SERMON 7i:T,ITIIY: §# tomen hi this wondrous manner, then God has Pot failed of his- promises to the JewsandGentiles, made by his ancient prophets ; then the Father hath not failed of his promise to his Son Jesus, nor has the Son of God failed of his promise to his disciples and followers ; Acts ii. 16, 17. Luke xxiv. 46. John xv. 25. Acts i, 8. compared with my,text. H. Are these wondrous gifts ofthe Spirit sent down topub- lish and confirm the blessed gospel ;' then surely " it demands our firmest faith, since it was propagated at first by such divine miracles, and has been established by suchsurprizing and glorious gifts." Howwisely has God ordained these visible and sensible wonders, to prove the exaltation of his Son Jesus, when he left the world, andbecame invisible to men ? He hath shed forth all this which you see and hear; and this is the last and the greatest witness to christianity, and it confirmsall the rest. Our Saviour wrought many miracles indeed, and he spokeasnever man spake yet he assured his disciples, that after his departure they should not only do the same works, but greater works than these shall ye do, because Igo to my Father; John xiv. 12. Our blessed Lord east out devils, healed diseases, and raised the dead; what greater works then can we suppose were left for the apostles to perform, or what greater gifts than these can be conferred upon them ? MayI have leave to express a conjecture here, that these might be the word of wisdom and knowledge, and the gift of tongues. We grant it was indeed a miracle, to heal the bodies of the sick with a word ; but does it not seem a more astonishing thing, that the souls of persons, who were in a great measure ignorant of divine truths; should be, at once illuminated with a word of wisdom, should be furnished so soon with such an exten- sive knowledge of the mysteries, doctrines and duties of the gos- pel, that they were able to preach them to an ignorant world ; and that they should be so fully persuaded of these doctrines at once, in opposition to many former prejudices which reigned in them,.that they couldnow venture their lives in the defence of these divine truths, which they learned from heaven by such an inspiration : It is granted again, that it is amiracle to make the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, to put life into a dead body : But itiknot a more amazing event, thatthe mind of a fisherman who knew nothing but his mother-tongue, should at once be fur- nished with a million of words, even the languages of various nations, and that his organs of speech should be enabled to pro- nounce them right, which would be the learning and labour of two or three ages : and that they should speak to every man ira their own tongue, thewonderful works of God? And yet still this wonder is greater, when ive consider, that the apostles not only VOL. 11. F
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