« Out of that amazement, which ſo many wondet1ful thing; 1yq wrought in him, that he could not compoſe himfelfto rifles upon what he had heard and ſeen; he knew his deliverance was real 1nd effectual, e From Herod who had reſolved to have Killed him, x he had done James, wer. 2» and from the peoples expcQation, who _ heard the report of Heroa's reſolution, and longed tor the fulfilling OI 1f,
12 And when he had conſidered f the rhins, hecanc to the houſe of Mary the g mother of John, whoſe fur:
name was þ Mark ; where many were / gathered t:ge-
One
f
t ther, praying. f Peter being delivered, meditates upon the greatneſs of the danger c that he had been in, and the goodneſs of God that had delivered 0 him, and this whileſt walking in the ſtreer, and going along; no h place can exclude good thoughts, and holy meditation', g The o Mother is here deſc: ied by the Son, as the more known perlon ; fr here the parenr gains reputation, and to be remembred in this Scti- l; ptnre for her Sons fake. Thus a wiſe Son made a glad Mother, a I Prov 10. 7. h Some think, this was he that wrote the Goſpel call:d an by bis rame. 7 In this time of perſecution the Chriſtians met ſecret: a ly, and in |mai} numbers as they could ; theſe here mentioned, are chought to be private Chriſtians, becauſe it appears by the 17.4, an that Famcs, &c. were not there. i 13 Andas Peter knocked at the & door of the gate, a s damiel came / || to hearken, named Rhoda, [C fpo
& This was the outwardmoſt door to the Porch, or Court before py per the houſe. / Peing in a great fear ofa ſurpriſal, they ordered on? ;þ det to obſerve, and give an anſwer unto any that ſhoald come to [ir the houſe ; which was the more heedtully done, becauſe it was! art, an unſcaſonable rime of the night ; yer theſe holy men broke thi An reſt, and expoſed themſelves to many fears and dangers, rath! bear than not to allemt le ro ſerve God, when they could not lerve hun otherwile. Bn,
14 And when ſhe knew Peters voice, ſ1e opencd nt VO! the gate 2 for gladneſs, but ran in, and roid how Peri! _ ſtond before the gare.
m As one from her ſelf, not knowing what to do for gladnels, hi , Great and ſudden paſſions, have cauſed ſtrange exraſies, and death if Wy {e]f fomerimes : I he Spirits in grief lowing too faſt unto the heat þ Ca to fortifie it, and in joy leaving the heart as faſt, to meet the object I that caulſeth ir. U:roq
15 And they faid unto her, Thou art » mad. But "hi ſhe conſtantly affirmed that it was even ſo. Then fad :fin
,
they, It is o hs angel. pile
z Thou ſpeakeſt thou knoweſt not what ; thinking ber, out of cept « fear to have been diſcompoſed in her mind. o Some have thought, "Si that by Peter's Angel, no other was meant than tome Meſknget bows from Peter, which they might expe& from him in ſuch a calc as he vf Bay was in ; now though &1:aG, ( the word here ) ſignifies a Meta little , ger or an Angel, indifferently; yet how could Rhods then know be p'
it to have been Peter's voice? A meſlengers voice being (oJ0! _ like his that ſent him, than another mans. They did probably I, 24
mean, ſome Angel that had atſumed Pezer's ſhape, and 1mirate plie his voice: And the Jews having had a conſtant opinion, that at dT leaſt every good man hath a guardian Angel which God appoints Ours Þ
to him for a mzans of his preſervation; might be apt tO _—_— Plicd thar this wasthat Angel whoſe charge St. Perer was, Mar. 1% 1%
though :has Angel ſpoken of, Gen 48. 16. moſt probably m che
n,e