Middletown transcript., 1916-06-17
LESSON FOR JUNE 19.
THE pHILlpPlAN JAlLEa.
ssoN rkxT-Acts l6:l6-4O.

whole history of the gospel" The time
was A. D. 80 or 81 and the place was
Philippi. an important city. as before
suggested.
/. The Damsei. Delivered Of Demons
| (vv. 1919. On their way to the pray
| ing place where they had met Lydia.
the disciples met this maid who had a
spirit. a Python" Greek soothsayers
were supposed to be inspired by Apol-
10, who killed a great snake at Mt.
Parnassus and left it to rot. The girl
was probably possessed of hysteria
and thus spoke strange words, and her
condition brought mitch f}Fefit to her
masters. who professed to interpret
her words This evidence of evil pos
| session awoke sympathetic response
in Paurs heart. "Her misery and
degradation were a symbol of the
degradation, as Lydia's sweet and be-
neVolent Christian character was OF
the TRANSPORTATION of womanhood. -
Stalker. Her cry after Paul was per
haps that they were the slaves OF some
god, even as she was the slave of ApOl-
10. The Gadarene (Luke S;2S) used
similar language Paul did not at once
stop her ". 81, perhaps to avoid con
troversy but his deliberation made
more profound the final deliverance
wrought. Worn out at last with heT
cries. but taking no credit himself.
Paul spoke the name OF Power which
had foretold just such acts tAik.
1917; Tx. 9:1; Lk. 10:10.
II. The Disciples in Prison wv. 49,
24) Of no further commercial value,
the slave drivers sought revenge by
melting a mob to attack Paul and his
companions. So today the liquor in
terests would seek remuneration for
the loss of their business" and
anathematize their opponents, while
the underworld tries to overthrow ali
who seek to restrain them. Paul and
Silas were accused of troubling" the
city. for the trade has been interfered
with It. indeed, went hard with them
thus to be unjustly set upon and final
ly, through the connivance of the
spineless authorities, to be incarcer-
ated in a filthy dungeon. Still, though
the majority was against them, yet the
mob was not right compare 17:5; IS:
12; 19:28-29), and they had One on
their side who was sufficient (Rom.
8:2S).
Ill. DeIiverance and Salvation (Vv.
25-35). Christ before Plate was &C
cused of sedition. and these t1ogged dis
ciples were likewise innocent suffer
ers. % Prayer and praise (25-26l.
Praying, they sang hymns, in the
midst OF that heterogeneous lot of pris-
oners they did not, could not. keep 81
lent. The result was attentive listen
ing by the other prisoners and by a
loving Heavenly Father, who shook
the place to evidence his interest
". 26). ~ The jailed delivered. The
place was so shaken that every barred
door was opened and the staples Of the
stocks were so I0Osened as TO HDerat6
every prisoner 81 The jailer saved.
The brutal one is now the anxious in
quirer, and becomes good type for
all to follow who are out of Christ. (al
He saw he was lost. He was subject
to the same death as his escaped pris-
oners. 'Supposing" ". 2D has dark
ened many lives, and our greatest sor-
rows are often imagined. Face to
face with death, the jailer would
plunge into an eternity for which he
was not prepared Paul's clarion call
brought the jailer to express his ankle
ty " 29), and it was not trifling nor
skeptically Indifferent man who ap-
pealed to Paul. He was brought face
70 face with two holy men, with God
and with eternity.
Those to whom he came knew the
facts, had faith. and could meet the
emergencies of life with confidence.
(b) The jailer's question and its an
swer This question is the most i'm
portant of life. and the answer is very
simple. What is it to believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ? The same as to
believe in any other person. He is TO
take him John 1:12) as Savior, Lord
and King, as the only One who can de-
liver from the penalty and power, and
finally from the presence of sin (Acts
2:36; Heb. {: 25). 1t is to commit all
we have and are to him II Tim 1922
for guidance; to surrender absolutely
to him, cast all upon him and leave
all with him God is love, and we can
safely trust in his justice, yet in his
son the full penalty of sin has been
met and through him we are saved
from it's depression and power unto
a godly character and unselfish career.
Salvation is loving everything God
loves and hating everything God
hates. Sam Jones. (c) Those saved.
Our trust makes way for Christ to
save and for US to make a trial of him.
He does the rest. The result was first
a service of ministration (v. 33).
washing the disciples stripes as he had
been washed from sin, and then a
service of testimony by being baptised
in the water reservoir or swimming
bath common to such houses. The
purple-dealer of Thyatire; the native
slave girl with the divining spirit the
Roman jailer-all alike acknowledged
their new faith; one an Asiatic. the
other a Greek, and the third Roman"
w. The HumbIed Magistrates (vv
35-40). The jailer evidences joy, hos
pitality and a changed home, which
news must have reached the magis-
trates. Their early command was to
"let these fellows CO." Paul here
rises to his full dignity. Beaten open
", condemned without trial and YER
dict, does not allow them to cover
their crime and blunder by stealth.
The magistrates were liable to loss