the fame holy graces, which had appeared in Judea. The former were thofe alone, which attracted the attention of Simon. His avaricious heart immediately conceiving the profpect of vaft wealth to be acquired, were he once poffeffed of this fupernatural power, he offered the Apoftles a fum of money for the communication of the fecret. Peter, who faw diftinctly both his covetoufnefs and his ignorance, rebuked him in the fevereft manner, affured him that his heart was wrong altogether, and his ftate accurfed, notwithstanding his baptifm and profeffion of Christianity. At the fame time he exhorted him to repent and to feek the divine forgiveness. Here we fee how fingularly remote the religion of Jefus is from all worldly plans and fchemes, and what an awful difference there ever is between a real and a nominal Chriftian. The confcience of Simon felt the reproof: he begged the Apoftles' prayers; but it does not appear that he prayed for himfelf. Peter and John preached through many Samaritan villages, and then returned to Jerufalem.

The Samaritans, a fort of half Jews,-for they were all circumcifed,-being favoured with the fame fpiritual bleflings as the reft, the minds of Chriftians were prepared to expect a fimilar extenfion of heavenly grace to uncircumcifed idolaters. And among the wonders of divine love which we have reviewed, thefe are pleafing circumstances, that Jews and Samaritans, who, for ages, had difagreed in rites, fhould now be united in Jefus; and while each felt the fame obligations to grace, fhould have learned mutual charity for the first time.

СНАР.

I

СНАР. IV.

ETHIOPIA*.

T is inftructive to obferve, by what gentle degrees the goodnefs of God was preparing the way for the general diffufion of his grace in the world. The first Christians, even the Apostles themselves, were by no means difpofed to think with any particular compaffion of Gentiles, and would fcarce have thought of fpreading the Gofpel beyond the bounds of their own nation, had not the perfecution driven many out of Jerufalem. The teachers themselves needed to be taught of God in this part of their office. So helplefs is man in divine things, even after he has been favoured with fome fpiritual light, that by fresh communications alone, he can be induced to make any additional improvement. After Philip had finished his work at Samaria, he was, by an extraordinary commiffion, ordered to travel fouthward toward the defert. He fooon difcovered the reafon: he fell in with an Ethiopian eunuch, a minifter of Candace Queen of the Ethiopians, who had been worthiping at Jerufalem, and was returning home in his chariot. Men, who feel the worth of their fouls, will not be unemployed when alone. Their concern for their beft interefts will operate most powerfully,

• The Ethiopia to which this chapter is confined, feems to be that part of the country, whofe metropolis is called Meroe, fituated in a large ifland, encompaffed by the Nile and the rivers of Aftapus and Aftoborra: For in thefe parts (as the elder Pliny informs us) Queens had a long time governed under the title of Caudace. See Cave's Life of Philip.

powerfully, when they are moft difengaged from bufinefs. The man was reading the prophet Efaias, and the adorable Providence of God had directed him at that particular time to the fiftythird chapter, which gives fo clear a description of Chrift crucified. Philip afked him, if he underftood what he was reading. The man confeffing his ignorance, defired Philip to come and fit with him. The Evangelift took the opportunity of expounding to him the Gofpel from the paffage he was then reading, which at once lays open the guilty and the miferable flate of man, his recovery only by the grace of Jefus Chrift, the nature, end, and efficacy of his death and refurrection, and juftification before God by the knowledge of the fame Jefus and by HIS merits. The Ethiopian's mind had been prepared for the doctrine: he had been at the pains to attend Jewish inftructions, the best then to be had in the world, except the Chriftian, which he now heard, for the first time; nor had the fcandalous wickednefs of the Jewith nation. hindered him from attending that worthip, which he believed to be of Divine Origin. The ignorance of his own country fuited not even the weakest and moft glimmering light of a ferious mind., His cafe is an encouragement for men, however ignorant and miftaken at prefent, to feck earnestly to God, for HE will take care that they fhall find. The man felt himfelf guilty and wicked, and the views of the prophetical chapter before us, laid open by the preacher, difcovered to him the remedy, which it pleafed God fo powerfully to apply to his heart, that as foon as they came to a certain water, he defired to be baptized. Philip affured him that there was no impediment, if he was fincere in the faith of Chrift. On which he profeffed his belief, that the Jefus of Nazareth, whom Philip had

preached

preached to him, was indeed the Son of God prophefied of by Ifaiah, and that he answered the character of Saviour there given to him. Philip then baptized the Ethiopian, who, though his inftructor was, by the Spirit of the Lord, immediately taken from him, went on his way into his own country rejoicing*. Doubtless this joy had a folid and powerful caufe; and if this cafe be compared with that of the three thousand first converts, and both of them with the doctrine of the fifty-third chapter of Ifaiah, converfion will appear to be a spiritual internal work, humbling men for fin, and comforting them with forgiveness by Christ. The nominal profeffion, with which great numbers of perfons content themfelves, may seem to fit them for little elfe, than to difgrace Chriftianity by their practice.

It is impoffible that the Ethiopian, thus powerfully enlightened and rejoicing in God, could be filent, when he returned home. His influence and character would at least secure to him a refpectful attention from fome of his countrymen; and thus the Gospel, moft probably, was first planted in Ethiopia. But we have no more fcripture-light on the fubject.

• Acts viii.

VOL. I.

D.

CHAP.

CHA P. V.

CESAREA.

HE great mixture of Jews and Gentiles

TH

in fome of the extreme parts of the Holy Land or its neighbourhood, afforded a providential opportunity for the gradual illumination of the latter, for the abatement of Jewish bigotry, for the demonftration of Divine Grace in the falvation of all forts of men, and for the union of Chriftian hearts. Thus we find that a Church was planted at Tyre, another at Ptolemais*, places which must have abounded with Gentiles. But Cæfarea affords the most remarkable inftance of the observation juft now made. It was the refidence of the Roman Governor, and was fo fituated in the confines of Syria and Judea, that it was a matter of doubt to which region it ought to be affigned. And the final determination of this question in favour of the Syrians is mentioned by Jofephus, as one of the immediate caufes of the war, which ended with the deftruction of Jerufalem. This circumftance fhews the great importance of this city, and the ftrong intereft which both parties had in it.

Philip, after a laborious journey from Azotus, preaching in all the cities, through which he paffed, fettled at length in Cæfarea. Here he was stationary for many years t. We find him, toward the conclufion of the period of about thirty years, which takes in the history of the Acts, still fixed in the fame place, with four virgin daughters, where he entertained

Acts xxi. + Acts viii. 40. all compared with xxi. 8.

St.