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about his work. There was' th e usual opposition from th e Jews and the sepa ration from them . God endowed His servant w ith unusual power and unus ual m iracles were w rought, v. 12. Some professional exorcists copied P au l’s method and ventured to use th e name of Jesus in the trea tm e n t of a demon iac. The possessed man drove them from the'~house in dismay. The whole city was convinced th a t th e name of Jesus was not to be trifled with. The magicians themselves saw th e differ ence between th e power of God and the craft of man. They made a public bon fire of th e ir occult literatu re. The Gospel had made converts in many places b u t now for th e first tim e a whole city was subdued before it, and a t last It could be said th a t the Word of God grew m ightily and prevailed. THURSDAY, October 6. Acts 19:21, 22; Rom. 1:9-13. P a u l’s Purpose. The Gospel having been planted in Asia, P aul is a t liberty to seek fresh fields. The comprehensiveness of his purpose is world-wide. He desires to revisit th e scenes of his form er labors in Macedonia and Achaia, then he will go to Jerusalem an,d from thence to Rome. He is said to have formed this g reat purpose “ in the sp irit.” W hether it was in his own sp irit or in th e Holy Spirit, surely God H imself was shaping the events of the world. T imothy and E rastu s are sent ©n ahead to show th a t Paul moved a t once to carry his pu r pose into execution. The journey of many months through Macedonia and Achaia is crowded into th ree verses ch. 20:1-3, for Luke seems anxious to get his hero sta rted tow ard his d istan t goal. FRIDAY, October 7. Acts 19:21-41. The R iot in Ephesus. The temple of Diana a t Ephesus was one of th e seven wonders of th e world. The conversion of so many Ephesians to Christianity under the preaching of P aul resulted in a m arked falling off in the sale of shrines of Diana. The worship of Diana in common w ith most idol worship had been commercial ized. The m anufacture and sale of small images of th e goddess was a lucrative business. Demetrius was a silversm ith and maker of these images. He caused a g reat rio t by proclaim ing th a t th e tem p le of Diana would be brought into disrepute and h er reli gion fall into decay if Gospel preach ing was allowed to go on. The g reat
est compliments th a t Christianity re ceives sometimes come from h er ene mies. Demetrius told th e tru th . No improper or immoral business can flourish where the Gospel is received and obeyed. SATURDAY, October 8. II Tim. 3 :1 - 12. P ersecution Expected. C h ristian ity is always on th e defen sive in a hostile world. The offence of th e cross has not ceased. The Saviour compared His followers to a flock of sheep among th e wild beasts of the jungle. H istory vindicates the propriety of this comparison. Never theless times of persecution have been times of the g reatest sp iritual pros perity and progress. The blood of the m artyrs is th e seed of the church. The records of m artyrology furnish good reading for periods of declension and apostasy. The world is not to be fear ed by th e Christian when it opposes b u t only when it flatters a n d . cajoles. The g reatest peril is compromise. W hat th e king of Moab pould not accom plish by force, he w rought by guile, Rev. 3:14. SUNDAY, October 9. Matt. 5:1-12. Blessing in Persecution. There are very few things for which Christ positively commanded His disci ples to pray. We pray for th e sick by implication, Matt. 19:13, b u t we are expressly told to pray for those who persecute us, Matt. 5:44. I t is not easy to pray for those who abuse us. The absence of bitterness is no t enough. There m ust be th e presence of sym pathy and love. W hat Christ charged us to do, He did Himself. On Calvary He prayed “F ath e r forgive them for they know no t w hat they do.” P rom i n en t among th e m ultitude around the cross were the p riests who stirred up the people to shout “ Crucify H im” and who persuaded th e people to choose Barabbas instead of Christ. When th e Saviour prayed “Forgive them ” He prayed for th e very priests who so despitefully used Him. The prayer was soon answered. Shortly afterw ard came Pentecost. Thousands of h earts tu rn ed to God in penitence for salvation and a g reat company of th e priests believed, Acts 6:7. MONDAY, October 10. I Cor. 1:1-11. The P au lin e Letters. God over-ruled th e dissensions and failures of th e early churches and made them con tribu te to the well-being of “all th a t in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” The
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