I.

they bear Witness of me*; if I bear Witness of my CHAR felf, my Witness is not truet; if I had not done among them the Works which none other Man did, they had not bad Sint; i. e. Sin of Infidelity; with more to the fame Purpose.

THUS in the Law and the Prophets, the first Inftitution attefted with Miracles from Heaven, God, the fame Yefterday, To-day, and for ever, approved, collected, and wrote upon Stone the Ten Commandments, being all that was good of natural Religion, for the Ufe of the hard-hearted Jews, which he wrote upon the fofter Hearts of other Nations, regulating what was grown neglected by the Affirmative, and correcting what was corrupted by the Negative or prohibitory Precepts. And as he was thus careful about the Religion of the End, in fecuring the loving God with all the Heart; and our Neighbour as ourfelves; and the Care of ourfelves as the Apple of our Eye: Or, in another Abridgment, the doing Justice, loving Mercy, and walking bumbly with God; fearing him fo truly, as to keep his Commandments, and no Man fo falfly as to break them: So he took Care to perfect the Religion of the Means, as far as they could be perfected, till the Fulness of the Time was come. Thus Repentance, in particular, ceafing to do evil, learning to do well, was very much exhorted to,

"

John x. 25. ↑ John v. 31. ↑ John xv. 24. | Αθάνατος μὲν πρῶτα θεὸς, νόμῳ ὡς διάκεινται, τίμα. Pythag.

Nihil effe unum uni tam fimile, tam par, quam omnes inter nesmet ipfos fumus. Tum illud effici, quod quibufdam incredibile videatur, fit autem neceffarium, ut nimo fefe, plus quam alterum diligat. Cic.

Γνώθι σεαυτον.

« Τέτον νόμον ο Θεος τέθεικε και φησὶν. Ει τι αγωθὸν θέλεις Bagi caut habe. Arian in Epift. Lib. I. cap. 29.

and

CHAP. and quickned by many Prophets, and many Providences. And the Faith that fecretly enliven'd that, was ftrengthened by often repeated Oracles, and Renovations of the Promife of their Meffiak, and of the Light of the reft of the World, who was to teach them, and the World, all Things.

MEAN Time the appointed Emblem, and Types of the Propitiation (Figures of the true) went on for obtaining the Favour of Heaven. And very wifely, by the Way, were the Sacrifices of that Service, with the numerous Rituals chofen and forted, for keeping the Children of Ifrael, efpecially the Tribe of Juda, a peculiar unmixing People, with the rest of the World: Intending to preferve them free from the Idolatry which prevailed round about them; fo as to be an Abomination to many, perhaps, to all their Neighbours. They were allowed, for Inftance, both to facrifice, and eat the Ox, and all the rest of his Family; which the Egyptians adored as their God, whom they neither dared to facrifice, nor touch as Victuals: And for that Reason, among others, would have no Communion with the other. Through fuch peculiar Statutes, and temporary Ordinances, they were, in fact, effectually preferved a peculiar Nation from all others; which was the very Thing God aimed at. Because the Salvation of the World, Jefus Chrift, the Sacrifice of all Sacrifices, without whofe precious Blood-fhedding, no Remiffion of Sins, was, as the Record affirms, of the Jews: To be born of one of the Families (the Lineage of David) of one of their Tribes; theirs was the Oracle or Prophecies of the Time when, the Place where, the Character and Defcription of his Perfon.

THUS the Law given to them from Heaven, bringing with it flated, written Emendations

both

I.

both of the Means, and of the End of natural CHAP. Religion, was moreover occafionally a Providential Illumination of the Heathen World, in the Morality they ought to keep up to: And gave them, over and above, fome Prediction, and pofitive Expectation of that mighty Perfon called the DESIRE of the Gentiles; placed, as they were for that Purpose, (being first extraordinarily drawn out of Egypt with a mighty Hand) in the Center, as it were, of the then inhabited, and moft intelligent Part of the World. Partly by their Captivities to Media, and Babylon*; which feverally served to spread the good Notions of their Decalogue, and the Predictions of their Meffiab (the common Saviour of all Men) all over the Eastern World; however, the Tradition became afterwards much corrupted and metamorphised, as has been obferved by learned Tra vellers. Partly by their near Communication with the Phenicians; who are most probably reputed to have peopled Carthage, which firit peopled South-America +: But efpecially by their fojourning, and communicating afterwards, fo long, with the Egyptians; who, by Means of Py thagoras, and Plato's Travels thither, taught the Greeks; who taught the Romans; who may be faid to have taught Europe fome Purity in Morals, and several Excellencies of the Divine Nature. So that what is good in Heathen Ethicks, may

Zoroaftres, the great Founder of Knowledge and Religion in the Eaft, was a Jew by Religion, and probably Servant under Daniel: Pythagoras learnt from him; the reft of Greece from Pythagoras. Prid. Connection, pag. 213, 228,

229.

See Introduction to Bibliotheca Itinerantium, by Harris. Vid. Galeum de ortu & progressu Philofophiæ, ejufque traductione è facris fontibus. Huet. Alnetan Queft. Euleb. Prepar. Evang. Theoph. ad Autol. Athenagoras. Juft. Mart. Apol. VOL. I

D

be

CHAP. be faid to have sprang formerly from the Jewish, and fince, more perfectly from the Chriftian Revelation; whilft fome concealed, others knew not to whom they were originally beholden.

Ir may be obferved further, that the Reason, perhaps, why God is fo often reprefented in the Jewish Difpenfation, as having Human Parts and Paffions, was in Affirmance of their Hope of their Meffiah; prophetically declarative, that he, who was their Heavenly Prefident and Leader, (the Son of God) would actually, in due Time, take upon him Human Parts and Paffions, to do yet greater and mightier Things for them, and the reft of the World. For, after God was indeed manifefted in the Flefb, all that Language ceafed in Scripture.

THEN, upon the vifible Appearance of Chriftianity in the World, which is to the World a new Improvement, and the real Perfection of the moral perpetual Part of the other, as well as the laft Revelation of the Will of God before he calls it to Judgment; was abolifhed only what was temporary, and actually had become fuperfluous in the Mofaick Difpenfation; proving it, at the fame Time, by greater Miracles, (their own Argument) to be the Will of Heaven, that the Subftance (being come) of the inflituted Part of their Religion, the Mediator between God and Man, fhould in all Reafon take Place of the Shadow, and fuperfede the Figure. Whilft it confirmed, and confirrms whatever is really and perpetually good, both in the Religion of the End, and of the Means, whether among the Jews, or Gentiles : Improving by its better Precepts, Means, Aids, Motives, Helps, that which was good to better; mending what wanted to be mended, and helping what needed Help in each.

THUS,

I.

THUS, as to the Religion of the End, in the CHAP. three Divifions of Duty to OURSELVES,, NEIGHBOUR, and GOD; the Grace of God (in like manner as the Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift) has appeared unto all Men, i. e. Jews, and Gentiles, under which Divifion all Men at that time were comprehended, to whom the Gospel has appeared; teaching us, that denying Ungodlinefs and worldly Lufts, we should live Soberly, Righteously, and Godly in this prefent World. So far is it from difapproving, that it profeffes openly, and every where, to carry on the fame good and excellent Ends, that natural Religion was ordain'd unto, through more potent and efficacious Methods. Not condemning what little may happen to be well done, with an Intention of pleafing God, in Dependance upon his rewarding Favour (effential to the Character of well doing before him) under the Notion of Splendida peccata; but makes itself neceffary, where-ever preach'd, by fhewing what the other knew nothing of, viz. the only Way of Salvation, how God remits Sins, and re-admits us unto himself; which ftimulates to Newness of Life, introduces our Addreffes to him, and actuates all the Means of being good, and doing good. St. Peter, full of the Holy Ghost, proclaims, of a Truth God is no Refpecter of Perfons, but in every Nation be that feareth him, and worketh the Righteoufness of those moral Duties, is accepted of him, q. d. to fome of the many Manfions of Reward in Heaven, or fo accepted, as, by his Providence, to be brought to the Knowledge and Instruction of those better Means, for rendering him not only almoft, but altogether a good Chriftian;

*

• Acts x. 34