The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-08-09
The sunday School.
80 40 .la-.s . rnl.or.
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1sgG4ae copFefksua caused DC excite.
tnebt 10 I.hEippi Bat whsn frenzied
gi'i, pfleaiess 81 the goa Apollo. wbo
was hired 70 tel fortunes, provoked
Past ~ crying Aflef him % cast cut
tbe evil spirit, and Der employers per.
celTsd that she would make 70 more
money ior them, moved BY anger and
revenge. they seized Paul aud silAs
aud dragged them before tie Roman
magistrates. They accused them Of
teaching unlawful customs 70 Roman
citizens. The assertion that they were
Jews. a dospised race. paved the way
lot their bndesefved punishment. Both
magistrates aud multitude seem TO have
loiaed ia The mob. who. led by lictors,
stripped oiI the clothes If the apostles
aud beat aod imprisoned them To To-
sure their safe keeping. their feet were
thrust into the heavy stocks Of the
deepest dungeon. II was a stone ex.
cavation. dark. damp. noisome, with
/ no provision for comfort. yet these
BAked, wounded. smariing men found
il 10 their hearts not only 10 pray but
70 sing Midnight came. The voice
Of prayer aud praise found it's way out
Of tho remote apartment and awakened
the thieves, murderers. and outoasts
incarcerated under the same roof
While all were listening 10 these sur.
prising songs, the low murmur Of the
coming earthquake mingles its tones
with theirs. aud the moving earth rises
aud shakes the stone foundations Of the
prison. The doors swing wide open,
the heavy timbers Of the stocks fall
apart. the chains that bind the legs and
arms OF the prisoners are miraculously
unfastencd The jailer is awakened by
the turmoil. The open doors are before
him, No doubt his prisoners are gone !
\ His life Is forfeited TO the law. Suicide
seems his only refuge. The we'll
known voice Of bis chief prisoner re.
assures him. Paul cries out, 1--WE are
all here" Darkness was most well
come when he was about to commit
selfmurder. Now he does that which
seeks the light. The hot haste OF the
jailer, his limbs yet trembling with
mortal fear, his abject prostration be-
fore bis prisoners are indicative of the
intense excitement of the moment He
leads Paul and Silas out of their dun.
geon and, as they come forth, he in.
quires in language that manifests a
newborn respect and reverence, "Sirs,
what shall | do to be saved r.
! 1t has been said that temporal saliva
/ ton from the punishment due an I'M
| faithful jailer was all be wished to es.
} cape But he had lost no prisoner.
The damage to the Jail was no fault Of
bis. Paul's answer proves that he un'
|, derstood the inquiry to refer to the
, salvation which he came TO Macedonia
TO preach, aud which he had preached
, in Philippi. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ" (John i !; Il 4: 35,
50; ii: y xiv /; Acts viii: 81
xiii; 39) land thou shalt be saved,
John iii I'D, and thy house" The
! family, in this case. participates in the
blessings promised, as in the case o.
Lydia and Stephanus. To that house
hold was ~ The promise given. q,
The gospel was preached to it. (3)
Its members were baptised. The house
. hold blessing seemed to have depended
" on the personal faith Of the jailcr him
: self. How his family felt appears il
V. 4. Ii became at once hospitablt
" household, enlarged by the reception
Of the apostles TO it's table. It wal
henceforth happy, because a believing
a family
i Paul seems TO have been indignan
I al the female soothsayer as he wal
Il with Elymas. the sorcerer On her b.
!. performed miracle Of mercy, casting
. out the evil spirit. On him he per
formed miracle Of judgment In boil
cases he seems to have acted by Ia,
direction Of the Holy Ghost
The Market place was 10 Roman
!, city like the "gates" ola Hebrew town
. the place for judicial trials. Th'
! trouble 10 Phiippi was just like that il
: Thessalonica. Agitation is the mean
by which every reform makes progress
All real progress necessitates trouble
y with institutions that stand In its wav
e Heathcnism aud Judaism did not yielt
IL to Christianity without struggle
When religion intertercs with dis
honest and wicked business, men o
J. that trade denounce ii II the MASTER
4 OF the pythoness could have hired Pau
TO use bis gifts for their pecuDiary ad
a vantage. they would have been BIZ
b friends.
a. The cry Of ''Jew Jew I" was Gun
N ming and malicious appeal 10 Gentil'
n prejudice. The stripes were laid OF
, the naked backs OF The apostles. Thu
9 Jews were prohibited by Law 10 inaic
= more than forty stripes. Hence th,