ustrate this very
point. The other passage, 1 Pet. iv. 10, 11, is of the very same import:
those in office are called to exercise their ministry faithfully,
whether it be in spiritual or temporal things, and are addressed as
stewards, ver. 10; "As every man hath received the gift, even so
minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace
of God." Some are led to mistake the meaning of these Scriptures, by
misunderstanding the word _gift_, as if it meant only talents or
qualifications; whereas, in these and many other passages, it means a
certain office and ministry to which one is appointed. Eph. iv. 8, 11:
He gave gifts unto men; he gave some apostles, some prophets, &c. 1 Tim.
iv. 14: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by
prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery." Timothy
was ordained to the office of the ministry in consequence of special
direction of the spirit of prophecy. See 1 Tim. i. 18.

3d. It is also supposed and much insisted on by some, that both precept
and example for the preaching of the gospel, by what they call every
gifted brother, may be found in 1 Cor. xiv. 31, which is particularly
urged in support of their opinion: "For ye may _all_ prophesy, one by
one, that _all_ may learn, and _all_ may be comforted." But universal
terms, such as are here used, are limited or extended according to the
subject; and that even in the same verse, as in chap. xv. 22. In like
manner here, the _all_ that may prophesy are not the same _all_ that may
learn and be comforted. The latter may extend to all the members of the
church, and even to strangers who might come into their assemblies; the
former could apply only to a few. Some members of the church are
expressly prohibited from public teaching, ver. 34. Besides, all were
not prophets, chap. xii. 29, and therefore all could neither prophesy,
nor could warrantably attempt it. The state of matters referred to in
that chapter seems to have been this: The church at Corinth was
numerous, and had many ministers, of whom the most, if not all, were
endowed with some miraculous power, such as that of prophecy, of
speaking strange languages, and the like; they were proud of these
gifts, and forward to show them, ver. 26, which occasioned disorder in
their assemblies for worship; those that had the gift of tongues
prevented the prophets, and did not modestly give place to one another.
These disorders the apostle r