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Spiritual Gifts. Volume 1
of the prison were shaken; and I saw that immediately the angel of
God loosed every one’s bands. The keeper of the prison awoke and
was affrighted as he saw the prison doors open. He thought that the
prisoners had escaped, and that he must be punished with death. As
he was about to kill himself, Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do
thyself no harm, for we are all here. The power of God convicted
the keeper. He called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling,
and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. The jailer then
assembled his whole household, and Paul preached unto them Jesus.
The jailer’s heart was united to those brethren, and he washed their
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stripes, and he, and all his house, were baptized that night. He then set
meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God, with all his house.
The wonderful news was spread abroad of the glorious power of
God which had been manifest in opening the prison doors, and the
conversion and baptism of the jailer and his family. The rulers heard of
these things, and were afraid, and sent to the jailer, requesting him to
let Paul and Silas go. But Paul would not leave the prison in a private
manner. He said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned,
being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust
us out privily? Nay, verily; but let them come themselves, and fetch
us out. Paul and Silas were not willing that the manifestation of the
power of God should be concealed. The sergeants told these words
unto the magistrates; and they feared when they heard that they were
Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out,
and desired them to depart out of the city.
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