John Calvin Commentary Acts 5:13

"But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: howbeit the people magnified them;" — Acts 5:13 (ASV)

And of other durst no man. This was the second fruit of the miracles, in that those who did not believe, being convinced by the excellent power of God, dared not despise the apostles but were rather compelled to reverence the Church. Yet it might seem absurd that, being terrified by miracles, they would flee from God and His people.

I answer that they were prevented by their own fault from coming; and it is not to be doubted that God calls us to Himself by miracles. Therefore, whoever does not go so far as willingly to embrace the grace of God which shines in them, is prevented and hindered by their own perverse and evil conscience.

Yet this is some fruit, in that God wrings some fear out of them; although Luke ascribes this not only to the miracle but rather includes everything that might serve to increase the dignity of the Church. For all things were so ordered that a certain divine majesty shone there; for they differed from others no less than angels from men.

For there is a certain secret majesty in holy discipline and in sincere godliness, which even firmly binds the wicked, whether they will it or not. But today we do not know of what sort it is; indeed, rather, we cause ourselves to be despised together with the gospel through our profane liberty of evil living.

Furthermore, the punishment of Ananias and his wife greatly terrified the wicked and kept them from rashly breaking into the company of those men, where God had shown Himself to be such a stern Judge.

Yet we must note that he speaks here of men who were indifferent, and of those who were not of the worst sort; for there were at that time many in Jerusalem whom neither the reverence for signs nor the angelic holiness of the godly could move.

Therefore, Luke means moderate men, in whom there is some seed of the fear of God. This is just as today we see certain people whom the vanity of the world keeps back from submitting their necks to the yoke of Christ; yet because they sense something divine in our doctrine, they dare not despise it.

Yet we may also see in what deadly snares Satan ensnares all those who do not have the Spirit of Christ, so that they not only are afraid to provide for themselves but purposely avoid the remedies offered them for salvation. They both see and approve of those things that are holy and profitable, and yet, notwithstanding, they are either carried headlong to things that are worse, or else they grow drowsy in their filthiness.