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…

¹5 When Ananias heard these things. The death of Ananias doeth in deed declare and prove the force of the word, which Paul doth highly extol: to wit, that it is the savour of death unto death to those which perish. 2. Cor. 2. He speaketh in deed of the spiritual death of the soul, but there was a visible sign in the body of Ananias, of that punishment which cannot be seen with the eyes of men. He was not slain with sword, by force, nor hand, but was stricken dead with the only hearing of the voice. When we hear this, let the threatenings of the Gospel terrify us, and humble us in time, least we also feel the like effect. For that which is spoken of Christ,² He shall slay the wicked with the breath of his mouth: doth not only appertain to the head of the wicked, but also to every member. For those which refuse the salvation offered in his word, it must needs be deadly to them, which was naturally wholesome. But and if any man do think it an absurd thing, that the Apostle did punish Ananias bodily: First I answer that this was an extraordinary thing: secondly that this was one of the gifts of the Spirit: as it appeareth by the 12.³ Chapter of the first to the Corinthians. After which sort we shall afterward see Elimas the sorcerer stricken with blindness by Paul. Therefore Peter did nothing which was impertinent to his function,⁴ when he did in time shoot that dart which the holy Ghost had given him. And whereas some think that this was too cruel a punishment, this cometh to pass, because weighing Ananias his sin in their own and not in Gods balance, they count that but a light offence which was a most great and grievous crime, being full of such heinous offences, as I have already declared. Othersome do think that this was nothing so, because they see many hypocrites escape scot-free daily, which do no less mock God than did Ananias: yea, because they themselves being most gross contemners of God, are yet notwithstanding unpunished for their wickedness. But as God hath poured out visible graces upon his Church in the beginning, to the end we may know that he will be present with us by the secrete power of his spirit: yea he showed that openly by external signs, which we feel inwardly by the experiment of faith: