þ Thus their good works juſtified their Faith, withour which ic had teen dead, Faztes 2. 24, 26. 9q Or rather, idle and 1; A'ts, as Judicial Aſtrology, calculating Nativities, and all Magical art, which the Epieſ7ans, of all others, were moſt addifed to, and famous for, and may be here called cyious Arts, becaule they were ſo called by the Epheſians, who prafiſed them ; as alſo becauſe theſe Arts are about Curioſities, nor neceſſary for us to knox, Ocherwiſe they are Dſabolical Arts, or rather devilith Cheats, 7 Theſe Books were not ſold, and the price of them brought unto the Apoſtles, becauſe ir was look'd upon as the price of a Whore, which was an abomination, and might not be offered unto God, Dent. 29. 18. s What this ſum amounts to, is not ſo certain, be- cauſe ir is not agreed what theſe pjeces were. Some make them Roman, or Grecian Coin 3; and others underſtand by them, Si4z!:, which are the Zewiſh money, and would make this ſum fo muck the greater, Take them for ſo many Pence, a piece of money com- monly ſo called, which weighed the Eighth part of an Ounce of Stlver 3 as Matth, 18. 28. they make 6250 Ounces of Silver, or ſo many Crowns, and ſo much more as Silver is worth more jr Ounce. Such indignation have true Converts againſt rhe fins they have been guilty of, that they will nor retain any thing chat might cccafion there rerurn unto them : Were it a right Eye, they ould
XIX
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20 So * mightily e grew the word of God, and pre- +; valled. "I
t The encreaſe which the ſeed of the Word had made, was ] very remarkable; or ir is a great inſtance of the power of Gods | word, when ir makes men willing to part with their beloved and k accuſtomed fins, and not ro ſtand upon faving or gaining 3 4 1 Iſa. 55+ IT.
21 © * Afrer theſe things were ended, Paul : propo- *Rog . ſed in the ſpirit, when he had paſſed through Macedo: Gil.t , nia, and w Achaia, to go to Jeruſalem, ſaying, After | c I have been there *, I muſt alſo ſee Rome. a
z Reſolved with himſelf, or purpoſed in his hearr, as Da. 1. 15 Yer in this his determination he had the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghoft, and that in a more than ordinary mMannet Þ as we may. ſee by the continued /eries of this Hiſtory, how Ne came to all theſe places here mentioned. mw Pay! traveic 0! through theſe Countries, and went ro theſe Cities, becauſe Ne 7 hoped for a greater Harveſt, where he might ſcatter the ſeed io far ny abroad, :
22 So he ſent into Macedonia two of them that * hi miniſtred unto him, Timotheus and y Eraſtus, # he ac himfelf ſtayed z in Aſia for a ſeaſon. SO
x This great Apoſtle had nor any to miniſter unto him out 9! th State, bur out of Neceſſity, being he could not himſelt arrend (0 Co all the Offices of the Church. Theſe were employed by Pa#:, Sj ſo much to procure any Accommodation for himſelt by che _ , do as to ſurther a collefion for the poor brethren at uh; Til
7, XX. The Jap | Cor. 9. 3, 4 ? There ſeem; to have bz2n two of rhis Name mentioned in $:ripture, Th-z one, Kom, 16. 23. andthe other, 2 Tim. 20, The later is here ſpoken of, 2 In Epheſus, which was in Aſia, where Paul now was. 4 9
ay 1.8.
þ.c.2, ahout 2 [| chat Way.
*h — all things feewed to have been quiet : fo incertain are the ſervants of Chriſt to have any quiet heie. z The DoQrine of the Go!pel ; as Chap. 18. 25. ;
24 For a certaia man named Demetrius,afilver-ſmith,
\.-.16, which made 4 {ilver ſhrines for Diana, brought * no
© {;nall gain untothe craftiſ-men, |
s Theſe thrines were only, either, . 1. Pourtraits of the Temple of Diana, 1N which was graven, or ( by any other Art) repreſented that famous Structure which was afterwards burnt by Eraſtrotus :
Or 24/p, They were Medals io which their Ido] D:ana was expreſled
according to. her Image, ſpoken of , wer. 35. And they are called
«re. Temples, or Shrines, becauſe they did reſemble and repreſent that Shrinz or Temple. And theſe the ſuperſtitious people carried
home to their houſes and friends ; not only to evidence whar a
pilgrimage they had performed, but to incite the more their devo-
A &E a
23 ©. And * the ſame time there aroſe ſo fmall ſtir |
| bly.
£ n ; VT” Char. ALIX. wa
32 S5ms therefore r cried ons thing, and ſome en0- cher : for the aſſembly was confuſed, and che more Part knew not wherefore they were coms together,
r An excellent deſcription of a popular rumuit. Whether thi: Aſſembly was afterwards madelegal by the Magiſt: ates retorting rhi- cher (though it was not called by their Authority,) and is theretor? callzd here, e&xzAnnz, 1s not fo uſeful to enQuire.
23 And they drew Alexander s outof the multitude,
che Jews putting him forward. And Alexander : beck- ened with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
s Where he could not be ſeen and hezrd, unto fome more con- venient place, from whence he might make a vindication or d:fence for them ; and that moſt likely in behalt of the Fcws, who were equally obnoxious to the rage of the people for being againſt their [dolatry, as the Chriſtians were. This A{:>ander is thought ro hay® been that Alexander of whom we read, 1 7im 1. 20.2 1i%. 4. 19. though ſome think that this was another of chat name. z; To pro- cure ſilence; as Chap. 12. 17. |