January 20

Acts viii. — 26. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

27. And he arose, and went; and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship.

28. Was returning, and, sitting in his chariot, read Esaias the prophet.

29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

30. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

31. And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

32. The place of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

33. In his humiliation his judgment was taken

away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

34. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

36. And, as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37. And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

38. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

39. And, when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

40. But Philip was found at Azotus; and, passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Cesarea.

How simple a thing it is to become a Christian! How readily can one become a Christian who opens his mind to receive the truth, and sets his heart to obey it! How natural and proper it is that one who has embraced Christ should confess his name, and join his followers! How obvious is the duty of those who have learned Christ to preach him to others as he is set forth in the Scriptures! How rich the joy that comes of believing on Christ, and of winning others to a like faith and grace! Such reflections crowd upon us in this story of the converted Ethiopian.

Ethiopia was a country of Africa, south of Egypt; and the eunuch was on the way towards Egypt, through the thinly-inhabited region of Southern Judea. A man of high political station and of ample fortune, he was nevertheless devout in his religious duties. As a convert to the Jewish faith, he had made the long journey to Jerusalem to keep the festivals. While there, of course, he had heard of the stir about Jesus of Nazareth; and now he relieved the tedium of the way by reading the Scriptures. In this frame of mind, he was ripe

for the instructions of Philip, who showed the wonderful application of Isaiah's prophecy to the sufferings of Christ. He saw and believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God; believed this with his heart; and, so believing, was ready to grow it, and take the consequences of being a follower of the despised and crucified Nazarene. Why should not men of business now come to the same prompt decision? Why should not all who have learned of Christ in the Scriptures embrace him with their hearts, and confess him with their lips?

The readiness with which Philip administered baptism to the eunuch need not surprise us when we consider all the facts of the case. As a man of intelligence, of a devout habit, and well versed in the Scriptures, he was prepared to act with judgment and decision as soon as he understood the truth. And, when such a man was ready to take the risk of avowing himself a disciple of Christ, there could be no reason for doubting his sincerity, or delaying his confession. The safe rule is to confess Christ as soon as we feel that we believe with all the heart.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 43, 75, 99.

Oh! grant us grace, Father in heaven, to hear thy Word, and to obey it. We would make haste, and delay not, to keep thy commandments. Thou hast a right, O Lord! to our time, our gifts, our hearts, our persons; to all that we are, and all that we have: for thou hast created us, and hast redeemed us with the precious blood of thy Son. We would begin this day in thy fear: help us in all things to please and honor thee.

We give thee thanks for the mercies of the night, and for all the mercies of our past lives, — for home and its blessings; for friends, and all the ministries of love; for health, knowledge, comfort, and prosperity; but, above all things, for thy grace in the

gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we ever be ready to acknowledge him the Son of God, the Saviour of the world! May men in the high places of power and influence consecrate themselves to him! may the poor and lowly trust in him! may children sing hosannas to the Son of David! How shall we praise thee, O God! for thy love and grace to us sinners? For all thy mercies, we bless and magnify thy glorious name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for His sake who lay down in the grave, and rose again for us, — thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and dominion, world without end. Amen.