1 Corinthians 12:31

REFLECTIONS

BLESSED God the Spirit! suffer my poor soul never to be ignorant of spiritual gifts! I know, indeed, 0 Lord, through thy divine quickenings, and gracious teachings, that like those Corinthians, I was once an ignorant, blind, and senseless Gentile; carried away unto the idols, and stumbling blocks of sin, and iniquity, which a fallen nature, under the dominion of Satan, had set up in my heart, Blessed be the Lord the Spirit, which brought me out of darkness, and hath enabled me to say, that Jesus is Jehovah, and my Lord! And I do desire to bless God the Holy Ghost, for all his spiritual gifts to me, to every child of God, yea, to the whole Church, Blessed be the Lord, for the numberless, nameless gifts, with which he blesseth the people! All are his. From the first moment, in which the Lord quickens the poor sinner, through all the vast diversities of gifts he bestows upon every saint, whether Prophet, Apostle, or Teacher; until he brings home the whole Church, rich, for glory in Christ; well do I know, and with holy joy confess, that it is the same GOD, which worketh all in all. Yes! thou Almighty Minister of the Church! sure I am, that all these worketh that One and the self-self Spirit, dividing to every man severally as lie will.

And blessed be thy Name, sweet and precious Jesus! thou, and thy Church are one. Many are the members of thy mystical body; yet, whether in Heaven or earth, still but one. Our Lord Jesus, our glorious Head, hath but one body. Our faithful Husband, but our Wife. Oh! then, do thou own, and bless, and sanctify, and keep, and love, and delight in thy Spouse, the Church! Make her, Lord! what thou wouldest have her to be. And at length bring her home, as one espoused by thyself, and presented by thyself, and to thyself, a glorious Church: the body of Christ, and members in particular, to be holy, and without blemish, before thee forever.