The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 274

by them. (1) Jesus Christ h&.s been a wonderful Teacher i& this world. The oivilized world now gi,·cs him the teacher's chair, All other teachers pale their ineffectual light in his presence. And when they shine, shine only in proportion to the light they borrow from him. (2) Jesus Christ has been also a wonderful Example of charaoter-Pattern of patterns, Model of models; how perfectly sculptured I how adorably complete I (3) But the one leading wonderful characteristic to which be lays claim, and justest claim, is that of Savwur: not what he teaches; not what he instances and illustrates of surprising greatness, goodness, grace; but what he docs and will do. Therefore no barren word, nor word of dialectic skill, nor word of elegant culture, nor of poetic fancy, nor of profoundest theologic theme, shall dare to offer to pass current for "Christ preached." This means false profession, audacious blasphe.ny, guiltiest tampering wiih sacredest things, unless it mean conviction for sin, conti·ition for guilty heart, cnnversion of natnre, and unmistaken change of life I Then first would the gospel of Cl.Hist put off its glory, and he himself descend from his undisputed place, when any diminishment were made in the slightest iota, "one jot or one tittle," of these their unique and venerable and practical proffers. Well might there be" great joy in that city," when into it there graciously entered the presence which met the deep, the groaning, sighing, almost despairing and worn demand of " the people" I It carried in its very voice its evidence; in its deeds its attraction ; in its varied rich message its circle of reward. And as with bountiful hand it strewed its blessings, a willing, grateful, jubilant crowd gathered round, and one filled with new joy. II. IT WAS A JOY THAT HAD THE ELEMENTS OF LIKELY DURATION IN IT. 1. Some joyed who received the full blessing themselves. If any were dispossessed of unclean spirits; if any palsied were thrilled with all the old energy and new added thereto; if the Jame were made to walk and to leap;-these were substantial benefits, undoubted bless- ings, never "to be repented" or forgotten. 2. Some joyed whose chiefest joy, reached by the way of sympathy, was for those who were dear to them, those whom they knew though not dear to them, those whom perhaps they did not know at all nor had ever seen till they now see their joy. For in the wide circumference of a genuine human heart and in its capacious spaciousness there was room, and there i(still room, for sympathy to fine. its sweetest, daintiest food in all these ways. And the joy of sympathy, some of the sacredest that fringes human life, dwells in a secret pavilion, which no profane :fickleness shall easily molest, when Christ is the origin of it. 3. Many joyed by the stirring novelty of so new, so bright a hope, and that hope was neither del1lllive nor "for a while" only. 4. Some, perhaps many, possibly very many, genuinely knew the real dawn of celestial light, of spiritual health, of salvation for the ,soul. That was a joy incontestably of likely duration. It was deep and large and limitless. Ill. IT WAS JOY THAT HAD IN IT THE EARNEST,OF THE ETERNAL UPPER JOY. However little conscious "the people" might be of any such thought, not the less might it have strong hold on them. But it is not impossible that they were in some measure con- scious of it, yet the possession of the present be so true, so welcome a good, that they do not stop to ask of the future or the upper. It matters not either way; there was surely such an earnest in the joy that filled them now. 1. Was it not an unparalleled ecene and experience for them ? Had they ever known anything on earth to surpass it or to parallel it? 2. Was it not a most genuine rehearsal of" the former things being rassed away"? Were pain, and disease, and deprivation of strength, and deprivation -~f lim b-aud the tyranny of evil spirits-relaxing their various grasp, nay, resigning it; wd dici. it not look far on to the time when God would also go so far as to wipe away every tear from every eye ? Was the joy all round, every eye full of it, every tongue full of it, every ear full of it, every heart full of it; and did not this go far to make it 11 universal joy? 3. Was it a joy that came of any other parentage than heaven? Did science bring it, or art, or even the glowing glories of creation bathed in golden sun- light? No; God sent it, and Jesus brought it, and the Spirit made it flow full aud abound. This answers to the heavenly jor._. Though one and another individual fell short of the soul's real light and the hearts deepest joy, if the scene looked like an end "of all our woe," it must have looked something like an end of all our "sin," and justly sends on our enraptured anticipations to the time wl:len both shall have vanished, in the perfeot and eternal joy.-B.  Utl, VIII, 1-40,] THE AOTB 01' THE APOSTLES. 271