declareth with strong arguments, how the name of God is to be called upon; namely, through true faith in Christ, who is the true Messias, the anointed King and Son of God, which was promised in the prophets. This doth Peter prove by the ground of the resurrection of Christ from death, by his ascension into heaven, and by that he now sitteth at the right hand of God, Lord and King of all things. First let us hear the text. [Acts ii. 22-28.] YE men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you with miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves know; him have ye taken by the hands of unrighteous persons, after he was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, and have crucified and slain him whom God hath raised up, and loosed the sorrows of death, because it was impossible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh of him: Aforehand I saw God always before me; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope; because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast shewed me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. DOCTRINE AND FRUIT. To the intent now that no man should be offended at the death and cross of Christ, Peter sheweth first, that in the counsel of God it was concluded, foreseen, and determined, that the Son of God, the true Messias, should and must die; and how that the same sacrifice was ordained from the beginning of the world, to be slain and offered up upon the cross for our sins. And that no man should make any stop by reason of his death, Peter therefore declareth that he was no misdoer, which had deserved his death by any transgression; but that he was sent unto us by God the Father, to die for us, whereby we might perceive the love of our Father in heaven. And if they now would think, "Well, if it were so concluded in the counsel of God, then are not we guilty of his death;" he answereth unto the same, and saith: "Unrighteous men brought him thereto, and it is ye yourselves that slew him and crucified him." As if he would say Yea, even so behoved it to be, that the righteousness of God for the sin of mankind might be satisfied. Christ must needs die, to recompense and wash away with his blood the sin of all the world. And yet ye Jews, which have betrayed Christ and brought him to the cross, are not unjustly accused. Ye cannot through the fore-ordinance of God discharge yourselves, that ye be without sin, seeing ye have slain the Saviour of the world, he being guiltless.' By this now we learn, that when we do wrong and evil, we may not excuse ourselves with the free ordinance of God; for it is not God, but the devil and our own wickedness, that provoketh us to sin. And here we see, that when the grace of God through the gospel is offered unto the world, the sin and vice also wherein the world is entangled, must be spoken of and touched: for no man can be justified, and come to the health of his soul through Christ, which doth not first know and confess his sin and wickedness. How can he be made whole, that will not know his own disease and sickness? Therefore doth Peter set before their eyes their great sin, which they had committed against the innocent Son of God, saying: The Innocent and Righteous, whom God had given unto you, have ye slain and crucified; which is a great wickedness and sin. Now go to, on your behalf it was evil done, and grievously offended; but on his behalf it was so ordained before. Therefore at his death, which in the sight of the world was so shameful and vile, ye ought not to be offended, that ye therefore would hold the less of him, or not receive and know him for a Saviour. For if you look upon his former conversation, the same was innocent, pure, and holy; therefore cannot ye doubt but he was sent of God. Besides this, ye have perceived and seen God to be everywhere in his works: for the tokens and wonders which he shewed and declared amongst you, give evident knowledge that God was in him, and wrought in him presently; for no man had been able to do the tokens that he did, unless God had been with him. Which tokens also were spoken of before by the prophets concerning Christ; and by those tokens must ye know and confess, that he is even the true Messias, of whom the prophets spake. Wherefore considering, that by his former doctrine and godly power ye know that he is the true Messias, ye ought not to be offended that he, as an evil doer, was crucified upon the cross for it was the special determination of God, that Messias should be crucified, according to the foresayings of the prophets. Consider ye also, that the prophets likewise spake of his resurrection from death; by the which ye may well perceive that he is the true Messias.' Thus earnest is Peter, beating into them the resurrection from the dead, and that out of the scripture. For Christ's resurrection from death is a strong argument to prove his Godhead; as it is taught, Rom. i. John xx. "Yea, he died," saith Peter, "for our sins, but now he is alive and risen again from death; death hath no more. power over him, for he liveth for ever, and his kingdom is everlasting. Yea, unpossible it was, that the Son of God should corrupt in the earth and sepulchre; namely, he that is the firstling risen from the dead, and that from his own godly power." Seeing that these words of Peter concerning the resurrection and life of Christ were little credited among the Jews, he allegeth the 15th psalm of David, who amongst [Psal. xvi.] them was in great reputation. But now might the Jews say or think: "David speaketh these words of himself, and not of Christ." That weapon, therefore, doth Peter take from them, and proveth, that the same words may in no wise be referred unto David; but that David, as a prophet having knowledge of things to come, spake them of Christ, in whom they be now fulfilled; and thus he saith: [Acts ii. 29-31.] YE men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David; for he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre remaineth with us until this day. Therefore seeing he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn unto him with an oath, that Christ, as concerning the flesh, should come of the fruits of his loins, and should sit on his seat; he, knowing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul should not be left in hell, neither his flesh should see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. DOCTRINE AND FRUIT. THE prophet David speaketh of one, whose flesh should not corrupt. Now could not he have spoken this of himself, for his flesh corrupted in the sepulchre, which we yet have, and his bones lie yet in the sepulchre: by the which it may well be perceived, that David, as a prophet knowing of things to come, spake of another, which should be born out of his own Ps. lxxxix. loins and seed, whom God with a solemn oath had promised to sit upon his seat, and reign after him; not only for a season, but also that his governance, kingdom, and dominion, should be perpetual, and endure for ever. And this king is Christ the true Messias, who as concerning the flesh was born of the seed of David, and is his son. 2 Sam. vii. If this son now of David had after death remained still in death, and not risen from death again, how could he then reign for ever? It is evident therefore, that David out of the Holy Ghost, who had opened this unto him, prophesied it of the resurrection of Christ his Son, the eternal King. For though he as a very man died indeed upon the cross, and was then buried; yet his soul, or life, remained not in death, neither did his body resolve into corruption, as other men's; but on the third day he rose again from death to life. This must we needs testify; for after his resurrection he appeared oft unto us. We saw him, we heard him, we handled him, we did eat and drink with him. Here we learn, that the saints in the old testament understood and knew by faith the resurrection and eternal kingdom of Christ, seeing they prophesied of it so evidently. Here is also proved, that Christ died in very deed, and yet abode not still in death, forasmuch as he overcame it: also, that the power and virtue of his holy passion and death came not only to the living upon earth, but unto all those that died before him; according as St Peter in his Epistle, and the Article of our Belief, HE DESCENDED INTO HELL, declareth. Whereof in the Catechism upon the Creed there is made mention sufficient1. [Acts ii. 33-35.] SINCE now that he by the right hand of God is exalted, and hath received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost; he hath shed forth this gift, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into heaven; but he saith: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till Psal. ex. I make thine enemies thy footstool. DOCTRINE AND FRUIT. We believe that Jesus Christ, our King and Saviour, is not only risen again from death to life, but also is ascended up into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, and reigneth for ever. For though he here a season was despised and refused, as the stone of the builders; yet hath the strong Psal. exviii. hand of God exalted him, and mightily wrought in him. Which thing may well be perceived by this, (as St Peter here valiantly concludeth,) that he sendeth down from on high such an excellent gift of the Holy Ghost upon those that are his. This is a sure evidence, that he mightily reigneth at the right hand of God, and hath all things in his hand; seeing he hath power of the Spirit of God, whom he poureth into the hearts of his, and that sometime in visible. manner. For the glorious triumpher, ascending up to heaven Ephes. iv. with great victory, did after the custom of great kings, and let fall his gifts down upon us, and parted them among us, namely, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, whom he as man received of the Father, but after the Godhead he had him [1 What Catechism is here referred to, is very doubtful.] |