might continue to partake in miraculous gifts and powers. But we have observed, that sometimes by the Spirit, or Holy Spirit, may be understood many good things, conducive to men's real happiness. Compare Matt. vii. 11, with Luke xi. 13. And see Eph. i. 3, Prov. i. 23. In this place therefore we may suppose to be hereby meant a participation of, and communion in, all the blessings of the gospel, and all other needful good things.

18. Eph. ii. 22, " In whom ye also are builded for an habitation of God through the spirit.'

Dr. Jeremiah Hunt shall explain the text for us."

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'I think,' says he, there is an expression made use of in respect to all believers in the first age. "Ye are the habitation of God through the spirit." We christians are

the habitation of God's Shechinah, the people among 'whom God dwells. He dwelt as a political king with the 'Jews, by a sensible symbol of his presence. He dwelt 'with christian societies (when this doctrine was first planted) by those extraordinary gifts of the spirit. That is 'spoken of, in such terms, as are made use of, to express "God's inhabiting among the people of Israel. He dwelt with the Jews in the tabernacle, and the temple. He 'dwelt with christians, in the first establishment of this religion, by the extraordinary gifts, which he imparted to the apostles, who were to found his doctrine, and to estab'lish it. Thus far, you see, we are free from enthusiasm.

'I would farther observe, Christ promiseth those who be'lieve in him, and keep his commandments, that he would 'love them, and that his Father would love them, and that they would come, and make their abode with them. John 'xiv. 21, 23. These expressions have been used in a wrong 'sense by enthusiasts. But the phrases are scriptural, and easy to be understood, "I will come, and dwell with you,' There is a reference to the Shechinah, the divine glory. By the spiritual gifts, which the Father has given me power to confer, I will induce you to believe in me. You

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will then become the habitation of my Father. He will have communion or society with you, by those gifts, which 'he will enable me to impart, and by which that doctrine 'shall be confirmed and established.'

There are divers other texts, where christians are spoken of as the temple of God through the spirit. And in all of them there is an allusion to the presence of God among the Jewish people, and in the temple at Jerusalem.

"See his Sermon upon Communion with God: on 1 John i. 6, 7. vol. III. p. 426, 427.

1.) 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17, " Know ye not, that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which ye are."

2.) 1 Cor. vi. 19, "What, know ye not, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which ye have of God!"

3.) 2 Cor. vi. 16, " And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God: as God hath said: I will dwell in them, and walk in them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." See Lev. xxvi. 11, 12.

I would observe, that in the second of these three texts the apostle seems to speak of the spirit, as a gift: which, says he, ye have of God. Grotius says, that the Holy Ghost here is the same as the Shechinah. I shall place his note below."

And upon the third, the last cited text, "ye are the temple of the living God," he says: Where God dwells, there is a temple. God dwells in good men by his spirit. They therefore are the temple of God. Nor is it without "reason added "living." For the gods of the heathen were 'dead men.'

19. The commonness of spiritual gifts, and the ends and uses of them appear from many texts.

1.) Eph. i. 13, In whom "ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise:" or, with that Holy Spirit, which had been promised.

Upon which text Mr. Locke remarks in these words: The Holy Ghost was neither promised nor given to the heathens, who were apostates from God, and enemies, but only to the people of God. And therefore the converted

'Spiritus Sanctus,' hic idem quod Shechinah [Numen Divinum'] in templo. Totus homo templum Dei,' supra iii. 16, 17. Sed adytum' est mens hominis animi cæteræ partes basilica templi:' corpus vero porticus,' cum subdialibus. Bene hunc locum explicat Tertullianus libro de Cultu Feminarum altero: Cum omnes templum simus Dei, illato in nos et consecrato Spiritu Sancto, ejus templi æditua et antistita Pudicitia est, quæ nihil immundum ac 'profanum inferri sinat, ne Deus ille, qui inhabitat, inquinatam sedem offensus 'derelinquat.'

OU EXETE аTO Dε8.] Spiritus ille à Deo est multo magis quam splendor ille, qui apparebat interdum inter Cherubinos. Constructio est Græca, quæ relativo pronomini dat casum præcedentem. Grot. in loc.

"Vos enim estis templum Dei vivi."] Templum est, ubi Deus habitat. In piis habitat Deus per Spiritum Sanctum. Sunt igitur templum Dei. Idem sensus 1 Cor. iii. 17, et vi. 19. Nec frustra addidit wvros, quia dii gentium erant homines mortui. Grot. in loc.

Ephesians having received it, might be assured thereby, that they were now the people of God, and might rest 'satisfied in this pledge of it.'

2.) Eph. ii. 18, "For through him we both have access by one spirit unto the Father." For through him we are all encouraged in our access to the Father, and are per'suaded of our acceptance with him: the like miraculous 'gifts, which can come from God only, having been bestowed equally upon Jews and Gentiles.'

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3.) Eph. iv. 30, " And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption:" or rather, wherewith ye were sealed in the day of redemption.

The miraculous gifts and powers bestowed upon the christian church, in its early days, are enumerated in several places. Rom. xii. 6-8, 1 Cor. xii. 1-11, 28-30, xiii. 1, 2, xiv. Eph. iv. 11, 12. And see Eph. v. 18-20, Col. iii. 16, 1 Thess. v. 19-21.

These gifts and powers, bestowed upon the apostles and others, soon after our Lord's ascension, vindicated them, and justified their preaching in his name, and enabled them to do it with success.

The pouring out of such gifts upon Cornelius, and his company, in an extraordinary manner, immediately from heaven, satisfied the apostles, that Gentiles might be received into the church, as God's people, upon faith in Jesus Christ, without taking upon them the observation of the rituals of the law of Moses. Acts x. 44-48, xi. 15-18.

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And gifts of the spirit were bestowed upon many with the imposition of the hands of the apostles. Which afforded great comfort to them, as it satisfied them, that they were received by God, as his people and children. This appears in several texts. Some more of which shall be here alleged.

4.) Rom. i. 11, " For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established." Comp. xv. 29.

5.) Rom. v. 5, " And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given to us."

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6.) Rom. viii. 15-17, " For ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry: Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and

* Sic et dona illa Dei, puta prophetiæ, sanationes, linguæ, ejectiones dæmonum, certos reddebant credentes, de paternâ Dei in se benevolentiâ. Grot. in Eph. 1. 13.

joint heirs with Christ." See also ver. 23. And compare Gal. iv. 5--7.

7.) 1 Cor. vi. 11, "And such were some of you. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God." That is, ye have been cleansed, and sanctified by the doctrine of Christ, and have been fully assured of your acceptance with God, by the spiritual gifts conferred upon

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you.

8.) 2 Cor. i. 21, 22, "Now he which establisheth us with you, in Christ, and has anointed us, is God. Who has also sealed us, and given the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts."

9.) 2 Cor. xi. 4, " For if he that cometh to you, preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached: or, if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received: or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

By "another spirit" the apostle cannot mean another intelligent agent: but must mean greater and more excellent spiritual gifts, than those which had been imparted to the Corinthians by himself. Mr. Locke's paraphrase is in these words: Or, if you have received from him (the intruder) other, or greater gifts of the Spirit, than those you have ' received from me.' See 1 Cor. xii.

10.) Gal. iii. 2, "This only would I learn of you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" This is paraphrased by Mr. Locke after this manner. This one thing I desire to know of you. 'Did you receive the miraculous gifts of the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the gospel preached to you?'

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11.) Ver. 5, "He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" Here again Mr. Locke's paraphrase is this; The gifts of the Holy Ghost that have been conferred upon you, have they not 'been conferred upon you as christians, professing faith in 'Jesus Christ, and not as observers of the law? And hath 'not he, who has conveyed these gifts to you, and done miracles among you, done it as a preacher and professor of 'the gospel?'

By all which texts we see, how common spiritual gifts were in the churches of Christ. St. Paul, in Eph. i. 13. cited just now, useth the expression," that holy Spirit of

* Η πνευμα ετερον λαμβάνετε, ο εκ ελάβετε. Aut si is vobis potiora dona Spiritûs conferre potuit, quam nos per manuum impositionem vobis contuliGrot. in loc.

mus.

promise." Our Lord's own words are: "and behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you," Luke xxiv. 49. Again, "He commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father: which, said he, ye have heard of me," Acts i. 4. And see ch. ii. 33.

Indeed the promise of the spirit was made to all believers in general, and not to apostles only: though to them especially, and in a greater measure than to others. The promise of the spirit is delivered by Jesus himself, by his forerunner, and by the ancient prophets, as the great blessing of the evangelical dispensation, or the privilege of the times of the Messiah.

Says our Lord's forerunner," I baptize you with water

Our

He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire," Matt. iii. 11. Comp. Acts i. 5, ch. xi. 16. Lord says, John vii. 38, 39, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water"-And, adds the evangelist: "This he spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive." And Mark xvi. 17,18," These signs shall follow them that believe." In my name shall they cast out dæmons. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents. And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." For the promises of the Old Testament, I need now refer only to Acts ii. 16-18. And St. Peter, directing and comforting those who were much affected with his first discourse after Christ's ascension," said unto them: Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins. And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call," ch. ii. 38, 39. Again: "And we are his witnesses of these things. And so also is the Holy Ghost, which God has given to them that obey him," ver. 32.

20. I shall here put together some of those texts, which contain exhortations to such as were partakers of the Holy Ghost, or had been favoured with spiritual gifts.

1.) Eph. iv. 30, " And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Or, "with which ye were sealed in the day of redemption." This text was quoted before, upon another account.

Here may be a reference to Is. lxiii. 10, By the "Spirit of God," the apostle means those powers and gifts with