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in eo (fpiritus fanctus) quibus manus imponebant; non ipfi eum dabant *."

There is one thing more concerning thefe gifts, which very well deferves our notice, namely, that whether they were poured out by God immediately, or imparted by the laying on of the hands of the apoftles; yet they were not all diftributed to one, nor were they diftributed in fuch measure as the apoftles would, or as the Chriftians defired to have them; but differing in kind and degree, according to fuch proportion as God faw fit to give to the feveral members of the church, for the ufe and fervice of the whole body t; "for the per"fecting of the faints, for the work of the miniftry, for the edify"ing the body of Chrift; that fo fpeaking the truth in love, they might 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 working in the measure of every part, maketh increase. "of the body, unto the edifying itfelf in love ." Thus St. Paul tells the Corinthians, all had not the word of wifdom, nor all the word of knowledge; all did not prophefy, nor had all the ability to teach, to exhort, to fing pfalms, to pray, to interpret; all were. not helps or governments: but "God gave fome apoftles, fome "prophets, fome evangelifts, fome paftors and teachers," according to his own good pleasure; to fhew, that all thefe diverfities of gifts were not diftributed by the will of man, "but by the fame Spirit, dividing to every man feverally as he will." So alfo the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews informs us, that "God bore witness to the apoftles by figns and wonders, and with divers miracles " and gifts (diftributions, megmos) of the Holy Ghoft, according "to his own will §." Whereby it was ftill farther proved beyond all exception, that the power was not of man, but of God.

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There were foon falle Chrifts. Did Chrift fend forth true apoftles and prophets? There foon arofe falfe prophets and apoftles. Did they lay claim to a fuperiour Spirit? So did the falfe apoftles too. They, and the Heretics that fucceeded them, vented ftrange extravagances about the Spirit, which they pretended to have fuperiour to the prophets, and very different from one another, as Irenæus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Theodoret, and Epiphanius, inform us. Hence come the phrafes of "not believing every fpirit," and of trying the fpirits " and of "the Spirit of Chritt, and of "antichrift**: the Spirit of Truth, and the spirit of error ++."

This is what I have to offer to explain the teaching of the Holy Ghoft. All that I fhall fay to explain what I mean by the Holy Ghoft's witneffing, is, that whenever thofe who were thus enlightened used the knowledge communicated to them in its various inftances and degrees, the Holy Ghoft witneffed to the truth of

Christianity; or gave a proof of the great articles of it, on which all the reft were founded; namely, "that Jefus of Nazareth was "crucified, was rifen, and exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to grant repentance and remiffion of fins: fince he, according to "the predictions of this matter, having received the promife of "the Father, had fent down thefe gifts which men faw and "heard *."

But though the principal business of the Spirit's witneffing was to prove the truth of the great facts of the Chriftian religion, yet it was to ferve another end alfo; namely, to comfort thofe who had it with the affurance of God's pardon and acceptance. This feems to follow from the very nature of the thing; and to be fairly implied in what Peter fays to the Jews, Acts ii. (on their being pricked in the heart by his fharp reproof, and by perceiving the great guilt that was upon them, in having "flain Jefus of Nazareth, whom God had fo highly approved, crying out, in the utmoft diftrefs, to Peter and the rest of the apoftles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?) Repent and be baptized-and ye fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (the pledge of the pardon of this fin, which will draw down God's heavy yengeance on the whole nation, if they do not repent of it); for the promife is to you, &" And, indeed, if this had not been implied in faying, "Ye "fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoft," it could have given them but little confolation under their distress, how much foever it might have witneffed to the truth of the great facts which the apoftles teftified. But on their understanding what was to be inferred, in relation to themfelves, from their receiving this gift, they gladly received the word, ver. 41. and eat their meat with glad"nefs, as well as finglenefs of heart; praifing God," ver. 46, 47.

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When the Holy Ghoft was given to the Gentiles, it witneffed the fame thing to them. And as there was a greater neceffity for the Spirit's witneffing this with refpect to them than to the Jews, it is not barely implied, but ftrongly infifted on, in relation to 'them. "Ifrael was God's fon, his first-born +: to him pertained "the adoption 1." The Ifraelites were the fons of Abraham according to the flesh, and to them therefore belonged the covenants and the promises; and of them, "as concerning the flesh, "Chrift came; preaching to them, that they should repent and "believe on him." So that, if they received him, there was no doubt but they would "become the Sons of God, being born not "of flesh and blood, or of the will of man, but of God §." And that confequently they would inherit the fpiritual promises, and certainly enter into the reft that remained for the true Ifraelites. But the Gentiles had forfaken their heavenly Father, and left his family; and had spent their portion in riotous living: they were afar off, ftrangers from the covenants of promife, and aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, God had indeed foretold by the pro

* A&ts ii. 33. ver. 37, 32.

§ Joha i, 12, 13.

+ Exod. iv. 22.

‡ Rom. ix. 4.

phets,

phets, that thiey fhould be called in under the Meffiah. But the precife time when, and the manner how they fhould be called, was not revealed. Nor was it understood, that they were to be called, into the church without first becoming Jews; or that then they were to be admitted to equal privileges with the Jews. They might perhaps have fome doubt of this themfelves; and, like the prodigal, have only hopes to be as one of the hired fervants. But. whatever they thought, this was one of the most radicated notions. of the Jews; who could fearce by any means be brought to think, that the Gentiles were to be received into the family and houfhold of God on any terms whatfoever, and were generally very highly incenfed at the very thoughts of it. They counted them all, eveni the devout men among them, unclean; and not fo much as fit to be converfed with. Therefore God found it neceffary, on their first converfion, "to bear them witness, by the Holy Ghoft, that "he had purified their hearts by faith+; which aftonifhed as many "of the circumcifion as went with Peter to Cornelius; who took "it, that the promife of the Spirit was theirs, and their childrens," "and the Jews that were afar off; but little imagined, what they now faw, that on the Gentiles alfo fhould be poured out the "gifts of the Holy Ghoft. And thus the Spirit witneffed with "their fpirits, that they alfo were the children of Ccd; and the fpiritual feed of faithful Abraham; on whom the great bloffing of the Spirit was to come ." And fo it alfo was among fuch of the Romans as had it §; and could not but fhew the reft who had it not (no apostle having been then among them), that the Gentiles were as capable of receiving it as the Jews, fince great numbers of the Gentiles had received it; and therefore they might alfo, efpecially fince he told them, "that when he thould come unto them, he fhould come to them in the fulness of the blef"fing of the Gofpel, and impart fome fpiritual gift to them, where"by they might be farther established." This was in them the Spirit of adoption ||; a full proof that they were fons (fince the Spirit was only promifed to the feed or children of Ifrael **; that is, the fpiritual feed of Ifrael; fuch who like him had power with God, and could prevail; and fince they had the Spirit of God their Father, and the Spirit of Chriff Jefus his fon, their great elder Brother); and affured them of the love of God, which was thushed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost ††.' And as it gave them full confidence towards God, enabling them to call him Abba Father t; fo it likewife was à full demonftration, that if they were fons, they were heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs "with Jefus Chrift. It was in them the earneft of their inheri"tance, until the redemption of the purchafed poffeffion §§;" or, in fewer words, "the carneft of the Spirit," as it is called in other places; and which, for the fame reafon, under another metaphor,

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is called, "the feal of the Spirit *; in whom alfo, after ye believed, ye were fealed with that holy Spirit of promife" (the Spirit being the promife of the Father, Ifa. xliv. 4. Joel ii. 28. and fo called Acts i. 4. ii. 33-39. referring to Luke xxiv. 49. and to John xiv. 26. and xv. 26. where Chrift promises the Spirit as the Person that was to fupply his abfence; as he alfo does chap. xiv.): and ver. 30. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby ye are fealed "unto the day of redemption." This fhews us the reason why this witnefs, earnest, and seal of the Spirit, is never used in relation to the Jewish, but always to the Gentile believers, particularly by Paul their great apoftle (as appears by the Epiftles themfelves, in which this witnefs, earneft, and feal of the Spirit, are mentioned; and the manifeft context of those parts of the Epiftles where these paffages occur); in order to fatisfy them, as well as the Jewish believers, in the fulleft manner, that they (Gentiles) who were fometimes afar off, were now brought near, and "were all become "the children of God in Chrift Jefus t," and admitted to equal privileges with the Jewish believers, without any of the works of the law which point he labours, and couches under feveral beautiful metaphors, in feveral of his Epiftles to the Gentile believers.

It is very much to our prefent purpose, and will farther explain and prove what I have faid on the witnefs of the Spirit in the fenfe I am now confidering it, to obferve, that as the gifts of the Holy Ghoft were only given to true believers, fo they might be excited and ftirred up, or increased in them; or elfe Paul's advice to the Ephefians, to be filled with the Spirit 1, and to Timothy, to ftir up the gift that was in him §," would have been given in vain. The way by which the Ephefians were to be filled with it, St. Paul plainly hints in the verfes immediately preceding, was "to have

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no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to re"prove them; to be vigilant and circumfpect; to redeem the "time; not to be unwife, 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 Gofpel, notwithftanding the perfecutions which attended it **; or, as St. Paul says in the parallel place ++ (where he bids Timothy "not neglect the gift that was given him"), he was to "give attendance to read"ing, to exhortation, 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 ufeful, to employ them faithfully and diligently for the fervice of the church; and then "to him that had thould 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 laft entirely quench it. He might neglect the gifts of the Spirit, by not

* Eph. i. 13.

2 Tim. i 11—19.

It Ads vi. 3. 5. 1. 24.

+ Gal. iii. 26.

** Ibid. ver. 6. 3.

Eph. v. 18.

§ 2 Tim. i. 6. tti Tim. iv. 14.

being eminently holy and useful; by being proud of thefe gifts, ufing them for oftentation, and defpifing others. He might grieve the Spirit by any of the vices which St. Paul dehorts the Ephefians from; or by any other vices whatfoever; till at laft, by forfaking the way of truth and righteousness, he might entirely refift, do delpite to, or quench and extinguish it. I have already obferved, that it is highly probable, that the phrafe of "not quenching the "Spirit" (To avεupa pò obévvule) alludes to the cloven tongues as of fire, in which the Holy Ghost defcended † ; 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(wπup, has evidently the fame. allufion, fignifying to ftir or blow up fire, as the other word, Sul, fignifies to put it out.

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The fecond thing I undertook, was to fhew "the neceffity of "this teaching and witnefling of the Spirit in the first fettlement "of the Chriftian religion." Now what St. Paul afferts of fome of the greateft of thefe gifts, will be found to be true of all of them, at the firft fettlement of Chriftianity (on a clofe inspection of them), that they were all very properly and neceffarily given" for "the perfecting of the faints, for the work of the ministry, 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 God, unto à 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 working "in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unt> "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 fpeaks 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 afcended up far above all heavens, that (there receiving the fulnefs of power) he might fill all things (or all "his members) with the proper meafure of the gift of Chrift. "And he then gave gifts, which fitted fome of thefe members of "his body to be apoftles, fome to be prophets, fome to be evan"gelifts, and fome to be paftors and teachers." And that thefe are diftinct gifts only, but not diftinct officers, is evident from this farther confideration, that the fame perfons were fometimes apo† Acts ii. a.

Eph. iv. 25-32.

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