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not fay, that the Participation of the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost ever was fuch a Tie. And therefore the Participation of the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft (tho', when enjoyed, it is a new Tie, and makes a Man a Member upon a new Account) yet is but an accidental and unneceffary Tie; which God may add to what Chriftians he pleases, but is not absolutely required in any Chriftian. We therefore are, in one Senfe, now made Members of Christ, after the fame manner as those who were endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft were, that is, by the fame effential and necessary 'Ties; but in another Sense we are not now made Members of Chrift after the fame manner as those who were endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost, becaufe God has not bestowed upon us those accidental and unneceffary Ties, which he bestowed many in the Primitive Times.

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If it be objected, that by the Ordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft every Chriftian is made a Member of the Church, whereas by the Extraordinary ones none are now, and all were not anciently, made Members thereof. Why therefore fhould we interpret the Baptifm with the Spirit of the Extraordinary Gifts, rather than of the Ordinary ones? I answer, 1. That every Chriftian is not made a Member of Chrift by the Ordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft. I grant every Chriftian may be made a Member thereby; but I fay, that every one is For many are only outward Members of the Church, as has been fhewn. 2. We are obliged to interpret Baptifm with the Spirit of the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, because the phrase is conftantly and neceffarily fo to be understood elsewhere, and therefore ought fo to be taken in this

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Text, provided that this Interpretation will natu rally and fairly fute it. And that this Interpretation will naturally and fairly fute it, has been moft clearly and fully demonftrated. Nay, 3. thofe very perfons who diflike my Interpretation of Baptifm with the Spirit, will be forced at laft to recur to it upon their own Principles. For we are agreed, First, that Baptifm with the Spirit fignifies being endued with the Gifts of the Spirit; Secondly, that by being baptized with the Spirit into one Body is meant. being made Members of the Church by being endued with the Gifts of the Spirit. I would therefore ask these persons this one Question, viz. how thofe who are endued with the Ordinary Gifts of the Spirit, are thereby made Members of the Church? If they fay (which is the only thing that can be faid) by partaking of the Ordinary Gifts of one and the fame Spirit, wherewith the other Members. of the Church are endued; I reply, that then they acknowledge, that the Participation of one and the fame Thing makes Men one, or unites them to one another. And confequently the Participation of the Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit does the fame." And if fo, I appeal even to themselves, whether the fecond or Minor Propofition of the Argument above recited, be not demonftratively true. And. if that be granted, I am fure my Interpretation of the Apoftle's words cannot be denied to be neceffary. Nay, every one of thofe Objections which have been made against my Expofition of them, is equally ftrong against theirs alfo; as is evident to every perfon of Ordinary Understanding, who will give himself the trouble of applying them.

But I fhall add in the laft place, that the Context does not only admit, but even require this Interpretation of the Apoftle's words which I have

given nor can we interpret them otherwife without doing manifeft violence to his Difcourfe. For I have fhewn (chap. 5. p. 57, 58, 59.) that thofe Gifts which the Apoftle fpeaks of, were none but the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost, and that he makes a manifeft diftinction between those Gifts which he is here fpeaking of, and the Ordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft. Since therefore being baptized with the Spirit does, as 'tis agreed on both fides, fignify being endued with the Gifts of the Spirit; and fince the Gifts the Apostle is here speaking of, are only the Extraordinary ones; and fince the perfons spoken of were thofe only, who were endued with the Extraordinary Gifts, as I have alfo fhewn; I appeal to any reasonable perfon, whether the Baptifm with the Spirit which is here exprefly attributed to thefe perfons, can be any other thing, than their being endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit. For if you explain it otherwife, you make the Apostle speak of their being endued with fuch Gifts as he manifeftly diftinguishes from thofe Gifts which he is here profeffedly speaking of, and directing them how to use.

But that the Interpretation I have given of these words of the Apoftle may ftill more manifeftly appear to be what it is, viz. not only poffible and allowable, but alfo moft natural, and even neceffary; I fhall beg the Reader to perufe the following Paraphrafe of that Chapter, of which thefe controverted Words are a small part.

CHAP.

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CHAP. XX.

1 Cor. 12. paraphrafed.

Here are two Parts of the Apoftles Difcourfe in this Chapter. The Second, which is by much the larger, relates to that ufe, which the Spiritual Perfons, or Perfons endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit, were obliged to make of their Extraordinary Gifts. Of this he begins to fpeak in the fourth Verfe, and he continues fo to do in the two following Chapters. But the first part, which is very brief, relates to a fcruple which feems to have been raised in the minds of the Corinthians concerning their being endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft.

The Jews in general, both fuch as were converted to Chriftianity, and fuch as were not, feem in the beginnings of the Gofpel to have had a Notion (which is even in thefe daies believed by the unbelieving Jews) that the Holy Ghoft (and much more the Extraordinary Gifts thereof) was confined to their Nation; and that the Gentiles, whom they accounted an impure and unholy Seed, could not be made partakers thereof. This feems plain from Acts 10.45. where we read, that when the Holy Ghoft was poured forth upon Cornelius and his Friends, they of the Circumcifion were aftonilhed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles alfo was poured out the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They of the Circumcifion who came with Peter, are exprefly called Brethren, v. 23. and confequently they were well enough acquainted with

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the pouring out of the Holy Ghost, and could not be astonished' at it as a thing they had known nothing of before: and yet they were astonished notwithstanding, and the reafon is exprefly given, because that on the Gentiles alfo was poured out the Gift of the Holy Ghoft, which they thought was pecular to the Jews only.

Nay, even the converted Jews thought it then a fault to eat with the converted Gentiles, fuch as Cornelius and his Friends were. For afterwards, when Peter was come up to Jerufalem, they that were of the Circumcifion contended with him, saying, thou wentedft in un- to Men circumcised, and didst eat with them, Acts 11.2,3. And the ground of their Accufation was his Converfation with Cornelius and his Friends, which is related, Acts 10. And this Notion the converted Jews retained, till St. Peter convinced them of their Miftake, by giving them an account of that Vifion, whereby God had informed him, that the Gentiles were no longer to be accounted common and unclean. But this Argument could be of no force with the unconverted Jews; and therefore they adhered ftiffly to their old Opinion; and fome of 'em afterwards feem to have objected this to the Corinthians, among whom were many perfons endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft. This probably caused them to inquire of the Apoftle concerning the matter, and he delivers his decretory Determination of their Question, in the third Verse of this Chapter.

I thought it neceffary to premife this, becaufe I do not fee how 'tis poffible (unless what has been faid, be fuppofed true) to give a natural Explication of the faid third Verfe, efpecially of its connexion with the fecond by the illative particle wherefore. But this Suppofition (for which I

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