woman was not allowed to come into the sanctuary, nor touch any holy thing, for the space of forty days from the birth of her child. After the birth of a female child, the time of her uncleanness and separation from the sanctuary was doubled, extending even to eighty days. After this she was required to bring a sin-offering and a burnt-offering to the priest, at the door of the tabernacle, where they were to be offered, before she could be admitted into the sanctuary with those who were accounted clean.*

Therefore, as circumcision was a figurative ceremony of purification to the male; so likewise these legal injunctions were figurative ceremonies of purification to the female; and both were designed to typify that state of purity and separation from all the works of generation, which were to be required of the church of Christ under the gospel dispensation. But why was the time of the woman's separation from the sanctuary doubled after she had borne a female child? This was to show that the female could not find her lot and order in the spiritual creation of God, until the second gospel dispensation, or second appearing of Christ, when the Spirit of Christ, manifested in a woman, should redeem the female character, and bring her into her proper lot and order in the new creation.t

Again: The law enjoined ordinances respecting sexual coition, which applied to both male and female, and which clearly pointed out the sinfulness of that nature in the sight of a pure and holy God. Every act of that kind excluded the parties from the camp, and from the society of those who were accounted clean; they could by no means be admitted into the sanctuary, nor come before the Lord at any time, nor partake of any holy thing, without being first ceremonially cleansed and purified from those works. When Moses was ordered to sanctify the people, and prepare them to appear before the Lord at Mount Sinai, he commanded them saying, "Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives." If this was not an unholy act, why did Moses give this charge?

As the ceremonies of the law were but types and figures of things to come, they must have their antitypes, and be fulfilled in substance under the gospel. If therefore these works of the flesh were not, in their very nature, unclean, and if they were not finally

*See Lev chap. xii

The man found his lot and order in the first appearing of Christ, who appeared in the male, (in the person of Jesus,) which was the first gospel dispensation, or antitype of the first temple. But the second gospel dispensation, which was prefigured by the second temple, was first manifested in the female, and was called the second appearing of Christ, in which the woman, as well as the man, is restored to her proper lot and order in the new creation. Exod. xix. 15.

See Lev xv. 18.

to be excluded from the spiritual sanctuary of God, then we would ask why they were declared unclean under the law, and excluded from the sanctuary of Israel, which was but a type of the true gospel sanctuary? Was the law more pure than the gospel? or was uncleanness under the law to be counted cleanness under the gospel? Was the type more pure and holy than its antitype? or in other words, can we rationally suppose that the temporal and typical sanctuary of Israel was more pure and holy than that sanctuary of holiness which is established in the church of Christ, as a spiritual sanctuary? And if those works of the flesh which were so pointedly marked out under the law, were not sinful, why did the law require a sin-offering? Will God require a sacrifice for sin, where there is no sin? Certainly not.

These injunctions and restrictions were evident tokens of the unclean nature of those acts, and plainly typified the purity which God would require of souls under the dispensation of the gospel. In nothing short of this can the types and shadows of the law be answered with any degree of consistency. In nothing short of this can the righteousness of the law be manifested in us, " who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Hence it is evident that circumcision and other legal ceremonies clearly pointed to a life of self-denial and the cross of Christ, by which souls receive the washing of the regeneration, and the purifying fire of the gospel, which is the real baptism of the Holy Ghost; and that nothing short of this can entitle any soul to the privilege of entering into the camp of the saints, and worshipping God in the spiritual sanctuary, of which the camp of Israel and the sanctuary of Jacob were but types and figures.

CHAPTER V.

A few remarks on the nature and typical design of the Jewish wars, showing that the law could not decide the future state of the soul.

THE advocates of war who make a profession of christianity, often urge the example of the Jewish wars, directed by Divine authority, as an argument in justification of the lawfulness of war under the dispensation of the gospel. And tho some of them endeavor to enforce this argument upon the principle that the nature of God is unchangeable, and that the nature of man is essentially the same in all ages; yet the argument would doubtless appear very inconsistent, even in their own view, did they but consider the most essential difference between the law and the gospel, and the nature, tendency and design of God's work, as it respects the final lot of man. The same argument would apply, with equal force, to all the ceremonies of the law, and indeed to every thing

which God ever commanded or authorized among men, whatever might be the occasion or circumstances which required it.

When God deals with mankind, he always deals with them according to their situation and circumstances, and in a manner best calculated to answer his own Divine purposes, and at the same time, to give them a fair opportunity of proving themselves by their works. The work of God is an increasing work, and has always been attended with an increasing degree of light to man, from one dispensation to another, ever since the fall. And as the light of God has increased among mankind; so righteousness has increased in those who were obedient to that light. In the same proportion also, has wickedness increased in those who were disobedient.

But the light of God to man, from the fall to the coming of Christ, was very limited. Even under the law, which was given to regulate man in his natural and fallen state, and which was but a shadow of things to come, he could have, at most, but an imperfect sense of a future state, compared with what was revealed after the coming of Christ. For this reason, the promises and blessings to the faithful and obedient, and the threatenings and curses upon the wicked and disobedient, were mostly of a temporal nature.

By the law was the knowledge of sin; and the work of the law, as it respected the then existing state of the Israelites, was to search out and condemn the transgressions committed under it: hence the severity of its penalties. The law was a law of justice, and, in most cases, enjoined immediate execution upon the offender. It required strict and ample justice between man and man, and between God and man. It required "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." It inflicted the penalty of death by stoning and burning for specific transgressions, such as profaning the sabbath, blaspheming the name of the Lord, rebellion against parents, adultery, fornication and the like.

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The law also enjoined the total destruction of enemies, with all their possessions, wives and children. In many cases, it gave no quarter in battle; but death and destruction was the decided tion of enemies, without pity or compassion. These severities, considered in a natural view, at the present day, would appear shocking to humanity. Yet they were executed by Divine authority, and when viewed in their true light, they appear not only perfectly consistent with all the displays of Divine Justice, but they are also full of solemn instruction and warning.

The law was figurative of a future state of things which were to take place under the gospel; and therefore it is not improperly called, "a law of types and shadows." But its most mysterious injunctions had a more particular reference to the last gospel dispensation, which was to accomplish a final settlement with all souls, in which the mystery of God was to be finished, and every

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creature to be rewarded "according to his works." The rewards of obedience, and the penalties of disobedience, under the law, were designed to show that every work must finally "be brought into judgment, with every secret thing;" and that every one must receive his reward according to the nature of his works.

As the law required "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;" so the future punishment of sinners, for every injury done to their fellow creatures, must be repaid in exact proportion to the nature of the offence, without any mitigation whatever. As stubbornness and rebellion against parents, after all their endeavors to reclaim the rebel, was punished with death and destruction; so rebellion against the law of Christ, under the gospel dispensation, after all the warnings, reproofs and instructions of the gospel, will finally cut the soul off and consign him to destruction, without the possibility of recovery. As a profanation of the sabbath and blasphemy against God, were equally sinful, being rebellion against the sacred ordinances of the law, and were condemned to the same punishment; so those who wickedly and wilfully violate the laws of Christ, under the light of the gospel, must share the same fate. As adultery, fornication, incest, and all manner of uncleanness of that nature were punished with death and destruction, by stoning or burning; so all kinds of impurity and defilement, so contrary to the perfect purity of the Spirit of Christ, unless purged from the soul by the purifying fire of the gospel, must prove its final de

struction.

The destruction of enemies in war, with all that pertained to them, was designed to show that, in the spiritual warfare of christians against their carnal corruptions, which are the enemies of the soul, no quarter can be allowed. Every evil propensity, together with all the corruptions which have been engendered by the indulgence of these propensities, and every thing which has any connection with a life of wickedness, must be utterly destroyed and purged out of the soul, before it can find complete redemption. This is the work required of every christian soul under the dispensation of the gospel. But as God, by his providence, assisted the Jews against their enemies, while they were perfectly obedient to his commands; so Christ, by his Spirit, will assist every honest and truly faithful soul, in this work.

*

The destruction and expulsion of the heathen nations out of the land of Canaan, was just; because it was the just reward of their wickedness; and it was a very striking figure, and was eminently calculated to show that all sin, all manner of wickedness, and every thing which had a tendency to gender evil, must be purged out of the church of Christ, and be driven from the spiritual Canaan; otherwise the whole church is exposed to be corrupted, and its

*See Lev. xviii. 24, 25 & 27. also xx 23.

members ruined and lost. As the children of Israel were warned of the danger of suffering one of the heathen nations to remain in the land; so Christ warns his people against tolerating one sin in his church.

But "the law made nothing perfect;"* and therefore "Christ is "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."+ As the dispensation of the law was a temporal dispensation, it was beneficial to the Jews in a temporal view. Its blessings to the obedient, and its curses on the disobedient, were mostly limited to this life; and tho it took the life of the body, it could not decide the final state of the soul in the spiritual world. This was to be the work of the gospel: for Christ came 66 to redeem them that were under the law," as well as them that were not; because the law could not do it. For the same reason Moses was under the necessity of enforcing obedience by promises and threatenings. of a temporal nature; while Christ was able to enforce his precepts by the retributions of eternity.

Thus the operations of the law, by being confined to this life, could only extend to those who were under the law; while the operations of the gospel can and will extend to all souls, throughout all ages of the world, whether in the body or out: for no soul can ever obtain redemption but by the gospel. Therefore a future state of trial was reserved for those who had lived under the law, as well as for all others, both for those who had been obedient to the law, and those who had not. This was just and equitable; not only because it gave to those who had lived in subjection to the law, a further opportunity of proving their subjection to the gospel, which requires a greater cross against the evil propensities of a fallen nature than the law enjoined; but also because it afforded another trial to those who had abused their temporal probation under the law, by which they might (if they chose) seek their redemption by their obedience to the gospel. And to this they might be the more strongly excited by a remembrance of the punishments inflicted upon them for transgressions under the law.

"For this cause was the gospel preached to them that are dead, "that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live 66 according to God in the spirit.”|| "For this cause also, Christ "once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring "us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the

† Rom. x. 4.

*Heb. vii. 19. Those evil propensities which pertain to the fallen nature of man, and which lead him into sin, can never be destroyed by the death of the body; for they are propensities of the mind, not of the body; therefore nothing but the gospel of Christ, which operates upon the mind, and which is the power of God unto salvation, can ever purge these corrupt propensi ties out of the soul. Hence nothing short of the gospel can ever redeem the soul from the reigning power of sin.

"That they might be judged according to men in the flesh." This expression of the apostle evidently shows that they were not men in the flesh.