a bounden duty and, as for recompence, the only remuneration, which they seek or desire, is the beatific vision of their murdered and disgraced lord in the future world of spirits. What they profess themselves, they teach to others. They freely invite all mankind to the participation of a life of misery and trouble and persecution: they affect not to conceal, that their master was ignominiously executed as a malefactor: they dissemble not the contempt and hatred and ruin of all worldly projects, which those, who follow them, must prepare to encounter: but then, as an allurement to those whom they address, they promise them abundance of comfort and happiness hereafter, when death shall have removed them from their present sphere of existence. The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, their language was, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of life. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you : may M whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. Ye are the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham; And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God, having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities*. We ought to obey God, rather thar men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins †. And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify, that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins . It was necessary, that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but, seeing ye put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying: I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth§. The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in *Acts iii. 13-26. Acts v. 29-31. § Acts xiii. 46, 47. the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead*. Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons; serving the Lord, with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and with temptations which befel me by the lying in wait of the Jews: and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you; but have shewed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Gentiles repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befal me there; save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the Gospel of the grace of God. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that were with met. I reckon, that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory * Acts xvii. 30, 31. Acts xx. 18-34. which shall be revealed in us*. What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He, that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us †. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. We believe, and therefore speak; knowing, that he, which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For which cause we faint not: but, though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things, which are seen, are temporal; but the things, which *Rom. viii. 18. † Rom. viii. 31-37. 1 Corinth. xv. 19. are not seen, are eternal. For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men *. The preaching of the cross is to them, that perish, foolishness; but unto us, which are saved, it is the power of God. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them, which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified t. God forbid, that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again; even so them also, which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we, which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we, which are * 2 Corinth. iv. 8-18. v. 10, 11. + 1 Corinth. i. 18, 22-24. ii. 2. Galat. vi. 14. |