Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/60

54 man; "Ye intend to bring this man's blood, the guilt of it before God, the shame of it before men, upon us" Thus they charge them not only with contumacy and contempt of the court, but with sedition and faction, and a plot to set not only the people against them, for having persecuted even to death not only so innocent but so good and great a man as this Jesus, but the Romans too, for having drawn them into it. See here how those that with a great deal of presumption will do an evil thing, yet cannot bear to hear of it afterward, or to have it charged upon them. When they were in the heart of the persecution, they could cry daringly enough, "His blood be upon us, and upon our children; let us bear the blame for ever." But now that they have time for a cooler thought, they take it as a heinous affront to have his blood laid at their door. Thus are they convicted and condemned by their own consciences, and dread lying under that guilt which they were not afraid to involve themselves in.

III. Their answer to the charge exhibited against them; Peter and the other apostles all spake to the same purport; whether severally examined, or answering jointly, they spake as one and the same Spirit gave them utterance, depending upon the promise their Master had made them, that, when they were brought before councils, it should be given them in that same hour what they should speak, and courage to speak it.

1. They justified themselves in their disobedience to the commands of the great Sanhedrim, great as it was; (v. 29.) We ought to obey God rather than men. They do not plead the power they had to work miracles, (that spake sufficiently for them, and therefore they humbly decline mentioning it themselves,) but they appeal to a maxim universally owned, and which even natural conscience subscribes to, and which comes home to their case. God had commanded them to teach in the name of Christ, and therefore they ought to do it, though the chief priests forbade them. Those rulers set up in opposition to God, and have a great deal to answer for, who punish men for disobedience to them, in that which was their duty to God.

2. They justify themselves in doing what they could to fill Jerusalem with the doctrine of Christ, though, in preaching him up, they did indeed reflect upon those that maliciously ran him down; and if they thereby bring his blood upon them, they may thank themselves. It is charged upon them as a crime, that they preached Christ and his gospel; "Now," say they, "we will tell you who this Christ is, and what his gospel is, and then do you judge whether we ought not to preach it; nay, and we shall take this opportunity to preach it to you, whether you will hear, or whether you will forbear."

(1.) The chief priests are told to their faces the indignities they did to this Jesus; "Ye slew him and hanged him on a tree, ye cannot deny it." The apostles, instead of making an excuse, or begging their pardon, for bringing the guilt of this man's blood upon them, repeat the charge, and stand to it; "It was you that slew him; it was your act and deed." Note, People's being unwilling to hear of their faults, is no good reason why they should not be faithfully told of them. It is a common excuse made for not reproving sin, that the times will not bear it. But they whose office it is to reprove, must not be awed by that; the times must bear it, and shall bear it; Cry aloud, and spare not; cry aloud and fear not.

(2.) They are told also what honours God put upon this Jesus, and then let them judge who was in the right, the persecutors of his doctrine, or the preachers of it. He calls God the God of our fathers, not only ours, but yours, to shew that in preaching Christ they did not preach a new god, nor entice people to come and worship other gods; nor did they set up an institution contrary to that of Moses and the prophets, but they adhered to the God of the Jewish fathers; and that name of Christ which they preached, answered the promises made to the fathers, and the covenant God entered into with them, and the types and figures of the law he gave them. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; see what honour he did him.

[1.] He raised him up; that is, he qualified him for, and called him to, his great undertaking. It seems to refer to the promise God made by Moses, ''A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you. God raised him up out'' of obscurity, and made him great. Or, it may be meant of his raising him up from the grave; "You put him to death, but God has restored him to life, so that God and you are manifestly contesting about this Jesus; and which must we side with?"

[2.] He exalted him with his right hand, ὕψωσεὕψωσεν [sic]—hath lifted him up. "You loaded him with disgrace, but God has crowned him with honour; and ought we not to honour him whom God honours?" God has exalted him, τῆ δεξιᾶ αὐτοῦτῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ [sic]—with his right hand, that is, by his power put forth; Christ is said to live by the power of God. Or, to his right hand, to sit there, to rest there, to rule there; "He has invested him with the highest dignity, and intrusted him with the highest authority, and therefore we must teach in his name, for God has given him a name above every name."

[3.] "He has appointed him to be a Prince and a Saviour, and therefore we ought to preach in his name, and to publish the laws of his government as he is a Prince, and the offers of his grace as he is a Saviour." Observe, there is no having Christ to be our Saviour, unless we be willing to take him for our Prince. We cannot expect to be redeemed and healed by him, unless we give up ourselves to be ruled by him. The judges of old were saviours. Christ's ruling is in order to his saving, and faith takes an entire Christ, that came, not to save us in our sins, but to save us from our sins.

[4.] He is appointed, as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins. Therefore they must preach in his name to the people of Israel, for his favours were designed, primarily and principally for them; and none that truly loved their country, could be against that. Why should the rulers and elders of Israel oppose one who came with no less a blessing to Israel than repentance and pardon? Had he been exalted to give deliverance to Israel from the Roman yoke, and dominion over the neighbouring nations, the chief priests would have welcomed him with all their hearts. But repentance and remission of sins are blessings they neither value nor see their need of, and therefore they can by no means admit his doctrine. Observe here, First, Repentance and remission go together; wherever repentance is wrought, remission is without fail granted, and the favour given to all those to whom is given the qualification for it. On the other hand, no remission without repentance; none are freed from the guilt and punishment of sin but those that are freed from the power and dominion of sin; that are turned from it, and turned against it. Secondly, It is Jesus Christ that gives, and is authorized to give, both repentance and remission. Whatsoever is required in the gospel-covenant, is promised. Are we appointed to repent? Christ is appointed to give repentance, by his Spirit working with the word, to awaken the conscience, to work contrition for sin, and an effectual change in the heart and life. The new heart is his work, and the broken spirit a sacrifice of his providing; and when he has given repentance, if he should not give