His prayers were granted, but not in the way that he now expected. I long to see you. No apostle had ever visited the city. None of the spiritual gifts which were conferred by the imposition of apostolic hands had been conferred in Rome. If any of the brethren enjoyed them, as Rom.
Spiritual gift is used in the sense of a supernatural gift.
It is a gift conferred by the Spirit. There is no recorded instance in the New Testament of any one working miracles who was not an apostle, or who had not received the gift through the imposition of apostolic hands. To the end. All these gifts of the Spirit were imparted for a purpose. Such a result would minister to the mutual comfort of Paul and the church.