discerners of Spirits gave to the Church whereby to try the Spirits was this that every Spirit which wrought Miracles to prove that Jesus was the Christ was of God but every Spirit that wrought wonders to prove that he was not Christ or that another was the Christ was a lying Spirit that Spirit of Antichrist which our Saviour foretold his Disciples should come and which was in the world in the time of St. John as you may read in the place I cited before as also in his 2 Epist ver 7. Conformably to this St. Paul in the verse before my text lays down the same infallible rule that no man that calleth Jesus Anathema as many Infidels and Apostates did can speak by the Spirit of God Another rule whereby to try the Spirits was submission and obedience to the Governours of the Church We are of God saith St. John 1 Ep. 4.6 he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error And If any man among you saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 14.37 pretend to be a Prophet or inspired by the Holy Ghost as a sign that he is truly so let him acknowledge that the things I write unto you are the Commandments of God I question not but they had other tests besides these by which to try the spirits as that every spirit which wrought signs to confirm any doctrine which was inconsistent with a pure and peaceable life or the sober use and rules of moral reason must needs be a diabolical Pseudo-prophetical spirit as I think I could demonstrate if I had but time From whence I come to speak of the two last kinds viz. of the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in 1 Ep. ad Cor. 12. c. Hom. 29. Gift of Tongues and which was as wonderful as that the gift of Interpreting thereof To the understanding of which be pleased to take notice that the gift of strange tongues was usually accompanied with such strong Enthusiasms and Raptures that the affected person could not use his understanding in an ordinary way so as to ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys ib. interpret and explain his inspirations in the audience to which he spoke which was the reason that the spirit did usually reveal to * 1 Cor. 14.4 28. others who stood by and understood not the inspired Languages the matter which the gifted Oracles spoke or else by a * 1 Cor. 14.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys in 1 Cor. 12.10 new inspiration revealed unto them the things which they had spoken in the unknown tongue but through the violence of the Enthusiasm had forgot Which latter Gift because it was more profitable for the Church the Apostle in the 14th chap. prefers before the former which the vain Corinthians did so much affect These are the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost which as it appears from the 28. ver of this chap. God gave to the difference of Ministeries or Ministers i. e. to the Apostles Prophets Teachers Helps and Governments of the Primitive Church To the Teachers i. e. to the more profound and solid sort of Doctors who answered to the Scribes in the Synagogue and wholly devoted themselves to Preach and expound the Scriptures which was an excellent Gift or Talent and always esteemed the most useful way of instruction especially of the ‖ Luke 23.27 Acts 2. ch 28.23 Jews in the Primitive Christian Church To the Helps i. e. to the helpers or assistants such as the Evangelists were to the Apostles as Silas to Paul Mark to Barnabas or such as the Deacons were to the Bishops and Presbyters and the whole Church And they are called helps by an Hebraism in Greek as the Levites were called in the Jewish Church and Language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 helps to the Priests By Governments are to be understood Governours for in the Hellenistical style the abstract is often put for the concrete according to the custom of the Hebrew and Syriack tongues and by Governours are meant the Apostles and * So Rev. 2.2 The Angel of the Church of Ephesus is commended for trying them which say they are Apostles and are not Bishops to whom the Gift of discerning Spirits seems to have belonged in a peculiar manner because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here put for Government is used by the Septuagint to render the Hebrew word Tachbuloth which signifies discerning Wisdom Prudence or Counsel wherein the spirit of Government doth consist Thus in the first of Proverbs v. 5. where we say a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsel the Septuagint saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man of understanding shall attain unto Government The like may be seen Prov. 11.14 and 14.6 There were other Miraculous gifts under the New Testament which are not mentioned in this Chapter and which though properly speaking they did not proceed from the Holy Ghost yet in a large sense may be called spiritual gifts These were the voice from Heaven which the Jews called Bath col and the appearance of Angels those holy messengers of God and Ministring Spirits who sometimes acted as Gods Vice-gerents and * Galat. 3.19 Hebr. 2.2 assumed his person in speaking to men But though the Apostle take no notice of them here because they were not intrinsecal and inherent gifts yet I thought fit to mention them because they were extraordinary and relate to some passages in the following part of this discourse Thus having given you an account of the number and diversities of these gifts of the Holy Ghost together with the difference of Ministeries to which they belong'd I proceed in the Third place to shew the reasons why they were given by God to the Primitive Churches and not to the Churches of latter times Now this reason is to be taken from the wants and necessities of the Primitive Church whose infant-state required that God should assist her with the Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit till the Gospel was sufficiently Preach'd about the Empire the Scriptures of the New Testament compleated the Temple-worship abolished among the Jews Idolatry destroyed among the Gentiles and both were united together under Christ into one Communion or Catholick Church It had been impossible for God to bring to pass all these stupendous things in a way consistent with his own Wisdom and the freedom of humane nature without making use of these or other fitting means as wonderful as these to publish the Gospel and confirm the truth thereof How should the Jewish and Gentile world have believed without Apostles and * 2 Cor. 8.23 Phil. 2.25 Apostolical Preachers and how should the Apostles and Evangelists have preached unless they had been inspired for their Saviour left them like Orphans or rather like Scholars of the third Classe before he had revealed all the Gospel unto them and therefore it was necessary for God to send his
delivered up to Satan in an * 1 Cor. 5.3 4 5 Ecclesiastical meeting at Corinth although he was not there And such a tender regard had God for the Order and Discipline of the Church that he concurred with the Apostles in the execution of this power not only against those who continued obstinately in ‖ 1 Cor. 5.3 4 5 incest * 1 Tim. 1.20 2 Tim. 2.17 blasphemy heresies and such like sins but against those also that were prating malitious Schismaticks opposers of the Bishop and disturbers of the peace and order of the Church Such an one was Alexander the Copper-smith and Diotrephes in the Church of Ephesus whom S. John assured the Church he * 3 Epist would remember i. e. censure when he came for his evil deed We cannot imagine that our Lord who came not to destroy mens lives but save them would have given the Apostles such a power over mens lives but in order to such a considerable end It was necessary that they their assistants and Successors the Bishops who are likewise called Apostles 2 Cor. 8.23 Gal. 1.19 Phil. 2.25 should be invested with this power to preserve their Authority as Governours and thereby secure the discipline and government of the Church which as such is a Spiritual body politick consisting of Magistrates and Subjects and so ought to have its proper laws Therefore God who in his infinite wisdom could not erect a Society without Governours nor constitute Governours without investing them with a sufficient power of casting contumacious transgressours out of their Government thought fit in the Churches minority to execute judgment upon those whom they ejected in which concurrence I conceive consisted their miraculous power of inslicting supernatural diseases and death A power more than Imperial and greater than Caesar could shew which made their Ecclesiastical subjects reverence their persons and dread their displeasure and by consequence shews that it was put into their hands in that exigence as the Sword is put into the hand of the Secular Magistrate that they might be a terror to evil doers and assert their Spiritual government over the Church This is plain from the story of Ananias and Sapphira whose sudden miraculous death was a terror to the rest for as the text tells us great fear came upon all the Church and plainly shews that the Church was not a mere voluntary Society nor the Apostolical authority precarious but the undoubted Ordinance of God From all which I hope it is plain that the necessities of the Primitive Church were the reason why God gave these gifts of the Holy Ghost to Her and not to the Churches of later times And this is apparently asserted by the Apostle in the 4th chap. of his Epist to the * Chrysost in ep ad Eph. c. 4. Hom. 11. Ephesians where after he had spoken of the ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl upon the place gifts which our Saviour gave in different measures to the several Ministers of the Church to the Apostles Prophets * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id Evangelists ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id Pastors and Teachers saith that it was for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying the body of Christ till they came in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ From * August Quaest ex Evang whence it is evident that as the Gospel increased and the Church grew up God like a wise nurse weaned her by degrees from these miraculous gifts till at last having arrived at her full stature in Christ he left her as Parents leave their children when they are grown to be men to subsist without extraordinary helps and supplies And therefore as the Scriptures increased God ceased by degrees to discover the doctrines of the Gospel by Inspiration to the Ministers of the Church and by that time the writings of the New Testament were made up and the Scripture-canon as it were Sealed the Successors of the Apostles in the time of Clemens Polycarp and Papias the Disciples of S. John and of Justin Martyr pretended to no other way of revelation or coming to the knowledge of the Christian Religion than by the ‖ Apostolorum Successores Discipulisacrorum Evangeliorum libros iis qui fidei sermonem nondum audivissent tradebant word of God And then as the Gospel began to be Preached in Latin and Greek and native Romans and Graecians were admitted to be Ministers of the Word the Gift of tongues which was the first of the gifts of the Spirit began to grow useless and cease Till at last Churches being gathered in all Provinces of the Empire and every Nation having Ministers of its own the Gospel was Preached without Inspiration in all languages of the world The gift of Prophecy properly so called continued somewhat longer in the Church because in these times of danger and persecution it was necessary for Christians as I shewed before to be forewarned of future events * Lib. 3. hist c. 37. Eusebius tells us that Quadratus and ‖ Hist lib. 5. c. 17. Ammius Philadelphensis who lived in the beginning of the Second Century together with the daughter of Philip the Apostle had the gift of foretelling things to come and cites a passage out of the dialogue of Justin Martyr with Trypho the Jew wherein he asserts that Prophecy was still to be seen in the Church Irenaeus also lib. 2. c. 57. reckons the Prophetical influx in Visions and predictions among the spiritual gifts which he saith the Disciples in that age received in different measures for the good of the Church Origen also in his Seventh Book against Celsus mentions this among other miraculous gifts which were then extant But though at that time the Prophetical spirit was still in being yet it was very extraordinary and soon after ceased altogether in the Church We read of the power of raising the dead in the forecited passage of Irenaeus who speaking of his own time saith And now the dead are raised and have lived among us many years But the gift of healing being so beneficial to mankind continued longer in the Church as is evident out of * Epâ—ad Donatum Cyprian and ‖ Lib. 1. contra Cels Origen but little or no mention is made of it after till the latter end of the Fourth and beginning of the Fifth Century when God was pleased to work that and many other * Chrys Hom. 37. in S. Jul. Hom. 43. in S. Mach. de S. Bab. contr Gentiles Aug. Ep. 137. ad elerum pleb Hippon Chrys Hom. 69. En. com Mart. Aegypt Aug. l. 22. de civ dâ—i c. 8. lib. 1 â—etract c. 23. Miracles at the tombs and by the Reliques of Martyrs which were the last Miracles in the Church As for Miracles specially so
in cap. 7. Matth. Multi mihi dicent c. Judas as well as the rest of the Apostles and therefore saith our Saviour Matt. 7.23 to this purpose Many will say unto me in that day that is the day of judgment c Si sciam inquit omnia Sacramenta charitatem autem non habeam nihil sum Nemo ergo vobis fabulas vendai Pontius fecit miraculum Donatus oravit respondit Deus ei de Coelo contra istos ut sic loquar mirabiliarios cautum me fecit Deus meus dicens In novissimis temporibus c. Aug. tract 13. in Evang. Johan Cyprian de unit Eccles Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have done many wonderful works and then will I profess unto you I never knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity From which place it is evident that Miraculous gifts are so far from transforming the sinful nature of man that if they do not find us they cannot make us good nor like a single act of Faith and Repentance give us a Title to the Kingdom of God Then as for their extent the latter are not useful for all Churches nor for the same Church in all conditions and states and in the Churches where they were useful they were as it appears from Ecclesiastical History commonly given to the Ministers more than the people to children not at all and seldomer to women than to men But the Saving graces of the Spirit are equally useful for the Church in all conditions and states and are given as much to the people as to their Ministers and to women and children as much as to men and they are never taken from those to whom they are once given unless they neglect or abuse them and grieve the good Spirit from whom they come Lastly As for their use the Saving gifts are given to men for their own but the Miraculous gifts for the good of the Church By Those we vanquish the Devil and destroy his kingdom of sin within us by These the Apostles destroyed his kingdom of darkness in the Idolatrous world By Those we Glorifie God within the Pale of the Church by These we publish his Almighty Power and Glory to those without Lastly Those make us precious in the eyes of God These make us glorious in the eyes of men Whereupon Gifted persons as it appears from the 4th ch of this Epist ver 7. were often tempted by popular applause to pride themselves in their gifts For this reason it was as the Apostle suggests in the 11th ver that God divided these Gifts to several men in several measures and proportions according as he knew their capacities would bear For such is the infirmity of humane nature that the best of Gifted men were apt to * Vid. Chrysost Hom. 29. in 1 Ep. ad Cor. c. 12 glorifie themselves in their Gifts and despise the Un-gifted Ministers of the Church For which reason there was given a ‖ Ne extolleretur tanquam jâ—venis colaphizabatur tanquam puer si ergo Apostolus potuit extolli magnitudine revelationum nisi acciperet Angelum Satanae qui se colathizaret vidit Dominus quod tentaret cos superbias ex potentis miraculorum August in Psal 130. thorn in the flesh to this blessed Apostle himself and the messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations which he received And therefore knowing that these miraculous graces were valuable no further than as they were serviceable to the Church he reproved the Corinthians in the last verse of this and the beginning of the next Chapter for their immoderate ambitious desiring of them exhorting them rather to covet and pray earnestly for the saving graces of the Spirit as the more desirable gifts From which comparison and likewise from the several distributions of these gifts of which he treats in this Chapter it is most certain that he understood by them not the saving universal but the special miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost For as he speaks in the 8th and 9th verses to one was given one Gift to another another to a third a third to every man severally to one greater to another less according as God in his wisdom saw fit Which cannot be truly said of the Saving Graces of the Spirit because God must bestow them joyntly or not at all God cannot give Humility to one Purity or Chastness to another and Charity alone to a third because there is such an inseparable union and alliance among the Graces of the Spirit as Philosophers have observed of Moral vertues that where one is really there all the rest must be Which as I conceive is the reason why the Writers of the New Testament express the whole body of Practical Divinity sometimes by Faith sometimes by Hope sometimes by Repentance and sometimes by Love because the combination of these Saving Graces is such that the mentioning of one implies all the rest But if this be not sufficient to prove especially against Enthusiasts that by Spiritual gifts in this place the miraculous sort of them is to be understood it will undeniably appear from considering the number and variety of them of which I proposed to speak in the second place For there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit A great diversity indeed for the Apostle here presents us with a list of Nine sorts The Word of Wisdom the Word of Knowledge Faith Gifts of Healing Working of Miracles Prophecy discerning of Spirits diverse kinds of Tongues and the interpretation of those Tongues First The Word of Wisdom or the Revelation of the Gospel which is called the Wisdom of God in Christ For as the Greeks and Romans called the Knowledge of secret and excellent things by the name of Philosophy So the Jews called it by the name of Chochmah or Wisdom which so often occurs in Solomons works And therefore St. Paul in his Hellenistical style which consisted in writing of Hebraisms or Syriacisms in Greek Emphatically calls the knowledge of * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Sermonem sapientiae vocat non eloquentiam sed veram doctrinam cujus ipse etiam divinus Apostolus gratiam acceperat divus Johan Evangelista divus Petrus Apostolorum summus Neque enim potuissâ—nt homines piscatores manu sibi victum parantes literarum planè ignari conciones habere scribere quae dicebant scriptis mandabant virtute maximâ implere nisi à divino Spiritu veram sapientiam accepissent Theodoret. in 2 ep ad Corinth cap. 12. Evangelical doctrines and mysteries by the name of Wisdom and distinguisheth it from the Wisdom i. e. from the Philosophy of the world in the 2d ch of this Epist 6 and 7. verses Howbeit saith he we speak wisdom yet not the wisdom of this world but the wisdom of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdom the revelation
of which God ordained before the world was unto our that is unto the glory of us the Apostles who were the first discoverers thereof To them it was that the Spirit gave the First Understanding and discovery of the Mysteries of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom as our Apostle speaks Col. 2. all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge were hid In him they were hidden and wrapt up before they were unfolded by the Apostles to whom in the 14 15 and 16. Chapters of St. John's Gospel our Saviour promised his Spirit to comfort and assist them in his absence to teach them all the things that belonged to the Gospel to lead them into all truth to bring to their remembrance whatsoever he had formerly taught them and bear witness to the Truth of their Doctrine by his works Therefore the first and most principal gift of the Spirit was this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Revelation of the Gospel or the discovery of all those excellent truths the knowledge and belief whereof is Essential on our parts to the New and better Covenant which God hath made betwixt himself and man This Supernatural knowledge of the whole Counsel of God in the Redemption of the world through Christ was first given to the Apostles by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost and Preached by them to the whole world Given I say to the Apostles for as we read of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diversities of gifts in my Text So in the next verse to it we read of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 differences of Administrations that is of Ministeries or Ministers to whom these Gifts belonged And therefore as the Apostle hath put the word of Wisdom first in the Catalogue of gifts So in the List of Ministers which answers to it in the 28th verse he hath put the Apostles first From whence I pass to the word of Knowledge by which with Dr. Lightfoot and Menochius I understand Prophecy properly so called or the revealed knowledge of secret remote and future things Of secret things as of the mind or will of God or the thoughts of men of remote things as of what was done in other places or of future things as of what would be done in times to come According to this Interpretation you will find that Prophets which holds the Second place in the List of Ministers exactly answers to the word of Knowledge in the Catalogue of Gifts In the Church saith he God hath set First Apostles Secondarily Prophets The Spirit of Prophecy properly so called had ceased a long time in the Jewish Church before the coming of Christ but in the last days that is in the conclusion of the Jewish and beginning of the Christian Church God poured it out upon all flesh and their young men saw Visions and their old men dreamed Dreams according to the prediction of Joel in the 2d chap. which St. Peter on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit descended with all his Gifts declared was fulfilled to the Jews By this renewed Spirit of Prophecy it was that the * Acts 13 2. Prophets in the Church of Antioch had it revealed to them by the Holy Ghost that Barnabas and Saul should be separated for the work unto which he had called them that St. Peter ‖ Acts 5.3 knew that Ananias and Sapphira lyed to the Holy Ghost that * Acts 11.28.21.10 Agabus foretold the Farmi◠in the days of Claudius Caesar and the imprisonment of St. Paul at Jerusalem that ‖ Acts 9.10 Ananias knew of the Conversion of St. Paul and that * Acts 27.23 24. St. Paul told the Centurion before the Shipwrack that not a man in the ship should be lost Lastly that St. John wrote the Revelation in the ancient Prophetick style and that many others of whom we read in ‖ Euseb Eccles hist lib. 5. cap. 7. lib. 3. c. 37 Ecclesiastical History foretold many strange events From whence I proceed to the Third Gift which is called Faith by which you are not to understand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as * Hom. 29. in Ep. ad Cor. cap. 12. Theophyl Oecum Theod in id cap. Chrysost calls justifying or saving Faith for that was a common gift to which all Christians had an equal title and claim but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the faith of Miracles Emphatically so called because it was a certain supernatural confidence and assurance wrought by the Spirit in the Soul of a man by which he was sure he could do such or such Miracles before he attempted to do them By this supernatural confidence and impulse it was that men knew as by a sign when they could work wonders and when not and the greatest Operator whether Prophet or Apostle durst never undertake to do a Miracle but when he was assured by the Spirit he could do it And indeed it was requisite for God by some secret preceeding impression to let the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Teachers of the Gospel know when he would assist them lest they should attempt to do Miracles when they could not and so discredit their own Doctrine and Authority and dishonour the name of God Of this sort of Enthusiastical confidence with which the Spirit filled the minds of men is that place to be understood in the * As also that in Matth. 17.20 Luke 17.5 6. vid. Chrysost Hom. 29. in 1 cp ad Corinth cap. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Theodor. in locum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 21. ch of St. Matthew's Gospel ver 21. where our Saviour told his Disciples That if they had faith and doubted not they should not only do what he had done to the fig-tree but if they should say to that mountain upon which they stood Be thou removed and cast into the sea it should be done And therefore this sort of Faith is here put before the Gift of healing and working of Miracles because it consisted in an antecedent impulse to do both Or else by Faith is here to be understood supernatural courage and confidence with which God was wont to endow the minds of all those whom he set upon any design that would find oppositions from Devils or men This fiducia or undanted courage is called in the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render boldness Acts 4.13 29 31. But by the ingenious Translator of the Mons-testament it is rendered Constance fermeté Liberté Hardiesse and it was an effect of that which the Jewish writers call the Spirit of might and as ‖ More Nevoch p. 2. c. 38. Maimonides observes it was always conferr'd upon the person commissioned by God after the promise of ittecha Ani or Ehieh Immach Go and I will be with thee Which promise as it was solemnly made by God to * Exod 3.12 Moses ‖ Jerem. 1 8. Jeremiah and * Ezek. 3.9 Deut. 31.6 8. Josh 1.5 others in the Old Testament So was
these Inspired Orators often moving them withal to Pray in unknown tongues Which St. Paul Emphatically calls praying by the spirit in opposition to praying intelligibly or with the understanding as you may see in the ‖ Chrysost Theoph. in loc 14th chap. of this Epist the 14 and 15 verses which the Enthusiasts of this age have so perverted and abused This Gift above all others was looked upon as a singular pledge of Gods favour and as a Seal by which he own'd the Christians to be his adopted Sons And therefore in the 8th chap. of the Epistle to the Romans the Apostle calls it the Spirit of Adoption whereby they were moved to cry Abba Father A name as St. * In locum Chrysost and Theophyl observe by which the Jews were no where found to call upon God in Prayer although they called God ‖ Deut. 32.18 Mal. 2.10 1 Chron 29.10 Is 63.16.64.8 Joh. 8.41 So Joma c. 8. 9. dixit R. Akiba beati vos O Israel coram quo purificamini quis purificat vos â—ater vesler qui est in Coelis juxta dictum illud spargam c. Ezek. 36.25 Sotta cap. 9. 15. Postquam praedixit futuras calamitatos tempore visitationis templi sic erumpit Cui ergo nitemur nisi Patri nostio qui est in Coelis quae verba bis ibi repetuntur Father by way of acknowledgment and confession and therefore the Spirit moving the Christians to invoke God by the name of Father as our Saviour had directed his Disciples to address themselves unto him before did thereby bear witness with their Spirits that they were the Sons of God I pray mark what I say upon the Authority of St. Chrysost who asserts that the Jews were no where found to invoke God by the name of Father which must be * For in their Offices which are very ancient we find God invoked by the name of Father particularly in that solemn Prayer which is stiled because it contains Eighteen small prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and mention whereof is made in the Mishna tractat de Benedictionibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cap. 4. 3. Ramban Gamaliel dicit quâlibet die orare debet quisquam octodecem preces one of those prayers beginneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fac nos revertere Pater noster ad legem tuam Turn us our Father unto thy Law Another Prayer for the blessing of the season of the year which particularly is cited in the Misna in the same tract cap. 5. 2. beginneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bless us our Father in all the works of our hands In the days appointed for penitence which are 10 days and to some 40 before the day of atonement there are many prayers which begin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Father our King But though this title of Father be now found in the Prayers of the Jewes yet it is very probable that they being under a servile dispensation very rarely presumed to address themselves unto God by that familiar appellation till they saw that the Christians who reproached them as bondmen to the law came with such freedom to the throne of Grace restrained to the Old Testament and the Apocrypha where from Abraham to the Macâ—abeans we find none that calls upon him in Prayer by the name of Father which makes this Great mans notion very probable that the Christians first invoked God by that title being thereunto moved by the Holy Ghost who thereby declared to the unbelieving Jews that they were the Sons of God and his heirs and coheirs through Jesus Christ But then saith he as it were correcting himself if they did call God Father in their devotions they did it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of their own proper motion whereas the Gifted Christian Orators did it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Spiritual Energy of the Holy Ghost and there was as sensible a difference saith he between calling God Father from those two principles as between speaking in acquired tongues and tongues by Inspiration or healing by Physick and the gift of the Holy Ghost whereof the latter carried along with them a visible divine impress and therefore the Spirit which moved the Christians to cry * Paracletus ipse testimonium dicit dono quod datum est nobis non enim nos Abba sonimus sine teste à nobis ipsis virum paracleti donum est ipse docuit nos per spiritum id est donum sic loqui in orationibus Theophyl Rom. 8.16 See Gal. 4.6 Abba Father in their devotions might well be called the Spirit of adoption which thereby bore witness with their Spirits that they were the sons of God From whence I pass to the discerning of Spirits which was as useful a gift as any of the rest For as in Egypt Satan raised up Jannes and Jambres and other Magicians to contend with Moses in working of Miracles So in the Primitive times of Christianity he raised up several Conjurers and Magicians who as the Apostle speaks in his first Epistle to Timothy Came after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders of whom our Saviour prophesying in the 24th chap. of St. Matthews Gospel said that they should shew great signs and wonders and deceive if it were possible the very * Compare Ex. 19.5 6. Deut. 7.6 and 14.2 and 26.18 with 1 Pet. 2.9 Col. 1.13 Rev. 1.9 and 5.10 Matth. 24.22 Elect that is the * Compare Ex. 19.5 6. Deut. 7.6 and 14.2 and 26.18 with 1 Pet. 2.9 Col. 1.13 Rev. 1.9 and 5.10 Matth. 24.22 Church it self They had power from the Devil as St. John plainly saith Rev. 13.14 and 16.14 to work signs and wonders in the air to speak diverse Languages to foretel Plagues and Storms to tell what was done at a distance to make fire come down from Heaven to vomit flames to walk and fly in the air and cast out Devils by a compact with Beelzebub their Soveraign Prince And all these things they did to confront the Miracles and invalidate the Authority of the Apostles and confirm this Anti-Christian doctrine which was a contradiction to their Gospel that Jesus was not Christ For this reason they are called in the forecited places Antichrist and false Prophets and there were very many of them both Jews and Gentiles as Simon called Magus Elymas the Sorcerer the seven sons of Sceva the Jew and many more not mentioned in the Scriptures as Barchozbah and Apollonius Thyanaeus who aped our Saviour as Pharaohs Sorcerers imitated Moses in as many Miracles as he could do and was the Prince of all the Devils Apostles and the greatest Magician that ever deceived the world God therefore in compassion to the state of the Primitive Church inspired the Governments in all places with a supernatural Sagacity to discern these Satanical spirits and distinguish their works from those of the Spirit of God One of the principal rules which the
called they also began to grow scarce about the latter end of the Second Century after God had sufficiently sealed the truth of the Gospel by them and in spite of the powers of hell brought the world to embrace the Christian Faith But yet because there still remained an * Apollo gave Oracles in Daphne the pleasant Suburbs of Antioch in the time of Constantius and Julian the Ap. Chrys de S. Babylá Mart. contra Gentiles Oracle now and then to be silenced a Pythonist to be exorcised a Magical spirit to be rebuked or an insulting and blasphemous Demoniack to be dispossessed God continued them upon these and ‖ As upon the building of the Temple by the Jews in Julians time Naz. 2. invect contra Julian Marcell lib. 22. such like occasions longer in the Church and yet they too * Aug. contra Manich. de ver relig lib. 1. retract c. 13. ceased about the beginning of the Fifth Century when ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys de S. Babylâ Idolatry was almost quite extinguished and when the Church built Her Faith not on present but past Miracles and her Hieroms Augustins and Chrysostoms like us were not inspired but studied Divines As for the gift of Praying and Preaching by the spirit there is no mention made of it in the Ecclesiastical Writers even where they enumerate the rest of the Spiritual gifts Unless * Lib. 1. cap. 57 Euseb hist lib. ◠cap. 7. Irenaeus comprehend it under the gift of strange tongues with all sorts of which he saith many of the brethren spoke in his time by the Holy Ghost Neither need we wonder that there is no further account to be found of it out of the Apostles writings since the Christians might learn what to pray for and how out of the Scriptures which are an excellent rule of devotion as well as Faith and since that gift was also rendered useless by the ‖ Cassand Liturg Dr. Ham. View of the new Directory early general use of Liturgies wherein the Church made Offices for the Sacraments for the Ordination of Bishops Priests and Deacons for the Catechumeni the Penitents and Possessed persons and Supplications and Prayers and Intercessions and giving of Thanks for all men for Kings and all that were in Authority in a good and acceptable manner through the name of the only Mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Jesus Thus exspired these miraculous gifts of the Spirit the actual communication and exercise of which the Apostle in the 7. ver of this chap. calls the manifestation of the Spirit and saith that they were given to every man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the benefit and advantage of the Church But as the Church grew up from an infant to her full stature in Christ so they grew useless till at last some sooner some later they were quite taken away This St. Paul who could do all Miracles foretold in the 13th chap. of this Epist wherein he exhorts the Corinthians to covet the saving rather than the miraculous Graces of the Spirit because these should but those should never fail Charity saith he is a gift that never faileth but other gifts shall for whether there be * Si enim Prophetiae linguae sunt propter susceptionem fidei side undique explicatâ tanquam superflua cessabunt in praesenti maximè autem in futuro Theoph. Prophecies they shall fail or whether there be * Si enim Prophetiae linguae sunt propter susceptionem fidei side undique explicatâ tanquam superflua cessabunt in praesenti maximè autem in futuro Theoph. tongues they shall cease or whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away For we know what we know by Revelation but in part and we Prophesie by inspiration but in part but when the perfect knowledge of the Christian Religion or the perfect state of the Church is come then that which is imperfect and obscure shall be done away Even as when I was a child I ‖ Dicit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tanquam ad linguas referat id spake as a child I * Hoc ad prophetias referre videtur id understood as a child I thought and conceived things as a child but when I became a man and to the full use of my reason I put away childish conceptions and things For now we see Divine Revelations as the Prophets did of old in a dark Enigmatical manner and by Symbolical representations of things upon the fancy as in a glass but then in the adult state of the Church we shall see them after the Mosaical manner in a more rational way and more accommodate to humane nature as it were face to face Now I know them imperfectly but then I shall know them clearly even as I am known To conclude there are three permanent gifts Faith Hope and Charity but the most excellent of these is Charity Having thus discoursed First of the kinds of Spiritual gifts and Secondly of the number and variety of that miraculous sort which is understood in my text and having in the Third place shewed the reasons which moved God to give them to the Primitive Church and not to the Churches of latter times I proceed in the last place to make some improvement of the whole discourse First then I desire you to reflect on the difference betwixt the Saving and Miraculous gifts of the Spirit and then to consider how much more excellent and desirable the former are than the latter and how much rather you ought to covet these than those although they were extant yet in the Church As for these they neither supposed any saving Grace in the gifted person nor brought any along with them nor drew any after them but as * 1. Cor. 12. Hom. 29. S. Chrys compares them to riches so like riches they tempted men to ‖ Chrys in Eph. 4. Hom. 11. Pride Vanity and contempt of their Governours as also to * Theoph. on 1 Cor. 12.1 envy and hate one another so that this Apostle was fain to make use of the same Apologue to allay the envy of some and the grief of other Corinthians who had none or not so many or not such spiritual gifts or not to such a degree as others had as Menenius Agrippa did to appease the Commons of Rome by comparing the body politick of the Church to the natural body which cannot be all head hand or eye but hath several members some more honourable than the other and all conspire to the good of the whole Nay so inconsiderable are these gifts in themselves and so unprofitable to any Christian as to his main concern that * Ress ons ad quast 5. ad Orthodox in Justin Mart. August de Serm. domini like the sun and rain they were given to good and bad and when they were given to a truly good Christian they could not secure him in a state of Grace for
they could not restrain these Corinthians from many grievous sins with which the Apostle chargeth them nor as it appears from Heb. 6.4 5 6. verses keep others from a final Apostasie from Christ This I suppose was the reason why our Saviour when his Disciples returned with joy saying Lord even the devils are subject unto us in thy name answered them thus ‖ Luke 10.17 18 19 20. Aug. in Psal 130. Rejoyce not in this that the devils are subject unto you but rather rejoyce that your names are written in the book of life To the same purpose speaks this Apostle to the vain Corinthians who valued themselves so much upon the account of their spiritual gifts * Aug. tract 13. in Evang. Joh. qui habet sponsam sponsus est Cyprian de unit Eccles Nam prophetare damonia excludere virtutes magnas in terris facere sublimis utique atque admirabilis res est non tamen regnum coeleste consequitur quisquis in his omnibus invenitur si non c. Though saith he I could not only speak with all the tongues of men but express my thoughts like Angels and have not Charity I should be no better than a musical instrument of brass or a tinkling Cymbal And though I had the gift of Prophesying and understood all Mysteries and had all knowledge revealed unto me and though I had the highest degree of miraculous Faith so that as our Lord said I could remove mountains and yet had no Charity with them I should be good for nothing nor become in the least more acceptable to God The tongues of men or Angels to speak in the Apostles phrase could have said nothing more plain or emphatical to shew how much more excellent the saving graces of the Spirit are than the miraculous gifts which can neither render us like God nor qualifie us for the enjoyment of him and which gave no intrinsecal worth to the persons who formerly had them nor made them more useful for the Church than acquired gifts which are the ordinary means of Faith and Repentance make us Suppose thou knowest the Gospel like the Apostles by Inspiration what then another Minister who knows it by reading and study is as capable to serve the Church as thee and besides if thou art like a vain Corinthian ambitious of Inspiration know that it will add nothing to the reputation of thy parts for an inspired man is but the vessel to the treasure the very instrument and Machine of the Holy Ghost who can ordain strength out of the mouths of babes and sucklings and make a child or an idiot preach as well as thee Or suppose thou hadst the spirit of Prophecy what then The knowledge of things past being as excellent in it self and generally more useful to the world than the knowledge of things to come the historian would have as much to boast of as thee Nay historical knowledge hath the advantage above the Prophetical not only in this that it is more clear and distinct but that it extends a great deal farther for the greater face of Janus hath long been set behind to signifie unto us that the world is grown old and that many more ages are gone than are to come But it is an honour to be a Prophet of God and it is a greater honour to be a Minister of the Gospel the servant of Jesus Christ but if thou knowest the burden and pangs of * Dan. 10.8 Gen. 15.12 Ezek. 3.14 Is 21.3 Habak 3.2 Jerem. 23.9 Prophetical visions and the terror of Prophetical dreams thou wouldst like some of the greatest Prophets of old desire God to confer that honour on some other man But thou wouldest have the gift of healing why so Is it that thou wouldst take pleasure in doing good for the same reason thou mayest wish that all thy Fish-ponds were pools of Bethesda or that thou hadst all the riches of the world but if thou hast but Christian Charity and lovest thy neighbour i. e. mankind as well as thy self thou art as excellent a Christian and as acceptable to God as if thou wert an inspired Aesculapius and hadst Cured all the Hospitals in the world Or what if thou hadst this wonderful beneficial gift Thou hast contributed nothing to the having of it for the bones of Elisha and of the * Gervasius Protasius Aug. lib. 2. de civ dei c. 8. retract 1. c. 13. Milan Martyrs had that as well as thee But perhaps thou hast a mind to the gift of tongues What if thou hadst it an acquired linguist would do the Church as much service as thee and would really have more reason to boast of his learning for God can make an Oracle of an Ass and Timber and Stones speak Latin Hebrew and Greek But if thou couldst do Miracles what if thou couldst Hereticks have done them and Judas did them and yet was the worst of men and many shall say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name done many wonderful works and then I will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye workers of iniquity But thou art a Minister and wouldst fain preach by inspiration why so not out of Corinthian vanity and ostentation for then thou art a vain-glorious man but because thou hast a desire to convert more souls but alas thou art not sure of that for the words of this inspired Apostle were a stumbling-block unto the Jewes and a scandal to the Greeks even the savour of death unto many who heard him And the Souls of thousands who heard inspired Sermons from Christ and his Apostles and saw them also work Miracles lye roaring now in the flames of hell But to pray by the Spirit is a most desirable gift so it would be indeed if thou like the Novice-converts of old knowest not how nor what to pray for as thou oughtest But thou canst cry Abba Father without inspiration and thou mayest make prayers and supplications and intercessions and giving of thanks for all men without inspiration which if thou hadst it would not make thy prayers more excellent in themselves or more acceptable in the sight of God For whosoever hath a devout Soul and approaches God with that reverence which is due to his infinite Majesty and heartily asks what he would obtain in the name of Jesus Christ his conceived nay his book devotion shall prevail as much at the Throne of Grace as if it were inspired But inspired prayers are a Testimony of God's love so generally speaking I believe they were but so are crosses and afflictions which immediately proceed not from our own sin and folly and yet thou art not desirous of them although they are signs of Adoption or publick testimonials by which God hath declared to his Church which he never did of inspired persons that * Heb. 12.5 6 7 8 9. afflicted men are not Bastards but Sons From
all which it appears how much more excellent and desirable the saving Graces of the Spirit are than all these pompous miraculous gifts in which there is really no intrinsecal excellence nothing why we should desire or expect them further than as they may be useful for the Church instruments of Religion and motives to Faith and Repentance in defect of ordinary means and acquired gifts All which I would have those especially to consider whose Enthusiastical tempers or educations encline them first to admire and then to conceit these miraculous gifts till by insensible degrees they impose upon their own imaginations and commence within themselves illuminated men Secondly I proceed to shew what little reasons the Romish Doctors have to make miracles a sign of the true Church For Miracles were formerly wrought for signs to confirm the Authority of the Apostles and their Assistants and Successors and to seal the truth of that new doctrine which they were to preach about the world Therefore to suppose that the Church stands always in need of Miracles is to suppose her to be still in a state of Minority and her doctrine to be always a publishing to the world or else to suppose that infinite wisdom may become impertinent and seal the same truths ten thousand times over Indeed as they argue in the Church of the Jews there were always miracles to be found because their Theocratical constitution of Church and State was miraculous God as their King being obliged to make known his pleasure in Civil and Military as well as in Ecclesiastical matters unto them by Voices from heaven Oracles and Prophecies as other Princes do by Proclamations and messages and their Prophets were always to work signs and wonders to prove the Truth of their mission and sometimes the certainty of what they foretold should come to pass But then besides the miracles which belonged to the nature of their Theocratical Government God wrought others for them and among them to render himself and that particular Church more conspicuous in the eyes of the Gentile world Hither we may refer their miraculous victories by single men or armies over their enemies which God wrought to convince them by sensible experiments of his Omnipotence that of all the divinity of the Eastern world he alone was the true God But had the Law been published among all Nations like the Gospel and Judaism become the Universal Religion of the world Miracles at length would have grown out of use as indeed they grew very rare after the Jews were dispersed among the Nations and their Law was translated into Greek which at the time of the Translation was become the most general Language of the world Thirdly I proceed to shew you how unreasonably the Church of Rome hath acted in verifying the Fanatical pretensions of so many gross Impostors and Enthusiasts as she hath done to Inspiration Prophesie Visions Dreams Familiar converses with God and the glorified person of our Saviour working of wonders Communion with Saints and Angels Raptures Impulses and all other sorts of Miraculous gifts that we read of in the Primitive Church Such as these were Dominic Francis of Assize Francis of Pole Francis Xaverius Ignatius the founder of the Jesuits Genvieve Tiresia Catherin of Siena Brigit and many more of both Sexes whom she hath not only Canonized for Saints but to the great scandal of the Christian Religion hath incorporated Religious Societies of men and women to live according to their pretended inspired rules For which not only the Common people and the Brethren and Sisters of the Orders but their Learned Doctors pretend to have as great and it may be a greater veneration than for the Gospel it self Fourthly I proceed to shew you what a sandy foundation the Popes Infallibility is grounded upon For it must be resolved into this Enthusiastical principle of immediate Inspiration which according to the doctrine I have now Preached neither he nor any other Bishop or Presbyter of the Church hath warrant from the Scriptures to pray for or expect I say it is a most dangerous and Fanatical pretension which is so far from having any ground in Scripture that it makes it a most imperfect and useless rule of Faith destroys the certainty of the Christian belief which was fixed above Sixteen hundred years ago and instead of being a means of ending controversies as Papists pretend it introduces everlasting Scepticism into all the parts of Divinity by making truth or falshood good and evil light and darkness sweet and bitter nay what shall I say by making right and wrong God and Belial Christ and Anti-christ depend upon the breath of a single man In the Fifth place let me shew you what a dangerous damnable and precarious principle that is which * George Reiths immediate Revelation Printed 1676. asserts that immediate Revelation or Inspiration is not ceased but is a standing and perpetual gift in the Church of Christ belonging to the very substance of the Gospel-Covenant and of indispensable necessity to the whole body and every member thereof And that this spirit of immediate Revelation or Spiritual light is not like the Spirits in Primitive times to be tryed by the * Barclay 's Theses or Apologia Theolog. Scriptures and reason but that both of them are to be tryed by it This doctrine differs from the preceding only in this that that makes only the Bishop of Rome but this makes every private Christian a Pope and as it utterly overthrows the Authority of the Scriptures and makes them an useless rule of Faith So hath it already cashiered the use of the Sacraments and annulled the Ministerial Orders contrary to the Precepts and Precedents of the Gospel and the practice of Gods Universal Church And when time shall serve it can as effectually convert the Professors of it into down-right Popery consistently with their own principles for they have nothing more to do than to say that the Spirit hath told them that the Church of Rome is the only true Church and that supra hanc Petram belongs to the Pope As this doctrine was first privately sowed among us by ‖ Foxes and Fire-brands pag. 15. c. Printed 1680. Popish Emissaries so hath it been published in our and other countries by those who were Papists as by Robert Barclay who was bred in the Scottish Covent at Paris and Labbade a Jesuit defrooqued In the next place to montion will be sufficient to confute the Pseudo-Prophetical Spirits of this age such as Nayler Venner and Muggleton with his companion Reeve who call themselves the Lords Two last Witnesses and Prophets and have framed many tracts and letters from Jesus and the Holy Spirit a collection of which may be had in Print I deny not but that God is free to send Prophets when he pleases and that he may do so when the exigence of the Church doth require it but then whensoever he sends them he will as he hath always
done send them with the power of working Signs and wonders and whensoever they shall come we shall have a right to try them by the Scriptures as a Test But for these and the German Prophets who pretended to Inspiration and Prophecie without signs to voices from Heaven which none heard and strange Apparitions which none saw but themselves and who Preached other doctrines than what the Apostle hath preached they were Enthusiasts or Impostors or a composition of both and had they first appeared in the Church of Rome his Holiness had likely caressed them for great Saints and Prophets offered them the compliment of a new Order and so have obliged them as he hath done many more by the same arts to devote themselves to his service and declare him to be Vice Deus Vice Christus a God upon earth the Soveraign both of Angels and men In the next place let me observe unto you that among all the miraculous gifts of the Spirit recited either in this Chapter or any other place of the Gospel there is no mention made of Heroical impulse by which men were sometimes irresistably moved from the Spirit under the Jewish Oeconomy to execute judgment in an extrajudicial manner upon the enemies of God For God being the * Is 33.22 Ezek. 20.11 Numb 31.28.37.40 1 Chron. 29.11 Political King and Legislator of the Jews did as other absolute Monarchs do in some special exigencies send men with extraordinary supra-legal commissions to do present execution upon great and dangerous offenders without staying for the ordinary process by Law But our Saviour one end of whose coming was to put an ‖ Eph. 2.14 Dan. 9.26 27. Acts 10.34 35. end to the Jewish Oeconomy and who came not to destroy mens lives but to save them gave no such gifts unto men No there is to be no fire from Heaven nor no Phinehases under the Christian dispensation Accordingly the first Apostolical ages of wonder were utterly ignorant of killing impulse and zeal which I could not but observe to the utter detestation of Christian Assassins the Clements and Ravilliacs on one hand and the * Knoxes history Ravilliac redivivus and the history of the late Archâ—bishop of S. Andrews his murder in the spirit of Popery Melvils and Mitchels on the other To proceed Let us a little more particularly reflect upon that blasphemous doctrine of the Quakers now by the industry of the Emissaries no contemptible Sect concerning a Spiritual ministery and spiritual worship whereby they pretend that the Holy Ghost now comes down upon their Assemblies as it did in the Apostles time and moves them to preach and pray by inspiration without any regard to condition or Sex Hence when they meet together they sit hanging their heads in a silent dumb manner till the Spirit as they pretend shall move some body it is indifferent be it man or woman to preach or pray Accordingly they call their Preaching Prophesying and precariously say that they have the Spirit of Adoption by which they call God Father and that the spirit in the inspired Minister maketh Intercession for them with unutterable groans That they groan sufficiently we grant for sometimes in their meetings they do nothing else but if their groaning or vocal devotions be from the Spirit how comes it to pass that the Spirit never moves them as it did in the Apostles days to Pray and Prophesie in unknown tongues When we shall see in their Assemblies as the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles did in the Primitive Christian meetings that they have the gift of tongues and the gift of interpreting thereof when together with the gift of tongues we shall see that they have as the Christians had all the other miraculous gifts when we shall see that they shew themselves to be Prophets and Spiritual in receiving what this Apostle hath written in particular that a woman should not speak in the Church as the Commandments of God and lastly when with all this they shall preach no other doctrine than what the Apostle hath preached and the Catholick Church received then we will believe if they be lawfully baptized that it is the spirit which is speaking in them and that God is in them and among them of a truth but till then we must believe them all to be Impostors or Enthusiasts and blasphemers of the Holy Ghost Therefore in the next place let us consider what an horrible sin it is to counterfeit any of the gifts of the Holy Ghost in particular the spirit of Praying and Preaching which with the gift of Faith as it is taken for inspired courage and boldness is most easie to be counterfeited of all the spiritual gifts But first let us make some reflection on the pretenders to the spirit of praying and preaching under whom I comprehend not only those whom I mentioned above but another sort of spiritual juglers who when they are ashamed to talk like the lowest form of Enthusiasts in a plain Fanatical strain and so apparently blaspheme the Holy Ghost yet invent such uncouth ambiguous terms in Divinity and so artificially contrive the style and phrase of their religious discourses as to beget an opinion in their followers that they pray and preach by inspiration and so besides the dishonour they reflect on the Christian Religion and the Holy Ghost maintain the Schisms which they have made under the colour of more spiritual ordinances and worship and sacrilegiously usurp that specifick veneration to themselves which was wont to be given to inspired men One equivocal phrase which is commonly in the mouths and writings of these Sanctimonious men is the Spirit of preaching and the Spirit of prayer which though by an Hebraism in English they ought now to signifie no more than the skill or habit of praying and preaching yet these Sophisters and usurpers for so most of them are of our Holy Profession so use them that the deluded people generally take them in a more obvious sense for praying and preaching by immediate inspiration from the Holy Ghost To this purpose they talk much of the in-comeings out-lettings and in-dwellings of the Spirit and have taught their disciples to object that to pray by a form doth stint the spirit and by these and other like phrases whereof store may be found in Rutherfords letters and the writings of the Independents not to mention any more they have made their followers take it for granted that extemporary prayers especially as they are spoken and acted by them are the effect of inspiration and by consequence that themselves are immediately inspired This error concerning the extemporary spirit of Prayer hath been the cause of much * Concil Milev 2. can 12. Placuit ut preces quae probatae fuâ—rint in concilio ab omnibus celebrentur nec aliae omnino dicantur in Ecclesiâ ne fortè aliquid contra fidem vel per ignorantiam vel per minus studium sit compositum See also Con. Carth. 3. c.
Spirit the Comforter to supply his place among them to build upon the Foundation which he had laid and discover the word of Wisdom in as ample manner unto them as they were to Preach it about the world And then because they were illiterate men that knew no Languages but their own it was requisite for him to give them and their assistants the gift of strange tongues that they might freely converse with men of all countries and Provinces and Preach the Gospel through all the world But then as the Spirit qualified them by infused Divinity and Languages to preach So was it requisite for him to confirm the Truth of their doctrine by Signs and Wonders as by giving them Power to silence Oracles and rebuke Magical spirits to cast out Devils heal the Sick raise the Dead and demonstrate his special Presence in Christian assemblies by sending his Spirit upon private men and Idiots and in particular by enabling them to speak in strange tongues which by reason of the rapturous way in which they were inspired they could not interpret to the Congregations in which they spoke This manner of speaking in unknown tongues is different from that which I mentioned a little before For the former way of speaking was given to the Apostles and Evangelists not so much for a sign as to enable them to instruct forein nations in the Faith and it was either a permanent gift or if it were not it always came upon them in a calm and gentle manner insomuch that they were perfect masters of their own understandings and could freely converse with the people to whom they spoke But the use of the latter was principally * 1 Cor. 14.22 Signal or Testimonial like other miracles and came upon the people as well as the Ministers and that in such a rapturous Enthusiastical manner that though they understood their ‖ 1 Cor. 14.4 own inspirations yet they were not able to interpret them to the Church and therefore to this gift was usually annexed the more useful gift of interpreting tongues of which I spoke before All these Miracles are called the Testimony of the Spirit particularly Heb. 2.4 God the sender of the Spirit is said to have born the Apostles witness with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost Hither we may also refer the word of Knowledge or the gift of Prophecy properly so called which of all the Unctions of the Holy Ghost was a particular sign to the Jews that the Christians were also the children of promise upon whom the Spirit of Prophecy came But then it was requisite for them upon other accounts because the discovery of things secret and remote and the prediction of future events was frequently necessary for the preservation of the Christians and preventing of imminent danger to the Church Thus Agabus signifying by the Spirit that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world i. e. all * Hum. on Matth. 24.7 Judaea the Disciples at Antioch determined before-hand to send relief unto their Brethren in Judaea by the hands of Barnabas and Paul So an Angel was sent to Paul to assure him that he should be brought before Caesar and that God would save all the lives in the ship for his sake By which Revelation he was enabled both to encourage and direct the Sea-men who had otherwise given up all in despair Hither I may also refer the prediction of our Lord Matth. 24.15 and 16. verses which the believing Jews remembring when Gallus so providentially raised the siege of Jerusalem immediately went out of it and fled to the Mountains insomuch that when Titus some months after besieged the City there was not one Christian in the * Euseb Ecc. Hist l. 3. c. 5. place Furthermore the Spirit of Preaching Praying and Praising God by Inspiration or Prophecie improperly so called was requisite for the state of the Primitive Christian Church for by this the Circumcision was also convinced that God was no respecter of persons when they saw to their astonishment that on the Gentiles also were poured out the gifts of the Holy Ghost This was the reason why the Apostles did by Solemn Prayer and Imposition of hands confer these and other gifts of the Holy Ghost upon Baptized Gentiles to convince the Jews that the Christian Religion was to be Catholick and that Christ was the Saviour of no less than the whole world Furthermore they were necessary to confirm the Faith and warm the devotion of the Newly Converted Christians who were very apt through the delusion of Hereticks and Satanical spirits to Apostatize and renounce Christ as likewise to convince the Jewish and Gentile unbelievers whom curiosity brought to the Christian Assemblies that God was in them and among them for a truth Lastly as St. ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 43. vid. 44. Clement who was St. Paul's fellow-work-man assures us in his first Epistle to these Corinthians who were so rich in spiritual gifts these and other gifts were sent upon the people as divine indications to the Apostles whom they should Ordain Bishops and Presbyters and Deacons in the Cities and Countries which should be converted to the Faith So the Apostles directed the Disciples to look out among themselves Seven men of honest report and full of the Holy Ghost whom they might ordain Deacons And S. Paul in his first Epist to Timothy 4.14 charged him not to neglect the * Calvin Instit l. 4. gift of the Priesthood which was given him by Prophecy and the Imposition of his hands And accordingly Eusebius out of Clemens Alexandrinus reports of St. John Cap. 3. in locum that he took men to ordain Bishops of the Asiatick Churches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from among those who were signalized with spiritual gifts Agreeable to which ‖ Acts 20.28 St. Paul told their Predecessors that the Holy Ghost had set them over the flock Lastly Because it was impossible to govern the Church more than other Societies and Bodies politick without sensible punishments God endowed the Apostles and their Successors with a power of inflicting supernatural diseases and death upon incorrigible offenders while for want of assistance from the Secular arm they had not power to make penal laws for themselves This supernatural power of inflicting corporal punishments which usually accompanied excommunication made the Apostolical rod as terrible as the pestilence that walketh in darkness and the destruction that wasteth at noon day For by it offenders were delivered up to Satan to be tormented possessed and killed by him who is the ‖ Job 2.6 1 Sam. 16.14 ordinary executioner of Gods judgments And it was so inherent at that time in the Apostolical function for punishing of Scandals and preserving the Unity and Order of the Church that God was pleased to second their dreadful Censures in their absence as well as their presence as upon the incestuous Corinthian whom this Apostle