They imagined that a prohibition from so respectable a body of men as the Jewish Sanhedrim, accompanied with a threatening of severe punishment, in case of disobedience, would effectually deter the apostles from saying any thing respecting Jesus and his resurrection. But they found that they had to do with men who considered themselves as under the direction of higher authority, and who would not encourage them, for so much as a moment, to hope that they would submit to their injunctions.

18. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all, nor teach about the name of Jesus.

They required them henceforth to be totally silent, both in public and private, respecting the character and doctrine of Jesus.

19. But Peter and John answered, and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

We appeal to your own judgment, whether it be consistent with piety towards God to obey man rather than God. If not, you deliver to us injunctions which you yourselves must acknowledge that we cannot, as faithful servants of the Divine Being, comply with. This language strongly implies that they had the authority and command of God, for teaching the people about the name of Jesus; and the same thing is as strongly implied in the next verse.

20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Your own judgment, we conceive, will acquit us of doing wrong in disobeying your orders; but, whether it do so or not, we cannot decline to publish what we have seen and heard on this subject, when enjoined by such high authority. This reply contained a very plain intimation that they were resolved not to comply with the prohibition which had been given them; but the council were afraid to punish their disobedience, and contented themselves with renewing their threatenings, and dismissing them.

21. So, when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing, or, "not finding," how they might punish them, because of the people :

They could devise no method of punishing them, which would not give offence to the people,, who saw no fault in their conduct, but, on the contrary, were highly pleased with it, considering them as having performed a great and beneficent miracle.

For all men glorified God for that which was done.

Although the apostles, who appeared to perform the miracle, had attributed it to Christ, yet the people rightly judged that the power for this purpose, must have been originally derived from God, and that to him the praise was due.

22 For the man was above forty years old on whom this miracle of healing was showed.

His age rendered his lameness notorious, and the reality of the miracle unquestionable.

REFLECTIONS.

1. THIS story may teach us what advantage the truth derives from inquiry and discussion. The authenticity of the account rested at first upon the testimony of friends alone, upon the evidence of persons, who, having seen the man before and after his cure, were satisfied that a miracle had been performed, and were thereby induced to embrace the Christian religion: but, in consequence of the officious zeal of some who were desirous of discrediting the account, we have now the testimony of enemies as well as of friends in its favour. The whole Jewish Sanhedrim, composed of the ablest and most learned men in the nation, are obliged, after the strictest examination, to acknowledge the fact, and dismiss the apostles with a command to suppress it. To evidence thus supported, nothing can be opposed: when persons of such different interests and views acknowledge the same thing, it must be true. Let no one, then, be alarmed at any severe investigation which the evidences and doctrines of Christianity are likely to undergo, either from friends or foes. For the inquiries of its friends can do it no harm, and the attacks of its foes will only serve to establish it on firmer ground.

2. The courage of the apostles in defence of the gospel of Christ, is highly commendable, and worthy of imitation. They hesitate not to attribute a miracle, about which they are questioned, to one who had been crucified as a malefactor; they scruple not to speak of him as a divine prophet, and the great Messiah, before the highest court of justice in the kingdom, and to accuse that court of the foulest crime in putting to death this divine messenger. When prohibited from speaking of him in private or public any more, they declare that piety to God forbids their compliance with the injunction. How manly and noble is this conduct! How becoming the disciples of Jesus, and the messengers of the Most High; and how happily calculated to inspire others with the like resolution! Surely it must shake the confidence of their opponents, and awaken their inquiries to discover what could give ordinary persons so much courage, and lead many of them to the acknowledgment of the truth. It is to men, who like them profess or defend the truth, undaunted by authority, unterrified by danger, at the hazard of their liberty and lives, that we are indebted for that degree of light and knowledge which we now possess, and without their services we must have remained, like our ancestors, in the darkness of popish superstition or pagan idolatry. Ye noble army of apostles, confessors, and martyrs, ye are the benefactors and saviours of mankind! We will revere

your memories, and hold your actions in everlasting remembrance, and pray to God to inspire us with a portion of your spirit.

3. The courage of Peter, in particular, on this occasion, affords a strong presumptive argument in favour of the truth of the gospel-history. Peter, who was once terrified at the voice of a servant-maid calling him a disciple of Jesus, and disowned any relation to him three times in the space of an hour, confirmin his declarations with oaths and curses; this same Peter, a few weeks afterwards, has acquired courage to make a voluntary confession of his relation to his Master before the Jewish Sanhedrim, and can listen undismayed to their threats of punishment. What can have produced so wonderful a change? If he once manifested more than ordinary timidity, what has now given him a degree of courage above his station? Allow the truth of the facts mentioned in the preceding part of the history, that his Master, having been crucified, rose from the dead, and that he himself received extraordinary miraculous powers in his name, and his conduct will appear consistent and natural: the change has an adequate cause; but without such a cause, it is inexplicable.

4. Let us ever keep in remembrance that Jesus Christ is raised to the head of the corner. All the angels of God, that is, all the messengers and prophets of God sent to the human race, are commanded to worship him, that is, to pay him homage, as possessing superior rank and authority to themselves. The like respect let us also show him, by admitting no rites or ceremonies into Christian worship, which he has not commanded or authorized, whether of Jewish or pagan origin, of earlier or later date. What he has enjoined let us observe, though kings and magistrates, councils, synods, and parliaments may condemn it; knowing that Christ alone is head of the Christian church, and that the allegiance which we owe to him requires us to oppose all rival claims.

SECTION VI.

The apostles returning from the council, pray for support in preaching the gospel, and are answered by an effusion of the Holy Spirit.

ACTS iv. 23-37.

23. AND being let go, they went to their own company, "to their own friends," and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

Under these terms the Jewish Sanhedrim is described, because it consisted principally of such persons.

24. And when they heard that they lifted up their

voice to God with one accord, and said Lord, or, "Sovereign Lord," thou art God, which hast made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is ;

This verse, which is descriptive of the divine power, is a very proper introduction to a petition for the extension of miraculous gifts, which shortly succeeds, and should be connected in our minds with the thirtieth verse, in which the disciples pray that God would stretch forth his hand to heal, and that signs and wonders might be done in the name of his holy servant Jesus. For there can be no doubt that the Being who created the heavens and the earth, that is, who established the course of nature, can change it for these purposes whenever he pleases.

25. Who, by the mouth of thy servant David, has said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

26. The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Christ, "against his anointed."

These words are taken exactly from the Septuagint translation of the second Psalm, which some persons consider as applicable to David, by whom it was composed, since he was God's anointed, having been designed for the throne of Israel, by Samuel, by pouring out oil in a solemn manner upon his head; and several of the neighbouring nations, the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and others, attempted to disturb the peace of his kingdom, and to destroy his authority, although without success. This language they therefore regard as a poetical remonstrance with them on the weaknes and folly of their attempt. By the apostles and first christians, however, the Psalm seems to have been regarded as a prophecy of the Messiah; and these verses in particular are considered as referring to the opposition which he would meet with from the Jews and Roman people, and especially from their governors.

27. For, of a truth, against thy holy child, "thy holy servant," Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together in this city :*

28. For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

The Jewish kings were appointed to their office by having oil poured out upon their heads, and were from this circumstance called the anointed, and the Lord's anointed. As Jesus of Nazareth was designed in the divine counsels, to be a most distinguished prince, although only in a spiritual kingdom, he was called

* Εν τη πολει ταυτη· Griesbach.

the Messiah, or the anointed, by way of eminence, although he never underwent the ceremony before-mentioned. This appellation, Messiah, is translated by the word Christ into Greek. Against this prince appointed by God to his office, Herod and Pilate, and the Jews, we are here told, conspired to deprive him of his dignity; but their conspiracy proved ineffectual, as had been foretold; for they only inflicted upon him those calamities and sufferings which God had before determined to permit, for the purpose of more effectually exalting him to the high office for which he was designed.

29. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness, "with all freedom of speech," they may speak thy word;

30. By stretching forth thy hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy servant Jesus.

It seems as if some of the disciples had been alarmed at the threats of the Jewish council, and feeling some doubts about their own courage to preach the gospel in the face of such danger, had prayed to God to have it strengthened, by being enabled to perform such cures as that which had been just wrought upon the lame man, and to work other wonders. Hence, it appears probable, that although all the disciples had the gift of tongues, and the apostles, John and Peter, the power of healing diseases, the rest were not assured, that the same power would be commuuicated to them. Without this assistance, they were apprehensive that their resolution would fail; but so aided, they were convinced that they should be able to face all their adversaries. To confirm their expectations, and remove their fears, God was pleased to favour them with a sign, which is mentioned in the following verse. the twenty-seventh and thirtieth verses, Christ is called, by our translators, God's holy child; but the proper translation is, undoubtedly, that which has been given, thy holy servant, as appears from the twenty-fifth verse, where they themselves have so rendered the word, calling David God's servant, although the same term be used in the original in that, as in other places.

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31. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together.

This supernatural earthquake seems to have been intended as a signal, to announce the approach of the Deity, for the communication of miraculous powers, just as the noise of the mighty rushing wind, and the cloven tongues of fire, preceded the gift of tongues, on the day of Pentecost. In the present instance, however, there was no visible appearance; nor does it seem that any other miraculous effect immediately followed. What we are told about their being all filled with the Holy Spirit, I regard as referring rather to powers which afterwards appeared, than to any sensible change which took place immediately. They might,