Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 6.djvu/23

Rh all their griefs and fears were swallowed up. They were also, for the proof of this, filled with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which is especially meant here; they were endued with miraculous powers for the furtherance of the gospel. It seems evident to me, that not the twelve apostles only, but all the hundred and twenty disciples, were filled with the Holy Ghost alike at this time; all the seventy disciples, who were apostolical men, and employed in the same work, and all the rest too that were to preach the gospel; for it is said expressly, (Eph. 4. 8, 11.) When Christ ascended on high, (which refers to this, v. 33.) he gave gifts unto men, not only some apostles, such were the twelve; but some prophets, and some evangelists, such were many of the seventy disciples, itinerant preachers, and some pastors and teachers settled in particular churches, as we may suppose some of these afterward were. The all here, must refer to the all that were together, ch. 1. 14, 15.—v. 1.

2. They began to speak with other tongues, beside their native language, though they had never learned any other. They spake not matters of common conversation, but the word of God, and the praises of his name, as the Spirit gave them utterance, or gave them to speak, ἀποφθέγγεσθαι—to speak apophthegms, substantial and weighty sayings, worthy to be had in remembrance. It is probable that it was not only one that was enabled to speak one language, and another another, (as it was with the several families that were dispersed from Babel,) but that every one was enabled to speak divers languages, as he should have occasion to use them. And we may suppose that they understood not only themselves, but one another too, which the Builders of Babel did not, Gen. 11. 7. They did not speak here and there a word of another tongue, or stammer out some broken sentences; but spake it as readily, properly, and elegantly, as if it had been their mother-tongue; for whatever was produced by miracle, was the best of the kind. They spake not from any previous thought or meditation, but as the Spirit gave them utterance; he furnished them with the matter as well as the language. Now this was, (1.) A very great miracle, it was a miracle upon the mind, (and so had most of the nature of a gospel-miracle,) for in the mind words are framed. They had not only never learned these languages, but had never learned any foreign tongue, which might have facilitated these; nay, for aught that appears, they had never so much as heard these languages spoken, or had any idea of them. They were neither scholars nor travellers; nor had had any opportunity of learning languages either by books or conversation. Peter indeed was forward enough to speak in his own tongue; but the rest of them were no spokesmen, nor were they quick of apprehension; yet now not only the heart of the rash understands knowledge, but the tongue of the stammerers is ready to speak elegantly, Isa. 32. 4. When Moses complained, I am slow of speech, God said, I will be with thy mouth, and Aaron shall be thy spokesman. But he did more for these messengers of his; he that made man's mouth, new made theirs. (2.) A very proper, needful, and serviceable miracle. The language the disciples spake, was Syriac, a dialect of the Hebrew; so that it was necessary that they should be endued with the gift, both for the understanding of the original Hebrew of the Old Testament, in which it was written, and of the original Greek of the New Testament, in which it was to be written. But that was not all; they were commissioned to preach the gospel to every creature, to disciple all nations. But here is an insuperable difficulty at the threshold; How shall they master the several languages so as to speak intelligibly to all nations? It will be the work of a man's life to learn their languages. And therefore to prove that Christ could give authority to preach to the nations, he gives ability to preach to them in their own language. And it should seem, that this was the accomplishment of that promise which Christ made to his disciples, (John 14. 12.) Greater works than these shall ye do. For, this may well be reckoned, all things considered, a greater work than the miraculous cures Christ wrought; Christ himself did not speak with other tongues, nor did he enable his disciples to do it while he was with them; but it was the first effect of the pouring out of the Spirit upon them. And Archbishop Tillotson thinks it probable, that if the conversion of infidels to Christianity were now sincerely and vigorously attempted by men of honest minds, God would extraordinarily countenance such an attempt with all fitting assistance, as he did the first publication of the gospel.

5. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every. nation under heaven. 6. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak, Galileans? 8. And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9. Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10. Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11. Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth.this? 13. Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

We have here an account of the public notice that was taken of this extraordinary gift, with which the disciples were all on a sudden endued. Observe,

I. The great concourse of people that there was now at Jerusalem; it should seem, more than usually was at the feast of pentecost. There were dwelling or abiding at Jerusalem, Jews that were devout men, disposed to religion, and that had the fear of God before their eyes, (so the word properly signifies,) some of them proselytes of righteousness, that were circumcised, and admitted members of the Jewish church, others only proselytes of the gate, that forsook idolatry, and gave up themselves to the worship of the true God, but not to the ceremonial law; some of those there were at Jerusalem now, out of every nation under heaven, whither the Jews were dispersed, or from whence proselytes were come. The expression is hyperbolical, denoting that there were some from most of the then known parts of the world; as much as ever Tyre was, or London is, the rendezvous of trading people from all parts, Jerusalem at that time was of religious people from all parts. Now,

1. We may here see what were some of those countries whence those strangers came; (v. 9, 11.) some from the eastern countries, as the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and dwellers in Mesopotamia, the posterity of Shem; from thence we come in order to Judea, which ought to be mentioned, because,