Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit
the
Gentiles
James begins with taking notice of Peter's speech, and agrees to
it, and confirms it; for by Simeon is not meant, as some have
thought, the Simeon that took Christ in his arms, ( Luke 2:25 ) who had been
dead long ago; but Simon Peter, who had spoken before. Simon and
Simeon are one and the same name; the former is only a
contraction of the latter in the Syriac language; Simeon was his
pure Hebrew name, and James speaking to an assembly of Hebrews,
uses it; and observes, that he had given a very clear and
distinct narrative, how God at the first preaching of the Gospel,
quickly after the day of Pentecost, was pleased to look upon the
Gentiles, and show favour to them, and visit them in a way of
grace and mercy, by sending the Gospel to them, and his Spirit to
make it effectual: this was a gracious visit; he came and looked
upon them, quickened them, and spoke comfortably to them, and
bestowed special favours upon them; the set time for such a visit
being come: the Arabic version renders it, "how God first
promised"; referring to the promises concerning the calling of
the Gentiles, which James afterwards confirms by citing a passage
out of the prophets to the same purpose: the Syriac version, "how
God began to choose out of the Gentiles": that is, by calling
them by his grace; and the Ethiopic version, "how God first had
mercy on the Gentiles"; who before had not obtained mercy:
to take out of them a people for his name;
for himself, for his own glory, to call upon his name, and to be
called by his name, to bear his name, and support his Gospel,
cause and interest: the distinguishing grace of God may be seen
herein; it was grace to visit them, to look upon them, when for
many hundreds of years he had overlooked them, he had taken no
notice of them; and it was distinguishing grace to take some out
of them, to be a special and peculiar people to himself; to
separate them from the rest by his powerful and efficacious
grace, and form them into a church state, that they might show
forth his praise and glorify him.
