66 "Men and Brethren, what fhall we do? "Peter answers, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jefus "Chrift for the remiffion of your fins, and 66 ye shall receive the Holy Ghost. For the promife (that is, of the Holy Ghost, particularly called the promife of the Father, "Luke xxiv. 40. Gal. i. 4.) is to you and "to your children, and to all that are afar off, ❝even as many as the Lord our God fhall "cally." Nothing can be more exprefs to this purpose. And it is faid, "Then they "that gladly received his word were bapti "ed," and no doubt received the promise thereupon, that is, the gift of the Holy Ghoft. For St, Luke adds, "And the fame day there were added to them (who had the gift of the Holy Ghoft) about three "thoufand fouls." And Peter fpeaks of the 'Holy Ghost, or the gift of the Holy Ghost, "as given by God to them (or to all them) "that obey him "." And that the gift of the Holy Ghoft is here fpoken of, feems plain from this; that the Holy Ghoft is here fpoken of as a witnefs of Chrift's refurrection and exaltation at the right-hand of God: which we learn this gift was brought as the great proof of by Peter; for he fays, "Therefore being by the right-hand of God exalted, 66 y Acts ii. 38, 39. 2 Ibid. v. 32. z Ver. 41. " and 66 d pro "and having received of the Father the c Acts viii. 12. then then have him to go forth with him, and employed him very foon after in affifting him to convert the Theffalonians (as may be gathered from 1 Theff. i. 1. 5. iii. 2.); if he did not employ him in the miniftry before, namely, in Phrygia, Galatia, Myfia, and other parts of Macedonia. When St. Paul comes to Ephefus, and finds certain difciples there, he asks them, as a question of courfe, and that he constantly afked of all difciples he did not know, "Have ye received the Holy "Ghoft?" and on finding they had not, as a thing of course, and conftantly practifed, "he first baptifes them in the name of the "Lord Jefus, and then lays his hands on "them, and the Holy Ghoft came upon " them f." And I think that which must put this matter out of all doubt is, that it appears, that St. Paul had imparted the Holy Ghost to thofe chriftians where he had been; as is plain in the cafe of the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephefians, Philippians, and the Theffalonians. All the members of the church of Corinth feem to have had it in a very plentiful manner. This feems to be implied in what St. Paul fays, 1 Cor. xii. 7. "But the manifeftation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit "withal." This is expreffly afferted by Clement, in his Epistle, § 2. And I think it may f Acts xix. 1-8. be be inferred from feveral paffages in St. Paul's epiftles to them: Since we find that they fpake with tongues, they prayed, they inter preted, they prophecied; or, in St. Paul's phrafe, they "blefied with the Spirit ; they had a doctrine; they had a tongue; they "had a revelation; they had an interpreta"tion " Infomuch that he fays, "That "the teftimony of Chrift was confirmed in "them, by their being enriched in all utte❝rance, and all knowledge; fo that they "came behind in no gift; and were not in"feriour to any of the other churches!." This plainly fhews, that thefe gifts were at leaft frequent in the other churches. There is another text in this epiftle which is as fully to this purpose, with the addition of fuch a fupplement as feems neceffary to make the fame complete, and which some of the verfions have accordingly made, namely, 1 Cor. xiv. 33. when, after St. Paul had given seve ral directions about the due exercise of the gifts of the Spirit, he enforces them by fay"For God is not the author of confu"fion, but of peace (as I teach, or as the "practice is), in all the churches of the "faints." For with this neceffary fupple ing, See Mills, & De Beaufobre & L'Enfant, in loc. ment ment to the sense, the implication is obvious,. that he had given like directions, or that there was a like practice, to what he now taught them, concerning the exercise of these gifts of the Spirit, in all the other churches of the faints. St. Paul tells them, that "he who "anointed them is God;" that is, "had giv"en the Spirit of prophecy"; who hath also "fealed us, and given us the earnest of the "Spirit" that is, who had given them this earnest of the Spirit by him," as an able "minifter of the New Teftament, not of "the letter, but of the Spirit ; approving "himself to them as the minister of God in "much patience long fuffering and the Holy Ghost." That thefe gifts were very common in this church, where St. Paul had continued fo long, appears from this, that he proves each of these churches to be but one body, because they had but one spirit; and that though that Spirit gave different gifts, yet they were all for the use of that one body. Juft as there is but one foul and one body, though there are feveral members fitted for the different fervices of that one body, and directed to thofe fervices by one foul. From hence he likewife demonftrates the duty of love and esteem they owe to each other, fince 66 Cor. i. 21. P Ibid. iii. 6. • Ver. 21. See I Cor. xii. Eph. iv. 3, 4, 7, 12, 13, 15, 16. |