July 17

Venus, with all the sensualities attached to it; but had to encounter another and a peculiar adversary. There is no going on in the cause of God without opposition—for

And hates the doctrines of the cross."

And he never succeeds better than when he throws himself into worldly professors and false teachers; and employs fraud rather than force, and address rather than open persecution. When therefore Sergius Paulus, a prudent man, called for the Apostles, being desirous of hearing the word of God; Elymas the sorcerer withstood them, and sought to turn away the deputy from the faith, that is, from the hearing of it. A willingness to hear is often a token for good, even if for the time it does not arise from the best motive. It brings people to the pool where they are in readiness for the troubling of the water. They are in the way of the means; and faith cometh by hearing. We should therefore endeavour to bring people under the sound of the Gospel. We may learn our duty from the enemy of our souls. He does all in his power to keep people from hearing, especially the great. And with them he is often successful. They think it is proper for others, but excuse themselves, not considering that none need it so much because of their dangers, and because of the influence of their example.

—But what did Paul? Observe, First, his reproof. "Full of the Holy Ghost, he set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" We are not fond of hard names and harsh language; and there is nothing we should more guard against than mingling our passions in the cause of truth: "for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." The same actions require not only the same circumstances, but the same warrant. When therefore the Samaritans would not receive our Saviour when he was going up to Jerusalem, and James and John seeing this said, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?" he turned, and rebuked them, and said, "Yo know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Paul not only knew the depravity of this wretch, how he misrepresented their doctrine, and calumniated their designs; but he was "filled" with the Spirit as "a spirit of judgment and of burning;" he spoke in the name of the Lord, and as a prophet, whose appeal was sanctioned by the event. Observe, secondly, his denunciation. "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand." The doom had five characters. It corresponded with the crime—Here was blindness for blindness; judicial blindness for criminal blindness. It was suddenly inflicted—"Immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness." It was comparatively mild—It was only the loss of sight: but Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead. It was temporary—He was not to "see the sun for a season." It was useful—Like other judgments at the beginning of the Gos-

pel, it was to guard Christianity from abuse, and to awaken attention, that others might hear and fear, and turn unto the Lord. And as this was the design, so this was the effect of it—

—And we see that the word of the Lord is not bound. Men may show their malignity to it, but they cannot hinder its spread or its efficacy. Yea, their oppositions will be more than harmless, and turn out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel. Thus we here find the wrath of man praising God, by giving rise to a miracle which produced a growing effect on the mind of Sergius Paulus. What was this effect? "Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord."

First, "he believed." We know that there is a faith which is not saving and influential. It is the effect not of principle, but impression; evidence for the time overpowering doubt, but leaving the heart unchanged. James speaks much of this belief. And our Saviour often met with it. Thus "when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." How many are there now living who admit every truth their ministers teach into their judgments; but there they lie like bodies in coffins, dead being alone. We hope, however, this was not the case here; but that the deputy believed to the saving of the soul; not only assenting, but acquiescing, trusting in the Lord Jesus, and becoming his follower.

Secondly, he was also "astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." Every thing was adapted to produce this feeling in him. The doctrine was perfectly novel. We who are familiar with it from our youth up, cannot well imagine how it must strike the mind of those to whom it is introduced for the first time! They may well be said to be called out of darkness into marvellous light. Yet there is a degree of this in every converted soul. Experience is very different from theory: and when we are taught of God we have other views of those very things of which we have read and heard before. The nature of it surprised him. It contained the deep things of God. Great is the mystery of godliness—God manifest in the flesh—One dying for all—He who knew no sin, made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him—Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith! How mysterious the scheme! And yet as pure as it is deep, requiring us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and to avoid the very appearance of evil. The efficiency also would strike him. He now viewed the Apostles as the oracles of God, and considered what they said as his word—and so it was—and he saw it was. For no sooner had Paul spoken than it was supernaturally accomplished. And this could be justly extended to every thing else: for "the word of God is quick and powerful." How much more of this can we see than he saw. Since then how mightily has it grown and prevailed. How has it banished idolatry—tamed the savageness of the multitude—comforted the desponding—changed the disposition of the ungodly—and enabled those who have every thing to enslave them to earth, to live with their conversation in heaven. What other doctrine has ever been so "glorified?"

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