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Observe here, first, The general publication of the gospel by the apostles; they went and preached everywhere.
Secondly, the reason of the efficacy and success of it; namely, that divine and miraculous power which accompanied the preaching of it; The Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the word with signs following.
Observe, 1. The general publication of the gospel by the apostles; they went forth and preached everywhere. The industry of the holy apostles was incredibly great, yet was their success greater then their industry; even beyond all human expectation; which will evidently appear, if we consider,
1. The vast spreading of the gospel so far in so short a space of time; for in thirty years time after Christ's death, it was spread through the greatest part of the Roman empire, and reached as far as Parthia and India.
2. The wonderful power and efficacy which the gospel had upon the lives and manners of men; the generality of those that entertained the gospel were obedient to it, both in word and deed; because Christianity being an hated and persecuted profession, no man could have any inducement to embrace it, that did not resolve to practice it, and live up unto it.
3. The weakness and meanness of the instruments that were employed in propagating the gospel, shews the success of it to be very great and strange; a company of plain and illiterate men, most of them destitute of the advantages of education, and unassisted by the countenance of any authority whatsoever; yet did they in a short space, draw the world after them.
The powerful opposition which was raised against the gospel, namely, the prejudices of education, the power of in-dwelling lusts, and also the powers of the world then in being, did strongly combine against it, yet did Christianity bear up against all this opposition, and made its way through all the resistance that the lusts and prejudices of men, armed with the power and authority of the whole world, could make against it.
4. The great discouragements that men were then under to embrace the gospel and the Christian profession; all the evils of this world threatened them, mockings and scourgings, banishments and imprisonments, reproach and ruin; death, in all its fearful shapes, was presented to them, to deter them from embracing this religion.
Observe, therefore, 2. The reason of this wonderful success, The Lord wrought with them, and confirmed the word with signs following.
The Lord wrought with them; this points at the inward operation of the Holy Spirit upon the minds of men.
O! it is sweet and prosperous working in fellowship with Christ and his Holy Spirit; he directs his ministers, he assists them, he guides their lips, influences their minds, quickens their affections, sets home their instructions, and crowns all with signs; that is, confirmed their doctrine with miracles, such as healing diseases, raising the dead, casting out the devils, inflicting corporeal diseases on scandalous persons, and sometimes death itself.
From the whole, we gather the truth and divinity of the Christian religion; that it was, and is certainly, of God; and therefore never could, never can, be overthrown.