DISCOURSE CONCEENING THE HOLY SPIEIT.
BOOK I. CHAPTER I.
GENERAL PEINCIPLES CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORK.
1 Cor. xii. 1 opened — Unvf4.aTix,d, spiritual gifts — Their grant unto, use and abuse in, that church — Jesus, how called "anathema" — Impiety of the Jews — How called " Lord" — The foundation of church order and worship — In what sense we are enabled by the Spirit to call Jesus " Lord " — The Holy Spirit the author of all gifts — why called " God," and " The Lord"' — General distribution of spiri- tual gifts — Proper end of their communication — Nine sorts of gifts — Abuse of them in the church — Their tendency unto peace and order — General design of the ensuing discourse concerning the Spirit and his dispensation — Import- ance of the doctrine concerning the Spirit of God and his operations — Reasons hereof— Promise of the Spirit to supply the absence of Christ, as to his human nature — Concernment thereof — Work of the Spirit in the minis- tration of the gospel — All saving good communicated unto us and wrought in us by him — Sin against the Holy Ghost irremissible — False pretences unto the Spirit dangerous — Pretences unto the spirit of prophecy under the Old Testament — Two sorts of false prophets: the first; the second sort — Pre- tenders under the New Testament — The rule for the trial of such pretenders, 1 John iv. 1-3 — Rules to this purpose under the Old and New Testaments compared — A false spirit, set up against the Spirit of God, examined — False and noxious opinions concerning the Spirit, and how to be obviated — Re- proaches of the Spirit and his work — Principles and occasions of the apostasy of churches under the law and gospel — Dispensation of the Spirit not con- fined to the first ages of the church — The great necessity of a diligent in- quiry into the things taught concerning the Spirit of God and his work.
The apostle Paul, in the 12th chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians, directs their exercise of spiritual gifts, concerning which, amongst other things and emergencies, they had made inquiry of him. This the first words wherewith he prefaceth his whole dis- course declare : Verse 1, " Now, concerning spiritual gifts," — lispi ds Tuv 'jrviuixariKuv — that is, y^apidiMartav, as his ensuing declaration doth evince. And the imagination of some, concerning spiritual persons to be here intended, contrary to the sense of all the ancients,
1 G GENERAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING [BOOK I.
is inconsistent with the context : ^ for as it was about spiritual gifts and their exercise that the church had consulted with him, so the whole series of his ensuing discourse is directive therein; and, therefore, in the close of it, contracting the design of the whole, he doth it in that advice, Z?]Xoi;rs dl to, ^apia/Mara ra xpiirrova, — " Covet earnestly the best gifts," — namely, among those which he proposed to treat of, and had done so accordingly, verse 31. The ra -TrnvfiaTtxa of verse 1 are the ra yapieij^a-a of verse 31 ; as it is expressed, chap. xiv.l, ZjjXoDrg hi ra 'xvi\j[j^ari%d, — that is, ■/ap'tGij.ara, — '"Desire spiritual gifts,' whose nature and use you are now instructed in, as it first was proposed." Of these that church had received an abundant measure, especially of those that were extraordinary, and tended to the con- viction of unbelievers: for the Lord having "much people in that city," whom he intended to call to the faith, Acts xviii. 9, 10, not only encouraged our apostle, against all fears and dangers, to begin and carry on the work of preaching there, wherein he continued " a year and six months," verse 11, but also furnished the first converts with such eminent, and some of them such miraculous gifts, as might be a prevalent means to the conversion of many others; for he will never be wanting to provide instruments and suitable means for the effectual, attaining of any end that he aimeth at. In the use, exer- cise, and management of these " spiritual gifts," that church, or sundry of the principal members of it, had fallen into manifold dis- orders, and abused them unto the matter of emulation and ambition, whereon other evils did ensue ;^ as the best of God's gifts may bo abused by the lusts of men, and the purest water may be tainted by the earthen vessels whereinto it is poured. Upon the information of some who, loving truth, peace, and order, were troubled at these miscarriages, 1 Cor. i. 11, and in answer unto a letter of the whole church, written unto him about these and other occurrences, chap, vii. 1, he gives them counsel and advice for the rectifying of these abuses. And, first, to prepare them aright with humility and thank- fulness, becoming them who were intrusted with such excellent pri- vileges as they had abused, and without which they could not re- ceive the instruction which he intended them, he mindeth them of their former state and condition before their calling and conversion to Christ, chap. xii. 2, " Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away with dumb idols, even as ye were led;" w$ ay tiyiaSi ocn-ayS^u^svoi,