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being only this, that, where the action is fimply fignificative, it has no moral import: For example, when Ezekiel is bid to have his beard, to weigh the bair in balances, to divide it into three parts, to burn one, to strike another with a knife, and to fcatter the third part in the wind", this action having no moral import is merely fignificative of information given. But when the Ifraelites are commanded to take a male lamb without blemish, and the whole affembly of the congregation to kill it, and to sprinkle the blood upon the door-pofts, this action having a moral import as being a religious Rite, and, at the fame time, reprefentative of fomething future, is properly typical. Hence arofe the mistake of the Interpreters of the Command to offer Ifaac. These men fuppofing the action commanded to have a moral import, as being only for a trial of Abraham's faith; and, at the fame time, feeing in it the moft exact resemblance of the death of CHRIST, very wrongly concluded that action to be typical which was merely fignificative: and by this means, leaving in the action a moral import, fubjected it to all those cavils of infidelity, which, by taking away all moral import, as not belonging to it, are here entirely evaded.

But it being of the highest importance to Revelation in general, and not a little conducive to the fupport of our arguments for the Divine Legation of Mofes in particular, to fhew the logical truth and propriety of Types in action, and Secondary fenfes in Speech, I fhall take the present opportunity to fift this matter to the bottom. For having occafionally fhewn, in feveral parts of the preceding Difcourse, that the references in the LAW to the GOS- PBL are in typical representations, and fecondary fenfes; * EXOD. xii, 5, 6, 7..

" EZEK. V.

and

and the truth of Christianity depending on the real relation (which is to be difcovered by fuch references) between the two Difpenfations, it will be incumbent on me to prove the logical truth and propriety of TYPES in action, and SECONDARY SENSES in fpeech,

And I enter on this fubject with the greater pleafure, as one of the most plaufible books ever written, or likely to be written, against Christianity is intirely levelled at them. In this enquiry I fhall pursue the fame method I have hitherto taken with unbelieving Writers; examine only the grounds and principles on which they go; and having removed and overthrown these, in as few words as I am able, leave the superstructure to fupport itself, as it may,

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SECT. VI.

HE book I fpeak of is intitled, A Difcourfe of the Grounds and Reafons of the Chriftian Religion, written, as is generally fuppofed, by Mr. Collins; a Writer, whofe dexterity in the arts of Controverfy was fo remarkably contrafted by his abilities in reasoning and literature, as to be ever putting one in mind of what travellers tell us of the genius of the proper Indians, who, altho' the verieft bunglers in all the fine arts of manual operation, yet excel every body in flight of hand and the delufive feats of activity.

The purpose of his book is to prove that JESUS was an impoftor: and his grand argument ftands thus," JESUS (as he fhews) claims under the promifed Meffiah of the Jews; and propofes himself as the Deliverer prophefied of in their facred

Books;

Books; yet (as he attempts to fhew) none of these Prophefies can be understood of JESUS but in a fecondary fenfe only; now a fecondary fenfe (as he pretends) is fanatical, chimerical, and contrary to all fcholaftic rules of interpretation: Confequently, JESUS not being prophefied of in the Jewith Writings, his pretenfions are falfe and groundless." -His conclufion, the reader fees, ftands on the joint fupport of thefe two Propofitions, That there is no Jewish Prophecy which relates to JESUS in a primary fenfe; and That a fecondary fenfe is enthu fiaftical and unfcholaftic. If either of thefe fail, his phantom of a conclufion finks again into nothing.

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Tho' I fhall not omit occafionally to confuté the firft, yet it is the falfhood of the fecond I am principally concerned to expofe-That there are Jewifh prophecies which relate to Jesus in their direct and primary fenfe, hath been proved with much force of reafon and learning: But, that fecondary Prophecies are not enthusiastical and unfcholaftic, hath not been fhewn and infifted on, by the Writers on this question, with the fame advantage. truth is, the nature of a DOUBLE SENSE in Prophecies hath been fo little feen or enquired into, that fome Divines who agree in nothing elfe, have yet agreed to fecond this affertion of Mr. Collins, and with the fame franknefs and confidence to pronounce that a double fenfe is indeed enthusiastical and unfcholaftic. To put a ftop therefore to this growing evil, fown first by Socinus, and fince become fo peftilent to Revelation, is not amongst the laft purposes of the following discourse.

I. It hath been fhewn, that one of the most ancient and fimple Modes of human converse was

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communicating the conceptions by an expreffive ACTION. As this was of familiar ufe in Civil matters, it was natural to carry it into Religious. Hence, we' fee God giving his inftructions to the Prophet, and the Prophet delivering God's commands to the People in this very manner. Thus far the nature of the action, both in civil and religious matters, is exactly the fame.

But in Religion it fometimes happens that a STANDING Information is neceffary, and there the Action must be continually repeated: This is done by holding out the particular Truth, (thus to be preferved) in a religious Rite. Here then the Action begins to change its nature; and, from a mere fignificative mark, of only arbitrary import like words or letters, becomes an action of moral import, and acquires the new name of TYPE. Thus GOD, intending to record the future facrifice of CHRIST in Action, did it by the periodic Sacrifice of a lamb without blemish. This was not merely and fo DIRECTLY fignificative of CHRIST, (like the Command to Abraham) but being a religious Rite and fo having a moral import, it was typical, tho' NOT DIRECTLY fignificative, of him. The very fame may be faid of the Temporal rewards of the Law; they were properly typical of the Spiritual rewards of the Gofpel, and had a moral import of their own, as being the real fanétion of the Law.

Again, It hath been fhewn, how, in the gra dual cultivation of Speech, the expreffion by Action was improved and refined into an ALLEGORY or Parable; in which the words carry a double meaning; having befides their obvious fenfe which

y Vol. iv. p. 322, 323.

ferves

ferves only for the Envelope, one more material, and hidden. With this figure of speech all the moral writings of Antiquity abound. But when this figure is transferred from Civil ufe to Religious, and employed in the writings of infpired Men, to convey information of particular circumstances in two diftinct Difpenfations, to a people who had an equal concern in both, it is then what we call a DOUBLE SENSE; and undergoes the very fame change of its nature that an expreffive action underwent when converted into a Type; that is, both the meanings, in the DOUBLE SENSE, are of moral import; whereas in the Allegory, one only of the meanings is fo: And this, (which arifes out of the very nature of their converfion, from Civil to Religious matters) is the only difference between expreffive actions and TYPES; and between allegories and DOUBLE SENSES.

From hence it appears, that as TYPES are only religious expreffive Actions, and DOUBLE SENSES only religious Allegories, and neither receive any change but what the very manner of bringing thofe Civil figures into Religion neceffarily induces, they muft needs have, in this their tralatitious state, the fame LOGICAL FITNESS they had in their natural. There

* Hence we fee the vanity of Mr. Whifton's distinction, who is for retaining Types (neceffitated thereunto by the exprefs declarations of Holy Writ) and for rejecting double fenfes. "Mr. Whiston (fays the author of the Grounds, &c.) justifies typical arguing from the ritual laws of Mofes, and from passages of Hiftory in the Old Teftament. Indeed he pretends

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this laft to be quite another thing from the odd (typical) appli"cation of prophecies. For (fays he) the ancient ceremonial inftitutions were, as to their principal branches, at least in their own nature, Types and fhadows of future good things→→ "But the cafe of the ancient prophecies to be alledged from the old Scriptures for the confirmation of Christianity is quite of another "nature, and of a more nice and exact confideration," p. 227, 228.

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