receive something of them. Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have, give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” "And as the lame man, who was healed, held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go." "And his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea, the faith which is by him, hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." Here we have a plain and intelligible. illustration of the faith of miracles, or that faith to which the promise in the text was made. Peter knew that Christ had given him the peculiar power of working miracles, and that he had promised to assist him in working any miracle, upon the condition of his exercising faith in that promise to assist him. Accordingly, in the exercise of faith in that promise, he said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Saving faith consists in cordially approving the way of salvation by Christ; but the faith of miracles consisted in believing his promise to assist those, whom he had endowed with miraculous power, to perform any miracle which they desired to perform. It is easy to see that a faith founded upon a promise, very different from a faith that is not founded upon a promise. Christ did promise those whom he had endowed with miraculous power, that he would assist them in working any miracle, if they would believe in his promise of assistance. Those, therefore, who exercised the faith of miracles in the primitive days of Christianity, could give as good a reason for their peculiar faith, as others could for their faith in the gospel. Though their faith of miracles was different from saving faith, yet it was built upon as plain, as intelligible, and as firm a foundation, as saving faith; for it was built upon a divine promise, which they were bound to believe. It now remains to inquire,

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IV. Whether christians, at this day, have a right to apply the promise in the text to themselves in any case whatever, or whether ministers, at this day, have a right to say to christians, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Some devout divines have applied this promise to christians, and some devout christians have applied it to

themselves, and professed to have acted under the influence of it. But it is a very serious and important question, whether this be not a misunderstanding, a misapplying, and a perverting of the promise. And perhaps it will appear in this light, if we consider the following observations.

1. This promise was made to particular persons, and in respect to a particular object. It was made to those who possessed miraculous powers, and with respect to their exercising those powers. All the primitive christians were not endowed with supernatural gifts. Though these were bestowed as largely and generally upon the church of Corinth, as upon any other christian church at that day, yet Paul asked, "Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" Many were converted some time before they received miraculous gifts. Hence Paul asked certain disciples whom he found at Ephesus, " Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? and they said, Unto John's baptism." He then told them, that John baptized his converts upon their faith in Him who was to come. "And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laids his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied." When the evangelist Philip had preached the gospel in Samaria and converted many, Peter and John, two apostles, were sent thither; "And when they had come down, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them; only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus;) then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." Their receiving the Holy Ghost signified their receiving the gift of miracles, and not the gift of special grace. This the converts had received before the apostles laid their hands upon them. As the gift of the Holy Ghost was not conferred upon all christians, so none but those upon whom that gift was conferred, possessed miraculous powers, and had a right to claim the promise in the text, and to presume to act by virtue of it. The gift of miracles was like the gift of prophecy. When a man had received the gift of prophecy, he was established as a prophet, and had a right to depend upon a prophetic spirit. After Samuel had once received the gift of prophecy, all Israel knew that he was established to be a prophet of the Lord. So when a christian had once received the gift of the Holy Ghost, he had a right to work miracles,

and to claim the promise in the text. Though we cannot tell how a man, who had received the gift of prophecy, knew that he had received that gift, nor how a christian, who had received the gift of miracles, knew that he had received that gift; yet we must suppose that a man who had received the gift of prophecy, knew that he had received it, and that a christian, who had received the gift of miracles, knew that he had received it. As those, therefore, who had received the gift of the Holy Ghost, knew that they had received it, so they had a right to apply the promise in the text to themselves; but as those who had not received the gift of the Holy Ghost, must have known that they had not received it, so they had no right to apply the promise in the text to themselves. It hence follows that christians at this day, who have not received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and know that they have not received it, have no right to apply the promise in the text to themselves; nor to pray for any supernatural gift, believing that they shall receive it, by virtue of the promise.

2. If christians at this day apply the promise in the text to themselves, they must do it upon the principle that believing a thing to be true, will make it true, which we know is false. Some of the Jews in Christ's day believed that he was a temporal prince, and would deliver their nation from all their temporal enemies; but this did not make it true. The Jews in general since that time, have believed that Christ was an impostor; but this has not made it true. Paul believed that he was a good man, and stood high in the favor of God, before he was converted; but this did not make it true. If any thing be not true before it is believed to be true, the believing of it to be true cannot make it so. If the promise in the text was not made to any who had not received the Holy Ghost, then if any who have not received the Holy Ghost believe that it is made to them, their believing this to be true will not make it true. There is no doubt but that some christians in these latter days, have believed that the promise in the text was made to them, and have prayed for particular favors, with a strong belief that the particular favors they prayed for would be granted according to their faith, but have commonly, if not always, been disappointed.

3. It appears from the limitation of the promise in the text, that it cannot apply to christians at this day. The promise was limited to those only who had received the Holy Ghost, and in respect to his supernatural gifts alone. It gave them no assurance that, if they prayed for any thing except some supernatural gift, they should certainly receive it. And since those who had received the Holy Ghost, had no right to exercise faith in this

promise in respect to any common favors, it necessarily follows that common christians, at this day, have no right to exercise faith in this promise, in respect to praying for common favors. It is absurd to suppose that all things whatsoever christians at this day shall ask in prayer, believing, they shall receive, when this was not true in regard to those who had received the gift of the Holy Ghost. This would be to suppose that, if any particular christian now should ask for any particular grace, believing he should receive it, he would receive it; or if he should ask to be preserved from any particular danger, believing that he should be preserved, he would be preserved; or if he should ask for temporal prosperity, believing it should be granted, it would be granted. If it be absurd to suppose these things, then it is absurd to suppose that christians, at this day, have a right to apply the promise in the text to themselves in any case whatever. I may add,

4. We have reason to believe that pious persons have often prayed properly for particular favors, and yet have been denied. David fasted and prayed for his sick child, that it might live; but it died. Paul prayed that the thorn in his flesh, whatever it was, might be removed; but instead of removing it, "the Lord said, my grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul had undoubtedly read and believed the promise in the text, when he besought the Lord thrice that the thorn in his flesh might depart from him; but he did not exercise faith in the promise, because he knew it did not respect natural, but only supernatural gifts. Christ prayed repeatedly and fervently that the cup of suffering might pass from him; but that cup did not pass from him. Though he knew that his Father always heard and approved his prayers, yet he did not always expect that he would always grant whatever he prayed for, except he prayed for some miraculous gift; and then it was always granted as he expected. These instances clearly show that christians, at this day, have no right to apply the promise in the text to themselves, nor to exercise faith in it, in praying for any thing whatsoever.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If the apostles, and primitive preachers and professors of Christianity, were endowed with supernatural gifts, then we can easily account for the rapid and extensive spread of the gospel, for three or four hundred years after its first publication. All civil and ecclesiastical historians agree in the fact, that the gospel did spread far and wide in that period of the church, without the aid of civil or military power, and in opposition to

Jewish prejudices, and heathen superstition, idolatry, learning and philosophy. Gibbon, and other deistical writers, have endeavored to account for this event, without a divine and miraculous interposition in favor of Christianity. But they can give no satisfactory evidence in support of their infidel opinion. The inspired writers alone give us full and infallible information upon this subject. The account they give us of the supernatural powers conferred on the apostles and their followers, constrains us to believe that the gospel must have triumphed over all opposition, wherever it was carried by men armed with miraculous powers. Not only the apostles, but all the churches which they planted, possessed a great variety of supernatural gifts. They possessed the word of wisdom, which enabled them to understand and explain the Old Testament types and predictions of Christ. They possessed the power of prophecy, which enabled them to foretell future events. They possessed the gift of tongues, which enabled them to speak to every nation in their own language. They possessed the power of casting out evil spirits, and of healing all manner of bodily diseases and infirmities. The frequent exercise of such supernatural powers must have carried an irresistible conviction to the minds of men, of the truth, divinity and importance of the gospel, which they heard preached with the utmost clearness and pungency. It is not by any means incredible, that the preaching of the gospel, attended by a combination of supernatural powers, should confound the heathen priests, silence the heathen oracles, overturn the heathen temples, and subvert the whole system of heathen idolatry, superstition and fanaticism. No mere human power and exertion can account for the astonishing spread of the gospel in the primitive times of Christianity; and nothing short of those supernatural powers bestowed upon the propagators of it, could have enabled them to produce the great and glorious effects which it is universally acknowledged they did produce. And since such miraculous powers were absolutely necessary to promote the spread of the gospel through Judea, Asia, and the whole Roman empire, at first, it is very reasonable to suppose that those supernatural gifts were continued in the church so long, and no longer than they were necessary to promote the gospel. Accordingly, the best historians tell us that they gradually decreased, and finally ceased about the close of the third century.

2. If christians have no right, at this day, to apply the promise in the text to themselves, then they have no right to pray for any favor, whether temporal or spiritual, private or public, absolutely and unsubmissively. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of