The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-01-01
The SABBATH SCHOOL
international Lesson COMMENTS for
January 4.
Subject: Paul and SlIns at phiIippi, Acts xvi
Y a-Golden Text, Acts xvi, 3l-Mem.
ory Verses, 1872 Commentary
on the Days Lesson.

on ths Days Lesson
|. An evil spirit cast cut I've. I6.ls}.
The missionaries made their home at the
house of Lydia (see v. 15) while they con.
tinued to preach the gospel at Philipp.
They had good success. and in this city the
first Christian church in Europe was found
ed. But their great victories did not come
about without great opposition. There
was in the city certain damsel who wa.
fortune-tellcr. who brought her masters
great gain This slave girl followed the
missionaries and cried after them. Paul
was grieved because Of this, and command
ed the evil spirit to come out of her
And he came out the sGme hour" ". lS).
Why was Paul ieved! !. Because her
presence was troublesome to him. 2. lie.
cause it might appear that he was in al.
lance with her. 3. Because what she did
was for gain and was base imposition
4. Because her state was one of bondage
and delusiOn. 9. Because the system un.
der which she was acting was then holding
large part OF the pagan world in bondage
III. Paul and Silas arrested Tvs. 1921.
After the evil spirit had left the girl she
no longer had power to make money for
her masters by fortune telling. This mauc
her masters angry, and they seized Paul
and Silas and dragged them before the
magistrates into the market place. where
legal business was transacted. THE Phil
iDDldH uluplslTdltt were excited against
the missionaries by the accusation that
they had attacked the religion of Rome
Ill. Paul and Silas beaten and i'm.
prisoned Tvs. 22-2O. %. Multitude rose
up" An excited mob This was done
without any form Of law. The very magis.
trates who were affecting such great zeal
Tor the law were among the first to disrc
gard it. Rent of their clothes" They
violently tore the clothes off OF Paul end
Sias Beat them" The words mean to
"beat with rods" e Cor. IL: 25). The Ro-
man custom was to inhct blows upon the
naked body.
%. Many stripes" The Roman pun
ishment was not limited to ''forty stripes
save one" like that of the Jews.
Il. Thrust them" An sore and bleed
| ing. "Inncr prison" The dungeon, a
deep, damp, chilly cell, far under ground,
opening only at the top. without fresh air
or light
". A great delverance Tvs. %. 26).
%. prayed and sang praises" Their
wounds were undressed. filth and vermin
added to their pain; their position was one
of torture. Sleep was ont of the question.
They passed the night in devotons 1t is
a significant fact that the most JOYOUS of
Paul's epistcs is that written to the
church at Philippi, born out of his expe-
rience of suffering.
| 26. IAN earthquake" Thus did God
answer prayer and prove His presence and
protection. No doubt all Philipui heard
the sound and felt the force Of the earth
quake Doors were opened etc. The
chains were made fast to the wall, and the
shock which burst asunder the bolts of
the doors also released the fastenings
which held the chains in the masonry. A
symbol of the spiritual deliverance they
were to effect for the heather lisa. ~: y.
v. The jailor converted Tvs. 27-34) 81
"Awaking." The praying and singing did
not awake him. but the earthquake did.
He evidently slept in full view of the pri-
son doors. drew out his sword" The
Roman laws transferred to the jailor the
punishment due to an escaped prisoner.
and thus avoid worse fate. He supposed
that all in the prison had escaped.
%. paul cried" Anticipating the jail
or's fear for his own safety, Paul raised
his voice to secure attention at once. His
purpose Of suicide was great sin. "All
here" Strange for a prisoner to be So
hcitous about his keeper. But Paul was
passonately trying to save men, and the
whole gospel is an appeal to men to do
themselves no harm"
20. Called for light" Which could
be carried in the hand. This care for his
welfare begat tenderness in the heart of
the keeper. 1t was the arrow of convic-
trembling" Not for his life or his Office,
but for his soul, which he felt was in dan.
ger of eternal loss. A moment before he
was ready to destroy his life to escape the
wrath of man. but now he was eager to
find the way of life.
30. Brought them out" 'From the
inner prison. where they were confined in
the stocks. into the court of the prison. or
into his own apartments, having no fear
that they would escape, but rather con-
yinced that God was oyerrnling all things
Tor them. "Sirs. The Greek word i'm
| .N1tn a. Ill
were now his lords ''S"ved." ''Hc had
called for light to look Tor his prisoners
He now calls for the true light, to 60 forth
out of his own prison."
81; Believe" etc. The sum of the
whole gospel; the covenant of grace in a
few words. Faith in Christ saves us, %
because it is the acceptance Of Gods way
OF salvation by the atonement in Jesus
t2) because it is the act of taking the
things offered to us by God; e; because it
is the act Of committing ourselves to an
infallible teacher and guide; AZ because
it nnites us to Christ, the holy and perfect
being; (5l because it fills the heart with
love to God ard to Jesus; (6) it makes
spiritual and eternal things real and eff.
fective in our lives.
32. "Spake unto him." Then they pro.
ceeded, more at leisure, to pour into his
attentive ears the history of Jesus Christ
to declare His doctrine, and to explain
what it was to believe in Him.
30. Washed their stripes" "IIe had
not concerned himself about their suffer
ing condition when he put them into the
inner prison, but now that his sins were
washed away his thought was to minister
TO the needs of those who were instru
mental in his salvation"
81. Set meat" As they were the in
struments of bringing health to his sou
he became the instrument of health Il
their bodies. "Rejoiced" The Joy tha
filed the hearts of Paul and Silas, making
the prison a delightful place to them, nov
filled the hearts of the converted heather
and made their family circle the scene o
holy worship.