The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 212

manifestation. The legitimate conclusion would rather lead us to a conviction that restraint is self-imposed on the Spirit, in order that his blessed manifestatinn should neither overpower the individual in whom he largely may dwell, nor supersede moral attraction and moral. evidence for all_ who stand by. How humiliating, how unspeak- ably mournful, to thmk how seldom 1t appears true of any in these ages that they are "full of the Holy Ghost," or t_hat in their case the Spirit needs to shade off any of his effulgence I 3. He ribounded m zeal. The zeal of Jesus and his truth, of Jesus and "this life" that came through him, went Car "t;o eat him up" (John ii. 17). Though Stephen was not an apostle, and though he was and had only just been formally elected aud appointed a deacon, yet he did the works of an apostle, and, if we may judO'e 0 from appearances, did much more than the more part of them. He was first to be chosen deacon (ver. 5), a circumstance which marks probably not his high spiritual character alone, but also his repute for practical diligence. It is then distinctly testified of him (ver. 8) that he ''did great wonders and miracles among the people.'' Nor this alone. He stood to his position, did not refuse to maintain by disputation the truth he had spoken, and did so hold his own that, unscrupulous though his opponents were, " they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake." This was to be a thorough believer and a thorough-going champion. Argument will often fire the passions and light up the countenance; and holy argument will fire noble passions and will make a lustre dawn upon the face. Yet still it is God's sovereign act t;o select his "chosen vessel," and his surpassing mercy that fits any one to be such. II. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A filGIILY CRITICAL OCCASION NOW LAY WITH STEPHE~. 1. From our modem point of view, interest in watching him now would have been possibly not a little increased by the thought that we were watching the first layma1. on his trial. Though the thing would not have been so wOTded then, yet we may readily imagine a quickened gaze on the part at least of all the apostles, and probably of many others. It was gradually dawning upon the Jewish nation and the world that a prophet, a priest, an apostle, was what he did_; and Peter begins to be impressed with what leads him soon to say," Of a truth I percei\"e that God is no rcspecter of persons, but ..• he thatfeareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him." Neither Peter nor any of his fellow-apostles was an hereditary or trained priest, but they were all conscious that they were "called to be apostles." The vast circle of the true Christian preachers and prophets begins further still to enlarge when Peter and the apostles fall behind a while, and Stephen, just now a plain man and only most recently titled deacon, fills up the whole foreground, in an episode of almost unsurpasserl interest in the whole of the Acts of the .Apostles. Since, then, Stephen was not "called apostle," the lustre which now lighted up his countenance was iu part his Master's gracious and bountiful substitute. God does not forget the special needs of special occasions, and if, as is probably the case, Stephen was not aware of his own appearance, there cannot be a doubt that it secured for him, from the first word of his opening defence, a special attention. The occasion was one of special responsibility, therefore, for Stephen, inasmuch as he is employed to bring into uncommon promi- nence, in one aspect of it, the dawning comprehensiveness of Christianity. 2. The number of those present, the very various description of them that they were led on to the attack by a very confederacy of infuriated synagogues, the determined and excited tactics resorted to of false witnesses, wresting words and statements of Stephen out of their connection,-all these contributed to give (1) a violence to the occasion, that asked for something unusual to hold it for some moments at least in check. It was an occasion to which the interrogatory fits, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?" And it meant mercy to the maddened in heart, far more than respite to Stephen. Against themselves they shall hear, and if needs be that they may hear, they shall also first see. If thereafter they will still refuse, it is more than ever their own deed that proffered mercy turns into judgment. So upon the madness and fury of Saul's persecuting journey to Damascus _grac~ous check was plac~ by the directest Divine interference. And in this case tnat mterval of calmed time was sanctified to the saving of Saul, and of many others t_hr?t~gh _him. Eve~ beyo11:d. wh&t we !ery clearly read, it may be that there were pecuh~nt1es m the occ~s10~, and ~ the excited audience that Stephen had now to address, ~h1ch sh?uld expl~m this peculiarly l);racious-we had almost said graceful-and considerate mterpos1t1on of the super- I08 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, [OH, VL 1-lo,