Peter observes, the scripture was fulfilled in Judas. fulfilled which the das, which was guide 503 11. Acts thren, this scripture gion, as well as of friendship! it was necessary SECT. must needs have been in the righteous judgment of God, that this Holy Ghost by the awful passage of scripture should be fulfilled which mouth of David spake the Holy Spirit spake, long before the event, by 1.16. before concerning Ju- the mouth of David, and which God intended to them that took Jesus. with a particular regard to Judas; who was so wicked a wretch, that, in contempt of all the most solemn and endearing obligations to distinguishing duty and fidelity to his Divine 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.) And indeed he well deserved to be made a mo- 17 nument of vengeance to succeeding ages, considering the near relation in which he stood 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 principal officers 18 Now this man in his kingdom. The calamitous end of this 18 the reward of iniquity; unhappy man is therefore fresh in your memoand ries; and it is known to all of you, that instead 17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. purchased a field with of enriching himself by his crimes, and securing This scripture should be fulfilled, &c.] Two prophecies are afterwards quoted for this purpose, (ver. 20.) from Psal. Ixix. 25. and cix. 8. and it has been matter of much debate, whether they do in their original sense refer to Judas, or to the enemies of David. Mr. Jeffery (in his Review, p. 179, & seq.) maintains the former, and Dr. Sykes (on the truth of 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 them as if the apostle had said, "That vengeance, which David foretold as to be executed on his enemies, must much more fall on Judas, whose perfidious and Cruel attack on Christ himself rendered him so much more criminal." But it is certain, the order of the Greek words will not so naturally admit this; nor do I was remember to have seen the phrase e Purchased a field.] It is worth observ- foot 504 ii. Acts He takes notice of the traitor's miserable end; midst, and all his SECT. was the reward of his iniquity: For his con- and falling headlong science would not suffer him to keep it; but he be burst asunder in the threw it down, as you know, in the temple, and bowels gushed out. 1. 18. 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 middle1, 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. 19 19 And it was (And by the way, this was a fact so public and notorious, that it was known to all the inhabitants known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; of Jerusalem, who could not but take notice of insomuch as that field such an extraordinary circumstance; so that that is called, in their profield which was so purchased is to this day called per tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The in their language, which is the Syriac dialect, field of blood. Aceldama, that is, The field of 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.) 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be 20 Now, said Peter to the disciples, I observed foot thinks, he was strangled in the air by f Falling down on his face, he burst tacle yvoer 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) g 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 n is the Syriac dialect. h One And advises that another apostle should be chosen in his room. 505 SECT. ii. very tacle of horror, that men will detest the place where he lived; and the other must be 21 Wherefore of now accomplished. It is necessary therefore, Acts these men which have that of the men who have conversed intimately 1. 21. the time that the Lord with us, and have attended during all the time Jesus went in and out in which the Lord Jesus was going in and coming out among us, and so can testify of all he did companied with us, all among us, that he was taken up 22 Beginning from and said, Beginning from the baptism of John, 22 the baptism of John, when he first entered on his ministry, even to unto that same day the day in which he was taken up from us into from us, must one be heaven, one of these should be chosen to the aposordained to be a wit- tolic office, to be made a witness with us of ness with us of his re- that great and fundamental fact, his resurrection from the dead, upon which the proof of his being the Messiah so evidently rests. surrection. 23 And they ap called Barsabas, who and Matthias. The apostle had no sooner spoke, but imme-23 pointed two, Joseph diately the whole assembly assented to the reawas sirnamed Justus sonableness of this proposal; and accordingly they set up two men; the one, Joseph called Barsabas, 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. 24 And they pray Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, And they prayed with great solemnity, answer- 24 ed, and said, Thou, able to the importance of the occasion, saying, Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all, and perfectly discernest every secret sentiment of the soul, and all the future circumstances of life! we humbly intreat thee to shew, which of these two, whom we esteem thy faithful servants, thou hast chosen to be advanced to this distinguished 25 That he may honour; That he may take part of this mi-25 take part of this mi- nistry, and share with thine other servants in the from which Judas by apostleship, from which Judas is fallen by [his] transgression fell, that transgression to his eternal ruin; that he might he might go to his own go to his own place, to that miserable world, mistry and apostleship, place. One of these should be made a witness with us ] They might reasonably and modestly 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. Joseph called Barsabas.] The Cambridge which Manuscript reads Barnabas; but Dr. Benson seems to have assigned solid reasons for concluding, this was not Barnabas the Cyprian, (Acts iv. 36.) of whom 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. k To his own place.] Oecumenius, Hammond, and Le Cene, seem to interpret this phrase very unnaturally, when they explain it of a successor going into the place of Judas. That 506 Reflections on the end of Judas, and choice of another apostle. SECT. which in thy righteous judgment is appointed ii. for the reception of such heinous offenders, and the due punishment of such enormous I.25. crimes. Acts 26 forth their lots; and And after this prayer they gave out their lots 26 And they gave for each; and the lot fell upon Matthias, on the lot fell upon Matwhich they concluded, that he was the person thias, and he was numwhom God had appointed: And the rest of the bered with the eleven apostles accordingly gave him the right hand of apostles. fellowship, so that for the future he was numbered with the eleven apostles", and made the twelfth of that venerable society of men. IMPROVEMENT. Ver. Ir 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 leisure 15 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 the sacred society fell from his office. The hand of God's righteous vengeance was 17, 19 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. That dov Tomov signifies a place proper and They gave out their lots.] This was, no Riches Luke i. 9.) might lead them to this turn of thought. Grotius has shewn in his note here, that such a designation to sacred offices prevailed also among some pagan nations. 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 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. The disciples assemble on the day of Pentecost. 507 ii. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: (Prov. xi. 4.) The time SECT. is swiftly approaching, when ill-gotten gain will prove a burthen and a terror, and the wages of unrighteousness will appear as the price of an Aceldama, a field of blood; even in that dreadful day 18 when impenitent sinners go to their own place; to those abodes of 25 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 inforced 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 the disgrace of that office itself. The apostles were careful to keep up 21--22 the honour of theirs, by seeking out a more proper person, who might do his part towards taking away the reproach which Judas had brought upon it, and might approve himself a worthy wit-22 ness of the resurrection of Jesus, on the knowledge of 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 universal and intimate inspection of the Divine Being. Thou Lord, knowest 24 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 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 befalls 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. A of Pentecost was THE disciples of Jesus, after the choice of fully Matthias, employed their time in devotion, VOL. VII. 3 S 26 SECT. iii. Acts and II. 1. |