threatened for slighting Christ, this great Prophet. They that will not be advised by the Saviour, can expect no other than to fall into the hands of the destroyer.
3. He tells them what they might expect.
(1.) That they should have the pardon of their sins; this is always spoken of as the great privilege of all those that embrace the gospel; (v. 19.) Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. This implies, [1.] That the remission of sin is the blotting of it out, as a cloud is blotted out by the beams of the sun, (Isa. 44. 22.) as a debt is crossed and blotted out, when it is remitted. It intimates, that when God forgives sin, he remembers it no more against the sinner; it is forgotten, as that which is blotted out; all the bitter things written against the sinner, (Job 13. 26.) are wiped out as it were with a spunge; it is the cancelling of a bond, the vacating of a judgment. [2.] We cannot expect that our sins should be pardoned, unless we repent of them, and turn from them to God. Though Christ has died to purchase the remission of sin, yet, that we may have the benefit of that purchase in the forgiveness of our sins, we must repent, and be converted: if no repentance, no remission. [3.] Hopes of the pardon of sin upon repentance should be a powerful inducement to us to repent. Repent, that your sins may be blotted out: and that repentance is evangelical, which flows from an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, and the hopes of pardon. This was the first and great argument, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [4.] The most comfortable fruit of the forgiveness of our sins will be when the times of refreshing shall come; if our sins be forgiven us, we have now reason to be of good cheer; but the comfort will be complete, when the pardon shall be allowed in open court, and our justification published before angels and men; when, whom he justified, them he glorifies, Rom. 8. 30. As now we are the sons of God, (1 John 3. 2.) so now we have our sins blotted out; but it doth not yet appear what are the blessed fruits of it, till the times of refreshing shall come. During these times of toil and conflict, (doubts and fears within, troubles and dangers without,) we cannot have that full satisfaction of our pardon, and in it, that we shall have when the refreshing times come, which shall wipe away all tears.
(2.) That they should have the comfort of Christ's coming, (v. 20, 21.) "He shall send Jesus Christ, the same Jesus, the very same which before was preached unto you; for you must not expect another dispensation, another gospel, but the continuance and completion of this; you must not expect another prophet like unto Jesus, as Moses bid you expect another like unto him; for though the heavens must receive him till the times of the restitution of all things, yet, if you repent and be converted, you shall find no want of him; some way or other he shall be seen to you."
[1.] We must not expect Christ's personal presence with us in this world; for the heavens, which received him out of the sight of the disciples, must retain him till the end of time. To that seat of the blessed his bodily presence is confined, and will be to the end of time, the accomplishment of all things; so it may be read: and therefore those dishonour him, and deceive themselves, who dream of his corporal presence in the eucharist. It is agreeable to a state of trial and probation, that the glorified Redeemer should be out of sight, because we must live by that faith in him, which is the evidence of things not seen; because he must be believed on in the world, he must be received up into glory. Dr. Hammond reads it, Who must receive the heavens, that is, who must receive the glory and power of the upper world; he must reign till all be made subject to him, 1 Cor. 15. 25. Ps. 75. 2.
[2.] Yet it is promised that he shall be sent to all that repent, and are converted; (v. 20.) "He shall send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you by his disciples, both before and since his resurrection, and is, and will be, all in all to them." First, "You shall have his spiritual presence; he that is sent into the world, shall be sent to you; you shall have the comfort of his being sent; he shall be sent among you in his gospel, which shall be his tabernacle, his chariot of war." Secondly, "He shall send Jesus Christ to destroy Jerusalem, and the nation of unbelieving Jews, that are enemies to Christ and Christianity, and to deliver his ministers and people from them, and give them a quiet profession of the gospel, and that shall be a time of refreshing, which you shall share in." Then had the churches rest; so Dr. Hammond. Thirdly, "The sending of Christ to judge the world, at the end of time, will be a blessing to you; you shall then lift up your heads with joy, knowing that your redemption draws nigh." It seems to refer to this, for till then the heavens must receive him, v. 21. As God's counsels from eternity, so his predictions from the beginning of time, had a reference to the transactions of the last day, when the mystery of God shall be finished, as he had declared to his servants the prophets, Rev. 10. 7. The institution of all things in the church, had an eye to the restitution of all things at the end of time.
4. He tells them what ground they had to expect these things, if they were converted to Christ. Though they had denied him, and put him to death, yet they might hope to find favour through him, upon the account of their being Israelites. For,
(1.) As Israelites, they had the monopoly of the grace of the Old Testament, they were, above any other, God's favourite nation, and the favours God bestowed upon them were such as had a reference to the Messiah, and his kingdom; Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant. A double privilege!
[1.] They were the children, that is, the disciples, of the prophets, as children at school; not sons of the prophets, in the sense that we read of such in the Old Testament, from Samuel and downward, who were, or are, trained up to be endued with the spirit of prophecy; but you are of that people, from among whom prophets were raised up, and to whom prophets were sent. It is spoken of as a great favour to Israel, that God raised up of their sons for prophets, Amos 2. 11. All the inspired writers, both of the Old and New Testament, were of the seed of Abraham; and it was their honour and advantage, that unto them were committed the oracles of God, Rom. 3. 2. Their government was constituted by prophecy, that is, by divine revelation: and by it their affairs were for many ages very much managed. See Hos. 12. 13. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. Those of the latter ages of the church, when prophecy had ceased, might yet be fitly called the children of the prophets, because they heard, though they did not know, the voices of the prophets, which were read in their synagogues every sabbath-day, Acts 13. 27. Now this should quicken them to embrace Christ, and they might hope to be accepted of him; for their own prophets had foretold, that this grace should be brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (1 Pet. 1. 13.) and therefore ought not to be neglected by them, nor should be denied to them. Those that are blessed with prophets and prophecy, (as all are, that have the scriptures,) are concerned not to receive the grace of God therein in vain. We may apply it particularly to ministers' children, who, if they plead that effectually with themselves, as an inducement to be faithful and forward in religion,
