William Burkitt's Expository Notes

Acts 3:2

Observe here, 1. The condition of this person.

1. He was poor, even to beggary; but poverty is no sign of God's disfavour, nor doth exclude any from partaking of the best of blessings.

2. He was born. cripple, not lamed by casualty or accident, but lame from his mother's womb.

3. He had continued. cripple forty years, The man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. Acts 4:22. Consequently the cure was the harder, and the person cured the more credible witness against them that cavilled at his cure.

Observe, 2. The wonderful mercy and goodness of God towards this poor cripple; his miseries and calamities, his lameness and poverty, are over-ruled by God for good to him, even for the best good; namely, for bringing him to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and salvation by him.

O how good is God at making up all our losses and exceeding not only our deserts, but our expectations also! This poor man only begged an alms, but God gives him his limbs; yea, gives him his Son and salvation by him. Thus we receive of God daily more than we can either ask or think.

Observe, 3. The apostle's advice to the lame man, and his ready compliance with that advice. Look on us, says St. Peter; he doth not say, believe on us, but look on us, and believe on Christ. This the apostle spake to quicken his attention and excite his hope. As if St. Peter had said; "You look upon many others as able to relieve your necessities; now look on us, and see what we can do for you:" Accordingly he fastened his eyes upon the apostle, and beheld them as expectant of relief.

Here note, 1. The great mercy of God that was mingled with this poor man's affliction; though he was lame, he was not blind. He could and did stedfastly behold the apostle, with. fixed eye both of body and mind.

Note, 2. That what the cripple could do, he must and did do, towards his own healing; he could not move. foot, but he could fix his eye. We are spiritual cripples, labouring under. moral impotency; being without strength, Romans 1:6.

But God expects the exercise of our faculties, and the use of our endeavours in order to our recovery, help, and healing. As the cripple looked up to the apostles, so may we look up to the ministers of God: hear them, and apply to them, and place ourselves under to word dispensed by them; for he that made us without ourselves, will never save us without ourselves; but we must work out our own salvation, Php_2:12.

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William Burkitt's Expository Notes

Acts 3:2

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