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fo far from finding any fupport in the paffage, that rather every thing is against them."

LXXVIII. For the proof of the latter, it is alledged, that the time of the Old Teftament is called the time of wrath and feverity, Ifa. x. 25. Dan. viii. 19. and that Mofes, the minifter who gave the law, is called "the minifter of death and condemnation," 2 Cor iii. 7, 9. and that "the law worketh wrath," Rom. iv. 15. that is, impofeth fomething, which proceeded from fin and guilt, and fo from wrath. But thefe things are not to the purpose. For, 1ft, There is nothing there concerning a curfe or execration, which conftantly in fcripture denotes the deplorable condition of the wicked, efpecially if any one is faid to be under it. 2dly, Ifaiah and Daniel speak not of the time of the Old Teftament in oppofition to that of the New; but reprefent that period of time, in which God more feverely punished the fins of his people: which he likewife does fome times under the New. 3dly, Mofes is called the minister of death and condemnation, because his miniftry, for the most part, tended to terrify the finner, and convince him of his fin and curfe. 4thly, In the fame fenfe the law is faid to work wrath; which is not to be understood of the ceremonial law alone, but also, and indeed, chiefly of the moral law, which, by its most accurate precepts, difcovers fin, and, by the dreadful comminations of divine wrath against finners, raises in the foul a sense of wrath. But these things are no proof that believers of the Old Teftament were under the curfe,

1.

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CHAP. XIII.

Of the real defects of the Old Teftament,

COWEVER the Oid Teftament had really fome peculiar defects, on account of which it is found fault with, Heb. viii. 7, 8.; and because of these, it was to make room for the New. When we fay this, we do no injury to the divine wisdom, as if it was inconfiftent with that, to make the first covenant with his people, fuch as would afterwards want correction. For as God, in the first creation of the world, began with things, that were more rude, and by degrees, as it were first roughhewed them, then polifhed and exactly fquared them, till they attained to that beauty, in which he acquiefced: fo, in like manner in the formatien of his church, he would

have the beginnings to be more unpolished, which, in the regular courfe of things, were to arife, in procefs of time, to a more beautiful fymmetry and proportion, till he should put the the last hand to them, at the confummation of the world. And if it was not unworthy of God, to have made something imperfect in the kingdom of grace, which fhall be brought to abfolute perfection in the kingdom of glory: neither is it unworthy of him, to have granted fomething more fparingly under the Old Testament, which he could most liberally vouchsafe under the New. Nay, by this very thing he difplayed his manifold wisdom, in that he diftinguished the diverfity of times by proper and fuitable marks or figns. Paul reprefented the Jews, as refembling children; Chriftians, grown men. What irregu larity is there in God's thus ordering matters, that he should confine the former to the rudiments, as being more fuitable to their measure of age, and train up the latter in a more hardy, and as it were manly discipline.

II. But let us particularly rehearse in order the things, in which the Old Teftament was defective. The firft is, that the fathers under the Old Teftament had not the caufe of falvation prefent, much lefs completed. They had the figure of Chrift in various appearances, as preludes of his future incarnation, in the pillar of cloud and fire, in the tabernacle, the temple, in the pictures of the ceremonies, the riddles of the prophecies: but they had not the privilege of beholding him prefent among them. The prophets of thofe times," prophefied of the grace that fhould come unto us." "And unto them was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto us concerning the sufferings of Chrift, and the glory that fhould follow, i Pet. i. 10,

11, 12.

III. And as the cause of falvation did not then appear, namely, God manifefted in the Refh, neither did righteoufnefs, or that on account of which we are juftified. Becaufe the captain of their falvation, was not yet made "perfect through fu:ferings," Heb. ii. 10. that in which the expiation of our fins confifts, did not then exift, and confequently, "everlafting righteousness was not yet brought in," Dan. ix. 24. For as the raniom was not yet paid, the debts were not actually cancelled, that day had not yet fhined, on which God " removed the iniquity of the earth," Zech. iii. 9. The fathers, indeed, had a true and a sufficient remiffion of fins; yet had not that, for which fins are justly, and in a manner worthy of God, remitted; namely, the fatisfaction and expiation of Chrift. Pareus fays well, ad Heb. viii.

Z 22.

18.

18. "the expiatory offering was not yet made, in which the remission of fins, wherewith they were favoured, was founded."

IV. In this respect it is no abfurdity to fay, that the fins of believers remained, and still exifted, till they were cancelled by Chrift's fatisfaction. For, they existed in the accounts of the furety, who was to answer for them: nor were they blotted out, till after the payment was made. We are not to think, they fo lay upon believers, as that they went to heaven loaded with the guilt of them; than which nothing can be more abfurd; nor are we to maintain, that they were entirely cancelled out of the book of God's accounts: for, in that cafe, Christ's fatisfying for them had been fuperfluous. But they remained as debts upon the furety, which he was to pay. And therefore God, who had already before hand, remitted very many fins, exacted them of Christ at the time appointed, Ifa. liii. 7. "to declare his righteousness for the remiflion of fins that are paft," Rom. iii. 25. Pareus again 1. c. "In the mean time therefore, fins even remitted without true expiation, remained till they were at length expiated by the death of the mediator: which expiation being made, both their fins and ours were at laft truly abolished in the judgment of God. Calvin uses the fame way of fpeaking, Inftit. Lib. 2. c. vii. §. 17. "For which reason the apostle writes, that the remiffion of the fins which remained under the Old Testament, was at length accomplished by the intervention of Chrift's death." This then was the first defect of the Old Teftament, that it had not the cause of falvation completed, and confequently not a true expiation of fins.

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W. The fecond defect was the obfcurity of the old economy. This follows from the preceding. What can there be at most but twilight before the rifing of the fun? The Lord therefore difpenfed the light of his word to them in such a manner, that they could only view it ftill at a distance and obfcurely. Peter has elegantly repefented this, by comparing the prophetic language unto a lamp that shineth in a dark place,” 2 Pet. i. 19. When he calls it a lamp, he intimates the abfence of the fun; und when he speaks of a dark place, he reprefents the condition of the ancients, which, amidst the darknefs, had the glimmering fmall light of a burning taper, and no more than a taper, which is ufed only in the night time, not in the full day. To this purpose alfo is the faying of Christ, Mat. xi. 13. that "the law and the prophets were until John. From that time the kingdom of God was preached." What did the law and the prophets difcover to those who lived in their days? Certainly nothing but a tafte of that wifdom, which was afterwards to be clearly difplayed, by foretelling it as fhining at a difliance.

Whenever

Whenever Chrift can be pointed out with a finger, the kingdom of God is disclosed.

VI. There was certainly in the ceremonies, an inftituton concerning Chrift's perfon, offices, and benefits. And therefore it was a distinguishing favour, that God should honour Ifrael alone, above all other people, with that kind of inftruction, as we have formerly intimated. But, as the ceremonial rites were vaftly increased, and the repetition of the promises of grace was in the mean time more fparing and uncommon; the very great number of rites was like a vail, by which the naked fimplicity of the ancient promise was very much clouded. And the event fhewed, that the greateft part of the Ifraelites cleaved to the ceremonies themfelves, fought for juftification and expiation of fin in them, and did not penetrate into the fpiritual myfteries, which were hid under the vail, with the eyes of the understanding and of faith. This, indeed was their own fault; but that method of teaching was not fo well adapted and effectual for the correcting of it. This is alfo reprefented by the type of Mofes, who "put a vail over his face, that the children of Ifrael could not ftedfaftly look to the end of that which is now abolished as ufelefs," 2 Cor. iii. 13. There the apostle by way of allegory proposes the person of Mofes, to reprefent the economy of the Old Testament. It had indeed the light of the promises of grace, as the face of Mofes had an extraordinary glory, ver. 7. But while Mofes spoke with the Ifraelites, he covered his glory with the vail of the ceremonies, which he had introduced; the end of which, indeed, was Chrift and his grace; but Ifrael being intent on the contemplation of thefe, fatisfied themselves in them, and forgot to look to that, to which had they turned their mind, as became them, they would have been ied by the ceremonies themfelves. And this is " that vail, which, in the reading of the Old Testament, not being taken away, ftill remaineth on Ifrael, ver. 14.

VII. To the fame purpose, was the vail of the tabernacle and temple, which kept the Ifraelites from entering and beholding the facred things. These two vails may be thus compared together. By the vail of the temple they were reminded of fomething, which they were not yet fuffered to behold, because fomething stood in the way; namely, guilt, which was removed in the flesh of Chrift, Heb. x. 19. and that the way to the heavenly fanctuary was not yet fet open to them, Heb. ix. 8. By the vail over the face of Mofes, they were put in mind, that the eyes of their understandings were weaker, than that they could bear the naked declaration of the truth. For if it

was

was thus at that time with Chrift's apostles, John xvi. 12. how much more with ancient Ifrael?

VIII. It is remarkable, that the Lord Jefus himself, in the days of his flesh, fuited his doctrine to that more obscure difpenfation; and laid before the promifcuous multitude, the myfteries of the kingdom of heaven, fcarce in any other manner than under the vail of parables, the meaning of which was to be rather gueffed at, than thoroughly understood. And himfelf gives this reafon for it, Mat. xiii. 10, 11. when his difciples atked him, "Why fpeakeft thou unto them in parables?" He anfwered, "Becaufe it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." And ver. 13. "Therefore fpeak I to them in parables, because they feeing, fee not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand." But as the time of his confummation was drawing nearer, he more clearly, and without further circumlocution, propofed the truths of falvation, John xvi. 25. which the difciples themfelves observed, ver. 29.

IX. The third defect was the great rigour and unrelenting feverity of that economy, on account of the threatenings of the law, which fo often occur, and of the promises of grace, which are more feldom and more obfcurely repeated. To this purpofe is what we have, Heb. xii. 18. that believers are not now come to the mount that might not be touched, and that burned with fire, unto blacknefs, and darknefs, and tempeft, where nothing was to be heard or feen, but what was apt to ftrike the mind with dread and terror, fo that Mofes himself quaked and feared: where the terrible voice founded in their ears, which all of them intreated, they might not hear any more, to all which he oppofes the mild fweetnefs of mount Zion, and of the heavenly Jerufalem. Neither was that rigour and terror without reafon; for it was fcarce poffible, by any other means, to conquer the forwardnefs of the Ifraelites, whom Mofes and the prophets fo often reproached as a ftiff-necked generation, and a people whofe heart was like an adamant.

X. The fourth defect of the Old Teftament was, the bondage under the elements of the world, of which Paul speaks, Gal. iv. 3, 9. By the elements of the world, he understands the ceremonies of the old economy; which he calls soy elements, because of their rudeness and imperfection; by a twofold metaphor; the one borrowed from nature, the other from art. Nature hath her elements, that is, bodies more fimple and rude, from whofe various combination and mixture others more perfect are generated. And the rudiments of art, or the firit more eafy precepts, fuited to the capacities of children,

are

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