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THE

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

INTRODUCTION.

THE Acts of the Apostles may be considered as a continuation of the history contained in the gospels. Luke is generally acknowledged to be the author; and he addresses this book to Theophilus, the same excellent person to whom he had addressed his gospel. It contains the history of the church, within the Roman empire, for the period of near thirty years after the death of our Lord. We here see how the promises and predictions of Christ were fulfilled: Matt. x. 20. John xii. 14, and Mark iv. 30, comp. Acts v. 14. It relates the miracles which the apostles and others wrought in confirmation of the gospel. According to the promise, the Holy Spirit was poured out (Ch. ii.) on the apostles and other disciples, at Jerusalem; on the people of Samaria, Ch. viii.; on Cornelius at Cæsarea. The miracles wrought were numerous. Peter and John cured the lame man: Acts iii. 2—11.; iv. 6—16. By an angel they were delivered from prison: Ch. v. 12-25. Stephen did great wonders: Ch. vi. 8. Saul was converted, and wrought miracles. Peter cured Æneas, and raised Tabitha to life: Ch. ix. 1, &c. The miracles were performed publicly in large cities; and they were performed in the name of Christ. In consequence thereof thousands and tens of thousands believed, and churches were formed in Judea, Syria, Lesser Asia, and other countries. Comparing the Acts with the Epistles, we find so many undesigned coincidences as establish the truth of both.

CHAPTER I.

A. D. 33. The time of our Lord's abode on earth after his resurrection; his promise to the apostles; his ascension, and Matthias chosen to be an apostle.

1 THE former relation I made, O Theophilus, concerning all which Jesus both did and taught, 2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after having commanded, by the Holy Spirit, the 3 apostles whom he had chosen: To whom he also showed himself alive, after his suffering by many infallible proofs; being seen by them forty days, and speaking of the things concern4 ing the kingdom of God. And then, assemAnd then, assembling them together, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the

promise of the Father, "which, said he, ye have
heard from me. For John indeed baptized with 5
water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Spirit not many days hence." When therefore 6
they were come together, they asked of him,
saying, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the
kingdom again to Israel?" And he said to them, 7
"It is not for you to know the times or seasons,
which the Father hath put in his own disposal.
But ye shall receive power, when the Holy 8
Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be wit-
nesses to me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts
of the earth." And when he had spoken these 9
things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and

CHAP. I. 1. Both did and taught. See note, Luke iii. 23. The best writers admit that the verb aguas used with an infinitive of another verb only defines the time of the verb. See Mark vi. 7. Luke iii. 8.; v. 21.; xi. 29.; &c. See Pearce's note, Luke iii. 23.

3. Infallible proofs. By his many appearances and conversations with them. Pearce has collected these appearances. The first was to Mary Magdalene, &c. Matt, xxviii. 1, 9. The second to the two disciples going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 15. The third to Peter, Luke xxiv. 34. The fourth to ten of the apostles, Thomas being absent, Luke xxiv. 36. John xx. 19. These four appearances were on the day of his resurrection. The fifth was to eleven of the apostles, John xx. 26. The sixth to seven of them at the lake of Tiberias, John xx. 4. The seventh to James, 1 Cor. xv. 7.; and most probably when Jesus commanded them to assemble at Jerusalem. The eighth when he led them to Bethany, where he ascended and as Pearce thinks was seen of more than 500 brethren.

4. Not to depart from, &c. After their return from Galilee, Matt. xxviii. 16. Mark xvi. 7.

6. Come together, &c. At Bethany. Luke xxiv. 50.—They asked him, &c. They seem not to have understood what our Lord meant by the promise of the Father;' and yet expecting that his kingdom was to be a temporal one, they desired that he would now inform them, whether his time was come, to transfer the dominion from the Romans to the Jews.

7, 8. It is not for you, &c. Our Lord's answer, some think, implies that the Jews will be restored to earthly grandeur; but I do not see it in this light.' He tells them that there are times and seasous for the fulfilment of God's 's pur poses; and that they should soon receive power to bear testimony of him in every place.

-Two men,

9-11. While they beheld, &c. See Luke xxiv. 50—53.— &c. Two angels in the form of men. Their assurance that the ascended

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10 a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked earnestly towards heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in 11 white apparel; Who said also, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

12

Then they returned unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem 13 a sabbath-day's journey. And when they had entered the city, they went into an upper room, where abode Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14 These all with one mind continued in prayer and supplication, with certain women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

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Matthias chosen by lot.

For he was numbered with us, and had obtained 17 part of this ministry. (Now this man caused a 18 field to be purchased with the reward of his iniquity; and having fallen on his face, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out, And this was known to all who dwelt at 19 Jerusalem; so that the field was called in their own language, Aceldama, that is, The field of blood.) For it is written in the book of Psalms, 20 'Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein,' and, 'His office let another take.’ Wherefore, of these men who have been with 21 us all the time that the Lord Jesus was conversant among us, Beginning from the baptism of 22 John, to that day on which he was taken up from us, one must be appointed to be a witness with us of his resurrection." And they appointed 23 two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and 24 said, "Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry 25 and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, so that he went to his own place.” And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell 26 upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

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Saviour would in like manner return, would greatly tend to support the mind of the apostles.

12. A sabbath-day's journey. See John xi. 8. The distance was about :wo miles; and the territory of Bethany must have reached to a part of Mount Oliva.

14. Mary, the mother, &c. She is never mentioned afterwards. His brethren must now have believed in him, as they are here with other believers. 15. Ahundred, &c. The converts then in Jerusalem, not the whole body of them, as appears from 1 Cor. xv. 6, are intended.

18-19. These verses are the words of Luke. Caused a field, &c. An action is often said to be done by a person who was the occasion of doing it. Matt. xxvii. 26. John xix. 1, 15. and Acts ii. 23, 36.-Fallen on his face. According to Matt. xxvii. 7, Judas hanged himself; and we may suppose that either the rope broke, or that to which it was fastened, or that some persons cut him down, and that falling on his face upon something, what Luke says occurred.

20. Let his habitation, &c. See Ps. Ixix. 25, and cix. 8, and notes there. I feel confident that these passages are quoted as illustrating the events which had occurred.

21. Was conversant, &c. This expresses the full force of the idiom of the text. Deuter. xxxi. 2.

23. They appointed two. Pearce allows that this was done by the whole body of the disciples; and the persons appointed must have been with the apostles, when Jesus appeared after his resurrection, as they were to be witnesses of this fact.

24. Thou, Lord, who, &c. That this prayer was addressed to their ascended Lord, is most probable, as he was the person who chose the apostles, and appointed them to their office. See John xxi. 17.

25. Take part of this, &c. Schleusner supposes that ×λng is here redundant or a mere expletive. The sense is, that he may receive the office of the apostleship.So that he went, &c. Both to the grave, and to the misery which his heinous crimes deserved. A living commentator has laboured strenuously to vindicate Judas, to make him a penitent, and carry him to heaven. Much learning and time have been wasted in this fruitless attempt; and it is astonishing how any sober man could think of contradicting the express testimony of his Saviour. See John vi. 71.; xvii. 12.; and Matt. xxvi. 24. This must be reckoned one among the many singular opinions of this author. Whitby was too good a Greek scholar to follow the construction which some would adopt, as if xangos signified some province in which Judas should have laboured, and which now fell to Matthias.

26. Fell on Matthias, &c. Thus the Lord showed which he had chosen; and no doubt but he was fit to bear testimony to the risen Saviour.

The Holy Spirit given.

CHAPTER II.

ACTS II.

A. D. 33. The apostles filled with the Holy Spirit speak many languages ; Peter addresses the people, assuring them that Jesus had shed forth the

1

Spirit, having ascended to heaven; many are convinced and converted,

and the church daily increaseth.

AND when the day of Pentecost was come, they were all with one consent in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a rushing mighty wind; and it filled all 3 the house where they were sitting. And there appeared divided tongues as of fire; and a tongue 4 sat on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 And when a report of this was spread abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them 7 speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and wondered, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these who speak Galileans?

friendship, still retained the opinion that his kingdom was to be a temporal one; they still thought that he would make Jerusalem the seat of his power, and rescue the people of Israel from their hated subjection to the Romans. Jesus did not directly answer their question, but taught them submission to their heavenly Father, and repressed the indulgence of their curiosity. He knew that soon their mistakes would be corrected, by the Holy Spirit which they would receive; and under his influence they would form juster notions of his kingdom. May we receive and enjoy this Spirit, as a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; that we understand better the nature of his kingdom as consisting in peace and righteousness.

2. Let us imitate the conduct of the apostles, who earnestly followed the ascending Saviour with their looks and hearts, until a cloud received him out of their sight. He went to the place whence he had come, to receive the honours promised to him, and perform the office of intercessor before the throne of the Father. There he abides and must abide, until that important day on which he will descend to the final judgment. He will then revisit this world, coming in the clouds

The gift of languages.

How then hear we every man speak in our own 8 language, in which we were born? Parthians, 9 and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, 10 in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers from Rome both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and also Arabians; we do 11 hear them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." And they were all 12 amazed, and doubted, saying one to another, "What can this mean?" But others scoffing 13 said, "These men are full of new wine."

Then Peter, standing up with the eleven, 14 raised his voice, and said to them, "Ye Jews, and all who now dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you, and hearken to my words. For these 15 are not drunken as ye suppose; since it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that 16 which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And 17 it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh : and

of heaven, and every eye shall see him, and they also who pierced him. May he be the object of our faith and love now, that we may behold him at that day with joy, and not with terror! And while he is ever mindful for us, and attending to our concerns in the world above, may we cheerfully and constantly be promoting his cause, and engaged in his service.

3. The awful end of Judas ought to impress the caution upon every professor, "let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." He had been numbered with the apostles, had attended the Saviour and seen his miracles, and yet, under the influence of avarice, treacherously delivered him up to his enemies! As the crime was great and enormous, it was signally and speedily punished. In a short period, the hand of God's righteous vengeance was heavy upon him, and he was brought to public infamy and irrecoverable destruction. We are taught by his example, that no office of itself can secure men from sin, and that when they violate and break the solemn bonds of an eminent profession, they will receive a punishment proportionably great and awful.

CHAP. II. 1. The day of Pentecost, &c. The fiftieth day after the passover. Lev. xxiii. 11—16. See Introd. vol. 1, p. 49.

2. It filled all the house. The sound filled it; for there can be no other nominative to the verb than "xos, sound. The tongues of fire rested on the disciples, and could not fill the house.

3. Divided tongues, &c. Flames naturally shoot into forms like tongues; and a tongue sat on each to intimate the gift bestowed on them. Pearce and Newcome confine the tongues to the twelve apostles; but I see no reason for this, and think it more probable that the body of the people were equally favoured on this occasion. As it was about the third hour, or nine in the

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6-13. Heard them speak, &c. The Jews had wonderfully increased, and dwelt not only in every part of the Roman empire, but among other nations. The devout part were accustomed to visit the temple at the pass over, and to remain there for some time. While some wondered at what they heard, those of Jerusalem thought the apostles drunk, as they spoke in tongues which they knew not.

14-21. Ye Jews, &c. It was the custom of the Jews to attend the morn

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