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28. Thou haft made known to me the ways of life; thou A. D. 33. fhalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that

29. Now (faith Peter) 'tis very plain, that this Expreffion of not leaving his Soul in Hell, nor his Flesh to fee Corruption, could he is both dead and never be meant of, nor any way buried, and his fepul- fulfilled in David's own Perfon, chre is with us unto this day. who, you all know, long fince dy'd, and lies yet in his Grave, which you can fhow to this very Day.

30. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had

fworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raife up Chrift

to fit on his throne:

30 & 31. And therefore as David was an eminent Prophet, a Type of the Messiah, and had an exprefs Promife from God, That Chrift fhould be born of his Seed and Family; it cannot but be concluded, he was, as fuch a Prophet, acquainted with this Refurrection of Chrift, and fo meant this of Chrift only, that his foul was not left in hell, nei

31. He feeing this before, fpake of the refurrection of Chrift, ther his flesh did fee corruption.

32. This Jefus hath God raised up, whereof we are all wit

neffes.

32. Now that God hath thus railed up our Jefus, the third Day after you had crucified him, before ever his Body had Time to putrefy, we all folemnly teftify, who faw him, converfed, eat and drank with him forty days after, till his Afcenfion into Heaven.

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A. D. 33. jefty, he has accordingly fulfilled it. Which Afcenfion of his, we alfo folemnly teftify, having feen it ourselves at the Mount of Olives.

34 For David is not afcended into the heavens: but he faith himself, The LORD faid unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right 35. Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

hand,

34 & 35. And that the Me fiah was thus to afcend, and be glorified, as well as to rife from the Dead, is moft evident from another Prophecy of David relating to him, Pfal. cx. 1. wherein God the Father is brought in as inviting his Son the Meffiah, To come and take upon him the bigheft Degrees of heavenly Majefty and Glory, and fee the Conqueft over Sin, aud Satan, and Death; the noble. Effects and Reward of his Sufferings for Mankind. For 'tis clear beyond Contradiction, That to fit on God's Right-hand, and fee an abfolute and final Conquest over all his Enemies, is what can no Way be applied to David's Perfon, though once a powerful Prince; and then, as he calls the Perfon of whom he spake this, in an emphatical Way, his Lord, He must be understood as fpeaking of Chrift.

36. Therefore let all the houfe of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made that fame Jefus whom ye have crucified, both

Lord and Christ.

36. Wherefore seeing all these clear and eminent Prophecies, are thus fo punctually and wonderfully accomplished in this very Jefus, whom ye crucified, Let all the Jews be fully affured, and I befeech them to lay afide their obftinate Prejudices, and be convinced, that he is their true Meffiah, the Saviour of Mankind, and the Lord and Governor of God's Church and People. For if after fuch ample Teftimonies given them, they ftill continue in their Unbelief; they must expect all the Terrors and Curfes annexed to thefe Prophecies, to be fulfilled upon them.

37. Now when they heard this, they were Pricked in their heart, and faid unto Peter, and to the rest of the apofties,

37. At this earnest and weighty Difcourfe of Peter, abundance of thofe Jews, that were either concerned in, or had confented to the Death of Jefus, were ftruck

inta

apoftles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

into Relenting and Concern; at A. D. 33.
the Guilt they faw themselves in-
volved in; and begged of him

and the other Apoftles to tell them how they fhould obtain the Pardon, and avoid the terrible Confequences of it.

38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion fins, and ye fhall receive the gift of the ceive the gift of the holy Ghoйt.

of

38. Peter answered, That the Condition of their Pardon was a fincere Repentance and Amendment of Life, an Entrance into the Religion of Chrift by Baptifm, and a careful Obfer- Ver.38,39 Vance of the Rules and Precepts *See chap of it; which if they would fin- viii. 16. cerely do, they fhould not only be pardoned for what they had already done, but fhould also partake of this great Promise of the Holy Ghoft, according as God fhould fee any of them fit and proper to bestow it on.

39. 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 fhall call.

40. And with many other words did he teftify, and exhort, faying, Save your felves from this untoward generation.

39. Affuring them at the fame Time, that God intended the Benefits and Effects of this great Promise to the whole Jewish Nation, to them first, and afterward to as many of the Gentile World, as fhould hear and believe the Gospel.

40. With these, and fuch like Difcourfes, Peter kept the Company a good while, all tending to convince them of the Truth of Chrift's Religion, to press them to receive and profefs it, as the only Means to escape thofe terrible Judgments that

were coming upon the obftinate Nation of the Jews.

41. Then they that gladly received his word, were baptized: and the fame day there were added unto them about three thousand fouls.

41. And all that were really
affected at what he said, were
baptized, upon a hearty Profef-
fion of their Repentance and fu-
ture Refolutions, to the Number
of about three thousand.
42. Who

A. D. 33.

42. And they continued ftedfaftly in the apoftles doctrine, and fellowship, and in * breaking of bread, and in prayer.

43. And fear came upon every foul: and many wonders and figns were done by the apostles.

42. Who conftantly attended the preaching of the Apoftles, and with them exercifed all the * folemn Duties of their Religion.

43. What was already done, furprized all Sorts of People with Aftonishment, which was increafed ftill more, when they saw the Apoftles proceed to do many o

ther Kind of Miracles, befide this of speaking so many Languages.

44. And all that
believed were toge-
ther, and had all
things common. t
45. And fold their
poffeffions and goods,
and parted them to
all men as every man
had need.

44 & 45. In the mean Time thofe that were newly converted, affembled and converfed chiefly with the Apostles, and among themfelves; and were fo raised above the Love of Temporal Things, that many of them made free, voluntary, and total Renunciation of their Goods and Eftates, and refigned them into the Apoftles Hands, to be diftributed to the poor Chriftians as they faw Occafion.

46. And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to houfe,

did eat their meat

with gladness and fin-
gleness of heart;

a

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It being not determined by the Learned, whether xλdσis to aste, Breaking of Bread, be here, and in ver. 46. meant of the Eucharist or no, I have exprefs'd it so as to leave the Reader to his own Judgment.

+ Ver. 44. Kai &xov äxavтa nová. And bad all Things common. This Expreffion here, and in Cap. iv. 32. is taken by fome good Interpreters, not to fignify an abfolute Renunciation of all Right and Title to what was their own; but only a liberal and prudent Diftribution. But the Cafe of Ananias, Chap. v. feems plainly to determine the contrary; it was an abfolute, tho' not an impofed, but a voluntary one.

Room before mentioned, Chap. xiii, xiv. at stated A. D. 33; Times, for celebrating the Lord's Supper.

47. Praifing God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily

fuch as fhould be faved.

47. By thefe Acts of a loving and charitable Temper, expreffing the great Senfe they had of the Divine Mercy, in thus freely pardoning and receiving them into the Chriftian Covenant, and behaving themselves with fuch Prudence, Piety, and Modefty, as to be generally well efteem'd of; and, with God's Bleffing, to perfuade and influence many others daily to come in and embrace the Chriftian Faith, who were thereby delivered from the Guilt, and impending Destruction of their obftinate Nation. *

* Ver. 47. To's owlonives, not fuch as fhould be faved in a Chriftian Senfe in general only, but the faved, i. e. from that untoward Generation, ver. 40.

CHA P. III.

The CONTENTS.

Peter and John miraculously cure a lame Man in Solomon's Perch. Peter's Difcourfe to the Jews thereupon.

1. NOW Peter and

John went up together into the temple, at the hour of prayer being the ninth

hour.

2. And a certain man lame from his mothers womb, was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to

ask

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