Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-07-09

Stearns.
%. And the multitude rose up togeth-
Or against them, and the magistrates rent
of their clothes and commanded to beat
them" So much for their interfering
with the god of this world, the prince Of
the power of the air, fer, when the DEVILS
property is touched he soon begins to roar
Our Lord has taught us that true fellow
ship with Him will surely bring the same
treatment that He received (John XIV. 49,
20). The world, the flesh and the devil
are all decidedly against God ard if we
+ are for God we must be against them at
all costs.
%. And when they had laid many
stripes upon them they cast them into
prison, charging the jailer to keep them
safely. With no gentle hand had they
taken off their clothes, and there would be
40 love nor gentleness in this scourging
1t meant many and heavy stripes upon
their bare backs 1t meant real pain and
much of it, besides the humiliation of be
ing treated as criminals when they were
perfectly innocent. Paul, afterward speak
ing of it, says 1--WE were shamefully treat
ed at Philippi" Il Thcss ii, p.
"a. "Who, having received such a charge
thrust them into the inner prison and
made their feet fast in the stocks. Nei-
Their is there any tenderness in this man 5
handling of them. 1t is injustice and
cruelty throughout, the devil and his fol
lowers let loose upon the children of God,
strange mystery of iniquity which has
been causing the people of God to suffer
ever since sin entered this world, and the
end is not yet. If any one can tell why
God permitted The devil TO tempt Eve, we
will gladly listen If not, we will still be-
lieve that God is love, trust Him for grace
to endure meekly all that comes and wait
for the hereafter, when we shall know.
25. And at midnight Paul and Silas
prayed and sang praises unto God, and the
prisoners heard them. Here, surely, is
the victory of faith and obedience to the
word Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for
great is your reward in heaven" (Math. v,
l2). The same God who could prevent the
fire from burning Daniels friends could
sooth the bleeding backs of Paul and Silas
and ill them and their dungeon with His
glory They did not praise because of cir
cumstances, but in spite of circumstances.
Consider that mighty yet of Hab iii,
II, IS.
26. And suddenly there was Il great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison We're shaken, and Immediately all
the doors were opened, and every ones
bonds were loOscd. - One has said that. al.
though they had not influence enough nor
earthly friends enough to keep them out OF
prison there was power enough on their
side to shake the whole earth, if necessary.
~. "And the keeper OF the prison, awak-
ing 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 1t was some.
thing new in his experience to have pris.
oners safe without bonds OF bolts and bars.
1t was natural Tor him to suppose that
open doors meant escaped prisoners and if
this were SO it meant death 10 him. which
be purposcd accomplishing by his own
hand rather than that of others.
2S. but Paul cried with a loud voice,
saying, Do thyself no harm for we are all
here. - Here was good for evil surely The
jailer had not thought probably of casing
their sutfcrings in the leJst degree but
Paul would have no harm como to the jail
er if he could prevent it. This is like Him
who prayed, Father, forgive them for
they know not what they do" Have we
this spirit of forgiveness and love?
20. "Then he called for light and
sprang in and came trembling and fell
down before Paul and Silas. =" How God
does turn the tables See the man in au-
thority bowling before the apparently help.
less prisoners. He now saw in them repre-.
sentatives of the God who could do such
wonders as shake the earth and open prison
doors Was is not worth while TO suffer as
they did thus to afford an opportunity for
God to show Himself through them and on
their behalf? Let us accept all events as
opportunities for God to show Himself in
and through us.
80. And brought them out and said,
Sirs, what must l do to be saved?" He
does not seem 60 have considered whether
this treatment of prisoners was right or
wrong in the eyes of the law. He only
Seems to know that he is sinful man
having special dealings with a great God
whom he is not prepared to meet, and that
he had better consider the matter at all
costs, and that very quickly.
81. And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and
thy house. " What "a simple message and
how definite. He is not told to stop doing
wrong and try to do better; to follow
Christ and do somewhat as He did; to give
up his occupation and go preaching with
the apostles. He is not even told to pray
or read the Scriptures but just to do the
one only thing that helpless sinner can
do, and that is to receive as a gift the Lord
Jesus Christ (John i, IL; Rom. iii, "a; Vi,
90; iv, 81 Titus iii, 81.
32. And they spake unto him the word
of the Lord and 70 all that were in his
house. " They were the messengers of the
Lord OF Hosts, and always ready to deliv-
er their message, or rather His message.
They would speak of Him who was foreor
dained before the foundation of the world,
but had been recently manifested in the
flesh as the Son of God and only Saviour
of sinners.
S3. And he took them the same hour
81 the night and washed their stripes, and
was baptized, he and all his straightway."
Halleluiah what IA Saviour! He saves in
stantly all who receive Him. He saves
them fully and freely by His own precious
blood without any works of theirs, and
then begins at once to work in them the
good works which He has before prepared
(Eph. ii, 8, 10Y. We do not know chat the
jailer or any of his household ever heard
these tiQiDUs before and vet they bpliavp