Acts 8:36-39 And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water… How is it that so few are like this eunuch is a very solemn and practical question. Some easily dispose of it. 1. They tell us, we are not now in days of persecution, and that when God tries His saints, He stands by His saints with peculiar consolations. No doubt He does so; but the Word of God that is written, not for that day, but for all days, sets before us this truth — that gladness of heart is the very element of our dispensation. 2. Neither do they dispose of this matter who account for it by the sovereignty of God — alleging that God has so appointed it, and that therefore we must be contented without it. What God's secret purposes are we know not; but what His Word is, we know — "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice." Note, then — I. HOW THE SCRIPTURE DESCRIBES THE JOY THAT IS HERE SPOKEN OF. It is especially marked out as a "fruit of the Spirit." If you turn to Philippians 1. it is described as the fruit of faith. "Your furtherance and joy of faith." In Hebrews 3. rejoicing is said to be the fruit of hope. "The rejoicing of the hope" — that rejoicing that hope giveth. It is needful to lay some stress upon this description because some imagine of joy as if it were always some ecstatic state of mind. It is rather the highest exhibition of peace. High peace and low joy come so near to one another that it would be difficult to draw the line of distinction. But joy may still stop short of that which is ecstatic. A man may be "joyful in the Lord," peacefully and quietly. And numbers imagine, too, that one who "rejoices in the Lord" is one who always rejoices in Him; as if there were no ebb and flow. But if this is a holy joy, it must be affected by sin; and you may be assured that that man's joy that is not affected by sin never came from God. It is the joy of a sailor that has faith for his cable and hope for his anchor, but he is in the midst of the stormy ocean, and continually does he stand exposed to all the changes of the storm, tempest, and the treacherous calm. It is the joy of a traveller through a wilderness, which he finds to be a wilderness, for it would show a want of sensibility (and a want of holy sense too) not to feel it so; but a man may have the keenest sense of the desolation of the wilderness, and yet realise this joy in his soul. It is the joy of a penitent; one who knows what is the element of a broken heart and contrite spirit; for where faith is repentance is, and they that have "joy in believing" know it to be the joy of a penitent spirit. It is the joy of a returning prodigal, and they who know the most of what this holy joy is can understand the most of what that state of mind is — "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." There are many things said concerning this joy which I cannot touch on. I would only say, "the stranger intermeddles not with it"; it is a joy that is "unspeakable, and full of glory." It is a union of opposites. The more a man rejoices after this sort, the lower he walks before God; the lower he walks before God, the more he ascends in holy desires after Him. II. THE INDUCEMENTS WHICH ARE GIVEN US TO GO ON OUR WAY REJOICING. 1. God's command. I do not object to its being called a high privilege; but the highest point of all is God's command, "Rejoice in the Lord alway." Do not trifle with this Word of God. It may be one of the holiest precepts if the Holy Ghost should lay this upon your soul. And if it leads us into a serious inquiry wherefore it is not so, it shall be one of the most sanctifying inquiries both as it regards the causes that lead to it and the effects that follow from it. 2. The example of the family of God (1 Thessalonians 1:6; Philippians 3:2). 3. The privileges of a believer. Does he look at God in the greatness of His perfections? All His perfections are the favour of God, the light of God's countenance, the strength of God's arm, the love of God's heart, the hearing of God's ear, and the omniscience of God's mind (to say nothing of His justice, His holiness, His faithfulness), all surround His child day by day, night by night, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Do we look at the covenant? All that I can want is there; the pardon of my sin, the acceptance of my person, the sanctification of my soul, the help to strengthen me in my hours of need. III. SOME OF THOSE HINDRANCES THAT PREVENT THE CHILD OF GOD FROM "GOING ON HIS WAY REJOICING." I do not speak now of those who have no right to joy. Ah! there are some whose joy I should be glad to see turned into heaviness. And there are numbers of God's children that cannot rejoice. They are living at an uncertainty with regard to their "election to God." But with regard to those who do know something of what joy is, let me give you a word of caution that you lose it not. Beware of — 1. Unbelief. It is the great hindrance (Psalm 77.). It led Asaph to write hard things, not only against himself, but against God. 2. Low views of Christ; In proportion as Christ sinks, everything sinks in you. 3. A hasty spirit in dark dispensations (Psalm 116.). 4. Worldly entanglements. 5. An uneven walk. Indulged sin, indulged neglect, the tampering with sin upon the conscience will quite prevent the joy of a man's soul. 6. All selfishness in religion. (J. H. Evans, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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? |
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