THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S cial manner after conversion. Nowhere in the church epistles in which the great salvation truths and blessings in Christ are revealed, is there a word about receiving the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands or that one who had trusted in Christ and is born again should have to seek the gift of the Holy Spirit afterward.— Gaebelein. Ys. 14-17 have led to error in two direc tions. Some teach therefrom that one may believe in Christ and yet not pos sess the Holy Spirit whose reception it is claimed is distinct from regeneration. Others affirm that the laying on of hands is needful for His reception. The correction of these things is found in the dispensational character of this part of the book. The Samaritans who had a controversy with the Jews (Jn. 4:19-24), had to be Identified with those in Jerusalem after their conver sion, hence the gift of the Holy Spirit was withheld in their case until Jeru salem sent apostles to them.—-Gray. The whole of the period (Acts 2-9 inc.) is peculiar, transitional and Jewish. With the opening of the Kingdom to the Gentiles (Acts 10) we reach the normal experience for this dispensation. (See 10:44; 11:15.) Henceforth wher ever the Gospel is believed among Gen tiles, the Holy Spirit in the moment when they believe, regenerates and in dwells them and baptizes then} into the body of Christ. To this the apostles bear unvarying testimony (Rom. 8:9, 15; Gal. 4:6; 1 Cor. 12:12, 13.) In stead of teaching believers today that they are destitute of the Spirit unless they have passed through some experi ence subsequent to conversion, they should be solemnly charged with the responsiblity which rests upon them as those whose bodies are already temples of the Holy Ghost. They should be ex horted “ Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30.)— Scofield. The present formula is one baptism, many fillings.—Erdman. There is a fullness of the Holy Ghost such as does not cotne to many Christians at con version and therefore is, in point of time, a second experience, but this is not the gift of the Holy Ghost nor the baptism of the Holy Ghost as God’s Word teaches. He is received once and forever at conversion although we may not immediately yield to Him for serv ice. The latter experience is called the fullness of the Spirit.—McConkey.
186 without compunction the best news that ever came into it.— Sel. It is a solemn responsibilty to have in our possession a reprieve for men under condemnation and then not deliver it.— Frost. v. 5. Philip went to Samaria. The Jews, having rejected Stephen’s witness to and of them, the Gospel now begins to go to all nations. (Luke 24:47.) — Scofield. Samaria furnishes thé bridge between “ Jerusalem” and the “ world.” \ —Baumgarten. We may mark the providence of God in sending a Grecian Jew to a people who from national an tipathy would have been unlikely to at tend to a native of Judea. (See 6 :5.)-S| Wilkinson. v. 6. Hearing and seeing the mira cles. Miracles were in order here be cause the New Testament had not come into existence, but in our day faith in the Word of God is substituted for them.— Gray- v. .8. There was great joy. The Gospel of Christ does not make men mournful but fills them with joy if it be received as it should be, for it is glad tidings of great joy to all people. (Luke 2:10.)— Henry. v. 14. Sent unto them Peter and John. The Jews despising the Samari tans as a mongrel stock which mixed the true faith with heathen idolatries, had with them no dealings, yet God used persecution to insure contact. Through contact the Spirt wrought con version and so humbled the aristocratic Jew by showing Himself as ready to gather out a people for His Name from these despised outcasts as from the elect nation itself that made them outcasts.— Pierson. >,We gather from this passage there was no special pre-eminence as signed tc any among the twelve in the earliest days. Peter and John were sent forth on their mission by the de cision of the whole body.— Camb. Bible. v. 15. When they came, prayed. So important did the apostles regard it that they should have the Holy Spirit that this was the first thing they at tended to. They prayed that they might receive the Holy Ghost. Evidently the way to obtain the Holy Spirit in power is through prayer. (Luke 11:13.)— Torrey. v. 16. As yet He was fallen upon none of them. This passage has puzzled many earnest students and has led to erroneous teachings as if the Holy Spirit must be received in a spe-
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