Wesley Corpus

Hermas. Now, if those gifts had subsisted after the days of the Apostles, these must have possessed a large share of them. But if any of them had, he would have mentioned it in his writings, which not one of them has done.” (Page 3.) The argument, fully proposed, runs thus: If any such gifts had subsisted in them, or in their days, they must have mentioned them in their circular Epistles to the Churches; (for so their predecessors, the Apostles, did;) but they did not mention any such gifts therein. Sir, your consequence is not of any force; as will easily appear by a parallel argument:-- If such gifts had subsisted in St. Peter, or in his days, he must have mentioned them in his circular Epistles to the Churches. But he does not mention any such gifts therein. Therefore, they did not subsist in him, or in his days. Your argument therefore proves too much : Nor can it conclude against an apostolic Father, without concluding against the Apostle too. If therefore the apostolic Fathers had not mentioned any miraculous gifts in their circular Epistles to the Churches, you could not have inferred that they possessed none; since neither does he mention them in his circular Epistles, whom you allow to have possessed them. Of all the Apostles, you can produce but one, St. Paul, who makes mention of these gifts: And that not in his circular Epis tles to the Churches; for I know not that he wrote any such. 2. All this time I have been arguing on your own suppo sitions, that these five apostolic Fathers all wrote circular Epistles to the Churches, and yet never mention these gifts therein. But neither of these suppositions is true. For, (1.) Hermas wrote no Epistle at all. (2.) Although the rest wrote Epistles to particular Churches, (Clemens to the Corinthians, Ignatius to the Romans, &c.,) yet not one of them wrote any circular Epistle to the Churches, like those of St. James and St. Peter; unless we allow that to be a genuine Epistle, which bears the name of St. Barnabas. (3.) You own they all “speak of spiritual gifts, as abounding among the Christians of that age;” but assert, “These cannot mean anything more than faith, hope, and charity.” (Ibid.) You assert: But the proof, Sir! I want the proof.