Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1909-08-05
The Philippian
Jailer
Sunday School Lesson for July IL, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT.-Acts 16:16-4O Memory
verses, 29-31
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Beleve on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved
and thy house"-Acts 1881.
TIME.-About A. d. So 81. The same
period our last lesson.
PLACE.-At Philippi in Macedonia
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
l. The Story of the Frenzied Girl.
Her Mental and Physical Trouble.
Paul's Faith. Her Deliverence.-Vs.
1918. The missionaries frequently
went from Lydias house within the
city to the place of prayer beyond the
walls by the river side. On several
occasions they met in the streets
"a damsel possessed with q
| spirit of divination." This girl gave
| forth strange utterances and hysteri-
cal cries in her frenzied condition,
which her masters interpreted as they
wished
Cried, saying, These men are the
servants of the most high God" etc.
She seems to have been impelled to
tell the truth, as some demoniacs were
in Christ's time.
But Paul, being grieved said to the
spirit" as distinct from its victim. ITO
come out of her." and go away from
her, not to return And he came out
the same hour"
II. The Missionaries Thrust Into
Prison; Their Faith; Their Deliver
ance.-Vs. 1926. The masters, hav-
| ing lost their source of gain, like the
makers of silver shrines in Ephesus,
stirred up a mob in the city and
dragged Paul and Silas before the
magistrates. The charge presented
was that of throwing the city into con.
fusion and anarchy by trying to con.
vert the Romans to a new religion.
The clothes of Paul and Silas were
torn off and the men were tied up TO
the triangles, and beaten with the fog.
ging sticks" upon the naked body
(see Cor. Il: %; l Thes, 2: p, till
their backs were torn by the merciless
blows. Why did they not escape by
means of their Roman citizenship, as
they did the next morning? Probably
the clamor of the mob gave them no
opportunity to be heard, and II they
protested, their protests would be dis.
regarded by the excited people. Then,
all mangled and bleeding as they were,
they were thrust into the inner prison
and their feet placed in the stocks.
Songs In the Night.-25. Paul and
Silas prayed and sang praises"
| ha hav y
This was the beginning of the further.
ance of the gospel through the suffer
ing of the missionaries.
26. "And suddenly there was a great
earthquake" This was the Lord 6
answer to prayer, whether ii came by
miracle, or was timed by special provi.
dence. "All the doors were opened
and every ones bands were loosed.
Either by the action of the earth
quake, or by the same supernatural
power which produced the earth
quake.
III. The Conversion of the Jailer, De
liverance from Sin and Death. Through
the Faith OF the Jailer.-Vs. 27-34
THE keeper would have
killed himself because by Roman law
he was responsible for the safety OF
the prisoners, and he would avoid by
suicide the disgrace of an execution.
%. Paul cried we are all
here" Thus saving the jailers life
for there was no longer a reason for
his committing suicide.
20. Called for light" The Greek
is plural, lights, torches or lamps.
Fell down before Paul and Silas.'
30. Brought them out" of the In
ner prison, into the open court, or into
his own house. What was the jailer's
motive in asking, What must do to
be saved?" The motive was con.
seriousness OF sin, of danger, of need
and of the goodness produced In Paul
and Silas by their religion.
81. Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved
Saved from sin, from it's punishment
and to holmes and heaven. And thy
house" BY leading his family TO the
same faith.
~. The Missionaries Released and
Sent on Their Ways. 35-40. The
next morning the magistrate, learning
what had taken place, sent officers to
quietly release Paul and Silas, as the
easiest way to save trouble. But Pau
knew better way, and stood upon his
rights, quite as much for the good OF
the young church as for himself
They have beaten us openly, uncon
demned." without trial, and legal de
cision that they we're guilty according
to Roman law Being Romans" and
exempt from stripes and torture. Let