CHAPTER V.

FROM THE ASCENSION OF OUR BLESSED LORD INTO HEAVEN TO THE FULL ESTABLISHMENT OF CHRISTIANITY BY HIS APOSTLES, AND OTHER PROPAGATORS OF HIS GOSPEL.

THE blessed Saviour of the world having fulfilled all things prophesied of his mission here on earth, and having, in a most solemn manner, taken leave of his disciples, visibly retired before their eyes to eternal rest in his Father's kingdom. With hearts full of grief and admiration they deplored the loss of the presence of their dear-loved Lord; and, with longing eyes, paid their last attendance till he disappeared. They continued, for some time, fondly looking toward the place where their Lord was gone, till at length two angels in the shape of men, and gloriously apparelled, appeared before them, and delivered a message of consolation to this effect: "Forbear, O Galileans, your further admiration: your gracious Lord, whom even now you be held ascending to heaven, shall one day come to judge the world in as glorious a manner as he now departed from you. He hath not absolutely left you, but is gone to take possession of that kingdom which he will continue to govern to the end of the world."

The apostles and disciples of our Lord (among whom was Mary the mother of Jesus, and some other pious women who had attended him in his ministry) being greatly comforted by this divine message, immediately returned to Jerusalem, where they spent their time in acts of religious worship, assembling daily in a certain upper room, which they had made choice of for that purpose.

Peter had thought it necessary that a proper person should be chosen to supply the place of the perfidious Judas, that the number of the apostles might be twelve, as was originally appointed by their Master. To effect this, in one of their assemblies (which consisted of one hundred and twenty) Peter addressed himself to his fellowapostles in a speech which he had made for the purpose, the substance of which was to this effect: Ye know, brethren, what the royal prophet David (Psal. xli. 9) foretold, and which has been punctually fulfilled, concerning Judas, who was of our society, a fellow-disciple, and an apostle chosen with us. 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 priest, who, not daring to put it into the treasury, bought a field with it for the interment of strangers. This fact, and the fate of Judas, were universally known to all that dwelt in Jerusalem, and therefore the field that was bought with that money was vulgarly known by the name of the Field of Blood. To Judas, therefore, belongs that which is mentioned by the holy psalmist (Psal. lxix. 25, and cix. 8), not by way of execration, but of prediction: that, as he should come to a desperate miserable end, so the office which he had held with the rest of the twelve, should be bestowed on another. It is then our duty, according to this prophecy, to make choice of some one of these persons that are present (and who have continued with us ever since our Lord undertook the charge and care of us, till his ascension into heaven) that he may succeed Judas in the apostleship."

The proposition made by Peter was unanimously approved of by the assembly; upon which two candidates were immediately nominated, namely, Jonas, surnamed Barnabas, and Matthias, one of the seventy disciples. The choice of one of these two was to be determined by lot, previous to which the apostles solemnly invoked the divine direction in the following words: "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of those two thou hast chosen, that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas, by transgression, fell" (Acts i. 24, 25). Having said this, they proceeded to draw lots, which happening to fall on Matthias, he was accordingly elected into the number of the twelve apostles.

The number of the apostles being now complete, on the day of Pentecost,* they

*This word is derived from the Greek, and signifies the fiftieth, because the feast of Pentecost was celebrated the fiftieth day after the sixteenth of the month Nisan, which was the second day of the feast of the Passover (Levit. xxiii. 15, 16). And for the same reason it is called the fast of Weeks, because it was observed seven weeks after the Passover (Deut. xvi. 9). It was at first instituted in order to oblige the Jews to repair to the temple of the Lord, there to acknowledge his dominion and sovereignty over all their labors, and there to render thanks to him for the law, which he gave them on the fiftieth day after their departure out of Egypt. In like manner, the Christian Church celebrates the feast of Pentecost fifty days, or seven weeks, after the Passover, or resurrection of our blessed Saviour, to put us in remembrance. that the Gifts of the Spirit were then poured out in a plentiful manner, as the first-fruits of our Saviour's ascension into heaven, and that the Gospel began to be published by the apostles on the like day that the ancient Law was given to the Hebrews.

all assembled together at their accustomed place, in order to perform their religious duties. While they were thus employed, a prodigious noise (much like the rushing of a loud impetuous wind) suddenly filled all the house in which they were, and a kind of fiery vapor, or exhalation, formed in the figure of a man's tongue, but divided a little at the tip, sat on the head of each; whereupon they were all immediately filled with the Holy Ghost, and, by its divine inspiration, were enabled to speak in several different languages.

At this time there were at Jerusalem many Jews and proselytes, who had come thither from different parts of the world, to the celebration of the feast. When these, therefore, were informed of the great miracle which had taken place with the apostles, and were convinced of the truth of it by hearing them speak the languages of their respective countries, they were greatly astonished, and knew not what to make of so singular an event. Some of them argued among themselves to this effect: "How have these men, who are natives of Galilee, and have continued all their lives there, acquired this knowledge? For in our 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 very great moment." But others were of a different opinion, and, in a scoffing mauner, ridiculed the miracle, attributing the powers possessed by the apostles to arise from inebriation: "These men," said they, "are full of new wine."

*

To destroy this calumny, and to open the eyes of the yet-deluded and perverse Jews, Peter, in the name of the rest, addressed the multitude in a most admirable speech, the substance of which was to the following effect: " 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 it can not be so, since it is but the third hour of the day. But this is the 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. (See Joel ii. 28.) All ranks and qualities of men shall receive the effusion of the Spirit of God, and those who were never brought up in the schools of the prophets, shall be enabled to preach the gospel of Christ wherever they go. And after that there shall be fearful and astonishing sights and prodigies, and many great slaughters in Judea, as forerunners and prognostics of the destruction which shall befall 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 he did among you, all which you know to be true; him, I say, being permitted to fall into your hands, you apprehended and barbarously crucified; him, whom God, by his determinate council, had given to retrieve you from 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 required that he should not long lie under death. Hear what David the royal psalmist says: I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Give me leave, brethren, to speak freely concerning David, who thus prophesied. He died like other men, had a solemn interment, and we have his monument this day to show, and whence he never arose. Therefore, he spake not of himself, but by way of prediction of the Messiah, whom he knew would infallibly spring from his loins, and be a prince and ruler of his church. These words of his were prophetic, and literally verified in the resurrection of Jesus, whose soul did not continue so long in a state of separation as that his body should be corrupted; and accordingly God raised him up in three days, of which all we apostles were eye-witnesses. He having, therefore, assumed his regal state and office in heaven, and God having given him power to send the Holy Ghost, he hath now punctually fulfilled his promise in sending it on us in the

That is, nine o'clock, the time of morning prayers, to which the Jews generally went fasting.

most extensive manner; one great effect of which yourselves can testify, by having heard us speak languages which, a short time before, we did not understand. 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 that he now sits on the right hand of him in the kingdom of heaven."

This speech, or rather sermon, of Peter's, so wrought upon the minds of the people, that they called out most passionately to him, and the rest of the apostles, requesting their advice what measures they should pursue, in order to shake off that guilt with which they had been so long loaded. Peter readily complied with their request, and in a most tender and affectionate address, told them, that in order to lay aside their infidelity, they must, with true contrition, acknowledge their sins, enter upon the Christian profession with a firm resolution of never falling from it; and that they must receive baptism from the apostles, who were thereby empowered to convey remission of sins to all true penitents. "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 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 shall call." (Acts ii. 38, 39.)

In consequence of this affectionate address, those who were really touched with what Peter had said immediately renounced their former course of life, and proved the sincerity of their hearts by receiving baptism. On that day about three thousand people were converted to the faith of Christ, who continued assiduous in hearing the apostles teach, and in bringing their goods liberally for the relief of the distressed. Nor were the converts only impressed with fear and reverence, but a general surprise took place among all that saw these strange and early operations of the Holy Ghost, which were still farther confirmed by several miracles performed by the apostles.

The gospel thus gaining ground, those that received it assembled together for the service of God, constantly observing the times of public prayers, and receiving the sacrament of the Lord's supper; they distributed to the necessities of the poorer sort as freely as God had given them ability, spending their time in acts of devotion and charity, and exercising works of mercy to all. By the pious examples of these many others were induced to join them, which gave the apostles a fruitful harvest of their ministry, and by their repeated exhortations, others were daily rescued from the wicked and dangerous converse of the perverse Jews, and heartily embraced the doctrine of Christ.

After this wonderful reformation among the people in consequence of Peter's dis courses, that apostle, accompanied by John, went one day to the temple about three o'clock in the afternoon, which was one of the times generally set apart for prayer, As they entered in at the gate of the temple toward the east in Solomon's porch, which was called the beautiful gate, they saw a poor cripple, who had been lame from his birth, lying there, and begging alms of those who passed him. As soon as the cripple saw Peter and John, he looked up in their faces and earnestly begged charity of them; upon which Peter, looking steadfastly at him, said, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." No sooner were these words spoken than the poor cripple was made whole. His joints became straight and his nerves strong, so that he went with the apostles into the temple, "walking, and leaping, and praising God."

The poor man, who had sat daily, for a long time, asking alms at the door of the temple, was universally known by the people, who seeing him walking and praising God, were amazed at the greatness of the cure; they therefore flocked in great numbers round the apostles, by whom the poor man kept close, being unwilling to part with those from whom he had received so distinguished a benefit. Peter, observing the astonishment of the multitude, and thinking it a convenient opportunity of increasing the number of his followers, addressed himself to them in a long and very pertinent harangue, the substance of which was to this effect: "Ye men of Israel, why do you look upon this cure as a thing strange? Or why do you attribute any thing to us in this matter, as if it were in our power to perform so great a miracle? The God of our fathers gave this power to Jesus, whom you delivered to Pilate to be crucified, releasing a known murderer and a thief, and putting to death him, who came to give life to the world; whom God hath been pleased to raise from the dead, and make us witnesses thereof. Be assured, it is by belief in him that this man hath been recovered from his lameness. The man you all well know, having, for many

years, seen him a begging cripple; and the faith we have in the power of him on whom we believe, hath wrought the remarkable cure at which you all so greatly wonder. I do imagine, brethren, that such among you who rejected Christ did it through ignorance, not knowing him to be the Messiah; and that the like was the case with your rulers. But by these means the many prophecies in the scriptures, that the Messiah should be put to death, have been fulfilled. Do you, therefore, amend your lives, that your past offences may be pardoned, and that, at the second coming of Christ for the delivery and rescue of the faithful, you may, by repentance, be admitted into the number of the elect. The Christ you have persecuted, and of whose resurrection we have been eye-witnesses, hath now entered upon his sovereignty in Heaven, whereby hath been fulfilled all the prophecies concerning him, particularly that of Moses, who truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, and him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which shall not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. And not only Moses, but all the prophets, from Samuel, as many as have spoken,* have foretold the coming of the Messiah, with the destruction of those who should reject, and the especial mercies to them that should believe in him. Ye are the particular persons of whom the prophets foretold, and to whom the promise and covenant which God made with Abraham (that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed) did primarily belong. Ye are the heirs of this covenant, and God hath been pleased to make the first overtures of mercy to you, that ye might receive the gospel of his beloved Son, and repent of the iniquities which ye have done unto him." This was the purport of St. Peter's speech on this occasion; and such was its efficacy, that it converted so many of his hearers, as to make the whole number amount to no less than five thousand.

While Peter was instructing the people, "the captain of the temple," at the instigation of the priests and Sadducees, came with an armed force, suddenly seized the two apostles, and conducted them to prison. The next morning the great sanhedrim met, and having ordered the apostles to be brought before them, demanded by what power they had wrought that miracle upon the lame man, and who it was that gave them authority to preach to the people? In answer to these questions, Peter, being endued with an extraordinary presence of mind and elocution of tongue, spoke to this effect: "Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, we are this day examined before you concerning an action, which is so far from being criminal, that it is an act of special mercy. Be assured, that the miraculous cure performed on the lame man was wrought by no other means than by invoking the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, and God most miraculously raised again. This is he that was prophecied of under the title of a refuse stone, rejected by you, the chief of the Jews, and treated with contempt; but is now, by his resurrection, enthroned in power, and is indeed become the ruler and king of the church, the prime foundation-stone of the whole fabric. In him alone must salvation now be hoped for by all; nor can ye expect to be saved unless you readily receive and heartily embrace his doctrine."

The council, seeing with what courage and freedom of speech the apostles behaved themselves, and withal considering that their education alone could not have raised them above the capacity of other men (being neither skilled in the learning of the Jews, nor, as men of distinction, instructed in their laws), they were greatly astonished; and still more so when they recollected that the two apostles were of those who had attended Jesus in his lifetime, and saw the man on whom they had wrought the miraculous cure stand by them ready to attest the truth of it. From these considerations, they knew not for some time how to act, till at length they resolved to hold a private conference among themselves, and for that purpose ordered the apostles to withdraw. As soon as they were gone, the council entered into debate on the subject, arguing with one another to this effect: "As to the men, we have nothing to accuse them of; for that they have performed a great miracle is apparent to many, and the man that was healed is a living witness of the truth of it. Since, therefore,

The account of the prophets is here begun from Samuel, because the schools of the prophets were first instituted and erected by him; and not that there was no prophet before him. The sons of the prophets spent the greater part of their time in studying the law, and praising and serving God, and some were sent on messages to the people (for all were not called to the prophetic office) and therefore it is added, as many as have spoken; that is, as many out of the schools of the prophets as were Divinely called to the prophetic office.