ated when it is said that she worshipped God. This prepared her for the reception of the gospel. It is said, indeed, that the Lord opened her heart for this purpose; but we are not to infer thence that any supernatural influence was exercised over her mind, to make her a convert; for that would have superseded the use of all means. This change was produced entirely by the arguments and reasoning of the apostle Paul and of those who were with him, but, being a good effect, is attributed by the historian, as was usual with pious Jews, to the immediate hand of God, although produced in the ordinary course of things.

15. And when she was baptized and her houshold, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us, “she pressed us to compliance."

16. And it came came to pass as we went to prayer, rather, "to the oratory," or, "place of prayer," a certain damsel, "a maid-servant, a maid-servant," possessed with a spirit of divination, in the original," a spirit of Python," or, lo," met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying, " ·by prophecying."

Apol

To understand the account that is given of this woman, it is necessary to observe that amongst the Greeks it was supposed that the spirits of their dæmons took possession of the living, and that in this state they prophesied, or predicted future events; their prophecying being accompanied with fits of raving madness. Hence it arose that mad persons of a par

ticular description came to be considered as animated by a dæmon or God, and capable of foretelling future events. This was the condition of the person here mentioned: she was insane, and therefore supposed to be possessed by the spirit of Apollo, and regarded as a prophetess. She had probably lucid intervals, which qualified her better for the purpose of her masters, whose object it was to get money by her pretended predictions. The historian, entertaining the same opinion on this subject as the pagans, adopts their language, i. e. he speaks of her as possessed; but no well informed Jew, as the writer of this history must have been, could suppose that the heathen dæmons had a power of foretelling future events; for that power is expressly appropriated to Jehovah in the Jewish scriptures.

17.

The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.

For mad persons to utter what is true and rational is no unusual thing, especially if they have intervals of sanity, as this woman probably had, when they may acquire the knowledge of what is passing around them. We are not, therefore, to be surprised that she was so well acquainted with the pretensions and true character of these preachers.

18. And this she did many days; 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," that moment."

Her disorder was madness, but being supposed to be possessed by the spirit of a dæmon by the spectators, and probably by the apostle himself, he addresses the spirit by which she was animated, and commands him to come out of her. When her madness was cured the people would no longer suppose her inspired.

REFLECTIONS.

1. The practice of these pious women, in assembling together every sabbath-day to worship the Divine Being, redounded much to their honour, and deserves our imitation. It was a public acknowledgment of the true God in the midst of idolaters; it was, therefore, a profession of the truth, where there. was the strongest temptation to deny it; it was a noble instance of firmness in a good cause, and well calculated to awaken the attention of spectators and to reclaim them from their errors: it was a practice, also, which had a happy tendency to relieve their minds from anxiety, while living among strangers, at a distance from their native country, and to inspire their hearts with the most exalted hopes and purest affections. Justly did Providence honour such worshippers by hastening Paul through the provinces of the lesser Asia to communicate to them, without delay, the invaluable treasure of the gospel, and well had they prepared their minds by these devout excrcises for discerning the evidences of its divine origin, and for feeling its purifying influence! Let Christians of the present day imitate their example, and be assured that, although they may not be distinguished by supernatural benefits, their conduct will be attended with an abundant reward of religious improvement and comfort at present, and be honoured with the divine ap

probation at the last day: "wherefore," as this apostle writes to these Philippians, in the epistle which he afterwards addressed to them, " be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

2. The image of a man imploring assistance is a just emblem of the state of the ancient heathen world. Even those countries where knowledge and civilization were most advanced were sunk in regard to religion into the grossest errors and most abject superstition; not only mistaking the ravings of insanity for the inspired dictates of divine wisdom, but imagining that the most important events were predicted by the situation of the stars, by the flight of birds and the entrails of a beast; not only mistaking the object of worship, but supposing him the patron of vice, and seeking his favour by vicious practices. What a perversion of religion! How wretched a condition! How loudly did it call for assistance! Let us bless God, who had compassion upon his creatures and sent them the aid which they needed. Let us remember with gratitude and pleasure the event which is here recorded, the landing of the apostle in Europe, and the first communication of the gospel to the inhabitants of this quarter of the globe. It was the prelude to the downfal of superstition and vice: it was the commencement of a new era of virtue and happiness to an extensive portion of the human race.

Acts xvi. 19. to the end.

In the last section we had an account of a remarkable miracle wrought by Paul at Philippi, upon a young woman who was supposed to be possessed by Apollo, and to have a power of foretelling future events, but whose real disorder was insanity. The remainder of this chapter is occupied with an account of the cruel sufferings and imprisonment of Paul and

his companion, in consequence of the charge brought against them by the supporters of this infamous fraud; of the appearance of Divine Providence in their favour, by a supernatural earthquake; of the consequent conversion of the gaoler and his houshold, and of the dismissal of the prisoners from their confinement.

19. 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,

In this verse they are said to be brought to the rulers, but in the next to the magistrates; the same persons, however, are probably intended in both places, unless, indeed, as some suppose, the first words have been added to the text. As Philippi was a Roman colony, the military commander might be the civil officer. The market place among the Greeks and Romans, was the place where courts of justice held their sittings, as well as where other public business was transacted. Paul and Silas were selected, when Luke and Timothy were in company, as being the most distinguished and obnoxious persons.

20. And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,

21. And teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

22. And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes, i. e. the clothes of the persons accused, as was usu