And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her houshold, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 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 18 The apostles refer all miraculous this did she many days. But power to God and his Christ, though Paul, being grieved, turned conveyed by their means. and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, 21 21 They were Roman subjects; being tributary to Rome, as a conquered people. So blinded were they by hatred against the Christians, that they claimed their shame as their privilege. which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and 28 The keeper was amazed, not only at the earthquake, but at the noble spirit of the apostles; who would not secure their own safety by flight, when it would have compromised others. And they spake unto him 33 Our Lord had foretold these sufferings minutely. (Matt. x. 17; xx. 19.) came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 23 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and in 2 37 But Paul said unto them, go peace. They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but 37 St. Paul was a native of Tarsus lony; to whose citizens had been -an Asiatic city, but a Roman cogranted the privileges of Roman citizenship. Hence St. Paul was free born *. And the ser let them come themselves and fetch us out. jeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. 2 CHAPTER XVII. APRIL 20, AUGUST 19, DEC. 17. 2 How encouraging and instructive is it to observe this unvarying observance of the Sabbath! Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen 3 3 This was in accord with our Saviour's question to his despairing disciples at Emmaus-" Ought not Christ to have suffered these things?" again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto A proper solicitude to clear our character from false charges is truly Christian. Thus the apostles were more anxious on that head, than to secure their personal safety. you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great mul 5 Envy how often do we find its baneful effects! Abel was murdered for envy our blessed Lord was delivered for envy! The evil now persecute the good, for envy! titude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 'whom 7 This was the too successful plea Jason hath received: and with Pilate also. (See John xix. 12) these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 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 things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. "Therefore disputed he in the 17 He "disputed," that is, he held synagogue with the Jews, and arguments with. with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epi 11 It is always more noble to acquiesce upon conviction, than to take facts for granted! The new doctrines rejoiced them, but they were anxious to prove them by the Scrip : tures. 12 It is the religion of Jesus Christ which has elevated female character; giving it a weight and influence of which society daily feels the importance and the blessing. And some cureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection*. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.) 22 There is no abrupt overthrow of ancient prejudices; but a calm reasoning, to show that they and he really meant to worship the same he stated to be that whilst they Being. The difference between them confessed Him to be to them an UNKNOWN God, He was known to and had been revealed to the fol lowers of Christ in all his fulness. 22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 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. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 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 of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and 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 have said, For we are 28 Thus beautifully and forcibly does St. Paul reason upward, from the God of nature to the God of grace. (See xiv. 17.) also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven 30 He wisely and in good feeling by art and man's device. does not recur to their past sin of 30 And the times of this igno- idolatry. rance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 because he hath appointed a day, in 31 The resurrection of Jesus is in proof of the truth of this doctrine. * This was a hill at Athens, called " Mars' hill;" because there was upon it a statue of Mars-one of the heathen Gods. 32 There is a natural wish in man to pass hence to a state of being, where he shall know sorrow and death no more. Therefore many were anxious "again to hear him of this matter." It is surely a matter near to the heart of every man. Is it not near to thine? the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that CHAPTER XVIII. APRIL 21, August 20, Dec. 18. AFTER these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 2 and found a cer- 2 Claudius was now the Roman tain Jew named Aquila, born emperor. in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; And wise. Strongly moved and encouraged when Silas and Timotheus by the Spirit of inspiration. were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the sy8 Baptism, according to God's holy nagogue. And Crispus, the ordinance, is the appointed door by chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night 8 which men are to enter into the Church of Christ. The craft, or business, of St. Paul was that of a tent-maker. |