Lydia
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 who resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 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. — Acts, xvi. 13, 14, 15.
History, it is said, is philosophy teaching by example. All history is interesting and useful. It enlarges our views of Providence; increases our acquaintance with human nature; and saves us, by the experience of others, from many evils in our own.
But the history of the church is far superior to that of the world. It regards the soul and eternity, the wonders of the cross, the triumphs of the Gospel, and the principles which prepare Christians for all their “high calling of God in Christ -Jesus,”
,And yet no history has ever been written so exceptionably, or has displayed so much of the prejudices and depravity of human nature. Hence, a powerful writer has been induced to pronounce it “one long-continued lie.”
But from this sweeping sentence, we are sure there is one portion of ecclesiastical- history perfectly free. It is the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke “the beloved physician,” and under divine inspiration. To a passage of this history your attention is now called.
“And on the Sabbath we went out of the city,” (Philippi, the chief city of that part of Macedonia,) “by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women who resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 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.”
Philippi was built by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. This rendered it noted from the beginning. In after times it became more famous, on account of two sanguinary battles which the Romans fought in its plains; in one of which Julius Caesar vanquished Pompey, and in the other Augustus defeated Brutus and Cassius.
“Every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood:” and it is painful to review the scenes of misery and destruction which proclaim the exploits of the hero. But thy victories, O Jesus, are all thine own. Thou art the “Prince of Peace,” Thy peoj)le are made “willing in the day of thy power;” but they are subdued by love; and they are conquered only to be made “free indeed.”
In the words we have chosen as the subjects of this lecture, let us consider,
I. The occasion.
And II. The operation.
I. The occasion is thus expressed. “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 who resorted thither.”
Observe, First The Season: ‘’ the Sabbath.”
“The Sabbath was made for man:”• — not indeed exclusively. It had a merciful reference even to the brute creation: and if the beasts were possessed of reason, they would be thankful for such an appointment. And who does not rejoice to hear the Father of all his creatures say, “On the seventh day thou shalt rest, that thine ox and thine ass may rest,” as well as thou?
But the Sabbath was peculiarly designed for man. It was intended to favor him corporeally, and as to his outward estate. In this view, the Sabbath may be of little value to some of you; but it is otherwise with those’ who have to toil at the loom, to dig in the mine, to smite at the forge, and gain their daily bread by the sweat of their brow. Who could bear everlasting drudgery and fatigue? II*
But if the Sabbath be valuable as it contributes to the relief, the cleanliness, and the health of the body; it has higher claims on a moral ground, and as it regards the interests of the soul. It is almost the only time which the poor and laboring classes have for instruction and devotion; and if the Sabbath were abolished, it is easy to see in what a state of ignorance and barbarism the multitude would soon be found.
This season is peculiarly “the accepted time, and the day of salvation.” It is commonly the day in which the sinner is awakened, and brought to “seek those things that are above;” and to “choose that good part, which shall not be taken away from him.” And it is not only the season in which the greater part of the people of God are called by divine grace, but it is also that in which by “waiting upon Him, their strength is renewed,” and they find Him “in his palaces for a refuge:” and though many are ready to say, “what a weariness is it to serve the Lord; when will the Sabbath be gone, that we may sell corn?” they “call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable;” and find “a day in his courts better than a thousand.”
Observe Secondly, The Place. “By a river side, where prayer was wont to be made.”
God seldom receives anything more than external and ceremonial homage, from those whose attachment to particular places leads them to exclaim, “the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are we.” Nothing renders a people dear to God but their conformity to him; and nothing makes a place of worship sacred but the divine presence. As to external holiness, all places are alike to him who has said, “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that 3’-e build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?’’ He “dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”
Where’er we seek him he is found,
And every place is hallowed ground
“I will,” says the apostle, “that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Nathanael found him under the fig tree; Paul, on board the ship, in the hurricane; Jeremiah, in the dungeon; and Jacob, when in exile, and with no building near him, exclaimed, “How dreadful is this place I this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Let those remember this who by the Providence of God are removed into a locality of spiritual destitution; and those, also, who by accident or disease are deprived of temple privileges. The God of all grace is always near; and in the house of mourning, or the lonely walk; in a field of standing corn, or by a river side, can enable you to “see his power and glory so as you have seen him in the sanctuary
But you need not imagine that this company held their meeting abroad, in the open air. The Jews, besides .their synagogues, had small houses in retired situations, where, free from noise and disturbance, they could enjoy occasional devotion, either alone, or with any of their connections. Because of the use to which they were a23propriated, they were called ProseuchcB, or places of prayer. To one of these our Saviour himself repaired, as when it is said “that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God:” that is, as rendered by Dr. Campbell and others, “he continued all night in an oratory, or proseucha.”
Such a provision there was here, “by a river side;” called a place “where prayer was wont to be made.” And such a provision was a desirable and valuable privilege, where persons wished to indulge their feelings of devotion in reading, meditation, prayer, or pious discourse. By the power of association, the place would serve to impress the mind, while the end for which it was consecrated would tend to restrain their thoughts from diversion.
And where there are no such express provisions to accommodate and excite, since the advantages are otherwise attainable, we wonder that Christians do not practise retirement more. It is in solitude that we gain the knowledge of ourselves, and are loosened from the influence of the world, and find it “good to draw near to God,” and (as an old writer says) “have God to ourselves.” Had we resided at Philippi, I trust we should have been often at the river side, not only as a scene of pleasant relaxation, but as a place “where prayer was wont to be made.”
Observe Thirdly, The Company. “We sat down, and spake unto the Women who resorted thither.” We do not read of any men, and perhaps there were none present. It has often been remarked that women are more numerous and more regular in attendance, in our public and social assemblies, than men: and though (if they do possess and display a superior regard to divine things), we are far from intimating that their devotion is derived from them, yet there are, in their case, circumstances and advantages that materially befriend and promote it. Their sphere of action is less exposed to temptation; their natural susceptibility is greater; they are under more habitual restraints; they are called to exercise more self-denial; and the vicissitudes through which they pass, and the perils they may endure, are adajDted to awaken dependence upon God, and to revive and preserve thoughts of another world.
And is it not surprising that women can ever countenance irreligion or infidelity? Is there a writer of this class that has ever done justic e to their claims? or that has ascribed to them any other honor than that which results from subjection and subserviency? There is no book which females are so bound to regard and honor as the Scriptures. It is there alone that they appear not only as lovely, but as reasonable and immortal beings; as “heirs together” with us “of the grace of life;” personally resionsible; emiDent in usefulness; and often peculiarly honored of God.
Observe Fourthly The Preaching. “We sat down, and spahe unto the women who resorted thither.” We are not informed of the subject of their discourse; but it is -not difficult to conjecture what it was, since each of the speakers had “determined to know nothing save Jesus Christ and him crucified;” and no other subject was ever honored as “the ministration of the spirit,” and “the power of God to salvation.”
It is likely that this subject was never heard in that place before; and how was it received and treated? As all the audience were females, there was no violence or indecorum; but it is probable that some wondered, and that others said, “we should like to hear again of this matter.” We know not how many were present, but we only read of one who was made “wise unto salvation.” Perhaps no sermon was ever useful to all the hearers. This was not the case even with Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost; for while three thousand were “pricked in their heart,” “some mocked:” and the reflection of the Apostle is as true as it is awful; that while to some “we are the savor of life unto life,” to others “we are the savor of death unto death.” Much seed is sown; but some falls “by the way side,” and some “upon stony places,” and some “among thorns;” while one-fourth only falls “into good ground;” and even this yields only in very unequal proportions.
But this should not discourage us; as, First It will not be always so; for “Thus saith the Lord of Hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.” “His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” And, Secondly, The salvation of one individual is of such unspeakable importance, that we are assured it causes “joy in the presence of the angels of God;” and success, though in only a single instance, should always be regarded as an abundant reward. “Know that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
From the Occasion let us pass to consider, II. The Operation here accomplished.
It was exemplified in the experience of Lydia. “A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatii’a, who worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, and she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 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.”
Several particulars are here mentioned concerning her, all of which are worthy of our notice, because they have the signature of the Holy Ghost stamped upon them.
First Her Employment. She was a “seller of purple.” She had, therefore, an occupation; and was not one of those of whom the Apostle speaks; “idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also, and busy-bodies, speaking things which they ought not.” Trade is respectable, and as Bishop Sanderson remarks, “nothing is so disgraceful as beggary, and shabby gentility.” The Jews always gave their children a calling; and they had among them a proverb, that “he who brings up a son without a trade, teaches him to steal.” Seneca declared, “I had rather be sick, than be idle.” And truly has Dr. Watts said,
For Satan finds some mischief still,
For idle hands to do.
In vain will any alleg business as an excuse for irreligion; for they will hereafter find that persons, placed in the same circumstances, and liable to the same temptations with themselves, have been followers of ’ the Lord Jesus, and “have not defiled their garments.”
The question has more than once been agitated, whether it is lawful for professors of religion to carry on businesses which have pride, not utility; luxury, not necessity, for their object. Lydia does not appear to have relinquished her employment; and if she continued it, she would doubtless expect encouragement from her fellow disciples; such as Paul recommended to the Romans in behalf of Phoebe; “that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsover business she hath need of you.” But the first Christians used little yurple: they were commonly poor; and the less that modern professors adorn themselves, the better. Their Lord and Saviour was but once attired in purple; and then it was in mockery and scorn.
Secondly The Place of her Extraction. She was “of the city of Thyatira.” -This was a great way from Philippi. How came she here? By bereavement? or friendship? or marriage? or business?
We cannot determine this; but here she now resided. And there arc not many in this “vain life, which we spend as a shadow,” who continue in one place. How few are there who die where they were born; or even. settle permanently where they were brought up.
The events leading to their removal often seem very casual; and they are so as to the individuals themselves; but they are divinely known, arranged, and determined. The Lord fixes “the bounds of their habitation:” and with regard to his own people, the disposals of his Providence are in subserviency to the designs of his Grace. The man says, “I will go into such a city and buy, and sell, and get gain;” and he goes; and he finds there, though he never looked after it, “the pearl of great price.” In his new situation, by curiosity, or example, or invitation, he is induced to hear “the joyful sound,” and his feet are turned into the path of peace. Many, when they look back on life, will know, that had it not been for such or such an occurrence, they would have remained in places where they might have been corrupted and destroyed. It was a blessed change which brought Lydia from Thyatira to Philippi.
Thirdly Her Character. She “worshipped God.” She is, therefore, very distinguishable from her fellow convert, whose case is recorded in the same chapter. It is more than probable that the jailer of Philippi was rude, profane, and vicious. He was cruel towards the Apostles, and was about to commit murder on hmiself.” But Lydia was a proselyte; of moral deportment, and amiable disposition.
The grace of God is infinitely free; and accordingly, we sometimes find it operating on individuals the most unlikely; and even publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of God before Scribes and l*harisees. So when the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, enumerates a dreadful catalogue of sinners, he adds, “and such were some of you:” some, but not all. No: some are called who were distinguished by previous moral and unblameable conduct. This seems to have been the case with many, if not all, of the twelve Apostles; this was the case with Cornelius, and vath Timothy; and this, likewise, was the case with Lydia.
Some talk as if they imagined they had a kind of advantage in having been converted and saved from a, state of profligacy; especially as to decision and evidence. But sin is a bad business, and it is a mercy to have been preserved from it, in every kind and degree: and one peculiar advantage arises from having been moral before we became spiritual, namely, the avoiding of the injuries which sin does to others, by influence and example; and which, when converted ourselves, we cannot repair, but must lament all* our days. Let none, therefore, think the less of a work of grace on this account. Such a conversion may be less visible, but is not less real: indeed it is not less visible with regard to God, who looks to the heart.
I do not like the notion that we are all to do something, or acquire something, as a condition of divine grace. All good is from God, the dawn as well as the day. But there is an order in the Lord’s operations, so that he crowns grace with grace, and “to him that hath shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly.” “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thon shalt see greater things than these.” “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”
Observe, therefore, Fourthly Her Attendance. She “heard us;” meaning, at this time and place: she was one of the present assembly. What induced her to be there on this occasion, whether invitation, or curiosity, or the working of conscience, we know not; but she could say, as Abraham’s servant did, “I being in the way, the Lord led me.” It is well to be at the pool, “waiting for the troubling of the water.” Whatever brings persons under the preaching of the word is to be viewed with thankfulness, as an encouragement of hope: for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God:” and “blessed are the people that” (even in this sense) “know the joyful sound.” Sin entered by the ear, and so does grace. Listening to the devil, we fell: hearkening unto God, we rise. “Hear, and your soul shall live.”
Fifthly The Change she experienced. “Whose heart the Lord opened.” What does this imply, but that her heart was before shut? — Shut, as ice shuts up the water that it cannot flow. — Shut, as the miser shuts up his bowels of compassion from the jDOor. — Shut, as a door is shut to keep the house from the entrance of the owner. This is our Saviour’s own image:” Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
The heart of man is naturally averse to religion; and nothing, either pleasing or awful, can induce an attention to it: Yea, “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” But when the heart is opened, this aversion is removed; our duty becomes our delight; and we are made “ready to every good work to do his will.”
But we here see not only the nature of this change, but the author of it: “whose heart the Lord opened.” Yes, whatever be the instrument, he is the agent. “It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” The state of human nature is such as to require the Almighty to “work in us, both to will and to do;” and we are expressly informed, that every saved sinner is “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” An operation is required, to eifect which is above the power of education, example, and moral suasion. But nothing is too hard for the Lord. He who made us knows our frame. He has immediate access to our spirits. The heart is under his dominion and agency; and “what he has promised, he is able also to perform.” “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” If this promise has been fulfilled in your happy experience, you will have no objection to give him the glory of the work. And if you are desirous of being the subjects of it, your hope here meets with every encouragement. “Ask,” says he, “and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
Finally, Observe the Evidences she gave of the Reality of her Conversion. They were three. Let us consider them.
l5^, Her regard to the divine teachi7igs. “She attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul.” If some are called without the direct and obvious instrumentality of the word of God, they always evince the divinity of their calling, by their attraction and attention to that word, as soon as they have it in their power. They are sure to love it, to read it, to hear it, and to ^’•attend to the things which are spoken:” — to attend to them seriously, prayerfully, and with application to themselves.
Thus did Lydia; and, therefore,
The ‘id evidence was, Her readiness to Dedicate herself entirely to the Lord, in a Profession of his Name. “She was baiJtizcd, and her household.”
A profession of religion, without the reality, is nothing; but we are not only to be Christians, but to appear such “With the heart,” indeed, “man believeth unto righteousness;” but “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Experience is desirable and necessary; but our “light is to shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven.” Had the martyrs concealed the truths they embraced, they could not have been witnesses for God, nor have glorified him by their sufferings and deaths. Lydia, by her submission to the ordinance of baptism, proclaimed herself a Christian.
And you will observe, she did this immediately without consulting with flesh and blood; and also without reserve; relatively as well as personally; devoting her whole family in the sacred rite; and thus saying, with Joshua, “As for me and mj house, we will serve the Lord.”
The 3c? evidence was. The Pressing Solicitation she gave to the Apostles. “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.” If this be viewed as expressive of her desire to gain more spiritual improvement from them, and to have her household blessed by them, even this was a token for good.
But it was also an instance and a proof of her liberality. She was willing to “minister to the necessities of the saints;” and “given to hospitality:” not deeming it “a great thing,” as she had received of their “■ spiritual things, that they should reap her carnal things,”
And here was more than liberality. Her conduct was the result of that affection for the servants of the Most High God, which she now felt. Like begets like, and attracts like. “By this we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren: and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
It also displayed her pious fortitude. To perceive this, you must look back, and remember that at this time, Christians were a “sect everywhere spoken against.” To harbor these men was, therefore, the way, if not to endanger her dwelhngs, to have her name cast out as evil; and to be denounced as countenancing and entertaining disturbers, who came to “turn the world upside down;” men who were regarded as enemies to Moses, and rebels against Caesar. But all this she nobly braved, and proved that she was willing to go forth to the despised Galilean, “without the camp, bearing his reproach;” and if not herself a sufferer, resolved to be a “companion of them that were so used.”
It would seem she had some difficulty in persuading them to comply with her invitation and request; and why were they reluctant? Was it from delicacy? Were they afraid of beius; burdensome to a voung convert? Or were they desirous of showing that, with regard to their followers, they sought not theirs, but them?
But considering their refusal as a seeming want of confidence in her sincerity, she would take no denial: “and she constrained us.” Nor was this the only instance of her hospitality. Her dwelling seems to have been their home, while they were at Philippi; for after their casting out a spirit of divination, their imprisonment, the conversion of the jailer, and the defeat of the magistrates who would have thrust them out privily, we read, “they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.” Happy Lydia, to be honored and favored with such guests as Paul and Silas! But how short, how interrupted were these delightful visits; as brief as they were blessed! We must not expe(it on earth the joys of heaven.
Instead of a general application, — which has indeed been made all through the preceding lecture, — we shall conclude with a question, which we address to all your consciences in the sight of God. Has the change of which we have been speaking been effected in your experience? Has the Lord opened your
HEART?
Let me beseech you not to elude the question, as unimportant. It is of everlasting moment to each of you; since the faithful witness has said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. — Ye must be born again.”
Nor suppose the question incapable of being decided. Such a change must produce effects and evidences. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the ffesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Compare yourselves with those who are described in the Scriptures as “new creatures.” Place yourselves in the condition of Lydia, and see how far you are like-minded with her.
Where the heart is shut, religion is a thing standing without. Its duties are only externally regarded, and dragged through as tasks. But when the heart is open, all is open; open to the Saviour, open to his people, open to his poor, open to his ministers, open to his cause. And now, his “yoke is easy,” his “burden is light,” and his “service is perfect freedom.” The blessed convert, “whose heart the Lord has opened,” is “upheld by a free Spirit,” and with “enlarged heart he runs in the way of God’s commandments;” “runs and is not weary; and walks, and is not faint.”