Page images
PDF
EPUB

more than humane. But we must distinguish between Prophetick Inftincts and the Spirit of Prophesy. Prophetick Inftincts were granted to ill as well as good Men, even among the Heathens themselves. Efpecially, if the true Peculium were any way concerned in the confequences of it. The Spirit of Prophesy it felf might also be granted, together with all thofe gifts of it which any way contributed to the good Government or good Morals of Mankind, with no farther defign than this Life. This is no more than what very well becomes the divine Beneficence in general to his Creatures. The Jews as a Peculium had a title to more, to all those discoveries of the Divine Secrets D which were requifite to qualify them for thofe Divine Favours of the future State which were intended for them, and to enable their Law it felf, as a Padagogue to bring them to Chrift. They had a Title, before they forfeited it by their wilful perverfeness, to have their Underftandings opened, to understand those mystical Interpretations of their own Scriptures wherein their own duty was concerned; to affift them in the performance of it, when known; or to make ufe of the legal expiations when they violated it; to fuggeft what was fit as circumftances réquired, and to incline them to follow fuch fuggeftions, fo as to make the duty expected from them practicable. These things are done, and done frequently, for those who are not aware of it. Much more they may be expected by the Peculium. This is the Light Shining in Darkness, which may be when the Darkness does not comprehend it, S. John i. 5. So Ta- Orat. ad Gr. tian understands, that oxolia of the Soul, con- §. 21. fidered by it felf without the Spirit. What then is that of which, even the Jewish Pecu

R

lium,

§. LXXVIII.

Thefe Notions

ment.

lium, who had all these things, were deftitute "The Spirit as a living abiding Principle inh

biting every individual Member of our new "Peculium, as an immortal Seed, as a vit Principle, as a conftituent of our Regener "tion, and of the nobler Nature conferred b

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

it, as compleating the new Creature, the "Cæleftial Man, that was firft made feparable "by Adam's Fall, then no longer given for this Apoftafy of the Sons of Seth, till our Blefid "Saviour the Afo,who first gave it, was pleafed "to reflore it, at what time, and by what meas "himfelf was pleafed to appoint for giving it. That this was fo, feems plainly fuppofed in are fuppofed the Revelations of the New Teftament. The in the Reafon- words of the Apoftle are remarkable to this sngs of the purpofe: ὃς προένω, και προώρισε συμμόρφος είνα New Telta 4ς αυτό, εἰς τὸ ἐξ πρωλότοκον ἐν πολλοῖς αδό να το çois, Rom. viii. 29. It appears here very clear ly, that the Image of God is perfectly diftin& from the Souls which we derive from Adam as his natural Defcendents. For our being conformed to the Image of God's Son, is here taken for the confequence of what is here called his foreknowledge and Predeftination. We are there fore fuppofed to be compleat rational Creatures without it. Withal, this Image of God is mani feftly the fame with the Image of God's Son, the confequence whereof is, that by receiving this Image we are made ago to the Son, as he was cogon of the Father, Phil. ii. 6. Mogg in both places,is evidently the fame with einer. As therefore our Bleffed Lord is the ear of the invifible God, Col. i, 15. fo we, in receiving the Spirit of Chrift, are faid to bear his Image, 1 Cor. xv. 49. and therefore very properly to be σύμμορφοι * εἰκόνα αυτό. Farther, in this Reafoning of S. Paul, it is fuppofed, that as

Our

our Saviour's having this Image of God intitledhim to the name of the Son of God, fo we, by being conformed to this Image of Chrift, fhould have the fame Title to be reckoned as the Sons of God, and Brethren of Chrift. Otherwife the confequence would not follow, that by our being conformed to the Image of God in Chrift, Chrift would become the Firft-born among many Brethren. The πρωτότοκ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδη φοῖς in this place, is the fame with πρωτότοκΘ πάσης κλίσεως, Col. i. Is. As κλίσις is the fame with the καινή κτίσις, and that fame with the εἰκών, the Spirit, and the Lord from Heaven. All this in us is here taken for a confequence of the Divine wefois and wegócios, as both of them are terms properly expreffive of the fingular care and providence of God in relation to his own Peculium. Thus, 2 Tim. ii. 19. The Lord knoweth them that are his. "Efvw is the word. So concerning the old Peculium, Am. iii. 2. You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth. The word deer is of the fame importance. In the diftribution of the Nations to their respective Angels, the expreffion is, sn σεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν καὶ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεξ. Hence the Gnoftick Horus in Irenaus, between the Pleroma the place of the pneumatical Seed derived from Achamoth, and the ftatus Medietatis allotted to the degree of Pfychical Souls above the Choicals. The Allufion feems to have been taken from the cuftom of fixing the bounds of confecrated Places, to fhew how far the Confe cration and Protection was to extend. So bounds were to be fet about Mount Sinai, Exod. xix. 12, 23. 'Apoeles is the Greek word there. So in the confecration of Delos in Thucydides, the bounds of Confecration at firft were thofe of the prospect of the Temple, which were after

R 2

wards

wards extended to the whole Island, fo that any
Births or Burials in that compass, were to be
judged piacular. This was the yvos and
ders of the old Peculium. But in the Reafon
ings of the New Teftament, the defign on the
new Peculium, though later in execution, is al
ways preferred before the other as to its Anti-
quity in the Divine Intention. Thus the Go-
Spel is faid to be the Mystery which had been
hidden from Ages and Generations, Col. i. 26.
fince the World began, A&t. iii. 21. Rom. xvi. 25.
Heb. ix. 26. Nay, before the World, S. John
xvii. 24. 1 Cor. ii. 7. Eph. i. 4.
2 Tim. i. 9.
Tit. i. 2. 1 S. Pet. i. 20. This was to obviate
the Prejudice received against our Saviour's ap
pearing in the end of the World, as was then be-
lieved. Thus therefore as vols and elois
are afcribed to the old Peculium, so we [ywors
and wefers to the new. This may, by the
way, prevent many of the greatest Difficulties
arifing from the mifunderftanding of these
Terms in our modern Syftems.

2~

[ocr errors]

§. LXXIX. Thus alfo the benefits of our Baptifm are deOur Chriftian fcribed, Heb. vi. 4, 5. Adalov TE LTαs OwlBaptifm, by giving us the πέντας, γασαμίες τε τ δωριᾶς ἡ ἐπερανία, και μετά Spirit, was up- Xas γλωηθέντας πνεύματῷ ἁγία, κὶ κινὸν καταμαρίες pofed to initiate e pñμa, Swidμess TE μERλOVTO aiŵVO, &c. The us into a hea- qalads (which afterwards became the name venly State, even on Earth. of Baptifm,) is here defcribed as an initiation into an beavenly State, during even our refidence in this World. The inheritance of the Saints is faid to be in Light, Col. i. 12. The heavenly Angels are called Angels of Light, 2 Cor. xi. 4. God himself is faid to dwell in that Light which no Man can approach unto, 1 Tim. vi. 16. And Darkness is afcribed to this World, Eph. vi. 12. And the Peculium as Chil dren of Light, are faid not to be of this World

So

So Souls deftitute of the Spirit, are faid to be in Darkness, nay to be Darkness, Eph. v. 8. as I obferved a little before out of Tatian. The name therefore of Light, feems to imply the Kingdom of Heaven within us, S. Luke xvii. 21. It is farther faid to be the heavenly Gift, because the Holy Ghoft was the Lord from Heaven, and could not therefore be fo properly expected from our Lord himself till he had afcended into Heaven, the place of the Divine Spirit's Refidence, that he might from thence fend him to us. The tafting of this heavenly Gift, and the tafting of this good Word, plainly allude to the Manna; the hidden, that is, the mystical Manna, Rev. ii. 17. which is faid to have been the Food of Angels, Pfal. lxxviii. 25. Very proper therefore for us, as admitted to a ftate of Equality with Angels. The Powers of the World to come, feem moft properly to relate to the feveral xaeispala of this Di vine Spirit, which were then fo ordinarily given in Baptifm, especially to the Firft fruits, the firft Converts of each Church, as Evidences for the fatisfaction of Unbelievers, that the Spirit was really given to them. They are faid to be the Powers of the World to come, becaufe they are Cæleftial. For Heaven is the oix Mésoα, which is fubjected to our Lord, Heb. ii. 5, 8. as he is the Lord from Heaven, 1 Cor. xv. 47. And thefe dudes are fubject to him as he is the xe 7 Swaμsav. Chrift thereδιωάμεων. fore acts here as letting us underftand, that the Cæleftial Powers are at his difpofal, by giving us a fenfible Experiment that they are fo, to confirm our Faith in his Promifes for the fu ture, by an antepaft of what we fhall more fully enjoy in Heaven. This is implyed in the word Tafting, that the Feast it felf is referved R 3

for

« PreviousContinue »