and had exalted him to his right hand; had given him the promise of the Holy Spirit; that what they saw and heard was the fulfillment of Joel’s promise.  This promise was not simply to the apostles, for we read in the preceding chapter that the apostles, and the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brethren to the number of one hundred and twenty all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.  “And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire; and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  This shows that the gift of the Spirit came upon all the followers Jesus left behind him.  When the multitude were convicted by the apostle’s discourse, they “said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do?  And Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins:  and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.”  What promise!  Evidently the promise of God, “I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh.”  There is no other promise in the mind of Peter and his hearers, and I know of no other promise the reader can have in mind.  This position is amply supported by after-developments.  “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word.  And they of the circumcision that believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.  Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?” (Acts 10:44-47).  This was in fulfillment of the promise not only to the Jews, but the Gentiles, whom the Jews regarded as “far off.”  Paul, speaking to Gentiles, says:  “But now in Christ Jesus, ye that were once far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).  In this incident “the gift of the Holy Spirit” and “receiving the Spirit” are the same.  And when Peter was taken to task for baptizing the Gentiles, he defends himself on the ground that God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, “the like gift as he did also unto us.”  In the above instances, Pentecost and the house of Cornelius, the gift of the Spirit was the result of the baptism of the Spirit, the baptism of the Spirit was an outpouring or falling of the Spirit upon the Jews at Pentecost and the Gentiles at the house of