Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/21

Rh hell; that was his own place. Note, Those that betray Christ, as they fall from the dignity of relation to him, so they fall into all misery. It is said of Balaam, (Numb. 24. 25.) that he went to his own place, that is, says one of the Rabbins, he went to hell. Dr. Whitby quotes Ignatius saying, There is appointed to every man ἰδιος —a proper place, which speaks the same with that of God's rendering to every man according to his works. And our Saviour has said, that Judas's own place should be such, that it had been better for him that he had never been born; (Matt. 26. 24.) his misery was such as to be worse than not being. Judas had been a hypocrite, and hell is the proper place of such; other sinners, as inmates, have their portion with them, Matt. 24. 51.

(4.) The doubt was determined by lot, (v. 26.) which is an appeal to God, and lawful to be used for the determining matters not otherwise determinable, provided it be done in a solemn religious manner, and with prayer, the prayer of faith; for the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposal thereof is of the Lord, Prov. 16. 33. Matthias was not ordained by the imposition of hands, as presbyters were, for he was chosen by lot, which was the act of God; and therefore as he must be baptized, so he must be ordained, by the Holy Ghost, as they were all not many days after. Thus the number of the apostles was made up, as afterwards, when James, another of the twelve, was martyred, Paul was made an apostle.

CHAP. II. Between the promise of the Messiah's coming (even the latest of those promises) and his coming, many ages intervened; but between the promise of the Spirit and his coming, there were but a few days; and during those days, the apostles, though they had received orders to preach the gospel to every creature, and to begin at Jerusalem, yet lay perfectly wind-bound, incognito—concealed, and not offering to preach. But in this chapter the north-wind and the south-wind awake, and then they awake, and we have them in the pulpit presently. Here is, I. The descent of the Spirit upon the apostles, and those that were with them, on the day of pentecost, v. 1..4. II. The various speculations which this occasioned among the people that were now met in Jerusalem from all parts, v. 5..13. III. The sermon which Peter preached to them hereupon, wherein he shews that this pouring out of the Spirit was the accomplishment of an Old Testament promise, (v. 14..21.) that it was a confirmation of Christ's being the Messiah, which was already proved by his resurrection, (v. 22. 32.) and that it was a fruit and evidence of his ascension into heaven, v. 33..36. IV. The good effect of this sermon in the conversion of many to the faith of Christ, and their addition to the church, v. 37..41. V. The eminent piety and charity of those primitive christians, and the manifest tokens of God's presence with them, and power in them, v. 42..47.

ND when the day of pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

We have here an account of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples of Christ. Observe,

I. When, and where, this was done, which is particularly noted for the greater certainty of the thing.

1. It was when the day of pentecost was fully come. There seems to be a reference to the manner of the expression in the institution of this feast, where it is said, (Lev. 23. 15.) Ye shall count unto you seven sabbaths complete, from the day of the offering of the first-fruits, which was the next day but one after the passover, the sixteenth day of the month Abib, which was the day that Christ rose. This day was fully come, that is, the night preceding, with a part of the day, was fully past.

(1.) The Holy Ghost came down at the time of a solemn feast, because there was then a great concourse of people to Jerusalem from all parts of the country, and of proselytes from other countries, which would make it the more public, and the fame of it to be spread the sooner and further, which would contribute much to the propagating of the gospel into all nations. Thus now, as before at the passover, the Jewish feasts served to toll the bell for gospel-services and entertainments.

(2.) This feast of pentecost was kept in remembrance of the giving of the law upon mount Sinai, whence the incorporating of the Jewish church was to be dated, which Dr. Lightfoot reckons to be just one thousand four hundred and forty-seven years before this. Fitly, therefore, is the Holy Ghost given at that feast, in fire and in tongues, for the promulgation of the evangelical law, not as that to one nation, but to every creature.

(3.) This feast of pentecost happened on the first day of the week, which was an additional honour put on that day, and a confirmation of it to be the christian sabbath, the day which the Lord hath made, to be a standing memorial in his church of those two great blessings—the resurrection of Christ, and the pouring out of the Spirit, both on that day of the week. This serves not only to justify us in observing that day under the style and title of the Lord's day, but to direct us in the sanctifying of it to give God praise particularly for those two great blessings; every Lord's day in the year, I think, there should be a full and particular notice taken in our prayers and praises of these two, as there is by some churches of the one, once a year, upon Easter-day, and of the other, once a year, upon Whit-sunday. Oh! that we may do it with suitable affections!

2. It was when they were all with one accord in one place. What place it was, we are not told particularly, whether in the temple, where they attended at public times, (Luke 24. 53.) or whether in their own upper room, where they met at other times. But it was at Jerusalem, because it had been the place which God chose to put his name there; the prophecy was, that from hence the word of the Lord should go forth to all nations, (Isa. 2. 3.) and it was now the place of the general rendezvous of all devout people; there God had promised to meet them, and bless them, here therefore he meets them with this blessing of blessings. Though Jerusalem had done the utmost dishonour imaginable to Christ, yet he did this honour to Jerusalem, to teach us not to fall out with places, nor conceive prejudices against them; for God has his remnant in all places, he had so in Jerusalem.

Here they were in one place, and they were not as yet so many, but that one place, and no large one, would hold them all. And here they were with one accord. We cannot forget how often, while their Master was with them, there were strifes among them, which should be the greatest; but now all these strifes were at an end, we hear no more of them; what they had received already of the Holy Ghost, when Christ breathed on them, had in a good measure rectified the mistakes upon which those contests were grounded, and had disposed them to holy love. They had prayed more together of late than usual, (ch. 1, 14.) and that made them love one another better. By his grace he thus prepared them for the gift of the Holy Ghost; for that blessed dove