AT PHILIPPI

"The Gospel is the fulfillment of all hopes, the perfection of all philosophy, the interpreter of all revelations, and a key to all seeming contradictions of truth in the physical and moral world."

By the River Side.

Near the city of Philippi flowed the river Gaggitas. On its banks just "out of the city" was built a plain enclosure probably open at the top, in which a few people met to worship the Lord.

There was no synagogue in Philippi; and the few Jews who were there went to this place "by the river side" to offer their prayers, and to read the law. Most of those who did so were women.

When the first Sabbath day came after the elders had been in Philippi several days, they went to this place of worship, "sat down, and spake unto the women who resorted thither."

Gospel Preached.

No doubt evil minded men accused the missionaries in those days of trying to lead the women astray, just as enemies accuse the elders of the Church today. But lies and false accusations could not keep Paul and his associates from doing their duty. To these women, they preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and told them the story of His life. His cruel death and His glorious resurrection.

LYDIA

First in Europe to Accept Gospel.

In the group that listened to the wonderful message was "a certain woman named Lydia," who lived in Thyatira, but who was then in Philippi attending to her business connected with the dyeing trade. She sold purple dyes used by the rich and the nobility. The Lord gave her a testimony of the truth as Paul explained it, and she applied for baptism. She and "her household" were admitted into membership that day. If Lydia was the first one baptized, then she has the distinction of being the first person in Europe to accept Christianity. Whether "her household" means she had children, or whether it refers to her servants or to both we do not know, but they became the nuclueus of a thriving branch of the Church in that city, and in Lydia's home town as well.

After baptism, Lydia invited the missionaries to her home, saying, "If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there."

THE DAMSEL WITH THE SPIRIT OF DIVINATION

Evil Spirit Rebuked.

One day when the elders were going out to the place of prayer, they met an unfortunate woman who caused them no little annoyance. She was a damsel who seemed to be "possessed by some spirit of divination" which her masters (for she had more than one) used for making money. When she would meet the elders, she would cry out:

"These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation."

After she had done this on several different days, Paul became "grieved," not particularly because of what she said, but because he knew the evil spirit was tormenting her. So he turned to her one day, and said to the evil spirits:

"I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her," and immediately she was healed.

Effect.

When her masters realized that their female slave had been cured, and that the hope of their gains was gone, they became very angry. "They caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the court unto the rulers." But they were shrewd enough not to tell the magistrates the real reason why Paul and Silas had been brought there. They didn't say "these men cured our slave, and we cannot any longer fool the people for money." No, they accused them of breaking the Roman law by introducing "customs" and beliefs which it was unlawful for Romans to observe.

When the mob cried out "That is so," the magistrates gave the elders no opportunity to defend themselves, but condemned them to be taken out and beaten.

SCOURGED AND IMPRISONED

The "Inner Prison."

With their hands tied, and their backs bared to the whip, the elders were beaten "with many stripes." Bleeding and faint they were then taken to the prison. As the jailor received them, he was ordered to "keep them safely." Hearing this order and thinking the prisoners must be wicked men indeed, the jailor took them and "thrust them into the inner prison." The inner prison of a Roman jail was a dark, damp, gloomy dungeon. One writer calls it a "pestilential cell, damp and cold, from which the light was excluded, and where the chains rusted on the limbs of the prisoners." But not content with shutting the elders up in such a gloomy hole, "the jailor made their feet fast in the stocks." In fastening only their feet, however, he showed a little mercy for there were holes in the stock for the wrists and for the neck also.

Happiness in Gloom.

With their backs sore and bleeding, their bodies chilled by the cold and dampness, their legs cramped and aching, hungry and sleepless and surrounded by the blackness of midnight, Paul and Silas who knew they were suffering for the sake of the true Gospel, could rejoice and praise the Lord. This they did at midnight by praying and singing "praises unto God." Their voices rang out through the prison cells; and prisoners, hard hearted and sinful, listened in surprise to the first Christian hymn they had ever heard. The power of the Lord manifested itself not only in the hearts of His true servants, but in the entire prison and the town as well; for "suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken." All the bolts and bars at the doors fell from their sockets and the doors of the prison flew open, and "every one's bands were loosed," but not a prisoner tried to escape.

The Jailor's Fear.

Aroused from his sleep by the commotion and earthquake, the jailor hurried to the prison only to find the doors wide open. Remembering his injunction to "keep the prisoners safely," and knowing that he would forfeit his life if any had escaped, he drew his sword to take his own life, when Paul cried out:

"Do thyself no harm; for we are all here!"

PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON AT PHILIPPI. Then he called for a light, and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas.

PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON AT PHILIPPI.
"Then he called for a light, and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas."

"Then he [the jailor] called for a light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas."

HIS CONVERSION

An All-Important Question.

Perhaps he had heard what the damsel had said, that "These men are the servants of the most high God;" it may be that he had heard them preach, or at least had been told by others what they preached. Probably the earthquake itself had convinced him that these men not only were innocent, but were servants of God. At any rate, he cried out: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

That is the question everybody should ask, and the answer, when truthfully given, everybody should obey.

The Answer.

Note the answer: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Then the servants of the Lord explained what a true belief is, expounded the "word of the Lord," taught them faith and repentance and baptism; and when the keeper of the prison and his family said they believed the Gospel to be true, he led the elders out, washed their stripes, and was baptized that same night, "he and all his straightway."

Then he took them, not back to the dreary dungeon, but into his own house, and set meat before them. We are told that his heart was filled with rejoicing because he "believed in God with all his house."

By doing right he had opened the windows of his soul, and the sunshine of pure happiness had radiated through his entire being. He was experiencing the truth as expressed in the song:

"Doing good is a pleasure,
A joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love."

Prisoners Released.

The earthquake or something else had put fear in the hearts of other men in that city, too, and among these were the magistrates who had sentenced, uncondemned, two innocent men to be beaten and imprisoned. Realizing their mistake they sent word early in the morning to the jailor to "Let those men go."

Paul Surprises the Jailor.

Pleased with the message, the keeper of the prison hurried to Paul and Silas crying: "The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace."

He was surprised to hear Paul coolly answer, "No, they have beaten us openly, uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison." Now they want us to go out privily so that people will think we are pestilent fellows who escaped from jail. "Nay verily, but let them come themselves and fetch us out."

Magistrates Humbled.

When the magistrates heard what Paul had said, and learned that Roman citizens had been scourged and thrust into prison without even a trial, they were very much afraid, for they realized that they might lose their offices. So they came, and led Paul and Silas out of the prison, and expressed a desire that the missionaries leave the city.

But the released prisoners had won a great victory; and while they did not flaunt it in the face of their persecutors, they took occasion to go to the house of Lydia, and meet all the Saints. Perhaps Paul reminded the Saints of the night in Jerusalem when Peter was released from prison and came to the house of Mary.

Whatever was said, we know that "when he had seen the brethren they comforted them and departed."

Luke remained to strengthen and build up the Church in Philippi, and Paul and his other companions went to Thessalonica.