26.

XX. 25.

venge and uncharitableness,) which even natural reason dislikes or condemns: God's placability and aptness to forgive great sins, wilfully and presumptuously committed, (such as no man lives altogether free from,) not openly revealed, but rather the contrary expressed, (Cursed is he that abides not in all Dent. xxvii. things written in this law to do them :) which ex-Gal. iii. 10. cludes all assurance, and discourages from hope of mercy; and consequently obstructs repentance and amendment of life. And where do we see any clear discovery concerning the immortality of the soul, or the future state, so material a point of religion, of so great moment to encourage virtue and piety? Even Vid. Ezek. the Gentile theology seems more express in this point, than the Jewish law; and the pagan priests (by help of ancient tradition) seem to have reached further than the Hebrew prophets: God indeed seems to have shewed only his back-parts to Moses; when he discovered no more of his nature and his pleasure to him; when he seems to delight in, and lay so much stress upon, those carnal and ceremonious performances. Neither do we herein charge God; for he did herein but what wisdom required; the laws and institutions of this religion were surely accommodated to the state and disposition and capacity of that people; people not very wise or considerate, grave or constant, meek or flexible; but a very stubborn, froward, humorous generation of men, as their own writings describe them; and therefore not capable of perfect instruction or rigorous precepts ; like children, by reason of the grossness of their apprehension, and unruliness of passion, not cikei åkpóaτai, (no proper auditors,) of a pure and accurate discipline; and as with such God in his wisdom and

adv. Cels. lib. iii. Gr. v. 6.

iv. 3. iii. 24.

* Νήπιοι.

tender goodness seems to have dealt with them; dispensing with the infirmities of their age, and conVid. Orig. descending to their mean capacities; feeding them with milk, and indulging them innocent trifles; and so tempering his ordinances given unto them, as might best serve partly to please and humour them, partly to curb and restrain them: whence St. Paul Gal. iv. 9. calls them poor and weak elements, and elements of the world, (such as vulgar and silly people were fit to learn,) adapted to the learning and practising of *children; the Law being a schoolmaster, to keep them in order, and prepare them for a higher instruction. Such variety of superficial formalities might well agree to childish fancies, and content slavish spirits; but to men improved in reason, who could relish spiritual entertainments, they must needs seem burdensome and tedious: wise men cannot be much affected with pomps and solemnities. In the practice of virtue and piety there are alluring sweetnesses and beauties, which it must needs displease him, that is sensible of them, to be avoked from, by an obligation to attend precisely to such an abundance of outward sapless observances; to be bound to chew such husks, neglecting so delicious a kernel, cannot but be irksome and grievous: they are therefore styled well in the New Testament an intolerable yoke and burden, (Acts xv. 10, 28.) and to be freed of them is a very valuable privilege, which Christ hath purchased for us, (Gal. v. 1.) It is true, by degrees God imparted further manifestations of light even to that people, by the examples and instructions of holy men and prophets sent among them, in a manner and upon occasions extraordinary holy men by their practice shewed that the

of sins not

rigour of the law might in some cases be relaxed and Remission dispensed with; that a more spiritual service was clearly disacceptable to God; that he loved a purer devotion

covered under the Jew

And ish dispensation, a

tal point of

and a higher charity than the Law required. And the prophets often declared, that God did not so fundamenmuch delight in ceremonious observances; but chiefly religion. did require hearty piety, perfect justice, and tender charity; accompanied with meekness and patience, temperance and sobriety. By them also God discovered more of his gracious disposition and merciful intentions; that he could pardon the greatest sins, and was reconcilable to the most heinous offenders, upon sincere repentance and amendment of life. But these arbitrary and extraordinary dispensations of further light and instruction to the Jews do confirm our purpose, shewing that God did not primarily intend the Jewish law for a complete discovery of his mind; having reserved so much to be discovered in fit opportunity, argues, that more still might be behind; as indeed we see that future life and immortality was not even by the prophets quite brought to Heb. viii. 6. light; that better covenant, established upon better

promises, was not yet revealed.

Yea, this religion, as it was not universal and complete, so neither was it immutable and perpetual: itself tells us, that God hereafter would raise another Deut. xviii. Prophet, (for extraordinariness and eminency like to Moses,) which should have words by God put into his mouth, (new words, surely, new revelations from God,) whom they particularly should be obliged to hear and obey: that the days should come, when Jer. xxxi. the Lord would make a new covenant with the house of Israel, different from that which he made with their fathers after their delivery from Egypt;

not to be written upon stones, but impressed upon men's hearts: concerning which we may say with Heb. viii. 7, the author to the Hebrews, If the first had been aμeμTTOs, faultless and perfect, there would have no place been found for the second: and, By speaking of a new one, he antiquated the old one.

13.

That another priesthood should infallibly be estaPsal. cx. 4. blished, not after the order of Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek; (not to offer carnal sacrifices, but to impart spiritual benedictions.)

Isa.lxvi. 18,

21.

That time should be, when God would gather all nations and tongues; and they should come and see his glory; and out of them God would take (that which the Mosaical constitution would not Vid. Jer. iii. permit) of them for priests and for Levites.

16.

Ps. cxxxii.

13.

2, &c.

iii. 26.

That there should be a Zion, a mountain seated above all mountains, wherein God would place his Mic. iv. 1, perpetual residence, (his seat of worship and governJoel ii. 28. ment,) to which all nations should flow, to learn God's will and walk in his ways. (Which could not be Jerusalem, which is long since desolated; and which, if standing, could be no convenient resort for all the world; it is another spiritual Zion, a mystical rock is surely prophesied of.)

Isa. lxv. 17.

lxvi. 22.

Joel ii. 28.

That God will create a new heaven and a new earth; (a wholly new world and state of things;) so that the former should not be remembered, nor come into mind.

That God would pour his spirit of prophecy upon all flesh, (though the prophetical spirit hath long deHab. ii. 14. serted the Jewish nation;) that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Judaism cannot be this knowledge, which was never likely to fill the

earth.) That from the rising of the sun to the Mal. i. 11. going down of the same God's name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto his name, and a pure offering. (In every place incense shall be offered unto God, not only at Jerusalem, to which the Jewish service was confined.) For that a time was determined to finish Dan. ix. 24. transgression, and make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and introduce everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy; and to anoint the most holy: that is, in fine, that God would send the Messias, to enlighten the world with a perfect instruction; revealing God's will, and declaring his mercy to mankind; to erect an universal spiritual kingdom over men's hearts, reducing them to the knowledge and obedience of God: these things (to which I might add divers more) sufficiently shew that the Mosaical dispensation was but temporal and changeable; and that that was intended by God to be done, which the author of the Hebrews affirms done Heb. vii. 18. by Christ an abrogation is made of the precedent command, for its weakness and unprofitableness, (its si rò unprofitableness to the purposes of bringing men to such a spiritual sanctity which would please God ;) which is another consideration, that shews the imperfection of the Jewish religion. If Judaism could not dispose men to any tolerable degree of piety and righteousness acceptable to God, (that which St. Paul so largely proves in the Epistle to the Romans,) if it Rom. iii. also tenders no favour or pardon to those which had transgressed the law and offended God, (which he Gal. iii. &c. also there and otherwhere shews,) it was necessary, that either all men should lie under a desperate slavery to sin and guilt, or that God should discover

νὲς καὶ ἀνω

φελές.