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him, though darkly, by what death he should glorify God; but refused to gratify his curiosity respecting the fate of his fellow-disciple John.

In the Gospels we have no further information respecting this apostle. On turning to the Book of Acts, however, he is immediately presented to us in his former rank and station, as chief of the apostles, speaking in their name, and presiding at their meetings. It is he who proposes that the vacated place of Judas Iscariot should be supplied by lot. When some of those who were present at the effusion of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of tongues, mocked at the disciples, and said that they were full of new wine, it was Peter who in a most spirited manner refuted the slander, and spoke so powerfully of his Master's claims, that on the same day there were added to the number of Christian believers about three thousand souls. It was Peter who healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; who addressed the people on that occasion; who, when arraigned before the chief priests, declared so boldly to them that salvation was alone by Jesus Christ; and who, when he and his companion John were commanded not to speak at all nor teach in that name, returned, jointly with the beloved disciple, that heroic answer, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." It was Peter who exposed the decep

tion of Ananias and his wife Sapphira, and at whose feet they both fell down dead. And it was Peter, who, by his shadow alone, healed many who were laid in his way.*

After Samaria had, through the instrumentality of Philip, received the word of God, Peter and John were sent there by the apostles, in order that they might lay their hands on the converts, and cause them to receive the Holy Spirit.† And then it was that Peter so indignantly rebuked Simon the sorcerer, who thought that the gift of

*It is not expressly asserted in Acts v. 15, that those persons were healed by Peter's shadow, and therefore some commentators have taken it for granted that they were not, and have even gone so far as to assert, that the apostle's neglect of them was a punishment for their superstition. So says Rosenmüller. But in the next verse we are told that great numbers of sick persons were also brought to him from the cities round about, and ". were healed every one." Now there seems to be no good reason why these should be healed, and those who belonged to the city should be neglected. Their being placed in Peter's way, so that even his shadow might pass over them, shows more the affectionate and confident faith of them and their friends than it does their superstition. If Peter was empowered from on high to heal diseases, he could do so by his shadow, as well as by a touch or a few words. His will was the agent; the signs of its exertion were of no importance in themselves. As we are not informed that Peter rebuked those who laid the sick under his shadow, the most reasonable and compassionate inference is, that these, as well as the others, were healed.

†The fact that the apostles sent Peter on this mission is proof sufficient that his precedence among them was far from being of the papal character.

“Thy

God might be purchased with money. money perish with thee," said he; "thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God."

We now find him very actively engaged in the duties of his apostleship, "passing throughout all quarters," performing miracles, preaching the word, and feeding the sheep of the great Shepherd. At Lydda he healed a certain man, named Eneas, who had been sick with the palsy eight years; and at the neighboring town of Joppa he raised to life a pious female disciple by the name of Tabitha, or Dorcas.*

At Joppa he abode many days with one Simon, a tanner. It was while he was living here that he was called to instruct and baptize Cornelius, the centurion, who dwelt in Cæsarea; to prepare him for which duty, he was taught in a remarkable vision, not to call any creature of God common or unclean, and that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. With these convictions on his mind, he obeys the call of Cornelius to come to him, and, while he is addressing him, witnesses the descent of the Spirit on him and his family, and orders them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Thus he fulfilled

* Tabitha being the Syriac name, and Dorcas its translation into Greek. The words mean a doe or kid.

to the utmost the prediction with which his name. of Peter was conferred on him, and founded the Christian Church in both the Jewish and the Gentile world. It was an event of which we at this period can hardly estimate the importance. Devoid of Jewish prejudices and antipathies, we can hardly conceive with what consternation the Jewish converts, who, as Jews, had always cherished the belief that religion and truth and God's peculiar favor always had been, and always were to be, confined to them, must have listened to the intelligence that the chief of the apostles had been breaking down the wall and drawing up the veil which were interposed between the faithful people and the rest of the world, and that henceforth there was to be no spiritual distinction between Hebrew and Greek, Jew and Gentile. Some conception of this indignant surprise of theirs may be formed from the recorded circumstance, that when Peter had returned to Jerusalem, "they that were of the circumcision," including his fellow-apostles, and indeed the whole Christian Church, "contended with him, saying, thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." It was enough to provoke their amazement, that he simply eat with them. But Peter had the steadfastness to defend himself, and expound the whole matter to them from the beginning; and so much were they impressed by the

force and reason of his words, that they acquiesced in peace, "and glorified God, saying, Then

hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

Not long after this, Peter was put into prison by Herod, but was set free by an angel, who came to him while he "was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains." That he was sleeping in such a situation is an incidental and beautiful proof of his tranquillity in extreme danger. He then went down from Judæa to Cæsarea, and there abode; very probably in the house or under the protection of Cornelius, his distinguished

convert.

The next time that we hear of him is at the meeting of apostles and elders, which is generally called the Council of Jerusalem, and which was convened to settle the long and vehemently agitated question, again brought up by some of the believing Pharisees, whether it was needful to circumcise all converts, and command them to keep the law of Moses. When there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and gave his decided opinion against the necessity of circumcising the Gentiles, or bringing them under the ceremonial law. And with this opinion the Council at last coincided.

With the history of this Council, the notices of Peter's life in the Acts of the Apostles come to an

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