which I fhall fhew to be all perfectly made up by the revelation of the Gospel, and the doctrine of Christianity, in thefe following particulars:

Firft, It was a great defect of the Jewish religion, that a confiderable part of it was merely external, concerning the purification of the body and the flesh, and only figurative of that inward purity and real righteoufnefs, which renders men truly good, and like to God; for which reafon the Jewish inftitution is by the Apoftle to the Hebrews called the law of a carnal commandment, Heb. vii. 16. and Chap. ix. 10. is faid to confift only (that is chiefly) in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances impofed on them until the time of reformation; that is, till the Meffias fhould come, and give fuch laws as fhould really tend to reform the hearts and lives of men; and therefore thefe laws and ordinances are called poor pitiful elements, and the rudiments of the world, fitted rather for children in understanding and goodness, than to bring men to any maturity and perfection in goodnefs. All their rites of purification did only fanctify to the purifying of the flesh; but did not purge the confcience from dead works, as the Apostle to the Hebrews fpeaks, Chap. ix. 13, 14. they could not make those that performed and obferved them perfect, as pertaining to the confcience, ver. 9. that is, thefe laws had no effect upon the minds of men, to make them really better, to cure them of their moral defects and impurities, their fins and vices.

But the Chriftian inftitution doth perfectly fupply this defect, by taking us off from thofe carnal and external obfervances, and principally requiring that we worship God in spirit and in truth; by giving us fuch laws as wholly tend to advance real and fub ftantial goodnefs, purity and holiness of heart and life, fuch as mainly tend to reform the minds and manners of men, and to make us like to that holy and perfect Being whom we worship: And, befides an external, humble and reverent demeanour of ourfelves in the worship of God, (to which natural religion doth likewife direct) Chriftianity hath only inftituted

ftituted two folemn external rites, viz. baptifm and the Lord's fupper; whereby we folemnly oblige ourfelves to the practice of all virtue and goodnefs; I fay, only these two, that by the multitude of external obfervances, Chriftians might not be taken off from the minding of the real and fubftantial duties of religion.

And therefore the church of Rome have extremely abated and weakened the force of Christianity upon the hearts and lives of men, by amusing them with external rites, which they have multiplied to that exceffive degree, as to make the yoke of Chrift really heavier than that of Mofes, and the Chriftian religion a more external and carnal commandment than that of the law, and by this means have diverted and taken off the minds of men from the main design of Christianity, infomuch that they are so employed and taken up with matters of external ceremony, that they have no leifure to think of being good men, and to mind the great and fubftantial du ties and virtues of the Chriftian life; they have spoiled the Chriftian religion of one of its chief excellencies and perfections, I mean the fimplicity of its worship, which they have now incumbered with fo many foolish and frivolous rites and obfervances, as do not only render it more burthenfome, but lefs apt to make men inwardly and fubftantially good, than even Judaism itself. This is fo true and fo vifible, that the wifer and better fort of them have complained of it for feveral ages, and ftill do, as much as they dare for fear of the Inquifition, or fome other cenfure.

Secondly, Another defect of the law of Mofes was, that it did not give encouragement enough to repentance, by declaring and affuring to us any certain way and method for the expiation and forgiveness of fin. This the rites of all religions aimed at, and pretended to; but were very ineffectual to that end. The heathen facrifices, and all the cruel and barbarous rites belonging to them, did all pretend to be fo many ways of appeafing the offended Deity, and of making atonement and expiation for fin; and the VOL. V.

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facrifices of the Jews were inftituted by God himself, to make an external and legal expiation, and to be types and fhadows of a better and more perfect facrifice, which fhould really expiate fin; but even this was very darkly and imperfectly discovered to them; befides, that the expiations of the law did only extend to the leaft forts of fins, thofe of ignorance and inadvertency, but not at all to prefumptuous fins, and fuch as were committed with a high hand, nor to wilful and deliberate fins, except in fome very few and rare cafes, particularly mentioned in the law; fo that though a great part of the religious rites both of the Pagan and Jewish religion, aimed at the expiation of fin, yet were they really ineffectual to that end; and upon the whole matter, mankind, though they conceived good hope of God's mercy and forgivenefs in cafe of repentance, (Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his anger?) yet they were unacquainted with any certain and effectual means to that purpose.

It remains then, that this great bleffing of the forgiveness of fins, was never fufficiently declared and affured to mankind, but through Jefus Chrift in the gofpel. So St. Paul exprefly afferts, Acts xiii. 38, 39. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of fins, and by him all that believe are juftified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Mofes. The gofpel hath provided an expiation for all fins in general, and that by a facrifice of ineftimable value, the blood of the Son of God. And this is a mighty encouragement to repentance, and one most effectual means to reclaim men from their fins, to be affured that they are indemnified for what is paft. And this the Apostle means, when he fays, Gal. iii. 13. that Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us; that is, whereas the law left finners, as to thofe fins which stood moft in need of pardon, under a curfe, having provided no expiation for them, Christ hath redeemed them from that curse, by making a general expiation for fin; and in this

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fense it is that the author to the Hebrews fays, chap. ix. 15. that Chrift died for the redemption of the tranfgreffions that were under the first covenant; that is, for thofe fins for which the covenant of the law had provided no way of forgivenefs; and therefore St. John fays emphatically, 1 John i. 7. that the blood of Jefus Chrift cleanfeth us from all fin.

Thirdly, The law did not afford fufficiently plain and certain rules and directions for a good life. As the corruption and degeneracy of mankind grew worse, fo the light of nature waxed dimmer and dimmer, and the rule of good and evil was more doubtful and uncertain, and that in very confiderable inftances of our duty. The law of Mofes was peculiar to the Jews and even to them, who only had the benefit and advantage of it, it did not give clear and perfect light and direction as to moral duties, and those things which are of an eternal and immutable reafon and goodness. And therefore our Saviour in this fermon explains it to a greater perfection than it was understood to have among the Jews, or the letter of it feemed to intend, and hath not only forbidden feveral things permitted by the law, as divorce, and retaliation of injuries; but hath heightened our duty in feveral inftances of it, requiring us to love our enemies, and to forgive the greateft injuries and provocations, though never fo often repeated, and not only not to revenge them, but to requite them with good turns; which were not underftood by mankind to be laws before, but yet when duly confidered, are very agreeable to right reason, and the fenfe of the wifeft and beft men. So that the Chriftian religion hath not only fixed and determined our duty, and brought it to a greater certainty, but hath raised it to a greater perfection, and rendered it every way fit to bring the minds of men to a more divine temper, and a more reasonable and perfect way of ferving God, than ever the world was inftructed in before,

Fourthly, The promises and threatenings of the law were only of temporal good and evil things, which are, in comparison of the endless rewards and A a a

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punishments of another world, but very languid and faint motives to obedience. Not but that the Jews under the law had fuch apprehenfions of their own immortality, and of a future ftate of happiness and mifery after this life, as natural light fuggefted to them; which was in moft but a wavering and uncertain perfuafion, and confequently of fmall efficacy to engage men to their duty; but the law of Mofes added little or nothing to the clearness of those natural no. tions concerning a future ftate, and the ftrengthening of this perfuafion in the minds of men; it did rather fuppofe it, than give any new force and life to it. And for this reafon more particularly the Apoftle tells us, that the law was but weak to make men good; because it did not work ftrongly enough upon the hopes and fears of men by the weight of its promifes, and the terror of its threatenings; and that for this weakness and imperfection of it, it was removed, and a more powerful and awakening difpenfation brought in the place of it; Heb. vii. 18, 19. For there is verily a difannulling of the commandment that was before, (that is, of the Jewish law) for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof; for the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; that is, the covenant of the gospel, which promifeth eternal life. And chap. viii. 6. for this reafon more efpecially the Apostle fays, that Christ had obtained a more excellent miniftry, being the Mediator of a better covenant, which was eftablished upon better promifes. And Rom. i. 16, 18. St. Paul tells us, that for this reafon the gospel is the power of God unto falvation, becaufe therein the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against all ungodlinefs, and unrighteousness of men. The clear revelation of a future judgment, was that which made the gofpel fo proper and fo powerful an inftrument for the falvation of men. The great impiety of mankind, and their impenitency in it, was not fo much to be wondered at before, while the world was in a great measure ignorant of the infinite danger of a wicked life; and therefore God is faid in fome fort to overlook it; but now he commands all men every where