Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/99

Rh had entered into by prayer. He had, in prayer, spread the misery of his own case before God ; and God presently manifests himself, and the kind intentions of his grace to him; and it is very encouraging to know God's thoughts to usward. [2.] As designed to raise his expectations, and to make Ananias's coming more welcome to him. He would readily receive him as a messenger from God, when he was told beforehand, in vision, that one of that name would come to him. See what a great thing it is to bring a spiritual physician and his patient together: here are two visions in order to it! When God, in his providence, does it without visions, brings a messenger to the afflicted soul, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness, it must be acknowledged with thankfulness to his praise.

II. Ananias objects against going to him, and the Lord answers the objection. See how condescendingly the Lord admits his servant to reason with him.

1. Ananias pleads, that this Saul was a notorious persecutor of the disciples of Christ, v. 13, 14. (1.) He had been so at Jerusalem; "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, what a malicious enemy he is to the gospel of Christ: all those that were scattered upon the late persecution, many of whom are come to Damascus, tell how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem; that he was the most virulent, violent persecutor of all the rest, and a ringleader in the mischief; what havoc he has made of the church: there was no man they were more afraid of, no, not the High-Priest himself, than of Saul; nay," (2.) "His errand to Damascus at this time is to persecute us christians; here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name; to treat the worshippers of Christ as the worst of criminals." Now, why does Ananias object this? Not, "Therefore I do not owe him so much service. Why should I do him a kindness, who has done and designed us so much unkindness?" No, Christ has taught us another lesson, to render good for evil, and pray for our persecutors; but, if he be such a persecutor of christians, [1.] Will it be safe for Ananias to go to him? Will he not throw himself like a lamb into the mouth of a lion? And if he thus bring himself into trouble, he will be blamed for his indiscretion. [2.] Will it be to any purpose to go to him? Can such a hard heart ever be softened, or such an Ethiopian ever change his skin?

2. Christ over-rules the objection; (v. 15, 16.) "Do not tell me how bad he has been, I know it very well; but go thy way with all speed, and give him all the help thou canst, for he is a chosen vessel, or instrument, unto me; I design to put confidence in him, and then thou needest not fear him." He was a vessel in which the gospel-treasure should be lodged, in order to the conveyance of it to many; an earthen vessel, (2 Cor. 4. 7.) but a chosen vessel. The vessel God uses, he himself chooses; and it is fit he should himself have the choosing of the instruments he employs; (John 15. 16.) Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you. He is a vessel of honour, and must not be neglected in his present forlorn condition, or thrown away as a despised broken vessel, or a vessel in which there is no pleasure: he is designed, (1.) For eminent services: He is to bear my name before the Gentiles, is to be the apostle of the Gentiles, and to carry the gospel to heathen nations. Christ's name is the standard to which souls must be gathered, and under which they must be listed, and Saul must be a standard-bearer, he must bear Christ's name, must bear witness to it before kings, king Agrippa and Caesar himself; nay, he must bear it before the children of Israel, though there were so many hands already at work about them. (2.) For eminent sufferings; (v. 16.) I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. He that has been a persecutor, shall be himself persecuted. Christ's shewing him this, intimates either his bringing him to these trials, (as Ps. 60. 3.) Thou hast shewed thy people hard things, or his giving notice of them beforehand, that they might be no surprise to him. Note, Those that bear Christ's name, must expect to bear the cross for his name; and those that do most for Christ, are often called out to suffer most for him. Saul must suffer great things. This, one would think, was cold comfort for a young convert; but it is only like telling a soldier of a bold and brave spirit, when he is enlisted, that he shall take the field, and enter upon action, shortly. Saul's sufferings for Christ shall redound so much to the honour of Christ and the service of the church, shall be so balanced with spiritual comforts, and recompensed with eternal glories, that it is no discouragement to him to be told how great things he must suffer for Christ's name's sake.

III. Ananias presently goes on Christ's errand to Saul, and with good effect; he had started an objection against going to him, but when an answer was given to it, he dropped it, and did not insist upon it. When difficulties are removed, what have we to do, but to go on with our work, and not hang upon an objection?

1. Ananias delivered his message to Saul, v. 17. Probably, he found him in bed, and applied to him as a patient. (1.) He put his hands on him. It was promised, as one of the signs that shall follow them that believe, that they should lay hands on the sick, and they should recover, (Mark 16. 18.) and it was for that intent that he put his hands on him. Saul came to lay violent hands upon the disciples at Damascus, but here a disciple lays a helping, healing hand upon him. The blood-thirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul. (2.) He called him brother, because he was made a partaker of the grace of God, though not yet baptized; and his readiness to own him as a brother, intimated to him God's readiness to own him as a son, though he had been a blasphemer of God, and a persecutor of his children. (3.) He produces his commission from the same hand that had laid hold on him by the way, and now had him in custody. "That same Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, and convinced thee of thy sin in persecuting him, has now sent me to thee to comfort thee." Una eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit—The hand that wounded, heals. "His light struck thee blind, but he hath sent me to thee that thou mightest receive thy sight; for the design was not to blind thine eyes, but to dazzle them, that thou mightest see things by another light: he that then put clay upon thine eyes, hath sent me to wash them that they may be cured." Ananias might deliver his message to Saul very appositely in the prophet's words; (Hos. 6. 1, 2.) Come and turn to the Lord, for he hath torn, and he will heal thee; he hath smitten, and he will bind thee up; now after two days he will revive thee, and the third day he will raise thee up, and thou shalt live in his sight. Corrosives shall be no more applied, but lenitives. (4.) He assures him that he shall not only have his sight restored, but be filled with the Holy Ghost: he must himself be an apostle, and must in nothing come behind the chief of the apostles, and therefore must receive the Holy Ghost immediately, and not, as others did, by the interposition of the apostles; and Ananias's putting his hands upon him before he was baptized, was for the conferring of the Holy Ghost.

2. Ananias saw the good issue of his mission,

(1.) In Christ's favour to Saul. At the word of Ananias, Saul was discharged from his confinement by the restoring of his sight; for Christ's commission to open the prison to them that were bound, (Isa. 61. 1.) is explained by the giving of sight to