Acts 9:34 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Eneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole— It is worth our while to observe the great difference there is between the manner in which this miracle is wrought by Peter, and that in which Christ performed his works of divine power and goodness. The different characters of the servant and the son, the creature and the God, are every where apparent. In working this miracle, however, St. Peter seems to have imitated our Lord, partly as to the manner of expression, but principally as to the sign and evidence of the perfection of the miracle; (Mark 2:9. John 5:8.) only with this remarkable difference and decorum; namely, that the two men whomour Lord cured, were not at their own home, and therefore they were ordered to take up their bed, or the couch on which they had lain, and walk away. But Eneas, whom St. Peter cured, was at home, and kept his bed there, and therefore he was ordered to arise, and make his bed; στρωσον σεαυτω, shake up and smooth your own bed, as an evidence of the certainty and perfection of your cure. We may observe, that no faith on the part of the person to be healed was here required; and the like is observable in many other cases, where persons, perhaps ignorant of Christ, were surprised with an unexpected cure. But where persons petitioned themselves for a cure, a declaration of their faith was often required, that none might be encouraged to try experiments out of curiosity, in a manner which would have been very indecent, and have tended to many bad consequences.