this day rejected him, yet his business was to bestow upon them
repentance and forgiveness of sins.

'Tis true, after they began to kill again, and when nothing but
killing would serve their turn, then they that were scattered abroad
went every where preaching the word. Yet even some of them so
hankered after the conversion of the Jews, that they preached the
gospel only to them. Also the apostles still made their abode at
Jerusalem, in hopes that they might yet let down their net for
another draught of these Jerusalem sinners. Neither did Paul and
Barnabas, who were the ministers of God to the Gentiles, but offer
the gospel, in the first place, to those of them that for their
wickedness were scattered like vagabonds among the nations; yea, and
when they rendered rebellion and blasphemy for their service and
love, they replied, it was necessary that the word of God should
first have been spoken to them; Acts i. 8; chap. xiii. 46, 47.

Nor was this their preaching unsuccessful among these people: but
the Lord Jesus so wrought with the word thus spoken, that thousands
of them came flocking to him for mercy. Three thousand of them
closed with him at the first; and afterwards two thousand more; for
now they were in number about five thousand; whereas before sermons
were preached to these murderers, the number of the disciples was not
above "a hundred and twenty;" Acts i. 15; chap. ii. 41; chap. iv. 4.

Also among these people that thus flocked to him for mercy, there was
a "great company of the priests;" chap. vi. 7. Now the priests were
they that were the greatest of these biggest sinners; they were the
ringleaders, they were the inventors and ringleaders in the mischief.
It was they that set the people against the Lord Jesus, and that were