VIII.

of all the natural seed or posterity of man born after CHAP. the flesh, both before and after the true seed appeared. Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But the bond woman, who was given to be his wife, and her son, were sent away with bread and water; which was a figure of the best portion of the children of this world.

30. There was another heir, born of a free woman, who claimed the inheritance by promise-another birthright. That which is born of the flesh is flesh.— John iä. Marvel not that I say unto you, ye must be born again.

31. But after Abraham had been in unto the bond woman, and she had conceived after the flesh; the Lord again renewed his covenant with Abraham, tỏ show, that the promise of the true inheritance of the new creation, could not be supplanted or rendered void by the deceitfulness of sin.

6. 7.

Gen.xvil

32. And to show wherein the new creation of God should take place, Abraham received the seal of cir- 7. 11,23, cumcision, as a token of that new covenant; which 2 was an outward cutting round about the flesh of the foreskin.

33. But why was he commanded to receive a token of the covenant particularly there? Why did he not receive it elsewhere? The truth is, that token was of special signification, and pointed directly to the very seat of sin; there lay concealed the hidden mystery of human depravity-the secret pleasure of that which is most highly esteemed of all men in their natural and fallen state.

34. And this outward token of circumcision, signified the cutting off that fleshly and carnal pleasure, taken through that part, by the circumcision of Christ col in the heart, made without hands, in all the true heirs of that new covenant.

35. The real substance of the covenant which God made with Abraham, was neither to him, nor to natural Isaac, nor Isaac's natural posterity: this is plain from the tenor of it.

.Gen.xvi وو

19, 21.

36. "My covenant will I establish with Isaac-for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." Again: "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." And xi. 12. again : "Neither because they are the seed of Abra- 7, 8.

Rom. ix.

VIII.

CHAP. ham, are they all children: but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

Galiii.16.

37. "He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is CHRIST." And alluding to that seed, he said, I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. The covenant is therefore with Christ for an everlasting covenant, and with his spirJohn xiv. itual seed who are in him. As Christ said, "Ye shall know that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you."

20.

38. Then consider what was further signified by the token of the everlasting covenant made with Abraham. He whose flesh of his foreskin was not cirGen.xvä. cumcised, " that soul (saith God) shall be cut off from 13. 14. his people; he hath broken my covenant." Which

Rom. ii.

signified, that he who is not circumcised in heart, with the circumcision made without hands, the same hath broken God's everlasting covenant, and while remaining uncircumcised, is cut off from Christ, and from the inheritance of everlasting life.

39. Then, from what hath been said, it may appear evident that the covenant which God made with Abraham, was only temporary, and pointed to an everlasting covenant, or spiritual seed yet future. Therefore this temporary covenant did not save those who kept it from the indwelling root and nature of sin, received by the fall; but pointedly prefigured what would save them when the true seed should appear who was called in Isaac.

40. Nevertheless, as many as were obedient to the outward signs of that covenant, and to whatever else! pertained thereunto, obtained temporal blessings— possessed the gates of their enemies-multiplied exceedingly and in all outward things were blessed, while their obedience continued.

41. But when the true first-born of the promise ap28, 29 peared; neither outward circumcision availed any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Gal.vi.15

42. The land of Canaan was only a temporal blessing to Abraham's seed: it was not heaven itself;

VIII.

and therefore the highest place it could have in the CHAP. covenant of promise, was a shadow of better and more durable things to come.

43. Abraham's natural posterity were no better than the rest of mankind; only as they were obedient to the revelation of God, made known from time to time, they maintained and preserved the faith of one true God, and served as a figure of that seed who should possess a spiritual and everlasting kingdom..

44. And although they were comparatively, according to the literal sense of the promise, as the stars of the sky for multitude, and as the sand by the sea shore innumerable; yet it is expressly said, These all died Heb. xi. in faith, not having received the promises; but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

45. They honestly confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims, as much in the land of promise as elsewhere, and thereby declared plainly that they sought another country, and had not received the substance of the thing promised.

12, 13, 39.

46. Therefore it was not the country of Judea, nor the city or temple, whose builder and maker was David or Solomon, which they looked for; but that city Rev. xxi. and temple, made without hands, which God promi- 2. sed to build in the latter days, of which Christ Jesus was the chief corner stone.

13-16.

47. But to signify the oppression and bondage, under which the true seed of God should be held, before the time of real deliverance should come, the Gen. xv. seed of Abraham were led into Egypt, and kept under tyranny and oppression, for a certain limited time, before their temporal and outward deliverance could be accomplished.

22.

48. And as they were to increase, and did increase, according to the purpose of God, it could not escape the notice of an oppressive government; whose poli- Ex. i. 16. cy it was to destroy all the males, who, according to the command of God, were to receive the tokens of that covenant, which promised a seed, as the stars for multitude. No matter about the females.

CHAP.

IX.

49. But however wise their plans, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, who through a woman of the 1 Cor. i. house of Levi, began, according to promise, to redeem his people from the cruel power and policy of Egypt, until he had parted the sea, and destroyed the nations before them.

25.

50. Great is the mystery of God's dealings with Ex. ii. 3, men! The power and wisdom of God manifested through one, who, by a woman, was preserved in an ark of bulrushes!

&c.

Rom. v. 23, 14.

CHAPTER IX.

The true End and Design of the Law given by Moses.

THE

"For

HE express purpose of the law, was to search out and condeinn sin, root and branch. until the law, sin was in the world; and death by sin reigned from Adam to Moses, even over th ́m that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." That is, of Christ Jesus, through whom salvation should be obtained.

2. By the law is the knowledge of sin-As it is shap. iii. written, I had not known sin but by the law: for I had 20,& vii.7 not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt

not covet.

3. And although the law went to search out and condemn sin, yet it could not save the soul from its reigning power, until Christ the first-born in the work of Redemption should appear. And therefore Rom. v. the law was added because of transgressions, that the offence might abound, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.

Gal.iii.19

20.

4. It is impossible for souls ever to find a full salvation, without a full discovery of their loss. In vain is freedom sought for, in any government, where the very seat and centre of action in the government itself, is established in monarchy, tyranny and oppression, by the consent of the people.

IX..

5. In vain is every attempt to change the nature of CHAP. an evil tree, by lopping off the branches, while the body and root of the tree remain entire; or by any means ever to expect good fruit from a corrupt tree: so in vain are pure waters expected from a corrupt fountain.

11, 12,

Matt. vii.

6. "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place James iii. sweet water and bitter? Can the fig-tree bear olive berries? either a vine figs? so can no fountain both yield salt-water and fresh. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? even so every good tree 16-18. bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” 7. The fruit of the Spirit is love; pure and perfect love. The first of all the commandments is, "Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou Mark xii. shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and 29,30,81. with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength."

8. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." This comprehended the spirit and real intention of the whole law, and was all that God required.

Gal.v.22.

9. But man in his natural and fallen state, is heid under the dominion of other objects. And as the law was added because of transgressions, that the offence might abound; and was given to the Israelites, as a school-master, to teach them the nature and purity of Gal. iii. the promised Mesiah's kingdom; it was necessary to point out particularly, what kind of fruit this spirit of love would naturally produce, and what would as naturally flow from the want of it.

24.

10. The tree is known by its fruit. Then if man was the uncorrupted fruit, or offspring of pure and perfect love, he certainly would discover no other fruit in all his life and actions. But both the law of Deut. Moses and the prophets plainly discovered, that the xxx. 5. tree and the fruit are both corrupt, or in other words, Jer.ü.21. that man in his natural state is a corrupt creature, and descended from a corrupt and degenerate stock. 11. This was going to the root of the matter. It

Isa. i. 4.

vi. 28.