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THE 
 
 ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 
 
 WITH A COMMENTARY 
 
 AND PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS, 
 
 READERS AND STUDENTS OF THE 
 ENGLISH BIBLE. 
 
 BY THE REV. F. C. "60OK, M.A. 
 
 ONE OF HER MAJESTy's INSPECTORS OF 
 CHURCH SCHOOLS. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 FRIXTED FOK. 
 
 LOXGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS, 
 
 PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 1850. 
 
London : 
 
 SPOTTiswtioDKs and .Siia\ 
 
 New-streoi-Sqiiare. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Mr objects In preparing this edition of the Acts have been, 
 first, to supply whatever information may be required by 
 the English reader, in order to understand the text ; and, 
 secondly, to assist him in drawing practical inferences 
 from the Word that was given to make us "wise unto 
 salvation." 
 
 I believe that it will be admitted that most commen- 
 taries on this book are either too exclusively intended for 
 the use of scholars to be interesting or intelligible to 
 general readers, or, on the other hand, too superficial to 
 meet the wants of well-educated persons, who may not 
 have leisure to study the original language, but are sin- 
 cerely anxious to read with the spirit, and with the under- 
 standing also. A commentary intended for such persons 
 should present, in a condensed and intelligible form, the 
 substance of whatever information is contained in works 
 accessible to scholars, and should give an interpretation of 
 all disputed passages, which, being in accordance with the 
 teaching of Holy Scripture, will also be in harmony with 
 the formularies of our Church. The English reader ought, 
 as far as possible, to be put into the position of a well- 
 informed person living in the time and speaking the lan- 
 guage of the original writer of the book. The allusions, 
 which were then understood by all, should be carefully 
 
 A 2 
 
IV TREFACE. 
 
 explained ; manners and customs illustrated by reference 
 to contemporary authors ; and the forms in which the 
 faculties of the human mind were then moulded and de- 
 veloped by the schools of philosophy and religion, should 
 be compared and contrasted with those of our own age. 
 It would be presumptuous to hope that this commentary 
 will satisfy these conditions, but I may venture to assert 
 that they have been constantly present to my mind, and 
 that the attempt to meet these wants has been made con- 
 scientiously and diligently, considering that this has been 
 not the work, but the recreation of days passed in active 
 duties. The hours devoted to its execution have been few 
 and interrupted, but sufficient to enable me to give the 
 results of some years' thoughtful study of this interest- 
 ing portion of Holy Scripture. I may also state, that 
 frequent examinations of school teachers have made me 
 aware of the peculiar difficulties which this book presents 
 to intelligent English readers, and of the misapprehensions 
 into which they are apt to fall. 
 
 I have felt it necessary to append practical and devo- 
 tional suL*"gestions to each chapter. There is considerable 
 danger lest even the study of Holy Scripture should dege- 
 nerate into a mere exercise of the intellect or memory. In 
 the well-meant endeavour to acquire clear notions about 
 tlie topography, history, and manners which the author de- 
 scribes, the reader is sometimes apt practically, if not 
 theoretically, to lose sight of the fact, that every word and 
 thouglit is recorded for his spiritual improvement, and that 
 the Holy Scrij)turcs nuistnot only be marked and learned, 
 but inwardly digested. I should have been most unwilling 
 to incur the n's[)onsibility of putting forth a book which 
 might seem in any degree to enct)urMgc a tendency, which, 
 I have reason to fear, is ])oth common and increasing. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 It might, perhaps, have been more prudent to make a 
 selection from the writings of divines, than to yjresent my 
 own reflections to the reader, but this part of my work has 
 been truly a labour of love ; and I trust there is no pre- 
 sumjotion in hoping that thoughts, suggested by a careful 
 study of Holy Scripture, may not be unprofitable to my 
 brethren. I have not failed to read wdiatever has been 
 written by great and holy men on the subject, nor have I 
 hesitated to adopt any suggestions from their writings, 
 which appeared calculated to assist the reader in discover- 
 ing the treasures deposited in these pages of inspiration. 
 
 May that Spirit, whose work is especially manifested 
 in this narrative of St. Luke, be at once a sun and a 
 shield to thoughtful readers, preserving them from the 
 prejudices and ignorances of human interpreters, and cast- 
 ing light upon those mysteries w^hich appertain to the 
 perfect development of the inner man in Christ. 
 
 / 3 
 
INTKODUCTION, 
 
 1. The life and character of St. Luke. 
 
 2. The time and place in which the book was composed, 
 and the sources from which St. Luke derived his in- 
 formation. 
 
 3. The internal evidences of the authenticity of the 
 book. 
 
 4. The leading object and plan of the history. 
 
 5. Its present uses to the Church. 
 
 6. The chronology, including an inquiry into the result 
 of St. Paul's trial before Nero. 
 
 7. The principal works which have been consulted in 
 the preparation oi" this commentary. 
 
 1. There are few points upon which biblical critics are 
 so generally unanimous as that the Acts of the Apostles 
 was written by St. Luke, the writer of the Gospel which 
 bears his name. The author's own statement (Acts, i. 1.) 
 implies that his work is intended to be the continuation or 
 completion of a former treatise, containing an account of 
 the actions and discourses of Our Lord from the beginning, 
 and thus directs our attention at once to the Gospels. Nor 
 can any doubt remain upon the mind even of the unlearned 
 reader, wdio inquires fairly into the subject, that the former 
 treatise in question can be none other than the Gospel 
 according to St. Luke. The composition and arrangement 
 of the Acts are strikingly dissimilar to tliose of St. Matthew 
 
 A 4 
 
Vlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and St. Mark on the one hand, and of St. John on the 
 other, while they are as strikingly similar to those of St. 
 Luke. The author is evidently not a Hebrew writing for 
 Hebrews, like St. Matthew ; his narrative, unlike that of 
 St. Mark, is free and copious ; and his style has neither the 
 sententious brevity, nor the somewhat constrained, tliough 
 deeply impressive tone of the beloved disciple. The first 
 impression of every reader identifies the author of the Acts 
 with the evangelist St. Luke. 
 
 This impression is fully borne out by the fullest investi- 
 gation. The internal evidence is so strong, tliat critics of 
 the most opposite schools have concurred in the opinion 
 that the vast number of words and phrases which are 
 peculiar to these two books, and other minute coincidences 
 of style, can only be accounted for by assuming the iden- 
 tity of authorship, and would suffice to prove tliis point, if 
 no external testimony could be adduced.^ 
 
 On tlie other hand, the external evidence is equally 
 clear. The early Church unanimously attributed both 
 works to St. Luke. Irenaeus ^ Clement of Alexandria^, 
 and TertuUian ''j expressly name him as tlie author; and 
 Eusebius records the universal belief of the Fathers in the 
 following important statement : " Luke, a native of An- 
 tioch, by profession a physician, was for the most part 
 a companion of St. Paul, but had no slight acquaintance 
 with the other Apostles also. He has left us examples of 
 the art of healing souls, which he learned from them, 
 in two divinely-inspired books ; in the Gospel written, as 
 he declares, according to accounts delivered to him by men, 
 who from the beginning liad been eye-witnesses and minis- 
 ters of the Word, and whom he had himself followed from 
 the first ; and in the Acts of the Apostlee, which he com- 
 
 ' The internal evidence is very fairly stated by Davidson, Introduction 
 to New Testament, vol. ii. p, 4 — 8. 
 
 * Adv. Hkf. ni. 14. i. ^ Strom, v. * Do Baptismo, 10. 
 
INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 posed, not like the former book, from hearsay, but from 
 what he had observed with his own eyes." ^ 
 
 In accordance with this testimony, Jerome assigns the 
 work to St. Luke in his list of ecclesiastical authors, and 
 most ancient manuscripts name him as the writer in the 
 inscription or appendix. It was one of those books about 
 which no doubt w^as raised in the early centuries among 
 orthodox Christians. The fact, that some of the most 
 ignorant and fanatic heretics rejected or under-rated its 
 authority, is far from diminishing the value of such testi- 
 mony. It is clearly shown that they opposed it simply 
 because it condemned their corrupt doctrines ^ while 
 the incidental notices elicited by their objections prove 
 that the question was fully considered, and decided upon 
 the most satisfactory evidence. 
 
 It is equally certain that St. Luke, the author of botli 
 these books, was the companion of St. PauL This con- 
 viction also forces itself upon every unprejudiced reader of 
 the Acts, and no doubts have been entertained by any 
 divine or critic, whose opinion deserves consideration, since 
 the time of Irenceus, who confirms the tradition of the 
 Church by a plain statement of the internal evidence. 
 " That Luke w^as inseparable from Paul, and his fellow- 
 worker in the Gospel, he has himself clearly shown, not in 
 an ostentatious manner, but led on by the simple truth. 
 ' For,' saith he, ' when both Barnabas and John, who is 
 surnamed Mark, were separated from Paul, and had sailed 
 away to Cyprus, we came to Troas (Acts, xv. 39.); and 
 when Paul had seen in a dream a man of Macedonia, 
 
 ' Eusebius, H. E. iii. 4. 
 
 ^ For instance, the Ebionites rejected the Acts because they opposed the 
 admission of the Gentiles into the Church (Epiphan. Heer. xxx. 16. See 
 Introduction to Acts, xv.) ; the Marcionites because they denied that the 
 God of the Old Testament was the Father of our Lord (Tertullian, c. v.. 
 Marc. V. 2.), and the Mauicheans because they held the heresiarch Manes 
 to be the promised comforter (Augustin, Ep. 237.). It is remarkable that 
 the extreme opinions of the Gnostics and Ebionites are represented in 
 rationalistic Germany. (See Baur, Paulus, p. vii.) 
 
 A 5 
 
X INTRODUCTIOX. 
 
 saying Come over into Macedonia and help us, Paul ; 
 ' immediately,' he says, ^ ice endeavoured to go into Mace- 
 donia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to 
 preach the Gospel to them ; therefore, loosing from Troas, 
 we came in a straight course to Samothracia' (Acts, xvi. 8., 
 &c.). And afterwards he accurately describes all their 
 course until their arrival at Philippi, and the purport of 
 their first discourse. *For Ave sat down,' saith he, 'and 
 spake to the women who had assembled ' (ver. 13.) ; and he 
 states what and how many persons believed. And again 
 he says, 'But we sailed, after the days of unleavened 
 bread, from Philippi, and came to Troas, where we also 
 remained seven days' (Acts, xx. 6.). And he relates all 
 other things, in order, which occurred while he accom- 
 panied Paul." ^ 
 
 As might be expected, St. Luke is named by the Apostle 
 as one of his most faithful and attached companions; in the 
 Epistle to the Colossians, iv. 14., he is styled the beloved 
 physician; and from 2 Timothy, iv. 11., we learn that he 
 remained with St. Paul during the last trying scenes of his 
 imprisonment at Rome. 
 
 From statements of early writers which are in harmony 
 with Holy Writ, the following additional facts may be 
 received with more or less of certainty. He is said^ to have 
 been a native of Antioch, in which city he would have 
 abundant opportunities of acquiring that knowledge of the 
 Greek language and literature which his writings })rovc him 
 to have i)ossessed. He may have been a " Grecian," or 
 Hellenistic Jew, as some writers assert; but it appears 
 more probable from the passage wliere his name occurs 
 (Col. iv. 1 1. H.), that he was of Gentile origin. St. Paul 
 there sends salutations from several j)ersons, Aristarcluis, 
 Marcus, and Jesus Justus, and [idds that they were of the 
 
 ' Adv. Ilccr. 1. III. c. 14. § i. 
 
 * \ly Jerome, Eiisebius, and Nicej)horus, II. E., ii. 43. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 circumcision, thus separating them from those whose names 
 follow, among w^hom is Luke. The task assigned to St. 
 Luke by the Holy Spirit must have been peculiarly inte- 
 resting to him as a Gentile, — perhaps one of the earliest 
 who were converted at Antioch. It seems evident that 
 he had been a Christian some years when he joined St. 
 Paul at Troas, and very probable that he was a minister of 
 the Church. From his words on that occasion it appears 
 that he was consulted by the Apostle, and he remained at 
 Philippi apparently in order to complete the organization of 
 that important community. (See note, Acts, xvi. 40.) It 
 is said that he was one of the seventy disciples^, but this 
 scarcely agrees with the statement in the introduction to 
 his Gospel, nor with the passage of Eusebius quoted above. 
 We know from St. Paul's own w^ords that he was a phy- 
 sician ; and some writers have conjectured that he was a 
 freedman, or manumitted slave, — a conjecture that is quite 
 unsupported by any ancient authority, and highly im- 
 probable. It is true that Romans of distinction sometimes 
 trained intelligent slaves to be surgeons ; but this was not 
 the case in Greece or Asia, where the profession was highly 
 esteemed, and followed by men of liberal birth and educa- 
 tion. The tradition that he was a painter of portraits is 
 found only in late w^riters^ and originated probably in the 
 ninth ceiitury, when the controversy about image-worshi]) 
 was at its height. It would then be of some importance 
 to show that one of the inspired writers was himself an 
 artist ; and some portraits of our blessed Lord and the 
 Virgin Mary w^ere attributed to St. Luke. The inventor 
 of the tradition certainly displayed some tact in fixing 
 upon this evangelist, for, as it has been w^ell observed, his 
 writings lead us to attri])ute to him just that habit of 
 minute observation which would be encouraged by the 
 
 ' Ps. Origen. v. i. 806 ; and Fpiphan. Hser. 51. 11. 
 ^ Simeon Metaphrastes, and Nicephorus, L c 
 
 A 6 
 
Xll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 occupation of an ortlst, and which in an historian produces 
 what is called a graphic style of writing. ^ 
 
 We have no certain account of the latter part of his life. 
 He is said to have remained with St. Paul until his mar- 
 tyrdom, and to have survived him many years. Accord- 
 ing to some Fathers^ he preached the Gospel chiefly in 
 Gaul, where the Church was in close connection with 
 those of Asia Minor, and suffered martyrdom at an ad- 
 vanced age in Greece^ or in Bithynia.'' There is not any 
 very ancient authority for these points ; but there is no im- 
 probability in the conjecture that he returned to the scene 
 of his early labours, and fell a victim to the persecutions 
 begun by Xero, and continued by his successors. 
 
 2. It cannot be stated with certainty at what time and 
 place St. Luke wrote this book, but it is most probable 
 that it occupied his leisure during the two years of St. 
 Paul's imprisonment at Rome, and that it w^as completed 
 previous to the termination of his trial. I believe that a 
 sufficient reason may be assigned why the book should not 
 conclude with a full account of that important event ; but 
 it can hardly be supposed that, had St. Luke composed it 
 at a subsequent period, he would have omitted to state the 
 result. I have little doubt that he was moved by tlie 
 Holy Spirit to complete this work while he had dally ac- 
 cess to St. Paul, and while the facts which he had himself 
 witnessed were fresh in his memory. It may still appear 
 singular that he did not employ some part of his later life 
 in giving an account of the transactlous at Ilome, sup- 
 posing tliat he survived the Apostle : but we nuist re- 
 member that he spoke and wrote not as human feelings 
 suggested, but as he was moved by the Holy Ghost, and 
 that his object was to glorify not Paul, but Ciu'Ist.^ 
 
 ' Iluinpliry. * Epiphanius, I c. 
 
 ' Nic-cpliorus, 1. c * Isidorns de Ortu Patr. c. 82. 
 
 • It is morally certain tliat if the book had been written by an uninspired 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIU 
 
 Some question has been raised as to the sources from 
 which St. Luke derived his full and accurate knowledire 
 of the events which he records ; nor is such an inquiry su- 
 perseded by the fact of his inspiration. It is certain that 
 the Holy Spirit taught the sacred writers to make a 
 right use of means, and not to dispense with them alto- 
 gether. Hence there is a manifest difference between 
 those portions of Holy Writ which proceed from annalists, 
 and from those who record their own observations, and 
 were personally concerned in the events which they describe. 
 It is obvious that the greater part of this book belongs to 
 the latter class of writings, as hath been remarked by Eu- 
 sebius. From the time when Luke joined St. Paul on his 
 last journey to Jerusalem (see ch. xx. 5.), and during 
 some part of a previous journey, he describes transactions 
 that occurred under his own eyes ; and the natural and 
 graphic tone of the narrative, together with the vast num- 
 ber of minute coincidences which may be traced in every 
 chapter, have convinced even prejudiced unbelievers of the 
 general veracity and knowledge of the writer. And he had 
 ample opportunity of obtaining full information about the 
 previous periods. He lived a considerable time in com- 
 pany with Timotheus, who had joined the Apostle at 
 Lystra ; with Titus, who had accompanied him previously 
 to Judiea, and was personally interested in the important 
 
 author, and with the apologetic intention attributed to him by Schnecken- 
 burger (Ueber den Zweck der Apostelgeschichte) and Baur, the trial of 
 St, Paul before Nero, and his subsequent martyrdom, would have formed 
 the most prominent and interesting part of the narrative. I need no other 
 argument to persuade me that if St. Luke survived the Apostle he must 
 have been restrained, and absolutely guided, by a supernatural influence. It 
 may further be added that if the book were of later origin, as that wild 
 rationalist Baur has dared to assert, it would undoubtedly have concluded 
 with a description of the deaths of St. Paul and St. Peter, who, in the 2ad 
 century, were believed to have suffered martyrdom at the same time. It is 
 much to be regretted that 3Ir. Davidson should have brought so many of 
 Baur's speculations before the English public. I may further remark that 
 the tone of Mr. Davidson's observations upon the writings of St. Luke 
 is very deficient in reverence. (See Introduction to the New Testament, 
 vol. ii. p. 24. and 62.) 
 
XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 discussions which arose upon the admission of Gentile con- 
 verts (see ch. xv., and Gal. ii. 1, 2.); and with Silas, who 
 had previously attained a distinguished rank among the 
 ministers and prophets of the Church in Jerusalem. From 
 these persons, and from the Apostle, lie would obtain full 
 information concernino; the events that had occurred in 
 Asia Minor, Syria, and Judaea, from the date of St. Paul's 
 conversion. It can scarcely be doubted that he received 
 the account of St. Stephen's trial from the Apostle's own 
 mouth. The striking resemblance between those dis- 
 courses of St. Paul, wliich were addressed to his own 
 countrymen, and that of St. Stephen, has been frequently 
 remarked ; and it is certain that the words of the proto- 
 martyr made a deep impression upon the mind of St. Paul, 
 and were not likely to be erased from his memory. For 
 that portion of the liistory, it is unreasonable to suppose 
 that St. Luke would have recourse to written documents, 
 with the exception of the epistle containing the decrees of 
 the apostolic council. It is, however, supposed ^ that the 
 first chapters may have been compiled from existing his- 
 tories or memoirs, but even this supposition rests on no 
 sufficient grounds. It is most probable that he had con- 
 versed with St. Barnabas, and other Christians from Je- 
 rusalem, long before he joined St. Paul, and it is not 
 impossible that he was present himself at the first day 
 of Pentecost. The narrative, though concise and partial, is 
 full of life and energy, and many passages were evidently 
 written or dictated by an eye-witness. It is true that 
 Hebraisms arc more common in the first seven chapters 
 than in the remaining part of the book ; but the fact is 
 sufficiently accounted for, and might be expected, since he 
 there relates the actions and discourses of Hebrews. The 
 narrative is also less copious and fluent, wliich might also 
 have been anticipated, when he describes events which he 
 
 ' Schwanbcck, Meyer, &.c. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 had not witnessed throughout. But there are no traces 
 of another hand In the composition, and certainly not of 
 another mind. With the exception of a few formal docu- 
 ments (as in the 15th and 21st chapters), I am convinced 
 that we have throughout the testimony of eye-witnesses of 
 the word recorded by a well-informed historian, under the 
 enlightening and controlling influence of the Spirit of 
 God. 
 
 3. The preceding considerations suffice to show that 
 St. Luke had abundant opportunities of ascertaining the 
 truth; It Is therefore evident that the credibility of his 
 narrative can only be questioned by those who doubt 
 his veracity. It is not my object to enter upon any 
 lengthened refutation of those infidel speculations which 
 appear to be finding their way into England from a neigh- 
 bouring country ; but it may be well to point out to the 
 English reader tlie grounds upon which the fidelity of the 
 historian can be maintained against any assailants. They 
 are such as have not only furnished the advocates of re- 
 ligion with some of their most convincino: aro-uments, but 
 have silenced the cavils of many Infidels. 
 
 The first argument arises from the vast number of coin- 
 cidences between the narrative of the Acts and the accounts 
 of ancient writers. Many of these coincidences are so 
 minute, and require so much research to discover them, 
 that no suspicion can be entertained by the most cautious 
 inquirer as to their undeslgnedness. St. Luke touches 
 upon an Infinite variety of facts connected with the con- 
 stitution, the laws, the politics, the manners of nations 
 speaking different languages, of distinct origin, and sepa- 
 rated by prejudices originating in mutual Ignorance, and 
 sustained by mutual hatred. His accounts sometimes con- 
 tradict received notions, and present peculiar difficulties to 
 unlearned inquirers. But the deeper and more searching 
 the Investigations have been, the more exactly have those 
 
XVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 accounts been proved to tally with the fjxcts ascertained 
 by other evidence. Some pains have been taken in the 
 following notes to lay specimens of this evidence before 
 the English reader. Its force depends upon the great 
 variety and perpetual recurrence of such coincidences, and 
 the full eftect may not be produced upon minds unac- 
 customed to the discipline of historical studies ; but the 
 reader will be well requited for any pains he may bestow 
 upon such researches, which at once serve to illustrate the 
 sacred narrative, and to defend it from infidel objections.^ 
 
 The second proof is derived from the agreement between 
 the Acts and the Epistles of St. Paul. On comparing 
 them closely, it is found that an immense number of facts 
 alluded to in the latter are confirmed by statements in the 
 former, and that each of the Epistles, of which the time 
 and place of composition can be ascertained, presupposes 
 circumstances which are described in this book. This 
 proof becomes much more striking when it is found that, 
 so far from any deliberate attempt being made by the 
 writers to bring their statements into harmony with each 
 other, by far the greater number of such coincidences are 
 discoverable only upon a careful and even ingenious re- 
 search. Once pointed out, they produce the liveliest con- 
 viction, arising both from the clearness of the agreement, 
 and from the certainty that it was undesigned and un- 
 observed by the authors. The celebrated work of Dr. 
 Paley, entitled the " Horaj Paulinie," has established these 
 points to the perfect satisfaction of critics, and should be 
 in the hand of every reader of the Acts. The follow ing 
 brief suunnary of the evidence deduced from the com- 
 
 ' In the Gth chapter of the 2ncl part of Pak'y's Evidences, that great 
 author shows tliat the conformity which exists in the rehition of facts, and 
 the state of things, between the writings of the New Testament and the 
 writings of Jews and Heathens, proves that the authors of the New Testa- 
 ment must have possessed that species of h)cal knowledge, wliicli could 
 only belong to an inhabitant of that country, and one living in ihat age. 
 Of the forty-one instances of this conformity which he there adduces, no 
 less than thirty are taken from tlie Acts. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XYll 
 
 parison of one Epistle and the Acts may suffice to show 
 the nature of the argument : — 
 
 Komans, i, 13.; xv. 23.: compare Acts, xix. 21. In 
 both these passages the Apostle declares his wish and 
 intention to visit Rome. 
 
 Ch. XV. ver. 30. ; Acts, xx. 22, 23. In the former the 
 Apostle requests the prayers of the Church that he may 
 be delivered from the danger which he anticipates in the 
 latter. 
 
 Ch. XV. ver. 24. 26. ; Acts, xxiv. 17. 19. In both pas- 
 sages reference is made incidentally to the contributions 
 which St. Paul collected and brought to Jerusalem on his 
 last visit. This is the more striking, inasmuch as St. Luke 
 omits to mention the fact in the regular course of his 
 narrative. Compare also Acts, xx. 22. ; 1 Cor. xv. 1 — 4. ; 
 2 Cor. viii. 1—4. & ix. 2. 
 
 Ch. xvi. 3. : compare Acts, xviii. 2. 18. 26. The ac- 
 counts of Aquila and Priscilla tally in a very singular 
 manner. From the Acts we learn that they came from 
 Kome, became Christians, were eminent for piety and 
 hospitality ; from the Epistles, that they returned to 
 Rome, and there had a church in their house. 
 
 Ch. xvi. 21. ; Acts, xx. 4. Timothy and Sosipater, or 
 Sopeter, are named in both as companions of St. Paul at 
 the same time. 
 
 I should not omit to state, that in addition to the 
 positive evidence adduced by Paley, a very considerable 
 number of less palpable coincidences are brought to light 
 by a searching criticism of the time and circumstances 
 under which the Epistles of St. Paul were respectively 
 composed. The work of Dr. Wieseler on the Chronology 
 of the Acts^ to which frequent reference is made in my 
 notes, is especially valuable for the learning and inge- 
 
 ' Chronologic des apostolischen Zeitalters, von Dr. Karl Wieseler. 
 Gottingen, 1848. 
 
XVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 unity wliicli he has brought to bear upon this important 
 argument. 
 
 I do not hesitate to affirm that this argument is so 
 powerful and convincing, that no person who is capable of 
 appreciating historical evidence can entertain any doubt as 
 to the authenticity and genuineness of works in which 
 such coincidences are to be traced. 
 
 A third argument has always been recognized as 
 weighty, but has lately been brought out with remark- 
 able force. That which arises from the exact correspond- 
 ence of St. Luke's descriptions with the topography and 
 scenery of the places which he lias occasion to mention. 
 The countries and cities which he visited, and the seas 
 which he traversed, have been explored by thousands of 
 inquiring travellers, and every where bear witness to his 
 scrupulous accuracy. In addition to the information which 
 the reader will find in a condensed form in the following 
 notes, he will do well to consult Blscoe's Dissertations on 
 the Acts ; and for the latter part of the book the interesting 
 treatise of Mr. Smith on the Voyage and Shipwreck of St. 
 Paul. I have availed myself freely of this book ; but the 
 force of the argument cannot be fully perceived without 
 reference to more particulars than could be introduced in 
 this commentary. Mr. Smith is quite justified in repre- 
 senting his work as a most important link in the chain 
 of evidence which establishes the authenticity of the Acts. 
 
 A fourth argument arises from the discourses of St. 
 Stephen, St. Peter, and St. Paul, which are of such a 
 character that it is impossible not to conclude them to be 
 exact transcrlj)ts of what the speakers uttered. They are 
 perfectly adapted to the circumstances, and pervaded by 
 the feelings which must have stirred the hearts of persons 
 on such occasions as arc described. The style and lan- 
 guage, the mode of thought and feeling, vary so much that 
 it is evident the discourses must have been uttered by 
 
INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 persons not only differing in character, but in education, 
 social position, and habits of mind. St. Peter speaks 
 as a Hebrew, of strong affections and ready sympathies ; 
 St. Stephen as one conversant with the views and tra- 
 ditions of the Hellenistic Jews ; St. James with the simple 
 but authoritative tone that characterizes bis epistle, and i; 
 so peculiarly suitable to his dignified office ; while the 
 speeches of St. Paul are such as could have belonged to 
 none but one whose powerful and versatile genius had 
 received the peculiar development which, at that time, 
 could only have been attained in the school of Gamaliel, 
 and who had retained the learning of the Kabbins when 
 emancipated from their prejudices by a living faith in Christ. 
 It is further to be remarked, that while the discourses 
 addressed by our apostle to his countrymen (although 
 bearing the impress of his fervid temperament), are strik- 
 ingly similar to those of St. Stephen and St. Peter in 
 the topics and general arrangement, yet those speeches 
 which he made to Gentile audiences are as strikingly dis- 
 similar in both respects. He speaks to the people of 
 Lystra simply as a missionary, reasons with the Athenians 
 as a philosopher, addresses the Roman magistrates with 
 the dignity of an injured citizen, refutes the charges of 
 the hired calumniator with the arguments of an advocate, 
 and puts forth all the powxrs of a consummate orator in 
 that address which won the admiration of Festus, and 
 almost persuaded Agrippa to be a Christian. What Je- 
 rome says of his epistles is equally true of these discourses. 
 " Some words appear simple, as if proceeding from a plain 
 countryman, w4io can neither devise nor elude an artifice ; 
 but wherever you trace their effects, they are as thunder- 
 bolts. He keeps close to his cause ; masters whatever he 
 attempts ; turns his back that he may conquer, feigns re- 
 treat that he may slay his enemy." ' They vindicate the 
 ' Pro Libris adv. Jovinian., vol. ii. p. 73. 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 judgment of Longinus, who ranks Paul of Tarsus with 
 Demosthenes and other great names, which he adduces as 
 the summit of all eloquence and of Grecian genius.^ 
 
 Now it is not to be supposed that any historian could 
 have invented such discourses, or have compiled them from 
 imperfect documents. The greatest art and genius in un- 
 inspired writers has never enabled them to accomplish far 
 less difficult tasks successfully. There is a manifest uni- 
 formity in the speeches composed by the Greek and Roman 
 historians, — there are obvious anachronisms in style and 
 costume, from which the most consummate skill has neither 
 preserved ancient or modern writers. And so far from 
 there being any appearance of art in St. Luke, it is im- 
 possible to conceive any style less artificial, and more 
 evidently the reflex of an observant, but a strictly truthful 
 mind. It is equally incredible that he should have at- 
 tempted or could have executed such a work.^ 
 
 These arguments might be sustained by reference to the 
 natural, so to speak, and artless touches which perpetu- 
 ally remind us that the narrative is that of an eye-witness ; 
 to the candour displayed by the writer in describing the 
 character and actions of the opponents of Christianity ; 
 and to the absence of any attempt to exaggerate the la- 
 bours or sufferings of the apostles. The object of these 
 remarks is, however, not to make a complete statement 
 of the internal evidences, but to direct the student's at- 
 tention to points which will amply reward the most per- 
 severing inquiries, if i)ursued in humility, with a single 
 eye to God's glory in the illustration and defence of His 
 written Word. 
 
 ' Longinus De Siibl. 
 
 * It is a singular fact, that one of the most successful attempts to show 
 the hearings of St. Stephen's discourse upon the (juestions at issue between 
 him and the Jews, and its perfect ;idaj)tati()n to the circumstances under 
 wliich it was spoken, is to be found in the writings of that critic who has 
 been most reckless and audacious in his attacks upon the authenticity of the 
 book. (Baur's Paulus, p. 42 — 54.). 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXI 
 
 4. We will now proceed to inquire what is the leading 
 object of St. Luke in this book. It may seem almost a 
 superfluous question, decided by the very title — the Acts 
 of the Apostles. But it seems certain that this title was 
 not originally given by the writer, and some critics con- 
 sider that it is not appropriate, being, as they assert, at 
 once too comprehensive, since it does not record the actions 
 of all the Apostles ; and too narrow, because accounts are 
 given of individual teachers of Christianity who were not 
 Apostles.^ Without concurring in this criticism, w^iich is 
 rather ingenious than just, w^e may admit that some fuller 
 statement is required, especially since considerable differ- 
 ences of opinion prevail among biblical critics on the sub- 
 ject.- Some assert that the object of St. Luke was simply 
 to give Theophilus information concerning the most im- 
 portant transactions in the Church, from the date of the 
 Ascension to the time when the history was written.^ 
 Others, that he w^'ote chiefly to prove that the Gentiles 
 had an equal claim wath the Hebrews to all the privileges 
 of the Christian Church^; and some have even ventured 
 to assert that the wdiole work is a laboured and ingenious 
 attempt to reconcile the apparent contradictions between 
 the principles and conduct of St. Paul and the original 
 Apostles.^ Each of these views is both partial and incom- 
 plete, and the latter is a most perverted misrepresentation of 
 the fact, that the history does, and naturally must, show 
 the substantial unity that binds together all living members 
 of Christ in one body and in one spirit, and which under- 
 lies and harmonizes all apparent discrepancies in outward 
 form. The leading object and general plan of the book is 
 far more comprehensive than either, or all of these, while 
 
 ' Davidson Introd. N. T. vol. ii. p. 65. 
 2 See Guerike, Einleitung in N. T., p. 321 ; Davidson, &c. 
 ^ Kuinoel. ■• Luther, Michaelis. 
 
 5 Schneckenburger iiber den Zweck der Apostelgeschichte ; and Baur, 
 Paulus der Apostel Jesu Christi. 
 
XXll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 it includes and completes all that they contain of truth. It 
 is one which could not have been mistaken if critics had 
 consulted the writer himself, instead of aiming at the praise 
 of originality, and seeking to impose their peculiar views 
 upon their readers. If we refer to the introduction to the 
 Gospel, we find that St. Luke there states his general 
 object in terms evidently no less applicable to this book, 
 which forms in fact but a second part of one great work.^ 
 That object was, that Theo[)hilus, and doubtless all sincere 
 converts, might know the certainty of those things in 
 which they had been instructed ; in other words, that the 
 knowledge of Christian doctrine which they had acquired 
 from oral communications as catechumens, might be ex- 
 tended and confirmed by a complete history of the establish- 
 ment of Christianity. That history is divided into two 
 distinct treatises. About the object of the former there 
 is no question. It was to write in order an account of 
 what occurred in the beginning — " of all tliat Jesus 
 began to do and to teach," — an expression which must 
 be understood to mean tlie actions and doctrines which 
 our Lord performed and revealed during His earthly 
 manifestation.^ St. Luke does not say in so many 
 words, what is the ol^ject of his second treatise, but he 
 intimates it very distinctly. It is evidently to describe 
 the continuation and completion of the same work by 
 the disciples of Jesus ; to state what they did and tauglit 
 after His Ascension : not of course all their actions and 
 words, but all the most important, and, so to speak, epochal 
 transactions, by which they I'ulfilled the work which He 
 intrusted to them previous to His departure. That work 
 is expressed fully in the eighth verse : " Ye shall be wit- 
 nesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judasa, and in 
 Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This 
 commandment is a('coni[)anicd with the promise, that they 
 
 ' Gucrike, p. 317. * Set- note, Acts, i. 1. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXlll 
 
 should receive power, tbat is, be fully enabled to perform 
 that work, by the descent of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 The plan of this book accurately corresponds with this 
 leading, and, as I believe, sole object of the inspired 
 writer. After a brief introduction, in which he describes 
 the Ascension of Christ and the appointment of an 
 Apostle in the place of Judas, he commences with an 
 account of the witness borne to Jesus by the Apostles in 
 Jerusalem, which coincides with the coming of the Holy 
 Ghost. The power was then given, and the work was 
 then begun. In the following chapter St. Luke describes 
 the miracles and discourses by which the witness was sup- 
 ported and illustrated, the effects which it produced upon 
 those who received it, and the opposition which it encoun- 
 tered from those who rejected it in Jerusalem. From this 
 part of the book we derive, incidentally, much information 
 about the early constitution of the Church, the habits and 
 feelings of its members, and the state of parties in Jeru- 
 salem at that critical epoch which preceded the dissolution 
 of the Hebrew polity ; but the object of St. Luke is 
 directly to show how the first part of the work of the 
 Apostles was performed in eTerusalem and in all Judea. 
 (See chap. v. 16.) The 6th and 7tli chapters are transi- 
 tional. They serve to illustrate the position and feelings 
 of the Jews in reference to Christians, and the mutual 
 bearings of the Old and New Covenants; and they intro- 
 duce the second part, in which the witness is extended 
 to Samaria and the adjacent territories of Palestine. The 
 persecution wdiich arose on the death of Stephen dispersed 
 the believers, and marked the second great epoch in the 
 propagation of the Gospel. This second division extends 
 from the 8th to the 13th chapter. The first event re- 
 corded is the preaching of tlie Gospel in Samaria, and 
 the establishment of the Church in that province under 
 the Apostles St. Peter and St. John. The remaining 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 chapters show tlie peculiar difficulties which the Apostles 
 surmounted within the limits of Palestine, and also clear 
 the way for the wider extension which was to follow. The 
 conversion of Saul and the persecution of the Christians 
 bring the Gospel to bear directly upon the Gentiles of 
 the adjoining districts. But before that extension took 
 place, it was necessary that the conditions upon which the 
 privileges of the Church might be accorded to aliens should 
 be definitively settled, and the most important part of this 
 section is undoubtedly the revelation made to St. Peter, and 
 the admission of Cornelius to the rite of baptism. 
 
 The last and most extensive division of the book, from 
 the 13th to the 28th chapter, describes the propagation of 
 the Gospel to the uttermost part of the earth ; that is, it 
 shows in what manner, by what agencies, and with what 
 effects, it was introduced into different countries. It is not 
 a systematic history in the common acceptation of the 
 term, since it does not give a summary, much less a detailed 
 account of the proceedings of the apostolic body ; but it 
 gives, what is of far more importance, an exact and lively 
 idea of the peculiar difficulties which they all encountered 
 in their respective fields of labour. They had either to 
 bear witness in the presence of mixed congregations of 
 Hebrews and Gentiles, as at Antioch in Pisidia ; of igno- 
 rant barbarians, as at Lystra ; of su})erstitious fanatics, as 
 at Philippi ; of licentious voluptuaries, as at Corinth ; of 
 haughty or mockingh pilosoplicrs, as at Athens; or of ma- 
 gistrates and princes, such as Gallio, Felix, Festus, and 
 Agrippa, who would view them with mingled feelings of 
 suspicion or contempt. They were to encounter trials, 
 temptations, i)crsecutions, ignominy, and martyrdom. Now, 
 tlicre were but two ways in whicli a clear impression could 
 be conveyed as to the mode in wliicli such a work was 
 fulfilled, and St. Luke was insj)ired to ado[)t that whicli is 
 by far the most interesting and intelligible to all readers. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXV 
 
 and, Indeed, is the only one that ordinary Christians 
 could understand. He gives an example of every thing 
 that was done by each and all of the Apostles, in a per- 
 sonal narrative of what was accomplished by that one, who 
 was peculiarly called to commence, and we may almost say 
 virtually to achieve, the conversion of the Gentile world. 
 It was not because St. Luke was the companion of St. 
 Paul during his last years that he confines his account to 
 the labours of that Apostle: but the same Holy Spirit who 
 selected him to record, appointed him to witness and parti- 
 cipate in the work. I look upon every event related in the 
 last chapters simply as illustrative of this leading object of 
 the writer. The bearings of the loth chapter are indicated 
 in the introduction ; and although the lengthened account 
 of St. Paul's journey to Rome may at first sight appear 
 somewhat extraneous to this general object, yet a closer 
 inquiry will show that it both illustrates the manner in 
 which the Gospel penetrated, as it were, incidentally to 
 many isolated and unfrequented localities, and explains 
 how St. Paul acquired that influence over the hearts of his 
 companions, which opened a way for the Gospel into the 
 metropolitan city of the heathen world. 
 
 It appears to me that omissions, otherwise not to be 
 accounted for, are satisfactorily explained by this plan of 
 the work. On the one hand, we see why St. Luke does not 
 enter into any details touching the other Apostles; their 
 work is partly included in the general history of the Church 
 in Judea, and their missionary journeys either commenced at 
 a period subsequent to the composition of this book, or may 
 be concluded to have so far resembled those of St. Paul, 
 as not to require separate consideration. St. Luke gives 
 only one example of each proceeding in the advance of 
 Christianity. Each discourse recorded in this book, and 
 each action, must be regarded as a specimen of what was 
 spoken or done, under similar circumstances, by all those 
 
 a 
 
XXVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 who received power from on high by the coming of the 
 Holy Ghost. On the other hand, it accounts equally for 
 omissions toucliino^ the life and works of St. Paul. Had 
 the object of St. Luke been to write a biography of that 
 Apostle, and to set forth his peculiar claims to the admira- 
 tion of Christians, he would certainly not have passed over 
 the visit to Araljia — the interference of Aretas — the 
 work performed in Cilicia during St. Paul's residence — the 
 private transactions at Jerusalem, when St. Paul was re- 
 cognized by St. Peter, James, and John as the Apostle of 
 the Gentiles — the churches established by him in various 
 countries, scarcely alluded to, or altogether unnoticed in 
 the Acts, e. g., Galatia and Crete — nor the great variety 
 of sufferings, labours, and persecutions to which the Apostle 
 himself refers in the second Epistle to the Corinthians, ix. 
 23—33. (See also i Cor. xv. 32.) I have already stated 
 my conviction that the termination of the history pro- 
 videntially and designedly coincides with the preaching of 
 the Gospel in the central city of the world, and the virtual 
 fulfilment of the commandment given by the Lord Jesus 
 to His Apostles. It was perhaps precisely because the 
 history of the Apostle's trial and martyrdom would interest 
 the human feelings, and excite the sympathies of Chris- 
 tians so strongly, that it was not to be recorded by inspi- 
 ration. 
 
 5. The use of this ])ook, however, is not restricted to the 
 valuable information wliich it directly conveys. Many 
 points of vital Importance to tlie Church in all ages, and 
 especially in this, are incidentally touched upon, and stated 
 with more or less distinctness in every chapter. Tliey 
 may be arranged under three lieads, accordingly as they 
 illustrate tlie constitution, the doctrine, or the practice of 
 the Church. I have endeavoured to indicate these points, 
 botli In my connnentary and practical suggestions, and 
 
INTKODUCTIOX. XXVU 
 
 refer to them at present rather with a view to direct the 
 reader's attention to the subject than to discuss them 
 at such length as would be necessary in order to prove and 
 Illustrate them. 
 
 With regard to the constitution of the Church, it is 
 evident, in the first place, that all power emanated from 
 above, and descended by regular gradations to all orders of 
 the ministry. It is not merely apparent that both legis- 
 lative and administrative authority was derived, not from 
 the community, but from the Head, but also that the 
 subordinate officers of the Church exercised their functions 
 under the control of the higher officers, and were entirely 
 dependent upon them. The whole Church forms one 
 organized body, of which Christ is the sole head, and 
 of wdiich the members are mutually "joined together and 
 compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according 
 to the effectual working in the measure of every part." 
 (Eph. iv. 16.) The Apostles receive power immediately 
 from Christ, which they communicate by imposition of 
 hands to the inferior ministers, whom they appoint, control, 
 and direct in their administrations. When the selection is 
 left to the community, it is not in virtue of any right inhe- 
 rent in it, but simply permissive. The deacons are on one 
 occasion chosen by the people at the request of the 
 Apostles; in all other cases they are both selected and 
 appointed by themselves. There is no instance in this 
 book either of a minister acting with independent autho- 
 rity, nor of a congregation maintaining a separate and 
 isolated existence. The object of St. Luke is not to 
 describe the constitution of the Church, which was well 
 known to all his readers, but he has frequent occasion to 
 allude to it, and we find it every where in substantial har- 
 mony with that under which we have the privilege of 
 living. Governed at first by the Apostles, we soon find 
 the Church of Jerusalem under its own bishop; in the 
 
 a 2 
 
XXVIU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 absence of the Apostles, we find them appointing delegates 
 and representatives ; in every city we hear of their ordain- 
 ing presbyters and deacons, the latter not being secular 
 ministers, but combining attendance on the Apostles Avith 
 the administration of the sacrament of baptism, and the 
 preaching of the Word. ^ 
 
 The leading doctrines of the Church might also be es- 
 tablished with sufficient evidence from this book, had it 
 been the only one preserved for our reading. The great 
 fundamental doctrine of the Trinity may be deduced with 
 absolute certainty from the texts which prove the Godhead 
 of the Son, to whom worship is offered, supplications ad- 
 dressed, and the attributes of omniscience and omnipotence 
 are ascribed'^, combined with those which are equally ex- 
 plicit as to the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit.^ 
 The other doctrines which flow from this central truth, 
 combined with those of the Incarnation, especially the 
 nature and effects of the atonement, and conditions upon 
 which its benefits are conferred upon believers, are either 
 explicitly stated, or evidently assumed throughout, and 
 especially in the two discourses of St. Peter, and those of 
 St. Paul at Antioch in PIsidia, ch. xiii., and at Miletus 
 in his farewell charge to the elders of the Ephesian 
 Church, ch. xx. There was an ancient tradition that the 
 Apostles, before they separated, composed the Apostles' 
 Creed for the guidance of the Church, each contributing 
 a clause. This may be a legend, yet it represents a great 
 truth ^, and aptly symbolizes the harmonious co-operation 
 of the apostolic body ; and it is satisfactory to observe 
 that not only every one of the articles of that creed, but 
 almost every phrase, may be vindicated from the book of 
 
 ' See notes, c i. 20, 21, 22., vi. 2, 3., xi. 22. 30., xii. 17. and 2o. 
 
 » See notes, i. 24„ ii. 36., iii 6., vii. 59., &c. 
 
 ' See notes, v. 4., xiii. 2., &c. 
 
 '^ The Creed is, in fact, but an expansion of the baptismal fornmla. See 
 D.orner, EutwickJungsgescliichte der Lehre von der Person Cliristi, v. i. 
 p. 276, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXIX 
 
 the Acts, as is shown by these references ^ : — 1. I believe, 
 &c., iv. 24. 2. And in, &c., viii. 37. Our Lord, i. 21. 
 3. Who was conceived, &c., x. 38. Born, &c., i. 14. 4. Suf- 
 fered, &c., i. 3.; ii. 23. ; xiii. 28. 5. He descended, ii. 31. 
 6. He rose again, ii. 32. He ascended, i. 11. 7. From 
 thence he shall come, i. 1 1. To judge both quick and dead, 
 X. 42. 8. The Holy Ghost, ii. 4. ; v. 3, 4. 9. Holy 
 Catholic Church, xx. 28. ; ii. 39. 42. 47. 10. Forgiveness 
 of sin, ii. 38. 11. Resurrection, iv. 2. 12. Life ever- 
 lasting, xiii. 46. 
 
 The practice of the early Christians is described generally 
 in the 2nd and 4th chapters '^ ; but many additional facts 
 are stated incidentally throughout the book. The prin- 
 cipal difficulty is to distinguish between the principles 
 upon which the practices are founded, which are of course 
 of universal and perpetual application, and the peculiar 
 forms under which they manifested themselves, which 
 must necessarily vary according to the circumstances of 
 the Church. It is, however, highly important to observe, 
 that those customs wliicli our Church found and retained 
 at the period of the lleformation, are vindicated by the 
 example of the primitive Church. The observance of the 
 Lord's day ^; regular habits of common prayer, j^robably 
 according to a liturgical or precom posed form"^; careful 
 exposition of the Holy Scriptures ^ ; baptism of adults and 
 of whole families by sprinkling as well as immersion ^ ; 
 the rite of confirmation perforuied exclusively by the go- 
 vernors of the Church ^ ; solemn prayer, accompanied with 
 private and public fastings, on great occasions, especially on 
 the ordination of ministers ^ ; frequent celebration of the Eu- 
 
 * See the pamphlet entitled " A few words on the Athanasian Creed," 
 &c., by a Bishop's Chaplain, quoted by the Rev. W. G. Humphry. Acts, 
 Introduction, p. xiv. 
 
 ^ See notes, ii. 42. 47. •' Notes, ii. 1., xx. 7. '' Note, iv. 24. 
 
 * See especially the discourses of St. Peter, St. Stephen, St. James, and 
 St. Paul. 
 
 6 Notes, ii. 41., xvi. 15. 33. '^ viii. 15—17. 
 
 « Notes, ix. 9., x. 30., xiii. 2., and P. & D. Suggestions, xiv. 23. 
 
 a 3 
 
XXX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 charist ^ ; collections for the poor administered by subordi- 
 nate officers of the Church - ; missions sent forth with the 
 authority of the Church^; these and other observances, 
 whicli will occur to the attentive reader, were then prac- 
 tised, as they are still enjoined, by tlie Church. On the 
 other hand, satisfactory reasons can be assigned for the 
 discontinuance of a few practices which were evidently the 
 result of peculiar circumstances, and were not at any time 
 considered to be binding upon Christians.^ The study of 
 this book has deepened and confirmed my reverence for 
 those great and holy men to whom w^e are indebted, under 
 Divine grace, for the restitution of the formularies and 
 constitution of the English Church to their original apo- 
 stolic purity ; and I entertain a strong hope that somewhat 
 of the same impression will be communicated to my readers. 
 It is indeed principally on this account that I believe that 
 the Acts of the Apostles ought to receive, and is likely to 
 receive, more attention than in any preceding age. In the 
 first three centuries it was comparatively neglected.'^ On 
 the one hand, no questions had arisen among orthodox 
 Christians, about the constitution of the Church and other 
 points which it definitively settles, and heretics without 
 her pale were little disposed to admit its authority.^ On 
 the other hand, far more interest was felt, by the generality 
 of Christians, in the Gospels which contain the words and 
 acts of the Incarnate Son of God, and by controversialists 
 in the Epistles, which convey the instructions of His 
 Apostles, and their decisions on various points of doctrine 
 and practice. They did not sufficiently appreciate this 
 book as a record of the work of the Si)irit of the Lord 
 Jesus, indwelling in His Church, and continuing and com- 
 pleting what He had begun in the flesh. Hence we find 
 
 ' Notes, ii. 42., and xx. 7. 
 
 * vii. ^ See Introduction, c. xiii. 
 
 * Notes, ii. 42. 44., xii. 12. * Olshaiisen, &c. 
 
 * As the Ebiunites, ^lurcionites, and Mauicheans, see above, p. ix. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXI 
 
 comparatively few quotations in the early Fathers ^ ; and in 
 the time of Chrysostom, who composed the first commen- 
 tary upon it, we are told by himself that it was scarcely 
 known by name to unlearned believers. At present, how- 
 ever, all parties are aware of its importance ; attempts 
 are constantly made to explain away and dilute its plain 
 practical statements ; commentaries w^ritten under the in- 
 fluences of sectarian prejudices, or by rationalising and 
 sceptical critics, are found in the school-room and the 
 study ; and whatever may become of this attempt, there 
 can be no doubt that a correct interpretation of its import 
 and teaching is imperatively called for in the present cir- 
 cumstances of the Church. 
 
 6. The chronology of the Acts is involved in great 
 difficulties, and the systems of ancient and modern critics- 
 present remarkable differences. But considerable light 
 has been thrown upon this subject by late investigations ; 
 and although comparatively few dates can be certainly 
 established by extci-i.iil evidence, yet the principal epochs 
 have been fixed with a high degree of j^robability, and the 
 arrano;ement of the intermediate events has been ascer- 
 tained within certain limits. It is of great importance 
 that the reader should have a chronological chart to assist 
 his observations and memory. I have therefore prepared 
 the following, adhering, with few deviations, to that pro- 
 posed by Dr. Wieseler, whose work is very frequently 
 referred to in my notes. The limits, and, indeed, the 
 character of this work, w^ill not allow me to state fully the 
 groimds upon which the determination of so many dates 
 
 * The references and quotations are, however, quite sufficient to prove 
 its universal reception by the Church from the beginning. They are to be 
 found in Polycarp, Ignatius, Tatian, Justin Martyr, and in all the Fathers 
 after that early age. See Guerike, Einl. N. T., p. 324 G. 
 
 ^ The principal works on the Chronology of the Acts are those by R. 
 Anger (De temporum in Actis Apostoloruui ratione, Lips. 1833), and 
 Wieseler (see p. xvii.). 
 
 a 4 
 
XXXll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 depends ; but if the reader find that they differ from those 
 to which he is accustomed, he may be assured that they 
 have not been adopted without a careful and repeated 
 slftinix of the evidence. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 30. The crucifixion of our Lord took place on the 15th 
 of Nisan or the 7th of April ; the ascension on 
 the 18th of May. The feast of Pentecost began 
 on the evening of the 27th of May, and was fully 
 come on the 28th, when the Holy Ghost descended 
 upon the Apostles.^ 
 
 The events recorded in Acts iii. to vii. occupied six 
 years - ; but there are no sufficient grounds to de- 
 termine at what intervals they severally occurred. 
 36. The death of Stephen^, followed by a general per- 
 secution of the Church, by the extension of Christ- 
 ianity to Samaria and Syria, and by the conversion 
 of Saul. 
 
 The conversion of Saul."* 
 
 During the three following yours St. Paul preaches 
 in Damascus, and visits Arabia. The baptism of 
 Cornelius took place probably in the year 38, about 
 which time the constitution of the Churches in 
 Palestine seems to have been completed by the 
 Apostles. The Churcli of Antioch was established 
 about this time. The visit of Barnabas occurred 
 l)robably towards the end of the three years. 
 
 ' "VVieseler, p. 16, 17. 
 
 ^ This period is not Umg, considering tliat the Church was established 
 during it. It is evident that a gradual change in the feelings of the people 
 had taken place between the healing of the lame man and the martyrdom 
 of St. Stephen. 
 
 ' This appears to have taken i)lace after the removal of Pontius Pilate, 
 whicli occurred at Easter, probably al)()ut Pentecost the same year. It is 
 uncertain whether Caiaphas was deposed previously. I follow Winer's 
 chronology : Wieseler gives a later date. 
 
 * 'I'his date is much disputed. My chief reason for believing tliat it 
 took place this year is, that it certainly occurred fourteen years before the 
 Apostolic Council, A. d. 'A). 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXxiii 
 
 A.D. 
 
 The accession of Caligula took place in March, a. d. 
 37. It is probable that Aretas recovered posses- 
 sion of Damascus in consequence of that event.^ 
 
 39. St. Paul returns to Jerusalem, whence he proceeds 
 through Syria to Tarsus. 
 
 43. St. Barnabas departs to Tarsus to seek Saul, and 
 
 brings him unto Antioch. 
 
 44. Martyrdom of St. James. St. Peter imprisoned on 
 
 the 1st of April. Herod Agrippa died on the 6th 
 of Auoust. 
 
 45. Famine at Jerusalem. St. Paul's second journey to 
 
 Jerusalem in company with Barnabas.- He re- 
 turns to Antioch with Mark. Shortly afterwards, 
 probably in the course of the same year, St. Paul 
 and Barnabas set out on the first missionary journey 
 to Asia jMinor, accompanied by Jolm Mark. 
 
 48. St. Paul probably returned to Antioch this year. He 
 remained there a considerable time. 
 
 50. The Apostolic Council at Jerusalem. 
 
 St. Paul's third visit ^ to Jerusalem with St. Barnabas 
 
 and Titus. 
 St. Paul, accompanied by Silas, begins the second 
 
 great missionary journey through Asia Minor to 
 
 Europe, in wdiich he was joined by Timothy at 
 
 Lystra, and St. Luke at Troas."* 
 
 ' This point is fully investigated, and in my opinion satisfactorily proved, 
 by Wieseler, p. 167—180. 
 
 ^ In the note on Acts, xii. 14., I have supposed that Barnabas and Paul 
 were at Jerusalem the preceding year. I am now satisfied that they did 
 not arrive until some time after the death of Herod. St. Mark was, how- 
 ever, at Jerusalem, and most pi'obably at his mother's house. 
 
 2 I believe this visit to be identical with that described, Galatians, ii. 
 The point is much controverted. Davidson gives a fair statement of the 
 arguments on all sides. Introduction, vol. ii. p. 112 — 1:22. 
 
 * In the following dates I have followed Wieseler without any he- 
 sitation. 
 
 a 5 
 
XXXI V INTRODUCTION. 
 
 A.D. 
 
 52. St. Paul arrives at Corinth in the autumn, and re- 
 mains there one year and a half. During this time 
 the Church was established in Achaia. 
 The first Epistle to the Thessalonians, either late in 
 this year, or early in the following. 
 
 53. Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. 
 
 54. St. Paul leaves Corinth, visits Ephesus, arrives at 
 
 Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost ; passes 
 through Syria and Asia Minor, and arrives at 
 Ephesus in the autumn, where he remains nearly 
 three years. 
 Apollos leaves Ephesus shortly before the arrival of 
 St. Pauh 
 
 55. Probable date of the Epistle to the Galatians. 
 
 56. In this year St. Paul is supposed to have made one, 
 
 if not two journeys into Macedonia, to Corinth, 
 and probably to Crete, of which St. Luke has given 
 no account. First Epistle to Timothy written in 
 Macedonia. 
 
 57. About Easter St. Paul writes the first Epistle to the 
 
 Corinthians from E2:>hesus. 
 The Epistle to Titus probably about the same time. 
 At Pentecost St. Paul leaves Ephesus on a journey 
 
 through Macedonia to the borders of Illyricum, and 
 
 thence to Greece. He appears to have reached 
 
 Corinth about December. 
 The second Ei)istle to the Corinthians was probably 
 
 written in Macedonia, about July or August. 
 
 58. The Epistle to the Komans Avritten at Corinth in 
 
 February or March. 
 St. Paul goes into INIacedonla, and i)asses the Easter 
 season at l*hirij)pl. He leaves PhlllppI on the 23d 
 of Nisan, or the 5th of April, and arrives at Jeru- 
 
INTRODUCTIOX. XXXV 
 
 A.D. 
 
 salem for the fifth and hist visit on the 15th of May. 
 On the ITth, the day of Pentecost, he was arrested 
 in the temple, and was shortly after sent to Cesa- 
 rea, where he remained two years in prison.^ 
 
 60. Festus succeeds FeHx in the summer. St. Paul sent 
 
 from Cesarea in the autumn. 
 
 61. St. Paul arrives at Rome early in the spring, where 
 
 he remains two years under military custody, but 
 not in prison. 
 The Epistles to the Ephesians, the Colossians, and to 
 Philemon written in the course of this year, and 
 sent at the same time. 
 
 62. Epistle to the Philippians, sent by Epaphroditus. 
 Probable date of the first Epistle of St. Peter, then 
 
 residing at Babylon. 
 
 63. After the termination of the second year, and sub- 
 
 sequent to the events related in the Acts, St. Paul 
 appears to have been formally tried for the first 
 time before 'Nevo. The result of that trial has been 
 much contested ; and as many points of great im- 
 portance are involved in the decision, I will en- 
 deavour briefly to state the grounds upon which I 
 have arrived at the conclusion that he was probably 
 cast into prison, and, after a second trial, con- 
 demned and beheaded in the beginning of the year 
 A.D. 64. 
 
 The prevalent opinion in this country, which is also 
 that of a large number, perhaps the majority of distin- 
 guished critics on the Continent ^, is that St. Paul was 
 
 ' The exact date of St. Paul's imprisonment is determined by astrono- 
 mical calculations, which prove that the 15th of Nisan fell on Tuesday the 
 28th of March in this year. See Wieseler, p. 115. 
 
 ^ Mynster, Heydeureich, Bohl, NVurm, Schott, Gieseler, Guerike, and 
 Neander, are the chief supporters of this view. 
 
 a 6 
 
XXXVl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 acquitted on his first trial before Nero^ and that after his 
 deliverance from prison he visited Spain, and perhaps 
 other countries in the west of Europe (even Britain, ac- 
 cording to some Fathers), whence he returned to the 
 Levant, and after making a tour through the churches of 
 Asia Minor and Greece, returned through Corinth, and, 
 together with St. Peter, or at least about the same time, 
 was again tried before Nero, and suffered martyrdom at 
 Ostia, where a church was afterwards erected and dedi- 
 cated to his memory. 
 
 The following reasons are alleged in support of this 
 view : — 
 
 1. St. Paul expresses an intention to visit Spain after 
 j^assing through Rome, and, being an inspired Aj^ostle, 
 is not likely to have made a statement which might give 
 rise to misapprehension. 
 
 AYith regard to this argument, we would simply observe 
 that the circumstances iiad undergone an entire change 
 since the Epistle was written. The veracity and inspi- 
 ration of the Apostle are neither of them at all affected 
 by the supposition that he may not have been able to carry 
 that intention into effect.^ 
 
 2. It is said that several allusions and statements in 
 the latest Epistles, especially in the second to Timothy, 
 cannot be reconciled with the circumstances of his first 
 imprisonment. 
 
 It would be difficult to do justice either to the argu- 
 ments by which this position is sustained, or those by 
 which, in my opinion, it is overthrown, without greatly 
 exceeding the limits of this work, and entering upon 
 points of criticism which lie beyond its province. I will 
 therefore content myself with observing that a minute 
 and very searching criticism has made it appear highly 
 
 ' See also note, xx. 25. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXVll 
 
 probable that the Epistle to Titus ^ was written at the 
 date which I have assigned to it, viz. a.d. 57, and that 
 each of the allusions in the second Epistle to Timothy are 
 fully accounted for on the hypothesis that it was written 
 after the first trial before Xero.^ 
 
 3. The tradition of the early Church is said to be in 
 favour of St. Paul's deliverance. Clement of Rome ^ says, 
 " Paul preached the Gospel both in the East and in the 
 West, and obtained the honourable fame due to his faith, 
 havino; tau^'ht the whole world rio-hteousness, and havino^ 
 come to the boundary of the West, and borne witness "* 
 before the rulers. He thus departed from the world, and 
 w^ent to the holy place, having exhibited a most perfect 
 example of patience." It is argued that the boundary of 
 the West must signify the remotest country in Western 
 Europe. But it seems far more probable that Clement 
 speaks of his arrival at Kome, the great metropolis of the 
 West, in connection with the Apostle's martyrdom, than of 
 his departure for Spain.^ Other passages, equally doubtful, 
 are found in Dionysius, an early bishop of Corinth, and in 
 the canon published by Muratori.^ Indeed, no clear testi- 
 mony can be adduced until the fourth century. Eusebius, 
 however, and after him Jerome, Euthalius, Chrysostom, 
 and, indeed, all the later Fathers, are unanimous in adopting 
 the view that St. Paul was delivered. But it lias been 
 satisfactorily shown that the opinion of Eusebius, who 
 is implicitly followed by the other Fathers, does not rest 
 upon any historical basis, but upon a chronological system, 
 
 1 Wieseler, p. 329. ^ Wieseler, p. 461—478. 
 
 ^ Epistle to the Corinthians, § v. 
 
 '' This includes the idea that he suffered martyrdom. See Wake's 
 Translation, p. 77. The word, however, was not yet used strictly in that 
 sense. 
 
 ^ The question cannot be discussed here ; but although I do not coincide 
 with Wieseler's conjectural emendation of the present reading, I am quite 
 satisfied that the expression must refer to Rome, and not to Spain, or any 
 other country. 
 
 ^ Both quoted by Wieseler, Davidson, &c 
 
XXXVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 which is demonstrably irreconcileable with Holy Scripture, 
 and upon inferences, which cannot be sustained, from pas- 
 sages in the Epistles already noticed. 
 
 Upon the whole, I think that it must be admitted that 
 the above considerations, taken together, do not possess 
 any great weight ; they might, perhaps, make it appear 
 probable that St. Paul did undertake other journeys, pro- 
 vided that no other and stronger grounds could be adduced 
 for the opposite conclusion, but certainly they are not 
 sufficient to satisfy the just requirements of historical 
 criticism, or to produce a firm conviction in unprejudiced 
 minds. 
 
 The argument against that hypothesis appears far more 
 convincing. Considering the position of affairs at Rome, 
 it is highly improbable that the Apostle St. Paul should 
 have been acquitted when tried before Nero. That empe- 
 ror was rapidly developing his ferocious propensities. The 
 minister who had restrained him was already sacrificed to 
 his suspicions and resentments.^ He was under the in- 
 liuence of Poppaia, who was notoriously a partisan of the 
 Jews, and is even said to have been a proselyte to Ju- 
 daism.- And we may be assured that they would spare 
 neither money nor artifices to excite her and the otlier 
 corrupt and cruel favourites of the emperor against St. 
 Paul. The infamous Tigellinus, who was one of the Prae- 
 torian prefects ^ and all-powerful with Xero at the time of 
 the Apostle's trial, appears to have been animated with 
 peculiar hatred to Christianity, and to have taken an active 
 part in the persecutions that followed.'* Nero was more- 
 over likely to be incensed on hearing that many of the 
 household •', probably no small number of the Praetorian 
 
 1 Hurras died A. u. 02. See Tacit. Ann. xiv. 51, 52. 
 
 ^ .I().se[)li. Ant., XX. 8. 11. Vit. § 3. 
 
 ' Two were ai)|)ointed after the death of Hiirrus Tac, 1. c. 
 
 * Juvenal, Sat. i. 150. 
 
 * See Philijjpians, iv. 22. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIX 
 
 soldiers, who had in succession been brought into imme- 
 diate contact with the Apostle, had become converts to 
 a religion which it is impossible he could regard with 
 favour. When we add to this the fact that in the sum- 
 mer of the same year which must have witnessed the 
 second trial, he began that terrible persecution which is 
 described by Tacitus, it is scarcely possible to imagine that 
 he had just pronounced the acquittal of St. Paul. The ac- 
 count of Tacitus shows, moreover, that the Christians were 
 already detested by the Koman populace, both because they 
 were looked upon as a sect of the Jews, who were noto- 
 rious for hatred of the human race, and were reputed to 
 be atheists, calumniators, or opponents of the gods. Who 
 that reads the following passage can believe that the tyrant 
 Nero was so just and equitable in the interpretation of the 
 Koman law ^ as to have delivered the Christian Apostle 
 from his bonds ? Speaking of the fire which happened at 
 Rome in the time of Nero, and of the suspicions Avhich 
 were entertained that the emperor himself was concerned 
 in causing it, the historian proceeds in his narrative and 
 observations thus: — "But neither these exertions, nor 
 his largesses to the people, nor his offerings to the gods, 
 did aw^ay the infamous imputation under which Nero lay of 
 having ordered the city to be set on fire. To put an end, 
 therefore, to this report, he laid the guilt, and inflicted the 
 most cruel punishments, upon a set of people wdio were 
 holden in abhorrence for their crimes, and called by the 
 vulgar ' Christians.' The founder of the name was Christ, 
 who suffered death in the time of Tiberius, under his pro- 
 curator Pontius Pilate. This pernicious superstition, 
 thus cliecked for a while, broke out again, and spread, 
 not only over Judtea, where the evil originated, but 
 
 ' There can be no doubt that the strict letter, if not the spirit of the 
 law, would condemn the preacher of Christianity. See Cicer. de Leg. ii. 
 § 14. 27. ; Liv. xxxix. 16.; and note on c. xvi. 20, 21. 
 
xl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 through Rome also, whither every thing bad upon earth 
 finds its way and is practised. Some who confessed their 
 sect were first seized, and afterwards, by their information, 
 a vast multitude were apprehended, who were convicted, 
 not so much of the crime of burning Rome, as of hatred to 
 mankind. Their suflferings at their execution were aggra- 
 vated by insult and mockery, for some were disguised 
 in the skins of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs; 
 some were crucified ; and others were wrapped in pitched 
 shirts, and set on fire when the day closed, that they might 
 serve as li^^hts to illuminate the nio-ht. Nero lent his own 
 gardens for these executions, and exhibited, at the same 
 time, a mock Circensian entertainment, being a spectator 
 of the whole, in the dress of a charioteer, sometimes min- 
 gling with the crowd on foot, and sometimes viewing the 
 spectacle from his car. This conduct made the sufferers 
 pitied, and though they were criminals, and deserving the 
 severest punishments, yet they were considered as sacri- 
 ficed not so much out of a regard to the public good, as to 
 gratify the cruelty of one man."' Tliis persecution was 
 followed by an edict, in which Christianity was expressly 
 condenmed as an illicit religion, opposed to the funda- 
 mental principles of the Roman polity and faith. 
 
 I believe that the course of events was this : — During 
 the first two years of St. Paul's imprisonment, his accusers 
 were summoned to Rome. Considerable delays must have 
 occurred, since both parties, the accusers and the accused, 
 had the right to send for witnesses from all the places in 
 which St. Paul was charged with having disturbed the 
 peace of the state, or insulted the national faith of Juda3a. 
 At the end he was tried beft)re Nero, in the judgment-hall, 
 which was then situated within the precincts of the palace. 
 The Jews were represented by an advocate-, as on a 
 
 ^ Tac. Annul, xv. 44. 
 
 ^ Allusion setMus to be made to this accuser, 2 Timothy, iv 17. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xli 
 
 former occasion (see cli. xxiv. 1.), and appear to have sus- 
 tained their charges by witnesses from Ephesiis, among 
 whom Alexander the coppersmith, who was probably con- 
 nected with Demetrius, is expressly named as having done 
 the Apostle much harm. St. Paul, who should have been 
 surrounded by his friends, and who seems to have urged 
 those to attend whose presence might have been influential, 
 as Erastus, the chamberlain of Corinth, and Trophimus, 
 the innocent cause of his arrest, was left alone — excepting 
 his humble companion St. Luke \ all forsook him and fled. 
 The result of the first trial seems to have been an adjourn- 
 ment. Other witnesses were apparently summoned. The 
 Apostle was no more permitted to live in his own hired 
 house, but confined, apparently, in the Mamertine prison, 
 where he wrote the Epistle to Timothy, in which he urges 
 him to set out from Ephesus before the winter, bringing 
 with him parchments and a cloak, a touching memento of 
 his sufferings and the studies by which he beguiled them. 
 St. Peter appears to have reached Kome towards the close 
 of the year, but it is doubtful whether the Apostles were 
 then permitted to meet. The second trial took place appa- 
 rently in the early spring, nor can I doubt that St. Paul 
 was then condemned to death, and beheaded, as a Roman 
 citizen, on the road to Ostia, where the spot of his martyr- 
 dom is yet shown. The Apostle St. Peter was crucified, 
 as all ancient authorities agree, in the persecution which has 
 been already described, a few months later. - 
 
 7. Some words may be necessary to explain the references 
 which the reader will find beneath the notes in each 
 chapter. I considered that it would be more convenient 
 for English readers to have the commentary unencumbered 
 with any words which they might not understand, but did 
 
 ' For these facts, see the last chapter in the 2nd Epistle to Timothy. 
 2 Clem. Rom. c. v. Dionys. Cor. ap. Euseb. H. E. ii. 25. Iren. adv. 
 Hser. iii. 1. Tertullian c. Marc. iv. 5. &c. See Guerike, Einleit. p. 449. 
 
xlii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 not think myself justified in using other men's labours 
 without acknowledgment, the more especially since the 
 works from which a large proportion of the notes are con- 
 densed or extracted, are unknown in this country save to a 
 few biblical students. 
 
 Among the ancient commentaries, I have consulted 
 throughout and used freely that of Chrysostom, which may 
 not be equal to his works on other portions of the New 
 Testament, yet is in every respect superior to any com- 
 mentary written by the Fathers. It is remarkable for 
 good sense, clear perception of the general meaning of the 
 writer, and exegetical tact in the interpretation. I have 
 used the Benedictine edition, but have not generally re- 
 ferred to the pages, since the passages can be found with- 
 out difficulty by any person who may wish to verify a 
 quotation. 
 
 I have also referred occasionally to the ancient Greek 
 Catena, or selected Commentary from the Greek Fathers, 
 edited by Dr. Cramer. Oxf. 1838. 
 
 The editions of Wetstein, liosenmuUer, and Kuinoel 
 have been consulted chiefly for the sake of the copious 
 references to classical authors. Kuinoel has condensed the 
 information contained in the learned annotations of Wolf, 
 Kaphelius, Eisner, Kypke, Heinrich, and Fritsche. His 
 commentary is written in a cold, cavilling spirit, and is 
 deeply tinged with the unhappy rationalism so prevalent 
 in Germany. This is also the case with Rosenmiiller. 
 
 Lightfoot and Schoetgen have supplied the references 
 which I have made to Talmudlcal and other Hebrew 
 writers. 
 
 AVhitby, Hammond, Calvin, Beza, Dlodatl, have been 
 consulted. Tlicy are too well known to require more than 
 a reference. 
 
 I have also to acknowledge my obligations to the follow- 
 ing works, among others, whicli arc quoted in the notes: — 
 
INTRODUCTION. xliii 
 
 Dr. Burton's Lectures on Ecclesiastical History of the 
 first Three Centuries. 
 
 Dr. Hind's (Bishop of Norwich) History of the Eise 
 and Early Progress of Christianity. 
 
 Bishop Blomfield's Lectures on the Acts. 
 
 Archbishop Sumner's Exposition of the Acts. 
 
 Humphry's Commentary on the Acts. 
 
 Dr. Bloomfi eld's Synopsis Criticorum. 
 
 A. Barnes, Notes explanatory and practical on the 
 Acts of the Apostles. Barnes is an industrious and care- 
 ful writer : he lias given a fair summary of the information 
 contained in the notes of Kuinoel and Rosenmliller, and 
 his practical observations are serious and devout. But he 
 is a prejudiced sectarian, and systematically w^rites against 
 the constitution and ordinances of the Episcopal Church. 
 It might be expected that his works would be welcomed 
 by dissenters, but it is a matter of deep regret and surprise 
 that they are sometimes found in the libraries attached to 
 Church schools. 
 
 The History and Writings of St. Paul, by Coneybeare 
 and Howson, is now in course of publication. I received 
 the first two numbers too late to use them in this work. 
 There is reason to hope that it will be an important addi- 
 tion to theological literature, combining the research and 
 comprehensive views of the best German school, with 
 the sobriety of judgment and steadfastness of faith that 
 have hitherto characterised divines of the Church of 
 England. 
 
 The latest commentaries in German which I have used 
 are those by Olshausen and Meyer. The former is well 
 known in England, and is a very instructive writer. But 
 his notes on this book are meagre and superficial compared 
 with those on the Gospels, and he rather eludes than clears 
 up the difficulties, which ought to be thoroughly investi- 
 gated in such a work. Olshausen is one of the least objec- 
 
xllv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tionable of tlie German theologians. He is a sincere 
 believer, and always writes in a reverential and devout 
 tone. But he is not wholly free from the tendencies of 
 his npition, and althouoh his writino;s ous^ht to be used 
 constantly by expositors of Holy Writ, I am of opinion 
 that they may be dangerous in some respects to general 
 readers. 
 
 jNIeyer is a very objectionable writer; cold, sceptical, 
 and arrogant. I have, however, made constant use of the 
 Notes on the Acts,^ because they are critically accurate, 
 throw great light upon the construction, and completely 
 overthrow many sophistical attempts to explain away the 
 plain meaning of St. Luke. Meyer proves more con- 
 vincingly than any late writer on the Continent, that the 
 book of Acts implies throughout the active agency of a 
 Divine power in the preachers and ministers of the 
 Word.- I have used his work the more copiously, inas- 
 much as it is to be hoped that it will not be translated 
 into English. 
 
 The commentary of De Wettc is chiefly remarkable for 
 the recklessness and presumption which characterize all 
 the works of that able but mischievous writer. 
 
 The following works have supplied much valuable 
 information : — 
 
 Ncander, Geschichtcder Pflanzung u.s.w. der Christlichen 
 Kirche. There can be no doubt of the piety of this learned 
 and ingenious author, nor of his reverence for some of the 
 great fundamental truths of the Gospel; but his theology 
 is exceedingly defective, and his view of the authority of 
 Scripture is so low, that it is tantamount to a denial of its 
 inspiration. It is very much to be regretted that his Life 
 of Jesus, and the work to which I have referred so fre- 
 
 ' Kritiscli exej^etisches Ilandbucli iiher die Apostelpreschichte. 
 
 2 Meyer and Jkuir show great in<feiinity in exposing tlie semirationalistic 
 interpretations adopted or suggested by Neander, and otlier followers of 
 Schleiermacher, and too often countenanced by Olshausen. 
 
IJsTKODUCTION. XlV 
 
 qnently In this commentary, should have been translated. 
 They are likely to unsettle the convictions of young and 
 undisciplined minds, more especially by suggesting explan- 
 ations of the passages In St. Luke, which refer to mira- 
 culous agencies. To a scholar and divine they abound In 
 valuable Information ; and they are peculiarly remarkable 
 for a profound and comprehensive view of the state of 
 thought and feeling in tlie heatlien world, and of the 
 great transformation which was effected by the Infusion 
 of Christian principles, and the spiritual influences by 
 vrhlch they were accompanied and enforced. 
 
 Hemsen, Der Apostel Paulus. A learned and ortho- 
 dox biography of St. Paul, with a copious analysis of the 
 Epistles In chronological order. 
 
 Works similar to this In plan, but very widely differing 
 In spirit, have been written by Schrader, Baur, and other 
 rationalists. It Is not likely that they will be known In 
 England. 
 
 Winer, Eealworterbuch. Tills encyclopasdia of facts 
 pertaining to the criticism and interpretation of the Bible 
 is written In a bad spirit, but is learned and accurate. I 
 have used It freely ; but the English reader will find most 
 of the facts, for which I have referred to this author, in 
 the Biblical Encyclopaedia of Dr. Kltto. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter I. 
 Chaptrr II. 
 Chapter III. - 
 Chapter I\'. - 
 Chapter V. 
 Chapter VI. 
 Chapter VII. - 
 Chapter VIII. - 
 Chapter IX. - 
 Chapter X. 
 Chapter XL - 
 Chapter XII. - 
 Chapter XIII. - 
 Chapter XIV. - 
 
 1 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XV. - 
 
 13 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XVI. - 
 
 32 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XVII. 
 
 39 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 49 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XIX. 
 
 59 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XX. - 
 
 65 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXL 
 
 80 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXIL 
 
 90 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXIIL 
 
 104 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 116 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXV. 
 
 125 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXVL 
 
 134 
 
 Chapter XXVII. 
 
 152 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXVIII 
 
 Page 
 
 - 161 
 
 - 174 
 
 - 186 
 
 - 199 
 
 - 210 
 223 
 
 - 236 
 
 - 250 
 
 - 258 
 
 - 268 
 
 - 278 
 
 - 286 
 
 - 295 
 
 - 306 
 
THE 
 
 ACTS 01^ THE APOSTLES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Evangrelists begin their narratives severally with the circumstances 
 that attended our Lord's coming from a heaven of glory and felicity into 
 a world of sin and shame ; in the Acts, on the contrary, St. Luke com- 
 mences with His departure from earth and His return to HeavenJ That 
 departure was, however, in a true sense, a second coming, being an en- 
 trance into a state where He exercises a real dominion over the Church, 
 which He sustains, quickens, and developes by His spiritual indwelling. 
 The first division of the Acts contains a brief summary of the earliest 
 transactions of the Christian Church. In this chapter we have an ac- 
 count of the Ascension (6—11), and of the appointment of an apostle in 
 the place of Judas Iscariot. 
 
 1. The former treatise have I made, O ^Theophilus, ^ Luke, 1.3. 
 of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, i.uK: ii.' &^* 
 
 2. I' Until the day in \vhich he was taken up, after 1 xfrn. s^Te.^* 
 
 1. " Treatise" — narrative, histori- 
 cal discourse.- St. Luke speaks of 
 his Gospel, which he had composed 
 at an earlier period, probably during 
 the imprisonment of St. Paul at Cae- 
 sar e a. ^ 
 
 " Theophilus," to whom St. Luke 
 addressed his Gospel, was a Christian 
 convert, probably a man of rank ; 
 and, if an old tradition may be re- 
 ceived, a native of Alexandria.* 
 
 " Of all," that is, of all the most 
 important events which St. Luke had 
 ascertained, or had been inspired to 
 record. 
 
 " Began both to do and teaehy 
 The word began is not redundant or 
 superfluous.^ It is used significantly, 
 to distinguish the works and d- ctrines 
 performed and revealed by our Lord 
 during His earthly manifestation, 
 from the continuation and completion 
 of both by the Apostles, under the 
 influence of the Holy Ghost. Our 
 Lord laid the foundation in the flesh, 
 and completed the building of the 
 Church in the Spirit. 
 
 2. "-He was taken up," — He was 
 received up into glory. 1 Tim. iii. 
 16. The ascension of our Lord is 
 
 ' Olshausen. 
 
 2 Not " book." See Meyer. 
 
 3 Burton, Lect. U. E. viii. p. 235. 
 
 4 BarBahlulap.Castell. Lex. Hept., c. 3859. 
 
 5 Meyer and Olshaust n. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 c ^ijtt.2s 19. that he throuc^li the Holy Ghost chad "riven command- 
 Mark, 16. 1.1. O ./ B 
 
 ih^io^ii'Hi. J^ents unto the apostles wliom he had chosen: 
 
 d Mark. If,. 14. 3. '^ To whom also he shewed himself alive after his 
 
 John,' 20." i 9,' passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them 
 
 fcor.ikk *■ forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to 
 
 e^Luke. 24. 43. ^he kingdom of God : 
 
 l.if^'r^'i'hJh^: 4. e And, II being assembled together with t/iem, com- 
 
 ihns represented as the conclnsion of 
 His work on earth, previous to wliich 
 He had completed His instructions 
 and commands to the Apostles. 
 
 " Thromjh the Holy G/iost." The 
 Holy Ghost is the agent by -whom 
 the commandments of Jesus are effec- 
 tually impressed on the heart of man. 
 Our Lord imparted the Holy Spirit 
 to the Apostles by the symbolical act 
 of breathing on them, when He gave 
 them their commission. John, xx. 
 22, 23.' 
 
 " Commandments." These com- 
 mandments were to preach the Gos- 
 pel to every creature ; to preach 
 repentance and remission of sins ; to 
 baptize all nations in the name of the 
 Holy Trinity ; and to teach them to 
 observe all the precepts and ordi- 
 nances of Christ. See Mark, xvi. 5. 
 9. ; Matt, xxviii. 18—20. ; Luke, 
 xxiv. 47. 
 
 " Wham he had chosen." These 
 words are added emphatically, to 
 point out the full dignity of the 
 apostolic office.'* Because they were 
 elected and commissioned by Jesus 
 they were made " able ministers " 
 by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 3. " To icliom also" Sec. This 
 verse points out another qualifica- 
 tion of the Apostles. They were eye- 
 witnesses, if not of the act of His re- 
 surrection, yet of His restoration to 
 life, and triumph over death. He 
 shewed himself alive after His pas- 
 .sion, that is, His death of agony and 
 shame. The word properly means 
 " sutHering," and includes the notion 
 of the last suffering, death, as in the 
 Litany, " by Thy cross and passion." 
 
 " Infallible proofs" in which there 
 could be no deception. The word in 
 the original denotes a certain proof, 
 or ground of argument by which a 
 fact may be ascertained. The Apos- 
 tles saw our Lord after the resur- 
 rection on no less than thirteen 
 recorded occasions, and under cir- 
 cumstances that made all illusion im- 
 possible. See especially the two last 
 chapters of St. John's Gospel. 
 
 " Forty days." A period marked 
 out as mysterious by several of the 
 most important transactions in the 
 Old and New Testament, as the 
 Deluge, the giving of the Law, and 
 the fast our Saviour. 
 
 " The kingdom of God." The king- 
 dom in which God is recognised and 
 worshipped in the fulness of His 
 attributes, and in which He reigns 
 and dwells as the Giver of life and 
 bliss. The visible Church of Christ 
 is that kingdom in its transiti«nal 
 and militant form on earth. Our 
 Saviour instructed the Apostles, dur- 
 ing those forty days, in the principles 
 according to which the Church should 
 be established, organised, and admi- 
 nistered.-' 
 
 4. " Beinff assembled together with 
 them." This meeting of our Lord 
 with His Disciples evidently took 
 {)lace at Jerusalem, immediately after 
 their return from Galilee, and pro- 
 bal.>ly a few days before the Ascen- 
 sion. 'J'hc marginal reading, " eating 
 together," is derived from the an- 
 cient versions. It is i)robable that 
 our Lord met His .Apostles while 
 they Mere " breaking bread," accord- 
 ing to His ordinance; but the word 
 
 Meyer. 
 Meyer. 
 
 3 Moberlj'i Sermons on tlie Forty Days. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 f Luke, 24. 49. 
 John, 14. 16. 
 
 vn. '27. & ij. 
 
 26. & 16. 7. 
 ch. 2. 33. 
 
 g. Matt. 3. 11. 
 ch. 11. 16. & 
 I'J. 4. 
 
 mandecl them that they should not depart from Jeru- 
 salem, but wait for the promise of the Father, ^ which, 
 sait/i he, ye have heard of me. 
 
 5. o For John truly baptized with water; ^^ but ye 
 shall be baptized witli the Holy Ghost not many days 
 hence. I'l': 15." " 
 
 6. Wlien they therefore were come together, they ' ^^'^"- 2*- •"• 
 asked of him, saying, * Lord, wilt thou at this time na,u7.'h. 
 ^restore as-ain the kingdom to Israel ? 
 
 in the original means simply', " being 
 assembled with." 
 
 " The promise.'' "That they should 
 be endued with power from on High." 
 Luke xxiv. 49. That promise refers 
 to the complete outpouring of the 
 Holy Ghost, the personal coming of 
 the Comforter. His influence had 
 been communicated partially, and in 
 a lower degree, to the Disciples pre- 
 viously. 
 
 " Which ye have heard of mey The 
 transition from the third to the first 
 person gives great liveliness and force 
 to the narrative, and is not uncom- 
 mon in the sacred writings. See 
 Luke, V. 14. ; Acts, xxiii. 22. The 
 words "saithhe" are inserted, be- 
 cause the transition might seem too 
 abrupt in our language. Our Lord 
 refers to the discourses recorded, 
 Luke, xxiv. 49. ; John, xiv. 16. ; xv. 
 26. 
 
 5. " John." John the Baptist. 
 Our Lord evidently refers to John's 
 own declaration, in which his baptism 
 by water is contrasted with the bap- 
 tism with the Holy Ghost and with 
 fire, which was to be given by Christ. 
 Matt. iii. 1. ; John, i. 33. This pre- 
 diction was now to be fulfilled by the 
 descent of the Comforter. 
 
 " Not many days hence." If, as I 
 conjecture, this assembling took place 
 on the Sunday before Ascension, 
 only fourteen days would intervene 
 between this promise and its fulfil- 
 ment. 
 
 6. " When they therefore ivere come 
 together." These words refer to a 
 
 second meeting"^, as is plain from St. 
 Luke's Gospel, xxiv. 49, 50. It took 
 place at Bethany, on the Mount of 
 Olives, whither our Lord led out His 
 disciples on the day of His Ascen- 
 sion. 
 
 " Wilt thou at this time" &c. The 
 Apostles knew from many clear pro- 
 phecies in the Old Testament that 
 a mighty outpouring of theHoly Ghost 
 would take place in the days of 
 Messiah. See Joel, iii. 1, 2. ; Acts, ii. 
 16. They presumed, therefore, that 
 the promise of their Lord, upon 
 which they must have meditated 
 deeply in the interval between the 
 last meeting and this solemn day, 
 was an indirect prediction of the 
 immediate fulfilment of the other 
 prophecies, M'hich refer to the in- 
 auguration of Messiah's kingdom. 
 See Isaiah, i. 26. ; Dan. vii. 27. 
 That kingdom is described by the 
 prophet Micah (iv. 8.) as a restora- 
 tion : " Unto them shall it come, 
 even the first dominion: the king- 
 dom shall come to the daughter of 
 Jerusalem." The Apostles at that 
 time undoubtedly expected that the 
 Messiah would deliver their country- 
 men from temporal bondage, restore 
 the throne of David, and extend the 
 empire of Israel over the whole 
 earth. They were not yet fully 
 aware of the exclusively spiritual 
 character of that intermediate dis- 
 pensation between the First and. 
 Second Advent of Christ, of which 
 they were to be the ministers. 
 
 Hesychius ap. Meyer. 
 
 2 Olshaiisen. 
 
 B 2 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 7. And he said unto them, ^It is not for you to 
 know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath 
 put in his own power. 
 
 8. ™ But ye shaU receive || power, "after that the 
 Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ^ye shall be wit- 
 
 n Luke, '^4. 19. nesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, 
 and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the 
 
 I Matt. 24. .16. 
 Mark. 13. m. 
 1 Thess. 5. 1. 
 
 qf- the Hul'l 
 Ghost coming 
 upon you. 
 
 o I.uke, "24. 48 
 
 John, 15.27. 
 
 ver. 22. , , 
 
 ch. 2. 32. earth. 
 
 7. " It is not for you to know" &c. 
 The answer of oar Lord does not 
 imply that the kingdom was never 
 to be restored to Israel, but it checks 
 all curious speculations as to the un- 
 revealed pm-poses of God. Compare 
 a similar answer. Matt. xxiv. 36. 
 On both occasions our Saviour di- 
 rected the attention of His disciples 
 to their own work and duty. " A 
 good teacher informs his disciples, 
 not of -what they wish, but of what it 
 is profitable for them to learn," is 
 the remark of Chrysostom. 
 
 " The times and seasons." — ' Times' 
 means any period; 'seasons' alimited 
 and definite time, and includes the 
 notion of fitness.' The former word 
 may be understood of the duration 
 of the present dispensation ; the latter, 
 of the date of Messiah's Second Ad- 
 vent, when the spiritual glory of the 
 Church will become visible, in the 
 manifestation of the sons of God. 
 See Rom. viii. 19. 
 
 " The Father hath put in his oian 
 power." These words are generally 
 compared with our Lord's declara- 
 tion, Mark, xiii. .32 : " That not even 
 the Son knoweth of that day and of 
 that hour." But our Lord there spake, 
 as we may reverentially conjecture, 
 of His human nature in His state 
 of voluntary humiliation. This pas- 
 sage, on the contrary, belongs to the 
 time of His exaltation, and it can- 
 not be doubted that what the Father 
 knoweth is known in all the fulness 
 of the word to the Son. The mean- 
 ing of the words seems to ))e that the 
 determination of that time forms no 
 
 part of the scheme of Providence, 
 which is a subject of revelation, and 
 that it depends unconditionally upon 
 the secret will of God, into which 
 man is not encouraged, or permitted 
 to inquire. 
 
 8. *' Ye shall receive power.'" This 
 second part of our Lord's answer 
 gives the disciples full information as 
 to their own prospects. When the 
 kingdom was to come they might 
 not learn, but they were to receive 
 that power which would qualify them 
 to prepare the way for the king im- 
 mediately. 
 
 '-'■Power." The version in the 
 text is more correct than that in the 
 margin. They were to receive power 
 on and by the descent of the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 " Witnesses unto me." It was the 
 duty of the Apostles, in a special 
 sense, to bear witness to the life, 
 doctrines, suffering, resurrection, and 
 ascension of their I^ord. They were 
 to bear witness by proclaiming the 
 truth, and, when called upon, by 
 sealing their testimony with their 
 blood. The word "witness" is the 
 same as " martyr." 
 
 "/« Jerusalem — uttermost parts of 
 the earth." These words designate 
 the sphere of operations assigned 
 to the Apostles, in its beginning, 
 progress, and ultimate extent.* In 
 the Acts we read how far that com- 
 mandment was fuHilled by the 
 Apostles. The history of the Church 
 describes the continuation of that 
 work by their successors. The 
 Apostles did not, at that time, fully 
 
 Meyer, Tittman. Synoii. N. T. p. 41. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAR I. 5 
 
 9. PAnd when he had spoken these things, while p Luke, 21.01 
 they beheld, ^he was taken up ; and a cloud received q°Jr.2.^' 
 him out of their sight. 
 
 10. And while they looked stedfastly toward 
 heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them l^rkXih^' 
 ^in white apparel ; ^hn.'lo.'i^^. 
 
 11. Which also said, ^Ye men of Galilee, wdiy '^\''^-':\°- 
 Stand ye gazing up into heaven.'' this same Jesus, i^. 31. 
 
 understand the extent of their com- 
 mission, but believed that they were 
 to preach the Gospel to their country- 
 men ' only, whether in Judaea or in 
 foreign lands. The last words of 
 our Saviour asserted the universaUty 
 of His kingdom. 
 
 9. " While they beheld'^ It is im- 
 portant to observe that the Ascension 
 took place in open day, in the sight 
 of the Apostles. They could bear 
 witness to the resurrection, because 
 they saw him afterwards in the flesh ; 
 but they could only bear personal 
 testimony to the Ascension, because 
 He was taken up while they beheld.- 
 
 " A cloud." This must he under- 
 stood as a luminous appearance, — a 
 symbol of the Divine Presence, — the 
 same as the Sheechinah, which rested 
 on the mercy-seat, on the consecra- 
 tion of the first temple. It was a 
 visible representation of the trium- 
 phant resumption of the glory, which 
 Christ had laid aside on his entrance 
 into the world. The chief historical 
 types of this great event are Enoch, 
 Moses, and Elijah : the great cere- 
 monial type was the yearly entrance 
 of the High Priest^ into the holy of 
 holies on the day of atonement. The 
 most important prophecies are Psalm 
 xxiv. 7., xlvii. 5., Ixviii, 18.; Micah, 
 ii. IS.-* 
 
 10. ^^ Looked stedfasthj." These 
 words, which exactly express the 
 sense of the original^ indicate the 
 intense feelings of interest, amaze- 
 ment, and affection, Avith which the 
 Apostles gazed on the departing form 
 
 of their dear Lord. They could not 
 reconcile themselves to His departure, 
 even though it was into a state of 
 glory. 
 
 " Two men stood hy themr — That 
 is, appeared suddenly standing by 
 them. The angels appear in the 
 form of men on most occasions re- 
 corded in the Old and New Testa- 
 ment, in order, as we may presume, to 
 moderate the awe and dread which 
 the presence of heavenly beings must 
 cause to sinners. 
 
 " White apparel." — Garments of 
 light, a symbol of purity and holi- 
 ness. See Rev. iii. 4.; iv. 4.; viii. 
 9.13,14. Compare also John, XX. 12. 
 
 11. "^/so," is used emphatically^ 
 — they not only appeared, but they 
 addressed the disciples — 
 
 " Ye men of Galilee," Christians 
 were afterv/ards called Galileans by 
 the heathen, as a term of reproach : 
 here the addition of the word '• men" 
 gives a courteous turn to the expres- 
 sion. 
 
 " Why stand ye." This question 
 appears to imply that the Apostles 
 were henceforth no more to indulge 
 the feelings of natural regret which 
 they experienced on losing the bodily 
 presence of our Lord, but to fix their 
 mind and heart upon the future 
 appearing of Christ, and upon their 
 own work in the meantime. 
 
 " This same Jesus." An important 
 text for the Apostles, and for all the 
 people of Jesus, proving that the 
 humanity of Jesus is not absorbed 
 into the divine nature, but remains 
 
 ^ Notes on Acts IX. 
 
 2 Pearson on the Creed, 
 Reden Jesii, vol. vi. p. 1016. 
 
 3 Levit. xvi. 
 
 4 Pearson on the Creed, art. vi 
 art. vi. Stier note. 
 
 5 Meyer on Matt., p. 78. 
 
 6 Meyer. 
 B 3 
 
 p. 46. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 t Dan. 7. I.". 
 Matt. 21. .-51). 
 Mark, 13. '26. 
 Luke, '^l. 27. 
 John, U. .-. 
 1 Thess. 1. 
 10. & 4. IG. 
 SS Thess. 1. 10. 
 Rev. 1. 7. 
 
 u Luke, 24. 52. 
 
 y Matt. 10. 2, 
 3, 4. 
 
 z Luke, C. 15. 
 a Jude, 1 . 
 
 b ch. 2. 1, 4C. 
 
 which is taken up from you into heaven, *shall so come 
 in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. 
 
 12. ^Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the 
 mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sab- 
 bath day's journey. 
 
 13. And when they Avere come in, they went up 
 "into an upper room, where abode both y Peter, and 
 James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, 
 Bartholomew, and INIatthew, James the son of Al- 
 pheu.s, and ^ Simon Zelotes, and ^ Judas the brother of 
 James. 
 
 14. ^ These all continued with one accord in prayer 
 
 perfect and whole, with all the sym- 
 pathies, though without the infirmi- 
 ties, of sinless manhood. He is per- 
 fect man as well as perfect God, 
 " One altogether, not by confusion of 
 substance, but by unity of Person." ' 
 
 '- In like manner.''' He will come 
 as he departed, suddenly (Luke, xxi. 
 35.; Matt. xxiv. 44.), mysteriously 
 (Matt. xxiv. 2G— 28.), with power 
 and great glory (Matt. xxiv. 30.), 
 in the clouds of heaven (ib. ), and 
 attended by His mighty angels 
 (1 Thess. i. 7.). 
 
 12. " Olivet:' The mount of 
 Olives S on the north-east of Jeru- 
 salem, has three summits, the highest 
 of which, about 3000 feet'-, commands 
 a view of the Mediterranean on the 
 west, of Ebal and Gerizim on the 
 north, and of the mountains of Moab, 
 beyond the Dead Sea, on the east. 
 The olives, which gave it its name, 
 have now nearly disappeared, but 
 some still remain, of very great age, 
 on the western declivity.-* The ap- 
 pearance of this most interesting of 
 all mountains is strikingly pic- 
 turesque. 
 
 " A sahhath (laj/'s journei/" ac- 
 cording to the Rabbins, two thousand 
 cubits, about eight furlongs. The 
 distance from Jerusalem to the foot 
 of Olivet is five furlongs. The as- 
 cent to the nearest summit, on which 
 
 the Ascension took place, is not 
 above a mile. 
 
 13. " A7i upper room." Rather, 
 the upper room. This was, most 
 probably,'* in a private house, where 
 the disciples were in the habit of 
 assembling, and where they had par- 
 taken of the last supper. The 
 upper room, immediately under the 
 flat roof of most residences, was re- 
 served for prayer and meetings on 
 solemn occasions. Although cham- 
 bers in the temple were open to 
 parties of worshippers, it is not pro- 
 bable that the disciples would be 
 allowed to occupy one permanently 
 at that time. The passage in St. 
 Luke's Gospel, xxiv. 53., maybe un- 
 derstood of regular attendance at the 
 temple service. 
 
 " Judas ' the brother.' " The re- 
 lationship between James and Judas 
 is not specified in the original, but 
 assumed to be well known. It was 
 sufficient to name James, in order 
 to distinguish this Judas from the 
 traitor. 
 
 14. " Continued." The word so 
 rendered means earnest persevering 
 attention. 
 
 " With one accord." This applies 
 not merely to their unanimity in meet- 
 ing, but to their unity in devotion 
 and faith. They were moved by 
 one spirit, and had one heart. 
 
 1 Athanasian Creed. 
 
 2 Tischciulorf, Ilobinsoii, ami Williams. 
 
 3 Diibell ap. Winer. 
 
 ' Olsliausen, Meyer. 
 '' I'carson, Lect. ad Act. 
 p. 64H. 
 
 Winer, v. 1. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 and supplication, with ^ the women, and Maiy the 
 mother of Jesus, and with ^ his brethren. 
 
 15. ^ And in those days Peter stood up in the 
 midst of the disciples, and said, (the number ^ of names 
 together were about an hundred and twenty,) 
 
 16. Men a?id brethren, this scripture must needs 
 
 c Luke, 2.". 49. 
 55. & 21. 10 
 
 d Matt. 13. 55. 
 
 " The women." Those who had 
 followed. Jesus, among whom were 
 Mary Magdalene, Salome, Johannah 
 the wife of Chuza, and Susannah. 
 
 " ^nd Mary, the mother of Jesus." 
 This is the last time the blessed Vir- 
 gin is named in the Holy Scriptures. 
 She is markedly distinguished' from 
 the other women then present. 
 
 " His brethren." His near male 
 relations, the sons, most probably, of 
 the sister of Mary. They had been 
 slow to believe (John, vii. 5.), but 
 were doubtless convinced by His 
 resurrection. It was the universal 
 opinion of the early fathers that our 
 Lord had no brother or sister in the 
 ordinary and literal sense of the 
 word.=^ 
 
 1 5. " In those days.^ Between the 
 Ascension and Pentecost. This in- 
 terval would seem to have been se- 
 lected for the appointment of an 
 apostle, in order to show that the 
 Church was invested with authority 
 to complete its external organization 
 under the special guidance of its 
 Head. 
 
 ^^ Peter." During the ministry of 
 our Lord, and for a considerable 
 time after his departure, we find 
 Peter foremost in speech and action 
 among the apostles ; but we never 
 find that he claims or exercises any 
 authority over them, or independently 
 of them.^ 
 
 "Of names." Of persons* whose 
 names were reckoned, perhaps, as 
 distinguished members of the Church. 
 
 " Jn hundred and twenty." It is 
 doubtful whether this number in- 
 
 cluded all the public professors of 
 Christianity who were at Jerusalem 
 at that time ; our Saviour had cer- 
 tainly made many more converts in 
 that city during his ministry, though 
 some had probably fallen away when 
 He was crucified, and others who 
 may have been prepared to receive 
 the truth when preached fully by his 
 apostles, may not yet have become His 
 avowed adherents. It is more pro- 
 bable that this number consisted of 
 the heads of families, or of persons 
 who had accompanied Jesus from 
 the beginning of His ministry. The 
 same number made up Ezra's great 
 synagogue.^ 
 
 16. ''Men and brethren.'' This 
 form of address is more courteous 
 than if the word " men " were omit- 
 ted. It is equivalent to sirs, brethren. 
 " This scripture." The passage 
 alluded to is supposed to be Psalm 
 xlL 9.; but the 18th and 19th verses 
 are parenthetical ^ and St. Peter 
 quotes the Scripture, which he has in 
 view, in the 20th verse. 
 
 '■'■Must needs." All predictions 
 made by the inspiration of the Holy 
 Ghost must needs be fulfilled, since 
 they proceed from Him who is omni- 
 scient and omnipotent. " Known 
 unto God are all his works from the 
 beginning of the world. " It is, how- 
 ever, equally certain that no in- 
 dividual commits a sinful act but 
 in consequence of the depravity of 
 his own will, which is essentially 
 and necessarily free. We must 
 accept both truths, though we may 
 not be able to reconcile the apparent 
 
 1 Meyer and Fritzsche on Mark, p. 11. 
 
 2 Pearson on the Creed, art. Virgin Mary. 
 
 3 Potter on Church Government, p. 66. ; 
 and Cyprian, De Unit. Ecclesiie. 
 
 B 4 
 
 4 Meyer, Suicer. Thes., ii. 492. 
 ■'' Lightfoot and Burton, p. 42. 
 6 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 i rer. 25. 
 ch. 12. ^ir>. k 
 
 1 Matt. 26. 15. 
 
 2 Pet. 2. 15. 
 
 have been fulfilled, *" which the Holy Ghost by the 
 mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, 
 e which was guide to them that took Jesus. 
 
 17. For ^Mie was numbered wiih us, and had ob- 
 tained part of ^ tliis ministry. 
 
 18. ^Now this man purchased a field with Hhe 
 reward of iniquity ; and falling headlong, he burst 
 asunder in tlie midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 
 
 19. And it was known unto all the dwellers at 
 
 contradiction between them in the 
 actual imperfect state of our know- 
 ledge and reason. St. Peter and all 
 truly religious persons feel a deep 
 and true consolation in reflecting 
 that all events are absolutely con- 
 trolled by Him who is all- wise and 
 all-good. 
 
 " Bif the mouth of David.'''' A 
 strong testimony to the inspiration of 
 the book of Psalms. Compare 2 
 Peter, i. 21., Mark, xii. 36. 
 
 " ConcertiiiKj Judas." Ahitophel, 
 ■who is alluded to in the 109th 
 Psalm, was a type of Judas in his 
 treason and in his suicide. The 
 ■words of David, being given by the 
 Holy Spirit, apply at once to the 
 type and to the antitype. Maledic- 
 tions denounced against persons who 
 have committed any special crime, 
 are applied, by the same Spirit who 
 dictated them at first, to others 
 guilty in the same or in a higher de- 
 gree. Judas, as the arch traitor, is 
 the special object of all denunciations 
 against murderers and traitors. 
 
 17. '■'■For he urns numbered among 
 us." These words assign the reason 
 why that Scripture was applied to 
 Judas. The prophesy, as interpreted 
 by the Spirit, predicted that one of 
 the apostles would fall, and therefore 
 lose liis oflice.' 
 
 " Part (if this ministni.'" The 
 word for " part" in the original is 
 rlerus, which means, first, a lot, then 
 that which is given by lot, and then, 
 
 generally, a possession, or office. 
 The last signification is most appro- 
 priate in this passage. He held the 
 office of this (apostolical) ministry. 
 The words clerical, clergy, are de- 
 rived from clerus. 
 
 " Ministry." The word in the 
 original, diaconia, Avas used in a more 
 restricted sense after the establish- 
 ment of the diaconati. 
 
 18. " Purchased." As, in the Old 
 Testament, men are said to purchase 
 to themselves shame, — that being 
 the result, not the intention, of their 
 action, so is Judas here said to pur- 
 chase this field by the wages of his 
 iniquity, though he neither intended 
 this, nor was instrumental to it.* 
 'I'he field was purchased by the 
 priests, as we learn from St. Matthew, 
 xxvii. 5 — 10. 
 
 " Falling headlong." This account 
 of the death of Judas is supplement- 
 ary to that given by St. Matthew.^ 
 The wretched suicide did not cast 
 away life without a manifest token of 
 the divine wrath. As he fell strangled 
 with his f\\ce dowuAvards, his body 
 burst, and his entrails gushed out. 
 This awful circumstance was calcu- 
 lated to make a deep impression upon 
 the minds of those who were assem- 
 bled to appoint his successor. St. 
 Peter does not speak of the fact that 
 Judas hanged himself previously, that 
 being well known to all present.^ 
 
 19. This verse ap[)ears not to have 
 been a part of St, Peter's address, 
 
 ' Mpyer. 
 
 2 Whitt^y. 
 
 3 (';isaiil)oii, Exrrr. Antih., xvi. .')27. ; .\\- 
 hnrti.()l)>s ,li). 2'2'2. ; Kiiinocl ami I'ritzschr' on 
 Matt. A singular legend of I'apias is given 
 
 by Apollinarius (.Soe Cramer, Caten., p. 12..) 
 wliicli illustrates tlie dilFerence between fic- 
 tii>n ;in(l truth. 
 ' Miycr. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. j 
 
 Jerusalem ; insomuch as that field is called in their 
 proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to saj, The field of 
 blood. 
 
 20. For it is written in the book of Psalms, ^ Let m Ps. es. '^5. 
 his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell " ^'- '°^- ''• 
 therein : and " his || bishoprick let another take. lr?cha!§T.' 
 
 21. Wherefore of these men which have companied 
 with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and 
 out among us, 
 
 22. ^ Beginning from the baptism of John, unto o Mark, 1. 1. 
 that same daj that p he was taken up from us, must p^^er. 9. 
 one be ord 
 surrection. 
 
 but inserted by St. Luke for the 
 information of his readei's. St. Peter, 
 of course, would have used the Syro- 
 Chaldaic word aceldama, without in- 
 terpreting it. Tradition points out a 
 spot on the south of mount Zion as 
 the field of blood. It was used as a 
 burying-place in the time of Jerome.' 
 
 20. '• The book of Psalms:' The 
 first passage from the 69th psalm ap- 
 plies primarily to the betrayer of 
 David, and that from the 109th 
 Psalm to Doeg, the wicked informer 
 and murderer of Abimelech, the high 
 priest, and his brethren. See 1 
 Samuel, xxi. and xxii. See note on 
 verse 16. Both passages were gene- 
 rally understood by the Christians to 
 be prophetical of the crime and pu- 
 nishment of Judas. 
 
 " Bishoprick" The word, both in 
 the Greek and Hebrew, means " of- 
 fice of overseer and superintendent."'^ 
 In temporal matters it designates 
 specially the office of a provincial 
 governor or viceroy ; in ecclesiastical, 
 of a governor of the Church. It was 
 restricted at a very early period to 
 the bishops of churches, who were in 
 all essential points the same as those 
 in our own Church. The apostles 
 were the first bishops, and, in pro- 
 cess of time, gave episcopal authority 
 
 to others, first as their delegates, and 
 then as their successors in this part of 
 their office.^ 
 
 21. " Wherefore" That is, since 
 the Holy Ghost in that prophesy 
 ordains it. 
 
 " These men who have companied 
 with us" It is probable that St. Peter 
 refers specially to the seventy disci- 
 ples. Luke, X. 1, 2. A perfect 
 linowledge of what the Lord had 
 taught and done was a necessary 
 qualification, humanly speaking, of 
 an apostle who was to teach mankind 
 to " observe all things whatsoever 
 Jesus had commanded." 
 
 " Went in and out." A Hebraism, 
 denoting a public and official manner 
 of life or ministry.* See Deut. xxxi. 
 2. 1 Chron., 1. 10. Compare John, 
 X. 9. 
 
 22. " Beginning — from us" This 
 is a parenthesis, and refers to the 
 whole ministry of Jesus. 
 
 " ^e ordained" Literally "he- 
 come. " 
 
 " A witness" It was a special and 
 peculiar duty ef the apostles to bear 
 personal testimony to the fact of the 
 resurrection; but the ordination of 
 Matthias put him into participation 
 of their full authority as governors 
 and founders of the Church. 
 
 1 Pocock, Corte ap. Meyer. 
 
 2 Meyer. See Hooker, lib. vii. c, ii. 2. & 
 
 B 5 
 
 3 See Clem. Eom. Ep, § 1 Cor. , xUv, 
 
 4 Meyer, KuiriOel. 
 
10 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 » 1 Ram. 16. 
 1 Chron. '^s. 
 9. & '29. IT. 
 Jer. 11. 20. 
 & 17. 10. 
 ch. 15. 8. 
 R«v. 2. 2.1. 
 
 t ver. 17. 
 
 23. And they appointed two, Joseph called ''Bar- 
 sabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 
 
 24. And they prayed, and said. Thou, Lord, * which 
 knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these 
 two thou hast chosen, 
 
 25. * That he may take part of this ministry and 
 apostleship, from Avhich Judas by transgression fell, 
 that he miglit go to his own place. 
 
 26. And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell 
 upon Matthias ; and he was numbered with the eleven 
 apostles. 
 
 23. " Appointed." Or presented, 
 nominated. The nomination appears 
 then to have rested with the whole 
 body of Christians, but the selection 
 of the individual in this case was re- 
 ferred to the Lord, and the ordination 
 was made, unquestionably, by the 
 imposition of the apostles' hands.' 
 
 " Barsabas." A patronymic, mean- 
 ing son of Sabas.^ Justus, a Roman 
 name. It was customary among the 
 Jews to take a second name.^ No 
 more is known of this person ; for 
 there are no suflBcient grounds for 
 the supposition "^ that he was Bar- 
 nabas. 
 
 *' Matthias." "We have no certain 
 account of the after life of this 
 apostle. He is said to have preached 
 the Gospel, and to have suffered, 
 martyrdom in Ethiopia.* The name 
 signifies Gift of God. He is said 
 by Eusebius® to have been one of the 
 seventy disciples. 
 
 24. " T/iou, Lord." The apostles 
 address their prayer to the Lord 
 Jesus', because they were themselves 
 chosen by Him, and Avere to be His 
 witnesses. The word Lord invaria- 
 bly denotes God the Son in the New 
 Testament, unless the Father or the 
 
 Holy Spirit are expressly mentioned. 
 "Searcher of hearts" is an appella- 
 tion of Jehovah. Jeremiah, xvii. 10. 
 
 " Ministry and apostleship." The 
 latter word explains and restricts the 
 former. This ministry, even that of 
 an apostle^ 
 
 " His own place." That place ® 
 which he had earned and made his 
 own b)' his sin ; like the angels who 
 kept not their first estate. It is called 
 gehenna, or hell. We must remem- 
 ber that St. Peter spoke as #an in- 
 spired apostle, and that our Lord had 
 declared Judas to be a son of per- 
 dition, and had said that it had been 
 better for him that he had never 
 been born. 
 
 26. Mosheim'" has endeavoured to 
 prove that the disciples did not cast 
 lots on this occasion, but simply gave 
 their votes. It is, however, the ge- 
 neral opinion of divines, that the 
 apostles adopted this mode of so- 
 lemnly referring the decision to the 
 Lord. This was in accordance with 
 the law (see Numbers, xvii. 1 — 3. ; 
 1 Chron. xxiv. 5.); but it was never 
 repeated after the coming of the Spi- 
 rit, nor has it been imitated by the 
 Church.' 1 
 
 ' Hind's IJisc and Progress of Cliristianity, 
 p. 121. 
 
 ■^ Winer, Meyer. 
 
 3 S(.lio<t«enn. 
 
 -• Heinriclis, Ullman. Stud, uiid Krit., 
 1828, p. «77. 
 
 * Nicei)lior., ii. 10. 
 
 f' H. R., i. 12. 1. See also iii. 25. 3. 
 " Olshausen. See Burton, vol. i. p. 45. 
 " Not a hendiadys. Stc Fritzsche on 
 Matt., p. H.-iG. 
 !' LiKlitfoot, Wliitl)V, and Kuinoel. 
 1" !)<• \vh. a. Coiistl i. 11. n. 6. 
 " C'hiysobton). 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 11 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 V. 1 — 4. The first duty of a believer is to study the history of our Lord, 
 with especial reference to the example which He showed us, and to the 
 truths which He hath revealed. His last act before the Ascension will not 
 only impress us with gratitude for His watchful care until the end, but call 
 to our minds the agency by which His law is written in the hearts of His 
 chosen. It is through the Holy Ghost that He giveth effectual command- 
 ments. That agency, however, does not supersede the use of human reason. 
 He gives infallible proofs, not only to the inner man by spiritual illu- 
 mination, but to the understanding by external evidence. To seekers after 
 truth, God vouchsafes always that species of evidence which is best adapted 
 to their faculties. To the apostles Christ showed himself at intervals during 
 forty days ; to the Church He attested His power in the beginning by 
 miraculous manifestations ; ^to us He speaks, by proofs equally infallible, 
 by the accomplishment of prophecy, and by the works of grace and love 
 which He continually achieves. He spoke to the apostles of that kingdom, 
 which was then future, an object of faith and hope ; to us, if we be enrolled 
 among its true subjects, it is a present and glorious reality, an object of 
 gratitude and love. For the promise which they then expected has been 
 fulfilled, not for a season, but for a perpetuity, to all who have been cleansed, 
 renewed, and sanctified by the baptism of the Holy Ghost 
 
 6—8. The best men are naturally disposed to value spiritual privileges 
 merely as pledges of external advantages. Instead of inquiring what is our 
 duty, we are always asking what and when will be our reward. The 
 question of the apostles should teach us to mistrust ourselves. The answer 
 of our Lord directs us, on the one hand, to repress all idle and curious 
 inquiry into those things that are not revealed, and, on the other, to watch 
 anxiously for the fulfilment of those promises which assure us individually 
 that we shall have light and grace to do our duty, and walk as witnesses 
 unto Him in that state whereunto He may call us. 
 
 9. Let us not read this brief account of our Lord's ascension, without 
 pausing to consider that event in its various aspects and bearings. We must 
 meditate upon it as (1.) the completion and seal of the work of the incarnate 
 Son of God ; (2.) the glorification of His human nature ; (3.) the restoration 
 of His divine nature to the majesty which he had laid aside; (4.) the inau- 
 guration and enthronement of the God- man in His heavenly kingdom. We 
 must remember that though absent, as man, in the body, He is omnipresent, 
 as God, in and by His Spirit ; — that He ascended (1.) to prepare a place for 
 His followers ; (2.) to receive from the Father, and to bestow upon man, all 
 graces, gifts, and powers, needed for the building, maintenance, and exten- 
 sion of His Church ; (3.) to be our King, ruling the Church by His law, and 
 defending her by His might ; (4.) to be our Prophet, enlightening our 
 minds, both as to the actual duties and future prospects of the Church, by 
 His divinely-inspired and divinely-interpreted Word; (5.) and to be our 
 Priest, making perpetual intercession, offering an all-suflicient sacrifice on 
 our behalf, and both sanctifying and presenting our prayers. We may 
 remark, that those who had shared His humiliation, witnessed His exalta- 
 tion; and ever bear in mind, that as the Church is spiritually one with her 
 Head, and is enthroned with Him, so the souls of all the faithful, which are 
 risen with Christ, must earnestly seek those things which are above, where 
 Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 
 
12 THE ACTS. CHAP. I. 
 
 10, 11. Heavenly communications are vouclisafed to those -who look 
 stedfastly to Jesus ; and spiritual contemplation will prepare us for the 
 mystery and glory of His second advent. 
 
 12 — 14. The Christian has two homes ; one with his Lord in heaven, 
 which lie seeks in spiritual retirement ; the other with the brotherhood on 
 earth, uhere he continues in prayer and supplication. The strength which 
 he receives and matures at home must be employed abroad in doing the 
 work of His Father. 
 
 15. The number of the disciples was small, but each bore a name that 
 was written not only on the rolls of the Church, but in the book of life. We 
 see the Church in its infancy, but it is the infancy as of a prince of God. That 
 was a living faith, indeed, that directed their minds, in a moment of bereave- 
 ment and affliction, not to selfish and timid considerations, but to the care 
 of the Church ; and to the choice of a minister, whose first duty would be 
 to proclaim a truth which would redouble the rage of their persecutors. 
 
 16. In this discourse we remark the source from which St. Peter derived 
 his deep insight into the things of God. He was conversant with the pro- 
 phetical Scriptures, and there he found all the events foretold, which might 
 have confounded or perplexed him. To a mind so enlightened under the 
 teaching of the Spirit, occurrences which shake the souls of the unstable 
 serve but to confirm and increase faith. 
 
 16, 17. The guilt of Judas is fearfully enhanced by the greatness of his 
 spiritual privileges. The denunciations which St. Peter applies to him, 
 will be found equally applicable at the last day to all whom covetousness, 
 deceit, and treachery teach to hate and malign Christ, should they, like 
 Judas, die in impenitent despair. Do Thou, O Lord, cleanse us from our 
 secret sins ; and give us true and hearty repentance, that our place may not 
 be with Thine enemies. 
 
 24. He who does not know Christ as the searcher of hearts, does not 
 know Him savingly. That knowledge alone quickens the conscience, sub- 
 dues all rebellious struggles, and constrains us to pour out our soul in 
 supplication and prayer, that we may be assured of our calling and election. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 13 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 In this chapter, from the first to the forty -seventh verse, we have a brief, 
 but clear and complete account of the occurrences of that day on which 
 the promise of the Redeemer was fulfilled, and His apostles were endued 
 with power from on high to establish and edify that Church which they 
 were to govern as representatives of Christ, and as agents of the Holy- 
 Ghost. This day of Pentecost is the epoch of the inauguration of the 
 Comforter, and the birthday of the Church' ; and henceforth the history 
 of the Church is that of the Holy Spirit. We have to consider, in the 
 first place, the time, the place, and the circumstances of this event as 
 described by St. Luke. 
 
 1. And when ^the day of Pentecost was fully come, a Lev. 23. 15. 
 
 , - n • 1 1 • T '' Bern. 16. 9. 
 
 ° they were ail with one accord in one place. ''^- '^*^- ^^• 
 
 1. " The day of Pentecost." Pen- 
 tecost means fiftieth, and is used as a 
 substantive.' In the Old Testament 
 it is called the Feast of Weeks, and 
 was kept at the end of seven weeks, 
 /. e. a week of weeks, or fifty days, 
 including the day of the festival, 
 after the Passover. As the Hebrew 
 festival was instituted as a season of 
 rejoicing and thanksgiving for the 
 harvest, it was also called the feast of 
 ingathering and first-fruits, or of 
 harvest. Two loaves made of new 
 meal were then offered in the temple 
 as first-fruits. Lev it- xxiii. 17 — 20. 
 Isumb. xxviii. 27 — 29. So the 
 Christian festival, which we term 
 Whitsuntide, commemorates the in- 
 gathering of the first converts, whom 
 " God begat of His own will with the 
 word of truth, that they should be a 
 kind of first-fruits of His creatures." 
 James, i. 18. The Hebrews also 
 celebrated the giving of the law on 
 Mount Sinai, on the last day of the 
 seven weeks ; and latterly they called 
 the festival " the rejoicing of the 
 law." ^ We have to commemorate 
 
 the complete and effectual revelation 
 of that law, which was henceforth 
 written by the Holy Ghost, not on 
 tables of stone, but on the " fleshly 
 tablets" of regenerate hearts. 
 
 " Was fully come." According to 
 the law (Levit. xxiii. 15.), the fifty 
 days were reckoned from the end of 
 the first day of Easter, or the six- 
 teenth of Nisan, on which the Pascal 
 lamb was slain. In the year of our 
 Lord's passion the sixteenth of Nisan 
 began on Thursday evening, at six 
 o'clock, and lasted until the same 
 hour on Friday. This day of Pen- 
 tecost, therefore, began at six o'clock 
 on the Saturday of the seventh Meek, 
 and was fully come on the Sunday 
 morning.^ So that this day, which 
 the Lord hath made, is consecrated 
 by the two most important events in 
 the history of the world, the Resur- 
 rection of Christ, and the Coming 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " All" All the Christians, viz. the 
 120 mentioned in the first chapter. 
 
 " In one place." The place where 
 the disciples were assembled must 
 
 1 Olshausen. 
 
 ■-' Meyer. Compare 2 Maccab.. xii. 13. 
 
 3 Schoetgen, Hor. Hebr., and Wetstein. 
 
 '• Olshausen. This calculation rejuovps 
 all the difficulties as to tiie day which are 
 stated by Neander, Meyer, and others. 
 
14 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven 
 as of a rushing mighty wind, and ^ it filled all the 
 house where they were sitting. 
 
 3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues 
 like as of tire, and it sat upon each of them. 
 
 4. And ^ they were all filled with the Ploly Ghost 
 
 have been the temple.' In tlie first 
 place, it was the third hour of the 
 day (v. 15.), i. e. nine o'clock in the 
 morning, the hour of the morning 
 sacrifice, when none of them were 
 likely to be absent from the temple, 
 even on a common day (see v. 46.), 
 and certainly not on the great day of 
 the festival. This reason appears to 
 me to be conclusive. In the next 
 place, it is not probable that the mul- 
 titude of devout persons mentioned 
 (v. 9.) would have been assembled in 
 any other part of Jerusalem. The 
 early fathers are unanimous in this 
 opinion. " The house in which they 
 were sitting" (v. 2.) was probably 
 one of the large rooms of Avhicli, as 
 we learn from Josephus-, there Avere 
 thirty adjoining the great court of 
 the temple, and which appear to 
 have been open to any worshippers 
 who might wish to assemble for de- 
 votional purposes. Thus the solemn 
 inauguration of the Church of Christ 
 took place in the sanctuary of the an- 
 cient covenant.^ 
 
 2. " A sound." It does not appear 
 from the following words that the 
 air was agitated, but rather that there 
 was such a sound as might be pro- 
 duced by a mighty rushing wind. 
 The miraculous origin of this sound 
 was, doubtles.s, more awfully im- 
 pressed upon tlieir souls by the ab- 
 sence of all apparent physical cause. 
 Its direction also, from Heaven, not 
 like earthly storms which ])l()\v side- 
 ways, and its suddenness would deepen 
 the impression. They would remem- 
 
 ber that a mighty wind was itself often 
 a symbol of the divine presence 
 (Psalm xviii. 10., civ. 3, 4.), and was 
 typical of the power, the mystery, and 
 the cleansing, quickening operations 
 of the Spirit of God. In the language 
 of inspiration, the same word signifies 
 wind and Spirit. 
 
 3. " Cloven Tongues." Lambent 
 and bright flashes of divine light 
 were dispersed through the room, 
 and lighted on the heads of all the 
 disciples. The shape of tongues 
 symbolized the gift of language, as 
 the fire did the spiritual operation in 
 their hearts, viz. the baptism by fire 
 which had been predicted by the 
 Baptist, and promised by the Re- 
 deemer. The word "cloven" means 
 divided and may be understood of 
 the form ', but more probably applies 
 to the dispersion ^ of the tiames. One 
 of the fathers'* gives this explanation. 
 " At first there appeared not tongues, 
 but a great flame, which then distri- 
 buted itself and became divided into 
 the form of tongues." 
 
 4. ''Filled ivith the Hohj Ghost." 
 Their whole being was pervaded, 
 elevated and transformed by the in- 
 fluence of the Holy Spirit. This 
 does not intimate a state of trance, or 
 a suspension of personal conscious- 
 ness, but of ecstasy, in whieli the 
 human spirit is expanded, and made 
 capable of receiving the communica- 
 tions of the Divine Spirit. The ex- 
 pression is peculiar to St. Luke, and 
 is only used on extraordinary occa- 
 sions. 
 
 ' Olshansen. See a/so Wicslor. 
 
 2 Ant. viii. 3. "i. He calls lliem ' 
 
 3 OUIiauscn. 
 * Meyer. 
 
 '• So the Vulf^.ifp, and most of the ancient 
 versions. 'J'lic Syriac is doubtful. 
 
 ""' SoviTus ap. Cramer, Caten. in Act. Ap., 
 p. -20. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 15 
 
 and began ^ to speak with other tongues, as the Sph'it e Mark, le. n 
 gave them utterance. '&'il%*^' 
 
 5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, 2s.3o.&'i3?' 
 devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 
 
 " Began to speak." On this occa- 
 sion they received for the first time 
 that gift, which Jesus had promised. 
 Mark, xvi. 17. 
 
 " With other tongues." In other 
 languages. This is the plain mean- 
 ing of St. Luke', confirmed by the 
 equally clear, and unambiguous ex- 
 pression V. 8, and 11. The word in 
 the original is the clearest which 
 could have been employed. 
 
 " As the Spirit gave them utter- 
 ance." This means, apparently, 
 that the words and sentences which 
 they uttered were given by the 
 Spirit — so that they were merely 
 passive instruments, if we may so 
 speak. These words corresponded 
 to and expressed the impressions 
 made upon their hearts simultane- 
 ously by the same Spirit, and de- 
 scribed the wonderful works of God, 
 as we may be assured, with special 
 reference to his manifestation in 
 Christ. It is not stated, nor is it by 
 any means certain that they retained, 
 or indeed were then endowed with 
 the natural faculty of speaking dif- 
 ferent languages on all occasions. It 
 was an extraordinary and miraculous 
 gift, vouchsafed, as it would seem, on 
 solemn occasions, and for mighty 
 ends. Here it was at once the most 
 effectual and significant of all imagin- 
 able miracles. It arrested attention 
 and enforced conviction. And as the 
 confusion of tongues at Babel was 
 occasioned by the sin of man, and 
 was followed by discord, ignorance, 
 and polytheism, so the first miracu- 
 lous work of the Holy Ghost was a 
 temporary suspension of that con- 
 fusion ^ representing the inward har- 
 
 mony and mutual understandiug of 
 believers, And it is to be regarded both 
 as a symbol, and prophetic intimation 
 of the diffusion of the new divine life 
 among nations of all languages, and 
 of the reception, and absorption of all 
 national peculiarities in the central 
 life of Christianity. ^ 
 
 5. " And there were dwelling" 8fc. 
 This expression includes both * those 
 Jews from foreign countries who 
 were dwelling at Jerusalem, and 
 those who were sojourning there for 
 the festival : most of them probably 
 had been present at Easter. 
 
 " Jews." Members of all the tribes. 
 The expression seems to be used in 
 distinction from Galileans ^ who hi- 
 therto constituted the majority of the 
 Church. See v. 7. 
 
 " Devout men." Their presence 
 at Jerusalem indicated their zeal for 
 religion. They were devout, and 
 pious men, according to their degree 
 of light. It is generally used in the 
 New Testament of persons who feared 
 the Lord, but had not yet known him 
 in Christ. 
 
 " Out of evei-y nation under hea- 
 ven." A classical " expression for the 
 inhabitants of the whole world. 
 There were three classes of dispersed 
 Hebrews: — 1. Those who were led 
 in captivity by Shalmanezer, most of 
 whom were in Parthia, Media, and 
 Elamitis. 2. By Nebuchadnezzar, 
 who were chiefly in Mesopotamia ; 
 3. And by Ptolemy Lagus who carried 
 away the inhabitants of Jerusalem 
 into Egypt. In addition to these 
 vast number of Jews had settled in 
 various countries, especially at the 
 great marts of commerce. Most of 
 
 1 Meyer, who completely overthrows the 
 positions of Bleek, Neaniier,&c. Olshausen, 
 as (isuai, takes the true scriptural view. 
 
 2 Severus, Severus of Antioch, and other 
 fathers, in Cramer. Cat., p. 20, 21. 
 
 3 Neander. 
 
 4 Meyer. 
 
 5 Mever. 
 
 6 Kuinoel, Valck. Call., p. 138. 
 
16 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 t Gr. Ti'hen this 
 voice ivas made. 
 
 6. Now fwben this was noised abroad, the multi- 
 tude came together, and were || confounded, because 
 that every man heard them speak in his own Language. 
 
 7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying 
 one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak 
 ^Galileans ? 
 
 8. And now hear we every man in our own tongue, 
 wherein we were born ? 
 
 9. Parthians, and Medes, and ELamites, and the 
 
 these Jews forgot their own language, 
 and spake that of their adopted coun- 
 try, as is the case at present with their 
 descendants in France, Germany, &c. 
 The septuagint Greek version of the 
 Bible was exclusively used by the 
 Jews in Alexandria, and most of the 
 adjacent countries. 
 
 6. " When this teas noised abroad.'' 
 The meaning of the original is, when 
 this (mighty) sound ' had occurred. 
 The awful sound was heard by the 
 multitude in the court adjoining the 
 house, or hall vrhere the disciples 
 were assembled. 
 
 " Were confounded." Were utterly 
 perplexed and bewildered. The 
 sound could not be accounted for, 
 inasmuch as there was no other ap- 
 pearance of a storm; but the miracle, 
 to which that sound directed their 
 attention, was still more unaccount- 
 able and awful. 
 
 " III his own lanciutige." His own 
 peculiar dialect. ^ these persons did 
 not all speak distinct languages, but 
 many of them spoke different dialects 
 of the same language. The expres- 
 sion used by St. Luke is singularly 
 precise and accurate. Kach person 
 present heard his own dialect spoken 
 in its purity. It is evident that the 
 Spirit controlled and employed the 
 organs of speech as his instrument 
 in the inspired disciples, so that each 
 spoke the language, which the person, 
 to whom he immediately addressed 
 himself, would understand. 
 
 V. 7. " Were amazed a7id marvelled.'* 
 The former word describes the sud- 
 den sensation, the latter the perma- 
 nent effect, of astonishment. ^ 
 
 " Galileans." It does not appear 
 that the term was used contemptu- 
 ously. They were astonished that 
 persons who all belonged to one pro- 
 vince should speak so many lan- 
 guages : * no amount of cultivation in 
 the people would have made the mi- 
 racle less marvellous. The Galileans 
 were, however, proverbially rude 
 and uneducated.^ 
 
 8. " A7id hon\" To what cause can 
 this be attributed ? 
 
 '■ In our own tonyue." Or dialect, — 
 that which we have spoken from in- 
 fancy, — our mother tongue. St. 
 Luke uses every variety of expression 
 to prevent any misapprehensiorL 
 
 y. The catalogue of nations in this 
 and the following verse, with two ex- 
 ceptions, the Cretes and Arabians, 
 is arranged regularly, beginning 
 with the east, then proceeding to 
 the north, then south, and, lastly, 
 west. 
 
 " Farlhians and Medes." These 
 people spoke various dialects of the 
 old Persian, a language radically dis- 
 tinct from the Hebrew. Parthia lay 
 to the east of Media and Persia, — 
 ^Nledia to the south-east of the Cas- 
 pian Sea. Elamitis, lunv called Kus- 
 istan, named from Elam, tlie first- 
 born of Shem, was sej)arated from 
 Persia by the Euktnis, or Ulai. The 
 
 1 Moyor. St. John (iii, «.) uses the same 
 word loi tlie soiiiiil of wind. 
 •^ Meyer. 
 
 3 Mcvcr. 
 ■' MeVcr. 
 ^ Liglitloot ; Schootgen; and Winer, i.I 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IT. 
 
 17 
 
 dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappa- 
 docia, in Pontus, and Asia, 
 
 10. Phrjgia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the 
 parts of Libya about CyrenCj and strangers of Rome, 
 Jews and proselytes, 
 
 11. Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in 
 our tongues the wonderful works of God. 
 
 Elamites here mentioned were, hoAv- 
 cver, probably settled on the Oron- 
 tis', near the Caspian Sea. Their 
 original language would be Semitic. 
 
 ^'"Mesopotamia" the Padan-Aram, 
 or Aram-Naharaim, of Genesis ; 
 bounded on the north by Arminia, 
 on the east and west by the Tigris 
 and Euphrates. The inhabitants 
 spoke dialects of Syriac and Chaldee. 
 
 " In Judea.''' St. Luke wroke at 
 Rome, and names Judea as a matter 
 of course. The people of Jerusalem 
 would, however, be astonished to 
 hear Galileans- speak the dialect of 
 Judea with purity. 
 
 " Cappadocia," on the Euxine or 
 Black Sea. 
 
 '■''Pontus,''' a part of Cappadocia, 
 divided by Alexander. 
 
 " Asia," that part of Asia Minor of 
 which Ionia was the capital. The 
 extent of this province varied at dif- 
 ferent times. Here it is probably to be 
 understood as including the provinces 
 on the western coast of Asia Minor, 
 from 3Iysia to Caria.^ 
 
 1 0. " Phrygia, and Pamphylia. " See 
 notes in c xvi. The Jews who were 
 settled in the five last-named coun- 
 tries most probably spoke Greek, 
 with some variations of dialect. The 
 country people retained old, bar- 
 barous languages of uncertain origin. 
 
 " In Eyupt." The Jews in Egypt 
 were nearly all settled in Alexandria 
 and the north. They spoke Greek. 
 If there Avere sojourners from other 
 parts of Egypt, they would speak the 
 Coptic, or old Egyptian language. 
 
 ^^ Libya, about Cyrene." Cyrene 
 was a Greek settlement, and no other 
 language was likely to be spoken by 
 the Jewish settlers there. See note, 
 Acts, xi. 20. Libya is a general name 
 for northern Africa. 
 
 " Strangers of Borne, Jews and 
 proselytes.''' Great numbers of Jews 
 generally resided at Rome, where, 
 according to Josephus, they had 
 eight synagogues. We learn from 
 Tacitus*, and other profane writers, 
 that the Jews made there a great 
 number of proselytes, who were 
 banished by Tiberius, A. d. 23. 
 
 11. " Cretes." From Crete or Can- 
 dia Although the Cretans were 
 probably of Egyptian origin, the 
 language at that time spoken through- 
 out the island appears to have been 
 Greek, 
 
 " Arabians." Great numbers of 
 Jews were settled at an early period 
 in various parts of Arabia, where 
 they occupied whole districts, had 
 many fortified castles, and some cities, 
 in the time before Mahomet. They 
 spoke and wrote the Arabian lan- 
 guage, which is nearly allied to the 
 Hebrew, with fluency and elegance,^ 
 
 " /n our tongues." The languages 
 of the three great divisions of man- 
 kind were thus represented. The 
 Japhetic by those who spake varie- 
 ties of the old Persian, Greek, and 
 Latin ; the Hamitic by those from 
 Upper Egypt, Libya, and Mesopota- 
 mia ; the Semitic by the sojourners of 
 Arabia and the native Jews. The 
 manifest signification of this miracle 
 
 1 Winer, vol. i. 
 
 2 Matt.xxvi.73. ; Mark, xiv. 70. 
 gen. Hor. Heb., i. 23.i. 
 
 3 Winer, L 110.; Meyer, 
 
 4 .Ann., ii. %^. 
 
 5 Many of their poems are preserved in 
 the namasa. 
 
18 THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 12. And tliej were all amazed, and were in doubt, 
 saying one to another, What meanetli this ? 
 
 13. Others mocking said, Tliese men are full of 
 new wine. 
 
 14. ^But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted 
 up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, 
 and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto 
 you, and hearken to my words ; 
 
 15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, 
 g iThess. 5. 7. g seeing it is hut the tliird hour of the day. 
 
 was, as hath been already intimated, 
 that henceforth the kingdom of God 
 would not be restricted to one people, 
 as under the old theocracy, but 
 would include all nations ; that every 
 language would henceforth be sanc- 
 tified by the utterance of divine and 
 spiritual impressions; and that the 
 prophecy of Noah (Genesis, ix. 25 — 
 27.), and the promise made to Abra- 
 ham, would be fulfilled. The direct 
 and practical efiects of the miracle 
 were the immediate conversion of 
 thousands, and the preparation, by 
 their instrumentality, for the esta- 
 blishment of the Gospel in various 
 lands. 
 
 " The ivonderful tcorks of God." 
 Doubtless the great works lately ac- 
 complished in the exaltation of His 
 Son. 
 
 12. " Were in douhC This word 
 is hardly strong enough to express 
 the original. They were thoroughly 
 at a loss ; the fact could not be 
 accounted for, even on the supposi- 
 tion of magic, to which many Avould 
 perhaps have resorted at once, had 
 not this occurred in the temple. 
 
 13. " 0///e/-,v." Persons hostile to 
 Christianity, who had already resisted 
 the evidence of miracles and the 
 power of the Holy Ghost. They 
 were prol)ably of the hierarchical 
 party, and, as native Jews (see v. 14.), 
 would be insensible to the most 
 astounding par' of the miracle. 
 From their words it is evident that 
 
 they heard what seemed to them to 
 be a confusion of strange sounds ; and 
 they are thus unwilling, but very 
 convincing, witnesses to the objective 
 reality of the miracle. 
 
 '■'■New iviiie." This mode of ac- 
 counting for the miracle was in every 
 way absurd. There was no new 
 wine, or must', until the vintage, 
 which took place much later in the 
 year. It was, however, apparently a 
 mere senseless scoff.^ 
 
 14. '^ Peter, standing up." Peter 
 speaks as the foreman and leader of 
 the apostles, a position that is in- 
 variably assigned to him in the four 
 Gospels. We have here the first 
 Christian sermon, contemporaneous 
 with the first great outpouring of the 
 Spirit, and the establishment of the 
 Christian Church.-* 
 
 " Ye men of Judea, and all," Sfc. 
 St. Peter uses the most courteous 
 form of address, in accordance with 
 the principle which he has himself 
 laid down. 1 Peter, iii. 15. 
 
 15. " 77<t' third hour." It was not 
 lawful for a Jew' to drink or to 
 eat before the morning sacrifice, and, 
 as we learn from Josephus, they did 
 not taste food on Sabbaths and festi- 
 vals until mid-day.* The Arabians 
 consider it to be highly indecorous 
 to eat early in the morning. St. 
 Peter deems it unnecessary to take 
 further notice of a charge Avhich 
 was as incredible as it was unchari- 
 table. 
 
 ' .SclioctRPn. Hor. Hob. 
 2 'J'he exprcRsion Recins to have bfon pro- 
 verbial. See Lightroot, Kxercit. in loc. 
 
 Olsh.-mspn. 
 
 Kuinoel and Lightfoot. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 19 
 
 16= But tins IS that winch was spoken by the pro- h isai. 44.3. 
 phet Joel ; & 56.^7. 
 
 17. ^^And it shall come to pass in the last clays, f£j^-i%^^-' 
 saith God, ^ 1 will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : i ch.'io. 4.5. 
 and your sons and ^your daughters shall prophesy, kch. 21.9. 
 
 16. '' But this is thatr This fact, 
 ■which ye have misjudged or miscon- 
 ceived, is the fulfilment of ancient 
 prophecy. 
 
 " Which was spoken bi/,^' Sfc. Spoken 
 l)y' the prophet, as the organ or in- 
 strument of the Spirit of God. St. 
 Peter does not quote word for word, 
 but gives the sense of the passage. 
 The prophet describes the signs 
 which are to usher in the kingdom 
 of Messiah. Joel, iii. 1 — 5, It is 
 observable that St. Peter dwells very 
 fully upon the accomplishment of 
 prophecy in his epistles. I Peter, 
 i. 10—12. ; ii. 7. 10. 25.; i. 19. ; 
 ii. 24. ; iii. 20, 21. ^ 
 
 17. "/« the last days." This is ra- 
 ther an interpretation than a literal 
 translation from the Hebrew, The 
 last days is an expression used in the 
 same sense (viz., of the Messianic 
 time, or final temporal dispensation) 
 by^ Isaiah, ii. 2., Micah, iv. 1., and 
 gives the true meaning and applica- 
 tion of the words of Joel. The 
 Jewish commentators admit that the 
 latter days, or future times, are to be 
 understood genex'ally, if not always, 
 in this sense. The last day ^ not the 
 last days, designates the day of judg- 
 ment. Both Hebrews and Christians 
 have always believed that the days 
 of Messiah's mediatorial kingdom 
 would be of considerable duration. 
 
 "/ will pour out of my Spirit." 
 The outpouring indicates the fullness 
 and copiousness of the spiritual in- 
 fluences. Compare Titus, iii. 5, 6. 
 O/ is used distributively*, and ex- 
 plains the original " my Spirit." The 
 general outpouring reached each in- 
 dividual. 
 
 " Upon all flesh." Upon persons of 
 all ages and conditions, who are fit 
 subjects of spiritual communications. 
 The old prophets are full of anticipa- 
 tions of a time when that light 
 which revealed the glory of Christ 
 to them but partially and occa- 
 sionally, would shine with unclouded 
 splendour upon all mankind. See 
 Isaiah, xxxii- 15., xliv. 3.; Ezekiel, 
 xxxvi. 25., xxxix. 29. St. Peter 
 selects this prophecy specially be- 
 cause it describes not only a general 
 outpouring of the Spirit, but its 
 effects, and in such a manner as 
 to explain the phenomena which 
 were then witnessed.^ 
 
 " Your sons and your daughters 
 shall prophesy." Among the Christians 
 present were several women (Acts, i. 
 14.), who were pi-obably pointed out 
 by St. Peter. Women were not al- 
 lowed to prophecy, as teachers, in 
 the Church ; but many shared this 
 gift of the Holy Spirit. See Acts, 
 xxi. 9. Compare also Exodus, xv. 
 20. ; Miriam the prophetess, Judges, 
 iv. 4 ; Deborah a prophetess, 2 
 Kings, xxii. 14. ; Luke, ii. 36. 
 
 Prophesy means to speak as a de- 
 clarer and interpreter of the divine 
 will. In the Old Testament those 
 declarations generally, but not al- 
 ways, referred to the future. In the 
 New Testament, on the contrary, 
 more frequently to the actual dis- 
 pensations of God. Judaism was a 
 religion of hope and anticipation ; 
 Christianity of completion and ful- 
 filment. St. Peter applies the term 
 " prophesy " with reference to the 
 subject matter (v. 11.) and the in- 
 spiration of the utterances of the 
 
 Me3'er. 
 
 Dorner, Entw., vol. i. p. 97. 
 
 John, vi. 39. : xi. 24. 
 
 4 Meyer. 
 
 5 Olshausen. 
 
20 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 1 <-h. 21 
 
 10. 
 
 1 Cor. l'>. 
 
 2.S. & 14. 
 
 m Joel, '^ 
 51. 
 
 n Matf. V 
 Mark, 1.1. 
 Luke, 21. 
 
 4,9, 
 
 and your young men shall see visions, and your old 
 men shall dream dreams : 
 
 18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens 
 1 will pour out in those days of my Spirit ; ^and they 
 shall prophesy : 
 
 19. ™ And I will show wonders in heaven above, 
 and signs in the earth beneath ; blood, and lire, and 
 vapour of smoke : 
 
 20. "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the 
 moon into blood, before that great and notable day of 
 the Lord come : 
 
 disciples, of which the form, viz., 
 the language, was a miraculous 
 evidence. 
 
 " F/i/on.?." Manifestations of the 
 Lord to the waking sense, as to 
 Cornelius, Ananias, St. Peter, and 
 St. Paul, on various occasions re- 
 corded in this book. 
 
 "i>/ea/«A'." This mode of com- 
 munication was frequent in the early 
 times, but is not often mentioned in 
 the New Testament. See Matthew, 
 i. 20. ; ii. 12, 13. 19. 22. ; Matthew, 
 xxvii. 19. 
 
 18. " iV/?/ servants and my hand- 
 maidens" The prophet evidently 
 means persons of servile condition. 
 St. Peter, speaking under the in- 
 fluence of the same Spirit, inserts 
 " my," in order, as it would seem, to 
 show that the special grace of God 
 would be vouchsafed to them. Hence- 
 forth, though the servitude to man 
 was to continue, yet it would merge 
 and be forgotten in the honourable 
 servitude to their Heavenly Father. 
 See 1 Corinthians, vii. 21, 22. 
 
 19. " And I will show tvcni'Iers," 
 8fc. As the preceding verses describe 
 the work of the Holy Spirit in those 
 who should receive Him, so this and 
 the folloM'ing point out the penalties 
 that await those who should reject 
 Him, and whose portion would be 
 with the world in its impending 
 visitations. 
 
 " Wo7iders in heaven above." These 
 are specified in the next verse. It is 
 supposed by many commentators 
 that these expressions are to be un- 
 derstood as metaphors, and that the 
 sun and moon are symbols of the 
 ecclesiastical and political establish- 
 ments which were overthrown pre- 
 vious to the fall of Jerusalem. But 
 that event was but a partial fulfilment, 
 or rather type, of the coming of the 
 day of the Lord ; nor can it be easily 
 determined hoAv far the words of 
 Joel, and their application by St. 
 Peter, are to be interpreted of one or 
 of the other.' The most satisfl\ctory 
 investigation of this difficult subject 
 is to be found iu Archdeacon Harri- 
 son's " Lectures on Popery." 
 
 " On the earth beneath." These 
 signs correspond very remarkably 
 with the description which Josephus 
 gives of the signs and wonders ; the 
 dreadful storms and earthquakes, the 
 frightful massacres and conflagra- 
 tions which preceded the fall of 
 Jerusalem, and the dissolution of the 
 Hebrew polity. Still the Avords seem 
 to demand a larger and more uni- 
 versal interpretation. The day of 
 Pentecost was the beginning of a 
 series of wonders, which would ex- 
 tend until the second coming of 
 Messiah. 
 
 Notable. In the Hebrew " ter- 
 rible." 
 
 1 Arcli. H.irri 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IT. 
 
 21 
 
 2\. And it shall come to pass, f/mt ° whosoever o uom. lo. 13. 
 shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 
 
 22. Ye men of Israel, hear these words ; Jesns of 
 Nazareth, a man approved of God among you p by p John, 3. 2. 
 miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by ch!u.!5h!'" 
 him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know : q ^att. 2(i. <'4 
 
 23. Him, 1 being delivered by the determinate ktu'tl '^'"^^ 
 counsel and foreknowledge of God, ^ye have taken, 4^il.■^*•^ 
 and by wicked hands have crucified and slain : rch.s. 30. 
 
 21. " Whosoever shall call on the 
 7iame of the Lord,'^ shall invoke God 
 by the true name, which He reveals 
 to His elect. The name of God is 
 the manifestation of His attributes. 
 Christians invoke Him as the Father, 
 by the Son, and in the Spirit. But 
 the name here specially meant is 
 that of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 " Shall be saved.'''' The Christians, 
 remembering and obeying our Lord's 
 injunctions, fled from Jerusalem, 
 when the Romans set up their stand- 
 ard on Mount Olivet and were saved. 
 
 22. " Ye men of Israel.'' Having 
 shown that the miracle which the 
 Jews witnessed was a fulfillment of 
 prophecy, and a token of the harmony 
 between the Old and New Dispen- 
 sation, St. Peter now addresses him- 
 self directly to the conscience of his 
 hearers. 
 
 '■'■Jesus of Nazareth." St. Peter 
 uses this expression as the ordinary 
 and well-known designation of our 
 Lord. Mark, xvi. 6. John, xv. 5., 
 &c. 
 
 " A man approved of God.'" De- 
 signated, and pointed out, having 
 received, as it were, his credentials 
 from God.' 
 
 " By miracles, and wonders, and 
 signs." The first word means powers, 
 the exertions or puttings forth of a 
 divine power ; " wonders," astonish- 
 ing events, and signs, tokens, and 
 indications of the near presence o 
 God.'- The three words together 
 describe miracles in their origin, 
 efTect, and use. 
 
 " Which God did by him." Our 
 Lord always traces the origin of the 
 power, which was inherent in Him, 
 to the Father ; but St. Peter's object 
 here is to point out that God wrought 
 by Jesus, w ho was therefore his at- 
 tested representative. 
 
 " Ye yourselves also know.'" The 
 Jews did not doubt that our Lord 
 wrought miracles. We know from 
 their own writers ^, as well as from 
 the sacred historians, that they ad- 
 mitted the facts, but referred them to 
 magic. Superstition was then,, and 
 has always been, the real antagonist 
 of faith, and colleague of infidelity. 
 
 23. " H'lm being delivered.'" De- 
 livered, or surrendered, refers to the 
 treason of Judas, and also to the cri- 
 minal weakness of Pontius Pilate, 
 who gave Him to the will of the 
 Jews. 
 
 " Determinate." Definite, fixed, 
 and immutable.* The same word 
 is used Luke, xxii. 22. " The Son 
 goeth, as it was determined!" Coun- 
 sel, and foreknowledge. The will 
 and prescience of the omnipotent 
 ai'e essentially one. The object of 
 St. Peter is to convince the Jews 
 that our Lord's death was not the 
 result of any weakness in Him, or 
 of the power of his enemies ^ but 
 that their wickedness served but to 
 carry into effect the predetermina- 
 tion of God. He thus answers, with- 
 out noticing, the objections which 
 their hearts might suggest against 
 the Lord Jesus. 
 
 " Ye have taken," Sfc. It is to be 
 
 1 Olsliausen, Meyer, Sec. 
 ~ Tiench on the Miracles, p. 2- 
 Liicke on John, vol. i. p. 548. 
 
 3 Even in tlie Tholdoth. Jeschu. See 
 and Basnage, Hist, des Juifs, and Burton. 
 ■1 EUner, Hesycliius. 
 5 Clirysostom. 
 
22 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 s ver. 3'i. 
 
 
 ch. 3. \n. 
 
 . .Sc 
 
 4. 10. & 
 
 10. 
 
 40. & 13. 
 
 30, 
 
 34. & 17. 
 
 31. 
 
 Rom. 4. 
 
 '24. 
 
 &8. U. 
 
 
 1 Cor. 6. 
 
 14. 
 
 & 15. 15. 
 
 
 2 Cor. 4. 
 
 14. 
 
 Gal. 1. 1 
 
 
 Ephes. 1. 
 
 , '^l). 
 
 Col. '2. ly. 
 
 1 Thes. 1 
 
 . in. 
 
 Het.r. 13 
 
 . '20. 
 
 1 Pet. 1. 
 
 '21. 
 
 t Ps. 16. 
 
 S. 
 
 24. ^Whom God liatli raised up, having loosed tlie 
 pains of death : because it was not possible tliat he 
 should be holden of it. 
 
 25. For David speaketh concerning him, * I fore- 
 saw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my 
 right hand, that I should not be moved : 
 
 26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue 
 was glad ; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope : 
 
 remarked, that St. Peter charges all 
 present with the guilt of our Lord's 
 murder. Many of them had, most 
 probably, been present at the feast of 
 the passover, and had openly ap- 
 proved, or acquiesced in the act of 
 their rulers. The Sanhedrim con- 
 demned our Saviour, and procured 
 his death, in the name, and as repre- 
 sentatives of the whole nation, and 
 their acts were chargeable upon every 
 individual who did not remonstrate 
 against them. They did not deny the 
 charge, as we shall find v. 17. It is 
 possible, however, that the words of 
 Peter had a wider meaning and ap- 
 plication. They were guilty, gene- 
 rally, as sinners, for whose guilt our 
 Lord suffered, and whom, so far as 
 they are not renewed by grace, hate 
 holiness, and Christ, who is the im- 
 personation of Holiness. Now he 
 who hates Him, is His murderer, 
 guilty by intention of his death.' 
 
 24. " Whom God hath raised up.'' 
 The resurrection is here viewed as a 
 testimony that Jesus was approved 
 of God. St. Peter confines himself 
 strictly to the main point of his ar- 
 gument. That Christ rose by his 
 own power is stated on other occa- 
 sions with equal distinctness when 
 the object of the sacred writers is to 
 show His nature. 
 
 " Having loosed the pains." Or 
 bonds. The word in the original has 
 both meanings, cruel, excruciating 
 pangs, and cords or bands. The ex- 
 pression here signifies that God de- 
 livered the humanity of Jesus from 
 that grave, into which He entered 
 
 after so much agony, and when, ac- 
 cording to the common law of nature, 
 His body would have remained, as it 
 were, in bondage to Death. 
 
 " Because it was impossible." Im- 
 possible, because it was contrary to 
 God's purpose, and promise, as well 
 as to the nature of the Son, to whom 
 the Father had given to have life in 
 Himself. John v. xxvi. 
 
 23. " For David." The proof that 
 it was contrary to God's promise is 
 found in prophecy. St. Peter, as is 
 customary M'ith the apostles, quotes 
 one prophecy and applies it at length. 
 The xvith Psalm was not generally 
 admitted by the Rabbis at that time to 
 refer to the Messiah. - It is however 
 not to be supposed that this was the 
 only passage adduced by the apostles 
 and disciples on this great occasion. 
 
 '■'- 1 foresaw. " This is used in the 
 sense, I looked up to, contemplated, 
 and fixed my attention steadfastly 
 upon the Lord. 
 
 " On my right hand." As protector 
 and helper. The metaphor is taken 
 from courts of justice, Avhere the ad- 
 vocate stood at the right hand of his 
 client.'* Psalm cix. 3L 
 
 20. " Did mi/ heart rejoice." The 
 heart is represented as the seat of the 
 conscience and affections. 
 
 '■'■ My tongue n-as ghid." The He- 
 brew, 'my glory exults.' Glory ra- 
 ther applies to the soiiP, but the 
 tongue expresses its sentiments ; and 
 as the organ of language, the dis- 
 tinctive characteristic of man, may 
 be understood in the same sense. ' 
 
 " Moreover also my Jlesh." Even 
 
 Olshansen. 
 Schoetgeii, Ilor. 
 Meyer. 
 
 4 Kuinoel. 
 
 5 So Bucer and Michaolis 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 23 
 
 27. Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, 
 neither wilt thou suffer thine IIolj One to see cor- 
 ruption. 
 
 28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life ; 
 thou slialt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 
 
 29. Men cmd brethren, jj let me freely speak unto 
 you "of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and 
 buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto tliis day. 
 
 II Or, / may. 
 
 u 1 Kings, '-i 
 
 10. 
 
 ch. 13. 36. 
 
 the lower, and corruptible part of my 
 nature, that which was derived from 
 man, and formed from the dust. It 
 is this word especially that points the 
 application of the psalm. 
 
 " In hope.'''' In sure and certain 
 hope of the resurrection from the 
 dead. The Hebrew word means 
 in security, and confidence. 
 
 27. " Thou ivilt not leave my soul in 
 hell.'' Thou will not permit my soul 
 to remain, separate from the body, 
 in the intermediate state. The word 
 here translated hell, never means 
 the place of torment. Hades, answer- 
 ing to the Hebrew Sheol, may some- 
 times be a synonym for the grave, 
 but it generally, if not always, signi- 
 fies the abode of departed spirits. 
 The word Gehenna is used in such 
 passages as Matt. v. 22. Luke, xii. 5. 
 Mark, xxiii. 15. and 33. Our English 
 word originally corresponded very 
 accurately with the Greek. It is 
 derived from " helan," to cover, and 
 means a dark, covered place 
 
 " Thine Holy One.''' David expresses 
 two hopes, realized in Christ, that 
 his flesh should not suffer corruption, 
 and that his soul should be speedily 
 reunited to it. 
 
 " Corrupiion." The same word is 
 used in Job : " / have said to corrup- 
 tion, thou art my father, xvii. 14. 
 
 28. " The ivays of life." The way 
 by which I may enter into ever- 
 lasting life. 
 
 " With thy counfe7ia7ice." In Thy 
 presence, before Thy face. The re- 
 
 surrection will be followed by the 
 ascension into glory. 
 
 From the preceding notes it will 
 appear, that St. Peter interprets the 
 psalm throughout as directly, and, we 
 shall now see, as primarily applica- 
 ble to Christ. This does not exclude, 
 however, a true and literal application 
 to David himself, who was at once a 
 type, and spiritually, as an Elect of 
 God, a member of Christ. What was 
 true of him as a type, is true in a 
 fuller and higher sense of the anti- 
 type ; and what is true of Christ, as 
 tlie head, is true by imputation, and 
 communication, of each and all His 
 members. 
 
 29. '■^ Men and brethren" A form 
 of address at once respectful and af- 
 fectionate. 
 
 '• Let me freely speah." He would 
 guard against giving any offence by 
 his application of the psalm to another 
 than David. 
 
 "'Patriarch.'" David is so called as 
 the ancestor of the royal line, from 
 which the Messiah was to spring. ^ 
 
 '' His sepulchre." The tomb of 
 David is said to have been plundered 
 by John Hyreanus, and Herod ^ but it 
 is mentioned by Jerome as a place 
 where he was in the habit of praying. 
 A cave at Jerusalem is still pointed 
 out as the burial place of David and 
 Solomon, and is described by Maun- 
 drell. Only kings and persons of the 
 hi<:hest rank were buried within the 
 walls of a city in Palestine, or in any 
 ancient nation. 
 
 ' Mpyer. 
 
 * Joseph. Ant., vii. 15. 3.; xvii. 8. 
 
 B. J., i. 2.5., Kuinoel. 
 
24 
 
 X 2 Sam. 7. 12, 
 
 pV. 139. 11. 
 Luke, 1.52, 69. 
 Rom. 1.5. 
 2 Tim. 2. S. 
 
 y Ps. Ifi. 10. 
 ch. 13. 35. 
 2 ver. '2t. 
 a ch. 1. 8. 
 
 b ch. 5. 31. 
 Phil. 2. 9. 
 Hebr. 10. 12. 
 
 c John, 14. '26. 
 Ik 15. 2fi.& 
 16. 7, 13. 
 ch. 1. 4. 
 
 d ch. 10. 45. 
 Ephes. 4. 8. 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IT. 
 
 30. Therefore being a prophet, ^and knowing that 
 God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit 
 of liis loins, according to the fle-sh, he would raise up 
 Christ to sit on his tiirone ; 
 
 31. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection 
 of Christ. >' that his soul was not left in hell, neither 
 his flesh did see corruption. 
 
 32. 'This Jesus hath God raised up, ^ whereof we 
 all are witnesses. 
 
 33. Therefore ^ being by the right hand of God ex- 
 alted, and c having received of the Father the promise 
 of the Holy Ghost, he ^hath shed forth this, which ye 
 now see and hear. 
 
 34. For David is not ascended into the heavens : but 
 
 30. " Therefore" This being the 
 case David could not mean his own 
 body. „ 
 
 " Beinq a prophet, and knowing, S^x. 
 Two reasons why David should have 
 meant Christ. 'The knowledge re- 
 ceived bv direct inspiration, and that 
 derived from the Hoiy Scriptures. 
 
 " Had sworn ivith an oath.'" The 
 passage referred to is in 2 Sam. vii. 1 1 
 _16. Reference is frequently made 
 to this solemn covenant in the Old 
 Testament. See Psalm Ixxix. 3, 4. 
 cxxxii. U. These well known pas- 
 saf^es would occur at once to the 
 mi'iids of Peter's audience, and would 
 remind them of the typical and 
 prophetical import of the book of 
 
 Psalms. ^ , , 7, 
 
 " According to the Jlesh he would 
 raise up Christ." St. Peter alludes 
 to the psalm, but gives a deeper in- 
 sight into the meaning of David than 
 is supplied by the mere text. lie is 
 reasoning, not merely quoting. 
 
 " To sit on his throne." The kingly 
 dignity of Christ is first pressed on 
 the Jews. The first object of preach- 
 ing is to bring the disobedient into 
 subjection to Him. 
 
 31. " Seeing this he/ore." Looking 
 ■with a prophet's eye into the future. 
 
 " Spake:' Must of necessity have 
 spoken of that, which alone could 
 iustify the forcible expressions used 
 by him. 
 
 32. " This Jesus." This Christ is 
 the Jesus whom God has raised up. 
 
 so fulfilling that, and all other pro- 
 phecies of similar import. 
 
 " Whereof." Of which fact, viz. 
 the resurrection of Jesus." 
 
 " We all." All the disciples, upon 
 whom the miraculous gifts, at which 
 ye are now amazed, have been be- 
 stowed. 
 
 33. " Therefore." As a result of 
 the resurrection. 
 
 " Exalted." Raised in glory, and 
 received into heaven. 
 
 " The promise of the Spirit." See 
 Acts, i. 4. The Spirit promised by 
 the Father to the Son, who in His 
 office as Mediator receives, and con- 
 veys all spiritual and saving gifts 
 from God to man. As God, He is 
 the source, as Christ, He is the 
 channel of the outpourings of the 
 Holy Ghost. Our Lord had declared 
 that the Holy Ghost would not come 
 unless He should depart and return 
 to Heaven, and that He would receive 
 this gift from the Father, and send 
 the Comforter. John, xiv, xv, xvi. 
 The Jews, however, would under- 
 stand the promise of such prophecies 
 as that quoted above, v. 17. Sec. 
 
 '• Ife hath shed forth ^///.v,'\S,r. This 
 spiritual influence, which ye observe 
 in its audible and visible effects. 
 
 34. " For." St. Peter proceeds to 
 show that the same consciousness of 
 a higher dignity reserved for the 
 Messiah pervades the other writings 
 of DavicL 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 25 
 
 he saitli himself, ^ The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit ep.,. no. i. 
 thou on my right hand, i cor.'itls. 
 
 35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Heb^Kil!^" 
 
 36. Therefore let all the house of Israel know as- 
 suredly, that God ^hath made that same Jesus, whom f ch. 5.51. 
 ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 
 
 37. % Now when they heard this, &they were pricked ^i^^^^^'^fo ^"' 
 in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of f^: %^- ^ 
 the apostles. Men cmd brethren, what shall we do ? 
 
 38. Then Peter said unto them, ^ Pepent, and be ch. 3! fg. 
 
 " The Lor d said untomy Lord" The 
 LORD, when printed in large cha- 
 racters in our version, always 
 answers to Jehovah. Our Saviour 
 appeals to this text as a manifest 
 proof that the Messiah was the Lord 
 of David. Matt. xxii. 44. From that 
 passage it is also evident that the 
 Jews interpreted the cxth Psalm of 
 Christ. 
 
 35. " Until:' This refers to the 
 duration of the mediatorial sove- 
 reignty of Christ. He will reign in 
 Heaven over his Church, until " he 
 shall have put down all rule, and all 
 authority and power." " The last 
 enemy that shall be destroyed is 
 death." 1 Cor. xv. 24. 26. ^ 
 
 The session of Christ at the right 
 hand of God intimates — Perfect 
 blessedness (Ps. xvi. 11.), Glorious 
 Majesty (Heb. i. 2. andviii. 1.), and 
 Fulness of Power (Ps. xx. 6. and 
 Matt, xxviii. 18.).- 
 
 36. " Therefore:' St. Peter thus 
 sums up the whole purport of his 
 discourse. 
 
 " Let all the house of IsraeL" The 
 nation is spoken of as the house or 
 family of Israel, not without a refer- 
 ence to the promises made to the 
 patriarchs. 
 
 '■'■Lord:' A very important and 
 significant word. Jesus, as Christ, 
 is Prophet, Priest, and King of the 
 true Theocracy, but as Lord He must 
 be all this in a peculiar and divine 
 sense. ^ For the word Lord, as applied 
 to him, answers both to " Adonai," 
 
 the supreme Lord, and undoubtedly 
 also to " Jehovah." 
 
 In the original the last words of 
 St. Peter are, •' whom ye have cruci- 
 fied." Our language would hardly 
 bear the transposition, but that collo- 
 cation of words better expresses the 
 direct practical object of the Apostle, 
 which was to awaken the conscience 
 of his hearers. It was their Lord, 
 upon whom they were wholly de- 
 pendent, and their Christ, in whom 
 all their hopes were centred, that they 
 had crucified. 
 
 37. " When they heard this:^ This 
 cogent address, with its array of 
 proofs from miracles^ and prophecy, 
 and its clear, definite, and unan- 
 swerable application. 
 
 '• They ivere pricked in their heart:' 
 Pierced with a sudden, acute feeling 
 of anguish and compunction. The 
 same word is used by the LXX., 
 Psalm cix. 1 6. Gen. xxxiv. 7. 
 
 '^ Men and brethren:' This affec- 
 tionate and reverent form of address 
 proved that they did not " kick 
 against the pricks," but were grateful 
 for the loving rebuke. The heart 
 w-as crushed, but won. 
 
 " WJiat shall ice do:' The crime 
 cannot be vindone, how can it be for- 
 given ? 
 
 38. " Repent:' Repentance in- 
 cludes the compunction and anxiety 
 just described ; but in its full sig- 
 nificance it means an entire change 
 of principles and affections in the 
 inner man, attested by outward acts. 
 
 Athanasius an, Cramer. 
 2 Whitby. 
 
 3 Pearson on the Creed. 
 
26 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 i Joel, 1. 28 
 ch. 3. 26. 
 
 k ch. 10. 
 
 11. 1.-), IS. & 
 14. 27. & 15. 
 3,8, 14. 
 Ephes.2.1,-, 17 
 
 baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ 
 for the remission of sins, and ye sliall receive the gift 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 39. For the j^romise is unto you, and ^ to your 
 4A. & children, and ^ to all that are afar off, eveii as many as 
 
 the Lord our God shall call. 
 
 40. And with many other words did he testify and 
 exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward 
 generation. 
 
 41. % Then they that gladly received his word were 
 
 The evil heart is not merely to be 
 pierced, it must be changed. 
 
 '■''And he baptized — in the name." 
 The confession, or recognition of 
 Jesus, as the Messiah, including im- 
 plicitly a I'eception of all truths taught 
 by His Spirit, and a full obedience 
 to His authority, was therefore the 
 second condition of baptism. Re- 
 pentance, faith, and obedience were 
 then, as ever, the conditions cf sal- 
 vation. 
 
 " Foi- the remission of sins." " For " 
 indicates the object of baptism, which 
 is the admission of the penitent be- 
 liever into a state in which the re- 
 mission of sins, which is procured 
 and granted by Christ, is applied by 
 the Holy Ghost. Baptism is thus 
 represented both as a necessary con- 
 dition, and instrumental means of 
 salvation. 
 
 *'^ And ye shall receive" " And'" 
 here means, as a result of which, 
 
 " The gift of the Huhj G host." That 
 is, the full and perfect communication 
 of His saving and enlightening in- 
 fluence, that in-dwelling of the Spirit, 
 which is the peculiar privilege of 
 Christians. This was represented 
 and attested at first by miraculous 
 signs, which ceased when no longer 
 needed for the edification of the 
 Church. 
 
 39. " The promise." Of the com- 
 munication of the Holy Ghost, &c. 
 ver. 17. 
 
 '• Unto you, and to yonr children." 
 This is said to comfort them, and to 
 remove their fear, lest the great sin 
 
 of the rejection and murder of their 
 Lord should shut out them and their 
 posterity from the blessing. The 
 propriety of infant baptism is fairly 
 inferred from this text, although not 
 expressly enjoined. 
 
 '■'■ And to all that are afar off" 
 This may be understood primarily of 
 the Jews of the dispersion, who Avere 
 not present at the festival. It must, 
 however, include the Gentiles (see 
 Ephes. ii. 13. 17.), for, as the Apo- 
 stles and the Jews well knew, the 
 promise made to Abraham was, that 
 in his seed all nations of the earth 
 should be blessed. See also Isaiah. 
 The hesitation of St. Peter, recorded 
 chap. X., was not owing to a doubt 
 whether the Gentiles would be called, 
 but whether they could be received 
 into the Church without passing 
 through Judaism. 
 
 " Shall call." By the preaching of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 40. '•' With many other rvords." St. 
 Luke gives the general purport of 
 this second address. As the object 
 of the former discourse was to 
 awaken their conscience, so the 
 aim of this was to urge them to 
 separate themselves from the un- 
 believing party, and become mem- 
 bers of the kingdom of Christ. 
 
 " Untoward " — crooked, and per- 
 verse. Their mental blindness was 
 owing to their moral depravity. 
 
 41. " Then they that (jlatlly re- 
 ceived." Or, they accepted the pro- 
 mi.se and consolation with great joy 
 and gratitude. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 27 
 
 baptized: and the same day there were added unto 
 them about three thousand souls. 
 
 42. i And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' i ver. 4fi. 
 doctrine and fellowship, and in breakin 
 in prayers. 
 
 43, And fear came upon every soul : and "^ many 
 wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 
 
 of bread, and '^^^^ 
 
 Col. 4. 1. 
 Hebr. 10. 25. 
 
 m Mark, 16. : 
 ch. 4. 53. & 
 o 12. 
 
 " And the same day there ivere 
 added,'' &c. The Avord is used by 
 classical writers ^ of persons who be- 
 come adherents to any party. It 
 seems evident that these 3000 per- 
 sons who were converted and bap- 
 tized in the course of this day were 
 baptized by sprinkling, and not by 
 immersion. Water was at all times 
 scarce at Jerusalem, and even on 
 ordinary occasions the brook Cedron, 
 and the few pools in the city, would 
 hardly have sufficed for the immer- 
 sion of so large a number ; and it is 
 not probable that the authorities 
 would have allowed the followers 
 of Him, whom they had so lately 
 crucified, to take possession of them. 
 To make the efficacy of baptism de- 
 pend upon the quantity of water 
 used in the administration appears 
 contrary to the first principles of 
 Christianity. 
 
 " Sojds." A Hebraism, equivalent 
 to persons, but apparently chosen 
 with special reference to conversion. 
 
 42. St. Luke has described the 
 immediate effects of the first Chris- 
 tian sermon : he now relates the per- 
 manent results. 
 
 " Thei/ continued — doctrine.^' The 
 first converts had much to learn, and 
 they attended closely to the teaching 
 of the Apostles. 
 
 " Andfelloicship" — brotherly com- 
 munion. They lived as members of 
 one family, the household of faith. 
 The word may sometimes mean 
 communication of temporal things, 
 oblations, and almsgiving-, but this 
 
 is a subordinate notion, and is in- 
 cluded in the higher and more 
 general idea of communion. 
 
 " Breaking of bread.'' As a re- 
 ligious act this must be understood 
 of the daily meal, after which the 
 primitive Christians partook of the 
 consecrated elements of bread and 
 wine, according to our Lord's com- 
 mand. The early versions and the 
 Fathers take the words to mean " the 
 Eucharist," which was, undoubtedly, 
 the essentially religious part of the 
 Agape, or love-feast. The common 
 meal, which was a custom, not an 
 ordinance, was separated at an early 
 period from the Eucharist, and, in 
 consequence of many abuses, was 
 afterwards discontinued. 
 
 '■^ And in prayers." These in- 
 cluded liturgical forms, partly 
 adapted from the Hebrew ritual, sup- 
 plications, and thanksgivings uttered 
 by inspired persons, which soon as- 
 sumed a regular form^ and psalms 
 and hymns, which formed a part of 
 the early Christian service, as we 
 may learn even from the heathen 
 Pliny. Li his epistle to Trajan he 
 says, " The Christians declared that 
 they were wont to meet on a certain 
 day (the Lord's day), and to repeat 
 in alternate parts a hymn to Christ, 
 as their God." ^ 
 
 We thus observe that the early 
 Church had these four notes or signs 
 — Apostolic doctrine ; brotherly com- 
 munion : regular administration of 
 sacraments, and common prayer. 
 
 43. " Fear." The effect upon all 
 
 1 Eisner, Ob., p. 374. 
 
 2 As Kuinoel, and even Olshausen, 
 pret it here, after Mosheim. 
 
 3 Justin Martvr. 
 
 4 Plin. Ep., 97. 
 
 See Hooker, E. P. v. 25. 
 
 c 2 
 
28 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. 11. 
 
 n ch. 4. .-52. 54 
 
 o Isai. 58. 7. 
 
 p ch. 1. 14. 
 
 q Luke, 24. 53 
 ch. 5. 4'2. 
 
 r ch. -20. 7. 
 
 J Or, at home. 
 
 44. And all that believed were together, and " had 
 all things common ; 
 
 45. And sold their possessions and goods, and 
 ° parted them to all 7ne?i, as every man had need. 
 
 46. P And they, continuing daily with one accord 
 ^ in the temple, and ^breaking bread || from house to 
 
 who heard of this event was fear, 
 ■which either prepared the souls of 
 those Avho were still "without" for 
 the Apostle's preaching, or degene- 
 rated into hatred. 
 
 " Wo7i(Iers and slgus.^' Miracles 
 which were signs or evidences of the 
 divine approbation. 
 
 44. " Were together." That is, 
 they constituted one society, though 
 th ey may have formed many sepa- 
 rate congregations. Although many 
 of the 3000 converts must have re- 
 turned to their own countries after 
 the festival, it is not probable that 
 one room would have been large 
 enough for the regular meetings' of 
 those who I'emained, including the 
 converts who were daily added to the 
 Church. 
 
 " Had all things common.'" It is 
 probable that the oblations of the 
 several congregations formed a com- 
 mon stock by which the expenses of 
 the daily meals, and of the main- 
 tenance of the poor, were defrayed.- 
 It appears, however, that in the first 
 outburst of Christian zeal the dis- 
 ciples generally endeavoured to 
 follow the example of the Apostles, 
 Avho in the time of our Saviour evi- 
 dently had all their property in 
 common stock. We must bear in 
 mind that this was not commanded 
 by the Apo.stles, — that it was not 
 adopted in any other community, or 
 separate Church established by them, 
 — that it was perfectly voluntary in 
 each individual, — and that, although 
 it proves most convincingly the fcr- 
 vaur and sincerity of their conversion, 
 it was an outward act, the value of 
 
 which is dependent upon circum- 
 stances, and must be judged by its 
 practical etfccts upon the general wel- 
 fare of a community. It was then 
 probably both necessary and bene- 
 ficial ; now it would be impracti- 
 cable ; and, if practicable, might be 
 most injurious to society and to the 
 moral character of man. 
 
 45. "■ Possessions " —means houses 
 and lands. 
 
 " Goof/.s,"— personal property. It 
 does not appear that all sold their 
 property, or that any sold all. 
 
 4 6. '■' Continuing— temple." This at- 
 tendance at the temple, at the usual 
 hours of daily prayer, was independ- 
 ent of the common prayers in the 
 Christian assemblies. Christianity 
 interfered not with national or other 
 institutions further than as they were 
 incompatible with the Gospel faith 
 and practice.' The converts at- 
 tended the temple as Jewish citizens, 
 and its services would be more inte- 
 resting and instructive to them than 
 previously, as they Avould now dis- 
 cern the true meaning of its typical 
 ceremonies. 
 
 " Breaking bread from house to 
 house." Or, as the margin reads, at 
 home, in their common Christian 
 home, the house' in which they ate 
 the Agape or love-feast, and cele- 
 brated the Eucharist. 
 
 The 42d verse gives the charac- 
 teristics of the Church ; this verse 
 describes the habits of the Apostles 
 and first disciples. They attended 
 the temple not merely for the pur- 
 ])oses of jn-ayer and devotion, but 
 because they had there the best oj)por- 
 
 As Mover supposes. 
 
 Noamibr, p. :'5. ; Rurton, and Hinds. 
 
 Uimis H.& P, p. 131. 
 
 ■» So WolfT. HonRcl, Ol.Oiausen, Mo>or, rnd 
 mo-t of tlif inniliTii ••oiiiuuMit.itovs. Srr a/iO 
 llinls U.cS: r., p. 13;i. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 29 
 
 house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness 
 of heart, 
 
 47. Praising God, and ^ having favour with 
 the people. And ^ the Lord added to the church daily ^ 
 such as should be saved. 
 
 '•'^^^ ch. 4. 53. 
 
 tunities of addressing and convert- 
 ing their countrymen. 
 
 " Did eat their meat" &c. The 
 consciousness of duties well fulfilled, 
 of devotion to God and love to the 
 brethren, gave them a feeling of 
 serene and unmingled satisfaction, 
 
 " Singleness of heart.''' Simplicity, 
 open and unaffected honesty of cha- 
 racter. They had no ambitious or 
 interested views. 
 
 47. " Having favour with all the 
 people." It is observable that the 
 preachers of the Gospel, and the 
 Christians in general, were popular 
 at first, not only in Jerusalem, but 
 wherever a Church was established. 
 The people were attracted by their 
 sweetness of character, won by their 
 benevolence, and disposed to rever- 
 ence them for their piety and devo- 
 
 tion. It was not vmtil they felt the 
 contrast between the Christian prin- 
 ciples and their own views and habits, 
 that they became the instruments of 
 the persecutors of the Church. 
 
 " The Lord." The Lord Jesus 
 Christ, as the head and king of the 
 Church. The Apostles were but his 
 instruments ; their preaching was 
 made effectual by His grace. 
 
 " Such as shoidd be saved." Those 
 persons who, by joining the Church, 
 were rescued from the evil world, and 
 admitted into a state of salvation. 
 Unbelievers are called the lost, as 
 being in a state which leads to per- 
 dition ; Christians the saved, as being 
 in a state that leads to everlasting 
 salvation. The word in the original 
 does not express a purpose, but a 
 fact. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 4. When Christians meet with one accord in places consecrated to 
 the Lord's service, He will surely fulfil his promise to be in the midst of 
 them, and will vouchsafe proofs of His presence, which, though they may be 
 imperceptible to the senses, will be recognised by the eye of faith, and pro- 
 duce results equally unmistakeable with the miraculous gifts which attested 
 the descent of His Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 
 
 5 — 11. The confusion of tongues is a symbol of the mutual alienation of 
 fallen man. It is the more striking, inasmuch as all this many-tongued 
 multitude were of one race and one family, and had unlearned their 
 own sacred language in exile. Their tongues bore witness to the sin 
 and punishment of their nation. As the spiritual utterances then reached 
 their hearts and understanding, so should the one spiritual tongue which 
 believers all speak renew that communion of mind and feeling which sin 
 interrupted, and be heard in heaven as a mighty harmony from unnumbered 
 hearts, saying, " great and marvellous are Thy works, O, Lord God 
 Almighty ; just and true are Thy ways. Thou King of Saints."" 
 
 1 Rev. XV. 3. 
 c 3 
 
so THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 
 
 14, 15. From the introduction to St. Peter's discourse Christians may learn 
 how to behave when injurious charges ai'e made against them, and their 
 actions are misrepresented. The charges must be answered, for the sake of 
 the Church, but briefly, and without attaching too much importance to 
 them, if they are evidently made in a light and mocking spirit. 
 
 IG — 21. The explanation of this prophecy by St. Peter throws great 
 light upon the connexion between the Old and New Testament. It 
 teaches us that the coming of Messiah, the events that preceded and 
 accompanied His advent, and the effects which it would produce are the 
 great subjects of all inspiration. The outpouring of the Spirit in gifts and 
 graces, and the manifestation of Divine wrath in physical or national cala- 
 mities have always these great objects, to prepare men for His coming, to 
 teach them to flee from the wrath to come, and to call on that name which 
 alone is given whereby ^ve may be saved. We must take care not to 
 restrict such warnings to that epoch, although they had their especial 
 application. The great and notable day of the Lord is nigh at hand 
 to us individually, ^vhether it be nigh, or far, humanly speaking, with 
 reference to the world. " But no evil shall fatally touch our persons, or 
 come near our dwellings, whilst we take hold of God by faith, and approach 
 unto him by prayer. Lord, how happy is it Avhen strong afflictions from 
 Thee raise strong affections in us towards Thee." — Bur/iitt. 
 
 22 — 24. The guilt of the Jews was in proportion to their knowledge. 
 So will it be with us. If we reject Christ it will be in spite of signs, and 
 unquestionable testimonies of omnipotence to His mission. If we be not one 
 with Him in His crucifixion and death, — buried with Him in baptism, we 
 shall be guilty of His blood. Ikit the pains of death are loosed for ever, 
 and it is impossible that they can hold those Avho have risen with Him in 
 newness of life, for they become partakers of His divine nature. 
 
 2.5 — 28. The believer has one great work before him, and that is to 
 realise his union with Christ. Though David well knew that the sin- 
 defiled body which he bore would be committed to the grave, he knew 
 also that what was sown in corrujition would be raised in incorruption, and 
 that the soul, bowed down by penitent anguish, would be filled with joy, for 
 he identified himself with Christ. In Christ he rejoiced, and was glad, and 
 rested in sure and certain hope. What David so expressed in a season 
 of inspiration should be the abiding feeling of each member of the Church, 
 which is His bodj% the fulness of Him that filleth all in all. 
 
 3G, 37. The benefit of a sermon is in its personal application. It is not 
 sufficient to know that Christ is exalted: w'e must know and feel that He 
 suffered for our sins; that our sins are the cause of His death; and that 
 if we are not separated from sin by hearty repentance and conversion we 
 crucify the Lord Jesus afresh, and are guilty of His death. This w^e must 
 feel individually, or we shall never be pricked to the heart, and inquire of 
 His messengers what we shall do to be saved. 
 
 38. Grief for sin is a precursor and condition of repentance, but is not 
 repentance itself. The scri|)tural word implies a change of mind — the 
 putting off the old man with his lusts, evil passions and aflections, with his 
 darkness and corruption ; and the putting on the new man, which is created 
 after God in righteousness and true holiness. Hence it is that repentance 
 is always represented as a gift of God, procured by Christ and conveyed by 
 the Holy Sj)irit. 
 
 Baptism is thus necessary for the remission of sins, which it c(mveys to 
 the (rue penitent. This represents to us the great truth that forgiveness 
 is not purchased or merited by repentance, but is a gift of God, upon which 
 He sets a seal, and of which He has appointed a sign and pledge, in the 
 laver of regeneration. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. II. 31 
 
 41. Spiritual joy is closely linked to godly sorrow for sin. Because they 
 were pricked to the heart they gladly received the word. The pain of the 
 wound taught them to welcome the good physician. 
 
 42. This enumeration of the signs of the first Church should teach us, 
 in the first place, to be deeply grateful that all the privileges afforded 
 to them are equally supplied to us : we have pure apostolic doctrine ; 
 ample opportunities for nourishing and displaying brotherly love ; fre- 
 quent access to the Lord's table, when the bread that came down from 
 heaven, and was broken for us, is distributed to believers; and pure, 
 scriptural, evangelical forms of common prayer. But in the next place it 
 should make us very anxious to inquire whether we avail ourselves of 
 those privileges, and derive from all external ordinances the spiritual bless- 
 ings which they are intended to convey. Our inner life ought to be a 
 counterpart of our outer profession. 
 
 43. Reverence and awe for Chi'ist's ministers are feelings far from being 
 incompatible with true Christian liberty. They are, in fact, the conditions 
 of that freedom. Selfishness, called independence, makes a man equally 
 cai'eless of those above and those below him. 
 
 45. The real need of our brethren is the true limit of Christian liber- 
 ality. To give to those who need not, who can and ought to work for 
 their own living is a snare and a temptation to them — an injury and no 
 benefit. While to refuse to the infirm and helpless is to despise the com- 
 mands, nay, the person, of Christ. 
 
 46 — 47. The sweet dispositions and beneficent actions of the Christians 
 were means whereby the Spirit overcame the prejudices and won the hearts 
 of many infidels. The truthfulness and strict morality of a believer may 
 give offence ; but he does not rightly adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour, 
 unless he strives to win favour with all the people. 
 
 c 4 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. III. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 In this Chapter -we have a full account of one transaction, from which "we 
 learn what manner of " wonders and signs " were wrought by the 
 Apostles. 
 
 ach.2.4G. 1. Now Peter and John went up together ^into 
 bPs.55. 17. the temple at the hour of prayer, ^ beinr/ the ninth 
 
 hour. 
 c ch. 14. 8. 2. And ^ a certain man hime from his mother's 
 
 Tvomb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of 
 d John, 9. 8. the temple which is called Beautiful, ^^to ask alms of 
 
 them that entered into the temple ; 
 
 3. Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the 
 temple asked an alms. 
 
 4. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with 
 John, said, Look on us. 
 
 " At the hour of prayer.^^ There 
 were three hours of prayer, which, 
 as the Jews believed, were obseiy^d 
 by Abraham and the patriarclis.' 
 The first at the third hour (nine 
 o'clock), when the morning sacrifice 
 was offered; the second at mid-day ; 
 and the third at three o'clock p. m., 
 when the evening sacrifice was 
 offered. Worshippers at Jerusalem 
 generally offered prayer in the temple 
 at the first and third of these stated 
 times, which were also observed 
 at an early period in Christian 
 Churches. 
 
 2. '■'' Called Beautiful'" This may 
 have been either the gate of Nicunor,^ 
 or, as is more probable from its 
 vicinity to the Porch of Solomon, 
 where the Christians usually assem- 
 bled, the eastern gate, called Susan, 
 or the gate of lilies (see 1 Kings, vii. 
 y.), which is described by Josci)hus.'' 
 It was thirty cubits high, and was 
 made of Corinthian brass, and 
 
 wrought with exceeding delicacy 
 and skill, so that it greatly exceeded 
 in value the gates leading into the 
 second court, which were covered 
 with plates of silver and richly 
 gilt. 
 
 " To ask alms" The Jews re- 
 garded it as a privilege to give alms 
 to persons, who, like this poor man, 
 were unable to work, and for whom 
 no other provision was made. They 
 believed that their prayers would be 
 more effectual if they gave as they 
 entered the temple, the gates of 
 which were generally thronged with 
 beggars. 
 
 4. " Fastening his eijes." Looking 
 intently ; the same word is used chap, 
 i. 10., and very frequently by St. 
 Luke. We must remember tliat the 
 Apostles had the gift of discerning 
 spirits, and they then doubtless 
 searched the heart of the man, and 
 ascertained ihat he was a fit subject 
 for miraculous healing. 
 
 Lightfoot, Schoetgcn, and Wetstein. 
 Meyer. 
 
 B. J., vi. II. See 
 
 ,'htroot. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. TIL 
 
 33 
 
 5. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to re- 
 ceive something of them. 
 
 6. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none ; 
 
 but such as I have give I thee : ®In the name ofech.4. lo. 
 Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 
 
 7. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted 
 //m up : and immediately his feet and ancle bones 
 received strength. 
 
 8. And he ^leaping up stood, and walked, and en- f isai. 35. e . 
 tered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, 
 
 and praising God. 
 
 9. sAnd all the people saw him walking and prais- s ch. 4. 16,21 
 ing God : 
 
 10. And they knew that it was he which ^ sat for h LikeJoim. 
 alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they ^"^^ 
 were filled with wonder and amazement at that which 
 
 had happened unto him. 
 
 11. And as the lame man which was healed held 
 Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them 
 
 in the porch Uhat is called Solomon's, greatly Avon- j^j^T°|m. 10-23. 
 derins:. 
 
 6. "/« the name:' In the Old 
 Testament, miracles are always 
 wrought in the name of Jehovah. 
 Our Lord and His disciples always 
 wrought them in His name. They 
 knew whose power worked in and 
 by them. Could they declare more 
 plainly that Christ was God ? 
 
 " Of Jesus Christ of Nazareth:'' 
 The name of Jesus was not uncom- 
 mon, and it was necessary to declare 
 plainly that Jesus, in whose name 
 the miracle was wrought, was the 
 famous prophet of Nazareth, who was 
 the true Messiah. 
 
 " Bise up and walk:' The com- 
 mand assured and conveyed the 
 power, — all that was required of 
 the man was faith and an obedient 
 will. 
 
 7. '■'■ His feet and ancle hones:'' The 
 expressions in the original are very 
 precise, indeed technical, as is usual 
 Avith St. Luke, the " beloved physi- 
 cian." ' 
 
 8. '' Leaping up:' See. These ges- 
 tures were not only significant of 
 joy, but were proofs that he was per- 
 fectly and miraculously healed. 
 
 10. '^ Were filled:' &c. These 
 words denote the utmost astonish- 
 ment. The miracle was not merely 
 the restoration of a suspended faculty, 
 but the infusion of a new power. 
 
 11. '' Held Peter" &c. He would 
 not be separated from his bene- 
 factors.- 
 
 " The porch that is called Solo- 
 mon''s:' This appears to have been 
 the place where the Apostles were 
 in the habit of addressing the peo- 
 ple. See chap. V. 12. It is supposed 
 to have been on the east side of the 
 temple. The porch there consisted 
 of a double row of pillars, twenty- 
 five cubits high, with a richly carved 
 roof of cedar-Avood. The breadth of 
 the porch was thirty cubits. It was 
 probably erected on the site of a 
 porch of the old temple.^ 
 
 1 Meyer and Albert. 
 
 2 Chrysostom. 
 
 3 Winer, ii. 530. 
 
34 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. III. 
 
 1 John, 7. 39. 
 
 & Vi. 16. & 
 
 17.1. 
 
 m Matt. 27. 2. 
 
 n Matt. '27. '^0. 
 Mark, IJ. U. 
 Luke, 23. IS, 
 20,21. 
 •lohn, IS. 10. 
 & 19. 15. 
 ch. 15. 28. 
 o Pf. 16. 10. 
 Mark,l.J4. 
 Luke, 1 . 3.>. 
 ch. 2. 27. & 
 4.27. 
 
 11 Or, author. 
 Hebr. 2. 10. 
 & 5. 9. 
 1 John, 5. U. 
 
 q ch. 2.21. 
 
 r ch. 2. 32. 
 
 s Matt. 9. 22. 
 ch. 4. 10. & 
 11.9. 
 
 t Luke, 2.-. 31. 
 John, Ifi. 3. 
 ch. 13. 27. 
 1 C:or. 2. S. 
 1 Tim. 1. 13. 
 
 12. ^ And when Peter saw it, lie answered r.nto the 
 people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this ? or 
 why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own 
 power or holiness we had made this man to walk ? 
 
 13. ^ The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of 
 Jocob, the God of our fathers, Uiath glorified his Son 
 Jesus; whom ye ^delivered up, and "denied him in 
 the presence of Pilate, Avhen he w^as determined to let 
 hi)7i go. 
 
 14. But ye denied "the Holy One p and the Just, 
 and desired a murderer to be granted unto you ; 
 
 15. And killed the || Prince of life, 'i whom God 
 hath raised from the dead ; ^'whereof we are Avitnesses. 
 
 16. ^And his name through faith in his name hath 
 made this man strong, whom ye see and know : yea, 
 the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect 
 soundness in the presence of you aU. 
 
 17. And now, brethren, I wot that * through igno- 
 rance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 
 
 18. But "those thina's, which God before had shewed 
 
 12, "He answered." The demean- 
 our of the people showed that they 
 -were anxious to inquire what the 
 miracle meant. 
 
 " Will/ marvel ye." The astonish- 
 ment of the people was not blame- 
 worthy, but they are reproved for 
 not referring the miracle to the Di- 
 vine power. 
 
 1.3. '' HatlKjhrifiedr That is, hath 
 attested the e.xaltation of Jesus by 
 this miracle wrought in his name. 
 
 '■'Wkom ye," i.e. the common peo- 
 ple. See the marginal references. 
 
 " When lie was determined.'" When 
 he had decided that it was just to re- 
 lease him. See John, xix. 1.5., and 
 Luke, xxiii. 16—2.3. 
 
 14. " "jyie Holy One and the Just." 
 Jesus, who alone, and in a ])eculiar 
 sense, is absolutely free from sin, 
 both towards God and towards man. 
 1.'). '■'Prince of life." The word 
 translated prince means author and 
 giver, as well as sovereign. The 
 term is here used in emphatic con- 
 trast with "a murderer," -whom the 
 Jews preferred. I^ife may be taken 
 in the widest signification ; for Christ 
 overcame death in body and in spirit 
 
 by His resurrection and by sending 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 16. " Through." The Apostles' faith 
 in His name is here meant. 
 
 " The faith which is by Him." 
 Which is given by Him, infused and 
 elicited by His grace. The invoca- 
 tion of the name of Jesus produced 
 the effect, but not unconditionally, — 
 not without faith both in the Apostle 
 and the lame man. 
 
 17. " Throuiih ignorance." This did 
 not remove their guilt, since such ig- 
 norance was wilful, in spite of evi- 
 dence, and connected with their evil 
 dispositions and habits ; but it so far 
 mitigated their guilt that it left a 
 way open for repentance. It was 
 not the sin against the Holy Ghost. 
 (Compare Luke, xiii. 34. Our Lord's 
 own Spirit then spake in his Apostle. 
 
 '•'Also your rulers." Compare St. 
 Paul's words, 1 Cor. ii. 8. Had 
 the rulers known the wisdom of 
 God, thc}^ would not have crucified 
 the Lord of Glory. They did not 
 know that he was the Christ, al- 
 though tlu'v had sufiicicnt evidence. 
 
 IS. "//»/ those things." St. Peter 
 points out that theirguilthad been the 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. III. 
 
 35 
 
 ^by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should x Ps.22. 
 suffer, he hath so fulfilled. i%^5'Xc. 
 
 19. ^ y Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that xp"et. i.^b.n 
 your sins may be blotted out, when the times of re- ^ ''^' ^- '''^• 
 freshing shall come from the presence of the Lord ; 
 
 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before 
 
 was preached unto you : z ch 1 n 
 
 21. 2 Whom the heaven must receive until the ^ Man. 17. n 
 times of ^restitution of all things, ^ which God hath b Luke, i. 70. 
 
 means whereby God's predetermined 
 purposes were accomplished. A cir- 
 cumstance that would not remove 
 their feelings of compunction, (since 
 they well knew that God, who over- 
 ruled their actions, had not controlled 
 their will,) but would save them from 
 despair. See Joseph's address to his 
 brethren, Genesis, 1. 20. 
 
 " Of all his prophets." It was a 
 saying of the Jews, that " the pro- 
 phets, universally and exclusively, 
 prophesied of the days of Messiah." ' 
 Then no rabbi doubted that the suf- 
 ferings of Christ were predicted by 
 David, Isaiah, Daniel, and Zechariah, 
 although they hardened themselves 
 against the application of the types 
 and prophesies to Jesus. 
 
 19. '■'■Repent ye, therefore." Since 
 there is hope of mercy, procured 
 even by the sufferings which ye have 
 inflicted. 
 
 " Be converted" Or turn, — turn 
 to Him whom ye denied. That is 
 conversion. 
 
 " That your sins." Repentance is 
 the condition and pledge of forgive- 
 ness. 
 
 " Blotted out." The ancients wrote 
 on tablets covered with wax, and 
 when they wished to alter what they 
 had written, they expunged the 
 words with the flat end of the iron 
 pen which they used. Hence " blotted 
 out" implies a total extinction of 
 guilt. See Isaiah, xliii. 25. " I, even 
 I, am He that blotteth out thy trans- 
 
 gressions, for mine own sake, and 
 will not remember thy sins." 
 
 " When the times," &c. These words 
 may be rendered, in order that times ', 
 &c. Although the time of our Lord's 
 coming may not depend upon man's 
 conversion, yet the effects of that 
 event upon each of us will vary ac- 
 cording to our state of preparation. 
 They will not be times of refreshing 
 to the impenitent. 
 
 " Of refreshing." This expression 
 evidently refers to the second coming 
 of the Lord^ which will be a period 
 of rest and refreshment to pardoned 
 sinners after the tribulations of the 
 world. There appears to be an allusion 
 to that parallel between the sabbath 
 and the Messianic kingdom, which is 
 referred to by the Apostle, Hebrews, 
 iv. 1. 9—11. 
 
 20. ''And he shall send." This 
 verse makes it certain that the pre- 
 ceding refers to the second coming 
 of the Lord. The Jews had rejected 
 Him when preached, or appointed* 
 for them on His first coming, but by 
 repentance they may be prepared to 
 rejoice in His second coming. 
 
 21. " The heaven must receive.'" It 
 was the purpose of God, and there- 
 fore necessary, that Christ should 
 reign in Heaven, and not, as the Jews 
 supposed, on earth until the end. 
 
 " Restitution." This implies a re- 
 storation of that harmony between 
 God and His creatures, and of that 
 paradisiacal felicity of the latter, 
 
 1 Sanhed. ap. Meyer. 
 
 2 Lightfoot, and most of the later com- 
 raentators. 
 
 3 Chrysostom, Olshausen, Meyer. 
 ^ Tischendorf. 
 
 c 6 
 
36 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. III. 
 
 c Deut. 18. 1.' 
 J8. 19. 
 ch. 7. 57. 
 
 d ch. 2. 39. 
 Rom. 9. 4, 8. 
 & 15. 8. 
 Gal. 3. !^6. 
 
 e Gen. 12. 3. 
 & IS. 18. & 
 22. 18. Si 23. ' 
 & 28. 14. 
 Gal. 3. 8. 
 
 f Matt. 10. ,5. 
 & 15. 24. 
 Luke, 24. 47. 
 ch. 13. 32, 
 5.->, 46. 
 
 spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since 
 the world began. 
 
 22. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, <=A pro- 
 l^het shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of 
 your brethren, like unto me ; him shall ye hear in all 
 things whatsoever he shall say unto you. 
 
 23. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which 
 Avill not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from 
 among the people. 
 
 24. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and 
 those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have 
 likewise foretold of these days. 
 
 25. ^ Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the 
 covenant which God made with our fathers, saying 
 unto Abraham, ^And in thy seed shall all the kin- 
 dreds of the earth be blessed. 
 
 26. ^Unto you first God, having raised up his Son 
 
 which were interrupted by the fall of 
 man. The Jews expected that Mes- 
 siah would restoi'e the physical and 
 moral perfection of man, but cor- 
 rupted that true and simple doctrine 
 by many superstitious notions.' 
 
 '• Which God hath spoken" Sec. 
 That restoration is the leading sub- 
 ject of all prophecy from Genesis to 
 Malachi. It is implied in the first 
 promise made after the fall. 
 
 22. " Moses tiulij said." In Deut. 
 xviii. 15 — 19. 
 
 " Like unto me." Christ alone was 
 like unto Moses in that he was the 
 mediator of a new covenant, and pro- 
 mulgator of a divine law. 'I'he pro- 
 phecy of Moses no doubt included a 
 reference to the prophets whom God 
 raised up from time to time to declare 
 His will, but only so far as they were 
 types of Him The Jews were fully 
 convinced at that time that Moses 
 spake of the Messiah.^ 
 
 23. " !Sh(tll be dcslroj/ed." Saint 
 Peter gives the sense of the original, 
 or rather explains it by su])stituting 
 another form, wliich usually I'xpresses 
 the penalty inflicted for resisting the 
 declared will of God. 
 
 24. " From Samuel." Samuel is 
 here reckoned the first of the pro- 
 phets, either because the schools of the 
 prophets were first instituted by him 
 ( 1 Sam. xix. 20. Hence the Jewish 
 proverb, '• Samuel was the master of 
 the prophets " *), or rather because the 
 first prophecy concerning Messiah 
 which is recorded after the time of 
 Moses is found in the book of Samuel, 
 (2 Sam. vii, IG.) The historical books 
 of the Old Testament were always 
 called " the Books of the Prophets," 
 as being written b}^ inspired persons, 
 who were officially prophets.^ 
 
 25. " Ye are the children." This 
 does not mean the descendants, or 
 disciples and followers, but persons 
 who are the subjects both of the pro- 
 phecies and of the covenant.^ In the 
 Hebrew idiom "children" marks de- 
 pendence and connection. 
 
 26. " Unto you first.'" In conse- 
 quence of that relationship the Gospel 
 was first jireached to the Jews. St. 
 Peter still hoped that the great 
 mercy of God, in permitting that the 
 Jews, who had crucified His Son, 
 should first hear of His resurrection, 
 and receive the first offer of forgive- 
 
 Kim tii and Tatirliuin. ap, Meyer. 
 SchoetKcii, Hor. Ht-lir. 
 Talmud ap. Liglitfoot. 
 
 Simon. Hist. C'rit. O. T. 
 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. III. 37 
 
 Jesus, ^sent liim to bless you, ^^in turning away every 
 one of you from liis iniquities. 
 
 h Matt. I. 21. 
 
 ness and acceptance, would be effec- spirit, by the coming of the Holy 
 
 tnal for their salvation, Ghost. 
 
 " Having raised up.'" This refers " To bless you in Jiim." St. Peter 
 
 to ver. 22. God raised up Jesus concludes by reminding the Jews 
 
 as the prophet whom he had pro- that the blessing which was promised 
 
 mised. and offered to them consisted in de- 
 
 " Sent him." First in the flesh, at liverance from sin, and not from mere 
 
 the Incarnation, and now in the temporal bondage. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1. In all ages, since God hath had a Church in the world, there have 
 been stated times and places for solemn public worship. Regular habits of 
 private devotion are indispensable for the sustenance of the spiritual life in 
 individuals — frequent and solemn assemblies for public and common devo- 
 tion are equally necessary for the development of the spiritual principle by 
 which the whole Church is quickened. 
 
 2. Let not our charity fall short of the Jews, who were ready to help 
 those who could not help themselves. The rich gave money, the poor bore 
 them to and from home gratuitously. We can all imitate them by helping 
 or giving ; and a truly charitable work is the best preparation for the service 
 of the sanctuary. 
 
 3 — 8. Every miracle in the Bible is also a parable. There are no dead, 
 meaningless, facts in the book of life. The weak and impotent in spirit, who 
 feel that they have no strength to walk in the way which their own sins 
 make so rugged, spiritual cripples, as we all are from our mother's womb, 
 may learn from this miracle how they are to recover strength. They must 
 apply to those who are commissioned by Christ to dispense spiritual alms, 
 fix heart and mind upon their words, and listen in faith that they will 
 receive something — even that one thing which is needful for their souls. 
 Nor will they forget that the best proof of restored health is strenuous 
 action. Disease is heavy, indolent, sad ; but health is light, active, 
 cheerful. This is true of the body, and more perfectly true of the spirit. 
 
 9 — IL It is a good sign when am.azement is followed by inquiry. If, 
 when we are perplexed, we go at once to the temple, we shall be sure to 
 have our difficulties cleared up, for we shall find there the Apostles, and 
 their Master. Prayer is the " beautiful gate," which will bring us into that 
 temple which " the glory of God doth lighten, and the Lamb is the light 
 thereof. " 
 
 12. It is a natural, but very dangerous, superstition to believe that when 
 great spiritual works are done, it must be by virtue of some power inherent 
 in the agent, or conferred upon him as a reward of personal holiness. 
 Thus the catechism of the Council of Trent plainly declares that God 
 confers on us many benefits by the merits of the saints ; and Lorinus (a 
 famous Roman Catholic writer) asserts that the merits of the saints are 
 
38 THE ACTS. CHAP. IH. 
 
 prevalent for the working of miracles." ' We acknowledge, with the 
 Apostles St. Peter and St. John, that the highest saints are but earthen 
 vessels conveying the treasures of Christ. 
 
 13 — 15. The infidel is not so unjust as the bigot. Pilate acquitted, and 
 wished to release, Him Avho was accused as the rival of Caesar, and who 
 was the true conqueror of the world, while the Jews betrayed and denied 
 their own Messiah, the King of Glory. Still the apathy of the infidel is 
 even a more fatal symptom than the fury of zealots. Or rather, we may 
 say, this is a deadly disease, that is death. 
 
 16. Such are the effects of faith in the spiritual man also. Perfect 
 soundness comes from Christ, but faith is the channel, the " golden pipe," 
 through which it flows. The Apostle spake in faith, and the healing virtue 
 went forth ; the lame man heard in faith, and its influence was at once felt 
 throughout his frame, not merely restoring, but infusing life and strength. 
 
 17, 18. How tender the Apostle is in his treatment of a sore conscience. 
 Those who are prompt in finding excuses for others, are generally the 
 severest censors of their own sins. We never read that St. Peter palliated 
 his denial of our Lord, but, simply, that he went out and wept bitterly. 
 
 19 — 26. In this address every motive to immediate repentance is pre- 
 sented with that art which divine love alone possesses in perfection. The 
 certainty of the second coming in glory of Him, whom they had rejected in 
 His humiliation suggests an awful terror, while the liveliest feelings of 
 hope and gratitude are excited by the renewed promises of grace and 
 blessing to the Children of the Covenant. 
 
 Whitby. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 39 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The rapid increase of the Church soon attracted the notice, and excited the 
 jealousy, of the Jewish authorities. They had in fact but two alterna- 
 tives: either to confess their guilt in procuring the death of Jesus, or to 
 suppress the evidence of His resurrection. The cautious and hesitating 
 character of their proceedings proves that their conscience was partially 
 awakened, but they were strong enough to silence its remonstrances, and 
 to incur the new guilt of resisting the testimony of the Holy Ghost, and 
 of persecuting His witnesses. 
 
 Or, ruler. 
 :,uke, '22. 4. 
 ch. 5. 24. 
 
 1. And as tliey spake unto the people, the priests, and 
 the II captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came ii < 
 upon them. 
 
 2. '^ Being grieved that they taught the people, and \llt%%:'^^' 
 preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 
 
 3. And they laid hands on them, and put them in 
 hold unto the next day : for it was now eventide. 
 
 1 . " And as they spake." The vast 
 concourse of people afforded a pre- 
 text for interference, and the apo- 
 stles were interrupted while they 
 were still addressing them. 
 
 " The priests." Those priests who 
 were there officially as keepers of the 
 temple. 
 
 " The captain of the temple." 
 This officer commanded the three 
 bands of these priests, and the Le- 
 vites, whose duty was to guard the 
 temple, and see that the laws of 
 Moses were not violated. He was an 
 officer of high rank, and one of the 
 chief priests.' 
 
 " And the Saddncees." They had 
 no official right to interfere, but took 
 the lead in the persecution, being 
 especially offended by the doctrine of 
 the resurrection. At that time they 
 were the most powerful party in the 
 Sanhedrim, although they had less 
 influence with the people in general 
 than the Pharisees. 
 
 2. " Being grieved." This applies 
 to the Sadducees. See Matthew, xxii. 
 23. A famous rabbi says " the Sad- 
 ducees deny the resurrection, and say, 
 the cloud is exhausted and departs, 
 so he who descends into the tomb 
 never returns.""- They were also es- 
 pecially indignant that pei'sons of no 
 rank or station should presume to 
 teach at all. 
 
 " Through Jesus." In the case of 
 Jesus. It does not mean that the 
 apostles preached that the dead 
 would be raised by the power of 
 Jesus, which is perfectly true, but 
 that they had declared a resurrection 
 to be possible by asserting that He 
 was raised. They had evidently 
 heard St. Peter's address as far as 
 ver. 15. of the preceding chapter, and 
 then had gone to call in the guard. 
 
 3. '• And put them in huhi." In the 
 prison, which was near the temple, 
 probably under ground. 
 
 '■^Eventide." The Hebrews reck- 
 
 1 Joseph. B. J., ii. 12. G. ; Ant xx. 6. 2. 
 Winer, ii. 500. ; Lightfoot on Luke, xxii. 4. 
 
 ~ Tanchum. ap. Meyer. 
 
40 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 b Luke. - 
 John, 1 1. 
 & in. 13. 
 
 4. Howbeit many of tlicm wliicli heard the word 
 believed ; and the number of the men was about five 
 thousand. 
 
 5. ^ And it came to pass on the morrow, that their 
 rulers, and elders, and scribes, 
 
 6. And ^ Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and 
 John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the 
 kindred of the higli priest, were gathered together at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 7. And when they had set them in the midst, they 
 
 oned two evenings, from three and 
 from six o'clock. It must have been 
 the second evening, and nearly dark, 
 as they went to the temple at three. 
 
 4. " Howbeit many" Sec. Notwith- 
 standing the persecution of the apo- 
 stles, which might have shaken their 
 confidence. This occurred, very 
 probably, soon after Pentecost, since 
 the ruling party must have watched 
 the proceedings of the apostles with 
 anxiety, and were not likely to re- 
 main quiet long. 
 
 ''Number of the men ivcis about 
 Jive thouscmd." This does not seem 
 to include the previous converts 
 (St. Luke would otherwise have 
 said of the brethren, or disciples), 
 nor women and children ; so that 
 there were now 8000 adults, bap- 
 tized members of the Church.' See 
 ii. 41. It does not state that all 
 these persons were present on that 
 occasion in the porch of Solomon, 
 but that they heard the Word ; doubt- 
 less from the other Apostles also. The 
 fame of such a miracle, the truth 
 of which could be at once ascer- 
 tained, would spread rapidly through 
 the city. 
 
 5. " Their rulers." The rulers of 
 the people who believed. Their con- 
 duct is contrasted with that of the 
 people.^ The members of the San- 
 hedrim are designated by this term. 
 The elders, that is, the heads of 
 families, and scribes, or chief doctors 
 of the law, were only summoned on 
 
 extraordinary occasions.'' This proves 
 the great importance that was at- 
 tached to these transactions. 
 
 6. ''Annas." This man had been 
 high priest during seven years, but 
 was deposed by Valerius Gratius, 
 procurator of Judea, in the first year 
 of the reign of Tiberius, a. d. 14. 
 Caiaphas was high priest from a. d. 
 16 to A. D. 30. But Annas still re- 
 tained the title of high priest, toge- 
 ther with much of the influence that 
 was attached to the office. He was 
 at that time probably the president of 
 the Sanhedrim, and on that account 
 appears to be named before Caiaphas *, 
 who was his son-in-law. Both An- 
 nas and Caiaphas were men of 
 ability, crafty politicians and zealous 
 Sadducees. 
 
 "John ayid Alexander." These 
 must have been persons of distinc- 
 tion. The former is supposed^ to 
 have been Jochanan Ben Zaccai, one 
 of the seven rabbans ", of whom many 
 sayings are preserved in the Talmud. 
 Alexander bears the same name as a 
 brother of the celebrated Philo, 
 but was a difterent person." They 
 appear to have been relations of 
 Caiaphas and Annas. 
 
 " At Jerusalem." Several members 
 of the Sanhedrim were apparently 
 summoned from the country after 
 the arrest of the Apostles. 
 
 7. "When (licij had set them.'" Both 
 the Apostles and the lame man. See 
 ver. 14. 
 
 Burton, Icct. il. 
 Meyer. 
 
 Winer, i. SS. 
 
 John xviii. 13. Sec Winer, i. 2GG. 
 
 '' l.iglitfoot, Pearson. 
 8 Note, c. V. 34. 
 " Ohiiausen. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 41 
 
 asked, ^ By what power, or by what name, have ye c E^od. 2. 14. 
 
 - ' . y r ' J ' J Matt. '21.23. 
 
 clone this t ch. 7. 27. 
 
 8. ^Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said a Luke, 12. n, 
 unto them. Ye rulers of the people, and elders of 
 
 Israel, 
 
 9. If we this day be examined of the good deed 
 done to the impotent man, by what means he is made 
 whole ; 
 
 10. Be it known unto you all, and to all the people 
 of Israel, ®that by the name of Jesus Christ of Naza- 
 reth, whom ye crucified, ^ whom God raised from the f ^h. 
 
 ch. -. 6, 16. 
 2. 2 J. 
 
 '■'■By what power" The fact was 
 admitted. The question was whe- 
 ther the apostles would assert that it 
 was done by the Divine Power, — if 
 not, it must have been by sorcery. 
 In the first case the apostles would be 
 bound to prove their commission, — 
 in the second they would be at once 
 subject to the highest penalty of the 
 law. 
 
 " By what naine." The Jewish ex- 
 orcists used various names in their 
 incantations, such as that of Solomon, 
 of the patriarchs, or of God.' The 
 Sanhedrists well knew that the apo- 
 stles wrought the miracle in the 
 name of Jesus, but they might hope 
 that they would fear to acknowledge 
 it, in which case they would at once 
 lose their influence with the people ; 
 or if they confessed it, they might be 
 punished for invoking the name of 
 one who had so lately been crucified 
 on the charge of blasphemy and 
 sedition. 
 
 8. ''Peter filled with the Holy 
 Ghost." This expression always de- 
 notes a special and miraculous ef- 
 fusion of the Holy Ghost, which was 
 then bestowed according to our 
 Lord's promise (Luke, xxi. 14, 15.), 
 in reference to such persecutions. 
 
 " Ye rulers," &c. St. Peter fully 
 recognizes the authority of the San- 
 hedrim to inquire into such cases, 
 and addresses them, of course, with 
 due respect. 
 
 9. " The good deed." This expres- 
 sion implies a pointed, but perfectly 
 respectful reproof. Miracles of heal- 
 ing were never referred to the 
 agency of evil spirits. 
 
 " By what means" — or by whom. 
 The object of the inquiry was to 
 ascertain to what person the apostles 
 referred the miracle, 
 
 10. " Be it known" &c. This bold 
 and unequivocal answer of St. Peter 
 is quite in accordance with his cha- 
 racter. He was timid and vacillating 
 when his faith was shaken, but when 
 that was established he vas a willing 
 and energetic instrument of that 
 Spirit who rectifies and developes, 
 but does not supersede or annihilate, 
 the natural faculties of man. 
 
 " By the name." By the invocation 
 of the name. This answer means, 
 and was understood by the Sanhedrim 
 to mean, that the name of Jesus was 
 equivalent in power to that of Godr 
 
 '- Of Jesus Christ" Sec. Jesus is 
 declared to be the Messiah, a state- 
 ment most repugnant to all their pre- 
 judices ; the rulers are reminded of 
 the part which they took in His 
 murder, of which they were in fact 
 the instigators, and for which they 
 were ofiicially and personally respon- 
 sible ; and the assertion is repeated, 
 which was the immediate cause of 
 the hostility of the ruling party, and 
 of the apostles' arrest, viz., that God 
 had raised Jesus from the dead. 
 
 Lightfoot, Sec. 
 
 2 Olshausen. 
 
42 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 g Ps. lis. 22. 
 Isai. 2S. 16. 
 Matt. 21 42. 
 
 b Matt. 1.21. 
 ch. 10. 43. 
 1 Tim. 2. 5, G. 
 
 dead, even by liim doth this man stand here before 
 you whole. 
 
 11. g This is the stone which was set at nought of 
 you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 
 
 12. ^1 Neither is there salvation in any other : for 
 there is none other name under heaven given among 
 men, whereby Ave must be saved. 
 
 13. ^ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter 
 and John, ^ and perceived they were unlearned and 
 
 1 1. " This is thestone." These words 
 were applicable to David as the type 
 of Christ, in whom alone tliey are 
 truly and completely fulfilled. See 
 Psalm cxviii. l;2. 
 
 " Qf yo" builders." The priests 
 and scribes were officially the build- 
 ers of the Jewish Church ; it was 
 their duty to form and develop the 
 religious character of the people of 
 God, a duty which was afterwaixls 
 performed for the true Israel by the 
 apostles and the Christian ministry. 
 
 " The head of the come?:" The 
 corner or key-stone which supports 
 and holds a building together. This 
 expression was understood by the 
 later rabbis to describe the Messiah.' 
 St. Peter refers to our Saviour's own 
 declaration. Matt. xxi. 42. There 
 are several other instances in 
 which St. Peter seems to have spe- 
 cially in view the conduct and lan- 
 guage of our Lord. See ii. 34., xi. 
 16., XV. 10. ; 1 Peter, iv. 7., 2 Peter, 
 i. 14 ; as, if in his life, no less than 
 in his death, he Avas mindful of the 
 words " Follow thou me." ^ 
 
 12. '' Sidvation." This word must 
 be understood in the Avidest sense; 
 including deliverance from physical 
 evils, which will be completed at the 
 restitution of all things (See note iii. 
 21.), and from spiritual evils, from 
 the power, guilt and penalties of 
 sin.'' 
 
 " For there is none other name,^' Sec. 
 This passage does not imply the 
 condemnation of tliose who lived be- 
 
 fore Christ, or who have never heard 
 of his name, but it does assert no 
 man is saved.by any other power, or 
 on any consideration, save that of 
 the merits of Christ. His name is 
 the pledge of man's salvation, and the 
 acknowledgement of it by faith is 
 the instrumental cause of salvation to 
 those who hear it. See the 18th 
 Article of our Church. 
 
 " We must be saved." The word 
 " must" refers to the necessity origi- 
 nating in the everlasting decree of 
 God. We is used emphatically, as 
 the original text shows ^of those who 
 receive Christ. 
 
 13. ''Now when they saw " 8cc. The 
 Jewish people were kept in complete 
 subjection by their teachers. The 
 opinion and slightest word of the 
 latter was a law, and persons who had 
 not a professional claim to attention, 
 scarcely A-entured to form, much less 
 to express, an independent judg- 
 ment. 
 
 " Unlearned and ignorant."" Not 
 trained in the schools of the scribes, 
 and in rabbinical learning. The lat- 
 ter word means, unprofessional, or 
 laymen, in the ecclesiastical and legal 
 sense. A similar objection was fre- 
 quently urged against the preachers 
 of Christianity, in the three first 
 centuries, but the apologists were 
 contented to ansM'cr, Avith Justin 
 Martyr, that " it was not of human 
 origin, and that being Avith Jesus was 
 sufficient to make the ignorant and 
 unlearned wise." 
 
 Schoefgon on Matt. xxi. 4J 
 Humphry. 
 
 ^ Olshausen and Meyer. 
 •* Rleyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 43 
 
 ignorant men, they marvelled ; and they took know- 
 ledge of them, that they had been Avith Jesus. 
 
 14. And beholding the man which was healed 
 
 '^ standing with them, they could say nothing against k ch. 5. n. 
 it. 
 
 15. But when they had commanded them to go 
 aside out of the council, they conferred among them- 
 selves, 
 
 16. Saying, ^What shall we do to these men ? for 1 J°hn, 11.47. 
 that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them 
 
 is ™ manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem ; and ™ ch. 5.9,10. 
 Vv-e cannot deny it 
 
 17. But that it spread no further among the people, 
 let us straitly threaten them, that they speak hence- 
 forth to no man in this name. 
 
 18. '^ And they called them, and commanded them ^^^^^^^m. 
 not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 
 
 19. But Peter and John answered and said unto 
 them, *''\^"hether it be right in the sight of God tooch.5.29. 
 hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. p ^h. i.s.& 
 
 20. PFor we cannot but speak the thinsfs which ^we ^^'^~' 
 
 ^ O q cb.22. 15. 
 
 have seen and heard. uoim, 1.1,3. 
 
 " The?/ took knoinledge of them.'^ 
 They then recognised them as 
 former disciples of Jesus.' The 
 boldness and cogency of the apostles' 
 discourse reminded them of Him, 
 before whom their subtlest dispu- 
 tants and expounders of the la-w had 
 so often quailed. 
 
 14. " They could saynoth'mg against 
 it." It 'was an admitted principle, 
 that a miracle like this was satisfac- 
 tory evidence of a divine commission. 
 
 16. " ^ notable miracle" The 
 word here translated miracle means 
 a miraculous sign, wrought in at- 
 testation of divine authority. This 
 seems a very remarkable admission, 
 but we must remember that the pe- 
 culiar guilt of the Jewish rulers 
 consisted in their sinning against 
 light. See especially Matt, xxviii. 
 13. and John xv. 22. 
 
 " We cannot deny" This implies 
 that they would have suppressed the 
 evidence had it been possible. 
 
 17. '■'■ It spread." The report of 
 this miracle, or, more probably, the 
 doctrine which was supported by the 
 miracle. The word "spread" con- 
 veys the notion of a disease. 
 
 " That they speak:' The object of 
 this prohibition was to suppress all 
 further preaching of the Gospel, all 
 working of miracles, and the very 
 mention of the name of Jesus. 
 
 19. ^^ Peter and John ansicered." 
 Their answer indicates the extent 
 and limits of the authority of the 
 Sanhedrim. It was their duty to in- 
 quire into the pretensions of persons 
 claiming to be messengers of God, 
 and acting in his name, but they had 
 no right to suppress their preaching, 
 when supported by " notable mira- 
 cles." Tlieir authority was sus- 
 pended when God spake, and the 
 apostle's duty was to hearken to him. 
 Even Balaam bore witness to the 
 truth, which the rulers of Israel 
 overlooked. See Numbers, iii. 18. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
44 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 r Matt. 21.' 
 Luke, 20. 6, 
 & i'i. 2. 
 ch. 5. 26. 
 
 21. So when they had further threatened them, they 
 let them go, finding nothing how they might punish 
 them, ^' because of the people : for all men glorified 
 God for ^ that which was done. 
 
 22. For the man was above forty years old, on whom 
 this miracle of healing was shewed. 
 
 23. ^ And being let go, *tliey went to their own 
 company, and reported all that tlie chief priests and 
 elders had said unto them. 
 
 24. And Avhen they heard that, they lifted up their 
 voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, "thou 
 art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the 
 sea, and all that in them is : 
 
 25. Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast 
 said, ^Why did the heathen rage, and the people 
 imagine vain things ? 
 
 26. The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers 
 were gathered toirether against the Lord, and aizainst 
 his Christ. 
 
 2ic '■^Because of the people" They 
 could prove no legal offence, and 
 dared not punish the apostles con- 
 trary to law, when the people were 
 convinced of their innocence. 
 
 " Glorified God.'' Referred this mi- 
 racle, Avith grateful reverence, to God. 
 
 22. " For the man was" &c. The 
 age of the man made the miracle 
 more remarkable, and his case better 
 known.' It is evident that he was 
 recognised by the members of the 
 Sanhedrim, most of whom must have 
 seen him daily at the temple during 
 many years. 
 
 23. " To their own company." To 
 their fellow apostles, and probably to 
 the disciples who assembled regularly 
 in the same house.* 
 
 " And reported all" &c. St. Peter 
 and St. John had already determined 
 what they ought to do ; and they now 
 lay the subject before the other apostles 
 and leading members of the church 
 that they may decide also. 'J'lieir 
 decision is expressed in the following 
 prayer. 
 
 24. " They lifted up their voice" 
 See. The greater part of this prayer 
 
 is derived from the book of Psalms, 
 which has always formed part of the 
 regular devotions of the Church, so 
 that the disciples would readily join 
 in lifting up their voices, supposing 
 that one of the apostles recited a 
 portion. It is the opinion, however, 
 of Whately ', and of one of the latest 
 commentators, that the whole prayer 
 formed part of the regular liturgical 
 service of the apostolic Church, which 
 was then used simultaneously by the 
 whole body, as best adapted to the 
 circumstances, and as exactly ex- 
 pressing their sentiments and wishes. 
 
 2.J. ''By the mouth." The ex- 
 pression is very forcible, proving the 
 full inspiration of the Psalms. The 
 Jewish rabbis unanimously inter- 
 preted the second Psalm of the 
 Messiah.' 
 
 " Why did the lieathen rage, and the 
 people." The former term is used 
 both in the Old and New Testament 
 exclusively of unbelieving gentiles, 
 the hitter is a nu)re general term, and 
 includes the Israelites. The Apostles 
 evidently vnake this distinction. 
 
 26. *' His Christ." This is one of 
 
 ' Chrysostom. 
 
 - f)lsri.iiitn. Scr also lliiiU's History of 
 tlie U. & P. of Christianity. 
 
 ' On liic PraytT-Book, p. 10—12. See also 
 
 •ycr. 
 
 ' Ucngstcubcrg, Christologie, i. 95, 96. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 45 
 
 27. For y of a truth against ^ thy holy child Jesus, 
 ^whom thou hast anointed, both Ilerod, and Pontius 
 Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, 
 were gathered together, 
 
 28. ^ For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy 
 counsel determined before to be done. 
 
 29. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings : and 
 grant unto thy servants, "^that with all boldness they 
 may speak thy word, 
 
 30. By stretching forth thine hand to heal ; ^ and 
 that signs and wonders may be done ^ by the name of 
 ^thy holy child Jesus. 
 
 31. ^ And when they had prayed, sthe place was 
 shaken where they were assembled together ; and they 
 were all filled with the Holy Ghost, ^ and they spake 
 the word of God with boldness. 
 
 32. And the multitude of them that believed ^ were 
 of one heart and of one soul : ^ neither said any of 
 
 V Matt. 26. 3. 
 Luke, 22. 2. 
 &23. 1,8. 
 
 a Luke, 4. 18- 
 John, 10. 56. 
 
 c ver. 13. 31. 
 ch 9. -27. & 
 13. 46. & 14.3. 
 & 19. S. & 26. 
 26. & 2S. 31. 
 Ephes. 6. 19. 
 
 d ch. 2.43. & 
 5. 1'2. 
 
 e ch. 3.6,16. 
 
 f ver. 27. 
 
 h ver. 29. 
 
 i ch. 5. 12. 
 Rom. 15. 5, 6. 
 2 Cor. 13.11. 
 Phil. 1.27. 
 & 2. 2. 
 1 Pet. 3. 8. 
 
 k ch.2. 44. 
 
 the few passages in the Old Testa- 
 ment in which the word Christ or 
 anointed is distinctly applied to Him 
 of whom all anointed kings, priests, 
 and prophets, were types and de- 
 legates. 
 
 27. " For of a truth." The apostles 
 represent the late events as a remark- 
 able exemplification of the enmity 
 which the unregenerate always bear 
 to Christ. It does not follow that 
 the prophecy was exhausted, because 
 it was then specially applicable. 
 
 28. " For to do." Their intention 
 was to slay the Lord, which was, in 
 fact, to execute the purposes of God. 
 Their impotence, of course, does not 
 extenuate their guilt. 
 
 " Thi/ hand." Thy overruling 
 power. 
 
 29. ''And grant." The apostles, 
 instead of expressing their determin- 
 ation to incur the penalty of dis- 
 obeying the Sanhedrim, pray to God 
 to give them boldness, and to confirm 
 their preaching. 
 
 30. '' By stretching forth" 8^c. That 
 is, they pray for a continuance and 
 increase of the power of healing, 
 especially as signs and evidences. 
 
 ''By the name." By that name 
 which they were forbidden to speak. 
 They ask for power to do the work, 
 not for security from the conse- 
 quences. 
 
 31. " The place loas shaken." When 
 a trembling of the earth was not 
 attended by any damage, the ancients 
 regarded it as an intimation of the 
 divine presence and favour.' In this 
 case it was an intimation that their 
 prayer was vouchsafed. 
 
 " They were all filled." This signi- 
 fies not merely a temporary out- 
 pouring of the Holy Ghost, but also 
 a permanent increase of the special 
 gift for which they prayed, viz., that 
 of speaking the word with boldness. 
 
 32. " And the multitude." This verse 
 refers to the new converts- who be- 
 lieved in consequence of the late 
 miracle and preaching of Peter. 
 They are represented as under the 
 same influences with the foi'mer 
 disciples. 
 
 "Neither said" &e. The expres- 
 sions here are equally clear as to the 
 two points, that each had possessions 
 of his own, and that he used them for 
 the benefit of all. See note ii. 44. 
 
 Kuinoel, &c. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
46 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IV 
 
 1 ch. l.S. 
 m ch. 1. 22. 
 n ch. 2. 47. 
 
 them that ought of the things which he possessed 
 was his own ; but they had all things common. 
 
 33. And with ^ great power gave the apostles ™ wit- 
 ness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus : and "great 
 grace was upon them all. 
 
 34. Neither was there any among them that lacked : 
 •'for as many as were possessors of lands or houses 
 sold them, and brought the prices of the things that 
 were sold, 
 
 35. P And laid them down at the apostles' feet : <iand 
 distribution was made unto every man according as he 
 had need. 
 
 36. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed 
 Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted. The son of 
 consolation,) a Levite, a7}d of the country of Cyprus, 
 
 33. " Great power." This refers to 
 the efficacy of their preaching. 
 
 "And great grace.'' Divine grace 
 and favour. It is true that the peo- 
 ple of Jerusalem -were for the time 
 favourably disposed to the Christians, 
 hut the object of St. Luke is to enu- 
 merate the marks of divine favour 
 that follov.-ed this first persecution of 
 the Church.' 
 
 " Ujxm them a//." All the members 
 of the Church. 
 
 34. " Neither teas there." The ef- 
 fect of this grace was increase of 
 love. 
 
 " That lacked." There was no indi- 
 gence, though there was poverty. 
 
 " As mamj as were possessors." 
 It is not stated that these converts, 
 who, under the influence of divine 
 grace, sold lands or houses, parted 
 with all their property, nor tliat the 
 custom was universal.'' 
 
 35. '■' At the apostles' feet." The ex- 
 pression is derived from the oriental 
 custom of laying offerings before the 
 footstool of kings.3 it implies that 
 the (Christians regarded the apostles 
 as their governors, being representa- 
 tives and vice-gerents of (Mirist. All 
 stand in the same relation to Him, 
 for all are his servants ; but with re- 
 
 ference to the household, they and 
 their successors are rulers. See 
 Matthew, xxiv. 45. 
 
 36. " And Joses." In these verses, 
 and in the foUoAving chapter, which is 
 closely connected with this, Ave have 
 two examples of persons who made 
 such offerings. 
 
 " Barnabas." The name given by 
 the apostles describes the character of 
 this good and holy man, but it refers 
 very probably to the special circum • 
 stances under Avhich he made the 
 offering. Barnabas, or " soti of con- 
 solation," means one who prophesies, 
 exhorts, and consoles, being moved 
 by the Comforter.* We know no- 
 thing of the early history of Barna- 
 bas, but there is a tradition that 
 he Avas a felloAv student Avith Saul in 
 the school of Gamaliel. His family 
 appear to have been pei'sons of 
 similar dispositions to himself; his 
 sister had a house at Jerusalem, 
 Avhere the Church assembled at an 
 early period (see Acts, xii.), and his 
 nephew Mark became a distinguished 
 minister. 
 
 " A Levite." The Levites could 
 buy and sell land in Palestine, as we 
 learn fionj Jeremiah, xxxii. 7. 
 
 " Of Ci/prus." His family dwelt 
 
 ' Meynr. 
 
 2 Hind's Hist. R. & P. of CI. 
 
 ^ Movor. 
 
 ■* Litlitfoot, Winer, ;iml M,'v 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 47 
 
 37. ^Having land, sold it^ and brought the money, r v9r.34,35. 
 and laid it at the apostles' feet. '*'"^" ^'^" 
 
 in Cyprus, a rich and beautiful Asia Minor, opposite CiUcia, the na- 
 
 island, and, next to Sicily, the tive country of St. Paul. The Je^vs 
 
 largest in the Mediterranean Sea. had settled there in great numbers.' 
 It dies very near the south coast of 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 7. The Word is a touchstone of the heart, which, on coming into 
 contact with it, is either subdued or hardened — is converted or stirred to 
 enmity. The most spiritual doctrines produce this effect in the highest 
 degree. The Sadducees could not accept that of the resurrection, without 
 surrendering their whole system ; the people gladly received it as the pledge 
 of a blissful eternity. 
 
 " God comforts His persecuted pastors by the increase of their flock, and 
 He confirms the flock by the constancy of their pastors." — QuesneL 
 
 8 — 12. What a different being is man when abandoned to his own 
 impulses, and when acting under the influences of the Spirit. He who had 
 denied Christ before a few poor servants, now proclaims Him in the pre- 
 sence of the very instigators and ringleaders of His murderers. 
 
 13. The Christian may be deemed ignorant or unlearned by those who 
 are without; but he has the best learning, being a partaker of Him, in 
 whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. But he must 
 search those treasures diligently, and use them boldly, lest he be condemned 
 as a faithless and unprofitable servant. 
 
 14 — 21. We should here meditate on the power of the Lord in restraining 
 the enemies of the Church, and on His goodness, in shielding the Tree 
 which he had planted, until, being rooted and grounded in faith, it had 
 acquired strength to resist the storms of persecution. 
 
 On the 16th and 22nd verses we should remark, that God always gives 
 clear evidence of the truth which He reveals. It is a great sin not to examine 
 that evidence honestly and carefully, but any attempt to suppress or falsify 
 it is the very sin of Satan ; it is of the nature of the unpardonable sin 
 against the Holy Ghost. 
 
 24 — 30. This prayer of the Apostles is a model for the devotions of the 
 Church in times of distress and persecution. We should remark the total 
 absence of selfish considerations. They do not pray that they may not be 
 persecuted, but that they may have boldness to pursue a course whith will 
 subject them to further and greater trials. And even this request comes at 
 the conclusion of their 1 rayer. The first subject which presents itself to 
 their minds is the glory of God, the Creator, the King of kings, the Father 
 of Christ Jesus, even as we find our Saviour directing the thoughts of His 
 people, first to the thought of God, in His own prayer. The sufi'erings of 
 Christ shut out all thought of their own afliictions, and they rest with con- 
 fidence in the thought of God's pre-disposing and overruling will. When 
 the afflictions which believers undergo, or the opposition which they may 
 
 1 Josephus, Ant., xiii. 5. ; Phil, and Dio Cass., Ixiii. ix. 
 
48 THE ACTS. CHAP. IV. 
 
 encounter, gives vividness to their perception of these truths, and leads to 
 such supplications, they may pray in the fullness of hope, for they must be 
 assured that the Spirit of God moveth them. 
 
 31 — 35. The characteristics of the Apostolic Church were boldness in 
 the preachers of the Word, and perfect imity in the hearers. The grace 
 that attested the sincerity of their conversion was charity, -which cast out 
 all selfish feelings, destroyed all private interests, moulded their hearts and 
 souls into one Spirit, and thus made them truly one in Christ. On their 
 contempt for worldly possessions, Quesnel observes, " All things are as 
 nothing to him, to whom God is all in all." 
 
 36, 37. The goods of this world are of little worth in themselves, but 
 he converts them into something great who consecrates them to God by 
 charitv. St. Barnabas purchased for himself a glorious name on earth, but 
 his act was a sacrifice well-pleasing to God, only because it Avas offered by 
 a loving heart. We must consider when AVe give alms whether Ave ad- 
 vance the true interests of the receiver, and we should be thankful that 
 our Church affords us abundant opportunities of making such offerings, 
 without any danger of encouraging idleness or improvidence. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 49 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 In the beginning of this Chapter we read an account of the first transaction 
 in which the Apostles exercised the judicial power, entrusted to them by 
 our Lord. In the remaining part we have a history of the second perse- 
 cution to which they were subjected. 
 
 1. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sappliira a.d. 50. 
 his wife, sold a possession, 
 
 2. And kept back part of the price, his wife also 
 being privy to it, ^and brought a certain part, and laid a ch.4. ,--. 
 it at the apostles' feet. 
 
 1. '■'^ But." This word connects 
 the verse with the last of the pre- 
 ceding chapter, and directs our at- 
 tention to the contrast between Bar- 
 nabas and Ananias. 
 
 " Ananias.'''' Not an uncommon 
 name among the Hebrews, meaning 
 the Grace of the Lord. 
 
 " With. SappJiirn his ivife." This 
 is twice mentioned, to show that the 
 act had been the result of previous 
 deliberation. 
 
 " Sold a possession.'' A piece of 
 land. Persons who gave up their 
 private property were, of course, re- 
 garded as benefactors of the Church, 
 and may probably have been entitled 
 to a cei'tain precedence, if not official 
 rank.' Ananias and his wife doubt- 
 less expected the speedy establish- 
 ment of Messiah's kingdom on earth, 
 and hoped to be raised to high rank 
 in it, if they succeeded in deceiving 
 the Apostles into the belief that they 
 had given up all for the sake of 
 Christ. Such gross notions were not 
 uncommon among the Jews, and 
 Ananias was a Christian by profes- 
 sion only. 
 
 2. " And kept hack." The word 
 used here and in the following verse 
 
 is applied properly to the sin of pecu- 
 lation, that is, of purloining the pro- 
 perty of a corporate body. In con- 
 sidering this transaction, we must 
 remember that it was the joint and 
 deliberate act of two persons ; that it 
 was an attempt to deceive the Holy 
 Ghost, who dwelt in the Chnrch, and. 
 especially in the Apostles, who were 
 His delegates. If the Apostles had 
 been deceived, their authority would 
 have received a fatal blow, and either 
 the presence or the power of the Holy 
 Spirit w^ould have been denied. It 
 appears also to have been a sacrilege, 
 since things devoted (Levit. xxvii. 
 28.), vowed, and set apart for God's 
 service, could not be touched without 
 incurring that guilt. It has, more- 
 over, been truly remarked, that severe 
 punishments have always been in- 
 flicted upon those who first offended 
 God in matters that concerned the 
 authority of His law and ministers, 
 as in the case of the first violater of 
 the sabbath, of Nadab and Abihu, and 
 of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram. 
 IVumb. xvi. " It was therefore fit the 
 first great offence of this kind should 
 receive exemplary punishment from 
 God, that others mi":lit dread those 
 
 1 Hind's Kise and Progress of Christianity, p. 140. 
 
50 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 b Numb. "0. 2. 
 
 EccL.5. 4.' r filled thine heart 
 
 c Luke, 22. 3. 
 
 H Or, to deceive, 
 Ter. 9. 
 
 e John, 19. -10. 
 
 3. ^But Peter said, Ananias, why hath ^ Satan 
 to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to 
 
 keep back pco-t of the price of the land ? 
 
 4. Whiles it remained, Avas it not thine own r and 
 after it was sold, was it not in thine own power ? why- 
 hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart ? thou 
 hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 
 
 5. And Ananias hearing these words ^ fell down, 
 and gave up the ghost : and great fear came on all 
 them that heard these things. 
 
 6. And the young men arose, ^ wound him up, and 
 carried /ihn out, and buried him. 
 
 sins, -which thus affronted that Holy 
 Spirit, by whose power the Gospel 
 was propagated." * 
 
 3. " W/ii/ hath Satan." All sin is 
 traced to the instigation of Satan, but 
 especially presumptuous attacks upon 
 God's authority. 
 
 " Filled thine heart." This implies 
 a thoi'ough hardening of the con- 
 science ; an indwelling of the spirit 
 of evil, the antagonist of that Spirit 
 who fills the hearts of believers. 
 
 " To lie to the Holy Ghost." The 
 object of Satan is thus pointed out. 
 It was, by means of Ananias, to de- 
 ceive and mock the Holy Spirit.- 
 
 4. " Was it not thine own" &c. 
 These words show very plainly that 
 such offerings were quite voluntary, 
 and that the money did not belong to 
 the Church until it was formally 
 offered to the Apostles. Ananias 
 might have kept all, or have given 
 a part only, but he hypocritically 
 offered it as the entire produce of the 
 possession which he had sold. 
 
 " Whi/ hast thou conceived" Sec. 
 This sin, which was attributed to 
 Satan, is now charged upon Ananias. 
 The consent of the will constitutes 
 the sinner's guilt. 
 
 " 77/oM hast not lied" Sec. This 
 idiomatic form of expression, Avhieh 
 is very common in the Old and New 
 Testament, does not mean that Aua- 
 niasliad not attempted to deceive man, 
 but that the peculiar enormity of his 
 
 guilt consisted in its being directed 
 against God. See Psalm xli. 4. 
 
 " But nnto God." Comparing this 
 expression with that used in the pre- 
 ceding verse, we learn that to lie 
 unto the Holy Ghost is to lie unto 
 God. It is clear that the Holy 
 Ghost is thus distinguished from the 
 Father and the Son, and that He is 
 yet identified with God. Such state- 
 ments only find an explanation in 
 the doctrine of the Trinity. "To 
 lie unto," means to lie with the view 
 of deceiving. 
 
 .0. ''Fell doum." St. Peter liad 
 not sentenced him ; the sentence was 
 pronounced by his own conscience, 
 and the instantaneous death, which 
 was a judicial infliction for his sin, 
 was the immediate act of God. 
 
 " Gave vp the ghost," — or, as the 
 word may be more simi)ly and accu- 
 rately translated, he expired. 
 
 " .'/// them that heard." This seems 
 to refer to those -who were present. 
 
 G. " The yonnf/ men." These were 
 apparently subordinate ministers of 
 the Church,' who at a later period 
 were called subdeacons. 
 
 " Wound him up" — or " covered 
 him" with a linen robe, liodies were 
 wound up in folds of linen before 
 burial, but the word here used seems 
 to imply merely a hasty covering,* 
 as might be expected on such an 
 occasion. 
 
 *' And buried him." l^urials took 
 
 > Whitby. • 
 
 2 Kypkc, Obs., ii. M. 
 
 3 Meyer; Moslieiin do rcb. a Const, p. 111. 
 * Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 7. And it was about the space of three hours after, 
 ■when his wife, not knowing what Avas done, came in. 
 
 8. And Peter answered unto her. Tell me whether 
 ye sold the land for so much ? And she said, Yea, 
 for so much. 
 
 9. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have 
 agreed together ^to tempt the Spirit of the Lord ? be- f rer..'? 
 hold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband 
 are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 
 
 10. ^Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and g ver. ; 
 yielded up the ghost : and the young men came in, 
 and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried 
 her by her husband. h rer .' 
 
 11. ^ And great fear came upon all the church, and "ig'.n.* 
 upon as many as heard these things. 
 
 12. ^ And ^ by the hands of the apostles were 
 many signs and wonders wrought among the people ; 
 (^ and they were all with one accord in Solomon's 4.32' ■'■^^' 
 porch. 
 
 13. And ^of the rest durst no man join himself to 
 them : ™but the people magnified them. 
 
 i cli. 2. 43. & 
 14.3. & 19. n. 
 Rom. 15. 19. 
 2 Cor. 12. 12. 
 Hebr. 2. 4. 
 
 1 John, 9. 22. 
 & VI. 42. & 
 19. 38. 
 
 place outside of the city gates, and 
 immediately after death, excepting 
 when the bodies were embalmed. 
 
 8. " For so muchr Naming the 
 sum offered by Ananias as the pro- 
 duce of the sale. 
 
 9. '■'■ Are at the door." The young 
 men who had buried Ananias outside 
 of the city had not yet returned to 
 the public assembly. St. Peter saw 
 them in the Spirit, and pronounced 
 the sentence which the same Spirit 
 put into his mouth. 
 
 11. " Great fear came." — "And 
 vpon as many." It might have been 
 expected that the Sanhedrim would 
 avail themselves of this occurrence, as 
 a pretext for persecuting the Church ; 
 but they were also stricken with fear, 
 and seem to have been aware that 
 any inquiry would but serve to con- 
 firm and increase the reputation of 
 the Apostles. 
 
 12. "7m Solomon's porch." The 
 usual resort of the Christians. 
 
 13. " Of the rest." The meaning 
 of this appears to be, that none of 
 the other Christians durst join him- 
 self as an equal to the Apostles, 
 whose peculiar rank as rulers of the 
 Church, and representatives of the 
 Holy Ghost, had been vindicated by 
 so great miracles ; and especially by 
 the judicial miracle in the case of 
 Ananias and Sapphira. This defer- 
 ence was needful for the government 
 of the Church. No other interpre- 
 tation, proposed by various commen- 
 tators', adheres'so closely to the words, 
 or is so suitable to the context. 
 
 " The people magnified them." The 
 general body of the Christians recog- 
 nised their superiority to all other 
 ministers. They felt that they stood 
 apart. 
 
 1 As Heinrichs, Meyer, Sec. 
 D 2 
 
52 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 n Matt. 9.21. 
 & 14.36. 
 ch. 19. 12. 
 
 14. And believers were the more added to the Lord, 
 multitudes both of men and women ;) 
 
 15. Insomuch that tliey brouiiht forth the sick || into 
 the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, " that 
 at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might 
 overshadow some of them. 
 
 16. There came also a multitude out of the cities 
 
 Mark, 16. 17, rouud about unto Jerusalem, bringing *'sick folks, and 
 John, 14.12. them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and 
 
 they were healed every one. 
 pch. 1.1,2,6. 17. If P Tlien the high priest rose up, and all they 
 that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sad- 
 
 1 or.e.uj/. ducees,)and were filled with || indignation, 
 
 14. " And hillevers icere the more 
 added to the Lord.'" The miracles 
 and signs which caused so much awe 
 to the members of the Church, and so 
 much terror to its enemies, attracted 
 great attention, and drew many of 
 those who were yet without, unto 
 Christ. " The more " refers to the 
 first part of ver. 13, and points out that 
 the number of behevers increased, 
 notwithstanding that "great fear." 
 
 " And iromen." Female converts 
 are here mentioned expressly for the 
 first time. It may bo that none bad 
 been baptized previously. It is sup- 
 posed that deaconesses' w^ere ap- 
 pointed on this occasion. 
 
 lo. " Insomtwh." This word does 
 not refer to the 12th, but to the 
 preceding verse. 
 
 " T/icj/ hrouyhf forth." The friends 
 and relations who believed. 
 
 " Into the streets." Along the 
 streets,^ — in every street, as in the 
 margin. 
 
 '•'■ Jicils and couches." The latter 
 word signifies coarse, hard couches, 
 used bv the poor.'* 
 
 " The shadow of Peter." We find 
 a similar account of St. Paul's 
 miracles (xix. 12.). Although we 
 may not attribute a miraculous effi- 
 cacy to the shadow of St. Peter, or 
 indeed to any outward means, con- 
 
 sidered in themselves, yet there can 
 be no doubt that the simple, childlike 
 faith^ of these persons in Him, whom 
 St. Peter represented, was approved, 
 and that many of them were healed in 
 attestation to the spiritual power with 
 which the Apostles were invested by 
 their Lord. 
 
 1 6. " Out of the cities round ((bout." 
 This is the first notice of converts 
 out of Jerusalem after the resurrec- 
 tion. It seems plain that these oc- 
 currences took place shortly after 
 Pentecost. 
 
 " Unclean spirits." Evil spirits are 
 called unclean, not only because of 
 their own depravity, but because they 
 prompted to sin and impurity. They 
 were at once the effect and cause of 
 sin.^ 
 
 1 7. " The high priest." Caiaphas. 
 " Rose up.''' There appears to 
 
 have been a formal meeting of tlie 
 heads of the Sanhedrim to consider 
 the conduct of the Apostles, who 
 preached and wrought miracles in 
 the name of Jesus, in spite of their 
 prohibition, chap. iv. IS. The ex- 
 jiression "rose up" refers to the judi- 
 cial act. 
 
 " Which is the .'iect of the Saddu- 
 cces." 'I'he family and connections 
 of Caiaphas, including Annas, apjiear 
 to have been Sadducees, who were 
 
 ' Olshausoii. 
 
 2 WiinT, (Jratn., p. n 10. 
 
 •■« .So Kiiinocl, Capol. Obs. Sac, M 
 
 '* Ulsliauteu. 
 
 •■* Trrncli nn tlie Miracl.s. 
 <> OMianscn. It Is not, liowcvcr, certain 
 tliat the liigh i)iiistis iiulmlcd. .SVt Mi'Vc-r. 
 
THE ACTS, CHAP. V. 
 
 53 
 
 18. 'I And laid their hands on the apostles, and put q Luve,'n.v2. 
 them in the common prison. 
 
 19. But ""the angel of the Lord by night opened the le^ie!^" ' ^ 
 prison doors, and brought them foitli, and said, 
 
 20. Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people 
 
 s all the words of this life. &"^it"'.^' ^^ 
 
 21. And when they heard that, they entered into ^ •^"''"' ^- "■ 
 the temple early in the morning, and taught, t J>^^ t ch. 4. 5,6. 
 the high priest came, and they that were with him, 
 
 and called the council together, and all the senate of 
 the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have 
 them brought. 
 
 22. But when the officers came, and found them not 
 in the prison, they returned, and told, 
 
 23. Saying, The prison truly found we shut with 
 all safety, and the keepers standing without before the 
 doors : but when we had opened, we found no man 
 within. 
 
 24. Now when the high priest and "the captain of Uj^iute. 22. 4. 
 the temple and the chief priests heard these things, 
 
 they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 
 
 remarkable for cruelty in punishing 
 offences against the law, and as we 
 have seen were foremost in persecut- 
 ing the Christians, 
 
 19. " The angel of the Lord." Or 
 an angel of the Lord. A heavenly 
 spirit ; one of those who minister 
 for the heirs of salvation. 
 
 20. ''All the words of this life." 
 They were to declai'e all the doc- 
 trines, for which they were specially 
 persecuted. " The words," that is, 
 the statements pertaining to that 
 spiritual and heavenly life which the 
 Sadducees denied, who believed nei- 
 ther in the resurrection, nor in the 
 life to come, nor in the existence of 
 heavenly spirits.' 
 
 21. '^ Early in the morning." At 
 the dawn of day. The Greek word 
 marks the exact time. 
 
 " The council" consisted of the 
 Sanhedrim only. 
 
 " The senate." The assembly of 
 
 the elders, i. e. the heads of families, 
 who were summoned by the Sanhe- 
 drim on occasions of unusual im- 
 portance. 
 
 23. " Found we shut." The prison- 
 door had not been broken open ; 
 therefore they could not have been 
 delivered by liuman force. 
 
 " The keepers standing.''^ This 
 proved that they had not escaped by 
 the connivance or neglect of the 
 guards. 
 
 24. " The captain of the temple." 
 See above. He was a member of the 
 Sanhedrim, and is here mentioned as 
 representing the executive power of 
 the hierarchical government. 
 
 " Tlie chief priests." The titular 
 high priests, who had either held the 
 office, as Annas, or were the heads 
 of the twenty-four courses. 
 
 " Thei/ doubted of them." This mi- 
 raculous interposition appears for the 
 first time to have awed and dis- 
 
 1 The explanations given by Kuinoel and Meyer are equally untenable: the first is un- 
 grammatical, and the second unintelligible. 
 
 D 3 
 
54 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 X Matt. 21. 2G. 
 
 z ch. 'i. 2.^, 
 fc-i. 15. & 
 7. V2. 
 
 A ch. 10. 39. 
 & 13. 29. 
 Gal. ."5. 1.3. 
 1 Pet. 2. 24. 
 
 25. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, 
 the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the 
 temple, and teaching the people. 
 
 26. Then went the captain with the officers, and 
 brought them without violence : ^ for they feared the 
 people, lest they should have been stoned. 
 
 27. And when they had brought them, they set them 
 before the council : and the high priest asked them, 
 
 28. Saying, ^Did not \ve straitly command you that 
 ye should not teach in this name ? and, behold, ye 
 have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, ^and intend 
 to bring this man's ^ blood upon us 
 
 29. IF Then Peter and the other apostles answered 
 and said, ^ We ought to obey God rather than men. 
 
 30. ^ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, wdiom 
 ye slew and 'i hanged on a tree. 
 
 heartened the ruling party. They 
 -were quite at a loss to account for 
 the facts, or to foresee the results. 
 
 26. '■'Lest they should have been 
 stoned." These words -well charac- 
 terize the feehngs of the people, 
 whose enthusiasm was excited alter- 
 nately for and against the Christians. 
 It was not from the believers that the 
 captain of the guard had to appre- 
 hend violence, but from that fickle 
 mob whom he and his colleagues af- 
 terwards used as instruments of per- 
 secution. 
 
 27. " When they had brought them." 
 The Apostles of course did not avail 
 themselves of the popular feeling, 
 but submitted to all lawful authority. 
 
 28. " Did ive not,'" &c. This ques- 
 tion implies that the Apostles were in 
 duty bound to obey the order of the 
 Sanhedrim, as they would have been 
 liad not that order been superseded 
 by Him from whom all authority is 
 derived. 
 
 " Ye have fdlrd," 8cc. The l;i-h 
 priest charges them with a total dis- 
 obedience, not one act, but a series of 
 acts. 
 
 ''And intend." Tliis sufjfge.sts an 
 intention. It was ])erfectly true that 
 the guilt of the blood of Jesus, -which 
 
 lay on them, would be brought home 
 to them by the preaching of the re- 
 sun-ection, but that was not the inten- 
 tion of the Apostles. Their intention 
 was to procure pardon for His mur- 
 derers by urging them to repentance. 
 The rulers had not feared to shed 
 the innocent blood, but they now 
 dread its temporal consequences. 
 Their words indicate a self-accusing, 
 but unconvinced and stubborn con- 
 science, 
 
 29, " Then Peter and the Apostles.'" 
 Peter spoke in their name, and with 
 their assent. 
 
 " We ought to obey." See ch. iv. 19. 
 He refers to the principle which he 
 had already laid down, and which 
 they could not deny. 
 
 30. " IVie God (f our fathers." St. 
 Peter proves that the application of 
 the principle is justified, since God 
 had spoken plainly by raising up 
 Jesus. 
 
 " And hanged on a tree" The legal 
 term among the Jews for crucifixion.' 
 It refers to the curse, — " Cursed is 
 every one who hangeth on a tree," 
 — and so implies, that he whom ye 
 deemed accursed, and on whom ye 
 inflicted the curse of the law, has 
 been glorified by God. The Jewish 
 
 Gen. xl. 19. : Dcut. xxi. 22. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 55 
 
 31. ^Him hath God exalted with his right hand to e ch.2. 53. 35. 
 he ^a Prince and &a Saviour, ^^for to give repentance Hei)n1;.%. 
 to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. ^ ch.3. 15. 
 
 32. And ^we are his witnesses of these things ; and « Matt. 1.21. 
 so is also the Holy Ghost, ^whom God hath given to eh^"''26^& ^'' 
 them that obey him. E,;h«. 1.7. 
 
 33. ^ nVhen they heard that, they were cut to the ^"ii'ii'" 
 
 heart, and took counsel to slay them. 
 
 34. Then stood there 
 
 up 
 
 one in the council, a 
 
 John, 13. 26, 
 
 k ch. 2. 4. & 
 
 Pharisee, named "^Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had i_ch.2.37.& 
 in reputation among all the people, and commanded to m^ch.22.3. 
 put the apostles forth a little space ; 
 
 term is here used to show that the 
 Sanhedrim, rather than the Romans, 
 were chargeable with the crime. 
 
 31. •'• A Prince" The same word 
 is used in the Septuagint and in our 
 Tersion. Isaiah, xxx. 4. It is equi- 
 valent to Lord, and denotes His su- 
 preme authority over the Church. 
 
 " And a Saviour." This shows the 
 end and object of that authority, 
 which is the salvation of man. 
 
 ^^ For to.'" This indicates very 
 clearly the direct and immediate re- 
 sult of Christ's ascension. It was to 
 receive and to bestow the gifts of the 
 Spirit, especially the following gift. 
 
 " Give repentance." An important 
 text to prove that repentance does 
 not precede, but is produced by 
 grace. Repentance is the inseparable 
 condition, and sure pledge of forgive- 
 ness of sins. 
 
 " To Israel" That gift was first 
 oflFered to Israel in the literal sense, 
 and then to the true, spiritual Israel, 
 the elect of God, which is the Church. 
 
 32. " We are his witnesses." There- 
 fore we must speak, notwithstanding 
 your prohibition. 
 
 " Also the Holy Ghost." The Spirit 
 bears witness to the truth of the testi- 
 mony, and testifies Himself by mira- 
 culous signs, which are His attesta- 
 tions. St. Peter adduces this to show 
 that the Apostles could not be silent 
 without resisting the Holy Ghost. 
 
 33. " Thei/ were cut to the heart." 
 The word implies a harsh, vehement 
 feeling of wrath and malice. The 
 metaphor is taken from a saw. It 
 was not such a pain as is felt by 
 a penitent heart when probed, but 
 the irritation of one struggling 
 against conviction and remorse. 
 
 " They took counsel." That is, they 
 proposed, and actually proceeded to 
 vote the execution of the Apostles. 
 
 34. " Gamaliel." There is no 
 doubt that this distinguished person 
 is the same who is often named in the 
 Talmud. He bore the title of Rabban, 
 which was given only to the seven 
 most famous interpreters of the law. 
 He was a son of Simeon, and grand- 
 son of Hillel, the most famous doctor 
 of the Pharisees, to which sect he 
 was a strict adherent. He is stated to 
 have been the most influential mem- 
 ber of the Sanhedrim during the 
 reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, and 
 Claudius, and to have died eighteen 
 years after the fall of Jerusalem, 
 shortly before which event, his son, 
 named Jesus, was high priest' He 
 was a man of more enlarged and 
 liberal mind than was common a- 
 mong his countrymen, and cultivated 
 the study of Greek literature to an 
 extent which was often blamed by 
 them. There is a tradition^ that he 
 was converted by St. Peter and St. 
 John, and Nicodemus is said to have 
 
 Josephus, Ant., xx. 9. 47 
 
 Wieseler, p. 138. 
 D 4 
 
 2 Phot. Cod., clxxi. 199. 
 
56 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 35. And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take 
 lieed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching 
 these men. 
 
 36. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting 
 himself to be somebody ; to whom a number of men, 
 
 n Or, Mievej. about four hundred, joined themselves : who was slain ; 
 and all, as many as || obeyed him, were scattered, and 
 brought to nought. 
 
 37. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the 
 days of the taxing, and drew away mucli people after 
 him : he also perished ; and all, even as many as 
 obeyed him, were dispersed. 
 
 38. And now I say unto you. Refrain from these 
 nProv. 21.30. meu, aud let them alone : "for if this counsel or this 
 
 Isai.S. U). 1 T P . -11 1 
 
 Matt. 15. 13. work be oi men, it will come to nouurht : 
 
 been his near relation. One would 
 willingly believe that a man of so 
 much wisdom and moderation, so 
 intimately connected with the Apostle 
 Paul, did not remain an unbeliever; 
 but it seems but too certain, that 
 whatever may have been his inward 
 convictions, he lived and died in 
 the position of antagonism to Chris- 
 tianity.' 
 
 35. " Ye men of Israel'' Gamaliel 
 addresses them as the representatives 
 of the nation. See chap. ii. 2.3. 
 
 36. " T/ieudas." A person of this 
 name headed an insurrection, and 
 was slain by Cuspius Fadus, governor 
 of Judea, about ten years after this 
 time. This Theudas, however, whose 
 followers only amounted to 400, was a 
 person of so little note, that a general 
 historian, like Josephus, was not 
 likely to notice him.^ The New 
 Testament proves how frequently 
 the same name was borne by dif- 
 ferent individuals, and Theudas Mas 
 a very common name.'* 
 
 " ^o be .soniehodi/." A distinguished 
 person', either Elias, or that prophet ; 
 lie probably claimed to be the Mes- 
 siah. 
 
 " As obeyed him.'' Were persuaded 
 by him, gave credit to his preten- 
 sions. 
 
 ^'■Brought to nought." The party 
 was annihilated, and left no trace of 
 its existence. 
 
 37. '■^ Judas of Galilee." Josephus 
 (Ant. xviii. 1.) says that he was a 
 native of Gamala, in lower Ganlo- 
 nitis. In two other passages he calls 
 him a Galilean.-^ 
 
 " In the days of the taxing." Judas 
 represented the decree of Augustus 
 Caesar (see Luke ii. 2. and notes) to 
 be an introduction to slavery. 
 
 " Drew aivay." Caused them to 
 revolt. 
 
 38. ''It will come to nought." It 
 was evident to Gamaliel, as it must 
 be to every unprejudiced inquirer, 
 that the Apostles, who had no great 
 earthly principle to appeal to, were 
 supported by no prominent party in 
 the state, and had neither riches, 
 learning, nor, humanly speaking, re- 
 markable talents, would soon lose 
 whatever temporary interest they 
 might have acquired if there were 
 no liigher and sujiernatural agency 
 at work. If the scheme m ere an iu- 
 
 ' Burton's Lectures ; Wint-r, I. 45.'i. ; Tho- spphus, Ant., xvii. C. 2—4. 
 
 Inck, Vermischtc Schriftcn, ii. 285_*287. ; p. I0:». 
 
 anil Neandcr. 3 Kuinool. 
 
 - Wicsclcr, liowcvor, ondoavonrs to provn ■^ Valckn. llcroil., ill. 110. 
 
 tliat lie is tiic Mattliias nn ntiutu-d by Jo- "' Kuinoul, \f. 
 
 Synopsis, 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 57 
 
 89. ^ But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; o Luke, 21. 15. 
 lest haply ye be found even Pto fight against God. ^ chV'Jf & 
 
 40. And to him they agreed: and when they had y-^«' 23. 9. 
 1 called the apostles, ^and beaten them, they com- ^ ^^"^^^^ J^- ^, 
 nianded that they should not speak in the name of ^,''^{34. ' " 
 
 -p 111 INIark, 13. 9. 
 
 Jesus, and let them go. s Matt. 5. 12. 
 
 41. ^And they departed from the presence of the •^c'S-^^iv^io. 
 council, ^ rejoicing that they were counted worthy to Hebr.'ia^i^. 
 suffer shame for his name. \^vT.\.'\i, le 
 
 42. And daily *in the temple, and in every house, tch. 2. 46. 
 "they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. ^ ch. 4.20,29. 
 
 vention or a delusion of man, it had 
 no single element of stability, and 
 must fall, 
 
 39. ''But if it be of God." Ifr is 
 clear that Gamaliel was really in 
 doubt. This decision is full of hu- 
 man wisdom, and seems laudable. 
 It was prudent to watch the course 
 of events, and wait for the result ; 
 but it would have been more just 
 and wise to inquire into the facts. 
 
 " Lest haply ye be founds That 
 is, lest the event should prove that 
 3'e have been rebelling against God. 
 Gamaliel's words were prophetic ; 
 and the condemnation of the Jews 
 was then pronounced by the greatest 
 professor of that sect, which they re- 
 garded as the depository of all true 
 knowledge and true religion. 
 
 40. '• To him they agreed." They 
 were persuaded not to put the Apo- 
 stles to death. It does not follow 
 that their conscience was touched; 
 but they may have gladly adopted a 
 decision which saved them from the 
 present danger of a riot. 
 
 ''And beaten them." This was a 
 
 most iniquitous proceeding. If the 
 Apostles were blasphemers, they de- 
 served death ; if they were innocent, 
 they should have been commended ; 
 if the case were doubtful, they should 
 have been dismissed. Stripes were 
 inflicted in a veiy arbitrary manner, 
 as the bastinado at present in the 
 East. 
 
 41." Rejoicing tha t they were counted 
 worthy." They remembered our 
 Lord's words (Matt. v. 1 1, 12. ; Luke, 
 vi. 22.). The expression is remark- 
 ably graceful and forcible : they 
 were honoured by being dishonoured. 
 Earthly infamy incurred, and pa- 
 tiently endured, for the name of 
 Christ is heavenly fame. 
 
 " For his name" — or " the name." 
 42. '• And daily in the tetnple, aiid in 
 every house." They continued to 
 px'each openly to the people, whether 
 believers or merely listeners, whom 
 they found in the temple; and to the 
 congregations who met in the house 
 or houses set apart for the purposes 
 of devotion. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1, 2. God claims all that is vowed to Him. He will not be satisfied 
 with a portion of our hearts, which have been dedicated to Him in baptism, 
 and have been bought with the blood of the Lamb. We must be on our 
 guard against those temptations which are connected with our natural 
 affections. In this case the union between the husband and wife, which 
 should have kept both close to God, served but to strengthen them in sin. 
 
 3—6. AH lies comes from the father of lies, and are essentially devilish. 
 
58 THE ACTS. CHAP. V. 
 
 They separate man from lils fellow man and from God. No lies are trifling. 
 Lies', which are looked upon as most excusable, destroy confidence, the 
 charm of life, create a habit which speedily gains entire mastery over the 
 soul, and prepare the way for temptations which involve its destruction. 
 Satan never tempts us to tell what we know to be great lies at first. Ana- 
 nias and Sapphira had doubtless united in many little devices to deceive men 
 and improve their social position before they joined in a scheme to become 
 eminent saints by deceiving God. ^Vhat a sign of the prevalence of lying, 
 that men find it hard to realize the greatness of the guilt of those who first 
 perished in the very act of lying unto the Holy Ghost ! 
 
 7—11. The conscience of that woman must have been strangely hard- 
 ened. The delay of her husband might have surprised her, and she seems to 
 have inciuired after him on entering the presence of the Apostles, for we read 
 that Peter " answered unto her." But she was so absorbed in her own crafty 
 thoughts, that neither the awe on the countenances of the disciples, nor the 
 warning voice of the Apostle, could arouse her to a sense of her own condi- 
 tion. It is this deadness of conscience that characterises the sin against the 
 Holy Ghost. We should here observe, also, that the wife's subjection to her 
 husband does not in any degree excuse her for sharing his sin. nor exempt 
 her from punishment. All our duties to man are subordinate to our duty to 
 God. 
 
 12—16. Judgment is God's strange work, but His delight is mercy. 
 Remark the abundant outpourings of healing virtue, the symbol and pledge 
 of spiritual graces, that followed this awful punishment. 
 
 17 — 20. With increasing strength come heavier trials to the Christian, but 
 also fresh manifestations of divine love. Angels no more appear visibly, 
 since believers are to walk by faith and not by sight ; but their invisible 
 ministrations cease not, for they are ever " sent forth to minister for them 
 who shall be heirs of salvation." 
 
 21 — 28. There is confusion and dismay among the enemies of the 
 Church, partly because of the putting forth of a mysterious power, still more 
 because of the manifest effects upon the people. They might attempt to resist 
 God, but for their fear of man. The terror of the unseen world, which does 
 not subdue, irritates the will, and often finds an expression in calumnious 
 upbraidings. 
 
 29 — 33. Each persecution brings out the power of faith and the malice of 
 Satan more distinctly. The Apostles speak more decidedly, and the rulers 
 at once take counsel to slay them. In the answer of the Apostles, remark 
 the clear enumeration of Christian blessings : first repentance, then the peace 
 of forgiveness, with all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit given to those 
 who confess and obey their Prince and Saviour. 
 
 34. Gamaliel is perhaps the most striking example in this book of the 
 danger of worldliness. A spirit so candid and unprejudiced, ought to have 
 received the truth ; but there is but too much reascm to fear that the pride of 
 knowledge, of station, and of character, kept this learned Pharisee a self- 
 righteous alien from (Jhrist unto the end. Love of this world can only be 
 overcome by such faith as taught the Apostles to rejoice in suffering, and to 
 glory in shame, and sent them from the prison and the scourge to " teach and 
 preach Jesus Christ." 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VI. 
 
 59 
 
 CHAPTER YL 
 
 The great increase in the number of believers led to a change in the 
 organization of the Church, which St. Luke describes in this Chapter. 
 The results of that change ^vere of the highest importance, since it 
 brought the Church into a position of antagonism with both of the 
 leading parties of the Jewish nation, and thus gave occasion to the first 
 general persecution, and eventually to the extension of the Gospel to the 
 countries bordering on Palestine. St. Luke appears to have dwelt with 
 peculiar interest on the circumstances of this epoch, on account of their 
 connection with the conversion of his friend, instructor, and master, the 
 great Apostle of the Gentiles. This Chapter may, in fact, be regarded 
 as an introduction to that great series of missionary exertions, which it 
 was the principal object of the sacred historian to record. 
 
 1. And in those days, '"^^vhen the number of the dis- ach. 2 4i.& 
 ciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the t^t'er^il'^^' 
 ^G-recians against the Hebrews, because their widows n':*!;^!' ^^' *" 
 were neglected ^in the daily ministration. c ch.4.55. 
 
 L " /n those days." In the period 
 between the liberation of the Apo- 
 stles and the great persecution which 
 followed the judicial murder of St. 
 Stephen. This period lasted, pro- 
 bably, from 30 A. d. to 37 a. d. (see 
 Introduction, Chronology) ; and 
 the events described in this chapter 
 cccui-red not earlier than 36 or 37 a.d.' 
 
 " Was multiptied." Or was becom- 
 ing very numerous. There must 
 have been many thousands by this 
 time in Jerusalem and the adjacent 
 villages. 
 
 " Grecians." The word means, 
 properly, Hebrews of the dispersion, 
 who lived in countries where Greek 
 was spoken, and who had, to a cer- 
 tain extent, adopted the Greek cus- 
 toms and language. The Alexan- 
 drian Jews first bore this appellation. 
 All these Hebrews used the Septua- 
 
 gint version of the Bible in their 
 synagogues. Their numbers, riches, 
 and superior cultivation gave them 
 much influence even at Jerusalem, 
 notwithstanding the strong national 
 and religious feelings which assigned 
 a great superiority to the Palestinian 
 Hebrews.- It has been questioned^ 
 whether Greek or other heathen con- 
 verts to Judaism were included under 
 this name ; but Nicolaus, the pro- 
 selyte of Antioch, was evidently 
 selected as a Grecian : and though 
 the name, as was said, according to 
 the Jewish idiom, belonged properly 
 to Hebrews who spoke Greek, yet 
 St. Luke may have used it more 
 generally, as the classical writers * 
 do, of Syrians and other Asiatics. 
 
 " The Hebrews." That is, those 
 Christian members of the church of 
 Jerusalem who followed all the na- 
 
 "Wieseler, p. 208. 
 Lightfoot on John, 
 
 3 Wolf. Ciir. Ph., p. 1084. 
 •i Lobeck on Phryii., p. 380. 
 
 D 6 
 
60. 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VT. 
 
 d Exod. IS. 17, 
 
 e Deut. 1.13. 
 ch. 1. 21. & 
 16. 2. 
 1 Tim. 3. 7. 
 
 2. Then the twelve called the multitude of the dis- 
 ciples unto them, and said, ^ It is not reason that we 
 should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 
 
 3. Wherefore, brethren, ^look ye out among you 
 seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost 
 and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 
 
 4. But we ^will give ourselves continually to prayer, 
 and to the ministry of the word. 
 
 tional customs, and spake the lan- 
 guage of Palestine, i. e. the Syro- 
 Chaldaic, as their mother-tongue.' 
 
 " Theii- widows were neglected^ The 
 term "widows" includes all who were 
 without natural helpers and pro- 
 tectors. 
 
 " The daily ministration.^^ This 
 included, most probably, a distribu- 
 tion of food and other necessaries, 
 and a meal', of which all partook, 
 the expenses being defrayed from 
 the common stock, as we might say, 
 from the offertory money. 
 
 2. " The twelve.'''' The Apostolic 
 office involved two main functions — 
 the government of the Church, and 
 the preaching of the Word. In their 
 capacity of governors, they received 
 the aiu.s, and gave, of course, general 
 directions for their distribution. But 
 the details of the distribution seem 
 to be quite incompatible with their 
 higher duties ; nor is it likely that 
 any murmuring would have arisen, 
 had they personally attended to such 
 aftairs. It is therefore probable that 
 they had been hitherto assisted by 
 subordinate ministers, who, being se- 
 lected from the earliest converts, per- 
 liaps from the hundred and twenty, 
 were of course Palestinian Jews.^ 
 But it docs not, even in that case, 
 necessarily follow that those assist- 
 ants had been formally appointed or 
 ordained; and it seems hazardous to 
 give up the opinion of all the ancients, 
 who regarded this as the formal in- 
 Btitution of the diaconate. In the 
 church of llorne the number of seven 
 was even considered esseutial, and 
 
 has never been exceeded ; a custom 
 which, though unreasonable, bears 
 witness to the fact of the tradition. 
 
 " That ice should leave." This ex- 
 pression implies, both in English and 
 in the original, that they had not 
 hitherto served tables, which would 
 have interfered with their preaching. 
 See preceding note. 
 
 3 "Look ye out." The right of 
 selecting deacons was therefore not 
 inherent in the people, but was given 
 to them on that occasion for a special 
 reason by the Apostles. All other 
 deacons of whom we read, as Mark, 
 and the other attendants on St. Paul 
 and the Apostles, were selected by the 
 Apostles themselves, or their repre- 
 sentatives. See the Epistles to Ti- 
 mothy and Titus. 
 
 " Of honest report," &c. The two 
 first qualifications of the deacons 
 were the same as of elders, or priests, 
 but the third "wisdom" must be 
 understood specially of that practical 
 sagacity, good sense, and judgment 
 which are required for the adminis- 
 tration of the temporal affairs of a 
 community. The deacons were, 
 however, strictly speaking, clerical 
 ministers, since we find them preach- 
 ing the word, and administering the 
 sacrament of baptism. Acts, viii. 
 l->. 37, &c. 
 
 " This business." The due distri- 
 bution, with special reference to the 
 widows.' 
 
 4. " We will (jive ourselves." Or, 
 we will persevere, continue to apply 
 ourselves specially. 
 
 1 ^Tovor. 
 8 Meyer, &:. 
 
 ••' Moshrim dc Rcb. a. Con., p. IIS. 139. 
 ■» MeycT. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VI. 
 
 Gl 
 
 5. % And the saying pleased the whole multitude : 
 
 and they chose Stephen, Sa man full of faith and of gch. 11.24. 
 the Holy Ghost, and ^^ Philip, and Prochorus, and ^*-|-5.26. 
 Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and ^Nicolas a 
 proselyte of Antioch : i Rev. 2. e, 15 
 
 6. Whom they set before the apostles : and ^ when ^ ''^- ^■'^*- 
 they had prayed, Uhey laid their hands on them. 
 
 I ch.8. 17. & 
 9. 17.& 13.3. 
 
 / . And '^ the word of God increased ; and the num- ^'^,;'|'^-j g 
 ber of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; mch. 12.24. 
 and a great company " of the priests were obedient to coi.^i.^e; 
 
 the faith. 
 
 n John, 1-2.42. 
 
 5. " Stephen, a man full of faith" 
 &c. Faith does not mean fidelity, 
 but the Christian grace, which is the 
 root and basis of all graces. The 
 multitude justly regarded the ear- 
 nestness and sincerity of his faith, 
 attested by the gifts and graces of 
 the Holy Spirit, as the best guaran- 
 tee for the faithful discharge of all 
 duties. 
 
 " And Philip." The famous dea- 
 con. See ch. viii. 
 
 " And Prochorus" &c. It is ob- 
 servable that all the names are Greek, 
 and it is evident that they -were se- 
 lected because they were Grecians. 
 
 " Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch" 
 This deacon was not the founder of 
 the sect of Nicolaitans', Rev. ii. 6., 
 as some have supposed without any 
 grounds. It is interesting to find a 
 representative of Antioch, which be- 
 came the second metropolis of early 
 Christendom. 
 
 6. " They laid their hands on them." 
 The imposition of hands was a com- 
 mon, and very solemn, rite among 
 the Jews.^ By that act was signified 
 the conveyance of some blessing, 
 privilege, commission, or authority 
 to an individual. It was at once an 
 indication of the choice, and an in- 
 strumental means or channel by 
 which the grace or power Avas be- 
 stowed. " In consecrations and ordi- 
 
 nations of men unto rooms of divine 
 calling, the like was usually done 
 from the time of Moses to Christ." ^ 
 
 7. ^^ And the word," &c. The ap- 
 pointment of the deacons had a con- 
 siderable effect on the extension of 
 the Church. The Apostles were re- 
 lieved of their most burdensome care, 
 and the humilit}'^ and disinterested- 
 ness which they had shown were 
 M-ell calculated to win souls to Christ. 
 The people of Jerusalem must have 
 felt the contrast with the violent 
 party spirit, and cupidity of their 
 own hierarchy. 
 
 " A great company of the priests," 
 — or multitude.^ A most important 
 fact. It would seem that many per- 
 sons belonging to the priesthood had 
 watched the proceedings of the 
 Christians Avith interest, but had 
 hitherto remained in a state of sus- 
 pense. The time for a decision was 
 now come, and they either became 
 the avowed adherents, or bitter ene- 
 mies of Christ. The conversion of 
 these priests must have greatly in- 
 creased the irritation of the Saddu- 
 cees ; and from the following narra- 
 tive it is clear that the distinctive 
 tenets of the Christians began now 
 to be canvassed more openly, and 
 their incompatibility with the doc- 
 trine of the Pharisees more clearly 
 understood. 
 
 1 A name not derived from a person. 
 - Gen. xlviii. 14. ; Numb, xxvii. 18. ; and 
 Yitringa de Syn., p. 836. 
 
 3 Hooker, E. P., Ixvi. 1. 
 
 4 Meyer. 
 
62 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VI. 
 
 o Luke, 21. 
 eh. 5. .-9. 
 SeeExod. 4, 
 Isai. 5J. 17. 
 
 p 1 Kings, 
 10, 13. 
 Matt. 26. 5i 
 
 8. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great 
 wonders and miracles among the people. 
 
 9. IF Then there arose certain of the synagogue, 
 which is called f/te synagogue of the Libertines, and 
 Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia 
 and Asia, disputing with Stephen. 
 
 10. And '^they were not able to resist the wisdom 
 and the spirit by which he spake. 
 
 11. P Then they suborned men, which said. We have 
 heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, 
 and against God. 
 
 8. " Stephen, full of faith and 
 power.'''' The miraculous power was 
 developed in proportion to the faith 
 of those on whom it was bestowed ; 
 faith meaning confidence in the Di- 
 vine power. 
 
 " Wonders and miracles." See 
 above. Miracles, or signs. He 
 wrought them in attestation of the 
 truth which he preached. 
 
 9. " Then there arvse," &c. Ste- 
 phen, being himself a Grecian, speak- 
 ing the language, and conversant 
 with the opinions of the Asiatic and 
 African Jews and proselytes, brought 
 the Gospel to bear upon a class of 
 men equally distinguished for learn- 
 ing and bigotry. The foreign Jews 
 attended their own synagogues when 
 they visited Jerusalem, where the 
 Holy Scriptures were read and ex- 
 pounded in their own language. The 
 synagogue of the Libertines was 
 probably built and maintained by the 
 Libertini, i. e., freedmen', most of 
 whom were Jews, who had been 
 taken prisoners in great numbers by 
 the Romans in war, and afterwards 
 manumitted.^ It has been conjec- 
 tured' that the father of St. Paul 
 may thus have acquired the rights of 
 citizenship, and that Paul was thus 
 brought into contact with Stephen. 
 Some commentators suppose the Li- 
 bertines to have been natives of 
 Libertum in Africa, but no such 
 place is known in ancient geography.* 
 
 " Cyrenians" &c. These were per- 
 haps all members of the synagogue 
 of Libertines.^ The freedmen spoken 
 of were principally from Africa and 
 Asia, taken in the wars between 
 Pompey and Casar. The Alexan- 
 drians, however, had a separate 
 synagogue at Jerusalem.'' 
 
 10. " The ivisdotn." The Christian 
 wisdom, the spiritual discernment as 
 opposed to the spurious learning and 
 subtlety of the rabbinical school. 
 
 " The Spirit.'" The indwelling Spi- 
 rit, or the spiritual power, not the 
 natural energy of the man. Spirit is 
 always used in such passages of the 
 Divine power. He spake not of 
 himself, but as he was moved by the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 11. "■Suborned." They privily in- 
 structed these men to boar false 
 witness, as the elders of Jezreel had 
 done in the case of Nathan. 
 
 " We have heard him speak blas- 
 phemous ivords" &c. The falseness of 
 the accusation consisted probably in 
 their substituting their own infe- 
 rences for the words which St. Ste- 
 phen spoke. They may have inferred 
 from St. Stejiheii's preaching, and 
 that not unfairly, that the develop- 
 ment of Christianity would supersede 
 the ceremonial law, but his words 
 correctly reported would have con- 
 veyed no idea of disrepect to the 
 legislator, much less of blasphemy 
 against God. 
 
 1 Chrysostom, and most of the commcnta- 
 )rs. 
 
 ■^ T.icitiis, Ann., ii. H.^. ; ai:d I'liil., !>. 101 J. 
 3 l}y Wieseler, p. 63. 
 
 ' Winer, il. 20. 
 ■• Wieseler, I.e. 
 
 c Liglitfoot. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VL 
 
 63 
 
 12. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, 
 and the scribes, and came upon /^///^, and caught him, 
 and brought him to the council, 
 
 13. And set up false witnesses, which said, This 
 man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against 
 this holy place, and the law : 
 
 14. *iror we have heard him say, that this Jesus of qch.ss.s. 
 Nazareth shall ^ destroy this place, and shall change r Dan. 9. 20. 
 the II customs which Moses delivered us. ii or, rites. 
 
 15. And all that sat in the council, looking sted- 
 fnstly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of 
 an angel. 
 
 12. " They stirred up the people.'' 
 This is the first indication of a popu- 
 lar movement in Jerusalem against 
 the Christians. The adherence of a 
 large proportion of the people to 
 Christ would of course exasperate 
 the unconverted Jews, and the time 
 was well chosen to appeal to their 
 prejudices. 
 
 '^And the elders and the scribes." 
 The members of the Sanhedrim were 
 thus won over before the commence- 
 ment of the judicial process. 
 
 " And came xipon him." These 
 "words express a violent and tu- 
 multuous proceeding. 
 
 13. ^' False ivitnesses." St. Stephen, 
 therefore, had not used the expres- 
 sions which we find in the next verse. 
 As the enemies of our Lord had 
 maliciously altered His words (Matt. 
 xxvi. 61.; John ii. 19.), in order to 
 represent Him as a rebel against the 
 theocracy, so these false witnesses 
 appear to have misrepresented both 
 the intention and expressions of 
 St. Stephen. 
 
 " This holy place." The effect of 
 the accusation would be much en- 
 hanced by the sight of the temple, to 
 which the witnesses seem to have 
 pointed. 
 
 14. " Tliis Jesus of Nazareth." A 
 contemptuous form of expression. 
 
 " Shall destroy this place." St. 
 Stephen may have cited our Lord's 
 prediction, that the temple would be 
 overthrown, but it is highly impro- 
 bable that he described our Lord as 
 the author of the destruction, which 
 was, according to the teaching of 
 Christ Himself, to be accomplished 
 by the Gentiles. That He would 
 change the customs was partially 
 true, but it was apparently not true 
 that St. Stephen declared, what the 
 Apostles themselves did not at that 
 time understand. 
 
 15. '■'■ Saiv his face" &c. These 
 words imply more than that they 
 observed a heavenly and angelic ex- 
 pression on the countenance of St. 
 Stephen. • There was doubtless a 
 light and glory ^, which, though it 
 may not have appeared miraculous to 
 unbelievers, invested his person with 
 a mysterious majesty. It may have 
 been intended as a warning to those 
 who were now first joining the party 
 of the persecution, as well as a con- 
 solatory evidence of God's favour to 
 those Christians who were present 
 among the bystanders. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
 Compare Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30. 
 
64 THE ACTS. CHAP. VL 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 4. Even the best natural affections are apt to degenerate into evil 
 passions. Thus care for the poor, and commendable anxiety for our 
 destitute brethren may lead to suspicions and misrepresentations, and even 
 become the occasion of a schism in the church. In this instance the evil 
 •was checked by the wisdom and meekness of the Apostles, who, instead of 
 resenting the murmuring as an insult to themselves, were only anxious to 
 remove every stumbling-block from the way of the weaker brethren. 
 
 5 — 7. Such are the rewards which the Head of the Church vouchsafes 
 to meekness and disinterestedness in His representatives ; the love of the 
 people was increased, the organization of the church was completed ; the 
 Apostles were not only relieved of temporal cares, but aided in their higher 
 functions by the appointment of able coadjutors; and the objects which lay 
 nearest to their hearts were advanced by the increased power of the word 
 shown in the conversion of numerous disciples, and the adherence of many 
 who had been foremost among their persecutors. 
 
 8 — 10. Our Saviour had promised His disciples " I will give you a 
 mouth and wisdom, wliich all your adversaries shall not be able to gain- 
 say or resist." We see how that promise was fulfilled, then let us not 
 forget that such faith, as opened Stephen's heart to all the influences of the 
 Spirit, and made him an instrument of God, is equally needed, and will be 
 equally effectual now, when enemies not less furious, and it may be even 
 more subtle, are assailing the Church of Christ. 
 
 11 — 14. All persecutions have a general resemblance, but each has 
 some peculiar feature. Party spirit in all ages pursues very nearly the 
 same course as in the case of Stephen. BaflBed by argument it tries mis- 
 representations, and scarcely refrains from perjury. Let us watch and 
 pray that we be not led into this temptation, for it lies fearfully near us 
 at present. 
 
 15. The glory of saints, which will be revealed hereafter, sometimes 
 shows itself in glimpses here, and especially in moments of tribulation. 
 The inward transformation into the likeness of Christ was so far complete 
 in St. Stephen that it irradiated even the earthly form, which was hereafter 
 to be made like unto the glorious image of his Saviour. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VU. &$ 
 
 CHAPTER VU. 
 
 The defence of St. Stephen, which occupies nearly the whole of this Chapter, 
 is one of the most interesting portions of the Acts, and throws great light 
 upon the general principles of God's dealings with His people, as well as 
 upon the bearings of the ancient dispensation upon Christianity. There 
 has been, however, great diversity of opinion among commentators as to 
 the objects of the Martyr, and the purport of his reasoning. This diver- 
 sity appears to have been caused by the peculiar mode of argument 
 which St. Stephen employed in addressing persons who, like himself, had 
 been trained under a very different system of intellectual development 
 from that which modern Europe has derived from classical antiquity. 
 Instead of laying down certain premises, and deducing from them certain 
 logical inferences, sustained and illustrated by facts, the Orientals, and 
 especially the Hebrews, are accustomed to make historical statements 
 beai'ing upon the points at issue, and they often leave the inference to be 
 deduced and applied by the ingenuity of the hearers, or suggest such 
 inference merely by a passing allusion. This is observable in those 
 discourses of St. Paul which are addressed to his countrymen, while in 
 others he adopts a method more in accordance with modern views. If 
 we bear this in mind, and apply it closely, we shall find that the discourse 
 of St. Stephen is clear and forcible. It appears quite evident that his 
 first object must have been to answer the high priest, and refute the 
 very sei'ious charges brought against him. He could not do this by a 
 simple denial, since the charges were sustained by false witnesses ; he 
 does it therefore by making what may be called an historical profession of 
 faith in that God, and of reverence for those institutions which he had 
 been accused of blaspheming or speaking against. He touches with a 
 rapid but masterly hand upon all the principal epochs of the JcMish dis- 
 pensation, from the covenant with Abraham to the erection of a temple 
 by Solomon ; and he recognises throughout the interposing and over- 
 ruling Providence of the God of Glory. The inference from this state- 
 ment would of course be, that it was morally impossible that, holding 
 such sentiments, he could have spoken against God, or Moses, or the 
 law, or the tabernacle, or the temple, and it must be admitted to be a 
 complete vindication. But he had another object, scarcely^ second to this 
 in importance. He saw his countrymen in danger of perishing, and of 
 losing all the blessings promised to Abraham by their obstinate rejection 
 of Christ. He wished therefore to warn them, and this he does by 
 showing, at every stage in the history, that the will of God had been 
 resisted, his messengers and chosen servants had been persecuted, and 
 his institutions either neglected or grossly misunderstood, by their fore- 
 fathers ; and he concludes his address by a severe and pointed applica- 
 tion of the warning to themselves. I have indicated the bearing of 
 St. Stephen's arguments upon each of these objects in the notes on the 
 Chapter, It is evident from this sketch of his discourse that his object 
 was not to defend his life, but to vindicate his character, and to make a 
 solemn profession of those truths, which were most important for his 
 countrymen to know. 
 
 It will be observed that St. Stephen alludes to some traditions, which were 
 
66 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 then generally received by the Jews. We have many instances of such 
 traditions both in the Old and New Testaments, but it must be borne in 
 mind that we receive them not because they were preserved by the 
 Jewish church, but because they are authenticated by the testimony of 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 Very needless discussions have been raised as to the source from whence 
 St Luke derived this account of St. Stephen's defence. St. Paul, who 
 was present, was not likely to forget a word of what was uttered on such 
 an occasion, nor to omit giving full information to St. Luke ; and notes 
 were doubtless taken at the time by some persons among the bystanders. 
 But we may be assured, that whatever means may have been used by 
 St. Luke, he had " a perfect understanding of all things" which he records 
 under the guidance of the Spirit of God. 
 
 1. Then said the high priest, Are these things so ? 
 ach.22. :. 2. And he said, *Men, brethren, and fathers, 
 
 hearken ; The God of glory appeared unto our father 
 Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before lie 
 dwelt in Cliarran, 
 
 1. " The h'ujh priest." Caiaphas 
 was the chief agent in procuring the 
 condemnation of our Lord, and his 
 successor now presides over the mur- 
 der of the first martyr. 
 
 " Are these things so." This ap- 
 pears to be the legal form of putting 
 the accused on his defence, equivalent 
 to calling upon him to plead guilty 
 or not guilty. 
 
 2. " Meti, brethren, and fathers." 
 St. Stephen addresses the bystanders 
 as brethren, and the members of the 
 Sanhedrim as fathers, according to 
 the custom of the Hebrews' and most 
 ancient nations. 
 
 " Tlie God of glory." This appel- 
 lation refers to the UKijesty, and un- 
 approacliable liglit in wliich the 
 Almighty dwells, and by which He 
 appeared unto Abraham, and mani- 
 fested liimself on other solenm occa- 
 sions, as at the giving of the law and 
 the consecration of the temple. St. 
 Stephen uses it evidently with re- 
 ference to the first accusation. How 
 could he have spoken blasphemously 
 against the God of Glory ? 
 
 " Appeared unto our father." In 
 the book of Genesis it is not expressly 
 stated that God appeared to Abraham 
 in Ur, before he went to Charran; 
 but it is very distinctly implied, for 
 we read (Gen. xv. 7.) that God said 
 unto him, lam the LORD that brought 
 thee out of Ur of the Chaldees. See 
 also Nehemiah, ix. 7. From these 
 passages all the Hebrew writers ^ 
 concluded, most justly, that the first 
 manifestation to Abraham occurred 
 at U r. Ur was situated in a desert 
 between Nisibis and the Tigris -', 
 and the direct road between it and 
 Canaan passes through Charran. 
 
 " Charran." Or llaran, this city 
 was also in Mesopotamia. It lay in 
 a valley surrounded by hills, and was 
 a place of some importance under the 
 Arabians, as the high road for ca- 
 ravans from central Asia passed 
 through it. The Greeks and Romans 
 called it Carrtc, a name famons for 
 the defeat of Crassus by the Parthians. 
 It is now inhabited by a few wander- 
 ing Arabs, who select it for the de- 
 licious water which it contains.' 
 
 1 Liclitfoot on Mark. 
 - riiilo. Abr., ii. U. 
 1. 7. 1. 
 
 ^ Ammian. Marc, xxv. 8. Src also Winer, 
 Joseph. Ant., i. 'jra. 
 
 ' Kobinson nuotcil by Barnes. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 67 
 
 3. And said unto him, ^Get thee out of thy country, b Gen.12. i. 
 and from thy kindred^ and come into the land which 
 
 I shall shew thee. 
 
 4. Then '^came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, c Gen.n.31. 
 and dwelt in Charran : and from thence, when his ^ 
 father was dead, he removed him into this land, 
 wherein ye now dwell. 
 
 5. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not 
 
 so much as to set his foot on : ^yet he promised that^Gen^vIV 
 he would give it to him for a possession, and to his \-/i'^^:^^^ 
 seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 
 
 6. And God spake on this wise, ® That his seed fg^*^"- 1^- ^^' 
 should sojourn in a strange land ; and that they should 
 
 bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil ^ four f Exod. 12.40 
 
 Gal 3 17. 
 
 hundred years. 
 
 3. " Out of thy country, and from 
 thy kindredr The kinsmen of Abra- 
 ham were idolaters. Joshua, xxiv. 2. 
 '• Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 
 Your fathers dwelt on the other side 
 of the flood (the Euphrates) in old 
 time, even Terah the father of Abra- 
 ham, and the father of Nachor; and 
 they served other gods." The Ara- 
 bians have many curious legends re- 
 lating to the idolatry of Abraham's 
 family, and the persecutions Avhich he 
 underwent in preaching the true God. 
 
 4. " When his father was dead." 
 The death of Terah is supposed by 
 some divines' to mean a spiritual 
 death, or relapse into idolatry, since it 
 would appear, at tirst sight, calculating 
 his age from Genesis, xi. 26. 32., that 
 his natural death must have occurred 
 much later. But it is not certain from 
 that passage that Abraham was the 
 eldest son of Terah, and it is more 
 probable that he was the youngest, 
 and born many years after Haran. 
 " It appears, indeed, that Abraham 
 was 60 years younger than his brother 
 Haran, was born when his father was 
 130, and departed not from Haran till 
 his father's death. "^ 
 
 " He removed him." This second 
 
 call of Abraham is recorded Gen. 
 xii. 1., when the same command to 
 leave his father's house is repeated. 
 
 5. " Inheritance.'" Settled property, 
 inherited or otherwise acquired. 
 Abraham was forced even to pur- 
 chase a burial place, the cave of Mac- 
 pelah with the adjoining field, that 
 he might " bury his dead out of his 
 sight." Gen. xxiii. 3, 4. 16. As this 
 was purchased, and not intended for 
 his residence, it may not be regarded 
 as an inheritance, which implies the 
 latter condition at least. It was 
 moreover bought at a late period 
 of his sojourn in Canaan, Avhereas 
 St. Stephen refers to his settlement 
 there.^ 
 
 6. " Fo^ir hundred years." There 
 is some difficulty in this calculation. 
 It seems most probable that the pe- 
 riod should be reckoned either from 
 the birth, or weaning of Isaac, until 
 the deliverance of the children of 
 Israel from Egypt. If dated from 
 the birth, we find from that time to 
 the birth of Jacob 60 years. Gen. 
 XXV. 26. From the birth of Jacob to 
 his journey into Egypt, 130 years. 
 Gen. xlvii. 9. The time in Egypt, 
 215 years. Altogether a period of 
 
 1 Michaelis, Kuinoel, Olshausen. 
 
 2 liiscoe, pp. 545, 546. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
68 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 B Exod. 3. 12. 
 
 h Gen. 17.9, 
 10,1). 
 
 i Gen. 21. 2, 
 3.4. 
 
 k Gen. 25. 26. 
 
 1 Gen. 2'». 31, 
 
 &c. & no. 5, 
 
 &c. Si 3d. IS, 
 23. 
 
 m Gen. 37. 4, 
 11, 2S. 
 Ps. 10 J. 17. 
 
 n Gen. 59. 2, 
 21, 23. 
 
 o Gen. 41. 37, 
 & 45!. G. 
 
 q Gen. 42. 1. 
 
 7. And the nation to whom they shall be in bond- 
 age will I judge, said God : and after that shall they 
 come forth, and e serve me in this place. 
 
 8. ^ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision : 
 ^and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him 
 the eighth day ; ^ and Isaac begat Jacob ; and ^ Jacob 
 begat the twelve patriarchs. 
 
 9. ™And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold 
 Joseph into Egypt : " but God was with him, 
 
 10. And delivered him out of all his afflictions, ^'and 
 gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt ; and he made him governor over Egypt 
 and all his house^ 
 
 11. pNow there came a dearth over all the land of 
 Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction : and our 
 fathers found no sustenance. 
 
 12. '1 But when Jocob heard that there was corn in 
 Egypt, he sent out our fathers first 
 
 13. ^And at the second time Joseph was made known 
 
 exactly 40.5 years. If, hoM-ever, we 
 date from the weaning, or feast of 
 ■weaning, which probably took place, 
 according to Jerome ', when Isaac 
 was five years old, we have a period 
 of exactly 400 years. It was on that 
 occasion that Ishmael mocked Isaac, 
 a circumstance which, as we learn 
 from St. Paul, Gal. iv. 29., was ty- 
 pical of the persecution of the children 
 of the Spirit by the children born 
 after the flesh, and from that time 
 the seed of Abraham were sojourners 
 in strange lands. - 
 
 7. '■'■ And serve mey Gen. xv. IG- 
 " and shall return hither." St. Ste- 
 phen gives the purport of the words, 
 referring also to Exodus, iii. 12. 
 
 8. " The covenant of circumcision y 
 Circumcision is called the token of 
 the covenant, and briefly, as here, the 
 covenant. Gen. xvii. 11. The cove- 
 nant consisted in the gracious pro- 
 mises made in the same chapter 
 (v. 2 — 8.), and in the condition of 
 sincere obedience, " walk before me, 
 and be tliou perfect." 
 
 " And so." In consequence of that 
 promise. 
 
 " Patriarchs." So called specially 
 as ancestors and princes of the tribes 
 of Israel. 
 
 9. '^ Moved with envy." St. Stephen 
 evidently notes this fact as a warn- 
 ing ; it was an indication, from the 
 earliest history of Israel, of an evil 
 and malignant tendency in the ma- 
 jority of that race, M'ho were children 
 of the promise. Joseph was always 
 regarded as a type of Christ. ^ 
 
 10. '■'■Favour and ivisdovi." Fa- 
 vour acquired by wisdom; or favour 
 may refer to the grace of God, and 
 wisdom to the cause of the estimation 
 in which he was held by Pharaoh.* 
 
 " Over all his house." An Oriental 
 designation of a prime minister or 
 Vizier.* The house means the pa- 
 lace of the sovereign, whence all the 
 legislative, judicial, and executive 
 acts of government proceed in the 
 East. 
 
 12. " Our fathers" That is, all 
 with the exception of Benjamin. 
 
 • Qutpfit. in Gon. 
 
 2 Wl.itl.y. 
 
 I'carson on the Creed, art. 
 
 4 M.-yor. 
 
 * Gesciiius on Isaiah. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 69 
 
 to bis brethren ; and Joseph's kindred was made 
 known unto Pharaoh. 
 
 14. s Then sent Joseph, and called bis father Jacob ^ ^^^ ^. ^ ^, 
 to yi«m, and ^all his kindred, threescore and fifteen t Gen. 4f; J: ' 
 souls. ^ ''^"•^'^•'-^'^ 
 
 15 "So Jacob w^ent down into Egypt, '^^and died, u«en.46.5. 
 lie, and our fathers. exoI"'!^!".^^* 
 
 16. And ^ were carried over into Sjchem, and laid x Exod. n. 19. 
 in ythe sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of ,°^,J„ ^V'^ie. 
 money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. ^ ^^- ^'• 
 
 17. But when ^the time of the promise drew nigh, ^%^en. 15. 13. 
 which God had sworn to Abraham, ^ the people grew a Exod. 1.7, 
 and multiplied in Egypt, Ps.^os. 24,25. 
 
 18. Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. 
 
 19. The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and 
 
 evil entreated our fathers, ^ so that they cast out their b Exod. 1.22. 
 young children, to the end they might not live. 
 
 1 4. " Threescore cnid fifteen souls" 
 St. Stephen followed the Septuagint 
 version, -which gives the total, and 
 exact number of Jacob's children 
 and grandchildren, including the five 
 sons of Manasseh and Ephraim, who 
 were born in Egypt. These are not 
 reckoned in the passage. Gen. xlvi. 
 27. One of the oldest MSS. has 75 
 in Deut. i. 1. 
 
 16. '■'■ And were carried over.''' There 
 are some difficulties in this verse. 
 The cave of Macpelah was purchased 
 by Abraham from Ephron the Hit- 
 tite ; it was near Hebron, called 
 Kirjath Arba, or the city of four, ac- 
 cording to an old tradition 1 of the 
 Jews, because Abraham, Isaac, Jacob 
 and Adam (?) were buried there. We 
 must therefore understand they, ?. e. 
 our fathers were carried over to Sy- 
 chem. Their sepulchres remained 
 there, and were visited by Paula, the 
 friend of Jerome, in the fourth cen- 
 tury. In Joshua, xxiv. 32., we read 
 that the bones of Joseph were trans- 
 ferred to Shechem, and it is probable 
 that those of the other patriarchs 
 were moved at the same time. A 
 learned commentator proposes that a 
 
 few words should be supplied by the 
 reader, which would remove every 
 difficulty. " And (our fathers) were 
 carried over into Sychem, and they 
 were laid (Jacob) in the sepulchre 
 that Abraham bought for a sum of 
 money (they in the sepulchre bought) 
 of the sons of Emmor the father of 
 Sychem." In so rapid a svimmary of 
 well known facts, such omissions are 
 not surprising, and would be easily 
 supplied by the hearers.^ 
 
 18. '■'■ Anotker king arose^ This 
 expression implies that a change of 
 dynasties' had occurred in the in- 
 terval. Such changes are very com- 
 mon in Egyptian history, especially 
 in Lower Egypt, which was for a 
 long time in the power of Nomad 
 tribes. It is quite uncertain which 
 king reigned at the time of the 
 Exodus. Champollion"* supposes that 
 his name was Mandonei, who reigned 
 from 1585 to 1565 A.c. 
 
 " Knew not." It is probable that 
 this Pharaoh, if a shepherd king, had 
 not heai'd of Joseph ; but the expres- 
 sion may signify that he had no regard 
 for his services.^ 
 
 19. " 'So that they cast out." Or, 
 
 Jerome Qu. et Trad, in Gen. 
 
 Whitby. 
 
 Joseph. Ant, ii. 9. 1. 
 
 On Hieroglyphic System, p. 94, 95. 
 Kuiuoel. Ol'shauseii. 
 
70 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 c Esod. 2. 2 
 d Hebr. 11. 
 
 e Exod. 2. 
 10. 
 
 f Luke, 2 1. 1 
 p Exod. 2. 1 
 
 20. ^ In wliicli time Moses was born, and ^ was || ex- 
 -^- ceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house 
 
 three months : 
 
 21. And ^when he was east out, Pharaoh's daughter 
 took him up, and nourished him for her own son. 
 
 22. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of 
 19. the Egyptians, and was ^mighty in words and in deeds. 
 1, 23. s And wlien he was full forty years old, it came 
 
 into his heart to visit his bretliren the children of 
 Israel. 
 
 24. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he de- 
 fended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and 
 smote the Egyptian : 
 
 that he might force them to cast 
 out.' 
 
 20. " Exceeding fair:" Literally, 
 was fair to, or before God. This ex- 
 pression is a Hebraism, which is fre- 
 quently used in the place of our 
 superlative ; but it has a peculiar 
 force and true meaning. It describes 
 an ideal beauty, such as God recog- 
 nises.^ The beauty of Moses is often 
 celebrated by the Hebrew writers'', 
 and is asserted in the Pentateuch. 
 Exod. ii. 2. 
 
 21. '■'■For her own son" That he 
 might be her heir. Adopted children 
 succeeded to all the rights of true 
 children. 
 
 22. " And Moses was learned" &c. 
 The secular instruction which INIoses 
 received' in the palace of Pharaoh's 
 daughter must have been highly 
 favourable to the development and 
 cultivation of his mental faculties, 
 and must be regarded as the provi- 
 dentially appointed means of prepar- 
 ing him for his future duties. In 
 Egypt considerable progress had been 
 already made in art and science -^ 
 especially in natural })hilosop]iy, me- 
 dicine, geometry, and meohiinies. It 
 is evident that he was well acquainted 
 M-ith their religious ceremonies and 
 theology, but these must not be un- 
 
 derstood as included in the term wis- 
 dom. The religion of Egypt wj^s 
 essentially polytheistic and idolatrous ; 
 that which Moses was inspired to 
 maintain and teach was essentially 
 the reverse. 
 
 " Might?/ in ivords" This expres- 
 sion does not imply fluency of speech, 
 in which, as we know from Exod. 
 iv. 10., Moses was deficient, but the 
 ability to persuade and influence the 
 minds of men, for which he was re- 
 markable. 
 
 " In deeds" This may refer to some 
 traditional accounts of his exploits in 
 early life.^ He is said to have led 
 the army of Pharaoh, and to have 
 con(piered his enemies. 
 
 23. " When he loos full fort;/ iicars 
 old." According to an old tradition', 
 confirmed by this and other passages^ 
 INIoses remained forty years in the 
 house of Pharaoh's daughter, forty 
 in Midian, and forty in the Wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 " It came into his heart." A 
 thought suggested by natural feeling, 
 and strengthened by special grace. 
 We can hardly realise the distance 
 bet^veen the adopted son of Pharaoh 
 and his degraded brethren. See lle- 
 brews^ xi. 24 — 2G. 
 
 24. " And smote the Egyptian.'' It 
 
 ' Meyer. 
 
 2 Mever. 
 
 3 Philo. Vit. Mos., i. CM. 
 ii. n. 7. 
 
 ■' Philo. and Joseph., 1. c. 
 
 ^ See the valunhle notes of Wctstcin on 
 this passaue. Winer, i. 31. 
 Joso|>h. Ant., f' loseph. Ant., ii. .'). 
 
 " I.i|jhtroot. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 For he supposed his brethren would have un- 
 
 71 
 
 derstood how that God by his hand would deliver 
 them : but they understood not. 
 
 26. ^And the next day he shewed himself unto i^ Exod. 2. i.-. 
 them that strove, and would have set them at one 
 
 again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren ; why do ye wrong 
 one to another ? 
 
 27. But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him 
 away, saying, ^ Who made thee a ruler and a judge •,/«'j^^ Luke 
 over us ? ch"4.V. 
 
 28. Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian 
 yesterday ? 
 
 29. ^ Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a t Exod. 9. 1.5, 
 stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two ^ib^siT' 
 sons. 
 
 30. ^ And when forty years were expired, there ap- 1 Exod.3.2. 
 peared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel 
 
 of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 
 
 is the unanimous opinion of the He- 
 brew commentators' that Moses acted 
 in this instance by special inspiration. 
 This is not stated in the Pentateuch, 
 nor is it certain, although it seems 
 probable from St. Stephen's words in 
 the next verse, and from Heb. xi. 
 
 26. " Would have set them at one 
 again." Literally, compelled them to 
 peace. He urged them to agree. 
 
 27. " Did his neighbour ivrong." 
 It is not without an evident bearing 
 upon the Jews of his own time that 
 St. Stephen points out the fact that 
 the unwillingness to admit the medi- 
 ation of Moses originated in the con- 
 sciousness of wrong. 
 
 28. ''As thou diddest" The Is- 
 raelite who had been rescued had, 
 of course, gratefully related the cir- 
 cumstance, which the oppressor of 
 his brother now uses against Moses. 
 The same malice which prompted 
 him to speak might lead him to de- 
 nounce Moses. 
 
 29. " Madian, or Midian." A dis- 
 trict in Arabia Petrcea. As is the 
 case with most districts belonging to 
 
 Nomad tribes, its limits are uncertain, 
 and varied at different times. The 
 principal city, called Madian, lay to 
 the east of the Red Sea.- The Mi- 
 dianites were descendants of Abra- 
 ham by Ketura. Gen. xxv. 2. 4. 
 
 " Two sons." Gershom and Eli- 
 ezer, by Zipporah, the daughter of 
 Reuel or Jethro, priest of Midian, 
 The posterity of Abraham long re- 
 tained faith in the true God, and a 
 pure form of worship. See Job, i. 
 
 30. " Forty years." See note on 
 V, 23. 
 
 " Mount Sinai" called Horeb in 
 Exod. iii. 2. Horeb was the name 
 of the mountain chain, Sinai of the 
 mountain height on which the law 
 was given to Moses. It is probably 
 the lofty granite rock, now called 
 Safsafeh^ at the north-west extre- 
 mity of the range, at the foot of 
 which there is an extensive plain, 
 where the people may have been en- 
 camped, where also this manifestation 
 appears to have been vouchsafed. 
 
 " An angel of the Lord." An 
 examination of all the passages* in 
 
 ' Maimonides. Mor. Nev.. ii. 14. 
 
 2 Winer, ii. 93. 
 
 3 Robinson and Tischendorf ap. Winer, 
 ii. 471. 
 
 4 The most complete is to be found in 
 Hengstenberg's Christologie. 
 
?2 
 
 THE ACTS. CPIAP. VII. 
 
 m Matt. 22. 32. 
 Hebr. 11. 16. 
 
 n Exod. 3. 5. 
 Josh. j. 16. 
 
 q Exod. 12. 41. 
 & 53. 1. 
 
 r Exod. 7. & 
 8. & y. & ID. 
 & 11. & II. 
 Ps. 105. 27. 
 
 s Exod. 11, 21, 
 
 27, 2S, 29. 
 
 31. When Moses saw if, lie wondered at the sight : 
 and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord 
 came unto him, 
 
 32. Saying, ^ I am the God of thy fathers, the God 
 of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of 
 Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 
 
 33. " Then said the Lord to him, Put oiF thy shoes 
 from thy feet : for the place where thou standest is 
 holy ground. 
 
 34. « I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my 
 people which is in Egypt, and I have heard tlieir 
 groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And 
 now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 
 
 35. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who 
 made thee a ruler and a judge ? the same did God send 
 to be a ruler and a deliverer p by the hand of the angel 
 which appeared to him in the bush. 
 
 36. 1 He brought them out, after that he had ^ shewed 
 wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, ^ and in the 
 red sea, * and in the wilderness forty years. 
 
 37. ^ This is that Moses, which said unto the child- 
 
 ■vrhicli this expression occurs, satis- 
 factorily proves that we ought to 
 understand the Angel of the Cove- 
 nant, the Angel of Jehovah, or rather 
 the Angel Jehovah, who is, beyond 
 doubt, the same as the \A'ord, the 
 second Person in the Holy Trinity. 
 Hence we find in this verse the 
 Angel of the Lord appeared, and in 
 the next, the voice P)f the Lord came 
 unto him. 
 
 " In ajlaine of fire." A symbol of 
 the divine glory, and indication of 
 the Divine presence, as at Pentecost. 
 
 33. '\Fut off thy shoes" This re- 
 verential act has always been re- 
 garded in the East ' as indispensable 
 in places halloMcd by the presence 
 of God, or consecrated to his service. 
 See Joshua, v. 15. The priests per- 
 formed the temple service barefoot. 
 
 34. " / luive seen, I have seen." 
 J/iterally, seeing I have seen, an 
 emphatic Hebrew idiom. 
 
 " And am come down." The mani- 
 festation of the Omnipresent God in 
 
 any particular place is of necessity 
 described in terms which, applied to 
 a finite being, would imply loco- 
 motion. 
 
 " / will send thee." This is a brief 
 summary of Exodus, iii. 7 — 10. 
 
 35. " A7id a deliverer." The word, 
 so translated, specially means ran- 
 somer, or redeemer ; but it is used 
 generally for deliverer. St. Stephen 
 chose it probably to indicate the re- 
 semblance between Moses and the 
 Lord Christ. 
 
 " Bi/ the hand." By the power and 
 under the direction. 
 
 34. " He hromiht" Sec. The object 
 of St. Stephen in this and the pre- 
 ceding verses Avas, first, to show his 
 reverence for Moses, whom he was 
 accused of blaspheming, and, se- 
 condly, to give a serious warning to 
 those who refused Christ, as their 
 forefathers had refused ]Moses. 
 
 37. " 77//.S" is that AIoscs n-hich 
 s(ii<l." See Acts, iii. 22. St. Stephen 
 (inotes it with peculiar force on the 
 
 > Wetstein, Iamb. Vit. Tythag. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 73 
 
 ren of Israel, "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise u Deut. is. 
 up unto you of your brethren, || like unto me ; ^ him ch- 3^2'i. 
 shall ye hear. " or, as m^seu: 
 
 38. > This is he, that was in the church in the wil- y e';,";;^-^- 
 derness with ^ the angel which spake to him in the ^"• 
 mount Sina, and icith our fathers: ^w^ho received the Gaff^.lg.^* 
 lively ^ oracles to give unto us : 
 
 39. To whom our fathers would not obey 
 thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back '^"^"'^- 17. 
 again into Egypt. b Rom. 3. 2. 
 
 40. ^ Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before c Exod. 32. 1. 
 us : for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the 
 
 land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 
 
 41. ^ And they made a calf in those days, and offered Ps^foe'.to!^" 
 
 a Exod. 21. 
 
 but ^'^-"i- ^ -^■^' 
 
 occasion. True reverence for Moses 
 would have taught the Jews to re- 
 ceive gratefully the prophet whom he 
 had promised. The Hebrews at that 
 time doubted not that Moses meant 
 an individual prophet, and not a class, 
 and that the prophet was no other 
 than the Messiah. 
 
 38. " In the Church.'" The people 
 of Israel are called the Church, in 
 the strict sense of the word. They 
 formed a body, called, elect, and 
 separate from the heathen world ; 
 and on that occasion they were spe- 
 cially summoned as an assembly' to 
 receive the law. 
 
 " The angel." See note, ver. 30. 
 This passage is very important as 
 identifying the Angel with Jehovah, 
 compare Exodus xx. The law is 
 said indeed to have been given by 
 the ministry of angels (Heb. ii. 2., 
 and Acts, vii. 53.), but that expres- 
 sion seems to refer to the external 
 demonstrations which accompanied 
 the giving. 
 
 " The liveh/ oracles." St. Stephen 
 uses the strongest expressions to show 
 his reverence for the law, which he 
 was accused of blaspheming. The 
 commandments are called lively, or 
 living, with reference to their nature; 
 "for we know that the law is 
 spiritual" (Romans, ix. 14. ) : but not 
 with reference to their power, for the 
 
 law could not give life, or deliver 
 from sin and death, " in that it was 
 weak through the flesh," Rom. viii. 
 1—4. 
 
 39. " Our fathers would not obey." 
 St. Stephen again joins his vindica- 
 tion of himself with a warning to his 
 countrymen. The reference is to 
 Exodus, xvi. 3. and xvii. 3., or more 
 generally to the disposition which 
 the people showed to relapse into 
 idolatrous customs. 
 
 40. '■'•Make us gods to go before us." 
 Idols to be borne in front of the 
 host, as was customary with the 
 heathens. 
 
 " For as for this Moses." "For" 
 indicates the motive; since Moses, 
 who opposed idolatry,has disappeared, 
 we may return to our old habits. 
 
 41. ''A calf" There can be little 
 doubt that the form of the idol was 
 suggested by the Egyptian worship 
 of Osiris, who was represented by an 
 ox, called Apis.- The Isi'aelites, 
 however, did not probably intend 
 that idol to represent Osiris, but the 
 Deity who had delivered them from 
 Egypt. Their gross and sensual ap- 
 prehensions identified the symbol 
 with the Being whom it represented, 
 in a manner, and to an extent, that is 
 scarcely comprehensible to us, and 
 they offered the sacrifices directly to 
 the idol itself. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
 Seidell lie Diis Syr., i. 4. ; Winer, 1. 759. 
 
74 
 
 THE ACTS CHAP. VIL 
 
 e Ps. SI. 12. 
 Eiek. 20. 25, 
 
 sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in tlie works of 
 their own hands. 
 
 42. Then « God turned, and gave them up to wor- 
 ship ^the host of heaven ; as it is written in the book 
 of the propliets, sQ ye house of Israel, have ye offered 
 to me slain beasts and sacrifices bj/ the space of forty 
 
 f Deut. 4.19. 
 &I7. 3. 
 
 2iws, i,.i6. yg^^.g -^ ^j^g wilderness ? 
 
 Jer. 19. 1- -^ 
 
 Amos, 6. 25, 
 
 43. Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and 
 the star of your god Reraplian, figures which ye made 
 
 " And rejoiced." They held a great 
 feast with Heentious rites borrowed 
 from Egypt. 
 
 42. " God turned." He turned 
 himself away from them,' he with- 
 drew His grace from them. 
 
 " And gave them up." Men are only 
 kept from the worst sins by His grace, 
 when that is withdrawn they fall by 
 reason of their own depravity. See 
 Romans, i. 28. 
 
 " To worship the host of heaven^' 
 The worship of the sun, moon, and 
 stars, which were regarded not only 
 as symbols and repi'esentations, but 
 living personifications of the Divine 
 Being, was probably the first form of 
 false religion, and is the only one 
 mentioned in the book of Job, xxxi. 
 26 — 28. It is called Sabaism from 
 the Hebrew word meaning host. 
 
 " In the book of the prophets." The 
 twelve minor pi'ophets were usually 
 comprehended in one volume, which 
 was called the Book of the Pro- 
 phets, Sir. xlix. 10. The passage 
 quoted by St. Stephen is from Amos, 
 V. 25. 
 
 " Have ye offered to me" &c. This 
 is equivalent to an assertion that the 
 house of Israel did not offer sacrifices 
 during those forty years. We are 
 not, however, to understand that they 
 slew no victims on the altar of the 
 Lord (see Exod. xxiv. 4.; Numb, 
 vii. 11.), but that they offered them 
 without tliat sincerity and exclusive 
 devotion which alone made sacrifice 
 acceptable. Considered as a nation 
 
 Israel at no time, during those years, 
 was perfectly clear of idolatrous 
 customs. 
 
 43. " Ye took up the tabernacle." 
 This was a very small tent, made of 
 branches, leaves, or grass, in which 
 the image of the idol was carried 
 about, of course in secret, and un- 
 known to IMoses. 
 
 " Of Moloch." This name (which 
 is derived from the Semitic word, 
 he reigned) was given by the Am- 
 morites (1 Kings, xi. 7.) and the 
 Moabites (2 Kings, iii. 2.) to their 
 national idol, which they also called 
 Baal, or Lord. It is supposed that 
 they worshipped the sun by these 
 names : but at a later period Baal 
 was worshipped as the sun, Moloch 
 as the planet Saturn."^ The rites per- 
 formed in honour of this idol were 
 remarkably atrocious. According to 
 the Jewish writers ^ children were 
 burned alive between the outstretched 
 arms of the brazen statue. The 
 Tyrians and their colonists, especially 
 the Carthaginians,^ offered their 
 children to Moloch, until a compara- 
 tively late period in ancient history. 
 I'he Israelites frequently fell into 
 this most horrible of all idolatries. 
 See Lev. xviii. 21. ; xx. 21. ; 1 Kings, 
 ii. 7. ; 2 Kings, xxiii. 10. ; Jer. vii. 
 31. 
 
 " Tieynphan." Or Rephan. A 
 Coptic, that is, Egyptian word, 
 which is used by the LXX as equi- 
 valent to Chiun. Both words* de- 
 signate the planet Saturn, or rather 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 s Winer, ii. 100—102. 
 •"* Jarchi on Jer. vii. 31. 
 
 "• Diodor. Sic, xx. 14. 
 
 ' Winer, Meyer, Henderson on \itios, &c. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 75 
 
 to worship tliem : 
 Babylon. 
 
 and I ^\ ill carry you away beyond " 0'^'«'"'*p«^f- 
 
 -' '' h Exod. 25. 40. 
 
 & '^ti. .30. 
 
 44. Our ftithers had the tabernacle of witness in the . V'^\^\, 
 
 I Josn. ,5, 14. 
 
 wilderness, as he had appointed, || speaking unto Moses, y or, having 
 ^ that he should make it according to the fashion that '""'''''• 
 
 , , , ° k Neh. 9. 24. 
 
 he had seen. p^^- 14. 2. & 
 
 45. ^ Which also our fathers H that came after brouf^ht '^^^ i^- 19. 
 
 1 1 Sam. IG. 1. 
 
 2 Sam. 7. 1. 
 
 in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, 
 ^ whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, 
 unto the days of David ; 
 
 46. ^Who found favour before God, and "^desired 
 to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 
 
 47. '^But Solomon built him an house. 
 
 m 1 Kings, S. 
 
 1 Chron. 22. 7. 
 Ps. 152. 4, 5. 
 
 n 1 Kines, 6. 1 . 
 & 8. 20. 
 
 1 Chron. 17. 12. 
 
 2 Chron. 3. 1. 
 
 the malevolent and destructive prin- 
 ciple -which the idolaters believed 
 that planet to represent. 
 
 " Figures" This word stands in 
 opposition to tabernacle and star, and 
 signifies idols. 
 
 '■'■ Babylon J' Damascus in the 
 Hebrew. The Israelites passed Da- 
 mascus in their way to captivity be- 
 yond Babylon. 
 
 44. " Our fathers had the tabernacle 
 of witness." This statement pointedly 
 refers to their wilful idolatry. God 
 gave them the tabernacle of witness, 
 but they preferred the tabernacle of 
 Moloch. The tabernacle was made 
 according to the pattern shown to 
 Moses on the mount (Exod. xxv. and 
 Hebrews, viii. 5.), and was both 
 symbolical and typical. It repre- 
 sented heavenly and spiritual truths, 
 and was a shadow of better things to 
 come. The word witness means testi- 
 mony, and implies that the tabernacle 
 was a pledge and evidence of the cove- 
 nant between God and His people.' 
 St. Stephen had been accused of 
 blaspheming the temple, the fol- 
 lowing verses contain an indirect 
 but complete refutation of that 
 charge. 
 
 45. ''Jesus." The Greek form for 
 the Hebrew name Joshua, Saviour. 
 St. Stephen uses it not without a refer- 
 
 ence to Him, of whom Joshua was a 
 type. 
 
 " Into the possession of the Ge?itiles." 
 This means at the time^ when they 
 subdued the Canaanites, and took 
 possession of their land. 
 
 " Unto the days." St. Stephen 
 gives the history of the tabernacle. 
 It remained with the Israelites at 
 divers places from the beginning 
 unto this time. 
 
 46. " Who found favour" See. The 
 first project of building the temple 
 is thus referred to the man who was 
 after God's own heart. 
 
 '' And desired." Or prayed. The 
 request of David and the answer of 
 God, communicated through Nathan, 
 is given 2 Sam. i. 1. and 1 Chron. 
 xviii. 1. 
 
 " A tabernacle" here means a per- 
 manent dwelling-place. 
 
 47. '•'•But Solomon." David was 
 not permitted to build the temple, 
 because he had been a man of war. 
 
 " An house." The temple was so 
 called, as being symbolically the 
 dwelling-place of God. (The Jews 
 called the temple the mountain of the 
 house.) St. Stephen thus expresses 
 his full belief in the Divine appoint- 
 ment of the temple. It was in a 
 true, though peculiar and limited, 
 sense, the house of God. 
 
 1 This point, which has been much dis- 
 puted, is fully proved by Bahr. Symbohk, 
 %ol. i. p. 83. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
76 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 o 1 Kings, S. 
 
 27. 
 
 2 Chron. 2. 6. 
 
 & 6. 18. 
 
 ch. 17.24. 
 
 p Isai. C6. 1, 2. 
 Matt. 5. 31. 56. 
 
 q Exod. 32. 9. 
 & 33. 3. 
 Isai. 48. 4. 
 
 r Lev. 26. II. 
 Deut. 10. 10. 
 Jer. 4.4. & 
 fi. 10. & 9. 2G. 
 Ezek. 44. 9. 
 
 s 2 Chron. 36. 
 
 16. 
 
 Matt. 21. 35. 
 
 & 2.-^. 34, 37. 
 
 1 Thes. 2. 15. 
 
 t ch. 3. 14. 
 
 u Esod. 20. 1. 
 Gal. 3. 19. 
 Hebr. 2. 2. 
 
 48. Howbeit ° the most High dwelleth not in tem- 
 ples made with hands ; as saith the prophet, 
 
 49. P Heaven is my throne, and earth is my foot- 
 stool : what house will ye build me ? saith the Lord : 
 or what is the place of my rest ? 
 
 50. Hath not my hand made all these things ? 
 
 51. % Ye ^stiffnecked and ^' uncircumcised in heart 
 and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : as your 
 fathers did, so do ye. 
 
 52. ^ Which of tiie prophets have not your fathers 
 persecuted ? and they have slain them which shewed 
 liefore of the coming of * the Just One ; of wdiom ye 
 have been now the betrayers and murderers : 
 
 53. " Who have received the law by the disposition 
 of angels, and have not kept it. 
 
 48. " Hoivbeit." Nevertheless, al- 
 though the temple had that designa- 
 tion, it was not, and could not be, 
 strictly speaking, the dwelling-place 
 of God. This was expressly stated 
 by Solomon himself at the dedication 
 of the temple, 1 Kings, viii 27. 
 
 49. '■'■Heaven is my throne, and 
 earth" This passage from Isaiah, 
 which is not quoted literally, declares 
 the Omnipresence of the Almighty. 
 The Israelites' peculiar tendency was 
 to restrict and sensualize religious 
 truths, and to confound the symbols 
 with the spiritual realities. The same 
 chapter (Isaiah Ixi.) contains a 
 pointed warning to the Jews of the 
 inefficacy of all forms and rites with- 
 out genuine conversion. 
 
 51. "Ye stiff-necked,'" &c. It is 
 supposed* that St. Stephen was here 
 interrupted, if not by the president 
 of the Sanhedrim, yet by outcries or 
 murmurs of the bystanders. Ihit 
 his words though abrupt, had a close 
 and distinct connection with the pre- 
 ceding verses, in which, as has been 
 shown throughout, his confession of 
 faith is combined with warnings to 
 the Jews; and they are quite in uni- 
 son with the declarations of Isaiah, 
 in the chapter to which he has just 
 alluded. 
 
 " Stiff-necked and nncircumcised.'" 
 The unconversion of the Jews 
 has two characteristics, — stubborn- 
 ness and impurity, which caused 
 them at all times to resist the Holy 
 Ghost. The former term is taken 
 from oxen that would not submit to 
 the yoke ; the second conveys a sharp 
 and painful reproof to the Jews who 
 trusted in their circumcision. 
 
 " In heart and ears." That is, whose 
 affections and understanding are 
 equally alienated from God. 
 
 52. '^Your fathers.'" This verse 
 proves the preceding sentence. The 
 same evil spirit caused the fathers to 
 slay the heralds of " the Just One," 
 and the sons to betray and murder 
 Him. 
 
 " The Just One." The only just 
 one. — the absolutely just, who was 
 the Lord our liighteousness. 
 
 53. "/?// the dis]x)sitio7i of angels." 
 With the ministration of angels.* 
 See Psalm Ixviii. 18. The Hebrews 
 at that time doubted not that God 
 appeared at Sinai, surrounded by 
 His holy angels;^ and St. Stephen 
 alludes to this opinion, both to prove 
 his own respect for the law, and to 
 rejjrove the inconsistency of his ac- 
 cusers, who admitted its authority, 
 but broke its precepts by their ha- 
 
 1 Kninofil, Olsliauscn, &G» 
 3 Urotiiis, Schmidt, Glass. 
 
 3 Joseiil'. .Vnt.,. XV. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 77 
 
 54. ^ ^ When they heard these things, they were x ch. 3. 35. 
 cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their 
 teeth. 
 
 55. But he, y being full of the Holy Ghost, looked y ch. e. 5. 
 up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, 
 
 and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 
 
 56. And said. Behold, ^ I see the heavens opened, z^Exek. 1.^1. 
 and the ^ Son of man standing on the right hand of ^h. 16. ii. 
 
 God. a Dan. 7. 13. 
 
 57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and ^^.^ ^^'"^^'2'- 
 stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, Hebr.'is.^r^. 
 
 58. And ^cast hu7i out of the city, <^and stoned him : c Lev. 24. le. 
 
 bitual wickedness, and most espe- 
 cially by the murder of the Just 
 One. 
 
 54. " They icere cut to the heart.'" 
 See note, ver. 33. They felt that al- 
 though he had fully vindicated him- 
 self from both charges, that vindica- 
 tion involved an utter condemnation 
 both of their superstitious practices 
 and depraved character.' 
 
 55. " Being full of the Holy Ghost" 
 Under whose special inspiration he 
 had spoken according to the promise 
 of our Lord. 
 
 " And saw the glory of God" He 
 saw with the spiritual eye, opened 
 by the Holy Ghost, the glorious 
 light which declared the Divine 
 presence. 
 
 " Jesus standing." Not, as on other 
 occasions, sitting. Sitting is the po- 
 sition of a judge; standing of a 
 helper and defender.^ 
 
 56. " Son of man." This appella- 
 tion, " Son of Man " is not used of 
 our Lord by any of His disciples ex- 
 cepting in this passage. St. Stephen 
 evidently uses ii with reference to our 
 Lord's own prediction in presence of 
 the same unrighteous judges. Luke, 
 xxii. 69. See also Daniel, vii. 13. He 
 declared, moreover, by this expres- 
 sion, that he saw Him in His hu- 
 
 man form, — that well-known and 
 beloved form which He had borne 
 on earth.^ 
 
 57. " Then they cried out." They 
 had hitherto heard much that excited 
 their rage, but nothing which they 
 could deem blasphemous. Now they 
 gladly seized the occasion, and, as 
 the high priest had done when our 
 Saviour predicted that glory, cried 
 out on St. Stephen's declaration. 
 
 " Ra?i upon him ivith one accord." 
 This was evidently a tumultuary 
 proceeding, — no votes appear to 
 have been collected, and no sentence 
 was pronounced. The president and 
 heads of the Sanhedrim were pro- 
 bably not unwilling to evade the 
 responsibility of condemning Stephen 
 to death. 
 
 ^^ And stoned him." Stoning was 
 the legal punishment for blasphemy, 
 and all offences against God. See 
 Leviticus, xxiv. 10.; 1 Kings, xxi. 
 10., &c. If, however, the description, 
 of a formal execution by stoning 
 given by the Hebrew rabbis * be cor- 
 rect, this was a riotous and irregular 
 proceeding. According to them, 
 persons so executed were thrown 
 from a scaffold, about twelve feet 
 high, by one witness, when, if he was 
 not dead, the second witness killed 
 
 1 Chrysostom. 
 
 2 Greg. M. Horn. xix. 
 
 3 Olshausen. 
 
 in Fest. Asc. 
 
 4 Mishna, San. vi. 3, 
 See also Lightfoot. 
 
 Winer, ii. 521. 
 
 E 3 
 
78 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VII. 
 
 d Deut. 1,". 9, 
 10. & 17. 7. 
 ch. 8.1.& 
 22. '20. 
 
 g ch. 9. 10. 
 & 20. 56. & 
 21.5. 
 
 h Matt. 5. 4i 
 Luke, fi. 2S. 
 & 23. 31. 
 
 and ^ the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young 
 man's feet, whose name was Saul. 
 
 59. And they stoned Stephen, « calling upon God, 
 and saying, Lord Jesus, ^receive my spirit. 
 
 60. And he ^ kneeled down, and cried with a loud 
 voice, ^ Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And 
 when he had said this, he fell asleep. 
 
 him by thro^ving a large stone on 
 his heart. 
 
 " A young man's feet, 7vhose name 
 was Saul" For an account of the 
 early life of Saul, see introduction 
 to ch. ix. The expression "young 
 man " does not define his age, since 
 it is used frequently to denote per- 
 sons between twenty-four and forty 
 years old. 
 
 59. " Calling upon God" The in- 
 vocation was addressed directly to 
 the Lord Jesus, and is a remarkably 
 clear testimony to His Divinity.' As 
 the dying Saviour said " Father into 
 thy hands I commend my spirit " 
 (Luke, xxiii. 46.), so the dying mar- 
 tyr says Lord Jesus receive my 
 
 spirit. Prayer could not be addressed 
 to any but God without blasphemy, 
 and St. Stephen spake in the fulness 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 60. ''Lord, laij not,'' Sec. This 
 prayer must also be compared with 
 our Saviour's words, "Father, forgive 
 them, for they know not what they 
 do." Such were the manifestations 
 of the indwelling Spirit of Christ in 
 the heart of His elect. 
 
 ''He fell asleep." The death 
 of holy 'men is represented as a 
 sleep, because it is calm, peaceful, 
 and full of hope. They knoAV that 
 when they awake in the morning of 
 the resurrection, they will be satisfied 
 with His likeness. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 In the notes on this Chapter we have observed the practical application 
 of St. Stephen's discourse in reference to the Jews, we must not neglect to 
 apply it to ourselves. These things were written not only for instruction, 
 but for our admonition and warning. 
 
 1 7. Like Abraham, the Christian is called out of that world and state 
 
 in which he was born, and becomes one of the family of God, on condition 
 of relinquishing the evil that is in the world. Like the early posterity of 
 Abraham he is a sojourner in a strange land, and must bear tribulation, 
 although the bondage hath ceased, — the prince of the world hath been 
 judged, and the chosen seed have come forth to offer acceptable service 
 unto God in that " city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker 
 is God." 
 
 9 — 14. Joseph is to be regarded as a type of Christ, and of Christ's elect 
 in these points: — 1. Favour with his father. 2. Envy of his brethren. 
 3. Betrayal by tliem. 4. E.xile into Egypt. .'5. Bondage, cahimny, and 
 imprisonment there. 6. Work in his luiniiliation. 7. Prophetic spirit. 
 8. Deliverance and exaltation. 9. Provident foresight. 10. Preparation 
 
 1 Bp. Horslcy, Letters to Priestley, p. 232. ; and Bp. BloomficUl, Lcct. on the Acts, p. 32.; 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VIF. 79 
 
 for his brethi'en. 11. Trial of his brethren. 12. Reception of kinsmen. 
 13. Enduring prosperity. 
 
 15, 16. " There is a natural desire in persons to be buried by their 
 ancestors, but here it was a religious desire ; they died in the faith of their 
 ancestors, and laid down their heads together on the same pillow of dust, in 
 hope of a blessed and glorious resurrection." — Burkitt. 
 
 18 — 23. Mental and bodily endowments, high station and princely favour 
 did not separate Moses from his brethren. He cast his lot with the despised 
 people of God, " esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the 
 treasures in Egypt." 
 
 24 — 28. We must make no compromise with sin ; neither allow it in 
 ourselves, nor consent to it in others. But we must not forget that if the 
 spirit of Christ be in us, it will direct our zeal, not against a fellow man, 
 for whom Christ died, but against the evil principle, which He crushed by 
 His death. 
 
 30 — 36. Like Moses, the Christian may have to wait long for a signal 
 token of God's favour ; but if like him we wait patiently, " it will surely 
 come, it will not tarry." 
 
 Quesnel observes on verse 32, " The God of faith in Abraham ; the God 
 of hope in Isaac, the type of the resurrection ; the God of love in Jacob, 
 the pattern of paternal affection." 
 
 37 — 43. The lively oracles live only in hearts quickened by the Spirit; 
 but the unconverted heart rejects them, and feels greater longings for for- 
 bidden pleasures. We should watch the effects which God's warnings have 
 upon us. 
 
 41 — 43. Indulgence in sensual sins exposes the heart to all malignant 
 influences. If we make a calf of any lust, we may be given up to worship 
 the host of the false heaven, the prince of the power of air, the principalities 
 and powers of darkness. 
 
 44, 45. The public worship of God, though worthless without inward 
 devotion, is yet necessarily external, and ought to testify to the world the 
 reverence which believers feel for the Divine Majesty. Decency and order 
 are indispensable, solemnity and even magnificence are suitable adjuncts of 
 the public service of the Almighty, if we may judge by the tabernacle and 
 the temple. One of the most distressing results of superstitious abuses has 
 been that they make good men look with suspicion on the offerings of piety. 
 
 51 — 53. We are surprised by the conduct of the Jews, but the principle 
 which moved them is universal in the unconverted. All who do not obey, 
 resist the Holy Ghost. By St. Stephen's words we may learn that sharp 
 words, when needed, may be spoken, but not unless we can be sm-e that the 
 Spirit of God dictates or approves them. The safe rule for Christians is 
 given by St. Paul, Galatiaus, vi. 1. 
 
 54 — 58. May that mind be in us which dwelt in this holy martyr of the 
 Lord Jesus, He cried with a loud voice, when in the agony of love, he 
 prayed for his murderers ; he prayed for himself standing, looking upwards 
 in holy confidence for a crown of glory, but he praj'ed for them kneeling 
 as a humble intercessor, pleading the merits of another and not his own. 
 May we, like him, be consoled in our last hour by the revealed presence of 
 the Saviour, and like him surrender our spirits in full assurance unto Him, 
 " who is able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto Him." 
 
80 
 
 THE ACTS. CHxYP. VIII. 
 
 CHAPTER YIIL 
 
 The death of St. Stephen was followed immediately by a general persecu- 
 tion. The Pharisees, who appear hitherto to have opposed the Sadducees 
 in their attempts to suppress a religion founded on the doctrine of a re- 
 surrection, now urged them on, and indeed took the lead with their usual 
 fanaticism. This change is to be attributed partly to misapprehension of 
 the Christian views, touching the spirituality of true religion, which 
 appeared to them to contradict the revelations made to Moses, and 
 partly to a growing perception of the formidable character of that faith, 
 by which their whole theory of justification was subverted. It is said by 
 the Jewish writers, and with but too much appearance of probability, 
 that Gamaliel now consented to the persecution ; and though not willing 
 to take an active part in the proceedings, that he encouraged and di- 
 rected the impetuous zeal of his disciple Saul. 
 
 a ch. 7. 58. & 
 
 ^^2. 20. 
 
 c Gen. 23. 2. 
 
 & 50. 10. 
 
 •2 Sain. 3. ."1. 
 
 1. AxD ^ Saul was consenting unto his death. And 
 at that time there was a great persecution against the 
 church which was at Jerusalem ; and ^ they Avere all 
 scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and 
 Samaria, except the apostles. 
 
 2. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, 
 and ^ made great lamentation over him. 
 
 1. " Consenting.''^ The word used 
 in the original means that he fully 
 approved the act, and sympathised 
 with the murderers. 
 
 "•^ At that time" Rather, on that 
 very day. The popular movement, 
 excited and guided by the Sanhe- 
 drim, was directed at once against 
 the Christians. The stoning of Ste- 
 phen was the signal for the per- 
 secution.' 
 
 " They were all scattered^ The 
 blood of the first martyr was the 
 seed of the Church.- All the leading 
 Christians were dif^persed ; and some 
 carried the Gospel as far as Pha'nice, 
 Antioch, and Cyprus, although as 
 
 yet they preached to the Jews only. 
 See xi. 19, 20. 
 
 *' Except the Apostles^ The Apo- 
 stles remained at Jerusalem until a 
 later period, when the relative po- 
 sitions of the Gentiles and Hebrews 
 Avere more clearly defined. The 
 persecutors may have feared to at- 
 tack persons who had performed 
 miracles of so awful a character.^ 
 There is an ancient tradition, found 
 in writers of the second century, 
 that the Apostles were connnanded 
 by our Lord to continue their preach- 
 ing at Jerusalem for twelve years.'' 
 
 2. " Dcrout men." These are sup- 
 posed to have been Jews, who be- 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 2 Tertiillian. ad Nat. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
 Humphry, Clem. Alex. Strom., vi. 5.43. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VHI. 
 
 81 
 
 3. As for Saul, ^ he made havock of the church, 
 entering into every house, and haling men and women 
 committed them to prison. 
 
 4. Therefore ^they that were scattered abroad went 
 every where preaching the word. 
 
 5. Then ^Philip went down to the city of Samaria, 
 and preached Christ unto them. 
 
 6. And the people with one accord gave heed unto 
 those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing 
 the miracles which he did. 
 
 d ch. 7. 
 9. 1, 1.-, 
 & yy. 4. 
 
 '^6. 10, 1 
 1 Cor. 1, 
 
 1. 13. 
 . 10. 23. 
 
 lieved St. Stephen to be innocent. 
 Christians would have been called 
 brothers or disciples.' The loud 
 lamentation was a Jewish custom, 
 which Christians did not approve. 
 We doubt not that their conversion 
 followed, when that lamentation 
 would be changed to rejoicing. 
 
 3. ''As for Saul/' The rage of 
 Saul is thus contrasted with the con- 
 duct of those compassionate Jews.- 
 Saul was now acting under the au- 
 thority of the Sanhedrim, who were 
 probably glad to employ a distin- 
 guished Pharisee, since his zeal 
 would prove the full concurrence of 
 this powerful sect in the persecution. 
 See Acts, xxvi. 10, 11. 
 
 " Haling." An old English word 
 for hawling, ?. e. seizing, arresting. 
 
 4. '' Preaching the word." Different 
 words are used in the original for 
 preaching in this and the following 
 verse. Here it means " bearing the 
 glad tidings of the word ; " and does 
 not necessarily imply any official 
 character in the bearers. 
 
 5. " The7i Philip." One of the 
 seven deacons (vi. 5.). Henceforth 
 he is called an evangelist (xxi. 8.). 
 St. Luke, according to his usual 
 method, gives us a detailed account 
 of one transaction, in order that we 
 may understand the general cha- 
 racter and results of this first exten- 
 sion of the preaching of the Gospel. 
 
 " The city of Samaria." Samaria 
 
 had been destroyed by Hyrcanus 
 but was afterwards rebuilt, and called 
 Sebaste by Herod, in honour of Au- 
 gustus, whose Greek name is Se- 
 bastos. It is, how^ever, probable 
 that it was still called Samaria by 
 the people, who in that country are 
 singularly tenacious of old names.^ 
 At that time Sychem was the capital 
 of Samaria ; and some commentators 
 suppose that Philip preached the 
 Gospel in that city.* If so, a way 
 had been prepared for him by our 
 Lord. 
 
 " Preached Christ." Officially, as 
 an ordained minister. The word 
 here translated "preached" is never 
 used of a layman. The function of 
 pi'eaching was not always committed 
 to deacons ; but it was never doubted 
 that they might be deputed by the 
 bishop to preach.* Philip undoubt- 
 edly acted under the direction of the 
 Apostles. 
 
 6. " Gave heed." The Samaritans 
 expected the Messiah, whom they 
 called the Restorer ; and believed 
 that he would restore the creation to 
 its original state of perfection.*^ They 
 wei'e also of a more simple and pli- 
 able character than the Jews. 
 
 " The miracles." The Samaritans 
 regarded them as indispensable at- 
 testations to a revelation. The power 
 of working miracles was bestowed, 
 as we believe, generally on the evan- 
 gelists or missionaries. 
 
 ' Olshausen. See also C\\r\%o&tom. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Rehmd, Pal., p. 079. ; and Winer. 
 ■♦ Olshausen. 
 
 s Potter on Cluirch Government, p. 206— 
 208. 
 
 6 Neander, Pfl., p. 7G. ; Gesen, Carni. 
 Samarit. 
 
 E 5 
 
82 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VIII. 
 
 h ch. 13. 6. 
 i ch. 5. 5G. 
 
 7. For s unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, 
 came out of many that were possessed with them : and 
 many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were 
 healed. 
 
 8. And there was great joy in that city. 
 
 9. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which 
 beforetime in the same city ^ used sorcery, and be- 
 witched the people of Samaria, ^giving out that him- 
 self was some great one : 
 
 10. To whom they all gave heed, from the least to 
 the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of 
 God. 
 
 7. " Cnjiyig with loud voice." This 
 cry seems to have been a wild in- 
 articulate cry of rage and pain, as 
 in the case of the demoniac of Ca- 
 pernaum.' Mark, i. 23 — 26. 
 
 8. ^^ There ivas great joy" Joy for 
 the present benefit, but deeper and 
 truer for the knowledge of Christ, 
 
 9. " Simon." This man, called 
 Simon Magus by the early fathers, 
 ■was born in Gitton, a city of Sa- 
 maria. He studied philosophy at 
 Alexandria, but became notorious at 
 a later period for employing his 
 talents and learning for infamous 
 purposes. At that time persons pro- 
 fessing sorcery, divination, and other 
 unlawful arts, were very numerous 
 in all parts of the Roman empire. 
 They were feared, flattered, and de- 
 spised. This Simon is represented 
 by the early fathers to have been the 
 origin of the worst heresies which 
 infested the primitive Church, and 
 which did not consist merely in mis- 
 apprehension or even perversion of 
 doctrines, but in the introduction of 
 Oriental systems, that were diame- 
 trically opposed to the truth.^ From 
 the expressions used in this and in 
 the following verse, it is clear that 
 Simon represented himself to be a 
 Divine person, or an emanation from 
 the Deity. Theodoret says expressly. 
 
 that Simon pretended to appear to 
 the Jews as the Son, to have de- 
 scended to the Samaritans as the 
 Father, and to other nations as the 
 Holy Ghost. This account, which 
 is confirmed by Irenaus, Tertullian, 
 and Jerome (on Matt, xxiv,), shows 
 that he was an impenitent apostate, 
 and incidentally illustrates the clear 
 idea which the early Christians had 
 of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.^ 
 
 " Used sorcery.'''' St. Luke neither 
 asserts nor denies the reality of his 
 sorceries, which probably consisted 
 of incantations, exorcisms, astro- 
 logy, and to some extent of what is 
 called natural magic. It is well 
 known that some secrets of import- 
 ance have been preserved among the 
 pretended magicians of the East, 
 
 " And bewitched" — or bewildered 
 and fascinated. The effect was very 
 real on their minds, Seenote, ver,13. 
 
 10. " This man is the great poiver 
 of God.'" About this time it was 
 commonly believed in Palestine that 
 the power of God, a personal ema- 
 nation, or personified attribute of the 
 Deity, was to be manifested in the 
 Messiah.' This opinion had an im- 
 portant bearing upon the formation 
 of many early heresies, and is not 
 without interest in the present state 
 of Jewish controversies; proving 
 
 > Trench on the Miracles, p. 2.'i2. 
 
 2 On the connection between Simon and 
 the Gnostics, sec IJurton, Lect. H. I-;., p. 75 
 — 80., and Bampton Lectures, p, 374. 
 
 "* Whitby ; Moshcim, p. 111. 189. ; Winer, 
 &c. 
 
 ' Dorner, Ent. von der Person Christ., 
 i. 15— GO. Burton, 1. c. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VIII. 
 
 83 
 
 11. And to him thej had regard, because that of 
 long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. 
 
 12. But when they believed Philip preaching the 
 things ^ concerning the kingdom of God, and the name k ch. i. 3. 
 of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and 
 women. 
 
 13. Then Simon himself believed also : and when 
 he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and won- 
 dered, beholdino^ the t n^ii'acles and si2:ns which were + Gr. «.>»« and 
 
 '-' ' '-^ great miracle*. 
 
 done. 
 
 14. Kow when the apostles wdiich Avere at Jerusalem 
 heard that Samaria had received the word of God, 
 they sent unto them Peter and John : 
 
 15. Who, when they were come down, prayed for 
 them, Uliat they might receive the Holy Ghost : 1 ch. 2. ss. 
 
 16. (For ^ as yet he was fallen upon none of them : ^ ch. 19. 2. 
 
 how much of their own authoritative 
 tradition they have thrown away in 
 their hatred to Christianity, 
 
 12. " Philip preachiny" &c. The 
 object of his preaching was first to 
 show them the full meaning of that 
 Messianic era which they expected ; 
 and, secondly, to teach them the 
 true name, character, and offices of 
 the Restorer, for whom they hoped. 
 Their baptism took place without 
 delay, being administered by Philip 
 as deacon. 
 
 13. " Then Simon believed.^'' A 
 very remarkable attestation to the 
 reality of the miracles wrought by 
 Philip. Simon believed that Jesus 
 was the Messiah', and that He had 
 established the kingdom of God, be- 
 cause his understanding could not 
 resist the evidence, and he was bap- 
 tized because he wished to obtain 
 the benefits of this manifestation. 
 Such faith does not of course involve 
 a change of heart, but he probably 
 deceived himself and the evangelist 
 as to his state and views. 
 
 " And wondered. " This hardly 
 gives the force of the original, which 
 means, he was bewildered, beside 
 himself. The same word is used in 
 the ninth and eleventh verses, where 
 
 it is rendered bewitched. He who 
 bewildered others is now bewildered 
 himself. 
 
 14. " That Samaria" Not only 
 this city, but the country of Samaria. 
 The conversion of the whole district 
 was commenced and carried on by 
 Philip, the deacon and evangelist.' 
 
 " Thei/ sent." The two most dis- 
 tinguished among the Apostles went 
 to complete the work of Philip, but, 
 as we obsei've, they were sent by the 
 Apostolic body. St. Peter therefore 
 could not, of course, be the supreme 
 ruler of the Church. 
 
 15. 17. The two verses describe 
 the Apostolic rite of confirmation, 
 which was never administered save 
 by the Apostles and bishops of the 
 Church.^ 
 
 15. " The Holy Ghost." Not 
 merely the gifts, but that peculiar 
 indwelling presence of the Spirit 
 which brings with it the fulness of 
 Christian privileges, and of which 
 the miraculous gifts were but the at- 
 testations. In the early Church con- 
 firmation followed immediately upon 
 baptism in the case of adults, but not 
 in the case of infants. 
 
 16. ^^ He was fallen." This expres- 
 sion indicates such an extraordinary 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Cyprian. Ep. 
 P. v., Ixvi. 4. 
 E 6 
 
 72, 73. ; and Hooker, E 
 
84 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VIII. 
 
 o ch. TO. 48. 
 & 19.5. 
 
 p ch. 6. 6. & 
 19. G. 
 Hebr. 6. 2. 
 
 q Matt. to. S. 
 See '2 Kings, 
 5. 16. 
 
 r ch. '>. oS. & 
 
 10. 4.5. & 
 
 11. 17. 
 
 s Dan. 4. 27. 
 2 Tim. 2. 25. 
 
 only ^ tliey were baptized in ^ the name of the Lord 
 Jesus.) 
 
 17. Then Plaid they theh hands on them, and they 
 received the Holy Ghost. 
 
 18. And when Simon saw that through laying on of 
 the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he 
 offered them money, 
 
 19. Saying, Give me also this power, that on whom- 
 soever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. 
 
 20. But Peter said unto him. Thy money perish 
 with thee, because ^ thou hast thought that ^ the gift 
 of God may be purchased Avith money. 
 
 21. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter : 
 for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 
 
 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and 
 pray God, ^ if perhaps the thought of thine heart may 
 be foro-iven thee. 
 
 manifestation as was described in the 
 second and third chapters. 
 
 17. " Then laid they their hands." 
 This "was an act of consecration, not 
 merely of prayer. It signified the 
 conveyance of that special blessing 
 described above, ver. 15. See note, 
 vi. 6. 
 
 18. " He offered them money" Si- 
 mon's object was not to purchase the 
 gifts of the Spirit for himself, which 
 would have been bestowed upon him 
 freely and without price, had he 
 sought them, but the power of con- 
 ferring them upon others, which was 
 confined to the Apostles. He was 
 evidently prompted by ambition, the 
 origin of most sects and heresies, and 
 by covetousness, intending to sell 
 what he bought. Hence Simony has 
 "become the general and legal name 
 for the great crime of trafficking in 
 spiritual charges. 
 
 20. " Thy money perish with thee." 
 The fathers' generally regard this 
 as a prophecy, rather than an impre- 
 cation. It seems to be simply an 
 outburst of spiritual indignation and 
 horror. 
 
 21. ''Neither part nor lot." The 
 
 same expression is used in the ori- 
 ginal as by the LXX in 2 Sam. xx. 
 1. and Deut. x 9., when an entire 
 separation of interests is described. 
 The Samaritan impostor was not in 
 a state to receive the gifts of the 
 Holy Spirit, much less to communi- 
 cate them to others. 
 
 22. " Repent therefore." It has 
 been thought remarkable that re- 
 pentance should be offered to so great 
 a sinner, considering the punishment 
 inflicted on Ananias and Sapphira. 
 This is to be accounted for, perhaps, 
 by the superior enlightenment of the 
 Hebrews. The Samaritan, notwith- 
 standing his baptism, yet remained 
 in his low, sensual, and grovelling 
 state of mind. He had not received 
 the Holy Spirit, and kncAv the 
 "power of the world to come" ex- 
 ternally only.'^ The subject is how- 
 ever mysterious. 
 
 " If perhaps." St. Peter admon- 
 ishes and directs, but scarcely ex- 
 presses a hope. His doubt, however, 
 refers to the repentance of Simon, 
 not to the forgiveness which would 
 be bestowed if he should pray with 
 a contrite and broken spirit. 
 
 Ap. Cramer, Cut. in Acl. 
 
 2 Olsliauscu. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. YIII. 
 
 23. For I perceive that thou art in Hhe gall of bit- t iiebr. 
 terness, and in the bond of iniquity. 
 
 24. Then answered Simon and said, ^* Pray ye to the ucen. 
 Lord for me, that none of these thino-s which jq have Exod.s 
 spoken come upon me. Lb'^f 
 
 26. And they, when they had testified and preached J^'""' 
 the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and 
 preached the gospel in many villages of the Sama- 
 ritans. 
 
 26. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, 
 saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way 
 that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is 
 desert. 
 
 27. And he arose and went : and, behold, ^ a man x zepb 
 of Ethiopa, an eunuch of great authority under Can- 
 
 , 13. 6. 
 
 .8. 
 5. 16. 
 
 23. '■^ The gall of bitterness ^^ Poison 
 and bitterness are convertible terms 
 in Hebrew. See Deut. xxix. 17.; 
 Heb. xii. 15. And the gall of the 
 viper Avas regarded as the source 
 of its venom, i The expression, 
 therefore, means that his aifections 
 were thoroughlycorrupt and poisoned. 
 
 " The bond of iniquity." The 
 thraldom of habitual sin. The in- 
 ward coiTuption and the evil habit 
 complete the description of a repro- 
 bate. 
 
 24. " Then ansioered Simon." He 
 does not request the Apostle to pray 
 that he may be delivered from the 
 bondage, or healed of the disease of 
 sin, but that he may be saved from 
 the consequences which his guilty 
 conscience forebodes. There is no 
 indication of genuine repentance in 
 this fear. Simon appears to have 
 left Samaria shortly after these events, 
 and to have travelled through various 
 countries promulgating the most de- 
 testable heresies.- He is said to 
 have obtained great celebrity in 
 Rome.^ See Dr. Burton's Bampton 
 Lectures, p. 374. 
 
 25. " Wheii they had testified" &c. 
 Peter and John probably remained 
 in Samaria long enough to organize 
 
 a Christian Church, and then passed 
 some time in preaching the Gospel in 
 other parts of the district. This was 
 a very important step in the propa- 
 gation of the Gospel, and prepared 
 the feelings of the Apostles for the 
 overthrow of the "partition wall" 
 between Hebrews and aliens. 
 
 26. The following narrative illus- 
 trates the mode by which the Gospel 
 was made known at a very early 
 period in remote countries, and it 
 presents a striking contrast to the 
 Samaritan magician, in the single- 
 heai-ted convert fi'om Ethiopia. 
 
 " Tlie angel of the Lord." Or an 
 angel. There can be no doubt that 
 St. Luke means that a heavenly spirit 
 appeared to Philip, whether in vision 
 or in dream.* Though angel means 
 " messenger," yet angel of the Lord 
 always designates a celestial being. 
 
 " Gaza." A very ancient city (see 
 Gen. X. 19.), and one of the five prin- 
 cipal cities of Philistia. It was de- 
 stroyed by Alexander, but rebuilt 
 by Herod. We learn, however, from 
 Josephus^ that it was laid waste by 
 brigands shortly before this transac- 
 tion. Hence the remark of St. Luke, 
 " which is desert." 
 
 27. ''A man of Ethiopia" Though 
 
 1 Mever. 
 
 2 Irenaeus, i. 20. 23. ; Eus., H. E., ii. 14. 
 
 3 Justin Martyr, Ap. p. C9. 
 
 ^ Meyer. 
 
 5 B. i., 11. IS. See Hug., Meyer, &g. 
 
86 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. VIII. 
 
 dace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of 
 yjohn, 12. 20. all hci' trcasurc, and ^had come to eJerusalem for to 
 worship, 
 
 28. Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read 
 Esaias the prophet. 
 
 29. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and 
 join thyself to this chariot. 
 
 30. And Phihp ran thither to Ji'dh, and heard him 
 read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou 
 what thou readest ? 
 
 31. And he said. How can I, except some man 
 should guide me? And he desired Philip that he 
 would come up and sit with him. 
 
 32. The place of the scripture which he read was 
 z isa. 53. 7. 8. tWs, * Hc was icd as a sheep to the slaughter ; and 
 
 like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not 
 his mouth : 
 
 33. In his humiliation his judgment was taken 
 
 a native of Ethiopia, he was probably 
 a Hebrew by descent, as he appears 
 to have been reading the Hebrew 
 Bible. See note, verse 32. 
 
 " Candace." This name was borne 
 by the queens of Meroe, an island in 
 the upper Nile.' Her dominions ex- 
 tended probably over part of Abys- 
 sinia. 
 
 ^^ For to worship.'^ He had pro- 
 bably attended one of the great fes- 
 tivals at Jerusalem. 
 
 28, '^lieadEsaia.s." He must have 
 been a witness of the persecution of 
 the Christians, and the defence of St. 
 Stephen was likely to make a deep 
 impression upon a devout spirit. It 
 may be fairly presumed that he was 
 searching the prophetical Scriptures 
 in order to ascertain the characteris- 
 tics of the true Messiah. 
 
 29. " Thai the Spirit said:' 
 Doubtless by an internal communi- 
 cation. We must not, however, con- 
 found such a miraculous intimation 
 with the ordinary ])r<)niptings and 
 suggestions of the Holy Spirit. This 
 was a specific direction, whereas we 
 
 are to look only for an enUghten- 
 ment of conscience. 
 
 30. ''Understandest thou" &c. The 
 application of the prophecy which 
 he was reading. 
 
 31. ''Hoiv can 7," &c. This an- 
 swer does not imply that Holy 
 Scripture generally is unintelligible 
 without an interpreter, but that he 
 could not understand this prophecy 
 M-ithout a guide to tell him the facts 
 to which it referred. 
 
 32. *' The place of the Scripture." 
 The expression used here refers to 
 the Hebrew sections or divisions 
 of the Bible.^ St. Luke, as usual, 
 quotes from the Septuagint version. 
 The 53rd of Isaiah was then un- 
 derstood by all the Jews to be de- 
 scriptive of the work and person of 
 Christ.3 
 
 33. " In His humiliation:' In our 
 version, " He was taken from prison 
 and from judgment," the exact mean- 
 ing of (he original appears to be, " He 
 was taken away liy a cruel and op- 
 pressive judgment," being humbled, 
 afflicted, and crucified.'* 
 
 > Ludoipii. 11. ii:tii., p. 
 
 4!i. 
 '^ OUhaiisen. 
 
 8D. ; Wiiior, i. ^ Hpngstciihcr^'. Christologie; and Schoct- 
 gen. Hor. Ileb., ii. Ml—CbO. 
 ■• Ilcpgstenberg, i. 3-10. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. YIII. 
 
 87 
 
 away : and who shall declare his generation ? for his 
 life is taken from the earth. 
 
 34. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I 
 pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this ? of him- 
 self, or of some other man ? 
 
 35. Then Philip opened his mouth, -"^ and began at a Luke, 21. 27. 
 the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 
 
 36. And as they went on their vv'ay, they came unto 
 a certain water : and the eunuch said. See, here is 
 water ; ^ what doth hinder me to be baptized ? b ch. 10. 47. 
 
 37. And Philip said, ^ If thou believest with all <= ^r«t. 28. ig. 
 
 ,.- ,^ All 1T.1 Mark, 16. 16. 
 
 thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, 
 
 •^I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. johif"' It' ^^' 
 
 38. And he commanded tlie chariot to stand still : l^-'^^i^s- 
 and they went down both into the water, both Philip f jo|;>S. 15. 
 and the eunuch ; and he baptized him. & 5. 0/1.3. 
 
 39. And when they were come up out of the water, 
 ®the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the 
 eunuch saw him no more : 
 rejoicing. 
 
 and he went on his way 
 
 e 1 Ivings, 18. 
 
 12. 
 
 2 Kiiiijs, 2. 16. 
 
 Ezek. 5. 12, U 
 
 "His generation." The meaning of 
 this word is contested. According to 
 some of our best commentators ', it 
 means " manner of Ufe." The early 
 fathers understood it of our Lord's 
 divine origin.^ But it generally sig- 
 nifies an age of men, the men of 
 a particular epoch ; and we may 
 perhaps understand the expression 
 to mean, who can declare, or suffi- 
 ciently describe the wickedness of 
 that generation by whom the Mes- 
 siah was judicially murdered ? ^ 
 
 34. " Of ivhom speaketh,''' See. Had 
 the eunuch been a Palestinian Jew, 
 he would have known that the pro- 
 phet spoke of the Messiah. See note, 
 verse 32. 
 
 35. " Opened his mouth." This ex- 
 pression is only used on solemn 
 occasions, when some great moral 
 or doctrinal truth is to be declared.* 
 
 "Preached unto him Jesus." Proved 
 that Jesus was the person of whom 
 the prophet spake, and instructed in 
 
 the fundamental truths of Chris- 
 tianity, including, of course, the doc- 
 trine of baptism. 
 
 36. " Unto a certain water." Ac- 
 cording to Eusebius and Jerome, the 
 eunuch was baptized in a fountain 
 near Bethsora, at the twentieth mile- 
 stone from Jerusalem, on the road to 
 Hebron. 
 
 37. "If thou believest" &c. Such 
 faith necessarily involves repent- 
 ance. 
 
 39. " Caught away." Compare 2 
 Kings, xviii. 12. The disappearance 
 of Philip is evidently represented as 
 miraculous. 
 
 " He went on his way rejoicing." 
 The Abyssinians believe that their 
 Church was founded by this convert, 
 whom they call Indich. It is known, 
 indeed, that the country was first 
 Christianised by Frumentius and 
 Adesius in the 4th century ; but 
 there appear to be indications of an 
 earlier introduction of the Gospel in 
 
 1 Lowth and Kennicott. 
 
 2 Severiis ap. Cramer. Cat. in Acts ; and 
 Suicer. Thes., i. 744. 
 
 3 I.ightfoot and Meyer. 
 ■1 Tholuck on Matt., v. 2. 
 
88 THE ACTS. CHAP. VIIL 
 
 40. But Philip was found at Azotus : and passing 
 through he preached in all the cities, till he came to 
 Cesarea. 
 
 the formularies of that Church, about sixty miles north-west of Je- 
 
 ■which still retains an orthodox con- rusalem, upon the site of an old 
 
 fession of faith.' castle, called the tower of Strato. It 
 
 40. " Azotus." Or Ashdod (Josh, belonged to Phaniice, not to Judea, 
 
 xiii. 3. ; 1 Samuel, v. i.), lay about and was regarded as a Gentile city 
 
 thirty-four miles to the north of both by the Jews and Romans. 
 
 Gaza. It was then, and is still, a Philip appears to have settled per- 
 
 seaport of some importance, bearing manently at Csesarea, and to have 
 
 the old name slightly altered, Esdud.- been employed in preaching the 
 
 ^^ In all the cities." This road led Gospel in the surrounding district, 
 
 through Ekron, Rama, Joppa, and under the authority of the Apostles, 
 
 the plain of Sharon. Henceforth he is called the evange- 
 
 " Cesarea." The residence of the list. The site of Ca?sarea is marked 
 
 Roman procurator of Judea; it was by some considerable ruins and a 
 
 built by Herod in honour of Au- few fishermen's huts, which still 
 
 gustus Csesar, on the sea-coast, bear the name of Kysariah.^ 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DOCTRINAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 4. Persecution draws out the characteristics of all parties. Steady 
 courage in the Apostles, once so timid, but now strong in the Lord. Sym- 
 pathy in single-hearted and devout, though as yet imperfectly informed, 
 observers. The energy of hate in the persecuting fanatic, and the energy 
 of love in the persecuted believers, God overrules all characters alike, and 
 makes all things minister to the futherance of His Gospel. 
 
 5 — 8. If we give heed to the preaching of the word, and use the means 
 of grace, these verses indicate the spiritual results, viz., the expulsion of 
 unclean affections, new and vigorous life in the diseased heart, and joy in 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 9, 10. & 18 — 24. The character of Simon strikes us as being very 
 strange, and remote from our own experience. Yet his actions sprung from 
 the common source of all evil, — selfishness, which developed itself in two 
 affections, to which all are predisposed, vanity and covetousness ; hence 
 his fraud, hence his ostentatious and blasphemous lies. By his example we 
 are warned that no profession of faith, or use of the external means of grace 
 avail for conversion, unless the root of evil be cut through by the sword of 
 the Spirit, and the bitter source be sweetened by His gracious influence. 
 While we apply these lessons to ourselves, yet, in the case of others, we 
 must imitate the charity of Philip and the Apostles, who accepted the pro- 
 fessions of Simon, and, when he fell, pointed out the only means of deli- 
 verance. 
 
 14 — 17. The means of grace are various, but all are needed for the full 
 
 1 Neandcr, p. 89. & 7iotr ; Ludolph. U. - Roland, p. G70. ; Winer. 
 
 Althiopia. ^ Winer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. VIII. 89 
 
 edification of the Church. Bishop Beveridge saith, " We must use not only 
 some, but all the means of grace that are appointed for the begetting or in- 
 creasing of true grace and virtue in us ; one being as necessary in its kind 
 as another, and all assisting one another in order to the attainment of the 
 end. And after all, though we use the means, and all the means, -we must 
 use them only as means ; and therefore not rest in them, nor trust on them, 
 but only upon Him who hath appointed them, and hath sent His Holy 
 Spirit to move in them, to make them effectual to the purposes for which 
 they are used." 
 
 26 — 35. Remark the predispositions of this Eunuch, who came so readily 
 to Christ. He had neglected no means of grace afforded under the Old 
 Covenant. Rank, power, riches, royal favour, important occupations, and 
 vast distance, did not keep him from worshipping God in the place which 
 He appointed. This was no mere form, for on his return he studied the 
 word of God. The twin graces, humility and teachableness, kept his heart 
 open to all saving impressions, and his search was rewarded by a complete 
 revelation. 
 
 40. Burkitt observes upon the last verse, " How good it is to obey God 
 in the most difficult command. Philip had a hard and tiresome journey 
 from Samaria to Gaza, footing it through a desert in untrodden paths, and 
 running as fast as the Eunuch's chariot, to join himself unto it at the com- 
 mand of God. But now from Gaza to Azotus he has a swifter and easier 
 passage, he rides in an angelical flying chariot. When we attend the exe- 
 cution of God's commands the holy angels shall attend us, and take care of 
 us, and administer necessary help unto us ; like tender nurses, they keep us 
 safe while we live, and bring us home in their arms to our Father's house 
 when we die. Blessed be God for the ministry of His holy angels." 
 
90 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 With this Chapter -we enter upon a new and distinct series of events. 
 Hitherto the object of the inspired historian has been to give a clear idea 
 of the first institution of the Church, its doctrines and constitution, the 
 characteristics of its adherents, the progress which it made in Palestine, 
 and the obstacles by which that progress was obstructed or retarded. 
 Henceforth the prospect widens, and a light, Avhich with every Chapter 
 becomes more vivid and distinct, is cast upon the purposes of the Almighty 
 Father, which included the conversion of the Gentiles, and the complete 
 establishment of a Catholic Church, — a Church that would be limited to 
 no race or nation, but would offer a redemption, no less universal than 
 the corruption which made it needful to mankind. This effect is, however, 
 produced not by a general survey of events simultaneously occurring in 
 various places, — a mode of representation adapted only for the historical 
 student, — but by a personal narrative, which is equally interesting and 
 intelligible to the humblest Christian. With the exception of three 
 Chapters (and even they bear the same personal character), in which St. 
 Peter and the other Apostles are instructed in the true nature of the dis- 
 pensation entrusted to them, the remainder of this book is exclusively 
 occupied with the conversion and missionary labours of Saul, whom we 
 have hitherto seen only in the character of a fierce and bigoted perse- 
 cutor. This remarkable biography conducts us through an amazing 
 variety of scenes, and enables us to realize the triumphs of Christianity; 
 whether opposed by the energetic enmity of the Hebrew, or obstructed 
 by the grovelling superstition of the Gentile ; whether it encountered the 
 philosophy of Greece, or came into contact with the imperial power of 
 Rome. Everywhere we behold it exposing error, subverting idolatry, 
 establishing the principles of Divine truth, and erecting the standard of 
 the Cross in the very centre of a corrupt civilization. In these Chapters 
 the Spirit of God describes the workings and results of those principles 
 which the Son of God made knoAvn, and shows us in what manner the 
 benefits, which, by His precious blood-shedding. He purchased for us, 
 were brought within the reach, and offered to the acceptance of our 
 heathen forefathers. For we must understand this book to contain, so 
 to speak, a specimen of the mode in which Christianity Avas disseminated 
 through all nations, from Britain to China, by the other Apostles and 
 Evangelists, although their labours did not commence during the period 
 which it embraces, and have not l)een recorded by inspiration. 
 
 A brief account of what is certainly known, or probably conjectui'cd of 
 the early life of Saul, may be a fitting introduction to the study of these 
 Chapters. 
 
 Saul Avas born and received his early education at Tarsus, a rich and 
 beautiful city, the capital of Cilicia. His parents enjoyed the immunities 
 and privileges of Roman citizens, which may have been purchased by 
 liis father, or grandfather, or conferred upon them for services rendered 
 to the state." From Saul's connection with one of the synagogues at 
 
 Grolius on Acts, xxii. 28. ; and Deyling, Obss. Sacrac, iii. xl. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 91 
 
 Jerusalem, -wliicli appears to have belonged to Hebrew freedmen, it has 
 been still more probably conjectured' that his father may have been 
 made prisoner in the civil war, and afterwards manumitted at Rome. 
 Little is known of [the social condition of his parents, but from the care 
 bestowed upon his education, from the expense which they must have 
 incurred in sending him to Jerusalem^ and from the influence which he 
 possessed there at an early age, it may be presumed that they were 
 persons of some property and consideration. Tarsus offei'ed great 
 resources for an intellectual education, since its university was so famous 
 that Strabo,- a distinguished geographer, asserts that it equalled, or even 
 surpassed, Athens and Alexandria, although frequented chiefly by the 
 provincials of Asia Minor. The father of St. Paul, however, and pro- 
 bably his ancestors tor some generations were strict adherents to the sect 
 of the Pharisees, and it is not likely that he would be exposed to the 
 certain e^il of intercourse with idolaters in early youth, for the uncertain 
 advantage of Gentile cultivation of mind. He probably acquired in that 
 city the familiar knowledge of the Greek language, which is displayed in 
 his epistles, and even more strikingly in the discourses at Athens, and 
 before the Roman tribunals. But it is highly improbable that he then 
 became acquainted with the literature of the Greeks. The few passages 
 which he quotes, prove indeed that he did not share the narrow prejudices 
 of his countrymen, but he had ample opportunities in after life of 
 acquiring such information as might be useful, especially during the time 
 which he passed at Tarsus early in his ministerial career. The education 
 of a Hebrew boy was generally, and as we may be sure in his case, 
 strictly scriptural. From a child they knew the Holy Scriptures, 
 beginning that study formally, as we are told,^ at the age of five years. 
 His parents, moreover, intended to educate him for the highly esteemed 
 profession of a teacher of the law, and for that purpose sent him to Jeru- 
 salem, to be trained in the school of Gamaliel, the most celebrated pro- 
 fessor. It has been much questioned at what age St. Paul left Tarsus 
 for Jerusalem. The education of a youth intended to be a Rabbi began 
 very early. According to the Talmud the students began the Mishna, a 
 traditional commentary on the Bible, at ten years, and were held to be 
 responsible agents at the age of thirteen. Now St. Paul states in the 
 strongest possible terms,* that he had been educated in early youth, 
 "from the beginning," among his own nation at Jerusalem, " after the 
 most strictest sect" of their religion. And it is certain that he was 
 trained some years under Gamaliel. These facts do not allow us to 
 assume that he could have been above thirteen years when he left Tarsus.® 
 Since, however, he does not appear to have seen our Lord, or to have 
 been acquainted with his doctrines, I cannot suppose that he was living 
 at Jerusalem during His ministerial career ; while, on the other hand, it 
 seems clear from the whole tenor of his history that he could not have 
 been under thirty years of age*^ at the date of his conversion. It may, 
 therefore, be concluded that he had returned to Tarsus after completing 
 his education, and remained there until a short time before the martyr- 
 dom of St. Stephen. The instruction which he received from Gamaliel 
 included a thorough knowledge of the letter of the Word of God,'^ and 
 
 • Wieseler, Chron. Apost. Zeit., p. 63. ■* .ipts, xxvi. 4, ^. 
 
 note. '' Wieseler, p. 155. 
 
 2 xiv. C73. See also Plin.,-v. 22. ; Appian, ^ Note, ch. xxvi. 10. 
 
 B. C, V. 7. " Koppe reckons 88 quotations from the 
 
 3 Pirke, Avoth. ap. Tholuck. V. Schrif- Old Testament in St. Paul's Epistles, of 
 ten., ii. 274. which at least 49 are evidently given from 
 
92 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 an equally accurate acquaintance with the traditional interpretation and 
 additions by -which it was disfigured, and to a great extent practically 
 superseded. But there can he no doubt that his mental faculties were 
 brought into vigorous exercise,' and that he was thereby prepared to be 
 an instrument in God's hands for exposing the errors, and overthrowing 
 the prejudices with which he bgcame so early conversant. His know- 
 ledge of the Holy Scriptures without Christ was insufficient to 
 enlighten his conscience, which it yet awakened,- or to satisfy the aspii'a- 
 tions, which it certainly excited ; still, when, through faith in Christ, its 
 obscurities were cleared up, and its end and aim manifested, it afterwards 
 proved a treasury of wisdom, whereby he was guided himself, and 
 instructed others in the way of salvation. His mode of life during those 
 years and previously, was not less calculated to prepare him for the 
 labours and trials of his after career. The hours that were not given to 
 study and devotional exercises, were occupied by manual labour. This 
 was so far from being regarded as incompatible with his destination, that 
 proficiency in some industrial art was held to be a necessary qualification 
 for a teacher of the law. It was a proverbial saying among the Jews, 
 that '• he who does not teach his son to work, teaches him to be a thief;" ^ 
 and as the scribes received no payment from their pupils, they had fre- 
 quently to earn their own livelihood by labour. Industrial occupations, 
 however, were not pursued merely, or chiefly from necessity, they were 
 justly regarded as the most effectual preservatives against sensual tempta- 
 tions, and as valuable means for promoting the spiritual life. Under this 
 training Saul became a hardy, earnest, and powerful youth ; self-denying 
 and self-sacrificing, but full of prejudice and bigotry, under the influence 
 of fierce andmalignant feelings, and ready to employ the most unjustifiable 
 means of repressing whatever seemed to be opposed to the system which 
 he viewed as divine in its moral precepts, ceremonial observances, and dog- 
 matic teaching. Humanly speaking, there was no man among the oppo- 
 nents of Christianity less likely to be affected and converted by the 
 simplicity of the truth as it is in Jesus, than the self-righteous persecutor 
 Saul. 
 
 a ch. 8. .-. 
 (ial. 1. 1.5. 
 1 Tim. 1. 15. 
 
 1. And ''^ Saul, yet breatliing out threatenings and 
 slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went luito 
 the high priest, 
 
 1. ^^ Yet breathing out." This ex- cities." St. Luke proceeds at once to 
 
 pression graphically describes the that expedition in which Saul was 
 
 fierce excitement of Saul. It repre- converted. 
 
 sents him as breathing in an atmos- " Went unto the high priest." At 
 
 phere of blood.'' The persecution of that time probably Theophilus, son of 
 
 the Christians continued some time, Ananus, whom Vitellius, the prefect 
 
 and, as we learn from Acts, xxtI. of Syria, appointed^ a. d. 37. Saul 
 
 10, 11., Saul " gave his voice," joined applies to liim as president of the San- 
 
 in condemning other martyrs, and hedrim, and head of the magistracy 
 
 persecuted them even unto "strange of Judea. 
 
 memory, and translatfd bv St. Paul (iin-ctly hwt thoroughly Hebrew. Sec Neamlor and 
 
 from the Hebrew. See I'holuck, 1. c, ii. '1 lioluik. 
 
 278. - Honians. vii. 7. Sec. 
 
 • The development of St. Taul's intellect, ^ Lightfoot on jNIark. vi. 3. 
 
 and his mode of reasoning, arc not Greek, ' Sec Mey<T on the construction. 
 
 '■' Joseph. Ant., xviii. 7. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 93 
 
 2. And desired of him letters to Damascus to the 
 synagogues, that if he found any fof this way, whether t Gr. ofthe 
 they were men or women, he might brin 
 unto Jerusalem. 
 
 3. And ^ as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: \ 
 
 them bound soch. 19.9,23. 
 
 b ch. 22. 6. 
 5. S. 
 
 2. '■^ And desired of hi in letters." 
 The authority of the high priest and 
 Sanhedrim was ackno\^ ledged by the 
 Jews wherever they lived. And it 
 was usual for the Jews dispersed in 
 foreign nations to receive orders and 
 letters from the great council, which 
 orders they diligently followed. ' 
 
 " To Damascus^ One of the 
 most ancient^ cities in the east. It 
 was the capital of Coelesyria, and lay 
 about seven days' journey to the 
 north-east of Jerusalem. It is situate 
 in a plain of exceeding beauty, which 
 is watered by several branches of the 
 Pharpar, or Chrysorrhoas, now 
 called the Barrady, and is bounded 
 by the snowy heights of Antilibanus. 
 The loveliness of the scenery, and 
 fertility of the soil, are celebrated by 
 eastern poets, who call it the paradise 
 of the earth. It was then a very 
 large city, inhabited by a mixed 
 Syrian and Greek population. The 
 Jews had occupied a distinct quarter, 
 probably as merchants, from very 
 ancient times ^ and were then so nu- 
 merous, that no less than 10,000 on 
 one occasion, and 18,000 on another, 
 were massacred in insurrections in 
 the time of Nero.^ The city belonged 
 to the province of Syria, and was 
 entirely subject to the Romans from 
 the time of Pompey, A. c. 64 ; but at 
 the termination of the three years 
 which St. Paul passed in Arabia and 
 Damascus, we find it in the hands of 
 Aretas, king of Arabia Nabatsea, 
 whose capital was Petra. It is not 
 certain at what time, or under what 
 circumstances this prince obtained 
 possession of the city. It had for- 
 
 merly belonged to one of his ances- 
 tors ^ and it is not improbable thai 
 Caius Caligula restored it to him on 
 his accession to the empire, A. d. "7. 
 Aretas was the father-in-law of 
 Herod Antipas, and made war against 
 him when that licentious prince repu- 
 diated his daughter for Herodias. 
 Although he was entangled in a war 
 with Rome, in consequence of his 
 successes against Antipas, it is pro- 
 bable that hostilities ceased when 
 Antipas was disgraced, and that 
 Agrippa, the favourite of the empe- 
 ror, procured him the sovereignty of 
 Damascus, of which it is certain that 
 he was prince a. d. 43,^ Whether 
 Damascus then belonged to this 
 prince or to the Romans, the autho- 
 rity of the Sanhedrim in matters of 
 religion would be recognised by the 
 civil magistrate.^ Aretas would even 
 be zealous to support the party fa- 
 voured bv Agrippa. 
 
 " Of this ivai/." Or, the way. The 
 Christian religion is called the way, 
 as being a definite and progressive 
 direction of the inner and outer life 
 of man.^ The word is frequently 
 used to denote a sect in religion or 
 philosophy which has a definite creed 
 and system. 
 
 3. " As he journeyed." We have 
 three distinct accounts of this event 
 (compare Acts, xxii. 1 — 16. and 
 xxvi. 9 — 18.). St. Luke gives here 
 a concise narrative, while St. Paul, in 
 his two discourses at Jerusalem, 
 before Festus, adds many important 
 particulars, which were vividly im- 
 pressed upon his memory ^. The 
 slight variations in these accounts. 
 
 1 Biscoe on the Acts, p. 255. ; c. vi 
 
 2 Gen. XV. 2. 
 
 3 1 Kings, XX. 34. 
 
 •4 Joseph. B. S., vii.'8.7. 
 5 Joseph. Ant., xiii. 5. 2. 
 
 p. 11. 6 Wieseler, p. 1G8— 175. 
 
 7 Biscoe, p. 234-243. 
 
 8 Eisner, Obs., p. 400. ; and Meyer, 
 s Olshausen. 
 
94 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 and suddenly tl.erc whined round about him a light 
 from heaven : 
 
 4. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying 
 unto him, Saul, Saul, ^ why persecutest thou me ? 
 
 5. And he said, Who art thou. Lord ? And the 
 Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest : ^ it is 
 hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 
 
 6. And lie trembling and astonished said, Lord, 
 ^what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said 
 unto him. Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be 
 told thee what thou must do. 
 
 and their concurrence in every mate- 
 rial fact, enable us better to realise 
 the whole transaction. St. Paul 
 moreover alludes to it in several pas- 
 sages of bis epistles, and always in 
 terms that confirm the narrative of 
 St. Luke.' 
 
 " He came near:' According to an 
 old tradition, the event took place at 
 a bridge near the city. The road 
 lies through two mountains, one of 
 which is called "the Star," in me- 
 mory of the light which shone about 
 St. Paul. The valley is described 
 by Maundrell.^ 
 
 "■A liyhtfrom heaven:' This ex- 
 pression, which is never used in de- 
 scribing lightning ^ indicates the 
 Divine light, or glory, called by the 
 Hebrews the Shechinah, which al- 
 Avays accompanied the manifestations 
 of the Godhead, and is a symbol of 
 the unapproachable and spiritual 
 light ^ in which He dwells. From the 
 accounts given by St. Paul, we learn 
 that this light was brighter than the 
 sun, and that it was midday. 
 
 4. '' And he fell to the earth " Even 
 good men, who are believers, and 
 unconscious of having done any 
 thing peculiarly offensive to God, 
 are represented in the liible as being 
 overpowered and i)rostrated by ma- 
 nifestations of God's glory. Com- 
 pare Daniel, x. 8. ; Job, xlii. 5, G. ; 
 Revelation, i. 17. 
 
 " Heard a voice:' " In the Hebrew 
 tongue." Acts, xxvi. 14. 
 
 "Me." By persecuting the Church, 
 w^hich is the bod}- of Christ. See 
 Eph. i. 28 ; 1 Cor. xii. G. ; and com- 
 pare Deuteronomy, xxxii. 10., and 
 Zechariah, ii. 8. 
 
 .5. " Who art thou, Lord?" We 
 learn fi'om other passages (ch. ix.27. ; 
 1 Cor. ix. 1., and xv. 8.), that the 
 Lord Jesus appeared personally to 
 Saul, as this passage implies. It 
 may not perhaps be certainly con- 
 cluded from these words of Saul that 
 he had not previously known the 
 person of our Lord, since he spake in 
 a state of great confusion and amaze- 
 ment of mind; but the form of his 
 question gives additional probability 
 to the supposition that he then saw 
 Him for the first time. 
 
 " It is hard" See. The pricks or 
 goads, used to drive oxen or horses, 
 were long staff's with sharp iron 
 heads. To kick against them was 
 a proverbial expression^ for una- 
 vailing struggles against an irre- 
 sistible power. The force of the 
 expression here seems to be "thy 
 obstinate and prejudiced resistance 
 is useless, thou must yield to the 
 constraining power of grace." " 
 
 G. "// sliall he told t/iec:' From 
 St. Paul's account (ch. xxvi. 18.), it 
 appears that our Lord spake other 
 words, unless we may suppose that 
 
 > Lord Lyttloton's Letter on the Con- 
 vergioii of St. Paul. 
 - Joiirnoy to Aleiipo. 
 » Meyer. 
 
 4 1 Tim. vi. ir,. 
 
 '■> Grotiiis, &c. ; Pindar, Tyth., ii. 174. 
 iEsclivl. A(?., 1G33. ; Kurip. Hacili., 79J. 
 ,. * olshaiisen, and the Arabic version. 
 
THE ACTS CHAP. VA. 
 
 95 
 
 f Dan. 10. 7. 
 
 See ch. '^2. 0. 
 & Vi. 13. 
 
 7. And ^the men which jo rnejecl with him stood 
 speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 
 
 8. And Saul arose from the earth ; and when bis 
 ejes were opened, he saw no man : but they led him 
 by the hand, and brought hi?7i into Damascus. 
 
 9. And he was three days without sight, and neither 
 did eat nor drink. 
 
 10. ^ And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, 
 
 s named Ananias ; and to him said the Lord in a vision, g ch.22. 12, 
 Ananias. And he said. Behold, I a?n here, Lord. 
 
 11. And the hovd said unto him, Arise, and go into 
 the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the 
 house of Judas for 07?e called Saul, ^^of Tarsus: for, ^ch. 21. 33. 
 behold, he prayeth, 
 
 the Apostle there gives a condensed 
 account of the transaction, inchidiug 
 its immediate results. 
 
 7. " Stood speechless." Or re- 
 mained. St. Luke uses a common 
 word, which possibly may not indi- 
 cate their posture. We know from 
 St. Paul that they fell to the ground 
 with him. It is, however, quite 
 probable that on recovering from 
 the first shock, they stood looking on 
 with astonishment. 
 
 " Hearing a voice.''' St. Paul again 
 tells us they did not hear the voice. 
 The word " hear " has two distinct 
 meanings, to hear a sound, and to 
 understand what it means, as in the 
 Saviour's words, " He that hath ears 
 to hear, let him hear," These men 
 doubtless heard a sound, but distin- 
 guished no voice.' This occurred 
 on other occasions. See John, xii. 
 29. 
 
 8. " He saiv no man." His eyes 
 were dazzled by " the glory of that 
 light" (ch. xxii. ii.). This, however, 
 was not merely a natural effect, or 
 his companions would have been 
 blinded also.^ Its duration, and the 
 manner in which it was removed, 
 show that it was miraculous, and, as in 
 the case of Zechariah, at once a sign 
 and a warning. 
 
 9. " And he was three days,'' Sec. 
 A time passed in prayer and me- 
 
 ditation, with deep and bitter re- 
 pentance, involved fasting as a neces- 
 sary accompaniment. It is probable 
 that total abstinence from food is 
 meant. Long fasts are not uncom- 
 mon in the east, and St. Paul's ascetic 
 habits in early life had prepared him 
 for severer discipline than we can 
 easily realise. Such fasting was, 
 moreover, deemed necessary v/hen 
 persons entered upon any great and 
 solemn change connected with the 
 inner life. 
 
 10. ^'Ananias." A devout ob- 
 server of the law, and highly es- 
 teemed even by the unconverted 
 Jews at Damascus. See ch. xxii. 12. 
 He was probably one of the Pente- 
 costal converts. From ver. 13. it is 
 evident that he was not one of those 
 who had fled from Jerusalem, and 
 from 11 and 12. that he was notpre- 
 viou.sly known to Saul. 
 
 11. " The street ichich is called 
 Straight." At Damascus there is 
 now a street called Sti-aight, in which 
 the Christians point out a house 
 which, according to tradition, stands 
 on the site of that occupied by this 
 Judas. The street, which is about 
 three miles long, crosses the city 
 from east to west. 
 
 " Of Tarsus." See introduction to 
 this Chapter. 
 
 1 Hammond, Wolf, Kuinocl, Grotius, and 
 Hemsen, p. 11. 
 
 Olhauscn. 
 
96 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 k ver. 21. 
 ch. 7. 59. & 
 22. 16. 
 
 1 Cor. 1.?. 
 
 2 Tim. 2. '/2. 
 
 1 ch. 1.-. 2. & 
 
 22. 21. &'-!':• 1"- 
 Bom 1. 1- 
 
 1 Cor. l''. V). 
 Gal. 1. 15. 
 Eplies. 5. 7, S. 
 
 1 Vim. 2. 7. 
 
 2 Tim. 1. 11- 
 
 m Rom. 1. 5. 
 & 11. l.->. 
 Gal. 2. 7, 8. 
 
 n ch. 25. 22. 
 
 23. &26. l,&c. 
 
 o ch. 20. 23. 
 & 21. 11. 
 2 Cor. 11. 23. 
 
 p ch.22. 12, 13. 
 
 q ch. S. 17. 
 
 12. And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias 
 coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might 
 receive his sight. 
 
 13. Tiien Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by- 
 many of tliis man, Uiow much evil he hath done to thy 
 saints at Jerusalem : 
 
 14. And here lie hath authority from the chief 
 priests to bind all ^ that call on thy name. 
 
 15. But the Lord said unto him. Go thy way: for 
 ^ he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name be- 
 fore ^ the Gentiles,, and " kings, and the children of 
 Israel : 
 
 16. For °I will shew him how great things he must 
 suffer for my name's sake. 
 
 17. P And Ananias went his way, and entered into 
 the house ; and i putting his hands on him said, 
 Brother Saul, the Lord, eve?i Jesus, that appeared 
 unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, 
 
 12. " Hath seen in a vision." 
 This occurred most probably in a 
 trance or ecstasy, and not in a dream. 
 Saul was thus prepared to recognise 
 the messenger of the Lord. 
 
 13. " Th>/ saints, or holi/ ones." 
 Christians are the holy ones of God, 
 being separated from the world, and 
 consecrated to His service by the 
 Holy Spirit.' 
 
 14. "//e hath mithority." This 
 ■was probably made known by the 
 companions of Saul.- 
 
 " All that call on thy name." This 
 definition of Christians is important. 
 They not only recognised Jesus as 
 the Messiah, but invoked His name, 
 thereby acknowledging Him to be 
 God. See Chrysostom on ch. xxii. 
 16., and compare 1 Cor. i. 2. 
 2 Tim. ii. 22. From Pliny's famous 
 epistle to Trajan we learn that the 
 primitive Christians sang hymns to 
 Christ as God. 
 
 1;"5. " Go thy way." The Lord 
 repeats his command, but graciously 
 states the rea.son. 
 
 " For he is a chosen vessel." A 
 
 person that is elected and specially 
 chosen to be a vessel, or instrument, 
 and agent in the propagation of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 " To hear my name." That is, to 
 declare the nature and doctrine of 
 Christ. 
 
 " And hings" St. Paul preached 
 that name in the presence of the go- 
 vernoi's of Cyprus, Achaia, and Ju- 
 daea, of Herod Agrippa and of the 
 Emperor Nero. 
 
 ''And the children of Israel." From 
 the beginning to the end of his ca- 
 reer we shall find that St. Paul 
 always addressed himself, in the first 
 place, to the Jews. " To the Jew 
 first, and also to the Gentile." 
 
 16. '' He must suffer." This must 
 be regarded as a gracious promise. 
 To suffer for the Lord is the highest 
 privilege of a believer. See ch. iv. 
 41. 
 
 1 7. Brother Saul." Ananias thus 
 recognises him as one of the bro- 
 therhood in spirit.'' 
 
 " That appeared unto thee." See 
 note, ver. 5. 
 
 ' Pearson on the Creed, art. llulj- Catholic " Kiiinoel. 
 Church. ^ Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 97 
 
 r ch. 2. i. & 4 
 31. & 8. 17. & 
 13. 52. 
 
 that thou mightest receive thy sight, and ^be filled 
 with the Holy Ghost. 
 
 18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it 
 had been scales : and he received sight forthwith, and 
 arose, and was baptized. 
 
 19. And when he had received meat, he was 
 strengthened. ^ Then was Saul certain days with the 
 disciples which were at Damascus. 
 
 20. And straightway he preached Christ in the 
 synagogues, ^that he is the Son of God. t ch. s. 
 
 s ch. 26. 20. 
 
 *' Be filled with the Holy Ghost:' 
 The preventing and preparatory 
 work of the Holy Spirit is thus, as 
 always, distinguished from that in- 
 dwelling presence which is the pe- 
 culiar privilege of Christians, and 
 was then communicated to St. Paul 
 by the ministry of Ananias. The 
 expression is peculiar to St. Luke, 
 and is only used on great and extra- 
 ordinary occasions. 
 
 18. '^ As it had been scales." It 
 has been often remarked that St. 
 Luke, as a physician, describes mi- 
 raculous healings minutely and ac- 
 curately. The expression used here 
 does not mean that scales actually 
 fell from the eyes, but that St. Paul 
 felt such a sensation in the organ of 
 sight. We may be assured that St. 
 Luke had often heard from the Apos- 
 tle, an account of what he felt on that 
 occasion. 
 
 " Andivas baptized." See xxii. 16. 
 That he might "wash away his 
 sins." The necessity of baptism for 
 the remission of sins, and its efficacy 
 when duly administered could not 
 be more strongly demonstrated than 
 by the case of St. Paul, whose elec- 
 tion was so peculiar, and repentance 
 so undoubted. St. Paul was not con- 
 firmed by the Apostles, but was re- 
 plenished with the Holy Ghost by a 
 special commission from the Lord in 
 order to show that he was an Apostle, 
 " not of man, nor by man" (Gal. i. 
 L), but by Christ alone.' 
 
 19. ^'^ Certain days" &c. "We learn 
 from Galatians, i. 17., that St. Paul 
 went into Arabia very soon after his 
 conversion. There is some difference 
 of opinion as to the order of events, but 
 the following appears, upon the whole, 
 to be most probable. Immediately 
 after conversion, St. Paul preached in 
 the synagogues of Damascus, that 
 Jesus was the Son of God. This was a 
 fact, of which the revelations vouch- 
 safed to him, made him at once, a 
 competent witness. In a very short 
 time he left Damascus, and remained 
 in the adjoining districts of Arabia 
 Petrsea, probably during a consider- 
 able portion of the three years that 
 elapsed before bis return to Jerusalem. 
 Gal. i. 18. That time seems to have 
 been passed chiefly in retirement, 
 in the study of the Bible, and in re- 
 ceiving instructions from our Lord, to 
 whom alone he attributes his know- 
 ledge of Christian doctrine.'- Since, 
 however, there were many Jews in 
 that country, which was governed by 
 Aretas, who favoured their religion, 
 it is not improbable that he may 
 have laid the foundation of the 
 Church in those regions ; where we 
 also find many Christians at an early 
 period.-^ He then returned to Da- 
 mascus. 
 
 20. " Christ." Many manuscripts 
 have Jesus, which is most probably 
 the true reading. Yet as it is certain, 
 that the Jews entertained false no- 
 tions of the Messiah, it may have 
 
 1 Whitby. 
 
 2 Burton ; Tholuck, Y. Sch. 
 Olsliausen. 
 
 ii.2('G. : and ii 
 
 3 Manger, 
 . 11^8. 
 
 Sylloge Diss. eel. Sdiultens, 
 
98 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 u ch. 8. 3. v( 
 1. Gal. 1. 13, 
 23. 
 
 So Josh. 2. 
 i. 1 Sam. 19. 
 
 21. But all that lieard him -were amazed, and said ; 
 "Is not this he that destroyed them which called on 
 this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that in- 
 tent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief 
 priests ? 
 
 22. But Saul increased the more in strength, ^and 
 confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, prov- 
 ing that this is very Ciirist. 
 
 23. ^ And after that many days were fulfilled, ythe 
 Jews took counsel to kill him : 
 
 24. 2 But their laying await was known of Saul. 
 And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 
 
 25. Then the disciples took him by night, and ^ let 
 him down by the wall in a basket. 
 
 26. And ^when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he 
 assayed to join himself to the disciples : but they were 
 all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 
 
 been St. Paul's first object to prove 
 that He was to be, not a mere tem- 
 poral sovereign, but the Son of God, 
 in the true and peculiar sense of the 
 expression. 
 
 21, '■'■Called on this name. ^^ In- 
 voked the name of Jesus, acknow- 
 ledging Him to be the Son of God, 
 "Very God of Very God." 
 
 22. " In strength." In spiritual 
 strength, in the true understanding 
 and spiritual application of the Scrip- 
 tures, with the letter of which he had 
 been familiar from a child. 
 
 " Proving that" &c. The (|uestion 
 between the Jews and Christians 
 was, not whether the great types and 
 prophecies of the liible referred to 
 Messiah, but whether Jesus was that 
 Messiah. It was not until a much 
 later period that any of the Jewish 
 Rabbis attempted to explain away 
 the passages which speak of Christ.' 
 
 2.3. " And after many days" &c. 
 After the conversion of Saul, who, as 
 it seems, liad but lately returned 
 from Arabia. 
 
 24. "-And they watrhcd" V\\\\\ 
 the concurrence and aid of the 
 
 Arabian governor under Aretas the 
 king.'^ See 2 Cor. xi. 32, 33. It 
 was usual for the Jews to claim the 
 assistance of the civil magistrate in 
 the Roman provinces (see John, 
 xviii. 3 and 12.), and it was still 
 more likely that they would do so in 
 the territory of a friendly prince. 
 See note, ver. 2. 
 
 25. Compare 2 Corinthians, xi. 
 32, 33. 
 
 26. " Was come to Jerusalem. " 
 He went direct from Damascus. We 
 learn from Gal. i. 18., that his object 
 was especially to see Peter. It is 
 probable that the baptism of Cor- 
 nelius had taken place before his 
 arrival, in which case he would be 
 anxious to receive information, as 
 well as to inform Peter of the reve- 
 lations which he had himself re- 
 ceived.^ 
 
 " They were all afraid of him." &c. 
 This is one proof among many that 
 the communications betMcen cities 
 of any distance were imperfect and 
 scarce, even on sul>jects of great im- 
 portance. Tlie war between Aretas 
 and the Romans had ceased, at the 
 
 1 I.vall. Prnpacdia rropliPtica; Scboclgcn, 
 Hor. ilcl). ; and I-ightfoot. 
 
 2 Wicsolcr, p. M2. 7iott\ 
 
 3 Burton, p. 117— 11». 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 99 
 
 27. °But Barnabus took him, and brought him to c ch.i.z&.u 
 the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen 
 
 the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, 
 
 •^and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the d ver. 20,22. 
 
 name of Jesus. 
 
 28. And ^he was with them coming in and going ecai. i.is. 
 out at Jerusalem. 
 
 29. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord 
 
 Jesus, and disputed against the ^ Grecians : s but they f ch. c. i.& n 
 went about to slay him. ^ \^^ 23. 
 
 30. Which when the brethren knew, they brought '' ^°''-"'i-26- 
 him down to Cesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. 
 
 death of Tiberius a. d. 41. See 
 Chronological Introduction, 
 
 27. ^'Barnabas" Barnabas was 
 a native of Cyprus, which is very- 
 near Tarsus, and he may have known 
 Saul previously, and have had suf- 
 ficient opportunities of ascertaining 
 his character. He is even said by a 
 late writer to have studied with Paul 
 under Gamaliel.' This is not likely, 
 but persons from the same, or 
 neighbouring countries, generally 
 attended the same synagogues at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 " To the Apostles.'' Only St. Peter 
 and St. James, the brothers of the 
 Lord, were seen by St. Paul on this 
 occasion. 
 
 " Declared unto them." Barnabas 
 had probably received accounts of 
 these facts from his friends and con- 
 nections in Syria. 
 
 28. " And he was with them." 
 Fifteen days only. See Gal. v. 18, 
 
 " Coming in and going out.'' This 
 expression always denotes living 
 publicly, and with somewhat of an 
 official character.^ He was recog- 
 nised, not merely as a disciple, but 
 as a minister of the Gospel. 
 
 29. " The Grecians." The Hel- 
 lenistic Jews. There ean be no 
 doubt that he attended the syna- 
 gogues in which he had formerly dis- 
 puted with St. Stephen, and there de- 
 
 fended the truth which he had then 
 resisted. From this statement it may 
 perhaps be inferred that one of 
 the three great festivals was cele- 
 brated at this time, which would 
 account for the presence of numbers 
 of these Grecians, 
 
 It was at this time that St. Paul 
 saw our Lord in a vision in the 
 temple (Acts, xxii. 17,), when he re 
 ceived the command to leave Jeru 
 salem quickly, and learned that he 
 was called especially to preach the 
 Gospel to the Gentiles. 
 
 30. " To Cesarea." St, Paul went 
 by land through Syria to Tarsus 
 (Gal, i. 21.). AVe may therefore pre- 
 sume ^ that this was Csesarea Phi- 
 lippi, which lay on his route. This 
 city was situate at the foot of Mount 
 Libanon, near the source of the nordan. 
 It was enlarged by Philip the Tetrarch 
 who changed its name from Paneah, 
 supposed to be the same as Laish or 
 Dan. As usual in Syria it now bears 
 its old name Paneah or Baneah, and 
 is a small village, with some ruins.'' 
 
 " To Tarsus." Where he remained 
 a considerable time ^, during which 
 there can be no doubt that he was 
 actively employed in preaching the 
 Gospel, and establishing a church 
 among his fellow citizens. The 
 churches in Cilicia were numerous 
 at an early period. 
 
 ' Alexander ap. Burton, 
 
 2 Note, ch. i. 21. 
 
 3 Olshauseii. 
 
 Winer. 
 
 Wieseler, p. 148. 167. 184. 
 
100 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 h Seech. 8.1. 31. ^ Tlieii liad the churches rest throughout all 
 Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified ; and 
 walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of 
 the Holy Gliost, were multi[)lied. 
 
 i ch. s. I 32. ^ And it came to pass, as Peter passed ^ through- 
 
 out all quarters, he came down also to the saints which 
 dwelt at Lydda. 
 
 33. And there he found a certain man named Eneas, 
 which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of 
 the palsy. 
 
 k ch. -. 6, 10. 34. And Peter said unto him, Eneas, ^ Jesus Christ 
 maketh thee whole : arise, and make thy bed. And 
 he arose immediately. 
 
 31. " Then had the churches rest." 
 That persecution ceased which fol- 
 lowed the death of Stephen. The 
 cessation may have been occasioned 
 by political changes, since the Presi- 
 dents of Syria had adopted the plan 
 of frequently removing the high 
 priests ' ; but hardly, as some com- 
 mentators suppose-, by the wicked 
 attempt of Caligula to set up his 
 statue in the temple. Even suppos- 
 ing that the chronological data had 
 coincided, we cannot believe that the 
 churches in Judea would have en- 
 joyed a peace that was procured by 
 the profanation of the national sanc- 
 tuary. 
 
 " Galilee."' It is only from this 
 incidental notice that we learn there 
 were churches in the native land of 
 so many Apostles — the scene of so 
 many miracles. 
 
 " 'Were edifed.'" This expression 
 evidently implies that the constitution 
 of the churches was settled about this 
 time.^ It refers to their external or- 
 ganization, as the following words do 
 to their spiritual condition, and pro- 
 gressive increase.' 
 
 " Walhbuj in the fear," &c. That 
 is their actions were guided by the 
 commandments of God, and their 
 
 spirhs sustained and aided by the 
 Holy Ghost.5 
 
 32. " And it came to pass." For 
 the chronology see Introduction. It 
 is most probable that the following 
 events took place during the three 
 years of St. Paul's absence. 
 
 " As Peter passed." This was 
 evidently a formal Apostolic visitation 
 of the Christian Churches in the west 
 of Palestine. The churches in Sa- 
 maria and Galilee were probably 
 visited at the same time by other 
 Apotsles.*^ 
 
 " Lydda," a large village near the 
 sea-coast ■', and not far from Joppa. 
 
 33. " Eneas." He was probably 
 a Grecian, or Hellenistic Hebrew. 
 
 34. " Jesus Christ maketh," See. 
 From the form of this address, it ap- 
 pears that il^neas Avas a Christian, 
 and needed not to be informed about 
 the person of Him in whose name the 
 miracle was wrought. 
 
 " And make thy bed." The pecu- 
 liarity of miraculous cures was re- 
 storation of strength as well as health. 
 This was now to be shown l)y an act 
 requiring exertion. AVliat had hi- 
 therto been the witness of his in- 
 firmity thus became the evidence of 
 his recovery. 
 
 1 Burton, i. 129. 
 
 2 Burton. 
 
 ■■' Burton, i. 'J7. 
 1 Mcv'.T. 
 
 e Burton, p. 100. 
 7 Rclan.l, I'al., p.87 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 101 
 
 35. And all that dwelt at Lydda and ^ Saron saw i i chron. 5. 
 him, and '"turned to the Lord. mch. n.21. 
 
 36. ^ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple 
 named Tabitha, which b^ interpretation is called 
 
 II Dorcas : this woman was full "of good works and f^oj, Doe, or 
 almsdeeds which she did. n 1 Tim. 2. 10. 
 
 37. And it came to pass in those days, that she was 
 sick, and died : whom when they had washed, they 
 
 laid her in ^an upper chamber. o ch. 1 13. 
 
 38. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, 
 and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they 
 sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would 
 
 not II delay to come to them. n v>r, he grieved. 
 
 39. Then Peter arose and went with them. "When 
 he was come, they brought him into the upper cham- 
 ber : and all the widows stood by him weeping, and 
 shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, ^^^^^ ^ ,^^ 
 while she was with them. q ch. 7. eo. 
 
 40. But Peter Pput them all forth, and ^kneeled r Mark, 5. 4i, 
 down, and prayed; and turning Azw to the bodj^ '" said, John, 11.43. 
 
 35. " Saron, or Sharo?i." A very 
 fertile and beautiful plain extending 
 from Joppa to Csesarea.' 
 
 ^'^ And tu7-ned to the Lord.'''' This 
 cure drew their attention to Him, 
 who gave the power to His Apostle, 
 and many were converted.^ 
 
 36. " Joppa" An ancient and 
 very important sea-port to the south 
 of the plain of Saron, and at the ex- 
 tremity of a hilly range that extends 
 from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean. 
 At that time it belonged to the pro- 
 vince of Syria. It is noAv called 
 Jaffa, or Japha, and contains about 
 7000 inhabitants, of whom half are 
 Christians. 
 
 " Tabitha, or Dorcas.'" Both words 
 mean a fawn or gazelle, a common 
 name of females in Palestine. ^ 
 
 " Full of good works" A Hebrew 
 idiom, indicating her perseverance in 
 well doing, not without a reference 
 to the reward. 
 
 37. "/rt an upper chamber.'''' There 
 is no reason to suppose that bodies 
 
 M^ere generally laid out in the large 
 room which occupied the upper story 
 of the house, but the friends of Ta- 
 bitha probably chose it because they 
 expected the Apostle.^ 
 
 38. " Was nigh to Joppa."" About 
 six miles distant. 
 
 " They sent unto him." It is not 
 said that they expected him to re- 
 store her to life. We may suppose that 
 they sent hoping for some blessing, 
 but without forming any definite ex- 
 pectations. 
 
 39. " All the widows." The objects 
 of her bounty were persons left with- 
 out protection, or means of subsist- 
 ence Widows were specially cared for 
 by the Church. See 1 Tim. v. 3—10. 
 
 " Coats." Tunics, or inner gar- 
 ments. 
 
 " Garments." Outer robes or 
 cloaks. Both are mentioned to show 
 that Dorcas clothed them completely. 
 
 40. " Peter put them all forth." As 
 it would seem because he was about 
 to pray. St. Peter closely followed 
 
 1 Jerome on Isaiah, xxxiii. 19. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 F 3 
 
 3 Lightfoot on Matt. 
 Meyer. 
 
 Bochart, Hieroz. 
 
102 THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 
 
 'i'abitha, arise. And she opened her eyes : and when 
 she saw Peter, she sat up. 
 
 4L And he gave her /lis hand, and lifted her up, 
 and -when he had called the saints and Avidows, pre- 
 sented her alive. 
 &-^?^'^1'i?'''^" 42. And it was known throughout all Joppa; ^ and 
 many believed in the Lord. 
 
 43. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days 
 t ch. 10. 6. in Joppa with one * Simon a tanner. 
 
 our Lord's proceedings in raising the on earth. He was thus shown to be 
 
 daughter of Jairus. Compare also not only the possessor, but the in- 
 
 2 Kings, iv. 28. exhaustible source of life. Its Lord 
 
 " Tahithn, arise." So simply and and Giver, 
 powerfully did the Apostle speak, for 43. Joppa being a large sea-port, 
 
 he knew that his prayer was answer- would offer many opportunities for 
 
 ed, and that the might of Christ was spreading the Gospel. It seems evi- 
 
 in him. Compare Mark, v. 41,42. dent that St. Peter at this time had 
 
 42. " Believed in the Lord.'''' To no fixed residence, or diocese in the 
 
 whom they referred the miracle, proper sense of the word, but that he 
 
 Themiracles wrought by the Apostles exercised a general superintendence 
 
 in His name proclaimed His power, over the churches of the circum 
 
 even more loudly than His own works cision. - 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1, 2. Many persons think that true zeal and false zeal differ little, 
 whereas the one comes from Satan, the other from God. The one 
 degrades the nature of man, by exciting his fiercest passions ; the other 
 raises him to a participation of the Divine nature, by conforming him to 
 the very image of Christ. (See ch. vi. 1.5. & vii. .5&, GO.) It is not the 
 strength, but the truth of our convictions ; not the earnestness, but the 
 rightfulness of our enthusiasm that will make our exertions acceptable to 
 God. Heat and light come from the sun both in the natural and the 
 spiritual world. Ignorant fury is from that place where the fire is not 
 quenched, and yet all is blackness. I..et us suspect ourselves whenever we 
 feel wrathful or indignant, and ever pray for the clear, Avarm light of 
 faithful and hopeful charity. 
 
 .3 — 8. In God's dealings with man there is always a harmony between 
 the form and the Spirit. The visible is a bodying forth of the spiritual. 
 In this transaction all is matter of fact, and yet all is synibolical, at once a 
 record of a past transaction, and a representation of the daily works of grace. 
 The sinner moves in darkness, which he mistakes for light, until Christ sends 
 the true light from Heaven. Utter prostration of heart follows the reve- 
 lation of the glory of God, as Saul fell to the ground, and as even pious 
 Job exclaimed, " Now my eye seeth Thee, wherefore I abhor myself and 
 repent in dust and ashes." 'I'hen the voice of Jesus speaks to the humbled 
 conscience; it reproaches, but the reproach is full of love; it teaches 
 the oneness of C hrist with His Church, and the constraining power of 
 grace. Then comes submissive inquiry, answered by clear directions, 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. IX. 103 
 
 and followed by obedience, deep penitence, and the works of a Christian life. 
 Such is the inner history of every converted sinner. 
 
 9. " It is an usual method with God to lay the foundation of a great 
 sanctity in affliction ; affliction which makes lasting impressions of de- 
 pendence upon God, kindles a fervent devotion, which melts the believer 
 into a compassionate charity, and sinks him into a profound humility." — 
 Bishop Ken. 
 
 10 — 16. Observe how the workings of divine grace in different hearts 
 are adjusted so as to produce one harmonious result. The Lord shows to 
 Ananias, Paul in prayer ; and to Paul, Ananias coming in with power to 
 heal him. Remark, too, the childlike confidence of the believer, and the 
 condescending love of Jesus to His own people. Ananias and his Lord 
 converse as friend with friend. 
 
 16. " Persecuted Christians are happy in acting, and evidencing by those 
 sufferings for God their love to Him. Love delights in difficulties and 
 grows in them. The more a Christian suffers for Christ, the more he loves 
 Him, and accounts Him the dearer ; and the more he loves Him, still the 
 more can he suffer for Him." — Archbishop Leighton. 
 
 17 — 22. Christ puts honour on His own ordinances. He sends His 
 minister to comfort, heal, baptize, and confer the gifts of the Holy Spirit 
 on one whom He hath miraculously called and specially elected. Spirit- 
 ually minded persons will not neglect, or lightly esteem those institutions 
 which Christ hath ordained and sanctified. 
 
 20 — 25. Persecution must be expected by those who confess and preach 
 truths which they previously denied. In all cases, but especially in such 
 a case as this, it must be borne patiently and meekly, but it should not be 
 courted. Saul avoided a danger which would be fruitless, and fled both 
 from Damascus and Jerusalem; in the latter instance by the special direc- 
 tion of the Lord, that he might not bring upon his countrymen the guilt of 
 his blood. But no danger could silence him, or make him neglect that first 
 great duty of a convert, to declare what God hath done for his soul and to 
 preach boldly in the name of Jesus. 
 
 26 — 30. It is natural to shrink from those who have been guilty of 
 great offences, even when they profess repentauce ; but it is great and 
 Christ-like to receive them, as Barnabas, that good and spiritual man, 
 received Paul; to listen candidly to the facts of their conversion ; and to 
 comfort, love, and aid them under the trials to which their changed life 
 must subject them. 
 
 32 — 43. These miracles are recorded to show that the faith of the first 
 Christians did not rest solely on internal convictions, but on clear, unques- 
 tionable evidence. Such works were the signs of an Apostle, and appear to 
 have been wrought with more than usual power on the eve of what must 
 have been regarded almost as a new revelation by the Hebrews. They fixed 
 attention peculiarly on Peter, when he was about to admit the Gentile 
 Cornelius into the Church of Christ. From the miracle of Tabitha we 
 observe the value which God attaches to charitable works, and the grati- 
 tude due to benefactors. " The character of the Christian religion is most 
 exactly portrayed in those few words which describe the Founder. 'He 
 went about doing good ' — active in beneficence, always in motion for some 
 salutary purpose. He expects that they who profess to be his followers 
 should be such, more especially in this respect. Of this disciple it is testi- 
 fied by the Holy Spirit that she was full of good works and almsdeeds that 
 she did. The garments wrought by her own hands for the poor proved that 
 she had not been idle ; that she had been employed ; that she had been ivell 
 employed. She obtained the peculiar favour of a resurrection to this life, 
 to show, I suppose that all like her will obtain one to a better." — Bishop 
 Home. 
 
 F 4 
 
104 THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The two following chapters contain a full account of that special revelation 
 by which St. Peter, and through him the whole Apostolic body, were 
 prepared for the great series of events by which the catholicity of the 
 Church was ultimately established. The need of such a revelation is 
 evident. It Avas not merely that those Christians, who had been edu- 
 cated in the prejudices of the Pharisees, were opposed to the reception of 
 heathens into the Church, but men of truly spiritual minds, nay the 
 Apostles themselves, were as yet unable to reconcile the abrogation 
 of the ceremonial law with the letter of the Old Testament. St. Peter, 
 indeed, and the other Apostles were fully aware that the Gentiles were 
 to be brought within the one fold, under the one Shepherd. So much 
 they had learned, and were assured of from the prophetical Scriptures, 
 and from our Lord's repeated declarations. But they believed that the 
 Gentiles were to pass through the Law to the Gospel, and circumcision, 
 which involved submission to all the Mosaic ordinances, still appeared to 
 them to be an indispensable condition of adoption into the family of 
 Abraham, and, therefore, into that of Christ. It appeared to be the 
 only mode by which the impure nature of man could be prepared for 
 admission into the Messianic kingdom, nor, although the typical meaning 
 of the rite is plainly declared in many passages of Holy writ, as in Deu- 
 teronomy, X. 16., XXV. G., Jeremiah, iv. 4., could they feel themselves 
 authorised, on their own responsibility, to alter a positive enactment of 
 the Divine legislator, even had they inferred from such intimations that 
 the time might arrive, or had now arrived, when its obligation would 
 cease. Hence the necessity of a declaration of the Avill of God, which 
 the Holy Ghost vouchsafed to St. Peter, at this critical epoch in the 
 history of the Church. Had not the point been fully discussed and de- 
 cided by the Apostles previous to the commencement of St. Paul's 
 missionary labours, the obstacles which he surmounted with so much 
 difficulty, would have been, humanly speaking, insuperable, and a per- 
 manent schism in the Church, or a suspension of her most important 
 work, mitfht have ensued. 
 
 1. Thkke was a certain man in Ce.«area cnllod 
 Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian 
 bmid. 
 
 1. " Cemrea." At that time the *' CorneJius." This officer was of 
 
 political capital of Palestine. It was Roman, or at least Italian origin, 
 
 the residence of the Roman Procu- The Roman legions stationed in the 
 
 rators (see note, viii. 40.), until the East consisted principally of natives 
 
 government of Judea was transferred of the province, but always contained 
 
 to Herod Agrippa, A.i). 41. (See note, one or more cohorts of Italians, in 
 
 ix. 1.) both respects resembling our Indian 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 105 
 
 2. ^ A devout man, and one that '^feared God with aver. 22. c 
 all his house, which "-ave much alms to the people, and ^'^ '''' ^' 
 
 1/111 ir r ' b ver. 3j. 
 
 i^rayed to God alwaj. 
 
 3. *^ He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth <^ ^^i-. 30^ 
 hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, " ' ' ''■ 
 and saying unto him, Cornelius. 
 
 4. And when he looked on him he v/as afraid, and 
 said, What is it. Lord ? And he said unto him, Thy 
 prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial 
 before God. 
 
 armies. An ancient inscription men- 
 tions a cohort in Syria, consisting 
 of Italian volunteers, which was sta- 
 tioned, of course, at the residence of 
 the governor of Judea. ' 
 
 2. " A devout )nan" &c. The ex- 
 pressions used in this verse imply of 
 course that he abjured idolatry and 
 polytheism, and worshipped the only 
 true God. But they have a more 
 special meaning, and always designate 
 proselytes, of whom there were two 
 classes. First, those who were cir- 
 cumcised, baptized, and after oflFering 
 certain sacrifices were admitted into 
 all the privileges of Jews, and were 
 said by the Rabbis to be regenerated 
 into the family of Abraham. They 
 were called proselytes of righteous- 
 ness. Secondly, those who were 
 bound only to observe the seven pre- 
 cepts of Noah, which were substan- 
 tially the same as those prescribed 
 by the Apostolic decree, Acts, xv. 20. 
 viz, to worship the true God, not to 
 worship the stars or idols ; to abstain 
 from blood, from fornication, robbery, 
 and injustice, and to do as they would 
 be done by. They were called pro- 
 selytes of the gate. The Jews, how- 
 ever, regarded them as strangers 
 (see ver. 25.), that is aliens, and un- 
 clean, or at the best as half converted 
 heathens.^ Cornelius was not the 
 first proselyte that was admitted into 
 the Church, but he was certainly the 
 first uncircumcised proselyte. 
 
 " To the people.'' To the Jews. 
 
 His almsgiving was the more re- 
 markable, as being contrary to the 
 practice of the Roman officers, who 
 generally plundered the provincials 
 to the utmost.^ 
 
 " Prayed to God alwayy This 
 may refer both to family and private 
 prayers ; but from the next verse the 
 allusion appears to be rather to the 
 observance of the stated hour of pri- 
 vate devotion. 
 
 3. " Evidently." That is, not in a 
 confused, dreamlike manner, but dis- 
 tinctly and unmistakeably, and as we 
 learn from ver. 30. in a human form. 
 
 " The ninth hour." That is at three 
 in the afternoon, the regular hour for 
 evening prayer, which was observed 
 by Cornelius as a proselyte. 
 
 4. " When he looked on him." The 
 word in the original means, regarded 
 him attentively, as though he had at 
 first taken him to be a man. He 
 then recognised an heavenly Being, 
 and was awestruck. 
 
 " What is it. Lord?" Headdresses 
 the angel as the ambassador and re- 
 presentative of God ; but his words 
 do not imply that he took him to be 
 God. The word " Lord" in this pas- 
 sage means simply "Master." 
 
 " Thy prayers and thine alms." 
 Both are represented as sacrifice or 
 incense (see Phil. iv. 18. ; Rev. v. 8. 
 and viii. 3.), the odour of which 
 ascends to heaven, and is a symbol 
 and pledge of acceptance.* The same 
 word rendered memorial, is used by 
 
 1 See Wieseler, p. 145., and Ackermann's 
 
 Numismatic Ulustrations of the Acts, p. 178. 
 
 -2 Winer, ii. 285. ; and Buxtorf, Lex. Rab., 
 
 p. 407. : 
 
 F 5 
 
 3 Ilumpliry. 
 
 4 Olshaiisen. 
 
106 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 5. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one 
 Simon, whose surname is Peter : 
 
 6. He lodgeth with one ^ Simon a tanner, whose 
 house is by the sea side : ^he shall tell thee what thou 
 oughtest to do. 
 
 7. And when the angel which spake imto Cornelius 
 was departed, he called two of his household servants, 
 and a devout soldier of them that waited on him con- 
 tinually ; 
 
 8. And when he had declared all these things unto 
 them, he sent them to Joppa. 
 
 9. % On tlie morrow, as they went on their journey, 
 and drew nigh unto the city, ^ Peter went up upon the 
 housetop to pray about the sixth hour : 
 
 10. And he became very hungry, and would have 
 eaten : but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 
 
 the LXX for sacrifice. Lev. ii. 2. 
 and 16. The expression here used 
 by the angel implies that God ap- 
 proved the alms and would fulfil the 
 prayers which were offered in sin- 
 cerity and faith. Since Cornelius 
 must have heard of the Gospel, which 
 had been preached by Philip in his 
 own city, it may be conjectured that 
 his prayers were especially ofi'ered 
 for enlightenment on so momentous 
 a subject as the fulfilment of all that 
 was hoped for at the coming of 
 Messiah. The fathers ' dwell much 
 upon the state of preparedness evinced 
 by the conduct of Cornelius. 
 
 5. " To Joppa.'" A distance of 
 about 36 miles. 
 
 " One Simon, tvhose surname is 
 Peter.'''' The word (one) is not in the 
 original, from which it cannot be cer- 
 tainly inferred whether Cornelius had 
 previously heard of the name. 
 
 6. " A tanner.''' The trade was 
 looked upon as degrading, and even 
 ceremonially unclean ; and tanners 
 ■were avoided by many scrupulous 
 Jews^; they were not permitted to 
 carry on their trade in cities, and 
 generally erected their buildings near 
 runnin"; streams, or the sea. This 
 
 circumstance was a trial of humility 
 to a Roman centurion. 
 
 7. '-'■ A devout soldier'' Cornelius 
 had doubtless used his influence with 
 his soldiers, or at least selected pro- 
 selytes to be his constant attendants. 
 
 8. " And when he had dechired.'" 
 One of the fathers remarks that Cor- 
 nelius did not simply command his 
 soldiers to bring Simon Peter to him, 
 but relates what he had seen in order 
 to persuade him.^ He might have 
 spoken as a master, but has learned 
 already to be a suppliant. 
 
 9. " Upon the housetop." The 
 Hebrews usually retired to the house- 
 tops, which were flat, in order to pray 
 and meditate under the open heaven 
 and in solitude.* 
 
 " About the si.Tth hour.'" It was a 
 Hebrew custom, observed by Corne- 
 lius as a proselyte, and retained by 
 the early Christians, to ofl"er stated 
 prayers at this, as well as at the third 
 and ninth hour. 
 
 10. " He became very hun(/ri/." It 
 was usual to prolong the morning 
 fast until after the second hour of 
 prayer. 
 
 " He fell into a trance.'' Literally, 
 an ecstasy fell upon him, an expression 
 
 1 rhrysostoiD, Didyrmis ap. Cramer, Cat. 
 
 2 School gen and Wetstein ; Misclina, ii. y. 
 ap. Meyer. 
 
 ^ Atnmonius ap. Cramer. 
 "* Winer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 107 
 
 11. And ^saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel g cu. 7. 56. 
 descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit 
 
 at the four corners, and let down to the earth : 
 
 12. Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts 
 of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and 
 fowls of the air. 
 
 13. And there came a voice to him, Kise, Peter; 
 kill, and eat. 
 
 14. But Peter said, Not so, Lord: ^ f or I have'-^o-l^^ ceut. 
 never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 4.V4:'" 
 
 which denotes a sudden and over- 
 powering influence of the spirit. The 
 state so produced may be conceived 
 as one of unconsciousness of impres- 
 sions upon the senses, and of total 
 abstraction from the things of this 
 world, during which the Holy Spirit 
 presents distinct visions of heavenly 
 realities to the soul. The same ex- 
 pression is used by the LXX to de- 
 scribe the deep sleep into which 
 Abraham was plunged, Gen. xv. 12. 
 It was in such a state that some of 
 the most important revelations ap- 
 pear to have been made, as to St. 
 Paul, Acts, xxii. 1 7. and 2 Cor. xii. 2. 
 11. '■'^ Heaven opened." The appa- 
 rent opening of the firmament was an 
 apt symbol of a revelation from the 
 other world. 
 
 ".4 certain vessel" The word 
 " vessel" had a wider signification 
 formerly than at present. 
 
 " Knit at the four corners." "We 
 may, perhaps, understand that it was 
 let down by cords attached apparently 
 to the four corners of heaven.' The 
 word corners, however, is more ge- 
 nerally understood of the great sheet. 
 There can be little doubt that this 
 was symbolical of the extension of 
 the Gospel to the four quarters of the 
 world. 
 
 12. " All manner." This colossal 
 vessel, which appeared to extend 
 over the whole earth, presented a 
 vision of all varieties of the animal 
 kingdom.- The form of the vision 
 
 was in accordance with the Apostle's 
 bodily state at the time, as appears to 
 be frequently the case with spiritual 
 intimations, but we may not, without 
 irreverence, suppose that it -was sug- 
 gested by his hunger. 
 
 13. ^^ A voice." Revelations were 
 often made by a voice, without any 
 other personal manifestation. The 
 Hebrews have a peculiar expression 
 for this voice, which they call Bath 
 Kol, the daughter, or echo of the 
 Divine Voice. 
 
 14. " Not so, Lord." The distinc- 
 tion between animals ceremonially 
 clean or unclean, had not been for- 
 mally abrogated by our Lord, who 
 had undoubtedly observed it Him- 
 self, as part of the law to which He 
 made himself subject ; and although 
 St. Peter might have inferred that it 
 would be done away with, from such 
 passages as Matthew, xv. 11. and 17, 
 18., he would require a very clear 
 and positive command both to over- 
 come his natural repugnance, and to 
 break a ceremonial precept. This 
 answer must be understood as an 
 expression of these feelings, not of 
 course as indicating any intention to 
 disobey. He pleads and reasons, as 
 it must be remembered, in a state of 
 trance. 
 
 " Common." That is profane, di- 
 rectly forbidden by the law. 
 
 " Or unclean." The clean ani- 
 mals in the vessel would become, 
 ceremonially, unclean by contact. 
 
 2 Mever. 
 
JO^ THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 15. And the voice spake nnto liim again the second 
 i Matt. 15. 11. time, ^What God hath cleansed, that call not thou 
 
 Ter. '^8. 
 
 Kom. 14. 11, common. 
 
 1 conio. '2.5. 16. This was done thrice : and the vessel was re- 
 
 1 Tim. 4.4. . . 1 
 
 Tit. 1. 13. ceived up again into heaven. 
 
 17. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this 
 vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the 
 men which were sent from Cornelius had made en- 
 quiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, 
 
 18. And called, and asked whether Simon, which 
 was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. 
 
 k ch. 11 12. 19. IF While Peter thought on the vision, i^the Spi- 
 
 rit said unto him. Behold, three men seek thee, 
 ch. 15. 7. 20. ^ Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with 
 
 them, doubting nothing : for I have sent them. 
 
 21. Then Peter went down to the men which were 
 sent unto him from Cornelius : and said, Behold, I am 
 he whom ye seek ; what is the cause wherefore ye are 
 come? 
 m ver. i,2,&c. 22. Aud tlicy said, ^ Cornelius the centurion, a just 
 n ch. 22. 12 man, and one that feareth God, and " of good report 
 among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from 
 God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, 
 and to hear words of thee. 
 
 23. Then called he them in, and lodged tJiem. And 
 
 ■ 1.5. " What God hath cleansed." meditation upon the conversion of 
 
 God declared them to he clean, hy the Gentiles. 
 
 comnKindinp^ Peter to kill and eat, " Behold, the men,'' &c. The mi- 
 
 and thus reversing the enactment nuteness with which every fact in 
 
 which was given, but for the season, this transaction is described should 
 
 during which the Hebrews were to not be overlooked. St. Luke dwells 
 
 remain separated from the Gentile upon it as the most important event 
 
 world. since the great day of Pentecost. 
 
 16. " Thrice." To denote the It was the opening of the gate 
 importance of the transaction, and of the kingdom of heaven to the 
 to impress the circumstance on St. Gentiles. 
 
 Peter's mind. 19. ''The Spirit said." Themean- 
 
 17. '' JJouhted in himself." St. ing of this vision is, therefore, indi- 
 Peter appears to have been convinced cated by another revelation. The 
 that such a revelation was not made form of the expression should be 
 merely to settle a matter of ceremo- noted, as bearing witness to the per- 
 nial observance, but lie could not, as sonality of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 yet, perceive its bearing upon any 20. '' I have sent them." I'his ex- 
 actual occurrence. A proof that the pression testifies to the identity of 
 vision was not suggested, as some the Holy Spirit with God, in whose 
 commentators' suppose, by previous name the angel spake, ver. .0. 
 
 Neander and others. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 109 
 
 on the morrow Peter went away with them, ^and cer- o ver. 4.5. 
 tain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 
 
 24. And the morrow after they entered into Ce- 
 sarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had 
 called together his kinsmen and near friends. 
 
 25. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met 
 him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. 
 
 26. But Peter took him up, saying, p Stand up ; I p ch. u. i^, 
 myself also am a man. kJv. 19. 10. & 
 
 27. And as he talked with him, he went in, and''""^" 
 found many that were come together. 
 
 28. And he said unto them. Ye know how ^ that ^j;^!^^^ 4. 9. 
 it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to ;[l'^,^^/j\^ 1^ 
 keep company, or come unto one of another nation ; 
 
 but ^"God hath shewed me that I should not call any r ch. 1.5. s, 9. 
 man common or unclean. 
 
 Ephe 
 
 23. " Certain brethren" Six bre- 
 thren, L e.. Christian Jews, accom- 
 panied St. Peter. They appear to 
 have been selected especially, to bear 
 witness of what might occur on so 
 remarkable a transaction. 
 
 24. " And the morrow after.''* They 
 passed one night on the road. Four 
 days passed between the vision of 
 Cornelius and the arrival of St. Peter 
 at Caisarea. 
 
 " Cornelius waited for them." Chry - 
 sostom remarks the piety and affection 
 of Cornelius in calling his friends to 
 partake of the spiritual blessings 
 ■which he expected, and his un- 
 doubted faith in the fulfilment of 
 God's promise. It may be presumed 
 that he had previously used his in- 
 fluence to convert his kinsmen from 
 idolatry. 
 
 2.5. ''And fell down,'' &c. The 
 salutations of Eastern people to their 
 superiors are far more humble than 
 agrees with European notions of de- 
 corum ; and this act of Cornelius 
 may have been merely a mark of the 
 respect and deference which he felt 
 for the person of St. Peter, as one 
 who was divinely commissioned to 
 teach him the way of salvation. In 
 
 that case it would not be blameable 
 in itself, and indeed would be war- 
 ranted by the highest examples. See 
 Genesis, xix. 1., xxiii, 7., xxxiii. 3., 
 xlii. 6. 
 
 26. " But Peter." The danger of 
 such a custom, and its tendency to • 
 wards idolatry and saint worship is 
 pointed out and condemned by St. 
 Peter. Compare the marginal re- 
 ferences. " See thou do it not, I am 
 thy fellow servant," are the words of 
 the angel, who appeared to St. John 
 in the Revelation. 
 
 27. '' He went in." Cornelius had 
 gone out of the house to meet him, 
 in token of respect and gratitude for 
 his visit. 
 
 28. "■ It is an unlawful thing'' The 
 Jews at that time universally adopted 
 the Rabbinical interpretation of the 
 law, and not only abstained from in- 
 termarriage and alliance with Gen- 
 tiles, but regarded all intercourse 
 with them as unlawful.' This was 
 universally known,- and Cornelius 
 would not have expected St. Peter 
 to enter his house, had he not re- 
 ceived a Divine intimation. The 
 Jews were, in fact, intended to re- 
 main a separate people until the 
 
 1 Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. in loc. ; and Sel- 
 don. de J. N.,xix. 108. See Davidson, Introd. 
 N. T. V. xi. p.4S. 
 
 2 Juvenal, Sat., xiv. 103. 
 
110 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 t Alatt. 28. 3. 
 Mark Ifi. 5. 
 Luke 2 1.4. 
 
 y Deut. 10. i; 
 5i ( hron. 19. 
 Job, 34. 19. 
 Horn. 2. 11. 
 (iai. '2. n. 
 Ephes. 6. 9. 
 Col. 3. 2.>. 
 i Pet. 1. 17. 
 
 z ch. 1.5. C. 
 Kom. 2. 13, 
 '27. & 3. T>, 
 29. & 10. 12, 
 13. 
 
 1 c:or. 12. 13, 
 Gal. 3. 28. 
 Ephes. 2. 13, 
 18. &3. 6. 
 
 29. Therefore came I tmto you without gainsaying, 
 as soon as I Avas sent for : I ask therefore for what 
 intent ye have sent for me ? 
 
 30. And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fast- 
 ing until this hour ; and at the ninth hour I prayed 
 in my house, and, behold, ^a man stood before me *in 
 bright clothing. 
 
 31. And said, Cornelius, " thy prayer is heard, ^and 
 thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of 
 God. 
 
 32. Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, 
 whose surname is Peter ; he is lodged in the house of 
 one Simon a tanner by the sea side : who, when he 
 Cometh, shall speak unto thee. 
 
 33. Immediately therefore I sent to thee ; and thou 
 hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore 
 are w^e all here present before God, to hear all things 
 that are commanded thee of God. 
 
 34. ^1 Then Peter opened Ids mouth, and said, y Of 
 a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons : 
 
 35. But ^ in every nation he that feareth him, and 
 worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 
 
 coming of Christ ; and an excessive 
 scrupulousness was not unnatural. 
 
 30. " A man" Sec. See note ch. i. 
 10. The following account given by 
 Cornelius serves to impress the cir- 
 cumstances of a most important 
 event upon the memory, and shows 
 also the simplicity and fervency of 
 his faith. It may be remarked also, 
 that the style of language in the 
 original, differs somewhat from that 
 of the general narrative, and is just 
 what might have been expected from 
 a person in his station. St. Peter 
 appears to have spoken the Greek 
 language during this interview. It 
 is not probable that he was ac- 
 quainted with it in early life, but he 
 may have acquired a knowledge of 
 it during his ministry, or it may 
 possibly have been a result of the 
 Pentecostal gift. See, however, note 
 ch. ii. 4. 
 
 33. " Before God." The expres- 
 sion means that they were assembled 
 in the presence of God, under His 
 immediate and especial influence. 
 
 34. " Opened his mouth.'" This 
 form is only used on solemn occa- 
 sions. See note ch. viii, 35. 
 
 '■'■God is no respecter of persons.'^ 
 That is. He will not show any par- 
 tiality, and will neither accept nor 
 exclude any man on account of his 
 race or descent. The Jews ex- 
 pected that they alone would be heirs 
 of the Messianic kingdom, because 
 they alone were descended from 
 Abraham. 
 
 35. " Is accepted, or acceptable." 
 St. Peter docs not say that such per- 
 sons as he describes are saved by 
 their works, or without Christ ; 
 otherwise he would have contra- 
 dicted his own solemn assertion, ver. 
 43,, and Cornelius would not have 
 needed remission of sins. He evi- 
 dently means, that the inner disposi- 
 tion and the obedient course of life 
 which the law was given to direct 
 and inform, and not the ceremonial 
 observances and external privileges 
 on which the Jews depended, arc the 
 objects of Divine approbation and 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 Ill 
 
 36. The word which God sent unto the children of 
 
 Israel, ^ preaching peace by Jesus Christ ; (^ he is ^ isai. 57. 19. 
 Lord of all ;) ^ K^l:^' 
 
 37. That word, / say, ye know, which was pub- i, Man. 28. is. 
 lished throughout all Judea, and '^ began from Galilee, fcon'ia.^f/. 
 after the baptism which John preached ; ^.f^^-^^- ^^^' 
 
 38. How ^ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Re^v!V.i'4.& 
 Holy Ghost and with power : who went about doing ^ Luke,4.u. 
 good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil ; d Luke, 4. is. 
 ^for God w^as with him. 
 
 39. And ^ we are witnesses of all things which he , ^ . „ 
 
 c G John, J. 2. 
 
 did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; f ch. 2. 32. 
 & whom they slew and hanged on a tree : g ch. 5. so. 
 
 ch. '>. M-^. & 
 4. 27. 
 Hebr. 1. 9. 
 
 favour. They are in fact proofs that 
 the seminal pi-inciple of faith has al- 
 ready taken root. Cornelius believed 
 and acted to the extent of his know- 
 ledge, M'hen the Father drew him and 
 gave him to the Son, by whom he 
 was saved. The text has no refer- 
 ence to the idolatrous heathen. 
 
 36. " The u'orcl." The construc- 
 tion of this and the following verse 
 presents some difficulty. St. Peter, if 
 "we may venture so to speak, is so 
 anxious to bring the great truths of 
 the Gospel before Cornelius that he 
 interrupts himself, and recommences 
 after a parenthesis. We may, per- 
 haps, understand the construction to 
 be, — " The word which God sent ye 
 know, namely, that which became 
 a thing spoken of throughout all 
 Judea."' " The word" in this verse 
 means probably the doctrine of Jesus ; 
 in the next, where a different word is 
 used in the original, it means the 
 transaction itself I must acknow- 
 ledge, however, that the translation 
 of another commentator appears to 
 me preferable, were it borne out by 
 St. Luke's style, viz. the Word de- 
 signates the person of the Son ; so 
 that we should understand The Word 
 whom God sent, &c.. He is Lord of 
 all.-^ 
 
 37. " That word, I say, ye know.'" 
 
 Ye know of that transaction. St. 
 Peter therefore assumes that Corne- 
 lius and his friends must have heard 
 of Christ, as must needs have been 
 the case, if his cohort had been long 
 stationed in Palestine. Philip the. 
 deacon had also lately made many 
 converts at Csesarea, though as yet 
 he had preached the Gospel only to 
 those of the circumcision. 
 
 38. ''How God anointcdr That 
 is, how God made and declared Jesus 
 to be the true Messiah, whom Cor- 
 nelius as a proselyte looked for, by 
 giving him the unction of the Holy 
 Spirit secretly at the incarnation and 
 publicly at His baptism ■', and by 
 enduing Him with sovereign power 
 over nature. The use which he 
 made of that power proved even 
 more convincingly that God was with 
 Him. Goodness is more essentially 
 Divine than power. 
 
 39. " We are witnesses." The 
 Apostles, whose testimony was con- 
 firmed by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " Whom they slew and hanged on a 
 tree." St. Peter draws attention to the 
 fact that the Jews were His mur- 
 derers, by using the term "hanging 
 on a tree," which was the legal * ex- 
 pression for crucifixion in the Old 
 Testament. 
 
 1 Humphry. 3 Bede ; and Jerome on Isaiah, Ixi, 1. See 
 
 2 Heinsius. The construction wouM then Humphry. 
 
 ba by attraction; as Kypke also takes it, ^ Winer, Meyer. 
 
112 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 h ch. 2. 2t. 
 
 i John, M. 17, 
 
 '2-', 
 
 th. 13. 51. 
 
 k Luke, 24. ."O, 
 
 4.-5. 
 
 John, 21. 13. 
 
 i Matt. 28. 19. 
 
 20. 
 
 ch. 1. 8. 
 
 m John, 5. 22, 
 
 V7. 
 
 ch. 17. 31. 
 
 n Rom. 11. 9, 
 
 10. 
 
 2 Cor. 5. in. 
 
 2 Tim. 4. 1. 
 
 1 Pet. 4. 5. 
 
 o Isai. 53. 11. 
 
 Jer. 31..'^4. 
 
 Dan. 9. 21. 
 
 SIic. 7. IS. 
 
 Zech. 1.-,. 1. 
 
 Mdl. 4. 2. 
 
 ch. 2G. 'II. 
 
 p ch. 1.5. 0. 
 
 ^i 26. IS. 
 
 Kom. 10. U. 
 
 Cial. 3. 22. 
 
 q ch. 4.31.& 
 
 8. 13, 16, 17. 
 
 & 11. 15. 
 
 r ver. 23. 
 
 s ch. 11. IS. 
 
 Gal. 3. 14. 
 
 40. Him ^ God raised up the third day, and shewed 
 him openly ; 
 
 41. i Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen 
 before of God, even to us, ^ who did eat and drink 
 with him after he rose from the dead. 
 
 42. And ^ he commanded us to preach unto the 
 people, and to testify ™ that it is he which was or- 
 dained of God to be the Judge " of quick and dead. 
 
 43. ^ To him give all the prophets witness, that 
 through his name p whosoever believeth in him shall 
 receive remission of sins. 
 
 44. % While Peter yet spake these words, ^ the Holy 
 Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 
 
 45. "^ And they of the circumcision which believed 
 were astonished, as many as came with Peter, ^ be- 
 cause that on the Gentiles also was cured pout the gift 
 of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 41. " Not to all the people.'' We 
 may conjecture, without irreverence, 
 that a manifestation of the risen Lord 
 would either have produced a com- 
 pulsory submission, or have hard- 
 ened the people beyond all possibility 
 of repentance; both etfects being con- 
 trary to the course pursued by Him 
 who claims the heart, and willeth 
 not that any should perish in their 
 sins. 
 
 " Who did eat and drink with him.^' 
 This was an important point, proving 
 that the " witnesses" had not merely 
 seen Him in vision. The early fa- 
 thers attached great weight to such 
 texts in their controversies with the 
 heretics who denied the humanity and 
 the bodily resurrection of our Lord. ' 
 
 42. *' Of quick and de.id." The 
 same expression is used 2 Tim. iv. 1. 
 and 1 Peter, iv. 5. Some commenta- 
 tors'- understand it figuratively of 
 those who live by faith, and those 
 who are dead in sins ; but the lite- 
 ral interpretation, which explains it 
 to mean those who shall be alive at 
 our Lord's coming, together with all 
 past generations, is undou])tedly the 
 only true one, and is sufficiently con- 
 
 firmed by such passages as 1 Thess. 
 iv. 16, 17. and Rev. xx. 13. 
 
 43. '' All ike prophets.'' St. Peter 
 takes for granted that Cornelius and 
 his friends knew the prophets. The 
 whole import of prophecy tended to 
 show that the Messiah would estab- 
 lish a kingdom, into which the con- 
 dition of entrance would be confes- 
 sion of His name, and the first privi- 
 lege remission of sins. 
 
 44." Whde Peter yet spake." The 
 Apostle had not yet explained the 
 mode of admission into the kingdom, 
 when the miraculous effusion of the 
 Holy Ghost anticipated his decision, 
 and removed any doubts he might 
 entertain as to the propriety of ad- 
 mitting Cornelius without circum- 
 cision. The descent of the Holy 
 Ghost is distinctly stated by St. Peter 
 to have been accompanied with the 
 same signs as at Pentecost. See 
 note, ch. xi. 1.5. 
 
 4.5. " They of the circumcision 
 which," Sec. That is the men who 
 accompanied St. Peter, who were 
 Jews. 
 
 " On (he Gentiles." Notwithstand- 
 ing their ceremonial uncleanness. 
 
 Ignatius ad Sinyrn., 3. 
 
 2 Olshaiiscn, ami some fatlicrs. .\lso tlie 
 Aiigsljuig Catechism ap. Ilumjiliiy. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 113 
 
 46. For they heard them speak with tongues, and 
 magnify God. Then answered Peter, 
 
 47. Can any man forbid water, that these shoiikl 
 
 not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost ^ ^h. „. i-. 
 *as well as we ? Rom.ib!'i2. 
 
 48. "And he commanded them to be baptized ^in u icor. i.n. 
 the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry f.'fe.^-^^"^' 
 certain days. 
 
 46. " Speak with tongues." The 
 expression here is not the same as in 
 Acts, ii. 4. &c. ; and it might mean 
 to speak under manifest inspiration, 
 uttering words suggested or con- 
 trolled by the Spirit. But it is more 
 reasonable to suppose that Cornelius 
 and his friends spoke the language of 
 the Hebrews as the Spirit gave them 
 utterance. So the Jews who were 
 present could judge of the reality of 
 the miracle. 
 
 47. " Water." The water, the vi- 
 sible sign was still required, though 
 the inward grace had been bestowed. 
 Both parts of the sacrament are requi- 
 site for admission into the kingdom of 
 
 Messiah, according to His ordinance. 
 
 "yls ivell as u-e." In the same 
 manner, and with the same effects as 
 the disciples at Pentecost. 
 
 48. '^ A7id he commanded," 8cc. The 
 Apostles usually direct baptism to he 
 administered by the deacons or other 
 ministei-s. 
 
 " In the name of the Lord." Cor- 
 nelius had already professed faith in 
 God, the confession that Jesus was 
 the Messiah, was the only condition 
 of baptism still necessary. The words 
 " in the name " do not here refer to 
 the form of administering baptism, 
 but to the profession of faith made 
 by the convert. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1, 2. It is a striking, and should be regarded as a humiliating, fact that 
 the piety, and charity of a Gentile soldier surpassed the practice of the 
 great majority of professing Christians. Of how many can it be aftirmef 
 that they keep their households in the fear of God, are abundant in alms ^ 
 giving, and men of prayer ? " True religion consisteth in the love of God, 
 and of man for God's sake. The former shows itself in the exercise of 
 piety, the latter in that of charity. One leads us to God as the only person 
 who can supply our wants. The other induceth us to supply those of our 
 neighbours. Prayers are powerful and alms are powerful, and when they 
 join their forces Omnipotence itself is pleased to be overcome by them. 
 Alms give wings to prayer, causing it to ascend quickly towards heaven, 
 and prayer giveth strength to alms enabling them to follow after, till they 
 enter the everlasting doors together, and present themselves before the Most 
 High. They rise like vapours from the earth, and return like them with a 
 blessing. But in order that they may produce this effect a man must not 
 be niggardly in his alms, he must not be inconstant in his prayers." — 
 Bishop Home. 
 
 3, 4. Cornelius is about to be enrolled among the " heirs of salvation," 
 
114 THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 
 
 and therefore he is visited by a "ministering angel." Heb. i. 14. The 
 presence of that heavenly being does not elate him. There is no phari- 
 saism in his religion, and that vision awakens him to a consciousness, not 
 of his merits, but of his deficiencies. Without humility pi*ayers are but 
 hypocrisy, and almsgiving but an empty pretence. God accepts both only 
 when they are the incense of a heart kindled by His Spirit. 
 
 5, 6. No external thing is great or little in the sight of God, or of the 
 angels who surround His throne. The mention of a poor tanner's house 
 does not misbecome the dignity of a heavenly visitant. Holiness was 
 written on the walls, and upon the vessels of that house, and the angel of 
 the Lord, the great angel of the Covenant himself, encamped around it, 
 and dwelt within it. 
 
 7, 8. Cornelius might have feared that what he " ought to do," would 
 be something painful or dangerous. Had it been an order to become a 
 proselyte of righteousness, — no improbable conjecture in his circumstances 
 — that might have involved the loss of rank and fortune, and have sub- 
 jected him to persecution. But he did not hesitate — he had not a thought 
 of fear — all misgivings were swallowed up in hope, and his only anxiety 
 was to know the perfect will of God that he might do it. 
 
 It should be remarked that the angel does not preach the Gospel to Cor- 
 nelius, but directs him to the " earthen vessel," to which the treasure of sal- 
 vation had been entrusted by Christ. 
 
 9. Observe the regularity and privacy of the Apostle's prayer. He did 
 not fear the charge of formality because he fasted, went to the housetop, 
 and kneeled thrice daily in prayer. 
 
 10—16. In meditating on this vision we should remember not only that 
 our Gentile forefathers were typified by those wild beasts, creeping things, 
 and fowls of the air, but that our own nature is truly unclean by reason of 
 fierce passions, grovelling habits, and unstable imaginations, unless God 
 hath cleansed us by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 17 — 24. Each incident in this transaction is minutely recorded ; and if 
 we remember that the object of this manifold work of grace was our own 
 admission into the kingdom of Messiah, we shall not listen coldly to the 
 movements by which the once alienated hearts of the first Christian 
 Apostle, and the first Gentile convert were brought into contact and loving 
 unity in Christ. 
 
 25—33. In the house of the centurion are two groups, who represent the 
 subjects and ministers of the kingdom. On the one side, Cornelius and 
 his friends, drawn nearer to each other by their common attraction to the 
 region of light, on the verge of which they are now standing — on the 
 other, the Apostle, with his friends full of light, save on one point, from 
 which the shadow is rapidly departing. But they all know and feel that 
 they are in the presence of God, these to speak, they to hear, and both to 
 do all things which He might command them, "Without the willing ear the 
 preached truth is unavailing ; but when these meet, the kingdom of God is 
 evermore revealed Avith demonstration of the Spirit and with power. 
 
 34 — 43, This discourse of St. Peter is peculiar, in that it was the first 
 Christian sermon addressed to a Gentile, and that it was addressed to one 
 prepared by God's own angel to receive the whole trutli. It contains a series 
 of statements e [ually remarkable for conciseness and completeness. The 
 impartiality of (Jod's love — the nature and object of the Gospel — the 
 power of its Author, and the mode of its jjublication — the leading points 
 of our Lord's history, -with evidence from miracle and prophecy — the 
 announcement of the second advent, and declaration of forgiveness of sins 
 through faith in His name. These points are brought to bear with power 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. X. 115 
 
 on the heart of Cornelius and his friends, -who were thus prepared for the 
 sudden illapse of the Spirit -which completed and sealed their conversion. 
 This discourse should be studied as a model by Christian missionaries, and 
 applied as a touchstone to our own hearts. 
 
 44 — 48. It is equally unscriptural to rest on the outward form of the 
 sacraments, and to dispense with it, for it is the ordinance of Christ, the 
 seal and pledge of that work which is effectually wrought by the Spirit. 
 Cornelius and his friends regarded the administration of the rite as a high 
 privilege ; for the Holy Ghost who poured out His gifts upon them taught 
 them the use, not the disuse, of every means of grace. These converts 
 also prayed the Apostle to tarry with them certain days that they might be 
 instructed in all those truths, which although they were implicitly con- 
 tained in his discourse, required patient and persevering study before they 
 could be understood in their various bearings upon the inner life and out- 
 ward habits of believers. 
 
116 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XT. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 The first part of this Chapter describes the effect produced at Jerusalem by 
 the report that Cornelius had been admitted to baptism, and by St. Peter's 
 account of the transaction. The importance of this event could not be 
 more clearly shoAvn than by the fact that the Apostles themselves thought 
 it necessary to institute a formal inquiry into the proceedings of St. Peter. 
 The latter part of the Chapter, from ver 19., represents another and more 
 general application of the principle, that was admitted in the case of 
 Cornelius ; and gives an account of the establishment of the Church of 
 Antioch, in which the denominations of Jew and Gentile were first 
 abolished for the new name, which God had promised should be given. 
 Isaiah, Ixii. 2. 
 
 a ch. 10. 45. 
 (ia'. 2. 12. 
 
 b ch. 10. iS. 
 c Gal. a. 12. 
 
 1. And the apostles and brethren that were in Jiidea 
 heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of 
 God. 
 
 2. And wlien Peter was come up to Jerusalem, 
 ^they that were of the circumcision contended with 
 him, 
 
 3. Saying, ^ Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, 
 ^ and didst eat with them. 
 
 1. " That were in Judea." Not 
 only at Jerusalem, but in all parts of 
 the country', the tidings of this con- 
 version produced a general excite- 
 ment. 
 
 2. " They that were of the circumci- 
 sion." Those members of the Church 
 who had been circumcised either as 
 native Hebrews or proselytes. I am 
 inclined to think that the latter are 
 rather designated by this expression. 
 As late converts they would be zea- 
 lous, and probably averse to the re- 
 ception of others on different and 
 easier terms than themselves. One 
 of the fathers ■ asserts that Ceririthus, 
 who was afterwards a notorious here- 
 siarch in Asia INIinor, was active in 
 raising this contention against St. 
 
 Peter. This verse is however a suf- 
 ficient proof that that Apostle was 
 not considered by the Church to be 
 infallible. 
 
 3. " Thou icentcst in." It will be 
 remarked that they do not accuse 
 him for baptizing Cornelius and his 
 friends •', although that Avas the real 
 cause of their indignation ; but of an 
 incidental breach of the Jewish law 
 or custom. The dread of contract- 
 ing ceremonial defilement was so 
 deeply roottd, that even St. Peter 
 himself afterwards incurred the me- 
 rited reproof of St. Paul for yielding 
 to it. Not that it is to be regarded 
 merely as a prejudice: it may liave 
 been but an excess of precaution, and 
 not unjustifiable, until God declared 
 
 1 Mnycr. 
 
 '^ Ej)ii)l). ap. Cramer Cat. in .Act. 
 
 Clirysostom. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XL 117 
 
 4. But Peter rehearsed the matter from the begin- 
 ning, and exjDOunded it "^ by order unto them, saying, J Lke, 13. 
 
 5. ^Iwas in the city of Joppa praying : and in a ^ '^^h? 10. 9^ 5.^, 
 trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it 
 
 had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four 
 corners ; and it came even to me : 
 
 6. Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, 
 I considered, and saw four-footed beasts of the earth, 
 and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the 
 air. 
 
 7. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, 
 Peter ; slay and eat. 
 
 8. But I said. Not so, Lord : for nothing common 
 or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. 
 
 9. But the voice answered me again from heaven. 
 What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 
 
 10. And this was done three times : and all were 
 drawn up again into heaven. 
 
 11. And, behold, immediately there were three men 
 already come unto the house where 1 was, sent from 
 Cesarea unto me. 
 
 12. And ^the spirit bade me go with them, nothing f john. in. 13, 
 doubting. Moreover s these six brethren accompanied %'. 7?' ^^' '^ 
 
 His will, and removed the probibi- cusers, to any act of ceremonial de- 
 
 tion against close alliance with the filement.^ 
 
 Gentiles. 10. " All icere drawn up." In the 
 
 4. ^^ But Peter rehearsed" SiC. This preceding chapter St. Luke says the 
 ■was quite in accordance with the "vessel" — St. Peter dwells on the 
 mode of argument usually adopted animals in the vessel, with refer- 
 by the Hebrews. See Introduction ence to the charge made by his oppo- 
 to chap. viii. In this case a simple nents. 
 
 narrative was the best and most ef- 11. '■'■Immediately." St. Peter uses 
 
 fective argument. St. Peter entirely this word, and " already," to show 
 
 exonerates himself of the responsi- the direct and obvious connection 
 
 bility, referring the whole matter to between the vision and the ti'ans- 
 
 the expressed will of God. ' action. 
 
 6. " When T had fastened" Sec. 12. " Moreover." The brethren 
 
 St. Peter describes his own impres- therefore who accompanied St. Peter 
 
 sions, whereas in the preceding chap- to Joppa went with him, doubtless as 
 
 ter St. Luke merely stated the facts, witnesses to Jerusalem. St. Peter at- 
 
 This proves how accurately each taches so much importance to the 
 
 minute fact has been recorded. whole transaction, that he will not let 
 
 8. " But I said." St. Peter repeats it rest on his single testimony. This 
 
 his own words to prove that he had is at once a proof of his humility^ 
 
 felt equal repugnance with his ac- and discretion. 
 
 1 Chrysostom. 3 Chrysostom. 
 
 ^ Chrysostom. 
 
118 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XL 
 
 k Matt. 3. 11. 
 
 John, 1. M, 
 
 .-3. 
 
 ch. 1. 5. & 
 
 19. 4. 
 
 1 Isai. 41. 3. 
 Joel, 2. 2S. & 
 3. 18. 
 
 m ch. 15. 8,9. 
 
 n ch. 10. 47. 
 
 Rom. 10. 12. 
 -. &15. 9, 
 
 p ch. 8. 1. 
 
 13. ^ And he shewed us how he had seen an angel 
 in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send 
 men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is 
 Peter ; 
 
 14. Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all 
 thy house shall be saved. 
 
 15. And as 1 began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell 
 on them, ^ as on us at the beginning. 
 
 16. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how 
 that he said, ^John indeed baptized with water; but 
 ^ ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 
 
 17. "^ Forasmuch then as God gave them the like 
 gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, "what was I, that I could withstand 
 God? 
 
 18. When they heard these things, they held their 
 peace, and glorified God, saying, ^ Then hath God also 
 to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. 
 
 19. ^ P Now they which were scattered abroad upon 
 
 1.3. " yl/i angeir In the original 
 '• the angel," by which it appears to 
 be intimated that the same angel was 
 commissioned to prepare Cornelius 
 and to direct St. Peter. 
 
 14. " All thy housed This verse 
 explains more fully the purport of 
 the angel's words, of which the sub- 
 stance only appears to be given in 
 the preceding chapter. The house, 
 that is, the family of Cornelius, were 
 baptized with him. 
 
 1.5. " As I began to speak." From 
 this it is evident that the discourse 
 of St. Peter was not concluded' when 
 the Holy Ghost fell on Cornelius and 
 his friends. An important circum- 
 stance, showing liow completely the 
 whole matter was directed and over- 
 ruled by God. 
 
 ^'^ At the beginning." That is, the 
 beginning of the new spiritual dis- 
 pensation at Pentecost. 
 
 16. " llien remembered I." St. Peter 
 was reminded of our Lord's vords ; 
 because he saw tlie promise wliicli 
 He had made his disciples realized 
 in these (Jentiles Avho were filled 
 with the Holy Ghost. 
 
 17. " Unto us, who believed." That 
 is, unto us, upon our believing ; when 
 we embraced the faith. ^ 
 
 " What was I, that I should" Sec. 
 Chrysostom remarks the great force 
 and solemnity of this appeal. The 
 Apostle does not defend himself, but 
 challenges his opponents to show how 
 he could have acted otherwise, Mith- 
 out incurring the greatest of all guilt 
 that of withstanding the known will 
 of God. 
 
 18. ''And glorified God" They 
 ceased from further opposition, and 
 acknowledge this to be a new and 
 surprising manifestation of His glo- 
 rious attribute of mercy. Not but 
 that the leaven remained in many 
 hearts, and afterwards give rise to 
 long and painful struggles. 
 
 " Repentance unto life." A change 
 of character or nature, by which they 
 might become partakers of spiritual 
 life. Repentance is always repre- 
 sented as a gift from God the Father, 
 through the Son, by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 1 9. " Noui tltcij which n-crc scattered" 
 Sec. St. Luke refers to the previous 
 narration, ch. viii. 4., for the purpose 
 
 Mfvcr. 
 
 2 ScholcQfld. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XL 
 
 the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as 
 far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching 
 the word to none but unto the Jews onlj. 
 
 20, And some of them were men of Cyprus and 
 Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, 
 :e unto ^ the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 
 
 119 
 
 of showing the general tendency of 
 the converts to abstain from commu- 
 nication with the Gentiles. With 
 these verses a new and distinct series 
 of events is introduced, and the mis- 
 sionary work of the Church is fairly 
 commenced. 
 
 " Phenice." Or Phoenice, consisted 
 then of a narrow strip of land, ex- 
 tending about 120 miles along the 
 coast of the Mediterranean to the 
 north of Judea. It is one of the most 
 fertile and beautiful countries in the 
 East, watered by numerous streams 
 from mount Libauus, and full of opu- 
 lent towns and cities, of which Tyre 
 and Sidon are famous, as the chief 
 commercial marts of the ancient 
 world. The country derived its name 
 from the purple dye ' for which it was 
 celebrated. The inhabitants were of 
 the race of Canaan (Gen. x. 15.) and 
 spoke a language which differed little 
 from Hebrew. At that time Phenice 
 was subject to the Romans, and 
 formed part of the province of Syria. 
 
 " Cyprus" See note * iv. 36. 
 
 " Antioch." At that time one of 
 the most important and populous ' 
 cities in the Roman empii'e, the ca- 
 pital of Syria, and residence of the 
 proconsul, to whom the procurator 
 of Judea was subordinate. It was 
 situate in a beautiful plain on the 
 river Orontes, was of vast extent, 
 4^^ miles in length and 10 in circuit, 
 adorned with splendid buildings, and 
 according to all ancient authorities, 
 the abode of an active and intelligent, 
 but very corrupt, population. The 
 
 numerous Jews in this city lived in 
 a separate quarter, and were governed 
 by their own ethnarch, or national 
 chief magistrate. The city is now 
 called Antakia, and contains about 
 10,000 inhabitants, according to Ro- 
 binson. The Christian Church in 
 this place was long regarded as the 
 central station for missions to the 
 Gentiles, and as the metropolis of 
 Eastei-n Christendom.^ 
 
 " Preaching the icord." The ex- 
 pression here used, in the original 
 does not mean official preaching, but 
 speaking and discoursing, 
 
 20. ^' And some of them." That is, 
 of those who fled from Jerusalem 
 on the death of Stephen, These 
 men, who were in part countrymen 
 of Barnabas, are distinguished'* from 
 those who preached to the Jews 
 only. 
 
 " A7id Ci/rene." A large city in 
 Lybia, in a district which was then 
 rich and fertile, but is now nearly 
 buried in the sands of the desert. 
 The ruins are described by a recent 
 traveller.^ Cyrene belonged to Egypt 
 under the Ptolemies, and we read 
 that one quarter of its inhabitants 
 were Jews, who enjoyed the full pri- 
 vileges of citizenship.*' The Chris- 
 tian religion was established here at 
 an early period, and it is said that 
 Lucius of Cyrene (see xiii. 1.) was 
 the first bishop', and that St. Mark, 
 who was Bishop of Alexandria, was 
 the chief agent in Christianizing the 
 district. 
 
 The believers from these countries 
 
 1 A contested point, but see Gesen. Men. 
 PhoDii., p. 238. 
 
 -' Greswel computes the entire population 
 about tliat time at 300,000. Dissert, on Harm., 
 vol. iv. p. 14.' 
 
 3 See Chrysostom, Horn. xvii. de St^t. 
 
 4 Meyer. 
 
 5 Pacho Voyage dans la Marmarique. 
 
 6 Joseph. A., xiv. 7.2. xvi. 6. 1. ; Apion. 
 2. 4. Vit. 76.; and Dio Cass., Iviii. 32. 
 
 " Nicephor., 2. 42. 
 
120 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XL 
 
 r Luke, I. G6. 
 ch. 2. 47. 
 s ch. 9. 55. 
 
 t ch. 9. 27. 
 
 u ch. 13. 43. 
 & 14. 22. 
 
 21. And ^' the hand of the Lord was with them: 
 and a great number believed, and turned unto the 
 Lord. 
 
 22. % Then tidings of these things came unto the 
 ears of the cliurch which was in Jerusalem : and they 
 sent forth * Barnabas, that he should go as far as 
 Antioch. 
 
 23. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of 
 God, was glad, and "exhorted them all, that with pur- 
 pose of heart thej would cleave unto the Lord. 
 
 24. For he was a good man, and ^ full of the Holy 
 
 had been brought into early contact 
 with Greek civilization, and spoke 
 no other language. Their hearts, 
 now enlarged and freed from pre- 
 judice by the Gospel, would natu- 
 rally yearn for the deliverance of 
 that people from debasing super- 
 stitions. 
 
 " Grecians." The manuscripts 
 vary in the reading of this word ; 
 but nearly all critics of eminence ' 
 are agreed that we are to understand 
 persons of Greek or Gentile origin, 
 who were not proselytes to Judaism. 
 It is not stated by St. Luke whether 
 these men who preached to the Gen- 
 tiles had heard of the baptism of 
 Cornelius ; but it seems rather to be 
 intimated that it was a separate and 
 independent movement of the be- 
 lievers under the same spiritual 
 guidance. 
 
 21. ''And the hand of the Lord:' 
 The Lord Jesus put forth His power 
 in a peculiar manner to manifest His 
 approbation of the bold step they 
 were taking, and to make their 
 preaching effectual. 
 
 22. '' And they sent forth" This 
 is a very important fact, showing that 
 the Apostles did not look upon the 
 new churches, which arose where 
 the Gospel was preached, either by 
 themselves, or by the other disciple^, 
 as independent communities, but as 
 
 members of an organized body. 
 They selected for this mission of in- 
 quiry one who was equally remark- 
 able for love and zeal, and who was 
 naturally fixed on as the most proper 
 Apostle for converts, who had re- 
 ceived their first instruction and bap- 
 tism from his countrymen, and per- 
 haps his friends and acquaintance.^ 
 
 23. " When he had seen" &c. The 
 change of life in persons converted 
 from such gross idolatry as was prac- 
 tised at Antioch, one of the most 
 corrupt cities of the East'*, was a 
 visible sign of grace that removed 
 any doubts which he might have 
 entertained as to the sincerity of 
 their professions. His exhortation 
 includes a recognition of their ad- 
 mission into the Church, and an ad- 
 monition to perseverance, which 
 might be specially needed by a peo- 
 ple, who belonged to a race remark- 
 able for levity and inconstancy. 
 
 " With purpose" &c. This may 
 be more literally translated, that they 
 would remain steadfast to the pur- 
 pose of their heart with the Lord ^, 
 /. e. adhere to the resolution, by 
 which they were joined to the Lord. 
 
 24. " A good man" Good appears 
 to be used in the sense of candid and 
 benevolent, qualities for which Bar- 
 nabas was peculiarly distinguished. 
 
 " Full of the Holy Ghost and of 
 
 I E.p. Crotiiis, GrifsbaLMi, 15onf,'f'l, Kui- 
 noel, Olshauscii, Uurton, Wicsclcr, p 1 17, 
 ami Mfver. The reading; wliicli these critics 
 prefer is absolutely necessary, and siipiiorted 
 
 1)V soino of {ho host IVISS., liy Dirysostom, 
 Tlu'oplivl., and most ancient \"eraions. 
 
 - Hinil's Hist. U. & P., n, IGO. 
 
 ^ llerodian, 2. G. 1.3. 
 
 ■1 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XL 
 
 121 
 
 Ghost and of faitli : y and much people was added unto v ver. 21. 
 the Lord. 
 
 25. Then departed Barnabas to ^ Tarsus, for to seek zch.9.30. 
 Saul : 
 
 26. And when he had found him, he brought him 
 unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year 
 they assembled themselves || with the church, and 
 taught much people. And the disciples were called ^Aurc/,? ""* 
 Christians first in Antioch. 
 
 faithy These qualifications seem to 
 be specially mentioned, in order to 
 show that Barnabas was able to ap- 
 preciate and to continue the sph'itual 
 work, which had been commenced. 
 
 2.5. " To seek Said.'" See note to 
 eh. ix. 30. Saul was peculiarly adapt- 
 ed to carry on the work of conver- 
 sion at Antioch, not only by his fer- 
 vent zeal, and spiritual gifts, but by 
 his singular power of influencing 
 men's hearts, and convincing their 
 understanding. His residence at 
 Tarsus, a city which was on a par 
 with Antioch in mental cultivation, 
 had, doubtless, served also as a pre- 
 paration for this work. Chrysostom 
 dwells much upon the humility and 
 disinterestedness of Barnabas in seek- 
 ing this lion-hearted champion, and 
 eloquent preacher of the faith. 
 
 26. " A ivhole year." It will be 
 observed that St. Paul generally re- 
 sided a considerable time in cities of 
 great importance ; as, for instance, 
 one year and a half at Corinth, and 
 three years at Ephesus. His minis- 
 trations, however, were certainly not 
 confined to those cities during his 
 residence, but extended to the sur- 
 rounding districts, in which he form- 
 ed and organized separate, but not 
 independent, churches. 
 
 This may be regarded as the pro- 
 per commencement of St, Paul's 
 public career as an Apostle. " Hence- 
 forth we see him, during a period of 
 more than twenty years, in almost 
 
 every variety of position and circum- 
 stances, actively engaged in the pro- 
 pagation of Christianity. Ready for 
 every exertion and every sacrifice, 
 wearied by no opposition, terrified 
 by no danger, he lives and works, 
 struggles and suffers without cessa- 
 tion for one great and sublime ob- 
 ject.'" 
 
 26. " Christians:' This name 
 was probably given to the disciples 
 by the Romans who lived at An- 
 tioch. Had it originated with them- 
 selves we should expect to meet with 
 it in the Apostolic epistles and dis- 
 courses ; but in the two other pas- 
 sages (Acts, xxvi. 28.; 1 Peter, iv. 
 16.) where it occurs, it is evidently 
 alluded to as a term used reproach- 
 fully by the heathen. The Jews 
 certainly did not apply it to the dis- 
 ciples, since it would have implied 
 that those, whom they called Naza- 
 renes, were followers of the Messiah. 
 The name appears to have been first 
 given at Antioch because that was 
 the fii'st city in which the disciples 
 formed a community, externally and 
 evidently distinct from the Jews. 
 It describes the profession of be- 
 lievers so justly and comprehen- 
 sively, as distinguished both from 
 Jews and idolatei"s^ that they gladly 
 adopted it in their liturgies, (" we 
 thank Thee that we have been called 
 by the name of Thy Christ •',") and 
 gloried in it when accused before the 
 magistrates in times of persecution. 
 
 1 Hemsen Der Apostel Paul, p. 44. 
 
 2 Severus of Antioch ap. Cramer. 
 
 St. Clement's Liturgy ap. Humphry, 
 
122 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAR XI. 
 
 ach. 2. 17. Sc 
 13. \.fi 15.32. 
 &21. 9. 
 1 Cor. 12. 2S. 
 Eph. 4. 11. 
 
 bch. 21. 10. 
 
 c Rom. 15. 2C. 
 
 1 Cor. 16. 1. 
 
 2 Cor. 9. 1. 
 
 27. % And in these days came * prophets from Jeru- 
 salem unto Antioch. 
 
 28. And there stood up one of them named ^Agabus, 
 and signified by the spirit that there should be great 
 dearth throughout all the world : which came to pass 
 in the days of Claudius Cesar. 
 
 29. Then the disciples, every man according to his 
 ability, determined to send ^ relief unto the brethren 
 which dwelt in Judea : 
 
 30. d Which also they did, and sent it to the elders 
 by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. 
 
 27. ^^ And in these days.''' Pro- 
 bably in the early part of this year.' 
 These prophets were evidently per- 
 sons whose gift and office it was to 
 make known the mind of the Spirit, 
 with reference either to present or 
 future events touching the well being 
 of the Church. 
 
 28. ^^ Agabus." The name is de- 
 rived from a Hebrew word, and sig- 
 nifies "loving." - 
 
 " Signified by the Spirit." Under 
 the immediate influence of the Spirit. 
 This expression indicates that the 
 prophetic gift was not immanent, or 
 perpetual, but vouchsafed occasion- 
 ally. 
 
 " In the days of Claudius Cesca:" 
 (Jreece and Italy suffered four times 
 from famine in the early part of this 
 reign : and a severe famine prevailed 
 in Judea in the fourth year of this 
 Emperor, which coincides with a. b. 
 45. This date is of great import- 
 ance in settling the chronology.-* 
 
 29. " To send relief." This is the 
 first instance of one church sending 
 contributions for the relief of another, 
 an example that has been repeatedly 
 imitated, and by no church more 
 frequently or liberally than our own. 
 The Church of Jerusalem had many 
 poor dependents, which may be 
 partly accounted for l)y the absence 
 of commerce and manufactures, the 
 
 barrenness of the soil in the vicinity, 
 and the superabundant population 
 attracted by the numerous and splen- 
 did festivals. It is probable that the 
 famine had begun when St. Paul and 
 St. Barnabas arrived. Relief was 
 also sent to the Jews by Helena, queen 
 of the Adiabeni, a people on the 
 Tigris, who, with her son Izates, was 
 a proselyte to Judaism.* There is 
 a tradition that both became Chris- 
 tians, and it would be interesting to 
 suppose that their charitable work 
 brought them into contact with Saul 
 and Barnabas, and thus led to their 
 convei^ion,^ 
 
 30, " 7o the elders." From this 
 we learn that the temporalities of the 
 Church were then under the control 
 of the presbyters, here mentioned 
 for the first time, to whom the dea- 
 cons were entirely subordinate. The 
 Apostles decided all matters touch- 
 ing the general discipline of the 
 Church, as well as questions of doc- 
 trine, but the Church of Jerusalem 
 appears at this time to have been 
 completely organized under its own 
 bishop, St. James. " It is probable 
 that presbyters were appointed very 
 early, and were the necessary conse- 
 quence of churches being estab- 
 lished in distant places, which the 
 Apostles could only visit occasion- 
 ally." « 
 
 1 Wiosolor, p. 110. 
 - .Simon (Jnom., p. l.'i. 
 3 Noatidor, p. 138, ; Wieseler, p. 1 19. 
 Introduction. 
 
 Sec 
 
 Joseph. Ant., XX. 2. 
 Burton's Lect. U. I',., i. 11'2. 
 Burton's Lect., i. 97. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XI. 123 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 3. We must be careful not to jndge the brethren of the circum- 
 cision harshly or unjustly. Close and full inquiry into a matter -which 
 touches the law, and, therefore, concerns the honour of God, is in itself 
 not only justifiable but necessary. The only question is, in what spirit the 
 inquiry is conducted. If in a contentious spirit the result will be 
 strengthened prejudice, and increased bitterness ; if in a candid spirit, it 
 will lead to peaceful conviction, and clearer knowledge of God's will. The 
 Apostles and brethren acquiesced in St. Peter's statement and glorified God. 
 May we who have to discuss, or to hear others discuss religious questions, 
 be no less cautious and candid than they were, or the very things intended 
 for our peace may become to us occasions of falling. 
 
 4 — 17. St. Peter's answer is a model for those who may have to defend 
 the cause of truth, when attacked in their own persons. He did not meet 
 the charge by an acrimonious reproof of the prejudices which he had long 
 shared himself, although he must now have felt them to be most irrational. 
 He did not employ those pointed arguments which often irritate, without 
 convincing — that subtle rhetoric which silences without persuading; but 
 he makes a calm and simple statement of all the facts, which prove that he 
 acted in accordance with the revealed will of God. 
 
 18. " We ought to remark the expression here employed — ' granted re- 
 pentance.' It teaches us to think and speak of repentance in a way in 
 which it is not always thought or spoken of. It teaches us to judge of it as 
 a gift or favour, that a man is allowed to return to God: to leave a course 
 of sinful or worldly vanities, to serve the living and true God, and to wait 
 for his Son from heaven." — " No man can repent unless the Spirit influence 
 him. And that mercy, to be obtained, must be rightly sought : and to be 
 rightly sought, it must be sought of God: sought as an incalculable favour, 
 sought as an unmerited favour." — Archbishop Sioimer. 
 
 19 — 21. No nation ever stood in so responsible a position as England 
 •with regard to men of all diversities of origin and habits. All our national 
 and domestic advantages are but talents intrusted to us that they may be 
 occupied ia the service of the Lord, and His hand will be with us so long 
 and so far as we desire, and attempt to do His will, and to promote His 
 glory. 
 
 22 — 24. The Church, as a living body, preserves a perfect sympathy of 
 affections and interests in all her true members. How deeply the tidings 
 from Antioch thrilled in every Christian heart at Jerusalem ! What ten- 
 dei'uess and discretion were shown in their choice of an ambassador. One 
 who would recoil from no sacrifice, who would give way to no untimely 
 scruples or suspicions, and who was adapted by natural gifts and mental 
 cultivation to obtain influence over the new converts ; one in whom the 
 Holy Spirit had developed the most touching and winning of Christian 
 graces, candour, zeal, and faith, working effectually by love. Such was the 
 labourer whom the Apostles sent to gather in the first fruits of the Gentile 
 world. 
 
 25, 26. The increase which rewarded the labours of Barnabas gave oc- 
 casion for the display of the brightest and rarest of Christian graces. Re- 
 garding not his own glory, but the service of the Lord, he sought the aid 
 of one whose high endowments none could better appreciate than himself, 
 and is contented to divide the spoil, so that the triumph of his Lord may be 
 more rapidly completed. Where such a spirit dwells in the ministers and 
 preachers of the Gospel, the Church puts forth all her power and gathers 
 much people unto the Lord. 
 
 G 2 
 
124 THE ACTS. CHAP. XI. 
 
 27 — 30. With the living faith came also its genuine first fruits. God 
 gives at once an occasion of exercising the grace which the Spirit infuses 
 into the converted heart. " The Spirit of God mightily working in them, 
 unto obedience to God's will and commandments, they declare by their 
 outward deeds and life, in the showing of mercy and charity (which cannot 
 come but of the Spirit of God, and his especial grace), that they are the 
 undoubted children of God, appointed to everlasting life." — Homily on 
 Almsgiving. It was the ready faith of the converts of Antioch, their 
 liberality in succouring the afflicted, and their perseverance in soundness of 
 doctrine, when at a later period they were strongly tempted, that gave 
 dignity and primacy to their Church, and made it "a metropolitan, not on 
 earth but in heaven." — Chrysostom. May such be the abiding character- 
 istics of our own beloved church until He cometh who hath said, " My 
 reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be." 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XII. 
 
 125 
 
 CHAPTER XIL 
 
 Each persecution of the Christians recorded in the Acts has some peculiar 
 characteristic. That of which we read an account in this Chapter is me- 
 morable as being the first in which the wild passions of the people were 
 encouraged and sated by a powerful sovereign, and as occurring just at 
 the time when the Christians were sending large contributions to relieve 
 the distress of the poor at Jerusalem. It took place, most probably, 
 during the visit of Sts. Paul and Barnabas. 
 
 The Chapter is remarkable for its simple, yet graphic narrative, and for the 
 varied interest of the events. The summary given with our version is 
 singularly beautiful. "King Herod persecuteth the Christians, killeth 
 James, and imprisoneth Peter; whom an angel delivereth upon the 
 prayers of the Church. In his pride taking to himself the honours due 
 to God, he is stricken by an angel, and dieth miserably. After his death 
 the word of God prospereth." 
 
 1. Now about that time Herod the king || stretched 
 forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 
 
 Or, began. 
 
 1. " N'ow about that time:' That 
 is, at the same time that the people 
 of Antioch sent their contributions. 
 
 '■'• Herod the king:'' Herod Agrippa, 
 the grandson of Herod the Great, 
 and the son of Aristobulus and Bere- 
 nice, Avas a very powerful prince. 
 He was educated at Rome, in the 
 palace of the Caesars, with the Em- 
 peror Caligula, on whose accession 
 (a. D. 37.) he obtained a grant of the 
 territories governed by Philip (Ba- 
 tana^a, Trachonitis, and Auronitis) 
 and of the tetrarchy of Lysanias, with 
 the title of king. To these domi- 
 nions Peraea was added, by the same 
 emperor, on the banishment of Herod 
 Antipas (a. d. 39. or 40.). On the 
 accession of Claudius (a. d. 41.), to 
 whom he rendered important ser- 
 vices, he obtained Samaria and Ju- 
 daea, with Cajsarea, as the capital and 
 
 royal residence. So that at this time 
 he was king of all Palestine, with a 
 large revenue and undisputed power. 
 Josephus gives him a high character, 
 but was probably influenced by his 
 own zeal for the law, for which 
 Herod professed a bigoted attach- 
 ment. There can, however, be little 
 doubt that this was a mere device to 
 obtain popularity, since he not only 
 complied with Roman customs to an 
 extent quite irreconcilable with the 
 principles which he professed, but 
 was guilty of gross idolatry. He was 
 an able, showy, and popular sove- 
 reign, but cruel, licentious, and un- 
 principled.' 
 
 " Stretched forth his hands:' This 
 expression always denotes an act of 
 aggression.- 
 
 " 7o vex certain of the Church:' 
 To persecute, doubtless by scourging 
 
 1 Joseph. Ant., xvii. 
 ii. 9. 11. Philo leg. i 
 
 . xix. 6.; B. J., NeanHer, p. 140. Burton, Lect. 
 Caium., p. 1043. 138,139. Wieseler, p. 1 2'J. 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 G 3 
 
126 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XII. 
 
 b Exod. 12. 14, 
 15. & 23. 15. 
 
 c John, 21. IS. 
 
 H Or, instant 
 
 and earnest 
 
 prayer tvas 
 
 made. 
 
 2 Cor. 1. II. 
 
 Eph. 6. IS. 
 
 1 Thess. 5. 17 
 
 2. And lie killed James °- the brother of John with 
 the sword. 
 
 3. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he pro- 
 ceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were ^ the 
 days of unleavened bread.) 
 
 4. And cwhen he had apprehended him, he put him 
 in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of 
 soldiers to keep him ; intending after Easter to bring 
 him forth to the people. 
 
 0. Peter therefore was kept in prison : but || prayer 
 
 and imprisoning-, many of the disci- 
 ples. At that season all the Apostles, 
 and vast numbers of other disciples, 
 woidd he assembled at Jerusalem for 
 the passover. 
 
 2. '■'He killed James'' James the 
 elder, son of Zebedee and Mary 
 Salome. Beheading by the sword 
 was a mode of execution among the 
 Jews as well as the Romans, and 
 especially inflicted upon those who 
 were accused of " seducing the 
 people to strange worship." ' The 
 Romish tradition that St. James 
 preached in Spain, and was buried 
 at Compostella, is quite unfounded, 
 and contrary to the Scriptural ac- 
 count, from which it is clear that 
 none of the Apostles had extended 
 their journeys beyond Palestine at 
 the time of his death. One of the 
 early fathers relates, that the accuser 
 of St. James was so powerfully af- 
 fected by his defence and conduct, 
 that on the way to the execution he 
 declared himself to be a convert, im- 
 plored and obtained his forgiveness, 
 and suffered death at the same tinie."^ 
 The martyrdom of St. James fulfilled 
 his Master's prediction, INIatt. xx. 23. 
 
 3. " It pleased the Jews." There 
 appears to have been no longer any 
 difference of opinion between the op- 
 posite sects and parties at Jerusalem. 
 It is probable that the admission of 
 the Gentiles, without circumcision. 
 
 was the proximate cause of this ge- 
 neral hatred of Christianity. 
 
 " The dai/s of tcfileavened bread." 
 The seven days of the Passover, 
 during which no leaven was used. 
 (See Exod. xii, 15, 16.) Herod ge- 
 nerally resided at Csesarea, but came 
 to Jerusalem at the great festivals, 
 and availed himself of every oppor- 
 tunity of winning favour with the 
 people.^ 
 
 4, " Quaternions." One quater- 
 nion, that is, a guard of four soldiers 
 for each watch of the night, accord- 
 ing to the Roman custom. Two sol- 
 diers kept the gate, and two slept 
 within the pi'ison. St. Peter lay 
 between the latter, to each of whom 
 he was bound by a chain attached 
 to his right and left arm.^ 
 
 " After Easter." It was not lawful 
 for the Jews to put any one to death 
 during the festival, and Herod wished 
 to impress the people with a convic- 
 tion that he was zealous for the law. 
 The word translated " Easter " means 
 the Passover. St. Luke, of course, 
 alludes to the Jewish festival ; but 
 " no man can doubt that hath any 
 insight into the affairs of the ancient 
 church, that in and from the time of 
 the Apostles there has always been 
 observed an anniversary festival in 
 memory of Christ's resurrection, 
 which, from the old Saxon word 
 Oster, signifying to rise, we call 
 
 > Li(?htfoot. 
 
 ■■i Clem. Alc.'C. ap. Euscb., II. K., ii. 9. 
 
 •'' .Toseph. Ant., xix. 8. 3. 
 •« Vcget. Res. Mill. iii. 8. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XII. 
 
 127 
 
 was made without ceasing of the church unto God for 
 him. 
 
 6. And when Herod would have brought him forth, 
 the same night Peter was sleeping between two sol- 
 diers, bound with two chains : and the keepers before 
 the door kept the prison. 
 
 7. And, behold, ^^the angel of the Lord came upon dch.5. 19. 
 him, and a light shined in the prison : and he smote 
 Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise 
 
 up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 
 
 8. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and 
 bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith 
 unto him. Cast thy garment about thee, and follow 
 me. 
 
 9. And he went out, and followed him ; and ^ wist « p^. 12c. 1. 
 not that it was true Avhich was done by the angel ; but 
 
 ,1 1 , f , . . •' f ch. 10. 3, 1 
 
 thought Mie saw a vision. 6*11.5. 
 
 10. When they were past the first and the second 
 ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto 
 
 Easter-day, or the day of the resur- 
 rection." I 
 
 5. " Without ceasing."" Or, rather, 
 earnest- and importunate. By the 
 Church we are to understand the 
 various congregations in and near 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 6. " The same night." The He- 
 brews counted their days from even- 
 ing to evening. The same night 
 means, therefore, the night preceding 
 the day when Herod would have 
 brought him forth. 
 
 7. " The angel." There can be no 
 doubt that the angel appeared in a 
 human form. See note ch. i. 10. 
 
 " A light shi7ie(l" &c. That Divine 
 light which seems to have accompa- 
 nied all manifestations from the spi- 
 ritual world. Compare Luke, ii. 9., 
 Mark, ix. 3. 
 
 " His chains fell," Sec A striking 
 instance of the law of miracles, viz. 
 the suspension of the ordinary course 
 of nature in the presence of a higher 
 power. The angels and ministers of 
 
 God are strong, and do His work 
 without an effort, because they are 
 the agents of His will. 
 
 8. " Gird thyself." When the an- 
 cients slept, they unloosed the girdle 
 which fastened the tunic, or inner 
 garment, round the waist, and often 
 used the outer robe, which here and 
 elsewhere is called " the garment," 
 as a covering. These minute cir- 
 cumstances appear to be mentioned 
 in order to show that this was no 
 hasty escape.^ Sandals were not 
 usually worn except by women, or in 
 the winter, or on a journey. Saint 
 Peter Avould require them, as he was 
 about to travel.* 
 
 9. " And ivist not." This uncer- 
 tainty of St. Peter is to be attributed 
 to the excitement and confusion of 
 mind produced by the presence of a 
 heavenly spirit. We may compare 
 this with his feelings at the trans- 
 figui'ation. Mark, ix. 5, 6. 
 
 1 0. " Thefrst and the second ward. " 
 That is, the two guards, or soldiers. 
 
 1 Whateley on the Common Trayer, p. 229. 
 
 2 Lobeck on Phryn., p. 311. 
 
 3 Horace, Sat., 1. 11. 132. ; Humphry. 
 ■1 Chrysostom. 
 
 G 4 
 
128 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIL 
 
 g ch. 16. 26. 
 
 h Ps. 34. 7. 
 Dan. .■?. 28. & 
 fi. 2i!. 
 
 Hebr. 1. 14. 
 > Job, 5. 19. 
 Ps. 3.3. 18, 19. 
 &.14.2'2. &41. 
 2. & 97. 10. 
 2 Cor. 1. 10. 
 2 Pet. 2. 9. 
 k ch. 4. 23. 
 rh. 15. 37. 
 
 the city ; s which opened to them of his own accord ; 
 and they went out, and passed on through one street : 
 and forthwith the angel departed from him. 
 
 11. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, 
 Now I know of a surety, that ^tlie Lord hath sent his 
 angel, and Miath delivered me out of the hand of 
 Herod, and fro77i all the expectation of the people of 
 the Jew3. 
 
 12. And when he had considered f/ie thing, ^he 
 came to the house of Mary the mother of ^John, whose 
 
 one of -whom -was stationed at the 
 door of the prison, the other before 
 the iron gate which opened into the 
 city. 
 
 " The iron gale" The city of Je- 
 rusalem -was surrounded by three 
 strong walls, and some critics sup- 
 pose that the prison was between the 
 two outer waUs, and thus separated 
 from the city. ^ It must be a matter 
 of mere conjecture, but I should con- 
 ceive that the prison was within the 
 court of Herod's palace, which was 
 separated from the city by a strong 
 wall.2 
 
 " Of his own accord.''^ Not being 
 touched by a visible hand. 
 
 " Passed on through one street." 
 Until St. Peter was entirely safe from 
 pursuit. 
 
 11. » Was come to himself." He 
 is not restored to his usual state of 
 waking consciousness until the de- 
 parture of the angel. Hitherto he 
 had acted, as it were, mechanically, 
 and as in a dream. 
 
 " Now I know of a surcti/." He 
 was not previously assured that the 
 being who spake to him, touched 
 him, and accompanied him was a 
 heavenly spirit: it might have been 
 a man divinely commissioned and 
 empowered to deliver him. Ikit all 
 was mystery and doubt. Now he 
 recognises the agency of a minister- 
 ing spirit. 
 
 "7'Vom alt the expectation." He 
 was, therefore, fully aware, how deep 
 
 and general was the hatred of his 
 countrymen. This must have been, 
 of all trials, the hardest for one who 
 loved his nation so strongly, that he 
 was specially called to " the Apos- 
 tleship of the circumcision." Gal. 
 ii. 8. 
 
 12. "And ivhen he had considered." 
 Either what had occurred, ^ or where 
 the disciples were likely to be as- 
 sembled.* 
 
 " The house of Manj the mother,'^ 
 &c. 'J'his Mary was either the sis- 
 ter or sister-in-law of St. Barnabas, 
 since her son, John Mark was his 
 nephew. Like her brother she ap- 
 pears to have regarded her property 
 as belonging to the Church, and to 
 have devoted her house to the pur- 
 poses of common Avorship. 
 
 " ./o//n, ivhose surname ivasMark." 
 There appears to be no sufficient 
 reasons for questioning the identity 
 of this John Mark with the evange- 
 list. He was converted (as appears 
 from 1 Peter, v. 13. " and so doth 
 Marcus my son") by St. Peter, and at 
 a later period lived with that Apos- 
 tle, under whose direction he pro- 
 bably wrote his Gospel. The con- 
 nection between St, Peter and this 
 interesting family is thus shown by 
 various incidental notices, and ac- 
 counts for his proceeding at once to 
 tlie house of Mary. 
 
 " Where /nam/ icere gathered" &c. 
 From this passage avc learn that the 
 primitive Christians sometimes as- 
 
 ' Uglitfoot. 
 
 2 Fessel. ap, Meyer. 
 
 3 Orotiiis and Olsliauscn. 
 < Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS CHAP. XII. 
 
 129 
 
 surname was Mark ; where many were gathered to- 
 gether ^ praying. m ver. 5. 
 
 13. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, 
 
 a damsel came 11 to hearken, named Rhoda. 11 or to ask w/u 
 
 rvas there. 
 
 14. And when she knew Peter s voice, she opened 
 not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how 
 Peter stood before the gate. 
 
 15. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But 
 she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then 
 
 said they, ^ It is his angel. M^tririo^' 
 
 16. But Peter continued knocking : and when 
 they had opened the door, and saw him, they were 
 astonished. 
 
 sembled at night for prayer, but as 
 there was a special reason on this 
 occasion, we cannot conclude as to 
 their ordinary practice. We know, 
 however, that soon after this time 
 they had divine service before day- 
 break, a custom that was discon- 
 tinued on account of abuses. ^ 
 
 13. " The door of the gate:' Or 
 of the vestibule, the outer porch or 
 hall. This door was not generally 
 closed, except on occasions like this 
 when danger was apprehended. See 
 John, XX. 19. 
 
 " A damsel came," &c. She was 
 probably the keeper of the gate,"^ 
 her name means Rose, and is of 
 Greek origin. Both Greeks and 
 Hebrews often give the names of 
 flowers and trees to their daughters, 
 as Susanna, the lily,Tamar, the palm 
 tree, &c. 
 
 14, " She opened not the gate," &c. 
 The life and grace of this narrative 
 have often been remarked. In her 
 sympathy with the anxiety of her 
 mistress and the brethren, Rhoda is 
 quite beside herself for joy, and for 
 a moment forgets to secure the safety 
 of him, for whom they ai'e praying 
 so fervently. It is evident that St. 
 Luke received this account from an 
 eyewitness, and it is probable, that 
 
 St. Paul and Barnabas, who were 
 then at Jei'usalem, were among the 
 Christians assembled in the house of 
 Mary. 
 
 15. ^^ It is his angel." We should 
 not, perhaps, be justified^ in draw- 
 ing a doctrinal inference from this 
 opinion of the Christians then pre- 
 sent, but I cannot doubt that they 
 meant it was his guardian angel. 
 Our Saviour's words in Matt, xviii, 
 10. may possibly be understood of 
 angels ministering to children gene- 
 rally, but the eai'ly fathers were 
 unanimous^ in the opinion, that 
 angels appointed to watch over in- 
 dividuals are spoken of both in that 
 text and in Gen. xlviii. 16. "The 
 angel that redeemed me from all 
 evil." And that interpretation com- 
 mends itself in the former passage 
 as the simplest and most natural, 
 although the latter must be under- 
 stood of the angel of the covenant. 
 It seems hazardous to explain these 
 brief intimations by referring to other 
 opinions prevalent among the Jews^ 
 but not warranted by plain words of 
 holy writ. The interpretation which 
 some® have proposed, viz., "his 
 messenger," is an unsatisfactory at- 
 tempt to elude what appeared to 
 them to be a difficulty. 
 
 1 Plin. Ep. 97. ; Bingham, xiii, 11. 
 
 2 Kuinoel. 
 
 3 Chrjsostom. 
 
 ^ Origen, Basil, Chrysostom, &c., 
 Humphry. 
 
 5 Lighlfoot, Meyer, &c. 
 
 6 Basnage, Ham'mond. 
 
 G 5 
 
130 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAR XII. 
 
 o ch. 13. 16. & 
 19. 33. & 21. 
 
 hostile mind, 
 tending rvar. 
 
 17. But lie, ° beckoning unto them with the hand to 
 hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord 
 had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go 
 shew these things nnto James, and to the brethren. 
 And he departed, and went into another place. 
 
 18. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small 
 stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter, 
 
 19. And when Herod had sought for him, and found 
 him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded 
 that thei/ should be put to death. And he went down 
 from Judea to Cesarea, and there abode. 
 
 20. ^ And Herod I| was highly displeased with them 
 
 17. '■'' Beckoydng unto them." The 
 gesture described by the original 
 "word is a downward waving of the 
 hand, such as is used to command 
 silence, when a person is about to 
 address an assembly.^ It is often 
 used of St. Paul. 
 
 " Unto James, and to the brethren." 
 In other words, to the bishop and 
 church of Jerusalem. This passage 
 is recognised as most important by 
 all writers upon church government. 
 It was only as bishop of the church 
 of Jerusalem that James would be 
 distinguished from all the brethren. 
 There is some doubt whether this 
 St. James, who is called the brother 
 of the Lord, that is, his near rela- 
 tive, is to be identified with St. 
 James the son of Alpheus, who was 
 an Apostle.'-^ 
 
 " Into another place." It is un- 
 certain where St, Peter remained 
 until the time of the Apostolic coun- 
 cil, when we find him at Jerusalem, 
 ch. XV. There is not the least ground 
 for the assertion that he went to 
 Rome ; but it seems evident that he 
 did not tempt God^ by exposing 
 himself voluntarily to persecution, 
 and, therefore, left Jerusalem for a 
 season. 
 
 18. '■'■ Among the soJ<Ucr.<i." The 
 troops who had escorted Herod were 
 anxious for their comrades. The 
 
 soldiers on guard must have been 
 apprised of St. Peter's escape before 
 the morning. 
 
 19. " He examined." Tried them 
 formally for breach of discipline. 
 Keepers who allowed a prisoner to 
 escape were liable to the punish- 
 ment which would have been in- 
 flicted upon him after condemnation.^ 
 Herod was notorious for cruelty. An 
 impartial inquiry into the circum- 
 stances would have convinced him 
 of the innocence of the soldiers, 
 since had they been bribed, they 
 would certainly have fled with St. 
 Peter; and it might have recalled to 
 his mind liow his grandfather had 
 also been put to shame when he at- 
 tempted to make the wise men of the 
 east his instruments to discover the 
 Messiah.^ 
 
 The following narrative should be 
 compared with Josephus. Ant. xix. 
 c. 7. 
 
 " To Cesarea." Herod went there 
 to celebrate games in honour of 
 Claudius Cajsar, probably the Quin- 
 quennalian games, which had been 
 instituted by his grandfather in 
 honour of Augustus. They were 
 celebrated on the first of August, 
 and were of an idolatrous character. 
 A plain proof that his zeal for the 
 law was a mere pretence. 
 
 1 Wetstein. 
 
 2 IJiirton Loct. H. E., iv., and OIs- 
 liauscn. 
 
 Chrvsostom. 
 
 riiilo. l(•^'. ad C, p. 1031. 
 
 Chrvsostom. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XH. 
 
 131 
 
 of Tyre and Sidon : but tliey came with one accord to 
 
 him, and, havino- made Blastus t the kino;'s chamber- + Gr.rtof,rfls 
 
 ,.,.p. -,■,•-, 1 ' I • over ilie kings 
 
 lani their friend, desired peace ; because p their country bed-cimmber. 
 was nourished by the king's country. y, lu'"'"^'^' 
 
 21. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal ^"^■^'■^" 
 apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto 
 
 them. 
 
 22. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the 
 voice of a god, and not of a man. 
 
 23. And immediately the angel of the Lord ** smote ^jjj^^^-^^o.^s 
 him, because ^ he gave not God the glory : and he was r Ps. 115. i. 
 eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. 
 
 24. IF But the « word of God 
 
 ;rew and multiplied. 'lu'elv^ &^ 
 
 20. " Tyre and Sidon:' These 
 being populous commercial cities, 
 Avith a small territory, depended for 
 supplies of provision upon the ad- 
 jacent country of Palestine. This 
 had been the case from ancient times. 
 Ezekiel speaking of Tyre saith, 
 " Judah and the land of Israel, they 
 were thy merchants, they traded in 
 thy market wheat of Minnith." See 
 also 1 Kings, v. 9. and Ezra, iii. 7. 
 It is not probable that the Romans 
 would have tolerated open hostilities, 
 but Agrippa intended, and the Phce- 
 necians feared, the suspension of 
 commercial intercourse. The quar- 
 rel probably originated in commer- 
 cial jealousies, since Csesarea had 
 become a rival of Tyre and Sidon 
 under the energetic government of 
 the Herods. Blastus was a Roman, 
 to which circumstance his influence 
 over Agrippa may probably be at- 
 tributed. 
 
 21. " Arrayed in royal apparel. " 
 Josephus thus describes the dress and 
 appearance of the king. " On the 
 second day of the public games he 
 wore a robe of silver tissue, woven 
 with admirable skill, and entered the 
 theatre at day-break. Then the silver, 
 being irradiated with the first beams 
 of the rising sun, shone with mar- 
 vellous lustre, producing an irapres • 
 sion of thrilling awe in all who gazed 
 on him." 
 
 " Upon his throne:' This was a 
 
 raised seat in the theatre, where it 
 was not unusual for princes to address 
 the people. On that occasion Herod 
 Agrippa gave public audience to the 
 embassy from Phoenicia. 
 
 22. " /^ is the voice of a god:' 
 Josephus mentions these acclama- 
 tions, and says that his flatterers in- 
 voked him as a god, and that he did 
 not check their impiety. 
 
 23. " The angel of the Lord:' We 
 are, of course, not to understand any 
 visible appearance. Angels manifest 
 themselves, according to Holy Scrip- 
 ture, only to men in whom the spi- 
 ritual faculty is developed. But 
 Herod and all the Jews were con- 
 vinced, from the sudden and mys- 
 terious character of the disease, and 
 from the occasion on which it deve- 
 loped itself, that it was of preter- 
 natural origin. St. Luke reveals the 
 cause, and also the agent. The king 
 died five days afterwards, in the 
 fiftv-fourth year of his age. 
 
 24. ''But the word of God;' &c. 
 The deliverance of St. Peter and the 
 death of Herod had a great efiect on 
 the prosperity of the Church. Agrip- 
 pa, the son of this Herod, was only 
 seventeen years old at this time, and 
 Judaea was again governed by a 
 Roman procurator, Cuspius Fadus, 
 who was vei'y unpopular with the 
 Jewish authorities, and little disposed 
 to court their favour by persecuting 
 the Christians. 
 
 6 
 
132 THE ACTS. CHAP. XII. 
 
 ch^i''2y''^3b salem, when tliey had fulfilled their || ministry, and 
 t ch. 15. 5, 13. * took with them " John, whose surname was Mark. 
 
 25. " Theij had fulfilled their mi- tending on St. Paul, and his uncle 
 
 nistry." "VVlien they had discharged St. Barnabas, would include minis- 
 
 the special work entrusted to them, tration of baptism, assistance at the 
 
 by distributing the contributions from Lord's Supper, catechising converts, 
 
 Antioch. See ch. xi. 30. occasional preaching, and care of 
 
 '' And took ivith them" See. The temporal affairs.! The office appears 
 
 duties of St. Mark, as a travelling to have been analogous to that of 
 
 deacon, or subordinate minister at- Chazan in the Jewish synagogue.- 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 4. The contrast and the conflict between the Church and the world 
 are strikingly illustrated in this narrative : the former being represented in 
 the person of the persecuted Ajwstle, the latter by the persecuting tyrant. 
 The one actuated by an impious mixture of bigotry and vain glory, the 
 other sustained by faith and hope. The one outwardly prosperous and 
 triumphant, but foiled in spite of all precautions, and smitten in the noon- 
 day of his glory. The other afflicted and apparently helpless, but rescued 
 by a heavenly minister, and exalted in the midst of his humiliation. The 
 one enjoying the applause of the people and the favour of a corrupt priest- 
 hood, and supported by the emperor of the earth, the other having with 
 him the prayers of the Church, the sympathy of his Apostolic brethren, 
 and protected by the King of Heaven. Broad and clear types of that 
 antagonism between the children of the world and the children of God, 
 Avhich has endured from the beginning, and will continue unto the end, 
 when the Lord " shall consume that wicked," of whom Herod was but a 
 shadow, " with the Spirit of His mouth, and destroy him with the bright- 
 ness of His coming," 
 
 5. The champion of the faith is bound, but many are arming in his 
 behalf, and the weapons of their warfare are irresistible, for they are sup- 
 plied from the armoury of heaven. The Church would not know the ful- 
 ness of her power, were not her energies developed by affliction — then 
 she learns how eff'ectual are the fervent prayers of those who are clad in 
 the righteousness of Christ. 
 
 7 — 10. What the angel does for St. Peter, should remind iis of what 
 Christ has done, and ever doth for his people. We lay in a dark prison, 
 but His light shined in it, and revealed the Deliverer ; we were sleeping, 
 but He hath awakened and raised us up ; we were fast bound, but at His 
 word, the chain was shattered and fell off" ; we may be still amazed and 
 jK'ri)k'Xt'd, but He is at hand to instruct and guide us ; we nuxy be beset 
 with difficulties, but He removes all ol)staclcs from our path and opens the 
 gate that leadeth into the city where He reigneth in glory. Note, on the 
 
 Bingham, i. 202. SOri. 2 Vitring.i dc Syn., p. G51. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XII. 133 
 
 other hand, that what Peter does, we must do also. We must rise quickly 
 ^vhen Christ calls us ; we must gird ourselves, and wear the garments 
 -which he graciously provides for us, we must follow where He leads us, 
 nor cease from exertion until we enter that rest which remaineth for the 
 faithful soldier and servant of Christ at our life's end. 
 
 11. True and. nominal Christians feel much alike in the excitement that 
 is produced by unexpected deliverance from calamity and. danger, but when 
 they come to themselves, the heart speaks clearly, and bears witness to 
 their respective conditions. The one relapses into apathy and forgetful- 
 ness of God, the other then learns for a surety how gracious are the visi- 
 tations of his heavenly Father : he calculates the evils to which he would 
 have been exposed, rejoices to have been " made a partaker of Christ's 
 sufferings," and commits his soul with joy to the keeping of his " faithful 
 Creator." 
 
 12 — 15. We should observe these few notices of a saintly family. Bar- 
 nabas, once a rich Levite, now a poor and persecuted Apostle of Christ, 
 but rich in heavenly treasure : distinguished even among the Apostles for 
 that which St. Paul hath told us is the first of graces, viz. charity. His 
 sister, Mary, a mother in Israel, consecrating her house to the service of 
 God. The nephew^ a convert of Peter, a companion of Paul, and after 
 one lapse of infirmity, which was freely and fully forgiven, a faithful and 
 diligent minister unto the end. Naj', the servants in such a household im- 
 bibed their fervent love for the saints, and Rhoda's name has been pre- 
 served among those who minister to their masters not with eye service, but 
 as unto the Lord. 
 
 18, 19. The condition of Rhoda should be compared with that of the 
 servants of Herod. They shared for a season in his splendour, and were 
 then employed as instruments of his wickedness, until they were broken 
 and cast away for an involuntary failure. They were to be pitied, for they 
 had probably no choice of masters, but woe to that servant, who being 
 free to choose, prefers the wages of the profligate and irreligious to the 
 service of a household where the Lord is known and feared. 
 
 20 — 24. In the account of Herod's death we are amazed at the extra- 
 vagance of his guilt, and feel that his punishment, though extraordinary, 
 was, so to speak, a natural vindication of the glory of Him, w hom he in- 
 sulted. Yet what made this prince a very type of Antichrist ? It was but 
 the indulgence of one bosom sin. And that a sin so far from uncommon, 
 that " of all the evils of our corrupt nature there is none more connatural 
 and universal." It was only pride. Of which St. Augustine saith truly, 
 " that which first overcame man, is the last thing which he overcomes." 
 " Some sins comparatively may die before us, but this hath life in it, sen- 
 sibly, as long as we," — Leigliton. With what anxiety should we watch 
 the workings, and struggle against the development of this evil thing, 
 which so corrupted and envenomed the spirit, not only of Herod, but of 
 thousands like him distinguished for natural endowments, that their death 
 has been a blessing to humanity. So that the word of God grew and 
 multiplied more abundantly when they were removed. 
 
134 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 This Chapter introduces us to another great epoch in the history of the 
 Church. Much had been done to prepare the minds of believers for a 
 wider application of the principle established in the case of Cornelius. 
 The Gospel had been preached in some Gentile cities where the presence 
 of numerous Jews afforded a medium of communication ; and the Church 
 had become conscious of the rastness and catholicity of the work which 
 it was predestined to achieve ; but as yet no missions had been sent 
 forth for the express purpose of making Christ known to the Gentile 
 world. What had been done, was done without any previously arranged 
 system ; and it is, to say the least, doubtful whether any Gentiles had 
 been admitted into the Church without undergoing such preparatory dis- 
 cipline, as was imposed upon proselytes of the gate. Henceforth we 
 have to trace the origin and progress of missions which were solemnly 
 ordained by the Holy Ghost, conducted with the express sanction, and 
 under the authority of the Church, and rapidly extended in all direc- 
 
 ■ tions until the tidings of salvation resounded in the remotest quarters of 
 the earth. We have no sufficient means of ascertaining the number of 
 Christian communities at the commencement of this mission. We know, 
 however, that vast numbers of Jews had been converted, and congre- 
 gations of Christians formed in every part of Palestine, which remained 
 under the immediate superintendence of the Apostolic body. In 
 Phoenicia and Syria there were also many churches of which the most 
 important were those of Damascus and Antioch. Antioch, indeed, must 
 be regarded as a second metropolis of Christendom. It was the first 
 community in which the two elements of Judaism and Gentilism were 
 blended and absorbed in one common Christianity ; and for some cen- 
 turies it continued to be the centre of missionary enterprise in the East. 
 Cyprus had been visited more than once by St. Barnabas, and Cilicia 
 had been for some time the residence of St. Paul. In each of these 
 countries, and in Arabia Petraja, we may be sure there were many indi- 
 vidual converts, and most probably in each there were congregations of 
 believers. It seems, moreover, reasonable to suppose that the converts 
 made at Pentecost, and afterwards at the annual festivals, on returning 
 to their own countries, generally succeeded in gathering around them a 
 body of believers, forming a nucleus, so to speak, which may afterAvards 
 have been developed into a Christian church. Still these were but 
 movements, stirrings, as it were, of the human spirit which served to 
 prepare the way for the work of the Apostle, whose "praise is in all the 
 churches," as the evangeliser of the Gentile world. 
 
 ach. 11.27. & 1. Now there were ^in the church that was at An- 
 35i ' ""' tiocli certain propliets and -teachers ; as ^ Barnabas, 
 
 b ch. 11. 22— 
 26. 
 
 1. " Certain prophets and teachers " ters, of tlie several congregations at 
 These teachers are probably to be Antioch. It cannot be ascertained 
 identified with the elders, or presb\ - which of the persons mentioned in 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 135 
 
 and Simeon that was called Niger, and ^^ Lucius of " ^°"'- ^*^- ^^v 
 Cjrene, and Manaen, || which had been brought up foSer.orMer. 
 with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 
 
 2. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Rom! 
 Holy Ghost said, ^ Separate me Barnabas and Saul for ^.''g. ^ 
 the work ® whereunto I have called them. « m^j 
 
 this verse held the one or the other 
 office ; but some of them, as, for 
 instance, Barnabas and Saul, seem to 
 have combined both. 
 
 '■'■Barnabas." He is named first 
 on this and on all occasions where 
 none of the original Apostles were 
 present ; and he retained this pi'e- 
 cedence of rank until St. Paul had 
 distinguished himself by the vast 
 extent of his labours, and was spe- 
 cially recognised by all the Church 
 as the Apostle of the Gentiles. 
 
 ^'Simeon" is said' to have been 
 one of the Seventy. See Luke, x. 1. 
 
 " Lucius of Ct/rene" is named Rom. 
 xvi. 21., from which it appears that 
 he accompanied St. Paul on his tra- 
 vels. He is said to have become the 
 first bishop of his native city. See 
 note ch. xi. 20. The supposition that 
 he is to be identified with St. Luke is 
 unfounded.^ 
 
 " Manaen" We learn from Jo- 
 sephus^ that one Manaen, an Essene, 
 gained the favour of Herod the Great 
 by predicting his future dignity when 
 both were children. This would ac- 
 count for the position of the younger 
 Manaen, if, as is most probable, he 
 was his son. The word used here 
 may either mean that he Avas the 
 foster brother* of Herod Antipas, 
 or educated with him at Rome. At 
 the court of Antipas Manaen may 
 have heard the preaching, and wit- 
 nessed the martyrdom, of St. John 
 Baptist, and perhaps have been pre- 
 sent when One mightier than He 
 was brought before that bad prince. 
 Thus converts were made among the 
 
 courtiers of the persecutors of the 
 Church, even as we find Chi'istians 
 in the household of Nero. See Phil, 
 iv. 22., and compare Luke, viii. 3. 
 
 " And Saul" He is ranked with 
 the rulers of the Church at Antioch, 
 but is named last. See note on the 
 next verse. The presence of Saul 
 and Barnabas might have been in- 
 ferred fi'om the previous narrative, 
 but they are named according to their 
 station in the Church, on account of 
 the great solemnity and importance 
 of this transaction.^ 
 
 2. '■'■As tliey ministered" The ex- 
 pression used here, from which our 
 word " Liturgy" is derived, denotes 
 that they were engaged in divine 
 service. It appears to have been a 
 solemn meeting of all the leading 
 members of the Church at Antioch, 
 not improbably for the express pur- 
 pose of learning the will of God 
 concerning the great work of evan- 
 gelising the Gentiles, which must 
 have often presented itself to their 
 minds, since the numerous conver- 
 sions that had been made in their 
 own city. 
 
 " And fasted." Fasting and prayer 
 were both usual on all such great 
 occasions. (See Matt. xvii. 21. ; Luke, 
 ii._37. ; Acts, x. 30., xiv. 23. ; 1 Cor. 
 vii. 5.) The former was always re- 
 garded as a means for promoting a 
 calm and abstracted tone of mind, 
 adapted for the reception of spiritual 
 communications. 
 
 " The Hulij Ghost said." We are 
 not informed as to the mode of utter- 
 ance, whether by a miraculous sound, 
 
 • Epiphan. Haer. xxx. 4- 
 
 2 Olshausen, &c. 
 
 3 Ant. XV. 10. 5. 
 
 Walch diss, de Menahem. 
 Meyer. 
 
136 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 Rom. 10. !.'>. 
 £uh. 3. 7, H. 
 
 1 Tim. 2. 7. 
 
 2 Tim. 1. 11. 
 Hebr. 5. 4. 
 
 ch. 6. 6. 
 
 g ch. 4. 36. 
 h ver. 46. 
 
 3. And ^when they had fasted and prayed, and laid 
 their hands on them, they sent the?n aAvay. 
 
 4. % So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, 
 departed unto Seleucia ; and from thence they sailed 
 to g Cyprus. 
 
 5. And when they were at Salamis, ^ they preached 
 the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews : and 
 they had also ^ John to their minister. 
 
 by an internal communication, or, 
 as seems more probable, by an in- 
 spired prophet. The Personality and 
 Godhead of the Holy Spirit could not 
 be intimated more distinctly than by 
 the words used of Him, and by Him, 
 in this verse. 
 
 " Separate me." Set apart for my 
 peculiar service. This was done, as 
 we read in the next verse, by a spe- 
 cial conseci'ation. 
 
 " The work whereunto I have called 
 them." The work of evangelising the 
 heathen world. This destination 
 appears to have been revealed at the 
 same time, although St. Luke does 
 not expressly say this. Saul had 
 been called at first to be an Apostle, 
 but he did not enter upon the special 
 duties, nor obtain the peculiar autho- 
 rity attached to that office, until this, 
 his solemn and public designation 
 and appointment by the Holy Ghost. 
 He would not otherwise have been 
 named last among the preachers and 
 prophets at Antioch. Henceforth he 
 is never confounded with any subor- 
 dinate minister of the Church, but 
 speaks, acts, and is universally recog- 
 nised, as an Apostle. 
 
 3. " And laid their hands" Sec. 
 The miraculous call of the Holy 
 Ghost did not supersede the rite of 
 consecration by imposition of hands', 
 but aiilhoiised its administration by 
 presbyters on this occasion. This 
 consecration appears to have taken 
 place on another day appointed by 
 the Church, and also solemnised by 
 prayer and fasting. 
 
 4. " Being sent forth by the Holy 
 Ghost." This refers to the last words 
 of the preceding verse. The Holy 
 Ghost, who sent them forth, acted by 
 the instrumentality of the ministers 
 of the Church. 
 
 " Seleucia." A strongly fortified 
 seaport, five miles to the north of 
 the Orontes, and fifteen from Antioch. 
 It derived its name from Seleucus 
 Nicator, the first Greek king of Sy- 
 ria, by whom it v/as built. The site 
 is now marked by a few ruins, and a 
 village named Kepse.'- 
 
 " Cyprus." The direction of this 
 journey appears to have been decided, 
 in the first place, by St. Barnabas, as 
 the elder disciple. He visited his 
 native country first, having doubtless 
 reason to expect that his missionary 
 labours would be successful there, 
 especially among the Jews, M'ho were 
 exceedingly numerous in the island. 
 It is said that in the insurrection of 
 the Jews, in the reign of Trajan, they 
 slew 240,000 of the Christian and 
 Gentile inhabitants.'* 
 
 5. " Salamis." A seaport on the 
 eastern coast of Cyprus, named by 
 its founder Teucer, after the small, 
 but famous, island in the Gulf of 
 Egina. 
 
 " In the synagogues." Throughout 
 this mission we find the Apostles 
 preaching the word first in the syna- 
 gogues, in obedience to our Lord's 
 injunctions. If converted, the Jews 
 became able missionaries ; if they 
 rejected the Gospel, the Apostles 
 turned at once to the Gentiles, who 
 
 Hinds, p. 17.5. 
 
 Strabo, xiv., and Pocock. 
 
 3 Dio Cassias, V. Tr., p. 255. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 137 
 
 6. And when tliey had gone through the isle unto 
 Paphos, they found ^a certain sorcerer, a false pro-tch.s.g. 
 phet, a Jew, whose name icas Bar-jesus : 
 
 7. AVliich was with the deputy of the country, Ser- 
 gius Paulus, a prudent man ; who called for Barnabas 
 and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 
 
 8. But 1 Elymas the sorcerer, (for so is his name by i Exod. :. 
 interpretation,) withstood them, seeking to turn away ^'^""••'•' 
 the deputy from the faith. 
 
 received it with singular readiness, 
 especially those who were already 
 proselytes of the gateJ 
 
 " To their minister.^'' See note eh. 
 xi. 26. 
 
 6. '^ Through the isle." A distance 
 of about 160 miles. They preached 
 the Gospel, doubtless, in the cities 
 through which they passed in this 
 populous island. 
 
 '■'■Paphos.''' A seaport opposite 
 the coast of Paniphylia, the capital of 
 Cyprus under the Romans. It was 
 about seven and a half miles distant 
 from the old city,^ notorious for the 
 worship of Venus. A few years before 
 this time it had been overthrown by 
 an earthquake and rebuilt by Au- 
 gustas. 
 
 " Bar-jesus." Or the son of Je- 
 sus. This impostor was probably 
 an Arabian Jew, since Elymas or 
 Elimon signifies a wise man in that 
 language.^ On the character of such 
 impostors, see ch. viii. 9. They ap- 
 pear, not unfrequently, to have been 
 encouraged by Roman magistrates 
 of the highest rank.* They were 
 generally among the bitterest, and 
 from their influence, among the 
 most formidable opponents of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 7. " The deputy." Or proconsul. 
 Only those provinces were governed 
 by proconsuls, which were under 
 the jurisdistion of the Roman senate. 
 In the division of provinces between 
 
 Augustus and the senate, the em- 
 peror, at first, reserved Cypress to 
 himself, but afterwards resigned it 
 to the senate.^ A coin struck in the 
 reign of Claudius, names a proconsul 
 of Cyprus. St. Luke uses the proper 
 title, with his usual accuracy. These 
 minute coincidences occur in every 
 chapter of the Acts. 
 
 " Serglns Paulus." He is called 
 a prudent man, because he saw 
 through the absurdity of heathen 
 idolatry, and the insufficiency of 
 heathen philosophy, and availed 
 himself of every opportunity of 
 searching after the truth. The 
 system professed by Elymas, which 
 was probably a mixture of Hebrew 
 and Oriental gnosticism, contained 
 enough of truth to justify inquiry, 
 but not to satisfy a heart that "de- 
 sired to hear the word of God." 
 This character is peculiarly inter- 
 esting as being the first instance of 
 a man of rank who was brought di- 
 rectly from heathenism into the 
 Church. 
 
 8. " Withstood them." Probably 
 by blasphemous falsehoods — had he 
 used ai-guments the Apostle would 
 have been satisfied with refuting 
 them. Or he may have attempted 
 to deceive the proconsul by some 
 exercise of his pretended art, which 
 is more likely, considering St. 
 Luke's allusion to the meaning of 
 his surname. 
 
 1 Hemsen, p. 82. 
 
 2 Strabo. 
 
 3 Hyde de Rep., v. Persarum. p. 372. 
 
 Lucian, Alex. s. 30. ; Neander, p, 148. 
 Strabo, xvui. ; Dio Cdssius, liii. 4. 
 
138 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XTII. 
 
 n Matt. 13. 38. 
 John, 8. 44. 
 1 John, 3. 8. 
 
 Exod. 9. : 
 
 1 Sam. 6. 6. 
 
 9. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) ^^ filled 
 with the Holy Ghost, set his ejes on him, 
 
 10. And said, O full of all subtiltj and all mischief, 
 ^thou child of the devil, t/tou enemy of all righteous- 
 ness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of 
 the Lord ? 
 
 11. And now, behold, ^the hand of the Lord is 
 npon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun 
 for a season. And immediately there fell on him a 
 mist and a darkness ; and he went about seeking some 
 to lead him by the hand. 
 
 9. "Who also is called Paid." This 
 name is henceforth always substi- 
 tuted for Saul — the name of the 
 persecutor has merged into that of 
 the glorious Apostle of the Gentiles. 
 Many commentators^ follow Je- 
 rome (on Philem. i.) in supposing 
 that he changed his name in honour 
 of his distinguished convert, but 
 there appear to be no sufficient 
 grounds for this assumption. The 
 convert might often take his Chris- 
 tian name from the person to whom 
 he was indebted for the knowledge 
 of Christ, but it can scarcely be con- 
 ceived, that the teacher should take 
 his name from the disciple. Such 
 an act would be without precedent. 
 It seems more probable that Saul 
 was his Hebrew, and Paul his civil 
 came, as a Roman citizen.^ This 
 may be a sufficient reason why the 
 latter name is used exclusively from 
 the time of his entering fully upon 
 his woi'k, as Apostle of the Gentiles, 
 though probably St. Luke does not 
 mention it the first time, without 
 reference to the name of the pro- 
 consul. 
 
 'Tilled tcilh the Ilohj Ghost" 
 Speaking under His immediate and 
 plenary inspiration, by which he 
 was enabled to detect the Avicked- 
 ness, and constrained to announce 
 the punishment of Elymas. 
 
 10. " Of all subtilty and mis- 
 
 chief" The former word refers to 
 his character, the second to his 
 habits of imposture. 
 
 " Child of the devil." One who 
 derives principles and habits from 
 the devil, whose name means calum- 
 niator and blasphemer. St. Paul 
 evidently alludes to the name Bar- 
 jesus, son of Jesus, which the ca- 
 lumniator disgraced : as though he 
 had said, thou who bearest the name 
 of Jesus, but art in fact the child of 
 the devil. 
 
 " To pervert the right icays." That 
 is, to attempt to turn aside the course 
 of His mercy, viz., by opposing the 
 conversion of Sergius Paulus. 
 
 11. " /s npon thee.'" The decree 
 is gone forth, and the punishment is 
 already beginning. 
 
 " For a season." As the blindness 
 was to last for a season, it may have 
 been intended for a warning, as well 
 as punishment. It has been re- 
 marked^ that the first miraculous act 
 of St. Paul is to inflict that privation 
 which had accompanied his own 
 conversion ; and there is an ancient 
 tradition, that Elymas became a 
 Christian ; Origen says, that " Paul 
 struck him blind by a word, but 
 thus converted him by anguish to 
 godliness." 
 
 " A mist and. a darhness." The 
 first word describes the physical 
 cause, the second the effect of the 
 
 [ 1 Aiignstin, Olshaiisen, kc. 
 
 ■^ Drusius, Lifhlfoot, Wieselcr, 
 note. 
 
 Chrjsostom. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 139 
 
 12. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, 
 believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the 
 Lord. 
 
 13. Now when Paul and his company loosed from 
 Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia : and p John p *• ^^- ^^ 
 departing from them returned to Jerusalem. 
 
 14. ^ But Avhen they departed from Perga, they 
 
 came to Antioch in Pisidia, and *iwent into the syna- ii;:^^^- 
 gogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 
 
 15. And ^' after the reading of the law and the pro- 
 
 r Luke, 4.16. 
 ver. 27. 
 
 disease, which clouded the organ, 
 but did not destroy the facuhy of 
 sight. 
 
 12. "Believed." This involves 
 conversion, with its consequences, 
 viz. reception into the Chm-ch by 
 baptism. 'We know nothing of the 
 subsequent history of Sergius Paulus, 
 since no credit is due to the tradition 
 that he was appointed bishop of Nar- 
 bonne by St. Paul' 
 
 " At the doctrine." Though he was 
 first convinced by the miraculous 
 sign, yet his conversion is attributed 
 to the word of truth, which both en- 
 lightens the understanding and sub- 
 dues the heart. There can be no 
 doubt that many other converts were 
 made on this occasion. Chrysostom 
 remarks that the Apostles did not 
 remain at Paphos to enjoy the fa- 
 vour of their noble convert, but 
 proceeded at once to meet new la- 
 bours and perils. 
 
 13. '^ Perga.'" A seaport, famous 
 for the temple of Diana.- The ruins 
 are described by late travellers. 
 
 " John departing from them." He 
 left as we know contrary to the wish 
 of St. Paul (see ch. xv. 18.), being, as 
 it seems, deterred by the difficulty and 
 apparent hopelessness of the work, 
 and preferring to labour among his 
 friends and kinsmen in Jerusalem. 
 This was a sin of infirmity, and im- 
 perfect faith. It is highly improbable 
 
 that he differed from his uncle and 
 St. Paul as to the propriety of preach- 
 ing the Gospel to the Gentiles. That 
 would have been, under the circum- 
 stances, an act of presumption, and 
 would not have been unnoticed by 
 St. Luke. 3 
 
 14. " Antioch 171 Pisidia." A city 
 of some importance on the frontiers 
 of Pisidia towards Phrygia, built by 
 Seleucus, king of Syria. At this time 
 it had the privileges of a Roman 
 colony.* It lay directly to the north 
 of Perga, in the highlands of Taurus. 
 The Pisidians who inhabited this dis- 
 trict were a hardy mountain race, who 
 made frequent incursions into the 
 plains, where, after the decline of the 
 Syrian power, they occupied many 
 fortified cities, of which Antioch was 
 the most considerable.^ 
 
 " And sat down." It was usual for 
 teachers of the law to take seats in a 
 certain part of the synagogue, when 
 they wished to indicate an intention 
 of addressing the congi-egation.^ 
 
 15. " After the reading." The 
 Pentateuch was arranged in sections, 
 so that it might be read through on 
 the Sabbath days once in the course 
 of each year, and portions of the 
 prophets adapted to these sections 
 were read afterwards. The people 
 were then addressed either by the 
 reader (see Luke, iv. 16.) or by some 
 other member of the synagogue. 
 
 1 Burton Lect. H. E., i. 148. 
 
 2 Cicer. Verr. i. 20. ; Fellow's Asia Minor, 
 p. 190. 
 
 3 Hemsen, p. 73. 
 
 ■i Plin. V. 21. 
 
 5 Strabo, xii. 570. 
 
 6 Viiringa de Syn., p. 950. 985. 
 
140: 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 phets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, 
 s Hebr. 13 22. sajlng, Vc meu a7id brethren, if ye have ^any word 
 
 of exhortation for the people, say on. 
 tch. 12. 17. 16. Then Paul stood up, and * beckoning with /as 
 
 hand said. Men of Israel, and " ye that fear God, give 
 
 audience. 
 
 17. The God of this people of Israel ^ chose our 
 
 fathers, and exalted the people y when they dwelt as 
 
 strangers in the land of Egypt, ^and with an high arm 
 
 brouf^ht he them out of it. 
 
 u ver. ae, 42, 
 
 43. 
 
 ch. 10. 35. 
 
 6,7. 
 
 Strangers were often called upon to 
 speak by the minister of the syna- 
 gogue.' 
 
 " The rulers." Each synagogue 
 •was governed by a chief ruler, and a 
 body of elders, who Avere also called 
 presidents, or pastors.''^ 
 
 " Sent unto them.'" They sent the 
 chazan, or minister, whose office cor- 
 responded in some respects to that 
 of a deacon in the early church. 
 
 " Of exliortatlon." Or encourage- 
 ment ^ viz. such an address as might 
 stir up the feelings of the people and 
 teach them to be more zealous in ob- 
 serving the law. 
 
 16. " Then Paul stood up.'" Bar- 
 nabas still held the higher rank, but 
 St. Paul is always represented as the 
 chief speaker. There was no jea- 
 lousy between the Apostles. They 
 had but one desire, to do the will of 
 the Lord in the most effectual man- 
 ner. 
 
 " Beckoninfj ivith his hand." See 
 note xii. 10. Sec, xxii. I. 
 
 " Ye that fear God." The usual 
 designation for proselytes of the gate, 
 who were not circumcised. See ch. x. 
 They had seats in a separate part of 
 the synagogue. 
 
 " Give audience." The following 
 discourse of St. Paul must be studied 
 as a specimen of his usual mode of 
 reasoning with the Jews, and bring- 
 ing the general tenor and particular 
 prophecies of Holy Scripture to bear 
 upon their prejudices. It bears a 
 
 striking resemblance to the discourse 
 of St. Stephen, both in its arrange- 
 ment and in the tone of foreboding 
 and earnest warning with which it 
 closes. St. Paul begins with a brief 
 retrospect of the dealings of God 
 with His people, to which the Jews 
 always listened w ith lively interest. 
 See Introduction to ch. vii. 
 
 17. " The God of this people." This 
 states a fact, that was important in 
 its bearings upon the point that St. 
 Paul intended to establish, and was 
 well adapted to conciliate the feel- 
 ings of his audience. 
 
 " Chose our fathers." Elected them 
 to be his own peculiar people. St. 
 Paul thus guards before hand against 
 the supposition that as a Christian, 
 he undervalued the peculiar advan- 
 tages' of the Jews, "to whom per- 
 taineth the adoption, and the glory, 
 and the covenants, and the giving of 
 the law, and the service of God, and 
 the promises ; whose are the fathers, 
 and of whom as concerning the flesh 
 Christ came, who is over all, God 
 blessed for ever. Amen." Rom. ix. 
 4,5. 
 
 " And exalted." Both by increas- 
 ing their number, and by giving 
 signal marks of favour and protec- 
 tion.^ 
 
 " With an hicjh arm." The ex- 
 ])ressi()n indicates a ])utting forth of 
 the Divine power, and represents 
 the Lord as the "Captain of Salva- 
 tion," advancinff at the head of his 
 
 1 Vitringa, Winer. 
 
 2 Winer, ii. 550. 
 
 IMryer. 
 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 141 
 
 18. And a about the time of forty years | suffered he 
 their manners in the wilderness. 
 
 19. And when ^he had destroyed seven nations in 
 the land of Chanaan, ^ he divided their land to them 
 by lot. 
 
 20. And after that ^ he gave zmto them judges about 
 the space of four hundred and fifty years, ^ until 
 Samuel the prophet. 
 
 21. f And afterward they desired a king: and God 
 gave unto them Saul the son of Cis^, a man of the tribe 
 of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. 
 
 22. And Swhen he had removed him, ^he raised up 
 unto them David to be their king ; to whom also he 
 gave testimony, and said, ^ I have found David the son 
 of Jesse, ^a man after mine own heart, which shall 
 fulfil all my will. 
 
 a Exod. in. -5. 
 
 Xumb. 11. 55, 
 
 54. 
 
 Ps. 95. 9. 10. 
 
 ch. 7. 56. 
 
 f Or. rrpo-TTo- 
 
 i^opjjcrei., 
 
 perhaps for 
 
 bure, or, fed 
 tkem, as a nurse'' 
 heareth, or 
 feedeth her child, 
 Deut. 1. 51. 
 b Deut. 7. I. 
 c Josh. 14. 1, 2. 
 Ps. 78. 55. 
 d Judg. 2. 16. 
 e 1 Sam. 3. 20. 
 f 1 Sam. 8. 5. 
 & 10. 1. 
 S 1 Sam. 15, 
 25, 26, 28. & 
 16. 1. 
 
 Hos. 15. 11. 
 h 1 Sam. 16. 13 
 2 Sam. 2. 4. & 
 5. 3. 
 
 i Ps. 89. 20. 
 k 1 Sam. 15. 14. 
 ch. 7. 46. 
 
 people to defend them against all 
 their enemies. The fathers were 
 unanimous, and undoubtedly right, 
 in believing that these descriptions 
 are always to be understood of the 
 second person of the Holy Trinity. 
 
 18. " Suffered he tlieir manners." 
 Bore with their froward dispositions 
 and evil habits. (See vii. 39 — 43.) 
 But the reading is doubtful, and it is 
 probable that the word used by St. 
 Paul spoke simply of the affectionate 
 and parental care of God, See Deut. 
 i. 31.' 
 
 19. " He had destroyed " God is 
 always represented as doing that, 
 which he brings to pass by His in- 
 struments. For the names of the 
 seven nations see the marginal re- 
 ference. 
 
 20. " Four hundred and fifty years^ 
 St. Paul uses an indefinite expression 
 " about," but the number agrees very 
 nearly with the chronology of Jo- 
 sephus'-, which appears to have been 
 generally adopted at that time, and 
 reckons 592 years from the Exodus 
 to the building of the temple. This 
 leaves about 450 years for the Judges, 
 allowing for the reigns of Saul and 
 David. Whitby reckons 339 years 
 for the Judges, and 111 for the ty- 
 
 rants. There is however consider- 
 able difficulty, and none of the at- 
 tempts which have been made to 
 reconcile it with the statement, 
 1 Kings, vi. 1., are satisfactory. 
 Some critics ^ suppose that the num- 
 ber has been incorrectly transcribed 
 in one or the other passage, but on 
 no sufficient grounds. 
 
 21. '' Forty years:' The Old Testa- 
 ment does not give the length of 
 Sauls reign. Josephus names forty 
 years.* The Apostle belonged to the 
 same tribe. 
 
 22. " When he had removed hiin." 
 This refers to the death of Saul 
 ( 1 Sam. xxxi.) as the fulfilment of 
 the sentence which had been pro- 
 nounced on account of his disobe- 
 dience. See 1 Sam. xv. Although 
 David was designated as future king 
 by the royal unction at the time of 
 Saul's rejection (see 1 Sam. xvi. 12, 
 13), he was not raised to the throne 
 until the death of Saul. 
 
 " / hare found." These words give 
 the substance of the two passages, 
 in which God declares His purpose. 
 Compare the marginal references 
 with Psalm Ixxix. 20. 
 
 " Which shall fulfil all my ivdl." 
 This commendation of David ap- 
 
 1 Mill, Grabe, Griesbach, Tischendorff, 
 and most of the later critics. 
 
 2 Lightfoot. 
 
 3 E. g. Lutlier, Vitringa, and Biscoe. 
 
 4 Ant. viii. 2. 
 
142 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XUI. 
 
 1 Isai. 11. 1. 
 Luke, 1. 32. CO. 
 ch. 2. 30. 
 Rom. 1. 5. 
 
 n Matt. 1.21. 
 Horn. 1 1 . 20. 
 
 p Matt. 3. 11. 
 .Alark, 1. 7. 
 Luke, 3. in. 
 John, 1 . 20, 2; 
 
 q :\ratt. 10. r,. 
 
 Luke, 24. 47. 
 ver. 16. 
 ch. 3. 2C. 
 
 r Luke, 23. 34. 
 ch. 3. 17. 
 1 Cor. 2. S. 
 
 23. ^ Of this man's seed liatli God according ^to his 
 promise raised unto Israel ^a Saviour, Jesus: 
 
 24. ° When John had first preached before his 
 coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of 
 Israel. 
 
 25. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, 
 P "Whom think ye that I am ? I am not he. But, be- 
 liold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his 
 feet I am not worthy to loose. 
 
 26. Men and brethren, children of the stock of 
 Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, ^ to 
 you is the word of this salvation sent. 
 
 27. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their 
 rulers, ^ because they knew him not, nor yet the voices 
 
 plies to him as a king true, through- 
 out his reign, to the -worship of 
 Jehovah, and, unhke Saul, obedient 
 to His "will when announced by His 
 messengers. See 1 Kings, xiv. 8, 9. 
 
 23. " Of this mail's seed" This 
 reference to the promise would fix 
 the attention of the Jews, all of 
 ■whom expected that it would be 
 fulfilled about that time. 
 
 " Jesus.'" It is probable that all 
 who were then present had heard of 
 our Lord, but they may not have 
 known of the events tliat had oc- 
 curred since His crucifixion. It is 
 remarkable how simply St. Paul 
 states the fact that the promised 
 Saviour and Messiah was Jesus. 
 
 24. " John had preached.'' John 
 was acknowledged by the Jews to be 
 a pr()])liet. The baptism of repent- 
 ance was understood to be pre- 
 liminary to the baptism of Christ. 
 
 " Before His coming." Before He 
 entered publicly upon His office as 
 anointed Prophet and Saviour. The 
 fathers generally understood this 
 passage of His incarnation.' 
 
 ij.j. 
 
 John fidjlllcd: 
 
 Wlien lie 
 
 was on the eve of terminating liis 
 ministry ^ which appears to be called 
 a course, or race, with especial re- 
 ference to his office as forerunner of 
 the Lord Jesus. 
 
 " / ayn not he." Namely the Mes- 
 siah, who is not named, but being 
 the person whom all expected, was 
 present to the minds of John and 
 those who came to question him. 
 St. Paul gives the substance, but not 
 the precise words which we find in 
 the Gospels. 
 
 26. " To you." According to the 
 promise, which included all the seed 
 of Abraham after the Spirit. The 
 Jews, however, did not believe that 
 proselytes of the gate would have 
 any part in the kingdom of Mes- 
 siah, but they must have been touched 
 by the affectionate address of the 
 Apostles. 
 
 27. ''For they that dwell" The 
 guilt attached only to those who 
 were present at Jerusalem, and 
 joined in clamouring for our Lord's 
 death, until the Jews of the disper- 
 sion identified themselves with his 
 murderers by rejecting the Gospel 
 and persecuting His ministers. 
 
 '• Because they hnew Him not." 
 Knew not that lie was the Messiah. 
 St Paul thus suggests w^hat must be 
 regarded as a mitigation of their 
 guilt. See note ch, ii. 20 — 27. ; viii. 
 17. 
 
 " Nor yet — day." Tiie reading of 
 the prophets formed part of the re- 
 gular service in the synagogues 
 
 Luicir, Thes. i., p. 1012. 
 
 - jMovit. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIIT. 
 
 143 
 
 of the prophets ^ which are read every sabbath day. 
 t they have fulfilled them in condemning liim. 
 
 28. " And though they found no cause of death in 
 liim, ^yet desired tliey Pilate that he should be slain. 
 
 29. yAnd when they had fulfilled all that was 
 written of him, ^ they took Mm down from the tree, 
 and laid him in a sepulchre. 
 
 30. ^ But God raised him from the dead : 
 
 31. And ^he was seen many days of them which 
 came up with him ^ from Galilee to Jerusalem, ^ who 
 are his witnesses unto the people. 
 
 32. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that 
 ^ the promise which was made unto the fathers, 
 
 33. God hath fulfilled the same unto us their 
 children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again ; as it 
 
 t Luke, 24. 20, 
 
 44. 
 
 ch. 26. 22. 
 
 & 28. 23. 
 
 u Matt. 27. 22. 
 
 Mark, 15. 13, 
 
 14. 
 
 Luke, 23. 21, 
 
 22. 
 
 John, 19. 6, 15. 
 
 X ch. 3. 13, 14. 
 
 V Luke, 18.31. 
 & 24. 44. 
 John, 19. 28, 
 30, 36, 37. 
 
 z Matt. 27. 59. 
 Mark, 15. 46. 
 Luke, 23. 53. 
 John, 13. 38. 
 
 a Matt. 28. 6. 
 ch.2. 24. & 3. 
 13, 15, 26. & 
 5.30. 
 
 from the time of the Maccabees : as 
 though it were to give the people 
 ■naming of the speedy coming of 
 Him to whom they all bear witness. 
 " They have fulfilled.'" They were 
 nneonsciously instrumental in bring- 
 ing about the fultilraent of such 
 prophecies as Isaiah, liii. ; Daniel, 
 ix. 26.; Psalm, xxii. 16.; Zechariah, 
 xii. 10. 
 
 28. " No cause of death." No capi- 
 tal offence ; they could not substan- 
 tiate either the charge of blasphemy 
 or of sedition before Pilate who pro- 
 nounced Him guiltless. 
 
 " Yet desired they.''' Not so much 
 as a right, but as a favour, thus in- 
 volving themselves and Pilate in a 
 double crime. 
 
 29. "yl// that loas tvritten." It 
 may be doubted whether St. Paul 
 quoted the prophecies to which he 
 alludes in his discourse, or whether 
 he assumed them to be well known 
 to his hearers. St. Luke probably 
 gives the substance or general pur- 
 port of his reasoning. In either case 
 we have an additional proof of the 
 general application of those prophe- 
 cies to the Messiah which are now 
 contested by the Jcavs. See note ch. 
 iii. 17. 
 
 " The tree" The cross, called a 
 tree according to the legal form. See 
 note ch. v. 30. 
 
 " And laid him" &c. Joseph of 
 Arimathea and Nicodemus were 
 both rulers and dwellers in Jerusa- 
 lem, and though actuated by very 
 different feelings, were equally in- 
 strumental with their countrymen 
 in fulfilling those prophecies. 
 
 30. '' But God raised." The sub- 
 lime brevity of this statement should 
 be remarked. It stands out in so- 
 lemn majesty as the rock on which 
 all Christian hope and faith are se- 
 curely founded. 
 
 31. " Of them ivhich came." St. 
 Paul refers to the testimony of the 
 first Apostles and the 120 mentioned 
 in the 1st chapter, because no man 
 could suppose that so many persons 
 could have been deceived "many 
 days" by an illusion or vision ; but 
 must either accept their testimony^, 
 or assume that they concurred in a 
 uild and motiveless fiction. 
 
 " Unto the people." The people of 
 Jiidea, who formed the body of the 
 nation. 
 
 32. " And we declare." "We, that is 
 Paul and Barnabas, who received a 
 special mission to evangelise fo- 
 reign countries. 
 
 33. " In that he hath I'aised vp" &c. 
 This verse is supposed by many com- 
 mentators ' to refer to the incarnation 
 of our Lord : but our version gives 
 the right interpretation. St. Paul's 
 
 E. g. Calvin, Beza, Kuinoel, and OUhausen. 
 
144 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 1 Cor. 15. 5, jg j^igQ ^^rj-itten 111 tliG sccoiul psalm, ^Thoii art my Son, 
 c ch. 1. n. this day have I begotten thee. 
 
 32?& 5. is.'V ■ 34. And a.s concerning that he raised liim up from 
 ^■^'' , ,, „ the dead, now no more to return to corrui)tion, he said 
 
 e uen. 3. 1). ^c ' , . p 
 
 ch'.kV'^'^^' o'^ this Avise, ^I will give you the sure j mercies ot 
 
 Rom. 4. "13 D'lvid 
 
 Gal. 3. 16. J^a\ lU. 
 
 object was to show that God had 
 declared Jesus to be tbe true Mes- 
 siah, wlilch He did by raisinf^ Him 
 after He bad been condemned by the 
 Jews ; and that God had fully ac- 
 complished all His promises, which 
 He did by declaring Him to be the 
 Son of God with power, by the re- 
 surrection, and exalting Him to be 
 "a prince and a saviour to give to 
 His people repentance and remission 
 of sins,"' 
 
 " In the secovd psalm." This psalm 
 was understood by all the Hebrews 
 as directly and primarily applicable 
 to the promised Messiah,- 
 
 " This day have I begotten thee.'''' 
 As this expression cannot apply to 
 the Divinity, or eternal generation 
 of Christ, it must be understood 
 either of His incarnation, or His 
 resurrection. By the former He 
 was begotten into a state of humih- 
 ation and suffering ; by the latter, in 
 no forced or unnatural sense, He 
 may be said to have been begotten 
 into a state of glory. St. Paul un- 
 doubtedly adopts this latter interpre- 
 tation ; and on the same principle He 
 is said to be the first horn from the 
 dead, Col. i. 1 8., and the first begot- 
 ten of the dead, Rev. i. 5. The 
 regeneration of believers is mysteri- 
 ously connected with this birth of 
 Messiah into glory. He " hath be- 
 gotten us again unto a lively hope 
 by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
 from the dead." 1 Peter, i. 3. 
 
 34, '■'■ And as concerning.'''' St. Paul 
 proceeds to show that the resurrec- 
 tion which was predicted was one 
 that would not be followed by a 
 second death — that it was to be a 
 resurrection unto a state of incorrup- 
 
 tion. This is the point which he is 
 now anxious to establish. 
 
 " To return to corruption." To a 
 state of corruption. Not that our 
 Lord's body had ever undergone any 
 portion of that awful process, but it 
 had entered the abode of corruption, 
 namely, the grave. The word cor- 
 ruption is certainly not identical with 
 death, or the grave, as many divines 
 have supposed. ^ It has but one 
 meaning, which is, dissolution of the 
 body. 
 
 "7 will give you" &c. St. Paul 
 does not give the exact words of 
 Isaiah (Iv. 3.), but the substantial 
 meaning. God promised that He 
 would make an everlasting covenant 
 with His people, and that He would 
 certainly fulfil all the promises of 
 mercy and loving kindness which 
 He had made to David. But He 
 had promised that he should have a 
 successor, the throne of whose king- 
 dom He would establish for ever. 
 2 Sam. vii. 13 — 16. The Hebrews- 
 all understood that this promise, and 
 the passage in which Isaiah refers 
 to it, appHed directly to the INIessiah; 
 and St. Paul deduces from it the 
 indubitable inference, that the 
 Messiah once raised from the dead 
 would reign and live for ever; hence 
 the force of St. Paul's OAvn expres- 
 sion, '• Christ being raised from the 
 dead, dieth no more ; death hath no 
 more dominion over Him." Kom.vi. 
 9. The name David, which means 
 "beloved," is used of Christ Him- 
 self in the Old Testament, but liere 
 it refers to that king, as the an- 
 cestor of the theocratic dynasty, to 
 whom the promise was originally 
 made. 
 
 ' I.uther, Hammond, Clericus, and Meyer. 
 2 lleiigstenberg Christologie, i. 'J7. 
 
 ^ IJcza, Pisoator, Kuinocl. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 Ul 
 
 35. Wherefore he saith also in another psahn, 
 ^ Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see cor- 
 ruption. 
 
 36. For David, |] after he had served his own gene- 
 ration by the will of God, ^ fell on sleep, and was laid 
 unto his fathers, and saw corruption : 
 
 37. But he, whom God raised again, saw no cor- 
 ruption. 
 
 38. % Be it known unto you therefore, men a7id 
 brethren, that ^ through this man is preached unto 
 you the forgiveness of sins : 
 
 39. And ^by him all that believe are justified from 
 
 f Ps. 2. 7. 
 
 Hebr. 1. 5. & 
 
 g Isai. 5o. 3. 
 t (ir. ra oo-ta, 
 holy, or, just 
 things: which 
 ■word the LXX. 
 both in the 
 placeof Jsai. 55. 
 3. and in many 
 others, used for 
 that which is in 
 the Hebrew, 
 mercies. 
 
 II Or, after he 
 had in his onn 
 age served the 
 will nf God. 
 ver. i!2. 
 Ps. 78. 72. 
 
 35, " Wherefore.'' Namely, in 
 order to express the same promise, 
 that Messiah should be raised, not 
 again to die. 
 
 " He saith." That is God, speak- 
 ing by His Holy Spirit. See the pre- 
 ceding verse. 
 
 " In another psalm." Psalm xvi. 
 10. This passage has been referred 
 to, chap. xi. 29., where St. Peter ex- 
 plains it exactly in the same manner 
 and on the same grounds as St. Paul 
 does on this occasion. The coinci- 
 dence is sufficiently explained by the 
 plenary inspiration of both Apostles ; 
 but it indicates that the people whom 
 they addressed were prepared to find 
 a Messianic application in this and 
 similar passages. The Jews were 
 then well aware that all Holy Scrip- 
 ture is full of Christ. 
 
 36. ^^ After he had served his own 
 generation." Had done the work 
 assigned to him, which was to rule 
 the men of his own time' in righte- 
 ousness. The marginal translation 
 gives a less forcible meaning, but is 
 preferred by some critics.^ 
 
 " Bi/ the 'will of God. " This may 
 refer either to the death of David, or 
 to his serving his generation. The 
 latter appears to be more in the 
 spirit of our religion, which traces 
 all good works to the will of God. 
 
 '• Fell on sleep." The usual ex- 
 pression for the departure of holy 
 
 men. It is used of David, 1 Kings, 
 ii. 10. 
 
 " Was laid unto his fathers." A 
 common Hebrew phrase, which ori- 
 ginated in the custom of family 
 burial places. Judges, ii. 10. and 
 elsewhere. 
 
 '■^ Saw corruption." Underwent 
 that dissolution. 
 
 37. " But he whom" &c. As 
 David had undergone that corrup- 
 tion, and Jesus had not, it followed 
 that He must be the promised 
 Messiah. 
 
 38. " Through this man." The 
 meaning of this expression is, " for- 
 giveness of sins through this man 
 (by means, that is, of His death and 
 resurrection, for He died for our 
 sins and rose again for our justifica- 
 tion) is proclaimed unto you by 
 His appointed ministers." Our ver- 
 sion appears to connect "through" 
 with " preached." The forgiveness 
 is emphatic, viz., that forgiveness 
 which the Messiah was expected to 
 procure for His people. 
 
 39. ''All that believe." St. Paul 
 thus states the condition of that for- 
 giveness, which is faith in Christ. 
 
 " Are justified from all things. " 
 Are freed from the guilt of every 
 sin. Faith makes them members of 
 that body, of which the Head has 
 suffered. Being justified by faith 
 they have peace with God. Thus, 
 
 Meyer. 
 
 ~ Kuinocl and Olshausen. 
 
146 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIIT. 
 
 i 1 Kincs, 2. 
 
 10. 
 
 th. 2. 29. 
 
 V Jer. 31. 31. 
 
 Dan. 9. 24. 
 
 l.uke, 24. 47. 
 
 1 John, 'A. 12. 
 
 1 Isai. 53. 11. 
 Rom. 3. 28. 
 & 8. 3. 
 Hebr. 7. 19. 
 
 all things, from Avhicli ye could not be justified by 
 the law of INIoses. 
 
 40. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, 
 which is spoken of in ™ the prophets ; 
 
 41. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: 
 for I work a work in your days, a work which ye 
 
 shall in no wise believe, 
 you. 
 
 thouiih a man declare it unto 
 
 in his first recorded discourse, St. 
 Paul states in the clearest and most 
 decided terms that great doctrine of 
 justification by Christ through faith, 
 which is fully developed with all its 
 consequences in his epistles. 
 
 " From ivhich ye could not" &c. 
 This does not mean that men could 
 be justified from some sins by the 
 law of Moses', and that they can be 
 justified from other heavier sins by 
 Christ only; but that justification is 
 not attainable through the law, Avhich 
 had a different object altogether, 
 while it is bestowed fully and freely 
 upon them that believe in Jesus. 
 
 It is to be remarked that, in 
 preaching to unbelievers, St. Paul 
 and the Apostles generally appeal to 
 the resurrection as the basis of the 
 Christian religion. If they could be 
 convinced of that fact, the entire 
 system of faith would follow as a 
 consequence. Once admitted into 
 the Church, they would perceive the 
 various bearings of the atoning death 
 of Jesus, and learn to refer the for- 
 giveness of sins and justification to 
 the blessed influences of that blood 
 which alone cleanseth from all sin. 
 Hence, while the fact of the resur- 
 rection is urged as a " sign " and 
 evidence upon those who are with- 
 out, the epistles, which arc addressed 
 to believers, dwell principally upon 
 the doctrines involved in the cruci- 
 fixion of the Lord.'' Tiiis speech 
 may be compared with that of St. 
 Peter, — but each is characteristic 
 of its author: while St. I\'ter dwells 
 chiefly on repentance and l)ai»tism, 
 
 St. Paul directs attention to the cleans- 
 ing fountain of Christ's blood, to 
 which both are indebted for efiicacy, 
 and openly declares that the Mosaic 
 law has no justifying power. 
 
 40. '■'• Beii-are therefore" It seems 
 probable that St. Paul observed some 
 symptoms of dissent and disappro- 
 bation in his hearers, excited doubt- 
 less by what the Jews would gene- 
 rally consider to be an undervaluing 
 of the law, to which they had always 
 trusted for justification. They nei- 
 ther doubted their own ability to 
 keep it, nor the inherent efficacy of 
 burnt-offerings to abolish the guilt 
 of involuntary sins. 
 
 " In the prophets." That is, the 
 book of the prophets. 
 
 41. '■'•Behold, ye despisers." St. 
 Paul quotes the Septuagint version 
 of this passage (Hab. i. 5.), which 
 varies slightly from the original. 
 In this prediction of the judgments 
 to be inflicted upon the faithless Jews 
 when their temple was destroyed by 
 the Chaldaans, St. Paul discerns a 
 type of that heavier punishment 
 Avhich awaited his impenitent coun- 
 trymen, when the second temple 
 should in like manner be destroyed, 
 and the nation finally dispersed, on 
 the coming of the Son of ^Man. It 
 is to be regarded as a solemn Avarn- 
 ing, which St. Paul doubtless re- 
 peated on all fitting occasions, and 
 which was ere long justified by 
 the events. Habakkuk delivered, 
 and St. Paul rejieated, the warning, 
 each of them about twenty years 
 belbre the destruction of the temple. 
 
 Bcza, NcanJcr, i^c. 
 
 Olsliausen. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 147 
 
 t Gr. in the 
 week between, 
 or. in the sabbath 
 between. 
 
 42. And when the Jews were gone out of the syna- 
 gogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might 
 be preached to them f the next sabbath. 
 
 43. Now when the congregation was broken up, 
 many of tlie Jews and religious proselytes followed 
 Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, "^ per- n ch. ii. 23. 
 suaded them to continue in " the grace of God. „ tu. 2. n. 
 
 44. ^ And the next sabbath day came almost the f pet". 5^'i2?" 
 whole city together to hear the word of God. 
 
 45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they 
 
 were filled with envy, and p spake against those things yp^t^ff 
 which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and bias- J"*!^'"!"- ' 
 pheming. 
 
 46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, 
 
 42. " And when the Jews were gone 
 ont." There are great variations in 
 the manuscripts, and the reading is 
 doubtful. According to that fol- 
 lo-n-ed by our translators, the effects 
 of this discourse exemplify the ge- 
 neral results of St. Paul's preaching. 
 It seems to have produced indig- 
 nation in the Jews, who appear to 
 have left the synagogue hastily, 
 lively feelings of interest in the Gen- 
 tile proselytes, and a full adhesion 
 of those who belonged to the rem- 
 nant of grace. 
 
 " The Gentiles." This word is 
 wanting in many manuscripts. 
 
 " The next sabbath." This is 
 probably the correct inter pretation ' 
 (see ver, 44. ), but many critics - prefer 
 that which is given in the margin, 
 according to which, the Apostles 
 were requested to preach or expovmd 
 the Gospel during the week. 
 
 43. " To continue in the grace of 
 God" &c. This expression signifies 
 to hold fast that salvation which 
 was graciously ordained and made 
 known to them, and not to be turned 
 aside by the prejudiced Jews. These 
 men were, therefore, at once " added 
 to the Lord." 
 
 44. " Almost the luhole city" &c. 
 The Apostles had, doubtless, employ- 
 
 ed the interval in instructing their 
 converts, and in conversing with 
 men of all opinions in the public 
 places, while the opposition of the 
 Jews, and the discussions occasioned 
 thereby, would tend to excite gene- 
 ral curiosity and interest. This is a 
 striking instance of the extent to 
 which the dispersion of the Jews 
 subserved to the propagation of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 45. " The multitudes." The greater 
 part consisted of Gentiles, whose ad- 
 mission to the preaching of the Mes- 
 sianic kingdom excited the jealousy 
 and indignation of the cai'n ally- 
 minded children of Abraham.^ 
 
 " Spake against those things," Sec. 
 They probably opposed both the in- 
 terpretation and the application of 
 those prophetic Scriptures which St. 
 Paul adduced. 
 
 " Contradicting and blaspheming." 
 It appears not to have been unusual 
 in the synagogues to express assent or 
 dissent ; but such a disturbance as 
 is implied by these words, proves 
 that the passions of the Jews were 
 stronger than their reverence for 
 God, whom they met to worship. 
 Their blasphemy doubtless consisted 
 in calumnies against the Saviour. 
 46. " Waxed bold," or spake out 
 
 1 Kypke, INTej-er, Humphry. 
 
 2 Cdlvin, Beza, RosenmuUer, &c. 
 
 IMeyei 
 
148 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 q Matt. 10. 6. 
 ch. 5. 26. 
 Ter. 26. 
 Rom. 1. 16. 
 r Exod. 52. 10. 
 Deut. 32. 21. 
 Isai. 5.'}. 5. 
 Matt. 21. 43. 
 Rom. 10. 19. 
 
 s ch. 18. 6. 
 & 28. 2S. 
 
 t Isai. 42. 6. 
 & 49. 6. 
 Luke, 2. 32. 
 
 1 1t was necessary that the word of God should first 
 have been spoken to you : but ** seeing ye put it from 
 you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, 
 lo, ^ we turn to the Gentiles. 
 
 47. For so hath the Lord commanded u.s, saying, *I 
 have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou 
 shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. 
 
 48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were 
 glad, and glorified the word of the Lord : " and as 
 many as were ordained to eternal life believed. 
 
 freely and unreservedly. The same 
 word is often used by St. Paul in 
 speaking of his public preaching. 
 
 " It was necessary^'' The neces- 
 sity arose from the appointment of 
 our Lord, who determined both the 
 extent and the order of future mis- 
 sions before his departure. (See 
 i. 8.) 
 
 " Seeing ye put it" &c. The Jews 
 rejected the Gospel, both through 
 envy of the Gentiles, and because 
 they did not recognise in it any 
 adaptation to their own wants and 
 condition. Their own judgment of 
 themselves, in point of fact, excluded 
 them from salvation. 
 
 47. " So hath the Lord commanded 
 us,'" &c. The passage which St. 
 Paul quotes from the evangelical 
 prophet (Isaiah, xlix. 6.) refers to 
 the Messiah in his prophetic office, 
 and was so understood by the Jews. 
 But it applies in a certain sense to 
 those who are appointed by the Mes- 
 siah to speak and act in His name. 
 They are His delegates and repre- 
 sent His person. The announce- 
 ment of a work to be done by Him 
 is therefore tantamount to a com- 
 mandment given to His Apostles. 
 The passage is quoted to prove that 
 the extension of the Gospel to the 
 Gentiles was no new or incidental 
 result of the Apostles' preaching, but 
 that it had been predetermined in 
 the counsels of God. " Compare 
 
 Isaiah, xlii. 1. xliv. 3. Ix. 3. 5. 16. 
 Ixi. 6. 9. Ixii. 2. Ixvi. 12 ; and see 
 Rom. XV. 9— 12."i 
 
 48. '■^ As many as tcere ordained." 
 The word ordained has caused much 
 discussion. The original may mean 
 either " disposed" or " appointed." 
 If we take the former sense, we must 
 attribute the conversion of these 
 Gentiles to their state of prepared- 
 ness, and to the use which they had 
 made of previous means of grace ; 
 if we take the latter, we must attri- 
 bute it to the electing will of God. 
 This seems to be the more natural 
 and obvious meaning, and more in 
 accordance with the general tenour 
 of Holy Scriptures, which represent 
 man as the cause of his own ruin, 
 and God alone as the cause of his 
 salvation, " The word can never 
 describe men as prepared, set in 
 order, or disposed of themselves." - 
 The ancient versions all give this 
 interpretation even more strongly 
 than our own. At the same time, it 
 seems equally clear that it was not 
 the object of St. Luke to state a doc- 
 trine, but a fact ; viz. that those be- 
 lieved who had been appointed to be- 
 lieve, and it is unsafe, if not pre- 
 sumptuous, to deduce from such a 
 statement any inference as to the 
 grounds which determine the secret 
 will of God. It should suffice for 
 us that His will is identical with 
 right. 
 
 Barnes. 
 
 •^ Arcl. bishop Pumncr. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 
 
 149 
 
 49. And the word of the Lord was published 
 throughout all the reorion. 
 
 50. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honour- 
 able women, and the chief men of the city, and ^raised x 2 xim. 3. u 
 persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled 
 
 them out of their coasts. 
 
 51. y But thej shook off the dust of their feet against >• Man. 10. u. 
 them, and came unto Iconium. LukVg.oV* 
 
 52. And the disciples ^were filled with joy, and z Mau 5 12 
 with the Holy Ghost. e^;^!^^: 11: '^'- ' 
 
 49. " Throughout all the region." 
 Through Pisidia. The Apostles must 
 have remained some time in this 
 district, but it is uncertain how long. 
 
 50. " The devout and honourable 
 women. " In most Gentile cities where 
 the Jews were established, we hear 
 of a large proportion of converts 
 among the women. They appear to 
 have been strongly attracted by the 
 purity and sublimity of the Hebrew 
 faith. The Jews skilfully availed 
 themselves of their influence, and 
 excited their passions against the 
 Christians. They became either 
 zealous converts or bitter antago- 
 nists of the faith. 
 
 " And chief men of the city." Some 
 may have been proselytes, others 
 were of course influenced by the 
 devout and honourable women. 
 
 " Of their coasts." Or boundaries 
 of the country. The word " coasts " 
 did not formerly refer to the sea- 
 coast only. 
 
 51. " They shook off the dust," &c. 
 This was in accordance with our 
 
 Lord's injunction. Matt. x. 14. ' It 
 was symbolical of the rejection of 
 those who rejected Christ. * St. 
 Paul alludes to this persecution, 2 
 Tim. iii. 11. 
 
 ^'Iconium." A city of great cele- 
 brity-, both in ancient and medi- 
 eval history. It was situate in a 
 fertile plain to the east of Antioch 
 in Pisidia, at the foot of mount Tau- 
 rus, and was the capital of Lycaonia. 
 It is now called Conia, and has 
 about 30,000 inhabitants. ^ Recent 
 travellers describe it as a place of 
 great beauty, and full of interesting 
 monuments. It is the residence of a 
 pasha, and the capital of Caramania. 
 
 52. " And the disciples," &c. The 
 contrast between the external cir- 
 cumstances and the inner feelings of 
 the primitive Christians is nowhere 
 more simply and significantly stated. 
 In the midst of persecution they 
 were full of joy. because they were 
 full of the Holy Ghost, the Lord 
 and Giver of Life. 
 
 1 Lightfootand Wetstein. 
 •■i Xenoph. Anab. 1,2. 19. Cicer. ad Fam. 
 XV. 4, &c. 
 
 3 Niebuhr, vol. iii. p. 131. _ Hamilton, vol. 
 
 H 3 
 
150 THE ACTS. CHAP. XHI. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 4. This record throws great light upon the nature of the ministerial 
 office, with its high dignity and solemn responsibilities. We learn that it 
 involves a separation, or setting apart for a special Avork ; that its conditions 
 are a call of the Holy Spirit, and an external ordination by persons duly 
 authorized thereto. For we must not suppose that such events are recorded 
 merely as historical facts — they are ordinances upon the preservation of 
 ■which, in all essentials, the integrity of the Church depends. We learn, 
 moreover, from these verses under what circumstances special outpour- 
 ings of divine grace are generally vouchsafed. A mighty stirring of the 
 Spirit of Prayer is the usual pledge and precursor of singular mani- 
 festations of the Spirit of Power, which again are always followed by 
 increased fervency in all devotional exercises. Nor should it be forgotten 
 that fasting, so far from being a relic of Judaism, is twice mentioned as an 
 observance of inspired teachers and prophets, at the very time that they were 
 specially*directed to send forth the tidings of a full and free salvation to the 
 Gentiles. 
 
 5 — 12. Before the Word of God was spoken, Sergius Paulus and 
 Elymas were both in a state of darkness ; but there was this great difference 
 between them, — the one was an impostor and forger of lies, the other was 
 a sincere inquirer for truth. None are so incapable of perceiving truth 
 as those who are in the habit of deceiving others; none so near to the 
 kingdom of God as men of candid and humble spirits., May no allowed or 
 unconscious tendency to deceit make our hearts impervious to saving 
 impressions ; and if we be overpowered by sudden temptation, may a 
 seasonable chastisement awaken and correct us, and so save us from the 
 horrors of that abode, where continually-increasing wickedness will be 
 requited by continually-increasing misery and despair ! 
 
 13. It may be doubtful whether John Mark was influenced by fear of 
 danger, or desire of ease, or love for his kinsmen aftv'r the flesh. But of 
 this Ave may be sure, that he felt and deplored his error, which was after- 
 wards forgiven, and compensated by a life of self-sacrifice and arduous 
 exertions. " They only are justly accounted blessed whose minds are so 
 regulated that the path of duty is the path of choice, Avhose will is bound 
 up in the providence of God concerning them." — Archbishop Sininier. 
 
 16 — 22. The deep interest Avhich the Jcavs have always felt in the history 
 of God's dealings Avith their forefathers should put Christians to shame, if 
 they are ever tempted to listen Avith apathy or impatience to any portion of 
 those Scriptures which to the spiritual ear resound throughout of Christ. 
 
 23 — 26. St. Paul folloAvs the same course as St. Peter and St. Stephen in 
 addressing the Jcavs, because he is led by the same Spirit. All history 
 serves but to prepare a Avay for the direct preaching of Christ ; and our 
 studies in the written Word are ])ut lost time unless Ave learn from themtlie 
 same lesson Avhich lie then pressed upon the Jcavs. The Avord of salvation 
 has been sent to us in vain, if Ave are not children of the spiritual stock of 
 Abraham and true fearers of God, receiving it in faith and love, and 
 bringing forth fruit abundantly. 
 
 27 — 29. I'he perversity of man cannot impede the course of God's provi- 
 dence, but the guilt of our actions must be estinuited, not by their effects, 
 but by the principles and motives in Avliich they originate. 
 
 30 — 37. The life of Christ is the life of the ('hurch, of Avhich His resur- 
 rection Avas tlie seal and pledge. As children of Adam, avc must all see 
 corruption ; but if avc live in Christ, and Avalk with Christ here, serving our 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIII. 151 
 
 generation according to the will of God, our sleep will be an awakening to 
 bliss, our corruption will be raised in incorruption, and we shall live with 
 Christ in glory. 
 
 38 — 43, Contrast the effects of the preached word on the two classes of 
 hearers: to the believers it opened the fountain that cleanseth from all 
 impurity — a full and free j ustification — absolution from the guilt and de- 
 liverance from the power of sin ; while to the despisers it was a savour of 
 death unto death, and sealed their condemnation, 
 
 44 — 48. The Jews perished in their unbelief solely by reason of their 
 own wilful and obstinate rejection of a salvation freely offered and pressed 
 upon them. We must not forget that the passion which stimulated or 
 caused that perversity was envy, the most malignant, but also one of the 
 subtlest and commonest affections of our corrupt nature. We should pray 
 fervently that God may so dispose our hearts, that we may glorify the word 
 of the Lord, both by receiving it gladly, and also by actively aiding in its 
 propagation. 
 
 49 — 52. " Rectified zeal is not more commendable and useful than inor- 
 dinate and misguided is hateful and dangerous. Fire is a necessary and 
 beneficial element, but, if it be once misplaced, nothing can be more direful. 
 Thus sometimes zeal turns murder, sometimes phrenzy, sometimes rude 
 indiscretion. Wholesome and blessed is that zeal that is well grounded 
 and well governed ; grounded upon the word of truth, not upon unstable 
 fancies ; governed by wisdom and charity — wisdom to avoid rashness and 
 excess, charity to avoid just offence." — Bishop Hall, 
 
 H 4 
 
152 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The continuance and completion of the first apostolical mission to the 
 Gentiles are described in this chapter. In the occurrences at Lystra 
 ■we obserre the first outburst of the tumultuous persecutions from ■which 
 the early preachers of the Gospel suffered so much in all countries, and 
 ■we learn in ■what manner the Apostles ■were accustomed to argue ■with 
 ignorant idolaters. To-wards the end of the chapter, -we also find a strik- 
 ing illustration of the mutual dependence of all Members of the Church 
 ixpon each other and their Head. 
 
 a :\rark, 16. 
 Hebr. 2. 4. 
 
 1. And it come to pass in Iconinra, that they went 
 both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so 
 spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and 
 also of the Greeks believed. 
 
 2. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gen- 
 tiles, and made their minds evil affected against the 
 brethren. 
 
 3. Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly 
 in the Lord, ^ which gave testimony uuto the word of 
 his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done 
 by their hands. 
 
 1. " Aiid so spake.''^ With such 
 power and persuasiveness. The to- 
 pics were, doubtless, the same as at 
 Antioch. 
 
 " yl great multitude.'''' The inci- 
 dental notices which show the rapid 
 increase of the Gospel should not be 
 unobserved. 
 
 " Of the Greeks:' These must 
 have been proselytes to Judaism, 
 otherwise they would not have been 
 admitted to the synagogue', but un- 
 circumcised, or proselytes of the gate, 
 or they would not be called Greeks. 
 See note, chap. x. 
 
 2. " Made t/tcir minds evil affected:' 
 By calumnies, probably grounded on 
 misrepresentation of the Messianic 
 kingdom. The word, in the original, 
 means to torment, embitter by irrita- 
 ting insinuations.^ 
 
 " Tlie hrethrcn:' This expression 
 indicates that a Christian community 
 ■was formed immediately. 
 
 3. " Long time:' It is uncertain 
 how long, probably some months. 
 
 " Therefore:' On account both of 
 the acceptance and the opposition 
 ■which they met with. It was their 
 duty to remain until the evil affec- 
 tion gave way, or burst out in overt 
 acts of persecution. 
 
 " In the Lord:' The expression 
 here used means in dependence upon 
 the Lord Jesus. ^ 
 
 " Which gave testimony:'' By be- 
 stowing upon the converts the ex- 
 traordinary gifts of the spirit. 
 
 " And granted signs and zvonders" 
 Sec. Miracles are called signs, as 
 being evidences of a divine mission 
 ■wonders, as being calculated to startle 
 
 J TTemsen, p. 70.; and Meyer. 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Olsbauseii. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 153 
 
 4. But the multitude of the city was divided : and 
 part held with the Jews, and part with the ^ apostles, b 
 
 5. And when there was an assault made both of the 
 Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, ^ to c 
 use them despitefully, and to stone them, 
 
 6. They were ware of it, and ^ fled unto Lystra and d 
 Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that 
 lieth round about : 
 
 7. And there they preached the gospel. 
 
 8. ^ ^ And there sat a certain man at Lystra, im- e 
 potent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's 
 womb, who never had walked : 
 
 9. The same heard Paul speak : who stedfastly be- 
 holding him, and ^perceiving that he had faith to be f 
 healed, 
 
 Matt. 8. 10. 
 y. as, 29. 
 
 and arrest attention. St. Paul appeals 
 to miracles as the signs of an Apostle. 
 2 Cor. xii. 12. » 
 
 4. " Was divided''' There was a 
 schism among the inhabitants ; but 
 it is remarkable that the old idolatry 
 seems to have disappeared without a 
 struggle. 
 
 5. " An assaidt,'^ or rather a con- 
 spiracy, or tumultuous preparation 
 for an assault^, which was prevented 
 by the withdrawal of the Apostles. 
 
 " Their rulers^ The Gentile ma- 
 gistrates and the chiefs of the syna- 
 gogue appear to have guided the tu- 
 mult. The intention of stoning must 
 be referred to the Jews, who accused 
 the Apostles of blasphemy. 
 
 6. " Lystra and Derhe." Two ci- 
 ties of Lycaonia, a district lying 
 among the highlands of Taurus. The 
 inhabitants were a rough, hardy race, 
 chiefly shepherds, but addicted to 
 plunder, and little influenced by 
 Greek civilisation. Their language 
 was unintelligible to their neighbours, 
 but it is uncertain whether it was a 
 corrupt dialect of Greek ^ or of As- 
 
 syrian origin.* Some critics, how- 
 ever, consider that it was akin to the 
 Armenian. 
 
 " Unto the region" &c. They ap- 
 pear to have remained here also some 
 weeks or months. 
 
 7. " And there." There seems to 
 have been no synagogue in either 
 city. The Apostles, as we may con- 
 jecture, addressed the people where- 
 ever they found them in places of 
 public resort. 
 
 8. ^' There sat." This probably oc- 
 curred in the forum or mai'ket place 
 at Lystra. The lame man may have 
 sate there waiting for alms.^ 
 
 " Who never had ivalked." A very 
 important circumstance in consider- 
 ing the miracle. See notes on chap. 
 iii. 
 
 9. " The same heard." The ori- 
 ginal denotes attentive hearing.^ 
 
 " That he had faith." Faith in the 
 Saviour whom Paul preached. We 
 must remember that the Apostles had 
 the gift of discerning spirits. St, Paul 
 did not judge by so unsure a criterion 
 as the expression of the man's coun- 
 
 1 Paley Hor. Paul., c. xvi. § vii. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Guhling. ap. Winer, vol. ii. p. 37. 
 
 4 Jablouski, ed. Te Water., iii. 3, 
 Lingua Lycaonica. 
 
 5 Meyer, &c. 
 
 6 Meyer. 
 
 De 
 
154 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 g Isai. 35. 6. 
 
 h ch. 
 28. 6. 
 
 10. Said with a loud voice, s Stand upright on thy 
 feet. And lie leaped and walked. 
 
 11. And when the people saw what Paul had done, 
 they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of 
 Lycaonia, ^ The gods are come down to us in the like- 
 ness of men. 
 
 12. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter ; and Paul, 
 Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. 
 
 13. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before 
 their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, 
 
 Dan. 2.46. i aud would havc done sacrifice with the people. 
 
 tenance ; he saw into his heart, " be- 
 ing enlightened by the Holy Ghost, 
 who dwelt in him.'" 
 
 10. " With a lund voice" Proba- 
 bly to call the attention of the people 
 to the miracle.-' 
 
 " He leaped and walked." See note 
 on chap. iii. 8. 
 
 11. " The gods are come doivn" 
 &c. The beUef in the ancient my- 
 thology, which is sometimes repre- 
 sented as having been nearly extinct 
 in the time of the Apostles, retained 
 all its influence over the inhabitants 
 of remote and unfrequented districts. 
 The ancients believed that appear- 
 ances of the gods were matters of 
 frequent occurrence^; and there are 
 many fabulous accounts of such 
 events in Asia Minor. Jupiter and 
 Mercury were believed to have vi- 
 sited this very district, and to have 
 been hospitably received by Phile- 
 mon and Baucis.* 
 
 12. " They called Barnahas, Ju- 
 piter" Jupiter was worshipped as 
 the Supreme Deity, the Father of 
 men and Gods. He was also espe- 
 cially adored as the protector of states 
 and cities. There was, doubtless, 
 something peculiarly majestic and 
 impressive in the appearance of St. 
 Barnabas.^ 
 
 " And Paul, Mercurius." Mercu- 
 rius, or Hermes, was worshipped as 
 
 the god of arts and eloquence. St. 
 Luke assigns a sufficient reason why 
 St. Paul should have been identified 
 with this deity. There are no grounds 
 for supposing^ that he was inferior 
 in personal dignity to Barnabas ; the 
 notion that he was small of stature, 
 and of mean appearance, rests mainly 
 upon an apocryphal legend.^ Mer- 
 curius was always represented as a 
 manly and well-proportioned youth.** 
 
 13. " Which iras before their city." 
 It is probable that there were two 
 temples of Jupiter at Lystra, one in 
 the citadel, the other before the chief 
 gate of the city. " Which" must be 
 referred directlj- to Jupiter, meaning 
 thereby his temple ; for the heathens 
 regarded their idols not merely as 
 representatives, but, in a certain sense, 
 personifications, of their gods, and 
 the temples as their abodes. The 
 same idolatrous tendency is observed 
 among the worshippers at different 
 shrines of the Virgin Mar}'. 
 
 " 0.re7i ajid garlands." Oxen were 
 sacrificed both to Jupiter and Mer- 
 cury. " 
 
 '' Unto the gates." It is doubtful 
 whether this means the gates of the 
 city '", or, as in other passages, the 
 vestibule, or entrance of the house 
 in which the Apostles abode. The 
 latter appears more probable. The 
 people looked upon that place as a 
 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 Homer Od., xvii. 484. 
 
 Ovid Metann.,8. Gil., kc. 
 
 Chrysostom. 
 
 '' XeniKler. 
 
 ~ Tlio Acts of Paul and Thecla. 
 « MUller, Archreol.,§ .-jSO. 
 9 Homer, II., ii. 402., and Persius, ii. 44. 
 10 Neander .ind otliers. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 155 
 
 14. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul,''^J^^^'*-|^-^^- 
 heard of, ^ the j rent then- clothes, and ran in among m jlmes 5' n 
 the people, crying out, n Tsal'^S. 
 
 15. And saying, Sirs, ^why do ye these things ?'i Kings, ig. 13. 
 ™We also are men of like passions with yon, and AmosfaM." 
 preach unto you that ye should turn from " these ^^t"j,^,'|\^ 
 vanities <^ unto the living God, p which made heaven, ,> cen. ki. 
 and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein : \lh^l'. ^'^ 
 
 16. 1 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk^ p^" /g^j" i2_ 
 in their own ways. fi'e\!"4^3. 
 
 temple which was inhabited by 
 gods. ' The garlands seem to have 
 been intended to deck both the gates 
 of the house and the necks of the 
 victims. 
 
 14. " The Apostles.'" This expres- 
 sion should be remarked. It proves 
 that St. Barnabas was an apostle, 
 which some persons have unreason- 
 ably denied.^ 
 
 " Heard ofr It has been sup- 
 posed'^ that the Apostles did not un- 
 derstand the Lycaonians, who spoke 
 in their ow^n dialect ; but this seems 
 improbable. The same gift which 
 enabled them to address the people 
 so effectively, doubtless in their own 
 language, enabled them of course to 
 understand what they said. It is 
 probable that they entered their house 
 after the performance of the miracle, 
 and were therefore not aware of what 
 was taking place in the city. 
 
 " They rent their clothes.'" A com- 
 mon sign of extreme grief or indig- 
 nation, especially on hearing blas- 
 phemy. See Matt. xxvi. 65. ; Num- 
 bers, xiv. 6. ; 2 Sam. i. 2. 
 
 " Ran in." The word in the ori- 
 ginal means that they rushed out of 
 the house. 
 
 15. " Men of like passions." That 
 is, subject to the same infirmities, and 
 sharing the same nature. 
 
 " And preach unto you." This is 
 said to account for the miracle ; al- 
 though the Apostles were not of a 
 higher nature, yet they come with a 
 
 peculiar office — as messengers of 
 glad tidings, and announcing the 
 living God.* 
 
 " These vanities." The false deities, 
 for whom you take us, and whom ye 
 ignorantly worship. The word means 
 that they are lifeless and powerless; 
 in fact, having no existence but in 
 the imagination of the superstitious. 
 " The living God, icho made" &c. 
 God is contrasted with idols, as the 
 source of all life and the creator of 
 the universe. The heathens did not 
 even imagine that their deities were 
 the makers of heaven and earth. 
 Their Jupiter, according to their 
 own legends, was born at a period 
 long subsequent to the formation of 
 both. They differed as to the form- 
 ing or moulding power, but univer- 
 sally held the eternal pre-existence 
 of matter. Hence St. Paul saith, — 
 " Through _/(a7/i we understand that 
 the worlds were framed by the word 
 of God, so that things which are 
 seen were not made of things which 
 do appear," Hebrews, xi. 3. It is 
 important to observe how the Apostle 
 adapts his arguments to the intel- 
 lectual position of his audience. In 
 addressing heathens, he first esta- 
 blishes the elementary principles of 
 what is called natural religion ; a 
 mode of argument which, as Grotius 
 well observes, should be borne in 
 mind by those who have to preach 
 the Gospel to persons educated in 
 idolatry. 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 2 Barnes. 
 
 3 Hemsen, p. 
 sostom. 
 
 4 M"v,o,-. 
 
 so also C'hry- 
 
 H 6 
 
156 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 r ch. 17. 27. 
 Rom. 1.20. 
 
 s Lev. 26. 4. 
 Deut. 11. 14. 
 & 28. 12. 
 Job, 5. 10. 
 Ps. G5. 10. 
 & 68. 9. & 
 147. 8. 
 Jer. 14, 22. 
 :\latt. 5. 45. 
 
 17.'' Nevertheless he left not himself without wit- 
 ness, in that he did good, and ^gave us rain from 
 heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts Avith 
 food and gladness. 
 
 18. And with these sayings scarce restrained they 
 the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto 
 them. 
 
 19. ^ * And there came thither certain Jews from 
 
 16. " Suffered all nations,^' &c. 
 He left them without a special reve- 
 lation of his attributes and will ; 
 without the restraints and directions 
 of a miraculously attested law. St. 
 Paul expresses the same fact even 
 more strongly, ch. xvii. 30. : " The 
 times of this ignorance God winked 
 at." He does not account for this 
 mysterious dispensation, but it ap- 
 pears to be intimated that a general 
 revelation was not made until the 
 resources of human intellect had been 
 exhausted, and confessed to be un- 
 availing, in the attempt to find out 
 God. 
 
 17. " He left not himself ivithout 
 witness." This verse shows to what 
 extent natural religion might be ex- 
 pected to lead the Gentiles to the 
 knowledge of God. It should have 
 taught them the goodness and pro- 
 vidence of the Supreme Being. ;The 
 argument is carried farther in the epis- 
 tle to the Romans, where it is proved 
 that God gave them an internal wit- 
 ness; so that though less favoured 
 than the Jews, they had a natural 
 revelation, for the use and abuse of 
 which they were responsible.' Rom. 
 i. 20. ii. 15. The guilt of the idola- 
 trous heathens consisted in their 
 neglect of these admonitions — in 
 their apostasy from the patriarchal 
 faith — in their superstitious and 
 blasphemous inventions concerning 
 the powers of the universe — and in 
 their licentious and cruel ceremo- 
 nies.'^ 
 
 " ^wr/ gave no rain." The Jews 
 
 justly considered rain to be a pecu- 
 liar testimony to God's power and 
 goodness.^ The most striking images 
 in Eastern poetry are taken from 
 heavy showers after long droughts. 
 It is the common type of the resur- 
 rection with Mahometans.^ 
 
 " Filling our hearts," &c. The 
 beauty of this verse has been often 
 remarked. In the original it has a 
 lyrical cadence, and has been sup- 
 posed^ to be a quotation from some 
 Greek poet. There does not seem to 
 be sufficient ground for this conjec- 
 ture, but it would be quite in ac- 
 cordance with St. Paul's custom. See 
 xxvii. 28 
 
 19. ^^ And there came thither." It 
 seems, from the word used here in the 
 original, that these Jews arrived 
 while the tumult was proceeding. It 
 is hard to see how they could so soon 
 have turned the feelings of the people 
 into so contrary a direction, except 
 by accusing the Apostles of sorcery. 
 In that case the people might be in- 
 duced to believe that they declined 
 divine honours through fear of the 
 gods. This event gives us a lively 
 idea of the troublous and emperilled 
 existence of the first preachers of the 
 faith. See 2 Cor. iv. 8—11. The 
 Jews, were, however the persons who 
 stoned St. Paul on this occasion, with 
 the consent of the people, who pro- 
 bably singled him out as the chief 
 speaker of what they now considered 
 to be blas])liemies against their gods. 
 St. Paul alludes to this 2 Cor. x. 25. 
 and 2 Tim. iii. 11. 
 
 1 Olshausen. 
 
 2 Eiisob. Prapp. Evang. 
 
 3 Hammond, 
 
 "^ Koran, vii. xxxvi. 
 * Humph rj-. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 157 
 
 Antiocliand Iconium, v>^lio persuaded the people, ^and, u 2cor._11.25. 
 having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, sup- '^ 
 posing he had been dead. 
 
 20. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, 
 he rose up, and came into the city : and the next day 
 he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 
 
 21. And when they had preached the gospel to that £ Man. 2s. la. 
 city, ^ and f had taught many, they returned again to ]„aje'ma',y 
 Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, y'chfu'. 23. 
 
 22. Confirminf^ the souls of the disciples, and y ex- '^'^^•*'- 
 
 ,. , ° . •,/.•!, 1 2 Matt. 10. 58. 
 
 hortinfy them to continue in the faith, and that ^ we f^ 16.24. 
 
 ° , . ' Luke, 22. 2S, 
 
 must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom '^;^ ^ j_ 
 of God. 'I'JiTs.Vr' 
 
 " Drew him out of the city. " Dragged 
 his body through the streets, and cast 
 him out as unworthy of burial. No 
 uncommon act of brutahty among 
 the Greeks. 
 
 20. " As the disciples stood round 
 him." The converts of Lystra appear 
 to have followed the rioters, and, 
 when they withdrew, to have sur- 
 rounded what they believed to be 
 his corpse, doubtless to mourn over 
 him, or it may be to prepare the body 
 for burial.' 
 
 " He rose up." This sudden re- 
 storation not only to life, but to 
 strength, is certainly to be regarded 
 as miraculovis. The Jews would not 
 easily have been persuaded that he 
 was dead, had he been only stunned, 
 nor would he have been able to re- 
 turn to his usual avocations after such 
 treatment, without a special inter- 
 position of divine power."^ 
 
 " To Derbe." Lystra lay between 
 Iconium and Derbe. These places 
 have been lately visited by Mr, Ha- 
 milton, who identifies Derbe with a 
 place called Divle, east of Caraman, 
 and Lystra with Bin Bir Kilisseh, 
 which lies on the direct road from 
 Derbe to Iconium.'^ 
 
 21. " Had taught mainj." The 
 marginal translation gives the true 
 sense — they made many disciples. 
 The same word is used by our Lord : 
 
 " Go ye therefore and teach — make 
 disciples of all nations." Matt, xxviii. 
 19. It involves their baptism and 
 subsequent instruction in Christian 
 doctrine. 
 
 22. " Co7}firming the souls" &c. 
 This expression imdoubtedly refers 
 chiefly to the spiritual consolations 
 and instructions which the Apostles 
 imparted. But it may not be ques- 
 tioned that baptism was followed by 
 imposition of the Apostles' hands, and 
 it is probable that this means of 
 grace is included in the term " con- 
 firming." 
 
 " To continue in the faith." The 
 exhortation had special reference to 
 the dangers and temptations by which 
 they were surrounded. 
 
 " We must." The necessity arises 
 fi'om the opposition which Chris- 
 tianity must encounter in a corrupt 
 world. Or it may be referred still 
 more simply to the Divine will, 
 which attaches such a condition to 
 the entrance into the kingdom of 
 God. The Hebrew Rabbis were 
 not unaware that afSictions were ne- 
 cessarily to be undergone by the 
 disciples of Messiah.* 
 
 " The kingdom of God." The 
 kingdom of glory which will be re- 
 vealed on the second coming of 
 Christ. 
 
 1 Caietan. 
 
 2 Calvin, &c., Meyer. 
 
 3 Wieseler, p. 24. Hamilton, v. 11. 
 •1 Vajikra Rabba F,, 173. 4. ap. 3Ieyer. 
 
158 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 aTit. 1. 5. 23. And when they had * ordained them elders in 
 
 every church, and had prayed with fasting, they com- 
 mended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. 
 
 24. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, 
 they came to Pamphylia. 
 
 25. And when they had preached the word in Perga, 
 they went down into Attalia ; 
 
 bch. 1.-. i.o. 26. And thence sailed to Antioch, ^from whence 
 c rh. i-i. 40. they had been « recommended to the grace of God for 
 the work which they fulfilled. 
 
 27. And when they were come, and had gathered 
 iai'-^g.""^^" ^^^^ church together, ^they rehearsed all that God had 
 
 23. " When they had ordained.''^ 
 The word used in this passage cer- 
 tainly means that the Apostles ap- 
 pointed, and probably that they 
 selected the elders, or presbyters of 
 the several churches.' Jerome (on 
 Isaiah, Iviii. ) interprets the Trord of 
 ordination by laying on of hands. ^ 
 Titus and Timothy afterwards ex- 
 ercised the same authority as de- 
 legates of St. Paul in Crete and 
 Ephesus, Tit. i. 5. ; 1 Tim. v. 22. 
 The selection of the ministers ap- 
 pears, after the Apostles' time, to 
 have rested generally with the con- 
 gregations, but the power of ordina- 
 tion was always restricted to the 
 Apostles and their successors in the 
 government of the Church. 
 
 " In every church." One elder 
 in each church or congregation, 
 though there might be more than 
 one in each city. 
 
 " Had prayed with fasting.'''' See 
 xiii. 1. We must understand this of 
 a solemn fast observed by the whole 
 body of believers in each city. The 
 ember days are appointed in our 
 church on the same princij)le. 
 
 24. ''After that" Sic. They ap- 
 pear to have revisited all the places 
 in which they had previously made 
 converts. 
 
 2.5. " In Per(/(t." See xiii. 3. 
 
 " Attalia," A seaport of Pamphy- 
 lia, near the mouth of the Catar- 
 rhactes, built by Attalus, king of 
 Pergamus. It is now a fortified 
 place of some importance, and is 
 called Antali, Satalia, or Adalia.^ 
 
 26. ''And thence sailed to Antioch." 
 Although these Apostles acted under 
 the special influence of the Holy 
 Ghost, by whom they had been di- 
 rectly called to the work, yet they 
 still considered themselves to be, if 
 not under the authority of the church 
 of Antioch, yet in close connection 
 with it, and in a certain sense re- 
 sponsible to it for their proceedings. 
 They were leading and ruling mem- 
 bers, but still members of an organic 
 whole. Neither Holy Scripture, nor 
 the primitive Church, offers any ex- 
 ample of missionaries acting on their 
 own I'esponsibility.'* 
 
 " llecommended to the grace" &c. 
 Our version gives the exact mean- 
 ing. Antioch was the place from 
 whence they had set out, the Church 
 having previously commended them 
 by solemn prayer with fasting to the 
 grace of God, that they might be 
 strengthened for the work. They 
 return, having now accomplished that 
 work so far as regarded their late 
 mission.^ 
 
 27. " The Church." AH the con- 
 
 1 01shau<;on. .SVr, liowcvcr, Ikirton Lcct. 
 II. K., vol. i. p. 110, 150. . 
 - Suiccr, Tliesaur. 
 
 ■' Winer, vol. i. p. 
 Minor. 
 •' Olshauscn. 
 Meyer. 
 
 113., and Fellow's Asia 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 159 
 
 clone with them, and how he had « opened the door of e i cor. le. 
 faith unto the Gentiles. L^."': k ^'"^ 
 
 28. And there they abode long time with the dis- ^^^''■'''■'^' 
 ciples. 
 
 gregations at Antioch, each with its 
 own presbyter, or, as we should say, 
 rector. See note, xiii. 
 
 " All that God had done with them.'''' 
 The meaning of the words seems to 
 be that God acted with them, by 
 their instrumentality. See xi. 21. 
 It may, however, be a Hebraism, and 
 mean what God had done to or for 
 them. ' 
 
 " Opened the door" — or rather a 
 door. God admitted the Gentiles, so 
 to speak, by a special and peculiar 
 putting forth of His grace, into the 
 spiritual temple of the Church. The 
 expression implies that they had 
 gone further in converting the Gen- 
 tiles than formerly. Hitherto the 
 Gentiles had been previously prose- 
 lytes of the gate when they received 
 
 the Gospel ; but those who were 
 converted by the Apostles on this 
 journey had been in great part gross 
 idolaters up to the period of their 
 admission into the Church.^ 
 
 28. "■Longtime." (See Introduc- 
 tion.) The effect of the late ir.ission 
 must have been felt during the re- 
 sidence of St. Paul at Antioch : on 
 the one hand, the church must have 
 acquired a clearer insight into the 
 impartiality and perfect freeness of 
 the Cliristian dispensation, while, on 
 the other hand, the lingering pre- 
 judices of the Judaizing party would 
 be irritated to the last degree by the 
 rapid disappearance of that line of 
 demarcation which had hitherto se- 
 parated them from their Gentile 
 brethren. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 3. When the Gospel is preached by a faithful and united ministry, 
 His Spirit is ever present, and makes their words effectual to the conversion 
 of multitudes. That blessed result must, however, be expected to call forth 
 envious and malignant feelings ; and unbelievers of the most opposite cha- 
 racters will generally be found unanimous in their hostility against the 
 Christian brotherhood. Such hostility is no real evil to the Church ; it 
 sei'ves but to elicit the higher graces of patient, persevering love and holy 
 confidence in Him who giveth efficacy to the Avord of His grace. 
 
 4. Neutrality in religion is only practicable when there is a general in- 
 difference to matters of spiritual concernment ; but when God's word is 
 spoken out clearly and strongly, all men must choose their side, and will 
 either take part with the people of the Lord, or with His enemies, by whom 
 they are calumniated and persecuted. 
 
 5—7. Persecution is borne patiently, nay, cheerfully, by Christians; 
 but it is courted only by fanatics. The Apostles withdrew from the danger, 
 not from fear, for they ceased not to preach the Gospel, but because they 
 would not give an occasion of blood-guiltiness to those whom they yearned 
 to bring under the influence of the Spirit of love. 
 
 8 — 10. If a bystander had been requested to point out the most pitiable 
 object in that multitude who listened to the Apostle's preaching, he would 
 
 Ewald, Heb. Gram., p. 608. 
 
 2 Burton Lect. H. vol. i. p. 151. 
 
160 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIV. 
 
 doubtless have fixed on the poor helpless cripple. But the angels of God 
 were gazing with wonder and admiration upon the work of grace, which 
 was even then infusing faith, hope, and life into his heart, and making him 
 an inheritor of joy and glory. The miracle of healing did but represent to 
 the eye of sense the greater miracle of spiritual restoration which had been 
 already commenced. 
 
 11 — 13. Observe the different effects of faith and of superstition : the one 
 exemplified by the spectators, the other by the subject of this miracle. 
 Faith is the channel by which life and power are conveyed to the helpless 
 cripple ; superstition, like a thick cloud, intercepts or distorts the light 
 that cometh from above. Faith fixes its eye upon the invisible source of 
 all blessings ; superstition deifies the earthly instrument. Faith brings 
 man to the knowledge and adoration of the only true God ; while super- 
 stition wastes all the gifts of God, and offers them in sacrifice to lying 
 vanities. 
 
 14. The folly and extravagance of sin amaze men of spiritual minds, but 
 do not excite in them any feelings akin to ridicule. The Apostles rent 
 their clothes with horror, where the proud philosopher would have looked 
 on with haughty indifference. 
 
 1.5 — 17. Observe the tone and purport of the Apostles' discourse. There 
 is no reviling, no expression of bitterness or scorn, but an earnest appeal to 
 that unquenchable light which bears testimony to the power and love of 
 the Creator in the innermost heart of the most ignorant and degraded 
 sinner. On the other hand, there is no compromise. The sinner is taught 
 that the idols which he worshipped must be forsaken, that he must turn at 
 once unto the living God, or that light will be but the witness of his con- 
 demnation. 
 
 19 — 20. " Charity is always glorious, but never appears more so than when 
 shining forth from a dark cloud of affliction ; when it evinces that our 
 thoughts are not so engrossed by our own sufferings as to forget those of 
 others ; when we are not unmindful to perform kind offices to those around 
 us in moments of deep affliction." — Bishop Home. Such charity was indeed 
 shown by St. Paul, whose first and last thoughts were ever for the brethren, 
 and who made all his trials and crosses subservient to their edification. 
 
 20 — 22. The followers of a crucified Saviour must needs pass through 
 tribulation in the way which He hath trodden ; but they have sufficient 
 motives to encourage them, and His all-sullicient grace to sustain them. 
 " That grace enables them to look through the sufferings of the present 
 time, to the glory which shall be revealed. Faith shows them heaven 
 opened, and Jesus, who was crucified, standing at the right hand of the 
 Majesty on high ; it shows them a long and goodly train of those who once 
 carried their ci'osses, but are now crowned, and receive palms from the 
 Son of God, whom they confessed in the world.'' — Bishop Home. 
 
 23 — 28. The unity of the Church in that primitive age was attested by 
 the harmonious co-operation of all its members. Her missionaries were 
 sent forth with her blessing, established all things in accordance with her 
 model and in sul)ordination to her authority, and returned home sure of 
 sympathy with their trials, and of joy in their success. We should be 
 grateful that so many traces of this unity, for which our Saviour supplicated 
 His Father on the very niglit of His passion, have yet been preserved in our 
 own Church, and we should strive earnestly to evince our gratitude by 
 pi-aying and working for the peace and prosperity of our Zion. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 161 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 St. Luke proceeds to give an account of the circumstances which led to 
 the first general council of the Church, as well as of its proceedings and 
 decision — a most important epoch, which should be carefully studied. 
 The Hebrews were too much attached to the law of their fathers, and 
 too deeply convinced of its divine authority, to be easily reconciled to 
 what appeared to them to be tantamount to its abrogation ; nor could they 
 at first perceive that Christianity, while it dispensed with its external 
 forms, retained and exalted its spiritual principle. Mingled too with 
 these natural feelings were others less excusable, and far more obstinate 
 and dangerous, — viz. pride in their exclusive privileges, and contempt for 
 the less favoured Gentiles. The former feelings influenced the most 
 eminent Christians, until the will of God was miraculously revealed to 
 St. Peter : the latter produced violent and lengthened struggles within 
 the Church, and terminated in a permanent schism. The Jewish 
 seceders formed a sect afterwards known by the name of Ebionites, who 
 retained the ceremonial law, and gi'adually cast away the most vital and 
 essential truths of Christianity. In reading this chapter, however, we 
 must be on our guard against hasty and presumptuous judgments. Our 
 prejudices probably lie in a different direction from those of the Hebrew 
 zealots ; and, unless we understand the points then at issue, we shall not 
 duly appreciate the wisdom of the apostolic decree. Several distinct 
 views were then held by conscientious believers. None doubted any 
 longer that Gentiles could be received into the Church without previ- 
 ously becoming proselytes of righteousness. That point had been settled 
 finally in the case of Cornelius. But many still thought that the Gentiles, 
 when converted, were bound to observe the whole law in order to be fit 
 subjects of Messiah's kingdom. They considered that the Old Testa- 
 ment, which, taken literally, might seem to favour this view, was con- 
 firmed by our Lord's authority, and they were not prepared to accept a 
 spiritual interpretation. Others, again, were of opinion that the law was 
 still binding upon themselves as circumcised Jews, but that the Gentiles 
 were free from its obligation, since all believers wei-e completely justified 
 by the grace of Christ. This opinion was entertained by some of the 
 most conscientious Hebrew Christians, and was only blameworthy when 
 it was connected with a feeling that the combination of Jewish observ- 
 ances with Christian privileges constituted a higher state of religious 
 life. Others, again, in whom a more complete appreciation of the spiri- 
 tuality of the Gospel had been developed, were now convinced that all 
 the peculiarities of Judaism were rapidly to disappear in the Christian 
 Church ; that not only the Gentiles, but the Jews also, were released 
 from the bondage of ceremonial forms ; and that there Mas great danger lest 
 the fundamental principles of the faith should be obliterated or obscured 
 by the prevalence of Judaizing notions. St. Paul is the chief represen- 
 tative of this opinion, while the apostles St. James and Peter were un- 
 deniably inclined to the second ; as, indeed, is proved in the case of St. 
 James, by the fact that he was highly esteemed by the Jews for his 
 punctilious attention to all the forms of the law. It is evident that such 
 wide divergencies of opinion might have issued in a fatal schism, had 
 
162 THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 not all passions been restrained and regulated by the Spirit of God. Under 
 His influence the hearts of the Apostles and all true Christians were 
 enlarged, and the council adopted a decree which satisfied all lovers of 
 peace. The prejudices of the Hebrews were so far consulted, that the 
 Gentile converts were specially directed to observe the precepts which 
 were previously binding upon proselytes of the gate, while the Jews 
 were left free to act as they had been wont in matters touching the law. 
 The authority of Paul and Barnabas was fully recognized, and two 
 other disciples, imbued with the same spirit, were commissioned to sup- 
 port them on their return from Jerusalem to Antioch. Henceforth the 
 position of those who held extreme Jewish opinions was no more the 
 same. Since the Holy Ghost had decided, that which might once have 
 been but an excess of scrupulousness became a schismatic and heretical 
 prejudice. So deeply rooted was this prejudice, that we find St. Paul 
 contending against it to the end of his career. It was the immediate 
 cause of his greatest trials during his ministry, and it gave occasion to 
 the clearest and fullest declarations of the distinctive truths of Christi- 
 anity that are to be found in the inspired writings. 
 
 1. A\D ^certain men which came clown from Judea 
 taught the brethren, and said, i* Except ye be cir- 
 cumcised ^ after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be 
 saved. 
 
 2. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small 
 dissension and disputation with them, they deter- 
 mined that ^ Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of 
 
 1. ^^ And certain men." These men form of Judaism, were in an ana- 
 falsely represented themselves to be logous position. Circumcision in- 
 commissioned by the Apostles at volved the obligation to observe the 
 Jerusalem : see ver. 24. They were whole law, and subverted the doc- 
 half converted Pharisees, and are trine of justification by faith in 
 described by St. Paul as " false Christ. 
 
 brethren, unawares brought in." 2, " No small dissension." A 
 
 Gal. ii. 4. vehement defence of the truth, when 
 
 " The brethren." The Gentile invidiously assailed, is quite in ac- 
 
 converts of Antioch. cordance with the precepts of that 
 
 " Ye cannot be saved." The zealots wisdom from above, which is first 
 
 who formerly believed that circum- pure, and then peaceable. Compare 
 
 cision was necessary as a preliminary St. Paul's expressions, Gal. i. 8, 9. 
 
 condition of admission into Mes- " They determined." The Church 
 
 siah's kingdom, being driven from at Antioch, of whom, perhaps, the 
 
 that position, still taught that it was great majority were Gentiles. It is 
 
 indispensable as a completion or ra- supposed by most commentators ' 
 
 tification of baptism. Proselytes to that this journey to Jerusalem is the 
 
 Juflaisni were baptized, as well as same with that to which St. Paul 
 
 circumcised, and they considered alludes in the second chapter of Ga- 
 
 that proselytes to Christianity, which, latians. If so, the determination of 
 
 in their opinion, was but a perfected the church of Antioch was made in 
 
 a Gal. 2. 
 
 12. 
 
 b John, 7 
 ver. 5. 
 Gal. .5. 2. 
 fhil. .-. 2. 
 Col. 2. 8, ] 
 16. 
 
 .22. 
 11, 
 
 c Gen. 17 
 Lev. 12. 3 
 
 . 10. 
 
 ' Tlieodoret, Baroniiis, Pearson, Hug, Winer, Olsliaiiscn, Anger, Hemsen, kc. See, 
 however, Wieseler, p. 180. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 163 
 
 tliem, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and 
 elders about this question. 
 
 3. And ® being brought on their way by the church, e Rom. 15. at. 
 they passed through Phenice and Samaria, ^declaring n.""^" 
 
 the conversion of the Gentiles : and they caused great ^ *"''• ^^- -'• 
 joy unto all the brethren. 
 
 4. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they 
 were received of the church, and of the apostles and 
 elders, and ^they declared all things that God had f^! Ti.'lf. 
 done with them. ''or lie « 
 
 5. But there 11 rose up certain of the sect of the^^idihey, 
 Pharisees which believed, saying, ^ That it was need- ^ ver. 1. 
 
 consequence of a special revelation 
 of the Holy Spii'it, communicated to 
 them most probably by St. Paul 
 himself. Antioch was the mother 
 church of the Gentiles, and it was 
 of the most vital importance that it 
 should act, and be known to act, in 
 perfect harmony with the mother 
 church of all Christendom. 
 
 " And certain others of them.^'' 
 Titus accompanied St. Paul, and, as 
 we learn from the Apostle, was not 
 compelled to be circumcised. He 
 was probably selected as a distin- 
 guished Gentile convert. See Gal. 
 ii. 1 and 3. 
 
 " Unto the Apostles and elders" 
 The Apostles were consulted as go- 
 vernors of the univei'sal church, the 
 elders as representatives and minis- 
 ters of the church in Judaea. 
 
 3. " Being brought on their icai/." 
 The elders and leading members 
 of the Church escorted them, pro- 
 bably to a considei'able distance, to 
 show them honour. This was tan- 
 tamount to a declaration that, notwith- 
 standing the attacks made on their 
 authority, the Church recognized 
 them as inspired apostles, and felt 
 no doubt as to the issue of the con- 
 ference. 
 
 ''Phenice and Samaria.'^ The 
 converts there were not prepossessed 
 against the Gentiles, not having been 
 nurtured in Hebrew prejudices. It 
 
 must, however, be regarded as a 
 proof of the thorough change of 
 feelings produced by the Gospel, that 
 these men rejoiced so truly in their 
 admission into the Church. The spirit 
 of all ancient religions was essen- 
 tially national and exclusive. Chris- 
 tianity alone could make brothers of 
 aliens. 
 
 4. " Thei/ were received." This 
 expression denotes the public recep- 
 tion of Paul and Barnabas in their 
 official capacity as ambassadors from 
 the church of Antioch.' St. Paul 
 informs us that private conferences, 
 either before or (as seems more pro- 
 bable) after this public reception, 
 were held with the principal rulers 
 of the Church, St. James, St. Peter, 
 and St. John, in reference to the 
 great principles which this question 
 involved. Gal. ii. 2. 
 
 " And thei/ declared.'" The object 
 of the narrative was to show the 
 Apostles, that God had wrought by 
 their instrumentality, and so had, in 
 fact, decided the question now re- 
 ferred to the Church in Jerusalem. 
 
 5. ''But there rose vp." These 
 persons had originated the move- 
 ment, and were now prepared to 
 support it with vehemence. It is 
 evident that the party was numerous 
 and influential at Jerusalem, but it is 
 certain that it was not countenanced 
 by any of the Apostles. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
164 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 k 1 Chron. 28. 
 
 9. 
 
 ch. 1.21. 
 
 1 ch. 10. 41. 
 
 m Rom. 10. 11 
 n ch. 10. 15. 
 28, 43. 
 1 Cor. 1. 2. 
 1 Pet. 1. 22. 
 o Matt. 23. 4. 
 (Jal. 5. 1. 
 
 ful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep 
 the law of Moses. 
 
 6. ^ And the apostles and elders came together for 
 to consider of this matter. 
 
 7. And when there had been much disputing, Peter 
 rose up, and said unto them, ^ Men and brethren, ye 
 know how that a good Avhile ago God made choice 
 among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear 
 the word of the gospel, and believe. 
 
 8. And God, ^ which knoweth the heart.s, bare them 
 witness, ^ giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did 
 unto us ; 
 
 9. ^ And put no difference between us and them, 
 " purifying their hearts by faith. 
 
 10. Now therefore why tempt ye God, ^ to put a 
 
 " To circumcise them." The Gen- 
 tile converts, who are not named, 
 but had been referred to as the ob- 
 ject of God's work in the preceding 
 narrative. 
 
 6. " Came together." This was a 
 formal and solemn assembly of the 
 Church, consisting of the Apostles, 
 and presbyters, and many of the 
 brethren. The latter were probably 
 delegates from the several congre- 
 gations in and near Jerusalem. It 
 appears evident that these latter, 
 most of whom may have been subor- 
 dinate ministers, took no part in the 
 discussion, but signified their assent 
 to the decision of the Apostles. (See 
 ver. 12 and 22.) 
 
 7. ''Much disputiiig." The dif- 
 ference of opinion seems therefore 
 to have extended even to the pres- 
 byters. 
 
 " Peter rose up." St. Peter speaks 
 first, as the Apostle who had been 
 specially directed to admit the Gen- 
 tiles into the Church, in the case of 
 Cornelius, and also as the foremost 
 among the Apostles. See note, i. 15. 
 We may also regard this as a furtlier 
 fulfilment of our Lord's declaration. 
 Matt. xvi. 18, 19. St. Peter on this 
 occasion opened the gate of the king- 
 dom of heaven, and loosed a heavy 
 yoke. 
 
 " A good ivhile ago." A long time. 
 
 comparatively speaking ; about half 
 the period that had elapsed since the 
 first Pentecost. It was scarcely rea- 
 sonable to agitate a question which 
 had been settled in principle about 
 ten years. See Introductory Chro- 
 nology. 
 
 8. " JFhich hyiorcelh the hearts." 
 This attribute of God is specified to 
 show that it is the inward disposition, 
 and not any outward distinction, 
 which constitutes fitness or unfitness 
 for Christian privileges. 
 
 9. " Purifying their hearts." St. 
 Peter fully admits that none can en- 
 ter or remain in Messiah's kingdom 
 without purification, but he insists 
 that God had vouchsafed the internal 
 cleansing, of which circumcision was 
 but a type, to all believers alike. 
 Faith is the conditional cause Qf 
 purification, which is efFectually 
 wrought by the Spirit of Christ, who 
 dwells in the heart of believers. 
 
 10. " Why tempt ye God." By 
 resisting or questioning His Avill, 
 when it had been so plainly declared. 
 
 " To jmt a yoke." We are not to 
 suppose that the law was a yoke be ■ 
 cause it involved much exertion, 
 self-denial, and .self-sacrifice, but be- 
 cause it burdened the consciences of 
 those who, niisaj)])rehending the o1)- 
 jeets for which it was instituted, 
 sought to be justified by it. That 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 165 
 
 yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our 
 fathers nor we were able to bear ? 
 
 11. But P we believe that through the grace of the p,Rom.^3.^24. 
 Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as thej. ^|-.^^^ V; 
 
 12. ^ Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave 
 audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles 
 
 and wonders God had i wrought among the Gentiles q ch. u. 27. 
 bj them. 
 
 13. ^ And after they had held their peace, ^ James r ch.12. 17 
 answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto 
 
 me : 
 
 error filled the minds with anxiety 
 and slavish terrors, and led to the 
 introduction of a vast number of 
 minute and punctilious observances, 
 intended to guard against the ap- 
 proximation to any such transgres- 
 sion as might involve a forfeiture of 
 the blessings promised to the true 
 Israelites.' St. Paul cheerfully sub- 
 mitted to the law himself, but when 
 it was proposed as a condition of ac- 
 ceptance to his converts, he declared 
 plainly that, if they wei*e circumcised, 
 Christ would profit them nothing. 
 Gal. V. 2. 
 
 " Neither our fathers nor ive." This 
 is a remarkable appeal addressed to 
 the consciences of the Hebrews by 
 the Apostle of the circumcision. 
 Gal. ii. 8. They knew that they 
 could not fulfil the law so as to be 
 secure of salvation on that ground. 
 
 " But we believe.'''' So far from 
 deeming it necessary to impose such 
 conditions upon the Gentiles, St. 
 Peter points out that the Hebrew 
 Christians trusted for salvation to 
 the free grace of Christ alone. He 
 repudiates all reliance on the works 
 of the law, not less distinctly than 
 St. Paul. 
 
 " Even as theyy The Gentile 
 Christians are evidently meant.^ It 
 is the object of St. Peter to show that 
 Jew and Gentile are saved in the 
 same manner and on the same 
 grounds, not by works, but by grace. 
 
 The older commentators^ suppose 
 that " they " refers to the forefathers 
 of the Jews. 
 
 12, " Kept silence" The authority 
 of St. Peter put an end to the " much 
 disputing," and induced the assembly 
 to listen patiently to the arguments 
 of Barnabas and Paul, which were 
 based mainly, as it appears, on the 
 fact that God had declared His will, 
 during their mission, by as great mi- 
 racles as in the case of Cornelius. 
 Miracles are here again appealed 
 to as credentials from God, and ap- 
 parently as indispensable attestations 
 of any new revelation of His will. 
 
 13. '■'■ James answered.'''' St. James, 
 the Bishop of Jerusalem, and near 
 relation of our Lord (see note, xii. 
 17.), speaks with that authority 
 which, on the Romanists' hypothesis, 
 would have belonged to St. Peter. 
 The opinion of St. James would have 
 peculiar weight, both because*he was 
 head of the church to which the em- 
 bassy was sent, and because he was 
 known to be personally a strict ob- 
 server of the law.* 
 
 14—18. The arguments of St. 
 James are simple and decisive. He 
 rests upon the testimony of the Apos- 
 tle Simon Peter, and of the prophet 
 Amos (ix. 11.), which sufficiently 
 proved that the election of the Gen- 
 tiles formed part of the scheme of 
 Divine Providence from the begin- 
 ning. He appeals to Peter rather 
 
 1 Neander, p. 162. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Corn. a. Lap. Piscator, Calvin, &c. 
 
 4 Joseph. Ant. xx. 9. 10. 
 
166 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 sver. 7. 14. ^ Simeoii hath declared how God at the first 
 
 did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for 
 his name. 
 
 15. And to this agree the words of the prophets ; as 
 it is written, 
 
 tAmos. 9. 11, 16. * After this I will return, and will build again 
 the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down ; and 
 I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set 
 it up : 
 
 17. That the residue of men might seek after the 
 Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is 
 called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 
 
 18. Known unto God are all his works from the 
 beginning of the world. 
 
 u ver. 2s. 19. Whcrcforc " my sentence is, that we trouble not 
 
 X iThess. 1.9. them, which from among the Gentiles -"^are turned to 
 God: 
 
 than to Paul and Barnabas, because 
 they could not be judges or witnesses 
 in their own cause. ' 
 
 14. '^Simeon.'' This is the ori- 
 ginal Hebrew form of the name Si- 
 mon, which was more commonly in 
 use at that time.^ 
 
 " At the first." In the case of Cor- 
 nelius. 
 
 " 7o take out;' &c. To elect a 
 peculiar people from the Gentiles, 
 who henceforth should be united 
 with the spiritual Israel in the ado- 
 ration of God's name, as their Lord 
 and Father. 
 
 15. " The words of the Prophets.''' 
 St. James appeals to the testimony 
 of the Prophets generally, and selects 
 one text as an example. 
 
 16. "/ ivill return." St. James 
 gives the spiritual signification rather 
 than the exact words of Amos. It 
 is an irreverent and incorrect way 
 of accounting for the deviations in 
 form to say that lie quoted from 
 memory. St. James spake and 
 thought in the fulness of the Holy 
 Ghost, and these words must be re- 
 garded as an inspired comment on 
 the text of Amos. 
 
 " The tabernacle of David," or 
 his tent ; viz., his house and family ' : 
 a common metaphor among the Ara- 
 bians. 
 
 17. " The residue of mail." In the 
 original we read, the residue of 
 Edom. But the Edomites, as a na- 
 tion most hostile to Israel, were types 
 of the idolatrous heathen. The Jew- 
 ish writers frc(iuently call Christians 
 Edomites. 
 
 18. '■^ Known unto God." This 
 verse expresses devout admiration 
 of the wisdom and love of God, who 
 had decreed the salvation of the Gen- 
 tiles from the beginning. 
 
 19. '■'' My sentence is." As Chry- 
 sostom remarks, this expression 
 proves that the higliest authority at 
 tliat time belonged to St. James. He 
 says again, that the question was 
 decided by St. James '• because the 
 government of the Church of Jeru- 
 salem was entrusted to him."'' 
 
 " We trouble nut." Impose any 
 unnecessary or additional restraint. 
 The expression seems to imply that 
 the Gentiles had spontaneously adop- 
 ted the rules which he is about to 
 lay down. 
 
 • Hcinson, p. 91. 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Olshausen. 
 
 "^ lloin. xxxiii. p. 2r>o. i). A: 25G. 
 
THE ACTS, CHAP. XV. 
 
 16: 
 
 20. But that we write unto tliem, that they abstain ^^^^^--^^-^ 
 y from pollutions of idols, and ^fro?n fornication, and f^^^" ,^^^ J 
 
 f?'om things strangled, ^and/rom blood. kev-'k^il; 
 
 21. For Moses of old time hath in every city them I"; ^ ^- '^'°' 
 
 20. " That they abstain" The ob- 
 ject of these prohibitions, \Fhich were 
 substantially the same as those ob- 
 served by proselytes of the gate', 
 appears to have been principally to 
 take away all reasonable pretext for 
 complaint on the part of the Jews, 
 ■who held each of the practices for- 
 bidden to be abominations, 
 
 " Pollutions of idols." The flesh of 
 victims offered to idols (see ver. 29.), 
 part of which was either eaten at 
 banquets given by the offerers to their 
 friends, or sold in the public market.- 
 The reasons for this prohibition, and 
 the extent to which it was considered 
 binding, will be best understood by 
 referring to 1 Corinthians, viii. & x. 
 
 " Fornication." Interpreters of the 
 Bible have been surprised to find 
 this prohibition among enactments 
 referring to ceremonial observances. 
 Some have therefore supposed that 
 spiritual fornication or idolatry ^ 
 others that marriages within pro- 
 hibited degrees, were intended.** But 
 it is far more probable that the word 
 is to be understood in its usual sig- 
 nification of acts of sensual defile- 
 ment. These were directly con- 
 nected with idolatrous rites through- 
 out the East^ and especially in those 
 countries where most of the converts 
 resided. Syria was notorious for its 
 licentious festivals. A special enact- 
 ment was moi'eover called for on 
 general grounds. The Gentiles lived 
 almost universally in habits of licen- 
 tiousness, and did not consider forni- 
 cation to be sinful or disgraceful. 
 
 Their conscience was, in fact, silent 
 and dormant, and needed to be 
 awakened by a direct command. ^ " It 
 is a coincidence worthy of notice, that 
 the denial of a moral obligation in 
 this particular has formed a promi- 
 nent feature in the ethical systems 
 of the most celebrated modern in- 
 fidels."^ 
 
 " Things strangled, and from blood." 
 This must be regarded as a conces- 
 sion to the feelings of the Hebrews, 
 which were not prejudices merely, 
 but founded on the law of God. See 
 Gen. ix. 4. ; Lev. xvii. 13, 14. ; Deut. 
 xii. 23, 24. But the obligation of 
 both prohibitions ceased when those 
 feelings gradually died away after 
 the abrogation of the ceremonial law. 
 The Greek church has, however, ad- 
 hered to the letter of the decree^, 
 although the early fathers under- 
 stood it to be only valid for a sea- 
 son." 
 
 21. '■^ For Moses." It is questioned 
 whether this verse assigns a reason 
 for the prohibitions, inasmuch as the 
 constant reading of the law would 
 make attendants at the synagogues 
 very sensitive to violations of its 
 precepts '" ; or whether it is intended 
 to state that the Hebrews needed no 
 special directions, since they heard 
 the law regularly, and had no wish 
 to be freed from its observance.'' 
 The decision thus would leave the 
 Hebrews free to observe, and the 
 Gentiles free to dispense with, the 
 ceremonial law, especially with re- 
 ference to circumcision. 
 
 1 Neander, p. 164. ; Wieseler, p. 185., wo/c. 
 Buxtorf, Lex. Rab. See also Clementin, 
 Horn. vii. 4. 
 
 '- Spencer de Leg., p. 693.; Cudworth, 
 § 6. ; Pott on 1 Cor. i. p. 305., ap, Meyer. 
 
 3 Beza, Selden. 
 
 4 Wieseler, 1. c. 
 
 5 Com pareN umbers, xxv. & xxxi.,1 Peter, 
 iv. 3., and see note, ch. vii. 41 . 
 
 6 Rom. i. 29. ; 1 Cor. vi. 9. 13. 18. ; Ephes. 
 V. 3. 
 
 ^ Hinds' History of the Rise and early 
 Progress of Christianity, p. 1S7. 
 
 8 Suicer Thes., i. p. 1 13., and Neander. 
 
 9 Hinds, p. 185. ; Augustin, c. Faust, 
 xxxii. 18. 
 
 10 Hemsen, Meyer. 
 
 11 Schol. ap. Matth. Chrysostom, Neander, 
 p. 1G4., n. 2. 
 
168 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 z 1 Cor. 6. 9, 
 
 18. 
 
 Gal. 5. 19. 
 
 Ephes. 5. 3. 
 
 Col. .■^. 5. 
 
 1 Thess. 4. 3. 
 
 1 Pet. 4. 3. 
 
 a Gen. 9. 4. 
 
 Lev. 5. 17. 
 
 Deut. 12. 16, 
 
 23. 
 
 b ch. 13. 15, 
 
 27. 
 
 d yer. 1. 
 Gal. 2. 4. & 
 5. 15;. 
 Tit. 1. 10,11. 
 
 that preach him, ^ being read in the synagogues every 
 sabbath day. 
 
 22. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with 
 the whole church, to send chosen men of their own 
 company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas ; namely, 
 Judas surnamed ^ Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among 
 the brethren : 
 
 23. And they wrote letters by them after this man- 
 ner ; The apostles and elders and brethren send greet- 
 ing unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in 
 Antioch and Syria and Cilicia : 
 
 24. Forasmuch as we have heard, that '^certain 
 which went out from us have troubled you with words, 
 subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, 
 
 " That preach him.'''' " The 
 Church, as a witness, preached the 
 revealed truth of God by reading 
 publicly the sacred Scripture." See 
 Hooker \ who refers to this passage. 
 It is true that the doctors of the law 
 addressed the people on the sabbath 
 days, but not always, nor perhaps 
 generally with direct reference to the 
 lesson from the law. The passage is 
 conclusive as to this use of the word 
 " preaching." 
 
 22. ^' Then pleased it.'' It was form- 
 ally determined by the council, as 
 representing the universal church, of 
 which all the chief governors were 
 present. 
 
 " Judas Barsabas," supposed by 
 some ^ to have been a brother of 
 Joseph Barsabas (ch. i. 23.), is known 
 only from this passage. 
 
 " Silas," called also Silvanus in 
 St. Paul's epistles (2 Cor. i. 19., &c.), 
 became illustrious as one of the com- 
 panions of the Apostle. He is said 
 to have been appointed the first 
 Bishop of Corinth.-' 
 
 " Chief men," or men holding high 
 ministerial rank in the church, pro- 
 bably both as prophets and presby- 
 ters. They represented the Church 
 of Jerusalem, and were delegated 
 from the apostolic council. 
 
 23. " Wrote letters," or an epistle. 
 
 This important document states 
 briefly the authoritative decision of 
 the apostolic council on the points 
 in question, condemns the troublers 
 of the Church, and confirms the au- 
 thority of Barnabas and Paul. The 
 explanation of the principles upon 
 which they were guided in this 
 decision was left to the delegates. 
 
 " Greeting." The usual form of 
 salutation among the Greeks is here 
 employed. The Hebrew form, from 
 which the Arabic is derived, ex- 
 presses a desire for the peace, as the 
 Greek does for the happiness of the 
 persons addressed. 
 
 " Aiid Cilicia." From the mention 
 of Cilicia, it appears that the Judaiz- 
 ing teachers had raised commotions 
 in that province also. They always 
 pursued St. Paul with peculiar acti- 
 vity and bitterness. 
 
 24. " Which went out from us." 
 The character of the persons who 
 caused the divisions is clearly shown : 
 they went out from the church, but 
 were not of it. See 1 John, ii. 19. 
 
 " Subverting." The word so trans- 
 lated means unsettling, and throwing 
 into confusion. The arguments of 
 these Judaizers, in fact, overthrew the 
 foundations of Chri-stianity by direct 
 inference. See Gal. v. 4. 
 
 1 E. P. v., xix. 1.2. 
 
 2 Grotius, Wolf. 
 
 3 Dorotli and Ilijipol. ap. Winer, ii. 459. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XT. 
 
 169 
 
 and keep the law : to whom we gave no such com- 
 mandment : 
 
 2o. It seemed good unto us, being assembled with 
 one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our 
 beloved Barnabas and Paul, 
 
 26. ^ Men that have hazarded their lives for the 
 name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 27. "SYe have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who 
 shall also tell you the same things by i" mouth. 
 
 28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to 
 us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these ne- 
 cessary things ; 
 
 29. ^ That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, 
 and s from blood, and from things strangled, and from 
 fornication : from which if ye keep yourselves, ye 
 shall do well. Fare ye well. 
 
 e ch. 
 & 14. 
 
 1 Cor. 
 
 2 Cor. 
 26. 
 
 1.0. 30. 
 11.23, 
 
 f ver. 20. 
 ch. 21. 25. 
 Rev. 2. 14, 20. 
 
 S Lev. 17. 14. 
 
 25. " Being assembled with one ac- 
 cord," or having arrived unanimously 
 at the same conclusion. It was im- 
 portant to state that -whatever di- 
 versity of opinion might have pre- 
 vailed previously, no dissentients 
 M^ere novr to be found among the 
 members of the council. 
 
 " With our beloved." The expres- 
 ions of affection and esteem in this 
 ind the following verse were ob- 
 v'iously calculated to confirm and 
 increase the authority of Barnabas 
 and PauL These Apostles appear 
 to have been accused of corrupting 
 the Gospel from ambitious or in- 
 terested motives.' 
 
 27. " i?j/ mouth." To prevent any 
 accusation or suspicion of forgery. 
 The practice of forging epistles was 
 exceedingly common at that time, 
 as is well known to every classical 
 scholai-, and is alluded to by St. Paul, 
 2 Thess. ii. 2. Men who had as- 
 sumed a false authority themselves 
 would not hesitate to accuse others. 
 
 28. " To the Holy Ghost and to us." 
 The decision is attributed to the Holy 
 Ghost, and to the Apostles speaking 
 imder his plenary inspiration, and 
 thereby guided to that conclusion. 
 
 The will of God had also been at- 
 tested by miraculous outpourings of 
 the Holy Ghost.- The same expres- 
 sion was afterwards used in stating 
 the decision of general councils of 
 the Church. 
 
 " To lay upon you.'" This expres- 
 sion indicates the consciousness of 
 full authority in the members of the 
 council. 
 
 " Necessary" that is, under the 
 present circumstances. It is neces- 
 sary, in the highest sense of the word, 
 as an essential principle of the moral 
 law, to avoid giving offence by self- 
 indulgence in matters which are of 
 themselves indifferent, and thus ob- 
 structing the cause of truth.'* 
 
 29. " Meats offered to idols." This 
 explains the expression " pollutions 
 of idols," used above, ver. 20. 
 
 " Ye shall do u-ell.^' Such conduct 
 will be right, and conduce to the peace 
 of the Church.* 
 
 Thus terminate the proceedings of 
 the first general council. It was 
 summoned at a most critical epoch, 
 and at once decided the doctrine, and 
 established the peace of the Church. 
 It was undoubtedly a judicial pro- 
 ceeding, and an act of sovereign au- 
 
 1 Mever. 
 
 2 Whitby. 
 
 3 Nitzch ap. Kuinoel. 
 
 4 Meyer. 
 
170 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 h ch. 14.22. 
 & 18. 23. 
 
 30. So when they were dismissed, they came to An- 
 tioch : and when they had gathered the multitude to- 
 gether, they deUvered the epistle : 
 
 31. Which when they had read, they rejoiced for 
 the II consolation. 
 
 32. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also them- 
 selves, ^ exhorted the brethren with many words, and 
 confirmed them. 
 
 33. And after they had tarried there a space, they 
 were let ^ go in peace from the brethren unto the 
 apostles. 
 
 34. Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there 
 still. 
 
 35. ^ Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antiocb, 
 teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with 
 many others also. 
 
 thority ; but the circumstances under 
 -which such powers were claimed 
 and exercised were so peculiar, as to 
 make it very questionable how far it 
 is to be regarded as a precedent for 
 after ages. The reader will however 
 find the subject fully discussed in 
 the great works upon the constitution 
 of the Church. See Hooker, Field, 
 Thorndike, Potter, and especially 
 the 21st article of our own Church. 
 
 30. " The multitude." A general 
 meeting of all the congregations at 
 Antioch. 
 
 31. " The consolation^ Most of 
 the ancient commentators give this 
 interpretation, which is very suitable 
 to the context. The marginal read- 
 ing, " exhortation," however, is pro- 
 bably more correct ', provided that 
 we understand an exhortation of con- 
 solatory purport. 
 
 32. " DeiiKj prophets.'''' This qua- 
 lification enabled them to speak fully 
 as to the will of God, and con- 
 vincingly upon the bearings of the 
 decision upon tlie entire s\ stem of 
 ('hristian doctrine and practice. 
 
 '^^ And confirmed." Tranquillized 
 and settled their minds (see ver. 24.), 
 which had been so much agitated. 
 
 33, " A space." Sufficient time to 
 satisfy all inrjuiries, probably one or 
 two months. 
 
 " In peace." They received public 
 testimonials of the grateful and af- 
 fectionate feelings of the Church on 
 taking leave of Antioch. 
 
 34, '^ It pleased." It appears that 
 after the public leave-taking Silas 
 found himself unable to resist the 
 solicitations of St. Paul or the yearn- 
 ings of his own heart, and that he 
 therefore resolved to remain and 
 share the labours of the Apostle. 
 
 35, " With manij others also." If 
 we are right in supposing that this 
 is the time alluded to in the second 
 of Galatians, some events of great 
 importance occurred, 'J'he fusion of 
 the Gentile and Hebrew elements 
 was not speedily completed, and 
 many Jews who believed that the 
 Gentiles were under no obligation to 
 observe the law, still doubted whether 
 they Avere not themselves bound to 
 keep apart from them in order to 
 avoid ceremonial defilement. It seems 
 that even St. Peter, who went to 
 Antioch before the departure of St. 
 Paul, either shared these scruples, 
 or was carried so far in order to con- 
 
 Beza, riscator, Mey?r. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 171 
 
 36. IF And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, 
 
 Let us go again and visit our brethren 
 
 in every city i ch^ i 
 
 where we liave preached the word of the Lord, and i 
 see how they do. 
 
 37. And Barnabas determined to take with them 
 ™ John, whose surname was Mark. m ch. 
 
 38. But Paul thought not good to take him with .^sj.-.^^- 
 them 
 went not with them to the work 
 
 39. And the contention was so sharp between them, 
 that they departed asunder one from the other : and 
 so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus ; 
 
 40. And Paul chose Silas, and departed, ° being re- o ch. h. 26. 
 commended by the brethren unto the grace of God. 
 
 who departed from them from Pamphylia, and ^f^iem. u. 
 
 n ch. 15. 1.1. 
 
 cihate his countrymen, as to incur 
 the just rebuke of St. Paul ; and that 
 Barnabas was also led away for a 
 short time. This last relic of into- 
 lerance was abolished by St. Paul's 
 fearless and uncompromising zeal, 
 and the full equality of the Gentile 
 converts was henceforth denied only 
 by those whose Judaizing tendencies 
 terminated in a schism. They formed 
 however a powerful and influential 
 body in the interim, and were the 
 bitter opponents of the Apostle in all 
 the churches which he established. 
 Hitherto unconverted Jews had been 
 his chief opponents; from this time 
 to the end of his life he was engaged 
 in perpetual controversies with Ju- 
 daizing Christians.' 
 
 36. This verse states the occasion 
 of the second great missionary jour- 
 ney of St. Paul, by which the Gospel 
 was first introduced into Europe. 
 
 " Let us go agaiji." The primary 
 object of St. Paul was therefore to 
 visit the churches already established 
 in Asia Minor, in order to ascertain 
 their state, to instruct them concern- 
 ing the late transactions, and to com- 
 plete their organization. 
 
 " A?id Barnabas determined" &c. 
 He was doubtless induced by affec- 
 tion for his nephew, Mark may have 
 returned from Jerusalem to Antioch 
 with them, or with St. Peter. 
 
 38. " But Paid thought not good" 
 It is evident from this verse that 
 Mark was deterred from going with 
 them to the work by culpable feelings. 
 He had returned to his mother and 
 friends at Jerusalem. The apparent 
 severity of St. Paul was undoubtedly 
 grounded upon a deep spiritual in- 
 sight into the character of Mark, and 
 a knowledge of what qualifications 
 were indispensable in a missionary. 
 The religion of the cross was not to be 
 propagated by any who were not pre- 
 pared to sacrifice all for Christ's sake. 
 
 39. " Contention." The word cer- 
 tainly means angry excitement, a 
 symptom, as must be allowed, of 
 human frailty in the Apostles, yet 
 originating in very different feelings. 
 St. Paul's anger was a holy and un- 
 selfish indignation — that of Barnabas 
 arose from wounded affection. The 
 Chui'chdid not suffer from their tem- 
 porary separation, but the fields of 
 labour opened to the two apostles 
 were henceforth of very unequal ex- 
 tent. Barnabas and Mark went 
 among their own kindred, and doubt- 
 less laboured in that limited district 
 with faith and success. But St. Paul 
 and Silas proceeded, with the full ap- 
 probation and public blessing of the 
 Church, to the most extensive tri- 
 umphs yet achieved by the preaching 
 of the Gospel 
 
 1 Neander, p. 293, who, however, fixes a different time for these transactions. 
 I 2 
 
172 THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 
 
 pch. 16. 5. 41. And he went through Syria and Cilicla, p con- 
 
 firming: the churches. 
 
 41. " Ajid he went." By land, vi- been founded in both countries, and 
 siting all the cities on his route. It principally, as we may be assured, 
 is clear that numerous churches had by the instrumentality of St. Paul. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 In order to read this chapter with profit, and derive from it practical 
 lessons for our own guidance, we must learn to distinguish between the 
 dispositions and principles in which the dissensions originated, and the par- 
 ticular form under which they were manifested. The form depended upon 
 local and temporary circumstances, and cannot recur without considerable 
 modifications at any period of church history ; the dispositions and prin- 
 ciples are inherent in the nature of fallen man, and have evinced their 
 power under all circumstances and in every age. Our earnest prayer 
 should be offered for deliverance from pride, envy, and superstition, and 
 for a spiritual apprehension of all saving truths. 
 
 1, 2. Disputes on religious questions cannot be terminated but by an 
 appeal to what all parties admit to be a sufficient authority. But as such 
 questions concern the honour of God, and the well-being of His people, no 
 authority can be sufficient but that of His own Word. He then spake by 
 the mouth of the inspired Apostles ; He speaks now by the written Word, to 
 which alone lies our ultimate appeal. Doubts as to the interpretation of 
 that Word must needs arise, by reason of our limited capacity, and natural 
 corruption : and they can only be removed by candid and laborious inquiry, 
 imder the guidance and with the assistances supplied by the Church. Such 
 is the plain doctrine of the English Church, as set forth in the sixth and 
 twentieth Articles of Religion. 
 
 3 — 5. One test of genuine charity is the feeling which we experience on 
 hearing of any great movement in the Church. The single-hearted be- 
 liever rejoices when he is told of conversions ; the formalist too often listens 
 with suspicion or distrust ; and even good men are too apt to impose, as 
 conditions of grace upon others, what may have been useful as means of 
 grace to themselves. 
 
 7 — 11. How thoroughly the Spirit of Grace had penetrated and trans- 
 formed the heart and mind of St. Peter ! He no longer sees any difference 
 between the Jew and the Gentile, whose hearts are purified by the same 
 faith. He reaards the ceren)onial law as a burden when it was not used as a 
 preparatory discipline, but observed as a condition of salvation. He trusts to 
 he saved entirely and exclusively by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 May God's Holy Spirit pour into our hearts the same loving, enlightened, 
 and hopeful faith ! 
 
 13 — 21. St. James rests his decision entirely on the testimony of the 
 Word, spoken by a fellow apostle, and written in the Book of Life. The 
 text may have been liitherto obscure to him, though doubtless familiar to 
 his mind ; but now the veil is completely taken away, and the letter is 
 transformed into a living, powerful truth. Thus the Christian does not 
 ahvays discern the significance of holy words which rest in his memory, 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XV. 173 
 
 until some unforeseen circumstance arouses his attention, when he is guided 
 by the Spirit to perceive their full bearing upon his own state, or the wel- 
 fare of the Church. 
 
 21 — 30. We may learn many important lessons from the decree of the 
 Apostolic council, which appears, to careless and superficial readers, to touch 
 on matters of only temporary significance. It will teach us not to judge 
 unfavourably of our fellow Christians because they may differ from us in 
 some external forms, provided that they worship the same Saviour without 
 idolatrous practices, and continue in the unity of the Church. The churches 
 in Jerusalem and Antioch had many outward points of difference, but there 
 was peace and spiritual harmony between them. We are further ad- 
 monished not to indulge in any habits which may give offence to our 
 brethren, although they may seem to us to be innocent. On the other 
 hand, we must remember that an aptitude to take offence at such habits 
 belongs to au imperfect state of Christianity, and denotes weakness of 
 faith : while a harsh expression of feelings engendered by that aptitude 
 indicates an envious, bigoted, and unchristian spirit. Without an enlarged 
 charity, both the weakness and presumption of believers will constantly 
 have a tendency to produce and to perpetuate schisms in the Church. 
 
 30 — 35. The best proof that dissensions between Christians have been 
 removed is an increased energy in every Christian Avork. The church of 
 Antioch proved that they truly rejoiced in the consolation, by listening de- 
 voutly to the exhortation of the Spirit ; while the preachers of the Word 
 were strengthened in love and faith, and prepared for greater exertions in 
 propagating the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 3G — 41. Severity ought not to be confounded with harshness — this 
 always originates in a deficiency, that frequently proceeds from a fullness, 
 of love. St. Paul loved the Church, and therefore he would not have her 
 served by a lukewarm minister — he loved John Mark, and therefore he 
 would not leave his sin unchastised. We doubt not that the great 
 change, which is afterwards to be remarked in the character of St. Mark, 
 was mainly owing to the Apostle's seasonable reproof, working upon a tender 
 and regenerate heart. What compassion we must feel for Barnabas, tempted 
 to oppose and separate himself from his beloved friend — departing, as 
 would seem, without the blessing of the Church ^ — shut out for a season 
 from a wide and glorious field of Christian usefulness — and bearing about 
 with him the consciousness of wrong. But he was a'good man, and we 
 may be fully assured that the Holy Ghost soon dispersed this cloud from 
 his spirit, and taught him henceforth to keep his natural affections in subor- 
 dination to the higher law of Christian love. 
 
 1 Compare ver. 39. with ver. 40. 
 
 I 3 
 
1'74 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 CHAPTER XYI. 
 
 The Gospel had hitherto been confined to Asia, the cradle of humanity, 
 and the earliest scene of all divine manifestations ; we have now to con- 
 template its introduction into Europe, where both the mental and spiritual 
 faculties of our race have attained their highest developement under its 
 influence. The occurrences in the first European city visited by the 
 Apostle, were significant of the opposition which Christianity was to en- 
 counter in this quarter of the world, and of the triumphs which it was 
 predestined to achieve. 
 
 a ch. 14. 6. 
 
 b ch. 19. '22. 
 Rom. 16. 21. 
 1 Cor. 4. 17. 
 Phil. 2. 19. 
 1 Thes. .-5. 2. 
 
 1 Tim. 1. 2. 
 
 2 Tim. 1. 2. 
 
 c 2 Tim. 1. 5. 
 
 d ch. 6. 3. 
 
 e 1 Cor. 9. 20. 
 Gal. 2. .3. 
 See (ial. 5. 2. 
 
 1. Then came he to ^Derbe and Lystra : and, behold, 
 a certain disciple was there, ^ named Timotheus, ^ the 
 son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and be- 
 lieved ; but his father was a Greek : 
 
 2. Which ^was well reported of by the brethren 
 that were at Lystra and Iconium. 
 
 3. Him would Paul have to go forth with him ; and 
 ^took and circumcised him because of the Jcavs which 
 
 1. " Then came he to Derhe." 
 There are three roads by which 
 travellers cross Mount Taurus in 
 going from Cilicia to Pisidia. St. 
 Paul probably took the middle route*, 
 which passed from Tarsus through 
 Derbe to Lystra. 
 
 " Was tliere." Evidently at Lys- 
 tra. It is, however, doubtful whether 
 'i'imothy was a native of Lystra or 
 Derbe, probably of the latter. (See 
 note, c. XX. 4.)^ We learn from 
 St. Paul's second epistle to him, c. i. 
 4., that his mother Eunice, and his 
 grandmother Lois, were women of 
 unfeigned piety, converts to Chris- 
 tianity, and that they had instructed 
 him early in the Holy Scriptures. 
 St. Paul calls him his child, from 
 which it is evident he had converted 
 him on his former journey. 
 
 " His fa flier teas a Greek." It is 
 probable that he svas a proselyte of 
 the gate, certainly not an idolater, 
 considering the piety of his wife, and 
 the education wliich he allowed his 
 child to receive. 
 
 2. " Which was well reported^ 
 Timothy must have been actively 
 employed in the service of Christ to 
 have accpiired the reputation of be- 
 ing a devoted believer among the 
 brethren of these two cities in so 
 short a time. 
 
 3. '■'■Him ivould Paid have." The 
 mixed descent of Timothy would 
 make him peculiarly useful in a 
 mission addressed both to Hebrews 
 and Gentiles. 
 
 " And took and circumcised him" 
 Sec. The Jews, knowing that his 
 mother was a Hebrew, would have 
 
 "VS'icseler, p. 24. 
 
 2 Wiespler, p. 20 
 OlshausL-a. 
 
 Neander, p. 234. ; and 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 175 
 
 were in those quarters : for they knew all that his 
 father was a Geeek. 
 
 4. And as they went through the cities, they de- 
 livered them the decrees for to keep, ^that were f ch. 15. ss, 
 ordained of the apostles and elders which were at '^^" 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 5. And ^so were the churches established in the s ch. 15.41. 
 faith, and increased in number daily. 
 
 6. Xow when they had gone throughout Phrygia 
 and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the 
 Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 
 
 been strongly prejudiced against his 
 ministry had he remained uncircum- 
 cised, since they would regard him 
 not as a Gentile convert, and as such 
 specially exempted from the observ- 
 ance of the Mosaic law, but rather as 
 an unfaithful or apostate Jew. We 
 may be assured that Timothy, act- 
 ing on St. Paul's principles (1 Cor. 
 ix. 20.), willingly submitted to a 
 rite, which in itself was now become 
 a matter of indifference, and which 
 his early education had taught him 
 to regard with reverence. Neither 
 of these reasons applied to Titus, or 
 other converts from Gentilism whom 
 St, Paul refused to circumcise. 
 
 On this occasion it seems that 
 Timothy was ordained by St. Paul 
 at Lystra, having been called by the 
 Holy Spirit, speaking, as it appears, 
 by the mouth of inspired prophets. 
 The ordination was the same as that 
 of priests in our Church, by the im- 
 position of hands, both of the Apostle, 
 as chief ruler, and of the presbyters, 
 as representatives of the Church. 
 (See 1 Tim, iv. 14,, & 2 Tim, i. 6,) 
 
 " Theif all knew" Sec. They knew 
 that his father would not have per- 
 mitted his circumcision in infancy. 
 Now he was a free agent. It is 
 doubtful whether his father was still 
 living, 
 
 4. " The cities.'^ That is, the cities 
 in Pisidia, which was so closely con- 
 nected with Cilicia, to which country 
 
 the apostolic epistle had also been 
 addressed, that Tarsus was consi- 
 dered to be the metropolitan city of 
 both districts. The contest between 
 the two parties had evidently ex- 
 tended to these cities. 
 
 5. " The Churches." In this verse 
 St. Luke terminates his account of 
 the Church in this district, Lystra 
 and Iconium were cities of import- 
 ance in the early age of Christianity, 
 and numerous ruins of churches, 
 evidently built in the first centuries, 
 are still found at Bin Bir Kilisseh, 
 the site of the ancient Lystra,' 
 
 6, In this verse St. Luke refers 
 briefly to events of great importance, 
 which must have occupied a con- 
 siderable time, probably not less than 
 half a year. 
 
 "•Phrygia." A hilly, but fertile, 
 district, separated from Pisidia by 
 the heights of Taurus, and bounded 
 by Galatia, Bithynia, and Caria. 
 The conversion of the numerous 
 cities in this region (of which there 
 were sixty-two, according to Hiero- 
 cles,) seems to have been carried on 
 partly by St. Paul, partly by evan- 
 gelists under his authority. Of these 
 Epaphras was the most distinguished, 
 who founded churches in Coloss8e,his 
 native city, in Hierapolis, and Lao- 
 dicea.- Many Jews settled in Phry- 
 gia in the time of the Maccabees.^ 
 
 " Galatia." A populous district 
 to the east of Phrygia and Bithynia, 
 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Neander, p. 236. note. Wieseler, p. 28. 
 
 3 Joseph. Ant., xil. 3, 4. 
 
 1 4 
 
176 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 h 2 Cor. 2. 12. 
 2Tim. 1. 13. 
 
 7. After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to 
 go into Bithynia : but the Spirit suffered them not. 
 
 8. And they passing by Mysia ^^came down to 
 Troas. 
 
 9. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night ; 
 There stood a ^ man of Macedonia, and prayed him, 
 saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 
 
 watered by the river Halys. The 
 inhabitants were descended from a 
 mixed horde of Gauls and CeUs of 
 German origin, who ravaged many 
 countries in AYestern Asia in the 3d 
 century before Christ, and finally 
 settled in the region of Phrygia, to 
 which they gave the name of Ga- 
 latia. According to Jerome ^ they 
 continued in his time to speak 
 their ancient language, which was 
 nearly the same as that used by the 
 Germans on the banks of the 
 Lower Rhine.^ The two leaders by 
 whom they were first commanded 
 were named Leonorius, and Lutha- 
 rius, or Luther,^ We learn many 
 interesting particulars concerning 
 this first visit to Galatia from St. 
 Paul's epistle to the church of that 
 country : he was in great bodily suf- 
 fering and infirmity, and Avas re- 
 ceived by that people with the most 
 affectionate sympathy, and preached 
 the Gospel with great success, work- 
 ing also miracles among them in 
 attestation of his mission. See Gal. 
 iv. 13—17., and iii. 5.'' 
 
 " Were forbidden of the Holy 
 Ghost'" It is uncertain whether the 
 prohibition was given by an internal 
 communication, or by a word of 
 prophecy : both modes of spiritual 
 intimation were familiar to St. Paul. 
 (See Acts, xx. 22, 23, and 2 Cor. 
 xii.) It may be reverentially con- 
 jectured that they were forbidden to 
 undertake the mission into Asia and 
 Bithynia on that occasion, lest it 
 should delay their progress into Eu- 
 
 rope ^ towards which they were 
 guided, though as yet unconsciously, 
 by the Spirit. It appears to have 
 been the intention of St. Paul to ex- 
 tend his journey to all the districts 
 of Asia Minor. 
 
 " Asia." The provinces on the 
 sea-coast, including Mysia, Lydia, 
 and Caria.® It comprised the most 
 beautiful and populous countries of 
 Asia Minor. The conversions in 
 these countries were numerous in 
 the following years, and their 
 churches were among the most fa- 
 mous in ancient Christendom. 
 
 7. '■'■Mysia.'" A district at the north- 
 west extremity of Asia Minor, 
 bounded by Lydia and Bithynia. 
 
 8. " Passing by." They traversed 
 Mysia without staying in any city 
 until they arrived at Troas. 
 
 " Troas."" A large and important 
 seaport, built by Antigonus, near 
 the site of ancient Troy. The ruins 
 are of great extent, but the village 
 on its site, called Eski IstampoF, 
 consists only of eight or ten houses. 
 
 9. " Ayid a vision." St. Paul now 
 learns why he was not permitted to 
 visit Asia and Bithynia. Europe 
 was to be christianized. It is not 
 said whether the vision appeared to 
 St. Paul in a dream ; but it seems far 
 more probable, both from the form 
 of the expression ^ and from the 
 purport of the communication, that 
 he saw the man of Macedonia either 
 awake, or in a trance." 
 
 " A man of Macedonia." Grotius 
 supposes this to have been the guar- 
 
 > Gal. 1. 2. 
 
 ■■' Winer, vol. i.p. 18.5. 
 
 ^ Olshausen KiTil. Cjal. 
 
 ^ Hcmsen, p. 110. ; Wioseler, p. 20, 30. 
 
 '■• Liuhtfoot. 
 
 •• Wiesolcr, p. 33 — .35. ; and Winer. 
 
 " Pocock. Sff Fellow's Asia Minor, p. CI 
 
 " Meyer. 
 
 y Calvin, Oisliausen. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 ir: 
 
 10. And after he had seen the vision, immediately 
 
 we endeavoured to go ^ into Macedonia, assuredly k 2 cor. 2. 13. 
 gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the 
 gospel unto them. 
 
 11. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a 
 straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to 
 Neapolis ; 
 
 12. And from thence to ^ Philippi, which is || the ' Phu. 1.1. 
 chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: " °''' ""^■^'■''• 
 and we w^ere in that city abiding certain days. 
 
 dian angel of the country, and refers 
 to Daniel, x. 12. and 20. ^ye may 
 rather presume that the vision sym- 
 bolically represented the real wants 
 and unconscious yearnings of the 
 Gentile "world. Compare Rora, viii. 
 19—22. 
 
 " Macedonia. " An important 
 country on the north of the ^gean 
 sea, bounded by Thrace, Thessaly, 
 and Epirus. It was known to the 
 Hebrews by the name of Chittim, 
 (see 1 Mace. i. 1.), which it derived 
 from Kittim, the son of Javan, and 
 grandson of Japheth. Gen. x. 4. 
 The kingdom rose to great celebrity 
 under Philip and Alexander. In 
 the time of St. Paul it was a pro- 
 consular pi'o-vince of the Roman 
 empire.' 
 
 10. " Immediately we endeavoured.''^ 
 This is the first occasion on which 
 St. Luke numbers himself among the 
 companions of St. Paul. There can 
 be no doubt that he joined the Apos- 
 tle at Troas -, but it is uncertain 
 whether he had known him previ- 
 ously. According to Eusebius ^ and 
 Jerome, St. Luke was born at An- 
 tioch, and was an early convert to 
 Christianity. It is probable that he 
 was living as a physician at Troas, 
 and his connection with St. Paul at 
 this time may have had some refer- 
 ence to the Apostle's bodily infirmity.* 
 
 " Assuredly gathering.'" It appears 
 
 that St. Paul communicated the vi- 
 sion to his companions, including 
 St. Luke, and consulted them on 
 its purport. This would prove that 
 St. Luke was no new convert. 
 
 11. '■'■ Samotliracia.''^ An island in 
 the iEgean sea, about half-way be- 
 tween Troas and Neapolis. It was 
 famous for its mysteries. It is now 
 nearly deserted. 
 
 ^^ JVeapolis." A seaport of ^Nlace- 
 donia, to the north of the island of 
 Thasas, now called Napoli. It be- 
 longed to Thrace until a short time 
 before St. Paul's visit. Probably 
 there were few Jews and no syna- 
 gogue, since St. Paul proceeded at 
 once to Philippi. 
 
 12. '"'■ Pli'dippi.'^ A city on the 
 Strymon, about ten miles from Nea- 
 polis. It was formerly named Cre- 
 nides, but derived its name from 
 Philip, by whom it was rebuilt. It 
 was famous for the battle between 
 the forces of Brutus and Cassius, 
 and of Augustus, (then called Octa- 
 vian,) and Antony, by which the for- 
 tunes of the Roman empire were 
 decided. 
 
 " The chief city." Or the first city 
 which they would meet with in that 
 part of Macedonia. Amphipolis was 
 the chief city of the eastern division, 
 and Thessalonica of the whole coun- 
 try of Macedonia.^ 
 
 '■^ A colony.'' A city occupied by 
 
 1 Tac. Ann. 1. 76. 
 
 2 Irenaeus, iEcumcnius. Sec Introduction. 
 H. E., iii. 4. 
 
 4 Wieseler, p- 36. 
 
 5 Corn. a. Lap. Wolf, Bengel, Olshausen. 
 See, however, Mannert. Geog., vol, vii. p. 
 438. 
 
 I 5 
 
178 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 ■\ Gr. tabbatii 
 
 ji (Jen. 19. 3. 
 & 7,5. U. 
 Judg. 19.21. 
 Luke, 21. 29. 
 Hebr. 13. 2. 
 
 13. And on the fsabbatli we went out of the city 
 by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made ; 
 and we sat down, and spalve unto the women which 
 resorted thither. 
 
 14. 1[ And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller 
 of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped 
 God, heard us : whose ™ heart the Lord opened, that 
 she attended unto the things which were spoken of 
 Paul. 
 
 lo. And when she was baptized, and her household, 
 she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be 
 faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide 
 there. And " she constrained us. 
 
 16. ^ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a 
 
 a colony of Roman citizens. Au- 
 gustus established a colony of dis- 
 banded soldiers after the termination 
 of the civil -wars at Philippi. ' Ro- 
 man colonists were governed by 
 their own laws, and retained their 
 full privileges. 
 
 13. " When prayer" &c. From 
 this it appears either that there were 
 not many Jews, or that they were 
 not legally tolerated at Philippi. The 
 proselytes, most of whom, as usual, 
 were women, had a proseucha, or 
 small place inclosed and set apart 
 for devotional purposes, near the 
 river Strymon. ^ This was conve- 
 nient for their lustrations or purifi- 
 cations. 
 
 14. " Thyatira.''^ A city on the 
 confines of Lydia and Mysia, fa- 
 mous for its purple tapestry, which 
 is named in an inscription found 
 among the ruins.' The art of dyeing 
 is still practised in the modern town, 
 called Akhissar. 
 
 " Tlie Lord opened." The Lord 
 Jesus quickened the conscience of 
 Lydia, by an act of prevenient, or 
 preventing grace through His Holy 
 Spirit, 'i'he heart is closed, shut up 
 and impervious to tlie preacher's dis- 
 courses, until He opens it, by remov- 
 ing prejudices and evil affections. 
 
 15. '■^ And her household." It is 
 not said that Lydia and her house- 
 hold were baptized the same day. 
 Her household consisted probably of 
 slaves employed in dyeing and weav- 
 ing, and of her own children. This 
 and similar passages may not prove 
 that infants were baptized, but lead 
 naturally to that conclusion. If the 
 children of converts were not brought 
 into the Christian covenant, they 
 would have remained iinder the law, 
 or altogether aliens from the king- 
 dom of Christ. The burden of proof 
 must lie upon those who would with- 
 hold Christian privileges from the 
 little ones whom Jesus loved. 
 
 " 1/ ye have judged 77ie." Lydia 
 well understood that true faith must 
 Avork by love, and be manifested by 
 deeds of love, " especially to them 
 who are of the household of faith." 
 
 " Constrained lis." Evidently with 
 some difficulty. We may reasonably 
 suppose that Lydia was foremost 
 among the Christians in Philippi, 
 who were always conspicuous for 
 their liberality in supi)orting the 
 cause of the Gospel. See Pliil. iv. 
 14—16. 
 
 IC. ^^ And it came to pctss.'^ St. 
 Paul seems to have remained some 
 time, probably two or three weeks, 
 
 ' nio, Clirys. ii.p. iV>. 
 - Kpliiphaii. Hicr., Ixxx. 1.; Heniscn, 
 p. 113. note. 
 
 3 Spolin, iii. 93. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 179 
 
 certain damsel ^ possessed with a spirit || of divination o i sam. as.r. 
 met us, which brought her masters p much gain '^y f,,^^' "-^ ^^' 
 soothsaying: ^ pTh.19.24. 
 
 17. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, say- 
 ing, These men are the servants of the most high 
 God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 
 
 18. And this did she many days. But Paul, ^ being q seeMark, 1. 
 grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I conmoand thee 
 
 in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. ^And ' ^^«k, 16,17. 
 he came out the same hour. 
 
 19. ^ And ^ when her masters saw that the hope of s^ch. 19 25, 
 their gains w^as gone, * they caught Paul and Silas, and 
 " drew the?u into the || marketplace unto the rulers, 
 
 20. And brought them to the magistrates, saying, 
 These men, being Jews, ^ do exceedingly trouble our ^^] ^^'"ss, is. 
 city, ^^'- 1^- 6- 
 
 ' 2 Cor. 6. 5. 
 u Matt. 10. ] 
 II Or, court. 
 
 ia the house of Lydia, and to have 
 made many converts.' The trans- 
 action, which we have now to con- 
 sider, occmTed on a fohowing sab- 
 bath. 
 
 " A spirit of divination.'" Or, as in 
 the margin, of Python. The hea- 
 thens beUeved that she was inspired 
 or possessed by Python, the name of 
 Apollo, as the Deity presiding over 
 oracles.'^ The Hebrews believed 
 that the possession was, in some 
 cases, real, but demoniacal. There 
 can be no doubt that their opinion is 
 confirmed by the authority of the 
 Apostles, and of our Lord. 
 
 " Her masters." Valuable slaves 
 were often the property of a corpo- 
 ration, or of several masters.^ 
 
 17. '' These men,'' Sec. The tes- 
 timony of evil spirits to the divine 
 authority of the Gospel is a striking 
 fact, of which we have many in- 
 stances both in this book and in the 
 Gospels. It is a very mystex'ious 
 subject, nor can it be determined 
 whether the confession was forced 
 and reluctant, or uttered in a mock- 
 ing and malevolent tone. The for- 
 mer is the more probable supposition. 
 
 18. " A)id Paul being grieved.'' 
 The Apostle was grieved, for such 
 words from such lips were a blas- 
 phemy.* Fanatics and impostors 
 readily availed themselves of such 
 means of acquiring influence over 
 the people. Truth rejects all impure 
 and superstitious adjuncts. 
 
 " Said to the spirit." This verse 
 is decisive as to the individuality of 
 the evil spirit. It was not merely an 
 evil influence, but a personal agent 
 of the evil one. 
 
 19. " When her masters" See. The 
 changed demeanour of the damsel 
 proved that she was restored to a 
 sound mind. She was no longer 
 subject to the influences, or open to 
 the communications, of the powers 
 and principalities of darkness. 
 
 " The marketplace." The public 
 tribunals were always held in or 
 near the marketplace of ancient 
 cities. 
 
 20. " The magistrates." Roman 
 colonies were governed by magis- 
 trates called duumvirs, or praetors. 
 The word used in the original cor- 
 responds to the latter title.^ 
 
 " T'hese men,'' Sec. The Romans 
 
 > Wieseler, p. 39, 40. 
 
 2 Spauheiin on Callim. Apol., 35. 
 
 3 Walch, diss. ii. v. 
 
 ■* Severus ap. Cramer. See also Neander. 
 5 Aristot. Pol. 7. 8. ; Kuinoel, Meyer, &c. 
 
 I 6 
 
180 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 y '2 Cor. 6. 5. 
 1 Thes. 2. 2. 
 
 21. And teacli customs Avliich are not lawful for us 
 to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 
 
 22. And the multitude rose up together against 
 them : and the magistrates rent off their clothes, ^^' and 
 commanded to beat them. 
 
 23. And when they had laid many stripes upon 
 them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to 
 keep them safely : 
 
 24. Who, having received such a charge, thrust 
 them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in 
 the stocks. 
 
 25. ^ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and 
 sang praises unto God : and the prisoners heard them. 
 
 26. ^ And suddenly there was a great earthquake. 
 
 tolerated the quiet and private pro- 
 fession of religions not adopted by 
 the state', but they did not scruple to 
 put them down by violence. Indeed, 
 an ancient Roman law forbade the 
 worship of foreign or new gods.- 
 Though nearly obsolete, it was easily 
 revived w^hen popular fury was ex- 
 cited against any innovations. The 
 Jews were repeatedly expelled from 
 Rome, and were generally hated by 
 the people. The Christians were 
 regarded for some time by the Ro- 
 man magistrates merely as a Jewish 
 sect. The masters of this damsel 
 did not accuse St, Paul of exorcis- 
 ing the spirit of divination, because 
 that could not be recognised as a 
 legal offence. 
 
 22. " And ihz multitude rose up" 
 Sec. This is remarkable as being 
 the first persecution of the Church 
 originating with heathens. It oc- 
 curred in the first European city in 
 which the Gospel was preached, and 
 represents in a lively manner the 
 trials undergone by the Christian 
 church during the first centuries 
 of its struggles with heathenism. 
 The mob generally began, and the 
 magistrates willingly directed the 
 persecution. 
 
 " Rent off their clothes.'" According 
 to the Roman custom, the lictors tore 
 off their garments, and inflicted the 
 scourging on their naked bodies.'' 
 The tumult and noise appear to have 
 prevented St. Paul from claiming his 
 privilege as a Roman citizen. 
 
 23. '■' Many stripes.'" The Jewish 
 law prohibited magistrates from in- 
 flicting more stripes than " forty save 
 one." The Roman punishment was 
 far more severe. 
 
 24. " The inner prison." The pri- 
 sons of the Romans were generally 
 dark, low-roofed dungeons. 
 
 "In the stocks.'" A common pu- 
 nishment among the Greeks and 
 Romans. The feet, and sometimes 
 the hands and neck, were fixed in a 
 plank of wood bound with iron.^ 
 
 25. " Prayed, and sang p7-aises." 
 The sufferings of the Apostle and 
 Silas banished sleep, but could not 
 affect their hearts. They rejoiced 
 that " they were counted worthy to 
 suffer shame " and anguish for the 
 sake of Jesus. 
 
 " Heard them." Were listening 
 to them witli admiring wonder. 
 
 2G. "-rl (jrcat carthi/nahc." See 
 note, chap. iv. 31. This must be re- 
 garded as a miraculous attestation of 
 
 ' Wetstfin and Casauhon. 
 - Cicero de leij., ii. § H. 2'i 
 
 Liv.. xxxix. 
 
 3 Liv., ii. .5. ; Cicero, Verr., v. G2. 
 ' Wctslciii, Wolf, Cur., p. 121 J. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 181 
 
 so that the foundations of the prison were shaken : and 
 
 immediately ^ all the doors were opened, and every a ch. 5. lo. 
 . 1 1 -^ 1 T ^ ^ -^ & 12. 7, 10. 
 
 one s bands were loosed. 
 
 27. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of 
 his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew 
 out his sw^ord, and would have killed himself, sup- 
 posing that the prisoners had been fled. 
 
 28. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do 
 thyself no harm : for we are all here. 
 
 29. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and 
 came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 
 
 30. And brought them out, and said, ^ Sirs, what ^^^^''i'-^^"- 
 must I do to be saved ? I.e.""' 
 
 31. And they said, ^ Believe on the Lord Jesus c John, 3.1 e, 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 1 ioWa.'io. 
 
 the divine favour and protection. It 
 might also be intended to show, in 
 this first contact of Christianity 
 with the Roman magistracy, that 
 whatever authority was exercised by 
 the latter was simply permissive, 
 and that it was controlled and over- 
 ruled, and would, when necessary, be 
 suspended by a higher power. 
 
 '■'■Bunds icere loosed." The doors 
 might possibly be opened by the 
 concussion of the earthquake, but 
 the loosing of the chains was a sepa- 
 rate miracle. 
 
 27. " He dreiv out his sword," &c. 
 The keeper would have been liable 
 by law to a cruel death, had the pri- 
 soners escaped. In the frenzy of 
 terror he resolves to commit suicide. 
 This act was not regarded as a crime 
 by the heathen — many of their phi- 
 losophers approved and recommend- 
 ed it ; and in this very place Brutus 
 and Cassius, men esteemed as models 
 of every heathen virtue, had shortly 
 before this time destroyed their own 
 life. Christianity alone has taught 
 men to judge aright of life and death. 
 
 28. " Cried with a loud voice." The 
 keeper was appai'ently standing at 
 the outer door, and at some distance 
 from the Apostle. 
 
 " We are all here." The other 
 prisoners, though liberated, appear 
 to have been awestruck, and, follow- 
 ing involuntarily the example of 
 
 Paul and Silas, they did not attempt 
 to leave the prison. 
 
 29. " And came" &c. The trem- 
 bling of religious awe is finely con- 
 trasted with the recklessness of de- 
 spair. He fell down recognizing his 
 prisoners as objects of the divine 
 favour. 
 
 30. " To be saved." The keeper 
 had doubtless heard before that what 
 the Apostle, professed to teach was a 
 way of salvation. He is now con- 
 vinced that they were commissioned 
 by the most high God to declare the 
 conditions. It is a sure sign that his 
 heart had been opened and quickened 
 by the Holy Spirit, that at such a 
 season he should have been solely 
 anxious to secure his salvation. 
 
 31. '^Believe oji the Lord Jesus." 
 Faith is thus pointed out as the con- 
 dition of salvation, that is, of justifi-- 
 cation in this life, and of eternal 
 happiness hereafter. That condition, 
 however, involves both repentance 
 and obedience, since it unites the 
 convert to Him, who is exalted to 
 bestow both by the effectual opera- 
 tion of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " And thy house." The household 
 of the jailer are to be brought with 
 him into the kingdom of Christ — a 
 circumstance to which St. Luke re- 
 fers thrice in these three verses. 
 Although many Gentiles had been 
 converted from idolatry, this is the 
 
182 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 d Luke, 5. '-9. 
 & 19. C. 
 
 32. And they spake unto liim the word of the Lord, 
 and to all that were in his house. 
 
 33. And he took them the same hour of the night, 
 and washed their stripes ; and was baptized, he and all 
 his, straightway. 
 
 34. And when he had brought them into his house, 
 ^ he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in 
 God with all his house. 
 
 35. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the 
 Serjeants, saying. Let those men go. 
 
 36. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to 
 Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go : now 
 therefore depart, and go in peace. 
 
 37. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us 
 
 first individual heathen whose con- 
 version is described. 
 
 32. " The word of the Lord" The 
 fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, 
 faith in the atonement, and power of 
 the Lord Jesus, being impressed on 
 the listeners' hearts by the Spirit, pre- 
 pared them for immediate admission 
 into the Church. 
 
 33. " And icashed their stripes." 
 The marks of the Lord Jesus, which 
 they bore on their lacerated bodies, 
 must have given intensity to the 
 keeper's convictions. Seeing the 
 spirit in which they bore such an- 
 guish, he might be enabled partly to 
 comprehend the work of Him, by 
 whose stripes we are healed. 
 
 " Was baptized, he and all his." 
 Undoubtedly by sprinkling, not im- 
 mersion in that place and at that 
 hour. 
 
 34. " Into his house." This was 
 evidently above the prison.' 
 
 ''And rejoiced." The transition 
 from a state of despair to one of sal- 
 vation and rejoicing is exceedingly 
 striking. The connection between 
 rejoicing and believing is even more 
 strongly marked in the original — he 
 rejoiced ;is one who believed.'^ 
 
 35. " The Serjeants." Literally 
 the rod-bearers, that is, the lietors 
 
 who bore each an axe bound up in 
 a bundle of rods. They attended 
 Roman magistrates on all public oc- 
 casions. 
 
 " Let these men go." The magis- 
 trates may have heard of the earth- 
 quake, and of the conduct of Paul 
 and Silas ; or, more probably, on in- 
 quiring further into the matter, found 
 that the accusation against them 
 could not be sustained. The ex- 
 pression used in the original has a 
 contemptuous form, and seems to 
 imply that they wished to evade the 
 consequences of an illegal act, but 
 to retain an appearance of autho- 
 rity.3 
 
 36. " Go in peace." The keeper 
 of the prison Avas not aware of St. 
 Paul's legal claim to exemption. He 
 presumed, theref(^re, that he and 
 Silas would gladly depart, and ad- 
 dressed them with the parting salu- 
 tation of a Christian friend. 
 
 37. " Unto them." The lietors, 
 who followed the keeper into the 
 prison. 
 
 " Uncondemned, being liomans." 
 Roman citizens were exemj)t from 
 scourging, before every Roman 
 tribunal ', imless they were con- 
 demned upon an appeal to the people, 
 or to the emperor, and forfeited all 
 
 > Meyer. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Meyer. 
 
 •« Dion, llali 
 10. It. 
 
 V. p. '1^2. ; Li\ 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 1^3 
 
 openly uncondemned, ^ being Romans, and have cast e ch. 2;;. ^^ 
 us into prison ; and now do they thrust us out privily ? 
 nay verily ; but let them come themselves and fetch us 
 out. 
 
 38. And the Serjeants told these words unto the 
 magistrates : and they feared, when they heard that 
 they were Romans. 
 
 39. And they came and besought them, and brought 
 them out, and ^desired them to depart out of the city. 
 
 40. And they went out of the prison, s and entered g 
 into the house of Lydia : and when they had seen the 
 brethren, they comforted tliera, and departed. 
 
 f Matt. S. 34, 
 
 their civil rights. It appears that 
 Silas was also a Roman citizen, 
 ■which may account for his bearing 
 the Roman name Silvanus, given to 
 him in St. Paul's epistle. 
 
 " Thrust us out privily." If St. 
 Paul had submitted to this proceed- 
 ing, it would have been tantamount 
 to a confession that he had violated 
 the law. The beating was public, 
 and a clandestine release could not 
 compensate for the disgrace. The 
 conduct of the Apostle proves how 
 completely his piety was free from 
 fanaticism. He bore persecvxtion 
 with cheerfulness, but did not court 
 it ; and though he rejoiced in en- 
 during shame when it conduced to 
 the glory of Christ, he knew how to 
 vindicate his character and rights 
 with dignity. 
 
 38. "• And they fem-ed." They had 
 
 rendered themselves liable to the 
 highest penalty of the law. An in- 
 jury inflicted on a Roman citizen 
 was punished as high treason, by death 
 and confiscation of property.^ 
 
 39. " And they came" &c. This 
 was a public declaration of the le- 
 gality of St. Paul's conduct ; a very 
 important circumstance at that time. 
 
 40. " Entered into the house," &c. 
 It is probable that the brethren, or 
 Christian church, which was already 
 formed at Philippi, assembled at first 
 in the house of Lydia. St, Luke 
 appears to have remained in this city 
 for a considerable time, having pro- 
 bably been directed by St. Paul to 
 organize the Church. No Christian 
 community gave more abundant and 
 affecting proofs of love and faith than 
 this, the first fruits of Europe. See 
 Phih i. 5— 7. 29, and iv. 15, 16. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 3. Few names of apostolic men shine with a brighter, none with a 
 purer, lustre than that of Timotheus. In childhood a student of the Holy 
 Scriptures ; in youth made wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus ; a 
 zealous member and minister of the Church, well reported of by man, and 
 called specially by the Spirit ; the chosen and beloved companion of St. 
 Paul ; ever willing to submit to pain, self-denial and self-sacrifice, so that 
 he might win souls to Christ ; in early manhood a bishop and ruler of the 
 Church : such was Timothy, one of the most distinguished among those 
 
 Dion. Halic, ii- p. 725. ; Grotius. 
 
184 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. 
 
 who were appointed by the Apostles as their delegates and successors in the 
 government of the Church of Christ. No Christian parent should forget 
 that Timothy was indebted, under divine grace, for the dispositions and 
 attainments which adapted him for these high duties, chiefly to the pious 
 care of his mother, Eunice, 
 
 4, 5. We find the several branches of the Church peaceful and prosperous, 
 settled in faith, and increasing in numbers, Avhenever they are careful to 
 maintain the doctrine and to submit to the authority of the Apostles. The 
 main object of the decrees then ordained was the preservation of peace 
 and unity ; and the warmth of our prayers and earnestness of our endea- 
 vours for the same object are among the most certain tests of our union 
 with the Great Head of the Church. 
 
 6, 7. The establishment of the kingdom of Christ in various lands has 
 ever been mysteriously directed and controlled by the Holy Spirit. The 
 talents and energies of His servants are instruments which are effectual 
 only when He wields them. Happy are they who are conscious of His 
 guiding presence, and who rejoice to surrender their own purposes upon 
 the faintest intimation of His will. 
 
 9, 10. All the miseries of man, all physical and mental evils, proceed 
 from sin, which separates him from God, paralyses his conscience, and 
 plunges him in an abyss of guilt and wretchedness, from which there is but 
 one deliverer and one deliverance. Rightly then did the Apostle conclude 
 that a cry for help must needs indicate that one want of fallen man, and 
 could not be answered adequately save bybringing the sufferer to Him, 
 who alone is mighty to save. 
 
 li, 12. Glory be to God most High, for sending the tidings of peace and 
 salvation to our own quarter of the world ; for this first stirring of spiritual 
 life in Europe. The powers which then enthralled the word have disap- 
 peared ; Rome with its legions, Greece with its schools of art and thought, 
 are but phantoms of the past ; but the cross which St. Paul then erected still 
 remains the centre of a spiritual empire, which will endure until heaven 
 and earth shall pass away. May that cross be so planted in our hearts, that, 
 being buried with Christ in the likeness of His death, we may be raised with 
 Him in the likeness of His resurrection ! 
 
 13 — 15. A woman was the first convert in Europe; a woman who had 
 sought God, so far as her means of knowing Him extended ; who prayed 
 to Him and worshipped Him without ceasing. A woman with a large heart 
 which received the Lord Jesus when He opened it, and with Him the full- 
 ness of love, and all Christian graces. A matron ruling her household with 
 authority, and bringing them also to the obedience of faith ; no solitary re- 
 cluse, but diligent in the business of her station, which neither kept her 
 from Christ, nor interfered with her life in Christ. Such was Lydia, the 
 first Christian woman of Europe, a type of thousands whose names have 
 never been recorded by man, but will be proclaimed by the angels in 
 heaven. 
 
 1 6 — 24. The first persecution in Europe was, like all that followed it, 
 base in its origin, riotous in its proceedings, illegal in its execution, dis- 
 graceful to the people, but still more to the magistrates, who used the sword 
 entrusted to them for the "terror of evil doers" in a vain attempt to cut 
 off the preachers of trutli. These things were done in a state proud of its 
 enlightenment and civilisation, and might be expected to recur should the 
 kingdoms of Europe ever cease to recognize the sovereignty of God in 
 Christ. 
 
 The damsel of Philippi may be regarded as a type of the heathen soul, 
 alienated from God, possessed by a lying spirit, existing in a state of wild, 
 dreamy, half-conscious lunacy ; not without some poM'er of recognizing 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVI. , 18.5 
 
 truth, but utterly unable to embrace or realize it, — a state -which could 
 only be enlightened by the expulsion of the delusive glare, and healed 
 only by the influences of the Spirit and by the name of Jesus. 
 
 25 — 28. Contrast the spiritual and the natural man in the hour of trial. 
 Paul and Silas were suffering great bodily torture, and knew this to be but 
 the foretaste of persecutions which awaited them throughout their earthly 
 existence ; but their hearts were full of rejoicing and gratitude, for they 
 had " regard to the recompense of the reward." The keeper, probably a 
 veteran soldier, who had faced death in a hundred conflicts Avithout terror, 
 gaA'e way at once to desperation when menaced with disgrace, and thought 
 only of escaping from an ignominious punishment by self-murder. No 
 courage is steady and consistent save that of the man who rests upon the 
 rock of ages. 
 
 29 — 34. The suddenness of the keeper's conversion has many parallels 
 in this narrative ; but it is singular in that it seems to have been accom- 
 panied vt'itli no bitterness of compunction. He had doubtless sinned in 
 utter ignorance, and cast off at once the old man, together with his works, 
 Avhen regenerated in the baptismal font. It was to him a transition from 
 darkness and misery to a realm of light and joy. They who have sinned 
 against light may not experience such a change of emotion, but even they 
 will rejoice amidst all the sorrowings of penitence, knowing that they 
 have an advocate with the F 
 the propitiation for our sins. 
 
1S6 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 CHAPTER XYIL 
 
 Introduced into Europe, the Gospel penetrates at once to the heart of its 
 civilization. St. Paul preaches at Athens. The forms -which had so 
 long attracted the worship of the natural man are touched by the Cross, 
 and lose their power ; while the schools of philosophy are finally dis- 
 comfited on the Hill of Mars. 
 
 a Luke, 4. \G. 
 cli. 'J. 20. & 
 lo. 5, 14. & 
 14. 1.& IC 
 13. & 19. 8. 
 
 1. Now -when they had passed through Amphipolis 
 and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was 
 a synagogue of the Jews : 
 
 2. And Paul, as his manner ^vas, '^went in unto 
 
 1. ^' Amphipolis.'^ The capital of 
 the first division of Macedonia, and 
 an Athenian colony, situate on the 
 river Strymon, about 28 miles from 
 Philippi. 
 
 '^ ApoUoiiia." A city situate 25 
 miles to thesouth-westof AmphipoUs, 
 in the Macedonian provinces of 
 Mygdonia.' St. Paul probably re- 
 mained one night only in each of 
 these cities. It may be presumed 
 that there was no synagogue, and 
 few Jews or proselytes in either. It 
 seems to have been the custom of tlie 
 Apostles to fix upon a few central 
 positions, and to leave the inter- 
 mediate places to be visited by the 
 evangelists and missionaries whom 
 they appointed on their departure. 
 These places might thus fall under 
 the care of St. Luke, or of the mi- 
 nister of Thessalonica. 
 
 " Tliessalmica." The capital of all 
 Macedonia, and the residence of the 
 Roman governor. It was a rich and 
 populous city, and connected by 
 commercial intercourse with many 
 countries in Europe and Asia ; a 
 circumstance of great importance in 
 
 the propagation of the Gospel. At 
 present it is a great seaport, with 
 70,000 inhabitants, at the north-east 
 of the gulph of Salonica, formerly 
 called the Thermaic Gulph, from 
 Therme, the ancient name of the city. 
 The Jews had settled there in great 
 numbers.'^ 
 
 " A synagogue." Or " the syna- 
 gogue," that is, the synagogue which 
 was attended by the Jews in that 
 district.^ 
 
 2. " As his manner was" St. Paul 
 invariably addressed himself in the 
 first place to the Jews. See note, 
 xiii. 46. From tlie two epistles of 
 the Apostle to this church we learn 
 many interesting particulars con- 
 cerning this visit. A great number 
 of idolaters were converted: 1 Thess. 
 i. 9. St. Paul supported himself 
 chiefly by manual labour, yet not 
 without twice receiving assistance 
 from the Christians of Philippi, 
 1 Thes. ii. 9., ,and Phil. iv. 16. The 
 second advent of the Lord Jesus was 
 preached with more than usual 
 power, probably with reference to 
 the great persecutions undergone by 
 
 ' Winer. 
 
 - Winer, Sonnini, Cramer's Greece, vol. i. 
 p. 237. 
 
 .3 Grotius, Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 1S7 
 
 them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out 
 of the scriptures, 
 
 3. Opening and alleging, ^ that Christ must needs b^Luke, 24. 5;c. 
 have suiFered, and risen again from the dead; and ^h^-jis-js. 
 that this Jesus, || whom I preach unto you, is Christ, y or, whom, 
 
 4. c And some of them believed, and consorted with Pel/i!' ' 
 Paul and ^ Silas ; and of the devout Greeks a great '^ ^h. 28. 24. 
 multitude, and of the chief -women not a few. \-:%%^'^' 
 
 5. ^ But the Jews which believed not, moved with 
 envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the 
 baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the 
 
 city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of ^ Jason, e Rom. 16.21. 
 and sought to bring them out to the people. 
 
 the Gentile converts (1 'J'hes. ii. 
 14.), but this led to some misappre- 
 hensions ^vhich were corrected in the 
 second epistle. It seems evident from 
 these facts that St. Paul remained 
 some time after the three sabbaths 
 spoken of in this verse. The two 
 ejiistles give a lively idea of the faith, 
 endurance, and fervent charity of the 
 believers in this city. 
 
 " Reasoned ivith them. " Or dis- 
 coursed with them, as was customary 
 for teachers of the law. 
 
 3. " Opening and alleging." This 
 describes the purport of his dis- 
 course. He opened, or expounded, 
 the meaning of these passages of the 
 Holy Scriptures, which were re- 
 garded by the Jews as prophecies con- 
 cerning Christ, but were imperfectly 
 understood by them, and alleged or 
 made it clear by his exposition that 
 Messiah was to suffer, and that Jesus 
 was the Messiah. The course of his 
 argument was doubtless the same as 
 that adopted by St. Peter, ch. ii. iii. — 
 both Apostles following our Lord's 
 address to the two disciples on the 
 way to Emmaus, Luke, xxiv. 26. The 
 reasonings which St. Paul addressed 
 to the heathens whom he converted 
 here, Avere of course of a different 
 character. See xiv. 15 — 17., and the 
 speech to the Athenians in this 
 chapter. 
 
 4. " And consorted." The original 
 rather implies that they were allotted, 
 i. e. granted, as it were, by God to 
 Paul and Silas.' 
 
 " A great midtitiide." Here, as in 
 most places, the Gentile proselytes 
 showed more readiness to embrace 
 the Gospel than the Jews. 
 
 " Of the chief women." The ge- 
 neral profligacy of' the inhabitants 
 of this city, and especially of the 
 women, was notorious.- Hence we 
 may presume that women of cha- 
 racter would feel strongly attracted 
 towards a religion which inculcated 
 a high standard of morality. 
 
 5. " Which believed not." Or were 
 disobedient. They were not only 
 invited, they w^ere commanded, to 
 acknowledge Christ their King. 
 
 " Moved with envy." The calling 
 of the Gentiles was, as usual, the 
 great stumbling-block to the Jews. 
 St. Paul dwells much upon their en- 
 vious character in the first epistle to 
 the Thessalonians, ii. 14 — 16. 
 
 " Of the baser sort." Literally, of 
 the frequenters of the forum, or 
 marketplace. This was the usual 
 resort for the idle and profligate, who 
 were foremost in disturbances in all 
 ancient cities.^ They depended, to a 
 great extent, for their subsistence on 
 the distributions of food made by 
 persons who offered sacrifice to the 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 2 Lucian, Lucius or Asinus. 
 
 3 Suicpr Thes. i. p. 6G. ; Ast. on Theophr. 
 c, vi. p. 85. 
 
188 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 p Luke, 
 John, I'.) 
 1 Pet. 2. 
 
 6. And when they found them not, they drew Jason 
 and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, 
 ^ These that have turned the world upside down are 
 come hither also ; 
 
 7. Whom Jason hath received : and these all do 
 contrary to the decrees of Cesar, s saying that there is 
 another king, o?ie Jesus. 
 
 8. And they troubled the people and the rulers of 
 the city, when they heard these things. 
 
 9. And when they liad taken security of Jason, and 
 of the other, they let them go. 
 
 gods, and would therefore be easily 
 excited against the preachers of the 
 Gospel. It is to be remarked that 
 the fiercest opponents of Christianity 
 among the heathen were found 
 among the dregs of the undisciplined 
 and uneducated populace, who were 
 habituated to scenes of licentiousness 
 and cruelty by the public games. 
 
 " The house of Jasonr Jason was 
 a kinsman of St. Paul (Rom. xvi.21.), 
 and appears to have been a person of 
 some station and property. The 
 word "Jason" is Greek, but it may 
 have been a modification of his He- 
 brew name. 
 
 " To the ■people." That is, before 
 the assembly of the people, which 
 met regularly in the forum. At such 
 meetings acts of great cruelty and 
 injustice were frequently perpetrated 
 with a show of legality. 
 
 6. " And certain brelhren." The 
 Christians seem to have met at the 
 house of Jason for prayer. 
 
 " The rulers of tJiecity." The civil 
 magistrates were native Thessalo- 
 nians, who administered the internal 
 affairs of the city under the authority 
 of the Roman governor. 
 
 " These that have turned" &c. 
 The form of the accusation is re- 
 markable, showing the craft and ma- 
 lice of the Jews. The two points 
 about which the uiagistrates were 
 most solicitous were the preservation 
 of the public peace, and submission 
 to the authority of the Roman Em- 
 peror, for whicli they were resjjon- 
 sible to the governor. The tumult, 
 
 which the Jews themselves excited, 
 is adduced as a proof of the turbu- 
 lent character of the Christians, and 
 the preaching of Jesus, whom they 
 well knew to be no pretender to an 
 earthly dominion, was represented as 
 rebellion against Casar. The ex- 
 pression used by them shows inci- 
 dentally what great effects had been 
 already produced by the promulga- 
 tion of the Gospel. A revolution had, 
 in fact, commenced, which ceased 
 not until it had subverted the heathen 
 world. 
 
 7. " These all." All these Chris- 
 tians who recognize Jesus as their 
 king. 
 
 " 77/e decrees of Cesar." The laws 
 and decrees against high treason. 
 
 " lliere is another king." Or that 
 another is king, viz. Jesus. The ac- 
 cusation was probably sustained by 
 reference to the expressions which 
 the Apostle had employed in speak- 
 ing of the reappearance of the King 
 of Glory. See 1 Thes. iv. 16. 
 2Thes. i. 7—10. 
 
 8. " They troubled." The magis- 
 trates were probably aware that the 
 accusation was unfounded, or they 
 would have ordered the arrest of the 
 leading Christians ; but they feared 
 the jealousy of the Romans too much 
 to dismiss the charge. 
 
 9. " Taken security." The object 
 of this security must have been that 
 nothing should be done which could 
 disturl) the public peace, or give of- 
 fiMice to the Romans. Jason and the 
 other Christians seem to have de- 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIL ISg 
 
 10. ^ And ^nlie brethren immediately sent away h ch. 9. 25. 
 Paul and Silas by night unto Berea : who coming '"^" ^'** 
 thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 
 
 11. These were more noble than those in Thessa- 
 lonica, in that they received the ^vord with all readi- 
 ness of mind, and ^ searched the scriptures daily, Luke';f6*;']9; 
 w^hether those things were so. John, 5. 39. 
 
 12. Therefore many of them believed ; also of 
 honourable women which were Greeks^ and of men, 
 not a few^. 
 
 13. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had know^- 
 ledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at 
 Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the 
 people. 
 
 14. ^ And then immediately the brethren sent away k Man. 10. 23. 
 Paul to go as it were to the sea : but Silas and 
 Timotheus abode there still. 
 
 posited a sum of money, to be for- 
 feited in case of disobedience. Jason 
 may have pledged himself not to 
 receive St. Paul, or to send him from 
 the city.' It is probable that some 
 tumultuary proceedings followed, and 
 that the Gentile converts especially 
 were maltreated by their countrymen 
 after St. Paul's departure. 1 Thes. 
 ii. 14. 
 
 10. '■'■ Berea y A city in the third 
 district of Macedonia, on the river 
 Lydias, about fifty miles to the west 
 of Thessalonica.^ 
 
 11. '' These were more noble." The 
 Jews of Berea showed a more liberal 
 and ingenuous disposition than those 
 of Thessalonica. The word noble 
 does not refer to descent, but to per- 
 sonal character.^ 
 
 " They received the irord." It ap- 
 pears from this that they had not yet 
 heard of our Lord, and had not re- 
 ceived communications from Judaea. 
 
 " Searched the scriptures daily." 
 Not contented with the discourses 
 on the sabbath, they met daily to 
 examine the passages, from which 
 St. Paul proved the doctrine of a 
 
 suffering Messiah, and identified him 
 with Jesus. 
 
 12. " Therefore." It followed as 
 a result from their faithful search- 
 ing that they found the Saviour. 
 
 " Of honourable iromen." Women 
 of character and distinction. These 
 converts seem to have been partly 
 proselytes of the gate, and partly 
 idolaters; the former being converted 
 in the synagogue, the latter by se- 
 parate addresses and conferences. 
 
 13. ^^ But ivhen the Jews," &c. 
 From this it appears that St. Paul 
 must have remained some weeks at 
 least at Berea. 
 
 ^^ Stirred up." Excited a tumult, 
 or storm, as at Thessalonica, by ad- 
 dressing themselves to the populace. 
 The expression in the original is 
 vei'y forcible.* 
 
 14. '■'■Paid." The Jews always 
 directed their attacks with peculiar 
 malice against the Apostle of the 
 Gentiles, who therefore withdrew 
 alone on this occasion. St. Luke had 
 remained at Philippi. 
 
 " As it were to the sea." Or, as the 
 word should be rendered, towards 
 
 1 Hemsen, p. 132. ; Neander, p. 2.^4. 
 
 2 Wieocler, p. 41. ; Cramer's Greece, 
 
 3 Kypke, Chrysostom, Olshausen. 
 ■1 Kuinoel. 
 
190 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 ch. 18. 5. Atliens: and 
 
 15. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto 
 ieivino: a commandment unto Silas 
 
 m 2 Pet. 2. 8. 
 
 and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they 
 departed. 
 
 16. % Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, 
 "*his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city 
 II wholly given to idolatry. 
 
 the sea.* There can be no doubt 
 that St. Paul went by sea to Athens: 
 had he travelled by land, he would 
 have passed through many^important 
 cities. The voyage would occupy 
 about three days with favourable 
 weather.^ 
 
 15. " Brought him.'''' It was usual 
 for the Christians to escort the 
 Apostles to some distance when they 
 left a city; but these brethren gave a 
 singular proof of their reverence and 
 affection for St. Paul, by ac3ompany- 
 ing him so far as Athens. 
 
 ''Athens." The spirit of Chris- 
 tianity was thus brought into con- 
 tact with the intellect of heathen- 
 dom. Athens was the very centre 
 and source of Grecian culture, the 
 teacher and model of the European 
 mind. The Romans derived their 
 knowledge of art and science princi- 
 pally from Athens, and their mental 
 development was almost exclusively 
 moulded by its orators, poets, and 
 philosophers. And although at that 
 time it was a mere dependency of the 
 Roman empire, without any political 
 influence, yet the sons of the noblest 
 families, all indeed who were ambi- 
 tions of distinction for learning and 
 talent, still frequented its schools, 
 and regarded its professors as the 
 best exponents of moral and scientific 
 truth. Athens was in fact the intel- 
 lectual metropolis of heathen civi- 
 lization. ]?ut there was no distinc- 
 tion of which the inhabitants were 
 so proud as of their singular devotion 
 to the worship of the gods.' The city 
 was full of altars, victims, temples. 
 
 and processions ; their mysteries were 
 esteemed the most solemn and aw- 
 ful in the world; and while they 
 scrupulously retained every rite 
 which had the sanction of antiquity, 
 they readily adopted novelties brought 
 by impostors from every land. They 
 were at the same time rigidly into- 
 lerant of any practical innovation in 
 the national religion, and punished 
 those who spoke or wrote against the 
 established forms with prompt se- 
 verity. The fact that a state of high 
 mental activity — a philosophy that 
 recoiled from no results of pantheism 
 or atheism, co-existed with degrad- 
 ing superstitions and wild fanaticism, 
 is one fraught with the most import- 
 ant suggestions to the thoughtful 
 Christian. St. Paul is here placed in 
 a position of direct antagonism to 
 false philosophy and false religion. 
 We shall observe hoAv he assails both. 
 
 16. '' Paul waited for them.'' He 
 was alone, and probably intended to 
 remain quiet until he should have 
 the assistance of these ministers. 
 Some time appears to have elapsed 
 after the departure of the Bereans 
 before he came forward. 
 
 " Was stirred in him." "Was much 
 excited and distressed. The folly 
 and wickedness of idolatry cause 
 horror and indignation in good men. 
 
 " Given up to idolatrij." The mar- 
 ginal translation "full of idols" is 
 more accurate. ■* In no cities were 
 the statues of the gods more nume- 
 rous, nor attracted more attention, 
 than at Athens. The image of Mi- 
 nerva, the tutelary goddess of Athens, 
 
 1 T^aphol, Meyor. 
 
 2 Wicscler, p. 42. 
 
 3 Wctstoin, llcmscn, p. 130.; Pans., i. 21. 
 3. ; Strabo, x. p. 472. ; Liv., xliii. 27. 
 ■» Meyer, Viger. a'.i. llerm., p. C38. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 191 
 
 17. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with 
 the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the 
 market daily with them that met w^ith him. 
 
 18. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, 
 and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, 
 What wdll this 11 babbler say? other some, He seemeth ii.or,4«« 
 to be a setter forth of strange gods : because he 
 preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. 
 
 ■svas the work of Phidias, and the 
 master-piece of Grecian art.* 
 
 17. " Therefore disputed Ae," &c. 
 This powerful feeling induced him 
 at once to enter upon his work. As 
 usual he began with the Jews, hut, 
 contrary to his wont, addressed the 
 unconverted heathens in the public 
 place in the course of the same week. 
 
 ^^ Devout persons." Proselytes of 
 the gate. Even at Athens the Jews 
 had made some impression. It is 
 not stated whether St. Paul's preach- 
 ing produced any effect upon them. 
 
 " The market." The forum of 
 Eretria, where the people assembled 
 daily in great numbers. It was sur- 
 rounded by beautiful buildings. On 
 one side was the famous " Painted 
 Porch" where the Stoics held public 
 disputations on philosophy. - 
 
 18. " The Epicureans." The te- 
 nets of these so-called philosophers 
 resembled those of the Sadducees in 
 some important points. They denied 
 the creation and providential govern- 
 ment of the world — the spirituality 
 and immortality of the soul ; and 
 referred all moral laws to selfishness, 
 or rather to sensuality. No sect was 
 so remote from the truth, and we 
 read of very few converts from them 
 at any age of the Church. It may 
 be assumed, however, that many per- 
 sons held these opinions in a kind of 
 reckless despair of ascertaining any 
 high truth. 
 
 " And of the Stoics." These per- 
 sons, on the other hand, rather re- 
 
 sembled the Pharisees. They be- 
 lieved in the power and wisdoir 
 
 God, held a lofty, though, in i. 
 essential points, an erroneous sysi^i- 
 of morals, and counted among thef 
 followers many of the noblest cha 
 racters of antiquity. Some distin- 
 guished Christians of the first two 
 centuries were trained in their 
 schools ; but their pride and stern- 
 ness of character generally opposed 
 invincible obstacles to the reception 
 of the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 There were other sects of philo- 
 sophy at Athens, not less famous 
 than these; viz. the Academicians, 
 or followers of Plato, and the Peri- 
 patetics, who were disciples of Aris- 
 totle ; but their schools were at some 
 distance from the forum, and St. 
 Paul does not seem to have met them 
 on this occasion. Their opinions 
 verged towai'ds the two systems held 
 respectively by the Stoics and Epi- 
 cureans, and were not so directly- 
 antagonistic to Christianity. The 
 omission of all reference to them is 
 certainly not vmdesigned. 
 
 " What ivill this babbler:'' The 
 word in the original means a picker 
 up of grains, properly a bird so called, 
 hence an idle parasite, and common 
 jester. The scoffing and contemp- 
 tuous tone of this question evidently 
 belongs to the Epicureans.^ The 
 Stoics looked upon the matter in a 
 more serious light. 
 
 " He seemeth" &c. The Stoics 
 presumed that St. Paul wished to in- 
 
 1 riin. xxxvi. .5. : Thuc ii. 13. ; Cramer's 
 Greece, vol. ii. p. 3.j9. 
 
 2 Cramer's Greece, vol.ii. p. 318. ; W'iner, 
 vol. i. p. 112. 
 
 3 Hemsen, p. 142. 
 
192 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP XVII. 
 
 J Or, Mars' 
 hill. It was 
 the highest 
 court in 
 
 I Or, the 
 
 court of the 
 Artopagites, 
 
 hav 
 
 19. And tliey took him, and brought liini unto 
 II Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new 
 doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is ? 
 
 20. For thou bringest certain strange things to our 
 ears : we would know therefore what these things 
 mean ? 
 
 21. (For all the Athenians and strangers wiiich 
 were there spent their time in nothing else, but either 
 to tell, or to hear some new thing.) 
 
 22. H Then Paul stood in the^midst of || Mars' hill, 
 and said, Ve men of Athens, I perceive that in all 
 things ye are too superstitious. 
 
 troduce the worship of Jesus as a 
 new divinity, whose claims were 
 supported by a miraculous account 
 of His resurrection, Chrysostom, 
 and some other commentators' are 
 of opinion that they took the word 
 " Anastasis," L e., resurrection, to be 
 the name of a goddess. 
 
 19. " Unto Areopagus." It has 
 been much questioned whether this 
 was a judicial proceeding. The Ar- 
 eopagus, or Mars' hill, was the su- 
 preme court of judicature at Athens, 
 and charges of impiety, or innova- 
 tions in religion, fell under its special 
 cognizance. ^ It is more probable 
 that it was a public inquiry before 
 some members of the court, but not, 
 strictly speaking, a trial ; we read of 
 no accusers, witnesses, or sentence, 
 and the introduction of a foreign 
 worship would not be illegal.^ It is 
 well known that religious matters 
 were treated with great levity by the 
 magistrates at that time, excepting 
 in cases when a popular feeling had 
 been previously excited. The form 
 of the question, "may we know," is 
 studiously courteous, and quite in ac- 
 cordance with Athenian manners. 
 
 20. " Strange thhigs." Things that 
 excite our astonishment. The re- 
 surrection of the dead was a doctrine 
 
 that had never been heard of by any 
 heathen people. 
 
 21. ^^ For all the Athejihnis,^' &c. 
 This characteristic of the Athenians 
 is noted by most ancient writers.* 
 They were equally remarkable for 
 ready wit and idle curiosity. It is 
 computed that there were not less 
 than 340 places in Athens Avhere 
 people met merely to talk on politics 
 and other subjects. ^ 
 
 22. " A7ul said." The discourse 
 of St. Paul before this court is a living 
 proof of his apostolical wisdom and 
 eloquence : we observe here how 
 Paul, according to his own expres- 
 sion, could become a Gentile to the 
 Gentile, and, by arguing from their 
 own avowed principles, win the 
 Heathens for the Gospel. •* The 
 speech is also remarkable for ele- 
 gance and purity of style, and for 
 skilful arrangement. 
 
 " Ye are too superstitious." This 
 expression in the original has a sig- 
 nification which would be so far from 
 offending the Athenians that they 
 would accept it as a just and even 
 flattering description of their cha- 
 racter. It means literally having 
 great fear or reverence for the gods, 
 and was taken either in a good sense, 
 as very pious, or in a bad sense, as 
 
 ' i'Ecumcn, Soldpii, llamtnond, Sponror. 
 2 Meursius, Arcop., Pcrizon. in iLlian, 
 r. l.i. 
 ■» Wetstcin and IIcmse». 
 
 •1 Domo=;th. ad Ep. Pliil., and Phil. 
 Diojrarthiis v. Orania;. 
 ■'' Mciirsiiis ap. Kuinoel. 
 6 Ncandcr. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIL 
 
 193 
 
 23. For as I passed by, and beheld your || devotions, n or, -,.,? 
 I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE ^ThlV. 
 UNKNOWN GOD, Whom therefore ye ignorantly 
 worship, him declare I unto you. 
 
 24. " God that made the world and all things therein, " "^ 
 seeing that he is ^ Lord of heaven and earth, Pdwelleth 
 not in temples made with hands ; 
 
 25. Neither is worshipped with men's hands, 
 tliough he needed any thing, seein 
 life, and breath, and all things ; 
 
 14. 15. 
 o :\ratt. 11. 25 
 p ch. 7. 48. 
 q Ps. 50. 8. 
 
 <^aS ^.Gen- 
 Numb. 
 
 ^ he ffiveth to all ^°!^i''' 
 
 6. 22. 
 10. 
 cSc 27.3. & 
 
 26. 
 
 And hath made of one blood all nations of men f^^^; i^; i. 
 
 irrationally fearful and superstitious. • 
 St. Paul uses it evidently in the strict- 
 ly literal or middle sense. He ap- 
 peals to their fear of the invisible 
 world- without touching upon the 
 false direction which it took in them. 
 2.3, " Your devotions" or the ob- 
 jects of your devotions, — temples, al- 
 tars, and statues.^ 
 
 " An altar," &c. Two Greek wri- 
 ters, who visited Athens about this 
 time, speak of altars inscribed to un- 
 known gods^, and it is certain from 
 these words of St, Paul that he had 
 seen one inscribed to the, or to an 
 unknown god. The views of the 
 persons who erected these altars can- 
 not be positively ascertained. It 
 seems probable that when any public 
 calamity occurred, which the Athe- 
 nians attributed to the wrath of some 
 deity, without knowing what offence 
 they might have given to any one 
 in particular, they set up an altar and 
 offered sacrifices to an unknown god,^ 
 It was, however, a just and true, 
 though probably an unconscious ex- 
 pression of a feeling which lay at the 
 root of many ceremonial observances 
 among the heathen. The Avorld by 
 wisdom knew not God, but some 
 knew and deplored their ignorance. 
 
 " Ignorantly ivorship." Worship 
 without knowing His nature or at- 
 tributes. St. Paul undoubtedly con- 
 
 sidered the inscription to be a testi- 
 mony to the innate idea of God which 
 is universal in man. See Rom, i. 19. 
 21. 28, 
 
 24. " God that made the icorld." 
 This verse dii-ectly opposes th? com- 
 mon opinion that the deity dwalt in 
 the temples, and declares the cr -ative 
 and sovereign power of God, which 
 was partially recognized by th ; Sto- 
 ics, but denied by the Epicu -eans. 
 The declaration, however, would be 
 listened to by both as no irrational 
 philosophical tenet,*' 
 
 2.5, " Neither is worshipped with," 
 &c. This leaves worship on its right 
 footing, as a duty on the part of man, 
 while it refutes the gross notions of 
 idolaters, who believed that the gods 
 were to a certain extent dependent 
 upon the ministrations of the priests, 
 even that they were fed by the fumes 
 of sacrifice,^ 
 
 " Life and breath." The former 
 word denotes the life, or living prin- 
 ciple ; the latter, the continuance of 
 life, which is sustained by breath,** 
 St. Paul thus shows that the worship- 
 per is in a state of the most absolute 
 dependence on the Deity, and there- 
 fore cannot render any service to 
 him, excepting as a token of grati- 
 tude and reverence, 
 
 26. " 0/ one blood." This is op- 
 posed to one of the most mischievous 
 
 ' Wetstein. 
 - Chrvsostom. 
 
 3 Suicer Thes., p. 942 
 
 4 Pausanias, i. 1. 4., and Philostr. v. Apol. 
 G. 3. 
 
 5 Diog. Laert. Epiin.,3. ; Meyer. 
 
 6 Ullman, Stud, und Krit., 1832, p. 333. 
 Philo. ii. p. 1087. 
 
 " Aristoph. Aves., 1S6., &c. 
 ? Meyer. 
 
194 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 t Rom. 1. 20. 
 u ch. 14. 17. 
 
 y Tit. 1. 12. 
 
 for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath de- 
 termined the times before appointed, and ^the bounds 
 of their habitation ; 
 
 27. * That they should seek the Lord, if haply tliey 
 might feel after him, and find him, 
 far from every one of us : 
 
 28. For ^ in him we live, and move, and have our 
 being ; y as certain also of your own poets have said, 
 For we are also his offspring. 
 
 " though he be not 
 
 and widely-spread delixsions of the 
 ancient world, -which was closely 
 connected with polytheism, viz., that 
 men sprung from different stocks, 
 and were literally aliens in blood. 
 No opinion tended more to harden 
 and brutalize the hearts of men ; they 
 lost all sympathy with foreigners, 
 and treated their slaves as beings of 
 an inferior and hostile nature. The 
 Athenians especially prided them- 
 selves on their peculiar origin, be- 
 lieving that they were indigenous, or 
 native children of their own soil. 
 The subject has of late been scienti- 
 fically investigated, and the diversi- 
 ties of language, complexion, form, 
 &e., have been satisfactorily accounted 
 for on the hypothesis of a common 
 origin of all races of mankind.' 
 
 ''Hath determined." The sepa- 
 ration of mankind is thus represented 
 by St. Paul as part of the divine 
 scheme of government. 
 
 •' The times be fore appointed.'''' This 
 seems to ijefer to the periods of na- 
 tional growth, maturity, and decay, 
 each of which, as well as the places 
 of settlement, is subordinate to the 
 general plan of divine Providence."^ 
 
 27. " That tliey shoidd seek." The 
 object of these arrangements was, 
 therefore, to teach men to seek the 
 Lord by making them sensible of 
 their dependence on Him. St. Paul 
 evidently n-fers to the acknowledg- 
 ment (ver. 23.) that their search 
 was unavailing, while he shows that 
 the failure must have been their own 
 
 fault, since God never withdrew 
 himself from His creatures. He re- 
 mains nearer to each of us than our 
 own hearts. 
 
 28. " For in Him." This great 
 truth was not denied by Gentile phi- 
 losophers, and St. Paul is appealing 
 to the consciousness of his hearers. 
 One ancient writer says, " Since we 
 are not dwelling in isolation, apart or 
 far from God, but existing in the 
 midst of Him." ' This opinion, how- 
 ever, was rather of a physical than 
 moral and religious character. They 
 regarded the Deity, so to speak, as 
 the element in wliich man lived. 
 The origin of life, movement, and all 
 existence is attributed to God, in 
 this sense, by many ancients. 
 
 " Oj' your own poets." The quo- 
 tation is from the Phanomena of 
 Aratus, a Greek poet of Cilicia, and 
 therefore a countryman of St. Paul. 
 He lived about 270 years before our 
 Lord. It is also found in a poem of 
 Cleanthes, the disciple and follower 
 of Zeno, who founded the Stoic sect 
 of philosophy. It is an interesting 
 fact that St. Paul studied, and made 
 use of the writings of profane au- 
 thors. See introduction to ch. ix. 
 Gamaliel was much blamed by his 
 bigoted countrymen for encouraging 
 these studies. Pursued in a Chris- 
 tian spirit, they have been instru- 
 mental in the propagation of true 
 religion. 
 
 " His offspring.'" The heathens 
 held this truth also, but not in its 
 
 » Prirhatd, llii'ory of Man. 
 2 Weir. sun. 
 
 p. 384. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 195 
 
 29. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, 
 
 ^ we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto z isai. 4o. is. 
 gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's 
 device. 
 
 30. And ^the times of this ignorance God winked a cu. u. is. 
 at; but ^now commandeth all men every where to ,,L"kt 21.47. 
 repent : 
 
 31. Because he hath appointed a day, in the which 
 '^ he will judge the world in righteousness by that man c ch. 10. ^2. 
 whom he hath ordained ; ivhereof he hath || given as- & "^- 10. ' 
 surance unto all men, in that ^ he hath raised him from 
 the dead. 
 
 32. ^ And when they heard of the resurrection of 
 the dead, some mocked : and others said, AVe will hear 
 thee asrain of this matter. 
 
 Tit. 2. 11. IV. 
 1 Pet. 1. 14. 
 & 4. 3. 
 
 Or, o^.red 
 faith. 
 
 high moral significance. They be- 
 lieved in a physical derivation from 
 one universal existence. ' 
 
 29. "/s li/ie unto gold." Some philo- 
 sophers had also asserted the obvious 
 truth, that God could not be ade- 
 quately represented by any image'- ; 
 but their teaching had no effect upon 
 the people, nor was it intended to 
 affect popular superstitions. The 
 argument here employed by St. Paul 
 is peculiarly striking, and calculated 
 to make a deep impression upon the 
 Stoics. He argues, from the dignity 
 of human nature ^ against the wor- 
 ship of graven stones, which are in- 
 finitely less precious than the intelli- 
 gent creatures of God. 
 
 30. " God winked at" or over- 
 looked. He did not inflict such pun- 
 ishment as man deserved. He did 
 not destroy or extirpate idolaters, but 
 preserved the world until the coming 
 of Christ. This does not imply that the 
 ignorance waswithout guilt (They did 
 not like to retain God in their know- 
 ledge, and therefore He gave them up 
 to a reprobate n)ind. Kom. i ), but 
 it was a mitigation of their guilt. 
 
 " But now cununandeth." Vriien re- 
 pentance is preached in the name of 
 Jesus, the position of man is altoge- 
 ther changed ; he is commanded, and 
 
 must obey under penalty of absolute 
 condemnation. 
 
 31. St Paul gives a concise state- 
 ment of that doctrine which is most 
 calculated to alarm the conscience of 
 sinners. He dwells exclusively upon 
 the judgment of the world, of which 
 the resurrection of the appointed 
 Judge is the miraculous assurance 
 and pledge. It is evident that St. 
 Paul reserved for a second discourse 
 the statement of the conditions and 
 privileges of the Gospel covenant. 
 The first object in preaching to the 
 ignorant heathen must be to quicken 
 the dead or dormant consciousness of 
 man's sin and God's righteousness. 
 
 32. " And uhen they heard" &c. 
 The Stoics believed in the eternity of 
 the spiritual principle in man, but 
 neither they nor any sect of philoso- 
 phers had a clear and full persuasion 
 that the individual soul would retain 
 a separate and conscious existence 
 after the dissolution of the body. 
 The resurrection of the body, which 
 alone makes a futurity of compensa- 
 tion intelligible, was a tenet utterly 
 unknown to them, and contrary to all 
 their notions of matter and spirit. 
 The Epicureans would be disposed to 
 mock, and the Stoics seriously to 
 reject the doctrine. 
 
 1 Dotner. Einl., 
 le;;., 1.8.; Luc ret 
 
 vol. i. p. 
 , :i.910. 
 
 115. : Cicero de 
 
 - Scnern, Ep. 31. 
 3 Mevtr. 
 
 K 2 
 
196 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 
 
 33. So Paul departed from among them, 
 
 34. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and be- 
 lieved : among the which was Dionysius the Areopa- 
 gite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with 
 them. 
 
 " We will hear thee again." These 
 ■n'ords may imply hesitation, but it is 
 more probable that they were not said 
 in earnest. St. Paul does not appear 
 to have addressed them again, and he 
 w-ould certainly not have neglected 
 an opportunity had it been offered. 
 He appears not to have remained 
 long in Athens, perhaps not more 
 than two or three weeks, until the 
 return of Silas. Timotheus was sent 
 to Thessalonica. Though the imme- 
 diate effect of the Apostle's sermon 
 was not great, the Parthenon in time 
 became a Christian church, Athens 
 ceased to be a city full of idols, and 
 the repugnance of the Greeks to 
 images became so strong, that it Avas 
 a principal cause of the schism be- 
 tween the churches of the East and 
 
 West in the 8th century. See Homily 
 on Idolatry, part 2.' 
 
 34. " Uionysius the AreopayiteJ' A 
 member of the supreme court of ju- 
 dicature. He is stated, on good au- 
 thority, to have been the first bishop 
 of the church of Athens'-, and to 
 have died there as a martyr.^ The 
 writings attributed to him are spu- 
 rious. 
 
 " Damaris" She appears to have 
 been a woman of some station, but is 
 known only from this brief notice. 
 
 The church of Athens never rose 
 to any great eminence, yet many 
 Christian Fathers were partly edu- 
 cated there, and it has existed with 
 an unbroken succession of bishops 
 from the time of St. Paul unto the 
 present day. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SU(?GESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 4. Persecution had, as usual, the twofold effect of purifying the 
 faith of the genuine converts, and of opening a wider field of exertion to 
 the preachers of the Gospel. So God makes all things work together for 
 the good of His Church. These things should teach the Christian never 
 to despond, when the free course of the Gospel appears to be obstructed 
 by prejudice, or turned aside by persecution. So long as the sufferings 
 and resun-ection of Christ are faithfully preached, and the person of Jesus 
 represented as the manifestation of incarnate Deity, that Gospel will find 
 its way into many hearts, winning multitudes of those who have already 
 attained to a partial knowledge of the truth, offering a resting-place and 
 secure abode to many gentle and loving spirits, and subduing even some 
 proud and self-righteous hearts to the obedience of faith. The words of 
 St. IJernard well express the feelings which should sustain and animate the 
 faithful soldiers of Christ: " God exhorts us to fight; He helps us to con- 
 quer ; He is present at the conflict ; He I'aises us up when we fall ; and He 
 crowns us after the victory." 
 
 .0—9. Tiie Jews, who prided themselves, not without reason, upon their 
 superiority in religious knowledge and general morality to heathens, were 
 
 ' Humphry. 
 
 '^ Cons".. \[<., vii. IG. ; Tiiscb. 
 4.»iv. '23. 
 
 ^ Nicepl). iii. 11. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVII. 197 
 
 found ready to join the basest and most profligate idolaters in persecuting 
 Christians. This unscrupulous use of the ^vorst means to effect its pur- 
 poses has been the prominent characteristic of false zeal from the beginning. 
 The truth, which is a savour of life unto life to those who open their hearts 
 to receive it, becomes a savour of death to those who obstinately oppose it. 
 The evil which the Jews did not suspect in their own hearts burst out in 
 acts of deadly malignity, when they rejected Him who offered them salva- 
 tion from the power, guilt, and penalties of sin. No heart remains in the 
 same state after hearing the Word of Truth. It will be irritated or hardened, 
 if it be not subdued and changed. 
 
 11. True nobility of the soul consists in its affinity to the Divine Nature 
 which is especially shown by candour and diligence in searching for Divine 
 Truth. A hearty and persevering search is ever rewarded with success, 
 provided always that it proceeds in the way marked out by God, and that 
 every movement of the inquiring heart is hallowed by prayer. The 
 Berseans sought Christ where He at once hides and manifests himself, in 
 His own written Word ; and they sought him under the guidance of one, 
 whom He had empowered to interpret its mysterious intimations. We 
 have the same Word, and the same interpreter, who " being dead yet 
 speaketh " in his writings, and the same Spirit, who is ever ready, as He 
 alone is able, to reveal the " glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'' 
 
 14, 15. The Jews were permitted to succeed for a season. They drove 
 the Apostle out of Macedcmia, and thwarted, so far as they could foresee, 
 the gracious purposes of God towards the Gentiles. But that success served 
 but to direct the mighty weapons of Christ's warfare against the citadel of 
 their master. St. Paul was driven, as it were, in self-defence to assault the 
 stronghold of false religion and false philosophy, and to overthrow the 
 kingdom of Satan by the cross of Jesus. Their envy had but one evil 
 effect ; it excluded them from participation in the triumphs of their long- 
 expected Messiah. 
 
 16, 17. The spirit of any thoughtful man would be deeply stirred by the 
 forms which presented themselves to the eye of the Apostle at Athens. 
 But with what feelings? Vs'ould not those forms be regarded by many as 
 attestations to man's high endowments and still higher aspirations — or 
 even as indications of somewhat in him akin to the divinities, who seemed 
 almost to move, and live, and reign in those shapes of majesty and beauty ? 
 St. Paul viewed them with other feelings. He beheld in them but awful 
 signs, that souls, which cast off allegiance to the One Creator, are reduced 
 by a just but terrible retribution into servitude to the lowest creatures, so 
 that they worship inanimate things, stocks and stones, as their gods. If 
 they proved that this people retained in their spiritual degradation some 
 capacity for receiving and appreciating that beauty which is one with truth, 
 this did but give intensity to his desire to show them the " king in His 
 beauty," and to open to them the treasures of wisdom and knowledge which 
 are hid in Christ. 
 
 IS — 20. Remark the difference between the curiosity which merely arises 
 from a love of novelty, and that which proceeds from a love of truth. That 
 terminates, as it did with the Athenians, in mockery and incredulity ; 
 this, as it did viith the Beraeans, in the knowledge of Him, who is the 
 way, the truth, and the life. 
 
 22 — 32. This discourse of St. Paul is to be studied as a model by every 
 preacher who may be called upon to address men of education and refine- 
 ment, to whom the Gospel is unknown or distasteful. Simple, but skilful 
 in its arrangement, calm and conciliating in tone, but earnest, straightfor- 
 ward and uncompromising in spirit, it touches upon a great variety of topics, 
 but all converge towards his one object, that of making the soul sensible of 
 
 K 3 
 
198 THE ACTS. CHAP, XVII. 
 
 its need of Christ. It appeals to man's consciousness, to the works of crea- 
 tion, to the order of the universe, to the providential government of the 
 world, and to the confessions and declarations of the deepest thinkers, 
 which testify to the being and spirituality of God, and therefore to the 
 unreasonableness of that idolatry to which, either in its grosser or more 
 subtle forms, every unbeliever is" wholly given up." The Apostle concludes 
 with bringing before them that fact by which afone the mysteries of exist- 
 ence can be cleared up, and the conscience at once subdued and quickened 
 — a fact not resting on speculation, but attested by the most awful of 
 miracles, viz. that God will judge the world in righteousness by that man 
 whom He hath ordained. Woe to that people, woe to that soul, which 
 can be brought into contact with these truths without being thereby brought 
 into contact with Christ ! May we all learn to know Him as our Saviour, 
 before that day when we must all know Him as our Judge. 
 
 .32 — 34- It is painful to think that the description of these unbelievers 
 should apply to so large a proportion of nominal Christians. How many 
 mock the awful truths of religion — how many postpone the consideration 
 of them to a more convenient season ! While they deliberate, the oppor- 
 tunities disappear — the warning voice departs — the conscience sinks into 
 slumber — and death comes while the hesitating and wavering Christian is 
 utterly unprepared to appear before Him who will exact a severe account 
 from those who practically despise the riches of His long-suffering grace, 
 and court the day of vengeance. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 193 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The visits of SL Paul to the cities in Europe had hitherto been brief, suf- 
 ficient to plant, but not to complete the organization of a Christian com- 
 munity in each. At Corinth, however, he abode for a considerable time, 
 during which it is evident that the Church of Christ took firm root in 
 the most civilized province of this quarter of the world. This chapter 
 should be carefully studied, in conjunction with the Epistles written by 
 the Apostle during his sojourn, and with those which he addressed to the 
 Church after his departure. The latter portion gives a brief account 
 of an important journey undertaken by St. Paul previous to his settle- 
 ment at Ephesus, and introduces a person remai'kable in the history of 
 primitive Christianity, the eloquent, learned, and zealous preacher of the 
 Gospel, Apollos of Alexandria. 
 
 1. After these things Paul departed from Athens, and 
 came to Corinth ; 
 
 2. And fonnd a certain Jew named ^Aquila, born in a Rom. le. 3. 
 Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla ; '■^ '^""^- 4- ly". 
 
 1, ^^ Corinth." A beautiful city on 
 the isthmus which connects the Pe- 
 loponnesus, or Morea, with the rest 
 of Greece ; at that time the ca- 
 pital of Achaia, and residence of 
 the Roman proconsul. It was de- 
 stroyed by the Romans 146 A. c, 
 but had been lately rebuilt by Csesar, 
 and was then famous for its exten- 
 sive commerce, the skill of its artists, 
 and the general civilization of its 
 inhabitants.' It was at the same 
 time notorious for extreme corrup- 
 tion and licentiousness, especially in 
 connection with the worship of 
 Venus.- 
 
 2. " Aqxdhi.'^ This distinguished 
 Christian, whose pai^ents lived in 
 Pontus, a province in the north of 
 Asia Minor, where there were many 
 
 Jews (See 1 Peter i. 1. ; Actsxi. 9.), 
 appears to have visited Rome as a 
 merchant, and very probably was 
 converted there to Christianity.'* It 
 is doubtful whether a Christian 
 Church was established at Rom.e at 
 this early time ; but it seems highly 
 reasonable to suppose that the Gos- 
 pel was preached, with some suc- 
 cess, by the Pentecostal converts on 
 their return from Jerusalem to 
 Rome. Acts, ii. 10. Aquila seems 
 to have been an opulent merchant. 
 The Christians were wont to as- 
 semble at his house, both in Ephe- 
 sus and Rome. Aquila and Priscilla, 
 or Prisca (Rom. xvi. 3.), were both 
 Roman names. It was customary 
 for the Jews to bear Gentile names 
 when they lived out of Palestine. 
 
 1 Strabo, viii. 203.; Aristid., i. 22. 
 
 2 nio Chry.sostom, ii.ll9. ; Winer,]. 672. 
 Cramer, iii. 25. 
 
 Olshaueen"; Neander, p. 274. 
 
 K 4 
 
200 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVni. 
 
 b ch.20. -1. 
 1 Cor. 4. 12. 
 
 1 Thess. 'Z. 9. 
 
 2 Theis. 3. S. 
 
 c ch. 17. 2. 
 
 d ch. 17. 11, 
 15. 
 
 e Job. 32. 18. 
 ch. 17.3. 
 Ter. 28. 
 
 I Or, is the 
 
 Christ. 
 
 (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to de" 
 part from Rome :) and came unto them. 
 
 3. And because he was of the same craft, he abode 
 with them, ^ and wrought : for by their occupation 
 they were tentraakers. 
 
 4. ^'And he reasoned in the synagogue every sab- 
 bath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. 
 
 o. And ^ when Silas and Tiraotheus were come from 
 ^lacedonia, Paul was ^ pressed in the spirit, and tes- 
 tified to the Jews that Jesus 11 icas Christ. 
 
 " Claudius had commanded.''^ This 
 edict is said by a Roman historian 
 to have been issued in consequence 
 of tumults among the Jews, raised, 
 as he asserts, by an insurgent named 
 Chrestus.' This is most probably 
 an erroneous statement. The tu- 
 mult seems rather to have been 
 caused by the envy of the unbe- 
 lieving Jews, and their attempts to 
 destroy Christianity. The edict 
 ■was, apparently, promulgated in the 
 year 52 a. d., during the absence of 
 Agrippa, king of Chalcis, by whose 
 influence it was afterwards re- 
 pealed.^ 
 
 3. " Tentmnhers." The exact 
 meaning of this expression has been 
 disputed. Tents were made both 
 of leather and of goat's hair in Ci- 
 licia^ the native country of St. 
 Paul, and were sometimes very 
 small and portable, for the use of 
 travellers in the shelterless deserts 
 of Asia."* The general demand for 
 these makes it probable that St. 
 Paul was employed in preparing 
 them whenever he supported him- 
 self by manual labour, as was 
 the case both here and in Mace- 
 donia.* 
 
 4. '■^ And he reasoned." The te- 
 nour of St. Paul's preaching in the 
 synagogue was doubtless the ex- 
 position of types and prophecies 
 referring to Messiah, by wiiich he 
 
 persuaded some Jews and pro- 
 selytes of the gate, that the}- were 
 to look for a suffering and atoning 
 Saviour. 
 
 .5. '^ And when Sdas," &c. This 
 must have occurred very soon after 
 St. Paul's arrival at Corinth, since 
 Silas and Timotheus had been di- 
 rected to return with all speed. 
 Upon their arrival, St. Paul wrote 
 the tirst Epistle to the Thessaloni- 
 ans, either late in a. d .52, or early 
 in the following year. The second 
 Epistle to that Church was writ- 
 ten, probably, about twelve months 
 later, and certainly at Corinth.® 
 The student should read the Epis- 
 tles in chronological order while he 
 follows this history. He will thus 
 attain a clear and lively idea of the 
 thoughts which occupied the mind 
 of the Apostle, and formed, as we 
 may be assured, the subject-matter 
 of his preaching. 
 
 " Was pressed in the spirit." 
 The meaning of this expression 
 seems to be that St. Paul was con- 
 strained by the Spirit' to press the 
 distinctive points of Christian doc- 
 trine upon the Jews with increased 
 urgency. It may, however, signify 
 that he was afflicted on account of 
 the opposition which the doctrine 
 at length encountered.^ 
 
 " Christ." The marginal reading, 
 the Christ, is more accurate. 
 
 ' Suetonius Cl;iud., xxv. ; Dio Cass., Ix. 
 C. ; 'J'acitiis, Ann., xii. 52. 
 
 2 Wiesel'T, p. 120. 
 
 3 Ca-sar, li G., iii.29. ; Flor., i. 12. ; Dio, 
 V.2. 
 
 ■' Sclileusner, Lex. Neander. 
 
 '' Srr c ix. Infrodiirtion. 
 ♦"' Hcmiifn, p. I7.'J. ; WiespJer, &c. 
 " Kosciiiniiller. See Ciirysostom on 2 Cor. 
 V. 14. 
 « .Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIIL 
 
 201 
 
 6. And f when they opposed themselves, and bhis- f ch. i?. 45. 
 phemed, ^ he shook his raiment, and said unto them, ^^"■^■/■. 
 -^ Your blood be upon jour own heads ; ^I cau clean : ^hH^^-^* 
 ^ from henceforth I will fro unto the Gentiles. 
 
 h Lev. 20. 9, 
 
 7. ^ And he departed thence, and entered into ais.m'.i.is 
 certain jucni's house, named Justus, one that wor- &"3."4.^" '"* 
 shipped God, whose house joined hard to the sjna- 'i-i^&NsV^' 
 goo-ue. '''■'''■''■ 
 
 8. ^ And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, ^'^^'■'^'^■ 
 believed on the Lord with all his house; and many ' ^ *'*"'■ ^' ^^' 
 of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. 
 
 9. Then ^ spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a ^ <'^'- -■'• n- 
 
 6. "And blasphemed." The clear 
 enunciation of Christian truth left 
 no middle course open to the Jews ; 
 they either accepted and worshipped, 
 or rejected and blasphemed, the 
 Saviour. 
 
 "He shook his raiment." This 
 was symboHcal of the rejection of 
 the unbelieving Jews by God. It 
 is to be regarded as the warning of 
 an inspired prophet, not merely as 
 an expression of St. Paul's own 
 feelings of indignation. 
 
 " Your blood." The responsibility 
 of your destruction rests upon your- 
 selves. See 2 Sam. i. 16 ; 1 Kings, 
 ii. 33. ; Ezek. xxxiii. 4, The origin 
 of the expression may be traced to 
 the custom of laying hands on the 
 head of a victim, and of imprecating 
 on it the evils which were appre- 
 hended by the person who offered 
 the sacrifice.' 
 
 7. "And he departed thence." This 
 does not mean that he left the house 
 of Aquila, but that instead of at- 
 tending tlie synagogue he held 
 meetings of the Christian converts, 
 and established a church in the ad- 
 joining house of Justus, a Gentile 
 proselyte. 
 
 8. " Crispus, the chief ruler." Each 
 synagogue of the Jews was go- 
 verned by several elders, under the 
 presidence of one, who was called 
 chief of the synagogue. Crispus 
 
 was one of the few persons whom 
 St. Paul baptized himself, (see the 
 marginal reference.) this sacrament 
 being generally administered by 
 deacons or presbyters. 
 
 "Many of the Corinthians." The 
 converts in this city, as we learn 
 from the epistles, were for the most 
 part persons belonging to the mid- 
 dle and lower classes. " Not many 
 Avise men after the flesh," i.e. stu- 
 dents in the schools of heathen phi- 
 losophy, " not many mighty, not 
 many noble, are called." 1 Cor. i. 
 16. The opulent merchants and 
 persons of rank in that city were 
 excessively licentious, and accus- 
 tomed to a highly artificial style of 
 oratory, and to subtle philosophical 
 discussions. Both causes stood in 
 the way of a general conversion by 
 the plain and practical preaching of 
 the Gospel; but the expression "not 
 many" seems to imply, that some 
 persons distinguished for rank and 
 talents joined the Church : several 
 members of which were certainly- 
 opulent. 
 
 9. " The Lord." The Lord Jesus 
 appeared, as it would seem, to St. 
 Paul by a vision, that is, not in a 
 dream, but in a spiritual trance, or 
 state of ecstasy. Some of the best 
 manuscripts omit the words ''in the 
 nifflit." 
 
 Eisner; Roscnmuller ; Lev. xvi. 31. ; Herodot., ii. 39. ; Outram de Sacrif. 
 K. 5 
 
202 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 Matt. -iS. '^0. 
 
 vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not tliy 
 peace : 
 n jer. 1. 18, 19. 10. " Foi' I am witli thee, and no man shall set on 
 thee to hurt thee : for I have much people in this city. 
 
 11. And he f continued there a year and six months, 
 teaching the word of God among them. 
 
 12. ^ And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, 
 the Jews made insurrection with one accord against 
 Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, 
 
 13. Saying, ']l\\\% fellow persuadeth men to worship 
 God contrary to the law. 
 
 " Be not afraid^ It seems not 
 improbable, that St. Paul may have 
 intended to leave Corinth, when he 
 found himself strongly opposed by 
 the Jews. 
 
 10. " I have much people.'' This 
 expression evidently includes both 
 those who already believed, and those 
 who were hereafter to be converted 
 by St. Paul's preaching. It must be 
 referred to God's omniscience, and 
 may be compared with John, x. 16. 
 " Other sheep have I, but not of this 
 fold." The Gnostics abused this 
 text to support their predestlnarian 
 tenets.' 
 
 11. ^'- And he continued there.''' 
 Corinth became one of the principal 
 centres of Christianity in conse- 
 quence of the long residence of St. 
 Paul. Its situation and extensive 
 commerce well adapted it for 
 missionary purposes. It appears 
 certain that St. Paul visited many 
 cities, and established churches in 
 Achaia during this period. See 
 2 Thess. i. 4., and 2 Cor. i. 1. 
 
 " A year and six months.'''' This 
 must iie reckoned from the time 
 when St. Paul removed to the house 
 of Justus, to the end of his residence 
 at Corinth.'' 
 
 12. " GV////0." A brother of the 
 distinguished Roman jjliilosopher, 
 M. A. Seneca, the tutor of Nero. 
 
 Gallio was remarkable for sweetness 
 of disposition and graceful man- 
 ners.^ The pleasing tradition, that 
 he was converted by St. Paul (Mho 
 is also said to have corresponded 
 through him with his brother Se- 
 neca), is not founded on sufficient 
 authority.'* 
 
 " Tlie deputi/ of Achaia.'" The 
 title deputy, or proconsul, is a sin- 
 gular proof of St. Paul's accuracy. 
 Achaia, which at that time included 
 the whole of Greece south of Mace- 
 donia and Epirus, was made an im- 
 perial province under Tiberius^ and 
 therefore was governed, in this 
 reign, not by a pi'oconsul, but by a 
 procurator. Claudius, however, re- 
 stored it to the Senate", and Gallio 
 was, therefore, governor at this 
 time with the title of proconsul. 
 Had the passage been lost which 
 records this transaction, St. Luke 
 would have been accused of a mis- 
 statement. Undesigned coincidences 
 of this kind are the most convinc- 
 ing proofs of the authenticity of any 
 ancient book. 
 
 1.3. '' Sai/ing, This felloir," Sec. The 
 Jews appear to have availed them- 
 selves at once of the ap{)ointment of 
 the proconsul to try a plea, to which 
 they had probably been aware that 
 his predecessor would not attend. 
 The Roman law tolerated Judaism, 
 
 1 Didymns ap. Cramor, p. ."JOI. 
 '■2 Anger; Wicsclor, p. 45. 
 3 Scntca, Quc-est. Nat., iv. rra?f. ; Statins, 
 fi>lviE, ii. 7. 
 
 > C'.clpko, do Fainil, Sen. ct] Tauli, l>il3, 
 ap. Wilier. 
 
 ' Tac. Ann., i. 71. 
 f* Suet. Claud., p. 2r>. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIIL 
 
 203 
 
 14. And when Paul was now about to open his 
 mouth, Grallio said niito the Jews, ^ If it were a matter o ci . '2-. 2 
 of Avrong or wicked lewdness, O ?/e Jews, reason would 
 
 that I should bear with you : 
 
 15. But if it be a question of words and names, and 
 of your law, look ye to it ; for I v»'ill be no judge of 
 such matters. 
 
 16. And he drave them from the judgment seat. 
 
 17. Then all the Greeks took p Sosthenes, the chief p f°'^- 1- ^• 
 ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judg- 
 ment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things. 
 
 18. ^ And Paul after this tarried there yet a good 
 while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and . 
 sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and 
 
 and their object was to prove that 
 Christianity was not, and ought not 
 to be, included under that denomi- 
 nation. This verse merely states 
 the general purport of the accusa- 
 tion: the Jews argued, doubtless, 
 that the doctrines of St. Paul led to 
 innovations, which were contrary to 
 the Roman, as well as to the Jewish 
 law. 
 
 14:. '' And ichen Paul;' 8ic. Gal- 
 lio listened to the Jews, but finding 
 that the accusation had no reference 
 to civil offences, but to questions 
 of religion between the Jews and 
 Christians, whom the Romans re- 
 garded merely as a sect of the Jews, 
 he refused to take cognizance of the 
 matter, and therefore did not permit 
 St. Paul to make his defence. This 
 was in accordance with the general 
 maxims of Roman statesmen. 
 
 " Wrong, o?' rvicked lewdness." 
 An offence either against property, 
 or the laws of public morality. The 
 latter words refer probably to a 
 charge of imposition or sorcery, 
 which at that time excited much 
 attention, and was prohibited by 
 many imperial proclamations. Gal- 
 lio may have expected that some 
 specific charge of this kind would 
 be brought against St. Paul by the 
 Jews. 
 
 1 5. " Words and names, and of your 
 lan\'' A question that touched the 
 doctrines of the Jews would not in- 
 terest a Roman magistrate, who was 
 little concerned about the internal 
 affairs of a religion that was not 
 adopted, though tolerated, by the 
 state. The expression " names " 
 seems to imply that the Jews ac- 
 cused St. Paul of preaching Jesus. 
 
 17. '' All the Greeks." The Greeks, 
 who were not proselytes, hated the 
 Jews, and considered this contemp- 
 tuous dismissal to be a proof that 
 the proconsul slir.red their feelings. 
 The Roman provincial governors 
 frequently overlooked disturbances 
 which did not indicate any political 
 feeling against the empire.' 
 
 " Sosthenes." This was probably 
 the successor of Crispus, as there 
 appears to have been only one syna- 
 gogue at Corinth. Sosthenes ap- 
 pears also to have become a conveit 
 to Christianity a short time after this 
 transaction. See the marginal re- 
 ference. 
 
 18. " yl good while." In the ori- 
 ginal, "many days." The riot of 
 the Jews occurred therefore some 
 months before his departure. 
 
 " Into Syr'.a." See note v. 22, 
 
 1 Pricaeus ap. Kuinoel. 
 K 6 
 
204 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 Aquila; having <i shorn his head in ^' Cenchrea : for 
 he had a vow. 
 
 19. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: 
 but he himself entered into the synagogue, and rea- 
 soned with the Jews. 
 
 20. When they desired /lim to tarry longer time 
 Avith them, he consented not ; 
 
 21. But bade them farewell, saying, ^I must by all 
 means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem : but 
 
 " Having shorn his head." It was 
 customary among the Hebrews, 
 when they "were saved from any 
 gi'eat danger, to bind themselves by 
 a vow to offer sacrifice in the tem- 
 ple -within thirty days, and in the 
 meantime to shave their heads, and 
 abstain from ^viue.* St. Paul con- 
 tinued to observe those national 
 rites and ceremonies, -which were 
 not contrary to the Christian doc- 
 trine ; but he did this as a Hebrew, 
 not as a minister, or member of the 
 Church. He willingly submitted to 
 any forms or acts of self-denial, 
 -when there was reason to believe 
 that such conduct would mitigate the 
 prejudices of the Jews.- 
 
 " Cenchrea." The sea-port of 
 Coi'inth in the Gulf of Egina, about 
 ten miles from the city. There 
 was a Christian church in this 
 place, of which Phcebe (Rom. xvi. 
 1.) was a deaconess; and Lucius was 
 appointed by St. Paul as the first 
 bishop, according to an old tra- 
 dition.^ 
 
 19. "Ephesus.'' The capital of 
 Ionia, one of the richest and most 
 beautiful cities in the ancient world. 
 It was especially famous for the wor- 
 ship of Artemis, or Diana, whose 
 temple then was regarded as one of 
 the seven wonders of the world. 
 
 " And left tJicm there." Aquila 
 and Prisciila appear to have pos- 
 sessed, or to have purchased a house 
 in Ephesus, and to have been mainly 
 
 instrumental in extending the church, 
 which was founded at this time by 
 St. Paul. 
 
 20. " When they desired him.''' 
 The Jews, therefore, at Ephesus, ap- 
 pear to have listened to St. Paul's 
 preaching with more interest than 
 usual. This strict observance of the 
 law, shown by the vow which he 
 had undertaken, as well as by his 
 intention to attend the festival of 
 Pentecost at Jerusalem, may have 
 had some effect upon them, but 
 many were doubtless among those 
 who waited for the hope of Israel, 
 and, therefore, welcomed the herald 
 of Christ. 
 
 21. " Tlie feast that cometh." It 
 has been questioned -which of the 
 three great festivals is meant, but it 
 Avas undoubtedly the feast of Pente- 
 cost. St. Paul could hardly have 
 gone by sea before Easter, the navi- 
 gation being very dangerous and 
 uncertain at the early season, when 
 he must have left Corinth in that 
 case.* It was not his custom to un- 
 dertake a long journey for the pur- 
 pose of attending the feast of taber- 
 nacles. Nor would an attendance at 
 that festival have allowed sufficient 
 time for the journey which lie under- 
 took before he reached Ephesus 
 towards the end of the year. It is 
 possible that St. Paul may have car- 
 ried with him some contributions 
 from the churches of Achaia for the 
 poor of Jerusalem. 
 
 1 Joseph. B. I., il. 15. 1. 
 
 2 Calvin ; Anon. ; and Didvmus ap. Cra- 
 mer, p. 307. 
 
 Constit. Apost., vii. 4G. 
 W icseler, p. 49. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVHI. 
 
 205 
 
 I will return again unto you, ^if God will. And he t icor.4. 19. 
 sailed from Ephesus. jamesf ifia. 
 
 22. And when he had landed at Cesarea, and gone 
 UJ3, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. 
 
 23. And after he had spent some time there, he 
 departed, and went over all the country of " Galatia u (;ai. 1. 2. & 
 and Phrygia in order, ^strengthening all the disciples. ^'^,^'14 .^2 & 
 
 24. % y And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at i^--''-^.^!- " 
 Alexandria, an eloquent man, a7id mighty in the &3.^5,''6.^"&''^" 
 scriptures, came to Ephesus. xif.'s. 15. 
 
 " If God ivill. " From the note of 
 Chrysostom on this passage, it ap- 
 pears that most of the early fathers 
 literally observed the precept of St. 
 James (see marginal reference on 
 this point), and guarded all their 
 promises by expressing the condi- 
 tion, " by the -nill of God." 
 
 22. " A?id gone rip." That is, to 
 Jerusalem. St. Luke seldom relates 
 circumstances which may be natu- 
 rally inferred. On that occasion St. 
 Paul may be supposed to have given 
 a full account of the establishment 
 of the Gospel in Europe to the 
 Apostles, who appear to have invari- 
 ably celebrated the feast of Pente- 
 cost at Jerusalem. Many critics, 
 however, suppose that the occur- 
 rences of which St. Paul speaks in 
 the second chapter of the Galatians 
 took place at this visit. In that case, 
 Titus must have joined him on his 
 journey, as well as Barnabas.' But 
 I have little doubt that these circum- 
 stances are to be referred to the 
 journey of which an account has 
 already been given in the 15th 
 chapter. 
 
 " He went down to Antioch.''^ This 
 was the last visit of the Apostle to 
 this city, where so many important 
 events had occurred in his own his- 
 tory, and in that of the Church of 
 Christ. If, as I have assumed, the 
 events alluded to (Galatians, ii.) 
 took place on the previous visit, one 
 may be assured that the fusion of 
 Greeks and Hebrews in the Church 
 
 of Antioch was now completed, and 
 that the constitution of the Church 
 was definitively settled by St. Paul 
 before his departure. 
 
 23. " He departed, and went over" 
 &c. With these words St. Luke 
 commences his account of the third 
 great missionary journey of the 
 Apostle. As usual, he began by 
 revisiting, and completely organising 
 the churches which had been already 
 established by his instrumentality. 
 This journey must have occupied 
 some months. He left Jerusalem in 
 ]May, and arrived at Ephesus before 
 the winter, in September or October. 
 
 24. " Apollos, born at Alexandria." 
 This brief notice of Apollos alludes 
 to several important and interesting 
 facts. He was a native of the fa- 
 mous city, founded by Alexander in 
 Egypt, which was one of the largest 
 and most opulent in the world, where 
 also every branch of literature had 
 long flourished under the patronage 
 of the Ptolemies. Vast numbers of 
 Jews were settled there, and the fa- 
 mous version of the Old Testament 
 into Greek was made in that city, and, 
 as was said, at the request of Pto- 
 lemy Philadelphus, by seventy in- 
 terpreters, whence it is called the 
 Septuagint.'^ The Jews of Alex- 
 andria made considerable progress 
 in several branches of learning and 
 philosophy, but that advantage was 
 more than counterbalanced by the 
 introduction of lax, or, as they would 
 now be called, rationalising notions, 
 
 Wieseler, p. 181—204. 
 
 2 Prideaux, Connection. 
 
2oe 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 z Rom. 12. 11. 
 
 25. This man was instructed in the way of the 
 Lord; and being ^ fervent in the spirit, he spake and 
 taught diligently the things of the Lord, -'^ knowing 
 only the baptism of John. 
 
 26. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue : 
 whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took 
 
 shown especially by a mode of in- 
 terpreting Holy Scriptures which 
 derogated from its authority and 
 perverted its meaning. The works 
 of Philo Judseus, who lived there 
 during our Saviour's time, are re- 
 markable for the combination of an 
 Oriental system of philosophy with 
 an imperfect and corrupt form of 
 Judaism.' Still the speculations of 
 the best writers of the Alexandrian 
 school were capable of being turned 
 to a good use by those whose minds 
 were purified and enlightened by di- 
 vine grace. Apollos appears from this 
 verse to have been a man of com- 
 manding talents, and to have pos- 
 sessed a thorough knowledge of the 
 Holy Scriptures, with especial refer- 
 ence to the types and prophecies 
 which prepared him to recognize the 
 Messiah in the person of Jesus. 
 
 25. " lids man was instructed" 
 &c. Apollos may have been taught 
 by John the Baptist, or more pro- 
 bably by one of his disciples. The 
 disciples of John were very nume- 
 rous in some parts of Asia, and 
 formed a distinct community ; part 
 of them were absorbed into the 
 Christian Church, while part lapsed 
 gradually into wild heretical notions, 
 which were perpetuated in Asia by 
 their followers under the denomina- 
 tion of Sabeans, or brothers of St. 
 John."'* It appears that Apollos had 
 heard of the life, doctrines, and mi- 
 racles of our liord, and was con- 
 vinced that He was the Messiah ; but 
 it is doubtful whether he had heard 
 of the Resurrection, and certain that 
 he knew nothing of the transactions 
 which followed that event. 
 
 " Fervent in spirit." Apollos was 
 under the influence of the Spirit, 
 and his heart glowed with fervent 
 zeal for the honour of the Lord 
 Jesus, though he knew Him but im- 
 perfectly, and had not yet received 
 that fulness of spiritual gifts Avhich 
 is vouchsafed to man in Him.^ 
 
 " Knowing only the baptism of 
 John." Although it is not expressly 
 stated by these words that Apollos 
 had received this baptism, yet it 
 may be probably inferred from them. 
 He may have known that the dis- 
 ciples of our Lord baptized previous 
 to the Resurrection, but was not 
 aware of the new and peculiar cha- 
 racteristics of bantism of the Holy 
 Ghost.^ 
 
 " He began to speak boldly." About 
 this time Apollos came forward and 
 expressed, freely and unreservedly, 
 the indignation which he felt, be- 
 cause the Jews would not acknow- 
 ledge the fulfilment of prophecy in 
 the person of Jesus. 
 
 " Aquila and Priscilla." Pr.scilla 
 appears to have been endowed largely 
 with those spiritual gifts which are 
 bestowed on eminent believers for 
 the good of the Church. Without 
 taking any public part in the ministra- 
 tions of the Church, which would 
 have been contrary to apostolic dis- 
 cipline (see 1 Cor. xiv. 34.), she 
 was able to speak convincingly to 
 the heart on all suitable occasions, 
 and it may be on account of that 
 gift that she is even named before 
 Aquila in more than one passage of 
 Holy Writ. 
 
 " Took him vnto them." They re- 
 ceived him into their societv, and 
 
 ' rUtcr, G. I'll., iv. ; ami Dornor, i. 
 2 Hemsen, p. 214.; D'lk-rbelot, liiblio- 
 thdqiie Orientale, p. 721. 
 
 ^ Olshauscii. See also Ammonias ap. Cra- 
 mrr, p. :s\i. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIIL 
 
 207 
 
 liim unto them^ and expounded unto liim tlie way of 
 God more perfectly. 
 
 27. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, 
 the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive 
 
 him : who, when he was come, ^ helped them much b i cov. 3. 6. 
 which had believed through grace : 
 
 28. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that cc^,. 9.22. s. 
 publickly, <= shewing by the scriptures that .Jesus || was &ve;. 5. 
 Christ. IP'.-i^t'--^ 
 
 Aquila may also have admitted him 
 by baptism into the Christian Church. 
 
 " The way of God.'" Full instruc- 
 tion in all points of Christian doc- 
 trine was given after baptism, vrhich 
 required, as preliminary conditions, 
 a confession of faith in Jesus, and 
 renunciation of sins. 
 
 27. " When he ivas disposed." The 
 principal object of his journey to 
 Corinth, the capital of Achaia, was 
 probably to dispute further with 
 those Jews who had rejected the 
 preaching of St. Paul. Aquila and 
 Priscilla may have supposed that 
 they would be less prejudiced against 
 the ministrations of Apollos. His 
 eloquence and skill in the interpreta- 
 tion of Holy Scripture produced so 
 much effect upon the people in that 
 city, that, as we learn from the last 
 verse in this chapter, and from St. 
 Paul's epistles, the Church was in- 
 creased, and some converts were 
 even inclined to disparage the work 
 of the Apostle in comparison with 
 his. 1 Cor. iii. 4 — 7. But Apollos 
 retained his love and esteem, and ap- 
 pears to have been as free from pre- 
 sumption as St. Paul was from envy. 
 
 " Helped them Jiiuch." He gave 
 them great help and assistance in 
 their controversies with the uncon- 
 verted Jews. 
 
 " Through grace." These words 
 may refer to Apollos or to the be- 
 lievers. It is more probable that we 
 are to understand that Apollos was 
 enabled, by the grace of tlie Lord 
 Jesus, to help the Church effectually. 
 It is true that faith is of grace, but 
 the object of St. Luke in this passage 
 is rather to point out the cause of that 
 success, which should never be attri- 
 buted to the ability of the minister of 
 Christ. 
 
 28. " Convinced" Or thoroughly 
 confuted the Jews, who held that the 
 sufferings and humiliation of Jesus 
 were incompatible with the charac- 
 ter of the Messiah. 
 
 " Puhlichj." In places of public re- 
 sort, both in the synagogue, which 
 he attended probably for some time 
 after his arrival at Corinth, and in 
 other places where religious ques- 
 tions appear to have been openly 
 discussed. Since his arguments were 
 drawn from the Old Testament, his 
 hearers must have been Hebrews or 
 proselytes. 
 
 " By the Scriptures." By his ex- 
 position of the types and prophecies, 
 he proved to the conviction of every 
 candid inquirer that Jesus of Naza- 
 reth was the Messiah whom the 
 Jews expected. 
 
208 THE ACTS. CHAP. XVni. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 . St. Paul passes from a city famous for mental cultivation to one no- 
 torious, even among the heathen, for licentiousness. If there he made but 
 few converts, here success must have seemed, humanly speaking, to have 
 been impossible. But He who controlleth the will and affection of man 
 gathered unto Himself a Church, and established a kingdom of light and 
 purity in the midst of darkness and uncleanness. The minister of Christ 
 must never despond because of the apparent hopelessness of his efforts, nor, 
 on the other hand, mistake the speculative curiosity of worldlings for a pre- 
 paredness to receive the things of Christ. 
 
 2, 3. God is rich in consolations to his afflicted servants. It was doubt- 
 less a calamity for Aquila to be expelled from the city where he had made 
 his home ; but that exile brought him to St. Paul, and gave him and his wife 
 an occasion of taking part in the noblest work ever entrusted to a creature. 
 It will be remarked that Aquila did not find that commercial occupations, 
 though pursued with diligence in various cities of Europe and Asia, were 
 incompatible with close study of the AYord of God, with regular devotional 
 exercises, or with an active participation in the work of the Gospel. Nay, 
 those very occupations were the immediate cause of that close intimacy 
 with St. Paul, which was so long a source of mutual consolation to the 
 Apostle and himself. Let no man plead business as an excuse for the 
 neglect of religion, or fancy that devotion to God will exonerate him from 
 the duties and cares of common life. 
 
 4 — 8. The earnest and faithful preaching of the Gospel may for a time 
 appear to be unsuccessful, or may elicit vehement opposition, but it must 
 ultimately effect that work which is designed by its Author, and will not 
 return unto Him void. In the meantime a terrible responsibility rests upon 
 the hearers. If they be not cleansed of their sins by the blood of the 
 Atonement, they must bear the penalty. Their blood will be upon their 
 own heads. 
 
 9, 10. These two verses admit us into the secret pavilion of the Spirit, 
 where the Lord Jesus communes with His elect servants. He speaks in 
 tenderness to the infirmity, and in consolation to the despondency of his 
 afflicted minister; but we are permitted to observe that a loving care for 
 His people is the immediate cause of His interposition. He seeth of the 
 travail of his soul, and is satisfied, and pours out His spirit upon His mi- 
 nisters that they may make Him known unto men, for whom He poured 
 out His soul unto death. 
 
 11. In eighteen months the churches of Acliaia were planted and es- 
 tablished, and after a lapse of eighteen centuries the teaching of the AVord 
 of God is equally effectual for the conversion of mankind. Ihit that effi- 
 cacy is exactly proportioned to tlie degree of spiritual communion which is 
 maintained between the Lord in Heaven and His instruments on earth. 
 How earnest and unceasing should be the prayers of the Church in beluilf 
 of those who are called to labour in the vineyard, and to invite the maimed, 
 the halt, and the blind to partake of the heavenly banquet. 
 
 12, 1.'}. How vigilant and active, how fertile in resources and ingenious 
 in accusations, are the enemies of the Church. 'J'he Apostle is charged with 
 violating law because he preached the foundation and only true principle 
 of all law, viz., the love of man originating in, and sul)ordiuate to, tlie love 
 of (jod. 'J'he nu)st odious feature in tlie conduct of the Jews was one 
 which has been often reflected by the calumniators of the Church. They 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XVIII. 209 
 
 appealed to a law against Christians, -which they knew and felt to be cruel 
 and unjust when directed against themselves. 
 
 14 — 17. The contemptuous indifference of the Roman magistrate may 
 not excite so much indignation as the violence and bigotry of the Hela-ews ; 
 but it was in truth an indication of a state of heart and conscience not less 
 alienated from God. Hatred of religion, or blind sectarian zeal, proves that 
 the soul is in a diseased and disorganised condition ; but apathy is the pre- 
 cursor or symptom of spiritual death. 
 
 18. The law of Christian charity enjoins compliance with observances 
 which are not contrary to the revealed will of God. The strong brethren 
 will take care not to offend the consciences of the weak. But such com- 
 pliance must be strictly limited to things in themselves indifferent ; and acts 
 which in one age of the Church may be harmless or edifying, under other 
 circumstances may lead to superstition, and cause real offence to those 
 whom Christ died to save. 
 
 19 — 21. The actions and the words of St. Paul at Ephesus exemplify the 
 absolute dependence which all believers should feel upon their heavenly 
 Father. He did not remain there, notwithstanding the request of his coun- 
 trymen, seconded, as we may be assured, by the inclination of his own 
 heart, but proceeded, as he had been directed, to Jerusalem ; and though he 
 promised to return without delay, he guarded his promise with that con- 
 dition which, expressed or understood, should be kept constantly in mind 
 in speaking of the future : " for that we ought to say, if the Lord will, we 
 shall live, and do this, or that." 
 
 22, 23. How brief and simple are the incidental notices which enable the 
 thoughtful reader to appreciate the labours and exertions of St. Paul ! The 
 Apostle on this journey enjoyed a present reward, and reaped in part the 
 harvest of former labours, for he was enabled in those wide regions, so lately 
 the abode of darkness, to convey fresh supplies of grace and strength to the 
 children of light. 
 
 24 — 28. Each true minister of Christ has his peculiar vocation, and re- 
 flects with more or less of brilliancy some portion of the splendour that 
 surrounds the throne of Christ. In A polios we admire gifts that in all ages 
 have been made instrumental to the extension and edification of the Church. 
 The capacity to I'eceive and comprehend the teaching of Holy Writ, com- 
 bined with that spiritual eloquence by which its precepts are brought home 
 to the conscience, and its consolations applied to the heart and affections of 
 mankind ; those gifts, which were vouchsafed for the benefit of others, were 
 outward manifestations of the work of the Spirit in his own heart. They 
 were the expressions of a fervent zeal, alike anxious for the salvation of man, 
 and for the glory of God. And they were sheltered by one of the most genuine 
 and least questionable of all Christian graces, true humility, which taught 
 him to welcome instruction, and to submit his actions to the guidance of 
 those who had conversed with the Apostle of Jesus. Thus the grace of 
 God dwelt with him, and gave power and persuasion to the Word, so that 
 he mightily convinced the opponents of his Lord, and brought many souls 
 to the knowledge of the alone Saviour. 
 
210 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 After laying a broad foundation for the Church in Europe, St. Paul 
 returns to complete the first work which he had undertaken in his office 
 of Apostle of the Gentiles. He remains nearly three years at Ephesus, 
 which might then be regarded as tiie metropolis of Asia Minor. In this 
 city the superstitions of the Gentile world exercised the most powerful 
 influence over the human mind ; and the Apostle here contended with 
 idolatry in its strongest hold. 'J'he interest which the European Greeks 
 continued to feel in their national religion, was comparatively weak and 
 lukewarm, a matter of taste and habit rather than of conviction; but in 
 these provinces the worship of nature, personified in the Ephesian 
 Diana, was still celebrated with wild enthusiasm, and the pageantry of 
 gorgeous festivals, in the most magnificent temple of the ancient world. 
 It was, moreover, connected with the arts of divination and magic, which 
 have always possessed a strange fascination for the natural heart, and was 
 upheld for interested motives by a large and influential body of men, 
 whose existence depended upon frequenters of the shrine of the goddess. 
 The tumult recorded in this chapter was a precursor of many furious 
 persecutions, originating in similar causes, which filled the amphitheatres 
 of Asia with the blood of Christian martyrs, and ceased not until the fourth 
 century, when the triumph of the Cross was externally achieved on the 
 accession of Constantino. 
 
 a Cor. 1. 12. 
 
 .^ 1. And it came to pass, that, while ^ Apollos was at 
 
 "'' ■ Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts 
 came to E[)hesus : and finding certain disciples, 
 
 1. "While ApoUos ivas at Corinth." " Certain disciples." These persons 
 
 A polios remained there a consider- were probably in the same state of 
 
 able time, but joined St. Paul at comparative ignorance of the truth 
 
 Ephesus, before he wrote the first as A polios, when he first met with 
 
 Epistle to the Corinthians, a. d. .57. Aquila and Priscilla. They are 
 
 See 1 Cor. xvi. 12. called disciples, because they had 
 
 " IVie ypper coasts" or regions, been instructed in some elementary 
 
 The interior of Asia Minor is moun- truths, and recognized Jesus as the 
 
 tainous and elevated compared with Christ. They appear to have formed 
 
 the region about Ephesus.' The a distinct society when St. Paul found 
 
 route of St. Paul lay tlirough Cappa- them. The disciples of John were 
 
 docia'^ where we read of di,scii)les especially numerous in Egypt and 
 
 (iPet. i. 1.; Acts, ii.), to Galatia.and Asia Minor, 
 thence through Piirygia to Ephesus, 
 where he arrived late in the autumn. 
 
 1 Kuinofl, Olsh., &c. '■^ Wicselcr, p. .5: 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 21: 
 
 ch. S. 16. 
 See I Sain. 
 7. 
 
 2. He said unto them, Have je received the Holy 
 Ghost since je believed ? And thej said unto him, 
 ^ We have not so much as heard whether there be any 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 3. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye 
 baptized? And they said, ^Unto John's baptism. d ch. is. 25. 
 
 4. Then said Paul, ^ John verily baptized with the % Matt. .-.11. 
 
 , . p . "^ , , , John, 1. 15, 
 
 baptism 01 repentance, saying unto the people, that ^^, .m^ ^ 
 they should believe on him which should come after ^ J- 1^; ^ ^5- 
 him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 
 
 5. When they heard this, they were baptized ^ in the f ch. s. le. 
 name of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 2. " Have ye received the Holy 
 Ghost?"" This means not only the 
 spiritual gifts Avhich attested the pre- 
 sence, but the inward presence also. 
 It is true that they could not have 
 believed at all without the operation 
 of the Holy Ghost, but His indwell- 
 ing presence, in a peculiar sense, is 
 the privilege of Christians who be- 
 lieve and are baptized. 
 
 "TTe have not" &c. Their answer 
 may be understood to mean that 
 they had not heard of any peculiar 
 manifestations of the Holy Ghost. 
 If, however, they had been converted 
 from heathenism, or had been par- 
 tially instructed by the disciples of 
 St. John, they possibly might not 
 have known of the personal existence 
 of the Holy Spirit.^ The doctrine of 
 the Holy Trinity was not so revealed 
 in the Old Testament as to be an 
 article of faith. It was intimated, 
 and may be discovered there, but 
 onlv by those who read with the 
 light of Christ. 
 
 3. ^'Unto tchat.'' That is, unto what 
 confession of faith. Christian bap- 
 tism implies a previous recognition 
 of the great doctrines of the Holy 
 Trinity, including the personality of 
 of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 " Then." Since, as you say, you 
 have not known of the Holy Ghost. 
 It is evident that they called them- 
 
 selves Christians ; otherwise St. Paul 
 would Qot have expected them to 
 have received the gifts, or to have 
 kuownof the power of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 " U7ito Juhrfs baptism.'''' Unto that 
 system of doctrine and religion 
 which John taught, and sealed with 
 the right of baptism. 
 
 4. " John verily baptized.'"' St. Paul 
 points out to them that the baptism 
 of John was only a preparatory or- 
 dinance. It brought converts into a 
 state of training and preparation for 
 the Church, but not into the Church 
 itself. It sealed them as waiters for 
 Christ, but could not make them 
 members of Christ. St. John him- 
 self had always strongly insisted 
 upon the essential distinction betAveen 
 his baptism and that which would be 
 instituted by the Messiah.- 
 
 " That is, on Christ Jesus.'' These 
 words are added by St. Paul to prove 
 to them that the very profession of 
 believing John involved the duty of 
 believing in the Christ whom he an- 
 nounced, and that Jesus was that 
 Christ. St. Paul, doubtless, then 
 proved to them, from the fulfilment 
 of all types and prophecies in Jesus, 
 and from the acknowledgment of 
 John himself, that He was the true 
 ?ilessiah Avhom John announced. 
 
 .5. " They were baptized.'" The 
 anabaptists have drawn the inference 
 
 1 Olshausen. See TertuUian de Baptismo, 
 , 10, 
 
 2 Huxtable's Es'ay on the Ministry of 
 John the Baptist. 
 
212 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 g ch. 6. C. 
 ». 17. 
 
 h ch. 2. 
 
 10. 46. 
 
 1 2 Tim. 1. 
 
 2 Pet. 2. 2. 
 Jade 10. 
 
 m See ch. 9 
 & 22. 4. & 
 24. 14. 
 ver. 25. 
 
 6. And when Paul had slaid ///.s liands upon them, 
 the Holy Ghost came on them ; and ^^ thej spake with 
 tongues, and prophesied. 
 
 7. And all the men were about twelve. 
 
 8. ^And he went into the synagogue, and spake 
 boldly for the space of three months, disputing and 
 persuading the things ^concerning the kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 9. But ^vhen divers were hardened, and believed 
 not, but spake evil ™ of that way before the multitude, 
 
 from this verse that baptism can be 
 repeated without sacrilege. But that 
 notion rests upon ignorance of the 
 true character of Christian baptism, 
 which, as hath been shown, is quite 
 distinct from that of John. The 
 Scriptures teach expressly that there 
 is but one true baptism into Ciirist, 
 and the form cannot be repeated 
 without denying that communication 
 of the Holy Spirit in baptism which 
 followed, and was a result of the as- 
 cension of our Lord. 
 
 " In the name," or into the name. 
 By their baptism they recognized 
 Jesus to be tlie true Messiah. The 
 form of administration was of course 
 that appointed by our Saviour, "in 
 the name of the Father, and of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 6. "//(/f/ laid his hands." See note, 
 ch. viii. 16. The miraculous gifts 
 which followed the imposition of 
 hands, were intended for the benefit 
 of the Church ; they were evidences 
 of a new truth, and made the re- 
 ceivers efficient agents in its dissemi- 
 nation. But the inward operation 
 which these gifts attested, was for 
 their per.sonal benefit, and is i)erma- 
 nentiy attached to the rite of con- 
 firmation.' 
 
 " They spake with tongues." This 
 gift seems not to liave been perma- 
 nent. They spoke words and sen- 
 tences in unknown languages, in a 
 state of ecstasy or trance, under the 
 immediate inspiration of the Holy 
 
 Ghost. See notes on Acts ii. 4. ; x. 
 46. 
 
 " And prophesied." Prophecy was 
 a higher spiritual gift than that of 
 tongues, including inspired declai'a- 
 tions of God's will, revelation of 
 mysteries, and predictions of future 
 events. 
 
 8. "^e loent into the synagogue." He 
 commenced, as usual, by preaching 
 the Gospel to the Jews. 
 
 " Spake boldly, disputing and per- 
 suading." He spake unreseservedly, 
 without fear of persecution, and by 
 his arguments convinced and won 
 many hearers. Persuading means 
 more than teaching.^ 
 
 " T'hree months." Until the end of 
 the year. It was during this time 
 that the Epistle to the Galatians is 
 supposed to have been written.^ It 
 was certainly written after his second 
 visit to Galatia, and ahiiost imme- 
 diately. See Galatians, i. G. From 
 that epistle we may form an idea of 
 the sul)stance and method of his dis- 
 cussions with the Jews at Epl)esus, 
 and of the current of his thoughts 
 during this period. 
 
 9. '• Were hardened." They became 
 callous, and obstinately refused to 
 listen to his arguments. The Word 
 of God, when it does not penetrate 
 the heart, is the occasion of harden- 
 ing it by the rebellious struggles 
 which it provokes. 
 
 " Of that u-ay." Christianity is 
 frequently called the way — an ex- 
 
 1 Ilimls on the Rise and Early I'rogr^'ss of 
 Christianity, p. 175. 
 
 - IMcyer. 
 
 3 Wicselcr, pp. 280. 2SG. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 213 
 
 he departed from them^ and separated the disciples, 
 disputing daily in the school of one Tjrannus. 
 
 10. And "this continued by the space of two years ; n seecu 20. 
 so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of "" ' 
 
 the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 
 
 1 1 . And ° God wrouo;ht special miracles by the hands o Mark, ig. 20. 
 of Paul : 
 
 12. P So that from his body were brought unto the pcb.,5.1.';. 
 sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases de- ^■-■^y- 
 parted from them, and the evil spirits went out of 
 them. 
 
 pression which indicates a peculiar 
 course of life and conversation. That 
 ■way is defined by God's law, and en- 
 lightened by His Spirit. 
 
 " We departed from them." He 
 ceased to attend the Jewish syna- 
 gogue, and directed those who re- 
 ceived the Gospel to form a distinct 
 society. Thus the church of Ephesus, 
 like the body of which it formed a 
 part, was taken out of the synagogue, 
 and established among the Gentiles. 
 
 '■'■Disputing dailt/." These meet- 
 ings of the disciples took place not 
 only for disputing, or, as the word 
 should be rendered, discussing and 
 expounding the Holy Scriptures, but, 
 as we may be assured, for common 
 prayer and communion. 
 
 " The school of one Tyravmis." 
 This appears to have been a large 
 room, or hall, either belonging to 
 this Tyrannus, or named from him, 
 in which persons were accustomed 
 to attend lectures and discussions on 
 philosophical subjects.' It is not at 
 all probable that Tyrannus was a 
 Jew, as some late commentators 
 have supposed.^ 
 
 10. " Two years.''' The meetings 
 of the disciples appear to have been 
 held daily in the school during that 
 period. It is conjectured that St. 
 J'aul and his companions visited 
 many cities in Asia Minor, and 
 founded churches during these two 
 years. It is even supposed, and not 
 
 without strong reasons, that St. Paul 
 visited Macedonia, Corinth, and 
 Crete at this time.^ See the chro- 
 nological table. The first Epistle to 
 Timothy was then written in IMace- 
 donia. Titus was left in Crete, and 
 the epistle to him seems to have 
 been written shortly afterwai'ds at 
 Ephesus. 
 
 " All they ichich dwell in Asia.^^ 
 That is, the province of Asia, of 
 which Ephesus was the capital. See 
 note, ch. xvi. 6. This expression 
 proves that the " school" was open 
 to, and frequented by the visitors to 
 Ephesus, and that the mii'acles and 
 preaching of the Apostle had caused 
 the greatest excitement in that city 
 and the whole province. Jews and 
 Greeks were attiacted in great num- 
 bers to Ephesus, the former by its 
 commerce, the latter also by the 
 splendid ceremonies of the temple 
 of Diana. The term " Greeks " in- 
 cludes proselytes of the gate, and 
 other Gentiles. 
 
 11." By the hands." By his agency 
 or instrumentality. 
 
 12. " So that." This expression 
 clearly proves that the healing in- 
 fluences which were conveyed by 
 certain instruments or means through 
 St. Paul, came from God. It must 
 not, therefore, be supposed* that the 
 persons, whose faith was thus re- 
 warded, felt or acted superstitiously. 
 They had sufficient evidence to jus- 
 
 1 RosenmuUer, Kiiinoel, &c. 
 ■2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Jrlojh'Mm. Olshausen, S. header, 
 Wieseler, p. iiO. 2'J.% 
 
 4 With Olsliausen and Neaader. See 
 good note in Hemsen, p. 219. 
 
214 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 q Matt. V>. 2: 
 
 r See Mark, 9, 
 
 .-vS. 
 
 Luke, '.>. 4'J. 
 
 13. 1[ ^ Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exor- 
 cists, "^ took upon them to call over them which had 
 evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, AVe 
 adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. 
 
 14. And there were seven sons oi' one iSceva, a Jew, 
 a?icl chief of the priests, which did so. 
 
 lo. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I 
 know, and Paul I know ; but who arc ye ? 
 
 tify their faith, which resembled 
 that of the Moman ' who touched the 
 hem of our Saviour's r. he. The 
 hanikerchiefs and aprons, or linen 
 girdles ■■*, were signs and pledges of 
 the healing power bestowed by God 
 through his Apostles. 
 
 lo. '• Vayahunil Jeicv, exorcists." 
 Jews who went about from place to 
 place, wherever they were likely to 
 lind dupes of their fraudulent prac- 
 tices. These persons pretended to 
 have the power of expelling evil 
 spirits, and healing diseases, by the 
 use of certain words and magic 
 rites, which, as they asserted, were 
 handed down by tradition from Solo- 
 mon.-* The Jews were deeply infected 
 by this superstition, and some of 
 their rabbis taught tluit our Lord 
 performed His miracles by the power 
 of the holy name which was en- 
 graved on the seal of Solomon.'* It 
 is evident from this passage that 
 these hypocrites had observed many 
 miracles performed in the name of 
 the Lord Jesus. Their guilt con- 
 sisted in a sacrilegious use of a name, 
 which they felt to be divine, for the 
 sake of gain. It was tliis covetous- 
 ness that constituted the difference 
 between their case and that of those 
 who were suffered, tiiough not com- 
 manded, by our Lord to cast out 
 devils in His name. Matt. xii. 27. 
 
 " We adjure you.'''' 'I'liat is, we 
 bind you by an imprecation — charge 
 you in the name. Many instames 
 of such exorcisms are given in the 
 
 writings of Irenaeus, Justyn Martyr, 
 and other early fathers. 
 
 '• Whom Paul preacJietli." The 
 exorcists added these words in order 
 to distinguish Him from other per- 
 sons bearing the same name. It is 
 probable that the name of Joshua, of 
 Avhich Jesus was another common 
 form, Avas frequently used in such 
 incantations. 
 
 14. " Seven sons." This number 
 was held to be sacred, and may have 
 suggested, and given efl'cct to their 
 pretensions. 
 
 " Sceva." A Greek name, borne, 
 of course, in addition to his Hebrew 
 name. 
 
 '• Chief of the priests." He had 
 probably been the chief of on.' of the 
 twenty-four courses. The exorcists 
 were frequently persons whose educa- 
 tion and position should have taught 
 them tlie futility and evil of such 
 practices. 
 
 1.5. '• And (he evil spirit answered." 
 A clear proof of the personality of 
 the evil spirit. We often observe, 
 however, in such cases, a confused 
 state of the suft'erers' consciousness, 
 wlio speak as tliough they were itU-n- 
 tified with the evil spirit within 
 them.* 
 
 ''Jesus I hnon-."' The remarkable 
 fact that evil spirits recognize, and, 
 evidently under compulsion, confess 
 the power of Jesus, is attested in 
 many passages of the Gospels. Matt, 
 viii. 29. ; Mark, i. 24., v. 9.; Luke, 
 viii. 2r). 
 
 ' Troiu-li on tlic MirJi(li«, p. If 
 
 2 Woir. Cur. riiil., p. IJS'J. 
 
 3 ficinstn. 
 
 BMsnai^o, Ili-it. dos .Tiiifs. 
 Trnuh on ilic Miiacl.-s. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 16. And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped 
 on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against 
 them, so that tliey fed out of that house naked and 
 wounded. 
 
 17. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks 
 also dwelling at Ephesus ; and ^fear fell on them all, ^- 
 and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. f-^ 
 
 18. And many that believed came, and * confessed, t x 
 and shewed their deeds. 
 
 19. Manj of them also which used curious arts 
 brought their books together, and burned them before 
 all me?i ; and they counted the pi'ice of them, and found 
 it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 
 
 " Who are ye ? " That is, whence 
 did you receive authority to use that 
 name ? This proves that the name 
 is not represented as acting, like a 
 magical form, by an inherent efficacy. 
 Its operation depended, conditionally, 
 on the faith of the persons who used 
 it, and effectually on the will of Him 
 who bears it. 
 
 16. '■'' Leaped on them.'''' The great 
 muscular power developed by mad- 
 men in accesses of phrenzy is often 
 alleged in illustration of this and 
 similar passages. See Matt. viii. 128. 
 
 17. " Fear fell on them all.'" A 
 religious awe, such as prepares the 
 soul for saving impressions. 
 
 " The nanie icas macinifted." The 
 very failure of the attempt to abuse 
 that name causes it to be more cele- 
 brated and effectual in the conversion 
 of souls. It branded impostors, and 
 showed the reality and divine origin 
 of Paul's miraculous power. 
 
 18. '■'- Many that hel'ieved.''' ^lany 
 who became believers^ at that time 
 came forward and confessed how 
 much they had been addicted to 
 such superstitions and impostures. 
 Some commentators suppose, but 
 with less appearance of probability, 
 that these persons had been previ- 
 ously converted, but had continued 
 
 secretly to practise these arts.- True 
 repentance expresses itself in con- 
 fession. 
 
 19. '• Curious arts." The Ephe- 
 sians were especially addicted to cu- 
 rious, that is, magical arts.^ These 
 persons had made their livelihood 
 by incantations, philtres, astrological 
 calculations, soothsayings, &c. 'J he 
 words which they employed were 
 combinations of meaningless sounds, 
 called Ephesian letters, which were 
 supposed to have power over spirits/* 
 
 '• Their books." These were pro- 
 bably treatises on magic and astro- 
 logy, and other unlawful arts. 
 
 " And burned their books." This 
 was a very common practice among 
 the ancients, and especially when the 
 books contained impious and blas- 
 phemous dogmas. It was then a 
 tolerably effectual means of stopping 
 the evil, since manuscripts were 
 scarce and often unique. 
 
 " Pieces of silver." These were 
 probably drachmas, the common 
 silver coin of the country. The 
 value of a drachma was about 9(/. 
 The value of these books, so utterly 
 worthless in themselves, proves the 
 great prevalence of superstition, and 
 the vast influence of impostors in 
 that province. 
 
 • Meyer. 
 
 2 Kuinoe'. 
 
 3 liuiact', Epod. 
 
 •* Hesych. Etym. Jlagn. 5ft? Kuinoe! and 
 Hern sen. 
 
■»^ 
 
 1. '20. 
 
 22. 
 
 z ch. 18. 
 23. 11. 
 Rom. \b. 
 
 _2S. 
 
 21.5 
 2<. 
 
 a ch. 13. 
 
 5. 
 
 b Rom. 
 2 Tim. 4 
 
 IC. 2.^ 
 
 c 2 Cor. 
 
 1.8. 
 
 d See ch 
 
 . 9. 2. 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 20. " So mightily grew tlie word of God and pre- 
 vailed. 
 
 21. ^^ After these things were ended, Paul y pur- 
 posed in the spirit, when he had passed through Mace- 
 donia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I 
 have been there, ^I must also see Rome. 
 
 22. So he sent into Macedonia two of ^ them that 
 ministered unto him, Timotheus and ^ Erastus ; but 
 he himself stayed in Asia for a season. 
 
 23. And "^ the same time there arose no small stir 
 about ^ that way. 
 
 24. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silver- 
 
 20. ^^ Greio - and prevailed." The 
 former word marks the extension, 
 the second the energy of the Gospel. 
 Compare 1 Cor. xvi. 9., which was 
 written shortly afterwards. 
 
 21. " After these things were ended.'''' 
 This expression seems to denote the 
 termination of the period of two 
 years, and of the series of events re- 
 corded from verses 1 — 19. 
 
 " Purposed in the spirit." Resolved 
 in pursuance of an intimation from 
 the Spirit. 
 
 " When he had passed through." 
 This verse contains the first indica- 
 tion of St. Paul's intention in under- 
 taking? the last of his travels, to which 
 he alludes. Horn. xv. 23—28. It 
 will be seen that his purpose was 
 ultimately effected, though in a 
 manner not yet revealed to him, and 
 differing from his anticipations. 
 
 " / must also see Home." The ne- 
 cessity arose from his consciousness 
 of a divine intimation. St. Paul was 
 anxious to visit Rome, the metropolis 
 of the world, both because he was 
 the Apostle of the Gentiles, and be- 
 cause he was especially interested in 
 the church already established in 
 that city. 
 
 22. " He sent into 3I(icedtmia.", 
 His object was apparently to prepare 
 the churches for the collection which 
 he intended to make on that journey 
 for the poor of Jerusalem. See 
 1 Cor. xvi. 1 — 6. 
 
 " Erastus." If, as appears certain, 
 this is the same person who is named 
 
 Rom. xvi. 23., and 2 Tim. iv. 20., he 
 was a citizen of Corinth, holding a 
 high office there as steward or trea- 
 surer. It may have been on this 
 account that he was selected to ar- 
 range the contributions. 
 
 The first Epistle to the Corinthians 
 was written about Easter, after the 
 departure of Timotheus, who was 
 directed to return to St. Paul after 
 vi-^iting the churches through which 
 the Apostle intended to pass. See 
 1 Cor. xvi. 8. 11. From that passage 
 we learn how much St. Paul was 
 gratified by the success of the word 
 at Ephesus. 
 
 "i'or a season." Until Pentecost. 
 See the passage from 1 Cor. just 
 quoted. Apollos, Aquila, and Pris- 
 cilla, were then with St. Paul at 
 Ephesus. 
 
 23. " And the same time." Towards 
 the end of the season, or a short time 
 before Pentecost. 
 
 " That icay." Christianity. See 
 note, verse 9. The exj)ression is 
 peculiar to St. Paul and St. Luke. 
 
 24. '■'■ Demetrius, a silrersmllh" lie 
 appears to have had a manufactory, 
 in which small silver models of the 
 temple, with miniature statues of 
 Diana, were prepared. Persons vi- 
 siciug the shrine generally purchased 
 such models, and i)!aced them in their 
 houses on their return. The temple 
 at I'.phesus was exceedingly rich and 
 beautiful, and esteemed one of the 
 seven wonders of the world. Its di- 
 mensions M-ere 425 feet bv 22 5. It 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 217 
 
 vSmith, which made silver slirines for Diana, brought 
 
 ^ no small gain unto the craftsmen ; ech.i6. n 
 
 26. Whom lie called together "with the workmen of 
 like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know tliat by this 
 craft we have our wealth. 
 
 26. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at 
 Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul 
 hath persuaded and turned, away much people, saying 
 
 that ^they be no gods, wliich are made witli hands: isFr^V^u 
 
 27. So that not only this our craft is in danger to yj^''-^^^ ^ 
 be set at nouglit ; but also that the temple of the great 
 goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence 
 
 has quite disappeared, and its site 
 cannot be traced, although some 
 large columns in the Turkish mosque 
 are supposed to have belonged to it 
 formerly.' 
 
 " Diana,'''' or Artemis, "was wor- 
 shipped at Ephesus, as the goddess 
 of nature. In Greek mythology she 
 was represented as a huntress, and 
 identified with the morn. Tlie statue 
 at Ephesus was symbolical. The 
 goddess was represented with many 
 breasts, a turreted head-dress, and 
 legs bound together. This figure is 
 found on many coins. '^ 
 
 25. " The workmen." That is, the 
 artisans as distinguished from the 
 craftsmen or artists. 
 
 " Bij this craft we have our wealth." 
 Demetrius appeals at once to their 
 interests. This class of persons took 
 an active part in exciting the popular 
 feeling against the Christians on 
 many occasions. 
 
 26. " Much people.'" It is interest- 
 ing to trace the progress of Chris- 
 tianity by the attacks and admissions 
 of its enemies. 
 
 " 77/Ciy be no gods which," &c. 
 Modern writers are too apt to sup- 
 pose that idolaters worshipped statues 
 merely as symbols, or representations 
 
 of their gods. The fact is, that the 
 great mass of people held the images 
 themselves to be real gods — things 
 endued with divine power — as it 
 were, bodies of their gods. Hence 
 the artists were called god-makers.^ 
 Even the educated classes, who re- 
 tained any belief in the religion of 
 their country, supposed that the 
 im.ages were specially inhabited by 
 the gods."* 
 
 It seems remarkable that no attack 
 was made upon St. Paul by the 
 priests of the temple. They were 
 probably awai'e that the Apostle had 
 not infringed any law, and they ap- 
 pear moreover to have been indif- 
 ferent on the subject. 
 
 27. " But also}' The effect of St. 
 Paul's preaching upon the national 
 form of religion, which was after- 
 wards put forward as the chief ground 
 of accusation, is here introduced as a 
 secondary consideration. 
 
 '• T lie (J >• eat goddess Diana. ''^ This 
 was the regular form employed in 
 speaking of the idol. 
 
 '■'■Magnificence.'" Majesty, as shown 
 in a splendid ritual, and by the at- 
 tendance of multitudes of worship- 
 pers. 
 
 See Cliandlor and Hartlpy ; Miiller, Ar- 
 cbajolojjie, p. 57. Plin. H.N. xvi. 40. and 
 xxxvi. It. 
 ■^ Pictorial Bible, and Creuzer, Symbol, ii. 
 
 17'J. 
 
 3 Pollux Onom. i. 13. See especially 
 PliUarch de Isid. et Csir., p. 379. C .aid Livy 
 xxxviii. 43. ; Spanheim dll. H. Pall., p. 52 
 
 4 Hiimphvy. 
 
218 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 i Cor. 1. 14. 
 
 h oh. 20. 4. 
 27.2. 
 lol. 4. 10. 
 
 Philein. '^4. 
 
 should be destroyed, wliom all Asia and tlie world 
 worshippeth. 
 
 28. And wlien they Iieard these sayings^ they were 
 full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of 
 the E])hesians. 
 
 29. And the whole city was filled with confusion : 
 and having caught ^ Gains and ^^ Aristarchus, men of 
 Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed 
 with one accord into tiie theatre. 
 
 30. And when Paul would have entered in unto the 
 people, the disciples sutfered him not. 
 
 31. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were 
 liis friends, sent unto him, desiring liim that he would 
 not adventure himself into the theatre. 
 
 *' 77/e worldr Demetrius does not 
 exaggerate the celebrity of the Eplie- 
 sian idol. "Worshippers came from 
 all parts of the known world to her 
 shrine. 
 
 28. ''Full of wrath:' Selfish in- 
 terest and superstition acting in com- 
 bination have always caused the 
 fiercest persecutions. It should be 
 remarked that the motive which in- 
 fluenced them most powerfully Avas 
 that of which they were least con- 
 scious. 
 
 " Gams" St. Paul mentions Gaius 
 twice in his epistles. From Rom. 
 xvi. 23. we learn that St. Paul was 
 received at the house of Gaius at 
 Corinth, and that the; Church met 
 there. He may have been a native 
 of Macedonia, settled at Corinth. 
 
 "" Arisiarclius" accompanied St. 
 Paul to Rome and was imprisoned 
 with him. Philemon, 24. ; Col. iv. 10. 
 
 *' The tlieatreS' The theatres of the 
 ancients were buildings of innnense 
 size, in the open air, Mhere public 
 assemblies were regularly held on 
 great occasions.' The remains of the 
 theatre at Ephesus have been de- 
 scribed by recent travellers. It 
 is said to be a wreck of immense 
 
 grandeur, situate on a steep declivity, 
 the seats having been formed in suc- 
 cessive tiers on the sloj)e of a lofty 
 hill, and the whole building being 
 open to the sky. " I doubt not that 
 upwards of 30,000 persons could 
 have conveniently seated themselves. 
 Across the marketplace, at no great 
 distance, they would have a view of 
 the temple." - 
 
 31. " The chiefs of Asia" These 
 were magistrates elected by the cities 
 in Asia, who were called Asiarchs. 
 They paid the expenses of the public 
 games, at w^hich they presided, and 
 had also charge of the theatre. As 
 they were especially connected with 
 the annual solemnities in honour of 
 the Ephesian Diana, they would 
 probably be collected at Ephesus 
 when those solenmities were going 
 on ; that would be in the spriug or 
 early summer.-* 'i hey were persons 
 of great wealth and influence, and 
 knew that they would be held re- 
 si)onsible for any disturbance.' The 
 excitement would of course liave 
 been much increased by the ai>pear- 
 ance of St. Paul. That they Avere his 
 friends proves tliat the eftects of the 
 Gospel were not confined to the lower 
 
 ' See numerou.'j authcritics ap. Witslcin. 
 - Hartlpy's Ucsc;arclies, and li-Uows' Asi.i 
 Minor, |i. 'il\. 
 y Grebwell's Diss., iv. \^A. 
 
 ' Ilcmsin, p. 230. Siaulicim do Trapst. 
 Num.. t. ii.41U. Ktkhel Doct. Num., V. I. 
 iv. -JiO. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 219 
 
 32. Some therefore cried one thing, and some an- 
 other : for the assembly were confused ; and the more 
 part knew not wiierefore they were come together. 
 
 33. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, 
 
 the Jews putting him forward. And ^ Alexander i _i Tim. i.^a 
 ^beckoned with the hand, and would liave made his ^ ^h""! 2.1':. 
 defence unto the people. 
 
 34. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all 
 with one voice about the space of two hours cried out. 
 Great is Diana of the Epliesians. 
 
 35. And when the townclerk had appeased the 
 people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there 
 that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians 
 
 is I a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of [ g^. 'Ae <em;,/e 
 the image wiiich fell down from Jupiter ? 
 
 keeper. 
 
 or even middle classes. It does not, 
 however, appear probable that they 
 were baptized Christians. 
 
 32. " The more part knew not.'''' 
 The high situation of the theatre on 
 Mount Prion accounts for the ease 
 with which an immense multitude 
 was assembled. From every part of 
 Ephesus, the inhabitants would see 
 people rushing to the theatre, and 
 would of course hasten to know why 
 they assembled.' 
 
 33. ^'■Alexander.'" St. Paul men- 
 tions one Alexander, a coppersmith 
 of Ephesus (2 Tim. iv. 14.), but 
 that person was an enemy of the 
 Gospel, being very probably con- 
 nected by his trade with Demetrius. 
 This Alexander was evidently a 
 Christian- — he attempted to make 
 his defence ; whereas, had he been 
 an unconverted Jew, he would have 
 joined in accusing St. Paul. 
 
 3-t. " Knew.''' They perceived by 
 his appearance, that he was a He- 
 brew. The Gentiles hated the Jews, 
 and' confounded the Christians with 
 them. 
 
 " Tivo hours.'" The continued up- 
 
 roar is not at all surprising, consi- 
 dering the pains that had been taken 
 to excite the people. It has been 
 remarked that the reverberation of 
 their voices from the steep rock which 
 forms one side of the theatre, would 
 add very much to their excitement.'' 
 
 35. " The town chrk,'' or the 
 secretary of the council. He was 
 the chief native magistrate, who 
 kept all the public documents and 
 prepared all the public decrees.* 
 The Syriac version calls him prince 
 or chief of the city. 
 
 '• A worshipper." The expression 
 literally means a cleaner of the 
 temple, and very graphically de- 
 scribes the care bestowed by those 
 idolaters upon every thing connected 
 with their national religion. The 
 epithet is found on the coins of 
 Ephesus that were struck about this 
 tinie.^ 
 
 " Of the image that fell down from 
 Jupiter." In many ancient temples® 
 there were images which, as the 
 people believed, fell down from 
 heaven. In some places they were 
 very probably aerolites, but the 
 
 1 Hartley, Researches. 
 
 2 Olshausen, Meyer, and Wiaseler, 
 
 ^ Hartley, I.e. 
 
 4 Hemsen. p. 232. n. 36. ; Eckhel Doct. 
 Nuin.,iv. 2.57. 
 
 5 Gresvvell, Diss., iv . 154. 
 
 6 Wetstein, Hemsen, Kuinoel, &Cr 
 
 L 2 
 
220 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 I Or, tlie court 
 days are kept. 
 
 36. Seeing then that tliese things cannot be spoken 
 against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. 
 
 37. For ye have brought hither these men, which 
 are neither robbers of cliurches, nor yet bhisphemers 
 of your goddess. 
 
 38. Wherefore if Demetrius, and tlie craftsmen 
 which are with him, have a matter against any man, 
 II the law is open, and there arc deputies : let them im- 
 plead one another. 
 
 39. But if ye enquire any thing concerning other 
 matters, it shall be determined in a || lawful assembly. 
 
 40. For we are in danger to be called in question 
 for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby 
 we may give an account of this concourse. 
 
 41. And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the 
 assembly. 
 
 statue at Ephesus was of wood, either 
 ebony, or, according to Mucianus ', 
 vine wood. 
 
 36. " Cannot be spoken against." 
 A skilful address to their prejudices, 
 Avhich this magistrate did not share. 
 
 37. ^^ Bobhers of churches.'" Per- 
 sons who robbed temples were pu- 
 nished by death and cast out un- 
 buried. 
 
 " JVo)' yet blasphemers.'''' It is evi- 
 dent from this and many other pas- 
 sages that the apostles displaced and 
 subverted idolatry by preaching the 
 truth, and not by '• railing accusa- 
 tions." Their zeal was tempered, 
 not by any selfish consideration, but 
 by love. A direct attack on idola- 
 try would not only have subjected 
 thera to the highest legal penalties, 
 but have made the propagation of 
 the Gospel impossible without such 
 interposition of divine power as 
 seem to be incompatible with the 
 revealed purposes of God. 
 
 38. '• The laiv is ojien ,-" or rather, 
 as the margin has, the court days 
 are kept."* The courts were open 
 on stated days in the marketplace, 
 which adjoined the temple. 
 
 " There are deputies.''" Proconsuls. 
 This exj ression does not imply 
 there were more than one proconsul 
 at Ephesus, but that these causes 
 might be tried by such a magis- 
 tracy.' 
 
 39. " If ye enquire" &c. If any 
 general question, independent of the 
 private interests of Demetrius and 
 the craftsmen, should still remain to 
 be detei'uiined. 
 
 " A hwful assembly." An assem- 
 bly regularly convoked and presided 
 over by the magistrates,'' This was 
 an irregular meeting at which no 
 question could be legally deter- 
 mined. 
 
 40. " For ire are in danger." The 
 magistrate finally appeals to their 
 fears. They were Avell aware that 
 the Roman authorities watched their 
 meetings with much suspicion, and 
 suppressed the least indication of 
 seditions or disturbances with se- 
 verity. Thousands were often slain 
 on such occasions. The Roman law 
 made it capital to promote any riot- 
 ous meeting, 
 
 41. "//(,' distnisscd the assembly." 
 It has been doubted whether St. 
 
 • Plin. 11. N,, xvi. TO. 
 2 Suidas, 
 
 ^ Mpvpr ; Bcrnh,ird's Sjnt., r.9'2. 
 ■* Giotius. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 221 
 
 Paul alludes to this tumult. (1 Ephesus about this time, and as his 
 
 Corinth, xv. 32 — 34.) He had to expressions seem to imply personal 
 
 contend with wild and ferocious ene- sufferings, it is more probable that 
 
 mies, and was undoubtedly in great some irregular disturbances had al- 
 
 danger. Since we learn from Rom. ready broken out, of which St. Luke 
 
 xvi. 3, 4. that Aquila and Priscilla does not give an account,' 
 were also endangered, and left 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 6. This transaction with the disciples of Jolm should teach the great 
 preciousness of our privileges as Christians. God has been revealed to us 
 not merely as the Creator and Sovereign of the universe, but as the con- 
 verter and sauctifier of our souls. He hath disclosed His attributes of 
 mercy and love in the Person of His Son, and brought them home to our 
 hearts by the operation and personal indwelling of the Holy Ghost May 
 we not neglect that knowledge which He conveys by His word, nor forfeit 
 those blessings which He secui'es and bestows through His ordinances. 
 May the power of the Holy Ghost be effectual in us, and our attendance on 
 the means of grace be followed by that inward change of principles and 
 affections, of which the new tongues then spoken by the disciples, and their 
 prophetic utterances, were at once symbols and pledges to the Church. 
 
 8 — 10. The efforts which St. Paul made to convert his countrymen, his 
 brethren according to the flesh, exemplify the duties of Christians towards 
 those who are not yet persuaded of the things concerning the kingdom of 
 God ; the effect of those efforts should be a warning to those who ex- 
 perience any feelings of indifference or impatience when the Word is 
 preached. That Word either breaks and penetrates the heart, or hardens 
 it. No man hearing it, remains long indifferent ; he either separates him- 
 self from unbelievers, or speaks evil of the way of salvation. 
 
 II, 12. God can and often does convey great blessings, spiritual and 
 temporal, by means apparently weak and unsuitable. This is to teach us 
 not to attach undue value to any means, and not to let our thoughts rest on 
 them, but to direct our hearts to Him from whom alone cometh every good 
 and perfect gift. 
 
 13 — 17. The Holy name must not be used superstitiously. It is the will 
 of God that alone gives efficacy to any rite. It is folly to trust in any form 
 of which He has not sanctioned the use, and for which He has not prepared 
 the Spirit. It is a heinous crime to employ the forms of religion and His 
 holy name for any selfish and covetous considerations. The crime of sor- 
 cery may not be committed since the external operations of the evil spirit 
 have ceased ; but the guilt may be, and is not unfrequently contracted by 
 impostors and hypocrites. And their guilt is greater than that of the sons 
 of Sceva in proportion to the clearness of light vouchsafed to the Church. 
 
 18, 19. It rarely happens that any old sin can be forsaken without some 
 painful sacrifice. Sabbath breakers may be seriously injured in worldly 
 interests by closing their shops, fraudulent dealers by discontinuing their 
 
 Neander, Pf., p. 352 n. 2. 
 L 3 
 
222 THE ACTS. CHAP. XIX. 
 
 practices and making restitution ; but without such sacrifices we cannot enter 
 into the strait gate — we cannot bring any sinful habit into the kingdom of 
 heaven. It sliould also be remarked tliat no man has a right to sell to 
 others any property -which he has found detrimental to his own soul. If 
 the possessors of those books had sold them, they would have been respon- 
 sible for any evils which might have resulted. We must cast away the 
 unclean thing. 
 
 21, 22. Absolute dependence on God does not do away with the neces- 
 sity of prudent and well-matured plans. St. Paul arranged all his journeys 
 beforehand, and sent his attendants to prepare all things for his reception, 
 even while he knew that the purposes of God would inevitably be carried 
 into effect. That conviction, held in a right Christian spirit, sustains hope 
 and animates exertion, since all things must work together for the good of 
 His elect. 
 
 23 — 28. When Christian truth is introduced into a profligate community, 
 it must come into conflict with many existing interests, and persecution 
 will be the natural result. The practical application of this fact should 
 teach us to examine ourselves whether we encourage any disposition or 
 habits that are irreconcilcable with a thoroughly consistent spirit of reli- 
 gion. If we do, a conflict must come ; and unless we are prepared to 
 renounce them, we shall very probably be enrolled among the enemies of 
 the faith. But it is still more likely that we shall deceive ourselves into 
 the notion that we are opposing, not true religion, but a partial, or bigoted, 
 or mistaken view of its obligati(ms ; and perhaps adopt some specious sys- 
 tem to justify at once our retention of the evil habit and our persecution of 
 the unwelcome truth. 
 
 29 — 34. God frequently preserves His servant in times of danger by 
 means quite unforeseen and contrary to all expectation. While the turbu- 
 lent mob was roused by the interested malignity of the idol-makers, and 
 the Apostle was scarcely restrained from adventuring his life by the affec- 
 tionate anxiety of the disciples, God raised up friends and advisers for him 
 among the heathen, and overruled the passions and interests of his enemies, 
 so that the idolatrous magistrates became his apologists and defenders. The 
 providential government of the world abounds, doubtless, in such interpo- 
 sitions, althougli the weakness of our faith or love too frequently prevents 
 us from recognizing His protecting hand. 
 
 35 — 40. This discourse admirably illustrates the character of the na- 
 tural man. He has a sense of moral, and especially of legal justice, but 
 that sense is not strong enough to induce him to defend, or to desist from 
 injuring persons wrongfully accused, unless his passions are soothed by 
 flattery and subdued by fear. The art of the heathen orator consisted 
 mainly in skilful management of those affections ; but shame to the Chris- 
 tian if he cannot be won to active exertions in well-doing by the principle 
 of love. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 223 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The sacred historian now conducts us toward the close of the public and 
 active ministry of the Apostle of the Gentiles. His work has hitherto 
 been to propagate the Gospel by personal exertions, by preaching and 
 working " signs and wonders," and by demonstration of the " Spirit and 
 power" in regions, which lay in darkness and in the shadow of death. 
 Henceforth it is appointed to him to follow in another path the tracks of 
 Him, whose example has been his guide and support from the period of 
 his conversion. He is to teach by suffering, to advance through ways 
 beset with trials and temptations, until he reaches the mark of the prize 
 of his high calling, and receives the crown of martyrdom. In this chap- 
 ter we hear the last charge which he is known to have delivered to 
 the ministers of the Church. In no discourse do we find moi-e proofs of 
 that eloquence which won the admiration even of the Platonist Longinus. 
 But its chief attraction for Christians should be that it breathes the same 
 spirit which pervades the last addresses of our Lord recorded by the be- 
 loved disciple. Its solemn warnings have resounded in the conscience 
 of every faithful minister, while its tender and affectionate exhortations 
 cause the heart of every believer to vibrate with spiritual emotions. 
 
 1. And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto 
 
 him the disciples, and embraced them, and '^ departed a icor. 1(7.5. 
 
 for to go into Macedonia. 
 
 2. And when lie had gone over those parts, and 
 
 1. ^^ And after the uproar tvas 
 ceased.^' It does not state, nor is it 
 probable, that St. Paul left Ephesus 
 earlier on account of the uproar. It 
 was previously his intention to 
 " tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost." 
 See 1 Cor. xvi. 8. 
 
 '"'■ Embraced them." Took an af- 
 fectionate farewell. This was an 
 usual expression for leave-taking 
 among the Greeks. 
 
 2. " And when he had gone over 
 these parts." From St. Paul's Epistles 
 we learn several additional parti- 
 culars of this journey. The Apostle 
 remained some time at Troas, where 
 lie preached the Gospel with great 
 success, but left earlier than he in- 
 tended, because Titus did not meet 
 him as he expected. 2 Cor. li. 12, 
 
 L 
 
 15. Timothy joined him, either 
 there or in Macedonia (2 Cor. i. 1.); 
 and Titus met him, probably at Phi- 
 lippi, bringing him an account of 
 the effect of his first Epistle to the 
 Corinthians. On that occasion St. 
 Paul wrote the second Epistle to the 
 same Church, in which we find many 
 proofs of the great zeal and liberality 
 of the Churches in Macedonia and 
 Achaia. See 2 Cor. viii. 9. Saint 
 Paul passed the summer and autumn 
 in Macedonia, and visited all the 
 provinces " round about unto Illy- 
 ricum." Rom. xv. 19. He attributes 
 the success of his preaching to the 
 " mighty signs and wonders, by 
 which he made the Gentiles obe- 
 dient by the power of the Spirit of 
 God." 
 4 
 
224 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 b ch. 9. So. & 
 
 '^r,. ly. & '2,5. 5. 
 
 '^Cor. 11. 26. 
 
 c ch. 19. 29. & 
 27. 2. 
 Col. 4. 10. 
 
 d ch. 19. 29. 
 
 e ch. 16. 1. 
 
 f Ephe^. 6. 21. 
 Col. 4. 7. 
 2 Tiin. 1. 12. 
 Tit. .-. IV. 
 
 had given them much exhortation, he came into 
 Greece, 
 
 3. And there abode three months. And ^ when the 
 Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into 
 Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. 
 
 4. And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of 
 Berea ; and of the Thessalonians, ^ Aristarchus and 
 Secundus ; and ^ Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus ; and 
 of Asia, ^Tychicus and s Trophimus. 
 
 5. These eoinof before tarried for us at Troas. 
 
 " With much exhortation^ Com- 
 pare St. Paul's expressions, Rom. xv. 
 15—19. 
 
 " Came into Greece" He arrived, 
 towards the end of the year, at Co- 
 rinth, the capital of Achaia, which 
 included all the countries of Greece 
 south of Macedonia. 
 
 3. " Three months.''' During that 
 time St. Paul resided chiefly at the 
 house of Gaius, where the Church 
 was assembled. Pi.om. xv. 23. The 
 organization of the Churches in Acha- 
 ia, and the settlement of the various 
 questions that had arisen, must have 
 occupied considerable time. The 
 Epistle to the Romans was undoubt- 
 edly written at this time, and sent to 
 Rome by Phoebe, a deaconness of the 
 church at Cenchrea. Rom. xvi. 1. 
 
 " When the Jews laid wait for him.'' 
 The Jews generally settled in great 
 numbers at seaports for the sake of 
 commerce, and their occupation would 
 give them peculiar influence over the 
 captains and owners of merchant ves- 
 sels, in which St. Paul must have 
 sailed. They might, therefore, form 
 the project of seizing him. or murder- 
 ing him, at Cenchrea, with great 
 probability of success. 
 
 '■'Into Si/ria" — on the way to 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 " ThroiKjh Macedonia.'' St. Paul 
 must have travelled raj)idly to Plii- 
 lippi, as he left Corinth in March. 
 It is supposed ' that St. Paul re- 
 turned through Macedonia, in order 
 
 to receive the collections of the 
 Churches which had not reached 
 Corinth before his departure, which 
 took place probably a month earlier 
 than he had previously intended. 
 The sea was not considered navi- 
 gable before the 28th of March. 
 
 4. " Info Asia." Or vmto the 
 borders of Asia; that is, to the last 
 place whence people crossed over 
 into Asia, viz. Philippi.- 
 
 " Sopater." Probably the same as 
 Sosi pater, a kinsman of St. Paul. 
 See Rom. xvi. 21. 
 
 " Gaius of Derbe." It is question- 
 able whether this Gaius is to be dis- 
 tinguished from Gaius of Corinth : 
 nor is it certain whether the words 
 " of Derbe " should not be referred 
 to Timotheus.' 
 
 " Tychicus." Eph. vi. 21, 22. 
 Ty chic us, " a beloved brother, and 
 faithful minister of the Lord," ac- 
 companied St. Paul to Rome, whence 
 he was sent with the Epistle to the 
 Ephesians. 
 
 " Trophimus," an Ephesian, much 
 beloved by the Apostle. See 2 Tim. 
 iv. 20. Both Tychicus and Tro- 
 phimus were Gentiles, natives of the 
 proconsular province of Asia. 
 
 .'5. " These (foing before." They 
 went, probably, to prepare the 
 Churches for St. Paul's visit, which, 
 of course, was not expected at that 
 time. 
 
 " For lis." St. Luke, who had re- 
 mained at Philippi (xvi. 10.), now 
 
 TIcmsen, p. 4GS. 
 Wicseler, p. '^'J3. note. 
 
 3 Erncsti, Viilckn, Olsfiausen, Wieseler. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 225 
 
 G. And we sailed away from Philippi after ^ the h Exod^i2. h, 
 days of unleavened bread, and came unto them Mo i Jj,. jgrs.^ 
 Troas in five days ; where we abode seven days. 2Xi^5i3u. 
 
 7 And upon ^ the first day of the week, when the t icor. 16.2, 
 disciples came together ^ to break bread, Paul preached , ^j," 2' 42^ ^g, 
 unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and con- ^\^^^'^'•^,^• 
 tinued his speech until midnight. 
 
 8. And there were many lights "^in the upper m ch. 1. lo. 
 chamber, where they were gathered together. 
 
 rejoined St. Paul, and was not again 
 separated from him until the end of 
 his life. To the long ministry of St. 
 Luke at Philippi (from a. d. 52 to 
 A.D. 58), we may attribute partly 
 the peculiar affection for St. Paul, 
 which that Church proved always by 
 word and deed, and the faithfulness 
 which the Apostle commends so 
 highly. See Philip, i. 3—7., 29—3 1. ; 
 iv. 1., 10., 14-16. 
 
 6. " After the days of unleavened 
 bread." The passover, Avhich the 
 primitive Christians observed' in 
 commemoration of the death and re- 
 surrection of their Lord, of which 
 the paschal lamb and deliverance 
 from Egypt were types. The 15th 
 of Nisan, on which the passover was 
 slain, took place this year on the 
 28th of March. St. Paul appears to 
 have left Philippi on the 5th of 
 April.* 
 
 " In fee days." This was a much 
 longer time than was usually re- 
 quired. See Acts, xvi. 12. The 
 weather was probably rough with the 
 equinoctial gales. 
 
 " Seven days." During that time 
 St. Paul doubtless completed the or- 
 ganization of the Church, which he 
 had established on his former visit. 
 See note, ver. 2. Chrysostom accounts 
 for St. Paul's stay in this inconsider- 
 able city by the number of believers. 
 
 7. " Upo7i thefrst day of the week." 
 Sunday was already observed uni- 
 versally by the Church as the Lord's 
 day. The collections for the relief 
 
 of the poor, and other religious pur- 
 poses, were then made at the offer- 
 tory. 
 
 " To break bread." To receive the 
 Eucharist, The disciples who re- 
 sided at Troas, of course, met daily. 
 On the Lord's day it is probable 
 that disciples from the neighbouring 
 places were usually assembled^ (as 
 on this solemn occasion) at the city, 
 where the sacraments were admi- 
 nistered by the chief presbyter, and 
 afterwards by the bishop of the dis- 
 trict. In course of time, ministers 
 were appointed for villages and 
 country districts. 
 
 *• Preached unto them." The ex- 
 pression used in the original does not 
 mean that he preached a continuous 
 discourse, but that he conversed with 
 them on religious subjects. 
 
 " Until nddniglit." The commu- 
 nion service appears to have been 
 celebrated some time after the love- 
 feast, or common banquet of the 
 members of the Church. On this 
 occasion it may have been delayed 
 until midnight, in order that the 
 Apostle might administer it to the 
 disciples, and partake of it together 
 with them, immediately before his 
 departure. It will be remembered 
 that he was taking a last farewell of 
 the Churches in this region, which 
 he knew that he should never visit 
 again. See verse 25. 
 
 8. '■'■ There were many lights." This 
 was usual on solemn occasions. It 
 seems to be mentioned to show that 
 
 1 See note, xii. 4. 
 
 2 Wiessler, p. 113. 
 
 3 Justin Martyr, Apol, ii. 228. ; Mosheim 
 de reb Ch. a Cous., p. 116. 
 
 L 5 
 
22a 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 n 1 Kings, 17. 
 -i Kings, 4.54. 
 o Matt. 9. 24. 
 
 9. And there sat in a window a certain young man 
 named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep : and 
 as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, 
 and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up 
 dead. 
 
 10. And Paul went down, and "fell on him, and 
 embracing him said, ° Trouble not yourselves ; for his 
 life is in him. 
 
 11. When he therefore was come up again, and had 
 broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even 
 till break of day, so he departed. 
 
 12. And they brought the young man alive, and 
 were not a little comforted. 
 
 13* i[ And we went before to ship, and sailed unto 
 Assos, there intending to take in Paul : for so had he 
 appointed, minding himself to go afoot. 
 
 the meeting was not secret or clan- 
 destine, as the adversaries of Chris- 
 tians were wont to assert. 
 
 9. " In a loindow." The windows 
 were mere openings in the wall, to 
 admit light. They had no glass, but 
 were generally protected by lattices, 
 which might be opened or removed' 
 
 '■^ Being fallen into a deep sleep." 
 St. Luke uses a strong expression, 
 which he repeats, to describe the 
 overpowering effect of sleep. 
 
 " From the third loft,''' or story. 
 Large houses were built with several 
 stories, and were generally square, 
 inclosing an open court, upon which 
 the windows opened.^ 
 
 " Was taken up dead." The ex- 
 pression, in the original, leaves no 
 doubt that he was really dead : it 
 means a corpse. 
 
 10. '■'■ And fell on him." Compare 
 1 Kings, xvii. 21. 
 
 " His life is in him. " These words 
 are mysterious. The soul, the prin- 
 ciple of life, may not have departed, 
 although the energy of life had been 
 suspended, and could not be restored 
 without a miracle.-' It is certain that 
 St. Luke would not have recorded 
 
 this event, had he not known it to be 
 miraculous. Chrysostom directs at- 
 tention to tlie expression used by the 
 Apostle. " He does not say he will 
 be restored to life, for I will raise 
 him ; but observe how unpretending 
 and consolatory are his words — His 
 life is yet in him." Compare our 
 Lord's words in reference to the 
 daughter of Jairus. 
 
 11. '■'•And had broken bread" or 
 the' bread. The celebration of the 
 Lord's Supper appears to have been 
 interrupted by the fall of Eutychus. 
 
 '■'■ Even until break of day." "In 
 watchings often." 
 
 12. " Were not a little comforted." 
 They were rejoiced at the safety of 
 Eutchyus, and confirmed in faith by 
 the miracle. 
 
 13. " We." St. Luke and the 
 other companions of St. Paul. 
 
 " Assos." A seaport of Mysia, 
 opposite to Lesbos, about thirty-six 
 miles from Troas. It is now a poor 
 village called Beiram.'' 
 
 " To go afoot." The reason is 
 not stated. St. Paul may have suf- 
 fered by the late rough voyage, or 
 he may have wished to visit some 
 
 1 Joromn on Fzok., xli. IG. 
 
 2 Wilier, i. 4(iG. 
 
 3 Trench on the Miracles, p, 18G. 
 
 ^ Tiachondorf and Meyer. 
 5 Winer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 227 
 
 14. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him 
 in, and came to Mitylene. 
 
 15. And we sailed thence, and came the next day 
 over against Chios ; and the next day we arrived at 
 Samos, and tarried at Trogjllium ; and the next day 
 we came to Miletus. 
 
 16. For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, 
 because he would not spend the time in Asia : for Phe p 
 hasted, if it were possible for him, i to be at Jerusalem ^. 
 ^ the day of Pentecost. "^ 
 
 17. ^ And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, andi 
 called the elders of the church. 
 
 place on the way. Chrysostom sup- 
 poses that his object was to prepare 
 them by degrees for a final separa- 
 tion. 
 
 14. " Mitifleiie^ A beautiful city 
 on the east coast of Lesbos, which 
 derives its modern name from this, 
 its ancient capital. The ruins are 
 described by modern travellers ' 
 Castro, which is at present the capital 
 of the island, is built on the site of 
 the ancient city. 
 
 15. " Chios.^' Now called Scio, 
 between Lesbos and Samos, a large 
 n d beautiful island.- 
 
 " Samos." An island on the coast 
 of Lydia, famous for the temple of 
 Juno and the birthplace of Pytha- 
 goras. 
 
 " Trogi/Uium." A town and pro- 
 montory of Ionia, opposite Samos. 
 It terminates the height of Mycale.* 
 
 " Miletus " The ancient capital 
 of Ionia, at a short distance, about 
 twenty-eight miles ', south of Ephe- 
 sus. It is described by a writer of the 
 last century as "a very mean place, 
 but still called Palat, or the Palaces. 
 The principal relic of its former 
 magnificence is a ruined theatre, 
 which is visible afar off, and was a 
 most capacious edifice. The whole 
 site of the town, to a great extent, is 
 spread with rubbish, and overrun 
 
 with thickets. The vestiges of the 
 heathen city are pieces of wall, 
 broken arches, and a few scattered 
 pedestals, inscriptions, &c. There 
 are some fragments of Christian 
 churches, and a number of forsaken 
 mosques."^ According to later au- 
 thorities, there are nov/ no remains 
 of the city, and the site is said to be 
 covered by a lake, formed by the 
 Meander, at the foot of Mount Lat- 
 mos." So passes the glory of the 
 world. St. Paul may have reached 
 Miletus, from Trogy Ilium, about 
 mid-day. 
 
 16. '' To sail />-//." To pass with- 
 out visiting Ephesus. It was now 
 Thursday, the 20tli of April, and 
 St, 'Paul intended to reach Jerusalem 
 before the 15th of May. He could 
 not therefore have calculated upon 
 having sufficient time to visit a place 
 where so many important affairs would 
 have detained him.' It is evident 
 that the vessel was entirely at St. 
 Paul's disposal, and had been hired 
 specially for this journey. 
 
 17. '■'• And called the elders vf the 
 church." It appears that these elders 
 were either the presbyters of the 
 several congregations in Ephesus, 
 when the numerous converts could 
 scarcely be assembled in one house, 
 or that they were the bishops of the 
 
 1 Sonnini and Tournefort. 
 
 2 Chandler -, and Scripture Topography, 
 p. 277. 
 
 3 Strabo, xiv. G3G. 
 
 Biscoe, p. 242. 
 
 ( liandler, Asia Minor, 
 
 Winer. 
 
 Wiese'er, p. 118, 
 
 L 6 
 
228 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 ch. 18. 19. & 
 
 19. 1, 10. 
 
 18. And when tliej were come to him, he said unto 
 them, Ye know, ^ from the first day that I came into 
 Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all 
 seasons, 
 
 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and 
 with many tears, and temptations, which befell me *by 
 the lying in wait of the Jews : 
 
 20. And how ^^ I kept back nothing that was profit- 
 
 churches established during St. Paul's 
 ministry in the province of Asia. 
 Irenseus' says expressly, "The bi- 
 shops and presbyters of Ephesus, and 
 the other neighbouring cities, were 
 convoked on this occasion at Ephe- 
 sus." That father was closely con- 
 nected with Asia Minor, and not at 
 all likely to be mistaken or misin- 
 formed. The offices of bishop and 
 presbyter may not have been en- 
 tirely separated so long as the 
 Apostles retained the government of 
 the Church ; but at the earliest dawn 
 of ecclesiastical history we find the 
 episcopal authority universally esta- 
 blished : and in the provinces of 
 Asia Minor, we learn from St. John- 
 that each of the seven great churches 
 was governed and represented by its 
 own bishop or angel. 
 
 '■'He said unto tliem." This ad- 
 dress of St. Paul must be regarded 
 as the type of the admonitions and 
 exhortations addressed by the Apos- 
 tles to the ministers of churches. It 
 has been remarked that St. Luke re- 
 cords such discourses of the Apostle 
 as give a correct impression of his 
 mode of speaking to ditferent classes 
 under varying circumstances. This 
 is a grave and authoritative, yet 
 most affectionate charge to his sub- 
 ordinate ministers, on leaving his 
 flock. 
 
 " Yc know." The word ye. is cm- 
 ])hatic. He appeals to their personal 
 knowledge. 'J'hey had heard of his 
 general character, but they had 
 witnessed his conduct in Asia. 
 
 19. " With all humility.'" The 
 
 exercise of such high power and 
 authority as devolved upon an 
 Apostle was tempered by deep per- 
 sonal humility. St. Paul magnified 
 his office, but not himself. 
 
 '•'■Many tears."" Caused chiefly, 
 if not entirely, by his affectionate 
 anxiety for the salvation of his un- 
 believing countrymen: as the Apos- 
 tle declares in the Epistle to the 
 Romans, which was written a few 
 months before this time, " I have 
 great h.eaviness, and continual sor- 
 row in my heart," on account of the 
 brethren. 
 
 '■'■And temptations,^' or trials, per- 
 secutions. St. Paul does not allude 
 to his dangers from the Gentiles ; 
 they had not terrified nor hurt him : 
 the persecutions of his countrymen 
 affected him to the heart. It should 
 be remarked, that St. Luke, on the 
 contrary, has recorded the former, 
 and does not notice the latter. The 
 historian dwells on the facts which 
 affect the general condition of the 
 Church, the Apostle upon those which 
 touch the spiritual state of his coun- 
 trymen. 
 
 20. " / kept hack nothing." St. 
 Paul had preached unreservedly 
 those doctrines which specially ex- 
 cited the indignation of the Jews. 
 He was not ashamed of the Cross of 
 Christ, which Avas to them " a stum- 
 bling-block." 
 
 " l'u/)lirh/." In the school of 
 Tyrannus, and doubtless in other 
 places of public resort. 
 
 " From house to house " This may 
 mean in private houses. It seems 
 
 > IH. c. 14. §2. Sec Nc.-indiT, p. 374. 
 
 2 Revelations. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 229 
 
 able unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught 
 you publickly, and from house to house, 
 
 21. ^Testifying both to the Jews, and also to thexch. is. 5. 
 Greeks, y repentance toward God, and faith toward our L^ke^^'i.'^if- 
 Lord Jesus Christ. ''' • '• ^^• 
 
 behold, ^ I ofo bound in the 
 
 not knowino; the things that 
 
 spirit z ch. 19. 
 shall 
 
 22. And now, 
 unto Jerusalem, 
 befall me there. 
 
 23. Save that ^ the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every 1 xhWs.'s*',- 
 city, saying that bonds and afflictions || abide me. fo?mc!"''* 
 
 24. But ^none of these things move me, neither b ch. 21. r-. 
 count I my life dear unto myself. ^ so that I might ^cor. 4.Th. 
 finish my course with joy, ^ and the ministry, ^ which " ^Tim. 4. 
 I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gos- i!Cor.4. i.' 
 pel of the grace of God. 1^^=^'; i; ^ 
 
 more probable, however, that St. 
 Paul speaks of the houses where 
 the Christian assemblies' met at 
 Ephesus. 
 
 21. "To the Greeks^ To the 
 Gentiles who, whether of Greek 
 origin or not, spake that language. 
 
 '■''Repentance toward God.''' The 
 first object of the Apostle was to 
 make all men, Jews and Gentiles 
 alike, sensible of their alienation 
 from God, and so to turn their hearts 
 to Him in penitent sorrow. The 
 Jews were alienated by sin, espe- 
 cially pride and self-righteousness ; 
 the Gentiles by idolatry and licen- 
 tiousness. 
 
 22. " Bound in the Spirit" Act- 
 ing under the constraining influence 
 of the Holy Ghost. The word in 
 expresses this more truly and fully 
 than bi/.''^ He was not moved by a 
 merely external influence, but moved 
 and acted in the Spirit. 
 
 " Not knowing.'" The results, but 
 not the circumstances, were re- 
 vealed. 
 
 23. " The Holy Ghost iviinesseth." 
 This may allude either to internal 
 communications and visions revealed 
 to the Apostle, or to the utterances 
 of prophets. The expression, " in 
 
 every city," seems rather to imply 
 the latter. 
 
 " Abide me.'" It is not said 
 whether at Jerusalem or elsewhere. 
 St. Pauls faith was tried by a general 
 apprehension of calamity. These 
 warnings were not intended to deter 
 him, but, as we may conjecture, to 
 make his calm, cheerful submission 
 to the Divine will, publicly known to 
 the Church. His example was well 
 followed by many noble martyrs, 
 among whom Polycarp and Ignatius 
 are known in all the Churches. 
 
 24. " J/ore me." Are taken into 
 account by me. They did not in- 
 fluence his determination. 
 
 " My life.'''' The expression used 
 by St. Paul is very striking. He 
 attaches no value to life, compared 
 with duty, but is prepared to give it 
 up with readiness, so that he may 
 complete his course.^ 
 
 " Witli joy." With spiritual joy 
 arising from the consciousness of 
 God's love. 
 
 '•^ And the ministry." This stands 
 in apposition to " the course." The 
 course is the ministry, the official 
 work, viz., that of preaching the 
 Gospel. 
 
 " The gospel of the grace of God.^^ 
 
 1 Hinds, History of the R. & P. of Chris- 2 Mever. 
 tianity, p. 241. 3 Meyer. 
 
230 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 h ver. 20. 
 i Luke, 7. ,-0. 
 John, 1.5. I'j. 
 Ephes. 1 . 1 1 . 
 k 1 Tim. !. IG. 
 1 Pet. o. '2. 
 
 1 1 Cor. 12. 2S. 
 
 m Euhes. 1. 7, 
 
 14. 
 
 Col. 1. U. 
 
 Hebr. 9. 12. 
 
 1 Pet. 1. I'.i. 
 
 Rev. 5. 9. 
 
 n See Hebr. 9 
 
 14. 
 
 25. And now, behold, ^know that ye all, among 
 whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, 
 shall see my face no more. 
 
 26. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I 
 am gpure from the blood of all ?7ien. 
 
 27. For ^ I have not shunned to declare unto you all 
 Ulie counsel of God. 
 
 28. ^^Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to 
 all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost * hath 
 made you overseers, to feed the church of God, ™ which 
 he hath purchased ^with his own blood. 
 
 29. For I know this, that after my departing « shall 
 
 The glad tidings of the gracious pur- 
 poses and influences of God mani- 
 fested in Christ. Compare xiv. 3. 
 
 25. " Shall see my face no more." 
 This appears to be conclusive against 
 the supposition that St. Paul returned 
 to Ephesus after his imprisonment 
 at Home. 
 
 " Among ivhom I have gone." The 
 expression seems to imply that St. 
 Paul had visited them in different 
 places, which would accord with the 
 view stated above. See note on 
 ver. 17. 
 
 26. " Wherefore I take you to re- 
 cord." That is, since this is my last 
 solemn charge, I testify before my 
 
 depar ture. 
 
 " / am pure." Clear of responsi- 
 bility for the destruction of any man. 
 St. Paul alludes evidently to Ezekiel, 
 iii. 18-21. 
 
 27. " All the counsel.'''' From this 
 it must be inferred that if any part 
 of God's revealed will be not declared 
 by ministers, they are not pure of his 
 people's blood. It is probable that 
 St. Paul specially alluded to his un- 
 reserved declaration of God's will, 
 in reference to the adoption of the 
 Gentiles into the family of Christ, to 
 which he often refers in his epistles 
 as a deep mystery, the promulgation 
 of which excited the vehement hatred 
 of the Jews. See Ephes. iii. 2 — 11.; 
 Rom. X. 
 
 28. " Therefore.'" That is, since 
 the responsibility rests upon you per- 
 
 sonally and officially, and not upon 
 me. 
 
 " The Holy Ghost hath made." The 
 appointment of presbyters is referred 
 to the Holy Ghost, because he both 
 called them and gave them ability 
 for the office. 
 
 " Overseers" or bishops. This is 
 the first occasion on which we find 
 the name officially applied to an or- 
 der in the Church. It was restricted 
 to the governors of independent 
 churches, of whom there were never 
 more than one in a city, if not from 
 the first, yet certainly from the time 
 when the government of the Churches 
 was transmitted to the delegates and 
 successors of the Apostles. The 
 word is chosen with reference to the 
 flock, of which the bishop is shep- 
 herd and overseer, as the representa- 
 tive of Christ. See 1 Peter, ii. 25. 
 
 " To feed." Hence, the presby- 
 ters and bishops are called spiritual 
 pastors in our catechism ; they are 
 the delegfites of the Good Shepherd. 
 
 " The Church of God." This ex- 
 pression occurs eleven times in the 
 Epistles of St. Paul. In this passage 
 it indicates the unity of person in the 
 tv.ofold nature of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. Some manuscripts have "the 
 Church of the Lord," a variation 
 which involves no substantial dif- 
 ference ; since the Aford Lord belongs 
 to our Saviour in a sense incommu- 
 nicable to any creature, but which is 
 to be rejected as less iu accordance 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 231 
 
 grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the 
 flock. 
 
 30. Also P of your own selves shall men arise, p 
 speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after 
 them. 
 
 31. Therefore watch, and remember, that •! by the i 
 space of three years I ceased not to warn every one 
 night and day with tears. 
 
 32. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and 
 rto the word of his grace, which is able ^ to build you ^ 
 
 Hebr. 13. 9. 
 ch. 9. 31. 
 
 ■svith the idiom of Holy Writ than 
 that adopted in our A-ersion, and 
 ftmnd in the great majority of manu- 
 scripts. ^ 
 
 ''He." Christ, who hought the 
 Church with that blood, which was 
 infinitely precious, and therefore an 
 equivalent ransom for Humanity, be- 
 cause He was God- Man. 
 
 "■Purchased." The word in the 
 original means acquired and saved. 
 
 29. ''For I know this." St. Paul 
 states two reasons why they should 
 be anxious and vigilant. 
 
 " Sh.all grievous wolves enter in." 
 Persons from without shall enter the 
 Church, not as true converts, but 
 bringing with them passions and pre- 
 judices which will injure the people. 
 By these persons we are probably"' 
 to understand those heathens who in- 
 troduced some of the most pernicious 
 notions of Eastern mysticism among 
 the Christians, together with antino- 
 mian and most immoral habits. Their 
 influence was peculiarly felt in Asia 
 Minor. 
 
 30. " Also of your own selves." As 
 some heresies were introduced from 
 without, others having their root in 
 the natural heart sprung up within. 
 That heretics, and not ambitious or 
 covetous governors, are meant is 
 clear from the expression "speaking 
 perverse things." Such were Hyme- 
 neus and Alexander, who had al- 
 ready made shipwreck of faith. 1 
 Tim. i. 15. The tendencies of such 
 
 heresies were towards what would 
 now be called Socinianism^ on the 
 one hand, and to a spurious spiritual- 
 ism on the other. See 2 Tim. ii. 
 17, 18. Hymeneus and Philetus, 
 whose doctrine is compared to a 
 cancer, appear to have held nearly 
 the same opinion touching the resur- 
 rection as the Swedenborgians. 
 
 The faith of the Ephesian Church, 
 thus warned by the Apostle, and af- 
 terwards governed by Timotheus and 
 St. John, remained steadfast, notwith • 
 standing these assaults ; and Ignatius 
 praises their constancy in his epistle, 
 written early in the next century. 
 " Among you," he saith, " no heresy 
 gains a settlement."'' 
 
 " Bi/ the space of three years." St. 
 Paul passed two years and three 
 mouths at least in the city of Ephe- 
 sus, and altogether nearly three years 
 elapsed between his arrival and de- 
 parture. This expression gives ad- 
 ditional probabilities to the supposi- 
 tion that he passed some months in 
 visiting the churches in the sur- 
 rounding district, and was now 
 addressing their pastors. 
 
 " Night and day." That this was 
 no mere figure of speech is plain 
 from ver. 7. and 11. of this chapter. 
 
 32. " To God and to the Word of 
 his grace." By the word of His 
 grace most of the commentators un- 
 derstand the Gospel, which is the 
 instrumental cause or means of sal- 
 vation, through faith which is in 
 
 ' See the readings ap. Scholz. 
 2 Ncander, p. 409. 
 
 3 Dorner, i. 17o-6. ; Burton, Lect. I. c.v. 
 
 4 Ad Eph. 6. ; Humphry. 
 
232 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 t ch. W. IS. 
 Ephes. 1. IS. 
 Col. 1. 12. & 
 3. 24. 
 
 Hel)r. 9. \r,. 
 1 Pet. 1. 4. 
 
 u 1 Sam. 12. ' 
 
 1 Cor. 9. 12. 
 
 2 Cor. 7. 2. & 
 11.9. & 12. 17 
 
 X ch. 18. ."7. 
 1 Cor. 4. 12. 
 1 Thess. 2. 9. 
 '2 Xhess. 3. 8. 
 
 y Rom. 15. U 
 
 1 Cor. 9. 12. 
 
 2 Cor. 11. 9, 
 12. & 12. 1.-. 
 Ephes. 4. 2S. 
 
 up, and to give you ^an inheritance among all them 
 which are sanctified. 
 
 33. "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or 
 apparel. 
 
 34. Yea, ye yourselves know, ^that these hands 
 have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that 
 were with me. 
 
 35. I have shewed you all things, y how that so 
 labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to re- 
 member the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said. It 
 is more blessed to ^rive than to receive. 
 
 Christ Jesus. But we might have 
 expected, and I am disposed to find 
 here a reference to Him who is the 
 Word' rather than to the written 
 Word. The Word of His grace may 
 be rendered His gracious Word. 
 The relative "which" may, how- 
 ever, be referred to God.'^ 
 
 " To build you" The Christian 
 Church is a temple, which God edi- 
 fies or builds up by His \Vord. 
 
 " An inheritance.''' A portion in 
 the kingdom of Messiah. ^ 
 
 " Sanctified. " Truly and inwardly 
 sanctified to the Spirit of God. Sanc- 
 tified sometimes refers to the ini- 
 tiary consecration of Christians in 
 baptism ; sometimes, as in this passage, 
 to the internal cleansing and renewal 
 of God's people in their state of sal- 
 vation. 
 
 33. " / have coveted no man's sil- 
 ver," &c. St. Paul mentions this as a 
 warning against covetousness. It is 
 to us, moreover, an important link 
 in the great chain of evidence, that 
 one possessed of so much influence 
 among the early Christians was 
 wholly unbiassed by selfish or world- 
 ly considerations.* 
 
 34. " These Jiands have ministered." 
 Thus St. Paul maintained himself at 
 Ephesus.as at Corinth and in Mace- 
 donia, by the produce of his manual 
 labour. It is a remarkable proof to 
 what an extent that labour must 
 nave been carried, that he should 
 
 have earned enough to support his 
 companions also. 
 
 35. " / have shewed you all things.''^ 
 Or, in all ways, not only by precept, 
 but by example. 
 
 " So labouring ye ought," &c. The 
 object of this labour was, therefore, 
 principally, or exclusively, to sup- 
 port and sustain the faith of the 
 weak, /. e., persons not strong in 
 religious faith, and to take away all 
 occasion of cavil or of suspicion. 
 When we remember how many ex- 
 orcists, astrologers, professors of ma- 
 gic and all kinds of spurious reli- 
 gions, lived on the credulity of the 
 common people, and excited the con- 
 tempt of well-informed persons in 
 that age and country, we may un- 
 derstand how important it was that 
 the preachers of the Gospel should 
 be known to be perfectly disinte- 
 rested. The right of ministers to 
 a sustenance may be waived until 
 Christian principles are fully recog- 
 nized. It is the privilege of a church, 
 settled and grounded in the faith, to 
 maiiitaia an order of men, set apart 
 to study and preach the Gospel, and 
 to attend, without interruption, to 
 the work of the ministry. St. Paul 
 does not mean that the ministers of 
 the Church should labour to support 
 the infirm and suffering poor^; this 
 would be beside his argument. 
 
 " The word of the Lord Jesus." 
 This word is not recorded by the 
 
 So Gomcr, Witshis, and'.Aurelius. 
 Lutlier, Wolf, Calvin, 15cii(iel, &c. 
 Tholuck, litrgprecligt., p. 87. 
 
 '* I.yttletnn on tlio Conversion of .St. Paul. 
 '' Calvin, Beza, Grotius, Bengt-l, Neander, 
 and Mcjer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 233 
 
 36. ^ And when he had thus spoken, he ^ kneeled i Thess. 4.11. 
 down, and prayed with them all 2 Thess. .-. s. 
 
 37. And they all wept sore, and ^fell on Paul's neck, i^^/- ^^- ^ 
 and kissed him, a Gen. 45. 11. 
 
 38. Sorrowing most of all for the words ^ which he *'^^-^^- 
 spake, that they should see his face no more. And 
 they accompanied him unto the ship. 
 
 b ver. 
 
 Evangelists, but as the elders are bid excepting on the Lord's day, and 
 
 to remember it, it must have been during the season from Easter to 
 
 well known in the Church. The ap- Whitsuntide, when they prayed 
 
 plication must not be restricted to standing, to denote their gratitude 
 
 temporal things. It is true in a cer- for peculiar manifestations of divine 
 
 tain sense of spiritual gifts; and in love.' 
 
 labouring with his own hands, not 37. " Aiid kissed him." The word 
 
 only to support his companions, but in the original means kissed him 
 
 to remove any impediment to the with passionate affection, 
 
 free diifusion of that salvation which 38. ''See his face" The word 
 
 he was commissioned to preach, St. translated " see " has a peculiar so- 
 
 Paul at once illustrated and exempli- lemnity in the original. It expresses 
 
 fied the precept of our Lord. revei*ential contemplation, we might 
 
 36. '■'■ He kneeled down.'' This truly almost say, as of a superior being, 
 
 scriptural attitude of prayer, hal- St. Luke writes this account, in the 
 
 lowed by Our Lord's own practice, deepest spirit of Christian love to- 
 
 was adopted by the primitive Church, wards his friend and teacher. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1, 2. This is a chapter of leave-takings, varied in each city by some 
 touching peculiarities. The Churches in Macedonia had received the 
 Gospel with readiness, and arrived speedily to a certain maturity of growth. 
 Atfectionate and consolatory addresses, blended with admonitions and 
 warnings, seem to have characterized the last words of the Apostle to 
 those to whom at a later period he writes in these terms : — " My brethren, 
 dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the 
 Lord, my dearly beloved." Phil. iv. 1. May our prayers be offered for 
 those bishops and pastors of our own church, who are now treading in his 
 steps in the remote dependencies of England ! May they, like him, reap an 
 abundant harvest, and like him be rewarded by the faith and love of their 
 people ! 
 
 3 — 5. The poor, hardworking tent-maker advances as a prince, escorted 
 by a troop of courtiers, such as no earthly sovereign could command. 
 They were bound to him by the strongest of all chains — by love stronger 
 than death. Indebted to him for the knowledge of salvation, they will not 
 forsake him in the hour of trial. They go with him to share his sufferings, 
 
 Olshausen, Humphry. 
 
234 TJIE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 
 
 being well assured that -nhatever might be the temporal result, the path 
 which he trod would conduct them by the shortest way towards the city 
 where the Great King reigneth in glory. 
 
 6 — 8. The many liglits in that upper chamber, where St. Paul and the 
 Chui'ch of Troas partook together for the last time of the body and blood 
 of the Great Sacrifice, were types of that glorious Presence, which reveals 
 itself to faithful hearts at the Eucharistic banquet. And although the fall 
 of Eutychus may not be recorded without a view to the admonition of care- 
 less hearers of the AVord, yet we may reverently conjecture that it was 
 permitted rather to give the disciples on that solemn occasion a lively pledge 
 and foretaste of the resurrection, — that great fact upon which the Apostle 
 and believers rested all their hopes. 
 
 13—17. The Apostle wound his way towards the city, where his Lord 
 had suffered, and where, as he well knew, cruel persecutions awaited him, 
 through scenes full of historic reminiscences and of surpassing beauty. But 
 his mental eye was fixed upon other objects. He saw the Cx-oss triumphing 
 over the licentiousness of Lesbos, and inspiring nobler harmonies than 
 those of the bard of Chios. He saw a spiritual temple before which the 
 sculptured fabrics of the Samian Juno and Rhodian Apollo shrank into in- 
 significance. That vision was fulfilled ; but sin and misery have again laid 
 waste those regions, or peopled them with degraded beings. The fire, how- 
 ever, which was then lighted is not yet extinct, and may yet be rekindled. 
 May the same Spirit, who then gave power to His ministers, cause again 
 this glorious voice to be heard along the coasts where St. Paul preached and 
 St. John beheld the visions of the Revelations ! 
 
 18. May God give us the hearing ear and the understanding heart, that 
 we may receive the lessons inculcated in the last pastoral address of him, 
 who may be regarded in a peculiar sense as our own Apostle. May its 
 solemn accents resound within the innermost chambers of our conscience, 
 that whatever may be our station in the Church purchased by the blood of 
 the Licarnate Godhead, we may be thrillingly conscious of our privileges 
 and our responsibilities ! He hath shown us how the example of Our Lord 
 may be followed by a believer — by humility and unwearied zeal ; by pa- 
 tience under trials, and fortitude in suffering ; by uncompromising bold- 
 ness and tender love of souls. How simple and intelligible was the preach- 
 ing of him who above all men was remarkable for a vigorous and ca- 
 pacious intellect ; He felt that all wisdom was concentrated in those two 
 simple words, repent and believe. Who can fail to be struck by the quiet 
 steadfastness of his purpose? He doubted not that the warning intimations 
 were from the Spirit ; he questioned neither the affection nor the discretion 
 of his sorrowing friends ; but he felt that his course was plain before him, 
 and whatever might be its perils ordifficulties they were not intended to turn 
 him aside from the single object of his existence, which was to testify the 
 Gospel of the grace of God. 
 
 26, 27. Listen, ye who teach ! Listen, ye who hear the teacher ! God's 
 whole counsel must be declared, or the teacher is chargeable with the blood 
 of those whom he hath not directed to the cleansing fountain. God's whole 
 counsel must be received, accepted, and obeyed by the hearer, or his un- 
 atoned transgressions will remain upon his soul, and banish him for ever 
 from the presence of a forgiving God. 
 
 28. Wiiat words can describe the dignity — what tongue express the aw- 
 fulness of an office of which the Holy Ghost is the origin, and which has 
 for its charge " tiie sheep of Clirist, which He bought with His death, and 
 for whom He shed His blood ?" — Ordination Service. 
 
 29, 30. The enemies of theChurch from without are litfleto be feared com- 
 pared with those who spring up within. J'^xternal persecution often quickens 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX. 235 
 
 and purifies her faith, hut inward heresies and corruptions indicate unsound- 
 ness in the members, and tend to destroy the harmony of the body which 
 should be perfectly one in Christ. In such cases, a holy zeal and godly 
 discipline best become the watchful guardians of the flock. 
 
 32. The word of grace hath been given to us. Unto us the Son, who is 
 the Mighty God, is born. The temple in which each true believer is a 
 living stone stands firm for ever, based on the rock of ages. INIay we be 
 built into those hallowed walls, that when the Lord of the temple comes 
 He may set His seal upon us, and give us an abiding place in the light of 
 His glory ! Rev. xxi. 22, 23. 
 
 33. The hands that are raised most frequently in prayer are most dili- 
 gent in earthly duties. He who will not depend upon the assistance of 
 others is foremost in ministering to the necessities of his friends ; and the 
 heart that rests with most undoubting faith on the merits of the Redeemer, 
 treasures up most carefully each saying of the Lord that speaks of the cha- 
 rities and duties of common life. 
 
 36 — 38. There is nothing of the coldness or pride of the Stoic in true 
 Christians. The heart touched by divine grace is more tenderly affected 
 by those natural feelings which our blessed Lord not only approved, but 
 shared. 
 
236 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 
 
 CHAPTER XXr. 
 
 The crisis of the Apostle's history is at length arrived. After a brief 
 delay among Christian friends at Tyre and Csesarea, he reaches Jeru- 
 salem, where party feelings then raged with unusual violence. Rumours 
 preceded him which affected even the minds of believers ; and St. Paul, 
 acting upon the advice of St. James and the Church, deemed it necessary 
 to show that the principles which guided him in his intercourse with the 
 Gentiles were not incompatible with observance of the national form of 
 worship. But his wise and affectionate condescension to the scruples of 
 his friends afforded a pretext and opportunity to the violence of his 
 enemies, and he was surprised, assaulted, and almost murdered in the 
 precincts of the temple. The remaining chapters of this book describe 
 the trials and persecutions of the Apostle, his long imprisonment and 
 sufferings, and illustrate the fortitude, dignity, and commanding energy 
 of his character, sustained and animated by faith in his Redeemer, 
 
 1. And it came to pass, tliat after we were gotten from 
 them, and liad launched, we came with a straight course 
 unto Coos, and the day following unto Ehodes, and 
 from thence unto Patara : 
 
 2. And finding a ship sailing over unto Plienicia, 
 we went aboard, and set forth. 
 
 1. " After ive icere gotten.''^ The 
 expression here used by St. Luke 
 indicates the great pain which St. 
 Paul and his companions felt in 
 parting ; they are said to have 
 been torn away from the Ephesian 
 elders. 
 
 " We came with a straight course.''^ 
 Literally, ran straight. To " run," 
 in ancient as in modern language, 
 evidently meant to sail before the 
 wind.' 
 
 " Coos" or Cos, a small island on 
 the coast of Caria, now called Stanco. 
 It was celebrated for its wines, per- 
 fumes, and fine silken robes.^ 
 
 '' Jihodes." One of the largest and 
 
 most important islands in the Levant. 
 Its famous colossus, or statue of the 
 sun, which stood across the harbour, 
 was at that time prostrate, having 
 been overthrown by an earthquake.^ 
 We may well imagine with what 
 feelings St. Paul and his companions 
 looked on the ruins of the gigantic 
 idol. 
 
 "■Patara."' A considerable sea- 
 port of Lycia, to the east of the 
 river Xanthus, famous for a temple 
 and oracle of Apollo. Its noble ruins 
 are described by late travellers.' 
 
 2. " Fhanicia." This country was 
 at that time annexed to the province 
 of Syiia.5 
 
 1 Smith on the Vo3age and Shipwreck of 
 St. Paul. p. G. 
 ■^ V\ iner, i. C73. 
 
 ^ Sfrabo, xiv. 
 
 •' Fellows' Asia Minor and Lycia, 
 
 ^ Strabo, xvi, 749. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXL 
 
 237 
 
 3. Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it 
 on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at 
 Tyre : for there the ship was to unlade her burden. 
 
 4. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven 
 days: ^who said to Paul through the Spirit, that heaver.i?^ 
 should not go up to Jerusalem. 
 
 5. And when we had accomplished those days, we 
 departed and went our way ; and they all brought us 
 on our way, with wives and childrtn, till ive ivere out 
 of the city : and ^ we kneeled down on the shore, and 
 prayed. 
 
 b ch. 50. 3G. 
 
 3. " Had discovered^ Had come 
 within sight of Cyprus. St. Luke 
 uses the proper nautical term, as 
 usual.' 
 
 " We left it on the left hand:' The 
 "\;veather must have been very fine, or 
 the pilot would have kept between 
 Cyprus and the mainland. See note 
 on ch. xxvii. 4. 
 
 " 7'yre." St. Paul appears to have 
 arrived there sooner than had been 
 expected, owing to the favourable 
 weather during the voyage from 
 Ephesus. The voyage from Patara 
 to Tyre probably occupied about five 
 days.^ 
 
 " Was to unlade,^' &c. This was 
 the destination of the merchant- 
 vessel. 
 
 4. " Finding disciples,'" or the dis- 
 ciples. The expression implies that 
 there was a Christian community at 
 Tyre. It is most probable that the 
 Gospel had been introduced by the 
 Christians who were driven from 
 Jerusalem by the persecution that 
 followed the death of St. Stephen. 
 See Acts, xi. 19. And we may pre- 
 sume that all the Tyrians had heard, 
 and many had witnessed, the great 
 miracles which Our Lord wrought in 
 the country about Tyre and Sidon 
 during His life on earth. Matt. xv. 
 21. ; Mark, vii. 24.^ 
 
 " We tarried there seven days" 
 The complete establishment of a 
 
 Christian church in such a seaport 
 as Tyrus, was of great importance. 
 It is also probable that the journey 
 could not be continued until the 
 cargo of the ship had been disposed 
 of 
 
 " Through the Spirit." These dis- 
 ciples were doubtless informed by 
 the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
 that bonds and afiQictions awaited 
 St. Paul at Jerusalem, and they had 
 a commission to warn him. Since, 
 however, St. Paul, acting under the 
 guidance of the Spirit (see ch. xx. 
 22.), persisted in his resolution, we 
 must conclude that the inference 
 which they drew, that he ought not 
 to go thither, was only suggested by 
 their affectionate interest in his 
 welfare, and formed no part of the 
 revelation made to them. 
 
 5. " When we had accomplished:' 
 &c. This expression is rather pecu- 
 liar, and seems to refer to the com- 
 pletion of necessary preparations for 
 the journey.^ 
 
 " Brought us on our way:' The 
 whole body of Christians escorted 
 St. Paul to the ship, to show their 
 gratitude and affection. This was in 
 accordance with the general custom 
 of the Church, 
 
 " We kneeled, down on the shore:' 
 At the place of embarkation. There 
 may have been a proseuche there, as 
 was usual in maritime cities ; but 
 
 Smith, p. G, 7. 
 
 Chrysostonii .Anger; and Wieselcr, i). 
 
 3 Hemsen, p.4?>9. 
 
 4 Meyer and Heinrlchs. 
 
233 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXL 
 
 c John, 1. 11. 
 
 e ch. 6. 
 
 S. '2R, 4'l 
 
 6. And when we bad taken our leave one of another, 
 we took ship; and they returned home again. 
 
 7. And when we had finislied our course from Tyre, 
 we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and 
 abode with them one day. 
 
 8. And the next darj we that were of Paul's com- 
 pany departed, and came unto Cesarea : and we en- 
 tered into the house of Philip ^the evangelist, ® wdiich 
 was one of the seven ; and abode with him. 
 
 9. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, 
 f which did prophesy. 
 
 there is no reason to suppose that 
 it was attended by the Christians.' 
 No inference can be fairly deduced 
 in favour of extemporaneous prayers 
 from this passage.- No writer has 
 ever questioned their propriety on 
 such extraordinary occasions, and 
 they were offered or guided ia this 
 case by an inspired apostle. 
 
 7. '■'■Finislied our course." The 
 last part of the journey, which was 
 performed by sea. They may have 
 reached Ptolemais before mid-day.^ 
 
 ''Ptolemais" or Acco. An im- 
 portant seaport, to the north of a 
 large bay, surrounded by mountains, 
 of which Mount Carmel,at a distance 
 of about twelve miles to the south, is 
 the most considerable. It was in 
 the tribe of Asher, but was never 
 subdued by the IsraeUtes; and the 
 inhabitants were heathen until a late 
 period. A Jewish colony, however, 
 settled there after the exile. The 
 name Ptolemais was given in honour 
 of Ptolemy Lathurus. At the time of 
 St. Paul's visit, the city was pros- 
 I'crous, and had lately obtained the 
 rights of a Roman colony. The (^«os- 
 pel had probably been introduced at 
 the same time as at Tyre. The city is 
 still called Acco by the Arabians, 
 and St. Jean d'Acre by Europeans, 
 under which name it is well known 
 in mediajval and modern history. 
 
 At present it contains about 18,000 
 inhabitants.* 
 
 8. " We that were of PauVs com- 
 paju/J' The persons who attended 
 St. Paul from Acco to Jerusalem 
 were St. Luke, Trophimus (see ch. 
 xxi. 29.), and Aristarchus (see ch. 
 xxvii. 2. ). Timotheus appears to have 
 returned with the elders to Ephesus, 
 where he governed the Church with 
 episcopal authority as delegate of St. 
 Paul. It is uncertain whether any 
 other persons accompanied St. Paul 
 beyond Troas. 
 
 " Cesarea." This church seems 
 to have prospered under the ministry 
 of Philip, who had now been a settled 
 or occasional resident here about 
 eighteen years. The influence of 
 Cornelius must also have contributed 
 veiy much to the increase of the 
 disciples. 
 
 ' ' Ph i lip the Eva ■ugelis /. " Ph i 1 i p 
 had preached and baptized as a dea- 
 con, but, when settled at Cacsarea, 
 he held the higher otfice of an evan- 
 gelist, or missionary preacher*, in 
 which capacity he seems to have 
 visited the cities and towns in that 
 district, under the authority of the 
 Apostles residing at Jerusalem. 
 
 " One of the seven." See Acts, 
 vi. 5. 
 
 9. '■^Virgins, ivliich did prop] icsr/.'"' 
 This does not mean that they pro- 
 
 1 il;vmmond. 
 
 3 sNicseler, p. 191. 
 
 ' roootk, Winer, Tolapd. 
 •'■ KiKSchius. 11. E., iii.;<7.; wli-^ however 
 coiilounds liim witli the Aiioitlc I'liiJij, ' 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XX T. 
 
 239 
 
 10. And ns Ave tarried there many da vs. there came 
 
 down from Judea a certain propliet, named ^Agabus. g ch. 11.2s. 
 
 11. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's 
 girdle, and bound his own hands and i^^eX, and said, 
 Thus saith the Holy Ghost, ^ So sliall the Jews fitwr..-5|. 
 Jerusalem bind the man that owneth tliis girdle, and 
 shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 
 
 12. And when we heard these things, both we, and 
 they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 13. Then Paul answered, MYhat mean ye to weep i ch. 20. 24. 
 and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be 
 
 phesied publicly in the church, 
 Avhich was contrary to apostolic dis- 
 cipline (see 1 Cor. xiv. 35.), but that 
 they had the gift of prophesy, which 
 Avas doubtless exercised under the 
 superintendence of their father. If, 
 as is probable, Philip married after 
 settling at Casarea, they must have 
 been very young. 
 
 10. ''Many daijsr St. Paul left 
 Troas on the 1 7th of April, and ar- 
 rived at Cajsarea on the 23d day. It is 
 proved that he left Csesarea on Mon- 
 day the ioth of May. He must have 
 niained five days.' '• Many days " 
 is used, of course, comparatively. It 
 shows the importance which St. 
 Paul attached to the Church at Caj- 
 sarea, that he should have remained 
 there so long on his way to Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 " From Judea.'' Cajsarea belonged 
 to Phoenicia, not to Palestine, not- 
 Avithstanding its geographical situ- 
 ation.- 
 
 *' Agabiis." There is no sufficient 
 reason to doubt that this is the same 
 Agabus who is named above, ch. xi. 
 28. According to the tradition of 
 the Greek church^, this prophet was 
 an active and efficient agent iu the 
 propagation of the Gospel. 
 
 11. ''He took," Sec. It was not 
 unusual for the old prof)hets to re- 
 present the events which they were 
 
 inspired to foretell, by symbolical 
 actions. See Isaiah, xx. ; Jeremiah, 
 xiii. 4. ; Ezekiel, iv. and x'n* 
 
 " Thus saith the Holt/ Ghost." 
 'J'his form would suffice to prove 
 the identity of the Holy Ghost in 
 nature or essence with the Lord 
 Jehovah who spake to the prophets. 
 
 "Into the hands of the Gentiles." 
 Of the Romans, who then admini- 
 stered the government by Judea. 
 
 12. "Besought him.'" These two 
 verses explain the expression used 
 above (ver. 4.). 
 
 13. "What mean i/e," &,c. An af- 
 fectionate expostulation, — why use 
 unavailing entreaties and demonstra- 
 tions of grief, which may crush my 
 heart but cannot change my resolu- 
 tion ? The effect of St. Paul's after- 
 sufferings upon the Christians, and 
 especially upon those of Csesarea, 
 who witnessed his imprisonment, 
 must have been greatly enhanced by 
 their knowledge, that although he 
 foresaw them clearly, and was urged 
 by wise and pious men to avoid 
 them, he yet encountered them wil- 
 lingly for the name of the Lord 
 Jesus. " The terms of this predic- 
 tion were likely to portend death, 
 for in that he was to be bound by 
 the Jews, and delivered up to the 
 Gentiles, the iate of his Lord and 
 Master could not but recur to him, and 
 
 1 In the very accurate calc.ilations of An- 
 ger and Wieseler, p.lOi. 103. 
 - Jusej li. Ant., xv. 9. 5. 
 
 Menol. Gracor., iii. 50. 
 Chrysostom. 
 
2i0 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXL 
 
 k Matt. G. 
 & '26. 4'2. 
 Luke, U . '2 
 
 bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of 
 the Lord Jesus. 
 
 14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, 
 saying, ^ The will of the Lord be done. 
 
 15. And after those days we took up our carriages, 
 and went up to Jerusalem. 
 
 16. There went with us also certain of the disciples of 
 Cesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, 
 an old disciple, with w4iom we should lodge. 
 
 17. ^And when we were come to Jerusalem, the 
 brethren received us gladly. 
 
 seem likely to be now his own : nor 
 was it perhaps a slight stimulus and 
 support that he seemed, in thus 
 pressing on to Jerusalem, in spite of 
 his own forebodings, and of the re- 
 monstrances of others, to be imitating 
 Him " ' 
 
 " Of the Lord:' Of the Lord Je- 
 sus, w^ith special reference to ver. 
 13.^ They were fully assured that 
 the Lord, for whose name Paul was 
 ready to suffer death, would make 
 all things work together for the good 
 of his elect servant. 
 
 15. " Took np our carriages." 
 This word formerly meant necessa- 
 ries for a journey, or baggage, not 
 vehicles. See 1 Sam. xvii. 22. 
 
 16. "■ Mnason, an old disciple." If 
 he was one of the converts at Pente- 
 cost, he would have been a disciple 
 twenty-eight years. He was, how- 
 ever, more probably one of the early 
 followers of Our Lord.^ It will not 
 be forgotten that he was a country- 
 man of Barnabas and his sister, at 
 whose house the Church was wont to 
 assemble. Ch. xii. 12. I think it 
 not improbable that Mnason was 
 connected with this family. 
 
 17. '■'^When ive were come to Jeru- 
 salem." It will conduce to the better 
 understanding of the following trans- 
 action, if we consider the state of 
 Jerusalem at that time. Since the 
 death of Herod Agrippa, A. T>. 44, 
 Judca had been again governed 
 by Roman procurators, the son of 
 
 that prince being too young to suc- 
 ceed him. These men were cruel 
 and oppressive rulers, and several 
 insurrections had been suppressed 
 with great loss of life. Cumanus, 
 who was banished for misgovern- 
 ment, a. d. 54, left the province in a 
 state of great confusion and misery, 
 which the conduct of Felix, a freed- 
 man and relation of Narcissus, the 
 profligate favourite of Claudius and 
 Nero, had greatly increased. The 
 country was full of robbers and 
 impostors. The people at Jerusalem 
 had been much excited by repeated 
 insults offered to their religious 
 feelings, and the violence of party 
 spirit was greater than at any former 
 period. Felix is even said to have 
 instigated assassins to murder the 
 high priest Jonathan *, and troops of 
 murderers, called sicarii, were to be 
 hired almost with impunity. The 
 temple itself was polluted by fre- 
 quent murders at the great festivals. 
 " Such abominations," says Jose- 
 phus, " were calculated to excite 
 God's holy indignation, and were 
 the cause that He turned from Jeru- 
 salem, deserted the polluted temple 
 as unworthy of His presence, and 
 brought in the Romans, as our ene- 
 mies, to purify the city with fire, and 
 to lead us with our wives and chil- 
 dren into captivity, in order to bring 
 us to repentance by suffering."^ 
 
 " 77/e brethren received us gladli/." 
 The Christians at Jerusalem, on 
 
 1 Hinds, p. 249. 
 
 2 IMevor. 
 
 3 Tictmaiin, Syn., p. 181. ; and Meyor. 
 
 .Tosopli. .Ant., XX. S. 4. 
 
 Joseph. Ant., xx. 1—8. ; Ilcmscn, p. 4C4 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXT. 
 
 241 
 
 18. Aud the day following Paul went in with us unto 
 
 "^ James ; and all tlie elders were present. m ch. 1.5. 15. 
 
 19. And when he had saluted them, "he declared &''^- s- ^^' 
 partieularlj what things God had wrought among the Rom/i^.V,^ 
 Gentiles ^ by his ministry. ^^* 
 
 20. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, 20? 24.' 
 and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thou- 
 sands of Jews there are which believe ; and they are all 
 
 P zealous of the law : p ch. 22. .\ 
 
 21. And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest ^^™i' ^'^- 
 
 hearing of St, Paul's arrival at 
 Csesarea, had probably assembled in 
 great numbers at the house of Mna- 
 son, to receive him, or the}^ may 
 have met him on the road. They 
 %vere aware that he brought large 
 contributions for their numerous 
 poor, and had doubtless heard gene- 
 ral accounts of his success in preach- 
 ing the Gospel among the Gen- 
 tiles. 
 
 18. " Unto. Tames." This was a for- 
 mal visit to James the Apostle, who 
 presided as bishop over the Church 
 at Jerusalem. See note, ch. xii. 17. 
 It is doubtful whether any other 
 apostle was present at that time. 
 They were probably engaged in 
 preaching the Gospel in various re- 
 gions of Asia. St. Peter appears to 
 have visited Antioch, and after- 
 wards to have remained some time 
 at Babylon, where his first general 
 epistle was written. 
 
 " All the elders.''^ The presbyters 
 of the various congregations in Je- 
 rusalem and the surrounding dis- 
 trict. 
 
 19. ^^ He declared particularh/.'^ 
 He gave a full and minute account 
 of all his proceedings, not because 
 he was responsible to the Church of 
 Jerusalem, or derii'ed his authority 
 from St. James, but because he knew 
 the deep interest they felt in the 
 propagation of the Gospel, and be- 
 cause it was his duty to remove any 
 doubts or suspicions which might be 
 entertained by the scrupulous adhe- 
 
 rents to the law. For this, it was 
 sufficient to prove that he had ad- 
 hered to the regulations settled at 
 the first apostolic council. 
 
 20. " The?/ glorified the Lord." Ex- 
 pressed their thanksgiving for the 
 great work which had been done 
 among the Gentiles. 
 
 '• How 7ncmy thousa7ids." Or my- 
 riads. This is a very clear proof 
 that the proportion of Christian con- 
 verts to the entire nation was far 
 more considerable than is commonly 
 supposed. We may well suppose 
 that nearly every man had now 
 taken up his ultimate position, and 
 Avas either an adherent or perse- 
 cutor of the Church of Christ. 
 
 " T/ici/ are all zealous of the late. " 
 The Hebrew Christians were per- 
 mitted to adhere to the law, and so 
 long as they observed it as a na- 
 tional institution, not depending up- 
 on it for justification, they were not 
 to be blamed. But that zeal had 
 a tendency to degenerate into bi- 
 gotry, and the bitterest opponents of 
 St. Paul were Judaizing teachers. 
 It was not until the ceremonial ser- 
 vice ceased with the destruction of 
 the temple, that the Christians of 
 Palestine generally felt that they 
 were altogether free from the obliga- 
 tion of the ritual law.^ See intro- 
 duction to ch. XV. 
 
 21. " They have been iii formed,'''' 
 The word here employed in the 
 original is " catechised " — they had 
 been carefully and systematically 
 
 1 .Tosephus, Ant., xx. 1—8. ; Henise \ pp. 494—501, 
 M 
 
242 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 
 
 q Numb. G. 2, 
 
 1 IS. 
 
 eh. 18. l*-. ' 
 
 all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake 
 Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their 
 chiklren, neither to walk after the customs. 
 
 22. What is it therefore ? the multitude must 
 needs come together : for they will hear that thou art 
 come. 
 
 23. Do therefore this that we say to thee : We have 
 four men which have a vow on tliem ; 
 
 24. Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be 
 at charges with them, that they may ^ shave their heads: 
 and all may know that those things, whereof they were 
 informed concerning thee, are nothing-, but that thou 
 thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 
 
 indoctrinated by the party hostile to 
 St. Paul. 
 
 " That thou teachest,'' &c. It was 
 false to assert that St. Paul taught 
 the Jews to forsake the law; but it 
 is not improbable that many of his 
 converts had expressed a conviction 
 that circumcision, which they knew 
 to be unavailing for justification, 
 would speedily be dispensed with by 
 all Christians. 
 
 " Afte?' the customs." The legal 
 and traditional observances. 
 
 22. " What is it therefore?" This 
 does not mean, what is the truth as 
 to this matter? (for St. James and the 
 elders present knew St. Paul to be 
 blameless); but what ought to be 
 done under the circumstances ? ' 
 
 *' The multitude must needs," &c. 
 It was inevitable that these persons 
 should assemble in great numbers to 
 watch the conduct of St. Paul. The 
 words do not imply that there would 
 be a tumultuous assembly or a formal 
 meeting of the whole Church.^ 
 
 23. " /'o?/r men ivhich have a vow." 
 Tliese were Christians, and the vow 
 was evidently that of a Nazarite. 
 See Numbers, vi. 
 
 24. " Purifij thyself with them." 
 Observe the same form of ceremonial 
 purification. They were to separate 
 themselves from wine and strong 
 
 drink, and all fermented liquors, to 
 avoid the contact of a dead body, to 
 let no razor come upon their head, 
 and at the end of the time to offer 
 certain sacrifices prescribed by the 
 law. It does not however follow 
 that St. Paul was to undertake all 
 these obligations himself, although 
 he joined with them in the rites and 
 offerings Avhich terminated the vow. 
 The object was to show that he ob- 
 served the law, and that object would 
 be attained at once by his presenting 
 himself with them, and providing for 
 their offerings.^ The least time for 
 the vow of a Nazarite appears to 
 have been thirty days. 
 
 '■'• Be at chai^ges with them, that" &c. 
 Pay the expense of the sacrifices, 
 viz. two rams, a sheep, a bnshel of 
 unleavened bread, ancl a libation of 
 wine for each Nazarite. See Num- 
 bers, vi. 13 — 20.* 
 
 " That they may shave their heads." 
 As an indication that the period of 
 their vow was accomplished. Jt was 
 not unusual to take the vow of a 
 Nazarite for a period terminating 
 with one of the three great festivals.* 
 
 " Walhest orderly." In conibrmity 
 with the institutions of the Hebrews. 
 It appears very singular, to say the 
 least, that any Christian writer** 
 should have questioned the projjriety 
 
 ' Mover. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Wieseler, p. lOf,, 107. 
 
 4 Compare Josejili. Ant 
 
 ^ Wiosolor. 
 
 fi llavidsf)!!, Introduction to tlie New Tcs 
 tament, ii. [)2. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXL 
 
 243 
 
 25. As touchinn^ the Gentiles which believe, ^ we r ch. u. 20, 
 have written and concluded that thej observe no such 
 thing, save only that they keep themselves from things 
 offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, 
 
 and from fornication. 
 
 26. Then Paul took the men, and the next day 
 purifying himself with them ^ entered into the temple, s ch. 24. is. 
 *to signify the accomplishment of the days of purifi-t xumb. g. 1: 
 cation, until that an offering should be offered for 
 
 every one of them. 
 
 27. And when the seven days v/ere almost ended, 
 
 of this advice given by St, James ia 
 conjunction with all the presbytery, 
 and followed by the clearsighted 
 and spiritually-minded Apostle of the 
 Gentiles. St. Paul did observe the 
 law himself strictly and cheerfully, 
 with an affectionate and wise re- 
 gard ' for the scruples of his coun- 
 trymen, although he knew and taught 
 that it could not give life.^ If it was 
 right to observe it for such a motive, 
 which no one doubts, it was also 
 quite right, according to the simplest 
 principles of morals, that he should 
 do some public act to show that he 
 observed it. He would otherwise 
 have failed in attaining the very ob- 
 ject for which he submitted to its 
 obligations. Had there been a shadow 
 of evil in the action, or had it been 
 likely to mislead weak believers, 
 ■we may be well assured that St. 
 James would neither have suggested, 
 nor St. Paul have acquiesced in it. 
 
 25. '■^ As for the Gentiles," &c. See 
 notes on Acts, xv. 20. St. James, 
 who doubtless spoke in the name of 
 the Church of Jerusalem, states this 
 to show that his advice to St. Paul 
 did not imply that he attached any 
 value to those forms as contributing 
 to justification, since in that case the 
 Gentiles would also have been com- 
 manded to observe them. 
 
 26. " Purifi/lng himself ivith them.'^ 
 Performing the same lustrations and 
 other ceremonial rites. 
 
 " Entered into the temple,'' Sec. St. 
 Paul did not then commence the 
 course of living prescribed by the 
 law to Nazarites, which, as I have 
 said. Mould have lasted not seven, 
 but at least thirty days, but he went 
 to signify the accomplishment — to 
 announce to the priests that the vows 
 of these Nazarites had been com- 
 pleted, and that they were now ready 
 to offer the usual sacrifices. 
 
 27. " The seven dui/s." This ex- 
 pression seems to refer, not to the 
 purification of the Nazarites, but to 
 the seven days ending with the feast 
 of Pentecost.-' This took place on 
 the same day on which St. Paul 
 entered the temple. The Nazarites 
 completed their offerings before nine 
 o'clock, at which hour the day of 
 Pentecost was fully come, and the 
 festival commenced. See note, Acts, 
 ii. 1. This explanation differs from 
 that adopted by most commentators, 
 and rests on these grounds: — 1st. 
 The period of twelve days, which 
 elapsed between St. Paul's departure 
 from Cajsarea and his trial before 
 Felix, cannot be reconciled with the 
 supposition that he remained seven 
 days after his interview with Felix. 
 2. There is no reason to believe that 
 the purification lasted seven days. 
 3d. It is certain that seven days were 
 kept holy before Pentecost, and 
 therefore most probable that they 
 would be called, as in the text, the 
 
 1 Hemsen, p. ?04. 
 
 2 Townshend, Hale, and Witsius. 
 
 31 2 
 
244 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXL 
 
 u ch. 21. IS. " the Jews which were of Asia, wlien they saw him in 
 X ch. 26. 21 the temple, stirred up all the people, and ^ laid hands 
 on him, 
 
 28. Crying out. Men of Israel, help : This is the 
 ych.24.0,6. man, y that teacheth all 7?ie?i every where against the 
 
 people, and the law, and tliis place : and further 
 brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted 
 this holy place. 
 
 29. (For they had seen before with him in the city 
 z ch. 20. 4. z Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that 
 
 Paul had brought into the temple.) 
 a ch. 26.21. 30. And ^all the city was moved, and the people 
 
 seven days, without further explana- 
 tion. 
 
 " Of Asia.^' Of the province of 
 Asia Minor (see note, ii. 9.), some 
 probably from Ephesus, who were 
 of coui-se most likely to recognize 
 Trophimus (ver. 29.). 
 
 " In the temple." Far from being 
 soothed by the evident reverence of 
 the Apostle for the national religion, 
 these unconverted Jews were excited 
 to fury by his presence in the holy 
 place. The object of St. Paul had 
 been to appease his believing coun- 
 trymen, in which he was probably 
 successful ; but he thus exposed him- 
 self to the fury of his enemies.' 
 
 28. " This is the man." Compare 
 this with the charges made against 
 St. Stephen (vi. 13, 14.). In St. Paul's 
 case there were two additional 
 charges, which would most effectu- 
 ally excite the wrath of the people : 
 first, that he preached every where 
 among the hated Gentiles, or, as they 
 presumed, against his own people ; 
 and, secondly, that he brought Greeks, 
 uncircumcised Gentiles, into the 
 temjilo. 
 
 " The trinple." That is. the second 
 court of the temple, which was sur- 
 rounded by an inclosure three cubits 
 high, with marble pillars, on Aviiich 
 there were inscriptions forbidding 
 
 Gentiles to enter on pain of death.- 
 The outer court, or inclosure, which 
 did not, pi'operly speaking, form part 
 of the temple, was called the court 
 of the Gentiles, and was, of course, 
 accessible to foreigners. 
 
 " Hath polluted" St. Paul would 
 have been liable to instant death, 
 by "stripes without measure," even 
 without judicial proceeding, had he 
 brought Trophimus into the court of 
 the Israelites.'^ 
 
 29. " Whom they supposed." This 
 accusation rested therefore upon mere 
 inference. They had seen Ti'ophi- 
 mus in the city, and state as a fact 
 that he had brought Greeks into the 
 temple. Such misstatements are not 
 uncommon, when the passions are 
 inflamed, and prejudices excited by 
 violent party feelings ; but those who 
 make them cannot be acquitted of 
 the guilt of wilful and malignant 
 falsehood. 
 
 30. " All the citi/." The arrival of 
 St. Paul must have been generally 
 known, both because of his celebrity, 
 and of the special pury)ose of his 
 visit to Jerusalem, Avhich was to 
 bring large contributions for the 
 poor. Tlie news of his arrest in the 
 temple would spread rapidly through 
 the city, where all were intent on his 
 proceedings. 
 
 1 Calvin. 
 
 2 UcMiisfn; Josf'pli. Ant., xv 11.. 5; B. J., 
 . 5. 2. 
 
 Li^ilUfoot. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 
 
 243 
 
 ran togetlier : and they took Paul, and drew liim out 
 of the temple : and forthwith the doors were shut. 
 
 31. And as they went about to kill him, tidings 
 came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jeru- 
 salem was in an uproar. 
 
 32. ^ Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, i 
 and ran down unto them : and when they saw the 
 chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of 
 Paul. 
 
 33. Tlien the chief captain came near, and took 
 him, and « commanded Jam to be bound with two^ 
 chains ; and demanded who he was, and what he had 
 done. 
 
 34. And some cried one thing, some another, among 
 the multitude : and when he could not know the cer- 
 
 " Di'ew him out of the temple." 
 That they might murder him with- 
 out defihng the holy place. A 
 strange, but not unusual combination 
 of religious feeling with furious 
 bigotry. 
 
 " The doors were shut." The gate 
 of the second court, perhaps in order 
 to prevent St. Paul from taking re- 
 fuge at the altar. ^ That would have 
 caused some delay, and secured a 
 regular trial, at v.hich the accusers 
 well knew that their charge could 
 not be substantiated. 
 
 31. " To kill him." This occurred 
 in the outer court. 
 
 " The chief captain of the hand." 
 Claudius Lysias. This officer com- 
 manded the Roman garrison in the 
 tower of Antonia, which was built 
 on a steep rock on the north-west of 
 the temple, close to the portico of 
 the outer court, with which it was 
 connected by two flights of marble 
 steps.^ Some soldiers were usually 
 stationed during the great festivals 
 at the entrance of the temple, and 
 when on this occasion they observed 
 that the tumult was too great for 
 them to suppress, they doubtless sent 
 
 intelligence to the commander, who 
 always kept a troop in readiness to 
 suppress the riots, which frequently 
 arose at this season. 
 
 32. " When theij saw,'' See. The 
 Jews were well aware with what 
 severity any attempt at resistance 
 would be punished. Thousands had 
 been slain on such occasions ^ by the 
 infuriated soldiers, and under the 
 direction of the Roman authorities. 
 
 " Beating." The punishment for 
 the offence imputed to Paul, when a 
 person was taken in the act, was 
 " stripes without measure." See 
 note, ver, 28. 
 
 33. " Commanded him to be bound." 
 This was to show the Jews that his 
 object was not to rescue him if he 
 were guilty, but to prevent a riot in 
 the temple. 
 
 " With two chains." The right arm 
 and right leg were fastened by chains 
 to two soldiers. 
 
 " He dema7ided," &c. He asked the 
 persons who were beating St. Paul, 
 who he was, probably expecting to 
 hear that he was some notorious 
 malefactor, who might be executed 
 without a formal trial. 
 
 ' Bengel. 
 
 - Josephus, B. J., 
 
 V. 5. 1. 
 
 3 Joseph. Ant., xx. 5. 3. 
 
 M 3 
 
246 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 
 
 d Luke, 2:;. 
 John, 19. 15 
 ch. 22. 22. 
 
 tainty for the tumult, lie commanded him to be carried 
 into the castle. 
 
 35. And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, 
 that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of 
 the people. 
 
 36. For the multitude of the people followed after, 
 . crying, ^ Away with him. 
 
 37. And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he 
 said unto the chief captain. May I speak unto thee ? 
 Who said. Canst thou speak Greek ? 
 
 36- 38. ^ Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these 
 days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wil- 
 derness four thousand men that were murderers ? 
 
 ^ 39. But Paul said, ^I am a man which am a Jew 
 of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city ; 
 
 34. ^' Into the castle.'" Thetower'of 
 Antonia. See note, ver. 31. This had 
 been built by the Asmonean family, 
 but was called Antonia by Herod in 
 honour of his early patron. Mark 
 Antony. 
 
 35. " Upon the stairs.''^ See note, 
 ver. 31. Paley^ remarks the ac- 
 curacy of St. Luke's account as com- 
 pared with the description given by 
 Josephus. 
 
 36. " Away ivith him." The same 
 cry as v^hen our Saviour was ac- 
 cused. See Luke, xxiii. 18., and 
 compare Acts, xxii. 22. 
 
 37. " Canst thou speak Greek ?" 
 Claudius Lysias, who was himself a 
 Greek, was surprised to hear Paul 
 speak that language. The educated 
 classes spoke Greek very generally, 
 even in Palestine, but it was an in- 
 dication of a higher station than he 
 had assigned to St. Paul. 
 
 38. " Art thou not," &c. That 
 Egyptian for whom Claudius Lysias 
 took St. Paul, as we may suppose, 
 simply because the facts were recent-, 
 was a fanatic, or impostor, who at- 
 tempted to overthrow the Roman 
 government of Judfca in the time of 
 Nero, and led the followers, whom 
 
 he had collected in the wilderness, to 
 the mount of Olives, where he pro- 
 mised them that they would see 
 the walls of Jerusalem thrown down 
 by a miracle. This band, which, 
 according to Josephus, at one time 
 amounted to 30,000, was dispersed 
 by Felix, but he escaped into 
 the wilderness.^ Neither Josephus 
 nor St. Luke mentions his name, 
 which seems, from the question of 
 Lysias, not to have been known. 
 
 " Four thousand." This must be 
 referred to the beginning of the 
 Egyptian's career. He led out 4,000 
 into the wilderness, where they in- 
 creased to 30,000. 
 
 " That 7vere murderers." The word 
 here used means a specific class of 
 assassins, who wore a short crooked 
 sword, called a sica, and were em- 
 ployed as bravos, often Avith the con- 
 nivance, and sometimes at the 
 instigation of Felix, and the leading 
 men of Jerusalem. 
 
 39. " Of no mean citij." See note, 
 chap. ix. Tarsus is called by Jo- 
 sephus the metropolis and most 
 renowned city of Cilicia. It was 
 especially famous for its university. 
 See introduction to chap. ix. 
 
 1 Evidences, c. vi. 
 
 2 Calvin. 
 
 3 Joseph. Ant., xx. 
 13.5. 
 
 6.; and B. J. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 247 
 
 and, I beseech tliee, suffer me to speak unto the 
 people. 
 
 40. And when he had given him licence, Paul stood 
 on the stairs, and & beckoned with the hand unto thes ch. 12. ir. 
 people. And when there was made a great silence, he 
 spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, 
 
 40. " Beckoned with the harid.'* " In the Hebrew tongue" The di- 
 
 His usual gesture is described. The alect spoken by the Hebre^ys, at 
 
 same word is used, xii. 17. that time, was Syro-Chaldiac, which 
 
 " A great silence.'" Many would St, Paul used, of course, in address- 
 be interested in his behalf, all would ing his countrymen, 
 be curious to hear his defence. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 3. The Apostle passes rapidly by cities * where the sun, personified 
 in Apollo, was worshipped with peculiar splendour as the source of light, 
 life, and knowledge, towards that land where the Sun of Righteousness had 
 arisen with healing on His wings. He passed them, not expecting to re- 
 visit them himself, but with a deep conviction that ere long the beams of 
 that glorious dawn would disperse the fantastic dreams which testified alike 
 to the cravings and the ignorance of mankind ; and that the time was now 
 at hand when the sun would no longer be their light by day, neither for 
 brightness should the moon- give light unto them, for the Lord would be 
 unto them an everlasting light, and their God their glory. 
 
 4 — 6. Tyre was once the Queen of Nations, and her merchants were the 
 princes of the earth ; but she was now acquiring the nobler title of a 
 daughter of the Great King, and rejoiced in the presence of one whom his 
 Master had appointed among the spiritual princes who were to reign in all 
 lands. In visiting that spot, from which all traces of earthly glory have 
 departed, the Christian will gaze with peculiar emotion upon the shore 
 where the Tyrian believers poured out their soul in prayer on bended 
 knees with the Apostle of the Gentiles. We must not forget that England 
 has the singular privilege of combining the opulence of Tyre in her palmiest 
 state with the faith which she learned in the day of her humiliation. May 
 such thoughts be ever present to the minds of our princely merchants ; may 
 they be mindful of their responsibilities ; may they do their utmost to make 
 those channels of commercial intercourse, by which the riches of the nations 
 stream into their treasuries, available for the difl'usion of evangelising influ- 
 ences to the remotest quarters of the earth ; so may England be an 
 acceptable people on the day of her reappearing Judge ! 
 
 Rhodes and Patara. ~ Worshipped as Diana. 
 
 31 4 
 
248 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 
 
 7 — 11. Each place wliicli the Apostles then visited had a little colony of 
 brethren, with whom the Cliristian traveller found the affectionate welcome 
 of a family and home. If we rejoice in the vast increase of the Church, 
 how deep should be our regret and humiliation that the links, which once 
 bound all believers in one chain of brotherhood, have been all but shattered, 
 and that the transmission of that electric cuiTcnt of love and sympathy is 
 so often checked or interrupted. 
 
 Cscsarea at that time was the home of spiritual manifestations. It had 
 ■witnessed the call of the first baptized Gentile — it was to be the residence 
 of the Apostle during his first long imprisonment. There the prophecy of 
 Joel was fulfilled in the virgin daughters of Philip, who exemplified the 
 union of light and purity in the Church ; and the harmony of the two dis- 
 pensations was illustrated by the symbolical prediction of the prophet 
 Agabus. 
 
 12 — 14. These three verses show the true principle which should regu- 
 late the intercourse of Christians. Deep and genuine affection makes be- 
 lievers more sensitive to afflictions that beset their brethren than to their 
 own tribulations ; while he who feels himself called upon to endure hard- 
 ship, or to encounter danger for the name of the Lord Jesus, will gratefully 
 acknowledge the demonstrations of sympathy, witliout swerving from his 
 well-considered purpose. The heart may be stirred to its very depths, but 
 the will remains steadfast and unmovable, knowing that no labour is vain in 
 the Lord. How striking in this case was the loving struggle between the 
 Apostle and his friends ; how beautiful their unanimous adoption of Our 
 Lord's own expression of resignation to the will of God ! 
 
 15 — 17. St. Paul entered Jerusalem with somewhat of the state which 
 had shadowed forth the future glory of Messiah on His last entrance into 
 that mystic city. Like Him he also entered upon a series of afflictions, 
 which hung over his last years like heavy clouds around the departing sun. 
 But the gladness of the disciples, like the Hosannahs of the little children, 
 was justified by the event; the light affliction, which was but for a mo- 
 ment, w^orked for the Apostle a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory. 
 
 18, 19. The peace of the Church depends upon its order. Without sacri- 
 ficing that independence which belonged to him as an Apostle of the Lord, 
 St. Paul was careful to act in harmonious co-operation with other riders of 
 the Church. Missionaries should be especially mindful of their obligations 
 to the Church which directs and sanctions their work. They should be 
 careful to give accurate and complete accounts of what things God effects 
 by their ministry, for the edification of those who remain at home ; while 
 these should never fail in lively demonstrations of gratitude to the Lord 
 ■who maketh His servants burning and shining lights among the benighted 
 heathens. 
 
 20 — 26. It is not easy to steer clear of the opposite extremes of for- 
 malism and irreverence-*- to kee[) from undue compliance on the one liand, 
 and on the other from haughty and uncharital)le disregard of time-ho- 
 noured observances. We should ponder thoughtfully upon the example of 
 those who spoke and acted under the peculiar guidance of the Si)irit of 
 ■wisdom and love. It seems clear that some forms whicli are unnecessary for 
 the advanced Christian may be expedient for a season for the sake of the 
 brethren. At the same time, to prevent misunderstanding, the reasons for 
 such observance should be stated unreservedly, while peculiar stress should 
 be laid upon those doctrines -vvhich alone explain the justification and com- 
 plete the sanctification of helievers. 
 
 27 — ;j(). The hour of trial is come. In the sanctuary of God the Apostle 
 of the Lord is assailed, but not surprised, by the malignant enemies of the 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXI. 249 
 
 Saviour. The sanctity of the place serves but to add intensity to their 
 fanatic rage — his observance of the national rites does but aggravate their 
 fury. But the most hateful point in their conduct, that which most effec- 
 tually barred the way towards conversion, was the spirit of falsehood, which 
 distorted their perceptions, and hardened their feelings. Another seal was 
 then aflBxed to the sentence pronounced upon the nation — and an addi- 
 tional weight attached to the chain which has bowed down the neck of 
 that impenitent race through centuries of degradation. May God in mercy 
 remove the veil from their hearts, that they may look on Him whom they 
 pierced, repent of their cruelty to His faithful ministers, and turn, under 
 the mfluence of the Spirit of grace and supplication, to Him who willeth 
 that all Israel shall be saved ! 
 
250 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 St. Paul's defence of himself before the Jews in the temple contains some 
 interesting information concerning his early life, together with an 
 account, not only of his conversion, but of the vision in which his future 
 destination was specially revealed to him by the Lord Jesus. It is 
 further remarkable as having given occasion to a manifestation of pecu- 
 liar malignity on the part of his enemies. From their conduct, as here 
 described, we learn that the final rejection of the Gospel by the majority 
 of the nation, was owing, not so much to its apparent incompatibility 
 with the ceremonial law, as to the envious and bitter feelings which 
 were excited in their hearts by the declaration, that the Messiah directed 
 His Apostle to preach to the Gentiles. 
 
 ach. 7.2. 1. Men, ^brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence 
 which I make now unto you. 
 
 2. (And when they heard that he spake in the 
 hch. 21.39. Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence : 
 Phiiy"3. 5. ■ and he saith,) 
 
 2King;,'4;38. 3. ^ I am vcrily a man which am a Jew, born in 
 ^alx^'TzT Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city 
 ech.26. 5. ^ at thc fcct of ^Gamaliel, a7id taught ® according to 
 
 1. '■'■Men, brethren, and fathers." 3. ^^ A Jeiv," &.c. See introduction 
 
 From this form of address it is to chap. ix. 
 
 evident that some of the rulers, or " Brought up." This refers to the 
 
 members of the Sanhedriin, were pre- early training, which began ordi- 
 
 sent at the riot.' The chiefs of the narily at 11, and never later than 13, 
 
 priesthood were engaged at that hour for a teacher of the law. Chrysos- 
 
 in the ceremonial rites which oc- tom remarks, that the Jews must 
 
 cupied the greater part of every day have regarded it as a great proof of 
 
 during the season of Pentecost. his original reverence for the law, 
 
 " The Hebrew tongue," which they that he should have left so important 
 
 not only loved, but reverenced,"^ as a and distant a city as Tarsus, in order 
 
 sacred language, notwithstanding the to be educated according to the 
 
 great change that had taken place strictest sect at Jerusalem, 
 
 since the exile. The use of this " At the feet of Gamaliel." See 
 
 tongue reminded them that St. Paul Acts, v. 34. This expression refers 
 
 was not a Hellenistic Jew, though to the custom in the synagogues 
 
 born at Tarsus, but a Hebrew in Ian- and schools of the lawyers, where 
 
 guage, habits, and doubtless in af- they discussed religious questions, 
 
 fections. the elders sitting on chairs, the 
 
 1 Meyer. 2 Chrysostom. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 
 
 251 
 
 the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and ^ was f ch. 21. 20. 
 zealous toward brod, ^ as ye all are this day. g ko^. xo. 2. 
 
 4. ^And I persecuted this way unto the death, hch. 8.^3.^& 
 bindin(]r and deliverino; into prisons both men and j'ijii's-fi- ." 
 
 O O r 1 Tim. 1. 1j. 
 
 women. 
 
 5. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, 
 
 and ^all the estate of the elders : ^from whom also I i^^Luke^, 22. gg. 
 received letters unto the brethren, and went to Da- ,^ ^1,. 9. 2. & 
 mascus, to bring them which were there bound unto *^'^- ^^' ^' 
 Jerusalem, for to be punished. 
 
 6. And Ut came to pass, that, as I made my jour-l^g';Yi'"u/^' 
 ney, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, 
 suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round 
 about me. 
 
 7. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice 
 saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou 
 me ? 
 
 middle-aged on benches, and the 
 young disciples either sitting on 
 mats, or standing at the feet of their 
 teachers.' This attitude denoted 
 close and persevering attention, and 
 deep reverence for the instructor.'^ 
 
 " 7o the perfect manner.'" The 
 utmost strictness, not only according 
 to the written law, but to the tra- 
 ditions of the Pharisees. 
 
 " Zealous toward God" — that is, on 
 behalf of the law of God. This zeal 
 had been shown on the one hand, by 
 scrupulous observance of the law 
 (which he continued to the end of 
 his life, as in itself innocent), and on 
 the other hand, by persecuting those 
 ■who, as he then thought, were sub- 
 verting its principles. 
 
 4. '• This wayT See note, Acts, ix. 
 2., and compare viii. 1. 3. 
 
 " Unto the death." As in the case 
 of Stephen, and, as appears from 
 chap. xxvi. 10., of other Christian 
 martyrs during the same persecu- 
 tion. 
 
 5. ^^ The High Priest." It appears 
 that Theophilus, who gave him the 
 commission, although no longer High 
 Priest, was still living, and was, of 
 
 course, present in the temple. See 
 note, chap. ix. 2. 
 
 '• Dotli bear me witness." Cannot 
 refuse to bear witness. St. Paul 
 evidently appeals to him personally. 
 
 " The estate of the elders." The 
 word used in the original means the 
 presbytery, i. e. the Sanhedrim. 
 
 '• U7ito the brethren." St. Paul 
 speaks as a Hebrew, of his brethren 
 after the flesh.^ 
 
 Chrysostom has some striking re- 
 marks on the cogency of the argu- 
 ment which St. Paul suggests in this 
 statement. The Jews must have 
 been sti-angely prejudiced not to see 
 that the facts, which they knew to 
 be true, were quite unaccountable ou 
 any hypothesis save that of a mira- 
 culous interposition. In this life St. 
 Paul cast away all that man desires 
 and prizes, for the sake of Him 
 whom he had been foremost in pro- 
 secuting. 
 
 6. '' It came to pass," See. Com- 
 pare ix. 3 — 8. and xxvi. 13. 
 
 "■About noon." An important 
 circumstance in considering the mi- 
 raculous character of this transac- 
 tion. 
 
 1 Schoetgen, Hor. Hebr. in loc. 
 tringade Sjn., p. 165. 
 
 and Vi- ^ Chrysostom. 
 3 Meyer. 
 JM 6 
 
52. 
 
 252 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 
 
 8. And I answered, Who art tliou, Lord ? And lie 
 said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou 
 pei*secutest. 
 m Dan. 10. 7. 9. And ™ thcj that were with me saw indeed the 
 light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice 
 of him that spake to me. 
 
 10. And I said, What shall I do, Lord ? And the 
 Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus ; and 
 there it shall be told thee of all things which are ap- 
 pointed for thee to do. 
 
 11. And when I could not see for the glory of that 
 light, being led by the hand of them that were with 
 me, I came into Damascus. 
 
 nch.9. 17. 12. And "one Ananias, a devout man according to 
 
 o ch. 10.22. the law, ''having a good report of all the PJews which 
 P 1 Tim. 3. 7. (j^gi^ there, 
 
 13. Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, 
 q ch.3.io.& Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour 
 ■'■ ^"- I looked up upon him. 
 
 II il' ^' 14. And he said, ^ The God of our fathers ^hatli 
 
 &\£°8;°'^' chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and 
 t ch. 3. 14. & s ggg t ^\^c^i jug{; Qi^Q^^ and " shouldest hear the voice of 
 his mouth. 
 
 lo. ^YoY thou shalt be his witness unto all men of 
 what thou hast seen and heard. 
 
 16. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be bap- 
 tized, 2 and wash away thy sins, ^ calling on the 
 name of the Lord. 
 
 9. '■'•They heard not the voice." were Hkely to afifect the Jews — that 
 
 They heard a sound, but no distinct he had been called by the God of their 
 
 words. See note, chap. ix. 7. Withers — that he had seen and heard 
 
 11. '■^ For the glory of that light.''' Him, whom they crucified as a ma- 
 Because that intense splendour lefactor, but whom God declared to 
 blinded me. See note, ix. 8. be the Just One, by exalting Him 
 
 12. ^' A devout 77ia7i,'" See. St. Paul to heaven, where He appeared to 
 points out that Ananias, the servant Paul. 
 
 of Jesus, was neither an opposer of 15. " Unto all men." St. Paul was 
 
 the law, nor a person lightly esteemed then prepared himself, and now pre- 
 
 by the Jews, two circumstances of pares the Jews for this further reve- 
 
 great importance with reference to lation, that he was especially called 
 
 his actual position before the Jews, to be "a witness" unto the Gentiles. 
 
 The name Ananias signifies the 16. '■'■ Be baptized, and tvash aivay 
 
 grace of God. thy sins." Baptism, by bringing the 
 
 13. " Brother Saul." A com- convert into the kingdom of Christ, 
 pressed statement of the facts related, procures forgiveness of sins, M'hich 
 clnip. ix. 10 — 17. are typically washed away by the 
 
 14. ^^ Ilaih chosen thee." St. Paul water, and effectually by the rege- 
 states two important points which nerating Spirit. The Nicene Creed 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 
 
 253 
 
 17. And ^it came to pass, that, when I was come b ch. 9. 26. 
 again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the tem-^ 
 
 pie, I was in a trance ; 
 
 18. And ^saw him saying unto me, <^ Make haste, <='«. h. 
 and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem : for they will'^ Matt. 10. u 
 not receive thy testimony concerning me. 
 
 19. And I said. Lord, ^ they know that I imprisoned yer. 4. 
 and ^beat in every synagogue them that believed onf ^ja,t''io.i7. 
 thee : 
 
 20. sAnd when the blood of thy martyr Stephen 
 
 g ch, 7. 58. 
 
 h Luke, 11. 43. 
 
 was shed, I also was standin 
 
 and h consenting '^■^\ \\ 32. 
 
 exactly expresses the meaning of the 
 text, " I believe in one baptism for 
 the remission of sins." Hooker' 
 •writes thus concerning this sacra- 
 ment : " Baptism is a sacrament which 
 God hath instituted in his Church, 
 to the end that they which receive 
 the same might thereby be incorpo- 
 rated into Christ, and so through His 
 most precious merit obtain, as well 
 that saving grace of imputation 
 which taketh away all former guilt- 
 iness, as also that infused divine 
 virtue of the Holy Ghost, which 
 giveth to the powers of the soul their 
 first disposition towards newness of 
 life." 
 
 " Calling on the name of the Lord.'" 
 That is, after invoking the name of 
 Jesus, and recognizing him as the 
 true Messiah. The invocation of the 
 Lord Jesus was also a recognition of 
 His Godhead. As Chrysostom re- 
 marks, " By these words he shows 
 that Christ is God, for it is not lawful 
 to invoke any besides God." That 
 profession was the preliminary con- 
 dition of baptism, in addition to re- 
 nunciation of sin. 
 
 17. " When I was come again." 
 Three years after the conversion of 
 St. Paul. (Ch. ix. 26.) 
 
 " / was in a trance." It is to this 
 trance, or ecstacy, that St. Paul is 
 supposed to allude-, 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 There may not be sufficient grounds 
 for that assumption, but the vast im- 
 
 portance of the vision is obvious. It 
 was then that St. Paul learned fully 
 what was to be the destination of his 
 future life. Christ then revealed to 
 him that he was to be Apostle of the 
 Gentiles. 
 
 " Get thee quickhj." St. Paul only 
 remained fifteen days with Peter 
 in Jerusalem. Gal. i. 18. 
 
 18. " And saw him." The Lord 
 Jesus. 
 
 " They will not receive" &c. This 
 does not mean the Christians, for 
 although they naturally " were all 
 afraid of him" at first, yet after Bar- 
 nabas had brought him to the Apos- 
 tles they received him, and he re- 
 mained as a minister among them, 
 though but for a short time. See 
 ch. ix. 26 — 28. The Jews, on the 
 contrary, refused to hear his testi- 
 mony, and " went about to slay him," 
 
 19. ''Lord, thet/ know." St. Paul 
 speaks, if we may so say, almost as 
 though he were remonstrating with 
 the Lord. " Surely the fact of my 
 having been so zealous in persecut- 
 ing this way, even consenting to the 
 death of Stephen, will arrest atten- 
 tion, and make them receive my tes- 
 timony." He states this, at present, 
 to the Jews, to prove how anxiously 
 he had wished to remain and preach 
 the Gospel to them ; and that it was 
 not his will, but the Lord's command, 
 which had directed him to the Gen- 
 tiles. =* 
 
 1 F..P. v. ix. 3. 
 
 2 Wieseler, p. IGl. ff. 
 
 3 Calovius, Meyer, 
 
254 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXH. 
 
 i ch. 9. 15. & 
 13. 2, 46, 47. 
 & 18. 6. & 
 26. 17. 
 Hom. 1. 5. 
 & 11.1.3. & 
 15. IG. 
 
 Gal. 1. 15,16. 
 & 2. 7, 8. 
 
 2 Tim. 1. 11. 
 
 k ch. 21. 36. 
 
 ch. 25. 24. 
 
 unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that 
 slew him. 
 
 21. And he said unto me, Depart: ^for I will send 
 thee far hence unto the Gentiles. 
 
 22. And they gave him audience unto this word, and 
 the?i lifted up their voices, and said, ^ Away with such 
 a fellow from the earth : for it is not fit that ^ he 
 should live. 
 
 23. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, 
 and threw dust into the air, 
 
 24. The chief captain commanded him to be brought 
 into the castle, and bade that he should be examined 
 by scourging ; that he might know wherefore they 
 cried so against him. 
 
 25. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said 
 unto the centurion that stood by, "^ Is it lawful for 
 you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncon- 
 demned ? 
 
 21. " Depart : fa?- 1 ivill send," &c. 
 This promise was fulfilled, some time 
 afterwards, by the commission given 
 by the Holy Ghost to Paul and Bar- 
 nabas. See note, xiii. 9. In the 
 mean time St. Paul resided chiefly in 
 Cilicia and at Antioch. 
 
 22. " Unto this word." It appeared 
 to the Jews a blasphemy to assert 
 that the Messiah could intend to 
 receive the Gentiles into His king- 
 dom. Their envious and bigoted 
 hearts could bear any announcement 
 better than that. They had a com- 
 mon saying, '• The Gentiles have no 
 life." ' It is important to observe the 
 feelings which enabled the Jews to 
 resist the clearest evidence and the 
 most urgent calls. Envy of the Gen- 
 tiles influenced them even more 
 strongly than their prejudiced ad- 
 herence to the traditions of their 
 fathers. 
 
 " It is not fit" &c. They mean, 
 that he should not have been taken 
 out of their hands. They consider 
 that liis life was forfeited as being, 
 in their opinion, a traitor to the law. 
 
 " Israelites who deny the law and 
 the prophets," (as they, in their blind 
 prejudices, believed that St. Paul had 
 done), " are legally condemned to 
 death." 2 
 
 23. " Cast off their clothes, and threw 
 dust in the air." Not merely as an 
 expression of rage, but to show that 
 they were prepared to stone him.^ 
 Compare 2 Sam. xvi. 13. 
 
 24. " i?e examined by scourging." 
 Claudius Lysias, who had not under- 
 stood the discourse of St. Paul, would 
 naturally conclude that he had given 
 great provocation, and spoken blas- 
 phemously ; he therefore resolved to 
 examine him further, and according 
 to the atrocious custom, not merely 
 of the Romans, but of all ancient 
 heathens, to extort confession of his 
 guilt by torture. Scourging was the 
 most common form of such torture. 
 
 25. " And as thcij bound," Sec. 
 Persons who M'cre to l)e scourged 
 were first stretched out, and bound 
 to a pole, or pillar. ' 
 
 " /s it lawful." See notes on ch. 
 xvi. 27. It was contrary to law ; and 
 
 1 Chntiibb. ap. Meyor. 
 
 2 Maimoiiidfs in Uotsa, 4. 
 
 ■* IVIeypr. 
 
 ■» Scalig., Ep. 2. p.3G2. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 
 
 255 
 
 26. When the centurion heard that, he went and 
 told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou 
 doest : for tiiis man is a Roman. 
 
 27. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, 
 Tell me, art thou a Roman ? He said, Yea. 
 
 28. And the chief captain answered. With a great 
 sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said. But I 
 was/ree born. 
 
 29. Then straightway they departed from him which 
 should have || examined him: and the chief captain ii.or 
 also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, '""' 
 and because he had bound him. 
 
 30. On the morrow, because he would have known 
 the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, 
 he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the 
 chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought 
 Paul down, and set him before them. 
 
 Lysias would hare incurred the 
 highest penahy had he disregarded 
 the appeal.' 
 
 26. " The centurion." The exe- 
 cution of punishments was usually 
 superintended by the centurions.^ 
 
 28. " With a great sum," Lysias 
 does not believe St. Paul's statement 
 at once. He knew that his being a 
 citizen of Tarsus did not make him 
 a Roman citizen, and therefore con- 
 cluded that he could only have ob- 
 tained the right by purchase, which 
 appeared unlikely, since St. Paul was 
 evidently not a rich man. We learn 
 from profane writers, that very large 
 sums were paid for the freedom of 
 the city of Rome.^ 
 
 " / was free born" See introduc- 
 tion to ch. ix. 
 
 29. " Was afraid." Because it 
 was a crime to treat a Roman citizen 
 as a criminal before his cause had 
 been formally investigated.* 
 
 30. " He loosed him." It seems 
 
 singular that Lysias should not have 
 loosed his chains at once, on hearing 
 that he was a Roman citizen ; and it 
 has been conjectured that he feared 
 the imminent danger of displeasing 
 the Jews and Felix more than the 
 remoter consequences.^ It was, how- 
 ever, lawful to secure a prisoner by 
 military custody, either by one or 
 two chains, according to his station, 
 and the nature of the offence with 
 which he might be charged. St. 
 Paul, during this night, was doubtless 
 chained to two soldiers." 
 
 " He commanded" &c. He sum- 
 moned a formal meeting of the San- 
 hedrim to inquire fully into the 
 affair, since he could not put St. 
 Paul to the torture. 
 
 " Bi-ought Paid down." From the 
 tower of Antonia to the council-hall, 
 which was near the temple. The 
 meetings were sometimes held at the 
 house of the High Priest, but only 
 on extraordinary occasions.'^ 
 
 1 Biscoe, p. 324. ; Grotius on ver. 38. ; and 
 Wieseler, p. 376. n.4. 
 - Hirt. B. Afric. ; and Matt, xxvii. 54. 
 3 Dio, Ix. See Biscoe, p. 328. 
 
 4 Cicero, Verr., v. 66. 
 
 5 Meyer. 
 
 6 Wieseler, p. .376, 377. 
 
 7 Winer, ii. 552. 
 
256. THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1, 2, Genuine courtesy, under all circumstances, is best taught by that 
 charity which is the maturest fruit of the Spirit. Who but an advanced 
 Christian, one who had been thoroughly transformed in the spirit of his 
 mind, would have so immediately recovered his equanimity, and have 
 remembered that they, who but a few minutes previously were beating 
 and attempting to murder him, were nevertheless brethren and fathers, 
 whose errors could not extinguish the feelings of affection and respect? He 
 uses all proper means to soothe their passions, both for his own justification 
 as a Christian minister, and for their sakes, that they may be converted and 
 saved. " It is an instance of humility silently to bear calumnies which 
 are raised against us, when they relate to ourselves only ; but it is a duty 
 of prudence and charity modestly to vindicate ourselves, when the honour 
 of God and the Church is concerned." — Bp. Wilson. 
 
 4, .5. Quesnel observes that " St. Paul makes his past sins subserve the glory 
 of God and the salvation of his brethren, an example that should be followed 
 by every penitent sinner." The Apostle alludes to his former cruelty, which, 
 though forgiven, weighed at all times painfully upon his heart, as at least 
 a clear proof that, if his present conduct was offensive to his countrymen, it 
 had been adopted in opposition to prejudices not less deeply rooted or 
 vehement than those by which they were still influenced. It is true that 
 this argument did not convince them, or mitigate their fury, but it has not 
 been ineffectual. Modern champions of the faith have used it with telling 
 skill in controversies with unbelievers, and many thoughtful inquirers have 
 admitted its cogency, and been induced to accept the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity by the example and reasoning of St. Paul. 
 
 6 — 16. The contrast between the impressions made upon Saul and his 
 companions, by the manifestation of the Divine glory, exemplifies a pheno- 
 menon of no uncommon occurrence in the spiritual world. The by-standers 
 observed the splendour that accompanied the putting forth of the Divine 
 power, and heard a mysterious and voiceless sound; while he to whom the 
 vision was addressed, beheld in the midst of that light the glorified Person 
 of Christ, and heard the utterances of that voice which, though mighty as 
 the sound of many waters, speaks in distinct, articulate accents to the inner 
 ear of man. The sight and sound leave the former unchanged ; they are 
 neither subdued nor confused, neither enlightened nor blinded, while the 
 whole being of him, in whom the spiritual work is begun, is thrown into a 
 state of amazement. He is perplexed and confounded, — for a season unable 
 to discern the course which he is to pursue, and dependent upon the aid of 
 others for support and guidance. Trace them farther, and you will observe 
 that, while the natural man reverts at once to the cares and pleasures of the 
 world, the spiritual man is directed to one who, as a channel of heavenly 
 grace, tranquillizes the disturbed conscience, enlightens the confused mind, 
 explains the mysterious intimations, and applies that forgiveness which the 
 Redeemer pui'chased with His blood, and conveys by the ministrations of 
 the Church to every penitent believer. 'I'he form may vary, the means 
 may be different, but the result is substantially the same to all true 
 converts. 
 
 17 — 21. The spiritual growth of St. Paul was rapid. In three years he 
 was become a full grown man in the Lord, admitted to familiar intercourse 
 with Him. In these few solemn words we learn somewhat of the nature of that 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXII. 257 
 
 communion which sustained his spirit under all the trials and vicissitudes 
 of his strangely varied career. The Lord -was ever with him, preventing, 
 restraining, and directing him. Relying on His goodness, he does not 
 hesitate to open the secret desires of" his heart, and ventures even to plead 
 earnestly for permission to undertake a special work. But assured also of 
 His wisdom and love, he submits without a murmur to the intimation that 
 he is henceforth to labour in distant and unknown regions. Perfect con- 
 fidence in the love, and absolute submission to the will of God, are the 
 unfailing characteristics of His true children. 
 
 22, 23. Nothing excites the evil passions of man so much as the simple 
 statement of a truth opposed to his prejudices, especially when there is, as 
 there must be generally, an indistinct or suppressed consciousness that the 
 statement is the truth. In fact, every truth finds an echo in man's con- 
 sciousness : if he listens it becomes a conviction, — if he strives to sup- 
 press it, it mingles mysteriously with the vibrations of conscience, and 
 excites an inward tumult, which often finds expression in discordant out- 
 bursts of fury. The rage of controversialists is often an indication of an 
 internal struggle against an unwelcome conviction. 
 
 24. During how many ages the bleeding heart of humanity remained the 
 sport of a brutal tyranny. How full have the dark places of the earth been 
 of cruel habitations! The whisper of a malignant accuser, the slightest 
 suspicion ruffling the mind of a satellite of earthly power, have brought 
 thousands under the scourge and the rack. The name and spirit of 
 Jesus have saved England from such guilt and misery ; but while we grate- 
 fully enjoy the exemption, we should remember that the propagation of 
 the Gospel is the only means by which we can make the suffering heathen, 
 whom we have so many means of influencing, partakers of this, as of every 
 real blessing. 
 
 24 — 29. One plea was then sufficient to arrest the arm of power ; the 
 name of a Roman citizen alone shielded the weakest claimant from insult 
 and cruelty. But Christ has extended a more perfect immunity, not only 
 to all who bear His glorious name, and are already enrolled among the 
 citizens of the heavenly Zion, but to every being of that race, for whom He 
 hath purchased the full rights and privileges of that city with His own 
 blood. May we learn to reverence that title in every living man, and if 
 any live in ignorance or forgetfulness of its dignity, esteem it our first duty 
 to awaken their conscience, that they may enter the gates," which shall not 
 be shut at ail by day," ' and partake in the blessedness of those which are 
 " written in the Lamb's book of life." 
 
 Revelations, xxi. 25. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIII. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 A CHAPTER full of life and action. The last two days which St. Paul 
 passed at Jerusalem are thronged with events. His trial before the 
 Sanhedrim, where the rage of his persecutors is baffled by their internal 
 schism ; the appearance of the Lord Jesus, revealing his future destiny ; 
 the conspiracy savagely concerted, and providentially frustrated ; the 
 departure by night, and journey to Csesarea, where the Apostle is finally 
 delivered into the hands of the Gentiles : these facts are described in a 
 simple, but most graphic narrative, which is no less interesting than 
 instructive to the Christian reader. 
 
 a ch. 24. 16. 
 
 1 Cor. 4.4. 
 
 2 Cor. I. 12. 
 & 4. 2. 
 
 2 Tim. 1. 3. 
 Hebr. 15. 18. 
 
 I. I Kings, 22. 
 
 ,Ter. 20. 2. 
 John, 18. 22. 
 
 1. And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, 
 Men and brethren, ^ I have lived in all good conscience 
 before God until this day. 
 
 2. And the high priest Ananias commanded them 
 that stood by him ^ to smite him on the mouth. 
 
 1 . " Earnestly beholdhig.'' St. Paul's 
 earnest look on the Sanhedrim indi- 
 cates excited feelings. It was the 
 first time he had met this council 
 since he had received from it a com- 
 mission to persecute the Christians, 
 "whom he now represented. Many 
 of the persons who directed its pro- 
 ceedings were changed, but he may 
 have known most of them well 
 enough to judge what proportion of 
 those present were Pharisees or Sad- 
 ducees. The expression of their 
 countenances and general demeanour 
 would of course be deeply interesting 
 to him on this critical occasion ; and 
 ■whether he was then left to his na- 
 tural resources, or specially aided by 
 the Spirit, the use which he made of 
 his observation put a stop to any 
 systematic persecution on their part. 
 The council, aptly representing the 
 passions and schisms of the people, 
 broke up in confusion, and the 
 Apostle was sent to the Roman 
 governor and afterwards to Rome. 
 
 In this introduction to the defence 
 which St. Paul was about to make 
 ■when interrupted by Ananias, we 
 have to remark, — 1st. That he calls 
 the Sanhedrim men and brethren, 
 not fathers and brethren, as he was 
 wont. This seems to imply that the 
 majority at least were young men. — 
 2. That he claims the character of a 
 consistent man, who has always acted 
 conscientiously, as he would probably 
 have shown by reference to his early 
 life, and even to that bitter persecu- 
 tion of the Christians, had he not 
 been interrupted. St. Paul always 
 distinguishes sins done in ignorance 
 from those done against light — he 
 had believed that he ■was serving 
 God. Acts, xxii. 3.,xxvi. 9. Phil, 
 iii. 6. 1 Tim. i. 13. But it must be 
 remembered, that although he alleges 
 this as a valid excuse when accused 
 by his fellow men, he condemns 
 himself unreservedly in reference to 
 God. 
 
 2. " The Jliyh Priest Ananias.^^ 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIII. 
 
 259 
 
 3. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, 
 thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after 
 
 the law, and ^ commandest me to be smitten contrary c Lev. 19 35. 
 
 ^ j^ 1 1 r, -' Deut. 25. 1 , 2. 
 
 to the law : johii,7.5i. 
 
 4. And they that stood by said, Eevilest thou God's 
 high priest ? 
 
 This Ananias, the son of Nebe- 
 denus ', had been high priest when 
 Quadratus, the predecessor of Fehx, 
 was procurator of Judaea. He was 
 appointed to that office originally by 
 Herod, kingof Chalcis, A. d. 48, but 
 in consequence of disturbances be- 
 tween the Jews and the Samaritans, 
 which were traced to his instigation, 
 he was sent, together with Cumanus 
 and others, to Rome, by Quadratus, 
 to appear before Claudius Ca?sar, 
 who condemned the others, but par- 
 doned him at the intercession of 
 Herod. On his return he found 
 Jonathan in possession of his office, 
 upon whose murder by the emis- 
 saries of Felix, he was probably - 
 restored to his former rank, which 
 he seems to have held until the ap- 
 pointment of Tsmael, shortly before 
 the removal of Felix. He may, 
 however, have merely acted as high 
 priest ^ during the interval between 
 the death of Jonathan and the ap- 
 pointment of Ismael. Josephus * says 
 that he was an ambitious, avaricious, 
 and cruel man. 
 
 " To smite him." Smiting on the 
 mouth with a stick, or iron-heeled 
 slipper, is still a common and very 
 painful punishment in the East. See 
 John, xviii. 22. It was, however, 
 quite illegal before condemnation, 
 excepting in the case of insolent or 
 refractory prisoners. Ananias seems 
 to have been offended by the terms 
 and tone of St. Paul's address. 
 
 3. " Then said Paid." On com- 
 
 paring St. Paul's conduct with that 
 of our Saviour on a precisely similar 
 occasion, we must admit that it be- 
 tokens a temperament, somewhat 
 irascible, and restrained with dif- 
 ficulty under extreme provocation. 
 Nothing could be more unjustifiable 
 than the proceeding of Ananias ; but 
 the expression used by St. Paul, as 
 addressed to one, who, whether he 
 was High Priest or not, represented 
 the magistracy of Judaea, was inde- 
 corous ^ and very ditferent from the 
 calm and temperate expostulation of 
 Him who alone was without even 
 the tendency to sin. 
 
 " Whited ivalL" An expression 
 similar to whited sepulchre. "Walls 
 were often made of clay, or dried 
 mud and whitewashed — an apt em- 
 blem of an unsound and vile cha- 
 racter, glossed over by a plausible 
 demeanour. 
 
 " God shall smite thee.'' These 
 words do not express an imprecation, 
 but were prophetical." Ananias was 
 murdered by the orders of Menahem, 
 the chief of the assassins, in the be- 
 ginning of the Jewish war." 
 
 " Contrary to the law.'" The law 
 enjoined that every accused person 
 should have full and fair opportunity 
 of self-defence. Deut. xix. 15. 18. 
 Prov. xvii, 15. 
 
 4. " Revilest thou God's High 
 Priest?" This expression is strongly 
 in favour of the supposition that 
 Ananias was restored to his office at 
 that time. 
 
 1 Josppluis, XX. 5 — 20. 
 " Winer, i. p. 57. ; and Wieseler, 
 note. 
 
 3 Kuinoel and other commentators. 
 
 4 Ant. XX. viii. 
 
 5 This is the opinion of Jerome, Augustin, 
 and many of the best commentators. 
 
 *> Augustin de Serm. Dom. in Monte, i. 
 58. ; and Meyer. 
 
 7 Joseph. B. J., ii. 17. 9. 
 
260 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIIT. 
 
 dch. 2i. 17. 5. Then said Paul, ^1 wist not, brethren, that he 
 e^Exod. 22.2S. was the high priest: for it is written, ^ Thou shaltnot 
 
 jifde^'s^' ^'^' ^P^^^^ ^^'^^ o^' *^^^ ruler of thy people. 
 
 6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were 
 
 Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the 
 
 Phiiilf^f" council, Men atid brethren, ^ I am a Pharisee, the son 
 
 gch. 21. 1.5. 21. of a Pharisee : ^of the hope and resurrection of the 
 
 28.2b.' dead I am called in question. 
 
 5. " / wist not." St. Paul's answer 
 may be understood literally to mean 
 that he was not aware Ananias held 
 the office ', which is possible, but 
 scarcely probable. The expression, 
 which is rendered " I wist not," very 
 often means I did not remember, or 
 consider^, and most of the modern 
 commentators, as I think rightly, 
 hold that St, Paul hereby acknow- 
 ledges that he had spoken hastily 
 and retracts the expression. Tlie 
 quotation from Exod. xxii. 28. jus- 
 tifies this interpretation. The con- 
 duct of St. Paul is quite in accord- 
 ance with his susceptible, but noble 
 and candid disposition. The suppo- 
 sition that St. Paul spoke ironically'', 
 implying that he could not suppose 
 that one, who acted so unjustly, was 
 the High Priest, is scarcely consist- 
 ent with the quotation from Holy 
 Scripture which follows.* 
 
 6. " When Paul perceived." Or 
 remarked. St. Paul was well ac- 
 quainted with the state of parties at 
 Jerusalem. They appear at that 
 time to have been equally balanced. 
 Ananias, and most of the rich and 
 noble, were Sadducees, who from 
 the beginning had been foremost 
 in persecuting the Christians (see 
 James, ii. 6.) ; but the Pharisees 
 were more numerous, and had greater 
 influence over the common people. 
 The differences between these par- 
 ties were contested with so much 
 vehemence, that the Pharisees, with 
 
 the exception of the most bigoted, 
 seem to have been once more in- 
 clined to sympathize with the Chris- 
 tians rather than with their oppo- 
 nents. The character of St. James, 
 the Bishop of Jerusalem, was so 
 highly respected by them, that Jo- 
 sephus^ himself a Pharisee, regarded 
 his murder as one of those great 
 crimes that provoked the divine 
 vengeance, and brought on the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem. 
 
 " / am a Pharisee." The same 
 writer *^ who presumes to censure St. 
 Paul for conciliating his countrymen 
 by a public act of legal observance, 
 considers that on this occasion his 
 conduct was disingenuous,and, though 
 he spake the literal truth, that he in- 
 tended to convey a false impression. 
 Such a judgment savours of a spirit, 
 which it is to be hoped will never be 
 prevalent in England. St. Paul not 
 only spoke the truth, but used the 
 words in the same sense in which 
 they were received, and would be 
 understood both by the Pharisees 
 and Sadducees ; and it was both his 
 right and duty to break up the un- 
 natural alliance that was formed 
 against him, and, even for the sake of 
 the Pharisees themselves, to induce 
 them to separate from the cruel and 
 unbelieving Sadducees. 
 
 " The hope and resurrection." That 
 is, the hope of the resurrection, by a 
 well-known figure of speech.^ St. 
 Paul was called in question or tried 
 
 1 Chrvsostom, Corn, a Lap., Calov., Dcy 
 ling, VVitsius, Michael, and many com- 
 ineiitators. 
 
 - Wetstoin, Kuinoel, Olsiiausen, Neander, 
 &c. 
 
 3 Calvin, Meyer, and others. 
 
 Compare Winer, ii. 552. n. 2. 
 Ant., XX 9. 1. See also Hegesippus ap. 
 ;. H. K., ii. 23. 
 Davidson, ii. 9."?. 
 Kuinoel and Olshausen. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXHI. 
 
 261 
 
 7. And when he had so said, there arose a dissen- 
 sion between the the Pharisees and the Sadducees : 
 and the multitude was divided. 
 
 8. ^For the Sadducees say that there is no resur-h Matt. 22. 23. 
 rection, neither angel, nor spirit : but the Pharisees Luke,' 20." 27."; 
 confess both. 
 
 9. And there arose a great cry : and the scribes 
 that ivere of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, say- 
 
 inry, i We find no evil in this man : but ^ if a spirit or i '^^ 2^5- '^5. 
 
 O' i & 26. 31. 
 
 an angel hath spoken to him, Uet us not fight against k ch. 22. 7. ir. 
 God. 
 
 10. And when there arose a great dissension, the 
 chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled 
 in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, 
 and to take him by force from among them, and to 
 bring him into the castle. 
 
 il. And °^the ni^ht following the Lord stood by "i ^'v '«,• 
 
 o O J li. io, 21. 
 
 him, and said. Be of good cheer, Paul : for as thou 
 hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear 
 witness also at Rome. 
 
 18. 
 
 1 ch. 5. 39. 
 
 for preaching Christianity, which 
 was based upon the fact of the re- 
 surrection, as we observe in all the 
 discourses of the Apostles. 
 
 7. " A dissension." The original 
 means rather a violent dispute. 
 
 " The multitude." The council and 
 the by-standers were divided, se- 
 parated into opposite parties or fac- 
 tions. 
 
 8. '^ For the Sadducees say." The 
 Sadducees were materialists, and their 
 denial of the resurrection, of angels, 
 and the s^^parate existence of the 
 soul, included a disbelief in a future 
 state of retribution,^ The word 
 "spirit" here does not mean the 
 Spirit of God, but the disembodied 
 spirit of man after death. 
 
 9. " Let us not Jiyht against God." 
 It is interesting to observe that so 
 many of Paul's earlier friends and 
 acquaintance were disposed to follow 
 the example of Gamaliel, Acts, v. 
 34 — 40, They appear even to have 
 
 approximated more nearly to the 
 recognition of the M'hole truth, '^ We 
 may hope that many of them em- 
 braced the cause which they refused 
 to assail. The words " if a spirit or 
 angel hath spoken to him " evidently 
 refer to St. Paul's declaration, xxii. 
 17, 18. 
 
 10. ^^ The chief captain com- 
 manded," &c. He appears to have 
 made a signal to the soldiers, whc 
 could easily observe the proceedings 
 in the outer court of the temple from 
 the tower of Antonia. Both parties 
 seem to have caught hold of St. Paul, 
 the Pharisees wishing to protect 
 him, the Sadducees to prevent him 
 from escaping in the tumult. 
 
 11, " The Lord." The Lord Jesus. 
 " Stood by " him. The word in the 
 
 original is used of Theophanies, that 
 is, manifestations and appearances of 
 the Deity, but not of dreams,^ The 
 Lord himself appeared to sustain the 
 Apostle, who knew only as yet, that 
 
 ^ Joseph. Ant., xviii 1. 3. tijinit)', and 1 have no doubt of its genuine- 
 
 2 The reading in our text is admitted to ness. Ser Kuinoel. 
 indicare a strong disposition towards Chris- ^ Olshausen. 
 
262 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIII. 
 
 II Or, n'ith a 
 vuf.ofejce- 
 t ration. 
 
 12. And when it was day, ^^ certain of the Jews 
 banded together, and bound themselves || under a 
 curse, saying that they woukl neither eat nor drink 
 till they had killed Paul. 
 
 13. And they were more than forty which had made 
 this conspiracy. 
 
 14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, 
 and said, TVe have bound ourselves under a great 
 curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain 
 Paul. 
 
 15. Now therefore ye with the council signify to 
 the chief captain that he bring him down unto you 
 to-morrow, as though ye would enquire something more 
 perfectly concerning him : and we, or ever he come 
 near, are ready to kill him. 
 
 bonds and persecutions awaited him 
 at Jerusalem (see Acts, xx. 23.), and 
 might apprehend that his earthly 
 course would be terminated before 
 the work which he contemplated was 
 accomplished. He now learned that 
 his most ardent desire would be gra- 
 tified, and tbe metropolis of the 
 world would hear him bear witness 
 to Jesus. 
 
 12. The division among the Jews, 
 as is usual in such cases, inflamed 
 the passions of the unbelieving party 
 to the highest extremity of fury. 
 
 " Bound themselves.^'' That is, de- 
 voted themselves to destruction : — 
 the word in the original is " anathe- 
 matized." The form of this oath was 
 not uncommon among the Jews, -who 
 were not only addicted to profane 
 swearing, but frequently bound them- 
 selves to commit great criuies by the 
 most awful and blasphemous impre- 
 cations.' They could obtain absolu- 
 tion, or a release from their vow, on 
 easy terms from their Rabbis.^ It 
 has been stated above that Judaea was 
 infested by bands of assassins at that 
 time, but there is no reason to be- 
 lieve that these Avere professional 
 bravoes.^ They were probably zea- 
 lots who did not hesitate to commit 
 any crime under a religious pretext. 
 
 " Till theij had killed PauV The 
 form of the expression in the ori- 
 ginal, implies they felt certain that 
 their purpose would be accom- 
 plished.* 
 
 13. " More than forty" This 
 number was a symbol of complete- 
 ness, and frequently recurs in the 
 sacred writings. 
 
 14. " And they came," &c. This 
 communication of their design to the 
 rulers of the Sanhedrim gives a pe- 
 culiar character of atrocity to the 
 crime — it implied that the applicants 
 would not accept absolution, in case 
 of failure, from any but the High 
 Priest ; and that they were assured 
 of the ready concurrence of the 
 Jewish magistracy in a scheme of 
 murder. 
 
 15. " S'/V/n ?/)/." A legal term is 
 used in the original, to imply that a 
 formal investigation should be re- 
 quested by the council or Sanhedrim. 
 
 '■'Briny him (hum" — i.e. to the 
 house of the High Priest ^ where 
 the Sanhedrim met on extraordinary 
 occasions. This was probably at 
 some distance from the castle of 
 vVntonia. 
 
 " To-morroiv." One day's delay 
 would be I'equired to convene the 
 Sanhedrim. 
 
 ' .Tosepl). Vit., liii. ; Scklcii dc Syncdr., •' Micliaclis. 
 
 p. 108. ' I\I. yer. 
 
 ^ Lightfoot. '■> Wilier, ii. 552. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXHI. 
 
 !G3 
 
 16. And when Paul's sister's son heard of their 
 lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and 
 told Paul. 
 
 17. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto 
 him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief 
 captain : for he hath a certain thing to tell him. 
 
 18. So he took him, and brought him to the chief 
 captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, 
 and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, 
 who hath something to say unto thee. 
 
 19. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, 
 and went with him aside privately, and asked him, 
 What is that thou hast to tell me ? 
 
 20. And he said, ^ The Jews have agreed to desire o Ten 12. 
 the ethat thou wouldest bring down Paul to-morrow 
 
 into the council, as though they would enquire some- 
 what of him more perfectly. 
 
 21. But do not thou yield unto them : for there lie 
 in wait for him oi them more than forty men, which 
 have bound themselves with an oath, that they will 
 neither eat nor drink till they have killed him : and 
 now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. 
 
 " Are ready to kill him." They 
 expected that he would be sent down 
 in charge of a small party of soldiers, 
 from w4iom he might be torn away. 
 The cii'cumstance would afterwards 
 be represented as a mere fortuitous 
 tumult, appeased by the interposition 
 of the Sanhedrim. 
 
 16. " When Paul's sister's son." 
 The sister of Paul was perhaps a 
 resident at Jerusalem, or his nephew 
 might have been sent thither, as 
 St. Paul had been, to be instructed 
 by Gamaliel. This young man pro- 
 bably heard of the conspiracj^ through 
 some private channel. It must have 
 been known to numbers. The worst 
 feature of the crime, as regai'ds the 
 perpetrators, was the cool delibera- 
 tion with which it was pi-e-arranged ; 
 but their indifference to consequences 
 casts a deep shade of suspicion on 
 the majority of the nation. 
 
 " And told Paul:' The friends of 
 a prisoner had access to him under 
 such circumstances. See Acts, xxiv. 
 23. St. Paul was, moreover, a Ro- 
 man citizen, and could scarcely be 
 
 regarded as lying under an accusa- 
 tion of crime. 
 
 17. " Then Paul called," &c. St. 
 Paul well knew that the promise of 
 the Lord (ver. 11) did not exempt him 
 from personal exertions, the success 
 of which it secured in this instance. 
 
 18. This minute and graphic nar- 
 rative was probably taken from the 
 mouth of the young man himself by 
 St. Luke. It is evidently dictated by 
 an eye-witness. 
 
 19. " Took him by the hand." The 
 demeanour of the tribune shows the 
 deep interest which he felt in these 
 proceedings. He was in a very em- 
 barrassing and responsible position : 
 his superiors Avere likely, on the one 
 hand, to be influenced by the re- 
 presentations of the Jewish autho- 
 rities who had much power by means 
 of the young Agrippa, and, on the 
 other, to exact a severe account of 
 proceedings which touched the life 
 and liberty of a Roman citizen. 
 
 21. ''For a promise." Or rather 
 the promise, viz. that Paul should be 
 sent to the council. 
 
264 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIH. 
 
 22. So the chief captain then let the young man de- 
 part, and charged him. See thou tell no man that thou 
 hast shewed these things to me. 
 
 23. And he called unto him two centurions, saying, 
 Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cesarea, 
 and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two 
 hundred, at the tliird hour of the night ; 
 
 24. And provide them heasts, that they may set 
 Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the governor. 
 
 25. And he wrote a letter after this manner : 
 
 26. Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor 
 Felix sendeth greeting. 
 
 27. P Tins man was taken of the Jews, and should 
 have been killed of them : then came I with an army, 
 and rescued him, having understood that he was a 
 Roman. 
 
 23. ''Make ready." This large 
 escort proves the great importance 
 ■which the tribune attached to the 
 preservation of the life of a Roman 
 citizen, and the opinion which, in 
 common -with his countrymen, he 
 entertained of the ferocity of the 
 Jews. 
 
 " Spearmen.'''' The meaning of 
 the original word is not quite clear. 
 It may perhaps signify guards, 
 chosen soldiers.^ The old versions, 
 however, translate it spearmen, and 
 late commentators support this in- 
 terpretation."^ 
 
 " The third hour " — reckoning 
 from sunset, about nine o'clock. 
 
 24. " Beasts.'" Camels, horses, or 
 asses are included in this term : the 
 last were generally in use, but on 
 this occasion we must understand 
 horses. 
 
 " Feli.v.'" Antonius Felix, and 
 his brother Pallas, were freedmen of 
 Antonia, the mother of the Emperor 
 Claudius. Pallas had great influ- 
 ence over Claudius, and procured 
 the appointment of Felix to the pro- 
 curatorship of Juda;a, where, accord- 
 
 ing to Tacitus ^ "he exercised a regal 
 authority with the character of a 
 slave," showing the greatest cruelty 
 and licentiousness. Suetonius calls 
 him the husband of three princesses, 
 two of whom were named Drusilla ; 
 one the grand-daughter of Antony 
 and Cleopatra, the other of Herod 
 the Great. By the former marriage 
 Felix was allied to the imperial 
 family.' 
 
 25. ''After this manner.'" To this 
 purport. The epistle was undoubt- 
 edly written in Latin, which language 
 was uniformly used in official cor- 
 respondence with Roman magis- 
 trates.^ The expression used by 
 St. Luke is of Latin origin. 
 
 26. " Claudius Lysias." The latter 
 name indicates his Greek origin ; the 
 former was probably assumed Avhen 
 he purchased the rights of Roman 
 citizenship. See xxii. 28. 
 
 " The most excellent." This is a 
 formal title given to magistrates." 
 
 27. " Should have been." Was in 
 imminent danger of being murdered. 
 
 "IIavin(f understood." This is evi- 
 dentlv an intentional falsehood. The 
 
 Kainocl, Suidas. 
 Meyer. See Constant. 
 )f. 
 
 Hist. iv. 9. 6. 
 Tacit. 1. c. 
 
 '■ Valer. Max., ii. 2. See Howsnn and 
 Porphyrog. ap. Conybcarc, the Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 
 i. 3. 
 '' Kuinoel : Wolf on Luke, i. 3. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIIL 
 
 26i 
 
 28. lAnd when I would have known the cause q ch. 22. 30. 
 wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into 
 
 their council : 
 
 29. Whom I perceived to be accused ''of questions' ch. is. 15. 
 of their law, ^ but to have nothing laid to his charge ^ ^^^j^^'gg' 3, 
 worthy of death or of bonds. 
 
 30. And twhen it was told me how that thetver. 20. 
 Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to 
 
 thee, and "gave commandment to his accusers alsou,ch.24.8. & 
 to say before thee what they had against him. Fare- 
 well. 
 
 31. Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, 
 took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. 
 
 32. On the morrow they left the horsemen to go 
 with him, and returned to the castle : 
 
 33. Who, when they came to Cesarea, and deli- 
 vered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also 
 before him. 
 
 34. And when the governor had read the letter., he 
 asked of what province he was. And when he under- x ch. 21. 39. 
 stood that lie icas of ^ Cilicia ; 
 
 tribune wishes to convey the im- 
 pression that he had interposed be- 
 cause he received information that 
 St. Paul was a Roman citizen. This 
 would probably satisfy the procu- 
 rator of his zeal, and prevent an 
 investigation, which would lead to 
 the discovery that he had ordered 
 a Roman citizen to be bound and 
 scourged. It has been observed, 
 even by sceptical critics, that tiiis 
 crafty lie leaves no doubt as to the 
 authenticity of the letter.' 
 
 29. "■ Questions of tlieir law." Ques- 
 tions touching the explanation of the 
 Mosaical law, or religion, but not com- 
 ing under the cognizaace of the civil 
 law, either of the Jews or Romans. 
 
 31. " Antipatris," so called by 
 Herod the Great in honour of his 
 father Antipater, lay 26 Roman miles 
 from Jerusalem on the road to Cse- 
 sarea. It was previously called 
 Cafar Saba ^, and is identified with a 
 
 village now called Kfar Saba, in the 
 province of Nablus.^ 
 
 32. " Thei/ left the horsemen to go 
 with him." They seemed to have 
 acted thus on their own responsi- 
 bility, since the tribune had given 
 directions that they should go to 
 Csesarea. It was evident that the 
 escort of the horsemen w^as sufficient 
 between Antipatris and Casarea, 
 while the presence of the foot-soldiers 
 might be needed at Jerusalem in the 
 event of a tumult. The character of 
 Claudius Lysias is thoroughly Greek, 
 crafty and versatile, with little either 
 of the stern or commanding qualities 
 of a Roman. 
 
 34. " Of what province." The ob- 
 ject of this question appears to have 
 been to ascertain whether St. Paul 
 was really a Roman citizen. Felix 
 might communicate with the go- 
 vernor of Cilicia on the subject if he 
 doubted the truth of St. Paul's state- 
 
 1 Meyer, Davidson. 
 
 2 Joseplius, Ant., xiii. 23. 
 
 3 Robinson, 
 
 259. 
 
266 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIII. 
 
 ych.24.1,10. 35. y I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers 
 are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in 
 z .Matt. 27.27. z Hcrod's judgment hall. 
 
 ment. It is certain that Cilicia was lace. This was a splendid building, 
 
 not under his jurisdiction. erected by Herod the Great as a 
 
 35. "/ will hear thee." The word royal residence, and occupied most 
 
 implies a full, and of course, a ju- probably at that time by the Roman 
 
 dicial investigation. procurator. The prison was within 
 
 " Herucfs judgment hall."" The its precincts, as was customary in 
 
 original word is praetorium, or pa- most ancient countries. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 \. The true Christian has two points to consider, whether he obeys his 
 conscience, and whether his conscience is directed and enlightened by 
 God's law. A double-minded and inconsistent man forfeits the respect of 
 his fellow-creatures, the single-hearted believer is approved by the Lord 
 of Glory. 
 
 2 — 5. No feeling is so difficult to restrain and regulate as indignation, 
 when subjected to unjust treatment. ^Ve should pray earnestly for grace, 
 that we may be enabled to follow the example of our blessed Saviour ; and 
 should we be too strongly tempted, let us remember our own infirmities, 
 that we may bear with those of others, and resort to God's Word for guid- 
 ance and help, like His noble-hearted Apostle St. Paul. 
 
 6 — 9. Associations formed by violent passions, and based upon a com- 
 promise of principle, are often scattered by a single word of truth. It is at 
 once the privilege and duty of the advocate of religion to appeal to any 
 great principle which is recognized by either party of his adversaries, and 
 to avail himself of their divisions: and that not only for the sake of the cause 
 which he defends, but for that of his opponents, whose hearts may be pre- 
 pared, by the recognition of one truth, for the reception of others by which 
 it is explained and completed. 
 
 10. The corruption of the Jews was so great, that the Apostle of their 
 Messiah was safer in the hands of the heathen. The abuse of spiritual 
 privileges renders the heart callous, and impenetrable to the connnon 
 feelings of humanity, and the mere worldling looks with no unreasonable 
 contempt on the factious and hateful passions of those who profess to be the 
 followers of the King of Peace. 
 
 11. When the outer world is darkest and most inclement, the Lord makes 
 His bright and peaceful Spirit shine most cheeringly. When the way before 
 the (Christian seems strait and overclouded. His hand suddenly removes the 
 veil, and opens to the spiritual eye a vista full of honourable achievements, 
 terminated by a vision of jilory. 
 
 12 — 10. 'I'he earnestness, energy, and carefully matured projects of the 
 enemies of the Church, in all ages, ought not to terrify its true members, 
 for they have an All-wise and All-powerful defender; but they ought to 
 excite their emulation. They should look on such facts as evidences to the 
 existence of noble faculties, distorted from their proper objects, as treasure 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIII. 267 
 
 lavishly wasted by usurping possessors, which would be fully and harmo- 
 niously developed, and shine forth with genuine brilliancy if rightly directed, 
 and employed in the service of their legitimate sovereign. 
 
 16 — 22, " The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil 
 and the good." His hand turneth the machinations of His enemies, and 
 makes them instrumental to his children's benefit. He fosters and draws 
 forth the natural affections, and directs them to the aid of his aflSicted 
 servants, and inclines the hearts of all men to the course of action that con- 
 duces best to the furtherance of His purposes on behalf of His elect. 
 
 23, 24. The Apostle had been received by his friends with due honours 
 on his entrance into Jerusalem, but, on his depai'ture, be was attended with 
 royal state by his enemies. The malice of persecutors hath been, at various 
 times, the direct means of extending the influence, and adding to the glory, 
 of God's people. 
 
 26 — 30. The epistle of a heathen tribune has been preserved in the Book 
 of Life, and is read with deep interest by Christians, because it bears testi- 
 mony to the innocence of Christ's servant, and to the malice of his enemies. 
 It has been preserved, with its mis-statement of facts, and ignorance of 
 doctrine, because they are seals to its authenticity, and prove that the 
 deliverance of St. Paul is to be attributed, not to the humanity of the selfish 
 and crafty Lysias, but to the interposition of Him, who stood by the Apostle 
 in the night. 
 
 31 — 35. The judgment hall of Herod is now a shapeless ruin. The 
 busy throngs that peopled the marts and marble porches of Caesarea have 
 disappeared ; the imperial power, which extended over the world, has been 
 shattered into a thousand fragments ; but the mind of the reflecting Chris- 
 tian is attracted to that city of the departed by imperishable reminiscences. 
 There the Gospel first wrought its transforming work in the heart of a 
 Gentile soldier ; and there the two Apostles, by whose instrumentality the 
 Church was developed in the Hebrew and Gentile world, gave utterance to 
 thoughts which have been the daily food and sustenance of millions of believ- 
 ing hearts, preparing them, by faith and hope, for the second advent of the 
 Lord. 
 
 K 2 
 
268 THE ACTS. CHAP, XXIV. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIY. 
 
 The first trial of St. Paul before the representatives of Caesar, illustrates 
 the arts employed by the accusers of the early Christians, and the line of 
 defence which they were to pursue. The calumnies which were then 
 insinuated, though frustrated for a season, were afterwards the cause of 
 cruel persecutions. The defence of St. Paul is remarkable for calm self- 
 possession, and close, accurate reasoning ; and is equally calculated to 
 convince any of his countrjanen whose minds were still open to argument, 
 and to remove any suspicion of political motives which the Roman ma- 
 gistrate might entertain. The result was a virtual acquittal, the de- 
 liverance of St. Paul being only prevented by the cupidity of Felix, who 
 thus unconsciously prepared the way for the extension of the Gospel. 
 
 This chapter is further remarkable for the passage which exeniplifies the 
 uncompromising and heart-searching character of St. Paul's preaching, 
 and the effects produced by it upon the corrupt and licentious Felix. 
 
 ach.21.27. 1- And after ^five days '^ Ananias the higli priest de- 
 55*:&2i".'t'.^°' scended with the elders, and tvith a certain orator 
 
 named Tertullus, who informed the governor against 
 
 Paul. 
 
 2. And when he was called forth, Tertullus began 
 
 1. ^'- And after five days.'''' These eeedings before Roman magistrates, 
 
 are to be reckoned from St. Paul's were in the habit of employing orators, 
 
 arrival at Ca^sarea.' Felix appears or professional advocates. Some of 
 
 to have sent an order for the accusers these were young men of rank from 
 
 to attend his tribunal. The journeys the capital, who practised gratui- 
 
 to and fro, and the necessary ar- tously in the provinces, in order to 
 
 rangements, would occupy five days, prepare themselves for the courts at 
 
 " Descended."" Ca?sarea is geo- Rome ; others were rhetoricians, 
 graphically in a lower situation than who earned a livelihood by their pro- 
 Jerusalem, but travellers were said fession.^ Tertullus belonged pro- 
 to go down from the capital in what- bably to the latter class.^ 
 ever direction they went. " Informed.'" Laid a formal accu- 
 
 " Tertullus.'" A common name sation, either in writing* or by word 
 
 among the Romans.'* The Jews, of mouth. 
 
 being imperfectly acquainted with 2. " Wlien he teas called forth." 
 
 the forms of Roman judicature, and On receiving the charge, the gover- 
 
 not speaking the I„atin language, nor ordered St. Paul to be brought 
 
 which was exclusively used in pro- from his prison. 
 
 »■ Wieselor, p. 104. " Meyor. 
 
 2 Wetstein. 5 Camcrar. Grot. 
 
 ' Cicero jir. r.-r'io, c. 30. ; I^ampt id., r. 
 Alex. Sev.. c. 11. ap. Kuinocl. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 269 
 
 to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy 
 great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done 
 unto this nation by thy providence, 
 
 3. We accept it always, and in all places, most noble 
 Felix, with all thankfulness. 
 
 4. Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious 
 unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of 
 
 thy clemency a few words. ^ j^^^^ 25. 5. 
 
 5. <^For we have found this man a pestilent yeZ/ow,^^J-,^|;f7g 
 and a mover of sedition among all the Jews through- fp^^-'f 12, 15. 
 
 tn to accuse him.'" To make 
 the usual speech, in which counsel 
 explained and defended the charges 
 which had previously been laid be- 
 fore the magistrate. ' 
 
 " Seeing that by thee" The open- 
 ing of this speech is quite in accord- 
 ance with the tone of advocates at 
 that time, especially in the provin- 
 cial courts, w^iere the meanest flat- 
 teries were employed to win the 
 favour of magistrates, who frequently 
 decided with little refei-ence to the 
 law and merits of the case. Felix 
 was well known to be a man of 
 profligate character, an oppressor and 
 extortioner ; but TertuUus skilfully 
 fixes upon some points, on which he 
 might be flattered with some show of 
 plausibility. He had repressed some 
 seditious movements, which origi- 
 nated in his own misconduct, and 
 had lately put down the assassins 
 whom he had previously instigated 
 and employed. He assumed the title 
 of Pacifier of the Province."^ 
 
 " Very loorthy deeds.'' Great and 
 successful actions, such as have been 
 refen-ed to in the preceding note. 
 
 " Providence." Foresight and pru- 
 dence. Felix especially prided him- 
 self on his skilful management of 
 afi"airs. 
 
 3. " We accept it always." Re- 
 cognize it with gratitude and de- 
 light.^ 
 
 •' Always and in all places." Ter- 
 
 tuUus speaks thus to obviate the sus- 
 picion that he was merely flattering 
 Felix in his presence.* It was, how- 
 ever, a gross falsehood, since Felix 
 was universally hated by the Jews, 
 who sent an embassy to Rome to 
 accuse him of extortion and cruelty, 
 when he was recalled. 
 
 4. '■'' Notwithstanding." TertuUus 
 insinuates that he is only prevented 
 from expatiating on the virtues of 
 Felix by a fear of intruding^ on his 
 time. 
 
 " Of thy clemency. " In accordance 
 with thy well-known character for 
 courteousness and condescension. 
 
 5. " A pestilent fellow." The word 
 in the original is " pestilence," used 
 much in the same manner as " pest," 
 of turbulent and profligate men, 
 " who are not only corrupt them- 
 selves, but cause the ruin of others." ^ 
 
 "^ mover of sedition" TertuUus 
 mentions seditious movements, which 
 he attributes to St. Paul, in the first 
 place, because it would constitute a 
 legal offence, which Felix would take 
 cognizance of, and was anxious to 
 repress. The expression which he 
 employs is artfully chosen, since it 
 might be presumed that Felix would 
 not hesitate to cut off all occasion for 
 riots by punishing an innocent per- 
 son, although he might be well aware 
 that they originated in the turbulent 
 zeal of the Jews. 
 
 " Th?-oughout the world" In ad- 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 2 Wetstein ; Joseph. Ant., xx. 
 38. ; B. J., ii 13. 2. 
 
 3 Raphel. Obs. Polyb., p. 391. 
 
 '' Wetstein, Meyer. 
 
 s Valckn. Schol., p. 600., ap. Kuinoel. 
 
 6 Suid-ds. 
 
 N 3 
 
270 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 out the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the 
 
 Nazarenes : 
 dch.2i.28. 6. <^Who also hath gone about to profane the tem- 
 e John, 18.31. pie I wlioHi wc took, and would ** have judged according 
 
 to our law. 
 fch. 21.35. 7. ^But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and 
 
 with great violence took him away out of our hands, 
 Bch.23.30. 8. s Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: 
 
 by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge 
 
 of all these things, whereof we accuse him. 
 
 dressing a Roman magistrate, an ad- 
 vocate would be understood to mean 
 the Roman Empire by this expres- 
 sion. ' 
 
 " A ringleader" The expression 
 properly denotes the soldier who is 
 stationed foremost in the line of 
 battle ^ ; hence, metaphorically, the 
 leader of a party. 
 
 " Sect," in the original, is hsere- 
 sis, whence our word heresy is de- 
 rived. It means a party, or sect, to 
 which a person adheres, either in 
 politics, philosophy, or religion. 
 
 '■'-Nazarenes." The common de- 
 signation of Christians among the 
 Jews, who reiected our Lord partly 
 on the ground that he was of Naza- 
 reth, See John, i. 46. The con- 
 temptuous form of the expression 
 proves how accurately St. Luke has 
 reported the proceedings. 
 
 6. " To profane the temple." This 
 was an oiFence which a Roman ma- 
 gistrate would recognize, and punish 
 by death. 
 
 " And woidd have judged." From 
 this passage it seems clear that, in 
 such cases at least, the Jewish autho- 
 rities had the power of inflicting ca- 
 pital punishment. " No advocate or 
 counsel, be his assurance ever so 
 great, could have asserted such a 
 tiling as this to the Roman governor 
 himself, if, at the same time, the 
 Romans luid deprived the Jews of 
 the power of inflicting capital pu- 
 nishment." ^ It is, however, very 
 
 questionable whether they possessed 
 such power generally ; but the Ro- 
 man magistrates seem to have inter- 
 fered very seldom, except in cases of 
 treason or sedition, when they always 
 pronounced sentence themselves. 
 Tertullus, moreover, asserts a mani- 
 fest falsehood when he states that 
 the Jews intended to judge St. Paul 
 legally. They were about to murder 
 him when the tribune rescued him. 
 
 7. " With great violence." This 
 does not appear in the minute ac- 
 count given by St. Luke. It is 
 evident that no violence was em- 
 ployed, since no resistance was 
 made. 
 
 8. " Commanding his accusers." 
 This order was probably sent by 
 Felix, and transmitted to the San- 
 hedrim by Lysias. The accusers, in 
 the strict sense of the word, were 
 those who charged St. Paul with 
 bringing Trophimus into the temple ; 
 but they were not present, and their 
 place was supplied by those who 
 ought to have been impartial judges. 
 
 " Of whom." This word, in the 
 original, is in the singular number, 
 and must be referred either to Saint 
 Paul or Lysias. If to Paul, Ter- 
 tullus may have hoped that he would 
 be put to the torture', not knowing 
 that he was a Roman citizen ; but it 
 seems more natural to refer it to 
 Lysias, as Felix appears to have 
 understood it. See ver. 22.* 
 
 St. Luke gives merely the opening 
 
 ' Meyer. 
 
 2 Hcsychius. 
 
 3 Uiscoe on the Acts, p- 215, 
 
 * Grotius, Rosenmullcr. 
 6 Kuinoel. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 271 
 
 9. And the Jews also assented, saying that these 
 things were so. 
 
 10. Then Paul, after that the governor had beck- 
 oned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I 
 know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto 
 this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for my- 
 self : 
 
 1 1. Because that thou mayest understand, that there 
 are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem 
 
 hr^U- h ver. 17. 
 
 " lor to worship. ch. 21. '^e. 
 
 12. ^And they neither found me in the temple dis- !,8*:^>f ' ^- *= 
 
 and general summary of the speech, 
 which was probably copious and 
 minute in its statements, according 
 to the custom of the orators of that 
 time, especially in the East. Saint 
 Luke and other friends of St- Paul 
 may have been present at the trial, 
 as it was customary for accused per- 
 sons, as well as the accusers, to be 
 accompanied, encouraged, and some- 
 times assisted, by their friends.' 
 
 9. " Assented" or sustained these 
 charges of sedition and sacrilege, not, 
 of course, by facts or arguments, but 
 by assertions. They appear to have 
 been examined both as accusers and 
 witnesses. 
 
 10. ^^ Beckoned.'" This was usu- 
 ally done by an inclination of the 
 head. 
 
 " Ansu-ered. " St. Paul says nothing 
 of the character of Felix, but dwells 
 with great propriety upon the fact of 
 his long residence as judge in the 
 country, since he was likely to be 
 well informed concerning the true 
 character of the whole transaction, 
 and to know who were the origi- 
 nators of those seditious movements, 
 which it was the principal object of 
 the Roman governor to suppress. 
 Felix would, however, be gratified 
 by a reference to the duration of his 
 power, which, under such masters, 
 and over such a people, indicated 
 
 some political and administrative 
 talents. 
 
 Felix succeeded Cumanus' a. «. 52, 
 in the autumn ; he had therefore 
 been procurator six years. He had 
 previously been governor of Galilee, 
 according to Tacitus.^ 
 
 11. " Because." This word should 
 not be referred to the time during 
 which Felix had been governor. 
 St. Paul states another reason^ why 
 he defends himself " the more cheer- 
 fully." 
 
 ''But twelve dai/s." The twelve 
 days are calculated from St. Paul's 
 departure from Caesarea. He arrived 
 at Jerusalem late on the second day ; 
 on the third he met the elders and 
 St. James ; on the fourth, which was 
 the day of Pentecost, he was taken 
 in the temple ; on the fifth the San- 
 hedrim met ; on the evening of the 
 sixth St. Paul was sent to Caesarea, 
 where he arrived on the seventh. 
 Five days afterwards Ananias leaves 
 Jerusalem, and arrives on the thir- 
 teenth day.^ 
 
 " To ivorship." This accounted for 
 his presence at Jerusalem, and af- 
 forded a fair presumption that the 
 charge of sacrilege was unfounded. 
 One who undertook a long journey 
 to worship in the temple was not 
 likely to profane it. 
 
 12. '■'Disputing." It was not il- 
 
 > Wieseler, p. 464. ; Lucian. Peregr., § 13. ^ Beza. 
 
 2 Winer ; Wieseler, p. 67. ^ Wieseler, p. 104. 
 
 3 Ann. xii., 54. 
 
 N 4 
 
272 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 ch. U. 2. 
 1 2 Tim. 1 
 
 puting with any man, neither raising up the people, 
 neither in the synagogues, nor in the city : 
 
 13. Neither can they prove the things whereof they 
 now accuse me. 
 
 14. But this I confess unto thee, that after ^^ the 
 way which tliey call heresy, so worsliip I the ^ God of 
 my fathers, believing all things which are written in 
 
 m ch.2G 22. m the law and in the prophets : 
 
 n ch.23.6. & 15. And " have hope toward God, which they them- 
 ll'.lb!'^ selves also allow, "that there shall be a resurrection of 
 o D^n. 12.^2. the dead, both of the just and unjust. 
 p°ch.'23. 1.' 16. And P herein do I exercise myself, to have al- 
 
 ways a conscience void of offence toward God, and 
 ,,,„„.„ toward men. 
 
 <j ch. 11. 29, oQ. , 
 
 Rom", is". 25. l*^- ^^^^ ^"^^ many years ^ I came to bring alms to 
 G^°'i. w*' ^y nation, and offerings. 
 
 legal to discuss religious questions in 
 the temple, but St. Paul had pru- 
 dently abstained from giving any- 
 colourable pretext for the violence of 
 the Jews. 
 
 This\'erse is a complete answer to 
 the accusation, ver. 5. St. Paul had 
 not been the cause of the tumult in 
 the temple, nor had he been in any- 
 way concerned in any other disturb- 
 ance. 
 
 14. " But this I confess^ St. Paul 
 admits that he was an adherent of 
 what TertuUus called the sect or 
 heresy of the Nazarenes, but shows 
 that this did not separate him from 
 the Hebrew national faith.' He 
 served the same God, received the 
 same scriptures, and observed the 
 same law. 
 
 15. " Which they themselves also 
 allow." Many of those present were 
 therefore Pharisees. These sec- 
 taries were perpetually shifting their 
 ground, sometimes driven by their 
 enniity to the Sadducees into an 
 appearance of friendship with the 
 Christians, but speedily rela])sing 
 into their natural bigotry. Each 
 concussion probably caused a fresh 
 
 separation, when the gentler and 
 nobler spirits were attracted to the 
 Church, while the harsh and narrow- 
 minded were inflamed by such se- 
 cessions into fiercer hatred. 
 
 "■And unjust.'" Josephus - says, 
 that the Pharisees believed that the 
 just only would be raised ; but that 
 appears to have been a modification 
 of their tenets, originating, probably, 
 in their opposition to Christianity. 
 The Fathers used this passage with 
 great force against those heretics 
 who denied the resurrection of the 
 body, and held that all texts which 
 speak of it were to be referred to 
 the spiritual resurrection of the con- 
 verted soul, a doctrine which is en- 
 tirely overthrown by the resurrec- 
 tion of the unjust.-* 
 
 16. '■'• Herein." On this account*, 
 or, in accordance with this principle. 
 
 '■'■A conscience voidof offence." That 
 is, sincere, not wilfully or con- 
 sciously violating the laws of God or 
 man. This does not, of course, ex- 
 clude sins of ignorance or infirmity. 
 
 17. '''■ I came to briny." Having 
 shown the futility of the third charge, 
 St. Paul adduces some additional ar- 
 
 1 Chi-ys stom, p. 37.3. 
 - Ant., xviii. '2 ; and 13. J. 
 ^.napp. ap. Kuiuoel. 
 
 ii. 7. Sec also 
 
 3 Didymus, Ammonius ap. Cramer, p. 378. 
 ' Uajjlu'lius, Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 273 
 
 J 8. ''Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found mcr ch.21.26,27: 
 purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with 
 tumult. 
 
 19. ^ Who ought to have been here before thee, andf^^^^-g^^-so-*' 
 object, if they had aught against me. 
 
 20. Or else let these same here say, if they have 
 found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the 
 council, 
 
 21. Except it be for this one voice, that I cried 
 standing among them, * Touching the resurrection of* ch^^23.6. & 
 the dead I am called in question by you this day. 
 
 22. And when Felix heard these things, having 
 more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, 
 
 guments to establish his innocence 
 as to the two more serious accusa- 
 tions, in a legal point of view. He 
 shows that his object in visiting Je- 
 rusalem was both religious and cha- 
 ritable. He brought alms to the 
 people and offerings to the temple. 
 Although alms were collected spe- 
 cially for those who wei'e of the 
 " household of faith," the Christians 
 never restricted their charity to 
 those of their own communion. St. 
 Paul, doubtless, distributed alms, as 
 his statement implies, to the poor of 
 his nation generally. The fact, also, 
 that many years had elapsed since 
 he visited Jerusalem, would serve 
 to prove that he was not likely to 
 have formed a party, or to have ex- 
 cited a tumult in the city. 
 
 18. ^'•Whereupon certain,'^ SiC. The 
 fact that Jews from Asia found him 
 and caused the disturbance is men- 
 tioned to prove that he was not 
 arrested in consequence of any local 
 occurrence. He was engaged in 
 the rites of purification, accord- 
 ing to his vow, — a strong argu- 
 ment that he was no profaner of the 
 temple ; and not surrounded by a 
 crowd, and therefore no mover of 
 sedition. 
 
 19. " Who ought to have been." 
 These persons had not been brought 
 as witnesses, since the Sanhedrists 
 "were aware that upon examination it 
 would have been ascertained that the 
 disturbance was caused by them, and 
 
 N 
 
 that it originated in transactions in 
 no way connected with the affairs of 
 Palestine, or with the Roman law. 
 
 20. " If they have found any evil 
 doing in we," &c. No charge had 
 been formally made, much less 
 proved, at the tumultuary proceed- 
 ing before the Sanhedrim. The 
 argument is very powerfully stated; 
 the eye-witnesses are absent, and no 
 record of a previous trial can be pro- 
 duced. The evidence is therefore 
 mere hearsay, and unsupported by 
 any ascertainable fact, excepting 
 (ver. 21.) that to which the Roman 
 governor was quite indifferent, and 
 could not be regarded as contrary to 
 the Jewish law or faith ; viz., that 
 St. Paul had preached the doctrine 
 of the resurrection of the dead. 
 
 22. " Having more perfect know- 
 ledge." Or, being very well informed 
 of the position of the Christians in 
 reference to the Jews. There was 
 a Christian church at Csesarea, to 
 which at least one centurion, and 
 probably many of the Roman sol- 
 diers, belonged ; and the wife of Felix 
 was a Jewess, so that, although Felix 
 may have been perfectly ignorant of 
 the peculiar doctrines of Christianity, 
 he may have had too perfect a know- 
 ledge of its bearings upon civil and 
 political affairs to be deceived by the 
 allegations of the Jews. 
 
 " TJiis way." Christianity. See 
 note third, chap. ix. 2. 
 
 ^^ He deferred them." This was a 
 
274 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 and said, When " Lysias the chief captain shall come 
 down, I will know the uttermost of your matter. 
 
 23. And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, 
 & and to let him have liberty, and ^ that he should forbid 
 
 none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto 
 him. 
 
 24. And after certain days, when Felix came with 
 his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for 
 Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 
 
 25. And as he reasoned of righteousness, tempe- 
 
 legal term equivalent to a declara- 
 tion that the Jews had failed in 
 sustaining their accusation.' 
 
 " / icill know the uttermost." Or I 
 will give a final decision on the mat- 
 ter after seeing Lysias, to whom you 
 have referred me. See ver. 8. St. 
 Luke does not state whether Lysias 
 came, or what means Felix took to 
 ascertain his opinion, which was, 
 doubtless, favourable to St. Paul. 
 
 23. " He commanded a centurion 
 to keep Paul." St. Paul, therefore, re- 
 mained in what was termed military 
 custody as a Roman citizen, that is, 
 bound by a long and light chain at- 
 tached to his left arm, the other end 
 of which was fastened to a soldier. 
 It depended upon the niagisti*ate 
 whether an accused person should be 
 kept in prison, or committed to a 
 soldier, or to sureties, or admitted, 
 as we should say, to bail. In the 
 case of persons of inferior rank, the 
 two former were the only probable 
 alternatives. St. Paul doubtless re- 
 mained within the precincts of the 
 prison during the two years of his 
 captivity at Caesarea."^ Felix may 
 have had several distinct motives for 
 this decision. He believed Paul to 
 be innocent, and gave him some re- 
 laxation, i. e. probably lighter chains, 
 and greater freedom of movement.'' 
 He leared the Jews, and therefore 
 did not release him ; and he allowed 
 his friends to wait on him, probably 
 
 hoping that he might receive sup- 
 plies of money from them. 
 
 24. " Drusilla" was the daughter 
 of Herod Agrippa (Acts xii ) : she 
 was married to Azizus, king of 
 Emesa, but an emissary of Felix and 
 a pretender to magic arts, named 
 Simon, a Jew of Cyprus, induced 
 her to forsake her husband and to live 
 with Felix. It is supposed that she 
 had arrived shortly before this time; 
 a fact which would account for his 
 increased interest in the question, his 
 terror at St. Paul's preaching, and his 
 desire to please the Jews, at the sa- 
 crifice of justice, by keeping Paul in 
 prison. Drusilla, and her son by 
 Felix, named Agrippa, perished in 
 an eruption of Vesuvius.* 
 
 '• Concerning the faith in Christ.'" 
 This had not been a question at is- 
 sue in the previous trial. Drusilla, 
 a wicked woman, and the daughter 
 of a persecutor, would be likely to 
 use her influence against St. Paul. 
 
 25. " And as he reasoned," &c. It 
 is important to observe, that St. Paul 
 pressed these great practical applica- 
 tions of Christian doctrines at a time 
 when they were certain to be highly 
 offensive to one who had power over 
 his life and liberty. 
 
 '■'■ Ri(jlitcoiisness" here means up- 
 rightness and justice in the discharge 
 of relative duties. 
 
 '■'■ Temperance" does not refer to mo- 
 deration in food, but to chastity and 
 
 1 Kvi'ko, Meyor. 
 
 2 W'ieseler, p. 3H0. 
 
 3 Compare Joseph. Ant., xviii. G. 10. 
 
 ^ Winer; Joseph. Ant., XX. 7.1, 2.; Tacit. 
 
 iiiit., V. y. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 275 
 
 ranee, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and 
 answered, Go thy way for this time ; when I have a 
 convenient season, I will call for thee. 
 
 26. He hoped also that y money should have been y Eiod. 23. s. 
 given liira of Paul, that he might loose him : where- 
 fore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with 
 
 him. 
 
 27. But after two years Porcius Festus came into 
 
 Felix' room: and Felix, ^ willing to shew the Jews a ^j^Exod.^a^. 2. 
 pleasure, left Paul bound. 23;9,i4; 
 
 self-restraint. Felix was a licentious 
 man. 
 
 " Felix trembled.'''' Literally, was 
 exceedingly terrified. This describes 
 a powerful but transient impres- 
 sion. 
 
 26. ^^ He hoped also thai money 
 should have been given him" Felix 
 knew that St. Paul was entrusted 
 with considerable sums for distribu- 
 tion at Jerusalem, and judging by his 
 own feelings, he had no doubt that 
 the apostle would apply them to ob- 
 tain his own deliverance from prison. 
 The Roman law ' strictly prohibited 
 magistrates from receiving money of 
 prisoners ; but such governors as 
 Felix did not scruple to break the 
 law. 
 
 27. " After two years" This is a 
 very important fact in determining 
 the chronology of the Acts. See In- 
 troduction. It appears certain that 
 
 Felix left Palestine in the summer of 
 A. D. 60."^ 
 
 " Willing to show the Jeics a plea- 
 sure" He was aware that the Jews 
 were much oflPended by his avarice 
 and cruelty, but he may have de- 
 pended upon the influence of Dru- 
 silla, and the popularity which he 
 hoped to acquire by keeping St. Paul 
 in prison, to mitigate their enmity. 
 His accuser, however, followed him, 
 and he was only saved from con- 
 demnation by the interest of his 
 brother Pallas. See above. 
 
 It seems most probable that St. 
 Luke wrote his Gospel'' under St. 
 Paul's direction, during the two 
 years, which otherwise would have 
 been without fruit to the Church. 
 The permission to wait upon St. Paul, 
 though literally extending only to 
 his relations, probably included all 
 his personal friends and attendants. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1. The Jews felt the need of an advocate before a Roman magistrate, but 
 were quite unconscious of their far greater need of an advocate and mediator 
 before God. They who had rejected the intercession of Messiah chose as 
 their representative one who truly expressed their principles and passions, 
 a sycophant and calumniator. 
 
 2 — 4. Flattering words are often, as it were, the glittering sheath of an 
 
 1 The Julian law. 
 Kypke. 
 
 See Kuinoel and 
 
 2 Wicseler, p. 88. ; and Winer, 
 
 3 Burton. 
 
 368. 372. 
 
 N 6 
 
276 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 
 
 assassin's dagger. Under covert of admiring the energy and wisdom of a 
 profligate judge, the orator insinuates calumnies against an Apostle. Per- 
 sons in authority should be especially watchful over the movements of their 
 hearts when accusations of others are blended with their own praises, and 
 when a contrast is skilfully suggested between themselves and the person 
 whom an accuser is anxious to undermine: an ear too open to praise is often 
 the inlet to the " deadly poison" of a tongue that is " set on fire of hell." 
 
 6, 7. Iniquity is Protean in its disguises, but above all forms seeks to 
 assume the mien of justice. A hindrance to the commission of crime is 
 here represented as an unwarrantable interference with the course of law. 
 In the case of others we easily perceive the absurdity of such conduct, but 
 are apt to forget, that whenever our passions are roused, and our lower 
 nature gets the upper hand, though but for a season, we are in danger 
 of becoming an example of the very sin which we condemn. 
 
 8. With reference to the whole speech of Tertulius, it should be observed, 
 that no professional obligation can excuse or palliate the guilt of calumny. 
 The name of this hireling advocate has been preserved to lasting infamy, 
 for personating and giving expression to the evil passions of the Jews. 
 
 9. The allegations of persons affected by the same prejudices and agi- 
 tated by the same passions are not cumulative evidence ; they should always 
 be carefully scrutinized, and most especially when they affect the interests 
 and character -of an accused person. 
 
 10. 11. Innocence is always anxious to have a clear-sighted and well- 
 informed judge, whereas the guilty have no hope but in his ignorance and in- 
 capacity. May we never forget that all things are open to Him with whom 
 •we have to do, and be careful to keep that conscience untarnished, in which, 
 as in a mirror, his future judgment is reflected for our warning and 
 admonition. 
 
 12 — 14. The defence of St. Paul is a severe reproof to fanatics, who 
 believe that duty to God requires them to dispute with every man, and to 
 "raise up the people" in every place. The Apostle knew that the cause 
 of truth is best advanced by clear, calm statements, without clamour or 
 railing, and that the " wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of 
 God." 
 
 14, 15. O that Christians would constantly remember how many great 
 solemn truths all faithful spirits hold in common ! How many heresies 
 and schisms would have been checked in the beginning, had the originators 
 employed their energies in defending and promulgating the vital principles 
 which they professed to receive, but neither realized nor lived upon. 
 
 17 — 20. Nothing confounds an artful calumniator so much as simplicity 
 and straightforwardness. Arguments, hoM'ever solid and convincing, he is 
 prepared for, and accustomed to meet with sophisms, but he is generally 
 baffled and effectually refuted by a plain statement of facts. Truth has a 
 mysterious power of persuasion ; and he who is habitually and scrupulously 
 accurate in his words, exercises a power over men's hearts and minds 
 wliich no talents or skill can command. 
 
 22, 2.3. There is an appearance of equity in the conduct of Felix. His 
 character appears bright in contrast with the accusers of the Apostle. But 
 we should remember, that justice is the first duty of a magistrate, for which 
 no show of courtesy or kindness can compensate. The postponement of 
 judgment is often tantamount to the infliction of an injury, and no partial 
 liberty can atone for the withholding of the first right of an innocent 
 man. 
 
 24 — 27. Trutli is the real touchstone of the heart ; it elicited at once the 
 genuine character of Felix. He may have sent for the Apostle to amuse 
 
 1 James, iii. G— 10. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXIV. 277 
 
 an idle hour by listening to mysterious legends, or curious speculations, and 
 it would have been easy to impose on the credulity, and -win the favour of 
 a servile tyrant. But the Apostle preached righteousness to the oppressor 
 — chastity to the adulterer — judgment to come to the violater of human and 
 contemner of divine law. Felix heard and trembled. Trembling might 
 be a symptom of an inward disease ; it might be a precursor of repentance 
 — but he trembled, and dismissed the preacher. Few will recognize in 
 themselves the more hateful features of this bad man ; but unwillingness to 
 listen to the word of truth, and to bare the heart to the probing hand of the 
 physician of souls, is a fatal sign. It will be found hereafter prominent 
 among the offences of every unforgiven sinner. 
 
 26, 27. Like the unjust steward, Felix was wise in his generation, and 
 sought to make himself friends of the unrighteous mammon ; but, like all 
 selfish and wicked men, he rejected the only safeguard which would have 
 preserved him in peace here, and in perfect security throughout eternity. 
 
278 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 After an interval of two years, passed in the prison of Csesarea, the Apostle 
 is again called forth to meet his persecutors, and again wins new wit- 
 nesses to his perfect innocence. The judgment of Felix is confirmed by 
 the less corrupt Festus. Another prince of the Herodian family is called 
 in to inquire into the character of a Christian Apostle, and the chapter 
 terminates with a graphic description of the preparations for the last trial 
 of St. Paul which has been recorded by the inspired historian. 
 
 1. Now when Festus was come into the province, 
 after three days he ascended from Cesarea to Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 2. ^ Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews 
 informed him against Paul, and besought him, 
 
 3. And desired favour against him, that he would 
 ,15. send for him to Jerusalem, ^laying wait in the way to 
 
 kill him. 
 
 1. '■'■ Noiv when Festus was come." 
 Festus arrived in the autumn, soon 
 after the departure of Felix. He 
 was an active and able governor, and 
 bore a good character for equity and 
 mildness. He died a.d. 62, in less 
 than two years after his arrival. 
 
 "/«/o the province." Strictly speak- 
 ing, Judsea was a district dependent 
 on the pi'ovince of Syria ; but it was 
 commonly styled a province : the 
 governor exercised an almost inde- 
 pendent authority.' 
 
 " He ascended." He may have 
 gone to the feast of tabernacles ; but 
 it is probable that the Roman procu- 
 rators, on arriving at their province, 
 proceeded as soon as possible to the 
 capital. 
 
 2. " The Jlifjh Priest." Ismael, 
 son of Fabi, was then high priest.^ 
 
 Ananias retained considerable in- 
 fluence and much of his authority 
 until his death ; but there is no 
 reason to suppose that he is alluded 
 to in this passage.^ 
 
 " The chief of the Jeics." This 
 seems to include the most distin- 
 guished persons, as well as the mem- 
 bers of the Sanhedrim. 
 
 " Informed him." Lodged a formal 
 accusation against the Apostle. 
 
 3. ^'^ And desired favour." They 
 first asked that he should be put 
 to death without further trial (see 
 ver. 15.); and, failing in that, re- 
 quested that he should be sent to 
 Jerusalem. Festus does not appear 
 to have been aware of their plot to 
 murder Paul, of which St. Luke was 
 probably informed through St. Paul's 
 nephew. 
 
 1 Krebs, Mfycr. 
 
 2 Joiepli. Ant., XX. 8. 8. 
 
 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 279 
 
 4. But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept 
 at Cesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly 
 thither. 
 
 5. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are 
 able, go down with me, and accuse this man, ^ if there ch. is. u. 
 be any wickedness in him. 
 
 6. And when he had tarried amonsr them 11 more than n or, as some 
 
 /^ T 1 ropies read, 
 
 ten days, he went down unto Cesarea ; and the next r "f''^'*'"' 
 
 _.'_•' ^ ' eight or ten 
 
 day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to ''"•v^- 
 be brought. 
 
 7. And when he was come, the Jews which came 
 
 down from Jerusalem stood round about, ^and laid ^ Mark^ 1.5. s. 
 many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they <^h. 24. t, 13. 
 could not prove. 
 
 8. While he answered for himself, ^Neither against ^ ch. 6.13. & 
 
 PIT -1 • 1 1 24. 12. & 28. 
 
 the law ot the Jews, neither against the temple, nori-- 
 yet against Cesar, have I offended any thing at all. 
 
 9. But Festus, ^willing to do the Jews a pleasure, f ^^^.a 1.27. 
 
 4. " That Paul should be kept," &c. 
 St. Paul, as a Roman citizen, could 
 not be brought before the Sanhedrim 
 without his own consent : but Fes- 
 tus appears to have refused to send 
 for him, on the ground that it would 
 not be convenient to delay his own 
 departure in order to superintend 
 the trial. The tone of his answer is 
 decided, and rather haughty.' 
 
 5. "yli/e." The word in the original 
 probably means leading men, officially 
 empowered or authorized to accuse 
 St. Paul in the name of the people.- 
 
 6. " And ivhen he had tarried." 
 He probably remained during the 
 week of the feast of tabernacles. 
 The true reading is given in the 
 margin, " no more than eight or ten 
 days."^ 
 
 " And the next day." This shows 
 that Festus attached great importance 
 to the whole proceeding. On the 
 one hand, he was responsible for the 
 impartial treatment of a Roman ci- 
 tizen ; on the other, he may well 
 have feared to give occasion to great 
 
 disturbances had he seemed to coun- 
 tenance any profanation of the He- 
 brew national sanctuary. Chrysostom 
 considers that he was likely to have 
 been influenced to the prejudice of 
 St. Paul during his short stay at 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 7. " And laid many" &c. From 
 St. Paul's answer (ver. 8.), it is clear 
 that the charges were the same as 
 had previously been urged before 
 Felix. 
 
 8. '■''Neither against the law" Sec. 
 Each of these charges was recog- 
 nized by the Roman law, and in- 
 volved capital punishment. The first 
 accusation was not that St. Paul did 
 not observe the law, but that he pre- 
 vented others from living in peaceable 
 observance of it. The second touched 
 the pretended profanation of the 
 temple. The third was for sedition, 
 or, as we should say, treason. This 
 was probably a misrepresentation of 
 the doctrine that allegiance is due to 
 Christ, which a new governor might 
 confound with temporal subjection. 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 
 2 Meyer. 
 
 3 Kuinoel. 
 
280 
 
 g ver. 20. 
 
 h ver. 25, 
 ch. IS. H 
 '23. 2y. & 
 31. 
 
 i ch. 20. 
 28. I'J. 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 answered Paul, and said, s "Wilt tliou go up to Jeru- 
 salem, and there be judged of these things before me ? 
 
 10. Then said Paul, I stand at Cesar's judgment 
 seat, where I ought to be judged : to the Jews have I 
 done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. 
 
 11. h For if I be an offender, or have committed any- 
 thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die : but if 
 there be none of these things whereof these accuse 
 me, no man may deliver me unto them. ^I appeal 
 unto Cesar. 
 
 9, '- Wilt thou go up" &c. The 
 Roman procurator held a court of 
 justice at Jerusalem' as well as at 
 Csesarea ; and allliougli Festus could 
 not send St. Paul, a Roman citizen, 
 before the Sanhedrim without his 
 own consent, he might, perhaps, have 
 insisted upon his trial in that city in 
 his own court, had not St. Paul ap- 
 pealed to Csesar. 
 
 10. '' I stand at Ccesars judgment 
 seat" This declaration conveys a 
 noble rebuke to Festus, who com- 
 promised the dignity of the Roman 
 magistracy by proposing another 
 trial at Je'rusalem. The tribunal of 
 the magistrate, especially in the im- 
 perial provinces^ was that of the em- 
 peror whom he represented. Caesar 
 was the common designation of the 
 Roman emperors. At that time 
 Nero, who was emperor, had not 
 become notorious for his crimes. 
 
 " To the Jews have I done no 
 wrong:' The only ground upon 
 which it would have been reasonable 
 to transfer the cause to Jerusalem, 
 would be a doubt on the part of the 
 governor whether further inquiry on 
 the spot might not bring some cri- 
 minal practices of St. Paul to light. 
 The A postle appeals to Festus himself, 
 whether he had not completely cleared 
 hin)self of this charge. The question 
 to be tried before Cicsar was more 
 
 specially whether the preaching of 
 Christ was opposed to the funda- 
 mental laws of the empire. 
 
 11. "/ appeal unto Ccesar." By 
 the Roman law under the common- 
 wealth every citizen might appeal 
 to the people from the sentence of a 
 magistrate condemning him to be 
 scourged or put to death, excepting 
 in certain cases specified by the law; 
 and when the appeal was once made, 
 the magistrate^ lost all power over 
 him. Under the empire* the appeal 
 was transferred from the people to 
 the Csesar, or emperor. In the reign 
 of Trajan we find that Pliny ^ the 
 proconsul of Bithynia, sent those 
 Christians who were Roman citi- 
 zens to be tried by the emperor. 
 St. Paul appealed to Csesar, being 
 well aware that the Jews would 
 never let him depart alive from 
 Jerusalem. This was moreover a 
 direct mode of doing what he knew 
 to be the will of his Lord^ (see xxiii. 
 11.) ; and I doubt not that he made 
 the appeal under the special influence 
 of the Spirit, as Augustin says, " not 
 so much caring for himself as for 
 the Church." The wish which he 
 had expressed % to visit the Roman 
 Church, and to preach the Gospel 
 there, was thus fulfilled, though in 
 a manner contrary to his expecta- 
 tions. 
 
 1 Matt, xxvii. 2. 
 
 2 lllpian. L. 1. D.; Wieselor, p. 3»3. 
 
 ^ This point is proved by (U'ib. Sec W lo- 
 selcr, p. 3HG., wiicre tlie law of appeal is fully 
 explained. 
 
 ■» Sre an excellent note in Wicseler, p. Z%\. 
 •'■ Pliny. Kp. X. 07. 
 
 6 ('hrysostoin. 
 
 7 Romans, i. 10, 11. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 281 
 
 12. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the 
 council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Cesar ? 
 unto Cesar shalt thou go. 
 
 13. And after certain days king Agrippa and Ber- 
 nice came unto Cesarea to salute Festus. 
 
 14. And when they had been there many days, 
 Festus declared Paul's cause unto the king, saying, 
 
 ^ There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix : ^ ch. 24.27. 
 
 15. 1 About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, thei^er. 2,0. 
 chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed wze, 
 desiring to /mt'e judgment against him. 
 
 16. ^ To whom I answered. It is not the manner of^^er. 1,5. 
 the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he 
 which is accused have the accusers face to face, and 
 
 12. " WI}e7i he had conferred." The 
 Roman magistrates were attended in 
 court by a council, the members of 
 which were called counsellors, as- 
 sessors, or friends of the governor.' 
 These persons had no authority, but 
 gave advice when called upon. 
 
 13. ""King Ayr ippu."" This Agrippa 
 was the son of that Agrippa whose 
 death is recorded Acts xii. He was 
 seventeen years of age at the time 
 of his father's death, and was con- 
 sidered too young to be entrusted 
 with the sovereignty of so great a 
 kingdom. He was at that time a 
 resident in Rome, where he was 
 educated in the imperial palace. 
 Claudius gave him the principality 
 of Chalcis, and four yeai's later the 
 tetrarchies formerly held by Philip 
 and Lysanias, with the title of king, 
 which he bore at this time. He had 
 also the superintendence of the tem- 
 ple, and the power of appointing and 
 displacing the high priest, — a power 
 which he exercised with little dis- 
 cretion. At this time he was twenty- 
 three years old. He lived through 
 the Jewish war, during which he 
 sided with the Romans, and died at 
 the age of seventy at the court of 
 Trajan. He appears to have been 
 
 an ostentatious and sensual prince, 
 and to have been suspected-, not 
 without cause, of a criminal fond- 
 ness for his sister. 
 
 " Bent ice," or Berenice. The 
 sister of Agrippa, widow of her uncle 
 Herod, king of Chalcis, was after- 
 wards married to Ptolemon, king of 
 Pontus and Cilicia. She was, at a 
 later period, notorious for her con- 
 nection with Vespasian and Titus.^ 
 
 " To salute Festus." It was cus- 
 tomary for all the princes dependent 
 upon the Romans to pay a visit of 
 respect to governors on their arrival 
 in their province. Agrippa would 
 be anxious to do this without loss of 
 time, on account of his sister Dru- 
 silla's connection with Felix, which 
 he could not but disapprove. 
 
 14. '^ Declared PauVs cause." Fes- 
 tus referred the cause to Herod 
 Agrippa, as the superintendent of 
 the temple, which Paul was accused 
 of profaning. 
 
 15. '■^Desiring to have judgment." 
 The meaning of the original is rather 
 " requesting me to condemn him," as 
 is apparent from the answer of Fes- 
 tus, made to their application, accord- 
 ing to his statement in the next verse. 
 
 16. " Have his accusers face to 
 
 ' Kuinoel. See also Wieseler, p. 385. ; 
 Perizon. de Praetorio. 
 
 2 Joseph Ant., xx 7. 3. ; Jiiv. Sat. vi. l.o6.; 
 Sueton. V. Tit. 7, 8. ; Tacitus, Hist. il. 81. 
 
 3 Suet., Tit. 7. ; Winer. 
 •^ Sell mid. ap. Kuinoel. 
 
282 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 have licence to answer for himself concerning the 
 crime laid against him. 
 
 17. Therefore, when they were come hither, "with- 
 out any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment 
 seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. 
 
 18. Against whom when the accusers stood up, 
 they brought none accusation of such things as I sup- 
 posed : 
 
 19. "But had certain questions against him of their 
 own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, 
 whom Paul affirmed to be alive. 
 
 20. And because || I doubted of such manner of 
 questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jeru- 
 salem, and there be judged of these matters. 
 
 21. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto 
 I or,.ju,ii;ment. thc || hcaHng of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept 
 
 till I might send him to Cesar, 
 pseech. 9. 15, 22. Thcn PAgrippa said unto Festus, I would also 
 hear the man myself To-morrow, said he, thou shalt 
 hear him. 
 
 I Or. / nm, 
 douhlful how to 
 enquire hereof. 
 
 face." This equitable principle was 
 fully recognized by the Roman law ', 
 from which the jurisprudence of 
 modern Europe is mainly derived. 
 It was, however, too often violated 
 by the criminal weakness of such 
 governoi's as Pontius Pilate. 
 
 17. " Without any dehnj." Festus 
 may perhaps have alluded to the dis- 
 graceful delay which Felix had made 
 for the sake of extorting money. 
 
 18. " Of such things as I supposed." 
 Festus had probably expected to hear 
 that Paul was accused of leading some 
 of the numerous bands of robbers 
 and rebels by which the province was 
 infested, or, at any rate, of some 
 great political crime. 
 
 19. " Superstition." See Acts, 
 xvii. 22. 'i'he word could not have 
 been used by Felix in a sense which 
 would have been offensive to Agrip- 
 pa. It means simply, " peculiar re- 
 ligious system," which, of course, did 
 not concern him as a Roman magis- 
 trate. 
 
 *' Whom Paul affirmed." Festus 
 could not perceive that the life or 
 death of Jesus Christ had any bear- 
 ing upon political matters ; nor was 
 it until the magistrates felt the na- 
 tional idolatry to be endangered by 
 the faith in Jesus, that they syste- 
 matically persecuted Christians. 
 
 20. " Doubted." Was embarrassed, 
 could not ascertain the grounds on 
 which a decision should be formed. 
 Festus dissembles the real motive 
 for making this proposition, being 
 ashamed to confess how much he 
 was influenced by partiality towards 
 the Jews. See ver. 9. 
 
 21. " Augustus," a title borne, to- 
 gether with that of Cajsar, by the 
 emperors. It was first assumed by 
 ('aisar Octavianus, the famous Au- 
 gustus Caisar. 
 
 22. " / ivoulil also hear." Agrip- 
 pa's curiosity was natural, but there is 
 in it no indication of a love of truth. 
 The expression which he used is con- 
 temptuous, *' the man, or fellow." 
 
 Grotius, I'hilo. in Flacc, p. 7.'J9. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 283 
 
 23. And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, 
 and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into 
 the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and prin- 
 cipal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul 
 was brought forth. 
 
 24. And Festus said. King Agrippa, and all men 
 which are here present with us, ye see this man, about 
 whom ^all ti>e multitude of the Jews have dealt with q ver. 2,3, :. 
 me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he 
 ought ^not to live any longer. rch.22. 22. 
 
 25. But when I found that ^he had committed s ch. 2.^.9. 29. 
 nothing worthy of death, * and tliat he himself liath^ ^^^' j,\2. 
 appealed to Augustus, I liave determined to send him. 
 
 26. Of wliom I have no certain thing to write unto 
 my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before 
 
 23. "■ With great pomp." With a 
 numerous and brilliant escort of sol- 
 diers and courtiers, and in such state 
 as might be expected in a young and 
 ostentatious prince. The circum- 
 stances of this trial show how much 
 importance was attached by men of 
 all parties and opinions to the rapidly 
 increasing sect of Christians, and to 
 the personal influence of St. Paul. 
 Chrysostoni remarks very forcibly 
 on the fact, that the proceedings of 
 the Jewish Sanhedrim are con- 
 demned by every person concerned 
 in these transactions ; the tribune, 
 the two procurators, and the king 
 Agrippa, the superintendent of the 
 temple, each of whom was likely to 
 look with prejudice upon a person in 
 the circumstances of St. Paul, and 
 professing such opinions. 
 
 " Witli the chief captuina.'''' Ac- 
 cording to Josephus ' five cohorts, 
 each commanded, of course, by a 
 tribune, were stationed at Cfjcsarea. 
 
 24. " All. the multitude.'''' From 
 these words it is evident that the 
 two parties at Jerusalem had com- 
 bined in urging the death of Saint 
 Paul, and that they had once more 
 been successful in exciting the com- 
 
 mon people, who appear to have 
 fluctuated to the last between ad- 
 miration and hatred of the Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 " And also here.'^ From the ac- 
 counts given by Josephus, it is evi- 
 dent that the Jewish population of 
 Cffisarea were at least as turbulent 
 and bigoted as their countrymen. 
 
 25. " Nothing icortJty of death." 
 Compare this attestation of Festus 
 with that of Pontius Pilate. Our 
 Saviour and St. Paul were both ac- 
 cused of sedition and profanation of 
 the temple, charges which the Ro- 
 man governors were directed to in- 
 vestigate with great care, but the 
 evidence entirely failed in both cases. 
 
 2G. " No certain thing." No clear 
 and tangible case ; nothing which 
 came distinctly under the cognizance 
 of a Roman magistrate. The ma- 
 gistrates were bound, in cases of 
 appeal, to send a full account of all 
 the previous proceedings to the em- 
 peror, and especially a clear state- 
 ment of the accusation.^ 
 
 " Unto my Lord." Augustus and 
 Tiberius^ had refused to be called 
 " Lord," which implied despotic 
 power, such as a master had over a 
 
 1 B. J., iii. 4. 2. 
 
 2 Geib ap. Wieseler, p. 388. 
 
 3 Suet. V, August., 53. ; and V. Tib., 27. 
 
>^ 
 
 284 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 
 
 you, and specially before thee, king Agrippa, that, 
 after examination had, I might have somewhat to 
 write, 
 
 27. For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a 
 prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid 
 against him. 
 
 slave. The following emperors, 
 however, adopted or permitted it, 
 and it became their formal desig- 
 nation.' 
 
 " Specially before tliee.'' Agrippa 
 might be reasonably expected to un- 
 derstand the charges, in which Fes- 
 tus could discern no ground for 
 criminal proceedings. Festus must 
 
 have felt much embarrassed, since 
 he was likely to incur the displeasure 
 of Nero if he sent a prisoner without 
 clear and precise information as to 
 the origin and bearings of the accu- 
 sations brought against him. 
 
 27. " To siyiii/}/ the crimes." To 
 state distinctly the nature of the 
 accusations. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 5. The restless enmity of the Jews predominated over every other 
 feeling. They were rid of a cruel, avaricious, and corrupt governor, but 
 rejoiced in his departure chiefly because it seemed to open a way into the 
 prison of Paul. They had reason to hope that their new governor would 
 willingly do much to please them ; but they asked only one favour, the death 
 of their enemy, being quite indifferent whether it was accomplished under 
 the semblance of law, or by open violence. How much darker, how 
 much more satanic, are the crimes of those who sin against light, than their's 
 who are mere children of the world, and have been nurtured in darkness ! 
 The rough Roman soldier, the proud unscrupulous Roman governor, — 
 nay, the profligate and cowardly Felix, condemn by their words and acts 
 these children of Abraham. We should pray earnestly that the truth may 
 penetrate our hearts and control our passions, or the very means of salva- 
 tion may serve but to increase our guilt. 
 
 6 — 9. The less the Jews were able to prove their charges, the more vio- 
 lent were they in maintaining them. Bitter and fierce language generally 
 indicates the consciousness of a weak cause. When Christians are exposed 
 to reproach and calumny, they should endeavour to imitate the calm self- 
 possession of the Apostle, who, Hke his master, being reviled, reviled not 
 again. 
 
 9 — 12. Christian meekness and resignation do not imply or require the 
 abandonment of our just rights, but they do re(iuire that we should be calm, 
 temperate, and cautious in asserting them, and not give way to useless out- 
 bursts of passion when they are Avrongfully withheld. St. Paul was willing 
 to submit to death, if legally condenuied, though unccmscious of crime. As 
 the law of fallible man may be, and in many countries is, more or less op- 
 posed to the law of God, thu true Christian must be prepared to bear with 
 
 Kuin. ; Roscnn.j Wolf. Cur. Phil., p. 1315 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXV. 285 
 
 patience the temporal consequences of violating the former, if he is com- 
 pelled to do so by the plain commandment of the latter. 
 
 13 — 21. The world, in its external relation to Christianity, is -vrell repre- 
 sented in the conference between the Roman magistrate and the Jewish 
 prince. They feel a mixture of perplexity and curiosity, — the principles 
 by which the Christian is actuated are strange and unintelligible to them, 
 and they are at a loss to account for the bitterness of false zeal in his enemies ; 
 but this embarrassment is soon changed into active hostility when the truth 
 comes into collision with the idols that the world worships. Pilate, Felix, 
 and Festus might hesitate, but not only the monster Nei'O, even the just 
 Trajan and the clement Antonines, soon employed all the arts and cruelties 
 of persecution to extirpate the religion of Christ. 
 
 22. Curiosity to hear a famous preacher of the truth is no indication of 
 spirituality. Agrippa listened with the same sort of interest that Mas 
 displayed by other members of his family, who were all remarkable for 
 their active intellect, susceptible temperament, and recklessness of prin- 
 ciple. Like Antipas, he listened to the truth, but, like him, soon cast off 
 impressions which would have troubled him in habits of self-indulgence. 
 Agrippa lived to the age of 70, in the midst of miraculous evidences ; the 
 lives, doctrines, and sufferings of the Christians were well known to him, — 
 the prophecies and types of Judaism were familiar to him, with their appli- 
 cation to the Messiah, — he was above the prejudices of the common 
 Pharisees, and was far from sympathising with the factious Sadducees, — 
 his intellect was vigorous, and his understanding clear ; but he was a 
 sensualist. No heart is so dead to the things of Christ as that of a libertine. 
 " It is a dreadful but just judgment, that the mind should fall into error 
 when the heart has resigned itself to sin." — Bishop Wilson. 
 
 Festus exemplifies a character which, though far superior in moral and 
 social worth to that of Agrippa, is but too often equally impervious to 
 spiritual influences: a magistrate absorbed in his external duties, looking 
 upon religious questions solely with reference to their bearings upon 
 political interests, — indifferent as to the truth or falsehood of tenets, 
 which may be professed by those whom he regards as enthusiasts, — prone 
 to look upon all religions as useful so far as they subserve the order and 
 stability of social institutions, — and to suspect all parties in religion of 
 bigoted and sectarian zeal. The only safeguards against such tendencies are, 
 first, a belief that God has revealed truth, and that it is our duty to ascer- 
 tain what that truth is ; and a feeling that nothing but Divine truth can raise 
 any man out of the darkness and condemnation of sin. 
 
286 THE ACTS. CHAP XXVI. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 It was not enough that the innocence of St. Paul should be admitted by 
 the Roman magistracy. His own countrymen, represented by a prince, 
 ■who was equally the favourite of the people and of the priesthood, pro- 
 nounce his acquittal. In spite of prejudice and passion, the descendant of 
 Herod, the ruler of the temple, is not only convinced of the integrity of 
 the Apostle, but half won by the truth, which his guilty passions alone 
 seem to have prevented him from embracing. The discourse of St. Paul 
 on this occasion developes all the resources of his noble spirit. He con- 
 vinces, astonishes, wins, and subdues his hearers ; and the final apostrophe 
 would have sufficed to make him illustrious among the great masters of 
 the human heart, had not the Spirit of God invested his name with a more 
 excellent glory, and enthroned him as a prince of souls among the 
 rulers of the spiritual Israel. 
 
 1. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted 
 to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the 
 hand, and answered for himself: 
 
 2. I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I 
 shall answer for myself tliis day before thee touching 
 all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews : 
 
 3. Especially because I know thee to be expert in 
 all customs and questions which are among the Jews : 
 wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. 
 
 1. " Agrippa said unlo Paul." hedrim, Agrippa was so young a 
 Agrippa conducts the examination man, that it might be hoped that his 
 at the request of Festus. heart, though tainted, was not yet 
 
 " Stretched forth the hand." This thoroughly hardened by vice, 
 
 was the customary posture of ancient .3. " Expert." Thoroughly well 
 
 orators', who took great pains to ac- informed. 
 
 quire a graceful and impressive mode " Custums." Religious institutions 
 
 of delivery. St. Paul neglected no and rites. 
 
 legitimate means of commanding " Questions." Controversies on 
 
 attention, doctrinal matters. Agrippa had 
 
 2. " / think vv/sclf hajypij." St. been educated at Rome, but he had 
 Paul knew that Agrippa was better now jjassed six years in Palestine, 
 able to understand his position during all which time he had been 
 and arguments thati the Rouuin go- superintendent of the temple, with 
 vernor, and less prejudiced against the ])()wer of appointing and dis- 
 him than the members of the San- placing the high priest. See above. 
 
 > Eisner. Sec Apu'. Yctain., ii. 54. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 287 
 
 4. My manner of life from my youth, which was atach. 2?.3.& 
 the first amono^ mine own nation at Jerusalem, know ivii.*^ '^*' 
 
 o ' Phil 3 5 
 
 all the Jews; _ bch.2^.6. 
 
 5. Which knew me from the beojinnin^, if they would c oen. 3. 15. 
 testify, that after ^the most straitest sect of our relieion '^- *'■ & 49. 10. 
 I lived a Pharisee. Ps^T;/'iP" 
 
 6. ^And now I stand and am judged for the hope of ^''j;,*^^*^ 
 ^ the promise made of God unto our fathers : jerW^.' 5. & 
 
 7. Unto which promise ^our twelve tribes, instantly |^;t[*'34f '23!' 
 serving God t^day and night, ^ hope to come. For Dnn!'9!1i"4. 
 which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the c^.y.'il' 
 
 -r Rom. 13. 8. 
 
 Jews. Tit. 2. 13. 
 
 He was also carefully instructed in 
 the Jewish religion by the dirtctions 
 of his father. 
 
 4. ''At the first." That is, from 
 the time of St. Paul's coming to Je- 
 rusalem, which was pi-obably at the 
 age of eleven or twelve. See intro- 
 duction to ch. ix. 
 
 " Know all the Jews." It is evident 
 from the whole tenor of this dis- 
 course, that St. Paul had attracted 
 general attention at Jerusalem from 
 a very early period. His zeal, talents, 
 and powerful character must have 
 been well known. 
 
 5. " Sect of our religion." The 
 word translated " religion"* only 
 occurs in one other passage of the 
 New Testament (James, i. 27.) and 
 means, mode of religious service, 
 with refei-ence to the external de- 
 velopment, rather than the inward 
 principle. " Sect" is not used in the 
 sense of a separate community, but 
 of a peculiar mode of living and 
 thinking. Bitterly as the Pharisees 
 and Sadducees were opposed, they 
 did not form separate churches — 
 both attended the temple service. 
 
 6. " The hope of the promise." 
 This refers primarily, not to the 
 resurrection, but to the coming of 
 Messiah."^ St. Paul appeals, in the 
 8th verse, to the resurrection of Jesus 
 as the proof that He was that Mes- 
 siah whom the Jews expected. St. 
 
 Paul would not have said that the 
 twelve tribes were serving God in 
 hope of the resurrection. For though 
 true of the greater portion, it was 
 not the case with the Sadducees and 
 their followers ; whereas all hoped 
 for the Messiah. 
 
 7. "■' Our twelve tribes." The peo- 
 ple of Israel are called the twelve 
 tribes, notwithstanding the disper- 
 sion of the ten, who were never 
 restored. Their descendants still 
 formed distinct communities in many 
 parts of the world, especially in cen- 
 tral and western Asia ; and many of 
 them continued to attend the three 
 great festivals at Jerusalem. It was 
 also a point of the national faith, that 
 the whole nation would be reunited 
 under the Messiah. 
 
 '■'•Instantly." Earnestly, with in- 
 tense devotion. 
 
 " Day and night." Incessantly. 
 The daily sacrifices were not in- 
 termitted until the destruction of 
 the temple ; and no believing He- 
 brew omitted to offer prayers thrice 
 daily. Nor were these services 
 always performed in a hypocritical 
 spirit : it was because they prayed 
 for the coming of Messiah with sin- 
 cerity, that so many received Him 
 before the destruction of the temple; 
 for those prayers were movements 
 of the Holy Spii-it. 
 
 " / am accused of the Jews" In 
 
 Suicer. Thess , i. 1405. 
 
 2 Olshauscn, Meyer. 
 
283 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVL 
 
 + Gr. NigU 
 and day. 
 
 e Luke, 5>. ."57. 
 1 The»s. 5. 10. 
 1 Tim. 3. .'}. 
 
 K John, 16. 2. 
 i Tim. 1. 13. 
 
 k ch. 22. 19. 
 
 8. "Why should it be thought a thing incredible 
 with you, that God should raise the dead 'i 
 
 9. ^I verily thought Avith myself, that I ought to 
 do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of 
 Nazareth. 
 
 10. ^ AYhich thing I also did in Jerusalem : and 
 many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having re- 
 ceived authority ^ from the chief priests : and when 
 they were put to death, I gave my voice against them, 
 
 11. ^And I punished them oft in every synagogue, 
 and compelled them to blaspheme ; and being exceed- 
 ingly mad against them, 1 persecuted them even unto 
 stranofe cities. 
 
 this passage the \rord " the " has been 
 inserted by our translators. It rather 
 takes from the force of the ex- 
 pression. St. Paul says, I am ac- 
 cused by Jews for thus holding and 
 preaching their own peculiar doctrine. 
 
 8. " Why should it he thouyht." 
 The question is more forcibly put in 
 the original — '' What ? Is it thought 
 incredible by you?" St. Paul ap- 
 peals with confidence to the belief 
 in the resurrection, which, as held 
 probably by Agrippa, and certainly 
 by the Pharisees, removed one 
 great obstacle to the reception of the 
 truth. 
 
 9. "The name" i. e. the person and 
 religion of Jesus. St. Paul used the 
 words "of Nazareth" to show that he 
 well understood the prejudices, which 
 he had once shared, and had now over- 
 come. St. Paul refers to his former 
 conduct, not merely to prove his 
 sincerity, but the reality of the 
 events which led to liis conversion. 
 
 10. "77<c &v//?//.s-." The name was so 
 completely synonymous with that of 
 (Christ ian, that St. Paul uses it, as it 
 were, unconsciously, in addressing 
 unbelievers. 
 
 " Pm< to ileath." From tliis we 
 learn that St, Stephen, thouiih the 
 first, was not the only martyr in the 
 first persecution. Acts vii. and viii. 
 
 " / gave my voice." The "word in 
 the original seems to denote a ju- 
 dicial vote. It may be understood 
 of SjuI's voice, manner, and actions 
 as an approving bystander; but I 
 am inclined to think that it allude.s 
 to either his vote given in private 
 meetings' of persons who took an 
 active part in the persecution, or, still 
 more probably, as a member of the 
 Sanhedrim, lie could not be less 
 than thirty years of age when he 
 gave this vote. Even in a private 
 meeting of those who must have 
 been leaders of the people, a youth 
 of twenty years could not have voted, 
 nor is it probable that he would 
 have bct'n consulted. It has been 
 shown (sec note, xxiv. 6.) that the 
 Romans allowed the Jews the power 
 of life and death over their OAvn peo- 
 ple in cases where religious questions 
 alone were concerned. 
 
 11." Cvnipellcd." The word in the 
 original may be rendered " endea- 
 voured to compel." Pliny uses si- 
 milar language in his celebrated 
 account of the Christians.'' lie ac- 
 quitted those who cursed Christ, 
 since, as he says, no true Christian 
 could be compelled to do that. The 
 Romans learned the art of perse- 
 cution from the Jews. 
 
 ''Mac/:' St. Paul attributes his 
 
 So Klsncr ?iul Kyi k. 
 
 2 Kp. X. 07. S.r Siiicor. Tlics., i. G97. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 289 
 
 12. ^Whereupon as I went to Damascus with au-ich. 9. 3.& 
 thoritj and commission from the chief priests, '^''' ^' 
 
 13. At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light 
 from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining 
 round about me and them which journeyed with me. 
 
 14. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I 
 heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the 
 Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? 
 it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 
 
 15. And I said, Who art thou. Lord ? And he said, 
 I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. 
 
 16. But rise, and stand upon thy feet : fori have ,„ ch. 22. 15. 
 appeared unto thee for this purpose, ™to make thee anch.22. 21. 
 minister and a witness both of these things which thou ^^l^fy ^^- ^- ^ 
 hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear i'ohn' k \l' 
 unto thee ; IShA-g. 
 
 17. Delivering thee from the people, and from the ^ oT''^'^'. 
 (jrentiles, "unto whom now I send thee, l^i'l"^'^^' 
 
 18. ^ To open their eyes, a?id Pto turn them from^%l;l% 25. 
 
 conduct to madness, — not as ex- 
 tenuating its atrocity, or as denying 
 his responsibility, but to mark his 
 sense of the unreasonableness as well 
 as wickedness of the persecution. 
 
 " Strange cities.'^ This also is an 
 additional circumstance by which 
 we may judge of the extent of the 
 persecution. St. Paul had visited 
 cities in other districts before he 
 went to Syria. 
 
 13. " At midday.''^ The time is 
 mentioned twice by St. Paul as con- 
 nected with the awful and dazzling 
 splendour which outshone the mid- 
 day sun. 
 
 14. See notes on chap. ix. 
 
 " In the Hebrew tongue." This 
 circumstance is mentioned by St. 
 Paul to show the distinctness of the 
 communication. It was no mere 
 impression, but articulate words were 
 addressed, though it may have been 
 to the inward and spiritual ear. 
 
 16. ''Bat rise" &c. It appears 
 evident that St. Paul gives the sub- 
 stance of what our Lord communi- 
 cated to him, both at the moment of 
 
 his conversion, and afterwards at 
 Damascus. Nothing is more com- 
 mon with the inspired writers than 
 such condensed and connected state- 
 ments of important transactions. 
 
 " To make thee a witness" Paul 
 was to be a witness of the glory of 
 the risen Saviour, whom he then 
 saw, and of the doctrinal truths and 
 revelations which he afterwards re- 
 ceived during his preparation for the 
 ministry in Arabia, and afterwards 
 in visions both in the temple and 
 elsewhere. 
 
 17. ''Delivering." This Implies 
 that St. Paul would be persecuted 
 both by Jews and Gentiles. It was 
 of importance that Agrippa, who be- 
 lieved in prophetic inspiration, should 
 be informed that St. Paul expected 
 what then befell him. The word in 
 the original might also mean choos- 
 ing, electing ; but that signification 
 is less suited to the context.' 
 
 "/ send thee" or, I appoint thee 
 to be an Apostle. 
 
 18. " Their eyes," — their spiritual 
 eyes. This indicates, not the ex- 
 
 1 Meyer. 
 O 
 
290 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 darkness to Uglit, and from the power of Satan unto 
 q Luke 1.77. God, ithat they may receive forgiveness of sins, and 
 r Ephes. i.ii. r inheritance amonf]j them which are ^ sanctified by faith 
 
 Col. 1. li!. . . ° *' 
 
 .ch.20.32. that IS in me. 
 
 19. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not dis- 
 obedient unto the heavenly vision : 
 
 t ch.9.20.22, 20. But * shewed first unto them of Damascus, and 
 at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, 
 and the7i to the Gentiles, that they should repent and 
 turn to God, and do ^ works meet for repentance. 
 
 21. For these causes ^the Jews caught me in the 
 temple, and went about to kill 7ne. 
 
 22. Having therefore obtained help of God, I con- 
 
 89. & 11.26 
 & 1.^, & 14, 
 & 16, & 17, 
 & IS, & 19, 
 & 20, & 21. 
 
 u Matt. 3. 8. 
 
 X ch. 21. 30,31 
 
 tinction, but the overclouding of the 
 spiritual faculty in the unconverted. 
 The eye of the understanding (Eph. 
 i. 18.) must be opened by grace 
 through -whatever instrumentality 
 the Lord sees fit to use. 
 
 " From darkness into light." Our 
 Lord refers to the words which His 
 Spirit had dictated to Isaiah, ix. 2. 
 The analogy between physical and 
 spiritual darkness and light is a fre- 
 quent topic with St. Paul. 
 
 " From the power of Satan." The 
 heathen world, being ignorant of 
 divine truth, addicted to abominable 
 idolatry and unnatural vices, is re- 
 presented throughout the New Tes- 
 tament (see the marginal references) 
 as being subject to Satan : and this 
 applies to all who, being in a state 
 of unconversion, are led captive by 
 him at his will. 
 
 " Inheritance." A portion or al- 
 lotment, such as was made to each 
 of the tribes in Canaan, and is now 
 offered in the heavenly Canaan to 
 those who are sanctified in Christ. 
 
 "Faith." This is the condition 
 of their receiving the two graces of 
 forgiveness and adoption. Faith is 
 a conditional means of sanctification 
 by the Spirit ; but here it seems 
 rather to refer to the word " receive" 
 — that they should receive by faith 
 in me forgiveness, &c. 
 
 19. '''■ W hereupon, () hin(j." Agrippa 
 would recognize the force of St. Paul's 
 argument. Unless it were delusion, 
 
 which under the circumstances was 
 impossible, obedience was indispens- 
 able. The only alternative would 
 be to suppose that St. Paul was a 
 liar; — and who ever lied to ex- 
 change riches for poverty, honour 
 for dishonour, and temporal pi'os- 
 perity for bitter persecution? 
 
 20. "First unto them" &c. A 
 brief summary of St. Paul's labours, 
 the object being to show that he 
 directed his attention in the first 
 place to his countrymen, and did not 
 address the Gentiles without a special 
 command. 
 
 " To do works meet for repentance." 
 St. Paul seems to use this expression 
 in order to show the fundamental 
 harmony between his preaching and 
 that of the Baptist, whom the Jews, 
 and doubtless Agrippa also, recog- 
 nized as a prophet. 
 
 21. "For these causes." The ar- 
 gument of St. Paul is that the Jews 
 seized him in the temple, not on 
 account of what he was then doing, 
 but of what he had previously been 
 preaching, which, whether it were 
 true or not, was clearly not contrary 
 to any existing law. He points out 
 also that, having arrested, they did 
 not bring him to trial, but attempted 
 to kill him — a course which proved 
 their consciousness of wrong. 
 
 22. " Help (f God" must be un- 
 derstood of the support afforded to 
 him during the whole course of his 
 ministry, including, of course, the 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 291 
 
 tinue unto this clay, witnessing both to small and great, 
 
 saying none other things than those y which the pro-^'i^"""^' ^^-^'^ 
 
 phets and ^ Moses did say should come : 2si^"""^ 
 
 23. a That Christ should suffer, and ^ that he should f;';;^'-^;^ 
 be the first that should rise from the dead, and c should a Luke',24.26. 
 shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. J^^ ^^^ ^. ^^ 
 
 24. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said cok \°\8;''' 
 with a loud voice, Paul, ^ thou art beside thyself; muchc Luke, 2. 32. 
 learnino; doth make thee mad. ^ ^ mngs.g. 
 
 25. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus ;i°^^i\^\^^: 
 
 C& 2. "13", h! 
 
 & 4. 10. 
 
 but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. 
 
 26. For the king knoweth of these things, before 
 whom also I speak freely : for I am persuaded that 
 
 intervention of the tribune at Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 " To small a?id great." To persons 
 of all stations and of all ages. This 
 is said to show that he acted u^nder an 
 irresistible impulse, which made him 
 indifferent to all worldly and selfish 
 considerations. 
 
 " A''o7ie other things." It was a 
 matter of great importance to show 
 the perfect harmony between the 
 law and the Gospel. 
 
 23. " That Christ should suffer." 
 See note ch. iii. 18., and ch. xiii, 
 27. The expression used by St. Paul 
 means that the Christ should be ca- 
 pable of suffering, a doctrine which 
 most of the unbelieving Jews denied. 
 
 " That He should lie the first." 
 Christ is called " the first fruits of 
 them that slept "(1 Cor. xv. 20.), 
 and "the beginning, the first-born 
 from the dead" (Col. i. 18.). Others 
 had been raised from the dead mira- 
 culously, but His resurrection is the 
 cause and pledge of the general re- 
 surrection. Since, moreover, the re- 
 surrection here means peculiarly the 
 resurrection into a state of immor- 
 tality, Our Lord was literally and 
 exclusively the first.' Lazarus and 
 others were merely restored to an 
 earthly existence, and for a season 
 only. 
 
 '■'■Light" may be understood of 
 hope and bliss, as well as of doc- 
 
 trine. He brought life and immor- 
 tality to light by His resurrection. 
 
 " The people" Viz., the chosen 
 people, the Jews. 
 
 24. " Thou art beside thyself" Sec. 
 This exclamation of Festus seems to 
 express very exactly what he felt. 
 He had ample opportunity of esti- 
 mating the strength of Paul's cha- 
 racter and the vigour of his intellect, 
 and he could only account for what 
 must have appeared to him a mere 
 hallucination, by the supposition 
 that such intense study, as every 
 discourse of St. Paul implied, had 
 ended in partial madness or mono- 
 mania.^ It cannot be supposed he 
 spoke ironically, for he appears to 
 have been fully aware of the dignity 
 of his office. The " loud voice " in- 
 dicates extreme surprise and amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Much learning." It is important 
 to observe that the inspired Apostle 
 was a diligent student, and as we are 
 assured neglected no opportunity of 
 acquiring whatever knowledge might 
 be useful to a preacher of the word.' 
 
 25. " Soberness" contrasted with 
 radness means soundness "• and per- 
 fect sanity of mind. The same 
 word is used by St. Mark (ch. xv.) of 
 the demoniac restored to his senses. 
 
 26. " For the king Jaioweth" &c. 
 It is a very important point in the 
 evidence of religion that St. Paul 
 
 1 CEcumenius. 
 
 2 Heinrich ap. Kninoel. 
 
 3 Bishop Bull's Sermon on 2 Tim. iv. 13. 
 
 Phavoriniis and Isidor. ap. Kuin., Ro- 
 senraiiller, &c. 
 
 o 2 
 
292 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 f ch. 2.-5. 9, 29. 
 & 25. 25. 
 
 none of these things are hidden from him ; for thig 
 thing was not done in a corner. 
 
 27. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I 
 know that thou believest. 
 
 28. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou per- 
 suadest me to be a Christian. 
 
 29. And Paul said, ^ I would to God, that not only 
 thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both 
 almost, and altogether such as I am, except these 
 bonds. 
 
 30. And when he had thus spoken, the king rose 
 up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat 
 with them : 
 
 3 1 . And when they were gone aside, they talked 
 between themselves, saying, ^ This man doeth nothing 
 worthy of death or of bonds. 
 
 32. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man 
 might have been set at liberty, s if he had not appealed 
 unto Cesar. 
 
 appeals to Agrippa as to the great 
 facts -which were then matters of 
 notoriety, including the resurrection 
 of the Lord (v. 23. ), and that he is 
 not contradicted. 
 
 27. ''''Believest thou the prophets?" 
 The question of St. Paul, which ad- 
 dressed itself directly to the con- 
 science of Agrippa, is important as 
 showing that a genuine faith in the 
 inspiration of the prophets is incom- 
 patible with the rejection of Christ. 
 Had the Jews believed and listened to 
 their own scriptures, they would have 
 received Jesus. 
 
 28. " Almost thou persuadest me." 
 Agrippa is supposed by late com- 
 mentators ^ to have spoken ironically. 
 AVe can hardly give him credit for 
 so m.uch candour and courage as 
 would have been required to make, 
 what almost amounted to a confession 
 of Christianity, in the presence of 
 the Roman governor. Still it is 
 very probable that if the tone were 
 ironical, which is by no means cer- 
 tain, it was I ssumed to disguise the 
 lively though transient impression 
 which St. Paul's words c^uld scarcely 
 fail to produce.** On the appellation 
 "Christian," see note, xi, 2(>. 
 
 *' Except these bonds." The chains 
 
 which had attached St. Paul to the 
 Roman soldiers, remained on his 
 arms during the trial. 
 
 30. " The king rose up." It seems 
 evident that Agrippa was much af- 
 fected by St. Paul's touching and af- 
 fectionate appeal. He broke up the 
 court by rising without pronouncing 
 an opinion, or consulting Festus. 
 
 " IViey that sat with them." The 
 counsellors or assessors. 
 
 31. " When they had gone aside." 
 They appear to have retired to the 
 residence of the governor, in order 
 to hold a consultation on the pro- 
 ceedings. 
 
 " Nothing worthy of death or of 
 chains." A very important testi- 
 mony to the legality of St. Paul's 
 conduct, and to the integrity of his 
 character. 
 
 32. " Then said Agrippa." Instead 
 of assigning grounds for a formal 
 accusation before the Emperor, 
 Agrippa simply states his opinion 
 that St. Paul ought to have been set 
 at liberty, had he not removed him- 
 self from the jurisdiction of Festus 
 by appealing to Caesar. So wonder- 
 fully were all events overruled to 
 bring the Apostle to the metropolis 
 of the Gentile world. 
 
 1 Neandcr, i. 421. ; Meyer, &c. 
 
 - Olshauson. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 293 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1 — 3. A Christian should esteem himself happywhen he can count, if not 
 upon the sympathy, yet upon the candour and intelligence of those who 
 hear him. True humility is not indifferent to the good opinion of man, 
 although it enjoins resignation when encountered by prejudice and silenced 
 by unjust power. 
 
 4, 5. Integrity and purity in early life give a just claim to the respect 
 of man, and when they proceed from soundness of faith, they bestOAv peace 
 of conscience towards both God and man. Strictness in a mistaken course 
 still left Paul the consciousness of sincerity ; in his enlightened state after 
 conversion, that enabled him to look forward undoubtingly to a crown of 
 righteousness. 
 
 6, 7. Hope may exist without charity ; but it is then no saving grace, it 
 is but another form of presumption ; loving and faithful hope is the sus- 
 tainer of true devotion, and the antepast of heavenly joys. 
 
 8. Nothing is so unreasonable as incredulity touching the power of God. 
 Scepticism originates in the weakness of corrupt faculties ; an angelic intel- 
 ligence perceives no difference between the ordinary and extraordinary 
 works of Providence — both are alike miraculous, and alike intelligible, as 
 demonstrations of omnipotence. 
 
 9 — 11. Sincerity and consistency are indispensable to the character of a 
 Christian warrior, but unless they are guided by a right faith, they may 
 subserve the purposes of Satan. Our first duty is to seek after truth, and to 
 acquaint ourselves with the will of God. V\"e should distrust our con- 
 victions if they lead us to hate or injure our fellow men, for the wisdom 
 that Cometh from above is first pure, and then peaceable. We are only safe 
 when love to God nianirests itself in love to man. 
 
 12 — 15. May Christ speak to our hearts in a language which we may 
 understand, and reveal to us, as He did to Saul, His oneness with His 
 people. That voice, once heard, will leave us no choice, — we shall cease 
 to resist the guiding motions of His good Spii'it, and have but one longing, 
 viz., to be counted among those whom Christ has incorporated in His own 
 mystical body, and so made one with Himself. 
 
 16, 17. This is a world for action, not merely for contemplation. We 
 must not remain in the prostrate and desponding state into which we are 
 plunged by the consciousness of sin, but must listen to Him who bids every 
 one whom He calls to arise, whether it be to follow Him in the discharge of 
 personal and relative duties, or to exert the new power which He bestows, 
 in bringing the tidings of salvation to others. 
 
 18. The state of grace after conversion may be described in three 
 words — sight, light, liberty. The faculties must be restored, the truth 
 must be revealed, and the bonds must be broken, before the sinner can 
 advance in the way of salvation. 
 
 19. How beautiful and consistent is the life of him who has found the true 
 centre of his existence — who moves in subordination to the true law of his 
 being ! What, to him who knows the powers of the world to come, are the 
 assaults of earthly enemies ? He is sure of help from above — he is obe- 
 dient to a heavenly vision — he is filled with anxiety for perishing souls — 
 he knows that the soul- converting truths which he is commissioned to pro- 
 claim, have been effectually preached from the beginning, and will resound 
 unto the end — he learns to glory in his afflictions, being well aware that, 
 
 o 3 
 
294 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVI. 
 
 to share the resurrection of Christ, he must needs suffer with Him, and that 
 " they that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars for ever and 
 ever." 
 
 24—28. The deepest truths are discerned only by the spiritual faculty, 
 and he who is guided and sustained by them, moves in a course •which 
 seems wild and frantic to the mere worldling. The Roman magistrate was 
 amazed to hear the Apostle declare that light was to be poured upon the Gen- 
 tiles by Christ — that they, the inheritors of Grecian wisdom, the lords of 
 the world, were to be enlightened by a crucified Hebrew — and since he 
 could not question the talents, he could only deny the sanity of the speaker. 
 It is, however, to be observed, that soberness in the statement of truth, 
 and consistency in acting upon it, have a singular power over the minds of 
 the most prejudiced. Some, like Festus, will learn to respect the advocate — 
 others, like Agrippa, will be half moved to accept the truth — while they 
 vv-ho are ordained to eternal life, will receive it to the conversion and salva- 
 tion of their souls. 
 
 28. Why except these bonds? Are they not chains of honour — badges 
 of nobility in the eternal kingdom? Why except the bonds? Are they 
 not symbols of subjection to Christ — of an indissoluble union with the 
 King of Glory ? True, but they are also signs and causes of suffering ; and 
 the holy Apostle, who rejoices in tribulation which he knows to be needful 
 for his own perfection, is tender and sparing of his brethren. He would, if 
 possible, divest religion of all that is painful or repulsive to the weak 
 convert. But we may not forget, that the feelings which led St. Paul to 
 glory in his infirmities, and to spare the flesh of others, appertain alike to 
 the high state of his advancement in the life of Christ. 
 
 30 — 32. How mysteriously the passions and inconsistencies of men work 
 together to fulfill the secret counsels of God ! But for the malice of the 
 Jews, the perfect innocence of the Apostle would not have been repeatedly 
 recognized by their own governors and princes — but for the inconsistency 
 of Festus, he would not have appealed to Csesar, or have been sent to Rome. 
 A deliverance then would have been a hindrance to the Gospel — he Avas to 
 be sent in the manner most likely to attract notice, and to give effect to his 
 preaching ; and his journey to Rome was as the path of the righteous, 
 shining more and more unto the perfect day. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 295 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 The account of St. Paul's voyage, which terminates in this chapter with his 
 shipwreck at Malta, is chiefly remarkable for its natural and graphic 
 descriptions. It is evident that the writer was familiar with the naviga- 
 tion of the Mediterranean ; and late investigations have brought many cu- 
 rious coincidences to light, and fully proved the historian's scrupulous 
 adherence to truth in the minutest details of this interesting voyage." 
 Such facts may not be necessary to confirm the belief of Christians, but 
 they are among the most incontrovertible evidences of the authenticity 
 of the book, and enable us to defend, by argument, what we receive in 
 faith. 
 
 1. And when ^it was determined that we should sail a ch. 25.12,25. 
 into Italj, they delivered Paul and certain other pri- 
 soners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' 
 band. 
 
 1. " When it was determined." 
 That is, when the time for the de- 
 parture of St. Paul was fixed, since 
 Festus had already determined to 
 send him to Rome. 
 
 " That we should sail," viz. St. 
 Luke and Aristarchus, with St. 
 Paul. Festus must have been wil- 
 ling to favour St. Paul as much as 
 lay in his power, or he would 
 scarcely have allowed two devoted 
 friends to attend him on the journey. 
 It is an additional proof of the deep 
 impression which the noble defence 
 of the Apostle had produced. Luke 
 and Aristarchus, most probably, de- 
 frayed their own expenses during 
 the voyage, which was performed 
 throughout in merchant vessels. 
 
 '• Certain other prisoners.'' It is 
 certain, from the expression in the 
 original, that these were not Chris- 
 tians.^ They were, probably, per- 
 
 sons of some importance, who had 
 been compromised in late political 
 disturbances. 
 
 '''■Julius^ a centurion of Augustus' 
 band." There is much difference of 
 opinion as to what band was so de- 
 signated. It appears most probable^ 
 that Julius was one of the body- 
 guard of the emperor, who were se- 
 lected from the Prsstorian guard. 
 They enjoyed peculiar privileges, 
 with the rank of centurion, and had 
 received from Nero the title of Au- 
 gustans just before this time, viz., 
 at the Juvenalian Games, a. d. 60.* 
 Julius is not said to have been one 
 of the soldiers under Festus, and it 
 is conjectured 5 that he may have 
 been sent by Nero on a mission to 
 Corbulo, the president of Syria (who 
 had just defeated the Parthians), and 
 was now returning to Rome. A Ju- 
 lius Prisons is mentioned by Tacitus^ 
 
 1 See especially Smith's " "Voyage and 
 Shipwreck of St. Paul." 
 
 2 Tittman, Svn. 
 
 3 Wieseler, p". 389. note. 
 
 4 Tacitus, Ann., xiv. 15. 
 
 5 Wieseler, p. 392- 
 
 6 Hist., xiv. 15. 
 
 o 4 
 
296 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 c ch. 21. 23 
 '28. 16. 
 
 2. And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we 
 laimclied^ meaning to sail by the coasts of As:a; one 
 ^ Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with 
 us. 
 
 3. And the next day we touched at Sidon. And 
 S' Julius '^courteously entreated Paul, and gave him 
 
 liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. 
 
 4. And when we had launched from thence, we 
 sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 
 
 5. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia 
 and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. 
 
 as a brave and distinguished officer 
 of the Praitorian guard in the fol- 
 lowing reign. 
 
 2. '' A ship of Adramyttium:' The 
 ship belonged to a merchant of 
 Adramyttium, a city of Mysia, and 
 an Athenian colony, now a village 
 called Endramite.' The ship M'as 
 returning home, and not proceeding 
 to Italy ; but the centurion expected 
 to meet with some vessel on the way, 
 by which the prisoners might be 
 conveyed to Rome. 
 
 ^' Aristarchus" had accompanied St. 
 Paul on a former journey, and was 
 with him at Ephesus (xix. 29. See 
 also XX. 4.). At Rome he«was a fel- 
 low-prisoner with St. Paul (Col. iv. 
 10.), and is called by the Apostle one 
 of his fellow workers (Philemon, i. 
 24.). He remained with him until 
 the latter part of his imprisonment. 
 These facts prove that he was a zea- 
 lous Christian and an affectionate 
 friend of his spiritual father, St. 
 Paul. 
 
 3. " Sidon"' was a city of some 
 importance at that time : it still 
 numbers from 5,000 to 8,000 inha- 
 bitants, and is a commercial port.^ 
 The distance from Cacsarea is sixty- 
 seven geographical miles. 
 
 " Cunrtconsly entreated." Behaved 
 with humanity and courtesy towards 
 St. Paul. It is probable that Festus 
 
 had recommended the Apostle espe- 
 cially to Julius ; but the consistent 
 kindness of his conduct throughout 
 the voyage proves that he was per- 
 sonally affected by St. Paul's de- 
 meanour, and reflects great credit 
 on his own character. Chrysostom 
 remarks the candour of the historian, 
 who never exaggerates the suffer- 
 ings of the Apostle, and is careful 
 to record the fact, when he met 
 with kindness and courtesy. 
 
 " Gave him libeiti/" St. Paul went 
 accompanied, of course, by the 
 soldier, to whom he was bound. 
 
 " To refresh himself" To receive 
 comfort and assistance from his 
 Christian friends, who would be 
 anxious to supply him with neces- 
 saries for his long voyage. 
 
 4. " Under Cyprus:' Near the 
 coast, between Cyprus and the main- 
 land of Asia Minor, instead of sail- 
 ing directly across the open sea.' 
 The west winds blow with great 
 violence in the Levant during au- 
 tumn. 
 
 .5. '' Myra." A city on a rock, 
 about twenty furlongs'* from the sea- 
 coast of Lycia. It still bears the 
 same name among the Greeks, but 
 is called Dembre by the Turks.'^ Its 
 seaport was called Andriaca. There 
 are some noble ruins in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the modern town,' 
 
 1 Winer, v. Ad. 
 
 2 Robinson, IJiickinRliam, and Pocock. 
 
 3 Wetstein. .St'cSmitli's "Voyage and bliip- 
 wreck of St. Paul," p. 25. 
 
 4 Strabo, xiv. CG5. 
 
 '• Winer. 
 
 << Described by C. Fellows, Lycia, p. 196, 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 297 
 
 6. And there the centurion found a ship of Alex- 
 andria sailing into Italy ; and he put us therein. 
 
 7. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and 
 scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not 
 suffering us, we sailed under || Crete, over against ii or, candy. 
 Salmone ; 
 
 8. And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which 
 is called The fair havens ; nigh whereunto w^as the 
 city of Lasea. 
 
 9. Now when much time was spent, and when sail- ^ ^^^ j.^,^ ^^^ 
 ing was now dangerous, '^because the fast was now °;\*|;'^^^™*jf^y 
 already past, Paul admonished them, Le "'25. 27, 29. 
 
 Chrysostom is mistaken in supposing 
 that Aristarchus left St. Paul at this 
 place for Macedonia. See ver. 2. 
 
 ^^ A ship" &c. The ships from Alex- 
 andria, employed in the transport of 
 corn, were generally of large size, 
 equal to the largest class of mer- 
 chant ships in modern times. ' When 
 the winds were favourable, they 
 sailed direct across the Mediter- 
 ranean, but in adverse weather kept 
 near the coast of Syria and Asia 
 Minor, where this vessel was found 
 by Julius. 
 
 7. " Cnidus." A cit}^ of Caria, or 
 Doris, between Cos and Rhodes, fa- 
 mous for a statue of Venus by Prax- 
 iteles. The distance between Myra 
 and Cnidus does not exceed 130 geo- 
 graphical miles, so that the winds 
 must have been unfavourable, as is 
 intimated by the exp ;ession " scarce," 
 that is, with difficulty.- 
 
 " JVot suffering us" i. e. to proceed 
 to the eastward in that direction. The 
 Etesian winds which prevail at that 
 season blow from the N.W. 
 
 " Crete." Now called Candia, one 
 of the most important islands in the 
 Mediterranean, famous for its hun- 
 dred cities. The character of its 
 inhabitants is described by St Paul 
 in very unfavourable colours in his 
 Epistle to Titus, who was left there 
 
 with the authority of a provincial 
 bishop (Titus, i. 12.). 
 
 " Salmone.'''' The eastern head- 
 land of Crete, opposite to Cnidus. 
 It still bears the same name. 
 
 8. " Lascea" and the fair havens 
 its seaport are not elsewhere named 
 by the ancients. Stephanus, how- 
 ever, mentions a city called " Fair 
 Coast," and Hoek identifies Lasa^a 
 with Lisia. Fair Havens, now called 
 Calos Limeones, is the nearest har- 
 bour to Cape Matala.^ 
 
 9. "-Much time." The time of 
 their detention here cannot be as- 
 certained. It was probably sufficient 
 for St. Paul and his companions to 
 lay the foundation of a Christian 
 Church. There appear to be suf- 
 ficient grounds for believing that the 
 Gospel had been preached in other 
 parts of the island, previously, by St. 
 Paul and Titus.* 
 
 " Sailing teas noiv dangerous,"' The 
 ancients considered that all naviga- 
 tion should cease from November to 
 March.^ This was not merely owing 
 to their dread of storms, but to the 
 difficulty of making out their route, 
 without a compass, in dark and 
 cloudy weather. It was regarded 
 as an act of the greatest temerity to 
 cross the Mediterranean in winter." 
 
 " The fast" that is, the great 
 
 1 Hasseus ap. Kuin. ; end Smith, 1. c, 
 p. 32. 
 
 2 Smith, p. 34. 
 " Wieseler, p. 333. ; Smith, p. 37. 
 
 * Wieseler,' p. 331. 
 
 R. M., iv. 39. ; Plin. H. N. 
 
 6 Many curious facts are given by Wie- 
 seler, p. 4S— 50. 
 
 s Veget. de 
 ii. .37. 
 
 o 5 
 
298 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 10. And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this 
 u ot, injury, vojagc will be with || hurt and much damage, not only 
 
 of the lading and ship, but also of our lives. 
 
 11. Nevertheless the centurion believed the master 
 and the owner of the ship, more than those things 
 wdiich were spoken by Paul. 
 
 12. And because the haven was not commodious to 
 winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, 
 if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and 
 there to winter ; ivJiich is an haven of Crete, and lieth 
 tow^ard the south west and north west. 
 
 13. And when the south wind blew softly, sup- 
 posing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing 
 thence^ they sailed close by Crete. 
 
 iox,uat. 14. But not long after there U arose against it a 
 
 tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 
 
 15. And when the ship was caught, and could not 
 bear up into the wind, we let her drive. 
 
 fast of expiation, took place on the 
 10th of Tisri (Lev. xvi. 29. and xxiii. 
 27. 29.), about the beginning of Oc- 
 tober.' 
 
 10. " I perceived This expression 
 seems to imply that St. Paul formed 
 this conclusion from his own judg- 
 ment. But we do not know tbe li- 
 mits or conditions of that inspiration 
 which always guided or restrained 
 him. Chrysostom regards it as a 
 prophecy. 
 
 " Of our Uves.^' This expression 
 does not necessarily imply that any 
 lives would be lost, but that they 
 would be in jeopardy. 
 
 11. " The master." The pilot, or 
 helmsman, who acted as captain, giv- 
 ing orders to the crew. 
 
 " The oivner." The merchant to 
 whom the ship belonged. This man 
 must have been nearly ruined by the 
 adoption of his advice, since both his 
 cargo and ship were lost. It is evi- 
 dent that Julius was not a convert at 
 that time, or he would have believed 
 St. Paul : as a heathen, he acted 
 rightly in following the advice of 
 
 those persons who were responsible 
 for the ship. 
 
 12. " The haven ivas -not commo- 
 dious" because it was open to nearly 
 one half of the compass.'^ 
 
 " Phenice" or Phoenix, a port on 
 the S.W. coast of Crete, now called 
 Lutro.^ 
 
 13. " And ivhen the south wind" 
 The southerly wind would not be 
 very unfavourable on a westerly 
 voyage along the southern coast of 
 Crete." 
 
 14. " Against it." That is, against 
 the island. The word Euroclydon, 
 which is not used elsewhere by Greek 
 authors, denotes a wind that raises 
 large waves, or a hurricane, such as 
 are common in the Levant, and are 
 called " Ixnanters" by English sail- 
 ors. The direction of this wind was 
 about north-east. " 'J'he sudden 
 change from a south wind to a vio- 
 lent northerly wind is a common oc- 
 currence in these seas."^ 
 
 15. "C(//u//i^" Carried away. The 
 effects of this storm Avere that the 
 ship must have strained and suffered 
 
 ' Reland, Ant., p 457. 
 p. 31. 
 
 ^ Smith, p. 47. 
 
 Anger, Temp. Hat., 
 
 ^ Smitli. p. 50. 
 "* Hcinricli. 
 '■> Smith, p. GO. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIi 
 
 299 
 
 16. And running under a certain island which is 
 called Clauda, we had much work to come bj the boat : 
 
 17. Which when they had taken up, they used 
 helps, uiidergirding the ship ; and, fearing lest they 
 should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so 
 were driven. 
 
 18. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tem- 
 pest, the next day they lightened the ship ; 
 
 19. And the third </a^ ^ we cast out with our own e jonah, 1.5. 
 hands the tackling of the ship. 
 
 20. And when neither sun nor stars in many days 
 appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that 
 we should be saved was then taken away. 
 
 21. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in 
 the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have 
 
 severely in her hull, and that the leaks 
 she then sprang were gradually gain- 
 ing upon the crew, who must have 
 suffered great hardships. St. Luke 
 shared them all ; but he never men- 
 tions them except on one occasion, 
 and that was to illustrate a passage 
 in the life of St. Paul.^ 
 
 16. " Clauda,''^ a small island to 
 the S. W, of Crete, now called Gozzo, 
 inhabited by some thirty families.- 
 
 " The boat.'" The small boat, 
 which was usually towed by a rope 
 fastened to the ship. This was of 
 course of great importance at all 
 times, and especially in time of 
 danger. 
 
 1 7. " Helps.'" This appears to be 
 a technical term for props ^ set under 
 the ship's side while the sailors were 
 undergirding it, i. e. passing strong 
 cables under the keel from one side 
 of the ship to the other, to keep the 
 planks fi'om starting.* This expe- 
 dient was then common, and has oc- 
 casionally been adopted in modern 
 times.* 
 
 " The quicksands." The greater 
 and less Syrtis, two very formidable 
 sandbanks off the coast of Africa. 
 
 " Strake sail." The words so 
 translated probably mean lowered. 
 The gear, that is, not the mast, which 
 was immovable in large vessels, but 
 the yard with the sail attached to it- 
 Every step hitherto taken indicates 
 skilful seamanship.*' 
 
 " So were driven" means driven 
 as the wind listed, without resistance, 
 the vessel being quite unmanage- 
 able. 
 
 18. ^^Lightened," by throwing over- 
 board part of the freight. 
 
 19. " The tackling " This does 
 not include the anchors, see v. 29. ; 
 or the masts and sails, see v. 40. 
 Some commentators understand the 
 luggage belonging to the passengers. 
 It was more probably the main- 
 yard,' 
 
 20. They could not ascertain their 
 position or the direction in which 
 they were going, when the sun and 
 stars were hidden. See above, ver. 9. 
 
 " Was then taken away," owing to 
 the leaks that had been sprung. 
 
 21. '■'"Abstinence." Their inces- 
 sant labour and terror of death had 
 hitherto prevented them from taking 
 food. See note, ver. 33. 
 
 1 Smith, p. 61—63. 
 
 2 Pocock. 
 
 3 Wet&tein. 
 
 4 Raphelius, Obs.; Polyb. 
 
 o 6 
 
 5 Smith, p. 65. 
 
 6 Smith, p. 70. 72. 
 
 ' Kypke, Wetstein, Roienmiiller, Kulnoel^ 
 Smith, p. 73. 
 
300 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 B Dan. 6. 16. 
 Rom. 1. y. 
 2 Tim. 1. 3. 
 
 h Luke, 1. 4 
 Rom. 4. 20, 
 1 Tim. 1. lid 
 
 hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, 
 and to have gained this harm and loss. 
 
 22. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer : for 
 there shall be no loss of any mans life among you, 
 but of the ship. 
 
 23. ^For there stood by me this night the angel of 
 God, whose I am, and Swhom I serve, 
 
 24. Saying, Fear not, Paul ; thou must be brought 
 before Cesar : and, lo, God hath given thee all them 
 that sail with thee. 
 
 25. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer : ^ for I believe 
 ■ God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 
 
 26. Howbeit ^ we must be cast upon a certain 
 island. 
 
 27. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we 
 were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight 
 the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some 
 country ; 
 
 28. And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms : and 
 when they had gone a little further, they sounded 
 again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 
 
 29. Then fearing lest we should liave fallen upon 
 rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and 
 wished for the day. 
 
 " To have gained.^* The meaning 
 is, they -would have been saved ^ from 
 this harm and loss if they had at- 
 tended to the advice of St. Paul. 
 
 23. '■'■For there stood by 7ne this 
 7nght." This appearance of " an an- 
 gel" was probably in a vision.^ It is 
 evident that St. Paul had acquired a 
 very commanding influence over the 
 ship's company. The centurion had 
 not previously felt himself justified 
 in acting upon his advice when op- 
 posed to that of the helmsman and 
 owner ; but he now listened, as we may 
 be assured, with deep interest to the 
 words of one whose former predic- 
 tion had been verified by the event. 
 
 24. " God hath given thee.'' Hath 
 granted. This declaration implies 
 that St. Paul liad prayed earnestly, 
 
 not only for the lives of himself and 
 friends, but of all the crew, and that 
 they were spared for his sake. 
 
 27. " Adria." This name anciently 
 comprehended all that part of the 
 Mediterranean which lies between 
 Greece, Italy, and Africa.^ They 
 were now driving before the wind 
 between Crete and Malta. 
 
 " The shipmen deemed." They pro- 
 bably saw or heard the breakers near 
 the rocky coast.'' 
 
 28. ''Sounded." Tried the depth 
 of water with a lead, as at present. 
 The soundings correspond exactly 
 with those taken by seamen in the 
 present century.* 
 
 29. ''Four anchors" were com- 
 monly used in case of extreme dan- 
 ger." The sea must then have been 
 
 ' r.lsnor, Kypke, and Kiiinocl. 
 2 Olshausen. 
 
 ^ Kiiiiioel ; IIcsj sch. ; Strabo, 
 Tii. 488. 
 
 185., 
 
 ■« Smith, p. 79. 
 
 '• Smith. 
 
 6 Caesar, B. C, i. 25. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 30 1 
 
 30. And as the sliipmen were about to flee out of 
 the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, 
 under colour as though they would have cast anchors 
 out of the foreship, 
 
 31. Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers. 
 Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 
 
 32. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, 
 and let her fall off. 
 
 33. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought 
 them all to take meat, saying, This day is the four- 
 teenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, 
 having taken nothing. 
 
 34. Wherefore I pray jow to take some meat : for 
 
 this is for your health : for ^ there shall not an hair fall^ i Kings, i. 
 from the head of any of you. ^i^au. 1^0.30. 
 
 35. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, ''*'"^i'i«"" 
 and 1 gave thanks to God in presence of them all : and Matf.Ts. I'cu^' 
 when he had broken it, he began to eat. jihn/l.'n. 
 
 36. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also ^ ^""" ^' '"' *" 
 took some meat. 
 
 breaking with great violence on the 
 breakers, which are about a quarter 
 of a mile from the spot where anchor 
 was cast. 
 
 The harbour of St. Paul, where this 
 shipwreck undoubtedly took place, is 
 described as being safe for small 
 ships ; and while the cables hold 
 there is no danger, as the anchors 
 will never start.' 
 
 30. " The sliipmenr The crew 
 were well aware that the ship must 
 go to pieces, and were only anxious 
 to save themselves. 
 
 31. '"'Paul said to the centurion." 
 The centurion took command of the 
 ship on extraordinary occasions (see 
 above, ver. 11.), He was, in fact, the 
 representative of the imperial power. 
 
 " Ye cannot,'' i.e., humanly speak- 
 ing. The shipmen were the very 
 means by which divine providence 
 •would save them from this peril. 
 
 33. " Nothing." No regular meals ; 
 indeed it was scarcely possible to have 
 
 any food prepared for the seamen 
 during the continuance of the storm. 
 
 34. " For your health," or safet}'. 
 
 '■'■Not an hair." A proverbial ex- 
 pression. 1 Sam. xiv. 11.; 1 Kings, 
 i. 52. ; Matthew, x. 30. ; and Luke, 
 xii. 7. 
 
 35. " Gave thanks to God." One 
 of the Fathers ^ remarks that St. Paul 
 took this occasion of impressing 
 upon their minds the duty of offering 
 thanksgiving to God before breaking 
 bread. It seems evident that the 
 Apostle contemplated this solemn 
 meal as having something of a sacra- 
 mental, or, at least, peculiarly reli- 
 gious character. The expression used 
 by St. Luke reminds the reader in- 
 voluntarily of the Eucharist, and the 
 passage was so understood by many 
 of the Fathers.^ 
 
 36. " Of good cheer." The influ- 
 ence which St, Paul had acquired 
 over their minds, gave great weight 
 to his address, and they now began 
 
 1 Smith, p. 92. 
 
 2 Ammonius ap. Cramer. 
 
 3 Neander, p, 500. 
 
302 
 
 m ch. 2. 41. 
 7. 14. 
 
 Rom. 15. 1. 
 1 Pet. 3. 20. 
 
 I Or, cut the 
 
 anchors, they 
 l^ them ill 
 
 the le I, tS-c. 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 37. And we were in all in the sliip two hundred 
 & threescore and sixteen ™ souls. 
 
 38. And Avhen they had eaten enough, they light- 
 ened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea. 
 
 39. And when it was day, they knew not the land : 
 but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into 
 the which they were minded, if it were possible, to 
 thrust in the ship. 
 
 40. And when they had || taken up the anchors, they 
 committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rud- 
 der bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and 
 made toward shore. 
 
 41. And fiiUing into a place where two seas met, 
 25. n they ran the ship aground ; and the forepart stuck 
 
 fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part 
 was broken with the violence of the waves. 
 
 42. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the pri- 
 soners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. 
 
 to hope that they might escape to 
 the land, which was evidently near. 
 
 38. " Cast out the wheat into the 
 sea." The chief part of the cargo 
 •was probably wheat. See note on 
 ver. 6. 
 
 39. " They knew not the land.'' See 
 note on ch. xxviii. 1. 
 
 " With a shore." That is, a level 
 shore, not a ridge of rocks. The 
 description of the creek, now called 
 St. Paul's Bay, which is given by 
 late voyagers, corresponds minutely 
 with this narrative. 
 
 40. " Taken up." Rather, cut off 
 (as in the margin) ; there would be 
 no object gained by taking them on 
 board. 
 
 '■'■Loosed the rudder-hands." An- 
 cient ships were steered by two large 
 paddles, one on each quarter. When 
 anchored by the stern, in a gale, it 
 would be necessary to lift them out 
 of the water, and secure them by 
 lashings or rudder-bands, and to 
 loose the rudder-bands when the ship 
 was again got under way.' 
 
 " The mainsail." This was proba- 
 
 bly the foresail, but the meaning of 
 the word used in the original has 
 been much disputed.^^ 
 
 41. " W Iter e two seas met." At the 
 bottom of the creek, there is a com- 
 munication with the sea outside. 
 There, of course, two currents would 
 meet under the circumstances of 
 weather, wind, &c., which are here 
 described. 
 
 '• Tlie fore part," &c. This is a 
 peculiar circumstance, and would be 
 difficult to account for, but for the 
 peculiar nature of the bottom of 
 St. Paul's Bay. The ship there 
 would strike a bottom of mud, gra- 
 duating into tenacious clay, into 
 which the fore part would fix itself 
 and be held fast, while the stern 
 would be exposed to the force of the 
 weaves.* 
 
 42. " To kill the prisoners." This 
 cruelty of the soldiers, who had rea- 
 son to believe that their safety was 
 owing to St. Paul, may be accounted 
 for by the severity of the Roman 
 discipline, and the recklessness of 
 human life which peculiarly charac- 
 
 > Smith, p. 101. 
 
 2 Smith, Dissertation on Ancient Snips. 
 
 3 Smith, p. 102.103. 
 -t Smith, 103, 104. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIL 
 
 303 
 
 43. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept 
 them from their purpose ; and commanded that they 
 which could swim should cast themselves first into the 
 sea, and get to land : 
 
 44. And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken 
 pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, "^that they° '^■■•22. 
 escaped all safe to land. 
 
 terized the Roman soldiers, and by 
 the fact, that guards who allowed 
 prisoners (whether condemned or 
 merely accused) to escape, were 
 liable to undergo the same punish- 
 ment ^ as would have been inflicted 
 on the fugitive. The other prisoners 
 were, in all probability, persons of 
 some political importance, either 
 taken in the late Parthian war, or 
 heads of marauding bands. See note, 
 ver. 1. 
 
 43. " Willing to save Paul." The 
 centurion must have loved and es- 
 teemed St. Paul, when he incurred 
 the responsibility of taking off the 
 chains of all the prisoners in order to 
 save his life. 
 
 " Who could swim." Swimming 
 was very propei'ly held to be an 
 
 essential point in the physical train- 
 ing of the Roman youth. 
 
 44. " Thet/ escaped all safe to land." 
 Thus the prophecy of St. Paul was 
 fulfilled, as Chrysostom remarks, 
 notwithstanding the great variety of 
 peculiar dangers which the several 
 parties had encountered. The sol- 
 diers would have been destroyed by 
 the selfishness of the crew, the pri- 
 soners by the ci'uelty of the soldiers, 
 had not all passions and actions been 
 controlled and overruled by Him who 
 heard and answered the prayers of 
 His Apostle. It cannot be doubted 
 that many of those whose lives were 
 thus providentially saved, became 
 converts to the salvation of their 
 souls. 
 
 PRACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 How singularly contrasted in character and destiny were the passengers in 
 that ship which bore the Apostle of the Gentiles to the scene of his glorious 
 martyrdom ! There were prisoners, liable to suffer as evil doers ; veteran 
 soldiers and hardy mariners, whose rough bosoms were perchance less 
 impenetrable to Gospel truth than the toiling and scheming traders : there, 
 too, were devoted ministers, voluntary partakers of the captivity of St. Paul, 
 and co-heirs of the same hope. A strangely- blended group; yet not so 
 unlike in the eyes of man, as in that eye which searcheth the inner heart. 
 Thus, too, in the vessel of the visible Church, ai'e all diversities to be found — 
 saints, whom the Apostles recognize as their fellows ; and sinners, at whose 
 guilt the most ignorant heathen might be amazed — all bound apparently to 
 the same bourn, but with destinations, in truth, as wide asunder as heaven 
 and the nethermost abyss. 
 
 1 See note, Acts, xii. 19. 
 
304 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 3. God vouchsafes alleviations to His tried servants, and among the 
 most refreshing are those which they derive from the care and affection of 
 sympathizing friends. Happy are those who avail themselves of an occasion 
 to serve one of His elect. The good deed of the centurion has embalmed 
 his memory to all generations of the Church ; nor can we doubt that he who 
 granted liberty for a season to the Apostle, became a partaker of the ever- 
 lasting freedom of the kingdom of God. 
 
 4—6. The difficulties and suflFerings of that protracted voyage may have 
 symbolized the future destinies of the Church of Christ. Or may we con- 
 jecture that they were occasioned by the prince of the power of the air, in 
 dread of his approaching discomfiture in the high seat of his dominion ? 
 Whatever may have been the agency by which the delay was caused, of 
 this we are sure, that it was providentially overruled for the good of Christ's 
 people. The change of vessels brought the Apostle into contact with many 
 hearts, and secured many additional witnesses to his patient endurance of 
 suffering for the name of Jesus. 
 
 7 — 10. Difficulties and perils are as rocks which give out fire when 
 struck by the steel of an unbending will ; and when the firmness of the will 
 is derived from union with Christ, the light that flashes from the contact is 
 a revelation from heaven. 
 
 11. The centurion soon learned that the calculations of human reason 
 were not to be depended on, but that the Word which God put into the 
 mouth of His Apostles was a sure and safe guide. His faith needed the 
 outward testimony of accomplished predictions. Such evidence has been 
 far more abundantly vouchsafed to us, but vouchsafed in vain, unless we 
 have learned to know the truth as it is in Jesus, and to love it for its own 
 sake. 
 
 12 — 15. For a season the man of the world seems to be wiser than the 
 children of light. His plans prosper — all goes smoothly — and he looks 
 back with triumphant scorn upon the warning which he rejected. But not 
 long after the tempestuous storm arises, violent passions are stirred up, 
 unexpected contests are excited, and the schemes and projects and hopes 
 of the unbelievers are driven before the wind. 
 
 16 20. How fertile in resources, and energetic in exertions, is man, 
 
 when struggling for existence. His ingenuity and efforts, however, serve 
 but to prove his absolute dependance upon Him who alone controls the power 
 of nature, and without whom all hope of salvation is taken away. 
 
 20 — 26. Here we have an example of the tone which a true Christian 
 will adopt, when some great calamity has befallen his friends, in conse- 
 quence of their disregard of his admonition. He may remind them of the 
 cause of their misfortune, but briefly and tenderly; their conscience 
 may need to be awakened, but it should not be scared, much less crushed 
 and tortured. He will point out whatever hope may be reasonably enter- 
 tained, as a motive for cheerful and sustained exertions. And, above all, 
 while he oflers earnest prayers on their behalf, he will take care not to bid 
 them to depend upon any one save God, who hath given to His own Son 
 all them who sail with Him in the Ark of the Church, and who believe in 
 His Word. 
 
 27 — 29. This voyage presents a very lively emblem of human life, un- 
 gaided by the Spirit of God Driven up and down without chart or com- 
 pass, the shipnien watch with anxiety each glinmiering of hope, which 
 soon gives place to gloomy fear.s. There is one among them whose pre- 
 sence is a pledge of their deliverance, but they know it not, and are equally 
 reckless of his promises and exhortations. How many nominal Christians 
 are in the same condition, without the same plea of ignorance. 
 
 30 32. " The end and the means are always joined together in the 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVII. 305 
 
 purpose and decree of God. The same God that ordained the end ordained 
 the means in order to that end ; therefore as to trust to means is to neglect 
 God, so to neglect the means is to tempt God."' This maxim is of 
 universal application, and should never be lost sight of in spiritual 
 matters. 
 
 33. True courage is grounded on faith. Paul trusted implicitly in His 
 Lord's promise and power, and was therefore perfectly serene under all 
 his trials. So far as the sailors believed him, they were also of good cheer, 
 and took some meat. What keeps so many Christians sad and anxious, 
 without even a desire for spiritual meat, but the weakness or unsound- 
 ness of their faith. May we listen to Christ's word, be comforted by His 
 promises, and so be made partakers of that bread, which will preserve both 
 body and soul unto everlasting life ! 
 
 38 — 41. Truth is apt to be minute and particular in recording facts, 
 especially those which are connected with the sufferings of a dear friend. 
 If we love St. Paul, our own peculiar Apostle, we shall not pass lightly 
 and carelessly over these details. If we read them closely, we may learn 
 to realize and understand many particulars, which have important bearings 
 both upon our own faith and practice as Christians. 
 
 42 — 44. As St. Paul's counsel had saved the lives of the soldiers from 
 the treachery of the sailors, so his character now saves the lives of the 
 prisoners from the cruelty of the soldiers. How importunate and cruel a 
 passion is selfish fear ! The soldiers are ready to imbrue their hands in 
 the blood of their deliverer ; but their ferocity served but as an occasion 
 for drawing forth the centurion's affection, and, as we cannot choose but 
 hope, of drawing him nearer to Christ, whom he served and protected in 
 the person of His minister. How full of life and deep feeling is this simple 
 narrative ; but to a spiritual mind it is far more. It will be found full 
 of types of the world, of the Church, of the Spirit, and of the motions and 
 tendencies in our hearts, if we read it with prayer. 
 
 Burk-tt. 
 
306 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIII. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 The eventful history of the apostolic career of St. Paul draws near to its 
 termination. From Malta he passes by a rapid voyage towards the 
 shores of Italy, and finally arrives at the imperial city — the metropolis 
 of the ancient world. The transactions at Rome complete the vast 
 circle of the Apostle's labours, and represent the fulfilment of the work 
 which forms the subject-matter of the inspired narrative. Beginning 
 at Jerusalem, the Gospel had been preached in Judea, and in Samaria, 
 and now reached the remote centre of heathendom, whence it was rapidly 
 disseminated to the uttei-most parts of the world. 
 
 b Rom. 1.14. 
 1 Cor. 14.11. 
 Col. 5. 11. 
 
 1, And when tliej were escaped, then they knew that 
 ^ the island was called Melita. 
 
 2. And the ^barbarous people shewed us no little 
 kindness : for they kindled a fire, and received us every 
 one, because of the present rain, and because of the 
 cold. 
 
 1. "Then they knew.'''' The circum- 
 stance that the sailors did not know 
 the island at first is easily accounted 
 for. The scene of the shipwreck 
 lies remote from the great harbour 
 of Valetta, the only point of the 
 island with which they were likely 
 to be acquainted, and there is no 
 marked feature in the configuration 
 of the land.' 
 
 " Melita.'" There is no doubt that 
 this is the island of Malta-, although 
 some writers'* have supposed that 
 Meleda, a small island in the gulf of 
 Venice, was the scene of St. Paul's 
 shipwreck. That opinion has little 
 in its favour ; it arose probably from 
 the restriction of the appellation 
 " Adria," to the Gulf of Venice in 
 latertimes (see note chap, xxvii. 27.), 
 and it is sufficiently refuted by the 
 
 course of the ship, which touched at 
 Syracuse, on the direct way from 
 Malta to Rome. Malta, which now 
 belongs to the English, is an island 
 about 1000 square miles in extent, 
 consisting of one vast rock of white 
 freestone. It was colonized by the 
 Carthaginians, and its name signifies 
 "the Refuge"-* in the Phoenician 
 language, which is still spoken, 
 though in a corrupt form, by the 
 native inhabitants. The Prayer- 
 book and Bible have been lately 
 translated into their dialect, which 
 is nearly allied to the Hebrew and 
 Arabic, by the " Society for promot- 
 ing Christian Knowledge." 
 
 2. " Barbarous." This expres- 
 sion merely signifies that they spoke 
 a language unknown to the Greeks 
 and Romans, who regarded all other 
 
 1 .Smith, p. lOft. 
 
 ■■^ Kuiiiocl, Bochart, Michaclis, Winer, 
 &c. ; especially Smith, " Voyage and Ship- 
 wreck ol St. Paul." 
 
 Constant. Torphyr. Ign. Georgi, Rhoer. 
 Winer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIIT. 
 
 307 
 
 3. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, 
 and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the 
 heat, and fastened on his hand. 
 
 4. And when the barbarians saw the venomous 
 beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, 
 No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he 
 hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suff'ereth not to 
 live. 
 
 5. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and ^felt? Maricie. is. 
 
 , ' Luke, 10. 19. 
 
 no harm. 
 
 6. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, 
 
 nations as vastly inferior to them- 
 selves in civilization, and used the 
 term contemptuously. 
 
 " Of the present rain." Heavy 
 rain and cold in November prove 
 that the wind must have been to the 
 north of east. ' 
 
 3. "^ viperr The fact that no vi- 
 per or poisonous reptiles are now to 
 be found in the island of Malta is con- 
 nected with an old and pleasing, though 
 unfounded, tradition, that they were 
 expelled by St. Paul.^ If the viper 
 were not venomous, the Maltese 
 would have known it. At that time 
 the island appears to have had many 
 woods, in which such reptiles pro- 
 bably abounded, although they have 
 disappeared since the woods have 
 been cleared away.^ 
 
 " Out of the heat" It is well 
 known that reptiles remain torpid 
 during cold weather, and are revived 
 at once by heat. 
 
 " Fastened^ This expression 
 must mean that it fixed its fangs in 
 his hand.-* It was not coiled round 
 the arm, for it hung from his hand 
 (ver. 4.). 
 
 4. " And ivhen the barbarians," &c. 
 When the natives saw the viper on 
 the hand of St. Paul, they probably 
 considered it to be a retributive 
 punishment, the hand being the in- 
 strument of murder. They may 
 also have observed that he was a 
 
 prisoner, especially if the manacle 
 remained on his hand, which I should 
 suppose to have been the case, even 
 when the long chain was removed. 
 The opinion that justice pursues the 
 murderer and never suffers him to 
 escape, was universal among the 
 ancients,^ 
 
 " Vengeance" that is, retributive 
 justice, was generally worshipped as 
 a deity, under the name of Neme- 
 sis, 
 
 " The venomous beast." The word 
 in the original is used by all classical 
 writers of venomous animals, and 
 especially of serpents.^ 
 
 5. " And felt no harm." This 
 miracle exemplifies the promise of 
 our Saviour, Mark, xvi, 18.: " They 
 shall take up serpents, and it shall 
 not hurt them," The promise was 
 of course to be understood under 
 certain limitations, since the disciples 
 were far from expecting to enjoy a 
 perpetual immunity from these and 
 similar dangers. In this case St. 
 Paul knew that it was his Master's 
 intention that he should see Rome, 
 and was therefore certain that his 
 life w^ould be preserved until that 
 purpose was accomplished. He ap- 
 pears not to have apprehended any 
 danger for a moment, 
 
 6, " They looked that he should have 
 swollen." The blood is corrupted 
 very rapidly by the venom of some 
 
 1 Smith. 
 
 2 Walch. Diss. 
 
 3 Smith. 
 
 ^ Suicer, Thes, s. v,, and Meyer. 
 
 5 Mitscherl. on Horat., Car. iii. 2. 32. 
 
 6 Suidas, &c. ap. Kuinoe), and Woh". 
 
308 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAR XXVIII. 
 
 e James, 5. 14 
 15. 
 
 f Mark, 6. 5. 
 & 7. rr2. & 
 16. 18. 
 I-uke, 4. 40. 
 ch. 19. 11,12. 
 1 Cor. 12. 9,2 
 
 or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had 
 looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, 
 they changed their minds, and ^ said that he was a 
 god. 
 
 7. In the same quarters were possessions of the 
 chief man of the island, whose name was Publius ; 
 who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. 
 
 8. And it came to pass, that the father of Publius 
 lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux : to whom Paul 
 entered in, and « prayed, and *" laid his hands on him, 
 and healed him. 
 
 9. So when this was done, others also, which had 
 diseases in the island, came, and were healed : 
 
 10. Who also honoured us with many g honours ; 
 and when we departed, they laded ics with such things 
 as were necessary. 
 
 11. And after three months we departed in a ship 
 
 species of serpents ; the body swells, 
 and sadden death ensues. The 
 Maltese were evidently familar with 
 the effects produced by the bite of 
 this particular species, and were quite 
 convinced that the occurrence must 
 be preternatural. 
 
 "//e was a god." See note on 
 chap. xiv. 11. This opinion was 
 very probably connected with the 
 popular superstition about serpents', 
 which were regarded as attendants 
 and favourites of the gods. 
 
 7. " Chief man." The Roman ma- 
 gistrate, who resided as governor at 
 Malta, had the legal title of first or 
 chief man of the island, which is 
 found in an ancient inscription dis- 
 covered at Malta."^ He was the 
 deputy or lieutenant of the praitor of 
 Sicily, and was probably appointed 
 to that office as being the principal 
 landed proprietor. 
 
 8. " Bloocli/ Jlux." The disease 
 appears to liave been a species of 
 jaundice, which is very often fatal in 
 those climates. 
 
 These two miracles, which reached 
 all classes of society, prepared the 
 
 Maltese for the reception of that 
 truth, which was preached by St. 
 Paul, of whose divine commission 
 they could no longer entertain any 
 doubt. 
 
 9. " Olhers also winch had di- 
 seases." By this verse we are re- 
 minded that few out of many mi- 
 racles are I'ccorded by the inspired 
 historians. The rapid propagation 
 of Christianity would have been 
 scarcely possible, without a con- 
 tinuous chain of miraculous evi- 
 dences. 
 
 10. ''Honours.''' This expression 
 is understood by some commenta- 
 tors to mean gifts, presented as 
 tokens of gratitude ; but it more 
 probably signifies, as in English, 
 demonstrations of reverence.^ It is 
 distinguished from the gifts with 
 which they were laden on their de- 
 parture. 
 
 11. ''After three months we de- 
 parted." The sea was generally held 
 to be " closed," or innavigable until 
 March : see above, chap, xxvii. 9. As 
 they arrived in November, it was 
 now only February ; but the weather 
 
 1 Eisner. 
 
 2 Grolius, BoclKirt, Kuinocl. 
 
 Kuinocl. 
 Meyer. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVHI. 
 
 309 
 
 of Alexandria, wliicli had wintered in the isle, whose 
 sign was Castor and Pollux. 
 
 12. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three 
 days. 
 
 13. And from thence we fetched a compass, and 
 came to Rhegium : and after one day the south wind 
 blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli : 
 
 14. Where we found brethren, and were desired to 
 tarry with them seven days : and so we went toward 
 Rome. 
 
 15. And from thence, when the brethren heard of 
 us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and 
 
 was probably very favourable for an 
 early voyage. 
 
 " Whose sign ivas Castor and Pol- 
 lux.'" Representations of these idols 
 were painted or carved on the prow. 
 They were believed to be twin sons 
 of Jupiter and Leda, and were wor- 
 shipped, especially as the tutelary 
 deities of mariners.' The constel- 
 lation of the Gemini, or twins, which 
 is only visible in fine weather, was 
 dedicated to them. 
 
 12. " Si/racuse," the rich and popu- 
 lous capital of Sicily, was then one 
 of the most beautiful cities in the 
 world. Its ruins are found at a short 
 distance from the modern city of 
 Saragossa.^ 
 
 1 3. '^Bhegium." A city and promon- 
 tory on the southern coast of Italy, 
 opposite to Sicily ; it is now called 
 Reggio. 
 
 " Puteoli." Now Pozzuolo, a sea- 
 port on the coast of Campania, about 
 eight miles from Naples, on the 
 north side of the bay. It was cele- 
 brated for its warm baths and 
 springs, and was, -at that time, one of 
 the most important marts in Italy, 
 where the ships from Egypt and 
 Syria generally landed their cargoes, 
 there being no safe harbour between 
 it and Rome.^ 
 
 14. ''We found brethren." That is, 
 
 Christians. These incidental notices 
 are very important, showing that 
 believers were already found in most 
 of the places which had more or 
 less direct communication with the 
 East. 
 
 " Were desired." There must have 
 been a considerable number of con- 
 verts, or good reason to expect an 
 extension of the Church, to induce 
 St. Paul to remain so long. Much 
 as the centurion may have felt per- 
 sonally attached and grateful to St. 
 Paul, it cannot be supposed that he 
 would have permitted him to comply 
 with their request, had he not, at this 
 time, been himself a Christian. It 
 is my impression that he was con- 
 verted during the winter passed at 
 Malta. 
 
 15. ''From thence." From Rome. 
 The Christians of Rome must have 
 been anxious to see St. Paul, and to 
 testify their reverence for his cha- 
 racter, when, upon so short a notice, 
 they sent two deputations, the one to 
 Appii Forum, a town* about thirty- 
 two miles, and a second to The three 
 taverns, a station about twenty-four 
 miles distant from that city. The 
 epistle addressed to them by the 
 Apostle had been received between 
 two and three years previous to his 
 arrival. 
 
 1 Horat. Od., i. 3. 2., ed. Mitscherl. 
 
 2 Leake, Morea, iii. 278. 
 
 3 Winer, ii. 292. ; Strabo, v. 245. ; 
 
 793.; Plin. H. N., xxxvi. 14. ; Joseph. Ant., 
 xvii. 12. 1. 
 '' Described by Horace, Sat. i. 5. 3. 
 
310 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVHI. 
 
 h ch.21. 25. & 
 
 The three taverns : whom when Paul saw, he thanked 
 God, and took courage. 
 
 16. And when we came to Rome, the centurion de- 
 livered the prisoners to the captain of the guard : but 
 h Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier 
 that kept him. 
 
 " Took courage." He was con- 
 vinced that -whatever might be the 
 issue of the appeal to himself, the 
 cause which lay far nearer to his 
 heart was now prospering, and would 
 be advanced by his labours in union 
 with brethren 'so earnest in the 
 demonstration of their affection and 
 reverence. 
 
 16. St. Paul's entry to Rome, the 
 last and most glorious scene of his 
 labours and triumphs, was that of a 
 conqueror and prince. Among that 
 numerous band there probably was 
 not one, even of the rough soldiers, 
 who did not venerate him as a mes- 
 senger of God ; while the brethren 
 no doubt anticipated, from his per- 
 sonal presence, little less than the 
 conversion of the metropolis of the 
 world. It was a time of mingled 
 anxiety and hope. The character of 
 Nero was beginning to show symp- 
 toms of that ferocity which after- 
 wards made him proverbial. But 
 the impression produced by five 
 years of wise and gentle govern- 
 ment was not obliterated by the 
 crimes of the sixth. He was still 
 under the influence of Seneca and 
 Burrhus, the great philosopher and 
 the humane and noble commander of 
 his Prictorian guards. Octavia had 
 not yet been repudiated. 'J'he Jews 
 who had been banished by Claudius 
 had been allowed to return and to 
 settle at Rome unmolested, thougli the 
 edict was not formally repealed. The 
 Christians had probably not yet at- 
 tracted the notice, and certainly had 
 not excited the enmity of the em- 
 peror or his advisers, and they had 
 been treated with justice and even 
 
 courtesy by his delegates. Believers 
 might well hope that St. Paul, 
 bringing with him a highly favour- 
 able report from the governor of 
 Judsea, and having a warm friend in 
 the officer charged with his safe con- 
 duct to Rome (who, as one of the 
 select body-guard, was likely to have 
 great personal influence), would not 
 only succeed in establishing his in- 
 nocence, but in obtaining full security 
 against future oppression of himself 
 and his brethren. It might not even 
 be very unreasonable to expect that 
 the remarkable influence which the 
 Apostle had hitherto exerted over 
 the hearts of men, might arrest the 
 emperor in his course of crime, and 
 make him the protector, if not a 
 member of the Church. If, however, 
 such anticipations were indulged, 
 they were disappointed, and the 
 Church was subjecteil to a long suc- 
 cession of fiery trials, instead of being, 
 as human reason might have thought 
 desirable, at once recognized as the 
 true religion by the governor of 
 the world. 
 
 " The captain of the guard." 
 The Prajtorian prefect, or com- 
 mander of the life-guards, was at 
 that time Burrhus Afranius.' He 
 was a man of high character, and 
 though his influence was beginning 
 to decline, was still the most power- 
 ful subject in Rome. He was poi- 
 soned A. D. 02, about ten months 
 after the arrival of St. Paul, by the 
 order of Nero, on account of his op- 
 position to the shameful divorce of 
 Octavia. The expression used to St. 
 Luke is remarkably accurate, and of 
 importance in settling the clirono- 
 
 The facts In tliis note arc fully proved by Wicsclcr, p. 83—88. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVHI. 
 
 311 
 
 17. And it came to pass, that after tliree days Paul 
 called the chief of the Jews together : and when they 
 were come .^together, he said unto them, Men and 
 brethren, ^ though I have committed nothing against j^'^^'^24. 12, 13. 
 the people, or customs of our fathers, yet ^ was I de- k ch.2i.35. 
 livered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the 
 Romans. 
 
 18. Who, ^ when they had examined me, would have 1 f-h. 22.24. & 
 
 , , ' - •' r. 1 1 • '^4. 10. & 25. 8. 
 
 let me go, because there was no cause 01 death in me. ^ 2^. 51, 
 
 19. But when the Jews spake against 2^, ™ I was "^ ch. 25. n. 
 constrained to appeal unto Cesar ; not that I had ought 
 
 to accuse my nation of. 
 
 20. For tiiis cause therefore have I called for you, n ch. 25.5,7. 
 to see you, and to speak with you: because that " for^<^Jj^^^^^-29- 
 the hope of Israel I am bound with °this chain. 2'Tim.'i.i'6^°° 
 
 21. And they said unto him, We neither received ^^1^^ 10 ^^ 
 
 logy, since, after the death of Burrhus, 
 there were two captains of the guard. 
 Prisoners who appealed to the em- 
 peror were always placed under the 
 charge of these functionaries, who 
 were responsible for their safe keep- 
 ing ; and it depended upon their will 
 how far the strict rules of military 
 custody were enforced or relaxed.^ 
 St. Paul might have been confined to 
 the prison in the prsetorium, or bar- 
 racks, which adjoined or formed part 
 of the palatium.- The permission 
 to dwell by himself, or at a friend's 
 house (most probably that of Aquila 
 and Priscilla, who had returned to 
 Rome) ^ though with a soldier of 
 the prtetorian guai'd *, to whom he 
 was still attached by a chain, is a 
 proof not only that Burrhus believed 
 him to be innocent, but that he had 
 formed a very high opinion of his 
 integrity. Persons of mean rank 
 seldom obtained any relaxation, and 
 notorious or strongly-suspected cri- 
 minals never. 
 
 17. '■'■ The chief of the Jews" The 
 Jews had returned to Rome during 
 the first year of Nero's reign, but as 
 
 the edict of Claudius had not been 
 repealed, they appear not to have 
 considered themselves to be perma- 
 nently settled. This may account 
 for their apparent ignorance of the 
 affairs of the Christians, who formed 
 a numerous community at Rome.^ 
 The objects of St. Paul's address 
 are, first, to vindicate himself from 
 the charge of hostility to his nation 
 and their religion, of which the 
 Jews would suspect him when they 
 heard of his arrest at Jerusalem ; 
 secondly, to disclaim any vindictive 
 feelings, or wish to accuse his coun- 
 trymen ; and, thirdly, to explain to 
 them the principles of the Gospel, 
 and its accordance with the promises 
 hoped for by Israel. 
 
 19. ^^ I was constrained.'^ The ap- 
 peal was involuntary and unpreme- 
 ditated. It was the only means of 
 defending the character and saving 
 the life of the Apostle. 
 
 20. " For the hope of Israel." For 
 preaching the resurrection and glory 
 of Messiah, the object of all the 
 national hopes. See note, ch. xxvi. 5. 
 
 21. ^\And they said unto him." The 
 
 ' See an excellent note of Wieseler, p. 394. 
 
 2 Wieseler, p. 421. 
 
 3 Olshausen j Wieseler, p. 394. 
 
 4 Grot. Krebs. 
 
 5 Davidson, Introduction, vol. ii. p. 50. 
 
312 
 
 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIII. 
 
 p Luke, 2. 5 J 
 ch. '24. 5, 14. 
 1 Pet. 2. 12. 
 & 4. 14. 
 
 q Luke, 24. '. 
 
 2h. 17. 5. & 
 
 19.8. 
 
 r See on ch. 
 
 26. 6, 22. 
 
 3 ch. 14.4. & 
 17. 4. & 1"J. 9. 
 
 t Isai. fi. 9. 
 Jer. 5.21. 
 Ezek. 12. 2. 
 Blatt. 15. 14, 
 15. 
 
 aiark, 4. 13. 
 Luke, S. 10. 
 John, 12. 40. 
 Horn. 11. 8. 
 
 letters out of Judea concerning thee, neither any of 
 the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of 
 thee. 
 
 22. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest : 
 for as concerning this sect, we know that every where 
 P it is spoken against. 
 
 23. And Avhen they had appointed him a day, there 
 came many to hjim into his lodging; *i to whom he 
 expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuad- 
 ing them concerning Jesus, ^both out of the law of 
 Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till 
 evening. 
 
 24. And ^ some believed things which were spoken, 
 and some believed not. 
 
 25. And when they agreed not among themselves, 
 they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, 
 Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto 
 our fathers, 
 
 26. Saying, * Go unto this people, and say, Hearing 
 
 Jews of Jei'usalem had not yet sent 
 any persons to prosecute the charges 
 brought by them against St. Paul. 
 They had to wait for the formal 
 summons of the imperial court, be- 
 fore they could be permitted to for- 
 ward accusers and Avitnesses, and a 
 considerable time would necessarily 
 elapse before these preliminaries 
 would be completed.' Still it is re- 
 markable that as many " brethren," 
 that is, Jews, had come to Rome 
 from Jerusalem, none should have 
 brought any charge against him ; 
 and I am inclined to believe that 
 tliey dissembled their feelings, on 
 account of the favourable estimation in 
 which they observed that the Apostle 
 was held by the imperial officers. 
 
 22. " T/iis sect." The word he- 
 resy, used in the original, means a 
 party or sect in religion or philo- 
 sophy. These Jews speak very cau- 
 tiously, merely stating, what could 
 not be denied, that Christianity was 
 spoken against by all their country- 
 men who were not converts. 
 
 23. '^ Lc dying." See note, ver. 16. 
 
 St. Paul very probably remained 
 some time at the house of a friend, 
 and then occupied a hired house. 
 The word here used seems rather to 
 denote the former. 
 
 It will be observed that St. Paul 
 pursued the same course of reasoning 
 as an all former occasions. The 
 only argument which can be used 
 to persuade the Jews is that derived 
 from the correspondence of the 
 types and prophesies with the person 
 of our Lord Jesus. 
 
 24. The effect of St. Paul's address 
 seems to prove that these Jews had 
 never betbre heard the arguments 
 by which the Christian religion is 
 defended. 
 
 2;"). "Owe word" i.e. one solemn 
 warning. The inspiration of the 
 prophets is always attributed to 
 the Holy Ghost in the New Testa- 
 ment. 
 
 2G, 27. These words are of per- 
 petual application to that part of 
 the Jewish nation which resists the 
 truth. Their spiritual blindness is 
 traced to grossness of heart, i. e. sen- 
 
 Meyer, Wieselcr. 
 
 Wicselcr, p. 394. tiotc. 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIII. 313 
 
 ye shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing ye 
 shall see, and not perceive : 
 
 27. For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and 
 their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they 
 closed ; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear 
 with their ears, and understand with their heart, and 
 should be converted, and I should heal them. 
 
 28. Be it known therefore unto you, that the sal- 
 vation of God is sent "unto the Gentiles, and that theyu Matt. 21.41. 
 will hear it. ch. 1,1.46,47. 
 
 29. And when he had said these words, the Jews '^'^-21. & 
 
 T 1 T 1 1 . ' , '^6. 17, 18. 
 
 departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. ^°'"- n- »i- 
 
 30. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own 
 hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 
 
 31. ^ Preaching the kingdom of God, and teachings ch. 4. 31. 
 those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
 with all confidence, no man forbidding him. 
 
 suality and selfishness, which, under less the conversion of a part, and 
 
 the various forms of covetousness, increased animosity of the others, 
 
 envy, and spiritual pride, equally .30. These two whole years are 
 
 characterized the Sadducee and the probably to be reckoned from the 
 
 unbelieving Pharisee. As the blind- arrival of St. Paul. The trial of the 
 
 ness is not only a result from, but a Apostle may have then commenced, 
 
 judicial infliction for these evil affec- or his liberty been abridged by the 
 
 tions, it is sometimes attributed to influence of Poppsea, who was a 
 
 the justice of God, even while the Jewish proselyte, and the infamous 
 
 passions themselves are traced to Tigellinus. 
 
 the instigation of Satan. St. Paul was in custody during 
 
 28. " The salvation.'" Not merely the whole time, but not in the pra-- 
 the doctrine, but the converting torium. Most pi'obably, the upper 
 elRcacy of the Gospel, with all its room of the house in which he dwelt 
 blessings and pinvileges. was used as a church by the Roman 
 
 29. The result of this was doubt- Christians. 
 
 PiiACTICAL AND DEVOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 1, 2. While the chosen people of God persecute His Apostle, he receives 
 kindly and humane treatment from barbarians. The natural feelings are 
 links which bind mankind together until they are worn out by sensuality, 
 or broken by malignant passions. They were employed on this occasion 
 as means of conveying some consolation and refreshment to St. Paul, not 
 indeed to preserve him from suffering, but to enable him to endure it, that 
 his nature miijht not succomb to his afflictions.' 
 
 ' From Qtiesnel. 
 P 
 
314 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIII. 
 
 3, 4. Far more consonant "with the principles of true philosophy were 
 the conjectures of these untutored heathens than the spurious humanity 
 •which sympathizes with crime, aud would abolish the very notion of retri- 
 butive justice. They were right in believing that the murderer is pursued 
 by a living curse, and that if vengeance be delayed it is only to become 
 more exemplary and terrible. We should hold fast this persuasion with 
 reference to ourselves, and be well assured that our sins, whatever may be 
 their character, will find us out, and unless they be cast upon Christ, and 
 nailed upon His cross, will cause our destruction. At the same time, we 
 shall be careful not to prejudge others, or to assume that evils which befall 
 them are judicial inflictions. Calamities in this life are often but chastise- 
 ments, intended to warn, or purify, or perfect the sons of God, and may 
 even be the means of signalising them as objects of His special grace and 
 love. 
 
 5, 6. The dominion over the lower orders of creation, which was partially 
 forfeited by Adam, will be fully restored to all who are regenerate in 
 Christ at the time of the restitution of all things. He manifested some 
 portion of His divine power in the primitive saints as pledges and signs of 
 that glorious futurity. But He has not vouchsafed a continuance of such 
 gifts, as we may reverentially conjecture, because the minds of ordinary 
 men are too weak to discriminate between the honour due to a saint and 
 to the sanctifier. The world would be divided, so to speak, between hard- 
 ened opponents and ignorant worshippers of miracle-working saints. 
 
 7 — 10. Kindness shown to the members of Christ is never unrequited. 
 The hospitable magistrate of Malta entertained an angel unawares, and 
 brought an infallible physician home to his afllicted father. The miracles 
 of St. Paul, doubtless, made a way for the entrance of the Gospel into many 
 hearts that had sympathized with the sufferings of the shipwrecked sailors ; 
 and we may well hope that Publius, together with Julius and the first 
 Christian nobleman, Sergius Paulus, not only learned to love St. Paul, but 
 were bi'ought by him into that kingdom, where a cup of cold water only 
 given to one of Christ's people will be abundantly rewarded. 
 
 11 — 14. Another change of scenes and labours St. Paul is withdrawn 
 from the grateful attentions of his Maltese converts, and is borne rapidly 
 towards the metropolis of the world, there to encounter new trials and win 
 new triumphs. AVith what different feelings were the coasts of Italy viewed 
 by the voyagers ! There the merchant hoped for gain ; there the warm- 
 hearted centurion longed for his home; there the prisoner anticipated 
 lengthened and anxious trials, to be terminated by an ignominious death ; 
 and there the Apostle of Christ knew that he was to " bear witness" to the 
 truth, and fulfil his Master's last injunction to His disciples, preaching the 
 Gospel where its influence would be felt to the uttermost parts of the earth. 
 
 14, 15. Loving hearts are open to receive the Apostle with the aftection 
 and reverence of children. Whatever else might await him — whatever he 
 might be called to do, or doomed to suffer, henceforth he was sure of sym- 
 pathy ; and for that " he thanked God, and took courage." If we re- 
 member that the expression of Christian sympathy strengthened the heart 
 of an apostle, we shall let no cold reserve or dark sus])icions cast a cloud 
 over our intercourse with the followers of a common Saviour. 
 
 10. A sad parting for the poor criminals. Let us hope tliat some of 
 them at least l)()re with them a ])etter source of consolation than even the 
 consciousness of innocence could supply, even a well-assured hope of re- 
 conciliation with God in the Beloved. 
 
 17 — 20. One ruling passion moved the heart of the Apostle, one restless 
 and unceasing yearning for the salvation of Israel. He had good cause to 
 know that in apprising the Jews of his arrival he was but raising up new 
 
THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIII. 315 
 
 enemies, who would soon surround the imperial throne with machinations 
 against his own life ; but he does not hesitate, nor after so many trials will 
 he turn to the Gentiles first, even in the city where he lay in bonds through 
 the envy of his people. He will not leave any means untried, so that he 
 may win a way into the heart of one who belongs to the remnant of 
 grace. How simple and touching are the words of truth in the mouth of 
 the suffering Christian : affection for his brethren breathes in each accent, 
 and his chain reminds him not of the backsliding, but of the hope of 
 Israel. 
 
 23 — 27. The dealings of God with His people vary in form, but are 
 always the same in principle. Every where His messengers state the 
 truth fully, distinctly, and powerfully — the gate of the heavenly city is 
 opened to every Israelite, and every inducement held out that they may 
 enter therein ; but the choice once made alters their position — evidences 
 affect them no more, and the gate is closed. The Hebrews then entered 
 the chamber of St. Paul as curious or sceptical inquirers; they left it, either 
 with hearts thrilled into ecstasy at the fulfilment of a glorious hope, or with 
 a hardened and embittered spirit, prepared to persecute the servants of Him 
 whom they had pierced. Christians are not in the same condition, for they 
 have been admitted within the walls and enrolled among the citizens of the 
 true Zion. Of how much sorer punishment must they be worthy, if they 
 have forced their way through its gates, and chosen their portion with the 
 evil ones who are without', in spite of the restraints of discipline and the 
 inward admonitions of the Spirit of God. 
 
 28, 29. In those two years the Apostle completed the vast work en- 
 trusted to him by his Lord. He then planted the young tree of life deeply 
 in the strange and uncongenial soil of heathen Rome. There it was so 
 watered by the outpourings of divine grace, that it attained an early ma- 
 turity, and brought forth abundantly the fruits of righteousness. Ere long 
 the storm of persecution burst forth, stripped it of its foliage, and tore away 
 some of its noblest branches; but, sustained by the indwelling might of the 
 Redeemer, the trunk stood firm and unimpaired, and soon put forth new 
 powers, extending its shadow to the remotest West. Rome became, for a 
 season, the spiritual metropolis of the world, and lost not her preeminence 
 until she ceased to be faithful to the truth which the Apostle preached in 
 the fulness of the Spirit, and sealed with his blood. But no local dwelling- 
 place can circumscribe the operations of the Spirit — no earthly city was to 
 succeed to the glory of fallen Zion ; and while we may deplore the re- 
 moval of the candlestick from Rome, we should be unutterably thankful 
 that the light which then first beamed on the (ientiles, still shines with all its 
 original brightness on Britain, and sheds its radiance on every quarter of 
 the habitable world. 
 
 Revelations, xxii. 14, 15. 
 
316 THE ACTS. CHAP. XXVIII. 
 
 CLOSING PRAYER. 
 
 Almighty God, who through Thy Holy Spirit didst enable the Apostles 
 to perform the work entrusted to them by their Lord, grant unto all 
 ministers, rulers, and evangelists of Thy Church the same mighty aid, 
 that they may continue in the same glorious course, and extend Thy 
 Gospel to every quarter of the world. Inspire all members of the Church 
 with a fervent desire to advance Thy kingdom, and thus to attest the reality 
 of their faith, and the sincerity of their gratitude for the inestimable bles- 
 sings Thou hast vouchsafed to them in Christ Jesus. And, O blessed Lord, 
 make us a truly united community, of one heart and of one soul. Banish 
 all unseemly and discordant passions ; enlighten our spirits to discern all 
 saving truth, and quicken our affections that we may cleave to it with full 
 purpose of heart. So may we be an acceptable people in Thy sight, and 
 become fit instruments for bringing others to the knowledge of Thee, the 
 only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. Grant this, O 
 heavenly Father, for the sake of Him who liveth and reigneth with Thee 
 and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 I, ON no V : 
 
 SporilMWOilDI-.H .Tllil SlIASV, 
 
 .N' fw- »l roit -.Sciuary. 
 
OP 
 
 NEW WORKS m GSI^EEAL LITEEATUEE 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 LONGMAN, BEOWN, GREEN, LONGMANS, AND EGBERTS 
 39 Paternoster Row, London. 
 
 CLASSIFIED I:NDEX 
 
 Agriculture and Rural Affairs. 
 
 BaTldon on Valiung Bents, (S:c. . . 5 
 
 Cecil's Stud Farm 8 
 
 Hoskyns's Talpa H 
 
 Loudon's Agriculture . . . . 14 
 Low's Elements of Agriculture . . ]■! 
 Morton on Landed Estates . , .17 
 
 Arts, Manufactures, and Archi- 
 tecture. 
 
 Bourne on the Screw Propeller 
 Brande's Dictionary of Science, &c. 
 
 " Organic Chemistry . 
 
 Chevreul on'Colour .... 
 Cresy's Civil Engineering 
 Fairbairn's Infoimation for Engineers 
 Gwilt's Encyclopaedia of Arcliitecture 
 Harford's Plates from M. Angelo . 
 Humphreys's Parables Illuminated 
 Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art 
 
 " Commonplace-Book 
 Konig's Pictorial Life of Luther . 
 Loudon's Rural Architectuie . 
 ilac Dougall's Campaigns of Hannibal 
 
 " Theory of War 
 
 Moseley's Engineering . 
 Piesse's Art of Perfumery 
 Richardson's Art of Horsemanship 
 Scoifern on Projectiles, &c. . 
 Scrivenor on the Iron Trade . 
 Steam Engine, by the Artisan Club 
 Ure's Dictionary of Arts, &c. . 
 
 Biography. 
 
 Arago's Lires of Sci.^ntific Men 
 Brialmont's '^Vellington . 
 Bunsen's Hippoljtus 
 Crosse's (Andrew) Memorials 
 Gleig's Essays .... 
 Green's Princesses of England 
 Harford's Life of Michael Angelo 
 Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopa/dia 
 Maunder's Biographical Treasury 
 Mountain's (Col.) Memoirs . 
 Parry's (Admiral) Memoirs . 
 
 Russell's Memoirs of Moore . 
 
 (Dr.) LifeofMezzofanti . 
 SchimmelPenninck's (Mrs.) Life . 
 Southey's Life of Wesley . ,. 
 " Life and Correspondence 
 Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 
 Strickland's Queens of England . 
 Sydney Smith's Memoirs 
 Symonds's (Admiral) Memoirs 
 Taylor's Loyola 
 " W^esley 
 Uwins's Memoirs and Letters 
 Waterton's Autobiography and Essays 
 
 Books of General Utility. 
 
 Acton's Bread-Book 
 
 " Cookery-Book 
 Black's Treatise on Brewing . 
 Cabinet Gazetteer . 
 
 " Lawyer 
 Cust's Invalid's Own Book . 
 Gilbart's Logic for the Million 
 Hints on Etiquette . 
 How to Nurse Sick Children . 
 Hudson's Executor's Guide . 
 
 " on Making Wills 
 
 Kestcven's Domestic Medicine 
 
 Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopadia 
 
 J;Oudon's Lady's Country Compani( 
 
 Maunder's Tieasury of Knowledge 
 
 " Biographical Treasury 
 
 " Geographical Treasury 
 
 " Scientific Treasury 
 
 " Treasury of History 
 
 " Natural History .* 
 
 Piesse's Art of Perfumery 
 
 Pocket and the Stud 
 
 Pycroft's English Reading 
 
 Recce's Medical Guide . 
 
 Rich's Companion to Latin Dictionary , 
 
 Richardson's Art of Horsemanship 
 
 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries . 
 
 Roget's English 'Ihesaurus . 
 
 Rowton's Debater . 
 
 Short Whist .... 
 
 Thomson's Interest Tables 
 
 Webster's Domestic Economy 
 
 West on Children's Diseases . 
 
 Willich's Popular Tables 
 
 "Wilmot'i Blackstone 
 
 23 I 
 34 I 
 
CLASSIFIED INDEX. 
 
 Botany and Gardening. 
 
 Hass.iU's British Frf^hMuter Alga; 
 Hookers British Tlora . 
 
 " Guide to Kew Gardens 
 
 " " " Kew Museum 
 Lindley's Introduction to Botany 
 
 " Theory of Horticulture 
 
 Loudon's Hortus Britannicus 
 
 " Amateui GMrdener . 
 
 " Trees and Shrubs . 
 
 " Gardening 
 
 " Plants . 
 
 Pereira's Materia Mcdica 
 Rivers's Rose Amateur's Guide 
 "Wilson's British Mosses . 
 
 Chronology, 
 
 Blair's Chronological Tables . 
 Brewer's Historical Atlas 
 Bunsen's Ancient Egypt 
 Calendars of English "'^tate Papers 
 Haydn's Beatson's Index 
 Jaquemet's Chronoloiry . 
 
 " Abridged Chronology . 
 
 Commerce and Mercantile 
 Affairs. 
 
 Gilbart's Treatise on Banking 
 Lorimer's Young Master Mariner . 
 Maclcod's Banking . . ■ • 
 M'CuUoch's Commerce and Navigation 
 Murray on French Finance . 
 Scrivenor on the Iron Trade . 
 Thomson's Interest Tables 
 Tooke's History of Prices 
 
 Criticism, History, and Memoirs, 
 
 Blair's Chron. and Historical Tables 
 Brewer's Historical Atlas 
 Bunsen's Ancient Egypt 
 
 " Hippolvtus 
 
 Calendars of English State Papers 
 Capgrave's Illustrious Flenries 
 Chapman's Gustavus Adolphus 
 Chronicles and Memorials of England 
 Connolly's Sappers and Miners 
 Conybcare and Howson's St. Paul 
 Crowe's History of France 
 Fischer's Francis Bacon . 
 
 Gleig's Essays 
 
 Gurney's Historical Sketches 
 Hay ward '8 Essays .... 
 Herschel's Essavs and Addresses . 
 Jeffrey's (Lord; Contributions 
 Kemblc'R Anglo Saxons . 
 Gardner's Cabinet Cyclopscdia 
 Macmlay's Critical and Hist. Essays 
 
 " History of England . 
 
 " Speeches . . 
 
 Mackintosh's Miscellaneous Works 
 " History of England . 
 
 M'CuUoch's Geoifraphical Dictionary 
 Maundcr'H Trea«ury of History 
 Merivalc's HiKtory of Rome . 
 
 •' Roman Republic . 
 Milner'K Church History . . . 
 Mourc'k (Thomusy Memoirs, «c. . 
 Mures Greek Literature 
 •Normaiiby'M Year of Revolution . 
 
 Perry's Franks 
 
 Raikes's Journal 
 
 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries . 
 
 iphy 
 History 
 
 Rogers's Essavs from Edinb. Review 
 Roeet's English Thesaurus , 
 Schmitz's History of Greece , 
 Southey's Doctor 
 Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biogr 
 " Lectures on French 
 
 Sydney Smith's Works . 
 " Lectures 
 
 " Memoirs 
 
 Taylor's Loyola 
 
 " Wesley 
 Thirlwall's History of Greece 
 Thomas's Historical Notes 
 Townsend's State Trials 
 Turner's Anglo-Saxons . 
 
 " Middle Ages 
 
 " Sacred History of the World 
 Uwins's Memoirs and Letters 
 A'ehse's Austrian Court . 
 Wade's England's Greatness . 
 Young's Christ of History 
 
 Geography and Atlases. 
 
 Brewer's Historical Atlas 
 Butler's Geography and Atlases . 
 Caliinet Gazetteer ... 
 Johnston's General Gazetteer 
 M'CuUoch's Geographical Dictionary 
 Maunder's Treasury of Geography 
 Murray's Encvclopsedia of Geography 
 Sharp's British Gazetteer 
 
 Juvenile Books. 
 
 Amv Herbert .... 
 Cleve Hall .... 
 
 Earl's Daughter (T!ie) . 
 Experience of Life . 
 
 Gertrude 
 
 Howitt's Boy's Country Book 
 
 " ( Miiry) Children's Year 
 Ivors . . " . 
 Katharine Ashton , 
 Laneton Parsonage . 
 Margaret Ptrcival . 
 I'ycrofl's Collegian's Guide . 
 
 Medicine, Surgery, &c. 
 
 Brodie's Psyeliologiral Inquiries . 
 Bull's Hints to Mothers . 
 
 " Management of Children 
 Copland's Dictionary of Medicine . 
 Cust'R Invalid's Own Book 
 Holland's Mental Physiology . 
 
 " Medical Notes and Reflections 
 
 How to Nurse Sick Children . 
 Kesteven's Domestic Medicine 
 Pereira's Materia Medica 
 Recce's Medical GuicW .... 
 Richardson's Cold-water Cure 
 Spencer's Principles of Psychology 
 "NVest on Diseases of Infancy . 
 
 Miscellaneous Literature. 
 
 Bacon's (T.ordi Works . 
 Define e of Krliine uj I'aith . 
 Eclipse of FaiUi 
 Greathed'b LetUrs from Delhi 
 GreyKon's Select CorreKpondence 
 Gurney's Evening Recreations 
 Haxf-airs Adult) rations Detected, 
 Hayiln's Book of DignilieB 
 Holland's Mental I'hysiolo^ 
 
Hooker's Kew Guides 
 Hewitt's Rural Life of England 
 
 '•' Visits to Remarkable Places 
 Jameson's Commonplace- Book 
 Jeffrey's (Loid) Contributions 
 Last of the Old Squires ... 
 Letters of a Betrothed 
 Macaulay's Critical and Hist. Essays 
 
 " Speeches 
 Mackintosh's Miscellaneous Works 
 Martineau's Miscellanies 
 Pycroft's English Reading 
 Baikes on the Indian Revolt . 
 Rees's Siese of Lucknow 
 Rich's Companion to Latin Dictionary 
 Riddle's Latin Dictionaries . 
 Roivtou's Debater .... 
 Seaward's Narrative of his Shipwreck 
 Sir Roger De f'overlev . 
 Smith's (Rev. Sydney") Works 
 Southey's Doctor, &c. 
 Spencer's Essays .... 
 Stephen's Essays .... 
 Stow's Training System . 
 Thomson's Laws of Thought 
 Tighe and Davis's Windsor . 
 Townsend's State Trials . 
 Yonge's English-Greek Lexicon . 
 
 " Latin Gradus 
 Zumpt's Latin G 
 
 Natural History in general. 
 
 Catlow's Popular Conchology 
 Ephemera's Book of the Salmon . 
 Garratt's Marx els of Instinct . 
 Gosse's Natural History of Jamaica 
 Kirby and Spence's Entomology . 
 Lee's Elements of Natural History 
 Maunder's Natural History . 
 Quatrefages' Rambles of a Naturalist . 
 Turton's Shells of the British Islands . 
 Van der Hoeven's Handbook of Zoology 
 Waterton's Essays on Natural History . 
 Youatt's The Dog .... 
 
 " The Horse . . 
 
 One- Volume Encyclopaedias and 
 Dictionaries. 
 
 Blaine's Rural Sports 
 
 Brande's ^cience, Literature, and Art 
 
 Copland's Dictionary of Medicine 
 
 Cresy's Civil Engineering 
 
 Gwilt's Archit*cture 
 
 Johnston's Geographical Dictionary 
 
 Loudon's Agriculture 
 
 " Rural Architecture 
 
 " Gardening 
 
 " Plants .... 
 
 " Trees and Shrubs . 
 
 M'CuUoch's Geographical Dictionary 
 " Dictionary of Commerce 
 
 Murray's Encyclopaedia of Geography 
 Sharp's British Gazetteer 
 Ure's Dictionary of Arts, &c. . 
 Webster's Domestic Economy 
 
 Religious and Moral Works. 
 
 20 
 
 Amy Herbert .... 
 
 Bloomfield's Greek Testament . . 6 
 
 Calvert's Wife's Manual .... 8 
 
 Cleve Hall 20 
 
 Conybeare and Howson's St. Paul 
 
 Cotton's Instructions in Christianity 
 
 Dale's Domestic Lituigy 
 
 Defence of Eclipse of Faith . 
 
 Earl's Daughter (The) . 
 
 Eclipse of Faith .... 
 
 Englishman's Greek Concordance 
 
 Heb. & Chald. Concord. 
 
 Experience (The) of Life 
 
 Gertrude 
 
 Harrison's Light of the Forge 
 
 Home's Introduction to Scriptures 
 " Abridgment of ditto 
 
 Hue's Christianity in China . 
 
 Humphreys's Parnti'es Illuminated 
 
 Ivors, by the Author of Ami/ Herbert 
 
 Jameson's Saints and Martyrs 
 " Monastic Legends 
 
 " Legends of the Madonna 
 
 " on Female Employment 
 
 Jeremy Taylor's Works . 
 
 Katharine Ashton . 
 
 Kouig's Pictorial Life of Luther 
 
 Laneton Parsonage . 
 
 Letters to my Unkno^vn Friends 
 " on Happiness 
 
 Lyra Germanica 
 
 Maguire's Rome 
 
 Margaret Percival 
 
 Martineau's Christian Life 
 " Hynrms 
 
 " Studies of Christianity 
 
 Merivale's Christian Records 
 
 Milner's Church of Christ 
 
 Moore on the Use of the Body 
 " " Soul and Body 
 " 's Man and his Motives 
 
 Morning Clouds 
 
 Neale's Closing Scene 
 
 Pattison's Earth and Word . 
 
 Powell's Christianity without Judais 
 
 Readings for Lent . 
 
 " Confirmation 
 
 Riddle's Household Prayers 
 
 Robinson's Leiicon to the Greek 
 tament 
 
 Saints our Example 
 .Sermon in the Mount 
 
 Sinclair's Journey of Life 
 
 Smith's (Sydney) Moral Philosophy 
 " (G.V.) Assyrian Prophecies 
 " (G.) Wesleyan Methodism 
 " (J.) Shipwreck of St. Paul 
 
 Southey's Life of Wesley 
 
 Stephen's Ecclesiastical Biography 
 
 Taylor's Loyola 
 « Wesley 
 
 Theologia Germanica 
 
 Thumb Bible (The) 
 
 Turner's Sacred History . 
 
 Young's Christ of History 
 " Mystery . 
 
 Poetry and the Drama. 
 
 Aikin's (Dr.) British Poets . 
 Arnold's Merope 
 " Poems 
 Baillie's (Joanna) Poetical Works 
 Calvert's Wife's Manual . 
 Goldsmith's Poems, illustrated 
 Horace, edited bv Yonge 
 L. E. L.'s Poetical AVorks 
 Linwood's Anthologia Oxoniensis 
 
CLASSIFIED INDEX. 
 
 Lyra Germanica .... 
 Macau'ay's Lays of Ancient Rome 
 MacUonald's Within ami Witiiout 
 
 " Poems 
 
 MontsjomerT's Poefx.il Works 
 Moore's Poetical Works . 
 
 " Selections (illustrated) 
 
 " T-alla Rookh 
 
 " Iri>li Melodies . 
 
 " National Melodies 
 
 " Sacred Songs (with Music] 
 
 " Son^s and Ballads . 
 Reade's Poetical Works . 
 Sliakspcare, by Bowdltr . 
 Soutliey's Poetical Works 
 Thomson's Sec'.sons, illustrated 
 
 Hawker's Youn:; Sportsman . 
 The Hunting-Field . 
 Idle's Hints on Shooting 
 Pocket and the Stud 
 Practical Horsemanship. 
 Pjcroft's Cricket-Field . 
 Rarey's Horse-Taming . 
 Richardson's Horsemanship . 
 Ronalds's Fly-Fisher's Entomolorr 
 Stable Talk and Table Talk . 
 Stonehenge on the Dog 
 
 " " Greyhound 
 
 Thacker's Courser's Guide 
 The Stud, for Practical Purposes 
 
 Political Economy & Statistics. 
 
 Macleod's Politicdl Ec 
 M'CuUoch's Geo^. Statist. &c. Diet. 
 " Dictionary of Cojiimerce 
 
 Willich's Popular Tables 
 
 The Sciences in general ? 
 Mathematics. 
 
 Arago's Meteorological Essays 
 " Popular Astronomy . 
 
 Bourne on the Screw Propeller 
 
 " 's Catechism of Steam-Engine 
 
 Boyd's Xaval Cadet's Manu d 
 
 Brando's Dictionary of Science, &c. 
 " Lectures on Organic Chemistry 
 
 Ciesy's Civil Engineering 
 
 Delibeche's Geology of Cornwall, &c. 
 
 De la Rive's Electricity . 
 
 Grove's Correlation of f'hysical Forces 
 
 Herschel's Outlines of Astronomy . 
 
 Holland's Mental Pliysiology . 
 
 Humboldt's Aspects of Nature 
 " Cosmos 
 
 Hunt on Light 
 
 Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopredia 
 
 Marcet's (Mrs.) Conversations 
 
 MorcU's Elements of Psychology . 
 
 Moselev's Engineering and Architecture 
 
 Ogilvie's Master- Builder's Plan . 
 
 Owen's Lectures on Comp. Anatomy 
 
 Pereira on Polarised Light 
 
 Peschel's Elements of Physics 
 
 Phillips's Fossils of Cornwall . 
 " Mineralogy 
 " Guide to Geology . 
 
 Portlock's Geology of Londonderry 
 
 Powell's Unity of Worlds • . 
 
 " Cliristianily without Judaism 
 
 Smee'8 Electro-Metalluigy . 
 
 Stcam-Engine (Tlie) 
 
 Eural Sports. 
 
 Baker's Rifle and Hound in Ceylon 
 Blaine's Dictionary of Sports . 
 Cecil's Stable Pr.ictice 
 
 " Stud Farm . . . . 
 Davy's Fisliin^ Excursions, 2 Series 
 Ephemera on Angling . 
 
 " Book of the Salmon 
 
 Veterinary Medicine, &c. 
 
 Cecil's Stable Practice . 
 
 " Stud Farm 
 Hunting-Field (The) 
 Miles's Horse-Shoeing 
 
 " on tlie Horse's Foot 
 Pocket and the Stud 
 Practical Horsemanship . 
 Rarey's Horse-Taming . 
 Richardson's Horsemanship 
 Stable Talk and Table Talk . 
 Stonehenfje on tlie Dog . 
 Stud (The) .... 
 Youatt's 'I'lie Dog . 
 " The Horse 
 
 Voyages and Travels. 
 
 Baker's Wanderings in Ceylon 
 Earth's African Travels . 
 Burton's East .\f.ica 
 
 " Medina and Mecca . 
 Davies's Visit to Algiers . 
 Domcnech's Texas and Mexico 
 Forester's Sardinia and Corsica 
 HinchlifPs Travels in the Alps 
 Howitt's Art-Student in Munich . 
 
 " (W.) Victoria . 
 Hue's Chinese Empire 
 Hudson and Kennedy's Mout Blanc 
 Humboldt's Asiiects of Nature 
 Hutchinson's Western Africa 
 M'Clure's North- West Passage 
 Mac Dougall's Voyage of the liesolute 
 Osborn's Quedah .... 
 Scherzer's Central America . 
 Seaward's Narrative 
 Snow's Tierra del Kuego . 
 Von Tcmpsky's Mexico and Guatemal; 
 Wanderings in the Land of Ham , 
 Weld's Vacations in Ireland . 
 " United tales .ind Canada . 
 
 Works of Fiction. 
 
 Cruikshank's Falstaff . 
 Heirs of Chevclei-;h 
 Houitt'sTallangelta 
 Moore's Epicurean . 
 Sir Hoyer DeCoverley . 
 Sketclies (Thel , Ttiree Tales , 
 Southey'8 Doctor, &c. 
 TroUope's Barclioster Towers 
 
 Warden 
 Ursula 
 
ALrHABETICAL CATALOGUE 
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