August 9

Acts xvi. — 13. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river-side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

14. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15. And when she was baptized, and her household, 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. 16. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 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. 18. And this did she 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. 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. 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, and commanded to beat them. 23. And, when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely; 24. Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

The conversion of Lydia was the first-fruit of the gospel in Europe. In answer to a vision, Paul had sailed over from Asia to Macedonia; and his first sojourn was at Philippi, an important city, and the seat of a large Roman colony. Thyatira was famous for the manufacture of cloths of a rich purple dye, and Lydia had sought a market for such goods in a growing commercial city. The Jews do not appear to have been numerous enough at Philippi to have had a synagogue; but there was in the suburbs a little chapel, to which a few devout women resorted on the Jewish sabbath for prayer. As Paul spoke of Christ and his salvation, the heart of Lydia opened as gently as a flower to the sun: she drank in the air and light of a new morn-

ing, and dedicated herself and all her house to the new faith.

In contrast with this modest householder, there appeared at Philippi a female slave who was notorious throughout the city as a sorceress, whose masters represented her crazed utterances as inspired by Apollo, and made much money by using her as a "medium." She seems to have been possessed of a demon; and, as it was important to separate Christianity from such associations, the apostles cast out the spirit from her. But the miracle was lost upon hearts that were wrapped up in the pursuit of gain: a mob was raised, and Lydia's law was inflicted upon the servants of Christ. This, however, was made to contribute to the furtherance of the gospel.

APPROPRIATE HIMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 48, 84, 93.

Thou only, O Lord! makest us to dwell in safety. We lie down at night under the shadow of thy wings: we awake in the morning to the light of thy love. We thank thee for another night of rest and comfort; for another day of life, health, and hope. We praise thee that thou didst create us with powers of knowing and of loving, and hast made this world so full of wonders and beauties to feed our minds with knowledge, and to stir our hearts with love and joy. May the glory of the heavens, the richness and bounty of the earth, as adapted to our wants, fill us with admiration of thy power, thy wisdom, thy goodness! and may the voices of gladness with which all Nature celebrates thy praise move our souls to bless and praise thee also! O Lord! may we be found faithful to thee in the duties of this day! and, amid its temptations and its trials, do thou sustain us, comfort us, keep us, and grant us grace in all we do to seek thy glory. May this household, which thou hast so blessed, serve thee, not at

this altar only, but in all the walks of life! As we engage in the business of the world, as we go into society, wherever we are, and whatever we do, may we remember thee, and do thy will! Oh! grant that every member of this family may be a child of God; a humble, faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless all dear to us who are absent from us. Do thou, O Lord! dwell by thy Spirit in the hearts and the minds of all our friends. We supplicate thy mercy for the needy, the afflicted, the bereaved and sorrowing. Oh! grant to all the consolations of thy gospel.

Build up thy Church, O Lord! Fill our land with pure religion. Bless the industry of the people; and may its fruit be consecrated to the good of men! May our rulers be faithful and just, walking in thy fear! And we beseech thee to bring all lands under the power and glory of thy kingdom. In thy great mercy, O Lord! forgive our sins, and bring us unto thy heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.