And advises that another apostle should be chosen in his room. companied with us, all among us, very 505 SECT. ii. 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 and said, Beginning from the baptism of John, 22 when he first entered on his ministry, even to 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. 22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up 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 nistry and apostleship, 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, place. h 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. i Joseph called Barsabas.] The Cambridge which Manuscript reads Barnabas; but Dr. Ben- k To his own place.] Oecumenius, Ham- 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 Acts 1.25. crimes. 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 Mat which they concluded, that he was the person thias, and he was num◄ whom 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. Ver. IMPROVEMENT. 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 doy 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 I 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 ex pected. The disciples assemble on the day of Pentecost. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: (Prov. xi. 4.) The time 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. 507 SECT. ii. 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 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 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. 508 The Spirit in the form of cloven tongues descends upon them. iii. Acts a one place. SECT. and continued the same course of religious fully come, they were exercises as before, for several succeeding days. all with one accord in And when the day of Pentecost was completely II. 1. arrived, that is, when the morning of the fif tieth day after the passover was come, it being then the first day of the week, the apostles with the rest of the hundred and twenty disciples were together; and they were all assembled with the most unanimous affection in the same place, in the upper room which was mentioned 2 before, where they had used to meet. on a sudden there was a very extraordinary and there came surprising sound from heaven as of a rushing violent wind, which shook the very place, and came with such a mighty force, that it filled all the 3 house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them at the same time a number of di- peared unto them vided tongues, made as it were of fire, i. e. cloven tongues, like a 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 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. b Was completely arrived.] The first day of unleavened bread, that is, the fifteenth of Nisan, began this year on Friday even. ing; and this was the day on which they were to offer the wave sheaf: 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 unpova Gas And 2 And suddenly bright a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there ap as cannot signify, that the day was ended, but that it was fully come. Compare Luke i. 57, ii. 21. and see Beza in loc. c 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 passed from the Jews to the disciples of Jesus. The Jews (as Wolfius tells us,) have a tale among them, relating to the appearance 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.-Bas (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 bave 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 of 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 de stroy They speak with tongues to the amazement of the multitude. upon each of them. 509 SECT. iii. Acts as of fire, and it sat bright flames in a pyramidical form, which were so parted as to terminate in several points, and thereby to afford a proper emblem of the marvellous effect attending the appearance, by which 11. 3. they were endowed with a miraculous diversity of languages: and it was ordered so, that one of these tongues rested upon each of them, who were then present in the room. And as soon as ever these lambent flames appeared to touch 4 them, they were all in a most sensible and extongues, as the Spirit traordinary manner filled with the Holy Spirit, 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. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other gave them utterance. Now as this happened at one of the three grand yearly feasts, and at that in which the days were longest, there were sojourning in Jerusalem at that time a great number of pious 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. 5 And when this strange report came to be noised 6 abroad', as it presently did, the multitude soon stroy the veil which had been spread over all nations. (Isa. xxv. 7.) See Lightf. Hor. Hebr. and Grot, in loc. d Upon each of them.] I agree with the learned Dr. Benson, (Plant. of Christianity, page 28, 29.) who thinks, (as Jerom and Chrysostom did,) that it is probable, each of the hundred and twenty shared in this 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 handmaids, 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. e 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 ga every nation under the whole heaven. (Deut. f When this report came abroad.] De Dieu 3$ 2 refers |