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23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple 10 should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

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24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one," I suppose that even the "world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

9 therefore. Ham. 10 and they supposed that that disciple. Wh. "particularly. We. Pu.

things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts and then shall every man have praise of God. do. xi. 26: For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. REV. ii. 25: But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. do. iii. 11: Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. do. xxii. 7, 20: Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. See on Acts, i. 11. r Ver. 19.

S JOHN, xix, 35: He that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 3 JOHN, 12: We also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.

t JOHN, XX. 30.

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AMOS, vii. 10: The land is not able to bear all his [Amos's]

words.

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OF THE APOSTLES.

THIS Book contains a great part of the lives of St. Peter and St. Paul, and forms a concise history of the Christian Church during thirty years after the ascension of Christ. St. Luke has been generally considered as the author of the Acтs, and his principal design in writing it was to compose a true history of the apostles, and of the foundation of the Christian Church, in opposition to the false acts and false histories which began to be dispersed in the world. The exact time in which St. Luke wrote the book of the Acts is not known. It is evident that it was written after his Gospel, and two years after St. Paul's abode at Rome, on the first journey he made to that city, or about the sixty-second or sixty-third year of our ærá. St. Luke speaks of this journey to Rome, and says that St. Paul "dwelt two whole years in his own hired house" (Acts, xxviii. 30). Perhaps he wrote it at Rome, whilst he remained with St. Paul during the time of his imprisonment. However, Jerome and many others are of opinion that this book was written and published in Greece, whither Luke went after he left Paul, in the year of our Lord 63 or 64. This book is evidently a second part or continuation of St. Luke's Gospel, as appears from the beginning of it; and from its bearing upon it the strongest marks, with respect to style, of being the production of the same pen. It forms a central or intermediate book to connect the Gospels and Epistles; serving as a useful postscript to the former, and a proper introduction to the latter. Besides the very interesting light in which this record appears as a valuable piece of Church history, it recommends itself to all Christians as furnishing, in connexion with the Gospel history, a very striking proof of the truth of Christianity. By comparing the character and conduct of the apostles, as related in the Gospels, with what was effected by their instrumentality when their Master was separated from them, it appears certain that they were divinely assisted, and that the cause in which they were engaged was the cause of God and Divine Truth.

CHAP. I.

1 Christ, preparing his apostles to the beholding of his ascension, gathereth them together into the mount Olivet, commandeth them to expect the sending down of the Holy Ghost, promiseth after few days to send it; by virtue whereof they should be witnesses unto him,

even to the utmost parts of the earth: 9 after his ascension they are warned by two angels to depart, and to set their minds upon his second coming: 12 they accordingly return, and, giving themselves to prayer, choose Matthias apostle in the place of Judas.

A. D. 33. 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 through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen :

3 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

4 And, being assembled together with them,1 commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

e

5 For John truly2 baptized with water; but "ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

1

1 eating together with them. A. V.

2 indeed. Whit.

a LUKE, i. 3: It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus.

b Ver. 9. MARK, xvi. 19: So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. LUKE, ix. 51: When the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. do. xxiv. 51: And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. 1 TIM. iii. 16: Manifest in the flesh,-received up into glory. See on JOHN, xx. 21.

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d See on LUKE, Xxiv. 34, 36.

e See on LUKE, Xxiv. 49.

f See on MAT. iii. 11.

& JOEL, iii. 18: It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and

6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the 'times or the seasons,3 which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall "receive power, after that the "Holy Ghost is come upon you:* and ye shall be ° witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.o

9 And when he had spoken these things,

opportunities. Pu. the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, A. V. 5 my witnesses. Co. 6 world. Ma. Cr. Bi.

shall water the valley Shittim. Acтs, ii. 4: They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. do. xi. 15: The Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

hMAT. XX. 21: Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. do. xxiv. 3: The disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? LUKE, xvii. 20: When he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.

i ISA. 1. 26: I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. Dan. vii. 27: And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. AMOS, ix. 11: In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.

* See on MAT. xxiv. 36.

11 THES. v. 1: Of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

m ACTS, ii. 1, 4.

" See on LUKE, XXIV. 49.

• Ver. 22. See on LUKE, Xxiv. 48.

Pwhile they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall *so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

P See on LUKE, xxiv. 51.

9 MAT. xvii. 2: [Jesus] was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. do. xxviii. 3: His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. JOHN, XX. 12: [Mary] seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Acтs, x. 3, 30: He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.-Behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.

ACTS, ii. 7. do. xiii. 31: He was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem.

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$ DAN. vii. 10, 13: Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. ZEC. xiv. 5: The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. MAT. xvi. 27, 28: The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. do. xix. 28: And Jesus said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. do. xxiv. 30: They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. do. xxv. 31: When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. do. xxvi. 64: Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. MARK, viii. 38: Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when

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