78 TIIE.'EXALTATION OF CHRIST: ties, or powers of actions, which are usually called gifts, and are reckoned amonghis extraordinary operations, because they be- longchiefly to the primitive times; whereas the christianvirtues aremore frequently called the graces, or fruits of the Spirit, and are attributed to his ordinary influences, because they continue through all ages of the church-'. Let it be observed in the second place, that these extraordi- narygifts of the Holy Spirit did not necessarily carrywith theta christian virtues or graces ; for in Mat. vii. 22. our Saviour de- clares, that somewho prophesied in his name andcast out devils by virtue of these gifts, were workers of iniquity"; he will not know them, he will at the last day bid them depart from him, and banish them for ever from his presence; andon the other hand, the gra- ces of the Spirit are bestowed on thousands in every age, where these extraordinary gifts were never received; though some sup., pose that in the primitive days, all that were converted by the apostles themselves, received some or other of these gifts by the imposition of their hands. Give me leave now briefly to set before you the several kinds of these gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, which were poured down from heaven upon men by our exalted Saviour : to- gether with ahint of the chief designs or uses of them, and then I shall conclude with someremarks upon them. The extraordinary gifts are of various kinds ; they are repre- sented by the apostle Paul; 1 Cor. xii. 8-11. and explained by learned and ingenious writers. In the first place, the word of wisdom, or an extensive acquaintance with the mysteries of chris- tianity, the doctrines and duties of the religion of Christ. This eminently belonged to the apostles, that they might be able upon all occasions to preach the gospel in all the substantial and neces- sary parts of it, and answer the questions of importance which were proposed to them. The next was the word of knowledge ; which may imply such an insight into the Old Testament and the writings of the prophets, as to cite them and happily apply them by way of interpretation or allusion, to illustrate or confirm the gospel of Christ, and to refute the Jewish abuses and perversions of them. The third is the gift offaith ; that is, probably, a pecu- liar impulse that cameupon them from heaven, when any difficult matter was to be performed, which inwardly assured them, that the Spirit of God would enable them to perform it. Then fol- lows the gift of healing of various distempers bya word of their mouth, or a touch of their hand, and the gift of working other miracles also, even the power ofinflicting diseases, or death itself, I grant my text speaks chiefly, if not only, of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, but as the graces proceed also from the Spirit, of Christ exalted, I thought it not proper to omit them here,
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