Chapter 6:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 John Romans
Acts 6
Verse 1. There arose a murmuring - Here was the first breach made on
those who were before of one heart and of one soul. Partiality
crept in unawares on some; and murmuring on others. Ah Lord!
how short a time did pure, genuine, undefiled Christianity remain
in the world! O the depth! How unsearchable are thy counsels!
marvelous are thy ways, O King of saints! The Hellenists were
Jews born out of Palestine. They were so called, because they
used the Greek as their in other tongue. In this partiality of the
Hebrews, and murmuring of the Hellenists, were the needs of a
general persecution sown. Did God ever, in any age or country,
withdraw his restraining providence, and let loose the world upon
the Christians, till there was a cause among themselves? Is not an
open, general persecution, always both penal and medicinal? A
punishment of those that will not accept of milder reproofs, as
well as a medicine to heal their sickness? And at the same time a
means both of purifying and strengthening those whose heart is
still right with God.
Verse
2. It is not right that we should leave the word of God and serve
tables - In the first Church, the primary business of apostles,
evangelists, and bishops, was to preach the word of God; the
secondary, to take a kind of paternal care (the Church being then
like a family,) for the food, especially of the poor, the strangers,
and the widows. Afterward, the deacons of both sexes were
constituted for this latter business. And whatever time they had to
spare from this, they employed in works of spiritual mercy. But
their proper office was, to take care of the poor. And when some
of them afterward preached the Gospel, they did this not by virtue
of their deaconship, but of another commission, that of
evangelists, which they probably received, not before, but after
they were appointed deacons. And it is not unlikely that others
were chosen deacons, or stewards, in their room, when any of
these commenced evangelists.
Verse
3. Of good report - That there may be no room to suspect them of
partiality or injustice. Full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom - For it
is not a light matter to dispense even the temporal goods of the
Church. To do even this well, a large measure both of the gifts
and grace of God is requisite. Whom we will set over this
business - It would have been happy for the Church, had its
ordinary ministers in every age taken the same care to act in
concert with the people committed to their charge, which the
apostles themselves, extraordinary as their office was, did on this
and other occasions.
Verse
4. We will constantly attend to prayer, and to the ministry of the
word - This is doubtless the proper business of a Christian bishop:
to speak to God in prayer; to men in preaching his word, as an
ambassador for Christ.
Verse
5. And they chose - It seems seven Hellenists, as their names
show. And Nicholas a proselyte - To whom the proselytes would
the more readily apply.
Verse
7. And the word of God grew - The hindrances being removed.
Verse
9. There arose certain of the synagogue which is called - It was
one and the same synagogue which consisted of these several
nations. Saul of Cilicia was doubtless a member of it; whence it is
not at all improbable, that Gamaliel presided over it. Libertines -
So they were styled, whose fathers were once slaves, and
afterward made free. This was the ease of many Jews who had
been taken captive by the Romans.
Verse
14. We have heard him say - So they might. But yet the
consequence they drew would not follow.
Verse
15. As the face of an angel - Covered with supernatural lustre.
They reckoned his preaching of Jesus to be the Christ was
destroying Moses and the law; and God bears witness to him, with
the same glory as he did to Moses, when he gave the law by him.
Chapter 6:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Johnson
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| McGarvey Pendleton
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 John Romans
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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