o. The third sort of the immediate extraordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, absolutely exceeding the actings and compliance of human faculties, are 'miracles of all sorts, which were frequent under the Old Testament. Such were many things wrought by Moses and ■ Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, w^ith some others; those by Moses exceed- ing, if the Jews fail not in their computation, all the rest that are recorded in the Scripture. Now, these were all the immediate effects of the divine power of the Holy Ghost. He is the sole author of all real miraculous operations; for by "miracles" we understand such effects as are really beyond and above the power of natural causes, how- ever applied unto operation. Now, it is said expressly that our Lord Jesus Christ wi'ought miracles (for instance, the casting out of devils from persons possessed) by the Holy Ghost ; and if their immediate production were by him in the human nature of Jesus Christ, per- sonally united unto the Son of God, how much more must it be granted that it was he alone by whose power they were wrought in those who had no such relation unto the divine nature ! And, therefore, where they are said to be ^^TOUght by the "hand" or "finger of God," it is the person of the Holy Spirit which is precisely intended, as we
' Sec his treatises on " The Divine Original of the Scriptures," "Vindication of Greek and Hebrew Texts," and "Exercitationes adversus Fanaticos," vol. xvi. of his -works. —Ed.
VOL. III. 10
146 OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT [BOOK II.
have declared before. And the persons by whom they were wrought were never the real subjects of the power whereby they were wrought, as though it should be inherent and residing in them as a quality. Acts iii. 12, 16; only, they were infallibly directed by the Holy Ghost by word or action to pre-signify their operation. So was it with Joshua when he commanded the sun and moon to stand still, chap. X. 12. There was no power in Joshua, no, not [even] extra- ordinarily communicated to him, to have such a real influence upon the whole frame of nature as to effect so great an alteration therein : only, he had a divine warranty to speak that which God himself would effect; whence it is said that therein "the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man," verse 1 4 It is a vanity of the greatest mag- nitude in some of the Jews, as Maimonides, (" More Nebuch.," p. 2, cap. XXXV.,) Levi B. Gerson on the place, and others, who deny any fixation of the sun and moon, and judge that it is only the speed of Joshua in subduing his enemies before the close of that day which is intended. This they contend for, lest Joshua should be thought to have wrought a greater miracle than Moses! But as the prophet Habakkuk is express to the contrary, chap. iii. 11, and their ov/n Sirachides, cap. xlv., xlvi., so it is no small prevarication in some Christians to give countenance unto such a j)utid fiction. See Grot, in loc. It is so in all other miraculous operations, even where the parts of the bodies of men were made instrumental of the mii'acle itself, as ; in the gift of tongues. They who had that gift did not so sjjeak from jany skill or ability residing in them, but they were merely organs of the Holy Ghost, which he moved at his pleasure. Now, the end of all these miraculous operations was, to give reputation to the persons, and to confirm the ministry of them by whom they were wrought; for as at first they were the occasion of wonder and astonishment, so upon their consideration they evidenced the respect and regard of God unto such persons and their work. So when God sent Moses to declare his will in an extraordinary manner unto the people of Israel, he commands him to work several miracles or signs before them, that they might believe that he was sent of God, Exod. iv. 8, 9. And such works were called signs, because they were tokens and pledges of the jDresence of the Spirit of God with them by whom they were wrought. Nor was this gift ever bestowed on any man alone, or for its own sake; but it was always subordinate unto the work of revealing or declaring the mind of God.
And these are the general heads of the extraordinary operations of tKe Holy Spirit of God in works exceeding all human or natural abilities, in their whole kind.
II. The next sort of the operations of the Holy Ghost under the Old Testament, whose explanation was designed, is of those whereby he
CHAP. I.] PREPAEATORY TO THE NEW CREATION. 147
imjaroved, through immediate impressions of his own power, the natural faculties and abiHties of the minds of men; and these, as was intimated, have respect to things political, moral, natural, and intellectual, with some of a mixed nature: — ■
]. He had in them respect unto things political. Such were his gifts Avhereby he enabled sundry persons unto rule and civil govern- ment amongst men. Government, or supreme rule, is of great con- cernment unto the glory of God in the world, and of the highest usefulness unto mankind. Without it the whole world would be filled with violence, and become a stage for all wickedness visibly and openly to act itself upon in disorder and confusion. And all men confess that unto a due management hereof unto its projDer ends, sundry peculiar gifcs and abilities of mind are required in them and needful for them who are called thereunto. These are they themselves to endeavour after, and sedulously to improve the mea- sures which they have attained of them, — and where this is by any neglected, the world and themselves will quickly feed on the fruits of that negligence ; — but yet, because the utmost of what men may of this kind obtain by their ordinary endeavours, and an ordinary blessing thereon, is not sufficient for some especial ends which God aimed at in and by their rule and government, the Holy Ghost did oftentimes give an especial improvement unto their abilities of mind by his own immediate and extraordinary operation; and in some cases he manifested the effects of his power herein by some external, visible signs of his coming on them in whom he so wrought. So, in the first institution of the sanhedrim, or court of seventy elders, to bear together with Moses the burden of the people in their rule and government, the Lord is said to "put his Spirit ujDon them ;" and [it is said] that " the Spirit rested on them:" Num. xi. 16, 17, " And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou kuowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them. And I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee." Verse 25, " And the Lord took of the Spirit that was upon Moses, and gave it unto the seventy elders, and the Spirit rested upon them." That which these elders were called unto was a share in the supreme rule and government of the people, which was before en- ^ tirely in the hand of Moses. This the occasion of their call declares, verses 11-15. And they were ^''l^^', "inferior officers" before, such as they had in Egypt, who influenced the people by their counsel and arbitration, Exod. iii. 16, v. 6, xxiv. 1, 9. Now they had a supreme power in judgment committed to them, and were thence called ^T'''??, or "gods;" for these were they "unto whom the word of God came," who were thence called gods, John x. Si-SG,