Two discourses concerning the Holy Spirit, and His work the one, Of the Spirit…

(§ 8.) 5. THE Eminency of this Gift appears in the Variety and Diversity of the Offices and Officers which Christ gave in giving of the Ministry. He knew there would, and had appointed there should be a two-fold Estate of the Church, ver. 10. (1) Of it's first Election and Foundation. (2) Of it's Building and Edification; and different both ⟨p. 229⟩Offices and Gifts were necessary unto these different States. For, (1) Two things were extraordinary in the first Erection of his Church. (1) An extraordinary Aggression was to be made upon the Kingdom of Satan in the World, as upheld by all the Potentates of the Earth, the concurrent Suffrage of Mankind, with the Interest of Sin and Prejudices in them. (2) The casting of Men into a new Order, under a new Rule and Law, for the Worship of God, that is, the planting and erecting of Churches all the World over. With respect unto these Ends extraordinary Officers with extraordinary Authority, Power and Abilities were requisite. Unto this end therefore he gave some Apostles, some Prophets, and some Evangelists, of the Nature of whose Offices and their Gifts we have spoken before. I shall here only add, that it was necessary that these Officers should have their immediate Call and Authority from Christ, antecedent unto all Order and Power in the Church. For the very Being of the Church depended on their Power of Office: But this without such an immediate Power from Christ no Man can pretend unto. And what was done originally by their Persons, is now done by their Word and Doctrine: For the Church is built on the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the Chief Corner-stone, Eph. 2. 20. (2ly) There was a state of the Church in it's Edification, which was to be carried on according to the Rules and Laws given by Christ in the ordinary Administration of all the Ordinances and Institutions of the Gospel. To this end Christ gives ordinary Officers, Pastors and Teachers, who by his Direction were ordained in every Church, Acts 14. 23, 24. ⟨p. 230⟩And these are all the Teaching Officers that he hath given unto his Church. Or if any shall think that in the Enumeration of them in this place, as also