. It was, 
 probably, never heard but once by human ears, 
 and that was at Sinai. Exod. 19. 16-19. Tlien, 
 as hei-e, it was the announcing strain of the celes- 
 
 Revlscd Version. 
 
 16 are fallen asleep. For the Lord him- 
 self shall descend from heaven, with 
 a shout, with the voice of the arch- 
 auLrel, and with the trump of God: 
 and the dead in Christ sliall rise first: 
 
 17 then we tliat are alive, that are left, 
 shall together with them be caught 
 up in the clouds, to meet the Lord 
 
 tial hosts forming the advance procession of the 
 approaching divine tJne.— Whtdon. The dead 
 in Christ shall rise first— Not with any refer- 
 ence to "first resurrection," (Kev. 20. 5,) but 
 only to the fact that the resurrection of the dead 
 in Christ shall be prior to the assumption of the 
 living. The general resurrection of all men does 
 not here come into consideration. — Ellicott. 
 
 17. "We which are alive and remain [Rev. 
 Ter., are left.]—Ag&\n he says we, recommend- 
 ing thus the expression to Christians of all ages, 
 each generation bequeathing to the succeeding 
 one a continually increasing obligation to look 
 tor the coming of the Lord. — Edmunds. Shall 
 be caught up— We shall be caught up with 
 them at the same time that they shall be caught 
 up. The transformation specified in 1 Cor. 15. 
 52, 53, will necessarily fii-st take place, upon 
 which the glorified and luciform body will l:>o 
 caught up in the enveloj.ing and upbearing 
 doVi^s.—Enicott. Together with them— We, 
 the transfonned living, togetlier with them, the 
 resurrected dead. In the clouds— In Scripture 
 multitudes of ancrels are called cloiuh. Matt. 
 24. 30. Wherefore, caught up in clouds may 
 signify caught up by the ministry of angels. — 
 Macknight. To meet the Lord — To meet 
 Christ, as persons of distinction meet a king to 
 salute him, while otiiers must wait for him, as 
 criminals for the judge. — Chrysodom. In the 
 air— The air marks the way to heaven, and in- 
 cludes the interspace between earth and heaven, 
 with greater or less latitude according to the 
 context. — Ellicott. It is nowhere said that the 
 transactions of the judcrnient will occur vpon the 
 earth. The world would not be spacious enough 
 to contain all the assembled living and dead, and 
 hence the throne of judtrment will be fixed in the 
 amjile space above it. — Bnrnex. The grand con- 
 gregation of the judgment may be in pure space; 
 for these resurrection bodies, absolved from the 
 power of gravitation*and of power by pure voli- 
 tion, can tread upon a plane of pure space as 
 easily as Jesus trod upon the sea. or as we tread 
 upon a pavement. — Wftedon. So shall we be 
 89 
 
1 Thess. 4. 13-18; 5. 1- 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 in the air: and so 'shall we ever be 
 with the Lord. 
 
 18 Wherefore "comfort one another 
 with these words. 
 
 1 But of ' the times and the seasons, 
 brethren, ye have no need that I write 
 unto you. 
 
 2 For yourselves know perfectly, that 
 'the day of the Lord so cometh as a 
 thief in "the night. 
 
 i John \-2. 26; 14. 3; 
 
 lOr, t 
 
 ever with, the Lord — But it is not in the air 
 that this being ever with Christ takes place. 
 Only the meeting takes place in the air, not the 
 abiding. — Riggenbach. The top and height of 
 the saints' blessedness in heaven consists in this, 
 that they shall for ever be there with Christ. — 
 Burkitt. Of a burning world, a resurrection and 
 coudenination of the wicked, and a new oartli, 
 no account is here given ; for, as Lunemann well 
 notes, Paul does not here profess to give a full 
 picture of the last things, but simply such a 
 glimpse as shall meet the doubt and grief in re- 
 gard to the late deceased Christians. — Whed/yn. 
 18. Comfort one another— They were to 
 bring these glorious truth.s and these bright 
 prospects before their minds, in order to al- 
 leviate the sorrows of bereavement. The top- 
 ics of consolation are these : first, that those who 
 had died in the faith would not always lie in 
 the grave ; second, that when they rose they 
 would not occupy an inferior condition because 
 they were cut off before the coming ot the Lord ; 
 and, third, that all Christians, living and dead, 
 would be received to heaven and dwell forever 
 with the Lord. — Barnes. "With these words 
 — The apostle's declarations here are made in 
 tlie practical tone of strict matter-of-fact, and 
 are given as literal details, to console men's 
 minds under an existing difficulty. Never was 
 a place where the analogy of symbolical apoca- 
 lyptic language was less applicable. Either these 
 details must be received by us as matter of prac- 
 tical expectation or we must set aside the apostle 
 as one divinely empowered to teach the Church. 
 —Alford. 
 
 In those scenes we shall all be personally in- 
 terested. If we do not survive till they occur, yet 
 we shall have an important part to act in them. 
 We shall hear the archangel's trump ; we shall be 
 summoned before the descending Judge. In these 
 scenes we shall mingle not as careless spectators, 
 but as those whose eternal doom Is there to be 
 determined, and with all the intensity of emotion 
 derived from the fact that the Son of God will de- 
 90 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 in the air: and so shall we ever be 
 
 18 with the Lord. Wherefore 'comfort 
 
 one another with these words. 
 5 But concerning the times and "the 
 seasons, brethren, ye have no need 
 
 2 that auglit be written unto you. For 
 yourselves know perfectly that the 
 day of the Lord so cometh as a thief 
 
 scend to judge us, and to pronounce our final 
 doom. — Barnes. 
 
 1. But — Here Paul treats of the advent from 
 the other side, and exhorts us to be at all times 
 composed and ready for the day of the Lord — 
 equally remote from anxious calculation or im- 
 patient expectancy: Koiv He comes! and from 
 the drowsy security which says : JVotfor a long 
 time yet! — Riggenbach. Of the times and the 
 seasons — Times are the great time-flows of 
 thousands of years: seasons, the special titne- 
 points, or epochs, that divide olf the flow. It 
 was on this very point that 2 Pet. 3. 8, declares 
 that " one day is with the Lord as a thousand 
 yeai-s, and a thousand years as one day." Pro- 
 phetic time is measured by the arithmetic of God. 
 — Whedon. No need that I write— As the 
 next verse suggests, because they had been ac- 
 curately informed by the apostle, by word of 
 mouth, of all that it was necessary for them to 
 know. —Ellicott. 
 
 2. For yourselves know— By the explicit 
 oral teachings of the apostle, with which they 
 were already familiar. — Know perfectly — 
 There is something surprising in this turn: ye 
 hioiv precisely — that the time cannot be known ! 
 Indeed, that lies in the nature of the case ; the 
 day is to be a surprise to the whole world. There 
 is no determination of the time— only of the 
 signs of the Wm^.— Riggenbach. Day of the 
 Lord— An old Testament phrase to designate 
 any period of God's terrible visitation. Joel 
 1. 15; 2. 11; Ezek. 13. 5; Isa. 2. 12. Here 
 specifically applied to the day of the event just 
 described, (chap. 4. 15-18,) tlie Parousia. Com- 
 eth—Not future ; for it is an ever-pending He 
 cometh ! — Whedon. As a thief in the night— 
 The comparison is striking, and describes the 
 coming not merely as something sudden and un- 
 expected, but also as unwelcome, terrifying for 
 the worldly-minded, plundering them of that to 
 which their heart clings, stripping them of tlieir 
 possessions. — Hofmann. This remarkable com- 
 
March 16, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 1 TiiEss. 4. 13-18; 5. 1-8. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 3 For when tliey sliall siiy, Peace and 
 safety, then "sudden destruction coraeth 
 upon them, as travail upon a woman 
 with child; and they shall not escape. 
 
 4 But '"ye, brethren, are not in dark- 
 ness, that that day should overtake you 
 as a thief. 
 
 5 Ye are all "the children of light, and 
 the children of the day: we are not of 
 the niiiht, nor of darkness. 
 
 G Therefore let us not sleep, as do 
 
 J..hn 8. ! 
 
 1 Kph. 5. 8. 
 
 pnrison of the Lord to a thief wtis first used by 
 our Lord himself in Matt. 24. 43, 44 ; and Luke 
 12. 89, 40. And thenco it became a standard 
 simile. 2 Pet. 3. 10. Wordsworth acutely 
 arLTues that none but Jesus would have invented 
 such a comparison, and that, therefore, tlie Tlies- 
 salouians must have had a gospel of either Mat- 
 thew or Luke to have learned it from. — Whe- 
 cUm. 
 
 3. "WTien they— All unbelieving and unthink- 
 ing men. Comp. Matt. 24. 38 ; Luke 17. 27. 
 The true believers were always watching and 
 ■waiting, knowing the uncertainty and une.v- 
 pectedness of the hour of the Lord's coming. — 
 EUicott. Shall say, [Rev. Ver., are saying,] 
 Peace and safety— One of the most remark- 
 able facts about the history of man is, that he 
 takes no warning from his Maker; he never 
 changes his plans, or feels any emotion, because 
 his Creator " thunders damnation along his path," 
 and threatens to destroy him in hell. Sudden 
 destruction cometh — Tlie word destruction is 
 faiiiiliar to us. It me.ans, properly, demolition ; 
 pulling down ; the annihilation of the form of 
 any thing, or that form of jiart-s which constitutes 
 it what it is ; as the destruction of grass by eat- 
 ing ; of a forest by cutting down the trees ; of 
 life by murder ; of the soul by consigning it to 
 misery. It does not necessarily mean annihila- 
 tion—for a house or city is not annihilated which 
 is pulled down or burnt ; a forest is not annihi- 
 lated which is cut down ; and a man is not an- 
 nihilated whose character and happiness are de- 
 stroyed. — Barnes. As travail upon a woman 
 — The point of comparison is the sudden, inevi- 
 table occurrence of the rending pain, the mor- 
 tal anguish ; also perhaps ( Calvin, Richer) that 
 they bear within themselves the cause of their 
 sorrow. — liiggatbach. They shall not escape 
 — It is clear from this, that when the Lord Jesus 
 shall come the world will not all be converted. 
 There will be some to be "destroyed." How 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 3 in the night. When they are saying, 
 Peace and safety, then sudden de- 
 struction Cometh upon them, as travail 
 upou a woman with child; and they 
 
 4 shall in no wise escape. But ye, 
 brethren, are not in darkness, that 
 that day should overtake you * as a 
 
 5 thief: for ye are all sons of light, and 
 sons of the day: we are not of the 
 
 G night, uor of tiarkness; so then let us 
 not sleep, as do the rest, but let us 
 
 cient nuthoritlei read at thine: 
 
 large this proportion will be it is impossible now 
 to ascertain. This supposition, however, is not 
 inconsistent with the belief that there will be a 
 general prevalence of the Gospel before that 
 period. — Uaruts. 
 
 4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness 
 — They are, in relation to the coming of the day 
 of the Lord, as men are who are awake when the 
 robber comes. They could see liis approach, 
 and could prepare for it, so that it would nut 
 take them by surprise. — Barnes. It was a dark- 
 ness, not only of the mind and underetanding, 
 (Eph. 4. 18,) but of the heart and will. 1 John 
 2. 9.— EUicott. That that day— The day of the 
 Lord's coming. Should overtake you as a 
 thief— Not "as a thief is overtaken," l)ut with 
 the same meaning as in verse 2, as the thief at 
 midnight enlei"s the house whose occupant is not 
 watching. " You will never be overtaken by 
 that day, becaase you will be ever ready for its 
 coming." 
 
 5. Ye are all the children of light [Eov. 
 Ver., all sons of liijht.] — All wiio are Christiana. 
 The jihrase '■'■children of light" is a IlelnTiism, 
 meaning that they were the enlightened children 
 of God. — Barnes. You (a) and all we Christians 
 (b) have no reason to fear, and no excuse for 
 being surprised by, the day of the Lord ; for u-« 
 are sons of light and the day, (signifying that we 
 belong to, having our origin from, the light and 
 the day.) — Alford. "We are not of the night 
 — The change of person from "^e" to "«■«" 
 implies this : Ye are sons of light, because ye 
 are Christians ; and we, Christians, are not of 
 night nor darkness. — D. Brown. 
 
 He, the Llpht of light, will certainly give hii 
 especial help, in no ordinary measure, to the man 
 who, for his sake, is striving to live in the light. 
 He will bless the open-hearted man with the high- 
 est of all blessings, the sure sense of his presence 
 with him.— Bixhcip Temple. 
 
 Q. Let us not sleep — What is meant is clear- 
 91 
 
1 Thess. 4. 13-18; 5. 1-8, LESSON XL 
 
 First Quartkr. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 but let us watch and be 
 
 others 
 sober. 
 
 7 For '''they that sleep sleep in the 
 night ; and they that be drunken are 
 " drunken in the night. 
 
 8 But let us, who are of the day, be 
 sober, putting "* on the breastplate of 
 faith and love ; and for a helmet the 
 hope of salvation. 
 
 ness of spirit, the freshness of the sharpened 
 sense, vigilant waiting for the Lord, circumspec- 
 tion over against the enemy. — Biggenhach. As 
 do others [Eev. Ver., the rest.'] — As do the i-est 
 of men around us, the unbelieving and untliink- 
 ing masses of mankind. Let us watch — 
 Christians are always to be wakeful and vigi- 
 lant ; they are so to expect the coming of the 
 Redeemer that he will not find them off their 
 guard, and will not come upon them by surprise. 
 A Christian ougM always so to live that the 
 coming of the Son of God m the clouds of 
 heaven would not excite the least alarm.— 
 Barii.es. And be sober is frequently joined with 
 watchfulness, (1 Pet. 5. 8,) and often. As in- 
 toxication in the literal sense disposes to sleep, 
 so is it here understood in a compreheubive sig- 
 nification. The innate weakness and sluggish- 
 ness of the flesh of itself inclines to drowsiness, 
 (Matt. 26. 41,) therefore should we avoid what 
 would involve us in the guilt of self-stupefac- 
 tion and of thus aggravating this tendency. — 
 Biggenhach. 
 
 7, 8. Drunken in the night— Among the 
 Greeks and Eomans revelry and drunkenness 
 were the order by night, but to be drunken by 
 day is mentioned as the height of profligacy. 
 The historian Polybius records it as a signal dis- 
 honor of one that he became so given to inebri- 
 ation that " even by day he was often conspicu- 
 ous to his friends, drunk." — Whedon. Let us, 
 who are [Eev. Ver., since we are] of the day 
 — We Christians profess to be day people, not 
 night people ; therefore our work ouglit to be 
 day-work, not night-work ; our conduct such as 
 will bear the eye of day, and such has no need 
 of the veil of night. — Edtmmds. Putting on 
 the breastplate— The breast and head l^eing 
 particularly exposed in battle, and wounds in 
 these parts being extremely dangerous, the an- 
 cients carefully defended the breast and the 
 head of their soldiers by armor, to which the 
 apostle here compares the Christian virtues " of 
 faith andlove." The apostle's meaning, stripped 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 7 watch and be sober. For they that 
 sleep sleep in the night ; and they that 
 be drunken are drunken in the night. 
 
 8 But let us, since we are of the day, be 
 sober, putting on the breastplate of 
 faith and love ; and for a helmet, the 
 hope of salvation. 
 
 of the metaphor, is this : that to defend our af- 
 fections against the impression of outward and 
 
 Roman Coats of Mail. 
 
 sensible objects, nothing is so efifectual as faith 
 in the promises of Christ and love to God and 
 man. — Macknight. Helmet — The armor for 
 the head. The hope of salvation— That liope 
 lifts up the head toward heaven, and wards off 
 all the power of the blows inflicted by Satan 
 In this world. Sorrow loses the power to weigh 
 down ; anticipations of coming evil are neutral- 
 ized ; infidel despair of immortality is dispersed, 
 when the hope of salvation makes strong our 
 head, as faith and love have confirmed our heart. 
 — Whedon. Notice that these arms are defen- 
 sive only, as against a sudden attack — and be- 
 long, therefore, not so much to the Christian's 
 conflict with evil as (from the context) to his 
 guard against being surprised by the day of the 
 Lord as a thief in the night. — Alford. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Commentaries on Epistles to Thesaalonians, 
 Alford, (New Testament for English Readers,) 
 D. D. Whedon, Albert Barnes. The Speaker's 
 Commentary, or Bible Commentary. (See the 
 Introduction to the Epistles in these works.) 
 Conybeare and Howson, chap. xi. Farrar, chaps. 
 xxix, x-xx. Schaflf, p. 275. Homiletical Monthly, 
 ui, 276 ; iii, 646. Pulpit Analyst, iv, 181. Stems 
 and Twigs, i, 99, 100. Sermons, by Chrysostom 
 
March 16, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 1 Thess. 4. 13-18; 1- 
 
 and Siiuriu, Un the Death of Friends ; Arehbp. 
 Tillot.soii, Certainty of a Blessed Kesurreetiun ; 
 J. M. Mason, Christian Mourning; K. A. Ilal- 
 lani, The Children of tlio Day ; C. Spurgeon, 
 (Series 1,) Tlio Enchanted Ground; Bisliup 
 Bull's Sermons. Burnet on The State of the 
 Departed. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, 
 [numbers marked with a star refer to poetic- 
 al quotations,] vor. 13: *2678, 9616; 14: 717; 
 16: 1952,5790; 2: 6147,1234; 3: 10053, 1099; 
 6 : 5386, 12111 ; 7 : 5401 ; 8 : 10743. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the coming of the lord.] 
 
 1. The promise of the Lord's coming is a com- 
 fort to the believer in the sorrows and partings 
 of this life. Ver. 13. 
 
 2. The Lord's coming will bo accompanied 
 by the resurrection of those who sleep in him. 
 Vers. 14, 15. 
 
 3. The Lord's coming will be from heaven, 
 •while the dead in Christ shall arise from the 
 •arth. Ver. 16. 
 
 4. The Lord's coming will be a sudden and 
 public manifestation to all the earth. Ver. 16. 
 
 5. The Lord's coming shall be followed by 
 the change of the believers then living, who 
 shall dwell forever in his glorified presence. 
 Ver. 17. 
 
 6. The Lord's coming shall be a joyful sur- 
 prise to his followers, and a sudden terror to 
 his foes. Vers. 1, 2. 
 
 7. The coming of the Lord should be ever in 
 the mind of his people, as an event to be ready 
 for at any moment. Ver. 6. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. H. LIEBHART, D.D. 
 
 LVTRODCCTicv.— In the catacombs at Rome there 
 are two epitaphs. The one reads: "An eternal 
 home; an eternal sleep." The other: "Here rests 
 In the sleep of peace our brother, admitted into the 
 presence of our Lord." The former is of Pagan, the 
 latter of Christian, origin, and both are striking 
 illustrations, on the one hand, of the hopelessness 
 of unbelief ; and on the other, of the bright future 
 revealed by Christianity. 
 
 Theme: Chrvitian Revelation of our Future. 
 
 I. T}ii8 revelation iiiKpires uswith a cettain arid 
 blesxed hope. Chap. 4. 13-15. 
 
 1. No everlasting extinction, nor comfortless Ig- 
 norance, nor dreamy Imagination of a future state; 
 but a well-founded surely that the child of Uod 
 falls bodily asleep, ceases to toll and care, while the 
 soul enters paradise. 
 
 There is no sleep of the soul, for God will bring 
 through Jesus with him who sleeps, llrst the soul, 
 and then the body in the resurrection. 2 Cor. 4. 14 ; 
 1 Cor. 15. l-i-15 ; Col. 1. 18. 
 
 No despairing sorrow, althouffh Christianity does 
 not teach cruel stoicism. Abraham, Joseph, the llrst 
 Christian, and our Lord himself, have wept at the 
 tombs of loved ones. But the sorrow of the Chris- 
 tian is not heathenish, It is a hopeful sorrow. 
 
 2. The foundation of this blessed hope is the res- 
 urrection of Jesus Christ. Christ died, arose, and 
 lives. Now, there is a tie between him and the be- 
 liever which cannot be severed. He Is the head 
 and we the members ; and he, being In glory, wilj 
 bring us to glory. John 11. 25, 26. So sure Is th< 
 apostle of this, that he calls the death of the Chrla 
 tlan sleep, while he says Jesus died. 
 
 The death and resurrection of Christ has laid such 
 an extensive foundation that the promise to be with 
 Jesus embraces all believers. Those who fell asleep 
 a thousand years ago, and those who will live at 
 the coming of the Lord will be likewise with hitn. 
 Verse. 15. 
 
 II. Christianrevelatinn imfolds the future to tlie 
 necessarii extent. Chap. 4. 16-18. 
 
 Not every question Is answered ; not every detail 
 described ; but we are not lost in darkness. 
 
 We are told : (1) That at the end Jesus will come 
 on earth to evince himself as Lord even of those 
 who do not believe ; that he will justify the faith 
 and hope of his people, and sit In judgment over 
 all. Psa. 72. 2-19. (2) That we shall be participants 
 of the coming of the Lord ; partake of the flrst resur- 
 rection, if asleep in Jesus; meet our Lord, and 
 abide with him and all the saints and angels for- 
 ever. Hence our comfort. 
 
 III. Tlie Gii-istian revelation of our future 
 urges watchfulness. Chap. 5. 1-8. 
 
 So much (16-18) is revealed, but the time is not 
 stated, because we are to be vigilant. We know : 
 (1) That he cometh; (2) that his coming will be 
 sudden ; that we have the light, his revelation, and 
 power to keep us watchful; therefore it Is becoming 
 to us, as children of bright daylight, not to be like 
 those of the night, but to await our Lord in all 
 soberness, putting on our breastplate, etc. 
 
2 Thess. 3. 1-18. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 First Qua-Rteb. 
 
 A. D. 53.] 
 
 LESSON XIL 
 
 Christian Diligence. — 2 Thess. 3. 1-18. 
 
 CMarch 23. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Be not weary in well doing.— 2 THESS. 3. 13. 
 
 TiMK.— A. D. 53. For rulers, see Lesson L 
 
 Place.— This epistle was written by Paul from Corinth In Greece. See Descriptive Index. 
 
 Connecting Links.- The reception of Paul's First Epistle to the Thessalonians led to inquiries, in 
 answer to which he wrote the Second Epistle. 
 
 Introduction. TVie Second Epistte to Thessalonians.— SiuQe the sending of the first letter some one 
 had been imposing upon the Thessalonians a letter in the apostle's name to the effect that the day of the 
 Lord was close upon them, exciting them, and causing them to walk disorderly, and to disregard their 
 own business in life. On being informed of this at Corinth, where he remained for a year and a half, lie 
 sent this Second Epistle, not contradicting, not even modifying, his former teaching, but filling it out and 
 rendering it complete; informing them of those things which, in the divine counsels, were destined to 
 precede the coming of the day of the Lord, and the manifestation of which was kept back by circum- 
 stances then existing.— A//ord. Besides the salutation there are three sections, answering to the three 
 chapters : I. Thanksgiving and prayer for the Thessalonians, chap. 1. 3-12. II. Instruction and exhorta- 
 tion in regard to the " man of sin," chap. 2. III. Sundry admonitions : (1) To prayer, with a confident ex- 
 pression of his hope respecting them, chap. 3. 1-5 ; (2) To correct the disorderly, chap. 3. 6-15. He then 
 concludes with a special remark showing how his letters were thereafter to be identified, and the usual 
 salutation and apostolic benediction, chap. 3. 1&-18.— Sc?ia#. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that 
 the word of the Lord " may have free 
 course, and be glorified, even as it is 
 with you : 
 
 3 And that we may be delivered from 
 ^ unreasonable and wicked men : for all 
 men have not faith. 
 
 1. Pray for us— That is, for Paul, Silas, and 
 Timothy, then engaged in arduous labors at Cor- 
 inth. This request for the prayers of Christians 
 is one which Paul often makes. — Barnes. That 
 tlie word of the Lord — The gospel of salva- 
 tion for all men, God's message as delivered by 
 Paul. Have free coiirse— A circumlocutory 
 translation of simply the word for run. Com- 
 pare Psa. 147. 15 : " His word runneth very 
 swiftly." The prayer is for the rapid spread of 
 the Gospel. — Whedon. To run is to fulfill its 
 course swiftly and without hinderance,not bound, 
 (2 Tim. 2. 9,) to spread itself to where it is not 
 yet ; and, where it is already, to bestir itself and 
 come into proper circulation. — C. J. Eiggenbach. 
 Be glorified— Eeally glorified by its fruit, and 
 actual demonstration of its divine power and 
 ir Mth. — Calvin. That the word of God have 
 free course and be glorified is not a thing that 
 happens of itself, but is, in part, committed also 
 to our fidelity. Every praying person, even 
 though he himself has not the teaching faculty, 
 is, on his part, a co-worker therein. — Eiggenbach. 
 As it is with you— It is evident from this that 
 94 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 3 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that 
 the word of the Lord may run and be 
 glorified, even as also it is with you ; 
 
 2 and that we may be delivered from 
 unreasonable and evil men ; for all 
 
 3 have not 'faith. But the Lord is 
 
 Paul met with some obstructions in preaching 
 the Gospel where he was then laboring. What 
 they were he mentions in the next verse. 
 
 2. That we raay be delivered — Patiently to 
 undergo suffering for Christ's sake, and yet to 
 pray God for deliverance therefrom, are not in- 
 consistent with each other, especially when the 
 deliverance has for its object not so much our 
 own ease as the glorification of the divine name. — 
 Eiggenbach. Unreasonable — The word means, 
 etymologically, out of place ; and hence, as au 
 adjective, signifies unsuitable, unfitting. — Whe- 
 don. Perhaps "perverse" is our nearest word 
 to it. Who are these men? It is obvious that 
 the key to the answer will be found in Acts 18. 
 They were the Jews at Corinth who were at 
 that time the especial adversaries of the apostle 
 and his preaching. — Alford. For all men have 
 not faith — Literally, For to all men the (Chris- 
 tian) faith does not belong — all men do not re- 
 ceive it — have no receptivity for it — obviously 
 pointing at Jews by this description.— .-l^/brti. 
 Faith, in this passage, does not signify the 
 actual belief of the Gospel, but such a desire to 
 
March 23, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 2 TriEss. 3. 1-18. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 3 But the Lord is faitliful, who shall 
 stftblish you, aud ' keep yni from evil. 
 
 4 And we have confidence in the 
 Lord touching jou, that ye both do and 
 will do the things which we command 
 you. 
 
 And 'the Lord direct your hearts 
 into the love of God, and into the pa- 
 tient waiting for Clirist. 
 
 6 Now we command you, brethren, in 
 the name of our Lord Je'sus Cluist, that 
 'ye withdraw yourselves * f rom every 
 
 » John n. 15 ; -i Peter. 2. 9. » 1 Chron. "9. Is ; Malt. M. 31 ; 
 
 1 John 4. 16. fOr, the pntience of Christ; 1 Thesi. 1. 3. 
 
 » Rom. 16. 11. «1 (.or. 5. 11; 1 Tim. 6. 6 ; -J John 10. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 faithful, who shall stablish you, and 
 
 4 guard you from ' the evil one. And 
 we have confidence in the Lord touch- 
 ing you, tliat ye both do and will do the 
 
 5 things which we command. And the 
 Lord direct your hearts into the love 
 of God, and into the patience of 
 Christ. 
 
 6 Now we command, you, brethren, in 
 the name of our Lord Je'sus Christ, 
 that ye withdraw yourselves from 
 
 kuow and to do the will of God a.s will dispose a 
 person to believe the Gospel when fairly pro- 
 posed to hSm.—Macknight. Just i\s there are 
 kinds of soil with no fruitful element* for the 
 reception of the seed, so tliere are hearts which 
 have hardened themselves into unfitness for the 
 Gospel. We should labor to save all, expecting 
 to save some. 
 
 3. The Lord — Here, as in most places in 
 Paul's epistles, referring to the Lord Jesus. Is 
 faithful — He can be trusted when men are found 
 perverse and evil, and will care for those who 
 have placed them.selves in his hands. The great 
 hope of the Christian is in the faithfulness and 
 the might of his Saviour. "Who shall stab- 
 lish you— Place you on a sure fouiulatiim in 
 epite of the malice of wicked men and the wiles 
 of the devil. Keep you— The Lord will keep 
 you, so that whatever is done to you outwardly 
 shall do you no inward hurt. — Ri/jgtnbach- 
 These words show that Paul was anxious for 
 others rather than for himself. Against him 
 malignant men directed all the stings of their 
 wickedness, against him all their attacks were 
 made, but he directs all his care toward his 
 Thessalonians, lest any temptation should beset 
 them. — Calvin. From evil [Rev. Ver., the evil 
 one.]— AW the oppositions of wicked men, and 
 the hinderances in the path of a saint, come from 
 the great adversary, tlie malignant spirit of evil. 
 
 4. Confidence in the Lord — As the ele- 
 ment in which his confidence is e.vercised shows 
 it to be one assuming that they will act consist- 
 ently with their Christian profession ; and so 
 gives the expectation the force of an exhortation, 
 but at the same time a hopeful exhortation. — 
 Alford. When Paul expresses the utmost con- 
 fidence that Christians will live and act as be- 
 comes their profession, his reliance is not on 
 any thing in themselves, but wholly on the 
 
 faithfulness of God. — Barnes, Ye both do and 
 will do — That they will do he trusts, first, be- 
 cause God, on the divine side, will stablish and 
 keep, and you, on the human side, will consent 
 to be established and kept; that is, that you 
 will do the conditions of the full realization of 
 God's stablishing and keeping.- Whedon. The 
 things w^hich we command — Becaase the 
 apostle in his commands spoke aud wrote not by 
 his own arbitrary will, but in accordance with 
 the word of God. 
 
 5. The Lord— The Lord Jesus, as above. 
 Direct your hearts — By the influence of hia 
 Spirit, guiding aud controlling all their emo- 
 tions aud desires. Into the love of God — In- 
 to love on our part toward God. Patient wait- 
 ing for Christ [Rev. Ver., The patience of 
 Christ.]— h must be, as Chry.sostora says, " that 
 we may endure as he endured ; " the jjotience of 
 Christ (genitive possessive) whivJi Christ showed. 
 —Alford. There is no reference here, as ap- 
 ]iears from the Authorized Version, to awaiting 
 for Christ's second coming. 
 
 6. Command you— An authoritative phrase 
 in Greek terms which are used by kings to 
 their subjects, or generals to their soldiers. 
 These are now our apostolic orders, solemnly 
 enforced by being in the name of our Lord Jesns 
 Christ. These are his orders by his represent- 
 ative apostle.— Whedon. In the name of our 
 Lord— This idea is that the authority to admin- 
 ister discipline is derived from the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and is to be exercised in his name and 
 to promote his honor. — Barnes. "Withdraw 
 
 . . . from every brother— Literally, To furl 
 the sails, as we say, to steer dear of. Cf. ver. 14. 
 Some had given up labor as though the Lord'B 
 day was immediately coming. He had enjoined 
 mild censure of such in 1 Thess. 5. 14, " Warn 
 . . . the unrulu" but now that the mischief 
 95 
 
2 Thess. 3. 1-18. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 brother that walketh disorderly, and not 
 after the tradition which he received of 
 us. 
 
 7 For yourselves know how ye ought 
 to follow us: for we behaved not our- 
 selves disorderly among you; 
 
 8 Neither did we eat any man's bread 
 for nought; but ^wrought with labor and 
 travail night and day, that we might 
 not be chargealjle to any of you: 
 
 bad become more confirmed, he enjoins stricter 
 discipline, namely, withdrawal from their com- 
 pany, (cf. 1 Cor. 5. 11 ; 2 John 1. 10, 11.) not a 
 foi-mal sentence of excommunication, such as 
 was subsequently passed on more heinous of- 
 fenders, as in 1 Cor. 5. 5 ; 1 Tim. 1. 20.— D. 
 Broivn. This charge was made necessary, evi- 
 dently, from the fact that some of his converts 
 were from among the class of idlers, and needed 
 the most stringent instruction that to be a Chris- 
 tian was to be a faithful performer of every sec- 
 ular and industrial duty. Yet as the Gospel 
 opened the hearts of the wealthier portion to 
 liberal charities, the temptation became strong 
 after Paul's departure for the idler to avail him- 
 self of these means of support in idleness. — 
 Whedon. That walketh disorderly — The 
 proper idea of the word used here is that of 
 soldiers who do not keep the ranks, who are re- 
 gardless of order, and then referring to persons 
 who are irregular in any way. Traditions— 
 His written or verbal deliverances to them. 
 These traditions they had received from him 
 personally. They have no connection with the 
 pretended traditions of the Komish Church, 
 which have no valid proof of authenticity, and 
 yet are reckoned by Komanists as authoritative 
 part of " the word of God," co-ordinate with the 
 Scriptures. — Whedon. 
 
 This is the true notion of Christian discipline. 
 It Is not primarily that of cutting a man off, or 
 denouncing him, or excommunicating him ; It Is 
 that of ivitlulrawing from him. We cease to 
 have fellowship with him. We do not regard 
 him any longer as a Christian brother. We sep- 
 arate from him. We do not seek to affect him 
 in any other respect. We do not Injure his name 
 or standing as a man, or hold him up to repro- 
 bation. We do not follow him with denunciation 
 or a spirit of revenge. We simply cease to recog- 
 nize him as a Christian brother when he shows 
 that he is no longer worthy to be regarded as 
 such. We do not deliver him over to the qlvil 
 arm. We do not Inflict any positive punishment 
 on him. We leave him unmolested in all his 
 96 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 every brother that walketh disorderly, 
 and not after the tradition which ' they 
 
 7 received of us. For yourselves know 
 how ye ought to imitate us: for we be- 
 liaved not ourselves disorderly among 
 
 8 you ; neither did we eat bread for 
 nought at any man's liand, but in 
 labour and travail, working night and 
 day, that we might not burden any of 
 
 rights as a citizen, a man, a neighbor, a hus- 
 band, a father, and simply say that he is no 
 longer one of us as a Christian. How different is 
 this from excommunication, as it has been com- 
 monly understood ! How different from the 
 anathemas fulminated by the papacy, and the 
 delivering of the heretic over to the civil power. 
 —Barnes. 
 
 7, 8. Ye yourselves know— From the re- 
 membrance of Paul's conduct among them, they 
 could know what their conduct should be. "We 
 behaved not . . . disorderly — In 1 Thess. 
 
 2. 10, he had already referred to his own con- 
 duct : " How holily and justly and unblam- 
 ably we behaved ourselves among you." He 
 did not claun absolute perfection, but he could 
 point to his own life as well as his teach- 
 ings. No person can teach with power unless 
 he exemplifies his own instructions. "Wrought 
 — His laboring was probably at his trade of tent- 
 making, on which see note. Acts 18. 8. From 
 Phil. 4. 15, 16, it appears that Paul did have 
 Philippian aid in his traveling expenses, and 
 also support at Thessalonica. He was aided by 
 the Macedonians at Corinth. Paul was a large 
 taxer of the full-formed and powerful Churches, 
 but mainly on other objects than himself. 
 Labor and travail— Two Greek words simi- 
 larly coupled in 2 Cor. 11. 27, (translated, 
 "weariness and painfulness,") and 2 Thess. 
 
 3. 8; the latter word last, climactically as the 
 stronger term. Wordsworth derives the former, 
 in Greek, from a word signifying to hew, and 
 the latter from two words signifying to carry the 
 logs. If this be a true etymology, the words 
 form a proverbial phrase, hewing and lugging., 
 borrowed from the dialect of the primitive fel- 
 lers of forests. Very applicable, for Paul is 
 here an aboriginal feller of moral forests. — 
 
 Whedon,. Night and day — By night, that he 
 might preach and visit by day ; but also by 
 day, that he might make sure of his thre4 
 Sahbath days of synagogue service. Acta 
 17. 2. 
 
March 23, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 2 TnKss. 3, 1-18. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 9 Not ' because we liave not power, 
 hut to make ourselves an eiisample ' unto 
 you to follow us. 
 
 10 For even when we were with you. 
 this we commanded you, that* if any 
 would not work, neither should he 
 eat. 
 
 11 For we bear that there are some 
 which walk among you 'disorderly, 
 working not at all, but are busy- 
 bodies. 
 
 12 Now them that are such we com- 
 mand and e.xhort by our Lord Je'sus 
 Christ, '"that with quietness they work, 
 and eat their own ijread. 
 
 9. Not because we have not power (Rev. 
 Vcr., the riijht.] — Wlien our Lord tii-st sent out 
 the Twelve to preach, he said uuto them, (Matt. 
 10. 9,) "The workman is worthy of his meat," 
 and by so saying conferred on his apostles a 
 right to demand maintenance from those to 
 wliom they preaclied. Tliis right Paul did not 
 insist on among tlie Thessalonians, but wrought 
 for his own maintenance while he preached 
 to them. Lest, however, his enemies might 
 think this an acknowledgment that he W!i.s no 
 apostle, he here a.ssertcd his right, and told tliem 
 that he had demanded no maintenance from 
 tliera, to make himself a pattern to them of pru- 
 dent \nA\X3try. —Macknight. Make ourselves 
 an ensample — Literal Greek, W e may give our- 
 seh-e.^ a ti/pt.— Wlioloiu 
 
 10. This we commanded you, that if any 
 would not w^ork, neither should he eat 
 [Rev. Vcr., If any will not work, mither let him 
 eat.] — The apostle does not say that whoever 
 does not work shall not eat. That were harsh 
 and unmerciful. For many a man docs not 
 work who yet should eat ; the old, who have 
 passed their life in labor, and whose strength 
 for labor has thus been exhausted, these have an 
 honorable place reserved for tliem at the table 
 of the prosperous ; those, in like manner, who, 
 tlirough bodily or mental infirmity, are incapaci- 
 tated for work, have a free seat at the table of 
 love ; and, lastly, such as would fain labor, but 
 just at present they lind no work ; they them- 
 selves beg ; " Give us not bread, give us work ; 
 ■we desire to eat our own bread ; " to them work 
 •hould be given, but, until that is found, they 
 should not be left to perish. Only to those who 
 will not work does the apostle's injunction apply. 
 — Riagciibach. He should not eat — That is, 
 
 7 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 9 you : not because we have not the 
 right, l)ut to make ourselves an en- 
 sample unto you, that ye should imi- 
 
 10 tate U.S. For even when we were 
 with you, this we commanded you, 
 If any will not work, neither let him 
 
 11 eat. For we hear of some that walk 
 among you disorderly, that work 
 
 12 not at all, but are busybodies. Now 
 them that are such we command and 
 exhort in the Lord Je'sus Christ, 
 that with quietness they work, and 
 
 13 eat their own bread. But ye, breth- 
 
 at the public expense. Tliey should not be sup- 
 ported by the Church. 
 
 11. For we hear — It is not known in what 
 way this was made known to Paul, whether by 
 Timothy, or by some other one. He had no 
 doubt of its truth, and he seems to have been 
 prepared to believe it the more readily from 
 what he saw when he was among them. — Barnes. 
 "Working not . . . but busybodies — This 
 sentence lias a peculiar play upon words, and is 
 variously translated by different scholars, as : 
 Robinson — '■'■Doing nothing, but overdoing; 
 not busy in work, but busybodies ; " — Cony- 
 beare — "Busybodies who do no business;" 
 Jowett — " Busy only with what is not their own 
 business ; Webster and Wilkinson — " Working 
 nothing, but overworking ; " Whedon — " Not 
 business men, but busybodies." It was not a 
 solemn giving over of business, and attending 
 exclusively to religious exercises ; nor even an 
 overdone religious dissipation ; but a lounging 
 and gadding spirit of meddlesome gossip, im- 
 pudently devouring the charities of the Church. 
 
 12. Command— A command on which a 
 penalty depends. Exhorts— A tenderer word, 
 appealing to their own sense of Christian duty. 
 — Whedon. "With quietness — May be taken 
 either subjectively— with a quiet mind — or, ob- 
 jectively, with quiet, i. e,, in outward peace. 
 The former is most probable, as addressed to 
 the offenders themselves. — Alford. Eat their 
 own bread — From this paragraph it is clear 
 that Paul held that the possible nearness of the 
 advent should, with Christians, not change the 
 tenor of life. The artisan should ply his trade, 
 the scholar his books, and the farmer cultivate 
 the soil, as usual. We should, indeed, live as 
 holily as if the advent were to be to-day, bid as 
 
2 Thess 3. 1-18. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 13 But ye, brethren, ''be not weary in 
 well-doing. 
 
 14 And if any man obey not our word 
 *by this epistle, note that man, and 
 have no company with him, that he may 
 be ashamed. 
 
 15 Yet " count him not as an enemy, 
 but admonish him as a brother. 
 
 16 Now the Lord of peace himself 
 s\ve you peace always by all means. 
 The Lord he with you all. 
 
 17 The salutation of Paul with mine 
 own hand, which is the token in every 
 epistle : so I write. 
 
 lignify that man by an epistle- 
 19. n. 
 
 practically as if the 7i>07-ld were to last forever. — 
 W he Jon. 
 
 13. Be not weary in well-doing — We un- 
 derstand the phrase as comprehensively as pos- 
 sible—as including, therefore, both their own 
 unblamable walk, steady, loving, earnest dis- 
 cipline, (verses 14, 15,) and also a due benefi- 
 cence. Suifer not youi-selves by any means to 
 become weary in tlie performance of your duty ; 
 act in every way as followers of God. After 
 many disturbing, discouraging experiences of 
 dishonesty, unworthiness, sloth, abuse of kind- 
 ness, it is necessary to check the growth of dis- 
 pleasure and distrust, lest those who are in real 
 distress should have to suffer innocently. — C. J. 
 Eiggenhach. [Alford, however, takes a different 
 view of the passage.] Well-doing., from the 
 context, cannot mean " doing good," [to others.,) 
 but doing well., living diligently and uprightly : 
 see also Gal. 6. 9, where the same general senti- 
 ment occurs — Alford. 
 
 14, 15. If any man obey not — As was evi- 
 dent some had not obeyed the injunctions con- 
 tained in the former epistle. Paul adds a fresh 
 warning to those who prove disobedient a second 
 time. Note that man — Literally, Mark. The 
 ordinary meaning of the word : put a marlc on 
 him, by noticing him for tlic sake of avoidance. 
 — Alford. Have no company with him — 
 See notes on verse 6. May be ashamed— The 
 feeling proper for conduct which is a violation 
 of Christian honor and self-respect, and condu- 
 cive to the appropriate spirit of repentance. — 
 Whedon. As an enemy— Indulge no hatred ; 
 do him all tlie good in your power. Admonish 
 him as a brother — The offender is a man and a 
 brother still ; he is to be followed with tender 
 sympathy and prayer, and the hearts and the 
 arms of the Christian brotherhood ai'e to be oj^en 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 ren, be not weary in well-doing. 
 
 14 And if any man obeyeth not our 
 word by this epistle, note that man, 
 that ye have no company with him, 
 to the end that he may be ashamed. 
 
 15 And yet count him not as an enemy, 
 but admonish him as a brother. 
 
 16 Now the Lord of peace himself 
 give you peace at all times in all 
 ways. The Lord be with you all. 
 
 17 The salutation of me Paul with 
 inine own hand, which is the token 
 
 18 in every ej^istle: so I write. The 
 
 to receive him again when he gives any evidence 
 of repenting. There was necessity for this cau- 
 tion. There is great danger that when we un- 
 dertake the work of discipline we shall forget 
 tliat he who is the subject of it is a brother, and 
 that we shall regard and treat him as an enemy. 
 — Barnes. 
 
 16. The Lord of peace — He who is its au- 
 thor and the source from which it flows is here 
 called upon to bestow it : " The Lord of peaoe 
 himself ^^■i'e you peace." — E. M. Goulburn. 
 The apostle calls Christ " the Lord of peace," in 
 allusion to Isa. 9. 6, where he is foretold under 
 the character of " the Prince of peace," because 
 he was to reconcile Jews and Gentiles to God 
 and to one another, making peace between God 
 and them ; and " making of two one new man," 
 wliose members are to live in peace with one an- 
 other. — Macknight. Give you peace — Peao* 
 must not be understood only of 2}cace zvith on* 
 another : for there has been no special mention 
 of mutual disagreement in this epistle ; but of 
 jieace in general., outward and inward, here and 
 hereafter, as in Eoin. 14. — Alford. An appro- 
 priate title in the prayer here, where the har- 
 mony of the Christian community was liable to 
 interruption from the " disorderly." — D. Brown. 
 By all means— In every way ; by the mutual 
 performance of every duty. 
 
 17. With mine own hand — So far by 
 amanuensis ; now by autograph. — Whedo7i. The 
 token— The sign of genuineness, as coming 
 from Paul. All the more important, since 
 some one had forged an epistle in his name. 
 Chap. 2. 2. In every epistle— Some think he 
 signed his name to every epistle with his own 
 hand ; but as there is no trace of this in any 
 MSS. of all the epistles, it is more likely that he 
 alludes to his writing with his own hand in 
 
MaKCH 23, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 2 Thess. 3. 1-18. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 18 The grace of our Lord Je'sus Christ 
 be witli vou all. Amen. 
 
 clottimj every epintle, even in tlioso epiatlea 
 (Roninns, 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Pliilippians, 
 1 Tliessalonians) wlieruin he does not specify 
 his havinf? done so. — /). Brown. This would 
 Indicate tlint lie had already written other epis- 
 tles which have not come down to us. So I 
 write — This is my penmanship. The apostle's 
 autograph probably included verses 17, 18. — 
 
 Whtdon. 
 
 18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ- 
 en r<jct is one of Paul's key-words, and used fre- 
 quently in the epistles. It means/at'O/-, mercy ; 
 and expresses the fact that salvation comes 
 wholly by the divine mercy to men, and not by 
 merit on our part. Grace is the divine attitude 
 toward us siuners from which conies peace as a 
 result to us. Be -with you all — Wordsworth 
 remarks, that of the thirteen epistles to which 
 the name of Paul is prefixed, all contain near 
 the close the formula, " The grace of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ be with you." During Paul's life 
 no one else, he says, " ever used this formula ; 
 but after his death it was appropriated by John 
 in the Apocalypse, and by St. (.'lenient at the 
 close of his epistle to the Corinthians." Hence 
 he infers that this formula was tliat " saluta- 
 tion of Paul with mine own hand," of which the 
 apostle speaks, and was always autographic. — 
 
 M'hedon. Amen— [This word, and the sub- 
 scription following it, are omitted in the Revised 
 Version.] From the subscription to this epistle, 
 it purports to have been " written from Athens." 
 This is probably incorrect, as there is reason to 
 think that it was written from Corinth. At all 
 events, this subscription is of no authority. — 
 Marnes. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See Commentaries and Introductions on Thes- 
 6aloniaus,under Lesson XI; and also Sermons, by 
 F. W. Robertson, Waiting for the Second Ad- 
 vent; W. II. Pinnock, Christ our King; O. 
 Dewey, The Passion for a Fortune; II. "W. 
 Beecher, (Lectures to Young Men,) Idleness. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, ver. 1 : 
 2638,4572; 2: 1434; 3: 8007,9015; 4: 7401; 
 6 : 4345 ; 7 : 3802 ; 8 : 9851 ; 10 : 5728, 8773 ; 
 11: 3518,614; 12: 12273; 13: 3516. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [christian diligence.] 
 1. The Christian should be diligent in his 
 intercessions for the Gospel, and for those who 
 labor in it. Ver. 1. 
 
 Hevised Veraton. 
 
 grace of our Lord Je'sus Christ be 
 witli you all. 
 
 2. The Christian should be diligent in hia 
 obedience to the precepts of the Gospel. Ver. 4. 
 
 3. The Christian should be diligent in a pa- 
 tient waiting for the will of the Lord. Ver. 5. 
 
 4. The Christian should be diligent in fidelity 
 to the order and discipline of the Church. Vers. 
 6,7. 
 
 5. The Christian should be diligent in secular 
 business, liaving some employment and faithful 
 in it. Vers. 8-10. 
 
 6. The Christian should be diligent in doing 
 right toward all, and in doing good unto all. 
 Ver. 13. 
 
 7. The Christian should be diligent in kind 
 admonitions to fellow disciples who walk un- 
 worthily. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. H. SPELI.MEVKR, D.D. 
 
 INTRODCCTORY.— (1) The siphcrc of well-doing is 
 the world. " God so loved the \mrhl." " The world 
 is my parish." " Love thy neighbor." (2) The ex- 
 ample of well-doing Is Christ the Lord. " Went 
 about doing good." "He came not to be minis- 
 tered unto," etc. (3) The reasoris for well-doing 
 arise from the loveof God. " This constraineth us." 
 " If God so loved us, we ought also to love one an- 
 other." (4) The renulta of well-doing can only be 
 revealed In eternity. " In due season, If we faint 
 not." (5) The reivn7-ds of well-doing are "the 
 kingdom of heaven." " Well done . . . enter thou 
 into the kingdom," etc. 
 
 I. God supplies the possibility of well-doing. 
 Time, talents, opportunities are from him. "There- 
 fore in him we are accountable." We must give an 
 account for every deed done in the body. 
 
 II. The life of every man is one of iU-doing or 
 wcU-doing. " None of us liveth to himself." 
 
 III. There can be little wcll-cioiug without well- 
 being. Good deeds are but the expression of a 
 pood life. "A good tree bringeth forth good 
 fruit." 
 
 IV. TTell-dolng is not necessarily threat-doing. 
 " She hath done what she could." 
 
 V. The path to earthly immortality lies in well- 
 doing. The good we do lives after us. 
 
 And yet there are many causes for weariness In 
 well-doing. Among such are (a) the magnitude of 
 the work to be done in heathen lands and even at 
 home, (b) Deficient co-operation. A spiritual Indo- 
 lence in the Church. "The lahnrcra are few." 
 (c) The opposition of evil, (1) in the heart, (2) in so- 
 ciety. "What have we to do with thee?" (d) The 
 small success of even our best efforts. Many a soul 
 eludes us. Men are likened to fish by Christ, (c) In- 
 gratitude. Charities are often forgotten. Only one 
 
2 Thess. 3. 1-1! 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 First Quarter. 
 
 of the ten lepers returned to praise the Lord. 
 (/) The Irksomeness of self-denial. Even Chris- 
 tians have to watch their zeal lest it grow cold. 
 
 VI. The apostolic exhortation is " Be not weary," 
 etc. Because (1) God measures motives, im- 
 pulses. He rewards the intent. (2) God sees re- 
 sults which we do not see. There are secondary 
 causes we have originated which are working still. 
 (3) The love of Christ should arouse our ener- 
 gies. What If he had grown weary ? (4) There 
 
 is in all well-doing discipline and a strengthening 
 of personal character, even if the result is not 
 reached. (5) We know that in this way we please 
 God. This should be motive enough. (6) We know 
 God is on our side. "Co-laborers." Victory is 
 certain. Uncertainty as to the outcome is always 
 disheartening. But we are on the side of final con- 
 quest. (7) We know our rewards are certain. We 
 ought to work on principle, but knowing our weak- 
 ness, God offers a "prize." 
 
 SECOND QUARTER. 
 
 STUDIES IN- THE ^CTS J^^NTt EPISTLES. 
 
 A. D. 54.] 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Paul's Third Missionary Journey.— Acts 18. 23-28 
 
 [April 6. 
 
 19. 1-7. 
 
 GOLDBIV TEXT. 
 
 -And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on 
 them.— Acts 19. 6. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 54. Nero, emperor of Rome; Quadratus, prefect of Syria; Felix, procurator of Judea; 
 Ananias, high-priest of the Jews. 
 
 Place.— Ephesus, in Asia Minor. 
 
 Connecting Links.— (l) Paul on his way to Palestine, stops at Ephesus. Acts 18. 18-21. (2) Paul's visit 
 to Cesarea, Jerusalem, and Antioch. Chap. 18. 22. 
 
 Introduction.— About autumn of A.D. 54, leaving Antioch, Paul commences revisitation of the coun- 
 try of Galatia and Phrygia, confirming the Churches. Thence, after spending a ministry of three years 
 in Ephesus, he journeys througli Macedonia into southern Greece, where he spends three winter months 
 at his farthest point, the city of Corinth. Returning he passes through Macedonia and, embarking at 
 Philippi, crosses over to Troas. Thence by sea he skirts by the coasts of Asia Minor, through the ^gean 
 isles ; and, crossing the Mediterranean, comes to Tyre, Ptolemais, and Cesarea, and thence by land to Je- 
 It occupied a period not far, more or less, from four years.— W/iedon. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 23 And after he had spent some time 
 there, he departed, and went over all 
 the country of ^ Ga-la'ti-a and Phryg'i-a 
 in order, strengthening "all the disci- 
 ples. 
 
 1 Gal. 1. 2 ; 4. 14.- 
 
 23. Some time there— At Antioch. A 
 brief visit of respect sometimes suffices for Je- 
 nwalein ; but some iime of residence indicates 
 that the apostle is at home in Antioch. — IVhe- 
 don. G-alatia — One of the central provinces of 
 Asia Minor, inhabited by a Gallic race. Paul 
 had i3lauted the Gospel there on his second 
 journey. See First Quarter, Lesson V, ver. 6, 
 notes. Phrygia: — A central province, visited 
 by Paul on his first journey. See Acts 14. 
 100 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 23 And having spent some time there^ 
 he departed, and went through the 
 region of Ga-la'ti-a and Phryg'i-a in 
 order, stablishing all the disciples. 
 
 We may suppose that Paul went first to Tarsus, 
 thence in a north-western direction through Ga- 
 latia, and then, turning to the south-west, passed 
 through Phrygia, and so on to Ephesus. That 
 course accounts for Luke's naming Galatia before 
 Phrygia instead of the order of chap. 16. 6. — 
 Dr. Hackett. In order— Implies that he reg- 
 ularly visited the Churches, each as they lay in 
 his route. — Alford. Strengthening [Rev. 
 Ver., stablishing] all the disciples — Giving 
 
April 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 24 And 'a certain Jew named A-pol'- 
 los, born at Al-e.\-an'dri-a, an eloquent 
 man, and niiglity iu the Scriptures, 
 came to Eph'e-sus. 
 
 25 Tliis man was instructed in the 
 way of tl»e Lord ; and bein^ fervent * in 
 
 »1 Cor. I. IS; 4. 6; Tlluj 3. 13. « Rom. li. II 
 
 them such enL-ouragemcnt tus they ueeded, in a 
 remote reitfiou, where tliey eujoyoJ but little 
 coutuet with other Churches. 
 
 24. A certain Jew named ApoUos — Of 
 
 whom iiuthiiii^ iskuowu besides tlie intbrination 
 here given, except the facts, that his eloquence 
 attracted many at Corinth who would fain have 
 made him tlie leader of a Christian .sect in the 
 Church, (1 Cor. 3. 4,) that he would not permit 
 it, and probably for this reason refused to return 
 to Corinth, though earnestly urged to do so by 
 Paul,(l Cor. 16. 12,) who testifies his regard for 
 bim in Titus 3. 13. He is regarded by some 
 •ritics as the author of the epistle to the He- 
 brews. — Z. Abbott. Bom at Alexandria 
 \Rev. Ver., An Alexandrian by race.] — A cele- 
 brated city and sea-port of Egypt on the Medi- 
 terranean, twelve miles from the mouth of the 
 river Nile, named in honor of Alexander the 
 Great, who founded it B. C. 332. It was built 
 upou a strip of land between the sea and Lake 
 Mareotis, and coiniected with the Lsle of Pharos 
 by a long mole nearly a mile in length. Two 
 main streets, two hundred and forty feet wide, 
 crossing each other at right angles in the middle 
 of the city, left a free pas.sage for the sea-breezes. 
 Though mentioned in the New Testament only 
 iucideiitully in the Book of Acts, (chaps. G. 9 ; 27. 
 6,) it exerted a powerful influence on the his- 
 tory of the development of Christianity. It 
 was a great literary and philosophic center, was 
 the site of the largest library in the world, 
 which under Cleopatra contained 700,000 vol- 
 umes, was a mother of philosophy and arts, 
 and was a cosmopolitan city, iu which Greeks, 
 
 Beviaad Version. 
 
 24 ■ Now a certain Jew named A-pol'- 
 los, an Al-ex-an'dri-an by race, ' a 
 learned man, came to Eph'e-sus; 
 and he was mighty in the scriptures. 
 
 25 Tliis man iiad i)een instructed in 
 the way of tlie Lord ; and being fer- 
 
 ujht bf leurd of mouth. 
 
 Egyptians, and Jews had their respective quar- 
 ters. At this time nearly one third of its popu- 
 lation were Jews ; they had, liowever, material- 
 ly modified their religious belief to conform it 
 to the dreamy ])hilosophy of the Orient, which 
 there found a home. — L. Abbott. An eloquent 
 man [Rev. Ver., A learned »(a«.]— The Greek 
 adjective implies learning as well us eloquence. 
 —Pluiii/'tre. Mighty in the Scriptures — It 
 is not merely said that he knew the Scriptures, 
 but he was migJity in bringing out their force 
 impressively upon the hearts of men. The 
 truth burning in his own heart fired the hearts 
 of others. — Whcdon. The Old Testament 
 Scriptures are, of course, here referred to, as the 
 New Testament was not yet written. 
 
 25. This man was instructed — The orig- 
 inal means, "Taught byword of mouth," and 
 indicates that some person who had heard the 
 account of the Saviour's coming had given Apol- 
 los information concerning it. Yet it was in 
 very imperfect degree, for he knew only the 
 merest rudiments of the Gospel. Probably he 
 had received instruction from a disciple of John 
 the Baptist, and had gathered from hearsay 
 only a few facts about the life of Clu-ist. — Editor. 
 In his native Alexandria perhaps some disciple 
 of John, having left Judea before the zenith of 
 Jesus' ministry, may have unfolded to him the 
 truths with which John had shaken the multi- 
 tudes of Israel. The kingdom of God is at 
 hand ; the prophetic period for the coming One 
 is expiring; the world spiritually, and perhaps 
 physically, is to be destroyed and renewed. 
 With such truths and bold conceptions Apollos' 
 oratory no doubt, like that of John, could sway 
 the multitudes.— W/iedon. "Way of the Lord 
 — Of the Lord, not of Jesus, but, according to 
 the Old Testament, of Jchm-ah. So John was to 
 prepare the way of the Lord=Jehovah. Apollos 
 had not yet distinctly learned of Jesus. — Whedon. 
 Fervent in the spirit— Rom. 12. 11. This 
 cannot be understood of the Holy Spirit, for his 
 gifts are the seal of Christian faith, and that 
 Apollos had not yet embraced in its fullness. 
 But it refers to the native warmth and earnest- 
 ness of his nature. Though but partially in- 
 101 
 
Acts 18. 23-28; 19. 1-7. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 the spirit, he spake and taught diligent- 
 ly the things of the Lord, knowing 
 *only the baptism of John. 
 
 26 And he began to speak boldly in 
 the synagogue : whom when Aq'ui-la 
 and Pris-cil'la had heard, they took him 
 unto them, and expounded unto hini the 
 way of God more perfectly. 
 
 schap. 19. 3. 
 
 structed, ho received the Gospel with all his 
 heart. Spake and taught diligently [Eev. 
 Ver., carefully.^ — Not diligentlr/, as iu our ver- 
 sion, but accuratehj. He taught accurately, ac- 
 cording to the measure of his knowledge. His 
 knowledge, however, is limited by the state- 
 ment which follows, " knowing only the bap- 
 tism of John." — Gloag. Knowing only th.e 
 baptism of John — The po.sition of Apollos at 
 this stage was, it would seem, that of one who 
 knew the tixcts of our Lord's life and death and 
 resurrection, and had learned, comparing these 
 with Iklessianic prophecies, to accept hhn as the 
 Christ. But his teacher had been one who 
 had not gone beyond the stand-point of the 
 followers of the Baptist, who accepted Jesus 
 as the Christ during his ministry on earth. The 
 Christ was for him the head of a glorified Ju- 
 daism, retaining all its distinctive features. He 
 had not as yet learned that " circumcision was 
 nothing," (1 Cor. 7. 19 ; Gal. 5. 6,) and tliat the 
 temple and all its ordinances were "decaying 
 and waxing old, and ready to vanish away." 
 Heb. 8. 13. — Plumptre. Our own opinion is 
 that he knew only so much of Christ as John 
 the Baptist could teach him, and that was, that 
 he was soon to appear, or had already come — 
 "one among you," said the Baptist. He had 
 accepted the teachings of John concerning right- 
 eousness, obedience to God, the uselessness of 
 mere formal worship, etc. He «'as in the eager, 
 expectant condition of one who knew that the 
 Lord was at hand. But in our view he had 
 never heard of the death, resurrection, or as- 
 cension of Jesus. He was fully acquainted with 
 the Old Testament prophecies, and ready to 
 see tlieir fulfillment iu Jesus as soon as it 
 should be pointed out to him. And he pos- 
 sessed the candid nature which would fit him 
 to become a disciple as soon as the truth should 
 be brought to his knowledge. 
 
 A fervent spirit, a good knowledge of the Bible, 
 and a search in it always for the things concern- 
 ing Christ, are the elements that give power in 
 its use. Observe, too, that, ignorant as he was in 
 
 102 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 vent in spirit, he spake, and taught 
 carefully the things concerning Je'- 
 sus, knowing only the baptism of 
 John: and he began to speak boldly 
 in tlie synagogue. But when Pris- 
 cil'la and Aq'ui-la heard him, they 
 took liim unto them, and expounded 
 unto him the way of God more care- 
 
 . the first principles of Christian theology, 
 he was powerful through the Scriptures.— i. Ab- 
 bott. 
 
 Even a light that is dim is, nevertheless, a 
 light; and he who faithfully applies a few talentg 
 that are intrusted to his care shall receive more. 
 —Lcchlcr. 
 
 26. To speak boldly— Any one, invited to 
 do so, might expound in the synagogue. "When 
 Aquila and PriscUla had heard [Eev. Ver., 
 Priscilla and Aqidla.'] — Aquila and Priscilla re- 
 mained at Ephesus long enough to salute Paul 
 on his i-eturn to that city, and to liave him send 
 their salutations thence to the Church at Corinth 
 in the first epistle, chap. 16. 19. The tiiithful paif 
 had a " church in their house." Afterward, 
 (Kom. 16. 3,) residing at Rome, they are greeted 
 by the apostle himself as having been ready to 
 sacrifice their lives to his, as worthy the thanks 
 of all the Gentile Chm-ches, and as still possessing 
 a "Church in their house." Again they return 
 to Ephesus, and are again greeted by the great 
 apostle. 2 Tnn. 4. 19. This is their last New 
 Testament recoi'd; but tradition reports theix 
 martyrdom by the ax. — Whedon. The prom- 
 inence given to Priscilla in this instruction 
 implies that she was a woman of more than or- 
 dinary culture, a student of the older Scriptures, 
 able, with a prophetic insight, to helj) even the 
 disciple of Philo to understand them better than 
 he had done before. — Flumptre. Took him 
 unto them — Eeceived Apollos into their home 
 as they had already received Paul. Expounded 
 unto him — Aquila and Priscilla would inform 
 him of the resuiTection of Christ, the eflTects of 
 his death, the universalit}' of his religion, and 
 the mission of the Holy Ghost ; and thus, from 
 being a dj^ciple of John, Apollos became a dis- 
 ciple of Christ, and an eloquent preacher of 
 Chiistianity. — Gloag. More perfectly [Eev. 
 Ver., More carefully^ — The Greek word for dili- 
 gently in verse 5 more properly signifies accu- 
 rately. The same Greek word here is used in 
 the comparative. But if Apollos preached accv^ 
 rately at first, how could he be taught to preach 
 
April 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Acts 18. 23-28; 19. 1- 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 27 And when he wiis disposed to pnss 
 into A-chii'ia, tlie bretlireu wrote, cx- 
 liortinjj the discipk'S to receive him: 
 wlio, when he was come, "iielped tla-in 
 much which had believed through 
 grace : 
 
 28 For lie micrlitily convinced the Jews, 
 avil that j)ul)licly, 'showing by the 
 Scriptures tiiat Jesus was "Christ. 
 
 • I Cor. 3. 6 ; 8 Cor. 1. «4. ' Chap. 9. iS ; 17. 3 ; 1 Cor, 15. 3, 4. 
 
 a Or, li the Chrlit ; Gen. 49. Ui ; Deut. Id. IS ; Num. 21. 9 ; 
 
 Fi*. 16. », 10 : i-2 : V.M. II ; lul. 7. 14 ; ». 6 ; S3 ; Jer. JS. S ; Dau. 
 I. :4; MIcah S. -i; Mai. :). 1. 
 
 more accnrute>y* The lirst accuracy, we sup- 
 pose, wiis the proper accuracy of a Johnito, than 
 •which the accuracy of a Christian was nwre ac- 
 curate. — Wfmdon. 
 
 Here we discover the reason why the Lord In 
 his provldenee, when this pair were expelled from 
 Kome, puided their steps to Coriutli. where they 
 learned the Gospel from Paul, and then indiioed 
 them to go with Paul to Ephesus, and remain in 
 that city after their great instructor had left it. 
 The same divine care that brought Philip and the 
 Ethiopian prince together in the desert brought 
 the tent-makers and Apollos together in the city 
 of Ephesus. He was a capacious vessel, and they 
 possessed that word of the Lord with which the 
 vessel must be charged. As soon as they met 
 they imparted, and he received what was lacking 
 to make him an able minister of Jesus Christ. 
 This meeting, which took place on earth, was ar- 
 ranged in heaven.— ,4 idof. 
 
 27. "WTien he was disposed [Rev. Ver., 
 minded.] — The narrative of his teaeliers seems 
 to have inspired his fervent spirit to visit the 
 scenes where tliey 
 >o^-™m lia\e heard Paul 
 preach Jesus, and 
 witnessed his 
 I'ounding a holy 
 (liurch. — Wfie- 
 (hni. To pass in- 
 to Achaia — ()r 
 Greece, the prov- 
 ince east of the 
 In tli«- :il'-inoe of the name of 
 the province, Corinth naturally 
 
 ^ 
 
 GREEClTi v.- .^ 
 
 .Eirtaii ; 
 
 any city 
 
 suggests itself as the place to which he went, 
 ' liap. 19. 1,) and the mention of Apollos in 
 ": Cor. 1. 12, turns this into a certainty. He 
 !tlt, we may believe, that his training in 
 tlie philosophical thought of Alexandria quali- 
 fied him to carry on there the work which 
 Paul had begun both there and at Athens.— 
 Plnrnptre. The brethren -wrote [Rev. Ver., 
 Encouraged him, and iiroie to the dinciplet.] — 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 27 fully. And when he was minded to 
 pass over into A-cha'ia, the brethren 
 encouraged liim, and wrote to the 
 disciples to receive him: and when 
 lie was come, lie 'lieljied them much 
 wliich had believed througli grace: 
 
 28 for lie powerfully confuted the Jews, 
 * and that publicly, sjiewing by the 
 scriptures tliat .le'sus was the Christ. 
 
 This is the first instance which we have of a 
 Christian letter of commendation. — Gloag. 
 Helped them much— Through his gift for 
 tcacliing, his eloquence, and great knowledge of 
 Ulil Testament Scriptures, Apollos greatly helped 
 those that had believed. — Jacobson. The best 
 comment on these words is what Paul says in 
 liis First Epi.stle to the Corinthians: "I hav« 
 planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the in- 
 crease." \ Qor. 2,. Q.— Gloaf). "Which had be- 
 lieved through grace — It was tlirough the 
 grace of God, co-operating with the gift of wis- 
 dom, that Apollos was able to lead men to a 
 higher stage oiihon^ht.—Plumptre. Those who 
 at first had believed through grace were now 
 h'Iped by human aid to persevere in faith. — 
 
 Wfiedon. 
 
 28. He mightily convinced [Rev. Ver., pow- 
 erfully confuted] the Jews— 7/^ mightily con- 
 vinced. Or vehemently, as in Luke 23. 1^; the 
 adverb indicates the charaeter of his speech, as 
 fervid, vehement, impassioned. With this agrees 
 the description of Apollos as an eloquent man, 
 and fervent in the spirit.— Z. Abbott. The ong- 
 inal word is a very forcible one — he argued down, 
 as we say— proved in their teeth : and then it has 
 also the sense of continuity — that this was not 
 done once or twice, but continuously. — Alford. 
 Publicly — Whether in synagogue, clmrch apart- 
 ment, or agora. So popular was Apollos that a 
 party arose with the motto, " 1 am of Apollos." — 
 
 Whedon. Showing by the Scriptures— Prov- 
 ing from the predictions of the Old Testament; 
 using its expressions for the purpose of establish- 
 ing the truth of the jiroposition that Jesus of 
 Nazareth is the Christ. — 67oaj/. 
 
 As Apollos does not appear again In the Acts, it 
 may be well to bring together what is known as 
 to his after-history. At Corinth, as has been said, 
 his name was used as the watchword of a party, 
 prol>ably that of the philosophizing Jews and 
 proselytes, as distinguished from the narrower 
 party of the circumcision that rallied round the 
 103 
 
Acts 18. 23-28: 19. 1-7. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Second Quarteb. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 And it came to pass, that, while 
 A-pol'los was ' at Cor'inth, Paul having 
 passed through the upper coasts came 
 toEph'e-sus: and finding certain disci- 
 ples, 
 
 2 He said unto them, Have ye received 
 the Holy Ghost since ye believed ? And 
 
 name of Cephas. 1 Cor. 1. 12. Not a word escapes 
 from Paul that indicates any doctrinal difference 
 between himself and ApoUos, and as the latter 
 had been instructed by Paul's friends. Aquila and 
 Priscilla, this was, indeed, hardly probable. It 
 would appear from 1 Cor. 16. 12, that he returned 
 to Ephesus, probably with letters of commenda- 
 tion from the Church of Corinth. 2 Cor. 3. 1. 
 Paul's confldence in him is shown by his desire 
 that he should return once more to Corinth with 
 Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus. His 
 own reluctance to be the occasion even of the 
 semblance of schism explains his unwillinarness 
 to go. 1 Cor. 16. 12. After this we lose sight of 
 him for some years. These, we may believe, were 
 ■well filled up by evangelizing labors after the 
 pattern of those which we have seen at Ephesus 
 and Corinth. Toward the close of Paul's minis- 
 try (A. D. 65) we get our last glimpse of him in 
 Titus 3. 13. He is in company with Zenas, the 
 lawyer, (see the same word as in Matt. 22. 35,) 
 one, i. e., who, like himself, had a special reputa- 
 tion for the profounder knowledge of the Law of 
 Moses. Paul's feeling toward him is still, as of 
 old, one of affectionate interest, and he desires 
 that Titus will help him in all things. He has 
 been laboring at Crete, and there also has gath- 
 ered round him a distinct company of disciples 
 whom Paul distinguishes from his own: "Let 
 ours also learn to maintain good works." Titus 
 3. 14. After this, probably after Paul's death, he 
 wrote — if we accept Luther's conjecture — the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews.— PJu»ipf?-e. 
 
 1. Having passed through, the upper 
 
 coasts [Rev. Ver., vpper country.'] — This hn- 
 plies a route passing from Galatia and Plirygia 
 through the ulterior, and coming thence to Eph- 
 esus. The coast, in the modern sense of the 
 tei-m, Paul did not even approach. — Plumptre. 
 Came to Ephesus [For an account of Ephesus, 
 seu Introduction to tlie next lesson.] — The un- 
 questioned facts in the case are these: Paul 
 coming fi-om Corinth, from six to nine months 
 before, stopped at Ephesus, and preached one 
 sermon in the synagogue, produced a favorable 
 impression, but declined to remain. Chap. 18. 
 19-21. If we take his sermon at Antioch, in 
 Pisidia, (chap. 13,) as a type of his preaching to 
 the Jews, and it is the only fully reported ser- 
 104 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 19 And it came to pass, that, while 
 A-pol'los was at Cor'inth, Paul hav- 
 ing passed through the upper coun- 
 try came to Eph'e-sus, and found 
 
 2 certain disciples: and he said unto 
 them, Did ye receive the Holy Gliost 
 when ye believed ? And they said 
 
 mon to lii.s own eouutrynien which we possess, 
 he did not undertiike to set the whole Christian 
 system before them, but simply the truths: 
 (1) That Jesus is the Messiah ; (2) that through 
 him, by repentance, is remission of sms ; nothing 
 was probably said about the Trinity, the gift of 
 the Holy Ghost, the form or nature of baptism, 
 or Chm'ch order or organization. Having plant- 
 ed this seed, the apostle departed. He was fol- 
 lowed by Apollos ; but ApoUos knew the facte 
 of Christianity anly by rumor, and very imper- 
 fectly, (chap. 18. 24-28,) and nothing concern- 
 ing the gift of the Holy Gliost, or the nature of 
 Christian baptism.— Z. Ahhott. Finding cer- 
 tain disciples— As a result of the preaching 
 of Paul and Apollos a few Jews had accepted 
 the truth tliat Jesus is the Messiah, and had 
 been baptized as a symbol of repentance, per- 
 haps by Apollos, certainly with a baptism lik« 
 that of John ; that insomuch as they accepted 
 Jesus as the Messiah, they are recognized as dis- 
 ciples, that is, pupils, though ignorant of some 
 of the fundamental principles of Christian the- 
 ology ; that they received no further instruction 
 from Apollos, who proceeded immediately to 
 Greece, nor from Aquila and Priscilla, who were 
 not rabbis, and had no opportunity to teach what 
 they knew, publicly, in the synagogue. — L. Ab- 
 bott. 
 
 2. He said unto them— We are left to con- 
 jecture what prompted the question. The most 
 natural explanation is, that Paul noticed in 
 them, as they attended tlie meetings of the 
 Church, a want of spiritual gifts, perhaps, also, 
 a want of the peace and joy and brightness that 
 showed itself in others. — Plumptre. Have ye 
 received the Holy Ghost [Eev. Ver., Did y« 
 receive the Holy Ghost when ye believed.] — On your 
 becoming believers, had ye the gifts of the Spirit 
 conferred on you? as in chap. 8. 16, 17. This 
 is both grammatically necessary and absolutely 
 demanded by the sense ; the inquiry being, riot 
 as to any reception of the Holy Ghost during 
 the period since their baptism, but as to one 
 simultaneous with their first reception into the 
 Church ; and their not having then received him 
 
April 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Acts 18. 23-28; 19. 1-7. 
 
 Authorized Version- 
 
 they said unto liiin, '' We have not so 
 niucli as heard wliether there be any 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 ;} And he said unto them, Uuto 
 what tlien were ve liaptized ? And they 
 suid. Unto ' John's baptism. 
 
 4 Tlu-n said Paul. Molin verily l)ap- 
 tizod with tlie l>aptism of repentanee, 
 sayinj; unto tlie pt-oijle, tiiat they should 
 believe on him wiiieli should eome after 
 him, that is, on Christ Je'sus. 
 
 5 When they heard t/tis, they were 
 baptized ' iu the uame of the Lord 
 Je'sus. 
 
 • (Jbap. 
 
 , 16; 1 Sam. 3. 1.- 
 
 is aocouiited for by the Jeficitncy of tlieir hap- 
 iUm.—AI/ord. They said unto him, "We 
 have not heard [Kev. Ver., Aay, ive did not 
 hsiir.] — The stress of tUo sentence is on heariiKj ; 
 ao far from receiving the Holy Ghost, they did not 
 •Veil h^ar of his existence. — Alford. Whether 
 there be any Holy Ghost [Rev. Ver., Wluther 
 f<f Holy Ghod irm given.]— 1\iQj believed tlmt 
 Je.^us was the promised Messiah ; but the further 
 truth that another Comforter had come, who 
 ■WHS driven for light and life to all that would 
 receive him, (chap. 2. 3S, 39,) they had heard 
 nothing of — L. Abbott. 
 
 The Church still contains many Ephesian Chris- 
 tians, who Itelieve in (iod the Father, and Christ 
 as the Redeemer, but not practically in a Holy 
 Spirit, on whom they may daily and hourly rely, 
 and In whose inspiration and guidance there Is 
 perfect liberty.— Z/. Ahhntt. 
 
 S. Unto ■what— Christ had commanded his 
 disciples to baptize into the name of the Father, 
 tlie Son, and the Holy Ghost. Matt. 28. 19.— 
 L. Abbott. Plow is it possible to receive the seal 
 without feelin^the impression ? — Bishop Doivn- 
 hanit. Unto John's baptism — They were 
 practically disciples of the Baptist, believing in 
 Jesus as the Christ, and thinking that this con- 
 stituted a sutlicient qualification for communion 
 ■w ith the Church of Christ. — Plitmptre. Possi- 
 bly they had been tauglit by .\ polios before his 
 fuller instruction by Aquila and Priscilla. — Ja- 
 
 4. John verily baptized— With what rev- 
 erence the apo.stle here speaks of John ! He does 
 not attempt to depreciate that .servant of God, 
 but refers to the divine office which he held in 
 his day, and shows that if men did not derive 
 advantage from it, the caase could not be attrib- 
 uted to John.— .^mnii^. With the baptism 
 
 Beviaed Version. 
 
 unto him, Nay, we did not so much 
 as hear whether ' the Holy Ghost was 
 
 3 gitcn. And he said. Into what then 
 were ye baptized? And they said, 
 
 4 Into John's baptism. And Paul said, 
 John baptized with the baptism of 
 repentanee, saying unto the people, 
 that they should believe on liim which 
 should come after him, that is, on 
 
 5 Je'sus. And when they heard this, 
 they were baptized into the uame of 
 
 1 Holif Glioit. 
 
 of repentance— The point of contrast is not b»- 
 twueii John and Christ per.Nonally, but i^etween 
 the icater baptism of John unto repentance and 
 the promised baptism of the Spirit from ths 
 hands of his coming Master unto 7iew life. — D. 
 Brown. They shoiild believe ... on Chria« 
 [Rev. Ver., ow rA.v«.<.J— The distinctive point in it 
 was, that the Ijaptism ol John was, by his own 
 declaration, simply provisional and preparatory. 
 He taught his disciples to believe in Jesus, and 
 belief implied obedience, and obedience baptism 
 ill his name. — Plumptre. Yet when Messiah 
 came he required a new baptism, ' obligating a 
 consecration to him, whereby the Spirit of prom- 
 ise would be poured out upon tliem, and they 
 be emancipated into the full liberty of the BOOfl 
 of God. — Whedon. 
 
 John's baptism was the baptism of repentance, 
 of mortification ; Christ's baptism Is the baptism 
 of revival, of vivlflcation.— ilfeianc/itftoH. 
 
 5. WTien they heard this — That is, the 
 fuller expositions of the great trutli briefly stated 
 in vei-se 4. They were baptized— The natural 
 meaning of the passage is that these disciples 
 were rebaptized -nith the Cliristian baptism, 
 either by Paul himself or by some of his asso- 
 ciates. It is disputed whether this rebaptism 
 was the general rule, or only an exception; 
 whether those who were baptized by the bap- 
 tism of John were, as a matter of course, rebap- 
 tized on their believing in Christ. The apos- 
 tles, certainly, several of whom were baptized by 
 John, do not appear to have received the Chris- 
 tian baptism ; Ijut, then, they were the disciples 
 of Chri.st before the institution of baptism. The 
 same may be affirmed of the original disciples 
 before the day of Pentecost. On the other hand, 
 the numerous converts who were converted on 
 105 
 
Acts 18. 23-28; 19. 1-7. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Second Quarter, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 6 And when Paul had ® laid Aw hands 
 upon them, the Holy Ghost came on 
 them ; and they ' spake with tongues, 
 and prophesied. 
 
 7 And all the men were about twelve. 
 
 I Chap. 6. 6 ; 2 ' 
 
 I Chap. 2. 4. 
 
 that day were all baptized as a matter of course, 
 and no inquiry was made as to whether they 
 bad or had not received the baptism of John, 
 although it is almost certain that among such a 
 great multitude there were some of John's disci- 
 ples. — Gloag. 
 
 6. "WTien Paul had laid — Ordinarily the 
 imposition of apostolic hands conveyed gifts, 
 but not invariably. Apollos had them without 
 It, and Cornelius before he was even baptized. — 
 
 W. Jacobson. The Holy Ghost came upon 
 them — A certain influence, manifestly divine, 
 enriching their experience and endowing with 
 peculiar power. As this form of miracle has 
 ceased it is impossible to define it precisely. 
 Spake with tongues — We have here a tninia- 
 ture Pentecost, a new outpouring of the charis- 
 matic Spirit upon a new twelve. — Whedon. 
 What was said was not in the way of instruction, 
 but in rapturous thanksgiving for their having 
 been grafted into Christ's Church. — Jacobson. 
 Prophesied — Eeceived illumination which en- 
 abled them to understand Scripture and to ex- 
 plain doctrines. Prophecy was not always, nor 
 often, a power to foretell the future, but rather a 
 power to speak with inspiration concerning the 
 Gospel. 
 
 When the Hol\i Ohost shines upon our souls, 
 part of the grace he inspires is absorbed to our 
 own particular comfort ; part of it is reflected 
 back in acts of love, and joy, and prayer, and 
 praise ; and part of it is reflected every way In 
 acts of benevolence, beneflcence, and all moral 
 and social duty.— Toplacly. 
 
 7. All the men were about twelve [Rev. 
 Ver., Thet/ were in all about twelve men.] — Ap- 
 parently they were all men. Of their previous 
 and subsequent history nothing is known, and 
 nothing of their character except what can be 
 deduced from the language of the liistorian here. 
 From their ignorance concei-ning the Holy Ghost, 
 whose presence and influence is a matter of Old 
 Testament teaching, it is surmised that they 
 ■were of Gentile rather than of Jewish extraction, 
 but this is far from certain. — L. Abbott. 
 
 We see here : (1) The nature of Christian experi- 
 ence. This is not merely repentance and accept- 
 ance of Christ. It is consummated only by the 
 
 106 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 6 the Lord Je'sus. And when Paul had 
 laid his hands upon them, the Holy 
 Ghost came on them; and they spake 
 
 7 with tongues, and prophesied. And 
 they were in all about twelve men. 
 
 reception of a personal, present, and continuoug 
 gift of the Holy Ghost, as the power of a new life, 
 to be maintained in, with, and by God, in which 
 we have the liberty of the sons of God, being 
 brought into his likeness by his indwelling. (2) The 
 nature of Christian baptism. This is not a mere 
 symbolic act by which the recipient publicly con- 
 fesses his sins, and his acceptance of Jesus as the 
 Christ. It also symbolizes the mutual act of God 
 and man by which the latter is received into cov- 
 enant with the Father, has his sins washed away 
 through the Son, and receives, as the priyiciple 
 and power of his future life, the gift of th* 
 Holy Ghost.— L. Abhott. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 SchafPs Apostolic Church, p. 276. Farrar's St. 
 Paul, chap. xxxi. Conybeare and Ilowson, chap, 
 xiv. Sunday Magazine, (1870,) p. 234. Lesson 
 Helps for 1877, Third Qmirter. Scrmons,by F. W. 
 Robertson, The Word and the World; R. 
 Hawker, Did the Holy Spirit Manifest Him- 
 self Before the Time of Christ ? Foster's Cyclo- 
 pedia of illustrations, [numbers marked with a 
 star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 24: *1057, 
 1864 ; 25 : 8328 ; 26 : 462 ; 28 : 663 ; 1 : *3403 ; 
 2: 3002, 9562; 3; 268, 6683; 4: 4963, *3629 ; 
 5: 6685; 6: 9563. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the elements of poweb in christian work.] 
 
 1. One element of power in working for Christ 
 is an earnest and fervent nature. Vers. 24, 25. 
 
 2. An element of power is a thorough knowl- 
 edge of the word of God. Vers. 24, 25. 
 
 3. An element of power is boldness in testi- 
 mony, bearing witness to the truth as far as it is 
 apprehended. Vers. 25, 26. 
 
 4. An element of power is the teachable spir- 
 it, ready to receive light from any source, and 
 instruction from the humblest teachers. Vers. 
 26, 27. 
 
 5. An element of power is strong reliance up- 
 on Scripture, basing argument upon the word. 
 Ver. 28. 
 
 6. An element of power is the discerning spir- 
 it, looking closely into experiences, and seeking 
 to test all by the Gospel privilege. Ver. 2. 
 
April 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Acts 18. 23-28; 19. 1-7. 
 
 7. An element of power, mightier of all, is 
 the presence of the Holy Spirit in the liearts of 
 believers. Ver. G. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 A frajnnent of a petrified flsh-scale was found by 
 Afrassiz U) reveal much information concerning the 
 peoloiilcal formation from which came its size, 
 •hape, and history. So this fragment of the biog- 
 raphy of .\pollos gives a revelation concerning one 
 of the unknown great men in the early Church. 
 
 I. The life orApolloM. II. His character. 
 
 1. He itvw liitrn at Ahxatidria, a cosmopolitan 
 dty, where a tliird of the population were Jews- 
 Jews of a broader tyi>o tliau the I'harisees of Jeru- 
 salem—acquainted with literature, thoughtful, and 
 intelligent. Here Apollos grew up, breathing a lib- 
 wal atmosphere. 
 
 2. He wan a sUulent of the Old Testament, not 
 only acquainted with its history, poetry, philosophy, 
 prophecy, but able to see beneath the surface and 
 interpret the inner meaning of the word. 
 
 3. He became a follower of John the Bajytist, 
 voeptlng the coming of Christ as near at hand, and 
 ready to believe in him : seeking a righteous life 
 rather than hollow forms. He was still standing in 
 the twilight of the Baptist's teaching fifteen years 
 tiller Jesus had died, risen, and ascended, and in 
 this state came to Ephesus, just missing Paul, bore 
 testimony to the faith as he held it, and received the 
 inalruction of Priscilla and Aquila. 
 
 4. He accepted Otrist. All his Bible lore con- 
 tributed to his sudden entrance from twilight into 
 noon ; for he saw new meaning in the truth. 
 
 5. He Ixire bold and stronu tentimoni/. At 
 Ephesus, and afterward at Corinth, his learn- 
 ing and eloquence made him mighty for th« 
 truth. 
 
 6. He reftu<ed to become a rival to Paul. When 
 an " Apollos party " gathered around his teachings 
 at Corinth he left the city and refused to return- 
 This Is the last mention of him, except that, yparj 
 afterward, Paul wrote, " Bring Apollos," etc., (Tltua 
 3. 13,) showing that the old friendship remained. 
 
 II. Apollos shows the elements of a broad Chris- 
 tian character, having the following traits: 
 
 1. An intellioeut ChrMia)iitf/. His was no Ig- 
 norant, narrow type, but thoughtful, having the 
 word as its basis. 
 
 2. An earnest CfirMianitu. " Fervent In spir- 
 it." This combination of intelligence and fervency 
 Is greatly needed in the religion of our day. 
 
 3. A icorldng Christianity. He bore testimony 
 at each step of the way. By speaking from the 
 stand-point of the Baptist he prepared the way for 
 the higher life 'of a Christian ; and there, too, he 
 spoke boldly for the faith. 
 
 4. A teachable, lowlj/ Christianity. Great as 
 he is in the synagogue, he is greater as he sits in 
 the humble home of the tent- maker to receive in- 
 struction, and greatest of all as he turns from hon- 
 ors offered to him at Corinth because they were at 
 the expense of the Apostle Paul. 
 
 lOT 
 
Acts 19. 8-22. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 A. D. 54.] 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Paul at Epiiesus. — Acts 19. 8-22. 
 
 [April 13. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.— 
 
 ACTS 19. 18. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 54 to 57, a period of three years immediately following the time of the last lesson. For 
 rulers, see Lesson I. 
 
 Place.— Ephesus, in Asia Minor. 
 
 Introduction. The city of Eijhesus.— Descending from the upper coasts, that is, the Phrygian and 
 Galatian highlands, near the high sources whence the Meander and Cayster flow down to the sea on both 
 sides of Ephesus, as Paul moved down from the east, he would behold the city lying on a plateau, less 
 than Ave miles square, flanked on the left by the long mountain ridges of the Coressus and the Prioa, 
 along whose summit the city wall extended, with the buildings lining the lower slopes. Nearer at hand, 
 on the margin of the slope, stood the theater, so memorable in Paul's history, whose remains are the 
 largest of the kind extant. More distant, and near the harbor, was the temple of Diana, one of the won- 
 ders of the world. Beyond was the blue ^gean, which Paul had so lately crossed on his voyage from 
 Corinth, and which he was soon to recross on a brief visit to that same Corinth. The great religious 
 characteristic which Paul was to encounter in Ephesus was the overwhelming power of the worship of 
 the great goddess Diana.— TT7iedo/i. The remains of Ephesus are partly covered with rubbish and over- 
 grown with vegetation. They have been visited by many travelers, and the ruins are full of interest to 
 antiquarians. The site is now an utter desolation. Lewin says that in 18C3 he could not even And a hut 
 on the site of the capital of Asia. The only inhabitants within her walls were the beasts of the field 
 and the fowls of the air.— L. Ahhott. Paul's minMry at Ephesiis.—This little handful of incidents Is 
 all that Luke was enabled to preseiTe for us of this great Ephesian visit, which Paul himself tells us oc- 
 cupied a period of three years. Had we nothing else to go by, we might suppose that until the tlnal out- 
 break it was a period of almost unbroken success and prosperity. Such, however, as we find from the 
 epistles and from the apostle's speech to the Ephesian elders, was very far from being the ease. It was. 
 Indeed, an earnest, incessant, laborious, house-to-house ministry, which carried its exhortations to each 
 individual member of the Chiu-ch. But it was a ministry of many tears : and though greatly blessed. It 
 was a time of such overwhelming trial, sickness, persecution, and misery, that it probably surpassed in 
 sorrow any other period of Paul's life. We must suppose that during its course happened not a few of 
 those perils which he recounts with such passionate brevity of allusion in his Second Epistle to the Co- 
 rinth ians .-i^a crar. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 8 And • he went into the synagogue, 
 and spake boldly for the space of three 
 months, disputing and persuading the 
 things ^concerning the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 « Chap. n. 2. "Chap. 1. 3 ; 28. 23. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 8 And he entered into the synagogue, 
 and spake boldly for the space oif 
 three months, reasoning and persuad- 
 ing as to the things concerning the 
 
 9 kingdom of God. But when some 
 
 8. He went into the synagogue — We 
 
 pause for a moment to tliink of the amount of 
 work of all kinds implied in this short record. 
 The daily labor as a tent-maker went on as he- ■ 
 fore, (chap. 20. 34,) probaWy still in partner- ' 
 ship with Aquila and Priscilla. The Sabbaths ; 
 saw the apostle evening and morning in the syn- | 
 agogues preaching, as he had done elsewhere, | 
 that Jesus was the Christ, and setting forth the | 
 nature of his work and the laws of his kinar- 
 dom. — Pbtmptre. Space of three months — 
 "When Paul paid his brief visit (chap. 18. 20, 21) 
 to Ephesus the Jews seemed to welcome him, 
 .and desired his stay. He now returns, and is I 
 108 
 
 heard by them for a period of th-ee montTis. — 
 miedon. Disputmg [Rev. Ver., reasoning] 
 and persuading— The first makes the matter 
 clear to the intellect, and the second makes it 
 powerful on the will. The first enables you to 
 know the true, and the second induces you to do 
 the right. These are the two elements of which 
 all right preaching consists. The proportions 
 may vary indefinitely with circumstances, but 
 every sermon should contain, in some measure, 
 both constituents. — Arnot. Concerning the 
 kingdom of God — To the Jews he spoke of that 
 kingdom of God which all the Jews throughout 
 the world were expecting. — L. Ahhott. 
 
April 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Acts 19. 8-22. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 9 But ' when divers were hardened 
 and Ijelieved not, but spake evil *of tliat 
 way before the multitude, lie departed 
 from tiiem, and separated the disciijles, 
 disputing daily in the school of one 
 Ty-rau'nus. 
 
 10 And ' this continued by the space 
 of two years; so that all tiiey which 
 dwelt in A'si-a heard the word of the 
 Lord Je'sus, both Jews and Greeks. 
 
 » i Tim. 1. 15: 2 Pet. 2. 2 ; Ju<i.>. 10.- 
 
 • Chap. 9. 2.- 
 
 >Chap. 
 
 9. Divers were hardened, and believed 
 
 not [Kev. Ver., Some ivere hanUned and disobe- 
 dient.] — Both the verbs ure in the imperfect, 
 indicating that this spiritual condition was grad- 
 ually developed. — Jacobson. Spake evil of 
 that way [Rev. Ver., Of the way.] — A term 
 which seeins to have been used familiarly as a 
 synonym for the disciples of ChvLst. Chaps. 19. 
 9, 23 ; 22. 4 ; 24. 14, 22. It may have orig- 
 inated in tiie words in which Christ had claimed 
 to be himself the " way," as well as the " truth " 
 and the " life," (John 14. 6,) or in his language 
 as to the " strait way " that led to eternal life, 
 (Matt. 7. 13 ;) or perhaps again, in the prophecy 
 of Isaiah (chap. 40. 3) cited by the Baptist, 
 (Matt. 3. 3; Mark 1. 3,) as to preparing " the 
 way of the Lord." — Plumptre. Before the 
 multitude — The unbelieving Jews acted at 
 Ephesus as at Thcssalonica, and tried to wreak 
 their hatred against Paul by stirring up suspicion 
 among the Gentiles, especially, as before, among 
 those of the lower class who were always ready 
 for a tumult. Separated the disciples — We 
 must remember that Paul, though a Christian, 
 still regarded himself as a true Israelite, and he 
 must have felt, at least as severely as a Luther 
 or a Whitcfield, this involuntary alienation 
 from the religious communion of his childhood. 
 — Farrar. School of one Tyrannus — lie may 
 have been the teaclicr of a Jewish school, such 
 as was generally organized in every city, often 
 in connection with the synagogue, or a Greek 
 sophist converted to Christianity through the 
 labors of Paul, and gladly allowing his school 
 of philosophy or rhetoric to be converted into 
 a school of Christ, or the founder of a school, 
 ■whose building, hired by Paul for a preaching 
 place, still bore his name ; and this last hypoth- 
 esis seems to me the most probable.— Z. Abbott. 
 The apostle In Ephesus was like a magnetic bar 
 thrust into a great heap of rubbish : forthwith 
 all the filings of real steel that existed in the 
 miscellaneous mass were found adhering to its 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 were hardened and disobedient, 
 speaking evil of the Way beforo the 
 multitude, he departed from them, 
 and separated the disciiJles, reasoning 
 daily in the school of Ty-rau'nus, 
 
 10 And this continued for the si)ace of 
 two years ; so that, all tliey which dwelt 
 in A'si-a heard the word of the Lord, 
 
 11 both Jews and Greeks. And God 
 
 sides. The attraction and cohesion of kindred 
 spirits is a beautiful and beneficent law of th« 
 new kingdom.— ^Iruot. 
 
 10. Space of two years— This period refers 
 to the time after Paul had separated the disciples 
 from the Jewish synagogue, so that, to reckon 
 the whole time which Paul spent at Ephesua, 
 we must at least add to these two years the thre« 
 months during which he preached in the syna- 
 gogue. In his farewell address to the Ephesian 
 elders, however, he says that by the space of 
 three years he ceased not to warn every one. 
 Acts 20. Z\.—Gloag. During this time Paul 
 wrote First Corinthians. 1 Cor. 16. 8, 9. It is 
 probable also that at this time the Church at 
 Colossoe was formed, not directly by Paul, but 
 by one of his disciples named Epaphras. CoL 
 1. 7.— Z. Abbott. All they which dwelt in 
 Asia — By Asia is meant proconsular Asia, of 
 which Ephesus was the capital, comprising th» 
 provinces of Lydia, Caria, and Mysia, on the 
 ^Egean Sea. The expression is hyperbolical, de- 
 noting the extensive ditfusion of the Gospel; 
 yet it may have been 
 almost literally true. 
 It is not asserted that all 
 the inhabitants of Asia 
 heard Paul preach, but 
 only that they heard 
 the word of the Lord- 
 Heard the word — 
 Ephesus, probably, 
 came to be the center of 
 Paul's activity, from 
 which journeys were 
 made to neighboring cities ; and hence we may 
 legitimately think of the other six Churches of 
 Rev. 2 and 3 as owing their origin to him. — 
 Plumptre. All had the opportunity, and probably 
 some of every considerable town availed them- 
 selves of it. — A Iford. 
 
 Men are accountable to God for every opport u- 
 niti/ which has been offered to them to hear the 
 109 
 
Acts 19. 8-22. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 11 And • God wrought special miracles 
 by the hands of Paul : 
 
 12 So 'that from his body were 
 brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or 
 aprons, and the diseases departed from 
 them, and the evil spirits went out of 
 them. 
 
 13 Then * certain of the vagabond 
 Jews, exorcists, * took upon them to call 
 over them which had evil spirits the 
 
 "Mark 16. 20.- 
 
 Matt. 12. 27.- 
 
 Gospel, even if they have not actually heard it. — 
 Starke. 
 
 11. Special miracles — Paul in Ephesus was 
 in the very heart of superstition: he was like 
 Moses in Egypt, surrounded by magicians and 
 exorcists ; and, therefore, .to manifest beyond 
 dispute his superior power, God granted that ex- 
 traordinary miracles should be wrought by him 
 —miracles more striking than those which he 
 was accustomed to perform : and the. effect of 
 these miracles was not to foster superstition, but 
 to root it out, to confound the exorcists of 
 Ephesus, and to destroy their magical works. — 
 Gloaff. 
 
 12. From his body— Luke's own, habit of 
 mind as a physician would lead him to dwell on 
 the various phenomena presented by the super- 
 natural gift of healing. — Pluwptre. Were 
 brought unto the sick— The thought is both 
 natural and obvious that in these working gar- 
 ments, in this pouring out of his sweat, the peo- 
 ple saw and reverenced the plenitude of infinite 
 loveand power which had shone forth in the Apos- 
 tle Paul. — Baumgartea. All miraculous work- 
 ing is au exertion of the direct power of the AU- 
 Powerful ; a suspension by Mm of his ordinary 
 laws ; and whether he will use any instrument in 
 doing this, or wAaZ instrument, must depend alto- 
 gether on his own purpose in the miracle— the 
 effect to be produced on ihe recipients, behold- 
 ers, or hearers. Without his special selection and 
 enabling, allinstruments werevain ; witli these,a?i5 
 are capable. — Alford. Handkerchiefs— Hand- 
 kerchiefs which, on account of the heat and the 
 dust, are constantly in the hands of the Orientals. 
 It is the same word which occurs in Luke 19. 20 ; 
 John 11. 44 ; 20. 7, and is there translated " nap- 
 kin." Aprons — Aprons, or waist-bands ; prob- 
 ably the aprons employed by workmen when 
 engaged at work. They may have been the 
 clothes worn by Paul when engaged in his oc- 
 cupation as a tent-maker. — Gloag. Diseases 
 
 . . • evil spirits — Diseases, possession by evil 
 spirits, are here plainly distinguished from each 
 110 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 wrought special * miracles by the 
 
 12 hands of Paul: insomuch that unto 
 the sick were carried av/ay from his 
 body handkerchiefs or aprons, and 
 the diseases departed from them, 
 
 13 and the evil spirits went out. But 
 certain also of the strolling Jews, 
 exorcists, took upon them to name 
 over them wliich had the evil spirits 
 
 other. — Alford. These miracles were excep- 
 tional, and not numerous ; this is implied by the 
 phrase "special miracles," and by the consider- 
 ation that Paul could hardly have possessed an 
 tmlimited supply of handkerchiefs and aprons.— 
 L. Abbott. 
 
 To argue by analogy from such a case— to sup- 
 pose that because our Lord was able, and Peter 
 and Paul, and In Old Testament times, Elisha, 
 were enabled, to exert this peculiar power, there- 
 fore the same will be possessed by the body or 
 relics of every real or supposed saint, is the heiglit 
 of folly and fanaticism.- ^ll/ord. 
 
 13. Certain of the vagabond Jews [Rev. 
 Ver., strolling Jews.] — They were traveling 
 claimants to the power of casting out demons 
 and restoring the diseased. Similarly, nearly to 
 our own times, traveling gypsies and other for- 
 tune-tellers have perpetuated old heathen super- 
 stitions even through the Christian ages. — Whe- 
 don. Exorcists — Men who, by the authority 
 of the name of some powerful being, solemnly 
 assumed to require the demon to depart so ef- 
 fectively as to be obeyed. For some occult rea- 
 son Solomon, the king of Israel, was supposed 
 to possess that mighty power over demons that, 
 used in adjuration, would compel or frighten 
 them to depart. — Whedon. The men belonged 
 to a lower section of the class of which we have 
 already seen representatives in Simon of Sama- 
 ria, or Elymas of Qy^rViS-.—Plurnptre. Them 
 which had evU spirits— The evil spirits are 
 represented acting as distinct personalities, and 
 in this chapter possession is distinguished from 
 natural disease. Ver. 12. That there was a real 
 possession, that evil spirits exerted a direct in- 
 fluence over the bodies and souls of men, is un- 
 doubtedly the natural meaning of those passages 
 of Scripture where demoniacs are mentioned. 
 No doubt madness seems to have been an insep- 
 arable accompaniment of possession; the man 
 was deprived of his own free will, and ruled by 
 the evil spirit. For all that we know such pos- 
 sessions may occur in our days : if we had the 
 
April 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Acts 19. 8-22, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 name of the Lord Je'sus, saying, We 
 adjure you by Je'su3 whom Paul preach- 
 etli. 
 
 14 And there were seven sons of one 
 Scu'va, a Jew, and chief of tlie priests, 
 which did so. 
 
 15 And tlie evil spirit answered and 
 said, Jesus '° I know, and Paul I know; 
 Init wlio arc ve? 
 
 »OM»U. 8. M; Mark 1. W; S. 
 
 Luk«4. 34; cbitp. 16. 17; Jm. 
 
 power of disoerniiig spirits it miglit be discov- 
 ered tlittt such cases were not unknown, and, 
 therefore, that Ihey occurred only in the days of 
 our Sa,viour and liis apostles is a statement which 
 cannot he proved. In an age of such extreme 
 sensuality it is not improbiihle tliat demoniacal 
 possession wa.s more frcquint ; but we are not 
 at all sure that it has entirely ceased in our 
 days : at least cases occur which bear a close re- 
 semblance to the descriptions of demoniacal pos- 
 session given in the New Testamont. We live 
 in a spiritual world : there are powere and agen- 
 cies around us and within us ; and in the case of 
 luental disease especially it is often impo.ssible to 
 say whether the mere derangement cff the phys- 
 ical organs, or some spiritual disorder, is the 
 cuuso ot tlie disease. — Gloag. The name of the 
 Lord Jesus — To them the name of the Lord Je- 
 tni.'i, which was so often in Paul's lips, was just 
 another formula mightier than the name of the 
 Most High God, or that of the archangels Ra- 
 phael or Michael, which were u.sed by others. — 
 Plumptre. Jesus whom Pavd preacheth— 
 As Jesus was a common name among the Jews, 
 they add " whom Paul preaches" as a descrip- 
 tion of his person. — Gloag. 
 
 Mysterious symbols, called Epheslan letters, 
 were employed to charm away evil spirits, either 
 by being pronounced by the charmer, or written 
 upon parchment, or engraved upon stone, and so 
 employed as an amulet. The study of these sym- 
 bols was an elaborate science, and books both 
 numerous and costly were compiled by its profes- 
 Bors. These magical arts were practiced by not a 
 few of the Jews; the very severity with which 
 the Old Testament forbids such practices (Exod. 
 22. 18; Lev. 20. 27; Deut. 18. 10, 11; 1 Sam. 28. 
 3. 9) indicates a national tendency toward them. 
 The Talmud and Josephus give evidence of a con- 
 tinuance of these practices at a later period, as do 
 references in Paul's epistles. Gal. 5. 20; 2 Tim. 
 3. 13. A knowledRe of magic was a requisite 
 quallflcatlon of a member of the Sanhedrin, that 
 he might be able to try those who were accused of 
 employing it; and the art was believed among 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 tlie niiiue of the Lord Je'sus, saying, 
 I adjure you by Je'sus whom Paul 
 
 14 preacheth. And there were seven 
 sons of one Sce'va, a Jew, a chief 
 
 \'i jiiiest, which did this. And the evil 
 spirit answered and said unto tliem, 
 Je'sus l^know, and Paul I know; 
 
 10 but who are ye? And the man in 
 
 the Jews to have been derived from King Solo- 
 mon. The instruments employed in its practice 
 were chiefly fumigation.s, incantations, use of cer- 
 tain herbs, and the employment of charms, writ- 
 ten or spoken.— L. Ahhotl. 
 
 14. Seven sons of one Sceva . . . did so— 
 The seven exorcists, relying partly, we may 
 believe, in tlie mystical virtue of their number, 
 stand face to face with a demoniac, frenzied and 
 strong, like the Gadarene of Matt. 8. 28 ; Mark 
 5. 3, A:.—E. H. Plumptre. Chief of the priests— 
 This indefinite title might imply either (1) That 
 he had held the office of high-priest at Jerusa- 
 lem, which, m this case, is unlikely. (2) That he 
 was the head of one of the twenty-four priestly 
 courses ; also unlikely. (3) That he may have 
 been simply a person of priestly rank and of 
 some influence. So Josephus uses the terra. 
 (4) Some have thought that he was a priest, and 
 called " chief," because ruler of tlie synagogue 
 at Ephesus. (5) Dr. Wliedon thinks that he 
 was an apostate Jew, acting as priest of the 
 Ephesian Diana. (6) Dr. Plumptre thinks that 
 the title was a part of the imposture. " He called 
 himself a chief priest, and as such Luke described 
 him." We incline to the view No. 4. 
 
 15. And the evil spirit— The narrative, from 
 describing the nature of tiie attempt, j)asses to a 
 single case in which it was tried, and in which 
 (see below) two only of the brothers were ap- 
 parently concerned. — Alford. Answered and 
 said— Speaking from within the man, and using 
 his organs. — D. D. W/iedon. Jesus I know — 
 Better, Jesus I acknoivledge. The two verbs are 
 ditferent in the Greek, the one implying recogni- 
 tion of authority, the latterj as colloquially used, 
 though originally it had a stronger meaning, a 
 more familiar acquaintance. — £". //. Plumptre. 
 Paul I know — The evil spirit was compelled 
 to bear an unwilling testimony to Jesus and his 
 servant Paul. — Gloag. Who are ye — The 
 question Is not one of ignorance, but of censure, 
 because they arrogated to themselves what be- 
 longed not to them ; and of contempt, because 
 
 111 
 
Acts 19. 8-22, 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 16 And the man in wLom the evil 
 spirit was leaped on them, and overcame 
 them, and prevailed Jigainst tliera, so 
 that they fled out of that house naked 
 and wounded. 
 
 17 And this was known to all the 
 Jews and Greeks also dwelling at 
 Eph'e-sus; and fear " fell on them all, 
 and the name of the Lord Je'sus was 
 magnified. 
 
 18 And many that believed came, and 
 "confessed, and showed their deeds. 
 
 19 Many of tliem also which '^ used 
 curious arts brought their books to- 
 gether, and burned them before all men : 
 and they counted the price of them, and 
 found it fifty thousand 2)ieces of silver. 
 
 »ajer 3. 13; Matt. 
 
 they considered not their own and their oppo- 
 nents' strength, but with rashness dared to con- 
 tend with one more powerful, to whom it was 
 mere play to overcome them. — Rajjhelius. 
 
 16. The man in whom the evil spirit was 
 — The demoniacal possession brought with it, as 
 in the case of the Gadareue, the preternatural 
 strength of frenzy, and the impostors (men of 
 that class being commonly more or less cowards) 
 fled in dismay before the violent paroxysms of 
 the man's passionate rage. — E. H. Piumptre. 
 Overcame them [Rev. Ver., Mastered both of 
 them.] — Two of the seven brethren, more forward 
 and conspicuous than the rest, underwent the 
 discomfiture. — Jacobson. Pled out . . . naked 
 — The first word does not necessarily imply more 
 than that the outer garment, or cloak, was torn 
 off from them, and that they were lett with 
 nothing but the short tunic— ^. H. riumptre. 
 
 17. Fear fell on them all— The failure of the 
 sons of Sceva in their attempt to cast out devi]s 
 showed that the miracles performed by Paul in 
 the name of the Lord Jesus were real, and were, 
 therefore, undoubted evidences of the truth of 
 Christianity. — Oloag. Name of . , . Jesus was 
 magnified — As superior to every other name., 
 even that of Diana, and as alone divine, and 
 obeyed by the most terrible power of hell.— 
 Whedon. Men thought more of it than they 
 
 had done before, because they saw the punish- 
 ment that fell on those who had profaned it. — 
 Piumptre. 
 
 18. And many — The many of verse 18 are 
 the dupes, those who had consulted the wizards ; 
 the many of verse 19 are the wizards themselves. 
 — Z. Abbott, That believed— Many who. al- 
 
 112 ' 
 
 Eevised Version. 
 
 whom the evil spirit was leaped on 
 them, and mastered both of them, 
 and prevailed against them, so that 
 they fled out of that house naked 
 
 17 and wounded. And this became 
 known to all, both Jews and Greeks, 
 that dwelt at Eph'e-sus; and fear 
 fell upon them all, and the name of 
 the Lord Je'sus was magnified, 
 
 18 Many also of them that had believed 
 came, confessing, and declaring their 
 
 19 deeds. And not a few of them that 
 practiced ' curious arts brought their 
 books together, and burned them in 
 the sight of all: and they counted the 
 price of them, and found it fifty 
 
 20 thousand pieces of silver. So might- 
 
 » Or, magical. 
 
 though professed disciples, were not entirely 
 delivered from their former superstitions, but 
 secretly practiced magical arts, now come for- 
 ward and confess and renounce them. — Gloag. 
 And confessed — Not their sins in general, but 
 their participation in magical arts. 
 
 19. Many of them [Kev. Ver., Not a few.'] — 
 In the original, a word of narrower scope than 
 that in the preceding verse. Many confessed, 
 several burned their books. — Jacobson. Curious 
 ^So all our English Versions, following the Vul- 
 gate ; arts which pried into matters beyond the 
 limits of human knowledge. Brought their 
 books— These books consisted of magical for- 
 mula or receipt books, or written amulets. These 
 last were celebrated by the name of Ephesian 
 scrolls. They were copies of the mystic words 
 engraved on the images of tlie Ephesian Arte- 
 mis, (Diana.) — Alford. Burned them— This 
 was very much more effectual then and there 
 than it can ever have been since the invention of 
 printing. By actually destroying the books, 
 they not only acknowledged the sinfulness of 
 the practices taught therein, but also cut off at 
 once and absolutely the possibility of relapse on 
 their own part, or of leaving a temptation or 
 stumbling-block in the way of others . — W. 
 Jacobson, Confession is cheap, but reformation 
 is often costly. A false penitence would have 
 sold these books, and kept both the money and 
 the credit for piety.— Wfieilon. Fifty thou- 
 sand pieces of silver — The Roman denarius 
 is, in all probability, the coin here alluded to, 
 the value of which was about ninepence, 
 80 that the entire sum would amoimt to 
 £1,875, [nearly $10,000.J This vast sum is to 
 
April 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Acts 19. 8-22 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 20 So '* mightily grew tlie word of 
 God ami prevailed. 
 
 21 After " these tilings were ended, 
 Paul purposed '"in the spirit, wlien he 
 had passed througli Mac-e-do'ui-a and 
 A-cha'ia, to go to .Je-ru'sa-lem, saying, 
 
 -«»Rom. 15. 25; Gal. 2. 1.- 
 
 I Chap. 
 
 be accounted for by considering the rarity of 
 book.s in those days, and their consequent ex- 
 pensiveness ; probably also magical works 
 brought a fictitious price. — Oloatj. 
 
 Eustathius Informs us that Croesus, when on 
 his funeral pile, repeated the Epheslan letters; 
 and he nientlous that, in the Olympian Games, 
 an Ephesian wrestler struRjrled successfully 
 ajfalnst his opponent from Miletus because he 
 had around his ankle Ephesiau letters, but that, 
 being deprived of them, he was thrice over- 
 thrown.— (V/ody. 
 
 The student of the history of Florence cannot 
 help recalling the analogous scene In' that city, 
 when men and women, artists and musicians, 
 brought the things in which they most delighted 
 —pictures, ornaments, costly dresses— and burnt 
 them in the Piazza of St. Mark at the bidding of 
 Savonarola— P? umptrc. 
 
 If Judas had been by, he would have said. 
 " Sell them, and give the money to the poor ; " 
 or, " Buy Bibles and good books with it." But, 
 then, who could tell into whoso hands these dan- 
 gerous books might fall, and what mischief 
 might be done by them '. It was, there- 
 fore, the safest course to commit them all to the 
 flames. Those that are recovered from sin 
 themselves will do all they can to keep others 
 from falling into it, and are much more afraid of 
 laying an occasion of sin in the way of others. — 
 Jf. Henry. 
 
 This burning is very different from, and gives 
 no warrant for, the burning of heretical books by 
 the Roman Catholic Church ; in the one case, the 
 books are burned voluntarily by the owners, in 
 the other, in spite of the owners.— i. Ahhott. 
 
 20. So mightily grew the word — Grew 
 in the extent of its influence, through the in- 
 strumentality of Paul's preaching, so that hoth 
 Jews and Gentiles, people of all grades in society, 
 in Ephesus and throughout all proconsular Asia, 
 became followers of the Lord. And prevailed 
 — While there was great extension of the faith, 
 its influence on the hearts and lives of the con- 
 verts became stronger. — Jacobsoti. In this com- 
 plete renunciation of the old evil past we may 
 probably see the secret of the capacity for a higher 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 ily grew the word of the Lord and 
 prevailed. 
 21 Now after these things were ended, 
 Paul purposed in the spirit, when lie 
 had passed througli Mac-e-do'ni-a 
 and A-cha'ia, to go to Je-ru'sa-lein, 
 
 knowledge which Paul recognizes as belonging to 
 Ephesus more than to most other Churclies. — 
 I'lumptre. 
 
 The shock that burled Lisbon In 1755 never 
 ceased to vibrate till it reached the wilds of Scot- 
 land and the vineyards of Madeira. It was felt 
 auiong the islands of the Grecian Archipelago, 
 and it changed the level of the solitary lakes 
 that sleep beneath the shadow of the North Alps. 
 Even so the shock that Satan's kingdom sus- 
 tained when Christianity was established will not 
 cease to vibrate till it moves the whole world.— 
 HavduKke. 
 
 21. Paul purposed in the spirit — By the 
 
 phrase /)«/y'f.ff(/ in sjjirit we must doubtless un- 
 derstand neither a direct intimation of the Spirit, 
 such as he had received during his first residence 
 in this region, (chap. 16. 7,) nor yet an ordinary 
 act of human deliberation and decision, but 
 rather an act of the inner life, in which the en- 
 ergy of the divine Spirit and of the spirit of 
 Paul co-operated together in one coininoii pur- 
 pose. — Baumgarteri. Through Macedonia 
 and Achaia — Provinces on the west of the 
 Jigeaii Sea, where Paul had already labored. 
 Two reasons are to be assigned for Paul's desire 
 to visit Macedonia and Achaia; first, as we 
 learn from his epistles, he desired to promote 
 the collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem ; 
 and, secondly, he had received intelligence of 
 the disorders which prevailed in the Church of 
 Corinth, and he was anxious to rectify them. — 
 Glong. To go to Jerusalem — The later 
 Church at Jerusalem, under the terrible pres- 
 sure of the hostile temple and haughty priest- 
 hood, was always half Judaized and quite pau- 
 perized. Toward the apostle of the Gentiles 
 tlieir face was repulsive. Toward them, in re- 
 turn, Paul looked with deep pity for their nar- 
 rowness, yet with reverence for their position 
 as the mother Church, and with a strong dgsiro 
 at once to relieve their necessities and win their 
 hearts both to himself and Christ, the divine 
 Incarnate. With these views he organized a 
 system of extensive money contributions from 
 all his Gentile Churches, with which in hand he 
 113 
 
Acts 19. 8-22. 
 
 LESSOX II. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 After I have been there, ^' I must als( 
 see Rome. 
 
 23 So he sent into Mac-e-do'ni-a two 
 of them '* that ministered unto him, Ti- 
 nio'the-us and **E-ras'tus; but he himself 
 stayed in A'si-a for a season. 
 
 "Chap. 23. 11; Rom. 15. 24. «8 Chap. 13. 6. 19 Rom. 16. 23; 
 
 purposed, attended by the chosen delegates of 
 the Churches, to revisit tlie Jerusalem Church. — 
 Whedoii. Must also see Borne — As he was 
 sent to the Gentiles he saw that the great 
 metropolis of the Gentile world was the legiti- 
 mate center of his apostolic working. Or per- 
 haps he speaks under some divine intimation 
 that idti77iately he should be brought to liome. — 
 Alford. This pui-pose was executed, hut in a 
 manner very diiferent from that anticipated by 
 the apostle ; he went to Jerusalem, was there 
 arrested, and sent as a prisoner to Eome. — L. 
 Abbott. 
 
 The sphere of the Christian Church is rapidly 
 enlarging, and the ideas of the great missionary 
 are enlarging along with it. Ephesus is now a 
 station in the middle of his field. 
 
 He speaks of this unintermitted .course of ar- 
 duous and dangerous seiTice as if he was only 
 going to make some friendly visit, or join in a 
 party of innocent pleasure.— J. Harvey. 
 
 22. He sent into Macedonia^-Perhaps to 
 
 gather up the contributions of the Churches, and 
 avoid delay at his own coming. See 1 Cor. 
 16. 1-5 ; 2 Cor. 9. 5. Two of them— This 
 would indicate that a company of Christian 
 workers had gathered around Paul as his help- 
 ers in the Gospel. Such we find was the case 
 from Acts 20. 4. There was a peculiar attract- 
 iveness about the apostle drawing men to him, 
 winning their hearts by an irresistible attrac- 
 tion. Ministered unto him — Aided in Chris- 
 tian work, and perhaps gave liim the personal 
 attention needed by one in delicate and uncer- 
 tain health. Timotheus— Timothy. See notes 
 on 1st Quar., Lesson V, verses 1-3. Light is 
 thrown on the mission of Timothy by 1 Cor. 
 4. 17. He was sent on in advance to warn and 
 exhort, and to save the apostle from the neces- 
 sity of using severity when he hhnself arrived. 
 Paul e.\horts the Corinthians (1 Cor. 16. 10) to 
 receive him with respect, so that he might not 
 feel that his youth detracted from his authority. 
 He was to retinn to Paul, and was accordingly 
 with him when he wrote the Second Epistle to 
 the Corinthians. 2 Cor. 1. 1. — Plumptre. Eras- 
 tus— It is uncertain whether this was the same 
 114 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 saying, After I have been tliere, I 
 22 must also see Rome. And liaviug 
 sent into Mac-e-do'ni-a two of them 
 that ministered unto him, Tim'o-thy 
 and E-ras'tus, he himself stayed in 
 A'si-a for awhile. 
 
 person as the Erastus who is called " the cham- 
 berlain [or treasurer] of the city," that is, Cor- 
 inth, in Eom. 16. 23, and is named (2 Tim. 
 4. 20) long afterward. It seems unlikely that a 
 responsible official in a great city like Corinth 
 should be a hundred miles away in Ephesus 
 "ministering" to a preacher of the Gospeh 
 Yet Dr. Whedon and others regard them as the 
 same. It may be that Erastus was not appointed 
 to office uutU after this journey, which perhaps 
 led to his settlement at Corinth. For a season 
 — Perhaps till Pentecost. This delay may have 
 been occasioned by the great door being opened 
 for him at Troas. 2 Cor. 2. 12. — Jacobson. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Schaflt's Apostolic Church, page 276. Cony- 
 beare and Howson, chap. xiv. Earrar, chap. 
 xxxi. Pulpit Analyst, i, 163. Laud and Book, 
 i, 224, 510. Lesson Helps for 1877, 3d Quar. 
 Sermons, by H. Melvill and H. W. Beecher, 
 (Series 7,) on The Burning of the Books; 
 M. W. Dwight, (National Preacher, vol. xii,) on 
 Eeading Impure and Fictitious Books. Free- 
 man's Mannei-s and Customs, 683, 845. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, verse 8 : 1048, 6424 ; 
 9: 1051, 7489; 11: 3974; 16: 7959; 18: 2635; 
 19 : 6906 4148 ; 20 : 766, 7240 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 1. The Gospel has power to give ' 
 testimony by imparting clearness of view, 
 strength of conviction, and courage in behalf of 
 the Gospel. Ver. 8. 
 
 2. The Gospel has power to draw lines of dis- 
 tinction among men, separating the precious 
 from the vile, and the believer from the unbe- 
 liever. Ver. 9. 
 
 3. The Gospel has power to make progress, to 
 attract attention, and to make itself known in 
 the world. Ver. 10. 
 
 4. The Gospel has miraculous, supernatural 
 power to heal and to save through instrumental- 
 ities which are powerless without God's pres- 
 ence. Ver. 12. 
 
Acts 19. 8-2f 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Secoxd Quaetke. 
 
 5. Tho Gospel hiis power, tlirough its divine 
 element, to overthrow all evil spiritual intlu 
 ences, and to show Christ supreme in the realm 
 of spirits. Vers. 18-17. 
 
 6. The Gospel has power to discern tlie true 
 from the false, and to reveal tliose who pretend 
 to assume its garb and to bear its appearance. 
 Vers. 14r-17. 
 
 7. The Gospel has power to inspire self-denial, 
 and the surrender of all evil at any cost. Vcr. 19. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY KET. C. R. BAR.VES, M.A. 
 
 How can these incidents occurring at Ephesus be 
 made profitable to the spiritual life of tbe day ? We 
 need to remember that the nature and principles of 
 good and evil are ever the same, and that it is only 
 the operation that changes with time. We have 
 here brought together in strons; contrast the greed 
 of selfishness and the benevolence of love. 
 
 I. The Greed of ^elflshnesg. 
 
 This is shown iu its desire to profit by the power 
 of Jesus. For gold, selfishness would use di\-ine 
 power given for the welfare of his suffering chil- 
 dren. It would take gifts from the hand of love 
 and turn them into merchandise. It mingled the 
 Jingling of coin with the sacred sound of harp and 
 viol and trumpet. It crowded both priest and Le- 
 vite while at their service, and placed higher esti- 
 mate upon the counter than upon the altar. 
 
 The sons of Sceva would parley about price before 
 they endeavored to free a brother from the powers 
 of darkness. And not only these, but others of 
 selfish make, who have never walked with love, 
 serve at the altar of greed while their brothers die 
 for bread. Miracles of healing, whether handker- 
 chief or God's holy word, are a waste only as they 
 may secure the hundred pence, they, meanwhile, 
 carrying the bag. 
 
 Greed knows no sacrifice. It never gives. It 
 never lifts up its voice to the poor and needy and 
 cries "Come, buy, without money and without 
 price." It is always a marketman, never the bene- 
 factor. It makes comers on grain, and would, if 
 possible, be a monopolist of the love and mercy of 
 God. 
 
 But sin In any form is Its own destroyer. When 
 and wherever grown, it Is a tree whose fruit is al- 
 ways death. Greed is the mill-horse of selfishness, 
 who always travels in ever-diminishing circles until 
 it falls in death and endless poverty. Even demons 
 refuse to be subject to greed, and, in indignation, 
 palsy the hand that would lead them to the market- 
 place. 
 
 One other lesson. Those who believed confessed 
 their errors and burned their books of sorcery. 
 
 Repentance has Its fruit, if sincere. That fruit U 
 Siicriflce. At Ephesus its price was fifty thousand 
 pieces of silver. Nor will genuine repentance stop 
 here. All Is not too much for it to offer God when 
 it comes to Its altar. Confession Is cheap, but ref- 
 ormation is costly. And he who higgles over the 
 demands of Penitence cannot retain her as his 
 guest. With empty hands she bows at thQ altar, 
 while Faith prays for the fullness of dl\'ine mercy. 
 
 II. The Benevolence of Love. 
 
 Paul appears as the preacher and representative 
 of Divine love, and as such let us study him In his 
 work. 
 
 1. Fostering the weak. Paul finds the disciples at 
 Ephesus groping in the early twilight of truth. 
 Accepting the declaration of John as to the coming 
 of God's kingdom ; accepting the necessity of a 
 moral preparation for that kingdom ; recognizing 
 their own sinfulness, they turned to God in peni- 
 tence, and were baptized unto repentance. But 
 they were in ignorance of the Holy Spirit as the 
 efficient agency in that spiritual preparation of 
 mind and heart, the result of which is the new 
 birth. When Paul appears among them he kindly 
 inquires as to their condition, and then leads them 
 gently to the day. There are no chiding words, no 
 impatient gesture, no depreciatory remarks, born of 
 spiritual or intellectual pride, but the kindly, pa- 
 tient leadings of love. So it is ever with God. 
 He never breaks the bruised reed, but binds up the 
 wounded stem, protects it from the tearing wind 
 and beating storm, while he imparts life and 
 strength. 
 
 2. The unexacting 7iature of love. Paul was 
 "all things to all men"— to the babe a gentle 
 nurse ; to the strong man a brother in fact, ' ar- 
 gument, and inference ; to the Jew a Jew ; to 
 the Gentile foregoing circumcision. Every thing 
 but right must yield to love. So at first he enters 
 the synagogue, but when hard-faced ritualism 
 croaked instead of chanting its psalms, Paul has no 
 dispute— he does not strive nor denounce— but, 
 quietly withdrawing, blows the silver tnimpet in 
 the halls of Tyrannus. Love must serve. If re- 
 fused a place at the temple service she will rear her 
 humble altar beside the hedge or in the unfre- 
 quented by-way. She is not exacting as to the 
 place, the hour, the circumstances of her service, 
 for work and sacrifice are her life. 
 
 3. LiheraUtii. When love sees distress it is her 
 nature to relieve. Benevolence is never a commer- 
 cial article. Paul, working with his own hands, nev- 
 er hopes to relieve his toil by fixing a price upon the 
 miracles of healing. God's children, those for 
 whom Christ died, are suffering. If they are healed 
 by God's minister, that healing must be as free as 
 air. God never sent man a bill for air or sunlight, 
 nor fixed a price upon redemption. Love gives, but 
 never sells. 
 
 115 
 
1 Cor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 A. D. 57.3 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT, 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Paul's Preachix\g. — 1 Oor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 [April 20. 
 
 -VVe preach Christ rrucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the 
 Greelis foolishness.— 1 COR. 1. 33. 
 
 Time. — This epistle was written in the spring of A. D. 57. 
 
 Place.— Written from Ephesus to the Church at Corinth in Greece. 
 
 Connecting Links.— Topics in the epistle : (1) Rebuke to the spirit of division. Chaps. 1-4. (2) Con- 
 cerning marriage and moral questions. Chaps. 5-7. (3) The idol-sacriflces. Chap. 8. (4) Paul's apostolic 
 authority. Chap. 9. (5) The Lord's Supper. Chap. 10. (6) Proper conduct at public services. Chap. 11. 
 (7) Spiritual gifts. Chaps. 13-14. (8) The resurrection. Chap. 15. (9) Greetings and farewell. Chap. 16. 
 
 Lntroduction. The First EpMlc to the Corinthiam.—lt was written at Ephesus early in the same 
 year in which Paul left Ephesus for Macedonia. 1 Cor. 16. 8. Its immediate occasion seems to have been 
 the arrival at Ephesus of the family, or some of the family, of a Christian matron of Corinth named 
 Chloe. These had brought unfavorable Intelligence from the Corinthian Church. The apostle names 
 only the report of divisions and parties ; but we can hardly be wrong in believing that the news of the 
 very serious matter treated in chap. 5 was brought by the same persons. These tidii^s, together with 
 the questions on which the apostolic counsels were requested, induced Paul to write this, one of the long- 
 est and most important of his pastoral letters, and the patiern, above all others, of earnest and weighty 
 admonition and declaration springing out of circumstances. For of such a character, above all others, is 
 this epistle— not a treatise on any point, or any system of Christian doctrine, as some others by this same 
 apostle, but a series of fragments, or episodes, each of them occasional, arising out of something referred 
 to him, or heard of by him, but not one of them devoid of interest for those who come after in all the 
 long ages of the Church.— ^l/07-d. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 17 For ' Christ sent me not to baptize, 
 but to preach the Gospel: not with wis- 
 dom of "words, lest the cross of Christ 
 should be made of none effect. 
 
 eOr, speech. 
 
 17. Sent— The word whence apostle is de- 
 rived ; Christ apostled me not to laptize. Bap- 
 tizing was not named in his apostolic commis- 
 sion. Acts 9. 15; 22. 15; 26. 16-18; Gal. 1. 16. 
 Yet baptism was included in the commission of 
 the twelve, (Matt. 28. 19,) to be done, doubtless, 
 either by themselves or by subordinates ap- 
 pointed. — Whedwi. Not to baptize— It is evi- 
 dent that this is said in no derogation of bap- 
 tism, for he did on occasion baptize, and it would 
 be impossible that he should speak lightly of the 
 ordinance to which he appeals (Eom. 6. 3) as the 
 seal of our union with Christ. — Alford. The 
 apostles being endued with the highest degree of 
 inspiration and miraculous powers, had the office 
 of preacliing committed to them rather than that 
 of baptizing, because they were best qualified for 
 converting the world, and had not time to give 
 the converted, either before or after their bap- 
 tism, such particular instruction as their former 
 ignorance rendered necessary. These offices, 
 therefore, were committed to the inferior minis- 
 ters of the word. — MachnigM. Not with [Rev 
 Ver., in] wisdom of words — The Greek word 
 116 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, 
 but to preach the gospel: not in 
 wisdom of words, lest the cross of 
 Christ should be made void. 
 
 here rendered wisdom, sophia, is the last half ot 
 tlie word philosophia, philosophy, and means 
 throughout this chapter precisely the same thing, 
 except that the former signified wisdom, and the 
 latter, signifying the love of wisdom, was the 
 more modest profession for a sage to make. Both 
 terms mean that system of thought originated by 
 the intellect of deep thinkers which assumes to 
 decide on the origin of all things, the existence 
 of God, and the nature and destiny of man.^ 
 Whedon. Philosophical reasoning set off with 
 oratorical language and secular learning, which 
 the Corinthians set so undue a value upon (verse 
 5 ; chap. 2. 1, 4) in ApoUos, and the want of 
 which in Paul they were dissatisfied with. 
 2 Cor. 10. 10.— D. Brown. Lest the cross of 
 Christ— By "the cross of Christ" we under- 
 stand that death of Christ upon the cross by 
 which we are redeemed and reconciled to God. 
 This is the center and kernel of all Gospel 
 preaching, by the power of which sinners are 
 delivered from the tyranny of sin, and restored 
 to a new and divine life. — Kling. Made of 
 none effect [Rev. Ver., be made tJoicJ.]— Barren 
 
April 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 1 Cor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 18 For the preacliinf,' of the cross is 
 to them 'that perish ' foolisliness; but 
 unto us which are saved it is * the power 
 of (iod. 
 
 19 For it is written, *I will destroy 
 the wisdom of the wise, and will bring 
 to nothing the understanding of the 
 prudent. 
 
 i.\cul1. M. «RoMi. 1. 16. Km. i9. U. 
 
 of results. Ihid the Gospel been set forth with 
 clever reitsoniiig its results might buve been at- 
 tributed to the skill of the preacher, if so the 
 euperhuiuan power, which tlirough the death of 
 Ciirist operates on man, would have been over- 
 looked. And, if so, it would have been shorn 
 of result^s : for the blood of Christ saves in pro- 
 portion as its saving power is recognized. — Beet. 
 To have adorned the Gospel with the paint of 
 the Grecian rhetoric would have obscured its wis- 
 dom and simplicity, just as the gilding of a dia- 
 mond would destroy its brilliancy. — Macknifjht. 
 18. Tlie preaching of the cross — The 
 "preaching of the cross" must mean: (1) That 
 Christ died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of 
 men, and that it was this which gave its pecul- 
 iarity to his sutferings on the cross. (2) That 
 men can bo reconciled to God, pardoned, and 
 saved only by the merits and intluonco of this 
 atoning .>facrifice. — Barnes. To them that per- 
 ish [Rev. Ver., that are perishing.]— It is not 
 the final state that is referred to; but "them 
 that are in the way of perishing." — D. Brown. 
 The destruction of those who reject Christ has 
 already begun, and daily goes on. For, in them, 
 spiritual forces are already at work which, un- 
 less arrested by God, will inevitably hring them 
 to eternal death. Since they are now beyond 
 human help they are said, in Matt. 10. 6 ; Eph. 
 2. 1 ; Rom. 7. 0, to be "lost," and "dead." But 
 since they are still within reach of Christ's sal- 
 vation, but daily going farther from it, Paul pre- 
 fers to speak of them here, not as " lost," but as 
 Insinf/ tfiemselres, or perkhing. — Beet. Fool- 
 ishness — Since the Gospel is a power of God it 
 must needs appear foolishness to tliose who do 
 not experience its power. For the power of God 
 is beyond our comi^rehension, iuid all means be- 
 yond our com]>rehension seem to us unfit to at- 
 tain any good results ; for we cannot see the 
 connection between the means and end. Conse- 
 quently superior wisdom has often, at first sight, 
 the api'caranco of folly. — Beet. Just as a tele- 
 graph would appear to be an impossible method 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 18 For the word of the cross is to 
 them that are perishing foolishness; 
 but unto us which are being saved it 
 
 19 is the power of God. For it is writ- 
 ten, 
 
 I will destroj"^ the wisdom of the 
 
 wise, 
 And the prudence of the prudent 
 
 will I reject. 
 
 "f coiiununiciiti'iii to one who has never seen it 
 and knows nothing of its jiriiiciple or working. 
 Unto us which are saved [Rev. Ver., are being 
 saved.] — Those who are being saved are those iti, 
 the way of salvation, who by faith have laid hold 
 on Christ, and are by him in the course of being 
 saved. — Alford. E.\periencing day by day a 
 present deliverance from sjiiritual evil, and thus 
 daily approaching final salvation. — Beet. The 
 power of God— The death of Christ owes its 
 results, not to any thing which commends itself 
 to human wisdom as suitable to attain its end, 
 but purely to God's power operating upon men 
 through Christ's death.— ^f<?^. Faith gives in- 
 sight into God's plan of salvation, and thus the 
 believer sees divine power n\ what seems fool- 
 ishness to minds untaught by the Spirit. 
 
 The sects of philosophers, though numerous and 
 exceedingly various, were all agreed in proudly 
 trusting in themselves that they were wise, and 
 despising others. Their published opinions, their 
 private speculations, their personal inmioraUty, 
 made them irreconcilable adversaries of Chris- 
 tianity. The apostles, therefore, in attempting to 
 propagate the Gospel among the Gentiles, were 
 opposed by all the wit and learning and sophistry, 
 all the pride and jealousy and malice, of every 
 sect of philosophers.— Bishop irilvaine. 
 19. For it is written — Almost word for word, 
 (LXX,) (Isa. 29. 14,) which refers, probably, to 
 the invasion of Sennacherib. Chap. 3G. 1. The 
 statesmen of Judah had sought to protect their 
 country by an alliance with Egypt. And, but 
 for the covenant of God, which made it an act 
 of rebellion against him, such alliance would 
 have been their best defense, and, therefore, a 
 mark of political wisdom. But God made this 
 wisdom practically worthless, and in this sense 
 destroyed it, by bringing against Judah the armies 
 of Sennacherib, and thus placing the nation in a 
 position in which all political wisdom was pow- 
 erless to save. And, as Paul's readers knew, by 
 his own power God wrousrht salvation in a way 
 most unlikely.— y>'(^ Bring to notlung the 
 understanding of the prudent [Kev. Ver., Th« 
 117 
 
1 Cor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 20 Where " is the wise ? where is the 
 scribe ? where is the disputer of this 
 world ? hath ' not God made foolish the 
 wisdom of this world ? 
 
 21 For * after that in the wisdom of 
 God the world by wisdom knew not 
 God, it pleased God by the foolishness 
 of preaching to save them that believed. 
 
 23 For the ^ Jews require a sign, and 
 the Greeks seek after wisdom: 
 
 -9 Luke 11. 16. 
 
 prudence of the prudent toill I reject.'] — The ap- 
 plication of this to the subject in hand is this : 
 The Lord has been wont to punish the arrosjance 
 of those who, depending on their own judgment, 
 think to be leaders to themselves and others; 
 and if this happened among a people whose wis- 
 dom the other nations had occasion to admire, 
 what will become of others? — Calvin. 
 
 20. "Where is the wise— Without designing 
 to quote these words as having an original refer- 
 ence to the subject under consideration, Paul 
 uses them as any man does language where he 
 finds words with which he or his readers are 
 familiar, that will convey his meaning. A man 
 familiar with the Bible will, naturally, oflen 
 make use of Scripture expressions in conveying 
 his ideas. — Barnes. Scribe— Literally, "man 
 of letters," " Scripture man," a class of Jews 
 devoted to the study of the Scriptures. — Beet. 
 As the apostle advances, his mind recognizes 
 that the Jewish parallels to the sopTioi and philo- 
 sojjhs of the heathen world, namely, the scribes, 
 must be included in the same humiliation. He 
 deals mainly with Greek philosophers, because 
 Corinth is a Greek city.— Whedon. The dis- 
 puter — Refers, probably, to Greek men of learn- 
 ing, among whom discussion had a large place. 
 Of this -world— This arje, (see Rom. 12. 2,) the 
 complex realm of things around us, except so far 
 as it submits to Christ, looked upon as existing 
 in time, and for a time. The unsaved are " sons 
 of this age," (Luke 18. 8 ; 20. 34,) for all they have 
 and are belong to this present life. Contrast " the 
 coming age." Luke 16. 30; Eph. 2. 7; Heb. 6. 5. 
 —Beet. Hath not God made foolish— Shown 
 by the plan of salvation, through the Gospel, the 
 utter folly of all earthly attempts at making men 
 fit for heaven. The wisdom of the world— 
 The best knowledge possessed by those who 
 belong to the world around, looked upon as a 
 practical guide of life. — Beet. 
 
 21. After that [Rev.Ver., seeing that] in the 
 wisdom of G-od — ^'■Amid the wisdan of God,''^ 
 
 lis 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 20 Where is the wise ? where is the 
 scribe ? where is the disputer of this 
 ' world ? hath not God made foolish 
 
 21 the wisdom of the world ? For seeing 
 that in the wisdom of God the world 
 through its wisdom knew not God, 
 it was God's good pleasure through 
 the foolishness of the * preaching to 
 
 22 save them that believe. Seeing that 
 Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek 
 
 ' Or, age. ^ Gr. thing preached. 
 
 surrounded by the works of creation, all which, 
 from the little flowers under our feet to the great 
 orbs of heaven, are embodiments and witnesses 
 of the wisdom of God.— Beet. The world by- 
 wisdom — The apostle ironically styles things as 
 the world styles them. By a similar irony the 
 apostle asserts that since -wisdom failed to know 
 God, God accomplished the result by a. foolish- 
 ness. — Whedon. Knew not God— They knew 
 him confusedly, but not distinctly: they knew 
 in general that a God there was, but knew not 
 particularly who the true God was ; they knew 
 him notionally, but not practically; their knowl- 
 edge had no influence upon their hearts or lives ; 
 they knew him as essentially considered in him- 
 self, but knew him not relatively, as considered 
 in Christ ; they knew not Immanuel, God with 
 us, and becoming a Mediator for us ; him they 
 did not know. — Burhitt. Notice the double 
 failure of human wisdom. It was unable to read 
 God's name as written in nature, and pronounced 
 that to be foolishness which he chose as the in- 
 strument of salvation. — Beet. It pleased God 
 [Rev.Ver., It ivas God'' s good pleasure.]— Ix, indi- 
 cates here, not so much the freedom or pure 
 favor, from which the resolve proceeded, as the 
 suitableness of his proceeding to the end con- 
 templated, or to the circumstances of the case. 
 —Aline/. By the foolishness of preaching— 
 The foolishness of preaching means, the preach- 
 ing of foolishness, that is, the cross.— Bodge. 
 Just so Samson's weapon (Judg. 15) proclaimed, 
 by its ludicrous insufficiency, the infinite power 
 of the Spirit of God.— Beet. To save— God 
 saves men through the blood of Christ, a plan 
 which unregenerate wisdom never fails to ridi- 
 cule as folly. Believe— By unbelief man lost 
 God ; by faith he recovers God. — Whedon. 
 
 22. The Jews reqviire a sign [Rev. Ver., 
 Seeing that Jews ask for signs.] — See Matt. 12. 38 ; 
 16. 1; Luke 11; John 2. 18; 6. 30. The sign 
 required was not a mere miracle, but some token 
 from heaven, substantiating the word preached. 
 
April 20, 18S4. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 1 Cor. 1. lV-31, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 23 But we preach Christ crucified, 
 unto tlie '"Jews a stuinlilingblock, aud 
 unto the Greeiis foolishness; 
 
 24 But uuto them which are called, 
 both Jews and Greeks, Clirist " tlie 
 power of God, and the '^\■isdom of God. 
 
 25 Because "tlie foolishness of God 
 
 14; Mstl. 11. r.. 
 
 —Alford. Aecustomeil, under their dispensation, 
 to luimcles, the Jews prescribed si^rns. Christ, 
 indeed, worked miracles— wiis himself a miracle; 
 but they demanded that he should come in Mes- 
 sianic glory, renew the earth, and give to them 
 its supremacy. That is, they required at iiis first 
 coming the manifestations of his second coming. 
 But as, instead of the tlirone he received the 
 cross, this became to them a stuinbrintr-block. — 
 Whedon. Greeks seek after wisdom — They 
 demanded, as proof that Christ was worthy to be 
 their teacher, that he should expound the mys- 
 teries of being, and reveal the great principles 
 underlying the phenomena around. — But. As to 
 the Jew in iracle was the route to tnith and God, 
 80 to the Greek philosophy, demonstration, start- 
 ing from intuition and winding through logic, 
 was the sole guide and test. — ]V7if'lon. 
 
 23. "We preach Clirist crucified — The 
 central thouglit of the apo.stle's preacliing was 
 the cross of Christ. lie did not dwell upon 
 Jesus as an example in character, or Jesus as a 
 teacher of truth, but he proclaimed as the key- 
 stone of the arch of doctrine the atonement, or 
 man reconciled with God through the death of 
 Jesus Christ on the cross*. And that which 
 Paul made the center of his teaching we should 
 make the center of ours. Unto the Jews a 
 Bt\imbling-block — The Jews looked for a 
 Christ, for the word Christ is Messiah in He- 
 brew, and the coming of the Messiali was the 
 consolation of Israel. But they did 7iot look 
 for a crucified Christ ; rather for a royal, impe- 
 rial personage, who was to break the yoke of 
 Rome, and make Jerusalem the capital of the 
 world. When, therefore, they he.ird of the 
 cross, it was indeed a stumbling-block to them, 
 since at once it made all their visions of tem- 
 poral glory fall to the ground. They were not 
 prepared to accept this view of a Kedcemer, 
 and hence rejected Jesus. Unto the Greeks 
 foolishness— The Greeks were the peojilo of 
 cultured and worldly knowledge. They saw 
 no beauty in the idea of a crucified Saviour. 
 They judged the plan of salvation by the 
 standards of human wisdom, and called it fol- 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 23 after wisdom: hut we preach 'Christ 
 crucified, unto Jews a stumiding- 
 block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 
 
 24 but unto * them that are called, both 
 Jews and Greeks, Christ the power 
 of God, and the wisdom of God. 
 
 25 Because tlie foolishness of God is 
 
 » Or, a Meitiah.- 
 
 , theif calltd theimetrea. 
 
 ly. Even so do many of the learned ones of 
 earth now. 
 
 24. Unto them which are called— Greek, 
 "The called theiuselvcs." While all men have 
 been called, they who were iniiided to i)licy re- 
 ceived the name of "called ones." — CltiM/,1 of 
 Alexandria. Both Jews and Greeks — Both 
 called by the same voice, and receiving salva- 
 tion upon the same terms. Christ — Tlie repe- 
 tition of Christ gives solemnity, at the samo 
 time that it concentrates the power and wisdom 
 in the person of Christ, as if it had been said, 
 Clirist, even in his humiliation unto death, the 
 power of God and wisdom of God.— Al/ord. 
 The power ofQod—C/irid is God'' s power be- 
 cause through the objective and historic birth 
 and death of Jesus, and through inward sub- 
 jective spiritual union with him, God stretched 
 out and stretches out his mighty arm to rescue 
 those who 6bey the divine summons. Similarly 
 " the word of the cross is the power of God," 
 (verse 18; Kom. 1. 16,) for throuirh the word 
 the power operates.— .ff(¥i!. The wisdom of 
 God—" The called ones," who have accepted 
 Christ, enjoy the insight of faith, have their 
 spiritual intelligence quickened, and can see 
 wi<dom in the redemption through the cross 
 where others can only see folly. So the ancient 
 astronomer, who held to the view that the earth 
 was the center of the universe, said : " The stars 
 and the planets are in disorder. If God had 
 consulted me, I could have shown him a better 
 plan for the arrangement of the heavenly bod- 
 ies." But when the observer gets at the true laws 
 of the solar system, with the sun jis its center, 
 he sees earth and all the planets moving in per- 
 fect order. 
 
 25. The foolishness of God— The .ipostle 
 is evidently here speaking from a human point 
 of view, and implies merely that which appears 
 foolishness in God. He here has in mind God's 
 dealings with men in the Gospel, such as the 
 procuring of salvation through the crucifi.xion of 
 Christ, and other things connected therewith, 
 wliich, in the judgment of self-styled wise men 
 of this world, who measure every thing by tho 
 
 119 
 
1 Cor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Second Quajiteb. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 is wiser thau men ; and the weakness of 
 God is stronger than men. 
 
 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, 
 how that '*not many wise men after the 
 flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, 
 are called: 
 
 27 But '^God hath chosen the foolish 
 things of the world to confound the 
 wise ; and- God hath chosen the weak 
 
 mea.sui-e of tlieir fancied wisdom, appeared con- 
 trary to reason. — Kling. Is wiser than men 
 — Surpasses in wisdom not only all which they 
 call by that name, but ?»«», all possible wisdom 
 of mankind. — Alfonl. The weakness of God 
 — The tilings of his appointment wliieh appear 
 weak and insufficient to accomplish the end. — 
 Barnes. Is stronger than men — Not only 
 surpasses in miglit all which they think jMwer- 
 fvl, but men themselves, all human might what- 
 soever.— ^4//br<Z. The means chosen by one 
 wiser than ourselves often appear to us foolish, 
 simply because our ignorance prevents us from 
 seeing their suitability. Therefore, if we admit 
 God's superior wisdom we shall not be sur- 
 prised that he uses means wliich to us seem 
 foolish. Nor need we be surprised that his 
 instruments seem to us, and in themselves are, 
 weal-. For, in the hands of the Almighty, the 
 weakest instruments are capable of producing 
 results far surpassing all that man can do. — 
 Beet. 
 
 26. Ye see [Rev. Ver., 5«AoM.]— Rather, in 
 the imperative. Behold., contonplate your calling. 
 Your calling — God's calling of you into the 
 kingdom of Christ, implying your acceptance 
 and all its blessed results. — Whedon. Not 
 many — These words imply that some of the 
 early Christians were men of education and in- 
 fluence ; an interesting coincidence with Rom. 
 IG. 23 ; Acts 18. 8 ; 13. 12 ; 22. Z.—Beet. "Wise 
 men after the flesh — He means in that wisdom 
 which may be acquired by human diligence 
 without the teaching of the Holy Spirit. — Estius. 
 What was true in Corinth was true on a larger 
 scale in the whole Roman world. The sages of 
 the age of Tacitus, Seneca, Pliny, and hundreds 
 of lesser literati and philosophers, deemed Chris- 
 tianity unentitled to investigation. And yet, 
 according to the skeptical historian Lecky, and 
 others of the same school, the true cause of the 
 trium]ih of Christianity in the Roman Empire 
 was not miracles, but the obvious superiority of 
 Cliristianity over all rival systems of religion. — 
 Whedon. Not many mighty — The ancient 
 120 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 wiser tliau men; and the weakness 
 of God is stronger than men. 
 
 26 For 'behold your calling, brethren, 
 how that not many wise after the 
 flesh, not many mighty, not many 
 
 27 noble, ^ are called: but God chose the 
 foolish things of the world, that he 
 might put to shame them that are 
 wise, and God chose the weak thins^s 
 
 s Or, have part ther 
 
 Christians were for the most part slaves and 
 men of low station, the whole history of the 
 expansion of the Church is in reality a pro- 
 gressive victory of the ignorant over the learned, 
 the lowly over the lofty, until the emperor him- 
 self laid down his crown before the cross «of 
 Christ. — Olshausen. Not many noble — An- 
 cient Corinth was celebrated tor its brilliant, 
 high-born, old nobility. Its great, ancient fam- 
 ilies, now e.xtinct, were instances how transient 
 are all earthly grandeurs. But of the new and 
 rather vulgar aristocracy of modern Corinth, 
 restored from the conflagration inflicted by 
 Mummius, probably few deigned to enter the 
 house of Justus, near the synagogue, where 
 Paul held forth the foolishness of preaching to 
 busy Corinth. — Whedon. Are called— They 
 were called, indeed ; but they never by faith be- 
 came the called They were called to repent- 
 ance and faith ; but never were tlie called, upon 
 repentance and faith, to be saints. — Whedon. 
 
 He doth not say not any, but not many, lest the 
 world should think that Christians were deceived 
 through their simplicity and weakness ; one rich 
 Joseph of Arimathea, one honorable Nicodemus, 
 one Crispus, a ruler of the synagogue, but not 
 many men of might and power.— JSw/citt. 
 
 27. God hath chosen — It is a divine revo- 
 lution, and we have the divme honor of being 
 its instruments chosen of God. — Whedon. 
 Foolish things — The Greek neuter, foolish 
 things, suggested hereby similar words in verse 
 25, looks at the objects without considering 
 whether or not they are personal. It refers 
 frequently to what are in fiict persons. So Luke 
 1. 35, " the holy things ; " Gal. 3. 22 ; John 
 6. ■m.—Beet. Of the world— Of (belonging to) 
 the world ; not in the eyes of the world, which 
 would not fit the sense, for they were not only 
 seemingly but really foolish, when God chose 
 them. — Alford. The weak things — The re- 
 ception of the Gospel chiefly by the lower 
 classes (verse 2G) rose from its very nature. It 
 is good news of a deliverer, and would be ac- 
 
April 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 1 Cor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 Authoi-ized Version. 
 
 things of the world to confound tlie 
 things which are niij^hty; 
 
 28 And base thinj^s of tho worhl, and 
 things which are clespised, hatli God 
 chosen, yeii, and '"things whicii arc- 
 not, '• to bring to nought things tliat 
 are: 
 
 29 Tliat no flosh should gU)ry in his 
 presence. 
 
 30 But of him are ye in Christ Je'sus, 
 wlio of God is made unto us wistioni, 
 
 'Chop. J. 6. 
 
 cept;tble only as men felt their need of n deliv- 
 erer. Hut every kind of earthly good tends to 
 muke us uneonscious of our need, and inde- 
 pendent of divine help. Intellect, education, 
 rank, and wealth, so precious when laid on the 
 altar of God, yet, by promising to supply of 
 tlieniselves our need, tend to keep men from 
 accepting the Gospel. Coinp. Rom. 11. 9. On 
 the other hand, misfortune and want liavo led 
 many to cry to God for help. In full view of 
 this, God chose an instrument of salvation which 
 he ti>iesaw would appeal witli greatest force to 
 men in hunililo positions. — Beet. 
 
 28. Base things — A Church composed mainly 
 of slaves and lowly people, yet destined to un- 
 denuiue and destroy the organized paganism of 
 the liable and upper classes, supported by all the 
 power of the sUite. Who would have thought in 
 Paul's day that the I'arthenon at Atliens would 
 €v>.>r become a Christian Church ' Things 
 which are not ... to bring to naught — 
 " Nothings and nobodies." - So are they viewed 
 by the world ; so in themselves they are. Yet, 
 through the divine girt which they have re- 
 ceived, they are intrinsically and truly the reali- 
 ties, and their opponents are the shams. Nero, 
 the Roman Empire, Jove, paganism, pagan phi- 
 losophy, are all the trarment'; God, Christ, Chris- 
 tianity, the Church, are alone the permanent 
 and the eternal. — Whedon. Things that are 
 — Whose exi.stence seems to be a i>ower, and, 
 thi-refore, a reality. By choosing as His iiistru- 
 moiits tilings reckoned to be nothing, and pass- 
 ing by things reckoned to be much, God made 
 the latter to bo practically nothing. — Beet. All 
 the thiiKjs tlutt are, all the realities of the world, 
 are of absolutely 7io account, unassignable, in 
 Gi">d's spiritual kinirdoin.— .l^'^n/. 
 
 29. That no flesh— Or, as it is in the more 
 forcible Greek, thai all flesh should glory not in 
 his presence. For truly it is God on one side 
 and all flesh on the other arrayed in each other's 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 of the world, that he might put to 
 shame the things tliat are strong; 
 
 28 and the base things of the world, 
 and the things that are despised, did 
 God choose, yea 'and the things 
 that are not, that he might bring to 
 
 29 nought the tliiugs that are: that no 
 
 30 flesh should glory before God. But 
 of him are ye iu Christ Je'sus, who 
 was made unto us wisdom from God, 
 
 uncient autliorltlei omit and. 
 
 presence. It is the iutinite reality in comiiarisou 
 with the finite unreality. — Whedon. Should 
 glory— It denotes a rising or gladness of spirit 
 which has always in view tho object, e.Mternal or 
 internal, which called it forth, and which is ever 
 ready to e.vpress itself in words. It thus com- 
 bines the lueaiiiugs of rejoice, exult, and boast. — 
 Beet. In his presence [Rev. Ver., Before God.\ 
 — Who watches perishing flesh and blood lirting 
 itself uji because of sometliiug man thinks he 
 can do. — Beet. 
 
 30. But of him are ye—" Ye are," says 
 the apostle, after speaking of "things that 
 are not" and of "things that are," he turns 
 to his fellow - believers and says, " but ye 
 are." And whence is this existence found? 
 From him, from God himself, as its immediate 
 origin and still continuous author. — T. D. Ber- 
 nard. In Christ— See Rom. 6. 11: "Christ is 
 the element in which you live and from which 
 you draw your life." — Beet. "Who of God is 
 made unto us ■wisdom [Rev. Ver., Who was 
 )iiade until w.< irisdom from Go</.]— Standing us 
 instead of all earthly wisdom, and raising us 
 above it by being from God; wisdom, in his 
 incarnation, in his life of obedience, in his teach- 
 ing, in his death of atonement, iu his glorifica- 
 tion and sending of the Spirit, and not only 
 wisdom, but all that we can want to purify us 
 from guilt, to give us righteousness before God, 
 to sanctify us after his likeness. — Alford. Hav- 
 ing him they have a key which unlocks the 
 mysteries of God's eternal purpose of mercy and 
 of the present life ; and, knowing this eternal 
 purpose and the eternal realities, they are able to 
 choose aright their steps in life. — Beet. Of 
 God [Rev. Ver., From (r'o^/.]— Emphatic repeti- 
 tion of from Jlitn. He who gave Christ to be 
 the element of our life also gave liiiii to be in us 
 as our wisdom. Bighteousness and sancti- 
 flcation — liiyhteousness and snncti fiat ion are 
 closely joined, and form but one idea, that ot 
 121 
 
1 Cor. 1. 17-31. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 and righteousness, and sanctification, 
 and redemption: 
 
 31 That, according as it is written, 
 " He that glorieth, let him glory in the 
 Lord. 
 
 Christian justification ; riqTdeousness the nega- 
 tive side in Christ's justifying work — sanctifica- 
 tion the positive, the hni^artingto us of sanctify- 
 ing gTa,ce.—Bisping. Bedemption — Satisfec- 
 tion made for our sin, or perhaps deliverance 
 from all evil, and especially from eternal death, 
 as Rom. 8. 23 ; but I prefer the other.— Aiford. 
 The general statement here suggests deliverance 
 from the material and moral evils and powers 
 around us, from death, and from the grave. — 
 £eet. As regards the work of grace God sees 
 nothing but Christ Jesus alone and altogether. 
 Ife is made to us toisdom by enlightening us, 
 righteomness by justifying us, sanctification by 
 purifying us, redemption by purchasing us into 
 immortaUty. He justifies as Christ crucified and 
 risen without us ; he sanctifies as Christ crucified 
 and risen within us; he glorifies in virtue of 
 both, as Christ enthroned in the fullness of con- 
 summate power, and at length "su.bduing all 
 things unto liimself." — W. A. Butler. 
 
 One day as I was passing into the field sudden- 
 ly this sentence fell upon my soul : " Thy right- 
 eousness is in heaven;" and methought I saw, 
 with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God's 
 right hand. There was my righteousness, so that 
 wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God 
 could not say of me, " he wants my righteous- 
 ness," for that was just before him. I also saw, 
 moreover, that it was not my frame of heart that 
 made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad 
 frame that made my righteousness worse, for my 
 righteousness was Jesus Christ himself .—J. Bwi- 
 yan. 
 
 31. As it is -VTritten— This is evidently a 
 quotation made from Jer. 9. 23, 24. It is not 
 made literally, but the apostle has condensed the 
 sense of the prophet into a few words and has 
 retained essentially his idea. — Barnes. He that 
 glorieth— The whole passage shows that there 
 is no cause for glorying or taking pride in hu- 
 man wisdom, or human power, or human rank, 
 for all these come to naught. Yet there is a 
 legitimate ground of glory to " the called," those 
 who have accepted the Gospel message. We 
 can glory in Christ Jesus who has given us vic- 
 tory over tlie world's power, a divine wisdom 
 beyond the world's knowledge, a rank above an 
 emperor's. Our glory is in Christ, but all in 
 122 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 * and righteousness and sanctification, 
 
 31 and redemption: that, according as 
 it is written. He that glorieth, let 
 him glory in the Lord. 
 
 s Or, both rightei 
 
 tificalU 
 
 nd redetitjitio 
 
 Christ, and in Christ alone. Let him glory in 
 the Lord — On the one hand Christ is "set 
 forth, evidently crucified among us ; " on the 
 other we see "the heavens opened, and the Son 
 of man standing on the I'ight haiid of God.'''' 
 On the one hand, " Behold the Man ! " and the 
 crownof thorns ; on the other, "Behold the Man!" 
 and the crown of glory, and the raptures of an as- 
 sembled universe ! But whether on the cross or 
 on the throne in him alike and in him alone will 
 we glory.— W. A. Butler. The Lord— Its pre- 
 cise reference here is uncertain and unimportant^ 
 For to boast in the Son is to boast in the Father. 
 Compai'e Eom. 5. 11. Perhaps it is better to re- 
 tain the common New Testament use ; and to 
 suppose that Paul refei-s to our exultation in him 
 " who has become to us wisdom." — Beet. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See the Introduction to First Corinthians in 
 the commentaries of Alford, Barnes, Whedon, 
 etc., and Expository Lectures by F. W. Robert- 
 son. Schaff's Apostolic Church, 282, 285. Far- 
 rar, chap. xxxi. Conybeare and Howson, chap. 
 XV. Sunday Magazine, 1869, p. 539. Preachers^ 
 Lantern, iii, 53. Edmondson's Sermons, 207. 
 John Fletcher's Works, vol. vii. Sermons, by 
 S. Olin, (vol. i, p. 255 ;) Bishop E. Thomson, on 
 Preaching Christ ; D. L. Moody, on God's Hu- 
 man Instruments ; F. Wayland, Preparation for 
 the Advent of Messiah; C. I. Nitzsch, (in Pul- 
 pit Eloquence,) on The Preaching of Christ Cru- 
 cified ; Archbishop Tillotson, on The Sufferings 
 of Christ as a Proper Means of our Salvation ; 
 H. Bushnell, (in New Life,) The Power of God 
 in Self-Sacrifice ; C. Spurgeon, (Series i,) 4, 8. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [number* 
 marked with a star refer to poetical illustra- 
 tions,] ver. 17 : 3380, 3489, 4605, 4614, 11658, 
 11659; 18: *596, 1183, 2542, 4609, 4614; 19: 
 11119; 20: 11111; 21: 2434; 2622, 2635, 9128, 
 9129; 23: 111732, 10019; 24: 4607; 25: 11122;. 
 26: 2623; 27: 4603, 9162; 30: 7124, 7830, 9546;, 
 31 : 8975. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 THE CROSS OF CHRIST. 
 
 1. The aim of Gospel preaching should be to 
 hold prominently before men the cross of Christ 
 as the ground of man's salvation. Ver. 17. 
 
April 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 1 Cor. 1. ir-31. 
 
 2. The cross of Christ has n<-> beiiuty nor wis- 
 dom to those wunting: the insivjlit of faith, which 
 alone reveals its glory and power. Ver. IS. 
 
 3. The cross of Christ brink's to naught all the 
 wisdom and tlio might of unregeuerato man. 
 Vers, lit, 20. 
 
 4. The cross of Christ shows God's power in 
 the fact of salvation, and God'a wisdom in its 
 phin. Ver. 24. 
 
 5. The cross of Christ is the lowly element, 
 di-spised by the world, which brings mighty re- 
 sults to pass. Vers. 27, 2S. 
 
 6. The cross of Christ can he accepted only by 
 him who is willing to cast aside all worldly and 
 self-seekmg aims. Vei-s. 27, 2S. 
 
 Sermon Ovxtline. 
 BY rf:v. k. p. ketciiam. d.d. 
 
 LVTROnrcTioN.— 1. Hoiv tncct the rcligioris nat- 
 ure, wants, questions, of men? Answer, Preach ! 
 Ver. 1". The jwwer of the Apostolic Church and of 
 the true Church ever since— on the human side — 
 has been In preaching, not In rites or rituahstic 
 ceremonies. 
 
 2. miat manner of preacfiing'? The Greek 
 mind says. That which Is characterized by discov- 
 eries and speculations of human reason. The 
 themes of worldly wisdom by the methods of world- 
 ly wisdom. Others, conceding the necessity of a 
 divine revelation, stjy. Let our theme be the truth 
 of Christ, but let It be discussed In the aspects and 
 methods of human wisdom and speculation. The 
 apostle says, Neither the suhjcet-mattcr nor the 
 methods of worldly wisdom should obtain in our 
 preaching. 
 
 Themk.— Intellect In preaching— use and abuse of 
 it, or, more deflnitely, The exclusion of human 
 
 wisdom from our preaching. A. Grounds of this. 
 B. Extent. 
 
 A. (iroumls.—'i. Human speculations do not com- 
 pass the realities. Men In evident Ignorance must 
 have supernatural revelation, and In evident sin 
 nmst have supernatural atonement. The man who 
 in health of bf)dy and blindness of mind said, " I 
 have In the years past thought the subject over long 
 and carefully, and I have come to the decision de- 
 liberately that I have no need of Jesus Christ as a 
 Saviour In the sense you preach," two weeks later, 
 in the enllghteimient of sudden sickness and dnaih, 
 could only wliisi)er In dismay, " Who will carry ine 
 over the river?" L'ntll the iriitli of Christ api)far 
 It is the unanswered ((uestlon of the ages. Who, as 
 to Information or ixiwer, will carry us over the 
 emergencies of sin and sorrow and death? 
 
 2. But may we not present (iospel truth In the 
 forms and aspects, and by the methods of, human 
 \vlsdom? Only as, In the most absolute sense, sub- 
 ordinate and contributive to the power of the Holy 
 Ghost. Chap. 2. 4, 5. 
 
 This leads to 
 
 B. The extent of this e.xcluslon.— 1. Christ cruel- 
 fled the central theme of all truth, but not neces- 
 sarily the formal and exact theme of every sermon. 
 We may, through subordinate themes, preach up to 
 this as a culmination, and down from it to practical 
 experience. 
 
 2. Nor, In excluding presumption of Intellect, are 
 we to preach in contempt and neglect of Intellect. 
 Not In Ignorance or Indolence, nor in weakness of 
 demonstration, did Paul preach, or expect others 
 to. 
 
 AVe are to preach In Intelligence, wisdom, dili- 
 gent mental preparations, and in that reason which 
 at the proper point demands humility and faith and 
 "the abnegation of reason." 
 
 The humble can : 1. Know the truth. Ver. 26. 
 2. Teach the truth. Vers. 27, 28. 
 
 A. D. 57J 
 
 ' LESSON IV. 
 
 Abstixexce for the Sake of Others. — 1 Cor. 8. 1-13. 
 
 [April 27. 
 
 GOLDE.V TEXT.— If meot make my brother to ofTend, I will eat no flesh while the world 
 
 standeth.— icOR. 8. 13. 
 
 Time.— A. P. .57. See on Lesson III. 
 
 Connecting Links.— See on last lesson, topic No. 3. 
 
 iNTRODrcTioN. The hlol-meats.— When the heathens olTered sacrifices of such animals as were fit for 
 fwd. a part of the carcass was burnt on the altar, a part was given to the priest, and on the remainder 
 the offerers feasted with their friends, either In the idol's temple, or at home. Sometimes, also, a part 
 was sent as a present to such as they wished to oblige ; and if the sacrifice was large, a part of It was 
 sold In the public market.— Markni{jht. The eating of these portions of the Idol-meats was forbidden 
 by the apostles and elders assembled at Jeru.siilem. Acts 15. 29; 21. 25. That Paul, in the whole of this 
 passage, makes no allusion to that decree, but deals with the question on its own merits, probably is to 
 be traced to his wish to establish his position as an Indeiwndent apostle, endowed with God's Holy Spirit 
 sufficiently himself to regulate such matters. But It also shows how little such decisions were at that 
 time rcoardcd as lastinyly bindinu <ni the ivholc Church : and how fully competent it was, even durhig 
 123 
 
1 CoK. 8. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Secont) Quarter. 
 
 the lifetime of the apostles, to Christians to open and question, on Its own merits, a matter which they 
 had, for a special purpose, once already decided.— .4(/o»-d. In his theoretic conirictions Paul, as we shall 
 see, sides with the liberals. But he rebukes their reckless application of these principles, and also that 
 pride of knowledge which they manifested ; and for the regulation of their conduct in this case he 
 enjoins the exercise of a self-denying love, that subordinated the use of its liberty to a regai-d for weak 
 bretkren, and gladly renounced its rights in order to avoid all occasions for scandal.— iTIiHy. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 Now 'iis toucliiiig things oftered 
 unto idols, we know t!i;\t we :\11 have 
 ^kno^vledge. Knowledge pulieth up, 
 but charity edilieth. 
 
 2 And Mf any man think that he 
 knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing 
 vet as he «>ught to know. 
 
 -a Roai. 
 
 1., Touching things oflfered unto idols 
 [Eev. \&[., Concerning things sacH/iced to idolx.] 
 — See Introduction above. "We know — We ad- 
 mit ; we cannot dispute ; it is so plain a ca.se that 
 no one can be ignorant on this point. Probably 
 these are the words of the Coriutliians, and per- 
 haps they were contained in the letter which was 
 sent to Paul. — £arnes. "We all have knowledge 
 — It is manifest from verses 4-6, which are said 
 in the widest possible reference to the faith of all 
 Christians, that all Christians must be intended 
 here also. But then (verse 7) he says, " there is 
 not in all men this knoul<:Jge,^^ obviously point- 
 ing at the weak Christian brother ; and how are 
 the two to be reconciled i By taking, I believe, 
 the common-sense view of two such statements, 
 which would be, in ordinary preaching or writ- 
 ing that the first was said of what is firo/issed 
 and coii/<:SStJ ; the second of what is arf«ai/yrt«</ 
 practicaUy afprfhen^leJ by each man. — Alford. 
 Knowledge puffeth. up — Mere knoicledge in 
 this case is not a safe guide ; its eflect may be to 
 pulf up, to fill with pride and self-sufficiency, 
 and to lead you asti-ay. Charity^ or love, as well 
 as knowledge, should be allowed to come in as a 
 guide in such cases, and will be a safer guide 
 than mere knowledge. — Marnes. An unloving 
 knoicledge, even where it is real knowledge, often 
 results in haughty assumption and in scorn of 
 humbler minds. Knowing perfectly the noth- 
 mgness of idols, the proud believer might be 
 reckless of the difficulties and daugei-s of feeble 
 minds. — Whedon . Charity [Rev. Ver. , love.]— 
 An unfortunate rendering of the Greek for love. 
 Paul affirms that it is love, mi.xed with knoicl- 
 edge. which perfects l-noicledffe into true wisdom. 
 Charity edifieth — Love, by its own nature, 
 prompts us to use our powei-s for the good of 
 otliers, and especi.illy their highest good, that is, 
 the development of their spiritual life. It is, 
 124 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 § Now concerning tilings sacrificed to 
 idols: AVe know that we all have 
 knowledge. Knowledge puflfeth up, 
 
 2 but love ' edilieth. If any man think- 
 eth that he knoweth any thing, he 
 knoweth not vet as he ought to know; 
 
 . buildith up. 
 
 therefore, better than knowledge. — Beet. The 
 thought and expression in edijieth is altogether 
 pecuhar to Paul's mode of looking at and speak- 
 ing of things. The whole Christian life is con- 
 templated by him as a building resting on the 
 one foundation, Jesus Christ — a figure which 
 finds a point of connection with our Lord's 
 statement concerning the houses built on the 
 rock and in the sand. The edification here 
 meant combines the theoretical and practical ele- 
 ments, and comprises every thing which serves 
 to advance the Christian life. — Seander. 
 
 The understanding does not redeem the heart, 
 for then were the learned the converted. Reason 
 cannot give man regeneration, though it can make 
 him proud, and lead him into wrong paths. Rea- 
 son is not the redeemer of men, but Jesus Christ, 
 the crucified one.— JL. Caspeis. 
 
 2. If any man — Destitute of this love, and 
 with knowledge alone. Think that he know- 
 eth. — The case supposed is the only one which 
 can occur where love is absent and conceit pres- 
 ent; a man can then onli/ think he knows, no real 
 knoicledge being accessible without humility and 
 love. — Alford. Knoweth any thing— Thinks 
 that what he knows is something of intrinsic 
 value. — Beef. He knoweth nothing [Eev. Ver., 
 7iot yet.] — He that knows every thing with his 
 brain, but nothing with his heart, fails of true 
 wisdom. Satan is the model of intellect without 
 loye.— Whtdon. All knowledge whicli does not 
 teach us that even the highest knowledge cannot 
 of itself bless, is defective even as knowledge. — 
 Beet. As he ought to know — If any one is 
 conceited of his knowledge, is so vain and proud 
 and self-confident that he is led to despise oth- 
 ers and to disregard their true interests, he has 
 not yet learned the very first elements of true 
 knowledge as he ought to learn them. True 
 
April 27, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 1 Cor. 8. 1-13. 
 
 Authorized Veraion. 
 
 8 But if any man love God, *the 
 same is known of him. 
 
 4 As concerning,' therefore the eating 
 of those tilings that are offered in sacri- 
 fice unto idols, we know that ' an idol 
 18 nothing in tiie world, ' and that there 
 is none other God but one. 
 
 5 For tliough tlioru be that ' are called 
 gods, whether in heaven or in earth, 
 (as there be gods many, and lords 
 many,) 
 
 6 But * to us there in but one God, the 
 
 «Ejlod. ». \i; N«h. 1. 1; M«tt. 1. -ja ; Gal. 4. 9; 4Tim.J. ID. 
 
 — • lu. 41. S4. « Dcul. 4. a9 : I«m. 44. ». 1 John l«. M. 
 
 Mai. i. lu ; Eph. 4. 6. 
 
 knowledge will make u-s humble, modest, and 
 kind to others. It will not pufi" u.s up, and it 
 will not lejid us to overlook the real liappine.-is 
 of others. — Jiarnes. 
 
 3. If any man love God . . . known of 
 him— We are ignorant of mucli that coueern.s us. 
 But, if we love God, hLs infinite intelligence, 
 •which comprehends fully our nature, our weak- 
 ness, our circumstances, and our needs, is at 
 work for us, watching us with ceaseless vigi- 
 lance, and choosing for us whatever is best. 
 And, that God knows us, is a pledge that his 
 purposes about us will not fail. Thas, love, 
 whether we know much or little, places us un- 
 der protection and guidance of the infinite 
 knowledge of God. — litet. 
 
 4. Concerning the eating— Some Christians 
 thought that eating the meat which had been 
 presented at the idol-altars was giving counte- 
 nance to idolatry. Others, equally sincere, and 
 more enlightened, said, "the idol is nothing; 
 the meat is like other meat, and we have a ri<rht 
 to eat it." An idol is nothing in the world 
 [Rev. Ver., i\b idol is any thimj in the world.}— 
 That the idols of the heathens (meaning, not 
 strictly the images, but the persons represented 
 by them) have no existence in the world. That 
 they who worship idols wor.ship devils, the apos- 
 tle himself asserts, (chap. 10. 20 ;) but that is 
 no contradiction to the present sentence, which 
 asserts that the deities imagined by them, Ju- 
 piter, Apollo, etc., have absolutely no existence. 
 Of that subtle power which, under the guise 
 of these, deluded the nations, he here says 
 nothing. — AlJ'ord. An idol is a nothing in the 
 world, expresses the true, contemptuous idea 
 of Paul, both as a Jew and a Christian. But 
 the more exact verbal rendering preserves more 
 clearly Paul's antitliesw: There is no viol- 
 god in the world, none other God b>it one. — 
 
 Whedon. None other Ood but one [He v. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 3 but if any man loveth God, the same 
 
 4 is known of him. Concerning there- 
 fore the eating of things sacrificed to 
 idols, we know that no idol is any 
 thing in the world, and that there is 
 
 5 no God but one. For though there be 
 that are call gods, wliether in iieavea 
 or on earth ; as there are gods many, 
 
 G and lords many ; yet to us there is 
 
 Ver., Xo God but one.] — The great principle 
 wliich Judaism asserted against nearly all the 
 world, that of the essential unity and spiritual- 
 ity of God. 
 
 5. There be — In men's estimation and wor- 
 ship. That are called gods—" So-called gods," 
 conceptions to wliicli tlie name god is given. 
 The fancy of the Greeks peopled with deities 
 the heaven, visible and invisible, and the mount- 
 ains, woods, and rivers of eai-th. — Iket. In 
 heaven or in earth— Chrysostom says, that in, 
 heaven means the sun and stars, worshiped by 
 Persians and others ; on earth, the gods and 
 demigods in human form, as in tlie Greek my- 
 thology. — Whedon. Gods many and lords 
 many — That gods many and lords many refers 
 only to the subjective thouglit of the heathen, 
 is proved by tlie express statement of verse 4, 
 and by the subjective reference, " to us," in 
 verse 6. Of the objective and superhuman and 
 infernal basis and source of idolatry, (sec chap. 
 10. 20.) there is no hint here. In the thought 
 and life of the heathens the gods many and 
 lords many were, and are, a terrible reality. — 
 Beet. 
 
 6. But to us — Before Paul advises his read- 
 ers to abstain in certain cases from meat ollered 
 to idols, in order to show that his advice is not 
 prompted by latent suspicion of the reality of 
 their power, he proclaims the great truth, de- 
 structive of all idolatry, that there is one God ; 
 and the great Christian truth that this one God 
 operates and rules through the one Master, Je- 
 sus Christ. — Beet. One God, the Father — 
 Father here used not of his divine paternity of 
 us, but in relation to the Son. God, therefore, 
 is not here so styled God as to exclude Christ 
 from the Godhead, any more than Christ is 
 styled Lord to exclude God from the Lordship. 
 One is distinctly God, and the other Lord, yet 
 both are both God and Lord. — Whedon. Of 
 
 125 
 
1 Cor. 8. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 Father, 'of whom are all things, and 
 we "iu him; and "one Lord Je'sus 
 Christ, "by whom are all things, and 
 we by him. 
 
 7 Howbeit there is not in every man 
 that knowledge: for some with con- 
 science of the idol unto this hour eat it 
 as a thing offered unto an idol; and 
 their conscience being weak is defiled. 
 
 8 But meat commendeth us not to 
 God : for neither, if we eat, j are we the 
 
 wtLom are all things— Creatures, with or with- 
 out reason, as in Col. 1. 16 ; John 1. 3. What- 
 ever e.Kists has sprung from our Father. — &et 
 "We in him — The leading idea here is, pi-ob- 
 aVjly, that to God Christians owe their hopes 
 and happiness. — Barnes. One Lord Jesus 
 Christ— The divine mauifestion on earth of the 
 hidden Infinite in heaven. Lord, as being the 
 Executive of the divine power and grace imme- 
 diately upon us, on earth. — Whedon. Notice 
 the o?ie God opposed to ■man?/ gods, and one Lord 
 to many lords.— Alford. By whom [Kev.Ver., 
 Through whom] are all things — As above. Je- 
 sus of Nazareth, the anointed King, the one 
 Master, whose commands we obey, is the one 
 Agent through whose activity the universe was 
 created ; and through whose incarnation, teach- 
 ing, death, and resurrection, in a special sense, 
 we believers are what we are. — Beet. 
 
 To us there Is but one Christ. He who was an- 
 nounced as the woman's seed ; he of whom Abel's 
 sacrlflce spoke ; he of whom Enoch prophesied as 
 the Aveuger ; he who was revealed to Abraham 
 as his seed; he of whom Job spoke as the Re- 
 deemer ; he of whom Moses spoke as the Prophet ; 
 of whose work the whole book of Leviticus Is 
 full ; he of whom David sang as the Sufferer, yet 
 the King ; he of whom Isaiah and all the prophets 
 sang ; he who proclaimed himself as come to seek 
 the lost; to whom John the Baptist pointed as 
 the Lamb of God ; who hung on the cross, and 
 died in anguish, yet rose again, and ascended on 
 high ; he is the one Christ whom we recognize. 
 —Bonar. 
 
 7. Tfot in every man [Eev. Ver., in all 
 men] that knowledge — Is not in them in 
 their individual apprehension, though it is by 
 their profession as Christians. — Alford. For 
 some— Converted heathens who were unable 
 to cast away altogether the deeply inwoven 
 marks made on their minds by the idolatry of 
 earlier days. Instances of this are very com- 
 mon now on the mission field. — Beet. "With 
 
 Hevised Version. 
 
 one God, the Father, of whom are all 
 things, and we unto him; and one 
 Lord, Je'sus Christ, through whom 
 are all things, and we through him, 
 
 7 Howbeit in all men there is not that 
 knowledge: but some, being used 
 until now to the idol, eat as o/" a thing 
 sacrificed to an idol; and their con- 
 
 8 science being weak is defiled. But 
 meat will not commend us to God: 
 
 conscience of the idol [Rev. Ver., Being 
 used wdil now to the idol.\ — With conscious- 
 ness, intellectual and moral, that recognizes 
 it as an idol god, and not a mere nothing. 
 — Whedon. Unto this hour [Rev. Ver., Until 
 nov).'\ — By the expression even until now, it is 
 shown that these weak ones must have belonged 
 to the Gentile part of the Corinthian Church, to 
 those who had once, before their conversion, 
 held these idols to be veritable gods. Had they 
 been Jeivish converts it would not have been 
 consciousness of the idol which would have 
 troubled, but apparent violation of the Mosaic 
 law. — Alford. Eat it as a thing offered [Rev. 
 Ver., sacrificed] unto an idol— Owing to their 
 former contact with idolatry, they look upon 
 the meat, while eating it, as an idol sacrifice. 
 To those wlio know that idols do not exist, it 
 is but common iwasX.— Beet. Being weak — 
 Still under the power of old pagan association of 
 thought. Defiled- Induced by Christian exam- 
 ple to eat, and yet trembling with fear for the im- 
 aginary guilt of their own act, they really trans- 
 gress their own conscience, and are thus con- 
 demned, and perhaps learn to brave conscience 
 and thus become wicked. — Whedon. 
 
 8. But — This verse, as being repeated by 
 Paul from the Corinthians' letter, might also be 
 included in quotation marks. It is, in continua- 
 tion, their apology for free eating of idol sacri- 
 fices. Their first position was, (verse 4,) we 
 all have a knowledge that an idol god is a 
 nothing ; this, their second, is, that meat being 
 a physical substance, is not impregnated with 
 any moral quality, and so can make a man 
 neither better nor worse. Paul grants this last 
 position, and yet shows that it does not 
 secure the safety of the practice. — Whedon. 
 Meat commendeth us not — Food of any 
 kind, includaig idol sacrifices. Such will not 
 lay us more completely on the altar of God, or 
 place us before him more favorably. Neither 
 
April 27, 1884. 
 
 LESSOX IV. 
 
 1 Cor. 8. 1-13. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 better; neither, if we eat not, 'are we 
 the worse. 
 
 9 But take heed, lest by any means 
 tliis •' liberty of yours becouie a stum- 
 blin^l>lock to tlieni tliat are weak. 
 
 10 For if any man see thee which 
 liast knowlt'dge sit at meat in tlic idol's 
 temple, shall not the conscit-nce of iiini 
 which is weak be ' emboldened to eat 
 those tiling's wliich are offered to idols; 
 
 11 And throu«,di tliy knowledge sliall 
 the weak i)rother perish, for whom 
 Christ died? 
 
 13 But ''^ when ye sin so against the 
 brethren, and wound their weak con- 
 science, ye sin against Christ. 
 
 . . . better . . . worse — Eating, or abstinence 
 from, any kind of food, cannot make the spirit- 
 ual life richer or poorer. Thus, before showing 
 how greatly we nuiy inj ure a brother by eating an 
 idol sacrifice, Paul proves that to abstain from 
 this or any other kind of food will do us no 
 real harm. — r>t<t. 
 
 9. But take heed— 5'<<, that is, I acknowl- 
 edge this inditference, this license to eat or not 
 to eat; but it is on that very account, because 
 it is a matter indirterent, that ye must take 
 hdQA.—Alford. This liberty of yours— " r/iw 
 right of youn" liberty to eat any thing, in- 
 volved in the irrcat truth of ver. 8. Become 
 a stumbling-block— The particular stu mining- 
 block in this case would be, the tempting them 
 to act against their conscience, a practice al)ove 
 all others dangerous to a Christian. — Alford. 
 To them that are weak— To those professing 
 Christians who are not fully instructed in re- 
 gard to the true nature of idolatry, and who still 
 may have a superstitious regard for the gods 
 whom their fathers worshiped. — Barnex. 
 
 10. If any man — Scarce finiily converted 
 from idolatry. — Wh&lon. See thee who hast 
 knowledge — And whose known intelligence 
 would increase his influence over a weak brother. 
 — Beet. Sitting— Greek, reclinimj, as was the 
 ancient custom at meals. Idol's temple — 
 Greek, an iJolexim. The word is only used by 
 Jewish writers, apparently to avoid designating 
 heathen temples by the sacred word naos, used 
 to express the temple of Jerusalem. 1 Mac. 
 1. 47; 10. 83. It is a kind of parody on the 
 names of the temples, as derived from the 
 divinities to which tlay are dedicated. — Dean 
 Stanley. Emboldened— Built up. The beauty 
 
 Revleed Version. 
 
 neither, if we eat not, " are we the 
 worse; nor, if we eat, 'are we the 
 
 9 better. But take heed lest Ity any 
 means this Miberty of yours become 
 
 10 a stumblingblock to the weak. For 
 if a nuin see thee which hast know- 
 ledge sitting at meat in an idol's 
 teujple, will not his conscience, if he 
 is weak, 'l>e emboldened to eat 
 
 11 things sacrificed to idols? For 
 "tiirough tliy knowledge he that is 
 weak pcrisiieth, the brother for 
 
 12 whose sake Christ died. And thus, 
 sinning against the brethren, and 
 wounding their conscience when it is 
 
 13 weak, ye sin against Ciirist. Where- 
 
 i Gr. do we lack.- 
 
 of the apostle's word is lost, it being the same 
 Greek word as for edified in verse 1. The 
 weakling is built vp, but in a bad direction, to 
 a proud wrong-doing. — Whcdon. This verse 
 warns us not to force upon others our own 
 standard of right and wrong. That which is 
 right to us may be WTong, and, therefore, very 
 hurtful, to others less instructed.— i/ee^. 
 
 11. Through thy knowledge— If the strong 
 man had not known that idols do not e.\ist at 
 all, the weak brother would not have been over- 
 come by his example, (an example the stronger 
 because of his well-known knowledge,) and led to 
 eat that which he believed to be wrong, and thus 
 made still weaker till he fell from Christ and fell 
 into eternal death. Notice the threefold dark- 
 ness of this picture: there perishes a brother for 
 whom Christ died. Same argument, Rom. 14. 
 lb.— Beet. The weak brother perish— The 
 sense is that the tetidency of this course would, 
 be to lead the weak brother into sin, to apostasy, 
 and to ruin. — Barnes. Christ died— A pathetic 
 and forcible argument drawn from the depths 
 of Christian truth and Christian feeling, and 
 possible for a Christian solely to adduce, Will 
 you not suffer a privation in behalf of the soul 
 for which Christ diedf — Whedon. 
 
 12. "WTien ye sin against the brethren — 
 By leading them through example into sin 
 would be sin to them. "Wound their weak 
 conscience — Literally, '■'■smiting their con,- 
 science.^^ By leading them to do what their 
 conscience disapproves we create in them unin- 
 tentionally » consciousness of having done 
 wrong, and thus inflict upon them a blow in the 
 inmost and most vital part of their being. — Beti. 
 his death. ThL* was a new argument in the 
 
 127 
 
1 Cor. 8. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 13 Wherefore, if meat make my broth- 
 er to offend, I will eat no flesh while the 
 world standeth, lest I make my brother 
 to offend. 
 
 world, drawn from a new source and in behalf 
 of a new virtue, namely, tenderness for the souls 
 of men. — Whedon. 
 
 13. Meat — In the most general sense— food, 
 i. e., any article of food, as verse 8; purposely 
 indefinite here: "if such a matter as food." — 
 Alford. Make my brother to oflfend [Kev. 
 Ver., siu7nMe.'\ — The word is derived from a 
 Greek term, which originally signified the trap- 
 stick to which the bait was fixed, by touching 
 which the animal sprung the trap, and so was 
 caught. Hence it signifies any moral enticement 
 by which a person is entrapped into error, sin, 
 or apostasy. Snare, or entrapment, is the true 
 moral idea. — Whedon. It does not mean if the 
 eating of meat should enrage or irritate another, 
 but if it is the occasion of his being led into 
 transgression. — Barnes. I will eat no flesh — 
 Mark how delicately the apostle passes now 
 from the second person plural, ye, to the first per- 
 son singular, I. He enjoins upon them a some- 
 what burdensome take heed, but when it comes 
 to the intensity of perfect self-denial he takes 
 it upon himself. It is a sublime, nay, a daring, 
 height of self-consecration, rising to the level of 
 an apostle, and that apostle, Ftiul. — Whedon. 
 By turning suddenly away from his readers to 
 himself, and by giving voice to his own deliber- 
 ate resolve to make any sacrifice for any length 
 of time rather than cause a brother's fall, Paul 
 puts to shame by his own example the possible 
 objection that it is unfair to ask us to give up 
 our liberty because of the ignorance of others. — 
 Beet. "While the world standeth [Eev. Ver., 
 for evermore.'] — The phrase " I will never eat 
 meat" would express the iilea,.— Barnes. 
 
 No man ever breathed so freely when on earth 
 the air and atmosphere of heaven as the Apostle 
 Paul ; no man ever soared so high above all prej- 
 udices, narrowness, littleness, scruples, as he, and 
 yet no man ever bound himself as Paul bound 
 himself to the ignorance, the scruples, the preju- 
 dices, of his brethren.— F. W. Robertson. On the 
 supposition that the use of wine and other liquors 
 may be in themselves lawful, and that you migJit 
 be safe in using them, yet others may be led by 
 your example to an Improper use of them, or con- 
 tract a taste for stimulating drinks that may end 
 In their ruin. Would It be right for you to con- 
 tinue the use of wine in such circumstances? 
 Would Paul have done it? Would he not have 1 
 adopted the noble principle in this chapter, that 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 fore, if meat maketh my brother 
 to stumble, I will eat no flesh for 
 evermore, that I make not my broth- 
 er to stumble. 
 
 he would not touch it while the world stands if it 
 led him to sin.— Barnes. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See on the last lesson in Schaif, Farrar, Cony- 
 beare and Howson, and Eobertson. Sunday 
 Magazine, 1871, 114. Bonar's Bible Thoughts 
 and Themes, vol. iii. Pulpit Analyst, ii, 88. 
 Sermons, by F. W. Kobertson, on The Law of 
 Christian Conscience ; T. Chalmers, on the Mod- 
 esty of True Science ; E. South, The Plea of a 
 Tender Conscience; J. P. Newman, (Temper- 
 ance Sermons,) Self-Denial a Duty and Pleasure; 
 D. A. Clark, The Enlightened Conscience. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical quotations,] 
 ver. 1: 589, 591, 595, 600, 6779, 10131, 10132; 
 2: 3493, 6049, 10138, 10141; 4: 3152, 9072, 
 10619; 5: *1704, 10866; 9: 2010; 10: 5675; 
 13 : 4878, 8466, 8474, 9889. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [principles of the christian life.] 
 
 1. The Christian life requires both knowledge 
 and love, but love as the greater and more es- 
 sential. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The Christian life requires us to recognize 
 that our knowledge is but partial and far from 
 complete. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. Tlie Christian life through love will lead 
 to knowledge of God and of his will. Ver. 3. 
 
 4. The Christian life should be lived with the 
 consciousness of God's omniscient eye. Ver. 4. 
 
 5. The Christian life should be regulated by 
 the supreme law of Jesus Christ as Lord. Ver. 
 6. 
 
 6. The Christian life should be influenced not 
 by our personal rights, but by our relation to our 
 fellow-men. Vers. 7-9. 
 
 7. The Christian life should have for its aim 
 to build up, and never to injure, others over 
 whom we may have an influence. Ver. 12. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY. REV. A. P. FOSTER, D.D. 
 
 In Scripture the abstract Is commonly taught 
 through the concrete. So this chapter, in setting 
 forth a rule for a heathen land in a time long past, 
 does but make prominent through this thin veil a 
 mighty principle. 
 
April 27, 1P84. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 1 Cor. 8. 1-13. 
 
 I. The Principle Slated. 
 
 1. In answerlnjr questions of casuistry the 
 criteria of judgiiicut must tlrst be establlslifil. 
 KnowledRC, as one, Is Insufllclent without love. 
 Vers. 1-3. 
 
 2. Knowledge, given us by Cbrlstlanlty, delivers 
 us from superstltlou's yoke. We are subject to God 
 alone. Christ frees us from prejudices, fears, and 
 needless burdens. Vers. 4-«, etc. 
 
 3. To one who falls of this knowledge, and thinks 
 an Innocent thing wrong, it Is wrong for him. 
 Ver. 7. 
 
 4. Our enjoyment, then, of that which Is Innocent 
 may lead another with unlnstructed conscience Into 
 sin! Vers. 9-11. 
 
 5. Such an example ceases to be Innocent if set 
 with the knowledge of its possible results, for it 
 violates the law of love. Ver. 13. 
 
 6. Thus we come to a great principle, namely. We 
 must abstain from things innocent in themselves if 
 our indulgence would tempt a Christian brother to 
 sin. Ver. 13. 
 
 11. The Principle Limited. 
 The principle Is not to be pushed to extremes. 
 We are not to be the slaves of every weak-minded, 
 
 superstitious, or Ignorant person who may possibly 
 be Inlluenced by us. 
 
 1. We are to avoid that which tempts another to 
 sin, but not neies.sarily that which he condemns as 
 sinful. The revision madH ahimble, not offend. 
 
 2. We are to avoid that which tempts a Christia* 
 brother. He Is partially Instructed, is attempting 
 to live accoiding to his conscience, and is most like- 
 ly to be inlluenced by our example. But the prin- 
 ciple applies to the Impenitent in proportion aa 
 these things are true of them. 
 
 3. The principle commonly relates to matters in- 
 volving but slight self-denials, personal graiillca- 
 tlon In food, plea.sures, and the like. 
 
 III. The Principle Applied. 
 
 The question of eating meat offered to Idols never 
 comes up to-day, but similar questions do, regard- 
 ing, among others, (1) the use of Intoxicants, (2) 
 amusements, (3) extravagance in living, (4) the 
 observance of the Sabbath. 
 
 Conclusion.— A great responsibility is Involved in 
 the principle. Each one must decide for himself; 
 questions depending on circumstances, matters of 
 expediency, must be left to the individual con- 
 science. 
 
 A. D. 57.] LESSON V. [May 4. 
 
 Christian Love.— 1 Cor. 13. 1-13. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Love is the fuiniling of the law.-RoM. 13. 10. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 57. See on Lesson II. 
 
 Co.vxECTiNG Links.— See on Lesson III, topic No. 7. 
 
 Introduction.— "This may," says Meyer, "without impropriety be called 'a Psalm of Love'— the 
 'Song of Love ' of the New Testament. See Psa. 45, title." On each side of this chapter the tumult ol 
 argument and remonstrance still rages, but within it all is calm : the sentences move in almost rhyth- 
 mical melody; the imagery unfolds Itself In almost dramatic propriety; the language arranges itself 
 with almost rhetorical accuracy. We can imagine how the apostle's amanuensis must have paused to 
 look up in his master's face at the sudden change of his style of dictation, and seen his coimtenance 
 lighted up as it had been the face of an angel, as the sublime vision of divine perfection passed before 
 M\n.—Statde}i. The central gift of Christianity— not transient, but permanent— the diamond excellence 
 of which all other virtues are a phase, is tort'. And to rouse his Corinthians above their eagerness after 
 the transient, the apt)Stle tasks all his powers to present the diamond before their eyes In its most attract- 
 ive brilliancy. All critics view this passage as one; of Paul's genuine gems. It has something of the 
 rhythm, as well as the splendor, of poetry. But it is brief and condensed, and not one word is inserted 
 for mere fine writing; for Paul does not one moment forget his argument; the object of which is, to 
 Impress his brethren that that one virtue within the reach of all, the permanent heritage of the Church, 
 is divine love. The chapter has three distinct stages or paragraphs. The first declares, with intense 
 h>-perbole, the absolute worthlessness of every virtue if love be wanting, (1-3 ;) the second draws a brief 
 picture of love in actual life, (4-8;) the third (8-13) traces our progress through transient developmente, 
 in contrast with the abiding three graces, faith, hope, and love. Paul, as on other occasions of depre- 
 datory remark, speaks In the first person.— ir/iedou. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 Though 1 speak with the tongues 
 of men and of angels, and have not 
 
 1. Though I speak— See where he sets out: so great and wonderful, the gift of tongues.— 
 first beginning with that wliich seemed to them ChrysosU/m. Speak with the tongues— Pro- 
 
 Ee vised Version. 
 
 13 If I speak ^vitli tlie tongues of men 
 and of angels, but have not love, I am 
 
1 Cor. 13. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Aathorized Version. 
 
 ' charity, I am become as sounding 
 brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
 
 2 And though I have the gift ' of 
 prophecy, and understand all mysteries, 
 and all knowledge ; and though I have 
 all faith, ^ so that I could remove mount- 
 ains, and have not charity, I am noth- 
 
 •■ Rom. 14 ; 1 Tim. 
 
 cisely what this gift of tongues was in the early 
 Church is not easy to determine. It was not, 
 however, a power to preach the Gospel in vari- 
 ous languages, but was probably an inspired 
 utterance in other than the speaker's own lan- 
 guage, and sometimes in no human language. 
 The gift was certainly possessed in tlie early 
 Church, but soon passed away. Of the angels 
 — Separated for emphasis from ofmen^ and mark- 
 ing the summit of possibility in this gift. — Beet. 
 By the tongues of angels the apostle meant the 
 methods, whatever they are, by which angels 
 communicate their thoughts to each other, and 
 •which must be a much more excellent language 
 than any that is spoken by men. — Macknight. 
 Have not charity [The Eev. Ver. has the word 
 love throughout the chapter in place of charity. ] 
 — Love to all, inits most general sense, as through- 
 out the chapter ; no distinction being here drawn 
 between love to man and to God, but the general 
 principle dealt vfith, from ivMch both spring. — 
 Alford. Sounding 'bva.ss— Bronze : a word de- 
 noting always in the Bible copper, either pure, or 
 containing, as usual, a small proportion of other 
 metals, generally tin. Brass, that is, an alloy 
 of copper and zinc, has not, I believe, been found 
 among the many metallic relics of the past. — 
 Beet. Tinkling C3rmbal [Rev. Ver., Clanging 
 cymbal.\ — Two concave metallic plates struck 
 
 Cymbals. 
 
 against each other, and giving a sound varying 
 with the size of the instrument. Possessing no 
 variation of tone or mellowness, they served as 
 a lit illustration of a vain clatter, while the richer 
 ring of the sounding brass indicated the vain 
 glory of the ostentation of tongues. — Whedon. 
 130 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 become sounding brass, or a clanging 
 
 2 cymbal. And if I have the gift of 
 prophecy, and know all mysteries and 
 all knowledge ; and if I have all faith, 
 so as to remove mountains, but have 
 
 8 not love, I am nothing. And if I 
 
 We might call it one of the misfortunes of our 
 English version that the Greek word for love has 
 been translated charitn. But it is rather the 
 fault of the language itself than of the translator. 
 When St. Jerome came to translate this part ol 
 the New Testament he could And no word in the 
 Latin language which would properly fit the true 
 Christian idea of divine love. Paganism had not 
 the word, because paganism had never possessed 
 the idea. The word amor came most near, but 
 that had degrading associations. He selected the 
 Latin word caritas, signifying clearness, which 
 has been used in most of the translations of mod- 
 ern Europe, But this word becoming charity in 
 English, has sunk to mean mere almsgiving, or 
 favorable construction of others' actions, as when 
 we say a charitable opinion. —Whcdon. 
 
 2. Prophecy — Gifts of divine inspiration, but 
 not necessarily of foretelling the future. Under- 
 stand all mysteries — The many-sided purpose 
 of redemption is called (Rom. 16. 25 ; Eph. 1. 9 ; 
 3. 3 ; 6. 19 ; Col. 1. 26 f.; 2. 2 ; 4. 3) a mystery 
 kept in silence (even from angels, Mark 13. 32; 
 1 Pet. 1. 12 ; Eph. 3. 10) during eternal times, 
 but now made known. To proclaim this my»- 
 tery to all was the life-work of Paul, (Eph. 3. 9 ; 
 6. 19 ; Col. 4. 3,) who was thus a steward of the 
 mysteries of God. 1 Cor. 4. I.— Beet. And all 
 kncwledge — Whatever the mind of man has ac- 
 quired by ordinary methods of study, these not 
 e.Kcluding (chap. 12. 8) the special assistance of the 
 Spirit. Such knowledge would neither include, 
 nor be included in, all the mysteries. And all 
 faith— ^«,/ai)'A,(literally, all the faith,) hardly, 
 as Stanley implies, "a/^ the faith in the world" 
 but, rather, "all the faith required to," etc. ; or, 
 perhaps, the article conveys the allusion to our 
 Lord's saying, (Matt. 17. 20; 21. 21,) "all that 
 faith," so as, etc.— Alford. And have not 
 charity— This suggests, (the hypothetical form 
 of the sentence forbids us to say that it proves,) 
 and the cases of Balaam and Samson prove, thai 
 a man may have superhuman gifts and yet bo 
 destitute of spiritual life. A solemn warning to 
 the Corinthians, who (chap. 1.7) "fell short in 
 no gift." — Beet. I am nothing — One may 
 
May 4, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V 
 
 1 Cor. 13. 1-13. 
 
 Authorised Version. 
 
 3 And * though I bestow all in}' goods 
 to feed the poor, and thougii I give my 
 body to be burned, and liave not charity, 
 it protiteth me nothing. 
 
 4 Charity 'sufferetlilong, and is kind ; 
 charity envieth not; charity "vauuteth 
 not itself, is not pufted up. 
 
 •ccoinplisli wonJers in the Gospel, yet, him 
 •elf, reiuuin untouched by its power. Whih 
 it is generally true that God u.ses godly inatru 
 mentalities, it is not universally the case. Some 
 men without the richness of grace within have 
 yet clone much for Christ and the Church, like 
 a skeleton, whose long luuiJ hokls a light shin- 
 ing on otliers, yet of no avail to the form that 
 holds it. 
 
 3. Though I bestow all my goods— The 
 true and most signiticant sense is, " Though I 
 dole away in mouthfuls all my property or es- 
 tates." Who that luis witnessed the almsgiv- 
 ing in a Catholic monastery, or the court of a 
 Spanish or Sicilian bishop's or archbishop's 
 palace, where immense revenues are syringed 
 away in farthings to herds of beggars, but must 
 feel the force of the apostle's half-satirical ex- 
 pression ? — MS. note by Coleridge, quoted by 
 Stanley. It is curious that the word " charity " 
 has come to signify just that almsgiving which 
 Paul here declares may be performed without 
 it. Churches, colleges, almshouses, asylums, 
 jnay all be founded by loveless men to perpet- 
 uate a name, or vainly to expiate their sins.— 
 Whedon. Give my body to be burned— It 
 is possible that some Chiistians had been put 
 to death in this manner when Paul wrote this 
 epistle, but it is more probable that he referred 
 to this as the niost awful kind of death, rather 
 than as any thing which had really happened. 
 Subsequently, however, as all know, this was 
 often done, and thousands, and perhaps tens of 
 thousands, of Christians have been called to 
 evince their attachment to religion in the flames. 
 — Barnes. Have not charity— By these extreme 
 cases Paul makes us feel tliat actions have no in- 
 trmsic value, that their worth, both as manifesta- 
 tions of character and as spiritual gain to the 
 actor, depends entirely upon their motive, and 
 that the one motive essential to reward is love. 
 
 Dr. Llghtfoot suggests that this highest possible 
 grade of self-sacrlflce and of supposed merit was 
 suggested to Paul by a boastful inscription on a 
 tomb at Athens, 'see Strabo, book 15. 1. 73,) which 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 l)estow all my goods to feed the poor, 
 and if I give my body ' to be burned, 
 but have not love, it profiteth me noth- 
 
 4 ing. Love suffereth long, and is kind ; 
 love envieth not; love vaunteth not 
 
 5 itself, is not puffed up, doth not 
 
 I M«ny 1 
 
 / mav glory. 
 
 he may have seen, in memory of a fanatic who. 
 In the time of Augustus, publicly devoted himself 
 to death there by leaping with a smile on the 
 funeral pyre : " Here lies Zarmanochegas an In- 
 dian from Bargose, who, according to the pater- 
 nal customs of Indians, immortalized himself." 
 Such oases enable us to conceive not only gifts to 
 the poor, but self-immolation, without love and 
 without real excellence.— Beef . 
 
 Giving is indeed a fruxi of love, but it is not 
 love Itself ; love Is a spiritual gift which involves 
 the heart, and not the hand alone ; love de- 
 notes not that which the hand does, but which 
 the heart feels.— Luf/ier. 
 
 4. Charity [Rev. Ver., Zoye.]— The hyper- 
 boles of the apostle in the last paragraph rush 
 like a cataract; the description of this paragraph 
 flow like a gentle and limpid stream. He does not 
 describe love in its heroic moods, dying for its 
 loved objects, but in the aspects of ordinary 
 life, and particularly in references to those vain 
 glories and bickers among his Corinthians, of 
 which love would be the corrective. He gives 
 fifteen traits of love. The first three touch the 
 patient kindness of love ; the next eight are 
 negatives, deseribing qualities which love does 
 not exhibit, but which unfortunately the tempers 
 of the Corinthians did ; then four traits which 
 our apostle's conduct was exhibiting toward 
 them. — Whedon. SuflTereth long— Continues 
 in spite of conduct likely to quench it. This 
 continuance often, but not alway.s, shows itself 
 in restraining anger. Hence, in the Bible, the 
 word is often (Kom. 2. 4; 9. 22, etc.) used in 
 this connection.— iBerf. And is kind — Long 
 snffeniig is the negative side, kindness the pos- 
 itive, of a loving temper ; the former, the with- 
 holding of anger; the latter, the exercise of 
 kindness. — .4(/"w(/. Envieth not — We are 
 never vexed at the excellence or success of those 
 whom we love. Vaunteth not itself — The 
 word in the original is a universal one ; a good 
 definition of its meaning is given by Basil, as 
 including " all that a man takes upon himself, 
 not from duty or necessity, but for the sake of 
 self-exaltation." An equivalent English ex- 
 pression would perhaps be, displays not it- 
 
1 Cor. 13, 1-1 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 5 Doth not behave itself " unseemly, 
 seeketh ' not her own, is not easily pro- 
 voked, thinketh no evil ; 
 
 6 Rejoiceth *not in iniquity, * but re- 
 joiceth 'in the truth; 
 
 7 Beareth '" all things, believeth all 
 things, hopeth all things, endureth all 
 things. 
 
 8 Charity never faileth: but whether 
 
 self.—Alfovd. Not puffed up — Is free from 
 the spirit of self-assumption or conceit of per- 
 sonal greatness, for love thinks of another ami 
 not of self. 
 
 5. Doth not behave itself unseemly— 
 Lovelessness cares not how otfensive its de- 
 meanor toward others. It cares not how much 
 mortification it creates in other breasts by its 
 coarse, offensive, or haughty style. Even re- 
 ligious people often clothe their religion in a 
 hard, stiff, legal aspect, rendering it unattractive, 
 and producing rejection by those whom it 
 should tuin. On the contrary, true love, brought 
 to the surface, seeks to please, and thereby 
 sheds aivinsomeness over the manners and char- 
 acter. — l\^eJon. Seeketh not her own- 
 Love, just so far as it is pure love, thinks not 
 of itself It is happy in the happiness of others, 
 having no regard for any happiness of its own 
 excepting this very delight in the others' well- 
 being. Its very e.\cellence is, that it places its 
 own happiness in the happiness of others. Is 
 not easily provoked [Rev.Ver. omits easily.] 
 Literally, " is not moved to anger." Not here 
 a simple purpose to punish, as in Eph. 4. 26, 
 but the vindictiveness which so often accom- 
 panies it. To this, love never prompts ; though 
 it often compels us to punish. — £eet. Thinketh 
 no evil [Eev. Ver., Taketh not account of evil.] 
 — Not only plots no evil, but does not even sus- 
 pect any against the beloved person. As a spark 
 which falls into the sea, hurts not the sea, but is 
 itself extinguished, so let any thing evil befall 
 the loving soul, and it will soon be extinguished 
 without disquietude. — Chrysostom. 
 
 6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity [Rev. Ver., un- 
 righteousness.] — We are not pleased at the wrong- 
 doing of those whom we intelligently love. For 
 we feel instinctively that by wrong-doing they 
 injure themselves. For example, many a bad 
 fatlier is son-y to see his children walking in his 
 steps. — Beii. Kejoiceth in the truth [Eev. 
 Ver., Rejoiceth with the truth.]— T'he. truth being 
 personified, and meaning especially the spread 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 behave itself unseemly, seeketh not 
 its own, is not provoked, ta'keth not 
 
 6 account of evil; rejoiceth not in un- 
 righteousness, but rejoiceth with the 
 
 7 truth ; "^ beareth all things, believeth 
 all things, hopeth all things, endureth 
 
 8 all things. Love never faileth: but 
 whether there le prophecies, they shall 
 
 ^Or, covereth. 
 
 among men (as oj^posed to unrighteousness) of 
 the truth of the Gospel, and, indeed, of the 
 truth in general — in opposition to those who 
 (Eom. 1. 18) " hold down the truth in unright- 
 eousness" — who (2 Tim. 3. 8) "withstand the 
 truth."— .-l//orfZ. 
 
 7. Beareth — The word bear refers probably 
 to migrateful conduct in the person loved, and 
 is thus parallel to "long-suffering" in verse 4; 
 endures refers to any hardship involved in help- 
 ing those we love. Beareth all things — Eather, 
 covereth all things. Such is the strict mean- 
 ing of the Greek word. To render it beareth 
 gives the sanie sense as endureth in the last 
 clause. The word covereth implies the idea ex- 
 pressed by Pope in his " Universal Prayer :" 
 
 " Teach me to feel another's woe, 
 To hide the fault I see ; 
 That mercy I to others show, 
 That mercy show to me." 
 
 So does a mother seek to cover the fiiults of her 
 child ; so would Paul rather cover ti an expose 
 the errors of his Corinthians. — Whedon. All 
 things — That is, all things ivMch can be borne 
 with a good C07iscience, and this applies to all 
 four things mentioned: all things, namely, 
 which can be borne, believed, hoped, or endured. 
 — A'ford. Believeth all things — Unsuspi- 
 ciously believes all that is not palpably false, all 
 that it can with a good conscience believe to the 
 credit of another. Compare James 3. 17, "easy 
 to be entreated;" Greek, easily persuaded. — D. 
 Broivn. Hopeth — Namely, even against hope 
 — hoping what is good of another, even when 
 others have ceased to do so. — Alford. Endrur- 
 eth — See Eom. 2. 7. Love prompts us to con- 
 tinue doing good to th6se we love in spite of 
 difficulties and perils. Paul's own example. 
 2 Tim. 2. \(i.—Beet. 
 
 8. Charity [Eev. Ver., Love] never faileth — 
 Paul now proceeds to show the permanency of 
 love as compared with the other endowments in 
 the Church. Love will never ceaae to irradiate 
 
May 4, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 1 CoK. 13. 1-13. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 there he prophecies, they shull fail ; 
 whether there he tongues, they shall 
 cease; wiietlier there be knowledge, it 
 shall vanish away. 
 
 9 For " we know in part, and we 
 prophesy in part. 
 
 10 But "when that wiiich is perfect is 
 come, tiien that which is in part shall 
 be (lone away. 
 
 11 When i was a child, I spake as a 
 chilli, 1 understood as a child, I' thought 
 as a child; but when I ijecame a man, I 
 put away childish things. 
 
 ' CLap. 
 
 -«a ls». 6«. 19 ; J«r. ; 
 
 the world when the special manife.-<tiitions of the 
 Spirit shall have passed away. Seek that which 
 endures ratlar tliau those iritis which are tran- 
 Bieut. Prophecies . . . fkil . . . tongues . . , 
 cease— A primary t'ullilhueut of Paul's statement 
 took place when the Church attained its matu- 
 rity ; then "tongues" entirely "ceased," and 
 " prophesyings " and " knowledg:e," so far as 
 they were supernatural g'xtU of the Spirit, were 
 superseded as no longer required when the ordi- 
 nary preaching of the word, and the Scriptures 
 of the New Testament collected together, had 
 become established institutions. — D. Brown. 
 They shall fail— There is a double reference 
 here to the Church on earth and the Church in 
 heaven. On earth the tonsfues and prophetic 
 gifts ceased as soon as the Gospel outgrew their 
 need ; in heaven they will be superseded by the 
 quick spiritual perceptions of another world. 
 But forever on earth and forever in heaven love 
 will still endure. Knowledge . . . vanish 
 away — All the knowledge which we now pos- 
 »os8, valuable as it is, will be obscured and lost, 
 ind rendered comparatively valueless in the 
 fuller splendors of the eternal world. — Barnes. 
 It does not mean, however, that wo will enter 
 tlie heavenly state in ignorance, losing all knowl- 
 edge of earth, so that the wise man and the 
 babe, the student and the idler, will commence 
 eternity on the same footing. 
 
 9, 10. "We know in part — Our knowledge 
 and our prophesying ( utterance of divine things) 
 are but partial, embracing but a part; but when 
 that which is per/e<;t (entire, universal) shall 
 have come, this partial shall be abolished— 
 superseded. —.4 (/bw/. Just as the flickering 
 torch lights the darkness in part and pa-sses out 
 of sigiit when the sun rises. "When that which 
 is perfect is come— Unquestionably the time 
 alluded to is that of the comiiu/ of the Lord : see 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 be done away ; wdiether there be 
 tongues, they shall cease ; wdiether 
 there he knowledge, it shall be done 
 
 9 away. For we know in part, and 
 
 10 we prophesy in ))art: but when that 
 which is perfect is come, that wiiich 
 is in part shall be done away. 
 
 11 When I was a cldld, I spake as a 
 child, I felt as a child, I thougiit as a 
 child : now that I am become a man, 
 I have put away childish things. 
 
 verse 12, and this applies to ail th^se, not to the 
 last ikiioidedfje) on\y. — Al/orJ. Shall be done 
 away— The imperfect knowledge is as far sur- 
 passed by the perfect as a wa.v-light is by the 
 sunshine. — lltdiiiger. 
 
 11. "When I was a child— The apostle illus- 
 trates the permanency and greatness of charity, as 
 compared with other gifts, by showing that while 
 they belonged to the infancy of the Church, it is a 
 trait of its maturity ; while they are of the short 
 earthly period, it belongs to the heavenly ; they 
 are put away, it endures through eternity. 
 Those who were coveting the gift of tongues and 
 prophetic inspiration were like children; those 
 who sought the grace of love were like full- 
 grown men. I spake as a child — Just begin- 
 ning to articulate in a broken and most imper- 
 fect manner. The idea here is that our knowl- 
 edge at present, compared with the knowledge 
 of heaven, is like the broken and scarcely intel- 
 ligible efforts of a clnld to speak compared with 
 the power of utterance in manhood. — Barnes. 
 The child first speaks, then gives evidence of 
 observation, and then of reasoning. — Be^t. 
 "When I became a man, I put away— Th« 
 Eev. Ver. is much more accurate : I^'oiv that I 
 am lecome a man, I have put away childish 
 things. Not as if it were done on a set day, as 
 implied in the Authorized Version. Childish 
 things — Laid aside as useless the toys and 
 school-books which once I prized and used.— 
 Beet. How childish, then, for men to seek as the 
 objects of living the frivolous aims which must 
 soon be laid aside forever ! 
 
 Just before his death. Sir Isaac Newton made 
 this remark : " I do not know what I may appear 
 to the world, but to myself I seem to have been 
 only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and 
 divertinsr myself by now and then flndiug a 
 smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary. 
 
1 COE. 13. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 12 For "now we see through a glass, 
 "darkly; but then ''face to face: now 
 I know in part ; but then shall I know 
 even as also I am known. 
 
 13 And now abideth faith, hope, 
 charity, these three ; but ^ the greatest of 
 these is charity. 
 
 while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered 
 before me."— Brewster's JjiS& of Newton. 
 
 12. Now— In o^xr present condition, until the 
 Lord's coming. — Alford. See through, a glass 
 [Eev. Ver., In a mwror.]— Mirrors were known 
 in the earliest times. Exod. 38. 8 ; Wisdom 7. 
 26 ; Sirach 12. 2. They were usually circular 
 plates of metal, with a handle. See cut on 
 page 28. Their impei-fect reflection suggested 
 this metaphor. The Gospel is a min-or (2 Cor. 
 3. 18) showing us, as in a camera obseura, 
 but imperfectly, the tilings of eternity. — Beet. 
 Darkly — Literally, in enigma. We can no 
 more clearly understand the realities of eter- 
 nity than childhood can understand the ex- 
 periences of manhood. No words, however 
 plain, can make him realize them as they 
 really are. And so to us heaven and eternity 
 are problems and mysteries, illustrated only 
 by analogies which after all are enigmas. — Whe- 
 don. Then face to face— The veil that hides 
 from us the all-glorious Father of spirits shall 
 one day be withdrawn. The spiritual eye shall 
 be quickened to look into the heart and life of 
 the universe. The intercepting medium of 
 sense shall be swept away, and the soul of the 
 redeemed laid bare to the ineffable brightness 
 and beauty of God streaming full-orbed around 
 it. — Caird. Now I know in part — Those who 
 now know most and, moved by the Spirit, pro- 
 claim most fully the things of God, know and 
 speak only a fragment of what will in that day 
 be known universally. Consequently, their 
 gifls, so valuable now, will then be of no worth. 
 — Beet8. As also I am known — In this life we 
 are known hy God, rather than know him. See 
 Gal. 4. 9; chap. S. 3, woVq.— Alford. 
 
 13. And now abideth faith, hope, char- 
 ity — How can faith and hope be said to endure 
 to eternity, when faith will be lost in sight, and 
 hope in fruition ? With liope there is but little 
 difficulty ; but one place has inscribed over its 
 portals, '■'■Leave hope behind all ye that inter 
 here.^' New glories, new treasures of knowl- 
 edge and of love, vdll ever raise and nourish 
 
 134 
 
 Bevlsed Version. 
 
 12 For now we see in a mirror, dark- 
 ly; but then face to face: now I 
 know in part ; but then shall I * know 
 even as also I have been 'known. 
 
 13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, 
 these three; ''and the 'greatest of 
 these is love. 
 
 I a riddle. 4Gr. know fully. 5Gv. hwwn fully. 
 
 6 Or, but greater than t/ieae. 1 Gr. greater. 
 
 blessed hopes of yet more and higher, hopea 
 which no disappointment will blight. But how 
 canfaith abide — faith which is the evidence of 
 thmgs, not seen — where all things once believed 
 are seen ? In the form of holy confidence and 
 trtist, faith will abide even there. The stay of 
 all conscious created being, human or angelic^ 
 is dependence on God, and where the faith 
 which comes by hearing is out of the quesdon, 
 the faith which consists in, trusting will be the 
 only faith possible. Thus hope will remain, as 
 anticipation certain to be fulfilled. Faith will 
 remain, as trust, entire and undoubting, the 
 anchor of the soul, even where no tempest comes. 
 — Alford. Hope— That even amid the highest 
 good looks for a still higher. We cannot re- 
 member any other passage in the Bible that in- 
 dicates the existence of progress for the soul in 
 heaA-en than this word in this place. — Wfudou. 
 But [Eev. Ver., And.] — But, rather, "and," 
 as there is not so strong opposition betweeu 
 charity and the other two, faith and hope which 
 like it also " abide."—/). Brown. The great- 
 est .. . is charity— The greater because it 
 contains in itself the root of the other two ; we 
 believe only one whom we love, we hope only 
 that which we love.— X'c Wetie. Love is not 
 only an eternal grace, but the highest among the- 
 eternal. Faith is indeed the condition to our 
 Christian life, but love is its completion. Faith 
 but unlocks the door by which we enter into 
 the blessedness of its superior love. Other 
 graces contribute to heaven ; love constitute* 
 heaven, for a heart of love in a world of love is 
 heaven. — Wlttdon. The argument of verses 8-13 
 involves the important truth that the continuity 
 of human character is not broken either by 
 death or judgment, any more than it is now 
 broken by change of circumstances. For we 
 are told explicity that when human knowledge 
 fades in the light of eternity even then love 
 will abide. — Beet 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See commentaries, and other works named 
 
 with Lesson III, and the following : Homilet- 
 
May 4, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 1 Cor. 13. 1-13. 
 
 ical Monthly, iii, 393, .')94. Sunday Maguzine, 
 (1870,) 5(5, ion, 221, 370. Wt-sley'.s Works, 
 vol. V. Preacher's Lantern, i, 725. Stems and 
 Twiisrs, i, 42. Sunday Ma^'uzine, (1871.) 469. 
 Guthrie's Speaking to the Heart, (four sermons.) 
 Biblical Studies, 328. Jonatlian Edwards, (a 
 ■eries of discourses.) Sermons, by D. L. Moody, 
 on Love and Sympathy ; A. P. Peabody, (in 
 Christian Consolation,) on Life of the Aflections ; 
 il. Blair, (two -sermons;) C. G. Finney, on 
 Selfishness Not True Religion : K. W. Hamil- 
 ton, Recognitions in Heaven ; W. Arnot, (in 
 Hoots and Fruits,) Faith, Hope, and Love. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Hlustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical quotations,] 
 Ter. 1 : 610S, 6110, 10194; 2: 10195, 10567; 3: 
 10433, 117«2 ; 4 : *2073 ; 5 : 586, 587, 4477, 5552, 
 8786, 9580, 11S81 ; 7 : 10466 ; 8 : *1467, 2726 ; 10 : 
 •1436, *1729, *1768, 3495; 11: 9271; 12: 349, 
 •1122, •1435, 1727, 1929, 2917, 3609, 9433, 9479 ; 
 18: 1657, 3676, 8578. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the traits of christian love.] 
 
 1. Love is the essential element which un- 
 derlies all others as the basis of the Christian 
 oharaetcr. Vers. 1, 2. 
 
 2. Love is the all-important element which 
 make* the Christian acceptable before God. Vers. 
 1,8. 
 
 8. Love fulfills the law by its patient en- 
 durance of evils for Christ's sake. Ver. 4. 
 
 4. Love places self in the background and 
 Christ before all. Ver. 4. 
 
 5. Love seeks not the evil in others but the 
 good, and finds it even in the worst of men. 
 Ver. 5. 
 
 6. Love is trustful, and hopes the best of all. 
 Ver. 7. 
 
 7. Love endures in the Ciiurch, while the 
 supernatural gills have passed away. Ver. 8. 
 
 8. Love enters heaven, while human knowl- 
 edge is only of the earth. Vers. 10-13. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BT REV. FRA.VK RUSSELL. 
 
 iNTRODrCTio.v.— This unique chapter is the grand 
 conclusion of all preceding. Hebrews Included, 
 Paul wrote one hundred chapters, and some appel- 
 lation of Christ appears in every one excepting this. 
 But in this Christ seems described in singular par- 
 allels. "All knowledge and all mysteries." "In 
 him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowl- 
 edge." " Bestow all my goods to feed the poor." 
 " He was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor." 
 
 " Is not easily provoked." " When he was reviled 
 he reviled not again." Dean Stanley calls this a 
 calm between chapters of storms. 
 
 I. Ttie theme. 
 
 Not charity, but love. So Tyndale's, Cranmer's, 
 the Genevan, and the Revised Version. The Greek 
 I word appears one hundred and fourteen times. 
 I Ninety-six times it is rendered love, including 
 ; each time used by the Saviour and by John. The 
 ! primitive meaning of its verl)-root Is " welcome," 
 ' or " hospitality." It was not in classic Greek. This 
 ! love was not known until it was bom with Christ. 
 Neither does our word love fully express It. All 
 Jove, paternal, flllal, fraternal, etc., is love, all 
 differentiations, as leaf, bud, twig, branch ; but 
 this love Is the tree, the roots, and the trunk. It Is 
 the fountain from which comes every sparkling 
 drop of pure love ; the ocean, that calls all waters 
 Its own ; the blazing sun of Are that turns to Are all 
 that touches it. 
 
 II. Contraatcd. 
 
 1. Oratory, powerful among the Greeks, especial- 
 ly so at Corinth. But even tongues of angels wer« 
 mere clatter without this love. 
 
 2. Prophecies, with mysteries and knowledge 
 great, also in cultured Corinth, yet nothing. 
 
 3. Faith, even as Matt. 21. 21, is failure. 
 
 4. Charity, doling out one's goods to the poor till 
 all are gone, is yet nothing. 
 
 5. The climax of martyrdom by burning would 
 count nothing. Note — the perfection of morality Is 
 a failure. The very terms of these contrasts show 
 good works will not secure salvation, (iod has 
 said, and man must know, that it is mercy and not 
 sacrifice. 
 
 III. Its perfection described. 
 
 1. Unselfish, envieth not, vaunteth not Itself, 19 
 not puffed up, seeketh not her own. 
 
 2. Of graceful purity, doth not behave itself vut- 
 seemly. 
 
 3. Loyalty to tnith disdains any unrighteousness, 
 but rejoiceth in the truth. 
 
 4. Has capacity for suffering, suffereth long, and 
 is kind, is not easily provoked, beareth all things, 
 endureth all things. 
 
 5. Is confiding, thinketh no evil, is ever vrithoul 
 suspicion, at least hopeth all things. 
 
 6. Is permanent. (1) Earthly things fail ; prophe- 
 cies, tongues, knowledge, things partial, childish 
 things, dim -seeing. (2) Heavenly things abide. 
 Face to face is our recognition of truths, of friendj ; 
 love never fails, it is God. 
 
 nniclwsion. — Old tradition says that Joseph, 
 when garnering the grain of Egypt, scattered husks 
 and chaff at fountains, on streams, and before 
 winds, that the famine-stricken every-where might 
 know that grain awaited them. We attain here 
 only the hint of pure, exhaustless grain. Abimdance 
 awaits all, and in perfection. All may begin and 
 pnisp and hold this heavenly, god-like love. Faith 
 enlightens, hope buoys, but love Is the goal and 
 abldeth greatest over all. 
 
 135 
 
1 Cor. 15. 50-58. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Second Quartkr, 
 
 A. D. 57.] 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 YiCTOBT OVER Death. — I Oor. 15. 50-58. 
 
 [May 11. 
 
 in victory.— 1 COR. 15. 54. 
 
 GOLDEi\ TEXT.-Death is swallowed 
 
 Time.— A. D. 57. See on Lesson III. 
 
 Connecting Links.— See on Lesson III, topic No. 9. 
 
 Introduction.— This section concerning tbe resurrection is Introduced by a question uncovering an 
 objection to the teaching in the previous section of the chapter that the dead will rise, an objection based 
 on the supposed impossibility of the process of resurrection. The objection was, perhaps, prompted by 
 the crude teaching of some Jews that the resurrection body will be exactly the same as that laid in the 
 grave. This objection Paul rebukes by pointing to God's works in nature, to the difference between tlie 
 seed sown and the plant which perpetuates its life, and between the endless variety of living bodies on 
 earth and the objects which shine and move above us in the sky. He declares that there is a similar dif- 
 ference between our present and future bodies, a difference of which he gives four powerful parallel 
 descriptions. He thus shows that against his teaching the objection of verse 35 has no force. The story 
 of Genesis tells us that the human body, even as at first created, and according to a constant divine orden 
 is imperfect. But through our relation to Christ we shall receive bodies like his. In other words, a 
 change is absolutely necessary before we can attain the goal of our being. And it will come. Though 
 all will not die, every one will pass through the needful change from mortality to immortality.— Beet. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 50 Now this I say, bretliren, tliat 
 "flesh and blood cannot inherit the 
 kingdom of God; neither doth corrup- 
 tion inherit incorruptiou. 
 
 51 Behold, I show you a mystery ; 
 
 Matt. IB. 17; John 3.3,5. 
 
 50. Now this I say — He thus calls atten- 
 tion to something to be observed, and liable to 
 be overlooked. Not only is the change of body 
 possible, and according to natural and spiritual 
 analogies, but it is necessanj. — Alford. Flesh, 
 and blood — Denotes such bodies as we have 
 here : bodies that are fragile, weak, liable to dis- 
 ease, subject to pain and death. They are com- 
 posed of changing particles, to be repaired and 
 strengthened daily ; they are subject to decay, 
 and are wasted away by sickness, and of course 
 they cannot be fitted to a world where tliere 
 shall be no decay and no death. — Barnes. Can- 
 not inherit— The present tense sets forth the 
 absolute impossibility wi the nature of things. — 
 Alford. They are not capable of enjoying the 
 divine vision, nor of performing the exalted serv- 
 ices, nor of relishing the pure pleasures, which 
 constitute tlie glory and felicity of the kingdom 
 of GoA.—Mackniijht. The kingdom of God — 
 This is that happy place wliich Clirist luitli gone 
 to prepare for the reception of his people. John 
 14. 2. In that place bodies composed of flesli 
 and blood cannot live, becau.se it atfords no 
 objects suited either to the senses or to the ap- 
 petites of a fleshly body. — Macknight. Cor- 
 
 Heviaed Version. 
 
 50 Now tliis I say, brethren, that 
 flesh and blood cannot inherit the 
 kingdom of God; neither doth cor- 
 
 51 ruption inherit incorruption. Be- 
 hold, I tell you a mystery : We shall 
 
 ruption is the quality that arises from the in- 
 stability of the material particles, by which dis- 
 placement, decay, and disintegration take place. 
 Such a body as this cannot inherit incorruj)- 
 tion, which implies a body suftering no decay 
 or dissolution ; a body of which every particle 
 retains its place, with perfect health and dura- 
 bility. Before the present corruptible can put 
 on this incorruption a change must take 
 place. 
 
 51. Behold— Lift up your eyes upon the glo- 
 rious picture I present. — Whedon. A mystery 
 — This is a peculiarly Pauline word, having its 
 own precise meaning in the epistles ; and that 
 not as we understand it, "something beyond 
 comprehension, or in itself deep or mygterious ;''^ 
 but that which has not been made known to 
 men until the revelation of Jesus Christ; a truth 
 kept back until the due time for its announce- 
 ment. Such a truth was this of the resurrection, 
 not clearly set forth until this epistle was writ- 
 ten. As Barnes says: " The word stands opposed 
 to that which is revealed., not to that which is in 
 itself plain. The doctrines to which the word 
 relates may be in themselves clear and simple, 
 but they are hidden in mystery until they are 
 
May 11, 18ft4. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 1 Cor. 15. 50-58. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 We'sljall not all slofj), 'but we shall 
 all be cliiinued. 
 
 53 111 a moment, in tlu; twinklinjr of 
 an eye, at tiie last trump: for * the 
 trumpet siiall sound, and the dead shall 
 be raised inconuptil)le, anil we siiall be 
 changed. 
 
 58 For this corrujitible must put on 
 incorruption, and 'this mortal inunt put 
 on immortality. 
 
 54 So when this corruptible shall have 
 put on incorruption, and this mortal 
 shall have put on immortality, then 
 
 reveiiluJ." "We shall not all— The enipliasis 
 is, botli times, on all: "-[All of us\ shall not 
 tleep, but {all of us] shall be cliaiujed ;'''' tlmt 
 id, "tlic .sleep of duutli cuiiiiot be piei.licated of 
 [all of us,j but the resurrection-change ca/i."— 
 Alford. All of us covei-s in both places the 
 whole nice; as su<rjrest(.'d by the general tenn 
 " tlcsli and blood."— i>Vtr Sleep— The sleep 
 of death. All be changed— On this change we 
 may note: (1) Tlmt it is a change that conies 
 vji'in, and is oJ\ the very body then being; the 
 very same matter and substance. (2) That a 
 change does not mean the bringing in any new 
 material. (3) That ver. 53 shows that it cou- 
 aists in the assuming of immortidity, with the 
 modifications included tlierein, upon that very 
 mortal body, and no other.— Whedon. It is no- 
 where asserted in the New Testament that we 
 shall rise again with our bodies. Unless a man 
 will say that the stalk, the blade, and the ear 
 of corn are actually the same thing with the 
 single grain which is put into the ground, he 
 cannot ^luote Paul as saying that we shall rise 
 again with tlio same bodies. — Burton. 
 
 52. In a moment — Literally, "In an atom,'''' 
 sell, of time; a point of time which cainiot be 
 cut or divided. — Barnes. At the last trtunp 
 — The word "last" does not mean that there 
 are to be several blasts of a trumpet on the final 
 liay, and that this was the last which should be 
 blown, but simply that it would be tin' trumpet 
 of the liist day, after which no more would be 
 heard. — Buckert. The trumpet shall sound 
 — As the law was given with the sound of a 
 trumpet, so the final judgment according to it. 
 Hub. Vi. 19.— A Iir<^n. Sie the Notes, Fii-st 
 Quarter, Lesson XI, Verse lii. Dead shall be 
 raised — I'aul lingere, in repetition, over the 
 coming change. The body doomed to decay 
 will clothe itself with absence of decay ; and 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 not all sleep, but we shall all be 
 
 52 changed, in a moment, in the twink- 
 ling of an eye, at the last trump: for 
 the trumpet shall sound, and the 
 dead shall be raised incorruptible, 
 
 53 and we shall be changed. For this 
 corruptible must put on incorrup- 
 tion, and this mortal must put on 
 
 54 immortality. But when 'this cor- 
 ruptible siiall have put on incorrup- 
 tion, and this mortal shall have put 
 
 the body doomed to death will clothe itself in 
 deathlessness. "We shall be changed — We, 
 (1 Thess. 4. 15,) the living, in contrast to tht 
 dead ones. It implies clearly that Paul did not 
 know that long ages would pass before Christ's 
 coming. But that he confidently e.\pectod to 
 survive the day of Christ we cannot fairly in- 
 fer. For, in rhetorical figure, he frequently iden- 
 tifies himself with that which he describes : so 
 chap. C. 15 ; 10. '22, 29 ; Rom. 3. 7 ; 7. 14, If. ; com- 
 pare James 3. 9. Probably, in this matter, hope 
 and tear alternated with his circumstances and 
 his frame of mind. — Beet. 
 
 53. This corruptible — It is human nature 
 in its e.ssential elements, that is, to inherit eter- 
 nity ; not an ethereal rudiment just saved from 
 the wreck of the former fabric, and just serving 
 to connect, as by a film of identity, the earthly 
 with the heavenly state. — Isaac Taylor. Put 
 on — Literally, shall clothe on; the Greek being 
 the word signifying to jJul on a garment. — Whe- 
 don. Immortality — Here only, besides 1 Tim. 
 6. 16, the word "immortality" is found. No- 
 where is the immortality of the soul distinct 
 from the body taught, a notion which many 
 erroneously have derived from heathen philos- 
 ophei-s. Scrijiture does not contemplate the 
 anomalous state brought about by death as the 
 consummation to be earnestly looked for, (2 Cor. 
 5. 4,) but the resurrection. — D. Brown. 
 
 Let us, therefore, look upon this flesh not so 
 muoti with contempt of what it was and is, as 
 with a joyful hope of what it shall l)e. And 
 when our courage Is assaulted with the change 
 of these bodies, from healthful to weak, from 
 living to dead, let us comfort ourselves with the 
 assurance of this change from dust to Incorrup- 
 tion.— iiis/iop Hall. 
 
 54. So when— At the coming of the Lord, 
 the resurrection of the dead, and the transfor- 
 
 137 
 
1 COE. 15. 50-58. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Second Quarter, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 shall be brought to pass the saying that 
 is written, Death is swallowed up in 
 victory. 
 
 65 O ' death, where is thy sting ? O 
 a grave, where is thy victory ? 
 
 56 The sting of death is sin; and the 
 * strength of sin is the law. 
 
 57 But * thanks be to God, which giv- 
 eth us '° the victory through our Lord 
 Je'sus Christ. 
 
 mation of the living saints. Brough.t to pass 
 — The apostle reads between the lines of the 
 jvrophetic announcement and sees a deeper mean- 
 ing than even the prophet saw to his own 
 w^ords. Death, is swallowed up— This is a 
 quotation, exact in sense, from Isa. 25. 8. "lie 
 has swallowed up death for ever." The word 
 victori/ was suggested to Paul by an Aramaic 
 word of that meaning similar to the Hebrew 
 word rendered " for ever." It also recalls verse 
 26. In this quotation lies an argument. For 
 Isaiah's words imply clearly a complete and 
 eternal undoing of the work of death ; and this 
 ean be only by resurrection of the dead. — Beet. 
 55. O death, where is thy sting [Rev. 
 Ver., thy victori/.] — These words were evident- 
 ly suggested by Ilosea 13. 14, which reads: 
 " From the hand of Hades I will rescue, and 
 from death I will redeem them. Where is thy 
 righteous claim, death ? where is thy sting, 
 Hades ? " This ancient prophecy foretells com- 
 plete deliverance from death. Thus, in what 
 Beems to be merely a shout of victory, Paul adds 
 another Scripture proof to the arguments of this 
 chapter. — £eet. Probably Paul did not intend 
 this as a direct quotation ; but he spoke as a man 
 naturally does who is familiar with the language 
 of the Scriptures, and used it to express the 
 sense which he intended without meaning to 
 make a direct and literal quotation. — Barnes. 
 Death — Eeferrmg here, undoubtedly, to death 
 in the proper sense ; death as prostrating the 
 living and consigning them to the grave. — 
 Barnes. "Where — As though looking round 
 for something which has disappeared. — Beet. 
 The "where" implies their past victorious de- 
 stroying power and sting, now gone for ever, 
 obtained through Satan's triumph over man in 
 Eden, which enlisted God's law on the side of 
 Satan and death against man. Rom. 5. 12, 17, 
 21.— D. Brown. Thy sting— A siinr/ as of a 
 scorpion, (Rev. 9. 10,) or a serpent, as in Gen. 3. 
 and Num. 21. O grave — The word translated 
 138 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 on immortality, then shall come to 
 pass the saying that is written, Death 
 
 55 is swallowed up ' in victory. O 
 death, where is tliy victory? O death, 
 
 56 w'here is thy sting? The sting of 
 deatli is sin ; and the power of sin is 
 
 57 the law : but thanks be to God, 
 which giveth us tlie victory through 
 
 58 our Lord Je'sus Christ. Wherefore, 
 
 ^Or, victuriouslt/. 
 
 the grave literally signifies the invisible world, or 
 the place where departed .spirits, both good and 
 bad, remain till the resurrection. The place 
 where the spirits of the righteous abide the 
 Jews called Paradise ; the place where the wick- 
 ed are shut up they called Tartarus., after the 
 Greeks. — Macknight. 
 
 56. The sting of death is sin— Sin is tht 
 sting of death in that but for sin even death (the 
 abstract power personified) could not have 
 pierced us. For death is the punishment of 
 sin. By committing sin we gave our enemy a 
 weapon with which he slew us. But death can- 
 not hurt those saved from sin. For to them 
 death is gain. To them, therefore, death is a 
 serpent which has lost its sting, retaining its 
 outward form, but powerless to injure. — Beet. 
 Strength [Rev. Ver., poiver'] of sin is the law 
 — Tlie Jews maintained that a man might be 
 justified and saved by obedience to the law. 
 Paul here shows that it is the law which gives 
 its chief vigor to sin, and that it does not tend 
 to subdue or destroy it, and that power is seen 
 most strikingly in the pangs and horrors of a 
 guilty conscience on the bed of death. — Barnes. 
 
 51. Thanks be to God— God alone is the 
 author of this victory. He formed the plan ; he 
 executed it in the gift of his Son ; and he gives 
 it to us persnnalhj when we come to die. — 
 Barnes. Giveth us the victory — The last 
 victory over death. But this implies all earher 
 victories. For, only tliose who conquer sin and 
 the world now will " attain to the resun-ection 
 from the dead." Phil. 3. U.—Beet. Through 
 ovir Lord Jesus Christ — There is one who haa 
 satisfied the law; has thence taken out tht 
 strength of .nn ; thence destroyed the sting of 
 death ; and so wrought the resurrection. This 
 exposition shows that the reference to the law 
 is logically in the straight line of Paul's argu- 
 ment. — Whedon. By his death, thus destroying 
 the power of deatli ; by his resurrection and tri- 
 umph over the grave ; and by his grace imparted 
 
Mat 11, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 1 Cor. 15. 50-58. 
 
 Authorised Vereion. 
 
 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, 
 "be ye steadfast, uiimovcal)le, always 
 abounding in the work of the Lord for- 
 asmuch as ye know that " your labour 
 is not in vain in the Lord. 
 
 to us to enable us t« sastain the puins of death, 
 and givinjj to us the hope of a glorious resurrec- 
 tion. — Barne». In versus 50, 57 we have un epit- 
 ome of the Gospel : sin, the law, death, the gift 
 of salvation from CJoJ through Clirist. — Bi^€t. 
 
 58. Therefore— A conclusion to the argu- 
 ment of the entire chapter. Paul's Hurtfore is 
 always importiuit, as the hinu'c upon wliich a 
 mighty door opens. My beloved brethren — 
 Paul's heart hovers in tuU alluction, in passing 
 from those fearful scenes, over his brethren, as if 
 he would provide for their safety. Be ye stead- 
 fiast, umnovable — UttaJja^t, uuinuvable, and 
 al'ouiuiiiu/, form a climax. Steadfast means posi- 
 tive, intrinsic firmness; t/;/worrti?<? implies re- 
 sistance to the mightiest outward pressures and 
 fiercest onsets; abounding means energetic action. 
 Some Christians appear to do nothing ; some to 
 do a little; otliers alxmnd in every good word 
 and work.— 117/ rtM/). "Work of the Lord- 
 Chap.16. 10, the work given us by Christ to do. 
 —Bed. The leorl- of the Lord '\^ tha Christian 
 life, with its active and passive duties and 
 graces, the briiiirini,' forth the fruits of the Spirit. 
 —Alford. Your labor— Suggests the weariness 
 frequently involved in the work for Christ. Not 
 in vain — It is not as if you were to die and 
 never live again. There will be a resurrection, 
 and you will be suitably recompensed then. 
 What you do for the honor of God will not only 
 be attended with an approving conscience, and 
 with happiness liere, but will be met with the 
 trlorious and eternal rewards of heaven. — Barnes. 
 In the Lord— For Christ is the element in 
 which we toil : and nothing done in him can be 
 without result. This verse reminds us how 
 often doubts about doctrine lessen the abun- 
 dance and the constancy of Gospel work. For 
 •uoh work appears useless to those wlio are not 
 firmly convinced of the truth of the Gospel. 
 All Christian activity flows from fully believed 
 Christian doctrine. — Bt^et. 
 
 Authorities to be Consvilted. 
 See list of works on Lesson TIT, and the fol- 
 lowing: Life in a Risen Saviour, by R. S. 
 Candlish. llomiletical Monthly, iii, 595. 
 Preacher's Lantern, i, 730, 179, 742. Sunday 
 Magazine, (1866,) 436, 819. Sermons, by W. 
 
 Revised Verelun. 
 
 my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, 
 unmoveable, always abounding in the 
 work of the Lord, fonisniuch as ye 
 know tiiat your labour is not ' vain in 
 the Lord. 
 
 Jay, on The Final Change ; J. Logan, Tho 
 Christian's Victory ; G. W. Bethunc, Vic- 
 tory Through Christ; C. Spurgeon, (Series 1,) 
 Thought.s on the Last Battle ; J. Drummoud, 
 Spiritual Labor; W. B. Reed, Steadfast and 
 Uumovable. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustra- 
 tions, [numbers marked by a star refer to th» 
 poetical volumes,] ver. 52: *2GC8, 5030, 5038, 
 7811, 12068; 53: *311i7 ; 54: 1272, *1932, 2926, 
 7127; 55: *9S4, 1354, 1754, 7200; 56: 5311, 
 11392 ; 57 : 1307, 1315, 1371 ; 58 :*951, *1977. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the believer's victory.] 
 
 1. The believer's victory is a future victory 
 to be consummated only when this corruptible 
 body shall have passed away. Ver. 50. 
 
 2. The believer's victory is the complete in- 
 heritance of the kingdom of God, reserved for 
 the followers of Christ. Ver. 50. 
 
 3. The believer's victory will be a change to 
 the living and a resurrection to the dead. Vers. 
 51, 52. 
 
 4. The believer's victory will be a triumph 
 with sound of trumpets and glorious accom- 
 paniments. Ver. 52. 
 
 5. The believer's victory will be eternal when 
 this mortal shall have put on an undying im- 
 mortality. Ver. 53. 
 
 G. The believer's victory shall cause death to 
 be forgotten and swept away in a glorious life. 
 Ver. 54. 
 
 7. The believer's victory is won only through 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. Ver. 57. 
 
 8. The believer's victory should be an en- 
 couragement to us in our struggle, by its as- 
 surance that our labor will not be in vain. 
 Ver. 58. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. A. n. TITTLE, M.A. 
 
 The instinct of the human heart personates 
 death as a dreaded foe. Nearly every literature 
 presents it as a pod. or goddess, or angel, or alarm- 
 ing presence, wrapped about in mystery, seeking 
 the destruction of men. 
 
 In Scripture death is represented as an enemy, 
 (1 Cor. 15. 2f.,> dreadful in his approach, (Rev. 6. 8,) 
 binding souls with fear. Heb. 2. 16. But it U the 
 
1 Cor. 15. 50-58. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Second Quartee. 
 
 |>eculiar glory of the Gospel that it reveals the fact 
 Df the conqueror conquered, 
 
 I. Death's victory. 
 
 II. Death's overthrow. 
 
 I. Death's victory is— 
 
 1. The apparent destruction of our life. Whatever 
 our hope of perpetual life may be, it is never sup- 
 ported by the fact of death. The story that the 
 torpse tells is corruption, dishonor, weakness, life 
 lost in the abyss of material nature. No grave ever 
 lurrenders its inhabitant. No voice answers our 
 appeal to those which have fallen asleep. 
 
 If, through our powerful love of life, we persist 
 In our belief that the soul escapes from the perish- 
 ing body into another state of existence, death makes 
 even that hope va^ue. What are we out of the 
 body but formless spirits ? The instinct of life de- 
 mands a being more real than an eternal ghost- 
 existence. 
 
 2. Another feature of the victory of death is, that 
 by bringing the soul to face the solemnities of the 
 Invisible realm, it rouses the sense of guilt. The 
 shudder of the soul from the possible loss of its be- 
 ing cannot compare with the indescribable horror 
 of meeting a God whose just law we have offended. 
 *'The sting." Ver. 56. Instance death scenes. 
 This dread may be suppressed but only tempo- 
 rarily. 
 
 II. Christ has turned Death's victory into de- 
 feat— 
 
 1. By his death, in which he -saves us from our 
 sins, (ver. 3,) and 
 
 2. By his resurrection, which establishes his 
 claim as a divine Saviour, and proves his omnipo- 
 tence in the realm of death. 
 
 First. (1) The horrible sense of guilt is removed 
 
 by Jesus' vicarious death. The challenge of the 
 law Is answered by the cross. The alarmed con- 
 science is quieted by an appeal to Christ's blood. 
 Rom. 1. 8, sq. Thus death's " sting " is removed. 
 (2) Immediately following faith in Christ's redeem- 
 ing work is a communication of his life to the be- 
 liever. And it is a witness to our Immortality. 
 The doctrine of the New Testament is that the work 
 of grace by which a soul is renewed is identical 
 with that very life by which God raised up Jesus 
 from the dead. Eph. 1. 19, 20. As sin is the very 
 root of death, so righteousnsss is life. As one as- 
 similates divine goodness, lives in conscious purity 
 of heart, energy of faith, union with the Holy 
 spirit, he is possessed of an inspired force that 
 makes him completely alive, so that he has an inner 
 assurance of deathlessness. This is the very power 
 of the resurrection. Phil. 3. 8-11. 
 
 Secondly. Christ is victorious over death by his 
 resurrection. (1) That he rose from the dead la 
 proven by many and competent witnesses. Vers. 
 4-11. (3) That the fact carries with it the fact of the 
 general resurrection. Vers. 12, 13. (3) It fits in 
 as an essential feature of the divine plan of redemp- 
 tion. Vers. 20-26. (4) Its mystery does not invali- 
 date the fact, for the most familiar processes of 
 nature are involved in equal mystery. Ver. 35. sq. 
 
 It is enough for us to know that He who is our 
 life entered the sepulcher, and in that august 
 conflict, of which God only knows the mystery, 
 "Death was swallowed up in victory." Becomes 
 from the realm of the dead and proclaims that his 
 life is ours. 
 
 Finally, oiu* duty growing out of this Christ- 
 wrought victory is steadfastness in his work. Ver. 
 58. What is done in him is eternal. 
 
 A. D. 57J LESSON Vn. CMay 18. 
 
 The Uproar at Ephesus. — Acts 19. 23-41 j 20. 1, 2. 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing.— PSA. 2. 1. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 57. For rulers, etc., see Lesson I. 
 
 Place.— Ephesus, in Asia Minor. 
 
 CONNECTING LINKS.— (With Lesson II.) (1) The disciples separated from the Jews. Acts 19. 9, 10. 
 (2) The sorcerers and their books. Acts. 19. 11-20. (3) Paul's plan of journeying. Acts 19. 21, 22. 
 
 Introduction.— There is a close resemblance between this tumult at Ephesus and the tumult at 
 Philippl. Both arose, not from the Jews, but from the Gentiles ; this peculiarity distinguishes them 
 from all the persecutions recorded in the Acts, to which the Christians were exposed ; all others were 
 persecutions instigated by the Jews. And both originated from sordid motives : in Philippl, the mas- 
 ters of the Pythonic slave feared that they would lose their gains ; in Ephesus, Demetrius and his crafts- 
 men feared that their craft would be brought to naught.— GZoagr. Tlte temple of Diana at Epliesus.— 
 Her temple at Ephesus, built in a marsh on layers of charcoal and hides stuffed with wool, as protection 
 against earthquakes, called by Pliny the wonder of the world, having been burned in the year 355 B. C. 
 In the night in which Alexander the Great was bom, was rebuilt with greater magniflcence. It is said 
 to have had one hundred and twenty-seven columns, sixty feet high, each the gift of a king ; and that 
 seven of these, made of jasper, were brought to Constantinople and applied to the support of the dome of 
 8t. Sophia.— Jacobsod. Central within the whole structure was a small roofed chapel or cella containing 
 140 
 
LESSON VII. 
 
 Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. 
 
 Mat 18, 1884. 
 
 the sacred image. The temple itself inclosing the chapel was au immense oblong four huii(ired and 
 twenty-live feet in length and two hundred and twenty feet in breadth. The whole was without roof, 
 being, in fact, rows of columns, colonnades, surmounted by a horizontal entablature. The whole was 
 simply au honorary open columnar structure Inclosing the cell that Inclosed the goddess.— D. D. 
 
 Q'f. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 23 And ' the same time there arose no 
 small stir about ''that way. 
 
 24 For a certain man named De-me'- 
 tri-us, a silversmith, which made siher 
 
 The Theatre at Ephesus. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 23 And about that time there arose 
 
 24 no small stir concerning the Way. 
 For a certain man named De-me'tri- 
 us, a silversmith, which made silver 
 
 23. About the same time— Only a general 
 iiidieatiou. The time of Paul's intended de- 
 parture is not marked with strict exactness. — 
 Jacobson. Concerning that way [Rev. Ver., 
 Concerning the Way.] — Tliat is, concerning the 
 religion of Jesus Christ which Paul inculcated, 
 that nietlioJ of woi-shipiug God and securing 
 Ml interest iu eternal hfo wliich he taught. See 
 
 chap. 9. 2. — Gloag. See note, Lesson II., 
 ver. 9. 
 
 24. Demetrius — If not proprietor of the en- 
 tire manufactory or sale of the shi-ines, this 
 person was at any rate qualified in brain and 
 tongue for leading a stirring movement. The 
 preaching of Paul, the growth of his Church, 
 the spreading skepticism chordlng with the 
 
Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. LESSON VII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 shrines for Di-au'a, brought no 'small 
 gain unto the craftsmen ; 
 
 25 Whom he called together with the 
 workmen of like occupation, and said, 
 Sirs, ye know that by this craft * we 
 have our wealth. 
 
 "Chap. 16. 16, 19. < Prov. 15. 27; 1 Tim. 6. 10; Rev. 18. 16. 
 
 advancing civilization of the age, was making 
 its impression. Of this the shrine market was 
 test, and was exhibiting unwelcome proofs. A 
 counter movement was imperatively neces- 
 sary. — D. D. Whedon. Silver shrines— These 
 silver shrines were small models of tlie temple 
 of Diana, containing an image of the goddess. 
 They were purchased by the pilgrims to the 
 temple, and on their return home were set up 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 shrines of *Di-an'a, brought no little 
 
 25 business unto the craftsmen; whom 
 he gathered together, with the work- 
 men of like occupation, and said, 
 Sirs, ye know that by this business 
 
 26 we have our wealth. And ye see 
 
 The Epheslan Diana. 
 
 as objects of domestic worship. The miniature 
 temples would doubtless find a great sale. The 
 temple of Diana was celebrated throughout the 
 world, and the goddess was the chief object of 
 the worship of proconsular Asia ; and thus trav- 
 elers and pilgrims to Ephesus would be anxious 
 to caiTy away with them memorials of their visit. 
 — 6(oag. For Diana [Kev. Ver., Of Diana ; 
 margin, Artemis.] — Diana was worshiped imder 
 a variety of characters, as the goddess of hunt- 
 ing, of traveling, of the night, of childbirth, 
 and under different names : in heaven she was 
 142 
 
 Luna, in the woods Diana, and in hell Hecate. 
 There Ls, however, a decided difference between 
 the Greek and the Ephesian Diana. The Greek 
 Diana is represented with a bow in her hand, 
 and dressed in a hunting habit, while the Ephe- 
 sian Diana is represented as a female with many 
 breasts, supposed to signify the fruitful attri- 
 butes of Nature. It has been supposed that 
 when the Athenians colonized Ephesus they 
 found the worship of some Asiatic goddess es- 
 tablished there, whose name they changed into 
 Diana, from some fancied points of resemblance 
 between her and their own goddess. — Gloag. 
 Brought no small gain [Eev. Ver., JVo little 
 business.] — The word rendered gain should 
 rather be rendered work or emploi/ment. — Z. 
 Abbott. 
 
 As we look to the more elaborate reproductions 
 of that type in marble, of which one may be seen 
 in the Vatican Museum, we seem to be gazing on 
 a Hindu idol rather than on a Greek statue. Its 
 ugliness was perhaps the secret of its power. 
 When art clothes Idolatry with beauty, man feels 
 at liberty to criticise the artist and his work, 
 and the feeling of reverence becomes gradually 
 weaker. The savage bows before his fetich 
 with a blinder homage than that which Pericles 
 gave to the Jupiter of Phidias.— PJumptre. 
 
 25. The workmen of like occupation — 
 
 The "craftsmen" of the previous verse repre- 
 sent the higher class of what we call skilled la- 
 bor. Here we have the unskilled laborers whom 
 they employed. The former were, in a sense, 
 artists ; these were artisans. Sirs — Literally, 
 men., the word used being different fi'om that in 
 chap. 16. SO. By this craft [Eev. Ver., btcsi- 
 ness] we have our wealth— The opening words 
 of Demetrius bring before us, with an almost 
 naive simplicity, the element of vested interests 
 which has at all times played so prominent a 
 part in the resistance to religious and political 
 reforms, and entered largely into the persecu- 
 tions against which the early preachers of the 
 Gospel had to contend. Every city had its tem- 
 ples and priests, its flamens, its oracles, or sanct- 
 uaries. Sacrifices and feasts created a market 
 for industry which would otherwise have been 
 wanting. — Fhimptre, 
 
May 18, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1,2. 
 
 Authorized VerBion. 
 
 26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not 
 alone at Epli'e-sus, but almost througli- 
 out all A'si-a, tliis Paul hatli persuadeti 
 and turned away much people, sayint; 
 that tliey ' l>c no gods which are made 
 with hands: 
 
 27 So that not only this our craft is in 
 danger to be set at nouglit; but also 
 that the temple of the great goddess 
 Di-an'a should be des|)ised, anil her 
 magnificence sliould l)e destroyed, whom 
 all Asi-a and tlie world worsliippeth. 
 
 28 Anil wlien they heard these snyinga^ 
 they were full of wrath, and cried out, 
 
 • 1 Cbron. 16. »«; Psa. 115.4; 
 
 -id ; 46. 7 ; Je 
 
 If you meddle with Diana of the Ephtsians 
 you must expect to lose the friendship of Deme- 
 trius. Gal. 4. m.-Jcr. Collier. 
 26. At Ephesus — (^n Ephesus, see notes, 
 Lessons 1, II. Throughout all Asia — In the 
 New Testament tiiis word is always HniiteJ to 
 ProcODBular Asia, the three provinces of Lydia, 
 Caria, and Mysia, with the western part of 
 Plirj'gia. This Paul — Contemptuously e.\- 
 pressed. Persuaded and turned away much 
 people — No one will be astonished ut this who 
 reads Fliuy's account of the utter neglect into 
 which heathen institutions had fallen half a cent- 
 ury after this time in the neighboring province 
 of Bithynia as a direct consequence of Christian 
 teaching, and that though the Christians were a 
 persecuted sect. Tliere, also, coinpluints come 
 from the priests, the purveyors of the sacrifices, 
 and other people pecuniarily interested. They 
 had the sagacity to see that their peril from 
 Christianity lay in its universality. — Farrar. 
 No gods which are made with hands— The 
 wrath of the mob-leader iiiakcs him virtually 
 commit himself to tlie opposite statement that 
 the idol i"« the God. Philosophers might speak 
 of symbolism and ideal representations, but this 
 was, and always has been, and will be, the con- 
 clusion of popular idolatry.—^. JI. Plumptre. 
 Plutarch says that the Greeks were " Neither 
 taught nor accustomed to call brazen, sculptured, 
 or stone fl^ures images or honors of the gods, but 
 gods them.s<'lves." The converted philosopher, 
 Amobius, assures us of himself, when a papan, 
 *' If ever I saw a lubricated stone being smeared 
 with olive oil, I addressed it with adulation, as if 
 a present power dwelt within it, and t)egged the 
 benefactions of the senseless block." After Chris- 
 tianity spread its influence, however, pagani.'WQ 
 Itself grew more reflectlTe and more careful of its 
 language.— ^Vhcdon. 
 
 Be vised Version. 
 
 and hear, that not alone at Epii'e-sus, 
 but almost throughout all A'si-a, 
 this Paul hath persuaded and turnea 
 away much people, saying that they 
 be no gods, which are made with 
 
 27 hands : and not only is there danger 
 that this our trade come into disre- 
 pute; but also that the (empleof the 
 great goddess 'Di-an'a be made of no 
 
 account, and that she should even 
 be deposed from her magnificence, 
 whom all A'si-a and 'the world wor- 
 
 28 shippeth. And when they heard this, 
 they were tilled with wratli, and 
 
 -»Gr. the inhaUted earth. 
 
 27. Our craft [Rev. Ver., Our trade] is in 
 danger — The English word conveys, perhapsi 
 too much the idea of art. Our business, or our 
 interests, would be a somewhat better equivalent. 
 The Greek word is not the same as that so 
 translated in verse 25. To be set at naught 
 [Rev. Ver., Cojne into disrepute.] — Literally, 
 should come to an exposure — that is, should be- 
 come a laughing-stock and a by-word. Panic is 
 sometimes clear-sighted in its provisions, and 
 the coppersmith of Ephesus 1>ocoiiies an uncon- 
 scious propliut of the future. — Plumptre. Tem- 
 ple of the great goddess — On the temple, see 
 Introduction to the lesson. Should be de- 
 spised—There was great danger, in due time 
 realized, that the great goddess would lose her 
 greatness. "Whom all Asia and the world — 
 Tlie temple had been built at the common ex- 
 pense of all the Greek cities in Asia, and pil- 
 grims repaired thither from all nations and 
 countries.—/^. Abbott. The craftsmen are re- 
 minded that the prevalence of the Gospel means 
 loss of employment, and starvation for them- 
 selves and their families; the zealous idolaters 
 are told that the temple of the great goddess 
 will be despised ; and the patriotic citizens are 
 warned that with the decadence of the temple, the 
 supremacy which Ephesus enjoyed among the 
 neighboring provinces will ceitaiuly disappear. 
 The prosperity of the city depended on the pop- 
 ularity of the Diana-worship. — Arnot. 
 
 28. Cried out, saying— nVr« crying out; 
 the imperfect tense indicates continuous action. 
 Probably at first a tumultuous procession 
 marched through the streets of the city swelling 
 their ranks by this war-cry, " Great is Diana 
 of the Ephesians." The mob having been suf- 
 ficiently aroused, Paul's traveling companions 
 were seized, and a rush was made for the thea- 
 
 14S 
 
Acts 19. 23-41: 20. 1,2. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 saying, " Great is Di-an'a of the E-phe' 
 si-ans. 
 
 29 And the whole city was filled with 
 confusion : and having ^ caught Ga'ius 
 
 ter, which, in the Greek cities, was used for pub- 
 lic gatherings as well as for sports. — L. Abbott. 
 
 Kevised Vei-sion. 
 
 cried out, saying, Great is * Di-an'a 
 
 39 of the E-phe'si-ans. And the city 
 
 was filled with confusion: and they 
 
 rushed with one accord into the 
 
 29. Having caught [Kev. Yer., seized] G-aius 
 — Gaius is the Greek form of the Latin Caius, one 
 
 Great is Diana — Here is an illustration, one 
 of many, of the utter falsity of the proverb, " The 
 voice of the people is the voice of God." In an 
 age of ignorance and sensuality the voice of the 
 people is far more likely to be the voice of Sa- 
 tan. Majorities do not make the right. 
 144 
 
 The Temple of Diana at Ephesns. 
 
 of the most common names among the Eomans. 
 This Gaius, otherwise unknown to us, is distin- 
 guished by his being a ^lacedoniau from three 
 persons of the same name mentioned in Scrip- 
 ture : first, from Gaius of Derbe, who at a later 
 period joined the apostle, (Acts 20. 4;) second- 
 
May 18, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 'and Ar-is-tar'cliu8, uieii of Mac-e-do'- 
 ni-a, Paul's companions in travel, they 
 rnshed with one accord into the thea- 
 tre. 
 
 30 And when Paul wonld have entered 
 in unto tlie people, the diseiijles suffered 
 him not. 
 
 31 And certain of the chief * of A'si-a, 
 which Averc his friends, sent unto him, 
 desirini; him that he would not adven- 
 ture himself into the theatre. 
 
 p. SU. 4 ; S7. -1 J 
 
 1 1 Piter 1. 1 ; 
 
 ly, from Guiu8 of Corinth, who was among those 
 few persons whom Paul baptized, (1 Cor. 1. 14,) 
 and with wlioin Paul lodged during his second 
 (third %'isit to ('orintli, (Rom. Iti. 23 ;) and, 
 thirdly, trom Guius of Ephesus, to whom, long 
 after this, Jolm wrote liis third epistle. 3 John 1. 
 — GloMj. And Aristarchus — lie seems to have 
 been Paul's faitliful attendant from this time 
 until his appearance before Nero. How much 
 earlier lie joined Paul we know not, as the men- 
 tions of liim are incidental. — Wkcdon. Pavil's 
 corapanions — Every-where Paul drew after 
 him, liy a peculiar magnetic attraction, men who 
 continued not only his friends, but his compan- 
 ions in journeying, suflering, and danger. Into 
 the theater — Ancient theaters were usually 
 semi-circular in form, and open to the air; the 
 seats were ranged around in tiere one above an- 
 other, and the performances took place on a stage 
 level with tlie lowest seats on the straight side of 
 the building. It resembled the modern hippo- 
 drome rather than the modern theater. — Z. Ab- 
 bott. The theater of Ephesus may still be traced. 
 It is the largest which has yet been discovered, 
 and is said to have been capable of containing 
 fifty-six thousand persons. It was built on the 
 flank of Mount Prion, with rows of seate rising 
 above one another; and was, according to the 
 custom of the ancients, open to the sky. " Of 
 the site of the theater," observes Sir C. Fellows, 
 "the scene of the tumult raised by Demetrius, 
 there can be no doubt, its ruins being a wreck of 
 immense grandeur. I think it must have been 
 larger than the one at Miletus, and that exceeds 
 any I have elsewhere seen in scale, although not 
 in ornament." Its form alone can now be spoken 
 of, for every seat is removed, and the proscenium 
 is a hill of ruins. — Gloa/j. 
 
 30. Paul woiild have entered in [Rev.Ver., 
 
 w<M mindtd to enter in.~\ — His zeal seems not 
 
 void of rashness, but it was the rashness of a 
 
 hero, ve.\ed to the soul to think that Gaius and 
 
 10 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 theatre, having seized Ga'ius and 
 Ar-is-tar'chus, men of Mac-e-do'ni-a, 
 
 30 Paul's companions in travel. And 
 wlien Paul was minded to enter in 
 unto the people, the disciples suf- 
 
 31 fered him not. And certain also of 
 the 'chief officers of A'si-a, being 
 his friends, sent unto him, and be- 
 souglit him not to adventure himself 
 
 33 into the theatre. Some therefore 
 
 Aristarchus, his two friends, were likely to suf- 
 fer in hLs absence. — J. Mihier. Unto the peo- 
 ple — After they were fairly in the theater, from 
 the business-like character of tlie place the mob 
 became an assembly, (verse 32,) though not a 
 very deliberative one, " for the most part knew 
 not wherefore they had come together." — D. I). 
 WIteJon. Disciples suffered him not — Paul 
 probably believed that on being admitted into 
 the theater he could so address the assembly as 
 to calm its fury. Such is the spontaneous confi- 
 dence of great personality endowed with a nat- 
 ural mastery over men. What would have been 
 his success is very doubtful, for the fears of 
 friends, both private and official, prevented the 
 experiment. — B. D. Whedon, 
 
 There Is, perhaps, no courage greater than that 
 which is required from one who, in imminent 
 danger of being torn to pieces, dares to face the 
 furious insults and raging passions of an exas- 
 perated crowd. But the powers and the spirit of 
 the apostle always rose to a great occasion, and 
 though he was so sensitive that he could not 
 write a severe letter without floods of tears, and 
 so nervous that he could scarcely endure to be 
 left for even a few days alone, he was quite ca- 
 pable of this act of supreme heroism.— Fa»7ar. 
 
 31. Certain of the chief of Asia— Better, 
 Anarchs. The title was an official one, applied 
 to the presidents of the games, who were select- 
 ed from the chief cities of the province. The 
 office was an annual one. They were ten in 
 number, and the proconsul nominated one of 
 them as president. — Plumptre. The cititen who 
 had once been Asiarch permanently retained 
 the honorary title, so that these noble friends 
 of Paul may have been only men of Asiarch 
 dignity. It is altogether probable, officials -of 
 Artemis as they were, that, like the more ele- 
 vated minds of the age, they secretly disbe- 
 lieved the divinity of the goddess ; and, if they 
 were not Christians, coincided more with Paul's 
 145 
 
Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 32 Some therefore cried one thing. 
 and some another: for the assembly 
 was confused ; and the more part knew 
 not wherefore they were come together. 
 
 33 And they drew Al-ex-an'der out of 
 the multitude, tlie Jews putting him 
 forward. And " Al-ex-au'der beckoned 
 with the hand, and would have made his 
 defence unto the people. 
 
 34 But when they knew that he was a 
 Jew, all with one voice about the space 
 of two hours cried out, Great is Di-an'a 
 of the E-phe'si-ans. 
 
 35 And when the town -clerk had 
 
 ' Chap. 12. 17 J 1 Tim. 1. 20 ; 2 Tim. 4. 14. 
 
 monotheism than with the superstition of the 
 populace. — Whedon. wnach were his friends 
 — There is something significant in the fact that 
 the Asiarchs were Paul's friends. The mauU- 
 ness, tact, and courtesy which tempered his zeal 
 and boldness seem always to have gained for 
 him the respect of men in authority : Sergius 
 Paulus, (chap. 13. 7;) Gallic, (chap. 18. 14-17;) 
 Festus and Agrippa, (chaps. 25. 9-; 26. 28, 32 ;) 
 the centurion Julius. Chap. 27. 3, 43.— £". M. 
 Flunvptre. 
 
 32. Cried one thing . . . another— This is 
 a description of a tumultuous meeting taken 
 from life : assembled, they knew not for what 
 purpose ; driven about by every gust of passion ; 
 drawn together by noise and excitement; and 
 giving vent to their feelings by senseless out- 
 cries. — Gloag. The assembly— It is not with- 
 out interest to note that the Greek word for 
 assembly is the ecclesia, with which we are so 
 familiar as applied to the Church of Christ. — 
 Plwmptre. "Was confused — The embarrass- 
 ment of the leaders against Paul was now com- 
 plete. Could their mob have caught him in the 
 street they could have easily murdered him. 
 Had he entered the theater he might have been 
 summarily dispatched. But as the crowd, un- 
 consciously moving into the theater, has assumed 
 something of a deliberative form, then coolly to 
 propose and debate any measure to make away 
 ■with him would have brought the Eoman gov- 
 ernment to say something about it. Nothing 
 takes place now but incoherent and contradic- 
 tory exclamations. — Whedon. 
 
 33. They drew [Eev. Ver., brmgW] Alex- 
 ander . . . the Jews putting him forward- 
 Fearful lest the mob, which is always unreason- 
 able, should direct its fury against them, the 
 Jews put forward one of their number to defend 
 
 146 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 cried one thing, and some another: 
 for the assembly was in confusion; 
 and the more part knew not where- 
 
 33 fore tliey were come together. "And 
 tliey brought Al-ex-an'der out of the 
 multitude, the Jews putting him 
 forward. And Al-ex-an'der beck- 
 oned with the hand, and would have 
 made a defence unto the people. 
 
 34 But when they perceived that he 
 was a Jew, all with one voice about 
 the space of two hours cried out, 
 Great is 'Di-an'a of the E-jihe'si- 
 
 35 ans. And when the townclerk had 
 
 itructed Alexander.- 
 
 them, probably to explain that they were not to 
 be confounded with the Christians. It is not- 
 unprobable that this Alexander is the copper- 
 smith mentioned by Paul in 2 Tim. 4. 14, and 
 was one of the " workmen of like occupation" 
 of verse 25, and hence likely to have consider- 
 able influence with his guild. — L. Abbott. Beck- 
 oned with the hand — Endeavoring to obtain 
 attention, as no voice would be heard in the con- 
 fusion. As we read how Paul " beckoning with 
 the hand " on a similar occasion (Acts 21. 40) 
 stilled the people to silence, we cannot help 
 thinking that perhaps Paul's desire to speak at 
 this time was founded upon a consciousness of 
 power; and that perhaps, had he spoken, he 
 might have gained the favorable attention of the 
 assembly ; and we should have received the rec- 
 ord of an address like that at Athens. Would 
 have made his defense — In behalf of himself 
 and his people as against the Christians. 
 
 34. They knew [Eev. Ver., They perceived] 
 that he was a Jew. — The Jews were recognized 
 enemies of image worship, and the mob was in 
 no mood to hear from them. — L. Abbott. The 
 translation in the Rev. Ver. incidentally shows 
 that in tliat age, as in the present, the Jews car- 
 ried in their countenances the lineaments of their 
 race. About the space of two hours — This 
 continuous outcry was probably, in some sort, 
 an act of homage to Diana. — W. Jacobson. 
 
 35. The town-clerk — The town-clerk was 
 the person who had the care of the archives of 
 the city, and whose duty it was to draw up the 
 official decrees, and to read them in the assem- 
 blies of the people. Next to the commander, he 
 was the person of greatest importance in the 
 Greek free cities. His name frequently occurs 
 on coins and inscriptions. The town-clerk here, 
 like the Asiarchs, seems to have been friendly 
 
May 18, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1,2. 
 
 Authorized VerBlon. 
 
 appeased tliu iieoplc. he said, Ye men of 
 Eph'e-sus, what man is tliere that know- 
 etli not hosv that the city of the E-phc'- 
 si-aus is "a worsliipper of the great 
 goddess Di-an'a, and of the im((ge which 
 lell down from Ju'pi-ter? 
 
 86 Seeing tlien that tliese things can- 
 not be spoken against, ye ought to be 
 quiet, and do nothing rasldy. 
 
 37 For ye liave brought hither these 
 men, which are neither robbers of 
 churches, nor yet bhisphemers of your 
 goddess. 
 
 38 Wherefore if De-me'tri-us, and the 
 
 1 the temple keepel 
 
 to Paul.— Gloag. Appeased the people— This 
 miigistrato was accustomed, by right of office, to 
 read all public documents in the assemblies ol" 
 the people. Yielding to habit, the assembly 
 settled down into quietude when this great offi- 
 cer presented himself. — Arnot. He said — The 
 speech ia a pattern of candid argument and ju- 
 dicious tiict. lie first allays the fanatical pas- 
 sions of his listeners by a simple appeal. Then 
 he bids them remember that Paul and his com- 
 panions liad not been guilty of profaning the 
 temple or of calunmious expressions against the 
 goddess. Then he points out that the remedy 
 for any injustice was amply provided by the 
 assizes, or by an appeal to the proconsul. And, 
 finally, he reminds them tliat such an uproar 
 exposed them to tlie displeasure of the lioman 
 government. — Conybtare and Howson. "Wor- 
 shipper [Rev. Ver., Temple-keeper.^ — Literally, 
 temple-sweeper, expressing a servile office. But 
 so great a goddess was Artemis that it was a 
 proud prerogative for Ephesus, among the cities 
 of Asia, to be her humble servitor, and wear 
 the title as a badge of honor. — D. I). Whedon. 
 Image which, fell dowm from Jupiter— Lit- 
 erally, tile Joie-fallen. Pliny says that there 
 was a wooden image of Artemis at Ephesus 
 which had outlasted seven rebuildings of the 
 temple. The pretense of having fallen from 
 heaven was made in favor of other idols of an- 
 tiquity, as the Palladium of Troy, the ancile at 
 Kome, and the image of Cybelo at Pessinus. 
 The notion may have arisen from the descent of 
 meteoric stones; but in fact this image of Arte- 
 mis seems to liave been of wood. It bore more 
 resemblance to the rude images of Hinduism 
 than to Greek statuary, and was probably a 
 remnant of an old eastern idolatry found by the 
 Greeks when they colonized Ionia.— Whedon. 
 
 Kevisod Version. 
 
 quieted the multitude, he saith, Ye 
 men of Epli'e-sus, wliat man is there 
 wlio knoweth not liow that the city 
 of the E-plie'si-ans is temple-keeper 
 of tlie great 'Di-an'a, and of the 
 im((ge \\\\ich fell down froiu*Ju'pi- 
 
 36 ter '( Seeing then tliat these tilings 
 cannot be gainsaid, ye ought to be 
 
 37 quiet, and to do nothing rash. For 
 ye have brouglit hither these men, 
 wliich are neither robbers of temples 
 nor blaspliemers of our goddess. 
 
 38 If therefore De-me'tri-us, and the 
 
 »Or, he. 
 
 36. These things cannot be spoken 
 against [Rev. Ver., gainsaid.]— Iha language 
 of the town clerk has the ring of an official ac- 
 ceptance of the established cuUus, rather than 
 of any strong personal devotion. Such language 
 has otten been heard from the defenders of in- 
 stitutions which were almost on the verge of 
 ruin. — PLumptre. The real difficulty was that 
 they were not indisputable, and a secret senti- 
 ment of doubt ani^ered the people against the 
 men who impugned their religion, and conse- 
 quently endangered the fame and traffic of their 
 city. Assurance of faith always produces calm- 
 ness, and religious frenzy is generally a sign 
 of unconscioas skepticism. — L. Abbott. Do 
 nothing rashly [Rev. Ver., JVothing rash.] 
 
 37. These men — Gains and Aristarchus. 
 Neither robbers of churches [Rev. Ver., 
 temples.] — Not guilty of sacrilege, they have 
 made no attempt to plunder the temple or altar 
 of Diana. Tlie early preachers of Christianity 
 avoided every thing the least approaching to 
 violence; the only weapon which they employed 
 was persuasion. Nor yet blasphemers of 
 your [Rev. Ver., our] goddess— We may well 
 believe that Paul exercised the utmost prudence 
 and moderation in preaching to the heathen; 
 he did not needlessly hurt their prejudices by 
 invective and offensive language; he reasoned 
 with the people, but did not revile their gods ; 
 he did not so much attiick error, as establish 
 truth. In his speech to the Athenians wo have 
 probably only an instance of the remarkable 
 prudence which pervaded his discourses.— (?^oa^. 
 Clirysostom, however, treats this assertion of 
 the town-clerk merely as a device to appease the 
 people; "This," he says, "was a lie, and waa 
 said only for the populace." 
 
 38. If Demetrius— Thus skillfully throwing 
 
 147 
 
Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 craftsmen which are witii him, have a 
 matter against any man, the ' law is 
 open, and there are deputies: let them 
 implead one another. 
 
 39 But if ye enquire any thing con- 
 cerning other matters, it shall be deter- 
 mined in a "^ lawful assembly. 
 
 40 For we are in danger to be called 
 in question for this d;iy's uproar, there 
 being no cause whereby we may give an 
 account of this concourse. 
 
 41 And "when he had thus spoken, 
 he tlismissed the assembly. 
 
 1 And after the uproar was ceased, 
 Paul called unto him the disciples, and 
 
 the entire responsibility for the tumult and its 
 results upon those who had agitated it. Have 
 a matter— Any formal complaint to ofl'er. The 
 law is open [Rev. Ver., The courts are open.] 
 — Literally, tfte court, or forum days are going 
 on. The words may either indicate that the 
 proconsul was then actually sitting to hold trials 
 in the agora or forum, or may be taken as a 
 colloquial idiom for " there are court days coia- 
 'm^.''''—Plum2}tre. There are deputies [Rev. 
 Ver., Proconsuls.]— Th& deputies here are either 
 the proconsuls, or possibly the judges selected 
 by him for the trial of causes, and the lan- 
 guage implies that such a conventus was now 
 actually in session at Ephesus. — Z. Abbott. 
 Let them implead [Rev. Ver., accuse] one 
 another — Demetrius and his followers were 
 to lodge a formal statement of the charge they 
 brought against the accused. They in their 
 turn were to put in a rejoinder, and so joining 
 issue, each side would produce its witnesses. — 
 Plumptre. 
 
 39, 40. A lawful assembly [Rev. Ver., The 
 regular assemUy.]—\\\ Greek cities an assembly 
 of the people was held at regular intervals for 
 the transaction of business. "We are in dan- 
 ger — The Roman government watched every 
 appearance of insubordination or sedition in 
 the provinces with a jealous eye. ... It was a 
 capital ofiense to take any part in a riotous pro- 
 ceeding. — Hackett. An account of this con- 
 course — There was a risk of which Demetrius 
 and his party had to be reminded, that they 
 might find themselves defendants, and not 
 plaintiffs, in a suit. A riotous "concourse," 
 (the town-clerk uses the most contemptuous 
 word he can find, " this mob meeting,^^) taking 
 the law into its own hands, was not an offense 
 148 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 craftsmen that are with him, have a 
 matter against any man, " the courts 
 are open, and there are proconsuls: 
 
 39 Let them accuse one another. But 
 if ye seek any thing about other 
 matters, it shall be settled in the 
 
 40 regular assembly. For indeed we 
 are in danger to be " accused con- 
 cerning this day's riot, there being 
 no cause for it: and as touching it 
 we shall not be able to give account 
 
 41 of this concourse. And when he had 
 thus sjjoken, he dismissed the assem- 
 bly. 
 
 20 And after the uproar was ceased. 
 
 OQr, cuui-t days are kept.— 
 
 ■ing Mi 
 
 which the proconsuls were likely to pass over 
 hghtly. It would hardly be thought a legiti- 
 mate excuse that they had got hold of two 
 Jews, and wanted to "lynch'' them.— Plump- 
 
 tre. 
 
 Most people stand in awe of men's judgment 
 more than of the judgment of God. How well 
 were it if we would thus still the tumult of our 
 disorderl.y appetites and passions, and check the 
 violence of them, with the consideration of the 
 account we must shortly give to the Judge of 
 heaven and earth for all these disorders.— JJ. 
 Henry. 
 
 41. Thus spoken— Having shown that the 
 popular excitement was discreditable, (vers. 35, 
 36 ;) unjustifiable, (ver. 37 ;) unnecessary, (vers. 
 38, 39 ;) and dangerous. Ver. 40.— TF. Jacobson. 
 Dismissed the assembly — There was every 
 motive now to a quiet adjournment of the as- 
 sembly, for their passionate ardor had passed 
 away with the same suddenness of its arising; 
 they saw the injustice of their rage, and recog- 
 nized the authors of it, and their own fears be- 
 gan to arise. No one now desired to appear 
 prominent in a riot which might result in hia 
 own imprisonment and death. 
 
 1. After the uproar— Paul waited until the 
 disturbance was at an end, both that he might 
 not seem to be a fugitive and also that he might 
 assure himself of the safety of the Church. — L. 
 Abbott. The riot was so far from being the 
 cause of his departure, that it probably delayed 
 it. Called . . . the disciples — Gathered the 
 Church founded and built by his care during 
 three years. The character of the epistle which 
 he afterward wrote to it shows that this Church 
 was composed of more intelligent members than 
 many of the early Christian societies. Em- 
 
May 18, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 embraced them, ''and departed for to go 
 into Mac-c-do'ni-a. 
 
 2 And wlien lie had gone over those 
 parts, and had given tliem much exhor- 
 tation, lie came into Greece. 
 
 braced them [Uev. Ver., Took leave of tTiem.] 
 — Prolmljly a forinul liiruwcll service, full of 
 the tenderness wliioli was an ulenient of power 
 in the apostle. Departed for . . . Macedonia 
 — On the north-west of the ^Ej.'ean Sen. We 
 learn from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians 
 that he went to Macedonia by the way of Alex- 
 andria Troas, (2 Cor. 2. 12, 13,) sailinf;^ in all 
 probability from Epliesus to Troas. In Troas 
 he remained for .some time preaching tlie Gos- 
 pel ; " a door was opened unto him of the Lord.'* 
 But he did not continue lonu; there ; he had ex- 
 pected the arrival of Titus with tidings from the 
 Church of Corinth, but being disappointed in 
 this, and unable to endure longer suspense, he 
 letl Troas and crossed over to Macedonia, where 
 he met with Titus. 2 Cor. 7. 5, 6.— Gloag. 
 
 2. Gone over those parts — He would again 
 visit those cities of Macedonia where lie had 
 foundedChurches 
 —viz., Philippi, 
 Thessalonica,and 
 Berea. Six years 
 had elapsed since 
 Paul had first 
 visited Macedo- 
 nia, and heen 
 beaten with ruds in the market-place of Philippi. 
 At this time Paul preached the Gospel in the 
 neighborhood of Illyricum. In the Epistle to the 
 Romans, written a few months later, he says : 
 •'From Jerusalem, and round about unto Il- 
 lyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of 
 Christ." Rom. 15. 19. By Illyricum is meant 
 the district of country along the shores of the 
 Adriatic to the west of Macedonia. — Gloag. This 
 verse covers nine or ten months, from the early 
 summer of A. D. 57 to the spring of 58. — IIoio- 
 soii. Came into Greece — Greece here denotes 
 the Roman province of Achaia, comprehending 
 Greece proper and the Peloponnesus, the capi- 
 tal of which was Corinth. Acts I'J. 21. — Gloag. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 SchatTs Apostolic Church, p. 276. Farrar, 
 chup. x.xxi. Couybeare aud Uowson, chap. xvi. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 Paid having sent for the disciples 
 and exhorted tliem, took leave of 
 them, and departed for to go into 
 Mac-e do'ni-a. And when he had 
 gone tiirongh those parts, and had 
 given tiiem much exhortation, he came 
 into Greece. 
 
 Stems and Twigs, ii, 46. Freeman's Manners 
 and Customs, 846, 850. Chahnei-s' Sermons, 
 vol i. Sermons, by H. W. Beecher, (Series 3,) 
 on Paul and Demetrius; T. DeW. Talmage, 
 (Series 4,) on Christ at the Ballot -Box. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, ver. 25 : 
 12307; 26: 9736; 27: 412S, 4236, 7896; 28: 
 8400; 31: 5676; 35: 8632; 36:1431, 1432, 
 7949 ; 38 : 10178. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [persecution.] 
 
 1. Persecution often ha.s its beginning from 
 men who have interests opposed to the Gospel. 
 Ver. 24. 
 
 2. Pei-secution has generally as its motive the 
 selfishness of the human heart, with which the 
 Gospel interferes. Vers. 25, 27. 
 
 3. Persecution is generally inaugurated when 
 some great error is attached, and the truth can- 
 not be overcome in open discussion. Ver. 27. 
 
 4. Persecution is often invoked in the name of 
 some popular movement, having a popular utter- 
 ance as its rallying cry. Ver. 28. 
 
 5. Pei-secution is generally heedless, and vents 
 its anger upon its victims even when innocent. 
 Ver. 29. 
 
 6. Persecution is generally ignorant, and often 
 knows not even the causes and objects of its 
 wrath. Ver. 32. 
 
 7. Persecution would cease if calm and just 
 minds direct the popular thoughts into right 
 channels. Vers. 35-40. 
 
 8. Persecution caimot stop the progress of the 
 Gospel. Vers. 1, 2. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 Our lesson presents to us the young Church at 
 Ephesus under perscution. 
 
 1. We sec that pei-xecution i.t e.rciterl by a grmr- 
 i"(7. aggrcsitive Church. While the Church Is dead 
 there is no opposition from the world. Only a livlntj 
 Church will arouse opposition. When Israel Is fol- 
 lowing Baal the Philistines are quiet ; but when 
 the altars of idols are forsaken the world rises in 
 enmity. So, to-day, It Is sometimes a sign of pros- 
 perity when the rumsellers, the small politicians, 
 and the evil-doers are angry with the Church. 
 149 
 
Acts 19. 23-41; 20. 1, 2. 
 
 LESSON YII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 2. We see that pergecntion has geueraJIy a selfish 
 motive as its inspiring cause. "Our craft is in 
 danger I " said Demetrius. So the opposition to the 
 temperance reform comes from those who have 
 moneyed interests in the rum traffic ; the publishers 
 of vicious literature are enraged by the efforts of 
 societies for the suppression of vice, etc. 
 
 3. We see that persecution often uses a popular 
 cry as its watchu-ord. "Great is Diana of the 
 Ephesians " was the war-cry then. Start a current 
 of popular feeling and, baseless as it may seem or 
 be, the result may be great, sometimes destructive. 
 The anti-Catholic riots in England, of two centuries 
 ago, the anti-Je^vish riots In Europe, of to-day, are 
 instances of this principle. 
 
 4. We sec that persecution is generally ignorant 
 and unthinking. " The more part knew not where- 
 
 fore they were come together." "Kill them all," 
 shouted a cardinal, during the persecution of the 
 Albigenses; "the Lord will know his own." 
 
 5. We see that persecution should be met by 
 courage. Notice Paul's conduct : against the ad- 
 vice of his friends he was ready and eager to ad- 
 venture himself in the theater. When we remem- 
 ber how his words quelled a worse mob in the 
 temple, and won their attention, we are not sure 
 but that Paul's plan was, after all, the best. 
 
 6. We sec that persecution may sometimes be 
 \ turned aside by tact. "The town-clerk of Ephe- 
 ; sus " showed rare wisdom. If rulers often followed 
 
 his motto much bloodshed might be spared. Had 
 I Napoleon III. taken thought before his quick and 
 
 careless decision to make war on Germany, his son 
 I might now be sitting on the throne of France. 
 
 A. D. 57.] 
 
 LESSON vin. 
 
 Liberal Givixg. — 2 Cor. 9. 1-15. 
 
 [May 25. 
 
 GOLDE\ TEXT.— God loveth a cheerful giver.— 2 COR. 9. 7. 
 
 Time.— The summer of A. D. 57. 
 
 CoxNECTiXG LiXKS.— While Paul was In Macedonia, after leaving Ephesus, he received word from 
 Corinth leading him to write the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. 
 
 iNTRODrcTiox.— The First Epistle had been received with due respect by the most of the Church at 
 Corinth, but there were found some who denied Paul's apostolic authority. He therefore wrote this Sec- 
 
 COttDTCH 
 
 ITS PORTS. 
 
 fngusJ^ VUcs 
 
 ond Epistle to the Corinthians, which sets forth his work in the Gospel, and gives certain directions con- 
 cerning the contribution for the Chiu-ch at Jerusalem. Tlie Second Epistle to the Corinthians.— It the- 
 First Epistle to the Corinthians is the most varied and comprehensive of Paul's letters, the Second is the 
 most personal and Impassioned. It is not systematic, argumentative, or expository, though full of matter 
 and of force. Its distinctive merit is that, while every-where exalting Christ, it shows us the man Panl 
 of Tarsus, the follower of Christ, as he actually was in labors, anxieties, suspense, and suffering, how- 
 ISO 
 
May 25, 1884. 
 
 LESSON vm. 
 
 2 Cor. 9. 1-15. 
 
 eensitlve and emotional, how tender and generous, and yet against false ti-achers how stem and resolute? 
 It is not at all a treatise or essay constructed on a plan, but a warm outpouring of the apostle's heart. 
 The letter was written in Macedonia, and very likely in the city of Phllippl.— D. Frai<er. Tlic conMbu. 
 twn.— For some reason the Church at Jenisulem was exceptionally poor. Years ago, (Acts 11. 28,) when 
 a general famine had been foretold, the Christians at Antioch, perhaps at Paul's suggestion, thought of, 
 and resolved to relieve, the foreseen distress at Jerusalem. And at a later date ((Jal. 2. 10) Peter urged 
 the same matter on Paul's attention. At the time this epistle was written the same poverty was press- 
 ing, and for some time (l Cor. 16. 1) had been pressing upon the mother Church of Christendom. And 
 Paul resolved to fulUll his promise (Gal. 2. 10) made long ago to Peter. That Paul gave directions (1 Cor. 
 16. 1) for the collection in Galatia, Macedonia, and Greece, makes It very probable that he did the same 
 at Ephesus, where he was living when he gave these directions, and where he labored so long and so 
 successfully. We may, therefore, infer that he started a united effort throughout the Gentile Churches to 
 relieve the distress at Jerusalem. It was probably the first general effort by men of one nation for the 
 help (if anoilier.— Caf. There is another view of his contribution and its cause. There is no reason for 
 supposing that the Christians at Jerusalem were poorer than elsewhere, but it was the custom for the 
 Jews of the Dispersion, in the Gentile world, to send financial aid to those in Palestine, partly because 
 there was greater wealth among the Jews abroad, partly to show the spirit of Jewish brotherhood, partly 
 because the Jews in Judea expected it, considering themselves as the purer and truer Jews. It was a 
 sort of "Peter's pence " from the Judaism abroad to that at liome. The Christian Churches in Judea 
 were almost entirely composed of Jews who shared largely in the clannish spirit of their people, and 
 considered the Gentile Christians as having scarcely any rights in the Church. The disciples (not the 
 Twelve Apostles) looked with disfavor on the growing Gentile membership, and Paul thought that their 
 regard might be won and their feelings soothed by receiving a general offering of good-will from their 
 Gentile brethren in Christ. Perhaps, too, by their profession of faith in Jesus that had lost the sympa- 
 thy of their fellow Jews, and their share in the gifts from the Dispersion. But the contribution was 
 more than any thing else a peace-offering to unite the two elements of Ctiristiauity. It was after bear- 
 ing these gifts that Paul was seized in Jerusalem, and there is no mention of any sympathy in his case 
 from the Churches in Judea. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 For as toucliini,^ ' the ministering to 
 the saints, it is siiijcrfluous for me to 
 ■write to you : 
 
 2 For I know ^ the forwardness of 
 your mind, ' for which I boast of you 
 
 1. For— The connection with the last verse 
 is thus : " I beseech you to receive tlie brethren 
 ■wliom I send courteously ; for, concerning the 
 duty of miiiistratioii to the saintu, it is surely 
 superfluous for nie to write to you who are so 
 prompt already." No new subject begins, to 
 some have supposed, nor is there any break in 
 the sense at all. — Alford. The persons sent 
 ■were Titus, and probably Luke, the unnamed 
 brother " whose praise is in all the Churches." 
 Some tliink that Era-'^tus was also included. 
 The ministering to the saints— There is a 
 ilouble reference here to the reception of the 
 brothers already named, and their ministering to 
 their needs ; and also to the general contribution 
 which Paul had initiated for the benefit of the 
 Church in Jenisalem, concerning which see the 
 Introduction. Superfluous, etc., (comp. 1 Thess. 
 4. 9j reveals the apostle's usual courtesy and 
 tact. — Bi^et. Tlie apostle chooses such general 
 terms as a mild rej>roof to the Corinthians, who, 
 
 Revised 'Version. 
 
 9 For as touching the ministering to 
 the saints, it is superfluous for me to 
 
 3 write to you: for I know your readi- 
 ness, of which I glory on your behalf 
 to them of Mac-e-do'ni-a, that A-cha'i-a 
 
 well aware as they were of the duty of minister- 
 ing lo the saints, -were yet somewhat remiss in 
 this particular example of tlie duty. — Alfcrrd. 
 
 2. For I know— Probably Paul here means 
 tliat he had had opportimity before of witness- 
 ing their readmess to do good, and that he had 
 learned in particular of Titus that they h'ad 
 formed the plan to aid in this contribution. — 
 Barnes. The forwardness of your mind 
 [Eev. Ver., Your readiness.] — Paul's continued 
 boasting about the Corinthians implies that in 
 the previous year, when the matter of the collec- 
 tion was first brought before them, they took it 
 up eagerly, and were prepared to contribute at 
 once, and actually began (chap. 8. 10) to contrib- 
 ute. Even the liberality of the Macedonians, for 
 which Paul is so thankful to God, was in great 
 part a result of tlie example thus nobly set by 
 tlie Corintliians. — Beet. For which I boast 
 [Rev. Ver., I glon/.] — I am in. the habit of load- 
 ing concerning you to Macedonians. Bengel re- 
 
2 CoE. 9. 1-15. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 to them of Mac-e-do'ni-a, * that A-cha'i-a 
 was ready a year ago; and your zeal 
 hath provoked very many. 
 
 3 Yet ^ have I sent the brethren, lest 
 our boasting of you should be in vain 
 in this behalf ; that, as I said, ye may be 
 ready. 
 
 4 Lest haply if they of Mac-e-do'ni-a 
 come with me, and find you unprepared, 
 we (tliat we say not, ye) should be 
 ashamed in this same confident boast- 
 ing. 
 
 5 Therefore I thought it necessary 
 
 'Chap. 8. 1 
 
 marks on the present tense that Paul was there- 
 fore still in Macedonia. Macedonia — The 
 province north of Achaia or Greece, having for 
 its principal cities Pliilippi and Thessalonica. 
 Achaia — The Grecian province of which Cor- 
 inth was the capital, soniethnes including all 
 Soutliern Greece. "Was ready a year ago [Rev. 
 Ver., HatJi been fvepared for a year past.] — Ilath 
 been read//, namely, to send of the money ; and 
 that, consequently, nothing remained but for 
 authorized persons to come and collect it. The 
 apostle, judging by their readiness, had made 
 this boast concerning them, supposing it was 
 really ^o.—Alford. Your zeal— The zeal which 
 proceeds from you, which has its source in you, 
 and whose influence goes forth from you. — 
 Alford. Hath provoked very many [Rev. 
 Ver., Hath stirred up very manij of them.] — The 
 apostle arouses each by the example of the other. 
 Poor Macedonia was worthy in her heart of be- 
 nevolence, (chap. 8. 1-4,) and richer Achaia 
 ■was inspiring her with her early leadership. — 
 Whedon. 
 
 3. The brethren — The three brethren, Titus, 
 Luke, and Erastus. Grotius quotes from Mai- 
 monides the statement that the Jews were ac- 
 customed to place three commissioners over any 
 movement of contribution. — Whedon. Our 
 boasting . . . should be in vain [Rev. Ver. , 
 Our qloryiiKj . . . be made void.] — He had judged 
 from their early enthusiasm tliat the Corinth- 
 ians would be ready, and, in the warmth of his 
 o\\n regard for them, liad so declared to the 
 Macedonian di'jciples. But it was the opinion 
 of Paul as a man, and not the inspired utterance 
 of an apostle. And now that disorders and 
 divisions hajj arisen at Corinth, he was afraid lest 
 his hopes would be disappointed by the failure 
 of tlie Church to verify its promises of a year 
 bethre. In this behalf [Rev. Ver., In this 
 respect.] — This implies that Paul's exultation 
 152 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 hath been prepared for a year past; 
 and ' your zeal hath stirred up * very 
 
 3 many of them. But I have sent the 
 brethren, that our glorying on your 
 behalf may not be made void in this 
 respect; that, even as I said, ye may 
 
 4 be prepared: lest by any means, if 
 there come with me any of Mac-e- 
 do'ni-a, and find you unprepared, we 
 (that we say not, ye) should be put to 
 
 5 shame in this confidence. I thought 
 
 lOr, emulation of i/nu 
 
 about them embraced other points. He feared 
 lest in this detail his boast might prove to be 
 misplaced. — Jjeet. Ye may be ready — He 
 sent the brethren, whose very presence among 
 them would reprove their neglect and spur them 
 to diligence. Thus there is in this, as Estius 
 says, " a sharp exhortation of the apostle com- 
 bined with tacit praise." 
 
 4. If they of Macedonia come with me 
 — Paul had sent the brethren in advance of his 
 own coming. But he is himself on his way 
 southward from Macedonia to Corinth, and with 
 him will come certain members of the Church 
 in that province, either as his companions in 
 travel, or, more likely, as the bearers of their 
 Clmrch's contribution. It wouUl never answer to 
 meet them with their own tiifts uncollected. "We, 
 that we say not ye — Paul speaks of his own 
 shame, that he may avoid speaking of the greater 
 shame which, if found, unprepared, would fall 
 upon them. — Beet. In this one cannot but rec- 
 ognize a most i-efined and delicate turn, infe- 
 rior to none of the best classical w^riters. — Bloom- 
 Jleld. Should be ashamed— Paul would be 
 brought to shame after all liis " boastings " in 
 the liberality of his beloved Corinthians, 
 brought to shame in the very presence of the 
 Philippians whom he had incited by pointing 
 to their example. And he will not say how 
 ashamed they would feel to find their honor 
 turned to contempt in the other Churches. 
 
 Appeal to the highest motives ; appeal whether 
 they be there or no, foi you make them where 
 you do not And them. Arnold at Rugby trusted 
 his boys, avowing that he believed w-hat they 
 affirmed, and all attempt at deceiving him ceased 
 forthwith.— F. W. Enhcrtson. 
 
 5. I thought it necessary — In view of the 
 possible backwardness of the Corinthian con- 
 tribution, a backwardness which Paul only hints 
 at as a possibility, not as a fact, and to which 
 
May 25, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 2 Cor. 9, 1-15. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 to exhort tlie l)ietliren, tluit tliey would 
 go before niito you, and make up before- 
 hand "your bounty, * whereof ye had 
 noticed before, tluit the same might be 
 ready, as n matter of bounty, and uot as 
 of covetousncss. 
 
 6 Hut^tliis I sity, lie which soweth 
 sparingly shall n-ap also sparingly ; and 
 he which soweth bouutifully shall reap 
 also bountifully, 
 
 7 Every man according as he pur- 
 ])oseth in his heart, so let him give; 'not 
 grudgingly, or of necessity: for *God 
 lovetli a cheerful giver. 
 
 a BleMlni;. Gen. 3.3. II. 6 Or, which hath beep so much spoken 
 
 of before. -e Prov. 11. !4 ; 19. U ; SJ. S ; G.al. 6. 7, 9. ' Ueut. 
 
 15. -,. •Exod. iS. »; 35. 5; Rom. li. Sj chap. S. li. 
 
 lie refers in an iipologetio tone. To exhort [Kev. 
 Ver., intrtiit] the brethren— Words indicat- 
 ing an earnest request. He had urged, nay 
 intreate'l, these three brethren who were to go 
 in adviince of his own party to hurry forward 
 the contribution, and thus spare his own feel- 
 ings when he should arrive. Your bounty 
 [Kev. Ver., Your afore promised bounty.] — Im- 
 plying that his glorying on their behalf was 
 founded upon their promise to him during his 
 vL-^it. Your bounty — Bincjicence, literally, 
 bUsnin/j : not used only for a blessing in words, 
 but of one expressed by a present, as Gen. 33. 
 11 ; Judg. 1. 15. This sense of blessing, com- 
 bined with the primitive sense, aflords the apos- 
 tle an opportunity for bringing out the true 
 spirit in which Christian gifts .should be given. 
 Al/iird. As a matter of bounty — As the fruit 
 of Missing, poured out from a beneficent mind, 
 not of a sparing, covetous spirit wliich gives no 
 nil .re than it need. And not as of covetousness 
 [Rev. Ver., of extortion.]— And. not like a sort 
 of extortion, wrung from you by mere dint of 
 imp'rtuiiity. — DodJriJffe. 
 
 6. And this — Directs attention to a new 
 and important point, viz., tliat acts of kindness 
 to f lod's iieople are seeds sown into the ground 
 ■wliioli, by the outworking of the laws of life, 
 produce similar and multiplied results. So 
 <Jal. t). 7 ; 1 Cor. 9. 11 ; James 3. 18 ; Prov. 
 22. J*. — Jj'ftt. Soweth sparingly— By giving 
 little in proportion to his ability. There may ! 
 he a small gift which yet is bountiful, for the 
 nieiLsure of liberality is not in the amount given, 
 but in that remaining after the gift. Reap also 
 sparingly-^Since gifts are .seeds, he that holds 
 hiinsLlf back from giving thereby holds hiinsclf 
 back from the harvest. — Meet. Soweth bovin- 
 
 ReviBud Version. 
 
 it necessary therefore to intrcat the 
 brethren, that they would go before 
 unto you, and make up beforehand 
 your afoiepromised = bounty, that the 
 same might be ready, as u matter of 
 bounty, and not of * e.vtortion. 
 
 6 But this I sat/, He that soweth spar- 
 ingly shall reap also si)aringly; and 
 he that soweth * bountifully shall reap 
 
 7 also ' bountifully. Let each man do 
 according as he iiatli purposed in his 
 heart ; not ' grudgingly, orof necessity : 
 
 8 for God loveth a cheerful giver. And 
 
 <ilfi bUssingi. 
 
 tifully — Literally, "soweth with blessings," 
 [as in the margin of the Rev. Ver.] Tliis re- 
 fers to the spirit of the giver, wOio must be 
 "a cheerful giver," not giving murmuringly, 
 but with blessings, with a beneficent, char- 
 itable spirit, such a one shall reap aLso 
 with blessings, abundant and unspeakable. — 
 Alford. Reap also bountifully — Giving 
 blessings, he shall receive blessings, in the 
 gifts of God ; in the consciousness of aiding 
 the cause of Christ ; in the hope of an everlast- 
 ing reward. 
 
 7. As he purposeth in his heart — What- 
 ever be the amount, it must be an outflow of 
 each one's own previous I'esolve. The choice 
 must be in his heart, the inmost center of the 
 man, where, standing alone, he chooses liispwn 
 action. — Beet. Christian charity is a calm, wise 
 thing, nay, sometimes it will appear to a super- 
 ficial observer a very hard thing, for it has 
 courage to refuse. A Christian man will not 
 give to every thing ; he will not give because it 
 is the fashion ; he will not give because an ap- 
 peal is very impassioned, or because it touches 
 liis sensibilities. He trives as he '■'■ pu)-posdh in 
 his heart." — F. W. liohertson . So letliim give 
 [Rev. Ver., do.\ Not grudgingly — Literal- 
 ly, not from gi'ief, as if half crying over the loss 
 of the money given. — Whedon. Necessity — 
 From the wrindng out of some urgent pleader, 
 or under compulsion of some unavoidable obliga- 
 tion. God loveth a cheerful giver — Because 
 the only service which God accepts is that of the 
 heart, free and unconstrained. The gift by com- 
 pulsion is not that of the will of the giver, and 
 God receives only that which is the giver's own. 
 Other gifts may benefit the receiver, this only 
 blesses the bestower. 
 
 158 
 
7 Cor. 9. 1-15. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 8 And ' God is able to make all grace 
 abound toward you; that ye, always 
 having all sufficiency in all things^ may 
 abound to every good work : 
 
 9 (As it is written, '° He hath dis- 
 persed abroad ; he hath given to the 
 poor: his righteousness remaineth for 
 ever. 
 
 10 Now he that " ministereth seed 
 to the sower, both minister bread for 
 your food, unci multiply your seed sown, 
 and increase the fruits of ■''your right- 
 eousness ;) 
 
 11 Being enriched in every thing to 
 
 iProv. 28. 27; Phi! 
 
 8. God is able — To him who dreads that 
 giving will impoverish liim, Paul speaks a word 
 of faith in God. — [f/iedon. God is able to 
 pour out upon you abundantly in undeserved 
 favor every good thing in order that thus in 
 every point, and at all times, having every need 
 supplied, and being conscious of this, you may 
 have a surplus for every kind of beneficence. — 
 £e£t. All grace— Even in outward good things 
 —to which here the reference is ; not including, 
 however, the wider meaning of all grace. — 
 Alford. Suflaciency — So as not to need the 
 help of others, having yourselves from God 
 " bread for your food." — D. Brown. Do not 
 suppose that by giving liberally you will 
 be impoverished and reduced to want. You 
 ehould rather confide in God, who is able to 
 furnish you abundantly with what is needful 
 for the supply of your necessities. — Barnes. 
 May abound — They who know that God will 
 supply all their need, and they only, are inde- 
 pendent of the uncertainties of life. They can, 
 therefore, afford to give away money to others. 
 —Beet. 
 
 9. As it is written — Quotation, word for 
 word, of Psa. 112. 9, according with, and thus 
 supporting, the foregoing exposition of God's 
 purpose. — Beet. Dispersed — As seed sown 
 with full and open hand, without anxious thought 
 in what direction each grain may fall. It is im- 
 plied, also, that he has always what he may dis- 
 perse. Th.e poor — The Greek word is here 
 found in New Testament meaning " one in 
 straitened circumstances who earns his bread 
 by labor." The word usually employed else- 
 where means " one so poor as to live by beg- 
 ging." — D. Brown. His righteousness — In 
 what sense is righteoxisness used ? Clearly in the 
 only one warranted by the context — that of 
 
 154 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 God is able to make all grace abound 
 unto you ; that ye, liaving always all 
 sufficiency in everything, may abound 
 
 9 unto every good work : as it is writ- 
 ten. 
 
 He hath scattered abroad, he hath 
 
 given to the poor; 
 His righteousness Hl)ideth for ever. 
 
 10 And he that supplieth seed to the 
 sower and bread for food, shall sup- 
 ply and multiply your seed for sow- 
 ing, and increase the fruits of your 
 
 11 righteousness: ve bein^: enriched in 
 
 " goodne&s proved by beneficence " — a righteous 
 deed which shall not be forgotten — as a sign of 
 righteousness in character and conduct. — Alford. 
 But even this righteousness is by faith, for it is 
 an outworking of faith and of the Holy Spirit 
 given to believers. — Beet. 
 
 10. Now he that ministereth— An impli- 
 cation that as its primary .source their gifts came 
 from God, who supplied them with the means of 
 making the offering ; so that after all it was 
 God's gift to his own cause. Minister bread 
 — The Eev. Ver., by inserting the word shall, 
 changes this from a prayer of Paul in behalf of 
 the Corinthians to a direct promise. — Eev. Ver., 
 He that supplieth seed . . . shall supply and 
 multiply your seed for sowing. Bread for your 
 food — The supply of your own necessities. 
 God will supply the needs of those who give to 
 the needs of his own. Multiply your seed — 
 Tliat is, the money for you to bestow, answering 
 to the word '■'■seed to be soivn.^^ — Alford. The 
 fruits of your righteousness — The heavenly 
 rewards for your Christian charity. Matt. 10. 42- 
 Eighteousness shall be itself the reward, even as 
 it is the thing rewarded.— i?. Brown. It sug- 
 gests that in giving their money they were only 
 doing what is right, (comp. Eom. 15. 27,) and 
 were doing what God will reward. — Beet. 
 
 11. Being enriched — The design of the apos- 
 tle is to state to them the true reason why 
 wealth was bestowed. It was not for the pur- 
 poses of luxury and self-gratification, not to be 
 spent in sensual enjoyment, not for parade and 
 display ; it was that it might be distributed to 
 others in such a way as to cause thanksgiving to 
 God. — Barnes. Unto all liberality— That is, 
 in order that you may show all liberality. — Al- 
 ford. The word in the original means " single- 
 ness or sincerity." Causeth [Eev. Ver., work' 
 
May 25, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 2 Cor. 9. 1-15. 
 
 Authorised Version. 
 
 all 'hountifulness. "which canscth 
 through us tliankyj,dvin<,' to God. 
 
 12 For the lulministration of tliis 
 eervice not only supplieth the want of 
 the saints, liut is al)unuant also by many 
 thanksffiviiin's unto God ; 
 
 13 Whiles l)y the experiment of this 
 ministration they '* glorify God for your 
 professed suitjeetion unto the gospel of 
 Christ, and for your liberal distribution 
 "unto them, ami unto all men; 
 
 14 And by their prayer for you, 
 
 r timplicity, 
 
 eth] through us — Namely, Paul and his col- 
 leajfues who suggested and carried out this 
 contribution. Paul added these words remem- 
 bering that of the praise evoked by the collec- 
 tion he was an instrument. — Beet. Briiujs about 
 by our means (as the distributors of it) thanks- 
 giving (from those who will receive it) to God. — 
 Alford. He calls their attention to the gratitude 
 to God which will follow the reception of their 
 git\s as a motive to their liberal giving. Their 
 generosity at Corinth will cause praises to sound 
 forth in Jerusuk-iii. 
 
 12. The administration [Kev. Ver., minis- 
 trattun] of this service — The word translated 
 service is a peculiar one ; that from which the 
 word liturgy is derived. According to Alford, 
 " the proper sense of the word used is, serving 
 the public by furnishing the means of outtit lor 
 some necessary purpose." In the New Testa- 
 ment it always refers to the services of religion, 
 and it.s use here, says Doddridge, intimates that 
 this was to be reirarded not merely as an act of 
 humanity, but religion. In other words, giving 
 in apart of worship. Not only— Literally, Not 
 only is filling ?m the deficiencies of the saints, 
 but is causing to abound thanksgiving, through 
 many, to God. — Whedon. Supplieth the 
 wants of the saints — The apostle here brings 
 forward another motive for their cheerful contri- 
 butions in the material and moral benefits which 
 the saints at .lerusalem would derive from it. — 
 yeander. Is abundant — Will abound toward 
 God in producing thanksgivings ; a repetition 
 for emphasis of the thought at the close of the 
 previous verse. 
 
 13. By the experiment of this ministra- 
 tion [Rev. Ver., Through the proving of you by 
 this ministration. '\ By means ui' the proof xXiat 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 everything unto all "liberality, which 
 worketh tlirough us thanksgiving to 
 13 God. For tiie ministration of this 
 service not only lilleth up the meas- 
 ure of the wants of the saints, but 
 abound eth also through many thanks- 
 
 13 givings unto God ; seeing that 
 through the proving of you by this 
 ministration they glorify God for 
 the ol)edience of your confession 
 unto the gospel of Ciirist. and for 
 the "liberality of your contribution 
 
 14 unto them antl unto uU ; while they 
 themselves also, with sui)plicatiou on 
 
 8Gr. tingUnta. •Gr. ainffU: 
 
 your Christian profession is genuine, proof af- 
 forded by this ministration, the Christians in Ju- 
 dea are glorifying God. In then- eyes God was 
 magnified through the proved sincerity of the 
 Gentile Christians.— 7;<'t/. They glorify God 
 for yotir professed subjection [Kev. Ver., 
 for the obedience of your confession.] — Ye yield 
 yourselves in willing subjection to the Gospel 
 precepts, evinced in acts as well as well as in 
 profession.— i>. liroicn. This collection was a 
 conspicuous act of submission to the apostolic 
 authority which enjoined it and to Christ, (ciap. 
 8. 5,) for whose glory it was made, by those 
 who professed to be his servants.— ^tse^ There 
 was a real and sincere submission to the Gospel 
 of Christ, and that was manifested by their giv- 
 uig liberally to supply the wants of others. 
 The doctrine is, that one evidence of true sub- 
 jection to the Gospel, one proof that our profes- 
 sion is sincere and genuine, is a willingness to 
 contribute to relieve the wants of the poor and 
 afilictcd friends of the Redeemer. — Barnes. 
 Unto all men— They give glory to God, not 
 only for this token of the fullness of your con- 
 secration to Christ and your obedience to the 
 Gospel but also for it as a proof of the common 
 fellowship which you have with them and with 
 all Christians ; and an interest in the needs of 
 others which this generous gift shows. 
 
 14. And by their prayer— This verse is 
 probably to be taken in connection with ver. 12, 
 and ver. 13 is a parenthesis. Thus interpreted 
 the sense will be. The administration of this 
 service (ver. 12) will produce abundant thanks 
 to God. It will also (ver. 14) produce another 
 efftct. It will tend to excite the prayers of the 
 saints for you, and thus produce important ben- 
 efits to yourselves. They will earnestly desire 
 
2 COK. 9. 1-15. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authoriied VerBion. 
 
 which long after you for the exceeding 
 grace of God in you. 
 
 15 Thanks le unto God '^ for his un- 
 speakable gift. 
 
 your welfare, they will anxiously pray to be 
 united in Christian friendship with those who 
 have been so signally endowed with the grace 
 of God. — Jiarnes. Long for you — The Jewish 
 Christians wonder at the undeserved favor of 
 God which had wrought in the Gentiles such 
 submission and brotherhood and sincerity. Tims 
 they glorified God. They louged to see those 
 in whom he had worked such blessings, and re- 
 tiu-ned their kindness by prayer for them. — 
 £eet. Grace of G-od in you— Grace, of which 
 the gift was an evidence. 
 
 The prayers of tbe poorest Christian for us are 
 worth more than all we usually bestow on tbem 
 In charity ; and he who has secured the pleadings 
 of a child of God, however humble, in his behalf, 
 has made a good use of his money.— Barnes. 
 
 15. Thanks be unto God— The idea is, 
 Your benefactions are indeed valuable, and 
 for them, for tlie disposition which you have 
 manifested, and for all the good which you will 
 be enabled thus to accomplish, we are bound 
 to give thanks to God. All this will excite the 
 gratitude of those who shall be benefited. But 
 how small is all this compared with the great 
 gift which God has imparted in bestowing a 
 Saviour 1 — Barnes. If we have received from 
 God "his unspeakable gift," what great thing 
 is it if we give a few perishing gifts for his sake. 
 — D. Brown. His unspeakable gift — His 
 Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to 
 apply such a term so emphatically placed as 
 here to any gift short of that one. — Alford. It 
 is so because, (a) of his own greatness and glory ; 
 {h) because of the inexpressible love which he 
 evinced ; (c) because of the unutterable suffer- 
 ings which he endured ; (//) because of the in- 
 expressibl.y great benefits which result fi-om his 
 work. No language can do justice to this 
 work in either of these respects ; no heart in 
 this world fully conceives the obligation which 
 rests upon man in virtue of his work. — Barnes. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See in the commentaries the introduction to 
 
 2 Cor. Schafl''s Apostolic Church, p. 292. Far- 
 
 rar, chap, xxxiii. Conybeare and Howson, chap. 
 
 xvii. F. "W. Eobertson's Lectures on Corinth- 
 
 156 
 
 ReviBed Version. 
 
 your behalf, long after you by reason 
 of the exceeding grace of God in you. 
 15 Thanks be to God for his unspeaka- 
 ble gift. 
 
 ians. Arthur's Tongue of Fire, p. 50. Sun- 
 day Magazine, (1866,) 677. Pulpit Analyst, v, 
 464. Sermons, by G. W. Bethune, on The 
 Strength of Christian Charity ; W. Arnot, (in 
 Roots and Fruits,) on Seed to the Sower; 
 E. Payson, on God's Best Gift to Man. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical illustrations,] 
 ver. 5: 8974; 6: 591, 8013, 8971; 7: 2462, 
 8966; 8: 5121, 9174; 9: 4487; 10: 8774; 11: 
 *1469, 3472 ; 12 : *338, 1997 ; 13 : *339, 7048 ; 
 15 : 337, 7139. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [christian giving.] 
 
 1. The Christian should give to the needs of 
 his fellow Christians, needing no exhortation or 
 command thereto. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The Christian should give by principle, not 
 from a spasm of zeal under the influence of ear- 
 nest appeals. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. The Christian should give regularly, and 
 of his own accord, not requiring pressure from 
 without to induce him to do his duty. Vers. 
 3,4. 
 
 4. The Christian should give freely, as a mat- 
 ter of bounty, not an unwilling surrender of 
 that which he would fain withhold. Ver. 5. 
 
 5. The Christian should give bountifully, as 
 God gives to him to possess. Ver. 6. 
 
 6. The Christian should give by his own free 
 choice on thoughtful decision as to his duty and 
 ability. Ver. 7. 
 
 7. The Christian should give cheerfully and 
 gladly as a privilege. Ver. 7. 
 
 8. The Christian should ever keep in mind 
 God's unspeakable gift, his own Son. Ver. 15. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. J. S. CHADWICK, D.D . 
 
 The impoverished condition of the Church at Je- 
 rusalem, deeply affected the Apostle Paul, and called 
 forth his earnest appeal to brethren in other places 
 for Immediate help. The Christians of Corinth had 
 promised assistance, on the strength of which Paul 
 boasted of their readiness to the Macedonians, and 
 had thereby Inflamed the zeal of the latter, who, 
 though themselves very poor, had given liberally 
 toward the need of the suffering saints in Judea- 
 For some reason the collection from the Church at 
 
May 25, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 2 Cor. 9. 1-15, 
 
 Corinth had been delayed. The people were more 
 able to contribute than the Mat«doniuns. Paul re- 
 inlniU them of their promise and asks them to meas- 
 ure up to the expeelation, whleh had been exciteil 
 by his .report of their Kenerostty. He entreated 
 them not to disappoint his hopes concernlnK them. 
 Now was the time to have the sincerity of their love 
 tested and proved. 
 
 I. ChriMliniiH nre NometinioH |)Iared in t-ondi- 
 lionH ur^rent trial and privation. 
 
 The converts at Jerusalem were persecuted, im- 
 poverished, and reduced to great distress. Relief 
 was providentially provided. Christians may now 
 sulTer alUictions, privations, distress, and even per- 
 secutions. Ciod will still be their refuge. 
 
 II. The solicitude and zeal oF (lie Apostle 
 Paul, nianireHted In beliairor HuiTering 8aints> 
 are traits of Christian cliaracter worthy of admira- 
 tion and imitation by all who claim to be believers 
 In the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 III. The duty of Christian liberality should be 
 reco|;nized and fully understood. 
 
 1. It istthc spirH <if the Gn»))cl. It Is earnestly 
 Insisted upon, described, and, commended through- 
 out the New Testament. Beneficence is a marked 
 grace of the Holy Spirit. To believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ is to accept the obligations which such 
 faith imposes. 
 
 2. It is based on the high claims of Christian 
 gixnJnrss. More is justly expected of Christians 
 than of others. Other good qualities should not 
 stand as an excuse, nor be offered as an apology, 
 for not being liberal. 
 
 3. It i/rows (rut of the sympathies of our com- 
 mon humanity. God has planted kindness and 
 compassion in our hearts. Gentile Churches must 
 give to the necessities of Jewish converts. With- 
 out help, pity is fiction and sympathy ^vorthless. 
 
 4. It is a remedy against covetousness and a 
 safeguard from extravagance. One of the great- 
 est of the age is the greed for gain. It must be 
 met by the grace of liberality. The Lord's money 
 
 will not be squandered If true beneficence Is culti- 
 vated. 
 
 IV. The principlefi inculcated concernin); 
 ChrUtiau ^Ivin^ should lie raithfully oliMcrved. 
 
 1. Give from jiuir mot ives and in a riglit si^irif, 
 without selllsh expectiitions. Let the deed be 
 good, and the spirit that prompted it right. 
 
 2. Give with discrimination. Not every call Is 
 a rightful claim. Give not through mere impulse, 
 else your gifts may produce improvidence. Get all 
 the light possible. Let giving be more of a habit 
 than a spasmodic emotion. 
 
 3. Give UberaUy. What is generous to one may 
 be niggardly for another. Paul treats of liberality 
 as a iranllnal element of true piety, and also pro- 
 vides for its culture, as an essential exercise of re- 
 generated life. 
 
 ■1. Give checrftdly. Not because others give, nor 
 from constraint, but gladly. Such givers are near 
 the heart of God. 
 
 y. Blestsings will surely Tollow liberal giving. 
 
 1. To the giver. Divine recognition ; heart en- 
 larged ; selfishness doomed ; Christ-like spirit de- 
 veloped; inward satisfaction and increased hap- 
 piness experienced. 
 
 2. To the beneficiaries. Wants realized ; con- 
 firmed in the faith of the Gospel ; prejudices re- 
 moved ; praise to Grod evoked ; and prayers for 
 benefactore offered. 
 
 3. Upon other Cliristians. Their zeal infiamed ; 
 liberality enlarged ; and opportunities searched out 
 for the display of the grace of giving. 
 
 DEDUCTIONS. 
 
 1. Opportunities for doing good and giving much 
 abound. 
 
 2. God is honored by every act of true liberality. 
 
 3. He gives us all that we have ; let us wisely dis- 
 tribute. 
 
 4. study the life, imitate the example, ami mani- 
 fest the spirit of Him who "went about doing 
 good." Even the cup of cold water given in bis 
 name shall have its reward. 
 
 A. D. 57.3 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Christian LiiiEUTv.— Gal. 4. 1-16. 
 
 June 1.3 
 
 GOLDEN' TEXT.— Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath mode us free.— 
 
 Gal. 5. 1. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 57, probably at the close of the year. 
 
 CoxxECTiNG Links— While Paul was In Greece (end of Lesson VII) he received word of the condition 
 of the Churches in Galatia, in central Asia Minor, leading him to write this epistle. 
 
 I.NTRODicTiox. The Churches of Galatia.— The first syllable of the word GnZatians is Identical with 
 Gaul, an old name of France ; and, indeed, with Gallic, Gaelic, Welsh, (old Gaullic and Wallic,) as well 
 as with Celtic. It is the name of that great, brilliant, and brave, but fickle, race, which, once occupying 
 Central Euroiie, was driven westward l)y the great Germanic tide pouring in from Asia ; and which, 
 gradually receding from the face of its invaders toward the Atlantic, now remain upon the western mar- 
 gin of Europe, as the French, Welsh, Scotch, and Irish peoples. The Epistle to the Galatlans was, there- 
 
Gal. 4. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 fore, an epistle to the Celts. The Galatian tribe of this epistle, Impelled by the revolutions of war in the 
 early ages, was settled in Asia Minor, like a lonely bowlder, amid surrounding tribes of Phiygian abo- 
 rigines. As late as the time of Jerome, (fourth century A. D.,) an Asiatic Galatian and a European Celt 
 could have understood each other's language. These Galatians were a victorious people in their Asiatic 
 region until the year 125 B. C, when they were subjected by the Roman power, yet allowed to retain 
 their previous form of government ; and 25 years B. C. they were completely reduced to the condition of 
 a Roman province. The old Phrygian pagans here were worshipers of Cybele, and their priests prac- 
 ticed rites severer than circumcision. There was also a large population of Jews who engaged in trade 
 and acquired wealth and influence. The Jews were in favor with the Roman government, and not only 
 made many proselytes, but infused a mitigating influence into surrounding paganism. Over all this mix- 
 ture of populations the Romans, few, yet predominant, held sway, and the Greek language was the prev- 
 alent medium of intercourse. But incidental accounts remain of Paul's first preaching and founding 
 Churches in Galatia. His first visit, in his second missionary tour, is slightly mentioned in Acts 16. 6 ; 
 and his second, in his third tour, is mentioned as slightly in Acts 18. 23. Yet the Galatian Churches must 
 have been founded at the first, and " confirmed " at the second, of these two visits. The story of the 
 Judaizing troublers who came to Gentile Antioch, as from James of Jerusalem, proclaiming salvation by 
 circumcision, was repeated in Gentile Galatia. These Celts came under the power of this Jewish influ- 
 ence. Leading Christian Judaists came from Jerusalem armed with metropolitan authority to tell these 
 Galatian Churches that their founder-apostle was a spurious apostle, and their Christianity a defective 
 Christianity which would not save them. The severe rite of circumcision was a condition to salvation, 
 and adherence to Jerusalem and a gorgeous ritual were necessary to a complete Church. Paul's naked 
 doctrine of justification before God solely by faith in Christ was a doctrine of apostasy. Under these 
 powerful influences the impressible Galatian Churches were yielding and ready to fall. Unable to go him- 
 self from distant Corinth Paul sent this letter to their rescue.— TT7icdo/i. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 Now I say, That the lieir, as long 
 as he is a child, differeth nothing from 
 a servant, though he be lord of all; 
 
 2 But is under tutors and governors 
 until the time appointed of the father. 
 
 3 Even so we. when we were children. 
 
 1. The heir as long as he is a child [Eev. 
 Ver., So long as the heir is a child.] — The Jews 
 claimed that they were the children or the sons 
 of God, a title which the apostle would not 
 withhold from the pious part of the nation, but 
 it was a condition in which they had not entered 
 on the full inheritance, and which was far infe- 
 rior to that of those who had embraced the Mes- 
 siah, and who were admitted to tlie full privileges 
 of sonship. They were indeed heirs. They 
 were interested in the promises. But still they 
 were in a condition of comparative servitude, 
 and could be made free only by the Gospel. 
 — -Barnes. A child — Litei-ally, an in/ant; but 
 the word is intended to cover the whole period 
 of minority, which by Roman law terminated at 
 twenty-live. — Whedo7i. Differeth nothing 
 from a servant [Eev. Ver., a bondservant.]— 
 The minor was legally in much the same posi- 
 tion as the slave. He could perform no act ex- 
 cept through his legal representative. This 
 responsible person, the guardian in the case of 
 the minor, the master in case of the slave, who 
 represents him to the state — was termed in Attic 
 law '■'■ lor A.''''— Lightfoot. Though he be lord 
 of all— Has the right thereto ; nay, if the father | 
 158 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 4 But I say that so long as the heir is 
 a child, he differeth nothing from a 
 bondservant, though he is lord of all ; 
 
 2 but is under guardians and stewards 
 until the term appointed of the father. 
 
 3 So we also, when we were children. 
 
 is dead, he is actual possessor, only he cannot 
 enjoy it, cannot assert his character as master, 
 so long as he is under guardians. — SchmoUer. 
 So the child of God, a servant in exterior, is in- 
 terior heir of God, and lord of all the blessedness 
 of eternity. — Whedon. 
 
 2. Under tutors and governors [Rev. Ver., 
 Guardians and stewards.] Governors — This 
 word means a house-manager, an overseer, a 
 steward. It properly refers to one who had au- 
 thority over tlie slaves or servants of a family to 
 assign them their tasks and portions. — Barnes. 
 Until the time [Eev. Ver., term] appointed — 
 The supposition in our te.xt is that a father (from 
 what reason or under what circumstances mat- 
 ters not) has preordained a time for his son and 
 heir to come of age, and till that time has sub- 
 jected him to guardians and stewards. — Alford. 
 
 When the Prince of Wales once in his childhood 
 refused obedience to his governess, appealing to 
 his dignity as heir to the throne. Prince Albert 
 brought the Bible, read him this passage, and 
 chastised him.— Starke. 
 
 3. Even so we— We who were Jews — for so 
 J think the word here to be limited, and not 
 extended to the heatlien. — Barnes. "When 
 
June 1, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Gal. 4. 1-16. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 were 'in bondage under the "ck'nicMits 
 of tlie world : 
 
 4 But ■■' when tlie fulness of the time 
 was come, God sent fortli his Son, made 
 of •'a woman, * made under the hiw, 
 
 5 To "redeem tiiem tiiat were under 
 the hvw, "that we might receive tiie 
 adoption of sons. 
 
 « Col. ! H; Meb. !>. 10. oOr, rudlinenU. a Gen. 49. 10; 
 
 Dim 9 ii; Mark I. 15; Epii. I. 10- ' Oeo- 3. 16; John 1. 14; 
 
 ILh.' ■> 14. * M,itl. 5. 11. » Matt. 80. 28 ; 1 Pet. 1. 18. 
 
 • Joim I. IJ. 
 
 ■we were children — The pre-Christian state is 
 regarded as a childliood in relation to the Chris- 
 tian state of the .same persons, only the Chris- 
 tian state then is re<jrarded as ripe agQ.—Schmol- 
 ler. "Were in bondage— The Jews in their 
 bondage to the law of Moses, as the representative 
 people of the world, inohideall niaiikind vhtually 
 amenable to God's law. — D. Bmwn. Under 
 the elements of the world— It denotes the ele- 
 ments or rudiments of any kind of instruction, 
 and in die New Testament is applied to the first 
 lessons or principles of religion. — Barnes. The 
 best interpretation seems to be as in Col. 2. 8, 
 20, the elemmtanj l< ssons of outward things. Of 
 this kind were all the enactments peculiar to the 
 law, some of which are expressly named. Ver. 
 \0.—Alford. Of the world— Paul calls them 
 the rudiments of the world, which, not being 
 renewed by the Sph-it, only perform worldly 
 things. — Luther. It is not that they were in 
 themselves evil— for that is not true ; it is not 
 that they were adapted to foster a worldly spirit 
 — for that is not true ; it is not that they had 
 their origin from this world— for that is not 
 true ; nor is it from the fact that they resembled 
 the institutions of the heathen world — for that is 
 as little true; but it is that, like the things of 
 the world, they were transient, temporary, and 
 of little value. — Barnes. 
 
 4. The fullness of the time — It was " the 
 fullness of time." Fird, in reference to the 
 giver. The moment had arrived which God 
 had ordained from the begiiinhig and foretold 
 by his prophets for Messiah's coming. This is 
 implied in the comparison, " the time appointed 
 by the Father." Secondly, in reference to the 
 recipient. The Gospel was withheld until the 
 world had arrived at mature age ; law had worked 
 out its educational pui-jxisu, and now was super- 
 seded. — Lhjhtfoot. God sent forth— The ex- 
 pression implies a special interposition of God 
 in his birth as man, namely, causing him to be 
 conceived by the Holy Ghost. His Son— Em- 
 phatical. "i/w ot^ft Son." Not by a<io/)i^o», 
 
 He vised Version. 
 
 were held in bondage under tlie 
 
 4 'rudiments of tlie world; but when 
 the fulness of the time came, God 
 .'^ent forth his Son, born of a woman, 
 
 5 born under the law, that he might 
 redeem them vvhicli were under the 
 law, that we might receive tlie adop- 
 
 aa we are, (vei-se 5 ;) nor merely his Son hy tlie 
 anointing of the Spirit which God sends into the 
 heart. Verse ; John 1. 18.—/^. Brown. This 
 implies that the Son of God had an existence be- 
 fore his incarnation. See John 16. 28. The Sav- 
 viour is often represented as sent into the world, 
 and as coming forth from God. — Barnes. Made 
 [Rev. Ver., b(trn'\ of a woman— This also im- 
 plies that he hud another nature than that which 
 was derived from the woman. On the supposi- 
 tion that he was a mere man, how unmeaning 
 would this assertion be \— Barnes. Made [Rev. 
 Ver., born^^ under the law— "Made" by his 
 Father's appointment and his own free will, 
 "subject to the law" to keep it all, ceremonial 
 and moral, perfectly for us as the Representative 
 Man, and to suffer and exhaust the full penalty 
 of our whole race's violation of it. — D. Brown. A 
 Gentile could not (humanly speaking, as far as 
 God has conditioned his own proceedings) have 
 saved the world ; for the Jews were the repre- 
 sentative nation, to which the representative 
 man must htlong.—Alford. 
 
 5. To redeem them . . . under the law — 
 Primarily the Jews ; but as these were the rep- 
 resentative people of the world, the Gentiles, too, 
 are included in the redemption. Chap. 3. 13. — 
 D. Brown. Christ, being born under the law, 
 a Jewish child, subject to its ordinances, by his 
 perfect fulfillment of it, and by enduring, as the 
 Head and in the root of our nature, its cui-se on 
 the tree, bought off (from its curse and power) 
 those who were under the law ; and if them, 
 then the rest of mankind, whose nature he had 
 upon hXm.—Alford. That we— Primarily the 
 Jews, but as representatives of all men. Might 
 receive the adoption — One is adopted as a son 
 who is not a son already ; and, therefore, in this 
 expression, one peculiarly belonging to the apos- 
 tle Paul, we see the privilege of those who are by 
 sin aliens from God to become, by their faith in 
 Christ, his children. Those who embrace Chri.st, 
 God's Son, by that act enter into the privilege 
 of sonship with God. 
 
 ^ 159 
 
Gal. 4. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Second Quaeteb. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 6 And Ijecause ye are sons, God hath 
 sent fortli the Spirit of his Son into 
 your hearts, crying, Ab'lja, Father. 
 
 7 Wherefore thou art no more a ser- 
 vant, but a son ; ' and if a son, then an 
 heir of God through Christ. 
 
 8 Howbeit then, *when ye knew not 
 God, ye ^ did service unto them which 
 by nature are no gods. 
 
 iEph. 2. V2.- 
 
 Adoption is one of the most comprehensive 
 terms of the evangelical system. It includes the 
 pardon of sin and the acceptance of our persons 
 before God, which are the constituents of jiistifl- 
 cation. It includes the new birth, through the 
 quickening power of the Holy Ghost, which is the 
 ■doctrine of regeneration. It includes the be- 
 liever's growth in holiness, until he attains " the 
 measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," 
 which is sanctiflcation. And, Anally, it involves 
 the saint's translation to heaven, to take posses- 
 sion of the child's inheritance, which is olorifica- 
 tion. All, therefore, that the word "salvation" 
 Implies— in deliverance from the guilt, the stain, 
 the dominion, and the being ot sin— is potentially 
 Included in the idea of adoption; and is in every 
 particular wrought out when that idea comes to 
 be realized in its final results.— B.iVf. Palmer. 
 
 6. And because ye are sons — "And as a 
 proof that ye really are sons." — Ellicott. With 
 this sentence Paul wishes to confinn to the Gala- 
 tians, in a way indisputable to themselves, that 
 they actually have the position of sons and no 
 longer that of servants ; they also (he says) have 
 this, as well as the Jewish Christians, as cer- 
 tainly as the Spirit also utters his voice in them. 
 
 — SchmoUer. The Spirit of his Son — The 
 Spirit, which the Son of God has ; plainly, more- 
 over, which he has peculiarly as Son ; the Sou 
 of God's Spirit of sonship. God gives the very 
 same Spirit into the hearts of those whom lie 
 has accepted as his sons for the sake of his Son 
 Q\m&t.— SchmoUer. Crying — This strong word 
 doubtless expresses, first and chieily, the assur- 
 ance and the strength of the persuasion, the full, 
 undoubting faith of having in God, our Father ; 
 also, however, as resulting from this, the fervor 
 with which the soul turns to this Father ; yet 
 without direct reference to a condition of trouble 
 in which a call is made for help. — SchmoUer. It 
 is the very Spirit itself which in our hearts utters 
 the cry. Not only is there a groaning, (Eom. 8. 
 26,) as for a deliverance, but there is a cry, as 
 ascending from our hearts to the Father on high. 
 
 — Whedon. Abba, IFather — The Hebrew says, 
 *'Abba," (a Hebrew term,) the Greek., "Father," 
 
 160 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 6 tion of sons. And because ye are 
 sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his 
 Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, 
 
 7 Father. So that thou art no longer a 
 bondservant, but a son; and if a son 
 tlien an lieir tlirough God. 
 
 8 Howbeit at that time, not knowing 
 God, ye were in bondage to them 
 
 9 which by nature are no gods: but now 
 
 {'■'■ Pater,'''' a Greelc term in the original,) both 
 united together in one sonship and one cry 
 of faith, "Abba, Father!" — D. Brown. It is 
 simplest to suppose that the juxtaposition of 
 the two equivalent expressions is meant to em- 
 phasize more strongly the idea of Father. — 
 Wicseler. 
 
 It is said in the Babylonian Gemara, a Jewish 
 work, that it was not permitted slaves to use the 
 title of Ahha. in addressing the master of the 
 family to which they belonged. If so, then the 
 language which Christians are here represented 
 as using is the language of freemen, and denotes 
 that they are not under the servitude of sin.— 
 Barnes. 
 
 That one word spoken in faith is better than a 
 thousand prayers in a formal, lukewarm way : I 
 myself have often found that when I can say but 
 this word. Father, it doth me more good than 
 when I call him by any other Christian name.— 
 Bunyan. 
 
 7. No more a servant [Rev. Ver., bond- 
 servant.'\ — No more in bondage as under the 
 law. But a son ... an heir — Because a 
 son, (of God,) therefore, according to the well- 
 known hereditary right, also ail heir of God. — 
 SchmoUer. By faith ye are one with the Son, 
 so that what is his is yours ; his sonship insures 
 your sonship ; his Spirit insures for you a share 
 in the same. — D. Brown. An heir of God 
 through Christ [Rev. Ver., An heir through 
 Ood. — The following note refers to this reading 
 in Rev. Ver. J— This combines, on behalf of our 
 race, the whole before-mentioned agenej of the 
 blessed Trinity, the Father has sent the Son and 
 the Spirit, the Son has freed us from the law, 
 the Spirit has completed our sonship, and thus 
 the redeemed are heirs tlirough the Triune God 
 himself, not through the law, nor through the 
 fleshly descent. — 'Windischmann. 
 
 8. Then [Rev. Ver., At that time] when ye 
 knew not God— Alluding to the fact that the 
 main body of the Galatian Church had been 
 pagans. — Whedon. Ye did service [Rev. Ver., 
 Were in bondage.'] — The meaning is, " Ye were 
 
June 1, 18«4. 
 
 LESSON. TX. 
 
 Gal. 4. 1-16. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 9 But now, '"after that ye have 
 known God. or rather are known of 
 (}o(l, " liow turn ye*ai,'ain t<> tin- weak 
 "and hcgs,nirly 'elements, whereiinto ye 
 desire again to l)e iu bondage ? 
 
 10 Ye " ol)serve »lays, and niontlis, 
 and tinies, anil years. 
 
 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have 
 bestowed upon you hd)our in vain. 
 
 tlaces to ; you were in a condition of servitude^ 
 as oppose! I to the tVeeilom of the Gospel. The 
 drift; of the apostle is, to sliow tliat tlie Jews and 
 Gentiles, before their conversion to Christianity, 
 were in a state of vassalaj;e or servitiidi', and that 
 it wa^ absurd in the liiirhest de^'ree to return to 
 that condition ajraiii. — Barms. Are no gods — 
 That is, have no existence, such as their wor- 
 shipers attribute to them, in the nature of thintrs, 
 but only in the con-upt imaginations of their 
 worshipers. — D. Brown. 
 
 9. Known God, or rather are known— 
 The Galatians did not so much acquire tlie 
 kuowledj;e of God as they were taken into 
 knowledifc, recognized by him. And this made 
 their fall from liim the more matter of indignant 
 appeal as being a resistance of his will respect- 
 ing tlieni. — Alfonl. How turn ye again 
 [Kev. Ver., buck again] to the weak and 
 beggarly elements [Kev. Ver., RiulimenU.] 
 — The first letters, hieroglyphs and ehild-pict- 
 ures of pupilage. That is, the circumcision, 
 the holidays, and the rituals of either Judaism 
 or paganism. — Whedon. The rudiments are 
 culled weak, because they have not the [)ower to 
 atone for sinful man, and by communication of 
 the Spirit to transform him inwardly, agreeably 
 to what Paul says of the law, for example. Gal. 
 8. 21 ; Rom. 8. Z.—Schmoller. They are called 
 beggarly on account of their relatively imperfect 
 matter in comparison with the perfection and 
 the riches of the Gospel. — WiesUr. It is as if a 
 school-master should wi..*h to go back to learn- 
 ing the A B C.—Bengel. Ye desire again to 
 be in bondage [Rev. Ver., To be in bondage 
 over again.] — They had been slaves to the rudi- 
 ments in the form of heathenism ; now they 
 were desiring to enslave tliemselves again to 
 the rudiments, and to commence them anew in 
 the form of Judiusm.—EllicoU. Not again to 
 heathenism indeed,' but to Judaism, both of 
 which are included in " rudiments of the world." 
 — Hcbmoller. 
 11 
 
 Kevlsed Version. 
 
 tliat ye have come to know God, or 
 rather to lie known of God, how turn 
 ye liack ag;iin to the weak and l)eg- 
 gariy ^ rudiments, whereunto ye de- 
 sire to he in bondage over again ? 
 
 10 Ye ohserve days, and months, and 
 
 11 seasons, and years. I am afraid of 
 you, lest by any means I iiave be- 
 stowed labour upon you in vain. 
 
 We may apply it to Christians now. Many sink 
 Into a kind of servitude not less BalliiiK than was 
 that to sin before their conversion. Some become 
 the slaves of mere ceremonies and forms in re- 
 ligion. Some are slaves to fashion, and the 
 world yet niles them with the hand of a tyrant. 
 They have escaped, it may l)e, from the galling 
 chains of ambition and degrading vice and low 
 sensuality, but they become slaves to the love of 
 money, or of dress, or of the fashions of the 
 world, as if they loved Klavcry and chaiita, and 
 they seem no more able to break loose than the 
 slave is to break the bonds which bind him. 
 And some are slaves to some expensive and fool- 
 ish habit. Professed Christians and Clnixtian 
 ministers, too, become slaves to the disgusting 
 and loathsome habit of using tobacco, bound by 
 a servitude as galling and as Arm as that which 
 ever shackled the limbs of an African. I grieve 
 to add, also, that many professed Christians are 
 slaves to the habit of "sitting long at the wine," 
 and indulging in it freely. O that such knew the 
 liberty of Christian freedom, and would break 
 away from all such shackles, and show iiow the 
 Gospel frees men from all foolish and absurd 
 customs \— Barnes. 
 
 10. Ye observe— The apostle means to say that 
 they were not only given to the celebration, but, 
 precisely like the Jews, were already scrupulous 
 also as to the correct reckoning of time for their 
 holy-days. Days, with reference to the Sab- 
 bath ; months, probably with reference to the 
 new moons, not because certain months, tlie 
 seventh especially, were regarded as peculiarly 
 lioly months; seasons within the year, with 
 reference to the feasts ; years with reference to 
 the Sabbatical year, not the year of jubilee, 
 which was no longer celebrated. — \Vie.''eler. 
 
 11. Afraid of you—" I fear concerning you." 
 Labor in vain— His fears were that they had 
 no genuine Christian principle. They had been 
 80 easily perverted and turned back to the 
 servitude of ceremonies and rites, that he wa-4 
 apprehensive that there could be no real Chris- 
 tian principle in tiie case. — Barnes, 
 
Gal. 4. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 12 Brethren, I beseech yon, be iis '^ I 
 am; for I am as ye are : ye have not 
 injured me at all. 
 
 13 Ye know how '^through infirmity 
 of the flesli, I preached the Gospel unto 
 you "^ at the first. 
 
 14 And my temptation which was in 
 my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected ; 
 but received me ''as an angel of God, 
 even '** as Christ Je'sus. 
 
 15 '^ Where is then the blessedness ye 
 speak of ? for I bear you record, that, if 
 it had heen possible, ye would have 
 plucked out your own eyes and given 
 them to me. 
 
 16 Am I therefore become your enemy, 
 because I tell you the truth. 
 
 12. Be as I am — Kopp explains it thus : 
 •" Imitate my example ; for I, though a Jew by 
 birtli, cai-e no more for Jewish rites than you.'' 
 I am as ye are— Then I became as you, and 
 at that time you did me no wrong, but, on 
 the contrary, showed me all sympathy and 
 reverence. Then comes in the inference, put 
 in the form of a question at ver. 16, 1 must then 
 have since become your enemy by telling you 
 the truth. — Alford. Ye have not injured 
 me [Kev. Ver., Ye did me no wrong. In the 
 Rev. Ver. this clause is connected with the 
 words that follow it.J — The key to rightly un- 
 derstanding these words is, theii** opposition 
 with tWe other verbs, " ye despised not nor 
 rejected me, bid ye received me, ..." below. 
 To that period they refer, namely, to the time 
 when he first preached the Gospel among them. 
 -Alford. 
 
 13. Through. [Rev. Ver., Because o/] infirm- 
 ities — He implies that bodily sickness having 
 detained him among them conti'ary to his orig- 
 inal intention was the occasion of his preaching 
 the Gospel to them.— />. Broivn. At the first 
 [Rev. Ver., First time.] — At the former time; 
 implying that at the tnne of WTiting he had 
 been twice in Galatia. — D. Brown. His first 
 visit is mentioned in Acts 16. 6, the second in 
 Acts 18. 23. 
 
 14. My temptation [Rev. Ver., That which 
 was ff temptation to yon.] — The truer reading 
 seems to be, your temptation. That is, your 
 temptation from my infirmity, to reject me with 
 contempt. — Whedon. The temptation seems to 
 have been the '•'•thorn in the flesh" of 2 Cor. 12. 
 1, whatever that was; perhaps something con- 
 
 162 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 12 I beseech you, brethren, be as I am. 
 
 13 for I am as ye are. Ye did me no 
 wrong: but ye know that because of 
 an infirmity of the flesh I preached the 
 
 14 Gospel unto you the ^ first time : and 
 that which was a temptation to you 
 in my flesh ye despised not, nor * re- 
 jected ; but ye received me as an angel 
 
 15 of God, even as Christ Je'sus. "Where 
 then is that gratulation *of your- 
 selves ? for I bear you witness, that, 
 if possible, ye would have plucked 
 out your eyes and given them to me. 
 
 16 So then am I become your enemy, 
 because I ^ tell you the truth ? 
 
 3Gr./o: 
 
 -• Or, deal truly 
 
 nected with his sight, or some nervous infirmity. 
 — Alford. Ye received me as an angel — Cli- 
 matic, denoting the deep aftection and veneration 
 with which he was received ; comp. 2 Cor. 5. 20 ; 
 the Galatians received the apostle not only as an 
 angel, but as one higher and more glorious, (Heb. 
 1. 4,) even as him who was the Lord of angels. 
 — ElUcott. The apostle contrasts the gladness 
 and enthusiasm of their former reception of him 
 with their present willingness to forsake his 
 teachings. 
 
 15. Where is then the blessedness [Rev. 
 Ver., That gratulation of yourselves.] — The bless- 
 edness is the sell- felicitation expressed by the 
 Galatians in their first joy in the Gospel. They 
 liave grown cold, and Paul now demands what 
 has become of that first joy and love. — Whedon. 
 How highly blessed you pronounced yourselves 
 that you were able to hear me ? — Weiseler. Per 
 I bear you record— A proof to what lengths 
 this congratulation of themselves, and, conse- 
 quently, their high value, for Paul ran at his 
 first visit. — Alford. Ye would have plucked, 
 out your own eyes — A proverbial mode of 
 speech derived from the high value and indis- 
 pensableness of the eyes — Schmoller. 
 
 The inference, then, of any ocular disease from 
 these words themselves seems to me precarious. 
 Certainly Acts 23. 1 ft. receives Ught from such a 
 supposition ; but with our very small knowledge 
 on the subject many conjectures may be hazarded 
 with some show of support from Scripture, while 
 none of them has enough foundation to make it 
 probable on the whole.— ui?/ord. 
 
 16. Am I therefore become yovir enemy 
 
 — He had been received as their friend, but the 
 
June 1, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Gai-. 4. 1-16. 
 
 Jewish teuchers had endeavored to make them 
 Lis tnenuo.s, and to induce tliein to look upon 
 liiin as thtir enemy. The truth — For telling 
 them the tnith is he who \vu.s once their aiujel 
 now their «««my / The change was neither in 
 the truth nor its apostle, but in themselves. So 
 is it with backsliders and apostates; the truth 
 and its ministers they once loved they often now 
 dread and liate.— U'/i<;(/o«. Is my telling you 
 the truth in regard to the tendency of the doc- 
 trines which you have embraced, and the char- 
 acter of tlioso who have led you lustray, and your 
 own error, a proof that I have ceased to be your 
 . ? — Hanies. 
 
 friend i 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Bee Introduction to Galatians in the commen- 
 taries. Schatf, p. 282. Farrar, chaps. .\xxv, 
 xx.xvi. Conybearc and Ilowson, chap, xviii. 
 Pulpit Analyst, vol. v. Freeman's Manners and 
 Customs, 781, 861. Nast's Introduction, p. 349. 
 Sermons, by Martin Luther, (in Masterpieces of 
 Pulpit Eloquence,) on Method and Fruits of 
 Justification ; W. Cunningham, on The Atone- 
 ment; J. S. Buckminster, Fitness of the Time 
 for the Gospel ; F. "Wayland, two sermons on 
 Salvation by Christ; Charles Kingsley, God's 
 Offspring; J. H. Newman, The Church and the 
 World; Discourses on Galatians by J. Calvin, 
 and Sermons on Galatians by S. Pearson. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers preceded 
 by a star indicate poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 
 *1111; 2: 1822; 4: 690,7199; 5: 4879,33,34; 
 6 : 204, 2487, 0009, 0340 ; 7 : 6339, 7205 ; 9 : 257, 
 6538; 10: 11386, 11564; 15: 8537; 16: 12192. 
 
 Practical Tlioughts. 
 [the liberty of the gospel.] 
 
 1. Before the stage of liberty comes the stage 
 of training for liberty, while the heir of freedom 
 is apparently a servant. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. There can be no liberty until one has been 
 trained to the spirit of obedience to law. Vei-s. 
 2, 3. 
 
 3. Christ comes to lead men up from the state 
 of service to the privilege of sonship. Ver. 5. 
 
 4. True liberty comes when the heart is in 
 such fellowship with Christ that his Spirit 
 reigns freely within us. Vers. 6, 7. 
 
 5. The disciple is not only a freeman, but an 
 heir to the kingdom of God through Christ. 
 Ver. 7. 
 
 6. The disciple of Christ is free from subjec- 
 tion to a formal service to ordinances and laws. 
 Vera. 9, 10. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 BY REV. WILBUR F. CRAFTS. M.A. 
 
 For freedom did Clirlst set us free; stand fast, 
 therefore, and be not entangled again in the yoke 
 of bondage. Gal. 5. 1. "Decoration Day," Just 
 pas-sed, and the lesson which is to-day studied in 
 Sunday-si-liools all round tlie world, suggest our 
 theme. " Bondage "—" Liberty ! " In those two 
 words our national history Is epitomized! And yet 
 how seldom Is the full meanlmr of these words con- 
 sidered! We have bondage in our own country 
 still— not to King George or King Cotton, but to 
 prejudices, appetites, customs. " What will they 
 say?" has slaves in every State who need emancipa- 
 tion. Pilate with a crown on his head was a slave 
 of public opinion. In the Declaration of Independ- 
 ence the signers " plidiic their lives, their fortunes, 
 and their sacred honor" in support of the cause. 
 So every temperance pledge is a declaration of in- 
 dependence against King Custom or King Appetite. 
 You don't think yourself in bondage to appetite. 
 Try to go without your wine for a week, .and see. A 
 Spaniard was imprisoned for forty years in a cell 
 where he could neither stand erect nor take more 
 than two steps in the same direction. When he 
 was at length .set free he found that he could nei- 
 ther stand erect nor take more than two steps for- 
 ward, even on the highway. He was now the pris- 
 oner of habit. Most of the slaves of habit or 
 prejudice are unconscious of their slavery, like 
 those Pharisaic slaves to sectarianism who said to 
 Christ, " We were never in bondage." One of the 
 most pitiable of these blind slaves is the one who 
 says, " I am my own master"— bondman as he is to 
 his own pride and selfishness. " One is your master, 
 even Christ." To have any other master is to be a 
 slave. A merchant, as he follows some trick of 
 trade in the struggle of competition, says to his 
 conscience or his minister, "They all do it, and so 
 ii'e have to do it." That is the clanking chain of a 
 slave to greed. There is nothing a free man muKt 
 do but die in the path of duty. In ever)' neighbor- 
 hood there are slaves to gambling, to restless covet- 
 ousness, to passionate profanity, to uncontrollable 
 anger, to chronic impatience, to evil speaking, to 
 habitual fretfulness, to persistent scolding, to peri- 
 odic despondency, whose invisil)Ie chains grow 
 stronger every day. You are " holden by the cords 
 of your sins." When you try to break these chains 
 you are only surprised at their strength. You can 
 not break them, but 
 
 " The Lion of Judah can break every chain. 
 And give us the victory again and again." 
 
 If the word "bondage" is only half understood, 
 how much more is the word "liberty" unappre- 
 ciated! It is often confounded with license, and 
 hence the Bible says, " Use not liberty for an occa- 
 sion of the flesh." "Not using your liberty as a 
 cloak of maliciousness, but as servants of God." 
 Liberty does not mean, Do as you please. Liberty 
 has banks as well as channel. Our liberty Is 
 163 
 
Gal. 4. ]-16. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Second Quaktee. 
 
 bounded by the law of God on one side, and the 
 other. Liberty gives us no right to send dynamite 
 through the mails, or poisonous liquors through so- 
 ciety. Liberty allows us to do as we please only so 
 far as we please to do right. It is freedom in 
 things innocent. Smollett, writing of England in 
 1740, says that the country was infested with unre- 
 strained robbers through " the absurd notion that 
 laws to prevent these acts of disorder would be in- 
 compatible ivitli the liberty of the British suhject." 
 That absurdity has been transferred from robbers 
 to rumsellers. So, in the spiritual realm, license is 
 miscalled liheraUsm, which, in fact, is one of the 
 most illiberal of the isms. In any case the chief 
 aim of religion is not to be liberal, but to be true. 
 Who wants a liberal watch, or a liberal style of 
 bookkeeping? Let the watch be true to the sun, 
 and the bookkeeper to the facts. "If the truth 
 shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." 
 "Christian liberty" means more than tolerance. 
 The whole epistle of Galatians is devoted to explain- 
 ing it as love fiilflUing the law. George Macdonald 
 says, in the spirit of this epistle, " When God's will 
 is our law we are but a kind of noble slaves ; but 
 when God's will is our will then are we his free 
 children." 
 
 God freely obeys his own laws because his char- 
 acter is in harmony with them. When God's Spirit 
 has really come into our hearts and made us sons of 
 God, we too shall freely do his will from love of it. 
 Thus "for freedom Christ makes us free." We 
 have no constraint because we have no disposition 
 to beat against the bars of God's Thou shalt nots. 
 We delight to do his w'ill, and so are free in doing it. 
 
 At Chautauqua, one evening, among other fire- 
 works, a paper balloon was put up. It rose a few. 
 feet from the ground, and then was caught in the 
 lower limbs of a tree. There was a struggle, the 
 balloon seeking to rise, the tree striving to hold it 
 down. It escaped from one branch only to be 
 caught in another. After several struggles, which 
 we watched with interest, the balloon freed itself 
 entirely from the tree, and rose into the sky in perfect 
 liberty. Picture of many a Christian experience! 
 While we are not fully separated from the world 
 every duty brings a struggle between " I wish " and 
 "I ought," but when we fully accept God's will 
 and his renewing Spirit our religious life rises'out 
 of earthly entanglements into perfect liberty where 
 there is no more struggling against God's law, be- 
 cause God's Spirit in us delights to do it, and we can 
 say, " My will is the will of my God." 
 
 A. D. 58.] 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 [June 8. 
 
 Justification by Faith. — Rom. 3. 19-31 
 
 I after the Epistle to Galatians. See last lesson. 
 IS to set forth the great truths of the Gospel as 
 
 GOLDEIV TEXT Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ. — Roil. 5. 1. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 58, probably in the spring. 
 
 Place.— This epistle was written from Corinth, so 
 
 Connecting Links.— The design of this epistle 
 preached by Paul. 
 
 Introduction.— The books of Acts and Romans are, indeed, very strikingly the complements of each 
 other. The former unfolds the events, the latter the theology and morals, of the apostolic era. With 
 great propriety, therefore, though out of the chronological order of their publication, have these two 
 books stood in contact in the canon. The penetrative inquirer in the reading of Paul's debates in the 
 synagogues (for instance, of Ephesus, of Thessalonica, of Corinth, and especially on that memorable day 
 at Rome— Acts 23. 17-29) desires to be present and listen to the sharp encounter. What were the issues, 
 and the methods, and the terms of the discussion ? To this query Romans furnishes the comprehensive 
 reply. It every-where presents the traces of struggle and battle. Compare if, on this point, with Phi- 
 lippians or Ephesians. And it explains many of the peculiarities of the style, and solves not a few of the 
 difficulties of the argument to say : The Book of Romans is a summary of the hand-to-hand synagogue 
 debates of Paul with the Jews of his day.— D. D. J^liedon. The real basis of this, as of every other 
 epistle, is "Christ as the common foundation on which Jew and Gentile could stand ; the bond of human 
 society, the root of human righteousness." It may be quite true that throughout all these high reason- 
 ings, and the many questions to which they give rise, there runs an undertone of controversy, and that 
 the apostle never lost sight of the fact that he was endeavoring to prove for the Roman Christians, and 
 through them to the entire Church, the new and startling doctrine that, since the annihilation of sin was 
 rendered possible by faith, and faith alone, all claims founded on Jewish particularism were reduced to 
 nothingness. This is the main point : but even the practical questions, which receive a brief decision at 
 the close of the epistle, are handled in strict accordance with the great principles which he has thus 
 established of the Universality of Sin and the Universality of Grace.— Farrar. 
 164 
 
June 8, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Rom. 3. 19-31. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 19 Now we know thut wliiit thiiiijs 
 soever the law saitli, it saitli to tlicin 
 who are under the hiw; tliat 'every 
 mouth may l)t' st^ppeil, and "all the 
 world niav become " y:uilty before God. 
 
 20 Therefore 'i)y the deeds of tlie law 
 there shall no Hesh be justified in his 
 sifrht: for * by the law in the knowledge 
 of sin. 
 
 21 But now *the righteousness of God 
 without the law is manifested, being 
 
 « Ewk. Id. M. '>Ch»p. «. 2. a Or, <iil>j«-t to tlm judgment 
 
 of God. - - » Vui. US. •-' ; >i»\. 8. 16 ; :t. II ; Epli. J. 8, 9 ; Titus 
 S. 5. *Ch«p.1. 7.- — »Ueb. 11.4; J Pet. 1. 1. 
 
 19. The law saith — The law is n declunition 
 of the will of God, desitrned to mold man's 
 conduct, and to make known the principles 
 of God's f^ovenmwnX.—Jiett. It saith [Rev. 
 Ver., Jt upeaketh.] — Not merely '■^ saith;" the 
 verb is different the second time, and the sense 
 is, that whatever the law says, its speech or ad- 
 dress is to, or /or, that is, its laiifruage belongs 
 to, is true of, when not otherwise specified, tfiosc 
 vho (trr iiml'T (literally, in) the law.—AIfoi-d. 
 To them who are under the law— The apos- 
 tle makes tins remark in order to prevent the 
 Jew from evading the force of his conclusion. 
 
 — Jiiirnts. That — /« order that, not "so 
 thut:''' the bringing in all the world guilty 
 before God is an especial and direct aim of 
 the revelation of God's justice in the law ; that 
 his grace, by faith in Christ, may come on all 
 who abandon self-righteousness aiul believe 
 the Gospel. — A{forJ. Every mouth may 
 be stopped — A stojjped mouth denotes the 
 confusi.in of a guilty person, who, being ac- 
 cused, hath no answer to make for iiimself. 
 
 — Marhiiiijht. AU the world — So that the 
 Jew is compelled to take rank with the Gentile 
 on the common footing of universal ruin before 
 God. — H7Wo7i. Guilty before God [Kev. 
 Ver., Under (he Judi/imnt of (,v«/.]_Tlie law it- 
 self, by its very existence, stands as man's 
 accuser, and shows how far he hius transgressed 
 from the ways of righteousness : how far he 
 has fallen below tiie requirements of God. 
 
 Alas ! he who boasteth himself In the works of 
 the law, he doth not hear the law. When that 
 speaks it shakes Mount Sinai, and wrlteth death 
 upon all faces, and makes the Church Itself cry 
 out, "A Mediator! else we die." The law out 
 of Christ Is terrible as a lion ; the law In him Is 
 meek as a lamb.— J3mij/an. 
 
 20. By the deeds [Rev. Ver., works] of the 
 law— The law is that universal law which Jews 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 19 Now we know that what things 
 soever the law saith, it speaketh to 
 them that aie under the law; that 
 every mouth may be stoppeil, and 
 all the \^()rld may be brought under 
 
 20 the juduinent of God: because 'by 
 'the works of the law shall no flesh 
 be 'justified in his sight : foi^through 
 the law coiiieth the knowledge of sin. 
 
 21 But now a|)art from the law a right- 
 eousness of God hatli been niani- 
 
 and Gentiles are alike obligated to obey, the law 
 of univei-sal and eternal riLdit. This law was, 
 for tiie Jew, embraced essentially in the Deca- 
 logue ; and the so-called Mosaic law was a sys- 
 tem of special enactments designed to bring men 
 into liarmony with that central law. — Wludon. 
 Shall no flesh— Since it is the only form in 
 which lumian natui-e presents itself to us, '-all 
 flesh " denotes all mankind. — Beet. Shall 
 no flesh be justified- To justify is not to make 
 just, in the sense of making holy, but to declare 
 just. When the judge justifies a man, lie does 
 not by that act render him any better than he 
 was before ; lie simply adjudgis him to be inno- 
 cent. Justification, therefore, is an act of God, 
 whereby he remits our sins, and accepts us as 
 righteous. — J. W. Alexander. The reasoning is : 
 the law ha.s no such office, in the present state 
 of lumian nature, manifested both in history and 
 Scripture, as to render righteous ; its office is 
 altogether different, namely, to detect and bring 
 to lifiht the dnfulnens of man. — Alford. Knowl- 
 edge of sin — God gave it in order to make us 
 conscious of our lost estate, and thus to ]irepare 
 us for a revelation of righteousness through 
 Christ. In ages to come we shall look back 
 upon the law, not as a fiiilur!?, but as the guard- 
 ian slave who drove us to Christ, (Gal. 3. 24,) 
 and as an essential link of the chain which 
 raised us from our lost estate to eternal obedi- 
 ence and blessedness. — Beet. 
 
 21. But now — \ moment ago we heard, and 
 our conscience re-eclioed within us, the thunders 
 of the law. Suddenly in the mid.st of our self- 
 condemnation the cheerful voice of the Gos- 
 pel gladdens our envf..— Beet. Righteousness 
 of God — It is the righteousness which pro- 
 ceeds from God which personally ap]icared in 
 Chri.st, " who is our righteousness," and which 
 is conmiunicated to the believer for Christ's 
 sake in the act of justiticatiou by faith. — Lange. 
 165 
 
Rom. 3. 19-31. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Second Quarter, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 witnessed by the Law and * the Proph- 
 ets; 
 
 22 Even the righteousness of God 
 which is by ' faith of Je'sus Christ unto 
 all and upon all them that believe ; for 
 * there is no difterence: 
 
 23 For " all have sinned, and come 
 short of the glory of God ; 
 
 24 Being justified freely '" by his grace 
 
 « 1 Pet. 1. 10. ' Chap. 4 
 
 lOM.itt. 20. 28; Eph. 1. 7; I 
 Heb. 9. 1'2 ; 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19. 
 
 "Without the law (Kev. Ver., Apart from the 
 law,] — It does not mean that God abandoned 
 his law, or that Jesus Christ did not regard the 
 law, for he came to " magnify" it, (Isa. 42. 21;) 
 or that sinners after they are justified have no 
 regard to the law, but it means simply what the 
 apostle had been endeavoring to show, that 
 justification could not be accomplished hy per- 
 sonal obedience to any law of the Jew or Gen- 
 tile, and that it must be accomplished in some 
 other way. — Barnes. Is manifested [Rev. 
 Yer., Has been manifested.) — In the advent of 
 Christ and the opening of the new revelation. 
 The perfect tense sets forth the manifestation 
 of this righteousness in history as an accom- 
 plished and still enduring fact. — A/ford. "Wit- 
 nessed by the law and the prophets— This 
 righteousness which, so to speak, had long been 
 buried under the types and indistinct utter- 
 ances of the old dispensation, has now in the 
 Gospel been made clear and aTp-parent.—JIodge. 
 22. The righteousness of God — See on 
 ver. 21. By faith of Jesus Christ [Rev. Ver., 
 Through faith in Jesi/s Christ.]— This faith is 
 not simply the belief of the intellect, embracing 
 the historical facts of Christ's character and 
 death. It is the faith or fidelity of the whole 
 man. It is the act of the assenting intellect, 
 the consenting heart, and the accepting will, 
 by which man's soul deposits itself into the 
 hands of the Redeemer, by his mighty arm to 
 be carried through every danger into everlast- 
 ing safety. It is selt'-surrender to Christ. — 
 Whedon. Unto all — In the fact that is offered 
 to all, and commanded to be preached to all. 
 Upon aU [Omitted in the Rev. Ver.]— That is, 
 if this clause be accepted in the text, belong- 
 ing to all in its acceptance, accepted by all. 
 That believe — All who exercise faith in Christ 
 Jesus, by self-surrender to him, are saved with- 
 out the righteousness set forth in the standards 
 of the law. There is no difference [Rev. 
 Ver., No distinction.]— "^0 distinction made be- 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 fested, being witnessed by the law 
 
 22 and the prophets ; even the righteous- 
 ness of God through faith *in Je'sus 
 Christ unto all ^ them that believe ; 
 
 23 for there is no distinction; for all 
 have sinned, and fall short of the 
 
 24 glory of God ; being justified freely 
 
 5 Some ancient authorities add and 
 
 tween Jew and Gentile, for both are saved on 
 the same terms of faith in Christ. The Jew 
 was saved not by his law but through his cast- 
 ing of himself on Jesus as his Saviour, and the 
 same salvation was the privilege of tlie Gentile. 
 This verse, more precisely than any other, 
 states the great principle which is the central 
 thought of this epistle. 
 
 23. All have sinned — Though men differ 
 greatly in the nature and extent of their sin- 
 fulness, there is absolutely no difference between 
 the best and the worst of men, in the fact that 
 " all have sinned," and so underlie the wrath 
 of God— Z?. Brown. Come short [Rev. Ver., 
 Fall short.] — The reason for substituting this for 
 the come short of the Authorized Version is this : 
 the latter may be mistaken for the past tense, 
 after the auxiliary " Zwu't'," whereas it is present. 
 —Alford. Of the glory of G-od- In this pas- 
 sage, since the words " glory of God" would 
 be misunderstood, we prefer the words approba- 
 tion of God. Man once possessed the approval 
 of God. God looked with joy upon his own 
 image, the monument of his own skill. Gen. 
 1. 31. But man sinned, and thus lost his primal 
 beauty. All have sinned, and thus fallen short 
 of the moral character which God approves. — 
 Beet. 
 
 24. Being justified — On the word justified^ 
 see note on ver. 20. Freely — It is a free, unde- 
 served gift, not merited by our obedience to the 
 law, and not that to which we have any claim.— 
 Barnes. Though the justification is conditioned 
 upon faith, yet the faith is no compensation to 
 God for it. — Whedon. By his grace— Grace, that 
 is, God's love to the sinner ; saving love is the effi- 
 cient cause ; redemption by the blood of Christ 
 the objective means ; faith the subjective condi- 
 tion of justification. — Dr. Schaff. We are ever to 
 keep in mind that our salvation comes from 
 pure grace or kindness on God's part. We are 
 saved, not because we deserve to be saved, 
 not because we have earned salvation, but be-! 
 
June 8, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Rom. 3. 19-31. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 through the redemption tliut is in Christ 
 Je'sus: 
 
 25 Whom God hath »set fortli to " he 
 a propitiation tliroiigli faith in his blood, 
 to declare liis rigliteousness for the 
 ' remission of sins that are past, through 
 the forijearance of God; 
 
 26 To declare, / sarj, at this time his 
 
 tOr, for ordainrd " Lev. 16. 15; 1 John 4. 10. cOr,]>a»liig 
 
 cause God loves us in nil our unworthiness. 
 Through the redemption — The word tnins- 
 lutiil redemption lia.s two senses in the New 
 Tcstument. (1) It means properly " a deliver- 
 ance etlected by the payment of a rnnsoin." 
 Tills is its primary elyuiological meaning. 
 (2) It means deliverance simply without any 
 reference to the means of its accomplishment, 
 whether by power or wisdom. Luke 21. 28. 
 "When applied to the work of Chri-st, as effecting 
 our deliverance from the punishment of sin, it is 
 always taken in its proper sense, deUvirauce 
 •fecitd by the jjivjmcnt of a ransom. — IIod(ji, 
 A millionaire may bestow a fortune on a beg- 
 gar simply on the condition of his cominf;, kneel- 
 ing down, and stretching forth his hand to take 
 it. There would thereby be no merit on the beg- 
 gar's part. There might be great demerit in his 
 refusing, and turning his back and calling his 
 benefactor a liar ; but there would be no merit 
 In his performing the condition and obtaining 
 the grace. So the receptive faith by wliicli the 
 sinner >1elds to God's mercy, though it be a con- 
 dition, may liave no merit.— Illiedon. 
 To be a propitiation— The sacrificial word 
 propitiation proves that the redemption is sae- 
 rificiid, and tells us what the ransom is. It is 
 found in the Authorized Version only here and 
 in 1 John 2. 2 ; 4. 10 ; but is equivalent to 
 "atonement" in the Old Testament, and to 
 " reconciliation " in lleb. 2. 17. To make atone- 
 ment or propitiation is to shelter the head of 
 the sinner from the punishment due to his sin. 
 
 25. "WTiom God set forth— God set Christ 
 crucified before the eyes of men to be a sacri- 
 fice by means of which the punishment due 
 to sin might be averted. Through faith in his 
 blood [Rev. Ver., Thronijh faith by his blood.'] 
 — Through faith as the subjective means of ap- 
 propriation of this propitiation. These words are 
 not to be joined (as in the Authorized Ver.) with 
 " i;t his blood,'''' as if the faith were exercised on 
 the atoning blood of Christ — for such an expres- 
 sion as. faith, or bditeim/ in the blood of Christ, 
 would be unexamiled— and (which is decisive) 
 
 Hevised Version. 
 
 by his grace tliroiigh the redemption 
 
 25 that is in Christ Je'sus: whom God 
 ' set forth ' to he i)roj)itiation, through 
 "faith, by ids blood, to shew his 
 righteousness, because of the passing 
 over of tlie sins done afoietnne, in 
 
 26 the forbearance of God ; for the 
 shewing, 7 scnj, of his righteousness 
 
 ^ Or, purjuAted.- 
 
 \a:' 
 
 'Or.faUM 
 
 the clause ought to be [as in Rev. Ver.] by hi» 
 blood, and requires a primary, not a subordinate, 
 place in the sentence, because the next clause, 
 '^ to declare his ri</hl(0'isiit.'.^," directly refers to 
 it. — A/ford. To declare [Rev. Ver., show] 
 his righteousness — Judicial righteousness, 
 justice. A sin-offering betokens on the one 
 side the expiation of guilt, and on the otiier in- 
 sures pardon and reconciliation; and tlius the 
 death of Christ is not only a proof of God's 
 grace and love, but also of his judicial righteous- 
 ness, which requires puiiisliineiit and expiation. 
 — Alford. For the remission of sins [Rev. 
 Ver., Because of the passing over of the sins.] — 
 Observe the fact mentioned in not forgiveness, or 
 remission, as the Authorized Vei-sion erroneous- 
 ly renders it, but [as in Rev. Ver.] passing oner, 
 or overlooking, which is the work of forbear- 
 ance, (see Acts IT. 30,) whereas forgiieness is 
 tlie work of t/race. — Alford, Sins that are 
 past [Rev. Ver., The sins done aforetime.] — Sins 
 committed before the death of Christ. Tliat 
 atoning death reflected back its efficacy upon 
 previous ages and generations. That is, God, 
 in view of that foreknown atonement, with- 
 held penalty until tlie sacrifice, and then ful- 
 ly pardoned it. — D. D. Wkedon. Through 
 the forbeamnce of God — The meaning of 
 this verse is that by the death of Christ as a pro- 
 pitiation, or substitute for sin, God vindicates 
 his forbearance in not exacting the full punish- 
 ment for the sins committed before the death of 
 Christ. We who live after that death are for- 
 given through its atoning virtue, and they who 
 lived before it were also forgiven and accepted 
 by virtue of the divine pmpose to send a Re- 
 deemer and substitute. 
 
 26. To declare [Rev. Ver., For the shewing 
 of.] — This second showing forth is distinguished 
 from that in the la.st verse as the fuller and ulti- 
 mate object of which that was a subordinate part, 
 with a view to the (or Hisl manifestation of His 
 righteousness in this present time.— Alford. At 
 this time [Rev. Ver., At this present season.] — 
 In antithesis with the past time of forbearance. 
 167 
 
KoM. 3. 19-31. 
 
 LESSOX X. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 righteousness: that he might be just, 
 aud the justifier of him which believetli 
 im Je'sus. 
 
 27 ^Vhere ■''is boasting then? It is 
 exchided. By wliat law ? of works ? 
 Kay : but by the law of faith. 
 
 28 Therefore we conclude '^that a 
 man is justified by faith without the 
 deeds <>f the law. 
 
 The reiLienoc is to the period of Christ's sacri- 
 ficial death. Eis righ.t«ousiiess — Tlie justice 
 of hij dealings with men in for^ving sin. Just 
 — In the punisliment of sin as threatened by 
 the law. The justifier — In the plan of sal- 
 vation he has shown a regard to the law by 
 appointing his Son to be a substitute in the 
 place of sinners, not to endure its precise pen- 
 alty, for his sufferings were not eternal, nor 
 were they attended w ith remorse of conscience, 
 or by.de.<pair, which are the proper J9e/t«/<y of 
 the law ; but he endured so much as to accom- 
 plish the same ends as if those who shall be 
 Baved by him had been doomed, to eternal 
 death. That is, he showed that the law could 
 not be violated without iutri:>dueing suffering, 
 and that it could not be broken with hiipu- 
 nity. He showed that he had so great a regard 
 for it that he would not pardon oiie sinner 
 without an atonement. — Barnes. Of him "wliieh 
 believeth [Eev. Yer., Of Jdiyi that hath faith.] 
 — Faith is the one link in the chain which 
 man mu.«t insert if he would make it com- 
 plete. The atonement has been offered, the 
 penalty has been laid, the pardon is ready, and 
 the smner may be proclaimed justified if he will 
 but hidorse the bond by accepting it. That ac- 
 ceptance is faith. Without it, so far as he is 
 concerned, his relation is the same as if Christ 
 had never died. 
 
 27. "Where is boasting [Eev. Yer., the 
 glonjing.] — The confidence of the Jew that he 
 alone would be saved because he alone possessed 
 God's law, and his consequent e.Yultation in liis 
 privilege. That Paul mentions, as the first re- 
 sult of the Gospel, a matter so small as the ex- 
 clusion of Jewish boasting, may surprise us. 
 But this boasting was probably the chief hinder- 
 ance to the spread of the Gospel among the 
 Jews. It lingered in the hearts even of be- 
 lievers. See Gal. 3. 2 ; 4. 21 : 5. 4. Paul wislies 
 to show at once that it is utterly inconsistent 
 with the Gospel. — Bed. It is excluded — 
 168 
 
 Kevised Version. 
 
 at this present season: that he might 
 himself be ^" just, aud the "justifier of 
 him that '" hatli faith " in .Je'sus. 
 
 27 Where then is the glorying? It is 
 excluded. By what manner of law? 
 of works? Xay: but by the law of 
 
 28 faith. '* We reckon therefore that a 
 man is justified by faith apart from 
 
 29 " the works of the law. Or is God 
 
 »0 See chap. 2. 13, margin. >» «ee chap. 2. 1.1, ni-irsrin. 
 
 a ir. ij Of faitli. 13 (Jr, of. »< Many ancient authorhies read 
 
 ^yr tr« rtckun. i*Or, vurlu t,fla\c. 
 
 Xo man has am- ground for pride or self- 
 gratulation in tlie manner of his salvation, for 
 all the glory is on the side of God. By what 
 law [Rev. Yer., Jii/ ichat manner of law.} 
 — The word law here is used in the sense of 
 arrangement^ rule, or economy. By what ar- 
 rangement, or by the operation of what ruh, is 
 boa.sting excluded ? — Stuart. Of works — By 
 works is meant not merely tlie ritual perform- 
 ances of the Mosaic law, (tliough these are in- 
 cluded,) but eve)-y action of body or mitid by 
 which we assvme to justly earn salvation^ or 
 claim to compensate or pay God for kindnesses 
 done by him to ns. — WTi^on. The contrast is 
 not here between tJie law and the Gospel as two 
 dispensations, but between the law of works and 
 the law of faith, whether found under the law 
 or the Gospel, or (if the case admitted) any 
 where else. — Alford. By the law^ [Kev. Yer., 
 a law] of faith — The Gospel is correctly called 
 a law, for it is an authoritative declaration of 
 God's will concerning us, and of the principles 
 on whicli he go\ems us. It Is a law of faith, 
 for it requires faith, and is thus distinguished 
 from the Mosaic law, which required works. 
 —Beet. 
 
 Man is naturally a very proud creature, prone 
 to boast of and glory in any excellency, either 
 real or supposed, belonging to himself.— BM7-^it(. 
 28. "We conclude [Rev. Yer., We reckon] a 
 man is justified by faith — When Christianity 
 itself becomes overloaded with a pile of rituals 
 and performances, prescribed as works for salva- 
 tion, the whole is overthrown by appealing to 
 the doctrine of justification by simple, heart- 
 deep faith without the works of the law. To 
 this Lutlier appealed against the ritualism of the 
 Church of Rome ; to this Wesley appealed 
 against the formalism of the Church of England. 
 — Whedon. As Luther said, " The doctrine of 
 justification by faith is the doctrine which 
 makes the distinction between a standing or a 
 fallen Church." Without [Rev. Yer, apart 
 
June 8, 1884. 
 
 LESSOX X. 
 
 Rom. 3. 19-31. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 29 Is he tlie Goil of Jews only ? is he 
 not also of tlie Geii'tiles? Yes, of the 
 Gen'tiU's also: 
 
 30 Seeing it is one God which shall 
 jiisiify the circmneisiou i)y faith, and 
 uiicirfimicision throngh faith. 
 
 31 Do we tlien make void tlie law 
 throiiirh faith? God forbid: yea, we 
 estal'lish the law. 
 
 from] Without: but more than wilhout— so di.s- 
 tiuctly without as to be utterly and entirely 
 separati- from and independent of. — Afford. 
 
 29. The God of the Jews only— The Jews 
 suj)i)osed that he wjis the God of their nation 
 only, that the// only were to he admitted to his 
 favor, hi these verses Paul showed that, as all 
 had alilce sinned, Jews and Gentiles, and as the 
 plan of salvation by faith was adaj^ted to siti- 
 7ters, without any special reference to Jews ; so 
 God could show favors to all, and all niiirht be 
 admitted on the same terms to the benefits of the 
 plan of >alvation.— ^rtr/ig.?. Gentiles also — In 
 showinjr how comi)letely Jewish boastiii-j: is ex- 
 cluded I'aul purposes to take the ground of their 
 own law and demon.strate it from that, lie will 
 show that God is not (the God) of Jews alone, 
 but of Gentiles, and tliat this reri/ 2)oiiit was 
 involctd ill, the promise made to AbraJiam, bij 
 beliennij which he was justified, (chap. 4,) and, 
 therefore, that it lies in the very root and kernel 
 of the I'l,,' itself.— Alford. 
 
 30. One God — And he not a local or na- 
 tional £(<id, but a univei-sal God. — Whedoi. 
 The Rev. Ver. has "if so be that God is one." 
 Justify— See on vei-ses 20, 24. The circum- 
 cision—A areiieral term for the Jews, distiu- 
 euisliiiiiT them from the Gentiles, who were 
 uucircumcised. By faith . . . through faith 
 — Too much stress must not be laid on the dif- 
 orence of the two prepositions. The former 
 expresses the ground of justification, generally 
 tiiken, by or out of faith ; the latter the virnns 
 whereby the man lays hold on justification, by 
 his faith ; tlie former is the objective ground, 
 the latter the subjective medium.— .-!//>)?•</. 
 
 31. Do we then make void the law [Rev. 
 Ver., inaH the law of none effect. \ — But again 
 the Jew may object, if this is the Ciise, if faith 
 be the ground and faith the medium of justifi- 
 cation fur all, cii-cumcised or uncircumeised, 
 surely tht law is set aside ami mad^ void. That 
 this is not so, the apostle both liere asserts and 
 is prepared to show by working out the propo- 
 
 Be vised Version. 
 
 the God of Jews only ? is lie not 
 the God of Gen'tiles also? Yea, of 
 
 30 Gen'tiles also: if so be that God is 
 one, and he shall justify the ciiciim- 
 cision '" Jjy faith, and the uncircum- 
 
 31 cisiou " through faith. Do we then 
 make '" the law of none effect 
 '^ through faith? God forbid: nay we 
 establish '"the law. 
 
 sitiou of verse 2U, that the law itself belonged to 
 a covenant whose original recipient was j ustijied 
 by faith, and whose main promise was the recep- 
 tion and blu^sing of the Gentiles.— A/ford. "We 
 establish the law— The Gospel, so far from 
 contradicting the great moral principles set forth 
 in the Old Totament, gives additional proof of 
 their divine oiigin ; and thus strengthens their 
 authority.— 5ee/. The law— It is the moral, 
 not ceremonial, law which the apo>tle speaks of. 
 The ceremonial law is utterly abolished by the 
 Gospel ; but the moral law is not abolished, but 
 establi-shed, by the Gospel ; or, if abolished, it 
 is only as a covenant, not as a rule. — Burkitt. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Introduction to Romans, in the commentaries. 
 Lectures on the Epistle, by T. Chalmei-s, J. Fry. 
 Exposition of Romans, by J. Beet. Bonar's Bible 
 Thoughts and Themes, iii, 204. llomiletical 
 Monthly, iii, 100. J. Wesley, v, 447, 45S. Ser- 
 mons, by II. Bushnell, (Kew Life,) on Dignity 
 of Human Nature shown by its Ruins ; Presi- 
 dent Edwards, The Justice oi God ; S. II. Tyng, 
 Convincing Power of the Law ; T. Dwight, ( .sev- 
 eral sermons ;) D. L. Moody, All under Con- 
 demnation ; T. Ilalybuvton, The Guilty Sinner 
 Convicted ; B. W. i\oel, The Faith that Saves. 
 Sermons, also, by J. W. Alexander, F. Wayland, 
 \V. Romanic, C. Spurgeon, C. G. Finney. Fos- 
 ter's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, ver. 19: 5350; 
 20: 2925, 7564, 10180; 21: 5121; 22: 11526; 
 23: 1471, 5319; 24: 9191,10087; 25: 1185,7511; 
 26: 3431, 10074; 27: 6874; 2!5: 9143; 29: 1625; 
 31: 10179, 10184. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the gospel according to PAUL.] 
 
 1. That all mankind, Jews and Gentiles, are 
 alike sinneis before God, and equally in need of 
 salvation. Ver. 19. 
 
 2. That the law was given to men to convince 
 them of the utter impossibility of saving them- 
 selves. Ver. 19. 
 
 3. That the law has iu itself no power to sava 
 
 169 
 
Rom. 3. 19-31. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 men, or to justify those who are unjust before 
 God. Ver. 20. 
 
 4. That salvation is through the grace of God 
 in sending his Son Jesus Christ as our redemp- 
 tion. Vers. 21-24. 
 
 5. That tlie sole condition of salvation is faith 
 in the Lord Jesus Christ. Ver. 22. 
 
 6. That the death of Christ is our propitiation 
 and sacrifice, setting aside forever the offerings 
 of the law. Ver. 25. 
 
 7. That before Christ's death mtn were saved 
 by God's promise to provide a Redeemer, as 
 since Christ's death they were saved by the ful- 
 fillment of the promise. Ver. 25. 
 
 8. That through Christ's redemption God is at 
 once just, and the justifier of all who believe in 
 Christ. Ver. 26. 
 
 9. That all mankind, Jews and Gentiles, are 
 saved upon the same terms of faith in Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 A.D.58.] LESSON XI. 
 
 The Blessedness of Believers.- 
 
 GOLDE\ TEXT. 
 
 [June 15. 
 
 -Rom. 8. 28-39. 
 -We know that all things work together for good to them that love 
 
 God.— Rom. 8. 28. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 58. See on Lesson X. 
 
 Introduction.— There Is a strong contrast between the seventh and eighth chapters of this epistle. 
 In the seventh chapter we see man helpless, needy, without strength ; in the eighth we see what man 
 is when God has given him salvation. The whole of the chapter is a mounting song of exultation over 
 the triumph of divine grace, reaching its height in the triumphant outburst of these last eleven verses. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 28 And we know that * all things 
 work together for good to them that 
 love God, to them ''who are the called 
 according to his purpose. 
 
 50. 211 ; Prov. 12. 21 ; 2 Cor. 4. 17. 3 2 Tim. 1. 9. 
 
 28. "We know — By faith and experience 
 mnted. All things — Having giving an exam- 
 ple in prayer^ how the Spirit helps our weakness, 
 and out of our ignorance and discouragement 
 brings from God an answer of peace, he now 
 extends this to all things, all circumstances by 
 whicli the Christian finds himself surrounded. 
 These may seem calculated to dash down hope 
 and surpass patience, but tee hioiv better con- 
 cerning them. — Alfonl. "Work together — Not 
 in an aimless and capricious manner, for this 
 end and for that, now in one way and now 
 in another, as though a stream should one day 
 flow seaward, and the next back toward its 
 fountain among the hills, but in one volume, 
 along one channel, in one direction, toward one 
 i-ud.— ^. Raleigh. For good— Their eternal 
 welfare the fulfillment of the purpose of the 
 love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our 
 Jjord. — Alfonl. To them that love God 
 — And just so far and j nut so long as they love 
 God. Just so far as their love to God is di- 
 minished and sin is committed, just so far is 
 the working of all tilings lessened and doubt- 
 ful, and when their love to God ceases, the co- 
 170 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 38 And we know that to them that love 
 God ' all things work together for 
 good, even to them that are called 
 
 39 according to /ii.s purpose. Forwliom 
 
 working for good ceases, and they are no longer 
 the called. For it is to the man as a God lover, 
 not as a blank individual, that these jiromises 
 are made. — W?iedon. The called- There is 
 but one call, and that is the Gospel call to all 
 mankind, from which no sinner is excluded. 
 But there is a difference in men's dealing with 
 the call. Some refuse to heed it and become 
 thereby the rejected ; others accept and obey it, 
 enter into sonship with God, and become the 
 called ones. All men are called, but only those 
 who heed are the called. According to his 
 purpose — The Gospel corresponds with, and 
 makes known, a purpose of God concerning 
 those to whom it is preached. In this purpose 
 lies its real worth. Just so, when a king re- 
 solves to honor a man and, to carry out his 
 resolve, calls him into his presence, the im- 
 portance of the royal summons depends upon 
 the royal purpose. This purpose is universal. 
 1 Tim. 2. 4. Therefore, all who hear the Gos- 
 pel are called according to purpose. — Beet. 
 
 On the one hand, Scripture bears constant tes- 
 timony to the fact that all believers are chosen 
 and called by God, their whole spiritual life in 
 
.Tune 15, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 Rom. 8. 28-39. 
 
 Authorized Veralon. 
 
 29 For whom Mie did foreknow 
 ♦also did predestimite ' <« he conformed 
 to the im:i<,'e of liis Son, tliat " he might 
 be the lirst-l)orn among many bretliren 
 
 30 Moreover whom he did predest 
 nate, them he ' also called ; and wh 
 called, tliem he also justilied ; ' and wliom 
 lie justified, them he also gloritied. 
 
 SExod. 33. li: 
 
 -«Eph. 1.6. 'John n. 
 
 ■.1.1.. 4. 4; Heb. » 15. >1 < 
 
 Kevlaed Version. 
 
 he foreknew, he also foreordained to 
 be conformed to the iiiiiige of hiis 
 Son, that he might be the tirstiiorn 
 30 among many Inetliren: and wljom he 
 foreordained, them lie al.so called : 
 and whom he called, them he also 
 justified : and whom he justilied, them 
 he also gloritied. 
 
 Its orlpln, propress, and completion, being from 
 Him, while on the other hatul. its testimony Is 
 no less precise that he wllleth all to lie saved, and 
 that none shall ixTish e.xcept by icillful rejection 
 of the truth. So that, on the one side, God's 
 mvcreiunty, on the other, mail's free xviU, Is 
 plainly declared to us. To receive, believe, and 
 act oil both thenc, is our duty and mir ivixdom. 
 They belong, as truths, no less to natural than to 
 revealed religion, and every one who believes In 
 a God must acknowledge both. But all the at- 
 tempts to /<n(/i;c over the mV between the tivo 
 arc futile, In the present imperfect condition of 
 man. The very reiisouings used for this pur- 
 pose are clothed in language framed on the anal- 
 ogies of this lower world, and wholly Inadequate 
 to describe God regarded as he Is in himself.— 
 Alford. 
 
 29. "WTiom he did foreknow — Man's 
 I'reedom as a free airent uialerlies God's free 
 knowleil'.'e of liim, ami God's foreknowletlKC 
 underlies God's deteriuhiation. God's kiiowl- 
 edgrc is caused by the future act, not the act 
 caused by the knowledge; ju.st as when we 
 look at a man walking, our seeing and know- 
 ing his motion is caused by liis moving, not his 
 moving caused by our .seeing and knowing. So 
 that, in conclusion from the whole, God pre- 
 deslinates to glory only those whom ho sees 
 through time and space will finally meet the 
 conditions requisite for that glorification. — 
 W he Jon. He also did predestinate [Rev. 
 Ver., He alxo foreordained.] — i)r predestined, 
 marked out beforehand, especially in one's 
 mind. Only found in p:ph. 1. 5, 11 ; Acts 4. 28 ; 
 1 Cor. 2. 7. It is more definite than "pur- 
 pose." A parent who, before his child is old 
 cn()Ugli for a trade, chooses a trade for liim, 
 ]>redestinates the boy. lie marks out before- 
 hand a path in wliich lie desiirns him to go. 
 Tlie purpose, wlietlicr carried out or not, is pre- 
 destination. Predestination is simply a pur- 
 pose, and by no means implies the inevitable 
 accomphshment of the purpose. Tlie boy marked 
 out for one trade may enter another. It might, 
 
 sed that what God toie- 
 ery ca.se be realized. But 
 
 however, be suppc 
 ordained must in c 
 
 God has thought tit that the acconiplislimeiit of 
 his own purposes shall depend upon man's 
 faith. Hence Paul solemnly warns his readere 
 (chap. 11. 21, 22) that unless they continue in 
 faith they will, although foreordained to glory, 
 be cut otf. So, ill Jer. 18. 7-12, God expressly 
 declares that the aceomplishmeut of his pur- 
 pose of blessing to Israel depends upon Israel's 
 conduct.— i?<ie<. The image of his son— The 
 image of Christ here spoken of is not his moral 
 purity, nor his sutferings, but, as in 1 Cor. l-j. 
 ■lit, that entire form of ghrijication in body, and 
 KdDCtiJication in spirit, of which Christ is the 
 perfect pattern, and all his people ."hall W par- 
 takers.— .•f^/b/'d. The firstborn among many 
 brethren — The emphasis of the passage lies on 
 " many brethren," rather than on the " first- 
 born," for the apostle is here speaking of the 
 privileges of the saints in fraternal relationship 
 with their elder brother. The thought is, that 
 Christ will not 1)C alone in liis glory, but be sur- 
 rounded by many who share his likeness. 
 
 30. Them he also caUed — Called by the 
 Gospel. The only ditfereiice between tluir call 
 and that of other men is that while others re- 
 fuse to listen they obey and follow. Them he 
 also jiistifled — See note. Lesson X, verses 
 20, 24. These words do not imply tliat all 
 who are called are Jmtijied and glorifed. To 
 teach this Paul would use his favorite words 
 "as many as." Chaps. 2. 12; ti. 3 ; 8. 14 ; 15. 4. 
 He now thinks only of his readers in whom 
 he confidently expects that God's purpose will 
 bo accomplished. That othei-s had rejected 
 the same call did not lessen its value to them, 
 any more than the unfaithfulness of Judas les- 
 sened the value of the apostolic call of Peter and 
 John.— Beet. The apostle, remember, is speaking 
 entirely of Gnd^s acts on behalf of the believer ; 
 he says nothing now of that faith tlirough which 
 this justification is, on his part, obtained.— J^- 
 ford. Glorified- He did not merely acquit 
 •^ 171 
 
Rom. 8. 28-39. 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 Second Quarter, 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 31 What shall we then say to these 
 things ? If God he for us who can he 
 against us ? 
 
 33 He that spared not his own Son, 
 but delivered him up for us all, how 
 shall he not with him also freely give 
 us all tilings? 
 
 33 Who shall lay any thing to the 
 charge of God's elect? "It is God that 
 ^ustitieth; 
 
 34 Who is he that condemneth ? It 
 is Christ that died, yea rather, that is 
 
 them of sill, but did also clotJie them with glory ; 
 tlie past tense beinj^ used, as t!ie other past 
 tenses, to imply the completion in the divine 
 counsel of all these — which are to us, in the state 
 of time, so many successive steps — sinmltaue- 
 ously and irrevocably. — Alford. While he 
 ponders the eternal purpose Paul forgets the 
 distinctions of time, throws himself forward into 
 what seems to him to be the near future, and 
 looks back upon the purpose as already accom- 
 plished. 
 
 31. "What shall we then say— What answer 
 can the hesitatinj^ or discouraged find to this 
 array of the merciful acts of God's love on be- 
 half of the believer. — Alford. The aposde 
 stands like a triumphant herald and challenges 
 the universe for an opponent to meet this divine 
 champion. — TFAft/o». If God be for us— 7)^ 
 God he on our side all things are working out 
 our good. For all things are under God's con- 
 trol, and, therefore, work out his purpose, and 
 his purpose for us is glory. That God permits 
 affliction to fall upon us only proves that afflic- 
 tion is the pathway to glory, else it would not 
 be permitted. "WTio can be against us [Rev. 
 Yer., Who is against us?] — Paul leaves us to de- 
 velop the above inference, namely, that if God 
 be on our side all things are on our side, and 
 goes on to develop a similar inference, namely, 
 that w^e have no adversary worthy of the name. 
 For with God's strength, not with ours, must 
 the strength of our adversary be compared.— 
 JJeet. 
 
 32. He that spared not — From the costli- 
 ness of the means used to attain this purpose he 
 will now prove how earnestly God is on our 
 side. Delivered him up— Not to death mere- 
 ly, (as many take it,) for that is too narrow an 
 idea here, but "suiTcndered Him" in the most 
 comprehensive sense. Comp. John 3. 1(5: "God 
 60 loved the world that he gave his only begot- 
 
 172 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 31 What then shall we say to these 
 things ? If God is for us, who is 
 
 33 against us ? He that spared not his 
 own Son, but delivered him up for 
 us all, how shall he not also wdth 
 
 33 him freely give us all things ? Who 
 shall lay any thing to the charge of 
 God's elect? '^It is God that justi- 
 
 34 fieth ; who is he that shall ccmdemu ? 
 'It is Christ Je'sus that died, yea 
 lather, that was raised from the dead. 
 
 ten Son." — D. Brown. Us all — Refers only to 
 Paul and his readers, who alone are now in hia 
 mind. Freely give us all things — When we 
 see God giving up to shame and death his Son, 
 that we may surround that Son in everlasting 
 glory, we are sure that God will keep back from 
 us no good thing; and that the ills of life, which 
 result from the withholding of things dommonly 
 supposed to be good, are really blessings in dis- 
 guise. — Beet. 
 
 33. "Who shall lay any thing— An accusa- 
 tion is the accuser's condemnation of the ac- 
 cused. Therefore, to bring a charge against 
 believers is to condemn those whom God has 
 chosen to be his own. Thus God's decree of 
 justification silences all doubt, even that sug- 
 gested by the memory of past sin. — Beet. God's 
 elect—" God's chosen ones ; " those who, from 
 having accepted the call, become the called, and 
 are therefore the chosen or elect. It is God 
 that justifieth — God's perpetual holding us 
 righteous inspite of every calumniator is one 
 continuous justifying act. That same justifica- 
 tion holds us clear on earth, defends us against 
 the danger of condemnation in the final judg- 
 ment, and secures our place forever with the 
 righteous. — W?iedon. He saith not, " God who 
 remitteth sins," but which is much more, " God 
 who justifieth." For when the vote of the 
 judge himself acquits, and of such a Judge, of 
 what weight is the &Qcn^(iV. — Chrijsostom. 
 
 34. "Who is he that condemneth— This 
 clause should properly belong to the previous 
 verse. If God, the supreme Judge, justifies or 
 pronounces innocent, who can condenni ? It is 
 Christ [Rev. Ver., Christ Jesus.] — M\ the 
 great points of our redemption are ranged to- 
 gether, from the death of Christ to his still 
 enduring intercession, as reasons for negativ- 
 ing the question above.— X>« Wette. Yea, raXhr 
 er—But rather, corrective. We must look at 
 
JuxE 15, 1SS4. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Rom. 8. 28-39. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 risen airain, who is even at tlie riglit 
 hand of God, who '"also maketh iiilt-r- 
 cession for us. 
 
 oo Who shall separate us from the 
 love of Clirist ? sliall tribulation, or 
 distress, or persecution, or famine, or 
 nakedness, or peril, or sword ? 
 
 36 As it is written, " For tiiy sake we 
 
 Christ, not aa dead, but as risen from tlio dead. 
 It is needless to add that for us (chap. 4. '25) Christ 
 died and rose from tiie dead. Paul follows the 
 dead and risen Saviour within the veil, and finds 
 him at the right hoid uf dod, still active on our 
 behalf.— ^^t<. Right hand of God-Tlie imago 
 is drawn from the custom of (Jriental kings of 
 seating persons of the highest honor at the 
 right side of the throne. So Solomon seated 
 his mother at his own right hand, (1 Kings 
 2.' 19;) so Salome desired to place one of her 
 sons at the right luiiul and the other at the let^ 
 of the royal Mes.siah, (Matt. 20. 21 ;) and so the 
 psalmist seats the Messiah-Jehovah at tlie right 
 liand of Jehovah. IVa. 110. \.— Whedoii. Mak- 
 eth intercession for us — What the precise 
 form of this intercession of the ever-living Je- 
 sus is we know not. Yet it can be no otherwise 
 than an essential perpetuation of his high- 
 priestly prayer in John 17. Though, however. 
 Ills glorified form kneel not, and no voice be 
 uttered, still his presence^ with the history and 
 glory of his death about Idm, is a perpetual 
 memorial of mercy unto God. — Whedon. It 
 cimnot he taken to mean less than this, that 
 the glorified Redeemer, conscious of his claims, 
 expressly signifiis his will that the efficacy of 
 his death should be made good to the uttermost, 
 and signifies it in some such royal style as we 
 find him employed in that wonderful inter- 
 cessory prayer which he spoke as froni with- 
 in the i'«7, (see John 17. 11,12,) "Father, I 
 will tliat they also whom thou hast given me 
 be with me where I am." See John 17. 24.—/). 
 Brown. 
 
 35. "Who shall separate us— Tlio apostle 
 says not (remarks Calvin nobly) " what," but 
 '' who," just as if all creatures and all afflictions 
 were so many gladiators taking arms against the 
 Christians. — T/ioliick. From the love of 
 Christ — Is this (1) our love to ChriH, or (2) 
 Christ's love to tM, or (3) our seiise of VhrisCs 
 love to usf The .second, maintained by Beza, 
 Grotius, and many others, appears to mo the 
 only tenable sense of the words. For, having 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 who is at the right hand of God, wlia 
 
 35 also niaketli intercession for MS. Who 
 siiall separate us from the love *of 
 Clirist? siiall triijulaiion, or auiiuisli, 
 or persecution, or famine, or naked- 
 
 3G ncss, or peril, or sword ? Even as it 
 is written, 
 
 * Some ancient authorities rend of G'jtl. 
 
 shown that God's great love to us is sucii that 
 none can accuse nor harm us, the apostle now 
 asserts the permanence of that love under all ad- 
 verso circumstances, that none such can affect 
 it ; nay more, that it is by tliat love that we are 
 enabled to obtain the victory over all such ad- 
 vei-sities. And finally he expresses his persua- 
 sion that no created thing shall ever separate 
 us from that love, that is, shall ever be able to 
 pluck us out of the Father's hand.— Al/ord. It 
 is no ground of confidence to assert, or even to 
 feel, that we will never forsake Christ ; but it is 
 the strongest ground of assurance to be con- 
 vinced that his love will never change.— /fo</^«. 
 Shall tribulation — The apostle now enumer- 
 ates seven enemies w-hich assail the Christian 
 in vain. Not but that these foes can materially 
 harm him, though they can neither accuse nor 
 condemn him as before God. From their cor- 
 poreal assaults even the divine Protector prom- 
 ises no immunity, and no deliverance from their 
 earthly power. But they cannot break, they 
 will brighten, rather, and strengthen the gold- 
 en chain that fastens the justified to Christ. — 
 Whedon. Tribulation— The word properly 
 refers to pressure from without, afilictions aris- 
 ing from external causes. Or distress — This 
 word properly means narrowness of place, and 
 then, great anxiety and distress of mind, such 
 as arises when a man does not know where to 
 turn himself or what to do for relief. It refers, 
 therefore, to distress or anxiety of mind, such 
 as the early Christians were often subject to 
 from their trials and persecutions. — Barnei. Or 
 famine — To this they were also exposed as the 
 natural result of being driven from home, and 
 of being often compelled to wander amidst 
 strangers, and in deserts and in desolate places. 
 — £arne.i. Or sword — Here named as rei)re- 
 senting death by violence, of which the sword 
 was oftenest the instrument. 
 
 36. As it is written — The quotation here 
 
 expresses, " All which things befall us as they 
 
 befell God's saints of old," and t'ley are no new 
 
 trials to which we are subjected. What if w« 
 
 178 
 
Rom. 8. 28-39. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 are killed all the clay long; we are ac- 
 counted as sheep for the slaughter. 
 
 37 Nay, "in all these things we are 
 more than conquerors, through him that 
 loved us. 
 
 38 For I am persuaded, that neither 
 death, nor life, nor angels, nor '' princi- 
 palities, nor powers, nor things present, 
 nor things to come, 
 
 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any 
 other creature, shall '*be able to sepa- 
 rate us from the love of God, which is in 
 Christ Je'sus our Lord. 
 
 verify tlie ancient description. — A/ford. Killed 
 all tlie day — The continued slaugliter extends 
 from sunrise to sunset. The psalm refers to 
 men who, though faithful to God, sutTered mil- 
 itary disaster. Their enemies loolied upon them 
 as sheep ready for slaughter, and the work of 
 death went on without ceasing. The writer 
 says that this destruction was the result of loy- 
 alty to God.—Ileet. 
 
 37. In all these things — In the very endur- 
 ance of all these trials and distresses. More 
 than conquerors — The child of God triumphs 
 in the midst of his trials. His earthly troubles 
 do not mar, but greatly increase, his joy m the 
 Lord ; his temptations do not drive him from, 
 but rather to, God, and strengthen, instead of 
 weakening, him ; the world cannot vanquish 
 him, but yields to the victory of liis overcoming 
 faith. Death fails to destroy, but only brings 
 him home to glory. Through him that loved 
 us — It is doubtful whether " he ivho loved tis " 
 be the Father, or our Lord Jesus Christ. This 
 is, I think, decided by "to him that loved us, 
 and washed us from our sins in his own blood." 
 Kev. 1. 5. The use of such an expression as a 
 title of our Lord in a doxology, makes it very 
 probable that tvJiere unexplained, as here, it 
 would also designate him. — Alford. 
 
 38. Persuaded suggests deliberation followed 
 by full conviction. — Beet. That neither — All 
 the terms here are to be taken in their most 
 general sense, and need no closer definition. — 
 Olshausen. Death nor life — Well explained 
 by De Wette as the two principal possible states 
 of man, and not as equivalent to " any thing 
 dead or living." — Alford. Personified life is 
 armed with terrible dangers, and death is the 
 very king of terrors. — Whedon. Nor angels — 
 He probably refers here simply to angelic power 
 
 174 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 For thy sake we are killed all 
 
 the day long; 
 We were accounted as sheep for 
 
 the slaughter. 
 
 37 Nay, in all these things we are more 
 than conquerors through him that 
 
 38 loved us. For I am persuaded, that 
 neither death, nor life, nor angels, 
 nor principalities, nor things present, 
 
 39 nor things to come, nor powers, nor 
 height, nor depth, nor any other 
 ^ creature, shall be able to separate us 
 from the love of God, which is in 
 Christ Je'sus our Lord. 
 
 of whatever kind. Not even angels are strong 
 enough to tear us from God. Principalities 
 — Those who hold the dignity of princes ; that 
 is, angel - prmces, or archangels, as in Eph. 
 1. 21. — Beet. Powers — Kings, magistrates, 
 etc. — Beet. Wor powers — Perhaps including 
 the grand physical forces of universal nature 
 known to science, especiallj' to astronomy, in 
 the abstract, but sometimes personified in Scrip- 
 ture as living agencies, and even identified with 
 angels. — Whedon. Nor things present, etc. — 
 No vicissitudes of time. — Alford. 
 
 39. Nor height, nor depth — Two anti- 
 thetic potencies of space. The interpretation of 
 heights and depths as equivalent to heaven and 
 hell is scarce conunensurate with the apostle's 
 conception. He designates the opposite extremes 
 of immensity. Height indicates the sublimity 
 of loftiness or grandeur, depth the sublimity of 
 darkness, obscurity, and terror. Both personi- 
 fied suggest limitless power for unknown de- 
 struction. — Whedon. Nor any other creatiire 
 — Rather, " created thing " — any other thing in 
 the whole created universe of God. — D. Brown. 
 From the love of God — Here plainly enough 
 God''s love to Its hi Christ — to us, as we are in 
 Christ, to us manifested in and by Christ. — 
 Alford. 
 
 We may remark in view of it, (1) That it is the 
 highest honor that can be conferred on mortal 
 man to be a Christian. (3) Our trials in this life 
 are scarcely worth regarding in comparison with 
 our future glory. (3) Calamities should be borne 
 without a murmur ; nay, without a sigh. (4) The 
 Christian has every possible security for his safe- 
 ty. The purposes of God, the works of Christ, the 
 aid of the Holy Ghost, and the tendency of all 
 events under the direction of his Father and 
 Friend, conspire to secure his welfare and salva- 
 tion. (5) With what thankfulness, then, should 
 
June 15, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Rom. 8. 28-39. 
 
 we approat'h the (iod of mercy. In the (iospel we 
 have a blessed und cheering hope which nothing 
 else can produce, and which nothing can destroy. 
 —Bariiai. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See autlioritif.s on tlie epistle, witli Lesson X, 
 and Farrar, eliai). .\x.\vii. Conyl)eare in\d How- 
 son, chap. XIX. Scliart", p. 294. Preacher's 
 Lantern, i, 732, 482. Pulpit Analyst, iv, 115, 
 254; V, 209, 257. Bonar's Bible Thoujfhts and 
 Themes, iii, 269, 274. Sunday Magazine, ISOii, 
 330; 1889, 295. Ilomiletical Monthly, iii, 593. 
 Steins and Twigs, i, 219, 106. Sermons, by J. 
 Wesley, D. L. Moody, JL Blair, A. Raleigh, 
 H. W. Beecher, (Series 5,) E. IL Sears, C. 
 Spurgeon, (Series 8,) Bishop Sibbo, Arclibishop 
 Leighton, etc. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustra- 
 tions, [numbers marked with a star refer to 
 poetical quotations,] ver. 28: 4740,8078,11266; 
 29: *1239, 2330, 11196; 30: *1051 ; 31: 3550, 
 7924 ; 32 : 2767, 7268 ; 33 : 7208, 3445 ; 34 : 3334, 
 9963, 7383 ; 35 ; 4398, 7066 ; 37 : 1713, 12162 ; 38, 
 39 : 935, 1356, 2670. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the privileges of believers.] 
 
 1. The believer in Christ may enjoy the con- 
 sciousness that all the forces in the universe are, 
 under God, working together for his good. 
 Ver. 28. 
 
 2. The believer may rest in tlie consciousness 
 that his name is eternally foreknown to the Di- 
 vine mind as one of the redeemed and saved. 
 Ver. 29. 
 
 8. The believer may enjoy the privilege of 
 likeness to Christ as his elder brother and exam- 
 ple. Ver. 29. 
 
 4. The believer has the privilege of hearing 
 the Divine call addressed to himself out of all 
 the sons of men. Ver. 30. 
 
 5. The believer has the privilege of being 
 justified, having his record made clean in God's 
 sight. Ver. 30. 
 
 6. The believer has the privilege of having 
 God on his side, even though all tiie world may 
 be against him. Ver. 31. 
 
 7. The believer enjoys the privilege of Christ's 
 intercessions in his behalf. Ver. 34. 
 
 8. The believer has the assurance of com- 
 plete triumph over every enemy and obstacle in 
 the way of his enjoyment of the love of God 
 Vers. 37-39. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 nV REV. WILBl-R F. CRAFTS, M.A. 
 
 I. " All things work together "—planets and peb- 
 bles. No atom of the universe la Independent. 
 
 Gravitation (that Is, God) unites stars and sand in 
 tlie United States of nature. " All things work to- 
 Kether "—yes, and for man's good. Not alwa>s for 
 his temporal good, us I'aley and others have tried 
 to prove, but for his inonil good at least. It does 
 not seem so. Many of the forces of nature appear 
 to Iw sent forth for man's destruction. Are night 
 and storm and temiH-st working for man? "/( ia 
 written:' God •' luaketh his angels winds, and his 
 ministers a flame of lire." " Fire and hail, snow 
 and vapor, and stormy wind, fulfill his word." 
 "The night also is thine "—bringing to man not 
 only a sense of danger, but also of dependence upon 
 God ; affording opportunity not only for deeds of 
 darkness, but also of devotion. Even pain is blessed 
 when we recognize that It coiiieth In the name of 
 the Lord. " Allliction worketh for us." 2 Cor. 4. 17. 
 
 II. All things work together for man's good in 
 the animal kingdom. When God would conquer 
 Egypt for the lescue of his people, he attacked it 
 with armies of locusts, lice, and frogs. So he sent 
 a battalion of hornets against the Ammonites. In 
 those days God allowed men to look behind the 
 face of the universe-watch and see how he was 
 moving the "Uving wheels" of animal life to help 
 his people. The watch Is closed to-day, but still 
 
 " Behind the dim unknown 
 Standeth God within the shadow, 
 Keeping watch above his own." 
 
 Dr. Bushnell in his " Moral Uses of Dark Things," 
 points out moral uses even in animal iofestations 
 as mirrors of human lust and hatred, picturing 
 (1) " The ferocity of our sin ; (2) The venou. principle 
 there is in it ; (3) Its disturbing power ; (4) Its inte- 
 rior efllcacy." Hence Jesus called the wicked 
 but wily Herod, "that fox." On the«aine princi- 
 ple a mother was accustomed to picture the .sins of 
 her children to themselves by telling fables of ani- 
 mals which were represented as saying or doing 
 what the children had said or done. 
 
 III. All things work together for good even In 
 the realm of man's free choice where the wheels 
 are independent minds— some of them minds that 
 have chosen the wrong. Two revealed, uncontro- 
 vertible facts stand together— the plan of God, and 
 the free will of man— two lines of rail laid side by 
 side, one by human, the other by divine, hands, on 
 which the cars of history move ever onward. His- 
 tory, as well as nature, proclaims an overruling 
 God. Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo by the 
 coining, not of the Prussians, but of Providence. 
 God said to that tidal wave of ambition, " Hitherto 
 Shalt thou come, but no farther." God made the 
 wrath of Joseph's envious brethren to praise him, 
 and work for Joseph's good. When he was made 
 premier of Egypt he could see that his six great 
 misfortunes had been six .steps to the; throne. Even 
 slavery and slander had heljied to quarry and build 
 those steps for him. Such providences occur to- 
 day. Wee Inn, believed to be the flrst Chines© 
 maiden missionary ever sent out, landed at Hong- 
 
 175 
 
Rom. S. 28-39. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 kong a few years since. Twenty years ago Ma- 
 lay sailors brought her, then a little child, to Sing- 
 apore, India, and sold her as a slave. The police gave 
 her to a Christian lady teacher, and now the kid- 
 napped slave-child enters the land of her birth as 
 an embassador of the King of kings. How evident 
 is the "finger of God " in the infancy of Moses, the 
 little outcast on the banks of the Nile. " Behold, 
 the babe wept." 
 
 " Were not the innocent dews upon its cheeks 
 A link In God's great counsels ? " 
 
 Those tears unlocked for Moses the heart of Pha- 
 
 raoh's daughter, and then his palace, and thus gave 
 him a preparation for his life-work as God's law- 
 giver. God overruled a bad, cruel law to give good 
 laws to all lands. So to-day the studies of infidels 
 to overthrow Christianity have helped to establish 
 it. The weapons cast into our camp, as in the 
 march of Xenophou, have helped to kindle our fires. 
 Let us not doubt that " eren/ man's life is a plan of 
 God " as surely as Joseph's and David's and Paul's, 
 and that God makes all things work together that 
 it may be fidfilh'd. Let our wills work with God 
 that we may accomplish that for which we were 
 created. 
 
 A. D. 58.] 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Obedience to Law. — Rom. 13. 1-10. 
 
 [June 22. 
 
 GOLDEi\ TEXT.— Let every soul be sabject unto the higher powers.— ROM. 13. 1. 
 
 Time.— A. D. 58. See on Lesson X. 
 
 Introduction.— To the young Christian Church it could not but occur as a very momentous and very 
 doubtful question. What are we to do with the governments of the world ? They are all in pagan hands, 
 with despots for their heads. In the Old Testament the visions of Daniel describe them as beasts. 
 Christ is our true king, and we know not how soon he may appear to overthrow all existing despot- 
 Ism and establish a universal reign of righteousness. Paul here furnishes the divine reply. Bad as 
 human governments are, brutal and ferocious as is often their spirit, there is a benign and beneficial side 
 to them. Government Is ordained of God. Society is not formed by a fabled social compact. On the 
 contrary, God has formed man for society, and government is the form Into which he has obliged soci- 
 ety to throw itself for its own peace and conservation. Hence, at all times, every government that truly 
 is a government is ordained of iGod and entitled to our obedience. The exceptions to this normal law 
 and its limitations, the apostle does not discuss. That an authority which commands us to violate the 
 law of God should not be obeyed, he would, of course, not only have admitted, but affirmed. Had the 
 emperor with all his powers required him to abjure Christ, he would have promptly disobeyed and suf- 
 fered the result. Why? Because government, if ordained by God, is limited by the law of God. And 
 if it oversteps the law of God, it oversteps the boundary line of its authority, and ceases to be a govern- 
 ment, and has no title to be obeyed. Caesar, then, is no longer Csfisar, but, so far, simply a private man. 
 If the President of the United States orders his general to overthrow the Constitution he acts outside 
 his office, and on that outside ground he is not President, and can claim no rightful obedience. What a 
 legitimate government is the apostle does not here discuss. Nor does he raise the question of the right 
 of revolution. The only question before him is, What is the duty of the Christian to a government which 
 he acknowledges to be t7i6 government ?—£>. D. Wliedon. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 1 Let every soul ' be subject unto the 
 hio'her powers. For ^ there is no powei 
 
 8. 15; Dan. 2, 21 ; 4. 
 
 1. Every sovil— Not exactly the same as 
 every man. Our submission must be inward. 
 Chap. 2. 9 ; Acts 2. 43 ; Eph. 6. 6 ; Matt. 22. 
 27.— Beet. Be subject— Submit. The word 
 denotes that liind of submission which soldiers 
 render to their oificers. It implies svbordina- 
 tion, a willingness to occupy our proper place, 
 to yield to the authority of those over us. The 
 word used here does not designate the exte7d of 
 the submission, but merely enjoins it in general. 
 176 
 
 Bevised Version. 
 
 13 Let every soul be in subjection 
 to tlie liiglier powers: for there is no 
 
 The general principle will be seen to be, that 
 we are to obey in all things which are not con- 
 trary to the law of God. — Barnes. Higher 
 powers— The apostle uses the abstract, and not 
 the concrete. It is the government that is of 
 God, not neeessaril_y the particular governor. — 
 Wliedon. No power but of God— The very 
 existence of civil authority is the work of God, 
 who has so constituted society that men are 
 compelled to appoint rulers, and thus create 
 
June 22, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Rom. 13. 1-10. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 but of God : tlie powers that be arc 
 ■ordained of God. 
 
 2 Wliosoc'ver therefore resistetli the 
 power, resistetli tlie ordinance of God: 
 and they that resist shall receive to 
 themselves danuuition. 
 
 ;3 For 'rulers are not a terror to good 
 works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then 
 not be afraid of the power ? Do * that 
 whicli is good, and thou shalt have 
 praise of the same: 
 
 4 For lie is the minister of God to 
 
 I Or, ordcreil. > i Sam. ii. 3 
 
 authority. — Beet. Ordained of God— By tliis 
 we are not to infer, (1) That he ajiproves their 
 conduct; nor (2) Tliat what tliey do is alway.s 
 right; nor (3) That it is our duty ahvai/g to sub- 
 mit to them. Their requirements m«y be op- 
 posed to the law of God, then we are to obey 
 God rather than man. Acts 4. 19 ; 5. 29.— 
 Barnes. We may observe that the apostle here 
 pays no regard to the question of the duty of 
 Christians in revolutionary movements. Ilis 
 precepts regard an established power, be it what 
 it may. It, in all matters lawful, we are bound 
 to obey. — Alford. 
 
 The Romans to whom Paul wrote were under 
 the rule, and lived not many yards from the pal- 
 ace o( the Emperor Nero, whose Is one of the 
 names In history most conspicuous for tyranny 
 and blood. Yet, bad as he w^as, and bad as was 
 his povernment, it was the best thing of which 
 the age was capable. When he was assassinated 
 a series of civil wars and of brief tyrannies suc- 
 ceeded, under which the empire declined to its 
 final fall under the incoming flood of the north- 
 ern barbarians, under which the ancient society 
 perished.— Tr;ic<fo/j. 
 
 2. "WTiosoever . . . resisteth. the power- 
 That is, they who rise up against government it- 
 teif, who seek anarchy and confusion, and who 
 oppose the regular execution of the laws. Ke- 
 sisteth [Kev.Ver., Withstandeth] theordinance 
 of God — What God has ordained or appointed. 
 This means clearly that we arc to regard govern- 
 ment as instituted by God, and as agreeable to 
 his will. When established, we are not to be 
 agitated about the titles of the rulers, not to 
 enter into angry contentions, or to refuse to sub- 
 mit to them because we are apprehensive of a 
 defect in their title, or because they may have 
 obtained it by oppression. If the government 
 is established, and if its decisions are not a man- 
 ifest violation of the laws of God, we arc to sub- 
 mit to them.— .fiam«. To themselves dam- 
 13 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 power but of God; and the jiowers 
 
 2 tliat be are ordained of God. There- 
 fore lie that resisteth the power, with- 
 standeth the ordinance of God: and 
 tliey that witiistand shall receive to 
 
 3 themselves judgment. For rulers are 
 not a terror to the good work, but to 
 the evil. And wouldest thou have no 
 fear of the power? do tiiat which is 
 good, and thou shalt have praise from 
 
 4 the same : for ' he is a minister of God 
 
 nation [Kev. Ver., Jud(/matt.\ — For " damna- 
 tion,'''' read " cimdemnation," punishment for 
 that disobedience, not eternal perdition, being 
 meant. — Alford. That is, not from the magi.s- 
 trate, but from God, whose authority in the mag- 
 istrate's is resisted. — D. Brown. 
 
 3. Bulers are not a terror — The apostle 
 here speaks of rulers in (jeueral. It may not 
 be 'universally true that they are not a terror to 
 good works, for many of them have persecuted 
 the good ; but it is generally true that they who 
 are virtuous have nothing to fear from the laws. 
 It is vniversalhj true that the design of their ap- 
 pointment by God was not to injure and oppress 
 the good, but to detect and punish tlie evil. 
 Magistrates, as sucli, are not a terror to good 
 works.— ^ar?j«.s. To good works [Rev. Ver., 
 To the good worJcs.] — Actions are personified, as 
 if capable of fear. — Beet. It is appointed to 
 protect the good against the evil ; to restrain op- 
 pression, injustice, and iraud ; to bring offenders 
 to justice, and thus promote the peace and har- 
 mony of the community. As it is designed to 
 promote order and happiness, it should be sub- 
 mitted to. — Barnes. Not be afraid— Fear is 
 one of the means by which men are restrained 
 from crime in a commmiity. On many minds 
 it operates with much more power than any 
 other motive. And it is one which a magis- 
 trate must make use of to restrain men from evU. 
 Praise of the same — You sliall bo unmolested 
 and uninjured, and shall receive the commenda- 
 tion of being peaceable and upright citizens. 
 The prospect of that protection, and even of that 
 reputation, is not an unworthy motive to yield 
 obedience to the laws. — Barnes. 
 
 4. He is the minister of God— Though as 
 pagan, antichristian, or worldly, the government 
 is, according to Daniel, a beast,, yet as a con- 
 servator of society required by the divinely es- 
 tablished laws of human nature, the governor is 
 
 177 
 
Rom. 13. 1-10. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Second Quaetee» 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 thee for good. But if thou do that 
 which is evil, be afraid ; for lie beareth 
 not the sword in vain: for he is the min- 
 ister of God, a revenger to execute wrath 
 upon him that doeth evil. 
 
 5 Wherefore ^ ye must needs be sub- 
 ject, not only for wrath, but also for 
 conscience' sake. 
 
 6 For, for this cause pay ye tribute 
 also: for they are God's ministers, at- 
 tending continually upon this very 
 thing. 
 
 7 Render * therefore to all their dues: 
 tribute to whom ivihntQ is due ; custom 
 to whom custom ; '' fear to whom fear ; 
 honour to whom honour. 
 
 8 Owe no man any thing, but to love 
 
 -6 Luke 20. 25.- 
 
 the minister of God. — Wheel on. Beareth. not 
 the sword in vain — The sword, perhap.s in 
 allusion to the dagger worn by the Csesai-s, which 
 was regarded as a symbol of the power of life 
 and death. In ancient and modern times the 
 sword has been carried before sovereigns.— .4^- 
 ford. A revenger to execute wrath [Rev. 
 Ver., An, avenger for tvra(h.]—^Proof that the 
 ruler's sword is no vain thing. God has put 
 him in his place of authority in order that he 
 may e.\ecute his anger against those who do 
 wrong. — £eeL It betokens the character of the 
 vengeance — that it issues in wrath. — Alford. 
 According to the apostle the ruler is of God only 
 as a revenger upon him that doeth evil. He is 
 not a minister of God when he is the execution- 
 er of the good. — Wliedon. 
 
 5. Ye must needs be subject — There is a 
 moral necessity for subjection— one not only of 
 terror, but of conscience ; conip. '■'■for the Lord's 
 sake.'''' 1 Peter 2. — Alford. For conscience' 
 sake — We are now bound to submit, not only 
 for fear of punishment, (a well-grounded fear,) 
 but also in order to have a consciousness that we 
 are doing right. — Beet. 
 
 6. For this cause pay ye [Eev. Ver., ye 
 ^ay.J— Proof, from the fact that we pay tribute, 
 that our conscience binds us to submission. We 
 actually pay taxes. Paul assumes, and all will 
 admit, that we are bound to do so ; and shows 
 that the obligation to obedience rests on the same 
 ground as does tliis admitted obligation. — Beet. 
 Pay ye tribute — Primarily, the payment im- 
 posed upon us by a foreign power, such as the 
 Romans over the Jews. Secondarily, it means 
 the tax necessary to the support of government. 
 — Whedon. God's ministers [Rev. Ver., Min- 
 
 178 
 
 Eevised Version. 
 
 to thee for good. But if thou do that 
 which is evil, be afraid ; for ^ he 
 beareth not the sword in vain : for ' he 
 is a minister of God, an avenger for 
 
 5 wrath to him that doeth evil. "Where- 
 fore ye must needs be in subjection, 
 not only because of the wrath, but 
 
 6 also for con.science sake. For for 
 this cause ye pay tribute also; for they 
 are ministers of God's service, attend- 
 ing continually upon this very thing. 
 
 7 Render to all tlieir dues: tribute to 
 whom tribute is due ; custom to whom 
 custom; fear to whom fear; honour 
 to whom honour. 
 
 8 Owe no man any thing, save to love 
 
 aOr, i 
 
 isters of God''s service.'] — It is used in Exod. 28. 
 35, 43, etc., of Aaron's ministry at the altar. It 
 is difi'erent from, and stronger than, " minister'* 
 in verse 4 ; and denotes a public and sacred offi- 
 cer.— 5«e^. Attending continually— Spend- 
 ing tlieir time and abilities in the very business 
 of government, and, therefore, entitled to sup- 
 port. — Whedon. To this very thing — To this 
 sacred ministration. Paul says that our admit- 
 ted obligation to pay taxes rests upon the sacred 
 authority of the power which imposes them. 
 Since this obligation cannot otherwise be ac- 
 counted for, it affords confirmation of the teach- 
 ing that the rulers of the state are ordained by 
 God. — Beet.. Tertullian remarks that what the 
 Romans lost by the Christians refusing to be- 
 stow gifts on their temples they gained by their 
 conscientious payment of taxes. — Alford. 
 
 7. Render, therefore— Free yourselves from 
 all debts by paying them. Tribute . . . cus- 
 tom . . . fear . . . honor — Tribute is direct 
 payment for state purposes ; custom is toil, or 
 tax on produce. Fear to those set over us and 
 having power, honor to those, but likewise to 
 all, on whom the state has conferred distinction. 
 —Alfo-rd. Honor— A mark of respect; of re- 
 spect, in this case, for the office of the ruler. 
 This respect is independent of our estimate of 
 the man who holds the office. — Beet. 
 
 8. Owe no man— The debt due to the state 
 autliorities suggests another debt due to each of 
 our fellow-citizens. And Paul uses the general 
 exhortation, expressed now in negative form, to 
 press upon us our obligation to love all men. 
 Any thing— This does not forbid contracts to 
 pay at a future time, but a violation of the con- 
 tract, or the violation of any obligation to pay 
 
June 22, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Rom. 13. 1-10. 
 
 Authorized Version. 
 
 one another: ' for he that loveth another 
 hath fulfilled the law. 
 
 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit 
 adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Tliou 
 shalt not steal, Tiiou shalt not bear false 
 witness, Tiiou siialt not covet; and if 
 there he any other comnmndment, it is 
 briefly comprehendeti in this saying, 
 namely, Thou " shalt love thy neighbour 
 as thyself. 
 
 10 Love w'orketh no ill to his neigh- 
 bour: therefore love w the fulfilling of 
 the law. 
 
 19. lt<, Gnl. 6. 14. Col. 3. 14. 
 
 when justly due. We must avail ourselves of 
 no technicality of law to avoid what is equitably 
 due. In short, we must obey the golden rule in 
 the moneyed transactions ot life. Tiie law of 
 equitable love must underlie our business deal- 
 ings. — Whedon. But to love one another — 
 There is one debt from wliioh we can never re- 
 lease ourselves by payment. However much we 
 have done for our neighbor, we are still bound 
 toloveliim. — Bett. " /by all other debts ; be in- 
 debted in the matter of love alone." This debt 
 increases the more the more it is paid, because 
 the practice of love makes the principle of love 
 deeper and more active. — Al/ord. Fulfilled the 
 la'vir — He who practices love, tfie hujher dutij, 
 has, even before he does this, fulfilled the law, 
 the lower. — De Welti'. By the word knv is meant 
 not the Christian law, but the Mosaic law of the 
 decalogue. 
 
 9 Thou shalt not — The negative form for- 
 bids every possible course but the right one, and 
 so hems us in to the right. It is implied by 
 this negative form that the directions toward 
 wrong are innumerable, and man's impulses to- 
 ward them as countless. — Whedon. Compre- 
 hended—That is, brought under one head— 
 " united in the one principle from which all 
 flow." — Al/ord. 
 
 10. Love worketh no ill — The principle of 
 love is personitied, as in 1 Cor. 13. It moves us 
 to do good to those we love, and thus prevents 
 us from doing them harm. But to keep us back 
 from injuring others is the purpose of the above 
 commandments. Tlierefore, love accomplishes 
 this purpose. — Beet. Fulfilling of the law — 
 All the commandments of the law above cited 
 are negative ; the formal fulfillment of them is, 
 therefore, attained by xcorking no ill to one's 
 neighbor. What greater things love works he 
 does not now say ; \X, fuljills the law by abstain- 
 ing from that which the law forbids.— Al/ord. 
 
 Revised Version. 
 
 one another: for lie that loveth * his 
 neighbour hath fulfilled 'the law. 
 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adul- 
 tery. Thou slialt not kill, Thou shalt 
 not steal. Thou shalt not covet, and 
 if there be any other commandment, 
 it is summed up in this word, namely. 
 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 
 
 10 thyself. Love worketh no ill to his 
 neighbour: love therefore is the ful- 
 filment of " the law. 
 
 -»Or, /ou>. 9 Or, law. 
 
 This love is exercised in obedience to the author- 
 ity o/ God^s word. It is a principle, not merely 
 a feeling; it is cultivated and exercised as a 
 duty, not yielded to merely a.s a generou.s In- 
 stinct; it is a submission to tiod's command, 
 not merely an mdulgence of constitutional ten- 
 derness.— t/. A. James. 
 
 If all men would at once ahandon that which 
 is fitted to u-ork ill to others, what an influence 
 would It have on the business and coiniiierclal 
 affairs of men ? How many plans of fraud and 
 dishonesty would it at once arrest? How many 
 schemes would It crush? It would silence the 
 voice of the slanderer; It would stay the plans of 
 the seducer and the adulterer; it would put an 
 end to cheating and fraud and all schemes of dis- 
 honest gain. The gambler desires the property 
 of his neighbor without any compensation, and 
 thus works ill to him. The dealer In lotteries de- 
 sires property for which he has never toiled, and 
 which must be obtained at the expense and loss 
 of others. And there are many cmjiloyincnts all 
 whose tendency is to work ill to a neighbor. This 
 is pre-eminently true of the traffic in ardent s}yir- 
 its. It cannot do him good, and the almost uni- 
 form result is to deprive him of his property, 
 health, reputation, peace, and domestic comfort. 
 He that sells his neighbor liquid Ore, knowing 
 what must be the result of it, is not pursuing a 
 business which works no ill to him ; and love to 
 that neighbor would prompt him to abandon the 
 traffic— Barnes. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See on Les.sons X, XI, and Keble's Christian 
 Year. Sunday Magazine, 1871, 303. Sermons, 
 by A. Barnes, (in National Preacher, vol. xii,) 
 Supremacy of the Laws ; J. Howe, Reformation 
 of Manners ; R. South, Obedience for Conscience' 
 Sake; Archbishop Lcighton, (same subject;) A. 
 W. Hare, Love the Fulfilling of the Law; C. G. 
 Finney, Love the Whole of Religion ; Arch- 
 bisliop Trench, The Armor of Light. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of llluatrations, [numbers marked 
 
Rom. 13, 1-10. 
 
 LESSON XIT. 
 
 Second Quarter. 
 
 ■with a star refer to poetical illustrations,] vers, i 
 1: *2809, 6632; 2: 2648, 6633; 3: *1186, 9170; j 
 4 : *1565, 10910 ; 5 : 2810, 4157 ; 6 : 9164, 10040 ; [ 
 7: *1849, 8196; 8: 7896; 9: 10723; 10: 1717, j 
 9211. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 CHRISTIANITY AND THE STATE. 
 
 1. The Gospel requires a loyal obedience to 
 the authority of the state. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The Gospel recognizes the constituted gov- 
 ernment as ordained and instituted by the King 
 of kings, and, therefore, to be held in reverence. 
 Ver. 1. 
 
 3. The Gospel gives to human law the sanc- 
 tion of a divine authority, with divine penalties 
 for its infraction. Ver. 2. 
 
 4. The Gospel gives to the state not only the 
 authority of human powers, but the authority of 
 conscience. Ver. 5. 
 
 5. The Gospel commands men to pay the 
 taxes which are necessary for the maintenance 
 of government. Ver. 6. 
 
 6. The Gospel commands men to hold in due 
 respect all who are the officers of the govern- 
 ment. Ver. 7. 
 
 7. The Gospel commands as a motive leading 
 to uprightness in all relations, universal love. 
 Ver. 10. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. JOHN WILLIAMSON, D.D. 
 
 I, The Lesson iii General Affirms : 
 
 a. It is the Divine order that the Individual 
 should obey the state. 
 
 b. The individual readily obeys the state when he 
 has learned to love his neighbor as himself. 
 
 II. Tfie Lesson in Particular Affirms : 
 
 1. a. A special reason, by Implication, for this au- 
 thoritative exhortation to political loyalty. 
 
 b. Contrary to early, and even modern, Christian 
 suspicion, Christ is not a civil ruler. 
 180 
 
 c. Civil government is not fortuitous nor 
 usurpation, but providential. 
 
 d. The penalties Inflicted by civil government 
 against law-breakers are in reality dispensations of 
 Divine providence. 
 
 e. The tendencies of civil administrations are sal- 
 utary. 
 
 /. Righteousness rejoices in peace and security 
 under any flag. 
 
 g. Civil government has the Divine right to inflict 
 capital punishment. 
 
 h. The authority of civil government should be 
 obeyed, not through fear of its power merely, but as 
 a positive Christian duty— one way to obey God. 
 
 i. Reverence, too, for political superiors, such by 
 providential appointment and continuance, is a 
 golden Christian duty. 
 
 2. a. It is unchristian to owe more than a single 
 debt. 
 
 b. The profound philosophy of the Christian re- 
 ligion : one cannot love without serving the object 
 of his affection. 
 
 c. Supreme love for God, and for one's neighbor 
 as himself, postulates all human duty. 
 
 d. If any item of consciousness is perfectly clear, 
 it is the extent to which each one loves himself ; no 
 one is the least in doubt as to the quantity and value 
 of his self-love. It hath pleased God to sanctify 
 this plain and positive consciousness as the criterion 
 by which one may know when he is loving his 
 neighbor sufficiently. 
 
 6. To love one's neighbor as himself is imprac- 
 ticable, because unnatural, until by the enabling 
 grace of God one's nature is entirely transformed, 
 renewed, sanctified. 
 
 III. Lesson S2tggestions : 
 
 a. Civil authority asserting itself in revolutionary 
 right should receive a Christian's support. 
 
 b. No human government has the right to com- 
 mand what the law of God has forbidden. 
 
 c. When civil authority directs one way, as in 
 rare Instances it has done, and Divine authority 
 opposes, " men ought to obey God rather than man," 
 and take the consequences— such is real martyrdom. 
 
 d. Political socialism is without warrant, or even 
 recognition, in the administration of heaven. 
 
INTRODUCTION TO THE LESSONS OF THE THIRD AND 
 FOURTH QUARTERS. 
 
 I. General ViCAV of the Period. 
 
 The lessens of the Third ami Fourth Qiiartors re- 
 late to the history of what Is known as " the (iolden 
 Age of Israel," the eighty years fi-oin the accession 
 of David to the death of Solomon. They present to 
 us the remarkable progress in the Twelve Tribes, 
 by which, in the compass of a siuKle reipn, the 
 b<iundarles of Israel were extended twenty fold, and 
 an empitv founded whlcli rivaled those of Assyria 
 and Babylon in power. On the death of Saul, the 
 flrst kinjr, Israel was left in a helpless, divided, 
 hopeless condition. The Philistines, not content 
 with their hereditary jiossessions along the coast 
 plain, had climbed the niountaflis and made them- 
 selves masters of the strongholds, and reduced Is- 
 rael to a state of subjection. The Twelve Tribes 
 were disorganized, for, added to the rivalry of Jir 
 dah and Ephraim, was the fact of two kingdoms 
 one under Abner, Saii's uncle, the general and 
 statesman of his age, who had set up Ishbosheth 
 Saul's son, as a puppet-king at Mahanalm, east of 
 the Jordan ; wliile David was recognized as king by 
 the tribe of Judah. After seven years of civil strife 
 Ishboshetli's tottering throne fell, and all Israel rec- 
 ognized David as its rightful sovereign. Atonce be- 
 gan an era of conquest. David's (Irst work was the 
 subjugation of his own territory, in which the most 
 Important fi>rti-e.sses were garrisoned by the Philis- 
 tines, the Canaanites, and the Jebusites. He took the 
 height of Zion from the Jebusites, and made it hiscap- 
 Ital under the new name of Jerusalem. Under its 
 ■walls he twice dlscomflted the Philistines, and then 
 followed uphis victory by taklngGath, their capital. 
 He made all the lowlands, both by the Mediterra- 
 nejin and in the Jordan valley, submit to his rule. 
 He conquered the lands on the frontier— Moab, 
 Amnion, and Syria— until at last the boundaries of 
 his empire reached the full extent of the promise 
 to Joshua four centuries before, " from the river of 
 Egypt even unto the great river, the river Euphra- 
 tes." This great kingdom he organized, consoli- 
 dated, and transmitted to his son Solomon, who 
 reigned over it In peace for forty years. There 
 were shadows to the bright picture, in the sins of 
 David and Solomon, the rivalries in the court and 
 the harem, the oppressions of the people ; yet this 
 was undoubtedly the age when Israel was at its best 
 estate, both with regard to the extent of its domin- 
 ion, the organization of its government, the purity 
 of Its woi-ship, and the religions character of its 
 people. 
 
 II. Literature of the Epoch. 
 
 The age of David and Solomon Wiw a period of 
 great activity in Hebrew literature. The order of 
 prophets had been Instituted by Samuel In the gen- 
 eration preceding ; and to thai order David him- 
 eell, as well as Uud and Nathan, belonged. The 
 
 prophetji were not only inspired teachers, but con- 
 servaU)rs of the litei-ature already written, and au- 
 thors of many b<joks. The Law of Moses now 
 received attention, after its long neglect during 
 the period of the Judges ; was arranged Into some- 
 thing Iik<! its present shape from earlier documenU, 
 and began to be the subject of study. The books 
 of Samuel were probably completed from the writ- 
 ings of the last of the Judges ; and many of the 
 Psalms were written by David, partly from the 
 breathing of his poetic nature in his varied circum- 
 stances, partly as songs for the services of the 
 sanctuary on Zion and the temple on Moriah. The 
 books to which the lessons of these two quarters 
 belong are 2 Satnuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chronicles, Psalms, 
 Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. 
 
 III. The Lessons. 
 
 Having taken a general view, let us notice some 
 of the most important events of the history as con- 
 tained in the lessons. 
 
 1. Connected with the accession and earlier por- 
 tion of David's reign are Lessons I, II, III, IV, of the 
 Third Quarter. In these we see David, after seven 
 years of rule over Judah, crowned king of all Is- 
 rael, subjecting his dominion, providing for the 
 worship of God, and showing kindness to the fallen 
 hou.se of Saul. At this time his throne was at its 
 height of power and glory. 
 
 2. Suddenly a cloud gathers over the scene, and 
 in Lessons V, VI, VII, VIII, we see David sinning 
 and suffering. There is the cry of penitence for 
 guilt before God ; there Is the sad story of Absa- 
 lom's wickedness and fate ; there is the account of 
 the pestilence which followed the attempt to 
 " number the people." These lessons show us the 
 Siid results of sin, but, with these, the mercy of God. 
 
 3. The last four lessons of the Third Quarter are 
 from the Psalms. They are of micertain date, but 
 have been referred, without authority of Scripture, 
 to events in the life of David, by whose pen most. 
 If not all, these particular psalms were written. 
 
 4. The Urst three lessons of the Fourth Quarter 
 belong to the opening of Solomon's reign and relate 
 the events leading to and connected with his acces- 
 sion, about B. C. 1015. 
 
 5. Then follow Lessons IV, V, VI, with an account 
 of the great work of Solomon's reign, the building 
 of the temple, and the vi.sit of the Queen of Sheba. 
 
 C. Lesson VII, Fourth Quarter, stands alone as 
 the record of Solomon's sin, the shameful fall of 
 one who enjoyed rare privilege of knowledge and 
 opi)orlunity. 
 
 7. The last five les.sons of the year are taken from 
 the writings of Solomon, the Proverbs, and the 
 Book of Ecclesiastes. The Proverbs are mainly the 
 •vork of Solomon ; but the opinions of critics differ 
 as to the authorship of Ecclesiastes, some regarding 
 it as the work of a later writer. 
 
 181 
 
July 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Third Quaetee. 
 
 THIRD QUARTER. 
 
 THREE JMONTHS TTITII D^VID .AJSX) THE FS^^^JLIvIS. 
 
 B. C. 1046.] 
 
 LESSON L 
 
 David King over all Israel. — 2 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 [July 6. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— I have found David my servant, with my holy oil have I anointed him. 
 
 —PSA. 89. 20. 
 
 TiME.-B. C, 1046. 
 
 Places.— Hebron, in the tribe of Judah, and Jerusalem. 
 
 Introduction.— On the death of Saul at the battle of Mount Gilbo*, B. C. 1055, the tribe of Judah 
 made David their kins. But Abner, Saul's uncle, a man of great statesmanship and vigor, established 
 himself with the remnant of Saul's family at Mahanaim, on the east of the Jordan, and there set up 
 Ishbosheth, Saul's son, as nominal king. Gradually the tribes gathered around him, until Anally nearly 
 all, except Judah, recognized his authority. War arose between the two segments of the kingdom, re- 
 sulting in the growing power of David and the decline of Abner's influence. At length, both Abner and 
 Ishbosheth were murdered, and then the events of this lesson began.— J. L. H. The consummation to 
 which events in God's providence had been leading was now come. Saul and Jonathan, Abner and 
 Ishbosheth, were all dead ; there was no one of the house of Saul capable of taking the lead ; David was 
 already head of a very large portion of Israel ; the Philistines, and perhaps the remnant of the Canaan- 
 Ites, were restless and threatening ; and it was obviously the interest of the Israelitish nation to unite 
 themselves under the sovereignty of the valiant and virtuous son of Jesse, their former deliverer, and 
 the man designated by the word of God as their captain and shepherd. Accordingly he was at once 
 anointed king over all Israel.— Bis^iop Hervcy. Nothing could be more propitious than the dawTi of the 
 new reign. All the tribes were Qnally united as a nation, the various parties among them reconciled, 
 and the popular desires in the way of realization. David stood before all as king by their own choice, 
 and thus the principle had been asserted that the crown of Israel was no mere hereditary appanage of a 
 family, but the gift of the people freely assembled to him who, by his evident fitness, showed that he 
 had an inner and higher calling to assume it. Would David keep to his coronation oath? Would he fulfill 
 their expectations ? They did not need to wait long to be able to decide respecting this. His genius and 
 statesmanship were seen in his first step.— C. Geikie. 
 
 1 Then ' came all the tribes of Is'ra-el 
 to Da'vid unto He'bron, and spake, say- 
 
 IChrOD. 12.23. 
 
 1. Then — We hold that David was not rec- 
 ognized as king by all Israel immediately 
 after the death of Ishbosheth. The connective 
 then, with which this chapter begins, does not 
 always imply immediate sequence, (Exod. 2. 2,) 
 but may pass over an interval of years whose 
 history it was not the purpose of the writer to 
 record. If all the Israelites were confounded 
 at the assassination of Abner, (chap. 4. 1,) 
 the alarm and astonishment were not likely to 
 grow less with the similar death of Saul's son, 
 and it is every way probable that several years 
 were allowed to pass before all the tribes agreed 
 to submit to David. — M. S. Terry. All the 
 tribes of Israel — The " congregation of Israel," 
 or national assembly, composed of all the war- 
 riors of the nation above the age of twenty who 
 182 
 
 ing, Behold, ' we are thy bone and thy 
 flesh. 
 
 OGen. 29. 14. 
 
 chose to come, met to elect David king. — Cam- 
 bridge Bible. Hebron {Friendship.) — An an- 
 cient town of Palestine, about twenty miles 
 south of Jerusalem, and the same distance north 
 of Beensheba, first called Kirjath-arba, or "city 
 of Arba," the father of Anak. Josh. 21. 11 ; 15. 
 13, 14 ; Judges 1. 10. It lies about three 
 thousand feet above the level of the sea, 
 and is one of the oldest towns in the world. 
 The town has many spacious houses built of 
 stone, and numbers about ten thousand souls, 
 including five hundred Jews, but there is not a 
 single Christian family there. The city is di- 
 vided into several quarters, in one of wliich is 
 the great mosque, a massive structure about two 
 hundred by one liundred and fiil:y feet on the 
 ground and nearly fifty feet high, with two 
 
July 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 2 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 2 Also in time past, when Saul was 
 king over ns, ' thou wast he that leddest 
 out and broughtest in Is'm-el : and the 
 Loud said to thee, Tiion * slialt feed 
 my people Is'ra-el, and thou shalt be a 
 captain over Is'ra-el. 
 
 • 1 Smii. W. 13.- 
 
 Sjiin. 16. 1. chnp. 1. 1; Pm. 78. 71. 
 
 mhiarets. This mosque is known to concetil 
 tlie noted cave of Muolipelah, the buriul-place of 
 Abmliain, Ismio, an>l Jacob, and their wivesi 
 except Rachel. The mosque is closed against 
 visitors, and jfuarded with the strictest care by 
 tlie Moslems.— 5cA(jjf. And spake — Three 
 reiLsons, arranged in the order of their impor- 
 tance, are given for electing David king : the tie 
 of relationship, his proved capacity as a mili- 
 tary leader, the Divine choice. The first and 
 third correspond to the precept of Deut. 17. 15 ; 
 with tlio second compare chap. 3. 17. — Cum- 
 brulye Bible. Thy bone and thy flesh— Thy 
 blood relations, for we are all descended from 
 Jacob, our common father. — TeiTy. So all 
 Israel say to David ; and so, as Paul teaches, 
 the Church may say to Christ, (secEph. 5. 30,) 
 " for we are ot his tlesh and of his bones," and, 
 by his exaltation to the heavenly Jerusalem, is 
 made king over all true Israelites, and is 
 become our second Adam in glory, joining to 
 himself a universal Eve from all nations. — 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 2. Thou wast he that leddest — David pos- 
 sessed the first and indispensable qualification 
 for the throne, namely, that of being an Israel- 
 ite, (Deut. 17. 15 ;) of his military talent he had 
 furnished ample proof, and the people's de.sire 
 for his a.ssumption of the government of Israel 
 was further increased by their knowledge of the 
 will and purpose of God, as declared by Sam- 
 u<5l. 1 Sam. It). 11-13.— .ff. Jamieson. The 
 Ijord said— This prophecy, like that of chap. 
 3. 18, is nowhere else reconled, but had proba- 
 bly been uttered by one of tlie prophets of that 
 age. — Tei-ry. Thou shalt feed — Literally, 
 " thou shalt shphii-d."' Tliis is the first time we 
 find a governor described in Scripture as pastor 
 of the people; afterward the name is much ased 
 by the prophets, particularly Ezekiel (34. 23,) 
 and many other places. Whence our Lord 
 Christ is called " the Good Shepherd," and 
 " tlie Great Shepherd." — Erdmann. 
 
 He that is faithful in a little desenes to be in- 
 trusted with more. Former good offices done for 
 us should be gratefully remembered by us when 
 there Is occasion. — 3/. Ilinm. 
 
 3. All the elders of Israel — From vcr.-e 1, 
 
 3 So ' all the elders of Is'ra-el came to 
 tlie king to He'bron; • and king Da'- 
 vid made a league witli them in He'bron 
 'before the Lokd: and they anointed 
 Da'vid king over Is'ra-el. 
 
 4 Da'vid was thirty years old when he 
 
 11. 3. — • 8 King. 11. 17.— ''JiidK. 11.11; I Sum. S3. 18. 
 
 and 1 Chron. 12. 23-40, it is evident that a gen- 
 ' eral assembly of the nation, and not merely a 
 I few delegates, met at Hebron ; here the elders 
 are particularly specified becau.se they acted as 
 the representatives of the people in negotiating 
 with David. Made a league — This " league " 
 was probably a solemn contract in which the 
 king on tlie one hand engaged to rule according 
 to the laws, and the people on the other hand 
 promised him their allegiance. Some kind of 
 a charter, defining the king's rights, was in ex- 
 istence, (1 Sam. 10, 25;) and later on we find 
 the people demanding some limitation of these 
 rights. 1 Kings 12. 3, If. The Israelite mon- 
 archy was not an absolute and irresponsible dnn- 
 l>oii»m.—Cainl)rid(/e Bible. Before the Lord 
 — By a solemn appeal to Jehovah as witness of 
 the vows they all took upon themselves. This 
 whole transaction was done as if all realized that 
 they were in the very presence of Jehovah. — 
 Terry. Abiathar and Zadok, the priests, were 
 both with David, and the tiibernacle and altar 
 may have been at Hebron, though the ark was 
 at Kirjath-jearim. — Bishop Jhrcoj. Anointed 
 David king — David had already been anointed 
 by Samuel. 1 Sam. 16. 13. But just as Saul 
 was first secretly anointed by Samuel, (1 Sam. 
 10. 1,) and afterward made king by all the peo- 
 ple at Gilgal, (chap. 11. 14, 15,) so it was with 
 David. His first anointing indicated God's se- 
 cret purpose, his second the accomplishment of 
 tliat purpose. The interval between the anoint- 
 ing of the Lord Jesus as the Christ of God, and 
 his taking to himself his kingdom and glory, 
 seem to be thus typified. David was anointed 
 again king over Israel. Chap. a. 3. — Biiihop 
 Jkrvey. The Book of Chronicles contains fur- 
 ther interesting details about this assembly at 
 Hebron. 1 Chron. 12. 23-40. The numbers of 
 fighting men sent by each tribe are preserved, 
 amounting to a total of nearly 350,000. Stress is 
 laid on the unanimity of feeling, and the gen- 
 end rejoicing with which David's anointing was 
 celebrated in a three days' festival. — Cambridgt 
 Bible. 
 
 4. Thirty years old — The prime of life ; the 
 age at which the Levittjs entered upon their 
 duties, (Num. 4. 3 ;) at which young men com* 
 188 
 
2 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 began to reign; ^and he reigned forty 
 years. 
 
 5 In He'bron lie reigned over Ju'dah 
 * seven years and six months ; and in 
 Je-ru'sa lem he reigned thirty and three 
 years over all Is'ra-el and Ju'dah. 
 
 6 And the king and his men went '" to 
 Je-ru'sa-lem iiuto '' the Jeb'u-sites, the 
 
 »Judg. 1. 21. 
 
 menced to take part in public business in Greece ; 
 at which Joseph was made ruler over Egypt, 
 (Gen. 41. 46;) at which Jesus Christ was 
 "anointed with the Holy Ghost" in his bap- 
 tism, and began his public ministry. Lulie 3. 23. 
 — Cambridge Bible. If David was twenty years 
 old at the time he slew Goliath, four years in 
 Saul's service, four years of wandering from 
 place to place, one year and four months in 
 the country of the Philistines, a few months 
 after Saul's death would make up the ten years 
 necessarv to bring him to the age of thirty. — 
 £ishop Ikrvey. 
 
 6. The king — David, now ruler over all the 
 tribes. His men — The soldiers, many of whom 
 had followed David through all his years of 
 exile. To Jerusalem — Political, civil, and mil- 
 itary considerations jiointed to Jerusalem as the 
 most suitable capital for the united kingdom, 
 (a) Its position within the territory of Benjamin, 
 yet close upon the borders of Judah, (or, as 
 some think, and as may be indicated by the pas- 
 sage quoted above, partly in one tribe, partly in 
 the othur,) was excellently adapted for binding 
 together the two royal tribes, and conciliating 
 the good-will of Benjamin without alienating 
 Judah. (b) Its situation was virtually central 
 not only with regard to these two great tribes, 
 but for the whole land. " It was on the ridge 
 of the backbone of liills which extended through 
 the whole country from the desert to the plain 
 of Esdraelon. Every traveler who has trod the 
 central route of Palestine from north to south 
 must have passed through the table-land of Je- 
 rusalem." — Stanley's " Sinai and Palestine," p. 
 176. (cj As a military post it was unrivaled. 
 It stood on a rocky plateau, surrounded on tliree 
 si les l>y deep ravines forming a natural fortress 
 of almost impregnable strength. — Cambridge 
 Bible. The Jebusites — An ancient tribe de- 
 scended from Canaan, .son of Ham, (Gen. 10. Ifi,) 
 who from the days of Abraliam liad been well- 
 known hihabitanU of the land. They were a 
 most hardy and warlike tribe, as is shown from 
 their ability to maintain their ancient position in 
 Central Palestine so long. — Terry. 'Whicli 
 
 inhabitants of the land ; which spake 
 unto Da'vid, saying. Except thou tak« 
 away the blind and tlie lame, thou 
 shalt not come in hither: "thinking, 
 Da'vid cannot come in hither. 
 
 7 Nevertiieless Da'vid took the strong 
 hold of Zi'on : the same i& the city of 
 Da'vid. 
 
 • Josh. 15. 63 ; Jiid». 
 
 spake unto David — Having first proposed its 
 peaceable surrender, perhaps in return for pay- 
 ment of money, he received only an insultin^^ 
 refusal.— C Geikie. The blind and the lame 
 — The passage should be rendered thus: '■'•and 
 (the Jebusite) sfake to David, saying, Thon 
 shalt iiot come hither, but the blind arod the lame 
 shall keep thee of," that is, so far shalt thou be 
 from taking the stronghold from us that tha 
 lame and the blind shall suffice to defend the 
 place. — Bishop Hervey. To understand the full 
 meaning and force of this insulting taunt, it ia 
 neccssaiy to bear in mind the depth and steep- 
 ness of the valley of Gihon, and the lofty walls 
 of the ancient Canaanitish fortress.—^. Jamie- 
 son. Thinking— Hebrew, Saying. This word 
 either explains the purport of the saying of the 
 Jebusites, just recorded, or, which is simpler, 
 uidicates the words with which the blind and 
 the lame accompany their resistance, '■^ David 
 shall not come here.'''' — Bishop Hervey. The 
 The enemies of God's people are often very con- 
 fident of their own strength, and most secure 
 when their day to fall draws nigh. — M. Henry. 
 
 7. Nevertheless — Overcoming the precipi- 
 tous cliflfs and the battlements above them 
 guarded by the Jebusites. Stronghold of 
 Zion — This was probably the height between 
 the valley of Tyropceon on the west, and Hin- 
 nom on the south. It stands above the level of 
 the temple mountain, Moriah, and contains the 
 so-called tomb of David. City of David— So 
 named because it was first tlie conquest, then 
 the residence, and finally the tomb, of the gr«at 
 chieftain and king. The natural features of the 
 site of Jerusalem are briefly as follows: The 
 plateau on which the city stands is inclosed 
 on three sides by deep ravines, on the east by 
 the Valley of the Kidron, dividing the Temple 
 Mount from the Mount of Olives ; on the west 
 and south by the Valley of Hinnoin. It was, 
 originally divided by another valley, called by 
 Joseph us the Tyropceon Valley, now in great 
 part filled up with debris, which extended 
 northward from a point near the junction of the 
 Valley of Hinnoin, with the Kidron, and sep- 
 
JERUSALEM 
 
 (fruin the OrJnane© SurTej) 
 Scale EnullHh Yards 
 
 ^..X% 
 
 
 '9 
 
 ) K -'W' 
 
 135 
 
2 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 8 And Da'vid said on that day, Who- 
 soever getteth up to the gutter, and 
 smiteth the Jeb'u-sites, and the lame 
 and the blind, that are hated of Da'vid's 
 soul, " he shall he chief and captain. 
 ' Wherefore they said, The blind and 
 
 J Or, Because they bad said, even the blind 
 
 arated into two branches, one running west the 
 other north-west. " The ancient site thus con- 
 sisted of three principal hills, to east, north- 
 west, and south-west separated by deep val- 
 leys." — Cambridge Bible. According to an un- 
 contradicted tradition of centuries past, the 
 stronghold of Zion occupied the south-western 
 hill of the modern city, which overhangs the 
 deep valley of Hinnoni. This valley guarded 
 it on the west and south, while its northern and 
 eastern defense was the Tyropceon Valley. — 
 J/. S. Terry. 
 
 8. David said — In order to encourage his 
 followers to boldness in the difficult attack by 
 storm upon the fortress. Gettetli up to the 
 gutter— Literally, " to the water- spouts." Prob- 
 ably a term then well understood, referring to 
 the summit of the walls above the precipice. 
 Dr. Terry's note is as follows: The whole 
 verse is obscure, and appears to be an abridged 
 and broken transcription from a fuller docu- 
 ment. Our translators have attempted to amend 
 the passage by comparison with its parallel in 
 1 Chron. 11. 6. The word here rendered gut- 
 ter is rendered water-spout in Psa. 42. 7. Ge- 
 senius and Keil render it cataract. According 
 to Fiirst, it means a hollow passage, a water 
 oonduit. Adopting the last signification, we 
 refer it to the deep hollow beneath the citadel 
 and translate thus : Every one smiting a Jebn- 
 eite, let him thrust (him) into tliegiilf, (beneath,) 
 both the lame and the blind, (who) hatred the 
 soul of David. — 31. S. Terry. He shall be 
 chief— Promising the great reward of the chief 
 command of his forces to him who should 
 take it. a storming party clambered up the 
 precipice, overpowered the defenders above in 
 spite of all opposition ; Joab, the man whom 
 of all others David would have kept back, 
 winning the honors of the attack. — C. Geikie. 
 The sense is complete (as Bishop Patrick has 
 observed) without the addition of the words in 
 the Autliorized Version, " he shall be chief 
 and captain," which are indeed true, being 
 found in 1 Chron. 11. 6, but ought not to be 
 inserted here. — Wordsworth. Ewald translates 
 the passage metrically, thus : 
 
 the lame shall not come into the 
 house. 
 
 9 So Da'vid dwelt in the fort, and 
 called it, The city of Da'vid : and Da'vid 
 built round about "from Mil'lo and 
 inward. 
 
 and the lame, He shall 
 
 Kinga 
 
 Whoso shall conquer the Jebusite, 
 Let him liurl down from the cliff 
 The lame and the blind together, 
 Hated of David's soul. 
 
 "WTierefore they said— Instead of saying, We 
 wont have any disagreeable people in the house, 
 they said. The blind and the lame, etc. This 
 proverbial use of David's words is an instance 
 of the affection of the people for David, and is 
 recorded as such. — Bishop Herveij. Into the 
 house — Some (Bunsen, Thenius,) understand 
 by this the temple, and assume (with reference to 
 Acts 3. 2 ; John 9. 1 ; 8. 59) an old law, foi^ 
 bidding the blind and the lame to enter the 
 temple, which law the naiTator derives from 
 this incident. — Erdmann. 
 
 9. The fort— The same word in the Hebrew 
 as that rendered stronghold. Ver. Y. David 
 built round about — Probably meaning built 
 his own house, and other houses and streets, all, 
 in short, that caused it to be called the city of 
 David, which it would not have been called if 
 it had not been inhabited. — Bishop Hervey. 
 From Millo — Millo was a fortress or ram- 
 part of ancient Zion, apparently so-called from 
 having been filled in with earth and stones. 
 The article connected with the Hebrew word 
 serves to designate it as some well-known foit- 
 ress, and it was evidently a noted stronghold 
 before the city was occupied by David. It was 
 afterward built up again and strengthened by 
 Solomon, (1 Kings 9. 15, 24; 11. 27,) and later 
 still by Hezekiah. 2 Chron. 32. 5. It seems to 
 have been situated on the northern side of Zion, 
 where the natural defenses were less strong 
 than on the other sides ; and from it, as a bul- 
 wark, David built all round the northern side 
 a strong wall, and fortified it inward toward 
 the south, so as to make it more secure against 
 assault than it had ever been before. — M. S. 
 Terry. And inward— Within or under the 
 protection of the Millo, which was the outer- 
 most defense of the city. What became of the 
 inhabitants we are not told. But apparently 
 they were in great part left undisturbed. A 
 powerful Jebusite chief, probably the king, 
 with his four sons, lived on property of his 
 
July 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 10 And Da'viil 'went on, and grew 
 great, and the Loui> God of hosts wan 
 ■with him. 
 
 11 And 'Mli'ram king of Tyre 
 
 I goiDg mid growing. '« 1 Klngi S. 8; 
 
 own uiiiiiuiliatuly outside tlie walls. — Z>eaii Stan- 
 
 sent messengers to Da'vid, and ce- 
 dar trees, and carpeniers, and i^uia- 
 sons: and they built Da'vid an 
 house. 
 
 ( Hewrn of th« ttone of the wall. 
 
 (1 Kings 5.lO,Kqq.; 2 C'liion. 2. 2, sqq.,) and 
 titled out a uicTcautile fleet iu coujunctiou with 
 
 The Cattle of Darld. 
 
 10. David went on, and grew— The mar- 
 ginal reading of this text is remarkable : and 
 " David went going and growing." Some peo- 
 ple go who do not grow ; and some are grow- 
 ing who are not going on. Some have both 
 these with whom God is not. But all meet in 
 David. In him we see activity, increa.'se, and 
 heavenly benediction. — J. C. Gray. The Lord 
 God of hosts— A title of the Almighty e-Xjiress- 
 ive of his command over " the armies " of tlie 
 created universe. "Was with him— Oiwerve (1) 
 how this is referred to the highest source, not 
 merely to God's as.sistance, but to the fact that 
 God was with him, and (2) how God is in this 
 connection called the God ofTwsts. — Erdmann. 
 
 11. And— It is probuhlc that the historian to 
 .some extent forsakes chronological onlor, and 
 places the account of David's palace-building 
 and of his family here by anticipation in proof 
 of the statement of verse 10. — Cambridge Bihle. 
 Hiram— (//iVom in 1 Kings^S. 12; Iluram in the 
 Chronicles.) King of Tyre, was not only an ally 
 of David, but of his son Salomon also. lie sent 
 to the latter cedar-wood and builders for the 
 erection of the temple and of his own palace, 
 
 him, (1 Kings 9. 27, 28 ; 2 Chron. 9. 10,) in return 
 for which Solomon not only sent him an annual 
 supply of com, oil, and wine, (1 Kings .5. 11 ; 
 2 Chron. 2. 10,) but when all the buildings were 
 finished, twenty years after the erection of the 
 temple, he made over to him twenty of the 
 towns of Galilee. 1 Kings 9. 10, sqq. — Keil and 
 Dditzsch. Tyre — One of tlie two great cities of 
 riienioia, celebrated for its commerce, its me- 
 chanical skill, and its wealth. Three causes co- 
 operated to bring Phenicia into close and friendly 
 relation with Israel : (a) The contiguity of the 
 countries, and the short distance between their 
 capitals. From Tyre to Jerusalem by land was 
 scarcely more than one hundred miles, so that 
 intercourse was ea.sy. (ii Similarity of lan- 
 guage. Phenician so closely resembles Hebrew 
 that it must have been readily intelligible to the 
 Israelites, (c) Tyre depended upon Palestine 
 for its supplies of wheat and oil, and in return 
 sent to Jerusalem its articles of commerce, and 
 provided skilled workmen for the buildings 
 erected by David and Solomon. — Cambridge 
 JiihU. Sent messengers — Tlie news of the 
 capture of the city of the Jebusites had doubt- 
 137 
 
2 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 LESSON L 
 
 Third Quakteb. 
 
 12 And Da'vid perceived that the 
 Lord had establish liim king over Is'ra- 
 
 less readied Tyre, and created a great impres- 
 sion of David's power. — Bishop Herveij. Cedar 
 trees — Felled, no doubt, in the forests of Leba- 
 non, and brought by sea to Joppa. The cedar 
 •was the prince of trees, (Psa. 104. 16,) the emblem 
 of strength and stature and grandeur. Psa. 92. 12 ; 
 Amos 2. 9 ; Ezek. 31. 3. Its timber was highly 
 prized for building on account of its durability. 
 Otlier species of pine besides the well-known ce- 
 dar of Lebanon were probably included under 
 the general term eedai: Carpenters and ma- 
 sons — The influx of Tyrian architects and 
 mechanics affords a clear evidence of the low 
 state to whicli, through the disorders of long- 
 continued war, tlie better class of artisans had 
 declined in Israel. — li. Jamieson. They built 
 David, a house — Psa. 30, which is entitled "A 
 Song at the Dedication of the House," may pos- 
 sibly have been written to celebrate tlie comple- 
 tion of this palace. If so, David liad just 
 recovered from a severe illness concerning which 
 history is silent. — Cambridge Bible. 
 
 Many have excelled In arts and sciences who 
 were strangers to the covenants of promise, yet 
 David's Louse was never the worse nor the less 
 fit to be dedicated to God for Its being built by 
 the sons of the stranger ; it is prophesied of the 
 Gospel Church.- 3f. Henry. 
 
 12. David perceived — He was convinced by 
 the signal providences attending his own person- 
 al history, and the strength and honor of his 
 kingdom, that his prosperity was of the Lord. 
 How strong is he whose growing greatness is 
 enhanced by the consciousness of Jehovah's fa- 
 vor! — J/. S. Terry. That the Lord had es- 
 tablished him — The strength and liveliness of 
 his conviction arose from the number of con- 
 spiring accidents, often seemingly cross acci- 
 dents, which had led him into so new and dan- 
 gerous a position. It was the successiveness, 
 the continuity, of the steps in his history, which 
 assured him that God's hand had been directing 
 the whole of it. — F. D. Maurice. For his peo- 
 ple Israel's sake— David's ways were not al- 
 ways right, yet for IsraeVs sal-e, and for his own 
 great name's sake, Jehovah blessed him. Mar- 
 velous was God's favor and regard for his chosen 
 people. — M. S. Terry. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Geikie's Hours with the Bible, vol. 3, chap. 
 
 viii. Maurice's Prophets and Kings, lecture 4. 
 
 Milman's History of the Jews, vol. i, book 7. 
 
 188 
 
 el, and that he had exalted his kingdom 
 " for his people Is'ra-el's sake. 
 
 Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations, 36th week, Fri- 
 day. Stanley's History of the Jewish Church, 
 vol. ii, lecture 33. Freeman's Manners and 
 Customs, 250. Bible Educator, iii, 129 ; iv, 287, 
 288. David the King, by Dr. Wm. M. Taylor; 
 also by Eev. C. E. Knox, On the City of Jeru- 
 salem. See Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, chap, 
 iii. Barclay's City of the Great King. Eobm- 
 son's Researches. Eidgaway's The Lord's Land, 
 etc. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [num- 
 bers marked with a star refer to poetical quota- 
 tions,] ver. 3: *3302; 10: 631, 2711; 12: 7734. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 HOW god's leaders win success. 
 
 1. God's leaders win success by patiently 
 waiting, leaving, as David did, the results of his 
 life in the hands of God. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. God's leaders win success by the promises 
 of God made to them and realized in them. 
 Ver. 2. 
 
 3. God's leaders win success by the evident 
 tokens of capacity and ability which they show. 
 Ver. 2. 
 
 4. God's leaders win success by a spirit of 
 friendliness, willing to make sacrifices of per- 
 sonal power for the general good. Ver. 3. 
 
 5. God's leaders win success by their fore- 
 sight in plan and their energy in execution of 
 great entei-prises. Vers. 6-8. 
 
 6. God's leaders win success by God's help, 
 on which they rely, Ver. 10. 
 
 7. God's leaders win success through the in- 
 sight of faith, perceiving God's hand in their 
 lives. Ver. 12. 
 
 Sermon Outlina. 
 KEV. A. N. CRAFT, D.D. 
 
 hitroductinn. Human history is not a storm 
 which no hand guides. God cannot, consistently 
 with man's moral freedom, prevent the existence of 
 sin, but he can and does so overrule the moral con- 
 flicts of the world that evil will be driven back to 
 its narrowest possible limits. 
 
 1. A fallible man may be used as an instrument 
 for working out the plans of an infallible Provi- 
 dence. A sinner must be chosen out of a race of 
 sinners whose subsequent life will not be stainless. 
 The Bible presents only one model life. 
 
 3. Providence selects the right man for the right 
 place. When Abel falls Enoch arises. Noah, Abra- 
 ham, and Moses were brought forth by Providence 
 just at the time when crises in history demanded 
 them. Who better than Joshua after Moses, than 
 
July 6, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 2 Sam. 5. 1-12. 
 
 Bamson and Samuel In the period of the Judges, 
 than David after Saul ? One whom God has chosen 
 for a work, like Saul, may prove false U) his trust, 
 but God has yet another servant to take his place. 
 Luther possessed a natural temperament which 
 adapted him to hurl back the anathemas of the 
 Pope. David possessed courage, warmth of emo- 
 tion, depth of spiritual Insi^fht, and other qualities, 
 trained by severe discipline, which made him 
 adapted to the work U) which (;od called him. 
 There must be an aJapuitlon between a man and 
 his work. It Is a misfortune, to which the reading 
 public has to submit too frequently in these days, 
 that newspaper editors whose natural qualillcations 
 and previous discipline prepare them to serve as 
 news-gatherers, and to discuss politlcjil issues, drop 
 Into theology, and, at a moment's notice, on weighty 
 biblical themes which require previous preparation 
 of thought and prayerful Investigation, will write 
 editorials with a flying lead-pencil while the press 
 is waiting and the printers are calling for more 
 copy. 
 
 But natural qualiflcatlons and personal effort 
 alone are not sufflcient for a great and successful 
 career. A great crisis must come, and at the right 
 time. If David had been born earlier or later we 
 
 would not have had David's career, but In a hum- 
 bler lot he would have been David still. There are 
 more kings than conspicuous thrones. But those 
 who live In obscurity because no great crisis has 
 willed them forth can llnd employment for all their 
 powers In the common walks of life. To rear a 
 wayward boy for heaven is not less dilllcult than to 
 lead an army. 
 
 Providential oversight of human affairs Is not 
 confined to conspicuous events, because the great 
 events are built upon the smaller ones in which we 
 all take part. 
 
 3. An Analog]/. Analogies are grounded on the 
 nature of God, whose unity of nature must be re- 
 flected in a corresponding unity In the methods of 
 his providence. We, like David, were sought out 
 by the blood, and anointed with his holy oil, while 
 yet in early youth. At flrst we were called upon to 
 do but little more than to make music for those who 
 had "an evil spirit." Afterward we fought with 
 sins as with Philistines, and were pursued by spir- 
 itual foes within the borders of Zion as by Saul. 
 Though we are kings we have a long conflict before 
 us before we gain our crowns. They who reign 
 with Clirist are warrior kings who have fought the 
 good light of faith. 
 
 B.C. 1042.] 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 The Ark is the Housk. — 2 Sam. 6. 1-12. 
 
 [July 13. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— He blesseth the habitation of the just.— Prov. 3. 33. 
 
 TIME.— B. C. 1042. 
 
 Places.— Jerusalem and Baale, or Klrjath-jearim, In the tribe of Judah. 
 
 CON.VECTING Li.NK.— War With the PhiUstines. 2 Sam. 5. 17-25. 
 
 iNTRODCCTio.N.— Having smitten his enemies and fortified Mount Zion, and having for a time rest 
 from war, David most judiciously took measures to make the ciipital of his kingdom the central place of 
 worship for all the tribes. He doubtless knew Jehovah's promise to choose out of all the tribes a place 
 to put his name, (Deut. 12. 5, 11,) and the signal providences that had given him pos.session of Zion con- 
 vinced him that this was the chosen city. It was manifestly important, therefore, that the ark of the 
 covenant, the most sacred of all the shrines of the sanctuary, be brought with appropriate ceremonie9 
 from Its obscurity in Klrjath-jearim, and placed in the city of the king. The parallel account of this 
 event In 1 Chron. 13, 15, and 16, Is more elaborately drawn. For this grand occasion David probably 
 composed Psalm 24.— .V. S. TriTy. But why did he not also bring the tabernacle into Jerusalem, and 
 place the ark in it? The reason is perhaps to be found In the double high-priesthood which had arisen 
 during the latter years of Saul's reign. Ablathar offlciated in David's camp; Zadok, It would seem, 
 ministered at Glbeon, whither the tabernacle was removed, in all probability, after Saul's massacre of the 
 priests at Nob, For the present David may have found it wisest to recognize the two priests as of e<iual 
 authority, and to acquiesce In the separation of the tabernacle and the ark, allowing Zadok to continue 
 the sacrificial ser^•ice at GiiK'on, (1 Chron. 10. 40,) while he established another service in Jerusalem be- 
 fore the ark. 1 Chron. 16. 37— Cambridge Bible. 
 
 1 Afiain,Da'vid rrathered toorctlier ail the 
 
 1. Again — " Again " refers either to the as- 
 sembly convened for David's coronation, (chap. 
 6. 1-3,) or to the muster for tlic Phihstine war 
 recorded in the verses ininiedmtely preceding. 
 Chap. 5, 11-25.— Caiiiindye Bible. Gathered 
 
 cliosen men of Ts'ra-el, thirty thousand. 
 
 together— The object of this second assembly 
 was to commence a national movement for es- 
 tablishing the ark in Jerusalem, after it had 
 continued nearly fifty years in the house of 
 Abinadab. See 1 Chron. 13. 1-5. — R. Jamieson. 
 189 
 
2 Sam. 6. 1-12. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Third Quaktee. 
 
 2 And * Da'vid arose, and went with 
 all the people that were with him from 
 «Ba'a-le of Ju'dah, to bring up from 
 
 An the chosen men — According to 1 Chron. 
 13. 1-5, David took counsel in this matter with 
 all the chief men, and then " gathered all Isra- 
 el together from Shihor of Egypt, even unto the 
 entering of Hemath." The expression all Israel 
 often stands for the representatives or chosen 
 men from all the tribes, who in the present 
 instance nunibered thirty thousand. — M. S. 
 Terry. David associates the priests and the 
 Levites and people throughout all Israel with 
 liimself in this work of religious joy and exulta- 
 tion. The universal Church of Christ partakes 
 ■with the divine David in the glory of his as- 
 cension into the heavenly Zion. Eph. 2. 6.— 
 W(yrdsworth. 
 
 Our divine David himself is gone up to the 
 heavenly Jerusalem by a glorious ascension, and 
 by that ascension his members are already there 
 in hope. But the progress of the ark of his Church 
 to that glorious altitude is a weary pilgrimage by a 
 steep and rugged way, attended by many sorrows, 
 trials, and imperfections. It is not without much 
 tribulation that the Church militant can arise to 
 the glory of the Church triumphant.— TT^oi'ds- 
 worth . 
 
 David will not endure himself glorious and the 
 ark of God contemptible ; his first care is to pro- 
 vide a fit room for God in the head of the tribes, 
 in his own city. The chief care of good princes must 
 be the advancement of religion. What should the 
 deputies of God rather do, than honor him whom 
 they represent ?—Bts/iop Hall. 
 
 2. All the people that were with him — 
 
 These are not the above-named thirty thousand 
 chosen warriors but, besides them, the repre- 
 eentatives of the whole nation gathered to the 
 festival, as described in 1 Chron. 13. 1-16, 
 where nothing is said of a military body. — Erd- 
 mann. From Baale — The journey to Baale, 
 which is related 1 Chron. 13. 6, is here pre- 
 and the historian describes the course 
 of the procession from 
 that place to the capital. 
 — B. Jamieson. Baale 
 of Judah — From what 
 follows " Baale-Judah " 
 can be nothing but the 
 place Eirjath-jearim 
 (comp. 1 Chron. 13. 6) 
 whither the ark was car- 
 ried according to 1 Sam. 6. 21 ; 7. 1 = Kirjath- 
 190 
 
 thence the ark of God, * whose name is 
 called by the name of The Lord of hosts, 
 that * dwelleth hetween the cherubim. 
 
 baal, Josh. 15. 60 ; 18. 14 ; Baalah, Josh. 15. 9 ; 
 1 Chron. 13. 6. This original Canaanitish name 
 continued along with the Israelitish. It lay 
 on the border between Judah and Benjamin, 
 westward on the border of the latter tribe, 
 and about eight miles west of Jerusalem, 
 identified by Eobinson with the modern Kur- 
 yet el-Enab, or Abu Gosh, on the road from 
 Jerusalem to Jaffa. — Erdmann. The ark of 
 God— This was a chest about four feet long 
 by two feet and a half wide and deep, made 
 of shittim or acacia wood, plated with gold 
 on the outside and the inside. It contained the 
 two sacred stone tablets on which God wrote 
 the ten commandments. Its lid was of gold, 
 and was called the propitiatory, incorrectly 
 translated mercy-seat., being the place where 
 God manifested his presence to his people. It 
 was the most sacred article in the furniture of 
 the tabernacle, and was kept in the Holy of 
 Holies. "Whose name is called — The ark is 
 specially said to be "called by the name of Je- 
 
 Ark and Priests. 
 
 hovah of hosts," because it was the symbol of 
 the covenant between Jehovah and Israel, and 
 because it was the place where he chiefly chose 
 to manifest himself by visible tokens to his peo- 
 ple.— Camirec^^e Bible. Eather, as De Wette, 
 Keil, and others translate, Over which is called 
 the 7iame, the name of Jehovah of hosts. The 
 repetition of the word name intensifies the 
 thought of the personal presence of Jehovah. 
 
July 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 2 Sam. 6. 1-12. 
 
 '6 And they 'set tliu ark i)f (iixl upon 
 * a new cart, and brought it out of 
 the house of A-bin'a-dab that wati in 
 ''Gib'e-ah: and Uz'zah and A-hi'o, 
 the sous of A-bin'u-dab, drave the new- 
 cart. 
 
 4 And they brouglit it out of the 
 house of A-bin'a-dab wliich tc<ts atGib'e- 
 
 ovcr the mercy-seat. — AT. S. Terry. By the 
 name of the Lord— The muno of God denotes 
 all the operations of God through whieh he at- 
 tests his personal presence in that rehition into 
 which he has entered to man ; that is, the whole 
 of the divine sulf-manifestution, or of that side 
 of the divine nature which is turned toward 
 men.— Oehler. Between the cherubim— Ac- 
 cording to the primitive conception, the cheru- 
 bim were the bearers of God when he appeared 
 in his glory upon the earth, (Psa. 18. 10 ;) so, 
 in Ezekiel's vision, they carry the throne of 
 God. Ezek. 11. 22; comp. 1. 19; 10. 16,/' 
 They are the "wings of the wind" by which 
 God in the tliunder-cloud is borne to tlie world. 
 Isa. 19. 1 ; Psa. 104. 3. Hence they are the 
 witnesses of his presence : wherever they are 
 God is. How apj>ropriate, therefore, w-ere rep- 
 resenUitious of them placed in the tabernacle 
 and table ! In tlie former two golden cherubim 
 stood in the Holy of Holies upon the mercy-seat. 
 E.xod. 37. 8. They were likewise pictured upon 
 the curtains. Chap. 2(J. 1, 31 ; 36. 8, 35. In Sol- 
 omon's temple two colos.sal figures of the cheru- 
 bim, overlaid with gold, stood upon the floor 
 and overshadowed the ark, which was between 
 them in the Holy of Holies. 1 Kings 6. 27.— 
 Schaff. 
 
 3. A new cart— Like that which the Pliilis- 
 tine diviners ordered for the removal of this 
 same ark from their coasts. 1 Sam. 6. 7. Stranjje 
 carelessness on the partof tlie Israelites, amount- 
 ing to sacrilege. The only lawful way to bear 
 this holy shrine was by means of the staves ex- 
 tending through the rings on its sides. E.xod. 
 25. 14.— ^V. S. Terry. That was in Gibeah 
 — Rather, that was in the hilh, as tlie maririn 
 and 1 Sam. 7. 1. Here the ark had stood in ol»- 
 Bcurity and neglect for more than sixty years. 
 —.V. S. Terry. The sons of Abinadab— It 
 does not at all follow that Abinadab wius still 
 alive, nor can we conclude from Uzzah and 
 Ahio being called son.t of Abinadab, that they 
 were literally his children. They may well 
 have been sons of Eleazar, and grandsons of 
 Abinadab, or yet more remote descendants. 
 
 ah, 'accompanying the'ark of God: and 
 A-hi'o went i>efore the ark. 
 
 5 And Da'vid and all the house of 
 Is'ra-el played before the Loud on all 
 manner of instruments made of tir wood, 
 even on harps, and on psalteries, and on 
 timbrels, aud on cornets, and on cym- 
 bals. 
 
 J Or, The bill. 1 S«m. 7. I 
 
 since there is no distinct evidence that Abina- 
 dab was alive even when the ark was brought 
 to Kirjath-jeariin. — Bishop Hervey. Drave the 
 new cart — Even David himself, we see, was 
 liable to tlie cliarge of negligence and forgetful- 
 ness in the manner of bringing up the ark ; 
 and his fault is not disguised by the sacred 
 writer. He liad imitated the Philistines, God's 
 enemies, and had disobeyed God's law. David 
 at\erward recollected the error of which he had 
 been guilty in this respect, and corrected it in 
 the remainder of the progress of the ark to 
 Jerusalem. See 1 Chron. 15. 2-15. — Words- 
 worth. 
 
 All religious reformations, which are wrought 
 by men, are blemished by human infirmities. 
 It is Clirist only of whom it can be said, that 
 "His worl£ is perfect," in the Intention, and 
 in the act and in the mode of doing ii.— Words- 
 worth. 
 
 4, 5. Ahio went before the ark— To guide 
 the oxen, while Uzzah, as appears afterward, 
 walked behind, keeping his eyes upon the move- 
 ments of the ark. These sons of Abinadab 
 evidently lacked a becoming reverence for the 
 ark. From childhood they had seen it in their 
 home, and had become so familiar with the 
 sight as to lose from their minds the sacred as- 
 sociations of its former history. — M. S. Terry. 
 Played before the Lord— Dancetl, and sang, 
 and played on the musical instruments here 
 mentioned. Public joy mu.st always be as be- 
 fore the Lord, with an eye to him, and ter- 
 minating in him; and must not degenerate 
 into that which is carnal and sensual. — M. 
 Henry. On all manner of instruments 
 made of fir wood. The expression is a 
 strange one, and the text seems to be cor- 
 rupt. Probably we should adopt the reading 
 of the parallel pas.sage in 1 Chron., tvith all 
 their might atui with son;/.'). The Hebrew words 
 are very similar, and the Septuagint text here, 
 though interjjolated in its present form, sup- 
 ports the chai^ge.— Cambridge Bible. Harps 
 . . . psaltery . , . timbrels. — Tlie probable 
 forms of thiij)saltery, tabrti, aud pij)e are shown 
 191 
 
2 Sam. 
 
 1-12. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 6 And when they came to ■/'Na'chon's 
 threshing-floor, Uz'zah *put forth Ms 
 
 /Or, Chidon ; 1 Chron. 13. 9 ; that is, Destroying 
 
 in the accompanying cut. The psaltery was a 
 stringed instrument of 
 a triangular form ; the 
 tabret was an instru- 
 ment of percussion, 
 something like the 
 modern tambourine, 
 and the pipe was a 
 wind instrument like 
 the modern flute, and 
 perforated with holes. 
 Psaltery. Comets — Kathcr, sis- 
 
 for the original Hebrew word occurs 
 
 tra; 
 
 here only, and seems clearly to mean the sis- 
 trum, an instrument of Egyptian origin ; which 
 was used by taking it in the right hand and 
 
 ^ 
 
 Pipes. 
 
 shaking it. The cornet was a sort of horn. — 
 M. S. Terry. Cymbals— Instruments consist- 
 ing of two convex pieces of metal, which, when 
 struck together, made a loud, clanging sound. 
 
 It Is long since Israel saw so fair a day as this, 
 wherein they went, In this holy triumph, to fetch 
 the ark of God. Now their warlike trumpets are 
 tm-ned into harps and timbrels ; and their hands, 
 instead of wielding the sword and spear, strike 
 upon those musical strings, whereby they might 
 express the joy of their hearts; here was no 
 noise but of mirth, no motion but pleasant. O 
 happy Israel, that had a God to rejoice In ! that 
 had this occasion of rejoicing in their God, and a 
 heart that embraced this occasion \— Bishop Hall. 
 
 6. Nachon's threshing-floor— In 1 Chron. 
 13. 9,it is c&W&diGhidon' s threshing-floor. See the 
 margin. How is this to be explained ? Neither 
 192 
 
 hand to the ark of God, and took hold 
 of it; for the oxen i- shook it. 
 
 I^achon nor Chidon are in fact proper names. The 
 words rendered " Nachon's threshing-floor" 
 ought to be translated, the threshing-floor of 
 
 Cornet or Sistrum. 
 
 , (from nacah, to smite,) so called from 
 the event ; because God there smote Uzzah 
 {Bochart, Keil ;) and the words, " Chidon's 
 threshing-floor," ought probably to be trans- 
 lated, the threshing-floor of the dart, that is, of 
 the strolce with which Uzzah was smitten. — 
 Wordsivorth. The familiar mention of such 
 places, now utterly unknown, is evidence of the 
 antiquity, genuineness, and credibility of these 
 sacred writings. — M. S. Terry. ITzzah put 
 forth his hand— There is reason to suspect 
 that Uzzah had allowed his mind to regard the 
 ark in too familiar a point of view during tlie 
 years it had been in his charge in a private 
 house, and was not suitably impressed with the 
 reverence exacted by a symbol with which the 
 Divine presence was so closely connected. — 
 Kitto. We did not stop or think or remember 
 — the frequent plea of sinners. But it wa.s his 
 business to think. — E. Stock. Shook it — The 
 use of the Hebrew verb here is universal. In 
 2 Kings 9. 33, used as a transitive verb, it means 
 throw down. So perhaps here. The oxen were 
 throwing or had thrown it down., very likely by 
 turning aside to eat what grain there might be 
 on the threshing-floor. — Bishop Hervey. The 
 ark seemed to be on the point of falling from 
 the cart, owing to some sudden start or stumble 
 of the oxen, or the roughness of the road. — 
 Cambridge Bible. 
 
July 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 2 Sam. 6. 1-12. 
 
 7 And the anger of tlie Loud was 
 kindled against Uz'zali ; and 'God 
 smote him tiieie for hin * error: and 
 tliere he died l>y tlie ark of God. 
 
 8 And Da'vid was displeased, be- 
 
 » 1 Siin. 8. 1<I. A Or, riuhni-sf. i brokin. -/Tlint l«, 
 
 Dr. Robinson, speaklnff of Jericho, thus de- 
 scribes a modem threshing-floor : "The uraln, as 
 sdfiu as It Is nil, is brought In small sheaves to 
 the threshiuK-lliKJis, on the backs of asses, or 
 sometimes of camels. A level spot Is selected for 
 the threshlnK-lloors, which are then constructed 
 near each other, of a circular form, perhaps Ilfty 
 feet In diameter, merely by beating down the 
 earth hard. I'pon these circles the sheaves are 
 spread out quite thick, and the grain is trodden 
 out by animals. Here were no less than Ave such 
 floors, etc. The straw Is occasionally turned with 
 a large wooden fork, and, when suQlclently 
 trodden, is thrown up with the same fork against 
 the wiud. In order to separate the grain."— 
 iii>7ii>jj Ikn-cii. 
 
 7. God smote him — Such a penalty for a 
 well-meant and natural action seems to us, at 
 first sitrht, strangely severe. But it must be re- 
 membered that one of the great lessons which 
 the nation of Israel had to learn was the un- 
 approachable majesty ot the holy God. The 
 ark was the symbol of his presence, and the 
 Lcvitieal ordinances were designed to secure the 
 strictest reverence for it. It was to be carried by 
 the Levites, but they might not come near until 
 it had been covered by the priests, nor touch 
 it, except by the staves provided for the pur- 
 pose, upon pain of death. Num. 4. 5 ; 15. 19, 20. 
 It is probable that Uzzah was a Levite, and if 
 so, he ought to have known these injunctions ; 
 but, in any case, as the ark had been under 
 his charge, he ought to have made himself ac- 
 quainted with them. Perhaps he had come to 
 regard the sacred symbol which had been in his 
 house so long with undue familiarity. Nor was 
 David free from blame in allowing such a neglect 
 of the law. The occasion wa.-< an important one. 
 It was the fir>t step in the imiuguration of a new 
 era ot worship in the newly-established capital 
 of the kingdom, and if these breaches of the 
 divine ordinances had been left unpunished the 
 lessons they were intended to teach might have 
 been neglected. Tzzali's death was necessary for 
 a solemn warning to David and the people.— 
 Camhriihje Bible. For his error — The Hebrew 
 word occurs nowhere else, but, if genuine, may 
 best be rendered thus, or, as in the margin, for 
 his rashness. He died — It is not said th.at he 
 perished immediately, or that he died eternally ; 
 
 cause tiie Lord had ' made a breach 
 upon Uz'zali ; and lie called the 
 name of tiie place > Pe'rez-uz'zah to 
 tliis day. 
 
 9 And "Da'vid was afraid of the 
 
 I of Uz: 
 
 'Pfn 
 
 ■J. IS"; Luke 
 
 he may have repented of his sin, a-s the Hebrew 
 interpreters suppose. — WorJsworth. 
 
 Uzzah was, therefore, a type of all who. with 
 good Intentions, humanly speaking, yet with un- 
 sanctifled minds, interfere in the affairs of the 
 kingdom of God, from the notion that they are in 
 danger, and with the hope of saving them.— O. V. 
 Gcrlach. 
 
 If such reverence was due to the ark of the cov- 
 enant, which was sprinkled with the blood typify- 
 ing that of Christ, with how much awe ought the 
 name of Christ and the " Blood of the Covenant " 
 itself to be treated! See Heb. 10. 29— Words- 
 worth. 
 
 8. David was displeased — As he had not 
 only resolved upon the removal of the ark, but 
 had also planned the way in which it >hoi>ld be 
 taken to Jerusalem, he could not trace the oc- 
 casion of Uzzah's death to any other cause than 
 his own plans. He was, therefore, angry that 
 such misfortune had attended his undertaking. 
 — A«7 and Delitzxch. David was not angry 
 against God, for the next verse tells us that he 
 was afraid of him. — M. S. Terry. Made a 
 breach — Violently interposed in a sudden 
 stroke of Divine judgment. — M. S. Terry. 
 Perez-uzzah— He took care to peqietuate the 
 remembrance of this stroke by a new name he 
 gave to the place, Ferez-uzzah, the breach of 
 Uzzah. Verse 8. He had been lately triumphing 
 in the breach made upon his eneiuies, and called 
 the place Baal-J'trazim, a place of breaches. 
 But here is a breach upon his friends. When 
 we see one breach, we should consider that we 
 know not where the next will be. — J/l Henry. 
 To this day. — Implying a long interval be- 
 tween David and the time of the writer.— 
 lii.-hoj) Ihrvey. 
 
 9. David was afraid— His feelings on this 
 alarming judgment were greatly e.xcited on 
 various accounts, tlreading that the displeasure 
 of God had been provoked by the removal of 
 the ark ; that the punishment would be ex- 
 tended to himself and people, and that they 
 might fall into some error or neglect during the 
 further conveyance of the ark. He resolved to 
 wait for more light and direction as to the path 
 of duty. An earlier consultation by Urim would 
 have led huu right at the first ; whereas, in this 
 
 193 . 
 
2 Sam. 6. 1-12, 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 Lord that day, and said, How shall the 
 ark of the Lord come to me? 
 
 10 So Da'vid would not remove the 
 ark of tiie Lord unto him into the city 
 of Da'vid ; but Da'vid carried it aside 
 into the house of O'bed-e'dom the Git'- 
 tite. 
 
 11 And the ark of the Lord continued 
 in the house of O'bed-e'dom the Git'tite 
 
 perplexity and distress, lie was reaping the fruits 
 of iueoasideration and neglect. — R. Jamiesoii. 
 
 10. Unto him— Showing that at this time 
 he was already in the city of David. Compare 
 6. 16.—Jiishoj} Hervey. Obed-edom — A Levite 
 descended from Kohath, (see 1 Chron. 28. 8,) 
 and afterward honored as one of the " door- 
 keepers." 1 Chron. 15. 24. His family long 
 contmued in the sanctuary service as keepers of 
 the sacred vessels.— Jf. 8. Terry. The Gittite 
 — He is called a Crittite perhaps from Gath — 
 Kimmon, in Manasseh, which belonged to the 
 Kohathites. Josh. 21. 25. 
 
 See here the courage and faith of Obed-edom : 
 he knew that the presence of the ark had been 
 disastrous to Dagon, and had brought plagues 
 on the Philistines, and that the men of Beth-she- 
 mesh had been struck dead for looking into it ; 
 and that Uzzah had been smitten for touching it ; 
 and yet he gladly welcomed it, and harbored it for 
 three months; and God blessed him for his faith. 
 Obed-edom well knew that though " God is a cou- 
 suming Are" to those who treat him with irrev- 
 erence, he is infinite in mercy to those who obey 
 him. The Gadarenes, smitten with fear, be- 
 sought Jesus to depart out of their coasts, and we 
 do not hear that he ever visited them again. 
 But Zaccheus, animated by love, received him 
 gladly, and Jesus said, "This day is salvation 
 come to this house."— TFordswort?i. 
 
 11. The Lord blessed Obed-edom— J ose- 
 
 phus says (but probably without extra-biblical 
 authority) that Obed-edom, from having been 
 poor, became rich, and that people observed it- 
 — G. H Toy. The consecrated house, where the 
 presence of God abides and is reverenced, will 
 not be wanting in divine blessings. — M. S. Terry. 
 
 The God of heaven will not receive any thing 
 from men on free cost : he will pay liberally for 
 his lodging; a plentiful blessing upon Obed- 
 edom, and all his household. It was an honor to 
 that zealous Gittite that the ark should come un- 
 der his roof ; yet God rewards that honor with 
 benediction : never man was a loser by true god- 
 liness. The house of Obed-edom cannot this 
 while want observation ; the eyes of David and all 
 Israel were never off from it, to see how it fared 
 with this entertainment.- Bts?wp Hall. 
 194 
 
 three months: and the Lord ' blessed 
 O'bed-e'dom, and all his household. 
 
 12 And it was told king Da'vid, say- 
 ing, Tile Lcn-d hath blessed the house of 
 O bed-e'dom, and all that pertaineth 
 unto him, because of the ark of God. 
 So Da'vid went and brouglit up the ark 
 of God from the house of O'bed-e'dom 
 into the city of Da'vid with gladness. 
 
 12. David went and brought up the ark 
 
 — On this occasion, however, David adhered 
 strictly to the instructious of the law, as the 
 more elaborate account given in the Chronicles 
 clearly shows. He not only gathered together 
 all Israel at Jerusalem to join in this solemn 
 act, but summoned the priests and Levites, and 
 commanded them to sanctify themselves, and 
 cany the ark "according to the right," that is, 
 as the Lord had commanded in the law of 
 Moses, and to offer sacritices during the pro- 
 cession, and sing songs, that is, psalms, with 
 musical accompaniment. — Keil and Delitzsch. 
 The installation of the ark at Jerusalem was a 
 great historical event. Henceforth the heathen 
 Jebus was not only Jerusalem, but " the Holy 
 City." The feelings of David respecting it are 
 seen in the Psalms. From this time he would 
 fain make it holy, in fact as well as in name. 
 Those only who had clean hands and a pure heart ; 
 who had not lifted up their soul to vanity, nor 
 sworn deceitfully, were in his eyes fit to enter it. 
 He fondly hoped, indeed, to form an ideal com- 
 munity worthy of the place in which Jehovah 
 had chosen his dwelling.— C. Geikie. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted, 
 On the ark, see Dr. Ricliard Newton on " The 
 Jewish Tabernacle," and articles in the Bible 
 Educator, ii, 144 ; iii, 259. On the instruments 
 of music, Bible Educator, 1, 19, 70, 183, 215, 
 296. On the removal of the ark, see Stanley's 
 Lectures, No. 23. Kitto's Daily Bible Illustra- 
 tions, 36th week. Geikie's Hours with the 
 Bible, vol. hi, chap. 9. Bishop Hall's Contempla- 
 tions. Freeman's Manners and Customs, 272, 
 295, 432. See Authorities on Lesson I. Fos- 
 ter's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star indicate the poetical quota- 
 tions,] ver. 6: 4081; 7: 9959; 11: 858, *1831, 
 3833. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 THE SERVICES OF RELIGION. 
 
 1. The ser^'ices of religion should not be neg- 
 lected by a people while political interests are 
 requiring their attention. Ver. 1. 
 
July 13, 1884. 
 
 LESSON 11. 
 
 2 Sam. G. 1-12 
 
 2. The services of religion should receive nt- 
 teiitioii from kings and rulers, whose influence 
 is tclt by the people iiround tlieni. Ver. 1. 
 
 3. Tlie services of religion should be popular, 
 for all the people, bringing the masses into fel- 
 lowship witli God. Ver. 1. 
 
 4. The services of religion should recognise 
 God as dwelling among his people. Ver. 2. 
 
 5. Tlic services of religion should be con- 
 ducted with due reverence, as in the unmcdiate 
 presence of the Holy One. Ver. 3, 4. 
 
 0. The services of religion should be in ac- 
 cordance with the conuiiands wliich God has 
 given. Ver. 6, 7. 
 
 7. The services of religion will bring a bless- 
 ing and not a curse where they are rightly ad- 
 ministered. 
 
 S. The services of religion should bo conducted 
 in the spirit of a holy joy and gladness. Ver. 
 5, 12. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY RKV. C. W. CLSIII.NG, D.D. 
 
 The ark was the most sacred piece of the furni- 
 ture of the tabernacle — full of slguiflcance as well 
 as mystery. 
 
 Once it was captured by the Philistines, and kept 
 sevenraonthsat Ashdod, Gath, andEkrt)n. 1 Sam. 5. 
 Here it was a great curse. It was placed in the 
 temple of Dagon beside the great Idol. In the 
 morning the idol was found on its face before the 
 ark. It was set up in its place again; but on the 
 second morning it was found not only fallen before 
 the ark, but Its head and hands were off. Wher- 
 ever the PhllLstines carried the ark, disease and 
 destruction followed. Alarmed, they determined 
 to send it back with presents. On a cart, drawn by 
 two milch kine, they sent it to Beth-shemesh. It 
 was received in the field of Jo.shua with great re- 
 joicing. But the men of Beth-shemesh desecrated 
 the ark by looking into it, and God slew fifty thou- 
 sand and seventy men. 1 Sam. 6. 19. Alarmed they 
 sent messengers to the Inhabitants of Kirjath-jearlm 
 and begged them to come and fetch it away. So they 
 came and took it to the house of Abiuadab, where 
 
 it remained for dO years. 1 Sam. 7. 1, 2. Again the 
 sacredness of tlje ark was shown as David was re- 
 moving it, for " when they came to Naehon's 
 threshing-Uoor, Uzzah put forth Ills hand to the 
 ark of God and took hold of it ; for the oxen shook 
 It. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against 
 Uzzah, and God smote hlin there for his error, and 
 there he died by the ark of God." a Sam. 6. 6. 
 This made David afraid to take the ark to his city, 
 and " so he carried It sislde Into the house of Obed- 
 edom the GIttite." The ark abode in the house of 
 obed-edom three months, and the Lord blessed him 
 and all his house. 
 
 In the old dispensation there was but one ark 
 and one mercy-seat. In the new dispensation Christ 
 builds a mercy-seat in every place and in every 
 house where there is a devout worshiper. But as 
 In olden times the mercy-seat was above, his word 
 rested upon it, so is It now. The word of God was 
 hidden uuderneath the mercy-seat, and the place 
 where God revealed himself in his glory. It is not 
 otherwise to-day. 
 
 The most precious thing which the ark contained 
 was the tables of the law. Without these there is 
 reiison to believe that there would have been no 
 mercy-seat, and no revelation of the Divine Presence. 
 In the Second Temple the ark was without the re- 
 vealed law, and was also without a recognized 
 mercy-seat, and the Shechlnah. The most pre- 
 cious thing in our homes is the word of God. The 
 proper recognition of it there. Is the sure precursor 
 of God's blessing. There is no substitute for it. Put 
 any other book in its place, and the authority and 
 the Divine illumination will be gone. Divine ora- 
 cles come from no other source. Or men may per- 
 vert the Bible as the Philistines did the ark, but 
 they will find a cur.se rather than a blessing will 
 follow. For here is the hiding of God's power. 
 
 As the ark which inclosed the law was the cen- 
 ter of the Temple, the local point of light and wor- 
 ship, so the Bible is the central Influence, the source 
 of inspiration and power, upon evey altar of wor- 
 ship in every Christian home. It is impossible to 
 overestimate the blessings— the assurance, the com- 
 fort, the restraint, the upholding and encourage- 
 ment—which abide upon those who go out from 
 such a sacred center in the home. May this ark of 
 blessings be cherished in all our homes 1 
 
 195 
 
2 Sam. 
 
 ]-16. 
 
 LESSOX III. 
 
 TniUI) QuAKTEK. 
 
 Kock Soundings at Jerusalem. 
 
 B.C. 1042.] LESSON III. 
 
 God's Covenant with David. — 2 Sam. 7. 1-16. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Thy throne shall be established forever.— 2 Sam. 
 
 [July 20, 
 
 16. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 1042, immediately after the events of the last lesson. 
 
 Place.— Jerusalem. 
 
 Introduction.— This chapter is the proper sequel and completion of the two foregoing ones. In the 
 last chapter but one David himself is anointed king of all the tribes of Israel, and conquers the Jebu^ 
 Bites, and takes Mount Zion, and makes it the capital of his kingdom. In the next chapter, the one imme- 
 diately preceding the present, David endeavors to bring the ark of God to Mount Zion, and, after some 
 hinderances, he brought it, but he did not settle it in the tabernacle : the work is yet incomplete. The 
 present chapter carries us forward to the consummation of the work. David desires to build a house for 
 fiod at Jerusalem, but God forbids him ; at the same time he gives to David a glorious revelation of the 
 196 
 
July 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 2 Sam. 7. 1-16. 
 
 future. He promises to bulkl a house for David himself, and that David's seed shall be set up after him, 
 and that he shall build a house for (iod's name, and that David's kingdom and throne shall be established 
 for ever. Verses 12-10. This chaptt>r e.\hil)its a new era in Scripture prophecy. A new step In advance 
 Is here pained. In the prophecy of Jacob (see Gen. 49. 8-10) the particular trihc- that of Jurfah— ha<l 
 been specified from which the Messiah should come, and have an eviilaMiiigtUiniiiiion ; and so the mind 
 of David, and all faithful men, had been opened to receive clearer light on that glorious subject. And 
 now the particular /((i(n7// In that tribe Is pre-announced— the family of David himself. Standing on 
 the vantage ground of this i)rophecy David himself, and other writers of the Psalms, and other prophets 
 of the Old Testament, henceforth describe the kingdom of Christ as settled on Mount Zion, and speak of 
 Christ as enthroned on the seal of David.— Wonlmcorlh. 
 
 1 And it came to pass,' wlicn the kinjr 
 sat in liis honse, and the Lord luid given 
 liim rest loiiiul about from all his enemies, 
 
 2 That the kins said unto Na'tlian the 
 
 1 Chron. 17. 1. aChnp. 
 
 propliet. See now. I dwell in ^an liouse 
 of cedar, but the ark of God dwellcth 
 ' within curtains. 
 
 3 And Na'than said to the king. Go, 
 
 1. It came to pass — At what period of his 
 reijrn David fonned this rc.-^okition to build a 
 temple cannot be exactly determined. On the 
 one hand, the einpliatie words " when the 
 Z'tril had given him rest round about from all 
 his enemies" (comp. verse '.<) seem to point to a 
 time after some, at leiust, of the wai"s recorded iu 
 chap. 8. On the other hand, it was before the 
 birth of Solomon, (verse 12,) and so cannot be 
 placed in the latter years of his reicfn. The ar- 
 rangement of the book is not strictly chrono- 
 logical, and tliis narrative finds a most suitable 
 place here from its close connection with the sub- 
 ject of the preceding chapter. — Cambi-idge Bible. 
 The king— Observe this phrase, '■^tke king." 
 Tlie sacred historian, changes his style from 
 ^' David" to "<//« king" because he is about to 
 speak of the perpetuity of his Icingdom in Christ. 
 — Wordsworth. Sat in his house— In quiet 
 meditation, for God had given him rest. Probably 
 the 132d Psalm is the expression of his feelings at 
 this time. — WordMcm-th. Had given him rest 
 — From the hostility of the house of Saul, and 
 the attacks of the Philistines. lie had not been 
 long at rest, nor was it long before lie was again 
 engaged in war; but, at present, he enjoyed a 
 calm, and ho was in his element when he was 
 sitting in his house meditating on the law of 
 God. — .1/. Henri/. 
 
 2. Nathan the prophet— The first men- 
 tion of one of the nii.st eminent men in 
 the reigns of David and Solomon. It was 
 he who rebuked David for his sin with Bath- 
 sheba, (chap. 12. 1, ff. ;) who became Solo- 
 mon's tutor, Cchap. 12. 25, note,) and took a 
 leading part in securing his succession to the 
 throne, (1 Kings 1. 22, /'. /) who wrote a history 
 of the reign of David, and of part, at least, of the 
 reign of Solomon, (1 Chron. 29. 29 ; 2 Chrou. 
 
 \ 9. 29,) from which, in all probability, a large 
 portion of the books of Samuel, Kings, and 
 Chronicles is derived. — Cambridge Bible. I 
 I dwell in a house of cedar— The palace which 
 Iliraiu liad sent men and materials to build in 
 j Jerusalem had been finished. It was magnifi- 
 cent for that age, though made wholly of wood : 
 houses in warm countries not being required to 
 possess the solidity and thickness of walls which 
 are requisite for dwellings in regions exposed to 
 rain and cold. Cedar was the rarest and most 
 valuable timber. The elegance and splendor of 
 his own royal mansion, contrasted with the 
 mean and temporary tabernacle in which the 
 ark of God was placed, distressed the pioas 
 mind of David.— ^. Jamieson. The ark of 
 God— See note in last lesson on verse 2. "With- 
 in curtains — Literally, in the midst of the cur- 
 tains, (1 Chron. 17. 1,) under curtains, that is, 
 tent-coverings woven of goat's hair. Exod. 26. 7. 
 A compunctious thought and feeling. He had 
 housed himself right royally while the sacred 
 symbol of Jehovaii's presence had been quite 
 neglected. — J/. S. Terry. 
 
 David can take little pleasure In a house of ce- 
 dar for himself unless the ark have one. Those 
 who stretched thcmifeJvcs kjjoh beds of ivory, 
 and were not aricvcd for the affliction of Joseph, 
 though they had David's music, had not David's 
 spirit, (Amos G. 4, 6 ;) nor they who dwelt In their 
 ceiled houses while God's house lay waste.- Hag. 
 14.-.V. Henry. 
 
 3. Nathan said to the king — The prophet 
 gave this counsel from the apparent propriety 
 and laudableness of David's purpose, and not by 
 divine revelation. Accordingly he was called 
 upon that night to counsel the king diflerently. 
 Here we learn that the prophets were not al- 
 ways under inspiration. — M. S. Terry. The 
 197 
 
July 2!), 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 2 Sam. 7. 1-16. 
 
 do all that w * in tiiiue heart; for the 
 Lord is with thee. 
 
 4 And it came to pass that ni^ht, that 
 the word of the Lord came unto Na'- 
 than, sayinj;, 
 
 5 Go and tell " my servant Da'vid, 
 Thus saith the Lord, Sliait thou build 
 me an house for mc to dwell in ? 
 
 n : 1 Chroii. i-2. 7 ; 
 
 prophets, when foUownig the impulse of tlieir 
 own feelings, or forming conjectural opinions, 
 fell into freiiuent mistakes. See 1 Sam. 10. 6; 
 2 Kings 4. 27.— I?. JamUson. 
 
 4. It came to pass — There is much solem- 
 nity in the way the sulyect is here introiluced. 
 The night was the recognized lime for prophetic 
 visions. Conip. 1 Sam. 3. 3, nqq. ; Num. 12. (!, 
 etc. — Bisliop Hervey. That night — Because Da- 
 vid's mistake was pious, and from an honest 
 mind, God would not sutler him to lie long in 
 his mistJikes, nor to disquiet his mind, or run 
 himself into inconveniences in order to the work 
 before he gave a stop to it.—I\>ol. The word 
 of the Lord — The word of the Lord is de- 
 scrilie(.l as having come to Nathan hy night ; that 
 is. it is related that he received a divine revela- 
 tic>n in the form and thromjh the medium of the 
 ucrd, he receiving its contents with tiie inner ear 
 of tJie spirit as a divine decision respecting tliat 
 wliicli was stirring his heart. — Erdtnan n. Came 
 unto Nathan — Observe the clear distinction 
 between Nathan's own judgment, which ap- 
 l>roved David's resolution, and the divine mes- 
 sage which he was commissioned to deliver to 
 Diw'xi^.—Cambriilge Bible. 
 
 A new era had arrived in the history of Israel. 
 The earthly kingdom was to t)e established, and 
 a permanent ojficc was to be Instituted, co-ordi- 
 nately with It, in order to represent God's su- 
 premacy over the earthly monarch ; and to advise, 
 to exhort, and. If need were, to correct, rebuke, 
 and even to denounce, the earthly sovereign for 
 his sins ; and even to declare his dethronement 
 m the name of God, the supreme Ruler of Israel, 
 the King of kings and Lord of lords: and thus to 
 prepare the way for the time when the functions 
 of king and prophet would all coalesce In Clirixt. 
 This permanent office, placed side by side with 
 the throne, was the office of prophet.— Wrjrdti- 
 uorth. 
 
 5. Go and tell— The coimection of thought 
 in verses 5-13 is as follows : " Thou shalt not 
 build a house for Jfe, (5-7,) but /, who have 
 chosen thee to be the ruler of my people, will 
 build a house for thee, (8-11,) and thy son 
 shall erect a house for Me." 13, 13. — Cam- 
 
 6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any 
 house since ''the time that I brou^dit up 
 the children of Is'ra-el out of E'gypt, 
 even to this day, but liave walked in a 
 tent and in a tabernacle. 
 
 7 In all the phicex wherein I "have 
 walked with all the children of Is'ra-el 
 spake I a word with 'any of the tribes 
 
 brid(je Bible. My servant David— -Vny Is- 
 raelite might call hinistjt' God's servant in ad- 
 dressing Goil ; but only a few who were raised 
 up to do special service, such as Moses and 
 Josluta, are honored by being thus distinctively 
 styled "servants of Jehovah." — Cambridge 
 Bible. Shalt thou buUd me a house — Is 
 not such a purpose on thy part presumption ? 
 Nay, rather, I will make thee a house. Com- 
 pare verse 11. The question implies a negative 
 answer, and in 1 Chron. 17. 4, we have, " Thou 
 shalt not build me a house."— J/^, S. Terry. 
 
 6. Whereas — The Hebrew word never means 
 whereas. It is simply " for," or because. It ex- 
 presses the reason why David was not to build 
 an hon»(i.— Bishop Ilervei/. I have not dwelt 
 in any house— As long as the quiet and full 
 possession of the laud of Caniian, which had 
 been promised by the Lord to the people of God 
 for their inheritance, was (Usputed by their en- 
 emies round about, even the dwellinfr-i-lace of 
 their God could not as.sume any other form than 
 that of a wanderer's tent. Have walked — As 
 a tent is a traveler's dwelling, so, as long as 
 God's dwelling was a tent, he himself appeared 
 as if traveling or going from i)lace to place. — 
 Ktil and Delitzsch. This mi^ratoi-^ character 
 of his Church was a preparation and training, 
 not only for faith in his onmipresence, but also 
 for the reception of the doctrine of the unirersal- 
 itij of the Church, not to be limited to Palestine, 
 but to be extended to all nations ; and so Stephen 
 expounds it. See Acts 7. 4r)-4!).— Wordaicorth. 
 In a tent and in a tabernacle— The word a 
 tent, refers esjiecially to the outward covering of 
 skins, etc. ; the tabernacle denotes the frame- 
 worl-: of boanls and bars. Observe the constant 
 reference to the exodus and to the details as 
 given in the Books of Moses.— A^vAo/) Hervey. 
 
 7. In all the places— Both in the wilder- 
 ness, and in the mitrrations of the ark to Gilgal, 
 Shiloh, Kirjth-jearim, and Zion. Spake I a 
 word with any of the tribes— The phrase is 
 a condensed one, the meaning of which is, that 
 whatever tribe had in times j)ast supplied the 
 ruler of Israel : whether Ephraim in the days of 
 
 199 
 
2 Sam. Y. 1-1( 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 of Is'ra-el, whom I commanded ' to feed 
 my people Is'ra-el, saying, Why build 
 ye not me an house of cedar ? 
 
 8 Now therefore so shalt thou say 
 unto my servant Da'vid, Thus saith the 
 Lord of hosts, I took thee from tlie 
 
 Chap. 5. 2 J Ps! 
 
 72 ; Matt. 2. 6 ; Acts 2i!. 2». 
 
 Joshua, or Benjamin in the time of Saul, or Ju- 
 dah in that of David, God had never required 
 any of those tribes to build a liouse in one of 
 their cities. — Bishop Hervey. In Psalm 78. 
 67, 68, the electiun of David as prince, and of 
 Zion as the site of the sanctuary, is described as 
 the election of the tribe of Judah and the rejec- 
 tion of the tribe of Ephraim.— A'tj^ and De- 
 litzsch. To feed— To tend, as a shepherd tends 
 his sheep. Compare note on Lesson 1, verse 2. 
 Cambridge Bible. A house of cedar— Beams 
 
 sheep-cote, ' from following the sheep, to 
 be ruler over my people, over Is'ra-el: 
 
 9 And I was with tliee whithersoever 
 thou wentest, and have cut oft' all thine 
 enemies <^out of thy sight, and have 
 made thee * a great name, like unto the 
 
 I From thy face. Psa. 
 
 C^dar of Lebanon. 
 
 of cedar marked a oostiy building. Of course 
 the cedar of Lebanon is a totally different 
 tree from what we improperly call the red or 
 Vit-ginian Cedar, which supplies the sweet- 
 scented cedar- wood, and is really a kind of 
 juniper {Junipervs Virginiana.) The cedar of 
 Lebanon is a close-grained, light-colored, yel- 
 lowish wood, with darker knots and veins. — 
 Bishop Heney. 
 
 8. So Shalt thou say— The reasons why 
 David's zeal was thus checked must be carefully 
 considered. The unsettled condition of the 
 200 
 
 nation had made a fixed sanctuary impossible 
 hitherto, and even now the time for it was not yet 
 fully come. The house of David must be firmly 
 established, and peace secured, before this great 
 step in the history of tlie national i-eligion could 
 be advantageously taken. Again, David was 
 not to build the house " because he had slied 
 much blood, and had made great wars." 1 Chron. 
 22. 8 ; 28. Z.— Cambridge Bible. Thus saith 
 the Lord of hosts — Not only Jehovah, as in 
 verse 5, but Jehovah Sebaotk, because he mani- 
 fests himelf in the following revela- 
 tions as the God of the universe. — Keil 
 and Belitzsch.—l took thee from the 
 sheep-cote— Better : " from the pas- 
 ture." The word means " habitation," 
 which, in reference to flocks, means, not 
 where they spend the night, but where 
 they feed, and this suits the context of 
 our passage. — C. Jd. Tog. 
 
 It is good for those who are come to 
 great preferment to be often reminded 
 of their small beginnings, that they may 
 always be humble and thankful.— 3f. 
 Hcnrxj. 
 
 9. 'Was -with thee — Both in the 
 court of Saul, in his exile and wander- 
 ing, and in his wars with the enemies of 
 Israel, God had manifested his presence 
 and given him success. All thine 
 enemies— Meaning especially Saul and 
 those who sided with him (2 Sam. 3. 1 ; 
 4. 8; 1 Sam. 18. 29 ; 20. 15, 16; 24.- 4; 
 26. S.) — Bishop Eervey. Other ene- 
 mies rose up afterward, (see chap. 8,) 
 but the victory gained over the former by 
 God's help was an assurance to David that the 
 others would be eventually cut oif. — Words- 
 worth. Have made thee a great name— Un- 
 questionably David appears as the ablest, the 
 most successful, and, in every way, the greatest 
 of the kings of Israel. His is the noblest name, 
 after Moses, in the history. He found Israel a 
 disorganized, weak association of twelve tribes, 
 without coherence and without influence. He 
 healed old strifes, consolidated the nation, con- 
 quered all the surrounding lands, and left to his 
 son a united empire twelve times the size of Israel 
 
July 20, .1S84. 
 
 LESsox rn. 
 
 2 Sam. 1. 1-10. 
 
 name of the great 7nen that ai-e in tlic 
 eurtli. 
 
 10 MnicDvcr I will appoint a place for 
 my pfiijilf Ls'ra-fl, and "will plant tlieni, 
 that til y nuiy dufll in a place of their 
 own, and move no more; neitlier shall 
 the children of wickeilness atUiet them 
 any more, as l)eforetime, 
 
 11 And as since the time that I com- 
 manded judges to be over my people 
 
 » Fm«. -W. J ; so. ; Jer. 44. 6 ; 
 
 I 9. 15.- 
 
 when he assumed its crown. All his meusures 
 were dictate J by a profouuJ wisdom, and in true 
 j:reatiK-ss liis character, notwithstanding^ his sins, 
 ru.-e above all his successors. Duriiif; his time 
 alone Israel stood as the controlling Oriental 
 monarchy. 
 
 A {ji'cnt name Is what they who have have great 
 reason to be thankful for, aud may improve to 
 pooil puiToses ; but what they that have not have 
 no reusDU to be ambitious of ; a yood name is more 
 desirable. A man may pass through the world 
 very obscurely, and yet very comfortably.— 3/. 
 Iknry. 
 
 10. I ■will appoint— All the versions have, 
 with strange unanimity, translated I will ap- 
 prtint as if it were in the future tense. All ditli- 
 cidty is removed and tlie sense made plain when it 
 is properly translated as the preterit : I have ap- 
 pointed a 2'lace, etc., namely, the land of Canaan. 
 —Jf. S. Ttrri/. Move no more— This promise 
 wa.s kept ti>r four hundred years, but why was it 
 not fultilkd forever ? Because it depended upon 
 the loyalty of Israel to its God. When the peo- 
 ple viohited their part of the contract, God's 
 justice rc'iuired their punishment in the loss of 
 their jirivilejjes. As beforetime — When in tlic 
 bondaireofEgypt.— J/. S. Ta-ry. 
 
 11. And as since the time— It is best to 
 connect the first clause of verse 11 with verse 10. 
 Ikfoi'ttiine refers to the beginning of the nation's 
 history in Eg}T>t; since, etc., to the various op- 
 pressions they had suffered from the beginning 
 of the period of the Judges down to the present. 
 — Cainbridije Bible. I commanded judges— 
 The contrast is that of the troublous unsettled 
 times of the Judges, and the frequent servitudes 
 of Israel in those times, with the settled pro.s- 
 perity and independence of the kingdom of 
 David and ^oVnwciw.— Bishop Jlervcy. Have 
 caused thee to rest-»-This sentence stands in 
 contrast with the preceding, "In Egypt, and 
 during the Judges' rule, there were oppressions ; 
 but now I have given you rest." Also the 
 Ijord telleth thee — Or it may be, " And the 
 
 Is'ra-el, and liuvc caused thee to rest 
 from all thine enemies. Also the Lokd 
 telleth tliee that he will make thee au 
 house. 
 
 13 And '"when the days he fulfilled, 
 aud tiiou " shalt sleep with thy fa- 
 tiiers, ''^ I will set up thy seed after 
 thee, which shall proceed out of thy 
 bowels, and I will establish his king- 
 dom. 
 
 Lord hath told thee" namely, by the mouth of 
 Samuel. The la.st is rather preferable, as mak- 
 ing the use of the third instead of tlie^V*^ person 
 more natural. — Bixhop Ilervey. He will make 
 thee an house— The " house" is the royal au- 
 thority in Israel, which is assured and established 
 for his family. — Erdmann. Tliis thought is not 
 merely a play upon words entirely in the spirit 
 of prophecy, but contains the deep general truth 
 that God must first of all build a man's house 
 before the man can buihl God's house, and has 
 reference especially to the kingdom of God in 
 Israel.— Aa^. 
 
 God built for David a house— even a temple— by 
 the Incarnation of Christ, who came from his 
 seed. For Christ calls his own body, which he 
 took from the blessed Virgin Mary, of the .seed of 
 Da\id, a temple : " Destroy this temple, and In 
 three days I will build It up again. He spake of 
 the temple of his body." John 2. 21.— 27icodyctt. 
 
 12. "When thy days shall be fulfilled— 
 
 The prophet, having detailed God's past mercies 
 to David, now passes on to direct prophecy, and 
 that one of the most hnportant in the Old Testa- 
 ment.— ^/»7w/) Hervey. I will set up thy 
 seed — First, Solomon, who recognizes the ful- 
 fillment of this promise in his elevation to tlie 
 throne, (1 Kings 8. 15-20 ;) the line of Da- 
 vid's descendants, who succeeded him on the 
 throne of Judah ; and, finally Christ, in whom 
 the prophecy reaches its highest fulfillment. — 
 Cambridge Bible. Which shall proceed— The 
 seed here spoken of was still in the future when 
 this promise was made to David. — Erdmann. 
 It is customary for the eldest son bom after the 
 father''s succession to the throne to succeed him 
 in his dignity as king. Davkl had several sons 
 by Bathsheba, born after his removal to Jeru- 
 .salem. Chap. 5. 14-16 ; cf. 1 Chron. 3. 5. But by 
 a special ordinance and promise of God his suc- 
 cessor was to be a son born after this time ; and 
 the departure from tlie established usage of the 
 East, in fixing the succession, can be accoimted 
 •jid 
 
2 Sam. 7. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 13 He '^ shall build an house for my 
 name; and I will 'Establish the throne 
 of his kingdom for ever. 
 
 14 I '* will be his father, and he shall 
 be my son. If 'Mie commit iniquity, I 
 Avill chasten him with the rod of men, and 
 with the stripes of the children of men : 
 
 Kings 5. 5.- 
 
 s Heb. 1. 5. «6 Psa. 
 
 for on no other known ground except the ful- 
 fillment of the Divine promise. — R. Jamieson. 
 
 13. He shall b\iild an house— The house 
 which Solomon built continued till the time of 
 the Babylonish exile, when it was burned by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, (2 Kings 25. 8 ; ) but it was re- 
 built at the close of the exile, (Ezra 6. 15,) and 
 of it then the prophet Haggai said, (Hag. 2. 0,) 
 " The glory of this latter house shall be greater 
 than that of the former ; " for this second temple 
 was the connecting link between the Jews of 
 Haggai's time and the Messiah. —Jf. 8. Terry. 
 For my name — The name of God signifies God 
 himself so far as he has revealed and manifested 
 himself to men. His promise concerning the 
 temple was that he would " put his name there;" 
 that is, that he would be present and reveal him- 
 self there in an especial manner. — Cambridge 
 Bible. For ever — The words yor ever., emphat- 
 ically twice repeated in verse 16, show very 
 distinctly that this prophecy looks beyond the 
 succession of the kings of Judah of the house of 
 David, and embraces the throne of the Christ, 
 according to the angel's interpretation as given 
 in Luke 1. 31-33, where the reference to this 
 passage cannot be mistaken. — Bishop Hervey. 
 And the title, the Son of David, given to the 
 Messiah in the rabbinical writings, as well as 
 its special application to Jesus in the New 
 Testament, springs mainly from the acknowl- 
 edged Messianic significance of this proph- 
 ecy. 
 
 14. I wm be his father— The relation of 
 fatherhood and sonship will exist between the 
 covenant God of Israel and the seed of David. 
 This denotes, in the first place, the relation of 
 the most cordial mutual love, which attests its 
 enduring character 'bj fidelity, and demonstrates 
 irs existence toward tlie Lord by active obedience. 
 —Erdmann. If he commit iniquity — The 
 words if he commit iniquity I will chastc/t, him, 
 etc., supply the illustration of God's dealinu' with 
 Solomon and his successors as a Father, for 
 what son is he ivhom the father chasteneth not ? " 
 Heb. 12. 5-10 ; Prov. 3. 'l2. The literal transla- 
 tion of the words shows this more clearly . . . 
 " and he shall be to me a son, whom, if he trans- 
 
 202 
 
 15 But my mercy shall not depart 
 away from him, " as I took it from Saul, 
 whom I put away before thee. 
 
 16 And '* thine house and thy king- 
 dom shall be established for ever before 
 thee: thy throne shall be established for 
 ever. 
 
 gresses, I will correct," it\(t.— Bishop Hervey. I 
 will chasten him — The king's son is not to be 
 exempted from the punishments common to all 
 men who act perversely. In this matter God is 
 no respecter of persons. Accordingly, when 
 Solomon forsook the law of the Lord, he was 
 threatened with bitter and humiliating judg- 
 ments. 1 Kings 11. 9-40.— if. S. Terry. -With 
 the rod of men, etc. — That is, such a chastise- 
 ment as men infiict upon their children to correct 
 and reclaim them, not to destroy them. — Bishop 
 Hervey. As I took it from Saiil — The family 
 of Saul became totally extinct. The family of 
 David remained till the incarnation. Joseph 
 and Mary were both of that family ; Jesus was 
 the only heir to the kingdom of Israel. But he 
 did not choose to sit on the secular throne ; he 
 ascended the spiritual throne, and now he is ex-_ 
 alted to the right hand of God, a Prince and a 
 Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sms. 
 — Clarke. 
 
 15. My mercy shall not depart — The con- 
 trast is that between the punishment of sin in 
 individuals and the favor that remains perma- 
 nently with the family, whereby the divine 
 promise becomes an unconditioned one. — Heng- 
 stenberg. 
 
 16. Shall be established for ever — For 
 ever . . . for ever — Of all the words of promise 
 that fell on David's ears these were the most 
 charming. They find repeated utterance in his 
 prayer, (verses 19, 25, 29,) often in the Psalms, 
 (18. 50; 89. 29,) and even echo in the angel's 
 words of salutation to the mother of our Lord. 
 Luke 1. 32, 33. By them we see that this mes- 
 sage of Nathan to David was largely a Messianic 
 prophecy. — M. S. Terry. No earthly kingdom, 
 and no posterity of any single man, has eternal 
 duration like the heaven and the earth ; but the 
 different families of men become extinct, as the 
 diflPerent earthly kingdoms perish, and other 
 families and kingdoms take their place. The 
 posterity of David, tlierefore, could only last for 
 ever by running out in a person who lives for 
 ever ; that is, by culminating in the Messiah, who 
 lives for ever, and of whose kingdom there is no 
 end. — Keil and Belitzsch. 
 
July 20, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Sam. 
 
 1-16. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See the list of lives of David, at the end of 
 Lesson I. On the prophets, see Stjmley's Lect- 
 ures on the Jevvisli Cliurch, vol. i, lectures I'.t, 
 20. On David's kiiitjdoiu and its organization, 
 Bee Geikie's Hours witii the Bible, vol. iii, chap, 
 y. On tile suliject of the lesson, Kitto's Daily 
 Bil)le Illustrations, 37th week. Foster's Cyclo- 
 pedia of lllu.->tnitions, [numbers marked with a 
 biar refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 2: yOU; 
 6: lly21 ; b: *3302; 9: *10u6, 271S; 10: 
 •3635; Iti: 347S. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 THE REW.UIDS OF A FAITHKLL SERVANT. 
 
 1. God giv.es to his servant peace, a rest from 
 trouble and danger. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. God sees and honors the grateful desire of 
 his servant to show forth his thankfulness to 
 God and to advance liis cause. Ver. 5. 
 
 3. God lifts up his servant from a lowly to a 
 lorty station, from tlie sheepfold to the scepter, 
 when he finds him fit for greatness. Ver. 8. 
 
 4. God gives his presence imd aid to his serv- 
 ant, making hLs plans successful. Ver. y. 
 
 5. God gives to his servant a worthy name, 
 lit\ing him up above tlie sous of men. Ver. y. 
 
 0. God gives to his servant a covenant, ex- 
 tending not only to himself, but to his children 
 after liim. Vers. 11, 12. 
 
 7. God gives to his servant an everhisting in- 
 heritance, a kingdom enduring forever. Ver. 16. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BT RET. p. n. XfTLLER, D.D. 
 
 The circnmstanees connected with the covenant 
 or promise (ioil made with David, are recorded in 
 the lesson. This promise presents three thoughts 
 worthy of consideration : 
 
 1. Characti-rnf the persons in the envcnant, God 
 and David. The tenn "covenant," as applied here, 
 can only be understood as an accommodation. The 
 first and only being who can properly make a cove- 
 
 nant Is God— a beiufe' of veracity, power, and wis- 
 dom. Beneath his promises are his unchangeable 
 truth, unltinited power, and luUnlie wisdom. How 
 strong should he our faltli In his alndghty word. 
 The second iH-rson who receives the benefits of this 
 PRindse Is David, a successful and prosperous king, 
 whose heart Is lllied with gratitude, humility, and 
 prayer. Great success has given history Its despots, 
 cruel and arrogant ; its Nebuchadnezzars, Ciesars, 
 Herods. The natural man bears success with ill 
 grace. The recognition of his dependence upon 
 God, of tbe deliverances wrought for hini, and of 
 the source of his prosperity and greatness, created 
 in David a deep sense of his Increased obligations to 
 God. 
 
 2. Character of the covenant. It was complete, 
 extending to the nation, the temple, and the house 
 of David. It had a t\\ ofoUl application, literal and 
 spiritual, temporal and eternal. Solomon as David's 
 successor and the builder of the temple, the temple 
 on Mount Moriah, and the chosen nation, the king- 
 dom of Israel, did not exhaust the promise. The 
 promise contained a glorious prophecy of a si)iritual 
 nation, of a spiritual Zlon, and of a King, the Lion 
 of the tribe of Judah, whose kingdom is "forever." 
 
 3. Piilfillmcnt of the covenant. Jesus was the 
 promised seed of David. He is the successor to 
 David's throne, whom Solomon, In all his glory, but 
 typifled. His throne is set up, but his kingdom Is 
 not yet established. He is to triumph and reign 
 " forever." Tins fulfillment rests on the faithfid- 
 ness of God. The steady progress in the develop- 
 ment of the divine plans, from the promise to Eve 
 to tlie birth of " David's promised Son," and the 
 mighty developm<mts since that birth, assure the 
 believing heart that the kingdom of Christ has not 
 only come to stay, but will prevail. For its complete 
 estahlishinent the Christian should pray. Confi- 
 dence in its speedy triumph is expressed in prayer. 
 For this end the Church that measures up to her full 
 mission and measure will labor with consecrated 
 zeal, talents, and money. The day diaws near 
 when the "mountain of the Lord's house" will All 
 the earth ; when the righteous and peaceful domin- 
 ion will have no end, and the halleluiah chorus 
 shall arise from earth to heaven with the burden of 
 its exultant strains— Jesus Is king, and his throne 
 established forever. 
 
 B.C. 1040.] 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 KiXDXESS TO Jonathan's Son. — 2 Sam. 9. 1-13. 
 
 [July 27. 
 
 10. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Thine own friend and thy fatlier'ti friend, forsake not.— Prot. 
 
 TIME.-B. C. 1040. 
 
 Places.— Jerusalem, and Lo-debar, a town east of the Jordan. 
 
 CON.NECTIXG Link.— Subjugation of Israel's enemies. 2 Sam. 8. 1-18. 
 
 I.NTRonrcTiox.— When the Intelligence came to Glbeah that the Philistines were victorious, and that 
 Saul and Jonathan were slain, the nurse, supposing the Philistines close at hand, and that all belonging 
 to Saul would be sought for and rooted out, hastened to tlee with the young child, and, as his siieed was 
 
2 Sam. 9. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 not equal to her fears, she seems to have carried him in her arms. In her extreme haste she either let 
 him fall, or stumbled and fell with him, by which his feet were so badly injured that he remained lame 
 for life. He was taken for safety beyond the Jordan, and was brought up in the house of the generous 
 and wealthy Machir, the sou of Ammiel, at Lo-debar, in Gilead. There he remained, probably in such 
 obscurity as left few aware of his existence, for it could not have consisted with the policy of Ishboshetb 
 or Abner to bring him conspicuously into notice, and David could have had little opportunity of becom- 
 ing acquainted with a fact shrouded from view in a quarter so remote, and in the dominions of his rival- 
 Besides, if David had ever heard of his existence, it had been by his rightful name of Meri-baal, and he 
 would hardly recognize him under the altered name of Mephibbsheth. This nickname was not at all a 
 pleasant one for any man to be called by, but having got into use it would be preferred by those anxious 
 for his safety on the one hand, and by those whose interest it was to keep him out of mind on the other. 
 ■\Vhen Ishbosheth was slain, and all Israel went over to David, Mephibosheth was about twelve years old, 
 and there were obvious reasons why the friends who had taken charge of him should desire his existence 
 to be forgotten. Thus Mephibosheth lived a quiet and peaceful life among his friends at Lo-debar ; and 
 when he grew to manhood he married and had a son.— Ivitto. Since Mephibosheth was only five years 
 old at the^'time of his father's death, (chap. 4. 4,) and now had a young son, (verse 13,) the incident here 
 recorded cannot have occurred till David had been reigning at Jerusalem for some seven years at least, 
 when Mephibosheth would be about twenty years old— Cambridge BibU. 
 
 1 And Da'vid said, Is there yet any 
 that is left of the house of Saul, that I 
 may show ' him kindness for Jon'a-than's 
 sake ? 
 
 2 And tJiere was of the house of Saul 
 a servant, wliose name was Zi'ba: and 
 wiien they liad called him unto Da'- 
 vid, the kin<T said unto him, Art thou 
 
 Sam. \S. 3; 20. 14; Prov. 27. in. 3 Chap. 
 
 1. And David said— Being but five years old 
 at his father's death, (chap. 4. 4,) Mephibosheth 
 must have been born during the period of Da- 
 vid's wandering, so that it is nothing strange 
 that David had no knowledge of him ; and the 
 incessant cares of his reign had thus far pre- 
 vented the king's making special inquiry into 
 this matter. Now, in a time of peace, his 
 tlioughts go back to the brotherly covenant 
 made between himself and Jonathan, (1 Sam. 
 18. 3 ; 20. 15 ; 20. 42, ) and he yearns for oppor- 
 tunity to requite some of the kindness of that 
 noble prince.— 3/. S. Terry. Is there yet any 
 —David's question : Is it so that there is yet any 
 one left to SauVs hoiise? presupposes that he had 
 made inquiry and gotten information thereof, 
 and now wished to assure himself of what he 
 had heard. He had, perhaps some time before, 
 accidentally heard of the concealed abode of 
 the unfortunate last scion of Saul's house in a 
 remote place. — Erdmann. Of the house of 
 Saul— He doth not say, Is there any of the 
 house of Jonathan ?— but, of Saul ?— that, for 
 his friend's sake, he may show favor to the pos- 
 terity of his persecutor. — Bishop Ball. For 
 Jonathan's sake— Jonathan, tlie son of Saul, 
 and naturally David's rival in the expectation of 
 the throne, and in the affections of the people, 
 had shown a romantic affection for David " pass- 
 204 
 
 Zi'ba ? And he said, Thy servant 
 is he. 
 
 3 And the king said, Is there not yet 
 any of the house of Saul, that I may 
 show Hhe kindness of God unto him? 
 And Zi'ba said unto the king, Jon'a- 
 than hath yet a son, ichich is * lame on 
 Jiis feet. 
 
 I Chap. 4. 4. 
 
 ing the love of women." 2 Sam. 1. 26. He had 
 risked his father's favor and his own life by his 
 friendship; had warned David of danger and 
 visited hun in his wanderings, and had declared 
 himself willing to give up the kingdom for his 
 sake. David's gratitude now finds expression 
 fifteen years after Jonathan's death. 
 
 Good men should seek opportunities of doing 
 good. Tlie liberal deviseth liberal things. Isa. 
 32. 8. For the most proper objects of our kind- 
 ness and charity are such as will not be fre- 
 quently met with without inquiry. The most 
 necessitous are the least clamorous. -Jf. Henry. 
 2, 3. Ziba — This slave of Saul seems to have 
 become a freedman at his master's death, and so 
 well did he improve all advantages that at this 
 time he had himself become the head of a family 
 of fifteen sons and twenty slaves.— Jf. S. Terry. 
 The kindness of God— The leading idea seems 
 to be "an everlasting kindness," like God's fa- 
 vor to his people. Eom. 11. 2d.—Mishop Heney. 
 Others understand it of kindness in God, out of 
 reverence for God, for God's sake, (Keil,j or 
 take the expression as merely a superlative one 
 —very great kindness, (Patrick ; ) others eom- 
 liine these three views, and this is better ; kind- 
 ness shown from an indwelling in God will be 
 pure and great kindness such as God shows. — 
 I C. E. Toy. Jonathan hath yet a son— See 
 
July 27, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 2 Sam. 9. 1-13. 
 
 4 And the kinjr suid unto liiin, Where 
 is lie ? And Zi'bti said unto the 
 king, BehoUl, he u in the lunise of 
 'Ma'chir, the son of Am'mi-el, iu Lo- 
 de'biir. 
 
 5 Then king Da'vid sent, and fetched 
 him out of the house of Mii'chir, the son 
 of Am'nii-el, from Lo-de'bar. 
 
 6 Now wlien "3Ie-i)hil)'o-sheth, the 
 
 Introduction. Lame on his feet— Ilis lame- 
 ness i^eliup. 4. 4) lind prevented him from takin;^ 
 any part in the pubHc contests of the time. Be- 
 sides, according to oriental notions, the younger 
 son of a crowned monarch has a preferable claim 
 to the succession over the son of a mere heir- 
 apparent; and, lience, his name was never heard 
 of as the rival of his uncle Ishbosheth. Ili.s 
 insignitieance had led to his being lost sight of, 
 and it was only through Ziba that David learned 
 his existence, and the retired life he passed with 
 one of the great families in traus-Jordanic Ca- 
 naan who remained attached to the fallen dy- 
 nasty. — /i*. Ja)i>iexon. 
 
 4. Machir, the son of Ammiel — A man of 
 wealth and position, to judge frum the welcome 
 which he gave David in his flight from Ab- 
 salom. Ciiap. 17. 27-29. He may have taken 
 charge of Mephibosheth at Jonatlian's death. 
 It may bo inferred, from liis name, that he be- 
 longed to the tribe of Manasseh. Num. 32. 
 39, 40. — Cambridf/e Bible. This Machir appears 
 to have been a very generous, free-hearted man, 
 and to have entertained Mephibosheth, not out of 
 any disatfection to David or his government, but 
 in cominission to the reduced son of a prince, for 
 afterward we find him kmd to David himself 
 when he fled from Absalom ; he is named (chap. 
 17. 27) among those that furnished tlie king 
 with what he wanted at Mahanaim ; thougli 
 when David sent tor Mephibosheth from him 
 he little thought that the time would come 
 when he himself would gladly be beholden to 
 him : and perliaps Machir waa then the more 
 ready to help David, in recompen.so for his 
 kindness to Slephibosheth. — M. Henry. Lo- 
 debar— Evidently on the east of Jordan, and 
 m the neigliborhood of Ishboshetli's capital, 
 Mahanaim, (chap. 17. 27,) but not identitied by 
 any modern traveler. — Bij^hnp llervey. 
 
 5. King David sent — David's psalm on the 
 bringing up of tlie ark, " Who shall ascend into 
 the iiillof the Lord??" (Psa. 2. 4,) shows his 
 own feeling that one of the requisites for so high 
 an honor was that he who was thus favored by 
 
 son of Jon'a-than, the son of Saul, was 
 come imto Da'vid, he fell on his face, 
 and did reverence. And Da'vid said, 
 ^le-pliilj'o-shetli. And be answered, 
 Behold thy servant ! 
 
 7 And Da'vid said unto him, Fear 
 °not: for I will surely show thee kind- 
 ness for Jon'a-than thy father's sake, 
 and will restore thee all the land of Saul 
 
 . 6t:tn. 5U. -n. 
 
 God should not '■^ swear deceitfully, (I'sa. 24. 
 3, 4 ;) and in the spirit of that psalm lie now 
 jierforms his oath to Saul and Jonathan. — 
 Wordfnvorth. 
 
 6. Mephibosheth— In 1 Cliron. 8. S4 ; 9. 
 40, he is called Mtrih-baal (antl in tlie latter 
 place also Mei-i-baal, probably by a clerical er- 
 ror.) The two names seem to have the same 
 meaning: ''destroying, shame," Bosheth (shame) 
 being the equivalent for Baal, and Mephir 
 (" scattering " or " destropng") being equisa- 
 lent to Jlerib, "contending with." Compare 
 Ish-bosheth and Esh-baal, Jcrub-baal and 
 Jorub-besheth. 2 Sam. 13. 21. etc.—/?/*. llervey. 
 "Was come unto David — The picture of Da- 
 vid's royal power and gl'iry, in contrast with 
 the poor, crippled son of Jonathim, the last 
 scion of Saul's fallen liouse, comes out in greater 
 splendor the deeper tlie latter ]iuiiil)les himself 
 before him and trusts himself to liis favor. In 
 his noble conduct to Mephibosheth David dem- 
 onstrates the friendship that he had sworn to 
 Jonathan. — Erdmann. He fell on his face — 
 He doubtless was in fear for his life, as David's 
 speech. Fear not, indicates. Such generosity to 
 a fallen rival as David showed in restoring him 
 his paternal property seemed to liim scarcely 
 credible. — Bishop Hervey. 
 
 David can see neither Saul's blood nor lame 
 legs in Mephibosheth while he sees in him the 
 features of his friend Jonathan; how much less 
 shall the God of mercies regard our Intlrmitles, 
 or the corrupt blood of our sinful pro{,'enitors, 
 while he beholds us In the face of his Son, In 
 whom he is well pleased \— Bishop Hall. 
 
 7. David said . . . Pear not — Mephibosheth 
 might be afraid that David had only hunted him 
 out to treat him after the common fashion of 
 oriental usurpers, who often put all their prede- 
 cessor's kindred to death. — Cambridge Bible. 
 Will restore thee all the land of Saul— The 
 landed property belonging to Saul had either 
 fallen to David, as crown lands, or had been 
 taken possession of by distant relations after the 
 death of Sa\A.—Keil and Delitzsch. Thou 
 
 205 
 
2 Sam, 9. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 thy father; and thou shalt ' eat bread at 
 my table continually. 
 
 8 And he bowed himself, and said, 
 What is thy servant, that thou shouldest 
 look upon such '^a dead dog as I a7n ? 
 
 9 Then the king called to Zi'ba, Saul's 
 servant, and said unto him, I ^ have 
 given unto thy master's son all that 
 pertained to Saul and to all his house. 
 
 \ ; chap. lij. i 
 
 Shalt eat bread at my table — A common mark 
 of honor iu oriental countries. See 1 Kings 2. 7 ; 
 2 Kings 25. 29. The physician Uemocedes, who 
 cured Darius, was made " a member of the 
 king's table ; " and Histseus of Miletus was in- 
 vited to come up to Susa and be Darius' " mess- 
 companion." — Cambridge Bible. 
 
 What more could David do for one incapaci- 
 tated by his Inflrmlty for the employments of act- 
 ive life? and it was done, not grudgingly nor 
 with cold reserve, but with the heartfelt tender- 
 ness which made him desire to have always near 
 him this living memorial of his lost friend. A less 
 noble mind might have shrunk from thus keeping 
 before the public eye, in connection with himself, 
 the true heir of the house of Saul ; especially as, 
 though lame himself, Mephibosheth had a son who 
 would eventually inherit whatever claims his 
 father might be supposed to possess. But in the 
 large heart of David there was found no room for 
 such low suspicions and mean misgivings. God 
 had promised to perpetuate the royal power in his 
 house-and what had he to fear 'i Mephibosheth 
 was the son of his heart's friend— what could he 
 ; 1—Kitto. 
 
 10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and 
 thy servants, shall till the land for him, 
 and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy 
 master's sou may have food to eat: but 
 Me-phii)'o-sheth thy master's sea shall 
 eat bread ahvay at my table. Now 
 Zi'ba '" had fifteen sons and twenty serv- 
 ants. 
 
 11 Then said Zi'ba uuto the king. 
 
 ap. 16. 4 ; 19. 29 ; Isa. 3i, 
 
 >Chnp. 19. 17. 
 
 8. He bo-wed himself— Though he was Imie 
 of both his feet and co^dd not stand, j-et he is able 
 to bow down before him, and thus is exalted to 
 privileges transcending the glory of those wlio 
 were stronger tlian lie— even of his father Saul 
 himself, so famed for his stature and strength, 
 so confident and vain-glorious, and so miserable 
 in his fall. — Wordsivorth. Look upon such a 
 dead dog— The wild dogs of the East, which 
 still abound in every town, are the natural ob- 
 jects of contempt and dislike. — Skhop Hervey. 
 As I am— The strongest devisable hyperbole of 
 unworthiness and degradation ; for in a dead dog 
 the vileness of a corpse is added to the vileness 
 of a dog. — Kitto. 
 
 There is no more certain way to glory and ad- 
 vancement than a lowly dejection of ourselves. 
 He that made himself a dog, and therefore flt 
 only to lie under the table, yea, a dead dog, and 
 therefore flt only for the ditch, is raised up to the 
 table of a king ; his seat shall be honorable, yea 
 royal ; his fare delicious, his attendance noble. 
 
 How much more will our gracious God lift up our 
 heads unto true honor before men and angels if 
 we can be sincerely humbled in his sight!— Bis?iop 
 Hall. 
 
 9. Thy master's son— Ziba had, doubtless, 
 been accustomed to regard and call both Saul 
 and Jonathan master. The word son is also often 
 used where grandson, or even a more remote de- 
 scendant, is intended. — M. S. Terry. All that 
 pertained to Saul— Saul's family estate, which 
 had fallen to David in riglit of his wife, (Num- 
 bers 27. 8,) or been forfeited to the crown by 
 Ishbosheth's rebellion, (chap. 12. 8,) was pro- 
 vided (verse 11, also chap. 19. 29) for enabling 
 him to maintain an establishment suitable to his 
 rank ; and Ziba appointed steward to manage it, 
 on the condition of receiving one half of the 
 produce in remuneration of his labor and ex- 
 pense, while the other moiety was to be paid as 
 rent to the owner of the land. Chap. 19. 29. — 
 R. Jamieson. 
 
 10. Thou . . . Shalt tUl the land— This ar- 
 rangement suggests that Ziba was already in oc- 
 cupation of the land, so that the only change to 
 him would l3c that Mepiiibosheth would now re- 
 ceive the fruits instead of David. — Cambridge 
 Bible. That thy master's son may have food 
 — Although Mephibosheth himself ate daily as a 
 guest at the king's table, he had to make provis- 
 ion, as a royal prince, for the maintenance of his 
 own family and servants, as he had children ac- 
 cording to verse 12 and 1 Chron. 8. 84-, sqq. — 
 Keil and Delitzsch. Fifteen sons and twenty 
 servants — The mention of his sons and the 
 slaves in his house was to show that Mephibo- 
 sheth would be honored with an equipage "as 
 one of the king's sons." — R. Jamieson. 
 
 11. Then said Ziba— Ziba's relation to this 
 event is suggestive of the thought that perhaps 
 he had taken possession of Saul's estates in the 
 confusion of the revolution, and afterward had 
 been permitted to hold them, it may be paying 
 rental to David as the successor of Saul. At the 
 time of Absalom's conspiracy Ziba managed to 
 convey the impression that he remained loyal, 
 
July 27, 1SS4. 
 
 LESSOX IV. 
 
 2 Sam. 0. 1-13. 
 
 Accordiufj " to all that my lord the kiiijj 
 hath comniiuulcd his servant, so sliall 
 thy servant do. As for Me-phib'o-shetli, 
 mid the king, !»e siiull eat at my table, 
 as one of the king's sons. 
 
 12 And Me-pliil/o-sheth liad a 
 rounjr SO", wiiose '^ name vas Mi'cha. 
 
 np. 16. 1-4; 
 
 . J-»-:tl>; Prov. 12. 
 
 iiial that Mepliiboslii'tli hud joined the rebellion. 
 His nccusiition ntraiust his mu.ster was probably 
 false, tliou<,'li if it were wholly so it is ditlieult to 
 see wliy David should have permitted him to 
 retain half of a property whieh was another's, 
 whom he had robbed by false necusation. Com- 
 pare 2 Sam. 16. 1-4, and 19. 24^30. As for 
 Mephibosheth, said the king— There is noth- 
 in«^ to warrant the insertion of the words " said 
 the king," nor can the words be Ziba's assertion 
 that he would himself have entertained Mephib- 
 osheth royally. It remains to follow the LXX. 
 in reading at DariiVs table for " at my table," 
 and to take the clause along with the ue.\t two 
 verses as the narrator's conclusion of the story 
 thus : " So Mephihogheth did eat at David'' s table, 
 OS one vf the kimjs *'0/w." — (.'ambridf/e Bible. 
 Eat at my table— As men do not sit down at 
 table with their wives and children in the East, 
 this constant dining at court was a distinction 
 unaccompanied by any of the drawbacks it would 
 bring to us. — Kitto. 
 
 Here also we see that the "sure mercies of 
 David " overflowed on the faithful and humble- 
 minded in the family of Saul. Mephibosheth, the 
 sou of Jonathan, was admitted to partake In the 
 royal prerogatives of David's sou, and to sit con- 
 tinually at David's table ; and so it will be with 
 the Jews: when they are Mephibosheths in faith 
 and humility they will Iw Mephibosheths in honor, 
 they will be admitted to share in the glory of the 
 True David in the Church militant here and tri- 
 umphant hereafter.— irord«u,'orfh. 
 
 12, 13. Micha— Called Micak in 1 Chron.ft..35, 
 wlu-re it appears that the posterity of Jonathan 
 continued through many generations. —J/. ,S. 
 Terrij. Who had a numerous offspring, (1 Cliron. 
 8. 34, 35 ; U. 40,) and so the liouse of Saul 
 8j)routed up and flourished afresh from one who 
 had seemed without help and hope, but being re- 
 ceived into David's favor, was endued with new 
 life. Such will the Hebrew nation be when re- 
 stored to God's favor in Christ. — Wordsucorth. 
 Dwelt in Jerusalem— His loyalty remained 
 unshaken, though much contested, both at the 
 time and afterward ; and we part from him on 
 tlie banks of the Jordan, where, with all the 
 
 And all that dwelt in the house of 
 Zi'ba were servants unto Me'phib'o- 
 sheth. 
 
 18 So Me-phib'o-sheth dwelt in Je- 
 ru'sa-lem; for he did "eat continually at 
 the king's table ; and was lame on both 
 his feet. 
 
 ICIinp. 19.33,36; 2 Kil 
 
 signs of Eastern grief, lie met David on his re- 
 turn from the defeat of Absalom.— /v^o/t Stan- 
 liy. And was lame — This is repeated again 
 from vei>e 3, probably because the future inci- 
 dents of Mephiltosheth's life (1(3. 1-4; 19.24-30) 
 turn ui>on his lameness.— i?/»'Ao/; llervey. 
 
 There Is a remnant of Israel which has already 
 bowed before the divine David. There is also a 
 remnant which will one day bow before him. 
 Israel Itself is like Mephibosheth. It is lame In 
 both Its feet ; Its lameness is due to Its fall, con- 
 sequent on the apostasy of its fathers. It sup- 
 posed that it could walk before (iod by Its own 
 strength ; but it can do nothing to help Itself. 
 " It is lame on both Its feet," the words are em- 
 phatically repeated by the sacred historian. Ver. 
 13. But it will one day become sensible of its own 
 lameness, and then will recover Its place in God's 
 favor. Even now the divine David remembers 
 his own promise, ratified by oath to the fathers. 
 He remembei-s his own love to the Hebrew 
 Jonathan, whose love to him was a deep aud In- 
 tense love, "a wonderful love, passing the love 
 of women." 2 Sam. 1. 20. He desires to show 
 the kindness of God to their soul. He searches 
 after them. Let them come to Christ, as .Mephi- 
 bosheth did to David, in faith and humility. Let 
 them divest themselves of all proud notions of 
 their own righteousness. Let them fall on their 
 face before the Divine Son of David, and do him 
 reverence.— Wordsworth. 
 
 Authorities to beConsulted 
 Stanley's On the Jewish Church, lectures 21 
 and 24. Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations, 38th 
 week. Geikie's Hours with the Bible, vol. iii, 
 chap. 10. Bishop Hall's Contemplations, book 
 15. Sennons by C. H. Spurgeon. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 
 34(56, 3469 ; 2: 2400 ; 7 : 9217, 10090 ; 8 : *2026, 
 8888. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the true friend.] 
 
 1. There is a Friend, who, in his lofty state, 
 yet thinks of the lowlv and seeks them out. 
 Ver. 1. 
 
 2. This Friend finds man in a low condition, 
 poor, depressed, bereft, helpless. Vers. 1-3. 
 
2 Sam. 9. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 3. This Fiiend sends for us in all our poverty 
 and helplessness, and invites us to his throne. 
 Vers. 4, 5. 
 
 4. This Friend, when we approach him with 
 fear, meets us with encouragement and abundant 
 welcome. Ver. 6. 
 
 5. This Friend honors and blesses us, not for 
 our own worthiness, but because of his love for 
 us. Ver. 7. 
 
 6. This Friend restores to us the royal posses- 
 sion which we have forfeited by our rebellion. 
 Vers. 9, 10. 
 
 7. This Friend invites us to a companionship 
 at his own table, and leads us to the banqueting- 
 house. 
 
 8. This Friend deserves our love, our loyal 
 gratitude, and our faithful service. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. H. LIEBHART, D.D. 
 
 Introduction.— Our text presents two leading 
 characters— an exalted king, who has conquered 
 his enemies, and who stands at the height of 
 his power; aad a poor, unknown cripple, who 
 has a reverential awe of his sovereign. And 
 yet between the two there Is a strong tie — the pure 
 and true friendship of Jonathan and. David. 
 Theme : True Friendship. 
 
 1. It is a holy affection which never dies. 
 
 Jonathan and David were not only friendly ac- 
 quaintances ; they were not only foud of each other ; 
 they were not allied to each other by common inter- 
 ests or selfishness. No : they belonged to each other, 
 loved each other. They were pious youths united 
 by the love of God, and, therefore, their friendly 
 affections were tender and so strong that not even 
 death could erase the fond recollections. Many 
 years had passed since Jonathan's death, and yet 
 to David he was not dead. He still lived in his 
 memory and his heart. Death had only made the 
 
 sacred ties firmer, and brought him in closer com- 
 munion with his departed friend. 
 
 So lasting and alive Is true friendship that It 
 strives to obtain tokens of remembrance ; it actuates 
 a desire to assist those who sustain any relationship 
 to our friends. " Is there yet any one of the house 
 of Saul ? " said David ; "if so, I should like to show 
 him some kindness for Jonathan's sake." David 
 transmitted his never-dying friendship to any one 
 of Jonathan's loved ones. 
 
 There is much selfishness, misanthropy, pessim- 
 ism in this world, but, thank God! also such a thing 
 as true, tender friendship stronger than death. 
 
 2. It is entirelij disinterested. 
 
 The king on the throne could not have had any 
 personal motive in assisting a poor scion of the 
 house of Saul. David had reason to shun and avoid 
 the descendants of Saul. None of them, neither 
 Mephibosheth nor another, made application— they 
 dreaded the king. But for Jonathan's sake, true, 
 royal friendship extends its helping, disinterested 
 hand to a lame youth of no particular merit what- 
 ever. Whether Mephibosheth will thank or not, 
 whether he will show himself worthy or not, the 
 true friend of his father Invites him with loving- 
 kindness. That heart which cried once, "I am 
 distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan," is to-day 
 as disinterested as ever. Friendship, like charity, 
 seeketh not its own. 
 
 3. True friendship is active. 
 
 David not only shows a feeling heart, not only 
 inquires of the house of Saul, but he attests his 
 kindly feelings and intentions by the act. 
 
 (1) The kind king fetched Mephibosheth out of the 
 house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 
 (•2) He restored him to his patrimonial Inheritance. 
 "Come," says he, "and walk the fields and mead- 
 ows of your father, live in the house of thy mother, 
 the acres and thy home shall be thy own," etc. 
 (3) The king exalted the lame youth to distinguished 
 honors, and gave him suitable attendants. " Mephib- 
 osheth shall eat at my table," said he, "as one of 
 the king's sons, and those of the house of Ziba shall 
 be his ! 
 
 B, C. 1034.] 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 David's Repentance. — Psa. 51. 1-19. 
 
 CAug. 3. 
 
 GOLDEI\f TEXT.— My sin ia ever before me.— PsA. 51. 3. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 1034. 
 
 Connecting Link.— David's sin with Bathsheba. 2 Sam. 11. 1-27. 
 
 Introduction. The circiims-tances.—The psalm is said in the inscription to have been written just at 
 the time when Nathan came to rebuke him for the terrible guilt which he had contracted. This Is con- 
 firmed by the strongest internal evidence : of no other person known from Holy Scripture can it be 
 alSrmed that he was a devout man before and after a grievous fall, that his fall involved blood-guiltiness, 
 that the crime was unpunished by law, and that he was restored to God's favor. The depth of penitence 
 and the fervor of devotion are specially characteristic of David.— Cowon Cook. It is a striking distinc- 
 tion of the Bible that, while it dismisses in a few verses the story of David's victories, which, if won by 
 an Egyptian or Assyrian monarch, would have been the great theme of their chroniclers, It dwells with 
 208 
 
Aug. 3, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 PsA. 51. 1-10. 
 
 sad detail on tbe lesson of his fall. It is bis glory that tie avoided to so f^reat an extent the sins to wliicb 
 his position might so easily have led him ; but he did not wholly bear himself as became his nobler char- 
 acteristlc-s. The higher tbe glory be enjoyed the greater the necessity to guard against temptation ; but 
 tbougb he did so for tbe most part, one terrible sin is recorded against him ; that connected with Uriah 
 and Batbsheba. That he should have sinned like other men was only U) Im e.xi)ected ; but bow nobly free 
 and morally healthy must a i>eople have been to value the dignity, purity, and sacreduess of the family 
 80 highly as to insert in its public records this sad blemish in the life of their greatest hero ; a liiug 
 wielding al)solutely the power of life and death.— t'. (Jcikic. AuthoiHhiy.—ll is a marvel, but, never- 
 theless, a fact, that writers have been found t« deny David's authorship of this psalm ; but their objec- 
 tions are frivolous ; the psalm is David-like all over. It would be far easier to imitate Milton, Shakespeare, 
 or Tennyson, than David. His style is altogether xui {jcna-bi, and it isas easily distinguishal)le as tbe 
 touch of Raphael, or the coloring of Rubens.— Spiotfcod. Diviskim.—Wfe discern in Psa. 51 four parts 
 of decreasing lent;th. The Urst part, verses 3-11, contains the prayer for remission of sin : tbe sec(md, 
 verses 13-15, tbe prayer for renewal ; the third, verses 10-19, the vow of spiritual sacriQces ; the lourth, 
 verses 20, 21, the intercession for all Jerusalem. The divine name, Eluhliii, occius live times, and is ap- 
 propriately distributed throughout the pA&Xm.—DcUlzsdi. 
 
 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, ac- 
 cording to thy loving-kindness; accord- 
 ing unto the multitude of thy tender 
 mercies ' blot out my ti-ansgressions. 
 
 -illcb. ! 
 
 1. Have mercy— Tlie prayer for forgiveness 
 reposes wholly upon the grace of God. David 
 does not yet venture to use the name of Jeho- 
 vah ; that will come when the jirayer has been 
 answered. In this psahn tlie cloud hangs over 
 the sanctuary, though the divine light shines 
 throuirh it, and inspires ho]>e. Mercy, loving- 
 kindness— The first word is strong; it implies 
 kindness, graciousness ; but the second is niuch 
 stronger; it speaks of deep, tender, parental 
 sympathy, of an abundance and overflow of 
 those feelings which assure the penitent child of 
 his mother's unutterable love, of her yearnings 
 for his return to her bosom. So great a sin 
 could not be blotted out but by a great outpour- 
 ing of grace. — Cation. Cook. The multitude 
 of thy tender mercies— In all -godly sorrow 
 there is hope. Sorrow witiiout hope may be re- 
 morse or despair, but it is not repentance. 
 Hence the true penitent always looks to the lov- 
 ing-kindness of God even at the very time when 
 he feels most deeply how lie has sinned against 
 it. The cry on his lips is "My Father'''' even 
 when he confesses " I am no more worthy to be 
 called thy sony— Pe row ne. Blot out — Cancel, 
 obliterate, as one did when he turned the smooth 
 end of his writing instrument and passed it over 
 the tablet of wa.\ on which an account was 
 charged. — /?!/»(<:>•. My transgressions — No 
 sin ever stands alone; each single transgression 
 is the mother of many transgressions : each is a 
 root of bitterness whence spring many bitter 
 branches, so that we cannot confess one sin 
 •without confessing many. — Perowne. 
 14 
 
 2 Wash 'me throughly from mine 
 iniquity, and cleanse me trom my sin. 
 
 8 For 'I acknowledge my transgres- 
 sions : and mv sin is ever before me. 
 
 The riches, the power, and the glory of a king- 
 dom can neither prevent nor remove the tonnent 
 of sin, which puts the monarch and the l)eggar 
 upon a level.— ifoDie. 
 
 Two things are necessary to tine penitence: 
 
 (1) That we recognize sin and then likewise grace ; 
 
 (2) That we know and believe Uiat (iod desires to 
 be gracious and merciful to all who l>elieve in 
 Christ— Luther. 
 
 2. "Wash me thoroughly— Literally, " mul- 
 tiply to wash me." The washing must be 
 
 I tliorough, it must be repeated, therefore he cries, 
 I "Multiply to wash me." The dye is in itself 
 immovable, and I, the sinner, have lain long in 
 it till the crimson is ingrained ; but, Lord, wash, 
 j and wash, and wash again, till the last stain is 
 ' gone, and not a trace of my defilement is left. 
 ! Tlie hypocrite is content if his garments be 
 j washed, but the true supplicant cries, " Wash 
 we." — Spur g eon. Cleanse me from my sin — 
 I The original word signifies to miss an aim, as an 
 archer does who shoots short of his mark, be- 
 yond or beside it. It is also used for treading 
 aside, or tripping, in the act of walking. In a 
 spiritual sense it denotes deviation from a rule, 
 whether by omission or commission. — Tliomas 
 T. Biddulph. 
 
 3. For — This particle expresses, not the rea- 
 .son why God should forgive liim, but the reason 
 why he asks for forgiveness, namely, his own 
 sense and acknowledgment of his sin. — Psrowne. 
 I acknowledge— Literally, / will know. The 
 word is expressive of clear internal perception of 
 sin. The wilhngness to know sin is the first 
 
 209 
 
PsA. 51. 1-1< 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 4 Against * thee, thee only, have I 
 sinned, and done this evil ^in thy sight; 
 *that thou mightest be justified when 
 thou speulsest, a7id be clear when thou 
 judgest. 
 
 * Gen. 39. 9 ; Lev. 5. 19.- 
 
 step toward repentance, and the open expression 
 of this knowledge is the e.xact idea of acknowi- 
 edge, con/ess. — F. G. Hibbard. My sin is ever 
 before me— Not the terror of God's wrath and 
 judgment, but the deep sorrow for despite done 
 to God's love and goodness, is the feeling upper- 
 most. David dreads not punishment, but sepa- 
 ration from God. — Perowne. 
 
 It is hard to believe the sin we do our own. 
 One lays the blame on circumstances ; another on 
 those who tempted ; a third on Adam, Satan, or 
 his own nature, as if it were not himself. " The 
 fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the chil- 
 dren's teeth are set on edge." In this psalm no 
 such self-exculpation. Personal accountability 
 throughout. No source of evil suggested or con- 
 ceived but his own guilty will ; no shifting of re- 
 sponsibility ; no pleading of a passionate nature, 
 or royal exposure, as peculiar. " I have sinned." 
 " I acknowledic mu transgression ; my sin is ever 
 before me.— iiobotaon. 
 
 4. Against thee, thee only — Face to face 
 ■with Gnd he sees nothing else, can think of 
 nothing else, but his presence forgotten, his ho- 
 liness outraged, his love scoj-ned. Therefore he 
 must confess and be forgiven by God before he 
 could even think of the wrong done to his neigh- 
 bor. — Perowne. From the relation of all souls 
 to God every sin against man lies primarily 
 against God, to the end., or final consequence, 
 that God, who is the supreme and ultimate Judge 
 of all human conduct, may be justified in his 
 sentence upon the wicked. — F. G. fHibbard. 
 That thou mightest, etc. — That is, David con- 
 fesses his guilt unreservedly, in order that he 
 may admit the justice of whatever sentence God 
 may pronounce. " Justified " is taken in the 
 true forensic sense of being just in fiict and ap- 
 pearance, of being, and of being acknowledged 
 to be, righteous. This recognition of God's right- 
 eousness is the first and most certain proof that 
 a man is in a true position, and is capable of 
 justification. — Canon Cook. Clear when thou 
 judgest — Paul's explanation of this passage is, 
 that the sinfulness of man displays in a striking 
 contrast the holiness of God ; or, as the apostle 
 says, " Let God be true, and every man a liar." 
 The universal sinfulness of man displays the 
 unique sinlessness of God. It shows that God, 
 210 
 
 5 Behold, 'I was shapen in iniquity; 
 and in sin did my mother "conceive me. 
 
 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the 
 inward part; and in the hidden part 
 thou slialt niiike me to know wisdom. 
 
 ' Job 14. 4 ; Johu 3. G ; Rom. 5. 1> 
 
 and God alone, is qualified to judge, and that 
 man is inexcusable if he presumes to pro- 
 nounce judgment on the doings of God. — Words, 
 worth. 
 
 5. Shapen in iniqiiity— The verb rendered 
 "shapen" simply denotes the being born. — F. 
 G. Hibbard. In sin did my mother— David's 
 mother was the Lord's handmaid, he was born 
 in chaste wedlock, of a good father, and he was 
 himself " the man after God's own heart ; " and 
 yet his nature was as fallen as that of any other 
 son of Adam, and there only needed the occa- 
 sion for the manifesting of that sad fact. — Spur- , 
 (/eon. 
 
 He lays on himself the blame of a tainted nature 
 instead of that of a single fault ; not a murder 
 only, but of a murderous nature.— Crt?mn. 
 
 I believe David to speak here of what is com- 
 monly called original sin ; the propensity to evil 
 which every man brings into the world with him, 
 and which is the fruitful source whence all trans- 
 gression proceeds.— ^dam Clarke. 
 
 6. Thou desirest truth- Uprightness of 
 heart : that yery uprightness and integrity 
 which David and other of the Old Testament 
 saints assert elsewhere, but in which, now under 
 deep conviction of his .sinfulness, he feels him- 
 self to be so deficient. — Peroivne. Inward parts 
 . . . hidden part — Literally, the reins and tlie 
 covered parts., two synonymous words which, in 
 Hebrew psychology, correspond to the New Tes- 
 tament phrase *' inner man " or " inward part,'''' 
 (Luke 11. 39 ; Rom. 7. 22 ; 2 Chron. 4. 16 ; Eph. 
 3. 16,) and must here be understood generic- 
 ally of the entire spiritual and psychical nature 
 of man.— 2^. G. Hibbard. Truth in the reins 
 is an upright nature in man's deepest inward 
 parts ; and, in fact, since the reins are accounted 
 as the seat of the tenderest feelings, in man's in- 
 most experience and perception, in his most se- 
 cret life, both of conscience and of mind. Psa. 16. 
 7. — Delitzsch. Hidden part . . . wisdom— Da- 
 vid assigns iniuard part as the seat of truth and 
 wisdom., which determines it to be the seat of 
 thought and purpose as well as feeling. The 
 Hebrews had no metaphysical system of thought, 
 but located the mind or sensibilities phenomen- 
 ally ; that is, according to their sensible effect on 
 the nerves. — F. G. Hibbard. 
 
Aug. 3, 1884. 
 
 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall 
 be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter 
 than snow. 
 
 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; 
 that the bones which thou hast broken 
 may rejoice. 
 
 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and 
 blot out all mine iniquities. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 PsA. 51. 1-19. 
 
 15. 9; Eph. 2. Ill 
 
 spirit. 
 
 7. Purge me with, hyssop— That is, as with 
 hyssop, which was used hi Levitical purilicu- 
 ti'ous, as alter touoliing a corpse, (Num. 19. 18,) 
 and more especiiilly for leprosy. See Lev. 14. 
 4-6. David rc;;arded his sinfulness as a moral 
 leprosy, for which the cure was symbolized by 
 the blood sprinkled with the hyssop.— 6'a/wn 
 Cook. Hyssop— The lasaf or asaf., the caper 
 plant, the bri-rht green creeper which climbs out 
 of the fissures of the rocks in the Sinaitic valleys, 
 has been identified, on grounds (jf great proba- 
 bility, with the " hyssop " or ezob of Scripture ; 
 and tlius explains whence came the green 
 brunches used, even in the desert, for sprinkling 
 the water over the tents of the Israelites. — Dean 
 IStaidey. I shall be clean— And history scarcely 
 records a grander instance of the change of blood- 
 red sin into dazzling whiteness than this, that 
 out of the subsequent marriage of David and 
 Bathsheba sprang Solomon, the most richly 
 blessed of all kings.— A/^Vs^vA. 
 
 8. Hear joy and gladness— In the assuranceof 
 forgiveness, for which David prays. The bones 
 •which thou hast broken — These are regarded 
 as constituting the strength and frame-work of 
 the body, the crushing of the bones being a very 
 strong figure, denoting the most complete pros- 
 tration, mental and bodily. — Perowne. The 
 pain of a heart truly broken for sin may well 
 be compared to that of a broken bone ; and it is 
 the same Spirit, who, as a Spirit of bondjige, 
 smites and wounds, and, as a Spirit of adoption, 
 lieals and binds uj). — Henry, May rejoice — At 
 tlie resurrection of the body this petition will be 
 granted, in a literal sense, when the " bones," 
 that are moldered into dust, shall "rejoice and 
 flourish as an herb." Isa. 06. 14. — Rome. 
 
 0. Hide thy face— Do not only forgive, but 
 forget, my sin.s. See Psa. 32. 1. If we wish that 
 God should turn his face from our sins, our own 
 face must be turned toward them. See verse 3. We 
 must not hide them it we wish that they should 
 be hidden by him. — WorJmcorth. Blot out — 
 See note on verse 1, last clause. 
 
 10. Create in me— The spiritual work, heart 
 renewal, is constantly before the royal penitent. 
 
 10 Create * in me a clean heart, O God ; 
 and renew * a right spirit within me. 
 
 11 Cast me not away 'from thy pres- 
 ence ; and take not thy '" Holy Spirit 
 from me. 
 
 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy 
 sal vatiou ; and uphold me with thy free 
 
 Spirit: 
 
 ' Ezek. 36. 87 ; Rom. 8. 9 ; Eph. 4. 30.- 
 
 and this is nothing less than a new creation. 
 The word create is the strongest known in 
 the Hebrew for bringing into being that 
 which did not before exist, as Gen. 1. 1. Comp. 
 Eph. 2. 10; 4. 24; and "■ new creation," 2 Cor. 
 5. 17; Gal. 6. lo.—F. G. lllhhard. A clean 
 heart — The whole spiritual being of the man 
 had, as it were, fallen into a chaos. The pure 
 heart and the childlike feeling of confidence 
 could only return as a new creation. — Perowne. 
 Renew a right spirit — A steadfast spirit. One 
 not disquieted by fears or doubts, a mind stayed 
 on the Lord, and, therefore, kept in perfect 
 peace. See Isa. 26. Z.— Canon Cook. 
 
 II there is any greater exercise of power than 
 that which brought all things out of nothing, it is 
 that which brings a clean thing out of an unclean, 
 or makes a saint out of a sinner.— Phtjne/-. 
 
 11. Cast me not away — He realizes his of- 
 ficial, as well as his private, sin, and its guilt 
 and evil consequences, and whilst imploring 
 a pure heart and steadfast spirit, he prays that 
 he may remain in the presence and favor of 
 God, and retain and enjoy the Holy Spirit, and 
 the grace with which he had been anointed 
 by Samuel. — C. A. Bnggs. Take not thy 
 Holy Spirit — That Spirit which came upon 
 David at his anointing as king, (1 Sam. 16. 13,) 
 and by which he had achieved all his vic- 
 tories, he had now forfeited, and he depre- 
 cates the justice which would take back the 
 forleitm-e. With the divine rejection, as with 
 Saul, would follow that by the people of 
 Israel. 1 Sam. IG. 14; 2 Kings 24. 24. The 
 order follows in moral sequence no less than in 
 judicial judgment — loss of the favor of God, loss 
 of providential rank and honor, loss of the soul. 
 —F. 0. Hihbard. The petition expresses the 
 holy fear of the man who hsis his eyes open to 
 the depth and iniquity of sin, lest at anymoment 
 he should be left without the succor of Chat Di- 
 vine Spirit who was the only source in him of 
 every good thought, of every earnest desire, of 
 every con.stant resolution. — Perowne. 
 
 12. Restore . . . uphold— The idea of "up- 
 hold," here, is to conjinn, render permanent. 
 
PsA. 51. 1-19. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 13 Then will I tt-ach transgressors thy 
 ways; and sinners shall be converted 
 unto thee. 
 
 14 Deliver me from " blood-guiltiness, 
 God, thou God of my salvation ; and 
 my tongue siiall sing aloud of thy right- 
 eousness. 
 
 David desires that the restored state be sustained 
 and abiding. This is the point of the petition. 
 But he has not in himself the elements of this 
 stability. God only can "restore the joys of 
 salvation," and he alone can cause him to stand 
 firm in this restored life. — F. G. Bibbard. 
 "With thy free Spirit — The vford rendered 
 free, (Heb. nedibah,) signifies liberal., generous., 
 magnificent., noble., as opposed to servile and 
 niggardly. See E.vod. 25. 2 ; 35. 5, 21 ; 1 Chron. 
 29. 9, 17 ; 2 Chron. 29. 31 ; Isa. 32. 5, 8. It 
 here signifies that Divine Spirit who gives un- 
 grudgingly, (see James 1. 5,) and which, when 
 he works without let or hinderance on man's 
 spirit, excites it to the free, cheerful, and joyful 
 obedience of a loving son, as contrasted with the 
 forced service of a fearful slave. Gal. 4. 6, 7. — 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 13. Then will I teach— The Hebrew im- 
 plies a longing : 1 would fain teach transgressors 
 thy ways, those who, like me, have committed 
 heinous sins. Such a desire is one of the surest 
 signs of spiritual repentance. — Canon Cook. 
 Teach . . . thy ways— How he fulfilled this 
 promise is shown in some of his subsequent 
 psalms, as Psalms 32, 40, and 103, which should 
 be read in this connection. — F. G. Hibbard. 
 Sinners shall be converted — The form is 
 optative, and expresses that which he desires to 
 do as an evidence of his gratitude, and as know- 
 ing how greatly his sin . must have been a 
 stumbling-block to others. Terrible had been 
 the fruit of his sin, not only in the wasting of 
 his own soul, but in the injury done to others. 
 Terrible was hLs punishment in witnessing this ; 
 and, therefore, the more anxious is he, though 
 he cannot undo Ms own sin, to heal the breach, 
 and repair the evil of sin in other souls. — 
 Perowne. 
 
 The man who is himself a saved sinner can best 
 point out the way of salvation to sinners, can 
 show the joys of pardon, and can persuade others 
 to enter the gates of Gospel grace. 
 
 ITnto thee — Doubtless this psalm and the 
 whole story of David have produced, for many 
 ages, the most salutary results in the conversion 
 
 212 
 
 15 O Lord, open thou my lijis ; 
 and my mouth shall show forth thy 
 praise. 
 
 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice, <i else 
 would I give it ; thou delightest not in 
 burnt offering. 
 
 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken. 
 
 [ should give it. 
 
 of tBinsgressors, and so evil has been overruled 
 for good. — Spurgeon. 
 
 14. From blood-giultiness— Lit., "bloods;" 
 the plural is exclusively used to denote blood- 
 shed or murder : thus. Gen. 4. 10, " The blood of 
 Uriah cries for vengeance like that of Abel." 
 David cannot have a free spirit miless God si- 
 lences the accuser. — Canon Cooh. Sing aloud 
 —Thus, after forgiveness, according to the law 
 of Moses, comes the ofi'ering of praise and thanks- 
 giving.— i^. G. Hibbard. Thy righteousness 
 — Why is this attribute of God especially men- 
 tioned as the subject of praise ? Because the 
 i-ighteousness of God is that attribute according 
 to which he gives to every one his own, to those 
 who, with repentance and faith turn to him, the 
 forgiveness which they ask, and which he has 
 ■promised to bestow. Hence John says. If we 
 confess our sins, he is faithful and just (or right- 
 eous) to forgive us our was,.— Perowne. 
 
 Honest penitents do not fetch a compass and 
 confess their sins in an elegant periphrasis, but 
 they come to the point, call a spade a spade, and 
 make a clean breast of all. What other course 
 is rational "in dealing with the Omniscient?—' 
 SpurgeoJi. 
 
 15, 16. Open thou— Or, Thou wilt open; 
 his lips have been closed by guilt ; when the 
 conscience is freed, prayers and thanksgivings 
 will flow from it freely and copiously.— (7a«o?i 
 Cook. Desirest not sacrifice — David is speak- 
 ing of personal guilt ; that, he feels, cannot be 
 cleansed by sacrifice. God has no pleasure in 
 sacrifices offered in place of inward contrition. — 
 Canon Cook. The external rite availed nothing 
 without the hearty and humble self-surrender of 
 the penitent spirit. 
 
 17. The sacrifices of God— That is, those 
 sacrifices which God really approves, and which 
 are the results of his own work. His fatherly 
 chastisement breaks the spirit, which he then 
 pities and accepts.— Canow Cook. A broken 
 and a contrite hear1>— The inward part of a 
 man is said to be broken and crushed when his 
 sinful nature is broken, his ungodly self slain, 
 his impenetrable hardness softened, his haughty 
 
Aug. 3, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 PsA. 51. 1-19. 
 
 spirit : a broken and a contrite heart, O 
 God, tliou wilt not despise. 
 
 18 Do LTood in thy good pleasure unto 
 Zi'on: build tiiou the walls of Je-ru'sa- 
 lem. • 
 
 viiin-frloryinf? brought low — iu linu, when ho is 
 in hiiiiself become as nothing,', and when God is 
 everj' thing to liiui.— /Wi7;.V(-/t. 
 
 Jaslnia ben Levi (R. Sdiihcdri)), 43 ?j,) says : At 
 the thiie when the temple wiis stanunig, wlioever 
 brouKht a burnt-oITrrlnjr reeeiveil the rewurU of 
 It, and whoever hroujrht a iiieat-olTerlUir, the re- 
 ward of It ; but the lowly was accounted by the 
 Scriptures as one who offered every kiud of sac- 
 rifice at once.— Dch'tMC/t. 
 
 18. Do good . . . unto Zion — A.** a king he 
 feels he h;us exi^seJ his people and khigdoui, no 
 less than himself, to judgments, and these public 
 calamities liad been stenily foretold by Nathan. 
 2 Sum. 12. 10-12. They must sutler with him ; 
 yea, through their suflering the king more pro- 
 foundly suffers. — F. G. Hibbard. On Zion, see 
 Lesson I, vei'se 7, notes. Build thou the 
 walls — Tliis and the following vei-se are sup. 
 posed by most of the later connnentators, and by 
 some of an earlier age, to liave been added dur- 
 ing, or immediately after, the Bubyloni.sh cap- 
 tivity ; but tlie connection of thought appears 
 sufficiently clear and satisfactory. David has 
 just declared that he puts no trust in sacrifices 
 ofl'ered for the expiatioji of his personid guilt ; 
 for himself he has but cue offering, (unfeigned 
 re}>cntauce,) but as a king he feels differently ; 
 he can promise abundant sacrifices if in his good- 
 ness God will complete (tliat is, enable him to 
 complete) the building of the walls of Jerusalem. 
 — Canon Cook. Of Jerusalem — Jerusalem is a 
 name for the Church, ])arallel to Zion. By his 
 sin l>e had weakened tlie cause of religion. He 
 asks God to repair tlie breaches wliicli his own 
 misconduct had made. — Plinner. David feared 
 lest his guilt should render him as an Achan in 
 the congregation of Israel ; and, therefore, he 
 concluded liis penitential prayer with entreating 
 God to protect and pro.'^jier Zion." — IScott. 
 
 When we have most business of our own, and 
 of (greatest Importance at the throne of grace, yet 
 then we must not forget to pray for the Church of 
 God ; nay, our Master has taught us In our dally 
 prayers to begin with that, HalUmxd he thy 
 iia»ic, Thy kingdom come. — Henry. 
 
 19. Sacrifices of righteousness— The con- 
 struct or genitive relations of the nouns yield 
 the sense oi' sacrijke in orJtr (ojuvtijivaiion — ex- 
 
 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with 
 "the sacrifices of righteousness, with 
 burnt ollering, and whole burnt offering: 
 then shall they oiler bullocks upon thine 
 altar. 
 
 piatory sacrifices. So the word denotes verso 16. 
 In perfect analogy with this construction, the 
 plirase facrijice/i of thanksgiving^ tlie exact oppo- 
 site, occui-s ; that is, sucrijices for, or to express 
 thanksgiving for, justifying favor received. — F. 
 G. Jlibbard. "With buxnt-oflfering — The " sac- 
 rifices of rigliteousness " were for expiation or 
 atonement ;^ the " burnt-ollcring" " was the sac- 
 rifice of entire, full, unconditional surrender t« 
 Jehovah." The fonner for justification, tlie lat- 
 ter expressive of complete 8elf-con.secration. In 
 the burnt-ottering the entire animal was burned 
 upon the altar, indicating entire surrender to 
 God. Offer bullocks — We bring not the Lord 
 our least things — our doves and pigeons ; but we 
 present him with our best possessions — our bul- 
 locks. — Spurgeon. 
 
 David had fallen Into sins enough; blackest 
 crimes ; there was no want of sins. And there- 
 upon the unbelievers sneer and ask, Is this your 
 man according to God's heart ? The sneer, I must 
 say, seems to me but a shallow one. What are 
 faults ? what are the outward details of a life, 11 
 the inner secret of It, the remorse, temptations, 
 true, often-baffled, never-ended struggle of it, be 
 forgotten f " It Is not In man that walketh to di- 
 rect his steps." Of all acts is not, for a man, 
 repentance the most divine? The deadliest sin, 
 I say, were that same supercilious consciousness 
 of no sin ; that Is death : the heart so conscioiis is 
 divorced from sincerity, humility, and fact; Is 
 dead : it is " pure " as dead, dry sand is pure. Da- 
 vid's life and history, as written for us in these 
 psalms of his, I consider to be the truest emblem 
 ever given of a man's moral progress and war- 
 fare here below. All earnest souls will ever dis- 
 cern in it the faithful struggle of an earnest hu- 
 man soul toward what is good and l)est. Strug- 
 gle often baffled, sore baffled, down as Into entire 
 wreck ; yet a struggle never ended ; ever, with 
 tears, repentance, true, unconquerable purpose, 
 begun anew.— T. Carlyle. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 For the circumstances under which this pi<alm 
 was written, sec Goikie's Hours with the Bible, 
 iii, chap. 11. Stanley's Jewish Church, lecture, 
 Pulpit Analyst, v, 304. Glad Tidings, (D. L. 
 Moody's Sermons,) 473. Stems and Twigs, vol. 
 ii, 11. Preacher's Lantern, i, •_'.")0 ; ii, 742. Free- 
 man's Bible Manners and Customs, 437, 151. 
 F. W. Robertson's Sermons ; also sennona 
 213 
 
PsA. 51. 1-19. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Third Qitartbe. 
 
 by C. Simeon, F. D. Maurice, ( Prophets and 
 Kings, sermon 4.) Foster's Cyclopedia of Il- 
 lustrations, [numbers marked with a star refer 
 to poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 3901, 3906 ; 
 1-3 : 9147, 927, 928 ; 5 : *795, 4268, 4269 ; 6 : 
 2608 ; 7 : 433, *22S0, 7934 ; 8 : 12306 ; 9 : 229 ; 
 10 : 2850, 2967 ; 11 : 7562 ; 12 : 253 ; 13 : 2978 ; 
 15 : 11058 ; 17 : *517, 1046, 10936. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the forgiveness of sins.] 
 
 1. The forgiveness of sins is made possible 
 only by the multitude of the tender mercies of 
 the Lord. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The forgiveness of sins which every soul 
 needs is a thorougli cleansing, washing away all 
 guilt. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. The forgiveness (A sins is conditioned upon 
 an honest recognition and confession of sins. 
 Ver. 3. 
 
 4. The forgiveness of sins can only be be- 
 stowed by the one who is most wronged by sin, 
 Almighty God. Ver. 4. 
 
 6. The forgiveness of sins can only be given 
 to the sinner who recognizes his guilt and the 
 justice of his punishment. Ver. 4. 
 
 6. The forgiveness of sins removes, blots out, 
 destroys the record of guilt, and is followed by a 
 new nature. Ver. 10. 
 
 7. The forgiven sinner cannot only praise 
 God, but can teach his fellow-men the way of 
 salvation. Ver. 13. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. H. SPELLMEYER, D.D. 
 
 Consider: I. The Confession; II. The Peti- 
 tions ; III. The Vow. 
 
 I. In Confoision (1) frank, full acknowledgment. 
 Strong, unequivocal terms, "transgression," "iniq- 
 uity," "si/i." (2) Personal responsibility, "J have 
 done.' ' Bom with seeds of sin in his heart, (ver. 5.) 
 Sin is not from God, Adam, or ancestry. It has an 
 214 
 
 Sins must be 
 must be crossed 
 ence, (ver. 9-.) 
 
 individual character, and each one a personal ac- 
 countability. (3) Confessed to Ood. As it were, his 
 "only " sin against God. All sin, against society, 
 one's neighbor, one's self, is against God, as God is 
 against all sin. (4) Unceasing penitence, (ver. 3.) 
 Read Psa. 32. 3, 4. Day and night accused by con- 
 science. 
 
 II. In the Petitionshe begs (1) Forgiveness (verse 
 1) on the ground of (a) God's " mercies." A multi- 
 tude of sins requires "a multitude of mercies." 
 
 (b) "Tender." A broken heart needs "tender 
 mercies." He begs (2) absolute forgiveness, (a) 
 
 blotted out." The record of debt 
 by a red line, (h) No future refer- 
 The impenitent would be hidden 
 from God's face. The penitent asks God to " hide 
 his face from his sins." He begs (3) "a clean 
 heart." Sin can be "washed" out. God will do 
 more than pardon. He will "purge," "cleanse," 
 and make "whiter than suow." Therefore (a) a 
 truly saved man is saved in his heart. He gives his 
 heart to God. His moral personality is filled with 
 God's Spirit. You are not saved unless your heart 
 is saved, (b) He is saved to the extent of a " clean 
 heart." This comes by a Divine creation, (ver. 10.) 
 Your heart will be clean only in so far as you sur- 
 render it to God. (c) He is saved by Christ's aton- 
 ing blood. David uses the mode of speech common 
 to Levitical rites—" Purge me," etc. Wo say " The 
 blood cleanseth." The atonement is in both Psalms 
 and Gospels, (rt) He is not saved beyond a possibil- 
 ity of spiritual declension. The "joys of salva- 
 tion " may be lost. God may " cast a«'ay from his 
 presence." Indulging a wrong spirit may induce a 
 " withdrawal of the Holy Spirit, ' rers. 10, 11.) 
 
 (c) He is consciouslii saved. David *ould not ask 
 God to " restore the joy of salvatio;^ " unless con- 
 scious he had lost what once he a nsciously had. 
 The 13th verse contains 
 
 III. The Voiv. It is because God has mercy on us 
 (ver. 1) that we are impelled to go oat in mercy to 
 others, (ver. 13.) If we would save men, we must 
 be thoroughly saved. Have we this Itness ? Is the 
 "spirit right," the "heart clean?' Have we lost 
 the "joy of salvation?" Voice the penitent's 
 prayer! God will not cast you awa/ if you come ! 
 And in "the multitude of tender mercies" there Is 
 peace! 
 
Aug. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 B.C. 1023.: 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Absalom's Reuki.i.ion.— 2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 [Aug. 10. 
 
 GOLDEi\ TEXT.-Honor lliy fntlu-r niid iliy nioilier, that thy dayit iiiny he long on the land 
 which the Lord thy God jjlveth thee.— Exod. 'M. l.i. 
 
 TIME.-B. C. 1003. 
 
 Placks.— Jerusalem and Hebron. 
 
 Co.NNKLTiNG Li.NKS.— (1) The sln of Amnon. ~ Sam. 13. 1-2*2. (i) Banishment of Absalom for the mur- 
 der of his brother, Amnon. 2 Sam. 18. 23-39. (3) Return of Absalom, through the influence of Joab. 
 2 Sam. 14. 1-33. 
 
 iNTRODirTiox.— Among the causes which led to the rebellion of Absalom, and contributed to its prog- 
 ress and apparent success, may be uaiued the following: (1) The change for the worse in King Lavid's 
 character. He was no more the noble chieftain of earlier days, inspiring the loyal, enthusiastic service 
 of his followers. His ambition and sensuality had wealieued the respect which character alone can se- 
 cure. (2) David's neglect of his kingly duties. He no longer led the army in its campaigns, nor did he 
 "sit in the gate" to administer Judgment. As a result, the alTairs of the kingdom were in confusion, 
 rights of citizens were invaded, and tlie spirit of disi'outent pervaded all classes of people. (3) The foreign 
 wars pressed heavily upon the people with burdens of taxation, and, besides, brought in a lawless and 
 turbulent element into the nation, ready lor revolution at home when not employed in war abroad. 
 (4) The parties in the court, jealous of each other : Joab and Bathsheba dominant over the king ; 
 mercenaries and foreigners surrounding his person ; Absalom, the heir to the throne, set aside 
 for Solomon, the child of Bathsheba. This was doubtless the actual motive for the rebellion in the mind of 
 .\bsalom. (5) The jealousy of the tribe of Judah and the rivalry of other tribes. The Judahites found 
 themselves no longer the dominant clan ; the capital had been removed from Hebron to Jerusalem, 
 really within the tribe of Benjamin. AI)salom's revolt was the old tribal spirit of leadership asserting it- 
 self, (tj) rnderlyiiig all was the combination of the worldly and irrehgious, perhaps idolatrous, elements 
 cif the kingdom, under the lead of Absalom, against the theocratic religious influence which David's 
 throne represented, in spite of his sins. Had Absalom succeeded, the theocratic glory of Israel would 
 have been lost, and tlie Chosen People would have simk to the level of the races around them.— J. L. H. 
 The spiritual tcachinn* of the historu-— It is scarcely necessary to remind the Christian reader that In 
 the history of the insurrection of Absjilom against his father. King David, there are many points of re- 
 semblance to the rebellion of the people of God— Israel, "his flrst-bom," against the Divine David, the 
 King of the Jews, Jesus Christ. David's departure from Jerusalem ; his passage over the brook Kidron ; 
 his ascent of the Mount of Olives, his tears on that mountain, the meekness of his deportment there ; his 
 tenderness for Absalom, who rel)elled against htm ; his forbearance toward Shimei. who cursed him ; the 
 treachery of Ahlthophel, his familiar friend whom he trusted— the type of Judas the traitor, in his sin and 
 In his wretched end— these incidents bring before us some prophetic andflgurativeforeshadowingsof the 
 last days of our Lord's ministry: his weeping over Jerusalem, when he was on the Mount of Olives; his 
 agony in the Garden ; his betrayal, his rejection and cruciflxion by the people of his own city, Jeru- 
 salem, and his prayers for those who reviled and slew him. Nor Is this all. The counsel of Ahlthophel 
 comes to naught ; the rebellion of Absalom is quelled, he himself is slain ; and Shimei, who cursed David 
 Is humbled ; David is brought back to Jerusalem In triumph, and is received by the people with joy. 
 May we not see here a foreshadowing of Chrlsi's resurrection and ascension, and of the discomfiture of 
 his enemies, and of the flnal establishment of his kingdom?— VVord«U'oJlh. 
 
 1 And ' it came to pass after tliis, that 
 Ab'sa-lom ^prepared hira chariots and 
 
 1. After this— To recall .Vbsaloni without 
 granting liiiii a full pardon was ill-judged ; to re- 
 admit him to favor after he had been irritated by 
 two years of exclusion, without the slighter-t sign 
 of rcpentjince on liis pait, was fatal. The natu- 
 ral consequences of such treatment are recorded 
 in tlie following chapters. — Cambrulge Bible. 
 Absalom — Whose name n\e&n» father of peace ; 
 but he belied liis name by liis acts. — Worde- 
 
 liorses, and fifty 
 him. 
 
 men to run before 
 
 . 5 ; Proi 
 
 worth. lie was the son of David by Maachah, 
 the daughter of Talniai, the king of Gcsluir, a 
 princess whom David had married while king of 
 Judah. Notice that .Vbsalonrs mother was a 
 heathen woman. Chariots and horses— This 
 waa a.ssuining the state and equipage of a prince. 
 The chariot, as the Hebrew indicates, was of a 
 magnificent style ; and the horses, a novelty 
 among the Hebrew people, only introduced in 
 216 ■ 
 
2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Third Quarter, 
 
 2 And Ab'sa-lom ^ rose up early, and 
 stood beside the way of the jjate: and 
 it was so, that when any man that had a 
 controversy "came to tlie king for judg- 
 ment, then Ab'sa-lom called unto him, 
 and said. Of what city art thou ? And 
 he said. Thy servant is of one of the 
 tribes of Is'ra-el. 
 
 3 And Ab'sa-lom said unto him, See, 
 
 -b Or, 1 
 
 that age as an appendage of royalty, (Psa. 32. 9 ; 
 66. 12,) formed a splendid retinue, which would 
 make him "the observed of all observers." — 
 R Jamieson. Fifty men to run before him 
 — Great men were accompanied in their chariots 
 by running footmen, (8. 11 ; 2 Sam. 15. 1 ; 
 1 Kings 1. 5; 2 Kings 11. 6, Authorized Version, 
 guards; Jer. 12. 5;) and there seems to have 
 been always professional runners to act as mes- 
 sengers with armies in the field. See 2 Kings 
 11. 4, 6, 19.— Bishop Hervey. 
 
 David thinks that it is designed only to grace 
 his court, and connives at it. Those parents know 
 not what they do who indulge a proud humor in 
 their children ; for I have seen more young people 
 ruined by pride than by any one lust whatsoever. 
 —M. Henv}). 
 
 2. Absalom rose up early — He " rose up 
 
 early " in order to show his zeal and get op- 
 portunities, and such legal business is usually 
 attended to very early in the East. Oriental min- 
 isters hold their levees at an hour when Western 
 people of quality are not yet up. — 6'. ff. Toy. 
 Beside the way of the gate — By the side 
 of the road leading to the gate of the king's pal- 
 ace, where he sat to transact business. Comp. 
 chap. 19. 8. From this practice the sultan's 
 government is still popularly called in Turkey 
 " the sultan's gate," and the Sublime Porte, 
 which is the French equivalent of Bah-i-Hu- 
 niayoo7i, (the high gate,) the name of the princi- 
 pal gate of the palace at Constantinople, is used 
 by us for a synonym for the Turkish govern- 
 ment. — Cambridge Bible. Came to the king 
 —The policy which Absalom adopted could not 
 have been possible but for his father's fatal 
 neglect of the one great duty of an Eastern king 
 — that "sitting in the gate," as he himself had 
 done till lately, as Solomon did after him, to do 
 judgment and justice, to hear the complaints of 
 any, however liumble, who had suffered wrong. 
 Failing also, as he did, to appoint any represent- 
 ative to take liis place, it was no wonder that the 
 hearts of the peojile should turn to one who had 
 the cleverness to otfer his own services to fill up 
 216 
 
 Hhy matters are good and right; but 
 * there is no man deputed of the king to 
 hear tliee. 
 
 4 Ab'sa-lom said moreover, ^Oh that 
 I were made judge in the land, that 
 eveiy man which hath any suit or cause 
 might come unto me, and I would do 
 him justice! 
 
 5 And it was so, that when any man 
 
 ill hear thee from the kiop downward.- 
 
 5 Judges 9. 29. 
 
 the gap which they felt so keenly.—^. H. 
 Plumptre. For judgment — That is, seek 
 justice in connection with any matter in dis- 
 pute. — Keil and Delitzsch. Of one of the 
 tribes — Of course, in each actual answer, the 
 litigant named his city or tribe. — Bishop Hervey. 
 
 3. Thy matters are good— To flatter each 
 man by pronouncing a favorable verdict in his 
 case, to e.xcite a sense of grievance and discontent 
 by censuring the king for remissness in trying 
 the causes brought before him by his subjects, 
 and to suggest a sure and easy remedy for all 
 such grievances, namely, to make Absalom 
 king ; all this, coupled with great affability and 
 courtesy, which his personal beauty and high 
 rank made all the more effective, were the arts 
 by which Absalom worked his way into fiivor 
 with the people, who were light and fickle as 
 himself — Bishop Hervey. No man deputed 
 of the king — The judicial officer, who heard 
 complainants and examined into their different 
 causes, for the purpose of laying them before the 
 king for settlement. Of course, the king him- 
 self could not give a hearing to every complain- 
 ant, and make a personal investigation of his 
 cause ; nor could his judges procure justice for 
 every complainant, however justly they might 
 act, though it is possible that they may not al- 
 ways have performed their duty conscientiously. 
 — Keil and Delitzsch. 
 
 A fit man, indeed, to be a judge, who would 
 give judgment upon hearing one side only 1 For 
 he has a bad cause, indeed, that cannot put a good 
 color upon It when he himself has the telling of 
 the story.— M. Henri/. 
 
 4. O that I were made judge — We read" 
 not of Absalom's wisdom, virtue, or learning in 
 the laws, nor had he given any proofs of his love 
 to justice, but the contrary ; yet he wishes he 
 were a judge. Note, those are commonly most 
 ambitious of preferment that are least fit for it ; 
 the best qualified are the most modest and self' 
 diffident.- if. Henry. 
 
 5. "When any man came nigh — It was usual 
 to approach the king, or any one of high rank, 
 
Aug. 10, 1S84. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 came ni<^li to him to do him ol>eis;ince, lie 
 
 Eut fortli liis hand, and * took and kissed 
 im. 
 
 6 And on this manner did Ab'sa-lom 
 to all Is'ra-el that came to the king for 
 judgment : so ' Ab'sa-lom stole the hearts 
 of the men of Is'ra el. 
 
 7 And it came to pass after ' forty 
 years, that Ah'sa-lom said unto the 
 king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my 
 
 with a lowly prostration, i>ut this Ahsaloin 
 would not permit ; raisiiijj such as proti'ered 
 "oheisance" iie would eiiil>race and kiss them. — 
 C. Geikie. Kissed him — lie knew what a grace 
 it put ujion j;rcatness to be ati'uble and courteous, 
 and h.nv much it wins upon common people: 
 had he been sincere in it, it had been his praise, 
 but to fawn upon the people, that he might be- 
 tray them, was abominable hypocrisy. — M. 
 
 Over-fair shows are a Just argument of un- 
 soundness : no natural face hath so clear a white 
 and red as the painted.— /iiWiop Hall. 
 
 6. After this manner — Not only did the de- 
 aigiiing mea.-ures just mentifinod assist him in 
 this, but also his personal beauty. <."hap. 14. 25. 
 —.1/. ^. Ttrry. Stole the hearts— That is, 
 deceived them, for so the same phrase means. 
 Gen. 31. 20, 26. Others understand stole the af- 
 fections^ got them on his side by stealth.— 
 Bi«hop Hervei/. 
 
 7. After forty years — This is an error in 
 the te.\t, tor David reigned but forty years in 
 all, (1 Kings 2. 11,) and he certainly had reigned 
 many years before Absalom's rebellion. The 
 Syriac and Arabic versions read./b?//' years, and 
 with this agrees Josephus ; and this, in the 
 opinion of nearly all critics, is to be regarded as 
 the true reading. The meaning is, four years 
 after his restoration to royal favor. — M. S. Terry. 
 Though tlie number/oi/r is more probable than 
 fortij, it is after all only a conjecture, though a 
 well-supported one ; the chronoloiry mast here 
 be regarded as uncertain. — C. H. Toy. My 
 vow— Whether Absalom ever made any such 
 vow as he here pretends is altogether uncei-tain. 
 Most probably it was only a pretext to enable 
 him the better to carry out his plans of rebellion. 
 — M. S. Terry. In Hebron— This, as having 
 been the old eaj^ital of David's kingdom, and 
 Absalom's birthplace, was well chosen. It was 
 a natural center, had probably many inhabitants 
 discontented at the transfer of the government 
 
 vow, which I have vowed unto the 
 Lord, in " lle'bron. 
 
 8 For ' thy servant *" vowed a vow 
 while " I abode at Gc'shur in Syr'i-a, 
 saying. If the Lord shall bring me again 
 indeed to Je-ru'sa-lem, then I will serve 
 the Lord. 
 
 9 And the king said unto him. Go in 
 j)eace. So he arose, and went to He- 
 bron. 
 
 Or, four y. 
 
 to Jerusalem, and contained many of the friends 
 of Absalom's youth. As the place of Absalom's 
 birth, it afforded a plausible pretext for holding 
 there the great sacriticial feast which Absalom 
 pretended to have vowed to hold to the glory of 
 God. — BUhop Jltrvey. 
 
 8. Vowed a vow — lie that struck not at 
 murder and treason, would not make conscience 
 of a lie to serve his purpose. — .V. Henry. At 
 Geshur in Syria — A small district or princi- 
 pality in Syria, east of the Jordan and north of 
 Bashan. It was within the territory of Ma- 
 n.is.seli. Deut. 3. 14 ; 2 Sam. 15. 8. David had 
 married a daughter of its king, probably for 
 political reasons; and Absalom had fled tliither 
 after the murder of Ainnon. 2 Sam. 13. 37. It 
 was probably in the rocky region known as M 
 Ledjah. — Schqf. Then I will serve the 
 Lord — Namely, with a great sacrifice. For such 
 it appears, from the two hundred invited guests 
 from Jerusalem, (verse 11,) and from the mention 
 of the sacrifices in verse 12, was this service. — 
 Bishop Hervey. 
 
 Nothing wants now but a cloak of religion to 
 perfect the treachery of that ungracious son, who 
 carried peace in his name, war in his heart ; and 
 how easily is that put on \— Bishop Hall. 
 
 9. The king said . . . Go in peace — David 
 permits himself to be deceived by the pretense 
 of a tha/ik-offering in Hebrov, which Absalom 
 might have offered as well, or better, in Jeru- 
 salem. — Erdmann. David was overjoyed to 
 hear that Absalom was inclined to serve the 
 Lord, and, therefore, readily gave him leave to 
 go to Hebron, and to go thitlier with solemni- 
 ty.— J/. Henry. He arose and went to He- 
 bron—Absalom had selected this city, probably 
 assigning as the reason that he was born there, 
 but really because his father, David, had been 
 made king there, and also possibly becau.se there 
 may have been many pei-sons there who liad 
 been displeased by the removal of the court to 
 Jerusalem. — Keil and Dditzsch. 
 
 217 
 
liiiiiiiii^^ 
 
Aug. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 10 But Alj'sa-loiu scut spies tlirougli- simjjlicity, aiul they kuew uot auy 
 out all the trihes of Israel, sayiiif,', As thing. 
 
 soon as ye hear tlie sound of the truni- 12 And Al)'sa-loni sent for A-hith'o- 
 
 put, then ye shall say, Alj'sa-loni reigneth jihel the Gi'lo-nite, '* Da'vitl's counsellor, 
 
 iu Hebron. j from liis city, even "" innn Gi'loli, while 
 
 11 And with Ab'sa-lom went two lie ottered sacritices; and the conspiracy 
 hundred men out of Je-ru'sa-lein, that was strong; for the people '"increased 
 «f«re '" called: and they went '"iu their continually with Ab'sa-lom. 
 
 10. Absalom sent spies— The mcssenf^ers 
 sent out are culled "spies," 
 I'ccause they were, tii"st of 
 all, to ascertain the feelings 
 of tlie people in the ditlereut 
 tribes, and were only to 
 execute tlieir comiiiission in 
 places wliere they could 
 iL-ckon upon support.— /uiV 
 anil DtHtzxch. The sovmd 
 of the trumpet — As the 
 sLiiiiiuons WHS to be made 
 id ot irunipets, it is probable that 
 care had been taken to have trunipetei-s sta- 
 tioned on the heights and at convenient sta- 
 tions—a mode of nnnouneement that would 
 soon spread tlie news over all the country of 
 liis inauguration to the throne. — R. Jamieson. 
 Absalom reigneth in Hebron — The choice of 
 Hebron clearly .-liows that Absalom expected to 
 liud liis chief sui)port in the tribe of Judah. It 
 is probable that the old tribal jealousies had 
 been revived, and that Judah resented its ab- 
 sorption into the nation at large. Such a spirit 
 of discontent would account for the slackness of 
 Judah to brinir back the king when the rebellion 
 was over. Chap. 1!1. 11. Hebron itself, too, prob- 
 ably, contained many persons who were ag- 
 grieved by the i-emoval of the court to Jeru- 
 salem. — t'ambriiiffe Bible. 
 
 11. "With Absalom went two hundred 
 men— From their quality, i-eputation, and high 
 standing, such as would create an impression 
 that the king patronized the movement, and, 
 being aged and infirm, was willing to adopt his 
 eldest and noblest son to divide with him the 
 cares and honors of government. — R. JamU- 
 soii. In their simplicity— In complete inno- 
 cence, not knowing the designs of Absalom. 
 This helped to hide from the inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem the conspiracy of the iiriiu-e.- J/. S. 
 Terry. They knew not any thing — This 
 shows the extreme secrecy with which the con- 
 spiracy was conducted, and accounts for Da- 
 vid's having no suspicions. We may note Ab- 
 
 "Psu. 41. 9: 65. li.- 
 
 salom's taste for giving large entertainments. 
 See chap. 13. 2'i-27.—£iii/iop JJervei/. IS'o doubt 
 Absalom lioped that many of them, finding 
 themselves thus compromised, and seeing the 
 number of his sujiiwrters, would decide to join 
 him ; or, failing this, they might be held as 
 hostages. — Cumhridije Jiihle. 
 , 12. Sent for Ahithophel— In nothing was 
 the strength of Absalom's conspiracy more 
 manifest than in his attaching to his cause a 
 man of so much influence as this wisest of Da- 
 vid's counselors. His counsel was as an oracle of 
 God, (chap, 1(5. 23,) and nothing seemed to dis- 
 j turb Daviil more than the information that Ahith- 
 ophel was among his foes. Ver. 31. The man- 
 , ner of Ab.salom's sending for him, us here 
 I stated, seems to indicate that he was already 
 ' privy to the plot. — M. S. Terry. Itlias been with 
 , great probability supposed that Ahithophel was 
 estranged from David by jjersonal resentment 
 ^ for his conduct in the matter of Bathsheba and 
 j Uriah, since Eliam, Bathsheba's father, (chap. 
 ' 11. 3,) was the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite. 
 Cha]). 23. S4:.—£i*-hop llerviy. The Gilonite 
 I — Formed from Giloh, as iShUointe, ( 1 Kings 
 j 11. 29,) from Shiloh. Giloh was one of a group 
 ■ of cities in the mountains of Judah, to the south 
 or south-west of Hebron. Josh. 15. 51. — Cam- 
 ' Iriihje Bible. "While he offered sacrifices— 
 The meaning rather is that Absalom sent for 
 Ahithophel to be present when he olfered the 
 sacrifiees, the intention lieing that all who par- 
 I took of the saeriflce should be bound together 
 to prosecute the enterprise. Ab.salom, too, 
 would take advantage of the excitement of the 
 j great feast to inflame the ardor of tlie guests, and 
 pledge them irrevocably to his cause. — Bishop 
 Ilervey. The conspiracy was strong — The 
 rapid accession of one place af\er another in all 
 partsof the kingdom to the party of the insurgents 
 shows that deep and general dissatisfaction ex- • 
 isted at this time against the person and gov- 
 ernment of David. — Ji. Jamkson. When we re- 
 flect that the men who played the most imi^ortant 
 parts under Absalom — his geuerul, Amasa, who 
 219 
 
2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 13 And there came a messenger to 
 Da'vid, saying, " The hearts of the men 
 of Is'ra-el are after Ab'sa-lom. 
 
 14 And Da'vid said unto all his serv- 
 ants that were with him at Je-ru'sa-lem, 
 
 IT Judf^es 
 
 hap. 19.9; 
 
 was a near relation of Joab and of David, and 
 Ahithophel. a citizen of Giloli— belonged to the 
 tribe of Judah, and that the insurrection itself 
 sprung into being at Hebron, the ancient capi- 
 tal of Judah, it becomes certain that some dis- 
 content in David'.s own tribe here came into 
 play. — Ewald. 
 
 Ahithophel has justly been regarded as a type 
 of the arch-traitor Judas. Even if the words 
 " mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, 
 which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel 
 against me," (Psa. 41. 9, quoted in John 13. 18,) 
 were not written of Ahithophel, the parallel be- 
 tween his treachery and suicide and the treach- 
 ery and suicide of Judas is too striking to be 
 neglected.— Cambridyc Bible. 
 
 The hearts of the men of Israel — The 
 
 heart is considered as the seat of will, or the in- 
 dinatimi, influenced by the intellect.— i^Mo;? 
 Hervey. 
 
 13. There came a messenger— That David 
 observed nothing of all this till the startling news 
 reached him that the heart of Israel was turned 
 to Absalom, cannot be reckoned to his disad- 
 vantage, since so ancient and simple a king- 
 dom had nothing like our modern state police ; 
 it is rather a mark of the noble-minded security, 
 that we elsewhere see in him, that he gives so 
 free scope to his beloved son, who might be 
 regarded as first-born and heir-apparent, and 
 whose quiet nature certainly even greatly pleased 
 him. — Ewald. 
 
 14. Arise and let us flee — Against an in- 
 surrection so vigorous, and yet so thoroughly 
 groundless and unintelligible, the best defense 
 was to withdraw quietly and try to gain time ; 
 the first fright happily gotten over, sober 
 thought would soon return in many places. — 
 Ewald. Lest he . . . smite the city — Da- 
 vid's kind nature induced him to spare Jerusa- 
 lem the horrors of a siege, and the risk of being 
 taken by assault. He probably judged, too, 
 and rightly, that delay would be unfavorable 
 to Absalom's plans, an opinion which Ahith- 
 ophel held, too, (see chap. 17. 1, 2,) and 
 Hushfti. Chap. 17. 7-13. It must also be remem- 
 bered that, in a time of peace, David had no 
 standing army with which to resist this sudden at- 
 tack from so unexpected a quarter. Possibly, too, 
 
 Arise, and let us '* flee ; for we shall not 
 else escape from Ab'sa-lom : make speed 
 to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, 
 and '^ bring evil upon us, and smite the 
 city with the edge of the sword. 
 
 the remembrance of Nathan's prophecy (chap. 
 12. 10-12) tended to paralyze David's natural 
 vigor, and incline him to gentle counsels. — 
 Bishop Hervey. The conduct of David through- 
 out, his goodness, resignation, and patience, is 
 clearly evinced in all these trying scenes. This, 
 as Dr. Chalmers observes, " marks strongly his 
 subdued and right spirit, partly induced, we 
 doubt not, by the humility of his own conscious 
 transgressions. He fell, but it was the fall of the 
 upright, and he rose again, submitting himself 
 meekly, in the meantime, to the will of God." — 
 Kitto. 
 
 There is no single day in the Jewish history of 
 which so elaborate account remains as of this 
 memorable flight. There is none, we may add, 
 that combines so many of David's characteristics: 
 his patience, his high-spirited religion, his gener- 
 osity, his calculation ; we miss only his daring 
 courage. Was it crushed, for the moment, by the 
 weight of parental grief, or of bitter remorse ?— 
 Dean Stanley. 
 
 He preferred the safety of the people to his own, 
 and was thus also a figure of Him who said in the 
 Garden of Gethsemane, " If ye seek me, let these 
 go their way." John 18. 8.— Wordsworth. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Stanley's Jewish Church, lecture 24. Bishop 
 Hall's Contemplations, book xv. Kitto's Daily 
 Bible Illustrations, 38th and 39th weeks. 
 Maurice's Prophets and Kings, sermon 4. Mil- 
 man's History of the Jews, book vii. Geikie'a 
 Hours with the Bible, vol. iii, 12. Sermon by H. 
 Belfrage, in Sacred Discourses. Bible Educa- 
 tor, vol. iv, 289, 290. See Lesson Helps for 
 March, 1876, especially English Teacher's Notes 
 in S. S. Journal. Story by Miss C. E. Gard- 
 ner, Every Inch a King. Dr. Wm. Taylor's 
 David the King. E. H. Plumptre's Biblical 
 Studies, p. 87. Dr. Freeman's Manners and 
 Customs, Nos. 314, 851. Foster's Cyclopedia 
 of Illustrations, ver. 4: 6455; 5: 9692, 8755; 
 6 : 2855 ; 7 : 5951 ; 10 : 115. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [warnings from ABSALOM'S CHARACTER.] 
 
 1. We see in Absalom the spirit of vanity, 
 vain of his good looks and desirous of show. 
 Ver. 1. 
 
Au.;. 10, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 2 Sam. 15. 1-14. 
 
 2. We ure warned aguinst tlie spirit of Bclfiffh 
 policy, which seeks hy coiiipliineiits to win 
 friends for his own base uses. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. We are warned against the spirit of world- 
 ly ambition, seeking lor honor for its own sake, 
 and not a« a trust for tlie jieople's sake. Ver. 4. 
 
 4. We are warneil against the spirit of Hatlcry 
 which utters compliments without meaning 
 them. Vera. 4, 5. 
 
 5. We are warned against the spirit of hyi)00' 
 risy, which uses religion as a cloak for the bas- 
 est crimes. Vers. 7, 8. 
 
 6. We are warned against the spirit of treach- 
 ery, whicli conspires against the established 
 order only for selfish purposes. Vers. 10, 11. 
 
 7. Wo are warned against the spirit of filial 
 impiety, a son plotting against his own father 
 and king. Vers. 12, 13. 
 
 B.C. 1023.] 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Absalom's Death.— 2 Sam. 18. 24-33. 
 
 CAug. 17. 
 
 GOLDE.>' TEXT.— Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death.— MARK 7. 10. 
 
 TiME.-B. C. 1023. 
 
 Plack.— Mahanalm, in the trilie of Gad. 
 
 CONNECTiNQ LINK.— Battle of the armies of David and Absalom "in the wood of Ephraim." 2 Sam. 18. 
 1-23. 
 
 iNTRonrcTiox.— David found a refuge at Mahanaim, on the east of Jordan, and In a place on that 
 side of the river, called " the wood of Ephraim," a battle was fought between the two armies. The loca^- 
 tion of the battle-fleld remains unknown, but it may have received its name from some circumstance, a3 
 the slaughter of the Ephraimites related in Judges 12. Absalom's army greatly outnumbered that of 
 David, and the flercely-contested hand-to-hand struggles of antiquity were necessarily very bloody. But 
 the victory remained with the kMng. Twenty thousand of the prince's men lay dead on the Held, and his 
 huge force broke into helpless rout. The pursuit, however, was even more fatal than the open Held ; 
 the thickets and marshes of the woods arresting, breaking up, and bewildering the fugitives, so that es- 
 cape was dilllcult. Amons others, Absalom himself met his end. Hurrying through the tangled glades 
 of the forest on his tall mule, one of the branches of a great terebinth, under which he chanced to 
 pass, caught in his thick hair and held him fast, while his beast, running from under him, left him sus- 
 pended in mid-air. Hearing of this, Joab himself hastened to the spot with three light javelins, and 
 thnist them into the prince as he struggled to free himself from the bough ; the ten armor-bearers, who 
 always followed the "captain of the host," flnishingthe bloody work. This stern but politic and just 
 act at once ended the war. The trumpet call to cease pursuit forthwith sounded by Joab's orders far 
 and near, for he wished to spare the people. Absalom's death saved many lives. It had been ignoble, 
 but his burial was still more so. Cutting down the body from the tree, Joab's men threw it as it was into 
 a hole in the ground hard by, and piled a heapof stones over it, as a sign of bitter anger at the traitor. He 
 had raised a pompous monument to himself in the " King's Vale," a quarter of a mile from Jerusalem to 
 preserve his memory, his three sons having already died. But, instead of this, his crimes left his place 
 of rest marked only by a rough cairn, like that raised over the criminal or the outcast, every passer-by 
 afterward, doubtless, throwing a stone on the mound, as Arabs still do with detested graves.— C. Geikie. 
 In the life and death of Absalom we have a picture of the fast young man. At an early period of his 
 life a bitter hatred toward his brother soon ends in impious fratricide, aud a soul thus passionate and 
 rash can easily And its way to the crimes of an incendiary. Chap. 14. 30. Excessively vain, he loves to 
 display his beauty, aud have his praises spoken of in Israel; and this path of vain-glory leads him rapid- 
 ly on to an ostentatious prodigality that affects regal pomp and splendor, (chap. 15. 1,) and even erects 
 a pillar to perpetuate his name. For a youth thus reckless and headstrong it was no difficult matter to 
 plot treason, (even against his father's throne,) seduce the people, betray the Innocent, and commit the 
 most shameful incest. Such abandoned characters are sure to meet with a miserable end.— 3f. S. 
 Terry. 
 
 24 And Da'vid sat between ' the two 
 
 24. David sat— Awaiting the result of the 
 b.ittle at Mahanaim, a city on the ea^^t of the 
 Jordan, between the Jabbok and the Thiromax, 
 but not yet identified. Mahneh, ten miles from 
 the Jabbok, and Jeraxh, have been proposed as 
 
 gates: and 'the watchman went up to 
 
 its site, but proof is wanting. The engraving 
 represents the southern gate-way to Jerash, 
 which may represent the place where David sat 
 anxious for the news of the battle and his 
 sou. Between the two gates— At the gato- 
 221 
 
Aug. 17, 1S84. 
 
 LESSON vir. 
 
 2 Sam. 18. 24-33. 
 
 the roof over the «i;ate unto the wall, 
 and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and 
 behold u man runninj^ alone. 
 
 25 And the watchman cried and told 
 the king. And the king said, If he he 
 alone, there is tidings in his mouth. 
 And he came apace, and drew near. 
 
 26 And the watchman saw another 
 man runnini;: and the watchman called 
 
 ways of wullud i-ities special care was taken to 
 increa.se tlie struujrth of tiie wall and the power 
 of resistance, since the most formidable attacks 
 of the enemy would probably be maile there. The 
 ordinary thickness of wall not \n:\n)r sulticicnt 
 it was here widened or, more jiropcrly, doubled. 
 Considerable space was includcil between tlie 
 outer and inner wall, and to each of these walls 
 there was a gate. It was in the room thus 
 made tliat " David sat between the two gates.'' 
 — J. M. Freeiiimi. The roof over the gate 
 unto the wall— The tup of one of the towers 
 of the outer gate. The outer gate of fortified 
 cities was usually surmounted by a tower, in 
 which chambers were often built. The top was 
 a suitable station for a watchman. Such towers 
 
 were also built into the city walls at various 
 places. — M. S. Terry. A man rimning alone 
 — Two messengers had started from the battle- 
 field to bear the news of victory, Ahimaaz, 
 the son of Jonathan, and " the Cu.shite," or 
 Ethiopian. Ahimaaz, though starting later, 
 was the first to arrive at Mahanaim. Assuming 
 that the scene of battle was on the east, the 
 patlis of Ahimaaz and the Cushite cannot be 
 described with e.vactnes.s, but if it was south- 
 west of Mahanaim and near the river, the Cush- 
 ite may have struck in over the hills, while 
 Ahimaaz took the more level northward route 
 along the river, and then passed in to Maha- 
 naim. — Erdinaim. 
 
 unto the porter, and said, Behold nn- 
 other man running alone. And the king 
 .said, He also bringeth tiilings. 
 
 27 And the watchman said, " Me- 
 thinketh tiie running of the foremost is 
 like the running of A-him'a-az the sou 
 of Za'dok. And the king said, ^ He i» a 
 good man, and cometh with good tid- 
 ings. 
 
 25, 26. If he be alone, there is tidings- 
 Had he been a fugitive from the battle there 
 would have been others with him. David's 
 sagacious character appears in the remark.— 
 Bkhoi> Ilervey. The watchman called to 
 the porter— It was the business of tlie porter 
 to open and shut the gates at the proper time. 
 In this case the porter, being in a convenient 
 position below, could receive the intelligence of 
 the watchman above and communicate the 
 same to David.—/. M. Freeman. Another 
 man — This was the Cushite, probably an 
 Ethiopian slave. Another man running — 
 In the East, professional runners attend upon 
 every prince, and accompany every army, to 
 bear messages. They are young men of great 
 speed and endurance, having been known to 
 run a hundred miles in a single day. 
 
 27. The running of the foremost— The 
 well-trained eye of the wateluiian luid probably 
 discerned the messenger at a great disUmce, in 
 what to a common eye would have been a con- 
 fused and almost invisible speck. Now, as he 
 a])proached nearer, he recognized the running 
 of Ahimaaz. Similiarly, Jehoram's watchman 
 recognized the driving of Jehu (2 Kings 9. 20) 
 when still at a distance. — Binhop Ilervey. 
 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok— Zadok was the 
 chief priest of the line of Eleazur, as Abiathar 
 was of the line of Ithamar. The two were as- 
 sociated in the duties of the priesthood, and 
 were both on David's side in the war with Ab- 
 salom. Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, acted as a 
 messenger to bring tidings of Absalom's plans 
 to David. See chap. 15. 27 ; 17. 15-21. As 
 Ahimaaz still expressed a wish to hasten to the 
 king, even after Cushi had been sent, and 
 could not be induced to relinquish his purpose 
 by the repeated e.xpostulations of Joab, the 
 latter at length permitted him to run- And he 
 ran so fast that he got before Qn?\\\.—Keil and 
 Dditzsih. He is a good man - One of the 
 most valuable and cheering of all the tidings 
 David ever received was borne by this messen- 
 ger, (comp. chap. 15. 31, 34 ; and 17. 14-17,) 
 
2 Sam. 18. 24-33. 
 
 LESSON VIT. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 28 And A-him'a-az called and said 
 unto the king, *A11 is well. And he fell 
 down to the earth upon his face before 
 the king, and said, Blessed be the Lord 
 thy God, which hath ' delivered up the 
 men tiiat lifted up their hand against 
 my lord tlie king. 
 
 29 And the king said, "Ts the young 
 man Ab'sa-loin safe ? and A-liim'a-az 
 answered. When Jo'ab sent the king's 
 servant, and me thy servant, I saw a 
 great tumult, but I knew not what it 
 was. 
 
 30 And the king said unto him. Turn 
 aside, and stand here. And he turned 
 aside, and stood still. 
 
 b Peace, or, peace be to thee. Gen. 4.3. 23 ; .ludges 19. 50 ; 
 
 U. 18 : '.'«. S ; Isa. 19. 4; Obail. 14 d Is there 
 
 •Chap. 19.4; Prov. 
 
 and this fact made Ahiinaaz to be loved by 
 him.— J/. S. Terry. 
 
 28. Ahimaaz called— This marks the eager 
 haste with whicli, before he had quite reached 
 tlie king, lie shouted out the pithy, decisive word 
 of good tidings, Shalom ! peace, or, as the Au- 
 thorized Version expresses it. All is well. — 
 Bishop Hervey. Blessed be the Lord — It is 
 well when in the Jieat of victory the messenger 
 forgets not from whom the victory proceeds. 
 Hath delivered — Literally, shut vp. See 
 1 Sam. 17. 46 ; 24. 18 ; 26. 8; 30. 15, etc. The 
 figure seems to be that of confining a person 
 within the power of his enemy, in opposition to 
 giving him his liberty "in a large room," to 
 work wliat mischief lie pleases. — Bishop Hervey. 
 
 29, 30. Is the young man Absalom safe ? 
 — Not only the question itself, but the very 
 terms of it, breathe the tenderness of David's 
 feelings. Absalom is " the youth," as if his 
 youth were a full excuse for his conduct. Had 
 David asked himself this question earlier he 
 might not have needed to ask it then of another. 
 The young man Absalom had not been safe for 
 years. He had not been safe when allowed to 
 have his own way, and let his passions run riot 
 in the pleasures of a court ; he had not been 
 safe when his royal fiither failed to give him a 
 father's care ; he had not been safe when placed 
 in the way of temptation, with no shielding in- 
 fluences. It was too late then to ask, " Is the 
 young man Absalom safe ? " "When Joab sent 
 the king's servant, etc. — Namely, the Cushite. 
 A most unlikely statement for Ahimaaz to have 
 made, and a most awkward grammatical sen- 
 tence. The Vulgate gives the right sense, When 
 Joab the king^s servant sent me thy servant. — 
 
 31 And, behold, Cu'shi came ; and 
 Cu'shi said, 'Tidings, my lord the king: 
 for the Lord'' hath avenged thee this 
 day of all them that rise up against thee. 
 
 32 And the king said unto Cu'shi, /* 
 the young man Ab'sa-lom safe ? And 
 Cu'shi answered. The enemies of my lord 
 the king, and all that rise up against 
 thee to do thee hurt, be as that young 
 man is. 
 
 33 And the king was much moved, 
 and went up to the chamber over the 
 gate, and wept ; and as he went, thus he 
 said, ^ O my son Ab'sa-lom, my son, my 
 sou, Ab'sa-lom ! w^ould God I had died 
 for thee, O Ab'sa-lom, my son. my son! 
 
 1 S:im. 25. fi; 1 Chron. IS. IS. c Shut up. 1 Sam. 17. 46; 
 
 pe.ace! f Tidiugs is brought. « Psu. 27. 2 ; 55. IS. 
 
 lU. 1 ; 17. 21, 25; 19. 13. 
 
 Bishop Hervey. I saw a great tumult — He 
 knew the king's son was dead, for Joab had told 
 hiin, (verse 20;) but knowing the tenderness of 
 David for Absalom, he would not be the herald 
 of sad news to hiin. Josephus states th.at Ahim- 
 aaz obtained leave of Joab to run to David by 
 assuring him that he would relate only the vic- 
 tory of his army, and not the death of Absalom. 
 — M. S. Terry. Stand laere— In the company 
 of those surrounding the king, in due time to 
 receive the reward of his services. 
 
 31, 32. Cushi came — It cannot be decided 
 with certainty whether Cushi is the proper name 
 of an Israelite, or whether it signifies the " Cush- 
 ite," that is, a descendant of Cash. The form 
 of the name rat-her favors the latter view, in 
 which case it would suggest the idea of a Moor- 
 ish slave in the service of Joab. — Keil and De~ 
 litssch. The enemies of my lord— The Ethi- 
 opian slave then comes, tells the same news, 
 hears the same question ; and, with no touch of 
 reverence for the father's sorrow, nakedly blurts 
 out, as if he were the bearer of good news, that 
 which tilled up the measure of David's woe. — 
 E. H. Plumptre. 
 
 33. The chamber over the gate— An apart- 
 ment in the upper part of the tower of one of 
 the gates. And wept — We are irresistibly re- 
 minded of Him who, when he beheld the rebel- 
 lious city of Jerusalem, and thought of the de- 
 struction it was brmglng upon itself, " wept over 
 it." Luke 19. 41. — Bishop Hervey. Thus he 
 said — He rushed into the watchman's chamber 
 over the gate-way, and eight times over repeated 
 the wail of grief for Absalom his son. It was 
 the belief of the more merciful of the Jewish 
 doctors that at each cry one of the seven gates 
 
Aug. 17, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 2 Sam. 18. 24-33. 
 
 of hell rolled back, iind tlmt with tlio ei^htli tlie 
 lost spirit of Absalom was rcoeivi-'d into llie place 
 of Piirudisc. — Z'ea/t Stanley. O my son Ab- 
 salom — Absalom's sill and siianie had two sides : 
 there was in it the cui-se that David's sin brought 
 on David's house, (2 Sam. Vl. 10,) the misdeed 
 of the father that is visited on the children, 
 (Exod. 20. 5 :) and not less Absalom's own 
 wickedness and recklessness, which made him 
 the bearer of the family eui-se. David looks at 
 Absalom's deed not on the latter side, but on the 
 former., (for his own guilt seems to hun so great 
 that he looks little at Absalom's;) hence his 
 deep, boundless compiussion for his misguided 
 t^on.— Kurtz. David had not mourned after the 
 death of his infant child, but had said, " Can I 
 bring him back again ? I shall go to him, but 
 he shall not return to me." Chap. 12. 23. Why, 
 then, this mourning for Absalom? Why so in- 
 tense a sorrow for it ? (See chap. 19. 4.) It was 
 because David believed in the resurrection and 
 in the judgment to come, and in a future state 
 of rewards and punishments. It was because 
 (as Theodoret suggests) bis son Absalom had 
 been cut off" in an act of sin, the wages of which 
 are the secoi^d death ; and because by Absa- 
 lom's death the door of rejientixnce and pardon 
 was shut upon him. — Wordswortli. Would 
 God I liad died for thee — David now pro- 
 
 fesses, and I believe witli truth, to desire that he 
 had died for Absalom ; but that was a vain wish. 
 He ought to have lived more for Absalom. lie 
 ought, by his own character, to have taught him 
 to love holiness, or, at all events, he ought to 
 15 
 
 have Seen that there was nothing in his own con- 
 duct to encourage his son in wickedness, or to 
 provoke him to wratii ; and tiien, though Absa- 
 lom had made shipwreck, he might iiave had the 
 consolation that lie iiad done his utmost to pre- 
 vent such a catastrophe. —/. Taylor. There still 
 stands in the Kidron Valley a monument liearing 
 Absalom's name. It is an isolated block hewn 
 out of the rocky ledge, twenty-four feet s<|uare 
 and forty in height. Most travelers have de- 
 cided, with Itobinson, that its style of architect- 
 ure shows the work of a later age than that of 
 Absalom ; but some are inclined to identify it 
 with the ancient pillar.— i/. S. Terry. 
 
 The issue of the history, even as regards David, 
 shows how sin hrinys tnifferiny. Though his en- 
 emies are scattered and his throne restored, yet 
 that deeply touching passage ainMJiiited for the 
 reading lesson, where with keenest anxiety he 
 waits for news of the battle, and with overwhelmr 
 Ing grief he laments his lost son, shows him still 
 suffering the yet unQnished consequences of his 
 great fall. How the bad example he had set His 
 children must have come home to liim then ! We 
 sin, and our sin may be pardoned, but by sinning 
 we have, perhaps, set in motion a chain of cause 
 and effect which may work mischief years after. 
 " Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us each day without 
 sin."-£. Stock. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 [For list of "Authorities to be Consulted" 
 see the close of Lesson VI, as the two lessons 
 belong to the same period ill David's life.] 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical quotations,] 
 vers. 24-32 : *3084:, *3085 ; 28, 31 : 4211 ; 33 : 
 *8, 7487, 10G57. 
 
 Practical Thoughts, 
 
 THE LESSONS OF ABSALOM'S DEATH. 
 
 .. Absalom's end shows, as in a picture, the 
 final ruin -which is sure to befall all whose plans 
 are for self and self alone. 
 
 2. Absalom's end shows that a father's anxi- 
 ety over his son will not save him when he has 
 neglected a father's duty in the past. 
 
 3. Absalom's end shows that our acts have an 
 ihfluence alfecting others beyond ourselves. Da- 
 vid's sorrow was so deep because he saw in Ab- 
 salom's death the result of his own sin. 
 
 4. Absalom's end shows that repentance and 
 sorrow will not reverse the consequences of past 
 sin. 
 
 5. Absalom's end shows that parental love 
 may make one blind even to kingly obligations. 
 
2 Sam. 18, 24-33. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 6. Absalom's end shows that no gifts or graces 
 or endowments wilJ supply the lack of character. 
 Absalom's beauty and popularity could not save 
 his name from everlasting disgrace. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. C. R. BARNES, M.A. 
 
 Troubles increased In the household of David 
 after his unholy alliance with Bathsheba. His 
 daughter, Tamar, was cruelly wronged by Amnon, 
 her half-brother, who was slain at the instigation 
 of Absalom. After the murder, Absalom fled to the 
 court of his grandfather at Geshur, where he re- 
 mained for three years. Meanwhile David's grief 
 for Amnon abated, and his longing for Absalom 
 induced him to recall his wayward son to Jerusalem. 
 Two years passed without his being permitted to 
 see his father's face, when through the influence 
 of Joab a reconciliation was effected. This, how- 
 ever, did not satisfy the ambition of Absalom, who 
 regarded himself as the rightful heir to the throne, 
 and feared the influence of Bathsheba in favor of 
 her son Solomon. He, therefore, resolved upon re- 
 volt, and sent spies through all the tribes instruct- 
 ing them at a given signal to proclaim him king. 
 On pretense of paying a religious vow at Hebron, 
 he went thither with two hundred men, and set up 
 his standard. Hearing of the insurrection, David 
 retired to Mahanaim beyond Jordan, whither he 
 was followed by Absalom. A decisive battle was 
 waged on the borders of the forest of Ephraim, in 
 which 20,000 of Absalom's troops were slain, and 
 he himself met his tragic death at the hands of 
 Joab. The two conspicuous figures in this narrative 
 will repay a careful and prayerful study. 
 I. David, the doting father. 
 David is a very forcible example, 1. Of the 
 
 I that often accompany and thwart the 
 purposes of natural affection. Of David's love we 
 can have no doubt. The cry, " O my son Absalom ! 
 my son, my son, Absalom ! would God I had died 
 for thee," was a dirge that could only have been 
 composed after the heart had broken. David did 
 not maintain discipline in his family, and suffered 
 sadly from the unchecked passion and ambition of 
 his children. As a representative of the divine 
 Father, training his offspring as his children, he 
 should have taught them right, compelled obedi- 
 ence, and by administration of proper punishment 
 sustained the majesty of broken law. But, not- 
 withstanding the wrong done to Tamar, Amnon, the 
 author of her shame, is allowed to go unrebuked. 
 Nor is his death at the hand of Absalom avenged, 
 save by allowing the murderer to remain in self- 
 imposed banishment. David seemed at the mercy 
 of those he loved, so that often he could not be 
 merciful to them. And eventually this helpless 
 affection led him to be unjust to Israel by allowing 
 the selfishness and vanity of Absalom to develop 
 into disloyalty and treason, endangering thereby 
 226 
 
 the integrity of the state, and opening the way for 
 thousands to the gate of death. 
 
 Justice is not fatal to love. The rod Is sometimes 
 as much an evidence of affection as is the kiss. To 
 hold a child by the firm grip of authority may be as 
 profitable as to fold him to the breast. Obedience is 
 the condition of soul that secures instruction, and 
 that love is inexcusable that worships what it should 
 commend. 
 
 David's disappointment and sorrow should warn 
 us against the injustice of the sentiment that all we 
 owe our children is love. 
 
 3. David's increasing love. Although we can- 
 not defend his lack of parental discipline, and must 
 deplore the resultant disorder and crime that 
 brought such sorrow to his heart, yet we cannot 
 but admire the strength of his affection. In the 
 very struggle of treason, while his rebellious son 
 wars against his life, he charges his generals, 
 " Deal gently for my sake with the youQg man, even 
 with Absalom." How every indignity seems for- 
 gotten, disloyalty is overlooked, and David sees, not 
 the traitor, but his son Absalom. With what in- 
 tensity does he watch for tidings from the field I 
 And how was his love revealed by the question put 
 to Cushi, " Is the young man Absalom safe ? " 
 When the sad tidings are spoken, how his wounded 
 heart cries out, " O my son Absalom." 
 
 And if the poor human heart can be so tender and 
 constant in love, even to the erring and rebellious 
 child, is it not easy to believe in the loving pity, 
 long-suffering, and forgiveness of the heavenly 
 Father? We hear from the divine lips the refrain, 
 " O Jerusalem, how often would," etc., and "Fath- 
 er, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
 
 II. Absalom, the rebellious son. 
 
 the victim of vanity, needed the re- 
 straint of the strong hand of discipline. Proud of 
 the elegance of his person, hungry for the adula- 
 tion of flatterers, he strengthens his selfishness 
 until it becomes master of his whole being. It has 
 destroyed the strong, noble, sensitive qualities of 
 his soul, and left him poor in manhood. 
 
 He has lost his love. Love can never be wife to 
 vanity, for she " is not puffed up." All the won- 
 drous affection of his father is of worth to him only 
 as it tolerates his selfishness, pardons his wrong- 
 doing, and furnishes him support. David, the 
 mighty warrior, the able ruler, the sweet singer of 
 Israel, awakens in Absalom no admiration, grati- 
 tude, or loyalty that, for a moment, control his pur- 
 pose or action in the presence of his vanity. Ceas- 
 ing to be affectionate he easily steps into disloyalty. 
 Love and loyalty live only in each other's presence, 
 while treason grows rank in the garden of selfish- 
 ness. Absalom has gone so far that he can no 
 longer be son nor subject ; the words king and fa- 
 ther fall like dead leaves upon his hardened heart, 
 only to be swept away by the blasts of pride and 
 ambition. 
 
 Hate now wields the sword of power, and with it 
 
Aug. 17, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 2 Sam. 18. 24-33. 
 
 would fain fell the whitened head of father. And their selflsh pride, refuse to bow before Inflnltw 
 so dies Absalom, pilloried by pride, when ho might love, and In meekness and longing pray, Our 
 have been crowned by love, a type of those who, in | Father. 
 
 B. C. 1017J 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 The Plague Stayed.— 2 Sam. 24. 15-25. 
 
 [Aug. 24. 
 
 COLDEN TEXT; 
 
 So the Lord was entreated Tor the laud, and the plague was stayed 
 from Israel.— :i Sam. 34. 25. 
 
 Time.— B. C. lOir. 
 
 Plack.— The ihreahlng-floor of Araunah the Jebuslte, on Mount Moriah, the place where the temple 
 was afterward built. 
 
 Co.N.NKCTiNG Link.— The people numbered. 2 Sam. 34. 1-14. 
 
 I.NTRODUCTio.N.- For the purpose of a.scerUilnlng the number of the people, and their fitness for war, 
 David ordered Joab, his commander-in-chief, to take a census of Israel and Judah. Joab dissuaded him 
 from such a step ; but, Inasmuch as the king paid no attention to his dissuasions, he carried out the com- 
 mand, with the help of the military. Verses 1-9. David very speedily saw, however, that he had sinned ; 
 whereupon the prophet Gad went to him, by the command of Jehovah, to announce the coming punish- 
 ment, and give him the choice of three different judgments which he placed before him. Verses 10-13. As 
 David chose rather to fall into the hand of the Lord than Into the hand of men, God sent a pestilence, 
 which carried off seventy thousand men In one day, throughout the whole land, and had reached Jeru- 
 salem, when the Lord stoppt^d the ilestroylng angel In consequence of the penitential prayer of David, 
 (Verses 14-1",) and sent Gad to the king to direct him to build an altar to the Lord on the spot where the 
 destroying angel had appeared to him. Verse 18. Accordingly David bought the threshing-floor of Arau- 
 nah the Jebuslte, built an altar upon It, and sacriflced burnt-offerings and thank-offerings, after which 
 the plague was stayed. Verses IQ-'io.—Kcil and Dilitzsch. David acted from motives unworthy of the 
 delegated king of Israel ; from pride and vain glory, from self-confldence and distrust of God, and, above 
 all, from ambitious designs of conquest. In furtherance of which he was determined to force the people 
 Into military service ; and to ascertain whether he could muster an army sufflclent for the magnitude of 
 the enterprises he contemplated. It was a breach of the constitution, an infringement of the liberties of 
 the people, and opposed to that Divine policy which required that Israel should continue a separate 
 people.— iJ. Jamieson. 
 
 15 So ' the Lord sent a pestilence 
 upon Is'ra-el, from the morning 
 
 15. The Lord sent a pestilence— The judg- 
 ment descended in the form of a tremendous 
 pestilence — "a death," as it is expressively 
 termed in the original — like " the Black Death " 
 of the Middle Ages. Appearing in the heat of 
 the summer months, aggra%'ated by the very 
 greatness of the population which had occa- 
 sioned the census, spreading with the rapidity 
 of an Oriental disorder in crowded habita- 
 tions, it flew from end to end of the country, 
 and at last approached Jerusalem. The new 
 capital, the very heart of the nation, the pe- 
 culiar glory of David's reign, seemed to be 
 doomed to destruction.— /)ea» Stanley. Even 
 to the time appointed— The meaning of these 
 words, which are not found in Chronicles, is 
 very doubtful. (1) The English Version fol- 
 lows the Vulgate, Usqut ad Urnptu constitutum. 
 
 even to the time appointed : and 
 there died of the people from Dan 
 
 21. 14; 27. 24. 
 
 This would naturally mean until the end of the 
 third day ; but the duration of the plague seems 
 to have been mercifully shortened. Verse 16. 
 Perhaps a tirne appointed — there is no definite 
 article — might mean a time determined in the 
 counsel of God, before the expiration of the 
 period originally named. (2) Most commenta- 
 tors render until the time of assembly, that is, 
 the hour for offering the evening sacrifice, about 
 three o'clock in the afternoon. Comp. 1 Kings 
 18. 29, 36 ; Dan. 9. 21 ; Acts 3. 1. This is 
 supported by the explanation given in fhe 
 Targum, and by Jerome. — Cambridge Bible. 
 It is remarkable that this was the hour of 
 Christ's death, (Matt. 27. 45-50; Mark 15. 
 38-37 ; Luke 23. 44-46,) by which the wrath of 
 God against all mankind for sin was appeased ; 
 and God said to the destroj-ing angel, holding 
 227 
 
2 Sam. 24. 15-25. 
 
 LESSON VTII. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 even to Be-ei-she'ba seventy thousand 
 men. 
 
 16 And when the ' anjjel stretched 
 out his liand upon Je-ru'sa-lem to destroy 
 it, ^ tlie Lord repented him of the evil, 
 
 'Exod. 12. 23; 1 throa. 21. 15 j Psa 104. 4. Sfien. 6. 6; 
 
 * 1 Chron. 
 
 his drawn sword over the world, " It is enough •, 
 stay now thine hand." The angel Gabriel came 
 to Daniel at " the time of the evening oblation," 
 and brought the message of the Messiah. Dan. 
 9. 21. God's miraculous manifestations of mercy 
 often take place at the stated times of public 
 praijei; and thus he shows his approval of such 
 appointments, and his gracious acceptance of 
 united prayer in his house. — Wordsworth. 
 Prom Dan even to Beersheba — Dan was a 
 town, anciently called Laish, at one of the 
 sources of the Jordan. Beersheba, on the border 
 of the desert, the southern frontier of Palestine. 
 The two places are 150 miles apart. If the pesti- 
 lence did not last a whole day, the number 
 of persons carried off by it (70,000 men) exceeded 
 very considerably the number destroyed by the 
 most violent pestilential epidemics on record, 
 although they have not unfrequently swept off 
 hundreds of thousands in a very brief space of 
 time. But the pestilence burst upon the people, 
 in this instance, with supernatural strength and 
 violence, that it might be seen at once to be a 
 direct judgment from God. — Keil and Delitzsch. 
 Seventy thousand — It is the most- destructive 
 plague recorded as having fiiUen upon the Israel- 
 ites. In the plague that followed the rebellion 
 of Korah there died 14,700. Num. 16. 49. In 
 the plague on account of Baal-Peor, 24,000. 
 Num. 25.- 9 ; 1 Cor. 10. 8. The plague in the 
 besieging army of Sennacherib, however, carried 
 offl85,000 in one night. 2 Kings 19. 35. Diodoras 
 Siculus, quoted by Thenius, relates a plague in 
 the Carthaginian army before Syracuse which 
 carried off 100,000 maw.— Bishop Hei'vey. 
 
 The wealthiest might avoid the dearth; the 
 swiftest might run away from the sword; no 
 man could promise himself safety from that pesti- 
 lence. In likelihood, God's angel would rather 
 strike the most guilty : however, therefore, David 
 might well look to he enwrapped in the common 
 destruction, yet he rather chooseth to fall into that 
 mercy which he had abused, and to suffer from 
 that justice which he had provoked. " Let us 
 now fall into the hands of the Lord."— -Bis/iop 
 UaXl. 
 
 16 And -when the angel. — It is clearly 
 a doctrine of Holy Scripture that God uses 
 angels as ministers and messengers of his will. 
 22S 
 
 and said to the angel that destroyed the 
 people. It is enough; stay now tliine 
 hand. And the angel of the Lord was 
 by the threshing-place of ^ A-rau'nah the 
 Jeb'u-site. 
 
 ~M. S. Terry. Stretched out his hand 
 upon Jerusalem— Above this spot is said to 
 have appeared an awful vision, such as is de- 
 scribed in the later days of Jerusalem, or in the 
 pestilence of Rome under Gregory the Great, or 
 in our own plague of London, of a celestial 
 messenger stretching out a drawn sword between 
 earth and sky over the devoted city. — Dean 
 Stanley. The Lord repented^By repentance 
 in God we are to understand the change of feeling 
 which must needs occur in the divine nature 
 toward any of the children of his grace when they 
 turn from his truth and presumptuously sin 
 against him.— if. S. Terry. The angel • . . 
 was by — The visible appearance of the angel 
 was to exclude every thought of a natural land 
 plague. — Keil and Delitzsch. The threshing- 
 place — Threshing-floors were usually in the 
 open air on heights where it was possible, on 
 account of the chaff and the dust, and for 
 the sake of the wind, which was necessary 
 for the purifying of the grain. So this thresh- 
 ing-floor was without Jerusalem, north-east of 
 Zion, on the hill Moriah. The pestilence had 
 reached the houses lying near this threshing- 
 floor. — Erdmann. Immediately outside the 
 eastern walls of the city was a spot well-known 
 as belonging to a wealthy chief of the conquered 
 race of Jebus, one who, according to tradition, 
 was spared by David from old friendship, per- 
 haps contracted in his wanderings at the time 
 of the capture of the city ; who, according to 
 the probable interpretation of the sacred text, 
 had been the king of the ancient Jebus. — Dean 
 Araunah — The name is variously 
 spelt Aravnah, Avarnah, 
 Aranyah; in Chronicles it 
 is written Oman, and in 
 the Septuagint in both books 
 Orna. This variety of form 
 is probably due to different 
 attempts to represent a non-Hebraic name. — 
 Cambridge Bible. It has been supposed by 
 some that the sacred rock of the Moslems, 
 which is the highest point of Temple Hill, and 
 is now covered by the Kubbet es SakJirah, or 
 " Dome of the Rock," marks Iflie actual site of 
 Araunah' 3 threshing-floor. — Cambridge Mible. 
 
lV,li!l!mflJ'',JW» 
 
 i!-rr^ ' ':!?:l'F^ '^ lP1Ml'!^?l:! ' !^j'!IMbW' ' l'::!:lllS ! '!!rB;:|l^^ 
 
 m'i 
 
 
2 Sam. 24. 15-25. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 17 And Da'vid spake unto the Lord, 
 when he saw the angel that smote the 
 people, and said, Lo. ^I have sinned, 
 and I have done wickedly: but these 
 sheep, what have they done ? Let thine 
 hand, I pray thee, be against me, and 
 against my father's house. 
 
 This building is generally known to Europeans 
 as " The Mosque of Omar," and is supposed 
 by many to stand upon the place where Abra- 
 ham ofi'ered Isaac, and where Solomon estab- 
 lished the altar of the Temple. 
 
 The Lord our God is a consuming Are to the 
 sinner, and punishes, when it must be, with 
 frightful earnestness, so that It goes through 
 marrow and bone ; but in the midst of the most 
 awful judgments the Lord thinks of mercy. He 
 pities us, that is the only reason why he thinks 
 of mercy.— ScJilicr. 
 
 God stayed the angel, who had the sword 
 drawn in his hand, from destroying Jerusalem, 
 in the same place where he had stayed Abraham, 
 who had the knife in his hand, from sacrificing 
 his son Isaac— TT'ordsioort/i. 
 
 17. David spake unto the Lord— As we 
 
 epeak to God in earnest prayer. "When he 
 saw the, angel — His vision was so spiritualized, 
 and his inner sense so enlarged, that he was 
 permitted to behold " the angel of the Lord 
 stand between the earth and heaven, having 
 a drawn sword in his hand stretched out 
 over Jerusalem." The elders who were with 
 him in penitential garb seem to have seen the 
 angel also. Such angelic personages are often 
 around us in their ministrations of judgment or 
 of love, but rarely have they been allowed to 
 manifest themselves to human vision. — 31. S. 
 Terry. I have sinned — I, only I, am the 
 guilty cause of all this woe ! It is ever a charac- 
 teristic of the subdued and heart-broken peni- 
 tent to take all possible blame upon himself. 
 He who, ni professedly deep contrition, tiirows 
 any blame on others, or seeks to involve others 
 in his guilt, is not so much a penitent as a dis- 
 appointed schemer. — M. S. Terry. Sinned 
 . . . done wickedly— Sin is doubly described 
 as misaing an aim, coming short of the mark 
 of duty, and as crooked or perverse action, fol- 
 lowing the leadings of self-will instead of the 
 straiglitforward path of right. — (Jarnhridge Bible. 
 These sheep, what have they done — Done ! 
 Why they had done much amiss ; it was their 
 sin that provoked God to leave David himself 
 to do as he did, yet, as became a penitent, he 
 is severe ujjon his own faults, while he e.xten- 
 230 
 
 18 And Gad came that day to Da'vid, 
 and said unto liim, * Go up, rear an altar 
 uuto the Lord in the threshing-floor of 
 " A-niu'nah the Jeb'u-site. 
 
 19 And Da'vid, according to the say- 
 ing of Gad, went up, as the Lord com- 
 manded. 
 
 21. IS. a Araniah. 
 
 uates theirs. Most people, when God's judg- 
 ments are abroad, charge others with being the 
 cause of them, and care not who falls by them, so 
 they can escape ; but David's penitent and public 
 spirit was otherwise affected. — M. Henry. Let 
 thine hand ... be against me — David, otter- 
 ing his own life for his people, ( ver. 17, j and sac- 
 rificiiigion the threshing-floor of Aramiah, and 
 appeasing God's wrath, and staying the plague 
 on Moriah, was a type of Christ offering him- 
 self at Jerusalem as a propitiation for the sin of 
 the world, and staying the plague of Death 
 which threatened to destroy them. — Words- 
 viorth. 
 
 He that had put himself upon the paws of the 
 bear and lion, for the rescue of his sheep, will 
 now cast himself upon the sword of the angel 
 for the preservation of Israel.- Cw/iop Hall, 
 
 Not from the virtues of God's children, but 
 from their tears for their faults, shines upon us 
 the noblest silver light of their new life.— F. W. 
 K)-ummacher. 
 
 18. And Gad — A prophet and particular 
 friend of David, the history of whose reign he 
 wrote. 1 Chron. 29. 29. He came to David 
 when the latter was in the cave Adullam. 
 1 Siun. 22. 5. He then began his career of coun- 
 selor, under divine direction, which eventually 
 won him the title of " the king's seer.^' — Schqf. 
 Came that day— The narrative here goes back. 
 Gad's message to David was doubtles.s the cause 
 of his going up to the threshing-floor, accom- 
 panied by the elders in sackcloth, (1 Chron. 
 21. 16,) where, on his arrival, he .saw the angel, 
 as stated above in verse 17. — Bishop Hervcy. 
 An altar unto the Lord— Besides his prayer, 
 David was now to make public afiSrmation of 
 his guilt, and of his willingness henceforth with 
 the people to devote himself as an offering to 
 the Lord, by building an altar. — Erdmann. 
 
 Peace is made between God and sinners by 
 sa'criflce, and not otherwise, even by Christ, the 
 gieat propitiation, of whom all the legal sacrifices 
 were types. It is for his sake that the destroying 
 angel is bid Xxs stay his hand.— 3f. Henry. 
 
 19. David . • . went up as the Lord com' 
 manded — See his humility, how far he was 
 from takuig state ; though a king, he was no^ 
 
Aug. 24, 1884. 
 
 LESSON vin. 
 
 2 Sam. 24. 15-25. 
 
 20 And A-rau'nah looked, and saw the 
 king and his servants coming on toward 
 him: and A-r:iu'nah went out, and 
 bowed himself before the king on his 
 face upon the ground. 
 
 21 And A-riiu'nali said, Wlierefore is 
 my lord the king come to his servant ? 
 'And David said, Tobiiy tlie threshing- 
 floor of thee, to build an altar unto the 
 Loud, that tiie "plague may be stayed 
 from the people. 
 
 22 And A-rau'nah said unto Da'vid, 
 
 -• Num. 16. ■«.. » 1 King. 19. 21. 
 
 a penitent, and, therefore, in token of his self- 
 aba.scment, ho neither sent for Araunah to eomc 
 to him, nor sent another to deal with him, but 
 went himself. — ^f. Iknri). 
 
 20. Araunah looked, and saw the king— 
 Aecordiiif,' to (.'linmieles, he, too, had seen the 
 angel, and, in their terror, himself and his four 
 sons had hid themselves. — J/, /ij. Terry. Went 
 out — From the threshing-floor, where he was at 
 wdrk threshing wheat. — Cambridge Bible. 
 Bowed himself before the king — Beside the 
 rocky threshing-floor tiie two princes met — the 
 fallen king of the ancient fortress, the new king 
 of the restored capital — each moved alike by the 
 misfortunes of a city which, in difl'erent senses, 
 belonged to each. — Dtan Stanley. 
 
 21. Araunah . . . David— It was the meet- 
 ing of two ages. Araunah, as he yields that 
 spot, is the last of the Caniumites, the last of 
 that stern old race that we discern in any indi- 
 vidual form and character. David, a.s he raises 
 that altar, is the close harbinger of the reign of 
 Solomon, the founder of a new institution which 
 another was to complete. — Dean Stanley. 
 
 Let my lord the king take and oflfer up 
 \\\\a.t seemeth good unto him: 'behold, 
 here be o.xen for burnt sacrifice, and 
 threshing instruments and other instru- 
 ments of the o.xen for wood. 
 
 23 All these thiiujti did A-rau'nah, as a 
 king, give unto tlie king. And A-rau- 
 nali said unto the king, The Lord thy 
 God accept '" thee. 
 
 24 And the king said unto A-rau'nali, 
 Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at 
 a price: neither will I offer burnt offer- 
 
 «0 Psa. M. 3 ; 119.108 ; Eiek. KO. 40 ; 1 Pet. 8. 6. 
 
 22. Oxen for burnt sacrifice- The burnt- 
 offering might be an o.\ or bullock, a goat or 
 ram, or a pair of pigeons. The more valuable 
 wiu? preferred, as indicative of a full con.secra- 
 tion. The bumt-oflering was entirely consumed 
 upon the altar. Threshing instruments — 
 Sledges or frames armed on the underside with 
 
 rollei-s or sharp pikes, used for the jnirpose of 
 bruising the ears of corn, and extracting the 
 grain, and, at the same time, breaking up the 
 straw into small pieces for use as fodder. — Carn- 
 briilge Bible. Instruments of the oxen— The 
 yoke, and, perhaps, other parts of the harness 
 of o.\en. These instruments could never be put 
 to nobler use.— 3/. S. Terry. 
 
 23. Araunah as a king — Indicating, as the 
 sense is, that this man had been anciently a 
 heathen king or chief, but was now a proselyte 
 who still retained great property and influence 
 in Jerusalem, and whose piety was evinced by 
 the liberality of his offers. The words, " as a 
 king," are taken by some to signify simply "he 
 gave with royal munificence." — E. Jamitson. 
 
 The willlDKness of Araunah the Jehiiaitc topive 
 gifts to David, foreshadowed the readiness of the 
 Gentiles to bring tribute and to do homage to 
 Christ. Psa. 72. 10, 11; 110. S.— n'onhivorth. 
 
 24. The king said unto Aravinah— Two 
 frank hearts are well met : David would buy, 
 Araunah would give ; the Jebusite would not 
 sell, David will not take. Since it was for God, 
 
 and to David, Araunah is loath to 
 bargain ; since it was for God, David 
 w isheth to pay dear. — Bishop Hall. I 
 will surely buy it of thee — For 
 otherwise it would have been Arau- 
 iiah's offeriii'r, and not David's. 
 Bought the threshing-floor and the 
 oxen for fifty shekels of silver — 
 About twenty-five dollars, at a time 
 when the precious metals were worth 
 ten times as much as now. In 1 Chron. 
 21. 25, we read that David gave to Oman six 
 hundred shekels of gold by weight for tht jdace. 
 David did two things; he purchased for tit\y 
 shekels of silver the oxen and thethresliing-floor 
 for his own immediate use on that particular oc- 
 casion, when he built an altar., and ottered sacri- 
 fice to God, for this special mercy to himself and 
 281 
 
2 Sam. 24. 15-25. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 ings unto tlie Lord my God of that 
 which doth cost me nothino-. So " Da'- 
 vid bought the threshiug-floor and the 
 oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 
 
 25 And Da'vid built * there an altar 
 
 > Which became the site of the Temple 
 
 unto the Lord, and offered burnt of- 
 ferings and peace offerings. So the 
 Lord was "* entreated for the land, 
 and the plague was stayed from 
 Is'ra-el. 
 
 14; 2 Chron. 33. 13; Isa. 19. 52. 
 
 his. But he did more than this ; he also purchased sound, thereby showing that there is a weU or 
 
 excavation beneath.— Caf/ierwood. 
 The Mohammedans believe the rock to be sus- 
 
 the placc'^ probably the area of the house and 
 homestead of Araunah, as a site for the temple 
 to be built by Solomon, and for all its glorious 
 apparatus of services in future generations. The 
 author of the Chronicles supposes his readers to 
 be acquainted with the Books of Samuel, and 
 adds fresh materials to them. — Wordsworth. 
 Those know not what religion is, all whose care 
 it is to make it cheap and easy to themselves, and 
 who are best pleased with that which costs them 
 least pains or money. What have we our sub- 
 stance for, but to honor God with it, and how can 
 it be better bestowed ?— Jf . Henry. 
 
 The altar of David, and the temple of Solomon, 
 erected on the threshing-floor and field of Araunah 
 the Jebusite, the heathen lord of the soil, at Mo- 
 riah, where Abraham's sacrifice was offered, were 
 a figure of the Church universal, built of lively 
 stones of all true Israelites of all nations, on the 
 foundation of the faith of Abraham.— TFoj-ds- 
 icoWi. 
 
 25. David built there an altar— This he 
 seems to have done without the least delay. 
 Tlie destroying angel still hovered near, and 
 the plague had scarcely yet abated. — M. S. 
 Tert-jj. Offered burnt-oflferings — As a type 
 and symbol of his entire consecration, body 
 and soul, to Jehovah. Peace-oflferings — Ex- 
 pressive of his realization of peace and friend- 
 ship with God, and his thankful homage for the 
 divine favour. Chronicles adds that he called 
 on the Lord and was answered by fire from 
 heaven upon his offerings. This spot became 
 the site of the temple. 2 Chron. 3. \.—M. S. 
 Terry. 
 
 The Sacred Rock— It is irregular in its form, 
 and measures about vSixtyfeet in one direction, and 
 fifty feet in the other. It projects about five feet 
 above the marble pavement, and the pavement of 
 the mosque is twelve feet above the general level 
 of the inclosure, making this rise seventeen feet 
 above the ground. ... It appears to be the natu- 
 ral surface of Mount Moriah ; in a few places there 
 are marks of chiseling, but its south-east corner is 
 an excavated chamber, to which there isa descent 
 by a flight of stone steps. This chamber is irregu- 
 lar in form, and its superficial area is about six 
 hundred feet, the average height seven feet. In 
 the center of the rocky cave there is a circular slab 
 Of marble, which being struck makes a hollow 
 232 
 
 pended in mid-air, and, as proof of it, cite the ring- 
 ing sound given forth when the bottom of the cave 
 is struck. In the center of the floor is Bir-el-Arwah, 
 the Well of Spirits. In this, they say, all departed 
 souls are confined by Mohammed until the last 
 judgment.— Jf. B. Ridgaivay. 
 
 The theory of Professor Willis and others is, 
 that the great altar of sacrifice in the Temple stood 
 on this rock, that the cave was the cess-pool beneath 
 the altar, and that the Well of Spirits was none 
 other than the drain through which the blood and 
 water flowed from the altar into the sewers un- 
 derneath the temple area. It seems, as Dean Stanley 
 hints, a little improbable thai so unshapely a lock 
 should have been left in the midst of the temple, 
 yet it is certain that Araunah and his four sons hid 
 themselves when they saw the angel, and also 
 came out of the threshing-floor at David's arrival, 
 showing that there was a place of concealment. 
 1 Chron. 21. 20, 21. In the threshing-floor of Gid- 
 eon's father there was such a place, where he hid 
 the grain from the Midianites, and just such a cave 
 I found afterward adjoining the great rock on 
 which the altar of the Samaritan Temple is sup- 
 posed to have stood.— H. JB. Ridgaway. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Stanley's Jewisli Church, lecture 24. Bishop 
 Hall's Contemplations. Bible Educator. Gei- 
 kie's Hours with the Bible, vol. iii, chap. 12. 
 Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations, 39th week. 
 Stanley's Sinai and Palestine. Freeman's 
 Manners and Customs, 295, 508. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 by a star i-efer to tlie poetical quotations,] vers. 
 10-17 : *3303, *3311 ; 15 : 6568, 9888 ; 16 : 130 ; 
 17: 4580; 24: 6131, 8965; 25: 6957, 10800. 
 
 Ppaetieal Thoughts 
 [the lessons fkom the plague.] 
 
 1. Though Israel be the Lord's people, yet it 
 shall suffer, and suffer more than other peoples 
 for its sins. Ver. 15. 
 
 2. The sins of rulers are visited upon the 
 people, especially when the people have a part 
 in the sin. Ver. 15. 
 
 3. God's power in destruction is made mani- 
 fest in order to show God's power and grace in 
 salvation. Ver. 16. 
 
Aug. 24, 1SS4. 
 
 LESSON VIIT. 
 
 2 Sam, 24. 15-25. 
 
 4. God use-s tlic ■mstninieiitality of angels in 
 •tt-nrks of i>uiii8hinent as well as of grace. 
 Ver. IG. 
 
 5. The i^luns of God may change, though liis 
 purposes are unalterable. Ver. Itj. 
 
 (■). The true i>enitcnt confesses his sin, and 
 seeks not to cast iU rcspuusibility upon others. 
 Ver. 17. 
 
 7. Tlie altar is the meeting- place where 
 (Jod's judgment ends and his mercy begins. 
 Ver. 18. . 
 
 8. The oflFcring to the Lord must be that 
 which the oiforer presents as his own gilt, not 
 given to iiim by another. Ver. 24. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BV RET. K. p. KKTCIIAM, D.D. 
 
 IXTRonrcTiON.— Rapidly, passionately, up and 
 down and across the Holy Ljind, David's com- 
 mander-in-chief is moving. But It is not with the 
 alacrity of cheerful zeal ; lie is very angry. Little 
 need such as David care for this however, but alas ! 
 there is deeper displeasure in the case. With him, 
 and the one calandty of human life is here with 
 him— Gml is not well pleased. 
 
 In pride, presmnption, naughtiness of heart, 
 David had sinned, and penalties are at hand. 
 Tfiemf. : The divine pcnnUies for sin. 
 
 A. TlIElR CHARACTKR. B. TUKIR REMISSIO.V. 
 
 A. Their character. 
 
 1. I'tifailirigh) sure. Men's laws defective. 
 Judgments inoperative, God's forever unfailing. 
 No power can reverse them, no cunning evade 
 them, no flight elude them, no stiition transcend 
 them, no prayers, no promises postpone them. 
 When a man requests, "deliver me from the oper- 
 ation, the penalties of divine law," physical or 
 moral, he is never, never heard! The sole excep- 
 tion in all the universe of being and experience 
 Ix'ing found in the interventions of -Tesus Christ. 
 David pleaded with the most penitential importu- 
 nity agaiust the Judgments, but all in vain. Ver. 
 10. 
 
 •2. Fnr-recwliin(j. Penalties reach to every de- 
 partment of one's personal being, to all his life re- 
 
 lationships, and on to eternity. Children suffer 
 from parental sins ; people from sins of rulers. 
 
 3. Yet (ver. 1) Paialticx arc jiwt. The sins of 
 the individual enter with the sins of his representa- 
 tive in the penalties. 
 
 4. Intolerably severe. To a sensitive soul, look- 
 ing at revelation or experience, our nature, rela- 
 tions, or prospects, " It is a fearful thing to fall 
 into the hands of the living God." We cannot 
 measure the recoil of divine holiness and law upon 
 sin for penalties. And we need not try, but are to 
 ask of the remedy. So, 
 
 B. How penallicH ure remitted. 
 
 What marks the path from sin to the favor of 
 God? Atonement, with a penitent and conse- 
 crated spirit. Christ's great sacriUce. Our self- 
 sacriUce. 
 
 \. Atonement. \c:T.^. "Burnt-offerings." So 
 Christ's substitution, Christ's satisfaction. Hence 
 pardon. 
 
 2. Merit, rightemumcss. Ver. 25. " Peace-offer- 
 ings." Christ's righteousness. So pardon and 
 merit, or Justiflcatlon complete. 
 
 3. As conditwnal, penitence, faith, prayer. Ver. 
 
 4. Our own consecration gifts. A service that 
 "costs." Ver. 24. 
 
 5. David heard, as prayed for others. Ver. 17. 
 Here heaven's own disposition and solicitude. Job 
 42. 10. 
 
 Close.— 1. It Is every thing in life to "please 
 God ! " O the el^ation, the all-commanding 
 height of him of whom it can be said at last, "He 
 had this testimony, that he pleased God." 
 
 2. We begin in sin, and are always liable to pen- 
 alties. .4to»cc escape. 
 
 , 3. Recognize Jesus Christ as the "author and 
 I flnisher of our faith." 
 
 4. Watch, tight, pray to the end. David, now an 
 { old man, yet sinned and suffered, and others 
 
 with him. 
 
 5. Save others. Cheering counterpart to the mo- 
 mentous reality, that you can involve others In sin 
 and penalty, you can lead others up from sin and 
 death to God and heaven. 
 
 Welcome, and then re-echo, the glad benediction 
 and evangel from the skies, " There is, therefore, 
 now no condemnation to them which are in Christ 
 Jesus." 
 
 [Aug. 31. 
 
 B.C.-.] LESSON IX. 
 
 God's "VTorks axd "Wohd. — Psa. 19. 1-14. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Thou hast ma;:iiifled Ihy word above all thy name.— Psa. 138. 2. 
 
 iNTRomiTio.v.— This psalm was undoubtedly written by David, but its date is unknown. The author 
 
 In this psalm, as in many other places, considers the work of nature and the words of revelation as 
 
 both of them laws of the same hand, and standing flrmly by the same authority, both highly perfect in 
 
 their kind, and containing great matter of Instruction ; one for the whole world, the other for his favored 
 
 233 
 
LESSON IX. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 PsA. 19. 1-14. __^ 
 
 people, and himself partlcularly.-Mwcifiie. It may have been written, perhaps, in the first flush of an 
 Eastern sunrise, when the sun was seen going forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber and rejoicing as 
 a mighty man to run his course. The song breathes all the life and freshness, all the gladness and 
 glory of the morning. The devout singer looks out, first, on the works of God's fingers, and sees all crea- 
 tion bearing its constant, though silent, testimony to its Maker ; and then he tiu-ns himself with a feeling 
 of deep satisfaction to that yet clearer and better witness concerning him to be found in the inspired 
 Scriptures Thus he begins the day ; thus he prepares himself for the duties that await him, for the 
 temptations that may assail, and the sorrows that may gather as a cloud about him. He has made trial 
 of the preciousness of that word. He knows its deep, hallowing, soul-sustaining power. He knows that 
 it is full of life and healing. But he knows also that it is a word that searches and tries the heart, that 
 reveals the holiness of God, and the sinfulness of man ; and, therefore, he bows himself in prayer, say- 
 ing " As for errors, who can understand them ? Cleanse thou me from secret faults."-P6r()«;ne. 
 
 1 The Mieavens declare the glory of 
 God; and the firmament showeth his 
 handywork. 
 
 2 Day unto day nttereth speech, 
 
 1. The heavens — The heavens, that is, the 
 superterrestrial spheres which, so far as human 
 vision is concerned, are lost in infinite space.— 
 Delitzsch. Declare the glory of God— Of the 
 two clauses of this verse, the first states the. fact 
 that the heavens publish God's glory ; the 
 second explains hoiv this is done, namely, by 
 testifying that he has made t\\Qm.—Perowne. 
 God — Hebrew, " El ;" a name which denotes 
 the majesty and power of God. It is tlie only 
 name which occurs in the first part of this 
 psalm, and here once only, in studied an- 
 tithesis to the name Jehovah, which is used 
 exclusively, seven times in the second part. 
 David celebrates the cjlory of El, the God 
 of nature, the law of Jehovah, the God of the 
 covenant. Exod. 6. 3. — Canoiv Cook. The 
 flrmament— In the Old Testament the noun 
 has the sense of expanse, and also of frnnness, 
 steadfastness.— F. G. Hihhard. Showeth his 
 handywork — In the expanse above us God flies, 
 as it were, his starry flag to show that the king 
 is at home, and hangs out his escutcheon that 
 atheists may see how he despises their denuncia- 
 tions of him. — Spurgeoii. 
 
 During the French Revolution, Jean Bon St. 
 Andre, the Vendean revolutionist, said to a peas- 
 ant ; " I will have all your steeples pulled down 
 that you may no longer have any object by which 
 you may be reminded of your old superstitions." 
 "But," replied the peasant, " yow cannot help 
 leaving us the sta7S."—John Bates. 
 2. Day unto day — Each dawning day con- 
 tinues the speech of that which has declined) 
 and each approaching night takes up the tale of 
 that which has passed away. — Delitzsch. Ut- 
 tereth speech — Literally, "poureth forth 
 Each day overflows with utterances 
 
 and night unto night showeth knowl- 
 edge. 
 
 3 There is no speech nor language 
 '^ where their voice is not heard. 
 
 heard, or, without these their voice is heard. 
 
 full of meaning, which it transmits to its suc- 
 cessor. — Canon Cook. Night unto night — 
 Day bids us labor, night reminds us to prepare 
 for our last home ; day bids us work for God, and 
 night invites us to rest in him ; day bids us look 
 for an endless day, and night warns us to escape 
 from everlasting night. — Spurgeon. Showeth 
 knowledge — Calvin gives an excellent sum- 
 mary of the respectable opinions concerning this 
 verse. (1) No day passes in which God does 
 not show some signal evidence of his power,, 
 (2) Every succeeding day contributes something 
 new in proof of the existence and perfections of 
 God. (3) The days and nights talk together, 
 and reason concerning the glory of the Creator. 
 — Ptumer. 
 
 We may illustrate the differing measures in 
 which natural objects convey knowledge to men 
 of differing mental and spiritual capacity by the 
 story of our great English artist. He is said to 
 have been engaged upon one of his immortal 
 works, and a lady of rank remarked, " But, Mr. 
 Turner, I do not see in nature all that you 
 describe there." "Ah, madame," answered the 
 painter, "do youinot wish you could?"— Spwr- 
 geon. 
 
 3. There is no speech — There are two views 
 of the interpretation of this verse. According to 
 some commentators (Cook, Vaihinger, and others) 
 the translation of the Authorized Version is cor- 
 rect. Canon Cook says : " This translation gives 
 a clear sense, well adapted to the context ; it is 
 supported by the ancient versions and critics, 
 (Vailiinger,) and is grammatically defensible." 
 [The other view is expressed in the following 
 note, and has the sanction of most modern exposi- 
 tors.] There is no speech and there is no words ; 
 their voice is inaudible, that is, they are silent, 
 
Aug. 31, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 PsA. 19. 1-14. 
 
 4 * Their line is gone out through all 
 the earth, and their words to the end of 
 the world. In them hath he set a taber- 
 nacle for the sun ; 
 
 5 Wliich is '^ as a bridegroom coming 
 out of his chamber, and rejoicing as a 
 strong man to run a race. 
 
 A Or, Thflr rule, or, direclion. Rom. 
 
 -»Eccle.. 11.1. 
 
 ^liocchlcss witnc-^r^es, utteriiitj no sound, but yet 
 ^|■t•uking aloud i lliiiLr>teiilxTt,'i only inwardly 
 audible, l)Ut yit iiiulligible evfry-wlurt'. — De- 
 Utz»fh. Their voice is not heard— The im- 
 port of tlio verse i.-;, that however diverse human 
 languages and tongues may be, and however 
 unintelligible the speech of one people may be 
 to another, yet the mute, inarticulate, but clear, 
 language of the heavens above us is that there 
 is a glorious ('renter, a drviKj God, as El signi- 
 fies. — Pliif/wi: 
 
 4. Their line— In all other passages line 
 (kav) means either a measuring line, or a rule, 
 («c. of conduct,) a precept, or decree; nor would 
 tlie last sense i)C unsuitiible; the decree of the 
 heavens goes forth, proclaiming the glory of 
 God, and the duty of worshiping him. — Canon 
 Vooh. Through all the earth— The apostle 
 designed to say that God, from ancient times, 
 had manifested his glory to the Gentiles, and 
 that this was a prelude to the move ample in- 
 struction which was one day to be published to 
 them. — Calvin. In them — In the midst of 
 them ; and the figure of his tent being pitched 
 there is an allusion to the Oriental custom of 
 putting the tent of the emir in the center of the 
 encampment.— F. G. Tlibhard. A tabernacle 
 — A tent. For the sun — In the midst of the 
 heavens the sun encamps, and marches like a 
 mighty monarch on liis glorious way.. He has 
 no fixed abode, but as a tniveler pitches and re- 
 moves his tent, a tent which will soon be taken 
 down and rolled together as a scroll. As the 
 royal pavilion stood in the center of the host, so 
 the sun in his place appears like a king in the 
 midst of attendant stars. — Spurijeon. 
 
 " Where Is your God ? show him to me," said 
 a proud heathen monarch to a devout Jew. " I 
 cannot show you my (iod, but cotne with me and 
 1 will show you one of his messengers." Taking 
 him to the open air he pointed to the unclouded 
 sun, and said, "Look at that." "I cannot, it 
 pains my eyes," said the monarch. "Then," 
 said the Jew, "how couldst thou look on the 
 taee of Him, at whose rebuke the pillars of 
 heaven tremble?"— P/i/mer. 
 
 5. As a bridegroom — The morning light 
 has in it a freshness and cheerfulness, as it were 
 
 6 His going fortli ^ is from the end of 
 the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends 
 of it: and tiiere is uotliing hid from the 
 heat thereof. 
 
 7 The <■ law of tlie Loud is perfect, 
 ''converting the soul: the testimony of 
 the LoKD is sure, making wise the simple: 
 
 r.doclrli.e. -.(Tim. a. 16, 17. rf Or, r«loriiig. 
 
 renewed youth. Therefore, the morning sun is 
 compared to a bridegroom, the desire of whose 
 lieart is satistied, who stands, as it were, at the 
 beginning of new life, and in whose youthful 
 countenance the joy of the wedding-cUiy still 
 shines. — Delitzsch. Bejoiceth as a strong 
 man — The meaning is not, he rejoices in run- 
 ning, but, he rejoices running =- he runs joy- 
 fully. — Hitzig. 
 
 6. His going forth — David proposes to us 
 three things to be considered in the sun : the 
 splendor and exeelleney of his form, (ver. 5;) 
 the .swiftness with which he runs his course, 
 (ver. G ;) and the astonishing power of his heat, 
 (ver. r,.)— Calvin. Nothing hid— The heat of 
 the sun, which is the condition of physical life, 
 reaches as far as the teaching of tlie heavens ; 
 they instruct all, he quickens all. Hence the 
 fitness of the symbol, and of the application to 
 the Lord Christ and his apostles. Eoin. 10. 13. 
 — Canon Cook. 
 
 Both the light and heat of the sun are neces- 
 sary to animal and vegetable life. The number, 
 vigor, and beauty of plants are much affected 
 by the quantity of light and heat. Professor 
 WUdenow says : " In Spitzbergen there are 30 
 plants : In Lapland, .534 ; in Iceland, 5.")3 ; In 
 Sweden, 1,299 ; in the Marqulsate of Brandenburg, 
 2,000 ; In Piedmont, 2,800 ; on the coast of Coro- 
 mandel, nearly 4,000 ; as many In the Island of 
 Jamaica ; In Madagascar, above 5,000.— Phtmer. 
 
 7. The law— Despite the seeming abruptness, 
 there is a point of connection between the two 
 portions of the psalm. What the sun is in the 
 natural world that the law is in the spiritual : 
 the one quickens and cherishes all animal life- 
 nothing being hid from his heat; the other 
 quickens and cherishes the life of the soul. — 
 Peronme. The law of the Lord— By which he 
 means, not merely the law of Moses, but the doc- 
 trine of God, the whole run and rule of sacred 
 vint.—Spurgeon. The Lord—This transition is 
 marked here by the change of the divine name 
 from God (EU to I^rd, (Jehovah.)- iron^s- 
 worth. Is perfect— Rules of life invented by 
 serious men among the heathen and in Christian 
 lands may have produced a civil discipline, and 
 so may have profited for tliis life. But they 
 
 235 
 
PsA. 19. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Thied Quartee. 
 
 8 The statutes * of the Lord are right, 
 rejoicing tlie heart: the commandment 
 of the Lord is pure, enlightening the 
 eyes: 
 
 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, 
 enduring for ever: the judgments of 
 
 ■were much mixed with error. Nor had they 
 saving power. They were not perfect^ as is the 
 law of God, " in doctrine, in precept, in prom- 
 ise, in threatening."— P^^/mer. Converting the 
 soul — Literally, bringing it back, .sc, from ig- 
 norance and sin ; the word involves the idea of 
 deliverance and refreshment. The converting 
 efficacy depends, of course, upon its application 
 to the heart by the Spirit — a point which David 
 may have discerned but imperfectly, and was 
 not commissioned to declare. — Canon Cook. 
 The testimony — As testifying, hearing witness 
 of God's character, both in his good-will toward 
 those who obey him and in his displeasure against 
 transgressions, especially in the latter sense. — 
 Feroimie. Siire — Faithful, true, steadfast. Its 
 derivative, amen., (a word of confirmation, )brings 
 out the idea. — F. G. Hihbard. Making wise 
 — The testimony of God in his word relates, in 
 chief part, to things which we never could have 
 known had he not spoken. It is suited to make 
 wise, not only for the true and excellent matter 
 it contains, hut because it is clear, teaches the 
 best lessons in the simplest manner, is precisely 
 adapted to man's weakness and wickedness, be- 
 ing the testimony of Him who knows all hearts. 
 — Plumer. Tlie simple — The man who is in 
 the condition of one in his minority, uneducated 
 and open to every impression, especially to slan- 
 der and temptation, who, however, has not yet 
 lost the disposition of a child. — C. B. Moll. 
 
 What a blessing that in a world of uncertainties 
 we have something sure to rest upon I We hasten 
 from the quicksands of human speculations to 
 the terra firma of divine revelation.— SpMrsreon. 
 
 8. The statutes— The commands or ordi- 
 nances contained in God's law. Are right — 
 They require only what a rightly constituted 
 nature would recognize as just requirements. 
 Kejoicing the heart — This is their effect on 
 the obedient. The highest joy of men and an- 
 gels is conscious conformity to the law of God. 
 —F. G. Hibbard. Enlightening the eyes— It 
 removes a thousand misconceptions, prejudices, 
 and follies, which, like fog and darkness, ob- 
 scure our perceptions. It shows us the real nat- 
 ure of the things of which it treats, the greatest 
 things of the world. — Plumer. 
 236 
 
 the Lord are ' true and righteous alto- 
 gether. 
 
 10 More to be desired are they than 
 gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweet- 
 er also than honey, and •'the honey- 
 comb. 
 
 /The dropping of honey-combs. 
 
 Look at the sun and it puts out your eyes, look 
 at the more than sunlight of revelation and it en-' 
 lightens them ; the purity of snow causes snow- 
 blindness to the Alpine traveler, but the purity of 
 God's truth has the contrary effect, and cures the 
 natural blindness of the sonX.—Spurgeon. 
 
 9. The fear of the Lord— Godly fear, the 
 fear of reverence inseparable from love, " which 
 never faileth." — Canon Cook. Is clean — The 
 sense here is, that there is nothing in it that 
 tends to corrupt the morals or defile the soul. 
 Every thing connected with it is of a pure and 
 holy tendency, adapted to cleanse the soul and 
 to make it \io\y.— Barnes. Enduring forever 
 — When the governments of nations are shaken 
 with revolution, and ancient constitutions are 
 being repealed, it is comforting to know that the 
 throne of God is unshaken, and his law xmaX.- 
 teivd.—Spurgeo?i. The judgments of the 
 Lord are his laws, frequently called his judg- 
 ments, because they are the declarations of his 
 righteous will, and, as it were, his legal and ju- 
 dicial sentence, by which he expects that men 
 should govern themselves, and by which he will 
 judge them at the last day. — Pool. Altogether 
 — Wholly and harmoniously. Whether viewed 
 separately, or as a collective body, the divine 
 laws are perfect in themselves and in their har- 
 mony. — F. G. Hibbard. 
 
 Mr. Godly-fear is never satisfied till every street, 
 lane, and alley, yea, and every house and every 
 comer of the town of Man-soul is clean rid of the 
 Diabolonians who lurk therein.— SpMrf/con. 
 
 10. More to be desired . . . than gold — 
 
 Gold, as the rarest, and therefore the most cost- 
 ly good and most sought after, symbol of the 
 dearest possession, and objeot of the most eager 
 strife of men. — C. B. Moll. Sweeter also than 
 honey — Honey., as the sweetest symbol of the 
 most delightful evjoymeiit. — C. B. Moll. And 
 the honey-comb— Moie properly as in the mar- 
 gin, dropping of honey-combs. Tlie allusion is 
 to honey that drops from the combs, and, there- 
 fore, the most pure honey. That which is 
 pressed from the comb will have almost inevi- 
 tably a mixture of bee-bread and of the combs 
 themselves. That which flows from the comb 
 will be pure. — Barnes. 
 
Aug. 31, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 PsA. 10. 1-14 
 
 11 Moreover l)v them is tliy servant 
 * warned : and in keeping of them there 
 ia great reward. 
 
 12 Wlio can understand hin errors ? 
 cleanse thou me from Sf.-cyQt fnults. 
 
 13 Keep back thy servant also IVom 
 presumptuous suik; let tiiem not have 
 
 tProv. 6. 42, 83. yOr, umch. 
 
 Old people are all for profit, the youni? for pleas- 
 ure ; here's gold for the one, yea, the Qnest gold In 
 great quantity ; here's honey for the others, yea, 
 live honey dropping from the comb.— J. Trtipp. 
 
 11. By them ia thy servant warned— In 
 this clause Duvid simply tells what had been 
 up to tliis time the practical influence of God's 
 word on his life. In the next clause he tells of 
 the success attendin;^ such a course. — Pliimer. 
 "Warned— The essential idea liere is to throw 
 light on the subject so as to show it clearly ; 
 that is, make the duty plain and the con- 
 sequences plain. Comp. Lev. 15. 31 ; Ezek. 
 3. 18; 33. 1.— Barnes. Great reward— The 
 word here rendered reward, signifieth the heel, 
 and, by a metaphor, the end of a work, and the 
 reward of it, wliich is not till the end. — John 
 Trapp. 
 
 A certain Jew had formed a design to poison 
 Luther, but was disappointed by a faithful friend, 
 who sent Luther a portrait of the man, with a 
 warning against him. By this Luther knew the 
 murderer, and escaped his hands. Thus the word 
 of God, O Christian, shows tliee the face of those 
 lusts which Satan employs to destroy thy comforts 
 and poison thy soul.— Boices. 
 
 12. "WTio can understand bis errors— The 
 strain here changes suddenly ; the psalmist ap- 
 plies the law to himself. As for errors, sins of 
 ignorance, or infirmity, wlio can discern them? 
 — Canon Cooh. Errors — Tlie radical idea of 
 the word is, to wander, go astray, rove} used 
 often of unconscious sins, (sins of ignorance,) as 
 Lev. 4. 2. These are difficult to detect. The 
 Hebrew is very emphatic : .Is to hix toanderiugs, 
 who can hiow thetn? — F. G. Hlhhard. Cleanse 
 thou me — The primary and prominent idea 
 suggested to the Hebrew mind by the word 
 cleanse is that of remission,, holding guiltless, 
 or^ clearing, setting free from pvnisliment, 
 ncqtiitting. Schmidt says: "It is a judicial 
 term and means acquittal ; " Calvin : " The 
 word cleanse is to be referred, not to the bless- 
 ing of regeneration, but to free forgiveness;" 
 Amcsius, absolve me; llcngstenberg, acquit 
 me. He adds that the word rendered cleanse 
 "always signifies to dedare innocent, to ac- 
 
 tlomiuion over me: then sliull I be up- 
 right, and I ehall be innocent from i'the 
 great transgression. 
 
 14 Let the words of my mouth, and 
 the meditation of my heart, be accepta- 
 ble in thy siglit, O LoKD, *my strength, 
 and my " redeemer. 
 
 A My rock.- 
 
 quit." — Plamer. Secret faults — Sins of ig- 
 norance. The law of Moses prescribed atone- 
 ment for such, after they should come to the 
 knowledge of the person. Lev. 4. 15-19 ; Num. 
 15. 25. They belonged to the lowest cliuss of 
 offenses; yet, if persisted m after knowledge, 
 tliey became willful transgressions. — F. G. Ilib- 
 bard. The sum of this petition is. Cleanse me 
 from those sins which may lie unknown to my 
 neighbors, or which arc unknown to myself. — 
 Plutner. 
 
 Many books have a few lines of errata at the 
 end, but our errata might well be as large as the 
 volume if we could but havp sense enough to see 
 them. Augustine wrote in his older days a series 
 of retractions ; ours might make a library if we 
 had enough grace to be consinced of our mistakes 
 and to confess Ihem.—Simrgcon. 
 
 13. Presumptuous sins — Literally, proud- 
 nesses : sins committed with knowledge and pas- 
 sion, such as hinted at Psalm 119. 21, the ex- 
 treme opposite of the " secret faults" of verse 12. 
 —F. G. llibbard. Presumptuous sins are here 
 personified as tyrants who strive to bring the 
 servant of God into unbecoming subjection to 
 them. That the Lord alone can keep from this 
 servitude discovers the depth of human corrup- 
 tion.— //fc«j7.s<eni«y. Not have dominion- 
 Dominion is prevailing power. The Canaanites 
 lived m Judea even after the times of Joshua, 
 and they greatly annoyed the Israelites ; but they 
 were not the lords of the land. — Plumer. The 
 great transgression — Or, " and guiltless from 
 great transgression." The word " great " is em- 
 phatic, guilt matured, fully developed. May 
 not this earnest, touching prayer indicate an in- 
 ward consciousness of liability to the special 
 temptation of the VXn^'^.— Canon Cook. 
 
 14. Meditation of my heart — Its devices 
 and secret counsels. What higher standard of 
 holiness does the New Testament set for us than 
 is contained in these la.st two verses?—/'. G. 
 Ilihbard. Be acceptable— The usual formula 
 applied to God's .acceptance of sacrifices oftered 
 to him. Lev. 1. 3, 4, etc. Prayer to God is th« 
 sacrifice of the heart and of the lips. Compare 
 Hosca 14. 2, " So will we offer our lips as calves." 
 
 287 
 
PsA. 19. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 —Perowne. My redeemer — The expression 
 occurs first Genesis 48. 16, " The angel which 
 redeemed me from all evil." When applied to 
 God it is always in the sense of a deliverer, who 
 maintains the cause of his own people, and ran- 
 soms, or, more generally, saves them. — Canon 
 Cook. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See Perowue, Home, Hengstenberg, and 
 Barnes on the Psalms; and especially Spur- 
 geon's Treasury of David. Dick's Christian 
 Philosopher. Sermons by Simeon, Spurgeon, 
 and others. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, 
 [numbers marked with a star refer to poetical 
 quotations,] ver. 1 : *572, *576, Y613 ; 2 : 1529, 
 4094; 3: n517 ; 4: 3275; 5: 1680; 6: 11855; 
 7 : 5228, 6777 ; 8 : 5226 ; 10 : *2721, 6806, 11 616 ; 
 11 : 872, 12192 ; 12 : 8688 ; 13 : 5340 ; 14 : 3852, 
 11812. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 (god in his works and in his word.] 
 
 1. God, in his works, proclaims his glory and 
 his power by the starry expanse of the heavens. 
 Ver. 1. 
 
 2. God, in his works, speaks constantly, in 
 tones that never cease, day unto day and night 
 unto night. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. God, in his works, speaks to all men, of 
 every land and in every language. Vers. 3, 4. 
 
 4. God, in his word, speaks with transforming 
 and converting power from sin to righteousness. 
 Ver. 7. 
 
 6. God, in his word, speaks with enlightening 
 power, imparting true wisdom to the teachable 
 mind. Vers. 7, 8. 
 
 6. God, in his word, brings delight to the 
 rightly constituted nature. Vers. 8, 10. 
 
 7. God, in his word, gives warning of danger, 
 and reward to those who serve him. Ver. 11. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY RET. A. P. FOSTER, D.D. 
 
 This rare poem teaches the unity of God's revela- 
 tions. He speaks to man in the physical creation ; 
 still more plainly in his written Word. No conflict 
 is possible, then, between science and revelation. 
 Any seeming contradiction is due to our failures In 
 interpretation. The psalm considers : 
 
 I. The Physical Creation as a Revelation of God. 
 
 1. What the creation tells vs. (o) It proves a 
 Creator ; and (.b) The Creator's glory. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. How it tells this, (a) Constantly, (ver. 2;) 
 (b) In all tbings, (ver. 2;) (c) To all men. The 
 physical creation is every-where seen, a universal 
 language ; and in this respect has an adTantage 
 over the Bible. No wonder that the sun, from its 
 prominence and splendor, has been worshiped as 
 the chief revelation of God. Vers. 4-6. 
 
 3. Ttie practical impressions of this revelation 
 on man. Creation produces an overwhelming 
 sense of God's power and of man's needs. Natural 
 theology shows man in misery below, and God la 
 majesty above. An examination of nations and in- 
 dividuals left to the light of nature shows that man 
 thus generally becomes fanatic and foolish, or reck- 
 less and despairing, or indifferent and worldly- 
 Conscious of sin, he hopelessly awaits the divine 
 thunder-bolt. 
 
 Hence, a's an indispensable supplement to the 
 revelations of creation, the psalm passes to con- 
 sider : 
 
 II. The written Word as an Admonition to Man. 
 Vers. 7-14. 
 
 The Bible is intensely practical. While it reveals 
 God with a fullness impossible to creation. Its sole 
 purpose is to declare only that which is needful for 
 man's guidance. 
 
 1. Ttliat the Word is. From the poet's rhetor- 
 ical and untechnical antitheses we learn that it is 
 (a) a book of laws, (b) a book of testimony ; (c) as 
 such perfect, id) and, therefore, infallible (e) and 
 permanent ; in short, (f) more valuable than the 
 choicest of created things. Vers. 7-10. 
 
 2. What it does. (Vers. 7-11.) (a) It produces 
 awe, " the fear of the Lord ; " (b) brings comfort, 
 " restoring the soul," as in margin ; (c) gives wis- 
 dom ; (d) secures happiness ; and does all this (e) by 
 guiding to salvation. Ver. 11. Our sins show such 
 guidance necessary, while the Bible alone reveals 
 those grand truths, and brings to bear those spirit- 
 ual influences, which can save the soul. Vers. 
 12, 13. 
 
 3. How the Word does this. By revealing God 
 as personally interested in us. This interest takes 
 two directions, in supporting and in saving man. 
 The Old Testament chiefly reveals God as man's 
 Strength or Sustainer ; the New Testament as man's 
 Redeemer or Saviour. Ver. 14. 
 
 Conclusion. Thus, as creation leads us to the Sun, 
 as its chief revelation of God's glory, the Word leads 
 us to Christ as the culmination of all that Is glo- 
 rious in the Godhead, and as the supply of man's 
 chief needs. 
 
Sept. 7, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 PsA. 27. 1-14. 
 
 B. C. -.] 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Confidence is Koi>.— Psa. 27. 1-14. 
 
 CSept. 7. 
 
 G0LDE:V text.— The Lord ix my lU>it and my Halvatlon ; whom shall I fear.— Psa. 27. 1. 
 
 INTRODITCTION.— Tills psaliii expresses unshaken eontlilence In the midst of urgent dangers. The ene- 
 mies of the psalmist huvo been foiled, (ver. 2,) but they still threaten him ; the recurrence of an atta<;k 
 Is Imminent, (ver. 3;) he Is closely watched, (ver. 6;) he prays earnestly, not without a cons<;lousness 
 that he has Incurred God's anger, (ver. 9,) but with a certainty that his prayer Is heard, that ho will be 
 delivered, pa-ss the rest of his life near the sanctuary, and offer sa<TlUces of thanksgiving in God's tab- 
 ernacle, (ver. 6.) The Indications, if not conclusive, yet point naturally to the time when David was 
 pursued by the army of Absalom, probably to the time when the last and decisive battle was about to be 
 fought.— OiHod Viiiili. But we should take a defective view of this psalm If, In reading it, we did not 
 raise our eyes f mm David, and from all the faithful in their alllictions, to the sufferings of the divine David, 
 the Man of Sorrows, and to his perfect resignation to the will of his Father, and to Ms steadfast trust In 
 him, and to the glory to which those sufferings led. — Wordsworth. 
 
 1 The LoBD h my lij^ht and my salva- 
 tion; whom shall I fear? the Loun is the 
 strength of my life ; of whom shall I be 
 afraid ? 
 
 2 When the wicked, even mine ene- 
 
 Approaihed 
 
 1. The Lord is my light — Light is here 
 that which issues from God as a beam of his 
 liglit-giving countenance, (Psa. 4. 6,) tliat, as 
 the light of the sun is the source of all life 
 and growth in nature, so it is the source of 
 all life and well-being in the human heart. 
 Comp. Psa. 36. 9. Hence it is the usual fig- 
 ure of life, success, joy, and all good, nega- 
 tively of deliverance, freedom, help, etc., in 
 contrast to darkness, which is the figure of death, 
 misfortune, danger, captivity, sorrow, etc. — 
 Mupftld. And my salvation— The powers of 
 darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our 
 light, destroys them ; and the damnation of hell 
 is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our 
 salvation.— i^wr^fo/i. Strength of my life — 
 Or, "stronghold of my life," in which my life 
 is preserved; or, it may be, "my living strong- 
 hold." The expression, peculiarly suitable to 
 David, does not occur elsewhere, but stands in 
 close connection of thought witli Psa. It. 1. — 
 Canon Cooh. Of whom shall I be afraid — 
 No night of sorrow can be so dark, no evil so 
 fearful, no enemy so dreadful, as to caase those 
 to tremble, despair, and peri.sh who have God 
 for their light, for their aalvation, for the strong- 
 hold of their life. — r. B. Moll. 
 
 2. The ■wicked, even mine enemies — Tt is 
 a hopeful sign for us when the wicked liate us ; if 
 our foes were godly men it would be a sore sor- 
 row, but as for the wicked their hatred is better 
 than their love. — Spurgeon. To eat up my 
 
 mies and my foes, "came upon me to 
 eat up my flesh, they stumbled and 
 fell. 
 
 3 Though an host should encamp 
 against me, my heart siiall not fear; 
 
 flesh — The expression, " to cat up my flesh," 
 suggested doubtless by David's early experience, 
 compares his enemies to beasts of prey ; cf. 
 Psa. 14. 4, and 22. 13, ifi.— Canon Cook. They 
 stumbled — David may allude to some unre- 
 corded event of the war before the final struggle 
 but the words probably express only his certain- 
 ty of the enemies' discomfiture. The word 
 "they " is emphatic, "as for them, they," etc. 
 — Canon Cook. 
 
 There were stones in the way which they never 
 reckoned upon, and over these they made an ig- 
 nominious tumble. This was literally true in the 
 case of our Lord in Gethsemane, when those who 
 came to take him went backward and fell to the 
 ground ; and herein ho was a prophetic repre- 
 sentative of all ^\Testllng believers who, rising 
 from their knees shall, by the power of faith, 
 throw their foes upon their faces.— Spurgeon. 
 
 3. Though an host should encamp — 
 Literally, "Though a camp should encamp 
 against me," but the English idiom would hardly 
 admit of such a rendering. — I^rowne. It is evi- 
 dent that these must be the words of a leader or 
 king; they were probably written in anticipa- 
 tion <?f an immediate advance of Absalom's host 
 when " Israel and Absalom pitched in the land 
 ofGilcad." mum. 17. 2>i.—Ca)ionCooi. In this 
 ■will I be confident— In spite of this, or for all 
 this, I will trust. These first tlireo verses are an 
 outbreathingof the coura^eof faith.— 7^. O. Hib- 
 bard. My heart shall not fear — Doubtless 
 
PsA. 27. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 though war should rise against me, iu 
 this will I he confident. 
 
 4 One thing have I desired of the 
 Lord, that will I seek after : that I may 
 dwell in the liouse of the Lord all the 
 days of my life, to behold * the beauty 
 of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. 
 
 5 For ' in the time of trouble he shall 
 
 b Or, the delight. 
 
 hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of 
 his tabernacle shall he hide me; he 
 shall set me up upon a rock. 
 
 6 And now shall mine head be lifted 
 up above mine enemies round about me: 
 therefore will I ofier in his tabernacle 
 sacrifices ' of joy ; I will sing, yea, I will 
 sing praises unto the Lord. 
 
 the shadow of anticipated trouble is, to timorous 
 minds, a more prolific source of sorrow than tlie 
 trouble itself, but faith puts a streiigtheuiug 
 plaster to the back of courage, and throws out 
 of the window the dregs of the cup of trembling. 
 — Spurgeon. One thing — Divided aims tend 
 to distraction, weakness, disappointment. The 
 man of one book is eminent, the man of one 
 pursuit is successful. Let all our affections be 
 bound up in one atfection, and that affection set 
 upon heavenly things. — Spurgeon. Have I 
 desired — Holy desires must lead to resolute 
 action. The old proverb says, " Wishers and 
 woulders are never good housekeepers," and 
 *' Wishing never fills a sack. " Desires are seeds 
 which must be sown iu tlie good soil of activity, 
 or they will yield no harvest. — Spurgeon. 
 Dwell in the house of the Lord — Tlie su- 
 preme blessedness of a life entirely devoted, like 
 that of the priests, to the service of God, seems 
 often to have forced itself upon the minds of the 
 holy psalmists, (see Psalms 15, 23, 65, 84, etc., 
 and note on 26. 8,) and upon none more than up- 
 on that of David, who was compelled so often to 
 wander at a distance from the sanctuary. — Pe- 
 rowne. All the days of my life— This is not 
 to be taken literally, but as of spirit and fel- 
 lowship, and as a constant habit of sanctuary 
 worship. To behold the beauty of the Lord 
 — " Beauty," here, has the sense of grace, ex- 
 cellence, especially redeeming grace. See Psa. 
 90. 17. The sense is the same as Psa. 63. 2, "As 
 1 have ,ieen thee in the sanctuary," a spiritual 
 discernment of God in his manifold grace to 
 man. The original is peculiar. It means to 
 look upon, or into the "beauty" or grace of 
 Jehovah.— i^. G-. Hillard. To inquire— Or, 
 «' to contemplate." The Hebrew implies delight 
 in contemplating. — Canon Cook. In his tem- 
 ple—The house or place of worship was now a 
 tent, although it is, in this and the following 
 verses, called house, temple, and tent. — F. G. 
 Mibbard, 
 
 The Christian sanctuary, the place of public 
 worship, is the place where, if anywhere on earth, 
 240 
 
 we may hope to have our minds enlightened, 
 our perplexities removed, our hearts comforted 
 andsanctifled by right views of God.— Barnes. 
 
 5. In the time of trouble he shall hide 
 me — This sanctuary is now characterized as a 
 place of safety for those who seek refuge, who 
 find there shelter and protection against the pur- 
 suit of their enemies.— C. B. 3foU. His pavil- 
 ion — Literally, booth, constructed of branches 
 of trees, but the word is used of the tabernacle. 
 Psa. 76. 2. The expressions in this verse are 
 figurative, and show that David's mind dwelt 
 wholly on the spiritual reality which the taber- 
 nacle represented. — Canon Cook. In the secret 
 of his tabernacle — Were there no other place, 
 he would put me iu the holy of holies, so that an 
 enemy would not dare to approach me. — Adam 
 Clarke. The historic basis of the metaphor is 
 found in the form of Oriental tents and encamp- 
 ments, where the emir has his tent m the center 
 of the camp, and the inner apartment of the 
 tent reserved for himself. This was the place 
 of honor and greatest safety. — F. <?. Hibbard. 
 He shall set me up upon a rock — This is ful- 
 filled to the Christian, who is firmly built on 
 Christ the 'Rodk.—Origen. 
 
 6. Head be lifted up — In this verse the 
 psalmist undoubtedly predicts a speedy and com- 
 plete deliverance and restoration to his home 
 at Jerusalem.— C««o» Cook. Offer in his tab- 
 ernacle— HLs acknowledgments for deliverance 
 should not be private merely, but in the most 
 public manner. -i^. G. Hibbard. Sacrifices of 
 joy— Or, as in the margin, " shouting," that is, 
 offered with shouts of thankful exultation, or 
 "with the blare of trumpets."— C'awom Cook. 
 This means particularly the thank-offerings, be, 
 cause they were brought with songs of rejoicing 
 and praise. The mention of singing and play- 
 ing which hnmediately follows, shows that the 
 reference is to them.— <7. B. Moll. 
 
 He does not speak of jubilations to be offered 
 in his palace, and feastings in his banqueting 
 halls, but holy mirth he selects as most nttmg for 
 so divine a deliverance.— Spurgeon. 
 
Sept. T, 1SR4. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 PsA. 27. 1-14. 
 
 7 Hear, O Lokd, when I cry with my 
 voice: liave mercy also upou me, and 
 answer me. 
 
 8 "' When thou snhlxt. Seek ye my face; 
 my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, 
 will I seek. 
 
 II Hiile not thy face far from me; put 
 not thy servant away in anger: thou 
 
 My liriirt ulj I 
 
 7. Hear, O Lord— .Vs in so many psalms of 
 David tlifie follows a rapid and complete change 
 of tone. So long as the psalmist fixes his 
 thoughts wholly on God's grace and promise, he 
 has no feelings but joy and exultation; but 
 when he reverts to his own state he is brought 
 at once to his knees in earnest, almost plaintive 
 prayers. — Canon Cook. 
 
 The pendulum of spirituality swings from 
 prayer to praise. The voice which in the last 
 verse was tuned to music is here tuned to crying. 
 As a good soldier, David knew how to handle his 
 weapons, and found himself much at home with 
 the weapon of " all \>rayiir."—Spurgeon. 
 
 8. "When thou saidst — The meaning of this 
 beautiful verse is clear, but the construction is 
 ditheult. The original runs thus, word for 
 word : " To thee said my heart, in answer to thy 
 command, ' Seek ye my face,' thy face, Lord, 
 will I seek." The psalmist heai-s the voice of 
 invitation ; his heart accepts and answers it, and, 
 in order to express the completeness and prompt- 
 itude of his acceptance, he puts the command 
 and answer in direct juxtaposition. In plain, 
 unimpassioned prose, the thought would be thus 
 expressed : " Seek ye my face." That is the in- 
 vitation which my heart heard and answered at 
 once, " Thy face. Lord, will I seek." The heart 
 pleads the command and invitation : it addresses 
 itself at once to God : this, it says, is what I 
 heard ; when 1 heard I answered and obeyed. — 
 Cnnnn Cook. My heart said— The heart an- 
 swers the divine call, consenting thereto as an 
 echo of it. — Cahin. 
 
 In this verse we are taught that If we would 
 have the Lord hear our voice we must be careful 
 to respond to /iw voice. The tnie heart should 
 echo the will of God as the rocks among the Alps 
 repeat in sweetest music the notes of the peas- 
 ant's horn.— Sijurgcun. 
 
 9. Hide not thy face far— The inserted 
 '^/ar" of the Authorized Version does not help 
 the seaso of the passage, but mars it. The 
 psalmist is seekhig Jehovah's face, and the prayer 
 is that the face of Jehovah may not be veiled 
 
 hast been my help ; leave nie not, nei- 
 ther forsake me, O God of my salvation. 
 
 10 When my father and " my mother 
 forsake me, then the Loud • will take 
 ins up. 
 
 11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and 
 lead me in /a plain path, because of 
 s' mine enemies. 
 
 16 
 
 from him so that he caimotsee it. — C. A. JJrii/f/s, 
 Put not thy servant away in an^er— God 
 puts away many in anger for their supjiosed 
 goochiess, but not any at all for their eoulessed 
 badness.— e/(37(« Trapp. Leave me not — Other 
 servants had been put away when they proved 
 unfaithful, as, for instance, his predecessor, Saul ; 
 and this made David, while conscious of many 
 faults, most anxious that divine long-sutl'ering 
 should continue hnn in favor. This is a most 
 appropriate prayer for us under a similar sense 
 of uuworthiness. — Spurgeon. 
 
 10. "WTien my father and my mother — 
 The force and beauty of such an appeal depend 
 upon the feeling that a parent's love is the 
 strongest bond that can bind man to man, yet 
 incomparably weaker than that which binds 
 him to God. — Canon Cook. Forsake me— The 
 extremest case of abandonment is supposed in 
 order the more forcibly to illustrate the faithful- 
 ness of God. The Lord will take me up — 
 Will espouse my cause, will uplift me from my 
 woes, will carry me in his arms, will elevate me 
 above my enemies, will at last receive me to his 
 eternal dwelling-place. — Spurgeon. 
 
 11. Teach me thy way— Wily spies dodge 
 his every step, and would gladly see what they 
 have invented against him and wished for him 
 realized. Should he enter the way of sin lead- 
 ing to destruction it would tend to the dishonor 
 of God, just as, on the contrary, it is a matter of 
 honor with God not to let his servant fall. 
 Hence he prays to be led in the way of God, for 
 a oneness of his own will with the divine renders 
 a man inaccessible [to evil.] — Delits^ch. A 
 plain path — This even or straight path is the 
 Lord's "way," as in the preceding member of 
 the verse. See Psa. 26. 12. In it there are no 
 dangers. Isa. 35. ^.—F. G. Eihbard. Because 
 of mine enemies— Who watch all my steps for 
 evil. 
 
 A path Is here desired which shall be open, honest, 
 strdightforvvard, in opposition to the way of cun- 
 nlug, which is intricate, tortuous, dangerous. 
 Good men seldom succeed in Dne speculations and 
 doubtful courses ; plain simplicity la the best spirit 
 241 
 
PsA. 27. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Third Quaeter. 
 
 12 Deliver me not over unto the will 
 of mine enemies : for ^ false witnesses 
 are risen up against me, and such as 
 breathe out cruelty. 
 
 13 / had fainted^ * unless I had be- 
 
 »1 Sam. 22. 9; 2 Sam. 16. 1, 8. 'Psa. 112. 7, 8. 
 
 for an heir of heaven ; let us leave shifty tricks 
 and political expediences to the citizens of the 
 world— the New Jerusalem owns plain men for 
 its citizens.— SiJur£fco/j. 
 
 12. Deliver me not . . . mine enemies — 
 
 The exile of the king was brought about chiefly by 
 the machinations and calumnies of Absalom's 
 supporters. — Canon Cook. For false witnesses 
 are risen up against me — Slander is an old- 
 fashioned weapon out of the armory of hell, and 
 is still in plentiful use : and no matter how holy 
 a man may be, there will he some who will de- 
 fame him.—Spurgeon. Breatlie out cruelty— 
 A strong but natural expression for a person, all 
 whose thoughts and feelings are engi'ossed by a 
 favorite purpose or employment, so that he can- 
 not live or breathe without it. Compare the de- 
 scription of Saul's persecuting zeal in Acts 9. 1. 
 — Alexander. 
 
 13. I had fainted— The original is abrupt 
 and emphatic, omitting the consequence that had 
 followed had he not trusted in God to be sup- 
 plied by the imagination. Our English text 
 supplies the omission by the words, " I had 
 fainted;" but, as "the land of the living" is 
 the place where he had believed to see the good- 
 ness of the Lord, and as this is to be contrasted 
 with sheol, or the place of the dead, we should 
 rather read, " / had perished unless I had be- 
 lieved," etc.— i?'. G. Hihhard. No w^ords could 
 express the misery, no plummet could fathom the 
 depth, of the abyss of the contrary alternative. 
 Blank silence was the only representative of such 
 a supposition. — Wordsworth. To see the good- 
 ness — The Hebrew phrase which is familiar, 
 almost peculiar, to David means to look with 
 joy and triumph, elsewhere generally upon the 
 defeat of enemies, but here, more in accordance 
 with his better and deeper feelings, upon the 
 " goodness " of Jehovah. — Canon Cook. In 
 the land of the living— The land inhabited by 
 a race living in the fear and in the grace of God ; 
 and such appears to be its meaning here. What 
 David longed for, and was now assured of, was 
 restoration to the city of God. — Cano7i Cook. 
 
 14. "Wait on the Lord- Wait, which is 
 twice repeated for emphasis, has the sense of ex- 
 pect, hope, and hence to be ready for, and an- 
 swers well to the New Testament word " watch," 
 
 lieved to see the goodness of the Lord 
 in the land of the living. 
 
 14 Wait ^on the Lord; be of good 
 courage, and he shall strengthen thine 
 heart : wait, I say, on the Lord. 
 
 » Psa. 62. 1, 5 ; Isa. 25. 9 ; Hab. 2. 3. 
 
 (Matt. 24. 42 ;) or, as Peter says, '■'■Hope to the 
 end for the grace." 1 Pet. 1. Vi.—F. G. Hibbard. 
 Be of good courage — Or, " Be firm, and he 
 will strengthen thy heart." The psalmist is 
 sure of the result. Cf. Deut. 31. 7, where Mo- 
 ses addresses these words to Joshua, about to 
 enter the Promised Land. David had that ex- 
 ample before him, and could, therefore, wait 
 with certainty of victory. From first to last his 
 feelings are those of a hero depending wholly on 
 God, and, therefore, full of hope.— Ca?io«. Cook. 
 Wait, I say— David, in the words ^^Isay,^^ sets 
 his own private seal to the word which, as an 
 inspired man, he had been moved to write. It is 
 his testimony as well as the command of God ; 
 and, indeed, he who writes these scanty notes 
 has himself found it so sweet, so reviving, so 
 profitable, to draw near to God, that on his own 
 account he also feels bound to write, " Wait, I 
 say, on the Lwd.''"' — Spurgeon. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See the references on Lessons VI and VII, 
 which belong to this period in the life of David. 
 Also, Sermons by C. Simeon, Bishop Sanderson, 
 and the Preacher's Lantern, vol. ii, p. 305. 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical quotations,] 
 ver. 1: *545 ; 485, 2273; 2: 1434; 3: 6924, 
 8824; 4: *49, 3975; 5: 4768, 5125; 8: 4539, 
 5246; 10: *243S, *2439, 5538; 11: *1638 ; 14: 
 10915, 12176. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [god's relation to the believer.] 
 
 1. The Lord is the believer's light, giving 
 guidance in his way. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The Lord is the believer's salvation, re- 
 deeming him from danger. Ver. 1. 
 
 3. The Lord is the believer's security, pro- 
 tecting him from danger. Vers. 1, 2. 
 
 4. The Lord is the believer's defense, guarding 
 him from enemies. Vers. 2, 3. 
 
 5. The Lord Ls the believer's object of affection, 
 whose grace and beauty he desires to contem- 
 plate. Ver. 4. 
 
 6. The Lord is the believer's victory, giving 
 him triumph over all his adversaries. Ver. 6. 
 
Sept. 7, 1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 PsA, 27. 1-U. 
 
 7. The Lord is the believer's help in trouble, 
 responding to his cry und giving deliverance. 
 Vers. 8, 9. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY RKV. FRANK RISSELL. 
 
 Introduction.— Doubtless written by David, the 
 occasion probably the suspicion of conspiracy en- 
 gendered against hlai by reports of Does to the 
 court. 1 Sam. -.ii. 9. 
 
 The first thrtMi verses are the key to the whole 
 chapter, and, perhaps, as a porch Is made last, they 
 were written last. The whole psalm Interprets 
 them, and discloses a supreme trust In God which 
 we need to study and secure. 
 
 I. Tfiis co)ifidcuce is compicuovs in the sftnict- 
 ure of the psalm. 
 
 1. The flrst three verses. 
 
 They open with shrill notes of a victor's trumpet. 
 Attainment Is consummated. The victory Is over 
 foes of whatever kind and violence. They, not he, 
 stumbled and fell. Numbers and strength opposing 
 were Immaterial, host or war. Prov. 18. 10. 
 
 2. Three more verses. 
 
 His soul seeks communion with God. His unity 
 of purpose one thin;;. He would dwell In God's 
 house. He Is sure of God's care, the pavilion, tab- 
 ernacle, high rock, and uplifting are his ; so joy and 
 songs. 
 
 3. In six more verses he prays, cries for answer, 
 regards God's mercy, promises obedience. God 
 will not leave, even If outcast from father and 
 mother; would be led In a plain path. 
 
 4. An exhortation closes. He alludes to his 
 
 own experience, then urges to wait on the Lord 
 wlih good courage. 
 
 II. This confidence is complete. 
 
 1. There is no self in It. Light, salvation, 
 strength, are all of God. 
 
 •i. Uoii's olilld can make it personal, and say 
 "my," "my own," 
 
 3. He is in perfect peace. The child cries, 
 awakened by the rattling at the grate, or the wall, 
 or the pattering on the roof— once In Its mother's 
 arms the sobs cease. The noise Is neither abated 
 nor explained. The child is at peace because con- 
 fiding In the mother who enfolds it. So la our con- 
 fidence in God. 
 
 III. Tlicre is logic here. 
 
 1. Light is first. Light Is for vision and health. 
 We see ourselves, our sin, helplessness, doom. 
 
 2. Next is salvation. In light our need Is seen, 
 and we cry to God. 
 
 3. Tlien strei^th. We are yet weak when sal- 
 vation is come. There Is no power in ourselves, 
 but His strength is made perfect In weakness. 
 
 4. God is ail. No glory In the flesh. Who shall 
 separate us? 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 1. This confidence Ls demanded. 
 
 2. In all God's attributes, mercy, faithfulness 
 Justice. 
 
 3. The soul needs It. Hosts do encamp about us, 
 wars continually arise. 
 
 4. Every thing of self and the world is against us, 
 God is for us. Our confidence Is sure. Nights are 
 wild on our ocean, with storms and tempests, but 
 influences unseen, yet strong, poise the magnetic 
 needle which storms do not swerve or touch. 
 
 B.C.-.] 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Waitixg for the Loud.— Psa. 40. 1-17. 
 
 [Sept. 14. 
 
 GOLDEX TEXT.— I delight to do my will, O my God.— PSA. 40. 8. 
 
 I.NTRODrcTiox.- The history of David leaves us no doubt as to the time and circumstance under which 
 this psalm was composed. It must have been some time after the complete awakening of his conscience 
 to the deadly guilt contracted by Uriah's death, when the results of that act were manifested In the 
 fearful disorders of his family, polluted by Incest and murder ; in the estrangement of hLs dearest friends 
 and nearest kinsmen ; In the triumph of malicious and slanderous enemies ; in agonies of mind, ac- 
 companied and exaggerated by a terrible malady, of which the symptoms, elsewhere noted, are described 
 most vividly in Psa. 38, the flesh diseased, the bones rdcked, the loins filled with fierce pain, the heart 
 panting, strength falling, the eye darkened as with the shadow of death ; all attributed by the psalmlsl 
 himself to his own sin.— Ca/io;i Cook. In the first part (vers. 1-.5) the memory Is haunted with the In- 
 tense griefs of the past, but the patient waiting has been rewarded, the deliverance elTected, and songs 
 of thanksgiving flow freely. In the second (vers. 6-10) the source of those feelings is described. They 
 are derived from the sense of obedience to the Inner and to the written law of hearty adhesion to the 
 will and law of God, and of public recognition of God's gracious dealings. Vers. 11-17. Earnest prayers 
 follow to the end ; at first plaintive, indicating apprehension lest the relief should cease, and Intense 
 feeUng of sin surrounding, grasping, bowing him down, taking light from the eye, and comfort from the 
 heart ; but they wind up with a full assurance at (Jod's care, and a hope of speedy deliverance.— Canon 
 Cook. All these things point to the period just preceding the revolt of Absalom. At that time there are 
 Indications that David ^as prostrate by disease, which gave full scope to the machinations of his son and 
 
PsA. 40. 1-17. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Thied Quarter. 
 
 his abettors, from which he recovered only to witness their success.— Cajio/i Cook. This psahn is best 
 interpreted by classing- it under the head of Tijpical- Messianic. This supposes David, the speaker, to 
 be a type of Christ, and yet to utter things which cannot but remotely, if at all, have a just application 
 to the type, but are only or fully true of the antitype ; yet that so much is literally true of the type as 
 fitly to make him a figure of him that was to come.— Plumer. Jesus is evidently here, and although it 
 might not be a violent wresting of language to see both David and his Lord, both Christ and the Church, 
 the double comment might Involve itself in obscurity, and, therefore, we shall let the sun shine even 
 though this should conceal the stars. Even if the New Testament were not so express upon it, we should 
 have concluded that David spoke of our Lord in vers. 6-9, but the apostle in Heb. 10, 5-9, puts all con- 
 jecture out of court, and confines the meaning to Him who came into the world to do the Father's will.— 
 Spurgeon. 
 
 1 I "waited patiently for the Lord; 
 and he inclined unto me, and heard my 
 cry. 
 
 3 He brought me up also out of* an 
 horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set 
 my feet upon a rock, and establislied my 
 
 ng I waited. iA pit of 
 
 1. I waited patiently— The Hebrew idiom, 
 "waiting I waited," forcibly expresses the in- 
 tense feeling of expectation. I waited with my 
 whole heart. — Canon Cook. He inclined — 
 Mark the figure of inclining, as though the sup- 
 pliant cried out of the lowest depression, and 
 condescending love stooped to hear his feeble 
 moans. — Spurgeon. 
 
 2. An horrible pit — Or, " pit of destruction.'' 
 The Hebrew word properly means " loud 
 noise," " uproar," "crash." The association of 
 the two ideas, "pit" and "crash," is natural. 
 It sets before us a warrior falling into a deep pit, 
 •with crash of arms, amid the shouts of enemies. 
 Cano?i CooTc. Miry clay— Another figure is 
 "mire of the marsh," tliat is, watei', in the miry 
 bottom of which one can find no firm footing. — 
 Delitzsch. Despondency of spirit, under the 
 sense of God's withdrawings, and prevailing 
 doubts and fears about the eternal state, are in- 
 deed a horrible pit and miry cla,y, and have been 
 so to many a dear child of God.— Jlenry. Feet 
 upon a rock— The high rock and the firm foot- 
 steps are the opposites of the deep pit and the 
 yielding, miry hottom.— Delitzsch. 
 
 Some of the pits referred to in the Bible were 
 prisons ; one such I saw at Athens, and another at 
 Rome. To these there were no openings, except 
 a hole at the top, which served both for door and 
 window. The bottoms of these pits were neces- 
 sarily in a filthy and revolting state, and some- 
 times deep in mud. " He brought me up also 
 out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay ; " one 
 of these filthy prisons being in the psalmist's view, 
 In Isa. 38. 17, called " the pit of corruption," or 
 putrefaction and filth.— /o?m Gadsby. 
 244 
 
 3 And he hath put a new song in my 
 mouth, even jjraise unto our God: many 
 shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in 
 the Lord. 
 
 4 Blessed * is that man that maketh 
 the Lord his trust, and respecteth not 
 the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 
 
 iPsa. 2. 12; Jer. 17. 7. 
 
 3. A new song— That is, one celebrating 
 with all the power of a recent gratitude a new 
 and signal act of deliverance. The old forms, 
 the customary expressions, the well-known 
 hymns, were not enough. See chap. 33. 3. — Fe- 
 rowne. Many shall see it — The deliverance is 
 such that all who know of the aflliction would 
 take knowledge of this signal mercy, and give 
 thanks to God. All divine dispensations to in- 
 dividuals are intended also for social influence. 
 — F. G. Hibbard. Fear and . . . trust— The 
 terms fear and hope, or trust, do not seem at 
 first view to harmonize, but David has not im- 
 properly joined tliem together, for no man will 
 ever entertain the' hope of the favor of God but 
 he whose mind is first imbued with the fear of 
 God. I understand fear, in general, to mean 
 the feeling of piety which is produced in us by 
 the knowledge of the power, equity, and mercy 
 of God. — John Calvin. 
 
 4. Blessed is that man— Literally, the 
 blessednesses. The blessings coming on him who 
 trusts in the Lord are multiform, countless, 
 endless, immeasurable.— P^wwier. Respecteth 
 not— Or, " turneth not to ; " the word is gener- 
 ally used of apostasy, turning to false gods. — 
 Canon Cooh. The proud— This word in the 
 Psalms generally has reference to those who 
 live without God, haughty and self-siifficient, 
 having all their aims in the present world, 
 and uncontrolled by the consciousness of a 
 higher power. Turn aside to lies — By lies we 
 may understand not only falsehoods, but also 
 idols, which are lying vanities ; earthly things, 
 ■which disappoint all who trust in them ; men, 
 
Sept. 14,* 1884. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 PsA. 49. 1-17. 
 
 5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy 
 wonderful works which thou hast done, 
 ' and thy tliouglits ichich are to us- ward : 
 'they cannot he reckoned up in order 
 unto thee : if 1 would dechiru and speak 
 of them, they are more than can be num- 
 bered. 
 
 who as a rock of contideuco are a lie ; or any 
 fatal delusion or mistake respecting our relig. 
 ious liopes or views, especially, perhaps, such us 
 spring from sulf-eoiieeit. — Plunur. 
 
 5. "Wonderful works . . . thy thoughts— 
 Works are his developed thougiits, or plans, 
 while thoughts iwahis devices, which are reserved 
 for acoriinplishment in tlioir time, and winch we 
 know only in their fultillinent.— i*'. G. Hihbanl. 
 To US-ward — In modern phrase, toivard us. A 
 beautiful acknowledgment of a special provi- 
 dence. The end of all divine dispensation in 
 nature and in grace is for man. If I would 
 declare— He would do this, but because God, 
 in the fullness of his wondrous works and 
 thoughts of salvation, is absolutely without an 
 equal, he is obliged to leave it undone, they are 
 80 powerful (numerous) that the enumeration of 
 them falls far short of their powerful fullness. — 
 Dilitzsch. They cannot be reckoned, etc. — 
 This translation expresses the sense of the orig- 
 inal. The meaning is, " they are innumerable," 
 no one can set them forth in order when giving 
 thanks to God. — Canon Cook. 
 
 The wonders of the great salvation shall engage 
 the counsels and All up the praises of eternity ; 
 but the works and thoughts of Jehovah to our 
 fallen race, especially as displayed In Christ 
 Jesus the Son of his love, shall far exceed all 
 finite powers of calculation, aud shall be forever 
 telling, yet untold.— J. Morrison. 
 
 6. Sacrifice— The connection of the thoughts 
 is clear : Great and manifold are the proofs of thy 
 lovimj-kindncss, how am I to render thanks to 
 thee lor them ? To this question he first of all 
 gives a negative answer: God delights not in 
 outward sacrifices. — Dditzsch. Sacrifice and 
 offering — The sacrifices are named in a twofold 
 way: (a) According to the material of which 
 they consist, namely, the animal sacrifice, and 
 the meal or meat offering. (4) According to 
 their purpose, in accordance with which they 
 bring about either the turning toward one of 
 the good pleasure of God, the turning away of 
 the divine displeasure. — DeUlzsch. Mine ears 
 hast thou opened — Ears hast t/iou duij for me. 
 
 6 Sacrifice 'and offering thou didst 
 not desire; mine ears hast thou ''opened: 
 burnt offering aud sin offering hast thou 
 not required. 
 
 7 Then said I, Lo, I come : in the 
 volume of the book it is * written of 
 me. 
 
 -d Diiiged, Exodus -Jl. 6. 
 
 that is, created for me instruments for hearing. 
 It is accordingly the business of man to use 
 them in accordance with the divine will. Tliis 
 may be partly by observiiiff God's word, partly 
 by follow intj God's commands. — C. B. Moll. 
 The very remarkable rendering by the LXX, 
 quoted in Heb. 10. 5, "A body thou hast pre- 
 pared me," or "fitted for me," may be ex- 
 plained by supposing that the opening of the 
 ear was regarded as equivalent to the consecra- 
 tion of all bodily faculties to God's service. — 
 Canon Cook. Sacrifice . . . ofi"ering . . . 
 bumt-ofiering ... sin offering — The enu- 
 meration covers all the ofterings necessary to en- 
 tering into and continuing in covenant with 
 God. The first two are generic terms for bloody 
 and unbloody ofierings, the last two specific of 
 bloody sacrifices ; the " burnt-oftering," (^olah,) 
 a self-dedicatory sacrifice, the "sin-offering," 
 (hhaitaah,) an expiation. — F. G. Hibbard. 
 Hast thou not required — It is remarkable that 
 all the ofierings and sacrifices which were of an 
 atoning or cleansing nature, ofiTered under the law, 
 ai-e here enumerated by the psalmist and the 
 apostle, to show that none of them, nor all of 
 them, could take away sin, and that the grand 
 sacrifice of Christ was that alone which could do 
 it. — Clarke. The psalmist re-echoes the lofty 
 utterance of the Prophet Samuel, made when 
 Saul was rejected, a generation before this psalm 
 was composed. See 1 Sam. 15. 22. 
 
 7. Lo, I come— The first clause may be ren- 
 dered, " Lo, I come with a rolled book written 
 concerning me." The most probalile interpre- 
 tation is that the book is the book of the law, 
 the Pentateuch ; David means tliat by present- 
 ing himself with it he declares his intention to 
 obey it perfectly, and though not certain, the 
 most probable meaning is, that in the words 
 " concerning me," he alludes more especially 
 to the instructions touching the duties of a king 
 in Deut. 17. \i--20.— Canon Cook. Volume— 
 From a word which signifies to roll. Tlie roll 
 was anciently the invariable form of books among 
 the Jews, until the days of our Saviour. Luke 
 4. 17. Even to this day they sometimes use that 
 245 
 
PsA. 40. 1-1 V. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Third Quarter^ 
 
 8 I'* delight to do thy will, O my 
 God : yea, thy law is 'within my heart. 
 
 9 I have preached rijihteousness in 
 the great congregation: lo, 1 have not 
 refrained my lips, O Lord, '' tliou knowest. 
 
 10 I ' have not hid thy righteousness 
 within my heart; I have declared thy 
 faithfulness and thy salvation : I have 
 
 • In the midst of my bowels. 
 
 \'] 
 
 not concealed thy loving-kindness and 
 thy truth from the great congregation. 
 
 11 Withhold not thou thy tender 
 mercies from me, O Lord : * let thy lov- 
 ing-kindness and thy truth continually 
 preserve me. 
 
 13 For innumerable evils have com- 
 passed me about : ^ mine iniquities have 
 
 form. Oiteu there were two rollers of wood 
 n near to each other. 
 . iTiM^'jS si j^g one turned to un- 
 fold the law, the other 
 received it. — Plumer. 
 In the volume of 
 the book— That is, 
 not merely in one or 
 Roll of Book. ** two texts, or in one 
 or two pages, but in the entire roll of the law. — 
 Wordsworth. It is written of rae—It is pre- 
 scribed to me, or laid upon me as a duty, exactly 
 in the same sense as the words occur 2 Kings 
 22. \Z.—Perowne. The typical application to 
 our Lord is obvious and very striking. As 
 David presented himself before God in spirit 
 with the book of the law describing his duties 
 and riglits, so the Saviour came with the word 
 of God bearing witness to him, and express" 
 that will which he fultilled.— Ca«o;i Cook. 
 
 8. I delight to do tliy will—" Delight" in 
 God's will is the true test of a spiritual mind, 
 and of the highest obedience. This was Christ's 
 profession John 4. 34 ; 17. A^.—F. 6. Hibbard. 
 Thy law is within my heart — The law of 
 God is not to be kept in books, but in the midst 
 of our heart, that we may rightly understand the 
 same, admire it, and observe it. — Martin Geier. 
 
 9. I have preached — The word preach is 
 too modern and technical. The idea is, to ati- 
 no'ince, 2^iiblish.i make manifest. Tliis was 
 Christ's distinctive ofSce. — F. G. Hibbard. 
 Righteousness — This was the subject an- 
 nounced, called, verse, 10, " thy righteousness," 
 "thy faithfulness," "thy salvation," "thy 
 loving-kindness and thy truth." These are 
 evangelical themes involving the justice and 
 faithfulness of God in the methods of atonement 
 and pardon. Congregation is the title of 
 the collective body of the Hebrew nation as a 
 religious community, an ecclesiastical rather 
 than a civil designation. — F. G. Hibbard. The 
 new song which Jehovah put into his mouth 
 he has also really sung. — Delitzsch. 
 
 10. Have not hid thy righteousness— 
 ri^-e things are said to have been published 
 
 246 
 
 and made known. (1) God's righteonsnesSy 
 rectitude, equity, or justice in all things. This 
 is the great pillar of God's government. So 
 long as God is just, there is hope for those who 
 have a good cause. (2) God'' s faithfulness ; the 
 word has the same root as amen; it signifies 
 stability, truth, fideliti/ to engagements. {S)God'8 
 loving-kindness, or mercy, javor, kindness, good- 
 ness. See on Psa. 17. 7. {4:)God's truth, includ- 
 ing his sincerity and veracity. See on Psa. 15. 2.. 
 (5) God''s salvation. To those who trust his 
 righteousness, faithfulness, loving-kindness, and 
 truth, salvation is sure to come, bringing with, 
 it full redemption.— P? ;/?»«•. Have not con- 
 cealed — Words are heaped upon words to ex- 
 press the eager forwardness of a heart burning 
 to show forth its gratitude. No elaborate de- 
 scription could so well have given us the like- 
 ness of one whose life was a thanksgiving. — 0. 
 B. Moll. 
 
 11. "Withhold not — With this verse begins 
 the second part of the psalm, which runs alto- 
 gether in a different strain; reflecting on his 
 deep sinfulness the psalmist is full of grief, and 
 expresses his feelings in earnest prayers, sad 
 confessions, imprecations against his enemies, 
 and longings for deliverance. — Canon Cook. 
 "Withhold not — The same word is translated 
 "refrain," in ver. 9. The psalmist evidently 
 alludes to that passage. He had not refrained 
 or " shut up " his lips, and he prays that God 
 will not shut up his mercies, or " bowels of com- 
 passion." — Canon Cook. Continually pre- 
 serve me— That is, day by day, without inter- 
 mission. In moments of peril and intervals of ' 
 quiet we alike need the ever-present help of God. 
 —F. G. Hibbard. 
 
 12. Iniquities — The word is sometimes used 
 for sin, and sometimes for punishment of sin. — 
 F. G. Hibbard. It is the utterance of the suffer- 
 ing Messiah, whose words we heard in vers. 7, 8, 
 bearing the sins of the whole world, as its proxy 
 and representative, and as its vicarious sacrifice 
 for sin and for reconciliation with God. — Words- 
 worth. Not able to look up — " Not able to- 
 see." He ctmnot see because he is closely 
 
Sept. 14, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 PsA. 40. 1-17. 
 
 taken hold upon me, so tliat I am not 
 al)le to look up: tiny are more tliaa the 
 hairs of mine head ; therefore my heart 
 /faileth me. 
 
 1;J Be pleased, O L»iH0, to deliver me: 
 O LoHi>, make haste to help me. 
 
 14 Let tliem be asiiamed and con- 
 founded together that seek after my 
 soul to destroy it; let tiiem be driven 
 backward and put to shame that wish 
 me evil. 
 
 fucoiinuissfd on all siiles, unci a free and open 
 view is thereby altogether taken from him, (the 
 e.xpression is used elsewhere of loss of siirht- 
 1 !^um. 3. 2; 4. 15; 1 Kings 41. ^.)—Dditzsch. 
 My heart faileth — David finds no support, no 
 comfort, in his own heart ; it is like a false friend, 
 deserting him in his bitter need. — Canon Cook. 
 The sight of our sins In their own colors would 
 drive us to distraction if we had not at the same 
 time some sight of a Saviour.— ifcnry. 
 13, 14. Deliver— Tlic ever-recurring cry of 
 the penitent, cast down yet not despairing. His 
 own hejirt has forsaken him, but he can still 
 turn to God. — Cauoii Cook. My soul—" Soul " 
 is here taken in the sense of life. — F. G. liib- 
 hard. Driven back — The persecuted one wishes 
 that the purpose of his deadly foes may, as it 
 were. relioun<.l against the protection of God and 
 miserably miscarry. — Delitzsch. "Wish me evil 
 — Will, or purpose, " evil " to me. It is trans- 
 lated desire in Psalm 70. 2, and sometimes de- 
 light, hut generally signifies either wih, or that 
 disposition of mind which induces will or choice. 
 —F. G. Hihbnrd. 
 
 15, 16. Desolate — The word may be taken 
 in the sense of attonifihed. struck dumb with 
 fear, (Jer. 18. 16.) or of laid waxte, as Ezekiel 
 35. 12.— F. G. Hihhard. Aha— .\n exclamation 
 at once of mockery and triumph. Psa. 3.". 21 ; 
 Ezek. 25. 3 ; 2<'). 2. Rejoice and. be glad. — 
 Note who the blessed objects of his petitions 
 are : not all men, but some men ; " I pray for 
 them, I pray not for the world." He pleads for 
 seekers : the lowest in the kingdom, the babes 
 of the family ; those who have true desires, long- 
 ing prayers, and consistent endeavors after God. 
 —Spurgton. Those that seek thee . . . such 
 as love thy salvation — .\ de.'^cription of char- 
 acter in markeil contrast to that of his enemies. 
 The Hebrew word rendered " salvation " is used 
 to denote deliverance of any kind, temporal or 
 Bpiritual, and the connection must indicate its 
 quality and exttnt. Here it is spiritual, alluding 
 to verses \-Z.—F. G. Jlibbard. 
 
 15 Let them be desolate for a reward 
 of their shame that say unto me, Aha, 
 aha! 
 
 16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice 
 and be ulad in thee : let such as love 
 thy salvation say continually. The Loud 
 be magnified. 
 
 17 But I am poor and needy ; ^° yet the 
 LoKD tiiinketh upon me: thou art my 
 help and my deliverer; make no tarry- 
 ing, O my God. 
 
 17. Poor and needy — The king might use 
 these words truly at any time, most naiurally in 
 a sca>on of deep affliction. — Canon Cook. 
 Thinketh upon me — The word denotes sjxcial 
 thoii'/ht, either in the sense of esteem, value, or 
 of plan, device. Both united m David. God 
 regarded him with marked favor, and devised ' 
 for his deliverance. His love and his wisdom 
 are ever toward the humble. — F. G. Hibbard. 
 Make no tarrying— Our low estate is not de- 
 spised by God. lie as readily goes to a hovel as 
 to a palace. He has powerful leanings to the 
 poor and sorrowful. Kor will he make any tar- 
 rying when the right time for their deliverance 
 comes. — Pliimer. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See Spurgeon's Treasury of David, Perowne 
 on the Psalms, etc. Foster's Cyclopedia of Il- 
 lustrations, [numbers marked with a .star refer 
 to poetical cinotations,] ver. 1 : *2952, 12177 ; 
 2: 5171, 6656; 3: *2448, 11728; 4: *2003, 
 5812: 5: 684!t, 10499; 6: 5155; 7: *2632 
 8: 14S8, 3887; 10: 923; 7392; 14: 6055; 17 
 
 4109. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the mercies of the LOKD.] 
 
 1. God heeds the cry of those who call upon 
 hmi with patient waiting. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. God lifts up those who are in trouble, and 
 gives them a fiiTn footing on the promises. Ver. 2. 
 
 3. God causes the reward of those who seek 
 him to be noticed by others, as a motive to his 
 service. Ver. 3. 
 
 4. God's mercies to his people are innumer- 
 able and beyond telling. Ver. 5. 
 
 5. God's mercies come not to the formal wor- 
 shiper, but to him who keeps the law in his 
 heart. Vers. 7, 8. 
 
 6. Go<l will not withhold his mercy from those 
 who do not withhold their testimony. Vers. 
 10, 11. 
 
 7. God regards even the least of his servants, 
 and sees him in his troubles. Ver. 17. 
 
 247 
 
PsA. 103. ]-22. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 B.C.-.] 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 A SoxG OF Praise.— Psa. 103. 1-22. 
 
 CSept. 21. 
 
 GOLDEIV TEXT,— Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.— PsA. 103. 2. 
 Introduction.— As in the lofty Alps some peaks rise above all others, so among even the inspired 
 Psalms there are heights of song which oveitop the rest. This one hundred and third psalm has ever 
 seemed to us to be the Monte Rosa of the divine chain of mountains of praise, glowing with a ruddier 
 light than any of the rest. It is as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and its golden fruit has a 
 flavor such as no fruit ever bears unless it has been ripened in the full sunshine of mercy. It is man's 
 reply to the benedictions of his God, his song on the mount answering to his Redeemer's sermon on the 
 mount.— Sptmjcon. .AKf/iors/uj).— Hengstenberg, holdingthe originality of the superscriptions, defends 
 the opinion of a composition by David, finding resemblances to the preceding psalm, which he assigns 
 to the same author. Delitzsch and others, observing the same resemblances, and drawing a like infer- 
 ence, refer it, as they do Psalm 103, to a writer near the close of the captivity. Perowne thinks that 
 nothing certain can be determined as to the date or the author. Alexander favors the hypothesis main- 
 tained by Hengstenberg, that this is the psalm of mercy and judgment promised in Psa. 101.— J. F. 
 M'Curdij. Divmons— In verse 1 the author calls upon himself to bless God : first, for rich personal ex- 
 perience of the divine mercy, (verses 2-5 ;) secondly, for his forgiving grace and righteous judgments to 
 Israel, (verses 6-12 ; ) thirdly, for his tender consideration of human inflrmity, (verses 13-16 ; ) fourthly, 
 for his faithful covenant mercy to such as fear him every-where, (verses 17, 18 ; ) fifthly, for his universal 
 dominion, for which angels, men, and all his works, should praise him, (verses 19-22.) The last clause 
 of the psalm repeats the sentiment of verse 1, thus rounding and completing this incomparable ode.— 
 F. G. Hihhard. 
 
 3 Who ^ forgivetli all thine in- 
 iquities; who healeth ''all thy dis- 
 eases ; 
 
 4 Who redeemetli thy life from 
 
 1 Bless the Lord, O my soul ; and all 
 that is within nie. bless his holy name. 
 
 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and for- 
 get not all his benefits: 
 
 ■ Isa. 33. 24 ; Matt. 9. 2 ; Mark 2. 6 ; 
 
 1. Bless the Lord — To "bless the Lord" 
 is to piuise him by declaring his attributes and 
 works, and ofl'ering thanksgiving. To " bless " 
 an individual man is to invoke the favor of God 
 upon him. — F. G. Hibbanl. O my soul — It is 
 to be a soul-work, not formal or lip service- 
 All that is -within me — Not as opposed to out- 
 ward or mere lip service, but e.xpressing the de- 
 sire to enlist every thought, faculty, power, the 
 heart with all his aifections, the will, the con- 
 science, the reason ; in a word, the whole 
 spiritual being, all in man that is best and 
 highest, in the same heavenly service. — Perowne. 
 
 Let others forbear, if they can; "Bless the 
 Lord, O m]\ soul." Let others murmur, but do 
 thou hlcss. Let others bless themselves, their 
 idols, but do thou bless tl\c Lord. Let others use 
 only their tongue, but, as for me, I will cry, 
 " Bless the Lord, my soid." '■'■And all that is 
 ^oithin me, bless his holy name." Many are oar 
 faculties, emotions, and capacities, but God has 
 given them all to us, and they ought all to join in 
 chorus to his praise.— Spurgeo?!. 
 
 2. Forget not — There is nothing the soul of 
 man is so pi-one to forget as to render thanks 
 that are due, and more especially thanks that 
 
 Luke 7. 4T. sE.xod. 15. 26; Jer. 
 
 are due to God. — Delitzsch. All his benefits — 
 He that has been blessed, and refuses to bless, 
 has sunk from the state of a man to that of a 
 beast. — Hengsten berg. 
 
 Memory is very treacherous about the best 
 things ; by a strange perversity, engendered by 
 the fall, it treasures up the refuse of the past, and 
 permits priceless treasures to lie neglected. It is 
 tenacious of grievances, and holds benefits all too 
 loosely. It needs spurring to its duty, though 
 that duty ought to be its delight.— Spitrgeori. 
 
 3. "Who forgiveth, etc.— "Who forgiveth 
 all thine iniquities," so that not one is un- 
 forgiven ; and " healeth all thy diseases," so 
 that not a trace remains of one. — Canon Cook. 
 Thine iniquities — Thine iniquities are in- 
 equities. There is nothing just or right in thee. 
 Thy very nature is an in-equity, bringing forth 
 in-equities. In-equities toward thy God, in- 
 equities toward thy neighbor, and in-equities 
 toward thyself, make up the whole of thy life. 
 Thou art a bad tree, and a bad tree cannot bring 
 forth good fruit. — John Pulsford. Healeth all 
 thy diseases — It doubtless has a chief reference 
 to diseases of the soul. Psa. 41. 4; Isa. 1. 6; 
 
Sept. 21, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 PsA. 103. 1-22. 
 
 destruction ; who crowneth thee with 
 lovin<,'-kin(hic'Ss and tender mercies; 
 
 5 Wild satisfietli tliy nioutli with good 
 thiiujK ; so that tliy youth is renewed 
 like the e!i<rle's. 
 
 C The Lord executeth righteousness 
 and jutlgnient for all that are oppressed. 
 
 Num. 14. IS; Deut. S. 10; Neh. 9. 17 ; Je 
 
 6. 10 ; 53. 5. God never liestows pimlon with- 
 out granting with it runewal, by wliioh the cor- 
 ruptions of our liearts are cured. — Plumer. 
 What is pride, but lunacy ; what is anger, but 
 R fever ; what Is avarioe, but a dropsy ; what is 
 hl.•^t, but II leprosy ; what is sloth, but a dead 
 pal.>y >. — Home. 
 
 God gives eOlcacy to medicine for the body, and 
 his gnice ssiiictilles tlie soul. Spiritually we are 
 dally under his care, and he visits us, as the sur- 
 geon does his jMitient, Uealinu still dor that is the 
 e.xact word) each malady as it arises. No disease 
 of our suul baflles his skill, he goes on healing ciH, 
 aud he will do so until the last trace of taint has 
 goue froin our nature. The two alU of this verse 
 an- funlier reasons for all that is within us prais- 
 ing the Lord.— Sixoyt'o'i. 
 
 4. Prom destruction — From death— fvom 
 the gravt. The word is elsewhere translated 
 pit, grave, corruption ; but it denotes a state of 
 death in which the body returns to corruption. 
 Hero, also, in the idea of resumption from the 
 prave, the germ of the doctrine of the resun-ection 
 is discovered. — F. O. Hihhard. 
 
 5. "Who satisfleth thy mouth— The Chal- 
 dec Version intcr]>n'ts "tliy day of age," a 
 translation ibr which some authority may be 
 allpjred ; it has the advantage also that it makes 
 the two parts of the verse in some sort to corre- 
 ppond : " Who satisfies thine aire with good, 
 po that tliy youth is renewed like nn eagle." 
 If David wrote this psalm in old age the ver-e in 
 this rendering would have n special significance. 
 The lontrings of a declining age can only be 
 FHtisfied by faith in God, the giver of hope 1>et- 
 tor than the natural life.— '"«»'-'/< fonh. Youth 
 is renewed like the eagle's — Who gains fresh 
 f-trensrth after the moulting of its feathers, (Isa. 
 A<y 31; Micah 1. Ifi;) so L'^rael recovers fresh 
 power after distre.'vs ; so the Church sains strength 
 from jiersucution ; .so the body will rise glorious 
 from the trrave, and " be cautrht up to meet the 
 Lord in tlie air." 1 The.-*s. 4. -n.— Won/sworth. 
 
 6. The Lord, etc.— The psalmist pas.sesfrom 
 his own experience to that of his people. — 
 Canon Cook. His range of vision being wid- 
 ened from himself, the poet now, in vers. 6-18, 
 
 7 He made known his ways unto 
 Mo'ses, his acts unto the chiidreu of 
 Is'ra-el. 
 
 8 The 'LoKD in merciful and gracious, 
 slow to anger, and "plenteous iu mercy. 
 
 9 lie '' will not alwavs chide; neither 
 will lie keep his anger for ever. 
 
 Imi. 67. If.; Jer. 3. 5; Micah 7. 18. 
 
 describes God's gracious and fatlierly conduct 
 toward sinful and perishing men, and that as it 
 shines forth from the history of Israel and is 
 known and recognized in the light of revelation. 
 —Ihlilzfich. Judgment , , . righteousness 
 — The latter the principle, the former the act or 
 sentence of justice. The one implies tlie dis- 
 cernment of the will of God, or wisdom to gov- 
 ern ; the other, the executive energy to adjust 
 the administration of goveriiuieut to that stand- 
 ard.— F. O. Uihhn-d. 
 
 7, 8. He made known his ways — The 
 iray/i are not tliosu to be trodden by men, but 
 those followed by God in liis march througli the 
 history of the world. — C. B. Moll. Unto 
 Moses— Moses was made to see the manner in 
 wliicli the Lord deals with men ; he saw this at 
 each of the three periods of Ins life, in the court, 
 in retirement, and at the head of the tribes of 
 Israel. To him the Lord gave specially clear 
 manifestations of his dispensations and modes of 
 ruling among mankind, granting to him to see 
 more of God than had before been seen by mor- 
 tal man, while he communed with him ujion the 
 mount. — Spurgeon. His acts are his deeds of 
 righteousness, deliverance, and su.'^tentation. 
 Psa. 9. 12 ; 78. 11 ; E.\od. 34. 10. >See John 5. 
 17. — Canon Cook. 
 
 9. He will not always chide—" He will 
 not always judge " is the more literal and cor- 
 rect rendering. — J. F. ^V Curdy. Unto the 
 children of Israel — While God revcakd his 
 plans to Moses, he showed himself in acts unto 
 the Israelites by delivering, leading, protecting 
 them, by giving them discipline and needed trial. 
 Merciful and gracious —Tlie psalmi.st names 
 these traits of the Divine nature as illustrated in 
 his acts. Neither w^U he keep his anger — 
 He is not only long in anger, that is, a\ aiting a 
 long time before he lets his anger loose, but 
 when he contends, that is, interposes judicially, 
 this, too, is not carried to the full extent. Chap. 
 78. 38. The procedure of his ri;.diteousness \i 
 regulated, not acconling to our sins, but accord- 
 ing to his pur]iose of mercy. — Delitzscfi. The 
 pa-ssage apv>lies to the disci ]>li nary and effective 
 dispensations of God toward his children, as 
 249 
 
PsA. 103. 1-22. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Third Quarter. 
 
 10 He * hath not dealt with us after 
 our sins, nor rewarded us acording to 
 our iniquities. 
 
 11 For * as the heaven is high above 
 the earth, so great is his mercy toward 
 them that fear him. 
 
 13 As fixr as the east is from the west, 
 so far hath he ® removed our transgres- 
 sions from us. 
 
 13 Like ' as a father pitieth his chil- 
 dren, so the Lord pitieth them that fear 
 him. 
 
 -b According to the height of the heaven 
 
 the context shows, (corap. Exod. 34. 6, 7 ; Psa. 
 78. 38,) not his judgments on the wicked, as in 
 Psa. 73. 18-20 ; 9. 17.— F. G. Hibhard. 
 
 10. He hath, not dealt. — Weoui^ht to praise 
 the Lord for what he has not done, as well as what 
 he has wrought for us ; even the negative side 
 deserves our adoring gratitude. Up to this 
 moment, at our very worse estate, we have never 
 suffered as we deserve to suffer; our daily lot 
 has not been apportioned upon the rule of what 
 we merited, but on the far different measure of 
 undeserved kindness. — Spurgeon. 
 
 11. As the heaven is high above the earth 
 — The highest measure of comparison the mind 
 can grasp. So great is his mercy — This shows 
 he is speaking of God's fatherly chastisements 
 of his people. He looks at their sin in the 
 light of their earthly misery and temptation, 
 (ver. 14,) and mingles compassion with severity 
 "that we might be partakers of his holiness." 
 Heb. 12. \0.—F. G. Hihlard. 
 
 12. As far as the east is from the west — 
 Words which gained new force in the mouths 
 of those who had been gathered from the far-off 
 regions of the East to their own homes. God 
 had removed them from the west to the east, 
 and now lie has brought them back to their own 
 homes, and has removed their sins as far as the 
 east is from the west. — WordswortJi. So far 
 hath he removed our transgressions — A 
 testimony to the witness of absolute forgive- 
 ness and acceptance worthy of the New Testa- 
 ment.—/'. G. Hibbard. 
 
 13. 14. Like as a father pitieth . . . for he 
 knoweth — His fiitherly compassion is (verse 14) 
 based upon the frailty and perishableness of 
 man^ which are known to God, much the same 
 as God's promise after the Flood not to decree a 
 like judgment again. Gen. 8. 21. — DeUtzsch. 
 The life and death of God manifest in the Hesh 
 are the best comment upon these signal words of 
 
 250 
 
 14 For he knoweth our frame; he 
 remembereth that we are dust. 
 
 15 As for man, his days are as grass; 
 as a flower of the field so he flourish- 
 eth: 
 
 16 For the wind passeth over it, and 
 " it is gone ; and the place thereof shall 
 know it no more. 
 
 17 But the mercy of the Lord is from 
 everlasting to everlasting upon them 
 that fear him, and his righteousness 
 * unto children's children; 
 
 6 Isaiah 43. 25; Eph. 1.7.. 1 Malachi 3. 17.- 
 
 prophecy. — Canon Cook. Our frame — The 
 frame does not denote here the moral nature of 
 man, (Gen. 6. 5 ; 9. 21 ; Deut. 31. 21,) the in- 
 herited disposition of his heart, (Psa. 51. 7.) but 
 the frame of dust, (Gen. 3. 7,) like a potter's 
 vessel. Job 10. 8/. ; Isa. 29. 16 ; 45. 9/.— C. B. 
 Moll. 
 
 15, 16. His days are as grass— Grass, 
 springing up suddenly, growing rapidly, cut 
 down by the mower, or withering speedily in 
 the Oriental sun ; affording a strong illustra- 
 tion of the transitoriness of human life. The 
 w^ind passeth over it — The allusion is to the 
 east and south-east winds, which, coming from 
 the hot desert of Arabia, pass over Palestine 
 with vehemence, destroying hfe, withering grass 
 and herbage, and exhausting the strength of men 
 and animals. — F. G. Hibbard. It is gone — 
 Hebrew, It is not. Such is our transient mortal 
 life. But the language applies specially to 
 wicked and worldly men who have their portion 
 in this life and forget God. See Job 20. 9 ; Psa. 
 37. 10 ; 73. 19, iO.—F. G. Hibbard. The place 
 thereof— The place in which it grew is as if it 
 had never been there ; has no recollection of the 
 day when it grew there and flourished. As the 
 flower that was and is not, so is man's estate 
 and hope. — Canon CooTc. 
 
 17, 18. But — The adversative sense of the 
 conjunction marks the contrast between the per- 
 ishable and frail in man (vers. 15, 16) and the 
 everlasting " mercy " and faithfulness of God 
 to " such as keep his covenant." — F. G. Hibbard. 
 The mercy of the Lord— In the midst of this 
 plant-like, frail destiny, there is, however, one 
 strong ground of comfort — there is an ever- 
 lasting power which raises all those who link 
 themselves with it above the transitoriness in- 
 volved in nature's laws, and makes them eternal 
 like itself. This power is the mercy of God, 
 which spans itself above all those who fear Mm 
 
Sept. 21, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 PsA. lO:^. 1- 
 
 18 To "such as keep liis covenant, and 
 to those that lenieniber his comnuvud- 
 ments to do them. 
 
 19 The LoKD hath prepared his throne 
 in the lieaveus ; and '" his kingdom 
 nileth over all. 
 
 20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, 
 •Uliat excel in strength, that "do his 
 
 like an eternal heaven. This is God's ri-rliteous- 
 ness, which rewanls faithful adherence to his 
 covenant and conscientious fultillnient ot his 
 l>recepts in accordance with the order of re- 
 demption, and shows itself even to children's 
 children, according to Exod. 20. <i ; 34. 7 ; Deut. 
 7. 9, on into a thousand generations, that is, into 
 infinity. — Delitzsch. To such, as keep his 
 covenant — A covenant is a boml or pledge be- 
 tween two parties. Those who keep their part 
 of it will find God not slack in perforniini; his 
 part. He will reward them with his favor here 
 and heaven hereafter. lie will watch over their 
 children after them. He will regard them with 
 an eye of tender affection, and will not forget 
 thcni in time of need. 
 
 19, 20. The Lord hath prepared— With 
 this begins a new division in the psalm. Bless 
 the Lord, etc.— See P.sa. 29. 1 ; 148. 2. The 
 angels (or archangels) close to God's throne, 
 excelling in might, (marg., mighty in strength, 
 Isa. 13. 3; 40. 2(3; Joel 3. 9, 11 ; Eev. 10. 1,) 
 executing his behests, and listening to catch 
 any intimation of his pleasure, are first ad- 
 dressed ; next, the unnumbered host of minis- 
 tering spirits (see Luke 2. 13 ; Psa. 104 4) that 
 do his will ; next, all his works (Psa. 14b) in all 
 parts of his infinite dominion ; and, last of all, 
 the psalmist himself, least nnd least worthy of 
 all, after a commemoration of Jehovah's perfec- 
 tion, mercy, long-sutl'ering, tenderness, and in- 
 effable majesty, stirs up his own spirit to join 
 «tlie chorus of universal praise. — Canoi Cmi: 
 Ye his angels — His call to these to join in the 
 praise of Jeliovah has its parallels only in Psa. 29 
 and 14S. It arises from the consciou.sness of the 
 Church on earth that it stands in living, like- 
 minded fellowship with the anirels of God, and 
 that it po.ssesses a dignity which rise's above all 
 created things, even the angels which are ap- 
 pointed to serve it. Chap. 91. W.— Delitzsch. 
 Excel in strength — Hebrew, J/hfhti/ of 
 siniujth. The word inhjhtij (English vei-sion, 
 "excel") denotes the highest reach of finite 
 " strength," skill, nnd endurance, sucli a.s, when 
 apphed to man, distinguishes the hero-warrior. 
 
 comniaiuhnents, hearkening unto the 
 voice of his word. 
 
 21 Bless ye the Loud, all ye " his 
 hosts; ye "ministers of his, that do his 
 pleasure. 
 
 22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all 
 places of iiis domiuion; bless the Lord, 
 O my soul. 
 
 — F. G. Hibbard. That do his command- 
 ments — That e,recute his word. Tbey iire the 
 executive messengers of Gotl. Hearkening 
 iinto the voice— Denoting iioth atlentiveness 
 to learn ami promptness to execute, ".-i* soon 
 as thttj h^ar the voice of God they promptly 
 obey." — Ilaminond. 
 
 21, 22. Hosts— Not the heavenly bodies, (as 
 in Deut. 4. 19 ; 17. 3 ; P.sa. S3. 6,) but the col- 
 lective whole of all orders of celestial beings, as 
 1 Kings 22. 19, and Psa. 148. 2. Compare Dan. 
 7. 10.— i^. G. Hihbnrd. O my soul— As if to 
 place his own obligation above that of all other 
 beings, he fitly begins and ends the psalm alike, 
 with the same personal call, " Bless the Lord, 
 O my soul." — F. G. Hibbard. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers 
 marked with a star refer to poetical illustra- 
 tions,] ver. 1: *1510 ; 2: 2337, 6848; 3: 4932, 
 8798; 4: 3902, 79.-)0; 5: *2414, 12332; 6: 
 *2966, 10063; 8: 2523; 11: 11505; 13: *2507, 
 8673 ; 15 : *2335 ; 16 : 10646 ; 17 : 10510 : 19 : 
 3481 ; 20: 1105. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the benefits of the lord.] 
 
 1. The benefits of the Lord are such as to call 
 forth the whole nature of man in thankful 
 praise. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The Lord bestows forgiveness of sin as his 
 first chief blessing to man. Ver. 3. 
 
 3. The Lord bestows health and healing upon 
 the body, as an image of greater spiritual bless- 
 ings. Ver. 3. 
 
 4. .The Lord bestows mercies in such constant 
 course as to make our life ever new. Ver. 5. 
 
 5. The Lord reveals his plans to some of his 
 people, but his acts of grace may be known by 
 all. Ver. 7. 
 
 6. The Lord shows his benefits in his chid- 
 ings as well as in his blessings, since discipline 
 in his hand is graciously and tenderly given. 
 Vers. 9, 10. 
 
 7. The Lord removes his people's sins so far 
 that they are utterly forgotten. Ver. 12. 
 
 251 
 
1 Kings 1. 22-35. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 FOURTH QUARTER. 
 
 THREE MONTHS WITH SOLOMON AND THE BOOKS OF 
 WISDOM. 
 
 B.C. 1015.] 
 
 LESSON L 
 
 [Oct. 5. 
 
 Solomon Succeedixg David. — 1 Kings 1. 22-35. 
 
 GOLDEX TEXT.— And thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him 
 with a perfect heart and with a willing mind. — 1 CHRON. 38. 9. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 1015. 
 
 Place.— Jerusalem. 
 
 CONNECTING LINK.— Adonljah's rebellion. 1 Kings 1. 1-21. 
 
 Introduction.— r/ie Boohs of the Kings.— In the Hebrew canon they formed one book. They follow 
 the books of Samuel, which are also called Books of the Kings, Indeed, the whole story, from the begin- 
 ning of Judges to the end of Kings, runs on as one unbroken narrative. First Kings takes up the Hebrew 
 history at the time when David was old and stricken in years, B. C. 1015 ; Second Kings ends with the be- 
 ginning of the captivity of Judah in Babylon, B. C. 586, and the burning of the temple, though notice is 
 made of the liberation and death of Jehoiachim more than twenty-six years later. The author cannot be 
 Identified. Ancient tradition, in the Talmud, names Jeremiah ; some have supposed them compiled by 
 Ezra or Baruch. The books, which were originally one, have a very marked unity of design, plan, and 
 style, and were first divided in the Septuagint. They are, in large measure, a compilation from existing 
 documents. They have always had a place in the Jewish ca.non. —Schaff. Adomjali's conspiracy.— 
 Adonijah, the eldest living son of David after Absalom's death, saw that, through the influence of Nathan 
 and Bathsheba, Solomon was likely to succeed to the throne. He conspired to make himself king during 
 the helpless old age of David, and united with him in the plot Joab, the general of the army, and 
 Abiathar, the high-priest. At a meeting, near Jerusalem, the proclamation was made that Adonijah was 
 king. But the prompt action of Nathan, and the power of Bathsheba over the aged king, brought the 
 plot to naught before it was fairly wrought out in action.— J. L. H. Nathan informed Solomon's 
 mother, Bathsheba, (see at 3 Sam. 11. 3,) that Adonijah was making himself king, and advised her, in 
 order to save her life and that of her son Solomon, to go to the king and remind him of his promise on 
 oath that her son Solomon should be king after him, and to inquire why Adonijah had become king. II 
 Adonijah had really got possession of the throne he would probably have put Solomon and his motherout 
 of the way, according to the barbarous custom of the East, as his political opponents.— iTcil. 
 
 22 And, lo, while she yet talked with 
 the king, Na'than the prophet also came 
 in. 
 
 23 And they told the king, saying. 
 
 Behold Na'than the prophet. And 
 when he was come in before the king, 
 he bowed himself before the king with 
 his face to tlie ground. 
 
 22. WTiile she— Bathsheba, the mother of 
 Solomon, and once the wife of Uriah, whose 
 beauty had excited the king's passion and led 
 to the murder of Uriah, with all its fateful con- 
 sequences. She was now the favorite wife of 
 David, with vast influence, eager to secure her 
 son Solomon the promised succession to the 
 throne. Yet talked— Bathsheba followed the 
 advice of Nathan, and went to the king into the 
 inner chamber, since the very aged king, who 
 was waited upon by Abishag, could not leave 
 his room, and, bowing low before liim, com- 
 municated to him what Adonijah had taken in 
 hand in opposition to his will, and without his 
 knowledge.— Z«iZ. Nathan the prophet— See 
 3rd Quarter, Lesson III, verse 3, notes. Also 
 came in— When he was announced to the king 
 
 I Bathsheba retired, just as afterward Nathan 
 I went away when the king had Bathsheba called 
 ill again. Comp. verse 28 witli verse 32. This 
 was done, not to avoid the appearance of a ' 
 mutual aiTangeinent, but for reasons of pro- 
 priety, inasmuch as, in audiences granted by the 
 king to his wife or one of liis counselors, no 
 tliird person ought to be present unless the king 
 required his attendance. — Keil. 
 
 23. They told the king — Natlian came into 
 the palace, not into the cliambcr, whither he 
 might not enter unannounced. — Canon Eawlin- 
 soit. Come in before the king — From the 
 antecliamlier to the room of David. Bowed 
 himself to the ground — The narrative here 
 not only exlaibits tlie vivid jjicture of a scene 
 within the interior of a palace, but gives the im- 
 
Oct. 5, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 1 Kings 1. 22-35. 
 
 24 And Na'than said, 3Iy lord, () 
 king, liast thou said, Ad-o-nijah shall 
 reign after me, and he shall sit upon my 
 throne ? 
 
 25 For he is gone down this day, and 
 hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep 
 
 I L,.t IcIiiR A.loi.ijali 
 
 pression tluit a grout dwil of OricnUil stuto cere- 
 monial had been esUiblished in the Hebrew 
 court. — R. Jamieson. 
 
 24. Nathan said — Natlmii liero, as always, 
 (2 Sam. 7. 12,) appears right genuinely as 
 prophet. When there is an attempt to bring to 
 completion human self-willed beginnings over 
 against the counsel and will of God, where tlie 
 safety and well-being of the chosen people were 
 at stake, then it wa.s the calling of the prophet 
 to interfere, counseling and reminding, warning 
 and punishing. It wtus not so nmch personal 
 friendship for David, and love for his pupil 
 Solomon, as nither, and before all, the known 
 •will of Jehovali, wliich had determined that the 
 latter should be king, that induced liim to take 
 the step which would have had the most dis- 
 astrous consccjuences for himself, yea, might 
 have cost him his life, had Adonijah became 
 king. — Bahr. Hast thou said — Literally, 
 " Thou hast said." In the original no question 
 is asked. Nathan assumes, as far as the words 
 go, that the king has made this declaration. lie 
 wishes to draw forth a disclaimer. — Canon 
 Eawlinson. The indirect question is not mere- 
 ly an expression of modesty, but also of doubt, 
 whether what had occurred had emanated from 
 the king, and lie had not shown it to his serv- 
 ants.— iui7. 
 
 25. He has gone down this day— To En- 
 rogel, south of Jerusalem, in the valley of the 
 Kedron. Slain oxen and fat cattle — Tlie Ori- 
 entals are fond of enjoying festive repasts in the 
 open air, at places which conmiand the advan- 
 tage of shade, water, and verdure; and those 
 fites champetres are not cold collations, but 
 magnificent entertainments, the animals being 
 killed and dressed on the spot. Adonijah's 
 feast at En-rogel was one of this Oriental de- 
 scription, and it was on a large scale. At the ac- 
 cession of a new king there were sacrifices of- 
 fered, (1 Sam. 11. 15 ; ) but, on such an occasion, 
 it was no less customary to entertain the grandees 
 of the kingdom, and even the populace, in a pub- 
 lic manner. 1 Chron. 12. 23^0. There is the 
 strongest probability that Adonijah's feast was 
 purely political, to court popularity and secure 
 a party to support his claim to the crown. — B. 
 
 in al)uiulance, and hatli called all the 
 king's sons, and the captains of the host, 
 and A-l>i'a-tiiar the priest; and, behold, 
 they eat and drink l)efore liim, and say, 
 " God save king Ad-o-ni'jah. 
 
 26 But me, even me thy Bcrvant, and 
 
 \6. 16; J Kings 11. 11; 2 Chr 
 
 Jamkmn. Called all the king's sons— From 
 the number of David's wives and concubines we 
 may infer a larger number of children than are 
 named. These, with their several establish- 
 ments, formed a princely party in the state, 
 whose alliance Adonijah hoped to obtain against 
 Solomon. Most of the conspiracies in Oriental 
 history have arisen from the conflicting interests 
 in the harem of the king. Captains of the 
 host — The use ol the plural here is very remark- 
 able. It seems out of harmony with verses 7 
 and 19. Strictly speaking, too, there was but 
 one "captain of the host," viz., Joab. 2 Sam. 
 8. 16 ; 20. 23. Nathan must here extend the 
 term to officers of a rank below the highest. See 
 1 Chron. 25. I.— Canon Eawlinson. The rea- 
 sons for Joab's adherence to the plot are not diffi- 
 cult to ascertain. Throughout his entire history 
 he had been too powerful for a subject to be 
 pleasing to his king, though his loyalty was un- 
 questioned. He had interfered in the govern- 
 ment, was thoroughly unscrupulous, and repre- 
 sented the lower and worldly element of the 
 empire. He now saw, in the distance, a new 
 king, Solomon, arising, apart from liis influence, 
 belonging to the party of Nathan and the proph- 
 ets, over whom he could exert no power, and 
 whose peaceful policy would be contrary to his 
 own warlike tastes, and give him no opportunity 
 for control in the state. Because Adonijah 
 represented the worldly element, as against the 
 spiritual, Joab instinctively allied himself with 
 him, as one whom he could dominate if he aided 
 in his attempt to secure the throne. Abiathar 
 — To many it seemed strange that this priest, 
 the friend of David in his wanderings, should 
 have countenanced such conspiracy. His action 
 probably grew out of jealousy toward Zadok, his 
 associate in office, who received so much favor 
 from David.— Ten-?/. They eat and drink- 
 Thus also imitating Absalom, who, in order to 
 cover his sin with the cloak of religion, and to 
 ingratiate himself with those whom he invited to 
 the banquet, began his rebellion with a sacrificial 
 feast. 2 Sam. 15. 12. — Wordsworth. God save 
 king Adonijah — This was the ordinary ac- 
 clamation by which the Jews accepted a new 
 king. See 1 Sam. 10. 24 ; 2 Sam. 16. 16 ; 2 Kings 
 258 
 
1 Kings 1. 22-35. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 Za'dok the priest, and Be-na'iali the son 
 of Je-hoi'a-da, and thy servant Sd'o- 
 mon, hath he not called. 
 
 27 Is this thing done by my lord the 
 king, and thou hast not showed it unto 
 thy servant, who should sit on the 
 throne of my lord the king after him ? 
 
 28 Then king Da'vid answered and 
 said, Call me Bath-she'ba. And she 
 
 'Before the king. IJudg. 8. 19; 1 Sam. 35. 34; S Saiu. 4. 9 
 
 11. 12. Compare below verse 39. — Canon liatc- 
 linsoii. 
 
 26, 27. But me, even me— Nathan, it was 
 well known, might be counted among Solo- 
 mon's stanch friends. He had given the infant 
 prince the name of Jedediah, " darling of Jeho- 
 vah." 2 Sam. 12. 25. He had perhaps been in- 
 trusted with his education. And, as privy to all 
 Pavid's plans, he had no doubt fully approved 
 the order of succession which the king was 
 known to intend. — Canon RawUnson. Zadok 
 the priest — There were now two high-priests, 
 Abiathar, who had long been attached to David, 
 and Zadok, whom Saul had anointed in the 
 room of the slain Abimelech, and who was now 
 at Gibeon. 1 Chron. 16. 39. It would have been 
 imprudent for David to depose either of these 
 and therefore he wisely kept up the service of 
 the tabernacle at Gibeon to atibrd Zadok the 
 opportunity of exercising his office without in- 
 terfering with Abiathar. — M. S. Terry. It is 
 extremely probable that some cause of jealousy 
 or discord between them had arisen, and hence 
 each lent his countenance and support to op- 
 posite parties. — K. Jamleson. Benaiah — Dis- 
 tinguished for his bravery, (1 Sam. 23. 20,) he 
 had been appointed captain of the king's body- 
 guard, (2 Sam. 8. 18 ;. 20. 23; 1 Chron. 18. 17,) 
 and was regarded by Joab as a rival. — R. Jam- 
 ieson. Th.y servant Solomon— All the rest 
 of the king's sons had been invited, but Solo- 
 mon had been omitted, and the whole affair 
 showed neither forgetfulness nor neglect, but 
 premeditation to set aside the young prince who 
 had been already indicated as the successor of 
 David. Hath, he not called— Nathan's words 
 are any thing else than the expression of 
 wounded vanity — they simply exhibit Adoni- 
 jah's hostile sentiment toward the friend of 
 the king, and also the fate in store for them 
 should Adonijah become sovereign. — Bahr. 
 Thou hast not showed — Nathan intimates 
 that as the king's counselor and the Lord's 
 prophet, he had some right to receive infor- 
 mation if a change in the succession had been 
 254 
 
 came * into the king's presence, and stood 
 before the king. 
 
 29 And the king sware, and said, As 
 ' the Lord liveth, that ^ hath redeemed 
 my soul out of all distress, 
 
 30 Even as I sware unto thee by the 
 Lord God of Is'ra-el, saying, Assuredly 
 Sol'o-mon thy son shall reign after me, 
 and he shall sit upon my tlirone in my 
 
 decided upon. The throne had been already 
 promised to Solomon, as the chosen of the 
 Lord. 
 
 The ministers of God and the preachers of his 
 word should not indeed mingle in worldly busi- 
 ness and political affairs, but their calling always 
 requires them to testify against uproar and sedi- 
 tion, for he who resisteth the powers, resisteth 
 the ordinance of God. Rom. 13. 2.— Bahr. 
 
 28. Then king David answered — The con- 
 duct of David when he learns what is going on 
 corresponds fully with the Divine will and with 
 his great calling as the founder of the theocratic 
 kingdom, and of the new dynasty which is to sit 
 forever upon the throne of Israel. He does not 
 stagger irresolutely hither and thither, like a 
 sick, feeble old man without any will of his 
 own, but, as if he were still the strong hero, the 
 undismayed, determined, energetic man, such 
 as in his best years he had so often shown him- 
 self amid dangers and in critical situations, he 
 raises himself from his sick-bed, swears to ob- 
 serve his word, issues his orders, and puts them 
 into immediate execution. — £ahr. Call me 
 Bathsheba — She had withdrawn from the 
 king's presence at the entrance of Nathan, andi 
 as we see from ver. 32, he in turn retired when 
 she M'as re-admitted. This was done in accord- 
 ance with the rules of court propriety, and also 
 to avoid the appearance of mutual concert be- 
 tween them. — Terry. 
 
 29, 30. The king sware — "As the Lord 
 liveth," was the commonest form of oath among 
 the Israelites. That hath redeemed my soul 
 — Many had been David's deliverances from 
 danger, but there, as he re-affirms this oath 
 before that woman with whom, and for whose 
 sake, he had perpetrated the darkest sins of his 
 life, we should understand a special allusion to 
 the bitter soul-agonies which resulted from 
 those crimes ; for it was at the time of his re - 
 demption and deliverance from those agonies 
 that Jehovah had foretold to him the birth and 
 destiny of Solomon. 2 Sam. 12. — Terry. As- 
 suredly Solomon my son— "We know nothing 
 
Oct. 5, 1884. 
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 1 Kixr.s 1. 
 
 -35. 
 
 stead ; eveu so will I certainly do this 
 day. 
 
 31 Then Bath-she'ba bowed with her 
 face to the earth, and did reverence to 
 the king, and said, Let ^niy lord king 
 Da'vid live for ever. 
 
 32 And king Da'vid said. Call me 
 Za'dok the priest, and Na'than the 
 prophet, and Be-na'iah the son of Je- 
 hoi'a-da. And they came before the king. 
 
 S Neh. ». S; Dan. ». 4. « •.> Sam. 20. 6. c Which bclonireth 
 
 •} Sain. V. 4 ; 5. 3 ; chap. 19. !6 ; « Kind's ». 3; 
 
 more of the circumstance of this oath tlian is 
 recorded in the present cliapter. — Canon Raw- 
 linson. 
 
 31. Bathsheba bowed with her face to 
 th.0 earth — A lower and humbler obeisance 
 than even lier previous one. Ver. IG. In the 
 Assyrian sculptures embassadors are represented 
 ■with their faces actually touching tlie earth be- 
 fore the feet of the monarch. Let king David 
 live forever — This form of compliment lias 
 always prevailed in the East. See Dan. '2. -l ; 3. ; 
 6. 10 ; 6. 21 ; Neh. 2. Z.— Canon BaivliHson. 
 
 32. Call me Zadok . . . Nathan . . . 
 Benaiah — The combination of the higli-priest, 
 tJie prophet, and the captain of the body-j;uard 
 would show the people that the proceedings 
 had the king's sanction. The order of tlie 
 names marks the position of the pei-sons 
 with respect to the matter in hand. — Canon 
 Bawlinson. 
 
 33. The servants of yovir Lord.— The 
 Cherethites and relclliites, who tV.rmed the 
 royal body-guard. (See verse 38.) It is probable 
 that these were not Israelites, but foreijiiiers of 
 Philistian or other races, who were employed 
 as guards to the palace ; as most Oriental rulei-s 
 are surrounded by mercenary or hired soldiers, 
 on whose fidelity tliey can depend better than 
 on their own people. Nearly all the kings of 
 Europe have obtained their guards from among 
 the Swiss, and it will be remembered how 
 bravely the Swiss guard of Louis XVI., of 
 France, defended their unfortunate master. 
 Solomon ... to ride upon mine own 
 mule — Mules and horses seem to have been 
 first employed by the Israelites in the reign of 
 David. Apparently the use of the former was 
 at first confined to great personages. 2 Sam. 
 13. 29 : 18. 9. The rabbis tell us that it was 
 death to ride on the king's mule without his per- 
 mi3.»ion ; and thus it would be the more evident 
 to all that the proceedings with respect to Solo- 
 mon had David's sanction. It was probably 
 with this object, and not merely to do Solomon 
 
 33 The king also said unto tliem, 
 Take ^ with you tiie servants of your 
 lord, and cause Sol'o-mon my son to ride 
 upon ' mine own mule, and bring bim 
 down * to Gi'lion. 
 
 34 And let Za'dok the priest and Na'- 
 than the prophet 'anoint him there 
 king over Is'ra-el: and 'blow ye with 
 the trumpet, and say, God save king 
 Sol'o-mou. 
 
 ;. Eith. 6. 8. »'i Chroii. 31. 30. « 1 Sam. 10. 1 ; 1«. 3, 11 
 
 i. ''.'Sain. 15. 10 J 2 King. 9. 13; 11. 14. 
 
 honor, (comjMirc the case of Mordecai, Esth. 
 G. 8,) that he was thus mounted.— C'a?(07i liaw- 
 lin.son. Gihon — A leservoir at the head of 
 the valley of Ilinnom, about seven hundred 
 yards north-west of the Yalla gate of Jerusalem. 
 Its length from east to west is aiiout three hun- 
 dred feet; its breadth about two hundred. — 
 Terry. Canon Kawlinson gives it a location 
 in the Tyropoeon valley, between the hill of 
 Moriali and the one now known as Zion. 
 Couder regards it as En-rogel, in tlie Kedron, 
 100 yards from the stont Zoheleth, where Adoni- 
 jah's friends were feasting, but that seems 
 scarcely probable. We incline to Dr. Terry's 
 location on the west of Jerusalem. 
 
 34. Zadok . . . and Nathan— It is signi- 
 ficant that the anointing was performed by the 
 two men representing the priestly and prophetic 
 orders, thus united around the new throne; and 
 that Benaiah as the commander of the military 
 forces, though himself a priest by birth, had no 
 part in the service. Solomon was in no sense to 
 owe his crown to force of arms. Anoint him — 
 Inauguration into each of the tliree otfices 
 typical of the Messiah, or Anointed One, was 
 by anointing with oil. Divine appointment 
 )iad in.stituted the rite in connection with the 
 kingly office.firstin the case of Saul, (1 Sam. 9. 16; 
 10. 1,) and then in that of David, (1 Sam IG. 1-12,) 
 who was anointed three several times. 1 Sam. 16. 
 13 ; 2 Sam. 2. 4 ; 5. 3. It is doubted whether the 
 rite continued to be used in the kingdoms of Is- 
 rael and Judah in ordinary cases, or only when 
 the succession was in dispute or irregular. — 
 Cunon liawliiison. The rabbis relate the 
 tradition that the three kings of all Israel and 
 the kings of Judah were anointed from the flask 
 of oil prepared by Moses m the wilderness ; and 
 that its last drops were exhausted upon the head 
 of Josiah, so tliat after him the successive 
 kin;.'s were not anointed. Blow ye with the 
 trumpet — Trumpets had been used by Absa- 
 lom when he made himself king. 2 Sam. 15. 10. 
 They are again mentioned at the proclamation of 
 255 
 
1 Kings 1. 22-35. 
 
 LESSON T. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 35 Then ye shall come up after him, 
 that he may come and sit upon my 
 throne ; for he shall be king in my 
 
 Jehu, (2 Kings 9. 13,) and of Joash. 2 Kings 11. 
 14. — Canon Baiolinson. 
 
 35. Come up after him— To the palace on 
 Mount Zion. Sit upon my throne— Solo- 
 mon's reign is to be regarded as a continuation 
 of the reign of David, his fother. David's reign 
 did not end with David's life, but it flowed on 
 in the life of Solomon, his son, for which it was 
 a preparation. Thus the union of David and 
 Solomon, as forming by their conjunction a 
 typical representation of Chrii^t, the king of the 
 spiritual Zion, as a conqueror like David, and 
 yet as the prince of peace like Solomon, is made 
 more manifest.— Te/v?/. I have appointed 
 >n'Tn — David made the appointment as the rep- 
 resentative of God over the nation. Over Is- 
 rael and over Judah — This expression is but 
 one of many indications that, through all the 
 history, the bond of union between Judah and 
 the other tribes was but slight ; and that the 
 Judahites, on the one hand, and the Ephraimites, 
 on the other, represented two opposite forces in 
 the Confederation of Israel. David risked his 
 popularity in his own tribe of Judah in the vain 
 endeavor to unite all the tribes, and under Solo- 
 mon's successor the two diverse elements at 
 once fell apart, forever to remain separated. 
 
 Adonljah's undertaking, In which there Is so 
 immlstakably a reference to Absalom's, is to be 
 understood throughout as blameworthy. He 
 knew that the decision upon the succession to the 
 throne depended upon his father, and that he had 
 already selected Solomon. He knew also the 
 tragical end of Absalom's attempt. Nevertheless, 
 he would not be warned by It, but set himself up 
 in the way of self over-estimation, making boast 
 of his beautiful figure. King wiU he be at any 
 cost. He makes his preparations without his 
 father's consent, takes advantage of his infirmity 
 and weakness, and secretly enters into combina- 
 tions with the most influential men who belonged, 
 more or less, to the class of malcontents. He al- 
 lows himself to become impatient through his lust 
 for ruling, and to rush into a measure in every 
 respect premature. Upon the first Intelligence, 
 nevertheless, of Solomon's accession, a shameful 
 panic seizes him. All courage to risk the least 
 thing for his cause fails him. The whole crowd 
 of his followers scatter like dust, and he himaelf, 
 
 stead : and I have appointed him 
 to be ruler over Is'ra-el and over 
 Ju'dah. 
 
 In a cowardly way, seeks to save only his life. He 
 anxiously flies to a place of refuge, clings to It, 
 calls himself Solomon's "servant," and salutes 
 him as king. But, scarcely is the danger past, than 
 he breaks his pledged word to behave quietly, and 
 starts anew in secret machinations to reach his 
 goal. He flatters the mother of Solomon with 
 hypocritical humility, and seeks to move the 
 heart of the wife. Rifrhtly does Ewald say of 
 him : " A man who, according to all the known 
 features of our memorial of him, has much that 
 resembles Absalom, fln& form, airy, and ambitious 
 of power, yet inwardly scarcely fit for governing ; 
 of an obdurate mind, and yet afraid to venture 
 upon open battle. That he was no proper sover- 
 eign for such a kingdom as Israel then was, 
 must be obvious to intelligent men."— J3o?ir. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Stanley's Jewish Church, lecture 26. Mil- 
 man's History of the Jews, vol. i, book vii. F. 
 D. Maurice's Prophets and Kings, sermon v. 
 Bishop Hall's Contemplations, book xvii, cont. 
 1. Geikie's Hours with the Bible, vol. iii, chap. 
 13. Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations, 29th week. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the kingdom of god.] 
 
 1. The kingdom of God on the earth receives 
 the support of those who, like the prophet, are 
 in fellowship with God and receive his word. 
 Ver. 22-26. 
 
 2. The kingdom of God is opposed by the 
 baser and more worldly elements of society, 
 those having carnal interests to serve. Ver. 25. 
 
 3. The kingdom of God is under the direct 
 care of the Almighty, and the subject of his 
 gracious promise. Ver. 30. 
 
 4. The kingdom of God requires for its* estab- 
 lishment and supremacy all the energy of man 
 under the direction of the Spirit. Ver. 32. 
 
 5. The kingdom of God presents the two 
 aspects of religion in harmony, the priest and 
 the prophet representing the external and 
 spiritual elements united. Ver. 34. 
 
 6. The kingdom of God brings sudden con- 
 fusion to the schemes of self-seeking men. 
 
 7. The kingdom of God ushers in an era of 
 peace and prosperity. Ver. 35. 
 
Oct. 12, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 1 CuRON. 22. G-10. 
 
 B.C. 1015.] 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 David's Charge to Solomon. — 1 Chron. 22. 6-19. 
 
 [Oct. 12. 
 
 GOLDE.\ TEXT.— Arise, therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee.— 1 Cnnox. 22. 10. 
 
 Time— B.C. 1015. 
 
 Co.N'.NEcri.Nfi Li.NK— David's preparations for builillng the temple. 1 Chron. 22. 1-.5. 
 
 Lntroductio.n-.— T/ic Boiik^ of the Chn>iiivl€.i.—T\w. thirteeQth and fourteenth books of the Old Testa- 
 ment, which, auiouK the ancient Jews, formed only one book, are called the First and Second Book of 
 Onouicks, and are In some sense supplemental to the two books of Kings which precede them, with 
 tills diderence, that the Chronicles are written from tlie sacerdotal point of view, and present chiefly the 
 fortunes of Jewish worship ; while the Kings are written from the prophetic view of the history of the 
 theocracy. They appear to have been compiled from the national diaries or journals, and the constant 
 Jewish tradition, wliicli internal evidence supports, is that they were written by Exrd.—Schaff. This 
 portion of the Old Testament may be considered as an epitome of all the sacred history, but more espe- 
 cially of that from tlie orisin of the Jewish nation to their return from the first captivity, embracing a 
 period of nearly 3,500 years. The first book traces the rise and propagation of the children of Israel 
 from Adam, together with a circumstantial account of the reign and transactions of David ; the second 
 continues the narrative, and relates the progress and dissolution of the kingdom of Judea (apart from 
 Israel) to the year of the return of the peoi)ie from Babylon.— St/iaiT. David's PrepnmtiiDi. for the 
 remp^c— With this chapter commences the second section of the history of David's kingship, viz., the 
 account of the preparations, dispositions, and arrangements which he made in the last years of his reign 
 for the establishment of his kingdom, in the future, under his successors. All these preparations and 
 disposiiions had reference to the firm establishment of the public worship of the Lord, in which 
 Israel, as the people and congregation of Jehovah, miglit show its faithfulness to the covenant, so 
 as to become partakers of the divine protection and the blessing which was promised. To build the 
 Temple— this desire the Lord had not indeed granted the fulfillment of to David, but he had given 
 him the promise that his son should carry out that work. The gray-haired king accordingly made prep- 
 arations, after the site of the house of God which should be built had been pointed out to hiui, such as 
 would facilitate the execution of the work by his successor. Of these preparations our chapter tieats, 
 and in it we have an account how David provided the necessary labor and materials for the building of 
 the Temple, (verses 2-5,) committed the e.xecution of the work, in a solemn way, to his son Solomon, 
 (verses t>-lt5,) and called upon the chiefs of the people to give him their support in the work. (Verses 
 11-19.)— KeU. 
 
 6 Then he called for Sol'o-mon bis son, 
 and charged him to build an house for 
 the Lord God of Is'ra-el. 
 
 7 And Da'vid said to Sol'o-mon, My 
 son, as for me, 'it was in my mind to 
 
 1 a Sam. 1.2;! Kings 8. 11 ; cliap. 17. 1 ; iS. 2 ; Acts 7. 46. 
 
 6. Then — This was in the old age of David, 
 after Solomon's coronation. Called for Solo- 
 mon — Solomon was one of David's youngest 
 eons, the child of Batlisheba, born after David's 
 forgiveness. Charged him — David's charge to 
 Solomon, here recortled, belongs to the same 
 period as that of 1 Kings 2. 1-10. One passage 
 supplements tlie other, and the contrast between 
 them is very noticeable. Tlio writer of Kings 
 was concerned more particularly with the polit- 
 ical history of David, and records the aged king's 
 counsel to his son in reference to dangerous po- 
 litical enemies; the chronicler omits all that, 
 and records only the charge of David respecting 
 the building of the temple. — Terry. 
 
 7, 8. It was in my mind — See notes on 
 17 
 
 i)uild an house ^ unto the name of the 
 Lord my God : 
 
 8 But the vpord of the Lord came unto 
 me, saying, = Thou hast shed blood abun- 
 dantly, and hast made great wars: thou 
 
 -s 1 Kings 5. 3 J chap. 28. 3. 
 
 Lesson III, Third Quarter. But the word 
 of the Lord came to me — The reference here 
 is clearly not to the message of Nathan, (chap. 
 17. 4^15,) which assigns no ground for the pro- 
 hibition laid on David, but to some other occa- 
 sion on which God had intimated to him, not only 
 his will, but the reason for it. — Canon Rawlin- 
 non. Hast made great wars— The wars of 
 David were not carried on against God's will. 
 In many cases they were expressly orderd by 
 Jehovah,and often called the "Wars of the Lord." 
 In order to the establishment of Israel in Canaan, 
 wars and bloodshed were unavoidable. Never- 
 theless, the bloodshed and barbarity of war were 
 not in harmony with the profound symbolism 
 of peace, sabbatic quiet, and thoughtful re- 
 257 
 
1 Chron. 22. 6-l( 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 shalt not build an house unto ray name, 
 because thou hast shed much blood up- 
 on the earth in my sight. 
 
 9 Behold, ^ a son shall be born to thee, 
 who shall be a man of rest; and I will 
 give him ^rest from all his enemies 
 round about: for his name shall be " Sol'- 
 o-mon, and I will give peace and quiet- 
 ness unto Is'ra-el in his days. 
 
 10 He •= shall build an house for my 
 name; and ' he shall be my son, and I 
 
 I Chap. 
 
 ipill be his father; and I will establish 
 the throne of his kingdom over Is'ra-el 
 for ever. 
 
 11 Now, my son, the * Lord be with 
 thee; and prosper thou, and build the 
 house of the Lord thy God, as lie hath 
 said of thee. 
 
 12 Only the Lord * give thee wisdom 
 and understanding, and give thee charge 
 concerning Is'ra-el,- that thou mayest 
 keep the law of the Lord thy God. 
 
 pose, which were to be embodied in the house 
 of Jehovah.— Terri/. In my sigM— Which I 
 have taken particular notice of. And this ex- 
 pression may possibly be added in reference to 
 Uriah and the rest of the Israelites, who were 
 slain at the siege of Eabbah by David's con- 
 trivance ; which peradventure David had in his 
 eye, (Psa. 51. 4,) where David, confessing this 
 sin, useth this very expression, / have done 
 this evil in thy sufht. — Pool. 
 
 9. A son shall be bom to thee — Rather 
 " a son is horn to tliee." The prophecy was de- 
 livered to David after Solomon's. birth, not be- 
 fore. — Canon Raiolinson. Who shall be a 
 man of rest — Not a man who makes rest, (.Jer. 
 51. 59,) but, as tlie sequel shows, a man who 
 enjoys rest, who has the blessings of peace, and 
 therefore rightly bears his name. — Zoclcler. His 
 name shall be Solomon — The Hebrew form 
 of the name is Shelotnah, peaceable. Compare 
 Shelomith. 1 Chroii. 3. 19. This name was, 
 doubtless, given to him at his circumcision. 
 Compare Luke 1. 59; 2. 20. — Bishop Hcr- 
 vey. I will give peace — Solomon inherited 
 fi-om David the peaceful possession of all the 
 lands from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates, 
 which David had conquered, including the prov- 
 inces of Edom, Moab, and Syria, besides the free 
 control of the portion of Israel occupied by the 
 Philistines and the Canaanites. We read of no 
 wars during the forty years of Solomon's reign. 
 
 10. He shall be my son— For David's sake 
 Solomon should be received into a peculiar rela- 
 tionship of guardianship and care. It does not 
 mean that his personal adoption as a child of 
 God was secured by the covenant with David, 
 irrespective of Solomon's own character. As 
 king of Israel he was under God's care, but as 
 a subject of redemption he stood or fell by his 
 own choice. I will be his father — Wiiile the 
 prayers of parents cannot secure the certain 
 salvation of their children, the care of parents 
 
 can give them the privileges of God's cove- 
 nant. I w^ill establish the throne of 
 his kingdom — This is not meant of Solo- 
 mon, for his kingdom was not forever. 
 And though the phrase forever is sometimes 
 used of the time of a man's life, yet it cannot be 
 so understood here, because the mercy here 
 promised to David's son is of another nature, 
 and of far longer continuance, than that which 
 was given to Saul, (verse 15,) who yet enjoyed 
 the kingdom as long as he lived. But it is to be 
 understood of David's posterity in general, but 
 with special respect to Christ, in whose person 
 the kingdom was to be lodged forever. Isa. 9. 7 \ 
 Dan. 2. 44; Luke 1. 32, Z2,.--Pool. 
 
 11, 12. The Lord be with thee— True 
 prosperity can only be possessed by those who en- 
 joy the presence of the Lord. Prosper thou — 
 Go on prosperously in carrying on this work ; or, 
 the Lord give thee that rest and prosperity 
 which i.s necessary for it. — Pool. Wisdom and 
 understanding — Wisdom is the knowledge of 
 truth and righteousness, and understanding is 
 the pi-aetical tact or discretion in the conduct of 
 afiairs, such as was needed in the vast responsi- 
 bilities laid upon the young king. Give thee 
 charge concerning Israel — That is, give thee 
 instructions or directions rightly to manage and 
 rule his people Israel. Or, and set thee over Is- 
 rael, as the Syriac renders it, which the Arabic 
 follows, or, when (as the Hebrew vau is often 
 used) lie shall set thee over Israel, that is, when 
 thou shalt be king ; for then Solomon would 
 need this wisdom, for which therefore he pray- 
 eth. 1 Kings 3. 9. — Pool. That thou mayest 
 keep — The true secret of prosperity in any enter- 
 prise, great or small, lies in obedience to the 
 divine commands. This lesson we may learn, 
 not on ly from the history of Joshua, but from 
 that of Joseph ; from tliat of Moses ; from that 
 of Saul ; from that of Uzziah ; and from that of 
 Hezekiah ; nay, it is the great lesson which runs 
 
Oct. 12, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 1 Chro.v. 22. 6-19. 
 
 13 Then '"sluxlt tliou prosper, if thou 
 takest heed to fulfil the statutes and 
 judf^ments whicli the Lord charged 
 Mo'ses with concerning Is'ra-el: "be 
 strong, and of good courage; dread not, 
 nor be dismayed. 
 
 14 Now, l)eh()id, iin my trouble I 
 have prepared lor tiie house of the Loud 
 an hundred thousand talents of gold, and 
 
 10 Joih. I. 7 ; chap. «8. 7 ; Im. 3. 10. » Dcut. 31. 7 ; chap. 88. 
 
 through tlio pages of inspirution, and which is 
 enforced by universal observation and expe- 
 rience. — T. Smith. The law of the Lord- 
 There wiLS n written law :it tiiat time, compre- 
 hending tho essential parts of the Books of 
 Exodus, Leviticus, Nuinliers, and Deuteronomy^ 
 though, probably, its tinal revision had not yet 
 been made. But " the law " included not only 
 these documents, but the general cuiTent of in- 
 spired teaching as delivered through tho proph- 
 ets, a-s representatives of Jehovah. 
 
 13. Then shalt thou prosper — The orig- 
 inal word rendered "prosper" may mean to 
 act wisely, and inasmuch as wisdom brings 
 prosperity, it also means to prosper. Many 
 scholars understand • it here in the first 
 sense, " to act wisely." The strongest temptation 
 to deviate from the commands of God is pre- 
 sented by pleas of expediency and policy. God 
 would teach that tlicse pleas are always foolish, 
 and that not only duty, but also wisdom, is 
 always manifested in a strict obedience to the 
 divine law. — F. Johnson. Be strong and of 
 a good courage— Better, Be strong and jinn. 
 Miehaelis remarks that the verb " to be strong " 
 denotes strength of hand and arm to lay hold of 
 and retain any thing within one's gnisp; while 
 " to be firm " denotes rather firmness in the 
 knees, and ability to maintain one's position 
 against the attack of foes. — I). Steele. 
 
 14. In my trouble I have prepared for 
 the house — Margin, in my poverty. So also 
 Septuagint and Vulgate. Bertheau and Keil, 
 ',/ my painful labor ; that is, by great toil and 
 ■ I'ort on my part. The word thus variously 
 rendered generally means affliction, distress; 
 ■and such is, probably, tho sense in which it 
 should here be taken. David means to say that 
 under vuried circum-stances of trouble, warfare, 
 and distress, he had accumulated the treasures 
 he here eamner&ics.— Ten-i/. Tlie quantities of 
 silver and gold wliich David had collected for 
 the building of the temple had not been saved out 
 of his yearly income, but had been in great part 
 
 a thousand thousand talents of silver; and 
 of brass and iron without weight; for it 
 is in abundance : timber also and stone 
 have I prepared ; and thou maycst add 
 thereto. 
 
 15 Moreover there are workmen with 
 thee in abunchmee, hewers and 'workers 
 of stone and timber, and ail manner of 
 cunning men for every manner of work. 
 
 i Or, In my poverty.- 
 
 i and carpenters. 
 
 captured as booty in war, and laid up out of tho 
 tribute of the subject peoples.— 7i'<27. A hun- 
 dred thousand talents of gold — About 
 ?5,(;'J0,0uo,0<)U. A thousand thousand tal- 
 ents of silver— About $1,000,000,000. These 
 numbers are incredibly large, and unless the 
 value of the talent in question was vastly 
 less than that at which the Hebrew talent is 
 commonly estimated, the statement of the text is 
 probably extravagant.— TV/vy. The statements 
 are not founded upon any exact calculation or 
 weighing, but, as the round numbers show, only 
 upon a general valuation of those masses of the 
 precious metals, which we must not think of as 
 bars of silver and gold, or as coined money ; for 
 they were in great part vessels of gold and sil- 
 ver, partly booty captured in war, partly tribute 
 derived from the subject peoples. — Keil. Tim- 
 ber and stone — Beams of timber also, and stones 
 —that is, stones hewed and squared — David had 
 prepared ; and to this store Solomon was to add. 
 That he did so is warranted in 2 Chron., chap. 
 i.—JCeU. 
 
 Cyrus obtained by the conquest of Asia a booty 
 
 of 34,000 pounds of gold, besides that which was 
 
 wrought into vessels and ornaments, and 500,000 
 
 talents of silver ; and in this statement, as Movers 
 
 rightly remarks, it does not seem probable that 
 
 there is any exaggeration. In Susa, Alexander 
 
 plundered the royal treasury of 40,000, according 
 
 to other accounts 50,000, talents, or, as it is more 
 
 accurately stated, 40,000 talents of uncoined gold 
 
 and silver, and 9,000 talents in coined darics. 
 
 These he caused to be brought to Ecbatana, 
 
 where he accumulated in all 180,000 talents. In 
 
 Persepolis he captured a booty of 120,000 talents, 
 
 and in Pasargada 0,000 talents.— iicjj. 
 
 15. There are -workmen— Some of these 
 
 were, perhaps, laliorers from the conquered 
 
 Canaanites and other subjugated people, as it 
 
 was customary to enslave captives taken in war. 
 
 Others were skilled artisans from Phenicia, 
 
 wliich furnished the architect for the temple. 
 
 No number — The amount of metal prepared 
 
 was too vast for enumeration. 
 
 259 
 
1 Chron. 22. 6-10. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 16 Of the gold, the silver, and the 
 brass, and the irou, there is no number. 
 Arise therefore, and be doing, and the 
 Lord be with thee. 
 
 17 Da'vid also commanded all the 
 princes of Is'ra-el to help Sol'o-mon liis 
 son, saying, 
 
 18 Is not the Lord your God with 
 you ? and '^ hath he not given you rest on 
 every side? for he hath given tlie-inhab- 
 
 • a Deut. 12. 10 ; Josh. 22. 4 ; 2 Sam. 7. 1 ; chap. 23. 25. 
 
 17, 18. ITie princes of Israel— The heads 
 of the several tribes, by hereditary position, and 
 the nobles of the court established by David. 
 We notice that the court of David was much 
 more stately and magnificent than that of Saul. 
 Given you rest — This safety, which the Lord 
 had granted tliein, hinds them in duty to seek 
 him with all their heart, and to build the 
 sanctuary, that the ark and the sacred vessels 
 may be brought into \t.—KeU. The inhab- 
 itants of the land — The subdued land is Ca- 
 naan ; the inhabitants of the land are, however, 
 not the Israelites, over whom the Lord had set 
 David as king, for the words cannot apply to 
 them, ((?/. 14. 10/. ; Josh. 2. 24;') it is the Ca- 
 naanites still left in the land in the time of David, 
 and other enemies, who, like the Philistines, 
 possessed parts of the land, and had been sub- 
 dued by David. — Keil. 
 
 19. The sanctuary — The holy house ; made 
 holy by the presence of the Lord. The ark — 
 See note. Third Quarter, Lesson II, verse 2. 
 The holy vessels of God — That is, the pot of 
 manna, the golden candlestick, the snuffers and 
 snuff-dishes, the censers, etc., which belonged 
 to the old worship of the tabernacle. — Canon 
 Bawlinson 
 
 A question which would readily occur is, Wheth- 
 er such enormous sums were actually necessary 
 for the temple? But the materials necessary to 
 enable us to arrive at even a proximate estimate 
 of this buildlnfr are entirely wanting. The build- 
 ing of a stone temple, from 60 to 70 yards long, 20 
 yards broad, and 30 yards high, would certainly 
 not have cost so much, notwithstanding that, as we 
 read in 2 Chron. 3. 8 f., 650 talents of gold were 
 required to gild the inner walls of the holy place, 
 and, at the same rate, 2,000 talents must have 
 been required to gild the inside of the sanctuary, 
 which was three times as large; and notwith- 
 standing the great number of massive gold ves- 
 sels, 6. y., the ten golden candlesticks, for which 
 alone, even if they were no larger and heavier 
 than the candlesticks in the tabernacle, ten tal- 
 ents of gold must have been required. But there 
 
 itants of the land into mine hand ; and 
 the land is subdued before the Lord, and 
 before his people. 
 
 19 Now '^ set your heart and your soul 
 to seek tlie Lord your God : arise there- 
 fore, and build ye the sanctuary of the 
 Lord God, 'Ho bring the ark of the 
 covenant of the Lord, and the holy ves- 
 sels of God, into the house that is to be 
 built to the name of the Lord. 
 
 1 1 Kings 8. 6 ; 2 Chron. 5. 7 ; 6. 1 
 
 belonged to the temple many subordinate build- 
 ings, which are not further described, as also the 
 colossal foundation structures and the wall in- 
 closing the temple area, the building of which 
 must have swallowed up millions, since Solomon 
 sent 70.000 porters and 80,000 stone-hewers to 
 Lebanon to procure the necessary materials. 
 Finally, we must have regard to the statement, in 
 1 Kings 7. 51, and 2 Chron. 5. 1, that Solomon, 
 after the building was Ilnished, deposited the 
 consecrated silver and gold collected by his fa- 
 ther David among the temple treasures. Whence 
 we learn that the treasures collected by David 
 were not intended merely for the building of the 
 House of GoA.—KcU. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Stanley's Jewisli Chui'ch, lecture 27. Geikie's 
 Hours with the Bible, vol. iii, chap. 16. Mil- 
 man's History of the Jews, vol. i, book 7. 
 Freeman's Bible Manners and Customs, No. 
 295. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [num- 
 bers marked with a star refer to poetical quota- 
 tions,] vers. 7-11 : *4046 ; 13 : 7579 ; 19 : *291. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [the needs of god's house.] 
 
 1. The building of God's spiritual house, as 
 well of his material temple, requires a heart full 
 of interest and forethought for God's cause. 
 Vers. 6, 7. 
 
 2. The building of God's house must be pre-' 
 ceded by a period of labor and strife which un- 
 fits the worker for the requirements of peaceful 
 service. Ver. 8. 
 
 3. The building of God's house requires a sea- 
 son of quiet and peace, freed from worldly en- 
 tanglements. Ver. 9. 
 
 4. The builder of God's house should be one 
 in covenant fellowship with the Lord, and 
 adopted as God's own. Ver. 10. 
 
 5. The building of God's house requires wis- 
 dom, and breadth of views, and skill in public 
 affairs. Ver. 12. 
 
 6. The building of God's house requires a 
 
Oct. 12, 1884. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 2 Chron. 22. C-19. 
 
 heart of obedieucu to God, uiid tidelity to hia 
 cause. Ver. 13. 
 
 1. The building of (iod's )iousc requires the 
 consecration of propcrt}-, and its surrender to 
 the cause of God. Ver. 14. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY RKV. J. S. CH.\.DW1CK, D.D. 
 I. Consider I he HiiMiiiie object here contem- 
 plated—building tlie huiiMe urUie Lord. 
 
 1. It was to be erected accordiim to divitte com- 
 mand. It was not of human devising. It was to 
 be constructed upon a divine plan-built according 
 to the wisdom and skill of God. So bellevei-s in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ are to be bulldcd together Into a 
 glorious, spiritual temple, according to the divine 
 command. 
 
 2. /( wax to he c/)nstnicted of the costliest ma- 
 terials. Herein we may see sliadowed forth : 
 the preclousnes-s of believers— intellectual, think- 
 ing, Immortal spirits— the true and only materials 
 of which our Lord's spiritual Church is composed- 
 They are blood-bought, prized of God, and assured 
 of eternal blessedness. To estimate their worth is 
 beyond an angel's power. 
 
 3. It leas to be erected for the giandest design 
 couceivalilc. 
 
 (1) I7ie manifestation of Jchovah'x glorij. He 
 filled the temple with the cloud of his presence, the 
 symbol of his glory. Here (iod's revelation of him- 
 self to his people was sensible and general, but, in 
 the Christian Church, it is spiritual and particular. 
 Conspicuous as was the divine glory in the ancient 
 temple, the glory of the Christian Church is greater, 
 because in the latter there is manifestation of the 
 Incarnate Deity. 
 
 (2) Tlie temple sennce was designed to instruct 
 and btcss Israel. It was the meeting-place be- 
 tween Jehovah and his chosen people. Here they 
 were to be e.xalted to the enjoyment of the highest 
 and holiest exercises. The temple worship, how- 
 ever, was exclusive; now every church dedicated 
 to the service of Almighty God is the place where, 
 In a special sense, he is pleased to meet his people. 
 The world-wide diffusiveness of the Christian re- 
 ligion contrasts favorably and beautifully with the 
 ancient, but restricted, faith. 
 
 II. ('unHider (lie nature of the obll($ationa Im- 
 posed in David'M cliar^^e. 
 
 1. Solomon was c/ioxen of Ood to lead in th« 
 construction of the temple. The pressure of re- 
 sponsibility was upon him. God selects individuals 
 still to do special work for him in his Church. 
 
 2. He was enjoined to heed the revealed uHll of 
 God, in all things. Prosperity was conditioned 
 upon this. We should be solicitous to please the 
 Almighty One. Nothing .should dissuade us from 
 entering upon Christian work, or hinder us from 
 prosecuting it. 
 
 3. He was expected to be of a c(mrageom spirit. 
 DlQlcultles and discouragements may arise; you 
 may encounter opposition ; but. fear not, God helps. 
 
 4. The people were entreated to strengthen his 
 hands h]i their imited, loving service. So, in the 
 Church to-day, all must render help by establishing 
 Christ's kingdom. Each has his work to do. 
 
 III. We Hhould be impresHcd by David's charge 
 v\illi the spirit in which God's work shuuid be 
 prosecuted. 
 
 1. Remembering past mercies and bUssings. 
 God had given many enemies into David's hands. 
 The people now had rest. Solomon should remem- 
 ber what God had done. We have had spiritual 
 victories and divine favors. In memory of the past 
 be stimulated to greater achievements. 
 
 2. In the spirit of earnest consecration. " Set 
 your heart and soul to seek the Lord." 
 
 3. With joy and gladness, hccatise of the Divine 
 Presence. " And the Lord be with thee." 
 
 4. In hope, bccaiise of the good that shall come 
 to otheis. Think of the salvation that shall go forth 
 from Zion, and of the multitudes yet to be blessed 
 through your efforts. 
 
 DEDUCTIONS : 
 
 1. Act promptly upon the counsels of godly par- 
 ents. 
 
 2. The plans and purposes of good men are some- 
 times checked by providential Interference. 
 
 3. Consider the great honor put upon man, in be- 
 ing called into the service of the living God. 
 
 4. All should be engaged in building for God a 
 spiritual temple, and, l)y the worship of earth, pre- 
 pare for that world wherein is no temple. 
 
 B.C. 1015.] 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Solomon's Choice. — 1 Kings 3. 5-15. 
 
 [Oct. 19. 
 
 GOLDE\ TEXT.— Wisdom is the principal thinj:, therefore get wisdom.— Prov. 4. 7. 
 TlME.-B. C. 1015. 
 
 PLACE.— Glbeon, In the tribe of Benjamin. 
 Connecting Link.— Solomon sacrifldng at Glbeon. 1 Kings 3. 4. 
 
 iNTRODrcTioN.— It was a period of transition, for though David's new tabernacle stood In Jerusalem, 
 the people still "sacriflced in high places," " because there was as yet no house built to the name of 
 
1 Kings 3. 5-15. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Fourth Quarter, 
 
 Jehovah." The law had commanded that sacriflces should be offered only at the door of the tabernacle, 
 and the tribes had been required to destroy " the places on the high mountains " consecrated to idola- 
 try, but both injunctions had long been disregarded, from necessity or the force of ancient custom. 
 Gideon and Manoah had both built altars on such spots ; Samuel had repeatedly done so, and David had 
 sacrificed on the threshing-floor of Oman at the top of Mount Moriah. The instinctive feeling that hill- 
 tops are most suitable for worship, as nearer heaven, and raised above the din and disturbance of the 
 world, yielded, indeed, only slowly before the heathen abuses to which they had been devoted. It was, 
 therefore, in accordance with ancient practice that Solomon betook himself to the lofty summit, now 
 known by the name of El-Jib, the modern form of Gibeon, about six miles north of Jerusalem which, 
 •With the whole country far and near, is seen from its top, spread out in a wide panorama. Hither, or to 
 the twin hill immediately south, but so close to the ancient town of Gibeon as to be all but a part of 
 It, Solomon determined to make a solemn progress. The ancient tabernacle, a sacred memorial of Sinai 
 and the wilderness, stood, as a venerated relic, on its height, behind the great brazen altar, made by 
 Bezaleel under the shadow of the Holy Mount more than five hundred years before. A staff of priests 
 had been appointed by David to offer the daily sacriflces and fulflll the other requirements of the law. 
 Zadok, the high-priest, was at their head, assisted by the famous magicians, Herman and Jeduthun. 
 True to his passion for magniflcence, afterward so fatally developed, the young king set forth from Je- 
 rusalem in high state, accompanied by the chiefs of thousands and of hundreds, the judges, governors, 
 and heads of the fathers, who had been summoned from all Israel to attend him. His object was noble, 
 lor he wished to inaugurate his whole reign by a public religious service. But the outward form of the 
 worship offered shows already a decline from the high spirituality of David to an exaggerated ritualism, 
 which in itself had no moral significance. Less than a thousand burnt-offerings were held insufficient, 
 and hence the sacriflces must have lasted for many days, the clang of trumpets and cymbals and the 
 exulting strains of " musical instruments of God " resounding ever and anon, far and near, as the king 
 and the vast multitude of the great of the land knelt in worship. It was at this time that the first of 
 three recorded visions of God to Solomon took place.— C. Geikic. 
 
 5 In ' Gib'e-on the Lord appeared to 
 Sol'o-mon ^in a dream by night: and 
 God said, Ask ^ what I shall give thee. 
 
 6 And * Sol'o-mon said, Thou hast 
 showed unto thy servant Ba'vid my 
 father great "mercy according as he 
 
 I Chap. 9. 2 ; 2 Chr 
 
 12. 6, Matt. 1. 20, 2. 13. 
 
 5. In Gibeon — The name signifies " pertain- 
 ing to a hill," that is, built on a hill, (cf. Gibeah 
 and Geba, towns in the neighborhood,) and de- 
 Bcribes the site, which is on two rounded hills 
 peculiar to this district. It is still known as El- 
 Jih, and stands at the head of the pass of Beth - 
 horon, through which lies the main route fi-om 
 Jerusalem and the lower Jordan valley to Jopjui 
 and the sea-coast. The Lord, appeared to Sol- 
 omon — Solomon felt an intense desire, and he 
 had oliered an earnest petition, for the gifl of 
 wisdom. In sleep his thoughts ran upon the 
 subject of his prayer, and he dreamed that God 
 appeared to him and gave him the option of 
 every thing in the world ; that he asked wisdom, 
 and that God granted his request. His dream 
 was but an imaginary repetition of his former 
 desire, but God's grant of it was real. — B. Jam- 
 ieson. In a dream by night— This was one 
 mode of divine revelation. In such cases the 
 soul wa,s raised to a state of divine ecstasy and 
 illumination, and held conscious intercourse with 
 God or angels ; but when the natural, waking 
 consciousness returned, the person knew it was 
 
 walked before thee in truth, and in 
 righteousness, and in uprightness of heart 
 witii thee; and thou hast kept for him 
 this great kindness, that thou hast given 
 liim a son to sit on his throne, as it is 
 this day. 
 
 a dream. — Terry. Ask w^hat shall I give thee 
 — God well knew what Solomon needed, but lie 
 bid him ask (1) to show how negligent men are 
 in praying for what is spiritual ; (2) that he 
 would only bestow his gifts in the ordinance of 
 prayer ; (3) that great personages might have 
 an example of what they should ask of God 
 above all others. — Starke. 
 
 Solomon worships God by day ; God appears to 
 Solomon by night. Well may we look to enjoy 
 God when we have served him ; the night cannot 
 but be happy whose day hath been holy.— Bfc/iop 
 Hall. 
 
 6. Unto thy servant David . . , great mercy 
 
 — It is not his own merit which gives him courage 
 for this prayer, but he rests it upon the divine 
 grace and mercy which his father had so rich- 
 ly experienced. His words are not many, but 
 the few he utters are the expression of a living, 
 child-like faith, as simple and substantial as it 
 is inward and true. — Bahr. In truth — Either, 
 first, sincerely and without dissimulation. But 
 that is more fully expressed in the following 
 words, In uprightness of heart. Or rather, 
 
Oct. 19, 1884. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 1 Kings 3. 5-15. 
 
 7 And now, O Loud my God, thou 
 hast niiule thy servant kinj( instead of 
 Da'vid my fatlior, "sunl I am hut a little 
 child: I know not liuic "logo out or 
 come in. 
 
 «9. 1. • Num. 27. \1. iD«ut. 7. 6.- 
 
 seccutlly, in tlio true -worship and service of 
 God, in tiic profession, belief, practice, and de- 
 fense of the truth, or of the true religion, or of 
 God's will or word, which is called truth. Prov. 
 23. 23; John 17. 17; Gal. 3. 1. So truth here 
 oonUiins all his duties to God, as riijhttouinuss 
 dotli his duties to men, and upriijhtnesa the 
 riiriit manner of performinjr both sorts of duties. 
 Uprightness of heart ■with thee — That is, 
 in tiiy judgment, to whom alone his heart was 
 known, and to whom he oft appealed as the 
 witness of liis integrity ; and with respect to 
 whom he performed all his duties, even to men. 
 Thou hast kept, or reserved, that which thou 
 didst n«t reserve for Saul, whose posterity thou 
 didst cut off from the kingdom. — Pool. This 
 great kindness — David himself liad regarded 
 this as God's crowning mercy to him. 1 Kings 
 1. 48. — Canon Raidinson. 
 
 Children should give God thanks for his mer- 
 cies to ihelr parents, for the sure mercies of Da- 
 vid. God's favors are then doubly sweet, when 
 we observe them transmitted to us through the 
 hands of those tliat have gone before us. The 
 way to pet the entail perpetuated is to bless God 
 that it has hitherto been preserved.— J/. Henry. 
 
 7. Thou hast made thy servant king — An 
 acknowledged fultilliiient of Ciod's promise to 
 Abraliam. Gen. 10. 16. Solomon feels that he 
 has been made king of the covenant people. — 
 Terri/. I am but a little child— Solomon's 
 youth clearly constituted one of the chief diffi- 
 culties of his position. His e.xact age at his ac- 
 cession is uncertain. According to Josephus he 
 was just fourteen ; but this may be no more than 
 a deduction from David's words, " Solomon, my 
 son, is young and tender," (1 Chron. 22. 5 ; 
 29. 1,) and from Solomon's own declaration, 
 (1 Kings 3. 7,) "I am but a little child." Mod- 
 erns generally have sujiposed that he was about 
 twenty, which is probably an over, rather than 
 an under, estimate. For a youth of nineteen or 
 twenty, known to be of a pacific disposition, 
 (1 Chron. 32. 9,) to have to rule over tlie war- 
 like and turbulent Hebrew nation, with a strong 
 party opjjoscd to him, and brothers of full ago 
 ready to lead it, was evidently a most difficult 
 task. — Canon Ji'aiclinson. To go out or come 
 
 8 And thy servant is in the midst of 
 thy people which thou ■" hast chosen, a 
 great people, "that cannot be numbered 
 nor counted for multitude. 
 
 9 Give ' therefore thy servant an *un- 
 
 ! Chron, 1. 10; Prov«rbi2. 3; Jamet I. 5. 
 
 in— An idiomatic expression, denoting the whole 
 official conduct of a ruler belbre his people.— 
 7'erri/. 
 
 Those who are employed in public stations 
 ought to be very sensible of the weight and im- 
 portance of their work, and their own InsulD- 
 cleney for It; and then they are quallfled for 
 receiving divine instruction. Paul's question 
 ( ^\lu> is .ivfflcioil for these things t) Is much like 
 Solomon's here, Who is able to judge this thy so 
 great a people I Ver. 9. Absalom, who was a 
 fool, wished himself a Judge ; Solomon, who was 
 a wise man, trembles at the undertaking, and 
 suspects his own fitness for it. The more know- 
 ing and considerate men are the better acquainted 
 they are with their own weakness, and the more 
 Jealous of themselves.— 31. Henry. 
 
 8. Is in the midst of thy people — That is, 
 is sot over them to rule and guide them : a met- 
 aphor from the overseer of divers workmen, 
 who usually is in the midst of them, that he 
 may the better observe how each of them dis- 
 chargeth his office.— /bo^. "Which thou hast 
 chosen — Thy peculiar people, whom thou 
 takest special care of, and therefore wilt expect 
 a more punctual account of my government of . 
 them. — Pool. That cannot be numbered — 
 There seems to be a reference in these words to 
 the promises made by God to Abraham, more 
 especially to Gen. 13. 16. Solomon regards the 
 promises as fulfilled in the existing greatness 
 and glory of the Jewish nation. The hyperbol- 
 ical use of the expressions, " that could not be 
 numbered," " countless," " countless as the 
 stars of heaven," is common in all languages. — 
 Canon Raidinson. 
 
 9. Give ... an understanding heart — This 
 understanding heart w;is a truly kingly heart, 
 seeing that it had a rich and free fellmvsliip with 
 all kinds and classes of people ; a sense of that 
 which was connnon to them all ; a power of en- 
 tering into that which was peculiar to their 
 crafts, localities, temperaments ; a facility of 
 distinguishing the person who was fittest for 
 any particular service ; in one word, a judgment 
 which was not detcnnined by any thing ex- 
 ternal, which had its laws and principles in a 
 world that the eye sees not. — F, D, Mnuriot, 
 
 263 
 
1 Kings 3, 5-15. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Fourth Qua.eter. 
 
 derstanding heart '°to judge thy people, 
 that I may "discern between good and 
 bad : for who is able to judge this thy 
 so great a people ? 
 
 10 And the speech pleased the 
 Lord, that Sol'o-mon had asked this 
 thing. 
 
 11 And God said unto him, Be- 
 cause thou hast asked this thing, 
 and hast "^ not asked for thyself 
 " long life ; neither hast asked rich- 
 es for thyself, nor hast asked the life 
 of thine enemies : but hast asked for 
 
 13-18; 8, 1-36; En 
 
 To . . . jxxdge between good and bad — This 
 he. perceived to be the characteristie function of 
 a ruler. He must know right from wrong ; 
 must learn in complicated cases to see into 
 the truth ; to see it through the falsehoods 
 with which it might be mixed up ; to see it in 
 spite of any falsehoods that might be invented 
 to blacken it. — F. D. Maurice. The wisdom, 
 however, that was asked and obtained was not 
 80 much of the heart as the head — it was wis- 
 dom, not for himself personally, but for his of- 
 fice, such as would qualify him for the adminis- 
 tration of justice, the government of a kingdom, 
 and for the attainment of general scientific 
 knowledge. — R. Jamieson. 
 
 10. The speech pleased the Lord — God is 
 well pleased with his own work in his people ; 
 the desires of his own kindling, the prayers of 
 his Spirit's inditmg. By this choice Solomon 
 made it appear that he desired to be good more 
 than great, and to serve God's honor more than 
 to advance his own. Those are accepted of God 
 who prefer spiritual blessings to temporal, and 
 are more solicitous to be found in the way of 
 tlieir duty than in the way to preferment. — M. 
 Henry. Solomon had asked this thing — Al- 
 though Solomon's choice was made " in a 
 dream," we must regard it as springing from his 
 Will in some degree, and, therefore, indicative 
 of his moral cliaracter. — Canon Eawlinson. 
 
 11. God said— Probably by an inward voice 
 to the soul of Solomon. Long life — Which has 
 evt-r been considered a happiness, despite the 
 troubles of the earthly condition. Thine ene- 
 mies — For example, Hadad the Edomitc, 
 (1 Kings 11. 14-22,) and Eezon the son of Eli- 
 adah, (^6., verses 23-2.5,) whom Solomon might 
 well have wished to remove. Hadad and Eezon 
 were adversaries to Solomon '■'■ all his days.'''' — 
 Canon Rawlinson. Understanding to dis- 
 cern judgment — Literally, to knotv, to hear 
 
 thyself understanding '' to discern judg- 
 ment ; 
 
 13 Behold, "I have done according to 
 thy words: 'Mo, I have given thee a 
 wise and understanding heart; so that 
 there was none like thee before thee, 
 neither after thee shall any arise like un- 
 to thee. 
 
 13 And I have also '^ given thee that 
 which thou hast not asked, both '* riches 
 and honour: so that there «sliall not be 
 any among the kings like unto tliee all 
 thy days. 
 
 judgment ; that is, ability to understand how to 
 hear suits or causes, and dispense justice. — 
 Terry. 
 
 12. Lo, I have given thee — It is the Father's 
 good pleasure to give wisdom to them that seek 
 for it. James 1. 5. — Terry. A wise and an 
 understanding heart — Solomon's wisdom was, 
 to a certain extent, a supernatural gift, a signal 
 dispensation of Divine favor, which must not be 
 classed with natural acquirements which are or- 
 dinarily obtained by dint of mental application 
 alone. But while this mucii appeai-s upon the 
 face of the history before us, we must not sup- 
 pose that all his knowledge was so special and 
 supernatural an endowment as that he received 
 it without any effort on his part. He doubtless 
 studied and toiled, like other men, for his ac- 
 quirements, but he was divinely and supernat- 
 urally assisted in a manner and to an extent 
 which no other man ever enjoyed. — Terry. 
 Neither after thee shall any arise like unto 
 thee — It has been proposed to explain this as 
 simply meaning that Solomon was to bo the 
 wisest of all the kings of Israel ; but more seems 
 to be intended. In the knowledge of what was 
 in man, and in the wisdom to direct men's go- 
 ings, he was to be the wisest of all mere men. 
 In such wisdom the world would know one only 
 " greater than Solomon." Matt. 12. 42 ; Luke 
 11. 31. — Canon Rawlinson. 
 
 13. I have given thee that which thou 
 hast not asked — Here we see a striking il- 
 lusti-ation of that law of the Divine government, 
 " Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his 
 righteousness, and all these things shall be added 
 unto you." Matt. 6. 33; Luke 12. Zl.— Canon 
 Rawlinson. Both riches and honor— Let us 
 see here, (1) Tliat the way to obtain spiritual 
 blessings is to be importunate for them ; to wres- 
 tle with God in prayer for them, as Solomon did 
 for wisdom, asking that only as the one thing 
 
Oct. 19, 18S4. 
 
 LESSON I IT. 
 
 1 Kwr.A 3. 5-1.5. 
 
 14 And if thou wilt walk in my 
 ways, to kft'p my statutes and my 
 commandments, as tliy fatiier Da'vid 
 did walk, tlien I will lengthen " tliy 
 days. 
 
 15 And Sol'o-mon '* awoke: and be- 
 
 " P»«. 91. 1«: Prov. 3. «.- 
 
 need/vl. (2) That tlie way to obtain tuiiiporul 
 blessings is to be indittl-rent to thtin, and to 
 refer oursclvt-.s to God wncoriiiu;,' them. Sol- 
 omon has wi.sdotu given liim, buoause he did 
 ask it, and wealtli, because he did uot. — M. 
 Htiiry. 
 
 14. If thou will walk — This demands 
 something on .Solinnoii's jiarl, a eoiulitiou to the 
 fulfillment of the iironiise. As th.y father 
 David— David sinned, and grievously ; but the 
 verjr- proniincnoe given to his sin shows that 
 sin was not in aceordimce with his true charac- 
 ter. He breathed the air of righteousness, and 
 not wickedness, and his lapse into sin, though 
 but momentary, was therefore all tlic more 
 noticeable. I will lengthen thy days — As 
 the condition was not observed, (1 Kings 11. 
 1-8,) the rigiit to the promise was forfeited, 
 and it was nut fulfilled. Solomon can scarcely 
 have been more than fifty-nine or si.xty at his 
 death. — Canon Rawlinsou. No character in 
 the sacred writings, says Dr. Clarke, " dis- 
 appoints us more than tlie character of Solo- 
 mon." 
 
 15. Behold it w^as a dream — The vivid 
 impression, the indelible recollection he had of 
 this dream, together with the new and increa.sed 
 enerjry comnumicated to his mind, and the How 
 of worldly prosperity that rushed upon liim, 
 gave him assurance that it came by Divine in- 
 spiration, and originated in the grace of (iod. — 
 S. Jantieson. He came to Jerusalem— The 
 tat>crnacle wsis at Gibeon, tlie ark at Jerusalem, 
 and Solomon's going from the former to the 
 latter place with siicrificial offerings was a most 
 si;rnificant act, opening a new epoch in the history 
 of Israclitish worship, [t was probably the last 
 public service of the kind in Gibeon, and so, in 
 ctl'eet, was a public transfer of sacrificial worship 
 from the wandering, unsettled tabernacle, to that 
 divinely chosen spot where alone henceforth Je- 
 hovah would be pleased to accept the more pub- 
 lie otterings and vows of Israel. — Terrij. Before 
 the ark— This was on Mount Zion, wliere it 
 had lieen taken by David. See Lesson II, 3d 
 Quarter. Burnt offering— Sacrifices expressing 
 entire consecration to God, in which the en- 
 tire oliering was consumed upon the altar. 
 
 Iiold, it icu8 a dream. And he came to 
 Je-ru'sa-lem, and stood before tlie ark 
 of tlie covenant of the LoKD, and offered 
 up hurnt offerings, and offered peace 
 offerings, and '" made a feast to all his 
 servants. 
 
 40. 21) ; chap. H. BS ; Eilli. 1.8; Pmi. 5. 1 ; M.irl. 6. 21. 
 
 Peace offering— Sacrifices following the burnt- 
 ollering, in which a part of the oflering was 
 eaten in a feast, a part burned, and a part given 
 to the priest. It expressed the thoui:lit of fel- 
 lowsliii> with God, in a relation of acceptance 
 and friendship. And made feast to all his 
 servants— A great least naturally followed on 
 a large sacrifice of peace ofterings. In these the 
 saerificer always partook of the flesh of tlie vic- 
 tim, and he was commanded to call in to tlie fast 
 the Levitc, the stranger, the fatherless, and the 
 widow. Dcut. 14. 29. Compare David's lar- 
 gess, 2 Sam. 6. 19; 1 Chron. 16. 3.— Canon 
 Rawlingon. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 F. D. Maurice's Projthets and Kings, sermon 
 5. Kitto's Daily Bible lllu-strations. Hall's 
 Contemplations, book 17. Geikie's Hours with 
 the IVible, vol. iii, chap. 15. Stanley's Jewish 
 Church, lecture 26. Sermons by Edward Pay- 
 son, Saurin, C. Simeon. Stems and Twigs, i, 
 16. Preacher's Lantern, iv, 59. Fo.ster's Cy- 
 clopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical illustrations,] ver. 5 : 
 2550, 8148 ; 7 : 3093 ; 9 : 3506, 10141 ; 11 : 2495 ; 
 12 : *2299, 3497 ; 13 : 3040, 5107. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the royal choice.] 
 
 1. Every young man like Solomon, on the 
 threshold of life, has a choice of his own ideals 
 of success. Ver. 5. 
 
 2. Our thoughts and dreams at niglit are in 
 our deepest moments often the outgrowth of our 
 thoughts and plans by day. Vers. 5, 6. 
 
 3. The result of our life is largely determined 
 by the ideal of success which we set before our- 
 selves. Vers. 6-8. 
 
 4. One element of success is to realize our own 
 responsibilities, and our need of Divine assist- 
 ance. Vers. 7-9. 
 
 5. We should choose not for ourselves alone, 
 but in view of others whose lives depend upon 
 our own. Ver. 9. 
 
 6. If our cliolce in life be a wise one, we may 
 be sure that it will be realized, even though it 
 may uot always seem so. Ver. 12. 
 
1 Kings 3. 5-15. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 7. Tlie wise choice for God often brings with 
 it the lesser blessing of woi-ldly prosperity. 
 Ver. 13. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. A. D. TAIL, D.D. 
 
 We are constantly astonished by the bounty of 
 nature, the rich and varied abundance of the spring- 
 time promise, and the autumn harvests. God shows 
 the same opulence in grace, and his ways and 
 promises are exceeding rich and abundant above 
 all that we can usk or think. How rich the revela- 
 tion of God to Solomon ! 
 
 I. Tlie all-needing child. Called as he was, and 
 at such an important period of history, the boy 
 Solomon had need of every thing to qualify him for 
 his work. He is wise now in his sense of need ; his 
 humility of spirit was his strength. Such should be 
 the heart of every youth as he looks out on life and 
 attempts to measure his responsibiUties. If Solo- 
 mon needed God's blessing, how much more do we 
 need it for ourselves. 
 
 II. Tlie all-including prmier. The Invitation of 
 the Lord made it possible for Solomon to ask for 
 pleasure, or power, or wealth, and God would have 
 given it. But when Solomon asked for wisdom, 
 " this speech pleased the Lord." He was wiser than 
 
 he knew, for If we have wisdom, that will bring us 
 joy and health, friends and prosperity, honor and 
 wealth. The wisdom of Solomon's prayer may not 
 have been apparent to himself, but it was the great 
 need of his life, the meeting of the high duties of 
 the place where God had put him. His prayer in- 
 cluded every thing. 
 
 III. The all-emhracing atiswer. God gave him 
 the answer of his prayer, and he was made wise 
 above all other kings. But God also gave him 
 wealth and honor. His wisdom qualified him to 
 gain these lesser gifts. True wisdom teaches us to 
 be self-denying, prudent, saving, kind, earnest, 
 and honest, and these things are the basis of wealth 
 and power and honor. God to-day gives such gifts 
 to Christian people and nations. 
 
 IV. Application. (1) We should earnestly im- 
 press on all of our young people the need of prayer 
 for wisdom to guide them, and that God will surely 
 grant it. (2) The possession of wealth and honor 
 without religion is full of danger to us. Wealth and 
 honor are the gifts of God, and not of the devil ; 
 but they may do us much harm unless we cling to 
 religion and use these gifts wisely. (3) The con- 
 tinuance of the blessings of wealth and honor is 
 here conditioned upon keeping God's command- 
 ments and walking in his ways. 
 
 B.C. 1012.] LESSON IV. 
 
 The Temple Built. — 1 Kings 6. 1-14. 
 
 [Oct. 26. 
 
 GOLDEX TEXT.— Mine house shall be called an house of prayer.— ISA. 56. 7. 
 
 Time.— B. C 1013. 
 
 Place.— Mount Moriah. 
 
 INTRODUCTION'.- The flrst and greatest work of Solomon was the building of the temple. David had 
 purposed in his heart to build such a house for Jehovah, and made vast preparations for it, but was di- 
 vinely informed that the great enterprise was to be carried out, not by himself, but by his son Solomon. 
 1 Chron. 33. 6-19 ; 28. 10-21. The pattern was, in its principal parts, substantially a repetition of the 
 tabernacle ; but, in its architectural details, it was doubtless modeled, in some degree, after the great 
 Phenician, Assyrian, Babylonian, and, perhaps, Egyptian temples of that age, drawing more or less 
 from all these sources : for the science of architecture seems never to have received much attention 
 among the Hebrews. Their fathers dwelt in tents, and, long after their settlement in Canaan, they con- 
 tinued to use the same style of dwelling, as something hereditary which they were loth to abandon. 
 David called in the aid of Phenician architects and workmen in building his own palace on Zion, and 
 Solomon did the same in building the temple. And to the Phenician artists, we may reasonably believe, 
 were largely left the minor architectural designs and finish. But the great works of Phenician archi- 
 tecture have perished ; and all present attempts at a complete restoration of the temple from supposed 
 analogies in Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, or Egyptian monuments, are of doubtful value. Such 
 analogies are of the flrst importance in the study of comparative architecture, and will greatly 
 help in determining some of the principal parts of the temple; but a restoration of the whole 
 edifice from those sources must be, to a great extent, conjectural. The site of the temple was 
 Oman's threshing-floor on Mount Moriah, where the angel of Jehovah had appeared to David. 
 3 Chron. 3. 1. There is no question but it stood somewhere within the present inclosure known as 
 the Haram Area, but the exact part of this area has become a matter of dispute. Ferguson, Lewin, 
 and Thrupp locate the temple in the south-west corner ; but the older opinion, which seems to be cou» 
 
Oct. 26, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 1 KiNr.s G. 1-14. 
 
 flrmed by the most reo«nt research and the nature of the ground, places it ncurly on the site of the Ha- 
 rain-<'sh-Slien'ef, which oi-cuples what must have been the rocky rldjre of the ancient mountain.— Tcnj/. 
 Ttie plan of the temijlc. — We shall give an idea of the Temple of Solomon by condenslMK the account lu 
 Stanley's 7/iWorj/ <>/ theJcwiiih Chttnli, Lecture XXVU. on the eastern side was a cloister or colon- 
 nade. The later kinps, however, continued It all around. This portico opened on a large quadrangle, 
 surrounded by a wall, i>artly of stone, partly ot cedar, and planted with trees. Within this quadrauglo 
 was a smaller court, on the highest ridge of the hill, which inclosed llie place of David's sacriflce— the 
 rocky threshing-Ucwr of Araunah the Jebuslte. This rwk was leveled and lllled up, so a.s to make a 
 platform for the altar, which was a .square chest of wood, plated outside with brass, lllled In.slde with 
 stones and earth, with the lire on a brass gratlug at the top, the whole placed on a mass of rough stoui;. 
 
 '^^,>:-^ 
 
 rTnrrrm-vrY--rrrrnnnnnnPrPri 
 
 South of the altar was the brazen laver, supported on twelve brazen bulls. This was used for the ab- 
 lutions of the priests as they walked to and fro barefooted over the rocky platform. On each side were 
 the lea lesser movable vessels of brass, on wheels, for the washing of the entrails. Round about the les- 
 ser court, in two or three stories raised above each other, were chambers for the priests and other per- 
 sons of rank. 'J Chron. 31. 11 ; Jer. 3G. 10. In the comers were the kitchens and boilingapparatus. Ezek. 
 46. 20-'34. Each had bnizen gates, i Chron. 4. 9. In the court was the " temple " properly so called. la 
 front towered the ix)rch, in height more than 200 feet. Behind It was a lower edifice, lessening in height 
 as It approached its extremity. On the sides were small chambers, entered only from without through a 
 sandal-wood door on the south, and gilded chambers above them accessible to the king alone. 1 Kings 
 6. 8. The two elaborate pillars called Jachin and Boaz stood Immediately under the porch. Within 
 
 another pair of folding-doors led 
 Into the holy place. It would have 
 been almost dark were it not that, 
 in place of the original single 
 seven-branched candlestick, ten 
 now stood on ten tables, live on 
 each side. 1 Kings 7. 49. Within 
 the chamber were the tables of 
 show-bread and altar of incense. 
 The holy of holies was separated 
 from the holy place by a "wall of 
 partition," penetrated, however, by 
 folding-doors of olive-wood, over 
 which hung a party-colored cur- 
 I tain embroidered with cherubs and 
 flowers. 1 Kings (1. 31. The holy of 
 L holies was a small square chamber, 
 Eicv.tion of the Front of Temple. absolutely dark except by the light 
 
 received through this aperture. In It were two huge golden figures, standing upright on their feet, ou 
 each side of the ark, which rested upon a protuberance of rough rock. Above the ark the wings of these 
 cherublms met. The walls of the chambers, which ran round the rest of the building, were not allowed 
 to lean against the outer walls of this sanctuary.— Sc/irt#. 
 
 I I 'Vt »ri «t ri-yr 
 
 o 
 
1 Kings 6. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 1 And it came to pass, in the four 
 hundred and eightieth year after the chil- 
 dren of Is'ra-el were come out of the land 
 of E'gypt, in the fourtli year of Sol'o- 
 mon's reign over Is'ra-el, in the month 
 Zif, which is the second "month, that lie 
 *began to build the house of the Lobd. 
 
 ^ April. 
 
 1. In the four hundred and eightieth 
 year — The building of the temple, a fixed and 
 splendid house of Jehovah, as the dwelling- 
 place of his name in the midst of his people, 
 formed an important epoch so far as the Old 
 Testament kingdom of God was concerned, 
 inasmuch as, according to the declaration of 
 God made through the prophet Nathan, an 
 end would thereby be put to the provisional 
 condition of the people of Israel in the land of 
 Canaan, since the temple was to become a sub- 
 stantial pledge of the permanent possession of 
 the inheritance promised by the Lord. — Iieil- 
 In the fourth year of Solomon's reign— The 
 three iirst years being taken up in settling the af- 
 fairs of liis kingdom, that he might not find any 
 embarrassment from them in this work. It is 
 not time lost wliich is spent in composing our- 
 selves for the work of God, and disentangling 
 ourselves from every thing which might distract 
 or divert us. — J/". Henry. The month Zif 
 — Corresponding with our May, or, more gen- 
 erally, extending from the new moon of April to 
 that of May. The Hebrew Ziv means hrigld- 
 ness, blossom, and so becomes appropriately tlie 
 name of May — the flower month. — Terry. The 
 house of the Lord — Tlie temple is called the 
 Iwuse of the Lord, (verse 1,) because it was (1) 
 Directed and modeled by him. Infinite wis- 
 dom was the architect, and gave David the plan 
 or pattern by the Spirit, not by word of mouth 
 only, but, for the greater certainty and exact- 
 ness in writing, (1 Chron. 28. 11, 12, 19,) as he 
 had given to Moses in the mount a draft of 
 the tabernacle. (2) Dedicated and devoted to 
 him and to his honor, to be employed in his 
 service ; so his, as never any other house was, 
 for he manifested his glory in it, (so as never in 
 any other,) in a way agreeable to that dispensa- 
 tion. — M. Henry. 
 
 Now that Israel was grown more numerous, 
 the place of their meeting needed to be enlarged, 
 (Isa. 54. 1, 2 ; ) and now that they were grown 
 richer, they were the better able to enlarge it. 
 Where God sows plentifully he expects to reap so. 
 —M. Henry. 
 
 2. The house— The house, that is, the main 
 building of the temple, (literally, for the house. 
 
 2 And ' the house which king Sol'o- 
 mon built for the Lord, the length 
 thereof was threescore cubits, and the 
 breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the 
 height thereof thirty cubits. 
 
 3 And the porch before the temple of 
 the house, twenty cubits was the length 
 
 or shell, of the building. ) — Keil. Threescore 
 cubits — Eeckoning the cubit at eighteen inches 
 
 
 1 1 
 
 O C) o 
 1 
 
 y-J 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 I 
 
 o 
 o 
 o 
 
 c 
 
 — 
 
 
 nil 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 - — 
 
 B 
 
 
 T> 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 Q 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 a 
 
 OH 
 
 
 Ground Plan of Solomon's Temple. 
 
 the length would be ninety feet. Tlicse dimen- 
 sions are probably to be understood of tlie walls 
 on the inside. — Terry. Height . . . thirty 
 cubits— Forty-five feet, just half the length. 
 Josephus says the heiglit was sixty cubits, but 
 most of his statements on the dimensions of 
 buildings are untrustworthy. A comparison 
 with Exod. 26. 15-23, shows that the dimensions 
 of the temple were exactly double those of the 
 tabernacle. — Terry. 
 
 3. Porch— The vestibule, or entrance way, in 
 front of the temple, marked A in plan. The 
 height of the porch is not here given, but, ac- 
 cording to 2 Chron. 3. 4, it was one hundred 
 
Oct. 26, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 1 Kings 6. 1-1 4. 
 
 tliereof, according to the brciulth of the 
 house ; and ten cubits was the breadth 
 tliereof before the house. 
 
 4 And for tlie house he made "' windows 
 of narrow iit,dits. 
 
 5 And ''afjainst the wall of the 
 house he built "chambers round about, 
 against the walls of the house round 
 about, hot/t of tl)e temple and of the 
 
 cOr, wiuiiuwft bruad < 
 
 jind twenty cubits, four tLmes the lieigbt of tlie 
 ^rest of the building, so as to ft)rin ii sort of 
 steeple or high tower in front. But the niuiiber 
 one hundred and twenty is undoubtedly ii cor- 
 rupt rending. It was supported in tlio lower 
 part by two massive brazen pillars, (a a in plan,) 
 named respectively Jachin and Jioaz, (chapter 
 7. 15, and 2 Chron. 3. 17 ;) so that the whole 
 front, with its pillars and ornamentation, must 
 have presented a most imposing and splendid 
 facade. — Terry. The temple of the house— 
 The temple, as thus distinguished from the 
 house, is to be understood of the pronaos, or 
 holy place (B in plan) before the oracle. Com- 
 pare vei-ses 16, 17. The length, thereof— The 
 longer line, which ran parallel to the breadth of 
 the house, is cjilled here the length, though from 
 our point of view we should call it the wiiltli. 
 And ten cubits was its breadth, that is, its depth 
 in front of the house. — Knl. According to 
 the breadth of the house— Eat her, /Mfbre (fie 
 bfeadlh of the house. That is, the length of the 
 porch extended before the breadth of the house, 
 and was precisely equal to it, namely, twenty 
 cubits. — Terry. 
 
 4. He made windows— Windows with lat- 
 tices, capal>le of being shut and opened at pleas- 
 m-e, partly to let out the vapor of the lamps, the 
 smoke of the frankincense, and partly to give 
 light.— A'<'i7. Narrow lights— Tliis is sup- 
 posed to mean that they were like tlio windows 
 in Egyptian temples, wider on the inside of the 
 wall than on the outside. 
 
 An account of the windows, (ver. 4 ;) they were 
 hr(KU\ ivithin and narrow wUhnut, marpin. 
 Such should the eyes of our mind be, reflecting 
 nearer on ourselves than on other people, looking 
 much within, to Judge ourselves, but little with- 
 out, to censure our brethren. Tlie narrowness of 
 the lights Intimated the darkness of that dispen- 
 .sation in comparison with the Gospel day.— 3/. 
 Henry. 
 
 5. Against the wall — That is, around the 
 outer wall of the temple building, proliably on 
 the sides and rear, were chambers, but they 
 
 ■''oracle: and he made «' chambers round 
 about. 
 
 G Tlie nethermost chamber was five 
 cubits l)road, and the middle was six 
 cubits broa<l, and tlie third was sevea 
 cubits Inoail : for without in the wall of 
 the iiouse he made * narrow rests round 
 about, tliat the beams should not be fast- 
 ened in the walls of the house. 
 
 , upon, or, joiuiug tu.- 
 
 r Floori.- 
 
 worc built tt[)art from the house itself, and not 
 resting upon its wall. Such ehaniljci-s for the 
 priests had grown up around the tabernacle at 
 Shiloh, in the course of the centuries, and are 
 referred to in 1 Sam. 3. 2, 3. In building the 
 temple the general plan of the tabernacle, as it 
 then existed, was followed. Chambers round 
 about— The word, as used here and in Ezekiel 
 41. 6, means nide chainbtrg — the dilfercnt apart- 
 ments into which the wings above described 
 were partitioned, (ec c in plan.) The purpose 
 which these side chambers was designed to serve 
 is nowhere stated in the Scriptures. According 
 to Thenius they were expensively furnished 
 sleeping apartments for the priests. They may 
 also have been used as store-rooms for deposit- 
 ing consecrated gifts and sacred relies.— 7V;vy. 
 The temple — Here meaning the holy place. 
 The oracle— The oracle was the most holy 
 place, the innennost apartment of the house, (C 
 in plan.) See on vei-se 15. Its Hebrew name is 
 Debh\ derived by a number of scholars from to 
 sjjeak; hence the speaking place; the place 
 where Jehovah spoke with his people. — Tcn'tj. 
 
 e. The nethermost chamber— In order to 
 preserve the sanctity of the temple, and at the 
 .same time to allow the attachment to it of secu- 
 lar buildings— sleeping apartments, jimbably, 
 for the priests and other attendants— Solomon 
 made " rebatemcnts" in the wall of the temple, 
 or, in other words, built it externally in steps, 
 thus : The beams, which formed the roof of the 
 chambers and the floors of the upper stories, 
 were then laid on these steps or " rests " in the 
 wall, not piercing the wall, or causing any real 
 union of the secular with the sacred building. 
 It resulted from this arrangement that the low- 
 est chambers were the narrowest, and the upper- 
 most considerably the widest of all, the wall re- 
 ceding each time by the space of a cubit.— 
 Canon Eawlinson. "Without in the wall — 
 The latter half of this verse is as follows : For 
 rebatenunts he gave to the house round about on, 
 the outside in order not to fasten in the walls of 
 the house. That is, these rebatements were pur- 
 
1 Kings 6. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Fourth Quarter, 
 
 7 And the house, wlieu it was in build- 
 ing, was built of stone made ready 
 before it was brought thither: so that 
 
 posely built that the several stories of side 
 chambers, by resting on such ledges of exterior 
 wall, might not in any way penetrate or detract 
 from the strength and wholeness of the main 
 wall of the temple. — Terry. 
 
 Care was taken that the beams should not be 
 
 fastened in the walls to weaken them. Verse 6. 
 
 Let not the Church's stren.arth be impaired under 
 
 pretense of adding to its beauty or convenience. 
 
 —M. Henry. 
 
 7. Built of stone made ready — A subter- 
 ranean quarry has been very recently discovered 
 
 there was neither hammer nor ax nor 
 any tool of iron heard in the house while 
 it was in building. 
 
 temple. — B. Jamieson. Some of these "great 
 stones " carefully hewn, and beveled at the edge, 
 are probably still to be seen in the place where 
 they were set by Solomon's builders, at the 
 south-western angle of the wall of the Haram 
 Area m the modern Jerusalem. The largest of 
 these are 30 feet long by 7 J feet high. — Cano7i 
 Raivlinson. The outside of the wall at this 
 spot is the " wailing-place " of the Jews, repre- 
 sented m the engraving, where on each Friday 
 they assemble to mourn the destruction of their 
 ancient city. Neither hammer nor ax — 
 
 ''JfilTi'/CMif 
 
 The Jews Wailing Place at Jerusalem. 
 
 near Jerusalem, where the temple stones are sup- 
 posed to have been hewn. There is unequivo- 
 cal evidence to be found in this quarry that the 
 stones were dressed there, for there are blocks 
 exactly similar in size, as well as in the nature 
 of the stone, to the ancient remains. Thence, 
 probably, they would be moved on rollers down 
 the Tvropceon valley to the very side of the 
 270 
 
 This fact is noticeable in itself, is also deeply 
 symbolical. It indicates the silent but sure and 
 mighty growth of the kingdom of Christ. His 
 Church, like the silent increase of the mustard 
 seed, rises and spreads, and thus goes on to 
 its completion, every day disclosing more and 
 more the consummate skill and infinite wisdom. 
 of the Great Architect. — Terry, 
 
Oct. 2G, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 1 KiXGs 6. 1-14. 
 
 8 Tlic door for the middle chamber 
 was in the ri^lit 'side of the lioiise: and 
 they went up wilh wiiiilin^^ stairs into 
 the middli' chumhir, and out of the mid- 
 dle into the tliird. 
 
 9 So he huilt tin; house, and finished 
 it; and covered the lu)use •' with beams 
 and boards of cedar. 
 
 10 And thenhe built chambers against 
 all the liouse, five eubits hi-^di: and they 
 rested on the house witli timber of cedar. 
 
 1 1 And the word of the Lord came to 
 Soro-mon, saying, 
 
 I Or, the vault 1 
 
 8. The door for the middle chamber— 
 
 The middle chamber of the lower story is liere 
 meant. The rif^ht s'ulc of the house would be 
 the south side, and is to be understood of a per- 
 son facing the same way as the temple, namely, 
 east. So far as the Scripture text gives us any in- 
 formation this one door in tlie south side seems 
 to have been the only entrance into all the side- 
 chambers. (D in plan.) Theywent up— That 
 is, persons who entered tlio upper stories went 
 up these stairs. 'Winding-stairs — Marked s in 
 r?) /</<f /<;— that is, the middle chamber of the 
 middle story. Out of the middle into the 
 third — Out of the middle chamber of the mid- 
 dle story into the middle chamber of the third 
 story. So the staircase was not on the outside 
 of the house, as is usual in the East, but on tlie 
 inside. — Terry. 
 
 9. Finished it — The form or shape of the 
 roof is left entirely uncertain. Many conclude, 
 from the silence of the text, that, like Oriental 
 buildings generally, its roof was flat.— TVrz-y. 
 Boards of cedar— The cedar of Lebanon, 
 brought down in rafts from Tyre to Joppa, and 
 thence transported overland. The cedar was 
 considered a very durable wood. The roof of 
 the tem})le of Diana at Ephesus is said to have 
 lasted four liuiulred years. 
 
 10. He biailt chambers — As already discov- 
 ered in verses 5, 6. Five cubits high— The 
 writer mu.st mean each story was of this height. 
 Consequently the side buildings had an internal 
 height of 3x5 cubits, and reckoning the tloonng 
 and the roof of the whole building, an external 
 height of 18 or 20 cubits ; so that the temple- 
 house, which was thirty cubits high within and 
 about thirty-two without, rose about twelve or 
 fourteen cubits above the side building, and there 
 was plenty of room for the windows in the side 
 walls. — Keil. 
 
 12 Concerning this house which 
 tliou art in building, if thou wilt 
 walk in my statutes, and execute 
 my judgments, and keep all my com- 
 maiulments to walk in them; then 
 will I perform my word with thee, 
 which I spake unto Da'vid thy 
 father. 
 
 13 And ' I will dwell among the chil- 
 dren of Is'ru-el, and^ will not forsake my 
 people Is'ra-el. 
 
 14 So Sol'o-mon built the house, and 
 finished it. 
 
 8 i 29. 45 ; Lev. V6. 1 1 ; S Cor. 6. 16 ; Heb. 3. < ; 
 
 11. The word of the Lord came to Solo- 
 mon — Probably by a prophet. It was very 
 seasonable, being designed first to encourage 
 him to go on with the building by confirming 
 anew the promise made to his lather David, 
 (2 Sam. 7;) and secondly, to warn him against 
 the pride and presumption of supposing that, 
 after the erection of so magnificent a temple, he 
 and his people would always be sure of the 
 presence and favor of God. — H. Jamieson. 
 
 12. If thou wilt walk— God plainly lets 
 him know that all this charge which ho and his 
 people were at, in erecting this temple, would 
 neither excuse them from obedience to the law 
 of God, nor shelter them from his judgments in 
 case of disobedience : keeping God's command- 
 ments is better and more pleasing to him than 
 building churches.— J/. Henry. My word . . . 
 which I spake unto David— Tlie promises 
 made to David were— (1) that he should be suc- 
 ceeded by one of his own sons, (2 Sam. 7. 12; 
 Psa. 132. 11 ;) (2) that the kingdom should be 
 established in the line of his descendants forever 
 if they were faithful, (Psa. 132. 12 ;) and (3) that 
 the Israelitites should be no more afflicted as be- 
 foretime. 2 Sam. 7. 10. These promises are 
 now confirmed to Solomon, but on the express 
 condition of obedience, and two further promises 
 are added. — Canon Rawlinson. 
 
 13. 14. And will not forsake . . . Israel — 
 This promise, if not absolutely new, seems to 
 have been at any rate more positive and general 
 thim any previous similar promise. Moses 
 promised the people that God would not forsake 
 them in their struggles with the Canaanites, 
 (Deut. 31. 6, 8,) and God made a similar prom- 
 ise to Joshua. Josh. 1. 5. But the assurance 
 now given seems to be that God will not at any 
 time or under any circumstances wholly forsalu 
 Israel. — Canon Rawlinson 
 
 271 
 
1 KiNCxS 6. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 If, from the walls, we look Into the furniture ; 
 what is the altar, whereon our sacrifices of 
 prayer and praises are offered to the Almighty 
 but a contrite heart ? What the golden candle- 
 sticks, but the illumined understanding, wherein 
 the light of the knowledge of God and his divine 
 will shineth forever? What the table of show- 
 bread, but the sanctified memory, which keepeth 
 the bread of life continually ? Yea, if we shall 
 presume so far as to enter into the very closet of 
 God's oracle, even there, O God, do we find our 
 unworthy hearts so honored by thee, that they 
 are made thy very ark, wherein thy royal law 
 and the pot of thy heavenly manna are kept for- 
 ever, and from whose propitiatory, shaded with 
 the wings of thy glorious angels, thou givest the 
 gracious testimonies of thy good Spirit.witness- 
 ing with ours that we are the children of the 
 living God..— Bishop Hall. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Dean Stanley's Lectures on the Jewish 
 Church, lecture 27. C. Geikie's Houi-s with the 
 Bible, chap. xvi. See Lesson Helps for 1876. 
 Articles on Solomon's Temple in Smith's Dic- 
 tionary of the Bible, M'Clintock and Strong's 
 Cyclopedia. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, 
 numbers marked with a star refer to poetical quo- 
 tations,] ver. 7 : 2495, *4050, 4052, 4904, 11158. 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [lessons from the TEMPLE.J 
 
 1. The magnificence of the building showed 
 the impoilance of religion to the nation, and the 
 liberality which should be manifested toward 
 God's cause. 
 
 2. The altar, standing as its most prominent 
 object, represented the central truth of the Gos- 
 pel, atonement for sin. 
 
 3. The laver represents the purity which is 
 needed by those who would enter into fellow- 
 ship with God. 
 
 4. The holy place represents the Church on 
 earth, with its ordinances and privileges of wor- 
 ship, into which we enter only through the 
 blood sprinkled on the altar. 
 
 5. The three objects in the holy place, candle- 
 stick, table, altar of incense, represent the three 
 relations of which Christ stands to his Church, 
 as Light of Life, Bread of Life, and Intercessor. 
 
 6. The holy of holies represents the Church 
 in heaven, in the immediate presence of God, 
 and separated only by a veil from the Church 
 on earth. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY RET. JESSE BOWMAN YOUNG, A.M. 
 
 In history, as in the parable, there is assigned " to 
 every man his work." Solomon's chief work was 
 the building of the temple. 
 
 1. It was a work to which he was proHdcntially 
 designated. God spoke to David, " Thy son shall 
 build an house to my name." Solomon realized his 
 mission early in life, felt that he M-as called to it, 
 was inspired and ennobled by the thought of the 
 magniflceut enterprise which was to be devolved up- 
 on him. The man, engaged in any enterprise, who 
 realizes the Divine purpose molding his life, mark- 
 ing out his changes and shaping his work, may at- 
 tain unto a measiure of similar greatness. " This task 
 is given to me from heaven," is an inspiration. It 
 may be the task of carrying on a vast system of 
 industry, such as a manufacturing estabUshment, 
 of running an ocean steamer, or teaching a school, 
 or editing a paper, or keeping house, or caring for 
 children, whatever it is, let the consciousness of 
 God's purposes, care, promises, be associated with 
 the work and the task and the worker will both b© 
 ennobled. 
 
 2. It ivas a work for which great preparations 
 had heen made. 
 
 Solomon found materials, money, plans, made 
 ready for his hand. He was expected to build ; 
 that was an aid in the work, a re-enforcement. He 
 began where David left off, with all the prestige, 
 experience, resources, and wealth accumulated by 
 his father as his own possessions. 
 
 Thus is each generation the heir of the riches, 
 learning, heroism, inventions, discoveries, achieve- 
 ments, of all of its predecessors. We inherit the 
 accumulations of the past. The ages have been pre- 
 paring materials ready to our hand in order that 
 we may build wisely, nobly, enduringly. 
 
 3. In this ivork Solomon was sustained and 
 guided by the promises of God. The word of the 
 Lord had pledged to David, as well as to Solomon, 
 success in the enterprise. Depending on these cov- 
 enants the builder pushed his work on to comple- 
 tion. At last, when done, his utterance of praise 
 and gratitude was, " Lord, thou hast fulfilled thy 
 word." 
 
 4. The wm'h was pursued in silence. " There 
 was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron 
 heard in the house while it was building." This 
 indicates the thoroughness of the preparations 
 made, the skill of the workmen, the reverence 
 shown to the sanctuary even while it was going up, 
 and conveys a hint concerning the quiet, worship- 
 ful, thoughtful, spirit in which God ought to be 
 approached in his house. 
 
 " No workman's steel, no ponderous .axes run?, 
 Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric sprung." 
 
 So, noiselessly, without tumult, like the growth of 
 the seed in the ground, progresses the kingdom of 
 God on earth. 
 
 5. The buUding of the temple, after years of toil 
 and prayer, at last stood forth, a great work com- 
 pleted. Significantly are we told, "So Solomon 
 built the house and finished it." From foundation 
 to cap-stone it was done, lacking nothing, except 
 the revelation of God's presence, and that was added 
 soon to crown and glorify the structure. 
 
Oct. 26, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 1 Kings 6. 1-14. 
 
 Many fail because they are fickle, stop midway, are 
 easily discouraged, do not persevere until tlieir 
 work Is perfected. 
 
 Learn from this passaRe : 
 
 <1) Life is a bulldiug, aud all are builders. 
 
 (2) Copy in this structure the divine model, build 
 on a Urm foundation, and keep on working until 
 the edifice, shapely, strong, a fit dwelling for the 
 King of kings, is complete. Uuild the house, and 
 finish it. 
 
 B.C. 1005.] LESSON V. [Nov. 2. 
 
 The Temple Dedicated. — 1 Kings 8. 22-36. 
 
 tiOLDEN TEXT.— Behold, (he heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee 
 
 -1 Kings 8. 27. 
 
 TIME.-B. C. 1005. 
 
 Place.— The temple on Mount Morlah. 
 
 Connecting Links.— (l) Description of the temple and the oraamenta. 1 Kings 6. 15-38; 7. 1-51. (2) The 
 men of Israel assemble at Jerusalem, and the priests take up the ark. 1 Kings 8. 1-21. 
 
 Introduction.— The people had gathered in vast throngs from every part, from the southern bound- 
 ary of the land at the Wady-el-Arish, the river of Egypt, to Hamath, far north, on the Orontes, and 
 crowded the temple area, outside the court of the priests. In this last, as many of the sacred orders as the 
 space permitted now took their appointed places. A full choir of Levites, under Asaph, Heman, and 
 Jeduthun. were at the east end of the great altar, with one hundred and twenty priests, bearing the 
 sacred trumpets. A scaffold of polished brass, four and a half feet high, and seven feet square, had been 
 placed for the king in the midst of the court, and to this he now approached, surrounded by all the mag- 
 nificence which he so much loved, five hundred guards attending him with golden shields. The high 
 oiHcers of his court followed in their grandest robes. So great a monarch could not enter by the same 
 gate as his subjects. A private door had been made specially for himself, connected with the palace on 
 the slope of the hill behind, by a magnificent staircase of sandal-wood. The brazen scaffold served for 
 a temporary throne. An outburst of music from a multitude of performers and singers presently filled 
 the air, the innumerable spectators catching up the ever-reeuiring refrain, " For He is good, for his 
 mercy endureth for ever." Meanwhile the temple was seen to be filled with a thick darkness, in which 
 all recognized the cloud of the Presence, once the symbol of the Divine glory over the tabernacle of Sinai. 
 So dense was it that it stopped the ministrations of the priests. But Solomon instantly caught its 
 immense significance as a pledge of the acceptance of the temple by Jehovah as his dwelling-place, in- 
 stead of the tent of meeting, which It superseded. Turning, therefore, to the people, he broke the silence 
 such an awful appearance had imposed. "Jehovah," said he, "has said that he would dwell in the 
 thick darkness. But I have built a house for Thee, (not a mere tent, as hitherto,) even a fl.xed place for 
 thy dwelling forever." Then, as if himself high-priest as well as king, he proceeded to perform the 
 supreme Siicerdotal act by solemnly blessing the assembled people, who stood reverently before him. 
 This ended, he went forward to the great altar. Here, instead of the usual standing posture in devo- 
 tion, he knelt down, the first instance in Scripture of this attitude and, stretching out his hands to- 
 ward heaven, uttered a prayer of almost unequaled sublimity, that in all troubles of the nation or indi- 
 viduals, at home or in foreign lands, God might hear and answer the cries directed toward his holy hill. 
 A second priestly benediction from his lips closed this pait of the ceremonial.— C. Geihie. 
 
 22 And Sol'o-mon stood before the 
 'altar of the Lord, in the presence of all 
 
 22. And Solomon stood— We learn, from 
 2 Chron. 6. 13, that the king was so placed as 
 to be seen by all present, being raised about five 
 feet above the level of the floor by means of a 
 brazen platform set up before the altar in the 
 midst of the court. "We also learn distinctly 
 what is implied below, (in ver. 54, ;\ but omitted 
 here, that, before beginning his prayer, he knelt 
 down upon his knees. — Canon Rawlinson. 
 Before the altar of the Lord— lie was both 
 18 
 
 the congregation of Is'ra-el, and spread 
 forth his hands toward heaven: 
 
 before the altar and in presence of the con- 
 gregation. The altar here referred to was the 
 great brazen altar of bunit-offerings which stood 
 in the court. — M. S. Terry. Spread forth, 
 his hands — The expression favors tlie idea 
 tliat Solomon oflcred the prayer upon his 
 knees, with his face turned toward the con- 
 gregation, and not with his buck to the peo- 
 ple and his face turned toward the temple. — 
 Keil. 
 
 273 
 
1 Kings 8. 22-36. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 23 And he said, Lord God of Is'ra-el, 
 " there is no God like thee, in heaven 
 above, or on earth beneath, ^ who keep- 
 est covenant and mercy with thy servants 
 that walk * before thee with all their 
 hearts; 
 
 24 Who hast kept with thy servant 
 Da'vid my fatlier that thou promisedst 
 him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, 
 and hast fultilled it with thine hand, as 
 it is this day. 
 
 25 Therefore now. Lord God of Is'ra- 
 
 He was far from tbinking it any disparage- 
 ment to him to be his own chaplain and the 
 mouth of the assembly to God ; and shall any 
 think themselves too great to do this office for 
 their own families? Solomon, in all his other 
 glory, even on his ivory throne, looked not so 
 great as he did now.— JI. Henry. 
 
 23, 24. There is no God like thee— Not 
 
 that there is no god among all those in heaven 
 and earth like Thee, but nothing is like to thee, 
 who art in heaven above and on earth below. 
 Jehovah, the God of Israel, is not compared 
 here with other gods, but on the contrary, is 
 described as the only true God. — Bahr. "Who 
 keepest covenant and mercy — By granting 
 the blessings promised to his people, the Lord 
 has hitherto proved himself to be the true and 
 only God in heaven and on earth, who keepeth 
 covenant and mercy with those who walk before 
 him with all their heart. This acknowledg- 
 ment produces the requisite confidence for offer- 
 ing the prayer which is sure of an answer. Matt. 
 21.22; Mark 11. 24; Jas. 1. &.—Keil. Cove- 
 nant and mercy— Only as good as thy word, 
 in keeping covenant, but better than thv word 
 in keeping mercy, doing that for them which 
 thou hast not given them an express promise of, 
 provided they walk before thee with all (heir 
 hearty are zealous for thee, with an eye to thee. 
 — M. Henry. "With thy servant David— The 
 promise to David was, that his son should enjoy 
 the peaceful possession of his kingdom and 
 conquests, especially that he should build the 
 house of God, which David desired, but was not 
 permitted to do. This promise was now ful- 
 fiUed. 
 
 25. There shall not fail thee a man — The 
 original promise was given to David indirectly 
 through Nathan, (2 Sam. 7. 11-17,) and was ap- 
 parently unconditional. But afterward, it 
 would seem, direct information of God's purpose 
 was vouchsafed to David himself. Psa. 89. 3. 4. 
 274 
 
 el, keep with thy servant Da'vid my 
 father that thou promisedst him, saying, 
 "There shall not fail thee a man in my 
 sight to sit on the throne of Is'ra-el; *so 
 that thy children take heed to their way, 
 that they walk before me as thou hast 
 walked before me. 
 
 26 And ^now, O God of Is'ra-el, let 
 thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which 
 thou spakest unto thy servant Da'vid my 
 father. 
 
 27 But ^ will God indeed dwell on the 
 
 It was then that the condition of continued obe- 
 dience was revealed. See Psa. 132. 12. — Canon 
 Eaidinson. So that thy children take heed 
 — Better, only if thy children^ etc., as in the 
 margin. The Divine promises can be fully 
 realized only on conditions of righteousness in 
 the people. They comfort those who " walk 
 uprightly." — M. S. Terry. 
 
 The experiences we have of God's performing 
 his promises should encourage us to depend upon 
 them, and plead them vrith God ; and those who 
 expect further mercies must be thankful for for- 
 mer mercies. 
 
 26. And now— The expression "and now" 
 introduces the prayer for the further fulfillment 
 of the promise, never to allow a successor upon 
 the throne to be wanting to David, in the same 
 co!iditional form in which David had uttered 
 the liope in chap. 2. 4, and in which the Lord 
 had renewed the promise to Solomon during the 
 building of the temple. Chap. 6. 12, \Z.—Keil. 
 Let thy word ... be verified- God's prom- 
 ises must be both the guide of our de.-^ires, and 
 the ground of our hopes and expectations in 
 prayer. David had prayed, (2 Sam. 7. 25,) 
 Lord, do as thou hast said. Note: Children 
 should learn of their godly parents how to pray 
 and plead in prayer. — M. Henry. "Which 
 thou spakest unto David— Solomon has hero 
 in miud one particular point in the promise, 
 namely, that God would not withdraw his mercy 
 from the seed of David, even when it sinned. 
 This is evident from what follows, where he 
 mentions simply cases of transgression, and 
 prays that they may be forgiven. — Keil. 
 
 27. "Will God indeed dwell on the earth 
 — Solomon combines with his belief in Jehovah's 
 special presence in the temple, which is the 
 foundation of his whole prayer, (see verses 29, 
 30, 33, 35, 38, etc..) the strongest conviction 
 that he is no local or finite deity, but is ever 
 present every-where. — Canon Eawlimon. The 
 
Nov. 2, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 1 Kings 8. 22-36. 
 
 earth ? Behold, the heaven, and ' heaven 
 of heavens, cannot contain thee; liow 
 much less this house that I have 
 builded I 
 
 28 Yet have thou respect unto the 
 ' prayer of thy servant, and to his sup- 
 plication, O Louo my God, to hearken 
 unto the cry and to tlie prayer which thy 
 servant prayeth before thee to-day. 
 
 29 That thine eyes may be open 
 toward this house night and day, even 
 
 heaven, and heaven of heavens— His exalta- 
 tion above the world is expressed as clearly 
 and forcibly as possible ; Solomon does not in- 
 tend to guard against the delusion that God 
 really dwells in temples, but simply to meet the 
 erroneous idea that he dwells in the temple as 
 men dwell in a house, namely, shut up within 
 it, and not also outside and above it — a delusion 
 ■which sometimes forced its way into the un 
 spiritual nation, but which was always attacked 
 by the prophets. Cf. Mic. 3. 11 ; Jer. 7. 4, etc. 
 For it is evident that Solomon did combine with 
 his clear perception of the infinite exaltation of 
 God a firm belief in his real presence in the tem- 
 ple.— Eeil. An expression of pious wonder and 
 astonishment, and, with the sequel, an utter 
 refutation of those rationalistic critics who affirm 
 that the Israelites had no worthy and enlarged 
 conceptions of Deity. — Terry. How much 
 less this house — This house, theretbre, was 
 not built as if it were proportionable to thy 
 greatness, or could contain thee, but only that 
 tlierein we might serve and glorify thee. — Ihol. 
 ■Which I have builded— "W lien we have done 
 the most we can for God, we must acknowledge 
 the infinite distance and disproportion between 
 us and him, between our services and his per- 
 fections. — M. Henry. 
 
 28, 29. Have thou respect unto the 
 prayer of thy servant — It was an humble 
 prayer, the prayer of thy servant ; an earnest 
 prayer, such a prayer as is a cry ; a prayer 
 made in faith, " before thee^ as the Lord, and my 
 God ; Lord, hearken to it; have respect to it, 
 not as the prayer of Israel's king," (no man's 
 dignity in the world, or titles of honor, will 
 recommend him to God,) "but as the prayer of 
 tliy servant." — M. Henry. That thine eyes 
 may be open— These words do not mean that 
 God was besought to watch over the building, 
 and take it under his almighty protection, but 
 always to see when any one prayed there, and 
 
 toward the place of which thou hast 
 said, My name shall be there; that thou 
 mayest hearken unto the prayer which 
 thy servant shall "make 'toward this 
 place. 
 
 30 And '" hearken thou to the suppli- 
 cation of thy servant, and of thy people 
 Is'ra-el, when they shall pray ''toward 
 tliis place: and hear thou in heaven thy 
 dwelling place; and when thou hearest, 
 " forgive. 
 
 {^s: 
 
 tbU pla 
 
 to hear his prayer, to turn his eyes and earn 
 toward the house. Comp. Psa. 34. 16. — Bahr. 
 The place of which thou hast said — The 
 reference seems to be, not to any single text, 
 but to the many passages in Deuteronomy 
 where God speaks of a place which he will 
 clioose in one of the tribes to "set his name" 
 there, to which the Israelites are thenceforward 
 to bring their offering. Deut. 12. 5, 11, 18, etc. ; 
 14. 23; 15. 20 ; 16. 2, etc. The choice of Jeru- 
 salem as the place seems to have been made by 
 special revelation to David. See Psa. 78. 68 ; 
 132. 13; and comp. 1 Chron. 22. \.— Canon 
 Eawlinson. My name — My presence, and 
 glory, and grace. — Pool. Hearken unto the 
 prayer . . . toward this place — Because the 
 name of God will be in the temple, that is, be- 
 cause God will manifest his gracious presence 
 there : he will also keep his eyes open upon it, 
 so as to hear the prayer of Solomon directed 
 toward it. — Keil. 
 
 30. When they shall pray toward this 
 place —" Toward " is better than the mar- 
 ginal "in." Wherever they were the Jews 
 always worshiped toward the temple. See Psa. 
 5. 7 ; 28. 2 ; 138. 2 ; Jonah 2. 4 ; and, mora 
 especially, Dan. 6. 10. — Canon Eaiclinson. 
 Thy dwelling-place — Which he adds, that 
 the people might not idolize the temple, nor 
 presume upon it, as if God were now fast tied to 
 them, as having no other dweUing-place ; and to 
 direct them in all their addresses to God in his 
 temple, to lift up their eyes above it, even to 
 heaven, where God's most true and most glori- 
 ous dwelling-place is. — Pool. And when thou 
 hearest, forgive— Literally, " both hear and 
 forgive," that is, "hear the prayer, and forgive 
 the sin " which alone causes God to chasten men 
 or to withhold from them his choicest blessings. 
 -Canon Eawlinson 
 
 Nothing but forgiveness of sin can remove the 
 curse by which transgression is followed.— iTeW. 
 275 
 
1 Kings 8. 22-36. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 31 If any man trespass agaiust his 
 neighbour/ and an oath be laid upon him 
 to cause him to swear, and the oath 
 come before thine altar in this house: 
 
 32 Then hear thou in heaven, and do, 
 and judge thy servants, condemning 
 " the wicked, to bring his way upon his 
 head; and justifying the righteous, to 
 give him according to his righteous- 
 ness. 
 
 33 When " thy people Is'ra-el be smit- 
 ten down before the enemy, because they 
 have sinned ag-ainst thee, and " shall 
 
 i And he required 
 
 -«aDeut. 25. 1. 
 
 31. If — This general prayer is tlien par- 
 ticularized, from verse 31 onward, by the intro- 
 duction of seven special petitions for an answer 
 in the different cases in which, in future, prayers 
 may be oifered to God in the temple. The Jirst 
 prayer (verses 31, 32) has reference to the oaths 
 sworn in the temple, the sanctity of which God 
 is asked to protect. — Keil. If any man tres- 
 pass against his neighbor — The prayer refers 
 to the cases mentioned in Exod. 22.7-13, and 
 Lev 6. 2-5, when property intrusted to any 
 one had been lost or injured, or when a thing 
 had been found and the finding was denied, or 
 when an act of fraud had been committed ; in 
 which cases the law required not only compen- 
 sation with the addition of a fiftli of its value, 
 but also a trespass-offering as an expiation of the 
 sin committed by taking a false oaih. But as 
 this punishment could only be inflicted when 
 the guilty person afterward confessed his guilt, 
 many false oaths might have been sworn in the 
 oases in question and have remained unpunished, 
 so far as men were concerned. Solomon, there- 
 fore, prays that the Lord will hear every such oath 
 that shall have been sworn before the altar, and 
 work, that is, actively interpose; and judge his 
 servants, to punish the guilty and justify the 
 innocent. — Jieil. An oath be laid upon him 
 — According to the requirement of the law in 
 Exod, 22. 7-11, which provided that if a man 
 suspect his neighbor of any kind of trespass, and 
 has no evidence to convict him, he can require 
 him to make oath of his integrity. — Terry. 
 
 32. Judge thy servants — Human tribunals 
 often clear tlie guilty and condemn the right- 
 eous ; but Solomon prays that in every case of 
 oaths concerning trespass brought before that 
 altar, the right may be vindicated. — Terry. 
 Justifying th.e righteous, to give >iim ac- 
 cording to his righteousness — ^To vindicate 
 iini, and to manifest his integrity — Pool. 
 
 turn again to thee, and confess thy name, 
 and pray, and make supplication unto 
 thee -'^ in tliis house: 
 
 34 Then hear thou in heaven, and for- 
 give the sin of thy people Is'ra-el, and 
 bring them again unto the land which 
 tliou gavest unto their fathers. 
 
 35 When heaven is shut up, and there 
 is no rain, because they have sinned 
 against thee ; if they pray toward this 
 place, and confess thy name, and turn 
 from their sin, when thou afflictest 
 them : 
 
 3 Deut. 23. 25. «« Lev. 26. 39. -/Or, toward. 
 
 33. When thy people Israel be smitten 
 
 down— The second petition refers to the threat- 
 enings in Lev. 26. 17, and Deut. 28. 25, where 
 the nation is threatened with defeat and subju- 
 gation on the part of enemies who shall invade 
 the land. — Keil. Confess thy name — Give glory 
 to thy name, by acknowledging their sins and 
 thy justice, and by accepting the punishment of 
 their iniquity; and by trusting to thy power 
 and goodness alone for their deliverance. — Pool. 
 Turn again to thee — As in times of humilia- 
 tion before their enemies the people of God more 
 tlian once were led to repent of their sins and 
 turn to God. Supplication unto thee in this 
 house — Margin, " toward this house." If they 
 were banished into a strange land, how could 
 they pray in this house, as they are said to do, 
 ver. 33 ? (1.) That may be rendered to or toward 
 this house, as it is expressed vers. 29, 30. The 
 Hebrew preposition ieth, in, being often put for 
 el, to or toward. (2.) This may be understood of 
 divers persons ; and so the sense is this : When 
 the people of Israel be defeated in battle, and 
 many of their brethren be taken prisoners, and 
 carried into captivity; if then their brethren 
 remaining in the land shall pray heartily for 
 their captive brethren, they shall be delivered. — 
 Pool. 
 
 34. Bring them again into the land— To 
 be taken away from the land of promise, to be 
 separated from communion with the covenant 
 people, in whose midst Jehovah dwelt, and to 
 live among heathen, was the greatest of all mis- 
 fortunes to an Israelite, and it was very natural 
 to pray against it. — Baker. 
 
 35. Heaven— The lower heaven, in which 
 clouds are ; as Deut. 11. 17 ; Psa. 14. 7. Is 
 shut ui) — The heaven is compared to a great 
 store-house in God's keeping, out of which noth- 
 ing can be had so long as it is close shut up.-~ 
 Pool. There is no rain- The withholding of 
 
Nov. 2, 1884. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 1 Kings 8. 22- 
 
 36 Then hear thou in heaven, 
 and forgive the sin of tliy servants, 
 and of thy people Is'ra-el, that thou 
 teach "them the "good way wliere- 
 
 5. 8; VS. 4, 5; S7. 11 ; S6. II 
 
 W. IJ: Pa. 
 
 niui in case of sin wa-s Jilso tlireatened by 
 the law. See Lev. 2<>. 19; Dcut. 11. 17; 28. 
 23, 2i.— Canon liawlinson. 
 
 36. Hear . . . forgive . . . teach — Trans- 
 late, " when thou art teuchinij tliein (by thy 
 chastisement) the good way tliat they should 
 walk in," that is, when thou art still teaching, 
 not taking vengeance. — ('anon Hawliniton. That 
 thou teach them the good way— Not only by 
 tliy word, for that was done before ; but by their 
 afflictions, which is one of God's schools : and 
 especially, by thy Siiirit, enlightening their 
 minds and inclining their hearts, that they may 
 learn and profit botli by the word and by their 
 afflictions;. And this is here fitly added, to show- 
 that he could not expeot and did not desire 
 from God the pardon of their sins, but upon 
 God's terms, to wit, upon their true repentance. 
 — Pool. Give rain — The order of Solomon's 
 prayer is very observable : first and chiefly he 
 prays tor their repentance and forgiveness, wliich 
 is the chief blessing, and the only solid founda- 
 tion of all other mercies ; and then he prays for 
 the temporal mercies ; thereby teaching us what 
 to mind imd desire principally in our prayers, 
 which also Christ had taught us in his perfect 
 pattern and fonn of prayer ; wherein tliere is 
 
 in they should walk, and give rain 
 uj)on thy land, which thou hast 
 given to thy people for an inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 -i« 1 Sam. H. S8 ; Jer. «. 18. 
 
 with the Bible, chap. xvi. Ewald's History of 
 Israel. Kitto's History of the Bible. Fo.ster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 22 : 
 4009; 23: 7593, 8607; 24: 4750; 27: *5U, 
 llOCl ; 32: 10078; 
 
 2049, S 
 33, 84: 
 
 )36; 29, { 
 4079; 35, 
 
 ; 4525, 
 1: 4538. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [public prayer to god.] 
 
 1. Kings and chiefs of the state are nowhere 
 nobler than when loading their people in public 
 prayer to God. Ver. 22. 
 
 2. Public prayer should be offered in a rever- 
 ent position of the body. Ver. 22. 
 
 3. Public prayer should contain praise and 
 thanksgivmg to God for all his mercies toward 
 his people. Ver. 23. 
 
 4. PubUo prayer should recognize God's ftil- 
 fillment of his promises, and call attention to his 
 faithfulness. Ver. 24. 
 
 5. Public prayer should plead God's faithful- 
 ness to promise in the past as a gronnd of pres- 
 ent petition. Vers. 25, 26. 
 
 6. Public prayer should be accompanied with 
 confession of sins and petition for forgiveness. 
 
 but one petition for outward, and all the rest Ver. 
 
 are for spiritual, blessings. — Fbol. 
 
 He supposes, first, that the cause of the Judg- 
 ment would be sin, and nothing else. If they be 
 ><uiUten before the enemy, if there be no rain, It 
 Is /<t(rti/.'*c theu hacc KittneO a^Ja^ust thee; that 
 is It that makes all the mischief, t^ccimdly, that 
 the consequence of the judjniient would be that 
 they would cry to God, and make supplication to 
 him in or toward that house. Those that slighted 
 him before would solicit him then: Lord, in 
 trouble have they visited thee : In their affliction 
 theji will seek me early and earnestly. Tltirdly, 
 
 that the condition of the removal of the judgment j bodies 
 was something more than bare praying for It. 
 lie Could not, he would not. ask that their prayer 
 might be answered unless they did also tttrn from 
 their sill, (ver. ••«,) and turn aoain to God, (ver. 
 33:) that Is, unless they did truly repent and re- 
 fonii. On no other terms may we look for salva- 
 tion, In this world or the other.— .V. Henry. 
 
 7. Public prayer should recognize national 
 evils as the result of national sins, and should 
 beseech mercies, not only upon the individual, 
 but upon the nation. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY KEV. D. S. MONROE, D.D. 
 
 The text brings us within the sacred precincts 
 of the temple, complete in every part, the peo- 
 ple assembled, and the king offering the Im- 
 pressive prayer of dedication. This prayer em- 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Dean Stanley's Lectures on the History of the 
 
 Jewish Church, lecture 27. Geikie's Hours 
 
 I. An ascription of prnlBP. Vers. 23, 24. 
 
 It is right to desire applause. Commendation Is 
 not flattery-. The " well done " of God Is the high- 
 est aim of a good man. God delights In ascriptions 
 of praise. The psalms are filled with them. We 
 here find, 
 
 1. A recoffnitinn of Ood'g majesty. Ver. 23. 
 
 As all our hopes rest upon the character of God, 
 we should have a profound sense of his greatness. 
 In proportion to the elevated position of those we 
 trust Is our confidence increased. 
 
 277 
 
1 Kings 8. 22-36. 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 Fourth Qtjartee. 
 
 2. A recognition of God's accessibility. Ver. 
 24, 
 
 A contemplation of the Divine majesty solely is 
 calculated to fill us with awe ; but when God de- 
 clares that, though "high and lofty," he has " re- 
 spect unto the lowly," our trusting heart draws 
 near him, and the tearful eye is filled with the light 
 of faith. The knowledge that we have his presence 
 with us strengthens for duty, our work becomes 
 more effectual, and we feel that, however insignifi- 
 cant the deed, it Is a part of God's great plan. 
 
 8. A recognition of God's faithfulness. Ver. 
 28. 
 
 Confidence in God, and encouragement in Chris- 
 tian work, rest upon the conviction that what we 
 do for him cannot be in vain. The school-boy 
 studies in hope, the miner digs in hope, the warrior 
 plans in hope, but the Christian is assured of suc- 
 cess. Has not God said : " He that goeth forth and 
 weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless 
 come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves 
 with him ? " and " He is faithful that promised." 
 
 II. An acknowledgment of unworthlness. 
 
 Instead of complaining at our lot, we should 
 endeavor to realize our littleness. How ill-deserved 
 is even the least favor we receive from God 1 Of 
 what profit are our works to God ? This unworthi- 
 ness is observed when we consider, 
 
 1. God's condescension. Ver. 27. 
 
 What wonderful thoughts are associated with the 
 condescension of God 1 How, in order to give us 
 some idea of his character and love, he accommo- 
 dates himself to our comprehension. 
 
 2, God's willingness to answer prayer. Ver. 
 28. 
 
 How consoling the thought that He who fills the 
 heavens with ten thousand beams of Ught, and the 
 forests with loveliest songs of birds, and the earth 
 with its variegated forms of beauty, will hear the 
 cry of the humblest soul, and breathe into it the 
 "peace which passeth all understanding." 
 
 3. God's wiUingness to forgive siiis. Ver. 80. 
 
 How well God knows the depths of human sin 1 
 But the more profoundly we feel our need the more 
 willing is he to help us look up to him and be saved. 
 He does not require us to know how he forgives, but 
 we may know when. 
 
 III. A supplication for special favors. Vers. 
 30, 36. 
 
 The character of our desires often determines 
 the manner of God's answers. The mere form of 
 prayer does not avail, nor is a general belief in 
 God's condescension and his willingness to answer 
 prayer sufQcient. 
 
 1. It must be specifie, and personal. Ver. 28. 
 Said Paul, " For this cause I bow my knees." 
 
 David's prayer was threefold : " Blot out my trans- 
 gression, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, 
 and cleanse me from Hi y s in. " So Solomon specifies 
 the blessings he asks. 
 
 2. It shoidd not be selfish. Ver. 31. 
 
 Union with Christ gives us enlarged sympathy 
 with our fellow-men. In proportion as we see 
 ourselves we feel for others. Knowina: our own 
 faults, we more readily bear with the faults of 
 others. Feeling our own need, we more freely sup- 
 plicate Divine aid for others. 
 
 3. It should be offered for our country. Vers. 
 33-37. 
 
 Devotedness to the kingdom of Christ does not 
 decrease patriotism, but intensifies it. Especially 
 should this be true in our land, where so much de- 
 pends upon the virtue of the people. Hence the re- 
 sponsibility of teachers, for the secret of a nation's 
 well-being is not so much in its material resources 
 as in the Divine favor ; and this truth must be in- 
 stilled into the minds of children. 
 
 APPLY. 
 
 Individuals have a claim upon the prayers of 
 God's people. 
 
 If this nation Is to be saved from ruin, its sal- 
 vation depends upon the Divine favor. 
 
 [Nov. 9. 
 
 B. C. 995.3 LESSON VI. 
 
 The 'Wisdom of Solomon. — 1 Kings 10. 1-13. 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Behold, a greater than Solomon is here.— Matt. 12. 42. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 995. 
 
 Place.— Jenisalem. 
 
 Introduction.— This account of the.Queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon seems to he inserted here be- 
 cause of its association with his commerce with Ophir. The traders at Ophir spread the fame of the 
 great king of Israel in all that land, (see note on chap. 9. 28;) and the queen, eager to acquire wisdom, 
 and curious to test the truth of the reports she heard, made a long journey to visit him. We see in her 
 the laudable desire to acquire wisdom, and the custom, so common in the ancient time, of making long 
 journeys to visit noted seats of learning, and to converse with men noted for their wisdom. Her exam- 
 ple condemns many of this generation who, having even better opportunities than hers, and a greater 
 than Solomon to consult, neglect to acquire the heavenly wisdom which is more precious than rubies; 
 and a tree of life to them that lay hold on her. Comp. Matt. 12. 42.— Terry. 
 27S 
 
Nov. 9, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 1 Kings 10. 1-13. 
 
 1 And Avlien tlie ' queen of Slie'ba 
 heard of the fsinie of Sul'o-nion, concern- 
 ing tlie name of the Lord, slie came 
 ' to prove him with hard questions. 
 
 2 And she came to Je-ru'sa-lem with 
 
 1; Mnlt. U'. 4'.-; Luke 11. 31. 
 
 1. The queen of Sheba — As there is a She- 
 ba imiong the sons 
 of C'u.-^h, (Gun. 10. 
 7,) uikI another Shu- 
 ba among the sons 
 of Joktun, ((/. 28, J 
 a doubt has arisen 
 whether the " queen 
 of Sheba" was an 
 I-; t h i o p i a n or an 
 Arabian princess. 
 Tlie expression, 
 "Queen of the 
 South," whicli is;n>plud t^> lierby our Lorcl,( Matt. 
 12. 42,) would suit equally well either eountry. 
 And both countries profess to ha%'e traditions on 
 the subject connecting the queen of Sheba witli 
 their history. In both countries, too, curiously 
 enough, government by queens was common. 
 Still, there is little dilliculty here in deciding 
 between the rival claims, since those of Arabia 
 decidedly preponderate. The Arabian Sheba 
 was the great spice country of tlie ancient 
 world (Strabo, xvi, 4, sec. 10 ;) whereas Ethio- 
 pia furnished no spices. The Arabian Sheba 
 was an important kingdom. Sheba in Etliinpiu 
 was a mere town, subject to MeroC. If Ophir 
 be placed in Arabia, there will be an ad- 
 ditional reason for regarding Sheba as in the 
 saine quarter, since then Solomon's trade with 
 that place will account for his fame having 
 reached the Sabiean princess. — Canon Itaiclin- 
 soii. The Arabs call the naim- of this queen 
 B.ilkis. — Ternj. Th.e fame of Solomon con- 
 cerning the name of the Lord— In other 
 words, the fame which Solomon had acquired 
 through the name of the Lord, or through the 
 fact that the Lord so glorified himself in him. — 
 Kdl. The clause is confessedly very obscure. 
 May it not mean wh.it wc should call " his 
 religions fame," as di.stinct from his artistic, 
 literary, military, or political fame — " his fame 
 as respected God and the things of God " — or, 
 in other words, " his moral and reliu'ious wis- 
 dom ?" — Canon liawlimon. She came to prove 
 him with hard questions— A common cus- 
 tom among the Arabs of ancient and modem 
 times, to test the sagacity and wisdom of dis- 
 tinguished persons. Josephus relates that 
 
 u very great train, witli camels that bare 
 spices, and very much gold, and i)re- 
 cious stones: and when she was come to 
 Soro-mon, she communed with him of 
 all tliat was in her heart. 
 
 ajudgei 14. Hi; Proverbi 1. 6. 
 
 Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon also, tried to 
 puzzle each other with riddles and enigmatical 
 sayings. " The spirit of this asking of ques- 
 tions and solving of dark riddles is of the very 
 nature of the Soeratio wisdom itself." — Stanley. 
 We know merchants that venture to either 
 Indies tor wealth ; others we know daily to cross 
 llie seas for wanton curiosity ; some few plilloso- 
 pliers we have known to liave gone far for learn- 
 ing, ami among princes it is no unusual thing to 
 send their embassadors to far-distant kiiiRiloms 
 for transaction of businesses either of State or 
 commerce ; but tliat a royal lady should in per- 
 son undert^ike and overcome so tedious a journey 
 only to observe and imiuire into the mysteries of 
 nature, art, religion, is a thing past both parallel 
 and limitation.— ZiiV/ioyj Hall. 
 
 2. She came to Jerusalem— A journey of 
 a tliousimd or twelve hundred miles. — "With 
 a very great train — A long train of beasts 
 of burden forms the common way ot traveling 
 in Arabia ; and the presents specified consist of 
 the native produce of that country. Of course, 
 a royal equipage would be larger and more im- 
 po.sing than an ordinary caravan. — R. Jamieson. 
 Spices — They were chiefly frankincense, myrrh, 
 opobalsain, gum tragacanth, and ladunum. The 
 special spice country v* the Yemen, which cor- 
 responds with the territory assigned by the 
 classical writers to the Saba?ans. — Canon Raw- 
 linson. And very much gold— At present 
 there are not, so far as we know, any goM-niines 
 in Arabia. Still, gold may have been found 
 there anciently, as Agatharcides and others 
 declare tliat it was. Strabo relates that the 
 Saba?an8 were enormously wealthy, and used 
 gold and silver in a most lavish manner in 
 their furniture, their utensils, and even on the 
 walls, doors, and roofs of their houses. — Canon 
 L'awlinson. And precious stones— Th« chief 
 precious stones which Arabia now yields are the 
 onyx and the emerald. Anciently she is said to 
 have produced, besides these gems, the follow- 
 ing: Adamant, amethyst-s, clirysolites, luvma- 
 tites, sards, sardonyxes, and several stones for 
 which modem jewelers have no names. Pearls, 
 too, were readily procurable in Arabia from the 
 Persian Gulf fishery.— Canon, limvlingon. Of 
 all that was in her heart— We do not mean 
 enitrmas in the sense of those that used to be 
 279 
 
1 Kings 10. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 3 And Soro-mon ^told her all her 
 " questions : there was not any thing hid 
 from the king, which he told her not. 
 
 4 And wlien the queen of She'ba had 
 seen all Sol'o-mon's wisdom, and the 
 house that he had built, 
 
 5 And the meat of his table, and the 
 sitting of his servants, and the* attend- 
 ance of his ministers, and their apparel, 
 and his "cup-bearers, and his* ascent by 
 
 Isaiah 50. 4.- 
 
 propounded at meals or otherwise ; the 
 did not want any trial of skill in enigmas with 
 Solomon, but wished to propound important and 
 difficult questions to him. —Balir. 
 
 When we come to a rich treasure, we need not 
 be bidden to carry away what we are able. This 
 wise lady, iis she came far for knowledge, so, 
 finding plenty of this vein, she would not depart 
 without her full load ; there was nothing wherein 
 she would leave herself unsatisfied. She knew 
 that she could not every day meet with a Solo- 
 mon, and, therefore, she makes her best use of 
 so learned a master ; now she empties her heart 
 of all her doubts, and fills it with instruction.— 
 Bishop Hall. 
 
 3. Told her all her questions — Literally 
 the Hebrew runs, " And Solomon told her all 
 her woi-ds ; there was not a word hid from the 
 king, that he told her not." Solomon, that is, 
 answered all her questions without any excep- 
 tion. — Canon Rawllnson. 
 
 4. The house -which he had built — His 
 royal palace, not the Lord's house, which, it 
 would seem, she was not permitted to enter, but 
 only saw the ascent to it by which the king 
 went up. "We incline, with a number of recent 
 authorities, to place the palace of Solomon at 
 the south-east corner of the modern Haram area. 
 Here Captain Wan-en's excavations revealed 
 walls as ancient as the time of Solomon, and 
 here he locates the ancient palace. — Terry. 
 
 5. The sitting of his servants — " The seat 
 of his retainers and the standing of his serv- 
 ants," that is, the places in the palace assigned 
 to the ministers and servants of the kmg, which 
 were conti'ived with wisdom and arranged in a 
 splendid manner. — Keil. The attendance— Or, 
 the stiinding-place.^. The serving-posts or po- 
 Bitions of duty assigned to the ministers. All of 
 these were doubtless arranged and adorned in a 
 splendid style. — Terry. His ministers — A 
 higher order of servants than those whose sit- 
 ting-places have just been mentioned. They 
 were attendants on the king's person, stood in 
 
 which he went up unto the house of the 
 Lord; there was no more spirit in her. 
 
 6 And she said to the king, It was a 
 true <^ report that I heard in mine own 
 land of thy « acts, and of thy wisdom. 
 
 7 Howbeit I believed not the words, 
 until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; 
 and, behold, the half was not told me: 
 /thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth 
 the fame which I heard. 
 
 -d Word. e Or, sayings. 
 
 his presence, and all their duties brought them 
 more or less into immediate proximity to Solo- 
 mon. — Terry. And their clothing — Which 
 tliey received from the king. — Keil. Cup- 
 bearers — Or butlers ; whose office it was to 
 take cliarge of the royal plate, and to pour out 
 and bring wine to the king. See Neh. 1. 11. 
 Some understand the word of the drinking- 
 vessels which he used. — Terry. His ascent — 
 The private entrance or passage-way, magnifi- 
 cently wrought, by which he ascended to the 
 temple from some part of his own house. Comp. 
 2 Kings 16. 18; 1 Chron. 26. 16. From this it 
 appears that the palace was at a lower elevation 
 than the temple, and probably on the southern 
 slope of Moriah. — Terry. There w^as no more 
 spirit in her — She was astonished, and rapt up 
 in a kind of ecstasy, and could scarce determine 
 whether she did really see these things, or 
 whether it was not only a pleasant dream. — 
 Pool. 
 
 6, 7. She said to the king— She then said, 
 with astonishment, to Solomon, that of what her 
 eyes now saw she had not heard the half 
 through the report which had reached her of his 
 affairs and of his wisdom, and which had hither- 
 to appeared incredible to h&r.—Keil. Thy . . . 
 prosperity— The Hebrew word here used may 
 mean either "prosperity" or "goodness." 
 Prosperity seems to be intended in this place. — 
 Canon Bawlinson. 
 
 Usually things are represented to us, both by 
 common fame and by our own imagination, much 
 greater than we find them when we come to ex- 
 amine them ; but here the truth exceeded both 
 fame and fancy. Those who, through grace, are 
 brought to experience the delights of communion 
 with God, will say that the one half was not told 
 them of the pleasures of Wisdom's ways and the 
 advantages of her gates. Glorified saints, much 
 more, will say that it was a true report which 
 they hear of the happiness of heaven, but that 
 the thousandth part was not told them. 1 Cor. 2. 9. 
 —M. Henry. 
 
Nov. 9, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 1 KiNos 10. 1-13. 
 
 8 Happy ''are thy men, happy ai-e 
 those thy stTvants, wliich staml continu- 
 ally Ix'tore tliee,'//((/ tiiat hear thy wisdom. 
 
 9 lUcssrd M)e the Loud thy God, 
 which <klighted iu thee, to set thee on 
 the throne of Is-ra-el: because the Lokd 
 loved Is'ra-el forever, therefore ' niaiie he 
 thee king, "to do judgment and justice. 
 
 10 .\nd she gave tlu; king an iiundred 
 
 ' Cli.p. 5. 
 
 g Alguiu I 
 
 8. Happy are thy men— It Is a great ud- 
 vmiUijre to be ill goixl fainilies, and to have op- 
 I>ortunity of freiiuent converse with those tliut 
 are wise, and good, and coinmunieative. Many 
 liave tills iiappiness who know not how to 
 value it. With much more reason may we say 
 this of (.'hrist's servants, Blessed are they that 
 dipell. in /lis houae, they will he still praising him. 
 —if. I{mr,j. 
 
 9. Slessed be the Lord — An aeknowledg- 
 inent of Jiiiovali as tlio God of Israel was recon- 
 cilable with polytlieism. And the fact that 
 nothinjtr is said about lier offering sacrifice in the 
 temple shows that the conversion of the queen 
 is not to be thought of here.— A'ttV. Which 
 delighteth in thee— What she saw and heiird 
 excited lu.-r wonder to such a degree that it 
 seemed to her directly imparted by the God 
 Solomon adored, and for whom she became 
 filled with reverence. — Bohr. To do judg- 
 ment and justice— That is, to e.\ecute just 
 judgment among them, to govern them ivith 
 right and equity. She tacitly admonisheth Solo- 
 mon, that he was not made king that he might 
 live in ease and pleasure and splendor, but for 
 the gootl of his people. — Puol. 
 
 Rulers are given their high position by God, 
 not simply to enjoy the pleasures of life, and to 
 see pood days, but to administer justice to their 
 subjects, and care for their temporal and eternal 
 welfare.— Cteiautkr. 
 
 10. A hundred and twenty talents of 
 gold— About three millions and a half of dol- 
 lars. That the gold of Sheba should be given to 
 Solomon was prophesied by the writer of Psalm 
 li. — Canon Rawlinson. And of spices very 
 great store— The immense abundance of spices 
 iu Arabia, and especially in the Yemen or Sabajjm 
 country, is noted by many writers. Herodotus 
 says that the whole tract e.vhaled an odor mar- 
 velously sweet, (iii, 113.) Diodorus relates that 
 the odor was carried out to sea to a considerable 
 distance from the shore, (ii, 46.) According to 
 Strabo, the spice-trade of Arabia was in the 
 bands of two nations, the Saba^ans and the Ger- 
 
 and twenty talents of gold, and of spices 
 very great store, and precious stones: 
 there came no more such abundance of 
 s|)ices as these which tiie queeu of Sbe'- 
 \k\ gave to king Sol'o-mon. 
 
 11 And "the navy also of Hi'ram, 
 that brought gold from '" O'phir, brought 
 in from O'phir great plenty of i' almug 
 trees, and precious stones. 
 
 rhffians, whose profits from it were so enor- 
 mous that in his time they were the two 
 wealthiest nations on the face of the earth. — 
 Canon Bawlinson. 
 
 Thus she paid for the wisdom she had learned, 
 and did not think she bought it dear. Let those 
 that are taught of God give him their hearts, and 
 tlie present will be more acceptable than this of 
 gold and spices.— 3/. Heiir}/. 
 11. The navy also of Hiram— See chap. 9. 
 26-2S. The ships were Solomon's, but the 
 sailors were Tyriaiis furnished by King Hiram, 
 as the Israelites of that age were but little accus- 
 tomed to commerce and seafaring. In monarch- 
 ical countries of the ancient time business was not 
 conducted by private enterprise, but by agents 
 in iiehalf of the king. Gold from Ophir — The 
 controversy concerning the locality of Ophir will 
 probably never be settled. It has been placed 
 
 in Arabia, in India, in the Burmese peninsula, at 
 Ceylon, on the east coast of Africa, in Armenia, 
 in Phrygia, in Il>eria, and in South America, 
 where it has been identified with Peru. Among 
 thesa various opinions three predominate, all 
 modems, e.xcept a very few, Vieinir in favor either 
 of Arabia, India, or Eastern Africa. Africa has 
 comparatively few advocates, but M. Quatremere 
 and Dean Milman are among them. India ia 
 preferred by Lasson, Theuius, Ewald, and Ber- 
 281 
 
1 Kings 10. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 12 And " the king made of the ahnug 
 trees * pillars for the house of the Lord, 
 and for the king's house, harps also and 
 psalteries for singers: there came no 
 such alraug trees, nor were seen unto 
 this day. 
 
 theau. Arabia's claims are supported by the 
 greatest number, among whom are Winer, Keil, 
 Kalisch, and Mr. Twistleton. The grand argu- 
 ment in favor of Arabia is derived from the oc- 
 currence of Opliir in the manifestly Arabian list 
 of names in Gen. 10. 25-29. — Canon Eawlinson. 
 Of almug trees— Joseph us describes them as a 
 sort oipine ; Shaw understands the cypress to be 
 meant ; but most moderns identify this tree with 
 tlie sandal-wood, which was celebrated^ in the 
 East from very early times as a fine-grained and 
 fragrant tree. — Terry. 
 
 12. Pillars — Eather, a balustrade to fend the 
 side of some elevated passage or stair- w^ay. The 
 latter meaning is here the more probable. The 
 balustrades of the stair-ways in the temple and in 
 the palace were made of this celebrated wood. — 
 Terry. Harps also — The Jewish harp {kinnor) 
 was of a triangular shape, and had ordinarily 
 ten sti'ings. — Canon Eawlinson. Psalteries- 
 See Third Quarter, Lesson II, verse 5, notes. 
 
 13. All her desire — Whatever of a portable 
 nature she desu-ed to caiTy home with her as 
 mementos of Solomon's greatness and glory. — 
 Terry. "Whatsoever she asked — Asking for 
 presents is common in the East, and is p)racticed 
 by persons of all ranks. No feeling of shame 
 prevents either the prince or the peasant from 
 requesting to have given him any thing that he 
 sees and covets. A retura, however, is made, 
 as a matter of course, for presents received in 
 this way, and, indeed, for all presents, except 
 they be rewards for service or alms. — Canon 
 Eawlinson. Of his royal bounty — Or, as the 
 margin has it, gave liev according to the hand of 
 King Solomon. That is, besides giving her the 
 things she asked for, he ga\e her presents be- 
 coming his gi-eat wealth. As she had brought 
 him presents of such great value, it was but a 
 matter of kingly courtesy for him to respond by 
 similar gifts. — Terry. 
 
 Legend has been busy with an account of the 
 tests with which the queen tried the wisdom of 
 Solomon. She had dressed, we are told, five hun- 
 dred boys as girls, and five hundred girls as boys, 
 and collected one thousand carpets of gold and 
 silver tissue, a crown adorned with pearls and 
 diamonds, and a great quantity of perfumes. All 
 these were sent to Jerusalem, and with them a 
 
 13 And king Sol'o-mon gave unto the 
 queen of She'ba all her desire, whatso- 
 ever she asked, besides that which Sol'o- 
 mon gave her 'of his royal bounty: so 
 she turned, and went to her own country, 
 she and her servants. 
 
 t AcLOrding to the baud of king Solomon. 
 
 single pearl, a diamond cut through in 
 and a crystal goblet in a box. Her envoy brought 
 also a letter to Solomon, which intimated that, if 
 he were really a prophet, he would tell which 
 were boys and which girls in the train of her 
 embassadors, guess the contents of the box, 
 pierce the pearl, thread the diamond, and All the 
 goblet with water which came neither from earth 
 nor heaven. The king told the contents of the 
 letter, we are Informed, before it was opened ; 
 distinguished the boys from the girls as they 
 washed their hands, the boys only dipping their 
 hands in the water, the girls tucking up their 
 sleeves to their shoulders, and washing their 
 arms as well. By the help of a magic stone he 
 drilled a hole through the pearl at once, and he 
 threaded the diamond by making a worm pass 
 through it with a fine thread in its mouth. The 
 crystal goblet he filled with water gathered from 
 the sweat of a wild horse ridden furiously over 
 the plain.— C. Geikie. 
 
 The Visit to the King. 
 I. 
 I came from very far away, to see 
 The King of Salem : for I had been told 
 Of glory and of wisdom manifold. 
 And condescension infinite and free. 
 How could I rest when I had heard his fame 
 In that dark lonely land of death from whence I 
 came? 
 
 II. 
 
 I came (but not like Sheba's queen) alone ! 
 No stately train, no costly gifts to bring : 
 No friend at court, save One, that One the King 
 I had requests to spread before his throne, 
 And I had questions none could solve for me, 
 Of import deep, and full of awful mystery. 
 
 III. 
 I came and communed with that mighty King, 
 And told him all my heart ; I cannot say 
 In mortal ear what communings were they. 
 But wouldst thou know, go too, and meekly bring 
 All that Is in thy heart, and thou shalt hear 
 His voice of love and power, his answers sweet and 
 clear. 
 
 IV. 
 
 0, happy end of every weary quest 1 
 He told me all I needed, graciously- 
 Enough for guidance and for victory 
 
 O'er doubts and fears, enough for quiet rest ; 
 
 And when some veiled response I could not read. 
 
 It was not hid from him— this was enough Indeed. 
 
Nov. e, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 1 Kings 10. 1-13. 
 
 V. 
 
 His wisdom and his glories passed before 
 My wondering eyes In gradual revelation ; 
 The house that he had built, its strong founda- 
 tion. 
 Its living stones, and, brightening more and more, 
 Fair glimpses of that palace far away. 
 Where all his loyal ones shall dwell with him for 
 aye. 
 
 True the report that reached my far-off land 
 Of all his wisdom and transcendent fame; 
 Yet I believed not until 1 came— 
 
 Bowed to the dust, till raised by royal hand. 
 
 The half was never told by mortal word : 
 
 My King exceeded all the fame that I bad heard 1 
 
 O, happy are his servants ! happy they 
 Who stand continually before his face, 
 Ready to do his will of wisest grace ! 
 
 My King I is mine such blessedness to-day ? 
 
 For I too hear thy wisdom, line by line 
 
 Thy ever-brightening words in holy radiance 
 shine. 
 
 Tin. 
 O, blessed be the Ix)rd thy God, who set 
 (Jur King upon his throne I divine delight 
 In the Beloved, crowning thee with might. 
 Honor, and majesty supreme ; and yet 
 The strange and godlike secret opening thus— 
 The kingship of his Christ ordained through love to 
 us l—F. R. Havcraal. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Gcikie's Hours with the Bible, vol. iii, chap. 
 16. Milmaii's History of the Jews, vol. i. Stan- 
 ley's Jewish Church, lecture .\.\viiL. Ewald's 
 History of Israel. Bisliop Hall's Contempla- 
 tions, book xvii. Kitto's Daily Bible Illustra- 
 tions. See Lesson llel{)8 for 1876. Preacher's 
 Lantern, iv, 181. Freeman's Bible Maimers 
 and Customs, 254, 64, 378, 432. Foster's Cyclo- 
 pedia, [numbers marked witli a star refer to 
 poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : *1254 ; 1-9 : *3908, 
 *4006 ; 4 : 3414 ; 7 : *3347, *4007, *4008. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 
 [lessons FKOM the QIEEN OF 8HEBA.] 
 
 1 We see that the knowledge of God imparts 
 a wisdom which gives promineuce and honor 
 from the world. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. The one enlightened by Divine wisdom can 
 instruct those who come for knowledge. Vers. 2, 3. 
 
 3. The service of God leads oftener than the 
 service of sin to prosperity and success. Ver. 5. 
 
 4. The compiiuions of those who are wise in 
 Divine trutli gain from association with tliem. 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 5. Prosperity and riches are the gift of the 
 Lord, to whom belongs the praise for their pos- 
 session. Ver. 9. 
 
 6. Those who meet with God's people bear 
 away with them more than the gifls whicli they 
 bring. Ver. 13. 
 
 B.C. 995, ff.] 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 [Nov. 16. 
 
 Solomon's Six. 
 
 Kings 11.4-13. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Keep thy heart with all diligence ; for out of it are the issues of life. 
 — PROV. 4. 23. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 993, ff. 
 
 Places.— Jerusalem, and the hills round about. 
 
 CON.NECTiNG Li.NK.- Solomon's foreign wives. 1 Kings 11. 1-3. 
 
 iNTRODUCTio.v. 27(6 caiwc« of Soloirum's 8in.— The treaty with Hiram of Tyre, which enabled him 
 to execute the intended state buildings in Jerusalem, was followed by allegiances for the establishment 
 of a wide-spread commerce both by sea and land, through which ever-increasing treasures of gold and 
 silver, and other costly goods were brought to the king. As this accumulation of riches helped to 
 nourish his inclination to a love of show, and created a kind of luxury whicli was hardly reconcilable 
 with the simplicity of manners and the piety of the servant of (Jod, so the foreign trade led to a tolera- 
 tion of heathen customs and religious views which could not fail to detract from the reverence paid to 
 Jehovah, however little the trade with foreigners might be in itself at variance with the nature of the 
 Old Testament kingdom of God. And again, even the great wisdom of King Solomon might also become 
 a rock endangering his life of faith, not only that an excessive thirst for inquiry might easily seduce 
 him from the open and clearer regions of the kingdom of truth into the darker ones of the kingdom of 
 lies— that is, of magle— and so lead him to the paths of superstition ; as because the wide-spread fame of 
 his wisdom brought distinguished and wise men from distant lands to Jerusalem and Into alliance with 
 the Itlng, and their homage nattered the vanity of the human heart, and led to a greater and greater 
 
 2i3 
 
1 Kings 11. 4-13. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 toleration of heathen ways.— S'eil. The extent of Solomon's idolatry.— Various opinions have been held 
 as to the extent and the true nature of Solomon's idolatry. Some (as Augustine) have regarded it as 
 complete apostasy— an apostasy from which there could be no recovery ; others (as Ewald) have seen in 
 It nothing but a wise toleration, rather praiseworthy than blamable, misrepresented and misunderstood 
 by the religious zealots of the day. The truth seems to lie between these two extreme views. Solomon 
 did not ever openly or wholly apostatize. He continued his attendance on the worship of Jehovah, and 
 punctually made his offerings three times a year in the temple. 1 Kings 9. 25. But his heart was not 
 " perfect " with God. Many causes had concurred to weaken the religious earnestness of his younger 
 days, as the corrupting influence of wealth and luxury, the canker of sensualism, an increasing world- 
 liness, leading him to adopt more and more a worldly policy, and perhaps a growing laiitudinarianism, 
 arising from contact with all the manifold forms of human opinion. His lapse into deadly sin was no 
 doubt gradual. Partly from ostentation, partly from that sensualism which is the most common failing 
 of Oriental monarchs, he establishes a harem on a grand and extraordinary scale ; he then admitted 
 among his wives and concubines "strange women," that is, foreigners, either from worldly polipy, or 
 for variety's sake ; he allowed himself to fall too much under seraglio influence ; his wives "turned away 
 his heart." To gratify them he built magnificent temples to their false gods, temples which were the 
 scene of rites cruel and impure ; he was not ashamed to build these temples right over against Jerusa- 
 lem, as manifest rivals to "the temple." He thus became the author of a syncretism, which sought to 
 blend together the worship of Jehovah and the worship of idols— a syncretism which possessed fatal 
 attractions for the Jewish nation. Finally, he appears himself to have frequented the idol temples, 
 (see vers. 5, 10,) and to have taken part in those fearful impurities which constituted the worst horror 
 of the idolatrous systems, thus practically apostatizing, though theoretically he never ceased to hold 
 that Jehovah was the true God,— CanoM Rawlbison. 
 
 4 For it came to pass, when Soro-mon 
 was old, ' that his wives turned away his 
 heart after other gods: and his heart 
 
 Deut. n. n ; Neh. 13. ilj. 
 
 4. "WTien Solomon was old— It is evident, 
 from Solomon's age at his accession, that he 
 could not have been more than about sixty at 
 his death. " Old," in this place, must there- 
 fore mean about fifty or tifty-five. — Raidinson. 
 His wives turned away his heart — Although 
 Mosaism, even in the history of creation, repre- 
 sents monogamy as the original relation or- 
 dained by God himself, nevertheless polygamy 
 was so deeply rooted in the habits of all peoples 
 that the strict lawgiver was not able to uproot it, 
 but sought, by various limitations, to make it 
 difficult, (Deut. 21. 15, sq.; Exod. 21. 'J, sq.) 
 It was expressly forbidden to a king to have 
 many wives, (Deut. 17. 17,) because the dan- 
 gers wliich inhered in polygamy were doubly 
 great, and could become dangerous for the whole 
 realm, as Solomon's example conspicuously 
 shows. Christendom was the first to make 
 holy the bond of matrimony. — Bah: His 
 heart was not perfect — Entirely devoted 
 to the Lord, (c/. chap. 8. 61,) like the heart of 
 David his father, who had indeed grievously 
 Binned, but had not fallen into idolatry. — Keil. 
 What sight on earth more sad than the dis- 
 graceful fall of an old man, whose youth had 
 been devout and promising and his manhood 
 noble ? Well did Solon, the Athenian, insist that 
 no man should be counted blessed until he had 
 noblv ended a happy, noble Wie.— Terry. 
 2«4 
 
 was not perfect with the Lord his God, 
 as icas the heart of Da'vid his father. 
 5 For Sol'o-mon went af ter ^ Ash'to- 
 
 2 Judges 2. 
 
 It is not so much coarse sensuality as rather 
 "psychical bondage to the female sex," which 
 wrought the fall of Solomon. Psychical polyg- 
 amy dissipates, pulls to pieces, and wastes ir- 
 resistibly the core of human soil. ... At a certain 
 stage of "culture," in the intercourse between 
 man and woman, coarse sensuality by no means 
 prevails, but the psychical pleasure in the woman 
 and the psychical abandonment to the woman, 
 the desire of the eye, and the desire of the eye 
 for the sex as such, and not for an individual 
 woman.— Filmar. 
 
 5. "Went after — This expression is common 
 in the Pentateuch, and always signifies actual 
 idolatry. See Deut. 11. 28; 13. 2; 28. 14, etc.— 
 Canon RawUnson. Ashtoreth is the highest 
 of the Phenician (Sidonian) and Syrian female 
 deities, and a personification of the feminine 
 principle in nature. Her form is differently 
 represented, sometimes with a bull's or woman's 
 head with horns, (crescents,) sometimes as a fish, 
 (symbol of the watery element.) She was 
 specially adored by women ; her worsliip, which 
 is not exactly known, was most probably asso- 
 ciated with indecency. — Bahr. The goddess 
 of the Zidonians — On the tomb of a Phenician 
 king, discovered in 1855, on the site of Sidon, 
 mention is jnade of a temple of Astarte there, 
 which the monarch built or restored, and his 
 mother is said to have been a priestess of the 
 
Nov. IG, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIL 
 
 1 Kings 11. 4-13. 
 
 reth till' j^oddess of the Zi-do'ni-iins, and 
 after Mircoiu the aboiuiiuitiou of the 
 Ani'mon-ites. 
 
 6 And Soro-nion did evil in the sight 
 of the LoHD, and "went not fully after 
 the Loud, as did Da'vid his father. 
 
 7 Then 'did Sol'o-inon build an high 
 place for * Che'mosh, the aljoniiuation of 
 
 I after. Num 14. I 
 
 poddess. — Canon Rawlinson. The Zidonians 
 ii)hiil)ited Phenicia, north of Palestine, on the 
 Mediturranean Sea. Mil com — Called also 
 Jlolech, (ver. 7,) and Mohch. Amos 5. 26. The 
 fire-god of the Aaimonites, an abomination, 
 particularly in that he was -woi-shiped by the 
 offering of human sacrifices. — Terry. The Am- 
 monites — A people conquered by David, on the 
 border of the Syrian desert, east and north of 
 the Moabites. 
 
 6. Solomon did evil— The surroundinpfs or 
 relations were singularly fitted to awaken that 
 kind of spiritual condition and to impart nour 
 ishment to it. The long peace, broken neither 
 by war nor other calamity, the great wealth, the 
 extensive trade, the abundance, by these means, 
 of all objects of luxury possible, the voluptuous 
 court-life in consequence, every thing conspired 
 to bring about a relaxation ; and this was the 
 soil upon which the numerous strange women 
 could carry out their nature without hinderance. 
 —Jkihr. 
 
 7. A high place — The altars of idol-worship, 
 from their elevated situation, more generally 
 known as "high places." For Chemosh — 
 Chemosh was a sun-god who was worshiped as 
 king of his people and as a god of war, and as 
 such is depicted upon coins with a sword, lance, 
 and shield in liis hands, and with two torches 
 by his side.— A'*'/;. Molech or iloloch, called 
 Milcom in verse 5, was known and adored 
 throughout anterior Asia, whose image, accord- 
 ing to the rabbins, was made of brass, with the 
 head of an ox, and human arms, in which the 
 children offered were laid. — Bahr. Moab — A 
 land east of the Dead Sea, conquered by David, 
 and a part of Solomon's dominion. The hill 
 that is before Jerusalem — These places of 
 sacrifice Solomon built upon the mountain in 
 front, that is, to the east, of Jerusalem, and, ac- 
 cording to the more precise account in 2 Kings 
 23. 13, to tlie right, that is to say, on the 
 southern siile, of the Mount of Corruption — in 
 other words, upon the southern peak of the 
 Mount of Olives ; and, consequently, this peak 
 haa been called in Church tradition, from the 
 
 Mo'ab, in ' the hill that is before Je-ru'- 
 sa'lem, and for Mo'leeh, the abomination 
 of the children of Am'uion. 
 
 8 And likewise did he for all his 
 strange wives, which burnt iuceuse, and 
 sacrificed unto their gods, 
 
 9 And the Lokd was ' angry with 
 Sol'o-mon, because his heart was turned 
 
 •SKiDgsi 
 
 time of Brocardus onward, either Mons Offen- 
 sioim, atler the Vulgate rendering, in 2 Kings 
 23. 13, or Mons Scundali, Mount of Offense.— 
 A'eil. 
 
 8. Likewise did he for all— He may have 
 erected altars to other idols than the ones here 
 named, but probably the national deities of the 
 Zidonians, Anmionitcs, and Moabites were suf- 
 ficient for the religions of all the strange wives ; 
 and, in building altars for these three, he made 
 provision for his Edomite and Hittite wives as 
 well as the rest. Certain it is that no mention is 
 anywhere made of Solomon erecting altars to 
 any other gods than these. — Terri/. Strange 
 wives — Women of foreign races. 'Which 
 burned incense . . . imto their gods— From 
 their youtli accustomed to their sensuous, more 
 or less unchaste, worship, they were more re" 
 luctant to abandon it, as the earnest and severe 
 Jehovah-cultus could not please them. — Bahr. 
 The truth seems to be, Solomon was getting 
 Indifferent about religion. He had got into light 
 and worldly .society, and the libertinism of his as- 
 sociations was beginning to make its impression 
 upon him. He was beginning to ask, Is not one 
 religion as good as another, so long as each man 
 believes his own in earnest. He began to feel 
 there is a great deal to be said for these different 
 religions. After all, there is nothing certain ; and 
 why forbid men the quiet enjoyment of their own 
 opinion? And so he became what men call lib- 
 eral, and he took idolatry under his patronage. 
 There are few signs in a soul's state more alarm- 
 ing than that of religious indifference, that is, 
 the spirit of thinking all religions equally true— 
 the real meaning of which is, that all religions 
 are equally false.— F. W. Robertson. 
 
 9, 10. The Lord was angry— Divine anger, 
 as presented in the Bible, is no sudden burst of 
 passion, no low and hateful motion of revenge, 
 as human anger often is, and with which, per- 
 haps, too many are ever prone to associate their 
 idea of Divine anger. It is rather the deep, 
 eternal antagonism of holiness to sin, of truth to 
 error, of right to wrong. Our God cannot look 
 upon sin with the least degree of allowance ; and 
 how much soever he may love a hiunan soul as 
 
1 Kings 11. 4-13. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 Fourth Quaetbe, 
 
 from the Lord God of Is'ra-el, ' which 
 had appeared unto him twice, 
 
 10 And ^had commanded him con- 
 cerning this thing, that lie sliould not go 
 after other gods : but he kept not that 
 which the Lord commanded. 
 
 11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Sol'- 
 o-mon, Forasmuch as this *is done of 
 thee, and thou hast not kept my cove- 
 nant, and my statutes, which I have 
 commanded thee, ' I will surely rend the 
 
 such, if that soul cleaves unto sin it must of 
 necessity place itself along with the sin in en- 
 mity toward God, and so become obnoxious to 
 the Divine anger. — Terri/. Tlie Lord God . . . 
 had appeared unto him twice — The Divine 
 appearance, first at Gibeon, (Lesson III,) and 
 then at Jerusalem, after the dedication of the 
 temple, with the warnings given him on both 
 occasions, had left Solomon inexcusable, and it 
 was proper and necessary that on one who had 
 been so signally favored with the gifts of heav- 
 en, but who had grossly abused them, a terrible 
 judgment should fall. — B. Jamieson. Com- 
 manded h.im — The emphasis lies upon the fact 
 that God had appeared to him himself for the 
 purpose of warning him, and had not merely 
 caused him to be warned by prophets.— £r«i7. 
 God keeps account of the gracious visits he 
 makes us, whether we do or no; knows how 
 often he has appeared to us, and for us, and will 
 remember it against us, If we turn from him.— 
 M. Henry. 
 
 11. The Lord said unto Solomon — Prob- 
 ably by the ministry of Ahijah the Shilonite. 
 Verse 29. — Terrj/. Forasmuch as this is 
 done — It is well worthy of notice that, in this 
 announcement, the oppression of the people by 
 compulsory labor and taxes, or despotism, is not 
 given as the reason of the dividing of the king- 
 dom by Jehovah, and of limiting Solomon's 
 dynasty to dominion over one tribe ; but only 
 the sin against Jehovah, the " going after other 
 gods." — Bahr. "WUl rend the kingdom— On 
 Solomon's death the empire won by David fell 
 asunder, and five kingdoms arose from its ruins, 
 Syria becoming independent, upon the north, 
 under Eezin; Israel, or the ten tribes, under 
 Jeroboam, and Judah alone remaining steadfast 
 to the house of David, though its territory in- 
 cluded portions of Simeon and Benjamin ; and 
 the two dependent kingdoms of Moab and 
 Edom, the former nominally subject to Israel, 
 
 kingdom from thee, and will give it to 
 thy servant. 
 
 13 Notwitlistanding in thy days I will 
 not do it for Da'vid thy father's sake: 
 hit I will rend it out of the hand of 
 thy son. 
 
 13 Howbeit "I will not rend away all 
 the kingdom; h/t will give one "tribe 
 to thy sou ^'^ for Da'vid my servant's sake, 
 and for Je-ru'sa-lem's sake "which I 
 have chosen. 
 
 the latter to Judah, but neither submitting, ex- 
 cept to strong kings like Jehoshaphat or Jero- 
 boam II. To thy servant — That is, " to one of 
 thy subjects." Jeroboam was a person of good 
 position. — Canon Rawlituon. 
 
 12. For David thy father's sake — Be- 
 cause of David's goodness and of the promises 
 made to him, (2 Sam. 7. 12-16,) two abatements 
 are made from the rigor of the first sentence. 
 (1) The blow is postponed, and is not to fall till 
 after Solomon's death; and, (2) The kingdom 
 is not to be wholly taken from him. Compare, 
 with the first mitigation, the postponement 
 promised to Josiah. 2 Kings 22. 20. — Canon 
 Bawliiison. 
 
 13. I will give one tribe to thy son- 
 There is some difliculty in understanding why 
 one tribe only is promised to Kehoboam, when 
 he was really to receive the two tribes of Judah 
 and Benjamin. See chap. 12. 21. The truth seems 
 to be that " little Benjamin" was looked upon 
 as absorbed in Judah, so as not to be really 
 a tribe in the same sense as the others. Still, 
 in memory of the fact that the existing tribe 
 of Judah was a double one, the prophet Ahi- 
 jah tore his garment into twelve parts, and 
 kept back two from Jeroboam. Verses 30 
 and 31. — Canon Rawlinson. For Jerusa- 
 lem's sake — In this double limitation of the 
 threatened forfeiture of the kingdom there is 
 clearly manifested the goodness of God ; not, 
 however, with reference to Solomon, who had 
 forfeited the Divine mercy through his idolatry^ 
 but with regard to David and the selection of 
 Jerusalem ; that is to say, not from any special 
 preference for David and Jerusalem, but in 
 order that the promise made to David, (2 Sam. 
 7,) and the choice of Jerusalem as the place 
 where His name should be revealed, which waa 
 connected with that promise, might stand im- 
 movably as an act of grace, which no sin of men 
 could overturn. — Keil, 
 
Nov. 16, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 1 KiXGS 11. 4-13. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 Stanley's Jewish Cliurch, lecture x.xviii. 
 Muurice'.s Proplietji and Kings, Bcrmon v. Mil- 
 mun's Ili-story of the Jews, book vii. Geikie's 
 Hours with tlie Bible, chap. .wii. Bishop 
 Hall's Contemplations, book vii. Freeman's 
 Bible Manners and C'u.itoms, Nos. 183, 301. 
 F. W. Kobcrt-son's Sermon on Solomon's Kos- 
 toration. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustrations, 
 ver. 4 : 6025, G0".t4, 0540 ; 5 : 6532 ; 7 : 3144 ; S : 
 12257 ; y : 66611. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [lessons from Solomon's sin.] 
 
 1. Solomon's sin shows the danger of riches 
 and prosperity to cause forgetfuluess of God and 
 lead to sin. 
 
 2. Solomon's sin shows that learning will 
 never be a substitute for the grace of God. 
 
 3. Solomon's sin shows that .sensual lusts and 
 passions may lead a soul away from God. 
 
 4. Solomon's sin shows that worldly com- 
 panionships are apt to result in wickedness. 
 
 5. Solomon's sin shows that God does not ex- 
 cuse nor overlook the sins of those who enjoy 
 high privileges. 
 
 6. Solomon's sin shows that those who stand 
 high in privilege have need of special watchful- 
 ness, lest they fall. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. nxNIEL WISE, D.D. 
 
 Introduction.— Sin never appears more sinful 
 than when it deforms a character once made beau- 
 tiful by vilety and virtue ; nor is Its guilt ever 
 deeper than when committed by one wlio once 
 walked both in the Ught and experience of the 
 truth. Solomon was such a man, trained by a pious 
 father, specially favored by God manifesting himself 
 in two remarkable visions, one at Gibeon (1 Kings 
 3. 5) and one at Jerusalem, (1 Kings 9, 2-9,) and 
 endowing him with gifts of wisdom and under- 
 standing, he a.ssuredly had " no cloke for his sin." 
 Yet he did sin most shamefully. Consider : 
 
 I. What was Solomon's sin T Several offenses 
 are charged to his account. But his root sin was 
 dUlnyalty to God. " His heart was turned awa^r 
 from the Lord." The word rendered heart in the 
 Old Testament is very significant. It means more 
 than the will, the emotions, and the affecllons ; It 
 reaches down to the depths of one's self-hood out 
 of which thought, feeling, action, flow. See Gen. 
 6.5; Prov. 6.18; Prov. 17. 20. And aUo Christ's 
 vrorda in Matt. 15. 19 : " Out of the heart proceedeth 
 
 evil thoughts," etc., which teach that the Intellect, 
 the affections, the pa.ssions, the actions, derive 
 their moral (juality from the heart, or the funda- 
 mental s('lf-h(jod. Hence, when Solomon's heart 
 was loyal his Inner and outward life was pure. 
 When his heart iH'came dLsIoyal, when he broke the 
 bond of faith and love, he l)egan to sin. 
 
 1. He yiivc himself tn a ncnsual life. Marrying 
 many wives. Ver. 3. 
 
 2. He broke Ood'a positive law by )iiarrying 
 iiEATiiKN women. Ver. 1. 
 
 3. He became an idolater. Ver. 5. And 
 
 4. He acted hypocriticaUy tn that he continued 
 to observe the temple ritca, as Is implied in verse 6, 
 ' ho went not fully after the Lord." Thus he Illus- 
 trates the truth, that disloyalty to God Is the root 
 of many forms of sin. 
 
 II. What moved Solomon to apostatize rrom 
 God ? In Solomon's case, as with all others, there 
 must have Ineen both a motive and a reason. The 
 real cause was the motive, not the reason by which 
 he justified himself when he took the first step. 
 His reason was only the e.xcuse he offered for taking 
 it at the bar of his conscience. What, then, was his 
 motive? It wa.i )iis desire for pleasure. Eccles. 
 2. 1. Flattery, pride, riches, power, had excited and 
 fed evil desires until, after many confiicts, no doubt, 
 he said to his heart, " Go to, now, I will prove thee 
 with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure." By that de- 
 liberate resolve he broke the bond that had bound 
 him to God, and stepped into the "path of the 
 wicked." Thousands have done likewise in every 
 age of the Church. But Solomon gave his con- 
 science a reason for that resolve. What was It ? 
 In Eccles. 2. 3, he tells us that he persuaded him- 
 self It was not the pleasures of sin he sought, but 
 to know " what was good for the sons of meii." 
 This, Uke all the reasons by which men justify sin, 
 was simply self-delusion. He was a wise man 
 thinking and reasoning like a fool, because the 
 mists of his growing lusts were blinding his eyes. 
 
 III. The consequences of Solomon's sin. 
 These, as in all similar cases, were manifold and 
 very serious. 
 
 1. On himself, (a) His conscience ceased to be 
 at peace because of God's anger. Ver. 9. (b) The 
 quiet of his reign was disturbed by several adver- 
 saries. Vers. 14, 23, 26. 
 
 2. On his kingdom. It led to a division of his 
 kingdom after his death. Thus showing that all 
 human sin affects three parties : (a) It offends God. 
 (b) It hurts the sinner himself, (c) It works 111 to 
 others. 
 
 IV. The lesson from Solomon's sin is the Golden 
 Text. "Keep thy heart," etc. If the heart be kept 
 bound closely to God by the tie of loyalty, right 
 feeling and action will follow. The fountain being 
 kept pure, Its issue will be a piire life and a crown 
 
Peov. 1. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 [Nov. 23. 
 
 B. C. 990.] LESSON VIII. 
 
 Proverbs op Solomon. — Prov. 1. 1-16. 
 
 GOLDEIV TEXT — The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.— Prov. 1. 7. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 990. 
 
 Introduction.— The Book of Proverbs was probably written in the interval between the fifteenth and 
 thirtieth years of Solomon's reign ; certainly it was composed before he had been beguiled by his strange 
 wives into idolatry in his old age.— Wordsworth. The long exhortation, characterized by the frequent 
 recurrence of the words "my son," which extends over the first nine chapters, is obviously of the nature 
 of a preface to the collection of the " Proverbs of Solomon," which begins in ch. 10. 1. Vers. 1-6 are as the 
 title-page to the whole work, setting forth its scope and nature ; verse 7 as the motto, indicating 
 the one great truth of which every precept in the book is either a reproduction or an application.— 
 Plumiptre. Other proverbs are like the gatherings up of the wisdom of a nation, in short, pithy, sen- 
 tences, which are the results of human experience or the utterances of human wisdom, caught up and 
 adopted by national consent, and put in circulation by the national will, as the oral currency of national 
 intelligence. But the Proverbs of Solomon are from a higher source. They are coined in another mint. 
 They are not of the earth, earthy ; but they come down from heaven. They are emanations from the 
 pure well-spring of Divine intelligence. If we may venture to adopt another figure— other proverbs are 
 Jaeulaprudenhim; but Solomon's Proverbs are shafts taken out of God's own quiver, and discharged 
 from the Divine bow. Or, to use Solomon's own comparison, they are as goads handled and as nails 
 fastened by " masters of assemblies," and they are all given forth from the hand of " one Shepherd "—even 
 the Divine Shepherd himself. The Proverbs of Solomon came from above, and they also look upward. 
 They teach that all true wisdom is the gift of God, and Is grounded on the fear of the Lord. They dwell 
 ■with the strongest emphasis on the necessity of careful vigilance over the heart, which is manifest only 
 to God ; and on the right government of the tongue, whose sins are rarely punished by human laws ; and 
 on the duty of acting, in all the daily business and social intercourse of life, with an eye steadily fixed on 
 the throne of God, and with habitual reference to the only unerring standard of human practice— his 
 Will and Word.— Wordsworih. 
 
 1 The ' Proverbs of Sol'o-mon the son 2 To know -wisdom and instruction ; 
 of Da'vid, kinsr of Is'ra-el; to perceive the words of understanding; 
 
 1. Tlie Proverbs — A pro;'f;r6 is a sententious 
 maxim, or a short, coiiipreliensive, and weighty 
 saying, expressed frequently, but not always, in 
 metaphorical language; or the tenns are em- 
 ployed in an unusual and peculiar sense, and are, 
 therefore, more or less obscure, requiring some 
 effort of the mind to apprehend them. This 
 seeming disadvantage is compensated by the 
 stronger impression following such mental effort ; 
 and, consequently, by an easier and more perfect 
 retention in the memory. — W. Hunter. Of Solo- 
 mon — Here is a marvel; not a line of Solomon's 
 writings tends to palliate Solomon's sins. How 
 do you account for this ? The errors and follies 
 were his own ; they were evil. But out of them 
 the All-wise has brought good. The glaring im- 
 perfections of the man's life have been used as a 
 dark ground to set off the luster of that pure 
 righteousness which the Spirit has spoken by his 
 lips. — Arnot. Tlie son of David — David, 
 whose life was full of troubles, wrote a book of 
 devotion , for, Is any afflicted f Let him pi-ay. 
 Solomon, who lived quietly, wrote a book of in- 
 
 struction, for when the Churches had rest., they 
 were edified. In times of peace we should learn 
 ourselves and teach others that which, in troub- 
 lous times, both they and we must practice.— 
 Henry. 
 
 The Book of Proverbs does not, as the simple 
 suppose, contain mere plain precepts ; but as gold 
 is to be sought for in the earth, and the kernel 
 lurks in the nut, and chestnuts are inclosed in 
 shaggy husk, so in this book the hidden fruit 
 is to be searched for, and the Divine sense to be 
 diligently explored.— Jerome. 
 
 Like those concentrated essences of food which 
 explorers carry in their knapsacks, the proverb 
 may not present to the eye the appearance of the 
 wisdom that it was originally made of ; but a great 
 quantity of the raw material has been used up in 
 making one, and that one, when skillfully dis- 
 solved, will spread out to its original dimensions. 
 Much matter is pressed into little room, that it 
 may keep and carry.— J.r)iot. 
 
 2. To know — As in the first verse we have 
 the title of the book, so in this and the follow- 
 ing verses, to the sixth, we have its design ot 
 
Nov. 23, 1884. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Prov. 1. l-K 
 
 3 To 'receive the instruction of wis- 
 dom, justice auti judgnieiit, iiu«i "^ ecjuity; 
 
 4 To give subtilty to tlie simple, to 
 tlie young man knowledge and ''discre- 
 tion. 
 
 Chnp. ■.'. 1. 
 
 I Equltirt. 
 
 object .stated and oxplainod. The purpose is dis- 
 ciplinary, educatiotial ; first, witii respect to tlie 
 youTKj nuin, and then to him that is already zvixe, 
 in>tructed.— 11'. Iliiutei: To know wisdom— 
 This pas.ses on into a persoiiilication. Tlie pow- 
 er by which human personality reaches its hij;li- 
 est spiritual perfection, by which all lower ele- 
 nient-sare brought into harmony with the highest, 
 con hardly be thought of as other than itself 
 personal, life-giving, creative. — I'liiniptre. In- 
 struction — Tiuit is, discipline or training, the 
 practicjU complement of the more speeuhitivo 
 wisdom. — PLunifitre. Understanding — The 
 power of distinguishing, discerning right from 
 wrong, truth from its cDuntcifcit.— /V'/wi/'^/r. 
 
 3. To receive the instructions — The whole 
 may bo paraphrased thus: The design of my 
 instructions is to enable you to acquire an in- 
 telligent discipline, or habit of prudence, in your 
 personal conduct, of morality in your social and 
 civil relations, and of rcctilude in all things.— 
 W. Hunter. 'Wisdom— Not the same word as 
 in ver. 2, and better expressed, perhaps, by 
 thoiiffhf/iibiefis, so leading naturally to words 
 which are yet more decidedly ethical. — Ptianptre. 
 Justice — The Englisli word is perhaps some- 
 what too narrow in its received meaning for the 
 Hebrew, which includes the ideas of truth and 
 benelicenee. livihtcousnexs would be a better 
 equivalent. And judgment — A word of com- 
 prehensive meaning, including all distinction, 
 regulation, ordering, right, custom. It seems to 
 have special reference to administrative justice, 
 or doing right in official capacity, never tres- 
 passing upon the rights of others, but preserving 
 and defending them. — IF. Hunter. Eqtdty — 
 In the Hebrew, as-the marginal reading shows, 
 the plund is used, and so expresses the many 
 varying forms and phases of the one pervading 
 principle. — Plumptre. 
 
 4. To give — Subtilty, expertness, shrewd- 
 ness, to train them to mental activity and acu- 
 men. — W. Hunter. To the simple— Properly 
 the open-hearted, that is, one whose licart stands 
 open to every influence from another, the hann- 
 Icss, good-natured.— Z'<'^»toc/i. Totheyoving 
 man — The young, those whose age places them 
 for the most part under the category of the 
 " open," and who, even if their will be stronger, 
 19 
 
 5 A wise vHin will hear, and will 
 increase learning ; and a man of under- 
 standing shall attain unto wise coun 
 sels: 
 
 G To understand a proverb, and ' tlie 
 
 6 Or, Advisement. e Or, 
 
 eloquent (peech. 
 
 still need both knowledge and discipline. — 
 I'lumptre. Doubtless, Solomon's .son, Keho- 
 boam, was in his mind when he wrote the Book 
 of Proverbs, and it was designed primarily for 
 his benefit. There are many juussages in it 
 which specially refer to him. Kehoboam was 
 an infant when Solomon came to the throne ; 
 and he was rather more than forty years of ago 
 when he succeeded Solomon his father. — Words- 
 worth. Discretion — Or discernment, which 
 sets a man on his guard, and keeps him from 
 being duped by false advisei-s. These the teach- 
 er otfers, to save the shnple and the young from 
 the slower and more painful process of gaining 
 them by a bitter vxY^avmive.— Plumptre. 
 
 5. The wise man will hear — This book 
 will not only make the foolish and bad wise and 
 good, but the wise and good wiser and better; 
 and though the simple and the young man 
 may perhaps slight those in.structions, and not 
 be the better for them, yet the tvise man will 
 hear; wi.sdom will be justified by her own chil- 
 dren, though not by the children sitting in the 
 market-place. — Henry. "Will increase learn- 
 ing — The simplest assertion of high moral truths 
 may add something even to the wisdom of the 
 wise. — Plumptre. Attain vmto wise counsels 
 — The term rendered wwe vounfd.f (steernianship, 
 or capability to guide) is somewhat obscure, and 
 has given the critics trouble. The general sense 
 of the verse seems to be an expression of confi- 
 dence that this class of persons will, by means of 
 his instructions, increase in their acquisitions, 
 and so succeed in their ardent and deliberate 
 pursuit of useful knowledge as to obtain the 
 power to steer tJicir course safely through life. — • 
 W. Hunter. 
 
 6. To vmderstand a proverb — These prov- 
 erbs are not merely to be learned by rote ; they 
 are to form a habit of mind. To gain through 
 them the power of entering into the deeper 
 meaning of other proverbs, whether in their 
 simpler form, or more enigmatic and obscure, is 
 the end kept in view, just as our Lord's teaching 
 in Matt. 13 was designed to educate the disci- 
 ples to "know all parables." Mark 4. 13. — 
 Plumptre. And the interpretation — Tlie 
 rendering interpretation spoils the parallelism of 
 the two clauses, and fails to express the Hebrew. 
 
Pkov. 1. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 interpretation; the words of the wise, 
 aud their dark sayings. 
 
 7 The fear of the Lord is ^the begin- 
 ning of knowledge : but fools des2>ise 
 wisdom and instruction. 
 
 8 My son, hear the instruction of thy 
 
 iOr, the principal part. e An adding. 
 
 In Heb. 2. 6, the only other passage in which 
 this word occurs, it is rendered " taunting prov- 
 erb." Here " riddle" or "enigma" would bet- 
 ter express the inesimng.—Plu7nptre. 
 
 7. The fear of the Lord— This, " the fear of 
 the Lord," as has been said, comes as the motto 
 of the book. The beginning of wisdom is not 
 found in keen insight, nor wide experience, nor 
 the learning of the schools, but in the temper 
 of reverence and awe. The fear of the finite in 
 the presence of the Infinite, of the sinful in the 
 presence of the Holy, self-abnorring, adoring, as 
 in Job's confession (42. 5, 6,) this for the Isra- 
 ehte was the starting-point of all true wisdom. 
 — Plumptre. The Lord — Jehovah — is the name 
 commonly applied to the Divine Being in this 
 book; seldom Elohiin — God.— PF. Hunter. Be- 
 ginning of know^ledge . . . fools despise wis- 
 dom — " Knowledge " and " wisdom " are not 
 distinguished here: at least they are not con- 
 trasted. Both terms may be employed to desig- 
 nate the same tiling ; but when they are placed 
 in antithesis, wisdom is the nobler of the two. 
 Knowledge may be possapsed in large measure by 
 one who is destitute of wisdom, and who conse- 
 quently does no good by his attainments, either 
 to himself or to his neiglibors. A lucid defini- 
 tion of botli, in their specific and distinct applica- 
 tions, is embodied in a proverb of this book, 
 15. 2, " The ton!.'ue of the wise useth knowl- 
 edge aright." The two terms taken together 
 indicate, in this te.xt, the best knowledge wisely 
 used for the highest ends. — Arnot. 
 
 The knowledge of God Is the root of knowledge. 
 When branches are cut from a tree and laid on 
 the ground at a certain season, they retain for 
 a time a portion of their sap. I have seen such 
 branches, when the spring came round, pushing 
 forth buds like their neighbors. But very soon 
 the slender stock of sap was exhausted, and as 
 there was no connection with a root, so as to pro- 
 cure a new supply, the buds withered away. 
 How unlike the buds that spring from the branches 
 growing In the living root.— ^rjiot. 
 
 8. My son — He personates a father, and 
 addresses every reader as a son in affection. 
 The fonnula occure frequently in the first nine 
 chapters, and is supposed by some to indicate 
 
 father, aud forsake not the law of thy 
 motlier: 
 
 9 For they shall be *au ornament of grace 
 unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. 
 
 10 My son, if sinners entice thee, ' con- 
 sent tliou not. 
 
 Ephesians 5. U. 
 
 the beginning of a new section. But this is not 
 certain. Hear the instruction of thy father 
 — Parents are tlie natural instructors of their chil- 
 dren. Where they cannot instruct them them- 
 selves, they employ teachers as substitutes. 
 Hence the maxim that the teacher is in loco 
 pa?'entis, in the place of the parent. — W. Hunter. 
 Forsake not the law of thy mother— It has 
 been justly observed that heathen moralists and 
 legislators have magnified the authority of the 
 father, giving him sometimes absolute power, 
 but have made littie of the mother. The Divine 
 morality teaches us to honor both father and 
 mother.— W. Hunter. 
 
 9. An ornament . . . tmto thy head— To 
 the Israelite's mind no signs or badges of joy or 
 glory were higher in worth than the garland 
 round the head, the gold chain round the neck, 
 worn by kings and the favorites of kings. Gen. 
 41. 42 ; Dan. 5. 29. — Plumptre. Chains about 
 thy neck — Chains worn about the neck were an 
 ornament common to both men and women. 
 Thus Pharaoh is said to have put a chain of 
 gold about Joseph's neck, (Gen. 41. 42,) and 
 Belshazzar did the same to Daniel. Dan. 5. 29. 
 They are mentioned as part of the Midianitish 
 spoil. Num. 31. 50. In some cases they were 
 badges of honor or of office.— W. Hunter. By 
 the neck is shown stiifness and stubborimess 
 (Exod. 32. 9) and pride and immodesty, (Isa. 
 3. 16 ;) and by the neck also is shown subjection 
 and obedience; and to bind God's law as a 
 chain about the neck, and to wear it as an orna- 
 ment, is to show ready compliance with it and 
 joyful cheerfulness m doing it, "to make the 
 hardest task the best delight.''^— Wordsworth. 
 
 10. If sinners entice thee— The first great 
 danger which besets the simple and the young 
 is that of evil companionship. The only safety is 
 to be found in the power of saying " No " to all 
 such invitations, however enticing they may be. 
 —Plumptre. Consent thou no1>— It is a blunt, 
 peremptory command. Your method of defense 
 must be diflerent from the adversary's mode of 
 attack. His strength lies in making gradual 
 approaches; yours hi a resistance, sudden, reso- 
 lute, total. — Arnot. 
 
Nov. 23, 1SS4. 
 
 LESSON viir. 
 
 Prov, 1. 1-16. 
 
 11 If they say, Come with us, let 
 * us hiy Wiiit for blood, let us lurk 
 privily for the iuuocent without 
 Ciiuse : 
 
 12 Let us swallow them up alive as 
 the fijrave; and whole, ' us tliose that go 
 down into the pit : 
 
 13 We shall liud all precious sub- 
 
 stance, we shall till our houses with 
 spoil: 
 
 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us 
 all have one purse: 
 
 1") My son, ^walk not thou in the way 
 wi til tiu-m; re train thy foot from their path: 
 
 16 For ' their feet run to evil, and 
 make haste to shed blood : 
 
 11. Let us lay wait for blood— The tuinp- 
 tiition afjruiiist wliicli ilie touuliur seuks to t;uard 
 his disciple is that of joiniii;^ a band of higlnvuy 
 robbers. At no period in its history lias Pales- 
 tine ever risen to tlie security of a well-ordered 
 police system ; and the wild license of the ma- 
 rauder's life attracted, we may well believe, 
 many who were brouglit up in towns. The 
 "vain men" wiio withered round Jephthali, 
 (Judg. 11. 3,) the lawless or discontented who 
 oune to David in Adullam, (iSum. '22. 2,) tlie 
 bands of robbers wlio infested every part of tlie 
 country in the period of the New Testament, 
 and against whom every Roman governor hud 
 to wage incessant war, show how deeply rooted 
 the evil was there. The history of many coun- 
 tries (England, for example, in the popular tra- 
 ditions of Robin Hood and of Henry V.) pre- 
 sents like phenomena. The robber-life lias at- 
 tractions for the open-hearted and adventurous. 
 No generation, perhaps no cla-*s, can atford to 
 despise the warning against it. — Plumptre. 
 Lurk privily for the innocent — Words which, 
 as St. Augustine remarks, readied the clima.Y of 
 their savage and sanguinary significance in the 
 combination of the Jews against the Holy One, 
 whom they liated mthaiit cauac, (John 15. 25,) 
 and in the covetousness of Judas, who confessed 
 his sin with bitter remorse, saying, " I have be- 
 trayed the innocent blood." Matt. 27. 4. The 
 words without cause may be combined with in- 
 nocent, so as to signify one who is innocent to 
 no purpose, although he imagines that his inno- 
 ceney will protect liim — Wonhwortli. 
 
 12. Let us swallow them ... as the grave 
 — The heart of the evil-doers becomes bolder: 
 " We will be as nheol, as hades, as the great 
 under-world of the dead, all-devouring, merci- 
 less. The destruction of those we attack shall 
 be as sudden jls that of those who go down 
 quickly into sheoi:'' Num. 16. 30, ZZ.— Plumptre. 
 " Like hell," hades, orctis, the under-world, a 
 favorite expression of bloodthirsty men in all 
 ages. The strong passions excited by even reg- 
 ular warfare in a good cause atford a temptation 
 to, and, we are sorry to say, otlen an excuse for, 
 
 ■ Chap. 
 
 shocking profanity. This is a prominent vice 
 of military men ; but it should be left to those 
 who fight in a bad cause and for bad ends. The 
 men hero represented are as voracious as the 
 grave. — W. Hunter. And. whole— We may 
 render the latter clause, and upriijht men as 
 those that go down to the pit. Into the pit — 
 Pit, as here used, is of course a synonym for 
 nheol, the great cavernous depth, the shadow- 
 world of the dead. — Plumptre. 
 
 13, 14. "We shall find all precious sub- 
 stance — As the husbandmen, who typified the 
 Jews, said, " This is the heir; come, let us kill 
 him, and the Inheritance shall be ours." Mark 
 12. I.—Bede. Let us all have one purse — 
 The oneness of the purse consists in this, that 
 the booty which each of them gets belongs not 
 wholly or chiefly to him, but to the whole to- 
 gether, and is dispo.sed of by lot ; so that, as far 
 as possible, he who participated not at all in the 
 affair in obtaining it may yet draw the greatest 
 prize. — Delitzsch. The main attraction of the 
 robber-life is its wild communism, the sense of 
 equal hazards and equal liopes. — Plumptre. 
 
 15, 16, "Walk not thou in the way with 
 them — The two diverse ways of God and the 
 world— of the righteous and of sinners — and the 
 two diverse eudu of those two ways, are the sub- 
 ject of both prologues, that of the Psalms (Psa. 1 
 and 2) and of the Proverbs. Chaps. 1-9. The 
 former prologue is expanded in the latter, and 
 branches out into the following chapters, 10-24, 
 which form the main body of tliis book. — 
 Wordsworth. Kefrain thy foot — Tlie only way 
 to escape the end of the sinner's path is to hold 
 back the foot from its beginning, and avoid the 
 fii-st step. Bun to evil— See how constjintly 
 the moral element of life is presented as a mo- 
 tive in God's word. We arc to avoid sin, not 
 merely because it is unwise or unprofitable, but 
 mainly because it is evil. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See the authorities on the life of Solomon, 
 Lessons III, VI, VII. Amot's Laws from 
 Heaven for Life on Earth, chaps, i-iv. Kitto's 
 291 
 
Prov. 1. 1-16. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 Daily Bible Illustrations, 10th week. Geikie's 
 Hours with the Bible, chap, xviii. Freeman's 
 Bible Manners and Castoms. Foster's Cyclope- 
 dia of Illustrations, [numbers marked with a 
 star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 10623 ; 
 2-4: 11260; 4: *885, 12322; 5: *1039, 1116, 
 10191 ; 6 : 4774: 7 : 4179, 8519 ; 8 : 4038, 8670, 
 9864 ; 9 : 1736, 6342 ; 10 : 110, 1117, 8467. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [true knowledge.] 
 
 1. True knowledge can only be gained through 
 instruction Iroin one who has experience and 
 wisdom. Ver. 2. 
 
 2. True knowledge has relation to character 
 
 as well as culture, to morals as well as mind. 
 Vers. 3, 4. 
 
 3. True knowledge will always be appreciated 
 by those who are already possessed of it and are 
 truly wise. Ver. 5. 
 
 4. True knowledge has its basis in a reverence 
 for God and respect for liis law. Ver. 7. 
 
 5. True knowledge will teach us to honor our 
 parents and heed their instructions. Vers. 8, 9. 
 
 6. True knowledge will give grace and beau- 
 ty, better than ornaments of worldly wealth. 
 Ver. 9. 
 
 7. True knowledge will teach us to avoid evil 
 companionships and unjust dealings. Vers. 
 10-16. 
 
 B.C. 990.] 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 True Wisdom. — Prov. 8. 1-17. 
 
 [Nov. 30. 
 
 GOLDEX TEXT.— I love them that love me ; and those that seek me early shall find me. 
 
 —PROV. 8. 17. 
 
 TiME.-B. C. 990. 
 
 Introduction.— In striking contrast with the solicitations of sinful pleasure, presented in the last 
 chapter under the type of an alluring, but dissolute, woman, the instructor now presents the strongest 
 motives to the pursuit and acquisition of wisdom, which he again personifies and represents under the 
 character of a pure, lovely, benevolent, discreet, and affectionate woman, who earnestly seeks, by all 
 suitable means, to attract to herself the sincere affection of human hearts for a high and noble object- 
 that of conferring all manner of good. Unlike the base character of the preceding chapter, she seeks no 
 covert of darkness and secrecy, but gives her invitations publicly, and in the most frequented places, 
 expostulating with the erring, and setting forth the value of the instruction he imparts, both because of its 
 own intrinsic worth and of the heavenly source whence it emanates. —ir. Hunter. We should be taking 
 a very low, unworthy, and inadequate view of the present and following magnificent and subUme 
 chapters, and should be defrauding ourselves of the Divine instruction and heavenly comfort and joy, 
 which the divine Author of them designed to impart by their means to us, and we should be abandoning 
 the high and holy ground taken by all the ancient Christian expositors in interpreting these chapters, if 
 we were to limit our estimate of wisdom, as here described, to mere practical prudence in earthly things, 
 and if we did not rise to loftier ground, and behold Him who is essential wisdom, the co-etemal Son of 
 God, and recognize here a representation of his attributes and prerogatives.— TTordswort/i. 
 
 1 Doth not ^ wisdom cry ? and 
 
 . Chap. 9. 3 ; 1 Cor- 
 
 1. Doth not -wisdom cry — Call aloud. The 
 negative form of the question implies an affirm- 
 ative answer. It is a forcible way of saying that 
 she does these things. — W. Eunter. It is not 
 necessary to inquire whether the wisdom that 
 cries here be an attribute of God, or the person 
 of Emmanuel. We may safely take it for both, 
 or either. The wisdom of God is manifested in 
 Christ, and Christ is the wisdom of God mani- 
 fested. — Arnot. Is it not true that the Lord 
 himself, who is the true wisdom, " hath spoken 
 plainly to the world, and in secret hath said 
 292 
 
 understanding put forth her voice ? 
 
 nothing?" John 18. 20. He preached on the 
 mount to his disciples, he spake openly to the 
 multitudes in the temple, and in places of public 
 resort. — Wordsworth. 
 
 In the Memorabilia of Xenophon (il, 1, 21) we 
 have a beautifnl picture, drawn with exquisite 
 skill, of ViHue and Vice (who calls herself Hap- 
 piness) presenting themselves to the youthful 
 Hercules, at the time of his entrance Into active 
 life, and pleading their respective claims to his 
 allegiance.— Wordsworth. 
 
Nov. 30, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Pnov. 8. 1-ir. 
 
 2 Slie standeth in the top of higli 
 places, by the way in the phices of the 
 paths ; 
 
 3 Slie crieth at the gates, at tlie entry 
 of the city, at the coiniiii; in at tl>e doors: 
 
 4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my 
 voice is to the sons of man. 
 
 5 O ye simple, understand wisdom; 
 and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding 
 heart. 
 
 6 Hear; for I will speak of ' excellent 
 
 2. She standeth In the top of high places 
 
 — The idea conveyed is that of entire uiid suu-iclit- 
 for publicity, iis one who has an important pub- 
 lic niessiijre to deliver — important to all. — 11'. 
 /Iiinter. The adulterous woniaii spake in seeret, 
 the oriK'les of the heatiieii niuttered, but wis- 
 dom speaks openly ; truth seeks no corners, 
 but gladly appeals to the lii^lit. — l/eiiri/. 
 
 3. She crieth at the gates — Literally, She 
 crieth at the hand of tfie (jtite*, at the month of 
 the city, as well as at the htdd of hi(jh places by 
 the uai/. The iliction is highly poetical, it per- 
 sonities inanimate things, and gives them a liv- 
 ing existence and physical organs, a head, a 
 mouth, a hand, and thus prepares us for the 
 noble flight of prophetic iiiiajjination wliich en- 
 sues.— Wordnworth. At the coming in at 
 the doors— Openings, gate-ways, and might bo 
 applied to avenues or other openings, but there 
 is no example ot such application. The general 
 idea is, that she makes her proclamation at all 
 places of public resort. " At the entrance of 
 tlie avenues." — Stuart. Persons desirous of pro- 
 claiming intelligence of great interest sought 
 places where they could be most distinctly aTid 
 most widely heard. Isa. 40. 9 ; 52. 7, 8 ; Luke 
 12. 3.— W.'jIuntcr. 
 
 4. Men . . . sons of man— The two words 
 are used which, like riri and homines, describe 
 the higher and the lower, the stronger and the 
 weaker. — Ptumptre. I call . . . my voice — 
 God's message is to all maidvind, and the voice 
 of the Gospel, the highest wisdom, is not lim- 
 ited to any one class or people. 
 
 5. Ye simple, ... ye fools^(See note, 
 Lesso!i VllI, ver. 4.) These terms in our ver- 
 sion may be unnecessarily stronsr. The original 
 would justify inexperienced, uiisu»pecting, those 
 without culture, untaught and ruilc, and there- 
 fore unprepared for the strateiry of the enemy.— 
 
 W. Hunter. Understand •wnsdom — See notes 
 in Lesson VIII, vers. 2, 3, 7. Of an under- 
 standing heart — Literally, understand the 
 
 things; and the opening of my lips thall 
 be right things. 
 
 7 For my mouth shall 'speak truth; 
 and wickedness in "an ubominatiou to 
 my lips. 
 
 8 All the words of my mouth are in 
 righteousness; there in nothing * forward 
 or perverse in them. 
 
 y They are all plain to him that 
 understandeth, and right to them that 
 find knowledge.' 
 
 I The ahouiilmlioti of iiiv ll|».- 
 
 heart. Comp. chap. 15. 32; 17. l(i, in the He- 
 brew. Heart is to be taken tropically for dis- 
 cretion, prudence, self-government, power to 
 control tlie appetites. — W. Hunter. Learu 
 shrewdness, ye simple ; and fools, be wise in 
 hi^nYX.— Conant. 
 
 6. I will speak of excellent things— Literal- 
 ly, " princely things." The word is not the same 
 as that translated " excellent " in ch. 22. 20, and is 
 elsewhere always used of jiersons, as in 1 Sam. 
 9. 16 ; 2 Sam. 5. 2. It is characteristic of the 
 highly poetic .style of this part of the book that 
 it should be used here either of the things taught, 
 or, as if adverbially, of the character of the teach- 
 ing. — Plumptre. Bight things — Straight, the 
 opposite of every thing tortuous, disingenuous, 
 dishonest.— W. Hunter. 
 
 7, 8. My mouth shall speak — More literal- 
 ly, my palate meditates truth ; only that which 
 is true. Mouth, or palate, means the inner part 
 of the mouth, the seat of taste, often used for the 
 mouth as the organ of taste and speech. Job 
 31. 30 ; Sol. Song 5. 16.— W. Hunter. The lan- 
 guage implies rather the inward molding of the 
 word; the reflective consideration that precedes 
 speech. — Zdckler. "Wickedness is an abomina- 
 tion — True wisdom, in all its in(|uirics, never 
 disregards moral relations ; and by it evil is 
 never placed upon an equality with good. All 
 the words of my mouth are in righteotos- 
 ness— The words of the ideal wisdom find their 
 highest fulfillment in that of the incarnate Word. 
 There also gracious words proceeded out of his 
 mouth, (Luke 4. 22 ;) in him wisdom was justified 
 of all her children, (Matt. 11. 19;) Justus here 
 she declares that "her ways are plain," not to 
 the perverse and careless, but " to him that un- 
 derstandeth." — Phnnptre. 
 
 9, 10. Plain to him that understandeth — 
 However obscure these teachings may be to the 
 untaught, gross, and sensual, tliey will be readi- 
 ly apprehended by well-disposcil and disciplined 
 minds.— W. Hunter. Knowledge rather than 
 2a3 
 
Pkov. 8. 1-17. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 10 Receive my instruction, and not 
 silver; and knowledge rather than 
 choice gold. 
 
 11 For * vpisdotn is better than rubies ; 
 and all the things that may be desired 
 are not to be compared to it. 
 
 Psa. 19. 
 
 : Or, subtilty 
 
 clioice gold — Tlie love of money is a root of 
 evil against which the Bible mercifully deals 
 many a blow. There lies one of our deepest 
 sores ; thanks be to God for touching it with 
 " line upon line " of his healing word. When a 
 man is pursuing a favorite object with his whole 
 heart, it is irksome to hear a Warner's word con- 
 tinually dropping on his unwilling ear, telling 
 that the choice is foolish. — Arnot. 
 
 11. ■Wisdom is better than rubies— Sup- 
 posed by Bochart, Ilartniann, Bohlen, and most 
 of the ral)bis, to signify pea/is ; and if this be the 
 true meaning, we may compare our Lord's words 
 concerning "the iiearl of great price." Matt 
 13. 46. — Wordsworth. It will bring vis in a bet- 
 ter price, be to us a better portion, show it 
 forth and it will be a better ornament, tlian jew- 
 els and precious stone> of the greatest value. — 
 Henry. Things that may be desired— All de- 
 sirable things. Comp. ver. 19. Wisdom had be- 
 gun to specify silver, gold, pearls, but cuts the 
 matter short by including all valuable and desir- 
 able things. Her teachings are more valuable 
 than all else. Comp. 3. 15. — W. Hunter. 
 
 A ship bearing a hundred emigrants has been 
 driven from her course, and wrecked on a desert 
 island far from the tracks of men. The passen- 
 gers get safe ashore with all their stores. They 
 know not a way of escape ; but they possess the 
 means of subsistence. An ocean unvisited by or- 
 dinary voyagers circles round their prison, but 
 they have seed, with a rich soil to receive and a 
 genial climate to ripen it. Ere any plan has been 
 laid, or any operation begun, an explorini? party 
 returns to head-quarters reporting the discovery 
 of a gold mine ; thither instantly the whole com- 
 pany resort to dig. They labor successfully day 
 by day, and month after month ; they acquire and 
 accumulate heaps of gold. The people are quickly 
 becoming rich : but the spring is past, and not a 
 field has been cleared, not a ^ain of seed commit- 
 ted to the ground. The summer comes, and their 
 wealth increases, but the store of food is small. In 
 harvest they begin to discover that their heaps of 
 gold are worthless. A cartload of it cannot satisfy 
 a hungry child. When famine stares them in the 
 face a suspicion shoots across their fainting hearts 
 that the gold has cheated them ; and they begin 
 to loathe the bright betrayer. They rush to the 
 woods, fell the trees, dig out the roots, till the 
 ground, and sow the seed. Alas I it is too late. 
 
 12 I wisdom dwell with ' prudence, 
 and find out knowledge of witty iuven^ 
 tions. 
 
 13 The * fear of the Lord is to hate 
 evil: pride, "and arrogancy, and the evil 
 way, and ' tlie froward mouth, do I hate. 
 
 ?hap. 6. 17.- 
 
 hap. 4. 24. 
 
 Winter has come, and their seed rots in the soil. 
 They die of want in the midst of their treasures.— 
 Arnot. 
 
 12. I wisdom dwell with prudence — W^is- 
 dom inhabits prudence, has settled down, as it 
 were, and taken up her residence in it, is at liome 
 in its whole sphere, and rules it. — Delitzsch. 
 Prudence — Pradence here denotes right knowl- 
 edge in special cases, in contrast with the more 
 comprehensive idea of intelligence in general — 
 the practical realization of tlie higher principle 
 of knowledge found in wisdom. — Elster. Wis- 
 dom, high and lofty, occupied with things heav- 
 enly and eternal, does not exclude, yea, rather 
 "dwells with" the practical tact and insight 
 needed for the life of common men. — Plirmptre. 
 Find out know^ledge of witty inventions — 
 " Witty inventions." Counsels would, perhaps, 
 express better than any other word tlie truth in- 
 tended, that all special rules for the details of life 
 spring out of the highest Wisdom as their soui'ce. 
 — PI umpire. 
 
 Christ found out the knowledge of that great 
 invention, and a costly one it was to him, man's 
 salvation, by his satisfaction, an admirable ex- 
 pedient; we had found out many inventions 
 for our ruin, he found out one for our recovery. 
 —Henry. 
 
 13. The fear of the Lord— See notes. Les- 
 son VIII, verse 7. Is to hate evil — That is, 
 true piety, or true religion, produces a hatred of 
 all evil. This is its essence. Certain forms of 
 evil are then specified. — W. Hiuiter. Pride 
 and arrogancy — The virtue of all virtues is 
 humility ; tlierefore Wisdom hates, above all, 
 self-exaltation in all its forms. — Delitzsch. 
 And the froward mouth — All perverse and 
 perverting speech. These four appellations seem 
 to cover the feelings, thoughts, words, and 
 actions. The man of piety, the votary of divine 
 Wisdom, must, like her, hate all manner of evil, 
 and, consequently, love and practice all manner 
 of good. — W. Hunter. 
 
 To fear retribution is not to hate sin; in most 
 cases it is to love It with the whole heart. It Is a 
 solemn suggestion that even the religion of dark, 
 unrenewed men is, in its essence, a love of their 
 own sins. Instead of hating sin themselves their 
 
Nov. 30, 1884. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 Pro 
 
 -17. 
 
 14 Couusel is mine, and sound wis- 
 dom: I am understanding; *I have 
 strength. 
 
 15 By ' mc kings reign, and princes 
 decree justice. 
 
 ) DaD. 2. «1; 7. 14 ; Matt. 98. 16 ; Rom. 
 
 Krand regret Is that God hat«s It. If they could 
 be convinced that the Jiidpe would re^rard It as 
 lightly aa the culprit, the fear would collapse like 
 steam under cold wat«r, and all the religious 
 machinery which it drove would stand still.— 
 Aitiot. 
 
 14. Covmsel is mine— Perhaps the following 
 more nearly cxprusses it. Stability and reality 
 belonu:to nio ; that is, I teacli that wlilcli is Uur- 
 ahle and real. Tlie latter clause Stuart renders, 
 " As for me, my might is understandiui^ ; " that 
 is, with me undcrstandinsr is strengrh ; Bacon's 
 maxim, " Knowledge is power.'' — W. Hunter. 
 
 15, 16. By me kings reign— Kings tlicm- 
 selves sit not fast on their thrones, though 
 placed there by God himself, unless they be 
 ruled by me. In vain do their great captains 
 and other ministers endeavor to defend them, 
 but under the conduct antl protection of my dis- 
 cipline. — BUhop Ritfick. This wisdom, the es- 
 sential wisdom of God, is here none other than 
 Christ. These words were uttered by Christ 
 before he was in the flesh ; but they are no less 
 as good gospel as if they had been recorded by 
 any of the four evangelist-s ; they are gospel be- 
 fore any gospel of them all. Thus mucli for the 
 •luthor of the speech. -^Mo/) AnJrewes. By 
 me princes mle — If rulers would rule well — 
 jTOsperously and permanently— tliey must rule 
 in accordance with the dictates of wisdom, 
 which meims not low cunning, political strategy, 
 unprincipled management, party trickery, and 
 official fraud; but high, honorable, and just 
 aims and actions, in accordance with the prin- 
 ciples of righteousness and truth. — W. Hunter. 
 
 17. I love them that love me— In this life 
 each man finds what he strives to find. Those 
 who mm for knowledge find knowledge eager to 
 meet them ; those wlio seek for God find God 
 seeking for them ; those whose thought is of 
 riches see opportunities for wealth beckoning to 
 tiiem from every hill-top, however it may after- 
 ward elude their grasp. Seek me early— Or, 
 speedily, earnestly. As though Wisdom had 
 
 16 By me princes rule, and nobles, 
 even all the judges of the earth. 
 
 17 I ■■° love them that love me; and 
 " tliose that seek me early sliall find 
 me. 
 
 ->01 S»m. «. 30; John U. »!.• 
 
 said, Seeing that my favor and guidance are es- 
 sential to real success, especially to those in liigh 
 places, this one thing is necessary to the obtain- 
 ing them, namely, to loce /««, to seek me, speedily 
 and earnestly. — W. Hunter. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 See on Lesson VIII, also Arnot's Laws from 
 Heaven for Life on Earth, page 143. Sunday 
 Magazine, 1870, page 507. The Pricelessness of 
 Knowledge, by Dr. T. Guthrie. Pulpit Analyst, 
 vol. v. Outline, by W. W. Wythe, on Children 
 Invited. Stems and Twigs, vol. i, outline on 
 verse 17, Love Returned. Simeon's Ilone 
 Iloniileticie. Foster's Cyclopedia of Illustra- 
 tions, [numbers marked with a star refer to 
 poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 6050 ; 4 : 10632, 
 *2755; 5: *1351, 8783; 10, 11: *2999, *3000; 
 12: *2607, 4802, 11286; 15: 4060; 16: 10749; 
 17 : 638, 1063, 1776, 8232. 
 
 Practical Thoughts, 
 
 [CHRIST AS THE SOURCE OF WISDOM.] 
 
 1. Christ, as the living word of wisdom, ex- 
 tends his invitation to all the sons of men. 
 Vers. 1-4. 
 
 2. Christ gives his wisdom to the willing and 
 open-hearted who are conscious of need and 
 ready to receive light. Ver. 5. 
 
 3. Christ offers to men wisdom of princely 
 worth, and in the way of truth. Vers. 6, 7. 
 
 4. Christ gives a wisdom which is pure and 
 righteous, without the alloy of knowledge of 
 evil. Ver. 8. 
 
 5. Christ's words are plain to those whose 
 hearts are riglit, though dark to those witliout 
 the fellowship of God. Ver. 9. 
 
 6. Christ's wi.«dom is more precious than all 
 the gains of earth. Ver. 10, 11. 
 
 7. Christ offers a wisdom which is of value in 
 the practical details of life. Ver. 12. 
 
 8. Christ's wisdom may be obtained by all 
 who are in earnest to seciure it. 
 
 295 
 
Prov. 23. 29-35. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 B. C. 990.] 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Drunkenness.— Prov. 23. 29-35. 
 
 [Dec. 7. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— Be not among wine-bibbers.— Prov. 23. 20. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 990. 
 
 Introduction.— This remarkable description would prove, although it stood alone, that ancient 
 brewers contrived to manufacture liquors of power sufficient to produce and sustain full-grown drunk- 
 enness, and that ancient drunkards contrived to make themselves thorough sots upon such drinks as 
 they had. If the malady in its more advanced stages had not existed, this description would not have 
 been written and could not have been understood. There may have been, and there certainly were, 
 differences between ancient and modern times, as there are now between vine-growing and grain- 
 growing countries, both as to the power of the draughts used and the proportion of inebriates to the 
 population ; but specimens of intoxicating drink and intoxicated men were not wanting in Solomon's 
 kingdom in Solomon's day.—A7-)i<)t. 
 
 29 Wlio Miath woe ? wlio hath sorrow? 
 who liath contentions ? who hath bab- 
 bling ? wlio hath wounds without cause? 
 ■who hath redness of eyes ? 
 
 ;hap. M. I ; Isa 
 
 29. "WTio hath woe — The words correspond- 
 ing to the two substantives are, strictly speak- 
 ing, interjections. " Who hath oh, who hath 
 abo," a word not found elsewhere, but proba- 
 bly an interjection, expressing distress. The 
 sharp touch of the satirist reproduces the actual 
 inarticulate utterance of drunkenness. — Fltimp- 
 tre. WTio hath contentions — When the 
 wine is in, the wit is out, and the passions up : 
 and thence come drunken scufiles, and drunken 
 disputes over the cups. — Henry. Nearly all 
 the murders and brawls are caused by liquor, 
 and niore than lialf of them take place in liquor 
 saloons. Babbling— Listen to his talk, mean- 
 ingless, driveling, and about matters of which he 
 knows nothing. — D. A. Whedon. Wounds 
 without cause — The wounds which men re- 
 ceive in defense of their country and its just 
 rights are their honor, hut wovndsicithovt cavse 
 received in service of their lusts are marks of 
 their infamy. — Henri/. Redness of eyes — 
 Blood-shot, blurred, or bleared eyes. Gen. 40. 
 12. lAi^mWY 1 darhness or ohscvrity of ej/es. It 
 may perhaps refer to the obscurity of vision pro- 
 duced by intoxication. — TV. Hvnter. 
 
 30. Tarry long at the -wine — Compare Isa. 
 3. 11; Job 1. 4; 2S. P. The goodness of the 
 wine of Candia renders the Candiots great 
 drinkers, and it often happens that two or three 
 such will sit down together at the foot of a cask 
 from whence they will not depart till they have 
 emptied \t.— <Jalmet''g Fragment, 199. They 
 that go to seek— There is a touch of sarcasm 
 
 30 They tliat tarry long at the wine ; 
 they that go to seek mi.\ed wine. 
 
 31 Look not thou upon the wine 
 wlien it is red, when it givetli his colour 
 
 Eph. 5. 13. 
 
 in "go to seek." The word elsewhere used of 
 diligent search after_ knowledge (Job 11. 7 > 
 Psa. 138. 1 ; Prov. 25. 2) is here used, as it iron- 
 ically of the investigations of connoisseure in wine 
 meeting to test its qualities. — Plumptre. Mixed 
 wine— Strong wine, but made so by the admix- 
 ture of foreign substances ; whereas the Greeks 
 and Latins by mixed wine always understood 
 wine diluted and lowered with water ; the He- 
 brews, on the central-}', generally meant by it 
 wine made stronger and more inebriating by the 
 addition of higher and more powerful ingredi- 
 ents, such as honey, spices, defrutum, (or wine 
 inspissated by boiling it down to two thirds or 
 one half of the quantity.) — Lmoth. 
 
 The chemical analysis of the liquors used by the 
 people in this country shows that they drink 
 alcohol, arsenic, alum, aloes, bitter almonds, 
 blood, chalk, cherry-laurel water, cocculus indicus, 
 copperas, gypsum, henbane, isinglass, lime, lead, 
 logwood, nux vomica, opium, oil of vitriol, oil of 
 juniper, oil of turpentine, tobacco, sugar of lead, 
 resin, etc.— S. S. Jownal. 
 
 31. Look not thou — The safeguard is that 
 we look not npon the ivine, namely, in total 
 abstinence from all that can intoxicate. (1) It is 
 certain that they who let intoxicating drinks 
 entirely alone will never become drunkards ; it 
 is uncertain about all who do not. (2) In moder- 
 ate or ^occasional drinking there is never safety. 
 The appetite is quickly acquired, and the habit 
 is often formed before one is aware of it. When 
 the appetite is inherited, a single glass may 
 
1884. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Pkov. 23. 29-35. 
 
 in the cup, when it movetli itself 
 ari-rht: 
 
 32 At tlio last it l)itetli like n 
 serpent, and stingetli like " an ad- 
 der. 
 
 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange 
 
 80 rouse and inflaiuo it as to render recovery 
 aluiosl impossible. (3) Tliere is no safety in 
 the use of pure liquui-s instead of the impure. 
 Doublle.s8 they are less deadly than the drujrged 
 and poisonou-s iui.\tures whieh arc manufactured 
 and sold for wiue, brandy, whisky, etc., but 
 woe, sorrow, poison, and death are in them all. 
 (4 ) Safety is not in light wines, ale, and cider ; 
 that is, in fermented liiiuors insteiul of spirituous. 
 Drunkenness abounds in all wine-growing dis- 
 tricts; it did in Palestine, as the lesson shows. 
 —D. A. IV/uiio/i. "WTienit is red— The wine 
 of Lebanon is said to be of a rich golden color, 
 like Malaga, or the darker sherries. Sometimes 
 tlie color is heightened by saffron. "WTien it 
 giveth its color— Literally, "its eye," the 
 clear brir/htntss, or the beaded bubbles on which 
 the wine-drinker looks witli complacency. — 
 Pliniijitre. In the cup — Sparkles or bubbles 
 when poured out or shaken ; " cames a bead," 
 ■which is regarded to be an indication of the 
 strength anil (piality of the liquor. Some wines 
 arc celebrated for their brilliant appearance— as 
 those of Lebanon, which were said to bo of a 
 rich golden color. Red wines are most esteemed 
 in the East.— IT. Hunter. When it moveth 
 itself aright— The EiiL'lish suggests the thou.L'lit 
 of a sparkling wine, but the Hebrew word, here 
 and in Song of Solomon 7. 0, -where it is rendered 
 "goeth down sweetly," describes rather the 
 pellucid stream flowing pleasantly from the w ine- 
 skin or jug into the goblet, or the throat.- 
 Plninpfre. 
 
 32. Biteth like a serpent— Pleasant as the 
 cup is at the moment, afterward it brings the sharp 
 stiui.' of remorse, of misery, of conscious degra- 
 dation and shame, and the terror of wrath l.o 
 ooir.e. No drunkard is a happy man. Adder — 
 The .cockatrice, a.s in the maririn. It was a very 
 veiionious serpent. So dritik poisons the body, 
 pollutes the .soul, destroys the health, enfeebles 
 the mind, and damns both soul and body in 
 hell.— /^ .1. WheJan. Worst of all, at last, 
 when the cup of drunkenness shall be turned 
 into a cup of tremblin>r, the cup of the Lord's 
 ■wrath, the dregs of which he must be forever 
 drinking, and shall not have a drop of water to 
 cool his inflamed tongue. — Ileiu-y. 
 
 women, and thine heart shall utter per- 
 verse tilings: 
 
 3-4 Yea, thou .shalt he as he that lieth 
 down * in the midst of the sea, or as he 
 that lieth upon the top of a mast. 
 
 35 They •' have stricken me, ahalt 
 
 -aChai). •.'7. SV; Jrr. 5. 3. 
 
 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange 
 ■women — Licentiousness is almo.si always con- 
 nected with drunkenness. Drink inflames the 
 lustful passions, dethrones reason, and destroys 
 self-control. How many fall from virtue into 
 ruin by a single glass! — D. A. iV/ieJoii, 
 Strange women— There is another interpre- 
 tation to this expression. Thine eye shall see 
 strange things ; not strange women, but strange 
 things, the oljjeets of a drunken man's vision, as 
 the doubling of certain objects, their inversion, 
 their trenmlous or swaying motion. — ZOckler. 
 Is thei'e liere a refei-ence to the delirium tre- 
 meni>, w hich Miller calls " the iiif/?ifmare of the 
 vice?" — the horrible imagery and sjiectral ter- 
 rors conjured up under the intluenee oCfiiania a 
 yotnf — W. Harder. Utter perverse things 
 —The tongue also grows unruly, and talks e.\- 
 travagantly ; by it the heart utters perverse 
 thiiif/s, things contrary to rea.son, religion, and 
 common civility, which they would be a-shanied 
 to speak if they were sol)er. — //euri/. 
 
 34. As he that lieth down in the midst 
 of the sea— Their heads are giddy, and, when 
 they lie down to sleep, they are as if they were 
 tossed by the rolling waves of the sea, or upon 
 the top (if a riiavt ; hence they complain that 
 their heads swim; their sleeps are connnonly 
 unquiet and not refrcshiuL', and their dreams 
 tumultuous. — Henry. Lieth upon the top 
 of a mast — lie is utterly regardless of life: 
 which is expressed very forcibly by one in a 
 state of Intoxication ascending the shrouds, 
 clasping the mast-head, and there falling asleep : 
 whence, in a few moments, he must either full 
 down upon the deck and be dashed to pieces, or 
 fall into the sea and bo drowned. — Clarke. 
 They are in imminent danger of death, of datn- 
 nation, lie aa much exposed as if they slept 
 upon the top of a mast, and yet are secure, and 
 sleep on.— Henry. 
 
 35. They have stricken me— The drunk- 
 ard, in his sottish stupidity, .soliloquizes, ap- 
 parently unconscious of any evil eflccts from his 
 indulgence, and is urged by the strength of his 
 appetite and habits to pursue his old vice. — W. 
 Hunter. I felt it not — The drunkard does not 
 
 feel the rebuke that he receives, his upprehension 
 
Prov. 23. 29-35. 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 thou say, and I was not sick; they 
 have beaten me, and '1 felt it not: 
 
 when ^ shall I awake ? I will seek it yet 
 again. 
 
 t. Eph. 4. 
 
 being dulled into stupidity. I will seek it yet 
 again — Even in his consciousness of misery 
 there is a knowledge that there is around him a 
 chain which will again drag him down to drink. 
 Among the certain facts the following may be 
 affirmed : (1) That the Bible nowhere condemns 
 abstinence from strong drinks, (2) That the 
 Bible nowhere associates God's blessing with 
 the use of strong drinks. (3) That the Bible, 
 in various ways, commends abstinence from 
 strong drinks. (4) That the Bible, in various 
 and emphatic methods, exhibits the manifold 
 evils of strong drinks. (5) That the Bible is 
 the first book that proclaimed abstinence to be 
 the cure for drunkenness. (6) That the great 
 principle of the Bible — philanthropy — enforces 
 the practice of abstinence. — Lees. 
 
 1. The drunkard forfeits man ; and doth divest 
 
 All wordly right, save what he has by beast. 
 
 —Geo. Herbert. 
 
 2. Sin makes a man contemptihle in life, mis- 
 erable in death, and wretched to all eternity. Is 
 It not strange, then, that men should love it?— 
 A. Clarke. 
 
 3. When the Duke of Wellington, in one of his 
 campaigns, heard that a large supply of wine 
 lay in his march, he at once sent out a body of 
 troops to knock every wine-barrel on the head. 
 
 4. I never suffer ardent spirits in my house, 
 thinking them evil spirits ; and if the poor could 
 witness the white livers, the dropsies, the shat- 
 tered nervous systems, which I have seen as the 
 consequences of drinking, they would be aware 
 that spirits and poisons are synonymous terms.— 
 Sir Astley Cooper. 
 
 5. When the most famous of modern pugilists 
 was asked if he did not use plenty of ale and por- 
 ter while in training for his brutal prize-flghts, 
 he replied, " When I have business on hand there 
 is nothing like cold water and the dumb-bells."— 
 Cuiiler. 
 
 6. Weston, the pedestrian, once said that to use 
 wine or whisky, even moderately, when under- 
 taking one of his great feats, would insure its fail- 
 ure. 
 
 7. "What is whisky bringing?" inquired a 
 dealer. " Bringing women and children to want," 
 was the appropriate answer.— JBunga;/. 
 
 8. Annual cost of the liquor traffic in the United 
 States, $1,650,000,000. The meat bill of New 
 York, for the year, is $30,000,000, and the liquor 
 bill $68,000,000. 
 
 9. In England, where moderate drinking Is al- 
 lowed in many of the Churches, 30,000 professino 
 Christians are annually the victims of the cup. 
 
 >Deut. 29. 19 ; Isa. 66. 12 ; 2 Peter 2. 22. 
 
 10. It is estimated that, in the United States and 
 Territories, 130,000 places are licensed to sell 
 spirituous liquors, and 390,000 persons are era- 
 ployed in these grog-shops. If we add to these 
 the number employed in distilleries and wholesale 
 liquor-shops we shall have about 570,000, while 
 there are but 150,000 ministers and school teach- 
 ers. While one class is laboring to advance the 
 country in moral and spiritual life, the other plies 
 the work of death. The clergymen cost the 
 United States $12,000,000 annually ; the criminals, 
 $40,000,000 ; the lawyers, $80,000,000 ; intoxicating 
 drinks, to satisfy and increase depraved appetites, 
 $700,000,000. The liquor traffic annually sends 
 100,000 to prison, reduces 200,000 children to a 
 state worse than orphanage, sends 60,000 to a 
 drunkard's grave, makes 600,000 drunkards, and 
 brings woe, disease, misery, crime, and premature 
 death all over the land.- National Temperance 
 Almanac. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See the Lesson Helps for 1876, 3d Quarter, 
 Lesson X. Freeman's Bible Manners and Cus- 
 toms, No. 460. Dr. Richardson's Ten Lectures 
 on Alcohol. Canon Farrar's Ten Talks on 
 Temperance. Dr. Crane's Arts of Intoxication. 
 History and Mystery of a Glass of Ale. The 
 Kev. Dr. Willoughby and his Wine. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Hlustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 29 : 
 *2002, 8181, 11540; 30: * 932, 3328; 31: 1656, 
 *2993, 6039; 32: 6329, 9953; 33: 5311, 10362; 
 34: 8176; 25: 12155. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [the warning against wine.] 
 
 1. Our lesson warns against the woe and 
 wickedness which strong drink brings. Ver. 29. 
 
 2. It warns against strong drink as the cause 
 of quarrel and strife among men. Ver. 29. 
 
 3. It warns against strong drink as causing 
 bloodshed and injury. Ver. 29. 
 
 4. It warns against strong drink as bringing 
 weakness and disease to the physical system. 
 Ver. 29. 
 
 5. It warns against strong drink as a tempter 
 which seduces men to destruction. Ver. 31, 32. 
 
 6. It warns against strong drink as exciting 
 lustful passions. Ver. 33. 
 
 7. It warns against strong drink as fastening^ 
 the chain of habit, from which escape is well- , 
 nigh impossible. Ver. 35. 
 
Dec. 14, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 1-13, 
 
 B.C. 980.] 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 [Dec. 14, 
 
 Vaottt op Wohlw-y ri.EAsuuEs.— Eccles. 2. 1-13. 
 
 GOLDEN TEXT.— WlHdoiii rxorllelli folly, an far aa HkIiI .-xc-ll.-tli dorkness.— ECCL. 2. 13. 
 
 TIME.~B. C. 980. 
 
 iNTRonrcTiox.- Eccleslastes Is the long-received Greek term for the Heb. Kohelcth, or Oihckth. This 
 is a feiiilnine partuiple of the verb which mmmto collect, api)Ilecl to collections of people, and usually for 
 rcli^floiis |)urposes. The Illness or this term as applied to Solomon Is conceded by all, however much 
 critics may differ upon the questli>n of its actual authorship, lu 1 Kings 8 he Is dcscrilH-d as gathering 
 theiH'opleof Israel in a grand, solemn assembly U) worship Jehovah In the i)lace which he had now 
 built— "a settled place." Here he Uiught them to have counnunlon with the Most High, and to come 
 there with Joy and gladness to keep their holy days. He Is the one of all the rulers and inspired men of 
 Ismel to whom this title eminently belongs. As title or this book, Koheleth is sinu'ularly beautiful and 
 appropriate. The work of the book is to gather the ixjople from dlillculties and |)erplexities and vanities 
 and errors, which led them astray from God, back to his truth, his law, and himself. This is done with 
 the sympathy, patience, and gentleness of a shepherd, yet with the dignity of a teacher and the authority 
 of a king.— Dr. Hudc. Authorsliiij of Ecchxkmlcx.—'VhK question of authorship mu.st not he made too 
 important. There are other accepted books of Scripture whose authors have not been Identllled— a.s the 
 glowing, earnest book of Malachl. By whatever hand God was plea-sed to give " Koheleth " to the world 
 —whether we discern the body of the writer, or lose it behind an impenetrable screen— we may rest con- 
 fidently upon the book itself. Its broad sympathies, its profound and practical experience in so various 
 affairs, its culm, wise, and gentle guidance, by meandering paths, from darkness to consoling light— 
 these were given to us by the inspiration of God, and are proQtable for doctrine, for reproof, and for In- 
 stniction in righteousness.— Dr. Hudc. On the whole, it seems the most reasonable course to accept as a 
 simple statement of fact the words with which Eccleslastes begins; and. In accordance with the voice of 
 the Church from the beginning, to regard Solomon as the author of this book. AVe are not Indeed bound 
 to assert this fact in such way as If the authorship of a book of Scripture were of the same Importance to 
 readers of Scripture as the spiritual facts revealed and the practical niles Inculcated therein.— Bullock. 
 Inxpimtion of KccJwiVisfcs.— By " Inspired " I do not mean that all the feelings to which that book gives 
 uttenince are right or holy feelings. John could not have written that book. John, who had lived In the 
 atmosphere of love, looking on this world as God looks on It— calmly, with the deep peace of heaven In 
 his soul, at peace with himself and at peace with man— John could never have penned the book of Eccle- 
 slastes. To have written the book of Eccleslastes a man must have been qualified In a peculiar way. He 
 must have been a man of intense feeling; large in heart, as the Bible calls it. He must have been a 
 man who had drunk deep of unlawful pleasure. He must have been a man in the upper ranks of socletyt 
 with plenty of leisure and plenty of time to brood on self. Therefore, in saying it Is an inspired book, 
 I mean the Inspired account of the workings of a guilty, erring, and yet, at last, conquering, spirit. It is 
 not written as a wise and calm Christian would write, but as a heart would write which was fevered 
 with disappointment, jaded with passionate attempts in the pursuit of blessedness, and forced to God as 
 the last resource.— F. IJ'. UobcHson. 
 
 1 I said ' in mine heart. Go to now, I 
 will prove thee witli mirth ; therefore 
 
 1. I said — Having stated liis experience of 
 the vanity of wi.sdoni, Solomon now relates how 
 he pursued hisinvesti-^ation witli his second trit't, 
 namely, riclics, untl the enjoyments which riclics 
 supply ; and how this brought him to the same 
 result. The course of action pursued by him in 
 this chapter has been compared with that of the 
 rich man in our Lord's parable. (Luke 12. 16-21.) 
 But it must be remembered that Solomon's ob- 
 ject was the acquisition of wisdom, not self-indul- 
 gence, and that he did not fail to look forward 
 to the certainty of death overtaking him. — Hui- 
 
 enjoy pleasure : and, behold, 
 vanity. 
 
 this also is 
 
 aUa. 50. II. 
 
 fork. In mine heart — Better, 'Jo mi/ hmrt. 
 Go to — Rather, Come now. — Dr. Hyde. Prove 
 
 thee with mirth By allowing to myself tho 
 
 free ciijoyinent of the present and sen.-iblc de- 
 liglits of human life. — /'oo/. Enjoy pleas- 
 ure — " See pleasure." In ancient language " to 
 see" is used in a wider range of meanings, as 
 that of " to experience." — I>r. Hyde. Vanity- 
 It is most important to understand this word, 
 {hebeli or, as it is spelt, when used as a proper 
 name, in Gen. 4. 2, ahel^) wliich occurs no less 
 than thirty-seven times in Ecclesuistcs, and has 
 299 
 
ECCLES. 2. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON XL 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 2 I said ^ of laughter, It is mad ; and 
 of mirth what doeth it ? 
 
 3 I ^sought in mine heart "to give 
 myself unto wine, yet acquainted mine 
 heart with wisdom, and to lay hold on 
 folly, till I might see what was that good 
 
 aProv. 14.13; Chap. 7. 
 
 «Chap. 1 n. aToarawmy 
 
 been called the key of the book. Primarily it 
 means "breath," " light wind," as it should be 
 translated in Isa. 57. 13, etc. It denotes that 
 which (1) passes away more or less quickly and 
 completely, (2) leaves either no result or no ade- 
 quate result behind, and therefore (3) fails to 
 satisfy the mind of man, which naturally craves 
 for something permanent and progressive ; it is 
 also applied to (4) idols, as contrasted with the 
 living, eternal, and almighty God, and thus in 
 the Hebrew mind it is connected with sin. In 
 this book it is applied to all works on earth, to 
 pleasure, grandeur, wisdom, the life of man, 
 childhood, youth, and length of days, the obliv- 
 ion of tlie grave, wandering and unsatisfied de- 
 sires, unenjoyed possessions, and anomalies in 
 the moral government of the world. — Bullock. 
 Solomon here, in pursuit of the siimmum honum 
 —the felicity ot man, adjourns out of his study, 
 his library, his elaboratory, his council-chamber, 
 where he had in vain sought for it, into the park 
 and the play-house, his garden and his summer- 
 house; exchanges the company of the philoso- 
 phers and grave senators for that of the wits and 
 gallants and the beaux-esprits of his court, to try 
 if he could And true satisfaction and happiness 
 among them. Here he takes a great step down- 
 ward, from the noble pleasures of the intellect to 
 the brutal ones of sense; yet, if he resolve to 
 make a thorough trial, he must knock at this door, 
 because here a great part of mankind imagine 
 they have found that which he was in quest of .— 
 Henri). 
 
 2. I said of laughter ... of mirtli— Eath- 
 er, I said to laughter, Mad [art thou] ; and to 
 mirth., What [art thou] doing? that Is, what good 
 canst thoa effect ? What are thy fruits ? Mere 
 bitterness and disappointment. — Wordstvorth. 
 Innocent mirth, soberly, seasonably, and moder- 
 ately used, is a good thing, fits for business, and 
 helps to soften the toils and chagrins of human 
 life ; but, when it is excessive and immoderate, 
 it is foolish and fruitless. — Henry. 
 
 3. To give myself unto wine— Jerome ex- 
 plains it, "to draw on life with delights, and to 
 cast asleep with pleasure as with wine my flesh 
 free from all cares." Yet acquainting mine 
 heart with wisdom — Many give themselves to 
 these without consulting their hearts at all, not 
 
 300 
 
 for the sons of men which they should 
 do under the heaven * all the days of 
 their life. 
 
 4 I made me great works; I builded 
 me houses; I planted me vineyards; 
 
 5 I made me gardens and orchards, 
 
 nber of the days of their life. 
 
 looking any further than merely the gratification 
 of the sensual appetites; but Solomon applied 
 himself to it rationally, and as a man ; critically, 
 and only to make an experiment. — Henry. To 
 lay hold on foUy — He sought to lay hold on 
 folly., to see the utmost that folly would do to- 
 ward making men happy ; but he had like to 
 have carried the jest (as we say) too far. He re- 
 solved that the folly should not take hold on 
 him, not get the mastery of him, but he would 
 lay hold on it, and keep it at a distance ; yet he 
 found it too hard for him. — Henry. Till I might 
 see what was good— The philosopher found 
 by bitter experience that it was unsafe to tamper 
 with carnal enjoyments ; he became a victim of 
 his own experiments — like a chemist scorching 
 or poisoning his hands in his own laboratory. 
 He lost his spiritual purity, liberty, and vigor, 
 and lapsed into sensualism and idolatry. — 
 WordsiDorth. 
 
 4. I made me— There is in these words not 
 only a specific record of personal experience, but 
 a sorrowful confession of all-absorbing selfish- 
 ness. I, the son of David, and king of Israel in 
 Jerusalem ; I, the Jedidiah, beloved of the Lord., 
 confess, with penitential sorrow and shame, 
 that I labored /or myself; not for God's glory, 
 but for my oivn pleasure and aggrandizement. 
 The moral of all this is, that self-love ends in 
 self-loathing. — Wordsworth. Great works- 
 Solomon used the resources of the kingdom in 
 magnineent enterprises. His own palace stood 
 on a neighboring hill-top to the temple. He built, 
 also, for his Egyptian wife, a palace, called, 
 1 Kings 7. 2, " The house of the forest of Leba- 
 non." His vineyard at Baalhamon is mentioned 
 in Song of Solomon 8. 11. He probably had 
 others also, as, for instance, at Eugedi. Sol. 
 Song 1. 14.— Z^A Hyde. 
 
 5. I made me gardens— The mind that 
 dotes on earthly things plants to itself vine- 
 yards, gardens, and orchards on earth, (like the 
 beautiful scenery of Sodom, and, may we not 
 add, in modern days, like the fair gardens and 
 orchards of 'the region around the Salt Lake?) 
 but the devout soul seeks for those vineyards, 
 orchards, and gardens in which is "the Tree of 
 Life, whose leaves are for the healing of the 
 
Dec. 14, 1884. 
 
 and I planted trees iu tbem of all kind 
 ^/fruits; 
 
 6 I made me pools of water, to water 
 therewith the wood that bringeth forth 
 trees ; 
 
 7 I got me servants and maidens, and 
 
 LESSON XL Ecci.Es. 2. 1-13. 
 
 had 'servants born in my house; also I 
 had great possessions of great and small 
 cattle above all that were in Je-ru'sa-lem 
 before me ; 
 
 8 I ' gathered me also silver and gold, 
 and the pecnliar treasure of kings and 
 
 [• Sons of tny haute. 
 
 nations," aiul lun),'s for the nfreshiiig pools of 
 clear, living water, wliicii Hows in tlie imrndise ol 
 God. — Wordswort k. Orchai'ds— The word is 
 " paradises," tliut is, jiiirks or pleasure-grounds. 
 It occurs in Song of Solomon 4. 13, and Neh. 
 2. 8. Indications of at least three of these 
 are pointed oul by Dean Staidey, (" Jewish 
 Church," ii, 26.) One at Jerusalem, near the 
 pool of Siloani, cidled " the king's garden," 
 (Neh. 3. 15 ; Jcr. 52. 7 ;) a second near Betlde- 
 hem, to which the next verst seems to refer 
 particularly ; and a third in the remote north, 
 on the heights of Ilermon. Song of Solomon 
 4. 9; 8. \\.—]iaJh,ck. 
 
 6. Pools of water— The making of cisterns 
 and fixtures for watering gardens is, in the dry 
 
 KInKt 9.V8 ; 10. 10, 
 
 those who were born in the house, and are 
 mentioned afterward. —Bullock. Servants— 
 " Slaves." He who studies the laws of Mosea 
 will see that such provision was made for serv- 
 ants that their condition was not one of slavery 
 in its more objectionable sense. In fact, there 
 is no Hebrew word for slave. Tlie Hebrew 
 bondman lost no right but that of the recompense 
 of his own labor. If he was maimed by \\\s, 
 master he became free. If he was killed by 
 him, his master was slain by the sword. Greek, 
 Roman, and American slavery was very differ- 
 ent from this. The slave was also taught in the 
 law ; could not be delivered up if he ran away ; 
 could marry a daughter of his master; and a 
 maid-servant could be the lawful wile of her 
 
 Soiomon'a Pooli. 
 
 East, indiapeasable. For such purposes, in 
 part, the now famous pools of Solomon, south of 
 Bethlehem, may have been constructed. The 
 same occurs in our Colorado. A well-watered 
 Ea.stem garden, enlivened by playing fountjiins 
 and birds " that sing among the branches," is a 
 most chaniiiiig object. — Dr. Hyde. A short dis- 
 tance south of Bethlehem, in a valley in the 
 green, winding detile of Urtas, three " Pools of 
 Solomon" are still shown, and an adjoining hill 
 Btill bears tlie name of tlie" Little Paradise." — 
 Bullock. 
 
 7. I got — Kather, / bou</ht, iu dLstiuctiou to 
 
 master or her master's son. Servant", then, 
 cither purcha-<ed or bom on the place, v ere not 
 what we call slaves. — Dr. Hyde. Great and 
 small cattle — Hebrew, o.ren andslieeji. See the 
 sacrifices at the dedication of the temple. 1 Kings 
 8. 63. — Dr. Hyde. All . . . before me — King 
 David's herds and flocks are mentioned in 
 1 Cliron. 27. 29, 81, but we have no specific ac- 
 count of the wealth of other Canaanitish or He- 
 brew inhabitanta of Jerusalem before Solomon. 
 —Bullock. 
 
 8. I gathered me silver and gold--Solo- 
 mou'a income, in gold, from trade, was over 
 801 
 
ECCLES. 2. 1-13. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 of the provinces ; I gat me men 
 singers and women singers, and 
 the delights of the sons of men, as 
 •'musical instruments, and that of all 
 sorts. 
 
 9 So "^ I was great, and increased more 
 than all that were before me in Je-ru'sa- 
 
 d Musical instrument and instruments. 
 
 £3,300,000, besides all other revenue. He made 
 silver like stones for abundance in Jenisalern. 
 1 Kings 10. 27, and elsewhere. — Dr. Hyde. 
 Peculiar treasure of kings — Gold and silver 
 are the peculiar treasure which hings derive from 
 provinces., as, distinct from land, cattle, etc., the 
 usual wealth of subjects.— i)r. Hyde. Men 
 singers and -women singers— He had every 
 thing that was charming and diverting ; all sorts 
 of melody and music, vocal and instrumental, 
 men singers and women singers, the best voices 
 he could pick up, and all the wind and hand 
 instruments that were then in use. His father 
 had a genius for music, but it should seem he 
 employed it more to serve his devotion than the 
 son, who made it more his diversion. — Henry. 
 The delights of the sons of men — A para- 
 phrase of those sensual gratifications which are 
 described more clearly by the sacred historian. 
 1 Kings 11. Z.— Wordsworth. As musical in- 
 atrviments — It seems to mean a wife and wives, 
 that is, a queen and concii.biri.es, (see Gesenius, 906 ; 
 Fuerst, 1346 ; Hitzig, 138 ; and so Van £ss and 
 De Wette and Field ;) and it may best be illus ■ 
 trated by the sacred narrative in 1 Kings 11. 1 : 
 " King Solomon loved many strange women, 
 together with (or besides) the daughter of Pha- 
 raoh ; " and 1 Kings 3. 1, and 7. 8: " Solomon 
 made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter, 
 whom he had taken to wife." — Wordsworth. 
 Other commentators object to this translation, 
 and prefer that of the Authorized Version, in- 
 cluding with the "musical instruments" the 
 revelries associated with feasts. 
 
 9. So I was great — The result of all these 
 eflbrts, his wisdom standing by to guide him, 
 was the unrivaled greatness of the " Grand 
 Monarch." He developed every resource of his 
 kingdom, and, by alliances and commerce, en- 
 hanced his wealth.— I)r. Hyde. My wisdom 
 remained with me— Observe, he calls it " his 
 wisdom," and says tluit it continued with him. 
 It is evident, therefore, that he is speaking of 
 that lower wisdom of the human intellect which 
 too often labors for its own glorification, and 
 displays itself in secular and earthly operations 
 which are only material and perishable ; and not 
 302 
 
 lem: also my wisdom remained with 
 me. 
 
 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired 
 I kept not from them, I withheld not my 
 heart from any joy; for my heart re- 
 joiced in all my labour: and ''this was 
 my portion of all my labour. 
 
 SChap. 1. 16. ' Chap. 3. 22; 5. 18; 9. 9. 
 
 of that higher and divine wisdom which is God's 
 wisdom, and cometh from above, (see James 
 1. 17, and 3. 17, " The wisdom that is from 
 above is pure, full of good fruits,") and is con- 
 versant with what is heavenly and eternal, and 
 aims at the glory of God. The former kind of 
 wisdom may co-exist with such animal indul- 
 gences of sensual appetites as he is here describ- 
 ing, but the latter wisdom is "first pure, then 
 peaceable," and dwells only with the pure in 
 heart. — Wordsworth. 
 
 But let none be emboldened hereby to lay the 
 reins on the neck of their appetites, presuming 
 that they may do that and yet retain their wis- 
 dom, for they have not such a strength of wLsdom 
 as Solomon had, nay, and Solomon was deceived ; 
 for how did Im wUdmn remain with him when 
 he lost his religion so far as to build altars to 
 strange gods for the humoring of his strange 
 wives? But thus farhfc wisdom remained with 
 him, that he was master of his pleasures, and not 
 a slave to them, and kept himself capable of mak- 
 ing a judgment of them. He went over into the 
 enemy's country, not as a deserter, but as a spy, to 
 discover the nakedness of their land.— Henry. 
 
 10. "WTiatsoever mine eyes desired — 
 
 "Wliatsoever was grateful to my senses, or my 
 heart desired. He ascribes desire to the eyes, 
 because the sight of the eyes is the usual and 
 powerful incentive of desires, of which see Josh. 
 7. 21 ; Job 31. 1 ; Matt. 5. 28.— Pool. I kept 
 not from them— This experiment, so broad 
 and full, was not the reckless conduct of a 
 debauchee, but there was method and discre- 
 tion in it. My heart rejoiced in all my 
 labor— I had the comfort of all my labors, and 
 was not hindei-ed from the free and full enjoy- 
 ment of them by sickness or war, or any other 
 calamities occurrent. — Pool. This was my 
 portion of all my labor— This present and 
 temporary enjoyment of them was all the ben- 
 efit whieii I could expect or receive from all my 
 labors, so that I made the best of tiiem. I had 
 a heart to use them, which many men through 
 covetousness have not ; and I tasted the sweet- 
 ness of them, which many others cannot do ; 
 and, therefore, if any man could arrive at hap- 
 piness by this means, I had done it. — Ibol. 
 
Dec. 14, 1884. 
 
 LKSSOX XI. 
 
 Ecci.Ks. 2. 1-13. 
 
 11 Tlieu I Itjokfd oil all the woiks 
 tliiit my hiiiids luul wrmij^lit, ami on tlic 
 labour that I liail laboured to tio; and, 
 bt'lioKI, all triiK vanity and vexation of 
 spirit, and there icux uo j)rotit uudur the 
 
 8UQ. 
 
 12 And I turned myself to bcliold 
 
 *euiip. 1. 17 ; 1. 2S.- 
 
 (Or, la thoM tbln|;> which buve l>«f 
 
 11. Then I looked— Iluhruw, Then 1 turned. 
 The result is, iliat not one or all these giithcicd 
 delights (luieted tlio craving mind or pive lasting; 
 happiness. All was vanity and a y rasping at 
 wind, and there was no gain from them at all. — 
 Dr. IJijdf. All was vanity — I gave m y.nolf to the 
 search of glory and pleiu-*ure, and thouglit that 
 the fruit of my labor would be gathered, in 
 indulgence of self; but at length 1 returned to 
 my senses, and looked at the work of my hands 
 and perceived them to bo full of vanity, of 
 error, and corruption. — krome. There was 
 no profit — Tlie pleasure was past and gone, and 
 I was never tlie better for it, but as empty as 
 before, and had nothing lutl but sorrowful re- 
 flections upon it.— /?'(>/. 
 
 12. I turned myself to behold— To com- 
 pare wisdom, and tlie mad p\irsuit of pleasure, 
 w liieh IS folly. "What can the man do— Who 
 is a mere subject, and not possessed of royal 
 advantages. All the resources of the realm were 
 at Solomon's comniaiul, and he u.fcd them in 
 the acquirement of uUdom. — Dr. Hyde. Even 
 that w^hich hath been — What is any man 
 tliat in this study of wisdom and folly shall 
 come after me, who, from my position, have had 
 euch peculiar advantages for carrying it on ? 
 That w hich man did of old he can do again : 
 ho is not likely to add to the result of my re- 
 searches, nor even to equal them. — Bullnck. 
 
 13. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth fol- 
 ly—The verdict follows the comparison. WJiile 
 culture and study cannot bring abiding good, or 
 freedom from .sorrow, yet they yield a noble 
 and delightful joy as compared with the indul- 
 gences of passions which we share with the 
 brutes. — Dr. Hyde. As far as light ex- 
 celleth — Wisdom is here compared to the ge- 
 nial light of the morning, and fd/y to the lieavy 
 night that hangs dark and blinding u]>oii one's 
 w ;iy and upon one's eyes. Of course, the " light 
 e.xcoUeth." — Dr. Hyde. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 Dean Stanley's Jewish Church, lecture 2S. 
 
 Sunday Magazine, (Edinburg,) vol. ii, p. 1C4. 
 
 Article by Dr. Plumptre, The Confessions of 
 
 wisdom, *anrl madnes.s, and folly: for 
 what C(in the man do tiiat coineth after 
 the kinj,' ? 'even tiiat which hath bcua 
 already done. 
 
 13 then I saw'^'that wisdom excelleth 
 folly, us far as light excelleth dark- 
 
 -/Thkl Iher. 
 
 King Solomon." F. W. Robertson's iSermons. 
 Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations, 11th, 12th 
 weeks. See the valuable Introduction to Ec- 
 clesiastcs in the Bililo (Speaker's) Commentary, 
 al.so in Bishop Wonlsworth's Expositon. Fos- 
 ter's Cyclopedia of Illustrations. [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 
 *1096, 4464, 12143; 2: 2429, 5907, 10570; 8: 
 44r,7, 8526; 4r-9: 11766; 8: 4065, 10668; 9-11: 
 2721; 11: 5518, 11591; 13: 6046, 11015,12237. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [worldly pleasche.] 
 
 1. There is a fascination in worldly pleasure, 
 which allures even the wisest of men. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. Some seek pleasure in strong drink, as if 
 hoping to find joy in wine. Ver. 3. 
 
 3. Some seek pleasure in splendor, state, and 
 niagniticence, as if to feed the soul with the 
 things of earth. Vers. 4-6. 
 
 4. Some seek pleasure in accumulating riches, 
 trying to satisfy the heart with worldly treasure. 
 Vers. 7, 8. ■ 
 
 5. Some seek pleasure in sensual gratification, 
 yielding to the lower appetites and passions. 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 6. Those w ho have tried the pleasure to the 
 utmost te-stify that it is a vain attempt to find 
 satisfaction in it. Ver. 11. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BY REV. W. F. MALLALIKr, D.D. 
 
 All admire wisdom, however few possess It. 
 
 Tliere are but few who do not think themselves 
 wiser than they are esteemed to be by their neigh- 
 bors. 
 
 The young are especially liable to overestimate 
 their own wisdom. Wistiom implies the Idea of a 
 Just comprehension of the true ends of life, namely, 
 (a) The glory of GfKl in all we possess and In all we 
 can do. (/<) The doing of nil p()ssil)Ie good, iKith tq 
 the souls and b«x1les of our fellow-men. (c) The 
 attainment for ourselves of all possible excellency 
 and p«^rsonal development. 
 
 Wisdom implies the Idea of right thoughts and 
 right action in regard to our entln> nature. 
 
 The fact Is recognized that man Is a ctmiplex be- 
 InK, that be possesses body, Intellect, soul; that 
 303 
 
ECCLES 2. 1-13, 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 proper care for each these of these is essential to 
 our highest well being. 
 
 Wisdom recognizes the fact that body, mind, and 
 soul exist within the realm of unchangeable law ; 
 that the law is sustained by irrevocable penalties ; 
 that obedience to law insures prosperity and brings 
 reward ; that disobedience entails disaster and 
 punishment. 
 
 Wisdom implies— 
 
 (a) Self-denial : the body is kept under subjection, 
 the passions are mastered and held in control ; the 
 mind is restrained, and the lawless thought is pro- 
 hibited; the spiritual nature, the affections of the 
 soul, are not permitted to cherish what is low, base, 
 unworthy, and sinful. 
 
 (b) Self-sacriflce : life is not lived for selfish ends ; 
 all things are laid upon the altar of service, for the 
 realization of the great ends of life ; " it is more 
 blessed to give than to receive," is the thought that 
 is an ever-present inspiration. 
 
 (c) Loyalty to God; "the fear of God is the be- 
 ginning of wisdom; his law is the paramount 
 rule of action ; his will is recognized as the su- 
 preme authority ; and this in regard to body, mind, 
 and soul. 
 
 Wisdom is not a natural endowment, it cannot 
 be purchased. 
 
 It is obtained by experience. Little by little the 
 true wisdom may be increased and improved, how- 
 ever meager it may be at the start. It is obtained 
 by observation. It is possible to gain wisdom from 
 the experience of others, and from careful atten- 
 tion to the facts of history and the principles and 
 laws of nature. Above all, it Is gained from the 
 reverent study of the word of God ; and from the 
 consciously receptive attitude maintained toward 
 the Spirit of enlightenment and truth. 
 
 Folly is the opposite of wisdon. 
 
 (a) It loses sight of the true ends of life. It is 
 careless of the glory of God, of the good of others, 
 and of personal growth and progress. 
 
 (b) It is alike careless of right thought and action, 
 whether such thought and action have regard to 
 body, mind, or soul. 
 
 (c) It knows nothing of self-denial, self-sacriflce, 
 or loyalty to God. It imperiously demands indul- 
 gence in every respect ; it is selfish to the last de- 
 gree, and careless, if not defiantly rebellious, in its 
 relations to God. 
 
 (d) It is bom in the human heart, and grows 
 with its indulgence ; its end is the debasement and 
 destruction of the entire nature of man. Surely, 
 as far as light excelleth darkness, wisdom excelleth 
 folly. 
 
 One manifestation of folly is seen in the pursuit 
 of worldly pleasures. These pleasures may be posi- 
 tively sinful and directly forbidden in the word of 
 God, or they may be specified in part as " dancing, 
 playing at games of chance, attending theaters, 
 horse races, circuses, dancing parties, or patronizing 
 dancing schools, or such other amusements as are 
 of obviously misleading or questionable moral tend- 
 ency." 
 
 Both these classes of pleasures are worldly, and 
 those who indulge in them are guilty of folly, be- 
 cause — 
 
 (a) In their pursuit and enjoyment, time is squan- 
 dered ; resources are wasted ; the powers of body, 
 mind, and soul are weakened ; morals are cor- 
 rupted ; the spiritual nature is debased. 
 
 (b) In their pursuit and enjoyment there can be 
 no real satisfaction of mind or soul, for they are in 
 direct opposition to the law of God in the soul, they 
 being of the earth earthy cannot possibly satisfy 
 the longings and inspirations of the nature that 
 was created in the image and likeness of God. 
 
 (c) Though these pleasures may be indulged in, 
 it is only for a short time ; death ends all this ; they 
 do not reach into eternity except to blast and curse 
 forever. The power to enjoy the pleasures of sin 
 weakens with every indulgence ; in the world to 
 come there is no brimming cup of pleasure ; only 
 the gall and dregs of bitterness remain. 
 
 Since these things are so, and experience, ob- 
 servation, and .revelation assure us of their real- 
 ity, how true must be the text that " Wisdom 
 excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth dark- 
 
 B. C. 980.] 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 The Creator Remembered.— Eccles. 12. 1-14. 
 
 [Dec. 21. 
 
 GOLDE\ TEXT — Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.— ECCLES. 12. 1. 
 
 Time.— B. C. 980. 
 
 Introduction.— The wise and penitent preacher Is here closing his sermon ; and he closes It, not onjy 
 like a good orator, but like a good preacher, with that which was likely to make the best impressions, 
 and which he wished might be powerful and lasting upon his hearers. Here is, (1) An exhortation to 
 young people to begin betimes to be religious, and not to put it off to old age, (verse 1,) enforced with 
 arguments taken from the calamities of old age, (verse 1-5,) and the great change that death will make 
 upon us. Verse 6, 7. (2) A repetition of the great truth he had undertaken to prove in this discourse, the 
 vanity of the world. Verse 8. (3) A confirmation and recommendation of what he had written in this 
 and his other books, as worthy to be duly weighed and considered. Verse 9-12. (4) The whole matter 
 304 
 
Dec. 21, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Erci.Es. IJ. 1-14. 
 
 gummed up and concludeil with ii cliurffe to all to b« truly rolltflous. In (Muisldt-mtlon of the JudKiuent to 
 come. Vei>e 13, U.—Hcnm. The two sentences at the end of Ecclaslaates afford the best KuUlani-e for 
 ItsrlRht luU'rpretutlon. They are like the rud.ler hy which the whole book Is steered. Sometimes the 
 sacred vessel of this marvelous comfwsition may seem to (he eye of a cursory reader U) be U)ssed about 
 by the winds of doubt; sometimes to be even plungini? and founderlnsr In the depths of d&spondency and 
 despair ; but this is an optical Illusion. The ship is riding safely ou the billows, and It goes down Into 
 the bosom of the abyss In order t<i rise more? gloriously to the crest of the wave, and Ui ride buoyantly and 
 Joyfully like a bright and divine thing In the midst of the storm ; for the eye of the pilot Is nxed on the 
 Stars above, and his hand Is tlrmly grasping the helm ; and on his heart are inscribed the words, " Fear 
 God, and keep his commandments, for this Is the whole num. For Uod shall brlug every work into 
 Judgment, whether It be good, or whether It be evil."— Wordtiwoith. 
 
 1 Reineml)cr now thy Creator in the 
 (lays of thy youth, while the evil days 
 come not, nor the years draw nigh, 
 when thou shalt say, 1 have no pleasure 
 in them ; 
 
 2 While the sun, or the light, or 
 the moon, or the stars, be not dark- 
 
 1 ! Cor. 5. 
 
 I Or, the griDders faWt 
 
 1. Remember now — Rather, and remember. 
 The conucction bctwicn this vei"se and tiie pre- 
 ceding one is unfortunately interrupted by our 
 division of chapters. " Now " is simply a cop- 
 ulative, not an ail verb of time. — Bullock. Thy 
 creator— Gratitude to God, a.s Creator, (con) p. 
 11. 5,) is liere inculcated, as was previously (11. 
 9) fear of God as Judjje. In one word, godli- 
 ness, acquired as a habit in youth, ia recom- 
 mended as the proper compensation for that nat- 
 ural cessation of youthful happiness which 
 makes the daijs of old age more or less evil; 
 more evil in proportion as there is less of godli- 
 ness in the heart, and less evil wliere there is 
 more godliness. — Bullock. In the days of 
 thy youth — In the freshness of thy youth re- 
 member God, who made thee. Do not give to 
 him from whom thou hast received all, for he is 
 thy Creator, the mere refuse of thy Ufe ; but 
 oflFer to him the brightest flowers and first and 
 richest fruits of thy years. — Wordsworth. 
 "While the evil days — Far more grievous and 
 terrible when it is loaded with the sad remein- 
 braneo of a man's youthful follies and lusts, and 
 with the dreadful prospect of approaching death 
 and judgment, which makes him see that he 
 cannot live, and yet dare not die, and with 
 the consideration an experience of the hardness 
 of hia heart which, in that age, is rarely broutrht 
 to true repentance, and so generally expires 
 either in vain presumption or in hellish desper- 
 ation.— /bo^. No pleasure— The freshness of 
 life is gone ; the world is dark and drear ; and 
 the soured spirit has no heart for devotion.— Z>r. 
 Bl/de. 
 
 2. "WTiile the sun — This representation of 
 20 
 
 ened, nor the clouds return after the 
 rain : 
 
 ;5 In the day when the keepers of the 
 ' liouse shall tremble, and the strong men 
 shall bow themselves, and "the grinders 
 cease, because tiiey arc few, and * those 
 that look out of tlie windows be darkened. 
 
 because they grind little. — OGfii. 21. 1. 
 
 old age is a^ldrossed to a youth wlio requires 
 warning. It should be contrasted with the en- 
 couraging description, in 2 Sam. 23. 4, 5, of the 
 life-time of a godly and just man, under the cor- 
 responding figures of a dawn without clouds and 
 sunshine after rain.— Bul/<ick. Darkened— The 
 darkening of the lights of heaven denotes a time 
 of atHiccion and .sadness. Coiiip. Ezek. .32. 7, 8; 
 Job 3. 9 ; Isa. .">. 30 ; etc. Clouds return- As, 
 wlien the weather is disnosed to wet, no .sooner 
 ia one cloud blown over than another succeeds 
 it, so it is with old people : when they are got 
 free from one pain or ailment, they arc seized 
 with another, so that their distempei-s are like a 
 coiitiininl drcppi/iff in a veri/ rainy day. — Henry. 
 3. In the day — This verse is best understood 
 as referring to the change which old age brings 
 to four parts of the body, the arms, the legs, the 
 teeth, and the eyes. — Bullock. The keepers 
 of the house— The aged body is compared to a 
 " house," or ratlier to a )nill structure, in which 
 the vital functions and operations are a grind- 
 ing., and which is defended by keepers, and up- 
 held by strong men, with windows through 
 which the inmates look out upon the world. 
 These " keepers," that defend, are the arms ; 
 these supporters are the legs ; and the " win- 
 dows" are the eyes. — Dr. Hyde. Strong men 
 — The legs and thighs, which used to support the 
 body and bear its weight, bend, and cannot 
 servo for labor, as they have done, but are soon 
 X\TCi\.— Henry. Grinders— The teeth. Those 
 that look out of the windows be darkened 
 — The eyes wax dim, as Isaac's (Gen. 27. 1) 
 imd Ahijah's. 1 Kings 14. 4. Moses was a rare 
 instance of one who, when 120 years old. liad 
 
ECCLES. 12. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON XIL 
 
 Fourth Quarter. 
 
 4 And the 'doors shall be shut in 
 the streets, when the sound of the 
 grindinor is low, and he shall rise 
 up at the voice of the bird, and all 
 * the daughters of music shall be brought 
 low; 
 
 5 Also when they shall be afraid of 
 that which is high, and fears shall be in 
 the way, and the ^almond tree shall 
 flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a 
 
 12 Sam. 19. 35. 
 
 good eye-sight ; but ordhiarily the sight decays 
 in old people as soon as any thing, and it is a 
 mercy to them that art helps nature with spec- 
 tacles. — Henry. 
 
 4. And the doors — Here the house is viewed 
 from without. Tlie way of entry and exit is 
 stopped ; little or no sound issues forth to tell of 
 life stirring within. Tlie old man, as he grows 
 older, has less in common with the rising gener- 
 ation ; mutual interest and intercourse decline. 
 —Bullock. Shut— By loss of teeth. No dental 
 art was known to Koheleth. — Dr. Hyde. 
 Sound of the grinding is low — Not merely 
 the mastication, but the whole digestive and 
 vital processes are feeble and slow, so that the 
 man's whole bodily system is like an almost 
 silent mill. Rise up at the voice of the 
 bird— Referring to an old man, possibly the 
 master of the house, rising out of sleep, (comp. 
 Prov. 6. 9,) at the first sound in the morning. — 
 Bullock. Better rendered by critics, it, (not Ae,) 
 referring to " sound," amounts to the voice of a 
 sparrow. That is, the vital processes of this 
 human mill are so feeble that its grinding 
 "sound" is not louder than a sparrow's cheeji. 
 This grinding " sound" is heard in the " low" 
 and cracked voice of the old man. — Dr. Hyde. 
 Daughters of music — Of man's divine endow- 
 ment of "music," the notes and strains of the 
 muscian are the offspring or "daughters." 
 These are brought low, so that no true "music" 
 can be poured forth. — Dr. Hyde. 
 
 5. Afraid of that which is high— In youth 
 the man could look down from the high tower 
 and not be dizzy : he could mount the cliff and 
 not be exhausted. His biain and legs are now 
 too weak, and he dreads all heights. — Dr. Hyde. 
 The grasshopper — Or locust, the lightest in- 
 sect. Little vexations are compared to flies flit- 
 ting about ;; even they become burdensome. — 
 Worilnworth. The almond tree shall flour- 
 ish — Dr. Thomson (" The Land and the 
 Book") says of the almond tree: "It is the 
 type of old age whose hair is white . . . the 
 
 burden, and desire shall fail 
 
 man goeth to his long home; and the 
 
 mourners go about the streets: 
 
 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or 
 the golden bowl be broken, or the 
 pitcher be broken at the fountain, or 
 the wheel broken at the cistern: 
 
 7 Then * shall the dust return to the 
 earth as it was; 'and the spirit shall 
 return unto God * who gave it. 
 
 ' Chap. 3. 21. 8 Num. 27. 16 j Zech. 14. 1. 
 
 white blossoms completely cover the whole tree ; 
 the green leaves do not appear till some time 
 after." Desire— Literally, the ca;)«?'-6ewy. This 
 berry, which was eaten before meals as a provoc- 
 ative to appetite, shall fail to take effect on a 
 man whose powers are exhausted. — Bullock. 
 Man goeth to his long home— Man's " eter- 
 nal house " is his place in the next world. To 
 interpret it simply of the grave would be incon- 
 sistent with the statement in verse 7 of the re- 
 turn of the spirit to God. — Bullock. 
 
 6. The silver cord — Do not delay thy re- 
 pentance until the hour of sickness and death, 
 when the silver cord, which ties soul and body 
 together, is about to be severed and retnoved by 
 the hand of death. — Wtyrdsworth. Be loosed 
 — The termination of life is signified generally 
 by the breaking of a lamp, a pitcher, and a 
 wheel. It seems unnecessary to assign to those 
 images respectively different parts or functions 
 of the body, all which end at death. The silver 
 cord by v^hich the lamp hangs from the ceiling 
 snaps, and the cup or reservoir of oil is dashed 
 in pieces by the fall, and the pitcher long used 
 to bring water from the spring is .shattered ; and 
 the wheel by which a bucket is let down into 
 the well is broken. — Bullock. Delitzsch (" Psy- 
 chology," chap. 4, sec. 10) propounds a new in- 
 terpretation of the symbolical meaning of these 
 terms. According to him, the silver cord is the 
 soul which holds the body in life, the bowl is the 
 body, and the golden oil (compare Zech. 4. 12) 
 within it is the spirit. 
 
 7. The dust — The bodily and mortal part of 
 man. Hetum to earth — By burial and the de- 
 cay of its particles. The spirit shall return — 
 The fact here stated by the inspired wi-iter is 
 simply that the spirit, being separated at death 
 from the body, returns to God. No more is 
 said here of its future destiny. To return to 
 God, who is the fountain (Psa. 36. 9) of life, cer- 
 tainly means to continue to live. The doctrine 
 of life after death is implied here, ias in Exod. 
 3. 6, (compare Mark 12. 27 ;) Psa. 17. 15, and in 
 
Dec. 21, 1884. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 ECCLES. 12. 1-14. 
 
 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preach- 
 er ; all is vanity. 
 
 9 And * moreover, bccausp the Preacher 
 was wise, he still taiinlit tlie people knowl- 
 edge ; yea,he <;ave good heed, and sought 
 
 •out, and set in order many proverbs. 
 
 10 'I'he Preaclier sought to find ont 
 •acceptable words; and that lohich was 
 written was upright, tnen words of truth. 
 
 v-bw the preacher i 
 
 many otlier passages of Scripture earlier than the 
 age of So\omon.— BiiUckk: Unto God— It ia 
 not, in this return " unto God," resolved back 
 into an impersonal breath, wiiieh is a pantheistic 
 idea unknown to the Hebrew mind. It returns, 
 as verse 14 indicates, a pei-sonal being " unto 
 God," awaiting his judgment. — I>r. Ibjile. Tlio 
 spirit of every man after death, good or had, in 
 some sense goes to Goil, either as a Father or as 
 a Judge, to be kept somewhere under the cus- 
 tody of his almiglity power, in order to the re- 
 ceiving of his tinal sentence at the hist judg- 
 ment, either of liappincss or misery. — Bishop 
 Bull. 
 
 Man is a stranpe sort of creature, a ray of 
 heaven united to a dotl of eanli ; at deatli these 
 are separated, and each goes to the place whence 
 It came.— He/ir;/. 
 
 9. Vanity of vanities — This solemn finale 
 employs the key-note with which this inquiry 
 began. It is as if the proposition then an- 
 nounced had now been demonstrated. The 
 writer, committing it now to the judgment of 
 reasonable men, feels sure of their concurrence 
 forever.—/)/'. J/i/di. Saith the preacher — 
 " Koheleth." See Introduction to Lesson XI. 
 All is vanity — It is not Solomon, as a person, 
 who speaks in this Ixxik ; but it is Divine wis- 
 dom in Solomon as a king, the son of David, the 
 type of Christ, who speaks ; and Solomon gladly 
 merges all his individuality in tliis ideal abstrac- 
 tion of Divine wisdom, and lends his own voice 
 for the purpose of gatherirnj together by wis- 
 dom those whom he had scattered by his folly. 
 — WoriUwortk. 
 
 9. The preacher was wise— Koheleth now 
 defines huuself in wliat may be reckoned his 
 true character. He is a " hakam," (Arabic, 
 hakim,) or " physician," a professional man, a 
 public teacher, one devoted to the solution of 
 moral and practical problems. He also dis- 
 coursed to the people on instructive subject^s, 
 and, with care and research, framed proverbs to 
 guide the public thought. In his various func- 
 tions of teacher, sage, and author he must have 
 
 11 The words of the wise are as goads, 
 and as nails fastened hy the masters of 
 assemblies, which are given from one 
 sheplierd. 
 
 12 And further, by tiicse, my 
 son, be admonished : of making 
 many books thei-e is no end ; and 
 much ■'study ia a weariness of the 
 flesh. 
 
 ! Word! of delight. dOr, reading. 
 
 led a laborious and benevolent life. If Solomon 
 be Koheleth, his conception of such a life is sin- 
 gularly truthful.— Z>/-. lli/de. 
 
 10. Acceptable words— Hebrew, Words of 
 conso/atimi. Feeling deeply for the sorrows of 
 his kind, he found that the words that gave them 
 relief were the frank utterances of sanctity and 
 truth. Such are the words of this essay, which 
 states with fearless accuracy, like that of Shaks- 
 peare, the aspects of life a.s actually seen from 
 many and various jiositions. — Dr. Jfi/de. 
 
 11. The words of the wise are as goads — 
 As goads, which stimulate o.xen in plowing, so 
 the words of the wise excite men to labor in what 
 is good.— Wordsworth. And as nails — Better, 
 And as stakes firmly set, are those (words) of the 
 masters of axsemblies. The stakes are those to 
 which the tent-ropes are fastened, firmly holding 
 the tent in its place.— Z>/-. Bi/de. One shepherd, 
 that is, God— who is the supreme Giver of wis- 
 dom, (Prov. 2. 6,) and the chief Shepherd. Jer. 
 23. \-A.— Bullock. 
 
 12. And further— Hebrew, But beyond this, 
 7ni/ son, fake warning. All the lxK)ks that can 
 be miule, and the most exhausting study, c«n 
 make no one wiser. About fifteen thousand 
 books are annually made in Christendom, and 
 knowledge is rapidly increased, but duty is still 
 taught only by the one Shepherd and Teacliert 
 and true wisdom is from him alone. — Dr. Hyde. 
 Books — Kather, " writings." The word may 
 be used to descrilie any short document, as a bill 
 of divorcement, (l)eut. 24. l,)or aletter, (2 Sam. 
 11.15,) and it does not necessarily mean a volume. 
 Probably the Preacher is still referring to the 
 "words of wise men," that is, the proverbs cur- 
 rent in his age, including, though not specially 
 indicating, his own. — Bullork. There is no 
 end — Solomon probably here refers to his own 
 voluminous writings on physicjd phenomena and 
 other secular matters, which arc cnurnenited in 
 1 Kings 4. 33, and which are no longer extent ; 
 and not to those books which lie wrote by the 
 aid of the Holy Spirit, and which are read in the 
 universal Church. — Wordsworth. 
 
 307 
 
ECCLES. 12. 1-14. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 Fourth Quabteb. 
 
 13 ' Let us hear the conclusion of the 
 whole matter: Fear God, and keep his 
 commandments: for this is the whole 
 duty of man. 
 
 eOr. The end of the matter, . 
 
 13. Hear the conclusion— See IntroductioD. 
 Pear God, and keep— To fear God and to obey 
 him is tlie whole man, constitutes man's whole 
 being ; that only is conceded to man ; all other 
 things, as this -book again and again teaches, are 
 dependent on a higher incomprehensible Being. 
 —Berzfeld. The whole duty — It is better 
 syntax to read. For this is [the duty] of every 
 man. So the Hebrew indicates. No man is ex- 
 empt, for there are no mortal conditions that re- 
 quire disobedience to God. — Dr. Hyde. The 
 ■words " duty of" are not in the original, and 
 would be better omitted. The literal sense is, 
 this is all the man ; the whole man. Man is born 
 for this. All the happines's of man depends upon 
 his fear of God, and obedience to his will and 
 word. — Wordsworth. It is all his business, and 
 all his blessedness; our whole duty is summed 
 up in this, and our whole comfort is bound up 
 in this. It is the concern of every man, and 
 ought to be his chief and continual care ; it Ls 
 the common concern of all men, of their whole 
 time. — Henry. 
 
 14. God shall bring every work— This 
 book began with a vie\\' of the arena on which 
 mortal life is enacted. It ends with a conclusion 
 in which nothing is concluded but mortal cai-es 
 and vanities and opportunities. We are pomted, 
 as by the marble finger of the ancient statue, to 
 the tribunal hereafter. In the cool light of the 
 world, where change and confusion never enter, 
 there sits the most worthy Judge Eternal. Be- 
 yond that Koheleth is silent ; but how full of 
 meaning is his silence ! — Dr. Hyde. Every 
 secret thing— Note : (1) There is a judgment to 
 come, in which every man's eternal state will be 
 finally determined. (2) God hhnself will be the 
 Judge, God-man will, not only because he has 
 a right to judge, but because he is perfectly fit 
 for it, infinitely wise and just. (3) Every work 
 will then be brought into judgment, will be in- 
 quired into, and called over again. It will be a 
 day to bring to remembrance every tiling done 
 in the body. (4) The great thing to be then 
 judged of coucei-ning every ivork is whether it be 
 good or evil, conformable to the will of God, or 
 a violation of it. (5) Even secret things, both 
 good and evil, will be brought to light, and 
 brought to account, in the judgment of the great 
 day, (Kom. 2. 16 ; ) there is no good work, no 
 
 14 For *God shall bring every work 
 into judgment, with every secret thing, 
 whether it he good, or whether it he 
 
 hath been heard, is.- 
 
 bad work, hid, but shall then be ma 
 — Henry. 
 
 Authorities to be Consulted. 
 
 See the authorities upon Lesson XI, and also 
 Lesson Helps for 1876, 3d Quarter, Lesson XII, 
 (Sept., 1876.) Pulpit Analyst, vol. v, 118. 
 Edmondson's Short Sermons, page 112. Free- 
 man's Bible Manners and Customs, 650, 706, 
 541, 536. Bishop Bull's Sermons. Foster's 
 Cyclopedia of Illustrations, [numbers marked 
 with a star refer to poetical quotations,] ver. 1 : 
 *993, 4198, 4973, 7029, 7620 ; 2 : 4250 ; 3 : 10525 ; 
 4: 9370; 5: * 1823, 3019, 4050, 9570 ; 6: *713; 
 7: *1594, 3798, 6955; 8: * 103, 112, 9343; 9: 
 11854; 10: 11837, 12268; 11: 8470; 12: 11832, 
 10260; 13: 5056, 8208; 14: 3416, 10821. 
 
 Practical Thoughts. 
 [remember god.] 
 
 1. We should remember God, because he is 
 our Creator, the author of our being. Ver. 1. 
 
 2. We should remember God, because of 
 coming old age, when God will be our stay. 
 Vers. 1, 2. 
 
 3. We should remember God, because death 
 is at hand, when opportunities will have passed 
 away. Vers. 5, 6. 
 
 4. We should remember God, because of the 
 vanity and worthlessness of life without God. 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 5. We should remember God, because true 
 wisdom proceeds from God, and is found in 
 God's way. Ver. 9. 
 
 6. We should remember God, because he has 
 proclaimed it as the great duty of life. Ver. 13. 
 
 7. We should remember God, because of the 
 judgment, when God will bring us into account 
 for our lives. Ver. 14. 
 
 Sermon Outline. 
 
 BT REV. A. N. CRAFT, D.D. 
 
 I. The Creator. 
 
 Our relations to him. 
 
 II. The Creator should be remembered. 
 
 1. Our proueness to forget him. 
 
 2. The necessity of remembering him. 
 (a) Godless reason goes astray. 
 
 (//) Godless desires lead to ruin. 
 
 (c) A godless life a source of evil to the world. 
 
Dkc. 21, 1R84. 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 EccLEs. 12. 1-14. 
 
 {(1) ConsldtT leujson when its operations are 
 
 ffulded by proper thoujfhts of God. 
 (e) Then the desires are satlslled with holiness 
 and all discipline which leads to Ita attain- 
 ment. 
 (.0 A pixlly life a benediction to the world. 
 III. The Creator Hhoiild be reiiieiiibered by the 
 youiiK. 
 1. Consider the hluderances to the coiuaiencemeut 
 
 of relljflous thought In middle life and old age. 
 Present the picture contained In Eccl. 7. 7-14. 
 
 2. Contrast with the advantoKea possessed by tba 
 young. 
 
 ((() Character plastic. 
 
 (b) Days untroubled. 
 
 (t) Bodily and mental powers not enfeebled. 
 IV. The iiiKralilude and ii^untice involved In 
 
 youtlilul impiety. 
 
 SERMOiSI OUTLINES. 
 
 [These Sermon Outlines were received after the 
 lessons to wlili'h they belong had been sten^otyped, 
 and It w:is impossible to insert them In full except 
 In this UKUiuer at the end of the book.] 
 
 Continued from pane 30. 
 of sin consists In the deceltfulness. Its power to 
 hoodwink men, disguise Itself, and make the worse 
 appear the better part. 
 
 (I. Sin deceives men by misrepresenting the 
 Charaeter of God. In the flrst temptation the 
 serpent pictured the Creator as tyrannical, jealous, 
 unjust; In like manner Satan proceeded In the 
 wilderness assjiults which he made upon the Sav- 
 iour, endeavoring to Insinuate suspicion In refer- 
 ence to the wlsilom and mercy of the Father's deal- 
 ings toward his Son, and thus ever has sin tried to 
 malign and misrepresent the Almighty. In this 
 passjige St. James tells us that men delude them- 
 selves by the notion that God tempts men, imiiels 
 them toward wrong, leads them from safety into 
 danger and evil. Uod is the giver of good, not the 
 autlior of sin. 
 
 h. Sin (/i".«/i«i.«f.< itn own character. It cloaks 
 Itself In false appearances, calls good evil, and evil 
 good, seems to be fair, allowable, harmless, delight- 
 ful, while at the same time it Is really ready to 
 poison, benumb, and destroy all the powers of the 
 soul. It promises, "I will give you riches, pleas- 
 ure, honor, triumph," but at the end, and indeed 
 throuijhout its course, it pays the wages of dlsea.se, 
 shame, fear, remoi-se, and death. Decking itself In 
 g!iy, alluring coloi"s. It entices the ey.' and rouses 
 tlie appetite with .specious and plausible visions of 
 enjoyment and viclory. What the apostle here 
 calls the "tUihlness and overflowing of wickedness" 
 seems to the sinner quite otherwise ; something at- 
 tractive and inviting, arrayed as it Is in glamour 
 and gayety, 
 
 If men would but recognize the ghastUnes-s, Inde- 
 cency, enormity of their sins, calling them by right 
 names, and discerning their sure outcome! Ah! if 
 they would ; but they do not, and so they are blinded 
 and led captive by the devil at his will. 
 
 c. Sin deceives a man as to his real conclifinn. 
 Under its wily and lulling spell the soul plumes 
 Itself with vain notions of imaginary virtues, Is 
 puffed up with conceit, and says, "I am riih, anl 
 increased with goods, and have need of nothing," 
 while It Is indeed poor and miserable and blind and 
 naked and i>erishing. An illustration of this prin- 
 ciple given In the lesson Is that of a man with an 
 unbridled tongue— an uncontrolled temper, hasty, 
 passionate— who yet Imagines himself to be relig- 
 ious, and thus deceives his own heart. In like 
 manner the mere hearer of the word deludes him- 
 self with the notion that the formalities of religion 
 are sufficient, and Is contented with superficial and 
 occasional religious Impressions. 
 
 In view of the deceltfulness of sin : 
 
 I. Hear the word. It reveals the truth as to God, 
 the nature of sin, the heart of man. It shows us 
 the dangers to be avoided, the snares to be shunned. 
 
 II. Reflect iipnn the uord, looking Into this per- 
 fect law of liberty, continuing therein. By reflec- 
 tion alone can the truth be digested, assimilated, 
 made a part of our very being. 
 
 III. Obei/ the unrd. He that does the will of 
 God, or wills to do it, shall know. Knowledge, 
 growth, insight, power, come from obedience. 
 
 IV. KicHip/i/j/ the character of mercy, kindness, 
 purity, which is set forth in the word as our pat- 
 tern. As the Father of lights is continually lav- 
 ishing good and perfect gifts on men, even so let 
 his children imitate his example : ministering to 
 the fatherless and the widow, caring for the poor, 
 and in all deeds of charity and compassion making 
 Incarnate once more upon eaith the Lover of men 
 who went about doing good. 
 
 Crtntinucd from, page 42. 
 self-respect or self-reliance. They who possess 
 these will be ambitious, and without them none can 
 rise in the world of history, of letters, of morals. 
 
 2. Tlii-t in attr.^ted by hist or j/. Clncinnatus in 
 returning to his plow, and Washington by resign- 
 ing his position, gained a stronger hold upon the 
 
SERMON OUTLINES. 
 
 affections of the people than had they continued in 
 their respective offices. What is true of the State 
 is equally true in the Church. He who seeks hum- 
 bly to do his duty is soon placed in more responsible 
 positions. We rise on performances, not profes- 
 sions. 
 
 3. Exaltation is promised biiour Saviour as the 
 reward of humility. In fact, it Is the result of hu- 
 mility, for thereby we throw off the selfishness that 
 is despicable, and are clothed with the nobility that 
 Is admirable. 
 
 Ill, Humility is requisite to eternal salvation. 
 All life is a conflict between pride and humility. 
 The world presents to sense that which lifts up self. 
 "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall 
 down and worship me." God seeks the surrender 
 of self, that the nobler aspirations may be gratified. 
 
 1. Forgiveness cannot be obtained ivitJxmt hu- 
 mility. " To this man will I look, even to him that 
 Is poor and of a contrite spirit." It does require an 
 effort to say, '"I am wrong;" yet confession is 
 essential to pardon. 
 
 2. Purity cannot he obtained without humility. 
 So long as the pride that opposes God dwells in 
 the heart there can be no purity. Only the clear, 
 calm depths of the heart can reflect the image of the 
 Holy One. Purity is more than morality, more than 
 virtue. It is the one only stream that flows from 
 entire devotion to God, and its branches permeate 
 every nook of life. 
 
 3. Heaven cannot he obtained without Mimility. 
 Even here, the more we think of heaven, its char- 
 acter, its inhabitants, its enjoyments, the more we 
 lose sight of self. What, then, must be the holy 
 spirit of him who dwells with God? And the four 
 and twenty elders which sat before God, on their 
 seats, fell upon their faces and worshiped God. 
 
 Apply. The disciples inquired of our Saviour, 
 "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven ? And 
 Jesus called a little child, and set him in the midst 
 of them." And in that type of a guiltless, loving, 
 humble character they could see who is greatest. 
 It is our work to bring mankind back to the virtue 
 and humility of childhood. 
 
 Contimied from pa^e 70. 
 
 heart. It has no sympathy with truth. The natu- 
 ral heart is enmity against God and truth, and this 
 because God is the source of all truth. If this 
 natural perversity be yielded to, the man will drift 
 farther and farther away from the truth. 
 
 b. Confirmed habits of sin will certainly prevent 
 the search for truth. Such habits imply the love 
 of sin. When sin is loved truth is ever an unwel- 
 come guest. Men love darkness rather than light, 
 because their deeds are evil. Lovers of sin do not 
 wish reproof, and so they will not come to the light, 
 and they know that light is truth. 
 310 
 
 c. Carelessness concerning all moral and relig- 
 ious questions will prevent the search for truth. 
 The soul must be aroused to a sense of need before 
 it will seek any good. " Awake thou that sleepest, 
 and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee 
 light," is the call of God to dead or drowsy souls, 
 which must startle them into consciousness of dan- 
 ger and destitution before they become successful 
 seekers after truth. 
 
 d. Malignant opposition to the truth prevents all 
 search for truth. Few sink to this level. It is the 
 comlition of lost spirits. There are some living 
 men who seem to have reached it. It may come to 
 be the condition of the careless and of the habit- 
 ually sinful. When men hate knowledge, and do 
 not choose the fear of the Lord, reject his counsel 
 and despise his reproof, they are in the greatest 
 peril of becoming malignant opposers of the truth; 
 and so the light that is in them may become dark- 
 ness ever increasing, hopeless, eternal. 
 
 Four characteristics distinguish real seekers after 
 truth : 
 
 a. They are honestly ignorant. Time, place, and 
 various circumstances may have prevented the in- 
 crease of knowledge, the search after and appre- 
 hension of truth. The honestly ignorant are 
 those who have used faithfully and well the op- 
 portunities which have been afforded them. 
 
 b. Real seekers after the truth are always will- 
 ing to receive new light. They stand with their 
 faces toward the dawn if a single streak of gray 
 glimmers in the distant horizon. They have no 
 cherished whims or pet ideas that they are deter- 
 mined to retain, even when convinced that they are 
 contrary to the truth. Above all things else they 
 want to know and do the truth. 
 
 c. Real seekers after truth are always pains- 
 taking investigators. Time, patient effort, self- 
 sacrificing devotion, are freely given to secure the 
 desired end. 
 
 d. Real seekers after truth reverently recognize 
 the Holy Scriptures as the revealed will of God, and 
 so the source of all truth. They may traverse 
 every field of knowledge and research, but they 
 never fail to ponder with prayerful attention 
 the sacred truths of the Bible. "Thy word Is 
 truth," is the sentiment of their souls. They are 
 mindful of the promise, " If any of you lack wis- 
 dom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberal- 
 ly, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 
 And so God and his word supplies all needed moral 
 and spiritual truth. 
 
 These qualities possessed by the Bereans called 
 forth the commendation of the writer of the Acts 
 of the Apostles ; they are always elements of a noble, 
 broad, and generous character. It is our privilege 
 and duty to possess them. Then shall we come 
 to know the trutb^ and tlie truth shall make us 
 free. 
 
INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 Absalom, 213. 
 Absiiloins Death, 'i21. 
 
 I'lllar, --SS. 
 Abstlnt'iRc for the sake of others, 
 
 lii. 
 Adonljah, 252. 
 Adoption, 100. 
 iEsop, 37. 
 Alinug-trees, 232. 
 Altars, 72. 
 Amphlpolis, 05. 
 Angel of Death, 42. 
 Anointing, 255. 
 Antl(X-h, 43. 
 Apollos, 101, 103. 
 ApoUonla, 65. 
 A rat us, 74. 
 Araunah, 228. 
 Ark of the Covenant, 189. 
 Ashtoreth, 2S4. 
 Asia, 109. 
 Asiarchs, 145. 
 Athens, Paul at, 71. 
 
 Baptism, the Jailer's, 61. 
 Believers, Blessedness of, 170. 
 Berea, 68. 
 Brethren, Weak, 127. 
 
 Canal-lock opening, 53. 
 Captains of the Host, 253. 
 Catacombs, 88. 
 Chambers around the Temple, 
 
 272. 
 Charity, 129. 
 Church and State, 170. 
 Chronicles, Books of, 257. 
 Cicero, Quotation from, 62. 
 Circumcision, 22. 
 Circumcision of Timothy, 47. 
 Claudius, 80. 
 Clcanthes, 74. 
 Coat of mall, 92. 
 Comet, 191. 
 
 Coming of the Lord, 87, 93. 
 Conference at Jerusalem, The, 
 
 19. 
 Contribution for Jewish Chris- 
 tians, 151. 
 Conversion In Youth, 46, 305. 
 Corinth, 150. 
 
 Map of, 150. 
 Corinthians, First Epistle to, 110. 
 
 Second Epistle to, 150. 
 
 Covenant with David, God's, 190. 
 Creator Remembered, 311. 
 Cross, Preachiug of the, 117, 
 
 122. 
 Curious Arts, 112. 
 Cymbals, 19, 130. 
 Cyprus, 45. ' 
 
 David Anointed, 183. 
 
 Castle of, 187. 
 
 City of, 184. 
 
 King over all Israel, 182. 
 
 Repentance of, 208. 
 Death, Victory over, 136. 
 Diana, Temple of, 140. 
 Diligence, Christian, 94. 
 Divination, Spirit of, 54. 
 Dreams, 262. 
 Drunkenness, 298. 
 
 Ecclesiastes, Book of, 299. 
 Elders, 22. 
 Epheslan letters. 111. 
 
 Ephesus, 108. 
 
 Paul at, 108. 
 
 Temple at, 140. 
 
 Theater at, 141. 
 
 Uproar at, 140. 
 Evil speaking, 40. 
 Evil spirits, 110. 
 
 Faith, 106. 
 
 Foreknowledge, 171. 
 Friendship, 207. 
 
 Gad the prophet, 230. 
 Galatia, 48. 
 
 Churches of, 157. 
 Galllo, m. 
 
 Gate with tower, 223. 
 Giving, 150. 
 God, ConOdence In, 239. 
 
 Messenger of, 235. 
 
 Works and Word of, 233. 
 
 Gospel, Revelation of, 76. 
 Guyon, Madame, 58. 
 
 Hearing and Doing, 25. 
 
 Hebron, 1H2, 218. 
 
 Hiram, 187. 
 
 Holy Ghost, Baptism of the, 
 
 105. 
 Honey-comb, 236. 
 Humility, 39, 42. 
 
 Israel, Golden Age of, 181. 
 
 Jailer, Conversion of the, 58. 
 Jerusiileni, Plan of, 185. 
 
 Conquest of 1&4. 
 
 Walls of, 213. 
 Joab, 253. 
 
 John, Baptism of, 102. 
 John Mark, 44. 
 Jonathan's son, 203. 
 Judgment, 89. 
 Justification by Faith, 164. 
 
 Kindness to Jonathan's Son, 
 
 203. 
 King, Visit to the, 282. 
 KIrJath-jearim, 190. 
 
 Looking-glass, 28, 134. 
 Law, Deeds of the, 105. 
 Obedience to, 176. 
 Laver, 207. 
 
 Lebanon, Cedars of, 200. 
 Liberty, Christian, 157. 
 Life a vapor, 41. 
 Living as in God's sight, 38. 
 Love, Christian, 129. 
 Lydla, 52. 
 Lystra, 45. 
 
 Macedonia, 149. 
 
 Man of, 49. 
 Machir, 205. 
 Mahanalm, 222. 
 Mars' Hill, 71. 
 Meat offered to Idols, 123. 
 Meekness, 35. 
 MephilHJsheth, 203. 
 Mercy of the Lord, 250. 
 MIllo, 186. 
 Miracles, 110. 
 
 Missionary Journey, Paul's Sec- 
 ond, 43. 
 
 Third, 100. 
 Molech, 285. 
 Mosque of Omar, 229. 
 Mule, King's, 255. 
 Musical Instruments, 191, 302. 
 Mystery, 130. 
 
 Nathan the prophet, 197, 252. 
 Nature, course of, 33. 
 Newton, Sir Isaac, 133. 
 
 Old Age, 311. 
 Old Testament, 66. 
 Ophlr, 281. 
 
INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 
 
 Paul and Barnabas, 44. 
 
 Revelation of our Future, 93. 
 
 Temple Dedicated, 273. 
 
 At Athens, 71. 
 
 Righteousness, Fruit of, 37. 
 
 Preparation for, 257. 
 
 At Corintb, 78. 
 
 Rock, The Sacred, 232. 
 
 Tent-making, 80. 
 
 At Ephesus, 108. 
 
 Roll of book, 846. 
 
 Thorn in the flesh, Paul's, 168. 
 
 At Jerusalem, 20. 
 
 Romans, Epistle to the, 164. 
 
 Thessalonians, Epistles to, 87. 
 
 Preaching of, 116. 
 
 Runners, 223. 
 
 Thessalonica, 64. 
 
 Second Missionary Journey 
 
 
 Threshing-floor, 193, 228. 
 
 of, 43. 
 
 Sacrifice, 245. 
 
 Timothy, 46, 114. 
 
 Third Missionary Journey of, 
 
 Sceva, 111. 
 
 Tongue, Power of the, 31. 
 
 100. 
 
 Scourging, 56. 
 
 Town-Clerk of Ephesus, 116. 
 
 Persecution, 149. 
 
 Selfishness, 115. 
 
 Treasures of David, 259. 
 
 Pestilence, 227. 
 
 Services of religion, 195. 
 
 Troas, 48. 
 
 Pharisees, 21. 
 
 Sheba, Queen of 279. 
 
 Tyre, 187. 
 
 Philippi, 51. 
 
 Ships, 33. 
 
 
 Pit, 244. 
 
 Silas, 45. 
 
 Uzzah, 191. 
 
 Plague stayed. The, 227. 
 
 Siu, Penalties for, 233. 
 
 
 Pleasure, 299. 
 
 Solomon, Choice of, 261. 
 
 Wailing-place of the Jews, 270. 
 
 Politarchs, 67. 
 
 Sin of, 283. 
 
 Waiting for the Lord, 243, 
 
 Praise, Song of, 248. 
 
 Succession of, 252. 
 
 Wisdom from above, 36. 
 
 Prayer, Place of, 53. 
 
 Wisdom of, 278. 
 
 True, 293. 
 
 Preaching, Paul's, 116. 
 
 Spices, 281. 
 
 
 Predestination, 170. 
 
 Stocks, 56. 
 
 Yoke of the Lavr, 23. 
 
 Proverbs, 288. 
 
 Sun, Heat of, 235. 
 
 Youth, 311. 
 
 Psaltery, 191. 
 
 
 
 Rebellion of Absalom, 213. 
 Repentance, 208. 
 
 Tabret, 191. 
 Temple BuUt, 26«. 
 
 Ziba, 204. 
 Zion, 184. 
 
 S12 
 
PrlnceS^hSTal Sem 
 
 11012 012495133 
 
 Date Due