The third Difficulty.

We fee now the apostles freed from that falfe bias, by which they and their fathers before them had been carried afide: and going over the world with vast labour, and preaching the gospel of Chrift. Their fuccefs was wonderful, but from whence did it proceed? They had, They had, it is true, got over their own prejudices: but had not the nations, whom they were to convert, the like, or greater? What was Chrift crucified to the people of Pontus and Afia: to those of Colchis and Iberia: to the Celt and Scythian? Who freed their minds from their national established worship; and disposed their hard hearts to the reception of the gofpel? Even He, who foftened the flinty rock, and made rivers to run in dry places: who gave manna in the defert: and fed his people with the bread of heaven. To Him, and Him only, can the great change be attributed for human power, unaffisted, could never have prevailed. The apostles left to themselves would not have gained a fingle Samaritan: of this we may judge from the few profelytes made at this day.

The laft Difficulty.

and of the Holy

The laft words of our Saviour to his dif ciples after his resurrection contained an order for them to make his gospel manifest to the whole world. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, Ghoft. Matt. xxviii. 19. And in another place he tells them, that repentance, and remiffion of fins fhould be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerufalem: and ye are witneffes of thefe things. Luke xxiv. 47. The difficulty, which occurs here, I have in fome degree anticipated : and it is otherwise very obvious. For how could these men of Galilee gain a fufficient knowledge in fuch a variety of languages, as was fufficient for this work? A fuperficial infight could by no means be adequate to the purpose. There must have been in the teachers an aptnefs, copioufnefs, and fluency, to preach with any effect; and to captivate the hearts of the hearers. But how was this poffible to be obtained in fo

many

many different and numerous tongues, between many of which there could be no fimilitude nor analogy? With man it was not poffible, however neceffary. Therefore it pleased God to afford the difciples a miraculous gift of tongues, without which they could never have propagated the gofpel. This was effected in a wonderful manner by an effufion of the Holy Ghost at the feaft of Pentecoft; when there were affembled at Jerufalem devout men from all parts of the world. Every one of these heard their own language to their great astonishment spoken by the apostles and disciples. Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mefopotamia, and in Lydia*, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Afia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene; and strangers of Rome, Jews and Profelytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. Acts ii. 9, &c. These languages are numerous, yet they were not fufficient to carry on the

great work in the regions, to which it was extended *. For, as I have before obferved, we have authority to believe, that fome of the difciples lived to fee the knowledge of the gospel carried beyond the limits of the Roman empire. The apostles therefore were certainly gifted with tongues, wherever they came. The history proves the miracle. We are affured, fays the learned Mofheim, by the most unexceptionable teftimonies, that Chrift was worshipped, as God, almost throughout the whole Eaft; as alfo among the Germans, Spaniards, Celts, Britons, and many other nations. But which of them received the gospel in the first century, and which in the fecond, is a question not to be answered at this distance of time. That the name of Chrift was known, and his religion thus far propagated, may be in great measure proved from the churches founded in Antioch, and in Affyria; in Samaria, Alexandria, Carthage, and as far as Vienne

*Such as Colchis, Iberia, many parts of Africa, Iberia Hifpanica, Lufitania, Gaul, and, if we may truft to Venerable Bede, as far as Britain.

+ Ecclefiaftical History, Vol. i. p. 72.

and

and Lyons in Gaul. In the intermediate fpace, fuch as Italy, Greece, and, what is now called, Afia Minor, they were very numerous even in the time of St. Paul. The writers too were in great number: fuch as Juftin of Syria Palestina; Irenæus of Lyons; Polycarp of Smyrna; Athenagoras of Athens; Theophilus of Antioch; Tertullian of Africa; and Tatian of Affyria; with several others in the second century, who fhew how far the gospel had reached by the countries, from whence they wrote. Pliny was born in the time of the apostles; and in the reign of Trajan had the province of Bithynia: and he speaks of the Chriftians being there fo numerous; that in fome places the meat could not be fold in the fhambles, because it had been offered to idols. The Chriftians would not buy it; and there were not others fufficient to purchase.

The Prospects afforded to the first Profelytes.

Let us confider what encouragement was offered to the first converts, when they