importance, as marking the commencement of the Apostolic Church, for here it first publicly displayed its essential character. Next to the appearance of the Son of God himself on earth, this' was the greatest event, as the commencing point of the new divine life, proceeding from him to the human race, which has since spread and operated through successive ages, and will continue to operate until its final object is attained, and all mankind are transformed into the image of Christ. If we contemplate this great transaction from this, its only proper point of view, we shall not be tempted to explain the greater by the less; we shall not consider it strange that the most wonderful event in the inner life of mankind should be accompanied by extraordinary outward appearances, as sensible indications of its existence. Still less shall we be induced to look upon this great transaction-in which we recognise the necessary beginning of a new epoch, an essential intermediate step in the religious development of the Apostles, and in the formation of the Church-as something purely mythical.

The disciples must have looked forward with intense expectation to the fulfilment of that promise, which the Saviour

1 Whoever looks upon Christ only as the highest being developed from the germs originally implanted in human nature (although an absolutely highest being cannot logically be inferred in the development of human nature from this standing-point), must take an essentially different view from ourselves of the transaction of which we are speaking, though he may approximate to us in the mode of viewing particular points. When Hase, in his Essay on the First Christian Pentecost, in the Second Part of Winer's Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Theologie (Journal for Scientific Theology), says, "that a time may arrive when what is the result of freedom in man shall be considered as divine, and the Holy Spirit;" we readily grant that such a time is coming, or rather is already come; it has already reached its highest point, from which must ensue a revolution in the mode of thinking. We cannot, however, hold this view to be the Christian one, but entirely opposite to real Christianity. How irreconcilable it is with the apostolic belief, an unprejudiced thinker, Bouterweck, acknowledges in his Religion der Vernunft (Religion of Reason), p. 137. The Holy Spirit, in the Christian sense, is never the divine in the nature of man, but a communication from God to the nature of man (incapable of itself of reaching its moral destination), which becomes thereby raised to a higher order of life. But this supernatural communication from God, by no means contradicts an acknowledgment of the divine and of freedom in the nature of man, but rather presupposes both.

had so emphatically repeated.1 Ten days had passed since their final separation from their Divine Master, when that

1 Professor Hitzig, in his Sendschreiben über Ostern und Pfingsten (Letters on Easter and Pentecost), Heidelberg, 1837, maintains, that this event occurred not at the Jewish Pentecost, but some days earlier, and that the day of the giving of the Law from Sirai is also to be fixed some days earlier; that Acts ii. 1, is to be understood, "when the day of Pentecost drew near," and therefore denotes a time before the actual occurrence of this feast. As evidence for this assertion, it is remarked that, in verse 5, only the Jews settled in Jerusalem, those who out of all the countries in which they were scattered, had settled in Jerusalem from a strong religious feeling, are mentioned, when, if the reference had been to one of the principal feasts, the multitude of foreign Jews, who came from all parts, would have been especially noticed. Against this view we have to urge the following considerations. The words Acts ii. 1, "When the day of Pentecost was fully come," would be most naturally understood of the actual arrival of that day, as Ańρæμа TOû Xpóvov, or Twν кαιρŵν, Eph. i. 10, and Gal. iv. 4, denote the actual arrival of the appointed time; though we allow that, in certain connexions, they may denote the near approach of some precise point of time, as in Luke ix. 51, where yet it is to be noticed that it is not said "the day," but "the days," and thus the time of the departure of Christ from the earth, which was now actually approaching, is marked in general terms. But as to the connexion of this passage in the Acts, if we are inclined to understand these words only of the near approach of Pentecost, we do not see why such a specification of the time should have been given. Had Luke thought that the day of giving the Law on Sinai was different from that of the Pentecost, it might be expected that he would have marked more precisely the main subject. Besides, there are no traces to be found, that a day in commemoration of the giving of the Law was observed by the Jews. But if we understand the words as referring to the actual arrival of Pentecost, the importance of fixing the time, in relation to the words immediately following, and the whole sequel of the narrative, is very apparent. This feast would occasion the assembling of believers at an early hour. The words in verse 5, we must certainly understand merely of such Jews as were resident in Jerusalem, not of such who came there first at this time. But from a comparison with the 9th verse, it is evident that Kaтoikeiv is not to be understood altogether in the same sense in both verses; that in the latter, those are spoken of who had their residence elsewhere, and were only sojourning for a short time in Jerusalem. And if we grant that the persons spoken of belonged to the number of the Jews who formerly dwelt in other lands, but for a long time past had settled in Jerusalem, as the capital of the Theocracy, then it is clear that, by the ἐπιδημοῦντες Ῥωμαῖοι, we must understand such as for some special cause were just come to Jerusalem. Further, there were also those called Proselytes, who were found in great numbers at Jerusalem, for some special occasion, and this could be no other than the feast of Pentecost. Doubtless, by "all the dwellers at Jerusalem," v. 14, who are

feast was celebrated, whose object so nearly touched that which especially occupied their minds at the time, and must therefore have raised their anxious expectations still higherthe Jewish Pentecost, the feast which was held seven weeks after the Passover. This feast, according to the original Mosaic institution, related only to the first fruits of Harvest ; nor is any other reason for its celebration adduced by Josephus and Philo-in this respect, only a distant resemblance could be traced between the first fruits of the natural Creation, and those of the new Spiritual Creation; this analogy, it is true, is often adverted to by the ancient Fathers of the Church, but before the fulfilment of the Saviour's promise, must have been very far from the thoughts of the disciples. But if we venture to credit the Jewish Traditions,1 this feast had also a reference to the giving of the law on Mount Sinai ;2 hence, by way of distinction, it has been called the feast of the joy of the Law. If this be admitted, then the words of Christ respecting the new revelation of God by him, the new relation established by him between God and Man, which he himself under the designation of the New Covenant* placed in opposition to the Old,-must have been vividly recalled to the minds of the disciples by the celebration of this feast, and, at the same time, their anxious longing would be more strongly excited for that event, which, according to his promise, would confirm and glorify the New Dispensation. As all who professed to be the Lord's disciples (their number then amounted

distinguished from the Jews, are meant all who were then living at Jerusalem, without determining whether they had resided there always, or only for a short time. The whole narrative, too, gives the impression that a greater multitude of persons than usual were then assembled at Jerusalem.

Which may be found collected in a Dissertation by J. M. Danz, in Meuschen's Novum Testamentum e Talmude illustratum, p. 740.

2 That they are justified in making such a reference, may be concluded from comparing Exodus xii. 1, and xix. 1.

4 The word diα, ', which has been used to denote both the Old and the New Dispensation, is taken from human relations, as signifying a covenant or agreement; but in its application to the relation between God and man, the fundamental idea must never be lost sight of, namely, that of a relation in which there is something reciprocal and conditional, as, in this case, a communication from God to man is conditionated by the obedience of faith on the part of the latter.

to one hundred and twenty)' were wont to meet daily for mutual edification, so on this solemn day, they were assembled in a chamber, which according to Oriental customs was specially assigned to devotional exercises. It was the first stated hour of prayer, about nine in the morning, and, according to what we must suppose was then the tone of the disciples' feelings, we may presume that their prayers turned to the object which filled their souls-that on the day when the Old Law had been promulgated with such glory, the New also might be glorified by the communication of the promised Spirit. And what their ardent desires and prayers sought for, what their Lord had promised, was granted. They felt elevated to a new state of mind, pervaded by a spirit of joyfulness and power, to which they had hitherto been strangers, and seized by an inspiring impulse, to testify the grace of

1 Without doubt, those expositors adopt the right view who suppose, that not merely the apostles but all the believers were at that time assembled; for though, in Acts i. 26, the apostles are primarily intended, yet the μaonraí collectively form the chief subject (i. 15), to which the raves at the beginning of the second chapter necessarily refers. It by no means follows, that because, in ch. ii. 14, the apostles alone are represented as speakers, the assembly was confined to these alone; but here, as elsewhere, they appear the leaders and representatives of the whole church, and distinguish themselves from the rest of the persons met together; Acts ii. 15. The great importance of the fact which Peter brings forward in his discourse, that the gifts of the Spirit, which, under the Old Covenant, were imparted only to a select class of persons, such as the prophets,-under the New Covenant, which removes every wall of separation in reference to the higher life, are communicated without distinction to all believers-this great fact would be altogether lost sight of, if we confined every thing here mentioned to the apostles. Throughout the Acts, wherever the agency of the Spirit is manifested by similar characteristics in those who were converted to a living faith, we perceive an evident homogeneity with this first great

event.

2 Such a chamber was built in the eastern style, with a flat roof, and a staircase leading to the court-yard, nepov, . According to the narrative in the Acts, we must suppose it to have been a chamber in a private house. But, in itself, there is nothing to forbid our supposing that the disciples met together in the Temple at the first hour of prayer during the feast; their proceedings would thus have gained much in notoriety, though not in real importance, as Olshausen maintains; for it perfectly accorded with the genius of the Christian Dispensation, not being restricted to particular times and places, and obliterating_the distinction of profane and sacred, that the first effusion of the Holy Spirit should take place, not in a temple, but in an ordinary dwelling.

redemption, of which now for the first time they had right perceptions. Extraordinary appearances of nature (a conjunction similar to what has happened in other important epochs of the history of mankind) accompanied the great process then going on in the spiritual world, and were sym bolic of that which filled their inmost souls. An earthquake attended by a whirlwind suddenly shook the building in which they were assembled, a symbol to them of that Spirit which moved their inner man. Flaming lights in the form of tongues streamed through the chamber, and floating downwards settled on their heads, a symbol of the new tongues of the fire of inspired emotion, which streamed forth from the holy flame that glowed within them.'

The account of what took place on this occasion, leads us back at last to the depositions of those who were present, the only persons who could give direct testimony concerning it. And it might happen, that the glory of the inner life then imparted to them, might so reflect its splendour on surrounding objects, that by virtue of the internal miracle (the elevation of their inward life and consciousness, through the power of the Divine Spirit), the objects of outward perception appeared quite changed. And thus it is not impossible, that all which presented itself to them as a perception of the outward senses, might be, in fact, only a perception of the predominant inward mental state, a sensuous objectiveness of what was operating inwardly with divine power, similar to the ecstatic visions which are elsewhere mentioned in Holy Writ. Whatever may be thought of this explanation, what was divine in the event remains the same, for this was an inward process in the souls of the disciples, in relation to which everything outward was only of subordinate significance. Still, there is nothing in the narrative which renders such a supposition necessary. And if we admit, that there was really an earthquake which frightened the inhabitants out of their houses, it is easily explained how, though it happened early in the morning of the feast, a great multitude would be found in the streets, and the attention of one and another being attracted to the extraordinary meeting of the disciples, by degrees, a

1 Gregory the Great beautifully remarks: "Hinc est quod super pastores primos in linguarum specie Spiritus Sanctus insedit, quia nimirum quos repleverit de se protinus loquentes facit." Lib. i. Ep. 25.