Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

35. And laid them down at the apoftles feet: and diftribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

36 & 37.

36. And Jofes, who by the apostles was firnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, the fon of confolation) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37. Having land,

36 & 37. Particularly one fofes a Levite, of the Ifland of Cyprus, fold the Eftate he had there, and gave the Money to the Apoftles, who for fo bountiful an Action, gave him a new Name, that fignifies Comfort and Confolation.

[ocr errors]

fold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles feet. This Name was given him, either from the peculiar Charity and Benignity of bis Temper in general (fee chap. xi. 24.) or elfe upon Account of this Alt of felling bis Eftate, which we may then fuppofe was a very confiderable one.

CHAP. V.

The CONTENTS.

The Tranfaction 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 caufe them to be committed to Prifon. They are deliver'd by an Angel; and are found preaching again in the Temple, to the great Aftonifhment of the Court. The Roman Captain brings them into Court. The Charge of the Court against them. Their Anfwer. A Determination to flay them. Gamaliel's Advice to the Court hereupon. The Apostles are fcourged. Their Conduct under it.

1.BUT

UT a certain
man named A.

nanias, with Sapphira
his wife, fold a poffef-
fion,

2. And kept back part of the price, his wife alfo being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apoftles feet.

1 & 2.

A

Mong the reft of the new Converts that' were fo charitable as to fell their Eftates to fupply the Poor, there was one Man and his Wife that had contrived together to give the Apoftles only a Part of the give Money, and yet pretend to the Whole as others did, defigning thereby to get themselves maintained as plentifully out of the public Stock, as if they had given up their whole Eftate, 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

A. D. 33.

3. But Peter faid, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy Ghoft, and to keep back part of the price 4.Whiles it remain ed, was it not thine own? and after it was fold, was it not in thine own power? why haft thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou haft not lied unto men,

of the land?

3 & 4. But Peter, who by the Affiftance of the Holy Ghost, knew their Defign; asked him when he offered the Money, whe ther he gave it as the whole Price of his Eftate, 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 fuch a base and needless Falfhood; telling him, he was not abfolutely obliged to have fold his Estate at all, nor thus to difpofe 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.

but unto God.

5. And Ananias hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghoft, and great fear came on all them that heard these things. ry Punishment put a them all.

6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried bim out and buried bim.

7. And it was about the fpace 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 fuch bare-faced Infincerity, and arrogant Temptation of the Holy Ghoft, he ftruck the Man dead upon the Spot; which exemplamighty Dread and Reverence into

6. And because his Death happened with fuch lamentable Circumftances, 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.

* Ver. 4. Thou baft not lied unto Men but unto God Compare Luke x. 16. As xxiii. 9. 1 Theff. iv. 8.

8,9

+ Ver. 6. I paraphrafe this Verfe purely from a View of the Manner of Ananias's Death, and muft acknowledge there is more in the PARAPHRASE than the TEXT will abfolutely warrant; and fo leave it to the Judgment and Candour of the Reader.

8. And Peter an

fwered 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 buried thy husband, are at the door, and fhall carry thee out. 10. Then fell the

down ftraightway at

A. D. 33

8, 9 & 10. To whom Peter put
the fame Queftion about the Mo-n
ney, and receiving the fame false
Anfwer from her, he reproved
her with the like Severity, tell-
ing her, that as fhe had joined
with her Husband in the fame
deliberate Act of* affronting the
Holy Spirit, fhe fhould feel the
fame terrible Effect of his divine
Power, as her Husband had juft
now done. Accordingly the fell
down dead at his Feet; and the
fame Perfons that returned from
burying her Husband, took her
up, and laid her by him.

his feet, and yielded up the ghoft: and the young men
came in and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried
ber by her husband.
11. And great fear
came upon all the
church, and upon as
many as heard these
things.

12. And by the hands of the apoftles

were

11. Which ftill increased the Reverence of the new Believers toward the Apostles, and aftonifhed all other People that heard

of it.

12. Then the Apostles went on to work Miracles (efpecially

the

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 facred TEXT without the Warrant of fome good Copies, or very plain and neceffary Reasons : yet I may safely fuggeft, That if this 12th Verfe may be allowed to be tranfpofed to after the 14th, and connected with the 15th, the Senfe of the Hiftory, from the 11th to the 17th Verfe, would be exceeding much more clear and unioterrupted. For as the 11th has a moft direct and evident Connexion with the 13th, fo has this 12th with the 15th and 16th; whereas as it now ftands, it makes an Interrupfion. But I paraphrafe them as I found them.

A. D. 33. were many figns and
Owonders wrought a-
mong the People;
(and they were all

with one accord in
Solomons porch.

*

13. And of the rest durft no man join himself to them: but the people magnified

the Cures of fick People) in the moft publick Manner, affembling themfelves generally in Solomon's Porch, before or after the Temple-Service.

13. And this exemplary Punishment of the Infincerity of Ananias and Sapphira, had fuch an Effect, that none of the them. People dared to pretend to be converted, and come over to the Chriftian Faith, but fuch as really and fincerely did fo, and a very seasonable and well-timed Severity this was; for without it (very probably) the Apoftles would have been crowded and over-run with fuch Impoftors, who pretended to be Chriftians 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.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

This I take to be the most natural Senfe 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 feem clear to me in this Matter. That joining themselves to them, may fignify what I have rendered it. See Acts, xvii. 34. 1 Cor. vi. 17.

« AnteriorContinuar »