and interpretations of Scriptures; and which is the foundation of the erroneous doc-: trines and practices of the Jews to this day.

And here I shall take leave to transcribe the interpretation of the vision in Zech. v. 6-11. given by that learned man George Eliezer Edzard", it being very ingenious and uncommon, and much to our present purpose. This learned man observes, that the preceding vision of the flying roll describes the sad corruption of manners among the Jews, in the three or four former ages of the second temple; doctrine remaining pretty sound among them; which corruption of manners was punished by the incursions of the Lagida and Seleucidæ, kings of Egypt and Syria, into Judea, as the vision represents. The following vision of a woman sitting in an ephah, and shut up in it, and then transported by two other women into the land of Shinar; he thus interprets: by the woman, who, by way of emi nency, is called wickedness, is to be understood the impious and false doctrine devised by the Pharisees and Sadducees; and other corrupt doctors of the Jews in the latter times of the second temple, and handed down to posterity; compared to a woman, because it had nothing manly, nothing true, nothing solid in it; and moreover, caused its followers to commit spiritual fornication, and allured to it by its paints, flatteries, and prittle-prattle: and it is called wickedness because not only the less fundamentals, but the grand fundamentals, and principal articles of faith, concerning the mystery of the Trinity, the Deity of the Son of God, and of the Holy Spirit, the person and office of the Messiah, were sadly defiled by it; and in the room of them were substituted, traditions, precepts, and inventions of men; than which greater impiety cannot be thought of; and which issued in the contempt and rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah, sent as the Saviour of the world; and in the persecution of the preachers of the gospel, and putting a stop to the course of it, as much as could be; and which drew with it a train of other sins. The ephah, he thinks, designs the whole body of the people of the Jews, throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee; which ephah was first seen as empty, ver. 6. and this being a dry measure, with which wheat and such like things were measured, the food of the body, a proper type of the heavenly doctrine, the food of the soul: by the emptiness of the ephah is intimated, that sound doctrine, about the time of the Messiah's coming, would be banished out of Judea, and the neighbouring parts and most of the inhabitants thereof would be destitute of the knowledge of the pure faith. And the wicked woman sitting in the midst of the ephah, and filling it, not a corner of it, but the whole; and is represented not as lying prostrate, but sitting; denotes the total corruption of doctrine, its power and prevalence, throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee; obtaining in all places, synagogues, schools, and seats, and pulpits, and among all sorts of inhabitants; the few being crushed who professed the sound doctrine of the Trinity, and of the person and office of the Messiah. And whereas a talent of lead was seen lifted up; this signifies the divine decree concerning the destruction of the Jews and their polity by the Romans; which should be most surely executed on them, for their corruption of doctrine, and for sins that flowed from thence. The lifting up of the talent, not only prefigured the near approach of the judgment, but the setting it before

:

Præfat. ad Annotat. in Tract. Beracot.

the eyes of the people, to be beheld through the ministry of Christ, and his apostles, before it was executed; that while there was hope,. if it might be, some might be brought to repentance, and to the acknowledgment of the true Messiah; but this failing of success, the talent was cast into the ephah, and upon the woman in it, signifying the destruction of the Jews; of which the angel that talked with Zachariah the prophet, and who was no other than the Son of God, was the principal author; Vespasian, and the Roman army under him, being only ministers and instruments. Not that hereby the woman, or the corrupt doctrine, was wholly extinguished; but it was depressed, and weakened, and reduced, and was among a few only, great numbers of the doctors and disciples of it being slain, and many of both classes being exiled; the temple and city burnt, heretofore the chief seat of it, and the schools throughout Judea destroyed, in which it was propagated. But in process of time the Jews restored some schools in Palestine, as at Jabneth, Zippore, Cæsarea, and Tiberias, in the last of which, R. Judah Hakkadosh compiled the Misnah, about A. D. 150. and after that came out the Jerusalem Talmud, A. D. 230. and after the death of the above Rabbi, his chief disciples went into Babylon, and carried with them the greatest part of the doctors and their scholars out of Palestine: so that doctrine by little and little disappeared in Judea, and entirely about the year 340, when R. Hillell died, the last of those promoted doctors in the land of Israel: and after this scarce any thing was heard of the schools and wise men of Palestine; but schools continued in Babylon for many ages; and this is what is meant in the last part of the symbolic vision of Zachariah, by the epbab being carried by two women into the land of Shinar, that is Babylon: By these two women are meant the Misnic and Gemaristic doctors; the two heads of which were Raf and Samuel, who went into Babylon a little after the death of R. Judah, the saint, and carried the woman, false doctrine, along with them; these are said to have wings like starks, fit for long journies, to fly with on high, and with swiftness, into remote parts; and fitly describes the above persons transporting their false doctrine into the remote parts of Babylon, far from Palestine; carrying great numbers from thence, which they did without weariness, and with as much celerity as they could: and the wind being in their wings, denotes the cheerfulness with which the Jewish. Rabbins pursued their studies till they had finished their design, the Talmud, which they could not perfect without the inpulse and help of an evil spirit, signified by the wind. And here in Babylon they hails an hause for their false doctrine, erected various schools, in which it was taught and propagated; and so it was established and set on its own bise, and continued for 820 years or more. This is the sense which this learned man gives of the vision; on which I shall make no more remarks than I have done, by saying it is ingenious and une common, and suits with the subject I am upon, which introduced it, and opens the source of the corruption of doctrine among the Jews, and shews the continuanceof it, and the means thereof.

Having traced supernatural theology, or divinity, to the times of Christ; let us a little look back upon the theology of the Pagans, before we proceed any further, At, or a little after, the building of Babel, and the dispersion of the people, idolatry began to appear; the knowledge of the true God was greatly lost, and the worship of him neglected. Some say this began in the days of Serug, but perhaps,

d a

it might be earlier: the first objects of it seem to be the sun and moon; which it is certain obtained in the times of Job; and then their kings and heroes, whom they deified after death; and which at length issued in a multiplicity of gods throughout the several nations of the earth; and what of truth remained among them, was disguised with fables; or, to use the apostle's phrase, they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator; their foolish hearts being darkened. The theology of the Pagans, according to themselves, as Scævola and Varro, was of three sorts,-1. Mystic, or fabulous, which belonged to the poets, and was sung by them.-2. Physic, or natural; which belonged to the philosophers, and were studied by them.-3. Politic, or civil, which belonged to princes, priests, and people; being instituted by the one, exercised by the other, and enjoined the people. The first of these may well be called fabulous, as treating of the theogony and genealogy of their deities; in which they say such things as are unworthy of deity; ascribing to them thefts, murders, adulteries, and all manner of crimes; and therefore this kind of theology is condemned by the wiser sort of heathens as nugatory and scandalous; the writers of this sort of theology were Sanchoniatho, the Phoenician; and of the Grecians, Orpheus, Hesiod, Pherecydes, &c. The second sort, called physic, or natural, was studied and taught by the philosophers; who, rejecting the multiplicity of gods introduced by the poets, brought their theology to a more natural and rational form; and supposed that there was but one supreme God, which they commonly make to be the sun; at least as an emblem of him; but at too great a distance to mind the affairs of the world, and therefore devised certain demons, which they considered as mediators between the supreme God and man: and the doctrines of these dæmons, to which the apostle is thought to allude in 1 Tim. iv. 1. were what the philosophers had a concern with, and who treat of their nature, office, and regard to men; as did Thales, Pythagoras, Plato, and the Stoics. The third part, called politic, or civil, was instituted by legislators, statesmen, and politicians: the first among the Romans was Numa Pompilius; this chiefly respected their gods, temples, altars, sacrifices, and rites of worship; and was properly their idolatry; the care of which belonged to the priests; and this was enjoined the common people, to keep them in obedience to the civil state. Thus things continued in the Gentile world, until the light of the gospel was sent among them; the times before that were times of ignorance, as the apostle calls them; they were ignorant of the true God, and of the worship of him; and of the Messiah, and salvation by him: their state is truly described, Eph. ii. 12. that they were then without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. And consequently, their theology was insufficient for the salvation of

them.

But to return to supernatural theology, where we left it, having traced it to the times of Christ: at whose coming, and through whose ministry, and that of his forerunner, and of his Apostles, it revived and lift up its head, and appeared in all its purity, splendour, and glory. John was a man sent from God, to bear witness to the light that was just rising, even the sun of righteousness, the day-spring from Apud. Ib. l. 6. c. 5.

Apud. Augustin. de Civ. Dei, 1. 4. c. 27.

on high; the great light that should lighten those that sat in darkness with a supernatural light; he declared the kingdom of Heaven, or gospel-dispensation was at hand, and just ushering in; and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin, and administered that gospel-ordinance. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners, had spoke to the fathers by the prophets, now spoke to men by his Son:" Christ his only begotten son, who lay in his bosom, came and declared him; who and what he was, and what was his mind and will: he brought the doctrines of grace and truth with him; and spoke such words of grace, truth, and wisdom, as never man spoke; his doctrine was not human, but divine; it was not his own as man, he received it from his Father, and delivered to his apostles; who having a commission from him to preach it, and being qualified for it, with the gifts and graces of his Spirit in great abundance, they went into all the world and preached the gospel to every creature; and diffused the savour of his knowledge in every place; they had the deep things of God revealed unto them; things, which could never have been discovered by the light of nature; nor were revealed in the law of Moses; things which eye had not seen, nor ear heard, nor ever entered into the heart of man;" which the reason of men could never have descried; "they spoke the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory." In the books of the New Testament are written, as with a sun-beam, those truths of pure revelation, the doctrines of a Trinity of divine persons in the Godhead; of the eternal Sonship, distinct personality and deity of Christ, and of his several offices as Mediator; and of the distinct personality and deity of the Holy Spirit; and of his operations of grace upon the souls of men; of the everlasting and unchangeable love of the three divine persons to the elect; of the predestination of them to the adoption of children; and of their eternal election in Christ to grace and glory; of the covenant of grace made with them in Christ, and the blessings of it; of redemption by Christ, full pardon of sin through his blood, free justification from sin by his righteousness, and plenary satisfaction for it by his atoning sacrifice; of regeneration, or the new birth; effectual calling; conversion, and sanctification, by the efficacious grace of the Spirit; of the saints final perseverance in grace to glory, and of the resurrection from the dead, and a future state of immortal life and happiness; all which are brought to light by the gospel of Christ. And these are the sum and substance of supernatural theology, and the glory of it. And whilst the apostles continued, and other ministers of the word raised up in their times, these doctrines were held fast, and held forth with great clearness and perspicuity; but as the historian says, after the holy company of the apostles had ended their lives, and that generation was gone, which was worthy to hear the divine wisdom, then a system of impious error took place, through the deceit of false teachers; false doctrine was attempted to be introduced, in opposition to the truth of the gospel, which had been preached; not one of the apostles remaining to oppose it. The doctrines of divine revelation, Satan, by his emissaries, set himself against to undermine and destroy, were the doctrines of the Trinity; the incarnation of Christ, of a virgin; his proper deity, as by some, and his real humanity, as by others; his eternal Sonship, or his being begotten of the Father before all worlds.

Egesippus apud. Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 1 3. 6. 32.

The school at Alexandria, from whence came several of the Christian doctors, as Pantænus, Clemens, Origen, &c. served very much to corrupt the simplicity of the gospel; for though it mended the Platonic philosophy, it marred the Christian doctrine; and laid the foundation for Arianism and Pelagianism, which in after-times so greatly disturbed the church of God. As many of the fathers of the Christian church were originally Pagans, they were better skilled in demolishing Paganism, than in building up Christianity; and indeed they set themselves more to destroy the one, than to illustrate and confirm the other: there was a purity in their lives, but a want of clearness, accuracy, and consistence in their doctrines: it would be endless to relate how much the Christian doctrine was obscured by the heretics that rose up in the latter part of the first century, and in the second, as well as after by Sabellians, Photinians, Samosatenians, Arians, Eutychians, Nestorians, Macedonians, Pelagians, &c. though God was pleased to raise up instruments to stop their progress, and preserve the truth, and sometimes very eminent ones; as Athanasius against the Arians, and Austin against the Pelagians. The gospel in its simplicity, through the power of divine grace attending it, made its way into the gentile world, in these first centuries, with great success; and paganism decreased before it; and which in the times of Constantine received a fatal blow in the Roman Empire; and yet by degrees pagan rites and ceremonies were introduced into the Christian church; and what with them, and errors in doctrine, and other things concurring, made way for the man of sin to appear; and that mystery of iniquity, which had been secretly working from the times of the apostles, to shew its head openly; and brought in the darkness of popery upon almost all that bore the Christian name.

In the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, flourished a set of men called schoolmen; these framed a new sort of divinity, called from them scholastic theology; the first founder of which some make to be Damascene, among the Greeks; and others Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, among the Latins; though generally Peter Lombard is reckoned the father of these men; who was followed by our countryman Alexander Hales; and after him were Albertus Magnus, Bonaventure, and Thomas Aquinas; and after them Duns Scotus, Durandus, and others; their divinity was founded upon and confirmed by the philosophy of Aristotle; and that not understood by them, and wrongly interpreted to them; for as they could not read Aristotle in his own language, the Greek, they were beholden to the Arabic interpreters of him, who led them wrong. Their theology lay in contentious and litigious disputations; in thorny questions, and subtle distinctions; and their whole scheme was chiefly directed to support antichristianism, and the tenets of it; so that by their means popish darkness was the more increased, and Christian divinity was banished almost out of the world; and was only to be found among a few, among the Waldenses and Albigenses, and the inhabitants of the valleys of Piedmont, and some particular persons and their followers, as Wickliff, John Huss, and Jerom of Prague; and so things continued till the reformation begun by Zuinglius and Luther, and carried on by others; by whose means evangelical light was spread through many nations in Europe; the doctrines of the apostles were revived, and supernatural theology once more lifted up its head; the reformed churches published their confessions of faith, and many eminent men wrote common places, and systems of divinity; in which they all agreed in the main, to