The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 58

,n,th of Christianity, l\nd it is l\t their perilhither: for God did eend mo before you rllat Christia.ns allow themselrns to give up to preser\'e lire" (Gen. xiv. 5); nlso Judg. 'l1is urgument at the bidding of the sceptio. xiv. 4; l Kings xii. 15, oto. 1 Delivered up Mighty work& and wonders and signs. ((1<00.-ov, only found here) is by mnny under- L>waµ,is are po,cers, aots of healing and stood of the action of Judos in botmying such like, done by the supernatural power Jesus into the hnnds of his enemies (John of the Holy Spirit (see the above refer- xix. 11)-f,,ioTOv being tnken ns equivnlent ence t.o eh. x. 38); •dpaTO, nre IDonders or to what ,rpJ6oTov would me1111 if it were in part,nl•, such as are spoken of by the use. But it may with eqiml propriety be Prophet Joel, "wonders in heaven above," applied to tho action ot' the ohief priests 11nd the d,ukening of the sun, the disooloration elders in delivering Jesus to Pontius Pilate 01 the moon, or any other wonder considered (Matt. u:vii. 2) to be crucified (Matt. xuii. only with referenoe to its portentous cha- 26). Our Lord himself 111ludee to Pi111te's rnctcr ; <171µ,ia are signs, not necessarily power aa circumscribed by the will of God miraculous, but things which are proofs, (John xix. 11, o ,rapa6,6o6s µl a-o,: comp. either by their miraculous chnracter or from Matt. xxvi. 45). By the hand of lawless men. r.he time or mode of their occurrence, of " Dy the hand of" is the common Hebrew the truth of the things spoken. " Miracles, phrase 1'.:;, by means of, through the agency wonders, nnd signs" occur together in 2 Cor. of. The Jewish nation (lfv6p,s 'Iou8aio,) had xii. 12. The throe seem to include every crucified the Lord of glory by the hand of 1."ind of miracle, or, as Meyer says, miracles the heathen Romane. Lawless, equivalent Yiewed (1) according to their nature, (2) to the sinners of Matt. xxvi. 45 (comp., for according- to their appearanu, (3) according the special application of the term to the to their destination or proposed end. Which heathen, Ge.I. ii. 15; 1 Cor, ix. 21). God did by him. So we reo.d Heb. i 2, Ver. 24.-Raised for hath raised, A.V.: "Through [or' by'] whom also he made the pa11gs for pains, A.V. Pangs. St. Luke worlds." And so our Lord said of himself, ·• My Fnther worketh hithorto, and I work;" follows the LXX., who render the mo ,',:in and "The Son can do nothing of himself, or ',;K~ of Ps. xviii. 5, 6; c:xvi. 3, b/~o;'.;~: but what he seeth the Fo.ther do" (John v. 60.,,,hou, as if the Hebrew word were ',;:i!J, 17, 19; comp. Matt. uviii. 18). On the the pains or pangs of a woman in childbirth, other baud, onr Lord often speaks of hill own power, as John ii. 19; x. 18 (comp. whereas it really is ',;:iri, a cord, ns it is ren· John iL 11). As Mediator, Christ did all dered in the margin o"r"Ps. :xviii. 5, meaning th'ln~s by his Father's appointment, and for the snare of the fowler. The variation is his Father's glory. Even ae ye yourselves very similar to that of the" fruit of our lips" 'lm.ow. Mark the confidence with which in Heb. xiii. 15, compared with the "calve, Peter appeals to their personal knowledge of our lips" of Hos. xiv. 2. It is manifest of the miracles of Christ. This was a that "loosed" applies better to COT/Ul than fitting preparation for the announcement of to pangs. It was not possible. Why, not that mighty power, wonder, and sign which possible, 1. Because of the union of the he was now about to proclaim to them-the Godhead and manhood in the one Person resurrection of the Lord Jeans from the of Christ. 2. Because of God's character, dead. which makes it impossible that one who Ver. 23.-Delivered up for delivered, trusts in him should bo forsnken, or that A.V.; l,y the hand of l.awlea, men did God's Holy One should see corrnption. 3, crucify and slay for ha'lle taken and by Because the Scripture, which cannot be wicked han1U ha'IHJ crucified and sl.ain, A.V. broken, declared the resurrection of Christ. and T.R. The determinate counsel God's Ver. 25.-Saith for speaT,eth, A.V,; be- counsel, that Christ should suffer for sins, he/,d for foresaw, A.V. The sixteenth pee.Im was not o vague, iudistinct purpose, leaving is ascribed to David in the title prefixed to much to accident and the fluctuating will it in the Hebrew and the LXX. Without of man ; it was determinate and defined pronouncing tho titles to be infallible, we in respect of time and manner and the must confess that they carry great weight instrumente used for carrying it out. :Fore- with them in the absence of any strong knowledge is coupled with counsel or toiU, internal evidence against them. Meyer perhaps in order to show 118 that the ■peaks of the psalm as "certainly later than <'..ounsel or will of God, e.a far as it com• David," and Ewald and others ascribe it to prehends the action of free agents, is indil!- the time of the Co.ptivity; but Hitzig thinks solubly connected with his foreknowledge, the internal evidence is in favour of its be- and does not involve any force put upon the longing to the time before David ascended will of man. (Compare, with Chrysostom, the throne (' Speaker's Commentnry '). We the saying of Joseph to his brethren, "Be may safely rest on the authority of St. Peter not angry with ;fOUfselves, that ye sold Ille here and St. Paul (eh, xiii, 35, 36), and be UH, lL 1-47,] THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 5a