In that room, there were " many lights " — [The enemies of the Church were ready to raise all manner of evil reports against the Disciples ; and they would gladly have represented these nocturnal meetings as scenes of much iniquity. To cut off all occasion for such calumnies, the Disciples took care to have the place of their assemblies well lighted in every part; and it is probable that it was for the express purpose of obviating all such remarks, that the his- torian recorded this otherwise unimportant fact. It teaches us, however, that we should be always on our " guard against even the appearance of evil," and " cut off occasion from them that seek occasion" against us, and " not let our good be evil spoken of."]
There Paul preached his farewell discourse — [At what precise hour he began, we know not ; but " he continued his discourse till midnight;" and after a short inter- ruption, resumed it " till break of day." Do we wonder that
he should so long detain his audience ? No : the occasion was very peculiar; " he was about to depart on the morrow," never probably to see their face again: his heart was full; the sub- ject was inexhaustible : the hearts of his audience were deeply impressed, and they drank in the word with insatiable avidity. What a glorious meeting must that have been ; the preacher so animated with his subject, and the people so penetrated with the truths they heard ! Doubtless, it would not be expe- dient, under common circumstances, so to lengthen out the service of our God ; but, if we could always meet under simi- lar impressions, and have our hearts so engaged, how glorious would be the ordinances, and how exalted the benefit arising from them !]
A distressing occurrence, which for a time inter- rupted his discourse, tended ultimately to impress it more deeply on their minds —
[A youth, named Eutychus, being overcome with sleep, " fell down out of the window from the third loft, and was taken up dead." O, what grief must have seized the whole
assembly ! but the Apostle went down to him, and fell
upon him, as Elijah and Elisha had done upon the persons they had raised to life, and by prayer to God prevailed for the restoration of his life. At the sight of this " they were not a little comforted." As it respected the youth, it would have been most distressing to think that he should be taken into the eternal world in such a state ; as though he had been made, like Lot's wife, a warning to all future generations. But more especially were they concerned for the honour of God and his Gospel. What a stumbling-block would it have been to the ungodly, that such an accident should have been occasioned by the unreasonable length of the Apostle's dis- course ! How bitterly would they have inveighed against him, and against these meetings that were encouraged by him ! Truly it was no little joy to have such great occasions of offence removed. But further, the miracle thus wrought before their eyes, was a striking confirmation of what they had heard : it was, as it were, a seal put by God himself to attest the truth of all that had been delivered to them, and an emblem, yea, a pledge and earnest also, of the blessings which all who received his Gospel might expect at his hands. Thus was this occurrence, so afflictive in itself, overruled for the furtherance of their joy, and for the more abundant display of God's grace and mercy.]
As an improvement of this subject, let us see,
1. How deep an interest we should take in the Gospel of Christ !
1798.] Paul's appeal to the ephesian elders. 50j
[It is much to be regretted that we see but little of this fervour in our religious assemblies : neither we who minister, nor you who hear, are affected with the Gospel in any mea- sure as we ought to be. In many congregations there may be found persons sleeping, like Eutychus, though the sermon be not an hour long : and where they are not actually asleep, how many hear in such a drowsy, listless, inattentive manner, that they evidently take no interest in the subject, nor could give any good account of what has been spoken to them. O brethren, let it not be so with us. Let us rather come together as that assembly did ; I to preach, and you to hear, as though we were never to meet again in this world. The subjects of the Apostle's discourse are as important to us, as they were to the primitive Christians : let us beg of God to impress them more deeply on our minds, that they may be to us " a savour of life unto life," and not, as they are to too many, " a savour of death unto death."]