St. Paul fumming up the gifts of the Holy Ghost under the heads of knowledge and utterance; both which confift in an illumination of the mind, enriching the minds of thofe that had them with what was proper to be known by them, and a readiness to utter it; it is vifible, that in this account I must exclude the gifts of miracles, healing, and cafting out of devils, because they did not proceed from any illumination, or fund of knowledge; but from the immediate power of God, invoked by him who had the faith of miracles, or a full perfuafion that God would work a miracle, on his invocation or prayer, for the confirmation of the truth. And to fhew, that there is a foundation for diftinguishing the working of miracles, healing difeafes, and cafting out devils, from the gifts of the Holy Ghoft, I would offer these confiderations:

1. That healing and difpoffeffing were performed by the apoftles and the feventy in our Saviour's life time, according to the commiffion he gave them, Matt. x. 8. Luke x. 9. Mark vi. 7-14. by a power derived immediately from him, as is plain from the words of these texts; see alfo Luke x. 17. but not by the "power of the Spirit;" by which St. Paul afterwards fays, "he performed mighty figns "and wonders from Jerufalem to Illyri

"cum :"

"cum:" which plainly follows from what I have proved before, that the Holy Ghost was not, nor could not be given (according to the fettled order of things) till our Saviour's afcenfion.

2. Though the difciples healed diseases, or caft out devils, or wrought miracles by the Spirit after Chrift's afcenfion; and they are therefore once faid to be gifts given by the Spirit inafmuch as the faith of these was then wrought by the Spirit; yet these not being works peculiar to the difpenfation of the Spirit, but common to that difpenfation, with the miniftry or difpenfation of Chrift, in whose name they had been wrought before the giving of the Spirit to believers; they are never called," the Holy Spirit, or the Holy "Ghoft, or the gifts or diftributions of the

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Spirit, or of the Holy Ghoft," either by St. Luke in the Acts (the only book that gives the hiftory of the Holy Ghost), or by any other writer of the New Teftament, but. always τέρατα, σημεῖα, δυνάμεις; wonders, figns, and powers: whereas the gifts of illumination, fuch as prophecy and fpeaking with tongues, are conftantly ftiled fo by them; often χάρις, χαρίσματα, and fometimes φωτισ μὸς and μερισμοί.

3. In fome places where the fcripture fpeaks of these works together, it puts a mani

a Rom. xv. 19.

0 3

I Cor. xii. 4—10.

feft

1

feft difference between them.

Thus St. Paul

fays, that "God bore witness to the doctrine "which the apoftles preached, by figns and "wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts

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(Equois, diftributions) of the Holy Ghost," Heb. ii. 4. And Gal, iii. 5. he says, "He that "miniftereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you :" plainly distinguishing the working of miracles from the Spirit.

But though I apprehend all the gifts of the Holy Ghoft in their ftrict acceptation, or the gifts that were peculiar to the difpenfation of the Spirit, confifted in illumination; yet I apprehend that that illumination was of two kinds. The one was an illumination of fuch a nature, as conveyed a system of knowledge, an art or fkill, at once to the mind fo as to make the mind poffefs it, as it does a fyftem of knowledge, an art or fkill acquired by ftudy or practice. And the other was an illumination in a particular instance, pro re nata, and that only ferved the prefent purpofe or occafion. Like the imparting a particular fact, difcourfe, poem, tune, &c. to the mind, fo as to poffefs it of it first, and then from poffeffing the perfon of it, to enable him to utter it. Which will still diftinguish this clafs of gifts from mere infpiration; fuch as the prophets (often, if not always) had under the Old Teftament, whofe mouths

were

were (often, if not always) but the organs of the Spirit, pronouncing what the Spirit dictated, and even without understanding at all times the meaning of what they faid. The former kind of illumination is general and extenfive; the latter occafional and confined. To the former clafs belong the gift of wif dom, knowledge, of an evangelift, of a teacher, of a prefident or ruler, of a deacon, of tongues, of the interpretation of tongues, and of utterance. And to the latter clafs perhaps belong prediction, difcernment of 1pirits; exhortation, in all its branches of admonition, conviction, reproof, confirmation, and comfort; pfalms or hymns, prayer, and the feeing things at a distance; though it is poffible, that exhortation, prayer, and pfalmody, might be conveyed as an art, as well as that of teaching. Perhaps the gift of knowledge, wisdom, of an evangelift, of a teacher, of a ruler, and of a deacon, were only imparted to fuch as bore more stated offices in the church. Perhaps the fecond clafs of gifts (except the daft, which feems to have been peculiar to St. Paul) were imparted to all believers. And I fuppofe the gift of tongues, interpretation and utterance, were common both to stated officers and private chriftians.

Now this gift, illumination or enlightening, was communicated two different ways, either immediately by the Spirit's falling on them,

04

them, or by the laying on of the hands of the apoftles. When this illumination came immediately, it seems to have been accompanied with the fymbol of "cloven tougues, "as of fire, fitting on each of them "," that is, in little flames, which refembled tongues; as flame in the Hebrew, is called a tongue of fire. And which the apoftle Peter fays that Chrift had poured out; that which, fays he, " ye fee and hear." And from coming in, that fymbol is faid to fall on them; agreeably to John Baptift's prediction : « I "indeed baptize you with water unto repen"tance; but he that cometh after me fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and "with fire." And this prediction is in the fame manner recorded by St. Mark, and St. Luke. It may not be altogether improper to take notice, on this occafion, that Chrift, who thus baptized his apostles and first disciples, had been moft probably baptized in the very fame manner himself. Peter fays, that Jefus was anointed with the Holy Ghoft, " and with power;" which any one may fee, by the place it holds in Peter's narration, signifies Chrift's baptifm. Anointed with the Holy Ghost is therefore the fame thing with

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