May 10

And when they had prayed, the place teas shaken where they were assembled together. - Acts 4:31.

OBSERVE here the occasion of the prayer. Peter and John had been apprehended, and had successfully defended themselves; so, when the council had further threatened them, “they were let go, finding nothing how they could punish them.” Like attracts like, and “being let go they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them;” and the persecuted disciples immediately gave themselves to prayer. Prayer is enjoined upon us in our distresses.” “Call upon me in the day of trouble.” “Is any afflicted, let him pray.”

Observe the substance of their prayer. It was very seasonable, very suitable, and very short, as all Bible prayers are. It was also very exemplary; though they had been so evil entreated, yet they felt no disposition for revenge. They remembered the instructions of him who had said, “Love your enemies; bless them that curse you.” They had imbibed the Spirit of him who, “when he was reviled, reviled not again; but committed himself into the hands of him that judgeth righteously.” And therefore you see they besought God to stretch forth his hand, not to strike and punish, but “to heal.”

There was something very extraordinary in this prayer. Though the Jews acted so wickedly in putting the Saviour to death, yet they did it” according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” Here is a chain thrown across a river; we can see the two opposite ends, but not the union in the midst; but were the chain raised, or the water lowered, we could see the connection as well as the extremities. All our knowledge of the affair begins and ends here-God’s foreknowledge and man’s free agency harmonize really, but inexplicably. Then we see the success of the prayer; and God hath never said to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain. The sign of the acceptance of the prayer seems strange-“The place was shaken.” This seemed much more likely to produce dread than to engender hope. But God would so teach us that he is “greatly to be feared in the assembly of his saints,” that he will be sanctified of all them that come nigh to him, and that there was something awful in the dispensation of his mercy and his grace; as Watts says:-

“Terrors attend the wond’rous way

That brings our blessings down.”