The apostolic witness to Christ.
Our Lord distinctly appointed the apostles as his witnesses (Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8). In these their early sermons or addresses, we may find the points which they considered were specially entrusted to them to declare. They would be sure to give first the basis or foundation facts on which the Christian system rested, and then gradually unfold the various doctrines which were embodied in those facts. Their central, foundation fact was their Lord's resurrection. It even seems that, at first, the Resurrection stood out more prominently before the apostles' minds than the sacrifical death. The precise proportions and relations of the Christian truths became matters of later adjustment; and, indeed, we are still trying to get them complete and satisfactory. Very many of the modern doctrinal controversies and sectarian disputes are occasioned by a failing sense of the proportions and relations in the whole of truth; some things are exaggerated and some underestimated; men fight hard for pieces of truth, as if they were the whole. The true work, worthy to engage all our thought and heart, is the fair estimate of all the various pieces, and the skilful setting of each in its fitting place. In the early preaching of the apostles may also be noticed how they seem to stand aside, so that Christ, their Lord and Master, only may be seen and honored. In this following the example of that Master, for he seemed ever to be stepping aside in order that men may fully see the Father. And in this also showing to us what is the essential spirit of all Christian preaching. The preacher's self must never be prominent; we may only set forth "Christ Jesus the Lord." The scene in "Solomon's porch," or portico, may be described. It was on the eastern side of the temple, and "consisted of a double row of Corinthian columns, about thirty-seven feet high. It was, like the porticoes of all Greek cities, a favorite place of resort, especially as facing the morning sun in winter" (John 10:23). In this same portico Jesus himself had taught. The prominent points concerning the Lord Jesus presented by St. Peter are—
I. JEHOVAH SENT AND ACKNOWLEDGED HIM. (Acts 3:13.) The word Son would be better Servant, and then the passage (Isaiah 42:1), "Behold my Servant, whom I uphold," is at once brought to mind. In addressing the Jews, it was necessary to show that no claim was made for Jesus Christ as a new and independent God; the teaching of his divinity was consistent with both the teaching of the Divine Unity, which was the Jews' great truth, and the teaching of the Divine Trinity, which is the great Christian truth. To the Jew a new God must be a false God, for Jehovah is one. Messengers of Jehovah they could receive. Manifestations of Jehovah they could accept. The conception of the "Son of God" was not to them an impossible one. And therefore our Lord so earnestly pressed that the Father God had sent him; and the apostles urge that Jehovah's seal of acceptance rested on him and on his work. This truth is needed still. We cannot rest in the salvation wrought by Christ unless we can fully see that it is God's salvation (see John 3:16).
II. MEN DENIED HIS MISSION, AND CRUCIFIED HIM. (Acts 3:13.) St. Peter gives the fact-Jesus was "delivered up;" and the aggravation of the fact—the clamors of malice actually overcame the natural sense of justice in the Roman governor. In reminding the people of this, St. Peter declares the Moral character of their act; and charges home upon the people the guilt of the judicial murder of no less a person than the national Messiah. For the actual denial of Christ, see John 19:15; and for the purpose of Pilate to release Christ, John 19:4. The fact of the denial is made the basis of the appeal for repentance. The fact of the crucifixion is urged as the guarantee of his actual death. Such enemies as they were would never leave their work imperfect.
III. HE WAS FREE FROM CRIME, AND JUST BEFORE MEN AND GOD. (John 19:14.) The personal innocence of Jesus aggravates the iniquity of those who secured his death; but it also bears directly upon the work of redemption that he wrought. Had he to bear the true burden of penalty for his own sins, he could not be the efficient Burden-bearer for others. Had he spot, stain, or blemish, he could not be the acceptable sacrifice for humanity, which must he the "Lamb without blemish." Show how much is made, in the Epistles, of the personal innocence and perfect virtue of the Savior. "Holy, harmless, undefiled," etc.
IV. HE WAS THE PRINCE AND AUTHOR OF SALVATION AND LIFE. (John 19:15.) For the term "Prince of life," see Acts 5:31; Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 12:2. It means, "He who is the source whence life and salvation flow." The chief thought in St. Peter's mind is that of the Resurrection. He who conquered death is "Prince of life," and has power to give life. St. John also says, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." Our Lord himself said," I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life;" "I am come that they might have life;" "I give unto them eternal life." The worthy apprehension of what Christ is, and can do, makes the Jewish denial and crucifixion of him seem a most hateful crime; and our long neglect of him our unspeakable shame (Hebrews 2:3, Hebrews 2:4).
V. HIS MESSIAHSHIP, HIS MISSION, AND HIS POWER TO SAVE, ARE, ONCE FOR ALL, AND SUFFICIENTLY, DECLARED IN HIS RESURRECTION. (Verse 15.) If that resurrection be a fact—and to it all the apostles and disciples give witness, and on the literal truth of it St. Paul is even willing to stake the Christian system—then there are important inferences to be drawn from the fact, and especially this one: Jesus is the Christ. Therefore to him every knee should bow, and to him every sin-burdened heart should seek. So it is seen that the apostles were true preachers, model preachers; they set Jesus forth, and bid all eyes look to him.—R.T.
Man's ruling and God's overruling.
St. Peter admits that the rejection of Christ was done through ignorance, but he does not allow that this is a sufficient excuse. Ignorance has many degrees, and may arise from many causes. It may be willful. It may be a consequence of cherished prejudices, and then it is guilty ignorance. "The Jewish multitude were ignorant from want of teaching, their rulers from mental perverseness in looking only on one part of the prophecies concerning the Messiah." For the treatment of the relation of "ignorance" to "guilt," compare St. Paul's teachings in Acts 17:30; 1 Timothy 6:13. The point which St. Peter dwells on in these verses is, that in the rejection and crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, men appeared to act on their own will and to carry out their own plans; but the deeper fact was that they accomplished the Divine purposes and fulfilled the divinely given prophecies. Scripture writers do not discuss the harmony between Divine sovereignty and man's free-will; but they show us man acting freely, and then draw aside the veil, and show us God's purpose accomplished by that very action that seemed to be so free. And the explanation is this—that all God's plans are formed upon perfect consideration of all that will occur; and this includes the Divine knowledge of how men will act, in their free will, in particular circumstances. To him who knows man altogether, the precise way in which every man will act, under every set of possible circumstances, must be fully anticipated. On this we may further dwell, and gain some apprehension of the Divine order.
I. MAN IS FREE TO ACT ON VARIOUS MOTIVES. He does act by motive. He may be moved by differing motives. He will act upon that which seems to be strongest. The strength of a motive greatly depends on the disposition and character which it urges. There appear to be a vast multitude of motives. Probably they could be greatly reduced by classification. The complexity and difficulty of knowing how a man will act in given circumstances does not arise from our inability to estimate his motives, but from our inability to judge how particular motives will influence him. We can tell by what considerations the Sadducees, Pharisees, and priests were moved to secure the death of Jesus. It is this acting of men on motive that gives moral character to their acts, and so brings on them the possibility of guilt.
II. ALL HUMAN MOTIVES, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND CHARACTERS ARE KNOWN TO GOD. The circle of motives that can possibly appeal to man's moral nature God completely spans. The precise circumstances under which motives urge in any given case, he fully knows and accurately weighs. The force which, under every set of circumstances, every motive will gain on every particular character and disposition, he perfectly estimates. And, though it is an almost impossible conception, we must conceive of God as looking down the long "stream of time," leaving his creatures free to act in all situations, and yet knowing beforehand the decision of every free will in every conceivable case. This is the marvel of the Divine foreknowledge.
III. ALL DIVINE PLANS ARE FORMED UPON THIS PERFECT ESTIMATE. Especially apply to the redemptive plan. In view of what would happen, and what men would do, the plan of redemption in the slain Lamb was formed before the foundation of the world. Man worked out his own prejudice and passion in the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, and God worked out his plan of saving the race by the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. That we might know of this overruling, the prophecies of Messiah were given. So we see how man's guilt remains in his freedom to act on motive; and yet God's purposes remain unchanged by all men's willfulness, since the willfulness wan all foreknown and estimated.—R.T.
Times of refreshing and of restitution.
These two words refer to the same time. "Without doubt the Apostle Peter, as well as all the disciples, and the whole apostolic Church, regarded the coming of Christ as near at hand, but still always as something future. This 'coming of Christ' is to be conceived as coinciding with the 'times of refreshing,' and his sojourn in the heavenly world closes with his return to the earth for the completion of his work. The conversion of men, therefore, and the diffusion of faith in Christ, are the conditions of the speedy approach of that blessed time". "Respecting the sense of the term 'restitution of all things,' no doubt can arise if we keep steadily in view the relation of the Redeemer to this sinful world: Christ is the Restorer of the fallen creation, and therefore the word 'restitution' derives from his redeeming power its peculiar meaning, viz that of bringing back to an originally pure condition." The Revised Version materially improves the reading of these verses: "Repent,… that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." "These times or seasons of refreshing, and those 'times of restitution or (restoration) of all things which God hath spoken,' both seem to refer to the same great hope of the Church, and are connected with the second sending forth of Jesus Christ from heaven to earth." Peter had clearer ideas of the Messianic kingdom, but he was still trammeled by the national and temporal figures under which it had been prophesied. His purpose evidently is to urge the audience to an immediate acceptance of Christ, as the way to bring on the establishment of the long-promised and glorious Messianic time. And the point of impression for us is this—Man's penitence, obedience, and faith prepare the way for the coming of Christ's kingdom, and the fulfillment of all the Divine promises. "The faster Israel turned to Jesus, the sooner would Jesus return to Israel." By this consideration we are still urged to preach the gospel, and persuade men to repent, at home and abroad.
I. THE TIMES OF REFRESHING THAT ARE ALWAYS CLOSE AT HAND. God is ever "waiting to be gracious," as it were watching for opportunities of giving men his rich spiritual blessing. Revivals are always close by, when men's hearts are made humble and open and seeking. Does an individual soul set itself upon humiliation and prayer? the "times of refreshing" are at hand for it. Does a Church unite in confession and supplication? the "times of refreshing" will come in response to its cry. And this assurance should act as a moral persuasion, and urge men to seek for higher and better things. "We are not straitened in God." He would bless us more abundantly if we were more truly ready for the blessing. "He is able to make all grace abound," etc. Taking "times of refreshing" as seasons to be realized now by the soul and by the Church, we may obtain illustrations from the Old Testament history, especially instances occurring in the later years of the national decline, such as the reformations under Hezekiah and Josiah. Or from the New Testament, especially dealing with Pentecost. Or from the Christian ages, noticing that such "times" take a variety of form and character. Sometimes they are prominently intellectual, as illustrated in the revival under Luther and the Port Royalists; sometimes they are prominently practical, as illustrated in the revival under St. Bernard; sometimes they are prominently emotional, as illustrated in the revival under Whitefield, and in the Scotch and Irish revivals of recent times. Such "times of refreshing" are necessary to the proper culture of our spiritual life. Under present conditions, the maintenance of good is so difficult. Oftentimes even holy purpose flags, and we become weary in well-doing. So in all departments of life we need revival times. Such are our summer restings, our sabbaths, birthdays, etc. If we will but set ourselves in proper attitudes of humility and seeking, we shall find God's "refreshing times" ever at hand. Apply especially to the calling of men to repentance and faith. Show what power on them we gain when, with St. Peter, we can say," The grace is ready, waiting for you if you will turn. Forgiveness is ready. The door of the new kingdom is open ready. Eternal life is ready. God waits but your uplook to come in, and save, even you. Repent, that the good times may come for you."
II. THE TIMES OF RESTORATION THAT ARE COMING BY-AND-BY. We should get some fitting ideas of the great plan for the recovery of the fallen race of man. Unquestionably the world is a fallen, disordered, ruined world. But God has gracious purposes concerning the "restitution," or setting right, "of all things." And our Lord's death for human redemption began the restoration of all things. Our Lord's present spiritual work in the "heavenlies"—the moral and spiritual spheres—is the presidency of the restoring work. Then we must conceive of some glorious coming day of restitution, when the Divine plan and purpose shall be fully accomplished. We can only gain very imperfect and unworthy ideas of what that day will be; but we may gain deep impressions of our own relation to its on-coming, and of our own duty to hasten the glorious time, by seeing to it that the work of restoring grace is fully wrought in our hearts, lives, and spheres, and that the gospel of the living Savior is so widely preached that "every knee may be brought to bow to him." There is a true sense in which we may hasten the day when the Redeemer "shall see of the travail of his soul, shall be satisfied," and shall "deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father." We may give ourselves to Christ, and make one more sinner won. We may speak of Christ to others, persuade them to repent and believe, and so help to multiply the number of the saved, who shall be acknowledged in that great day.—R.T.
Moses' witness to the Christ.
The first reference of Moses in the words used (Deuteronomy 18:15) should be carefully noticed. 'The higher Messianic references of the Old Testament usually underlie an immediate relation to historical events or individuals. "As the words stand, taken with their context, they seem to point to the appearance of a succession of true prophets, as contrasted with the diviners of Deuteronomy 18:14; and, even with St. Peter's interpretation before us, we may well admit those prophets as primary and partial fulfillments of them." It seems that the Jews were fond of comparing the promised Messiah with their great prophet and lawgiver, Moses. Of this one specimen may be given from the rabbinical writings. "Rabbi Berakhiah says, 'As was the former redeemer, so shall the latter redeemer be.' While of the former redeemer it is said (Exodus 4:20), 'And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them upon an ass;' so of the latter, for it says (Zechariah 9:9), 'He is lowly and riding upon an ass.' And while the former redeemer brought down manna, as it says (Exodus 16:4), 'Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you;' so the latter redeemer will bring down manna, for it says (Psalms 72:16), 'There shall be abundance of corn in the land.' And as the former redeemer caused the well to spring up (see Numbers 21:17); so the latter redeemer shall also cause the waters to spring up, for it says (Joel 3:18), 'A fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.'" Moses dwells upon the fact that the coming Messiah should be like him. This comparison may be opened in the following particulars :—
I. MESSIAH WAS TO BE "OF THE BRETHREN." Our Lord was born of Jewish race. And he was, as a fellow-man, able to understand and to sympathize with those whom he led. He was a "man of like passions;" "in all points tempted as we are; able to succor them that are tempted." The importance of the actual humanity of our Lord in the theological systems of St. Paul and St. John should be fully unfolded. And the additional interest of his being a Jew may be pointed out. The history of the Jews shows that they have a singular power of adapting themselves to all climes, languages, nations, and societies; and that which is true of them is true of our Lord's gospel, as bearing, so markedly, the Jewish stamp. It can adapt to all the conditions of mankind, and be preached to every creature.
II. MESSIAH WAS TO BE A REDEEMER. Like Moses in this, he was to bring a people out of bondage, deliver them in a glorious and Divine manner, and lead them until their full redemption was complete in the possession of Canaan. This comparison may be made more minute. And it may be urged that, as the Redeemer, our Lord asks the same surrender to him, in trust, that Moses asked.
III. MESSIAH WAS TO BE A LAWGIVER. This was the great work of Moses. He took the entire person, life, and relations of the people into his regulations, settling rules for their moral, social, national, and ecclesiastical conditions. And so we come "under Law to Christ," who covers with his "new commandments" the whale of our lives and associations. "One is our Master, even Christ."
IV. MESSIAH WAS TO BE A TEACHER. This is the permanent idea of the term "prophet"—one who comes between God and the people, as instructing them in the Divine will. Both Moses and the Lord Jesus taught the people concerning God, sin, duty, salvation, character, etc.
V. MESSIAH WAS TO BE A JUDGE. This Moses was presiding at the chief national tribunal. And God has "committed all judgment to the Son." He "shall judge the quick and dead." "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." Impress from Hebrews 10:28, Hebrews 10:29, "He that despised Moses' Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much Sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God?"—R.T.