--

the only one which expreffed its penalty by the curfed death of hanging on a tree; and adjudged finners to have incurred that curfe, by the violation of it. Now, Chrift yielded obcdience to fuch a law: "It is written (viz. in the Mofaic Law) CURSED is every one that continueth not in all things WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW to do them." "Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us: for it is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree *." It was the Mofaic edition of the law which demanded obedience to it as the condition of life: For Mofes defcribeth the righteoufnefs which is of the Law, That the man which doeth thofe things fhall live by them." Now, Jefus Chrift was conftituted under that law which required obedience and fufferings as the condition of life, that, by his obedience and death, he might become the author of eternal falvation to them who obey him. But it may be objected, perhaps, That it is improper and abfurd to lay a yoke on Ifrael which was defigned only for Jefus Chrift,-abfurd to demand that obedience from them which was only competent to him alone to yield. To which it may be replied, That it was very proper to in timate the law, under this fpecial confideration, unto them, as they, in their original ftate, were the proper fubjects of it: And if they were de

* Gal. iii. 10, 13.

+ Rom. x. 5.

livered

livered from the law-curfe, it was an nfeful lefon for them to look back unto the awful ftate from which they had been freed. It may alfo be added, That it is agreeable to the genius of types, to afcribe things unto them which are only true of their antitype: Therefore, it is by no means improper to fpeak of their obedience as the condition of life, while the obedience of Chrift is intended as the fubftance of that fhadow. This is, indeed, the ufual ftyle of the Mofaic ritual, efpecially refpecting facrifice. It may be alfo obferved, That it is equally proper to propofe the obedience of one type as the cause of life, as to make promises to other types, which, ftrictly speaking, can only belong unto the truc Meffiah: For example, God promifed to Abraham, faying, "IN THEE fhall' all the families of the earth BE BLESSED."

Whereas, it is only competent unto Jefus Chrift to BLESS men in the fenfe intended. Various things are likeways promifed to David, which in their fulleft emphafis, belong only unto him who is both David's Son and David's Lord *. Now, if it was proper to give out promifes to the type, which are fulfilled only in the antitype, Why may not precepts be, laid on the type, which could only be fulfilled by the antitype likeways? In one word, We may anfwer, Though the fyftem of precepts demanded obedience, as the condition

* See Pfal. lxxxix.

of

of life; yet it did not exclude, but enjoin a vicarious fatisfaction, in cafe of failure. As the moral law was broader than their obedience to it, fo the ceremonial law was fuperinduced to point out the plan of divine atonement and acceptance. The demands of the moral law were fo broad, as to fhut them out from all hopes of attaining life and falvation by their own obedience; but it did not flut them up from feeking falvation by the obedience of another. The ceremonial law, which was an appendage of the moral, taught the perfon, who prefented his facrifice before God, to lay his hand upon the head of the facrifice, as an emblematical reprefentation of transferring the guilt from the finner to the furety: "And he fhall lay his hand upon the head of the facrifice," &c. Secondly, As the congregation of Ifrael may be confidered as made up of perfons either unregenerated or regenerated by the grace of God. In the latter view, it was proper to intimate the law to them even as a covenant of works, to fhew them how much they were indebted to Chrift in fulfilling the law in their ftead. In the former view, It taught them the danger of their prefent ftate, and the neceflity of betaking themselves to a mediator; and it appears to have had the defired effect upon fome of them. Third

* Levit. iii. 2.

† Exod. xx. 18-23. compared with Deut. xviii-18.

pre

ly, As the congregation of Ifrael ftood in the capacity of a vifible church, this fyftem of cepts was the rule of their focial worship, and even of their perfonal obedience. That this fyftem demanded focial worship,-that it was the ftandard of external obedience, is univerfally granted: That it required private and perfonal obedience is equally certain from the very form of the precepts themselves. They ran in the fingular number, intimating, that they were directed to individuals: "THOU fhalt have no other gods before me. THOU fhalt not make unto thee any graven image."

"THOU fhalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," &c. "THOU fhalt not commit adultery." And fuch is the fpiritual nature of the divine law, that it binds every one in the inward man, as well as the outward: The Pharifees thought otherways indeed; but Chrift fpent two fermons to detect their mistake*. The fum of our duty is love; and God commanded Ifrael to love him with all their HEART; while he prohibited them from hating their brethren IN THEIR

HEART.

3. As the moral law bound them to obferve both ceremonial and judicial precepts; fo ceremonials regulated Ifrael in her ecclefiaftical

*His fermon on the mount, and his fermon on the plain. Levit. xix. 17.

capacity,

capacity, as a typical church; and judicials, her civil polity, as a nation under a theocratical government. Under the Mofaic economy, there was a greater affinity between the church and the ftate, indeed, than under the Chriftian difpenfation; yet they were perfectly diftinct, and had diftinct laws accordingly*. The end for which the feed of Abraham were feparated to be a typical church has been declared on the Abrahamic Covenant. Now, God faw meet to appoint a theocratical government in the ftate, as the beft means of preferving that nation in which he had placed them. Because fome attribute too much to this form of polity, and others too little, it might not be unprofitable to spend a moment in the confideration of it. In a theocracy, then, Jehovah,

by

* Mr Locke is pleased to set afide the diftinction of the Mofaic Law into moral, ceremonial, and judicial, in the following manner: "There is nothing more fiivolous than that common diftinction of the moral, ceremonial, and judicial law, which men ordinarily make ufe of," Letter on Toleration, p. 123. But as this diflinction is founded in the nature of things; and as diflinct names are given to each of thefe laws by God himfelf, we need not, and ought not indeed, to be fwayed by any human authority, however great.

The word boxpatie, formed by Jofephus for DEUS para impero, very happily exprefleth that peculiar government which God exercited over Ifrael, JENNING'S Jewish Antiq. Vol. I. p. 20. Some confider the Jewish Church and the Jewish State as of the fame extent, or rather, they fuppofe they find only a State-church; or,