And the word of God increased
This stratagem of Satan did not succeed to divide the church, but
issued in the better decorum and discipline of it, and in the
spread and success of the Gospel; God thus making all things to
work together for good;
and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
greatly;
where Christ was crucified, the apostles were scourged, and
treated with the utmost contempt, the sanhedrim and rulers of the
Jews dwelt, who used all their power and craft to crush the
Gospel, and hinder the progress of it, but in vain, there the
word increased; which it may be said to do, when saints are
edified by it, and sinners are converted under it; and in this
last sense it is chiefly to be understood here: the instances of
conversion were very numerous; how large must this church now be!
and a great company of the priests were obedient to the
faith;
that is, to the Gospel, which contains things to be believed,
articles of faith; proposes Christ the great object of faith; and
is the means of producing faith, and which is of no profit,
unless it is mixed with faith: and to obey this is cordially to
embrace the doctrines of the Gospel, and cheerfully to submit to
the ordinances of it. And that the priests, and a large number of
them, should do this, is very marvellous; since they were the
most inveterate enemies of the Gospel, and persecutors of the
saints; but what is it that efficacious grace cannot do? the
Syriac version instead of "priests" reads "Jews", but unsupported
by any copy.