They had been previously convinced of Christ’s truth.  They seemed indeed to waver when he suffered, but his resurrection, the opportunities which they had with him after that event, and his ascension, which they had witnessed, must have removed every doubt.  But this did not quality them for their work.  It did not furnish them with means to convince others, who had not witnessed those things.  But when the Holy Ghost came upon them, on that memorable occasion, they were furnished.  The gift of miracles was then, more abundantly than before, imparted to them.  In some respects, new and very necessary communications were then made to them—­particularly that of speaking in tongues, which at once carried evidence of their divine mission, and enabled them to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  This was the order of their Lord, but devoid of this gift they could not have obeyed it.

This gift, as imparted to them, seems to have carried greater evidence of their truth, than their barely speaking all languages.  Men out of every nation heard them speak on the day of Pentecost, every man in his own tongue!  Therefore were they amazed, and convinced that the apostles were sent of God and that the gospel was of heavenly derivation.

Those heralds of gospel grace were also inspired with courage to speak boldly in the name and cause of Christ, nothing terrified by their enemies; and “when brought before kings and rulers for his sake, a mouth and wisdom were given them, which all their adversaries were unable to gainsay or resist.”

Such were the means used of God to propagate the gospel? such the agents whom he employed and such their qualifications.

We are next to consider the opposition which was made to its propagation.

Various circumstances combined the worlds against it.  So far as Christianity prevailed, every other religion must fall.  No other could stand in connexion with it.  The Jewish was not to be overthrown; but such changes were to take place in its outward form, that those who did not know it to be typical of a better dispensation, considered it as included in the general proscription; as doomed to destruction if Christianity prevailed Against Stephen that was a principal charge —­“We have heard him say, that this Jesus, shall change the customs which Moses hath delivered us.”

The different systems of Paganism were not opposed to one another, as they were to that of the gospel.  They admitted a plurality of God —­some superior? others subordinate.  They considered them not only as holding different ranks, but as reigning over different countries and nations.  If one of their systems was true another might be so.  But Christianity admitted only “one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.”  It declared that all others who had been called Gods and worshiped as such, were not Gods—­that those who sacrificed to them, sacrificed to demons—­and