xv.26: xvi. 7, 13. ch. 1. 4. d ch. x. 45. of God exalted, and having received of the Father the c John xiv. 26: promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David dis not ascended Eph. iv. 8. into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of i. 13. Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same fch. v. 31. Jesus, whom ye [dd have] crucified, both Lord and Christ. Matt. xxii. 44. 1 Cor. xv. 25. Eph. 1. 20. Heb. Luke iii. 10. ch. ix. 6: xvi. 30. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in & Zech. xii. 10. their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what f shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, h Repent, and be baptized every one tion. d render, did not ascend. e render, Brethren: see on ch. i. 16. we all, first, and most properly, the Twelve: but, secondarily, the whole body of believers, all of whom, at this time, had probably seen the Lord since His Resurrection; see 1 Cor. xv. 6. 33.] Peter now comes to the Ascension-the exaltation of Jesus to be, in the fullest sense, Lord and Christ. being by the right hand of God exalted] Some would render, "being exalted to the right hand of God." But plausible as this seems, it is inadmissible. The great end of this speech is to shew forth (see above) the GOD OF ISRAEL as the Doer of all these things. the promise] Christ is said to have received from the Father the promise above cited from Joel, which is spoken of His days. This, and not of course the declarations made by Himself to the same effect, is here referred to, though doubtless those were in Peter's mind. The very expression, shed forth, refers to " I will pour out" above, ver. 17 (in the original they are the same word). this: i. e. this influence,' this merely; leaving to his hearers the inference that this, which they saw and heard, must be none other than the promised effusion of the Spirit. which ye now see need not imply, as Dr. Burton thinks, that "there was some visible appearance, which the people saw as well as the apostles:" -very much of the effect of the descent of the Spirit would be visible, - the enthusiasm and gestures of the speakers, for instance; not, however, the tongues of flame, for then none could have spoken as in ver. 13. 34.] This exaltation of Christ is also proved from prophecyand from the same passage with which Jesus Himself had silenced His ene dd omit. h Luke xxiv. 47. ch. iii. 19. I render, must. mies. See notes, Matt. xxii. 41 ff. The connexion is, For David himself is not ascended into the heavens, -as he would be, if the former prophecy applied to him: BUT he himself says, removing all doubt on the subject, &c. 36.] THE CONCLUSION FROM ALL THAT HAS BEEN SAID. The Apostle says, let all the house DISCOURSE. i Joel ii. 28. ch. iii. 25. k ch. x. 45: xi. 15, 18: of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and * to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God xiv. 27: xv. shall call. 3.8.14. Eph. ii. 18, 17. 40 And with many other words did he testify and 5 exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this iuntoward generation. 41 Then they that [1gladly] received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added 8 render, exhort them. 1 omit. thinking Jesus an impostor, and scorning Him as one crucified, to being baptized in His name, and looking to Him for remission of sins, and the gift of the Spirit.The miserable absurdity of rendering this word by 'do penance,' so the Rheims Roman-Catholic) Version, -orunderstanding it as referring to a course of external rites, is well exposed by this passage-in which the internal change of heart and purpose is insisted on, to be testified by admission into the number of Christ's followers. be baptized every one of you] Here, on the day of Pentecost, we have the first mention and administration of CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. Before, there had been the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, by John, Luke iii. 3; but now we have the important addition, in (or, on) the name of Jesus Christ, the Name-i.e. on the confession of that which the Name implies, and into the benefits and blessings which the Name implies.The Apostles and first believers were not thus baptized, because, ch. i. 5, they had received the BAPTISM BY THE HOLY GHOST, the thing signified, which superseded that by water, the outward and visible sign. -The result of the baptism to which he here exhorts them, preceded by repentance and accompanied by faith in the forgiveness of sins in Christ, would be, the receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. in 39.] your children, viz. as included in the prophecy cited ver. 17, your little ones: not, as in ch. xiii. 32, 'your descendants, which would be understood by any Jew to be necessarily implied. Thus we have a providential recognition of Infant Baptism, at the very founding of the Christian Church. to all that are afar off] i. e. to the Gentiles; see Eph. ii. 13. There is no difficulty whatever in this interpretation. The Apostles always expected the conversion of the Gentiles, as did every pious Jew who believed in the Scriptures. It h render, Be saved : see note. krender, So then. was their conversion as Gentiles, which was yet to be revealed to Peter. It is surprising to see Commentators finding a difficulty where all is so plain. The very expression, as many as the Lord our God shall call, shews in what sense Peter understood those afar off; not all, but as many as the Lord our God shall summon to approach to Him,-bring near,-which, in his present understanding of the words, must import-by becoming one of the chosen people, and conforming to their legal observances. 40.] The words cited appear to be the concluding and inclusive summary of Peter's many exhortations, not only their general sense: just as if ver. 36 had been given as the representative of his whole speech above. The Apostle's command is improperly rendered in A. V. 'save yourselves: it is strictly passive,-be saved,-'let us save you'---' let God by us save you.' In saying this crooked generation, St. Peter alludes to Deut. xxxii. 5. baptism of regeneration is important on 41.] This first many accounts in the history of the Christian Church. It presents us with two remarkable features: (1) It was conferred, on the profession of repentance, and faith in Jesus as the Christ. There was 10 instruction in doctrine as yet. The infancy of the Church in this respect corresponded to the infancy of the individual mind; the simplicity of faith came first,the ripeness of knowledge followed. Neander well observes that, among such a multitude, admitted by a confession which allowed of so wide an interpretation, were probably many persons who brought into the church the seeds of that Judaizing form of Christianity which afterwards proved so hostile to the true faith; while others, more deeply touched by the Holy Spirit, followed humbly the unfolding of that teaching by which He perfected the apostolic age in the doctrine of Christ. unto them about three thousand souls. 42 1 And they con- 1 ver. 46. ch. tinued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine 11 and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and m many wonders and signs m Mark xvi. were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 and sold their n ch. iv. 32, 34. 11 render, and in community. (2) Almost without doubt, this first baptism must have been administered, as that of the first Gentile converts was (see ch. x. 47, and note), by affusion or sprinkling, not by immersion. The immersion of 3000 persons, in a city so sparingly furnished with water as Jerusalem, is equally inconceivable with a procession beyond the walls to the Kedron, or to Siloam, for that purpose. 42-47.] DESCRIPTION OF THE LIFE AND HABITS OF THE FIRST BELIEVERS. This description anticipates; embracing a period extending beyond the next chapter. This is plain from ver. 43: for the miracle related in the next chapter was evidently the first which attracted any public attention: vv. 44, 45, again, are taken up anew at the end of chap. iv., where we have a very similar description, evidently applying to the same period. 42.] the apostles' doctrine: compare Matt. xxviii. 20. and in community] The living together as one family, and having things in common. It is no objection to this meaning, that the fact is repeated below, in ver. 45: for so is the breaking of bread in ver. 46, and the continuing in continuing prayers. The meaning given in the A. V., "in the Apostles' fellowship," is not objectionable in itself, but still I conceive bears no meaning defensible in construction. See further in my Greek Test. breaking of bread] or, the breaking of the bread. This has been very variously explained. / Chrysostom, "In mentioning bread here he seems to me to signify fasting, and ascetic life: for they partook, not of luxuries, but simply of subsistence." And similarly Bengel: "The breaking of bread, that is, a frugal diet, common among them all." But on ver. 46 he recognizes a covert allusion to the Eucharist. - Theinterpretation of the breaking of bread here as the celebration of the Lord's supper has been, both in ancient and modern times, the prevalent one. Chrysostom himself, in another place, interprets it, or at all events the whole phrase, of the Holy Communion. And the Romanist interpreters have gone so far as to ground an argument on the passage for the administration in one kind only. But, referring for a fuller discus i. 14. Rom. xii. 12. Eph. vi. 18. Col. iv. 2. Heb. x. 25. 17. ch. iv. 33: v. 12. sion of the whole matter to the notes on 1 Cor. x. xi.,-barely to render [the] breaking of (the) bread to mean the breaking of bread in the Eucharist, as now understood, would be to violate historical truth. The Holy Communion was at first, and for some time, till abuses put an end to the practice, inseparably connected with the agapæ, or love-feasts, of the Christians, and unknown as a separate ordinance. To these agapæ, accompanied as they were at this time by the celebration of the Lord's supper, the "breaking of [the] bread" refers, from the custom of the master of the feast breaking bread in asking a blessing; see ch. xxvii. 35, where the Eucharist is out of the question. in prayers] or, in the prayers: the appointed times of prayer: see ver. 46. But it need not altogether exclude prayer among themselves as well, provided we do not assume any set times or forms of Christian worship, which certainly did not exist as yet. See notes on Rom. xiv. 5; Gal. iv. 10. 43.] every soul, designating generally the multitude, those who were not joined to the infant Church. This is evident by the words "all that believed," when the church is again the subject, ver. They were filled with fear, dread, reverential astonishment, at the effect produced by the outpouring of the Spirit. On the anticipatory character of the latter part of the verse, see general remarks at the beginning of this section. 44.] If it surprise us that so large a number should be continually assembled together (for such is certainly the sense of were together, not that they were joined by brotherly love, as Calvin)-we must remember that a large portion of the three thousand were persons who had come up to Jerusalem for the feast, and would by this time have retured to their homes. and had all things (in) common] i. e. no individual property, but one common stock: see ch. iv. 32. That this was literally the case with the infant church at Jerusalem, is too plainly asserted in these passages to admit of a doubt. Some have supposed the expressions to indicate merely a partial community of goods: contrary to 44. p ch. i. 14. v. 42. o Isa. lviii. 7. possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 P And they, continuing daily 9 Luke xxiv2 with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread m from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 praising God, and having Rom. xiv. 18. favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the rch. xx. 7. s Luke ii. 52. tch. v. 14: a ch. ii. 46. church daily such as should be saved. III. 1 Now Peter and John Pwent up [9 together] into m render, at home. n literally, took their share of food. But the A. V. is better as an English rendering. • read and render, brought together daily more that were in the way of salvation. P render, were going. the express assertion of ch. iv. 32. In order, however, rightly to understand this community, we may remark: (1) It is only found in the church at Jerusalem. No trace of its existence is discoverable any where else: on the contrary, St. Paul speaks constantly of the rich and the poor, see 1 Tim. vi. 17; Gal. ii. 10; 2 Cor. viii. 13, 15; ix. 6, 7; 1 Cor. xvi. 2: also St. James, ii. 1-5; iv. 13.-And from the practice having at first prevailed at Jerusalem, we may partly perhaps explain the great and constant poverty of that church, Rom. xv. 25, 26; 1 Cor. xvi. 1-3; 2 Cor. viii. ix.; also ch. xi. 30; xxiv. 17.-The nonestablishment of this community elsewhere may have arisen from the inconveniences which were found to attend it in Jerusalem: see ch. vi. 1. (2) This community of goods was not, even in Jerusalem, enforced by rule, as is evident from ch. v. 4 (xii. 12), but, originating in free-will, became perhaps an understood custom, still however in the power of any individual not to comply with. (3) It was not (as Grotius thought) borrowed from the sect of the Essenes, with whom the Apostles, who certainly must have sanctioned this community, do not appear historically to have had any connexion. But (4) it is much more probable that it arose from a continuation, and application to the now increased number of disciples, of the comImunity in which our Lord and His Apostles had lived (see John xii. 6; xiii. 29) before. The practice probably did not long continue even at Jerusalem: see Rom. xv. 26, note. 45.] possessions probably mean landed property, ch. v. 1-goods, any other possession; moveables, as distinguished from land. parted them, i. e. their price; see a similar way of speaking, 9 omit. single Matt. xxvi. 9. 46. continuing daily xxiv. 53. The words need not mean, with one accord in the temple] See Luke though they may mean, that they were assembled in Solomon's porch, as in ch. v. 12-but most probably, that they regularly kept the hours of prayer, ch. iii. 1. trasted with their public frequenting of at home] i. e. privately, as conthe temple: not, from house to house,' as A. V.:- the words may bear that meaning (see Luke viii. 1), but we have no trace of such a practice, of holding the agape, or love-feasts, successively at different houses. - The breaking of bread took place at their house of meeting, wherever that was: cf. ch. xii. 12. i.e. they partook of food: viz. in these did eat their meat] agapæ, or breakings of bread. ness of heart] The word rendered singleness originally implies freedom from stones or rocks, and thus simplicity, evenness, purity. 47.] praising God does not their partaking of food, but to their seem only to refer to giving thanks at general manner of conversation, including the recurrence of special ejaculations and songs of praise by the influence of the Spirit. salvation: compare the Apostle's commore that were in the way of mand, ver. 40;-those who were being saved. Nothing is implied by this word, to answer one way or the other the question, whether all these were finally saved. It is only asserted, that they were in the way of salvation when they were added to the Christian assembly. Doubtless, some of them might have been of the class alluded to Heb. x. 26-29: at least there is nothing in this word to preclude it. CHAP. III. 1-10.] HEALING OF A LAME MAN BY PETER AT THE GATE OF THE 1 the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Ps. lv. 17. TEMPLE. sheep and cattle and other offerings, and |