bols of the divine presence in the pillar of cloud and fire, in the sacred and heavenly fire, in the cloud of the sanctuary, and many other things of a similar nature: wherefore God is said to have had his fire in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem, Is. xxxi. 9. Which visible symbols of the divine familiarity gradually ceased upon the manifestation of Christ in the flesh, of which they were appointed to be types and figures.

XIV. The fourth blessing of the Old Testament consisted in the ceremonies, and in the daily use of them. I own, that, in a certain respect, the ceremonies were a grievous yoke, and belonged to the faults or defects of that testament: but there was likewise a remarkable representation of Christ in them, and of the grace that was to be obtained by him. And because God was pleased in those times to set his mysteries before them in riddles, parables, and figures; it was the extraordinary happiness of Israel, that they had continually before their eyes these pictures of the divine goodness, and of a Saviour to come; while other nations were left to themselves. And the rather, as the elect were instructed by the patriarchs, and the prophets, and by those who had been taught by them, in their mystical signification, according to the measure of those times. And in them they had not only a prefiguration, but also a confirming seal of the coming of the Messiah, to whom they all led as by the hand, and without whom they had been a ludicrous farce, and unworthy of God, 1 Pet. i. 10.———————12.

XV. And for this reason it is, that the scripture so often mentions this thing, as a great blessing granted to the Israelites, Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20. He shewed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel: he hath not dealt so with any nation. Is. xlii. 21. Jehovah is well pleased for his righteousness sake, that

is, for his truth and goodness: he will magnify (him by) the law, and make it (him) honorable. Hos. viii. 12. I have written to him the great things of my law. Which is not only, nay, I may venture to say, not principally, to be understood of the moral, or even the forensic or judicial law; but chiefly of the doctrine of grace, which was prefigured by the ceremonial law. For the principles of the moral law implanted in man at his creation, still remain in the conscience of men, though no new revelation had been superadded: and for the safety of bodies politic, many things have been happily devised by wise men. But as to the mysteries of the ceremonial law, these were the peculiar privilege of the people of God; and, on account of them, the Israelites looked on themselves as having the pre-eminence above all other nations.

XVI. For the same reason, the godly assisted at those ceremonies with so much delight and cheerfulness of soul, and on the contrary accounted it the greatest part of their unhappiness, if at any time they were banished from their country, and forced to live at a distance from these holy things; for it was their continued prayer, that they might be allowed to live in the house of God for ever. See Psal. xxiii. 6. Psal. xxvii. 4. Psal. xlii. 2, 5. Psal. lxxxiv. 2, 3. Psal. lxxxix. 15. As, without all doubt, they learned from those ceremonies, their uncleanness and guilt, which tended to the saving humiliation of their soul; so in them also they beheld the expiation of guilt, and the sanctification from sin, the absolution or purging of the conscience. True that was only typical by the ceremonies, but it was true and spiritual through him, who was prefigured by them.

XVII. Which things being so, those persons seem too much to depreciate those salutary institutions of

God, who scarcely ever consider them, but às an unsupportable burden, and a hand-writing contrary to those who observed them, and as the penalty of breach of covenant; and insist, that what God declares Ezek. xx. 25. is to be applied to them, namely, that he gave Israel statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live. But the celebrated Dr. John a Marck, who was formerly my intimate colleague, has vindicated this passage in such a manner, as entirely to supercede any defence of mine. We acknowledge, that there was something in the ceremonies, which was both grievous, and testified their imperfection, and that the expiation of sin was not yet perfected; but of these things we shall speak in their place. But at the same time we insist, that they had a reference to the gospel, and were a picture of Christ and his benefits, and seals of grace. Neither are we to think, that they were effects of his wrath in such a manner against Israel, as if they were not given as tokens of a singular favor to that people. The Jews themselves really were, and at this day are still sensible of this; for though they acknowledge, they cannot find out the reason for these ceremonies, yet they affirm, that a more secret wisdom is contained in them than they can perceive. To this purpose Abarbanel in legem, fol. 197. col. 2. writes concerning them: "Lo! the principal intention in them, is to be as a book of sublime wisdom and divine doctrine, which students in the law may contemplate, till they perfect their souls by those apprehensions and notions."

XVIII. The fifth and last blessing of the Old Testament is an almost uninterrupted succession of inspired men, by whom the church in those days, instructed in all their doubts, were without any hazard of being deVOL. III. G S

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ceived. For, in the first ages, the patriarchs might be consulted, to whom God immediately revealed himself, and who, in a state of such longevity, were generally many at a time, or at least were almost contemporary with one another. After them succeeded Moses. He was followed by a long succession of prophets, even to the time of the Babylonish captivity, if we except some very few and short intervals, such as are mentioned, 1 Sam. iii. 1. and 2 Chron. xv. 3. Under the Babylonish captivity flourished Ezekiel and Daniel after this last came Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, not to say any thing now of Nehemiah and Ezra. And after the Holy Spirit ceased to dictate things to be written for the canon of the church of Israel, yet even to the coming of Christ, he ceased not to move, in an extraordinary manner, the minds of some by his divine inspiration, as is evident in Simeon, in Zacharias the father of John the Baptist, and in Anna the prophetess. But under the New Testament, after the canon of scripture was completed by the apostolic writings, those prophetic enthusiasms or impulses gradually expired.

CHAP. XII.

Of the Imperfections falsely ascribed to the Old Testament.

THAT the Old Testament required no deficiency

to be supplied, appears even from this, because otherwise a place would not have been sought for a second; as the apostle, Heb. viii. 7. proves to a demonstration. Having therefore treated of the blessings and privileges of that testament, it is proper, that we now consider its imperfections and defects. Not that we would de

tract any thing from the divine grace, as it was displayed in the times of old (because the ancient fathers both acknowledged and actually experienced, that it was sufficient for their salvation) but that we may set a higher value on the infinite riches of the divine bounty, which were reserved for the more auspicious age of the New Testament.

II. But in handling this, two prudential precautions are to be premised. 1. That, in order to overvalue our own condition, we do not too much undervalue that of the ancients. 2. That, by duly acknowledging our own privileges, less than they deserve, we may be found unthankfully to undervalue the grace of God. And because some have erred in both these extremes, we propose to manage this subject in the following method. In this chapter we shall confute what some persons, who in other respects are learned and orthodox, seem to have advanced with too little caution against the Old Testament; and then shew from scripture, in what things it was really defective.

III. We here pass over unregarded the heresy of the Socinians, who assert, with the utmost effrontery, that there was no promise of eternal life in the Old Testament; that Jesus Christ was the first and only preacher of that important truth: a blasphemy we have already confuted. At present our business is with brethren, whom we esteem in the Lord; only we must always give the preference to the sacred truth. It does not

become us nor any Christian, to multiply disputes without cause, and to wrest things, well or tolerably said, to a worse meaning than they will bear; and when we have wrested them, invidiously to expose them: a manner of procedure this not to be used with enemies, much less with brethren. It is, however, incumbent on all, to endeavour to speak with the utmost caution