An Olive Leaf, Part 1
ACTS 3.26.
Ʋnto you firſt God having raiſed … ſonne Jeſus, ſent him to bleſſe you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
THe Apoſtle Peters preaching is ſet out in this Chapter, to whom directed, and with what winning wiſdome man aged. To the Jews directed, and in a downright ſtile and phraſe. Ye denied the holy one and the juſt, and deſired amurtherer, and killed the Prince of life, v. 14, 15. And yet wiſely and winingly this Apoſtle makes their apology. And now brethen I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did alſo your Rulers: and alſo this more may be ſaid for you, ye have but accompliſhed a fore-ordained thing; yea, a foretold thing, and that by the mouth of all his Prophets, v. 17, 18. repent therefore that your ſinnes may be blotted out, and he ſhall ſend Chriſt to you, whom you have crucified, to ſerve you in theſe ſaving works; doe not ſtumble at him, it is he which God ſpake of by Moſes, A Prophet ſhall the Lord your God raiſe unto you, v. 22, &c. And the ſame which Samuel and all Prophets after him ſpake of: and then further addes, Ye are of the blood of thoſe which thus propheſied, children of the Prophets, children of the ſame covenant. Ye are the children of the Prophets, and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers, &c. v. 22. ye being a firſtborn, Chriſt the firſt-born is firſt ſent to you; to you firſt in his Prophets, to you firſt in his own perſon, to you firſt after his reſurrection. Ʋnto you firſt, God having raiſed up his ſonne Jeſus, ſent him to beſſe you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Grace, according to its manner of tender, and according to the nature of the thing it ſelfe, are the two parts of this verſe, or the two things contained in this one Scripture: for its manner of tender, this Sunne did firſt riſe upon the Nation of the Jewes; ſuch a temporall ſtation as a Nation, doth this terme [you] here meane. To you firſt, &c.
This Nation God formed from the wombe, as he ſaith, Iſaiah 44.1, 2. (i.) from the firſt man; out of one loyne he made as many as the ſtaries of Heaven for multitude. This Nation which he formed from the womb, had the womb of the morning, the firſt tender of the dew of Chriſts youth; which being mentioned here as a priviledge and preferment, I note, Doct. That priority in Spirituall things is a dignity and honour. Who was in Chriſt before me, Rom. 16.7.
'Tis the fruition of a Virgine love, and thus phraſed frequently. The Lord hath troden the Virgin daughter of Iudah as a Wine-preſſe; for theſe things I mourn, Lam. 1.1.5. What ſhall I liken to thee, O Virgin daughter of Sion? thy breach is as the ſea, Lam. 2.3. Therefore called a Virgin, becauſe the firſt whom God choſe, and the firſt of all Nations which choſe God, and were eſpecially protected by him, from ſuch as were deſtroyers.
Priority in Spirituall things hath more evidence of love with it, and more certainty Tenders which come in the evening, are doubtfull in their forme, they looke like the ſeaſon in which they come, darkiſh. If God meant me good, why did he let me runne ſo long, play the prodigall ſo long till I had ſpent all? and this a type of the Gentiles, and of this truth I am upon. 'Twas doubtfull to the Prodigall how things would prove, when viſitations from above began to preſent themſelves to his ſpirit. If God meant me children, why did he ſtay ſo long till the evening of my life, and ſhe laughs: and this another type, and applied to the Gentiles by the Prophets. What comes in the evening, hath not with it ſuch a preſent evidence of love, but rather of the contrary. See an illuſtration of this Exod. 16.13. the Quailes came in the evening which was a curſe, and the Manna in the morning which was a bleſſing.
Priority in ſpirituall things hath with it alſo a more certainty of kindneſſe and goodneſſe: between praeſentia & futura, there is a great deale of difference in poynt of certainty, and ſo every one argues; A Bird that is caught is a more certain ſomething then that in the field, which may be caught: a ſinner prickt at heart, and turned to God now, is a more certaine ſomething then that which may fall out next Summer, next Sermon, or next yeere, as we count and put the order of certainties. A Nation that enjoyes the Goſpell at preſent, hath a more certain ſomething then they which may enjoy it an hundred yeeres hence, if we ſpeak of certainty as we count, and put the nature of it: for concerning what is behind, and yet to come, we ſtill are apt to queſtion, will it be? will it ever come? every one at firſt ſets forth good Wine; but that good Wine ſhould come at laſt, is not according to the law of cuſtome and order ſo ordinarily expected.
Vſe. If priority in good things be a priviledge count it ſo, and let it work upon your hearts. We are of the laſt of the Nations to whom the bloody cup came, and yet of the firſt from whom removed; our blood broacht laſt, and yet God puts his ſinger upon the rent firſt. Two of us were grinding at the Mill, and I was taken firſt; nay the other not taken at all. Amongſt many thouſands which wallow yet in their ſinnes, I am taken out as a kind of firſt-fruits to God, and to the Lambe. O what ingenuity and ſweetneſſe this ſhould beget in the ſpirit of man towards God!
Preferre God in all things; put priority upon him in all his affaires. I will ſeck him, firſt intend him. In the morning ſhall my prayer prevent thee. Pſal. 88.13. I might have been the firſt of them that went down into the pit, I will be of the firſt that ſhall goe up like the Tribe of Indah againſt all Gods enemies: there was but one in my fathers houſe marked out unto Spirituall Kingſhip, and 'twas I, the unlikelieſt and unlovelieſt; there is but one that I marke out to cleave to, and advance, and that is Chriſt.