Church History: Attempts of violence were made upon the apostles by their enemies. Their evil affection against them broke out at length into violent outrages. Both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers. The Gentiles and Jews were at enmity with one another, and yet united against Christians, like Herod and Pilate, Sadducees and Pharisees, against Christ; and like Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, of old, against Israel. If the church's enemies can unite for its destruction, cannot its friends, laying aside all personal feuds, unite for its preservation? Having now gotten the rulers on their side, they set out to make their point, and their design was to use the apostles despitefully, to expose them to disgrace, and then to stone them to death; and to bury their cause. They aimed to take away both their reputation and their life, and this was all they had to lose which men could take from them, for they had neither lands nor goods.
The apostles were delivered out of the hands of those wicked and unreasonable men. They got away, either upon notice given them of the designs against them, or at the beginning of the attempt upon them. They made an honorable retreat (for it was not an inglorious flight) to Lystra and Derbe; and there they found safety. Their persecutors in Iconium were for the present satisfied that they were thrust out of their borders, and pursued them no further. God has shelters for his people in a storm; He is, and will be, himself their hiding place. They found work, and this was what they went for. When the door of opportunity was shut against them at Iconium, it was opened at Lystra and Derbe. To these cities they went, and there, and in the region. They preached the gospel. In times of persecution ministers may see cause to leave a spot, but they do not leave the work.
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