Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/31

Rh infidelity." They must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. They did believe in the Father and the Holy Ghost speaking by the prophets; but they must also believe in the name of Jesus, that he is the Christ, the Messias promised to the Fathers; "Take Jesus for your King, and by baptism swear allegiance to him; take him for your Prophet, and hear him; take him for your Priest, to make atonement for you;" which seems peculiarly intended here; for they must be baptized in his name for the remission of sins upon the score of his righteousness.

(3.) This is pressed upon each particular person, every one of you; "Even those of you that have been the greatest sinners, if they repent and believe, are welcome to be baptized; and those that think they have been the greatest saints, have yet need to repent, and believe, and be baptized. There is grace enough in Christ for every one of you, be ye ever so many, and grace suited to the case of every one. Israel of old were baptized unto Moses in the camp, the whole body of the Israelites together, when they passed through the cloud and the sea, (1 Cor. 10. 1, 2.) for the covenant of peculiarity was national; but now every one of you distinctly must be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and transact for himself in this great affair." See Col. 1. 28.

2. He gives them encouragement to take that course:

(1.) "It shall be for the remission of sins. Repent of your sin, and it shall not be your ruin; be baptized into the faith of Christ, and in truth you shall be justified, which you could never be by the law of Moses. Aim at this, and depend upon Christ for it, and this you shall have. As the cup of the Lord's supper is the New Testament in the blood of Christ for the remission of sins, so baptism is in the name of Christ for the remission of sins. Be washed, and you shall be washed."

(2.) "You shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost as well as we; for it is designed for a general blessing: some of you shall receive these external gifts, and each of you, if you be sincere in your faith and repentance, shall receive his internal graces and comforts, shall be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." Note, All that receive the remission of sins, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. All that are justified, are sanctified.

(3.) "Your children shall still have, as they have had, an interest in the covenant, and a title to the external seal of it. Come over to Christ, to receive those inestimable benefits; for the promise of the remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, is to you and to your children," v. 39. It was very express, (Isa. 44. 3.) I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed. And, (Isa. 59. 21.) My Spirit and my word shall not depart from thy seed, and thy seed's seed. When God took Abraham into covenant, he said, I will be a God to thee, and to thy seed; (Gen. 17. 7.) and, accordingly, every Israelite had his son circumcised at eight days old. Now it is proper for an Israelite, when he is by baptism to come into a new dispensation of this covenant, to ask, "What must be done with my children? Must they be thrown out, or taken in with me?" " Taken in," (says Peter,) "by all means; for the promise, that great promise, of God's being to you a God, is as much to you and to your children now as ever it was."

(4.) "Though the promise is still extended to your children, as it has been, yet it is not, as it has been, confined to you and them, but the benefit of it is designed for all that are afar off," we may add, and their children, for the blessing of Abraham comes upon the Gentiles, through Jesus Christ, Gal. 3. 14. The promise had long pertained to the Israelites; (Rom. 9. 4.) but now it is sent to those that are afar off, the remotest nations of the Gentiles, and every one of them too, all that are afar off. To this general the following limitation must refer, even as many of them, as many particular persons in each nation, as the Lord our God shall call effectually into the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Note, God can make his call to reach those that are ever so far off, and none come but whom he calls.

III. These directions are followed with a needful caution; (v. 40.) With many other words to the same purport, did he testify gospel-truths, and exhort to gospel-duties; now that the word began to work he followed it; he had said much in a little, (v. 38, 39.) and that which, one would think, included all, and yet he had more to say. When we have heard those words which have done our souls good, we cannot but wish to hear more, to hear many more such words. Among other things he said, (and it should seem inculcated it,) ''Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Be ye free'' from them. The unbelieving Jews were an untoward generation, perverse and obstinate, they walked contrary to God and man, (1 Thess. 2. 15.) wedded to sin and marked for ruin. Now as to them,

1. "Give diligence to save yourselves from the ruin, that you may not be involved in that, and may escape all those things;" (as the christians did;) "repent, and be baptized; and then you shall not be sharers with them in destruction, whom you have been sharers with in sin." O gather not my soul with sinners.

2. "In order to this, continue not with them in their sin, persist not with them in infidelity. Save yourselves, that is, separate yourselves, distinguish yourselves, from this untoward generation. Be not rebellious like this rebellious house; partake not with them in their sins, that you share not with them in their plagues." Note, To separate ourselves from wicked people, is the only way to save ourselves from them; though we thereby expose ourselves to their rage and enmity, we really save ourselves from them; for if we consider whither they are hastening, we shall see, it is better to have the trouble of swimming against their stream than the danger of being carried down their stream. Those that repent of their sins, and give up themselves to Jesus Christ, must evidence their sincerity by breaking off all intimate society with wicked people. Depart from me, ye evil doers, is the language of one that determines to keep the commandments of his God, Ps. 119. 115. We must save ourselves from them; which denotes avoiding them with dread and holy fear, as we would save ourselves from an enemy that seeks to destroy us, or from a house infected with the plague.

IV. Here is the happy success and issue of this, v. 41. The Spirit wrought with the word, and wrought wonders by it. These same persons that had many of them been eye witnesses of the death of Christ, and the prodigies that attended it, and were not wrought upon by them, were yet wrought upon by the preaching of the word, for that is it that is the power of God unto salvation.

1. They received the word; and then only the word does us good, when we do receive it, embrace it, and bid it welcome. They admitted the conviction of it, and accepted the offers of it.

2. They gladly received it. Herod heard the word gladly, but these gladly received it, were not only glad that they had it to receive, but glad that by the grace of God they were enabled to receive it, though it would be a humbling changing word to them, and would expose them to the enmity of their countrymen.

3. They were baptized; believing with the heart, they made confession with the mouth, and enrolled themselves among the disciples of Christ by that sacred rite and ceremony which he had instituted. And though Peter had said, "Be baptized in the