the apostles and primitive converts appear, in this native simplicity of the Christian character! and what a glory did the grace and Spirit of God put upon them, far beyond all that human establishments, splendid dignities, or ample revenucs, could ever give to those that have succeeded them! While the multitude of them had one heart and one soul, and each was ready to impart to his brethren whatever he himself possessed, how high a relish of pleasure did they receive, and how were their joys multiplied by each of their number! Thus does divine grace, when it powerfully enters into the heart, open it in sentiments of generosity and love. Thus does it conquer that selfish temper which reigns so frequently in the minds of sinful men, and makes them like wild beasts rather than like brethren to each other. Providence does not indeed call us entirely to give up our possessions, or to introduce a community of goods among Christians, in circumstances so different from those which we have now been surveying. Yet surely it is always our duty, and will be our highest interest, to remember that we are not original proprietors of what we possess, but stewards, who are to manage what is intrusted to our care, for the honour of our great Master, and the good of his family here on earth; continually ready to resign any part, or even the whole of it, whenever these important ends shall require such a resignation. In the mean time, let us frequently lift up our hearts to the great and ever blessed God, who hath made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that is in them, that he would support and extend the progress of that gospel in the world, which he hath so graciously begun to plant. Kings may still set themselves, and rulers take counsel against it; but he knows how to turn their counsels into foolishness, and their rage into shame. He hath anointed Jesus his holy child with the oil of gladness, and placed him on his throne in heaven; and all the united malice and fury of his enemies can do no more, than what shall make part of his wise and gracious scheme for the government of his people. Let us pray, that he would give freedom of speech to all employed in pleading his cause; and that he will plentifully anoint them with the effusion of his Spirit: And let the signs and wonders which were done by the name of Jesus in former ages, encourage us to hope that he will never totally desert a scheme which he once so illustriously interposed to establish; and consequently let them animate us to exert ourselves in its service, whatever labours, threatenings, or dangers may meet us in our way! SECTION X. The death of Ananias and Sapphira: that and other miracles promote the increase of the church. Ch. iv. 36, 37. v. 1-16. 26 A ND among other converts who parted with their effects, there was one Joses, who by the apostles was sirnamed Barnabas (which being interpreted, signifies, A son of consolation) a Levite, 37 and by birth a Cyprian; he having an estate, sold it,* and brought V. the money, and laid it down at the feet of the apostles-But a 1 certain man, named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold an estate, 2 and secreted part of the price, his wife also being conscious of it; and bringing only a certain part of it, he laid it down at the feet of 3 the apostles. But Peter, under the direction of the Spirit, said, O Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart, to attempt to impose on the Holy Spirit, and to secrete part of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold did it not continue thine? and when it was sold, was it not in thine own powert? Why then hast thou admitted this thing into thine heart? Thou hast not lied to men 5 only, but to God. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and expired and great fear came on all that heard these things. 6 Then the young men arose, and bound him up, and carrying him 7 out, they buried him.-And after the interval of about three hours, 8 his wife also, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter said to her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much. And 9 she said, Yes, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it, that you both have conspired together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold the feet of those, who have been burying thy husband, are at the door, and they shall forthwith carry thee out. 10 And immediately she fell down at his feet, and expired: and the young men coming in, found her dead, and carried her out, and 11 buried her by her husband‡. And great fear came upon all 12 the assembly, and upon all that heard these things. And many other signs and wonders were done among the people, by the hands of the apostles; (and they were all unanimously in Solomon's 13 portico; and none of the rest who were not really converted, presumed to join himself to them; but the people magnified them: 14 and multitudes both of men and women believing, were the more 15 willingly added to the Lord :) insomuch that along the streets they brought out the sick, and laid them on beds, and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter, coming by, might overshadow some 16 of them. And multitudes also out of the cities round about, came together to Jerusalem, bringing the sick, and those that were troubled with unclean spirits, who were all healed. REFLECTIONS. Let us behold, with humble reverence, this awful instance of 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 were most zealous in their profession might 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 tie, but the taking undue advantage from any ambiguities of expres *This may be mentioned, as the first foreign estate sold, or as being of extraordinary value. A proof that none were obliged to sell their estates. Such severity of punishment was necessary to deter others, and was the more expedient as Christianity was in its first rise. VOL. I. Ꮓ Ꮓ sion, and, in a word, all recourse to the arts of equivocation. God only knows, how soon such treacherous lips may be sealed up in eternal silence. How does Satan delude the heart which he fills! And how peculiarly fatal is the delusion, when he leads men to sins, which especially affront the Holy Spirit of God! That Spirit rested on the apostles, and taught them to discover the hidden thing of darkness ; so that they who tempted it, fell in the attempt, and became a sign. May integrity and uprightness ever preserve us! 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 numerous, it is a sufficient balance, that it is more pure. We see 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 biessing, 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. SECTION XI. The apostles imprisoned, and miraculously delivered; Gamaliel's advice pre vails, to prevent further extremities. Ch. v. 17, &c. 17 BUT UT the high-priest arising, and all they that were with him(which was the sect of the Sadducees) seeing the effect of these 18 miracles, were filled with zeal, and laid their hands on the apostles, 19 and put them into the common prison. But an angel of the Lord by night opened the doors of the prison, and bringing then out 20 said, Go, and presenting yourselves in the temple, speak to the 21 people all the words of this life. And hearing this, they went very early into the temple, and taught. But the high-priest being come, and they that were with him, they called together the sanhedrim, even the whole senate of the children of Israel, and 22 sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they found them not in the prison. Returning therefore, 23 they made their report, saying, We found indeed the prison shut with all safety, and the keeper standing without, before the doors; 24 but having opened them, we found no one within. Now when the high-priest, and the captain of the temple, and the chief priests *The Sadducees were the most exasperated at the apostles' doctrine, it being most directly opposite to their notions. heard these words, they doubted concerning them, what this could 25 be. But one came, and told them, saying, Behold the men, whom ye put in prison, are standing in the temple, and teaching the peo26 ple. Then the captain went with the officers, and brought them away, but not by violence; for they feared the people lest they 27 should be stoned: and when they had brought them in, they set them before the sanhedrim. And the high-priest asked them, 28 saying, Did we not strictly charge you, that you should not teach in this name? and behold you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and would bring the odium of this man's blood upon us. 29 But Peter and the rest of the apostles answered and said, It is nc30 cessary to obey God, rather than men. The God of our fathers hath raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, hanging him on a tree: 31 Him hath God exalted at his right-hand, to be a prince and sav32 iour, to give repentance unto Israel*, and remission of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things, and the Holy Spirit also, whom God hath given to them who submit to his government.33 And when they heard this, they grinded their teeth at them, and 34 consulted how they might put them all to death. But a ceartain Pharisee in the sanhedrim, whose name was Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, in great esteem among all the people, rose up, and 35 commanded the apostles to be taken out for a little while: and he said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what 36 you are about to do to these men; for some time ago Theudas arose, pretending himself to be some extraordinary person; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, adhered: who was slain by the Roman forces; and all who hearkened to him were 37 scattered, and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the enrolment, and drew a multitude of people after him, and he was destroyed; and all who had hearkened to 38 him were dispersed. And therefore with regard to the present affair, I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will moulder away ; 39 but if it be of God, you cannot dissolve it. Take heed therefore 40 lest you be found even fighters against God. And they yielded to him; and having called in the apostles and scourged them, they charged them not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, and 41 thus dismissed them. And they departed from the presence of the sanhedrim, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be ex42 posed to infamy for the sake of his name. And every day they ceased not in the temple, and from house to house, to teach, and to preach Jesus as the Messiah. REFLECTIONS. Which shall we survey with the greater surprise, the continual courage of the apostles, or the continued malice of their persecutors ? Again they seize them, again they imprison them; but how vainly do these feeble worms, amidst all the pride of dignity and power, op. * That is, to send terms of peace and reconciliation by him, to the Jews who had so ungratefully abused him. pose the counsels of Omnipotence! The angel of the Lord opens the door of their prison, and leads forth his faithful servants to renewed liberty: An office which this celestial Spirit could not but perform with delight; as it was, no doubt, with unutterable pleasure that he gave them their errand, to go and publish with undaunted freedom and zeal the words of this lif, of this gospel which enlivens dead souls, and points out the road to an happy immortality. O that the folly of those who have heard it had never converted it into a savour of death! Yet, behold, the council renewed the attack! The same madness which instigated the Jews to seize Jesus, when they had been struck to the ground by his miraculous power, animated these wretches to contrive the destruction of persons whom God himself had just befole rescued from their hands; as they had formerly plotted that of Lazarus, who had, by a yet more astonishing wonder, been recalled from the grave. To what fatal extravagancies will not prejudice hurry the mind? Against what convincing evidence will it not harden it? Ye shall, says our Lord, be brought before councils for my sake; and it shall be for a tes1imony against them. And such was this repeated admonition which these holy prisoners, then at the bar, gave to the judges of Israel: Still they urge the divine authority of their mission; still they proclaim him as head of the church and world, whom these very men had so lately crucified in so outrageous and contemptuous a manner. They point to him, whom these priests and rulers had insulted on the cross, as now exaled on the righ hand of God, and urge them to seek repentance and remission of sin from him, to whom they had denied the common justice due to the meanest of men, the common humanity due to the vilest of criminals in their dying moments, giving him in the thirst of his last agonies vinegar mingled with gall. Thousands of the people had fallen under this charge; and Jesus the Prince had taken them under his protection: Jesus the Saviour had washed them in his blood. But by what is too frequently the fatal prerogative of greatness, these princes of Israel had hearts too high for the discipline of wisdom, and were enraged against these humble ministers of the Son of God; who nevertheless addressed them with all the respect which fidelity would allow, and could gladly have poured forth their blood for the salvation of those who so cruelly thirsted for it. They gnashed on these faithful ambassadors with their teeth, as if they would have devoured them alive; and justly will gnashing of teeth be the eternal portion of those who thus outrageously rejected the counsel of God against themselves. But God raised up a guardian for the apostles, where perhaps they least expected it; and the prudence of Gamaliel for a while checked the fury of his brethren. So does God sometimes use the natural good sense and temper of those who do not themselves receive the gospel, for the protection of those who are faithfully devoted to its service. Gamaliel had attentively observed former events; which is indeed the way to learn the surest lessons of wisdom, which are to be learnt any where but from the word of God. He had seen some ruined by their seditious zeal; and let those who call themselves Christians |