For I say, through the grace given unto me
The Ethiopic version reads, the grace of God: and so two of
Stephens's copies. By which the apostle intends, not that
internal grace which was wrought in his soul; nor the Gospel of
the grace of God, which he preached; nor the gifts of grace,
which qualified him for that service; but the grace of
apostleship, or that authoritative power, which he, as the
apostle, received from Christ to say, command, give orders and
instructions to churches, and particular persons:
to every man that is among you:
every member of the church, in whatsoever state or condition,
whether in office or not; of whatsoever abilities or capacity,
having gifts, whether more or less; the manifestation of the
Spirit being given to everyone to profit with, for his own and
the good of others:
not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to
think;
that is, either not to arrogate to himself what does not belong
to him, and detract from others, who may have equal, if not
superior, abilities to him; or not to glory in what he has, as if
he had not received it, and as if it was altogether owing to his
own sagacity, penetration, diligence, and industry; or not to
search into things too high for him that are out of his reach,
and beyond his capacity; though this is not to be understood as
discouraging a search into the Scriptures of truth, the more
difficult parts of it, and the more knotty points of controversy;
but as forbidding inquiry into things not lawful to be searched
into, or, if lawful, as requiring such a scrutiny to be made with
modesty, and an humble dependence on superior light and
assistance, and a discovery of it with humility and lowliness of
mind;
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
man the
measure of faith:
such ought to consider that what gifts, abilities, light, and
knowledge they have, they have then, not of themselves, but from
God; that they have not all faith, and all knowledge, or do not
know the whole of the faith of the Gospel only a measure of it,
which is dealt out, divided, and parted to every man, some having
a greater degree of evangelical light than others; and that all
have some, but none all. The Syriac version renders it, "faith in
measure"; one of Stephens's copies reads, "the measure of grace";
see ( Ephesians
4:7 ) .