the keepers before the door kept the prison.

7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals and so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not2 that it was true

which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.3

10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath5 delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all

PARALLEL PASSAGES.-1Ch. 5:19. Ps. 37:32, 33. 2Ps. 126:1. Ch. 10:3, 17. 42 Chron. 16:9. Ps. 33:18, 19; 97:10. 2 Cor. 1:10.

And keepers (guards) before the door were guarding the prison. These were probably the other pair of the quaternion on guard for this watch of the night. It was death to the Roman guards to have a prisoner escape.

7. He smote. Literally, "the side of Peter." This term implies a violent blow. Raised him up. "Roused him" (from sleep), used of Christ's being awaked from sleep in the vessel. (Luke 8:24.) This word of command was accompanied by a divine power, loosing his hands from the chains. Observe: So always when Christ means to release us from our bondage of sin and death, he speaks his gospel command with a power accompanying, by which the chains fall off from our souls. Observe: The soldiers chained to him were probably not awaked. Our deliverance cannot be prevented by all the powers of hell. Jacobus.

8. Gird thyself, etc. The Orientals, when they go to rest, do not undress fully as we do; or rather, do not change their dress; they simply loosen their girdle and lay aside their outer garment. Peter had done this; and the angel seeing him still confused and amazed, directed him to fasten his girdle and put on his cloak, and also to bind on his sandals. The latter direction intimated that he was to leave the place, as the Orientals only use their shoes or sandals when they leave their apartments. Accordingly, when this was done, the angel bade Peter follow him. So they passed on; and when they came to the outermost gate, which was strengthened with iron, it flew open of its own accord, and the two passed into the street. The angel then disappeared. All this took but a few moments, and Peter, still confused, deemed all that was passing to be a vision or a dream. But the brisk night air soon brought him to complete recollection, and he perceived that his deliverance was real. "Now I know of a surety," he said, "that the Lord hath sent his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from the expectation of the Jews." Kitto.

9. There is a beautiful legend which this deliverance of Peter recalls to recollection. It is said that when Peter was in his last imprisonment at Rome he made his escape; and as he went along the street he met the Lord Jesus bearing his cross. Peter asked him whither he was going. Our Lord replied, To Rome, to be crucified. Peter returned immediately to prison, and on the following day was crucified, and by his own request with his head downward, considering himself unworthy to suffer death in the same manner as his Master did. Gloag.

10. Having passed through the first and second watch, i. e. first through the two soldiers stationed at Peter's door (verse 6), and then through two others near the gate which led into the city. Walch supposes the two soldiers to whom Peter was bound (verse 6) were not included in the sixteen (verse 4), since their office would not require them to remain awake, and consequently to be changed during the night, like the others. A more common opinion is, that the first watch was a single soldier, before the door, and the second another at the iron gate, and that these two soldiers, with the two by the side of Peter, made up the quaternion then on duty. But "having passed through," suggests a plural sense, and must be said loosely if applied to a single person. That Peter passed the watch unopposed or perhaps unobserved (see verse 18) was a part of the miracle. The precise situation of the prison is unknown. The "iron gate" may have formed the termination of a court or avenue which connected the prison with the town. De Wette, after Lightfoot, Walch, and others, thinks that the prison was in a tower between the two walls of the city, and that this was the outer gate of the tower. Hackett.

the expectation of the people of the Jews.

12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

13 And as Peter knocked at the

door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly af

12. Mary the mother of John. John was a common name among the Jews, and therefore he is distinguished by his Latin surname, Marcus. He was without doubt the same who accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Cyprus. (Acts 12:25.) He was sister's son to Barnabas (Col. 4:10), and consequently the Mary here mentioned was the sister of Barnabas. There is no reason to discredit the commonly received opinion that this Mark was the same whom Peter calls his son (1 Peter 5: 13), i. e. his convert, and who was the author of the second gospel. Gathered praying. This was a midnight assembly of the Christians, either for fear of their Jewish enemies or more probably on account of the pressing necessity and importance of the case. The primitive Christians in those times of peril held their sacred assemblies in the night season, and afterwards in peaceful times these nocturnal assemblies were continued, owing to their greater solemnity and on account of a prevalent persuasion that the Lord Jesus would come during the night. Gloag. - The answer was (1) prompt-the same night. (2) Triumphant against all earthly impossibilities. (3) Astonishing to all—to the prayer-meeting, to Peter, to the persecutors.

13. Oriental houses have a door on the street, opening into the vestibule or porch, and tended by a maid-servant. (John 18:16.) This is still the custom, as we found at Jerusalem, Damascus, and other places of the East, where we entered the dwellings of wealthy Jews. Jacobus. —Rhoda, signifying "rose-bush." The mention of this name, with the maiden's behavior, marks the thorough minuteness of the narrative. Luke may have derived it from John Mark himself. Whedon.

14. She opened not the gate. At this time of night and in these circumstances the door would be fastened. Christians were doubtless alarmed by the death of James and the imprisonment of Peter, and they would take all possible precautions for their own safety. For gladness. In her joy she hastened to inform those who were assembled of the safety of Peter.

15. Thou art mad. Thou art insane. They seemed to have regarded his rescue as so difficult and so hopeless that they deemed it proof of derangement that she now affirmed it; and yet this was the very thing for which they had been so earnestly praying. When it was now announced to them that the object of their prayers was granted, they deemed the messenger that announced it insane. Christians are often surprised even when their prayers are answered. They are overwhelmed and amazed at the success of their own petitions, and are slow to believe that the very thing for which they have sought could be granted. It shows perhaps with how little faith, after all, they pray, and how slow they are to believe that God can hear and answer prayer. In a revival of religion, in answer to prayer, Christians are often overwhelmed and astonished when even their own petitions are granted and when God manifests his own power in his own way and time. (Does it not rather show that the deliverance they expected came in an unexpected way? They were amazed not at the success of their prayers, but at the marvellous way in which God answered them.) But she constantly affirmed it. She insisted on it. How much better it would have been to have hastened at once to the gate than thus · to have engaged in a controversy on the subject. Peter was suffered to remain knocking while they debated the matter. Christians are often engaged in some unprofitable controversy when they should hasten to catch the first tokens of divine favor, and open their arms to welcome the proofs that God has heard their prayers. Then said they,- still resolved not to be convinced, -It is his angel. Any way of accounting for it rather than to admit the simple fact or to ascertain the simple truth. All this was-produced by the little hope which they had of his release and their earnest desire that it should be so. It was just such a state of mind as is indicated when we say "The news is too good to be believed." The expression "It is his angel " may mean that they supposed the tutelary guardian or angel appointed to attend Peter had come to announce something respecting him, and that he had assumed the voice and form of Peter, in order to render them certain that he came from him. This notion arose from the common belief of the Jews that each individual had assigned to him, at birth, a celestial spirit, whose office it was to guard and defend him through life. That the Jews entertained this opinion is clear from their writings. Lightfoot thinks that they who were assembled supposed that this angel had assumed the voice and manner of Peter in order to intimate to them that he was about to die and to excite them to earnest prayer that he might die with constancy and firmness. Whatever their opinions were, how

firmed that it was even so. Then declared3 unto them how the Lord

said they, It is his1 angel.

16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

17 But he, beckoning2 unto them with the hand to hold their peace,

had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

-1Mark 18:10. 2Ch. 13:16. Ps. 66:16.

ever, it proves nothing on these points. There is no evidence that they were inspired in these opinions, nor are their notions countenanced by the Scriptures; they were the mere common traditions of the Jews. Barnes.

16, 17. Continued knocking. However, by this time Peter had become a little impatient of his detention outside the gate, which also might have been dangerous to him. He therefore resumed his knocking. He knocked with his staff, probably, for there are no knockers, far less bells, to Eastern houses. They then ventured to go and open the gate, and when they saw it was really Peter their astonishment and joy were both beyond measure great. It was also loud in its expression; but Peter, to whom every moment was precious, held up his hand to beckon for silence. He then recited to them how it was that the Lord had brought him out of prison, and requesting them to report these particulars to the surviving James and to the brethren at large, he took his departure. "He went to another place," where he might for the time be more safe. Where he went we know not. The Roman Catholics suppose that he went to Rome, but there is no evidence for this, nor does it seem at all likely at this time, whatever may have been the case at a later period. Kitto.-James, the son of Alpheus. James, the brother of our Lord, is frequently mentioned in the history of the Church. He is there known by the name of Bishop (pastor) of Jerusalem, and certainly he exercised an important influence in the Mother Church. Eusebius informs us that he was universally known as "The Just." He lived as a Nazarite; he drank neither wine nor strong drink, and no razor came upon his head. He was in the habit of entering the temple alone, and was often found upon his bended knees interceding for the forgiveness of his people, so that his knees became as hard as camels' in consequence of his habitual supplication before God. He was put to death shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem (about A. D. 63). Gloag. 211