CHAPTER III.

ON THE PROBABLE EXTENT AND DURATION OF

THE

GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST, AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

"It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.”—ACTs, ii. 17. JOEL, ii. 28.

Two distinct theories appear to prevail, among the generality of men, upon the subject of this chapter. The vulgar idea, and I use the term in no offensive sense, is, That though the ordinary gifts, or graces of the Spirit, were designed for all ages of the Christian Church, the extraordinary were for the earliest or Apostolic age, until the Gospel was established in the earth. The other, and less popular idea, is, That as the Gospel obtained in the Roman world, in the early part of the reign of Constantine, [about the year of our Lord 313, at the death of Maximin, vid. Echard's Eccles. Hist. vol. ii. p. 698.] the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were continued until that time, and then ceased. In prosecuting the enquiry proposed in this chapter, I trust we shall be en

abled to see how far each theory is supported by fact, and therefore worthy of being received and propagated by ourselves. Previous to entering upon this, the first question to be noticed, is, How far these gifts extended amongst the members of the Church of Christ? On the day of Pentecost, it appears, from a fair construction of the inspired account given in the Acts of the Apostles, that all the disciples then present were partakers of the gift of tongues; for, "there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts, ii. 3, 4.)

In the first verse of the same chapter, we are told, "they were all with one accord in one place;" and, in the former chapter, we learn that the number of disciples, who were tarrying in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, was "about an hundred and twenty." (Acts, i. 15.) I am aware that, at the head of the second chapter, as well as of the column in our English Bible, it is said," the Apostles filled with the Holy Ghost," and "the Apostles inspired;" but I cannot forget that this is not the text: hence, though it may show what the opinions of our translators may have been, it does not follow that it shows the mind of the Spirit. That the opinions of our translators, however, can be drawn with certainty

from this source is not quite so clear, if the marginal references of our oldest copies of the Bible coincide with the present; for, in Acts ii. 1., I find a reference to chapter i. 14., from which I learn that the men of Galilee, who had witnessed our blessed Lord's ascension, continued, with one accord, in prayer and supplication with the women, &c.; and in the next verse, that the number of these names together, was about one hundred and twenty. Therefore, if the authority to be derived from this source be held by any to be a matter worthy of dispute, I leave it to be settled between the head of the chapter and the marginal reference. That these gifts were not confined to the Apostles in after times, if then they were, (which I do not believe,) is clearly seen from St. Paul's Epistles to the Church of Corinth. Dr. Cave has these words, when writing concerning the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost:Though these gifts were distinctly distributed to persons of an inferior order, so that one had this and another that, yet were they (probably) all conferred upon the Apostles, and, doubtless, in larger proportions than upon the rest." And shortly after, speaking of the day of Pentecost, he says, "when the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost were so plentifully shed upon the Apostles, and Primitive Christians." [Cave's Lives, vol. i. Introduction.] From all which we may reasonably conclude that the primitive

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Christians, whether in public stations or not, were favoured with them in a greater or a less degree; and the least that we can say is, that the extent of these among the members of the Church seems to have been commensurate with the number of her members; for not on the circumcision only, but on the Gentiles also, was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts, x. 45.); and, upon some occasions, on all them that heard the word. (Acts, x. 44.) Having thus disposed of our first enquiry, let us turn to the examination of the two theories, most commonly held, respecting the duration or continuance of these powers in the Church. The first is, that though the ordinary gifts, or graces of the Spirit, were designed for all ages of the Christian Church, the extraordinary were only for the earliest or Apostolic age, until the Gospel was established in the earth.

This idea appears to have arisen very much from that saying of our Lord, "and this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come."

"While our Saviour lived the Apostolical ministry extended no further than Judea; but he being gone to Heaven, the partition wall was broken down, and their way was open into all places and countries."

"In pursuance of this general commission we find the Apostles not long after our Lord's ascen