Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
DISCERNING OF SPIRITS was one of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, by virtue of which the spirits of men were tried whether they were of God. 1 Cor 12:10; 1 John 4:1. It was a most desirable gift in the first ages of the Church, when false prophets and wicked spirits abounded on every side. Comp. Acts 5:1-10; Acts 13:6-12.