Knatchbull remarks-That, therefore, this place may bring no weight to the establishing of so controverted a sense, of which there will never be an end of disputing till Elias come, why may not these words be better distinguished and translated thus-and as many as were met together believed in eternal life. The Jews held themselves unworthy of eternal life, by putting the word of God from them, ver. 46. But the Gentiles, when they heard it, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were met together believed in eternal life.' Annot. in loc.

4. PYLE. The Gentile people received this with the utmost degree of religious joy and gratitude, and all among them that were of a sober disposition, and sincerely desirous to know the true religion, believed, and embraced the gospel.

• Ordained to eternal life: that this phrase signified no other than what I have paraphrased it, and has not the least relation to any absolute and unconditionate divine decree of these persons to eternal life, is so evidently and copiously demonstrated, by all good critics and interpreters upon this place, that I may well venture to tell the English reader, in the words of Grotius-He that seeth it not is blind.' Par. in loc.

5. CLARKE. 'As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. This text has been most pitifully misunderstood. Though the word in this place has been variously translated, yet, of all the meanings ever put on it, none agrees worse with its nature and known signification, than that which represents it as intending those who were predestinated to eternal life: this is no meaning of the term, and should never be applied to it.' Com. in loc.

The quotation from Heylin's lectures I think gives the true sense of this passage. The others are inserted to show, that they who suppose the eternal life, here mentioned, to mean a state of endless happiness, disallow the notion, (which some would support from this text,) that God has elected certain persons to the enjoyment of that life, and reprobated others to endless exclusion

from it. Knatchbull's interpretation is certainly an uncommon one, though he defends it at considerable length, and offers several reasons in proof of its correctness. His arguments need not here be quoted. By the common consent of all the forecited authors, the text in question affords no proof that any portion of mankind shall becast off forever;' but, for aught which appears to the contrary, God may have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.' Lam. iii. 32.

SECTION LXIV.

'Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God.'-AcTs xiv. 22.

THAT this passage (though sometimes quoted to imply the danger of being finally lost by reason of the impediments to be encountered,) has no relation whatever to the future life, may be seen from what follows::

1. HAMMOND. 'And in all those cities gave confirmation to those whom before they had baptised, and exhorted them to persevere, and hold out against all terrors, counting and resolving with themselves, that christianity bringeth many tribulations necessary along with it.' Par. in loc.

2. PEARCE. 'Through much tribulation enter, &c.: i. e., that those, who would at that time embrace the gospel of Jesus, must expect to meet with great troubles and oppositions. The gospel is called by this title in chap. i. 3, and viii. 12, and elsewhere.' Com. in loc.

3. PYLE. To confirm and settle the new converts in courage and patience, under those hardships, which he told them, by his own example, and the very naturé of the christian religion, (that was levelled against the vices and prejudices of mankind,) they could not but expect to meet withal.' Par. in loc.

4. ROSENMULLER. 'The kingdom of God, in this place, as very frequently elsewhere, signifies the community of those who worship God in this world-the christian community. He who becomes a christian enters this community. The tribulations are to be understood as those which are undergone on account of religion. Hence, the apostles took occasion to admonish the new converts, that these tribulations, on account of religion, should be patiently borne, even as they exhorted them to constancy. Concerning other miseries of life, which are not connected with religion, nothing is said in this place.' Scholia in loc.

SECTION LXV.

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?'— ACTS xvi. 30.

It is often said, that this jailer here inquired how he should obtain everlasting salvation; and, from this inquiry and the answer of Paul, it is argued, that men will not be saved under certain circumstances. There are some, however, who believed in punishment in the future life, who have given a different view of the case.

1. ROSENMULLER. 'It is not credible, that this man, a pagan, should have been concerned about eternal salvation. To be saved, therefore, will signify, as in any other language, to consult his safety. The keeper of the prison feared, lest he should be punished by the gods, because he had harshly treated men so venerable, and dear to God. He inquired, therefore, what he should do, that he might not be punished by God. Whether, indeed, the keeper of the prison had obtained any hope of a better life, from ancient tradition, or from the wisdom of the philosophers, or whether he had ever before this heard Paul preaching, is uncertain.' Scholia in loc.

2. WAKEFIELD. The passage is thus translated by

Wakefield and led them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be safe?' He adds this note :

To be safe: viz., to avoid punishment for what has befallen the prisoners and the prison; not doubting but those men, who had occasioned such extraordinary events, could deliver him from the power of his superiors. This is, beyond all doubt, the sense of the passage, though Paul, in his reply, uses the words in a more extensive signification—a practice common in these writings.' Note in loc.

In

3. KENRICK. 'In asking this question, "What shall I do to be saved?" or to be safe, the jailer, who had probably never heard of a future life of happiness or misery, as preached by the apostles, referred entirely to his personal security, about which he was naturally alarmed, in consequence of the earthquake which had shaken the house to its foundations, and opened the doors of the prison. The answer of Paul and Silas, therefore, assuring him, that if he would believe in Christ he should be safe, and his house, must refer to the same subject, the circumstances in which the parties were placed, this was the natural and obvious meaning of the question and reply, and the interpretation is confirmed by the language of the apostles on a variety of occasions. To deliverance from Jewish superstition and heathen idolatry, by embracing christianity, they uniformly apply the term, salvation, or being saved. Thus we are told, that God will have all men to be saved, and brought to the knowledge of the truth, where the latter expression explains what is meant by the former. The principal idea included in this salvation was evidently a deliverance from ignorance, superstition, and false worship; but it seems, also, to have been connected with a deliverance from temporal calamities; for with such calamities, we know that the Jews were threatened, and actually visited, for their rejection of the gospel, while those who embraced it were preserved safe. On this ground, the apostle Peter, Acts ii. 40, exhorts his countrymen to save themselves from this untoward generation. To similar evils, the heathen world might likewise be exposed, if

they acted in like manner; with evils of this nature, the jailer was evidently threatened, when, on account of his severity to the preachers of the gospel, his house was shaken from the foundations. They might, therefore, with propriety, tell him, that if he believed in Christ, both he and his family would escape danger. This, indeed, was not the whole, or principal benefit, which he would derive from his faith, but it was all about which he inquired.

"I have dwelt the longer upon this passage, because the interpretation given is unusual, and may, probably, to some, appear harsh; but I am persuaded, that a proper consideration of the occasion, and of the usual language of the apostles, will reconcile the mind of the attentive inquirer to it.' Expos. in loc.

SECTION LXVI.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in 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.'-ACTS xvii. 30, 31.

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1. CAPPE. Here the term judge signifies to rule. The connexion leads to this idea: God overlooking, so as not to punish, by withholding greater advantages from those who had made so little use of less, overlooking the times of ignorance, superstition, and idolatry, (see ver. 23, 25, 27, 29,) now no longer leaves men to seek after him in his works, (see ver. 27,) but addressing himself to them more directly, and instructing them in a more perfect and efficacious manner, calls not only, as formerly, upon the Jews, when he brought them up out of the land of Egypt, and gave them a peculiar law, but upon all men, every where, to turn themselves from ritual observances, from superstition and idolatry, to serve him, the living and true God, in spirit and in truth, (see ver. 24,