The mystery of Pentecost, too, which came to pass on this
day 1818 years ago, teaches us the same thing also. Those cloven
tongues of fire, the tokens of God's Spirit, fell not upon one man,
but upon many; not when they were apart from each other, but when
they were together; and what were the fruits of that Spirit in the
Apostles? Did they remain within that upper room, each priding
himself upon his own gifts, and trying merely to gain heaven for his
own soul? If they had any such fancies, as they very likely had
before the Spirit fell upon them, they had none such afterwards. The
Spirit must have taken all such thoughts from them, and given them a
new notion of what it was to be devout and holy: for instead of
staying in that upper room, they went forth instantly into the public
place to preach in foreign tongues to all the people. Instead of
keeping themselves apart from each other in silence, and fancying, as
some have done, and some do now, that they pleased God by being
solitary, and melancholy, and selfish--what do we read? the fruit of
God's Spirit was in them; that they and the three thousand souls who
were added to them, on the first day of their preaching, "were all
together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions, and
goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need, and
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, did eat their bread in gladness and singleness
of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people.
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