votions. And, about a week after, when there was a large company, to the number of an hundred and twenty, assembled together for the worship of God, Peter addressed himself to the disciples in the following manner : •

"Ye know brethren, what the royal prophet* David foretold concerning Judas, who betrayed our Lord, which being from the Spirit of God, must necessarily be ful filled, and has accordingly been punctually accomplished in Judas, who was of our society, a fellow-disciple, and an apostle in designation as truly as any of us. But for a sum of money he betrayed his Master to his enemies; after which, being troubled for what he had done, he returned the money to the priests (who durst not put it into the treasury, but bought a field to bury strangers in;) and the sense of this detestable action issuing in black despair, he hanged himself on a tree, but falling down on the ground, his body burst and his bowels fell out. [This fact, and the fate of Judas, is notoriously known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thereupon the field that was bought with that money is vulgarly known by the name of the field of blood.t] To him therefore belongs that which is said by the holy Psalmist, not by way of execration, but of prediction, that as he should come to a desperate and miserable end, so that office which Christ had given to him, with the rest of the twelve, shall be bestowed on another. It is then our duty, according to this prophecy, to make choice of one of these persons

cuit, which served not only for the use of the priests, and for the keeping of holy, things, but some of them stood open for religious meetings.

• Prophet. Psalm xli. 9.

† Blood. If the passage, inclosed in brackets, [ ] be read as a parenthesis, it may be considered as containing, not the words of St. Peter in his speech, but those of St. Luke the historian; for indeed it is not likely that the field should have been purchased so very soon after the death of Judas; much less that this fact was then known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

It has been conjectured that the potter's field was the place in which Judas hanged himself; and if so, this would render its name "the Field of Blood," more striking and emphatical.

Psalmist. Psalm Ixix. 25, and cix. 8.

who are present, and who have continued with us ever since our Lord undertook the charge and care of us, till his assumption to heaven, that he may succeed Judas in the apostleship."

The whole assembly were pleased with this motion, and unanimously proposed two candidates, leaving it to be decided by lot which of them should be appointed. The persons nominated were Joseph called Barsabas, sirnamed Justus, and Matthias. Then the apostles solemnly invoked the direction of God on this occasion in this prayer: "O Lord, that knowest the secrets of all hearts, be pleased to direct the lot to him, whom of these two thou hast chosen, that he may take possession of this ministry and apostleship, (from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to lfis own place ;* that place of misery, which is appointed for impenitent sinners,) and so betake himself to the discharge of it." The lots being drawn, Matthiast was chosen, and was accordingly received to make up the number of the twelve apostles.

The vacancy in the holy college being filled up with this new apostle, they were all met together on the day of Pentecost at the service of God in their accustomed place where, whilst they were devoutly employed, suddenly they heard a great noise come down from heaven like that of a rushing, violent wind, which shook the very place, and came with such a mighty force that it filled the

* His own place. Some read part of the sentence, Acts i. 25, in a parenthesis thus, "That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, [from which Judas by transgression fell] that he may go to his place," or office; that is, that the person chosen may occupy the place or office of Judas; but this is a very unnatural and forced interpretation of the passage, Idov Tomov signifies a place proper and suitable for such a wretch, and therefore by the righteous judgment of God appointed for him. See Matt. xxvi. 24, John vi. 70, 71, and xvii. 12. See also Benson and Whitby on the place.

+ Mattbias, Some have thought that as the names Nathanael and Matthias have the same signification in the Hebrew, that the new apostle was the same person so distinguished by our Lord as "an Israelite indeed;" but there is not sufficient evidence of this.

house where they were assembled: so great was the effi cacy of the Spirit of God now descending! and there appeared to them at the same time a number of divided tongues, made as it were of fire; that is, bright flames in a pyramidical form, which were so parted as to ter minate in several points, and thereby afford a proper emblem of the marvellous effect attending this appear ance, by which they were endowed with a miraculous diversity of languages. And as soon as these lambent flames appeared to touch them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in languages which they never

understood before.

At the feast of Pentecost, there were at Jerusalem many Jews and Proselytes which came from several nations of all quarters of the world to worship the true God at Jerusalem. When these therefore heard the report of this miracle, they were very much astonished, because, they being of several nations, every one of them heard the aposties and other disciples* speaking the language of his nation. Their curiosity invites them to an inquiry after the reason of this transaction, saying, "How have these men, who are natives of Galilee, and have lived all their life-time there, acquired this knowledge? For in our own respective languages we hear them preaching the doctrine of Christ, and the wonderful things God hath wrought by him. This certainly must imply something of great moment." But others were of a diferent opinion, and, in a scoffing manner ridiculing the miracle, said, "This is only the effect of drinking new wine; it is that infuses this faculty in them."

Hereupon the apostles rising from their seats, Peter, as eldest, in the name of the rest makes this defence: "Ye men of Judea, and all that at this time see and hear what the Lord hath done, be assured these things are not the effect of wine: ye know in your consciences

*Disciples. It is probable that each of the hundred and twenty was favoured with this miraculous donation, and not the apostles only: and this best illustrates the prediction of pouring out the Spirit not on God's servants only, but on his bandmaids, Acts i. 18.

it cannot be so, since it is but nine in the morning.* But this is a completion of a famous prophecy† of Joel, who saith, In the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. All ranks and qualities of men shall receive the effusion of the Spirit of God, and enable those who were never brought up in the schools of the prophets, to go and preach the gospel of Christ in every city. And after that, there shall be fearful and stupendous sights and prodigies, and many great slaughters in Judea, as forerunners and prognostics of the great destruction which shall befal this people for their crucifying Christ, and from which the only way to rescue yourselves is to repent and acknowledge him, which is the design of this miraculous descent of the Holy Ghost. Observe and attend, ye men of Israel, for you are chiefly concerned in this great affair: this Jesus of Nazareth being demonstrated to be sent from God by the mighty works which he did among you, all which you know to be true, being eye-witnesses of them; him, I say, being permitted by God to fall into your hands, you apprehended and barbarously crucified; him, whom God by his determinate council had given to retrieve your lost condition, ye with profane hands have slain. This same Jesus, whom ye thus treated, hath God raised again, delivering him from the power of death; and, besides many other things, the prophecies concerning him necessarily required that he should not lie under death: for of him David saith, I waited, and looked with assurance on God, for he is my defender, and will not let me miscarry. And for this my tongue shall praise him, and my flesh shall rest confident in him. Nay, though I die, yet shalt thou not leave me in the grave, nor suffer thy HOLY ONE to see corruption. Thou hast cheered me, and abundantly refreshed me with thy favour."

Nine of the clock. This was the time of morning prayers, to which the Jews generally came fasting.

+ Prophecy. See Joel ii. 28. VOL. II.

David. See Psalm xvi. 8, &c.

3 M

"Give me leave, brethren, to speak freely concerning David, who prophesied thus: He died like other men, had a solemn interment, and we have his monument to this day among us, from whence he never rose. And therefore he spake not of himself, but, by way of pre diction, of the Messiah, knowing that he should infallibly spring from his loins, and that he was to be prince and ruler of his church. And these words of his were pro phetic, and literally verified in the resurrection of Jesus, whose soul did not continue so long in a state of sepa ration, as that his body should be corrupted.* And ac cordingly God hath raised him up within three days, and all we his apostles are eye-witnesses of it. He being there. fore assumed to his regal state and office in heaven, and God having performed to him this promise of giving him power to send the Holy Ghost, he hath now punctually fulfilled his promise to us in sending it on us, in this asto nishing manner as you see and hear; one great effect of which you yourselves can testify, for you hear us speaking languages which a short time before we understood not. This great and important truth therefore I now proclaim to you, that God the Father hath raised up that Christ, whom ye Jews have crucified, and by assuming him to his right-hand, hath instated him in the true kingly office of the Messiah."

This speech of Peter's, being accompanied by the mighty energy of the Holy Spirit, so deeply affected the numerous audience, that they were filled with compunc tion: and as men who were willing to do any thing to resene themselves from the guilt of so horrible a sin as the murder of the Messiah, they cried out most passionately to Peter and the rest of the apostles, intreating their direction and advice what to do in this case. To this earnest request the apostle Peter immediately ac ceded, assuring them that through the infinite goodness

Corrupted. Beza renders the passage, « Thou wilt not leave my corpse in the grave, neaber wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." This frees the pas sage from all difficulty, and prevents an apparent countenance to the popish doctrine of Christ's visit to hell. The application of the original words, Nephesh and Sheol, in various places, will justify Beza's version.