same apostle affirms, Heb. x. 19. to enter into the holiest ; to pierce heaven with our prayers, and come near to God at all times, as children to their father. We are exhorted to 66 come with boldness to the throne of grace in every time of need," Heb. iv. 16.

And no wonder, that there should be such a difference in the freedom of access, when it is in a way so much more excellent; for it is the glory and the comfort of the gospel dispensation, that we are taught to "have access unto the Father through Christ by one Spirit," Eph. ii. 18.

The most solemn way of access to God under the law, was by sacrifices: but by what sacrifices? Not by such as could be supposed to have intrinsic value to atone for sin, to propitiate the deity, or merit any favour at the hands of God. The gifts and sacrifices then offered, could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience," Heb. ix. 9. The blood of bulls and of goats was a low compensation for the sin of man. The offering of such sacrifices by a priest, who must first offer for his own sins, was a poor acknowledgment of the rights of injured God-head; and an awakened mind could hardly be satisfied with the intercession made by the offering of incense upon the altar by a priest that had infirmity. It is not strange, that a spirit of doubting and fear about the divine acceptance, should prevail under such a dispensation, where men could not look through the shadow to the substance, through the figures to the true sacrifice. "But we have boldness to enter into the holiest, because by the blood of Jesus," Heb. x. 19. Who "through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God;" which is a sacrifice sufficient to purge our conscience from dead works, to serve the living God," chap. ix. 14. And because we have "such an high-priest as became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," chap. vii. 26. "And being come an high-priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle," than that in which the legal high-priest officiated, namely, his own body; which was a tabernacle not made with hands, but immediately prepared by God: "neither by the blood of goats and of calves, but by his own blood, entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us," chap. ix. 11, 12. and "appears in the presence of God for us, in heaven the true holy place, ver. 24.

"having much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints, upon the golden altar which is before the throne," Rev. viii. 3. This is a very different sort of encouragement to come to God as a Father, from what Old Testament saints had; when we are to ask in such a name, and to transmit our addresses by such a hand.

The discovery of the Spirit, as another medium of access, farther contributes to our freedom in it. That his powerful assistances to help our infirmities are made known, is itself a great evidence of God's willingness to hold a correspondence with us. These were neither so clearly revealed, nor so generally granted, before the coming of Christ. But all the parts of his office, as described in the gospel, serve either to animate us to draw near to God, or to furnish us for it and aid us in it.

4. The difference between the law and gospel, as to burdensome rites and ceremonies, and the rigour of their injunction, is to be considered as having an influence upon these different tempers.

Under the law, a vast multitude of ceremonial observances were prescribed, which from the number and nature of them were very difficult to be observed. Many of them were arbitrary precepts, which had no intrinsic goodness, nor any tendency in themselves to spiritual advantage. Others were obscure and figurative; shadows indeed of good things to come, but the substance and design of which was hid from the generality. And yet the observance of these was enjoined in a very awful manner. The omission of what was prescribed by these laws, or even a defect in observing the minute circumstances of some of them was made a capital crime, or exposed them to be cut off from the congregation. This could hardly fail to keep those who were conscientious, in much anxiety and solicitude, when it was extremely hard to observe them in every punctilio, and even to know when they had observed some of them aright. The apostle stiles one of them circumcision, a yoke which the fathers were not able to hear, Acts xv. 10. And the whole together, "a yoke of bondage," Gal. And he tells us, that before the fulness of time, they "were in bondage under the elements of the world," chap. iv. 3. which he farther calls in ver. 9. "weak and beggarly elements."

v. 1.

But Christians are called to liberty, by an entire release from this heavy burden; a "liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free," Gal. v. 1. "He hath blotted out his hand writing of ordinances, which was against us; and took it away, nailing it to his cross," Col. ii. 14. Instead of such a cumbersome form of rituals, we are called to worship God in spirit and in truth, in a way more agreeable to his nature as a spirit, John iv. 24. and directly perfective of our own. Christ's whole religion is a reasonable service; the things which he directs us to lay a stress upon, are evidently for his honour and our happiness. And for positive institutions, he hath enjoined but two, Baptism and the Lord's Supper; plain in their de sign, instructive in their nature, easy in their observance, pledges of his grace, and engagements to our duty. An admirable state of things, to lead to an ingenious disposition.

5. The difference in the motives to obedience, principally made use of in the two dispensations, contributed to make a difference in temper.

The representations made of God by the law, were more in characters of majesty, of power and justice, than of grace and mercy; as ready to cut them off, and denouncing death for every disobedience; which awakened their dread, and set them upon action to escape his severity. And what rewards were proposed for their encouragement, were of present temporal blessings, of the enjoyment of good things in the land of Canaan. Good men indeed all along had higher and better prospects of a future happiness; but they were much more obscure and imperfect, left more to be collected by a train of consequences; and not so directly proposed by the Mosaical law, or inculcated in it, as the present bounties of providence to the obedient. This naturally fed the earthly mind of that people, who were principally influenced by the motives most conspicuous in the body of the law itself.

But the gospel sets God before us in the brightest displays of his grace, giving his Son for us, and with him freely giving us all things; extending his good will to mankind in general, and exercising his sovereignty in full harmony with every other beautiful perfection; especially making them all to consist with the richest instances of mercy. He excites our gratitude by delivering us from a bondage, unspeakably worse than that of Israel in Egypt; and animates our obedience by the clear

prospect of an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us. This is the chief motive of the gospel, shining in every page of it, and its most proper sanction; temporal motives being only proposed in it as on the by and at second hand. The reverse of which was the case under the law. Now this has the most direct tendency to promote the obedience of sons, when we are called to perform it in the immediate view of the inheritance belonging to us as sons.

6. The different light afforded as to the main privileges of saints, made those of the Old Testament comparatively under a spirit of bondage, and makes those of the new under the spirit of adoption. The heir, says the apostle, while a child, differeth nothing from a servant; possibly he knows not what an estate he is heir to; at least he has yet but a very imperfect apprehension of it, in comparison of what he will have at maturity. Such is the difference between saints under the two dispensations; somewhat like the difference between saints on earth and saints in heaven; as the apostle John describes those on earth, 1 John iii. 2. “Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be." Now we stand in that relation, but in this world we cannot discern the full blessedness included in it. So also to look backward, it might be said of saints of old, compared with us: they were the sons of God, the substantial privileges of the covenant belonged to them; but they had not such a distinct knowledge of them as we have. Many righteous men desired to see them more fully, but could not. Even the prophets themselves searched diligently to understand the meaning of their own prophecies, but they were left much in the dark about them; for "it was revealed to them, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto us by them that have preached the gospel," 1 Pet. i. 11, 12. The least Christian in the kingdom of Christ hath opportunity to know these matters more distinctly, than even such a man as John the Baptist. Herein God treats us more suitably to the filial relation, and so in a way more apt to produce filial affection. Upon this account Christ tells his disciples, that he treated them as friends rather than servants, John xv. 15. "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called

you friends, for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you."

And

7. The agency of the divine Spirit was and is more generally correspondent to these different dispensations. His actings upon the minds of men, where he has given a revelation, are by means of that revelation, and suitableness to it. therefore, as the law delivered to the Jews gendered more to bondage, his influences might be expected to promote a temper less filial, agreeable to the materials which then were to be made use of. But now, when he hath made known to the world, by the standing revelation of the gospel, "the things which God had laid up for them that love him, which eye had not seen, nor ear heard, nor had entered into the heart of man" before; his most frequent operations in the hearts of good men, are conformable to that greater light and love, as a Comforter, as the earnest of the inheritance, as the Spirit of grace. When the external veil, that was upon the law, is taken off by the full revelation of the gospel; then it is no wonder, that where the Spirit of the Lord is, in his inward agency, there is liberty, 2 Cor. iii. 13, 17.

And now, the advantages of the evangelical state, both for holiness and comfort, appear from what has been said, to be exceeding great and worthy of enlarged thankful

ness.

Those, who have hitherto received the joyful sound only with the hearing of the ear, and not with the obedience of faith, surely should lay to heart their advantageous circumstances, not only beyond the blind state of the heathen world, but even the more servile condition of God's ancient visible church. The cords of divine love, with which you are drawn, are much more numerous and forcible: and if you should be still insensible, and resolved to continue in the chains of sin; by how much the richer the offers of grace are, so much the darker must be your prospect, because they bespeak you to be beyond all hopeful methods of cure. "If the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall if we neglect so great salvation," Heh. ii. 2, 3. But if you have by the gospel received the Spirit to saving purposes, it becomes you often to think of the improved state

we escape,

P