Media: the middle things, in reference to the first and last things: or, The means, duties, ordinances, both secret, private and publike, for continuance and increase of a godly life, once begun, till we come to Heaven. Wherein are discovered many blessed medium's or duties, in their right method, manner and proceedings; that so a Christian (the spirit of Christ assisting) may walk on in the holy path, which leads from his new birth to everlasting life. / Drawn, for the most part, out of the most eminently pious, and learned writings of our native practical divines: with additionals of his own, by Isaac Ambrose, minister of the Gospel at Preston in Amoundernes.

SECT. 2. Of a mutual exchange of gifts and graces.

AFter the Preparatives, we come to the Duties themselves; which consist,

1. In a mutual exchange and imparting of Gifts and Graces.

2. In a mutual serviceableness to the bodies and souls of one another.

3. In a mutual walking together, and holding of hands in the Ordinances of Christ.

1. There must be in Christian-Society, a mutual exchange and imparting of Gifts and Graces: God hath dispensed variety of gifts unto his people; as Job was exemplary for patience and uprightness; Moses for faithfulness and meekness; Josiah for tenderness and activity in the cause of Reformation; Timothy for Ministerial diligence and care of the flock: The gift of Christ is Grace, according to measure: He measures to one such gifts, to another such, to another such and such, as he pleaseth: Ʋnto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ: God gave the Spirit without measure unto Christ, but we have it according to our scantling, and as he pleaseth to honor and entrust us: To one is given the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another prophesie, to another the discerning of spirits, to another divers kindes of tongues: Thus every man hath his proper gift of God, One after this maner, and another after that: One hath quickness of parts, but not so solid a judge∣ment; another is solid, but not so ready and presential; one hath a good wit, another a good memory, a third a good ut∣terance; one is zealous, but ungrounded; another well princi∣pled, but timerous: One is wary and prudent, another open and plain hearted; one is trembling and melting, another chearful and full of joy: Now thus God freely gives, and most wisely disposeth, that we may be engaged to use his bounty to each

others help: The knowing Christian is to impart to him that is weak in gifts, and the zealous Christian that hath fewer notions, is to impart his warmth and heat to his knowing friend: The Christian that hath collected experiences, or found out methods, for the advancement of holiness, must not deny such knowledge to the body; Christians must drive an open and free trade, they must teach one another the mystery of godliness: Tell your ex∣periences, and tell your conflicts, and tell your comforts, make all that you have the bodies, and all the body hath, yours: Some say, The art of Medicine was thus perfected, as any one met with an herb, and discovered the vertue of it by any accident, he would post it up in some publique place, and so the Physitians skill was perfected, by a collection of those experiments and receipts: We must one day account how we have laid out our Knowledge, our Utterance, our spirit of Prayer, our Ability of discerning, our experience of God, our taste of the Promises, our enlargements after Prayer, our improvements by Conference, our comforts after private Humiliation, our strengthening by Sa∣craments, or what else may be instanc'd in for the use of others; how we got rid of such a lust, how we mastred such a temptation, how we attained to such a facility in this or that duty, and there must be this commerce among them that are in this heavenly partnership.

Notes

• Ephes 4.7.
• 1 Cor. 12.8, 9, 10.
• 1 Cor. 7.7.