Acts 14

Chap. XIV Ver. 1—28. The persecutions and success of Paul and Barnabas, and their return to Antioch.—‘When ye are persecuted in one city, (said our Lord,) flee unto another,” ((Matthew 10:23).) The apostles being driven from Antioch in Pisidia, flee unto Iconium, and thence to Lystra, both in Lycaonia: and thus persecution in one country has uniformly proved the means of spreading the Gospel into others. A healing of a cripple occasions a very unexpected incident. The poor heathens, when they saw the man whom they knew to have been born lame, leaping and walking, they directly lifted up their voices and exclaimed, “The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men!” Then Barnabas, who was much the elder and more reverend-looking person, they called Jupiter, “the father of gods and men;”

and Paul, Mercurius, because he was “the chief speaker.” And so much were they in earnest, that the priest of Jupiter brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would, with the people, have offered sacrifices to them, had not the apostles exerted all their energy to restrain them. The address delivered on this occasion is quite in the masterly and energetic style of St. Paul, and may afford us some useful observations. 1. Ministers of the Gospel, even Apostles, are but men; subjects of the same human passions and infirmities with other men; and therefore should not be idolized. 2. Ministers should abase themselves, that they may exalt him that sends them: “We are (say they) as you are, and as your imagined gods were, weak and frail creatures; but we come to teach you to turn from these lying vanities, and worship the true God, the maker of heaven and earth.”

3. We see the superiority of Christian ministers to heathen philosophers. The latter believed as little of the Pagan theology as the Christians; but none of them had the fortitude to avow it, or declaim against idolatry: on the contrary, they all occasionally conformed to it, not excepting Socrates himself. 4. God, in many instances, suffers what he does not approve. Thus ((Acts 13:18)) he “suffered” the manners of Israel in the wilderness and in Canaan, and thus did he “suffer all nations to walk in their own ways.” Yet, 5. God left not himself without witness to his being and providence—to his power and goodness. Yet, with all these just and temperate observations, scarcely could these poor Pagans be restrained from rendering them divine honours.

But, alas! how changeable is man! The disciples are treated as their Lord; and as it was in the case of Jesus, many of the same voices that pronounced “Ho- Certain Jews, distinguished for their bigotry to Moses and hatred to the Lord Jesus, followed the apostles even hither, and persuaded the multitude that they were impostors and perhaps necromancers; they therefore joined with them in stoning Paul, in a riotous and tumultuous manner, till they supposed him to have been killed. The providence of God, however, wonderfully preserved him; and while the brethren were collecting foul[ed] [tina] probably with a view to his interment, he rose up in the midst of them, and next day was so far recovered as to be able to proceed with Barnabas to Derbe.

There they made many disciples, and then “returned to Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the believers and encouraging them to persevere, notwithstanding all opposition.” And when they had ordained (or appointed) them elders (or presbyters) to instruct and preside among them, they affectionately commended them by prayer “to the Lord, on whom they had believed”—namely, the Lord Jesus, whom they doubtless considered as well able to preserve those whom they so solemnly committed to his care: notwithstanding, they are reminded, they must expect “to pass through much tribulation” in their way to the New Jerusalem. a Proceeding in their return, after passing through several countries which they had before visited, they now pass by sea to Antioch, from whence they first set out on this missionary tour; and there, having collected the church of that city, where they had received their commission, ((Acts 13:1-3),) “they rehearsed all that God had done with (or rather by) them, and how he had opened the door of faith among the Gentiles:” that is, an opportunity for the preaching and establishment of [the Gospel] among the heathen nations, as had been long fore-

Notes on the verses

Ver. 43. When the congregation was broken up.—This explains the preceding verse—“When the Jews were gone out,” then the Gentiles came about the apostles and sought, &c. Ver. 44. Came almost the whole city—That is, both Jews and Gentiles, a great multitude. Ver. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.—For “ordained to,” Doddridge reads, “determined for;” which is taking a middle path between the Calvinists, as Gill, who refers it to God’s predestination; and the Arminians, who, with Hammond, refer it to men’s own self-determination; for which we see no ground. But we have no objection to understand it in harmony with the language of our Lord and of St. Luke. Our Lord “gives eternal life to all whom the Father gives him by the operations of his grace.” Compare (John 17)

9. All those “believe unto eternal life” whose “hearts the Lord opens,” as he did Lydia’s, (Acts 16:14). If we refer our conversion wholly to the grace of God, it secures to him the honour, and to us the certainty of our salvation. Nevertheless, God does nothing but what he ever intended to do. “I am the Lord: I change not.” Ver. 51. Iconium.—(Iconium, now Cogni, or Konieh, was the capital of Lycaonia in Asia Minor; a well built city, situated in the richest part of that province.)—Bagster. a;; CwHap. XIV. Ver. 3 Speaking boldly.—Doddridge. “freely;” i.e. without privacy or reserve. Ver. 5. When there was an assault made.—Doddridge explains this of a joint attempt about to be made by the bigoted Jews and unbelieving Gentiles, which coming to the ears of Barnabas and Paul, they fled farther, even to Lystra and Ver.

10. Lystra.—(Lystra and Derbe, two cities of Lycaonia, were situated south of Iconium, and north of Mount Taurus; the former being to the west and the latter to the east———Lycaonia—Now Konieh, was a [province] of Asia Minor, bounded by Phrygia on the north, Pisidia on the west, Pamphylia and Cilicia on the south, and Cappadocia on the east, made a Roman province under Augustus.)—Bagster. Ver. 9. Had faith to be healed.—See (Matthew 9:27-29). The man had probably heard that the apostles had wrought miracles, and might show in his countenance and manner (perhaps in words also) a desire to be healed; or Paul might have an immediate suggestion by the Spirit of inspiration. Ver. 11. The speech of Lycaonia.—Not Greek, but a dialect perhaps approaching the Syriac.

Doddridge.—In the likeness of men.—The Greeks supposed that their gods often rendered themselves visible in human form. Ver. 12. Jupiter.—Jupiter was the supreme god of the heathen; and Mercury was considered the god of eloquence. The ancients represent Jupiter as an aged man, large, noble, and majestic; and Mercury, young, light, and active; and it is very probable that Barnabas was a large, noble, well-made man; and St. Paul young, active, and a ase ie de