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we are witnesses." (3) He overruled their conduct towards Him. "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before hath shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled." Observe—(1) It was the purpose of the Eternal Father that Christ should suffer. "God had before shewed by the mouth of all his holy prophets, that Christ should suffer." "All his prophets means not literally all, but the general voice of prophecy. The Old Testament prophets may be regarded as an official corporation—a grand representative body, and their utterances, therefore, are rather the voice of one than of many. The ruling reference of all is to the Messiah, His birth, His works, His sufferings, His death. (Isaiah liii. 3-10; Daniel ix. 26). Observe (2) That this conduct of the Jewish people, in relation to Christ, was overruled for the working out of this grand purpose. "He hath so fulfilled," or fulfilled so. The sufferings which He eternally purposed were inflicted not directly by Himself, not by the agency of holy intelligences, but by the wicked conduct of wicked men. "The Son of man goeth, as it is written of him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed." "Him being delivered by the determinate counsel." So perfect is the control which the great Monarch of the universe has over His creatures, that He makes the greatest rebels His servants to work out His grandest plans. Observe (3) The wicked Jew, in thus working out the Divine purpose, was ignorant of what he was doing. "And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers." "I wot." (oïda) An old English verb "to know;" so that it means, "I know that through ignorance ye did it." Peter admits their ignorance for one of two purposes, either to extenuate their guilt, or to impress them with the fact, that, contrary to both their knowledge and their design, their very wickedness was the working out of an eternal plan. The former idea, though it has some passages to recommend it (Luke xxxiii. 34; 1 Tim. i. 13; 1 Cor. ii. 8) is inadmissible, from the fact, that Peter includes

VOL. XIV.

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the rulers in his charge of ignorance.

"Also your rulers."

The rulers, the most enlightened and the best Biblically instructed of the nation and the times, were certainly not ignorant of what they were doing; the latter, therefore, is the probable idea. This ignorance does not extenuate their guilt, but rather adds to it a crushing sense of their own folly and helplessness. In treating this miracle

III. HE DEVELOPS THE CHRISTIAN PLAN OF RESTITUTION. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." This passage may be regarded as presenting the Christian plan for effecting the moral restitution of the world, and it suggests the following thoughts in relation to that plan.

First: It aims at a thorough spiritual reformation as a necessary condition. This spiritual reformation is here represented as including three things:-A change of heart, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted." Forgiveness of sins, "That your sins may be blotted out." Invigoration of being, "When the times of refreshing shall come," &c. All these things are included in that great spiritual reformation which Christianity aims to accomplish in our world. Another thought suggested here concerning the Christian plan of restitution is—

Secondly: That it is ever under the direction of the Great God. "From the presence of the Lord," i.e., by the Providence of the Lord. Observe here, that the invigorating influence of the scheme is from God. The times of refreshing are from His presence. The Chief Agent of the scheme is from God. "He shall send Jesus Christ." That the revelation of the scheme is from God. "Which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Another thought still suggested concerning the Christian plan of restitution is— Thirdly: That it shall realize its end before the final advent of

Christ. "Whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things." Christ is now in heaven. He is there as the monarch of the creation, the representative of humanity, the object of universal wonder and worship. Though in heaven, His work proceeds on earth. His system

is slowly but gradually advancing. When the work is accomplished, He will come again, and not before. Pre-millennialism is a dream.* Another thought suggested concerning the Christian plan of restitution is

Fourthly: That it is the grand burden of prophetic truth. "Which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Observe the cases of prophetic references to Christ which the apostle adduces. The first case is Moses. "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. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." This passage is found in Deut. xviii. 15, 19. The quotation is made with scarcely any variation from the Septuagint version. The resemblance between Christ and Moses as prophets, mediators, legislators, and founders of new dispensations, is so strikingly obvious that it forms the basis of many a popular sermon. Samuel is mentioned. "Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after." Moses and Samuel are the most distinguished names in the history of the Jewish nation-the strongest human centres in Jewish association. But these men are simply mentioned here as samples and references. He says, "All the prophets." We may not be able always to trace references to Christ in the writings of each prophet; yet in the majority of the prophetic books, there are notes of hope struck from the harp of future ages, flashes of light from that bright day of Christ which Abraham saw afar. Observe the reason for the adduction of these references. "Ye are the children of

* See "Homilist,” Vol. V., p. 260.

322 HOMILETIC GLANCE AT THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." "Children," a phrase not indicative of physical descent, but of spiritual relationship. They were the pupils, the disciples of the prophets. They inherited the writings; they were their acknowledged authorities in all cases of faith and practice. They were the children of the covenant; they were admitted to all its privileges, a party in the compact in which the Lord should be their God and they His people. He states their close spiritual relation to the prophets and to the covenant, it would seem, as a reason for his prophetic reference, and truly a good reason too. Prophecy was their Bible; the acknowledged rule of their present and the bright hope of their future. Another idea suggested in relation to the Christian plan of restitution is—

Fifthly : That its merciful mission was first to be presented to the Jews. "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." Observe—(1) Christ was sent to bless, not to curse. Justly might we have expected malediction to have been His mission. Observe-(2) Christ was sent to bless with the greatest blessing. "Turning away every one of you from his iniquities." Iniquity is the greatest curse; to turn men from that is the greatest boon. Observe (3) Christ was sent to bless with the greatest blessing the greatest sinners first. You first-"beginning at Jerusalem." * (To be continued.)

* See "Homilist," Vol. IV., New Series, p. 377.

Germs of Thought.

SUBJECT:-The Scape-Goat.

"And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness."-Levit. xvi. 9, 10.

Analysis of Homily the Six Hundred and Fifty-first.

JHIS chapter is remarkable for the history it gives of one of the most ancient, famous, significant, and religious institutions of the Jews, namely, the Great Day of Atonement. The tenth day in every seventh month was a high day in Israel. The religious heart of the Hebrew nation was deeply stirred on that day, and every man was "to afflict his soul." He was to humble himself before his Maker on account of his sins. On that day the high priest was to make atonement for himself, the tabernacle, and all the people. Amongst the many ceremonies which he had to attend to on that day, the one recorded in the text is not the least striking and significant. Two goats are presented at the door of the tabernacle; the one is to be offered as a sacrifice, the other is to be dispatched into the wilderness bearing away with it the sins of the Jewish people. The one is to be sacrificed, and his blood poured on the altar as a sin offering. The other, called the "scapegoat," the high priest, in the presence of all the people, lays his hand upon, confesses over it all the sins of the children of Israel, and sends it away into the wilderness. That sinburdened animal is heard of no more for ever.

Is this, and the other ceremonies attended to on that memorable day, a mere show—an empty pageant—to attract the gaze of a thoughtless population? I trow not. Everything attended to on that day was fraught with significance;

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