Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-07-08

Lessou for July III.
Golden Text.-"Believe on rhe Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,
and thy house."-Acts IS: 81.
This lesson treats of Paul and the Phil
ippian jailer-Acts IS: 22-34. AS wom-
an was the first convert in Europe, so an
other woman was the cause of the first
persecution in Europe. The verses 1871
relate how the disturbance arose which
led to the arrest of Paul and Silas. A
young woman afflicted with peculiar
form of mental and physical arrangement
which led to incoherent utterance suppos-
ed by the ignorant to be prophetic, was
healed by Paul. Her masters, who were
then deprived of their income, angrily at
tackled the meddling Jews and accused
them before the magistrates of attempting
to proselyte Roman citizens to the Jewish
religion, which was an offense against
the laws. Apparently without the for
mality Of hearing, the magistrates or.
dered them to be beaten with many
stripes, and then cast them into prison.
There was at this time intense feeling
in some parts Of the empire against jew
ish proselytizers, who were making con-
verts. III Rome itself there were persons
of noble birth, chiefly women, who had
| accepted the Jewish religion and worship
ed in synagogues. The authorities while
viking to allow subjects already of other
faith to remain therein, would not permit
the desertion of native Romans to the
Jewish ranks; nor did the public look on
such a proceeding with anything less than
scorn and hatred. This feeling, and the
| frequent lack of distinction on the part Of
pagans between Jews and Christians, ex-
plains the violent attack at Philippi
ITO keep them safely: for a further
hearing and punishment at some later
| day. THE inner prison.: not an under
| ground dungeon, but an inner room with
heavy walls, without windows or ventila-
ton, dark and disagreeable; a place re-
| served for dangerous criminals, while or
binary offenders were confined in the out
er prison. lighted by windows.
That Paul and Silas could pray and
sing while in great pain from the scourg-
ing, the stocks, the close air and the
dampness, showed of what stuff they
We're made. We are sometimes apt to at
tribute all. the endurance of ancient
| Christians to emi-miraculous strength
from heaven. Doubtless they had such
| help at times, but good store of sound
manly courage was not wanting That
which the prisoners sang was probably
extracts from the Psalms.
| This miracle must have aroused the
most mingled feelings in Paul himself as
well as in his fellow prisoners. To see
the doors, behind which some had left
hope forever, suddenly flung open, TO feel
the chains snapped and the stocks split,
would astonish all beyond measure. But
Paul, who quickly surmised that the Lord
had done this act of deliverance, as for
Peter many years before, did not lose his
presence of mind The escape of prison
ers was commonly punished by the forfeit
| Of the keepers lfe.-"Supposing that
| the prisoners had been fed: an express
sion not in accordance with present gram
NAUTICAL usage. Better, "that the prison.
ers had escaped"
Superstitious fear of the earthquake
| probably had as much to do with the jail
| er's fright as the thought of his prisoners
supposed escape. The question, What
| must do to be saved?' certainly had not
| the full meaning which we commonly at
| tribute to it. The jailer was thoroughly
| frightened, connected his danger with
some fault of his own, perhaps some neg
| lect of his pagan worship rather than any
sense of moral lack, and asked what he
must do to escape the impending calamity
not punishment after death. NeNerthe-
less, Paul and Silas gave him an answer
| suited to his case He was answered
better than he knew. Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ; when they "spake
| unto him the word of the Lord" we may
suppose that there was a sufficiently full
explanation to enlighten him and his fam
lily, whom he sent for after seeing to the
refastening of the doors and the replacing
| of the letters on the other prisoners. Paul
probably told them the story of Jesus and
his teaching about sin and the cure for it,
then explained the meaning of baptism.
When in his gratitude the jailer took
| Paul and Si,as out into the court where
there was a tank used for bathing pur-
poses, to relieve the pain of their wounds
by washing them in the cool water, he or
| Paul suggested that there was no need to
wait for the performance of the initial
rite of which they had been speaking.
Accordingly he and the members of his
family-all of whom were of sufficient age
| to understand the instruction which Paul
had previously given them-were bap-
tized in the reservoir or cistern close by.
A homely but beautiful picture is this
of a jailer's breakfast party TO his sorry
looking wards, now his benefactors.
The action of Paul and Silas in refusing
TO depart secretly in the morning, demand
ing a public acknowledgment of the wrong
done them as Roman citizens, was not due
to petty pride or obstinacy. I'm asserting
so strongly their personal rights, they may
have been influenced in part by a natural
sense Of justice, and in part by regard
to the necessity of such a vindication OF
their innocence to the cause of Christ AT
Philippi. 1t was important that no stain
should rest upon their reputation. 1t was
notorious that they had been scourged
and imprisoned as criminals; and II, after
their departure, any one had suspected OF
could have insinuated that possibly they
had suffered not without cause, it would
have created prejudice against the truth
1t may be proper at times to allow thx
wicked or misguided to trample upon oul
individual rights and interests If they
Choose but those who are set for the de
Tense of the gospel owe their good name
and their influence to Christ and thu
church, and have a right to invoke ths
protection of the law against any invasion
of their meane of public influence"
Next Lesson--"Paul at Thessalonic.
and Betea."-Acts II: 1-12.
True Prnor~aa-