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IX.

CHAP. therefore, but perfect obedience to his commandments, could ever satisfy the demands of the law.

Rom.x.4.
Heb. v. 9.

1

Wilberforce on Religion. Bost. Ed. 1803. p. 17, 18.

71. A perfect obedience to the law of Christ, walking in his very footsteps, travelling in the work of regeneration, and denying self of every actual and sensual gratification, as he did, released every member of his body, from all the external obligations of those carnal ordinances.

72. As it is written: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Not to such as believe only, but he became the author of eter nal salvation to all that OBEY him.

73. Thus far, we have opened the nature of man's loss, and the fundamental cause of his depravity and separation from God, and the design of the law to search it out, from its true origin: not superficially, nor in disguise, but faithfully, and with that plainness which the importance of sacred and solemn truth demands. It is the TRUTH only, that ever will, or ever can make souls free.

74. And here we may add a few very just observations from a respectable writer. They may discover, in some measure, a spirit of willingness and candour to acknowledge and expose the root of evil; and on the contrary, a general principle of disguise to conceal it.

75. "But though these effects of human depravity," says the writer," are every where acknowledg'ed and lamented, we must not expect to find them 'traced to their true origin. Causa latet, vis est no'tissima:" i. e. The cause lies concealed, the effect is notorious.

76. "Prepare yourself to hear rather of frailty and infirmity, of petty transgressions, of occasional failings, of sudden surprisals, and of such other qualifying terms as may serve to keep out of view the true source of the evil, and-may administer consolation 'to the pride of human nature."

77. "Far different is the humiliating language of christianity. From it we learn that man is an apos'tate creature, fallen from his high original, degrad'ed in his nature, and depraved in his faculties-that he is tainted with sin, not slightly and superficially, but radically, and to the very core."

IX.

78. "These are truths which, however mortifying CHAP to our pride, one would think (if this corruption did not warp the judgment) none would be hardy enough Wilber to attempt to controvert.”

force on

Religion.

79. "How, on any principles of common reason- p. 25, 26, 'ing, can we account for it, [this corruption] but by 'conceiving that man, since he came out of the hands ' of the Creator, has contracted a taint, and that the venom of this subtle poison has been communicated throughout the race of Adam, every where exhibiting incontestable marks of its fatal malignity."

80. "Hence it has arisen, that the appetites deriv'ing new strength, and the powers of reason and con'science being weakened, the latter have feebly and 'impotently pleaded against those forbidden indul'gences which the former have solicited."

81. "Sensual gratifications and illicit affections have debased our nobler powers, and indisposed our hearts to the discovery of God.-By a repetition of 'vicious acts, evil habits have been formed within us,

and have rivetted the fetters of sin. All without ex'ception, in a greater or less degree, bear about 'them, more visible or more concealed, the ignominious marks of their captivity."

82. "Such, on a full and fair investigation, must be confessed to be the state of facts; and how can this be accounted for on any other supposition, than that of some original taint, some radical principle of corruption? All other solutions are unsatisfactory, while the potent cause which has been assigned, does abundantly, and can alone sufficiently account for the effect." So says Wilberforce: and that with the greatest reason and truth. Then let it be so.

Heb. i

83. To this subject we shall only add, that although the ceremonial law was given to discover the root and fountain of all evil, yet it never did nor ever could remove the cause. And although the law stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal or- 10 dinances, imposed upon the people until the time of reformation, and could never make the comers thereunto perfect; yet it was never intended to be taken out of the way, nor destroyed without substituting something more excellent and permanent in its place.

x. 1.

CHAP.

X.

Mat.v.18.

84. "For verily I say unto you, saith Christ, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

1 Samuel xix. 5.

27.

CHAPTER X.

The State of all Mankind before the Appearing of

Christ.

be saved from outward dangers, temporal

Tenemies, and such like, is properly called sal

vation. But to be saved from the power and practice of sin, is a very different kind of salvation. The former is temporal, and the latter spiritual.

2. The Lord saved Noah from the destruction of the old world; brought Abraham forth out of Ur, (i. e. the fire) of the Chaldees; and saved Lot from the overthrow of Sodom.

3. The children of Israel saw the salvation of the

Neh. ix. Lord at the Red Sea. And the Lord frequently wrought a great salvation for Israel, in the land of Canaan, and from time to time, gave them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

Obad. 21.

Heb. x. 4,
11.
vii. 27.

1 Pet. i.

4. Yet all this was not salvation from sin; nor were the saviours, those who should judge the mount of Esau, when the kingdom should be the Lord's. As sin was in the world until the law was given, that the offence might abound; so it remained in the world until Christ appeared.

5. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins: even the high priests were required to offer sacrifices for their own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

6. The prophets themselves were ignorant of that 10, 11, 12. salvation, and searched diligently to know when it would appear; unto whom it was revealed that it

was not unto themselves they ministered the promise, Isai vii. but unto another people, yet to come; and prophe-' Zech. ix. sied of him, in whom it should first appear, by the spirit of Christ that was in them.

11.

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X.

7. It is remarkable that under the covenant of CHAP. promise, names and characters were applied to many natural men, which in reality could be applied to Christ only.

8. Thus, God said unto Abraham, "I will make of thee a great nation-and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." And of Isaac he said, "I will establish my covenant with him, for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. The whole of which, in spirit and in substance, applies to Christ, and not to Abraham and Isaac, nor to their natural seed. The thing was typical, as hath been shown.

9. Again, thus saith the Lord, "Israel is my son, Exo. iv. even my first born." This is also typical, and in re- 22. Col. i. 15, ality applies to none but Christ, and his true seed, 18. who are in him by obedience.

John hi.

18.

Hist. of

10. And after the law was given to the Hebrews, "the whole nation," saith Edwards, "by this law, Redemp. was as it were, constituted in a typical state;" which P. 176. is true, as the scriptures abundantly prove.

p. 177.

11. Upon which a certain writer justly remarks, that "Christians have the most unequivocal asser- Note . tions of this in the New-Testament. The law is

called a shadow of good things to come. And the whole epistle to the Hebrews, and great part of 'that to the Galatians, is written to prove and illustrate this very point."

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Ib. p.197.

12. Another writer on a similar occasion, as justly remarks, on typical characters in general, that, "In Note z. ' order to constitute a proper type, it is by no means necessary, that the person who answers this important purpose, should possess perfect moral quali'ties." "That the comparison is not to be stated and Hunter's 'pursued through every particular incident of the vol. i. p. life, and every feature of the person typifying."

13. Then, as the line of the patriarchs, and the law of Moses, were only typical of things to come, and were not the very substance of the thing typified; therefore let not the shadow of a thing be mistaken for the substance.

14. The name or figure of a thing spiritual, is as distinct from the thing itself, as the name or picture

Sac Biog

275.

X.

Ex.xxviii.

CHAP of the sun, is distinct from the sun itself. The high priest of the children of Israel wore a mitre upon mis head, with a plate of pure gold, on which was 36. engraved, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And of the people it was said, Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God.

Deut...iv.

2.

15. But did this make either the priest or the people holy? By no means. The whole nation were sinners, from Moses to Christ, both priest and people, and this their sacrifices and offerings for sin, year by year continually, prove beyond all contradiction. And the same prove also, that they were perpetual transgressors of the moral law, the nature and requirements of which, have been pointed out in the preceding chapter.

16. It is strictly true, however, that while they punctually observed all ti e external rites and ordinances of the law, they were counted blameless, and were blessed of God, above all other nations.

17. And in all those blessings, which were the fruits of their obedience, they verily were typical of what they were called; an holy and peculiar people, sons and daughters of God, and many other terms, that might serve as a shadow of good things to come. All of which is clearly evinced in the New-Testament, particularly, in Paul's epistles to the Hebrews and Romans.

18. And when it is said, that Enoch, Noah and others, waiked with God; it means nothing more, than their walking in obedience to the commands of God given them in their day.

19. Thus, Noah walked with God in his generation, in building an ark, &c.-Abram, in leaving his father's house-Moses, in bringing up the children of Israel out of Egypt.-David was a man after God's own heart, to fulfil all his will; but all his will to David, was not all his will to another; David was a man of blood, therefore Solomon was chosen to build the temple.-Jehu was anointed to cut off the house of Ahab and Cyrus was the Lord's anointed to subdue the nations. But not one of them walked with God under the cross of Christ; nor were they anointed with power to save them from their sins.

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