land of Palestine, the other embraced all mankind. The one taught hatred to our enemies, the other love for our foes. The one said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," the other, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." The first great king of the one when dying remembered his enemies and said to Solomon, "But his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood." When in dying, David's greater Son and Lord remembered his enemies and betrayers and said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."b a The law treated its subjects as slaves, the gospel as freemen. Peter, who had suffered the galling servitude of the former, said it was "a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear." "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage," was the exhortation of the great apostle Paul to the Gentiles who had been enslaved by the one and freed by the other. The first revealed God as Creator, the last as Father. The first was carnal, the last was spiritual; the first was earthly, the other heavenly. The law was silent in regard to life after death. All its rewards and punishments were earthly and temporal. The gospel glows with immortality; it buds, blossoms, blooms, and is laden with the fruitage of eternal life. The law was given from Sinai amid scenes of indescribable terror, which caused even Moses to ex a 1 Kings ii. 9. b Matt. xxiii. 24. c Acts xv. 10. e See Deut. xxviii. e a claim, "I exceedingly fear and quake." But fifty days after the death of Jesus, "when the day of Pentecost was fully come," we have the message of peace from the King of Peace. The Messiah has ascended to heaven, been crowned Lord of all and entered upon His mediatorial reign. The scenes that clustered around this sacred spot are hallowed scenes. They will live in the memory of man forever. If upon giving the law not so much as even a beast should touch the mountain, the place whereon we now stand is holy ground. "If the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away; how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth." We stand then not where Moses stood, but upon ground hallowed by the bringing in of a better hope. The apostles have tarried in Jerusalem, as commanded, the Holy Spirit has fallen upon them as promised. Prophecy, promise and type are now fulfilled. Let us then approach with clean hands and pure hearts and unprejudiced minds and hear the first proclamation that ever reached the Gentile world --including all mankind-the story of remission of sins to be preached among all nations, beginning at b Cor. iii. 7-10. a Heb. xii. 21. Jerusalem. The story of love and suffering, of death and triumph of the cross and the crown, which has cheered millions of the living and those who died on earth, will be sung as a new song by the redeemed in the new heaven. CHAPTER IX THE DAY OF PENTECOST Peter's Sermon on the Day of Pentecost and the Pardon of the Three Thousand. "AND when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" a No wonder that these people who spoke seventeen languages or dialects were amazed when each heard them speak in his own language, "the wonderful a Acts ii. 1-8. works of God." a While some were in doubt, saying, one to another, "What meaneth this? Others mocking, said, These men are full of sweet wine." But Peter, to whom Jesus had given the keys of the kingdom and imparted the authority to open the kingdom of heaven on earth, "standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. And it shall come to that pass, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The last days spoken of here are the same as the last days spoken of by Isaiah and refer to the close of the Jewish dispensation or age. Jesus, while He lived, kept the Jewish law perfectly. He is the only one on record who met all its requirements; and when the Jews were challenged no one convicted Him of sin. He kept the law, and "not one jot or tittle passed until all was fulfilled" and was "abolished." c "He took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross,' and dying exclaimed, “It is finished,” and the “vail of the temple was rent." Now, all may approach "by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail."a ... a Acts ii. II. c See 2 Cor. iii. 7-13. b Acts ii. 14-21. Heb. x. 20. |
