for fprinkling the whole body of the people; efpecially as the blood was mixed with water, that part of it, at least, which was applied unto this purpofe. That part of it which was sprinkled on the altar was probably unmixed with water, as it was fprinkled immediately on the fliedding of it; but that which was sprinkled on the people was mixed, to keep it from congealing during the reading of the law in the audience of the people. The typical fignification of the water was alfo unneceffary in refpect of the altar.and the book; but extremely proper in refpect of the people. In the third place, We have the explication of thefe rites of confirmation: "Mofes faid, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words." This blood is ftyled THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT; as both the parties covenanting were fprinkled with it. It was fprinkled on the altar, as it refpected God himfelf, the first party in this tranfaction; implying a fatisfaction made to his juflice. When perfons offered facrifice unto God, in agreeablenefs unto his will, he fent a facred flame from heaven to kindle the wood upon the altar: And that heavenly flame, I humbly judge, reprefented the flaming fword of his juftice a

* Exod. xxiv. 8.

gainst fin*. Now, the devouring of the burntoffering, by a fire of his own kindling, faid, that the fword of juftice was turned from the finner to the facrifice: And the fprinkling of blood befpake the atonement of juftice, according to divine appointment. Both blood and water were fprinkled upon the people, the cther party in this covenant, to denote both their pardon and purification. This blood did not, of itself, purchase pardon, indeed; but it prefigured the blood of Jefus Chrift, which is available for that end. Accordingly, the antitype fully anfwered the type; for, when Chrift was crucified, and his fide pierced, from it came forth blood and water: He came both by water and by blood; by blood, for our juftification; and by water, for our fanctification,

I SHALL now make a few REFLECTIONS on this Tranfaction.

1. WE may fee the evil of confining this Covenant unto temporal things. If we look

* There was fome token by which Cain knew that A-. bel's offering was accepted, and his own rejected; and it was, most probably, by God's fending fire from heaven to confume Abel's facrifice; as he afterwards did in various other inftances (Levit. ix. 24. 1 Kings xviii. 38. 1 Chron. xxi. 25. 2 Chron. vii. 1.), to testify his accep tance of the offering; and that juftice feized upon the facrifice, instead of the finner who offered it, and for whom it was offered." Dr Guyfe's Paraphrafe on Heb. xi. 4. the note. Vid. 'etiam Cloppenb. Schol. Sacrific. cap. iii. § 5. Leidekk. De Repub. Hebraor. Lib. 11. cap. ii. § 8. cum notis.

into the page of ccclefiaftical history, we will find, that this notion is far from being newly, invented, indeed; but antiquity can never give fanction to error and falfehood. The Sadducees, fo far as we can learn, had the honour of inventing it *. It was a beast of great burden unto them; the ftumbling of it threatened the ruin of their whole caufe. If a future ftate was revealed, then they were certainly bound to believe it; but they concluded, if it was not, then they were juftified in rejecting it. When this fect expired, they feem to have left it, in their latter-will, unto the Gnoftics, conftituting them their fole heirs. The Gnoftics, in their turn, legated it unto the Marcionites and Manichees‡; and thefe unto the Pelagians. The Pelagians carefully lodged this tenet under the warm wings of his HOLINESS §; and there it was preferved in fafety until the days of Michael Servetus and Fauftus Socinus . The German Anabaptifts again, borrowed it from

*F. Spanheim, F. F. Hiftor. Ecclefiaft. V. T. p. 459, 460. Johan. Hen. Hottinger. Clavis Scriptur. p. 35, 36. + F. Spanheim, F. F. Hiftor. Ecclef. Chriftian. p. 637, 638, and 640, 641.

Idem, p. 643, 649, 752. ◊ Vid. Becan. V. T. p. 42. Servetus reprefented the Old Testament faints as a parcel of SWINE! Vid. Calvin. Inftitut. p. 154. Edit. Genev. 1568. His friend Socinus was equally grofs in his fentiments; but more refined in his language: For the friends of error are obliged to do their utmost to cover it with vain words, Vid. Socin. De Servatore.

thefe

thefe two irrefpectable Fathers: And, as Fauftus and his friend were abundantly liberal, they feem alfo to have lent it to VAN HARMIN and his followers. These, again, imported it into England, under the aufpices of Archbishop LAUD‡. Whilst this fyftem was cherished by the Laudean faction at home, one ftill more perplexed was formed by the Cocceians abroad §. VENEMA lighted on the carnal fyftem again, as a golden medium in which both parties might fafely meet ||. Mr Warburton (afterwards Bishop of Gloucester), feems to have reprobated Dutch fyftems, and German ideas; yet, after all, the Reverend Bishop swallows this notion by the grofs. But, prior to the appearance of his great work, the Divine Legation of Mofes Demonstrated, this scheme had been vented, and defended after a way, by JOHN GLAS T. Thefe two eminent leaders had two as eminent followers to defend their caufe; the one a South Briton, and

* Bullenger adverfus Anabap. Lib. II. cap. viii. Cloppenburg Gangren. Difp. xix.

Jac. Armin. Difp. li. De Ecclef. V. T.

Smith's Select Difcourfes.

SJ. Cocceius fancied, that the moral law was a pure Covenant of Grace: But, after the making of the golden calf, the Old Teftament Church was fhut up under the curfe of the Covenant of Works; and got the ceremonial law impofed on them out of vengeance!

Diflertat. Herman Venem, Edit. Haarlem. 1731. ¶ See his Narrative.

the

Numerous and ftre

the other a Scotsman *. nuous as the defenders of the carnal fyftem have been; yet no one feems ever to have ene braced it for its own fake. The Sadducces defended it to keep themfelves eafy from the thoughts of futurity. The Gnoftics, to defend the doctrine of a two-fold principle; the one good, and the other evil. The Pelagians, both ancient and modern, to maintain falvation without any spiritual promife as the means of it. The Anabaptifts to get quit of the argument taken from circumcifion, and the promises fealed by it, in favour of infant baptifm. The Glafites, to ftrike off the Old Teftament from being a part of the Chriftian rule. Bishop Warburton, that he might ftrike out a new path on the argument against the deifts.

Dr

Doddridge, because he did not choose to think out of the fashion. But great as the advocates for the carnal fyftem have been, thofe for the fpiritual one have been ftill greater. The authority of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the faithful and true witnefs, is infinitely more than fufficient to preponderate against the opinion of millions: He has given his fuffrage decifively in favour of the fyftem above exhibited; and with it agrees the experience of God's children in every age. They find the promifes

* Dr Doddridge on Heb. viii. Dr Erfkine's Differtations, Differt. I. 1. The latter fays, "It is eafy to fee, that the bleflings of the Sinai Covenant are merely temporal and outward."