by Paul. And, when she was baptized, and her household, she intreated us, saying, If ye have judged me to be a believer in the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

And it came to pass, as we went to the place of prayer, a certain maid-servant, possessed with a spirit of divination,* met us, who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:+ she followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation. And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her. And he came out the same instant. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace to the rulers, and having brought them to the magistrates, they said, These men do exceedingly trouble our city, being Jews. And they teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, nor to practise, being Romans. And the multitude rose up on them: and the magistrates having rent off their clothes, commanded to beat them with rods. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, put them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to God: and the prisoners heard them.

* Of divination, or of Python, whence the title of one of the imaginary gods of the heathen, the Pythian Apollo. A spirit of Python was a name given to that impulse, whether pretended or occasioned by the agency of evil spirits, under the influence of which, persons professed to foretel future events.

+ Soothsaying or fortune-telling.

And suddently there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and the chains of all were loosed. And the jailer, awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison open, drew his sword, and was going to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm; for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and trembling, fell down before Paul and Silas; and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his immediately. And when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them, and rejoiced with all his house, in having become a believer.

And, when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, let these men go. And the keeper of the prison told these words to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us publicly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison and now do they trust us out secretly? nay, verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

*

*Being Romans. The Romans had good laws for the protection of Roman citizens, while they were trampling on the liberties of other nations. Paul possessed the rights of Roman citizenship, and it would appear Silas also; and the magistrates, by imprisoning and scourging Roman citizens, without a regular trial and condemnation, exposed themselves to very heavy penalties.

And the serjeants told these words to the magistrates and they were afraid, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came, and intreated them, and brought them out, and requested them to go out of the city.

And when they were come out of the prison, they went into the house of Lydia: and after seeing the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

WORDS, &C. TO BE EXPLAINED IN LESSON XIV.

Colony,
Divination,

Soothsaying,
Stocks,

Serjeants.

QUESTIONS ON LESSON XIV.

WHAT proposal did Paul make to Barnabas?
What did Barnabas propose?

Did Paul agree to this proposal?

What was the consequence of this difference?

Where did Barnabas go to?

Where did Paul go to?

Whom had he with him?

What had previously happened at Lystra and Derbe? (see former Lesson.)

Whom did he find there?

What is said of the parents of Timothy?

What is the region now called, in which are Phrygia, Galatia, Asia, Mysia, Bithynia, and Troas?

Relate what Paul did with respect to these places severally? Where did he determine to go to from Troas?

What led him to this determination?

What island did he first reach?

And to what town next day? Where is that town?
Where did he next arrive?

What description of city was Philippi?

Whom did he meet there?

Where did he meet her?

What took place in consequence of this meeting?
Who followed Paul and Silas when they were going to the

place of prayer?

What did they do to her?

How did her masters behave?
Why did they behave so?

E

What did the magistrates do in consequence?
How were Paul and Silas occupied in the prison?
What happened when they were so occupied ?
How was the jailor affected?

What did he do when Paul called to him?

What question did he put to Paul?

What answer did Paul give?

What then took place?

How did he then treat Paul and Silas?

What message did the magistrates send?

What answer did Paul give?

How did the magistrates then behave?

What did Paul and Silas do previous to their departure from Philippi?

LESSON XV.

Paul and his company proceed to Thessalonicaand from thence to Berea--the Berean Jews search the Scriptures, to ascertain whether the things which Paul said were so he goes to Athens-disputes with the Jews in the Synagogue, and with the proselytes in the market places-certain philosophers find him, and bring him to the Areopagus, where he declares his doctrine-and some believe.

FROM ACTS XVII.

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,* where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, according to his custom, went in to them, and, for three sabbath days, reasoned with them out of the scriptures, explaining and setting forth, that

*Thessalonica, the metropolis of Macedonia, and a town of great trade, being a sea-port. Amphipolis and Appollonia were towns lying in his way, between Philippi and Thessalonica.

the Christ* must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is the Christ. And some of them were persuaded, and associated themselves with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews who did not believe, moved with envy, took to them some of the worthless persons who hung about the markets,+ and collected a mob, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And, not finding them, they dragged Jason and certain brethren to the rulers of the city, shouting, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; and Jason has received them: and these all transgress the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. And they alarmed the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And having taken security of Jason,‡ and of the rest, they let them go.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: and they, when they were come thither, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble § than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, searching the scriptures daily,

*The Christ-i. e. The anointed, or the Messiah. The apostle showed from the Old Testament, that the Messiahthe Saviour of the world, when he should come, was to suffer, and rise from the dead.

+ Who hung about the markets, literally, certain worthless men of the markets, by which description was meant, those -who spent their time idling in the market places, living chiefly by fraud and pilfering,-the very dregs of society, who were always ready for any mischief.

Taken security. Probably they took security that Paul and his companions should leave the city immediately. § More noble, i. e. Of more just and liberal mind.