Gifts of the Spirit

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. BY THOMAS AROLD, D.D.

1 COBITHIAS xii. 14. The body is not one member ^ but many. The chapter from which these words are taken, the lesson for this evening's service, is one of those passages in St. Paul's epistles, the wisdom and profit of which are most inexhaustible, and yet have been most neglected. or is this t6 be wondered at, when we know how little able men are to go beyond the letter for any good and wise purposes, however fondly they may depart from it in the way of fancy and superstition. ow this chapter speaks of the miraculous the Holy Spirit, suchgifts as they were joyed in thegifts earlyofchurch ; and as these have longensince ceased, it may seem to tliose who follow the letter of a rule without entering into its spirit, that the directions given with regard to these gifts have ceased to be of importance also. Whereas it is manifest that a moral rule applies to the reason of a case, and not to the particular form which it may happen to wear in any one age or countrv. And thiLs, as St. PauFs rule here is a moral one, and teaches us how we should act and feel with respect to God's gifts, it matters not that the particular gifts to which it is actually applied in the Epistle to the Corinthians are no longer in existence, if we know that other gifts of God are in existence, which, like those s poken

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. 221 of by the Apostle, may either be used or abused ; may either excite in us good feelings or the contrary. ow, first of all, the gifts of the Holy Spirit were

given according to His will. * He divideth to every man severally as He will.' This is one point. And again, these gifts were not the greatest perfection of a man's nature ; he might have the very highest of them, and yet perish everlastingly ; ' Covet earnestly the best gifts ; and yet show I unto you a more excellent way ; for though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.' This is another point. Thirdly, these gifts were given to enable him who had them to do good to others ; ' The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.' This is a third point. ow then, if there are any gifts of God now enjoyed by us, in which all these three points are to be found : gifts given according to God's free pleasure gifts which we may have in the highest measure and yet;perish ; but at the same time, gifts which may enable lis to do good to others, and therefore are highly valuable and earnestly to be coveted, — then St. Paul's rules, with regard to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, are applicable to us now. It is most evident that there are such gifts ; and that we all are, more or less, partakers of them. ay, so close an analogy exists between what we call the course of nature, that is, the course of God's ordinary providence, and the dispensation of grace, that is, the course of His special providence, that it might be possible to go through the several gifts mentioned by the Apostle, a nd to find for each of them some strictly corres ponding gift in God's dealings with us now. Yet, lest we should be driven into any thing like extravagance by so insisting on this paral-

222 GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. lei as to fiwicy a resemblance beyond reality, it will be

better simply to notice what are, beyond question, God's gifts to us now ; as freely given, as capable of being made useful, as capable also of being separated from that holiness which alone shall see God, as were the gifts of the church of Corinth. ^ Consider for a moment ; let each of us think within himself whether he has not some power, some talent, some taste, some advantage of one sort or another, in which he feels that his main strength lies ; something particularly capable of improvement, and which beyond other points in him, would reward the care spent on its cultivation. Perhaps some may doubt this, from being accustomed to confine the notion of God's gifts to something which they consider very high and important : they would never dream of carrying it down to little things. Yet what is the Apostle's comparison : ' those members of the body which seem tobody be more feebleliaving are necessary ; God hath tempered the together, given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.' I may safely use these words, as confirming what our reason will show us, if we apply to it, that God is the author and giver of the least of our gifts, faculties, tastes, talents, and advantages, no less than of what we call the highest. Bearing this in mind, and extending as widely as possible the notion that all that we have comes from God, these three great points form St. Paul's rule for us to follow : — that every gift is a means of good ; that no gift extends to our highest spiritual good ; that we should vidue every gift, however humble, and not despis e our neighbour because his gift is not the same as ours. These are the great points of St. Paul's lesson, which we may now proceed to consider particularly, each in its order. I. Every gift is a means of good. It is easy to moralize, as has been done very strikingly and beautiftdly by various writers, on the vanity of human wishes, in beino-

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. 223 anxious for wealth, for talents, for beauty, for influence ; things which so often tend to the ruin of their possessor rather than to his good. This has been truly said ; for the very fact of over-anxiously desiring these things, or of desiring them at all w ithout desiring something better, — even that grace of God which keeps all our life and being in healthful order, — is a sign that we shall use them amiss. But God gives to some these gifts, and to others other gifts ; in many cases without their wishing for them at all. A healthy constitution, a strong understanding, a vigorous body, quick senses, acute and accurate tastes, the inheritance of a competent fortune, or of a noble name, — these are given without our searching, given before we were able to search, given at our first entrance into the world, or atour any ratedestiny. before But our there own exertions couldtoat all determine own are gifts also be traced, not only in faculties granted, but in sensibilities withheld. There are constitutions of mind and body so acutely sensible to things painful, whether physically or morally, that to them certain situations and duties in life are almost necessarily closed; their nature would sink imder the effort which strove to force it to endure them. Then there come the mass of mankind, not feeling this pain so overwhelmingly, but yet feeling it strongly ; to whom the endurance of particular callings would be, if not an impossible effort, yet a great one : necessity alone could urge them to make it. But beyond these, there are persons also whose nature scarcely feels this pain at all ; who without distress to themselves can witness scenes most repulsive to many natures, and who are thus enabled to do great good. Who will deny that this less sensitive nature is a gift, as well as the more sensitive one ? gifts given, it is true, for different purposes, and leading to different lines of duty, but both gi ven to us to profit withal ; to do good to our Christian brethren. This instance will be sufficient to show what I \s^