The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1903-01-08

Issssa In the Internafiesaa sesiss
Ter January Z, 10O9-Paul ana
Silas ut Philippi.
THE LESSON TEXT.


THE LESSON TEXT.
tActs ls:22-si)
z And the multitude rose up together
against them: and the magistrates rent
on their clothes. and commanded to beat
them.
%. And when they had lain many stripes
upon them. they cast them into prison.
charging the jailor to keep them safely:
a. Who, having received such charge
thrust them into the inner prison. and made
their feet fast In the stocks.
3 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed,
and sang praises unto God: and the prison.
ers heard them
Is. And suddenly there was a great earth
quake, so that the foundations OF the
prison were shaken: and Immediately all
the doors were opened, and everyone's
bands were loosed.
27 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 fed.
S. But Paul cried with a loud voice, say.
ing, Do thyself no harm: for we are all
here.
2s Then he called for light, and sprans
| In. and came trembling, and fell down be-
| fore Paul and Silas.
80. And brought them out, and said, Sirs.
what must DO to be saved?
81. And they said. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house.
80 And they spake unto him the word
| OF the Lord, and to all that were In his
house.
SO. And he took them the same hour OF
| the night, and washed their stripes; and
was baptized, he and all his, straight
way.
"a. And when he had brought them into
| his house he set meat before them. and
rejoiced. believing in God with all his
house.
GOLDEN TExT.-BeIieve on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved.-Acts 1881.
| ANALYSIS OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
Healing an unfortunate.......Acts 16:l6-lS.
| Cast into prison.. .............Acts l6:ly-A.
Speaking the word. ......Acts ie:se-sd.
Released from prison ......-...Acts l6:Ss-4o'
| TIME.-Winter Of 81 A. D.
PLACE.-Philippi.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Paul Mt Philippi.-When we left
our study of the beginning OF the
| Christian church and Of missions to
turn back to the Old Testament, Paul
had made one missionary journey
and was in the midst of a second.
He and Silas, with two younger work
ers, Timothy and Luke, had just
crossed to Europe and begun work at
Philippi, and here we find them at
the opening of to-day's lesson.
Remember that the missionaries.
now in the midst of Paurs second
| journey, found almost no Jews in
Philipppi, and no synagogue, but
only a very simple "place of prayer
down by the river, which may not
have been building at all. There
was a poor deranged slave girl in
Philippi, who, because of her strange,
wild utterances, had gained great
reputation as fortune-teller and
oracle. They said she had a "Python-
spirit" referring to the mythical
lPythop or dragon that was suppos ed
to inspire the Delphic oracle. Most
High God" and salvation" were both
common pagan expressions. In some
way her poor, darkened mind was
impressed by the earnestness of the
missionaries, and she followed them
about constantly, uttering the cry
spoken of in 1917. When Paul, an
noyed at her calling, and pitying the
girl, ordered the spirit to leave her,
she lost her power completely, and
her owners lost their fees.
Paul and Silas, as the most prom
rested and taken before the magis-
trates by these men, simply because
they wanted to "get even" The
charge made had nothing to do with
their grievance, but appealed Q) to
prejudice against Jews; (2) to the
desire for law and order; (3) to 10y
atty to the Roman government
"Rent their garments of them"
Stripped them for the beating. "The
inner prison:" A small cell with only
one opening, and that into the outer
prison. praying and singing
hymns:" The missionaries never al
lowed the sufferings and sorrows of
the moment to make them forget
their joy in the service of Christ,
which was infinitely greater than
their sorrow. ''The prisoners were
listening:" Picture the whole scene
to yourself-the loathscme prison,
the midnight darkness, the perfect
stiffness, except for the far-away
sound of singing in the inner prison.
and then the strange rumbling in the
earth, the earthquake, the partial
wrecking of the prison, the panic of