not require this at his hand Can we think that he would not take care to see this Rest from all labour observ'd Can we think that Adam and Eve the last Piece of the Divine Work did not call their Creation and Formation to remembrance and praise God for that as well as for his wonderful making of the World Can we reasonably and on good grounds imagine any of these things when the very Sabbath was instituted on purpose to perpetuate the memory of the Creation May we not rather say that it is expresly recorded that God blessed the Seventh Day before Adam's Fall to intimate to us what Adam and Eve were to do the next day after their Formation viz. to sanctify that Day in a solemn commemoration of the Divine Goodness to them Thirdly There are several passages in the Old Testament whence we may gather the early observation of the Seventh Day The keeping of it seems to be intimated in Gen. 8. 10. where we find that Noah divides the Time by Weeks or seven Days And so he doth again ver 12. Which being repeated seems to tell us that the Seventh Day was then observed in a religious way by Noah in the Ark who questionless had it from Adam who receiv'd it from God who instituted it to be a Commemoration of the Birth-day of the World of the Divine Blessings that accompanied the Creation It is not improbably conjectur'd by a Learned Writer that the Day when the Sons of God i. e. Iob's Sons and other Holy Men who are rightly call'd God's Sons or Children came to present themselves before the Lord Job 1. 6. 2. 1. was the Sabbath Day the Day when the Professors of Religion met together in the publick Assemblies for even in the Land of Vz they kept this solemn Day they living near the Hebrews who had it deriv'd to them from the Creation Further I desire it may be observ'd that there is express mention of the Sabbath Day before the Law was deliver'd on Mount Sinai To morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord Faith Moses Exod. 16. 23. And when that Day was come he thus speaks to them To Day is a Sabbath unto the Lord ver 25. And it is plain that it is meant of the Seventh day Sabbath because the Day before was the sixth day as you read in the foregoing Verse but more expresly in ver 26. there is mention of the Seventh Day which is the Sabbath It appears then that this Day was kept before the Decalogue was given and was antienter than the Laws of Moses And indeed the Fourth Commandment which enjoins the keeping holy the Sabbath Day seems to hint no less to us for when the Israelites are bid to remember to do this there is intimated to us in this manner of expression that it was kept holy before for remembrance hath regard to things past and so forgetting respects what hath been heretofore It might be observ'd also that it is call'd in this Commandment Ha Sabbath the Sabbath or that Sabbath which I have enjoin'd you before to keep The Article here seems to imply so much But however from what hath been said it is manifest that there was a day of Rest a keeping of a Sabbath observ'd before the Law of Moses And if before it then it was by virtue of this Primitive Institution which I am now speaking of and consequently the celebrating of this Day was from the beginning of the World In Paradise was given the Law of Sanctifying the Seventh Day as a Day of Rest and holy Worship as some of the ancient Writers of the Christian Church who search'd into this matter further than others have freely acknowledged And therefore those words Gen. 2. 3. God blessed the seventh Day are not proleptick as some groundlesly imagine but acquaint us that that Day was then instituted and was to be observ'd from that very time that they might be settled in the Truth of God's creating the World and not like Pagans think it to have been from Eternity This then must go along with the succeeding Dispensations Fourthly There was a positive Law given to Adam of abstaining from the Fruit of a certain Tree in the Garden of Eden We must know then that in Paradise were divers sorts of Trees but two of them were of more especial not than the rest The first was the Tree of Life which was called so because it was appointed by God to signify that if our first Parents did obey God's Command they should live for ever It was design'd to be a Sacrament of that Immortality which Man should have had if he had retain'd his Innocence This is clear from what is said in Gen. 3. 22. lest he take of the Tree of Life and eat and live for ever This Text proves against the Socinians that our first Parents should not have died if they had not transgressed the Divine Law and it proves that the Tree of Life was give them on purpose to perpetuate their lives The eating of the Fruit of that Tree would have been a means to have kept them from dying and to have made them immortal Yea this Tree was a Symbol of all Happiness as Life is taken in that sense very frequently Wisdom is said to be a Tree of Life to those that lay hold on her Prov. 3. 18. Which is thus explain'd in the next Verse Happy is every one that retaineth her As often then as our first Parents had eaten of the Tree of Life they were to be reminded by it that all manner of Bliss and Happiness was to be entail'd upon them and their Posterity if they continued in their Obedience and broke not the Command of God As long as they â—ed on this Tree they should be void of old Age Sickness Pains Cares and all troubles of Body and Mind till at last they should have been translated from the earthly Paradise to those compleat and eternal Regions of Bliss at God's right hand So that it was a Type of enternal Life and Bliss and a Sign and Seal of these to them if they had not apostatiz'd How long a time this particular course of preserving Health and Life should have continued if Mankind supposing in a state of Innocence had increas'd or whether other Trees of the same nature should have been produced in other Regions of the Earth or whether there should have been some other way of keeping Mens Bodies from decay I am not able to determine nor need we concern our selves about it The other Tree in the Garden which was of more note than the rest was the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. And they were strictly forbidden by God to eat of This they were by no means to taste any part of it It was call'd the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil because it was to try Adam whether he would do well or ill or because the observing of that Prohibition was to be
Levit. 23. 15 16. and it had the Greek name of Pentecost because the first day of it was the 50 th day after the first day of the Passover as Whitsunday is 50 days after Easter This Feast it is probable is meant by the second Sabbath after the first Luke 6. 1. for the day of Pentecost falling then on a Sabbath is call'd the second Sabbath after the first or the second Prime or chief Sabbath because the Passover before being on a Sabbath Day was the first Prime or chief Sabbath So then in respect of that this is call'd the second chief Sabbath as the Feast of Tabernacles which come afterwards may be call'd the third chief Sabbath Thus Grotius and Hammond but Scaliger and Lightfoot refer it to the Feast of Vnleaven'd Bread and make it the first Sabbath after the second day of the Passover The Feast of Pentecost began on the sixth day of the Month Sivan which answers to our May and the Harvest began at this time Wherefore it is call'd the Feast of Harvest and the Feast of First-fruits of what was sown in the Field Exod. 23. 16. Then the first-fruits of the Corn were offer'd to God So I may call it the Iewish Lammass Sax. Lafmasse i. e. Loas-Masse or Bread-Masse so call'd heretofore as a Feast of Thanksgiving to God for the First-fruits of the Corn. But when the Feast of Pentecost is called the Feast of Harvest we must understand this aright and I mention it the rather because some Writers have mistaken here and represented the Matter amiss we must know then that there were two Harvests among the Jews but not in the same order that they are with us for their Barley-harvest began first viz. at the Passover and their Wheat-harvest was seven weeks after that It is of this latter that the foresaid Text in Exodus is meant This Feast was of seven days continuance but the first and last days were most solemnly kept it was instituted in memory of the Law given on Mount Sinai fifty days after the Passover Lev. 23. 15 c. 5. There was the Feast of Tabernacles which began on the 15 th day of the 7 th Month or September according to the computation of the Sacred Year which commenced from March Levit. 23. 34 c. It continued eight days in the first seven of which they dwelt in Tabernacles or Booths made of the Boughs of these Trees especially Willow Palm Mirtle Whatever weather happen'd they remain'd in these Tabernacles so many days together They used at this time to hold in their hands Branches of Trees which they call'd Hosannas because when they had them in their hands it was their custom to cry Hasanna Save now The first and last days were the chiefest as it was in all their Feasts On the last day they fetch'd Water out of the River Siloah and brought it to the Temple which they delivered to the Priest who poured it with Wine upon the Altar the People singing that in Isa. 12. 3. Hence our Saviour took occasion on this last day of the Feast to cry saying If any Man thirst let him come unto me and drink c. Iohn 7. 37 38. This Anniversary Feast was kept in remembrance of the 40 Years sojourning in the Wilderness all which time they dwelt in Tabernacles These are they which the Jews call Shalosh regalim the great Feasts but more especially they call the three last so which you find mentioned together in Exod. 23. 14 15. Three times in the Year shalt thou keep a Feast unto me thou shalt keep the Feast of Vnleavened Bread i. e. the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Ingathering which is in the end of the Year i. e. the Feast of Tabernacles these three times in the Year shall all thy Males appear before the Lord i. e. they were to go from their own Habitations up to Shiloh and afterwards to Ierusalem on these three principal Feasts But the other lesser Feasts which they call'd Good Days were kept in the Place and Cities where they lived Of these I am to speak next The lesser Feasts are these two 1. The Feast of Trumpets or New-years Day for they made a solemn promulgation of the New Year by sounding of Trumpets at that time more than at another As they kept the first day of every Month of which we spoke before so likewise of every Year i. e. they celebrated the first day of the Month Tisri or September because it was the first day of the Year according to the AEra that they computed their Civil Years by There are some that think the Feast of Trumpets was in remembrance of the Trumpets on Mount Sinai when the Law was given Exod. 19. 16 19. 2. The Feast of Expiation for in a general way it may be call'd a Feast and so it is reckon'd among the Feasts Levit. 23. 2. but not strictly and properly because it was not a day of rejoycing which is essential to a Feast but was spent wholly in Repentance Humiliation and Mourning Yet it is call'd a Feast because it was a day of Resting on this day they were to do no manner of work Lev. 23. 31. which is not enjoyn'd concerning any other Feast but the Grand Sabbath or Weekly Feast on other feast-Feast-days they were forbid only to do servile Work Levit. 23. 21 36. and so on that account this day may be stiled a Festival But otherwise it ought to be call'd the Fâ—st of Expiation for it was a great Fast nay it was the only Fast-day that was injoyn'd the Jews by Moses's Law tho others were observ'd by their own free choice It was kept on the 10 th day of the 7 th Month Tisri on which the High Priest Solemnly enterd as hath been shew'd before into the Holy of Holies to expiate for his own and the peoples Sins committed the whole Year before This Fast is meant in Acts 27. 9. and thence it is gather'd that sailing was then dangerous that season of the Year being usually boistrous and tempestuous Concerning the Modern Jews Buxtorf tells us that on this day every Man Kill'd a Cock and a white Cock it was and of no other colour and every Woman Kill'd a Hen and this they thought was expiatory and satisfy'd for their former Faults and took away their past Sins Besides the Festivals and solemn Days commanded in the Mosaick Law there were others appointed by the Iewish Church some of which are recorded in the Old Testament and on that account belong to the Iewish Dispensation These were 1. The Feast of the Law or of the rejoycing of the Law on which day was read the last Parasha in the Pentatâ—uch i. e. the last Chapter but one of Deuteronomy For the Law was divided into 52 Sections and on every Sabbath they read one of them the last reading was on the 23 d of September The next Sabbath the Law was begun to be read again and
of Life that they might find out and discover things the more successfully and deliver to Posterity the things which they invented It is Iosepâ—'s opinion that God indulg'd the Autediluvians a long Life that they might study the Stars and find out the Nature Motion and Influence of the Heavenly Bodies for they could not attain to a Certainty and an Experience of these things without this And he adds that the Great Year comes not about till the period of 600 Years wherefore it was requisiâ—e they should live so long at least But whether we admit of this particular Conceit of his or no it is certain that Astronomy and other Arts could not be attain'd at first in a short time Long Observation was necessary for this purpose frequent and repeated Experiments being the great Basis of most Arts. These therefore could not be accomplish'd and perfected but by a large term of Years The persons who lived to a great age were able to convey and entail Knowledg more effectually than wâ— can now only this is to be said that wâ— have some other ways and advantages of promoting Knowledg which they had not 3. Their long Lives were serviceable to a higher and a nobler purpose viz. for the retaining and preserving of Religion and the true Worship of God in a more intire manner for 't is to be remembred that there was no Scripturâ— then and therefore Religion could not be more advantageously spread and propagated than by a saâ—e Tradition And that this was especially aim'd at and designed by the Wisdom and Providence of God is evident hence that as soon as the matchless Treasure of Religion was deliver'd and secured to the World by committing the Law to writing the Age of Man was presently stinted and reduced to a set Period This shews that one reason why the Dimensions of Mens Lives were far longer in those days than they were afterwards was that Religion might be the more surely kept up they having no Written Laws at that time Therefore these Living Laws for such were the long-lived Patriarchs were requisite whereby the Will of God was communicated with great ease and advantage to all men This could be done even by Four Persons for the space of 2000 Years and more for Adam's Auditor was Methuselah whom Noah succeeded and taught Shem and he those of his Age even till the Year of the World 2160 or thereabouts So compendious a way this was of instructing the World and upholding Religion in it But of this I shall speak afterwards 4. Another ground of the Long Lives of the Patriarchs before the Deluge was their Healthful Temper wherein they much exceeded others that follow'd them For tho we need not assert as some have done that the Earth was not situated before the Flood as it is now that there were no Summers and Winters but that there was a perpetual Equinox all over the World yet this we may with good reason hold that there was a greater Equality of Heat and Cold in those days and as the consequent of that there was a more constant and uniform Temperature of Mens Bodies For we cannot but think that there was a great change caus'd by that Universal Deluge which cover'd the Earth this could not but damp and chill the Air and thereby exceedingly affect Mens Bodies and contribute towards the shortning of their Lives But before this general Inundation they were healthful and lived a long time And this Account which I give le ts us see that this was not a peculiar Donation to those Persons only whom Moses mentions but that it was vouchsafed to all that lived in those early times 5. I might add that their Food was purer and wholesomer than that of the following Ages The Fruits of the Earth came up more kindly before the Deluge than afterwards for we cannot but conceive that they were endamaged by the briny Waters of the Seas which were let loose on the Ground By this means the products of the Earth were not so nutritive as befoâ—â— not so adjusted to the Constitutions and Tempers of Mens Bodies and thence the Plenitude of Years was abated 6. Their Health and Long-living may be ascrib'd to their Temperance and Moderation for their Diet being more simple and plain consisting wholly of Herbs and Plants and such like Products of the Ground they were not tempted to that Excess which prevail'd afterwards when several sorts of curious and delicatâ— Dishes were allow'd them Hereupon follow'd Wantonness Intemperance Luxury and Riot and by these the Hale Temper of Mens Bodies was impair'd and Diseases bred and their Days shortned But as long as they continu'd sober and temperate they werâ— bless'd with a sound Constitution they were strong and vigorous witness what you read in Gen. 5. 32. Noah was fivâ— hundred Yâ—ars â—ld and bâ—gat Shem Ham and Japhet I could adjoin in the next place that it is very probable they had greater Skill in Physick than there was afterwards tho they had seldom occasion to make use of it The Professors of the Spagyrick Art do indeed tell us that the Longevity of the Patriarchs is to be attributed to their Skill in Chymistry for it is of that Antiquity they say but it is to be question'd whether there was any such thing at that time we may rather content our selves with this belief that they understood well the Nature of Herbs and Plants and had more Time and Opportunity to study their Qualities and Operations than Men since have and thence perhaps they made especial choice of such of them as were great Strengthners of Nature and upheld the Life of Man Again their quiet and contented way of living contributed much to the lengthning of their Lives They were generally free from Care and Distraction they understood not the Intrigues and Perplexities which vain Men are now plagu'd with In those Golden Times there was more Simplicity and Honesty Men were satisfied with a little and could live at a cheap rate But afterwards the World was disorder'd Mens Desires and Wishes grew immoderate and extravagant and their Days were worn out with Troubles and Vexations This is the best Account I can give of the Long Lives of the Patriarchs of the first Ages and of the shorter Term of Years of those that succeeded them The Third Patriarchal Dispensation or the Abrahamick Oeconomy began with Abraham and continued till the giving of the Law by Moses which was 430 Years Ex. 12. 41. Gal. 3. 17. The Person from whom this Period hath its Denomination was a Chaldâ—an by Birth and lived in Vr the chief City of Chaldâ—a In this Idolatrous Country it is probable he was partly infected with the Vicâ— of the Place and thence perhaps he is said to be Vngodly Râ—m 4. 5. But tho he was not wholly free from the impious Practice of Idolatry which then reâ—gn'd in the World yet he retain'd his Integrity as to the main and would not suffer himself to
three Patriarchs who could give an Account of all that time wherein they lived which was above 2000 years were able to keep their Families and all other People that were near them in the knowledg of the true Religion and where they err'd and offended to correct them Thus Religion and Divine Worship might be faithfully transmitted from the beginning of the World to above twenty Centuries by three persons only The Church was then sufficiently taught by Tradition from Father to Son vivâ— vâ—câ— because of the Longevity of the Patriarchs some of whom lived 700 years others 800 or 900. For this reason the Church was without Scripturâ— almost five and twenty hundred years But afterwards when the years of mans Life were shortned God used another Method he taught men by a Written Law 2. The Degeneracy of the World was another Reason why the Law was committed to Writing The World at first had many Pious as well as Antient Patriarchs who were as Philo notes Living and Rational Laws and so stood in need of no Written ones for these are but Commentaries on those Old Fathers Lives But the Vices of men grew proportionable to their Numbers and when Mankind was spread wide up and down the Earth Immorality and Sin were dispersed likewise and the World became notoriously wicked The Deluge did not wash away the Contagion but in a considerable time after men were as bad as ever and the very Dictates of their Reasonable nature were discarded by them When they had thus obliterated the Law written on their minds God thence ingraved it on Tables of Stone If men had not been wonderfully corrupted there had been no need of this So faith the Apostle speaking of this Law It was not made for the Righteous but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners I Tim. 1. 9. The same he had intimated before in Gal. 3. 19. The Law was added because of transgression it was given to be a Check to their notorious Sins and that they might not offend uncontroul'd And this may be the meaning of the Apostle's words in Rom. 5. 20. The Law entred that the Offence might abound i. e. that men might see how their Sins abounded God gave his Law in Writing to shew them their Guilt to convince them of their gross Miscarriages and to reduce them to the way of Virtue and Obedience that when God himself had writ down their Duty with his own hand they might be inexcusable 3. The Law was committed to Writing that it might not be forgot One reputed to be a Judicious Writer is of opinion that the Patriarchs were happier without the Written Law than with it it was a mark of God's love and favour that they had no books and writings I suppose he means because they did not need them But afterwards there was occasion for them for the Impressions of the Law of Nature were almost defaced and obliterated the Instructions and Traditions of their Fathers were neglected and the knowledg of God and their Duty could not be kept pure by Oral Tradition when not only their Lives were short but corrupted and miserably depraved Therefore an exact Written Law was wanting to set before their eyes and to remind them of what they were to do to put them constantly in remembrance of what God required of them Hereupon the Moral Precepts were written by God himself and delivered to Mâ—sâ—s that the might communicate them to the People and they to the rest of the World This was out of kindness to them it was design'd to be a Remedy against their forgetfulness and negligence Lastly which comprehends all the Law was written that it might not be corrupted Tradition was unsafe when the numbers of men were increased and the World was dispersed and arrived to a great height of Impiety Therefore God thought it necessary to preserve and perpetuate the Law by Ingraving it on Tables of Stone which are Solid and Duâ—able and by lodging it in the Aâ—k as in a safe Treasury by ordering it to be Transcribed and to be Read to all the People and that they themselves should read it continually This was the best way to prevent all Error and Imposture all Fraud and Corruption about the Law This made it a thing impossible to deprave and pervert the Letter and plain Sense of it For these Reasons that Word which for near 25 Centuries of Years was delivered and promulged by Tradition was committed to Writing in Moses's time and not before For these Reasons the Common Law of Nature was turn'd into this Statutâ— Law of the Commandments I will not here speak particularly of the Ten Commandments because in the Body of the Work which I intend I am obliged to insist upon every one of them distinctly and largely and also because it is the Writing of the Moral Law of which I have given you an Account not the Law it self that is part of this Mosaick Dispensation as it is different from those which went before The Ten Commandâ—ents were given now not that they were of no force before this time but now they were Written on Tables and more Solemnly Promulg'd This was it which we were to take notice of as New and proper to this Iudaical Period If any man thinketh that these Ten Commandments because they were deliver'â— to the Iews were drawn up for that Body of People only and are not of universal Concernment I could silence that surmise by shewing that these Commandments were in force before the Law given by Moses to the Iews and that every one of them was a Law before the Mosaick Oeconomy and that those who lived in all the former Dispensations observed these Commandments Nay they are all of them excepting only the Determination of the Sabbath day the very Law of Nature written on the heart of man at his Creation They are Dictates of Natural Reason and therefore they ought to be done though they were not commanded For this Reason likewise it is not proper to insist upon them in this place for they are no special part of this Oeconomy But the Ceremâ—nial and Iudicial Laws are the grand things which make this a distinct and peculiar Administration Of those therefore I will hasten to speak The Ceremonial or Ecclesiastical Law is no other than the Precepts given by God to the Iews concerning External Rites belonging to Religion and the Worship of God Of these Ceremonial Usages several were in use before Moses's time viz. Priests Altars Sacrifices Oblations Tithes Distinction of Clean and Unclean Animals Not Eating Blood Circumcision But now all the former Rites and Ceremonies are digested into One Body and are become more Fixed and Certain The Ceremonial Service of the Iâ—ws was now precisely determin'd and there was no varying from it Agaiâ— whereas in some Agâ—s one Ceremony was used in another another Now they are all together and are observed at the same Time and by the same Persons
Passover chose to be sacrificed on the very day that the Iews eat their Paschal Lamb. It is remarkable that Christ who came to abolish the Typical and Ceremonious Service of the Iews yet just before his leaving the World submitted to this Mosaical Observance and kept it with his Disciples which certainly he would never have done if it had not been to signifie this very thing which I am treating of viz. that He was the True and Real Paschal Lamb and that before he died he designed to let them know that there was an exact Resemblance and Agreement between one and the other and more especially as to the Times This hath been partly proved already I will now give farther evidence of it It is a mighty Controversy among some Writers whether Christ kept the Passover on the same day the Iews did or the day before Some are of the opinion that the Lamb according to the Law was to be killed on that night Christ kept his Passover but was to be eaten the next Evening Therefore they say Christ eat not the Paschal Lamb but only celebrated the Passover with Unleavened Bread and Bitter Herbs But this is only said and not proved On the contrary we know that the Paschal Lamb was to be kill'd and eaten in the same night Exod 12. 8. Dent. 16. 4. Yea all of it was to be eaten that very night nothing was to remain till the morning Next then it is to be demanded whether Christ eat the Passover on the same night with the Iews I answer he did not keep the Passover on the same night that the Iews did but on the night before i. e. on the Evening of the day before Not that Christ anticipated the time of celebrating the Passover according to the Law as the Greek Church holds but he kept the true time he celebrated it according to Moses's Law i. e. on the 14 th day of the first Month which answer'd to our March after Evening Levit. 23. 5 Mat. 26. 17 c. But the Jews contrary to the Law eat the Passover on the Evening of the day following being the 15 th day This they did according to a Custom among them which had obtain'd for a good while I will at present offer only one Text as a clear proof of this their practice In Iohn 18. 28. 't is said of the jews that they went not into the Iudgment Hall lest they should be defiled but that they might 〈◊〉 the Passover Thence it appears that they had not at that time viz. on Friday morning eaten the Passover which Christ and his Apostles had done therefore Christ kept the Passover a Night sooner then the Iews did they eat not theirs till the Evening after Christ was crucified i. e. on Friday Night or Evening This following Scheme will represent it to you more clearly which also will be serviceable to clear some other passages in the Evangelical History which I find are mistaken by some Persons On the 10th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 1st Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Our Sunday or Lord's Day Christ Came from Bethany and enâ—â—ed into Ierusalem in triumph Mat. 21. 1 c. and return'd to Bethany in the Evening Mat. 21. 17. On the 11th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 2d Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Monday Christ Cursed the Figree as he return'd from Bethany Mat. 21. 18 c. On the 12th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 3rd Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Tuesday Christ Foretold the destruction of Ierusalem Mat. 24. 1. On the 13th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 4th Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Wednesday Christ Was sold by Iudas Mat. 26. 14. On the 14th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 5th Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Thursday the day of the Preparat to the Passover Feast according to the Law Christ In the evening eat the Paschal Lamb with his Disciples instituted the Lord's Supper Met. 26. 20. Afterwards was appreheaded and arraign'd Mat 26. 57. Joh. 18. 13. On the 15th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 6th Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Friday the day of Preparation by the Jews custom Christ Was arraign'd again condemn'd crucified and buried Mat. 27. In the Evening of this day the Jews eat the Passover Ioh. 18. 28. On the 16th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 7th or Sabbath Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Saturday or Jews Sabbath on which they observ'd the Passover Feast Christ Lay in the Grave all this day Mat. 27. 62 c. On the 17th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 1st Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Sunday or Id's D. Christ Rose from the Dead very early Mat. 28. 1. Some Writers because the Jews day of 24 Hours was reckoned from Sun set to Sun-set take the Evening of the 14 th day of the Month to be the beginning of the next day the 15 th for if the day commenc'd from the Evening then the Evening of the 14 th day belong'd to the next ensuing Day But this is to be said that tho 't is true the Jewish Feasts took their beginning in the Evening and the natural Day was counted from Evening to Evening yet the 〈◊〉 Day of 12 Hours began with Sun-rising and ended at Sun-set and the sormer part of the insuing Night was added to the account and consequently the Evening of the 14 th day was reckon'd as part of that Day However if you should say that the Evening of the 14 th day belonged to the 15 th which followed you may make allowance for that in the Scheme and adjust the foremention'd time by a small alteration but still it holds true that the Passover was not killed and eaten by Christ and his Apostles on the same day that the Jews kill'd and eat their Passover as appeareth from the place before alledged And this is very remarkable for the Jews putting off their Passover a day longer contrary to their own Law was not without the disposal of the All-wise God that hereby the Paschal Lamb and he that was represented by it might be slain on the same day Which shews the Agreement and Resemblance between Christ and the Iewish Passover which was the thing I here intended 4. The Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost for it was known by both those Names was another of those greater Feasts observ'd by the Jews It was call'd the Feast of Weeks because it was kept at the and of seven Weeks i. e. 49 Days
this Sabbath was call'd Sabbath Bereshith because they began then to read Bereshith i. e. the beginning of Genesis They celebrated the foresaid day in thanking of God for his great Mercy in vouchsaâ—ing them the reading of the Law 2. The Eeast of the Dedication of the Temple instituted by Solomon 1 Kings 8. 1. and afterwards observ'd as some think by the Jews 3. The Feast of Dedication or Encoenia celebrated on the 25 th day of November which Month is call'd Kiâ—leu by the Hebrews It was instituted in memory of that great Hero Iudas Macchabaeuâ— who after the death of his Father Mattathias conquer'd the Greeks and Syrians who had taken Ierusalem and tyranniz'd over the Iews He recover'd that City and dedicated the Temple anew which the impious Antiochâ—â—â— had prophan'd He commanded this Festival to be solemnly kept yearly eight days together beginning on the 25 th day of the foresaid Month 1 Mac. 4. 59. 4. Pâ—rim or the Feast of Lâ—ts Esther 9. 21 c. in remembrance of the Deliverance in Esther's time It was kept on the 14 th and 15 th days of the Month Adâ—r the 12 th Month or February It was called Purim which is a Persian word and signifieth Lots in memory of Haman's throwing Lots that all the Iews in Aâ—asuerus's Dominions should be killed for this was an old Custom to cast Lots to find â—it and seasonable times for effecting of any great Business They writ the Days and the Months and put them into a Pitcher and so what they took out according to the Marks they had set down was lucky or unlucky This Feast then of Purim was celebrated in remembrance of the Massacre appointed by Lot against the Jews There were also Fasts among the Jews which tho they were not commanded by the Law of Mosâ—s yet the Jewish Church enjoin'd them to be kept of these you read in Zech. 8. 19. viz. the Fast of the â—ourth Month Tamuz or Iune in remembrance of the time when Ierusalem was invaded and the Tables of the Law broken and the Book of the Law burnt Ier. 52. 6 7. and the Fast of the fifth Month or Iuly for the destruction of the Temple Zech. 7. 3. and the Fast of the seventh Month Tisrâ— or September for the kiâ—ling of Gedaliah 2 Kings 25. 28 and the Fast of the Tenth in which Month Thebat or December the City began to be besieged Ier. 52. 4. Thus much of the Râ—ligious Feastâ— and Sacred Sâ—asons wherein the Jewish People used to lay aside Secular Business and to be imployed wholly in Religious Worship Sixthly There were in the Law of Moses some particular Obsâ—rvancâ—s whiâ—h râ—spected the Conversâ—â—ion of the Wâ—rshippers They were tied up as to their Commerce with others they were not at liberty to associate with every one they were confined as to their Garments and as to their Diet. There was no such thing as Vncleanness by touching the Dead among the old Patriarchs for we read that Ioseph kissed dead Iacob This was puâ—ely Mosaick and so was that of not coming near any Leprous Person or touching those who had issues of Blood and the like But the main thing remarkable was the difference of Meats and Drinks therefore I will speak particularly of that in this place and I may have occasion to glance on some of the rest afterwards Some have thought as hath been suggested before that this usage prevailed before the Mosaick Law i. e. that some Creatures were clean and others unclean in regard of their being permitted or forbidden to be eaten But I have already shew'd in what sense they were said to be clean oâ— unclean viz. in respect of Sacrificing and not of eating But under the Mosaick Law there is and never was before set down the Number of those Creatures which must not be eaten and we are particularly told what the Cleanness or Uncleanness of them is The clean Animals were only those that chew the Cud and divide the Hoof. This was the Sign and Mark of them and it must be observed that by dividing the Hoof is meant dividing it into two parts only not into more for some divide the Hoof into more parts and are not clean as a Dog a Lion a Wolf And Camels have the Hoof divided but not quite through it is paâ—ted above but not below therefore it is said of the Camel Levit. 11. 4. that he divâ—deth not the Hoof viz. from the top to the bottom but only in part as Naâ—ural Historians have observed And as parting the Hoof and chewing the Cud are two signs of a clean Beast so Fins and Scales make a Fish legally clean And as for Fowl you have a particular enumeration of those that are clean or unclean Bees also were unclean and forbidden Food to the Jews but their Honey was not I might observe further that Fat is forbidden to be eaten i. e. the Fat which covers the inward Parts as the Heart Liver Kidneys c. Levit 3. 16. This the Jews might not eat no not at home when they kill'd a Beast But it is to be understood of such Beasts as were used to be sacrificed to God as Sheep Oxen Goats Levit. 7. 23 25. The Fat of these Creatures was to be burnt but by no means eaten And as for the Blood of these and all other Animals it was to be poured on the Ground and by no means to be eaten or drank I could add that the Jews stretched this Abstinence from Meats beyond what was injoined for they would not eat the hinder Legs oâ— Animals because the Angel strained Iacob's Thigh whereupon the Sinews shrank But in Italy the Jews cut out these Nerves by Art and eat the Legs If it be asked What was the Reason that such and such Creatures were forbidden to be Food Why did not God suffer the Jews to feed on all Animals indifferently The Answer may be that of St. Augusâ—in in the like case Quia voluit because it seemed good to God to do so it was his Will and Pleasure and no Reason is to be given Thus Câ—naeus and Spanhemius resolve it wholly into God's Authority and Sovereignty But others offer Reason of God's acting thus 1. Some think that it was God's Pleasure to insâ—il Lessons of Morality by that Prohibition according to the Qualiâ—ies observ'd in those Creatures They conceive that so many Sins and Vices are represented by unclean Animals and so many Virtues and Graces by the clean ones In a mystical wâ—y God taught the Jews and Brutes were Symbolical and Hieroglyphical When God bid thâ—m not eat the Flesh of the Hare the Swinâ— and the Hawk he warned them against the Timorousness of the one the Filthiness of the other and the Ravenousness of the third Thus the antient Jewish Commentators and some of the Fathers of the Christian Church give moral Reasons why such and such Creatures were forbid to be eaten by the Jews And more particularly as to unclean Birds they
Law required iâ— as well as the Gospel This was a new Notion to the Pharisees and Jewish Doctors and therefore on that account Christ might say this was a New Commandment 4. Altho the same Love of Neighbours was commanded under the Law that is our Duty under the Gospel yet the same Height of Love was not required then that is now therefore it is call'd a New Commandment This is intimated in that place of St. Iohn 1 Epist. Chap. 2. ver 8. A New Commandment I write â—nto you which thing is true in him and in you i. e. as I conceive this Love is elevated to its greatest height by our Saviour this exalted Charity was verified and exemplified in Christ who died for us his Eâ—emies because the darkness is past and the true Light now shineth i. e. Christianity now prevails and is in full force and among all its Laws this of Love is the most advanced and sublimated it never was at such a high pitch before there are greater degrees of it now than there ever were under the Law But still this is to be said the Precept of Love was part of the Moral Law and obliged Perâ—ons in all Dispensations and therefore is justly call'd an Old Commanâ—ment CHAP. XII An Answer to an Objection from Mat. 5. 17. shewing distinctly and particularly what is the Law and how Christ came to fulfil it It is held by some that Christ came to add New Precepts to the Moral Law In confutation of which Opinion it is proved that Anger is forbid by the Decalogue So is a Lustful Eye So is all Rash and Prophane Swearing So is Divorce unless in the case of Adultery So is Resisting of Evil. So is hating of our Enemies It is largely discuss'd whether it was lawful for the Israelites to hate the seven Nations whom they were commanded to destroy And whether the Command to destroy them was Absolute Objections from Deut. 13. 8 9. Psal. 139. 21. answer'd The Nature of the Two Covenants viz. of Works and of Grace fully stated The Conditions on our part How do this and live is applicable to the Covenant of Grace The Covenant made with the Israelites at the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai was the Covenant of Grace though it seem'd to resemble the Covenant of Works The Covenant of Grace was completed and perfected by Christ's Coming and not before The Mediator the Terms the Seals of this Covenant now fully manifested It is proved that according to the Stile of Scripture the Old and New Covenant are the same Covenant of Grace BUt our Saviour's words in Mat. 5. 17. are made use of by many to confront and as they think to confute this Doctrine They maintain that there is a far greater difference between the Precepts of the Old and New Testament than I have asserted and that Christ not only explained those Old Laws but added New Ones to them for that say they is the meaning of Christ's words in that place Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am not come to destroy but to fulfil Because these words and the rest of the Chapter which follows them are alledged with great earnestness by the Patrons of this Opinion and because they boast that they are an irrefragable Proof of what they say I will inlarge upon them and faithfully present you with the true meaning of them which you will â—ee is so far from Patronizing their Cause that it overthroweth it and layeth it in the dust To explain these words then 1st By the Law and the Prophets is meant whatever is contain'd in the Writings of Moses or of the other Prophets of the Old Testament for the whole Scripture of the Old Testament is summed up in these two the Law and the Prophets but especially what is contain'd in them concerning the Messias his Person his Undertakings and his Kingdom Now Christ was so far from destroying baffling and nulling of these that he came to fulfil them i. e. by his Coming he verified made good and accomplished whatever was foretold or promis'd concerning him in the Writings of Moses and the Prophets Thence it is that you so often read in the New Testament that such and such things came to pass that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by this or that Prophet Christ came to perform and bring into Act whatever was prophesied in those Antient Writings concerning him and here in ver 18. he assured his Disciples and Hearers that one jot or one tittle should in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfill'd 2 ly When our Saviour saith he came not to destroy but to fulfil the Law even the Ceremonial Law may be comprehâ—nded here And that he came not to destroy this but to fulfil it is true in these two senses First this Law as far as it concern'd our Saviour was obeyed and practis'd by him that may be the meaning of fulfilling He was Circumcised the eighth day he was presented in the Temple and made his Offering there When he entred on his Ministry he exactly complied with the Mosaick Injunctions for he took not that Employment till he was thirty Years of age the very time when the Iewish Priests entâ—ed on their Function according to the Law But yet more punctually he fulfilled the Law in keeping the Passover for whereas the Iews by their Traditions had corrupted the Law concerning the Observation of this Feast and kept it not till the fifteenth day of the Month our Saviour kept it thâ— day before viz. on the fourteenth and so observed the true time which was commanded by God at first Exod. 12. Thus Christ came to fulfil even the Ceremonial Law and that with the greatest exactness On this account he saith himself it became him to fulfil all righteousness Mat. 3. 15. Secondly Christ fulfilled tâ—e Ceremonial Law as he accomplished the Types and Figures of it Most of the Iudaical Ceremonies and Rites as I have proved shadowed forth the Messias they represâ—nted some considerable thing which belonged to his Kingdom Therefore when the Messias came and did accoâ—ding to what was prefigured of him those Ceremonies and Types were fulfil'd Christ who was the Substance and Consummation of those Shâ—dows fâ—lly perfected what was before represented and signified by them 3 ly When our Saviour faith he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them it is meant also of the Moral Precepts contain'd in the Writings of Moses and the Prophets These are they which are called Commandments ver 19. and the observance of them is stiled Righteoâ—sness ver 20. and the â—ollowing verses refer as I shall shew you to the injunctions of the Dâ—caloguâ— Christ came not to destroy this Law for he never in the least countenanced the violation of it in any person But he came to fulfil it i. e. 1. To Observe and Obey it and that first in his own Person He
It is not necessary that there should be a Formal Abrogation of the Ceremonial Law because when the Reason of a Law ceases the Law it self ceaseth But yet it is shew'd from sundry Places in the New Testament that the Ceremonial Law is formally and expresly abrogated We are assured of the Truth of the Christian Religion from Humane Testimony The Testimony of the Outward and Bodily Senses is made use of and appealed to in the New Testament as an Argument of the truth of Christianity St. John's Words 1 Ep. 1 Chap. 1 2 3. ver commented upon There is no Certainty in Religion espâ—cially in the Christian if the Testimony of Sense be not allow'd of The Apostles and those who heard and saw the things done by our Saviour were Credible Persons The four Evangelists and other Writers of the New Testament were Competent Witnesses of what they relate Their Personal Qualities which are particularly reckon'd up render their Testimony worthy of all acceptation The Christians that succeeded them faithfully deliver'd things to us Their Lives are a proof of their Integrity Their Sufferings and Death are an undeniable Argument of their testifying the Truth to us An Heap of Evidences that we are not imposed upon by them The very Jews bear witness to the Truth of Christianity The manner of their Congratulating our Saviour at his riding into Jerusalem particularly consider'd Heathens attest the Truth of the Christian Religion So do Infernal Spirits 111. I Am to shew the Truth and Certainty of the Christian Oeconomy and therein of the Christian Religion And here first we must grapple with the tenacious and stubborn Iew for his Dispensation being so Antient and Authentick he is loth to quit it I must prove therefore before I go any further that it is nulled abrogated and superannuated We need not say much of the Iudicial Law It is the Ceremonial one which makes Iudaism properly and is the most opposite to the Christian Administration The Iudicial Laws so far as they make for Peace and good Order in the Government and so far as they are sutable to the present State of Affairs may be observed still but then they oblige not as part of the Mosaick Law but as they are good Rules of Government in themselves But the main Part of the Iudicial Law is not at this Day practicable amongst the Iews themselves they being dispersed and no longer in a Body that Law cannot be made use of and consequently doth not oblige them And any one may see plainly that that Polity and Government was not to last for ever as they foolishly dream For it was not fitted for the Tempers of all People not proper for all Countries but was in most things calculated for the Iewish Meridian only and for the present Circumstances that People were in at that time and therefore it is evident that it was to be changed afterwards I do not lay any stress on what may be observed of the different Manner of delivering the three Laws Moral Ceremonial and Iudicial but only let it be an occasion to suggest to us a right Notion concerning the different Nature of them The Ten Commandments or Moral Law was delivered on the top of the Mount in the face of the World as it were to signify that it was of universal Influence and obliged all Mankind But the Ceremonial Lâ—w was received by Moses in private in the Tabernacle which may hint to us that it was of a peculiar Concern it belong'd to the Iews only it was to cease when the Tabernacle was down when the Veil of the Temple was rent And as for the Iudicial Law it was neither so publickly and audibly given as the Moral Law nor so privately as the Ceremonial which may intimate to us the Nature of that sort of Law it is of an indifferent kind and may be kept up or not according as its Rules sute with the Place and Government It is then the Ceremonial Law wherein the Religion of the Iews as distinct from other People chiefly consisted which I am ingaged more especially to speak of at present The first thing that I will undertake is this to shew that the Mosaick Oeconomy was not designed to be perpetuated but that it was to be changed and to give way to the Evangelical one If this be proved it is a good step towards the main Point viz. the Truth of the Evangelical Oeconomy 1. That the Mosaick Dispensation was not to last always is clear from the many Promises in the Old Testament of inlarging Religion and of extending the Church to the uttermost parts of the World Which is no ways consistent with the Mosaick Oeconomy for according to the Law all the Males were to assemble at Ierusalem and to worship there thrice a Year But when upon the Messias's coming all Nations were to imbrace the true Religion how was it possible for the remotest Nations of the World to come and sacrifice at Ierusalem and constantly to meet there at solemn Feasts Ierusalem could not hold them the Temple would be too little for the Worshippers This is a Sign that God intended not to confine his Church to Iudea but that he designed a Religion which should be Universal and oblige the whole World According to the Law Sacrifices were to be no where but at Ierusalem But it is said in Isa. 19. 19 23. There shall be Altars and Sacrifices to the Lord in Egypt and Assyria and in Mal. 1. 11. From the rising of the Sun even unto the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place Incense shall be offer'd unto my Name and a pure Offering Therefore the City of Ierusalem was not to be the only Seat of solemn Worship and Sacrifice but upon the coming of the Messias Oblations were to be all the World over God saith of his Church which is his House that it shall be called a House of Prayer to all Nations Isa. 56. 7. Mark 11. 17. That is the Church shall be open to all without respect of Persons or Countries which must needs be and was always acknowledged a Prophesy concerning the spreading of Christianity and its being imbraced by some of all Nations under Heaven Therefore it is said by the same Evangelical Prophet in the last Days all Nations shall flow unto it Isa. 2. 2. So in Isa. 56. 3 4 5. we find that Strangers and Eunuchs Persons uncapable by the Mosaick Law of being of the Communion of the Iewish Church shall be admitted into it And that is yet more remarkable which you read in the same Prophet Chap. 66. where after it was plainly foretold that the Gentiles should have a Holy Church and that there should be an Offering to the Lord out of all Nations ver 20. this is added in the next Verse I will also take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord. Observe it there shall be Priests and Levites taken from the
Gentiles which is absolutely against Iudaism for the Priesthood amongst the Iews was tied to that certain Nation yea to a certain House and Family amongst them Therefore it is evident that the Iewish Religion was Temporary and was to cease This is obscurely intimated in Ezekiel's Model of the Temple Chap. 40. c. There never was any such thing no such Dimensions and Platforms it is a vast unwieldy thing his Temple is as big as all Ierusalem and the Ground allotted the Priests and Levites equals all Canaan It is likely therefore that this prefigureth the Christian Temple or the Church under the Gospel which was to be capacious and large But I need not make use of these obscure and mystical Places after I have produced so plain and evident ones as those before mention'd It is undeniable that those several Prophesies could not be accomplished if the Old State of the Iews was to be perpetual Ierusalem was too little the Land of Iudea could not serve for those purposes which are there spoken of Here also it might be observ'd that the Passover their great and most famous Ordinance was a Memorial of a particular Deliverance vouchsafed to the Iewish People and therefore was proper to them and appertained not to other Nations Hence it was that the Iews themselves did not require of the Proselites a Conformity to this Law nor indeed to any other of the like peculiar Nature Yea themselves were not obliged to observe some of the Mosaick Laws if they were in other Countries as those of First-fruits Tithes and the Sabbatick-year the Iubilee In Canaan only these and other Constitutions were to be kept as is confess'd by their own Writers Their Laws concerning Sacrifices and Incense and Feasts are ceas'd at this day amongst them because they were confin'd to that place and were not to be observ'd any where else Thus a considerable part of the Iewish Laws are now abolish'd by their own Confession they being dispersed into other Countries This might convince them that Iudaism was to give place to Christianity which is large and fitted for all the World which hath God the Church Religion and Salvation all in common This is a great Prerogative of Christianity that it is Universal and excludeth no People or Nations whereas the Religion and Worship of the Iews was narrow and scant and confined to themselves which is a Demonstration that it was Temporary and that there was to be a change of the Mosaick Law and Administration 2. This appears if you consider likewise that God dispensed with the Mosaick Rites and Ceremonies and did not always exact the observance of them which he would have done if they had been perpetual Laws and were designed to continue to all Ages Thus God dispensed with Circumcision not only as to the Time which was punctually assigned by the Law viz. the eighth Day for when the Infants were sick Circumcision was put off till they were well but he dispensed with the very Act and Performance it self All the time the Israelites were in the Wilderness which was forty Years they neglected to circumcise their Children and indeed there was no occasion for it because they then needed not to be distinguished from the Nations being not mingled with them and besides it was inconvenient in their Marches and Removals as may be gather'd from Ios. 5. 2. Circumcise again c. and more plainly from what follows v. 5. The People that were born in the Wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt them they had not circumcised All that time the Celebration of the Passover was omitted in the Wilderness or it was celebrated but once in those forty Years Num. 9. 1 2. Ios. 5. 10. All the Sacrifices and Oblations tho commanded and appointed them the first Year they came into the Desert were omitted all the time they were there excepting some Peace-offerings and Sin-offerings which you read of in Exod. 40. 29. But the daily Sacrifice was not offered and the constant use of all sorts of Sacrifices prevailed not And afterwards when they came into Canaan God dispensed with the Law concerning Sacrificing only in the Tabernacle for Elias sacrificed at Carmel and Samuel at Mishphat unless we shall say that the Law had not reference to these Extraordinary Sacrifices and more Instances might be produced of that kind As to the Resting on the sabbath-Sabbath-day which was a direct Injunction of the Law it was not observed when they besieged Iericho on that day And other punctual and peremptory Commands of the Mosaick Law were not observed And I could add that many things commanded in the Iudicial Law were dispensed with by God for he who enjoyned them had Power to do it A Bastard was not to come into the Congregation Deut. 23. 2. Yet Iephtâ—ah who was of that Character was preferâ—d and that by Gods own Order to be Judge of Israel So the Judicial Law was violated by letting Saul's Sons who were hang'd up remain so long a time on the Gibbets Hence it appears that the Obligation of the Mosaick Laws is not perpetual for this relaxing and dispensing made way for annulling them and were a certain vindication that the Iewish Laws were to be laid aside 3. You may take notice that as God himself dispensed with these Laws so the best Men were oftentimes very neglectful of them Thus Gideon Manoah and David sacrificed not according to the strict direction of the Law And the last of these eat the Shew-bread when he was press'd with extream hunger and Hezekiah ordered the Passover to be celebrated otherwise than it was written in the Law 2 Chron. 30. 18. So careless were they of precisely observing the Cermonial Injunctions And here it might be observed how the holy Men and Prophets despised the service of Sacrifices and all the other Duties of the Law in comparison of inward Goodness Vertue and Holiness and spiritual Exercises and Performances of Religion The Psalmist speaks to God after this manner Psal. 51. 16 17. Thou desirest not Sacrifice else would I give it thee thou delightest not in Burnt-offering The Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit a broken and a contrite Heart O Lord thou wilt not despise The Son of this Royal Prophet is plain and downright in this matter to do Iustice and Iudgment is more acceptable to the Lord than Sacrifice Prov. 21. 3. Whom Philo that worthy Jew follows saying God is not delighted with the Flesh and Fat of Animals but with the harmless Disposition and pious Intention of the Worshipper And not only this Writer but several other professed Iews acknowledg that Sacrifices were but a secondary sort of Service they were not in their own nature good nor required for their own sake but the primary and main part of divine Service and Worship are Prayer Repentance and Obedience As for Circumcision it was not esteem'd to be of absolute necessity and accordingly was not always perform'd
Sacred Trinity about the making of Man His Excellency What God's Image in Man is not What it is largely discours'd of The various Opinions concerning Paradise It is proved by sundry Arguments that it was in Babylon An account of its Four Rivers An Objection fully answered whereby the Author's Opinion concerning those Rivers is explain'd and establish'd The Employment of our First Parents in Paradise Besides the Law of Nature there were these positive Laws in the State of Primitive Integrity 1. That of Matrimony 2. That concerning Propagation 3. Observing the Sabbath or Seventh Day It is proved that Adam and Eve kept this Day 4. Abstaining from the Fruit of a certain Tree in the Garden of Eden An Account of the Tree of Lifâ— and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. The prohibiting of this latter shew'd in several Particulars to be Reasonable and Equitable 5. The Covenant of Works Not only the first Man and Woman but all their Race were under this First Dispensation Page 1 CHAP. II. The Nature of the Second General Dispensation The several particular Ingredients of the First Sin Its Aggravation from the Matter of it What kind of Creature the Serpent was whom the Devil made use of in seducing our first Parents It was not a firy flying Serpent but an ordinary one Wherein the Subtilty of this Animal consisted That Adam and Eve fell not on the same day in which they were made is proved from Scripture and Reason The dreadful Effects of the Fall which related to themselves Others which belong'd not only to them but to their whole Race Death was the Penal Consequence of the First Defection The Inward and Spiritual Evils that attended it are enumerated How Man became like the Beasts Eternal Death the Fruit of his Apostacy The Penalty insticted on the Serpent Not only our First Parents but all Mankind were under this Second Dispensation p. 49 CHAP. III. The Nature of the Third General Dispensation The first part of which is the Adamick State The early Promise concerning the Messias Gen. 3. 15. explain'd He was expected betimes The New Testament witnesses that he was to bruise the Serpent's Head Several positive Laws were under this Occonomy That of Oblations and Sacrifices is especially consider'd Eucharistical Sacrifices were part of the Law of Nature Expiatory and Bloody onec were not so Thence these latter were disapproved of by the wisest Heathens They are founded upon Divine Institution The Practice of Sacrificing among the Pagans was derived to them by Tradition from the Jews or the foregoing Patriarchs Whether sacrifices were prescribed before or after the Fall of our First Parents Concerning the Primitive Priesthood The Distinction of clean and unclean Animals was in respect of Sacrificing not Eating Gen. 4. 26. explain'd and a settled Church founded upon it Marrying with Infidels seems to be prohibited under this Dispensation The Rise of Polygamy The seven Precepts said to be given to the Sons of Adam and Noah The Improbability of this Jewish Tradition evinced from several Considerations The Mistakes of Volkelius and Episcopius concerning the Antediluvian Oeconomy p. 83 CHAP. IV. The Noachical Oeconomy The first Positive Law under it was about eating of Flesh. It is proved that this prevail'd nâ—â— till after the Flood Objections against it answer'd The Testimony of Pagans to confirm it The Reason of the Prohibition The second Positive Law was concerning not eating Flesh with the Blood The Reason of it The third Positive Law was concerning not shedding of Man's Blood With the Penalty of it And the Sanction of Magistracy Serâ—itude not introduced under this Dispensation The Longevity of the Patriarchs was common to all in those Times The Months and Years were of the same length then that they are now They were Solar not Lunar Years The Causes of the long Lives of those that lived before the Flood The Abrahamick Oeconomy With its several Steps and Advances The Nature of the Covenant made with Abraham Now the Faithful were separated and distinguish'd from the rest of the World Why they are called Hebrews The Nature and Design of Circumcision Vnder this Dispensation Altars were erected Tithes paid c. Of Polygamy and Concubines and other Vsages p. 112 CHAP. V. The Mosaick or Jewish Dispensation seems to be Preposterous The Law of Grace was veiled for a Season The Triple Law which this Oeconomy was famous for briefly display'd Four Reasons assigned why the World was so long without a Written Law The Ceremonial Law is part of this Dispensation The several things which are comprehended in it Oblations viz. of Inanimate things Sacrifices which were of Living Creatures An enumeration of those Sacrifices which were Set and Determined Others were Occasional viz. 1. Sin-Offerings 2. Trespass-Offerings 3. Peace-Offerings Some Remarks about Sacrifices The several Ends and Designs of this way of Worship How the Mosaick Sacrifices are said to Expiate It is largely proved that the guilt of all kinds of Sins whatsoever was Atoned by them The Objections to the contrary are answered The Principal End of the Judâ—ick Sacrifices was to typifie and represent the Sacrifiâ—e of Christ on the Cross. p. 145 CHAP. VI. The High-Priest's Office His peculiar Attire The Imployment and Apparel of the Pâ—iests The Levites particular Charge Whether they might sacrifice or no. Their Office in the Reigns of King David and King Solomon differ'd in some things from what it was before The ordinary and fixed Place of Worship and particularly of Sacrificing was the Tabernacle A particular Account of the three Divisions or Partitions of it viz. the Outward Court the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies with all things contain'd in them The Mystical and Spiritual meaning of the several Particulars The Travels and Removes of the Tabernacle and Ark. A distinct Account of the Parts of the Temple shewing wherein it differ'd from the Tabernacle Of the Fabrick it self and its Dimensions Houses and Chambers belonging to it The Sacraments appointed by the Ceremonial Law p. 173 CHAP. VII The Jewish Feasts Sabbaths New Moon Passover The Parallel between the Paschal Lamb and our Saâ—iour shew'd in several Particulars This Mystical Way approved of Christ celebrated not the Passover the same Evening that the Jews did but in the Evening before This represented in a Scheme The Feast of Pentecost The Feast of Tabernacles The Feast of Trumpets Of Expiation Other lesser Feasts not commanded in the Law but appointed by the Jewish Church Fasts kept tho not injoin'd by the Law The difference of Clean and Unclean Animals Why the latter were forbidden to be eaten The chief Reason of the prohibition was to prevent Idolatry Two Objections answer'd Vows proper to the Mosaick Dispensation They were either Personal or Real The Cherem p. 205 CHAP. VIII The Reasons of the Ceremonial Rites among the Jews They were to Try that People They were to Restrain them They were injoin'd in opposition to the Idolatrous Customs of the Heathens Several
Instances of this Dr. Spencer opposes it His two Parallels of the Jewish and Gentile Rites His Opinion shew'd to be unreasonable absurd and contradictious He makes the Eucharist an Imitation of a Pagan Barbarous Vsage Other Writers mention'd who have fallen into the like Notions The Ceremonial Law was prescribed the Jews because it was sutable to that Age and Disposition of the Church Particularly it agreed with them as they were Children and Minors It was serviceable to teach them something of Morality Those Ritual Observances were design'd to be Types and Representations of Greater and Higher things More especially they prefigured the Messias The Contents of the Judicial Law Some parts of it were in force before Moses's time What obligation it hath upon Christians now under the Gospel p. 240 CHAP. IX The several ways and kinds of Divine Revelation under the different Oeconomies Ordinary External Revelation was by hearing or by seeing Inward Reveâ—lâ—tion was by Dreams or Prophetick Inspiration What Prophecy was How thâ—y knew to distinguish between True Prophets and False ones The extraordinary ways of Revelation were 1. That which was vouchsaâ—ed to Moses alone The Nature of it It differ'd from other Revelations as to Degree oâ—ly 2. That from between the Cherubims 3. the Urim and Thummim These are not the same with the Teraphim They were not borrowed from Pagan Idolaters This would be a countenancing of Image-Worship The absurdity and impiety of their opinion who hold that the Urim and Thummim were of Heathen Extraction These were no other than those bare words written or engraven on the High Priest's Breastplate An Objection answer'd p. 264 CHAP. X. The Gentile Oeconomy Others besides those of the Family of Abraham were of the Church Some of these were in Palestine An enumeration of the several Opinions concerning Melchisedech He was a Canaanitish King and Priest Job's Countrey His Character His Friends Several other Pious and Religious Gentiles in other Countreys Hebrew Prophets sent to the people of other Nations Malachi speaks of True Worshippers among the Gentiles The Proselytes of the Gate The Proselytes of Righteousness Tho the Nations were generally for saken of God because of their Idolatry yet some among them professed and worshipped the True God Those places of Scripture in the Old and New Testament which set forth the peculiar Privileges of the Jewish People are not inconsistent with this No Nations were dâ—barr'd and excluded from God's Grace and Favour p. 285 CHAP. XI The Christian or Evangelical Oeconomy It agrees with the former Dispensations of Grace as to the Designation of the Messias As to the way of Salvation As to the Conditions and Qualifications of it This corroborated by the suffâ—â—ge of the Antient Fathers It differs from the Mosaick Oeconomy or Law as to the Author in some respect As to the Actual Discovery of it As to the Clearness of it As to its Spirituality As to its Extent As to several Circumstances that relate to the Conditions of Salvation which are largely enumerated As to the Motives of Obedience The Doctrine of the Socinians viz. that there were no Promises of Eternal Life under the Old Testament confuted As to the Perfection of its Pattern As to its Helps and Assistances This Query Whether Christ added any new Laws to those which were before under the Old Testament resolved in several Particulars It is proved against the Socinians that Prayer was commanded under the Law How Love is call'd a New Commandment p. 306 CHAP. XII An Answer to an Objection from Mat. 5. 17. shewing distinctly and particularly what is the Law and how Christ came to fulfil it It is held by some that Christ came to add New Precepts to the Moral Law In confutation of which Opinion it is proved that Anger is forbid by the Decalogue So is a Lustful Eye So is all Rash and Prophane Swearing So is Divorce unless in the case of Adultery So is Resisting of Evil. So is hating of our Enemies It is largely discuss'd whether it was lawful for the Israelites to hate the seven Nations whom they were commanded to destroy And whether the Command to destroy them was Absolute Objections from Deut. 13. 8 9. Psal. 139. 21. answer'd The Nature of the Two Covenants viz. of Works and of Grace fully stated The Conditions on our part How do this and live is applicable to the Covenant of Grace The Covenant made with the Israelites at the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai was the Covenant of Grace tho it seem'd to resemble the Covenant of Works The Covenant of Grace was completed and perfected by Christ's Coming and not before The Mediator the Terms the Seals of this Covenant now fully manifested It is proved that according to the Stile of Scripture the Old and New Covenant are the same Covenant of Grace p. 340 CHAP. XIII Tho we could assign no Reason why the Christian Oeconomy was so late and why our Saviour arrived no sooner in the World this is sufficient to satisfie us that it was God's pleasure it should be so But for the sake of the Inquisitive such Reasons and Considerations as these are offer'd 1. It must be remembred that Christ appear'd in the World even in the early times of the Patriarchs 2. The Benefits of Christ's Redemption were imparted to the Faithful before he actually appear'd in the flesh 3. The World was not fit to receive him sooner 4. He delay'd his Coming to make the World sensible of their Misery 5. That the Advantages of his Coming might be prized 6. It was congruous that so great a Prince should not arrive without solemn Harbingers and Heralds of his Coming 7. The necessities of Mankind call'd for him at that particular time and juncture when he came The Jewish Church grew worse and worse An enumeration of the several Sects and Factions which they were divided into viz. Essenes Pharisees Sadduces Herodians Samaritans Galilaeans 8. God proceedeth in a gradual Order and Method The most perfect things are reserved till the last p. 379 OF THE Different Dispensations OF RELIGION CHAP. I. The great Advantage of the present Vndertaking A general Distribution of the Work The State of Innocence The Folly of the Praeadamitick Opinion The solemn Consultation of the Sacred Trinity about the making of Man His Excellency What God's Image in Man is not What it is largely discours'd of The various Opinions concerning Paradise It is proved by sundry Arguments that it was in Babylon An account of its Four Rivers An Objection fully answered whereby the Author's Opinion concerning those Rivers is explain'd and establish'd The Employment of our First Parents in Paradise Besides the Law of Nature there were these positive Laws in the State of Primitive Integrity 1. That of Matrimony 2. That concerning Propagation 3. Observing the Sabbath or Seventh Day It is prov'd that Adam and Eve kept this Day 4. Abstaining from the Fruit of a certain Tree in the Garden of Eden An
shall be objected that it is improbable Paradise was washed with all these four Rivers viz. Euphrates Tigris Ganges and Nile for then it must needs be almost as large as a third part of half the Globe Especially as to Pison and Gihon how can we hold that the former is Ganges and the latter Nile for then we must take in almost all Asia and a great part of Africa into Paradise Therefore this Notion concerning the Rivers of Paradise is very extravagant and consequently must not look for any reception I answer 1. It is not so extravagant to make a quarter of half the Earth Paradisiacal as to hold that it was all of it so at first which yet we find vouched of late But 2. it is a gross mistake in the Objectors to think that what I have said enlarges Paradise to that wideness which they mention for when we speak of the Rivers belonging to this place this must be remembred that the Heads and Springs of them are meant not the whole body and current of them For you read but of a River Gen. 2. 10. i. e. one River but this one River was parted as you read in the same Verse into four Branches or if you will into four Rivers viz. without Paradise not within it The one River was in Paradise and was serviceable to water it whilst these Arms and Branches of it spread themselves to a vast distance even on one hand to some Regions of Africa and further yet on the other hand to some remote parts of India Here is nothing extravagant in this Assertion and consequently Nile and Ganges might and certainly did descend from the capital River of Eden The River Pison is said to compass the whole Land of Havilah and Gihon is said to compass the whole Land of Ethiopia that is the Waters of these Springs or Fountain-heads which had their rise in Paradise flow'd as far as Havilah in India and Ethiopia in Africk and encompass'd these places with their various turnings and windings Moses tells us what Regions of the World these derivative Streams and Branches which in broad Channels made very considerable Rivers reach'd to But we cannot conclude thence that Paradise it self was extended so far This I think is very plain and intelligible and no Man of sense can oppose it and therefore there is no cause for that outcry which is made against Ganges and Nile's being two of the Rivers mention'd in Gen. 2. Notwithstanding what some late Writers have ingeniously offer'd I think the old Opinion is the most probable or at least I take it to have as much probability in it as any of the Modern ones And so any unprejudic'd Person will be inclin'd to think if he considers how likely a thing it is that the Fountains and Springs of Rivers are much alter'd since the Creation of the World and consequently what these learned Men alledg concerning the rise and spring of Euphrates c. which they have met with in some Authors is to little purpose 3. I will add this that Euphrates and Tigris were the only Rivers that were proper to Eden or Paradise but the other two are mention'd because they wash'd those Regions which appertain'd to and border'd upon that blessed Ground called Paradise Paradise strictly taken was not so wide and spacious but all the whole Country lying about that particular Ground is in a large sense termed Paradise We may observe it is said God planted a Garden in Eden Gen. 2. 8. not that the Garden was as large as Eden but rather it is evident from these words that Eden was that Region of the Earth in part of which God planted a Garden which was not and indeed could not be so large as the place he planted it in Yet without doubt it was of a very considerable length and breadth the circumference of it was large and specious and therefore Rivers or Arms of Rivers at a great distance might belong to it In short the Soil thereabouts was in some measure Paradisiacal but this one part of it was more eminently so and in a peculiar sense might be call'd Paradise and the Garden of Eden Thus I hope I have given a full Answer to what was objected and thereby made it very clear and perspicuous that Paradise was planted in that Region which was afterward call'd Eden and that Babylon even that which was cursed Babylon afterwards was the Seat of that blessed Ground And tho what Tertullian and Augustin and several of the Moderns as Aquina◠Gregory de Valentiâ Bellarmine Del Rio and others have held viz. that this happy place is not known to Mortals may be thus far true that we are not acquainted with the individual Spot of Ground where Adam and Eve were placed in their Innocence yet if these Persons aforemention'd meant what they said in a more general sense their Opinion is false and groundless for it is evident from the premises that Paradise was in the eastern part of the Continent of Asia that it was that part of Mesopotamia which was wash'd with Tigris and Euphrates that it was a kind of an Island made so by these and other Rivers that encompass it and particularly that Babylon now a known place in Turky was afterward the name of the Country that pleasant and delightful Country where the Garden of Paradise was situated Here it was that our first Parents were seated by the particular appointment of God In this happy Region of the World in this blessed Island they were to spend their days But what were they to do here What manner of Life were they to lead What Laws were they govern'd by This we are next to consider and it is necessary to do so in order to our being acquainted with the nature of this first Dispensation God who had given Adam the whole Earth and all that was in it to possess and enjoy yet assign'd him this lesser portion of Ground to inhabit in and to cultivate and he would not suffer him to be idle and unimploy'd in that happy state of Innocence but set him to dress and keep that choice piece of Earth Gen. 2. 15. which would want his care because it was so luxuriant Here he was to employ his Mind as well as exercise his Body here he was to enjoy God Himself and the whole World Here he was to contemplate and study God's Works to submit himself wholly to the Divine Conduct to conform◠all his Actions to the Will of his Maker and to live in a constant dependence upon him Here he was to spend his days in the continual exercises of Prayers and Praises and it may be the very natural dictates of Gratitude would prompt him to offer up some of the Fruits of the Ground and some living Creatures in way of Sacrifice unto God There were thousands of Objects to exercise his Wit and Understanding to call forth his Reason and to employ it But the ultimate perfection of his
than other Creatures were that he came to him often and was pleas'd with his Society that he did not creep on the ground but went on his feet But the same Author goes too far when he intimates that he was of an erect Figure for that is proper only to Man It is very probable that the Serpent did not then grovel and creep on the Earth as he now doth for this was the Curse pronounced against him after the Fall but he was somewhat lifted up from the ground by feet tho perhaps they were very short for you find in the forenamed place that he is sorted with the Beasts of the Field which are distinguish'd in kind from creeping things Gen. 1. 25. Another Ecclesiastical Writer agrees with the former Author that the Serpent was more sociable and conversant with our first Parents than all the other Creatures were that he often approach'd to them and insinuated himself into them with the gentle motions of his Body I do not think with Iosephus that the Serpent and all other Beasts naturally spoke in Paradise a Dream which Basil also assents to but this I am ascertain'd of from the inspired Records of Moses that the Devil spoke by the Serpent or which is all one that the Serpent possessed by the Devil spoke to Eve So we read afterwards that an Ass by an extraordinary impulse spake to Balaam And since that time several Histories mention the speaking of irrational Animals yea of inanimate Creatures Thus a River spoke to Pythagoras and saluted him as he passed by it if we may believe Porphyrius in his Life A Tree spoke to Apollonius Tyanaeus saith Philostratus This was the effect of Magick both those Persons being skill'd in that Art It will be granted then that the Devil is able to do what his Agents and Ministers can effect thus here the Serpent spake to Eve by the motion of Satan actuating his Body The Devil moved his Tongue and inabled him to hold a Discourse with the Woman And now if you consider that he was by his Nature and Make of a graceful Hew and Figure and that he was made by God a subtil and insinuating Creature you will not deny that he was fit to be made use of by Satan to intice and inveigle the Woman Wherefore the bold Man that laughs at this part of the Mosaick History concerning the Serpent and Eve talking together and in effect represents it as a mere Fiction hath as little Reason as Religion on his side It is certainly agreeable to Reason that the Devil would tempt and seduce her by making use of some familiar and domestick Creature if he used any at all The Fox was cunning and crafty but the Serpent was the most gentle and tractable of all this was his proper subtilty It is probable that this Creature was beloved both by Adam and Eve She especially was delighted with it and used to play and sport with it she laid it perhaps in her Bosom or adorned her Neck with its twistings and windings or she made it a Bracelet for her Arms. This is certain that the enmity between the Serpent and Mankind was not till after Man's Fall as appears from Gen. 3. 15. I will put Enmity between thee and the Woman and between thy Seed and her Seed There could not be an Enmity put between them unless there had been a Friendship before Or if the Serpent used before to ensnare or hurt Mankind and to shew himself an Enemy why is it denounced by God as a Threatning and Curse that he will put Enmity between them It is evident then that the Serpent was some goodly lovely Creature and would needs make himself acceptable to the Woman And in this Masquerade the Devil soon got the better of her perswading her that if she did eat of the prohibited Fruit she should be so far from receiving any harm and damage that she should thereby mend her condition and be some Goddess rather than a Woman She was caught with these fond and flattering Suggestions and slighted the Divine Injunction and boldly ventured on the forbidden Dainties The subtil Ingineer planted his Artillery against the weakest part of the Fort he began his Batteries against the feeble Sex first Alas a silly Woman and a subtil Serpent acted by the Devil were not Matches And as this latter tempted Eve by a Serpent so he tempted Man by Eve who was gentle and alluring familiar and insinuating and not easily to be repulsed The weak Woman must needs fall being sollicited both by Satan and the Serpent The poor Man could not but fall who had a triple temptation that of the Devil the Serpent and the Woman Thus both Man and Woman fell and that in a short time after they were created Man being in honour abideth not He stood not one night say some in integrity but apostatized in the close of the same day in which he was made and in the very same day he was cast out of Paradise So the Iews generally and many of the Christian Fathers assert Luther is very punctual Our first Parents entred saith he into the Garden at Noon-day and the Woman having an Appetite and taking delight in the Food eat of it about two a clock But these two things may incline us to think that they did not 1. What the Sacred History concerning that matter affordeth us 2. What Reason and the thing it self will suggest to us about it 1. The History of the Acts of that Day on which Adam was made is a sufficient confutation of this Opinion For Moses in the Book of Genesis acquaints us that on that Day wherein he was created which was the sixth day all these things were done 1. Being created without Paradise he was that day brought into it 2. The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledg of Good and Evil were proposed to him 3. A Law concerning abstaining from one of them was given him 4. All the four-footed Creatures one of a sort at least were brought to him and set before him and he view'd and observ'd them and according to the nature and differences of every Species gave peculiar Names to them The same he did to all the Fowls of the Air. This would take up a considerable time 5. After this Adam fell into a deep sleep and a Rib is taken out of his side and of it the Woman was made 6. God as the Paranymph brings this Spouse to Adam who acknowledgeth her to be a part of him and takes her into intimate familiarity and made her his Wife All this was done on the sixth Day but we do not read that any more was done But you will say If it admitted of so much work we may as well add the eating of the forbidden Fruit which did not take up much time But I answer we learn not from the History that this was done on that day Yea we are sure it
and add what he thought was left out saith not one word concerning these Fourthly These Precepts are all of them the Laws of Nature or most easily reducible to them They are Prohibitions against Injustice Blasphemy Idolatry Uncleanness Bloodshed Rapine All which are general Dictates of Nature and Reason and written in man's Mind originally Therefore it may be remembâ—red that these Precepts obtain'd not only among the Hebrews but among all Nations whatsoever It is not likely then that God did orally deliver these to the Patriarchs before the Flood for in that early time of the World it was not requisite Tho afterwards some of thesâ— Precepts were given to Noah viz. after the corruption and gross degeneracy of the People of the Old World and when a New World of Men was to be set up And tho these and the like Precepts were made up afterward into Ten Commandments and given to the Iews i. e. when the World was more corrupted and the Dictates of Reason and Morality were almost lost and when it was as necessary to rouse mens Minds and to keep Religion from decaying and when God was erecting a New Oâ—conomy and chusing a peculiar People to himself tho in these Circumstances the giving of such Precepts was necessary yet now in the Patriarchs days there was no need of delivering them they having them fresh on their minds There is no ground then for us to credit the Hebrew Doctors when they tell us that those six Precepts were deliver'd solemnly to the Sons of Adam It is only a Tradition of the Iews and of what truth and reality their Traditions generally are is known to those who are sober and unprejudiced Persons they are usually mere Fancies and Conceits Dreams and Dotages Lies and Forgeries Thus you see how it went with the World from Adam to the Flood which is reckon'd to be about sixteen hundred Years You see how the State of Religion stood what Communications the World had from God And here by the way I cannot but take notice of the groundless assertion of that Socinian Writer who declares That before the Flood there was no General Precept given to Men by God they had only some Injunctions which appertain'd to certain particular Persons and particular Affairs Nor had they any general Promise made to them he saith Episcopius is more large telling us That they lived almost 2000 Years without any Law without any Promises without any Precepts from God And he further adds That the Religion from Adam to Abraham was merely Natural and had nothing but Right Reason for its Rule and Measure All which are mistaken Notions for from what hath been deliver'd concerning this Oeconomy before the Flood it is evident that there was a Divine Prâ—cept which was general concerning Sacrifices and there was a Promise and that a general one concerning the Blessed Seed and there were other Laws and Prescriptions besides those that were founded on mere Reason for it appears that this Antediluvian Dispensation was mixt partly guided by the Light and Law of Nature partly by Revelation Religion consisted both of Natural Principles and Positive Commands These were all along interwoven with one another Thus the Old World was govern'd In which Period there were these ten Patriarchs who were all long-liv'd but one Adam was the first who when Abel was dead begat Seth whose Son was Enosh who begat Cainan and he Mahalalel and this Iared whose Son was Enoch who was translated Then Methusalaâ— the longest liver of them all Adam and he took up all the time between the Creation and the Flood then Lamech not he of that Name who was of Cain's Race and Noah was the last of the ten Antediluvian Fathers CHAP. IV. The Noachical Oeconomy The first Positive Law under it was about eating of Flesh. It is proved that this prevail'd not till after the Flood Objections against it answer'd The Testimony of Pagans to confirm it The Reason of the Prohibition The second Positive Law was concerning not eating Flesh with the Blood The Reason of it The third Positive Law was concerning not shedding of Man's Blood With the Penalty of it And the Sanction of Magistracy Servitude not introduced under this Dispensation The Longevity of the Patriarchs was common to all in those Times The Months and Years were of the same length then that they are now They were Solar not Lunar Years The Causes of the long Lives of those that lived before the Flood The Abrahamick Oeconomy With its several Steps and Advances The Nature of the Covenant made with Abraham Now the Faithful were separated and distinguish'd from the rest of the World Why they are called Hebrews The Nature and Design of Circumcision Vnder this Dispensation Altars were erected Tithes paid c. Of Polygamy and Concubines and other Vsages THE Second Patriarchal Dispensation or the Noachical Oâ—conomy began in Noah's days and lasted till Abraham Immediately after the Flood the Covenant which was made with our first Parents was renewed to Noah the Law of Grace which had been given to them was now confirmed to this eminent Person and to the â—est of Mankind in him and the â—ow in the Cloud was made a Sign of the Covenant Gen. 9. 9. It is to be believ'd that a farther discovery of the Mâ—ssias was made to Noah tho the Sacred History saith nothing of it But this is expresly recorded that this renewing and confirming of the Dispensation of Grace were accompanied with some positive Institutions and Laws which were an addition to those that were before given to Adam These are the things which make the difference between this and the former Oâ—conomy The first Positive Law was concerning â—ating of Flesh. Evâ—ry moving thing that liveth shall bâ— Meat for you Gen. 9. 3. The discrimination of Meats is taken away and Flesh is granted to be eaten and indeed there was a necessity of it at that time because the Fruits of the Earth were destroy'd by the Flood Before the Delugâ— there was not a liberty given to eat Flesh for they were limited by that Injunction in Gen. 1. 29. which appoints Herbs and Fruits to be their Meat God said Bâ—hâ—ld I have given you every Hâ—rb bearing Sâ—â—d which is upon the Face of all the Earth and every Tree in thâ— which is the Fruit of a Tree yielding Seed to you iâ— shall bâ— for Meat Here is the Lex Cibaria Man is confined as to his Diet Herbs and Fruits are appointed his Food and no other But now this Restraint is taken off by the same hand that laid it on and God permitâ— Noah and his Posterity to eat Flesh as well as Herbs But yet it is a Controversy among Writers whether eating of Flesh was granted just after the Flood and was altogether prohibited before The Hebrews generally say that the People before the Deluge fed only upon what the Earth produced and abstain'd from all living Creatures Most of the Christian Fathers hold
peculiar People and taken into Grace and Favour There was a Distinction made between God's Servants and others under the Abrahamick Period but now it is more Visible and Remarkable now the Iewish State properly commenceth now these People are molded into a new Commonwealth and God is their peculiar Governour The Church of God was first united into One Politick Body or Society and grew to be National in Moses's time Now the Church in the Wilderness as 't is call'd by St. Stephen Acts 7. 38. became a Distinct Body of men known by the name of Israelites This Oeconomy is famous for the Delivering of a Threefold Law Moral Ceremonial Iudicial Tho Moral Ecclesiastical Civil may be a better Division of those Laws for some that are reckon'd among the Ceremonial and Typical Laws as Tithes and First-fruits are not such and some of those call'd Iudicial deserve not that name But the Usual Partition shall serve and by the Moral Law we understand those Precepts and Commands by the observance of which men are madereally Good and Virtuous The Ceremonial Law is the Iews Canon Law and directs them in their external Behaviour in Religious Worship and tells them what Rites and Usages they must observe By the Iudicial Law we understand the Civil Law of the Iewish Nation as Ius Civile is taken for the Particular Law of every single State This contains those Constitutions and Orders which respect Publick Justice and acquaints men what is Right and Equitable in their Dealings and Commerce with one another The first of these are such Precepts and Prohibitions as are good in themselves The Second are indifferent in their own Nature but are so far good as they are commanded by a Positive Law of God The third sort are of a mixt Nature being partly in their own nature good and partly indifferent This Triple Law is thought by the Iewish Writers to be comprised in those three words Commandments Statutes Iudgments Deut. 6. 1. Mitzoth Praecepta are said to be the Ten Commandments the Moral Law Chukkim Statuta are thought to be those Rites and Ceremonies that respect God's Worship as Circumcision c. Mishaphattim Iudicia are suppos'd to be all those Politick Constitutions that concern humane Society But it is not certain that by these three words are meant those three distinct kinds of Laws for these are mention'd in Gen. 26. 5. before there was this formal Distinction of Laws And in Deut. 11. 1. you will find these words transposed which intimates that those are too nice who understand them in the former manner for 't is not likely that the Commandments i. e. the Moral Law would be set in the last place Wherefore I think it more probable that this diversity of words is used only to signifie the whole body of Precepts of what nature soever that was given to the Iews But this is unquestionable that the Decâ—logue is the chief and most eminent part of these Laws and the rest are bâ—t Appendages and Supplements to it The Ceromâ—â—ial Injunctions are annex'd to the Precepts of the first Table and those that are Iudicial to them of the Second The former are Particular Instances of the Duty which was required of the Iewish people towardâ— God the lattâ—r of their Duty towards their Neighbours The Hebrew Doctors divide all the Commandments of the Law into 248 〈◊〉 and 365 Negative and both 〈◊〉 into Twelve Houses as they call them and under each House more or less Commandments The â—â—mplete Sum is 613 which they say is according to the number of the â—etterâ— in the 〈◊〉 in which all the Law is virtually and reductively comprised These Ten Words as they are called in the Hebrew and those other Iudicial and Ceremonial Laws which you may find set down from the 20 th Chap. of Exodus to the end of the Pentateuch began to be deliver'd on Mount Sinai three months after the Israelites came out of Egypt Exod. 19. 1. Moses was forty days or six weeks in the Mount or rather if you conâ—ult the â—â—â—tory you will find that he was twice or thrice on the Mount so long a time or a very considerable time and then it was that he receiv'd these Divine Laws First I will speak concerning the Moral Law comprised in the Ten Commandments I call the whâ—lâ— Decalogue the Moral Law although the Observation of the Seventh Day appâ—inted in the Fourth Commandment be not strictly Moral but because the Devoting some Certain Time to God's Service is Moral and is contain'd in that Commâ—ndment therefore I reckon it part of the Moral Law You meet with several particular Laws relating to Moral Duties scatter'd up and down in the four last Books of Moses but these Ten Words as they are call'd are a Summary Account of all those Laws and Rules which are more spâ—cially and particularly set down This Law of Morality and Natural Reason was in all the former Dispensations but that which makes it Peculiar in is this that this Law which before was Written in mens Hearts is now Ingraven on Stone If I should say that there were no Lettâ—rs at all before these which God used on Mount Sinai If I should aâ—sert that they had no Books or Writings before the 〈◊〉 but that the Characters of the Law were the first that ever were in the World and consequently that now God taught men to write I do not see how why man can disprove me But this we are sure of that from Adam to Moses which is above 2000 years there was no Written Word of God to direct the World The Church was without Scriptures God's Will which was communicated to them by Revelation was continued and kept up by Tradition If it be demanded why God suffer'd the World to live so long without a written Law and what was the Reason of the writing of the Law at last I answer 1. The long Lives of the Patriarchs as hath been intimated before were one main Reason why there was no Written Law for so long a time There was a College and Society of many Seniors living many hundred years together with one another Adam lived with Seth 800 years with Enes 695 with Cainan 605 with Mahalaleel 535 with Iared 470 with Methuselah 243 with Lamech 56. Or we may instance in Pious Shem who was both before and after the Flood he lived with Methuselah 97 years with Lamâ—ch 92 with Noah 447 with Arphaxad Sala and Heber about 430 with Peleg and Regu about 239 with Serug 230 with Nabor 149 with Terah 205 with Abraham 150 with Isaac 50. These therefore could conâ—er Notes with great ease they could inform themselves truly concerning the Faith and Religion and Practice of the First Man they could instruct one another concerning theiâ— Duty and the indispensible necessity of it Or take it more briefly thuâ— Adam lived to converse with Methuselah Methuselah lived to see and know Shem Shem lived till Iacob was born so that these
beg leave to dissent from those who assert that these Sacrifices expiated only for lesser Sins and Failings and not for the greater ones of external idolatry Murder Blasphemy and the like It is not to be doubted that all kinds and degrees of Sin were expiated by the legal Sacrifices not only corporal Punishment in the sense which I have explain'd and legal Uncleanness but all moral Impurity and Guilt were taken away by them But this the Mosaick Sacrifices did not do of themselves but by virtue only of the Expiatory Sacrifice of the MESSIAS to come of which they were but Shadows To speak properly and strictly they did not really and formally but typically expiate i. e. as they were Significations and Figures of that great Sacrifice to be offer'd Lastly then the grand and principal End of the Judaical Sacrifices was to typify and represent the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Socinus denies not that the Anniversary Sacrifice on the Day of Expiation was a Type of Christ ' s Death But as for the other common and usual Sacrifices he holds that Christ was not prefigured by them but that the Spiritual Sacrifices of Christians were only typified thereby This is a gross Error for the Burnt-Offerings and Sin-Offerings and Peace-Offerings which were common and frequent were Expiatory Sacrifices as I shew'd before and they were as much Expiatory as that which was but once a Year Now being Expiatory they as such were Types of the great Propitiatory Sacrifice of the Lamb of God they prefigured Christ's Death and the Expiation and Satisfaction which he was to make for Sin It is a strange thing therefore to me that Socinus who denies Christ to be a Propitiatory Sacrifice should grant that the Sacrifice which the High Priest offer'd once a Year entring into the Holy of Holies prefigured the Death of Christ for the same reason he ought to grant that all the Expiatory Sacrifices of the Law were Types of our Saviour And he could not but see that the Holy Ghost in Scripture doth not only speak of that Annual Sacrifice as a prefiguration of Christ's Passion and apply it expresly to him in Heb. 9. 12. By his own Blood â—e entred in once into the Holy Place but the same Infallible Spirit in that Epistle applieth what is said of the other Sacrifices unto Christ Therefore the Apostle saith Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 15. 7. Therefore Iohn the Baptist call'd our Saviour the Lamb of God who takes away the Sins of the World John 1. 29. having respect without doubt to the Expiatory Sacrifices of the Old Testament which prefigured Christ the true Immaculate Lamb the Lamb that was slain as the same inspired Writer speaks from the Foundation of the World Rev. 13. 8. Christ's Offering was the Idea and Pattern of all the Levitical and Mosaical Sacrifices To this very end God instituted these that they might shadow out that to us A greater and better Sacrifice and Oblation of a higher nature was to succeed those viz. the Sacrifice of Christ Jesus by which God is appeased and all our Sins are expiated and therefore the Phrase of a sweet-smelling Savour applied to Expiatory Sacrifices under the Law is used and that properly by the Apostle concerning Christ his giving up himself for us and pacifying God's Wrath on our behalf That the Legal Sacrifices were Types and Symbols of spiritual things is acknowledg'd by Philo but we who have an infallible information from the New Testament are taught further viz. that they were Types of Christ the great Sacrifice And we have the greatest reason imaginable to assent to this because the Blood of Bulls and Goats was a poor Expiation of it self That Butchery that bloody Employment could have no real and intrinsick worth in it and therefore it must needs have been in order to something else it was to prefigure the expiatory Death and Sacrifice of the Massias And all the time that these Mosaick Sacrifices lasted they did not pacify God's Anger and satisfy his Justice and take away Sin and justify Persons by their own Force and Virtue or by their own worthiness but they did all this typically and mystically as they represented Christ and his Merit who was the Great Sacrifice they did it by Divine Order and Institution CHAP. VI. The High-Priest's Office His peculiar Attire The Imployment and Apparel of the Priests The Levites Particular Charge Whether they might sacrifice or no. Their Office in the Reigns of King David and King Solomon differ'd in some things from what it was before The ordinary and fixed Place of Worship and particularly of Sacrificing was the Tabernacle A particular Account of the three Divisions or Partitions of it viz. the Outward Court the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies with all things contain'd in them The Mystical and Spiritual meaning of the several Particulars The Travels and Removes of the Tabernacle and Ark. A distinct Account of the Parts of the Temple shewing wherein it differ'd from the Tabernacle Of the Fabrick it self and its Dimensions Houses and Chambers belonging to it The Sacraments appointed by the Ceremonial Law HAving spoken of Sacrifices we will now in the second place speak of the Sacrificers the Persons that officiated in the Ceremonial Worship under the Law There were three Orders of these the first whereof was the High-Priest For tho there were Priests before the Law who were Fathers and Heads and the First-born of Families yet we read of 〈◊〉 High-Priest This Office is now added and Aaron had it first of all to whose House it was tied by Divine Institution But it continued not long there only Eleazer succeeded his Father Aaron and upon Eleazer's Death three Priests of his Family successively were High-Priests Then the Office went out of the House of Aaron and came to Eli of the Family of Ithamar But generally afterwards the High Priesthood was by succession of Blood and lineally descended from the Father to the Son or if there were no Son to the next of the Kindred This High Priest was the great and supreme Ecclesiastical Minister among the Iews And even according to Philo and some other Iews was a Type of the Messias His Office was in common with that of the Priests of whom afterwards to pray for instruct and bless the People but his peculiar Province was to preside over the Priests and other inferior Officers of the Church to take care that they discharg'd their Function aright Whereas these administred daily he was obliged to officiate only on the solemn Day of Expiation He differ'd from them in the manner of his Consecration and was peculiar in some other things He had the singular honour to be the Metropolitan of the Jewish Church and the President of the Great Council or Sanhedrim To make him more pompous and venerable the Law took care of his very Attire I will only shew you this Sacred Wardrobe and
truly if the Holy Ghost in Scripture was pleas'd to make mention of it and to describe it it cannot be improper here to repeat it and then leave Origen Ierom Durandus Erasmus and others to comment upon the several Parts and to give you the moral and mystical Sense of them 1. There were Linen Breeches which the High Priest was injoin'd to wear to cover his nakedness Exod. 28. 42. that is that his secret Parts might not be exposed whenever it chanced that the Wind blew up his upper Garments for the Men in those Eastern Countries wore long Garments hanging down low without Breeches whence we read that David was uncover'd in those Parts when he danc'd before the Ark 2 Sam. 6. 20. That the High Priest therefore might not be liable to this Indecency and Inconvenience when he administred in Sacred things or at any other time he was commanded to wear these Breâ—ches or Drawers of Linen 2. There was Ketonah from whence perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Tunick or Coat Exod. 28. 39. It was of fine Linen and white and had Sleeves and reach'd down beyond the Ankles It was properly the Shirt for it was that Garment which was worn next to his flesh only it was closer than a Shirt and it was curiously woven with artificial Figures 3. Over these was Mechil a Robe of Blue Exod. 28. 31. which answer'd exactly to the Ephod both in wideness and shape tho not as to length At the bottom or skirts of this Robe instead of Fringes hung 72 Pomegranates of Blue Purple and Scarlet and as many golden Bells 4. The Ephod which was a short Garment without sleeves but most artificially wrought with Gold Purple and broider'd Work in divers figures and colours and thereby made very beautiful and glorious It was worn over all the other Garments but the Girdle it had two holes on the sides to let the Arms come through and they put it on over their Heads as a Surplice is put on This imbroider'd Cope was remarkable for these following things First On the shoulders of it were set two great Onyx Stones whereon were grav'd the Names of the Children of Israel Exod. 28. 9. that is of the twelve Tribes six on one Stone and six on another These precious Gems were set in Gold with two Chains of Gold hanging at them Secondly On the fore-part of this Garment there was fastned a four-square piece of Cloth doubled the breadth and length of it were the dimension of a span imbroider'd with Gold and adorn'd with twelve precious Stones Exod. 28. 15. They were of four Classes or Rows and there were three Stones in each Class and the name of one of the twelve Tribes of Israel was ingraved in each of the 12 Stones In this four-square piece there were also contained the Vrim and Thummim of which I will distinctly speak when I give you a Catalogue of the several ways of Divine Revelation This fore-part of the Garment was called Coshen the Pectoral or Breast-plate and sometimes the Breast-plate of Iudgment and also by the Vulgar Latin Version Rationale which answers to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Translation of the Septuagint This was fastned to the Ephod with golden Chains and Rings and might be put on or off on occasion This Breast-plate was of the same artificial composure and curious work with the Ephod i. e. it was of fine Linen of divers colours imbroider'd with Gold Thirdly This Garment was remarkable for the Girdle or Belt with which it was surrounded Exod. 28. 39. This was made of the same materials and embroider'd work with the Ephod This Pontifical Shash and who knows but this word is originally the same with Shesh which is the usual word in Scripture for fine Linen of which the Eastern Girdles were made was useful to tie the rest of the High-Priest's Habits close especially when he was call'd to his publick Work and Ministry for then it girt them so together that they were no impediment to him in that Service 5. There was a Mitrâ— or Bonnet of fine Linen which was wrapt up in several folds and worn about his head Exod. 28. 39. On the fore-front of which Mitre was tied with a blue Lace a Plate of Gold two fingers broad call'd a Crown and the Plate of the Holy Crown Exod. 28. 36. 39. 30 for the Antients call'd any thing that was tied about the head a Crown or a Diadem in which Holiness to the Lord and the Name of Iehâ—vah was ingraven In this gay Attire the Iewish Pentif appear'd as often as he officiated and at all great and solemn Times This indeed was an Attire fit to be been only on Holy-days But especially when he was to enter into the Holy of Holies which was the peculiar Dignity of the High Priest to consult and know God's Will he was seen to shine in this Glorious Array a great part of which was as to the matter and shape of it such as Kings and Princes wore as a very knowing Iew expresly testifies However we are certain that these Vestments were appointed for Glory and for Beauty Exod. 28. 2. to represent the Person and Office of the High Priest Glorious and Beautiful he being a type of him who was the Glory of his People Israel Luke 2. 32. Secondly Priests are the next Order whose Office was now fixed to a certain Family whereas before it was executed by any Head of Father of a Family or by the First-born as was said before As the High Priesthood was now confined to the Line of Aaron's first-born so the Priests were the Successors of Aaron's other Children Exod. 28. 1. And afterwards the Priesthood was solemnly settled and entail'd on the Family of Levi Numb 3. 5. 25. 13. This particular Tribe was dedicated to the Priest's Office and so it went by Succession and Birth-right As to the Imployment or Office of the Priests it was to offer Sacrifices for the People to God Numb 3 4. to intercede for them with him to bless the People Numb 6. 23. and to expound and teach the Law Levit. 10. 11. They were the ordinary Instructers of the People as Prophets were the extraordinary ones The Priest's Lips kept Knowledg and they sought the Law at his Mouth for he is the Mâ—â—â—enger of the Lord of Plosts Mal. 2. 7. Moreover the Priests were imploy'd sometimes in the Courts of Judicature they were Judges in Causes both Spiritual and Civil Levit. 10 13. Dâ—â—â— 17. 8 c. Ezek. 44. 24. But tho these things were their chief Imployment yet they did also when there was occasion aâ—â—â— in the carrying of the Avâ—â— and in looking after the Vessels of the Tabâ—â—nacle David a 〈◊〉 wards when the Ark was settled appointed 24 Orders or Coursâ—s of Priests and there was a Chief of every one of those Oâ—ders Both in the Tabeâ—nacle and in the Temple they officiated in their Courses according to the several Ranks they
its Magnitude it was just as big again as the Tabernacle for the one was 60 Cubits long 20 Cubits broad and 30 Cubits high but that was but 30 Cubits in length 10 in breadth and 15 in height But when 't is said in 1 Kings 6. 2. that the Temple was 30 Cubits high it must be meant only of the space which reached from the Floor to the first Story for when it is compared with the Tabernacle it is consider'd without a Roof or any Superstructure because the Tabernacle was such But if you take the whole height of the Temple it was no less than 120 Cubits as you read in 2 Chron. 3. 3. Thus then it is from the bottom to the first Roof were 30 Cubits from thence to the second Roof 30 more and from thence to the top 60 Cubits So the height of the Temple from the Floor to the top of all was 120 Cubits Thus the Learned Iewish Antiquary reconciles those Texts in Kings and Chronicles which seem to oppose one another I might add that as the Tabernacle when 't was fix'd in Shiloâ— had Buildings about it for the Priests and Levites to lodg in so likewise it was contriv'd in the spot of Ground where the Temple was erected there were Houses to receive those Sacred Officers of the Temple and in them they lodg'd and resided all the time of their Ministry as our Deans and Prebendaries Houses are round about their respective Cathedrals And about the Temple there were divers Chambers some of which were us'd as Storehoses to lay up the Tithes and Offerings 1 Chron. 9. 26. 2. Chron. 31. 11. Others were Repositories for the Vessels and Utensils and all things belonging to the Service of the Temple Nehem. 1. 39. 13. 5. And some of them were made use of as places of Reâ—ection Ier. 35. 2. So much of this Magnificent Temple at Ierusalem which was the Iews Cathedral as the Synagogues were their Parish-Churches where their Ceremonious Worship was perform'd with the greatest pomp and splendor Fourthly The Sacraments appointed by the Ceremonial Law are here to be taken notice of They were Circumcision and the Passover The former was in use before the Mosaick Dispensation it being appointed as a Sign of the Covenant between God and Abraham It was reestablished by God when he delivered the Ceremonial Law to Moses and it was to continue a Badg and Confirmation of the same Covenant that the Posterity of Abraham the Iews might receive comfort thence It was also to be a remarkable Token to difference the Iews from other Nations tho other People afterwards borrow'd Circumcision from the Israelites as the Idumaeans the Egyptians c. There were other Ends and Designs of this bloody Rite which you will find enumerated under the Abrahamick Dispensation and therâ—â—â—e I will not repeat them here The other Iewish Sacrament was the Passover but because I may more properly speak of it among the other Feasts I refer it thither and accordingly proceed to the consideration of the set Times of Iewish Worship CHAP. VII The Jewish Feasts Sabbaths New Moon Passover The Parallel between the Paschal Lamb and our Saviour shew'd in several Particulars This mystical Way approved of Christ celebrated not the Passover on the same Evening that the Jews did but in the Evening before This represented in a Scheme The Feast of Pentecost The Feast of Tabernacles The Feast of Trumpets Of Expiation Other lesser Feasts not commanded in the Law but appointed by the Jewish Church Fasts kept tho not injoin'd by the Law The difference of Clean and Unclean Animals Why the latter were forbidden to be eaten The chief Reason of the Prohibition was to prevent Idolatry Two Objections answer'd Vows proper to the Mosaick Dispensation They were either Personal or Real The Cherem IN the Fifth place I am to treat of the Solemn Times and Set Seasons of Worship appointed the Iews by the Mosaick Law These by a general Name were call'd Feasts but if you speak properly some of them were Fasts But because the word is sometimes taken by the Iews for a solemn Time of Religious Worship whether it was accompanied with Rejoicing or Mourning that term is applied to them all The Design of these Festivals was to commemorate some great Blessing to maintain mutual Love Friendship and Communion and to join together in the Service of God These Feasts are divided by the Iews into the greater and the lesser The greater Feasts are these 1. The Sabbaths For tho this word be of a larger signification and is applied to all Feasts and Solemn Times of Worship yet it hath a restrained Sense and is particularly applied to these certain Seasons viz. the Sabbaths of Days and the Sabbaths of Years The Sabbaths of Days are the lesser and the greater the lesser are every seventh Day call'd the Sabbath by way of eminence in memory of God's resting or ceasing from the Works of the Creation But it was commanded now with particular reference to the Iewish People and to their resting from their Captivity and Bondage in Egypt I say no more of it here because I am to insist largely upon it when I come to treat of the Fourth Commandment The greater Sabbath of Days was when the Passover â—ell on the Sabbath-day as it did that Year when Christ suffer'd Iohn 19. 31. This was call'd the Great Sabbath by the Iews And as there were the Sabbaths of Days so there were the Sabbaths of Years These were two first Every Seventh Year was a Sabbath of Rest to the Land Levit. â—5 4. and then there was no plowing or sowing nor making any the like provision but what the Ground yielded that Year of it self was sufficient and it was in common to all Persons to eat of it It was God's Pleasure to deal thus with this People to bring them to a sense of his Providence in the World that he was able without their Care and Art to sustain them that he was Lord of all things and the Supreme Disposer of them This was the reason why their Land enjoy'd its Sabbaths Secondly There was the Sabbath which was the end of seven times seven Years that is 49 Years Levit. 25. 8. This was the greatest Sabbath of all and was call'd the Iubilee But whether it was kept in the close of that 49 th Year as Scaligâ—r Petaviâ—s Calvisius think or in the Year after viz. the 50 th Year â—s those who follow Iosephus determine I will not dispute at present having said something of it in another place This we are certain of that when the Year of Iubilee return'd all Debts were to be cancell'd and mortgaged Lands were to return to their Owners and every Freeholder repossess'd what was alien'd from him and all Prisoners and Debtors were set free and Captives were released and all Controversies and Suits about Lands Estates Possessions and Properties were ended It is certain likewise that as on every seventh Year so in
were forbid because they were Rapacious or because they were night-Birds or because they â—ed upon impure and filthy things on which considerations they were to teach some useful Matter to the Jews This is agreed to not only by some of the Antient Writers of the Church but by Thomas Aqâ—inas and others among the Moderns and by Monsieur Bochart of late But none hath assigned the moral Account of the Law concerning difference of Meats among the Jews more satisfactorily than that worthy and ingenious Writer of this Age I. Wagenseil on Sota 2. This Jewish Institution is thoughâ— by others so have been design'd to teach them Temperance and Self-denial to curb Luxury to check an immoderate Appetite therefore some Meats were denied them So Tertulliâ—n 3. Iosephus renders this Reason because some were gross Meat and would with their feculent Vapours pollute the Mind and cloud the Soul 4. Grotius assigns this as another Reason why God forbad the Jews some sorts of Food because they were not good Nutriment for the Body To this it is likely may be refer'd that Mosaick Command Thou shalt not seeth a Kid in his Mother's Milk Exod. 23. 19. For whilst some of the Hebrew Doctors imagine that by virtue of this Prohibition no Flesh which is to be eaten ought to be boil'd with Milk whilst another thinks that it is cruel and unnatural to take away the young One from its Dam before it is wean'd and consequently that there is good Morality contain'd in these words whilst others are of opinion that not Cruelty but affectation of Curiosity and pleasing the Taste are check'd here whilst some very strangely and unaccountably understand this place of sacrificing the Paschal Lamb or Kid whilst others think this to be a Prohibition of a Gentile Custom that had a Smack of Idolatry and whilst other odd Fancies have been propounded about the meaning of it which you will find rehearsed by several Commentators on the Text and by Bochart in his Hierozâ—icon part 1. Book 2. Chap. 52. I take this to be the easy and plain Interpretation that the Jews were forbid to eat Lambs or Kids or Calves before the due time To bâ—il a Kid in its Mother's Milk is to dress and eat it whilst it sucks the milk of its Dam i. e. at its very first sucking before the Flesh is come to any consistency and maturity and consequently before it is wholesom Aliment I look upon it as a Prâ—câ—pâ— of Health And so it is probable many of those are that make a distinction as to Animals and forbid the eating of some rather than others viz. because the Flesh of them is not so good and laudable Food as that of other Creatures The Great Maimonides was of this Opinion and positively afferts that they were unwholefom Meats and therefore forbidden Mâ—r. Nâ—vâ—â—h Pag. 3. cap. 48. There was this natural Cause of the Prohibition God consulted their Health I do not see sufficient reason to affirm that any of these much less that all of them are false Accounts of the Prohibition as a late Learned Writer confidently asserts They are not the chief Reasons but I cannot aver with him that they are no Reasons But 5. one of the Chief and main Reasons of God's appointing the difference of Meats to the Jews was because he intended this should be a distinction between them and other People This is the positive Reason given by God himself in Deut. 14. 2 3. Levit. 20. 24 25. The Jews were a peculiar People and therefore had this as a peculiar Law 6. With this Reason another is inseparably join'd viz. that by this means they were kept from occasions of Idolatry for hereby a familiar Converse with the Gentiles was hindred They could not eat together because some Meats were unclean to the Iews therefore the Iews could not mix with them but were forced to separate from them which was a good Expedient to keep them from the Idolatry of the Nations Lastly This Law was given the Jews to prevent all Idolatry on another account as thus God appointed some Animals Clen and others Unclean that these People eating the former and abhorring the latter might worship neither for it is the highest madness imaginable to adore what we eat and there is no likelihood of deifying what we abominate Thus Theodoret and some other Fathers say the difference of Clean and Vnclean Animals was set by God because he foresaw the Jews inclinable to Idolatry He ordered some to be clean as Sheep and Oxen and Goats and Doves these being abstain'd from and counted as Gods by the Egyptians therefore the Israelites were commanded to eat these They must now not only sacrifice but feed upon that which some of them before worship'd in Egypt But what the Egyptians eat that the Iews were to abstain from Thus God enjoined them to eat no Swines Flesh because the Egyptians â—ed on no Flesh of four-footed Animals but this reckoning other Creatures as Sacred as Herodotus Diodâ—re of Sicily and several other good Authors testifie and as we may gather from Gen. 43. 32. 46. 34. which places not only the famous Onkelâ—s and Ionathan but the chiefest Expositors antient and modern interpret this way But did not the murmuring Israelites call to mind the flesh-pots they sat by when they were in Egypt Exod. 16. 3. which seems to argue that the Egyptians from whom they had these Flesh-pots did not abstain from the flesh of Animals To which I answer 1. This may be understood of the flesh of Sheep Oxen and Goats which it was lawful for the Israelites to eat and which they did eat in Egypt as often as they could get it So that this refers not to the Egyptians but the Israelites only Or 2. supposing it hath reference to the former it is meant of the flesh of Fish and Fowl which the Egyptians fed upon and of which there was very great plenty in that Countrey And it is to be understood likewise of the Pots and vessels wherein the Egyptians boil'd and kept Hogs-flesh which was a â—ood permitted to them And indeed generally the people of other Heathen Countries tho they abstain'd from some other Animals out of a certain reverence to them fed freely on Swines-flesh Whence I remember Dr. Lightfoot gathers that the Gadarens were Heathens viz. because we read there were Swine among them Luke 8. 32 c. If it be objected the Egytians had Cattle Gen. 47. 6. and flocks and hâ—rds ver 17. therefore they eat of their flesh I answer that this is no good Consequence for they bred up these Cattle not for food but to use in Sacrifices That they did not make use of them in the former manner I prove from that forecited place Gen. 47. 17. where it is said the Egyptians brought their Cattlâ— their flocks and â—erds to Ioseph and exchang'd them for Bread Which they would not have done in the time of Famine if they had
two Parallels of the Jewish and Gentâ—le Rites His opinion shew'd to be unreasonable absurd and contradictious He makes the Eucharist an Imitation of a Pagan Barbarous Vsage Other Writers mention'd who have fallen into the like Notions The Ceremonial Law was prescribed the Jews because it was suitable to that Age and Disposition of the Church Particularly it agreed with them as they were Children and Minors It was serviceable to teach them something of Morality Those Ritual Observances were design'd to be Types and Representations of Greater and Higher things More especially they prefigured the Messias The Contents of the Judicial Law Some parts of it were in force before Moses's time What obligation it hath upon Christians now under the Gospel I Will now enter upon another Task for tho I have already as I went along interspersed some Reasons of the particular Rites and Ceremonial Practices which I mention'd yet before I proceed to the next main Head propounded I will yet further produce some general and some more particular Reasons of those Ceremonies and Observances already mentioned as also of the rest of the Iudaical Customs and Practices And these six Reasons I offer 1. By these Ceremonious Rites God was pleas'd to try and exercise the Jews Obedience I do not say with Cocceiuâ— and some that have espoused his notions that the Ceremonies and Observaâ—ces prescrib'd the Iews were impos'd upon them by God as a Punishment â—or making the Golden Calf as if the whole Ceremonial Law was given them meerly to chastize them for their Idolatry This is a groundless â—ancy and conâ—ounds the notions of a Law and Punishment which are two distinct things But this we may safely and on good grounds assert that God design'd this Law to be a Tryal of them As God thought fit to try the Obedience of our First Parents by the Fruit of one single Tree as it was his Pleasure to choose that particular way so here it seem'd good to him to make experiment of the Iews readiness to comply with his Will by imposing these Ritâ—s upon them and by requiring their submission to them 2. God thought good to put This Restraint upon the Iewish people Before Faith came saith the Apostle we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed Gal. 3. 23. Those that are Critical tell us that he here compareth the Ceremonial Law to a Strict Watch or Military Guard set upon the Iews This as it were imprison'd and shut them up this confin'd and check'd them This sâ—jag letâ—rah this Hedg of the Law as the Iews call'd the Mosaick Rites enclos'd them and kept them in It was the Wisdom of God to keep that People in Awe by this severe Discipline If there were no other Account to be given of the Imposing of the Legal Ceremonies but this this were enough But there are several others 3. The primary Reason of the Mosaick Rites was to keep the people from Idolatry This I had occasion to touch upon when I gave the particular Reason of the Law concerning the Distinction of Meats But now I apply it more generally to all the parts of the Ceremonial Law The Observance of these kept them from Idolatry and this it did two ways 1. As those Rites held the people in Employment 2. As they were directly opposite to the Rites and Customs of the Idolatrous Nationsâ— First I say they serve to keep them Employ'd and so in some measure hindred them from Idolatry This is certain that the Iewish people were strangely prone to imitate the Heathens that lived about them they used to ape their grossâ—st Idolatries Wherefore God used this Method he prescribed them all these various Rites which he knew would certainly keep them in action and not allow them leisure to mind the Usages of other Nations They had their hands full and could not well apply themselves to any thing else By busying themselves with their own Rites and Customs they were diverted from following Idolatrous ones By the multitude and variety of those Ceremonies they were diverted from the Idolatry of the Gentiles who were round about them and who otherwise would have infected them with their Pagan fashions St. Chrysostom expresseth it thus Thâ—se Ceremonies were prescribed to the Jews for a certain Bridle to them and that they might yield an occasion of Business and Employment They had work enough to do and so could not attend to Idolatrous practices Secondly The Mosaick Rites and Ceremonies were a good Remedy against these because they were directly opposite to the Idolatrous Rites of the Gentiles I have shew'd this already in the Instance of forbidding of Swines flesh c. But now I will make it good in other parts of the Mosaick Law I will let you see that they were instituted in opposition to the Customs and Practices of the Heathen Idolaters We must know then that the Eastern Nations as Assyrians and Egyptians and others that were neighbours to the Iews used these following Ceremonies viz. Cutting their flesh Rounding the corners of their heads Sowing the ground with divers seeds It was usual for Women to wear the Garments of Men and Men those of Women they accustom'd themselves to eating of the blood of Animals looking towards the East when they Worshipp'd and Adoring the rising Sun and some things likewise relating to Sacrifices and Oblations might be mention'd These and many more were constantly practised by the Zabians and other neighbouring people who were given to Idolatry and they were used by them in a Superstitious and Idolatrous manner This you will find proved by the Excellent Selden Hottinger and other Learned Writers out of Maimonides And from him the Learned Dr. Spencer and others shew that even all the Rites and Ceremonies used at the Paschal Feast which I particularly enumerated before were in opposition to Idolatrous Customs among the Gentiles The Paschal Lamb was to be a Male of the first year i. e. a young Ram in defiance of the idolatrous Egyptians who counted a Ram the most sacred Animal this therefore God bids them kill and sacrifice They must not eat it raw because the Heathens eat their Sacrifices raw It was to be eaten in the house to avoid the Procession used by the Gentiles A Bone was not to be broken because the Heathens tore their Sacrifices in pieces The head with the legs and purtenance were to be eaten to affront the Pagans who eat the Entrails only Nothing was to remain till the morning in opposition to the Heathens who used the relicks of Sacrifices superstitiously It was not to be sodden in water but to be roasted to oppose the custom of the Egyptians and others who boyl'd their Sacrifices This Maimonides was indeed the first that opposed and confuted that received opinion of some Iewish Doctors that there was no Reason to be given of the Ritual Law but that it was wholly from the Soveraign Will and Pleasure
of God He on the Contrary proves that these Mosaick Rites have Reason to vouch them and that they were not given as the Arbitrary Commands of an Absolute Empire over mankind And he came to know this particular Reason which I now assign of the Mosaick Observances from his being acquainted with the Rites and Ceremonies of the Zabii He largely insists on this Proposition that most of the Jewish Rites were instituted to oppose the Superstitions of those Zabii an antient sort of Idolaters in the East The very things which those Heathens practised are particularly forbid by God to the Iews Hence they are forbid to cut or mangle their flesh to shave the corners of their heads to sow the ground with different seeds because all these were Superstitious Usages of the Zabii Likewise eating of blood was severely forbidden on the same account and so was the Womans wearing the Garment of a Man and vice versa This changing of Vestments is forbid saith Selden that they might not imitate the Worshippers of the Syrian Venus who had various Rites in worshipping her and according to the difference of those put on Mens or Womens clothes And this Learned Antiquary had it from Maimonides who tells us that by that Mosaick Precept is forbid Idolatrous Worship and particularly the Worship of Venus Male and Female in use among the Assyrians The Iews were forbid also to seeth a Kid in his Mother's milk i. e. to offer a Kid or any Animal in Sacrifice whilst it is immature and sucking its Dam It must be kept up seven days with its Dam Exod. 22. 30. Or this may refer not only to Sacrifices and First-fruits but to Food they were not to eat a Kid till it was come to a sufficient growth i. e. till it was fit by reason of age to be eaten so this is applied in Deut. 14. 21. In either of these senses the Precept may seem to be oppos'd to a Heathenish Zabian Rite and therefore was enjoyn'd the Iews saith our Learned Gregory A Dog was the most abominable Animal of all the Creation under the Law as appears from what was said before the occasion of which was this it was the chief Animal and in highest respect among the Egyptians and was worshipp'd by them Whence in opposition to this base and idolatrous venerating of it by the Egyptians it is by the Mosaick Law rendred the most filthy and detestable Creature upon earth So the Iews were commanded to worship toward the West and accordingly the Holy of Holies in the Sanctuary and Temple was built West-ward in opposition to the Sabaan Worshippers of the Sun who turn'd towards the East Therefore God would have the Iews turn their backs to the Sun when they worshipped And several other Precepts of the Mosaick Law were given in direct opposition to the superstitious Rites and Ceremonies of the Sabâ—â—ans Chaldeans Assyrians and other Gentile Nations God would not permit His People to symbolize with the Pagans in their corrupt Customs To this end as Theodâ—ret observes God commanded the Iews to kill and sacrifice those Animals which the Egyptians chiefly held as sacred that they might not take them for Gods And with him agrees Maimonides who saith there was a design in this Command to check the Idolatrous inclination of the Iews and to condemn the Idolatrous practice of the Egyptians This very thing was taken notice of by the Gentile Historians thus Diodorus Siculus saith of Moses That he commanded the Rites of Sacrificing and the manner of the Iews Lives to differ much from the way and usage of other Nations And Tacitus speaking of this same Law-giver saith That the Iewish Nation was set up by him by his enjoyning them new Rites and such as were contrary to the Customs of other Mortals Those things were counted Prophane with them which are held Sacred with us and again those things were lawful with them which are reputed abominable with by us Whence it appears that the Mosaick Laws and Rites were given to the Iews because they were repugnant to the practices of the Gentiles and that one great design of these Laws was to prevent Idolatry for the future and to keep them at the greatest distance imaginable from it But tho this be a very clear notion yet it hath been strongly opposed of late One Ingenious Gentleman is bold to say that God enjoyn'd the Iews the use of Sacrifices which were the chiefest of their Religious Ceremonies because they had been used to this kind of Worship in Egypt and God had no other way to bring them off from their Idolatry but this Therefore he was forced to comply with them and indulge them in this Pagan folly But there is another of very great Learning that outdoth him in this Point and hath proâ—essedly and amply maintain'd this Assertion That most of the Rites and Usages which we read of in the Old Testament and which were prescrib'd by God to the Iews were borrow'd from the Gentile Idolaters viz. worshipping God in a Tabernacle Purifications New Moons the Scape-Goat Offering of Sacrifices making Horns for the Altars Feasts at Sacrifices or eating what was left of the Sacrifices keeping of Festival Days offering of First-fruits paying of Tithes the Priest's Vestments of Linen the Vow of Nazarites or letting the hair grow for a time and then consecrating it to God the Temple Urim and Thummim the Ark and Cherubims In all these Instances he endeavours to shew how God followed the Gentile Worshippers and accordingly he undertakes to give several Parallels between the Iewish and the Heathen Rites I had occasion heretofore to offer one of them and now I will present the Reader with two more The first is of the Ark which both the Gentiles and the Iews had 1. The Gentiles who were cursed Idolaters had Arks made of Câ—dar and covered with Gold To comply with â—his time and rich Invention of the Heathens God caus'd an Ark to be made for the Iewish people of the same materials i. e. of Shittim wood which passeth for Câ—dar with this Author and it was to be overlaid with pure Gold Exod. 25. 10 11. 2. The Pagan Worshippers call'd these Chests or Arks Holy accordingly the Ark of the Covenant is stiled so Num. 4. 20. 1. Kings 8. 8. Thus they were to be like one another as to their title of Sanctity 3. The Gentile Gods shew'd themselves angry against those that look'd into their Ark and sometimes struck dead the prophane handlers of it even so saith this Writer the true God punish'd the curiosity and prophaneness of such as peep'd into his Ark or irreverently laid hands upon it 1. Sam. 6. 19. 4. The Idolaters placed their Ark in the Temple and in the chief Apartment of their Temple thus the Ark of the Testament was set in the Holiest place of the Tabernacle or Temple Thus they agree as to the place 5. The
the most Solemn Offices of Christianity to be in pure Imitation of a Pagan Usage for he saith Christ in Celebrating the Holy Sacrament of his Supper refer'd to the Custom of the Barbarous Scythians and other Savage Nations who used to drink Blood at their making of Covenants and Bargains thence it is said This Cup is my Blood of the New Testament drink ye all of this This was the highest and most daring result of his â—ormer Notion But I hope the Learned Doctor before he left the World corrected his Error and entertain'd other thoughts of these things and therefore I will not press them any further especially because I discours'd of this matter somewhat freely when I made it my business to prove that many of the Pagan Rites and Customs in Religion as well as in Secular Affairs were borrow'd from the Iews and their Sacred Usages which is directly contrary to what this Author asserts viz. that the Rites and Ceremonies injoyn'd by God himself to the Iews were of Pagan Extraction I might here mention that some others have fallen into the same or the like Notion and have made use of it to ill purpose Our English Socinians approve of this Doctrine that God complied with the Idolatrous Nations in the Sacrifices and other Rites which he instituted And some of the Antienter Racovians run up higher and refer the method of Man's Redemption and Salvation to the Usages of the Pagan World Thus a noted Man among them tells us that God sent Christ into the World in compliance with a Custom that was very prevailing viz. that those who were eminent and celebrated for their Virtue and their serviceableness to Mankind were after their death Canonized as 't were and placed in Heaven as an inferiour kind of Deities and those that wanted their help used to implore it and make them their Mediators Even so God exalted Christ who had been an Excelleâ—t and Useful Person and made him a kind of God And as noted a person of our own seems to have imbibed the same Doctrine for he asserts that a greâ—â— part of the Iewish Religion which was instituted by God himself seems to have been a plain condescension to the general apprehension of Mankind i. e. the Heathen world as he explains himself afterwards concerning the way of appeasing the offended Deity by Sacrifices Nay he makes the Incarnation of Christ and his Suffering of death to be a condescension to the Pagans who he saith loved a visible Deity and had a great esteem of Sacrifices especially of human Sacrifices and used to Deiâ—y their Benefactors aâ—d Heroes That is very strange which he gives as Reason why Christ was incarnate that Men viz. the Gentiles who were much given to admire Mystâ—riâ—s in Religion might have one that is a Mystery indeed So that all was direct compliance with the Gentiles and according to this Writer the way of Salvation of Mankind is derived from the impious Customs of the Heathens But his more Particular words which are almost too harsh to be mention'd I shall have occasion shortly to represent to the Reader in a more proper place 4. The Ceremonial Law and other Mosaick Usages were prescribed the Iewish people because these were fit and proper for them at that time because they were most suitable to their present Geniuâ— and Disposition Thus the Apostle in Gal. 3. 24 c. very handsomely illustrates the nature of this part of the Legal Dispensation The Law was our Schoolmaster saith he Here is Moses with a Rod in his hand We were instituted and educated saith the Apostle under the Pedagâ—giâ— of the Law for being but in our minority we were not capable then of a higher Institution and Instruction But this fitted and prepared us by degrees for the reception of that other and this Schoolmaster of the Law serv'd as an usher to the Gospel But saith the Apostle in the next verse After that Faith i. e. the time of the Gospel is come wâ— are no longer under a Schoolmaster we are then no longer under the lash of the Law our state and condition do not require it And God is pleas'd to administer things wisely according to the condition and circumstances we are under And this Apostle by another fit Allusion in Gal. 4. 1 c. sets forth the nature of this Oeconomy which he had spoken of before The Heir as long as he is a child differeth nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all buâ— is under Tutâ—rs and Governors until the time appointed of the Father Even so we when we were children were in bondage under the elements of the world but when the fulness of the time was come God sent forth his Son c. In which words St. Paul compareth the Iudaical Law to a Tutor or Guardian under whom the Heir doth not enjoy that freedom of a Son which afterwards he is to come to This saith he was the case of the Iewish people they were but Minors and Pupils and so stood in need of a Tutor i. e. one that is appointed to take care and have the charge of those who by reason of their insufficient age and understanding cannot look to themselves The Ceremonial Law was the Iews Guardian whilst they were under age this sowr Governour and Overseer kept them in and curb'd them and on that account was very useful to them at that time But the Apostle seems here to recur to his former comparison of the Law to a Schoolmaster when he adds that the Iews as long as they were Children were in bondage under the Elements of the world The Iews were then got no further than their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their First Elements they were but conning their Alphabet Their Sacrifices and Circumcision were as it were so many plain Letters in Blood and there were other Fair and Legible Characters but there were few of the common Iews so good Proficients as to Spell out of them any thing of a future and higher Concernment These and their other Rudiments were sutable to the mean Capacity and Non-age of the Iewish Church when they were in this State such a low and mean Dispensation as this was good enough for them Diversity of Ages calls â—or diversity of Actions and Behaviour and consequently for diversity of Laws Parents rule Children after another manner than when they arrive to any ripeness of Years and are capable of Discourse So God ordereth his Church that is fit for it at one time which is not at another Israel was a Child Hos. 11. 1. that was the state of the Iews when they were call'd out of Egypt And the Apostle uses the same Expression as you have heard Now when the Iewish Church was in this lower Form the First Rudiments were most agreeable to that condition these Beginners were to be used to their Letters God dealt with that People according to their Weakness and Shallowness Wherefore we may
observe that he Invited and Allured them as well as Terrified them The Promise of a Land flowing with Milk and Honey suited these Children well Pueris olimdant crustula blandi Doctores elementa veliâ—t ut discâ—râ— prima Earthly and Carnal things and the Conveniencies of this present Life were chiefly propounded to the Iews to encourage them to draw them on gently and to win upon them Children are taken with a gawdy Outside accordingly these were brought up with Ceremonies Fine and Gay things to please their Childish Fancies The goodly Garments and pompous Vestments of the High-Priest were a very agreeable Sight to them the jingling Bells of Aâ—ron were a very pleasing Musick Indeed the whole Mosaick Work was very Curious and Fine most of the Legal Furniture was Rich and Sumptuous and therefore a Sutable Entertainment for them To teach and instruct Children whose Reason is weak and imperfect we use Emblems Pictures and Representations Thus Types and Symbols were a sort of Instructions sutable to the Iews In those dark Times these Shadows served very well But these Ceremonious Rites and Practices were in order to something else God call'd the Iews by things Carnal and Sensual to those that are Spiritual by Temporal Objects to those that are Eternal and by things Earthly unto those that are Heavenly The Mosaick Laws were like Frames and Props which support an Arch till it is finish'd and can stand alone then the Supporters are removed and become useless to the Building When the Evangelical Oeconomy approached then the Iewish Ceremonies and Observances ceas'd and were laid aside for the Ritual Law of Moses was given on purpose to be a Governour and Manager of Childish and Imperfect Souls and to prepare and train them up to something that is Manly and Perfect viz. the Administration of the Gospel which was to succeed Nor is this unworthy of God for he wisely alters his methods in his administring the Affairs of the World according to the Times and Ages he deals with Wherefore he is wont to approve of such and such Practices for a season and then afterwards to change them Which argues not any mistake or error or want of foreknowledg in God as the Deists who laugh at the Iewish as well as the Evangelical Dispensation would suggest but the alteration is prudently made according to the circumstances of Times and Persons 5. It was the opinion of the Iewish Doctors and Rabbies that some of these Ceremonial Usages were design'd to instruct the Iews in their necessary Duâ—ies and Practices and to teach them wholesom Lessons of Morality This Mystical and Moral meaning of the different kinds of Sacrifices difference of Meats and all the other Mosaick Observances is set down by Theodoret in his Questions on Leviâ—icuâ— which I will not hâ—re recite And Aquinas and others in the Account or Rationale which they give of the Ceremonial Institutions speak something of this I know indeed that many of old and some more lately have most fondly and fantastically interpreted those Ritual Laws what they deliver is their own conceit and hath no foundation to support it They under the pretence of giving the meaning of those Iewish Rites say and write any thing This is that sort of men who fill all thingsâ— in Divinity with Allegory and Mystery and thereby abuse and prophane the Holy Scripture But yet there may be a Moral sense profitably made of the Mosaick Law which treats of the Ceremonies wholesom Instructions may be drawn thence for directing our Lives and Manners and this might be partly and by theâ— by design'd in the instituting these things 6. These Ritual Observances and Ceremonial practices were Types and Figures to represent greater things that were to come God chose out a certain People from the rest of the World to make them a Spectacle to all others and by his wonderful dealing with themâ— as in a Type to signifie to us the admirable method of his gracious Will to Mankind in future Ages All their Promises and Rewards were presignificative of the Mercy intended to be exhibited to the World afterwards And the same may be said of their Ceremonial and Ritual Worship I have shew'd already that the Mosaick Sacrifices and the Tabernacle and all the things appertaining to it and the Feast of the Passover signified higher Things but it is as true that the Other considerable Riâ—es enjoyn'd by Moses's Law did so too for there is the like Reason for one as for another That they were to represent Sublime Sacred and Heavenly things we are assured from the Infallible Scriptures where they are call'd the Example and Shadow of heavenly things and Patterns of things in the Heavens And more â—ully the Apostle declares that Meat and Drink i. e. the difference of these and Holy-Days and New Moons and Sabbath Days are a Shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ Col. 2. 16 17. The main design of those things was to prefigure the Messias and the Benefits of the Gospel these are the Substance and the others were the Shadow Thus St. Ierom speaking of the Book of Leviticus saith that all the Sacrifices in it yea almost all the syllables and the Garments of Aaron and the whole Leviâ—ick Order breat â—e heavenly Sacraments Thus Iustin Martyr informed the Iew whom he discours'd with that all the Ordinances and Rites of the Mosaick Law were Figures Symbâ—ls and Declaraâ—ions of the things which were to happen afterwards unto Christ. The Allegorical Interpreters who apply the Mosaick Rites to the Church of Christ and to the Messias himself tho they are sometimes more Ingenious than Solid and may be thought to strain and force some things yet as to the main they let us see that those Mosaick and Ritual Constitutions had some reference to the Gospel and that most of them â—ypifie and represent the great things of the Christian Dispensation Indeed the Mosaick Observances taken according to the mere Letter are very odd and strange and some of them seem to be very light and frivolous and unworthy of their Author I am bold to say with Origen that if these Ceremonial Laws of Moses have no other meaning than the literal one they come far short of the Roman Athenian or Lacedemonian Laws But if you consider that they were serviceable to try the Iews Obedience to restrain them and keep them in awe to divert them from Idolatry and that they were â—uitable to their present Condition and also that they were to inform their manners and Lastly that they were Images and Types of Spiritual things that they represented and pointed out the Messias with all his Blessed Undertakings and the unspeakable Benefits which accrue to us thence you will not say those Laws were light and ludicrous and unworthy of God but that they were of great and singular use and serv'd to most excellent purposes This is the best account I can give
of Israel as all other Prophets do but being wholly directed against the Ninivites who were Heathens and Strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel This Book saith he was written to shew that God is merciful to those that repent of what Nation soever they be This Example makes it evident that the Gentiles were not wholly rejected altho as to the greatest part they were but that many of them were accepted of God Yea it seemeth to be plain from Mal. 1. 11. that the Getiles worshipp'd God no less than the Iews The words are in the present time in the Original and therefore ought to be so meant that some of the Gentiles in those days had the true Worship of God among them in one part or other of the whole World he was Adored and Served The History of the Iewish Nation and of God's care of them was the thing chiefly designed in the Old Testament and therefore it cannot be expected that it should treat of other Nations and give a particular account of what was done there But it makes mention as you have heard of some Holy Persons among them and without doubt there were many more tho not spoken of The Gentiles were not deserted of God but taken notice of by him and encouraged The Visible Church did not altogether consist of Abraham's Family and Kindred but many others that were not of that Stock were true Members of it Especially among the neighbouring Nations several were converted to God by the Preaching of the Israelitish Prophets and in part receiv'd the Iewish Religion and by the Iews were call'd Proselytes These properly belong to the Gentile Dispensation because they were first Gentiles but converted from their Gentilism to the Knowledg and Worship of the True God These Proselytes or Converts were of two sorts 1. The Proselytes of the Gate as the Iews stiled them because they lived within the Gates of Isreal and they held free Commerce and Trade within their Houses the same with the Strangers within their Gates Exod. 20. 10. Deat 14. 21. They were those Heathens that abandoned their Pagan Superstition and Idolatry and receiv'd the True Faith and acknowledg'd the True God but were left to their liberty as to Circumcision Therefore this Rank of Proselytes remain'd Uncircumcised neither did they observe the other Mosaick Laws and Rites but were only tied to the keeping of the Seven Precepts supposed to be given to Noab's Sons as Maimonides and other Learned Writers among the Iews inform us These tho they were no Idolaters yet because they were Uncircumcised were not permitted to worship in the same Court of the Temple with the Iews but in a distinct Place by themselves therefore call'd the Court of the Gentiles and tho they went to the Iewish Synagogues yet they had a distinct Apartment there There were many of these Proselytes among the Iews every where in their Cities Of these you read in the New Testament where they are call'd Devout or Pious or Religious Men or Worshippers for the Greek words signifie any of these I conceive the Roman Centurion of Capernaum who built the Jews a Synagogue Luke 7. 5. was one of these Cornelius a Captain of the Italian Band Acts 10. 2. was another Proselyte of this sort i. e. a Gentile Worshipper of the True God but not Circumcised or counted a Member of the Church of the Iews And such a one it is likely was the Ethiopian Eunuch mentioned in Acts 8. 27. who came to Jerusalem to worship And such was Lydia of Thyatira who worshipped God Acts 16. 14. And hither may be referr'd those devout men out of every Nation under Heaven Acts 2. 5. and thâ—se that feared God Acts 13. 16 26. These were Proselytes from among the Gentiles And these it is likely are meant by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 9. 29. 11. 10. for tho this be the name for the Grecizing Iews who read the Scriptures in the Septuagint's Version and pray'd and did other Religious Offices in Greek whereas others perform'd them in Hebrew yet here by Heltemists we are to understand those that were converted to the Jewish Religion from Gentilism But tho they had renounced the Heathen Worship yet they had not receiv'd all the Jewish Ceremonies and Laws 2. There were another sort of Prâ—selytes call'd the Prâ—selytes of Rightâ—eousness or of the Covenant These were of a far higher degree than the former for they were Gentiles converted wholly to Iudaism and were initiated into the Jewish Church by Baptism and Circumcision and were tied to keep all the Mosaick Law and worshipp'd in the same Court of the Temple with the Natural Jews and so became every way Iews unless in respect of their Birth and Nation These in the New Testament are simply and absolutely call'd Proselytes Thus Persons of other Nations besides that of the Jews imbraced the True Religion and Worship and were accepted of God and obtain'd his favour Here then is the Gentile Oeconomy Not but that the Nations were generally sorsaken of God and given up to Idolatry and all manner of Wickedness and Prophaneness which the Apostle took notice of when he said God in times past suffer'd all Nations to walk in their own ways All Nations i. e. all those Kingdoms which were erected after the Flood viz. the Assyrian or Babylonian Monarchy which began soon after the Flood under Nimrâ—d the Son of Cush the Sicyonian Kingdom and the Old Germans who began at the same time with the Assyrian Monarchy next the Egyptian Empire under Cham and his Successor Misraim or Osiria About the same time began the Argives Kingdom under Inachus their first King Then the Kingdoms of Bactria and Iudia another Grecian Kingdom viz. the Athenian about the middle of the Chaldean Empire then the Lacedemonian or Spartan Dinasty the Kingdom of Italy the Lydian Corinthian Tyrian Macedâ—nian Dynasties besides the Persian whose King upon the expiring of the Assâ—rian Empire became Head of the Second Monarchy which is the boundary of the Sacred History of the Old Testament These were all left by God to themselves and Idolatry prevail'd among them all they worshipp'd the Sun Moon and Stars yea all kinds of Beasts tho never so base and contemptible Nay Worshipping of Devils was a common practice with them Thus God suffer'd the greatest part of the World to walk in their own ways until the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Thus they were as the Apostle speaks of the Gentiles without God in the World till he came into it But yet even then when they were addicted to Idolatry which is also to be observed in this Oeconomy of the Nations God left not himself without witness Acts 14. 17. He led them to the knowledg of himself by the Book of Nature they had sufficient light of God and Religion i. e. to teach them some general Duties of Virtue and Goodness and to instruct them in the Nature and Attributes of God
a more restrained sense of the Kingdom of God in this place It is granted that we have not an express Command from Christ for this practice but the Scripture is silent as to many other things which yet we must suppose to have been â—aid or done Again 3 ly There is our Saviour's Example and Fact for it for we find that he set himself in the midst of his Apostles every first day of the week till his Ascension to Heaven Mat. 28. 18. Mark 16. 14. Luke 24. 36. Ioh. 20. 19. Moreover his Spirit speaking and acting in his Apostles taught them to meet constantly together on this day and in a more solemn manner to perform the Offices of Divine Worship at this time Ioh. 20. 9 26. Acts 17. 7. Acts 20. 7. 25. 66. 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. By reason of this divine Institution from our Lord himself this first day of the week began to be call'd the Lord's Day Rev. 1. 10. and afterwards it was call'd so by Ignatiâ—â— as well as St. Iohn Constantinâ— the Great renew'd and revived this Name which some had laid aside and caused the Day to be constantly known and call'd by that Appellation and by Edict commanded it to be solemnly kept by all Persons The short is both in the Apostles times as the Scripture informs us and in all succeeding Ages this Day hath been unanimously observed by Christians as being of Evangelical Appointment Thus the Gospel may be said to add to the Law in some New Particulars Christ hath introduced some things peculiar and proper to the state of Christians But there were the same Constitutions before under the Law in general There were two Sacraments the one to admit Infants into the Church the other to confirm the Adult There were Laws of Ecclesiasâ—ical Discipline there was a Time set apart for Divine Worship Prop. 2. All those things which our Saviour forbids or commands in the Gospel are comprehended in the Law if not expresly yet virtually and by true consequence and rational deduction Thus Killing being forbidden Anger and Wrath which stir up Mens blood and cause them to thirst after the blood of others are forbidden So Christ in his Sermon on the Mount lets them know as I shall shew you anon that not only this but many 〈◊〉 things were included and contained in the Moral Law which they acted contrary to foolishly imagining that they were to go no further than the bare Letter of the Law Prop. 3. The Commandments and Duties of the Old and of the New Testament are the same as to Substance tho they differ as to Manner and Circumstances The Faith of the Saints under the Legal Appointment and of those under the Evangelical one is as hath been shew'd before the very same as to the main only they differ as to their Relation or Aspect the one to Christ who was then to come the other to him already come So praying to Christ relying on the mercy of Christ desiring to depart and be with him and the like Duties which seem to be new are so only in respect of the foresaid Relation or Manner The Messias expected and the Messias come solve the difference Prop. 4. As the Dispensation of the Law and the Gospel being the same in Substance differ as to the Manner so they differ likewise as to the Degrees Humility and that which we call Christian Liberty are reckon'd by a Learned Writer as New Duties introduced by Christ. But I conceive the Substance of these was before they are only more Improved and Inhanced by our Blessed Lawgiver Christ Iesus And this you shall see is made good of several otherâ—r Duties mention'd by our Saviour in his Sermon on the Mount He hath made them more perfect than they were and therefore in respect of them the Gospel is stiled a Perfect Law Jam. 1. 25. Thus I have briâ—fly shew'd you how there are New Laws and Duties added by Christ and how not Some few Particulars are New because the new State of things required it Others may be said to be New because they are more Expresly set down or in respect of Circumstances Manner and Degrees But still they are not New but the same in the general besides that they are virtually the same and as to the main and in the Substance of them It is scarcely worth taking notice what Episcopius suggests viz. that there is no express Precept in the Law for Praying unto God and consequently it was nâ—t a Duty required in the Old Testament and therefore is a new Commandment of Christ. In which as in some other things he agrees with the Socinians but is therein very palpably mistaken for there are set Forms of Prayer enjoin'd in the Old Testament there are determinate Expressions dictated there Most of the Psalms are Prayers and particular Prayers of Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel are recorded Praying is expâ—esly commanded in Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble The Temple was call'd the House of Prayer Isa. 67. 7. and Prayers were mix'd with all the Sacrifices as appears from Luke 1. 10. How then can any Man have the confidence to say that Prayer is a New Testament Precept only But here it may be alledged that Love is call'd a New Commandment both by our Saviour Ioh. 13. 34. and by St. Iohn 1 Epist chap. 2. ver 8. therefore there is this Commandment at least added anew by Christ to what was before I will reply to this by explaining to you how Love may be said to be a New Commandment 1. I have suggested before that it may be call'd New because of the New Motive annex'd to it in Iohn 13. 34. A New Commandment I give unto you that ye love one â—nother as I have loved you This latter Clause is New tho the former be Old This is one Reason which a Learned Writer gives why Love is call'd a New Commandment 2. Another is because it was Renâ—wed by Christ and urged on his Disciples afresh as their particular badg A New Commandment give I unto you that ye love one another said our Saviour to his Apostles that night when he celebrated the Passover with them and instituted the Holy Sacrament of his Body and Blood and when he was taking his leave of them and the World Now he seasonably presses what he had exhorted them to before now he calls upon them more especially to exercise the Grace of Love Thus it is a New Commandment because Christ repeats it anew 3. Because Christ vindicated it as you shall hear more by and by from the false Glosses of the Pharisees and so made it as it were New They thought that Love was due only to those that were their Neighbours and Brethren and that â—ll who injured them were to be hated but our Saviour tells them they must love their Enemies he acquaints them that Iews as well as Christiaâ—â— were obliged to this Duty that the
inviolably kept the Law himself he most strictly observed both the Tables of it all his Life Again he obliged others to keep and obey this Law He always inculcated the use and necessity of it in Mens Lives 2. He came to fulfil it i. e. to teach Men to observe the Full Design and Vtmost Intent of the Moral Law This is first clear from the Context ver 19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Commandments shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven i. e. he shall be a very despised and contemptible Person under the Christian Oâ—conomy who shall diminish any of the Precepts of the Moral Law They must be taken one with another The Decalogue is full and comprehensive Anger as well as Murder is prohibited in the Sixth Commandment and so in the rest the full Virtue and Extent of the Law are to be observ'd And not only he that breaks the least of these Commandments but he that teacheth men so to do as it follows in that verse shall be called the least c. he shall not be reckon'd a person fit for the Evangelical Administration he is a pitiâ—ul narrow contracted Soul Such are the Scribes and Phariâ—ees and the great Doctors of the Law they cramp the Decalogue they rest in the Letter and Surface of it and remember not what David saith that the Commandments are exceeding broad But I say unto you saith our Saviour except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven ver 20. And then in the remaining part of the Chapter our Saviour proceeds to acquaint his hearers particularly how these Scribes and Pharisees and those from whom they receiv'd their Notions had mistaken the true meaning of the Law and had perverted the genuine Sense of it by their false Glosses and Interpretations But not only the Context but this very word it self which is here used leads us to this thing which I am now offering to you The known and common signification of the Greek word which is rendred to fulfil is to accomplish a thing fully to bring it to Perfection The word is properly used when a Man doth as much as he can and acts his best Thus the Apostle saith of himself I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ Rom. 15. 19. It is the same word which our Saviour useth here when he saith he came to fulfil the Law How did St. Paul fulfil the Gospel of Christ He labour'd abundantly than the rest of the Apostles he travel'd from place to place from Ierusalem and round about unto Illyricum as he saith in the same verse he went his Circuit he took extraordinary pains wheresoever he came he was careful to instruct people in all the necessary Doctrines of Christianity and to keep back nothing from them Thus he fulfilled or fully preached the Gospel And this is the sense of the word in other places of the New Testament You will find our Saviour himself and his Apostles and others applying this word to such things as are fully Accomplished and are become entire and compleat And so here Christ saith he came to fulfil the Law the Precepts of the Moral Law dispers'd up and down in the Books of Moses and the Prophets and summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments he came to fulfil these not only by representing them to us Intire and Perfect by giving us a full and compleat account of them but by supplying them and filling them up when they were diminish'd and impaired by the corrupt Glosses of the Iewish Doctors So that there are no New Commandments added by Christ but some of the Old ones which were corrupted and others which were quite taken away are renewed and restored and so the Body of Commandments and Moral Precepts is perfected and consummated This is to fulfil this is the plain and obvious sense of the word so far as I apprehend But others understand it thus Christ came to fulfil the Law i. e. to add some New Moral Precepts to it which were no part of the Law before to increase the number of the Commandments and thus in a sense different from what was allowed before to fill up the Law Accordingly they hold that our Saviour in the fifth Chapter of St. Matthew is a New Lawgiver and commands things which were not commanded before Christ say they opposed to Moses's Moral Precepts some New and Contrary Precepts of his own as about Swearing and Divorce c. Some of the Fathers were of this judgment or at least have utter'd some words which favour it But it is not to be denied that the Papists generally as also the Socinians expresly hold this These latter follow their Master Socinus who in his Explication of the 5 th Chapter of St. Matthew interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the foresaid Sense and tells us that Christ's Sermon contains New Precepts which never were before Some Antinomians and Anabaptists not to mention some others plainly assert this and that with much concernedness These all hold that Christ fulfil'd or perfected the Law not only by a clearer Explication of the Precepts of it but by an Addition of New Precepts And this indeed follows on what was asserted by them before viz. that Christ's Laws in Matth. 5. are opposed to Moses's If there be an opposition then that is injoin'd in one which is not in the other then Christ added to what was commanded by Moses But all this is a mistake for the Opposition which is observable in Mat. 5. is quite of another kind Christ there opposeth himself to the Scribes and Pharisees and his Interpretation of the Law to theirs In this manner he speaks Ye have heard is hath been said of the Antients or as we translate it those of old time Thou shalt not do this or that you attend to the sayings of the Antient Iewish Doctors who are the Persons that have perverted the Law and you tread in their steps you espouse their Opinions you have learnt of them to misinterpret and corrupt the Law for you interpret those Commandments Thou shalt not kill thou shalt not commit Adultery of the outward Act only of Killing and of Adultery and you will not believe that Hatred and Malice are forbidden by the same Commandment which forbids Murder or that a lustful Eye is a breach of the Commandment against Adultery and so in other instances you miserably mistake and corrupt the Law This is the sense of our Saviour in this Chapter And hence it is plain that here is no such thing as New Precepts or any kind of Commands contrary to those that were given by Moses We do not hear Christ say it hath been said by Moses or you read it in the Law but it hath been said by them of old he quotes the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Antients i. e. the Masters of Tradition the
Scribes and Doctors of the Law whom the Phariâ—ees at that day followed These wilfully mistook and depraved the Moral Law and our Saviour sets himself against these and their Doctrine He doth not oppose one Law to another but all that he doth is this he corrects and amends the Law as it was corrupted by the Scribes and Pharisees or rather he doth not correct and amend Moses's Law but the Phariâ—ees Expositions In this Chapter Christ is not a Legiflator but an Interpreter He expounds the Law aâ—ight and takes off their false Expositions and gives the true and genuine sense of the Law He acquaints them that there is a farther meaning of it than they imagined more is commanded in the Prâ—cepts of the Law and more is forbidden than they think And to convince them throughly of this he proceeds to particulars instancing in some Duties which seem to be New and Proper only to Christianity but he acquaints them that they are not New but Old Commandments and so likewise he instances in some Actions which are unlawful under the Gospel and seem to have been made so first of all by the Christian Laws but the design of this Discourse is to let them know that they were forbidden by Moses and were sins long before the Coming of Christ alâ—ho by them of Old the Antient Depravers of the Law they were not thought to be so 1. Anger is Murder by the Christian Law and so it was by the Law of the Ten Commandments Ye have heard that it was said by the Antients Thou shalt not kill restraining this to the External Act only and whosoever shall kill shall be in dâ—nger of the judgment But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment he is interpretatively a Man-â—layer Ver. 21 22. You are to know that tho Immâ—derate Anger be not in express terms forbidden in the Law yet it is inclusively and by just Consequence forbidden Of Cain it is recorded that he was very wroth Gen. 4. 5. and wer read the Result of it ver 8. Cain rose up against Abel his Brother and slew him Wrath is the Parent of Murder He that is excessively incens'd against another is disposed to kill him and iâ— this inordinate Passion be not check'd or some obstacle interpose it will proceed to that height Therefore if Bloodshed be a sin Anger is so too and ought to be suppress'd with the ordinary concomitant of it viz. using of reviling Language as Raca Fool and the like 2. An Vnchast Heart and a Lustful Eye are Adultery and Fornication by the Law of Christ and they were no less by the Mosaick Law And therefore when Christ faith ver 28. Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery already with her in his heart he doth not declare this as a thing contrary to what the Precepts of Morality require of us but to what had been dictated by the corrupt Glosses of the Jewish Doctors of old and of the Pharisees at that time viz. that there is no such thing as the Adultery of the Eye or of the Heart and that these are not forbidden in the Seventh Commandment But our Saviour lets them know that this is a great mistake and that he had not introduced a New Law but only revived an old One. To look on a woman to lust after her was always sinful and unlawful I made a Covenant with mine Eyes saith Job why then should I think upon a maid Chap. 31. ver 1. which argues that it was a sin in those times even before there was any written Law to indulge either lustful Thoughts or Looks And this I take to be the Reason of the Law of Fringes given to the Jews Num. 15. 38 39. viz. that these being constantly in their view might be a means to divert their thoughts as well as sight for so 't is expresly said that they were to entertain their Eyes with looking on them that they might not seek after their own Heart and their own Eyes after wâ—ich they used to go a whoring We read afterwards that it was the Pious King's Prayer Turn away mine eyes from beholding vaâ—ity Psal. 119. 37. And that there is a Restraint to be laid upon this outward Sense and upon the inward Imagination which is wrought upon by it is the acknowledgment of the Wisest Heâ—rew Doctors among whom it is proverbially said the Eye is the Inlet to sin and R. Ben. Maiâ—on saith expresly that evil Thoughts were forbid by the Lâ—w. 3. Swearing rashly is forbidden here by Christ and so it was by the Third Commandment But this as well as the other was misinterpreted by the Scribes and Doctors and not understood in its full Extent Whereupon our Saviour corrects their mistakes saying Swear not at all neither by Heaven c. ver 34. As much as if he had said you make nothing of Swearing by Heaven and by the Earth and by Ierusalem and by your Heads and this is a very common and frequent thing with you and you are perswaded that you act not amiss in doing thus for you think that the Commandment forbids only False Swearing and Perjury you have been told that these are the only breach of that part of the Law But I tell you another thing that Law forbids not only False but Rash Swearing you violate that Commandment as often as you use any vain and unnecessary Oaths as often as you prophanely swear by God's Name as often as you make use of other Names besides God's to swear by as often as you swear by Heaven or by the Earth c. This is the true meaning of our Saviour here Some have thought that all Swearing is forbid in this place by Christ as unlawful under the Gospel altho it was lawful to Swear under the Law but if you consider that it is a Religious Act and is innocent and harmless in its own nature and sometimes becomes necessary as in matters of Controversie which can't otherwise be decided and is an Act of Charity and Righteousness when it is for the real advantage of the Community or any of our particular Brethren and sometimes it is and is approved of by the Example of St. Paul in the New Testament you will be induced to believe that Religious Swearing is lawful even under the Gospel and that there is no New Law given by Christ to forbid it now That which he forbids is Unnecessary and Prophane Swearing yea moreover he commands you to avoid all Swearing in common intercourse and converse one with another and as much as lies in them to abstain wholly from an Oath He would have them to be Persons of so holy and strict lives of such integtity and faithfulness that no one should have occasion to require an Oath of them but that they might be credited upon their bare Words and Promises He would have them shew such Truth
it for the Israelites were not bid to destroy any People unless they were obstinate and refractory On such considerations as these One of the most Judicious and Discerning Writers among the Iews declares it to be his Opinion that the Seven Nâ—tions had offers of Peace on condition they would surrender themselves Again that Clause which contains the Second Condition offer'd to all Cities belonged to the Seven Nations as well as to the rest viz. All the People that is found therein shall be Tributaries unto thee and they shall serve thee ver 11. of Deut. 20. If the Canaanites would have owned the Israelites for their Lords and Masters they might have escaped Destruction Which is the import of those words in Ios. 16. 10. They drave not out the Canaanite that dwelt in Gâ—zer but the Canaanite dwelleth among the Ephraimites unto this day and serveth under Tribute And the same you read in Iosh. 17. 13. Iudg. 1. 29 30. The Third Condition was this the Iews might make Peace with the Seven Nations if they would turn to the True God of Israel from their Idolatry as appears from Deut. 7. 3 4. Thou shalt make no Marriages with them thy Daughter thou shalt not give to his Son nor his Daughter shalt thou take unto thy Son which by the by you may observe supposes that they should not all be destroyed for they will turn away thy Son from following me that they may serve other Gods This is given as the Reason here and in other places why those Nations were to be destroyed viz. because of their abominable Idolatry and that they might not Corrupt and Infect the People of God Therefore the Israelites are often forbid to make a Covenant with them which signifies to hold Correspondence with them in Idolatry to make such a League and Alliance with them as to suffer them to use their Altars and Images and freely to indulge them in their former Abominations The short then is that Conditions of Peace were offer'd to all the Nations foreign and near their Lives were given them if they would ask them they might be spared if they would become Tributary they were not to be cut off if they would turn from their Idolatry to the Living God and embrace the Jewish Religion or as the Hebrews tell us keep the Precepts of the Sons of Noah But the Israelites had a Commission to fight all Nations that refused these Conditions they had a Command to â—lay them either with a universal Slaughter viz the Seven Nations and the Amalekites or only to destroy the males as they did to the other Nations Now if this be the Truth of the Case if the Israelites were willing to make Peace with All both Canaanites and Foreigners as I have endeavour'd to evince and as several Learned Men have asserted then the Objection which is pretended to be drawn from the Practice of the Israelites and from the very Command of God falls to the ground and is of no value and weight then it appears that the Israelites were not bid to hate their Enemies but that they were to love them for offering Conditions of Peace was a Sign and Token of Love But suppose I have not sufficiently proved what I undertook which I refer to the Judicious suppose the seven Nations had no Terms of Peace offer'd them but they were utterly abolished yet then I see not how this any ways invalidateth my former Assertion for they might be commanded to kill all the Canaanites and yet not be commanded to hate them nor doth it follow from their killing them that they bore a hatred to them Judges and Executioners punish Malefactors with Death but without Hatred and Malice or they ought to do so at least This Answer will serve to take off other Objections which are made as that from the 13 th of Deuteronomy where you read that all Persons who inticed others to Idolatry were to be put to death and the nearest Relation or Friend was not to be pitied or spared Therefore if no kindness was to be shew'd to Kindred and near Relatives in this case much less was there any to be extended to Enemies and consequently it was lawful to hate them And from the Law of Retaliation they would argue after the same manner viz. that God commanded the Iews to hate those who wronged and hurted them for if they were bid to punish them they were bid to hate them the greater containing in it the lesser But the answer to these Cavils is the same which I gave before the Iews might prosecute Offenders and the Magistrate punish them and both might and ought to be done with commiseration and love and consequently without hatred Indeed they were not to pity them i. e. so as to let them go unpunish'd but notwithstanding that they might have a brotherly compassion toward their Souls So we at this day are bound by Law and Conscience to prosecute Malefactors and to cause them to receive condign Punishment yet all this may be done without hatred and it is a wonder that the Objectâ—rs have not seen it Others make use of those words of David Do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee I hate them with perfect hatred Psal. 139. 21 22. Therefore say they hating of Enemies was lawful under the Old Dispensation of the Law and by consequence when Christ bids us love our Enemies he gives a New Law I answer briefly that David's hating of the Wicked is meant 1. of his hating their Company and Conversation therefore he frequently declareth how loathing and detestable it was to him to associate with them 2. Of his hatred of their Vices not of their Persons Their ways and actions he perfectly abhorred but you hear him sometimes praying for their Conversion which sheweth that he had no Enmity either against their Souls or Bodies but loved both And indeed if we must love our very Enemies it follows by natural Consequence that we ought to pray for them and wish them well therefore it is added here by Christ Ver. 44. Pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you These are not New Injunctions but were obligatory under Moses and are indeed part of the Moral Law Thus I have shew'd that even under the Law hating their Enemies i. e. their Persons was not lawful but on the contrary they were bound to love them and consequently Christ's Command concerning loving of Enemies is not added as a New Precept to those of Moses We must hate no Man now and it was sinful to do so then Vniversal Charity was a Law even at that time In a word it appears that Christ came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it because he established and confirmed this Catholick Love which is call'd by the Apostle the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13. 9. Thus I have insisted on the Particulars mentioned by our Saviour in this Chapter and you may be abundantly convinced thence
Câ—nditiâ—ns and so do we because it is the Grace of God and the Satisfaction made by Christ that give us right and title to Pardon and Life and Eternal Glory But none of the Refâ—rmed Churches ever doubted whether Faith and Obedience are Conditions of the Evangelical Covenant in the sense above propounded viz. that they are such things without the performance of which we shall never obtain the Blessings promis'd to us And this is ingenuously confess'd by one who is thought by some to encline wholly to the contrary Opinion speaking of the true acception of the word Condition in this present matter he hath these express words If it be intâ—nded that these things viz. Faith and Obâ—dience tho promised in the Covenant and wrought in us by the Grace of God arâ— yeâ— Duties required of us in order to the participation and enjoyment of the full end of the Covenant it is the Truth that is asserted i. e. they are properly conditions And thus in some respect the Covenant of Grace may be said to be a Covenant of Works i. e. so far as it requires certain Conditions to be performed by us tho not in the same manner that the Covenant of Works required them for they are not to be look'd upon as a meritorious and impulsive Cause as they were then but only as an Instrument or Means in order to Eternal Happiness But otherwise as hath been said there is a vast difference between the Covenant of Works and of Grace for the tenour of the former was that our First Parents and in them all Mankind should without the least defect and transgression perform the Law which God gave them and that upon the sole account of this performance they should purchase Happiness But if they were deficient in their Duty they should perish without any hope of Mercy There was no provision of Forgiveness in case they should break God's Law there was no promise of being receiv'd into God's Favour again But the terms of the latter were that God would not be exact with us and require an Obedience void of all sin but that for the worth of Christ's sinless Obedience for the value of his perfect Righteousness we should be rewarded with Life and Bliss And this Covenant allows of hearty Repentance after we have transgress'd the Divine Law and assures us that we shall be reconciled unto God and be restored to his Favour For the sake of our Blessed Mediator our Sins and Failings shall be forgiven us if we sincerely repent of them and betake our selves to the practice of the contrary Duties This is the way and method of Salvation under this Covenant Instead of exact Righteousness i. e. wholly living without Sin God accepteth of our doing according to the utmost of our capacity and our acting with sincerity and uprightness And the defect of this personal Righteousness and Obedience is supplied by the meritorious Righteousness and Obedience of Christ Jesus Thus you see how these two Covenants differ and that they answer to the different states of Man's Innocence and of his Fall and that the Second Covenant was made because we cannot observe the strict Conditions of the First The Second Covenant or Covenant of Grace made with Adam first was a long time after that repeated to â—â—raâ—am Gen. 22. 18. and afterwards renewed and in a solemn manner confirmed to the Isrâ—â—liâ—â—s at the giving of the Law on Mâ—â—nt Sinai There was then this Covenant made between God and them God promised Life and they Obedience therefore Moses who transacted this on the Mount is said to be a Mâ—diâ—tâ—r between God and them It is said Mosâ—s took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the ears of the people Exod. 24. 7. which refers to all the words of the Lord which Moses wrote ver 4. i. e. all those Laws Precepts and Judgments which God gave to the People and which they unanimously accepted of and promis'd Obedience to But the Decalogue was the Sum of this Covenant as appears from Deut. 4. 13. God declared to you his Covenant which he commanded you to perform even ten Commandments Some hold that this Covenant made with the Israelites was the Covenant of Works the same as to the main which was made with Adam before the Fall I grant there was a kind of a going back as I have observed before a seeming reviving of the Old Covenant of Works and so the Covenant of Works was as it were after the Covenant of Grace or rather the Covenant of Grace and Works seem'd to be at the same time But this was not so in reality but only in appearance There was an Evangelical Promise to Adam and Abraham viz. that they should be justified by the Messias and there was a Promise also to the Iews that they should live i. e. be saved if they performed the Law But these two Promises were not inconsistent neither did the latter of these abrogate the former as the Apostle speaketh in Gal. 3. 17. The Covenant of Grace which was confirmed before of God in Christ the Law which was four hundred and thirty years after could not disannul that it should make the Promise or Covenant of none effect But as the Apostle subjoins The Law which look'd something like the Covenant of Works was added to it because of Transgressions until the Blessed Seed should come ver 19. The Law was to be serviceable to the Covenant of Grace and to be a Schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. Hereby they were to be convinced of Sin and of their inability to keep the Commandments And the same Law denouncing Wrath and a Curse stir'd men up to fly to Divine Mercy and to beg Forgiveness and the Assistance of the Spirit and so prepar'd them for the Gospel God gave that People Precepts about External Rites of Divine Worship and also Judicial Laws for their Commonwealth And besides these he writ in Tables the Moral Law and caused it to be promulged All which he closed with those solemn Sanctions This do and live and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written Here was a very great resemblance of the Covenant of Works and the Law of Faith seemed to be laid aside Or there might seem to be two Covenants on foot together But the Design of Heaven was only this that hereby the Iews might be brought to see their great Guilt and their deplorable State that they might be sensible that they lay under Wrath and a Curse and that thence they might be provoked to look for a Remedy or when it was ofâ—eâ—ed to them to accept of it This was the Reason why they were under the Law which had some affinity with the Covenant of Works But the Covenant of Grace made with Adam soon after his Fall was not laid aside but still prevailed and no other but that Even under the Law they were not justified by Works but by Faith they obtain'd not
the House of Judah not according to the Covenant I made with their Fathers the old Mosaick Dispensation but this shall be the Covenant that I will make I will put my Law into their inward parts and write it in their heart and I will be their God and they shall be my People They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their Iâ—iquity and I will remember their sin no more by which is meant the Evangelical Dispensation or the Covenant of the Gospel which is expresly called here the New Covenant and the Covenant made with their Fathers is to be understood of the giving the Law to the Iews and consequently of the Iewish Oeconomy But this will be morefully made good from the other place the 8 th to the Hebrews from the 6 th Verse to the end where is set forth the true Nature of the Old and New Covenant as I have represented it Christ our Eternal High Priest saith the Apostle hath â—bâ—ained a more excellent Ministry by how much also â—e is the Mediator of a better Coveâ—ant which was established on better Promises ver 6. Here the Covenant of Grace under the Gospel is call'd a Better Covenant because on some accounts it is better thâ—n it was under the Law and particularly by reason of more evident and certain Promises which Christ hath added On this Consideration it is called a better Covenant tho it be the very same as to substance The Apostle proceeds Vers. 7 8. If the first Covenant had been faultless i. e. if the Legal Dispensation had not been imperfect then should no place â—ave been sought for the second i. e. there would have been no need of introducing the Evangelical Administration but finding fault with that he saith Behold the days come saith the Lord when I will make a New Covenant c. The former being found insufficient was taken away and another brought into its room tho to speak properly it was not another but the same in other Circumstances For the Covenant of Grace was under the Law but because it varied as to some respects when Christ came it is represented as a Double Covenant and accordingly the Scripture calls the former the Old Covenant and the latter the Nâ—w onâ— This Reason likewise may be given why the Covenant of Grace which was in the time of the Law is call'd the Old Covenant and the same under the Gospel is call'd the Nâ—w Covâ—nant viz. because they are so comparatively i. e. the Legal Oeconomy in respect of the Christian one is Old and this in respect of that is Nâ—w According to the different Administrations of the Covenant of Grace this Covenant is said to be Old or Nâ—w In the Old Testament the Covenant of Grace was administred by Sacrifices Puriâ—yings and many other Typical Ceremonies and Mystical Observances and this antient way of God's dealing with his People is stiled the Old Covâ—nant but in the New Testament these things were done away and so the Covenant of Grace appeared New and on that account had its denomination Thus tho the Old and New Covenant differ in the manner and way and external Administration in so much that the latter is eminently call'd the Covenant of Grace and the former in comparison of that is not the Covenant of Grace yet really they are the samâ— in substancâ— and there is no opposition between them for in both of them Free Grace and Remission of Sins through Jesus Christ are held forth to all the Faithful thereâ—ore they are but One Covenant This is the truest Notion of the Covenants tho some of the Antient Writers but more of the Moderns have mistaken this Point confounding the Covenant of Works and the Old Covenant and making them to be the same which hath been attended with very gross Errors For tho it is true the Covenant of Works may be call'd the Old Covenant because it was first yet we now confine our selves to the stile of the Holy Scriptures and are declaring what is call'd the Old Covenant in the Language of those Inspired Writers and there you will never find it is applied to the Covenant of Works but always to the Covenant of Grace under the Old Dispensations and the New Covenant always refers to that Covenant as it was renewed and made better by the Evangelical Institution And because the Covenant of Grace under Moses was dark and imperfect but when Christ came was clear and entire therefore the Apostle represents them as two distinct Covenant a First and a Second a worse and a better Thus you have the true Reason why the former Dispensation is call'd the Old Covenant and why the latter is call'd the Nâ—w and on this is grounded the vast Diffâ—râ—ncâ— between the Dâ—spâ—nsations of the Law and the Gospel But this doth not argue that there are any new Duties introduced by this means and that there is a real Addition to the former Precepts and Commands No such thing can rationally be inferred from the Distinction of the Old and New Covenant So much concerning the Particular Nature of this Evangâ—lical Dispâ—nsation and how it differs from the others which was the first thing I undertook CHAP. XIII Tho we could assign no Reason why the Christian Oeconomy was so late and why our Saviour arrived no sooner in the World this is sufficient to satisfie us that it was God's Pleasure it should be so But for the sake of the Inquisitive such Reasons and Considerations as these are offer'd 1. It must be remembred that Christ appear'd in the World even in the early times of the Patriarchs 2. The Benefits of Christ's Redemption were imparted to the Faithful before he actually appear'd in the flesh 3. The World was not fit to receive him sooner 4. He delay'd his Coming to make the World sensible of their Misery 5. That the Advantages of his Coming might be prized 6. It was congruous that so great a Prince should not arrive without solemn Harbingers and Heralds of his Coming 7. The necessities of Mankind call'd for him at that particular time and juncture when he came The Jewish Church grew worse and worse An enumeration of the several Sects and Factions which they were divided into viz. Essenes Pharisees Sadduees Herodians Samaritans Galilaeans 8. God proceedeth in a gradual Order and Method The most perfect things are reserved till the last II. I Am to acquaint you with the Reasons why the Christian Dispensation as to the actual exerting of it took not place in the World before and which is the foundation of this why Christ Iesus the Messias and Saviour blessed not Mankind with his Coming till that precise time wherein we are certified by the Evangelical Records and other Testimonies that he was born and why he came neither sooner nor later Indeed I might say here as before that we are to rest satisfied with God's managing this matter altho
Persons and Times he hath to do with Thus our Saviour was pleas'd to fulfil all Rightâ—ousness to comport with the present State and Oeconomy to allow of any thing or Dispensation which God will have to be in the World tho it may seem to some not to be so fitting and decorous This is sufficient that God acteth congruously to the nature of things and that all along he administers every thing for the greatest Good of Mankind altho in various Ways and Manners This is one Reason why the Evangâ—lical Dispensation was not introduced till other Dispensations were past The Indisposition of the former and first Times made Christ delay his Coming he knew they were not prepared to receive his Doctrine and Miracles This Reason is given by St. Augustin and Eusâ—bius agrees with him for treating of this very Question why Christ came so late he renders this Account of it The generality of the World was become like Beasts and so were not fit to receive Christ and his Doctrine It was necessary therefore that the Way should be prepared by Moses's Law by the Doctrine and Example of Prophets and good Men. Before this the World was uncapable of Christ and the Gospel 4. Christ came not till four thousand Years were expired that Mankind might see their Misery and be â—ensible of it and desire a Remedy and in the mean time more strenuously exercise their Faith and Hope Especially with respect to the Iewish People so many Ages had pass'd before the Messiâ—â— came because hereby God would let them see their want of a Messias that they might heartily breathe after and long for a Redâ—â—mâ—r and Saviour that they might earnesâ—ly expect and pray for a Delivâ—râ—r to rescue them from that intolerable Yoke which they were under This seems to be one Reason why God deferred the sending of his Son Which is implied in those words of the Apostle Rom. 5. 20. The Law entred i. e. the Mosaick Dispensation interposed between Abraham and Christ's time and thereby the Evangelical State was deâ—er'd a long time that the Offence might abound that the heinous Transgression of the Law might be the better discern'd to be Sin and that Men might be throughly apprehensive of it Then the Apostle adds where Sin abounded Grace did mucâ— more abound i. e. by this means the Grace of God in â—ending his Son and his pardoning of Sinners through his Blood are the more fully display'd and taken notice of Which leads me to another Account of this matter 5. So far as we can apprehend the wise Designs and Purposes of God we may render this Reason why this Benefit was so long delay'd viz. that it might thereby be Commâ—ndâ—d to us and that we might set the greatâ—r Value on it God suffer'd the Darkness for so many hundred years that he might bring forth a more Glorious Light at last From the opposition of these two the Divine Wisdom is more manifest and the Victory of the one over the other is more eminent Hence Mankind is more eager in embracing the Light of the Gospel and all the Advantages of it become more welcome and grateful 6. It was not fit so Great a Prince and Saviour as the Messias should arrive without Harbingers and Forerunners of his Coming So that Pious Doctor of the Church speaks Christ was to be foretold many Ages before he came because it was no little and mean thing that was to come The greater this Judg was it was fitting the greater should be his Equipage and a longer Train of Messengers and Heralds should go before him Observe therefore after the Types and Shadows were vanished after the Legal Services were expired after all the Predictions of the Patriarchs and Aposâ—les were accomplished after the so often repeated Promises concerning Christ were fulfilled after the appearances of Angels and Visions and Revelations and extraordinary Declarations from Heaven had made way for the arrival of the Messias after he was generally expected by the Iewish Nation after all these Preparatives and Forerunners of his Coming were fully past then he actually enâ—â—ed on the stage of the World and manifested himself in the Flesh. The Time appointed by the Father for the sending his only begotten Son or as the Apostle calls it â—â—e Fulness of Time happily brought along with it the Fulness of Christ as the same Apostle speaks It was Reasonable Decorous and Congruous that so great a Person and so great a Blessing should not come on a sudden but that the World should be a long time prepared for so Glorious a Dispensation 7. The necessities of Mankind seem'd to call for him at that very Time when he came This is the Reason which Gregory Nazianzen gives why Christ came not before but then because the World was more than â—ver corrupted and the Degeneracy was greater the Disease was at its heighth and then the Remedy was most proper So Theodoret compares Christ to those Physicians who reserve their strongest Medicines till the last for having used Lenitives first they choose to administer more powerful Medicines afterwards The corruption by Adam having miserably infected the World God used fit means to stop the growth of it and to curb Sin and Wickedness Besides the Law of Nature implanted in Mens minds which was a constant check to immoral and vicious Actions the Works of the Creation which were continually before their eyes wâ—re servicâ—able to instruct them in the Wisdom and Power of God and to bring them to reverential Thoughts of him and to induce them to serve and obey the 〈◊〉 and Preserver of all things God swept away the Old World with an universal Dâ—luge to make the poor remainder better by reflecting on his Severity againâ—â— Sinners And when the World increas'd again and â—ultitudes of People were spread on the face of the Earth the Almighty God shew'd his Displeasure against Sin in confounding the Language of the Babel-Builders in consuming Sodom and Gomorrâ—â— with Flames from Hâ—â—ven and in several other Instances he let Men understand that he was highly incens'd against Sinners which should have been a Warning to them and was so designed by God that they might tremble at his Judgments and abandon their evil ways When God beheld the obstinacy of Mankind he was pleased to make â—uller Discoveries of himself than before he chose out a peculiar People to impart his Will to that they whatever others did might serve and worship him in a more solemn and pure manner and that their exemplary Lives might have influence on the rest of the World He writ Laws with his own hand to deliver to them he rais'd up Seers and Prophets among them who daily admonish'd them of their Duty and by frequent dispensing of Mercies and Judgments he strove to make them sensible of it and to keep them firm to it When for their crying Sins they were sent into Captivity God restored them again and placed
them in their own Land but they soon forgot his singular Kindness to them and this extraordinary Favour of God was not powerful enough with them to restrain them from the commission of the most abominable Sins and to cause them to have regard to that Holy Religion which strictly forbad all such practices In every Age they grew worse and worse and at last they arrived to the heighth of Impiety and their Sins seemed to be consummated In Iudaea the Seat of this once beloved People of God all Licentiousness Lewdness and Villany prevail'd The greatest Iews were Atheists and Epicures and not ashamed to profess themselves such as well as to live like Persons of that Character And the Talmud might well say When the Messias shall come wise Men shall be very rare in Israel but Impostors Inchanters and Magicians shall be many this Sign having been exactly verified before the Coming of Christ the design of whose being manifested was to destroy those works of the Devil The Disorders and Wickednesses of the Iewish Clergy were very remarkable before our Saviour's Coming The Antient Order of Priests being extinguished by Herod in their places were put none but obscure contemptible and unworthy Persons who made Religion a cloak for their Covertousness and devoted themselves wholly to Gain and Interest The Temple was turn'd into a place of Merchandize the High Priests Places were bought and a couple of that Order at a time were set up because they both had been Simoniacal which shews likewise that the Iewish Magistracy as well as the Ministry was corrupted There were great Corruptions among the Iewish Students and Doctors who neglecting the weighty things of the Law began to hunt after Niceties and Subtilties and strove to cherish Disputes and Controversies Hence were the Noted Schools of Hillel and Shammai which were divided into two formal Parties like Scotists and Thomists Of whose different and disagreeing Decisions concerning the Law of Moses the Mishnah pretends to give an account The Iews were divided into three Religious Sects especially the Essenes the Pharisees and the Sadduces These were unknown before the Babylonian Captivity but after that and the building of the Second Temple they sprang up both Names and Things but the two latter Sects began especially to appear and to be taken notice of about a hundred Years before Christ's Nativity either Sect endeavouring to bring their Kings as long as the Regal Power was in the Native Jews to their Opinion and accordingly great Factions arose by their Dissensions The Essenes among the Jews were a harmless sort of People they retired from the World leâ—t the publick and betook themselves to a Monastick Life daily Devotion and Hours of Prayer you may call them the Iewish Mâ—nks They came not to the Temple neither brought Sacrifices thither but pretended to use at home more Holy Ceremonies as Iâ—sâ—phus speaks They had no Wives counting the most peaceable way of Living to be alone They had no Servants thinking it to be a reproach and injury to our Common Nature to be in a servile Condition They were all Equal and mutually administred to one another This you will find in the Character which the foresaid Antiquâ—â—y if he be not mistaken concerning the Persons and Things gives of them They are not any where mentioned in the Writings of the Gospel because 1. They affected a private and recluse Life 2. They generally inhabited on the Coast of the Dead Sea remote from Ierusalem 3. They were no buâ—â—ling Zealots they made no noise in Religion 4. They were not forward in persecuting of Christ. For these Reasons they are not spoken of by any of the Evangelists But the Pharisees who were a busie Sect and lived in the heart of Iudea and were fierce Opposers of our Saviour's Doctrine are frequently mention'd in the Evangelical Writings Our Blessed Lord often encountred them and openly detected their 〈◊〉 Pride and Hypocrisie as also their fond Superstition in enjoining Fastings Washings and other Ceremonious Practices of their own invention These were the Men who wretchedly perverted the Law holding that it enjoyned only external Obedience and that by that outward Observance of the Law Men merited Remission of Sin and were just before God and Heirs of Eternal Life Their constant Custom was to corrupt the true meaning of the Decalogue by their false Interpretations and Comments as you may see in Christ's Sermon on the Mount where he explains the Moral Law and vindicates it from the corrupt Expositions which they had made of it whereby they had almost extinguished the true Sense of the Commandments They had taken away the key of Knowledg by depraving the true Doctrine which was contain'd in the Written Law and the Books of the Prophets and by adhering to that which they call'd the Oral Law the Constitutions Traditions and Expositions of the Rabbies and by making them the Rules of their Faith and Manners As to the more particular Opinions Notions and Practices of these Men we may satisfie our selves from the Account given of them by One who was of that Sect himself as he tells us in his Life The genuine Offspring of these Pharisees as Buxtâ—rf observes are now the Rabbanita Traditionary Iews or Talmudists who stick not to the pure Text of Scripture but are for New Explanations or Old Traditions The next Sect was the Sadducees who ran counter to the Pharisees and opposed all Traditions The Iews at this day who answer to these as before it was observed there is a sort among them that are the true Race of the Pharisees are the Karaeans the Scripturists who keep close to the written Letter and reject the whole Oral Law i. e. the Expositions and Glosses of the Rabbins They hold only what is expresly deliver'd in the Law and they are look'd on by the other Iews as Hereticks and Apostates But as to the Antient Sadducees of whom I am now speaking there were but few of this Sect saith the forecited Author but they were generally Persons of Wealth and Quality This was it which was faulty in them that they curtail'd the Holy Writings and rejected all the Books of the Prophets but Moses the only Canonical Scripture with them was the Pentateuch as Tertullian Origen Ierom and other Writers of good Account acquaint us Tho I find some Men of Note among the Moderns who endeavour to consute this and to prove that they received the whole Scripture but they are not very successful in this attempt Moreover they most impiously denied the Resurrection of the Dead and held that Mens Souls were mortal yea they generally denied the Existence of Spirits Mat. 22. 23. These Men won some People to them because they were contrary to the strict and superstitious Pharisee they took off the burdensom Rites and Ceremonies which the others laid on These two prevailing Sects the superstirious Pharisee and the prophane Sadducee differing so much from one
another both in Opinions and Manners caused great Feuds and Contentions and unspeakably hindred the Practice of Religion among that People To these famous Sects might be added the Herodians call'd the Leaven of Herod Mark 8. 15. by Christ they were of the Religion of the Sadducees and therefore on that account as Doctor Hammond observes may be said not to be a distinct Sect from them See Mat. 16. 6. 22. 16. Mark 8. 15. 12. 13. But they were singular in this that they were much devoted to Herod and his Government and consequently that of the Romans they were great upholders of Casar's Interest against the Pharisees and other Jews who look'd upon Casar as an Usurper Thus they were a different Sect or Faction Some thought and held that Herod was the promised Messias these were the Herodians according to Tertullian Chrysostom Epiphanius and other Fathers The Samaritans were another Sect among the Iews and had been a long time these had their Name from Samaria the chief City of the Kingdom of Israel which fell off from Rehoboam and took Ieroboam for their King When the Iews were carry'd captive into Assyria by Salmanasser a Colony of Assyrians was placed in this City who being molested by wild Beasts desired an Israelitish Priest to teach them the Religion of that Countrey where they were planted whereupon a Priest came and instructed them and they partly observed Moses's Law and partly follow'd their own Idolatry and Superstition From these came the Samaritans who were reckon'd as rank Schismaticks by the generality of the Iews Accordingly the Iews had no dealings with them Joh. 4. 9. but maintain'd an irreconcileable quarrel against them Several Reasons concurr'd to keep up this Feud and Antipathy 1. The Samaritans were of the Race of the Assyrians who carri'd the Iews captive 2. They oppos'd and obstructed the rebuilding of the Temple when the Iews undertook it after the return from the Captivity Ezr. 4. 4. 3. They possess'd a part of the Land which of Right belonged to the Jews 4. They receiv'd only the Pentateuch and rejected the other Books as Uncanonical for when the Iewish Priest mention'd before was sent to them the Cannon of the Bible consisted chiefly of Moses's Writings for all the Historical Books were not extant at that time and 't is certain none of the Prophets were 5. They sacrificed not in the Temple at Ierusalem but on Mount Gerizim where they had a king of a Temple peculiar to themselves and was to them as that at Ierusalem was to the Iews It was built at first for them by Sanballat two hundred Years after it was destroy'd by I. Hircanuâ— Herod when he rebuilt Samaria made a Temple in it but the Samaritans worship'd not in it but on Mount Gerizim 6. They were averse to many of the Mosaick Rites and Ceremonies and differ'd from them in several parts of Worship Some say they were inclined to Idolatry 7. They as well as the Sadducees held there was no Resurrection or Future Life which was directly contrary to the firm Belief and Perswasion of the Iewish Church For these Causes they were extremely hated by the Iews and were not admitted to Conversation or Worship with them Whence that common Saying He that eats Bread with the Samaritans is as if he eat Swines flesh And another in use among the Jews was this If a Samaritan pronounce a Blessing it is not lawful to say Amen after it They must neither eat nor pray with this People but look upon them as Accursed There were the Galilâ—ans Luke 13. 1. who were rather a State-Party or Faction than a Sect. Their Principle was not to submit to the Roman Government for they held it unlawful to obey a Magistrate that was a Pagan Some think they were the Followers of Iudas the Galilaean Acts 5. 37. Ioseph the Iew after he had reckon'd up other Divisions among the Iews mentions this and tells us that they were as to the main Pharisees but this they had peculiar to themselves that they most impetuously desired Liberty believing that God alone is to be esteem'd and call'd a Lord and Prince they underwent the most exquisite kinds of Punishments rather than they would recede from this Opinion and rather than they would give any mortal Man the Name of Lord. It may be observ'd that the Ringleader of this Party is call'd Simon by the foresaid Jewish Writer in his Book of the Iewish War as well as Iudas in his Book of Antiquities because perhaps he had both these Names Thus and much more was the Iewish Nation divided into Sects and Factions thus it was disorder'd and corrupted Their Priests and People their Church and State their Doctrine Discipline and Manners were all depraved Religion was decayed every where Vice and Wickedness were predominant in all places among them And this was but a Specimen of what was more Catholick and prevailing in the Empire at that time to which the Iews were Tributary for with the Empire came in all Vice and Debauchery nothing was approved of but Sensuality and Intemperance and all Exorbitancy and the Virtue Modesty and Sobriety of Antient Rome were laid aside When the World was thus out of Order and was like to be worse CHRIST the Redeemer arrived he came to bless us with greater Discoveries of God's Will to inform and amend the erring and sinful World to give Rules of exact Holiness and to commend Religion and Virtue by his own Example And besides the World was at that time engaged in Wars and Tumults and frequent Battels attended with confused noise and Garments roll'd in Blood nothing but Disorder Outrage and Slaughter insested the Earth and lo at such a time as this the Prince of Peace visited the World and brought with him Tranquillity and Repose and created a great Calm and Serenity in the World This shews how seasonable the Incarnation of Iesus was and why he came at that time and wherefore Christianity was introduced at that very Season and not before 8. and Lastly God hath always discover'd himself to be a God of Order and Method he proceeds by certain Steps and Degrees And this may satisfie us why the Christian Dispensation took not place till other Dispensations had gone before God erected not this huge Fabrick of the World in a moment but procâ—eded leisurely and by degrees The World began with a Chaos and Conâ—usion the Earth was at first a floating Bog it wâ—s without form and void but in six days time it grew to what it is So was it with Religion its first day was in Adam the second in Noah the third in Abraham the fourth in Moses the fifth in the Gentile Oeconomy and the sixth and last in the Messias thus it gradually clear'd up and had its Consummation in Christ. Observe as God in the Creation proceeded from things more imperfect to those that are perfecter Trees and Plants and all Vegetatives were created before
them in the least none but God could alter them who designed to do so in due time for he intended those Mosaick Precepts should continue to such a certain period of time and no longer These Words of Ieremiah are very observable Chap. 3. 16. It shall come to pass in those days saith the Lord they shall say no more the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to mind neither shall they remember it neither shall they visit it neither shall it be magnified any more i. e. The Mosaick Rites and External Ceremonies of the Law shall not be in request as they were before Men shall not prize and value them as they used to do yea they shall lay the use of them aside but this they must not do till they have Authority from God And God revealed to the Prophet Daniel that he would alter the Law after a certain Revolution of Years The Messias shall cause the Sacrifice and Oblation to cease Dan. 9. 27. But it was unalterable in respect of the Jews themselves 3. The Promises and Predictions in the Old Testament which are very many concerning the perpetual Duration of Ierusalem and the Temple and the Iewish Worship and their Polity and Government are to be understood of the Perpetuity of the Church of Christ and his spiritual Kingdom And to this purpose you may observe that in the Writings of the Old Testament where the Times of the Gospel are foretold the Evangelical Worship and Service of God are set forth by sacrificing and other the like Observances commanded in Moses's Law By the Ritual Worship of the Jews is express'd the reasonable and spiritual Service of the Gospel and by those Expressions which seem to denote the Perpetuity of the former the Duration of the latter is signified and ascertained to us This is a most certain Truth and the observing of it will lead us to a right understanding of a great number of Texts which speak of the Iewish Laws and Government as if they were to continue for ever without any Limitation and Restriction We are to know that those places especially the Prophesies in Isaiah concerning the glorious things that shall befal Ierusalem and the Iews are to be interpreted of the State of the Christian Church they are to be understood of the Spiritual Kingdom of the Messias and the Times of the Gospel Sacrifices and the Temple signify Spiritual Oblations and the Gospel-Church for the Evangelical Prophet is to be understood in an Evangelical Sense The Angels Words concerning Christ in Luke 1. 32 33. The Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reign over the House of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end are a plain Comment on all those places in the Old Testament where the Perpetuity of the Mosaick Laws and the Jewish Oeconomy and Government is promis'd They shew that they are all meant of Christ and his Kingdom i. e. his Church both here and hereafter which was prefigured by David's Kingdom From what this Heavenly Messenger saith here we learn that the Prophesies concerning the endless continuance of the Throne of David of raising up to 〈◊〉 David their King Jer. 30. 9. of raising up the Tabernacle of David Am. 9. 11. of God's setting up his Servant David Ezek. 34. 23. are all accomplish'd in Christ. And indeed the Jewish Commentators themselves acknowledg that the Messias is often stiled David in these and other Prophesies of the Old Testament nor are they backward to confess that by David's Throne and Kingdom is meant the Messias's Government as is plain from Psal. 132. 11. 2 Sam. 7. 12. 1 Chron. 22. 10. where God promised David that Christ should sit on his Throne which is taken notice of and applied not only in the forenam'd place in St. Luke but in Acts 2. 30. For Christ is represented by David and the Evangelical Dispensation is express'd in Terms which relate to the Iewish Administration and Government So that it is no wonder this is said to be for ever for it shall last to the end of the World and afterwards Christ shall reign in the Kingdom of Glory to eternal Ages This if duly considered cannot but yield a satisfactory Answer to the foregoing Objection as well as give light to several Prophesies of the Old Testament But here it will be asked where hath God formally abrâ—gated the Ceremonial Law of the Jews I answer it is not necessary he should do this for the Law ceaseth when the Reason of it ceaseth Now the Reason of the Câ—râ—monial Law and all its Observances was chiâ—fly to prefigure Christ and the Gospel of which he was the Institutor and therefore they are now ceased Christ being come of whom they were but Figures and Shadows The Abrogation then of those Mosaick Rites wherein the Religion of the Iews was placed may be proved by this one Argument viz. that Christ was designed by the legal Rites that the Ceremonial Law was a Prefiguration of the Gospel-Dispensation Here it might be shew'd that the Evangelical Oeconomy was prefigured by certain Persons as Abel Noah Abraham Isaac Ioseph Melchisedec about the last of whom the Author to the Hebrews spends a whole Chapter these were Typical Persons as well as Moses and Ioshua and some others afterwards And not only Persons but Things were Typical as the Pillar of a Cloud the Red Sea the Manna and the Rock which two last were Symbols of the Evangelical Sacraments the Eucharist and Baptism 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 c. and the lifting up of the brazen Serpent signified Christs Crucifixion Iohn 3. 14. But if I should speak of those that are properly Legal Rites and Vsages it is yet further evident that they were Representations of our Saviour and of the grand things of the Gospel As for Sacrifices I have treated of them already and made it appear that they foresignified the expiatory Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. As for the Tabernacle and all the appurtenances of it I have particularly display'd their Typical Nature and how they all pointed to this Dispensation I am now speaking of I might proceed to make this good concerning the Ceremonious Washings and Purifications under the Law that they typified some greater Purity they signified the Spiritual cleansing and sanctifying of the Soul and the abstaining from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit The Apostle acquaints us that the difference of Meats and Drinks observing of a Holy Day or of the New Moon or of the Sabbath Days were a shadow of things to come but the Body of this Shadow is Christ Col. 2. 16 17. The Truth the Solidity the Substance are to be sought for in some higher things than those were even in Christ Jesus and in the Benefits of the Gospel Yea he tells us that the whole Mosaick Law is but a shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. 1. All the things contained in it are but rude
I ask what Sins have they committed these Sixteen hundred Years for which this Promise and Appointment of God are still delayed They were grievous Idolaters heretofore and consequently were the worst sort of Sinners and yet this Guilt did not hinder the accomplishing of other Prophesies and Predictions in Scripture which concern'd them How comes it to pass that all this time in which they have not been in their own opinion so great Sinners as they were formerly the fulfilling of the most important Promise that ever God made is defer'd Besides the Sins of the Jews were so far from being a hindrance of the performing this Promise that they should rather have hastned it for the end of the Messiâ—â—'s coming was to take away Sin to finish the Transgression and to make an end of Sins as that Prophesy in Daniel expresly foretels Therefore it is groundlesly alledged by the Jews that the coming of the Messiâ—â— is delayed by reason of their grievous Sins Again if their Sins have for so many Ages hindred the Messias's coming if God hath defer'd that Blessing merely because of their Iniquities why may he not put it off for ever for the same reason And by consequence there shall be no coming of the Messias which some Jews have not been backward to say Further I add who ever thought that the Prediction or Promise concerning the Messias was conditional that is wholly depended on the Qualifications of the Iâ—ws And yet this is implied plied in the Objection Nay the Jews freely confess the fulness of time was come for the sending of the Messias but God being angry with them for not performing the Conditions of that Promise viz. Repentance and Amendment of Life put off his coming Thus R. Manasse ben Israel plainly declares that God promised the Tribe of Iudah that the Scepter should not depart from it but be continued with it till the coming of the Messias but that he promised this to Iudah in the same manner as he did to David that his Kingdom should be for ever viz. if his Posterity did not provoke God by their Sins to put a Period to the Kingdom and Government But this Rabbi is much mistaken in the Interpretation of that Promise made to David for first if you consult 2 Sam. 7. 13. the place whence the Objection was raised you will find that that Promise was not to be made void by any means no not by their Sins If he commit Iniquity I will chasten him with the Rod of Men but my Mercy shall not depart away from him and thy House and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before thee thy Throne shall be established for ever And more fully in Psal. 89. 30 c. If his Children forsake my Law and walk not in my Iudgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my commandments then will I visit their Transgâ—â—sstion with the Rod and their Iniquity with Stripes Nevertheless my loving Kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my Faithfulness to fail My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my Lips Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David His Seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before me It shall be established for ever as the Moon and as a faithful Witness in Heaven Selah From all this it is undeniably evident that the Promise made to David concerning the perpetuity of his Kingdom was not conditional but absolute and that it was impossible for David's Posterity to frustrate it by their Sins For Secondly this Promise is to be understood of Christ's Kingdom who was the Son of David Thus it is applied by the Angel who brought Tidings to the Virgin Mary of the Conception of Christ saying He shall be great and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom therâ— shall be no end Luke 1. 32 33. This is the Kingdom which was promised in those foregoing Texts and therefore the Objection is fond and foolish It is clear that the Promise of the Messias was no conditional thing and the contrary assertion of the Ieâ—s is prophane and blasphemous for they do in effect say that the Promise was grounded on their Righteousness and Worthiness and that Gods Word and Truth were nulled by their Infidelity and Wickedness This is the result of the foregoing Assertion and it is sufficient to disswade us from imbracing it When they cannot effect what they design by these foregoing Objections some of them fly to such extravagancies as these viz. the Messias is come according to the Prophesies and Predictions of him but because of their sins he is not yet revealed he lies hid somewhere This is a common Opinion among the Iews saith Buxtorf And he adds that they dispute about the place where he hides himself some saying he is in Paradise and others feigning other Fables but they expect that he shall appear and shew himself in the World in due time This Opinion of the Mâ—ssias's absconding is such a wild and groundless Fancy that it calls for no other Refutation but Laughter and Scorn Therefore I will pass this by without indeavouring â—o give a formal answer to it Others tell us that there are two Messiasses one the Son of Ioseph of the Tribe of Ephraim poor and vile who was to die the other the Son of David who is to rule and govern and shall be a great Conqueror and lead them into Canaan and be their King there Tho the former of these be come yet the latter Messias whom they are most concern'd for is not come but they daily expect him and even languish with looking for him so long This Messias when he comes invites all the Jews to a Feast the greatest and most sumptuous that ever was and according to their Bill of Fare Behemoth and Leviathan are the two main Dishes Thus these poor People cheat themselves with the Notion of a double Messias which hath no Foundation but their own Fancies And so they will delude themselves by keeping up the imagination and hope of a Messias yet to come Sabbatai Sevi who appear'd in the Year 1666 was the twenty fifth Pretender to the Messiaship as it stands in their own Records He was the Son of Mordecai Sevi an Inhabitant of Smyrna and a Broker to an English Merchant in that place His Son Sabbatai addicted himself to study and became a notable Proficient in Hebrew and Metaphysicks and at length gave out to those of his Nation that he was the Messias Nathan another Jew having a little before proclaim'd himself Elias What became of this latter I know not but we are told that the former threw down his Pretences to the Messiaship and turned Turk before the Grand Signior And still the Expectations of these People grow higher and they
and when there is a Contradiction involved in the Matter otherwise So here is a Moral Impossibility that it should be otherwise take all things together and it is not possible but that it should be thus and the contrary implies a Contradiction to Sense Reason and Scripture I should now proceed to the last Thing I propounded to speak of viz. the Degrees of the Evangelical Dispensation but this bâ—ing the Administration which is peculiarly ours and wherein we are most concerned I will before I go any further offer such Rational Deductions to you as this part of our Discourse naturally affordeth 1. Assent to the Christian Religion Which is a very Reasonable Inference for Assent or Belief naturally follows on the Clearness of Evidence and the more Clear and Demonstrative the Evidence is the Firmer and Stronger will the Belief be For as the Testimony is such must this needs be and therefore if the former be not only Human but Divine and consequently be Infallible the latter must be proportionable What is Divine saith an Excellent Writer doth by its Excellency conciliate Belief and by its Truth gain Authority For this Reason no Art or Science can pretend to that Certainty which is in Divinity Politicks are fallible Philosophy goes upon contrary Hypotheses Medicks guess rather than know the inward Causes and Springs of Diseases The Lawyer hath his Ieofail Law it self is very Uncertain and Arbitrary if you consider the infinite Disagreement of divers Nations even about the same thing Yea even Mathematicks if we may believe those that best understand them are mixt with Uncertainties and Falshoods there are Fallacies and Paralogisms in Geometry all is not plain downright Demonstration as appears from the Quarrels and Contests among Mathematicians themselves But Divinity is truly a Science and surpasseth all others because the Ground of it is supernatural Light and the very Testimony of God himself Particularly the Articles of Christianity are founded on Divine Revelation and therefore are unquestionable The Doctrine of the Gospel is built on this Rock this Stable and Impregnable Rock The Foundation of God standeth sure it continues the same and cannot be moved Christian Theology is founded on a sure Bottom Christ Iesus the Son of God and who is himself God having fixed it Heaven and Earth shall pass away but this Word shall not pass away With relation to this Mr. Boyle's Treatise of the Excellency of Theology compared with Natural Philosophy is well worth our perusal That admirable Person so well skill'd in the Study of Physiologie shews the Preeminence of the Study of Divinity above it on this account that Theological Truths are evidenced by Divine Testimony and therefore we may firmly acquiesce in them and require no further or greater Proof as indeed there can be no greater tho as I have shew'd they are not destitute of other Evidences The Evangelical Truths especially are the True Theologie That of Plato and Aristotle and other Philosophers to which they were pleased to vouchsafe This Name being but a sorry and ill contrived Rhapsodie therefore the Christian Church gave the Title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to St. Iohn because he above all the rest of the Evangelists so expresly â—â—clared the Divinity of the Son of God which is the Noblest and Sublimest Point of Christianity and is matter of pure Faith and Divine Revelation Be convinced then of the True Grounds of your Christian Belief of the solid Foundations and undeniable Evidences which Christianity is built upon Know this that God could not have done more for the begetting of a strong Faith and Assurance 2. Assert and defend maintain and hold fast your Religion and let nothing shake your Faith and Confidence Indeed it is a wonder that such strong Supporters of the Christian Religion should be struck at by any but so it is Hereticks Iews and Pagans of old and high-flown Enthusiasts Deists Atheists Lewd and Dissolute Christians of late have endeavour'd to shake these Foundations Be you therefore the more Zealous in the defence of Christianity knowing that it is no Shadow or Phantom it depends not on Imagination and Conceit but is certainly True beyond all the subtile evasions and subterfuges of Sophisters It is an Excellency in a Man's Life to be upon sure Grounds and consequently to know what to do You have this Advantage in the Christian Religion it being something which is certain and fixed and therefore this should make you constant in the Profession and Exercise of it this should make you steady in your Resolves and Actions Your Religion being so Firm and Certain you ought to stand to it and to suffer none to rob you of it but to part with all for it These are the two Particular Inferences from this last thing I have discoursed of viz. the Truth and Certainty of the Christian Religion There are more general Deductions to be made from the whole Dispensation and they are these 1. Let us take notice of and admire the transcendent Worth of the Christian Religion I have traced Religion through all its several Stages I have lâ—t you see the whole intire Progress of it and you cannot but observe that all the former Dispensations made way for this of Christianity It must then be a very admirable Thing to which all that went before in God's own Oeconomies was but a Prelude a Preface a Preparative All before were but rude Draughts and imperfect Models They were a Foil only to set this off they were but as the dusky Twi-light to the brighter Day All that went before was but Infancy and Childhood This is Manhood and full Age. This one Consideration is sufficient to convince us of the Greatness and Majesty of the Kingdom of Christ under the Gospel Tho the Law which immediately preceded it and was the choicest of all the former Dispensations had some Lustre in it yet in comparison of the Gospel it had none its Glory vanished as the Light of the Stars when the Sun appeareth They saw in a Glass darkly they had but short and dim Representations of things they had none of that Clearness and Certainty which we under the Gospel have attained to Notwithstanding what was said before that they had many Ways and Rules to judg of True Prophets by and to know them from False ones yet this must be added that it was very difficult Prophecy might be easily counterfeited Fancy and Imagination made strong Impressions and deceived many they frequently had delusive Dreams and Visions In most of the Differences between the True Prophetick Spirit and the Enthusiastick Impostures of Pseudo-Prophets as they are set down by the Iewish Writers I find little satisfaction nor can any one who looks for Rational and Solid Accounts But the Prophecies and Revelations under the Evangelical Dispensation are Satisfactory and Certain We have now a more sure Word of Prophecy The excellent Discoveries made to the World by the Sacred Oracles of the Gospel are
Salvation by their own perfect Obedience but by virtue of the perfect Righteousness of the Messias who was to come in the fulness of time It only seem'd good to the All-wise God to obscure and disguise this Covenant in part that they might be fitted for the insuing Dispensation of the Gospel and that this Dispensation might appear more bright and glorious Now it was that the Covenant of Grace most signally display'd it self By Christ's coming and by the preaching of the Gospel it was fully and amply manifested tho it had been in being ever since the Restauration of Adam Now at last the actual fulfilling of the Grand Promise of this Covenant viz. the Incarnation of Christ was accomplished He came on purpose to perfect that Covenant which had been made and renew'd before between God and Man Never till this time was there any compleat discovery of this blessed Agreement and Contract between God and us In the Writings of the New Testament alone we find this set forth Here is plainly discover'd the Mediator of this Covenant Iesus Christ the Righteous the Eternal and only begotten Son of God who vouchsafed to assume our Humane Nature to clothe himself with Flesh to converse in the World above thirty Years to instruct Mankind by his Heavenly Doctrine to confirm and establish us in it by his Divine Miracles to direct us to the practice of it by his Holy Life and Spotless Example and at length to die for us to satisfy for our Sins As the publick and most solemn Covenants which we read of in the Old Testament were made with killing and sacrificing and effusion of Blood by Divine Appointment without doubt So here the Blessed Messias who was to compleat the Covenant of Grace shed on the Cross his most precious Blood which therefore is call'd the Blood of the Covenant Again in the Scriptures of the New Testament are plainly and expresly set forth the Terms of the Covenant of Grace i. e. what God hath promised to do and what Obligations are upon us Here Christ and his Apostles and Evangelists proclaim Remission of Sins the peculiar Benefit and Privilege of the Covenant of Grace and Immortality and Eternal Life are brought to light by this Gospel and the performance of all the precious Promises which concern this Life and another is ascertainâ—d to us here And as it assureth us that God will fulfil his Promises so it urgeth upon us the performing of our Ingagements Christianity is an Obligatory Covenant and this Obligation is mutual God will discharge his part we must see that we perform the Conditions which are required on our side The Gospel acquainteth us that if our Peace and Reconciliation be not made it is our own fault wholly we will not leave our Sins and thereby we â—rustrate the Agreement and Contract of the Gospel This therefore calls upon us to undertake the Counter-part of the Covenant i. e. to be holy in all manner of Conversation to deny all Ungodliness and wordly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godlily in this present World to adorn the Gospel by a strict and circumspect walking and to bring forth much Fruit to the Glory of our Heavenly Father In the Evangelical Writings the Terms on our part which are Faith Repentance and Obâ—diâ—ncâ— are more distinctly set down than ever especially the Nature of Faith and the peculiar Virtue of it are explain'd in that manner which they were never before for that by Works and Faith we are saved but that by Faith alone we are justified is the Doctrine which St. Paul hath abundantly asserted proved and confirmed and it is establish'd by the other Apostles which shews the great discrimination between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace The Gospel tells us how we are to find real Advantage by this Covenant and Law of Grace it ascertains us that we can reap the Benefit of it only by Câ—nvâ—rsiâ—n and Râ—gâ—neration It is therefore urged and inculcated that we must be born again that we must be Nâ—â— Creatures that there must be a Renâ—vation of our Hearts and Lives Lastly Christianity informs us what are the Seals of this Covenant of Grace and accordingly let us know that by Baptism we are entred into Covenant with God and into the Church of Christ and that at the Lord's Supper we repeat and renew that Convenant Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant instituted this Federal Ordinance and this is that Holy Supper at which he gives us his Body to eat and his Blood to drink which he assures us is the Blood of the New Covenant which is shed for the Remission of Sins Mat. 26. 28. The sum then of what hath been said is That God pitied the Miâ—ery of Mankind and was pleased to make a Second Covenant with him and his Posterity after they had broke the First This Second Covenant tho it was made with Adam presently after his Fall yet it arrived not to its height and perfection till the coming of Christ and the preaching of the Gospâ—l Christianity is the Covenant or Law of Grace in the best Edition The Answer then to that Problem How the Old and the New Covenant differ is easily resolved from the Premises for if you understand as some do but how fitly you will judg from what I shall suggest by and by by the Old Covenant the Covenant of Works and by the New one the Covenant of Grace I have plainly and distinctly set down the Particulars wherein they differ Or if you mean by the Old Covenant the Mosaical and Legal Dispensation and by the New Covenant the Dispensation of the Gospel which both are but One Covenant I have given ample Satisfaction to the Question by shewing wherein these two differ and by letting you see that the Covenant of Grace began with Mankind soon after the Fall and afterward was continued in the Mosaick Dispensation and at last was compleated by Christ's coming And here further to illustrate the Point I will clear the Acception of these Terms the Old and the New Covenant which so frequently occur in Holy Writ and I will make it evident to you that in the whole Book of the Scripâ—ures the Old Covenant is never applied to the Covenant of Works but is a part or degree of the Covenant of Grace This then we are to know that the Covenant of Grace is twofold Obscure or Manifest The first was from Adam's Restauration to our Saviour's coming the second is ever since The former is called the Old Covenant the latter the New Covenant and yet they are but one Covenant This you will find to be the stile of Sacred Scripture if you consult those two famous places the one in the Old Testament and the other in the New which treat of the Old and New Covenant The former is Iew. 31. 31. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and with