Evening star., 1921-09-03
FROM PHILIPPI TO ATHENS.
Acts, 1919; 17.15.
Golden Text-The angel Of Je-
hovah encampeth around about
them that fear him, and deliv-
ereth them.-Psalms, 34.7.
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.


Labor Sunday finds us studying
an appropriate lesson. Christianity's
message arouses today the same op-
position from the profiteering inter-
ests who depended upon the degrada-
! tion Of others for their profits. as 1t
did in Philippi when the owners OF
!! the slave girl prosecuted the Apostles
after they saw that the hope Of their
gain was gone" They still seek to
turn public opinion against the serv-
ants Of Christ Jesus, whose procIama~
ton Of the social gospel OF the Master
curtails their profits by pointing out
that IAN Industrial practice that
! cramps and devitalizes human beings
| in body or spirit is as much. foe
of religion as is the traffic in liquors.
Religious and racial prejudicss are
not yet dead and still play a part in
ner antagonistic to che faith. as in
Thessalonica. Only when men turn
to the study of the Bible. as they did
| in Berea, and are guided by its prin-
ciples, can the problems Of labor be
solved and proper industrial condi-
tions be established throughout the
world.
PauPs rescue of the unfortunate girl
from the control of Satan and the
combine. whose wealth had been de-
resulted in his persecution. Moved
by a desire for revenge, the girls
owners arrested Paul and Silas and
they dragged them before the two
| Roman magistrates in the public
square. charging that they were dis
| turbers of the public peace and teach
ers of an unlawful faith. They had
stirred up the multitude against the
two religious leaders by their false
! profession Of being desirous of the
nj ~ vfsw
spired by their love for gold They
skilfully appealed to the Roman
patriotism of the magistrates and the
hatred of the Jews by the people in
| their charge of sedition. SO that the
mob demanded immediate punishment.
without waiting for an investigation
| of the truthfulness of the charges.
Paul and Silas were imprisoned by
the plebiscite of a mob, whose actions
deprived the two missionaries of their
constitutional rights as Roman citi
| zens. They were f1ogged by lynch
| law. although as citizens they were
| immune; so they were within their
rights on the following day when
| they forced the magistrates to realize
| their failure to protect them from
dered their fiogging and imprison-
| ment- Within the inner prison. which
! probably was a cave. the two mis-
| sionaries. whose bodies were covered
with blood that flowed from the
wounds of the lash which frequently
| exposed the bones of the victims. were
| fastened in the stocks. These instru-
! mentS OF torture strained the limbs
very painfully and increased the tor
ture by throwing the weight of the
| body on the bruised shoulders yet in
stead OF complaining. the two serv-
| ants of Christ rejoived that they were
| worthy to suffer for His cause. His
| grace sustained them. SO at midnight
the hour when the church usually met
| to praise God, they commenced to fill
the prison with their songs of rejoic-
ing and prayers.
| Prisoners were not the only persons
who heard the petitions and praises
OF the two missionaries, for their
LORD. who was watching over in their
| trials. not only heard them, but by
means of an earthquake He enabled
| them to triumph over their foes and
win convert in the person of their
jailer for His cause. Suddenly an
other sound: not of song. but caused
by the mighty movements Of nature
| that made the earth to tremble. shook
| the foundations of the prison. and "as
! it passed along the ground forced
| the door posts apart from each other
so that the bar slipped from its
/ hold and the doors swung OPEN" The
\ earthquake detached the chains and
stocks so that the prisoners were un-
bound. If the prisoners had not been
| of a superstitious class they could
| have taken advantage of the occasion
and secured their freedom. The keeper
of the prison recognized this by his
| attempt to take his life. The jailer
was saved by the quickness of Paul
| who evidently saw what he was about
| to do. when he called out to the de-
| epairing man. do thyself no HARM
for we are all here" That note of
varn'ng has been heard by many in
the history of the world. and it has
helDed save them as it did the jailer
/ Paul saw in the earthquake an on
| norfunitv of winning a soul for His
Lord. While he probably recognized
that the extraordinary manifestation
i ct nature revealed the power of God.
whose activities the. missionary
apostle saw in natural as well as the