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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
ed the cost of Christ’s service and found the sufferings of th is present tim e not worthy to be compared w ith th e glory th a t was to be revealed.— Parry. v. 14. W ill of th e Lord be done. A prayer pu t into th e Christian’s mouth by Christ (Matt. 6 :1 0 ); a precept for th e Christian illu strated by Christ (Matt. 2 6 :4 2 ); a p attern of Christ th a t should be followed by His servants (v. 14).— Lange. v. 15. Took carriages. This m arks th e beginning of th e end of Paul.— Garry. v. 16. Old disciple. An early disci ple, one who had long been a Christian, having probably been converted on the day of Pentecost.—Whitelaw. Subject H lustrations “F riendship,” says one, “ should be in the singular; it can be no more p lu ral th an love.” R ichard Cecil said: “ I have a shelf in my book-case for tried authors, one LESSON in my m ind for ILLUSTRATIONS tried principles, and W. H. P ik e one in my heart for tried friends.’’ P aul had a large shelf in his heart. Some of his best ¿nd most tried friends are mentioned in th is lesson. Bible Illu stration s Take your concordance and look up these friends of Paul. Note every place where they are mentioned. Their characters are worth studying. “Once le t friendship be given th a t is born of God, nor time nor circumstance can change it to a lessening; it must be m u tu al grow th, increasing tru st, widening faith, enduring patience, for giving love, unselfish ambition,— an af fection bu ilt before the throne, th a t will bear th e te st of tim e and tria l.” Christian F riend s The au tho r of the famous tract, “Come to Jesus,” a t one tim e engaged in a theological dispute, a t last sat down and w rote to some publication of his opponent, an answer bristling with sarcasm and invective, sharp and cut ting as a razor. Reading it to a friend,
th a t these children, being women, should keep silent, bu t God evidently thought otherwise. He made them prophets (2 :1 7 ), Paul, in th e very epistle in which he forbids women speaking under certain circum stances in th e assembly, (I Cor. 14:34) also gives direction how women shall proph esy (I Cor. 1 1 : 5 ) -Torrey. v. 11. Took P au l’s girdle. His adoption of this figurative action makes it almost certain th a t th e man was a Jew. Thus Isaiah (2 0 :3 ) walks naked and bare foot; Jerem iah (1 3 :5 ) hides his girdle by th e riv er; (19 :10 , 11) breaks th e p o tte r’s vessel; Ezekiel (4: 1-3) draws a picture on a tile and (5: 1-4) cuts off his hair and burns it; .Zedèkiah made horns of iron (I Kings 2 2 :1 1 ). W ith this act of Agabus may be compared our Lord’s words to Peter (Jno. 2 1 :1 8 ).— Camb. Bible. v. 12. B esought him . The parallel between Christ and Paul, who were both dissuaded-B the former by P eter (Matt. 1 6 :22 ), and th e la tte r by friends —¡-from going to Jerusalem to suffer, is too apparen t to escape notice.T—Horn. Com. We are in danger of allowing thè influence of our relatives and friends to in terfere w ith our supreme devotion to the cause of Christ. We may be exposed to social and political disadvantages. We must be prepared to bear them .—- G .. Brooks. v. 13. I am ready. The history of most of our failu re in Christian service is commonly th e history of unreadiness. Calls are ap t to come upon us suddenly, and only the ones whose loins are girded about and whose feet are shod in readi ness of obedience can respond. Oppor tun ities are of all things most fleeting. It is in the secret place th a t Paul, and we also, by counting the cost, must learn the secret of the ready h eart, which is th e whole secret of life.—Holden. To die a t Jerusalem . W here is th e apostle P au l today? Where th e man th a t speaks thus? Would he have any fol lowing now? Would he not be called fanatic, emotionalist, enthusiast? Would th e re no t be teachers of what is falsely called prudence who would ask him to stop and th ink and weigh well his course? The little prudence is more popular, it lies quiet; bu t th e g reat prudence lives beyond the cloudy re gion of compliment and congratulation and goes to Golgotha, to Olivet, to heaven.— People’s Bible. F o r th e Lord Jesus. The apostle had long ago count
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