The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-04
Sunday Study
PAUL AND sILAs AT PHILIPPI.

The international Sunday school lesson
for Jan. is found in Acts xvi, 22-34.
The location is Philippi and the time is in
the winter of A. D. 81 The golden text
is, Believe as the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved"
When we left out study of the begin
ming of the Christian church and of mis-
sions to turn back to the Old Testament
Paul mad made one missionary journey
and was in the midst Of a second He
and SilaS, with two younger workers,
Timothy and Luke, had just crossed to
Europe and begun work at PhiIippi and
here we find them at the opening of to-
days lesson. To get the full benefit Of
the lesson, begin with the sixteenth verse
of the chapter lesson. Remember that
the missionaries. now in the midst of
raul second journey, found almost no
Jews in Philippi, and no syna gogue, but
only very simple palace of prayer,H'
down by the river which may not have
been building at all. There was a poor
deranged slave girl in Phlippi, who, be-
cause of her strange, wild utterances.
had gained a great reputa ton as a for
tune teller and oracle. They said she
had Python spirit" referring to the
mythical python or dragon that was sup
posed to inspire the Delphic oracle.
Most high Cod and Salvation were
noth common pagan expressions. In some
way poor Odfk6n6d mind was i'm
dressed py the earnestness of the mis-
slonarles and she followed them about
constantly. uttering the cry spoken of in
~ any When it, Paul' annoyed at her call
spirit TO- leave her, she lost her power
completely, and her owners lost their
Paul and Si1as, as the most prominent
OF the missionaries, were arrested and
taken before the magistrates by these
men, SIMPLY because they wanted to "get
H., n 1,oI l.
40 with their grievance, but appealed az
70 prejudice against Jews; (2) to the de-
sire sire i for law and order; 90 to loyalty to
the Roman government. Rent their gar
ments Off them: Stripped them for the
beating. The inner prison: A small cell
WIN only one opening, and that into the
Inc missionaries never allowed the suf-
1erings and sorrows Of the moment to
maze IN G,, them forget their joy in the service
f 5i1a their sorrow. The prisoners were
listening: Picture the whole scene 10
yoGfseif-the loathsome prison. the mid
cept for the faraWay sound of Singing
IN the inner prison, and then the strange
Tumbilng in the. earth, the earthquake,
the partial wrecking of the prison, the
panic of the prisoners and the rushing
up ~; L 70 me assistance of the jailer of men
escape of the prisoners would result in
ms own death, and by taking his own
nIe he saved his property for his family.
which otherwise was subject to confsca,
tlon Philippi is famous in the annals
or suicide. Here Cassius. unable to sur
Vive defeat, covered his face in the emn-
ty tent and ordered his freedmen to
strike the blow. His messenger. Titinius
held it to be Romans part to follow
the stern example. Here Brutus fbade
adleu to his friends, exclaiuing Ser
tar talnly we must fly. not with the feet,
but with the hands"
Paul bid the jailer to do no harm tn
himself The jailer had never had to do
with prisoners like these nor had he
ever met with kindness in return for such
treatment as he had given to these two
men. He saw in them those who had
power that was not of earth; he saw
that they were his friends for mon
whom he had treated as he had these
might naturally have let him take his
NE and been glad Of it, but they had
begged him not to harm himself
What must 1 do to be saved? Such
experiences turn ones thoughts to seri-
GUS things. Believe: This meant. in
PauFs usage. to take Christ at what he
claimed to be, and to act accordingIv
that is, to trust and follow ana love him
always: And thy house: Paul does not
mean that for the jailer's belief the house,
mold shall be saved. but that belief in
Christ is the condition of salvation for
nun and them alike. Faith in Christ. re-
celving Christ, and then the love of Christ
constrains to good works. He is at once
hlled with joy and peace in believing and
this. W ~