The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

1 Those things which Luke hath reported hitherto, did show that that company which was gathered together under the name of Christ was rather a company of Angels than of men. Moreover that was incredible virtue, that the rich men did despoil themselves of their own accord, not only of their money, but also of their land, that they might relieve the poor. But now he showeth that Satan had invented a shift to get into that holy company: & that under colour of such excellent virtue. ⟨p. 104⟩For he hath wonderful wiles of hypocrisy to insinuate himself. This way doth Satan assault the Church, when as he cannot prevail by open war. But we must specially in this place have respect unto the drift of the holy Ghost. For in this history he meant to declare, first how acceptable singleness of heart is to God, and what an abomination hypocrisy is in his sight: secondly how greatly he alloweth the holy and pure policy and government of his Church. For this is the principal point, the punishment wherewith God punished Ananias and his wife. As the greatness thereof did at that time terrify them all, so it is unto us a testimony, that God cannot abide this unfaithfulness, when as bearing a show of holiness where there is none, we do mock him contemptibly. For if having weighed all the circumstances, we be desirous to know the sum: Luke condemneth no other fault in Ananias, than this, that he meant to deceive God and the Church with a feigned offering. Yet there were more evils packed under this dissimulation: the contempt of God, whom he feareth not, though he knew his wickedness: sacrilegious defrauding, because he keepeth back part of that which he professed to be holy to God: perverse vanity and ambition, because he vaunteth himself in the presence of men without having any respect unto Gods judgement: want of faith, because he would never have gone this way to work, unless he had mistrusted God: the corrupting of a godly and holy order: furthermore the hypocrisy it self was a great offence of it self. The fact of Ananias did bear a goodly show, although he had given only the half of his land. Neither is this a small virtue, for a rich man to bestow the half of his goods upon the poor:¹ but the sacrifices of the ungodly are an abomination to God: neither can any thing please him, where the singleness of heart is wanting.²