DEAR SIR, 215 LETTER XVII. 1824. AT the death of our blessed Redeemer, the Spirit was not yet given*: and Peter and other of the disciples were so little informed of the part which they were chosen to sustain, that they returned to their occupations as fisherment, whence they were again called by their divine Master previous to His ascension, and promised the baptism of the Holy Ghost within a few days. On the day of Pentecost that promise was fulfilled §; and that out-pouring of the Spirit commenced, which laid the foundation of the church of Christ upon the "Rock of ages," against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. Let me beg of you an attentive perusal of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in which you will meet with a full and most pleasing account of the extraordinary powers delegated to the Apostles, for the great and glorious work to which they were called, in the preaching of the Word, and the conversion of *John xvi. 26. † Ib. xxi. 2, 3. Acts i. § Ib. ii, the Gentiles. There appears to be one great end in view in this miraculous power; namely, the establishment of the ordinary influence of the Holy Ghost under the Gospel dispensation. Hence the greater necessity of distinguishing between miraculous gifts and saving grace. The former were not necessarily, and, in fact, were not always connected with the latter. Hence the apostacy of Judas and Demas, and the words of Christ to those who boasted that they had cast out devils, and done many wonderful works" in his name, but had not done the will of His Father. "I will profess unto them, that I never knew you." * And also the words of St. Paul, in the first three verses of the third chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians. It is often asked in these days, Why have miracles ceased? and why are not the ministers of religion empowered to work them? The answer to these questions is contained in my present consideration. When men had no accredited office, save by the miraculous power with which they were invested, we may readily conceive how necessary that power was to convince the people, that their teachers were actually sent from God. Had you and I lived under the rule of Herod, * Mat. vii. 22, 23. we should have been in the foremost crowd to demand of the Apostles, by what authority they did those things? And had we seen the power of the Holy Ghost displayed in some notable miracle, or felt His influence upon our own hearts, we should have been constrained, unless judicially blinded and hardened, to acknowledge their divine commission. Such was the manner in which the Apostles first taught the holy Gospel; and whilst it was orally promulged, we can conceive no other way so simple and so efficacious. But, in progress of time, the several books which form the New Testament were written, and collected; and congregations, or churches, established in most of the principal places about Jerusalem, in Asia Minor, in Greece, and in Rome. And thus the truth of that doctrine which was miraculously taught to the Apostles, was preserved and transmitted in the written Gospel. It is evident, therefore, that there needed no farther extraordinary influence upon the subsequent preachers of the word of God, to inspire them with that knowledge which was to be learned from the published Gospel. Again, the Gospel contains all things necessary to salvation. * It was, therefore, not required of the ministers of the published Gospel * 2 Tim. iii. 16. |