Chapter XXXVII: Section 1

AT ANTIOCH, AGABUS HAVING PREDICTED A DEARTH, MONEY IS COLLECTED FOR THE JERUSALEM SAINTS.

At his own house it was, that we last left our self-declared Apostle: at his own birthplace--Tarsus: what we have next to see is--what drew him from thence.

All this while there were other disciples that had not been idle. To the new religion, already was Antioch, Antioch in Syria, become a new Jerusalem.

Upon the dispersion of the Jerusalem Christians, occasioned by the judicial murder of the sainted trustee of the poor's fund--Stephen,--some of them, among whom were some natives of Cyprus,--in which island was situated the property of the son of consolation, Barnabas,--had betaken themselves to that same island, others to that same city of Antioch in Syria.

ACTS xi. 19-24.

19. Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that
arose about Stephen, travelled as far as Phenice and Cyprus, and
Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.--And
some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were
come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord
Jesus.--And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number
believed, and turned unto the Lord.--Then tidings of these things
came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they
sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.--Who,
when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad; and exhorted
them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the
Lord.--For he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith:
and much people was added unto the Lord.

Of these, some addressed themselves exclusively to the _Jews_: others ventured so far, as to make an experiment upon the _Grecians_. Unfortunately, these terms are, neither of them, wholly free from ambiguity. By the word _Jews_, may have been meant either Jews by _birth_ and _abode_, or Jews by _religion_: by the word _Grecians_, either Jews who, born or dwelling within the field of quondam Grecian dominion, used the Greek as their native language,--or Greeks, who were such, not only by language, but by religion. In this latter case, their lot was among the Gentiles, and much more extraordinary and conspicuous was the importance of the success.

"They which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel." Such, in his own words, 1 Cor. 9:14, is the maxim laid down by Paul, for the edification of his Corinthian disciples. To save doubts and disputation, he prefaces it with the assurance--"even so hath the Lord ordained." No great need of support from revelation, seems to attach upon a maxim so natural, and so reasonable: from the time of the first planting of the Gospel, it appears to have been, as indeed it could not fail to be, universally acted upon; saving such few exceptions as a happy union of zeal, with sufficient pecuniary means, might render possible.

How, under the Apostolical aristocracy, it had been acted upon in Jerusalem, has been seen already. The time was now come,--for its being established, and acted upon in Antioch.

At Jerusalem, under the spiritual dominion of the Apostles, lived a man of the name of _Agabus_. Among the endowments,--of which, in the character of _qualifications_, a demand was by some understood to be created, by the business of propagating the new religion,--qualifications, a list of which, according to his conception of it, Paul, 1 Cor. 12:10, has given us,--was one, which, among these endowments, was called the "_gift of prophecy_":--a gift, under which, as under that of speech in general, particularly when applied to occasions of importance, the faculty of _prediction_--of forming correct judgments respecting future contingencies--would, if not necessarily, very frequently at least, come to be included.

In the instance of the _prophecy_ here in question, this same prospective faculty, it should seem, was actually included.

The _fact_, for the purpose of predicting, or giving information of which, this useful emissary was, on the present occasion, sent from Jerusalem to Antioch,--was--that of signifying, that there should be a great dearth: an _inference_ deduced from it, was--that, at this same Antioch, for the relief of the brethren at Jerusalem, _contributions_ should be collected, and sent to Jerusalem.

ACTS xi. 27-30.

27. And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto
Antioch.--And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and
signified by the spirit that there should be a great dearth
throughout all the world; which came to pass in the days of
Claudius Caesar.--Then the disciples, every man according to his
ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in
Judea:--Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands
of Barnabas and Saul.

In the calamity of _dearth_ may be seen one of those events, of which--especially if the time of it be not predesignated with too rigid an exactness--a prediction may be hazarded,--and even by any man,--without much risk of falling under the disgrace attached to the appellation of _a false prophet_. Of this observation, an exemplification seems to have been afforded, in the present instance. With not unaccustomed prudence,--"the spirit," by which, on this occasion, the calamity was "signified," forbore, as we see, from the fixation of any particular year--either for the prophecy, or for the accomplishment of it. "The days of Claudius Caesar" are mentioned as the time of the accomplishment. By agreement of all chronologists,--the duration of his reign is stated as occupying not less than thirteen years. Whether this same reign had then already commenced,--is not, on this occasion, mentioned: from the manner in which it is mentioned, the negative seems not improbable; if so, then to find the time which the prophecy had for finding its accomplishment to the definite term of thirteen years, we must add another, and that an indefinite one.

According to the situation, of the individuals by whom the word is employed,--_worlds_ vary in their sizes. Of the dearth in question, the whole world, "all the world," is, by the author of the Acts, stated as having been the afflicted theatre: "great dearth throughout all the world." Acts 11:28. As to the rest of the world, we may leave it to itself. For the purpose then and now in question, it was and is sufficient--that two cities, Jerusalem and Antioch, were included in it. The calamity being thus universal,--no reason of the ordinary kind is given, or seems discoverable--why, of any such contribution as should come to be raised, the course should be--from Antioch to Jerusalem, rather than from Jerusalem to Antioch. Inquired for, however, on religious ground,--a _reason_ presents itself, without much difficulty. What Rome became afterwards, Jerusalem was then--the capital of _that world_, which now, for the first time, received the name of _Christian_. According to one of the sayings of Jesus--if Paul, his self-appointed Apostle, is to be trusted to--of them it was pronounced "_more blessed to give than to receive_":[28] but in the eyes of the successors of St. Peter at all times,--and at this time, as it should seem, in his own--it was _more blessed to receive than give_.