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CHAPTER I.

Containing an examination of the evidence which Dr. Taylor brings, from the way and manner in which the fcriptures Speak of Sacrifice and Sacrificing, in those paffages which have no relation to Jewish facrifices, in order to prove, that Jewish or Levitical facrifices were fymbols of Prayer and Praife, and of thofe difpofitions, affections and defires of the mind which are expreffed by Prayer and Praife.

§. 1.DR. Taylor introduces this branch

of evidence with the following obfervation, viz. "As the Levitical law fup"plieth no answer to this question, In "what manner had facrifices respect to "God? we must seek for it in other parts "of fcripture; and confult the fenfe of

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prophets and apoftles, who had a clear "and full knowledge of the nature and "ends of divine inftitutions; which, in "fuch cases, is a just and authentic method "of discovering and afcertaining the truth.' To illuftrate this, he fubjoins, "In the "inftitution of circumcifion, Gen. xvii.

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no account is given of that religious. "rite, any farther than as it was a token "of the covenant God then made with "Abraham, But if we look into the

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phetic and apoftolic writings, (Deut. x. " 16—xxx. 6. Jer. iv. 4. Rom. ii. 29. "Col. ii. 11.) we fhall find it had rela"tion to the heart, and fignified the re"trenching inordinate affections, or the "putting off the body of the fins of the flesh, "in order to difpofe the mind to the "fincere love and obedience of God. << Every confiderate perfon will allow this account to be fo far fatisfactory. And "I doubt not, but evidence of the fame "kind will appear more abundantly full "and clear in the cafe before us, if we "attend to the following confiderations

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REMARK S.

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§. 2. THE Dr. here intimates, that the prophets and apoftles, when they speak of circumcifion as having relation to the heart, teach us fomething about the meaning of that rite, that was not expreffed by its being called a token of the covenant between God and Abraham. But in this, I think, the Dr. is mistaken.-The covenant which God made with Abraham, like all other covenants between God and man, laid an obligation on Abraham to walk before God, and be perfect; or, which is the fame thing, to cultivate purity of heart and life. Cir

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Scripture-doctrine of Atonement examined, Chap. II. §. 19.

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cumcifion was a token of this covenant; a vifible and permanent mark, made in the flesh of Abraham and his pofterity, as a memorial of it, in order to revive, and keep up, in their minds, from time to time, ferious thoughts about that covenant of God with them, by the tenor of which they were bound and obliged to the practice of the ftricteft purity both of heart and life; and, as fuch, it had (in the Dr's phrafe) a relation to the heart, even before any of the following prophets or apoftles took notice of this relation. Abraham himself faw, and could not but fee, that circumcifion had fuch a relation to the heart: for was it poffible for him, or for any other man, to.confider it in another view, fince it was a token, fign, or memorial of a covenant, by which he was bound to ftudy purity of heart? When, therefore, prophets and apostles speak of circumcifion as having a relation to the heart, they say no more about the meaning of that rite, than what God had, before, plainly intimated to Abraham, when he told him, that circumcifion was a token of the covenant which he had made with him.

§. 3. THE Dr. having taken notice of this new explanation of circumcifion, which he supposes to have been made by prophets and apostles, long after the inftitution of it, he fubjoins, "I doubt not but evidence of the

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"fame kind will appear more abundantly "in the cafe before us." To this I reply, that if the Dr. proves his notions, about the meaning, efficacy, and defign of Jewish facrifices, were the notions which prophets and apoftles had of them; or, that there is as much evidence of the truth of these notions, as there is of circumcifion's having a relation to the heart, every Christian ought, and every good Chriftian will, be ready to receive them as true and just notions and if the evidence fhould happen to be more abundant in this than the other cafe, they, who do not yield to it, will be utterly inexcufable.—Let us, therefore, proceed to the examination of the fcripture-evidence which the Dr. has produced in support of these notions.

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Scripture-evidence produced by Dr. Taylor.

§. 4." THE Temple, fays the Dr. where the facrifical rites were folemnized, is called "the house of prayer, Ifai. lvi. 7. And with "relation too to the facrifices and burnt

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offerings there offered. For fo the Lord fpeaks, All the fons of the ftranger that join themfelves to the Lord to ferve him; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, (upon which the temple ftood,) and « make them joyful in my house of prayer: "their burnt-offerings and their facrifices

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Shall be accepted upon mine altar; for "mine boufe fhall be called an boufe of prayer

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for all people. Here prayer, or folemn "addrefs to God, and facrifices, are terms

equipollent. And it is farther obfervable, "that the temple, here called of God an "house of prayer, is alfo called of God an "boufe of facrifice, 2 Chron. vii. 12. I have chofen this boufe to myself, for an houfe of facrifice. Incense was an emblem of prayer; fee Luke i. 10. Rev. viii. 3, 4.

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"And facrifice too comes under the fame "notion of addrefs to God, Pfal. cxli. 2. "Let my prayer be fet forth before thee as incenfe, aud the up-lifting of my hands as "the evening facrifice."

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EXAMINATION.

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§. 5. In this paragraph, the Dr. gives us two ideas of facrifice, which seem to me to be inconfiftent. He tells us, first, that sacrifices and prayer are terms equipollent and then, towards the end of the graph, he fays, that facrifice comes under the fame notion as incenfe, which, he tells us, was an emblem of prayer. Now these two ideas of facrifice cannot be both true: for if facrifice and prayer be equipollent terms, or words of the fame fignification,

See Scrip. doc. of Aton. Chap. II. §. 20.

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