The disciples assemble on the day of Pentecost. ii. 13 verse worthy witness of the resurrection of Jesus, on the knowledge of SECT. which depended the salvation of millions. After all, they refer the matter to the determination of Providence, to which they make a very instructive appeal. Let us always remember the 24 universal and intimate inspection of the Divine Being. Thou, Lord, knowest the hearts of all! All their treachery, and all their integrity, is manifest in thy sight: And, in persons of equal sincerity, thou discernest what renders one more fit than another, for this or that situation and service! Let it be our desire to follow Providence ourselves; and let us pray, that God will set over all his churches pastors after his own heart, who may feed them with knowledge and understanding. (Jer. iii. 15.) The lot is cast into the lap; but, casual as the determination 26 may seem, the whole disposal thereof is from the Lord. (Prov. xvi. 33.) Let us own his hand in the determination of every circumstance which befals us, and especially in those by which any solemn and important trust may be committed to us: And may the consideration of it be an additional engagement upon us, to discharge it with becoming diligence and entire fidelity! SECT. III. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost, with the former part of the speech which Peter made to the multitude on that great occasion. Acts II. 1—21. THE ACTS II. 1. THE disciples of Jesus, after the choice of SECT. Matthias, employed their time in devo- iii. tion, and continued the same course of religious exercises as before, for several succeeding days. ii. 1 And when the day of Pentecost was completely : The day of Pentecost.] It has often been observed, that, as our Lord was crucified at one of the great Jewish feasts, it was fit that he should be glorified at another. And this of Pentecost was chosen with peculiar propriety, as next succeeding that of the Passover, at which Christ suffered and also, as it was celebrated in commemoration of the giving the law from mount Sinai on that day, (Exod. xix. 1, 11) and as the first fruits were then offered and anointed. (Exod. xxiii. 16, and Lev. xxiii. 17.) To these answered the fuller discovery of the Gospel on this occasion, and the anointing 5 VOL. 3. Acts the first fruits of the Christian church by the effusion of the Spirit; as Brennius has well observed. (See also Miscell. Sacra. Essay I. p. 113-115.) The solemnity of the feast, the general expectation of the Messiah that prevailed among them, and the length of the days, as it was about the middle of summer, would, no doubt, bring great numbers to Jerusalem at that time; who, when they returned home, and reported this great event, would naturally make way for greater regard to the apostles, when they came to the places where these people dwelt. 14 The Spirit in the form of cloven tongues descends upon them. SECT. arrived, that is, when the morning of the fif- was fully come, they iii.tieth day after the passover was come, it being were all with one then the first day of the week, the apostles with accord in one place. ii. 1 the rest of the hundred and twenty disciples Acts were together; and they were all assembled 3 And there ap 2 before, where they had used to meet. And 2 And suddenly Was completely arrived.] The first day of unleavened bread, that is, the fifteenth of Nisan, began this year on Friday evening; and this was the day on which they were to offer the wavesheaf: and from the morrow after that day, that is, from the Saturday evening, they were to count seven weeks, or forty nine days, which would bring the fiftieth, that is, the day of Pentecost, then to begin on Saturday evening; so that on the Lord's day morning, it might properly be said to be fully come. See Lev. xxiii. 15, 16. The word ouμnova cannot signify, that the day was ended, but that it was fully come. Compare Luke i. 57, ii. 21, and see Beza in loc. • Divided tongues as of fire.] This wonderful appearance in the form of fire, might be intended to signify the quickening and purifying influences of the Spirit, as well as to illustrate John the Baptist's prediction, that Christ should baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. (Mat. iii. 11, and Luke iii. 16.) But I will not venture to affirm with Mr. Fleming, (Christol. Vol. I. p. 324) and Elsner, (Observ. Vol. I. p. 364) that it was to signify, that the Shekinah (which appeared in a glorious flame, surrounded with a cloud) was now pass. ed from the Jews to the disciples of Jesus. The Jews (as Wolfius tells us) have a tale among them, relating to the appear ance of some flashes of fire, which fell on an assembly of their doctors, while they were studying the law; which probably was invented, to slur, or imitate this important history. Bos (Exercit. p. 67) thinks, each tongue appeared complete, and that they are said to be divided, on account of the distribution that was made of one to each person. But it seems, that the division of each might aptly represent the variety of languages, with which each person was endowed; and some have thought, that the form of the mitres worn by bishops, (according to the Roman ritual) bears some allusion to the supposed form of these cloven tongues. It is observed by Dr. Lightfoot and others, that as the division of tongues at Babel once introduced confusion, and was the means of casting off the Gentiles from the knowledge of the true God; so now there was a remedy provided by the gift of tongues at Zion, to bring the Gentiles out of darkness into light, and to destroy the veil which had been spread over all nations. (Isa. xxv. 7.) See Lightf. Hor. Hebr. and Grot. in loc. They speak with tongues to the amazement of the multitude. 15 Acts 4 And they were were then present in the room. And as soon SECT. all filled with the as ever these lambent flames appeared to touch iii. Holy Ghost, and began to speak with them, they were all in a most sensible and exother tongues, as traordinary manner filled with the Holy Spirit, 4 the Spirit gave them and began to speak with other tongues than they had ever used or understood before, with light and fervour, and a most ready flow of language, according as the Spirit gave them a power and facility of expressing themselves. utterance. 5 And there were Now as this happened at one of the three 5 dwelling at Jerusa lem, Jews, devout grand yearly feasts, and at that in which the men, out of every days were longest, there were sojourning in Jenation under heav-rusalem at that time a great number of pious en. 6 Now when this men, [that were] by their descent or by profession Jews; who were come thither out of all parts of the known world, from every nation under heaven where any of that people dwelt, or any that were proselytes to the Jewish religion. And when this strange report came to be nois- 6 was noised abroad, ed abroad, as it presently did, the multitude soon together, and were gathered together, and were quite confounded confounded, because and amazed: For every one of this various that every man heard assembly heard one or another of them, as they them speak in his addressed themselves by turns to people of a different language, speaking to each of them in the multitude came own language. miraculous donation. (See also Miscell. Sacra. Essay I. p. 101, 102.) The hundred and twenty mentioned chap. i. 15, are plainly referred to, ver. 1, as the persons here assembled: And as this would best illustrate the pouring forth of the Spirit on the hand maids, as well as on the servants of God (ver. 18), so it is certain, that the manuscripts, which would confine this effusion to the apostles, are of very small authority. Nor do Beza's arguments on the other side of the question appear to me by any means conclusive. Compare Acts x. 44-46, and xi. 15—17. From every nation under heaven.] Should this be taken for an hyperbole, we have other instances in Scripture of the like way of speaking; as where we read of cities walled up to heaven (Deut. i. 28, ix. 1), and of the dread of the Jews falling upon every nation under the whole heaven. (Deut. ii. 25.) See also Gen. xi. 4; Judg. xx. 16; and Psal. cvii. 26. But not to insist upon it, that the Jews were then so numerous, as to have spread through every country, so that, as Agrippa in Josephus says, "There was not a people upon earth, who had not Jews inhabiting among them :" (Bell. Jud. lib. ii. cap. 16, § 4, p. 191, Havercamp.) the expression here can signify no more, than that there were some at Jerusalem at that time from all the several nations among whom the Jews were dispersed. (See Lightfoot, and Whitby, in loc.) It would be very absurd to argue from hence, that there must be natives of Britain and America at Jerusalem, when this great event happened. And many arguments, drawn from such universal phrases elsewhere, seem as weak as this would be. De When this report came abroad.] Dieu concludes, this must signify thunder; which, he too confidently says, is always the import of kol and ovn in the Hellenistic language, and argues from hence, that the rushing wind (ver. 2), was attended with thunder. But the following clause, which refers the assembly to the different languages spoken by those on whom the Holy Spirit fell, plainly shews, that it was not thunder which brought them together; which indeed could hardly occasion their assembly in one place. 16 Acts ii. 7 People of all nations hear them in their own language. we were born? SECT. his own proper dialect. And they were all 7 And they were iii. astonished at it beyond measure, and wondered all amazed, and marvelled, saying one to at this marvellous event, saying one to another, another, Behold, are Behold, how unaccountable is this! Are not all not all these which these that speak by birth and country Galileans? speak Galileans? 8 And how then do we every one of us hear them, 8 And how hear as they direct their speech to so many different we every man in our people, who are here come together out of so in own tongue, wheremany nations, speaking to each of us in his own 9 native language? For while there are among 9 Parthians, and us Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites or Per- Medes, and Elamsians, and those that inhabit Mesopotamia, and ites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, those that dwell too in Judea, where the dialect and in Judea, and is so different from that of Galilee; and like- Cappadocia, in Ponwise the natives of Cappadocia and Pontus, and tus, and Asia, of the country more properly called the pro10 consular Asia; As well as the inhabitants of 10 Phrygia, and the neighbouring provinces of Phrygia and Pamphilia, in Egypt, Pamphylia, of Egypt and the parts of Africa Libya about Cyrene, and in the parts of which are about Cyrene, and the many sojourners and strangers in this city [who are] Romans, some of us na- Rome, Jews and tive Jews, and others of us proselytes to the proselytes, 11 Mosaic religion; h Together with those of 11 Cretes, and both these sorts who use the language of Crete, Arabians, we do and those who are Arabians; we do every one hear them speak in of us hear them speaking in our own native derful works of God. our tongues the wontongues the wonderful works of God, in the surprising testimonies he has given to the mission of Jesus who was lately crucified, not only by the miracles he wrought, but by his resurrec tion and ascension: And while they are discoursing of these marvellous events, they run through such a great variety of languages, which no one can suspect they have ever been taught, with so much readiness and propriety, Elamites, and those that inhabit Mesopotamia.] Bishop Cumberland takes these to be the remainder of the Jews, who had been carried captive into Assyria, first by Tiglathpileser (2 Kings xv. 29), and afterwards by Shalmaneser, and placed in the cities of the Medes. (2 Kings xvii. 6.) See Cumb. Orig. Gent. page 225. h Romans, Jews, and proselytes.] It appears from Josephus, Suetonius, Tacitus, the Roman satirists, and other writers of this age, in a variety of passages well known to the learned, that great numbers of Jews dwelt at Rome about this time, and made many proselytes to their religion. See Mr. Biscoe, at Boyle's Lecture, p. 85. of We hear them speaking in our own tongues.] Cyprian, and Erasmus, and some later critics have thought (particularly from ver. 8) that the miracle was not in the speak ers, but the hearers; so that, while the apostle spake his own native Syriac, it would appeår Latin to one, and Greek to another, &c. But this must be a mistake; for we read of their speaking with tongues, verse 4, before any foreigners came in upon them. (Compare chap. x. 46, and 1 Cor. xiv. 2.) Nor could what they said, on this supposition, have appeared a jargon to any which yet we find to have been the case, ver. 13. See Castalio, on ver. 4. They are derided by some, as if they were drunk. 12 And they were 17 as among the most learned of mankind is per- SECT. fectly unequalled. iii. And they were all in a mixture of amazement Acts all amazed, and were and perplexity, and said one to another, What can .12 in doubt, saying one this unaccountable appearance possibly mean? meaneth this? Or what can it be designed to effect? to another, What But 13 13 Others mocking others of them, and particularly those who were said, These men are native Jews, and understood none of these for full of new wine. 14 But Peter, voice, and said unto eign languages, hearing the sound of their But Peter standing up with the eleven, who 14 standing up with the were then in company with him, and who had eleven, lift up his each of them before been speaking in different them, Ye men of Ju- languages, raised his voice so loud that those dea, and all ye that who had been reproaching them might hear it, dwell at Jerusalem, and said to them, in the tongue that was combe this known unto you, and hearken to monly used among them, Oye men of Judea, my words: you, and especially all you that inhabit Ferusalem, whom I would be solicitous in the first place to inform and convince, let this be known unto you as to the cause of this extraordinary appearance, and listen to my words with an attention becoming the importance of the occasion on which I 15 For these are speak. For these men are not drunk, as who 15 not drunken, as ye do not understand them, rashly suppose; and it suppose, seeing it is is indeed very uncharitable for you to imagine it, considering that it is now but the third hour of the day, that is, about nine o'clock in the morning, the hour of morning sacrifice; before which, you know, none, who have any regard for their character, will allow themselves so much as to taste wine, and much less to drink any large quantity of it, whereby they would be rendered incapable of attending the service of the temple on such a solemn festival as this. but the third hour of the day. Filled with sweet wine.] There was no The third hour of the day.] Josephus new wine, or must, at the feast of Pentecost, tells us, that on feast days, the Jews seldom as Beza and many others observe; but eat or drank till noon; (de vita sua, § 54, wx properly signifies sweet wine. We are informed by Plutarch, that the ancients had ways of preserving their wine sweet a great while; and such wines are known to be very intoxicating. p. 26, Haverck.) which if it were fact, would (as Grotius observes) render this calumny the more incredible. As to the computation of the Jewish hours, see sect. 6, note b, on Acts iii. 1. |