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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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<h3><a href="http://www.biblesnet.com" target="_blank">Back to Biblesnet.com Home Page</a>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3>Acts</FONT></P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="4%">
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44001.HTM">Chapter 1</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44002.HTM">Chapter 2</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44003.HTM">Chapter 3</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44004.HTM">Chapter 4</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44005.HTM">Chapter 5</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44006.HTM">Chapter 6</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44007.HTM">Chapter 7</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44008.HTM">Chapter 8</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44009.HTM">Chapter 9</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44010.HTM">Chapter 10</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44011.HTM">Chapter 11</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44012.HTM">Chapter 12</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44013.HTM">Chapter 13</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44014.HTM">Chapter 14</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44015.HTM">Chapter 15</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44016.HTM">Chapter 16</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44017.HTM">Chapter 17</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44018.HTM">Chapter 18</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44019.HTM">Chapter 19</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44020.HTM">Chapter 20</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44021.HTM">Chapter 21</A>
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</TD>
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<TD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="15%">
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44022.HTM">Chapter 22</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44023.HTM">Chapter 23</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44024.HTM">Chapter 24</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44025.HTM">Chapter 25</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44026.HTM">Chapter 26</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44027.HTM">Chapter 27</A>
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<LI><A HREF="MHC44028.HTM">Chapter 28</A>
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</TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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</CENTER>
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<A NAME="Page1"> </A>
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<CENTER>
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<P><B>AN</B></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+2>EXPOSITION,</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+1>W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N S,</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=-1>OF THE</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT SIZE=+3><B>A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S.</B></FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=150>
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</P></CENTER>
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<P>
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W<FONT SIZE=-1>E</FONT> have with an abundant satisfaction seen the
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foundation of our holy religion laid in the history of our blessed
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Saviour, its great author, which was related and left upon record by
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four several inspired writers, who all agree in this sacred truth, and
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the incontestable proofs of it, that <I>Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
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the living God.</I> Upon this rock the Christian church is built. How
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it began to be built upon this rock comes next to be related in this
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book which we have now before us, and of this we have the testimony
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only of <I>one witness;</I> for the matters of fact concerning Christ
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were much more necessary to be fully related and attested than those
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concerning the apostles. Had Infinite Wisdom seen fit, we might have
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had as many books of the Acts of the Apostles as we have gospels, nay,
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as we might have had gospels: but, for fear of over-burdening the world
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+21:25">John xxi. 25</A>),
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we have sufficient to answer the end, if we will but make use of it.
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The history of this book (which was always received as a part of the
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sacred canon) may be considered.</P>
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<P>
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I. As looking back to the preceding gospels, giving light to them, and
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greatly assisting our faith in them. The promises there made we here
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find made good, particularly the great promises of the descent of the
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Holy Ghost, and his wonderful operations, both <I>on</I> the apostles
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(whom here in a few days we find quite other men than what the gospels
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left them; no longer weak-headed and weak-hearted, but able to say that
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which then they were not able to bear
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+16:12">John xvi. 12</A>)
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as bold as lions to face those hardships at the thought of which they
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then trembled as lambs), and also with the apostles, making the word
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mighty to the <I>pulling down of</I> Satan's <I>strong holds,</I> which
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had been before comparatively preached in vain. The commission there
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granted to the apostles we here find executed, and the powers there
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lodged in them we here find exerted in miracles wrought on the bodies
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of people--miracles of mercy, restoring sick bodies to health and dead
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bodies to life--miracles of judgment, striking rebels blind or dead;
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and much greater miracles wrought on the minds of people, in conferring
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spiritual gifts upon them, both of understanding and utterance; and
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this in pursuance of Christ's purposes, and in performance of his
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promises, which we had in the gospels. The proofs of Christ's
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resurrection with which the gospels closed are here abundantly
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corroborated, not only by the constant and undaunted testimony of those
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that conversed with him after he arose (who had all deserted him, and
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one of them denied him, and would not otherwise have been rallied again
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but by his resurrection, but must have been irretrievably dispersed,
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and yet by that were enabled to own him more resolutely than ever, in
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defiance of bonds and deaths), but by the working of the Spirit with
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that testimony for the conversion of multitudes to the faith of Christ,
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according to the word of Christ, that his resurrection, the sign of the
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prophet Jonas, which was reserved to the last, should be the most
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convincing proof of his divine mission. Christ had told his disciples
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that they should be his witnesses, and this book brings them in
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witnessing for him,--that they should be <I>fishers of men,</I> and
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here we have them enclosing multitudes in the gospel-net,--that they
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should be the <I>lights of the world,</I> and here we have the world
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enlightened by them; but that day--spring from on high the first
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appearing of which we there discerned we here find shining more and
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more. The <I>corn of wheat,</I> which there fell to the ground, here
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springs up and bears much fruit; the <I>grain of mustard-seed</I> there
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is here a <I>great tree;</I> and <I>the kingdom of heaven,</I> which
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was then <I>at hand,</I> is here set up. Christ's predictions of the
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virulent persecutions which the preachers of the gospel should be
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afflicted with (though one could not have imagined that a doctrine so
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well worthy of all acceptation should meet with so much opposition) we
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here find abundantly fulfilled, and also the assurances he gave them of
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extraordinary supports and comforts under their sufferings. Thus, as
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the latter part of the history of the Old Testament verifies the
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promises made to the fathers of the former part (as appears by that
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famous and solemn acknowledgment of Solomon's, which runs like a
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receipt in full,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+8:56">1 Kings viii. 56</A>,
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<I>There has not failed one word of all his good promises which he
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promised by the hand of Moses his servant</I>), so this latter part of
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the history of the New Testament exactly answers to the world of Christ
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in the former part of it: and thus they mutually confirm and illustrate
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each other.</P>
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<P>
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II. As looking forward to the following epistles, which are an
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explication of the gospels, which open the mysteries of Christ's death
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and resurrection, the history of which we had in the gospels. This book
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introduces them and is a key to them, as the history of David is to
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David's psalms. We are members of the Christian church, that
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<I>tabernacle of God among men,</I> and it is our honour and privilege
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that we are so. Now this book gives us an account of the framing and
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rearing of that tabernacle. The four gospels showed us how the
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foundation of that house was laid; this shows us how the superstructure
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began to be raised,
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1. Among the Jews and Samaritans, which we have an account of in the
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former part of this book.
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2. Among the Gentiles, which we have an account of in the latter part:
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from thence, and downward to our own day, we find the Christian church
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subsisting in a visible profession of faith in Christ, as the Son of
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God and Saviour of the world, made by his baptized disciples,
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incorporated into religious societies, statedly meeting in religious
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assemblies, attending on the apostles' doctrine, and joining in prayers
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and the breaking of bread, under the guidance and presidency of men
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that gave themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word, and in a
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spiritual communion with all in every place that do likewise. Such a
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body as this thee is now in the world, which we belong to: and, to our
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great satisfaction and honour, in this book we find the rise and origin
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of it, vastly different from the Jewish church, and erected upon its
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ruins; but undeniably appearing to be of God, and not of man. With what
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confidence and comfort may we proceed in, and adhere to, our Christian
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profession, as far as we find it agrees with this <I>pattern in the
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mount,</I> to which we ought religiously to conform and confine
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ourselves!</P>
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<P>
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Two things more are to be observed concerning this book:--
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(1.) The penman of it. It was written by Luke, who wrote the third of
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the four gospels, which bears his name; and who (as the learned Dr.
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Whitby shows) was, very probably, one of the seventy disciples, whose
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commission
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+10:1">Luke x. 1</A>,
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&c.) was little inferior to that of the twelve apostles. This Luke was
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very much a companion of Paul in his services and sufferings. <I>Only
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Luke is with me,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ti+4:11">2 Tim. iv. 11</A>.
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We may know by his style in the latter part of this book when and where
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he was with him, for then he writes, We did so and so, as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+16:10,20:6"><I>ch.</I> xvi. 10; xx. 6</A>;
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and thenceforward to the end of the book. He was with Paul in his
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dangerous voyage to Rome, when he was carried thither a prisoner, was
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with him when from his prison there he wrote his epistles to the
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Colossians and Philemon, in both which he is named. And it should seem
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that St. Luke wrote this history when he was with St. Paul at Rome,
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during his imprisonment there, and was assistant to him; for the
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history concludes with St. Paul's preaching there in his <I>own hired
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house.</I>
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(2.) The title of it: <I>The Acts of the Apostles; of the holy
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Apostles,</I> so the Greek copies generally read it, and so they are
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called,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+18:20">Rev. xviii. 20</A>,
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<I>Rejoice over her you holy apostles.</I> One copy inscribes it,
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<I>The Acts of the Apostles by Luke the Evangelist.</I>
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[1.] It is the history of the apostles; yet there is in it the history
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of Stephen, Barnabas, and some other apostolical men, who, though not
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of the twelve, were endued with the same Spirit, and employed in the
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same work; and, of those that were apostles, it is the history of Peter
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and Paul only that is here recorded (and Paul was now of the twelve),
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Peter the apostle of the circumcision, and Paul the apostles of the
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Gentiles,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ga+2:7">Gal. ii. 7</A>.
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But this suffices as a specimen of what the rest did in other places,
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pursuant to their commission, for there were none of them idle; and as
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we are to think what is related in the gospels concerning Christ
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sufficient, because Infinite Wisdom thought so, the same we are to
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think here concerning what is related of the apostles and their
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labours; for what more is told us from tradition of the labours and
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sufferings of the apostles, and the churches they planted, is
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altogether doubtful and uncertain, and what I think we cannot build
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upon with any satisfaction at all. This is <I>gold, silver,</I> and
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<I>precious stones,</I> built upon the <I>foundation:</I> that is
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<I>wood, hay, and stubble.</I>
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[2.] It is called their <I>acts,</I> or <I>doings; Gesta
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apostolorum;</I> so some. <B><I>Praxeis</I></B>--their practices of
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the lessons their Master had taught them. The apostles where active
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men; and though the wonders they did were by the word, yet they are
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fitly called <I>their acts;</I> they spoke, or rather the Spirit by
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them <I>spoke, and it was done.</I> The history is filled with their
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sermons and their sufferings; yet so much did they labour in their
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preaching, and so voluntarily did they expose themselves to sufferings,
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and such were their achievements by both, that they may very well be
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called their <I>acts.</I></P>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1721)
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