of the Acts propounds examples admonitory and obligatory upon us, that
we should express like acts in like cases. 2. Luke (the penman of the
Acts) makes such a transition from his history of Christ, to this
history of Christ's apostles, as to unite and knit them into one volume,
Acts i. 1; whence we are given to understand, that if the Church wanted
this history of the apostles, she should want that perfect direction
which the Spirit intended for her: as also that this book is useful and
needful to her as well as the other. 3. In the very front of the Acts it
is said, that _Christ after his resurrection_ (and before his ascension)
_gave commandments to the apostles--and spake of the things pertaining
to the kingdom of God_, Acts i. 2, 3; viz. of the polity of the Church,
say some.[6] Of the kingdom of grace, say others.[7] Judicious
Calvin[8] interprets it partly of church government, saying, Luke
admonisheth us, that Christ did not so depart out of the world, as to
cast off all care of us: for by this doctrine he shows that he hath
constituted a perpetual government in his Church. Therefore Luke
signifies, that Christ departed not, before he had provided for his
Church's government. Now those expressions are set in the frontispiece,
to stamp the greater authority and obligatory power upon the acts after
recorded, being done according to Christ's commandments; Christ
intending their acts in the first founding of his kingdom and polity
ecclesiastic to be the rule for after churches. For what Christ spoke of
his kingdom to the apostles is like that, "What I say to you, I say to
all," Matt. xiii. 37, as what was said to the apostles touching
preaching and baptizing, remitting and retaining of sins, was said to
all the apostles' successors, "to the end of the world," John xx. 21,
23, with Matt, xxviii. 18-20.

2. By God's approving and commending such as were followers not only of
the doctrine, but also of the examples of the Lord, his apostles, and
primitive churches; "And ye became followers" (or imitators) "of us and
of the Lord," 1 Thess. i. 6, 7; and again, "Ye, brethren, became
followers" (or imitators) "of the churches of God, which in Judea are in
Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own
countrymen, even as they have of the Jews," 1 Thess. ii. 14. In which
places the Holy Ghost recites the Thessalonians imitating of the Lord,
of the apostles, and of the churches, to the praise of the
Thessalon