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glorious one of Ifrael fhall be of him, and the governor fhall proceed from the midst of him," Jer. xxx. 21, "who is over all, God bleffed for ever; but from the fathers as concerning the flesh," Rom. ix. 5.

XLIII. The works afcribed to him are these two. ift, The fmiting [breaking] of the fides or corners of Moab. That is, the fubduing of thofe, who were before fworn enemies to himself and his church. And that two ways, either by grace, when, by his word and Spirit, he fubdues them to the obedience of faith, fo that they willingly fubmit to his fceptre, " cafting down every high thing, that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift," 2 Cor. x. 5. Or, in a way of justice and vengeance, when he fubdues the obftinate and forces them, however unwillingly, to acknowledge his power and fupereminence, "breaking them with a rod of iron, dafhing them in pieces like a potter's veffel," Pf. ii. 9. But the Moabites are here mentioned as an inftance; because Balaam was, at that time, principally concerned with them. 2dly, The deftruction of all the children of Seth. This fignifies his triumph over all men, whom he shall fubdue to himself, either by his grace, or by his righteous vengeance. Because all men in the world are propagated from Seth; while the progeny of Cain, and of the other fons of Adam, perifhed in the deluge. From Seth Noah defcended; and all mankind from Noah: fo that we are all the children of Seth. But we fhall all be made fubject to Chrift, "who fhall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the kingdom to his Father: when he shall have put down all rule, and authority, and power, 1 Cor. xv. 24.

XLIV. In the last place, he fhews the time and nature of Chrift's kingdom; when Ifrael fhall do valiantly against his enemies, by fhaking off the tyrannical yoke of Antiochus and others: when Edom and Seir a noted mountain of Idumea, fhall become the poffeffion of Ifrael; which happened under the fecond temple, when the Idumeans were fubdued, and fubmitting to circumcifion and the other Jewish rites, were added to the republic of Ifrael: as not only Jofephus, but also Strabo relates, Geogr. lib. 16. " they joined themselves to the Jews, and had laws in common with them." When, I say, all these things fhall happen, "out of Jacob fhall come he, that fhall have dominion" namely, that great ruler, that "mighty one of Jacob," Ifa. lx. 16. "whofe right it is, and I will give it him," Ezek. xxi. 27. "He fhall deftroy him that remaineth of the city." He will overthrow the city and all human power, VOL. II. which

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which fhall made head againit him to the utmost: "for he bringeth down them that dwell on high, the lofty city he layeth it low, he layeth it low, even to the ground, he bringeth it even to the duft. The foot fhall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy," Ifa. xxvi. 5, 6. And thus we have carried down the doctrine of falvation in one continued feries to the times of Mofes.

I.

TH

CHA P. IV.

Of the Decalogue.

HINGS had a quite different appearance under Mofes, What was spoken here and there, and delivered only by word of mouth, was now enlarged with very many additions digefted into one body, and, at the command of God, configned to lasting records; which neither the rage of enemies, nor fire, nor fword, nor all-confuming time fhall be able to abolish. But neither the nature of our defign, nor our intended brevity will permit us to profecute every thing at large, that comes under this head. In this chapter we shall treat concerning the giving of the law, and the covenant of God with the Ifraelites, founded on that law.

II. It was the prerogative of the people of Ifrael above other nations, that to them pertained the covenants and the giving of the law, Rom. ix. 4.. And there were feveral kinds of laws given them, of which there are principally three mentioned by divines. The moral, or the decalogue, the ceremonial, and the political, or forenfick. The people of Ifrael may doubtefs be confidered three ways. 1ft, As rational creatures, dépending upon God, as the fupreme reafon or cause both in a moral and natural fenfe. And thus the law of the decalogue was given them; which, as to its fubftance, is one and the fame with the law of nature, and binds men as fuch, 2dly, As the church of the Old Teftament, who expected the promifed Meffiah and happier times, when he should make every thing perfect. And therefore they received the ceremonial law, which really fhewed, that the Meffiah was not yet come, and had not yet perfected all things; but that he would come, and make all things new. 3dly, As a peculiar people, who had a polity or government, fuited to their genius and difpofition in the land of Canaan. A republic conftituted not so much according to those

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forms which philofophers have delineated, but which was, in a peculiar manner, a theocracy, as Jofephus fignificantly calls it," God himself holding the reins of government therein, Judg. viii. 23. Under that view God prescribed them political laws.

iv. 12.

III. We are first to speak of the decalogue and its promulgation. Mofes has accurately described it, Exod. xix. and xx. The law-giver, or if you will the legislator, is God himself. "The one law-giver, who is able to fave and to deftroy, James Who has a right of dominion over the confciences of men. As the fumpreme reafon or caufe, he is the rule of all reasonable creatures; and as the fupreme Lord, is the ruler of all, and by taking Ifrael to himself for a people, in an especial manner fhewed himself to be their God. In the firft words of the law, he afferts his own divinity, proclaiming, I am Jehovah thy God.

IV. But we judge it criminal for any to doubt, that this is to be understood of the whole undivided trinity, whofe equal majefty, in one Deity, we are all bound to acknowledge and worship. Nevertheless, as the Son of God was then, in a certain peculiar refpect, the king of the people of Ifrael and of the church at that time; the giving of the law is alfo, in a fingular manner, ascribed to him. For Stephen, in express words, declares, Acts vii. 38. compared with v. 35. that it was an angel who fpoke with Mofes and the fathers on mount Sinai, even that very angel, who appeared to Mofes in the bush, and said, that he was the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. But no Christian will deny, that this was Chrift. And Christ, certainly is, he who afcended on high," &c. Pl. lxviii. 18. compared with Eph. iv. 8. But he himself "went forth before his people in the wilderness, when the earth fhook, the heavens alfo dropped at the prefence of God; even Sinai itself was moved at the prefence of God, the God of Ifrael," that is, at the giving of the law, Pf. Ixviii. 7, 8. Certainly the Apostle Heb. xii. 26. fays, that he who spoke from heaven, and whofe voice then (namely, at the giving of the law) fhook the earth, was our Lord Jefus Chrift to whom we are now alfo to hearken; as Zanchius has learnedly obferved T. IV. lib. 1. c. 12. Who profeffedly and at large proves, that he who promulgated the law, was the Son of God, de tribus Elohim, lib. 2. c. 3.

V. What the celebrated Iac. Altingius has obferved on Deut. v. 6. from a catechism of the ancient Jews very much deserves our notice. The Jews fay, "three fpirits are united in one; the lowest fpirit, which is called the holy Spirit: the middle, fpirit which is the intermediate, and called quifdom and intelligence; and this is the fpirit which proceeds from the midst of the most confummate

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confummate beauty, with fire and water: the fupreme fpirit, which is abfolutely in filence, in whom all the holy fpirits, and and all the bright perfons confift," Rahanat. fol. 132. col. 3. They alfo fay, that " and and I, I and THOU and HE, are names of God, denoting three perfons, and, at the feaft of tabernacles, they all profefs it in their prayers: I and HE, fave I pray. Moreover, they fay,. that when the law was promulgated, there were two perfons. For, quite to the end of the fecond commandment, the difcourfe runs in the firft perfon, " I the Lord thy God, &c. For I the Lord God, &c. of thofe that hate me, &c. of those that love me, &c." In the third and following comandments, God is mentioned in the third perfon. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God, &c. The fabbath of the Lord thy God." Which having observed, they proceed thus: " that the two first words" or commandments, "were spoke by the fupreme spirit; but the other words, by his glory, called EL SCHADDAI, known to the fathers, by whom the prophets prophefied, who is called JAH, in whom is the name of God, the beloved of God, who dwelt in the temple, and the mouth of God, and face of God, and the rock, and that goodness which Mofes faw, when he could not fee God," Bechai fol. 88. col. 3, 4. Elsewhere they call him the "Schekinah, by whom there is accefs to God, by whom prayers are poured out to God: who is that angel, who has the name of God in him, who alfo himself is called God and Jehovah." I enquire not now, how folid thefe reasonings of the Jews are. It is fufficient to have mentioned these remarkable records of an ancient catchifm concerning the plurality of the divine perfons; of which there are alfo indications in the Decalogue itself.

VI. Angels were prefent, as minifters, at the giving of the law by the Lord Chrift. Whence Stephen fays, Acts vii. 53. that the " Ifraelites received the law by the difpofition of angels," is dilayas dyyin. Grotius obferves, that is here fignifies amidft, and that dialayas denotes troops, ranged in military order: that the meaning is, the law was given in a magnificent manner, amidst many troops of angels, and that there was a reference to Deut. xxxiii. 2. these things are not improper. But others would rather take diarayn for a command, ordinance, and fanction: as Rom. xiii. 2. And they render is at ; in which fenfe the Son is faid to act at the pleasure of the Father. Ludovicus de Dieu has learnedly expreffed that meaning; and as his words tend to explain feveral paffages, we shall not scruple to infert them as follows. Stephen had faid, v. 38. that

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Whofoever therefore refifteth the power, refifteth rñ diarayñ the ordinance of God.

17.

the angel spoke with Mofes in mount Sinai, even the fame, who had appeared to him in the bufh, v. 35. who, though he was in himself God, yet is here economically confidered as the angel of God, and the captain of the other angels. He ⚫ gave the law to Mofes, from the midst of the angels, who • furrounded him on all hands. Of which there was a figurative representation in the fanctuary, where God fitting between the cherubims delivered his oracles-Hence Pf. lxviii. when he had faid, the chariots of God are twenty-thoufand, even thousands of angels, the Lord is among them; he adds, Sinai is in the fanctuary: to teach us, that as God, • when formerly furrounded on Sinai with myriads of angels, ⚫ and riding on them, as on chariots, gave forth the law, fo the fanctuary resembles mount Sinai, where God rides on a • chariot of cherubims. Seeing therefore the law came forth • from an affembly of angels, whose prefident was the fupreme angel Jehovah, the Apostle juftly faid, that it was pronounced and ordained by angels. Stephen, that it was received by the people by the difpofition of angels. Aaraynayyaav is here the fame thing, as the decree of the watchers, and the word of the holy ones, Dan. iv. 17. The decree and mandate of the angelic fenate is understood, over whom the Son of God prefided as fupreme: in regard of whom the fame decree is called, v. 24. • the decree of the most high." Thus far de Dieu.

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VII. But what kind of ministry did the angels perform to God at giving the law? First, It is certain, that, with their heavenly choirs they furrounded the mount, and added to the majeftic pomp of the Lawgiver, and were witneffes of all that was tranfacted. The confideration of this was capable of striking not only terror into the Ifraelites, but fhould alfo have infpired their minds with reverence, that the angels, in whofe affembly the law was given, might not be witneffes of their perfidy. To this purpofe is Deut. xxxiii. 2. "Jehovah came from Sinai, he came with ten thousands of faints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them." Secondly, It is not improbable, that the found of those words, in which the law was conceived, was formed in the air by the means of angels. For, God properly uses not a voice: this is a degree of imperfection: but yet it is called the voice of God, formed in the air in fome extraordinary manner, to exprefs the mind of God, for which purpose he uses the miniftry of angels: namely, the law was given in thunder and lightning; the thunder indeed, which formed the matter of the voice, which proclaimed the words of the law, must certainly have had an articulation, fuperadded, which was framed by the means of angels. Philo, in ennarra

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