THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, above other portions of Holy Scripture, affords the divine warrant and model for expository teaching. The early chapters of the book, as well as the thirteenth, are largely made up of quotations from Scripture, with the divine exposition and application of them to the time and circumstances of that day.
The work of the modern expounder is to point out what that divine exposition means, and seek wisely to make application of it to the present time and circumstances. This is the work which, looking for the guidance of the Holy Ghost, we have endeavored to do in our present Lectures. They are strictly expository, and aim at giving in plain, clear language the meaning of that brief portion of the sacred narrative with which they are occupied, and applying it to the time and circumstances in which we now find the professing church and the saints of God.
The following Lectures were originally written for a class of students attending the Edinburgh University, who assembled at the writer's house weekly for the study of the Scriptures and prayer; and this may account for the more frequent reference to critical authorities than some may relish, for, in the circumstances, we felt bound to do our work in view of the best sources of information as to the criticism and exegesis of the sacred text. While we think that this need not offend or hinder the profit of the simple reader, it may make the exposition all the more interesting and edifying to students and other thoughtful young men.
On looking back to youthful days, it strikes one that a book like this, giving a lucid account of the Spirit's testimony, would have been of considerable help in imparting a scriptural view of the genesis of the Church of God, and of scriptural Christianity, and that it would have been regarded as a real boon and blessing; for, basing everything as it does on the solid rock of positive Scripture, it might have saved one from the entanglement and hindrance to spiritual blessing of many opinions and usages for which there is no divine warrant.
But whether read by the educated or by the uneducated, the Holy Ghost alone can give the divinely anointed eye to perceive the truth so that it may prove edifying to the spiritual man. The Pentecostal times of which we write were produced by the coming and working of the Comforter; and spiritual intelligence in the truth, as well as conversion, joyous worship, and self-sacrifice of there early days can be enjoyed by us now, only by the gracious working of "that one and the self-same Spirit.”
What St. Paul wrote to the Church of God at Corinth holds good still—" And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which nor of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:4-124And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4‑12)).
The EDIFICATION of believers has been kept constantly in view. The Spirit says, "Let all things be done unto edifying," and teaches us to aim at this beyond all things, in such a scripture as 1 Cor. 14. and other parts of the Apostles' writings. Indeed the Holy Scripture, as a whole, contemplates very specially the profiting of the saints—"that the church may receive edifying." Our present contribution towards their edification is so small, that the questions might be asked, Why not wait until you have written on the whole book of the Acts? Why present such a tiny installment of your exposition? Not exactly because we think with an ancient writer that "a great book is a great evil;" but rather because we hope, if the Lord will, to continue to issue a series of similar Bible Lectures; and though these volumes may be small in bulk, it is hoped they will be at least "a cup of cold water to a disciple in the name of a disciple," and given from love to our great "Lord and Master." It has been our endeavor to make our present work a cup of cold water. If, in these eastern lands, a disciple received even this small gift of which our Lord speaks, it would cost the giver a little self-sacrifice, for to be a cup of cold water it would have to be drawn fresh from the well; for it could hardly be termed cold, if taken from the waterpot standing in the heated atmosphere of the house.
One would justly dread anything like effort in divine things, or the want of a flow of spiritual power as well as simplicity; but "attendance to reading," painstaking industry, with diligent and careful research, need not lead to any such evils, but should rather tend to supply a real want. For does it not frequently happen that when one consults books on Scripture in the hope of finding a difficulty solved or a text explained, he finds neither help nor solution, because of the want of the requisite study, labor, and pains in writing it? Having the Holy Ghost leading the soul to esteem "the word of Christ" more than our necessary food, the greatest labor would be a luxury and no effort. It is a real joy to be taught in the truth by the Spirit of God, and a happy privilege to write and publish it for the edification of one's fellow-Christians: for while the salvation of sinners is generally accomplished through their ears, the edification of believers is largely given them through their eyes. God meant it to be so, else why give us the Holy Scriptures to read?
It is very specially by BOOKS that the Lord is instructing and forming His saints. We do well to keep before us the important fact, that a whole library of sixty-six divinely-inspired Books has been given by Hira for this very purpose. Besides this, men "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," and books full of clear Scripture truth, are Christ's means for edifying and blessing His Church; and, as in these "perilous times" of the last days, when the Church has been broken to pieces and the saints scattered, their chief means of spiritual help and divine sustenance must be the Holy Scriptures and books of God-taught teachers: they themselves cannot now go in and out freely among "all saints" as they did in the early days of Christianity, and but for their books the best of Christ's gifts would be shut out from ministering to the majority of God's children. Books appear to be a compensation in view of the broken-up condition of the Church, which tends selfishly to confiscate, for the furtherance of petty sectarian interests, gifts which the Lord gave for the maintenance of His own great interests and the benefit of the whole "church of God." Through this folly and selfishness of men, great injury has been inflicted on the "members of Christ," and were it not that Christian publications, fraught with "the gospel of the glory of Christ," are now going everywhere preaching the Word, multitudes of Christ's sheep would have little or no pasture.
There needs to be, we fully admit, the additional personal action with the word on the saints, of the living "man of God,"— the man divinely-gifted and furnished for the crisis, and burning with a devotedness that makes Christ's interests paramount, before believers will be so molded into "the image of Christ" as to be fitted for their places in the witnessing and warrior-company who, equipped in "the whole armor of God," are resolutely cutting their way through the world with their faces towards the Captain of their salvation in the heavenly glory; yet, where "the man of God" cannot go, his books may be made eminently useful in giving a good start and much help in "the full knowledge of Christ.” “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body, fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. iv. 7-16).