was musing the fire kindled, and at the last I spake with my tongue;"* and more particularly, for the impulse of the prophetic inspiration;-" The word of the Lord," says Jeremiah, "was made a reproach unto me and a derision daily," —my testimony for God was turned into ridicule, "and then I said, I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name ;”—he was tempted to shrink from standing up for God — " but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing and I could not stay;" the Spirit of God within him could not be repressed; it must burst forth in word and act.

And therefore, as the promised Spirit of Christianity is, as we have learned from Joel, the Spirit of a Prophet fervent for his God, by this same image does the Baptist express its presence and power; "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, which shall be quick and active in you as a secret fire."+ Just as it was found to be by the disciples on the day of Pentecost, when there came a rushing mighty wind, (the symbol of the

* Psalm xxxix. 3.

+ Per ignem intelligitur vigor evangelicæ gratiæ, qui intus datur, cum Judaici ritus fuerint frigidi. Ignis enim inter omnia elementa maximam habet agilitatem, omnia in se transformans, ac sursum rapiens.-ERASMUS.

Spirit's life-giving breath,) and there appeared unto them lambent flames of fire, (the symbol of his ardent energy,) and they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit moved them to proclaim the wondrous works of God. Just as St. Paul would have it to exist within the heart of every Christian when he exhorts the Thessalonians, "Quench not the Spirit," do not smother and put out his sacred fire; and the Romans, "Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;" and the shrinking Timothy; "Stir up," fan into a flame, "the gift of God

which is in thee by the putting on of my hands; for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound, (a healthy, and vigorous) mind."

This, then, is that power of the Holy Ghost which, as our Homily for Whitsunday declares, openeth the mouth to declare the mighty works of God, engendereth a burning zeal towards God's word, and giveth all men a tongue, yea, and a fiery tongue, so that they may boldly and cheerfully profess the truth in the face of the whole world." This is that divine enthusiasm without which no man was ever great or good, which alone produces noble thoughts and noble deeds. This gave a sacred dignity to St. Peter on the day of Pentecost, when he rose up and exclaimed before them all,

"These are not drunken as you suppose, but this is that which Joel spake of, when he said, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.'” This put force and efficacy into his address when he declared, "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ;" and when they heard this they were pricked to the heart, and there were added to the church three thousand souls. This again endued the disciples with a calm and modest bravery when they said to the assembly of the rulers, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." This filled their hearts with power from on high when they prayed and said, "Now Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word; and when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake the word of God with boldness." This stirred itself in Stephen when he "being full of the Holy Ghost looked up stedfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." This animated Paul when he exclaimed to the Ephesians, "None of these things move me, neither count I

my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." This invested him with dignity and grace when he declared before the heathen governor, "I am not mad, most noble Festus, but show forth the words of truth and soberness ;" and when he cried to the terrified mariners, "Sirs, I exhort you to be of good cheer, for there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve." And this manifested all its fervour in him among the Corinthians, when though he was with them," in weakness and in fear, and in much trembling, his speech and his preaching was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."

Nor was this power of the Holy Ghost less present and effectual in subsequent ages of the church. "Give me a man," says Lactantius, "passionate, headstrong, and unruly by the words of God he shall become gentle as a lamb. Give me a greedy, covetous and churlish man - he shall become a generous creature, full of rich benevolence. Give me a cruel and blood-thirsty man - he shall put on a mild and gracious spirit. Give me a dishonest man, a foolish man, a sensual man-he shall be made honest, wise, and virtuous." "Hear," says St. Cyprian, "that which is felt before it is learnt, that which is not collected together by long study,

but which is received by the power of grace. While I lay in darkness, driven about by the waves of this world, a stranger to truth and light, that which the Divine mercy promised for my salvation seemed to me altogether hard and difficult; namely, that a man should be born again, and laying aside what he had once been, should become in soul and mind a different man. How, said I, is so great a change possible? That what so long had taken root should be done away? And thus entangled in my errors I believed there could be no deliverance; and while I despaired of amendment, I gave myself up to all my vices as if they had been a part of myself. But when, the water of regeneration having washed away the stains of my former life, the light from above shed itself into a heart freed from guilt and purified; when the Spirit from heaven had been breathed into me and formed me by a second birth into a new man; then most wonderfully that became certain to me which had been doubtful before; that was open which had been closed; that became easy which had been difficult; that became practicable which before had been impossible; so that the life which I have now begun to lead is the beginning of a life proceeding from God, a life produced and quickened by the Holy Ghost. From God, I say, from God is all our might, and from Him do we receive all life and power!"