454 OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS. [BOOK IX.
minds of men. These miraculous operations were the witness of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which he gave to the truth of the gospel. See Heb. ii. 4, with our exposition thereon. Where- fore, there was no more in these gifts, which absolutely exceed the whole faculties of our natures, but the designing of certain persons by the Holy Ghost, in and with whose ministry he would himself effect miraculous operations.
Secondly, They were such as consisted in extraordinary endow- ments and improvements of the faculties of the souls or minds of men; such as wisdom, knowledge, utterance, and the like. Now, where these were bestowed on any in an extraordinary manner, as they were on the apostles and evangelists, they differed only in de- gree from them that are ordinary and still continued, but are of the same kind with them; whereof we shall treat afterward. Now, whereas all these gifts of both sorts are expressly and distinctly enu- merated and set down by our apostle in one place, I shall consider them as they are there proposed by him : —
1 Cor. xii. 7-11, "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues ; to another the interpretation of tongues : but all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." The general concernments of this passage in the apostle were declared, and the context opened, at the beginning of our discourse on this subject. I shall only now consider the espe- cial spiritual gifts that are here enumerated by the apostle, which are nine in number, laid down promiscuously without respect unto any order or dependence of one upon another, although it is probable that those first placed were the principal, or of principal use in the church.
The first is Aoyog <so<plag, — The "word of wisdom." Aoyog here is of the same signification with "^ in the Hebrew, which often sig- nifies a thing or matter; wherefore the "word of wisdom" is nothing but wisdom itself. And our inquiry is, What was that wisdom which was in those days a peculiar and an especial gift of the Holy Ghost? Our Lord Jesus Christ promised unto his disciples that he would give them " a mouth and wisdom, which all their adversaries should not be able to gainsay nor resist," Luke xxi. 15. This will be our rule in the declaration of the nature of this gift. That which he hath respect unto is the defence of the gospel and its truth against powerful persecuting adversaries ; for although they had the truth on their side, yet being men ignorant and unlearned, they might justly
CHAP. IV.] OF EXTRAORDINARY SPIRITUAL GIFTS. 455
fear that when they were brought before kings, and rulers, and priests, they should be baffled in their profession, and not be able to defend the truth. Wherefore this promise of a "mouth and wisdom" respects spiritual ability and utterance in the defence of the truth of the gospel, when they were called into question about it. Spiritual ability of mind is the wisdom, and utterance or freedom of speech is the mouth here promised. An eminent instance of the accomplish- ment hereof we have in Peter and John, Acts iv.; for upon their making a defence of the resurrection of Christ, and the truth of the gospel therein, such as their adversaries were not able to gainsay nor resist, it is said that when the riders and elders saw their irap- faoiav, that is, their utterance in defence of their cause with boldness, and so the wisdom wherewith it was accompanied, considering that they were " unlearned and ignorant," they were astonished, and only considered "that they had been with Jesus," verse 13. And he it was who, in the accomplishment of his promise, had given them that spiritual wisdom and utterance which they were not able to resist. So it is said expressly of Stephen that his adversaries "were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake," Acts vi. 10. Wherefore, this gift of wisdom, in the first place, was a spiritual skill and ability to defend the truths of the gospel, when questioned, op- posed, or blasphemed. And this gift was eminent in those primitive times, when a company of unlearned men were able upon all occa- sions to maintain and defend the truth which they believed and professed before and against doctors, scribes, lawyers, rulers of syna- gogues, yea, princes and kings, continually so confounding their ad- versaries, as that, being obstinate in their unbelief, they were forced to cover their shame by betaking themselves unto rage and bestial fury, Acts vi. 10-14, vii. 54, xxii. 22, 23, as hath been the manner of all their successors ever since.
Now, although this be an especial kind of wisdom, an eminent gift of the Holy Ghost, wherein the glory of Christ and honour of the gospel are greatly concerned, — namely, an ability to manage and defend the truth in times of trial and danger, to the confusion of its adversaries, — yet I suppose the wisdom here intended is not abso- lutely confined thereunto, though it be principally intended. Peter, speaking of Paul's epistles, affirms that they were written " accord- ing to the wisdom given unto him," 2 Pet. iii. 15; that is, that especial gift of spiritual wisdom for the management of gospel truths unto the edification of the church of Christ which he had received. And he that would understand what this wisdom is must be tho- roughly conversant in the writings of that apostle: for, indeed, the ivisdom that he useth in the management of the doctrine of the gospel, — in the due consideration of all persons, occasions, circum-