The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 205

of the Church by the devout ceremony of the imposition or he.nde. 1. The emlnenoe of Stephen. He is specie.Hy mentioned as "full of fe.ith and of the Holy Spirit." Faith, a most comprehensive word in the New Teste.ment, me.y mean here either conste.ncy, fidelity, or the he.bit of the living and strong believer, But really the two meanings unite. The believing man in the genuine Christi1m aenee is a.lone the true, the steadfast man. The trustworthy man is so because be himself is e. truster in God. He who be.a no certain faith in the Divine is no object of human confidence. 2. The obscurity of useful lives. Except or Philip, of whom we be.ve e.n after glimpse, nothing is known of these worthies (eh. viii. 5, 26; xxi. 8). "He bas not lived a.miss whose life and death have esoa.pecl the notice of the world," said the Roman poet. The " path of e. hidden life" is the lot of most Christians. A niche in the temple of fa.me is not set as e.n object of Christian ambition; but the approval of the Divine Master is. 3. There may be good service without the title of servant. These men had no official designation of" dee.cons." They were simply" the seven." It is rod to resist the weakness for titles and for status in the Christian Church. Goo men and useful a.re sometimes spoiled when these imaginary distinctions a.re placed upon them. So susceptible is our fancy the.t, as dress seems to magnify our personality, so does the consciousness of office and rank. We cannot crush vanity by the singularity of dropping titles; it will nestle just e.s well under the affectation of plainness. But the simplicity of this example may remind us that there is a danger in vanity for the ministers of Christ of every degree. V. THE SUllSEQUENT OONDITION OF THE CHURCH. It is sketched in three features. I. The growth of the Divine Word. The Logos, or Word, of God is a very wide expression. It includes all spiritual activity and all expressions of it. The meaning, then, is that there was a great growth of spiritual thought and life. And this by the Divine favour as human means. When the affairs of any Church are conducted in the spirit of wisdom and love, this blessing may be expected. It is foolish to expect manifesta- tions of growth and prosperity where these have not been sought and wrought for. 2. Growth of numbers. Which is one of the most obvious marks of success, The popular reception of a new creed is a mark of its adaptation to the wants of the many. But we must not infer that the unpopularity of a principle, or a person, or a teaching condemns it. There is a popular and an unpopular side to all truth. The divinely winning aspect of Christianity is not always to be seen; and there are days when 1.he faithful must struggle with discouragement. The prophets with their lofty teaching complained that their report was not believed. The gospel, when seen to be the source of peace, prosperity, and wealth, is readily believable; not so widely so when it asks for sacrifice and leads to suffering. 3. The stJ,bmissi,on of the priests. This was most significant of all Ecclesiastical orders are the most stubborn in resistance to change ; priests the most conservative of religionists, as prophets are the friends of advance and of freedom. The giving way of the priests was indeed a remarkable triumph of Christ and his gospel. The evidence of the facts, the present facts, was too strong to be resisted. The evidence of a religion lies at last in its power to help and bless the life of society. So long as this evidence is presented by the Church "apologies" for Christianity will for the mass of men be quite unnecessary.-J. Vera. 8-15.-Stephen's work and witness. L Hie sPmIT DESCRIBED. " Full ol grace and power." ·we can feel rather than define the force of those words. Grace is first the favour of God felt in the man's soul, then manifested in his whole bearing, tone, conversation, and way of life. The effect is like the cause; the recipient of Divine favour makes a deeply favourable impression upon others. Power, again, is the Divine will making itself felt in the man as his will; and the effect is powerful upon others. Thus Stephen was a man felt to be spiritually original. II. BIB ACTIVITY DESCRIBED. He wrought "signs and wondera" of an extraordinary kind among the people. The Jew craved signs and wonders, and from long habit and education was accustomed to see in these the great evidence of a Divine mission. But true faith is never without power to work some kiuu. of wonders. Moral wonders are tbe most impressive aud the most evidential. 111. THE RIEE OF OPPOSITION TO nm. Jealousy as usual, and envy, must have prompted iL The most frnitful lives i.n r:te most criticism. "Stones are not thrown OH, Vl, 1-16,] THE AOTS OF THE APOSTLES. 201