These are some of the principal agreements and differences between saving graces and spiritual gifts, both sorts of them being wrought in
438 OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS. [BOOK IS.
believers by "that one and the self-same Spirit, which divideth to every one severally as he will." And for a close of this discourse I shall only add, that where these graces and gifts, in any eminency or good degree, are bestowed on the same persons, they are exceedingly help- ful unto each other. A soul sanctified by saving grace is the only proper soil for gifts to flourish in. Grace infiuenceth gifts unto a due exercise, prevents their abuse, stirs them up unto proper occasions, keeps them from being a matter of pride or contention, and subor- dinates them in all things unto the glory of God. When the act- ings of grace and gifts are inseparable, as when in prayer the Spirit is a Spirit of grace and supplication, the grace and gift of it working together, when utterance in other duties is always accompanied with faith and love, then is God glorified and our own salvation promoted. Then have edifying gifts a beauty and lustre upon them, and gene- rally are most successful, when they are clothed and adorned with humility, meekness, a reverence of God, and compassion for the souls of men; yea, when there is no evidence, no manifestation of their being accompanied with these and the like graces, they are but as a parable or wise saying in the mouth of a fool. Gifts, on the other side, excite and stir up grace unto its proper exercise and operation. How often is faith, love, and delight in God, excited and drawn forth unto especial exercise in believers by the use of their own gifts !
And thus much may suffice as to the nature of these gifts in gene- ral; we next consider them under their most general distributions.
CHAPTER III.
Of gifts and offices extraordinary; and first of offices.
The spiritual gifts whereof we treat respect either powers and duties in the church, or duties only. Gifts that respect powers and duties are of two sorts, or there have been, or are at any time, two sorts of such powers and duties, the first whereof was extraordi- nary, the latter ordinary, and consequently the gifts subservient unto them must be of two sorts also ; which must farther be cleared.
Wherever power is given by Christ unto his churches, and duties are required in the execution of that power, unto the ends of his spiritual kingdom, to be performed by virtue thereof, there is an office in the church ; for an ecclesiastical office is an especial power given by Christ unto any person or persons for the performance of especial duties belonging unto the edification of the church in an especial manner. And these offices have been of two sorts ; — first, extraordinary ; secondly, ordinary. Some seem to deny that there
CHAP. III.] OF EXTRAORDINARY OFFICES. 439
was ever any such thing as extraordinary power or extraordinary offices in the church, for they do provide successors unto all who are pleaded to have been of that kind; and those such as, look how far short they come of them in other things, do exceed them in power and rule. I shall not contend about words, and shall therefore only inquire what it was that constituted them to be officers of Christ in his church whom thence we call extraordinary ; and then, if others can duly lay claim unto them, they may be allowed to pass for their successors.
There are four things which constitute an extraordinary officer in the church of God, and consequently are required in and do consti- tute an extraordinary office: — 1. An extraordinary call unto an office, such as none other has or can have, by virtue of any law, order, or constitution whatever. 2. An extraordinary power com- municated unto persons so called, enabling them to act what they are so called unto, wherein the essence of any office doth consist. S. Extraordinary gifts for the exercise and discharge of that power. 4. Extraordinary employment as to its extent and measure, requir- ing extraordinary labour, travail, zeal, and self-denial. All these do and must concur in that office and unto those offices which we call extraordinary.
Thus was it with the apostles, prophets, and evangelists at the first, which were all extraordinary teaching officers in the church, and all that ever were so, 1 Cor. xii. 28; Eph. iv. 11. Besides these, there were, at the first planting of the church, persons endued with extra- ordinary gifts, as of miracles, healing, and tongues, which did not of themselves constitute them officers, but do belong to the second head of gifts, which concern duties only. Howbeit these gifts were always most eminently bestowed on them who were called unto the extraordinary offices mentioned: 1 Cor. xiv. 18, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all." They had the same gift some of them, but the apostle had it in a more eminent degree. See Matt. x. 8. And we may treat briefly in our passage of these several sorts of extraordinary officers : —
First, [As] for the apostles, they had a double call, mission, and commission, or a twofold apostleship. Their first call was unto a sub- serviency unto the personal ministry of Jesus Christ; for he was a " minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers/' Rom. xv. 8. In the discharge of this his personal ministry, it was necessary that he should have pe- culiar servants and officers under him, to prepare his way and work, and to attend him therein. So " he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach/' Mark iii. 14. This was the substance of their first call and work, —