intention; nor godliness in the tinkling of brass, but in the meaning of the things signified. Yet let us all endeavour to express ourselves as accurately as possible; and by no means defend what has been imprudently said either by our friends or ourselves, lest we take it ill to be reprehended by others; but rather, through the persuasions of ingenuity, the order of truth, the importunity of charity, and the applause of all good men, let us pass by, cancel or correct any mistakes; which great men, both in old times, and in our days, have done, to their very great honor. Let the severe brand of heresy be suddenly stamped upon none, on account of what is supposed to follow from his words, while he does not admit the consequence, but detests it. Let mens solid learning, their peaceable disposition, and a careful discharge of their duty without noise and disturbance, procure them much more favour, than the inconsiderate heat of boiling zeal, and the efforts of a headstrong temper, as Homer says, and a mind eager for the combat, which, however the cause of God may be a pretext of, are aimed at only for our own glory and advantage.

Let some liberty also be given to learned men in explaining passages of scripture, in the choice of arguments in defence of the common truth, in the use of phrases and terms, in resolving questions commonly called problematic (for, amidst the present darkness of mens minds, it is not to be expected, that all men should in all things speak and think alike ;) but let this liberty be confined within the bounds of modesty, prudence, and love; lest it should degenerate into petulant licentiousness, and turn our Zion into a Babel.

These, Reverend and Respected Brethren, are my earnest wishes and counsels, which I recommend to your prudence, faith, and piety; as I do yourselves and your sacred labours, to the grace of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who can make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in

you that which is well pleasing in his sight; and at last, after you have happily fought the good fight of faith, can bless you with an everlasting crown of glory. This was long since, and is now, the most earnest wish of,

Reverend and Respected Brethren,

Your Fellow-labourer, and

Servant in the Lord,

HERMAN WITSIUS.

UTRECHT, Oct. 20, 1693.

THE

OECONOMY

OF THE

DIVINE COVENANTS.

BOOK I.

CHAPTER I.

Of the Divine Covenants in General.

WHOEVER intends to discourse on the subject

of the divine covenants, by which eternal salvation is adjudged to man, on certain conditions worthy of God and the rational creature, ought principally to endeavour, that he may treat these heavenly oracles in a sacred and pure manner; and, neither through rashness nor passion, intermingle any thing, which he is not firmly persuaded is contained in those records, which exhibit the copies of these covenants to us. For if Zaleucus prescribed it as a condition to the contentious interpreters of his laws, "That both parties should explain the meaning of the lawgiver, in the assembly of the thousand men, with halters hanging about the necks of each; and that whatever party should appear to wrest the sense of the law to the detriment thereof, should, in the presence of the thousand, end their lives by a halter;" as Poybius, a very VOL. I. F

grave author, relates:* If the Jews and Samaritans in Egypt, disputing about their temple, were obliged to plead their cause before the king and his courtiers, on this condition only, that "the advocates of whatever party that were foiled, should be punished with death," as Josephus relates ;† he must certainly be in greater danger, and liable to sorer destruction, who shall, by a rash wresting, pervert the sacred mysteries of the divine covenants; while our Lord openly declares, that whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. It is not therefore without a kind of sacred awe that I begin this work; praying God, that, laying aside every prejudice, I may shew myself a tractable disciple of the holy writings, and may, with modesty, impart to my brethren, what I think I have learned from them if happily this my poor performance may serve to lessen disputes, and clear up the truth; than which nothing should be deemed by us of greater importance.

JI. Because it is by words, especially the words of those languages, in which God has been pleased to reveal his sacred mysteries to men, that we can, with success, arrive at the knowledge of things; it will be worth while, more accurately to inquire into the im. port both of the Hebrew word BERITH, and the Greek DIATHEKE, which the Holy Spirit makes use of on this subject. And first, we are to give the etymology, and then the different significations of the Hebrew word. With respect to the former, the learned are not agreed. There are some who derive it from the root BARA, which in Piel signifies to cut down; because, as we shall presently observe, covenants used to be solemnly ratified by cutting animals asunder. It may also be derived from the same root in a very different signification. For as BARA properly signifies to create, so metaphorically to ordain or (DIATITHESTHAI) to dispose. Whence it happened, that the Hellenist Jews used To KTIZEIN in the

* Lib. xii. c. 7. † Antiq. 1. xiii. c. 6. + Matth. vi. 19.

same signification. Certainly in this sense Peter* calls EXOUSIA, power appointed by men, and for human purposes, ANTHROPINE KTISIS, the ordinance of man. Which too the famous Grotius appears to have learnedly observed on the title of the New Testament. Others had rather derive it from BARAH as SHEBITH from SHABAH, signifying, among other things, to chuse. And in covenants, especially of friendship, there is a choice of persons, between whom, of things about which, and of conditions upon which, a covenant is entered into. Nor is this improperly

observed.

III. But BERITH is used in the holy scriptures in different significations; sometimes improperly, and sometimes properly. Improperly, it denotes the following things. 1. An immutable ordinance about any thing. In this sense God mentions his covenant of the day, and of the night; that is, that fixed ordinance about the uninterrupted vicissitude of day and night, which is called CHOOK, that is, statute limited or fixed, to which nothing ought to be added, or taken from it. In this sense is included the notion of a testament, or of a last and irrevocable will. Thus God said,§ I have given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, LECHAK NGOOLAM BERITH MÆLACH NGOOLAM HIV, by a statute for ever; it is a covenant of salt for ever. This observation is of use for the more fully understanding the nature of the covenant of grace, which the apostle proposes under the similitude of a testament, the execution of which depends upon the death of the testator. To which notion both the Hebrew BERITH, and the Greek, DIATHEKE, may lead us. 2. A sure and stable promise though it be not mutual: HINNEH ANOCHI CORETH BERITH. Behold, I make a covenant; before all thy people I will do marvels. This is my covenant with them; my Spirit shall not depart from

* I Pet. ii. 13 Numb, xviii. 19.

† Jer. xxxiii. 20.

Heb. ix. 15, 16, 17.

Chap. xxxi. 36.

¶ Exod. xxxiv. 10.