and perspicuity they are able: nor should any one take it amiss, if things which are spoken improperly and harshly, and less consistently with the truth, are modestly, calmly, and without any party-zeal, taken notice of and corrected: especially if they have escaped from persons of character in the church; and are urged by some with a warmth not to be commended, as if they excelled the common doctrine of the reformed churches by the commendation of a purer and more sublime knowledge; so if any person that does not assent to them in all respects, is scarce accounted a learn ed and unprejudiced divine. IV. In the first place, I imagine, that these following words of a celebrated interpreter have justly given. offence to learned men: "The scope of these words is to shew that though very great temporal benefits were bestowed on the Israelites, yet, before the last times, none that were true and permanent; nor was salvation itself actually discovered to them." Cocceii Ult. Mos. p. 886. V. Who that reads or bears these words, would not be led by their very sound to imagine even this, that though the Israelites really enjoyed temporal privileges, such as possession of the land of Canaan, a peaceable government, a flourishing kingdom, prosperity as subjects, long life, and the like, yet they had no benefits that were true and permanent; by which one can scarce forbear thinking, that they had no communion with the Messiah, nor part in his peculiar blessings, as reconciliation with God, peace of conscience, reformation after the image of the divine purity, foretastes of the joys of heaven, and a happy removal of the soul from this to an immortal life? for these, if any, are deservedly and usually called true and permanent benefits, and salvation itself. Whoever therefore affirms, that very great temporal privileges, and in the same breath denies, that such as were true and permanent were bestowed on, and salvation itself disclosed to the Israelites, speaks in such a manner, as to suggest to the mind of the reader, that the spiritual blessings of the soul, and eternal life, were neither bestowed on, nor discovered to them. VI. And it is also scarce possible for the reader not to be confirmed in that suspicion, if in another part he reads, that the only delight the Israelites had, was, that they could extend their meditations to the felicity of the latter times, which yet they were not to see with their own eyes. But the same author's preface to the psalms inculcates this in a set, premeditated discourse, not far from the beginning. "This, indeed, was their only solace for, while they were singing most of the psalms, they were, in the type of David, either singing beforehand the afflictions and exaltation of Christ, or reaching forward to the latter times; and deploring their present forlorn case, were endeavouring to change it into the joy of the future time, nay, assuming the disposition, the joy, the zeal, and sharing in the combats and victories of those who were to see what themselves did not, to hear what themselves did not hear. This, I say, was their only comfort. For neither what they saw could yield them any delight; because they were shadows: nor what they heard; because it was only, partly a promise, partly an accusation of sin and guilt, with which man is born, but was not then abolished and blotted out: nor what they possessed because they were to leave them, or because the wicked enjoyed them as well as they in fine, because they were no real blessings, capable to satisfy the soul." Who may not gather from this, that, in the psalms of David, the present blessings of saving grace were neither foretold, com mended, or celebrated, and therefore the Israelites did not possess them, though not only the hopes of these blessings, but also the actual possession of them, have been, in all ages, the subject and cause of unspeakable joy? For if David, in his psalms, can celebrate everi such spiritual blessings which are connected with eternal salvation, as himself and other believers enjoyed even at that time; with what design can it be said, that their only solace and comfort consisted in meditating on the joy of the time to come, and that they possessed blessings, which were neither real, nor sufficient to satisfy the soul? Who, on reading these things, could imagine he was perusing the writings of a reformed Doctor? VII. But I would not have you to believe, that this very learned author, though he writes in this style, is gone over to the Socinians, whom, in almost all his writings, he has strenuously opposed, and happily confuted. He repeats it a thousand times over, and makes it appear, by cogent arguments, against those most pestilent heretics, that the promise of the spiritual and heavenly inheritance was made to the fathers of the Old Testament, and the possession of it granted to them in consequence of the testament of grace. And in the very place we first quoted, § 885. he writes, that "Jehovah was the Father of that people; for he purchased and made them, and bestowed all good things upon them, which is to be understood not only in a figura. tive sense, or with respect to any external favor; but with respect to the benefit of redemption, the new creation, and the donation of all things necessary for life and godliness, by which he is in truth manifested to be the Father of that people, with respect to his elect chi dren, who were at all times contained in that people, as in a seminary, but less frequently in the great multi tude of the Israelites of that age." So far well: I could wish he had stopped here. VIII. But these two assertions are so different, that they seem to be even contradictory. For as the blessing of redemption, the new creation, and the donation of all things necessary for life and godliness, and in fine, to have God, not in figure, but in truth, for their Father, are indisputably true and permanent blessings, and are even salvation itself: whoever asserts, that these things were bestowed on, and discovered to the Israelites, and yet denies, that true and permanent blessings had been conferred upon, and discovered to them, seems to involve himself in a manifest contradiction. IX. What then? Did memory, did judgment, did soundness of mind fail this very learned author, when he advanced things so contradictory? But his acknowledged learning forbids us to suspect any such thing. Let us then declare the matter as it is. By true and permanent benefits, which, he says, were not bestowed on the fathers of the Old Testament, he means the blessings peculiar to the New, as the truth is opposed to the type, and what is permanent to the shadow, that was to evanish. And salvation with him denotes complete salvation. He has found an interpreter and apologist in a divine of very great name, who, with great confidence, tells us, that this assertion is for the most part in scripture-terms; which might have been better understood by divines, if they had taken as much pains to read and meditate on the writings of God as of men: and he endeavours to shew, that some of the things peculiar to the New Testament, as such, are sometimes held forth by the name of salvation, and of true and permanent benefits. For this purpose he quotes Heb. ii. 3. where salvation is said at the first to have begun to be spoken by the Lord: that is, the work of salvation, which Christ now began to perform ; or even that clear and effectual doctrine of the gospel, which calls us to salvation. He further observes, that those benefits are sometimes called true, which are opposed to those which were typical, as John i. 17. The law roas given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ: and as the blotting out the hand-writing, which was against us, and that glorious decree of adoption, mentioned Gal. iv. 5. are said to be true benefits: he asserts, that they are justly called permanent, in contradistinction to the covenant of grace, as it was a covenant with the Israelites, which was neither faultless nor permanent, Heb. viii. 7, 9. From all which he concludes, that it is to speak agreeable with the scriptures, to say, that true and permanent benefits, and salvation itself, were not bestowed on, and discovered to Israel. X. These things require a particular consideration. It is my real judgment and persuasion, that these learned men would have acted a far more prudent and generous part, if sometimes, for the sake of truth, they had abandoned those whom they have set up as heads of their party; confessing both that they were men, and that sometimes their thoughts and discourses were less accurate; and not first to excuse every thing, however uncautiously spoken, with great confidence, and then to defend it as most genuine, and most exactly agreeable to scripture-language, though but with very indifferent success, and at the expence of the reputation of their brethren. XI. But let us consider the constant tenor of the sacred writings. These call the spiritual blessings of the soul, TO ALETHINON, the true, Luke xvi. 11. in opposition to the unrighteous mammon, or the false riches of this world and the grace, granted to the elect, : |