Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/52

46 apostles' feet. 3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4. While it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband, are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

The chapter begins with a melancholy but, which puts a stop to the pleasant and agreeable prospect of things which we had in the foregoing chapters; as every man, so every church, in its best state, has its but. 1. The disciples were very holy, and heavenly, and seemed to be all exceeding good; but there were hypocrites among them, whose hearts were not right in the sight of God, who, when they were baptized, and took upon them the form of godliness, denied the power of godliness, and stopped short of that. There is a mixture of bad with good in the best societies on this side heaven; tares will grow among the wheat until the harvest. 2. It was the praise of the disciples, that they came up to that perfection which Christ recommended to the rich young man—they sold what they had, and gave to the poor; but even that proved a cloak and cover of hypocrisy, which was thought the greatest proof and evidence of sincerity. 3. The signs and wonders which the apostles wrought, were hitherto miracles of mercy; but now comes in a miracle of judgment, and here is an instance of severity, following the instances of goodness, that God may be both loved and feared. Observe here,

I. The sin of Ananias, and Sapphira his wife. It is good to see husband and wife joining together in that which is good, but to be confederate in evil, is to be like Adam and Eve, when they agreed to eat the forbidden fruit, and were one in their disobedience.

Now their sin was,

1. That they were ambitious of being thought eminent disciples, and of the first rank, when really they were not true disciples; they would pass for some of the most fruitful trees in Christ's vineyard, when really the root of the matter was not found in them. They sold a possession, and brought the money (as Barnabas did) to the apostles' feet, that they might not seem to be behind the very chief of believers, but might be applauded and cried up, and stand so much the fairer for preferment in the church, which perhaps they thought would shortly shine in secular pomp and grandeur. Note, It is possible that hypocrites may deny themselves in one thing, but then it is to serve themselves in another; may forego their secular advantage in one instance, with a prospect of finding their account in something else. Ananias and Sapphira would take upon them a profession of Christianity, and make a fair shew in the flesh with it, and so would mock God, and deceive others, when they knew they could, not go through with the christian profession. It was commendable, and so far it was right, in that rich young man, that he would not pretend to follow Christ, when, if it should come to a pinch, he knew he could not come up to his terms, but he went away sorrowful. Ananias and Sapphira pretended they could come up to the terms, that they might have the credit of being disciples, when really they could not, and so were a discredit to discipleship. Note, It is often of fatal consequence for people to go a greater length in profession than their inward principle will admit of.

2. That they were covetous of the wealth of the world, and distrustful of God, and his providence; They sold the land, and, perhaps, then, in a pang of zeal, designed no other than to dedicate the whole of the purchase-money to pious uses, and made a vow, or at least conceived a full purpose, to do so; but when the money was received, their heart failed them, and they kept back part of the price, (v. 2.) because they loved the money, and thought it was too much to part with at once, and to trust in the apostles' hands, and because they knew not but they might want it themselves; and though now all things were common, yet it would not be so long; and what should they do in a time of need, if they should leave themselves nothing to take to? They could not take God's word that they should be provided for, but thought they would play a wiser part than the rest had done, and lay up for a rainy day. Thus they thought to serve both God and mammon—God, by bringing part of the money to the apostles' feet—and mammon, by keeping the other part in their own pockets; as if there were not an all-sufficiency in God to make up the whole to them, except they retained some in their own hands by way of caution-money. Their hearts were divided, so were they found faulty, Hos. 10. 2. They halted between two; if they had been thorough-paced worldlings, they would not have sold their possession; and if they had been thorough-paced christians, they would not have detained part of the price.

3. That they thought to deceive the apostles, and make them believe they brought the whole purchase money, when really it was but a part. They came with as good an assurance, and as great a shew of piety and devotion, as any of them, and laid the money at the apostles' feet, as if it were their all. They dissembled with God and his Spirit, with Christ and his church and ministers; and this was their sin.

II. The indictment of Ananias, which proved both his condemnation and execution for this sin. When he brought the money, and expected to be commended and encouraged, as others were, Peter took him to task about it. He, without any inquiry or examination of witnesses concerning it, charges him peremptorily with the crime, and aggravates it, and lays load upon him for it, shewing it him in its own colour, v. 3, 4. The Spirit of God in Peter, not only discovered the fact without any information, (when perhaps no man in the world knew it but the man and his wife themselves,) but likewise