However these current versions, in Owen's mind are not extra ordinary, for example the wisdom and discernment that the Spirit may give us in a time of need. An uneducated fisherman might not suddenly have enough wisdom to confound the best of Greek Philosophers in an astonishing Biblical display of wonder, yet a persons wisdom as given by the Spirit today in a church may still be highly remarkable and noticed by all. Those obvious miracles things like healing without doctors and miraculous signs, etc. Owen sees as having no real similar gift in the rest of Christian history, mostly because other than a few weirdos, nobody even claims to have had them. For example when speaking about an extraordinary miraculous discernment, he writes:
And whereas the communication of these gifts is ceased, and consequently all pretences unto them, unless by some persons phrenetical and enthusiastical, whose madness is manifest to all, there is no need of the continuance of this gift of “discerning of spirits;” that standing infallible rule of the word, and ordinary assistance of the Spirit, being every way sufficient for our preservation in the truth, unless we give up ourselves to the conduct of corrupt lusts, pride, self-conceit, carnal interest, passions, and temptations, which ruin the souls of men. (Owen, J. (n.d.). The works of John Owen. (W. H. Goold, Ed.) (Vol. 4, p. 472). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.)
This is somewhat ironic that Owen regards extraordinary 'wisdom and discernment' to have also ceased because many reformed believers think Owen was one of the most wise and discerning theologians in history. But I think we can understand his meaning. So maybe we should say current gifts are not 'extra-extra-ordinary' as Owens gifts are extra ordinary when compared to most.
Of course, this is nothing new. Moses had extra miraculous gifts and then hundreds of years went by with little mention of similar miracles during the prophets. At least nowhere near to the same frequency in one man’s ministry. Then when Jesus was on the earth, his own ministry is filled with numerous miracles. Also, the miracles in the New Testament were the kind that people could not deny. Imagine someone healing a hundred war veterans with missing limbs, by giving them new ones! Many would come to believe. Today the fake healers always do healings that can’t be verified and for those that claim to have been cured of cancer one month, are followed up by some, and its surprisingly has returned. Then the faith healers blame them for their ‘lack of faith’ to ‘keep the healing’. This kind of ministry has no similarity to the ones in the Bible.