Chapter I — Spiritual Gifts: Names and Meanings

§ 1. The second part of the dispensation of the Spirit in order to the perfecting of the New Creation, or the edification of the Church, consists in his communication of spiritual gifts to the members of it, according as their places and stations therein do require. By his work of saving grace (which in other discourses we have given a large account of) he makes all the elect living stones, and by his communication of spiritual gifts he fashions and builds those stones into a temple for the Living God to dwell in. He spiritually unites them into one mystical body under the Lord Christ as an head of influence by faith and love; and he unites them into an organical body under the Lord Christ as an head of rule, by gifts and spiritual abilities. Their nature is made one and the same by grace; their use is various by gifts. Every one is a part of the body of Christ, of the essence of it by the same quickening, animating Spirit of grace; but one is an eye, another a hand, another a foot in the body, by virtue of peculiar gifts. For to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (Ephesians 4:7).

(§ 2.) These gifts are not saving sanctifying graces; those were not so in themselves which made the most glorious and astonishing appearance in the world, and which were most eminently useful in the foundation of the Church, and propagation of the Gospel. Such as were those that were extraordinary and miraculous. There is something of the divine nature in the least grace, that is not in the most glorious gift which is only so. It will therefore be part of our work, to show wherein the essential difference between these gifts and sanctifying graces does consist; as also what is their nature and use must be enquired into. For although they are not grace, yet they are that without which the Church cannot subsist in the world, nor can believers be useful to one another, and the rest of mankind, to the glory of Christ, as they ought to be. They are the powers of the world to come; those effectual operations of the power of Christ, whereby his kingdom was erected and is preserved.

(§ 3.) And hereby is the Church state under the New Testament differenced from that under the Old. There is indeed a great difference between their ordinances and ours; theirs being suited to the dark apprehensions which they had of spiritual things; ours accommodated to the clearer light of the Gospel, more plainly and expressly representing heavenly things to us (Hebrews 10:1). But our ordinances with their spirit would be carnal also. The principal difference lies in the administration of the Spirit, for the due performance of Gospel worship by virtue of these gifts bestowed on men for that very end. Hence the whole of evangelical worship is called the ministration of the Spirit, and from there said to be glorious (2 Corinthians 3:8). And where they are neglected, I see not the advantage of the outward worship and ordinances of the Gospel, above those of the Law. For although their institutions are accommodated to that administration of grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ; yet they must lose their whole glory, force and efficacy, if they be not dispensed, and the duties of them performed, by virtue of these spiritual gifts. And therefore no sort of men by whom they are neglected, do or can content themselves with the pure and immixed Gospel institutions in these things, but do rest principally in the outward part of divine service in things of their own finding out. For as Gospel gifts are useless without attending to Gospel institutions; so Gospel institutions are found to be fruitless and unsatisfactory, without the attaining and exercising of Gospel gifts.

(§ 4.) Be it so therefore that these gifts we intend are not in themselves saving graces; yet are they not to be despised. For they are, as we shall show, the powers of the world to come, by means whereof the kingdom of Christ is preserved, carried on and propagated in the world. And although they are not grace, yet are they the great means whereby all grace is ingenerated and exercised. And although the spiritual life of the Church does not consist in them, yet the order and edification of the Church depends wholly on them. And therefore are they so frequently mentioned in the Scripture as the great privilege of the New Testament; directions being multiplied in the writings of the Apostles about their nature and proper use. And we are commanded earnestly to desire and labor after them, especially those which are most useful and subservient to edification (1 Corinthians 12:31). And as the neglect of internal saving grace, wherein the power of godliness does consist, has been the bane of Christian profession as to obedience, issuing in that form of it which is consistent with all manner of lusts; so the neglect of these gifts has been the ruin of the same profession as to worship and order, which has thereon issued in fond superstition.

(§ 5.) The great and signal promise of the communication of these gifts is recorded (Psalm 68:18): "You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive, you have received gifts for men." For these words are applied by the Apostle to that communication of spiritual gifts from Christ, whereby the Church was founded and edified (Ephesians 4:8). And whereas it is foretold in the Psalm that Christ should receive gifts, that is to give them to men, as that expression is expounded by the Apostle, so he did this by receiving of the Spirit, the proper cause and immediate author of them all, as Peter declares (Acts 2:33): "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this which you now see and hear" — speaking of the miraculous gifts conferred on the Apostles at the day of Pentecost. For these gifts are from Christ, not as God absolutely, but as Mediator, in which capacity he received all from the Father in a way of free donation. Thus therefore he received the Spirit as the author of all spiritual gifts. And whereas all the powers of the world to come consisted in them, and the whole work of the building and propagation of the Church depended on them, the Apostles after all the instructions they had received from Christ while he conversed with them in the days of his flesh, and also after his resurrection, were commanded not to go about the great work which they had received commission for, until they had received power by the coming of the Holy Ghost upon them in the communication of those gifts (Acts 1:4, 8). And as they neither might nor could do any thing in their peculiar work, as to the laying of the foundation of the Christian Church, until they had actually received those extraordinary gifts which gave them power so to do, so if those who undertake in any place, degree or office to carry on the edification of the Church do not receive those more ordinary gifts which are continued to that end, they have neither right to undertake that work, nor power to perform it in a due manner.

(§ 6.) The things which we are to enquire into concerning these gifts are: (1.) their name; (2.) their nature in general, and therein how they agree with and differ from saving graces; (3.) their distinction; (4.) the particular nature of them; and (5.) their use in the Church of God.

(§ 7.) 1. The general name of those spiritual endowments which we intend is [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩]; so the Apostle renders [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] (Ephesians 4:8) from Psalm 68:18 — Dona, Gifts. That is, they are free and undeserved effects of divine bounty. In the minds of men on whom they are bestowed, they are spiritual powers and endowments with respect to a certain end. But as to their original and principal cause, they are free undeserved gifts. From there the Holy Spirit as the author of them, and with respect to them, is called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], the gift of God (John 4:10). And the effect itself is also termed [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:45), the gift of God (Acts 8:20), the gift of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:7), the gift of Christ (Ephesians 4:7), the heavenly gift (Hebrews 6:4) — all expressing the freedom of their communication on the part of the Father, Son and Spirit. And in like manner on the same account are they called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], that is gracious largesses — gifts proceeding from mere bounty. And therefore saving graces are also expressed by the same name in general, because they also are freely and undeservedly communicated to us (Romans 11:28). But these gifts are frequently and almost constantly so expressed (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 1:7; chapter 7:7; chapter 12:4, 9, 28, 30; 1 Peter 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). And it is absolute freedom in the bestower of them that is principally intended in this name. Hence he has left his name as a curse to all posterity, who thought this free gift of God might be purchased with money (Acts 8:20). A pageantry of which crime the apostate ages of the Church erected in applying the name of that sin to the purchase of benefices and dignities, while the gift of God was equally despised on all hands. And indeed this was that whereby in all ages countenance was given to apostasy and defection from the power and truth of the Gospel. The names of spiritual things were still retained, but applied to outward forms and ceremonies, which thereby were substituted insensibly into their room, to the ruin of the Gospel in the minds of men. But as these gifts were not any of them to be bought, no more are they absolutely to be attained by the natural abilities and industry of any, whereby an image of them is attempted to be set up by some, but deformed and useless. They will do those things in the Church by their own abilities, which can never be acceptably discharged but by virtue of those free gifts which they despise; whereof we must speak more afterwards. Now the full signification of these words in our sense is peculiar to the New Testament. For although in other authors they are used for a gift or free grant, yet they never denote the endowments or abilities of the minds of men who do receive them, which is their principal sense in the Scripture.

(§ 8.) With respect to their especial nature, they are called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩]: sometimes absolutely (1 Corinthians 12:1), [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], "but concerning spirituals," that is, spiritual gifts. And so again (chapter 14:1), [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], "Desire spirituals," that is, gifts; for so it is explained (chapter 12:31), [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], "Covet earnestly the best gifts." Whenever therefore they are called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], there [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] denoting their general nature is to be supplied; and where they are called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] only, [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] is to be understood, as expressing their especial difference from all others. They are neither natural, nor moral, but spiritual endowments. For both their author, nature and object are respected herein: their author is the Holy Spirit; their nature is spiritual; and the object about which they are exercised are spiritual things.

(§ 9.) Again, with respect to the manner of their communication they are called [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] (Hebrews 2:4), distributions, or partitions of the Holy Ghost: not whereof the Holy Ghost is the subject, as though he were parted or divided, as the Socinians dream on this place; but whereof he is the author, the distributions which he makes. And they are thus called divisions, partitions, or distributions, because they are of divers sorts and kinds, according as the edification of the Church did require. And they were not at any time all of them given out to any one person, at least so, as that others should not be made partakers of the same sort. From the same inexhaustible treasure of bounty, grace and power, these gifts are variously distributed to men. And this variety, as the Apostle proves, gives both ornament and advantage to the Church. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing, &c. (1 Corinthians 12:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25). It is this [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], this various distribution of gifts, that makes the Church an organical body; and in this composure, with the peculiar uses of the members of the body, consists the harmony, beauty and safety of the whole. Were there no more but one gift, or gifts of one sort, the whole body would be but one member: as where there is none, there is no animated body but a dead carcass.

(§ 10.) And this various distribution, as it is an act of the Holy Spirit, produces [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], there are diversities of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4). The gifts thus distributed in the Church are divers as to their sorts and kinds, one of one kind, another of another: an account hereof is given by the Apostle particularly, ver. 8, 9, 10, in a distinct enumeration of the sorts or kinds of them. The edification of the Church is the general end of them all; but divers, distinct, different gifts are required thereunto.

(§ 11.) These gifts being bestowed, they are variously expressed with regard to the nature and manner of those operations which we are enabled to by virtue of them. So are they termed [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], ministrations (1 Corinthians 12:5), that is, powers and abilities whereby some are enabled to administer spiritual things to the benefit, advantage and edification of others: and [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] (ver. 6), effectual workings or operations, efficaciously producing the effects which they are applied to. And lastly, they are comprised by the Apostle in that expression, [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], the manifestation of the Spirit (ver. 7). In and by them does the Holy Spirit evidence and manifest his power. For the effects produced by them, and themselves in their own nature, especially some of them, do evince that the Holy Spirit is in them, that they are given and wrought by him, and are the ways whereby he acts his own power and grace.

These things are spoken in the Scripture as to the names of these spiritual gifts: and it is evident, that if we part with our interest and concern in them, we must part with no small portion of the New Testament. For the mention of them, directions about them, their use, and abuse, do so frequently occur, that if we are not concerned in them, we are not so in the Gospel.