all the natural men in the world, put them all togcther; and yet the weakest believer in all the church

of God knows more than he. Men may have all knowledge, and understand all mysteries, and yet be nothing. Cor. xiii. 2.

Nor is the faith here spoken of that faith which purifies the heart and works by love; but miraculous faith, or the faith of miracles; which many have had to whofe heart it never applied the atonement, nor put on an imputed righteousness; nor did it ever embrace the Son of God, much lefs bring him into the heart, and give him a dwelling-place there. It is like a faith upon fight, which many had, who, when they faw his miracles, believed. It is temporary, and for a time-thefe for a while believe, and then fall away. This faith has its feat in the judgment and understanding, but not in the heart. It deals with the power of God in its operations, but not with the loving-kindness and tender mercy of God in Chrift Jefus. And this power is put forth in working miracles on others, when it does nothing towards the falvation of the poffeffor of it. And, as it deals not with the loving-kindness and tender mercy of God in Chrift, it is nothing in the grand business of falvation; for, though I have all faith, fo that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 1 Cor. xiii. 2.

Nor is there any falvation in the gifts of healing; fuch as healing the fick, the lame, the blind, the leper, or the lunatic, by cafting out devils. Many

will fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matt. vii.

22, 23.

Nor is the gift of tongues, or the interpretation of them, any of the things which accompany salvation. This gift has its feat only in the understanding and judgment, and is played off from the tongue; but never reaches the heart nor the affections. Though fome value themselves very much upon these things, yet no man will affirm that either Latin, Greek, or Hebrew, can purge the confcience of a guilty and filthy finner. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as founding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 1 Cor. xiii. 1. All these things have a tendency to lift men up; unless by the indwelling of the Holy Ghoft, and by his humbling operations, they are counterbalanced, as they were in Paul and others.-It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace. Heb. xiii. 9.

There are differences of administrations, but the fame Lord. The Lord the Spirit administers not only different gifts to men, but grace; he administers ftrength to the weak in faith, increaseth it in them that have no might, making their ftrength equal to their day. He adminifters the word to the preachers of it, and light to fee into it; wifdom rightly to divide it; boldness to declare it faithfully, without P 3

fearing

fearing the face of any; zeal in the delivery of it, with lively frames to fet off the sweetness and excellency of it, and power to enforce it; and that with the greatest confidence, from an inward teftimony of intereft in it. And, without this divine influence of the Spirit, the pulpit would be little better than a pillory, and the work of the ministry quite a flavery; as we fee in too many who are obliged to have recourfe to country tales and old wives' fables, in order to fill up the time; or else to fet up some supposed rival as a scare-bird, and call him an Antinomian, and fo belabour him, just to help out; which is done for want of matter, and for want of the divine aid of the Holy Spirit. To thefe men I have contributed not a little, in thus helping them out at a dead lift.

The Holy Spirit adminifters different power and authority to men; furnishing fome to be apostles, fome to be prophets, fome evangelifts, fome teachers, and fome to be helps; enabling each in his place to be of fome ufe to the body, the church; that the whole, by the joints of one faith, and of one and the fame judgment, and by the bands of love and peace, may be bound together; and that the whole body, holding faft the head, may have nourifhment communicated from the head of influence (by the Spirit) to every part of the body; fo kniting it together that it may increase in grace and in number with the increase of God. See Col. ii. 19. Every one of thefe different gifts are of ufe in the

myftical

myftical body, when each, with diligence and affection, fills his place. For, as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the fame office; fo we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us propbely according to the proportion [or analogy] of faith; or ministry, let us wait on qur miniftering; or be that teacheth, on teaching; or be that exhorteth, on exhortation: be that giveth, let bim do it with fimplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; be that fheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without diffimulation. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Rom. xii. 4-9. Thus doth the Holy Spirit administer different gifts and abilities, and affign men to different work in the church of God, to edify the body, and to keep it together, that there fhould be no fchifm in the body, or no renting and dividing the affections of one member from another. And each of thefe is useful in his place; fo that the band cannot fay to the foot, I have no need of thee; nor the foot to the band, I have no need of thee. Now, as there are differences of administrations, but all these by the fame Lord the Spirit, fo there are diverfities of operations; but it is the fame God which worketh all in all. 1 Cor.

xii. 6.

The divine operations here fpoken of are not thofe which are put forth in perfons on whom miracles are wrought; for thefe, in the general, are

only difplays of divine power; but the operations of the Spirit in the fouls of God's chofen are divers. And the infufing of grace into us, in forming the new man in us, and in keeping and preserving him when formed, requires divers operations. Though the new man, the whole work of grace, is produced at once, at the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the heart; (he comes as a spirit of all grace, and a spirit of all fupplications); yet it is not perceptible to us but by degrees; nor do I fuppofe it was, either to the thief upon the crofs, who died almoft as foon as the new man was formed, nor to the child of Jeroboam, though the work was complete in them both. The first thing that we difcover of it is light; this was the first thing that appeared in the old creation, and fo it is in the new. And even this entitles us to fonship, though we cannot claim it; fuch are children of light, and God is the father of lights.

The next thing that is felt is life; and, when this quickening influence is fpread through the foul, a mighty famine enfues; we cannot feed upon our former lufts and pleafures; thefe fweet morfels become bitter, and our former glory in the pleasures of fin becomes our fhame. The famine increasing upon us, and former gratifications becoming naufeous, to work we go to get fome entertainment (or fatisfaction) from our own performances, and labour hard to fill our belly with thefe hufks which the fwine can eat; but the poor hungry foul can find no fatisfaction in thefe. However, there is now and

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then