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which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

To refuse to believe a plain fact, supported by the clearest evidence, is an act of great folly, of which every reasonable man ought to be ashamed. Of this folly would they be guilty who rejected the divine mission of Christ, of which, therefore, he warns them to beware.

REFLECTIONS.

1. From the apostle's address to these Jews at Antioch, we see what abundant evidence there is of the divine mission and prophetical character of Jesus. Such a character corresponds with the peculiar circumstances of the Jewish people, who had been selected by God from the rest of mankind, to enjoy peculiar religious privileges. If a great prophet, therefore, is to be sent into the world, among whom can he so properly appear as among the Jews; the only people who for many ages had been favoured with miraculous communications? Such an event corresponds also with other remarkable facts in their history, from which it appears that God often interposed in an extraordinary manner for their benefit, by delivering them from Egypt, by nourishing them in the wilderness, by settling them in Canaan, and giving them judges and kings. One additional favour, after so many already bestowed, appears by no means improbable. The appearance of such a person had been foretold by other prophets, both of earlier and later date; by John the Baptist, who announced his immediate approach, and by Isaiah who mentioned the family of which he should be born, even the seed of David.

The extraordinary personage thus announced, although opposed by the great body of the Jewish rulers and people, and cruelly put to death, could not be convicted of any crime; nay, his pretensions are completely justified by God's raising him from the dead. Of this event those were the witnesses who are best qualified to furnish satisfactory testimony, his intimate friends and companions. These were sufficient to establish the truth of the fact, independently of any other evidence; but their testimony is also corroborated by several predictions which foretold such

an event.

To these united arguments who can refuse to yield assent, that is not deaf to the voice of reason and the language of truth? To every candid and unprejudiced mind, which will judge of the truth of Christianity as of any other historical fact, they must, I conceive, carry irresistible conviction.

2. We have here an example of a laudable custom which prevailed amongst the Jews, and which deserves to be imitated amongst Christians, that of reading their law and their prophets every sabbath-day in their public assemblies.

I am far from thinking, indeed, that the mere reading of a book or hearing it read is all that is necessary to understand it; more especially, one of such ancient date, and which comprehends such a variety of style and matter. On the contrary, I conceive it to be very possible that men may read the bible, or hear it read, all their days, in such a manner that they may be grossly ignorant of what it contains; and this I am persuaded is the condition of a great number of Christians, who seem to think their roading the bible often will supply the place of studying it. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the slightest impression in favour of virtue and piety, such as may be acquired by the most careless reader or hearer, is not to be despised; while the best informed minds require to have their good impressions renewed: it is only by having

a constant intercourse with these sacred records that they can keep their faith alive and active, and render the invaluable principles of the gospel familiar to their minds.

Acts xiii. 42. to the end. xiv. 1-7.

The historian, having given an account of the apostle's advice to the Jews at Antioch in Pisidia, now proceeds to notice the impression made upon his audience, which was a conviction of the truth of the Christian religion in some, and a desire to hear him in all. With this desire he complies; and his preaching is attended with such success among the Gentiles, that it awakens the envy of the Jews, who stir up the people to drive them away. They go from Antioch to Iconium, and are expelled thence for the same

cause.

42. And as they, i. e. the apostles, went out of the synagogue, they besought that these words night preached to them the next sabbath.

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The words, "the Jews and the Gentiles," which occur in this verse in our version, are omitted in some of the best manuscripts and versions, and probably with good reason; for they seem rather to embarrass than to aid the sense.

43. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God, i. e. exhorted them to continue in the profession of the gospel.

See Griesbach, who omits them.

44. And the next sabbath-day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

45. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.

They contradicted Paul in asserting the divine mis sion of his master, and spoke of him in injurious and reproachful language, which is the proper signification of blaspheming; calling him a deceiver and impostor.

To this conduct the Jews were instigated by envy. What awakened their jealousy was to hear the same terms offered by the apostle to the Gentiles as to themselves, and to see them treated with the same respect. To those who had been taught to regard themselves as the peculiar people of God, and to look upon the Gentiles with contempt, this could not fail to be highly grating. A system which thus counteracted their favourite prejudices could not be of divine origin, and was therefore rejected by them.

46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, or, using great freedom of speech, said," It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

When the apostles were commissioned to preach the gospel to the world, they were directed to begin at

Jerusalem, i. e. to offer it first to the Jews; for the language of Christ to them was that repentance and remission of sins were to be preached in his name amongst all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, Luke xxiv. 47. This preference given to the Jews they considered as a direction for their conduct in other instances; and accordingly, wherever they came, addressed themselves first to that people, and only to the Gentiles when they found their first overtures rejected. When Paul and Barnabas declare in this sage that they should turn from one to the other, they do not mean that they would never offer the gospel to the Jews again; but only that in the present instance they should endeavour to make no more proselytes among the Jews of Antioch, seeing they had shown themselves unteachable and obstinate, but preach thenceforwards to the Gentiles of that place, who had shown a better disposition to receive their message.

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47. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

These words are taken from a prophecy of Isaiah, xlix. 6. in which the prophet complains, in the name of Christ, of want of success. "I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought:" to which God replies that if the issue of his labours should be the most unfavourable that could be supposed; if Israel should not be gathered, yet he should not fail of his reward; but so far would his labours be from being fruitless in regard to others, that he should be successful in raising up the tribes of Jacob, and instrumental likewise in enlightening and saving the Gentiles. From this passage Paul and Barnabas might justly infer that the Christian religion was intended for the benefit of the heathens, as well as of the Jews; yet it must be acknowledged that it contains no di

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