34. 16. He fixed his eyes upon him, to see if he could discern in his countenance any marks of remorse for what he had done; which, if he could have discerned the least sign of, it had prevented the ensuing doom.
[3.] He gave him his true character, not in passion, but by the Holy Ghost, who knows men better than they know themselves, v. 10. He describes him to be,
First, An agent for hell; and such there haye been upon this earth (the seat of the war between the seed of the woman and of the serpent) ever since Cain, who was of that wicked one, an incarnate devil, slew his brother, for no other reason than because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. This Elymas, though called Bar-jesus—a son of Jesus, was really a child of the devil, bore his image, did his lusts, and served his interests, John 8. 44. In two things he resembled the devil, as a child does his father. 1. In craft; the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field; (Gen. 3. 1.) and Elymas, though void of all wisdom, was full of subtlety, expert in all the arts of deceiving men, and imposing upon them. 2. In malice; he was full of all mischief; a spiteful, ill-conditioned man; and a sworn implacable enemy to God and goodness. Note, A fulness of subtlety and mischief together, make a man indeed a child of the devil.
Secondly, An adversary to heaven; if he be a child of the devil, it follows of course that he is an enemy to all righteousness, for the devil is so. Note, Those that are enemies to the doctrine of Christ, are enemies to all righteousness, for in it all righteousness is summed up and fulfilled.
[4.] He charged upon him his present crime, and expostulated with him upon it; "Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord, to misrepresent them, to put false colours upon them, and so to discourage people from entering into them, and walking in them?" Note, First, The ways of the Lord are right: they are all so, they are perfectly so. The ways of the Lord Jesus are right, the only right ways to heaven and happiness. Secondly, There are those who pervert these right ways, who not only wander out of these ways themselves, (as Elihu's penitent, who owns, I have perverted that which was right, and it profited me not,) but mislead others, and suggest to them unjust prejudices against these ways: as if the doctrine of Christ were uncertain and precarious, the laws of Christ unreasonable and impracticable, and the service of Christ unpleasant and unprofitable; which is an unjust perverting of the right ways of the Lord, and making them to seem crooked ways. Thirdly, Those who pervert the right ways of the Lord, are commonly so hardened in it, that though the equity of those ways be set before them by the most powerful and commanding evidence, yet they will not cease to do it. Etsi suaseris, non persuaseris—You may advise, but you will never persuade; they will have it their own way, they have loved strangers, and after them they will go.
[5.] He denounced the judgment of God upon him, in a present blindness; (v. 11.) "And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, a righteous hand. God is now about to lay hands on thee, and make thee his prisoner, for thou art taken in arms against him; thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season." This was designed both for the proof of his crime, as it was a miracle wrought to confirm the right ways of the Lord, and consequently to shew the wickedness of him who would not cease to pervert them; as also for the punishment of his crime. It was a suitable punishment; he shut his eyes, the eyes of his mind, against the light of the gospel, and therefore justly were the eyes of his body shut against the light of the sun; he sought to blind the deputy, as an agent for the god of this world, (who blindeth the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the gospel should-shine unto them, 2 Cor. 4. 4.) and therefore is himself struck blind: yet it was a moderate punishment, he was only struck blind, when he might most justly have been struck dead; and that it was only for a season; if he will repent, and give glory to God, by making confession, his sight shall be restored; nay, it should seem, though he do not, yet his sight shall be restored, to try if he will be led to repentance, either by the judgments of God or by his mercies.
[6.] This judgment was immediately executed; there fell on him a mist and a darkness, as on the Sodomites when they persecuted Lot, and on the Syrians when they persecuted Elisha; this silenced him presently, filled him with confusion, and was an effectual confutation of all he said against the doctrine of Christ. Let not him any more pretend to be a guide to the deputy's conscience, who is himself struck blind. It was also an earnest to him of a much sorer punishment if he repent not; for he is one of those wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever, Jude 13. Elymas did himself proclaim the truth of the miracle, when he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand; and where now is all his skill in sorcery, upon which he had so much valued himself, when he can neither find his way himself, nor find a friend that will be so kind as to lead him!
3. Notwithstanding all the endeavours of Elymas to turn away the deputy from the faith, he was brought to believe, and this miracle, wrought upon the magician himself, (like the boils of Egypt, which were upon the magicians, so that they could not stand before Moses, Exod. 9. 11.) contributed to it. The deputy was a very sensible man, and observed something uncommon, and which spake its divine original,
(1.) In Paul's preaching; he was astonished at the doctrine of the Lord, the Lord Christ, the doctrine that is from him, the discoveries he has made of the Father; the doctrine that is concerning him, his person, natures, offices, undertaking. Note, The doctrine of Christ has a great deal in it that is astonishing; and the more we know of it, the more reason we shall see to wonder and stand amazed at it.
(2.) In this miracle; when he saw what was done, and how much Paul's power transcended that of the magician, and how plainly Elymas was baffled and confounded, he believed. It is not said that he was baptized, and so made a complete convert, but it is probable that he was. Paul would not do his business by the halves; as for God, his work is perfect. When he became a christian, he neither laid down his government, nor was turned out of it, but we may suppose, as a christian magistrate, by his influence helped very much to propagate Christianity in that island. The tradition of the Roman church, which has taken care to find bishopricks for all the eminent converts we read of in the Acts, has made this Sergius Paulus Bishop of Narbon in France, left there by Paul in his journey to Spain.
III. Their departure from the island of Cyprus. It is probable that they did a great deal more there than is recorded, where an account is given only of that which was extraordinary—the conversionof the deputy. When they had done what they had to do,
1. They quitted the country, and went to Perga. Those that went, were Paul, and his company, which, it is probable, was increased in Cyprus, many being desirous to accompany him. Ἀναχθέντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Παῦλον—They that were about Paul, loosed from Paphos; which supposes that he went too; but such an affection had his new friends for him, that they were always about him, and by their good will would be never from him.
Vol. vi—R
