תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

MDCCLXXXVII.

THE CONVERSION OF THE JAILOR.

Acts xvi. 29-31. 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? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

VARIOUS are the ways in which God effects the conversion of sinners to himself. Some he draws by the attractive influences of his Spirit; causing his word to distil as dew upon their souls, and imperceptibly, as it were, opening their understandings (as he did Lydia's), and inclining their hearts to embrace his truth. With others he deals rather in a way of fear and terror; filling them with compunction (as he did the converts on the day of Pentecost"), and awakening them from their security by some awful dispensation of his providence. It was thus that he impressed the savage mind of the jailor, whose conversion we are about to consider. By an earthquake at midnight, (an earthquake that shook the very foundations of the prison, and opened all its doors,) he first rendered him sensible of his guilt and danger, and stimulated him to make the inquiries, which terminated in the conversion and salvation of his soul.

The jailor's inquiry, and the answer given to it, will form the natural division of our text.

I. The jailor's inquiry

In this there are two things worthy of particular attention :

1. The importance of it—

[There is no other concern in this world of so great, or so universal, importance. The inquiring, "What we shall eat, or drink, or be clothed with," is certainly necessary in this present state of existence: but those things are not worth

[blocks in formation]

a thought, in comparison of the salvation of the soulNor is there any human being who needs not this inquiry. All are sinners; and, as sinners, condemned: all therefore have reason to dread the wrath of God, and to ask how they may obtain mercy at his hands Youth, learning, riches, do not at all supersede the necessity of this inquiry: all are liable to be summoned, at any moment, into the presence of their God, who is no respecter of persons, but will judge every man according to his works They who have embraced the salvation offered by him in the Gospel, will be saved by him: they who have slighted and neglected it, whatever be their rank or condition in life, will perish.]

2. The manner in which it was made

[Here we see an earnestness suited to the object inquired after, and a determination of heart to follow any directions which these servants of God should give him. He did not, like Pilate, ask with indifference, "What is truth?" and then go away without waiting for an answer: nor did he, like the Jews at Rome, ask in a mere speculative or inquisitive manner, "We desire to hear of thee what thou thinkeste." It was with him a personal concern; a matter of the greatest importance. He had no disposition to cavil or dispute; but an ardent desire to know how he might obtain mercy at the hands of his offended God. They needed only to point out to him the way of life, and he was ready without hesitation to use the means prescribed, how difficult soever the task might be, or whatever sacrifices he might be called to make in the pursuit of this great object- --]

And now let us see what was,

II. The answer given him—
Behold,

1. Its simplicity

[Men, by cavils and disputes, have thrown obscurity over the plainest of all truths. To the proud and self-sufficient, the faith of the Gospel is made a stumbling-block: but to the humble and contrite, the light of the meridian sun is not more clear. Here are no conditions imposed, no limitations fixed. It is not said," If you will do so many good works, Jesus Christ will accept you :" but simply, "Believe in him:" believe that he has died to save sinners; believe, that by the blood of his cross he has made reconciliation for you with God, and that he will save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him." Think not to purchase the Divine favour by any thing of c Matt. vi. 31-33. The soul! Heaven! Hell! Eternity! what weighty considerations.

d John xviii. 38.

e Acts xxviii. 22.

your own, but seek it as the free gift of God for Christ's sake. "Look" to Christ, as the wounded Israelites did to the brazen serpent; and "wash" in the fountain of his blood, as Naaman did in the streams of Jordan: then shall you "be healed" from your leprosy, and "be saved" from the deadly wounds of sin

--Yes, you, notwithstanding the treatment you have shewn to us, his servants, and notwithstanding you have never thought of salvation till this moment of terror and alarm, even you shall surely, shall instantly, be saved by him, if only you trust in him with your whole heart What beautiful

simplicity is there in this way of salvation!]

2. Its efficacy

["Sharper than a two-edged sword was the word" spoken by Paul and Silas. As it suited the jailor's case, so it reached his heart, and proved "the power of God to the salvation of his soul." It instantly turned his sorrow into joy1 — — — It also with no less rapidity, changed and renewed his soul. But a few hours before, he had with unrelenting cruelty executed the commission which he had received from the persecuting magistrates; "thrusting these divine messengers into the inner prison, and making their feet fast in the stocks." But now "he took them into his own house, and washed their stripes, and set meat before them :" yea, "the very same hour of the night" did he thus evince the truth of his conversion Finally, it caused him, without hesitation, to become a determined follower of Christ. Though he saw what he was likely to suffer for the truth's sake, he did "not consult with flesh and blood," or temporize at all; but immediately, with all his household, devoted himself to God in baptism, and avowed himself a friend of this persecuted religion.

Surely the wonder-working rod of Moses did not more clearly display the power of God, when it divided the Red Sea, or brought water from the rock, than this simple declaration did in the change it wrought on this ferocious jailor.] ADDRESS

1. The secure

[When do you intend to begin this inquiry? Is it a fit employment for a dying hour?---Will the consciousness of having neglected it excite no fears when you are just entering on eternity, or leave no room for regret when you stand at the judgment-seat of Christ? - O that you were wise,

and would consider your latter end! ---]

f ver. 34. He was enabled to see the freeness, the suitableness, the sufficiency of the Gospel salvation, and to trust with confidence in the promises made to him in Christ Jesus. Thus were his fears dissipated, and his terrors changed into exultation and triumph.

2. The fearful

[Some there are who make this inquiry, we trust, in sincerity, yet do not derive comfort from the Apostle's direction: they are so discouraged by a sense of their own unworthiness, that they are not able to lay hold on the promises of the Gospel: they are ready to think it would be presumption in them to expect mercy in so free a way. But, whatever have been their past state, they may come, yea, they must come to Christ in this way. If our unworthiness were a bar to our acceptance with God, who would ever be saved? But the fact is, that such persons do not see enough of their unworthiness; for if they did, they would immediately perceive that they must come to Christ, as the most unworthy of his creatures, or lie down in everlasting despair.

Dear brethren, do not indulge pride under the garb of humility; but be willing to come to Christ as ye are. Only feel as the jailor did, and you need not fear but that you shall be accepted as readily as the jailor was -]

3. The believing—

[Doubtless some of you have been enabled to believe in Christ, and to found all your hopes on his atoning sacrifice. Let me then say to you, that you must not consider the work of faith as done, but merely as begun, and as necessary to be carried on every day and hour. You must "live still from day to day by faith on the Son of God". At the same time,

O let me remind you to "shew forth your faith by your works." You see how the jailor honoured God, by a cordial acquiescence in the terms proposed, a bold confession of the crucified Jesus, a thorough change both of heart and life, and a joyful expectation that not a tittle of God's word should fail. Go ye on thus, trusting in God with all your hearts, and glorifying God with all your souls.]

MDCCLXXXVIII.

PROOFS THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH.

Acts xvii. 2-5. And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar.

THE dispersion of the Jews through every part of the Roman empire greatly facilitated the diffusion of the Gospel in the apostolic age: for in all the capital cities of the empire there were synagogues, to which the Apostles had access, and where on the sabbathdays they were sure of meeting a large assembly of their countrymen. Of these advantages St. Paul invariably availed himself: for though he was " a minister of the uncircumcision," and was sent principally to the Gentiles, yet he in every place addressed himself in the first place to the Jews, and only turned to the Gentiles when the Jews had rejected the gracious tidings which he delivered to them. In discoursing with the Jews, he constantly appealed to the Holy Scriptures, which they themselves acknowledged to be of Divine authority; but, if in many instances he succeeded in convincing them, in many instances he failed.

In the passage which we have now read, we see, I. The means he used for the conversion of the Jews

Two things he laboured to establish;

1. That the Scriptures represented the Messiah as one who should die and rise again—

[To establish this, he adduced a multitude of passages which he knew to have been generally received, as descriptive of the Messiah. On other occasions we are informed what particular passages were cited: and from them we may guess what passages the Apostle insisted on at this time. He no doubt shewed the Jews, that the death and resurrection of the Messiah were declared in the plainest prophecies, and shadowed forth in the most significant types.

In speaking of the prophecies, he might well appeal to that very first promise that was given to man: what could that mean, but that Satan was first to "bruise his heel," by bringing him down to the grave; and that Christ should afterwards, by his resurrection, "bruise his head," and destroy his empire in the world? In the Psalms these truths are yet more plain and express. It was said that the potentates of the earth should combine to destroy him; but that he should be seated on God's holy hill of Zion; and, being exalted to the right

a Gen. iii. 15.

« הקודםהמשך »