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Let us then acknowledge, with gratitude and joy, the evident hand of God in this event. Let us rejoice that the same divine power which so eminently distinguished Jesus of Nazareth, continues to be conferred upon his successors, hereby qualifying them for preaching the gospel to all nations, and sealing the truth of their testimony. To suppose that God could countenance men who were engaged in propagating a falsehood, by enabling them to speak various languages which they had never learnt, and to perform other miracles, is to suppose that he could act contrarily to his attributes of justice and mercy, and contradict his character; which is impossible.

Acts ii. 14-24.

In the former part of this chapter we have an account of the descent of miraculous gifts upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost; of the first fruits of this miracle, in enabling them to speak foreign languages which they had never learnt, for the instruction of foreigners, who came into the company, and of the unfavourable construction which some, who did not understand the languages spoken, put upon these extraordinary appearances, by supposing that they were intoxicated. This charge Peter now refutes, by explaining the nature of the miracle, and showing that nothing had taken place but what had been foretold.

14. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lift up his voice, "raised his voice," and said unto them, Ye men of Judæa, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

By its being said here that Peter stood up with the eleven, it seems probable that they are the only per

sons whom he means to vindicate from the aspersion in verse the thirteenth; and that consequently they are the only persons who on this occasion spoke in foreign tongues. Peter addresses himself more particularly to Jews, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, `because it was among them principally that this mistake prevailed: native Jews being the most likely to regard a foreign language as a jargon.

15. For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day, or, nine o'clock in the morning.

16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel*;

17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18. And on my servants and on my hand-maidens, "on my men-servants and my maid-servants," I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophecy.

"In the last days." These words do not exactly correspond with the language of the prophecy, where we have instead of them the word afterward. Peter, however, interpreted that word to mean the last days,

Joel, ii. 28.

which is a phrase which occurs in other prophecies, and is understood to signify the days of the Messiah *; although some suppose that it refers to a much later period, when the Jews are to be restored to their own land t. Prophetic and miraculous powers had now been discontinued for the space of four hundred years, from the time of Malachi to the appearance of Christ. It is highly probable, therefore, that so remarkable a display of those powers as was exhibited on this occasion would be the subject of prophecy. But those who imagine that this prophecy refers to the last period of the Jewish state, must suppose that it was entirely overlooked, which is very unlikely.

"I will pour out of my Spirit." The Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit, signifies, as before explained, not a person, but the divine power, exerted in miraculous gifts: these were to be bestowed in such variety and abundance in the present instance, that they are compared to the pouring out of water, which is expended without strict regard to quantity,

"Upon all flesh." This may signify all mankind, Gentiles as well as Jews, or all classes of persons, people of every age, sex and condition. It is to the latter sense that the words which follow seem to restrict its meaning; for the prophet proceeds immediately to enumerate the persons included under that general term.

"And your sons and your daughters shall prophecy." To prophecy, signifies sometimes to communicate religious instruction, as well as to foretel future events. Both senses may be included here, as several of the first Christians of both sexes were qualified to predict as well as to teach.

* Isa. ii. 2.

Theological Repository, V. v. p. 119.

Chandler's Dissertation, annexed to his Commentary on Joel, p. 123.

"And your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Dreams and visions. were methods by which God, in ancient times, communicated notices of his will to prophets and patriarchs. In visions objects were presented to the inagination, while the prophet was awake, but in dreams the same thing was done while he was asleep. It is here foretold that the same mode of divine revelation would be observed under the new dispensation; and accordingly we have examples of both in the book of Acts. When it is said that the young men should see visions, and the old men dream dreams, we are not to suppose that only visions were to be communicated to the young, and only dreams to the old; but that visions and dreams were to be communicated to persons of all ages, to young and old.

The next thing which God promises in this pro phecy is that his Spirit should be poured out upon men-servants and maid-servants. The words in the original denote men-servants and maid-servants of the lowest condition, such as were bought or taken in war, that is, slaves. Persons in this condition were to partake of the Spirit, or of miraculous powers. It is added, "and they shall prophecy," but these words are not found in Joel, neither in the Hebrew, nor in the Greek version. The want of that is, however, of little consequence; for prophecying is plainly implied in the promise of the Spirit.

19. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapour of smoke.

20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come.

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It is the observation of Sir Isaac Newton, in ex+plaining the prophetic language, that the sun's being darkened, the moon's being turned into blood, and the falling of the stars, are put for the ceasing of a kingdom or the dissolution thereof. Agreeably to this ob servation, we find that when the destruction of Babylon is threatened, it is thus expressed; The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. I will shake the heavens, &c. In terms very similar to these has Jesus, in the gospel of Matthew, foretold the destruction of the Jewish state, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days," says he, "shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." After two such examples, I conceive there will be found little difficulty in supposing that this language of the prophet Joel was intended to express the total overthrow of the civil and ecclesiastical polity of the Jews. If we examine the several parts of this prophecy separately, and suppose that one phrase was intended to express one thing, and another phrase another, we shall be mislead. The whole is to be taken together, and regarded as a highly figurative prediction of a great approaching national calamity.

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21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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They shall be delivered from these calamities, to which the rest of the Jews shall be exposed. call upon the name of the Lord, is a phrase describing a religious person, and the meaning is that the true worshipper of God, according to the gospel of his Son, shall escape. Accordingly we find from Eusebius that the Christians, in consequence of a particular revelation, or, more probably, of the warnings already given

Isa. xiii. 10. 13.

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