Acts 20:7

DISCOURSE: 1797
PAUL’S SERMON AT TROAS

Acts 20:7. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

IF we look at Christianity as it exists at this day, it appears little else than a name, and a form: but if we contemplate it as it existed in the apostolic age, it will be found an active and invigorating principle in the minds of men, engaging all their affections, and stimulating them to the greatest exertions. As for St. Paul’s labours for the propagation of the Gospel in the world, we forbear to speak of them at present, any farther than they are connected with the passage which is immediately before us: but his preaching from evening to midnight, and then continuing his discourse afterwards till break of day, will give us some idea of the exertions he made in the cause of Christ, and of the interest which his hearers also felt in all that related to their Christian course.
The account given of his discourse, will lead us to notice,

I. The proper employment of the Sabbath—

The Jewish Sabbath was appointed by God himself to be spent in holy exercises. On it the sacrifices were twice as numerous as on other days; and the law of Moses was read for the instruction of the people. But under the Christian dispensation, the time of its observance was changed from the seventh day of the week to the first; in commemoration of the resurrection of our blessed Lord, and of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It is probable that, for a considerable time, the seventh day still continued to be observed by those who were proselyted from the Jewish religion, lest their neglect of that day should put a stumbling-block in the way of their brethren: but the first day was that which from the beginning was held sacred by the early Christians; and it was dignified with the peculiar title of the “Lord’s-day [Note: Compare 1 Corinthians 16:2. with Revelation 1:10.].” On this day the Church at Troas were assembled, to offer unto God their accustomed sacrifices of prayer and praise, and particularly “to break bread,” that is, to commemorate the death of Christ agreeably to the directions given by our Lord himself on the night previous to his crucifixion. This ordinance constituted an essential part of the service on every Lord’s-day: it called the attention of the Church to that great mystery which was the foundation of all their hopes, even to the body of Christ as broken for them, and the blood of Christ as shed for them. Moreover, it led them to apply to Christ by faith for a continued interest in his death, and a more abundant communication of his blessing to their souls.

Amongst us, the Lord’s Supper is not administered so often; but our employment on the Sabbath ought to be, in fact, the same: it should consist in these two things:

1. A personal intercourse with Christ as dying for us—

[In entering into the house of prayer, we come, it is true, to worship the Father; but we must never forget that it is only in and through Christ that we can have access to him; and that every prayer must be offered to the Father in the name of Christ — — — We assemble, too, to hear the word of God; but it is the Gospel, the glad tidings of salvation through a crucified Redeemer, that we must desire to hear: and the faithful minister will “determine to know nothing among his people, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” If he preach the law, it will be as “a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ:” or if he insist upon any particular duty, it will be, not to lead his hearers to establish a righteousness of their own by their obedience to it, but to shew them how they are to manifest the sincerity of their faith, and how they are to glorify their God and Saviour — — — Both minister and people must remember, that they meet, not as Mahometans, who acknowledge one God; not as Jews, who confess their obligation to obey his revealed will; but as Christians, who have their hopes fixed entirely on Christ, and expect every thing as the purchase of his blood. Whether the Lord’s Supper is administered or not, “Christ is to be evidently set forth crucified before us;” and “to know him,” “to win him,” “to be found in him;” and “to receive out of his fulness,” must be the great object of our assembling together — — —]

2. A personal surrender of ourselves to him, as his redeemed people—

[When the first Christians met thus constantly “to break bread,” they confessed openly, that they were disciples of that crucified Saviour; and they engaged themselves, as it were by a solemn oath, to live and die in his service. Thus do we profess, in all our solemn acts of worship, that we have been “bought with a price,” even with the inestimable price of the Redeemer’s blood; and that we are bound, by every possible tie, “to glorify him with our bodies and our spirits which are his” — — — We do not in general associate this idea with any thing but the Lord’s supper; but we ought to associate it with all the services of the Sabbath; and to consider ourselves as living thus upon Christ by the renewed exercises of faith, in order that we may live to Christ in the more enlarged exercise of holy obedience — — —]
Let us now proceed to notice,

II.

The particular circumstances of that meeting—

The place where they were assembled was an upper chamber—
[It was a room three stories high, and so small and crowded, that the windows, even at night, were forced to be open for the admission of air, whilst some were constrained to sit in them for want of more convenient accommodation. Little do we think what a blessing it is to us that we have houses built on purpose for the service of our God. True it is that even in them the poor do not always find such commodious seats as one could wish: but, if there were no other places for our reception than such as they possessed at Troas, we fear that multitudes who now receive instruction from Sabbath to Sabbath, would never trouble themselves to seek it, where they must submit to so much inconvenience for the attainment of it.]
In that room, there were “many lights”—
[The enemies of the Church were ready to raise all manner of evil reports against the Disciples; and they would gladly have represented these nocturnal meetings as scenes of much iniquity. To cut off all occasion for such calumnies, the Disciples took care to have the place of their assemblies well lighted in every part; and it is probable that it was for the express purpose of obviating all such remarks, that the historian recorded this otherwise unimportant fact. It teaches us, however, that we should be always on our “guard against even the appearance of evil,” and “cut off occasion from them that seek occasion” against us, and “not let our good be evil spoken of.”]
There Paul preached his farewell discourse—
[At what precise hour he began, we know not; but “he continued his discourse till midnight;” and after a short interruption, resumed it “till break of day.” Do we wonder that he should so long detain his audience? No: the occasion was very peculiar; “he was about to depart on the morrow,” never probably to see their face again: his heart was full; the subject was inexhaustible: the hearts of his audience were deeply impressed, and they drank in the word with insatiable avidity. What a glorious meeting must that have been; the preacher so animated with his subject, and the people so penetrated with the truths they heard! Doubtless, it would not be expedient, under common circumstances, so to lengthen out the service of our God; but, if we could always meet under similar impressions, and have our hearts so engaged, how glorious would be the ordinances, and how exalted the benefit arising from them!]
A distressing occurrence, which for a time interrupted his discourse, tended ultimately to impress it more deeply on their minds—
[A youth, named Eutychus, being overcome with sleep, “fell down out of the window from the third loft, and was taken up dead.” O, what grief must have seized the whole assembly! — — — but the Apostle went down to him, and fell upon him, as Elijah and Elisha had done upon the persons they had raised to life, and by prayer to God prevailed for the restoration of his life. At the sight of this “they were not a little comforted.” As it respected the youth, it would have been most distressing to think that he should be taken into the eternal world in such a state; as though he had been made, like Lot’s wife, a warning to all future generations. But more especially were they concerned for the honour of God and his Gospel. What a stumbling-block would it have been to the ungodly, that such an accident should have been occasioned by the unreasonable length of the Apostle’s discourse! How bitterly would they have inveighed against him, and against these meetings that were encouraged by him! Truly it was no little joy to have such great occasions of offence removed. But further, the miracle thus wrought before their eyes, was a striking confirmation of what they had heard: it was, as it were, a seal put by God himself to attest the truth of all that had been delivered to them, and an emblem, yea, a pledge and earnest also, of the blessings which all who received his Gospel might expect at his hands. Thus was this occurrence, so afflictive in itself, overruled for the furtherance of their joy, and for the more abundant display of God’s grace and mercy.]

As an improvement of this subject, let us see,
1.

How deep an interest we should take in the Gospel of Christ!

[It is much to be regretted that we see but little of this fervour in our religious assemblies: neither we who minister, nor you who hear, are affected with the Gospel in any measure as we ought to be. In many congregations there may be found persons sleeping, like Eutychus, though the sermon be not an hour long: and where they are not actually asleep, how many hear in such a drowsy, listless, inattentive manner, that they evidently take no interest in the subject, nor could give any good account of what has been spoken to them. O brethren, let it not be so with us. Let us rather come together as that assembly did; I to preach, and you to hear, as though we were never to meet again in this world. The subjects of the Apostle’s discourse are as important to us, as they were to the primitive Christians: let us beg of God to impress them more deeply on our minds, that they may be to us “a savour of life unto life,” and not, as they are to too many, “a savour of death unto death.”]

2. How earnestly we should improve our present intercourse with each other!

[It is but a little while, at all events, that our present connexion can be continued: I must soon go to give an account of my ministry, as you also must to answer for the way in which you have improved it: and even from Sabbath to Sabbath we know not whether the present opportunity shall not be our last. Surely this thought should make us exceeding anxious to obtain increasing edification in faith and love, that so “I may be your rejoicing, and you be mine, in the great day of the Lord Jesus.”]