PERPETUITY OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
THE apostle presents the gifts more fully in 1 Cor. xii, 28. "And God set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." God set them in the church. And where is the text that declares that they have been set out of the church? We offer a reward of $500 to any one who will find one text in the New Testament which teaches that the gifts have been by divine authority taken from the church. Readers, search carefully. It is time that this subject be fully tested by the Scriptures. Here are eight gifts mentioned, and given in their order of importance. That "first," "secondarily," "thirdly," and so on, refer to importance, and not to time, is evident from the fact that Paul in this connection dwells largely upon the relative value of some of the gifts, and in verse 31 says, "Covet earnestly the best gifts." Upon this passage H. L. Hastings gives the following novel comments, which we take from his article headed, The Pastoral Work, and the various Gifts of the Church, published in the World's Crisis of Dec. 4, 1861: "But God hath set some in the church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." 1 Cor. xii, 28. And if God has set them in the church, they ought to be in the church now, and in it always. Truly spoken; but what do you mean by 'in the church'? Do you mean by it in your little, narrow, contemptible, bigoted society or sect? If so, let me say I do not think it is big enough to hold one apostle, much less a dozen. Possibly if Paul was in it now, i. e., in your church, you would very soon turn him out. But the apostles are in the church. The church is one body. Successive generations do not make successive churches, nor do they mar the unity of the 'one body,' and the one building. Paul is in the church to-day, sleeping in Jesus though he be; "being dead, yet speaketh." God hath set the apostles 'in the church;' but where? We set great stones in a building, but where? In the roof, in the sides, all along up and down? No; but in the foundation! There is just where God set the apostles FIRST; not second, third, or fourth; but he hath 'set some in the church; FIRST, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers;' and in this divine arrangement the church is 'built upon the foundation of the APOSTLES and prophets; Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone.' Eph. ii, 20. There is where God put the apostles 'in the church.' Let them stay there then; or at least if others come, let each of them show 'the signs of an apostle,' 'with all patience,' before we be required to believe. We can hardly tell who was designed to be hit in this extract, or who the gentleman has not hit in his article with his wordy, egotistical, sarcastic, sneering pen. Some think him very eloquent. "Your little, narrow, contemptible, bigoted society or sect." Wonder how large his church is! He seems to be driving in his peculiar style at almost everybody excepting himself. A year or two since he opposed anything like the name of Adventists, or Advent Believers, to the annoyance of some of his friends who still loved the Advent name. May be he regards himself alone as constituting the only true church on earth. But it may appear that in wielding his mighty pen he has also hit himself. Let us examine the extract. 1. "Paul is in the church to-day." How is he in the church? "Being dead, yet speaketh." That is, he speaks through his writings. In this way the "dozen" or twelve apostles are said to be in the church. But have we the writings of the twelve apostles? If we have, according to H. they are all in the church. If not, then they are not in the church. It is a fact that we have in the New Testament the writings of but five of the chosen twelve, namely, Matthew, John, Peter, James, and Jude. 2. Says H., "God hath set the apostles in the church; but where? We set great stones in a building, but where? In the roof, in the sides, all along up and down? No; but in the foundation! There is just where God set the apostles FIRST; not second, third, or fourth; but he hath set some in the church; FIRST, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers." We understand him. The twelve apostles are, FIRST, the foundation; prophets are, secondarily, shall we say, the first floor; teachers, thirdly, the second floor; miracles, the third; gifts of healings, the fourth; helps, the fifth; governments, the sixth floor in this stupendous structure, and diversities of tongues, the roof, which must represent the very time in which H. flourishes as a teacher of these things. Diversities of tongues! Yes, yes; but a gift of fallen nature, and not of the Spirit of God. But if "first," "secondarily," "thirdly," &c., are to be understood in point of time, and hence the words, "first, apostles," proves that there can be no apostles of the Lord only the twelve, then it follows that none of the gifts, excepting apostles, were genuine during the lifetime of the twelve. But what strikes the bottom out of this novelty is the fact that there were prophets, miracles, &c., &c., in the days of the twelve. "Secondarily, prophets." Not first, not thirdly, but secondarily, of course, in the second century, after the death of the apostles. "Thirdly, teachers." Not first, secondarily, or fourthly, but thirdly, teachers, and according to H.'s view of the order of the gifts in point of time, teachers would come in just after his prophetic age, probably in the third and fourth centuries. "Let them stay there then!" But hold: Paul was a teacher in the first century, and H. seems to be eminently such in the nineteenth century! It seems that "Mormons, Irvingites," and H. L. H., all fall into the same error, that the apostles, or the sent, of the Lord were only a 'dozen.' No one questions but what Paul was an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hear him. 1 Cor. xv, 5. Speaking of Christ he says, "And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve." Verse 8. "Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one that was born out of due time." This makes a dozen and one. Paul was seen and sent of the Lord. No one will deny this. He was an apostle of the Lord, as verily as either of the twelve. But he was not seen and sent by the Lord in the same manner the twelve apostles were. They were personally with the Lord on earth. Paul saw the Lord in a vision [Acts xxvi, 12-19], and in this way received his commission as an apostle of the Lord. But what was the seal of Paul's apostleship? Some think it consisted in his having seen the Lord, hence they suppose that none are the apostles of the Lord only those who saw him while on earth. But here is trouble, for Paul did not thus see him. We will let the apostle speak for himself as to the seal of his apostleship. 1 Cor. ix, 1, 2. "Am I not an apostle? Am I not free?" Yes, Paul; but is freedom the seal of your apostleship? He continues, "Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Yes, Paul, you saw him in vision; but if that constitutes you an apostle, then all who have visions of the Lord, even the servants and handmaidens of the last days who are to have visions, and prophesy, are apostles. But he still continues. Hear him. "Are ye not my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you; for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord." These were converted through Paul's labors, and were the seal that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ. Again Paul speaks for himself in the opening statement of his epistle to the Galatians. Hear him. "Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father." Apostle signifies one sent. Jesus Christ is called an apostle, for he was the sent of God. Paul tells the brethren at Galatia that he is an apostle, that is, he is one sent; but "not of men, neither by man," therefore he was not the apostle of the Romans, nor the Corinthians, the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, nor the Thessalonians. But he was the apostle, the sent, of "Jesus Christ, and God the Father." Hence Paul was in the highest sense an apostle of Jesus Christ.