The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 284

whate,·er tbcy hRd tn <lo l\n<l wh1ttever to bear. It was a holy rest for prrsonal feeling; they were pin Inly Rcceptcd of G..id. lt w11.s a holy urdng to Christly labours; they hn,l tht! power,. they nrnst find their spheres. 3. In relation to the Church, which WRS benefited by the ''RTIOUS endowments llS calcnl1tted to meet all its v1trious needs, These point.s Rssnme that the indications of the Spirit's coming on the disciples were such as we find 11t _Pentecost. There was some gift of tongues, or preaching, or praying -some outward ~1gn which all could realize. Show that if the Spirit now comes to tlw believer in quieter modes, no essenti1tl difference is made in the pnrpoae of his coming. He is with us now to comfort us with assurance of full salv11.tion; o.nd to ms1•ire and guide us in the devotion of our powers to the service of others and of the Clrnrch. II. 'l'HE MODE .u....-D ORDER OF THIS TUPARTATION OF THE SPIRIT. Observe that it is nevQr reg-arded, any more than the early Church miracles, as an independent act of the npostles. It is only effective: 1. .After prayer, which puts the apostle in right frame to become the agent or medium, and which directs public attention away from the apostles to the real source whence the gift comes. 2. On the laying on of hands. A si~uificant act, by which the vital force filling the apostle seemed to stream forth into the disciple, and the recipient shared in the Divine Spirit-life. If some indication oi a gift, talent, or endowment appeared, as a consequence, it need not be anything new; it might be the characteristic quality or faculty infused with new life and energy. But in those days no man received the Spirit apart from some sign of force for service in the Chnrch. This Simon noticed, and it set him upon evil thought. .And still God's Spirit comes on prayer, is recognized by the spiritually minded, and is the energy for all holy labours.-R. T. Vers. 27--39.-The inquiring proselyte. Give some account of Ethiopia, of the queen of that day, of the office the eunuch occupied, and of the probable means by which he had been made a Jewish proselyte. He was one of those men among the heathen who had been awakened to spiritual anxiety by the ever-working Spirit of God. He may have had some Jewish connections, through whom he had come to know of Jehovah. We can recognize in hlm: I. An inquirer. 2. A spiritually awakened inquirer, one who had come to see that his own personal relations with God were matters of extreme m1portance. 3. .A wise seeker, who had found the revealed Word of God, and was searching it in full confidence that therein was the "eternal life." To such a seeker help will never be long withheld. "God waiteth to be gracious." Philip was divinely guided to meet the eunuch on his return from the holy city, and to join him in the chariot jUBt when he was hopelessly pnzzled with his reading, The passage which engaged his attentioi::. was one which opened up the applications of truth to sinful souls. The great chapter of the evangelical Isaiah deals with human sins, calling them trans- gressions ; and it discloses that wonderful scheme of Divine wisdom and love by which those transgressions were vicariously borne, and borne away. Philip preached unto him Jesus, who "was wounded for our trangressions," on whom the" Lord laid the iniquity of us all," whose" soul was ma.de an offering for sin; n who now saves his people from their sin!! ; from the penalty of their sins, by the virtue of his great sacrifice, from the power of their sinfulness by the cleansing energies of hie Holy Spirit. With opened soul the eunuch listened, and the truth dawned upon him; Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour, was revealed to him. He believed the record, and longed at once to seal in baptism his faith and Jove to the crucified One. He thus simply declares his faith, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." What was this eunuch's faith? and can we learn from him what the saving faith is? Evidently it was a simple acceptance of aud confidence in the testimony rendered by Philip to Christ, based as the testimony was upon the revealed Word of God. And that is faith still-receiving the record which God bath given us of his Son, and acting on the record. Faith is the great difficulty iu the way of seekers, yet, when it is won, it seems strange tha~ so simple a matter should have hindered. Some of the expressions and figures of Scripture may help us. I. To BELIEVE DT CHRIST IS TO APPREHEND OB LAY HOLD OF BDL As St. Peter, sinking in the waters, put out his hand and grasped the offered hand. of Christ, so our souls, sinking in sin and despair, by faith lay hol<i of the strong, rescnmg Saviour, II. To 11-ELIEVE IN 0JmIST IS TO BEOEIVE BI)!'., As the imprisoned debtor welcome• ctt, vm. 1-40,] THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 281