A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Part 2 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Of Paul and Barnabas at Iconium, Lyſtra, &c.
THIS is the Fourth Journey where theſe two Apoſtles Paul and Barnabas had their next Station, namely at Iconium, Acts 13.51. & 14.1. (a Town in Lycaonia near to that famous mountain Taurus) where they went both together into the Synagogue of the Jews, and ſo ſpake, that a great multitude both of the Jews, and alſo of the Greeks believed. This Bleſſed ſucceſs of the Goſpel did again Invenome the Venemous Minds of the Unbelieving Jews with rage againſt the Apoſtles: N.B. Yet as the more outragious were the Adverſaries, ſo the more couragious were the Apoſtles, verſe 2, 3. who ſhewed as great conſtancy in performing their duty, as their perſecutors did obſtinacy in perſecuting them for it: And no leſs were thoſe Diſciples (that came along with them from Perga to Antioch, and from thence to Iconium) notwithſtanding all oppoſition, filled with joy, Acts 13.52. having now the pardon of their ſins ſealed to them, the Aſſurance of the promiſe of their Eternal Salvation, and the Gifts of the Holy Ghoſt (which they had at that time) as an earneſt and pledge to confirm their Faith in both.
N.B. In this place the Apoſtles continued a time ſufficient for ſtrengthening the New-Converts in the Obedience of Faith, God the mean while ſtrengthning them alſo with miracles wrought by their hands, to confirm the Doctrine which they preached, that it was from God. Hereupon there aroſe a Schiſm [the multitude was divided] v. 4. N.B. Chriſt came not to ſend peace but a ſword, yet is he not the cauſe of diviſion, but the occaſion only, and that by accident too: So it is ſaid, that ſin is the occaſion, and not the cauſe that Grace aboundeth: Such as quarrel at the Holy Scriptures (becauſe the Ignorant and ſuch as are given up to believe lies do ground their damnable Doctrines, and deſtructive Hereſyes upon them) are like the People (call'd Atlantes) who do uſe to ſhoot their Arrows againſt the Sun, becauſe it ſcorches them with its hot Beams: God's Ordinances are not to be quarrelled with, becauſe by Man's Corruption they breed differences: The Bellum Sacramentarium or diſcord about that Sacrament of Love, was ſoon Kindled, but laſts long, 'tis a Fire that is not Quenched to this Day, &c.
N.B. This Diſmal Diviſion (ſuch as had been about Our Saviour Himſelf and his Doctrine, John 7.43.) like Thunder brought forth a dreadful Hail-ſhower, ſo that the Apoſtles were furiouſly aſſaulted both by Jews and Gentiles (backed with the Authority of the Magiſtrates whom thoſe ſuperſtitious Matrons (their wives) moſt malevolently prompted thereunto, ſo that they deſpightfully uſed them, and deſigned to ſtone them, verſe 5. which by a good providence being underſtood, N.B. They gave ground, verſe 6. Not ſo much to ſave their lives, but leaſt they ſhould trifle away their precious time unprofitably there where their Miniſtry was now obſtructed, and which they might ſpend to better purpoſe in another place. This Apoſtolical pattern doth warrant the practice of ſuch godly Miniſters as do flee from perſecution to reſerve themſelves for better times. It was both our Lord's Precept, Matth. 10.23. and his own practice alſo, Luke 4.30. John 8.59, &c.
N.B. Their ſhipping away to Lyſtra and Derbe made their fifth Journey, ver. 6. Theſe were Cities of Lycaonia alſo that lay farther up in the Countrey, where they preached the Goſpel, verſe 7. Thus their Perſecution in one place, procured the furtherance of the Goſpel (as Paul's phraſe is, Phil. 1.12.) in another place. Thouſands would never have heard of Chriſt, had not the Miniſters of Chriſt been driven by Perſecution among them: God would not permit evil to be, unleſs he knew how to extract ſome good out of that evil: He cauſeth the Sun, when it forſaketh one part of the habitable World, to ſhine upon another. N.B. The Apoſtles coming to Lyſtra and Preaching here, Paul obſerved a Poor Cripple extraordinary Attentive to the word, he perceived thereby through his prophetick Spirit that he had faith to be healed, tho' he was born lame and never had walked, verſe 8, 9. tho' his Defect in nature was incurable by Art, like the lame Man whom Peter healed, Acts 3.2, &c. yet had he Faith for his Cure which Unbelief would have hindered, Matth. 13.58. Mark 6.5. To this Cripple Paul ſpake with a loud voice (that all the People there preſent might hear and obſerve) ſaying, [Stand upright on thy feet, and he leaped and walked] verſe 10. N.B. For together with Paul's word there went forth a power, the power of the Lord was preſent to heal him, as Luke 5.17. the like was done by Peter, Acts 3.6, 8. and is promiſed to be done by God's holy Ordinances, Pſ. 146.8. The Lord giveth Sight to the blind, he raiſeth up the Crooked, he loveth the Righteous. God loved this Lame Man, ſo he reſtored him to the uſe of his Limbs, ſo that he leaped for joy to ſhew that he was perfectly Cured, for all the works of God (as was this miraculous Cure) are perfect, Deut. 32.4. The ſight of this miracle put the blind People to pay their Rent to the wrong Land-Lord, for tho' Paul had Preached Chriſt unto them, and had confirmed his Doctrine with ſuch a ſingular miracle, which, by the light of their own natural Reaſon, they might know that none but a Divine Power could have wrought it. N.B. Yet ſuch was the blind Superſtition of thoſe poor Pagans, that they would needs aſcribe the honour of it to their Dunghil-Deityes; ſo forcible is an evil cuſtom and a vain Converſation Received by Tradition from fore-fathers, Jer. 10.3. 1 Pet. 1.18. Thoſe Pagan-Lycaonians had heard out of the Fables of their Poets, that Jupiter and Mercury came down to viſit Lycaon their Progenitour of old, and that for the affront be offered them, they tranſformed him into a Wolf: Hereupon they uſed to offer Sacrifice to thoſe two Pagan Gods by their Images which they had erected for appeaſing them, and now the People ſuppoſed that they had themſelves come down in two humane ſhapes to work miracles among them. N.B. So blind are the principles of Corrupt Reaſon in fallen Mankind compared unto the cleareſt Light of the Goſpel which was now preached to them: Hereupon both the common People adorn the Apoſtles (who were but the Inſtruments of the miracle) with both Divine honours ver. 11. and with Names of their Gods, verſe 12. calling Barnabas, Jupiter, (their chief God, as the Heathens took him) and Paul Mercurius, whom they look'd upon as both the Meſſenger and the Interpreter of their ſeigned Gods, which cauſed their applying of his name to Paul, who was the Maſter of Speech, as [foreign] ſignifies; ſpeaking much more to the People than Barnabas did, who moſtly ſtood ſilent, yet in his Gravity might beckon upon Paul to ſpeak as his Herauld, as Jupiter did to Mercury.
N.B. Nor was this all, but their Prieſt of Jupiter (who ſhould have had more wit) brought Oxen trimmed with Garlands of Flowers (according to their Heatheniſh Cuſtom) unto the gates of the houſe, where the Apoſtles Lodged (their Temple ſtanding without the Town, therefore brought they their Sacrifice to the ſuppoſed Gods themſelves, &c.) and there would have done Sacrifice to them, ver. 13. becauſe they took Jupiter for the King of Kings and the principal Patron of the City: This had been done, if the Apoſtles had not run in among them, and ſhewed the greateſt deteſtation of ſuch abominations, telling them that they were but Men of like paſſions with themſelves (which plainly differenceth Man from the Divine Nature) and therefore, no ſuch thing could be done without notorious Sacriledge, and themſelves be made Idols, verſe 14, 15. Both which were ſuch abominable Acts, that the Apoſtles rent their Cloathes, which was a ſign of their greateſt abhorrency of ſuch deteſtable Actions, and this gaue Paul a new occaſion and opportunity to preach again to thoſe Idolatrous Lyſtrians, ſaying [Sirs, why do ye theſe things?] to ſuch poor Mortals as we are, who have need of Food and Raiment, we are liable to diſeaſes, and death as well as you are, ſo may we by no means either as Men or as Apoſtles allow of any ſuch Idolatry to us, whoſe Office is to extirpate all kind of Superſtition, much leſs to permit, or countenance it. N.B. Then he obviates two main objections which thoſe Heathen Idolaters might make againſt the Goſpel, The firſt is drawn from the Antiquity of their Idolatry, and the ſecond from the Ʋniverſality of it; Anſwering both of them, with Affirming, that the Reaſon why ſo many and for ſo long a time had worſhipped Idols (which was a way of fallen Man's own chuſing, and never of Gods Commanding) was from the juſt Judgment of God upon them, Pſa. 81.12. Rom. 1.24, 28. and here verſe 16. and then again in verſe 17. He prevents a cavil, that they could not plead Invincible Ignorance for their excuſe for tho' they and their Anceſtors had not the Book of Scripture, yet had they the Book of Nature to inſtruct them, that God only (who createth all things, and preſerveth them by his providence in giving Rain, Fruits, Corn; &c.) is only to be worſhipped, &c.
Yet all theſe Convincing Arguments of the Apoſtles were little enough to reſtrain thoſe obſtinate Idolaters from committing Idolatry: So hard a matter it is to rectify ſuch Rude miſtakes in Religion which time, cuſtom and popular patterns had ſo rooted and firmly rivered in their carnal hearts, verſe 18. N.B. Now the Devil, being put to his laſt ſhifts, began to ſtir up his Inſtruments to uſe violence, thoſe were certain Jews that came from Antioch and Iconium, who perſwaded the People to ſtone Paul verſe 19.
Oh what a ſtrange change is in the Mobile here! that the ſame perſons who had made a God of the Apoſtle, and would need… have Sacrificed to him as ſuch a God, would now in the twinkling of an eye (as it were) be for ſtoning him as a Devil Incarnate, or the worſt ſort of Mankind: Thus the Vulgar dealt with our Lord himſelf, crying to him Hoſanna one day, and Crucify him the next day. And behold here the reſtleſs malice of Satan againſt God's Ministers, firſt Tempting them to become Idols of the People, and to rob God of his Glory (due to him alone) and to accept of Divine worſhip, wherein the Devil deſigned to deſtroy the Bleſſed Apoſtles Souls: Now when this deſign failed him, He exciteth the Jews, and they the People to deſtroy their bodies by ſtoning them: Oh what a ſlippery thing is all wordly honour!
N.B. Here they ſtoned Paul dragging him out of the City, as if he had been dead: For their ſpight was moſt againſt Paul becauſe he ſpake moſt: But while thoſe Believers (that followed thoſe Apoſtles) ſtood round about him, verſe 20. either in order to bury him, thinking him dead (as did his Perſecutors) or to defend him as much as they could, from farther attempts of that popular fury. He, being ſuddenly revived by the Power of God, roſe up, and ventured again, into that injurious City, and the next day went away to Derbe.
This bring us to the third part of Paul's 1ſt. Peregrination or Travel, namely, his Regreſs or Return (after ſo long a Progreſs) to Antioch again from whence be had his firſt Egreſs into this his Apoſtolical Miniſtry.
In Paul's Return, Three particulars are moſt Remarkable. The firſt is, the Terminus a quo, the place where he began it, and what he did there before he departed, verſe 21. The ſecond is, the ſeveral places he paſſed through (as he returned) paſſing from Derbe to Lyſtra, to Iconium, and to Antioch of Piſidia, where what they did in all thoſe places is Recorded as in a Journal, verſe 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. Then the third part is the Terminus ad quem, the place whither he returned, namely, to Antioch in Syria, from whence they were ſent out, Acts 13.1, 2, 3.) Where they gave an account of the Succeſs of their Miniſtry and Embaſſage wherein they had been employed, verſe 26, 27. as likewiſe, where they ſtayed a long time, to Reſt and refreſh themſelves after all their Toils, Travels, and Perſecutions, and for confirming the Diſciples there; v. 28.
The Remarks upon this Regreſs or Return, in ſhort are theſe.
(1ſt.) That the beſt proviſion and preparation for any buſineſs of Importance, is faithful Prayer unto God concerning it. Thus Paul and Barnabas, going to Preach the Goſpel to the Gentiles, were recommended to the Grace of God by the Prayer of the Church of Antioch, Acts 13.2, 3. and 14.26. unto which Prayer God granted a gracious Anſwer in their wonderful ſafety and ſucceſs of their labours whereby they had both Diſcipled and Baptized many Souls, ver. 21.
The ſecond Remark is; That the way to Heaven lyeth through much Tribulation. When Paul ſtarted up after his ſtoning. N.B. He ſeemeth to have this Truth in his mouth [Sic oportet nos Intrare in Caelum] So muſt Heaven be gotten by pains, by pain, by patience, and by perſecution, which is its inſeparable Companion, Acts 14. v. 20, 22. If there be any way to Heaven on Horſe-back (ſaid Holy Bradford) ſurely this is the way, through much Tribulation: They that will live godly (ſaith the ſame Apoſtle, 2 Tim. 3.12.) muſt ſuffer perſecution, tho' they carry their matters never ſo diſcreetly: An Howling wilderneſs Iſrael muſt paſs through, before they can enter the Land of Promiſe. There is no dividing betwixt Chriſt and his Croſs. There is no coming to the Crown but by the Croſs: If the Head (Chriſt) was Crowned with Thorns; then his Members (Chriſtians) ought not to dream of Delicacyes, The Roſe cannot be plucked without prickes. The Marble Stones were firſt hewen, before they were ſet orderly in Solomon's Temple: Nor is Corn brought into the Garner till winnowed.
The third Remark is; It is not enough to ſow the Seed of the Word, but it muſt be watered alſo: There ought to be a frequency of the uſe of Holy Ordinances, to make even good Soil fruitful Heaven-ward.
N.B. Therefore did thoſe Apoſtles return to viſit thoſe people, they had preached unto well knowing that thoſe Converts ſtood in need of Confirming Grace as well as of Converting Grace: And therefore did they confirm the Souls of the Diſciples, &c. v. 22. and comforted them alſo, that they might not be offended at Paul's ſtoning, nor ſtumble at theſe perſecutions they might themſelves meet with for the profeſſion of Chriſt, therefore did they preach the Doctrine of the Croſs, ſhewing how Afflictions are the Waters of Marah that are met with in the way to heavenly Canaan. Hence ordained they Elders to inſtruct and govern them at their departure, commending them to the Lord as Uſeful Treaſure, &c. ver. 23.
The fourth Remark is; Now was fulfilled Gideon's two Signs, Judg. 6.37, 39. the Fleece (to wit the Jews) alone had been wet before and all the ground about it dry: Now the ground round about (to wit the Gentiles) were wet, and the Fleece (the Jews) now was dry.