A. D. 33. 31. And when they ~ had prayed, the place was shaken where they were affembled together, and they were all filled with the holy Ghoft, and they spake the word of God with 31. And God answered their Request accordingly; for as foon as they ended it, the Room in which they met, was shaken in an extraordinary Manner (to give them Notice of the Approach of fome divine Influence) and they all found themselves inspired with a fupernatural Courage, and undaunted Resolution, to persevere in their Ministry. boldness. 33. And with great power gave the Apoftles witness of the refurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. rity to one another. 34. Neither was there any among them fions of lands, or brought the price of the things that were fold, 32. To return now to the five thousand that were laft converted. They followed the Example of those in Chap. ii. by living in perfect Unity of Love and Affection, and a free Renunciation and Distribution of whatever they had to such as wanted. 33. The Apostles in the mean Time going on to give the most wondrous Evidences of the Truth of their Doctrine, (especially that of Chrift's Refurrection) while the Converts exercised such Cha 34 & 35. A Charity that supplied every one's Wants: For such of them as had Estates, fold them, and gave the Money to the Apostles, who disposed of it accordingly. 35. And laid them down at the apostles feet : and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36 & 37. 36. And Joses, who by the apostles * was firnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, the son of consolation) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37. Having land, 36 & 37. Particularly one Fofes a Levite, of the Island of Cyprus, fold the Estate he had there, and gave the Money to the Apostles, who for so bountiful* an Action, gave him a new Name, that signifies Comfort and Confolation. fold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles feet. * This Name was given bım, either from the peculiar Charity and Benignity of bis Temper in general (fee chap. xi. 24.) or else upon Account of this Act of selling his Estate, which we may then fuppose was a very confiderable one. CHAP. V. The CONTENTS. The Transaction and Death of Ananias and Sapphira. The Effect it had upon the People. The Apostles proceed in working miraculous Cures, and gain great Credit. The Jewish Council cause them to be committed to Prison. They are deliver'd by an Angel; and are found preaching again in the Temple, to the great Aftonishment of the Court. The Roman Captain brings them into Court. The Charge of the Court against them. Their Answer. A Determination to flay them. Gamaliel's Advice to the Court hereupon. The Apostles are Scourged. Their Conduct under it. 1. BUT a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, fold a poffef fion, 2. And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles feet. 1 & 2. A A Mong the rest of the A. D. 33were so charitable as to sell their Estates to fupply the Poor, there was one Man and his Wife that had contrived together to give the Apostles only a Part of the Money, and yet pretend to give the Whole as others did, designing thereby to get themselves maintained as plentifully out of the public Stock, as if they had given up their whole Estate, while they kept Part of it in their own Hands, either imagining they could not find them out, or else defiring to try whether they could or no. 3 & 4. A. D. 33. 3. But Peter faid, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was 3 & 4. But Peter, who by the Assistance of the Holy Ghost, knew their Design; asked him when he offered the Money, whe ther he gave it as the whole Price of his Estate, or only as a Part of it; and upon his affirming it to be the Whole, Peter feverely reproved him for thus covering a Pretence of Charity with such a base and needless Falshood; telling him, he was not absolutely obliged to have fold his Estate at all, nor thus to dispose of the Money when he had fold it: But to lie thus to them whom he could not but know were endowed with the Holy Spirit of GOD, was to lie to the Holy Spirit itself, which was the fame Thing as lying to GOD. fold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou con ceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto * God. 5. And Ananias fear came on all them ry Punishment put a 6. And the young 7. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife not knowing what was done, came in. 5. And to deter 'and keep all Believers for the future from such bare-faced Infincerity, and arrogant Temptation of the Holy Ghoft, he struck the Man dead upon the Spot; which exemplamighty Dread and Reverence into 6. And because his Death happened with such lamentable Circumstances, he was carried away, and buried as foon and as privately as might be. † 7. About three hours after, his Wife came into the Room, knowing nothing of her Hufband's Death. 8,9 * Ver. 4. Thou baft not lied unto Men but unto GodCompare Luke x. 16. Als xxiii. 9. 1 Thes. iv. 8. + Ver. 6. I paraphrafe this Verse purely from a View of the Manner of Ananias's Death, and must acknowledge there is more in the PARAPHRASE than the TEXT will abfolutely warrant; and so leave it to the Judgment and Candour of the Reader. 1 8. And Peter an swered unto her, Tell me whether ye fold the land for fo much. And the faid, Yea, for fo much. 9. Then Peter faid unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have bu ried thy husband, are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10. Then fell she down straightway at 8, 9 & 10. To whom Peter put 4. D. 33 the fame Question about the Mo-~ burying her Husband, took her his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men 11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. 12. And by the hands of the apostles were 11. Which still increased the Reverence of the new Believers toward the Apostles, and aftonished all other People that heard of it. * Ver. 9. To tempt the Spirit of the Lord, i. e. in Scripture Language, to provoke - So the Provocation, and Temptation, in the Wilderness, are one and the fame Thing. So again, Why tempt ye God, to put a Yoke upon the Disciples, Acts xv. 10. i. e. Why do you provoke him? † Ver. 12. Though I would be very cautious of altering any Thing in the sacred TEXT without the Warrant of some good Copies, or very plain and necessary Reasons; yet I may safely suggest, That if this 12th Verse may be allowed to be transposed to after the 14th, and connected with the 15th, the Sense of the History, from the 11th to the 17th Verse, would be exceeding much more clear and uninterrupted. For as the 11th has a most direct and evident Connexion with the 13th, so has this 12th with the 15th and 16th; whereas as it now stands, it makes an Interruption. But I paraphrafe them as I found them. 13. And of the rest durst no man join * himself to them: but the people magnified them. the Cures of fick People) in the most publick Manner, assembling themselves generally in Solomon's Porch, before or after the Temple-Service. 13. And this exemplary Punishment of the Infincerity of Ananias and Sapphira, had such an Effect, that none of * the People dared to pretend to be converted, and come over to the Christian Faith, but such as really and fincerely did so, and a very seasonable and well-timed Severity this was; for without it (very probably) the Apostles would have been crowded and over-run with such Impostors, who pretended to be Christians merely in Hopes of being maintained out of this Community of Goods; and moreover hereby even those who would not believe, had yet a mighty Esteem of their Power and Performances. 14. And believers tudes both of men 15. Infomuch that 14. And of them that did fincerely believe, there were every Day vast Numbers of both Sexes, by this Means. 15. For the Number of the Apostles Miracles began now to be so great, that People brought their Sick into the Streets upon Beds and Couches; and the Cure of the most desperate Distempers was so certain, that the People thought their very Shadow (efpecially Peter's) had a Virtue in it. 16. And * This I take to be the most natural Sense of this Verse, which if the critical Reader does not like, he is at Liberty to follow Grotius, or Dr. Hammond, or Dr. Lightfoot, none of which seem clear to me in this Matter. That joining themselves to them, may fignify what I have rendered it. Set Acts, xvii. 34. 1 Cor. vi. 17. |