Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/137

Rh 1. They observed their time of worship, on the sabbath-day, the Jewish sabbath. The first day of the week they observed, among themselves as a Christian sabbath; but if they will meet the Jews, it must be on the seventh-day sabbath; which therefore, upon such occasions, they did as yet sometimes observe. For though it was by the death of Christ that the ceremonial law died, yet it was in the ruins of Jerusalem that it was to be buried; and therefore, though the morality of the fourth commandment was entirely transferred to the christian sabbath, yet it was not incongruous to join with the Jews in their sabbath-sanctification.

2. They met them in their place of worship, in the synagogue. Note, Sabbath-days should be kept holy in solemn assemblies, they are instituted chiefly for public worship; the sabbath-day is a holy convocation, and for that reason no servile work must be done therein. Paul and Barnabas were strangers; but wherever we come, we must inquire out God's faithful worshippers, and join with them, (as these apostles here did,) as those that desire to keep up a communion with all saints; though they were strangers, yet they were admitted into the synagogue, and to sit down there. Care should be taken in places of public worship, that strangers be accommodated, even the poorest; for those we know nothing else of, we know this, that they have precious souls, which our charity binds us to be concerned for.

II. The invitation given them to preach.

1. The usual service of the synagogue was performed; (v. 15.) The law and the prophets were read, a portion of each, the lessons for the day. Note, When we come together to worship God, we must do it not only by prayer and praise, but by the reading and hearing of the word of God; hereby we give him the glory due to his name, as our Lord and Lawgiver.

2. When that was done, they were asked, by the rulers of the synagogue, to give them a sermon; (v. 15.) they sent a messenger to them with this respectful message, Men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. It is probable that the rulers of the synagogue had met with them, and been in private conversation with them before; and if they had not an affection to the gospel, yet they had at least the curiosity to hear Paul preach; and therefore, not only gave him permission, but begged the favour of him, that he would speak a word of exhortation to the people. Note, (1.) The bare reading of the scriptures in the public assemblies is not sufficient, but they should be expounded, anti the people exhorted out of them. This is spreading the net, and assisting people in doing that which is necessary to the making of the word profitable to them—that is, the applying of it to themselves. (2.) Those that preside, and have power, in public assemblies, should provide for a word of exhortation to the people, whenever they come together. (3.) Sometimes a word of exhortation from a strange minister may be of great use to the people, provided he be well approved. It is likely, Paul did often preach in the synagogue, when he was not thus invited to it by the rulers of the synagogues; for he often preached with much contention, 1 Thess. 2. 2. But these were more noble, more generous, than the rulers of the synagogues commonly were.

III. The sermon Paul preached in the synagogue of the Jews, at the invitation of the rulers of the synagogue. He gladly embraced the opportunity given him to preach Christ to his countrymen the Jews; he did not object to them, that he was a stranger, and that it was none of his business; nor object to himself, that he may get ill-will by preaching Christ among the Jews; but stood up, as one prepared and determined to speak, and beckoned with his hand, to excite and prepare them to hear; he waved his hand as an orator, not only desiring silence and attention, but endeavouring to move affection, and to shew himself in earnest. Perhaps, upon the moving of them to give an exhortation to the people, there were those in the synagogue, that were ready to mutiny against the rulers, and opposed the toleration of Paul s preaching, and that occasioned some tumult and commotion, which Paul endeavoured to quiet by that decent motion of his hand; as also by his modest desire of a patient impartial hearing; "Men of Israel, that are Jews by birth, and ye that fear God, that are proselyted to the Jewish religion, give audience; let me beg your attention a little, for I have something to say to you, which concerns your everlasting peace, and would not say it in vain."

Now this excellent sermon is recorded, to shew that those who preached the gospel to the Gentiles, did it not till they had first used their utmost endeavours with the Jews, to persuade them to come in, and take the benefit of it; and that they had no prejudice at all against the Jewish nation, nor any desire that they should perish, but rather that they should turn and live. Every thing is touched in this sermon, that might be proper, either to convince the judgment or insinuate into the affections of the Jews, to prevail with them to receive and embrace Christ as the promised Messiah.

1. He owns them to be God's favourite people, whom he had taken into special relation to himself, and for whom he had done great things. Probably, the Jews of the dispersion, that lived in other countries, being more in danger of mingling with the nations, were more jealous of their peculiarity than those that lived in their own land were; and therefore Paul is here very careful to take notice of it, to their honour.

(1.) That the God of the whole earth was, in a particular manner, the God of this people Israel, a God in covenant with them, and that he had given them a revelation of his mind and will, such as he had not given to any other nation or people; so that hereby they were distinguished from, and dignified above, all their neighbours, having peculiar precepts to be governed by, and peculiar promises to depend upon.

(2.) That he had chosen their fathers to be his friends: Abraham was called the friend of God; to be his prophets, by whom he would reveal his mind to his church, and to be the trustees of his covenant with the church. He puts them ih mind of this, to let them know that the reason why God favoured them, though undeserving and ill deserving, was, because he would adhere to the choice he had made of their fathers, Deut. 7. 7, 8. They were beloved purely for the fathers' sake, Rom. 11. 28.

(3.) That he had exalted that people, and put a great deal of honour upon them, had advanced them into a people, and raised them from nothing, then, when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and had nothingin them to recommend them to the divine favour. They ought to remember this, and to infer from hence, that God was no debtor to them; for it was ex mero motu—out of his mere good pleasure, and not upon a valuable consideration, that they had the grant of the divine favour; and therefore it was revocable at pleasure; and God did them no wrong, if he at length plucked up the hedge of their peculiarity. But they were debtors to him, and obliged to receive such further discoveries as he should make of his will, and to admit such further additions as he should make to his church.

(4.) That he had with a high hand brought them out of Egypt, where they were not only strangers, but captives; had delivered them at the expense of a great many miracles, both of mercy to them and