Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Acts
Book: Acts
Chapter: 6
Overview:
The appointment of deacons.
(1-7) Stephen falsely accused of
Blasphemy.
(8-15)
1-7 Hitherto the disciples had been of one accord; this often
had been noticed to their honour; but now they were multiplied,
they began to murmur. The
Word of God was enough to take up all
the thoughts, cares, and time of the apostles. The persons
Chosen to serve
Tables must be duly qualified. They must be
filled with
Gifts and graces of the
Holy Ghost, necessary to
rightly managing this trust; men of
Truth, and hating
Covetousness. All who are employed in the service of the
Church,
ought to be commended to the Divine
Grace By the prayers of the
Church. They blessed them in the name of the
Lord. The
Word and
Grace of
God are greatly magnified, when those are wrought upon
By it, who were least likely.
8-15 When they could not answer
Stephen's arguments as a
disputant, they prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false
witnesses against him. And it is next to a
Miracle of
Providence, that
No greater number of religious persons have
been murdered in the world,
By the way of perjury and pretence
of
Law, when
So many
Thousands hate them, who make
No Conscience
of false oaths.
Wisdom and
Holiness make a
Man's
Face to shine,
yet will not secure men from being treated badly. What shall we
say of
Man, a rational being, yet attempting to uphold a
religious system
By false
Witness and
Murder! And this has been
done in numberless instances. But the blame rests not
So much
upon the understanding, as upon the
Heart of a fallen
Creature,
which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Yet
the servant of the
Lord, possessing a clear
Conscience, cheerful
Hope, and Divine consolations, may smile in the midst of danger
and
Death.