8 ii. Acts Peter observes, the scripture was fulfilled in Judas. brethren. SECT. Cross of their Lord, and particularly Mary, so Mary the mother of celebrated as the mother of Jesus; and also with Jesus, and with his his brethren and near kinsmen after the flesh, 1.14 of whom there were some other besides the apostles, whose prejudices, though once strong, were now happily worn off. Compare John vii. 5. in the midst of the 15 And in these days, while they were waiting for 15 And in those 16 16 Men and breth must needs have O ye men that hear me this day, [and] whom I regard as my brethren, in the bonds of relig- ren, this scripture ion, as well as of friendship! it was necessary been fulfilled, which in the righteous judgment of God, that this aw- the Holy Ghost by ful passage of scripture should be fulfilled, which the mouth of David the Holy Spirit spake, long before the event, by spake before conthe mouth of David, and which God intended cerning Judas, which with a particular regard to Judas; who was so wicked a wretch, that, in contempt of all the "That Number of persons.] It is literally the them as if the apostle had said, number of names; but it is well known, vengeance, which David foretold as to that you often signifies persons. (See be executed on his enemies must much Rev. iii. 4, xi. 13, and Raphel. ex Polyb. more fall on Judas, whose perfidious and p.297.) And it best suits the English cruel attack on Christ himself rendered language, to render it so. him so much more criminal." This scripture should be fulfilled, &c.] is certain, the order of the Greek words But it Two prophecies are afterwards quoted for will not so naturally admit this; nor do this purpose, (ver. 20) from Psal. Ixix. I remember to have seen the phrase 25, and cix. 8; and it has been matter of Tanganval TV, the particle e, or much debate, whether they do in their , with the dative case, being much more original sense refer to Judas, or to the proper in that connection. enemies of David. Mr. Jeffery (in his Re- Mat. xiii. 14; and Luke xxii. 37.) I (Compare view, p. 179, & seq.) maintains the therefore conclude, that, while David former, and Dr. Sykes (on the truth of prophesied of the calamities which should Christianity, p. 271, 272) the latter. It is certain, the sixty ninth psalm is not to be confined to Judas; for St. Paul (Rom. xi. 9, 10) has quoted the 22d and 23d verses of it, as applicable to the unbelieving Jews in general. There are so many passages in both the psalms in question, more applicable to David than to Christ, that I was very inclinable to render the words before us, The Scripture which the Holy Ghost spake before by the mouth of David, must necessarily have been fulfilled concerning Judas, &c. and to have explained befal his persecutors, it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, that the enemies and muderers of the Messiah should inherit those curses in all their terror, and be yet more miserable than the persons on whom they were more immediately to fall. This fact (in itself exceeding prob. able) I take to be asserted in these words, as what was revealed by the same spirit to the apostle Peter. And I hope, the reader will excuse the length of a note, which may serve as a key to many other passages of the New Testament. He takes notice of the traitor's miserable end. Acts i. 16 9 was guide to them most solemn and endearing obligations to dis- SECT. that took Jesus. tinguishing duty and fidelity to his Divine ii. Master, he became the guide of those that seized on the blessed Jesus, and marked him out to them by a traitorous kiss. (Mat. xxvi. 47, 48.) 17 For he was And indeed he well deserved to be made a 17 numbered with us, monument of vengeance to succeeding ages, and had obtained part of this ministry, considering the near relation in which he stood with the reward of and all his bowels gushed out. to Christ, and to us; for he was once numbered with us his apostles, and for a while had obtained part of this ministry, with which our Lord was pleased to honour us, as the princi18 Now this man pal officers in his kingdom. The calamitous 18. purchased a field end of this unhappy man is therefore fresh in iniquity; and falling your memories; and it is known to all of you, headlong, he burst that instead of enriching himself by his crimes, asunder in the midst, and securing those worldly advantages he so eagerly pursued, he only purchased (that is, was the occasion of purchasing) a fielde with that money, which was the reward of his iniquity: For his conscience would not suffer him to keep it; but he threw it down, as you know, in the temple, and then going away, he hanged himself. (Mat. xxvii. 5.) But that which should have supported the weight of his body breaking, he could not fully execute his horrid design; and falling down on his face, he burst asunder in the middle, and all his bowels were in a miserable manner poured out upon the ground; so that he expired in the utmost agonies both of body and mind, to the horror of all that beheld him. e Purchased a field.] It is worth observing, that an action is sometimes said in Scripture to be done by a person, who was the occasion of doing it. (Compare Gen. xlii. 38; Exod. xxiii. 8; 1 Kings xiv. 16; Isa. vi. 10; Jer. xxxvi. 23; Rom. xiv. 25; 1 Cor. vii. 16; and 1 Tim. iv. 16.) But some would render x7no a7o, he possessed the field, supposing Judas was buried there. (See Bren. and Heins. in loc.) Dr. Lightfoot thinks, he was strangled in the air by the Devil, and thrown down headlong in this field; and so might be said to possess it, and occasioned its being called the Field of blood. (Hor. Hebr. on Mat. xxvii. 5, and in loc.) Falling down on his face, he burst asunder, &c.] Thus Matthew's account is recon ciled with Luke's above. (See note b on Mat. xxvii. 5, Vol. II.) I find the learned Casaubon has taken the same method; nor can I see any reason to recede from this interpretation, on the most attentive review of the various solutions proposed by Mr. Biscoe. (Boyle's Lect. p. 637-644) But, were I to change it, I should prefer to any other that of Limborch; that some Jew, who would have concealed the suicide, cut Judas down, and threw him into some pit or valley, where he was afterwards found lying on his face, with his bowels gushed out. That πρηνης γενομενα should be rendered, not falling headlong, but falling down on his face, see proved by Raphelius, (ex Polyb. p. 103, & seq.) and Elsner, (Observ. Vol. I. p. 358, 359.) 10 SECT. ii. Acts i. 19 20 He devises that another apostle should be chose in his room. (And by the way, this was a fact so public 19 And it was and notorious, that it was known to all the in- known unto all the habitants of ferusalem, who could not but take dwellers at Jerusa notice of such an extraordinary circumstance; that field is called, in lem; insomuch as so that the field which was so purchased is to their proper tongue, this day called in their language, which is the Aceldama, that is to Syriac dialect, Aceldama, that is, The field of blood. blood, as being bought with money which was, in more senses than one, the price of blood; having been the cursed hire for which Judas sold the blood of his Master, and in effect his own.) say, The field of 20 For it is writ er take. Now, said Peter to the disciples, I observed to you, that the scripture speaks something of ten in the book of this remarkable event; for it is written in the Psalms, Let his habbook of Psalms, (Psal. Ixix. 25) “ Let his habita- and let no man dwell itation be desolate, tion be desolate, and let no man inhabit it;" and therein and, His again, (Psal. cix. 8) "Let another take (that is, bishopric let anothanother shall take and discharge) his office." The former of these clauses is already awfully verified, as he is become such a spectacle of horror, that men will detest the very place where he lived; and the other must be now 21 accomplished. It is necessary therefore, that of the men who have conversed intimately with these men us, and have attended during all the time in have companied with which the Lord Jesus was going in and coming the Lord Jesus went out among us, and so can testify of all he did in and out among us, 22 and said, Beginning from the baptism of John, 22 Beginning from when he first entered on his ministry, even to unto that same day the baptism of John, the day in which he was taken up from us into that he was taken up heaven, one of these should be chosen to the tolic office, to be made a witness with ush of that from us, must one be ordained to be a great and fundamental fact, his resurrection his resurrection. witness with us of • It was known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.] Aringhius (in his Rom. Subterran. p. 436) mentions a funeral inscription dug up in the Via Nomentana, by which it appears, that the fate of Judas became a proverbial form of cursing. The reader will perceive, that with many of the best critics I take this verse to be a parenthesis, to be considered, not as the words of Peter, but of the historian; which effectually answers the objection from the fact having happened but a few days before the speech was delivered. This also accounts for his calling the Syriac, which was spoken by the Jews at that time, their language; for Hakeldama is the Syriac dialect. apos 21 Wherefore of which us, all the time that with us ] They might reasonably and moOne of these should be made a witness destly conclude, that it was fit the number of apostles which Christ first chose should be kept up, perhaps in allusion to the twelve tribes of Israel. But it is impossible, as well as quite unnecessary, that we should at this distance of time be able to assign a reason, why the two that are afterwards mentioned, and no more, were proposed as candidates. Perhaps a longer and more intimate acquaintance with our Lord might entitle them to a preference on this occasion. Two are proposed, and Matthias is chosen by lot. 23 And they ap and Matthias. 11 from the dead, upon which the proof of his sECT. being the Messiah so evidently rests. The apostle had no sooner spoke, but immepointed two, Joseph diately the whole assembly assented to the called Barsabas, who was sirnamed Justus, reasonableness of this proposal; and accordingly they set up two men; the one, Joseph called Barsabas,i who was also surnamed Justus, on account of the remarkable openness and integrity of his temper; and the other, a person of no less eminent note for his piety, who was called Matthias. ii. Acts i. 23 24 And they pray- And they prayed with great solemnity, an- 24 ed, and said, Thou, swerable to the importance of the occasion, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all saying, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of men, shew whether all, and perfectly discernest every secret senof these two thou timent of the soul, and all the future circumhast chosen, stances of life! we humbly entreat thee to shew, which of these two, whom we esteem thy faithful servants, thou hast chosen to be advanc25 That he may ed to this distinguished honour; That he may 25 take part of this min- take part of this ministry, and share with thine ship, from which Ju. other servants in the apostleship, from which das by transgression Judas is fallen by [his] transgression to his eterfell, that he might nal ruin; that he might go to his own place, to go to his own place. that miserable world, which in thy righteous judgment is appointed for the reception of such heinous offenders, and the due punishment of such enormous crimes. istry and apostle 26 And they gave And after this prayer they gave out their lots 26 forth their lots; and for each; and the lot fell upon Matthias, on the lot fell upon which they concluded, that he was the person whom God had appointed: And the rest of the Matthias, and he Joseph called Barsabas.] The Cam- appointed for him, many writers have bridge Manuscript reads Barnabas; but shewn, and particularly Dr. Benson, in his Dr. Benson seems to have assigned solid History of the first Planting of Christianity, reasons for concluding, this was not Bar- page 23. (Compare Mat. xxvi. 24; John nabas the Cyprian, (Acts iv. 36) of whom vi. 70, 71 and xvii. 12.) we read so often in this history, whose name was also Joses, or Joseph, (which are both the same) but rather the Joseph mentioned Mat. xxvii. 56 and Mark vi. 3, the son of Cleopas or Alpheus, and brother to at least two of the apostles, James the Less, and Jude. They gave out their lots.] This was, no doubt, most impartially adjusted, though we know not in what particular method. The honour God has conferred on inquiries by lot, (Josh. vii 14, 15; 1 Sam. x. 20, 21) and the custom of fixing the officers of the To his own place.] Oecumenius, Ham- priests in the temple, while in waiting mond, and Le Cene, seem to interpret this there, by lot, (1 Chron. xxiv. 5, 7 and phrase very unnaturally, when they ex- Luke i. 9) might lead them to this turn of plain it of a successor going into the place of thought. Grotius has shewn in his note Julas. That dov Tomov signifies a place here, that such a designation to sacred offiproper and suitable for such a wretch, and ces prevailed also among some pagan natherefore by God's righteous judgment tions. 12 Reflections on the end of Judas, and choice of another apostle. SECT. apostles accordingly gave him the right hand was numbered with ii. of fellowship, so that for the future he was the eleven apostles. numbered with the eleven apostles, and made the twelfth of that venerable society of men. Acts i. 26 m verse IMPROVEMENT. IT was wisely and well determined by the apostles, to spend 13,14 this interval of time in devotion and in Christian converse; for never have we more reason to expect the communication of the Holy Spirit of God to us, than when we are sharing our time between the one and the other, so far as Providence affords us 15 leisure from our secular affairs. With their devotions they properly joined a care for the future edification of the church, and therefore chose another apostle, to complete the number which our Lord had appointed. 25 It is dreadful to think how the vacancy happened, and by what a horrible transgression it was, that one of this sacred society fell from his office. The hand of God's righteous vengeance 17,19 was heavy upon him, and brought him in a few hours to public infamy and irrecoverable destruction. So that his example, dreadful as it is, shews us at once that no dignity of office can secure men from sin, and that when they break through the solemn bonds of a remarkably high and eminent profession, they must expect a punishment proportionably signal. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: (Prov. xi. 4.) The time is swiftly approaching, when illgotten gain will prove a burthen and a terror, and the wages of unrighteousness will appear 18 as the price of an Aceldama, a field of blood; even in that dread25 ful day when impenitent sinners go to their own place, to those abodes of misery, which are so properly prepared for them, and so justly assigned to them; assigned especially to those whose business (like that of Judas) it was, to preach repentance unto others, to shew them their transgression, and to warn them of their danger, and who were more especially obliged to have enforced their admonitions and their precepts, by the peculiar lustre of their own examples. But the badness of the man, who in some instances may be advanced to bear the most sacred office, is not to be interpreted to 21,22 the disgrace of that office itself. The apostles were careful to keep up the honour of theirs, by seeking out a more proper person, who might do his part towards taking away the reproach which 22 Judas had brought upon it, and might approve himself a m Matthias was numbered with the eleven apostles.] Though Nathaniel and Matthias both signify the gift of God, I cannot think, that this will prove them, (as some have supposed) the same person, Nor can I see, that the question of the right of choosing church officers can receive much light from so singular a story, in which so peculiar an act of God was expected. |