they were an exception not to this only, but also to the tongues spoken in the church at Corinth, and in the church at Ephesus, and in the church at Cæsarea. An exception on the single occasion of Pentecost cannot overthrow the regular character of the gift as foretold of old, and as afterwards exhibited in the churches of the apostolic age. An exception elsewhere proves the rule, and why not here? But even while I write-blessed be his glorious name! God revealeth unto me what hath been hid from ages, showing to me that this is no exception Start not, reader. Knowest thou not that the Spirit taketh of the things of Christ and sheweth it unto us.' The manifestation at Pentecost comprised both the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation. Each of the several nations present were addressed in tongues; but then, each nation only in the tongues of the other nations; and when its own vernacular tongue was spoken, this was not to it a tongue, viz. a language not understood, a sign, a symbol from God; but this then became the gift of interpretation exercised by the apostle towards that nation; while, at the same time, this was a tongue unto all the other nations; and vice versa, what was interpretation to them was tongues unto it. This knowing to be the truth of God I maintain unto the death. "Now, I proceed to show, that in the church at Corinth tongues possessed the characteristic of being unintelligible to the auditors, and as declared by the instance of this church, unintelligible also to the speaker. In support of this, I merely refer to verses, as they are quite decisive without comment. 1 Cor. xiv. 2, 4, 5, 13, 14. Also the continual mention of interpretation as a separate gift from tongues, in this and in the 12th chapters of this Epistle. These verses declare in the most explicit language, in language impossible to be misunderstood, that the tongues possessed by the church at Corinth were not understood by either speaker or hearer: and from this reason, tongues were qualified with the gift of interpretation-a gift endowed sometimes on the same individual who spoke in tongues (see 1 Cor. xiv. 5, 13), and sometimes on a different individual (1 Cor. xiv. 27, 28), thus shewing the integrity of the gift of interpretation. "Very little is said in Scripture of the mode in which tongues were exercised in the other churches; but sufficient may be gathered to see that it was just in the same mode as in the church at Corinth. "In the church at Ephesus, we are told in Acts xix. 6, that the Holy Ghost came on certain disciples, and they "It was the same with the church at Cæsarea, (Acts x. 46.) For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.' I have no doubt that the words, and magnify God,' mean a different thing from the words, speak with tongues,' and that the former do mean interpretation, and that the tongues consequently must have been unintelligible to the auditors. "The scriptural character of the gift of tongues has now been shown to bethat tongues are unintelligible to both speaker and hearer, and are purely a symbolical, a mystical language from God, the meaning of which is made intelligible only by an entirely different gift, the gift of interpretation of tongues. There now remains to be compared with this, the character of the tongues endowed upon the church amidst us within the last fifteen months. These tongues are now dowed on fifteen individuals, (four of whom are men, and the rest females,) none of whom have ever understood the words that they speak, nor has there been a single instance in which any of these tongues have been understood by any of their auditors This, therefore, is a perfect parallel to the gift of tongues recorded in Scripture, and identifies itself as the same gift."--pp. 5—8. en It appears that Mr. Irving makes nearly the same concessions. "It is felt," says Mr. Beverley, as a peculiar inconvenience, (and acknowledged even by Mr. Irving to be a deficiency,) that nobody can be found to interpret the unknown tongues.' When the famous miracle of the day of Pentecost is urged against Mr. Irving, whereby it is evident that the apostles did not speak jargon, but real languages understood by various foreigners, how does he escape from this perplexity? By boldly asserting that it was AN ACCIDENT!!! - The new method of divine communication is by enforcing the prophet to utter, in a tongue unknown to himself, the words which God would carry to the people; and because the people were, EXCEPT IN AN ACCIDENTAL CASE, AS AT PENTECOST, unacquainted with the voice, there was added, in order to convey the substance and meaning of the same, a gift of interpretation which sometimes was possessed by the speakers, and sometimes by others.'"- Beverley's Sermon, p. 34. "None of these gifted ones have ever understood the words that they speak, nor has there been a single instance in which these tongues have been understood by any of their auditors"!!! We ask, then, of what possible use can the gift be? "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God." "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth." "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue, edifieth himself." Now if we do not altogether mistake the meaning of prayer and edification, they are exercises intimately connected with thought, of which words must be the media, and therefore those who, in apostolic times, possessed the " gift of tongues," and used it, if they were not understood by the native congregation around them, or if there were no foreigner present to hear the instructions delivered, though forbidden in such a case by St. Paul to speak, yet still they had the advantage of meditating on the thoughts suggested, or of communing with God in the prayers uttered. But the gifted fraternity of these enlightened days have never yet understood their own words! Nor has a single instance occurred, says Archibald M'Kerrell, in which they have been understood by their auditors!! How then are unbelievers to be convinced that God is with them "of a truth?" One of the most successful female impostors of modern times, appeared some years ago in the neighbourhood of Bristol, speaking an unknown tongue, and observing Hindoo, or other oriental customs. Caraboo excited the attention of certain linguists and philanthropists in the West, and whilst comfortably supplied by the latter, she effectually puzzled the former, who, with N. S. No. 85, all their research, did not detect the imposition, which was discovered in another way. Now we ask, how can an infidel be assured that the young ladies on the banks of the Clyde, or at Regent Square, are not acting their parts as Caraboo did? Obviously the only proof must be their utterance of a well known and recognized language. "Let," to use the words of Mr. Beverley, "the miracle be proved at once, by that very easy and plain proof offered in the Apostolical age, let the supposed gifted persons give an exhortation in some of the oriental dialects, in the Chinese for instance, or the Burmese, the Mahratta, the Persic, the Assamese, the of the languages of the South Sea islands, Malay, the Japanese, the Arabic, or any or, in short, any real language of any real people; let it be proved that this gifted person never knew the language before, and then a ready acknowledgment of the miracle must be conceded by every one, whether he be unlearned, or an unbeliever."--p. 13. As it is evident that these exhibitions of "the gift" are not likely to convince unbelievers, or to afford them attestation that God is in the place, we may now proceed to inquire whether any advantage can be gained by the professed disciples of Jesus from these outpourings; as to the unknown tongues, we suppose no edification can be derived from them, for "even things without life, giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" but though the most experienced soldier knows not the signal which these bugles give, yet it seems they are employed to usher in, as with a flourish of trumpets, some more important proclamation. Are the English sentences which they utter, we ask, of that forcible and weighty character, G then 66 which might lead us to suppose that they speak as they are moved by the Holy Ghost?" Let our readers judge from the following specimen, which, from what we have heard ourselves, we are certain is no exaggerated report. "Men doubt-they doubt the very being of their God; they dare to doubt it-they dare to doubt. The worms of the dust-the worms of the dust-the works of his hands they dare to doubt-they dare to doubt his very being. Think you that he will arise?-that he will plead his own cause?--that he will plead his own cause? Oh, beware of going on, of going on--beware--beware! Know that the Lord he is God; know that he made all things; O know it-O know it! You will know it you will know it. O know it now --know it now! Put away your unbelief put away your unbelief. Come to him now--come to him now. Oh, he is not known-he is not known! Men do not know what it is to walk before him; they do not know that his eye searcheth them; they do not know that, at the great day of God, they shall have to give account. Oh, it is a fearful thing!--oh, it is a fearful thing!-oh, it is a fearful thing! Oh, mock not! Oh, it is your perdition if you mock! oh, it is your perdition if you mock! Oh, mock not at your God! oh, mock not at your God!" Unknown Tongues.- pp. 12, 13. O how unlike the sublime language of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel; and the instructive eloquence of Peter, Stephen, and Paul, is this vain babbling! Surely they must think that the Eternal Spirit is altogether like unto themselves, to suppose that he can be the author of such vapid unconnected prattle. The only remaining use of the original gift of tongues we have to notice, is the assistance it supplied in the propagation of the Gospel. The Apostles were to be "witnesses of these things to the uttermost ends of the earth;" and never having been accustomed by their previous habits to the acquisition of foreign tongues, or even the correct pronunciation of their own, the commission they re 66 ceived to preach the Gospel to every creature, would have been long delayed, had they not been endowed with "power from on high;" and to animate them in their arduous work, it was promised that they should speak with new tongues," and work many miracles. Confirmatory of this, it is very remarkable that Paul, who was the great Apostle of the Gentiles, whose travels through foreign countries, both civilized and barbarous, were more extensive than any other apostle; that he was furnished "with tongues more than they all" To this special aid of the Holy Spirit it has been always usual to attribute the widely diffused, and eminently successful labours of the first preachers of Christianity. The subject of "Interpretation" deserves a little notice. If these modern oracles speak a real language, then it would be capable of translation, verbum verbo, and the more close and literal the better; but when poor Pilkington ventured to suggest that the gifted sister had favoured them with some disjointed Latin, " gthis dil omma sumo," which he translated on a slip of paper; he was hastily asked by Mr. Irving's missionary, How can you, sir, undertake to interpret the words of God," and was told, "You cannot interpret by human understanding; interpretation must be given by the Spirit!" It is now time that our readers should hear Mr. Pilkington's account of the excitement he experienced at the Caledonian Church, and of the anxiety of its poor bewildered pastor, to find out some one who can interpret. "If it be remembered that, having been and ever will entertain, of Mr. Irving's guided by the good opinion I had formed, piety and zeal for religion-assured of his knowledge of the persons whom he de clared to be gifted' with the Holy Spirit-and satisfied of their piety by personal observation, I became a believer in the probability of the truth of his affirmation, it cannot be surprising that I seriously regretted the aversion which I observed in the strangers of the general congregation to the utterance of the Spirit from which I presaged great danger of dissension. Being thus interested, when I attended prayers on Monday morning, my devotional meditationduring the solemn and imposing silence which as usual occurred after some of the gifted persons' had spoken, and which never failed to fill me, as if by sympathy, with a holy sensation was occupied with a visionary figure of contention, and I was strongly excited by a very powerful feeling which I am unable to describe, to exhort and forewarn them of impending difficulty; but I resisted it until Mr. Irving in his discourse said it was sinful to suppress such movements. I could no longer restrain, and, with a sudden burst of utterance, used the following detached sentences: The second sword is now drawn in this church.'-Combat with love and unity.'- Deny me no more.' Peace be with you.' Mr. Irving praised God for having opened ⚫ another mouth' in the church, and said heard the voice of the Shepherd.' He then offered a solemn prayer for me. now concluded that the excitement I felt was the same as that which influenced the gifted persons,' but that they experienced it in a higher degree, which produced the utterance of Tongue. When the service closed Mr. Irving begged that the dear Brother who had spoken would remain, that he might confer with him after the meeting had dispersed. I did not expect this invitation: I complied, however, with his desire, and on entering the vestry with him and the Missionary, Mr. Irving introduced me to the former, who observed, I have not the pleasure of knowing the Brother.' I we I said I was a stranger in their church. Mr. Irving's behaviour was kind and affable-that of the Missionary more reserved. In reply to a question as to the regularity of my attendance at Divine Worship, I said that I had attended their morning service for nearly three months, during which time I was once only absent -that prior to this period, having heard that Mr. Irving was preaching and publishing a false doctrine, I was afraid to comply with the recommendations of my friends to hear him preach, because, having been but a few years converted from Deism to a belief in our Lord Jesus Christ, I felt myself not sufficiently established in doctrine to resist the power of his eloquence--that an accidental circumstance obliged me to hear him one Sunday evening, when, in the course of his sermon, he declared that he never intended to introduce the doctrine which persons attributed to him, by perverting the meaning of his words-that I was satisfied I was misinformed, and ventured to hear him the following Sunday evening, when I was much gratified by his discourse, and pleased when I heard him announce that Prayer Meetings were held at half-past six o'clock every morning: from attending which I derived much comfort and consolation. Mr. Irving praised God for this; and having asked the Missionary if he had any more questions to put to me, and received a negative, he requested him to pray for me; which, being done, we parted with a request from Mr. Irving that I would meet him the following day at ten o'clock in the Church. "I went next morning to the Prayer Meeting, and as I arrived at the door of the Church I met Mr. Irving, who saluted me very kindly, and begged that I would not speak again until I had had the appointed interview with him, unless I could not possibly avoid it. At the end of the first service Mr. Irving said he would name the four persons who had now an opportunity of speaking: he accordingly mentioned Misses Hall, Cardale, and Smith, and Mr. Tuplin. They availed themselves of the occasion, and we dispersed. I returned at ten o'clock and met Mr. Irving in the vestry, who seemed desirous of ascertaining how I was influenced to speak. With all possible frankness I endeavoured to explain (as already mentioned) the irresistible impulse of religious feeling to which I had yielded. To this he said that the gifted persons informed him that the power which compelled them to speak, acted on the end of their Tongues. He then asked me if I would have spoken this morning had he not requested me to be silent if possible? I replied that I did not suffer myself to be excited to that degree,--on which he fell back in his chair, and exclaimed, "God forgive me if I have been guilty of quenching the Spirit!" This distressed me very much, and I assured him he did not-that it was more than probable I would not have spoken: at which he was somewhat consoled, and said, 'I understand you.' Heinquired if I understood any of the Tongues? I replied that I thought I understood the Sister who spoke last this morning, and that I was about to ask him the same question; because, if we agreed, I should be the more certain. To his anxious inquiry as to what I heard, I said that I understood the words generally to convey the idea of love and solicitude; but if I were to venture at the interpretation of the last words which struck my ear, I should say it was Pour out your soul, and I will hear.' He said, God be praised!' and used other words, which expressed a hope that God was answering the prayer for an Interpreter. He then requested I would attend a Prayer Meeting in the evening, at which I would meet the Gifted Persons ;" and if I should then understand any of the tongues, he begged I would acquaint him of it immediately. I explained, that, as I understood several languages, I might have heard some familiar sounds; but that if he, whose knowledge of the Classics must be greater than mine, agreed with me, I should be more confident. To this he replied, he had not the least idea of the meaning of the TONGUES,' and he aspired to be no more than the humble Pastor of the flock.' This humility in such a talented man, by which he seemed to confess an inferiority to me, filled my heart with a mixture of love and admiration for him during the whole time he was closetted with others, who were in attendance; for he had requested me to wait in the body of the church until he ministered to them."-pp. 12-15. 66 We have seen from "the Morning Watch," that the language of J. M'D., uttered on the banks of the Clyde, contained many Greek and Latin radicals, and with inflections also much resembling those of the Greek language." Mr. Beverley has supplied the following hymn in "the unknown," and his remarks upon it sustain the admissions already quoted. Hippo gerosto niparos O fastos sungor boorinos O deripangito boorin "Of this specimen, till a more erudite interpretation be discovered, we may conjecture that it is a song concerning the best horses—iπ, hippo, the horse in the dative case; apɩoros, aristos, the best; tanto and fastos are pure Latin words. Mr. Pilkington, who professes to understand several languages, thus describes the engagements_of an afternoon meeting in Mr. Irving's vestry, "Mr. Irving gave me a seat in the front, close to his chair and that of the Missionary.-[Psalm. Prayer. Silence.] The Gifted Sister 1 commenced, and I heard the words, Hozeqhin* alta stare: the remaining sounds I cannot clearly remember, though, as translated from the Latin, the meaning was--will take care of this house' she concluded in English, urging that the Spirit should speak in the congregation.-[Silence.]--Gifted Sister 2 uttered in Tongue no more than Holimoth holif awthaw!' and finished in English to the same effect as Sister 1. I took advantage of the silence which followed, to tell Mr. Irving that I was informed by the Missionary it was not correct to interpret except by the Spirit, and that that which I otherwise interpreted would ously]; what did you hear?' not be received. O yes, Sir, [anxiI replied Sister 2 said (in English) Holy, most holy Father;' and Sister 1 said (in Latin) 'Jesus, who is in the highest, will take care of this house.' Neither Mr. Irving nor the Missionary asked me any ques tions about the Tongue in English, no doubt because they did not believe she used this language--I heard Sister 2 say to her neighbour, in a low voice, I didn't speak in English, did I ?'--but they questioned me closely about the Latin. I said I translated it; which the Missionary declared was not interpretation-that interpretation should be given by the Spirit:" to this Mr. Irving assented; and although I remarked that it might have been given me by the Spirit in answer to the prayers that had been offered for me, they eluded the observation. [Silence.]-Sister 1 spoke again in Tongue Hozehamenanostra,' which she repeated three times; and in English she said, 'Jesus will take care of us.' I was now |