caſting out the inceſtuous perſon. q Prophets ſignifies ner hr I have before noted) that revealed the Mind and People, whether it were by an extraordinary impulſe ang tion,or in an ordinary courſe of Teaching ; whether the things to come, or opened the Mind and Will of G revealed. But in this Text, and in Eph. 4. 11. !1gnifie; either ſuch as from the Spirit of God, forerold fury:- tingencies (ſuch was Agabus, of whom we read in the Afr; Apoſ?les, and others in the Primitive Church) or elle ſuch a; prered Scripture by extraordinary and immediate think, chat Prophets ſignifie the ordinary Paſtors they ſeem rather to be comprehended under the next Te Teachers ; unleſs we had better grounds, guiſh betwixt Paſtors and Teachers, making the work of the cher to ſp:ak by way of DoCtrine and Exphlication, and th the Paſtor co ſpeak praftically. » Thirdly, Teachers ; theſe underſtand Governours of Schools ; whoſe work was only roexpound the Scriptures, or the Myſterj Salvation, but the Apoſtle in this Enumeration
geſt we
E-Z13D 1 WT HITANS 7. (, 8, R / 1 J - eth here only three of thoſe there mentioned, y;+ prets, Teachers, He reckon:th up there Evangeliſt; not here mention. He here firſt mentioneth Apofiles, by who meaneth thoſe Servants of God who were ſent our by Chrif = C
00 upon whom
CHA P. XIE
ſounding braſs, or a tinkling cymbal c.
Chap. vj
Prophets {te
* AdoR(Þ. Fas ozier, Pra , whom he dot
Craments, by hough emfelye
eS perſons
Will of Gon Revelz. y revealeg od already
M ta con.
L 0 the lſiker,
Revelation, Some
of Churches .
but
rm of than we have, tod
iſtin.
Tex.
e Work of Some þ others, ſuch Miniſters
oof
(which is the 1g.
which by
w Who the Apoſtle me;
have in Scripture) nor mentioning Paſtcrs ; it ſeemeth ty me thar he means the fixed and ordinary Miniſters of the Elders, whom the Apoſtles left in every City, Minittry had received the Goſpel. 5 After that ſuch as he impoy, ered to work miraculous Operations, and thoſe of more remarkably nature ; for otherwiſe the Healings next mentioned, come unjer that notion alſo. #* Then ſuch perſons as he gave power to in 10 extraordinary way to heal the fick. Helps, and w by Governments, is very hard to determine. Certain jr is, that he doth not mean the Civil Magiſtrates; for thetime wang yer come for Kings to be nurfng Fathers, and Qurens nurſmg Make: to the Goſpel-Church. But whether he meanerh D-acon;, or yr; dows, elſewhere mentioned, as helpful in the caſe of the Poor, 0; ſome that aliſted the Paſtors in the Government of the Church or ſome that were extraordinary helps to the Apoſtles ia the fch Plantation of the Church, is very haid ro determine, « Such as ſpake with divers Tongues, that faculcy being a gift, aswz heard before, not given to all, but to ſome in the Primitive Church, The Apoſtle, by this Enumeration, ſhewerh what he meant by thoſe dj. vergries of Gifts, differencesof Adminiſtrations, and diverſitizs of Operations, of which he ſpake in v. 4, 5, 6. 29 Are all apoſtles? are all prophets ? are all teachsj ers ? are all workers of || miracles ? | 39 Have all the gifts of healing ? do a congues ? do all interpret? y. y Thar is, all are nor, nor can be, any more than a!l the body Can be an Ear, or an Eye, or an Hand, or a Foot : you cannotex- peCt that in a governed Body, all ſhould be Governours ; and you lee by experience, thar all cannot work Miracles, Propheſie, ſpeak with Tongues, or heal thoſe that are Sick.
31 But * covet earneſtly the beſt gifts » : And yz! ſhew 1 unto you a more excellent way -.”
z The word may be tranſlated Indicatively, Ye do covet 74+ beſt | gifts; or as we tranſlate it Imperatively, Cove: ye ; I would have you be covetous to excelin the beſt gifts, that is, choſe which will make you moſt uſeful and profitable to the Church of God, *.” But yet (faith he) gitrs are not the beſt things, the habits of ſaving Grace are much more valuable than Gifrs ; Love to God and your Neighbour, ought to be by you preferred before Gifts: To adi courſe of which love, the Apoſtle thus ſhorcly patleth,
Churches,
their
as by
h fon Il ſpeak with
*(
All Gifts, hw cxcellent fecver, nothing worth without Charity. 1 —}- Its GCharafer and Excellencies. q—7. Newer faileth, and u thera preferred before Hope and Faith, 8—13,
amy I ſpeak with the tongues of men and of angels z, and have not charity 6, I at become
# The Apoſtle had promiſed in the cloſe of the former Chapter,
to ſhew them a more excellent thing than Gifts, or a more excellent
27 Now * ye are the body of Chriſt », and mem- [courſe than thar they ſo horly purſuing, in their emulation of the he now cometh ro ſhew rhem that way, that courſe:
bers in particular o. » Conſidering you in the whole, as a Church, fo you are the
lievers, ſo you are Members of Chriſt. Some think 4 wiess ſig-
beſt Gifts ;
nifies i7 parr, intending that true Believers amongſt them were Members of Chriſt, but not others. The Apoſtle in theſe words beginneth to apply to them what he had before diſcourſed concern- ng the Body natural, and the parts thereof; you are the myſtica] Body of Chriſt, which hath a great Analogy with that natural Bo. dy which you carry about with you. |
28 And God hath fet ſome in the Church, firſt apoſtles p, * ſecondarily prophets 9, thirdly teachers 7, after that miracles s, then gifts of healing *, helps «, * governments , {| diverſities of tongues x.
f The Apoſtle, Ev. 4. 11. ſeemeth to make a different enume- ration ; there he ſaith, And he gave ſome Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, nd ſeme_ Evangelifis, and ſome Paſtor; ana Teachers, He mention-
ſome way amongſt them, ra communicate the
each to other. men ſay, it is by way of Impreſſion ; nicates bis Mind ſometimes tohis people, making fec of his Will upon their Minds and Underſtandings ;
How this is we cannot tell : fo
the N
the way was that of Love, the courſe was the ſtudy and purſuing methods how to ſhew their Love to God, and to one another ; for (faith the Apoſtle) though 7 ſpeak, that is, if I could ſpeak, or ad- mit I did ſpeak, with the Tongues uſed in all World, and with the Tongues of Angels ; by wh the beſt and moſt excellent ways of expreſſing our ſelves. have no tongues, nor make any articulate audible ſounds by w they underſtand one another ; bur yet there or intercourſe among Angels, which could
ations of the ich ſomeunderſtand Angels
hich
is Certainly a Society not be upheld without
ir minds and wills me of the School-