no sin imputed to them, perfected for ever, knowing they were forgiven and were sons, having personal consciousness of their relationship with God, accepted in the beloved, having full assurance of faith and hope, a confidence they were warned to hold fast; and, as to service, gifts from on high, through the power of the Holy Ghost, imposed on every one the duty of service according to the gift he had received and the order prescribed in the word. If he had two talents or five talents, he was to trade with them—a wicked and slothful servant if he did not; as every man had received the gift, he was so to minister the same, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; women were to keep silence in the assemblies; men were to exercise their gifts according to prescribed order; these gifts were set in the whole church at large, and exercised according to God’s will, as a distinct member of the one whole body. Some were signs of power (as to which there is no promise of continuance), others, the fruit of Christ’s faithful care of His body—two of these being the foundation—to continue till we all come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: besides this, the edifying and growth of the body was carried on by that which every joint supplied, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part.
Such was the christian state scripturally, known personal relationship with God, according to the efficacy of Christ’s redemption, and the Holy Ghost given to each and working in each as seemed good to Him, Christ giving from on high assuredly what was needed for the accomplishment of the assembly as His body, and these gifts operating in those that had them as members of the one body, and set in the assembly as a whole, in no
