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A. D. 57 Behaviour, before he prefumes to attend fo religious a

Celebration.

29. For he that eat-
eth and drinketh un-
worthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to

himself, not difcern-
ing the Lords body.

30. For this cause
many are weak and
fickly among you, and
many fleep.

it, of which feveral

31. For if we would judge our felves, we fhould not be judged.

29. For whoever uses it otherwife, deferves a fevere Punishment, as a contemptuous Prophaner of the Lord's Body and Blood, by handling the holy Symbols of it as common and ordinary Meats.

30. And indeed God has already fhown he will punish fuch Prophaners; for some of you are already ftruck with Sickness for have died.

31. And if any of you, that are not yet punish'd in fo remarkable a Manner, would avoid the Stroke, let them timely confider, and reform their Practice.

32. But when we are judged, we are chaftned of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

32. And let those that lie under their prefent Punishment, remember that God lays it on them for a fatherly and merciful Correction, to bring them to a Senfe of their Duty, and by their Reformation to prevent their final * Condemnation with obftinate Unbelievers at the Day of Judgment.

33. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

34. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the reft will I fet in order when I come.

33. Let what I have said then, perfuade you all to eat this folemn Feaft, in a fober, unanimous, and charitable Manner.

34. Eat for Hunger, or for mere Pleasure, at home, but do not do thus in the Church-Affemblies, for fear of a just Judgment upon you. As to your other Questions

* Ver. 32. "Iva un nalançıdãμer, That we should not be condemned with the World. This is a Demonftration, that the Word agia, in the 29th Verfe. does not fignify eternal and Certain Damnation.

Questions about this Matter, I will decide them when

I fee you.

СНАР. XII,

The CONTENTS.

The next Thing the Corinthians defir'd to be refolved in, was, the Cafe of fpiritual Gifts, and of Perfons extraordinarily endowed with them. The Jewish Zealots, retaining fill too great a Veneration for the Mofaical Law, concluded no Gifts of the Holy Spirit were ever conferred upon any Gentile Chriftian, so long as he continued uncircumcifed. On the other Hand, the Gentile as well as Jewish Converts were too apt to magnify their own Gifts, and defpife thofe of others. The Apostle corrects thefe Miftakes. Lays it down as a Rule, that whatever extraordinary Gift was exercifed, or Miracle wrought, for a Teftimony of the true Christian Religion, and for promoting and advancing its heavenly Doctrines, was a true Miracle, and a truly divine Gift, be the Chriftian that exercifed it, Jewish or Gentile. On the contrary, whatever was wrought or faid to invalidate the Chriftian Faith, could be no better than a falfe and diabolical Delufion. He fhows all fpiritual Gifts to be derived from one and the fame Holy Spirit, directed all to one and the fame End, viz. the Good of the Chriftian Church; all fpiritual Perfons being ufeful and beneficial in their feveral Kinds, and therefore none are to be undervalued or defpifed. This Argument is illuftrated from an apt Comparison taken from the human Body, and its Mem

bers.

OW concern- 1. 1. NOW ing fpiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

YOUR

OUR next Enquiry is a- A. D. 57.
bout the true Nature of

fpiritual Gifts, and the due Be-
haviour of fuch Perfons as are en-
dowed with them. In which,

because I find there are great Debates among your

A. D. 57. Jewish and Gentile Converts, I fhall lay down fome Rules for your right Information in that Point.

2. Ye know that ye 2. That the Gentile Chriftians, were Gentiles carried then, may have a just and modest away unto these dumb Efteem of the Gifts they are quaidols, even as ye were lified withal, they ought to reled. member themselves but just recovered from their State of Heathen Ignorance and Idolatry, newly made the People of God, and fo ought by no Means to undervalue the Jewish Chriftians, who have all along been his peculiar Church.

3. Wherefore I give
you to understand,
that no man fpeaking
by the Spirit of God,
calleth Jefus accurfed:

and that no man can
fay that Jefus is the
Lord, but by the ho-
ly Ghoft.

3. And whereas the Jewish Zealots are wont to affume all fpiritual Gifts to themselves, and would conclude, no Chriftian, while he remains uncircumcifed, to be worthy of any fuch Endowment, I now affure you, that whatever Jew denies Chrift to be the true Meffiah, and would denounce him a falfe Prophet, let him pretend to what Gifts and Miracles he will, they are no better than diabolical Delufions* and Conjurations. And whatever Gentile Convert truly embraces the Chriftian Faith, and confirms it by Miracles, thofe Miracles could never be wrought but by the Spirit of God, whofe true Religion it is, it being abfolutely inconfiftent to imagine the Devil would lend his Power toward confirming a Religion fo oppofite to his own Kingdom +.

4. Now there are 4. Then, as to the prudent and diverfities of gifts, but modeft Behaviour of all gifted the fame Spirit. Perfons, for preventing all Diforder and Divifions, let them confider, that though fome Endowments may be greater than others, yet they are all equally derived from the fame Original, viz. the Holy Spirit.

5. And

*He speaks of the Exorcifts or Conjurors among the Jews, of which fee Ads xix. 13. and Dr. Lightfoot Heb. & Talmud. Exerc. on this Place.

+ See Matth. xii, 25, 26. See alfo and compare 1 John

iv. 1, 2, 3.

2

5. And there are differences of adminiftrations, but the fame Lord.

5. And tho' there be a Variety A. D. 57: of Offices in the Church, whereof fome are fuperior to others, yet all Officers act under one and the fame Lord Jefus Chrift, and receive their Commiffions equally from him only.

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7. But the manifeftation of the Spirit, is given to every man to profit withal.

6. And fo again, all the feveral Degrees of Endowments that qualify them for their feveral Functions, are owing to the fame God, for whofe Service they are be

7. For none of these extraordinary Gifts are conferred upon any of you for his own private Advantage, Honour, or Applause,

but for the Good and Benefit of the whole Church.

8. For to one is given by the Spirit, the word of wildom; to another the word of knowledge by the fame Spirit; 9. To another faith by the fame Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the fame Spirit;

8, 9 & 10. Thus for Inftance, fome are endowed with an exact Understanding of the true Nature and Defign of the Chriftian Religion in general; others with the * true Sense of feveral particular Prophecies of the Old Testament for explaining that Religion. Some are bleft with a very high Degree of Faith, as a Qualification for To. To another the performing feveral extraordinary working of miracles; Things at particular Junctures, to another prophecy; or fuch a full and firm Perfuafion to another difcerning of Mind, as to the Truth of what of fpirits; to ano- they preached, as to enable them ther divers kinds of to deliver it with Authority, and tongues; to another without Hefitation; others with the interpretation of the fpecial Power of miraculously tongues. curing Difeafes. Some are enabled to work Miracles of feveral Kinds; others are in

spired

As the Apostles especially were, Ver. 28, 29. and are therefore placed in the first Order of Spiritual Officers.

*

*

A D. 57.fpired to foretel future Things, to explain Scripture * Doctrines, and fing divine Hymns. Some are impowered to difcern the very Hearts of other Men, and to diftinguish between true and falfe Prophets; others to fpeak Languages they never learned; and other to interpret thofe Languages to the People, as fast, and as readily as they speak them.

II. But all these worketh that one and the felf-fame Spirit, dividing to every man feverally as he will.

II. And thus these various Endowments come all from the fame Holy Spirit, given to fuch Perfons, and in fuch Measures as he fees them beft capable to improve to the Churches Benefit; and therefore are not to be ufed as Arguments of Pride, and Self-Efteem, by either Jewish or Gentile Chriftians.

12. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: 13. For by one fpirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we

be bond or free; and

have been all made to
drink into one Spirit.

12. For the Church of Christ, like the Body natural, is compofed of divers Members, all ufeful and neceffary in their Kinds. fo alfo is Chrift.

13. And as the feveral Members of the Body natural, are all actuated by one and the fame Soul, which makes up the Man, fo by our baptifmal Profeffion we are all united into one Chriftian Church; and, whoever of us have any extraordinary Gifts and Graces, are endowed and actuated by one and the fame divine Spirit, as Waters flow from a Fountain; nourished by the fame Doctrine; and both Jews and Gentiles, Mafter and Servant, all Ranks and Degrees of Chriftians, made into one fpiritual Body under Chrift our

common Head.

14. For the body is not one member, 15. If

but many.

14, 15 & 16. For fome of us therefore to diftinguish themselves, and defpife and undervalue their otherwise

Which are the three feveral Notions of the Word Prephely in the Scripture Writings.

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