To manoeuvre the apostles, i.e. rob Peter to pay Paul; that is, to borrow money of one man to pay another.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
Ape Leader * Apostles-1Nathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes