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fee no unclean thing in them, and turn away from them, Deut. xxiii. 14. His being in the midft of them was by the myftical Matrimony fo often mentioned already. It is therefore fuitable, to understand thofe Impurities out of the midst of which they are obliged to depart, to be their impure Marriages. So I am fure they were understood in the cafe forementioned in the time of Ezra, that fuch Marriages would provoke God to turn away from them, and to expofe them deftitute of his protection to the punishment of malignant Spirits. The coming therefore out of the midst of them which might prevent God's going out of the midft of themselves, muft be, by their quitting fuch Marriages and the Children born of them, as was practifed in the time of Ezra. The next word does, be ye Separate, I take to be decifive of the Apoftle's defign, for the purpose I am now difcourfing of. It is the very word made ufe of by our English Interpreters in the places of Ezra and Nehemiah, on the fame occafion. Whilft they kept their Wives which were not of the Peculium, they are faid not to have been separated from the People of the Lands, Ezr. ix. 1. So it follows in the next Verfe: For they have taken of their Daughters for themselves, and for their Sons, ver. 2. And when they caft off thofe Wives and Children, they are then faid to have sepa rated themselves. So Nehem. ix. 2. And the Seed of Ifrael feparated themfelves from all Strangers. This is plainly in oppofition to the mingling of the Holy Seed, Ezr. ix. 2. So again, Neh. xiii. 3. Now it came to pass when they had heard the Law, that they feparated from Ifrael all the mixed Multitude. The mixed Mul titude included the foreign Wives, and the G Children

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Children that were born of them, as I have
already obferved. The Greek word indeed is
xwell in the Paffages of Ezra and Nehemiah.
But it answers to the Hebrew word 77, which
is frequently rendred by the word apoeia, the
Apostle's own word, in other Paffages of the
Old Teftament. So in Lev. xx. 25, 26. Deut.
iv. 41. Fof. xvi. 9. I. lvi. 3. So clear it is,
that this Notion is very natural to the Helle-
niftical fenfe of this word ufed by the Apoftle,
in imitation of the Old Teftament.
certainly must have been the meaning of If.
lii. 11. according to the known fignification of
thofe Expreffions, at leaft in the time of that
Prophet. Yet our Apoftle fuppofes that fame
Reafoning to hold under the new Peculium.
I do not fee therefore how it can be avoided,
but that fuch Marriages must be not only un-
lawful, but null alfo and invalid, even now un-
der the times of the Gospel. The fame ap-
pears alfo from the following words, anabáš
jun älε, used both by the Prophet and the
Apoftle. The Notion of ale winds is used
in this fame fenfe by the Apoftle, 1 Cor. vii. 1.
and that agreeably to the Hellenistical Notion
of the fame word, Gen. xx. 4, 6. And the co-
herence requires that this fhould be the mean-
ing of it here, as has already appeared in the
words going before. The words following do
alfo require the fame fignification, where the
Apoftle requires them, to whom he writes, to
cleanfe themselves from all filthiness of the
Flesh, Chap. vii. 1. as a confequence of his for-
mer Difcourfe. So defiling of the Flesh is ufed
St. Jude ver. 8. of the uncleanness contracted by
thefe unclean Conjunctions. All this the Apo-
ftle requires from us, if we will have God for
our Father, and intitle our felves to be his Sons

and

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and Daughters, ver. 18. that is, as we will approve our felves genuine Sons and Daughters of the true Church to which God has joined himself by the myftical Matrimony fo much alluded to in this whole Affair.

fiftent with

Nor is there any reafon to admire, that St. S. XXX. Paul fhould reafon from the antient Notions This dependence of the of the Jews concerning this very particular, new Peculium under the Gospel. For there is nothing in the on the Seed of new Revelations by which the new Peculium the Patriarchs was conftituted, that is really inconfiftent with very well conit. The Notion here infifted on of a Holy Seed, the Revelations is not appropriated to any one Nation, no not of the Gofpel: that of the Jews themselves. It is fully agreeable with what was foretold concerning the Seed of Abraham, That in him all the Nations and Families of the Earth fhould be blessed, Gen. xii. 3. xviii. 18. xxii. 18. xxvi. 4. So far the real Privileges of the true Peculium are from being confined to one only Nation or Family: Even the Seed of Abraham's Flefb had no Title to his Covenant and Promifes, unless they qualified themfelves for them by being alfo the Seed of his Faith. And upon thofe terms the Gentiles by Extraction were qualified for the fame Privileges as well as they were, who were defcended from the Flefb of thofe Patriarchs, with whom the Covenants and to whom the Promifes were made. On this account this fame Apoftle speaks fometimes, as if the Jews under the new Peculium, had no Prerogative above the Gentiles, fometimes again as if the Jews had indeed peculiar Privileges to which the Gentiles could not pretend. He tells us, that, in Fefus Chrift neither Circumcifion availeth any thing, nor Uncircumcifion, Gal. v. 6. vi. 15. That, in him there is neither Greek nor Few, Circumcifion nor Uncircumcifion, Col.iii.11:

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That, if any were a breaker of the Law, his Circumcifion fhould be made Uncircumcifion. And that, if the Uncircumcifion keep the Righ teoufnefs of the Law, his Uncircumcifion Should be counted for Circumcifion, Rom. ii. 25, 26. Thus, as to the benefits of the new Peculium, the Circumcifed Few has no advantage above the Uncircumcifed Gentile. But in point of honour he grants the Jews the advantage every way, Rom. iii. 2. particularly in this, that theirs were the Fathers, and that of them Chrift defcended as to the Flesh, Rom. ix. 5. On this account he owns, that Circumcifion did profit, Rom. ii. 25. and when he compares them together, he allows the preheminence of the Few above the Gentile, Rom. i. 16. ii. 9. iii. 9. The reconciling these two Affertions, will give a clear account of that precedency of the Jews before the Gentiles in the notion of a Holy Seed, for which our present Argument is concerned. This very precedency of the Jews, and this dependence of the Gentiles on them in the fame equal Privileges, is fufficient for it.

§. XXXI. To this end it will be convenient to remem. It is rather the ber, that though there were in their feveral defign of the feafons two Peculia, yet the defign of the GoGospel to prove both Peculia Spel is to unite them both into one Temple one from this built upon the foundation of the Apoftles and dependence. Prophets, Fefus Chrift himself being the chief

corner Stone: In whom all the Building fitly framed together, groweth into a holy Temple in the Lord, Eph. ii. 20, 21. The Apoftles are the Foundation of the new Peculium, the Prophets of the old, as appears from the coherence of that Chapter. The Gentiles are reprefented in the new Testament, as called to the fame Privileges as the Jews were under the old. They are faid to fit down with Abraham, and Isaac,

and

and Facob, in the Kingdom of Heaven, when the Children of the Kingdom were to be caft out, S. Matth. viii. 11, 12. The difpenfation of the New Teftament is grounded on the Promife and Oath made to Abraham, and to his Seed for ever, St. Luke i. 55, 73. But how is it poffible that any can claim the Promife made to Abraham and his Seed fo long fince the deceafe of Abraham, who cannot, at least, make good their Claim to the Holy Seed, which, as I have fhewn, began from Abraham? By the Reafonings of the New Teftament, the New Covenant was included fecondarily in the Stipulations of the Old, like our Chancery in the common Courts, fo that even then the Patriarchs were intitled to all the mystical Benefits conveyed by the exprefs Stipulations of the Gofpel, on account of the mystical Covenant which was comprehended under the literal

Indeed it must have been fo, if all our claim be only by the Covenants and Promifes made to thofe Patriarchs, if the Jews were the natural Olive and we a wild Olive grafted on them, Rom.xii. 17, 24. if all the benefits we can pretend to from this myftical Union and Engraffment, be to partake of their Root and Fatnefs, ver. 17. of that Olive-tree which is their own, ver. 24. if they be their Spiritual things of which we Gentiles do partake, Rom. XV. 27. But the Covenant made with Abraham is, in the Reafonings of the Apostles, fupposed to have more of that Covenant in it which is common to us with the Jews, than of that which was peculiar to themselves alone. It is very true, that it was that Covenant that firft brought in Circumcifion. But it is withal as true, that is obferved by St. Paul, that his Righte oufness is, even in the Old Teftament, afcribed

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