must be the
meaning, for they that were scattered abroad were laymen. As they went,
they told everywhere of Jesus Christ, and of the life and immortality
which he had brought to light. This subject engrossed their thoughts;
their hearts were full of it, and out of the abundance of their hearts
their mouths spake. It is clear from this history, that in early times
lay members of the church, in great numbers, were led, in the providence
of God, to go forth and engage personally in the work of propagating the
Gospel. And the more closely we look at the history, the more we shall
be impressed with this fact.

Notice the _time_ chosen by God for the first remarkable outpouring of
his Holy Spirit. It was on the day of Pentecost, when multitudes were
present, not only from all parts of Palestine, but from the surrounding
nations. There were present, "Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus and
Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and the parts of Lybia about
Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and
Arabians." Upon this multitude, assembled from all the nations round
about, the Holy Ghost was poured out with such power, that three
thousand souls were converted in one day; and on succeeding days many
were added to the church. Many of these converts would naturally return
to the different nations and places from which they came, and make known
the Saviour far and wide. It was by the return of these converts to
their places of residence, that the Gospel was early introduced into
many places quite remote from Jerusalem, among which may be reckoned, in
all probability, the distant city of Rome. The first propagation of the
Gospel in that metropolis of the world, can be traced to no other source
with so much probability, as to the strangers from Rome who were present
at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. It seems evident, therefore, that
in the time chosen by God for this remarkable outpouring of his Spirit,
he had an eye to an extensive and rapid propagation of the Gospel by lay
members of the church.

Again, as hinted before, when the great body of the first converts chose
to remain at Jerusalem, God saw best to _drive them thence by
persecution_. This persecution began with the stoning of Stephen, and
raged with such violence, that it is said that all the church at
Jerusalem were scattered abroad, except the apostles. They were not only