should have seemed in any measure to have proceeded from them; 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. Wherefore, not to mention that internal efficacious power of grace which God secretly puts forth for the conversion of his elect, the consideration whereof belongs not unto our present design, and I say that it was by virtue of those gifts that the administration of the gospel was so efficacious and successful. For, 1. From them proceedeth that authority over the minds of men wherewith the word was accompanied. When the Lord Christ was anointed by the Spirit to preach the gospel, it is said, 'He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes ;' Matt. vii. 29. Whatever was his outward appearance in the flesh, the word as administered by him, was attended with such an authority over the minds and consciences of men, as they could not but be sensible of. And so was it with the primitive dispensers of the gospel; by virtue of these spiritual gifts they preached the word 'in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power; 1 Cor. ii. 4. There was accompanying of their preaching an evidence or demonstration of a power and authority that was from God and his Spirit. Men could not but conclude that there was something in it which was over them or above them, and which they must yield or submit unto as that which was not for them to contend withal. It is true, the power of the gospel was hid unto them that were to perish, whose minds the God of this world had effectually blinded, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine into them; 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. Whence it came to pass that the word was rejected by many; yet wherever God was pleased to make it effectual, it was by a sense of a divine authority accompanying its administration by virtue of those spiritual gifts. And, therefore, our apostle shews, that when men prophesied or declared the mind of God from the word by the gift of prophesy, unbelievers did fall down, and worshipping God reported, that God was in them of a truth;' 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. They were sensible of a divine authority which they could not stand before or withstand. 2. From hence also proceeded that life and power for conviction, which the word was accompanied with in their dispensation of it. It became shortly to be the arrows of Christ, which were sharp in the hearts of men. As men found an authority in the dispensation of the word, so they felt and experienced

an efficacy in the truths dispensed. By it were their minds enlightened, their consciences awakened, their minds convinced, their lives judged, the secrets of their hearts made manifest, as 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. until they cried out in multitudes, Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Hereby did the Lord Christ, in his kingdom and majesty, ride prosperously conquering, and to conquer, with the word of truth, meekness, and righteousness, subduing the souls of men unto his obedience, making them free, ready, willing, in the day of his power. These were the forces and weapons that he used in the establishing of his kingdom, which were mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down of imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;' 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. So doth the apostle describe the success of these administrations as an absolute conquest, wherein all opposition is broken, all strong holds and fortifications are demolished, and the whole reduced unto due obedience. For by this means were all things effected; all the strong holds of sin in the minds of men in their natural darkness, blindness, and obstinacy; all the high fortifications of prejudices, and vain, proud, lofty imaginations raised in them by Satan, were all cast down by, and before, gospel administrations, managed by virtue and authority of these spiritual gifts which the Lord Christ ordained to be the powers of his kingdom.

Thirdly, Those of them which consisted in miraculous operations were suited to fill the world with an apprehension of a divine power accompanying the word, and them by whom it was administered. And sundry things unto the furtherance of the gospel depended hereon. As, 1. The world, which was stupid, asleep in sin and security, satisfied with their lusts and idolatries, regardless of any thing but present enjoyments, was awakened hereby to an attendance unto, and inquiry into, this new doctrine that was proposed unto them. They could not but take notice that there was something more than ordinary in that sermon which they were summoned unto by a miracle. And this was the first and principal use of these miraculous, operations. They awakened the dull, stupid world, unto a consideration of the

doctrine of the gospel, which otherwise they would have securely neglected and despised. 2. They weakened and took off those mighty prejudices which their minds were possessed with by tradition and secular enjoyments; what these prejudices were, I shall not here declare, I have done it elsewhere. It is enough to observe, that they were as great, as many, as effectual, as human nature in any case is capable of. But yet although they were sufficiently of proof against all other means of conviction, yet they could not but sink and weaken before the manifest evidence of present divine power; such as these miraculous operations were accompa nied withal. For although all the things which they cleaved unto, and intended to do so inseparably, were, as they thought, to be preferred above any thing that could be of fered unto them, yet when the divine power appeared against them, they were not able to give them defence. Hence upon these operations one of these two effects ensued. (1.) Those that were shut up under their obstinacy and unbelief, were filled with tormenting convictions, and knew not what to do to relieve themselves. The evidence of miracles they could not withstand, and yet would not admit of what they tendered and confirmed; whence they were filled with disquietments and perplexities. So the rulers of the Jews manifested themselves to have been upon the curing of the impotent person at the gate of the temple. What shall we do,' say they, to these men, for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them?' Acts iv. 16. others were exceedingly prepared for the reception of the truth; the advantages unto that purpose being too many to be here insisted on. 3. They were a great means of taking off the scandal of the cross. That this was that which the world was principally offended at in the gospel, is sufficiently known. Christ crucified was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness.' Nothing could possibly be, or have been, a matter of so high offence unto the Jews, as to offer them a crucified Messiah, whom they expected as a glorious king to subdue all their enemies; nor ever will they receive him, in the mind wherein they are, upon any other terms. And it seemed a part of the extremest folly unto the Grecians, to propose such great and immortal things in the name of one that was himself crucified as a

(2.) The minds of

malefactor. And a shame it was thought on all hands for any wise man to profess or own such a religion as came from the cross. But yet after all this blustering of weakness and folly, when they saw this doctrine of the cross. owned by God, and witnessed unto by manifest effects of divine power, they could not but begin to think, that men need not be much ashamed of that which God so openly avowed. And all these things made way to let in the word into the minds and consciences of men, where by its own efficacy it gave them satisfying experience of its truth and power.

From these few instances, whereunto many of an alike nature might be added, it is manifest how these spiritual gifts were the powers of the world to come, the means, weapons, arms that the Lord Christ made use of, for the subduing of the world, destruction of the kingdom of Satan --and darkness, with the planting and establishment of his own church on the earth. And as they were alone suited unto his design, so his accomplishment of it by them is a glorious evidence of his divine power and wisdom, as might easily be demonstrated.

CHAP. VI.

OF ORDINARY GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT.

The grant, institution, use, benefit, end, and continuance of
the ministry.

THE Consideration of those ordinary gifts of the Spirit which are annexed unto the ordinary powers and duties of the church, doth, in the next place, lie before us. And they are called ordinary, not as if they were absolutely common unto all, or were not much to be esteemed, or as if that were any way a diminishing term: but we call them so upon a double account: 1. In distinction from those gifts which, being absolutely extraordinary, did exceed the whole power and faculties of the souls of men, as healings, tongues, and miracles. For otherwise they are of the same nature with most of those gifts which were bestowed on the apostles and evangelists, differing only in degree. Every true gospel ministry hath now gifts of the same kind with the apostles in a degree and measure sufficient to their work, excepting those mentioned. 2. Because of their continuance in the ordinary state of the church, which also they shall do unto the consummation of all things. Now, my design is to treat peculiarly of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But because there is a gift of Christ, which is the foundation and subject of them, something must be spoken briefly unto that in the first place. And this gift of Christ is that of the ministry of the church, the nature of which office I shall not consider at large, but only speak unto it as it is a gift of Christ. And this I shall do by some little illustration given unto that passage of the apostle, where this gift and the communication of it is declared; Eph. iv. 7—16. But unto every one of us is given ording to the measure of the gift of Christ. WhereWhen he ascended up on high, he led captivity ve gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, hat he also descended first into the lower rth? He that descended is the same also that

grace