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settled for ever. Since you live under this period, you may seek for mercy; and you should seek to avoid the vengeance due to the wicked, and to be admitted to heaven when the Lord Jesus shall return." Times of refreshing.—The word rendered "refreshing," avavig, means properly the breathing, or refreshment, after being heated with labour, running, &c. It hence denotes any kind of refreshment, as rest, or deliverance from evils of any kind. It is used nowhere else in the New Testament, except that the verb is used in 2 Tim. i. 16, “Onesiphorus......oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain." He administered comfort to me in my trials. It is used by the LXX. in the Old Testament nine times. Exod. viii. 15, "But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite," i. e. cessation or rest from the plagues. (Hos. xii. 8. Jer. xlix. 31. Psa. lxix. 11, &c.) In no place in the Old Testament is the word applied to the times of the gospel. The idea, however, that the times of the Messiah would be times of rest, and ease, and prosperity, was a favourite one among the Jews, and was countenanced in the Old Testament. See Isa. xxviii. 12, "To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing," &c. They anticipated the times of the gospel as a period when they should have rest from their enemies; a respite from the evils of oppression and war, and a period of great national prosperity and peace. Under the idea that the happy times of the Messiah had come, Peter now addresses them, and assures them that they might obtain pardon and peace. Shall come. This does not mean that this period was still future, for it had come; but that the expectation of the Jews that such a Messiah should come was well-founded. ably similar construction we have concerning Elijah. (Matt. xvii. 11,) “And Jesus answered and said, Elias truly shall first come, and restore,' &c.; that is, the doctrine that Elijah should come was true; though he immediately adds that it had already taken place. (Ver. 12.) See Note on the place. From the presence of the Lord.-Greek, from the face of the Lord." The expression means that God was its author. From the face of the Lord means, from the Lord himself. Mark i. 2, I send thy messenger before thy face," i. e. before thee. Comp. Mal. iii. 1. Luke i. 76; ii. 31.

A remark

VER. 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

to Chap. i. 11. Heb. ix. 28.

And he shall send, &c.-Chap. i. 11. Under this economy of things, he shall send Jesus Christ, i. e. the Messiah, to teach men, to redeem them; to save them; to judge the world; to gather his people to himself; and to condemn the wicked. Under this economy they were then. This, therefore, was an argument why they should repent and turn to God, that they might escape in the day of judgment. Which before was preached, &c.—Who has been proclaimed as the Messiah. The name Jesus Christ is equivalent here to the Messiah. The Messiah had been proclaimed to the Jews as about to come. In his time was to be the period of refreshing. He had come; and

they were under the economy in which the blessings of the Messiah were to be enjoyed. This does not refer to his personal ministry, or to the preaching of the apostles; but to the fact that the Messiah had been a long time announced to them by the prophets as about to come. All the prophets had preached him, as the hope of the nation. It may be remarked, however, that there is here a difference in the manuscripts. A large majority of them read TрOREXELOLOμevov, “who was designated or appointed," instead of "who was preached." This reading is approved by Griesbach, Knapp, Bengel, &c. It was followed in the ancient Syriac, the Arabic, &c. and is undoubtedly the true reading.

VER. 21. Whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Matt. xvii. 11. y Luke i. 70.

Whom the heavens must receive.-The common belief of the Jews was, that the Messiah would reign on the earth for ever. (John xii. 34.) On this account they would object that Jesus could not be the Messiah, and hence it became so important for the apostles to establish the fact that he had ascended to heaven. The evidence which they adduced was the fact that they saw him ascend. (Acts i. 9.) The meaning of the expres sion "whom the heavens must receive," is that it was fit or proper (s) that he should ascend. One reason of that fitness or propriety he himself stated in John xvi. 7. Comp. xvii. 2. It was also fit or expedient that he should do it, to direct the affairs of the universe for the welfare of the church, (Eph. i. 20, 22;) and that he should exercise there his office as a priest in interceding for his people. (1 John ii. 1, 2. Heb. vii. 25; ix. 24. Rom. viii. 34, &c.) It is remarkable that Peter did not adduce any passage of Scripture on this subject; but it was one of the points on which there was no clear revelation. Obscure intimations of it might be found in Psa. cx., xvi., &c. but the fact that he should ascend to heaven was not made prominent in the Old Testament. The words "whom the heaven must receive.” also convey the idea of exaltation and power; and Peter doubtless intended to say that he was clothed with power, and exalted to honour in the presence of God. See Psa. cxv. 3. Comp. 1 Pet. iii. 22, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him." Acts ii. 33. Until.-This word implies that he would then return to the earth, but it does not imply that he would not again ascend to heaven. The times of the restitution of all things.The noun rendered "restitution," (TOKATαoraoswc) does not elsewhere occur in the New Testament. The verb from which it is derived occurs eight times. It means properly to restore a thing to its former situation, as restoring a sprained or dislocated limb to its former soundness. Hence it is used to restore, or to heal, in the New Testament. Matt. xii. 13, “And it (the hand) was restored whole as the other."

Note,

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(Mark iii. 5. Luke vi. 10.) And hence it is applied to the preparation or fitness for the coming of the Messiah which was to attend the preaching of John in the character of Elias. (Matt. xvii. 11. Mark ix. 12.) Thus in Josephus (Antiq. ii. 3, 8,) the word is used to denote the return of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, and their restoration to their former state and privileges. The word has also the idea of consummation, completion, or filling up. Thus it is used in Philo, Hesychius, Phavorinus, and by the Greek classics. (See Lightfoot and Kuinoel.) Thus it is used here by the Syriac: Until the complement or filling up of the times;" that is, of all the events foretold by the prophets, &c. Thus the Arabic: "Until the times which shall establish the perfection or completion of all the predictions of the prophets," &c. In this sense the passage means that the heavens must receive the Lord Jesus until all things spoken by the prophets in relation to his work, his reign, the spread of the gospel, the triumph of religion, &c. shall have been fulfilled. It also conveys the idea of the predicted recovery of the world from sin, and the restoration of peace and order; the consummation of the work of the Messiah, now begun, but not yet complete; slow it may be in its advances, but triumphant and certain in its progress, and its close. All things.- All things which have been foretold by the prophets. The expression is limited by the connexion to this; and of course it does not mean that all men shall be saved, or that all the evils of sin can be repaired or remedied. This can never be, for the mischief is done, and cannot be undone; but every thing which the prophets have foretold shall receive their completion and fulfilment. Which God hath spoken.-Which have been revealed, and are recorded in the Old Testament. Of all his holy prophets.-This does not mean that each one of the prophets had spoken of these things; but that all which had been spoken should be fulfilled. Since the world began.-This is an expression denoting the same as from the beginning, meaning to affirm with emphasis that all the prophecies should be fulfilled. The apostles were desirous to show that they, as well as the Jews, held entirely to the prophets, and taught no doctrine which they had not taught before them.

VER. 22. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things, whatsoever he shall say unto you.

z Deut. xviii. 15-19.

For Moses truly said.--The authority of Moses among the Jews was absolute and final. It was of great importance, therefore, to show not only that they were not departing from his law, but that he had actually foretold these very things. The object of the passage is not to prove that the heavens must receive him, but that he was truly the Messiah. Unto the fathers.-To their ancestors, or the founders of the nation. See Deut. xviii. 15-19. A Prophet.-Literally, one who foretells future events. But it is also used to

denote a religious teacher in general. See Rom. xii. 6. In Deuteronomy it is evidently used in a large sense, to denote one who should infallibly guide and direct the nation in its religious affairs; one who should be commissioned by God to do this, in opposition to the diviners (ver. 14) on which other nations relied. The meaning of this passage in Deuteronomy is apparent from the connexion. Moses is stating to them (ver. 1-8) the duty and office of the priests and Levites. He then cautions them against conforming to the surrounding nations, particularly on the subject of religious instruction and guidance. They, said he, consult in times of perplexity, with enchanters, and charmers, and necromancers, and wizards, &c. (ver. 11-14,) but it shall not be so with you. You shall not be left to this false and uncertain guidance in times of perplexity and danger; for the Lord will raise up, from time to time, a prophet, a man directly commissioned in an extraordinary manner from heaven, like me, who shall direct and counsel you. The promise, therefore, pertains to the series of prophets which God would raise up; or it is a promise that God would send his prophets, as occasion might demand, to instruct and counsel the nation. The design was to keep them from consulting with diviners, &c., and to preserve them from following the pretended and false religious teachers of surrounding idolatrous people. In this interpretation most commentators agree. See particularly Calvin on this place. Thus explained, the prophecy had no exclusive or even direct reference to the Messiah, and there is no evidence that the Jews understood it to have any such reference, except as one of the series of prophets that God would raise up and send to instruct the nation. If then it be asked on what principle Peter appealed to this, we may reply, (1.) That the Messiah was to sustain the character of a prophet, and the prophecy had reference to him as one of the teachers that God would raise up to instruct the nation. (2.) It would apply to him by way of eminence, as the greatest of the messengers that God would send to instruct the people. In this sense, it is probable that the Jews would understand it. (3.) This was one of those emergencies in the history of the nation, when they might expect such an intervention. The prophecy implied, that in times of perplexity and danger, God would raise up such a prophet. Such a time then existed. The nation was corrupt, distracted, subjected to a foreign power, and needed such a teacher and guide. If it be asked why Peter appealed to this, rather than to explicit prophecies of the Messiah, we may remark, (1.) That his main object was to show their guilt in having rejected him and put him to death. (Ver. 14, 15.) (2.) That in order to do this, he sets before them clearly the obligation to obey him; and in doing this, appeals to the express command of Moses. He shows them that, according to Moses, whoever would not obey such a prophet, should be cut off from among the people. In refusing, therefore, to hear this great prophet, and putting him to death, they had violated the express command of their own lawgiver. But it was possible still to obey him, for he still lived in heaven; and all the authority of

Moses, therefore, made it a matter of obligation would punish the man that would not hear the for them still to hear and obey him. The Jews prophet, without specifying the particular way in were accustomed to apply the name prophet to which it should be done. The usual mode of the Messiah, (John i. 21; vi. 14; vii. 40; Matt. punishing such offences was by cutting the xxi. 11; Luke iv. 24,) and it has been shown offender off from among the people. (Exod. xxx. from the writings of the Jewish Rabbins, that 33; xii. 15; xix. 31. Num. xv. 31; xix. 13. they believed the Messiah would be the greatest Lev. vii. 20, 21, 25, 27, &c.) The sense is, that of the prophets, even greater than Moses. See he should be punished in the usual manner, i. e. Note, John i. 21. The Lord your God.-In the by excision, or by being destroyed from among Hebrew, “Jehovah, thy God." Raise up unto you. the people. The word translated "shall be de-Appoint, or commission to come to you. Of stroyed," means properly to exterminate; wholly your brethren.-Among yourselves; of your own to devote to ruin, as of a wicked people, a wicked country men; so that you shall not be dependent man whose life is taken, &c. To be destroyed on foreigners, or on teachers of other nations. "from among the people" means, however, to be All the prophets were native-born Jews. And excommunicated, or to be deprived of the priviit was particularly true of the Messiah, that he was leges of a people. Among the Jews, this was to be a Jew, descended from Abraham, and raised probably the most severe punishment that could up from the midst of his brethren. (Heb. ii. 11, be inflicted. It involved the idea of being cut off 16, 17.) On this account, it was to be presumed from the privileges of sacrifice and worship in that they would feel a deeper interest in him, and the temple, and in the synagogue, &c. and of listen more attentively to his instructions. Like being regarded as a heathen and an outcast. unto me.- Not in all things, but only in the point The idea which Peter expressed here was, that which was under discussion. He was to resem- the Jews had exposed themselves to the severest ble him in being able to make known to them punishment in rejecting and crucifying the Lord the will of God, and thus preventing the neces- Jesus, and that they should, therefore repent of sity of looking to other teachers. The idea of this great sin, and seek for mercy. The same resemblance" between Moses and the prophet remark is applicable still to men. The Scripis not very strictly expressed in the Greek, ex- tures abundantly declare the truth, that if cept in the mere circumstance of being raised sinners will not hear the Lord Jesus, they up. God shall raise up to you a prophet, as shall be destroyed. And it becomes each inhe has raised up me-wg us. The resem- dividual to inquire with honesty, whether he blance between Moses and the Messiah should listens to his instructions, and obeys his law, not be pressed too far. The Scriptures have not or whether he is rejecting him, and following traced it farther than to the fact that both were the devices and desires of his own heart. It will raised up by God to communicate his will to the be a solemn day when the sinner shall be called Jewish people; and therefore one should be to render a reason why he has rejected the heard as well as the other. Him shall ye hear.— teachings and laws of the Son of God. That is, him shall you obey, or you shall receive his instructions as a communication from God. In all things whatsoever, &c.—These words are not quoted literally from the Hebrew, but they express the sense of what is said in Deut. xviii. 15-18.

VER. 23. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.

And it shall come to pass.-It shall be, or shall

occur.

This is not the usual word rendered, "it shall come to pass." It is a word commonly expressing futurity, but here it conveys the notion of obligation. In this verse Peter has not quoted the passage in Deuteronomy literally, but he has given the sense. Every soul.-Every person, or individual. Soul is often put for the whole man by the Hebrews. (Acts vii. 14. Josh. x. 28.) Hear that Prophet.-That is, obey his instructions. He shall have authority to declare the will of God; and he that does not obey him, refuses to obey God. (Comp. Luke x. 16. John xiii. 20.) Shall be destroyed.-This quotation is made according to the sense, and not literally. In the Hebrew, the expression is, (Deut. xviii. 19,) "I will require it of him," i. e. I will hold him answerable, or responsible for it; I will punish him. This expression the LXX. have rendered by "I will take vengeance on him." The idea of the passage is, therefore, that God

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VER. 24. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

The

All the prophets.-That is, the prophets in general. It may be said of the prophets generally, or of all of them, that they have foretold these things. This expression is not to be pressed as if we were to look for distinct predictions of the Messiah in each one of the prophets. The use of language does not require so strict an interpretation. From Samuel.—In the previous verse (22) Moses was mentioned as the first in order. The next in order was Samuel. same mention of Moses and Samuel, occurs in Psa. xcix. 6. The reason why Samuel is mentioned here is, probably, that he was the first prophet after Moses who recorded a prediction respecting the times of the Messiah. The Jews in their divisions of the books of the Old Testament, reckoned the book of Joshua as the first of the prophets. Both in Joshua and Judges there does not occur any distinct prediction of the Messiah. The prophecy in Samuel, to which Peter probably had reference, is in 2 Sam. vii. 16. From the time of Moses to Samuel, also, it is probable that no prophet arose. God was consulted i y Urim and Thummim, (Exod. xxviii. 30. Num. xxvii. 21,) and consequently no extraordinary messenger was sent to instruct the nation.

As

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d Gen. xxii. 18.

c Rom. ix. 4; xv. 8. Ye are the children of the prophets.-Greek, "Ye are the sons of the prophets." The meaning is, not that they were literally the descendants of the prophets, but that they were their disciples, pupils, followers. They professed to follow the prophets as their teachers and guides. Teachers, among the Jews, were often spoken of under the appellation of fathers, and disciples as sons. (Matt. xii. 27. Note Matt. i. 1.) As they were the professed disciples of the prophets, they should listen to them. As they lived among the people to whom the prophets were sent, and to whom the promises were made, they should avail themselves of the offer of mercy, and embrace the Messiah. And of the covenant.--Ye are the sons of the covenant; that is, you are of the posterity of Abraham, with whom the covenant was made. The word "sons" was often thus used to denote those to whom any favour appertained, whether by inheritance, or in any other way. Thus Matt. viii. 12, "the children, (sons) of the kingdom." John xvii. 12, "The son of perdition." The word "covenant," denotes properly a compact or agreement between equals, or those who have a right to make such a compact, and to choose or refuse the terms. When applied to God and man, it denotes a firm promise on the part of God; a pledge to be regarded with all the sacredness of a compact, that he will do certain things on certain conditions. It is called a "covenant," only to designate its sacredness, and the certainty of its fulfilment, not that man had any right to reject any of the terms or stipulations. As man has no such right, as he is bound to receive all that his Maker proposes, so, strictly and literally, there has been no compact or covenant between God and man. The promise to which Peter refers in the passage before us, is in Gen. xxii. 18; xii. 3. In thy seed.-Thy posterity. See Rom. iv. 13-16. This promise the apostle Paul affirms had express reference to the Messiah. (Gal. iii. 16.) The word "seed," is used sometimes to denote au individual, (Gen. iv. 25;) and the apostle (Gal. iii. 16) affirms that there was special reference to Christ in the promise made to Abraham. All the kindreds.-The word translated "kindreds," (Tarpiai) denotes those who have a common father or ancestor, and is applied to families. It is also referred to those larger communities which descend from the same

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VER. 26. Unto you first, God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

e Matt. x. 5. Luke xxiv. 47.

This

f Isa. lix. 20. Matt. i. 21. Tit. ii. 11-14. Unto you first.-To you who are Jews. was the direction, that the gospel should be first preached to the Jews, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke xxiv. 47.) Jesus himself confined his ministry entirely to the Jews. Having raised up. -This expression does not refer to his having raised him from the dead, but is used in the same sense as in verse 22, where God promised that he would raise up a prophet, and send him to teach the people. Peter means that God had appointed his Son Jesus, or had commissioned him to go and preach to the people to turn them away from their sins. To bless you.-To make you happy; to fulfil the promise made to Abraham. In turning away. That is, by his preaching, example, death, &c. The highest blessing that can be conferred on men is to be turned from sin. It is the source of all woes, and if men are turned from that, they will be happy. Christ blesses no one in sin, or while loving sin, but by turning them from sin. This was the object which he had in view in coming. (Isa. lix. 20. Matt. i. 21.) The design of Peter in these remarks was to show them that the Messiah had come, and that now they might look for happiness, pardon, and mercy through him. As Jews might, so may all; and as Jesus while living sought to turn away men from their sins, so he does still, and still designs to bless all nations by the gospel which he had himself preached, and to establish which he died. All may therefore come and be blessed; and all may rejoice in the prospect that these blessings shall yet be bestowed on all the kindreds of the earth. May the happy day soon

come!

CHAPTER IV.

VER. 1. And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the "captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

a Or, ruler.

b

b Matt. xxii. 23. Chap. xxiii. 8.

The priests. It is probable that these priests were a part of the sanhedrim, or great council of the nation. It is evident that they claimed some authority for preventing the preaching of the apostles. And the whole transaction seems to show that they did not come upon them in a tumultuous manner, but as keepers of the peace. The captain of the temple.-See Notes, Matt. xxvi. 47. Luke xxii. 4. This was the commander of the guard stationed chiefly in the tower Antonia, especially during the great feasts; and it was

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their duty to preserve order, and prevent any tumult. The captain of the temple came at this time to prevent a tumult or suppress a riot, as it was supposed that the teaching of the apostles, and the crowd collected by the healing of the lame man, would lead to a tumult. And the Sadducees.-See Note, Matt. iii. 7. One of the doctrines which the Sadducees maintained was, that there was no resurrection of the dead. Hence they were particularly opposed to the apostles for preaching it, and because they gave so clear proof that Jesus had risen, and were thus spread ing the doctrines of the resurrection among the people. Came upon them.-This expression implies that they came in a sudden and violent manner. See Luke xx. 1.

VER. 2. Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resur

rection from the dead.

Being grieved.-The word thus translated, occurs but in one other place in the New Testament. (Acts xvi. 18.) It implies more than simple sorrow; it was a mingled emotion of indignation and anger. They did not grieve because they thought it a public calamity, but because it interfered with their authority, and It means that it was opposed their doctrine.

Men

painful to them, or they could not bear it. It is often the case that bigots, and men in authority, have this kind of grief at the zeal of men in spreading the truth, and thus undermining their influence and authority. That they taught the people.-The ground of their grief was as much the fact that they should presume to instruct the people, as the matter which they taught them. They were offended that unlearned Galileans, in no way connected with the priestly office, and unauthorized by them, should presume to set themselves up as religious teachers. They claimed the right to watch over the interests of the people, and to declare who was authorized to instruct the nation. It has been no unusual thing for men in ecclesiastical stations to take exceptions to the ministry of those who have not been commissioned by themselves. easily fancy that all power to instruct others is lodged in their hands; and they oppose others simply from the fact that they have not derived their authority from them. The true question in this case was, whether these Galileans gave proof that they were sent by God. The fact of the miracle, in this case, should have been satisfactory. We have here, also, a striking instance of the fact that men may turn away from evidence, and from most important points, and fix on something that opposes their prejudices, and which may be a matter of very little moment. No inquiry was made whether the miracle had been really wrought; but the only inquiry was whether they had conformed to their views of doctrine and order. And preached through Jesus, &c.-The Sadducees would be particularly opposed to this. They denied the doctrine of the resurrection, and they were troubled that the apostles adduced proof of it so strong as the resurrection of Jesus. It was perceived that this

doctrine was becoming established among the people; multitudes believed that he had risen ; and if he had been raised up, it followed also that others would rise. The Sadducees, therefore, felt that their cause was in danger; and they joined with the priests in endeavouring to arrest its spread among the people. This is the account of the first opposition that was made to the gospel, as it was preached by the apostles. It is worthy of remark, that it excited so much and so speedily the enmity of those in power; and that the apostles were so soon called to test the sincerity of their attachment to their Master. They who but a few days before had fled at the approach of danger, were called to meet this opposition, and to show their attachment to a risen Redeemer; and they did it without shrinking. They showed now that they were indeed

the true friends of the crucified Saviour: and this remarkable change in their conduct is one among the many proofs that they were influenced from above.

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Many of

Howbeit.-But; notwithstanding. them, &c.-This was one of the instances which has since been so often repeated, in which persecution has only had a tendency to extend and establish the faith which it was designed to destroy. It finally came to be a proverb that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church;" and there is no lesson which men have been so slow to learn, as that to oppose and persecute men is the very way to confirm them in their opinions, and to spread their doctrines. It was supposed here that the disciples were few, that they were without power, wealth, and influence, and that it was easy to crush them at once. God made their persecution the means of extending, in a signal manner, the truths of the gospel and the triumphs of his word. And so in all ages it has been, and so it ever will be. And the number, &c.-It seems probable, that in this number of five thousand, there were included the one hundred and twenty who are mentioned in chap. i. 15, and the three thousand who were converted on the day of Pentecost. (Chap. ii. 41.) It does not appear probable that five thousand should have been assembled and converted in Solomon's porch, (chap. iii. 11,) on occasion of

But

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