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Nations, to Jacob and Ifrael; to Sion and beloved City of Ferufalem; to the portion of all Lord's Inheritance. This is the very chard th of a Peculium, and therefore in its being a in priated to this People, it must have been at priated to the Peculium. Here it was l fo as to dwell and be at reft here, in oppoft P to the reft the had fought, but could not f nor any place of abode in any other Nation, Thus Wisdom was appropriated to them.t they are alfo appropriated to Wifdom. As r rael is called the Lord's Inheritance, v. 12 they are faid to be the Inheritance of Wif v. 8. Exactly as the Peculium is defcribed other places, both to be the portion of Feb and Fehovah to be theirs; that they were the Beloved's, and that their Beloved was their This Wifdom is plainly the fame with th Aóy in the fenfe of that Age. So it was g nerally understood in the Canonical Book of th Proverbs. So in this very place, her Servi before God in the holy Tabernacle, defcribes the Office of the ΛόγΘ' ἀρχιερώς in Philo and the Epiftle to the Hebrews. 'Exels[noa is the word, very proper to this purpose of fignifying a fadotal Office. This fame Wifdom is faid to | be Σπόρροια τ τ8 παντοκράτορα δόξης, Wifd. vii. 25. απαύγασμα φωτὸς ἀϊδία, and ἔσοπλεον ακηλίδωτον Το Θεῖ ενδείας, and εἰκῶν τ' ἀγαθότητΘ αυτό, υ 26, As our Bleffed Saviour, the A✪ is called απαύγασμα ο δόξης, and χαρακτήρ ύποςάσεως αὐτός Heb. i. 3. and inv in fo many places already mentioned. The following words do farther confirm it, v. 27. Being but one, she can do all things. Here Unity and Almighty Power are afcribed to Wifdom, as they are to the Ay and the Spirit, in the Writings of the New Teftament, Remaining in her felf, She maketh

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all things new. Kavi is the word. therefore is the dvanaivios of the Spirit. And in all Ages entring into holy Souls, She maketh them friends of God and Prophets. This plainly must be that Spirit which is the original of Prophefy. This, if it had been in all, muft have made every Member of that Peculium Friends of God and Prophets as well as Abraham. But this Mofes fuppofes not true, but the contrary, that all were not Prophets. This Title of Friends of God, I am apt to think, to have been taken from the cuftom of Kings in that Age, who then usually called their noble Favourites Friends, as ours now do Coufins. So Hufhài feems to have been called David's Friend, 2 Sam. xv. 37. xvi. 16, 17. as moft intimate and familiar with him, and acquainted with his Secrets. This Familiarity is alluded to in thofe who are thus ftyled in the Scriptures. So: Thy Friend, which is as thy own Soul, Deut.xiii. 6. So God's fpeaking face to face with Mofes, is compared with a Man's Speaking to his Friend, Exod. xxxiii. II. In oppofition to Vifions, and Dreams, and dark Speeches, whereby he was pleafed to converfe with meaner Prophets, to whom he was not pleased to discover his greateft Secrets, Numb. xii. 6, 8. So concerning Abraham, who is alfo called the Friend of God, 2 Chron. xx. 7. Ifa. xli. 8. S. Fames ii. 23. This is given as the Token of it: Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? Gen. xviii. 17. So our Bleffed Saviour to his Difciples: Henceforth I call you not Servants, for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth; but I have called you Friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you, S. John xv. 15. For this alfo the Spirit would qualify them: The Spirit fearcheth

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all things, yea the deep things of God, 1 Cor.ii. 10. The things of God knoweth no Man, but the Spirit of God, v. 11. There is therefore # admiffion to this Friendship but by the Spirit, the difcoverer of thefe Myfteries which were the privileges of choice Friends. So that they could no otherwife be Friends any more than Sons, than in reverfion, till they had actually received the Spirit, on which their Title to both was grounded. Thus therefore God contrived, to give them fuch Revelations of his Secrets as fhould distinguish them from other Nations, and yet withal to referve fuch other Secrets from even them, as they were diftinguished from the new Peculium, as might oblige them to fubmit to the terms of the GoSpel for receiving the Spirit it felf, by which they might be admitted to the Secrets of the Gospel alfo. They had all thofe Secrets difcovered to them which might direct them to Chrift when he fhould appear among them: Types and Prophefies relating to his Perfon, and his Office, and antecedent Revelations of their own Title to him whenever they fhould come over to him on his own terms. This was more than what had been granted to any Nation befides the Jews. No other Nation had any previous Discoveries of him, unless we believe the Sibylline Oracles, and thofe of Hydafpes, genuine. Nor could they pretend any Title to him on account of their Nation, or on account of any Patriarchal Covenants wherein -be had been included. Much lefs on account of any previous promifes of God. On the contrary, it was, with the greatest difficulty, in regard of the contrary prejudices of those who -were concerned in preaching the Gospel to them, that the Gentiles were at length admitted to

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the Favours of the Gospel without complete Profelytifm to the Jewish Nation, by the new Revelations of the Gospel to S. Peter in the cafe of Cornelius, and to the Church of Antioch in the cafe of S. Paul and Barnabas. And when these new Revelations were made, that the Gentiles might be admitted without that Profelytifm; yet, even fo, they were not admitted without Incorporation into a Body confift ing of Native Jews. This was a Favour to that Nation, who were the natural Olive into which the Gentiles were engrafted. Yet ftill very confiftent with their not having yet received the Spirit, till they would qualify themfelves for it by entring themselves into the new Peculium. But, if their right to the Spirit it felf were only in reverfion, they conld have no greater right to any confequential Claims which were grounded on the Spirit. This right of knowing God's Secrets or Myfteries, fpoken of in the Reasonings of the New Teftament, does principally relate to the myftical Senfes of the Old Teftament, by which they were directed to their duty under the New. 'But this very plainly the Body of the Jews did not difcern. So far from that, that they are faid to be blinded and hardned, till they entred into that Body wherein they might expect to receive the Spirit. The right of knowing thefe Myfteries, our Bleffed Saviour himfelf confines to his own Difciples, and admitted none, even of his own Nation to it, on any other conditions than thofe of their lifting themfelves in that number. It is given to you to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given, S. Matth. xiii. 11. This plainly fhewed, that after the time of the Gospel, none could pretend to the honourable Appellation of Friends, as to this privi

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§. LXXVII.

Peculium had

it felf as a new

lege of knowing God's Secrets now, without entring into the new Peculium, by whiche might receive the Spirit by which thefe Myft ries were to be difcerned. This was fufficient to fhew, that, after the publication of the Go Spel, the Jews continuing in their Infidelity could lay no claim to the true Peculium, nor the Divine Spirit the real difcoverer of Divine Myfteries. Yet we never find, that the Spirit was taken from them, as we fee it was from the later Generations of the Children of Seth. It is therefore much more agreeable to believe, that from that time of the Pofterity of Seth, it was never again restored till the Times of the Gospel, and that, even the right the Jewish Peculium had to it was only, as I faid, in re verfion.

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Yet this will not hinder but that the Jews The Jewish might, and did, receive many beneficial influen many beneficial ces of the Spirit, before they received the Spiinfluences of rit it felf. That cannot be denied the Jews, the Spirit, which S. Juftin Martyr allowed to the Hea though they had thens themfelves, and which many of the Hea not the Spirit thens acknowledged, that whatever good inPrinciple of clinations they had were derived from the DiDivine Life. vine Spirit. So good God has been to those who had no other claim to his Beneficence, but that general one that they were his Creatures. How much more might they expect it, who befides that, were in exprefs Covenant with him? were owned by himself for his own People? were taken into his peculiar care? were governed by Divine Oracles of Urim and the Prophetick Spirit? whofe very Hiftory is taken for Prophetick Symbols of future Events, and reckoned on as fuch in the Reafenings of the New Teftament? And this, in many inftances where the facred Text of the Old Teftament it felf gives no fignification of any defign

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