(πειζαρχειν, says he. but then he immediately subjoins,) "to be ready to every good work."—and no man can be esteemed "ready to every good work," if he is obedient to magistrates when their commands exceed the due limits of the law; or if (contrary to the example of the apostle himself) he neglects a fair opportunity of publicly discountenancing and censuring any notorious perversion of justice and right by a magistrate!
The same necessary limitation of the doctrine of obedience must also be understood when we read the exhor-tation of another apostle on this head, viz: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. " For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using (your) liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God !" (1 Peter ii. 13 — 16.) Governors are here declared to be sent for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well; to such,. therefore, as answer this description, the submission and honor enjoined in the context are undoubtedly due; but, whenever the governors themselves become the evil doers, and, like Ananias, instead of praising and encouraging "them to do well," do notoriously abuse, oppress, and murder them, as he did,[1] it would be a manifest
- ↑ The apostle Paul was so far from retracting any part of his severe censure and remonstrance against Ananias, that he afterwards (before Felix; defied Ananias and the rest of his accusers to show that he had been guilty of any the least misdemeanor ever since his last arrival at Jerusalem, and more particularly while "he stood before the council," (meaning the time when he foretold that God should smite that whited wall, Ananias,) "or else" (said he to Felix) "let these same here say," (meaning the high priest Ananias, the elders, and their orator, Tertullus, mentioned in the first verse of the chapter,) "if they have found any evil doing in me while I stood before the council, except it be for this one voice," (now he once more provokes the malicious Sadducee,) " that I cried, standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day." (Acts xxiv. 20.) This is a manifest
