And as the Salvation itself was typify'd ESSAY by temporal Bleffings, fo the way to this III. Salvation, which was Repentance and Trust in the Mercy of God thro' the Meffiah, was typify'd by offering Sacrifices of Blood, and by many Washings and Purifyings, both by Blood and Water, which implied a Confeffion of their Defilement: And the Saints or righteous Men of that Day, hoped for the Mercy of God, as discover'd more plainly in the Promises, and perhaps alfo, fome might understand it as hinted in these Types and Figures. They knew that Blefjedness was to come upon Men to whom God imputed not their Sins, or to whom the Lord imputed Righteousness, or accounted them as righteous in his Sight by his Mercy, tho' they were very imperfect, and far from Righteousness, i. e. a perfect justifying Righteoufnefs, even if they put together all their Works of Obedience to the Commands of God. David often fpeaks of the Impoffibility of our attaining the Acceptance of God by our Works, Pf. cxxx. and cxliii. 14 and 19. If thou shouldeft mark Iniquities, O Lord, who fhall ftand? Enter not into Judgment with thy Servant, for in thy Sight shall no Man living be justify'd. There is none Righteous; no, not one. Who can understand bis Errors? He feeks for Pardon of Sin by Repentance and Truft in the Mercy of God, P. li. and cxliii. &c. And he pronounces

K 4

the

ESSAY Bleffedness of those to whom God forgives III. their Iniquities, Pf. xxxii. or to whom he im

putes Righteoufness without Works, as St. Paul explains him. Rom. iv. 6. and * this

encou

*And here, by the way, I would take Occafion to relieve or explain one great Difficulty, which occurs in the reading of St. Paul's Epiftles; efpecially thofe to the Romans and the Galatians. 'Tis evident that when St. Paul defigns to reprefent the Terms of the Covenant of Works, (viz.) Do this and live, and Curfed is every one that continues not in all Things written in the Book of the Law to do them, Rom. x. 5. Gal. iii. 10, 12. he doth it by Citations out of the Old Teftament, or the Jewish Scriptures, because the Language of the Political Covenant which God made with the Jews, (as he was their King, and they were his Nation or People) was the Language of the Covenant of Works, and God governed them very much in that way with regard to their temporal Rewards and Punishments.

On the other Hand, when St. Paul gives us the Terms of the Covenant of Grace, or the Gofpel, (viz.) Faith in the Grace of God thro' a Saviour, he alfo cites the Old Teftament, or the Jewish Scriptures. So Rom. iii. 21. Rom. iv. 3, 6, 7. Rom. x. 6 — 11. Gal. iii. 8, 11. Because the Covenant of Grace, or the way of Salvation and Eternal Life, was alfo prefcribed, tho' in a more cbfcure manner, in the Old Teftament, partly by Promifes made to Repentance and Trust in the Mercy of God, and a Meffiab that was to come, and , partly by Sacrifices and Washings, which were Types and Figures of Repentance and Pardon, thro' the Blood of Christ, and Sanctification of the Spirit. Thus the Righteousness of God was witneffed by the Law and the Prophets. Rom. iii. 21. I think without this Clue 'tis impoffible to read and understand the great Apostle's Way of arguing in thofe Epiftles. See more in the Harmony of all the Religions that God ever prefcribed. Chap. v.

and vi.

2

encouraged him to confefs his Sins, and re- ESSAY pent of them, as in P. xxxii. and li. and III.

CXXX.

Thus it appears, that the bare keeping the Commandments of the Law was neither under the Old Testament nor the New, the way to Salvation and Eternal Life for Sinners: But fince the Law was weak, and unable to fave, by reafon of the weakness of our Flefb or finful Nature, Rom. viii. 3. that is, fince the Law promifes Life only to thofe who obey the Commands perfectly, and Men could not obtain Life this way by reafon of the Imperfection of their Obedience, there were many Calls to Repentance, and to truft in the Mercy of God, given to the Jews, in the Old Teftament, as the prefcribed way for Sinners to obtain Salvation; which Duties, together with the Grounds of them, and the Bleffings promised to them, are much more clearly revealed in the New Teftament.

x. 9.

ર

4

I might confirm thefe Answers to Dr. Whitby, out of his own Expofition on Rom. "Juftification (faith he is here exprefly afcribed to Faith; and that not as including Works, but only as being that "Principle which, when it is cordial and fincere, will certainly produce them: I fay, not as including all thofe Works which by the Gofpel are required to Salvation, "for then the Righteousness of Faith must

"be

ESSAY" be defcribed as the Righteousness of the III. " Law (viz.) that the Man who doth thefe things fhall live in them, which is contrary to the Words of the Apoftle, ver. 5, 6." So far does the Force of Truth, in fome Places, conftrain honest Minds to admit and confess what in other Places they are very unwilling to allow, and which they almost contradict: But this must be charged on the common or univerfal Influence of human Frailty and mistaken Prejudices, and for want of an equal, uniform, fimultaneous and comprehenfive View of all the Parts of Religion together, which no human Mind perhaps in the prefent State can arrive at.

Object. 4. There is another Objection which may be ftarted against my Expofition of this Text, that is drawn from Rev. ii. 2, 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter through the Gates into the City, i. e. into Heaven, and enjoy Eternal Life. Surely, fay fome, these Words must be acknowledged to be the Language of the Gofpel, or the Covenant of Grace, and not of the Law or the Covenant of Works: For they are the Words of Chrift himself, after his Afcenfion to Heaven, and yet 'tis plain that doing the Commandments is here reprefented as the way to obtain Eternal Life in Heaven.

Anfw.

Anfw. But 'tis as plain that Doing the ESSAY III. ten Commandments of the moral Law, are not the only things that are meant here in this Text: But these Commandments which give a right to the Tree of Life, &c. include at leaft, if not chiefly defign, the peculiar Commands of God in the Gospel, (viz.) Repentance for Sin, Faith in the pardoning Mercy of God through a Redeemer, which is productive of Love to God and Man. To prove this, read Matt. iv. 17. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, Mark i. 15. Repent and believe the Gospel, Mark xvi. 16. He that believeth fhall be faved. John iii. 22, 23. And whatfoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his Commandments, and do thofe things that are pleafing in his Sight: And this is his Commandment, that we fhould believe on the Name of his Son Jefus Chrift, and love one another as he gave us Commandment.

Now as Adam by doing the peculiar Commands which God gave to him, might have obtained a Right to the Benefits of the literal Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, (i. e. Immortality) So Chriftians by doing the peculiar Commandments of the Gofpel, may be faid, in fome Senfe, to obtain a Right to the Benefits of the fpiritual Tree of Life (i. e. Chrift Jefus) and may enter into Heaven: But a mere Obedience to the Commandments of the moral Law is never prescribed

as