The Tupelo journal., 1909-07-09
The Philippian
Jailer
Sunday School Lssson for July II, 1900
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TExT.-Acts 1s:1s-4o. Memoir,
| verses, 1881.
GOLDEN TExT.-"Believe on the Lore
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved
and thy house. '-Acts 1854.
TIME.-About A. d. 80. 81. The sam'
| period as our last lesson.
PLACE.-At Philippi In Macedonia.
Suggestion and Practical Thought
/. The Story Of the Frenzied Girl
Her Mental and Physical Trouble
Paul's Faith. Her Deliverence.-Vs
1913. The missionaries frequently
went from Lydia's house within tn.
city to the place Of prayer beyond thu
walls by the river side. On severa
occasions they met in the streets
"a 49,. damsel possessed with {
| spirit of divination." This girl gave
forth strange u~tterances and hysteri
cal cries in her frenzied condition
which her masters interpreted as the,
wished.
"Cried, saying. These men are the
servants of the most high God" etc
She seems to have been impelled tt
tell the truth, as some demoniacs were
in Christ's time.
But Paul, being grieved said to the
spirit as distinct from its victim. etc
come out of her." ard 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 tiled up te
the triangles, and beaten with the fog
ging sticks" upon the naked body
(see 2 Cor. IL: Is; / Thes, 2: y, till
their backs we're 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 nc
opportunity to be heard, and If 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"
"And the prisoners heard them
This was the beginning Of the further
ance of the gospel through the suffer
ing of the missionaries.
26. "And suddenly there vas a great
earthquake" This was the Lords
answer to prayer, whether it 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. 1874
1.-THE keeper would nave
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 j~ailer's life,
for there was no longer a reason fol
his committing suicide.
20. Called for a light" The Greek
is plural, lights, torches or lamps.
Fell down before Paul and Silas..
80. 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 tc
be saved?" The motive was a 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 its punishment
and to holmes and heaven. "And thy
house." BY leading his family to the
same faith.
Nv. The Missionaries Released and
Sent on Their Way.-Vs. 35-4O. The
next morning the magistrate. learning
what had taken place, sent officers &c
quietly release Paul and Silas, as the
easiest way to save trouble. But Paul
knew a 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 were guilty according
to Roman law. Being Romans" and
exempt from stripes and torture. Let
them come themselves and fetch us
out" )
SO. "They feared, when they heard"
etc. The crime was regarded as trea'
son. and those who committed 1t were
liable to degradation from Office, con.
~fscation of property, and perhaps
death. AS the result, the magistrates
apologized, and requested them to
leave the city, which they did with
dignity, and for the peace and good
of the infant Philippian church.
Had they remained, there might arise
useless opposition; while by leaving
Luke with the church Gas we learn
from the change Of pronouns 1--WE" to
sthey"). there was q peaceful but
large growth OF the Christian com.
munity. From a comparison with
what follows 1t appears that Timothy
went with Paul and Silas.
1.-TWO words of Jesus in this lesson
can mean everything to every one Of