according to the mind and will of God might be known to future ages, they were directed by the same inspiration to commit to writing the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to their trust. How important then must the epistles of the holy apostles of our Lord and Saviour be. As the last revelation of the will of God to man, they are to be regarded as the key to the whole volume of inspiration, by means of which the other parts of it are opened and elucidated, and are consequently to be explained.

In order, however, to have a right understanding of Divine truth, it is needful for us to pray as the Psalmist did, Open Thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. It is said of our blessed Saviour, that when He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead, He opened their understandings, that they might understand the scriptures. The apostle Paul prayed for the Christians at Ephesus, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give unto them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of their understanding being enlightened." Without a spiritual discernment communicated by the influence of the Holy Ghost, a right apprehension of Divine truth cannot be obtained; the heart will be unaffected, and the soul uninfluenced, notwithstand

74 1 Tim.i. 11. 75 Ps. cxix. 18. 76 Luke xxiv. 45. 77 Eph. i. 17, 18.

ing the judgment may be informed, so as to approve the things that are excellent.78 We must therefore earnestly implore this blessing from our heavenly Father in Christ Jesus, if we would partake of it. We must pray that the Spirit of truth may guide us into all truth; that we may know the truth, and the truth may set us free from the dominion of sin and Satan; and that living under the blessed influence of the Holy Ghost, we may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.80

But the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ also spake with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. This is the proof given in the text of their being filled with the Holy Ghost. It was of great importance that the gift of tongues should be communicated to them. Their being able to speak in a variety of languages, which they had never had any opportunity of learning, was a remarkable sign for them that believed not,81 of their Divine commission to preach the gospel of Christ. This gift was not bestowed on the apostles only, but on others also. It continued for some time to be vouchsafed as occasion required, as we learn from the apostolical epistles. The fourteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians contains a remarkable statement on this subject. Without the gift of tongues it would have been impossible for the apostles to go into

78 Phil.i.10. 79John xvi. 13 ; viii. 32. 80 Titus ii. 10. 811Cor. xiv. 22.

all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But hereby they were enabled, wherever they went, to speak to all men in their own tongue, wherein they were born, the wonderful works of God. Of their knowledge of foreign languages, we have proof still remaining in the writings of St. Peter and St. John; who were originally unlearned Galileans, unacquainted, before the day of Pentecost, with any other beside their own native language. After Christianity had once been spread throughout the world, there was not that occasion for this gift, which had previously existed, and it was therefore discontinued.

The great end for which the gift of tongues was bestowed, is mentioned in the proper preface for this day to the doxology in our Communion Service, "The Holy Ghost came down from heaven with a sudden great sound, as it had been a mighty wind, in the likeness of fiery tongues, lighting upon the apostles, to teach them, and to lead them into all truth; giving them both the gift of divers languages, and also boldness, with fervent zeal constantly to preach the gospel unto all nations; whereby we have been brought out of darkness and error, into the clear light and true knowledge of Jesus Christ." What reason have we to bless God, that by means of the gift of tongues the knowledge of the gospel of Christ was communicated to all nations. For to this gift we may trace its being

imparted to our own country, which had previously been covered with the grossest darkness of ignorance and error. And to the translation of the word of God into our own language, we may ascribe all the civil and religious privileges which, as a nation, we have long enjoyed. May we bring forth the fruit of it, to the glory of God. May the light of Divine revelation never be extinguished in our land by Popish superstition, or infidel indifference.

A further proof of the apostles being filled with the Holy Ghost, was, their being endued with miraculous powers, or the gifts of healing. These our blessed Lord had declared to them they should be enabled to perform. These signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Thus they were enabled to benefit the bodies as well as the souls of men, in order to prove what a blessed religion that was which they were endeavouring to diffuse; and how superior He, whose name they made known as the Saviour of the world, was to the powers of darkness. For while demoniacal agency was inflicting every kind of injury upon men, like the magicians of Egypt, who could increase the calamities of their country, but could not do any thing towards the

removal of them; it was shown that Christianity is able to confer the most valuable benefits on all who come within the reach of its compassionate influence. And as these miraculous powers were a full proof of the Divine origin of Christianity, it pleased God to continue them in the church of Christ for a considerable period, even as long as pagan idolatry was the established religion of the Roman empire. But when Christianity had obtained the ascendancy, they ceased; as the knowledge of Christian doctrine might then be promulgated by ordinary means, and the evidence of its Divine origin had been fully manifested.

In what has been said respecting the apostles of Christ being filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, we have seen that they were partakers of both His ordinary and His extraordinary operations. The former were for the benefit of their own souls. The latter for the benefit of others; that Christianity might, by their means, be disseminated throughout the world at large, and sinners might be saved by the belief of the truth as it is in Jesus. We are to consider,

Secondly, In what respect believers in Christ, in all ages of the church, are partakers of the gift of the Holy Ghost. They no longer partake of plenary inspiration, of the gift of tongues, or of miraculous powers; but they partake of the