The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1909-07-09
The Philippian
Jailer
Sunday School Lesson for July II. 1909
Specially Arranged for THIS Paper

Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
md thv house. Acts 1854.
TIME.-About A. y. 50. 81. The same
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
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 a
spirit OF divinatlon." This girl gave
forth strange utteranccs and hysteri-
cal cries in her frenzled condition,
which her masters interpreted as they
wished
"Crled. saying, These men are the
servants of the most high Cod" etc.
She seems to have been impelled to
tell the truth, as some demoniacs we're
in Christ's time.
But Paul, being grieved said to the
spirit" as distinct from its victim. "To
her, not to return. And he came out
the same hour"
H. The Missionaries Thrust Into
Prison; Their Faith: Their Deliver
ance.-Vs. 1926. Tho masters, hav.
ing lost their source Of gain, like the
makers of silver shrires in Ephesus.
stirred up a mob in the city and
dragged Paul and Silas before the
magistrates. The charge presented
was that of throwing tho city into con-
fusion and anarchy by trying to con-
vert the Romans to 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. II: 25: / Thes, 3: %, 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 tho 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 Nights. 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.
&c. And suddenly there was 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-
| livcrance from Sin and Death. Through
the Faith of the Jaller.-Vs. 1884.
THE keeper would have
killed himself because by Roman law
he was responsible fer 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 jailer's life.
for there was no longer a reason for
his committing suicide.
80 Called for q 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 l do to
be saved?" The motive was a con-
seriousness of sin, of danger, OF need.
and of the goodness produced in Paul
and Silas by thsir 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.
w. 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 Paul
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 were guilty according
to Roman law. Being Romans" and
exempt from stripes and torture. Let
them come themselves and fetch us
! out"
3S. "They feared, when they heard"
etc. The crime was regarded as trea-
son. and those who committed it were
liable to degradation from office, con-
fiscation 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 (as we learn
from the change OF pronouns I'VE" to
\ -.