historical truth rests upon II solid basis, and whose meaning and purpose receive their only ond full explanaUon in another set of events whose basis of historical evidence is no less firm e.nd solid than the former. This double testimony to the truth of the gospel, supplied by the direct evidence of those who went in a.ad out with the Lord Jesus, on the one he.nd, and by the prophetic preparation for thos() events, and the significant types of them, exhibited centuries before, on the other hand, together form a moral demonstration which, when apprehended, is simply irresistible. It is this which gives such force to those apostolic and other sermons which are recorded in this Book of the Acts. In this sermon of St. Paul's we have the election of Israel to be the people of God, their redemption from Ezyptian bondage, their planting in the land of Cane.an according to God's promise, first held up to view. Could any one deny the truth of those events? Were not the Jewish people still ill actoa.l poasession of the le.nd of Cane.an 'I Living in the midst of heathens, were they not, and were not they alone, worshippers of the true and livinz God? Did they not possess the sacred oracles? And if they went back centllly by century, did they not come to the time when the seven nations of Canaan possessed the land, and when their fathers dis- possessed them of it? If they went further back still, was there not the Egyptian bondage described in their ancient records, living in their traditions and sacred songs, engraved in the monuments and annals of Egypt? Yes; God bad dealt with them as he had dealt with no other people. They were the children of miracle, the heirs of Divine promises, the depositaries of a Divine plan, the ordained instruments of a great and eternal purpose. Every page of their history proved it, as that history was slowly unfolded in the course of successive ages. And the purpose itself was partially revealed from time to time, Let them bethink themselves of David and bis throne; bis humble origin, and his exalted power; the hand which raised him, the promises which sur- rounded him, the expectations which clung to his name. Did he not live in the hearts and hopes of the people through ages of oppression and wrong? Did not his name still glow on the page of prophecy, as the heir of mercy, as the future prince of Israel, as the fonnder of Israel's glory? What did all these things mean? What was the hidden truth that swelled and was ready to burst under all these images? What was the womb of time so big with in the days which had come upon them? There was an answer, and one only answer, to these questions. The history of their fathers was explained by one and only one fact, and that was the birth of Jesus Christ, of the seed of Abraham and of the lineage of David, to be the Saviour of Israel, and not of Israel only, but also of the whole world. And he Paul was there to tell them of Jesus Christ: how he was born in the city of David; how John the Baptist bore witness of him; how in him was fulfilled all that was written in the Law of Moses and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning the Christ that should come. Let them turn to those prophets and to those Psalms, and see what was there written concerning the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. It had all been fulfilled. The Man of sorrows had been despised and rejected ; his hands and bis feet bad been pierced on the tree ; they had parted his raiment among them and cast lots upon his vesture:; he had gone to the grave and to hell; he had risen again and seen no corruption; his old companions had seen him many days after his resurrection; they had eaten and drunk with him, and in their sight he had gone up to heaven. What further proof could they have that he was very Christ, the promised Saviour, the Son of David, of whose kingdom there should be no end? Let them believe in him, and he would justify them from all their sins. Let them not by their unbelief bring upon themselves the curse denounced by the prophet upon the despisers of God's Word. Thus it was that the fulfilment in the New Testament of all the types and promises of the Old was as the seal of God to the truth of both. The testimony of nearly two thousand years, in which words, deeds, persons, things, events, pointed with steady consistency to one Person that should come, was all concentrated upon Jesus Christ, who did come in the fulness of time. And the 1850 years which have ele.p.ed since Jesus rose again have added their testimony, too, to all that went before. So that our age will be altogether without excuse if, shutting its eyes to the light of truth, it rejects the Son of God and misses the great salvation which he has brought. to our sinful and fallen world. 'l'El:E Acrt'S 01!' Tlitt Al'OSTL1!1S,
Vers. 42-52.-'I'he aavour of death and of life. We have here a memorable example of the same gospel being a savour of life to some and of death to others, according to the reception given to it in the heart of the hearers. Here was a mixed congregation of Jews and proselytes and Gentiles. They had all the same advantages; ~ey all heard the same gospel at the mouth of the same preacher. Some, when they heard, believed; a hunger sprang up in their souls to hear and to know more of the 68.l~tion of God. 'l'hey followed the preachers out of the synagogue; they hung upon their words; they listened to their exhortations. The next sabbath found them in the synagogue again. We can ima~ine that the pressing thought in their hearts wa.q, "What must I do to be saved r" We can imagine how they struggled out of the darkness into the light of Christ; how the new message of redeeming love and justifying grace kindled new thought.s in their inmost souls; how they followed the words which led them till they found peace and life in Jesus Christ. The gospel was to them "a savour of life unto life." But others heard and believed not. Their conscience was not pricked with sin; their souls were not moved by the love of God ; they did not yearn aft.ir more light, more knowledge of the glorious Lord; they were not humbled before the cross; but their self-love was wounded, their pride was aroused, jealousy and hatred were kindled within them at the success of the gospel. They spurned the truth which would lower their importance; they scorned the light in which their own glory would grow pale; they hated the goodness before which their own goodness withered into sin. They knew Christ only to contradict him; they knew bis Word only to blaspheme him. The gospel of God's grace had come to them, but their last state was worse than the first. The gospel was to them "a savour of death unto death."