to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh:" "and on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy : and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." "This Jesus God hath raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."1 And so, having thus, as it were, put "the key of knowledge "of a crucified Redeemer into the wards of the lock, the Holy Ghost Himself turned it: when, quickened by His Divine power, three thousand of Peter's hearers entered at once through "the door," Christ Himself, "into the kingdom." It should be observed also that Peter, in thus "testifying and exhorting" these quickened souls to cast themselves as sinners upon the Lord Christ for salvation, appealed to the Divine promises, as their alone warrant for so doing. "For the promise," said he, i.e., originally given in the Covenant made by God with Abraham, and confirmed by the Prophets, one of whom he had quoted, “is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off," i.e., Gentiles as well as Jews, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." This of course again conclusively proves, that the Church of Christ, of which these believers now formed a 1 Acts ii. 1-4, 14, 16-18, 22-24, 32, 33, 36. 2 Acts ii. 39. part, was not distinct in character, but only in position and privilege, from former believers in Him: for they were now to be separated from, and subsequently with the Gentiles, (as he intimates,) to form a distinct body from the Jewish nation, as such. As I shall, however, in the next Section, have to take up the calling out of the Gentile portion of the Church of Christ, I shall leave the Jewish branch of the Church for the present, and take up the history of it a little farther on.1 SECTION III. The calling out of the Gentile portion of the Church of Christ. Christ's commission to His Disciples was, to "go" "into all the world, and preach the Gospel"-that very "Gospel" that Paul shews was "before preached" "unto Abraham"-"to every creature. He that believeth," said He, "and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Nevertheless He commanded them to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until" they "were endued with power from on high: " which we have seen that they did; and then they were to "go," "and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever" He had "commanded them "-He Himself them"-He promising to be "with" them "alway, even unto the end of the age, ,"5 i.e., until His coming again. And the order in which they were to do this was as follows:-they were to "begin" at Jerusalem; " then to take in "all Judæa; then embrace "Samaria ;" and finally "be witnesses unto " Christ "unto the uttermost part of the earth." 1 The writer has published a Tractate, entitled "The Keys of the King dom," which may be had of Kensit, 18, Paternoster Row, price 1d. 2 Gal. iii. 8. 3 Mark xvi. 15, 16. 4 Luke xxiv. 49. Peter's Jewish Now the former part of this commission we have seen already accomplished: but as the Gentiles were also destined to form part of the Church of Christ, as well as the Jews; and to Peter had been committed the key for the opening of this fold of the door also, this part of the commission remained still unaccomplished. prejudices, however, prevented him from acting with the same alacrity towards the Gentiles; and had it not been for the immediate interposition of the Holy Ghost, although he had been thus specially singled out for this purpose by the Lord Himself, he would no doubt have neglected this part of the important office, which had been committed to him. This was clearly shewn by the long-continued neglect by him of the command itself, by his extreme reluctance to obey it, even when it had been so specially renewed and reiterated, by his "astonishment" at the result of his obedience, and by the fact that he afterwards actually apologized to "them that were of the circumcision," for having done that which the Lord Himself had expressly commanded him to do.1 Nevertheless, when the Lord's time came, Peter was compelled to obey; although it required two express revelations from the Lord Himself to convince him. And so we read:"There was a certain man in Cæsarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do." "On the morrow, therefore, as" Cornelius' 1 Acts x., xi. 1-18. messengers "went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: and he became very hungry, and would have eaten : but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, and called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them." Whereupon Peter at once obeyed; and having entered the house of Cornelius he "found many that were come together. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me ? ”— a strange question considering the commission he had received! Whereupon Cornelius, having recounted his vision, and the command of God to him to send for the Apostle, adds, "Now therefore are we all here before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Then Peter "at last perceiving, and calling to mind the Lord's promise" opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all:) that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judæa, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; Whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He Which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." "While Peter yet spake these words "-having thus, as it were, again put the key into the wards of the lock, the "Holy Ghost," who could of course Himself only unlock the door, "fell on all them that heard the word;" and quickened by the Divine Spirit, Cornelius, the Gentile Soldier, and his friends then assembled together with him, also entered through "the door," Christ Himself, into the Kingdom. "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." And now, "the door of faith" in Christ Jesus having thus also been "opened unto the Gentiles;3" our blessed Lord again took the keys into His own hands; and He has them 1 Acts x. 1-20, 27-29, 33-43. 2 Acts x. 43-46. 3 Acts xiv. 27. |