same scripture, and tion in Christ, Philip began and preached to him the preached unto him whole Christian faith.

Jesus.

36 And as they 36. And the eunuch was by him brought to the went on their way, faith, and desired baptism of him.

they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou

mayest. And he an

swered and said, 'I I believe these prophecies of the Messiah to be believe that Jesus fulfilled in Christ, and consequently that he is the Christ is the Son of Son of God.

God.

priest,

k an angel (see note [f]) of the Lord

CHAP. IX.

AND Saul, yet 1, 2. But the death of Stephen did not satiate the breathing out threatenings and slaugh- bloody mind that was in Saul, or allay his zeal against ter against the dis- Christians, but being very intent upon it, he came ciples of the Lord, to the sanhedrim at Jerusalem, and desired the high went unto the high priest to give him letters of commission to the con2 And desired of sistories of other cities of Syria, (as being under Jeruhim letters to Da- salem, the grand metropolis of Syria, as well as mascus to the 'syna- Judæa,) and his commission was to empower him, ver. gogues, that if he 14, to seize Christians whatever, and secure found any of this upon any way, whether they them, and bring them up to Jerusalem to be judged were men or women, by the sanhedrim there.

he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined

a

a

a bright shining cloud (such as Matt. xvii. 5.) round about him a encompassed him. light from heaven:

4 And he fell to 4. And it struck him with great terror, as at the the earth, and heard presence of God, which he knew was wont thus to a voice saying unto exhibit himself. This made him fall prostrate on his him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thoume? face, and as he did so, there came to his ears a clap of 5 And he said, Who thunder, and out of that this speech directed to him, art thou, Lord? And Saul, Saul

the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: bit is

bit is thy best way to be obedient to the commands

hard for thee [a] to that shall now be given thee, and not to be refractory.

kick against the

2 pricks.

6 And he trembling

and astonished said,

c Lord, what wilt

I am most ready to do whatever thou command

thou have me to do? est me, if thou wilt please to give me knowledge of

And the Lord said

unto him, Arise, and thy will. And the Lord

go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7 And the men which journeyed with him d stood

d were so frighted with the thunderclap which speechless, [b]hear- they heard, (though they neither saw any man nor ing a voice, but see- heard what was said unto him,) that they were not ing no man. 8 And Saul arose able to speak.

from the earth; and

when his eyes were

e

opened, he saw no

e was not able to see, ver. 9, but was fain to be

man: but they led led to Damascus.

him by the hand,

and brought him in

to Damascus.

9 And he was three 9. And he was not in three days recovered out of days without sight, that fit, but continued blind, and able to eat nothing, and neither did eat in a kind of trance or ecstasy, ver. 12.

nor drink.

IO And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

2 goads, Kévтpa.

3 hearing indeed the voice, or, thunder.

quire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: 'for, behold, he prayeth,

f who having earnestly prayed that he may recover his sight, in his prayer hath been in an ecstasy, and therein had it revealed to him, that one Ananias should come in, and by bare laying hands on him, ing in, and putting recover his sight.

12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias com

his hand on him,

that he might receive his sight.

13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints

at Jerusalem:

14 And here he 14. And now he is come with commission from the hath authority from sanhedrim (see ver. 2.) to secure all that publicly the chief priests to avow the worship of Christ, Acts xxii. 16.

bind all that call on

thy name.

15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is ga chosen vessel un

name

a prime special person, whom as a most honourto me, to bear my able instrument, or piece of householdstuff in my before the family, (the church, which I am now to erect,) I Gentiles, and kings, have set apart for my peculiar service, (see ch. xxvi. and the children of 17,) viz., to preach the gospel not only to the Jews 16 For I will shew but the Gentiles also, the greatest and supreme among

Israel:

him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

them.

29,

16. And as fierce as he now appears against the Christian faith, he shall suffer very heavy pressures, 17 And Ananias run many hazards suddenly, vv. 23 and went his way, and and labour entered into the most abundantly, and at last suffer death itself in prohouse; and putting pugning of it, and this shall now be foretold him by his hands on him thee.

the Lord, even Jesus,

said, Brother Saul, 17. And Ananias went to him, and laying his hands that appeared unto on him, told him that Jesus (that appeared to him as thee in the way as he came to Damascus) had sent him to him, not only thou camest, hath to restore his sight to him, but to endow him with sent me, that thou many extraordinary gifts and graces, thereby to fit mightest receive thy him for God's service in the church, to which he had sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. designed him, and to which he is consecrated, ch. 18 And immediately xiii. 2.

4 nations, ἐθνῶν.

there fell from his

eyes as it had been scales: hand he re1 and he recovered his sight immediately, and was ceived sight forth- baptized. with, and arose, and was baptized.

tain days with the

19, 20. And taking food after his long fasting he 19 And when he soon recovered strength perfectly. Soon after this he had received meat, went from Damascus into Arabia, Gal. i. 17, (of which he was strengthened. journey Luke, being not with him, makes no menThen was Saul cer- tion,) and from thence returned again to Damascus, disciples which were and having spent some time with those Jewish Christat Damascus. ians which were driven from Jerusalem (ch. viii. 1.) to 20 And straightway Damascus, by virtue of his call from heaven, and of he preached Christ Christ's message by Ananias to him, vv. 15, 16, and in the synagogues, being filled with the Holy Ghost, ver. 17, he set presently about the preaching of the gospel, and that 21 But all that publicly in the Jewish synagogues, and proclaimed heard him were a- that Christ was indeed the Messias, the eternal Son mazed, and said; Is of God.

that he is the Son of

God.

not this he that de

stroyed them which

21.

And all that heard it were amazed at this sudcalled on this name den change, remembering that he had so lately been in Jerusalem, and a special person in the stoning of Stephen, and very came hither for that vehement against all Christians, and was come to Dabring them bound mascus with commission for this very purpose.

intent, that he might

unto the chief priests?

22 But Saul in

founded the Jews

22. But Saul grew every day in spiritual strength, creased the more in and was soon able to repel all the Jews' arguments to strength, and con- the contrary, and pressed them with such evidence which dwelt at Da- that they were not able to avoid, collecting from the mascus, [e]proving characters and prophecies of the Messias (and therethat this is very by demonstrating) that this Jesus is the Messias.

Christ.

23 ¶ And after that

many days were ful

filled, the Jews 'took i had a design, and entered into a conspiracy, and counsel to kill him: laid wait to assault and kill him.

24 But their lay

ing await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

25 Then the dis- k the Christians (see note [a] Matt. v.) took him

ciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they

1 Christians there, but they durst not venture to

teaching.

were all afraid of associate with him, not believing that he was a Chris

him, and believed tian.

not that he was a disciple.

27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had m preached

m openly, or in the assembly, ver. 20, preached to

boldly at Damascus the people (see note [a] John vii.) the gospel of

in the name of Je

sus.

28 And he was with

Christ.

them "coming in and n employed in the works of this sacred calling of going out at Jeru- his at Jerusalem.

salem.

29 And he spake 29. And he proclaimed the faith of Christ publicly, boldly in the name and argued and discoursed with the Jews that underof the Lord Jesus, stood Greek (see note [a] ch. vi.): but they―

and 6 disputed a

gainst the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.

• the city where he was born.

30 Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, and sent him forth to "Tarsus. 31 Then had the 31. Now all the Christian assemblies through churches rest Judæa, Galilee, and Samaria, were permitted a quiet throughout all Judæa and Galilee and use of their religion, and daily more and more conSamaria, and were firmed and improved, superstructing all Christian [d]edified; and walk- doctrine, and pure pious practice on that foundation ing in the fear of the already laid, and more were daily converted to them Lord, and in the by the apostles' discharging that office and duty, to comfort of the Holy which they were designed by the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, upon them: (see note [b] 32 ¶ And it came John xiv.)

Ghost, were multi

plied.

to pass, as Peter

32. And as Peter went his perambulation thorough passed throughout all those churches he came to the Jewish Christians

all quarters, he came

down also to the that dwelt at Lydda.

saints which dwelt

at Lydda.

33 And there he found a certain man named Æneas, which

P being sick of the palsy, was not able to move

" had kept his bed from his bed for the space of eight years.

6 spake and disputed, ἐλάλει τε καὶ συνεζήτει. the admonition or exhorting, τῇ παρακλήσει. βάτῳ.

7 the Hellenists, τοὺς Ἑλληνιστάς.

s by

9

was laid on a bed, κατακείμενον ἐπὶ κραβ