John Calvin Commentary Acts 10:44

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word." — Acts 10:44 (ASV)

And as Peter was still speaking. God now declares by a new miracle that the doctrine of the gospel is common to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. This is an excellent seal of the calling of the Gentiles, because the Lord would never have granted the graces of His Spirit upon the Gentiles, unless it was to declare that even they were adopted together into the society of the covenant. These gifts, mentioned by Luke, indeed differ from the grace of regeneration; yet, undoubtedly, God did by this means seal both Peter’s doctrine and also the faith and godliness of those who heard him. He says that they were all endowed with the Spirit, just as we saw before, that they all came encouraged to learn and obey.

This visible sign represents to us, as it were, in a picture, how effectual an instrument of God’s power the preaching of the gospel is. For He poured out His Spirit as Peter spoke, so that He might show that He does not send teachers merely to beat the air with the vain sound of their voice, but so that He may work mightily by their voice, and may quicken it by the power of His Spirit, for the salvation of the godly.

Thus Paul reminds the Galatians (Galatians 3:2) that they received the Holy Spirit by the hearing of faith; and in another place he says that he is the minister of the Spirit, and not of the letter (2 Corinthians 3:6).

The gift of tongues and other such things have ceased long ago in the Church. However, the spirit of understanding and regeneration continues in power, and shall always continue in power. The Lord couples this spirit with the external preaching of the gospel so that He may keep us in reverence of His word and prevent the deadly follies in which foolish people entangle themselves when, forsaking the word, they invent an erroneous and wandering spirit.

But it does not, nor will it, always happen that all those who hear the word with their outward ears also receive the Spirit. Ministers seldom find such hearers as Peter had, who are willing, with one consent, to follow God.

Yet He brings it about that all the elect feel within themselves the agreement between the external word and the secret power of the Spirit.