To the traveler there is something peculiarly interesting in tracing a river, hundreds of miles from the ocean, to its source. There arrived, he would sit down, and examine all the surroundings of the little stream that gushes out of the mountain side. Still more interesting must it be to the Christian to trace the vast stream of Christianity in Europe for so many hundreds of years; and at last arrive at this little stream of blessing, that first burst forth so silently by the river-side at Philippi.
Before, however, we look at Lydia, the woman at the river-side, we will look briefly at three other women in other scenes. If we trace the great rolling river of this world’s history of sin, sorrow, and death, where shall we find the fountain-bead of that deep, black stream? Again, there is a woman by the river. But look at Eve in the midst of the garden of Paradise; how different from the seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, as she sat at the river of Philippi!
Surely that river, that flowed in its four streams from the garden of Eden, was a type in contrast, for, as it flowed from the hand of God, all was good. But the serpent entered that fair scene; the woman believed his lie, and disbelieved God.
She listened, and believed the insinuation that God was so unkind as to withhold the fruit of one tree, that He refused to allow them what would be for their good. There was the first bubbling up of that dreadful stream of iniquity which has overflowed the world. And no man has found, or can find any other spring-head of evil. What a change took place in that garden of innocent delight! She was first in the transgression, and soon she led Adam to disobey God. Very sad is the history. Now in righteousness they must be driven out from the garden, and from the tree of life. Yet grace shall reign through righteousness, and, from the woman’s Seed, the Deliverer come who shall bruise the serpent’s head.
We pass on to other days. Four thousand years has that river of sin and death rolled on, and the woman’s Seed has come. The Eternal Son, the Word, is now made flesh; and truly Man, being weary with His journey, Jesus sat at Jacob’s well. God manifest. A woman comes to the well—a daughter of Eve, whose nature and practice is sin. What a study! Will Jehovah-Jesus drive her from His presence? No, He came to seek and to save the lost. Does He say, God is so unkind as to keep back what would do you good? Hearken to His words: “ If thou knowest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” (John 4:1010Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (John 4:10).) Do you believe this, that God is ready to meet you just as you are, and to give you the water of life? How interesting is the revelation of God to the woman at the well! What a new fountain, a well of water, springing up into everlasting life! And what a fact, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst.” This she could not understand until her conscience was reached. He who was going up to the cross to bear her sins could say, “Go, call thy husband.” He did not impute her sin to her, and drive her from His presence. No; soon He would reach the dreadful hour when her sins would be imputed, yea, laid upon Him. Thus He could reveal the Father, seeking such to worship Him in spirit and in truth. The felt need is now created in her soul that nothing can satisfy but Himself. In the fullness of divine grace, He now says unto her, “I that speak unto thee am he.” Ah, when Christ is revealed to the soul of a poor sinner, earthly things are readily left behind. She left her water é pot: and as a woman was first in the transgression, so now a woman is the first messenger of the Messiah to the men of Samaria.. Has our reader ever been thus face to face with the Son of God?
We must now pass on to another woman, in another garden. There is Mary weeping by an empty sepulcher. (John 20) He who sat at Jacob’s well has now been nailed to the cross, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. And, far more than this, God has been glorified by that death on the cross. Neither men, enemies, nor disciples, understood that vast work accomplished on that cross. God understood it; God had raised Him as man from among the dead. The empty sepulcher, though a sorrow to Mary, was the triumph of God over Satan. Satan had represented God as too unkind to give an apple for man’s good. God had so loved as to give His beloved Son to bear our sins in His own body on the, tree. There was the woman in the garden, “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?” As yet she had no idea of the risen Lord. She only thought of taking His dead body away. “Jesus said unto her, Mary.” What a moment! She turned, and saw her Rabboni—Master. And now the woman out of whom He had cast seven devils (oh, the riches of His grace!) is to be the first messenger of the new creation. “Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” Yes, if woman was first in the transgression, woman is first to announce the glad tidings of the new creation—that the disciples were now the brethren of the risen Christ. As Firstborn from the dead, He was not ashamed to call them brethren. God was now and forever their Father and their God, even as He was the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That very evening of the first day of the week did Jesus Himself stand in their midst, and say unto them, “Peace unto you.” Do you know this same Jesus alive from the dead? Have you heard and believed these three words, “Peace unto you?” Look into the one garden—there stood the woman and Satan. Look into this garden—there stands the woman and Jesus. What a contrast! We now pass on to Lydia, the woman by the river at Philippi.
As this is the beginning of the church of God in Europe: the conversion of the first Christian, the first member of the one body of Christ, in Europe: and also the first bubble of that stream which has flowed for eighteen hundred years through all the changes of Europe; surely every circumstance connected with this first day’s work demands our careful attention. Indeed the whole chapter (Acts 16) seems to throw light on the history of the church of God in Europe, from that day to this. We would notice that the chapter opens with the introduction of Timothy, who henceforth takes the place of Barnabas. And who can tell the vast importance of the Epistles to Timothy? The first epistle, as to the middle ages so called, or the latter times (1 Tim. 4:11Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (1 Timothy 4:1)); and the second epistle as divine guidance for these last days. (2 Tim. 2:19-22; 3:119Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. 21If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 22Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:19‑22)
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1).)
The next thing is the entire dependence of even the apostle Paul on the guidance of the Holy Ghost, as to where and when he was to preach or teach the word. So far was even Paul, the apostle, from being able to ordain where any man should be a preacher of the word. Elders he could ordain, to rule or take charge of the assembly where they were located; or deacons, for the temporal needs of the saints: or, as an apostle, he could delegate another to do so. But we notice here, and everywhere, he did not know where to preach Christ himself, except as guided by, and in entire dependence on, the Holy Ghost. What a lesson is this for the ministers of Christ in Europe! Paul is in Galatia. “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they, passing by Mysia, came down to Troas.” Now does not the Lord guide His servants, from Galatia to Philippi, some three hundred miles? What a journey in those days. What beautiful dependence on the Holy Ghost; city after city is passed for three hundred miles. He sails from Troas, passes what we call the Bosphorus, enters Europe, arrives at last at Philippi. If the apostle was thus dependent on the Spirit as to where and when to preach, ought not we? We talk of apostolic succession; but where is it? Where, we ask, are the servants of Christ in this day who would not only not dare to appoint where others are to preach the word, but, as to themselves, tread in the steps of an apostle who traveled some three hundred miles, in lowly dependence on the Spirit of God, as to where he should preach? Mark, he did not do his own will, he “assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered him not.”
What an introduction this is to the first day’s work in Europe! Let us be honest. Is it not a lesson we have well-nigh forgotten? What have we lost by forgetting, and displacing the Holy Ghost? Fellow-servants of Christ, let us test our own practice with this deeply important lesson. And this is not all, when we have guidance as to the town or city where the Lord would have us preach the word: how much of the human element comes in—what haste, or excitement, or effort! How different the apostle! He says, “We were in that city abiding certain days.” What real dependence! What calm faith in God! Oh, that we did but know more of this.
Now, as this is the first time the word is preached in Europe, look at that scene. The Jews’ sabbath-day comes round. They are wont to meet for prayer by the river-side. “And we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” Now we will look at the first convert in Europe. “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. 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.” Thus there was first the sovereign guidance of the Spirit as to the city, and the place, the river-side. And then the work in the heart was the Lord’s. The result is, that she attended to the things that were spoken of Paul. She and her household immediately are baptized, and thus take the place of professed Christians. Not only so, but fruit appears. She does not say, If ye have judged me to be true to you, but faithful to the Lord. We could tell of many such instances of sovereign grace in our day. But, reader, is this a picture of your case? Has the Lord opened your heart to attend to the things spoken or written by Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Ghost? Have you taken the profession of being a Christian? Can those who know you judge by your ways that you are faithful to the Lord? Is it the language of your heart, Lord, what wouldest thou have me to do?
What a picture is that woman by the river, of the beginning of God’s stream of blessing to poor, dark Europe! It is worthy of our closest study. It seems to mark what is of God from the beginning of His work to the end.
When we saw the first woman by the river in Eden, the serpent immediately entered the scene, and by sin poisoned the stream of humanity at its very source. Is it not so again? No sooner had the work of God begun in Europe, but Satan sought to corrupt it. And what did the crafty enemy think was the best way to poison the stream of Christianity in Europe? His long experience told him the best way to corrupt it was to join himself as the serpent to it. There was a celebrated agent of the serpent, a certain damsel, possessed of a spirit of divination, or Python (the serpent). Amongst the heathen, however educated, these persons possessed of the devil were oracles, and had immense influence. Vast sums, and costly gifts, were sometimes given to them by those who came to consult them. The serpent is thus again seeking to corrupt the stream at its head. “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. And this did she many days.”
But the god of this world was baffled in this case. In the name of the Lord Jesus, the apostle commanded the demon to come out of her. What a mercy Paul knew him; but this cost him something. If Satan cannot join the work, he will immediately try to stop it by persecution. Paul and Silas are beaten, at the command of those magistrates who ought to have defended them from the mob. They are thrust into the inner prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks. Does this stop the stream of blessing? Nay, the ill-treated servants of the Lord sing praises at midnight, and the very jailer is converted. What tight this chapter throws on the history of the river, the stream of blessing of the church of God, and His work in Europe! Satan’s plan has ever been, first to join himself to that work, through or by persons of influence in this world; and where he cannot do this, to persecute it with fury.
How marvelous the effect where God is working, whether in the case of a worshipping Lydia, or a desperate heathen jailer! At once and forever they are brought to the Lord. In the case of the jailer during one night, and in Lydia’s case in one day. Would it not be most interesting to inquire what really was the word of the Lord the apostle preached, which produced such immediate effects? This we propose to do, if the Lord will, in our next paper on “Lydia; or, the Beginning of the Work of God in Europe.”