mediately conferring them on any, falls not under our present con- sideration of them. Nor yet can we insist on their use, which is such that they are the great instrument in the hand of God for the preservation of human society, and to keep the course of man’s life and pilgrimage from being wholly brutish. I design only to show that even they also belong (though more remotely) to the lordship of Jesus Christ; which they do on two accounts:—
(1.) In that the very use of men’s reason and their natural faculties, as to any good end or purpose, is continued unto them upon the account of his interposition, bringing the world thereby under a dis- pensation of patience and forbearance, as was declared, John i. 9.
(2.) He is endued with power and authority to use them, in whose hand soever they lie, whether of his friends or enemies, to the espe- cial ends of his glory, in doing good unto his church. And, indeed, in the efficacy of his Spirit and power upon the gifts of the minds of
- men, exciting, ordering, disposing, enabling them unto various act- ings and operations, by and with them; controlling, overruling, entangling each other and themselves in whom they are by them ; his wisdom and care in the rule, government, chastisement, and deliverance of his church, are most conspicuous.
2. Spiritual gifts, which principally come under that denomina- tion, are of two sorts,—extraordinary, and ordinary. The first
64 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. I.
are immediate endowment of the minds of men with abilities ex- ceeding the whole system of nature, in the exercise whereof they are mere instruments of Him who bestows those gifts upon them. Such of old were the gifts of miracles, tongues, healing, prediction, and infallible inspiration, given out by the Lord Christ unto such as he was pleased to use in his gospel service in an extraordinary manner. The latter sort are furnishments of the minds of men, enabling them unto the comprehension of spiritual things, and the management of them for spiritual ends and purposes. Such are wisdom, knowledge, prudence, utterance, aptness to teach; in general, abilities to manage the things of Christ and the gospel unto their own proper ends. And these also are of two sorts:—(1.) Such as are peculiar unto office; and, (2.) Such as are common unto others, for their own and others’ good and edification, according as they are called unto the exercise of them. And these two sorts of gifts differ only in respect of degrees. There are no ordinary gifts that Christ’s officers are made partakers of, their office only excepted, which differ in the kind or nature of them from those which he bestows on all his disciples; which makes their stirring up and endeavours to improve the gifts they have received exceeding necessary unto them. And Christ’s collation of these gifts unto men is the foundation of all the offices that under him they are called to discharge. See Eph. iv. 8, 11, 1 Cor. xii. 5, John xx, 21, 22. And as they are the spring and foundation of office, so they are the great and only means of the church’s edification. By them Christ builds up his church to the measure appointed unto the whole and every member of it. And there is no member but hath his gift; which is the talent given, or rather lent, to trade withal. Now, of all these Christ is the only Lord; they belong unto his king- dom: Ps. lxviii. 19, D782 nian AND? “ When he ascended on high, he took” (or “received”) “ gifts for men;” he took them into his own power and disposal, being given him of his Father; as Peter declares, Acts i. 38, adding that he received the Spirit, by whom all these gifts are wrought. And Eph. iv. 8, the apostle renders the words of the psalmist dwxe déuare, “he gave gifts;” because he received them into his power, not to keep them unto himself, but to give them out to the use of others. And so 12? doth sometimes signify to “ give,” Hos. xiv. 3. “Verbum accipiendi dare significat cum accipiunt aliunde ut dent,” say the Jewish masters. And it was after his resurrection that this accession was made unto his kingdom, in such an eminent and visible manner as to be a testimony of his office: John vil. 39, Oru 7y Iveta dysov, “ The Holy Ghost was not yet; be- cause Jesus was not yet glorified,’—not eminently gwen and re- ceived, as to these gifts, Acts xix. 2, And this investiture of him with — ‘power over all gifts, he makes the bottom of the mission of the —
VER. 1, 2.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 65
apostles, Matt. xxviii. 18. This he had as a fruit of his suffering, as a part of his purchase; and it is a choice portion of his lordship and kingdom.
The end also why all these gifts are given into his power and disposal is evident:—1. The propagation of his gospel, and conse- quently the setting up of his kingdom in the world, depends upon them. These are the arms that he furnished his messengers withal when he sent them forth to fight, to conquer and subdue the world unto him. And by these they prevailed. By that Spirit of wisdom and knowledge, prayer and utterance, wherewith they were endowed,—attended, where and when needful, with the extraordi- nary gifts before mentioned, did they accomplish the work commit- ted unto their charge. Now, the Lord Christ having a right unto a kingdom and inheritance given him which was actually under possession of his adversary, it was necessary that all those arms wherewith he was to make a conquest of it should be given to his disposal, 2 Cor. x. 4. These were the weapons of the warfare of his apostles and disciples, which through God were so mighty to cast down the strongholds of sin and Satan; these are the slings and stones before which the Goliaths of the earth and hell did fall; this was that power from above which he promised his apostles to furnish them withal, when they should address themselves to the conquest of the world, Acts i. 8. With these weapons, this furniture for their warfare, a few despised persons, in the eyes of the world, went from Judea unto the ends of the earth, subduing all things before them to the obedience of their Lord and Master. And,—