apon offenders. So St. Paul not only healed the maladies of men, but struck Elymas the sorcerer blind; so St. Peter not only bid Tabitha arise from the dead, but he also pronounced sudden death upon Ananias and Sapphira. Another of these gifts was prophecy, which, taken in general, signifies a power to speak by inspiration: And perhaps it may include the gift of utterance or freedom of speech: But in a more particular sense implies the foretelling of things to come. So Paul foretold the rise of antichrist; 1 Thess. ii. 7. And Agabus, a christian prophet, predicted the famine in the days of Claudius Cæsar. Acts. xi. 28. Besides these, there was the gift of discerning spirits, that is, either of discovering the heart of a man, which on some occasions might be necessary in those early days of the gospel, or of discerning the temper and talents of a person, that it might be better judged in what service to employ him. And after these follow the gifts of tongues and the interpretation of tongues, whereby one person could speak several foreign languages which he never learned, that he might preach the gospel to persons of distant nations: And another could interpret tongues, or explain to the bulk of the assembly what was spoken in a strange language, for the use of strangers who might come amongst them. Besides all these, we might reckon also the gifts of singing psalms and praying by the Spirit, which parts of worship were performed by inspiration, in those primitive times. Thus much of the gifts.

The graces of the Holy Spirit are also of various kinds, for they include all those christian virtues, or principles of holiness, which are wrought in the hearts of men by the influence of the Holy Ghost, such as faith, repentance, love to God and man; add to these, meekness, temperance, a well-grounded hope, holy joy, patience in suffering, and courage to profess the name and religion of Christ even in the face of death and martyrdom; 2 Tim. I. 7. See the fruits of the Spirit reckoned up by the apostle; Gal. v. 22, 23. Eph. v. 9.

The design of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, which were shed forth by our ascended Saviour, was to spread the gospel more speedily in the world, to diffuse an overpowering evidence of it among men, and to establish this new religion in the earth; Heb. ii. 3, 4. This great salvation at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. St. Paul assures the Corinthians, that when an unlearned man, or an unbeliever, came into their assemblies, and heard them speak by inspiration the doctrines of the gospel in a proper manner, he is convinced, he is judged, the secrets of his heart

are made manifest, and falling down on his face he will worship God, and will report that God is in you of a truth; 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. And indeed without these demonstrations of the Spirit attending the gospel in the first publication of it, it was not to be supposed, that so new and strange a religion should make its way like lightning through the nations, in opposition to the prejudices of mankind and the power of princes, and in a few years illuminate so many dark countries, which had lain for long ages under the shadow of death. When christianity was well established in the world, these extraordinary gifts died away by degrees.

As for the graces of the Spirit, the design of them was di rectly to change sinners into saints, and to raise a church for Christ among men. These were communicated sometimes in an extraordinary manner and degree in the primitive days, in order to give the gospel a more speedy success, after the exaltation of our blessed Lord: But these are continued also in following ages, and sent down among men daily, by our blessed Saviour in his glorified state, who is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, that he may maintain an everlasting kingdom on earth, through all ages, by bestowing repentance on men, and forgiveness of sins; Acts v. 31. It is by these influences new converts are made, sinners are called and sanctified, churches are raised or continued in a long succession, and the family of Christ restored, when it is diminished by the persecution of tyrants on earth, or by calling away the saints to heaven by death in the course of nature.

Thus I have given you a very brief account of the influences of the blessed Spirit, both with regard to gifts and graces, which were promised by the Father, and shed forth by our exalted Saviour, together with the most eminent and important uses and designs of them. Permit me now to conclude with these four Remarks:

Remark. I. Since the gifts of the Spirit are shed forth in a way of promise and prediction, they more plainly appear to be divine. It is the promised Spirit, which our Saviour gave to men. It can never be said they were casual events, or they happened by chance, for they were foretold by the ancient prophets, by John the baptist, and by our blessed Saviour: They were promised to Christ Jesus by his Father, and he promised them to his own disciples, and bid them wait at Jerusalem till they received them. Luke xxiv. 49. There is a long shining track of divine promise and faithfulness, and a blessed harmony of grace and truth, that runs through all this event of the pouring down of the Holy Spirit, and we may trace it through the writings of the prophets and apostles with sacred delight. Is the Spirit sent down

to men in this wondrous manner, then God has not failed of his promises to the Jews and Gentiles, made by his ancient prophets; then the Father hath not failed of his promise to his Son Jesus, nor has the Son of God failed of his promise to his disciples and followers; Acts ii. 16, 17. Luke xxiv. 46. John' xv. 25. Acts i. 8. compared with my text.

II. Are these wondrous gifts of the Spirit sent down to publish and confirm the blessed gospel; then surely " it demands our firmest faith, since it was propagated at first by such divine miracles, and has been established by such surprizing and glorious gifts." How wisely has God ordained these visible and sensible wonders, to prove the exaltation of his Son Jesus, when he left the world, and became invisible to men? He hath shed forth all this which you see and hear; and this is the last and the greatest witness to christianity, and it confirms all the rest. Our Saviour wrought many miracles indeed, and he spoke as never man spake; yet he assured his disciples, that after his departure they should not only do the same works, but greater works than these shall ye do, because I go to my Futher; John xiv. 12. Our blessed Lord cast out devils, healed diseases, and raised the dead; what greater works then can we suppose were left for the apostles to perform, or what greater gifts than these can be conferred upon them? May I have leave to express a conjecture here, that these might be the word of wisdom and knowledge, and the gift of tongues. We grant it was indeed a miracle, to heal the bodies of the sick with a word; but does it not seem a more astonishing thing, that the souls of persons, who were in a great measure ignorant of divine truths, should be at once illuminated with a word of wisdom, should be furnished so soon with such an extensive knowledge of the mysteries, doctrines and duties of the gospel, that they were able to preach them to an ignorant world; and that they should be so fully persuaded of these doctrines at once, in opposition to many former prejudices which reigned in them, that they could now venture their lives in the defence of these divine truths, which they learned from heaven by such an inspiration: It is granted again, that it is a miracle to make the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, to put life into a dead body: But it is not a more amazing event, that the mind of a fisherman who knew nothing but his mother-tongue, should at once be furnished with a million of words, even the languages of various nations, and that his organs of speech should be enabled to pronounce them right, which would be the learning and labour of two or three ages: and that they should speak to every man in their own tongue, the wonderful works of God? And yet still this wonder is greater, when we consider, that the apostles not only F

VOL. II.

spake with strange tongues themselves, but they communicated this gift of tongues to others also, which was never done by our Saviour himself in his own life time. Such were the attestations to the gospel of our blessed Lord, and so bright was the evidence that was shed over it by these gifts of the Spirit, that this is appointed to be the supreme seal to the truth of it, and he that blasphemes the Holy Ghost, and renounces this evidence, after it has been convincingly set before him, and obstinately attributes these divine wonders to the sleights of men, or to the craft of the devil, is sealed up under condemnation by the lips of the Saviour of the world; and there is no forgiveness for him; Mat. xii. 31, 32*.

III. Though Jesus the founder of the christian religion submitted to death, yet the christian church was never designed to die, because Jesus lives again in an exalted state, and hath all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit in his hand, which have been the life and soul of the church. When he left the world, he sent down his Spirit, both in the gifts and graces of it, to raise and maintain a temple or dwelling for himself in it so long as the world should stand: He hath promised that his Spirit should abide with it for ever, at least for the ordinary communication of gifts, and the influences of special grace, and therefore the gates of hell or death shall not prevail against it; Mat.

xvii. 18.

And it might be added here also, that this is the reason why believers persevere in faith and holiness, because Jesus their exalted head has the fulness of the Spirit in him, and it is from him that the members derive their life, and all their support. He that was dead is alive, and behold he lives for ever; Rev. i. 18. And because I live, says our blessed Lord, ye shall live also; John xiv. 19.

us.'

IV. This thought points to us "whither to direct our eyes and hopes when the Spirit of God is withdrawn from amongst Since Jesus ascended to heaven, the great God communicates his promised Spirit to mcn only through the hands of his Son. Let ministers, let christians, let churches learn, whence to derive new supplies, new gifts, new graces and influences, when spiritual things run low in the midst of them. It is from the hand of an exalted Saviour that we must receive all these blessings: It is he must give new life to all his churches under their dying circumstances, and new zeal and vigour to our souls under all their witherings and decays.

Thus all-glorious and divine is our salvation, from the ori

*Of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the efficacy and power of them, to prove and confirm the gospel of Christ; see the best account that ever I read, in "Miscellanea Sacra." Essay I.

ginal love, power, and promise of God the Father, through the sufferings, the death and exaltation of Jesus Christ his Son, and by the gifts and graces of the Blessed Spirit. Hence arise the talents and furniture of ministers, and hence the faith and hope, the life and holiness, the joy and comfort of christians. Nor can I put a sweeter period to such a discourse as this, than in those words of the great apostle, which unite the divine springs of our salvation; 2 Cor. xii. 14. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be for ever with you. Amen.