Be it so, therefore, that these gifts we intend are not in them- selves saving graces, yet are they not to be despised ; for they are, as we shall show, the " powers of the world to come," by means where- of the kingdom of Christ is preserved, carried on, and propagated in the world. And although they are not grace, yet are they the great means whereby all grace is ingenerated and exercised ; and although the sjriritual life of the church doth not consist in them, yet the order and edification of the church depend wholly on them. And therefore are they so frequently mentioned in the Scripture as the great privilege of the New Testament, directions being multiplied in the writings of the apostles about their nature and proper use. And we are commanded earnestly to desire and labour after them, especially those which are most useful and subservient unto edifica- tion, 1 Cor. xii. 31. And as the neglect of internal saving grace, wherein the power of godliness doth consist, hath been the bane of Christian profession as to obedience, issuing in that form of it which is consistent with all manner of lusts; so the neglect of these gifts
422 OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS. [BOOK IX.
hath been the ruin of the same profession as to worship and order, which hath thereon issued in fond superstition.
The great and signal promise of the communication of these gifts is recorded, Ps. lxviii. 18, " Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive : thou hast received gifts for men : " for these words are applied by the apostle unto that communication of spiri- tual gifts from Christ whereby the church was founded and edified, Eph. iv. 8. And whereas it is foretold in the psalm that Christ should receive gifts, — that is, to give them unto men, as that expres- sion is expounded by the apostle, — so he did this by receiving of the Spirit, the proper cause and immediate author of them all, as Peter declares, Acts ii. 33, " Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear," speak- ing of the miraculous gifts conferred on the apostles at the day of Pentecost ; for these gifts are from Christ, not as God absolutely, but as mediator, in which capacity he received all from the Father in a way of free donation. Thus, therefore, he received the Spirit as the author of all spiritual gifts. And whereas all the " powers of the world to come" consisted in them, and the whole work of the build- ing and propagation of the church depended on them, the apostles, after all the instructions they had received from Christ, whilst he conversed with them in the days of his flesh, and also after his resur- rection, were commanded not to go about the great work which they had received commission for until they had received power by the coming of the Holy Ghost upon them in the communication of those gifts, Acts i. 4, 8. And as they neither might nor could do any thing in their peculiar work, as to the laying of the foundation of the Christian church, until they had actually received those extraordi- nary gifts which gave them power so to do; so if those who under- take, in any place, degree, or office, to carry on the edification of the church, do not receive those more ordinary gifts which are con- tinued unto that end, they have neither right to undertake that work, nor power to perform it in a due manner.
The things which we are to inquire into concerning these gifts are, — I. Their name; II. Their nature in general, and therein how they agree with and differ from saving graces; III. Their distinc- tion; IV The particular nature of them; and, V. Their use in the church of God.
The general name of those spiritual endowments which we in- tend is do/ubara, — so the apostle renders ntirip, Eph. iv. 8, from Ps. lxviii. 18, dona, gifts; that is, they are free and undeserved effects of divine bounty. In the minds of men on whom they are bestowed, they are spiritual powers and endowments with respect unto a certain
CHAP. I.] THEIR NAMES AND SIGNIFICATION. 423
end; but as to their original and principal cause, they arefree, un- deserved gifts. Hence the Holy Spirit, as the author of them, and with respect unto them, is called Aupsd roZ Qsou, " The gift of God," John iv. 10. And the effect itself is also termed Aupsd rou dylou Unv/iaroc, " The gift of the Holy Ghost," Acts x. 45 ; " The gift of God," chap. viii. 20; " The gift of the grace of God," Eph. iii. 7; " The gift of Christ," chap. iv. 7; " The heavenly gift," Heb. vi. 4;— all expressing the freedom of their communication on the part of the Father, Son, and Spirit. And in like manner, on the same account, are they called yap '^^c/.ra, — that is, " gracious largesses," gifts pro- ceeding from mere bounty. And therefore saving graces are also expressed by the same name in general, because they also are freely and undeservedly communicated unto us, Rom. xi. 28. But those gifts are frequently and almost constantly so expressed, Rom. xii. 6; 1 Cor. i. 7, vii. 7, xii. 4, 9, 28, 30 ; 2 Tim. i. 6 ; 1 Pet. iv. 10. And it is absolute freedom in the bestower of them that is principally in- tended in this name. Hence he hath left his name as a curse unto all posterity who thought this free gift of God might be "purchased with money," Acts viii. 20 ; a pageantry of which crime the apostate ages of the church erected, in applying the name of that sin to the pur- chase of benefices and dignities, whilst the gift of God was equally despised on all hands. And, indeed, this was that whereby in all ages countenance was given unto apostasy and defection from the power and truth of the gospel. The names of spiritual things were still re- tained, but applied to outward forms and ceremonies ; which thereby were substituted insensibly into their room, to the ruin of the gospel in the minds of men. But as these gifts were not any of them to be bought, no more are they absolutely to be attained by the natural abili- ties and industry of any ; whereby an image of them is attempted to be set up by some, but deformed and useless. They will do those things in the church by their own abilities which can never be acceptably discharged but by virtue of those free gifts which they despise ; whereof we must speak more afterward. Now, the full signification of these words in our sense is peculiar unto the New Testament; for although in other authors they are used for a gift or free grant, yet they never denote the endowments or abilities of the minds of men who do receive them, which is their principal sense in the Scripture. With respect unto their especial nature they are called vvivpunxd, sometimes absolutely: 1 Cor. xii. 1, Iltpl ds ruv vrvsvtiuTix.wv, "But concerning spirituals," — that is, spiritual gifts. And so again, chap. xiv. 1, ZrjXovTt to, Trnvfianxd, " Desire spirituals," — that is, gifts; for SO it is explained, chap. xii. 31, Zrfkovri rd yaplajxara rd xpthrova., " Covet earnestly the best gifts." Whenever, therefore, they are called vvsu/Aarixd, there yapia^ara, denoting their general nature, is