ftles, 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 Gen"tiles) to which I have called them *."

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Now as Mofes, who was king in Jefhurun, and who had the Spirit of wisdom, found it neceffary to appoint the princes of the twelve tribes captains of thoufands, captains of hundreds and fifties, of the children of lfrael; 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 1), prophets, evangelifts, teachers, &c. to publih, fpread, and confirm his kingdom in the world. And that each of thefe gifts in particular was highly neceffary and useful to found and build up the Chriftian church at firft, will be evident from confidering the circumftances of things then, and how thefe gifts were fuited to them. Let us, therefore, abftracting entirely from the prefent ftate of things in the church, put ourselves exactly in the circumftances of thofe times.

To do this, we muft 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 ftrong prejudices and preconceptions they laboured under; and they alfo 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 muft then confider them in the condition they were when they faw their great Lord and Mafter leave them; and were told by angels, that he was not to return to them any more. And what inclina

tion can we imagine muft they have had to go and witnefs his refurrection, or his being taken up out of their fight, to the Jews? All that we can expect from them is, to find them, as we do ‡,

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affembled together in their upper room, where they used to "meet (foon after Chrift's refurrection), with the doors fhut, for "fear of the jews §," in order to converfe with one another. But can we expect that they fhould go and teftify this to their countrymen, in hopes to perfuade them of the truth of it? thofe, who were fo far from believing on him in his life-time, as to have put him to death! who had hired men to fay, that, when the guards lept about his fepulchre, his difciples had ftolen him away! and

* Acts xiii. 1, 2.

§ John xx. 19.

+ Matt. xix. 28.

Acts i. 13.

were fully determined to purfue them as cheats and deceivers? This was what our Saviour himself did not expect from them. All that he required was, that they fhould become his witneffes, after they "had received power by the Holy Ghoft's coming upon them *:" or, as he expreffes it in another place, after they had received "a "mouth and wifdom from him, which their adverfaries fhould "not be able to gainfay or resist †.”

They feem therefore to have kept ftill together in their upper room, till (according to the fign our Saviour had given them of the Holy Ghoft, by breathing on them ), they heard the found "from heaven, not of a mighty rufhing or violent wind, but as "of a mighty rufhing wind, filling all the house;" or a gentle breeze (fuch as our Saviour had prefigured by breathing on them; which was to prefigure to them, that their found or voice, though gentle, fhould yet be ftrong and powerful enough to go through the world, and that nothing thould be able to flop the courfe of it), and immediately find that the Holy Ghoft falls on them. Whereupon Peter ftands up with the eleven, and lifts up his voice (fpeaking with courage and energy), and fays unto the whole multitude that was come together, "Ye men of judaa, and all ve "that dwell at Jerufalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words. And then alfo with many other words did he testify to them" the miracles Chrift wrought in his life-time ** his refurrection ft, his afcenfion, and fhedding down, and their receiving of, the Holy Ghoft . Thus indeed Peter on receiv11. ing the Holy Ghoft fpeaks to the Jews. But can it be imagined, he would ever have thought it his duty to go to the profelytes of the gate, and testify to them? Or would Paul have thought it his, to go and teftify to the idolatrous Gentiles? Or would either of them have had the courage to do it, if they had not had an exprefs revelation, and inftruction fo to do?

But what fuccefs could have attended the boldeft and clearest teftimony to the truth of thefe facts, if the apoftles had not been furnished with other gifts of the Spirit? The multitude had heard our Saviour, feen his miracles, felt the benefit of his cures; and yet, "who believed his report, and to whom was the arm of the Lord "revealed!" The Jews, to whom they were to teftify thefe facts, were highly prejudiced against the witneffes and their teftimony. The witneffes were illiterate men. all of them of Galilee, that defpifed part of Paleftine §, and the chiefeft of them fishermen there. The manifeft tendency of their teftimony was, that the Gofpel of Chrift was to do that which the law could not do, in that it was weak. The Jews knew that God fpake by Mofes: they were bigoted to his law to the highest degree. As it came from God, it had been long continued among them, and was fuited to their low and carnal apprehenfions of things. They were likewife

impatiently defirous of being releafed from the Roman yoke by a temporal deliverer; and either difbelievers of a future ftate, and immoderately fet on the pleasures and honours of this life, or fond of the interpretations and traditions of the elders, which were agreeable to their immoral and fuperftitious difpofitions. The Gentile world had been long fettled in idolatry and polytheism; which not only allowed, but fanctified thofe lufts, to which human nature is moft addicted; gluttony, drunkennefs, and all kind of impurity; and which do not bring all thofe great inconveniences directly and immediately on focieties, that, without much reflection, might have ferved to awaken them, and reftrain them from them; as the diabolical vices (or inhuman piety, as the incomparable Mr. Hales calls it) do. To make fuch men as thefe hearken and attend, there must be fomething new and uncommon to ftrike them. Nothing could do that like hearing the ignorant and illiterate fpeak to people of fifteen or fixteen different countries in their own language in perfection. And befides, when they went to the idolatrous Gentiles, they must speak in their respective tongues, or they could not be understood.

But when they fpoke, and were attended to, they were not only to testify to Jews and Gentiles the great facts of Chriftianity, that Jefus of Nazareth, who was dead, was rifen again, and afcended (he having appeared to them often, and converfed with them after his refurrection; and they having feen him afcend gradually, fo as that they could not be mistaken, till a cloud of glory took him out of their fight; and having alfo received thefe gifts from him after his afcenfion). But they were to prove, that their teftimony, concerning these facts, was true. What could prove this fo fully as these gifts of the Holy Ghost? As we fhall fee more clearly under the fourth head; where we fhall confider the fuperiority of the witness of the spirit to all the other witneffes of the truth of the Chriftian religion.

But if they had, by these gifts of the Holy Ghoft, convinced the Jews and Gentiles of the truth of these facts, they had then indeed perfuaded them to be Chriftians; but that must have been the utmost they could have done, if they had not reecived" the word of "wifdom," as well as the other gifts of the Holy Ghoft; and thereby have been able not only to have witneffed to these facts of Christianity, but to have taught the whole Chriftian scheme, in its full extent and latitude (thewing, that " Jefus of Nazareth was

raifed up to fit on David's throne, by being made Lord and "Chrift);" and to have proved it to the Jews by pertinent quotations out of the Old Teftament; as Peter does in his difcourfe. But how could they have done this, if the Holy Ghost had not alfo given them" the word of knowledge," any more than they could have taught the Chriftian fcheme without "the word of wisdom?” For whatever our Saviour had faid to them in his life-time, or during the forty days he abode with them after his refurrection; it is A&s ii. 30. 36.

plain, they did not understand the nature of his fpiritual kingdom, or the meaning of the prophecies which related to it; fince, after all that converfation, they asked him, "Whether he would at that "time reftore the kingdom to Ifrael?" And our Saviour thought them yet so incapable of bearing his inftructions about the true nature of his kingdom, that he does not fee fit fully to correct their mistake; but gives them an answer that might yet leave them fome room to expect it. For whilft he gently reproves them for going fo far as to afk, whether he would at that time reftore the kingdom to "Ifrael? (or it was not for them to know the times and the feasons, "which the Father had put in his own power)." And whilft he gently leads them into foine farther notions about his kingdom, by infinuating to them, that was to be introduced by their witneffing: yet he uses words, that might not quite preclude all their hopes of a temporal kingdom, though they were fuch as might lead them to think, it was to be begun by their witneffing to him. For he tells them, that "they fhould receive power after that the Holy Ghost "was come upon them +." So that if the Holy Ghoft had not, after our Saviour's afcenfion, given them the word of wifdom and knowledge, they would have had little more to say, than to give their witnefs to the great facts of Chriftianity: whereas they were not only to lay the foundation, and bring men to the truth, by witneffing to those facts; but they were to "build up believers in "their moft holy faith" they were not only to plant, but to water; and make Chriftians "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of

Jefus Chrift; .fo as that they might be able to comprehend with "all faints, what was the height, the depth, the length, and the "breadth of the love of God in Chrift Jefus the Lord; and be"come fruitful in every good word and work." They were not only to teach this doctrine, and confirm it to the Jews, by places of the Old Testament; but it was neceffary that they thould be able to remove all the fcruples which might arife in the minds of the welldifpofed, by miftaking the true fenfe and meaning of the law and the prophets. And therefore they were farther, by the word of knowledge, fully to understand all the myfteries hid in them. They were also to be able to oppose gainfayers, especially when they would endeavour to pervert the well-difpofed from the right ways of the Lord. And as the Jews dealt much in allegory, perhaps God faw fit, that fome of the difciples fhould have a fkill communicated to them, to turn thofe allegories against the Jewish, and in favour of the Chriftian religion. And how was it poffible for ignorant men, in a great measure uninftructed by Jefus whilft he was on earth, to have done all this without previous inftructions, and long preparations of art and learning (and which could not in many inftances have at all availed), but by the teaching of the Holy Ghoft? would any of the apoftles, who were all Jews, and full of Jewith prejudices, ever have preached the Gofpel to the devout Gentiles, whom they thought it even unlawful for them to go to, if Christ had not com+Ibid. i. 8.

* As i. 6.

Ff4

manded

manded Peter to think thofe no longer common whom he had cleanfed or would Paul have gone to the idolatrous Gentiles, if Chrift had not ordered him to depart far away to them, " to open "their eyes, and to turn them from darknefs to light, and from "the power of fin and Satan unto God ?"

As there were but twelve apoftles of the circumcifion, and their company; and afterwards two apofties of the uncircumcifion; how could the Chriftians have been built up in their most holy faith, if God had not pointed out by the Prophets fome perfons for ftations of eminent and extenfive ufefulness in the church, efpecially confidering its tender ftate; its numerous members; their more numerous weakneffes and infirmities; and its yet more numerous enemies; and the great care and prudence that was neceffary, on all thefe accounts, to direct thofe who had fuch ftations of general and extenfive fervice in it?

And how neceffary was an ability to try the fpirits, when the revelations of the Spirit were not completed, and they furnished with but few, if any, of them in writing, by which they might try others; and when there were fo many feducers and deceivers, falfe prophets, falfe apoftles, and falfe brethren, already lying in wait to draw them afide with pretended revelations, with all figns and lying wonders; and when the devil was to transform himfelf into an angel of light, fo as, if it were poffible, to deceive the very elect?

When they were made Chriftians, and well inftructed in the kingdom of God, they were to affemble themselves together for public worthip. In all fuch affemblies, there must be difcourfes, prayers, and praifes, by finging hymns, &c. And it was particuJarly necefiary, that fome who had learned the Chriftian scheme from the apoftles, might continually inftruct the first Chriftians in it; and that, confidering the peculiar difficulties they had to encounter, from the cuftoms of the whole world about them lying in wickednefs, and the perfecutions they felt and apprehended, fome thould fir them up to perfeverance in their profeilion; often fupport their fpirits, whilft they continued ftedfaft; and reprove and admonish thofe who were fallen. But who was then fufficient for these things, among illiterate men, without the Gospels, Acts, or Epiftles in their hands, and prepared by no art or learning, or previous practice? and without any liturgies, homilies, pfalms, and hymns, fet to tune and metre, which have fince obtained, if thofe could be fuppofed to have anfwered thefe purposes? What ftrange confufion, diforder, and indecency, muft there have been in public worship, if the Spirit had not, by his gifts, made fome of these unlearned men apt to teach what they had learnt from the apoftles; others apt to exhort, to reprove, to comfort, to admonish? if others had not been enabled to pray, and fing by the Spirit, and others to interpret, in cafe the Spirit moved any one, for wife reafons, to perform any of thefe actions in an affembly in an unknown tongue?

And what confufion must there have been in an aflembly, among a great number who had thefe gifts of the Spirit, if there

had