A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Acts

Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 334,323 words · 428 reading sections

SECTION 301

Acts 20:8

Acts 20:8 Ver. 8. And there were many lights in the upper chamber,.... Which were lighted up, both for necessary uses, to see by, to read the word, and to administer the ordinance of the supper, and for the comfort and pleasure of the whole company, both preacher and hearers; as well as to remove all ground of suspici…

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SECTION 302

Acts 20:9

Acts 20:9 Ver. 9. And there sat in a window a certain young man,.... In the upper room, where he placed himself, either for air and refreshment, the chamber being suffocating, through the number of people, and of lights; or for want of room, the place being full: named Eutychus; a Greek name, which signifies one of g…

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SECTION 303

Acts 20:10

Acts 20:10 Ver. 10. And Paul went down,.... From the upper room, where they were assembled, into the court, yard, or street, where he fell; or into the lower room of the house, where he was brought when taken up. The apostle might see him fall, or he might be told of it, or he might have an intimation of it from the S…

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SECTION 304

Acts 20:11

Acts 20:11 Ver. 11. When he therefore was come up again,.... Into the upper room, where he was before, and where the disciples were gathered together: and had broken bread and eaten; administered the Lord's supper, and also eat for his bodily refreshment: and talked a long while: about the ordinance and the doctrine…

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SECTION 305

Acts 20:12

Acts 20:12 Ver. 12. And they brought the young man alive,.... Up into the upper room, and presented him alive to the disciples: and were not a little comforted; that is, the disciples, at the sight of the young man, who was taken up dead, not only for his sake, but chiefly because by this miracle the Gospel, which th…

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SECTION 306

Acts 20:13

Acts 20:13 Ver. 13. And we went before to ship,.... That is, Luke, the writer of this history, and the rest of the apostle's company, went before him to a ship, which lay at Troas, and went aboard it: and sailed unto Assos; a city of Aeolia, or Mysia; and is said by Pliny to be the same with Apollonia; and which he p…

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SECTION 307

Acts 20:14

Acts 20:14 Ver. 14. And when he met with us at Assos,.... According to appointment: we took him in; to the ship, and so sailed on: and came to Mitylene; a city in Lesbos {u}, an island in the Aegean sea, now Metelino: sometimes the island is so called, and is about seven miles and a half from the continent: of this …

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SECTION 308

Acts 21:1

Acts 21:1 Ver. 1. And it came to pass, that after we had gotten from them,.... Which was with great difficulty, with many tears, and much wringing of hands: the word signifies that they were "plucked from" them; they clung about them, as husband and wife, and parents and children do; so strong were their affections; a…

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SECTION 309

Acts 21:2

Acts 21:2 Ver. 2. And finding a ship sailing over unto Phoenicia,.... For it seems that the ship they went aboard at Assos, Ac 20:13 went no further, at least in the way the apostle was going, than Patara; but lighting on another ship, which was bound for Phoenicia, for the city of Tyre, which bordered on the land of …

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SECTION 310

Acts 21:3

Acts 21:3 Ver. 3. Now when we had discovered Cyprus,.... An island, as the Syriac version here calls it, which lay between Syria and Cilicia; See Gill on "Ac 4:36"; and was, according to R. Benjamin {l}, four days sail from Rhodes, before mentioned: we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria; that part of it …

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SECTION 311

Acts 21:4

Acts 21:4 Ver. 4. And finding disciples,.... At Tyre, for the Gospel had been preached in Phoenicia by the ministers of the word, who were scattered by the persecution raised at the death of Stephen; and here were brethren, such as had believed in Christ, embraced and professed his Gospel, and were baptized in his nam…

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SECTION 312

Acts 21:5

Acts 21:5 Ver. 5. And when we had accomplished those days,.... The seven days before mentioned: we departed and went our way; from their quarters where they lodged, or from some one house of the disciples, where they met, and had conversed together: and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till w…

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SECTION 313

Acts 21:6

Acts 21:6 Ver. 6. And when we had taken our leave one of another,.... The Alexandrian copy reads, "having prayed, we saluted one another"; with a kiss, as in Ac 20:37 and so parted: we took ship; or went aboard the ship, and they returned home again; to their own houses, as the Syriac version renders it; for by "the…

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SECTION 314

Acts 21:7

Acts 21:7 Ver. 7. And when we had finished our course from Tyre,.... Or sailed from thence, we came to Ptolemais: the Syriac version calls it "Aco" or "Acu": and the Arabic version, "Aco"; and Ptolemais, according to Pliny {x} and Harpocratian {y}, was called Ace. Frequent mention is made of Aco in the Jewish writing…

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SECTION 315

Acts 21:8

Acts 21:8 Ver. 8. And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed,.... From Ptolemais, as Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Timotheus, Tychicus, Trophimus, and Luke, the writer of this history; see…

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SECTION 316

Ac 20:4

Ac 20:4 and came unto Caesarea; not Caesarea Philippi, mentioned in Mt 16:13 but that Caesarea which was formerly called Strato's tower, and was a very good sea port; see Ac 8:40. and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist; not a writer of a Gospel, but a preacher of the Gospel, and perhaps not an ordinar…

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SECTION 317

Acts 21:9

Acts 21:9 Ver. 9. And the same man had four daughters,.... So that he was a married man, which may be observed against the Papists, who forbid marriage to ecclesiastics: and they were, virgins: not under any vow of virginity, but they had not as yet changed their state of life, and were pure and incorrupt: which did…

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SECTION 318

Acts 21:10

Acts 21:10 Ver. 10. And as we tarried there many days,.... How many days is not said, it could not be very many, if the apostle got to Jerusalem by Pentecost, as he desired, Ac 20:6 there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus; of whom mention is made in Ac 11:28 who is there said to come from Jerusalem,…

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SECTION 319

Acts 21:11

Acts 21:11 Ver. 11. And when he was come unto us,.... In Philip's house: he took Paul's girdle and bound his own hands and feet; and so prophesied by types and symbols, and gestures, as the prophets of old did; as Isaiah in Isa 20:2 and Jeremiah in Jer 13:1, and Ezekiel in Eze 4:1 and Hosea in Ho 1:2, some understand…

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SECTION 320

Acts 22:1

Acts 22:1 Ver. 1. Men, brethren, and fathers,.... A common form of address used by the Jews; see Ac 7:2 but that the apostle should introduce his speech to these people in this manner, after they had treated him so inhumanly, as to drag him out of the temple, and beat him so unmercifully, is remarkable, and worthy of …

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SECTION 321

Acts 22:2

Acts 22:2 Ver. 2. And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them,.... See Gill on "Ac 21:40". they kept the more silence; it being their mother tongue, and which they best understood; and which the captain and the Roman soldiers might not so well under stand; and chiefly because the Hellenistic langua…

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SECTION 322

Acts 22:3

Acts 22:3 Ver. 3. I am verily a man which am a Jew,.... By birth, a thorough genuine one; an Hebrew of the Hebrews, both by father and mother side, both parents being Jews, and so a true descendant from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia; See Gill on "Ac 21:39". yet brought up in this city;…

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SECTION 323

Acts 22:4

Acts 22:4 Ver. 4. And I persecuted this way unto the death,.... That is, the Christian religion, and the professors of it; whom the apostle breathed out threatenings and slaughter against, haled out of their houses, and committed to prison; consented to their death, as he did to Stephen's; and whenever it was put to t…

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SECTION 324

Acts 22:5

Acts 22:5 Ver. 5. As also the high priest doth bear me witness,.... Either Annas, or Caiaphas, who was at that time high priest; and it should seem by this, that he was still in being; or else that the apostle had preserved his letter, written with his own hand, which he was able to produce at any time, as a testimony…

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SECTION 325

Acts 22:6

Acts 22:6 Ver. 6. And it came to pass, that as I made my journey,.... And had almost made an end of it: and was come nigh unto Damascus; about a mile from it, as some say, about noon; this circumstance is omitted in the account in Ac 9:3 and is mentioned here, not so much to inform what time of day it was, that Saul…

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SECTION 326

Acts 22:7

Acts 22:7 Ver. 7. And I fell unto the ground,.... And so did those that were with him, Ac 26:14. And heard a voice, saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? See Gill on "Ac 9:4".…

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SECTION 327

Acts 22:9

Acts 22:9 Ver. 9. And they that were with me saw indeed the light,.... For it shone about them, as well as Saul: and were afraid; the Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions, have not this clause; but it stands in the Arabic and Ethiopic versions; the suddenness, greatness, and extraordinariness of t…

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SECTION 328

Acts 22:10

Acts 22:10 Ver. 10. And I said, what shall I do, Lord?.... See Gill on "Ac 9:6".…

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SECTION 329

Acts 22:11

Acts 22:11 Ver. 11. And when I could not see for the glory of that light,.... Which was above the brightness of the sun, and so dazzled his eyes, that he could not see his way into the city, some of his company took him by the hand, and led him: and being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came unto Damascu…

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SECTION 330

Acts 22:12

Acts 22:12 Ver. 12. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law,.... The Alexandrian copy, and Vulgate Latin version, read only, "a man according to the law"; one whose walk, life, and conversation, were agreeable to it: a strict observer of the law of Moses, both moral and ceremonial: he not only lived a holy …

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SECTION 331

Acts 22:13

Acts 22:13 Ver. 13. Came unto me,.... Being at the house of Judas, in that street of Damascus called Straight, Ac 9:11 and stood; at the side of him, or by him, putting his hands on him: and said unto me, brother Saul; See Gill on "Ac 9:17". receive thy sight, "or look up", and the same hour I looked up upon him; t…

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SECTION 332

Acts 22:14

Acts 22:14 Ver. 14. And he said, the God of our fathers hath chosen thee,.... From all eternity, in his everlasting purposes and decrees; or "he hath taken thee into his hand"; in order to form, and fit, and qualify him for his service; and may design both his call by grace, and to apostleship. The apostle represents …

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SECTION 333

Acts 22:15

Acts 22:15 Ver. 15. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men,.... Gentiles as well as Jews, an eye and an ear witness to them; of what thou hast seen and heard; as that he saw him personally and alive, and so could witness to the truth of his resurrection; for after he had been seen by all the apostles, he was last…

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SECTION 334

Acts 22:16

Acts 22:16 Ver. 16. And now why tarriest thou?.... Though it might not be the apostle's case, yet it is often the case of many, to procrastinate and delay obedience to the commands of Christ, and particularly to the ordinance of baptism: the reasons of which delay are, the strength of their corruptions, and the weakne…

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SECTION 335

Acts 22:17

Acts 22:17 Ver. 17. And it came to pass, that when I was come again to Jerusalem,.... Which was three years after his conversion; for he did not immediately return to Jerusalem, but went into Arabia; and when he returned to Damascus, which was three years after he came to Jerusalem; see Ga 1:17 even while I prayed in…

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SECTION 336

Acts 22:18

Acts 22:18 Ver. 18. And I saw him saying unto me,.... That is, the Lord Jesus Christ, that just One, whom he had seen in his way to Damascus, and whose voice he had heard, and whose name he had called upon at his baptism: make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: not because his life was in danger, but becau…

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SECTION 337

Acts 23:1

Acts 23:1 Ver. 1. And Paul earnestly beholding the council,.... Fastening his eyes upon them, looking wistly and intently at them, and thereby discovering a modest cheerfulness, and a becoming boldness, confidence, and intrepidity, as being not conscious of any guilt, and well assured of the goodness of his cause: sa…

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SECTION 338

Acts 23:2

Acts 23:2 Ver. 2. And the high priest Ananias,.... This could not be the same with Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, but rather Ananus his son; though this is more generally thought to be Ananias the son of Nebedaeus, whom Josephus {m} speaks of. There is one R. Ananias, the sagan of the priests, often spoken of i…

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SECTION 339

Acts 23:3

Acts 23:3 Ver. 3. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee,.... Which may be considered either as a prophecy of what would be, that God would smite him with some judgment here, or with death quickly, or with eternal damnation hereafter; taking up his own words, and suggesting that a retaliation would be made, and…

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SECTION 340

Acts 23:4

Acts 23:4 Ver. 4. And they that stood by,.... The members of the sanhedrim that were next to the apostle; or the servants of the high priest, since they are said to stand, whereas those of that court sat: said, revilest thou God's high priest? which seems to confirm that the apostle's words were not a bare prediction…

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SECTION 341

Acts 23:5

Acts 23:5 Ver. 5. Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest,.... Or I did not know that he was the high priest; and the sense is, that he did not really know him, either because he had been long absent from Jerusalem; and besides there were new high priests made, sometimes every year, and somet…

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SECTION 342

Acts 23:6

Acts 23:6 Ver. 6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees,.... That is, that one part of the sanhedrim consisted of Sadducees, which was often the case; sometimes the high priest was of this sect, as Ananias probably was, and sometimes the greater part of the sanhedrim were Sadducees, and even sometim…

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SECTION 343

Acts 23:7

Acts 23:7 Ver. 7. And when he had so said,.... He stopped and made a pause: and there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; about the things which he had spoken of, particularly the resurrection of the dead; and this was what the apostle intended, so that his end was answered by the speech he ma…

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SECTION 344

Acts 23:8

Acts 23:8 Ver. 8. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection,.... Of the dead, being ignorant of the Scriptures, and the power of God; see Mt 22:23. neither angel nor spirit; the Ethiopic version reads, "nor Holy Spirit": but the sense seems to be, that they did not believe any such species of beings as ange…

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SECTION 345

Acts 23:9

Acts 23:9 Ver. 9. And there arose a great cry,.... Or noise, a loud clamour; they began to be very noisy, and to talk loud, and in high spirits, one against another: and the Scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose; there were Scribes in the sanhedrim, and these were some of them on the side of the Sadducees, a…

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SECTION 346

Acts 23:10

Acts 23:10 Ver. 10. And when there arose a great dissension,.... When that was come to a very great height, hot words were spoken, and they were ready to come to blows, and there was like to be a riot and tumult among them: the chief captain fearing lest Paul should be pulled in pieces of them; either of the Sadducee…

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SECTION 347

Acts 23:11

Acts 23:11 Ver. 11. And the night following,.... The day in which Paul was brought before the sanhedrim, and pleaded his own cause before them, and had thrown them into confusion and division: the Lord stood by him; the Lord Jesus Christ appeared in a vision to him, and stood very near him, by the side of him, by the…

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SECTION 348

Acts 23:12

Acts 23:12 Ver. 12. And when it was day,.... As soon as it was light, very early in the morning: certain of the Jews banded together; these very likely were of the sect of the Sadducees, who had been exceedingly irritated and provoked by what Paul had said the day before in the council; these therefore gathered toget…

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SECTION 349

Acts 24:1

Acts 24:1 Ver. 1. And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders,.... From Jerusalem to Caesarea: these five days are to be reckoned not from the seizing of Paul in the temple, but from his coming to Caesarea; the Alexandrian copy reads, "after some days", leaving it undetermined how many: the h…

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SECTION 350

Acts 24:2

Acts 24:2 Ver. 2. And when he was called forth,.... Not Tertullus the orator; for this is not to be understood of him, and of his being admitted to speak, as is thought by some, but the Apostle Paul; which is put out of doubt by the Vulgate Latin version, which reads, "and Paul being cited"; he was ordered to be broug…

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SECTION 351

Acts 24:3

Acts 24:3 Ver. 3. We accept it always, and in all places,.... The sense is, that the Jews observed with pleasure the provident care the governor took of their nation, and at all times spoke well of him; and wherever they came commended his conduct, and owned the favours they received from him, and the blessings they e…

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SECTION 352

Acts 24:4

Acts 24:4 Ver. 4. Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee,.... Suggesting, that he could say a great deal more under this head, but, for brevity sake, should omit it; and because he would not tire his patience, and hinder business going forward: I pray thee, that thou wouldst hear us of thy clemency …

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SECTION 353

Acts 24:5

Acts 24:5 Ver. 5. For we have found this man a pestilent fellow,.... Pointing to Paul, the prisoner at the bar; the word here used signifies the "pest" or "plague" itself; and it was usual with orators among the Romans, when they would represent a man as a very wicked man, as dangerous to the state, and unworthy to li…

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SECTION 354

Acts 24:6

Acts 24:6 Ver. 6. Who also hath gone about to profane the temple,.... By introducing a Greek into it; see Ac 21:28 which was only a supposition and conjecture of the Asiatic Jews, and was a false and groundless one: whom we took; as they did in the temple, and dragged him out of it: and would have judged according t…

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SECTION 355

Acts 24:7

Acts 24:7 Ver. 7. But the chief captain Lysias came upon us,.... Suddenly, and at unawares, immediately, and with great haste, before they could execute their designs; which were not to judge Paul according to law, but to kill him, in the manner the zealots did: and with great violence took him away out of our hands;…

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SECTION 356

Acts 24:8

Acts 24:8 Ver. 8. Commanding his accusers to come unto thee,.... But this was not done till after Paul had set forth his case before the people, upon the stairs leading to the castle: and after he had pleaded his own cause before the sanhedrim; and after the chief captain had had intelligence of the Jews lying in wait…

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SECTION 357

Acts 24:9

Acts 24:9 Ver. 9. And the Jews also assented,.... That is, Ananias the high priest, and the elders that were with him, agreed to what Tertullus said, and confirmed the same. Saying, that these things were so; that Paul was such a person, and was guilty of the crimes he had set forth; and that the chief captain had ta…

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SECTION 358

Acts 24:10

Acts 24:10 Ver. 10. Then Paul, after the governor had beckoned unto him to speak,.... Tertullus having finished his account, Paul was silent to his charge and calumnies, until the governor beckoned with his hand or head, or made some sign to him to speak for himself; which he might not do, until leave was given him; a…

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SECTION 359

Acts 24:11

Acts 24:11 Ver. 11. Because that thou mayest understand,.... By what Paul now asserted, and by the witnesses which he could produce to certify the truth of it: that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship; that is, from the time that he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, to the pres…

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SECTION 360

Acts 24:12

Acts 24:12 Ver. 12. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man,.... Either about civil or religious affairs: not that it was criminal to dispute in the temple; it was a common thing for the doctors to dispute about matters of religion, in the porches, and courts, and chambers of the temple, as it m…

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Source & rights

Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.

Project Gutenberg source record →

Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.