CHA P. VIII. THE PHILIPPI. 'HE difpenfation of the Gospel is doubtless the greatest bleffing that can be vouchsafed to any country. But the times and the feafons God hath reserved to himself. Even in this fenfe falvation is of grace; and Divine Providence alone orders and appoints, that the Gofpel fhall be preached here or there, as he pleases. Paul and Silas, if left to themselves, in their progrefs to the weft, would have evangelized Pergamus or Afia propria and Bithynia, but were prevented by fpecial intimations of the Holy Spirit. They came now to Troas,fo called from its being the place, or near the place, where old Troy had ftood, by the fea-coaft, uncertain whither they should go next, and perhaps little apprehenfive, that God, now for the first time, was introducing his Gospel into Europe. A nightly vifion, in which a Macedonian intreated Paul to come over into his country and help them, determined at once their deftination. They failed from Troas to the Ifland of Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis, a Macedonian fea-port, whence, through the gulph of Strymon, they came to Philippi, the first city of that part of Macedonia, which they would meet with in their way from Neapolis. So I understand St. Luke's expreffion Пown; for Theffalonica was the capital of Macedonia. The city of Philippi, though originally Macedonian, and fo named from Philip the father of Alexander, was then a Roman colony, inhabited * AЯs xvi. 7. by by Roman citizens, and regulated by Roman laws and cuftoms. The region, in which it ftood, had been renowned for conftituting the third of the four great monarchies under the arms of Alexander, and the place itself had been, fomething more than half a century ago, the fcene of a famous battle, between two Roman parties engaged in a civil war. Neither of THOSE feafons would have been at all convenient for the Gofpel. The prefent was a scene of tranquillity and order under the Roman government: and Macedonia, though now only a Roman province, was going to be the fubject of tranfactions infinitely more noble than thofe, which adorn the hiftory of its greatest princes. The appearances on their arrival did not promife any thing remarkable. They spent a few days at first with little profpect of fuccefs. They found a few Jews there, who ufed on the Sabbath-day to frequent an oratory out of the city by the riverfide: and fome women, religioufly difpofed, reforted thither. It was the conftant method of the Apoftles to join themselves to Unitarians, wherever they could find them, as the firft opening for the Gospel of Chrift. They did fo on this occafion, and spake to the women. One of them was Lydia, a perfon of fome property. Her heart the Lord opened, that" fhe attended to the things which were fpoken by Paul." She was baptized with her family; and with affectionate importunity fhe prevailed on the Apoftle and his companions to make her houfe their home in Philippi. Here we have the beginnings of the Philippian Church; but the converfion was found and ftable, and the progrefs of Lydia in the divine life feems of the fame kind as that of Cornelius. Vexed at the profpect, Satan employed a young woman poffeffed with a fpirit of Python to bring the Gospel into contempt, if poffible. She con conftantly followed the Chriftian preachers, and bore them the most honourable teftimony. Paul was grieved, as being fully fenfible of the ill effect, which a fuppofed union between Chrift and Python* muft occasion in the minds of men. He was at length enabled miraculoufly to eject the demon, The proprietors of the young woman, who had made a traffic of her oracular powers, finding that fhe was difpoffeffed of the demon, wreaked their vengeance on Paul and Silas, and by flanderous accufations induced the magistrates to scourge them feverely, and to commit them to prifon. The jailer thrust them into the inner prifon, and faftened their feet in the ftocks. In this fituation, diftreffing indeed, and in the eyes of many ridiculous, thefe two fervants of God, at midnight, though oppreffed with pain and hunger and every difagreeable circumftance, were yet enabled to pray and fing praifes to God. So powerful are the confolations of the Holy Ghoft, and fo much did the love of Chrift conftrain them! And now the Lord caufed a great earthquake, which opened all the doors of the prifon, and loofed every one's bonds. The jailer awaking, in his first trepidation, by a practice which I with had been creditable among pagans only, was going to rush into eternity. Paul kindly affured him, that none of the prifoners had escaped. And now being ftruck with horror at the thought of the world to come, to which he had been haftening in all his guilt, and being divinely convinced of his danger, he came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and afked what he muft The very term leads me to apprehend, that the oracular work of the Pythian Apollo among the pagans had fomething diabolical in it; and the story before us demonftrates the reality of fuch delufions, and that human fraud and fagacity alone are not fufficient to account for them, muft do to be faved. The answer was plain and direct. Why do any perfons who call themfelves Chriftian minifters ever give any other?" Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be saved and thy houfe." They then inftructed him and his houfhold in the nature of the Gofpel, and opened to him the doctrine of forgiveness of fins by the blood of Chrift. His converfion appears evidently of the fame kind, as that of the three thousand at Jerufalem. He was humbled for his fins, and he received pardon by faith in Jefus. His ready fubmiffion to baptifm, his affectionate treatment of thofe, who had juft before been the objects of his severity, and his joy in the Lord, demonftrated, that he was turned from Satan to God.-His whole family fhared with him in the fame bleffings. In the morning the magiftrates fent an order for the difmiffion of the prifoners. But Paul thought it not inconfiftent with Chriftian meeknefs, to demand from them an apology for their illegal behaviour to Roman citizens; for fuch it feems Silas was, as well as Paul. The magistrates, alarmed, came perfonally to make conceffions, which were eafily accepted. Being difmiffed from prifon, they entered into Lydia's houfe, comforted the difciples, and left Philippi for the present. Some years after, the Apoftle again vifited the Philippians, and found them ftill in a flourishing ftate. He always took a peculiar pleasure in this Church and, in his epiftle written from Rome, he thanks God for their fincere fellowship in the Gospel from the beginning. He expreffes his expectation of liberty, and of being enabled to fee them again, and exhorts them to bear patiently the perfecutions to which they were expofed, as an evidence of the divine favour *. Liberality was a fhining virtue among thefe con- verts, verts. They had fent once and again to his relief at Theffalonica*. And now they had fent Epaphroditus to Rome, to minifter to his wants. A dangerous illness had brought that difciple to the borders of the grave. Upon his recovery he was afflicted to think of the diftrefs, which the news of his fickness must have brought on the minds of the Philippians. Paul was therefore the more anxious to fend him back. The fenfibility of that love, with which the Holy Ghost had influenced all concerned in this affair, is finely defcribed in this part of the epiftle The Apostle, toward the close of it, even exults in the pleasure which the charity of these difciples gave him; and he affures them, that his God would fupply all their need according to his riches in glory by Chrift Jefus." He warns them however against the dangers of feduction. Judaifing teachers defired to pervert them. He reminds them, therefore, of his own fimple dependence on the Lord Jefus, though he had fairer pretenfions than moft men to felf-righteousness; and with tears in his eyes declares, that, even then, many pretended Chriftians walked like enemies of the crofs of Chrift. Such was the work of God at Philippi. A confiderable number of perfons, once worshippers of idols, devoted to the bafeft lufts, and funk in the groffeft ignorance, were brought to the knowledge and love of the true God, and to the hope of falvation by his Son Jefus. In this faith and hope they perfevered amidst a world of perfecutions, fteadily brought forth the fruits of charity, and lived in the joyful expectation of a bleffed refurrection. Philip. iv. 16. Chap ii. toward the end. + Chap. iii. CHAP. |