humble fisherman had been filled with the Spirit, who is the
Strengthener, and the fear of man was dead in him. If we had never
heard of Pentecost, we should need to invent something of the sort to
make intelligible the transformation of these timid folk, the first
disciples, into heroes. A dead Christ, lying in an unknown grave,
could never have inspired His crushed followers with such courage,
insight, and elastic confidence and gladness in the face of a
frowning world.



'THE PRINCE OF LIFE'

'But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer
to be granted unto you; 15. And killed the Prince of life, whom
God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.'
--ACTS iii. 14, 15.

This early sermon of Peter's, to the people, is marked by a
comparative absence of the highest view of Christ's person and work.
It is open to us to take one of two explanations of that fact. We may
either say that the Apostle was but learning the full significance of
the marvellous events that had passed so recently, or we may say that
he suited his words to his audience, and did not declare all that he
knew.

At the same time, we should not overlook the significance of the
Christology which it does contain. 'His child Jesus' is really a
translation of Isaiah's 'Servant of the Lord.' 'The Holy One and the
Just' is a distinct assertion of Jesus' perfect, sinless manhood, and