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 marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? (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.
It is well worthy the observation of the Reader, how the Lord, by the ordinary method of his providence, overruled this event, that it should take place at this particular season, to render it more public to the world. As the death and resurrection of Christ took place at the first great Jewish feast, the Passover, so the first coming of the Holy Ghost, in this signal and open display of divine power, should take place at the second great feast of Pentecost, Hence both were so admirably timed, that multitudes from all parts, which came up for the sake of trade, at those Jewish feasts at Jerusalem, should be eye and ear witnesses to the Lord's glory. Reader! think of these things, and learn to reverence and adore the Lord, both in the appointments of his providences, as well as in the manifestations of his grace.
The consternation occasioned in Jerusalem by these prodigies, may be better conceived than described. Let the Reader figure to himself those poor humble fishermen of Galilee, the natives of a little despised city, whose inhabitants were dull and unlearned, even to a proverb, (John 1:46.) let him fancy that he beholds one Apostle speaking to a Parthian, another to a Mede, another to an Elamite, without the help of an interpreter, as had always been done before; and let him call to mind that the Apostles addresses were not of earthly things, but of the wonderful works of God, and then let him pause and ponder over the Almighty ministry of God the Spirit! Here were no less than fifteen different nations of the earth brought together on this occasion, and all of them distinguished by a different language. And to these different nations those poor, humble, untaught fishermen of Galilee, were at once qualified to talk on the great things of God in their own mother tongue in which they were born with the greatest fluency of language! What will the Reader say to these things? What less could it be than the power of God, and the wisdom of God, speaking in them and by them to the blessed purposes of salvation? Jesus had said that his disciples should speak with new tongues. And here we see the Lord's promise fulfilled, Mark 16:17. And, Reader! shall not you and I depend upon the promises of Jesus?
I beg to call the Reader's attention to one beauty as discoverable in this miracle, which perhaps in the first view may not so immediately strike him; I mean the wonderful circumstance with which God the Holy Ghost here begun his ministry, in restoring to his servants, the Apostles, the use of tongues, which was made confusion in the first instance at the building of Babel. In the early world, when the Sin of men taught rebellion against God, the Lord confounded their language. Before this, the whole earth was of one language, and one speech, Genesis 11:1-9. And it was God's own language. It was sacred. It was divine. And no doubt it was a blessing to mankind. For it not only promoted a general intercourse and good will between man and man, but being the sacred language, it tended to preserve the knowledge of the Lord throughout the earth. But, when for sin man lost this privilege, what difficulties for apprehension must have occurred? But, who should have thought, that in the designs and stores of omnipotency, the Lord would have made this sin of man the very foundation of bringing forth greater mercy, and have made that which sprung out of evil to become the very means of greater good? And yet so it was. This miracle of enabling the Apostles to speak various languages in a moment of time, would never have had an opportunity for display, had not the tower of Babel, and the confusion of tongues taken place. So that here, as in a thousand instances beside, the Lord overrules the unworthiness of his creatures to his glory, and renders their weakness the means of manifesting his strength. Oh! the depths of the riches both of the wisdom, and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out, Romans 11:33.