Acts 16:28

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. BUT PAUL CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE - the better to arrest the fatal deed, DO THYSELF NO HARM; FOR WE ARE ALL HERE. What divine calmness and self-possession! No elation at their miraculous liberation, or haste to take advantage of it: but one thought filled the apostle's mind at that moment-anxiety to save a fellow creature from sending himself into eternity, ignorant of the only way of life; and his presence of mind appears in the assurance which he so promptly gives to the desperate man, that his prisoners had none of them fled, as he feared. But how, it has been asked by recent sceptical critics, could Paul in his inner prison know what the jailor was about to do? In many conceivable ways, without supposing any supernatural communication. Thus, if the jailor slept at the door of "the inner...

25-34 The consolations of God to his suffering servants are neither few nor small. How much more happy are true Christians than their prosperous enemies! As in the dark, so out of the depths, we may cry unto God. No place, no time is amiss for prayer, if the heart be lifted up to God. No trouble, however grievous, should hinder us from praise. Christianity proves itself to be of God, in that it obliges us to be just to our own lives. Paul cried aloud to make the jailer hear, and to make him heed, saying, Do thyself no harm. All the cautions of the word of God against sin, and all appearances of it, and approaches to it, have this tendency. Man, woman, do not ruin thyself; hurt not thyself, and then none else can hurt thee; do not sin, for nothing but that can hurt thee. Even as to the body, we are cautioned against the sins which do harm to that. Converting grace changes people's langua...

Verse Acts 16:28. _DO THYSELF NO HARM_] As it was now dark, being midnight, St. Paul must have had a Divine intimation of what the jailor was going to do; and, to prevent it, cried out aloud, _Do_ _thyself no harm, for we are all here_....

DO THYSELF NO HARM - This is the solemn command of religion in his case, and in all others. It enjoins upon people to do themselves no harm by self-murder, whether by the sword, the pistol, the halter; by intemperance, by lust, or by dissipation. In all cases, Christianity seeks the true welfare of man. In all cases, if it were obeyed, people would do themselves no harm. They would promote their own best interests here, and their eternal welfare hereafter....

EXPOSITION ACTS 16:1 _And he came also _for _then came he, _A.V._ _and T.R.; _to Lystra _for _Lystra, _A.V._; Timothy _for _Timotheus, _A.V._; of a Jewess _for _of a certain woman which was a Jewess, _A.V. and T.R.; _which _for _and, _A.V. For DERBE and LYSTRA, see Acts 14:1. and notes. This time St. Paul visited Derbe first, whereas before he came from Lystra to Derbe (Acts 14:6, Acts 14:8, Acts 14:21). WAS THERE; viz

BUT PAUL CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE,.... Knowing by divine revelation, what the jailer was about to do; though being in the innermost prison, in a dark dungeon, he could not see him, unless it can be thought, that the opening of the doors had let in light sufficient; and it may be also, that he knew in the same way, what designs of grace God had towards this man and his family: SAYING, DO THYSELF NO HARM; which is an instance of great tenderness, humanity, and love, to one that had used him and his companion with so much severity and cruelty: FOR WE ARE ALL HERE; not only Paul and Silas, but the rest of the prisoners also; who either being so intent upon hearing the prayers and praises of the apostles, or so terrified with the earthquake, that they took no notice of their bands being loosed, and so never thought or attempted to make their escape; and as for Paul and Silas, all this happen...

Acts 16:9. _And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us._ Our dreams often follow the leading thoughts of the day; or, if not of the day, yet the chief thoughts that are upon the mind. Paul dreams about mission work, for his heart is in it. I should not wonder if some before me, who are deeply engaged in earnest Christian work, have often dreamt about their Sunday-school, or their mission-station. Where the mind goes when we are awake, it often goes when we are asleep. This vision that appeared to Paul was supernatural; and was an indication of what God wanted him to do. Acts 16:10. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord ha

ACTS 16:28 mega,lh| fwnh|/ @o`# Pau/loj The manuscripts present a wide variety of readings: (_a_) mega,lh| fwnh|/ Pau/loj( î74 Y itd; (_b_) same as (_a_) but o` Pau/loj, A 1875 1898; (_c_) fwnh|/ mega,lh| Pau/loj, a C* 33; (_d_) same as (_c_) but o` Pau/loj, C3 Dgr E P most minuscules; (_e_) Pau/loj mega,lh| fwnh|/, B; (_f_) same as (_e_) but o` Pau/loj, 181 431 927; (_g_) o` Pau/loj fwnh|/ mega,lh|, 36 180 629 itgig. The overwhelming weight of external evidence reads...

CHAPTER 16 _ 1. In Derbe and Lystra again. Timotheus (Acts 16:1)._ 2. The Preaching forbidden in Asia (Acts 16:6). 3. The Vision of the Man from Macedonia (Acts 16:9). 4. The Gospel in Europe (Acts 16:13). Read in connection with the first verses of this chapter 1 Timothy 1:18; 1Ti 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15. The circumcision of Timothy, the offspri

IMPRISONMENT OF PAUL AND SILAS. THE PRISON BROKEN. The rulers (Acts 16:19) are the heads of police; they are afterwards called _Strategi, which_ answers to the Roman _Prœ tores._ Philippi was a colony, its magistrates were Roman, _duoviri,_ and had the _fasces,_ the Roman rods, showing their power to order a beating. The missionaries are accused of making a disturbance in the city, being Jews (Jews are generally unpopular, and at Philippi they are not strong), and of introducing strange customs, _i.e._ a religion which was not an allowed one, in the Roman community. The populace takes the side of the accusers; a beating on the bare body is at once inflicted (_cf._ 2 Corinthians 11:25). The inner prison into which they were put was, to judge by other known cases, a pla