Again, she supposed, if Paul judged her faithful, he would not deny her that courtesy. Those that upon good grounds we judge faithful, we should be gentle' to them and easy to be entreated. * The wasdom that is from above is so,' James iii. 17. Grace sweetens the carriage and alters a man's disposition. Those that have felt pity from God are merciful to others. * Therefore, if you have judged me faithful,' &c.
It was an argument of a gi-eat deal of sincerity to appeal to their know- ledge and judgment. ' If you have judged me faithful.'
If she had not been sincere she would not have done so. But sincerity makes a man bold to appeal to God himself. ' Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,' saith St Peter, John xxi. 15 ; and ' If there be any iniquity in my heart,' saith David, Ps. Ixvi. 18. They dare appeal to God and to God's people : ' If ye have judged me faithful.'
LYDIA S CONVERSION.
583
In this speech, likewise, she desires to have confirmation of her estate from the apostles. And indeed it is a great confirmation of weak Chris- tians to have the judgment of strong Christians that they are good, ' If you have judged me faithful,' do me this courtesy. And would it not comfort her soul to have the judgment of so strong a man as Paul ?
It is a great strengthening, not only to have the Spirit of God witness for us, but the Spirit of God in others. And sometimes in temptations, the judgment of others will do us more good than our own in a dark state. Therefore we should appeal to those that fear God to judge us faithful, though we be in a mist and in darkness sometimes, that we are not able to judge of our own condition.
And indeed, when we judge the people to be truly good and true-hearted to God, we owe them this duty : to think them good people, and to shew it, it is a debt. We wrong good persons when we take wrong conceits of them. Shall we not affect* and love them that God loves? It is as if she had said, God hath taken me into his family, and will admit me to heaven, and will not you come to my house ? When Christ shall take men to be members of his body, shall not we take them into our company. It is a wrong to good people to be strange to them. Sometimes there may, by way of censure in some sin, be a little strangeness, but ordinary strange- ness becomes not Christians. It becomes not that sweet bond, ' the com- munion of saints.' 'If you have judged me faithful.' That is the bond. Her invitation is,
' Come to my house, and abide there.'
You see many sweet graces presently after she believed. Here is a loving heart. Why did she desire them to come to her house ? To express the love she did bear to them for their work's sake. She felt the love of Christ by their ministry ; and now she desired to express the fruit of her love in maintaining them.
And not only so, but she desired to be edified by them. She was youngly planted, and she desired to be watered from them. She knew Paul would drop heavenly things, and give her that that might stablish her; therefore she desired that they would stay at her house, that she might have benefit by their heavenly discourse, and be built up and edified further and further.
So you see these two graces especially upon believing, a bountiful, loving heart. She entreated them not only to come to her house, but to abide there a good while, as they did. And here was her desire to be edified, and a boldness to appear to own Christ and his ministers in dangerous times. For in those times it was a dangerous thing to appear to be a Christian. They were worse hated than the Jews were. Though both were hated, yet Christians were above all. Therefore false Christians would be ' circum- cised,' they would be Jews to avoid the cross, that they might not be accounted Christians.
You see in general true faith, that works love, and works by love. It works love in the heart, and by love it works all duties of hospitality and bounty by love. When it hath wrought that holy affection, it works by that holy afiection. You see here it is never without fruit ; presently faith brings forth fruit. As soon as she was baptised, she shews her love to the apostles, and their company, and her bounty and her boldness in the cause of Christ.
We say of a graft, it is grafted to purpose if it take and bring forth fruit ; * That is, ' choose.' — G.
684 • LYDIa's CONVKIiSION.
BO sho being a new scion* graft into Christ, she took presently. As soon as she was baptised into Christ, here is the fruit of love, and bounty, and boldness in the cause of Christ. Zaccheus, as soon as ever he believed, ' Half my goods I give to the poor,' Luke xix. 8. So we see the jailor afterwards, presently upon believing ho entertained the apostles with a feast, and washed their wounds.