in several parts of the world, should not at this time be all endowed with the like gifts. So that from hence we may be allowed to infer, that the whole one hundred and twenty disciples were present with the Apostles on this occasion'. "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting; and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." The diversity of the languages was intimated by the tongues being cloven, as the readiness and aptness of speech and argument was by the tongues themselves. These tongues had the semblance of fire-a fit representation of the light these disciples received by the accession of the Holy Spirit. Light is in itself so pure and glorious, that we cannot but think it a very proper symbol of the Deity; and we find accordingly that the Divine presence was usually manifested by fire, or a cloud of light, in most of the appearances recorded in the Old Testament. The disciples were thus endowed with different languages which they had never learned1, to enable them to spread and diffuse the knowledge of Chris

1 Dr. Whitby.

3 Bankes.

2 Dean Stanhope.
Pyle.

tianity over the world; the Gospel thereby making a greater progress in a few years than it could have done in human probability, without it, in many ages.

At this time there were Jews of every quarter of the world sojourning at Jerusalem, besides proselytes, who from "every nation under heaven" came thither to the celebration of the feast; and no sooner did they hear of this miraculous event, than "they came together, and were confounded," to see persons deemed illiterate, and all born in the remote land of Galilee, speaking the languages of the several countries from whence they came. The miracle was of such a nature, that the like was never known in the world, either before or since the first ages of Christianity, upon any occasion whatsoever; nor can we well imagine any other sort of miracle that could probably affect men more, or strike them with greater wonder and admiration, or which could demonstrate more sensibly a Divine power and presence accompanying the disciples, than to see and hear them all of a sudden to speak so many languages with perfect ease and fluency'. The persons who thus spake were natives of a country held in great contempt among the Jews, and considered as ignorant and unpolished by surrounding countries. These individuals, in particular, were known to 7 Archbishop Tillotson.

5 Nelson.

• Stackhouse.

be such, bred up to mean trades, and destitute both of capacity and opportunity to acquire any degree of those abilities which they now exerted in the utmost perfection: and what could be a greater proof of God's speaking in them, and by them, than their being able to do that in an instant, which the study of a whole life could hardly, if at all, qualify any man to do? Here was no room for delusion, where every hearer was a judge for himself, and when those that heard were so numerous, of regions so distant, and of languages so very different from each other. Of all the miracles recorded in Scripture, none are more clear from any possible imputation, from being the effect of an enthusiastic imagination, than this of the disciples speaking in languages they had never learned; for, how could any man think he possessed this faculty, when he possessed it not? or, if he did think so, how could he fail to be undeceived, when he came to put his gift to the proof? The miracle consisted, moreover, not only in speaking new languages, but in teaching sacred truths in a new and effectual manner: "We do hear them speak in other tongues the wonderful works of God." This doubled the miracle, which was of especial service to Christianity. It engaged the favour and admiration of the people so much, that the • Lord Lyttelton.

8

Dean Stanhope.

enemies of Christ could not accomplish their designs against the disciples'; indeed, some who were then present, desirous to elude the force of such a miracle, imputed their speech to the power of "new wine." The men who said this were, it is conjectured, men of Judæa, who, not understanding what the Apostles spoke in other languages, imagined that (as drunken men are wont to do) they babbled some foolish unmeaning words, which they could make nothing of'.

SECT. CLXXXI.-Peter's Sermon.-Acts ii. 14-47.

THUS did our Lord fulfil His promise to His disciples, that He would send them "the Spirit of truth;" and so much did they "receive power, after that the Holy Ghost was come upon them, that Peter, so late a craven apostate, now with surprising boldness lifts up his voice immediately after the effusion of the Holy Ghost, and testifies that Jesus is "both Lord and Christ"."

The plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit is mentioned by the prophets as the peculiar character of the Gospel state; and St. Peter applies at this time a passage from the prophet Joel predicting the wonderful results of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the first believers'. This prophet foretels in the clearest terms its

general diffusion, which was to characterize the Gospel dispensation; and proceeds to describe, in the most remarkable terms, the destruction of Jerusalem, which should follow soon after, speaking in terms which have a double aspect, like our Saviour's prophecy on the same subject, and refer to a primary and a final dispensation. St. Peter goes on to tell them that, in order to the completion of the particular prophecies concerning the death of Christ, it was necessary that God should suffer Him to fall into the hands of wicked men, and should not restrain them from executing their malicious designs; but, that "God had raised Him up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." This, also, he remarks, had been foreseen by David in the Psalms, who, speaking, as it were, of himself, says, Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thy holy one to see corruption." It is very evident, says St. Peter, that this expression of David's could never be meant of, nor in any way fulfilled in, his own person, who, as you all know, long since died, and lies yet in his grave, which "is with us unto this day :" and, therefore, as David was an eminent prophet, and a type of the Messiah, it must be concluded that, in this character, he was acquainted beforehand with Dr. Whitby.

Bishop Gray.

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