principal Parts of which it consists, viz. the miraculous Abilities conferred upon the Apostles and primitive Disciples; their preaching of this Religion first to the Jewish Land; and then the Progress they made in it thro' several large Tracts of the Gentile World; you will, I hope, attain the proper Advantages of this Divine History, for building yourselves up in your most Holy Faith, in these following Conclufions and Observations. First, That these miraculous Endowments of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and first Chriftians, are an ample and compleat Confirmation of the Truth of the Gospel History, and Religion. Secondly, That tho' we have left us in this Book, an Account chiefly of the Travels of but two Αpostles, viz. St. Peter and St. Paul (and but a brief and short Abstract of them neither) yet the indefatigable Labours, Sufferings, and Pains we find them to have taken, are a sufficient Intimation and Afsurance of the fame Industry and Application of all the other Apostles, that were difpersed into other Parts of the World, for demonstrating and establishing the Christian Religion. Thirdly, That the historical Accounts we have of the Travels, Miracles, and Successes of the rest of the Apostles from the best Ecclefiaftical Writers, tho' they be not of the same Divine Authority with those of this Book, nor all of equal Credibility; yet, in the main, have a great Degree of hiftorical and probable Truth. And, Lastly, That whatever the depraved and miferable Estate of Ignorance and Error, of the far major Part of the World may now be, yet the Divine Goodness and Providence was not at first wanting in bestowing on them all the Means of true and saving Religion by his Gofpel. A A PARAPHRASE ON THЕ Acts of the Holy APOSTLES. CHAP. I. The CONTENTS. An Account of fome Passages, between Christ and his Apo- I. THE * former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of † all that Jesus began both to do and teach. 2. Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, thro' the † holy Ghoft, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen; ! 1 & 2. HE Gospel which I A. D. 33. T Luke wrote fome Time ago (for your Instruction, Life, Doctrine, and Religion of Jesus Christ the Meffiah and Saviour of Mankind; in which I was as full and particular + as I thought needful for the Inftruction of any Christian Convert: Beginning from the Birth and Preaching of John the Baptist, his Forerunner, sent to prepare the Minds of Men for the Reception of his Religion; and ending at the Day of his Afcenfion, when he was taken up into Heaven by the Power of the fame † Holy Spirit that conducted him thro' the whole Course of * Ver. 1. The former Treatise - Τὸν πρῶτον λόγον; οr, the former Part, viz. St. Luke's Gospel, and this of the Acts, seeming to have been but two Parts of one and the fame Book, and probably publish'd together. See Appendix to the Paraphrafe on 1 Tim. in Imitation of Mr. Lock's Manner, by a most learned anonymous Author. † Ibid. Περί πάντων must be thus limited; see Joh. xxi. 25. ‡ Ver. 2. " He through the Holy Ghost - It being not by Expositors clearly determined, to which Part of the Sentence these 2 A. D. 33. of his Ministry, and in the † Choice, Management, and Direction of his twelve Apostles, who were to be the Witnesses of what he had done and taught, and the chief Ministers of his Kingdom. 3. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things 3. To which twelve Apostles (as I there related, Luke xxiv.) he shewed himself alive immediately after his Refurrection, convincing them of the Truth and Reality of it by many the most undeniable Proofs, and continued Demonftrations for forty Days together, by eating, and drinking, and discourfing with them in his wonted familiar Manner, about the Nature, Excellency, and Success of his Religion and Doctrine, which they were to preach and propagate to Mankind. pertaining to the king- 4 & 5. At the last of which Times of his Meeting and Conversation with them, being the very Day * on which he afcended, he order'd them not to begin this great Work of preaching the Gofpel immediately, but to stay at Jerufalem, till he should fend down upon them those Gifts of the Spirit, which God had long before promised to his Church, Joel ii. 28. and which (faid he) you have heard me several Times speak these Words are to be connected, i. e. Whether Christ is said to have been taken up by the Holy Ghost, or to have chosen and commanded his Apostles by the Holy Ghost; I have therefore expreffed both Meanings in the Paraphrase. But indeed ἀναληφθείς διὰ being not so good Greek as ἀπειλάμμο διά, I take the latter to be the true Sense, and the Construction of the Words seem to determine it so. * As fome of our best Commentators think, though it be not absolutely certain. † "Οτι being rendered by that, connects the Sense of the two Veries. Or, it may be no Reference to any particular former Ghoft, not many days speak of, and engage to fulfil up- A. D. 33. 6. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time reftore again the king dom to Ifrael? 6. Jesus saw the greater Occafion of giving this Order, and repeating this special Promise to his Apostles, from the common Prejudice and false Notions they still had, of the temporal and fecular Grandeur of his Kingdom; or at least that his Kingdom was now presently to come; which they express'd too plainly (fome of them at least) by asking him, whether, after his Refurrection and Ascent into Heaven, he intended to gather the Jewish Nation from their Difperfion, and raise it into a victorious and powerful State; as they expected the Meffiah would do †? 7. And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power. 7 & 8. To which Jesus gave them this proper and seasonable Reply. There are, indeed, great and large Things spoken by the Prophets, concerning the Reftoration and flourishing Estate of the Jewish Church, || under the Meffiah; but the particular Time and Manner, in which God shall please to accomplish these, is one of those Secrets which he has former Speech, but a general Recapitulation of former Promi- * See the foregoing NOTE. + Viz. At Pentecost, which was ten Days after Christ's Afcenfion. I Ver. 6. Restore the Kingdom to Ifrael. See Luke xxii. 29, 30. I appoint unto you a Kingdom, &c. See Dan. vii. 13, 14. - A. D. 33. 8. But ye shall re ceive * power after that the holy Ghost is come upon you: has reserv'd to himself, Deut. xxix. 29. In the mean Time, let this fatisfy you, that you shall be the first and chief Officers under me. in erecting and governing my Kingdom: The Holy Ghost, which I have so often promised, shall endow you with such * Power, that you shall give miraculous Evidences of the Truth of my Religion, shall conquer the Prejudices, and gain the Belief of Mankind, and shall extend these Conquests not only over this City and the Jewish Land, but even to very far and diftant Parts of the Gentile + World. the earth. 9. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight. 9. These are fome of the laft Words that Jesus spoke to his Disciples upon Earth, which as foon as he had ended, and given them his folemn Bleffing, Luke xxiv. 50. there appeared from Heaven a Cloud of Glory, with a Retinue of the Holy Angels, which took him up from the Ground before their Eyes, and gradually mounted him out of their Sight. 10. And while they looked stedfastly to ward heaven, as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; 10 & 11. To which I now add another remarkable Circumstance, That while the Difciples were beholding his glorious Afcent, with the utmost Amazement and Con cern to be parted from him (and, perhaps, with fome Hopes that he would foon return to them again) two of the Angels that attended him, came down near to them in human Form, in bright and glitter ing * Ver. 8. Λήψεθε δύναμιν, Ye shall receive Power. The Word Power feems here to be emphatical, as respecting the Disciples Notion of having temporal Power under Chrift.-Ye shall receive Power indeed of a much more excellent Kind. † "Έως ἐλάλο δ γῆς. See Ver. 1. and Luke xxiv. 47, 48, 49. |