Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest
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ACTS OF THE APOSTLES<br />
CHAPTER IV.<br />
APOSTOLICAL SUCCESSION.<br />
1-3. Here we find Peter is interrupted in the midst of this glorious sermon by the priests and the<br />
captain of the Levitical temple guards and the Sadducees, the most wealthy and consequently<br />
influential sect of the Jewish church, though quite heterodoxical in their theology, and even<br />
rationalistic in their teaching; so here, while the multitude are spell-bound and edified by the truth,<br />
Peter preached. The anti-holiness preachers and the carnal men of wealth and influence constituting<br />
the official board can stand it no longer. Consequently, with the acquiescence of the <strong>Romans</strong>, who<br />
are willing to purchase Jewish favor with the persecution of the poor Nazarenes, they break up this<br />
precious meeting by an open assault on the preachers, laying violent hands on them and incarcerating<br />
them in prison. A world-wide controversy has rolled down the ages ever since the Constantinian<br />
apostasy, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and many others disputing over the apostolical succession,<br />
each party claiming to have it to the exclusion of all the rest. Now, behold the scene! Platoons of<br />
theologians, with plug hats, pigeon-tail coats and toothpick shoes, cigars in their mouths, rings on<br />
their fingers and golden-headed canes in their hands, all disputing with each other over the<br />
apostolical succession, each party claiming to have it and ostracizing and anathematizing all the<br />
balance. The Bible is a plain book. Why will intelligent, educated men thus stultify themselves,<br />
becoming laughing-stocks for devils? Now with an open Bible you have nothing to do but read the<br />
plain record and here see the apostolical succession. The way the apostles went is open and free for<br />
all. You have nothing to do but walk in their footprints. They first received a clear conversion, the<br />
Savior Himself assuring them that their names were written in heaven. Then after a ten days’ prayer<br />
meeting they were gloriously baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire, and thus sanctified wholly; then<br />
beneath the burning sun [for there never was a Christian church built till A.D. 150] they preached<br />
all day amid roaring mobs, preachers mad because they preached holiness, stirring the rabble and<br />
interrupting them, and finally to spend the night in jail. So you see clearly the way of apostolical<br />
succession. Your experiences, your ministry and your life must be like those of the apostles;<br />
otherwise your claim to succession is farcical and false. Good Lord, help us to read our Bibles and<br />
learn some sense. Now, take all these clamorous and disputatious claimants to the apostolical<br />
succession who have racked the church with controversy the last fifteen hundred years. Do you not<br />
see the silly nonsense and the ridiculous falsity of the whole matter? The succession is free to all who<br />
will receive it. It leads through the crucible, regeneration, Pentecost of fiery baptism street-preaching<br />
all day amid rocks, mud, clubs, eggs, mad preachers and church officers, and a jail to sleep in at<br />
night. So these big preachers that have been quarreling over it these last fifteen hundred years can<br />
all have it. But there is the trouble — they don’t want it. They will not have it. Then why not quit<br />
their nonsense?<br />
FIVE THOUSAND CONVERTED.<br />
4. This wonderful accession augments the Nazarenes to eight thousand. While doubtless many<br />
of them were born from above for the first time in life, you must remember that the great salient fact<br />
is conversion to the Christhood of Jesus. Among the thousands of “devout” Jews (remember, this