The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 145

llHlllifestly wrong; ..-oh µnf/71-ri'u 11re Christ's precious deposit (,rapa9~ ni), to be preserved ,lieriplea. For the goneral statement see 2 safe unto the day of Christ. So the Bnviour 'l'im. iii. 6, "They which creep into houses of tho world, when dying on tho cross, anid, 11n<l lead captive silly womou;" 11nd comp'. " Fnther, into thy hands I commend my Rom. ui. Ii, 18, which, aoeording to spirit" (Luke xxiii. 46), 1md then trustingly Hcnan, "'!'-8 11ddl'('seed to the Epbesinns. gnvc up the ghost (see too eh. xiv. 23). No For the r1ee of flllse teachers in Asia, see less benutifnl are the words which follow : I 'l'im. i. 3, 20; iv. 1-7; vi. 20 21 • 2 Tim. And to the word of hi.a grace. He wns think- i.15; iii.; iv.; 1 John ii. 26:'iv.'l, 8,5; ing of the grievous wolves, and of their perni- 11n<l through the whole Epistle; Rev. ii. cious doctrine; of the deceivers that should 1-7. e.rise, and their soul-destroying heresies ; Yer 81.- Where/ore Vllltah ye for 0--efore 11nd so he turns to the ono source of snfety ,ratch., A.V.: remembering for and remember, "the Word of God's gr,,ce in Jesus Christ." A.Y.; admonish for tDam, A.V. lly the If they e.re kept in that Word of truth, if spe.oe of three years (..-p ....-la11). The word they nourish their souls with tho.t sincere is only found here in the New Testnment; milk, they will bo safe. 'l'he gospel which but it is used in the LXX. of Isa. xv. 5 and he had preached would be their safety unto 2 Chron. xni. 16, and in classical Greek. the end. It would build them up on the We h11ve here one of the few chronological one Foundation which never can be moved ; ,h,ta in the Acts. Three years includes it would preserve them holy to take pos- the whole of his sojourn at Ephesus as his session of the inheritance of the saints in bead-quarters. There were first the three light. The inheritance (-r¾w 1e11.11,io11oµla11); montlis during which he preached in the comp. Eph. i. 14, 18; v. 5; and i. 11, i1ell.11- syllagoguc ; then the two years which he po,f/71µ,11. . In eh. xxvi. 18 it is 1el\.~po11 (as E!)C'Jt in preaching in the school of TyrannUB, in Col. i. 12), and the rry1aa-µl110, a.re un.i which terminated with the incident of further defined by the addition of 1ria-T.-. buruing the books of magic (eh. xi.x. 8, 10, rfi ,ls lµI, "by the faith which is in me" 19). 'l'hen there was an indefinite time (for the UBe of &')',c/.(ea8a,, comp. Heh. x. 10, described in oh. :riL 22 as " for a while" 14; 1 Cor. i. 2; vi.11, etc.). ( airros iwia7(_E xpd11011), during which he was Ver. SS.-Cotieted for have coveted, A.V. bllSy making plans, probably writing letters, Apparel. One of the items of an Oriental's scll(ilng off Timothy and Ers.atus to treasure for the purpose of gifts (2 Kings Macedonia, and perhaps me.king missionary v. 5, 22, 28, 26; Gen. xiv. 22; Matt. vi. expeditions in .the neighbourhood. This 19, 20). St. Paul contrasts his own ex- may have occupied three or four months ample in not seeking such gifts with the longer, and made up a term of two years and conduct of the fa.lee apostles who draw away six, seven, or eight months, which wonld disciples after them for gain (1 Tim. vi. quite justify the term .,.p,E..-i"- Every one. 5-10; Rom. xvi 17, 18; comp. 1 Cor. ix.). Each one separately, not merely the whole Ver. Si.-Ye for yea ye, A.V. and T.R.; ftock together. A weighty leason for every ministered for hatill ministered, A.V. These one who hns the cure of sonls (comp. John hands (see 1 Cor. iv. 12, written from L S). B'ight and da.y. The nigllt is men- Ephesna a few months before). tioned first, in accordance with Hebrew UB&ge Ver. 35.-In all things I gave you an (Gen. i 5, 8, 13, etc.; comp. the word ezample for I hatie showed you all things, 11vxfH/~po11 in 2 Cor. :Iii. 25). St. Paul A.V.; help for Bupport, A.V.; he himBelj for enforces the word "Watch," so appropriate he, A.V. In all things (irc/.eTa, for 1<a-ra. to shepherd.a who watch O'l'Elr their 1l.ocks by 1rc/.Jl'l'a, i.q. 1rd11Tt.0s); altogether, in all re- night (Luke ii 8), by his own example of apects. Gave you an example. The common admonishing by night as well as day. use of inro5el1<11vµ1 ill, as rendered in the Ver. 32.-Now for fWID brethren, A. V. and A.V., "to show," "to teach," as in eh. T.R. : Ui.e inheritance for an inheritance, A. V. ix. 16; Luke vi. 47; and repeatedly in the and T.B.; lkat for which, A.V. I commend LXX. But perhaps its force here is you to God (rapaTl8,µa, ~µas). A most equivalent to the phrase in John xiii 15, bea.ntifnl and signince.nt phrase I Tile inro5Et')'µa Ut.01ea vµw, "I have giveu you au apoBtle ill leaving for ever the 1l.ock which example that ye should do as I hnve done he had fed with 11uch devoted care and loved to yon," as the R.V. takes it. Bo labouring; with IIUCh a fervent love. He was leaving viz. as ye have seen me do. To help them with & s1.rong impression of the tha weak. Meyer, following Bengel and dangers to which they would be exposed. others, understands this to mean "the To whom conld he entrust them? to what weak in faith," like a.rr8wl,s in I Cor. i.x:. lo<ing bands conld he ooi.ilign them ? He 22. They say that St. Paul's self-denio.l in gives them to God, to take wat.chfnlcustody refusing the help he had a right to claim as of them. He brings them to him in the an apostle, and supporting himself by his prayer of faiih- He commits to him the labour, wu a great argument to oouvinoo O!J, XX. 1-88.] THE AOTB 011' THE APOSTLES, 149