PREPARATORY TO THE NEW CREATION. 89 unto that purpose. Yea, and many on whom they are bestowed never consider the author of them, but sacri- fice to their own nets and drags, and look on themselves as the springs of their own wisdom and ability. But it is no wonder that all regard unto the gifts of the Holy Ghost, in the government of the world, is despised, when his whole work in and towards the church itself is openly derided. Sect. 23.Secondly; We may add hereunto those especial endowments, with some moral virtues which he granted unto sundry persons, for the accomplishment of some especial design. So he came upon Gideon and upon Jephtha, to anoint them unto the work of deliver- ing the people from their adversaries in battle, Judg. vi. 84. chap. xi. 29. It is said before of them both, that they were men of valour, chap. vi. 12. chap. xi. 1. This coming therefore of the Spirit of God upon them, and clothing of them, was his especial excitation of their courage, and his fortifying of their minds against those dangers they were to conflict withal. And this he did by such an efficacious impressionof his power upon them, as that both themselves received thereby a confirmation of their call, and others might discern the presence of God with them. Hence it is said, that the Spirit of the Lord clothed them, they being warmed in themselves, and known to others by his gifts and actings ofthem. Sect. 24.Thirdly; There are sundry instances of his adding unto the gifts of the mind, whereby he qualified persons for their duties, even bodily strength, when that also was needful for the work whereunto he called them; such was his gift unto Sampson. His bo- dilystrength wassupernatural, a mere effect of the power of the Spirit of God; and therefore when he put it forth in his calling, it is said that the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, Judg. xiv. 6. chap. xv. 11. or wrought powerfully in him. And he gave him this strength in the way of an ordinance, appointing the growing of his hair to be the sign and pledge of i;; the care whereof being violatedby him, he lost for a season the gift itself. Sect. 25.Fourthly; He also communicated gifts intellectual to be exercised in and about things natural and artificial: So he endowed Bezaleel and Aholiab with wisdom and skill in all manner of curious work- manship about all sorts of things for the building and X beautifying of the tabernacle, Exod. xxxi. 2, 8. Whe- ther Bezaleel was a man that had before given himself unto the acquisition of those arts and sciences is altoge- ther uncertain. But certain it is, that his present en- dowments were extraordinary. The Spirit of God heightened, improved, and strengthened the natural fa- culties of his mind, to a perception and understanding of all the curious works mentioned in that place, and unto a skill how to contrive and dispose of them into their order designed by God himself. And therefore, although the skill and wisdom mentioned differed not in the kind of it from that which others attained by indus- try; yet he received it by an immediate afflatus or inspi- ration of the Holy Ghost, as to that degree, at least, whichhe was made partaker of. Sect. 26.Lastly; The assistance given unto holy men for the publishing and preaching of the word of God to others; as to Noah who was a preacher of right- eousness, 2 Pet. ii. 5. for the conviction of the world, and conversion of the elect, wherein the Spirit of God strove with men, Gen. vi. 3. and preached unto them that were disobedient, 1 Pet, iii. 19, 20. might here al- so be considered, but that the explanation of his whole work in that particular will occur unto us ina more pro- per place. Sect. 27.And thus I have briefly passed through the dispensation of the Spirit of God under the Old Testament. Nor have I aimed therein to gather up his whole work, and all his actings; for then every thing that is praise- worthy in the church must have been in- quired into; for all without him is death, and darkness, and sin. All life, light, and power, are from him alone. And the instances of things expresslyassigned unto him which we have insisted on, are sufficient to manifest that the whole being andwelfare of the churchdepended sole- ly on his willand hisoperations. And this will yet be more evident when we have also considered those other effects and operations of his, which being common to both states of the church under the Old Testament and the New, are purposely here omitted, because the na- ture of them is more fully cleared in the gospel, where. in also theirexemplifications are more illustrious. From him therefore was the word of promise and the gift of prophecy whereon the church was founded, and where- by it was built. From him was the revelation and insti- tution of all the ordinances of religious worship; from 19
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=