The Biblical Illustrator - Acts 8:20-24
Acts 8:20-24But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee.The impotence of moneyI do not know that the age in which Simon lived was especially a commercial age; but whatever may have been its distinctive peculiarity, there cannot be much doubt about ours. There have been successive ages, each of a characteristic type, as, e.g., the age of the shepherds, illustrated in the long centuries of pastoral life in the East; the age of conquest, as depicted in the story of the Persian kings; the... read more
The Biblical Illustrator - Acts 8:17
Acts 8:17Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.ConfirmationAccording to--I. Its origin. No sacramental institution of our Lord, but a time-honoured ordinance of the Church.II. Its import. No substitution for, or repetition of baptism, but a ratification of baptismal confession and grace.III. Its effect. No infallible communication of the Spirit, as here by the apostles, but an incalculable spiritual blessing for susceptible hearts. (K. Gerok.) read more