For her person I will be very short. I will give but a note or two, and so come to that I mainly aim at, her conversion.
' A certain woman named Lydia.'
For her sex, she and the rest were women that were gathered together, as we see in the former verse. ' Li Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female,' Gal. iii. 28. Sin came in by a woman ; and the means of salva- tion was by a woman too. Here were a company of women gathered to- gether.
For the most part women have sweet afi'cctions to religion, and therein they oft go beyond men.
lleason 1. The reason is, religion is especially seated in the affections ; and they have sweet and strong affections.
Fieason 2. Likewise they are subject to weakness, and God delights to shew his ' strength in weakness.'
lleason 3. And thirdly, Especially child-bearing women, bring others into this life with danger of their, own ; therefore they are forced to a nearer communion with God, because so man}' children as thej^ bring forth, they are in peril of their lives. Therefore the apostle here mentions a company of women that were gathered together, and among the rest, a ' certain woman named Lydia.'
What ! a woman to be the foundation of the church of Macedonia ; a poor v.'oman ! and then a jailor afterward, a rugged, rough jailor ! For these to be the foundation of so famous a church as Philippi, and other churches in Macedonia ! Oh yes ! The kingdom of heaven is as ' a grain of mustard seed,' Mat. xiii. 31, small in the beginning. It is so in regard of the church itself; and in regard of the grace that every particular member hath,. It is little and weak beginnings. Christians are not as the angels were, perfect at the first. The church grows by little and little. Therefore we should not be discouraged when the plantation of the gospel bath poor success at the beginning, AVe see in the church of Macedonia there was little success at the lirst. A woman and a rough jailor; a jailor that both by calling, and disposition, and custom, was a man hard and hardened too. Yet these two were the foundation of a great church.
lydia's convelsion. 521
"Was it not so strange ourselves ? The cliurcli of later times, in the time of reformation, liow began it ? By a child and a Avoman ; King Ed^Yard the sixth, and (Jueen Elizabeth of famous memory. Therefore as the prophet saith, ' Who art thou that despisest the day of little things ? ' Zech. iv. 10. Despise not little things. There is nothing less than grace at the first. But as Christ the stock of Jesse, rose from the dead, and rose up to heaven, and overspreads the world now ; so every Christian riseth of mean beginnings ; and so doth the church itself. ' A certain woman named Lj'dia.' She was the foundation of a famous church.
Then she is set down by her calling.
' A seller of purple.'
God allows callings.
The calling of Christianity is shewed in particular callings, which are sanctified by God to subdue the excess of corruptions. Men without call- ings are exceedingl}' vicious, as some gentlemen and beggars. In this I may rank them together. Those that have no callings, nor fit themselves for a calling, and that are out of a calling lawful.
Callings are lawful ; and so this calling of commei'ce and trade, ' a seller of purple.' Though for the most part men gather a great deal of soil and corruption, by co-mixture of manners with those they deal with, yet there must be commerce, and this particular commerce of * selling of purple.'
The body of man needs many callings. There is not a part of man's body, not one member, but it sets a particular calling on work. Therefore this life is a life of many necessities ; and there must be callings and trad- ing, and this particular trading, ' selling of purple.' It may seem super- fluous, but it is not altogether ; for garments are for three ends :
For necessity, ornament, distinction.
Now purple, however it be not for necessity, it is for ornament and dis- tinction ; for magistrates and the like, persons of great quality. However the pride of the times hath bred a confusion, that one will go as well as another ; yet God that allows distinctions of callings and persons, allows distinction of habit and attire. Therefore selling of purple is lawful, and the wearing of rich attire. ' Kings' daughters' went in such, as it is said of David's daughters,
So there be not over-much delicacy ; for delicacy in this in these times is fatal, as there be many in the city and in the countiies that are given to over-much nicety and sumptuousness in this kind. It is a fore-runner of ruin.
Otherwise it is lawful, for those that may, to wear purple, as it is lawful to sell purple. So that, as he said to the great emperor (a), they do not consider the purple, so much as that the purple covers dust and base flesh, that must turn to dust and ashes and rottenness ere long ; so that people be not lift up in that that is borrowed from the poor creature, from worms. It is a strange thing that men should be so sick in their fancy, as to think themselves the better for that they beg of the poor creature. So a man take heed of fancy and pride, it is lawful to use purple. ' She was a seller of purple.' So much for her calling.