Philip found him? He was not content with the mere worship of the
temple, whistling a worldly tune on his way back. He was searching
the Scriptures. He was honestly seeking after God, and the Holy Ghost
always knows where such souls are; and He said to Philip, "Go, join
thyself to that chariot: there is a man seeking after Me; there is a
man whose heart is honestly set on finding Me. Go and preach Christ,
and tell him to believe." That man would have sacrificed, or done, or
lost anything, for salvation, and, as soon as Philip expounded the
way of faith, he received it, of course, as all such souls will.

Saul, on his way to Damascus, is another instance. Jesus Christ was
the preacher there, and surely, He could not be mistaken. His
philosophy was sound. Where did He begin? What did He say to Saul? He
saw there an honest-hearted man. Saul was sincere, so far as he
understood, and if, in any case, there needed to be the immediate
reception of Christ by faith, it was in his. But the Lord Jesus
Christ did not say one word about faith. "Saul, Saul, why
_persecutest_ thou Me?"--tearing the bandages of deception off
his eyes, and letting him see the wickedness of his conduct. When
Saul said, "Who art Thou, Lord?" He repeated the accusation. He did
not come in with the oil of comfort; He did not plaster the wound up,
and make it whole in a moment; but He said, "I am Jesus of Nazareth,
whom thou persecutest." He ran the knife in again, and opened Paul's
eyes wider, and his wounds wider, too, and sent him bleeding on to
Damascus, where he was three days before he got the healing. He had
to send for a poor human instrument, and he had to hear and obey his
words, before the scales fell from his eyes, and before the pardon of
his sins was pronounced, and the Holy Ghost came into his soul. I
wonder what Paul was doing those three days! Not singing songs of
thanksgiving and praise. That had to come. Oh! what do you think he