atheists? And yet it is evident, that thro' prejudice many of them rejected our Lord; putting him to open fhame, and a bloody death: But when Peter preached Chrift on the day of Pentecoft, they at first believed on him with a true, tho' not with a luminous faith. This appears from the anguish, which they felt upon being charged with having flain the prince of life. No man in his fenfes can be pricked to the heart merely for having had a hand in the juft punishment of an impoftor, and a blafphemer, who makes himfelf equal with God. If therefore keen remorse pierced the heart of those penitent Jews, it is evident, that they looked no more upon Christ as an impoftor, but already believed in him as the true Meffiah.

No fooner had they thus paffed from faith in the Father to an explicit faith in the Son, but they cried out, What shall we do? And Peter directed them to make by baptifm an open, folemn profeffion of their faith in Chrift, and to believe the great promife concerning the Holy Ghoft. The promife is unto you, faid he: Be baptized, EVERY ONE OF YOU, in the name of Jefus Chrift for the remiffion of fins; and ye [every one of you] fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoft. And upon their gladly receiving the word; i. e. upon their heartily believing the promife relating to pardon and to the Comforter; and, no doubt, upon their fervently-praying, that it might be fulfilled in them; they were filled with the fpirit: all their hearts overflowed with righteoufness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft.

St. Peter fpeaking (Acts xi.) of a fimilar out-pouring of the Spirit, fays, The Holy Ghoft fell on them, [Gentiles] as on us [Jews] at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he faid, John indeed baptized with water them that entered his difpenfation, but ye fhall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, when you fhall enter the full difpenfation of my Spirit:-God, adds Peter, gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jefus Chrift.

And

And when the apoftles heard these things, they glorified God; not indeed by fhouting, "Then hath God given the Gentiles power to speak Arabic :" but by faying, Then hath God alfo to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life, according to the fulness of the Chrif tian difpenfation.

That this difpenfation of the Holy Ghoft, this coming of Chrift's fpiritual kingdom with power, is attended with an uncommon degree of fanctifying grace, is acknowledged by all: And that the gift of tongues, &c. which at firft on fome occafions, and in fome perfons, accompanied the baptifm of the fpirit, for a fign to bigoted Jews, or to ftupid Heathens-that fuch a gift, I lay, was a temporary ap pendage, and by no means an effential part of Chrift's fpiritual baptifm, is evident from the merely fpiritual effect, which the receiving of the Holy Ghoft had upon the penitent Jews, who, being born of water and of the Spirit, preffed after the apoftles into the kingdom of God on the day of Pentecoft.

6

Even in the infancy of the church,' [fays an eminent divine] God divided thofe' [miraculous] gifts with a fparing hand. Were all even then prophets? Were all workers of miracles? Had all the gifts of healing? Did all fpeak with tongues? No, in nowife. Perhaps not one in a thoufand. Probably none but the teachers of the church, and only some of them. It was therefore for a more excellent purpofe than this, that they the [brethren and apoftles were all filled with the Holy Ghoft. It was to give them (what none can deny to be effential to all Chriftians in all ages) the mind which was in • Chrift, thofe holy fruits of the fpirit, which, whofoever has not, is none of his; to fill them with love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness.'

*It is very remarkable, that altho' 3000 converts received the gift of the Holy Ghoft on the memorable day, in which Christ opened the dispensation of his fpirit, no mention is made of fo much as one of them working a fingle miracle, or fpeaking with one new

tongue.

tongue. But the greateft, and moft beneficial of miracles was wrought upon them all: For, all that believed, fays St. Luke, were together; continuing daily with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from houfe to houfe, eating their meat with gladness and fingleness of heart, praifing God, and having favour with all the people, by their humble, affectionate, angelical behaviour. Or, as the fame hiftorian expresses it, A&s iv. 32, The multitude of them that believed-fpoke Greek and Latin !-No, but-were of ONE heart, and of ONE foul: neither faid any of them, that ought of the things which he poffeffed was his own: but they had all things common having been made perfect in one, agreeably to our Lord's deep prayer, recorded by St. John: Neither pray I for thefe [my difciples] alone, but for THEM alfo, who fhall believe on me thro' their word, That they may be ONE: -I in them by my spirit, and thou in me, that they may be made PERFECT

ONE.

IN