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stars, and of the unequal glory of each, if the Apostle only intended to teach us the difference of the terreftrial from the celestial bodies, while all the celestial were notwithstanding to have the fame degree of glory?

XL. It cannot, it feems, on any pretence, be denied, that at least the principal leaders, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, and diligent teachers of the Old and New Teftament church, fhall have fome greater degree of glory affigned them. What was faid to the Apostles, was not faid to all, Mat. xix. 28. "when the Son of man fhall fit in the throne of his glory, ye alfo fhall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes. of Ifrael." The meaning of these words, if I can form any judgment, the illuftrious Grotius has beft of all explained. It is, as if our Lord had faid, you fhall occupy the next place of honour to me your king. To judge, here denotes, to be set over, or to prefide by a metalepfis, because generally presidents are employed in paffing fentence. Whence a prefidentflip or province is called by the Hebrews n, Gen. xlix. 16. Zech. iii. 7. The metaphor is taken from the ancient state of the kingdom of Ifrael, in which the Phylarchæ, or heads of the tribes, stood in the next degree to the royal majefty, and are fuppofed to have fat by the king's throne, in chairs of state, in the public affemblies. But to confine this glory of the Apoftles within the limits of the church militant in fuch a manner, that in the triumphant, where they have the full reward of their labours, they fhall quit their thrones, feems repugnant to reafon: nor does it agree with John's vifion, who faw in heaven four and twenty thrones, and twenty four elders fitting on them, that is, the Patriarchs of the Old and New Teftament church, "Clothed in white raiment, and having on their heads crowns of gold," Rev. iv. 4. And these things are fo evident, that thofe very perfons, who, in other refpects, contradict the disparity of celeftial glory, own, that we are to dif tinguish between that happiness, which fhall be the portion of believers, as believers, and the commendation, which, in the laft day, fhall be given to every one, in proportion to the diligence and fuccefs he shall have laboured in promoting the kingdom of Chrift, and which it seems, is to be inequally diftributed. But because it is a glorious thing, to obtain fuch a commendation from the mouth of Chrift, and the memory of that teftimony fhall for eyer abide in the minds of believers; they cannot deny, but in the kingdom of heaven a difparity of degrees in that kind of glory may be admitted to take place among the bleffed. For certainly, it is not to be thought, that

then

then there will be many fervants of Chrift, who may, in that refpect be compared with the Apoftle Paul. See Theses Amyraldi de vita æterna, § 34.

XLI. The Apostle John feems to have given a check to other things, which are too curiously made the matter of enquiry, concerning the condition or state of the future world, when he said, 1 John iii. 2. « Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear, what we fhall be. It is then more prudent and pious to endeavour to become hereafter partakers of that glorious life, than to gratify an itch of curiofity, with infipid and vain fpeculations. This, however, we may look upon as a certain truth, that, "Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive, the things, which God hath prepared for them that love him," I Cor. ii. 9.

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THE

ECONOMY

OF THE

DIVINE COVENANTS.

BOOK IV.

1.

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Of the Doctrine of Salvation in the first age of the World.

W

E have thus far confidered those benefits that are effential to the covenant of grace: let us now more particularly take a view of the two ECONOMIES, or the different difpenfations under which that covenant was administered. And here, according to the plan laid down, Chap. III. of the preceding book, we are more accurately to explain, first, the nature of the OLD TESTAMENT, and then that of the NEW. In the OLD, we will diftinctly confider four principal points. I. The doctrine concerning the common falvation, as there laid down. II. The benefits or privileges of that Teftament. III. Its defects, or according to Paul, Heb. vii. 18. "The weakness and unprofitableness thereof," on account of which that covenant was not faultlefs, Heb. viii. 7. IV. Its abrogation. The DOCTRINE again, may be confidered, as expreffed by WORDS, figured by TYPES, and ratified by SACRAMENTS.

II. Divine compaflion published to wretched man, immediately upon his fall, the first doctrine of grace; in fuch a manner, indeed, as in few words, and thofe almoft enigmatical, fummarily to contain the whole gofpel: we have that first promise, Gen. iii. 14, 15. " And the Lord said unto the serpent because thou haft done this, thou art curfed above all cattle, and above every beaft of the field: upon thy belly fhalt thou go, and dust fhalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed; it fhall bruife thy head, and thou fhalt bruise his heel.”· Luther

Luther long ago complained, that none of the ancient fathers and bishops, who were men eminent for knowledge and piety, had explained this paffage as it deferved: their fucceffors ought to use the greater diligence to do it with the more care: which feveral learned interpreters have indeed happily effected. Treading in their footsteps, we shall make it appear, that the prin cipal articles of the gofpel doctrine are fummarily contained in

this text.

III. We fuppofe, that the devil is condemned by this fentence, to whom the Lord addreffes himself, under the appellation of the ferpent, because he had abused that animal, in order to deceive man. For, it is duil and trifling to restrict that magnificent speech of the Deity, as if it had its full accomplishment in that animal alone; for befides, that it might feem unbecoming the fupreme Being, to address a brute beaft, void of all reason, in fuch pomp of language, many things faid here to the ferpent, if interpreted literally, are natural to that beast: as to go upon his belly and eat duft. For, we are not to affirm without fcripture, that the ferpent, as the Jews vainly dream, went on feet or walked erect, or had other food formerly, different from what it has now: nor to imagine, that ferpents now feed only on duft; feeing Ariftotle reckons them among the Taupays or omnivorous, that eat all kinds of things, and tef tifies, that they eat both flesh and herbs, and that of all animals they are fond of the niceft delicacies. Duft is faid to be the ferpent's food; becaufe, fince it creeps upon the ground, it cannot but take duft into its mouth, along with its other food. Just as David complains in his mourning, that he ate ashes like bread, Pf. cii. 9. for while he lay on his face in the afhes, he ate the bread, that was thrown to him on the ground. Moreover what is here faid of the ferpent going on the belly and eating duft, is common to many kinds of worms, as the very learned Bochart has fhewn, Hierozoic. 1. 1. c. 4. But how could that be a curfe to the ferpent, which is natural to other animals, whom Satan never abused in this manner? And then its being deteftable to man is owing to its dangerous poison, which it has also in common with other beafts; who, after fin, became a horror and dread to man. But fome ferpents are commended for their philanthropy, or love to men. See Vofius de Origin. Idololat. Lib. 6. c. 58: fome alfo are fit to be eaten, and accounted a royal dainty, ibid. c. 62. In a word it is of no great confequence to man, whether any animal goes on its feet or on its belly; whether it feeds on herbs or flesh or duft. But certain it is, that by this condemnation of the

ferpent,

ferpent, God intended to comfort our firft parents in their wretched eftate. To what purpose then is it to interpret the words in fuch a manner, as to yield very little or no comfort at all to man, who now seriously deplored his own unhappinefs?

IV. But the principal confideration is, that the fcripture exprefsly calls the devil, pw, the ferpent, 2 Cor. xi. 3. and TOY ODLY TOY agxalon, the old ferpent, Rev. xii. 9. and his defeat is called the bruifing him under our feet, Rom. xvi. 10. And tho' we grant, that both these things were primarily and literally faid to the animal, the inftrument which Satan fpoke by; yet it is evident from the nature of the thing, that both might and ought rather to be faid to the principal feducer. For, as Chryfoftom argues well; if the inftrument experienced fuch a degree of indignation, what punishment can we probably imagine the

devil incurred?

V. Nor can it be objected, that what is faid to the serpent, all the days of thy life, cannot be applied to Satan, who, it is evident, is an immortal and never-ceafing fpirit. For even Satan has a peculiar death, reserved for him; namely the judg ment of the last day in which he, together with death, will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimftone, Rev. xx. 10. The devil lives, when he works effectually in the children of difobedience, and thereby fhews himself to be rov xooμongaroga the prince of this world. He fhall die when he will no longer be able, to ufe any of his instruments in or against the kingdom of God. Thus the Lord Jefus fills the enemy and the avenger, Pf. viii. 2. and deftroys him that had the power of death, Heb. ii. 14. The days therefore, of the devil's life, are those antecedent to the last judgment: which yields us an ufeful doctrine, as we shall prefently fee.

VI. But God was pleafed to pronounce those words, (the fource of all confolation to wretched man) against the devil in the prefence and hearing of man. ift, To mortify that wicked and arrogant fpirit, who was conftrained to hear his own condemnation, in the presence of fuch weak feeble creaures, whom he had fo easily brought under his power, and over whom he thought to domineer for ever. 2dly, That he might revive and charm our first parents, with the sweetest confolations, to whom not only that juft vengeance ought to be most acceptable, which God promised to take of their enemy; but who alfo, in the condemnation of the devil heard their own abfolution. 3dly, To fhew that this fentence had the nature of a laft or unchangeable will. For, as God by a peremptory and irre

Vocable

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