58 X. His wife Sapphira joins in the same lie, and dies. him. SECT. was struck dead by such an immediate act of him up, and carried Acts 7 came in. 9 Then Peter said And after the interval of about three hours, 7 And it was about his wife Sapphira also, who was absent when the space of three this happened, not knowing what was done, came hours after, when in to the place in which they were assembled. his wife, not know8 And Peter upon this occasion said to her before ing what was done, them all, Tell me freely, Sapphira, with that uprightness which becomes a disciple of Jesus, Tell me whether ye whether you indeed sold the land only for so sold the land for so much money, as you know your husband brought much. And she said, hither, naming the sum. And she said, Yes, it Yea, for so much. 9 was sold exactly for so much. Then Peter by an immediate impulse of the same Spirit, unto her, How is it which had before so awfully interposed, said that ye have agreed unto her again, How is it that you have thus Spirit of the Lord? together to tempt the wickedly conspired together to tempt the Spirit Behold, the feet of of the Lord, as if you had really suspected, buried thy husband them which have whether he were capable of discerning the af-2 fair or not, and were resolved to bring it to a shall carry thee out. are at the door, and trial? Alas, unhappy woman, it will appear to be a fatal experiment to you both; for behold, the feet of those who have just been burying thy husband, whom Divine vengeance has al ready struck dead on this occasion, are even now at the door upon their return, and they shall forthwith carry thee out, and lay thee by him in the grave. 10 And immediately upon this, she also fell down at his feet, and expired;8 10 Then fell she And the young men, his feet, and yielded down straightway at who were just then coming in, found her quite up the ghost and dead in a moment; and accordingly they carried the young men came her out, and buried her by Ananias her husband. in, and found her 11 And great fear came upon all the assembly, who her forth, buried her dead, and carrying were eyewitnesses of what had passed, and upon by her husband. all others that heard the report, which was soon spread abroad of these things; who could not but acknowledge, that it was the immediate hand of God by which they both died, and that things. he was just in this awful dispensation. She also fell down and expired.] To what is said before in vindication of this seeming severity, in note f, we may add, that such exemplary punishment of so heinous a crime was the mon expedient, as Christianity was now in its first rise. So, just at the 11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these opening of the Mosaic institution, Nadab were many signs and Fear comes on all, and none dare join them on a false pretence. 59 12 And by the And many other stupendous signs and won- SECT. hands of the apostles ders were done among the people in the most X. wonders wrought a- public manner, by the hands of the apostles: And mong the people; they continued in the strictest fellowship and (and they were all union with the whole company of believers, and with one accord in were frequently all unanimously together in that Solomon's porch. but the people magnified them. Acts v. 12 spacious building, which we have already mentioned by the name of Solomon's portico, conversing together with the most affectionate ex13 And of the rest pressions of mutual endearment. And none of 13 durst no man join the rest who were not really converted to himself to them: Christianity, presumed to join himself to them, as some mean spirited creatures might possibly otherwise have done for a while, in a low view of some transient advantage, by a share in the distributions that were made. But all the people had a mighty veneration for the apostles, and magnified them with the highest expressions of reverence and respect, as persons who were owned by God in the most signal manner: 14 And believers And though the death of these two unhappy of- 14 were the more add- fenders terrified many from hypocritically titudes both of men joining their company, yet the success of and women.) ed to the Lord, mul the gospel was promoted, rather than hindered None of the rest presumed to join him- cation of xornadas is, as he acknowlself to them.] Dr. Lightfoot explains this of the rest of the hundred and twenty, that they durst not join to the twelve, or equal themselves to the apostles in office or dignity: (Lightf. Comment. in loc.) But as there is no mention of that number in this chapter, so (as Dr. Whitby observes) they never joined themselves before to the apostles in this sense; nor is this any where the meaning of the word aoda, which signifies to associate, or unite with, to adhere or cleave to any. (Compare Acts ix. 26; x. 28; xvii. 34.) Beza would have it, that_xonard signifies here to attack or touch, and that xv, the rest, refers to their powerful enemies as distinguished from the people: But that signifi edges, very unusual, and is here quite unnecessary. L'Enfant thinks the meaning is, that persons of distinction had not the resolution to join them, whatever inward conviction they might have as to the truth of their doctrine. But after all, it is most natural to understand it, as if it had been said, "The people held them in distant admiration, and presumed not on any false pretence to join them, if not truly converted to their religion;" which yet (as it appears by the next verse,) many were, who readily came into a full and solemn profession of it, as indeed the late miracle was a glorious, though dreadful, demonstration of its truth. 60 SECT. X. v. 15 Reflections on the case of Ananias and Sapphira. the sick into the And they were farther animated to boldness 15 Insomuch tha in their profession, by the many gracious mir- they brought forth acles which succeeded to this work of terror; streets, and laid them Acts insomuch that all along the most public streets on beds andcouches, they brought out the sick, and laid them at their that at the least the doors on beds and couches, when they were not shadow of Peter passing by might overable to walk; that at least the shadow of Peter shadow as he was coming by, might overshadow some or them. other of them: And this extraordinary faith was rewarded by the healing of many in that circumstance. some of 16 There came al the cities round a 16 And as the fame of these wonderful works spread abroad, multitudes also [out] of the cities so a multitude out of round about came together to Jerusalem, bringing bout unto Jerusalem, the sick and those that were troubled with unclean bringing sick folks, spirits; who, by the divine power of Jesus and them which working in his humble disciples, were all heal were vexed with unclean spirits: and ed; as persons in the like circumstances had they were healed often been by Christ himself in the days of his every one. flesh. So that the alarm which this gave to the enemies of the gospel, grew continually more and more painful to them, and occasioned some remarkable proceedings against the apostles, which will be related in the following section. verse IMPROVEMENT. LET us behold, with humble reverence, this awful instance of 5,11 the divine severity, so well calculated to impress the minds of these new converts, and to prevent any of those frauds, which the charity of those who are most zealous in their profession might 4 have occasioned in some others. Let us learn, how hateful falsehood is to the God of truth, and make it our care to avoid it; and not only shun a direct lie, but the taking undue advantage from any ambiguities of expression, and, in a word, all recourse 5,10 to the arts of equivocation. God only knows, how soon such treacherous lips may be sealed up in eternal silence. 13 3 How does Satan delude the heart which he fills! And how peculiarly fatal is the delusion, when he leads men to sins, which 9 especially affront the Holy Spirit of God: That Spirit rested on the apostles, and taught them to discover the hidden things of darkness; so that they who tempted it, fell in the attempt, and became a sign. May integrity and uprightness ever preserve us! (Psal. xxv. 21.) And, while we avoid all the kinds and arts of dissimulation, let us peculiarly detest those, which would offer a double insult to the God of heaven, by taking their dress from the religion, which his own Son has planted. The church is never happier, than when the sons of falsehood are deterred from intruding into it. If its members are less The high priest and Sadducees imprison the apostles. .X 61 verse 15, 16 numerous, it is a sufficient balance, that it is more pure. We see SECT. what singular miracles were done by the apostles; miracles equal, and in some respects, as it seems by these instances, superior to those which Christ performed in the days of his ministration here below. When will the happy time come, in which men shall express as great a concern for their souls, as they here did for their bodies? When shall the streets and assemblies be filled with those who, from a sense of their spiritual maladies, shall apply to the ministers of Christ for healing? Let it always be remembered, that whatever they do for this happy purpose, it is indeed their Master that does it by them; and that all their most assiduous applications, separate from his blessing, can effect no more than the shadow of Peter could have done, if the power of Christ had not wrought on those over whom it passed. SECT. XI. The apostles continuing to preach to the people, are apprehended and imprisoned, and, after a miraculous deliverance, are brought before the Sanhedrim the next day, and scourged; Gamaliel's advice prevailing, to prevent any farther extremities. Acts V. 17, to the end. ACTS V. 17. ACTS V. 17. HEN the high what extraordinary miracles were done by xi. T was observed in the preceding section, SECT. priest rose up, were with him, and all they that the apostles in the name of Jesus, whom still, dead, and of eternal life to be obtained through The sect of the Sadducees.] There is no sufficient reason from this text to conclude with Grotius, that the high priests and his kindred were Sadducees, though it is probable they might be so, as Josephus affirms that some of the high priests were of this sect, and particularly Ananus, one of the sons of that Annas, who was father in law VOL. 3. 11 Acts v. 17 to Caiaphas. (See Mr. Biscoe, at Boyle's Lect. chap. v. 4, p. 110, 111.) The Sadducees however would be most ready to exert themselves in persecuting the apostles, as they were most exasperated by their doctrine, which was directly opposite to the notions they maintained. See the paraphrase on Acts iv. 2, sect. 8, p. 43. 62 Acts v. 18 An angel lets them out, to go and preach in the temple. SECT. against these men, who, as their enemies affect- 19 and But that God might evidently shew, how im- 19 But the angel potent all their rage was against those whom of the Lord by night he determined to support, and that they might doors, and brought be emboldened with a becoming confidence to them forth, opened the prison bear their testimony in the midst of oppositions said, and dangers, an angel of the Lord was sent to them, who, appearing in the midst of them by night opened the doors of the prison, and without giving any alarm to the keepers, or any of the other prisoners, bringing them out of that 20 place of confinement, said, As God hath thus miraculously interposed for your deliverance, speak in the temple 20 Go, stand and neither flee, nor fear; but go, as soon as the to the people, all the gates are opened, and presenting yourselves boldly in the temple, as you did before you were seized, (however disagreeable the doctrine that you preach may be to those who believe nothing of a future state) speak to the people assembled there at the hour of morning sacrifice all the words of this glorious gospel with which you are charged, on which the eternal life of men so evidently depends, and by which alone their final happiness can be secured. 21 words of this life. And the apostles hearing [this] divine com- But in the mean time, the high priest being apostles were actually thrust among them; Into the common prison.] That this was, as the paraphrase expresses it, the place where the vilest malefactors were lodged, cannot be doubted. But it is not certain, the themselves. |