The Sabbath-School by W. N. Glenn

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 12, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 23.

The Sabbath-School.

By W. N. Glenn

LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—JUNE 21.

ACTS, CHAPTER 27: 15-44.

The Perilous Journey Continued.

THE deplorable condition of the storm-tossed vessel in which the missionary of the Lord was being conveyed toward his destination, and the hopeless attitude of the passengers and crew, well illustrates the weak judgment and puny arm of the natural man. As against the purposes of God, his might is as a feather before the gale, and when "neither sun nor stars" appear (verse 20) his hope fails. How differently appears the man "whose God is the Lord." Though physically an intense sufferer, and degraded as a prisoner, the apostle is of good courage, "hopeth all things, endureth all things," and becomes in the great emergency the actual commander of the ship and the consolation of the distracted people.

IT is evident that Paul had been engaged in earnest prayer for the company. He need not be afraid concerning his own life, for God had told him that he must bear witness at Rome (chap. 23:11); but his sympathetic heart was moved for his impenitent companions. The assurance which he received in the vision, "Lo God hath given thee all them that sail with thee," was no doubt an answer to earnest petition. Here is an example showing that under any and all circumstances, the true missionary heart is concerned for the welfare of others, leaving self to the care of God. Note also the example of Jesus. When being led out to die upon the cross, he turned to those who followed bewailing his sad fate, and said, "Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children." Luke 23:28.

VERSE 30 presents a scene of base treachery on the part of the sailors, characteristic of unregenerate humanity. While God had specially guaranteed the preservation of their lives, they betrayed a selfish disregard for the welfare of others in marked contrast with the devoted apostle's course. They would have taken the only apparent means of escape and left the passengers to what they supposed to be certain death—having no confidence in the assurances of the Spirit through the servant of God; and the probability is that they themselves would have been dashed upon the rocks and lost. Thus it has been and will be with every effort man may make to save himself in any other than God's appointed way. All such efforts are conceived in unbelief and selfish ambition, and unless restrained by the outreaching mercy of God, must result in disaster to all concerned.

ALTHOUGH the Spirit detected, and through Paul exposed, the treachery of the sailors before their wicked design was accomplished, yet it resulted in the loss of the boat—a very serious loss to the company. To thwart the deceptive purpose of the seamen, the soldiers cut the ropes as the boat was being lowered, and let it fall. Verse 32. But for this occurrence, the boat, when the proper time came, might have been used for the landing of the entire party, without the necessity of resorting to swimming and floating in the water on boards and broken pieces of the ship. Verse 44. But such results of unfaithfulness and unbelief, on the part of some who are claiming the promise of salvation, are experienced to-day. And, although they are not permitted to fully carry out the design of Satan, whose tools they are, they do succeed in greatly discouraging those who are honestly seeking the way of life—enhancing the labor of God's servants, and hindering the cause of truth.

"EXCEPT these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." Verse 31. It is quite common to draw from this expression the lesson that it is necessary to "stick to the ship" in order to be saved. While such an idea may, under certain circumstances, be a good one, it depends mainly upon the character of the ship. With the shattered craft in question, we find that even Paul did not stick to it any longer than to gain a favorable opportunity for leaving it in safety. Paul did not say that those sailors could not be saved, but "ye [speaking to the centurion and of those that would be left on board] cannot be saved." God's promises of assistance are always based upon the condition that man will do all in his own power toward the desired end. If the seamen had left the vessel, there would have been none on board capable of doing anything in the way of managing her. On the point of using the means which God designs in the matter of the fulfillment of his promises, we quote from the apt remarks of Dr. Barnes:—

"It will be remembered that Paul had been informed by the angel, and had assured them (verses 22-24) that no lives would be lost; but it was only in the use of the proper means that their lives would be safe. Though it had been determined, and though Paul had the assurance that their lives would be safe, yet this did not, in his view, prevent the use of the proper means to secure it. From this we may learn, (1) That the certainty of an event does not render it improper to use means to obtain it. (2) That, though the event may be determined, yet the use of means may be indispensable to secure it. The event is not more certainly ordained than the means requisite to accomplish it. (3) That the doctrine of the divine purposes or decrees, making certain future events, does not make the use of man's agency unnecessary or improper. The means are determined as well as the end, and the one will not be secured without the other. (4) The same is true in regard to the decrees respecting salvation. The end is not determined without the means; and as God has resolved that his people shall be saved, so he has also determined the means. He has ordained that they shall repent, shall believe, shall be holy, and shall thus be saved. (5) We have in this case a full answer to the objection that a belief in the decrees of God will make men neglect the means of salvation, and lead to licentiousness. It has just the contrary tendency. Here is a case in which Paul certainly believed in the purpose of God to save these men; in which he was assured that it was fully determined; and yet the effect was not to produce indolence and unconcern, but to prompt him to use strenuous efforts to accomplish the very effect which God had determined should take place. So it is always. A belief that God has purposes of mercy, that he designs, and has always designed, to save some, will prompt to the use of all proper means to secure it. If we had no such evidence that God had any such purpose, effort would be vain. Where we have such evidence, it operates, as it did in the case of Paul, to produce great and strenuous endeavors to secure the object."

AFTER Paul had reassured the people, and advised them to take some much-needed nourishment after their long fasting, the ship was run as far toward the shore as possible. And as it run aground, and began breaking to pieces, a new dilemma arose. The life of a soldier in charge of a prisoner was the penalty if his charge was allowed to escape. As all would now have to take to the water on individual account, it was feared that some of the prisoners might escape; so the soldiers proposed to kill them all rather than take any chances. Verse 42. This would have been sanctioned by the law, but the centurion was not so fearful as his men, besides he was anxious to save Paul. It will be remembered that from the very outset from Cæsarea, Julius was favorable to the Christian prisoner, and "courteously entreated him," having probably been one of those who heard his address before Agrippa. He also knew that Paul had been instrumental in their salvation, and was therefore actuated by feelings of gratitude toward his benefactor.

HOW aptly these hardened, ungrateful soldiers represent the sinful, unrepentant human race. Why is it that men will not flee from the wicked influences that impel them to such deeds? There is hardly a man of common intelligence in the world who would not pronounce the counsel of those soldiers an act of base ingratitude. Yet how true it is that one will judge another and do the same things himself. Rom. 2:1. There can be no species of ingratitude so flagrant as the willful rejection of God's proffered mercy—the invitation to come unto Jesus and have life. Matt. 11:28; John 5:40.

"THEY escaped all safe to land." Verse 4. And thus is furnished another proof that God's word never fails, and that he careth for his own. It is also a striking demonstration of the manner in which the world is blessed through his people. Here were 276 human beings saved by having in their midst three of the Lord's servants; yet the world does not realize that when they are despising the humble followers of Jesus, they are disdaining the "salt of the earth," for whose sake the wicked are often spared—lest the wheat be rooted up also. Matt. 13:29. Sodom would have been spared could five righteous men have been found within her bounds. Furthermore this calamity worked for the good of the mission in which Paul, and Luke, and Aristarchus were engaged. It gave them great favor with their traveling companions, and especially with those who were to present Paul before Nero; and it was doubtless the influence of this two weeks' "peril by sea" that gained for him favorable consideration during his subsequent imprisonment at Rome. While nominally a prisoner, he was permitted to dwell in his own hired house, and receive all who came unto him, "preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Chap. 28:30, 31.