writings, as a standing proof and evidence of the truth of the Christian Religion to all ages." (Hist. of Redemp. Per. iii. § 2.)

The manner in which this miracle was effected next demands our notice. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, that is, fifty days after the Passover, and being the first day of the week, the apostles, with doubtless all the disciples which could possibly attend, "were all with one accord in one place," which was probably the upper room before mentioned (chap. i. 13), when suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting, and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, resembling a divided flame, and it (i. e. one of these flames) "abode upon each of them." The tongues being emblematic of the gift of languages with which they were now endowed-the wind being our Lord's established emblem of the Holy Spirit (John iii. 8), and the fire, expressive of the extraordinary zeal and energy with which they were henceforward animated.

An event like this was not to be long kept secret. The mighty rushing wind" probably first excited attention to the place, when the tongues of fire (or divided fame) would naturally increase the surprise of the spectators; and when the pious Jews were collected together, who came to the feast from "every nation under heaven"(for so widely were the Jews scattered) and heard the apostles speak, each "in his own language," they were "all amazed, and marvelled, saying, Behold ! are not all these which speak Galileans? and how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born the wonderful works of God?"-It is no wonder, therefore, that they were amazed, and said one to another, "What meaneth this?" But at the same time that the more religious Jews were thus struck with admiration, others, doubtless "of the baser sort," ex

claimed, "These men are full of new (or sweet) wine:" that is, they are intoxicated. Thus it is that strangers to vital religion, burlesque it under the names of fanaticism and enthusiasm :-"They speak evil of things which they know not" (Jude 10), nor can they understand till enlightened from the same divine source.

Various opinions have been advanced respecting this miracle of Pentecost. The most rational, and the most general is, that the gift of tongues lasted during the ministry of the apostles, and was gradually withdrawn toward the close of the first century; but on this subject we take leave to transcribe the following passage from Mr. Prebendary Townsend's New Testament Arranged (vol. ii. p. 17)

"The extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit being vouchsafed for one especial purpose only, the benefit of the Christian Church, as soon as that Church was established, and the canon of Scripture com. pleted, they were gradually withdrawu; while the ordinary operations, without which no child of Adam can be renewed unto holiness,' are to be continued for ever, even unto the end of the world.' This was the consoling and gracious promise our Lord gave to his disciples before he was visibly parted from them. ....

Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. This most merciful promise was at first given to the apostles, and through their ministry to the Universal Church; Christ himself having appointed outward means of grace, by which he has engaged to maintain a constant communion with his Church, through the operations of the Holy Ghost. ....

"Every amiable feeling and affection, every virtue, and every grace, are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He alone, by a secret and internal operation, changes and transforms the spirit of our mind,' and enlarges aud improves every faculty of our 'He,' to use the words of the

soul.

......

Ver. 15. The third hour-That is, about eight in the morning. See Note on chap. iii. 1.

Ver. 17. It shall come to pass in the last days, &c. The passage referred to in our Exposition is

quoted by Mr. Townsend, from a celebrated foreign critic, Schoetgen, who cites other passages to the same effect. New Test. Arr. ii. 22, Note.-And your daughters.-Comp. chap. xxi. 9.

last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy :

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke :

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Lord shall be saved.

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know :

23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

[at Jerusalem.

25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne:

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34 For David is not ascended into the heavens but he saith himself,

eloquent Barrow, sweetly warmeth our cold affections, inflaming our hearts with devotion towards God; he qualifieth us, and encourageth us to approach the throne of grace, breeding in us faith and humble

confidence, prompting in us fit matter of request becoming our advocate and intercessor for the good success of our prayers.'"

Ver. 19. I will shew wonders.-See Matt. xxiv. and Exposition.

Ver. 20. Notable.-Doddr." illustrious." Ver. 23. Foreknowledge.-" Grotius, as well as Beza, observes, that prognosis must here signify decree; and Elsner has shown that it has the same signification in approved Greek writers."-Doddr.

Ver. 25. I foresan.-Ps. xvi. 8." 1 set." Doddr. "I have regarded the Lord as always," &c.

Ver. 27. My soul in hell.--See Note on Ps. xvi. 19. Ver. 30. That of the fruit of his loins [according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ] to sit on kis

throne. The words here placed between brackets are wanting in the Alexandrian and Ephrem MSS., and in the Cambr. by correction; also in the Vulgate, Syriac, and other ancient versions. Boothroyd reads, therefore, after Griesbach," That of the fruit of his loins should oNE sit on his throne."

Ver. 33. By.-Ham. and Doddr. "To the right hand "See and hear-that is, witness the effects of.

Ver. 34. David is not ascended-i. e. in his body, which is still entombed. Jerom mentions the remains of David's sepulchre, and a place is shown

(D) Ver. 14-36. The apostle Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost.-Without repeating any part of this extraordinary discourse, we shall offer two or three general remarks.

1. The texts on which St. Peter discourses have been already noticed in our Exposition of the second chapter of Joel, and of the 16th and 110th Psalms. It may be seen in our Notes, that the Jews themselves applied the former to the days of the Messiah, which, as we have repeatedly remarked, they called the latter or last days; and one in particular asserts-" In the days of the Messiah all the house of Israel shall prophesy, as it is said in Joel ii. 28." But it is on the inspired authority of our apostle only that we refer the latter to him, for it does not appear that the Jews so understood it: we are not, however, to go to the avowed enemies of our Lord to learn the interpretations of the prophecies respecting him and his kingdom, though, at the same time, we may justifiably quote them when consistent with the New Testament, as concessions in his favour.

2. This extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, accompanied with the miraculous gift of tongues, is here stated as the fulfilment, not only of Old Testament prophecies, but of our Lord's promise of sending them another Comforter-"Hav ing received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear." (ver. 33.) And in this promise both the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit must be included; since we find that, while the apostles were by the latter enabled to address the people in their various languages, the great truths which they delivered were applied with a saving efficacy to their minds, so that no less than 3000 persons were converted under this sermon.

3. We see how well adapted are the means used by Divine Providence to effect the designed end. The end was to convert the nations, the means employed was

preaching; but as it was quite useless to preach to any in an unknown tongue; so, in the then state of learning, it must have been the work of many years, for the preachers to acquire a knowledge of all the languages of those whom they would have to address. At present the case is somewhat different. Such facilities have been afforded for acquiring languages, that miraculous powers seem no longer necessary; unless it be considered as a miracle that God has raised up men with such extraordinary abilities for acquiring new languages, as in the instances of Carey, Morrison, Martin, Lee, and others, who have already been able to translate the Scriptures into the languages of more than half the globe. This circumstance, in connexion with many others, as the invention and recent improvements in print. ing and navigation, has already performed wonders, and shows in how many unexpected ways God is able to effect his designs, and fulfil his promises.

4. This leads us to notice a remark of the apostle Peter in the sermon now before us, relative to the mysterious fulfilment of the divine councils in the sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus. He was "delivered" up to his enemies "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God,” as himself said to the Roman governor, "Thou couldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above." (John xix. 2.) But being so delivered, they took him, and "by wicked hands" he was "crucified and slain;" so that neither God's foreknowledge, nor decree, in any degree lessened the wickedness of those who acted in this dreadful tragedy. They fulfilled the divine purposes unintentionally; yea, contrary to their intention; and were fighting against God with all their might and malice, while (poor, feeble creatures) they were in every instance fulfilling bis decrees. "He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." (Dan. iv. 35.)

as such, even to this day.- The Lord said, &c.Ps. cx. 1, and Note.

Ver. 35. Thy joes thy footstool.-It was customary for conquerors formerly to put their feet on the necks of the vanquished, Josh. x. 24. In the close of the negotiations, after a late expedition to Al

giers, the Dey refused to give up two prisoners, until at length he was obliged, and then he said, “His foot is on my neck, and what can I do." Orient. Lit. No. 1386.

Ver. 37. They were pricked in their heart.-Doddr. "pierced to the heart."

they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

[souls converted,

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved. (E)

(E) Ver. 37-47. The happy effects of Peter's sermon.-Though we would be far from condemning a sermon from its not producing any sensibly good effects upon the hearers, for our Lord himself often "stretched forth his hands in vain ;" yet when a sermon is eminently blessed, as God seldom blesses the ministry which he disapproves, it seems justifiable for preachers themselves to look back on such discourses as models for their own future ministry. In looking at Peter's sermon in this point of view, the following particulars strike us as its prominent characteristics.

1. It is full of Christ :-His divine mis

sion-his holy character his extraordinary powers-his vicarious sufferings-his meritorious death-his triumphant resur rection, and exaltation to the right hand of the majesty on high, where he receives the adoration of his people, and whence he bestows his blessings on them. 2. It is full of the doctrine of divine influences-that Holy Spirit promised by the Saviour, and now poured out upon his hearers; and that, as every other blessing, by the gift of the Father and the Son. 3. These, and every other point of doctrine incidentally stated, are urged with energy, and in reference to its practical tendency and effects. Thus, for instance, the death of Christ is not

Ver. 38. Repent, and be baptized.-They could only prove the sincerity of their repentance by a public profession, of which baptism was the appointed sign.

Ver. 39. As many as the Lord our God shall callThat is, all of every age and country, to whom the gospel shall be sent.

Ver. 40. Save yourselves-Or, "Be ye saved." Drs. J. Edwards and Doddr.

Ver. 41. Three thousand souls-i. e. persons; so verse 43.

Ver. 44. Were together.-Doddr. "In the same;" certainly not in the same room, nor the same house, but in a quarter of the town probably where their friends chiefly resided.

Ver.45. And sold their possessions.--"That this unbounded liberality was not commanded by St. Peter, is evident from his address to Ananias, chap. v. 4. And that it was not intended as a precedent, is equally clear from all the Epistles, in which frequent mention is made of the distinction between rich and

poor,

," &c. Townsend's N. Test. Arr. vol. i. 24. Ver. 46. They continuing daily-That is, they daily visited the temple.- Breaking bread from house to house.-Marg. "at home."-Lightfoot, Pearson, and others, understand this phrase," breaking bread," as signifying the Eucharist, or Lord's Supper; but the words following, "did eat their meat," &c. strongly inclines us to refer the expression to their social meals, as in Luke xxiv. 35. So Doddridge. The learned Joseph Mede translates the Greek phrase (kat' oikon), " on the house," meaning, in the upper room; and supposes that, after the death of Christ, the apostles held their religious meetings in the room where Jesus had kept the Passover, &c. --that there our Lord repeatedly met with them, and that there they assembled on the day of Pentecost, and afterwards. See Townsend's New Test. Arr. vol. ii. p. 25, Note.

Ver. 47. Such as should be saved.-Doddr." Those who were saved." Dr. J. Edwards, "The saved."