with equal propriety be urged; and which Eusebius among the ancients, Demonstr. Evangel. lib. i. and among the moderns, Spanhemius, Dubior. Evang. p. 3. dub. 112. have fully and learnedly done.

LI. You may possibly alledge, that God will grant a kind of dispensation of, and relax these impossible laws. But where is there any promise to that purpose? Have not these laws been made by the same authority with the others? Is not their duration in like manner extended LENGOLAM, for ever, which in other respects is so much objected to us? Do not these, and the like laws, constitute the principal part of the ceremonial? And if the conscience can be set free from the obligation of these, why not also from that to the others, which are of the same nature?

LII. Shall they not cease to bind, because the observation of them is impossible, any more than we teach that the moral law is binding, though we allow the perfect performance thereof to be a thing impossible? But who does not see a very wide difference here? That the moral law cannot now be perfectly performed, is a thing accidental, owing to our corruption. That these other laws cannot be observed under the kingdom of the Messiah, arises from the nature of the laws themselves, without any default of man. And thus we have demonstrated, that the ceremonies, in so far as they are acts of the obedience prescribed by the old law, cannot be observed in the universal church, gathered together from among Jews and Gentiles, under the King Messiah.

LIII. This will be more manifest, if we, moreover, consider the formal of the ceremonies: thus there was a yoke in them, that must be broken off; a pedagogy, and an accusation of childhood, which cannot take place in a more advanced age. There was a partition

wall to be broken down, when, on removing all distinction of nations, the Messiah is to be all in all; an enmity to be abolished at the time, in which the Messiah is to publish to the Gentiles, that they should have peace both with Israel and with God. There was, in fine, a hand-writing, bearing testimony concerning guilt not yet expiated, and payment not yet made. This, when all things are fulfilled by the Messiah, is to be taken out of the way, lest any institution of God should be found to testify against the truth and Son of God. Such are either ignorant of, or do overturn all the signification of the ceremonies and their true efficacy, who bind the obligation of them on the consciences, after the Messiah had perfected all things.

1.

LIV. There now remains the fourth head, namely, to explain the progress and the various degrees of this abrogation, which we digest in the following order. When Christ came and was manifested to Israel, the ceremonies lost much of their splendor, as when the sun in the heavens extinguisheth the stars. Nevertheless they were binding, while Christ was not yet made perfect by sufferings, but yet their abrogation was drawing near Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, John iv. 21, To this purpose is that proclamation, which John several times published, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 2. They were abrogated in point of right by the death of Christ; for, all their typical presignification being fulfilled in Christ, and the blood of the New Testament being shed, and the guilt expiated, which they were appointed to be a charge of, with what right could ceremonies lately discarded claim any longer to

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keep their former station? Hence Christ is said to have taken the hand-writing out of the way, nailing it to his cross, Col. ii. 14. and to have abolished in his flesh (on his flesh being broken by death) the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, Eph. ii. 15. Certainly the flesh of Christ was the vail; and while that was still entire, a new and living way was not opened to the heavenly sanctuary, Heb. x. 20. For, while Christ was not yet made perfect by sufferings, the ceremonies which required that perfection or consummation, were in full force. But whenever the utmost farthing was paid by the death of Christ, the vail and inclosure of the ceremonies being taken down, there was a free access to God; which was signified and confirmed by the renting the vail of the temple upon the death of Christ. 3. God declared, confirmed, and sealed this abrogation by the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and his ascension into heaven, and the plentiful effusion of the Holy Spirit. For the hand-writing was then discharged. He who hitherto was in bondage to the elements of the world, equally with the other worshippers of God, was placed with his people in heavenly places, where no such bondage takes place; and the Spirit was given, as the seal of a more delightful dispensation of the covenant. 4. But this liberty was for some time not sufficiently known, even to the apostles themselves, till Peter was instructed therein by a heavenly vision, Acts x. 11. 5. Then by a solemn decree of a synod of the apostles, under the presidence of the Holy Spirit, it was ordained, that a yoke was not to be put on the neck of the disciples, besides those few things necessary for that time; namely, to abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled; to which was subjoined, though of a VOL. III. X X

different kind, fornication, Acts xv. 10, 28, 29. 6. Afterwards Paul preached freedom from these things also, excepting fornication, that being contrary to the moral law, 1 Cor. viii. 4, 8. and 1 Cor. x. 25.-29. 7. Yet because the Jews, who were converted to Christ, having been accustomed to the ceremonies, were with very great difficulty drawn from them, the apostles and other believers with them, that they might not offend the weak, according to the rules of Christian charity and prudence, freely used those ceremonies, not with any opinion of holiness; but in order not to wound tender consciences, accommodating themselves to all, to gain some to Christ, see Acts xxi. 22. 8. But af ter that the church seemed now to be sufficiently instructed in her liberty, and the fondness for the ceremonies was no longer a degree of weakness, but of obstinacy, Paul would not give place by subjection, no not for an hour, and sharply rebuked Peter, whose conduct was rather too remiss, Gal. ii. 5, 14. and exhorted every one in particular to stand fast in the liberty, wherewith Christ had made him free, and not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, nor to make Christ of no effect to themselves, Gal. v. 1, 2. 9. and lastly, All the ceremonies were actually taken away at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and buried as it were in their ruins, never to be revived any See what we have said concerning circumcision, chap. viii. § 21, &c.

more.

CHAP. XV.

Of the Benefits of the New Testament.

As the darkness of the night is only dispelled by

the beams of the rising morn, so the Old Testament was abrogated only by the introduction of the New. But at what time this first began to take place, by what degrees it advanced, by what intervals of time it was confirmed and completed, we have explained in the third chapter of the foregoing book. We are now, in the first place, to treat of the benefits of the New Testament; then of the Sacraments: the other particulars are obvious, from what we have spoken concerning the covenant of grace, simply considered, and by comparing with them, what we have more largely treated of concerning the Old Testament.

II. We rehearse the benefits of the New Testament in the following order. I. The first is the exhibition of the Messiah made perfect. II. The gospel under another name or designation. III. The calling of the Gentiles. IV. A more abundant and delightful measure of the Spirit. V. A greater and better liberty. VI. The restoration of Israel. VII. The revival of the whole church, as from the dead.

III. The first spring of our glorying, and the sum of our felicity, beyond those that expected the consolàtion of Israel, is, that Christ Jesus came into the world, 1 Tim. i. 15. He, who was promised from the beginning, shadowed forth by so many types, so ardently longed for, and for so many ages expected, came forth in the fulness of time, in that place, from that tribe and family, in that manner from a virgin, and appeared in