And cure a man]

about to go into the temple asked an alms.

4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look

on us.

5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.

[lame from his birth.

8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. (F)

bly from unbelieving Jews. Commentators are not exactly agreed, whether by breaking of bread is here to be understood the observance of the Lord's Supper, or their eating together in a friendly way at their devotional assemblies, to which the words following strongly incline us; they "did eat their meat with gladness," &c. We know that in some churches and chapels, where the people come together from a considerable distance, and cannot go and return between the hours of worship, it is customary to bring a homely meal with them, which in some cases they are permitted to eat together in the vestry; but in this instance their meals seem to have been provided at the common charge.

As to the community of goods, we apprehend it originated in the poverty of some, and the benevolence of others. Many poor Jews and Proselytes who came from far, and were detained by the extraordinary things they saw, and desirous to see and hear more, probably found their money exhausted, and knew not what to do, as there was no hope of their receiving from the priests, who had the command of the public treasury, any of that friendly assistance or accommodation which had at other times been granted: the more wealthy converts therefore generously came forward, and shared their property with them; and those who had not money, sold their goods, and in some cases, as we shall presently see, their possessions or estates, to enable them to supply the necessities of their poorer brethren. Thus did they eat toge

(F) Ver. 1-11. A lame man healed by Peter and John, in the name of Jesus.Peter and John going up to the temple at the usual hour of evening prayer, which at this season (the latter end of May) must have been about four o'clock in the afternoou, they found there a poor lame man, whose friends daily carried him to lie by the side of the beautiful brazen gate which Herod had presented to the temple, to receive the alms of the charitable and religious. Peter and John calling his attention to them, performed on him a perfect cure, as the Lord Jesus had done some time before on the paralytic and the impotent man at Bethesda, in like circum

stances.

On this miracle we take the liberty to offer the following brief remarks:-1. That there is no ground for the infidel insinuation, that the apostles enriched themselves by the sale of the property of their converts; for, immediately after that sale, we see that two of the chief of them had neither gold nor silver. 2. We notice the similarity between this miracle and some wrought by our Lord Jesus, particularly the paralytic in Matt. ix., and the impo

Peter preaches]

12 ¶ And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

16 And his name, through faith in

[Christ the Saviour,

his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive

tent man in John v., to both whom our Lord addressed the same words—" Arise, take up thy bed and walk!" and was ininstantly obeyed. 3. Yet we may remark also a striking difference in the manner of address. Jesus wrought all his miracles in his own name; but the apostles in his name "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (saith Peter), rise up and walk." How shall we account for this, but on the principle of our Lord's divinity? It is the duty of a mere creature, however elevated, to render glory to his Maker; and of a sinner to render honour to his Saviour. Peter and John did both, and were particularly careful to take no honour to themselves: "Why look ye upon us (said Peter), as though by our own power we had made

this man to walk!" But when did Jesus express a fear lest his disciples should do him too much honour? 4. We remark the attachment of this poor healed cripple to the instruments of his cure, and his gratitude to the author. He held Peter and John that they might not leave him, and seems to have been active in collecting the people around him, that they might see what God had done for him: and at the same time, that they might not confine their attention to the instruments, he "entered with them into the temple, walking, leaping, and praising God." (ver. 8.) While we feel due gratitude to those by whom we receive our blessings, at the same time we should not forget the great Author, from whom they ultimately come.

Ver. 14. A murderer.-Gr. “ a man, a murderer." So Luke xix. 7," a man, a sinner;" xxiv. 19. (Gr.) "a man, a prophet."

Ver. 15. The Prince of life.-Marg. " Author of life." The original term is variously used; for Prince, chap. v. 31; Captain, Heb. ii. 10; Author, Heb. xii. 2.

Ver. 16. And his name, through faith, &c.-That is, by virtue of his name, and through faith therein; meaning, the faith not only of the apostles, but also of the man on whom the miracle was wrought, who himself doubtless became a believer in the Lord Jesus.

Ver. 17. I wot-i. e. "I know "—that through ignorance-namely, of the true character of Jesus.

See 1 Cor. ii. 8.

Ver. 19. When-Doddr. and others, "that;" as the same word is rendered in Luke ii. 35; Acts. xv. 17, &c.-The times of refreshing shall come.-Perhaps we might be justified in supplying the adverb

farther that [farther] times of refreshing may come;" referring back to the out-pouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, (which was introduced by a mighty rushing wind"), and forward, to other similar dispensations of divine grace, as in chap. x.

Ver. 20. And he shall send.-Ham. and Doddr. "and that he may send;" that is, again send.-Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you? that is, in the types and prophecies. But Hammond, Doddridge, Wesley, and many others, read, "That he may send unto you Jesus Christ, who was before appointed," or "designated "-namely, to be our Saviour. So read the Alexandrian and many other valuable MSS. and ancient versions; some Christian Fathers, Beza, Vitringa, &c.

Ver. 21. The times of restitution of all things.That the word means to restore, or regulate, is indisputable, and in this sense we have properly applied to Elias, Matt. iii.3; xvii. 11. But in all lan

As foretold]

until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto

you.

23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

[by Moses. 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (G)

(G) Ver. 12-26. Peter's second sermon. -What we have said respecting Peter's first sermon, in the preceding chapter, will in great measure apply to this. He was a most ardent and zealous preacher, and his heart was full of the great subject of his ministry, "Christ, and him crucified." The present discourse, as the reader will observe, arises out of the miracle wrought on the man lame from his birth, and the amazement excited by that event: and from the important circumstance of the miracle being wrought in "the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth," he presses upon them the enormity of their guilt, in having rejected, persecuted, and finally crucified this illustrious person; for, after all, had it not been for the clamour of the multitude, “Crucify him, crucify him," Pilate would certainly have released him. (ver. 13.) And their guilt in this is highly aggravated by the consideration that the man whom they preferred, and of whom they obtained the release, was a notorious murderer (Luke xxiii. 19); whereas him whom they virtually crucified, was the Author and Prince of Life-the Captain of our Salvation. (See Note ver. 15.)

The apostle, indeed, admits that they sinned through ignorance, for, "had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:" but it was a most culpable ignorance; for they shut their eyes against evidence, arising both from Scripture and

from fact. They were grossly ignorant of the writings of their own prophets, and they were wilfully blind with respect to the miracles wrought before their own eyes. The Saviour, however, had prayed for his murderers, who knew not what they did: there was, therefore, "hope in Israel concerning this matter.' "You have the Scriptures of the prophets still before you, which you have fulfilled in his cruel sufferings and death; and you have the evidence of miracles renewed, which, being wrought in his name, give no less evidence to the divinity of his character than if you saw them wrought by himself.'

Upon these grounds, therefore, does the apostle urge his hearers to repentance, that their sins might be blotted out, and that "times of refreshment" and seasons of consolation might be experienced by them, through the effusion of the Holy Spirit, as refreshing to the soul as cooling breezes to the body, which are peculiarly desirable in warm climates. Nor are such seasons to be confined to the apostolic age, since ecclesiastical history records many similar periods of divine influence (as, for instance, the Reformation), and we look forward to many more prior to his second coming, to regulate all the affairs of his kingdom upon earth, and to judge the world in righteousness.

This coming of Jesus Christ, first to save and then to judge the world, God had

guages there are many words which, in different Connexions, require to be differently rendered; and, on mature consideration, in this place we prefer the rendering of Hammond and Campbell-" The completion," or rather, "the consummation" (i. e. the fulfilment), of all things which God hath spoken," &c. Ver. 22. For Moses truly said, &c.-See Deut. xviii. 15, &c. with our Exposition. Dr, Doddridge

remarks, that both Dr. Bullock and Mr. Jeffery have excellently shown, that this promise does indeed primarily refer to the Messiah. See Bp. Chandler's Detence of Christianity, chap. vi. 12.

Ver. 26. To bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.-Doddr. "To bless you, every one of you turning from his iniquities."

Peter and John]

CHAP. IV.

AND as they spake unto the people, the Priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day for it was now eventide.

4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and Scribes,

6 And Annas the High Priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the High Priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

[being accused,

9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16 Saying, What shall we do to

predicted by the mouth of all his holy prophets, from Samuel to John the Baptist; and, as he has accomplished the former, so certainly will he do the latter. In the mean time, the great object of this glorious dispensation, the Messiah, is to free them from their iniquities, first, by the atonement offered in his death; and, secondly, by the gift of his Holy Spirit, to renew their hearts and minds.

Upon this discourse of Peter we offer only one farther observation, namely, that it affords a fine model of the most direct and pointed application to the consciences of

his hearers, blended with the most affec tionate solicitude for their salvation. Here

many fail. Some thunder the denunciations of God's wrath against sinners, but they merely terrify them; others, on the contrary, are so fearful of offending, that they deal only in gentle admonitions and consolations. The former probe the wound, but apply no balm: the latter apply the balm before the wound is probed. The latter fault may proceed from want of courage, but both discover want of skill.

Defend themselves]

[before the Sanhedrim.

be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

22 For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. (H)

CHAP. IV.

(H) Ver. 1-22. Peter and John arrested, and examined by the rulers.—While Peter was preaching to the people, as reported in the preceding chapter, information was, it seems, sent to the priests and rulers of his proceedings, who accordingly seut a military party to arrest him and his brother apostle, John. They were accordingly committed for trial on the next day. Before we attend to their trial, however, we may remark the party by whom they were arrested and imprisoned-the Sad ducees. These men, we have seen in the Gospels, were a sort of half infidels, who indeed professed to believe the five books of Moses, but neither a separate state nor resurrection. (Matt. xxii. 23.) Much has been said formerly of infidel liberality; but the events that followed the French Revolution bave, we believe, completely settled this point. Neither Pope nor Turk was ever more intolerant. They have also boasted much of their love of science and of useful knowledge; and so far as would promote their secular interests, they might be friends to learning; but they were grieved that these men taught the common people; and particularly, that they preached "Jesus, and the resurrection from the dead." Jesus they hated equally with the Pharisees, and the resurrection from the dead formed no part of their creed. They therefore laid hands on the preachers, and the evening now drawing on, they were committed till the next morning. In the mean time we may remark, the Church continued to increase. Previous to the day of Pentecost we hear

Next morning the High Priest, with his relations and friends (for he seems to have secured all the votes he could), assembled in the council chamber, and called Peter and John before them, and demanded of them, "By what power, or by what name have ye done this?" Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, aud armed with Christian courage, boldly answered, "Be it known unto you all, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand before you whole." Thus did Peter not only preach the same doctrine to the High Priest and the Sanhedrim that he had before preached to the common people, but he applied it in the same pointed terms-"Jesus of Nazareth, whom YE crucified, whom God raised from the dead. .... He is become the head of the corner (a phrase which they must, or at least ought, to have understood), neither is there salvation in any

other."

And is this Peter, who was but lately so alarmed at the question of a servant-maid, that he denied his Master? Yes; but he had now been filled with the Holy Ghost, and affords a happy example of what a change grace can make in men's characters and tempers. "Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John," well might they marvel; aud especially when they "perceived that they were illiterate men,' who had received no learned education;

Ver. 19. More (Doddr. "rather") than unto God.-Plato relates of Socrates, that when the Athenians were condemning him to death, he said, “O

ye Athenians, I embrace and love you; but I will obey God rather than you." See Doddr.