sensibly to perceive that it was not a vision, but a real act of deliverance, he said, &c. XII. 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. It is his angel, who hath taken upon him the shape of Peter: himself it cannot be. XII. 20. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; 8c. They desired peace, because their country, being of itself but barren, was nourished with that corn, which was transported to them out of Herod's dominions; the importation whereof being upon this late hostility forbidden, they were forced to submit, and sue to Herod. XII. 23. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten with worms, and gave up the ghost. And God smote him by the immediate hand of his angel, with a loathsome and painful disease; because he took to himself that vain and wicked applause; and was willing enough, that the people should rob God of glory, to bestow it upon him: and his entrails were noisomely corrupted, and eaten through with worms; and he gave up the ghost. XIII. 1. And Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch. And Manaen, who had been a courtier of great note, bred familiarly with Herod the tetrarch. XIII. 2. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Set ye apart Barnabas and Saul, by solemn prayer and fasting, and imposition of hands, to be the Apostles of the Gentiles; and send them on that errand, accordingly. XIII. 5. And they had also John to their minister. And they had John, which was called Mark, to be their Minister; to assist them in those holy labours, though in an inferior degree. XIII. 9. Set his eyes on him. Fixed his eyes upon him, with much indignation and zealous anger. XIII. 34. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. And, as concerning his raising up &c. he said on this wise, I will make good that firm and faithful and no less gracious promise, which I made to David, That from his loins should proceed a king, whose dominion should be everlasting. XIII. 39. And by him all that belicre are justified from all things, from which he could not be justified by the law of Moses. By him, and through faith in his blood, all, that believe, receive a full discharge from all those sins, whereof they could never be acquitted by the Law of Moses: it is our Faith in him, which shall give us that Justification, which we should in vain seek in the Law of Works. XIII. 51. They shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. See Matthew x. 14. XIV. 9. Who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed. Paul knowing, by the instinct and intimation of the Spirit of God, that the lame man, who had heard his preaching, had now faith enough to make him capable of this miraculous cure. XIV. 17. Nerertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gare us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. Nevertheless, God hath not left the blindest heathens, in their darkest times of ignorance, without a sufficient conviction of his infinite goodness and power; in that he hath heaped upon them many blessings, for the present life; and hath given clear demonstrations of his Providence and Omnipotence, in ordering the seasons according to a regular course, and making plentiful purveyance for his creatures, of all, both necessary and expedient helps and comforts. XV. 4. They were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders. They were gladly received by the whole congregation; and especially by the Apostles, and those Presbyters which the Apostles had there ordained. XV. 10. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Why do ye go about to cross God, in thwarting his ordinance; and altering the course, which he hath set for the justification and salvation of men; by imposing upon the disciples a necessity of subjecting themselves to this yoke of the Law of Ceremonies, and, by consequence, to the Law of Works; a condition, which not they only, but even the holiest of our fathers, were utterly unable to undergo and fulfil ? XV. 20. But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. Only, that we write unto them, that they abstain from those things, which are the most common and ordinary offences of the times, in those that are become converts to Christianity; namely, from having any thing to do with the pollutions of idolatry, in partaking of their idol services, or ought that pertains thereunto : secondly, that they abstain from fornication, and all bodily uncleanness; which, however the Gentiles, especially in those parts, are wont to make slight account of, as if it were a matter of little or no offence, yet they must be better taught, that it is a very heinous sin against God and their own bodies : and, thirdly, that they do abstain, for the time, from the eating of ought strangled, and of blood, whether within the body of the thing killed or severed from it; because this charge was not peculiarly given to the Jews alone in the Law, but, before the Law, to whole, mankind, and therefore not too suddenly to be abrogated. XV. 21. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. For we may not, all at once, inhibit the observations of these rites and Mosaical ceremonies, forasmuch as the people have been of old trained up in them, and are taught in every city to regard and observe them; in that, every sabbath day, the Law of Moses is, by several sections, read to them in their Synagogues: they must therefore be weaned from them, by degrees and meet leisure. XV. 28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you fc. It seemed good to us, being herein led and guided by the Holy Ghost, to lay upon you &c. XVI. 14. Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. Whose understanding the Lord enlightened with the knowledge and apprehension of that which was taught, and whose heart was moved to affect that truth which she heard. XVI. 16. A certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us. A certain damsel, possessed with an Ill Spirit, which had the power, through the permission of God, to foretell things to come, met us. XVI. 37. Being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? Being free denizens of Rome, and therefore privileged by the law from these base usages. XVII. 11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. These Jews of Berea were more ingenuous and better affected, than those of Thessalonica; for they cheerfully received the word of our Gospel, and took pains to search the Scriptures, and to compare our doctrine with the text of the Prophets, to see if we had alleged them aright. · XVII. 19. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus. And they brought him into that spacious room, wherein was wont to be held the chief Court of Justice in Athens, called Areopagus, or Mars his hill. XVII. 29. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. Forasmuch then as we are of a divine original, having our souls inspired into us by Almighty God, we might by our very selves easily reach to so much knowledge of God, as to understand, that he is of a spiritual nature, and not to be resembled by gold, or silver, or stone, graven by the art and device of man, or any other bodily creature. XVII. 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent. As for those former times of ignorance, God hath seemed, as it were, to overlook and disregard them, in not giving them the means of knowledge and conversion; and therefore hath expected the less from them: but now, that he hath offered so effectual means of salvation, he looks for other manner of obedience, commanding all men every where now to repent them of their sins. XVIII. 3. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought; for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And, because he was of the same craft of tent-making, which he had learned, and (though formerly a Pharisee and now an Apostle by profession, and by privilege a Citizen of Rome) practised for his own necessary maintenance, as one that would not, in those tender beginnings, charge the Church; nor, in this holy care and frugality, be gone beyond by the false apostles: he abode with them, and wrought in their trade. XVIII. 18. Having shorn his head in Cenchrea : for he had a vow. Having purposely so far conformed himself to the Law of Moses, as to shave his head upon a vow made to God, and to be performed by him at Jerusalem; that, by this means, he might win the weak Jews; in that they should see he was not, as was suggested, an enemy and despiser of the Law, but one, that was willing to observe it for the time, till those ceremonies, which were dead with Christ, might also be safely and decently buried. XIX. 2. Hare ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. Have ye received the extraordinary and miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard that there are those miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost bestowed on men that believe. XIX. 3. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. And he said unto them, These graces and gifts are wont to be given by imposition of hands, after baptism; which since ye have not taken notice of, tell me, unto what were ye baptized ? And they said, We were baptized by John's baptism, to the remission of sins by Jesus Christ, that Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world. XIX. 4. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should beliere on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. Then said Paul, John verily, as the outward Minister of Baptism, baptized you with water, to the remission of sins; together with his baptism, teaching the people that they should believe in that Jesus Christ, which should come after him : so as, his baptism was true and perfect; yet such, as was not accompanied and attended with these miraculous gifts, which now, since the full glorification of Christ, are bestowed upon men. XIX. 5. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, While therefore John taught them thus, and made this holy commentary upon his said baptism, they, that heard it, in receiving his baptism were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. XIX. 6. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they dc. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, as having before been fully and duly baptized, the Holy Ghost came down upon them, in miraculous gifts; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. XIX. 19. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, fc. Many of them, which used magical and devilish Arts, in a professed remorse brought their books together, &c. XX. 7. When the disciples came together to break bread. When the disciples came together to celebrate the Lord's Supper. |