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to the law for the elect, and folemnly testifying that subjection, by taking upon him the fymbol of circumcifion, made it appear, that he was that fingular feed of Abraham, whofe future nativity circumcifion was originally appointed to prefigure. From the time therefore, that he appeared, circumcifion, which fignified that he was to come, loft a great part of its fignification. 2dly, It was further weakened, after Chrift had, in the thirtieth year of his age, manifefted himself to Ifrael, and was pointed out by John, as the Lamb of God which taketh away the fins of the world, and was publicly owned by the Father as his beloved Son, to whom all were to hear and obey. For then the gofpel of liberty and of the kingdom began to be preached, and baptifm, a sign oppofed to circumcifion, was used, as a facrament of initiation into a better covenant, whereby circumcifion came to lose much of its dignity. 3dly, It began to die at the death of Chrift. For when he was cut off from among his people, for the falvation of the whole mystical body, and had sealed the New Teftament by his blood, every thing relating to the future Meffiah, which circumcifion prefigured, and to which Chrift by his own circumcifion bound himself, was fulfilled. And thus the hand-writing, which was against Christ the furety, and against believers, was torn afunder in his cross, Col. ii. 14. 4thly, It came to be quite dead after Chrift, by his refurrection from the dead, had received from the Father a discharge, in witness that the fullest payment was made, and exhibited it to the view, as it were, of the whole world. Yet believers had fo little knowledge of the liberty purchafed for, and offered to them, that Peter himself wanted to be taught it by a heavenly vision, Acts x.28,34,35, 47. 4thly, It was not yet deftructive, but fo long as the church was not fufficiently inftructed in her liberty, it might at times, to avoid giving offence to the weak, be prudently, yet freelyufed, not from a principle of confcience, but from the dictates of charity and prudence, leaft the Jews, who were too tenacious of their peculiar and paternal rites, fhould be alienated from the Chriftian religion: juft as Timothy was circumcifed, being the son of a Jewess, Acts xvi. 1, 3. 6thly, But after the nation of the Jews, on rejecting the gospel, were caft off by God, and continued obftinately to infift on circumcifion, as a neceffary part of religion, nay, of righteousness, and the church was fufficiently inftructed in her own liberty, circumcifion came to be deftructive, as being a character of fuperftition and a badge of Jewish infidelity, and a renunciation of Chriftian liberty, as we have shewn from Gal. v. 2, 3.

XXIV. It is not now difficult to determine that question; namely, whether the nation of the Jews, when they fhall in the

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laft times be fully converted to Chrift, will religiously retain the circumcifion of infants? Without any hefitation, I think, we are to answer this queftion in the negative, for the reafons just given. As they are fuch as evince, that not only the Gentiles, ut alfo the Jews were made free, under the liberty of the New Teftament from circumcifion, which is the band of the whole yoke. And in every refpect, the reafon of both ought to be altogether the fame. Though the pre-eminence of the few was formerly great, yet now he has none at all. None under Chrift has wherein to glory: Paul accounted it as lofs and dung, Phil. iii. 7, 8. In Chrift there is no difference of Jew and Greek, of circumcifion and uncircumcifion: but Chrift himfelf is all in all, Col. iii. 11. all pre-eminece of whatever nation being totally removed. Henceforth, faith the Apostle, 2 Cor. v. 16. know we no man after the flesh, that is, we have no greater efteem for him on account of his pedigree from the holy fathers; yea, though we have known Chrift after the flesh, that is, though we have looked upon our carnal relation to Chrift, as any prerogative; yet now henceforth know we him no more; we now place all our happiness [not in that, but] in our fpiritual union with him by faith. And fince God is now in no fenfe a respecter of perfons, Acts x. 34. we can never be allowed" to have the faith of our Lord Jefus Chrift the Lord of glory, with refpect of perfons, James ii. 1. or, in the kingdom. of Chrift, to put a greater value on the defcendants of Abraham, as such, than on Barbarians or Scythians, "who have obtained like precious faith with us," 2 Pet. i. 1. In a word, the circumcifion of the believing Ifraelites in the laft times, would be either a future privelege, or a burden and yoke. But can be neither not the latter, becaufe that would be repugnant to the liberty purchafed by Chrift, which, as is meet, fhould be exceeding glorious in that happy period: not the former, becaufe the gofpel of the kingdom hath removed all pre-eminence of one above another, hath made both one, Eph. ii. 14.

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XXV. Yet I have heard of two arguments against this, which have the appearance of ftrength, and but the appearance only. The one is taken from the New Testament, the other from the Old. From the New, that fpeech of James and the elders to Paul, Acts xxi. 21. has been propofed to my confideration by a learned perfon: "and they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews, which are among the Gentiles, faying, that they ought not to circumcife their children, neither to walk after the customs." But when this made a great commotion among those who were zealous of the law, and yet believed in Vol. II.

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Christ, James authorised Paul to do fuch things, from which all night know, "that those things, whereof they were informed concerning him were nothing, but that Paul himself alfo walked orderly, and kept the law," ver. 24. Paul complied with this advice. From this it might be concluded, that the true fenfe of Paul's doctrine was; that though the Gentiles were not indeed bound to circumcifion and the other ceremonies, yet the Jews, even after they embraced the faith of Chrift, were to circumcife their children, and to walk after the customs; because Paul, at the perfuafion of James, by this compliance removes from himself the fufpicion of his teaching a contrary

doctrine.

XXVI. But we are here to confider diftinctly three things. rft, The true doctrine of Paul. 3dly, The calumny invidiously fixed upon him. 3dly, The prudential advice fuggefted to him by James and the elders. Indeed Paul, who was an excellent preacher of Chriftian liberty, fet both Jews and Gentiles, who had fubmitted to the gospel, at liberty from the necessity of fubmitting to circumcifion and the other ceremonies: for he proclaimed to all, that " circumcifion is nothing, and uncircumcifion is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God," 1 Cor. vii. 19. And he compares the law to a tutor, under whofe tuition the Old Teftament church was placed, being then in a state of bondage: but now the kingdom of heaven being fet up in the world; he declares that the fame church was come to age, which no longer standing in need of a tutor, was not again to be given up to bondage under those first elements of the world, Gal. iv. 1. Which certainly comprise both Jews and Gentiles. He every where published this privilege of the New Teftament freely and openly. Neverthelefs he was not againft making fome allowances for the weaknefs of the Jewish brethren, in the exercife of that liberty; in cafe there was not a fpirit of contention, nor an opinion of neceffity and righteoufnefs, in ftanding up for the practice of the ceremonies. Calumny put a quite different conftruction on this conduct; as if he acted thus to the reproach of the law, and taught apoftafy from Mofes, and did not agree in this doctrinal point, who with others, maintained the Christian faith. But the cafe was certainly the reverfe: for it is no reproach put upon the law, to teach, that Chrift made fatisfaction to it: any more than it is a reproach put upon a hand-writing, that on payment being made, it is cancelled. Nor is it any apoftafy from Mofes, to preach that Chrift is the bestower of liberty, fince Mofes himfelf commanded him to be heard: nor did Paul difagree with the other Apoftles; because they also taught according

according to the decree of the fynod of Jerufalem, an immunity from that yoke; and Paul, in the exercife of that liberty, by no means difowned, that charity and prudence were to be regarded. Nevertheless the calumny gained ground; and many of the brethren, who were not truly informed of the Apoftle's doctrine, entertained groundless fufpicions of him. Hence arose the advice, that he himself should openly perform fome certain ceremonies: not in order to create any prejudice to that Christian right and liberty, which he had preached; but to fhew publicly, that he had done nothing inconfiderately, which could give rife to any just indignation: that it was a vile calumny, by which he was defamed, as entertaining less reverent thoughts of Mofes, and teaching the Jews a contempt of the law. With this advice the Apostle complies, not that he approved the violence of those zealots, but to wipe off a calumny, and to fuit himself prudently and friendly to the weak. Thus, "unto the Jews he became as a Jew, that he might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that he might gain them that are under the law," I Cor. ix. 20. These things being duly confidered, it is evident, nothing can be concluded from this paffage for the continuance of circumcifion among the converted Ifraelites.

XXVII. From the Old Teftament is objected Ezek. xliv. 9. Where the Lord, defcribing the state of the church after the the conversion of Ifrael, thus goes on; "no stranger, uncircumcifed in heart, nor uncircumcifed in flesh shall enter into my fanctuary." By which words, all who have a right to enter into the fanctuary, are required to have the circumcifion both of flesh and heart. If the queftion was about uncircumcifion in general, we might very plainly explain it of the depraved difpofition of the unregenerate heart. Nay if the uncircumcifion of the flesh was exprefsly mentioned, nothing could hinder us from taking a prophetic expreffion, borrowed from the rites of the Old Teftament, in a fpiritual fenfe. But when the circumcifion both of flesh and heart is diftinctly mentioned, it seems altogether neceffary, we fhould understand the one, certainly fpiritually, but the other literally.

XXVIII. In answer to this reafoning I offer the following confiderations. Ift, That the whole context of Ezekiel concerning the building of a new temple, is myftical and allegorical, and is expreffed by fimilitudes, borrowed from the Old Teftament, all which, as is fuitable to the ftate of the New Teftament, are to be explained fpiritually. 2dly, That though the uncircumcifion of flesh and heart are diftinct, yet they are both myftical. Surely uncircumcifion myftically fignifies any depraved

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depraved difipofition of man. Hence we read of uncircumcifed lips, Exod. vi. 12. and ears, Jer. vi. 10. Acts vii. 51. Nay, any impurity, even of thofe fruits, which God had forbid to be caten, is called uncircumcifion, * Lev. xix. 23. The uncircumifion therefore of the heart, in the myftical language of Ezekiel, fignifies the impurity of the heart and inward affec tions; the uncircumcifion of the fleth, the impuírity of the outward actions, performed by the body, according to the diftinction of Paul, 2 Cor. vii. 1. Both kinds of impurity are to be laid afide by him, who would be reckoned to belong to the communion of the people of God. "Who fhall afcend into the hill of the Jehovah? And who fhall ftand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart," Pfal. xxlv. 3, 4. But we are especially to take notice, that the difcourfe here is not concerning the Ifraelites, but concerning the strangers, who were to be admitted into the fanctuary. They certainly fhall have their proper place in this new temple, Ifa, lvi. 6, 7. and not have reafon to complain; "Jehovah hath utterly feparated me from his people," ver. 3. But to impofe upon them, in the latter days, the neceffity of circumcifion, from which they were, free, all the intermediate time, is, as has been fhewn, diametrically oppofite to the doctrine of the Apoftles.

CHAP. IX.

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I. HE whole doctrine of the paffover has been learnedly THE and copioufly, above what can well be expreffed, unfolded by the very laborious Samuel Bochart, Hierozoic. lib. 2, c. 50. But becaufe that moft excellent and invaluable book is rarely to be found in the hands of the youth under our tuition, we have thought proper in this chapter, to exhibit what he has handled at large, in a compendious way. Yet in f ner, as to follow at times our own judg then interfperfe what obfervations w

The words are, " and when ye fhall c all manner of trees for food, then ye f three years it fhall be as uncircumcif ing in general is, it fhall be unch counted abominable, as the foref

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