182 



LT.-COL. G. MACKINLAY, ON 



(15) Peter^s boldness on three occasions, and (16), a Roman 

 officer saves PauVs life on three occasions. 



In striking contrast with the doublet of triphcations, Nos. (21) 

 and (22) in the Gospel, of Peter's sad denial, and of Pilate's 

 failure to save our Lord from death, we find two parallel 

 triplications, Nos. {15) and [16) in the Acts, which tell of Peter's 

 boldness, and of a Roman officer saving the life of St. Paul. 



In No. (15) triplication in the Acts, St. Peter's action under 

 very difficult and dangerous surroundings is recorded. Our Lord 

 had gone, but the Holy Spirit had come upon him in power : 

 Peter had preached the Gospel with great blessing in Jerusalem 

 on the Day of Pentecost, and three thousand were added to the 

 Church. Peter and John then miraculously cured a lame man, 

 thus provoldng much opposition and persecution against them- 

 selves. The priests and others who had arrested and caused 

 the death of the Master, laid hands on the servants, put them 

 in ward until the next day, and then brought them before 

 the assembled rulers, who repeatedly threatened them (Acts iv, 

 17, 21). 



Their position now seemed much worse than on the night 

 before the Crucifixion, when our Lord was with them. But now 

 we read that the rulers, elders, scribes, high priests, and others, 

 before whom Peter and John were arraigned, beheld their 

 boldness, and they marvelled, perceiving " that they were 

 unlearned and ignorant men " ; they noticed also that they 

 had. been with Jesus" (Acts iv, 13), Who had been pubhcly 

 put to a shameful death as a malefactor only a Httle more 

 than seven weeks previously, when it is not unHkely that some 

 of those present may have heard Peter's sad denials. This 

 striking exhibition of boldness in Acts iv, 13, forms the first 

 component of the triphcation No. (15) in the Acts corresponding 

 to No. (21) in the Gospel of Luke. 



The second component of this triphcation in the Acts is 

 formed by the faithful prayer of the assembled behevers, who 

 asked with one accord that they might be granted " all bold- 

 ness " to speak the Lord's Word. 



The last component is formed by the gracious answer to this 

 prayer, when those present " were all filled with the Holy Ghost, 

 and they spake the Word of God with boldness." 



The same Greek word irapprjaia (boldness) is used on each 

 occasion : it forms the thread running through this tripli- 

 cation ; it is only used in two other places in the Acts. 



