The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 101

This perfeot soundneH; pointing to whnt Lorrl and Christ, bnt bis glorious presence they saw with their own eyes while the with his Church is deferred for a time, man Wl!.B leClping Clnd danoiug before them rlnring which he is in heaven (ver 21). The (611.o,cll.TJpla., perfect eoundneee, need only RV. is surely very infclicitons here, l!.B if here in the New Testament; it ie a medical there were several Christe, one of whom we.a tenn). appointed for Israel. Ver. 17.-In for through, A.V. I wot Ver. 21.-Resfmation (or restitution, A.V.; the.t in ignorance, etc. Mark the inimitable whereof for which, A. V.; spake for hath spoken, skill and tenderness with which he who bad A.V.; his for all his, A.V. and T.R. Whom just wounded by hie sbarprobuke now binds the heaven must receive. This is clearly up the wound. All sternness and uncom- right, not BS some render it, who must promising severity before, he is all gentle- occupy hea1Jen. The aorist 3e{a.u9a, seems to ness and indulgence now. They were only point to the moment when, at the Ascension, •• men of Israel" in ver. 12, now they are he Wl!.B carried up into heaven (Luke xxiv. " brethren," He hBB an excuse for their 51). The restoration of all things (/r.,ro,ca-ra• grievous sin. They did it in ignorance O'Tcl1T,.,< 1rd.V'Tc,w). This must be the same (comp. Luke xxiii. 33; l Tim. i. 13). Only operation as our Lord speaks of in Matt. xvii. let them see their error and repent of what 11 : "Elias truly shall firat come, and re- they had done, and their forgiveness was store all things ( a.1ro1<aTaO'T~<TEt 1rd.na.);" and sure. from the words of Malachi (iv. 5, 61it would Ver. 18.-The things for those things, A.V.; seem to be a moral or spiritual restorl\tion foreshowed for beforP. had showed, A.V.; the preparatory to tho coming of the Lord. prophets. for his pr?phets, A.V. and T.R.; If so, the time of restoration is not exactly his CJhnst for CJhrist, A.V. and T.R.; he synchronous with the times of refreshi!lg, thus fulfilled for he hath so fulfil/,ed, A. V. but preparatory to them; preparatory, too, He even exouses their ignorance by showing to that restoration of the kingdom to Israel how the determinate counsel and foreknow- of which the apostles spe.ke to the Lord ( eh. ledge of God was brought: about through it i 6). Probably, however, St. Peter inclucles (comp. Gen. xlv. 5, and see above, eh. i. 23). in his view the immediately following ti,ues Ver. 19.--Turn again for be converted, of" the presence of the Lord," jlli!t as in St. A.V., with no difference in sense; that so Mork (i. 1) the prepara.lory mission of there may come seasons of refreshing for when John the Ilaptist is includetl in tile phrase, the times of refreshing shall come, A.V. "The beginningof the gospel of Jesus Christ." Turn again. The turning to God is the Whereof God spake. The antecedent to consequence of the change of mind (µerclvo,a). "whereof" is" the times" (ver. 24). The.t so there may come; rightly for the Ver. 22.-Moses indeed said for Jlfoses truly A.V. "when," etc., which the Greek cannot said unto the fathers, A.V. antl T.R.; the mean. What Peter conceives is that if Lord God for the Lord your God, A.V. e.ud Israel turns to God at once in the fo.ith of T.R.; from among for of, A.V.; to him shall the Lord Jesus Christ, then there will come ye hearken for him shall ye hear, AV.; speak at once those times of refreshing, those for say, A. V. ll!oses mdeed said. Peter now blessed days of righteousness, and peace, and verifi0:1 his assertion about the prophets in rest, and universl\ljoy, which are the charac- the previous Vel':le by quoting from Moses, teristics of Christ's kingdom as foretold by and referring to Samuel and those tha.t came tho prophets. Tllose doys are delayed by the after. A prophet, etc. The quotation is from unbelief of Israel. Bee.sons of refreshing. Dent. xviii. 15-18. That this was under• The A. V. "times ofrefreshing" is manifestly stood by the Jews to relate to some one great right, though there is no article, in the prophet who had not yet come, appears from G!'eek. " SeBSons of refreshing" seems very the question "Art thou that prophet?" (John vague and vapid (see Alford, i. 1, who very i. 21), and from the saying of the Jews appropriately and conclusively cites the nfter the miracle of the loaves and fishes, phrase /Ca.tpol l8vdw, " the times of the Gen- "This is of a truth that prophet that should tiles" (Luke ni. 24). Meyer also compares come into the world" (John vi. H; vii. 40). the "'"'P&""-1Ja'tll Toii 'Iupa~>.. of Luke ii. 25, St. Peter here teaches that that prophet was 11,ud so in ver. 21, xp&v.,., o.'lro1Ca.Ta.O'Td.uE.,s none other than Christ himself, who was lika I@ rendered " the times of restoration." unto Moses in the fulness of the revelotion Ver. 20.-.And that ha may send the CJhrist given unto him, in his being a Mediator . . . even Je8t/,8 for and he shall send JeBUa between God and thll people, in being the Christ, A. V.; w110 hath been appointed ("'P""•· Author of o new law-the law of faith e.nd ,c:up,uµlvov, oh. xxii. 14; xxvi. 16) /or you for love, in building a new tabernacle for God to ( 'll'po1CElfflP"Yl'J11ov) whioh before tAia8 preached inhabit, even the Church in which he will unto you, A.V. and T.R. Who he.th been dwell for ever and ever (see Heh. i. 1, 2). appointed, eto. Jesus ie already designated Ver. 23.-Shall be for eome to pall<!, A.V.; and appointed and ml\de (eh. ii, 86) both ,hall not hearken to for toil! not hear, A. V. ; 96 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [OH, III, 1-26,