of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.'-Acts xvi.

HIS is a subject not often noticed in illustrations of

the Bible; but there is unquestionably much instruction contained in this recorded instance of the apostle's humility towards God and man, coupled with his high-minded and noble determination not to make a gain of godliness: though he constantly asserted his right to live of the gospel, and his power to reap the earthly things of his hearers-at least, necessaries-at their hand, in requital of those inestimable spiritual blessings which he had been the means of conveying to their souls. The apostle alludes to the fact of his manual

MIRACLES: PAUL'S GARMENTS.

333

Occupation several times in his epistle. Let us not forget that Paul was a man of rank and education, assuredly not brought up to any handicraft employment; and when we consider his illustrious station,, as an apostle gifted with the power of working miracles in attestation of his mission. from above, his lowliness, patience, and industry will appear so much the more eminent and exemplary. ACTS xviii.

S many of the Jews were hardened in their unbelief,

R$

and reproached the preachers of the cross, St. Paul departed from them for a time, and separated the disciples he had made, merely contending for the faith in a kind of private school, or divinity hall, designed for reading lectures on religion. To add the greater efficacy and success to the doctrines of the Christian faith, God

continued to work many extraordinary miracles by the hand of Paul; so that, besides his curing those who were brought to him, handkerchiefs or aprons were carried from his body to those that were sick at a distance, and, presently on their touching them, the diseases they were troubled with, however threatening and inveterate, were removed from them, and the evil spirits departed from those that were possessed. These facts, of course, spread abroad among the multitude, and raised the reputation of the apostle to a very high degree, and added the authority of a divine testimony to what he taught the Ephesians. We see remarkably in this period by what various methods the Spirit of God operates on different persons. Lydia was touched by a gentle influence, like the dew from heaven; but the stubborn mind of the jailor was only to be shaken by an earthquake.-Acts xix.

THE

in the minds of men at the time. To some they

were the means of salvation, causing them to believe from the heart the doctrines taught. Some, however, doubted. Others mocked; and a few, envying and coveting the power thus exercised, endeavoured, as in the case of Simon Magus, to procure it by money, or, like certain vagabond Jews, 'took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus.' But this was not only without success, but with peril to themselves; for the evil spirits said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all. And many that

And

believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver;' a sum amounting, it is said, to six or seven thousand pounds of our money.-ACTS xix.

ΟΝ

N the first day of the week, when the disciples, according to their usual custom, assembled to break

bread (that is, to partake of the Lord's Supper), Paul, being now to take his leave of the Christians there, and about to depart on the morrow, preached to them with great fervency, and was so carried out in his work, that he continued his discourse until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper room where they met for worship; for, whatever the malice of their enemies might