the reft of the apoftles; fo he seems to imply it in another, where he fpeaks of himself, as having received the first fruits of the Spirit, as well as other apostles; "for we ourselves "(fays he), who have received the first fruits "of the Spirit, groan within ourselves, &c." Now firft-fruits fignifies a fmall, but the choiceft portion of that kind of which they were the firft-fruits. So that the meaning of the first-fruits of the Spirit, are the choicest gifts of the Spirit; which, as we have obferved before, were given immediately by the falling down of the Holy Ghost, without the intervention of hands; and particularly on the apostles, who had the highest and the greatest variety of spiritual gifts. And that "we" figfies "we apoftles," in oppofition to "the rest "of the creatures," or "new creation, or the "reft of chriftians," will appear to those who confider the context f. And if fo, St. Paul here implies, that he, as well as the reft of the apostles, received the gifts of the Holy Ghoft, by the Holy Ghost's falling down on him immediately, as on them, without the intervention of hands.

There is another objection to this affertion, and which may, at the fame time, be likewife c Rom. viii. 23.

d

Ι

I Cor. xv. 20. 23. Rom. xvi. 5. 1 Cor. i. 15, 16. James i. 18.

e

So that expreffion more plainly fignifies, James i. 18. 4 See Limborch in loc.

confidered as an exception against one of the inftances I have brought, to fhew that the Holy Ghoft was conferred by the laying on of the hands of the apostles, which is the cafe of Timothy, who has been generally thought to have received the gifts of the Holy Ghost, "by the laying on of hands of the prefby"tery" whereas I have afferted he received them from Paul. But I do not fee how Ti mothy's receiving those gifts" by the laying "on of the hands of the prefbytery," is reconcilable with St. Paul's expreffly faying it was "by the laying on of his hands;" for it is fuppofed by all, that this was the fame gift mentioned by St. Paul, 2 Tim. i. 6. And that it is the fame gift, appears not only from the very fame word being ufed in both places, xápioμa; but from that word's always fignifying fome gift; and fignifying always, except once, a gift of God: And of the fixteen times it is ufed in the New Teftament, fignifying eleven times the gift of the Holy Ghoft, but never once an office. And how is it reconcilable to good fenfe, or St. Paul's humility, for him to affume or arrogate that to the laying on of his hands only, which was due to the laying on of his hands but in conjunction with the laying on of the hands of fo many others? Nor do I fee, how this can be reconciled to the whole current of fcripture, which afcribes this power always See the Firft Effay.

1 Tim. iv. 14.

tq

to the apostles, and never gives us a fingle inftance of its being given by an elder, though the next in rank to the apoftles. Nay, if Philip was an elder, as I have juft now shewn we have great reafon to believe, it appears that an elder could not confer the Holy Ghoft by the laying on of his hands, from the hiftory of the conversion of the Samaritans *. I obferve therefore, that the text runs thus; neglect not the gift that is in thee, which "was given thee by prophecy" (did wpopnléas) (or "according to the prophecy concerning "thee," "with" (uera) not "by" (dia)" the laying on of the hands of the prefbytery." Laying on of hands was a fign that accompanied bleffing and prayer. See the Third Effay. I fhall not repeat all that I fay there to prove it. I fhall only mention this, that "when

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they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul "after they had fafted and prayed',” it is faid to be nothing more, than a recommending "them to the grace of God m." And fo the church of Antioch recommended Paul a fecond time to the grace of God"; and, as is highly probable, by fafting and prayer, and the laying on of hands. I take the fenfe, therefore, of this place to be, " neglect not "the gift of an evangelift that was given

* A&ts viii. 12—20. Ibid. xiv, 26.

1 Ibid. xiii. 3.

n Ibid. xv. 40.

• From the fame expreffion being used as in Acts xiv. 26.

+

G 4

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thee,

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"thee, by the putting on of my hands, accor ing to the prophecy of a prophet, or prophets, concerning thee, to whom it was re"vealed by the Spirit, that thou woulst be fit "for the work which thou waft to under"take; and that thou wouldeft not neglect, "but ftir up the gift that fhould be given "thee, by the laying on of my hands: other"wife I fhould not have ventured to have prayed for the gifts of an evangelift for thee, "or laid my hands on thee in the hope of thy obtaining it, confidering thy youth: "but the prophecies made of thee were a fuf"ficient warrant for me to pray to God and lay my hands on thee for this purpose. "And which when I had done, the prefbytery, or all the elders at Derbe or Lyftra "recommended thee to the grace of God, praying for a bleffing on thy gifts and la"bours; laying their hands on thee, when they prayed for that bleffing; according to "the custom ufual in fuch cafes."

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Thus, I hope, I have proved my affertion, "that the apoftles, and none but apostles, "had the power of conferring the gifts "of the Holy Ghoft; and that this was the "moft diftinguishing badge of their office;" and have answered the exceptions that may be made against it.

I now proceed to fhew, that as St. Paul had thefe extraordinary powers, in common

with the rest of the apoftles; fo he seems to have had one, which was peculiar to him

felf;" at least, that he had one, which we have no account of in any of the other apoftles: which is, the power he fometimes had "of feeing what was done in the Gentile churches at a distance; and of being prefent with them when abfent;" as Elifha, by his prophetic fpirit, went with Gehazi, and faw his receiving a prefent from Naaman the Syrian P. We have one inftance of this in St. Paul, in the epiftle to the Coloffians, where he tells them, that though he was "absent in the flesh, yet he was prefent in

Spirit, joying, and beholding their order,

and the ftedfastness of their faith in Chrift." And we have another inftance in his epistle to the Corinthians', where he tells them, that "he, as abfent in body, but prefent in "Spirit, had judged already, as though he "was prefent, concerning him that had done "that deed. In the name of the Lord Jefus "Chrift (fays he), when ye are gathered to"gether, and my Spirit, with the power of "the Lord Jefus to deliver fuch an one to "Satan, &c." Perhaps this gift might be imparted to him, confidering the vast extent of his province, and the great number of churches he had under his care, for the

P2 Kings v. 26.

ï Cor. v. 3, 4

4 Col. ii. 5.

greater