Bond of iniquity.] An allusion to the mode in which the Romans secured their prisoners, chaining the right hand of the prisoner to the left hand of the soldier who guarded him; as if the apostle had said, thou art tied and bound by the chain of thy sin; justice hath laid hold upon thee, and thou hast only a short respite before thy execution, to see if thou wilt repent. Verse 24. Pray ye to the Lord for me] The words of Peter certainly made a deep impression on Simon's mind; and he must have had a high opinion of the apostles' sanctity and influence with God, when he thus commended himself to their prayers. And we may hope well of his repentance and salvation; if the reading of the Codex Beza, and the margin of the latter Syriac, may be relied on: Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none (TOUTWY TWY xaxWY) OF ALL THOSE EVILS which ye have spoken, (μoi) TO ME, may come upon me : (05 п0λλx|| xhziwv ou diɛkiμπayev) who wept greatly, and did NOT CEASE. That is, he was an incessant penitent. However, favourably this or any other MS. may speak of Simon; he is generally supposed to have grown worse and worse, opposing the apostles and the Christian doctrine, and deceiving many cities and provinces by magical operations; till being at Rome, in the reign of the emperor Claudius, he boasted that he could fly, and when exhibiting before the emperor and the senate, St. Peter and St. Paul being present, who knew that his flying was occasioned by magic, prayed to God that the people might be undeceived, and that his power might fail; in consequence of which he came tumbling down, and died soon after of his bruises.' This account comes in a most questionable shape, and has no evidence which can challenge ourassent. To me, it and the rest of the things spoken of Simon the sorcerer, appear utterly unworthy of credit. Calmet makes a general collection of what is to be found in Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Tertullian, Eusebius, Theodoret, Augustin, and others, on the subject of Simon Magus; and to him, if the Reader think it worth the pains, he may refer. The substance of these accounts is given above, and in the note on ver. 9. and to say the least of them, they are all very dubious. The tale of his having an altar erected to him at Rome, with the inscription Simoni sancto Deo, "To the Holy God Simon," has been founded on an utter mistake, and has been long ago sufficiently confuted. See the inscriptions in Gruter, Vol. I. p. xcvi. inscript. No. 5, 6, 7. Verse 25. And they, when they had preached-returned to Jerusalem] That is, Peter and John returned, after they had borne testimony to, and confirmed the work which Philip had wrought. Verse 26. Arise, and go toward the south] How circumstantially particular are these directions! Every thing is so precisely marked, that there is no danger of the apostle missing his way. He is to perform some great duty; but what, he is not informed. The road which he is to take, is marked out; but what he is to do in that road, or how far he is to proceed, he is not told! It is GOD who employs him, and requires of him implicit obedience. If he do his will, according to the present direction, he shall know by the issue, that God hath sent him on an errand worthy of his wisdom and goodness. We have a similar instance of circumstantial direction from God in chap. ix. 11. Arise, go into the street called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one Saul of Tarsus, &c. And another instance, still more particular, in chap. x. 5, 6. Send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter; he lodgeth with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea side. God never sends any man on a message, without giving him such directions as shall prevent all mistakes and miscarriages, if simply and implicitly followed. This is also strictly true of the doctrines contained in his word: no soul ever missed salvation, that simply followed the directions given in the word of God. Those who will refine upon every thing; question the divine testimony and dispute with their Maker; cannot be saved. And how many of this stamp are found, even among Christians, professing strict godliness! Gaza, which is desart.] AUT E5 Epruos, this is the desart, or, this is in the desart. Gaza was a town about two miles and a half from the sea side; it was the last town which a traveller passed through, when he went from Phonicia to Egypt; and was at the entrance into a wilderness, according to the account given by Arrian in Exped. Alex. lib. 2. cap. 26. p. 102. [Ed. Gronov.] that it was the last inhabited town, as a man goes from Phænicia to Egypt, ET T apn 5 Epnuov, on the commencement of the desart. See Bp. Pearce. Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the word desart is added here, because at that time the ancient Gaza was actually desart, having been destroyed by Alexander, and μενουσα έρημος, Philip being sent to Gaza, A.M.cir.4036. A. D. cir. 32. a cir. CCII. 4. 27 And he arose and went and, queen of the Ethiopians, who had the A. M.cir. 4036. An. Olymp. behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eu-charge of all her treasure, and had An. Olymp. nuch of great authority under Candace come to Jerusalem, for to worship, b A. D. cir. 32. cir. CCII. 4. a Zeph. 3. 10. remaining desart, as Strabo, lib. xvi. p. 1102. says; and that the angel mentioned this desart Gaza, to distinguish it from another city of the same name, in the tribe of Ephraim, not far from the place where Philip now was. On this we may observe, that although Gaza was desolated by Alexander the Great, as were several other cities, yet it was afterwards rebuilt by Gabinius. See Josephus Ant. lib. xv. cap. v. sect. 3. And writers of the first century, represent it as being flourishing and populous in their times. See Wetstein. Schoettgen thinks that eruos desart, should be referred, not to Gaza, but to odos the way; and that it signifies a road that was less frequented. If there were two roads to Gaza from Jerusalem, as some have imagined (see Rosenmuller), the eunuch might have chosen that which was desart, or less frequented, for the sake of privacy, in his journeying religious exercises. Verse 27. A man of Ethiopia] Avrp A should be translated an Ethiopian, for the reasons given on chap. vii. ver. 2. An eunuch] See this word interpreted, on Matt. xix. 12. The term eunuch was given to persons in authority at court, to whom its literal meaning did not apply. Potiphar was probably a eunuch only as to his office; for he was a married man. See Gen. xxxvii. 36. xxxix. 1. And it is likely that this Ethiopian was of the same sort. Of great authority] Avvass a prefect, lord-chamberlain of the royal household; or, rather, her treasurer, for it is here said, he had charge of all her treasure, y ε Tys yarns autys. The Greek word Tata Gaza is generally allowed to be Persian, from the authority of Servius, who, in his comment on Æn. lib. i. ver. 118. Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto ; Arma virúm, tabulæque, & Troia Gaza per undas. "And here and there above the waves are seen Arms, pictures, precious goods, and floating men. DRYDEN. The words of Servius are, “Gaza Persicus sermo est, et significat divitias; unde Gaza urbs in Palæstina dicitur, quod in ea Cambyses rex Persarum cum Ægiptiis bellum inferret divitias suas condidit." GAZA is a Persian word, and signifies RICHES: hence Gaza, a city in Palestine, was so called, because Cambyses, king of Persia, laid up his treasures in it, when he waged war with the Egyptians. The nearest Persian word of this signification which I find is, gunch, or ganz, and guncha, which signify a magazine, store, hoard, or hidden treasure. The Arabic & chuzaneh, comes as near as the Persian, with انه b John 12. 20. the same meaning. Hence makhzen, called magazen by the Spaniards, and magazine by the English; a word which signifies a collection of stores or treasures, or the place where they are laid up. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that this name is given also to certain monthly publications, which are, or profess to be a store of treasures, or repository of || precious or valuable things. But who was Candace? It is granted that she is not found in the common lists of Ethiopic sovereigns, with which we have been favoured. But neither the Abyssinians nor the Jews admitted women in their genealogies. I shall not enter into this controversy, and shall content myself with quoting the words of Mr. Bruce. "It is known," says he, "from credible writers engaged in no controversy, that this Candace reigned upon the Nile in Atbara, near Egypt. Her capital also was taken in the time of Augustus, a few years before the conversion of the slave by Philip; and we shall have occasion often to mention her successors and her kingdom, as existing in the reign of the Abyssinian kings, long after the Mohammedan conquest: they existed when I passed through Atbara, and do undoubtedly exist there to this day." Bruce's Travels, Vol. II. page 431. It does not appear, as some have imagined, that the Abyssinians were converted to the Christian faith by this eunuch, nor by any of the apostles; as there is strong historic evidence that they continued Jews. and Pagans for more than three hundred years after the Christian æra. sion is with great probability attributed to Frumentius, sent to Abyssinia for that purpose by Athanasius, Bp. of Alexandria, about A. D. 330. See Bruce, as above. Their conver The Ethiopians mentioned here, are those who inhabited the isle or peninsula of Meroë, above and southward of Egypt. It is the district which Mr. Bruce calls Atbara, and which he proves formerly bore the name of Meroë. This place, according to Diodorus Siculus, had its name from Meroe, daughter of Cambyses, king of Persia; who died there in the expedition which her father undertook against very district the Ethiopians. Strabo mentions a queen in this named Candace: his words are remarkable. Speaking of an insurrection of the Ethiopians against the Romans, he says, Τούτων δ' ησαν και οι της βασιλίσσης σρατηγοι της Κανδάκης, η καθ' ημας ήρξε των Αιθιοπων, ανδρικη τις γυνή, πεπηρωμένη τον οφθαλμον, Among these were the officers of Queen CANDACE, who in our days reigned over the Ethiopians. She was a masculine woman, and blind of one eye." Though this could not have been the Candace men 66 tioned in the text, it being a little before the Christian æra: lieve this; and farther, that the 45th Psalm was a prophecy yet it establishes the fact, that a queen of this name, did reign || of her journey to Jerusalem; that she was accompanied by a in this place; and we learn from others, that it was a common daughter of Hiram, from Tyre; and that the latter part of the name to the queens of Ethiopia. Pliny, giving an account Psalm, is a prophecy of her having a son by Solomon, and of of the report made by Nero's messengers, who were sent to his ruling over the Gentiles." Travels, Vol. II. page 395, &c. examine this country, says, Edifici oppidi (Meroes) pauca: All this being granted, and especially the scripture fact of regnare fæminam CANDACEN; quod nomen multis jam annis the queen of Sheba's visit, and the great probability, supad reginas transit. Hist. Nat. lib. vi. cap. 29. ad fin. They ported by uninterrupted tradition, that she established the Jewreported, that "the edifices of the city were few: that a wo- ish religion in her dominions, on her return; we may at once man reigned there of the name of Candace; which name had see that the eunuch in question, was a descendant of those passed to their queens successively, for many years." To Jews; or that he was a proselyte in his own country, to the one of those queens, the eunuch in the text belonged: and Jewish faith; and was now come up at the great feast, to the above is sufficient authority to prove that queens of this worship God at Jerusalem. Mr. Bruce may be right; but name, reigned over this part of Ethiopia. some think that Saba, in Arabia Fælix, is meant; see the note on Matt. xii. 42. Had come to Jerusalem for to worship] Which is a proof that he was a worshipper of the God of Israel; but how came Verse 28. Sitting in his chariot, read Esaias the prophet.] be acquainted with the Jewish religion? Let us for a little, He had gone to Jerusalem to worship; he had profited by examine this question. In 1 Kings x. 1, &c. we have the his religious exercises, and even in travelling, he is improving account of the visit paid to Solomon by the queen of Sheba; his time. God sees his simplicity and earnestness, and prothe person to whom our Lord refers, Matt. xii. 42. and Luke vides him an instructor, who should lead him into the great xi. 31. It has been long credited by the Abyssinians that truths of the gospel; which, without such an one, he could this queen, who by some is called Balkis, by others Maqueda, || not have understood. Many, after having done their duty, as was not only instructed by Solomon in the Jewish religion, they call it, in attending a place of worship, forget the erbut also established it in her own empire on her return: that rand that brought them thither; and spend their time on their she had a son by Solomon named Menilek, who succeeded her return, rather in idle conversation, than in reading or conin the kingdom; and from that time till the present, they versing about the word of God. It is no wonder that such have preserved the Jewish religion. Mr. Bruce throws some should be always learning, and never able to come to the light upon this subject, the substance of what he says, is the knowledge of the truth. following; "There can be no doubt of the expedition of the queen of Sheba ; as Pagan, Moor, Arab, Abyssinian and all || the countries round, vouch for it, nearly in the terms of Scripture. Our Saviour calls her queen of the South; and she is called in 1 Kings x. 1, &c. 2 Chron. ix. 1, &c. queen of Sheba or Saba; for Saba, Azab and Azaba all signify the south: and she is said to have come from the uttermost parts of the earth. In our Saviour's time the boundaries of the known land southward, were Raptum or Prassum; which were the uttermost parts of the known earth, and were with great propriety so stiled by our Lord. The gold, myrrh, cassia, and frankincense which she brought with her, are all products of that country. The annals of the Abyssinians, state that she was a pagan when she left Saba or Azab, to visit Solomon; and that she was there converted and had a son by Solomon, who succeeded her in the kingdom, as stated above. All the inhabitants of this country, whether Jews or Christians, be Verse 29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip] This holy man having obeyed the first direction he received from God; and gone southward, without knowing the reason why; it was requisite that he should now be informed of the object of his mission: the Spirit said unto him, go near and join thyself, &c. The angel who had given him the first direction had departed; and the influence of the Holy Spirit now completed the information. It is likely that what the Spirit did in this case, was by a strong impression on his mind, which left him no doubt of its being from God. Verse 30. Heard him read the prophet Esaias] The eunuch it seems, was reading aloud, and apparently in Greek, for that was the common language in Egypt: and indeed almost in every place, it was understood. And it appears that it was the Greek version of the Septuagint that he was reading, as the quotation below, is from that Version. Verse 31. How can I, except some man should guide me? A G This is no proof that "the Scriptures cannot be understood without an authorized interpreter," as some of the papistical writers assert. How could the eunuch know any thing of the gospel dispensation, to which this Scripture referred? | That dispensation had not yet been proclaimed to him; he knew nothing about Jesus. But where that dispensation has been published; where the four Gospels and the apostolic epistles are at hand, every thing relative to the salvation of the soul, may be clearly apprehended by any simple upright person. There are difficulties, it is true, in different parts of the sacred writings, which neither the pope nor his conclave can solve and several, which even the more enlightened protestant cannot remove: but these difficulties do not refer to matters in which the salvation of the soul is immediately concerned they refer to such as are common to every ancient author in the universe. These difficulties being understood, add to the beauty, elegance, and justness of the language, thoughts, and turns of expression; and these, only the few who are capable of understanding, are able to relish. As to all the rest, all that relates to faith and practice, all, in which the present and eternal interest of the soul is concerned, "the wayfaring man, though a fool, (quite illiterate) shall not err therein." : That he would come up, and sit with him.] So earnestly desirous was he, to receive instruction relative to those things which concerned the welfare of his soul. с b Luke 24. 27. ch. 18. 28.- ch. 10. 47. there was any person who could appear in behalf of the cha||racter of the criminal? whether there was any who, from intimate acquaintance with his manner of life, could say any thing in his favour? This circumstance I have noticed before, and it has been particularly remarked in the case of Stephen; see at the end of chap. vii. In our Lord's case, this benevolent enquiry does not appear to have been made; and perhaps to this breach of justice, as well as of custom, the prophet refers: and this shows how minutely the conduct of those bad men was known 700 years before it took place. God can foreknow what he pleases; and can do what he pleases; and all the operations of his infinite mind are just and right. Some think that who shall declare his generation? refers to his eternal sonship; others to his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the virgin; others, to the multitudinous progeny of spiritual children, which should be born unto God, in consequence of his passion and meritorious death. Perhaps the first, is the best and most natural sense. Verse 34. Of whom speaketh the prophet this] This was a very natural enquiry: for in the text itself, and in its circumstances, there was nothing that could determine the meaning, so as to ascertain whether the prophet meant himself or some other person; and the very enquiry shews that the eunuch had thought deeply on the subject. Verse 35. Began at the same scripture] He did not conVerse 32. The place of the scripture] Пpion 5 pa- fine himself to this one scripture, but made this his text; and 75, the section, or paragraph. shewed from the general tenor of the sacred writings, that Verse 33. In his humiliation, his judgment was taken Jesus was the Christ, or Messiah; and that in his person, away] He who was the fountain of judgment and justice, had|| birth, life, doctrine, miracles, passion, death, and resurrecno justice shewn him, (mercy he needed not) in his humiliation, the scriptures of the Old Testament were fulfilled. This tion; viz. that time in which he emptied himself, and appeared preaching had the desired effect, for the eunuch was conin the form of a servant. vinced of the truth of Philip's doctrine; and desired to be baptized in the name of Jesus. Who shall declare his generation] Tyy yevɛav autou; answering to the Hebrew 1 doro, which Bp. Lowth understands as implying his manner of life. It was the custom among the Jews, when they were taking away any criminal from judgment to execution, to call out and enquire whether Verse 36. See, here is water] He was not willing to omit the first opportunity that presented itself, of his taking upon himself, the profession of the gospel. By this we may see, that Philip had explained the whole of the Christian faith Verse 37. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.] Ile believed that Jesus, whom Philip preached to him, was THE CHRIST or Messiah; and consequently the Son of God. to him; and the way by which believers were brought into ried off Philip in some such manner as the Apocrypha reprethe Christian church. sents the transportation of Habakkuk, who was taken up by the hair of the head, and carried from Judea to Babylon! For such an interposition, there was no need. When Philip had baptized the eunuch, the Spirit of God shewed him that it was not the will of God that he should accompany the euThis whole verse is omitted by ABCG. several others of the nuch to Meroë, but on the contrary, that he should hasten first authority, Erpen's edit. of the Arabic; the Syriac, the Cop-away to Ashdod; as God had in that, and the neighbouring tic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, and some of the Slavonic; almost all the critics declare against it as spurious. Griesbach has left it out of the text; and professor White in his Crisews says, "Hic versus, certissime delendus," this verse, most assuredly, should be blotted out. It is found in E. several others of minor importance, and in the Vulgate and Arabic. In those MSS. where it is extant, it exists in a variety of forms, though the sense is the same. Verse 38. And they went down] They alighted from the chariot into the water. While Philip was instructing him, and he professed his faith in Christ, he probably plunged himself under the water, as this was the plan which appears to have been generally followed among the Jews, in their baptisms: but the person who had received his confession of faith, was he to whom the baptism was attributed, as it was administered by his authority. Verse 39. The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip] Perhaps this means no more than, the Holy Spirit suggested to the mind of Philip that he should withdraw abruptly from the eunuch; and thus leave him to pursue his journey, reflecting on the important incidents which had taken place. Some suppose that the angel of the Lord, and the spirit of the Lord, are the same person throughout this chapter. There is a remarkable reading in the Codex Alexandrinus which exists thus in two lines: ΠΝΑΑΓΙΟΝΕΠΕΠΕΣΕΝΕΠΙΤΟΝΕΥΝΟΥΧΟΝ The spirit of the Lord fell upon the eunuch: But the angel of the Lord snatched away Philip. places, work sufficient to employ him in. Verse 40. Philip was found at Azotus] From the time. he left the eunuch, he was not heard of till he got to Azotus; which according to Dr. Lightfoot, was about 34 miles from Gaza; and probably it was near Gaza that Philip met the eunuch. The Azotus of the New Testament, is the Ashdod of the Old. It was given by Joshua to the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 47. It was one of the five lordships which belonged to the Philistines; and is a seaport town on the Mediterranean sea, between Gaza on the south, and Joppa or Jaffa on the north. Herodotus reports, lib. ii. cap. 157. that Psammeticus king of Egypt, besieged this city 29 years; which, if true, is the longest siege which any city or fortress. ever endured. Preached in all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea.] This was Cæsarea in Palestine, formerly called Strato's tower, built by Herod the Great, in honour of Augustus. There was an excellent harbour here, made by Herod; and after the destruction of Jerusalem, it became the capital of the whole land of Judea. It must be always distinguished from Casarea Philippi, which was an inland town, not far from the springs of Jordan. Whenever the word Cæsarea occurs, without Philippi, the former is intended. As Philip preached in all the cities of Palestine till he came to Cæsarea, he must have preached in the different cities of the Philistine country; Ashdod, Akkaron and Jamnia, and also in the principal parts of Samaria; as these lay in his way from Gaza to Cæsarea. As there was a readier disposition to receive the word in those places, the Spirit of the Lord, under whose guidance he acted, did not suffer him to accompany the eunuch to Abyssinia. It appears from chap. xxi. 8. that Philip settled at Cæsarea where he had a house and family; four of his unmar |