apostles of this latter kind, occafional and temporary, to the exercise of which they were directed by the same divine impulse, which at the moment gave them the power to exercise it. Of this we have many proofs in the New Teftament. The gift of healing, for instance, was not exercised by the apostles at will; for if fo, we can hardly fuppofe that St. Paul would not have employed it for the advantage of Timothy, who laboured under << * many infirmities;" or of "Trophimus, whom he left at Mi"letus fick ;" and that he was equally limited in the power of foreseeing or predicting future events, is proved in this work, chap. ii. fect. 3, p. 75 to 78. But the gift of tongues, of the interpretation of tongues, of knowledge, of wisdom, of prayer, of thofe gifts fuited to the apostles, evangelifts, teachers, prefbyters, deacons, and other ftated offices in the church of Chrift, when communicated, were permanent. Now, if we admit this distinction, we fhall, as it seems to me, perceive that the diforderly ufe of fpiritual gifts, which is faid to have taken place in the religious affemblies of the Corinthian church, is perfeally confiftent with their fupernatural original. The gift

of healing could not be abufed, nor that of inflicting miraculous punishment, which the apoftles on fome occafions exercised, because the particular instance and mode in which they were exercifed, were determined by the very fame divine impulfe, which communicated the power to perform these miracles. With the gift of prophecy it was other wife, because though the foreknowledge of a future event was fupernaturally communicated; yet when the knowledge was infufed into the mind of the prophet, he was still a free agent as to the season and mode of communicating that knowledge to others. The fpirits of the "prophets (fays St. Paul) ‡are fubject to the prophets; for God "is not the author of confufion, but peace in the churches". that is, the prophets are not mere machines to proclaim the dictates of infpiration, for this would resemble the effects of fanatical delirium and convulfions, but free agents, able to select the occafion and mode of communicating the fupernatural knowledge they poffeffed foberly and orderly; but as men were

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+1 Cor. xiv. 32.

1 Tim. v. 23. 2 Tim. iv. 20. The obfervation of St. Paul in this paffage applies to teachers, which the original fignifics, but it is not the lefs important in our present argument.

not

not rendered infallible or impeccable, by poffeffing prophetic knowledge, they may be conceived to be led away by impatiénce, or even by oftentation, to choose an unseasonable time or manner of communicating it, though in whatever manner communicated, it could not fail of appearing fupernatural, and therefore of evincing the divine original of that religion, to establish which it was employed. What is here observed of prophecy, is much more obviously true of other fpiritual gifts of a more permanent, and, if I may express it fo, of a more independent nature. The perfon to whom the knowledge of a new language was fupernaturally communicated, must be conceived to employ this knowledge, without being in every paṛticular inftance of his doing fo, fupernaturally or forcibly over-ruled, and therefore may be conceived to have employed it in an unfeasonable or irregular manner; ftill, however, it would on the whole facilitate the diffusion, and prove the divine original of the gofpel. St. Paul feems, in his addrefs to the Corinthians on this fubject, to distinguish clearly between the perfection of morals, piety and wisdom, and the poffeffion of fpiritual gifts, and to represent humility, felf-government and vigilance, as necessary to the religious improvement and final falvation, even of those who were endowed with spiritual gifts of the most exalted and wonderful kind. Hence he * exhorts those who were fo endowed, "not to be puffed up, not to con"tend with each other for pre-eminence; he exhorts them to "prefer charity to all, &c." Such is the view which the fcripture exhibits to us of thefe gifts, which had, indeed, God for their author, but were dispensed through the medium of men, who could not but remain liable to fin and error.

Is not this representation equally free from the falsehood of hypocrify, which would conceal the errors and failings it could not but perceive, and from the blind prefumption of fanaticism, which would not perceive any fuch errors or failings to exist? Does it not bear the plainest characters of truth and nature, and add one to those numberlefs inftances of circumstances which, at firft fight, appear ftrongly objectionable, but which, on a closer view, are found to prove confirmations of the the truth and divinity of the gofpel fcheme?

* Vid. 1 Cor. xii. xiii. xiv.

If the reader wishes for further information on this fubject, he may confult Warburton's Doctrine of Grace, the five first chapters. Dr. Samuel Chandler's Sermons, vol. 1, Sermons 12th, 13th, and 14th, on the Defcent of the Holy Spirit, &c. and Leland's Anfwer to Morgan, chap. 13th.

"Obfervations on the community of goods, and the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira."

It may be fatisfactory to my younger readers to present them the following remarks, on the community of goods amongst the firft Chriftians at Jerufalem, collected from fome of the best commentators.

There feems to have been peculiar reafons which made this community of goods eligible at that time in Jerufalem. There were many ftrangers, who had come from great diftances to the feast of Pentecoft, and who would naturally be defirous to continue there much longer than they originally intended, in order to gain a thorough knowledge of the gofpel, which they had recently embraced; these would have a strong claim on the pious generofity of their fellow Chriftians, who were inhabitants of Jerufalem.

The apostles, and all the Chriftians, knew that Jefus had foretold the deftruction of Jerufalem would take place before that generation was paffed away; and therefore they may have thought it proper, while there was an opportunity, to improve to the beft ufe their eftates, which they could not long enjoy, by relieving their poorer brethren, and by enabling the first teachers to pursue their travels from place to place.

Many alfo of the apoftles, and others, who (like Barnabas) refolved to devote their whole future lives to preaching the gospel, would not want, in the execution of this task, more than the immediate necessaries of life, and would naturally devote their property to the fame caufe. And indeed they could but ill attend to the care of any property, while travelling and preaching to diffeminate the gofpel.

individaal to the comWhat St. Peter fays to

This furrender of the goods of each mon stock, was wholly unconstrained. Ananias was true of all ;-" while the land remained, was it

66 not thine own? and after it was fold, was it not in thine own

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power?"

They

They who gave up their goods had a right to claim fupport from the common stock. "Diftribution was made unto every

66 man, as he had need." The number of believers at Jerufalem was fo great, that the fhare of each would be inconfiderable, much too inconfiderable to induce the least suspicion, that converts could be allured by it; and it fhould not be forgot, that if this community of goods had been made a condition of Chriftianity, it would effectually deter the rich, and thus defeat itself.

It is beyond doubt this practice was never recommended for general adoption by any of the apoftles. Bounty to the poor, and a just attention to the wants of the minifters of the gospel, are frequently inculcated, particularly by St. Paul, who yet seems never to have used any supply of this kind, when he could poffibly fubfift by his own labour; for when he moft ftrongly enforces this right, in 1 Cor. ix. he has this remarkable appeal-" even fo hath the Lord ordained, that "they which preach the gospel, should live of the gospel; but "I have used none of these things, neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me; for it were better "for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying "void; for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to "glory of, for neceffity is laid upon me→ -yea, woe is unto me

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if I preach not the gospel, for if I do this thing willingly I "have my reward; but, if against my will, a dispensation of "the gofpel is committed to me; what is my reward then? "Verily, that when I preach the gospel, I may make the gof

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pel of Chrift without charge, that I abuse not my power in "the gospel." I might afk, is not this equally remote from enthusiasm and imposture? Would an enthufiaft thus juftify in others a principle which he would not carry into practice himfelf? or, would an impoftor fail to carry fuch a principle into practice?

I cannot avoid thinking that scarce any but perverted minds, could harbour a fufpicion against the apostles, on account of this circumftance. They all lived a life of poverty, toil and danger, and many of them died a death of torture, in order to teach the most exalted piety, and most difinterested virtue; and shall we fufpect them of being interefted men, because for fome time they prefided over the diftribution of a charitable fund, which they

1

very foon refused to do, alledging that it took up too much of their time from preaching the gofpel; and commanded the fociety to nominate other perfons to manage it. What grounds are here for fufpicion,

This community of goods is one of the many facts which are most unaccountable, if the miraculous part of the relation is falfe, most natural if this be true. What but the plain notoriety of these miracles could have fuch an influence on the richeft, and therefore the most enlightened profelytes? In a fyftem of cunning and deceit, is it likely this description of men would be the first and greateft dupes, and the ignorant multitude the first to profit by the deceit ?

But if we admit the truth of the hiftory, all is natural the rapid fucceffion of amazing difcoveries and stupendous miracles; the full and fenfible affurance of a future life and judgment; would fo overpower men's minds, as to render all the concerns of this life infignificant in their eftimation, and would naturally produce the effect defcribed in the Acts, which would be infinitely lefs likely to take place at any other ftage of the promulgation of the gospel, because Jerufalem was the fcene where all the miracles of our Lord had been recently wrought, which would thus at once rush into the recollection of the new converts, who were themfelves witneffes of the wonderful effufion of the spirit with most manifest demonstration of divine power. In fuch an unprecedented fituation, it is not furely to be wondered at, that men's minds fhould be worked up to an unprecedented degree of religious zeal and mutual benevolence. In other places the evidence of the gospel was exhibited more gradually, and the effects, though every where great, were also gradual.

To those who demand a resistless evidence, as the only one worthy of a divine revelation, I would obferve, with the acute and judicious Paley (Evidence of Christianity, chap. vi. fect. 3, p. 626, Dublin edit. 1795,) that we fee described in this paffage of fcripture what the natural effect of fuch a degree of evidence probably must be, and that if this state of mind were univerfal, or long continued, the bufinefs of this world could. not go on. This was however a noble inftance of that difintereftedness, self-denial, and benevolence, which the gospel was defigned to produce in theminds of men, and which is carefully

to