Heralds of the Gospel
115
After the departure of Mark, Paul and Barnabas visited Antioch in
Pisidia and on the Sabbath day went into the Jewish synagogue and
sat down. “After the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of
the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have
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any word of exhortation for the people, say on.” Being thus invited
to speak, “Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of
Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.” Then followed a wonderful
discourse. He proceeded to give a history of the manner in which the
Lord had dealt with the Jews from the time of their deliverance from
Egyptian bondage, and how a Saviour had been promised, of the seed
of David, and he boldly declared that “of this man’s seed hath God
according to His promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: when
John had first preached before His coming the baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said,
Whom think ye that I am? I am not He. But, behold, there cometh
One after me, whose shoes of His feet I am not worthy to loose.” Thus
with power he preached Jesus as the Saviour of men, the Messiah of
prophecy.
Having made this declaration, Paul said, “Men and brethren, chil-
dren of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth
God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at
Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew Him not, nor yet the
voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have
fulfilled them in condemning Him.”
Paul did not hesitate to speak the plain truth concerning the rejec-
tion of the Saviour by the Jewish leaders. “Though they found no cause
of death in Him,” the apostle declared, “yet desired they Pilate that He
should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of
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Him, they took Him down from the tree, and laid Him in a sepulcher.
But God raised Him from the dead: and He was seen many days of
them which came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are
His witnesses unto the people.”
“We declare unto you glad tidings,” the apostle continued, “how
that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled
the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again;
as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art My Son, this day
have I begotten Thee. And as concerning that He raised Him up from
the dead, now no more to return to corruption, He said on this wise, I