glory. 3. But their faith wae of those who, believing, believed "ignorantly," believed absolutely wrongly, nnd believed far more wrongly (now by Scripture's most emphatic assertion) than could be justified in any way. 4. Their faith exhibited that leading mark of the lowest kind of faith which must link on the wonder done to the nm.rest manifest doer. It gets to a god, but it is its own god peculiarly. It gets to a god, but not to ~he Spirit an~ the Inyisi_ble,_much less _to the ?ne invisible Spirit; nay, ite way of getting to a god 1e by bnngmg its gods to itself" 10 the likeness of men." It hae not reached to the conception of the great power, the great goodness, the great Being before all, who" giveth to all life and breath and all things," and, arnon" those all things, knowledge of hie own will, ancl power to execute it, betimes in the fulness of its majesty, 6. But when all has been justly said to the disparagement of the faith ·or these heathen men of Lystra, it may be put to their credit, that, even in nature's darkness, they did not believe in a faith barren of works; in which respect, at least they may often be taken as rising up in judgment against the children of the light and of the day, III. THE PAITB OP TBE Al'OBTLES, 1. It was in the first place without doubt the pure faith that was wrought in them by the Holy Spirit. It was by this that Paul recognized the opportunity, and discerned in the cripple the real thing that was also in himself, and taught him to speak that word "with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet." 2. The "faith that dwelt in" the apostle was one that made the ignorance of the really Divine, now illustrated before their very eyes, and now taking advantage of their very persons, so harrowingly painful Their impetuous rushing among ths people, and rending of their clothes, and mingled expostulation and instruction addressed to the people, all prove the intensely exercised state of their own mind, almost to agony of anguish. And the anguish was the reflection of just this-an enlightened, a pure, a high faith. Many dark outer deeds had Barnabas and Paul too often seen, from which, nevertheless, their inmost soul took less wound than from this, when the enthusiastic heathen of Lystra would fain have sacrificed to them. 3. The faith of the apostles was that which struck horror into them at the very thought, if haply they should "rob God" of his own or seem to share his undivided honour. May they not be considered in this light as holding out an example to all their spiritual successors, to fear, as much as they would fear anything, lest they should be found at any time to "sacrifice unto their net, and to burn incense unto their drag " (Hab. i. 16), or lest they should accept the offerings of flattery to themselves which should be only offerings of praise to Christ. What a wonderful guide for the noblest life earth can know comes of the enlarged, developed, mature faith of an experienced Christian 1-B.
Vere, 19, 20.-" Once was I sloned" (2 Cor. xi. 25). The brevity of the record of the incident of these verses may, perhaps, point to the modesty of Paul Probably the historian of the Acts of the Apostles was not at this time with Paul and Barnabas at Lystra. Paul is his informant, therefore, of what now befell him. The event was treasured, as well it might be, among the great perils and sufferings, but also among the great deliverances of Paul's career, The event, as so briefly detailed, nevertheless teaches- I. Tim PERSISTENT OPPOSITION OP THIii GREAT ENEMY, They of Iconium and Antioch are, after all, his agents, and, incited by him, pursue Paul and Barnabas here. II, THE EARLY FORGETFULNESS OP GOOD A.ND TBE DEEP-SE.A.TED INGB.ATITUDB OF HUJU.N NA.TUBE. Those who were thus persuaded to stone Paul were of the very people who had offered, as it were the day before, to sacrifice to him as God. It is a repetition of the" Hosanna!" of yesterday being turned into the "Crucify, crucify 1 " of to-day. III, THE HEIGHT OF mmill A.ND OP 0HBIBTUN PAITHFIJLNE88 HAY VERY l'OSIIIBLT l'OB A TUtE INTENSIFY OB PRODUCE DANGER. Perhaps the people of Lystra would never have been "persuaded n to stone Paul, if Paul and Barnabas had not yesterday BO faithfully sought to persuade them that they were but men like themselves. And probably the emissaries of Iconium and Antioch would not have dared to face the wild enthusi8'811l of Lystra, with their evil insinuation and malign attempts. lV, GoD DOES NOT J'ORGl!:T 'fQ B!11 J',4.ITHFUJ, 'fQ THOSB WHO ABE FAITHFUL TO BDL .Cl'I'I!. 2 & '50 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [00, XIV, 1-28.