the feed of Abraham all nations of the earth fhould be bleffed, Gen. xxii. 18. that unto the Meffiah fhould the obedience of the people be, Gen. xlix. 10. that the Egyptians and Babylonians fhould be mentioned among thofe, who know Jehovah; and that it should be faid of the Philistine, the Tyrian, and the Ethiopian, they were born in Zion, Pfal. lxxxvii. 4. And that all nations should flow to the mountain of the house of Jehovah, Ifa. ii. 2. and that Ifrael should be the third of Egypt and Af fyria; and that the Lord fhall fay, bleffed be my people the Egyytians, and the work of my hands, the Affyrians, and Ifrael mine inheritance, Ifa. xix. 24, 25. and numberlefs other paffages, which frequently occur in fcripture to the fame purpose.

"and

XLIX. Moreover, Ifaiah declares, that both Ifrael and the converted Gentiles fhould obey the fame laws, and be bound together by the fame religious ties, chap. xlii. 4. " and the ifles fhall wait for his (the Meffiah's) laws."Again, Ifa. ii. 3. many people fhall go and fay, come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the houfe of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerufalem." And he adds, no ftranger who hath joined himself to Jehovah, fhall fay, Jehovah hath utterly feparated me from his people: but on the contrary, even unto the eunuchs shall be given, in the house of God and within his walls, a place, and a name better than that of fons and of daughters, Ifa. Ivi. 3, 5. that is, that the converted Gentiles fhould, in matters of religion, be on an equal footing with the Ifraelites. To this pur pofe is that of Zeph. iii. 9, 10. " for then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to ferve him with one confent: from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my fuppliants, even the daughters of my dif perfed fhall bring mine offering" and Zech. xiv. 9. " and Jehovah fhall be king over all the earth: in that day fhall there be one Jehovah, and his name one:" one fhall be the worship, and one the veneration of the one God. The Jews themselves alfo frequently declare, that, in the time of the Meffiah, many nations fhall be converted to the God of Ifrael, and that thei they fhall walk in the doctrine of that law, as the Chaldee speaks on Ifa. ii. 3. and shall embrace one common law with the Ifraelites, as Menaffe fpeaks, de Refur. Lib. 2. c. 3. and so shall incorporate into one people with Ifrael, and be partakers of the same privileges, as being profelytes of righteousness.

L. Whenever this fhall come to pass, it is plain, that the ans cient ceremonies cannot poffibly be obferved by all the fubjects of the Meffiah. For how is it poffible, the paying of vows and VOL. II.

3 E

tythes,

tythes, the prefenting the first-born, the obfervation of the paffover, pentecoft and feaft of tabernacles, which were confined to the place, which God had chofen, fhould be binding on those, who are to be at a great distance from Judea? And how can men, who dwell in the utmost parts of the earth, come to Jerufalem, to offer facrifice for every fin, and every pollution, in order to avoid the curfe? How could women, newly delivered, undertake fo long a journey, and present themselves in the place chosen by God, to perform the offerings commanded? Where could fo many beafts, fo many priests, so many altars be found, fufficient for all the facrifices? What extent of country, much less town, could be large enough to hold fuch numbers? Menaffe, if I rightly remember, idly talks, that then the gates of Jerufalem fhould be extended to Damafcus; but had he extended them, which he might with equal eafe, beyond the Porta Cafpia, or pafs of Teflis, he would have more commodiously provided for fo prodigious a conflux of people, flocking from all parts to the facrifices. Put the cafe of the leprofy, and of a houfe infected with that plague, of which Lev. xiii. must the priests make incurfions to the Scythians, the Sarmatians and the Indians; to the Britons feparated from the reft of the world, and to the outmoft Thule, to form a judgment of the fcab or fcall? To omit many other confiderations, which might with equal propriety be urged; and which Eufebius among the ancients, Demonftr. Evangel. Lib. 1. and among the moderns, Spahemius, Dubior Evang. P. 3. Dub. 112. have fully and learnedly done.

LI. You may poffibly alledge, that God will grant a kind of difpenfation of, and relax thefe impoffible laws. But where is there any promise to that purpofe? Have not these laws been made by the fame authority with the others? is not their duration in like manner extended for ever, which in other respects is fo much objected to us? Do not these, and the like laws, conftitute the principal part of the ceremonial? And if the confcience can be fet free from the obligation of thefe, why not alfo from that to the others, which are of the fame nature?

LII. Shall they not cease to bind, because the obfervation of them is impoffible, any more than we teach, that the moral law is binding, though we allow the perfect performance thereof to be a thing impoffible? But who does not fee a very wide difference here? That the moral law cannot now be perfectly performed, is a thing accidental, owing to our corruption. That thefe other laws cannot be obferved under the kingdom of the Meffiah, arifes from the nature of the laws themselves, without any default of man. And thus we have demonftrated, that the ceremonies,

ceremonies, in fo far as they are acts of the obedience, prefcribed by the old law, cannot be observed in the univerfal church, gathered together from among Jews and Gentiles, under the king Meffiah.

LIII. This will be more manifeft, if we, moreover, confider the formal of the ceremonies: thus there was a yoke in them, that must be broken off; a pedagoguy, and an accusation of childhood, which cannot take place in a more advanced age. There was a partition-wall to be broken down, when, on removing all diftinction of nations, the Meffiah is to be all in all; an enmity, to be abolished at the time, in which the Meffiah is to publish to the Gentiles, that they should have peace both with Israel and with God. There was, in fine, a hand-writing, bearing testimony concerning guilt not yet expiated, and payment not yet made. This, when all things are fulfilled by the Meffiah, is to be ta ken out of the way, left any institution of God should be found to testify against the truth and Son of God. Such are either ignorant of, or overturn all the fignification of the ceremonies. and their true efficacy, who bind the obligation of them on the consciences, after the Meffiah had perfected all things.

LIV. There now remains the fourth head, namely, to explain the progrefs and the various degrees of this abrogation, which we digeft in the following order: 1ft, When Chrift came and was manifefted to Ifrael, the ceremonies loft much of their fplendor, as when the fun in the heavens extinguisheth the ftars. Nevertheless they were binding, while Christ was not yet made perfect by fufferings, but yet their abrogation was drawing near: "Jefus faith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye fhall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerufalem worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers fhall worship the Father in spirit and in truth," John iv. 21, 23. To this purpose is that proclamation, which John feveral times published, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 2dly, They were abrogated in point of right by the death of Chrift; for, all their typical prefignification being fulfilled in Chrift, and the blood of the New Testament being fhed, and the guilt expiated, which they were appointed to be a charge of, with what right could ceremonies lately discarded claim any longer to keep their former ftation? Hence Chrift is faid, "to have taken the hand-writing out of the way, nailing it to his cross," Col. ii. 14. and to "have abolished in his flesh (on his flesh being broken by death) the law of commandments, contained in ordinances," Eph. ii. 15. Certainly the flesh of Chrift was the vail; and while that was ftill entire, a new and living way was not opened to the heavenly fanctuary, Heb. x. 3 E 2

20.

20. For, while Chrift was not yet made perfect by fufferings, the ceremonies which required that perfection or confummation, were in full force. But whenever the utmost farthing was paid by the death of Chrift, the vail and enclosure of the ceremonies being taken down, there was a free access to God; which was fignified and confirmed by the rending the vail of the temple upon the death of Chrift. 3dly, God declared, confirmed, and fealed this abrogation by the refurrection of Christ from the dead, and his afcenfion into heaven, and the plentiful effufion of the Holy Spirit. For the hand-writing was then discharged. He, who hitherto was in bondage to the elements of the world, equally with the other worshippers of God, was placed with his people in heavenly places, where no such bondage takes place; and the fpirit was given, as the seal of a more delightful difpenfation of the covenant. 4thly, But this liberty was for fometime not fufficiently known, even to the apoftles themfelves, till Peter was inftructed therein by a heavenly vision, Acts x. 11. 5thly, Then, by a folemn decree of a fynod of the apostles, under the prefidence of the Holy Spirit, it was ordained, that a yoke was not to be put on the neck of the difciples, befides thofe few things neceffary for that time; namely, to abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things frangled; to which was subjoined, though of a different kind, fornication, Acts xv. 10, 28, 29. 6thly, Afterwards Paul preached freedom from these things alfo, excepting fornication, that being contrary to the moral law, 1 Cor. viii. 4, 8. and 1 Cor. x. 25-29. 7thly, Yet because the Jews, who were converted to Chrift, having been accuftomed to the ceremonies, were with very great difficulty drawn from them, the apostles and other believers with them, that they might not offend the weak, according to the rules of Chriftian charity and prudence, freely used thofe ceremonies, not with any opinion of holiness; but in order not to wound tender confciences, accommodating themselves to all, to gain fome to Chrift, fee Acts xxi. 22.8thly, But after that the church feemed now to be fufficiently instructed in her liberty, and the fondnefs for the ceremonies was no longer a degree of weakness but of obftinacy, Paul would not give place by fubjection, no not for an hour, and sharply rebuked Peter, whofe conduct was rather too remifs, Gal. ii. 5, 14. and exhorted every one in particular, to ftand fast in the liberty wherewith Chrift had made us (him) free, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, nor to make Christ of no effect to themfelves, Gal. v. 1, 2. 9thly, and lastly, All the ceremonies were actually taken away at the destruction of Jerufalçın

Jerufalem and the temple, and buried as it were in their ruins,

never to be revived any more.

See what we have faid con

cerning circumcifion, chap. viii. §. 21, &c.

I.

A

CHA P. XV.

Of the Benefits of the New Teftament.

S the darkness of the night is only dispelled by the beams of the rifing morn, so the Old Teftament was abrogated only by the introduction of the New. But at what time this first began to take place, by what degrees it advanced, by what intervals of time it was confirmed and completed, we have explained in the third chapter of the foregoing book. We are now, in the first place, to treat of the benefits of the New Testament: then of the facraments: the othe particulars are obvious, from what we have fpoken concerning the covenant of grace fimply confidered, and by comparing with them, what we have more largely treated of concerning the Old Teftament.

II. We rehearse the benefits of the New Teftament in the following order. I. The first is the exhibition of the Meffiah made perfect. II. The gospel * under another name or defignation. III. The calling of the Gentiles. IV. A more abundant and delightful measure of the Spirit. V. A greater and better liberty, VI. The restoration of Ifrael, VII. The revival of the whole church, as from the dead.

III. The first fpring of our glorying, and the fum of our felicity beyond thofe that expected the confolation of Ifrael, is, that "Chrift Jefus came into the world," 1 Tim. i. 15. He who was promifed from the beginning, fhadowed forth by fo many types, fo ardently longed for, and for fo many ages expected, came forth in the fulness of time, in that place, from that tribe and family, in that manner from a virgin, and appeared in the flesh, juft as the holy prophets had long before prophefied he should come. 66 Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-fpring from on high hath visited us," Luke i. 78. "we have found him, of whom Mofes in the law, and the prophets did write, Jefus of Nazareth the fon of Jofeph," John i. 45. This, as the angel told the shepherds

of

The author's words are, Evangelium avrovoμasızãs, which I know not how to render otherwise to make it intelligible to the English reader.