And all the people saw. He beginneth now to declare the fruit of the miracle, to wit, that the cripple began to show his thankfulness by praising God, and that all the people were brought into great wondering. And here is a double fruit. For he which was healed doth acknowledge and set forth the benefit of God; on the other side, the people is moved, and the fame is spread abroad, many come to see it. And whereas Luke saith that they were filled with wondering, it doth only declare a preparation, which a more full proceeding [1] (and going forward) did at length follow. For it was necessary that they should go forward, because this their wondering had served to no end of itself, but did rather make them astonied and amazed, than bring them (from their own proceedings) unto God. Therefore it was, as it were, the foundation of the building which was to come, in that the people was touched with amazedness. For if we pass over the works of God contemptibly or carelessly, we shall never be able to profit by them. Furthermore, this place doth teach us what miracles do work of themselves in men; to wit, that they breed a confused amazedness. For although the Lord doth call us straightway unto himself, by showing plainly his goodness and power there, yet such is the weakness of our nature, that we stumble or faint in the midway, until such time as we be holpen by doctrine. Let us, therefore, learn reverently to consider the works of God, that the wondering at them may make an entrance for doctrine. For when doctrine is cold and unprofitable with us, God doth justly punish our unthankfulness by this means, because we have despised the glory of his works. Again, because we are not so quick of sight, that we can see so much in the works of God alone, as is sufficient, let us learn to join therewithal the help of doctrine. [2] To be brief, the one ought not to be separated from the other. Which thing experience doth sufficiently teach us. For hereby it came to pass that the world did so wickedly abuse miracles. The Papists do object unto us miracles again and again. Let us suppose that they be true, whereof they make such boast, yet do they greatly err in this, that they wrest them to a wrong end; to wit, that they may darken the name of God, and infect the pure truth of the gospel with their inventions. For whence come so many superstitious worshippings of saints, save only from the abuse of miracles? For when any miracle is wrought, men must needs be moved. And because they are deaf when they should hear the Word, and do not mark what God cloth mean, Satan doth craftily take an occasion of superstition by our amazedness. [3] As, for example, I will acknowledge the power of God in a miracle. If it were wrought by Peter, Satan will by and by put this in my head, and will say thus: [4] Dost thou not see that this is a man of God? [5] therefore thou dost owe unto him divine honor. The same thing had befallen the Jews when they were amazed, unless Peter's sermon had called them back into the right way. But in Popery, where none did call them back or reprove them, [6] the preposterous wondering of men did easily get the upper hand. Wherefore, we must so much the more [7] seek for medicine out of the Word, that doctrine may direct us unto the right end, being lifted up [8] with the miracles.

Footnotes

1 - "Profectus," progress, or profiting.

2 - "Si volumus ad scopum pervenire," if we would attain to the mark, omitted.

3 - "Ex nostro stupore," from our stupor, or stupidity.

4 - "Suggeret mihi," will suggest to me.

5 - "Divinum hominem," a divine man.

6 - "Ubi nullus ecarguebat superstitionem," where none condemned the superstition.

7 - "Magis sollicite," the more anxiously.

8 - "Erectos," when we are lifted up, or aroused by.

And all the people - The people who had been accustomed to see him sit in a public place.
And they knew - In this they could not be deceived; they had seen him a long time, and now they saw the same man expressing his praise to God for complete recovery. The particulars in this miracle are the following, and they are as far as possible from any appearance of imposture:
1. The man had been afficated from a child. This was known to all the people. At this time he was 40 years of age, Acts 4:22.
2. He was not an impostor. If he had pretended lameness, it is wonderful that he had not been detected before, and not have been suffered to occupy a place thus in the temple.
3. The apostles had no agency in placing him there. They had not seen him before. There was manifestly no collusion or agreement with him to attempt to impose on the people.
4. The man himself was convinced of the miracle, and did not doubt that the power by which he had been healed was of God.
5. The people were convinced of the same thing. They saw the effects; they had known him well; they had had every opportunity to know that he was diseased, and they were now satisfied that he was restored. There was no possibility of deception in the case. It was not merely the friends of Jesus that saw this; not those who had an interest in the miracle, but those who had been his enemies, and who had just before been engaged in putting him to death. Let this miracle be compared, in these particulars, with those pretended miracles which have been affirmed to have been performed in defense of other systems of religion, and it will be seen at once that in these there is every appearance of sincerity, honesty, and truth; in them, every mark of deception, fraud, and imposition. (See Paley's "Evidences of Christianity," proposition ii. chapter ii.)

And all the people saw him - The miracle was wrought in the most public manner, and in the most public place, and in a place where the best judgment could be formed of it; for, as it was a Divine operation, the priests, etc., were the most proper persons to judge of it; and under their notice it was now wrought.

And all the people,.... That were in the temple,
saw him walking; who before lay on a couch, or on the ground, and was so lame, that he was obliged to be carried;
and praising God; for this miraculous cure. The Arabic version renders it, "saw him walking to praise God": that is, entering into the temple with the apostles, in order to offer up the sacrifice of praise to God there.

all the people saw him, &c.--as they assembled at the hour of public prayer, in the temple courts; so that the miracle had the utmost publicity.

The people . . . were filled with wonder. They had often seen the lame beggar, but now saw him "walking, and leaping and praising God," and did not know how he had been healed.