"prove them; to be vigilant and circum u fpect; to redeem the time; not to be un"wife, but understanding the will of the "Lord." And that Timothy might ftir up the gift that was in him, he was to be bold and courageous in preaching the gospel, notwithstanding the perfecutions which attended it ; or, as St. Paul fays in the parallel place (where he bids Timothy " not ne"glect the gift that was given him"); he was to "give attendance to reading, to exhorta❝tion, to doctrine, to meditation; to give " himself wholly up to his work, and to take ❝ heed to himself, and to his doctrine." In a word, the way to excite or increase these gifts, was to be holy and useful, to employ them faithfully and diligently for the fervice of the church; and then" to him that had fhould "be given." So Philip and Barnabas, who were full of the Holy Ghoft, were good men, and full of faith alfo". On the other hand, a man might neglect the Spirit, and grieve it, and at last entirely quench it. He might neglect the gifts of the Spirit, by not being eminently holy and useful; by being proud of thefe gifts, using them for oftentation, and defpifing others. He might grieve the Spirit by any of the vices which St. Paul dehorts the 3 2 Tim. i. 11-19. 1 Tim. iv. 34. Ibid. ver. 6. 8. Ephefians from ; or by any other vices whatsoever; till at last, by forfaking the way of truth and righteoufnefs, he might entirely refift, do despite to, or quench and extinguish it. I have already obferved, that it is highly probable, that the phrafe "of not quenching “ the Spirit” (τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυζε) alludes to the cloven tongues as of fire, in which the Holy Ghost descended; and in which I apprehend it always fell, where it fell without the laying on of hands. I cannot but obferve here, that the word we tranflate "ftir up the gift," 2 Tim. i. 6, 8. ava(wπupeй, has evidently the fame allufion, fignifying to ftir or blow up fire, as the other word, obémure, fignifies to put it out. The fecond thing I undertook, was to fhew "the neceffity of this teaching and witneffing "of the Spirit in the first fettlement of the "chriftian religion." Now what St. Paul afferts of fome of the greatest of these gifts, will be found to be true of all of them, at the first settlement of christianity (on a clofe inspection of them), that they were all very properly and neceffarily given "for the per 66 fecting of the faints, for the work of the "miniftry, for the edifying the body of "Chrift, till we all come in the unity of the "faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of * Eph. iv. 25-32. -y Acts ii. 2. "God, "God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure "of the ftature of the fulness of Chrift: that "we henceforth be no more children toffed to ❝and fro, and carried about with every wind "of doctrine, by the fleight of men, and "cunning craftinefs, whereby they lie in "wait to deceive: but, fpeaking the truth in "love, may grow up into him in all things, "which is the head, even Chrift; from "whom the whole body fitly joined together " and compacted by that which every joint fupplieth, according to the effectual work 66 66 ing in the measure of every part, maketh "increase of the body, unto the edifying itself "in love," Eph. iv. 12-17. For that St. Paul fpeaks in this place of the feveral gifts of the Holy Ghoft, and not of the feveral minifters of the church; or, if you will, not of the officers of the church, but of the gifts that filled them, or fitted and qualified them for their work or office, is plain from the context; which speaks of gifts from ver. 7. repeats the fame thing, ver. 8, 10; where St. Paul alfo fays, that "he that defcended is the "fame alfo that ascended up far above all "heavens, that (there receiving the fulness of "power), he might fill all things (or all his 66 66 66 members) with the proper measure of the gift of Chrift. And he then gave gifts, which fitted fome of these members of his body to be apoftles, fome to be prophets, "fome "fome to be evangelists, and some to be pas"tors and teachers." And that these are diftinct gifts only, but not diftinct officers, is evident from this farther confideration, that the fame perfons were fometimes apoftles, prophets, and teachers; as particularly may be feen in Paul and Barnabas, who were both of them reckoned among the prophets and teachers in the church of Antioch, when the Spirit faid, "Separate me them to the work (that is, of apoftles of the Gentiles) to "which I have called them "." 66 Now as Mofes, who was king in Jefhurun, and who had the Spirit of wifdom, found it neceffary to appoint the princes of the twelve tribes captains of thousands, captains of hundreds and fifties, of the children of Ifrael; fo Chrift, as the King of his church, after the conqueft he obtained over death, and him that had the power of death, by his being declared at the refurrection the Son of God, or Heir of all things; and having, at his triumphant afcenfion into heaven, and his folemn inveftiture into all power, by fitting down at the right-hand of God, all authority put into his hands, gives thefe gifts to qualify apoftles (who were compared to the princes of the twelve tribes), prophets, evangelifts, teachers, &c. to publifh, fpread, and confirm his kingdom in the world. And that each of 2 Acts xiii. 1, 2. a Matt. xix. 28. thefe these gifts in particular was highly neceffary and ufeful to found and build up the chriftian church at first, will be evident from confidering the circumftances of things then, and how these gifts were fuited to them. Let us therefore, abftracting entirely from the prefent ftate of things in the church, put ourfelves exactly in the circumftances of those times. To do this, we must fuppofe twelve illiterate fishermen, and others, in all a company of men and women of about an hundred and twenty, who, from the opinion they had of Jefus of Nazareth, as the great Prophet, and temporal King of the Jews, became his difciples, from a well-difpofed temper of mind; but who had yet fcarce learnt any thing from him, concerning the true defign of his coming into the world, on account of the strong prejudices and preconceptions they laboured under; and they also expected, that he would reftore the kingdom to Ifrael, not only before his death, but after his refurrection; though willing to wait his time for it. We must then confider them in the condition they were when they faw their great Lord and Master deave them; and were told by angels, that he was not to return to them any more. what inclination can we imagine must they have had to go and witnefs his refurrection, or his being taken up out of their fight, to And the |