The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 183

house is left unto you desolate I" and when Jesus "wept over it, saying, If thou hndat kuo,m, e""en thou, at least in t_his thy day, the things which belong uulo thy peace I but now they are hid from thrne eyes." On the contrary, we are in fact separated only by weeks fro~ the dread solemnities of the Crucifixion, and scarcely by months from the lamentations of Jesus over Jerusalem. Yet the suu is shining again; storm, darkness, and nothing less than the chill of severest winter aro passed over; and summer days, with striking similarity to the best of those of Jesus himself, burst on Jerusalem. Surely it is second summer with Jerusalem. Reminiscences of bright days, indeed, these were, and they were bright in their own brightness; yet, alas I to linger but for a while. Meantime what a touching evidence they were, for Jerusalem, of the unre- vengefulness of Jesus, of bis forgivingness, of the very wistfulness of his loving-kindness I Let us notice the distinguishing features of these days. I. 'l'liEY ABE A GLORIOUS REPRODUCTION OF SOME OF THE GllANDEST OF THE DAYS OF CHRIST'S OWN 1,n:insTRY. That such a thing could be said with literal truth was part (1) of the ~ondescension of Jesus; again, it came (2) of the genuine realit~ contained i!l the profession that he wore human nature; and (3) of the ono absorbed rnterest of his heart in the work of man's salvation. 'l'he point is surely worthy of attention, so beautiful in its own moral bearings; so significant of the intention of Jesus to share his ultimate triumph and glory with his own people, and their captains and princes not last; and so great a contrast to the methods and the" inward thoughts" of tho "world" and "the kiugs of the earth." Jesus is not of those who would cut off from the followers in his train those who might be successful imitators of his career, sharers of bis renown. He is exactly the opposite of this. He calls, invites, incites us all to seek to lie in ei-ery best sense imitators of him, and promises that so we shall not fail of a just share of his renown. The likeness between these days and days in the ministry of Jesus Christ is patent in respect of: 1. The miracles which found a place iu them. 2. The beneficent character of those same miracles. 3. 'l'he abundance and the variety of them-ranging from the healing of " the sick" to the healing of thosa « vexed with unclean spirits." 4. The very methods by which the friends of tha afilicted compassed the bringing of them within the reach of the" virtue" which in some way "came out" of the apostles. 'l'he "touch of the hem of tbo garment" mus~ be allowed to be equalled by the device of securing the chance for some impotent man of the "shadow of Peter . . . overshadowing him." 6. '.rho eager, longing, thirsting appropriation of such blessings on the part of the masses of the people. Crushed by want, by suffering, by sin; hope, light, nay, almost the mind crushed out of them;- with what irresistible, unceremonious tide do these ever press forward, and swet.p round or over every obstacle, when genuine help, precious, precious, precious salvatiuu profiers itself! What care they for Sanhedrim and Sadducee? They are the rulers, and the others are cowed and cower before them. 6. The widespread practical succeiis of the miracles-" they were healed every one." 7. 'l'he moral triumph which "the people" accord to the authors, or those who appear as the authors, of their blc,ssings. They repudiate sophistication, and "render honour to whom honour is due." Indeed, there are not wanting very satisfactory and sufficient indications now that " the people," on the one hand, rendered to the apostles the distinction justly due to them as the trusted servants of their vanished Master, and, on the other, recognized the fact that "the power was of God." Infidelity was not altogether either the prevalent or the hardened fact in some directions then that in some directions it is now. "'l'he people" had a great idea of the impregnability of the position of the man who did" works such ai; none other could do," and" such as no man could do save God were with him." II. THEY GIVE NOW WITH UNCHALLENGEABLE AUTHORITY THEIR PllOPEB DIGNITY AND STATUS TO THE COMPANY OF THE A.POSTLES. Peter and John are the two apostles wLoGe nn.mes and whose work had hitherto received prominence. Of these Peter has been with evident and with just design by far the more prominent, 'l'ill Paul shall come upon the scene he will also remain similarly conspicuous. But during these days the whole college of the apostles seem to receive the baptislll of their work, as on the day of Pentecost they had received the baptis~ of t~e Spirit for it._ ~'hey are .. all with one accord in Solomon's porch." And the chief evidence of the d1gmty and status, not artificial but real, which were now given to them, may perhaps bo beHt expressed in a somewhat antithetic11,l mode of statement, viz. that (1) while "the people magnified OIi, V, 1-42,] THE ACTS OF 'l'HE APOSTLES. li9