mentions this thing, as a great bleffing granted to the Ifraelites. Pfal. cxlvii. 19, 20. "He fhewed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Ifrael: he hath not dealt so with any nation," Ifa. xlii. 21. "Jehovah is well pleafed for his rightcoufnefs' fake," that is, for his truth and goodness, he will magnify (him by) the law and make it (him) honourable: Hof. viii. 12. I have written to him the great things of my law. Which is not only, nay I may venture to fay, not principally, to be underftood of the moral, or even the forenfick or judicial law; but chiefly, of the doctrine of grace, which was prefigured by the ceremonial law. For, the principles of the moral law, implanted in man at his creation, ftill remain in the conscience of men, though no new revelation had been fuperadded: and for the fafety of bodies politic, many things have been happily devifed by wife men. But as to the mysteries of the ceremonial law, these were the peculiar privilege of the people of God and, on account of them, the Ifraelites looked on themselves as having the pre-eminence above all other nations. ; XVI. For the fame reason, the godly affifted at those ceremonies with fo much delight and chearfulness of soul, and on the contrary accounted it the greatest part of their unhappiness, if at any time they were banished from their country, and forced to live at a distance from thefe holy things for it was their continual prayer, that they might be allowed to live in the house of God for ever: See Pfal. xxiii. 6. Pfal. xxvii. 4. Pfal. xlii. 2, 5. Pfal. lxxxiv. 2, 3. Pfal. lxxxix. 15. As without all doubt, they learned from thefe ceremonies, their uncleanness and guilt, which tended to the faving humiliation of their foul; fo in them alfo they beheld the expiation of guilt and the fanctification from fin, the abfolution or purging of the confcience. True that was only typical by the ceremonies, but it was true and fpiritual through him, who was prefigured by them. XVII. Which things being fo, those persons seem too much to depreciate thofe falutary inftitutions of God, who scarcely ever confider them, but as an unfupportable burden, and a handwriting contrary to those who obferved them, and as the penalty of breach of covenant; and infift, that what God declares Ezek. xx. 25. is to be applied to them, namely, that he gave Ifrael ftatutes that were not good, and judgemts whereby they fhould not live. But the celebrated Dr John a Marck, who was formerly my intimate colleague, has vindicated this paffage in fuch a manner, as entirely to fuperfede any defence of mine. We acknowledge, that there was fomething in the ceremonies, which was both grievous, and testified their imperfection, and that the expiation of fin was not yet perfected; but of these things we Chall speak in their place. But at the fame time, we infist, that they they had a reference to the gospel, and were a picture of Christ and his benefits, and feals of grace: neither are we to think, that they were effects of his wrath in fuch a manner against Ifrael, as if they were not given as tokens of a fingular favour to that people. The Jews themselves really were, and at this day are still fenfible of this; for though they acknowledge, they cannot find out the reafon for thefe ceremonies, yet they affirm, that a more fecret wifdom is contained in them, than they can perceive. To this purpose Abarbanel in Legem. Fol. 197. col. 2. writes concerning them: "Lo! the principal intention in them, is to be as a book of fublime wisdom and divine doctrine, which students in the law may contemplate, till they perfect their fouls by thofe apprehenfions and notions." XVIII. The fifth and laft bleffing of the Old Teftament is an almost uninterrupted fucceffion of infpired men, by whom the the church in thofe days inftructed in all their doubts were without any hazard of being deceived. For, in the first ages, the patriarchs might be confulted, to whom God immediately revealed himself, and who in a ftate of fuch longevity, were generally many at a time, or at leaft were almoft contemporary with one another. After them fucceeded Mofes. He was fol lowed by a long fucceffion of prophets, even to the time of the Babylonifh captivity, if we except fome very few and short intervals, fuch as are mentioned, i Sam. iii. 1. and 2 Chron. xv. 3. Under the Babylonifh captivity flourished Ezekiel and Daniel after this laft came Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi, not to fay any thing now of Nehemiah and Ezra. And after the Holy Spirit ceafed to dictate things to be written for the canon of the church of Ifrael, yet even to the coming of Chrift, he ceafed not to move, in an extraordinary manner, the minds of fome by his divine infpiration, as is evident in Simeon, in Zachariah the father of John the Baptift, and in Anna the prophetefs, But under the New Teftament, after the canon of Scripture was completed by the apoftolic writings, thofe prophetic enthusiasms or impulfes gradually expired. CHAP. XII, Of the Imperfections falfely afcribed to the Old Teftament. HAT the Old Testament required no deficency to be fupplied, appears even from this, because otherwife a place place would not have been fought for a fecond: as the apostle, Heb. viii 7. proves to a demonftration. Having therefore treated of the bleffings and privileges of that teftament, it is proper, that we now confider its imperfections and defects.. Not that we would detract any thing from the divine grace, as it was difplayed in the times of old, (becaufe the ancient fathers both acknowleged and actually experienced, that it was fuilicient for their falvation) but that we may fet a higher value on the infinite riches of the divine bounty, which were reserved for the more aufpicious age of the New Teftament. II. But in handling this, two prudential precautions are to be premised. Ift, That, in order to overvalue our own condition, we do not too much undervalue that of the ancients. 2dly, That, by duly acknowledging our own privileges, lefs than they deferve, we may be found unthankfully to undervalue the grace of God. And because fome have erred in both these extremes, we propofe to manage this fubject in the following method. In this chapter we fhall confute what fome perfons, who in other refpects are learned and orthodox, feem to have advanced with too little caution against the Old Testament ? and then fhew from fcripture, in what things it was really defective. III. We here pafs over unregarded the herefy of the Socinians, who affert, with the utmost effrontery, that there was no pro mife of eternal life in the Old Teftament; that Jefus Chrift was the first and only preacher of that important truth; a blas phemy we have already confuted. At present our business is with brethren, whom we efteem in the Lord; only we must always give the preference to the facred truth. It does not become us nor any Chriftian, to multiply difputes without cause and to wreft things, well or tolerably faid, to a worfe meaning than they will bear, and when we have wrefted them, invidioufly to expose them: a manner of procedure this not to be ufed with enemies, much lefs with brethren. It is, however, incumbent on all, to endeavour to fpeak with the utmost caution, and perfpicuity they are able; nor fhould any one take it amifs; if things, which are fpoken improperly and harshly, and lefs confiftently with the truth, are modeftly, calmly, and without any party zeal, taken notice of and corrected: efpecially if they have efcaped from perfons of character in the church; and are urged by fome with a warmth not to be commended, as if they excelled the common doctrine of the reformed churches by the commendation of a purer and more fublime knowledge fo if any perfon that does not aflent to them in all all refpects, is scarce accounted a learned and unprejudiced divine. . IV. In the first place, I imagine, that these following words of a celebrated interpreter have justly given offence to learned men; "the fcope of thefe words is to fhew, that though very great temporal benefits were beftowed on the Ifraelites, yet before the last times, none that were true and permanent: nor was falvation itfelf actually discovered to them," Coccei. Ult. Mof, p. 886, V. Who that reads or hears these words, would not be led by their very found to imagine even this, that though the Ifraelites really enjoyed temporal privileges, fuch as poffeffion of the land of Canaan, a peaceable government, a flourishing kingdom, profperity as subjects, long life, and the like, yet they had no benefits, that were true and permanent: by which one can scarce forbear thinking, that they had no communion with the Meffiah, nor part in his peculiar bleffings, as reconciliation with God, peace of confcience, reformation after the image of the divine purity, foretaftes of the joys of heaven, and a happy removal of the foul from this to an immortal life? For, thefe, if any, are defervedly and ufually called true and permanent benefits, and falvation itself. Whoever therefore affirms, that very great temporal privileges, and, in the fame breath denies, that fuch as were true and permanent were bestowed on, and falvation itself disclosed to the Ifraelites, fpeaks in such a manner as to fuggeft to the mind of the reader, that the spiritual bleffings of the foul, and eternal life were neither bestowed on, nor difcovered to them. . VI. And it is alfo fcarce poffible for the reader not to be confirmed in that fufpicion, if in another part he reads, that the only delight the Ifraelites had, was that they could extend their meditations to the felicity of the latter times, which yet they were not to fee with their own eyes. But the fame author's preface to the Pfalms inculcates this in a fet, premeditated difcourfe, not far from the begining. "This, indeed, was their only folace; for, while they were finging most of the Pfalms, they were, in the type of David, either finging before hand the afflictions and exaltation of Chrift, or reaching forward to the latter times; and deploring their prefent forlorn cafe, were endeavouring to change it into the joy of the future time, nay, affuming the difpofition, the joy, the zeal, and fharing in the combats and victories of those who were to fee what themselves did not, to hear what themfelves did not hear. This, I fay, was their only comfort. For, neither what they far could yield them any delight; because they were shadows: nor what they they heard, because it was only, partly a promife, partly an accusation of fin and guilt, with which man is born, but was not then abolifbed and blotted out; nor what they poffefed; because they were to leave them, or because the wicked enjoyed them as well as they: in fine, because they were no real bleffings, capable to fatisfy the foul." Who may not gather from this, that, in the Pfalms of David, the prefent bleflings of faving grace were neither foretold, commended or celebrated, and therefore the Ifraelites did not poffefs them, though not only the hopes of these bleflings, but alfo the actual poffeffion of them, have been in all ages, the fubject and cause of unfpeakable joy. For, if David, in his pfalms, can celebrate even fuch fpiritual bleffings, which are connected with eternal falvation as himself and other believers enjoyed even at that time: with what defign can it be faid, that their only folace and comfort confifted in meditating on the joy of the time to come, and that they poffeffed bleflings, which were neither real, nor fufficient to fatisfy the foul? Who, on reading these things could imagine he was perusing the writings of a reformed doctor? VII. But I would not have you to believe, that this very learned author, though he writes in this ftyle, is gone over to the Socinians, whom, in almost all his writings, he has ftrenu oufly opposed, and happily confuted. He repeats it a thou fand times over, and makes it appear, by cogent arguments against those most peftilent heretics, that the promise of the fpiritual and heavenly inheritance was made to the fathers of the Old Testament, and the poffeffion of it granted to them in confequence of the teftament of grace. And in the very place we first quoted, §. 885. he writes: that "Jehovah was the father of that people; for he purchased and made them, and beftowed all good things upon them, which is to be understood not only in a figurative fenfe, or with respect to any external favour; but with refpect to the benefit of redemption, the new creation, and the donation of all things neceffary for life and godlinefs, by which he is in truth manifefted to be the father of that people, with refpect to his elect children, who were at all times contained in that people, as in a feminary, but lefs frequently in the great multitude of the Ifraelites of that age." So far well: I could with, he had stopped here. VIII, But these two affertions are fo different, that they feem to be even contradictory. For, as the bleffing of redemption, the new creation, and the donation of all things necef fary for life and godlinefs; and in fine, to have God not in figure, but in truth, for their father, are indifputably true and per manent bleflings, and are even falvation itself. Whoever af ferts |