VI.

manner of the expreffion feems Now un-SER M. ufual to Us, yet in the language of the Jews at that time it was very eafy, and the meaning obvious, that hereby was not denied God's having commanded Sacrifices at all, but their comparative value only is denied, when diftinguished from the Practice of moral Virtue and Righteoufnefs.

IT may here perhaps by fome be inquired; if the inftitutions of the Jewish Law, were matters comparatively of fo small importance; Statutes (as the Prophet expreffes it) which were not good, and Judgments whereby men should not live; for what reafon then was That Law given by divine appointment at all? To This question, the Scripture intimates to us feveral Answers. In the first place, it was given That People, to preferve them from Idolatry; to keep them from running after the Customs of the Idolatrous Nations round about them; by employing them in the continual Service of the True God. This reafon is hinted at in feveral places of the Law; and particularly Deut. v. 22, where, at the time of the ori

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VI.

SER M.original delivering of the Ten Commandments from God to the Children of Ifrael, 'tis affirmed that be added no more; but after their proneness to Idolatry shown in the case of their fetting up the golden calf, the whole ceremonial Law with all its burdenfome rites was immediately injoined them. In the next place, another reafon of appointing those numerous Sacrifices and Expiations, Washings, Purifications, and the like; was to remind that Stiff-necked people, of their Obligation to Purity and true Holiness of life, by fuch corporeal Figures and Emblems, as might always be vifibly, before their Eyes; fuited to their capacities, and prejudices; proper to withdraw them from the Pollutions of their neighbouring Nations; to admonish them conftantly, of their being the peculiar People of the True God, the Holy One of Ifrael; and confequently to keep them under a perpetual Senfe of their obligation to be Holy even as He was Holy. Laftly, Another reafon of God's giving the Law of Mofes, was to be a prophetick Typifying of the Meffiah to come; and a Schoolmaster

(as

VI.

18. ix. 9,

10. X. I.

(as St Paul expreffes it, Gal. iii, 24. iv. 1.) SER M.
to bring men unto Chrift. For the Law,
(faith St John,) was given by Mofes, but
Grace and Truth came by Jefus Chrift;
The meaning is; The Law, was only a
Type or Shadow of That Truth, and an
Emblem of That Grace or Mercy of God,
which was to be clearly and fully reveal-
ed in the Gospel. And for That Reason,
the Law was not of perpetual, but only
of temporary inftitution: There is verily Heb. vii.
(fays the Apostle) a difannulling of the
Commandment going before, for the Weak-
nefs and Unprofitableness thereof; it being
only a figure for the Time then present,
-impofed upon them till the time of
Reformation ; — a Shadow of good things
to come, and not the very Image (the Sense
is, not the very Subftance) of the things
themselves, Heb. x. 1. The not attending
to these Ends of the Inftitution of the
Law of Mofes, which yet are very plainly
hinted in the Law itself and in the Wri-
tings of the Prophets; was a principal
Cause of the antient Jews falling into
that fundamental Error, of laying greater
ftrefs upon the bare ritual and ceremonial
perfor

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SER M. performances, than upon that real Virtue VI and true Righteousness, whereof these out

ward Obfervances were but Types and Figures; Contrary to the perpetual Exhortations of all their own Prophets; and contrary to that great Duty enforced in the Text from natural Reafon itself, that God, being a Spirit, ought confequently to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth.

2dly, THE next remarkable Example of perfons erring fundamentally from this great Rule of worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth, were thofe Jewish Converts among the Primitive Chriftians, who contended that after their Conversion it was fill neceffary to obferve the Law together with the Gofpel. Which opinion of theirs, was the occafion of much Controverfy in the Apoftles times; as may be feen at large, in the xvth chapter of the Acts, and in the whole Epistle to Particu- the Galatians. Which Controverfy being Now long fince at an End; it would no longer have been of any Ufe to Us to inquire into the State of it, were it not that accidentally, 'tis ftill very neceflary to the right understanding two of St Paul's epiftles,

larly ch.

vi. 12.

e

epiftles, That to the Romans, and That SER M. to the Galatians; many erroneous and VI. hurtful Doctrines in Chriftianity, having been occafioned by mens ignorantly applying feveral phrafes in thofe Epiftles, according to the modern Senfe of words among Chriftians at this day; when in e reality they were by the Apostle used only according to the Signification of the words in those days, relating to This controverfy with the Jewish Chriftians about the neceffity of ftill retaining the Law of Mofes. For againft Thefe mens opinions it is, that St Paul argues, and not at all in the way of comparing one Chriftian virtue with another, when he earnestly in thefe Epiftles magnifies Faith in oppofition to the Law, Grace in oppofition to Works, and the Spirit in oppofition to Flesh or carnal Ordinances. Thus when he tells his converts, Rom. iii. 28, and Gal. ii. 15. iii. 2, that they are justified by Faith, without the deeds of the Law; and that they received the Holy Ghost, not by the works of the Law, but by the Hearing of Faith; his meaning is not, (as fome in later Ages have unreasonably

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under