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Act_8:14-25
b. They sent unto them Peter and John.—This is the first time, since the proposition to elect the Seven was made (Act_6:3), that the Twelve collectively adopt any measure, as an organized body, authorized and pledged to exercise a general control. It is also a novel circumstance that the college of the apostles deputes two of the whole number, choosing precisely the two who had hitherto (e. g. Acts 3 and Acts 4). been the most prominent of all. Such a mission unquestionably conferred distinction, and was a decided expression of confidence in those who were intrusted with it. But it was, at the same time, a declaration on the part of the apostolic college which offered the mission, and an acknowledgment on the part of those who accepted it, of the great fact that no single apostle, even though it were a Peter or a John, was elevated above the whole company of the apostles, but that each member was subordinate to it. We hare here a direct refutation of the Romish doctrine of the primacy of the apostle Peter, and a proof that he, like any other of the number, could claim only a parity of rank. (See Karl Lechler; N. T. Lehre vom heil. Amt, p. 136 f. [Doctrine of the New Testament concerning the sacred office.]).
Act_8:15-17. Who … prayed for them.—The service which the apostles rendered to those who were already converted, consisted in offering intercessory prayer for the gift of the Holy Ghost [“that the faith of the Samaritans who had received already the converting influences of the Spirit—might be confirmed by a miraculous attestation” (Hackett)]: prayer was combined with the imposition of hands, Act_8:15; Act_8:17. The result was, that the converted Samaritans received the Holy Ghost. And it would, further, seem as if one prayer had been offered in behalf of all, as a single or momentary action (aor. ðñïòçýîáíôï ), and that the imposition of hands was a subsequent act ( ôüôå , Act_8:17); according to this view, the imposition of hands on the individuals in succession, occupied a considerable time, and thus, too, the individual converts received the Holy Ghost, not simultaneously, but one after the other (imperf. ἐðåôßèïõí — ἐëÜìâáíïí ). [“The aorist describes a momentary action, or a single action—the imperfect describes an action in its continuance and progress.” Kühner: Gr. Gram. § 256. 3. Rem. 2.—Tr.]
Act_8:18-19. a. And when Simon saw.—Simon had observed that the Holy Ghost was given by means of the laying on of hands of the apostles. The latter fact was doubtless apparent to him, when he observed certain manifestations on the part of the believers, and compared with these the prayer of the apostles, to which, like others, he had listened. The question whether Simon himself had also received the Holy Ghost, is at once decided by two considerations: first, if he had been so endowed, his conduct, as described in Act_8:18, would have been a moral impossibility; secondly, the terms ἱäþí , etc., obviously represent him as a mere spectator, and not as one of those who personally received the imposition of hands, and the gift of the Spirit.
b. He offered them money.—Simon again betrays the characteristic features of the sorcerer, that is, he is completely controlled by selfish considerations, and is interested in that which is spiritual and holy, only in so far as it may serve as the means of aiding him in his sorceries, and enlarging his personal influence and power. His true character is, further, revealed by the hope which he entertained of gaining his object through the medium of money. For as he expects to influence the apostles by pecuniary considerations, he plainly shows that he himself is influenced chiefly by such motives. He views the communication of the Spirit in the light of magic, that is to say, as a power or authority, which does not depend on the moral character, but may be exercised or transferred at pleasure. The latter view is expressed in the words: ᾧ ἐὰí ἐðéèῶ ô . ÷ . ëáìâÜíῃ ð . ἅ ..
Act_8:20. Thy money perish with thee.—Peter, whose labors had, so far, been strictly associated with those of John, Act_8:14, now steps forward, ready to speak and to act, at a moment when a prompt decision, and a resolute course of action, were needed. He not only positively rejects the money, but also, with holy indignation, and with the utmost abhorrence, devotes both the silver [ ἀñãýñéïí ] and the man who offers it, to destruction! The moral indignation and the imprecation of Peter are occasioned by Simon’s desire and will to purchase God’s gift with money [“which, from its very nature, could be only a free gift” (J. A. Alex.)]. The term ἐíüìéóáò , namely, is applied not merely to an opinion, but also to an established sentiment and a purpose; the mere opinion, as far as it depends on the understanding, could not be subjected to a moral judgment and retribution, unless it was associated with the general tendency of the will and the character, and was in reality dictated by them.
Act_8:21. Thou hast neither part nor lot.—After Peter had very righteously repulsed the man, and rejected the silver, he next refuses, in the most positive terms, to grant the request itself. As, in the former case, his strong emotion led him to begin with the words: ôὸ ἀñãõñ . óïõ etc., so here he begins his refusal with the words [in the original]: “There is no part nor lot for thee in, etc.,” that is, Thou canst have no share at all therein. [“Part and lot are synonymous; the former is the literal, the latter, a tropical term.” (de Wette).—Tr.]. The phrase; ἐí ôῷ ëüãῳ ôïýôῳ , must here be interpreted, as the connection shows, not merely in accordance with the Hebrew ãָּáָø , but also with the classic usage of ëüãïò , or, as equivalent to ipsa causa, i. e. “in this matter or thing of which you speak”, namely, the power to bestow the Holy Ghost. That mode of interpretation which adheres to the definition of ëüãïò as word, doctrine, and assumes that either a participation in the Gospel itself is meant (Grotius; Neander), or that the inspired manifestations of the believers are here to be understood (Lange), is not consistent with the context, or else is too artificial to be considered as setting forth the true import. The reason which induces the apostle to refuse so absolutely any share to his namesake in his apostolic authority, is to be sought for in the insincerity of the sorcerer alone.—Thy heart is not right, [ åὐèåῖá , straight-forward, (Robinson)—Tr.], not upright, not honest, in the eyes of God; thy heart is perverted and treacherous.
Act_8:22-23. Repent therefore, etc.—This is the practical lesson which Peter deduces ( ïὖí ), i.e., “since such is thy state, change thy mind, and cease ( ἀðὸ ) from thy wickedness.”—Peter urges Simon to repent and to pray for the forgiveness of his sin, but gives him no assurance of the latter, since the phrase; if perhaps ( åἰ ἄñá ἀö .) indicates that the result, (i.e. whether God will forgive), is doubtful.— Ἐðßíïéá , a (practical) thought, purpose, plan, is a vox media [i.e. it may be applied to an honest purpose, in bonam partem, or to one that is dishonest, in malam partem, according to the context.—Tr.]. The statement of the cause or reason is here, as in the preceding verses, introduced by ãÜñ , although that reason had already been indicated by ïὖí in Act_8:22. Peter’s words, literally, mean: “I regard you as a man whose influence will be like that of bitter gall and of a bond of unrighteousness, or, as a man who has reached such a state.” The reference is, primarily, to the personal and fixed character of Simon, and secondarily, to the pernicious influence which it might be apprehended that he would exercise on the newly formed church. The bitter gall (in the original a Hebraizing genitive [Winer: Gram. N. T. § 34. 2.]), probably indicates poison, as, in ancient times, the gall of the serpent was supposed to be the seat of its poison, even as the German alliterative phrase; Gift und Galle [poison and gall] assumes that an immediate connection exists between the two. [Comp. Job_20:14. “The terms here are probably derived from Deu_29:17, Sept. ÷ïëὴ êáὶ ðéêñßá , etc.” (de Wette).—Tr.]. The expression óýíäåóìïò ἀäéêßáò occurs in Isa_58:6 [in the Sept.], but in an entirely different sense; it here implies that Simon’s whole person had become, as it were, a single band, a whole bundle [translated by some: “bundle of unrighteousness.” (J. A. Alexander).—Tr.], all the component parts of which were unrighteousnesses [see below, Hom. and Prac. on Act_8:18-19 (b)]; hence the word is analogous in sense to the modern German: Ausbund von, etc. [This German word, (from ausbinden, to untie and take out, i.e. to select) is sometimes translated paragon or quintessence, and is applied to any object which exceeds all others of its kind in any good or bad quality.—Tr.]
Act_8:24. Pray ye to the Lord for me.—In what light should we regard this language of Simon, as well as the sentiments which dictated it? Meyer inferred, at an earlier period, from the silence which Luke henceforth observes respecting Simon, that the sacred writer intended to describe, in Act_8:24, the beginning of a genuine repentance, and that he expected the reader to complete in his own mind the history of Simon’s entire reformation. This is an erroneous view of the case. The old interpretation, which Neander, Olshausen, de Wette, and Baumgarten, among recent writers, have adopted, and to which Meyer himself assents in the last edition of his Commentary, undoubtedly presents the true view, viz., that no genuine repentance on the part of Simon is indicated by the narrative. At the same time, however, no value is to be ascribed to the patristic accounts of Simon which have been preserved, e. g., that he subsequently resumed the practice of his magic arts, and, indeed, that his course became more iniquitous than it had previously been, inasmuch as he now regarded it as the great object of his life to maintain a systematic opposition to the apostles and the Gospel. The language of the text before us is sufficiently explicit. Peter had demanded two things of Simon: first, that he should repent; secondly, that he should pray for forgiveness. He yields only a partial obedience to the latter admonition, or, strictly speaking, none at all. In place of praying himself, and seeking forgiveness, he requests the apostles to pray for him. But by this course he betrays, first of all, that his heart is not truly contrite, and, secondly, that he still entertains superstitious views, since he expects miraculous results from the intercessory prayers of others, without his own self-abasement before God, or supplications offered by himself. And, further, we cannot suppose that an individual has sincerely and truly repented, who, like Simon in the present case, is alarmed solely by the consequences, that is, the punishment of sin, but is not influenced by a sense of his own moral guilt and baseness. He is moved by a dread of the evils with which he is menaced ( ὦí åἰñÞêáôå ), but not by any abhorrence of the sin itself of which he is guilty. These are not indications which can encourage us to believe that Simon entertained a godly sorrow, that he sincerely repented, and that he became a renewed man; we cannot, therefore, speak of his conversion as “a glorious victory of the superior spiritual power of the apostles” [quoted by Lechler from an early edition of Meyer’s Commentary, but essentially changed in the last edition.—Stier says, in this connection (Reden d. Ap. I. 195, 2d ed.): “Simon speaks here almost like Pharaoh, who afterwards hardened himself; see Exo_8:29; Exo_9:28; Exo_10:17.”—Tr.]
Act_8:25. They … returned.—The two apostles did not content themselves with imparting to the new converts of that one locality fuller religious instructions than the latter had hitherto received. (This was the äéäÜóêåéí , which, in Mat_28:20, follows the âáðôßæåéí the order of time, but also constitutes a part of the ìáèçôåýåéí ; see above, Exeg. and Crit., note a. ult. on Act_8:5). Peter and John, therefore, after having been engaged in the labors already described, devoted themselves to others of a direct missionary character, and preached the Gospel in many villages of Samaria, before they returned to Jerusalem. That these labors were not hastily performed, but were continued for some time, and that the return of the apostles was, consequently, somewhat delayed, are circumstances very plainly indicated by the Imperfect( ὑðÝóôñåöïí — åὐçããåëßæïíôï ), which is, for critical reasons, to be preferred to the Aorist. [See the note numbered 5, appended to the text, above, Act_8:14-25, and also Exeg. and Crit., Act_8:15-17, ult.—Tr.]
2. The imposition of hands is here mentioned a second time in the Acts (comp. Act_6:6). It was a sign, in the first place, (after the intercessory prayer, Act_8:15, had been once offered for all the baptized persons), of the communication of the gift to the individual; it was, as a symbolical action, a sign, in the second place, and also the medium, of the actual impartation of the Spirit and of spiritual life. But it clearly appears from Act_9:17, that the laying on of hands was not an act which the apostles exclusively were authorized to perform, and, from Act_10:44 ff., that this act was not the sole, the indispensable, and, as it were, the only lawful, medium in communicating the Spirit.
3. The conduct of Simon Magus, which betrayed that he had not “put off the old man” [Eph_4:22], has, from the earliest times, been regarded as the type of a procedure which derives from him the name of Simony. He desired to acquire a special spiritual power by means of money; hence the Church with great propriety applies the name of crimen simoniæ to the act of giving or offering secular means and advantages as a compensation for the conferring of spiritual things (such as ecclesiastical offices or Church preferment, ordination, etc.); and the guilty man is termed simoniacus. A striking proof of the purity and power of the Christian sentiments imparted to the apostles by the Holy Ghost, is furnished by the conduct of Peter, who at once discerns the true character of the hypocrite, instantaneously, without any hesitation, judicially repels the tempter, and surveys the temptation with abhorrence and a holy zeal. The ethical judgment pronounced by Peter exposes the twofold sin from which the temptation proceeded: (a) the desire to obtain from men that which God alone can bestow ( ôÞí äùñåὰí ôïῦ èåïῦ ); (b) the desire to obtain by his own means, even by money, that which is solely a free gift of the grace of God ( ôὴí äùñåὰí ôïῦ èåïῦ — äéὰ ÷ñ . êôᾶóèáé ). It is precisely the latter that constitutes Simony. If the apostles had desired to grant the request of Simon (which, however, they could not have done, according to (a) above), they would have violated the express command of the Lord: äùñåὰí ἐëὰâåôå , äùñåὰí äüôå . Mat_10:8.
4. Simon is a type not only of all the simonists, but also of all the heretics who have since arisen in the Church. It is well known that this magus has been regarded ever since the second century, as the prominent leader of an heretical school, and, indeed, as magister et progenitor omnium hæreticorum (Iren. adv. hær. I. 27), and that a Gnostico-heretical system has been ascribed to him personally. It is undoubtedly true that a legendary influence is perceptible in the accounts which have been preserved respecting this man. Still, it would be inconsistent with enlarged views and with the dictates of true wisdom to overlook the deep truth which constitutes the foundation of these traditional accounts. Simon’s error consisted essentially in combining pagan with Christian principles, inasmuch as he expected to acquire and exercise the power of conferring the Holy Ghost, as a magic art, and obtain increased facilities for gratifying his ambitious and covetous spirit. He intended, accordingly, to combine, in practice his heathenish trade as a sorcerer with Christianity. But he must have had a conception of the whole subject which was still indistinct: his views, if unfolded in the practice which he proposed to adopt, would have ultimately led to the theory of an amalgamation of pagan superstition and Christian faith. Whatever course an individual may pursue in actual life, he will endeavor to justify it by adopting any theory that will satisfy himself and the world around him. Hence we cannot fail to see the germs of a Gnostic, and, in general, of an heretical tendency in the sentiments which Simon obviously entertains. The book of the Acts, as a whole, shadows forth or exhibits the germs, as it were, of all the events and phenomena which belong, to the subsequent history of the Church of Christ. Simon Magus, for instance, is, in his personal history, a pre-figuration of later occurrences. He became a Christian, but no inward change occurred in him, since he attempted to combine Christianity with his heathenish sorcery. He is thus the representative of all those unsound theories, devices and parties within the pale of Christendom, of which the main object was the combination of foreign elements with the Gospel, or the retention of paganism under a Christian garb; the issue of all such efforts is also prefigured in his history.
5. On this occasion Peter employed the binding key [an allusion to “the office of the keys,” i.e. the binding and the loosing key, Mat_16:19; Mat_18:18; Joh_20:23.—Tr.]. He did not, it is true, in distinct terms pronounce an anathema upon Simon Magus—he did not expressly exclude him from the Lord’s Table, and expel him from the Church of Christ; but he desired, as far as he himself was concerned, that destruction ( ἀðþëåéá ), might come upon Simon. Now this language implies at least a temporary exclusion from the communion of the Church and the Sacrament. The apostle stands before this man as one who is invested with full authority, although his words do not assume the form of the definitive sentence of a judge, but rather that of an imprecation ( åἵç ). The reason which he assigns, viz., ὅôé ôὴí äùñåὰí etc., plainly shows that his imprecatory language was not dictated by any highly excited personal feeling, by a carnal zeal, or by the fervor of passion, but by an ethically pure and righteous zeal for the honor of God and of his cause. And that his zeal was not fanatical in its character, or one that disregarded the spiritual interests of an erring soul, is demonstrated in the most beautiful manner, when be exhorts Simon to repent and become changed in mind, Act_8:22; he likewise admonishes the offender to offer prayer in a penitent spirit to the Redeemer, as the way that may conduct him to forgiveness [see note 4, above, appended to the text.—Tr.]
6. The ethical character of Christianity is most gloriously revealed in this apostolical declaration, which assumes a strictly categorical form. Peter takes away from Simon, Act_8:21, in the most explicit manner, all hope of obtaining by any possibility the power to confer the Holy Ghost. The cause lay in his own heart, which was not upright. In the practice of magic arts, no regard whatever is paid to the moral sentiments either of the operator or of the subject to whom these arts are applied; purity of heart and integrity of character are here of not the slightest importance. But in the kingdom of God, none can receive grace or the gift of divine grace without corresponding moral qualifications; here, integrity and uprightness of heart are indispensable.
7. Peter’s language leaves the point in doubt, whether Simon actually will obtain the forgiveness of sin—not, however, because forgiveness in itself is an uncertain matter, but because he entertains doubts himself respecting the sincerity of Simon’s repentance and conversion. The great danger which proceeds from the frame of mind in which he finds this wretched man, is the sole cause which prevents him from giving Simon an unconditional assurance of his pardon. It is contrary to the Scriptures, and a very hazardous course, to infuse doubts into the soul of any individual respecting the forgiveness of his sins, or to teach, as the Romish Church does, that he can never be fully assured of the divine forgiveness of his sins. But it is equally as unscriptural and as dangerous to the souls of men, to represent this assurance or certainty of the divine pardon as independent of the state or fitness of the heart. Now the latter was wanting in Simon, as Act_8:24 demonstrates, even after the solemn appeal which the apostle made to his conscience.
Act_8:15. Who … prayed.—The pastor’s work includes prayer as well as preaching. God does not withhold an answer to the prayers of his servants for the salvation of the souls intrusted to their care.
Act_8:16. As yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized.—The baptism of the Spirit must be combined with the baptism with water, else the latter remains incomplete, and the individual is no true Christian. With which baptism hast thou been baptized?
Act_8:17. Then laid they their hands on them.—This imposition of hands, combined with prayer, is the holy type of our ecclesiastical Confirmation, which is intended to be neither more nor less than the avouchment and sealing of the Spirit received in Baptism. (Leonh. and Sp).—The holy rite of Confirmation: considered with respect, I. To its origin: it is not, indeed, a sacramental institution of the Lord, but it is a venerable order or usage of the church; II. To its significance: it is not, indeed, a substitute for, or repetition of, baptism, but it is a confirmation of the baptismal confession of faith, and of baptismal grace; III. To its effects: it is not, indeed, an infallible means of imparting the Holy Ghost, as in the case of the apostolical imposition of hands on the Samaritans, but it is a spiritual blessing of incalculable value to hearts that are properly disposed to receive it.
Act_8:18-19; comp. Act_8:23-24. Simon … offered them money, saying, Give me also this power.—The sin of converting church matters and spiritual gifts into articles of trade, either as buyers or sellers, is the sin which Simon committed, i.e., Simony. With respect to this subject, the following points claim attention (from Apost. Past.): (a) Simony originates in a covetous and ambitious heart. As Simon had, during a long period, wielded a considerable influence, and practised his sorceries among the people, but now ascertained that the powers of the apostles diminished his influence and his profits, he basely resolved to acquire new honor, and secure new gains, by means of money. Thus all who seize on offices by dishonest means, are governed by no other motive than that of serving their idols—honor, or the belly [Php_3:19], or mammon.—The church has, therefore, from the earliest times, regarded Simon, on sufficient grounds, as the father of heresy, and the type of sectarianism. The hidden motive, indeed, of nearly every founder of a sect, is a thirst for spiritual power combined with immeasurable arrogance, which employs audacity and a plausible appearance as the means for bewitching people who look merely at the surface. (b) The sin of Simon, further, betrays that his heart was full of bitter gall, and was, in truth, a bundle of manifold unrighteousness. His heart was full of bitter gall, i.e., full of bitter envy, when he saw the blessing that attended the labors of the apostles, and the superiority of their divine preaching to his magic arts. There was a bundle of unrighteousness in his heart. For instance, although he had become a Christian, he had no intention to exhibit his Christianity by bearing the cross and following Jesus; he desired to become a proud worker of miracles, and, consequently, we find a carnal mind in him. Then, he continued with the apostles in appearance only, for, in his heart, he was irritated when they succeeded, and thus he secretly cherished hypocrisy in his bosom. He hoped to bewitch these servants of Jesus with his money, as he had previously bewitched the people with his sorceries, and as he was himself bewitched by the idols of honor and mammon; hence he entertained degrading views respecting the apostles, and looked on them and their office with mean and sordid feelings. And this bundle or combination of envy and jealousy, of a carnal mind, and degrading views of the sacred office and of those who are invested with it, is even yet the characteristic mark of the followers of Simon, (c) Simon is anxious to obtain, not ÷Üñéí but ἐîïõóßáí , a power to do certain acts, Act_8:19. He did not desire to conduct men to the wells of salvation, by preaching the Gospel, but rather to acquire eminence by the exhibition of great power. In this respect all those resemble him who seek an [ecclesiastical] office without having yet obtained grace, and who are influenced, not by a desire to labor in the service of the Lord, or to do good to the souls of men, but by considerations that refer to their own dignity, rank or power. Those persons, too, belong to this class, who are anxious to acquire certain official qualifications, but altogether overlook those which are derived from the sanctification of the soul. They are diligent in collecting stores of showy learning, and are eager to exhibit the possession of the gift of a graceful and attractive delivery, but their efforts are not directed to the acquisition of an enlightened understanding, a renewed heart, and a mind devoted to the Lord. “In this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Luk_10:20.—(d) Simon offered the apostles money or “treasures.” There are many who do not precisely offer ready money as a compensation, but attempt to secure an office by the offer of a valuable consideration of another kind. How often the office constitutes a dowry! How often the door of the sheepfold refuses to open, until the patron of the benefice has been reached by clandestine means! (e) Simon regards the divine punishments with servile fear, in consequence of his evil purpose. He dreads the condemnation with which he is threatened by the apostles; yet no conversion takes place; he simply desires, in a slavish manner, to escape punishment. He cannot pray himself, with a joyful spirit, but says, in his alarm: ‘Pray ye for me!’ This is still the condition of pastors who are guilty of the sin of simony; they are perpetually harassed by a slavish fear. They bear with them an evil conscience, and cannot possibly derive enjoyment from their office; they can never unreservedly put their trust in God, and act in the name of Jesus.—“Pastors should apply this case as a test to themselves, and ascertain whether they have obtained their office pro jure et titulo; if their conscience accuses them, let them take the path which the apostle directs Simon to pursue, Act_8:22. All candidate ministerii may find a standing warning in this text, and learn from it that no real advantage can ever be derived from the use of unfair means.”
Act_8:20. Thy money perish with thee!—This is the language of the moneyless Peter, who had said to the lame man: ‘Silver and gold have I none.’ (Act_3:6). He speaks with a holy abhorrence of the avarice and hypocrisy which Simon had so shamelessly betrayed, and speaks, too, with a distinct recollection of the Lord’s words: “Freely ye have received, freely give.” [Mat_10:8]. The “Successors of Peter” have not always thought, spoken, and acted in this manner.—There are none with whom we should deal with more severity than with hypocrites, who enter the vineyard of Christ under plausible pretences, to the great injury of the souls of men. (Apost. Past.).—But those who wish to be zealous after the manner of the apostles, must also possess a portion of their spirit, (ib.).—It is one thing to condemn, and another to convince an individual that he is in a state of condemnation. (Starke).—And these two points, also, the successors of Peter have sometimes overlooked.
Act_8:21. Thou hast neither part nor lot.—He who prefers that his part and lot should consist in the things of this world, will have no share in those that are spiritual and eternal.—Thy heart is not right in the sight of God.—When we rebuke sinners, it is always necessary to direct their attention to the state of their hearts. It is not sufficient to refer to their outward acts; it is far more to their advantage when we expose to them the original source from which their evil deeds proceed. And, therefore, when we assail a particular sin, while we occupy the pulpit, or at our pastoral visits, we should always show that the unconverted heart is the true source of that sin. This procedure is, above all, needed in the case of hypocrites. (Apost. Past).
Act_8:22.—Repent, therefore, etc.—Pastors ought to labor sincerely for the salvation of those whose sins they condemn, and guide them to the way of salvation by urging them to repent. 2Co_12:19. (Starke).—An apostle of the Lord, who came “not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them” [Luk_9:56], bears with him not only the thunderbolt of law, but also the olive-branch of the Gospel, which offers forgiveness to all repentant sinners. (Leonh. and Sp.).—And pray God.—It is of great importance that we should urge inquiring souls to offer prayer to God themselves: such counsel is adapted to sins of every kind: it points to the only means that can afford relief to a soul which is conscious of its guilt and misery.—If perhaps … forgive thee.—Peter does not intend to represent the forgiveness of Simon as a doubtful point, but only to exhibit to him the great danger in which he is placed, and the necessity of sincere repentance. An evangelical pastor must adopt proper precautions, must furnish remedies against levity of mind, as well as against a weak faith or unbelief, and be careful, while he guards men against an unnecessary anxiety, not to establish them in a state of false security. (Apost. Past.).
Act_8:23. Gall of bitterness.—Nothing is more offensive to the taste of men than gall; so, too, nothing is more abominable in the eyes of God than deceitfulness and lies. Psa_5:6. (Starke).—The bitter gall of the heart must be expelled by the bitterness of repentance, that is, one hitter thing must be expelled by another, before the sweetness of the Gospel and the goodness of the Lord can be tasted. [Psa_34:8]. (ib.).
Act_8:24. Pray ye … that none, etc.—Behold here the characteristic features of an imperfect or false repentance: (a) “Pray ye for me.” In such a case, the individual is converted simply in the sight of men, and unto men, who are chosen as mediators, but he is not converted in the sight of God, and unto God. (b) “That none of these things … come upon me.” Such an individual simply desires to be delivered from punishment by indulgence, but not to be delivered from sin by forgivenesss and purification.—“Thus Simon approached, step by step, that destruction from which there is no deliverance, although at every step which he took, grace rebuked, warned, and called him: thus his latter end was worse than the beginning. [2Pe_2:20]. He had received grace, but in place of applying it conscientiously, he employed it in promoting carnal purposes. The wonderful works of God which he beheld, did not fill him with humility, but only tempted and animated anew his arrogant spirit. He sought to acquire a more precious gift than he had already received, but it was his purpose to employ it in destroying the souls of men. The call to repentance reached him, but did not infuse life into his soul; it simply led him to think of means for escaping the temporal punishment of his sin.” (Rudelbach).—The precious gift of the Holy Ghost: I. It completes the work commenced by the word and the sacraments, Act_8:14-17; II. It can neither be obtained by any human art, nor be purchased with money, Act_8:18-21; III. It is a free gift of God, reserved for those who repent and believe, Act_8:22-25.—The Holy Spirit, a gift of the grace of God: I. Freely bestowed on up-right souls (the Samaritans); II. Never sold to the deceitful at any price (Simon).
Act_8:25. They returned—and preached the gospel in many villages.—The true torches of God, enkindled by the fire of divine love, afford both light and warmth wherever they appear.—Even when we are travelling, the fear of God should be our guide, and the love of our neighbor, be our companion, Joh_4:3-5.—The man is very guilty, whose arrogance leads him to desire a pastorate in an eminent city, and reject one in a despised village. What else are these distinguished apostles here, but village preachers! (Starke).—It is, indeed, very painful to a servant of Christ, when he had hoped to derive pleasure from a soul that seemed to be converted, but is disappointed in the end. However, he should not despair. If he is disappointed in one case, all his hopes may be fulfilled in other cases. If Simon is found to be deceitful, the Lord awakens in his place the Ethiopian eunuch, Act_8:27. (Ap. Past.).—The evidence of the vital power of the Church of Christ: I. It daily extends its borders, amid the opposition of the world; II. It promotes the spiritual growth of believers, by communicating the gifts of the Holy Ghost; III. It maintains its own purity by a strict judgment in the case of hypocrites and false teachers. (Leonh. and Sp.).—The circumstances under which the Gospel went forth for the first time into all the world: I. The holy order appointed by the Lord was here maintained, Act_8:14-17; II. That order was violated by the sin of man, Act_8:18-19; III. The watchfulness and fidelity of the shepherds preserved the flocks from the dangers that threatened them, Act_8:20-25. (Langbein.)
Footnotes:
Act_8:16. In place of ïὔðù of the text. rec., Griesbach has, in accordance with the most important MSS. [A. B. C. D. E. and Cod. Sin.] recommended ïὐäÝðù ; and this latter reading has been unanimously adopted by all the more recent critics. [Alford, who concurs, found it, however, difficult to decide, as far as internal evidence is concerned, and “followed MS. authority.”—Tr.]
Act_8:18. Ἰäþí [in A. B. C. D. E. and Cod. Sin.] is much better supported than èåáóÜìåíïò [of text. rec.], which is found only in G. H., and is evidently a correction intended to improve the text. [Lach. and Tisch. read ἰäþí , but Alf., who reads èåáó ., regards the former as the correction. Meyer concurs with him, and de Wette would adopt the same view, if ἰäþí were not so strongly supported.—In the same verse, Alf., with Tisch., omits ôὸ ἅãéïí of the text. rec. after ðí .; but while this reading is omitted in B. and Cod Sin., it is found in A. C. D. E., Vulg., etc., and Lach. retains the two words.—Tr.]
Act_8:21. ἔíáíôé in A. B. D. [and Cod. Sin.] like ïὐäÝðù [in Act_8:16], is a somewhat rare form, for which C. and some fathers read ἐíáíôßïí ; the more usual Ýíþðéïí [of the text. rec.] is incorrectly substituted for it in E. G. H. [Lach., Tisch. and Alf., with whom Meyer agrees, read ἔíáíôé , but as Luke very frequently employs ἐíþðéïí in his Gospel and elsewhere in the Acts, de Wette regards tins latter form as the original reading also here.—Tr.]
Act_8:22. êõñßïõ is far more positively attested [A. B. C. D. E. Cod. Sin.] than Èåïῦ [in G. Ç ., Vulg., etc.,], which appears to have been transferred from Act_8:21 . [ êõñßïõ , by the later editors.—Tr.]
Act_8:25. ὑðÝóôñåöïí — åὐçããåëßæïíôï are the readings preferred by Lachmann and Tischendorf to those of the text. rec., which, in both cases, exhibits the aorist; however, ὑðÝóôñåöïí is found only in A. B. D., while åὐçããåëßæ . is found in A. B. C. D. E. The authorities which exhibit the latter, advocate the former also, as both words should undoubtedly appear in the same tense. [ ὐðåóôñÝøáí of text. rec., in C. E. G. H.; ὑðÝóôñåöïí , (adopted by Lach., Tisch. and Alf.) in A. B. D. and many minuscules; åὐçããåëßóáíôï , of text. rec., in G. H.; åὐçããåëßæïíôï (adopted by the same editors) in A. B. C. D. E.—Cod. Sin. reads ὑðÝóôñåöïí and åὐçããåëßæïíôï .—Tr.]