ample, more fluently than Demosthenes, or more polished Latin than Cicero, but they received the faculty of speaking the languages as they are ordinarily spoken, and as though they were their own, and that, too, in a moment. " Blessed is the man whom Thou teachest, O Lord, for verily Thy tongue is as the pen of a writer writing rapidly! " Whether there be question of the imparting of truth or the learning of a language, there is a wider difference between our method and God's than there is between the work of a pen and of a printing-press. Our process is slow and labored and our results defective, but the works of the Lord are perfect.
Thirdly, they received the power of miracles. By a word of his mouth, we are told, St. Peter slew Ananias and Saphira for their duplicity, and not only did he raise Tabitha from the dead, but even by the touch of his shadow he cured all manner of diseases. So, too, the other Apostles. Nevertheless, they indulged in no arbitrary exercise of this power, but only in obedience to the promptings of the Spirit. St. Paul, for instance, did not use his miraculous power for the healing of his own wounds, and in writing to Timothy, he counsels him to have recourse to natural remedies; not to drink water, but to use a little wine for his stomach's sake and his manifold infirmities.
Brethren, lastly, and most of all, the Holy Ghost infused into the Apostles such intense zeal and love for God and humanity that, when their time came, not one of them hesitated to give the ultimate proof
