of their humiliation for their former idolatry, or of present des votedness of heart to God; it being before any particular institution of an express public profession, either of godliness, or repentance in case of scandal: Yet I think there was some sort of public manifestation, or implicit profession of both. Probably in Egypt they implicitly professed the same things, which they afterwards professed more expressly and solemnly in the wilderness. The Israelites in Egypt had very much to affect their hearts, before the last plague, in the great things that God had done for them; especially in some of the latter plagues, wherein they were so remarkably distinguished from the Egyptians: They seem now to be brought to a tender frame, and a disposition to shew much respect to God (see Exod. xii. 27) and were probably now very forward to profess themselves devoted to him, and true penitents.

(2.) After the institution of an explicit public profession of devotedness to God, or (which is the same thing) of true piety of heart, this was wont to be required in order to a partaking of the passover and other sacrifices and sacraments that adult persons were admitted to. Accordingly all the adult persons that were circumcised at Gilgal, had made this profession a little before on the plains of Moab; as has been already observed. Not that all of them were truly gracious; but seeing they all had a profession and visibility, Christ in his dealings with his church as to external things, acted not as the searcher of hearts, but as the Head of the visible church, accommodating himself to the present state of mankind; and therefore he represents himself in scripture as trusting his people's profession; as I formerly observed.

(3.) In degenerate times in Israel, both priests and people were very lax with respect to covenanting with God, and professing devotedness to him; and these professions were used, as public professions commonly are still in corrupt times, merely as matters of form and ceremony, at least by great multitudes.

(4.) Such was the nature of the Levitical-dispensation, that it had in no measure so great tendency to preclude and prevent hypocritical professions, as the New Testament dispensa

tion; particularly on account of the vastly greater darkness of it. For the covenant of grace was not then so fully revealed, and consequently the nature of the conditions of that covenant not then so well known: There was then a far more obscure revelation of those great duties of repentance towards God and faith in the Mediator, and of those things wherein true holiness consists, and wherein it is distinguished from other things: Persons then had not equal advantage to know their own hearts, while viewing themselves in this comparatively dim light of Moses's law, as now they have in the clear sunshine of the gospel. In that state of the minority of the church, the nature of true piety, as consisting in the spirit of adoption, or ingenuous filial love to God, and as distinguished from a spirit of bondage, servile fear and selflove, was not so clearly made known. The Israelites were therefore the more ready to mistake, for true piety, that moral seriousness and those warm affections and resolutions that resulted from that spirit of bondage, which shewed itself in Israel remarkably at Mount Sinai; and which, throughout all the Old Testament times, they were especially incident to.

(5.) God was pleased in a great measure to wink at and suffer (though he did not properly allow) that laxness there was among the people, with regard to the visibility of holiness, and the moral qualifications requisite to an attendance on their sacraments; as also he did in many other cases of great irregularity, under that dark, imperfect, and comparatively carnal dispensation; such as polygamy, putting away their wives at pleasure, the revenger of blood killing the manslayer &c, and as he winked at the worshipping in high places in Solomon's time; (1 Kings iii. 4, 5) at the neglect of keeping the feast of tabernacles according to the law, from Joshua's time until after the captivity; (Neh. viii. 17) and as he winked at the neglect of the synagogue worship, or thepublic service of God in particular congregations, until after the captivity,'

* Prid. Connect. Part I. p. 354-536, and 555, 556. 9th Edit. The word tranlsated synagogues Psal. Ixxiv. 8, signifies assemblies; and is supposed by the generality of learned men to relate to another sørt of assemblies. 2 M

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though the light of nature together with the general rules of the law of Moses, did sufficiently teach and require it.

(6.) It seems to be from time to time foretold in the prophecies of the Old Testament, that there would be a great alteration in this respect, in the days of the gospel; that under the new dispensation there should be far greater purity in the church. Thus in the forementioned place in Ezekiel it is foretold, that "Those who are [visibly] uncircumcised in heart, should NO MORE enter into God's sanctuary." Again Ezek. xx. 37, 38. "And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me." It seems to be a prophecy of the greater purity of those who are visibly in covenant with God. Isa. iv. 3. "And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living [i. e. has a name to live, or is enrolled among the saints] in Jerusalem.” Isa. lii. 1. "Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; from henceforth there shall NO MORE come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." Zech. xiv. 21. “And in that day, there shall be NO MORE the Canaanite in the house of the Lord."

(7.) This is just such an alteration as might reasonably be expected from what we are taught of the whole nature of the two dispensations. As the one had carnal ordinances (so they are called Heb. ix. 10) the other a spiritual service ; (John iv. 24) the one an earthly Canaan, the other an heavenly; the one an external Jerusalem, the other a spiritual; the one an earthly high priest, the other an heavenly; the one a worldly sanctuary, the other a spiritual; the one a bodily and temporal redemption (which is all that they generally discerned or understood in the passover) the other a spiritual and eternal. And agreeably to these things, it was so ordered in providence, that Israel, the congregation that should enter this worldly sanctuary, and attend these carnal ordinances, should be much more a worldly, carnal congregation, than the New Testament congregation. One reason why it was ordered in

providence that there should be such a difference, seems to be this, viz. That the Messiah might have the honor of introducing a state of greater purity and spiritual glory. Hence God is said to find fault with that ancient dispensation of the covenant, Heb. viii. 7, 8. And the time of introducing the new dispensation is called the time of reformation, Heb. ix. 10. And one thing, wherein the amendment of what God found fault with in the former dispensation should consist, the apostle intimates, is the greater purity and spirituality of the church, Heb. viii. 7, 8, 11.

OBJECTION IV.

IT is not reasonable to suppose that the multitudes which John the Baptist baptized, made a profession of saving grace, or had any such visibility of true piety as has been insisted on.

ANSW. Those whom John baptized, came to him confessing their sins, making a profession of some kind of repentance; and it is not reasonable to suppose, the repentance they professed was specifically or in kind diverse from that which he had instructed them in, and called them to, which is called repentance for the remission of sins; and that is saving repentance. John's baptism is called the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins: I know not how such a phrase can be reasonably understood any otherwise, than so as to imply, that his baptism was some exhibition of that repentance, and a seal of the profession of it. Baptism is a seal of some sort of religious profession, in adult persons: But the very name of John's baptism shews, that it was a seal of a profession of repentance for the remission of sins. It is said, Luke iii. 3. "John PREACHED the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." What can be understood by this, but his preaching that men should now speedily turn to God, by true repentance and faith in the promised Saviour, and come and confess their sins, and openly declare this repentance towards God, and faith in the Lamb of God, and that they should con

firm and seal this their profession by baptism, as well as therein receive the seal of God's willingness to remit the sins of such as had this faith and repentance. Accordingly we are told, the people came and were baptized of him, confessing their sins, manifesting and professing that sort of repentance and faith which he preached. They had no notion of any other sort of repentance put into their heads, that they could suppose John called them to professs in baptism, but this accompanied with faith in the Lamb whom he called them to behold; for he preached no other to them. The people that John baptized, professed both repentance for the remission of sins, and also faith in the Messiah; as is evident by Acts xix. 4, 5. "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him that should come after him ;" i. e. on Christ Jesus: "When they heard this [John's preaching] they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

If it be objected here, that we are told, Matth. iii. 5, 6. "There went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins ;" and that it is not to be imagined all these made any credible profession of saving repentance and faith: I answer, No more is to be understood by these expressions, according to the phraseology of the scripture, than that there was a very great resort of people from these places to John. Nor is any more to be understood by the like term of universality in John iii. 26. "They came to John and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and ALL MEN come to him;" that is, there was a great resort to him from all quarters. It is in no wise unreasonable to suppose, there was indeed a very great number of people that came to John from the places mentioned, who being exceedingly moved by his preaching, in that time of extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit, made profession of the faith and repentance which John preached. Doubtless there were many more professors than real converts: But still in the great resort to John, there were many of the latter char