Serm. CXLIII. conferr'd on the Apoflles. 179 of the Law were delivered ; which Voice then (book the Earth, as the Apoftle tells us, Ver. 26. A Voice fa terrible, that they who heard it, earnefily begged, that they might hear it no more. Thefe were all Circumftances ofgreat Horror : But at the coming down of the Holy Ghoft, here was no Trumpet nor terrifyingVoice, nò Thunder, nor Darknefs, nor Tempeft, only the Sound as it wereofa ftrong Guft of Wind, as a fenfible Signification of a Divine Prefence and Power. And itfilled all the Houfe where they were fitting. The whole Houfe, to reprefent the World, which was tobe filled with the Sound of the Gofpel, according to that of the Pfalmifi cited by St. Paul, Rom. ro. 18. where fpeaking of the general Publication of the Gofpel, Their Sound, fays he, went out into all theEarth, and their Words unto the End of the World. It filledall the Houfe. TMs is that, whichVirfe q. of this Chapter, our Saviour calls baptizing the Apoftles with the Holy Ghoft, fo that they who fat in the Houfe were as it were immers'd in the Holy Ghoft, as they who were Baptized with Water, were overwhelmed and covered all over with Water, which is the proper Notion of Haptifm. l2r. 3. And there appeared unto them Cloven Tongues, as it were of Fire, andfit upon each of them. Cloven Tongues, to lignifie the Diverfity and Diftribution of them ;: this Gift being imparted to every one of the Apoftles : For it is faid, that thefe Tonguesfat upon each of them. Cloven Tongues as it were of Fire, to lignifie the penetrating Virtue and Efficacy of their Preaching. And this is that which john the Baptift calls Baptizing with the Holy Ghofi, and with Fire, meaning the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft upon the Apoftles, in theForm offiery Tongues ; divided to lignifie the Diverfityof them. ,At firft Men were all of one Language ; and the Confufion and Divifion of Tongues, was a Curfe and Punilhment upon them, and the Caufe of their Dili perfionthro'the World ; but now, God by theGiftof feveral Tongues defigned to gather Mankind together, and to unite them in one Religion. And itfat upon each of them. Thefe clovenfiery Tonguesfar upon each of the Apofilea, that is, remained uifibly upon them for fome time ; to lignifythe Permanency of this Gift of Tongues. It was not like feveral of the other miraculous Gifts,which did not conftantly refide upon them ; for they had them not at, all Times, nor when they pleafed, but as God was pleated to difpenfe and communicate them : But this Gift of Tongues was conftant, becaufe they had continual Ufeof it; and it wascommon to all the Apoftles, becaufe they were to be the Publifhers of the Gofpel, and the Witneffes ofour Lord's Refurredion, which was the great Miracle whereby the Gofpel was to be confirmed. Ver. q.. And they were allfilled with the Holy Ghofi, and began to fpeak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave themUtterance. And began tofpeakwith other Tongues. The vulgar Tranflation renders it, varis Einguis, with divers Tongues; that is, they fpake feveral Languages betides their own Mother Tongue, or, as it is exprefs'd in our Saviour's Promife to the Apoftles, Mark 16. 17. With new Tongues. Thefe Signs, fags our Lord before his Afcenfion, (hallfollow them that believe; They fhall fpaak with new Tongues; that is, they should all on the fudden fpeak Languages which they had never learn'd, nor had any Knowledge of before. I know not who was the firft Author of that Conceit, that the Miracle was not in the Speakers, but in the Hearers; that is, the Apoftles fpakein their own Mother Tongue, (the Syriark;) and the Hearers of feveral Nations heard them every one in their own Language; which indeed mutt be acknowledged to be as great a Miracle, or greater than if the Apoftles had fpoken fo many different Languages : But this feems to be a very groundlefs, and unreafonable Conceit, and very contrary to this Relation of this miraculous Gift, and to all the Cir- cumftances of it. For the Text exprefly fays, that They fpake with other Tongues, that is, in Languages different from their Mother Tongue, in which they fpake before, otherwife they could not be called other, or new Tongues. And 1 Cor, 12.25. the Apoftle, among the feveral Gifts which God had bellowed upon the Church, mentions Diverfity ofTongues, which had not been true, if the Apoftles had all fpoken in one Language. And Ver. 3o. he makes a Difference between the Gift 3 cf
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