earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." The keeper awoke with the noise, and seeing the doors open, and the prisoners free, he drew his sword, and would have killed himself, fearing that he should be dreadfully punished for their escape. But Paul cried

Then he called

out to him, "Do thyself no harm; for we are all here." for plenty of lights, and "came trembling;" and, according to the Eastern custom of showing respect, fell down before Paul and Silas, and bringing them out of the inner prison, he began to talk to them directly about his poor soul, and asked "What must I do to be saved ?" The Apostles told him to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ;" and they also preached to his whole family. Then the jailor washed their stripes, which had perhaps begun to fester, and showed them every kindness. They had done good to his soul, and to the souls of his family, as well as saved his body, when he was about to destroy himself; and the least he could do for them, was to show them kindness by comforting their bodies. The people's hearts were all ready to receive the gospel from their lips; and having renounced their idolatries, they declared their readiness to become Christians, and were all of them baptized. Then the jailor took his prisoners into his house, and set meat before them, to refresh their wearied bodies, and they all rejoiced together.

In the morning, the magistrates thought that Paul and Silas had had punishment enough, and so sent orders for them to be released. But Paul, being a Roman citizen, now maintained his privilege; teaching us, that Christianity is not at all opposed to our claiming and defending our civil rights, that is, those which belong to us as men and citizens. "They have beaten us openly uncondemned," said he, "being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? Nay, verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out." The magistrates had taken upon themselves to do what they were not authorized to do; for the magistrates were not to try prisoners, but only to see that the lawless were seized and secured, and that the law was properly put into exccution when the prisoners were condemned. Paul, therefore, on account of others, as weli as on his own account, would not sanction such shameful proceedings; he did not, however, demand revenge upon them, though he might have got them severely punished for what they had so unjustly done, but he required that they should acknowledge themselves wrong, and with all respect, make amends to them by fetching them out. So the magistrates, being now

greatly frightened, went to the prison, and begged Paul and Silas to forgive them, and that they would leave the city as soon as possible, that nothing more might be said about the matter.

When they had quitted the prison, they paid another visit to their kind hostess, Lydia, and then pursued their journey.

Paul preaches at Thessalonica, and is persecuted there.

ACTS XVII, XVIII.

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Paul and Silas, having passed through Amphipolis and Appolonia, both considerable cities in Macedonia, came to Thessalonica, a free city of the same country," where the Roman governor resided. Here there " was a synagogue of the Jews," and, during three successive Sabbaths, Paul went in and reasoned with them about what the Scriptures said of the Messiah, and proved that Jesus was he. His facts and arguments were so forcible, that, accompanied by the power of the Spirit of God, many Jews, and Gentiles who had become Jews, were converted.

This enraged the unbelieving part of the Jews; and they, supposing Paul to be at the house of Jason-one of their number, whose heart had been brought to trust in Christ-they violently beset his house, and dragged him out, with others, to the rulers of the city, and charged them with turning the world upside down, or throwing every place which they visited into confusion by their doctrines. The magistrates, however, acted on this occasion with great propriety, and as these Christians were accused of being troublers, they only required pledges of them that they would not in future disturb the peace of the city, but did not attempt to punish them, where they could not see they had committed any crime.

Paul and Silas having left the city quietly during the night, proceeded next to Berea, another city in Macedonia, and there also they "went into the synagogue of the Jews." Here the gospel was readily received by the people, who heard Paul and Silas with attention, and then examined the Scriptures for themselves, to see if what was said about the Messiah agreed with the character of Jesus Christ; and so many of them became true Christians.

The Jews of Thessalonica, hearing of their success, followed them to that place, and stirred up the unthinking part of the people to disturb the apostles.

The apostle Paul was therefore sent out of the way, because against him the bitterest enmity prevailed; and Silas and Timotheus remained behind to explain things further to the young converts, who would have many questions to ask about what Jesus Christ taught and did.

Paul next went to Athens, a city in Greece, exceedingly famous for its knowledge and learning. When he arrived there his spirit was grieved and provoked, to see the stupidity of the people, notwithstanding all their knowledge, for the city was full of idols: it had more images called gods than all the rest of Greece, so that one humorously said of it, it was easier to find a god there than a man. Here Paul, according to his custom, disputed with the Jews in their synagogue, and with "the devout persons," or Jewish proselytes, who had left heathenism and embraced Judaism; and he also took every opportunity of conversing about Christ with the Athenians, whom he met in the great market-place.

In this city he was violently opposed by the heathen philosophers, called Epicureans and Stoics.

The Epicureans were so called from their first teacher, Epicurus. Though they believed there was a God, they were foolish enough to believe that the world was made by chance, and that no Providence ruled over it. See how ignorant the wisest of men were without the Scriptures. The Stoics received their name, not from their founder, whose name was Zeno, but from a Greek word, Store, which signifies a portico, or piazza, because it was customary for Zeno to walk under a portico, and teach his scholars. He was wiser than the Epicureans, since he believed that God did make the world; but he, like them, denied that he cared anything about it after it was made; and so, instead of being ruled by His Providence, it was left to Fate.

These were the men with whom Paul had here chiefly to contend. They were, however, disposed to hear him; for though they despised him, and called him a babbler, yet, as he brought with him doctrines new to themand they were fond of "some new thing"-they thought at least that they should be amused.

There was at Athens a celebrated place called the Areopagus, "in the midst of Mar's Hill." This building was used as a court of law, and was adapted to accommodate a large concourse of people. Here it was determined that Paul should publish his opinions. It was a fine opportunity, and he embraced it.

He told them that he had observed they were very superstitious, or given

to the worship of many and false gods; and that in passing through their streets, he had even seen an inscription-"To THE UNKNOWN GOD”—which perhaps meant the God of the Jews, of whom they had heard, but did not know. Now, he came to tell them who he was, and that instead of the world being made by chance, as some among them believed, He it was who made all things, and all men; and whose providence, so far from not noticing the world he made, even notices every individual, and fixes the boundaries of every man's life, and the very spot where he shall reside. And as we spring from God, our spirits being breathed into us by his Spirit, nothing could be more absurd than to imagine, that stone, carved into different images, should represent God, many of them being even unworthy to represent men, whom God has made. For a long while God had borne with this idolatry, but now Paul declared he had sent his apostles to bear witness against it, and called upon men everywhere to repent, for he has determined to judge the world, and Christ will be the judge, who is now risen from the dead.

On mentioning the subject of the resurrection, the whole assembly seem to have been in a tumult. It was a doctrine either disbelieved or never thought of by the Grecian philosophers. "Some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again on this matter.' So, as they were not disposed to hear any more at that time, and received his message so unfavourably, Paul left them. Yet his address was not altogether useless: "Howbeit, certain men clave unto him, and believed; among the which was Dionysius, the Areopagite," or a judge in the court of Areopagus: "and a woman named Damaris, and others with them."

Paul next proceeded to Corinth, another Grecian city of considerable importance. Here he took up his abode with a Jew named Aquila, and his wife Priscilla, who had lately left Rome in consequence of a decree of the Emperor that no Jews should remain there any longer. From what is reported by historians, it is supposed that this decree was made because the Jews were so violent in opposing the Christians, that they caused continual disturbances. It appears that Paul and Aquila were of the same craft, or trade, tent-makers, and this was one reason which brought them together. It was no disgrace among the Jews to be of a trade but rather a disgrace to be without, and therefore everyone was brought up to a trade, that he might never want the means of procuring his livelihood; and so the apostle Paul, though a learned man, and brought up at the feet of the learned Gamaliel, that is, as his pupil, was nevertheless taught the craft of tent-making. Tents, in hot

countries, are very common and useful, and it was by this trade that the apostle supported himself while preaching the gospel.

While at Corinth, Paul, as usual, visited and "reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath;" and here he was joined by Silas and Timotheus.

The Jews having refused to hear what he had to say about Christ, Paul "shook his raiment," it being loose about him, as a sign that he would shake them off, and have no more to do with them, and went to the Gentiles, who were in the city. For this purpose he took up his abode at the house of a man named Justus, who, though not a Jew, was a sincere man, and worshipped the true God, having learned about him from the Jews, his house being near the synagogue. His labours were, however, not altogether useless among the Jews, for "Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord, with all his house:" many Corinthians

also believed.

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Paul was, indeed, particularly encouraged in his labours at Corinth, for God told him, in a vision, “I have much people in this city." "And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."

The success of Paul excited the enmity of the Jews, whose rage against Christ was as bitter as it still is. They therefore rose up against Paul, and accused him before Gallio, the Roman officer, who at that time presided over Achaia, in which the conquered province of Corinth was. Gallio saw

their wicked rage, and told them, that if Paul had done any bad thing, he would have taken notice of it, but as they accused him only about religious matters, he had nothing to do with such disputes, and so he drove the Jews away from his presence. The Greeks, seeing how he treated the Jews, and knowing that they were not now in high favour, immediately fell upon Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him severely; so that the harm they wanted to do to Paul now fell upon themselves; "and Gallio cared for none of these things," but looked on with total indifference.

Paul's next journey was into Syria, and he took with him Priscilla and Aquila. Then he came to Ephesus, the metropolis of Asia, where he still reasoned with the Jews, by entering into their synagogue.

Having left Ephesus, he landed at Cesarea, and visited the Christian church there. Thence he went to Antioch, "and after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples."

While Paul was engaged elsewhere, Apollos visited Ephesus. This was