It is not only a statement of what has occurred, but a sample of what may and indeed what does occur every day.[XXVI.]
Besides Christendom is full of false profession. There are mult.i.tudes of false professors at this moment, throughout the wide domain of Christian profession. It is sad to have to say it, but so it is, and we must press the fact upon the attention of the reader. We are surrounded, on all sides, by those who give a merely nominal a.s.sent to the truths of the Christian religion. They go on, from week to week, and from year to year, professing to believe certain things which they do not in reality believe at all. There are thousands who, every Lord"s Day, profess to believe in the forgiveness of sins, and yet, were such persons to be examined, it would be found that they either do not think about the matter at all, or, if they do think, they deem it the very height of presumption for any one to be sure that his sins are forgiven.
This is very serious. Only think of a person standing up in the presence of G.o.d and saying, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins," and all the while he does not believe any such thing! Can anything be more hardening to the heart, or more deadening to the conscience than this?
It is our firm persuasion that the forms and the formularies of professing Christianity are doing more to ruin precious souls than all the forms of moral pravity put together. It is perfectly appalling to contemplate the countless mult.i.tudes that are at this moment rushing along the well-trodden highway of religious profession, down to the eternal flames of h.e.l.l. We feel bound to raise a warning note. We want the reader most solemnly to take heed as to this matter.
We have only instanced one special formulary, because it refers to a subject of very general interest and importance. How few, comparatively, are clear and settled as to the question of forgiveness of sins! How few are able, calmly, decidedly, and intelligently, to say, "_I know_ that my sins are forgiven!" How few are in the real enjoyment of full forgiveness of sins, through faith in that precious blood that cleanseth from all sin! How solemn, therefore, to hear people giving utterance to such words as these, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins," while, in fact, they do not believe their own very utterance! Is the reader in the habit of using such a form of words? Does he believe it? Say, dear friend, are thy sins forgiven? Art thou washed in the precious atoning blood of Christ? If not, why not? The way is open. There is no hindrance. Thou art perfectly welcome, this moment, to the free benefits of the atoning work of Christ. Though thy sins be as scarlet; though they be black as midnight, black as h.e.l.l; though they rise like a dreadful mountain before the vision of thy troubled soul, and threaten to sink thee into eternal perdition; yet do these words shine with divine and heavenly l.u.s.tre on the page of inspiration, "_The blood of Jesus Christ, G.o.d"s Son, cleanseth us from_ ALL _sin_" (I John i. 7).
But mark, friend, do not go on, week after week, mocking G.o.d, hardening thine own heart, and carrying out the schemes of the great enemy of Christ, by a false profession. This marks the damsel possessed by a spirit of divination, and here her history links itself with the present awful condition of Christendom. What was the burden of her song, during those "many days" in the which the apostle narrowly considered her case?
"These men are the servants of the most high G.o.d, which _show unto us_ the way of salvation." But she was not saved--she was not delivered--she was, all the while, under Satan"s power herself.
Thus it is with Christendom--thus it is with each false professor throughout the length and breadth of the professing Church. We know of nothing, even in the deepest depths of moral evil, or in the darkest shades of heathenism, more truly awful than the state of careless, hardened, self-satisfied, fallow-ground professors, who on each successive Lord"s Day give utterance, either in their prayers or their singing, to words which, so far as they are concerned, are wholly false.
The thought of this is, at times, almost over-whelming. We cannot dwell upon it. It is really too sorrowful. We shall therefore pa.s.s on, having once more solemnly warned the reader against every shade and degree of false profession. Let him not say or sing aught that he does not heartily believe. The devil is at the bottom of all false profession, and by means thereof he seeks to bring discredit on the work of the Lord.
But how truly refreshing to contemplate the actings of the faithful apostle in the case of the damsel. Had he been seeking his own ends, or had he been merely a minister of religion, he might have welcomed her words as a tributary stream to swell the tide of his popularity, or promote the interest of his cause. But Paul was not a mere minister of religion; he was a minister of Christ--a totally different thing. And we may notice that the damsel does not say a word about Christ. She breathes not the precious, peerless name of Jesus. There is total silence as to Him. This stamps the whole thing as of Satan. "No man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost." People may speak of G.o.d, and of religion; but Christ has no place in their hearts. The Pharisees, in the ninth of John, could say to the poor man, "Give G.o.d the praise;" but in speaking of Jesus, they could say, "This man is a sinner."
Thus it is ever in the case of corrupt religion, or false profession.
Thus it was with the damsel in Acts xvi. There was not a syllable about Christ.
There was no truth, no life, no reality. It was hollow and false. It was of Satan; and hence Paul would not and could not own it; he was grieved with it and utterly rejected it.
Would that all were like him! Would that there were the singleness of eye to detect, and the integrity of heart to reject the work of Satan in much that is going on around us! Such an eye Paul, through grace, possessed. He was not to be deceived. He saw that the whole affair was an effort of Satan to mix himself up with the work, that thus he might spoil it altogether. "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 hour."
This was true spiritual action. Paul was not in any haste to come into collision with the evil one, or even to p.r.o.nounce upon the case at all; he waited many days; but the very moment that the enemy was detected he is resisted and repulsed with uncompromising decision. A less spiritual workman might have allowed the thing to pa.s.s, under the idea that it might turn to account and help forward the work. Paul thought differently; and he was right. He would take no help from Satan. He was not going to work by such an agency; and hence, in the name of Jesus Christ--that name which the enemy so sedulously excluded--he puts Satan to flight.
But no sooner was Satan repulsed as the serpent, than he a.s.sumed the character of a lion. Craft having failed, he tried violence. "And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the market-place unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the mult.i.tude rose up together against them; and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely" (vers. 19-23).
Thus the enemy seemed to triumph; but be it remembered that Christ"s warriors gain their most splendid victories by apparent defeat. The devil made a great mistake when he cast the apostle into prison. Indeed it is consolatory to reflect that he has never done anything else but make mistakes, from the moment that he left his first estate down to the present moment. His entire history, from beginning to end, is one tissue of errors.
And thus, as has been already remarked, the devil made a great mistake when he cast Paul into prison at Philippi. To nature"s view it might have seemed otherwise; but in the judgment of faith, the servant of Christ was much more in his right place in prison for the truth"s sake, than outside at his Master"s expense. True, Paul might have saved himself. He might have been an honored man, owned and acknowledged as "a servant of the most high G.o.d," if he had only accepted the damsel"s testimony, and suffered the devil to help him in his work. But he could not do this, and hence he had to suffer. "And the mult.i.tude (ever fickle and easily swayed) rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely. Who, having received such a charge, _thrust_ them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks"
(vers. 22-24).
Here, then, some might have said, was an end to the work of the evangelist in the city of Philippi. Here was an effectual stop to the preaching. Not so; the prison was the very place, at the moment, for the evangelist. His work was there. He was to find a congregation within the prison walls which he could not have found outside. But this leads us, in the third and last place, to the case of
THE HARDENED SINNER.
It was very unlikely that the jailor would ever have found his way to the prayer-meeting at the river side. He had little care for such things. He was neither an earnest seeker, nor a deceiver. He was a hardened sinner, pursuing a very hardening occupation. Jailors, from the occupation of their office, are, generally speaking, hard and stern men.
No doubt there are exceptions. There are some tender-hearted men to be found in such situations; but, as a rule, jailors are not tender. It would hardly suit them to be so. They have to do with the very worst cla.s.s of society. Much of the crime of the whole country comes under their notice; and many of the criminals come under their charge.
Accustomed to the rough and the coa.r.s.e, they are apt to become rough and coa.r.s.e themselves.
Now, judging from the inspired narrative before us, we may well question if the Philippian jailor was an exception to the general rule with respect to men of his cla.s.s. Certainly he does not seem to have shown much tenderness to Paul and Silas. "He _thrust_ them into the _inner_ prison, and made their feet _fast_ in the stocks." He seems to have gone to the utmost extreme in making them uncomfortable.
But G.o.d had rich mercy in store for that poor, hardened, cruel jailor; and, as it was not at all likely that he would go to hear the gospel, the Lord sent the gospel to him; and, moreover, He made the devil the instrument of sending it. Little did the jailor know whom he was thrusting into the inner prison--little did he antic.i.p.ate what was to happen ere another sun should rise. And we may add, little did the devil think of what he was doing when he sent the preachers of the gospel into jail, there to be the means of the jailor"s conversion. But the Lord Jesus Christ knew what He was about to do, in the case of a poor hardened sinner. He can make the wrath of man to praise Him and restrain the remainder.
"He everywhere hath sway, And all things serve His might, His ev"ry act pure blessing is, His path unsullied light.
"When He makes bare His arm, Who shall His work withstand?
When He His people"s cause defends, Who then shall stay His hand?"
It was His purpose to save the jailor; and so far from Satan"s being able to frustrate that purpose, he was actually made the instrument of accomplishing it. "G.o.d"s purpose shall stand; and He will do all His pleasure." And where He sets His love upon a poor, wretched, guilty sinner, He will have him in heaven, spite of all the malice and rage of h.e.l.l.
As to Paul and Silas, it is very evident that they were in their right place in the prison. They were there _for the truth"s sake_, and therefore _the Lord was with them_. Hence they were perfectly happy.
What, though they were confined within the gloomy walls of the prison, with their feet made fast in the stocks, prison walls could not confine their spirits. Nothing can hinder the joy of one who has the Lord with him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were happy in the fiery furnace.
Daniel was happy in the lions" den; and Paul and Silas were happy in the dungeon of Philippi: "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to G.o.d: and the prisoners heard them."
What sounds to issue from the inner prison! We may safely say that no such sounds had ever issued thence before. Curses and execrations and blasphemous words might have been heard; sighs, cries, and groans come forth from those walls. But to hear the accents of prayer and praise, ascending at the midnight hour, must have seemed strange indeed. Faith can sing as sweetly in a dungeon as at a prayer-meeting. It matters not where we are, provided always that we have G.o.d with us. His presence lights up the darkest cell, and turns a dungeon into the very gate of heaven. He can make His servants happy anywhere, and give them victory over the most adverse circ.u.mstances, and cause them to shout for joy in scenes where nature would be overwhelmed with sorrow.
But the Lord had His eye upon the jailor. He had written his name in the Lamb"s book of life before the foundation of the world, and He was now about to lead him into the full joy of His salvation. "And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one"s bands were loosed" (ver. 26).
Now if Paul had not been in full communion with the mind and heart of Christ, he would a.s.suredly have turned to Silas and said, "Now is the moment for us to make our escape. G.o.d has most manifestly appeared for us, and set before us an open door. If ever there was an opening of divine Providence surely this is one." But no; Paul knew better. He was in the full current of His blessed Master"s thoughts, and in full sympathy with his Master"s heart. Hence he made no attempt to escape.
The claims of _truth_ had brought him into prison; the activities of _grace_ kept him there. Providence opened the door; but faith refused to walk out. People talk of being guided by Providence; but if Paul had been so guided, the jailor would never have been a jewel in his crown.
"And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled" (ver. 27). This proves, very plainly, that the earthquake, with all its attendant circ.u.mstances, had not touched the heart of the jailor. He naturally supposed, when he saw the doors open, that the prisoners were all gone. He could not imagine a number of prisoners sitting quietly in jail when the doors lay open and their chains were loosed. And then what was to become of him if the prisoners were gone? How could he face the authorities? Impossible.
Anything but that. Death, even by his own hand, was preferable to that.
Thus the devil had conducted this hardened sinner to the very brink of the precipice, and he was about to give him the final and fatal push over the edge, and down to the eternal flames of h.e.l.l; when lo, a voice of love sounded in his ear. It was the voice of Jesus through the lips of His servant--a voice of tender and deep compa.s.sion--"_Do thyself no harm_."
This was irresistible. A hardened sinner could meet an earthquake; he could meet death itself; but he could not withstand the mighty melting power of love. The hardest heart must yield to the moral influence of love. "Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came _trembling_, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Love can break the hardest heart. And surely there was love in those words, "Do thyself no harm," coming from the lips of one to whom he had done so much harm a few hours before.
And, be it noted, there was not a single syllable of reproach, or even of reflection, uttered by Paul to the jailor. This was Christ-like. It was the way of divine grace. If we look through the Gospels, we never find the Lord casting reproach upon the sinner. He has tears of sorrow; He has touching words of grace and tenderness; but no reproaches--no reflections--no reproach to the poor distressed sinner. We cannot attempt to furnish the many ill.u.s.trations and proofs of this a.s.sertion; but the reader has only to turn to the gospel story to see its truth.
Look at the prodigal: look at the thief. Not one reproving word to either.
Thus it is in every case; and thus it was with G.o.d"s Spirit in Paul. Not a word about the harsh treatment--the thrusting into the inner prison--not a word about the stocks. "Do thyself no harm." And then, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
Such is the rich and precious grace of G.o.d. It shines, in this scene, with uncommon l.u.s.tre. It delights in taking up hardened sinners, melting and subduing their hard hearts, and leading them into the sunlight of a full salvation; and all this in a style peculiar to itself. Yes, G.o.d has His style of doing things, blessed be His name; and when He saves a wretched sinner, He does it after such a fashion as fully proves that His whole heart is in the work. It is His joy to save a sinner--even the very chief--and He does it in a way worthy of Himself.
And now, let us look at the fruit of all this. The jailor"s conversion was most unmistakable. Saved from the very brink of h.e.l.l, he was brought into the very atmosphere of heaven. Preserved from self-destruction, he was brought into the circle of G.o.d"s salvation; and the evidences of this were as clear as could be desired. "And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, 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 straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, _believing in G.o.d, with all his house_."
What a marvelous change! The ruthless jailor has become the generous host! "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are pa.s.sed away: behold, all things are become new." How clearly we can now see that Paul was right in not being guided by _providences_! How much better and higher to be led by the "eye" of G.o.d! What an eternal loss it would have proved to him had he walked out at the open door! How much better to be conducted out by the very hand that had thrust him in--a hand once the instrument of cruelty and sin, now the instrument of righteousness and love! What a magnificent triumph! What a scene, altogether! How little had the devil antic.i.p.ated such a result from the imprisonment of the Lord"s servants! He was thoroughly outwitted. The tables were completely turned upon him. He thought to hinder the gospel, and, behold! he was made to help it on. He had hoped to get rid of two of Christ"s servants, and, lo! he lost one of his own. Christ is stronger than Satan; and all who put their trust in Him and move in the current of His thoughts shall most a.s.suredly share in the triumphs of His grace now, and shine in the brightness of His glory forever.
Thus much, then, as to "the work of an evangelist." Such are the scenes through which he may have to pa.s.s--such the cases with which he may have to come in contact. We have seen the earnest seeker satisfied; the deceiver silenced; the hardened sinner saved. May all who go forth with the gospel of the grace of G.o.d know how to deal with the various types of character that may cross their path! May many be raised up to do the work of an evangelist!
FOOTNOTES:
[XXV.] The reader will notice that in Matthew vi. I, the marginal reading is the correct one: "Take heed that ye do not your _righteousness_ before men, to be seen of them." Then we have the three departments of this righteousness, namely, alms-giving (ver. 2); prayer (ver. 3); fasting (ver. 16). These were the very things Cornelius was doing. In short, he feared G.o.d, and was working righteousness, according to his measure of light.
[XXVI.] [An evangelist will not travel far in our day to find persons who will take him warmly by the hand, and profess lively interest in his work. A moment"s intercourse with them, however, will disclose them to be agents of "Christian Science," of "Millennial Dawn" of "Seventh Day Adventism" or of some one or other of like systems--messengers of Satan, all professing Christianity, though in reality destroyers of it; pluming themselves with its name, only to get inside and work destruction the more easily. ED.]
CHAPTER IV.
LETTERS TO AN EVANGELIST.