sectarian parties of the present time, that God specially calls men to their ministries.
The New Testament ministry was an inspired ministry, and to it, of necessity, belonged the miracle working power. The Holy Spirit was not only with them as the Spirit of inspiration, but also as the Spirit of confirmation. Inspiration was ever for the purpose of giving the counsel of God to man. It was not only necessary for that counsel to be revealed, but highly essential that it be confirmed. The inspired messengers of heaven, hence, were always prepared to demonstrate the truthfulness of their message by miraculous attestation. Thus Paul could say: "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."—I. Cor. 2: 4, 5.
We are here told the purpose of all miracle working power. It was to demonstrate the source and truthfulness of the heavenly message. The faith of God's people resting in the word thus confirmed rests in the power of God. Man's faith resting in anything else it rests in the mechanism of men and demons. Of the apostles it is said: "And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following."—Mark 16: 20. Not a man since the apostles' day could say as Paul said to the Corinthians, neither can it be said of any set of men since that day as was said of the apostles in Mark 16: 20. It would have been ridiculous, in the extreme, for an apostle to have gone to Asia, Africa or Europe, and, as proof of what he preached, told the people that a certain miracle was wrought in Judea, and one in Samaria. The ridiculousness of these modern pretenders to apostolic power beggars description! They are false apostles, deceitful workers. We need not be surprised that such are at work, for Satan, we are told, is transformed into an angel of light. If we could get all these modern pretenders to miracle
