87 whom with wicked hands they had slain.— Saphir. Salvation is a heart affair. Heaven’s gates do not swing open to ,stuffed heads. — Sel. What shall we do? This was the first inquiry meeting of the New Testament.— Brooks. There is no hope of a man being saved until he comes to feel the danger of being lost.— Inglis. v. 38. Repent and he baptized. To repent is not a flow of emotion but a certain direction of mind. I may repent with dry eyes. It is not a matter of feeling but of willing. It is to lay hold of the aimless, drifting thought and steer it toward God. It is a change of mind toward God and Christ.— Jowett. Baptism is the first command given to a believer. In every case of conversion reported in Acts it was immediately fol lowed by the baptism of the individual. —Haldeman. F o r’ the remission of sins. Remission is not merely a diminu tion of the debt or a prolongation of the term of payment, but the free act of the creditor done once for all.-nj-Farr. v. 39. The promise is to all. Not only Jews but far off Gentiles, nay, as many as God shall call by His inward speech and grace, are welcome to re ceive the fullness of the Spirit. Have you received it?— Devo. Com. v. 41. Same day added about three thousand. Only the Holy Spirit can make any real additions. God cares lit tle for numerical increase in church membership but much for all real addi tions to Himself and His mystical body in Christ.— Pierson. Fitting inaugura tion of the new kingdom as an econ omy of the Spirit. What may not the Word of God do when it is wielded by the mighty Spirit?—Meyer. v. 42. They continued steadfastly. There is a two-fold duty of the church, first to continue steadfastly in doctrine, second to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3).— Farr. How often is our faith languid and our religious life
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS men and this promise was conditioned by Jesus upon His resurrection (v. 33) ; 3, the prophecies declared He must not see corruption (v. 34).— Sum. Bible. v. 34. David saitli himself. The words of this Psalm the Jews in the discourse with our Lord (Matt. 22:44- 46) admit to be spoken of the Messiah. — Camb. Bible. v. 35. Make thy foes thy footstool. To put the foot on the neck of an enemy was an expression for complete victory, an Oriental custom (Josh. 10:24). Christ’s enemies are to become His footstool and then His kingdom shall continue and be more glorious.— Lumby. v. 36. God hath made. It was a terrific climax. They had hung God’s Christ on a Roman cross between two thieves. God had taken Him from the grave of the crucified and placed Him on the throne of the universe. It was a fearful indictment. No wonder they were pricked in their hearts.—Halde- man. Whom ye crucified. The sting is at the end. To convince them that He whom they had crucified had been “ by the right hand of God exalted” and constituted Lord to whom every knee shall bow, was to bring them to look on Him whom they had pierced and to mourn for Him.— Bengel. v. 37. They were pricked in their heart. No other truth is so calculated to produce such profound conviction of sin as the truth of the glory of Jesus apd our consequent enormous guilt in the rejection of such a One as He.— Torrey. What rendered their perplex ity, fear and grief extremely agonizing was the circumstance that safety' and help were only to be obtained from the very Jesus, against whom they had sinned so grievously. They were thus hemmed in between two alternatives, either to wait the day of judgment as the enemies of Jesus or to supplicate the mercy and favor of the Saviour
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