I. DIVINE ELECTION. "The God of our fathers hath chosen thee" (ver. 14). It will always be a difficulty to know what to think of the electing grace of God. But we are on safe ground when we say:

1. That God desires the well-being of every member of his human family. We may surely argue that it must be so; we may boldly affirm that it is so. Is it not written that God is one "who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4; see Ezekiel 18:23; Ezekiel 33:11; 2 Peter 3:9).

2. That he bestows special favors and privileges on some men; to some as not to others he gives intellectual faculty, material resources, educational advantages, domestic influences, providential guidance, knowledge of Christian truth in its purity and integrity, etc. These he "elects," or "chooses;" on them he confers distinguishing goodness.

II. A VISION OF THE RIGHTEOUS SAVIOR. "That thou shouldest... see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth" (ver. 14). To Saul there was vouchsafed a very special and peculiar manifestation of the risen Lord. In such wise as we do not, he saw the Just One himself and heard his voice. But Christ does present himself now to the sons of men, and he manifests himself as the Just One, as the Lord of righteousness. By a spiritual act we recognize Jesus Christ as:

1. That Being who is in himself the Holy and Righteous One, in whom is no trace of sin.

2. That Divine One who summons us to a new life of holiness and sacred service.

3. That Just One who, by his atoning death, has made the way open to our immediate justification, who has made it possible for us to attain to "the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Philippians 3:9). In the presence of him, the Just One, we are filled with shame; but by faith in his finished work we have acceptance with God and are accounted righteous (or, just) in his sight; and we yield ourselves to him and his service that his righteousness may be reproduced in us and in our human lives. Thus we come to do -

III. THAT WORK OF MAN WHICH IS THE WILL OF GOD. Paul was to "know his will" (ver. 14), and was to do that will by the accomplishment of his life-work, viz. by "being his witness unto all men." This, too, in our way and measure is to be our lifework, even as it was our Lord's (John 18:37). We are to bear witness of Christian truth by

(1) exemplary behavior;

(2) a devout and generous spirit;

(3) the word of testimony and exhortation, - this latter is to be experimental, such as is suggested by our own actual experience. Every Christian life is a failure if it be not an epistle read and known of all who are there to read it. - C.

The verb here translated, "chosen," only occurs in this form in one other place (Acts 26:16), where it has the sense of "making," or "appointing." The idea here is ordination, or setting apart. This ordination is —

I. TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE HIGHEST SUBJECT. "That thou shouldst know His will." God has a will in relation to all existences and to every individual man. It is the spring of all existence, the rule of all motion, the standard of all character. To understand it is to understand the philosophy of all being, the cause of all phenomena, and the science of all duty. All true subjects of thought are related to it, and lead into it as radia to their centre. It is, therefore, the sublimest subject of thought. It expresses the Divine nature, it reveals the universe. It is, therefore, the great theme for the study of eternity. To the study of this Paul was thus ordained. He began it then, he is at it now, he will continue at it forever.

II. TO A VISION OF THE HIGHEST EXISTENCE. Not only to understand the will which is the law of the universe, but to see the Lawgiver Himself (chap. Acts 3:14). Christ is called "that Just One," not merely because, as God, He is absolutely just, nor merely because, as man, He "did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," but as Mediator who has engaged to make unjust men just to themselves, to their fellows, to the universe, to God. Paul wan ordained to Him in order —

1. To renovate him as a sinner. The vision of Christ is the soul transforming force. "Beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, we are changed," etc.

2. To qualify him as an apostle. One of the necessary qualifications of an apostle was that he should have a personal view of Christ. Hence he says, "Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen the Lord?"

3. To consummate his blessedness as a man. What is the heaven of souls? The beatific vision of Christ (Revelation 5:6, 12).

III. TO A RECEPTION OF THE HIGHEST COMMUNICATIONS. "And shouldst hear the voice of His mouth." To have a direct communication with Christ seemed necessary in order to put Paul on a level with the twelve apostles (Acts 13:3; Galatians 1:1). But whilst this was specially required for Paul as an apostle, it is the high privilege of all good men. "Never man spake like this man," they said who heard Him when on earth, when He spoke only the few things that they could bear. But to listen to that voice in heaven, what an ecstasy of joy! What is the voice of your Plato's compared with the voice of Christ?

IV. TO A DISCHARGE OF THE HIGHEST MISSION. "Thou shalt be His witness," etc. To bear witness —

1. Of the highest facts about the greatest Being.

2. Of the highest facts about the greatest Being to all mankind. How earnestly shall we aspire to such an ordination!

(D. Thomas, D. D.)

From this we see —

I. WHAT THE PREACHER MUST BRING ALONG WITH HIM into the ministry.

1. The knowledge of the Divine will.

2. The experience of Divine grace.

II. WHAT THE PREACHER IS TO DO in the ministry — to be a witness to all men in word and deed of what he has seen and heard.

III. ON WHAT THE PREACHER MAY DEPEND in his ministry — on the grace of God which has appointed him to the office and will strengthen him in it.

(K. Gerok.)

Here is —

I. A SPECIAL DEPARTMENT OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE. "Thou shalt be His witness." Sometimes a Christian is designated a steward, and is left in trust for Christ; sometimes a shepherd, and is commanded to feed the flock of God; but here he is called a witness. A witness is one who bears testimony to that with which he is personally acquainted. The apostle was a competent witness — he was permitted to see and know Christ; he was a courageous witness — he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; and he was a consistent witness — both by word and deed he declared the whole counsel of God. How can we witness for Christ?

1. By our self-denying labours. This is the very essence of the Christian religion. "Whosoever doth not bear his cross," etc. The need of a spirit of self-abnegation is abundantly manifest. We are surrounded by the ignorant, who must be taught; by the careless, who must be awakened; and by the lost, who must be led to the Saviour.

2. By our holy deportment. The end of Christ's death is the holiness of His people. The Christian is commanded to let his light so shine before men, that they may see his good works, and glorify his Father who is in heaven. Holiness is power. "Argument may be resisted, entreaty may be disregarded, and eloquence may be scorned; but the exhibition of an exalted piety has a might which nothing can withstand. It is truth embodied; it is the gospel preaching in the lives of its votaries. No sophistry can elude it, no conscience can ward it off, and no bosom wears a mail that can brave the energy of its attack."

II. AN EXTENSIVE SPHERE OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE. "To all men." If you examine a map of the countries through which the apostle travelled, you will be amazed at the extent of his labours. Distance did not damp his zeal, nor danger daunt his courage. Where can we witness for Christ?

1. In private. This is a far more important sphere of service than many persons think. Are we diligent in the time of service? Are we patient in the hour of suffering? Are we resigned in the season of bereavement? Then we are witnessing for Christ.

2. In public. This is not only a difficult, but a very delicate task. We may dishonour Christ by our silence, and we may displease men by our speech. But there is greater danger of grieving Christ by our indifference than of offending men by our imprudence. Our testimony must be constant and courageous. Wherever our lot may be cast, there we must be loyal to Christ.

III. AN IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION FOR CHRISTIAN SERVICE. "Of what thou hast seen and heard." An apostle must know the will and experience the grace of God. He had seen the "Just One," and "heard His voice"; and you might as well have tried to reason him out of a belief in his own existence as to reason him out of his belief in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we have seen the glory of God, or enjoyed the fellowship of Christ, we must "witness to all men of what we have seen and heard."

(J. T. Woodhouse.)

In the New Testament all who came to Christ at all came straightway. The apostles, Saul of Tarsus, the jailer at Philippi, the eunuch of Ethiopia, Lydia. Those who hesitated never came. Rich young ruler, Agrippa, Felix. This teaches us in a striking manner the danger of delay. Men, however, urge the reasonableness of delay. They declare that a matter so important should be duly weighed. Its responsibilities must not be rashly assumed. On the other hand, there are solemn and pressing arguments for immediate action.

I. THE POSITION IS ONE OF PERIL. If your house was in flames, and you were awakened at the dead of night by the cries of firemen calling upon you to escape, would you reply that you must deliberate upon the situation? To use the wise man's image (Proverbs 23:34), would you, if you were lying on the top of the mast when the vessel was rocking violently and the crew were calling you to come down, respond that you must duly weigh the matter?

II. THE POSITION IS SINFUL. It is a sin against the authority of God, who commands you to come; against the love of God, who yearns for you; against Jesus Christ — a rejection of the Divine claims, of His mercy. If it were theft, would you say, "I will steal one year more, and then I will stop"? Why, then, should you say, "I will sin by rejecting Christ one year or one day more, and after that perhaps I will turn from this sin?"

III. IT MAY BE INSTANTLY PERFORMED. You cannot stop fighting God gradually. Will you fire a few less guns tomorrow, and only an occasional gun the day after? Is that making peace? "As the Roman ambassador drew a circle around the captive princes, and bade them accede to his terms before they passed its bounds, so God requires an immediate response to His overture of mercy."

IV. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY NOW TO PERFORM IT. No doubt you think you would prefer to have deeper convictions, stronger desires and all that; but you must learn to act on what you have. A vessel may leave the harbour with a wind of fifteen knots, or ten, or five, or one knot an hour. "Act on what you have; think not of what might be. It is better to go out of the harbour of false ease and delusive security upon a wind that merely fills the flapping sails than not to go at all."

V. THE DIFFICULTIES WILL NOT BE LESSENED BY DELAY. You remember the countryman in AEsop's fable who sat down by a running stream, saying: "If this stream continues to flow as it does now for a little while, it will empty itself, and I will walk over dry shod." He waited in vain! and so do you. The difficulties will never become less.

VI. THE DIFFICULTIES WILL INCREASE. The purchase of heaven is like buying of the Sibyl's prophecies — the longer you delay the dearer the price. Men think as they grow older they will grow more virtuous. This is contradicted by the law of habit. Late conversions are rare. "Old age is, of all the ages of life, the least fitted for the work of salvation." Facility in goodness does not come from habitually ignoring Christ.

VII. THE SHORTNESS AND UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE. The vistas of life seen in the perspective of hope may seem long to us; youth may smile at the suggestions of the tomb, and, conscious strength, may repel the insinuations of mortality; but the resistless hand of time is drawing us on. Nature and life are full of reminders of the brevity and incertitude of human existence. "The eagle poising a moment on the wing, and then rushing at her prey; the ship that, throwing the spray from her bow, scuds before the wind; the shuttle, flashing through the loom; the shadow of the cloud sweeping the hillside, and then gone forever, not leaving a trace behind; the summer flowers that, vanishing, have left our gardens bare"; the falling of the autumn leaf; the rushing of the mountain torrent; the dispersion of the morning mist; the fading of the summer day; these, with many other fleeting things, are emblems by which God through nature is teaching us how frail we are; at the longest, how short our days!

(E. S. Prout.)

I. BAPTISM IS AN ORDINANCE OF CHRIST. It has been a question whether the rite is of Jewish origin. Moses, indeed, ordained "divers washings," to which the elders added many more. But these were essentially different from Christian baptism; they being "waters of separation," this of initiation; they being repeated on any fresh pollution, this not being on any account repeated. Jewish proselyte baptism is more analogous, but is not mentioned until the Christian era. The baptism of John bears more resemblance to it, being, as he declared, the shadow of it. They certainly are not identical, or Paul would not have baptized again the disciples of John at Ephesus. So we conclude that baptism is exclusively Christian. How or why we can hardly tell, except it were gathered from a few such hints as that prediction of Isaiah — "So shall He sprinkle many nations." There prevailed among the Jews an expectation that Christ should institute a new and peculiar baptism. This impression is evident from the question put by the Pharisees to John — "Why baptizest thou, then, if thou be not that Christ," etc. It is, therefore, no wonder chat earnest men among them flocked to receive "the baptism of repentance," nor Chat afterwards "Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John"; and from His own baptism, needful only for example's sake, the Teacher from heaven acted out this prevailing idea — an idea which gave an evident and definite meaning to that saying of His to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born of water," etc., which agreed exactly with the current expectation, and must be law as long as men have to be translated out of the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of our Lord; which further appears from the very last charge of the Saviour (Matthew 28:19, 20).

II. BAPTISM REPRESENTS THE WASHING AWAY OF SINS. Nothing can be clearer than this. Sin has ever been regarded as a defilement which required to be washed away to make a man fit to stand in the sight of God. When this purification became possible, through "the water and the blood" which flowed from the Saviour's side, the fact was set forth by a rite in which water was employed; at the same time the Lord declared the Spirit of God, which He came to give, to be essential to that new birth without which there is no personal efficacy in baptism. Yet this is the matter upon which there has been most unaccountable and fatal confusion. The text says, "Be baptized, and wash away your sins" — two things as different as a sign, and the thing signified. Yet these two have been declared to he the same. If it were so, I myself should have been "a new creature in Christ Jesus" in virtue of it, without any conversion; but I know that I was not. If it were so, then Simon Magus must have been among the saved. The idea of baptism being the actual remission of sins, or regeneration, or anything whatever beyond a sign of these as needful and possible, is too groundless for argument. But it does show us, as clearly as any earthly image can, the necessity and the possibility of "the washing of regeneration."

III. BAPTISM IS OF PERPETUAL IMPORTANCE AND OBLIGATION. Christianity and spirituality are all but synonymous terms, this being emphatically the dispensation of the Spirit. The ceremonial law of Moses was in itself very burdensome; but those who would prefer outward rites to true religion were always heaping up traditions upon it, until it became a yoke of bondage too heavy to be borne. Then the Saviour gave the very character of His economy when He said, "God is a Spirit," etc.; in harmony with which He said also, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation," etc., which Paul did but illustrate when he said, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink," etc. Now, from these and a hundred such Scriptures we might have argued that the pure Spirit of Christ, without any figure, was Christianity. But our conceits, however logical they may seem, are not Christianity; and seeing that the thoughts and ways of God are so immeasurably higher than those of men, and wiser, and kinder, it is ever better to inquire what He has decreed than to imagine what He would do. We have already proved that Christ did institute this rite. Its very institution proves its importance then; and if it had any then, it must have as much if not more now; for if ever the outward and visible sign could be dispensed with, it must be while the Divine Teacher was living in our world to explain and to enforce His doctrines. And the most spiritual men have confessed that the two sacraments have proved a real help to their faith. At the dedication of their offspring to God in Christ, as well as at the table of the Lord, they have felt and learnt what they never learnt before, becoming more spiritual than ever. Whether this were so or not, the Divinely attested fact that Jesus decreed the baptism of all nations in His very last words is the proof that it is to have a continuance unto the end of the world. If one may explain away the rites ordained by the Lord, another may explain away the doctrines which they were ordained to teach; and, alas! many do both this day. What the very apostles needed we cannot less need; and it must be a right and safe conclusion that Christ only can unmake any ordinance which He has made, and that until He does so it rests upon all His disciples as an unquestionable obligation.

IV. BAPTISM IS TO BE ADMINISTERED TO ALL WHO WORSHIP CHRIST. The last clause of the text is of all importance. It proves, even before it is expounded, that baptism alone, the rite as the outward action of another, cannot save, but that its efficacy depends upon the state of mind and heart in the subject; for there is something else to be done while it is being performed. What this is is now the question. Of course it does not mean the formal mention of His holy "name," nor does it mean "calling," without any wish or hope of answer. The phrase is one borrowed from the Old Testament, where it always intends the actual worship of God in the prayer of faith. In the Psalms it; is said, "I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord"; "O give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name." The phrase in question is also one of those which bind together the two Testaments. Joel says, "It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered" — which prediction both Peter and Paul quote word for word; and whatever may have been the prophet's idea, we know the apostle's intention in "the name of the Lord." These meant not the Lord Jehovah, but the Lord Jesus. So, then, what Ananias here required from Saul was that with the highest possible intention he should call Jesus "Master and Lord"; and if any man whatever do this with apparent honesty, and is yet unbaptized, to him every minister of Christ should say, "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins."

(J. De Kewer Williams.)

There is this idea in the text, this Divine purport and meaning — All things are ready. A redemption is obtained. A kingdom is purchased;up and take possession.

1. "Arise," that is, lift up your hearts to the Redeemer! "Lift up your eyes to the hill Calvary, whence cometh your help." "Arise," hang down and droop thy head no more as if no balm was in Gilead, or as if there were no Physician there that could heal thee; though thou art a poor prodigal child, and hast been feeding upon the husks, the pleasures and vanities of a sinful world, thou hast a Father that loves thee, arise and go to Him. Thou hast a dear Saviour whose wounds will heal thy spoiled and poisoned nature. Thou hast the "Holy Ghost, who will lead thee and comfort thee as a mother comforteth her only son." "Arise," leave thy sins, thy lusts, thy dangerous place, and venture to come to the sinner's refuge, and it shall go well with thee.

2. "Be baptized," be immersed and covered in the bloody sweat of Jesus, be baptized with the baptism wherewith He was baptized, those great drops which fell from Him in His agony shall wash away thy great crimes and frightful offences.

3. "Wash away thy sins," that is, come to the blood of the Lamb. No Jordan, no pool of Siloam, no Bethesda is like it. Whoever comes to this laver, to this fountain, though his sins were more than the hairs of his head, or the sands upon the seashore, all shall be washed away and remembered no more: and though his crimes were the most vile and abominable, so that his heart failed him, yet the blood of Christ shall make him whiter than the snow in Salmon, and soften and melt his hard and icy nature, and speak peace and pardon to his guilty conscience.

4. "Calling upon the name of the Lord," this is to direct you where to apply, to whom you may address yourselves and make your requests, namely, to the Lord Jesus that appeared to Paul in the way. He is the Friend of sinners. He is the Minister of the true sanctuary, who hears prayer, and has the tenderest heart. Ask of Him and He will give you, seek to Him and you shall find, knock at the door of the sheepfold, and you shall find entrance by the new and living way of His flesh and blood, into the holiest place of all.

(John Cennick.)

is —

I. A POSSIBLE WORK. "Be baptized, and wash away thy sins." The Holy Word represents the sinful state of the soul under different figures — sleep, slavery, disease, death, pollution. Here pollution. The words imply that it is —

1. A cleansable pollution. It is not ingrained. It is something separable from the soul. It can be washed away. Baptism to Saul would symbolise moral cleansing. No water, of course, can wash the soul; all the waters of the Atlantic could not cleanse one moral stain. There is, however, a spiritual water, "the truth as it is in Jesus," by which the Eternal Spirit does cleanse (Ezekiel 36:25, 27; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:7; Ephesians 5:25, 26; Revelation 1:5, 6; Revelation 7:14).

2. A pollution of which man must cleanse himself: "Wash away thy sins." No one can do it for us.

II. IT IS A PRAYING WORK. "Calling upon the name of the Lord." Christ's name is Himself; to call upon His name is to call upon Him.

1. Christ is the efficient cleanser of human souls. His work is to wash away the sins of the world, to purify the moral garments of humanity.

2. Prayer is the ordained means of attaining His cleansing influence (Romans 10:13). The prayer addressed to Him in the upper room at Jerusalem brought down His cleansing influences on the day of Pentecost. You may get wealth by industry, intelligence by study, wisdom by experience, but moral purity only by prayer.

III. IT IS AN URGENT WORK. "Why tarriest thou?" Or, more literally, Why art thou about acting, instead of acting really? Do not hesitate a moment. Be prompt. The importance of promptitude may be argued —

1. From the greatness of the work. Eternity depends upon it.

2. From the time already lost. The whole life should have been given to it, but much has run to waste.

3. From the increase of difficulties. Disinclination, insensibility, force of habit — all increase by delay.

4. From the character of the future. It is —

(1)Brief;

(2)uncertain.

(D. Thomas, D. D.)

Ananias, Gamaliel, Paul, Saul, StephenCilicia, Damascus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, TarsusArise, Baptised, Baptism, Baptize, Baptized, Calling, Delay, Giving, Lingerest, Rise, Risen, Sins, Tarriest, Thyself, Wait, Waiting, Wash, Washed, Washing, Worship1. Paul declares how he was converted to the faith,
17. and called to his apostleship.
22. At the very mentioning of the Gentiles the people exclaim on him.
24. He would have been scourged;
25. but claiming the privilege of a Roman, he escapes.

Acts 22:16

     1670   symbols
     2425   gospel, requirements
     5865   gestures
     5977   waiting
     6028   sin, deliverance from
     6029   sin, forgiveness
     6617   atonement, in NT
     7328   ceremonies
     7342   cleanliness
     7404   ordinances
     7478   washing
     7908   baptism, significance
     7957   sacraments
     8407   confession, of Christ

Acts 22:3-16

     5108   Paul, life of

Acts 22:3-21

     5944   self-defence
     8820   self-confidence

Acts 22:6-16

     5109   Paul, apostle

Acts 22:13-18

     7241   Jerusalem, significance

Rome Protects Paul
'And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the Temple, I was in a trance; 18. And saw Him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning Me. 19. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on Thee: 20. And when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Paul on his Own Conversion
'And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why perseoutest thou Me? 8. And I answered, Who art Thou, Lord? And He said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me. 10. And I said, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: The Acts

Being Easily Entreated
Not long since I saw in the report of a meeting a statement something like this: "The brethren were easily entreated, and so all personal difficulties were easily settled." One of the greatest problems that ministers meet and one that requires the most patience and wisdom is the problem of settling personal difficulties. These difficulties are often found existing between those professing to be Christians. And sometimes they are very hard to get settled. There is just one reason for this: those involved …
Charles Wesley Naylor—Heart Talks

Some Scriptures for Daily Practise.
If we seek God earnestly in the prayer of faith to help us in our daily practise of the following Scriptural texts and then put forth our best efforts, we shall find life daily growing more holy and beautiful. The beauty and enjoyment of a holy life is that it can always be improved upon. We can live in all the light that shines upon us from these texts today, but tomorrow we find them shining a little brighter and fuller light, so that we shall have to live a little more holy than we are living …
C. E. Orr—How to Live a Holy Life

What is God's Will?
"The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will."--ACTS xxii. 14. WE resume to-day a subject, the thread of which has been broken by the interval of a few Sabbaths--the subject of the Will of God. Already we have tried to learn two lessons:-- (1) That the end of our life is to do the will of God. (2) That this was the end of Christ's life. It will help to recall what has gone before if we compare this with another definition of the end of life with which we are all familiar. …
Henry Drummond—The Ideal Life

Beyond the Brightness of the Sun
T. P. Acts xxii. 11 I was journeying in the noontide, When His light shone o'er my road; And I saw Him in that glory-- Saw Him--Jesus, Son of God. All around, in noonday splendour, Earthly scenes lay fair and bright; But my eyes no more behold them For the glory of that light. Others in the summer sunshine Wearily may journey on, I have seen a light from heaven, Past the brightness of the sun-- Light that knows no cloud, no waning, Light wherein I see His Face, All His love's uncounted treasures, …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Early Life the Place of Paul +The Man
STUDY I EARLY LIFE THE PLACE OF PAUL +The Man, Paul,+ judged by the influence he has exerted in the world, is one of the greatest characters in all history. He is pre-eminent not only as a missionary, but as a marvelous thinker and writer. "He was a personality of vast power, force, and individuality." There are some men who seem to be born and prepared to do a large work for the world; Paul makes the impression upon those who carefully read the record of his life that he stands first in this class …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Jerusalem to Rome
Acts 21:17-28:31 THIS JOURNEY Scripture, Acts 21:17-28:31 1. The speech before the Jewish mob in the temple (Acts 22:1-29) in which Paul tells the Jews how he was changed from a persecutor to a believer in Christ. He relates also the story of his conversion. 2. The speech before the Jewish council (Acts 22:30; 23:1-10) in which he creates confusion by raising the question of the resurrection. But the provocation was great for the high-priest had commanded that Paul be smitten …
Henry T. Sell—Bible Studies in the Life of Paul

Jesus the Guest of Martha and Mary.
(Bethany, Near Jerusalem.) ^C Luke X. 38-42. ^c 38 Now as they went on their way [he was journeying through Judæa, attended by the twelve], he entered into a certain village [It was the village of Bethany (John xi. 1), which was on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than two miles from Jerusalem]: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the Lord's feet, and heard his word. [Sitting at the feet was the ancient …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

From Antioch to the Destruction of Jerusalem.
Acts 13-28 and all the rest of the New Testament except the epistles of John and Revelation. The Changed Situation. We have now come to a turning point in the whole situation. The center of work has shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch, the capital of the Greek province of Syria, the residence of the Roman governor of the province. We change from the study of the struggles of Christianity in the Jewish world to those it made among heathen people. We no longer study many and various persons and their …
Josiah Blake Tidwell—The Bible Period by Period

Divine Calls.
"And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel; Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for Thy servant heareth."--1 Samuel iii. 10. In the narrative of which these words form part, we have a remarkable instance of a Divine call, and the manner in which it is our duty to meet it. Samuel was from a child brought to the house of the Lord; and in due time he was called to a sacred office, and made a prophet. He was called, and he forthwith answered the call. God said, "Samuel, …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Baptism, a Divinely Appointed Means of Grace.
When we inquire into the benefits and blessings which the Word of God connects with baptism, we must be careful to obtain the true sense and necessary meaning of its declarations. It is not enough to pick out an isolated passage or two, give them a sense of our own, and forthwith build on them a theory or doctrine. In this way the Holy Scriptures have been made to teach and support the gravest errors and most dangerous heresies. In this way, many persons "wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction." …
G. H. Gerberding—The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion.
(Friday. Toward Sunrise.) ^A Matt. XXVII. 15-30; ^B Mark XV. 6-19; ^C Luke XXIII. 13-25; ^D John XVIII. 39-XIX 16. ^a 15 Now at the feast [the passover and unleavened bread] the governor was wont { ^b used to} release unto them ^a the multitude one prisoner, whom they would. { ^b whom they asked of him.} [No one knows when or by whom this custom was introduced, but similar customs were not unknown elsewhere, both the Greeks and Romans being wont to bestow special honor upon certain occasions by releasing …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Prodigal Son.
"And he said, A certain man had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he …
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Of the Prerogatives which the Elect Shall Enjoy in Heaven.
By reason of this communion with God, the elect in heaven shall have four superexcellent prerogatives:-- 1. They shall have the kingdom of heaven for their inheritance (Matt. xxv.; 1 Pet. i. 4), and they shall be free denizens of the heavenly Jerusalem (Eph. ii. 19; Heb. xii. 22.) St. Paul, by being a free citizen of Rome (Acts xxi. 26), escaped whipping; but they who are once free citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, shall ever be freed from the whips of eternal torments. For this freedom was bought …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

How to Make Use of Christ for Cleansing of us from Our Daily Spots.
Having spoken of the way of making use of Christ for removing the guilt of our daily transgressions, we come to speak of the way of making use of Christ, for taking away the guilt that cleaveth to the soul, through daily transgressions; "for every sin defileth the man," Matt. xv. 20; and the best are said to have their spots, and to need washing, which presupposeth filthiness and defilement, Eph. v. 27. John xiii. 8-10. Hence we are so oft called to this duty of washing and making us clean. Isa. …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Nature of Justification
Justification in the active sense (iustificatio, {GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA}{GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA}) is defined by the Tridentine Council as "a translation from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and of the adoption of the sons of God through the second Adam, …
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

The Birth of Jesus Proclaimed by Angels to the Shepherds.
(Near Bethlehem, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 8-20. ^c 8 And there were shepherds in the same country [they were in the same fields from which David had been called to tend God's Israel, or flock] abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. [When the flock is too far from the village to lead it to the fold at night, these shepherds still so abide with it in the field, even in the dead of winter.] 9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them [He stood upon the earth at their side, and did …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Lord of Glory.
1 Cor. ii:8. OUR ever blessed Lord, who died for us, to whom we belong, with whom we shall be forever, is the Lord of Glory. Thus He is called in 1 Cor. ii:8, "for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory." Eternally He is this because He is "the express image of God, the brightness of His Glory" (Heb. i:3). He possessed Glory with the Father before the world was (John xvii:5). This Glory was beheld by the prophets, for we read that Isaiah "saw His Glory and spake of Him" …
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

Of Baptism.
1. Baptism defined. Its primary object. This consists of three things. 1. To attest the forgiveness of sins. 2. Passages of Scripture proving the forgiveness of sins. 3. Forgiveness not only of past but also of future sins. This no encouragement to license in sin. 4 Refutation of those who share forgiveness between Baptism and Repentance. 5 Second thing in Baptism--viz. to teach that we are ingrafted into Christ for mortification and newness of life. 6. Third thing in Baptism--viz. to teach us that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Jews Make all Ready for the War; and Simon, the Son of Gioras, Falls to Plundering.
1. And thus were the disturbances of Galilee quieted, when, upon their ceasing to prosecute their civil dissensions, they betook themselves to make preparations for the war with the Romans. Now in Jerusalem the high priest Artanus, and do as many of the men of power as were not in the interest of the Romans, both repaired the walls, and made a great many warlike instruments, insomuch that in all parts of the city darts and all sorts of armor were upon the anvil. Although the multitude of the young …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

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