THE KING ’S BUSINESS
548
These men who were making money b y ' their evil practices suddenly became very much interested in the customs o f the Romans and deeply concerned that any one should teach customs which they were sure it would not be lawful for them to receive or observe as loyal Romans. It is wonder ful how interested some people become in the laws when the laws favor their busi ness; but how indifferent or even hostile they are to laws when they run contrary to their own interests. vs. 22, 23. “And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes (their garments off them), and commanded to beat them ( add, with rods). And'when~ they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely." Nearly the whole city seems to have taken part in the demonstration against Paul and Silas. It was a very important matter for “trade had been inter fered with.” Some think that if the verdict against any man or men is unanimous,- or nearly unanimous, they must surely be in the wrong, but it proves nothing whatever against a man that the multitude is against him: they were against' Paul (c f/ ch.' 17:5:18:12; 19:28, 29), they were against Jesus, and at times pretty much the whole world has been against many anofher true and good man. “The voice o f the people” is not always “the voice o f God,” it is quite as likely to be the voice af Satan. But even if the multitude was against them, and though the magistrates were against them, God was with them and that far more than compensated (Rom. 8:31). v. 24. “ Who, having received such a charge, thrust (cast) them into the inner prison, and made their feet ,fast in the stocks.” Paul and Silas fared hard indeed; their clothes were torn off from them, their backs were flogged with rods until they were torn and bleeding, and then with out any care o f their wounds they were thrust into a dark and filthy dungeon and their feet made fast in the stocks. This is the kind o f treatment that any one who
market place, unto (before) the rulers. The poor girl’s masters were trading upon her misfortunes, just as mediums today trade upon' their own misfortunes. The girl was possessed o f a demon, it was not a case o f out and out fraud, but o f actual possession by an evil spirit. This evil spirit imparted to her powers not naturally her own, and thus she brought much gain to her masters by her fortune telling. O f course, most mediums and fortune tellers today are out and out frauds, but there are ’cases where the medium is actually pos sessed by an evil spirit with a higher intel ligence than her own and is thus enabled to tell things that she could not otherwise tell. She looks upon this sometimes as a good fortune, but it is a misfortune. When the evil spirit had gone out o f the girl she was o f little or no commercial value and her owners were enraged, just ak those who trade upon the vices and weaknesses and superstitions of men and women today are enraged when these men and women are converted to righteousness ■and truth and so their nefarious business is ruined. Those who stand out against the evils that pay those who practice the evils in hard Cash,'must expect to suffer for their oppo- sitipn. vs. 20, 21. “And ('add,, when they had) brought them to (unto) the magistrates, saying (they said), These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach (set, forth) customs which are (it is) not lawful for us to receive, neither (or) to observe, being Romans. ’ The accusation brought against Paul and Silas was that they had exceedingly troubled the city. Nothing troubles a city in the eyes o f some people like a revival that upsets their illicit gain and brings in righteousness. The,saloon keepers and brewery men and distillers and the wholesale liquor dealers think that a revival that shuts up the saloons and gets men to give up drink exceedingly troubles the city. The forces o f evil that are mak ing money out o f sin would welcome, o f Course, any plague to their city sooner than they would welcome a revival o f religion.
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