634 They return to Jerusalem, and praise God in the temple.

cciii.

SECT. in the most effectual manner for their present and 53 And were coneternal happiness. And they were always in the tinually in the temLuke temple, that is, they constantly attended there ple, praising and blessing God. Axxiv. at proper times, and were daily present at the men. 53 hours of prayer,d praising and blessing God, both

xvi. 20

in his house, and in their own retirements.
Amen! May God always be praised by us, and
by all who receive his gospel, for the discove-
ries and attestations of it given to these his ser-
vants, and by them to us!

Mark And, in a few days after this (as will be MARK XVI. 20.
shewn more largely in the following history), And they went forth,
their ascended Lord, in remembrance of his where, the Lord
and preached every
promise to them, sent down as a royal dona- working with them,
tive the extraordinary influences of his Spirit and confirming the
upon them, fully to qualify them for that impor- lowing. Amen.
word with signs fol-
tant office to which they were designed. And
going forth with this furniture, they preached
the gospel every where throughout the whole
Roman empire, and even among the barbarous
nations, with amazing success; the Lord, accor.
ding to his promise, working with them, and
confirming the word of his grace by the signs
and miracles which followed it; which were at
once the most solid, as well as the most obvi,
ous and popular demonstrations of those Di-
vine truths which they delivered. Amen! So
may the presence of the Lord be always with his
faithful ministers! and may his gospel be at
tended every where with efficacy and success,
as well as with convincing evidences of its
Divine authority!

John

And thus we have given a summary account JoHN XXI. 25xxi.25 of the most remarkable passages of the life of And there are also many other things Christ during the time of his abode on earth: which Jesus did; but after all, it must be considered only as a [and many other specimen, rather than a full narration; for there are also many other things that Jesus said

And they were always in the temple.] Some have imagined (by comparing this with Acts i. 13, 14), that the apostles dwelt for some time afterwards in an upper chamber of the temple: but they had no such interest with the priests, as to allow us to suppose they would permit them to lodge in an apartment of the temple. It is sufficient that they were always there at the proper seasons; for it is well known, that

by night the temple was shut up. (Compare Luke ii. 37, Vol. I. p. 76, and John xviii. 20, Vol. II. p. 503.) They probably joined their voices with the chorus of the Levites, as no doubt other pious Israelites did; and must surely, from what they had already seen and known, have learnt to use many of the psalms sung by them, in a much sublimer sense than the generality of the people could.

These things are written, that we may believe.

635

xxi.25

signs truly did Jesus and did, and indeed many other signs and mira- secr. in the presence of cles, that Jesus wrought, both before and after cciii. his disciples, which are not written in this his resurrection, in the presence of his disciples, book ;] he which, if which are not written in this book of the four John they should be writ- evangelists, which is here completed; and ten every one, I sup- which indeed are so numerous, that if every pose that even the world itself could not one [of them] should be recorded in all its circumcontain the booksthat stances, I am persuaded the work would amount should be written. to so vast a bulk, that the world itself would not [JOHN XX. 30.]

JOHN XX.

be able to receive the books that should be written; but the very size of the volumes would necessarily prevent the generality of mankind from procuring or reading them. But these most John But these are writ- necessary and important things are written, in xx. 31 ten, that ye might this plain way, and in this portable volume, not believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son merely that the reader may be amused by so of God, and that be. curious a story, but that the faith, the hope, and lieving, we might the piety of Christians, may be confirmed; and have life through especially that you may more firmly and assurhis name. [Amen.] [JOHN XXI.-25.1 edly believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, partaking of the same Divine glory with the Father, and the sure object of his people's confidence; and that believing it, you may be so influenced by his instructive discourses, his complete example, and his dying love, that you And may have eternal life through his name. may God grant, that as it is all most certainly and circumstantially true, so it may have that happy effect upon all those by whom this history is perused, from age to age! Amen.

IMPROVEMENT.

THUS did our victorious Saviour ascend on high, and lead Luke captivity captive: the chariots of God which attended him xxiv.

The world itself would not be able to receive the books, &c.] There would be no great inconvenience in allowing an hyperbole here, as most expositors do, of which we meet with other instances in scripture. (See Gen. xi. 4; Numb. xiii. 33; and compare John xii. 19.) But I think the sense given in the paraphrase easier and more suited to the remarkable plainness of St. John's style. Elsner explains this passage as if the evangelist had said, "If they were all to be particularly writ ten, the unbelieving world would not admit them, so as to be moved by them to faith and obedience." And he produces instances in which yogur has such a signi

51

fication. But, as John knew the unbeliev.
ing world would reject even what he had
writ, this could be no reason for his writ-
ing no more. Perhaps it may be a most
delightful part of the entertainment of the
heavenly world, to learn from our blessed
Lord himself, or from those who convers.
ed with him on earth, a multitude of such
particulars of his life, as will be well wor
thy our everlasting admiration.
mean time, the pious and attentive study
of what is here recorded, may most hap-
pily prepare us for such discoveries, and
add an unutterable relish to them: Amen!
So may it be, tothe author of this Exposition,
and to all those who do, or may peruse it!

In the

636

Actsi.

Reflections on the great design of the gospel.

SECT. were twenty thousand, even thousands of angels! (Psal. Ixviii. 17, cciii. 18) and being gone into heaven, he is there seated on the right hand of God; angels, and authorities, and powers being made subject to him. (1 Peter iii. 22.) Let us his humble followers look after him with holy joy and pleasing expectation; congratulating his triumphs, and trusting through his grace to share them. Luke Like the apostles, let us bow down and worship him; and, while xxiv. we continue here below, let us make it our daily labour and care 52 to seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the

10

Acts

i.

right hand of God. (Col. iii. 1.) And, instead of amusing ourselves with the vain dreams of temporal grandeur and felicity, or with curious inquiries after those times and seasons which the 17 Father has reserved in his own power, let us apply with vigour and zeal to that business which he has assigned us; labouring to the utmost to promote his gospel, and, by a diligent improvement 11 of our time and opportunities, to prepare for his final appearance, when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with more public splendour than he returned thither, and shall come in the glory of his Father, and his own glory, with a majestic pomp which every eye shall see, and with the sound of a trumpet, which even all the nations of the dead shall hear.

Mark

In the mean time, let us thankfully own his gracious presence xvi.20 with his disciples, whom he left behind him; and with admiring gratitude reflect upon the happy consequences of that presence, in the establishment of the gospel in the world, and the transmission of it even unto us, in so remote an age and country.

John Let us especially praise him for these sacred records which xxi.25 contain such an authentic and exact account of those important facts in which we are all so nearly concerned; records incomparably more valuable than the writings of our private estates, or the charters of our public liberties. Let us earnestly pray, that their great design may be answered in us; and make it our important request to Him who is the giver of all grace, that through the operations of that Holy Spirit, without the influence of which even scripture itself, with all our advantages for understanding and improving it, will be but a sealed book, or a dead letter, our faith may be nourished and confirmed by every portion of it which we read; and that our hearts may be so delivered into the mould of his word, that believing on Christ, under John xx. 31 all the characters he bears, we may have life through his name; and may at length receive the end of our faith, in the complete salvation of our souls, through him, to whom with the Father, and the eternal Spirit, be undivided honours, and everlasting praises. Amen, and Amen!

END OF THE SECOND VOLUME.

A TABLE

FOR THE MORE READY FINDING ANY VERSE OF THE EVANGEL

ISTS IN THE FOREGOING HARMONY.

N. B. The verses between those inserted in this table follow each other in
the same section, and begin at the page referred to. Thus in MAT.
chap.I. the verses from verse 1 to verse 17, are in sect. ix. and begin at
page 56. And then from verse 18 to verse 25, which ends the chapter,
they are in sect. viii. and begin at page 52.

THE PAGES WITH THIS MARK BELONG TO THE FIRST VOLUME.