from "Gifts of the Spirit" by William Booth, an excerpt

http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_007.pdf

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
(by William Booth, in the WAR CRY March 14th 1885)
My Dear Comrades:
A good deal of attention is being given just now to what are known as the
extraordinary 'gifts of the Spirit'; that is, the ability to do something which is
beyond the power of man to do without the direct operation of God. Such gifts as
these were, without doubt, possessed by the Apostles both before and after the
death of our Lord. They had the gift of tongues; that is, they received suddenly
the power to speak languages which they had never learned. They had the gift of
healing; that is, they cured the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, unstopped the
ears of the deaf, and restored the dead to life instantaneously without the use of
ordinary means. They wrought miracles; they caused to happen that were
contrary to the usual course of nature. These were very remarkable gifts, proving
that God was
with them, because no man could do these things unless God was operating
directly through him.
These gifts were useful, inasmuch as they called attention to those who
possessed them, declared that the mission of these Officers was Divine, and
justified men everywhere in believing what they had to say.
For this reason they were important to the world, and their possession today
might be a great blessing to mankind. There is not a word in the Bible which
proves that we might not have them at the present time, and there is nothing in
experience to show they would not be as useful today as in any previous period
of the Church's history. No man, therefore, can be condemned for desiring them,
and the recent remarkable signs and wonders wrought amongst us not only
demand, but shall have our most profound and sympathetic consideration.
But it has occurred to me that, while desiring these extraordinary gifts, some of
us may be neglecting forces and powers already existing within an amongst us
that are equal to- perhaps greater in value than- those thus coveted.
The Apostle exhorts the early saints to 'stir up the gifts that were in them.' These
gifts were imparted by God and were important to the War- but they lay dormant,
and therefore useless; and the Holy Ghost urges their possessors to stir these
gifts, to wake them from slumber and get them to work in helping to save the
world.
My comrades, I feel there is room for the same exhortation today. By all means
let us aspire after higher gifts, but by all means let us use those we already
possess. How true it is that to him that hath- that is, who uses what he has- shall
be given; and from him that hath not- that is, who uses not what he possessesthat
which he already has shall be taken away! Neglect the ability you already
have for glorifying God and saving men, and that ability will shrivel up, and waste
away.
It must never be forgotten that all real healing, whether of body or soul, whether
accomplished in a moment or in a year of time, whether done apparently without
means or through the use of means, is alike affected by the direct operation of
the power of God; IT IS GOD WHO SAVES.
And it must remembered that all gifts- ordinary and extraordinary- alike come
from God; and that there is a danger of straining after those that seem to be
extraordinary, while those already possessed lie unused and therefore useless.
For instance, a man may be longing after the 'gift of tongues', and neglecting the
tongue he already has; thinking how much good he could do if he could suddenly
speak the German language, while all the time he is comparatively neglecting the
use of English, which he can speak. Does any one say, "What a wonderful thing
it would be if I could suddenly speak in a foreign tongue!" Let such a one stop
and think what a wonderful thing it is that he can speak at all. Think, my
comrade, if you have never possessed the power of speech, and were to have it
suddenly bestowed, what a remarkable miracle it would appear. Suppose you
knew something about it before; how you would desire it! How you would
promise God to use it for His glory and the Salvation of souls if He would give it
to you!
And, then, think how you would feel if some man of God came along and laid his
hands upon you and commanded you in the name of the Lord; and suddenly the
gift came and you were enabled to pour out a flood of language- as you can now!
How amazed, how delighted, how grateful you would be! How your would go
about acknowledging and publishing the wonderful gift! And yet in reality it would
not be a whit more a gift, or more remarkable, than is the ability to talk that you
possess today. Oh, BRING THIS GIFT TO GOD, and praise Him for it, and set
about using it for His glory.