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Ac 10:41 Lu 24:41-43

Verse 4. And, being assembled together] Instead of sunalizomenov, being assembled together, several good MSS. and versions read sunaulizomenov, living or eating together, which refers the conversation reported here to some particular time, when he sat at meat, with his disciples. See Mark xvi. 14: Luke xxiv. 41-44. See the margin. But probably the common reading is to be preferred; and the meeting on a mountain of Galilee is what is here meant.

The promise of the Father] The HOLY SPIRIT, which indeed was the grand promise of the New Testament, as JESUS CHRIST was of the Old.

And as Christ was the grand promise of the Old Testament, during the whole continuance of the old covenant; so is the Holy Ghost, during the whole continuance of the new. As every pious soul that believed in the coming Messiah, through the medium of the sacrifices offered up under the law, was made a partaker of the merit of his death, so every pious soul that believes in Christ crucified is made a partaker of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, as the benefit of the death of Christ extended from the foundation of the world till his coming in the flesh, as well as after, so the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has been, and will be continued through the whole lapse of time, till his coming again to judge the world. It is by this Spirit that sin is made known, and by it the blood of the covenant is applied; and indeed, without this, the want of salvation cannot be discovered, nor the value of the blood of the covenant duly estimated. How properly do we still pray, and how necessary is the prayer, "Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen." Communion Service.

Ye have heard of me.] In his particular conversations with his disciples, such as those related John xiv. 16-26; xv. 26; xvi. 7-15; to which passages, and the notes on them the reader is requested to refer: but it is likely that our Lord alludes more particularly to the conversation he had with them on one of the mountains of Galilee.

Ver. 4. And being assembled together with them , etc.] At their last meeting at Bethany, or Mount Olivet, which was by appointment: some render the words, as the Vulgate Latin, �and eating with them�; which was one of the proofs he gave of his being alive; and so the Syriac version renders it, �and when he had ate bread with them�, and the Ethiopic version, �and dining with them�, which he might do more than once; (see John 21:12,15) this was the last time, when he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem ; which does not necessarily infer, that they were then at Jerusalem; for they might be, and they seem rather to be at Bethany, or on the Mount of Olives, from whence they afterwards returned to Jerusalem; and from thence they had orders not to depart, where the blood of Christ had been shed, and where were his greatest enemies, and where the disciples might have no inclination to have gone, and much less to abide, but so it must be, partly for the glorifying of Christ by the effusion of his Spirit on the apostles in the place where he had suffered the most reproach; and partly because the Gospel, the word of the Lord, was to go out of this place, according to the prophecy in ( Isaiah 2:3) as also because a Gospel church was to be fixed there, and a very large number of souls to be converted, and added to it: wherefore they were bid to go thither, and not stir from thence, but wait for the promise of the Father ; that is, the pouring forth of the Spirit, which God the Father of Christ; and of his people, had promised should be in the last days, ( Joel 2:28) and which Christ had promised his disciples from the Father, ( John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7). which, saith he, ye have heard of me ; or �by�, or �out of my mouth�, as the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, and Beza�s most ancient copy read; referring to the above passages, or to what follows: and which he the rather mentions, to assure them of its accomplishment, since it was both a promise of the Father, all whose promises are yea and amen; and he had also told them of it, neither of whose words could possibly fall to the ground.