Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

Reflections on the examination of the two apostles.

22 For the man was

whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

543

viii.

Acts

for that which was done: And indeed they well SECT. above forty years old on might be affected with it, for the man on whom this miracle of healing was wrought, was more than forty years old: so that hardly any thing IV. 22. could have appeared to human judgment to be a more desperate case, than so inveterate and confirmed a lameness; and yet he was (as we have already related) in one moment completely cured by the word of the apostles, and the power of their divine master operating with it.

IMPROVEMENT.

WE see, in the instance before us, the natural but detestable Ver. effects of a proud, bigotted, overbearing temper, even where it 1-3 seems least excusable. The Sadducees themselves, though they believed no future state of retribution, yet persecuted the apostles as eagerly, as if they, like some other Jews, had expected to merit heaven by their severity to them. (Compare John xvi. 2.) On the other side, it is delightful to observe the zeal and courage, 10, 11 with which Peter and John defended the cause of their crucified Redeemer, even in the presence of those by whom he had so lately been condemned. Thus can God give power to the feeble, and increase the strength of them that have no might. (Isa. xl. 29.) The testimony they bore is well worth our regarding. There is salvation in no other, neither is there any other name under heaven 12 given among men, whereby we must be saved, O that the ends of the earth might hear and reverence that name! O that thousands, to whom it is yet unknown, may learn to build all their hopes of salvadon upon and may we never be ashamed to own it, never afraid to adhere to it! May we speak of it with such a savour, may we defend it with such a zeal, that they who are round about us may 13 take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus, and trace the genuine effects of our intimate acquaintance with him!

it;

Never was there an instance of a more memorable combat between the force of evidence and of prejudice; never a more impudent atempt to bear down the cause of unquestionable truth by bruta violence. But great is the truth, and it will prevail. 16--18 May the ministers of the gospel never want that courage in the defence of t which these holy men expressed; always judging it infinitely more reasonable, more safe, and more necessary, to obey 19 God than man Never may we be ashamed to profess our reverence and love to hit, who is our supreme ruler, and our most bountiful friend; and hay he give us such an inward and heart-influencing sense of the worth and sweetness of his gospel, as may effectually prevent our betaying or neglecting it!

SECT.

544

SECT.

ix.

Acts

All the disciples unite in an inspired prayer to God.

SECT. IX.

Peter and John return to their company, and having told them what had passed, they all unite in an inspired prayer, which is attended with a renewed effusion of the Spirit, in consequence of which they all preach the gospel with new vigour and wonderful success; the number of converts, and the sales of estates, are greatly increased. Acts IV. 23-35.

ACTS IV. 23.

PETER and John being dismissed from their examination by the Sanhedrin, with a strict charge that they should preach no more in the IV. 23. name of Jesus, no sooner were at liberty but they came to their own company, and related all that the chief priests and elders had said to them, and how severely they had threatened them.

ACTS IV. 23.

AND being let go,

they went to their

own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had

said unto them.

24 And when they heard that, they lift up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art

God which hast made

24 And when they heard it, a divine inspiration came upon all that were present in an extraordinary manner, so that they immediately lifted up their voice with one accord to God in the following prayer, which upon this occasion was heaven and earth, and suggested by the Holy Spirit to every one in the the sea, and all that in assembly; and they said, O thou supreme Lord them is: of universal nature, we humbly acknowledge thou art the God who didst make heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them: 25 Who didst by thine Holy Spirit say by the mouth of thy servant David, (Psal. ii. 1, 2.) Why did the heathen nations rage, and the people imagine did the Heathen rage, vain things, forming projects which must cer- and the people ima tainly end in their own disappointment and gine vain things? 26 ruin? Why did the kings of the earth enter 26 The kings ofthe into a confederacy to set themselves as it were earth stood up, and the in hostile array, and why were the rulers of it, together agaist the rulers were gatered forgetting their mutual differences, combined Lord, and against his together in one association against the Lord, Christ, and against his Messiah, whom he hath anoint

a When they heard [it] they immediately lifted up their voice, &c.] It is strange any should have imagined, this was a precomposed form, since, besices all the other absurdities of such a supposition, it so expressly refers to the threatenings of the Sanhedrim, (ver. 29) of which they had been but just then informed: and the words axsuoavles ouμδεν ήραν φωνην will not allow us to imagine any interval, between the report of Peter and John, and this prayer. I conclude it

66

ed

25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why

[blocks in formation]

Their prayer is attended with a new effusion of the Spirit.

Jesus, whom thou hast

28 For to do whatthy counsel determin

soever thy hand and

ed before to be done.

545

27 For of a truth ed to be the great ruler of all?" We, O God, SECT. against thy Holy Child have now seen the literal accomplishment of ix. anointed, both Herod these words; for of a truth here has been a Acts and Pontius Pilate with most audacious conspiracy in this city of Jeru- IV. 27. the Gentiles and the salem, where we now are, against thee, and people of Israel, were gathered together, against thine holy child Jesus, whom thou hast so visibly anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, to accomplish the glorious work of erecting thy kingdom among men; and both Herod the tetrarch, and Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, with the heathen, and the people of Israel, have combined in the impious attempt: But it is our unspeakable comfort to think, that 28 by their utmost rage they cannot break in upon thy schemes, or prevent the efficacy of any of thy purposes; for we know that in the midst of all this impious fury they have shewn against thy Son, they have only been able to do what thine hand had pointed out before, and what thy unerring counsel, to which all future events are obvious, had before determined, that for wise reasons thou wouldst permit to be done». And as to what now remains to accomplish this 29 important scheme of raising thy church on the sure foundation of his cross, we beseech thee, O Lord, to regard these their haughty threatenings, with which they are endeavouring to discourage the chosen witnesses of his resurrection; and to give unto these thy servants, and to all others that are to join their testimony, to speak thy word with all freedom and resolution, in the midst of the most violent opposition that can arise:

29 And now, Lord, ings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

behold their threaten

▷ Have combined to do, &c.] Limborch (Theolog. lib. ii. cap. 30, § 17) contends strongly for a transposition of the words thus: They have combined against thine Holy Child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed to do what thine hand and thy counsel had determined, &c." But this transposition is arbitrary; and it is so expressly said elsewhere by Luke, when he was entering on his sufferings, that the Son of man went as it was determined concerning him, (Luke xxii. 22,) and it so plainly appears in fact, that these circumstances were expressly determined or marked out in the prophecies of the Old Testament, that I see not what end the admission of such a transposition would answer. It is much more ra. tional (as we observed in note i on that text in Luke, p. 287,) to explain this de termination in such a manner, as to make it consistent with the free agency of the persons concerned. When God's hand and his

counsel are said to have determined these
things, it may signify God's having pointed
out this great event so wisely concerted in
bis eternal counsels, and marked beforehand
as it were all the boundaries of it (as the
word "powpies may well signify,) in the
prophetic writings. This seems more na-
tural, than to suppose, (as Bishop Pearson
and Dr. Hammond do,) that it alludes to
the designation of the Lord's goat on the day
of expiation, which was by lifting up the
lot on high, and then laying it on the head
of the animal to be sacrificed. See Pears.
on the Creed, p. 185, and Hamm. in loc.

c Give unto thy servants to speak thy word
with all freedom.] Elsner has shewn here,
by some very happy quotations, that several
of the Heathens acknowledged the [nag-
nota] freedom of speech on great and pressing
occasions, to be a divine gift. Compare
Prov. xvi. 1.

d They

546

ix.

Acts

They sell their estates, and have all things in common.

forth thine hand to

SCT. arise: Especially whilst thou art animating 30 By stretching them by the performance of such works of power heal, and that signs and mercy, and art stretching out thine own al- and wonders may be IV. 30. mighty hand for healing the most incurable dis- done by the name of tempers; and while such astonishing signs and thy Holy Child Jesus.. wonders as these are done by the name of thine holy child Jesus; which we hope thou wilt still continue to perform, however the rage of the enemy may be excited by them.

31

32

31 And when they

had prayed, the place was shaken where

were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

And while they were thus praying, God was pleased miraculously to declare his gracious acceptance of their petitions: for the place in which they were assembled they were assembled was shaken, as the upper room together; and they had been on the day of Pentecost, (Acts ii. 2.) and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit: And being animated by that strong impulse, which through his operation they felt upon their hearts, they spake the word of God wherever they came with all courageous freedom, and renewed their public testimony without any appearance of fear, on the very day on which they had been so solemnly forbidden by the Sanhedrim to preach any more in the name of Jesus.

their

32 And the multitude of them that

things which he pos

common.

And that sacred agent wrought upon souls not only as the spirit of zeal and courage, believed, were of one but of love, so that the very heart and soul of heart and of one soul: the whole multitude of believers, numerous as neither said any of they were, was all one: Nor did any one of them, that ought of the them] call any of his possessions his own; but all sessed, was his own, things were common amongst theme, and each but they had all things was as welcome to participate of them as the original proprietor could be, being in these new bonds of Christian fellowship as dear to him as 33 himself. And with great power, that is, with a divine force of eloquence and of miracles, power gave the aposdid the apostles give forth their important testi-surrection of the Lord mony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and Jesus: and great grace great grace was pon them all, so that the was upon them all. energy and sweetness of the gospel was felt by the inward experience both of speakers and hearers, beyond what it was possible for words to express.

d They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.] I will not assert, that cloven longues fell upon them again; but I think it probable, with Dr. Benson, that some visible symbol of the Spirits' descent might now be given.

e All things were common amongst them.] See notei on chap. ii. 44. p. 524. To have one heart and soul is a proverbial expression for

Neither

33 And with great

tles witness of the re

the most intimate and endearing friendship, as Elsner and others have shewn.

f Great grace was upon them all.] Casaubon, Grotius, and some others, understand this of the favour they had among the people on account of their charity and good conduct: But this is by no means the natura! import of this phrase, which is very different from that used, Acts ii. 47. Sect. viii. p. 525.

Reflections on the character of the primitive Christians.

34 Neither was there any among them that

35 And laid them down at the apostles' was made unto every man according as he

feet and distribution

517

SECT.

ix.

Acts

Neither was there any one indigent person lacked: for as many among them, though many of them were far from as were possessors of their habitations, and many others in low eirlands, or houses, sold cumstances of life: for as many as were proprie- IV. 54. them and brought the tors of lands or houses, sold them as fast as they prices of the things that could find any to purchase them, and brought were sold, the price of the things they had sold, whether it were more or less, And laid [it] down at 35 the feet of the apostles, to be disposed of as they should direct; who discharged their trust with the strictest fidelity, and took care that distribution was made to every one according as any had need for his present relief: (Compare chap. ii. 45) The apostles esteeming themselves sufficiently happy, while living in the same plain manner with their brethren, in the opportunity which the divine goodness gave them of being so helpful to others both in temporals and spi rituals.

had need.

IMPROVEMENT.

THIS was indeed the golden age of the church; and it is impossible to trace the memoirs of it, if we love Sion, without a secret Ver, complacency and exultation of mind. How amiable and how 13

venerable do the apostles and primitive converts appear, in this
native simplicity of the Christian character! and what a glory did
the grace and Spirit of God put upon them, far beyond all that
human establishments, splendid dignities, or ample revenues,
could ever give to those that have succeeded them! While the
multitude of them had one heart and one soul, and each was ready
to impart to his brethren whatever he himself possessed, how high 32
a relish of pleasure did they receive, and how were their joys
multiplied by each of their number!

Thus does divine grace, when it powerfully enters into the heart, open it in sentiments of generosity and love. Thus does it conquer 33.-55 that selfish temper which reigns so frequently in the minds of sinful men, and makes them like wild beasts, rather than like brethren to each other. Providence does not indeed call us entirely to give up our possessions, or to introduce a community of goods among Christians, in circumstances so different from those which we have now been surveying. Yet surely it is always our duty, and will be our highest interest, to remember that we are not original proprietors of what we possess, but stewards, who are to manage what is intrusted to our care, for the honour of our great Master, and the good of his family here on earth; continually ready to resign any part or even the whole of it, whenever these important ends shall require such a resignation. 3 Z

VOL. VII.

In

« FöregåendeFortsätt »