Now chapter 8 brings Him in in a very distinctive way, acting personally in relation to those who serve, especially those who preach the gospel.

• The Spirit in verse 29 speaks directly to Philip as having been already directed by an angel. In the earlier part of the chapter he is seen as serving with no form of direction mentioned, but later he is seen as directed by an angel, and in verse 29, by the Spirit:
  • "the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot".

• Philip immediately responded and ran. It would seem as if progression in acceptance is needed with him, so that finally he is seen as "caught away" by the Spirit, as if peculiarly liked by the Spirit in his service.

• This comes in in what we may call the Stephen section of the book, a section affording much pleasure to God, because of men who developed in it and purchased to themselves a good degree. They made themselves extremely acceptable. Stephen and Philip are outstanding.

• The lesson would be how the second attack which was made had been met. Certain persons were neglected in the daily ministrations:
  • "But in those days, the disciples multiplying in number, there arose a murmuring of the Hellenists against the Hebrews because their widows were overlooked in the daily ministration" chapter 6: 1.

• This was another working of the flesh in the assembly, but the position is clearly consolidated again through Stephen's faithfulness.

• The apostles arrange deaconship, so that the attack is effectively met, and as I said, one great result is seen in these men, Stephen particularly, and then Philip. The section ends in chapter 8: 40.

• And then the attack through Saul is narrated, also his conversion, following which it is said,
  • "The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit", Acts 9: 31.

• It is as if the Holy Spirit is especially seen as comforting, exemplifying the import of the word that is related to one of His names – the Comforter.

• This section is full of this thought, the Holy Spirit as here in a personal sense in regard to service, especially that of evangelists, and then coming in to comfort after the assemblies had been disturbed by the attack of Saul. So that the assemblies, we are told, were increased.

The application now, of course, would be to the gospel service, of which there is great need, and in which there is considerable ability too.

• It is as if there is an incentive here to acquire a fuller knowledge of the Spirit, for He shows special interest in those who preach the gospel, and do it in a subject way;
  • as Philip, who began first according to his own desire and ability without any special commission, and then qualified so that the angel noticed him; then the Spirit of God Himself spoke to him, personally directing him, finally rapturing him.

• There are three Persons in the Trinity, to whom we are baptised. We are baptised to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

• We usually stress the Father and the Son, but it is necessary to bear in mind that the Spirit has affections too, and interests. We read of the love of the Spirit and the communion of the Spirit, and it is especially interesting in the service of the gospel to become acquainted with Him in this individual way.

J.D. Would there be a touch of the governmental ways of God in bringing this man from Ethiopia to a sphere where the Spirit of God was operating?

J.T. It is remarkable that the evangelist, for such he is, is said to join him in his journey. What a wonderful man he is! This great servant is sent there first by an angel, and then directed by the Spirit as he comes near.

• The eunuch had been up to Jerusalem and apparently did not come into contact with the brethren, but it was his own want of attention to what was there, because there had been great activity among christians. However, he came into contact with Philip.

A.N.W. Would it be right to infer that a vessel is so pleasurable to the Spirit that He Himself uses that vessel as a vehicle to convey the word?

J.T. Heaven now has a special man, but the Holy Spirit is given particular prominence because of the increasing evangelical features and results that are developing, and is viewed as possessing first-hand knowledge of everything.

• A fact to be noted, too, is that the Holy Spirit did not seal Philip's converts immediately; none of them received the Spirit immediately. When the question came up, the apostles at Jerusalem took the matter in hand and sent down Peter and John, and they prayed for them that they should receive the Spirit.

• Then Simon said he would like to buy that power; he would degrade the Spirit. That certainly was an attack, but it was met by Peter in a solemn and overwhelming way.

• And heaven honours Philip now, the angel directing him to go down to the desert. He did it without a question. Immediate obedience in those who serve is called attention to; and then the Holy Spirit directs Philip.

A.E.H. Is there anything significant in the fact that he is one of seven who were selected from a quarter where there had been murmuring? He was one of the group from which the murmuring arose,

• so that there seems to be a suggestion that these men being full of the Holy Spirit would themselves be free from the element of murmuring in that quarter. Some of them were Hellenistic Jews, were they not?

J.T. They were not local Jews, but from Greece, or others who spoke Greek, a sectional matter, but the Holy Spirit still had control in the assembly. These men were full of Him.

• The Spirit is in control, and so much in control that Stephen develops into a great martyr and Philip into a great evangelist. Stephen becomes a victim of the hostility of the Jews – the first martyr.

• So that we are in a section of the greatest interest. The apostles are very little in it, save to go down to Samaria and confirm Philip's work; it is developed directly by the Spirit.

J.W.D. It would seem as if the Lord took the initiative in this. There is the angel of the Lord first. Is this the way the Holy Spirit operates in connection with the Lord's service?

J.T. It is more suggestive of distance, I think, that the angel should direct one. The Spirit is here really in relation to the gospel, which, as Peter says, is preached to you "by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven", but here the angel is active.

• It would seem as if there is some distance, something that has to be corrected, because the Spirit immediately speaks to Philip when he is in the place to which he was sent. Immediate obedience is the point.

J.D. Do you think the angel would have in mind what is said in Acts 8: 13, relative to Simon?

• "Simon also himself believed; and, having been baptised, continued constantly with Philip".

• It would look as if Philip was lacking in spiritual discernment not to see the kind of man this was. The next step brings in the angel of the Lord, suggesting distance and a need to obey.

J.T. It looks that way. There was something questionable there, but it was corrected.

• It looks as if Philip is a type of younger men who have no special commission, and yet have ability and are proving their ability; but the result does not go the whole length of what God is doing, it comes short. There is a difficulty somewhere.

• Other things, of course, might be said as to Samaria's rivalry of the Jews. In any case, Philip was in a somewhat questionable position; this man Simon kept on, and Philip did not seem to detect that he was unreal.

R.W.S. So that the next great man that Philip meets he does not leave until he introduces him to another world and the Man who fills that world.

J.T. Yes. Here he does not speak of "the Christ", but of "Jesus". In Samaria he preached "the Christ" and his service was accompanied by power.

• Iy says, "And Philip, going down to a city of Samaria, preached the Christ to them; and the crowds with one accord gave heed to the things spoken by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs which he wrought. For from many who had unclean spirits they went out, crying with a loud voice; and many that were paralysed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city", Acts 8: 5-8.

• Then Simon is introduced and he also believed:
  • "But when they believed Philip announcing the glad tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptised, both men and women. And Simon also himself believed; and, having been baptised, continued constantly with Philip", verses 12-13.

• Did Philip go down into the water with him? Later he did with the eunuch, and the Holy Spirit caught him away after that. It would seem as if the Holy Spirit specially liked his way in his service to the eunuch; as if Philip was being perfected in his service.

T.S. Do you think it is important that distance is not conveyed in the Spirit's work? "Approach and join this chariot", the Spirit says to him. Distance from the convert must be removed.

• The Spirit was indicating to Philip that nearness to one to be helped is a necessary feature, he was to join the eunuch.

J.T. Yes. It is said that he was reading the prophet Esaias. It does not say that Simon was reading any prophet, or the Scriptures at all; his business was detrimental. It is said that he was in the city using magic arts and astonishing Samaria, saying that himself was some great one.

• The eunuch was not saying or thinking anything like that. Evidently he was a good subject. Why did he not come in contact with the brethren in Jerusalem? Evidently he did not, and yet the Scriptures had a place with him and he is noting that they speak of a Man.
  • "And the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation his judgment has been taken away, and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth".

  • Then he says immediately to Philip, "I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other?"

• He was interested enough to read Isaiah 53 and to note what was said about the Sufferer.

• There is nothing like that with Simon. He would not read Isaiah 53; it would not interest him. He was occupied with his own greatness, whereas the Messiah, Jesus, as on earth was a Sufferer. The eunuch noticed this.

• He had never heard such a description of a man before, nor could there be any such description of any mere man; never was there such save the Lord Jesus, there was no life before or after like this.

W.L. Do you think this would also come in as help and instruction to Philip himself?

J.T. I am sure it was a help to him. If in such circumstances the preacher is not helped there is defectiveness in him. The preacher surely should be partaker of whatever blessing there may be.

• Did he ever use the prophet Isaiah in his preaching in Samaria? If it was now suggested to him for the first time, you may be assured he never lost sight of it afterwards.

W.L. I was wondering if it might be possible to preach the glad tidings just as a matter of gift, without recognising the Holy Spirit? Here Philip is brought to recognise the Holy Spirit and the One of whom the Spirit would speak.

J.T. No doubt the Spirit affected him in directing him to join the chariot. We may be sure his evangelisation was in the power of the Spirit now.

J.D. Do you think he is a true son of Abraham at this point? I like what you say about his obedience. Abraham went out not knowing whither he went:

• "By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out into the place which he was to receive for an inheritance, and went out, not knowing where he was going", Hebrews 11: 8.

• The angel did not tell Philip about the Ethiopian, he simply said,
  • "Rise up and go southward on the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza: the same is desert. And he rose up and went".

• The angel just gave him directions where to go. The moral element would enter into it; he arose and went and found the Ethiopian.

J.T. That is right; the angel's part suggested the providential circumstances of the servant.

• Sometimes servants have to change their businesses on account of circumstances and that is providential, and they can be used in the new field.

• But usually our changes in business are grounded on personal gain. The service of the Lord is hardly first in such circumstances; the angel of the Lord could not take on that.

• Here it is desert, nothing at all to minister on natural lines, and I am sure that it was pleasing to God that Philip went unquestioningly.

A.B. How would the Spirit speak thus to one? Does it involve a state of sensitiveness on the part of Philip?

J.T. I should think so; the Holy Spirit could address him. There would not be anybody else there. He was by himself, but indwelt by the Spirit, and the Spirit would speak to him in that way.

S.R.McC. The eunuch admitted that he did not understand and that he needed someone to guide him. Would that be the work of the Spirit?

J.T. It is a very good sign. He would not join the modernists and the higher critics.

• Notice too that he is from Ethiopia, which is remarkable; he is of the race of Ham. Would that be any check to Philip?

• He is evidently a great man, sitting in his chariot – his own not the queen's. Also he is an affable sort of man, and does not resent a stranger approaching him. It says,
  • "And Philip, running up, heard him reading".

• Evidently Philip was quiet, not flustered or afraid. What caught his ear was the reading of the prophet.

R.A. Would you say he was not only in the good of Isaiah 53, but acting according to Isaiah 55: 1, 6?

• "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters;"

• and "Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near".

J.T. No doubt he had the Spirit's word. The point here is immediate contact with the Spirit, how the Spirit can direct us.

J.W.D. Perhaps we have been considering too exclusively for the Lord's personal service in connection with the preaching of the gospel. You suggest that we take account of the Holy Spirit too, objectively?

J.T. Just so. That is what is seen here. The Holy Spirit is speaking directly to Philip. Why not be exercised about referring to Him?

• It is quite right to refer to the Lord, but the Spirit answers too; He is here and speaks directly to Philip and then catches him away. It is a remarkable thing that He caught him away.

Ques. Does verse 16 show that the Spirit does not act automatically?

• "For he was not yet fallen upon any of them".

• He acted Himself, not in an automatic way.

J.T. Quite so. He takes His own time.

• "And the apostles who were in Jerusalem, having heard that Samaria had received the word of God, sent to them Peter and John; who, having come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for he was not yet fallen upon any of them, only they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus", verses 14-16.

• The allusion there is to the action at Pentecost, and is in keeping with chapter 10 where the same form is used in verse 44. He is acting, as it were, Himself, but He had not done it at Samaria and that is a remarkable thing. Why was it so?

T.A.T. Do you think the Holy Spirit fell on the eunuch?

J.T. Scripture does not say. We are in the section of lovableness, the section in which the Spirit is affected by what is transpiring. Personalities are in view, and He is showing what a place Philip had acquired with Him.

• I think God would expect us to read, as it were, between the lines. John says of the things which Jesus did,
  • "the which if they were written one by one, I suppose that not even the world itself would contain the books written", John 21: 25.

• But all that is needed is there. We have to learn; as relying on the Spirit, to understand and enlarge on them. The mind of God is thus apprehended in them.

• In this section the Holy Spirit is peculiarly in charge, watching things, and we may be sure He would not delay in sealing the eunuch any more than the Samaritans. In due course, the Spirit was received by those among them who had believed, and we may assume that the eunuch received Him also.

• He was a lone believer going back to his own country and remarkably well attended to so far; and thus we may be assured that he was sealed by the Spirit in the perfect ordering of God. He would be taken up and linked on with the great work that was proceeding at that time.

• The spiritual suggestion is that as Philip was taken away from him the Spirit took charge of him.

W.L. Do you think the thought of rejoicing would indicate that he had received the Spirit.

J.T. I do.

A.E.H. I had supposed that one was to get his directions from the Lord and that he was to utilise the Holy Spirit in the way of power to answer to the Lord's directions.

• Now you speak of the Spirit being in charge. This is a rather new thought to me. Would you say something about how one is to distinguish between directions from the Lord and directions from the Holy Spirit?

J.T. It is not easy to define, but it is clear that the Spirit spoke of Himself in the statement that

• "the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them", Acts 16: 7.

• How did He convey to them that they were not to preach in Asia? And then a man of Macedonia appeared to Paul, and Paul uses the word "concluding" in connection with his request.
  • "And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings", verse 10.

• Here there is no "concluding" at all; it is definite, as if another Person spoke to him:
  • "the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot".

• Notice the words, there must have been some distinct articulation. Why cannot the Spirit do that?
  • "For we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting, but the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered", Romans 8: 26.

A.B. Do you think that as hearing the inquiry in verse 31, Philip is assured in his own soul that there is One who is available?

J.T. Yes. He does not hesitate, he becomes a guide at once, and the position becomes adjusted.

• The eunuch begged Philip to come up and sit with him. This great matter has to be talked over in a sitting posture, Philip and the eunuch in the same position. Philip hears him reading and inquires as to whether he understands and the eunuch says,
  • "How should I then be able unless some one guide me?"

• He wished to have a guide, and that comfortably; if you want to be helped make the person that is to help you comfortable.

• That is a good point. If the person is to help you, do not let him stand on the step of the chariot, invite him in. That is what the eunuch did, showing that he was a subject of the work of God; he begged Philip to come up and sit with him.

• We are told what the passage of the Scripture was, and then the eunuch answering Philip said,
  • "I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other?"

• Everything is now arranged for Philip to speak without distraction. It is clear that God was arranging the matter. It is arranged divinely that this man should be actually reading the Bible at that particular time;
  • and then Philip's movements are arranged, first by the angel and then by the Spirit of God Himself in view of his joining him.

• The whole matter is evidently from God and hence the result.

W.L. Do you think the facts given would suggest a certain affinity between the preacher and any who are to believe the glad tidings?

J.T. It is a great matter in helping men, to remember that they are men, and that you are related to them in that way; they are always to be regarded abstractly according to the relation in which they stand to God.

• The word of the Lord to the apostles was, "Go into all the world", – that is a hostile scene – "and preach the glad tidings to all the creation", Mark 16: 15.

• Abstractly, each of us is one of these. So that the Lord says to Job about the Behemoth,
  • "See now the behemoth, which I made with thee: he eateth grass as an ox", Job 40: 15.

• I made him with you, God says. That is, these cattle were made on the same day as Adam and furnish a link between domesticated cattle and man, so that abstractly the preaching of the gospel should be to man as fellow-creatures, not as opposers or enemies.
  • It is as Paul says, "for in him we live and move and exist", Acts 17: 28.

• Thus we are alongside of them. The eunuch made the way for Philip to thus draw near, and Philip did not hesitate; he sat down with him and took the opportunity given to explain the scripture, and he was helped by the Spirit of God.

A.N.W. Mr. Darby's note to that word "Ethiopian" is, 'Literally, a man, an Ethiopian'.

J.T. That is important.

A.B. Philip may have been looking for features of bondmanship in the eunuch in connection with his being a descendant of Ham. Bondmanship was evident in Philip; he was serving the man in relation to the glad tidings.

J.T. The Spirit says, "God is one, and the mediator of God and men one, the man Christ Jesus", 1 Timothy 2: 5.

• It is a matter of God and men; whatever the race, they are all for God.

Ques. Would you say all this should encourage us to be available to men, to be on the look-out for them; not necessarily publicly preaching the gospel, but going after the individual, especially in the days in which we are living?

J.T. Quite so. You would not view anyone as necessarily hostile, but speak to a man as a man, a creature of God. Your circumstances are better than his and you would like him to come into them. Peter says to Cornelius,

• "I myself also am a man", Acts 10: 26.

J.C. I was wondering whether the direction of the Lord in connection with the preaching of the gospel would be found more in the Scriptures, and the direction of the Spirit would be more in the line of promptings.

• I would take my directions therefore from the Scriptures, the Spirit prompting in that way.

J.T. Here the Scriptures are an evidence that it is the Spirit who directs Philip to join the man, and the point is that he is reading them.

E.F. Is not a question serviceable? Philip asks a question and then the eunuch does.

J.T. Philip asks a question first as to what he read, and then we are told what he was reading. Verse 32 is the writer of the book telling us:

• "the passage of the scripture which he read was this: He was led as a sheep to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in the presence of him that shears him, thus he opens not his mouth".

• This is what Luke tells us by the Spirit of God, a quotation from the Septuagint, according to the Note, not from the Hebrew. When the narrative is finished the eunuch says,
  • "I pray thee, concerning whom does the prophet say this? of himself or of some other? And Philip, opening his mouth …"

• That is a remarkable verse, as if his time had come, and he started to enter on his spiritual service. Then he,
  • "beginning from that scripture, announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him":

• an excellent model in our service, not simply to exhaust a particular passage we may read, line by line, word by word. We should not read much in our preaching and ministry.

• We begin with something, and then the Holy Spirit adds and helps us to bring in other things if we give Him scope, things we had not thought of.

A.B. Does Philip have this in mind when he asks the question, "Dost thou then know what thou art reading?"

J.T. Yes, it is well put. He asks the question at the start, but is not going to confine himself to that. It is an excellent scripture for the moment.

• We are not told what scriptures he used in Samaria, but here it is definitely about "Jesus". Therefore it covers the Ethiopian, the Hamite. It is a question of man.

A.E.H. Is that one of the reasons why you do not use many Scriptures because you thus leave more scope for the Holy Spirit?

J.T. You may be hampered by too many Scriptures. You may want to get them all in. You are not preaching the Scriptures, you are preaching Christ, or Jesus. If you have too many you may not be able to treat all of them enough.

T.S. Obedience to the Spirit's word would be like gathering up substance before opening the mouth. Philip would be gathering substance as he went along. Before we go to preach we should be exercised to have something, some substance in the soul.

J.T. Philip had. The position in the chariot is clear. If you change the chariot to a house, or an office, with a person whom you would serve, it means that you make allowance for him. Give him some scope.

• It is not all your matter, it is a matter between you. So let him show himself, whether he is hostile, or whether he is ready for what you have to say. It is a matter of two persons instead of one.

• A man is a creature of God with reason and intelligence, which God has given him, and you recognise that.

A.N.W. Here one man shows evidence of new birth and the other has the Spirit indwelling him.

J.T. To whom am I going to speak? What is he? Let him say something.

• We shall see more of this in the case of Cornelius. God is not telling us that He had to do with this man before, but there is something in him that is observable.

• The first point is that he is reading the Scriptures. If I went into a man's office and found him doing that, it would be a fine start.

• God over-rules such matters, so that we shall know what to do. One great point in a Levite is to know how to do things, and Philip knew.

J.D. What place has the mind of the Levite in relation to the Spirit?

J.T. He must have a mind, or he cannot be a vessel.

J.D. A vessel is usable. Does the Spirit work through the mind?

J.T. Surely. The idea of a vessel goes back before conversion. If God intends a man to be a servant of His He has him in mind before he is born; He goes a long way back into history in view of the man being what He intends him to be.

• So that the kind of mind he [has] enters into it, and all the features. God takes account of them all, and indeed provides them.

• When the Spirit said to Philip, "join this chariot", He was not telling him what to say. It is a question of preliminary arrangements, which we should always keep in mind; how far back preparation can go. The angels "prepared themselves" to serve. Revelation 8: 6. This is all preparatory, and preparation is an important matter.

• The Spirit told Philip what to do; He spoke to him in regard to his physical movements, which implied that he had a mind, and knew what the Spirit meant. He ran, it says; that is to describe the vessel.

A.B. Is this a question of the Spirit managing our affairs?

J.T. That is the point we are getting at here, His management in a superintending way.

• We are to learn to be spiritual. He speaks to us through our minds. If He says, Join yourself to that chariot, it may be that the chariot is going fast; but it will have to slow down.

• The Spirit did not tell Philip to run, but he knew well enough that he had to run; and he had his ears ready to hear what was going on in the chariot.

• If there were two persons talking about politics, or the newspapers, or magazines, one would not be encouraged to address them, but this man was reading the Bible.

A.B. It would be further encouragement to find one inviting you to come into his chariot.

J.T. This would all be encouraging to Philip. The man was interested in him.

A.M. Preparatory arrangement goes on before Philip opens his mouth. You were drawing our attention to the appropriate moment at which Philip speaks. Do you think in our eagerness to present the truth there is a tendency to speak before the moment arrives?

J.T. Quite so. Philip acts as a vessel ought to act. By his mind he understands the speed of the chariot and how to get on to it, and before he actually sits down he is keen enough to notice what is being read. Then he asks this question, he knows what to do. It is all preparatory.

• It is not simply that I get a Scripture for my address, but I am spiritually prepared, having been to the Lord about it, and I make room for the Spirit before I actually open my mouth.

Rem. Apollos began as a good speaker, eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures. He arrived in Ephesus and was taken aside by Aquila and Priscilla, as in need of certain adjustment. A good speaker might need certain adjustments.

J.T. Quite so. The wisdom of Aquila and Priscilla is evident too. How skilfully they acted with Apollos! It does not seem as if they spoke to him where he had been preaching. It would not do to talk to a brother like Apollos in the meeting-room with a view to adjusting him.

• They took him to them. They would, no doubt, take him to their lodgings so that they could have a free hand with him.

R.A. It says in Isaiah 53: 7, that the Lord "opened not his mouth". Philip opened his mouth, but the Lord did not open His. He says, "If I bear witness concerning myself, my witness is not true", John 5: 31. Would this link up?

J.T. The point there is the sacrificial side of the passage, that He was a Sufferer, led as a sheep to the slaughter.

• It means that the Lord Jesus did not resent the treatment of His captors. They took Him and led Him to the slaughter, but He was subject, instead of using the sword as one of His disciples did.
  • "Jesus therefore said to Peter, Put the sword into the sheath", John 18: 11.

• But the answer to that is in ourselves. Paul says,
  • "For thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we have been reckoned as sheep for slaughter. But in all these things we more than conquer through him that has loved us", Romans 8: 36-37.

• We do not resent the persecution. That is what is meant by the Lord not opening His mouth.

T.A.T. When Philip was at Samaria he understood the Scriptures. Why was his work not perfect?

J.T. Why was it not? There was the fact. He did not discern Simon, and the Spirit is not seen as acting upon him, or directing him until in the desert. It may be that he needed the experience which the facts stated afforded.

• At any rate it is clear that as he proceeded he became more and more pleasing to the Spirit in the way he spoke of Jesus. The Spirit Himself presents Jesus:
  • "But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak; and he will announce to you what is coming. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall announce it to you", John 16: 13-14.

• Philip preached Jesus to the eunuch.

J.D. The opening of the mouth seems to be an important point in divine things. In this regard, do you think Philip answering to the Spirit would be something like the Lord in Matthew 5: 1-2?

• "But seeing the crowds, he went up into the mountain, and having sat down, his disciples came to him; and, having opened his mouth he taught them".

• The same is said of Peter in Acts 10, and of Philip here.

J.T. Quite so. And in Acts 15: 7 it is said,

• "Peter, standing up, said to them, Brethren, ye know that from the earliest days God amongst you chose that the nations by my mouth should hear the word of the glad tidings and believe" – "by my mouth",

• as if the believer's mouth is of special interest to the Spirit.

J.W.D. Peter "stood up" when speaking in Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 2.

J.T. Gift has power whether one stands up or sits down. There is power in it; I believe that is what is meant. An ordinary person could not act like this. Gift is of value to enforce the truth.

J.V. Does the action of the Spirit go further than the vision in the night? It says, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a certain Macedonian man, standing and beseeching him, and saying, Pass over into Macedonia and help us", Acts 16: 9.

J.T. Yes. It is more direct and nearer to the person addressed.

A.N.W. It is a personal matter. The Spirit would impress Philip in a personal way at this time. He quotes the words. "Approach and join this chariot". These are the words of the Spirit.

J.T. Verse 35 says that Philip "announced the glad tidings of Jesus to him".

• Doubtless that brought out what Jesus was to him. How long the preaching continued we are not told. And then it is said,
  • "as they went along the way, they came upon a certain water, and the eunuch says, Behold water; what hinders my being baptised?"

• There is a man who, as going on, is hearing, taking things in and learning. He does not want his life here. The facts given here imply that he would die with Christ in view of living with Him.

• The Spirit was operating in his heart as the glad tidings of Jesus were being presented to him so that he would die with Him.

S.R.McC. This would show how much Philip had improved in his preaching. Simon was not prepared for this.

J.T. No. The eunuch evidently took in the truth, but Simon did not. Simon was baptised, and tried to get power for himself, but he was not changed inwardly, while this man was. He observed water; Philip did not even propose it.

J.D. The question of baptism is reached. "And he commanded the chariot to stop;" it is not said to have stopped before.

J.T. It is just as if Philip got on to it in some way while it was going.

• Now "he commanded the chariot to stop. And they went down both to the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him", verse 38.

• We do not know who baptised Philip's Samaritan converts. Here it is a particular work, and it was done well. They were both under the power of the ministry.

A.E.H. Is there a suggestion that I might preach the Christ and leave out of my preaching the distinctiveness of the heavenly Man which fits in with the service to the Ethiopian? "His life is taken from the earth", but it did not cease to be; it is heavenly now.

J.T. The passage really means that it was His life here, what He was here in the uniqueness of that life. There never was a life like it before or since, and never will be.

• Of course we are brought into a new life with Him which is His present life and state, but what is alluded to in Isaiah is what was here on earth in flesh and blood.

• There never was another such life. It is taken from earth and it is finished. I mean of course its character including flesh and blood.

A.E.H. Philip did not go so far as to speak of the heavenly Christ to the Ethiopian.

J.T. I suppose he kept to "Jesus". Perhaps the passage would convey that he kept fairly well to the text, but enlarged on it, bringing in what happened at Jerusalem, as Peter did in chapter 2, how Jesus was put to death.

A.E.H. Ephesians refers to the sealing of the Holy Spirit, chapter 4: 30. Your suggesting that the Ethiopian must have received the Spirit would involve the full presentation of Jesus.

J.T. He preached unto him Jesus, the glad tidings of Jesus. How could there be glad tidings unless redemption had been preached? The glad tidings of Jesus involves the gift of the Spirit.

• Whether Philip announced it in the gospel before I do not know, but a few years ago a good many brethren said that the Spirit of God was not a subject, or part of the gospel at all. Yet the preaching of the gospel involves the gift of the Spirit:
  • "Repent, and be baptised, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit", Acts 2: 38.

• That is part of the gospel. If Philip spoke of the Holy Spirit the eunuch did not pass that by, nor should I. I want to go the whole way and get all there is in the gospel.

A.H.P. Do you think we should understand the part that the Holy Spirit has in the matter of obeying the gospel, and in the redeemed person? It is evidence of a truly converted soul if a person obeys the gospel and receives the Spirit on the principle of obedience.

J.T. That helps with what we are saying. God gives the Holy Spirit to those that obey Him, Acts 5: 32. You may be sure the eunuch got the Spirit.

C.R. It says he was "a man in power", in verse 27, but in verse 39 it says,

• "But when they came up out of the water the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, for he went on his way rejoicing".

J.T. "For he went on his way rejoicing", notice that. He was not downcast about it; the matter was settled. The Holy Spirit was enough for him. Christianity means that I can get along without a preacher, in that sense.

R.W.S. Is the holiness of the Spirit emphasised in Samaria? There He is called the "Holy Spirit" four times, but when Philip moves into these conditions it is "the Spirit" twice. Is there something in that?

J.T. There is. Here it is the Person distinctively. In verse 29 "the Spirit said to Philip", but in verse 39 it is "the Spirit of the Lord"; in the original the article is left out with both Persons. In the latter verse the Lord is brought in.

• Still, the Spirit is the dominating thought and Philip is raptured, caught away by Him; he is affected physically by the action of the Spirit. So that he is not to be found, and the eunuch is not at any disadvantage, because the facts would show that the Spirit is in the eunuch.

• We must have the Spirit to come into the gain of christianity. The light would soon fade if we did not have the Spirit. It is remarkable that Scripture says, "for he went on his way rejoicing". He was occupied with what he had.

• He could not keep Philip; he could not, even if he wished to, hire him for a chaplain; the point is that he is fully furnished now. The preacher can only go so far; the Spirit goes all the way and makes him in that sense independent.

Rem. It is "his way" now, in verse 39; the individual side is stressed over against "the way" in verse 36. The preacher has to see that there is water in the way when he is preaching.

J.T. I suppose "his way" would mean that the eunuch is still the minister of the queen. He pursued the same way he had started on, and he is still to be a minister of the queen, but he is to be a christian. That is the point.

• He is now a righteous man, an independent man, a delivered man, not dependent even on Philip. He would understand; he does not say, Cannot you come along with me? There is nothing of that kind.

• The Spirit of the Lord is doing something. Philip belongs to Him, not to the eunuch. Philip belongs to the Spirit, and He indicates how pleased He is with him.

• There is the product of the ministry going off in his chariot, and that way is now to be illuminated by what he has acquired. That is christianity. He has, we may say, put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 13: 14.

W.L. Would that take in our whole responsible pathway?

J.T. Yes. That is important. "Go thy way", Daniel 12: 9. You have your matters to attend to, but you are illuminated, set up in a spiritual sense, and the whole position is illuminated.

• The eunuch would go back to Ethiopia taking the truth of christianity with him; we cannot think for a moment he would be allowed to go back for things to fade away. The Spirit of God would continue with the work.

F.R.C. Is there some parallel in Luke 8: 38?

• "But the man out of whom the demons had gone besought him that he might be with him. But he sent him away, saying, Return to thine house and relate how great things God has done for thee. And he went away through the whole city, publishing how great things Jesus had done for him".

J.T. That is the idea.

T.A.T. Have we evidence to show that a local assembly was started when he got back?

J.T. We have none. As I was saying, it is a question of reading into the facts, because we know that results would be even greater than are spoken of here.

• What our brother quoted from the gospel, the Lord telling the man to relate the great things that God had done for him, is the full thought. Christianity is what God has done. As Peter says,
  • "Jesus who was of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power; who went through all quarters doing good, and healing all that were under the power of the devil, because God was with him", Acts 10: 38.

C.R. Then "The wilderness and the dry land shall be gladdened; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose", Isaiah 35: 1.

J.T. Quite so. What a delightful time! What the full resulting circumstances of the eunuch's conversion were, we are not told. Notice this word for, in verse 39; it is a sequential word. It means that he is going independently, fully furnished.

J.A.T. Is this to illustrate a right conversion? Sometimes souls are converted under a poor kind of preaching and they are at a disadvantage all their lives.

J.T. Yes; they never make good assembly men. Acts 13: 52 says,

• "And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit".

• That is what the Spirit of God effects for them; that is normally what is effected. It makes good assembly men. If we are not cheerful and bright amongst the brethren we need help, the Spirit of God would make us cheerful and buoyant.

• Then I hope we have not forgotten the idea of being caught away. It is a remarkable thing, there is nothing else just like it. The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no longer, but
  • he "was found at Azotus, and passing through he announced the glad tidings to all the cities till he came to Caesarea", verse 40.

• We are not told just how he worked, but we next find him in Caesarea:
  • "And leaving on the morrow, we came to Caesarea; and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was of the seven, we abode with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied", Acts 21: 8-9.

• The Holy Spirit is still there, He has scope in Philip's house. It is a remarkable family side of things, four virgin daughters who prophesy. Joy and the Holy Spirit had a great place in that house. Philip never would forget that rapture.

• And then there is the matter of the comfort of the Holy Spirit in regard to the assembly:
  • "The assemblies then throughout the whole of Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit", Acts 9: 31.

• That is further evidence of sovereign action in view of what the assemblies had been through, a terrible ordeal, the persecution of Stephen and Saul's attack on the assemblies throughout the whole of Galilee.

• Now the word is that they "were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit". That is a very important matter, to see how the Lord comes in, after we go through trial assembly-wise, to comfort us so that we should go in peace.

So that we might dwell a little on the sovereign action of the Spirit seen here, not in word, but in effect, to make way for His active service in verses 19-20 where He spoke to Peter, and told him,

• "Behold, three men seek thee; but rise up, go down, and go with them, nothing doubting, because I have sent them".

• The Spirit now is in charge of conditions with which He has already had to do, which indeed He had effected.

• Nothing could be more interesting, for we, that is the gentiles, were, as represented in Cornelius and his company, admitted, not as crude raw material, but as persons described in this chapter, affected by the Spirit.

• On the other hand, viewed apart from any divine operation we were dark and without God. Indeed, Ephesians 2: 12 says,
  • "ye were at that time without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world".

• But God is letting us know that He is the God of the gentiles, and that He has already been operating.

• Indeed as far back as the deluge, as far back as the distribution of the race in the sons of Noah, I believe God was operating in view of the western nations coming into the economy which is set up now in Christ by the Spirit.

• That is, Japheth denotes spreading in the political developments in the west, and God undoubtedly had to do with them providentially to make way for the gospel; not the everlasting gospel, but the gospel which had the assembly in mind, for that is the gospel today.

• Cornelius was a household man; you would hardly get such a man in the east.

A.N.W. Had you any thought as to why the Ethiopian should have heard the gospel outside of his own country and received it in a foreign land? Is it related to the movement of the Spirit at that time?

J.T. Yes. Actually the Ethiopian and Cornelius received it in the same territory, only that the eunuch was said to be one "who had come to worship at Jerusalem".

• I should think he was a proselyte, such as many who were at Jerusalem when the Spirit came; that is, he was in religious relation to the Jews.

• Cornelius is one who fears God; but he is not viewed just in this way, but also as a military man, "a centurion of the band called Italic". I think he represents the Roman system.

V.C. Why does the Spirit take up a man who is a centurion, a man who carries the sword? How would it work out as to current world conditions?

J.T. Well, a man took up the sword earlier and was told to put it back into the scabbard; a man that was not a soldier took the sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. The Lord told him to put it back where it belonged.

• He did not tell him to destroy it or discard it, but to put it into its place, meaning that in our dispensation we are not to use it. It is held in abeyance.

• This man was already a soldier and we are not told he had to give up his sword. If a man is already a soldier we are to have consideration for him; but the man who has not been a soldier, that is, Peter, is told to put the sword into its sheath

• I think that is our position, an extraordinary position. We have no status at all and men generally do not understand us, but it is very plain that we are to have a certain judgment about the sword. The Lord conveyed the idea when He said,
  • "My kingdom is not of this world".

• It does not belong to the world, or even to Israel; it is a heavenly thing. Therefore the Lord says,
  • "if my kingdom were of this world, my servants had fought that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence", John 18: 36.

• As those belonging to that kingdom, it is not the fighting time for us, except with the sword of the Spirit. I do not know of anything plainer than that in the Scriptures.

V.C. What about one who is a soldier before his conversion? How could he put up the sword into its place?

J.T. The Spirit of God does not pursue the subject as to what Cornelius did, but I think the military institution of the Roman Empire is recognised by Him. If a believer has part in it before he is converted, well, the matter is just left

• Not only is this man mentioned as being a military officer, but one who was "constantly with him", and whom he sends with others for Peter, is said to be "a pious soldier". Such a scripture would apply as 1 Corinthians 7: 21:
  • "but and if thou canst become free, use it rather".

A.E.H. If you were in a country where there was no allowance for conscience, would you still maintain a conscience in regard to the sword?

J.T. I do not like to answer the questions theoretically, because we are not in the place. We are thankful God has made it different for us. Our position in the British Empire and the United States is clear.

• The governmental dealings of God are allied with His direct action. It is clear God had acted directly with this man and He is acting directly with us throughout these countries. He is using the governmental side, He is opening up doors to us through governmental conditions.

• But when you are not in the territory to which these conditions apply, it is not easy to say much. God is very considerate, and if you were in the circumstances He would make things clear for you.

J.D. Do you think the character given this man in verse 1 was the sovereign action of the Spirit of God apart from his hearing the gospel, so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the gentiles?

J.T. I think so. I think God was making a way, softening the dividing line between Jew and gentile; weakening it. He went over the wall of partition, as it is said of Joseph, "his branches shoot over the wall", Genesis 49: 22.

• It would allude to Christ's present position among the gentiles, how the wall is broken down, but overcome by God. Ephesians 2 Contemplates it completely done, and Jews and gentiles reconciled in one body to God by the cross.

J.R.H. As to the previous history of this man, it would appear he knew something of the gospel according to verse 36,

• "The word which he sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, (he is Lord of all things), ye know".

J.T. He must have. The glad tidings had gone out. Indeed Psalm 19: 2-4 says that their line went out "through all the earth".

• "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech and there are no words, yet their voice is heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their language to the extremity of the world. In them hath he set a tent for the sun".

• That is an allusion to the gospel, that it could not be hid. Paul appeals to Agrippa on the same line.

But our subject is the Spirit as superintending this matter, so that it is not a mere general report, it is personal. That is, there is a man ready to represent the gentiles;

• God has been working with him so that he is not raw material. He is material which God has fitted for this matter; he is a soldier, and he has a pious soldier in his household.

• God would say to us, You must be careful about this military matter and follow what Scripture says. One of the greatest things in such a matter is to be of one mind about it. If we are of one mind God can act for us more easily.

T.S. You were saying he was a household man. Would that be prominent in him rather than the soldier character?

J.T. Quite so; he was, under God, anticipating what he was coming into; he was pious. Why cannot the gentiles be pious? Can we not detect that there have been pious persons throughout the ages before christianity? Even the Jewish economy provided for strangers, involving God's sovereign work.

J.R.H. Would you get remarkable examples of that in Melchisedec and Hiram, king of Tyre?

J.T. You would, and in the magi of the east. God is the God of the gentiles and has never ceased to be that.

W.S. The household setting is important at Philippi; you have the household of the jailor especially referred to, and the household of Lydia, and in connection with these households baptism is introduced.

J.T. Quite so. It is clear that the household was in God's mind in relation to christianity, but it did not come into evidence so much until we come to Cornelius.

• I believe Paul's ministry is in mind as developing the household, which should contribute to the assembly. This man is anticipating that.

• Our subject is the Spirit viewed objectively. We have to view Him objectively as operating in new birth, according to John's way of presenting Him; and now He is clearly operating in view of Paul. The household has a great place under Paul.

A.E.H. Is the word "pious" an allusion to the presence of the Spirit? Paul tells us there is a great mystery attached to piety, and being used in connection with these men I wondered if it was an allusion, although not named, to the presence of the Spirit there.

J.T. The word would allude to God being apprehended in some way, but it is greatly strengthened by the additional phrase, "fearing God". In fact, piety involves the fear of God, it really means that you are letting God into your circumstances.

• The additional word, "fearing God with all his house", is remarkable; the house is not moving without him.

• In John 4 we have a household brought in with a somewhat different wording; it is said that the nobleman believed, "himself and his whole house", verse 53. That is, he himself believed first, which is the right order; and then the Spirit of God seems to stress the household by itself, as the wife and the children, and they believed also.

• It is not that the nobleman believed with his house, but "and his house", which, I believe, conveys somewhat more than we have here.

• What is stressed here is the influence of the centurion over his house; it is put,
  • "Cornelius, a centurion of the band called Italic, pious, and fearing God with all his house".

• That is, it is his matter, but they are in it with him; they are not viewed as fearing God by themselves.

R.W.S. Would the Spirit observe that he was not a careless man about early spiritual impressions received? It says,

• "… both giving much alms to the people, and supplicating God continually", verse 2,

• as if he did what he could without having the Spirit of God in him.

J.T. What he needed therefore was the gospel. There was something there. God had come into his circumstances and I think the Spirit of God is putting before us this question of material already affected by God for this great matter.

J.R.H. You said that God takes account of any good there is in a man, instancing Abimelech in his integrity of heart. Would that be in line with this?

J.T. Yes. Wherever you get persons favourable to God and His people, God takes account of it.

• The gentiles are not so inclined naturally. Romans 1 tells us what we are by nature; therefore if any different condition exists, it is the result of God operating.

• There are many instances throughout the Scriptures of persons who were affected by God. Take Oman, the Jebusite, and his attitude as to the site of the temple, something had been divinely effected in him; and there are many others like that, Rahab for instance.

• We must always take account of God's universal activities. Abimelech should be noted. God acknowledged integrity in his heart; he had at least the idea of fearing God. Genesis 20.

• God drew very near to him and spoke to him feelingly, saying He had withheld him from sinning against Him. He seized the opportunity of speaking to the king, telling him that He knew of the integrity of his heart as to Sarah.
  • "And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and bondmen and bondwomen, and gave them to Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife", Genesis 20: 14.

J.T. That is a genuine case.

L.K. What would you say about Cornelius supplicating God continually and never having heard the gospel?

J.T. He was doing well, showing what the work of God may be without the gospel. But God says, This man must have the gospel; he must be delivered, he must be in the liberty of christianity.

• The case is remarkable, because it is while the assemblage was listening to Peter that the Holy Spirit fell upon them. How much the Holy Spirit must have liked that man and those gathered! He did not even wait for Peter to finish his word; He fell upon them while Peter was speaking.

J.W.D. The Lord Jesus in His own work seems often to select persons like the woman in John 4, who was a noted sinner; but the Spirit in His sovereign, special work seems to operate in connection with material made suitable through formation having already taken place.

J.T. I should think that in the woman's case it is to bring out the matter of wholly unaffected raw material. Hers was a long-standing case, but it brings out what can be done, how difficulties can be surmounted. Hence the Lord takes great pains with her. She is the very opposite to Cornelius.

A.E.H. I suppose in Nicodemus we find the Lord dealing with one similar to this man; new birth was evidently there.

J.T. I would say that, but not so active in its results as here. The centurion is ready; we do not get that in Nicodemus. It took a long time to get him out of what he was in; in John 7 he is still seen as a member of the council. He did not move quickly, but this man is ready.

J.D. Are you stressing the importance of the work of the Holy Spirit apart from all other things, operating sovereignly in the introduction of the gentiles.

J.T. That is right, not letting anyone else in. It is clear Cornelius was affected by God because he feared Him, and not only so but he gave much alms, not a mere pittance:

• "both giving much alms to the people, and supplicating God continually".

• That is a remarkable evidence of the work of God.

R.A. Do you think his prayers would be on the line of the state of the people, and that God could take account of his prayers as one who had given much?

J.T. He is like God in giving. This is all-important; foundational in what we are dealing with, the incoming of the gentiles.

• The Spirit had thus created a condition in Caesarea to effect this great matter, that this remarkable incident might take place, and we should remember that.

• Philip too was moving in this direction; Scripture does not say he evangelised in Caesarea, but later he lived there.

A.H.P. Would this not remain in Peter's history? He would understand that he was not the initiator of the work, but God Himself.

J.T. Yes, but as to instrumentality, it is "first Peter;" Philip is subordinate. He was found at Azotus and worked along to Caesarea, but it does not say he worked in Caesarea. I suppose he linked on with Peter's work.

W.L. Is this a general principle, that the incoming of the gentiles still necessitates the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit?

J.T. That is what Paul stresses in Romans, that wherever God is working, whether among the gentiles or among the Jews, He recognises His own work. It is said,

• "If therefore the uncircumcision keep the requirements of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision, and uncircumcision by nature, fulfilling the law, judge thee, who, with letter and circumcision, art a law-transgressor? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither that circumcision which is outward in flesh; but he is a Jew who is so inwardly; and circumcision, of the heart, in spirit, not in letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God", Romans 2: 26-29.

• That is Cornelius and God is showing objectively that there is material coming into the assembly that is equal to what is among the Jews. It is a question of what is inward in a man, and what is inward in a man for God is effected by God.

J.W.D. Would you say this was special? Would you conceive of such an advanced state in connection with new birth today without the Spirit?

J.T. I would; there are many corresponding results.

A.N.W. Cornelius was not yet saved?

J.T. No, that is after you have believed the gospel of your salvation,

• "in whom ye also have trusted, having heard the word of the truth, the glad tidings of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise", Ephesians 1: 13.

• He had not believed the gospel of salvation, it had not been presented to him yet, but it is about to be presented through Peter. Clearly he and those gathered with him believed it, for, as the preaching went on, the Spirit fell upon them.

W.L. Would you say the work of the preacher links on with the work of the Holy Spirit?

J.T. Yes. The work of the Holy Spirit may take place in the gospel and persons be converted, as in Peter's case at Caesarea, and clearly the Spirit operated in those three thousand at Jerusalem; otherwise they would not have believed as they did.

S.McC. Do you view in new birth the action of the Spirit from the standpoint of His sovereignty as a divine Person, or as an instrumental power or agency, or both?

• I am thinking of the Lord Jesus in relation to creation. In Colossians He is alluded to in both ways, as acting in sovereignty in His power as a divine Person, and as the instrument, all things being created by Him.

J.T. I understand that the Spirit operates sovereignly in relation to the light.

• New birth is not presented as the effect of light, it is presented as the immediate work of the Spirit in a person. The Lord said to Nicodemus,
  • "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except any one be born anew he cannot see the kingdom of God", John 3: 3.

• The light stands in relation to the kingdom; new birth is an act by itself, so that without it "he cannot see the kingdom of God". That means he has no light at all.

• Before new birth he had no power to see, but now he has and what he sees is what the light discloses. Light contemplates the objective side of the truth, and the gospel is the full thought of it.

• So what Cornelius needed here was the gospel; he already, clearly, was the subject of the Spirit's work.

J.R.H. Perhaps that helps as to the matter of directions. Cornelius gets his directions from the angel, but Peter from the Spirit.

J.T. Quite so; with Cornelius distance is still there. He could not say, "Abba, Father", intelligently or feelingly, because he did not have deliverance. Light is necessary, too, but deliverance lies in the Spirit.

J.D. He was ready now, according to the quotation from Ephesians, for the word of the truth, the gospel of his salvation, through Peter.

A.N.W. So would new birth be indicated in the first day of creation, and the presentation of the gospel as light on the fourth day?

J.T. I think that is a good way to put it. The word is, "Let there be light", the light was caused to shine.

• I think the subjective work on the third day corresponds with that. We are not told what the light was on the first day.

• It is on the third day you have the subjective thought, that is, the earth brings forth of itself; the principle of bringing forth is there.

• Then on the fourth day there is the light from heaven, or in heavenly bodies regulating everything here below. I believe it is on the fourth day you have the gospel, that is, Christ above.

S.McC. Do you view the source of new birth to be in God, as we know Him, as the power through which it is done, or do you look at the source of it as in the Spirit Himself?

J.T. The Spirit Himself, although it is God's work. One of the features of the truth which is before us is that the Spirit is God. He is no less than God:

• "in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit", Ephesians 2: 22.

• It is God here in Spirit, so that what the Spirit does, God does. Therefore when Peter gives the account in Acts 11: 17 of what the Spirit had done, he says,
  • "who indeed was I to be able to forbid God?"

• The Spirit had acted, Peter tells them that, which meant it was God that acted.

J.D. In our first reading you spoke of the indirect reference to the deity of the Spirit in chapter 5, which might be quoted here:

• "Thou has not lied to men, but to God", verse 4.

• Verse 3 says it was to the Holy Spirit they had lied.

J.T. That is right; and thirdly in verse 9 it is "the Spirit of the Lord", against whom they had sinned, so the three divine Persons are there.

A.N.W. The sovereignty of the Spirit is seen in the part of the verse you quoted in John 3: 8, "The wind blows where it will".

S.McC. When the Lord says in John 6: 44,

• "No one can come to me except the Father who has sent me draw him",

• does He have in mind new birth?

J.T. I think it is more, because it is the Lord personally set before the soul, which is by the gospel.

• So not only is there the work of the Comforter, but the drawing power of the Father to Christ; hence the three divine Persons are always operating in the salvation of one soul.

W.L. I was wondering how John 16: 13 would fit into this. It says,

• "But when he is come, the Spirit of truth, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak".

J.T. The Lord is there presenting the Spirit as subject, but He is God, let us never forget that!

• We cannot define the Trinity. It is the Persons in relation to each other, but God is worshipped. If God is operating we cannot say the Spirit is not operating; it is by the Spirit He is doing things.

J.W. What is the force of the scripture,

• "My Father worketh hitherto and I work", John 5: 17?

J.T. The Father is operating; I suppose that carries you back to Genesis. And now the Son having come He is working by Himself, as it were. We must always consider the context.

• We are reminded that divine Persons work severally, but when we have God we cannot say the Spirit is not there.

J.W. It does not mean the Father has ceased to work?

J.T. Not at all. "I work", the Lord says, but there is no thought of the Father ceasing to work.

A.A.T. In this chapter do we see the second key of the kingdom?

J.T. That is right; the first key is mentioned as used in chapter two.

• This is a very important transaction. There are primarily unspoken transactions evidenced in Cornelius' state and in the state of his house. But now the Holy Spirit comes in as a superintending Person and says to Peter,
  • "Behold, three men seek thee; but rise up, go down, and go with them, nothing doubting, because I have sent them", verses 19 20.

• The "I" is emphatic. We are in the presence of an operating Person, a superintending Person, but in conditions that He has already effected without announcing Himself.

H.B. Would you say how this direct speaking compares with the ecstasy and vision in the early part of the chapter?

J.T. What things were happening! One might have said, Surely God is not in this place. But if you look at this account of Cornelius you see that God is in this place. He is not showing Himself, but the effect of His presence is there.

• Who effected this ecstasy in Peter? It is all preparatory. We are in the presence of one of the greatest operations of God, the incoming of the gentiles. And see what material He had! He is operating there also.

• So the Spirit comes in at the proper time and commands and directs Peter, saying,
  • "I have sent them".

• Where did they come from? They came from Cornelius, but the Spirit says that He sent them.

J.D. Do you think it is possible to discern in our inward souls which divine Person is speaking and directing? Can you discern between the Lord's voice and the Spirit's voice and the Father's voice? S

J.T. Very little can be said. The Spirit is the great mediatorial Operator here below. We have to allow for other things, especially the mutually relative positions the Persons have taken in the economy. The Father and the Son come down in the Spirit

• He is the great subjective Operator down here, but He is more than that: He is the superintending Operator representing God, and yet Himself God.

• There is, however, much said in Scripture to indicate that in divine speakings the Person who speaks is to be apprehended by the hearer or hearers.

F.K.C. Is it not remarkable the amount of detail in connection with this matter? It is said in our chapter that Cornelius

• "saw plainly in a vision, about the ninth hour of the day", verse 3.

• Then you get Peter lodging
  • "with a certain Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea", verse 6;

• and then you get him going to the roof top at the sixth hour of the day. Do you think the Spirit works in connection with such details?

J.T. Surely; the Spirit says, "I have sent them". Externally Cornelius had sent them, showing the Spirit is working in an unseen way up to this point.

• Well, the thought for us is, are we cognisant of what we are connected with in the realm of the Spirit? He does not always show Himself but you feel His power. The whole scene here indicates it; He says, "I have sent them".

• You would not have thought it from the facts related. What do we know of this power? What has happened today? Can I trace what part the Holy Spirit has had in my history today?

J.W.D. Do you mean that you may be speaking to God or to Christ as to matters, but the outstanding way the Spirit has His place in the economy is before you?

J.T. Quite so. The Father and the Son are presented as the Persons to be addressed in the economy.

• At the same time the Spirit is here operating every day, and at night in the wakeful hours you can go back and weigh what has happened in your history. Our histories are recorded in heaven, and why not keep them ourselves? Why not keep our own histories?
  • Paul says, "forgetting the things behind, and stretching out to the things before", Philippians 3: 13,

• but he does not mean us to forget what the Holy Spirit has done in us. It is a question of going back with God and seeing what your history has been.

A.E.H. This is a remarkable thing: a man is upstairs and he gets word that there are three men at the door. That is quite definite. Are you suggesting that if we are spiritually sensitive enough we shall be ready to be used in such a transaction, as is in mind here?

J.T. Yes. Peter is presented to us here as a man available in this great matter. He was already designated as to it.

• The Lord says, "I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens", Matthew 16: 19;

• they are given to him dispensationally. He had said, "thou art Peter", verse 18, meaning he could be regarded as a spiritual individual; the thought was that he should be that concretely.

• In Matthew the Lord says, "thou art Peter", but in John 1: 42, He says,
  • "thou shalt be called Cephas (which interpreted is stone)".

• He would be called that when the characteristic showed itself, but in the Lord's mind he was that from the outset. He is a great spiritual product, the leading man on earth at that time and capable of being used in this way.

• So we are on spiritual ground now and it relates to the spiritual forefathers of the gentiles. God is saying, I am having to do with the gentiles all the time – and here is the great product of His work.

• He is going to take up this man to show how the keys were used by Peter; therefore what is subsequent to this brings out what a great man Peter was. It is in his own account in chapter eleven that you see how thoroughly he had come to understand it. He did not baptise these brethren,
  • "he commanded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord";

• not to it, but in it, as if the Holy Spirit had come down. They are to be baptised in the name of the Lord, which involves the power of it.

J.Van. Do we not see obedience throughout this chapter? The Spirit is given to them that obey God.

J.T. It is an illustration of that. Peter himself had said,

• "and the Holy Spirit also, which God has given to those that obey Him", Acts 5: 32.

• These did so in a remarkable way!

L.K. What would be the character of the Spirit's special operations? It speaks of a "vision" with Cornelius, and of an "ecstasy" with Peter. What would the vision infer today?

J.T. Of course we cannot say very much as from experience, but it is clear that Cornelius was ready for the vision. He was not greatly perturbed, he did not fall down like Daniel. It says of him,

• "Cornelius … saw plainly in a vision, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius. But he, having fixed his eyes upon him, and become full of fear, said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Thy prayers and thine alms have gone up for a memorial before God", verses 1-4.

• So he is not rendered in any way helpless, he does what is just right. This is an arranged matter. When God prepared the heavens, it says wisdom was there, Proverbs 8: 27. God has His man, He knows His man and the vision does not overwhelm him. It is right he should fear, but he is in a suitable state to take the words in and to act on them.

• Then the next thing is that Peter went up on the house to pray and he was hungry;
  • "But as they were making ready an ecstasy came upon him: and he beholds the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as a great sheet, bound by the four corners and let down to the earth; in which were all the quadrupeds and creeping things of the earth, and the fowls of the heaven. And there was a voice to him, Rise, Peter, slay and eat", verses 10-13.

• That is, as being shown everything he also is prepared. Cornelius had been called by name, but now it is Peter, so that all the persons are suitable for this great matter.

• Then this great sheet is seen coming down – what a wonderful thing! It happened three times. It is a determined matter in heaven and on earth, everything is in order so that this wonderful event should happen. The sheet comes down and goes up, comes down and goes up, comes down and goes up, and stays.

• Then this doubting of Peter's – what does it mean? There was need that this vision should be pondered over. Then the Holy Spirit comes and says something to Peter.

Rem. These two men are going on the principle of what is individual. Each of them is alone in this exercise.

J.T. That is the way it stands. The two outstanding characters are Cornelius and Peter; both are being prepared for their part in this remarkable administrative transaction.

• Peter had a great place, his very name shows this – it is not Simon, but "Rise, Peter;" it is a spiritual name.

• So whatever agency and details there are, you can see it is all a divine matter; while the Holy Spirit comes in here openly, He has been in it all the time really. He is the great Operator here below, but now He is showing Himself.

S.McC. In connection with the thought of not addressing the Holy Spirit objectively in prayer, do you think we can have communion with the Spirit secretly, individually?

J.T. I think so. I think that is implied in "the communion of the Holy Spirit", 2 Corinthians 13: 14.

• What is impressing me in all this is that, being in His realm professedly, we are in the realm of divine Persons; and it is stressed here what preparation there was for this great transaction.

• Well, now, to instance these meetings, what preparation has there been for them? God is operating in a wide field. Each of us, especially if we have to take part in them, can detect what has happened in his own soul in view of these meetings. Before such an occasion we are to be in relation to heaven day and night; not simply when we are here, but in view of being here.

A.T. Would the four days in verse 30 imply preparation? Cornelius says,

• "Four days ago I had been fasting".

• Then at the end of the chapter is there the thought of the continuing activity of the Spirit when
  • "they begged him to stay some days", verse 48 – no definite period?

J.T. All that raises considerable questioning in your mind: what doubtfulness there was, and what of these agencies used, and how are days and hours taken account of?

• We are in time yet and God was the first to use time. He made it and He was the first to use it. We are reminded how we are to use time and what happens in time, what happens in each one in his own history. That is a most important matter, that you follow up your own history and go back to the beginning of it.

• Then I suppose the end of the chapter would mean that Peter had acquired a great place in the house of this man. In the previous chapter it is said,
  • "And it came to pass that he remained many days in Joppa with a certain Simon, a tanner", verse 43.

• Now he is begged to remain here. It would show the servant had acquired a great place, which was to be expected. If God is using a brother it is rare that those he serves do not beg him to stay.

J.R.H. I would like help as to the way the Holy Spirit is often mentioned with the article left out. For instance in verse 38,

• "How God anointed him with [the] Holy Spirit and with power";

• then in verse 44, "While Peter was yet speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the word".

• What distinction is there?

J.T. The article is much more used in the original than appears in the Authorised Version. Mr. Darby's version usually indicates where it is left out.

• Its presence very often simply indicates a distinguished Person; but when it is left out before the title Lord or Spirit, this indicates what is characteristic rather than what is personal.
  • (J.N.D., as to the Greek article, says, 'whenever a word, or combination of words, presents the object about which the mind is occupied, as objectively present to it, the article is used; whenever a word is merely characteristic, it is not', Collected Writings 13: 46.)

• So that here where it is left out it means that the anointing was the point. But in verse 44 the Holy Spirit as a divine Person is in mind; it is not God anointing them there, but the Spirit falling on them; the Spirit is stressed.
  • "While Peter was yet speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the word";

• our minds are directed to the Person of the Spirit, it is His action. He has been watching the whole proceeding. The word anointing is not the point, it is that
  • He "fell upon all those who were hearing the word",

• as the father fell on the prodigal. It is an energetic action which indicates His interest in them.

R.W.S. Chapter 2 speaks of Him as being poured out; in chapter 8 of His being received; but here He is falling. Is this the most emphatic way of the Spirit Himself coming?

J.T. I think it is. The Spirit is stressed here peculiarly; the chapter says, He "fell upon all those who were hearing the word", showing their state is in mind. Then it is said,

• "And the faithful of the circumcision were astonished, as many as came with Peter, that upon the nations also the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out; for they heard them speaking with tongues and magnifying God", verses 45-46.

• That is to say, the result is much the same as at Pentecost; our position in the economy is on much the same level as that of the Jews; the work of God here is similar to when they were brought in.

J.R.H. Chapter 11: 15 shows that the same expression is used,

• "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them even as upon us also at the beginning".

J.T. Quite so; it is God honouring this great position that we are in. We are not a subordinate element; the full idea is among the gentiles.

V.C. Was it the action of the Spirit in two cases, those of Cornelius and the eunuch, but the direct action of the Lord in another case, that of Saul of Tarsus?

J.T. It was the Lord; quite so. There is nothing said of the Spirit in Paul's case until Ananias says to him,

• "And now why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised, and have thy sins washed away, calling on his name", Acts 22: 16

• It is in Paul's second account of his conversion. It was in that connection that he received the Spirit. The Lord would say, This is My man! not Peter, but Paul.

R.A. Thinking of Cornelius as an initial work of the Spirit and working around that, Ecclesiastes 1: 6 says:

• "The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about towards the north: it turneth about continually, and the wind returneth again to its circuits".

• Is that the way the Spirit works?

J.T. There is, no doubt, a link there with our chapter. This is one of the most important transactions in the Scriptures! Certainly the wind turned around here.

• Philip was in mind too, he came up in that direction; and a little while afterwards Paul was there for two years, a prisoner. It was a very important point.

V.de Z. You were speaking about the energetic action of the Spirit, as though the Spirit was waiting for Peter's words in verse 43,

• "To him all the prophets bear witness that every one that believes on him will receive through his name remission of sins".

• It was a right moment, was it not?

J.T. Yes, every one.

J.H. Does the state of the subject have to do with the approach of divine Persons toward him? I was thinking of Paul, his state required the assertion of authority, to bring about subjection; whereas the eunuch and Cornelius seem to have been subject and teachable persons.

J.T. Yes; and then Paul's distinctive place: he was not first thought of just then, he was in the mind of God, separated from his birth for the service to which he was called. A light from heaven shone round about him! Did ever another man have such distinction in that sense, save the Lord Himself, who was addressed from the opened heaven at the Jordan?

Rem. When Paul went up to Jerusalem and spent fifteen days with Peter, they would, no doubt, discuss this great matter of the pouring out of the Spirit.

J.T. Fifteen days – two Lord's days, I suppose.

• "I went up to Jerusalem to make acquaintance with Peter, and I remained with him fifteen days", Galatians 1: 18.

A.A.T. I notice Peter speaks of God definitely at the end,

• "who indeed was I to be able to forbid God?" verse 17.

• We were speaking of the Spirit having fallen upon them, but Peter brings God in.

J.T. It is God. The Holy Spirit is God down here. It is God's own action, but it is presented as the Spirit's action. It is a precious thought that we may be in touch with the Spirit in a personal way.

• "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God", Romans 8: 16.

• That is something we are to understand.

A.E.H. Is there not something to be specially noted in what these people heard? Mr. Darby gives a note in regard to "word" and "words" in verse 44; they are different. Peter was speaking certain "words", but they were hearing the "word". Does it not refer to the inwards of God, of which you were speaking earlier.

J.T. Yes. The first one in verse 44 is rhema, which is also used in relation to the framing of the worlds:

• "By faith we apprehend that the worlds were framed by the word of God", Hebrews 11: 3.

• The other is logos, which means not only what is said, but what is in the mind of the speaker as to the matter spoken of.

N.B. "But the Spirit speaks expressly, that in latter times some shall apostatise from the faith, giving their mind to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons speaking lies in hypocrisy", 1 Timothy 4: 1-2.

• How would the Spirit speak thus?

J.T. There it would be a prophetic communication to Paul himself. We can hardly look for a word in such a definite prophetic sense now. It is similar to what is said in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3:

• "He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies".

• But this is an express word.