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present, 1 Pet. ii. 12. 15. iii. 16. and condemn it hereafter; Heb. xi. 7. and himself is glorified; Matt. v. 16. Let therefore no man think, that because grace is firstly and principally given him for himself and his own spiritual advantage, that therefore he must not account for it also with respect unto those other designs of God. Yea, he who in the exercise of what he esteems grace, hath respect only unto himself, gives an evidence that he never had any that was genuine and of the right kind. (2.) Fruitfulness unto the benefiting of others is hence also expected. Holy obedience, the effect of saving grace, is frequently expressed in the Scripture by fruits and fruitfulness. See Col. i. 10. And these fruits, or the things which others are to feed upon and to be sustained by, are to be born by the plants of the Lord, the trees of righteousness. The fruits of love, charity, bounty, mercy, wisdom, are those whereby grace is rendered useful in the world, and is taken notice of as that which is lovely and desirable, Eph. ii. 10. (3.) God requires, that by the exercise of grace the doctrine of the gospel be adorned and propagated. This doctrine is from God; our profession is our avowing of it so to be: what it is the world knows not, but takes its measures of it from what it observes in them by whom it is professed. And it is the unprofitable flagitious lives of Christians that have almost thrust the gospel out of the world with contempt. But the care that it be adorned, that it be glorified, is committed of God unto every one on whom he bestows the least of saving grace. And this is to be done only by the guidance of a holy conversation in conformity thereunto. And many other such blessed ends there are, wherein God hath respect unto the good and advantage of other men in the collation of saving grace upon any. And if gracious persons are not more useful than others in all things that may have a real benefit in them unto mankind, it is their sin and shame. But yet, after all, grace is principally and in the first place given unto men for themselves, their own good and spiritual advantage, out of love to their souls, and in order unto their eternal blessedness; all other effects are but secondary ends of it. But as unto these spiritual gifts it is quite otherwise. They are not in the first place bestowed on any for their own sakes, or their own good but for the good and benefit of others. So the apostle ex

pressly declares, 1 Cor. xii. 7. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.' These gifts whereby the Spirit evidenceth and manifesteth his power, are bestowed on men for this very end, that they may profit and benefit others in their edification. And yet also where they are duly improved, they tend much to the spiritual advantage of them on whom they are bestowed, as we shall see afterward. Wherefore as grace is primarily given unto us for ourselves, and secondarily for the good of others; so gifts are bestowed in the first place for the edification of others, and secondly for our own spiritual advantage also.

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7. The principal difference between them is in their na→ ture and kind, discovering itself in their different subjects, operations, and effects. For those already insisted on, are principally from external causes and considerations. And, (1.) As to the different subjects of them, spiritual gifts are placed and seated in the mind or understanding only, whether they are ordinary or extraordinary they have no other hold nor residence in the soul. And they are in the mind as it is notional and theoretical, rather than as it is practical. They are intellectual abilities and no more. I speak of them which have any residence in us; for some gifts, as miracles and tongues, consisted only in a transient operation of an extraordinary power. Of all others illumination is the foundation, and spiritual light their matter. So the apostle declares in his order of expression, Heb. vi. 4. The will, and the affections, and the conscience, are unconcerned in them. Wherefore they change not the heart with power, although they may reform the life by the efficacy of light. And although God doth not ordinarily bestow them on flagitious persons, nor continue them with such as after the reception of them become flagitious; yet they may be in those who were unrenewed, and have nothing in them to preserve men absolutely from the worst of sins. But saving grace possesseth the whole soul; men are thereby 'sanctified throughout in the whole spirit, soul, and body,' 1 Thess. v. 17. as hath been at large declared. Not the mind only is savingly enlightened, but there is a principle of spiritual life infused into the whole soul, enabling it in all its powers and faculties to act obedientially unto God, whose nature hath been fully explained elsewhere. Hence, (2.) They differ in their opera

tions. For grace changeth and transformeth the whole soul into its own nature, Isa. xi. 6-8. Rom. vi. 17. xii. 2. 2 Cor. iii. 18. It is a new, a divine nature unto the soul, and is in it a habit disposing, inclining and enabling of it unto obedience. It acts itself in faith, love, and holiness, in all things. But gifts of themselves have not this power nor these operations. They may and do, in those who are possessed of them in and under their exercise, make great impression on their own affections, but they change not the heart, they renew not the mind, they transform not the soul into the image of God. Hence where grace is predominant, every notion of light and truth which is communicated unto the mind, is immediately turned into practice, by having the whole soul cast into the mould of it; where only gifts bear sway, the use of it in duties unto edification is best whereunto it is designed. (3.) As to effects or consequents, the great difference is, that on the part of Christ; Christ doth thereby dwell and reside in our hearts; when concerning many of those who have been made partakers of these other spiritual endowments, he will say, 'Depart from me, I never knew you,' which he will not say of any one whose soul he hath inhabited.

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These are some of the principal agreements and differences between saving graces and spiritual gifts; both sorts of them being wrought in believers by that one and self-same Spirit which divideth to every one as he will.' And for a close of this discourse I shall only add, that where these graces and gifts in any eminency or good degree are bestowed on the same persons, they are exceedingly helpful unto each other. A soul sanctified by saving grace, is the only proper soil for gifts to flourish in. Grace influenceth gifts unto a due exercise, prevents their abuse, stirs them up unto proper occasions, keeps them from being a matter of pride or contention, and subordinates them in all things unto the glory of God. When the actings of grace and gifts are inseparable, as when in prayer the Spirit is a Spirit of grace and supplication, the grace and gift of it working together, when utterance in other duties is always accompanied with faith and love, then is God glorified, and our own salvation promoted. Then have edifying gifts a beauty and lustre upon them, and generally are most successful, when they are clothed and

adorned with humility, meekness, a reverence of God, and compassion for the souls of men. Yea, when there is no evidence, no manifestation of their being accompanied with these and the like graces, they are but as a parable or wise saying in the mouth of a fool. Gifts on the other side excite and stir up grace unto its proper exercise, and operations. How often is faith, love, and delight in God excited and drawn forth unto especial exercise in believers by the use of their own gifts. And thus much may suffice as to the nature of these gifts in general; we next consider them under their most general distributions.

CHAP. III.

Of gifts and offices extraordinary: and first of offices.

THE spiritual gifts whereof we treat, respect either powers and duties in the church, or duties only. Gifts that respect powers and duties are of two sorts, or there have been, or are at any time, two sorts of such powers and duties: the first whereof was extraordinary, the latter ordinary, and consequently the gifts subservient unto them must be of two sorts also, which must farther be cleared.

Wherever power is given by Christ unto his churches, and duties are required in the execution of that power, unto the ends of his spiritual kingdom, to be performed by virtue thereof, there is an office in the church. For an ecclesiastical office is an especial power given by Christ unto any person or persons for the performance of especial duties belonging unto the edification of the church in an especial manner. And these offices have been of two sorts. First, extraordinary. Secondly, ordinary. Some seem to deny that there was ever any such thing as extraordinary power or extraordinary offices in the church. For they do provide successors unto all who are pleaded to have been of that kind; and those such as look how far short they come of them in other things, do exceed them in power and rule. I shall not contend about words, and shall therefore, only inquire what it was that constituted them to be officers of Chis church whom thence we call extraordinary;

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others can duly lay claim unto them, they may be allowed to pass for their successors.

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There are four things which constitute an extraordinary officer in the church of God, and consequently are required in, and do constitute, an extraordinary office. 1. An extraordinary call unto an office, such as none other have or can have by virtue of any law, order, or constitution whatever. 2. An extraordinary power communicated unto persons so called, enabling them to act what they are so called unto, wherein the essence of any office doth consist. 3. Extraordinary gifts for the exercise and discharge of that power. 4. Extraordinary employment as to its extent and measure, requiring extraordinary labour, travail, zeal, and self-denial. All these do and must concur in that office, and unto those offices which we call extraordinary.

Thus was it with the apostles, prophets and evangelists at the first, which were all extraordinary teaching officers in the church, and all that ever were so; 1 Cor. xii. 28. Eph. iv. 11. Besides these, there were at the first planting of the church, persons endued with extraordinary gifts, as of miracles, healing, and tongues, which did not of themselves constitute them officers, but do belong to the second head of gifts which concern duties only. Howbeit these gifts were always most eminently bestowed on them who were called unto the extraordinary offices mentioned; 1 Cor. xiv. 18. 'I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.' They had the same gift some of them, but the apostle had it in a more eminent degree. See Matt. x. 8. And we may treat briefly in our passage of these several sorts of extraordinary officers.

First, For the apostles, they had a double call, mission, and commission, or a twofold apostleship. Their first call was unto a subserviency unto the personal ministry of Jesus Christ. For he was a 'minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers;' Rom. xv. 8. In the discharge of this his personal ministry it was necessary that he should have peculiar servants and officers under him to prepare his way and work, and to attend him therein. So he ordained twelve that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach;' Mark iii. 14. This was the substance of their first call and

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