The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 81

la.tor period. Whether those who experienced the wonderful Corce knew in that same hour what had thus taken possession of them may be a question. If they knew it not lu namo, they very certainly began to know it in its marvellous natur.,, We justly give our imo.giuation some leave of exercise here, and the more happily if that imo.gination co.n o.ssist itself in any degree from the materials of our own experience of tho quickening, invigorating influences of the Spirit in our heart. Evirlently in degrees, ranging from little to the largest, does that Spirit vouchsafe his visits and his work in human hearts. What would it be if we knew him to-day in some really large measure I What conviction it would be to the individual heart! What commo.n<ling joy, inexpressible, overflowing to the very life and soul of any one disciple I But if such a visitation were granted to a gathering of disciples-just one meeting of Christian people-making account of the different time of day, the greater enlargement of scope of the day, the crowded people around, millions for thousands, the rapidity and trustworthiness of communication,-surely England itself would scarce contain the excitement, and the <Jhurch might well be beside herself for very joy. The mere imagination of this will help to reproduce for us some more vivid idea of the surprise of that moment, that hour of the day of Pentecost. (2) Those who were thus filled with the Holy Spirit are not rapt in ecstatic feeling, do not improvise celestial psalm and music, but they speak the many languages of earth. Thei.J speak, but the Spirit gives them the speech. They speak, but it is now literally fulfilled that the Spirit gives them in that same hour what they shall speak. The case is one of genuine verbal inspiration, There is little doubt, perhaps, that these numerous disciples spoke words which they did not understand the meaning of (1 Cor. xiv. 22), nor could have "interpreted" had they been called to do so. 'fhey uttered sounds, their faculties of speech being subject to the mighty and condescending power of the Holy Spirit. What of loss of dignity this may at first seem to the disciples, is far more than counter- balanced, not only by the suggestions of honour set 011 the organs of human speech in the use of them by One who may for the moment be called the Maker and Giver of them, but also by the gain of a clearly more impressive result. There was far less mixture of the human element in the Divine communication that purported to pass from the Spirit to the ear and mind of a large number of various-speaking peoples. It is the difference to us of a correspondent who indeed uses an amanuensis, as St. Paul often did in his Epistles, but who k.ieps with himself the dictating of every word. Such a one has not left the selection of words, or style, or turn of expression to another; and this is the chief thing we care about, though we should have prized his haudwriting as well. Nor need it seem at all too far-fetched an inference, if any one hesitated to count it a designed arrangement, that through this speaking being so essentially the act of the Holy Spirit, a very strong suggestion of the personality of that Spirit should be borne in on the disciples then, and much more on disciples of succeeding ages. Absolute speech does not come from what is merely an influence, an energy, a power. It is the function of a person. And it is one of the highest of prerogatives of the human being. The disciples had lost a personal Presence, in the person of Jesus, which could never be replaced, and which never was to be replaced till he should" so come" again, "in like manner as they had seen him go into heaven." And yet, though the personal presence of Jesus was not to be replaced by another personal presence, it was most surely to be replaced by the presence of a Person. Would it not be calculated to assist disciples both to believe correctly and to feel grateful that the ever-invisible Spirit was none the less a Personage, a Being-not a vague infiuecce nor a phantom? And now there is trobably no cardinal fact of Christianity less honoured, less operative, than that of the personality of the Holy Spirit. It is oue of the disastrous causes of his being too )ften "slighted," "sinned against," " grieved," and "qucuched." 3. Certain incidmts in the prnience. It is fitted (1) to a certain time. "When the day of Pentecost was fully come." The time was certain; it was fore- spoken by J osus; it was wnited for by his disciples. But though certain, al!ude<l to, and awaited, neithur " the day nor the hour" was revealed, (2) To a certam place. 'l'ho place certo.inly was Jerusalem. And the same Being who told the dh,ciples "not to depart from Jerusalem, but wait" there, was one who "knew" also "the place," the " one place," of his loved people's loved meeting, ~s he had once well known " the place" of his own agony-the garden, (3) To a certam temper of heart. " They were 76 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [011. It, 1-47,