Passover chose to be sacrificed on the very day that the Iews eat their Paschal Lamb. It is remarkable that Christ who came to abolish the Typical and Ceremonious Service of the Iews yet just before his leaving the World submitted to this Mosaical Observance and kept it with his Disciples which certainly he would never have done if it had not been to signifie this very thing which I am treating of viz. that He was the True and Real Paschal Lamb and that before he died he designed to let them know that there was an exact Resemblance and Agreement between one and the other and more especially as to the Times This hath been partly proved already I will now give farther evidence of it It is a mighty Controversy among some Writers whether Christ kept the Passover on the same day the Iews did or the day before Some are of the opinion that the Lamb according to the Law was to be killed on that night Christ kept his Passover but was to be eaten the next Evening Therefore they say Christ eat not the Paschal Lamb but only celebrated the Passover with Unleavened Bread and Bitter Herbs But this is only said and not proved On the contrary we know that the Paschal Lamb was to be kill'd and eaten in the same night Exod 12. 8. Dent. 16. 4. Yea all of it was to be eaten that very night nothing was to remain till the morning Next then it is to be demanded whether Christ eat the Passover on the same night with the Iews I answer he did not keep the Passover on the same night that the Iews did but on the night before i. e. on the Evening of the day before Not that Christ anticipated the time of celebrating the Passover according to the Law as the Greek Church holds but he kept the true time he celebrated it according to Moses's Law i. e. on the 14 th day of the first Month which answer'd to our March after Evening Levit. 23. 5 Mat. 26. 17 c. But the Jews contrary to the Law eat the Passover on the Evening of the day following being the 15 th day This they did according to a Custom among them which had obtain'd for a good while I will at present offer only one Text as a clear proof of this their practice In Iohn 18. 28. 't is said of the jews that they went not into the Iudgment Hall lest they should be defiled but that they might 〈◊〉 the Passover Thence it appears that they had not at that time viz. on Friday morning eaten the Passover which Christ and his Apostles had done therefore Christ kept the Passover a Night sooner then the Iews did they eat not theirs till the Evening after Christ was crucified i. e. on Friday Night or Evening This following Scheme will represent it to you more clearly which also will be serviceable to clear some other passages in the Evangelical History which I find are mistaken by some Persons On the 10th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 1st Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Our Sunday or Lord's Day Christ Came from Bethany and enâ—â—ed into Ierusalem in triumph Mat. 21. 1 c. and return'd to Bethany in the Evening Mat. 21. 17. On the 11th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 2d Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Monday Christ Cursed the Figree as he return'd from Bethany Mat. 21. 18 c. On the 12th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 3rd Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Tuesday Christ Foretold the destruction of Ierusalem Mat. 24. 1. On the 13th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 4th Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Wednesday Christ Was sold by Iudas Mat. 26. 14. On the 14th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 5th Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Thursday the day of the Preparat to the Passover Feast according to the Law Christ In the evening eat the Paschal Lamb with his Disciples instituted the Lord's Supper Met. 26. 20. Afterwards was appreheaded and arraign'd Mat 26. 57. Joh. 18. 13. On the 15th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 6th Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Friday the day of Preparation by the Jews custom Christ Was arraign'd again condemn'd crucified and buried Mat. 27. In the Evening of this day the Jews eat the Passover Ioh. 18. 28. On the 16th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 7th or Sabbath Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Saturday or Jews Sabbath on which they observ'd the Passover Feast Christ Lay in the Grave all this day Mat. 27. 62 c. On the 17th Day of the Month 〈◊〉 which answers to our March being the 1st Day of the week according to the Jews which answers to Sunday or Id's D. Christ Rose from the Dead very early Mat. 28. 1. Some Writers because the Jews day of 24 Hours was reckoned from Sun set to Sun-set take the Evening of the 14 th day of the Month to be the beginning of the next day the 15 th for if the day commenc'd from the Evening then the Evening of the 14 th day belong'd to the next ensuing Day But this is to be said that tho 't is true the Jewish Feasts took their beginning in the Evening and the natural Day was counted from Evening to Evening yet the 〈◊〉 Day of 12 Hours began with Sun-rising and ended at Sun-set and the sormer part of the insuing Night was added to the account and consequently the Evening of the 14 th day was reckon'd as part of that Day However if you should say that the Evening of the 14 th day belonged to the 15 th which followed you may make allowance for that in the Scheme and adjust the foremention'd time by a small alteration but still it holds true that the Passover was not killed and eaten by Christ and his Apostles on the same day that the Jews kill'd and eat their Passover as appeareth from the place before alledged And this is very remarkable for the Jews putting off their Passover a day longer contrary to their own Law was not without the disposal of the All-wise God that hereby the Paschal Lamb and he that was represented by it might be slain on the same day Which shews the Agreement and Resemblance between Christ and the Iewish Passover which was the thing I here intended 4. The Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost for it was known by both those Names was another of those greater Feasts observ'd by the Jews It was call'd the Feast of Weeks because it was kept at the and of seven Weeks i. e. 49 Days
Levit. 23. 15 16. and it had the Greek name of Pentecost because the first day of it was the 50 th day after the first day of the Passover as Whitsunday is 50 days after Easter This Feast it is probable is meant by the second Sabbath after the first Luke 6. 1. for the day of Pentecost falling then on a Sabbath is call'd the second Sabbath after the first or the second Prime or chief Sabbath because the Passover before being on a Sabbath Day was the first Prime or chief Sabbath So then in respect of that this is call'd the second chief Sabbath as the Feast of Tabernacles which come afterwards may be call'd the third chief Sabbath Thus Grotius and Hammond but Scaliger and Lightfoot refer it to the Feast of Vnleaven'd Bread and make it the first Sabbath after the second day of the Passover The Feast of Pentecost began on the sixth day of the Month Sivan which answers to our May and the Harvest began at this time Wherefore it is call'd the Feast of Harvest and the Feast of First-fruits of what was sown in the Field Exod. 23. 16. Then the first-fruits of the Corn were offer'd to God So I may call it the Iewish Lammass Sax. Lafmasse i. e. Loas-Masse or Bread-Masse so call'd heretofore as a Feast of Thanksgiving to God for the First-fruits of the Corn. But when the Feast of Pentecost is called the Feast of Harvest we must understand this aright and I mention it the rather because some Writers have mistaken here and represented the Matter amiss we must know then that there were two Harvests among the Jews but not in the same order that they are with us for their Barley-harvest began first viz. at the Passover and their Wheat-harvest was seven weeks after that It is of this latter that the foresaid Text in Exodus is meant This Feast was of seven days continuance but the first and last days were most solemnly kept it was instituted in memory of the Law given on Mount Sinai fifty days after the Passover Lev. 23. 15 c. 5. There was the Feast of Tabernacles which began on the 15 th day of the 7 th Month or September according to the computation of the Sacred Year which commenced from March Levit. 23. 34 c. It continued eight days in the first seven of which they dwelt in Tabernacles or Booths made of the Boughs of these Trees especially Willow Palm Mirtle Whatever weather happen'd they remain'd in these Tabernacles so many days together They used at this time to hold in their hands Branches of Trees which they call'd Hosannas because when they had them in their hands it was their custom to cry Hasanna Save now The first and last days were the chiefest as it was in all their Feasts On the last day they fetch'd Water out of the River Siloah and brought it to the Temple which they delivered to the Priest who poured it with Wine upon the Altar the People singing that in Isa. 12. 3. Hence our Saviour took occasion on this last day of the Feast to cry saying If any Man thirst let him come unto me and drink c. Iohn 7. 37 38. This Anniversary Feast was kept in remembrance of the 40 Years sojourning in the Wilderness all which time they dwelt in Tabernacles These are they which the Jews call Shalosh regalim the great Feasts but more especially they call the three last so which you find mentioned together in Exod. 23. 14 15. Three times in the Year shalt thou keep a Feast unto me thou shalt keep the Feast of Vnleavened Bread i. e. the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Ingathering which is in the end of the Year i. e. the Feast of Tabernacles these three times in the Year shall all thy Males appear before the Lord i. e. they were to go from their own Habitations up to Shiloh and afterwards to Ierusalem on these three principal Feasts But the other lesser Feasts which they call'd Good Days were kept in the Place and Cities where they lived Of these I am to speak next The lesser Feasts are these two 1. The Feast of Trumpets or New-years Day for they made a solemn promulgation of the New Year by sounding of Trumpets at that time more than at another As they kept the first day of every Month of which we spoke before so likewise of every Year i. e. they celebrated the first day of the Month Tisri or September because it was the first day of the Year according to the AEra that they computed their Civil Years by There are some that think the Feast of Trumpets was in remembrance of the Trumpets on Mount Sinai when the Law was given Exod. 19. 16 19. 2. The Feast of Expiation for in a general way it may be call'd a Feast and so it is reckon'd among the Feasts Levit. 23. 2. but not strictly and properly because it was not a day of rejoycing which is essential to a Feast but was spent wholly in Repentance Humiliation and Mourning Yet it is call'd a Feast because it was a day of Resting on this day they were to do no manner of work Lev. 23. 31. which is not enjoyn'd concerning any other Feast but the Grand Sabbath or Weekly Feast on other feast-Feast-days they were forbid only to do servile Work Levit. 23. 21 36. and so on that account this day may be stiled a Festival But otherwise it ought to be call'd the Fâ—st of Expiation for it was a great Fast nay it was the only Fast-day that was injoyn'd the Jews by Moses's Law tho others were observ'd by their own free choice It was kept on the 10 th day of the 7 th Month Tisri on which the High Priest Solemnly enterd as hath been shew'd before into the Holy of Holies to expiate for his own and the peoples Sins committed the whole Year before This Fast is meant in Acts 27. 9. and thence it is gather'd that sailing was then dangerous that season of the Year being usually boistrous and tempestuous Concerning the Modern Jews Buxtorf tells us that on this day every Man Kill'd a Cock and a white Cock it was and of no other colour and every Woman Kill'd a Hen and this they thought was expiatory and satisfy'd for their former Faults and took away their past Sins Besides the Festivals and solemn Days commanded in the Mosaick Law there were others appointed by the Iewish Church some of which are recorded in the Old Testament and on that account belong to the Iewish Dispensation These were 1. The Feast of the Law or of the rejoycing of the Law on which day was read the last Parasha in the Pentatâ—uch i. e. the last Chapter but one of Deuteronomy For the Law was divided into 52 Sections and on every Sabbath they read one of them the last reading was on the 23 d of September The next Sabbath the Law was begun to be read again and
Sacred Trinity about the making of Man His Excellency What God's Image in Man is not What it is largely discours'd of The various Opinions concerning Paradise It is proved by sundry Arguments that it was in Babylon An account of its Four Rivers An Objection fully answered whereby the Author's Opinion concerning those Rivers is explain'd and establish'd The Employment of our First Parents in Paradise Besides the Law of Nature there were these positive Laws in the State of Primitive Integrity 1. That of Matrimony 2. That concerning Propagation 3. Observing the Sabbath or Seventh Day It is proved that Adam and Eve kept this Day 4. Abstaining from the Fruit of a certain Tree in the Garden of Eden An Account of the Tree of Lifâ— and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. The prohibiting of this latter shew'd in several Particulars to be Reasonable and Equitable 5. The Covenant of Works Not only the first Man and Woman but all their Race were under this First Dispensation Page 1 CHAP. II. The Nature of the Second General Dispensation The several particular Ingredients of the First Sin Its Aggravation from the Matter of it What kind of Creature the Serpent was whom the Devil made use of in seducing our first Parents It was not a firy flying Serpent but an ordinary one Wherein the Subtilty of this Animal consisted That Adam and Eve fell not on the same day in which they were made is proved from Scripture and Reason The dreadful Effects of the Fall which related to themselves Others which belong'd not only to them but to their whole Race Death was the Penal Consequence of the First Defection The Inward and Spiritual Evils that attended it are enumerated How Man became like the Beasts Eternal Death the Fruit of his Apostacy The Penalty insticted on the Serpent Not only our First Parents but all Mankind were under this Second Dispensation p. 49 CHAP. III. The Nature of the Third General Dispensation The first part of which is the Adamick State The early Promise concerning the Messias Gen. 3. 15. explain'd He was expected betimes The New Testament witnesses that he was to bruise the Serpent's Head Several positive Laws were under this Occonomy That of Oblations and Sacrifices is especially consider'd Eucharistical Sacrifices were part of the Law of Nature Expiatory and Bloody onec were not so Thence these latter were disapproved of by the wisest Heathens They are founded upon Divine Institution The Practice of Sacrificing among the Pagans was derived to them by Tradition from the Jews or the foregoing Patriarchs Whether sacrifices were prescribed before or after the Fall of our First Parents Concerning the Primitive Priesthood The Distinction of clean and unclean Animals was in respect of Sacrificing not Eating Gen. 4. 26. explain'd and a settled Church founded upon it Marrying with Infidels seems to be prohibited under this Dispensation The Rise of Polygamy The seven Precepts said to be given to the Sons of Adam and Noah The Improbability of this Jewish Tradition evinced from several Considerations The Mistakes of Volkelius and Episcopius concerning the Antediluvian Oeconomy p. 83 CHAP. IV. The Noachical Oeconomy The first Positive Law under it was about eating of Flesh. It is proved that this prevail'd nâ—â— till after the Flood Objections against it answer'd The Testimony of Pagans to confirm it The Reason of the Prohibition The second Positive Law was concerning not eating Flesh with the Blood The Reason of it The third Positive Law was concerning not shedding of Man's Blood With the Penalty of it And the Sanction of Magistracy Serâ—itude not introduced under this Dispensation The Longevity of the Patriarchs was common to all in those Times The Months and Years were of the same length then that they are now They were Solar not Lunar Years The Causes of the long Lives of those that lived before the Flood The Abrahamick Oeconomy With its several Steps and Advances The Nature of the Covenant made with Abraham Now the Faithful were separated and distinguish'd from the rest of the World Why they are called Hebrews The Nature and Design of Circumcision Vnder this Dispensation Altars were erected Tithes paid c. Of Polygamy and Concubines and other Vsages p. 112 CHAP. V. The Mosaick or Jewish Dispensation seems to be Preposterous The Law of Grace was veiled for a Season The Triple Law which this Oeconomy was famous for briefly display'd Four Reasons assigned why the World was so long without a Written Law The Ceremonial Law is part of this Dispensation The several things which are comprehended in it Oblations viz. of Inanimate things Sacrifices which were of Living Creatures An enumeration of those Sacrifices which were Set and Determined Others were Occasional viz. 1. Sin-Offerings 2. Trespass-Offerings 3. Peace-Offerings Some Remarks about Sacrifices The several Ends and Designs of this way of Worship How the Mosaick Sacrifices are said to Expiate It is largely proved that the guilt of all kinds of Sins whatsoever was Atoned by them The Objections to the contrary are answered The Principal End of the Judâ—ick Sacrifices was to typifie and represent the Sacrifiâ—e of Christ on the Cross. p. 145 CHAP. VI. The High-Priest's Office His peculiar Attire The Imployment and Apparel of the Pâ—iests The Levites particular Charge Whether they might sacrifice or no. Their Office in the Reigns of King David and King Solomon differ'd in some things from what it was before The ordinary and fixed Place of Worship and particularly of Sacrificing was the Tabernacle A particular Account of the three Divisions or Partitions of it viz. the Outward Court the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies with all things contain'd in them The Mystical and Spiritual meaning of the several Particulars The Travels and Removes of the Tabernacle and Ark. A distinct Account of the Parts of the Temple shewing wherein it differ'd from the Tabernacle Of the Fabrick it self and its Dimensions Houses and Chambers belonging to it The Sacraments appointed by the Ceremonial Law p. 173 CHAP. VII The Jewish Feasts Sabbaths New Moon Passover The Parallel between the Paschal Lamb and our Saâ—iour shew'd in several Particulars This Mystical Way approved of Christ celebrated not the Passover the same Evening that the Jews did but in the Evening before This represented in a Scheme The Feast of Pentecost The Feast of Tabernacles The Feast of Trumpets Of Expiation Other lesser Feasts not commanded in the Law but appointed by the Jewish Church Fasts kept tho not injoin'd by the Law The difference of Clean and Unclean Animals Why the latter were forbidden to be eaten The chief Reason of the prohibition was to prevent Idolatry Two Objections answer'd Vows proper to the Mosaick Dispensation They were either Personal or Real The Cherem p. 205 CHAP. VIII The Reasons of the Ceremonial Rites among the Jews They were to Try that People They were to Restrain them They were injoin'd in opposition to the Idolatrous Customs of the Heathens Several
Instances of this Dr. Spencer opposes it His two Parallels of the Jewish and Gentile Rites His Opinion shew'd to be unreasonable absurd and contradictious He makes the Eucharist an Imitation of a Pagan Barbarous Vsage Other Writers mention'd who have fallen into the like Notions The Ceremonial Law was prescribed the Jews because it was sutable to that Age and Disposition of the Church Particularly it agreed with them as they were Children and Minors It was serviceable to teach them something of Morality Those Ritual Observances were design'd to be Types and Representations of Greater and Higher things More especially they prefigured the Messias The Contents of the Judicial Law Some parts of it were in force before Moses's time What obligation it hath upon Christians now under the Gospel p. 240 CHAP. IX The several ways and kinds of Divine Revelation under the different Oeconomies Ordinary External Revelation was by hearing or by seeing Inward Reveâ—lâ—tion was by Dreams or Prophetick Inspiration What Prophecy was How thâ—y knew to distinguish between True Prophets and False ones The extraordinary ways of Revelation were 1. That which was vouchsaâ—ed to Moses alone The Nature of it It differ'd from other Revelations as to Degree oâ—ly 2. That from between the Cherubims 3. the Urim and Thummim These are not the same with the Teraphim They were not borrowed from Pagan Idolaters This would be a countenancing of Image-Worship The absurdity and impiety of their opinion who hold that the Urim and Thummim were of Heathen Extraction These were no other than those bare words written or engraven on the High Priest's Breastplate An Objection answer'd p. 264 CHAP. X. The Gentile Oeconomy Others besides those of the Family of Abraham were of the Church Some of these were in Palestine An enumeration of the several Opinions concerning Melchisedech He was a Canaanitish King and Priest Job's Countrey His Character His Friends Several other Pious and Religious Gentiles in other Countreys Hebrew Prophets sent to the people of other Nations Malachi speaks of True Worshippers among the Gentiles The Proselytes of the Gate The Proselytes of Righteousness Tho the Nations were generally for saken of God because of their Idolatry yet some among them professed and worshipped the True God Those places of Scripture in the Old and New Testament which set forth the peculiar Privileges of the Jewish People are not inconsistent with this No Nations were dâ—barr'd and excluded from God's Grace and Favour p. 285 CHAP. XI The Christian or Evangelical Oeconomy It agrees with the former Dispensations of Grace as to the Designation of the Messias As to the way of Salvation As to the Conditions and Qualifications of it This corroborated by the suffâ—â—ge of the Antient Fathers It differs from the Mosaick Oeconomy or Law as to the Author in some respect As to the Actual Discovery of it As to the Clearness of it As to its Spirituality As to its Extent As to several Circumstances that relate to the Conditions of Salvation which are largely enumerated As to the Motives of Obedience The Doctrine of the Socinians viz. that there were no Promises of Eternal Life under the Old Testament confuted As to the Perfection of its Pattern As to its Helps and Assistances This Query Whether Christ added any new Laws to those which were before under the Old Testament resolved in several Particulars It is proved against the Socinians that Prayer was commanded under the Law How Love is call'd a New Commandment p. 306 CHAP. XII An Answer to an Objection from Mat. 5. 17. shewing distinctly and particularly what is the Law and how Christ came to fulfil it It is held by some that Christ came to add New Precepts to the Moral Law In confutation of which Opinion it is proved that Anger is forbid by the Decalogue So is a Lustful Eye So is all Rash and Prophane Swearing So is Divorce unless in the case of Adultery So is Resisting of Evil. So is hating of our Enemies It is largely discuss'd whether it was lawful for the Israelites to hate the seven Nations whom they were commanded to destroy And whether the Command to destroy them was Absolute Objections from Deut. 13. 8 9. Psal. 139. 21. answer'd The Nature of the Two Covenants viz. of Works and of Grace fully stated The Conditions on our part How do this and live is applicable to the Covenant of Grace The Covenant made with the Israelites at the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai was the Covenant of Grace tho it seem'd to resemble the Covenant of Works The Covenant of Grace was completed and perfected by Christ's Coming and not before The Mediator the Terms the Seals of this Covenant now fully manifested It is proved that according to the Stile of Scripture the Old and New Covenant are the same Covenant of Grace p. 340 CHAP. XIII Tho we could assign no Reason why the Christian Oeconomy was so late and why our Saviour arrived no sooner in the World this is sufficient to satisfie us that it was God's pleasure it should be so But for the sake of the Inquisitive such Reasons and Considerations as these are offer'd 1. It must be remembred that Christ appear'd in the World even in the early times of the Patriarchs 2. The Benefits of Christ's Redemption were imparted to the Faithful before he actually appear'd in the flesh 3. The World was not fit to receive him sooner 4. He delay'd his Coming to make the World sensible of their Misery 5. That the Advantages of his Coming might be prized 6. It was congruous that so great a Prince should not arrive without solemn Harbingers and Heralds of his Coming 7. The necessities of Mankind call'd for him at that particular time and juncture when he came The Jewish Church grew worse and worse An enumeration of the several Sects and Factions which they were divided into viz. Essenes Pharisees Sadduces Herodians Samaritans Galilaeans 8. God proceedeth in a gradual Order and Method The most perfect things are reserved till the last p. 379 OF THE Different Dispensations OF RELIGION CHAP. I. The great Advantage of the present Vndertaking A general Distribution of the Work The State of Innocence The Folly of the Praeadamitick Opinion The solemn Consultation of the Sacred Trinity about the making of Man His Excellency What God's Image in Man is not What it is largely discours'd of The various Opinions concerning Paradise It is proved by sundry Arguments that it was in Babylon An account of its Four Rivers An Objection fully answered whereby the Author's Opinion concerning those Rivers is explain'd and establish'd The Employment of our First Parents in Paradise Besides the Law of Nature there were these positive Laws in the State of Primitive Integrity 1. That of Matrimony 2. That concerning Propagation 3. Observing the Sabbath or Seventh Day It is prov'd that Adam and Eve kept this Day 4. Abstaining from the Fruit of a certain Tree in the Garden of Eden An
Life without doubt was to consist in the Union of his Soul with the chief Good the infinite and eternal Being for it is this alone which constitutes the Happiness of Man His Mind being of a spiritual Nature could find no satisfaction but in an Object that was of that kind for a spiritual and intellectual Being must be entertain'd by its like But the chief happiness ought to be something that is above us and far exceeds us in excellency for the Capacities of the Mind cannot be happy in any thing that is of an inferior nature to them And the chief Good must be of infinite perfection otherwise the vast and capacious Faculties of the Soul cannot be satisfied Hence it follows that God alone was his supreme Blessedness which he was entirely to possess and enjoy by such a knowledg as was perfective of his Understanding and by such vehement and ardent Acts of Love whereby he might be intimately united to the eternal Good and live in perpetual â—ruition of it and that without Satiety for there is no excess in the chief Good it cannot be known desired loved or enjoy'd too much This was the designed Felicity of our first Parents Neither they nor their whole Race were to be liable to sorrow or misery of any kind but to be possessed of a constant and never-failing Happiness and after innumerable Ages and Successions they were in their courses to be taken up to a heavenly Paradise In this Oeconomy Adam had two sorts of Laws to conduct him viz. 1. The natural Law of Goodness and Righteousness in his own Breast The Light of Reason was his Guide and this shone very bright at that time He had true conceptions of things he had clear apprehensions of what was Good and Right Just and Holy He had a perfect knowledg of his Duty from this Law which God had implanted in his Nature 2. Besides this natural or moral Law Adam receiv'd positive Laws from God in this state of his Innocence and they were these three 1. There was the Law of Matrimony That this State of Life was instituted and appointed by God in Paradise is clear from what we read in Gen. 2. 24. God having made the Woman and brought her to the Man he pronounced the Law of Marriage in these words A Man shall leave his Father and his Mother and shall cleave unto his Wife and they shall be one Flesh. Here is the indissoluble Knot of Wedlock But yet this must be said that tho the first instituting and appointing of this State was from God yet the Law of Nature dictated something of it For this teacheth that two and no more agreeing to join in the Fellowship of Marriage should become one Flesh the Light of Reason discovers that a conjugal Union cannot consist of a Plurality Thus far Matrimony as 't is the joining of one Man to one Woman is a branch of the natural Law But as I have shew'd in another place a Law may be partly natural and partly positive and so is this It was positive because God himself directed our first Parents to this State of Matrimony But then Reason approving of the natural Equity of it it may be said to be a Law of Nature 2. The Hebrew Masters reckon that an absolute Precept Gen. 1. 28. Be fruitful and multiply and they look upon it as the first and the chiefest of all as out of several of their own Writers and out of Buxtorf is evident But others esteem it rather a Benediction wherein God approves of the propagation of Mankind as he doth also of other Creatures ver 22. Yet this we may grant that those words had the force of a Precept or Law as well as a Benediction with respect to our first Parents they had the full force of a Command to those two individual Persons Adam and Eve and indispensably obliged them because it was intended by God that Mankind should be increas'd and propagated by those two particular Persons But they are words of Approbation to all others afterwards that is they signify the lawfulness tho not the necessity of Matrimony and Generation 3. There was a positive Law given to Adam in his Integrity concerning the keeping of the Sabbath or observing the Seventh Day God blessed the Seventh Day and sanctified it Gen. 2. 3. i. e. he assign'd it for some special purpose he separated it from the other Days he dedicated it more especially to Divine Worship he set it apart to be the Feast of the World's Nativity to call to mind the Works of the Creation to magnify the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God in the framing of the Universe to extol his Providence in the World In short this Day was devoted to holy Uses and the more solemn Service of God This is blessing and sanctifying of that Day Indeed we read not that Adam kept this Day after this manner nor is it said that any of the old Patriarchs did But we know that many things were done which are not recorded Moses omits several Matters of Fact and he intending brevity in his History must needs do so but we may supply them by our own collective Reason Thus in the present case we find it expresly recorded that God blessed and sanctified the Seventh Day here he instituted the celebration of it We need not then question whether Adam and the righteous Men that succeeded him practis'd according to this divine Institution But if any shall question it I prove it thus First There was no imaginable reason why this Day should not be celebrated presently after it was instituted What was it sanctified and set apart for if not for this to be observ'd And can you conceive any thing that hindred this No certainly Therefore seeing it was instituted we may conclude it was kept that is that it was so from the Creation of the World If it be objected that Adam in Innocency lived free from Toil and Labour and therfore the cessation on the Seventh Day was not necessary or proper for him I answer It is true he was not subject to hard and uneasy labour and such as was accompanied with fatigue but it is as true that he was bid to dress and keep the Garden and consequently he was not unimploy'd he had ordinarily some bodily Work to do and to think of But there was a certain time set him by God's particular appointment on which he was to cease from this or any other worldly and corporeal Business that he might devote himself wholly to the Worship of God This was the Sabbath Day which he was to keep and there is no reason to think he did not keep it Secondly This appears from the reason of God's appointing and setting apart this Day His ceasing from his Works of the Creation on this Day was the ground of it And what did that infer but Man's cessation from working on that Day Gen. 2. 2 3. And can we think that God would
not require this at his hand Can we think that he would not take care to see this Rest from all labour observ'd Can we think that Adam and Eve the last Piece of the Divine Work did not call their Creation and Formation to remembrance and praise God for that as well as for his wonderful making of the World Can we reasonably and on good grounds imagine any of these things when the very Sabbath was instituted on purpose to perpetuate the memory of the Creation May we not rather say that it is expresly recorded that God blessed the Seventh Day before Adam's Fall to intimate to us what Adam and Eve were to do the next day after their Formation viz. to sanctify that Day in a solemn commemoration of the Divine Goodness to them Thirdly There are several passages in the Old Testament whence we may gather the early observation of the Seventh Day The keeping of it seems to be intimated in Gen. 8. 10. where we find that Noah divides the Time by Weeks or seven Days And so he doth again ver 12. Which being repeated seems to tell us that the Seventh Day was then observed in a religious way by Noah in the Ark who questionless had it from Adam who receiv'd it from God who instituted it to be a Commemoration of the Birth-day of the World of the Divine Blessings that accompanied the Creation It is not improbably conjectur'd by a Learned Writer that the Day when the Sons of God i. e. Iob's Sons and other Holy Men who are rightly call'd God's Sons or Children came to present themselves before the Lord Job 1. 6. 2. 1. was the Sabbath Day the Day when the Professors of Religion met together in the publick Assemblies for even in the Land of Vz they kept this solemn Day they living near the Hebrews who had it deriv'd to them from the Creation Further I desire it may be observ'd that there is express mention of the Sabbath Day before the Law was deliver'd on Mount Sinai To morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord Faith Moses Exod. 16. 23. And when that Day was come he thus speaks to them To Day is a Sabbath unto the Lord ver 25. And it is plain that it is meant of the Seventh day Sabbath because the Day before was the sixth day as you read in the foregoing Verse but more expresly in ver 26. there is mention of the Seventh Day which is the Sabbath It appears then that this Day was kept before the Decalogue was given and was antienter than the Laws of Moses And indeed the Fourth Commandment which enjoins the keeping holy the Sabbath Day seems to hint no less to us for when the Israelites are bid to remember to do this there is intimated to us in this manner of expression that it was kept holy before for remembrance hath regard to things past and so forgetting respects what hath been heretofore It might be observ'd also that it is call'd in this Commandment Ha Sabbath the Sabbath or that Sabbath which I have enjoin'd you before to keep The Article here seems to imply so much But however from what hath been said it is manifest that there was a day of Rest a keeping of a Sabbath observ'd before the Law of Moses And if before it then it was by virtue of this Primitive Institution which I am now speaking of and consequently the celebrating of this Day was from the beginning of the World In Paradise was given the Law of Sanctifying the Seventh Day as a Day of Rest and holy Worship as some of the ancient Writers of the Christian Church who search'd into this matter further than others have freely acknowledged And therefore those words Gen. 2. 3. God blessed the seventh Day are not proleptick as some groundlesly imagine but acquaint us that that Day was then instituted and was to be observ'd from that very time that they might be settled in the Truth of God's creating the World and not like Pagans think it to have been from Eternity This then must go along with the succeeding Dispensations Fourthly There was a positive Law given to Adam of abstaining from the Fruit of a certain Tree in the Garden of Eden We must know then that in Paradise were divers sorts of Trees but two of them were of more especial not than the rest The first was the Tree of Life which was called so because it was appointed by God to signify that if our first Parents did obey God's Command they should live for ever It was design'd to be a Sacrament of that Immortality which Man should have had if he had retain'd his Innocence This is clear from what is said in Gen. 3. 22. lest he take of the Tree of Life and eat and live for ever This Text proves against the Socinians that our first Parents should not have died if they had not transgressed the Divine Law and it proves that the Tree of Life was give them on purpose to perpetuate their lives The eating of the Fruit of that Tree would have been a means to have kept them from dying and to have made them immortal Yea this Tree was a Symbol of all Happiness as Life is taken in that sense very frequently Wisdom is said to be a Tree of Life to those that lay hold on her Prov. 3. 18. Which is thus explain'd in the next Verse Happy is every one that retaineth her As often then as our first Parents had eaten of the Tree of Life they were to be reminded by it that all manner of Bliss and Happiness was to be entail'd upon them and their Posterity if they continued in their Obedience and broke not the Command of God As long as they â—ed on this Tree they should be void of old Age Sickness Pains Cares and all troubles of Body and Mind till at last they should have been translated from the earthly Paradise to those compleat and eternal Regions of Bliss at God's right hand So that it was a Type of enternal Life and Bliss and a Sign and Seal of these to them if they had not apostatiz'd How long a time this particular course of preserving Health and Life should have continued if Mankind supposing in a state of Innocence had increas'd or whether other Trees of the same nature should have been produced in other Regions of the Earth or whether there should have been some other way of keeping Mens Bodies from decay I am not able to determine nor need we concern our selves about it The other Tree in the Garden which was of more note than the rest was the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. And they were strictly forbidden by God to eat of This they were by no means to taste any part of it It was call'd the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil because it was to try Adam whether he would do well or ill or because the observing of that Prohibition was to be
three Patriarchs who could give an Account of all that time wherein they lived which was above 2000 years were able to keep their Families and all other People that were near them in the knowledg of the true Religion and where they err'd and offended to correct them Thus Religion and Divine Worship might be faithfully transmitted from the beginning of the World to above twenty Centuries by three persons only The Church was then sufficiently taught by Tradition from Father to Son vivâ— vâ—câ— because of the Longevity of the Patriarchs some of whom lived 700 years others 800 or 900. For this reason the Church was without Scripturâ— almost five and twenty hundred years But afterwards when the years of mans Life were shortned God used another Method he taught men by a Written Law 2. The Degeneracy of the World was another Reason why the Law was committed to Writing The World at first had many Pious as well as Antient Patriarchs who were as Philo notes Living and Rational Laws and so stood in need of no Written ones for these are but Commentaries on those Old Fathers Lives But the Vices of men grew proportionable to their Numbers and when Mankind was spread wide up and down the Earth Immorality and Sin were dispersed likewise and the World became notoriously wicked The Deluge did not wash away the Contagion but in a considerable time after men were as bad as ever and the very Dictates of their Reasonable nature were discarded by them When they had thus obliterated the Law written on their minds God thence ingraved it on Tables of Stone If men had not been wonderfully corrupted there had been no need of this So faith the Apostle speaking of this Law It was not made for the Righteous but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners I Tim. 1. 9. The same he had intimated before in Gal. 3. 19. The Law was added because of transgression it was given to be a Check to their notorious Sins and that they might not offend uncontroul'd And this may be the meaning of the Apostle's words in Rom. 5. 20. The Law entred that the Offence might abound i. e. that men might see how their Sins abounded God gave his Law in Writing to shew them their Guilt to convince them of their gross Miscarriages and to reduce them to the way of Virtue and Obedience that when God himself had writ down their Duty with his own hand they might be inexcusable 3. The Law was committed to Writing that it might not be forgot One reputed to be a Judicious Writer is of opinion that the Patriarchs were happier without the Written Law than with it it was a mark of God's love and favour that they had no books and writings I suppose he means because they did not need them But afterwards there was occasion for them for the Impressions of the Law of Nature were almost defaced and obliterated the Instructions and Traditions of their Fathers were neglected and the knowledg of God and their Duty could not be kept pure by Oral Tradition when not only their Lives were short but corrupted and miserably depraved Therefore an exact Written Law was wanting to set before their eyes and to remind them of what they were to do to put them constantly in remembrance of what God required of them Hereupon the Moral Precepts were written by God himself and delivered to Mâ—sâ—s that the might communicate them to the People and they to the rest of the World This was out of kindness to them it was design'd to be a Remedy against their forgetfulness and negligence Lastly which comprehends all the Law was written that it might not be corrupted Tradition was unsafe when the numbers of men were increased and the World was dispersed and arrived to a great height of Impiety Therefore God thought it necessary to preserve and perpetuate the Law by Ingraving it on Tables of Stone which are Solid and Duâ—able and by lodging it in the Aâ—k as in a safe Treasury by ordering it to be Transcribed and to be Read to all the People and that they themselves should read it continually This was the best way to prevent all Error and Imposture all Fraud and Corruption about the Law This made it a thing impossible to deprave and pervert the Letter and plain Sense of it For these Reasons that Word which for near 25 Centuries of Years was delivered and promulged by Tradition was committed to Writing in Moses's time and not before For these Reasons the Common Law of Nature was turn'd into this Statutâ— Law of the Commandments I will not here speak particularly of the Ten Commandments because in the Body of the Work which I intend I am obliged to insist upon every one of them distinctly and largely and also because it is the Writing of the Moral Law of which I have given you an Account not the Law it self that is part of this Mosaick Dispensation as it is different from those which went before The Ten Commandâ—ents were given now not that they were of no force before this time but now they were Written on Tables and more Solemnly Promulg'd This was it which we were to take notice of as New and proper to this Iudaical Period If any man thinketh that these Ten Commandments because they were deliver'â— to the Iews were drawn up for that Body of People only and are not of universal Concernment I could silence that surmise by shewing that these Commandments were in force before the Law given by Moses to the Iews and that every one of them was a Law before the Mosaick Oeconomy and that those who lived in all the former Dispensations observed these Commandments Nay they are all of them excepting only the Determination of the Sabbath day the very Law of Nature written on the heart of man at his Creation They are Dictates of Natural Reason and therefore they ought to be done though they were not commanded For this Reason likewise it is not proper to insist upon them in this place for they are no special part of this Oeconomy But the Ceremâ—nial and Iudicial Laws are the grand things which make this a distinct and peculiar Administration Of those therefore I will hasten to speak The Ceremonial or Ecclesiastical Law is no other than the Precepts given by God to the Iews concerning External Rites belonging to Religion and the Worship of God Of these Ceremonial Usages several were in use before Moses's time viz. Priests Altars Sacrifices Oblations Tithes Distinction of Clean and Unclean Animals Not Eating Blood Circumcision But now all the former Rites and Ceremonies are digested into One Body and are become more Fixed and Certain The Ceremonial Service of the Iâ—ws was now precisely determin'd and there was no varying from it Agaiâ— whereas in some Agâ—s one Ceremony was used in another another Now they are all together and are observed at the same Time and by the same Persons
were Monthly viz. the Sacrifices offer'd constantly at the New Moons 3. Some were Weekly offer'd every Sabbath for we read of Sacrifices proper for this time God commanded the Iews to offer more on this day than on any other Num. 28. 9 10. Two Lambs were sacrificed both in the morning and in the evening and a double portion of Flower and Wine 4. There was the Daily Sacrifice Hatamid Iuge Sacrificium Dan. 8. 11. Two of these were offer'd every day viz. a Lamb in the Morning and a Lamb in the Evening Ex. 29. 38. but this Lamb is taken in a Large sense for it might be either of the Sheep or of the Goats The Morning Sacrifice was offer'd at the Third hour i. e. Nine a clock in the Morning and the Evening Sacrifice at the Ninth hour i. e. Three a clock in the Afternoon This latter is said to be offer'd between the two Evenings viz. as Iosephus expounds it between the Afternoon-Evening i. e. when the Sun began to decline and the Sun-Set Evening which is reckon'd from the Suns Setting to Midnight It was offer'd between the Declining and the Setting Sun These Daily Sacrifices were of that kind of Sacrifices which were call'd Holocausts or Burnt Offerings and therefore are call'd Continual Burnt-Offerings Num. 28. 10 15 24. 29. 11. Ezr. 3. 5. Neâ— 10. 33. Now the nature of this sort of Sacrifice was that it was wholly consumed and all of it turn'd into Smoke and Flame to the honour of God thence it was called Gnolah i. e. Ascension because the whole Animal except the skin and entrails ascended up in Flames of God Yet some Learned men because of those words in Psal. 51. 19 distinguish between a Burnt-Offering and a Whole Burnt-Offering The Gâ—olah or Burnt-Offering say they was that of which one part only was burnt and the other part was given to him that brought the Sacrifice but of the Chalil the Whole Burnt-Offering every part was consumed by fire even the very Skin not the least portion being spared either for the Priest or him that presented it Concerning the Burnt-Offering we may observe that it was never offer'd without the Meat-Offering of Flower and Oyl mingled and never without a Drink-Offering of Wine Num. 15. 3 4 5. So much of the more Solemn and Stated Sacrifices among the Iews The Latter sort of Iewish Sacrifices were Occasional the precise Time of offering which was not determin'd by the Law These were either after the Commission of some Sins against the Iewish Law or after the Receipt of some particular Mercies The first I say were offered when some Sin against the Law was committed therefore they were called Sacrifices for Sin or Sin-Offerings But here we are taught to distinguish for these Sacrifices were either for Sin as it denoteth some lesser Fault or for Trespass which signifieth a greater one The former of these Sacrifices was called Chattah a Sin-Offering because it was appointed to be offer'd for the Expiating of a Sin of Infirmity and Inadvertency or of Ignorance and Error The latter of them is named Asham a Trespass-Offering because it was commanded to be offer'd for the Expiating of a Trespass knowingly committed a Voluntary Deliberate Sin and therefore it required a more costly Sacrifice than the other This is the usual distinction between Chattah and Asham and it is approved of by that Great and Piercing Critick Monsieur Bâ—chart Hieroz P. 1. l. 2. C. 33. But Maimonides a Learned Iew held the quite contrary and was of opinion that Chattah was a Sacrifice that was offer'd for the Expiating of faults of an high nature and Asham for those of an inferiour sort More Nev. P. 3. C. 46. There are other Reasons given of the Names of these two Piacular Sacrifices particularly Mr. Mede Discourse 49. thinks that the Trespass-Offering was for sins against the First Table and the Sin-Offering was for sins against the Second Some of the Hebrew Doctors distinguish otherwise and indeed there is no great Certainty here amongst the most Learned Writers that I have met with I might observe to you further concerning these Sacrifices that they were partly Burnt and partly went to the use of the Priests who in the Atrium of the Tabernacle or Temple sed upon them i. e. when the Sacrifice was for a particular Person But if it was for the People or the Priest himself it was All of it Burnt to Ashes The Second sort of Occasional Sacrifices was upon the actual Receiving some particular Mercy from God or upon good hopes and expectations of the arrival of some singular Benefit and Favour These were generally call'd Shelamim Peace-Offerings or Sacrifices of Peace and they were either Eucharistical i. e. Voluntary Sacrifices to return Thanks to God for the benefits they had receiv'd or they were Euctical i. e. attended with Wishes and Prayers for New Mercies and Benefits Both these kinds of Sacrifices were Free-will Offerings and of Choice Whereas the Holocaust was all of it consumed in the fire and nothing was left and whereas part of the Sin-Offering was burnt and another part was given to the Priest here it is otherwise for these Sacrifices were distributed into three parts one part i. e. the Fat and the Kidneys and Blood was burnt to God on the Altar for a sweet favour another part was the Priests to him belonged the right shoulder the breast the two cheeks or jaws the tongue and the maw the third part viz. the rest of the flesh and the skin were for the use of those that gave the Peace-Offering and such as they pleas'd to call to partake with them so that always after the Peace-Offering follow'd a Feast made of the remainders of the Sacrifice Yet there was some difference as to the Peace-Offerings of the Congregation which were for the whole People and the Peace-Offerings of particular Persons In the former the Blood of them was sprinkled and only the Inwards burnt and the Flesh not eaten by the persons who offer'd them but only by the Priests in the Court but in the latter which were Private Sacrifices it was not so It is to be noted that those parts of the flesh which were not appointed to be consumed on the Altar but to be eaten by the Priests and the persons that brought the Sacrifices were not roasted but sodden Num. 6. 19. 1 Sam. 2. 13. 2. Chron. 35. 13. Observe also that whereas Males only might eat of the Sin-Offering and Trespass-Offering Women were admitted to the Peace-Offerings Note this too that these Sacrifices were of Beasts of both Sexes but the Burnt-Offerings were of the Males only I might add this as having relation to the Discourse of Sacrifices that the Fire which kindled them at first came down from Heaven Lev. 9. 24. This was perpetually kept and not suffer'd to go out and any Fire but this was accounted Strange Fire It is thought that That Celestial Fire was preserv'd in some
was accepted And this passes for a general Opinion with us and not without a great shew of Reason for it seems to be founded on the Mosaick Law it self there we see that Idolatry Murder Blasphemy c. were always punish'd with Death unless the special Favour of God interposed There was no Sacrifice permitted to expiate the proâ—anation of the Sabbath for it is expresly said Everyone that defileth the Sabbath shall surely be put to death Exod. 31. 14. Nor could he that eat the Sacrifice whilst he was in his Vncleanness be pardon'd for this is his Doom That Soul shall be cut off from his People Levit. 7. 20 21. There was no Sacrifice admitted for Adultery or for disobeying of Parents In short Sins of Ignorance only were expiated by the Mosaick Sacrifices but all Sins of Presumption remain'd unatoned which they prove from Numb 15. 28 30. The Priest shall make an atonement for the Soul that sinneth ignorantly But the Soul that doth ought presumptuously shall be cut off from among his People So that Sins of Obstinacy and Malice had no Sacrifice allow'd the Offenders were either put to death by the Magistrate or cut off by God But notwithstanding all this that is alledged it seems to me very evident that the guilt of all Sins whatsoever if they were heartily repented of was atoned by the Mosaick Sacrifices For when those of the other Opinion say there was no Expiation for greater Sins it must be meant either of Internal or External Sins Now it is generally confess'd that God appointed Sacrifices and Expiations for the greatest Sins of the Heart and Mind as Unbelief blasphemous Thoughts idolatrous Imaginations desires of Murder uncleanness of the Heart c. for even some of the best Men it is likely were not free from these mental Pollutions Who can imagine that there was no atonement for these under the Law Can we think that all perish'd who were at any time guilty of these No certainly they were pardon'd through God's Mercy upon Repentance and the appointed means of sacrificing And as for visible and outward gross Enormities tho there may seem to be no provision made in the Mosaick Law for their Expiation because the Offenders were presently punish'd with Death yet it doth not follow thence that there was no Expiation for those notorious Crimes for they might be expiated tho it was fitting and necessary that they should be animadverted upon by a severe Penalty leâ—t Impunity should encourage Men in Sin and Vice When we find then in Moses's Law that such as were guilty of Adultery Murder Incest c. were not exempted from Capital Punishment we cannot thence infer that Sacrifices purg'd none from the guilt of these Enormities and that the Legal Offerings were design'd only to expiate for smaller Aberrations for the reason why those great Offenders were punish'd was not because there were no Sacrifices and Oblations to clear them of their Guilt but because it was requisite Death should be the Recompence of those Crimes lest the Common-wealth should be endamaged and ruined by suffering such to go unpunish'd But even the guilt of these heinous Sins if those that committed them sincerely repented of them was expiated by those daily Offerings which were made for the Sins of the People and by the frequent Trespass-Offerings notwithstanding the infliction of the corporal Punishment The Propitiatory Sacrifices were available even to those who suffer'd for their Sins They were able through God's Appointment to remove the Guilt the not the Punishment Is it not acknowledg'd and that because it is manifest from several Instances that the Crimes of Persons have been forgiven and pardon'd tho they themselves were not exempted from the Penalty Moses's Death was the Recompence of his Unbelief tho none doubts of his expiring in the Divine Favour David was punish'd with the Death of his Child tho we read that his Sin was pardon'd Iosiah was justly snatch'd away in Battel because he ingag'd in it against the Divine Will and Command but yet he died in peace i. e. in the Favour of God and was transmitted to the place of Everlasting Peace and Happiness Wherefore I gather hence that tho Death was made by Moses's Law the penal Consequence of Adultery Disobedience to Parents Violation of the Sabbath Day c. yet whoever among such Criminals as these turn'd unto God by an unfeign'd detestation of the Sins they committed had without doubt the benefit of the Legal Sacrifices which expiated the Offences of all true Penitents tho they were never so great And the reason is this because this Institution or Ordinance of Sacrificing was the standing means of Salvation in the Jewish Dispensation and therefore it was requisite that the influence of it should extend to all Sinners that were heartily sorry for their Offences and abhorr'd their past Crimes yea and themselves for being guilty of them This we must grant unless we will say that no heinous Sinners under the Law were ever pardon'd and receiv'd to Mercy which is an assertion that is easily baffled by a great many Instances which the Old Testament records It was in the was of Sacrifices that these Persons had their Guilt remitted and expiated for there was no other Expedient or Remedy at that time as we are assured not only from the End and Design of instituting the Sacrifices which was to take away Sin but from those express words of the Apostle which refer to this manner of Expiation without shedding of Blood there is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. This then being the only way of Remission and Pardon of Sin it was certainly efficacious and even those who were cut off from their People tho this Doom doth not always signify immature Death and therefore can't be absolutely made use of here or were cut off from the Land of the Living and their Sins atoned by the Law of Sacrifices supposing as hath been said before that they repented from their Hearts of their vile and flagitious Miscarriages And this may be further made good from that plain distinction of Chattah and Asham the Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering the one being design'd to remove the Guilt of petty Declensions the other to make satisfaction for gross and enormous Crimes And moreover this is plain from Levit. 5. 4 15. where Sacrifices are commanded to be offer'd for great Crimes as unlawful swearing and sacrilege And the Aâ—niversary Oblation in Levit. 16. 16 c. was not only for their Vncleannesses but for for their Transgressions in all their Sins But as for the sin of Presumption or sinning with a high hand as 't is in the Hebrew Numb 15. 30. it includes in this place Impenitence and final Obstinacy and therefore it is no wonder that there was no Atonement for it for even the Alsufficient Merit of Christ Jesus doth not expiate for this Sin but all other Sins were atoned by Sacrifices I see no reason to the contrary and therefore I
these Altars were not to be made of Hâ—wâ—n Stone and the ascent to them was to be made without steps i. e. the Earth was to be laid so as that it should rise by little and little as you learn in this place of Exâ—duâ— 2. There were Fixed Setled and Ordinary Altars for Sacrifice such as those in the Tabernacle and Temple and these were made of Wood overlaid either with Gold or Brass Of this latter sort was this Altar in the Court of the Tabernacle Exod. 27. 1 2. It was made with four Hâ—rns on which they that fled for Refuge were wont to lay hold and to these Horns the Sacrifices also were tyed In this Court was the Brazen Laver as well as the Brazen Altar in which was contain'd Water for the Priests to wash their hands and feet with before they offer'd Sacrifice and before they went into the Holy Place or before they undertook any Holy Work belonging to the Tabernacle This Laver stood at the entrance of the Court of the Tabernacle a little on the South side it had Câ—cks or Spouts at the lower part of it which are meant by the foot of it Exod. 30. 18. to let out the Water for the foresaid use 2. The Body of the Tabernacle the Sanctum the Hâ—ly Place the Tabernacle of Testimony the Sanctuary for it hath these different Names is next to be spoken of Here was placed the Altar of Incense overlayd with Gold on which was burnt Frankincense and other sweet Persumes morning and evening for as there were daily Burnt-Offerings on the Brazen Altar in the Court of the Tabernacle of which before so there was every day Incense morning and evening offer'd and burnt on this Golden Altar within the Sanctuary Exod. 30. 7 8. There was also a Golden Censer belonging to this Altar i. e. a Persuming Pan or Dish to transmit and scatter the scent of the Frankincense round about And indeed there was great occasion for this sweet Incense and Perfumes at the Altar Exod. 30. 1 34. and for those Fragrant Ointments and Arâ—matick Oyls which all Holy Persons and things were anointed and tinctured with Exod. 30. 23. to cause odoriferous smells because otherwise the scent of the flesh of the Sacrifices which was continually burnt would have been very offensive and ungrateful but these Sweet Odors were a preservative against that ill smell This Altar was a cubit long a cubit broad and two cubits high and stood close by the entrance into the Holy of Holies On one side viz. the North-side of this Altar was placed the Table of Shew-Bread or according to the Hebrâ—w the Bread of Faces because it was placed before the Ark where God was present it was thus set before God's face looking from the Mercy-Seat This Shew-Bread consisted of six Loaves set in one dish and six in another piled upon one another These twelve Loaves were changed weekly the old ones being every Sabbath day taken away and new ones put in their place Frankincense in dishes was placed on the two rows of this Shew-Bread and was burnt every week to the Lord. On the other viz. the South-side of the Altar was the Golden Candlestick with seven branches which were so many Lamps of Oyl These were burning all night in the Tabernacle and put out in the morning as appears from 1. Sam. 3. 3. 3. There was the Sanctum Sanctorum the Holy of Holies or the Holiest of all as we translate it Heb. 9. 3. the most Holy Place of the Tabernacle And it is also call'd the second Tabernaclâ— by the Apostle in Heb. 9. 7. viz. in regard of the other last spoken of which is stiled by the same Holy Writer the first Tabernacle Heb. 9. 6. Here was the Ark wherein were laid up the Pot of Manna Aaron's Râ—d and the two Tables of Stone which last are also called the Tâ—stimâ—ny and the Covenant of the Lord Deut. 4. 13 23. 1 Kings 8. 21. because God testifyed his Will by them and because he made a Covenant with the people when he deliver'd them to them Hence likewise the Ark which contain'd them was call'd the Ark of the Tâ—stimâ—ny Exod. 25. 22. and the Ark of the Covenant Jos. 4. 7. Some think that Aaron's Râ—d and the Manna were not deposited in the Ark but in some place near it for it is not expresly said in the Old Testament that they were put into the Ark. But it is said of both of them that they were laid up and kept before the Testimony Exod. 16. 34. Num. 17. 10. Now This before the Testimony may signify that they were laid up before the two Tables in the Ark that is the two Tables being placed in the chief Apartment of the Ark the Manna and Râ—d were laid in another place or apartment of the Ark just before them This is the plain and obvious sense according to my apprehension and the Author to the Hebrews confirmeth it for speaking of the Ark he saith expresly that therein wâ—â— the golden pot that had Manna and Aaron's Red that budded and the Tables of the Covenant Heb. 9. 4. Some would perswade us that therein refers to the Taberâ—acle and not to the Ark in particular but such a reference is strain'd and unusual and therefore we need not admit it especially when what the Old Testament delivers concerning this matter directs us to another meaning The Ark was two Cubits and a half in length one Cubit and a half in breadth and one Cubit and a half in heighth The Covering of the Ark was call'd the Mercy-Seat and Prâ—pitiatory From this Propitiatory the Oracle was given yea the place it self was call'd the Oracle Debir Psal. 28. 2. which Name it also retain'd afterwards 1 Kings 8. 6. because from that place God spake to the High Priest and gave Answers concerning what was inquired of We read that these Answers were delivered from the Vppermost part of the Mercy-Seat that place which was between the Wings of the Cherubims which hover'd over this Propitiatory Of these Cherubims let me give some account because it is the only thing here that hath any difficulty in it Concerning these 1. Some have thought they were Images in the shape of Boys so the Hebrew Doctors generally affirm 2. Others say they were Images in the likeness of Oxen or Calves because Cherubim in Chaldee and Syriack is Bos and so is taken in Ezek 10. 14. compared with Ezek. 1. 10. And Ierâ—boam's Calves were in imitation of these they say 3. There are those that hold them to have been Images not of one Shape but of many Thus in Ezek 1. 5. the Cherubims had the faces or shapes of a Man a Lyon an Ox an Eagle Allusively in Rev. 4. 6 7. the Angels or Cherubim are represented under the distinct shapes of these four Animalâ— severally It is probable they had the Face and erect Stature of a Man four Wings like Eagles the Backs of Lions with Mains hanging
its Magnitude it was just as big again as the Tabernacle for the one was 60 Cubits long 20 Cubits broad and 30 Cubits high but that was but 30 Cubits in length 10 in breadth and 15 in height But when 't is said in 1 Kings 6. 2. that the Temple was 30 Cubits high it must be meant only of the space which reached from the Floor to the first Story for when it is compared with the Tabernacle it is consider'd without a Roof or any Superstructure because the Tabernacle was such But if you take the whole height of the Temple it was no less than 120 Cubits as you read in 2 Chron. 3. 3. Thus then it is from the bottom to the first Roof were 30 Cubits from thence to the second Roof 30 more and from thence to the top 60 Cubits So the height of the Temple from the Floor to the top of all was 120 Cubits Thus the Learned Iewish Antiquary reconciles those Texts in Kings and Chronicles which seem to oppose one another I might add that as the Tabernacle when 't was fix'd in Shiloâ— had Buildings about it for the Priests and Levites to lodg in so likewise it was contriv'd in the spot of Ground where the Temple was erected there were Houses to receive those Sacred Officers of the Temple and in them they lodg'd and resided all the time of their Ministry as our Deans and Prebendaries Houses are round about their respective Cathedrals And about the Temple there were divers Chambers some of which were us'd as Storehoses to lay up the Tithes and Offerings 1 Chron. 9. 26. 2. Chron. 31. 11. Others were Repositories for the Vessels and Utensils and all things belonging to the Service of the Temple Nehem. 1. 39. 13. 5. And some of them were made use of as places of Reâ—ection Ier. 35. 2. So much of this Magnificent Temple at Ierusalem which was the Iews Cathedral as the Synagogues were their Parish-Churches where their Ceremonious Worship was perform'd with the greatest pomp and splendor Fourthly The Sacraments appointed by the Ceremonial Law are here to be taken notice of They were Circumcision and the Passover The former was in use before the Mosaick Dispensation it being appointed as a Sign of the Covenant between God and Abraham It was reestablished by God when he delivered the Ceremonial Law to Moses and it was to continue a Badg and Confirmation of the same Covenant that the Posterity of Abraham the Iews might receive comfort thence It was also to be a remarkable Token to difference the Iews from other Nations tho other People afterwards borrow'd Circumcision from the Israelites as the Idumaeans the Egyptians c. There were other Ends and Designs of this bloody Rite which you will find enumerated under the Abrahamick Dispensation and therâ—â—â—e I will not repeat them here The other Iewish Sacrament was the Passover but because I may more properly speak of it among the other Feasts I refer it thither and accordingly proceed to the consideration of the set Times of Iewish Worship CHAP. VII The Jewish Feasts Sabbaths New Moon Passover The Parallel between the Paschal Lamb and our Saviour shew'd in several Particulars This mystical Way approved of Christ celebrated not the Passover on the same Evening that the Jews did but in the Evening before This represented in a Scheme The Feast of Pentecost The Feast of Tabernacles The Feast of Trumpets Of Expiation Other lesser Feasts not commanded in the Law but appointed by the Jewish Church Fasts kept tho not injoin'd by the Law The difference of Clean and Unclean Animals Why the latter were forbidden to be eaten The chief Reason of the Prohibition was to prevent Idolatry Two Objections answer'd Vows proper to the Mosaick Dispensation They were either Personal or Real The Cherem IN the Fifth place I am to treat of the Solemn Times and Set Seasons of Worship appointed the Iews by the Mosaick Law These by a general Name were call'd Feasts but if you speak properly some of them were Fasts But because the word is sometimes taken by the Iews for a solemn Time of Religious Worship whether it was accompanied with Rejoicing or Mourning that term is applied to them all The Design of these Festivals was to commemorate some great Blessing to maintain mutual Love Friendship and Communion and to join together in the Service of God These Feasts are divided by the Iews into the greater and the lesser The greater Feasts are these 1. The Sabbaths For tho this word be of a larger signification and is applied to all Feasts and Solemn Times of Worship yet it hath a restrained Sense and is particularly applied to these certain Seasons viz. the Sabbaths of Days and the Sabbaths of Years The Sabbaths of Days are the lesser and the greater the lesser are every seventh Day call'd the Sabbath by way of eminence in memory of God's resting or ceasing from the Works of the Creation But it was commanded now with particular reference to the Iewish People and to their resting from their Captivity and Bondage in Egypt I say no more of it here because I am to insist largely upon it when I come to treat of the Fourth Commandment The greater Sabbath of Days was when the Passover â—ell on the Sabbath-day as it did that Year when Christ suffer'd Iohn 19. 31. This was call'd the Great Sabbath by the Iews And as there were the Sabbaths of Days so there were the Sabbaths of Years These were two first Every Seventh Year was a Sabbath of Rest to the Land Levit. â—5 4. and then there was no plowing or sowing nor making any the like provision but what the Ground yielded that Year of it self was sufficient and it was in common to all Persons to eat of it It was God's Pleasure to deal thus with this People to bring them to a sense of his Providence in the World that he was able without their Care and Art to sustain them that he was Lord of all things and the Supreme Disposer of them This was the reason why their Land enjoy'd its Sabbaths Secondly There was the Sabbath which was the end of seven times seven Years that is 49 Years Levit. 25. 8. This was the greatest Sabbath of all and was call'd the Iubilee But whether it was kept in the close of that 49 th Year as Scaligâ—r Petaviâ—s Calvisius think or in the Year after viz. the 50 th Year â—s those who follow Iosephus determine I will not dispute at present having said something of it in another place This we are certain of that when the Year of Iubilee return'd all Debts were to be cancell'd and mortgaged Lands were to return to their Owners and every Freeholder repossess'd what was alien'd from him and all Prisoners and Debtors were set free and Captives were released and all Controversies and Suits about Lands Estates Possessions and Properties were ended It is certain likewise that as on every seventh Year so in
Lamb Christ our God delivers us from the Curse of the Enemy and from Eternal Death Indeed this is the grand and principal thing signified by the Paschal Lamb viz. our Redemption by the Blood of Jesus Christ. And the Sprinkling of this Blood is twice expresly mention'd as absolutely necessary for this purpose Heb. 12. 24. 1 Pet. 1. 1. And the hearts of Believers are said to be sprinkled from an evil conscience Heb. 10. 22. that is purged and cleans'd from the defilements of Sin by sprinkling of the Blood of this Lamb. Besides the sprinkling and striking of the Blood on the posts denotes unto us the particular applying of the Blood of Jesus and the virtue of his Passion to our selves by a lively Faith Which that Religious and Pious Critick whom I have before quoted expresses thus The Blood of Christ saith he is sprinkled on the posts of our hearts when with a firm Faith we imbrace the Doctrine of the Cross being assured that the Son of God poured out his Blood for us so that every one of us may say with the Apostle This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Iesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief Moreover at the Celebration of the Passover they were to strike the blood of the slain Lamb on the two side posts of the door within and without on purpose that they might see it and take special notice of it as the Angel did before and that they might call that Wonderful Mercy to remembrance This shall be to you for a Memorial and ye shall keep it a Feast to the Lord for ever ver 14. This solemn Feast was instituted on purpose to remind them of their Deliverance and so the Lords Supper which succeeds in its room is a Commemâ—ration of our Deliverance by Christ. Do this in Remembrance of me saith he observe this Holy Feast to help you to call to mind my Death and consequently the Infinite Benefits and Advantages which you receive by it In the next place we come to speak of the Eating of the Paschal Lamb and the several Circumstances that were observable in it and let us see how they agree with that which we are speaking of First I say it was to be Eaten and so was the Lamb of God He himself uses this stile and language he calls unto us saying Take eat this is my Body Mat. 26. 26. And he assures us that except we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood we have no life in uâ— Whose â—ateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal life for my Flesh is meat indeed and my Blood is drink indeed He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleâ—h in me and I in him Joh. 6. 53 c. This I think is sufficient to prove the Parallel between Christ and the Paschal Lamb as to eating them Next we are to observe that this Lamb which was to be eaten was to be roasted with fire ver 8. And therein also is prefigured what beâ—el the Lamb of God The Holy Ghost in Scripture is pleased to compare God's Wrath to Fire Deut. 32. 24. Jer. 4. 4. Jer. 15. 14. Jer. 21. 12. Lam. 1. 13. Lam. 2. 4. and in many other places Therefore Roasting in the fire fitly expresseth the Extremity of Christs Sufferings under the Flames of God's Anger He was as it were Scorched and Burnt he underwent the Displeasure of God who is a Consuming Fire Deut. 4. 24. Heb. 12. 29. This is thus expressed in other terms by Isaiah He was woâ—nded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities Isa. 53. 5. He was oppressed and he was afflicted ver 7. It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to grief ver 10. Some Commentators take no notice of this Parallel but certainly it is not to be omitted nay it is of very great moment and the manner of speech very fitly and significantly expresses the Heat the Height of God's wrath kindled against Sinners We see this Torrefaction is adapted to the usual language of Scripture where the Extremity of the Divine Anger against the wicked is set forth by fire with which saith the Learned and Pious Bochart it behoved Christ to be as it were scorched and burnt who had made himself a Surety for Sinners that he might undergo the Punishment which they deserved Nay besides the Mystical signification there is a kind of literal fulfilling of the Expression here used if we may credit an antient and pious Father who acquaints us that the Roasted Lamb at the Passover was spitted in such a manner that it resembled the figure of a Cross and he particularly tells us how If we consider that this Antient Writer of the Church was born and bred in Palestine and was skill'd in the Iewish as well as Pagan Rites and Customs and likewise if we remember that he spoke these words in a Conference with a knowing Iew who could and would have contradicted him if he had deliver'd any thing concerning the Iewish practices which was not true we cannot but look upon this as a very considerable Testimony and we must conclude that he would not have dared to apply this particular passage of the Roasting of the Lamb to our blessed Saviâ—ur he would not have compar'd this Cross to the Spit unless there had been ground for it The next thing observable is that the whole Lamb was to be eaten ver 10. Ye shall let nothing of it remain's which may import how Intire and Compleat the spiritual eating of the Lamb of God should be Whole Christ or none must be receiv'd by Faith Which the forecited Author thus piously descants upon It is not sufficient to eat Christ in part as if we were desirous to enjoy his Glory but not to be partakers of his Sufferings or as if we would have him for our Redeemer not for our Lawgiver and Master as if not attributing enough to the Merits of Christ we would partly place our confident hope of Salvation in our own Works or in the Mediation and Intercession of others And further when it is said that the Lamb must not remain till morning it doth strangely and marvelously agree with what the Evangelists relate that Christ was taken down from the Cross on a sudden contrary to the Custom in such cases and partly because of the Sabbath on the ensuing day that thereby the Parallel between our Saviour and the Iewish Passover might be more manifest It is said further ver 46. and Num. 9. 12. Neither shall ye break a bone thereof That Christ Iesus who suffer'd on the Cross was presignifi'd and foretold by this is plain from what is recorded by St. Iohn who tells us that Divine Providence so order'd it that tho the Souldiers broke the Legs of those that were crucified with Christ yet they brâ—ke not his Legs Joh. 19. 33. A most remarkable completion of the Type
this Sabbath was call'd Sabbath Bereshith because they began then to read Bereshith i. e. the beginning of Genesis They celebrated the foresaid day in thanking of God for his great Mercy in vouchsaâ—ing them the reading of the Law 2. The Eeast of the Dedication of the Temple instituted by Solomon 1 Kings 8. 1. and afterwards observ'd as some think by the Jews 3. The Feast of Dedication or Encoenia celebrated on the 25 th day of November which Month is call'd Kiâ—leu by the Hebrews It was instituted in memory of that great Hero Iudas Macchabaeuâ— who after the death of his Father Mattathias conquer'd the Greeks and Syrians who had taken Ierusalem and tyranniz'd over the Iews He recover'd that City and dedicated the Temple anew which the impious Antiochâ—â—â— had prophan'd He commanded this Festival to be solemnly kept yearly eight days together beginning on the 25 th day of the foresaid Month 1 Mac. 4. 59. 4. Pâ—rim or the Feast of Lâ—ts Esther 9. 21 c. in remembrance of the Deliverance in Esther's time It was kept on the 14 th and 15 th days of the Month Adâ—r the 12 th Month or February It was called Purim which is a Persian word and signifieth Lots in memory of Haman's throwing Lots that all the Iews in Aâ—asuerus's Dominions should be killed for this was an old Custom to cast Lots to find â—it and seasonable times for effecting of any great Business They writ the Days and the Months and put them into a Pitcher and so what they took out according to the Marks they had set down was lucky or unlucky This Feast then of Purim was celebrated in remembrance of the Massacre appointed by Lot against the Jews There were also Fasts among the Jews which tho they were not commanded by the Law of Mosâ—s yet the Jewish Church enjoin'd them to be kept of these you read in Zech. 8. 19. viz. the Fast of the â—ourth Month Tamuz or Iune in remembrance of the time when Ierusalem was invaded and the Tables of the Law broken and the Book of the Law burnt Ier. 52. 6 7. and the Fast of the fifth Month or Iuly for the destruction of the Temple Zech. 7. 3. and the Fast of the seventh Month Tisrâ— or September for the kiâ—ling of Gedaliah 2 Kings 25. 28 and the Fast of the Tenth in which Month Thebat or December the City began to be besieged Ier. 52. 4. Thus much of the Râ—ligious Feastâ— and Sacred Sâ—asons wherein the Jewish People used to lay aside Secular Business and to be imployed wholly in Religious Worship Sixthly There were in the Law of Moses some particular Obsâ—rvancâ—s whiâ—h râ—spected the Conversâ—â—ion of the Wâ—rshippers They were tied up as to their Commerce with others they were not at liberty to associate with every one they were confined as to their Garments and as to their Diet. There was no such thing as Vncleanness by touching the Dead among the old Patriarchs for we read that Ioseph kissed dead Iacob This was puâ—ely Mosaick and so was that of not coming near any Leprous Person or touching those who had issues of Blood and the like But the main thing remarkable was the difference of Meats and Drinks therefore I will speak particularly of that in this place and I may have occasion to glance on some of the rest afterwards Some have thought as hath been suggested before that this usage prevailed before the Mosaick Law i. e. that some Creatures were clean and others unclean in regard of their being permitted or forbidden to be eaten But I have already shew'd in what sense they were said to be clean oâ— unclean viz. in respect of Sacrificing and not of eating But under the Mosaick Law there is and never was before set down the Number of those Creatures which must not be eaten and we are particularly told what the Cleanness or Uncleanness of them is The clean Animals were only those that chew the Cud and divide the Hoof. This was the Sign and Mark of them and it must be observed that by dividing the Hoof is meant dividing it into two parts only not into more for some divide the Hoof into more parts and are not clean as a Dog a Lion a Wolf And Camels have the Hoof divided but not quite through it is paâ—ted above but not below therefore it is said of the Camel Levit. 11. 4. that he divâ—deth not the Hoof viz. from the top to the bottom but only in part as Naâ—ural Historians have observed And as parting the Hoof and chewing the Cud are two signs of a clean Beast so Fins and Scales make a Fish legally clean And as for Fowl you have a particular enumeration of those that are clean or unclean Bees also were unclean and forbidden Food to the Jews but their Honey was not I might observe further that Fat is forbidden to be eaten i. e. the Fat which covers the inward Parts as the Heart Liver Kidneys c. Levit 3. 16. This the Jews might not eat no not at home when they kill'd a Beast But it is to be understood of such Beasts as were used to be sacrificed to God as Sheep Oxen Goats Levit. 7. 23 25. The Fat of these Creatures was to be burnt but by no means eaten And as for the Blood of these and all other Animals it was to be poured on the Ground and by no means to be eaten or drank I could add that the Jews stretched this Abstinence from Meats beyond what was injoined for they would not eat the hinder Legs oâ— Animals because the Angel strained Iacob's Thigh whereupon the Sinews shrank But in Italy the Jews cut out these Nerves by Art and eat the Legs If it be asked What was the Reason that such and such Creatures were forbidden to be Food Why did not God suffer the Jews to feed on all Animals indifferently The Answer may be that of St. Augusâ—in in the like case Quia voluit because it seemed good to God to do so it was his Will and Pleasure and no Reason is to be given Thus Câ—naeus and Spanhemius resolve it wholly into God's Authority and Sovereignty But others offer Reason of God's acting thus 1. Some think that it was God's Pleasure to insâ—il Lessons of Morality by that Prohibition according to the Qualiâ—ies observ'd in those Creatures They conceive that so many Sins and Vices are represented by unclean Animals and so many Virtues and Graces by the clean ones In a mystical wâ—y God taught the Jews and Brutes were Symbolical and Hieroglyphical When God bid thâ—m not eat the Flesh of the Hare the Swinâ— and the Hawk he warned them against the Timorousness of the one the Filthiness of the other and the Ravenousness of the third Thus the antient Jewish Commentators and some of the Fathers of the Christian Church give moral Reasons why such and such Creatures were forbid to be eaten by the Jews And more particularly as to unclean Birds they
observe that he Invited and Allured them as well as Terrified them The Promise of a Land flowing with Milk and Honey suited these Children well Pueris olimdant crustula blandi Doctores elementa veliâ—t ut discâ—râ— prima Earthly and Carnal things and the Conveniencies of this present Life were chiefly propounded to the Iews to encourage them to draw them on gently and to win upon them Children are taken with a gawdy Outside accordingly these were brought up with Ceremonies Fine and Gay things to please their Childish Fancies The goodly Garments and pompous Vestments of the High-Priest were a very agreeable Sight to them the jingling Bells of Aâ—ron were a very pleasing Musick Indeed the whole Mosaick Work was very Curious and Fine most of the Legal Furniture was Rich and Sumptuous and therefore a Sutable Entertainment for them To teach and instruct Children whose Reason is weak and imperfect we use Emblems Pictures and Representations Thus Types and Symbols were a sort of Instructions sutable to the Iews In those dark Times these Shadows served very well But these Ceremonious Rites and Practices were in order to something else God call'd the Iews by things Carnal and Sensual to those that are Spiritual by Temporal Objects to those that are Eternal and by things Earthly unto those that are Heavenly The Mosaick Laws were like Frames and Props which support an Arch till it is finish'd and can stand alone then the Supporters are removed and become useless to the Building When the Evangelical Oeconomy approached then the Iewish Ceremonies and Observances ceas'd and were laid aside for the Ritual Law of Moses was given on purpose to be a Governour and Manager of Childish and Imperfect Souls and to prepare and train them up to something that is Manly and Perfect viz. the Administration of the Gospel which was to succeed Nor is this unworthy of God for he wisely alters his methods in his administring the Affairs of the World according to the Times and Ages he deals with Wherefore he is wont to approve of such and such Practices for a season and then afterwards to change them Which argues not any mistake or error or want of foreknowledg in God as the Deists who laugh at the Iewish as well as the Evangelical Dispensation would suggest but the alteration is prudently made according to the circumstances of Times and Persons 5. It was the opinion of the Iewish Doctors and Rabbies that some of these Ceremonial Usages were design'd to instruct the Iews in their necessary Duâ—ies and Practices and to teach them wholesom Lessons of Morality This Mystical and Moral meaning of the different kinds of Sacrifices difference of Meats and all the other Mosaick Observances is set down by Theodoret in his Questions on Leviâ—icuâ— which I will not hâ—re recite And Aquinas and others in the Account or Rationale which they give of the Ceremonial Institutions speak something of this I know indeed that many of old and some more lately have most fondly and fantastically interpreted those Ritual Laws what they deliver is their own conceit and hath no foundation to support it They under the pretence of giving the meaning of those Iewish Rites say and write any thing This is that sort of men who fill all thingsâ— in Divinity with Allegory and Mystery and thereby abuse and prophane the Holy Scripture But yet there may be a Moral sense profitably made of the Mosaick Law which treats of the Ceremonies wholesom Instructions may be drawn thence for directing our Lives and Manners and this might be partly and by theâ— by design'd in the instituting these things 6. These Ritual Observances and Ceremonial practices were Types and Figures to represent greater things that were to come God chose out a certain People from the rest of the World to make them a Spectacle to all others and by his wonderful dealing with themâ— as in a Type to signifie to us the admirable method of his gracious Will to Mankind in future Ages All their Promises and Rewards were presignificative of the Mercy intended to be exhibited to the World afterwards And the same may be said of their Ceremonial and Ritual Worship I have shew'd already that the Mosaick Sacrifices and the Tabernacle and all the things appertaining to it and the Feast of the Passover signified higher Things but it is as true that the Other considerable Riâ—es enjoyn'd by Moses's Law did so too for there is the like Reason for one as for another That they were to represent Sublime Sacred and Heavenly things we are assured from the Infallible Scriptures where they are call'd the Example and Shadow of heavenly things and Patterns of things in the Heavens And more â—ully the Apostle declares that Meat and Drink i. e. the difference of these and Holy-Days and New Moons and Sabbath Days are a Shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ Col. 2. 16 17. The main design of those things was to prefigure the Messias and the Benefits of the Gospel these are the Substance and the others were the Shadow Thus St. Ierom speaking of the Book of Leviticus saith that all the Sacrifices in it yea almost all the syllables and the Garments of Aaron and the whole Leviâ—ick Order breat â—e heavenly Sacraments Thus Iustin Martyr informed the Iew whom he discours'd with that all the Ordinances and Rites of the Mosaick Law were Figures Symbâ—ls and Declaraâ—ions of the things which were to happen afterwards unto Christ. The Allegorical Interpreters who apply the Mosaick Rites to the Church of Christ and to the Messias himself tho they are sometimes more Ingenious than Solid and may be thought to strain and force some things yet as to the main they let us see that those Mosaick and Ritual Constitutions had some reference to the Gospel and that most of them â—ypifie and represent the great things of the Christian Dispensation Indeed the Mosaick Observances taken according to the mere Letter are very odd and strange and some of them seem to be very light and frivolous and unworthy of their Author I am bold to say with Origen that if these Ceremonial Laws of Moses have no other meaning than the literal one they come far short of the Roman Athenian or Lacedemonian Laws But if you consider that they were serviceable to try the Iews Obedience to restrain them and keep them in awe to divert them from Idolatry and that they were â—uitable to their present Condition and also that they were to inform their manners and Lastly that they were Images and Types of Spiritual things that they represented and pointed out the Messias with all his Blessed Undertakings and the unspeakable Benefits which accrue to us thence you will not say those Laws were light and ludicrous and unworthy of God but that they were of great and singular use and serv'd to most excellent purposes This is the best account I can give
of the Knowledg of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 c. To this Perfection and Fulness contribute the Holy Sacraments of Christ's appointment It is true the Apostle sheweth that the Israelites had the same Religion the same Covâ—nant and that they might be said to have the same Sacraâ—â—nts with us 1 Cor. 10. 1 c. and indeed the Covenant being the same the Sacraments must be so which are Seals of the Covenant But the Evangelical Sacraments were only typified by those they were never in actual use till Christ's coming Baptism and the Eucharist the two Sacraments of the Gospel may be rightly said to have been virtually in Circumcision and the Passover and so are not new but they are new in another respect viz. as by the former we are initiated and adopted into the Christian Oâ—conomy and by the latter we are confirmed in it By the pious celebrating of both which the Spiritual Benefits of the Gospel are exhibited and conferr'd sealed and assured to the Souls of the Faithful and they are found to be no contemptible Helps to Religion and Holiness But the assistance of the Holy Spirit in these and all other Duties of Christianity is the most signal Privilege of the Gospel For when Christ ascended up on high he gave Gifts unto Men especially that matchless Gift the Holy Spirit whereby not only the Apostles and Primitive Christians were enabled to speak and act in a miraculous manner but in all succeeding Ages the true Followers of Jesus feel the wonderful influence and operation of it on their Hearts and Lives whereby they are strengthned to perform what is required of them in a way far surpassing what was in the former Dispensations This is that which makes Evangelical Grace differ from Moral Virtue and Iudaical Righteousness viz. that the former is heightned not only by the Motives of the Gospel of which I spake before but by the Assistance of the Spirit By this we not only cry Abba Father but are enabled to demean our selves as those who are the Sons of God Thus our Power is mightily increased which is another great Difference between the Law and the Gospel between Judaism and Christianity This is a brief Account of the Difference between those two Dispensations the Legal and Evanâ—elical Tho it was once said by Luther There never was that Man found on Earth who could make a right Difference between the Law and the Gospel yet afterwards he gives us to understand that he thought this was no impossible thing for he tells us That whoso can rightly judg between the Law and the Gospel let him thank God and know that he is a right Divine There is great difficulty in performing this Task and therefore I have gone through it with much caution and the whole I leave to the judgment of the Learned and Judicious The Manichean Hereticks held there was one God that was the Founder of the Law and another God that was Author of the Gospel But this gross and blasphemous Error is baffled by those several Particulars which I have offered to you concerning the Law and the Gospel The same God blessed for evermore wisely appointed both these Oeconomies and tho they are different yet they are not contradictory God made those two great Lights the one to rule the Night the other the Day the former was fitted to those darker times and the latter is most sutable to the Fulness of time when a redundant Light overspread the World The Iewish Oeconomy was narrow weak and imperfect and best comported with the People that were under it but the Gospel-Dispensation is large and ample compleat and perfect and therein more adapted to the condition of the Persons who are under this Dispensation of Christ's Fulness receive and Grace for Grace John 1. 16. Frâ—m what hath been said we may know what to think and determine of that great Query Whether our Saviour hath added any new Laws and Precepts to those which were before under the Old Testament or wâ—ether his Laws and those are the same I find this Question is too peremptorily decided on both sides One positively asserts that all the Evangelical Commands are the very same with the Laws of the former Administration The others say there are New Commands added in the Gospel to those of the Law But I conceive the Question is not to be decided thus in gross but we ought to be more particular and exact in it Take it in short thus First There were many things of Religion under the Law which are abrogated under the Gospel as all Rites and Ceremonies merely Mosaick Therefore the Gospel is called the Law of Liberty Jam. 1. 25. because it â—reesus from observing those Iewish Rites These were Duties then but are no Duties now But secondly all things that are our Duty now were their Duty then Which I explain thus in these four Propositions Prop. 1. There were the same Laws and Commandments in general in the Old Testament that are in the New tho there are some particular things enjoin'd in the New Testament which were not prescribed in the Old as admitting of all Believers into the Church by Baptism which was never practis'd among the Body of the Iews tho it was used toward some Proselytes and celebrating the Lord's Death in the Holy Communion which could not be done before because Christ was not come and therefore could not die So there are some particular Preceptâ— about the Government and Discipline of the Church of Christ which were not before in the Iewish Church and indeed could not be the state and condition of things being far otherwise Likewise with the New Dispensation came a New Sabâ—ath the Seventh day of the wâ—ek was changed into the First This is very rational to believe tho there were no express mention of any such thing for now the Iewish Sabbath being repeal'd Gal. 4. 10 11. Col. 2. 16. some other day was to be celebrated in its room that as the former was set apart from the beginning for commemorating the Creation of the World so this latter might be in remembrance of the Redemption of Mankind The change of the Day and our celebrating of it are upon weighty grounds viz. 1. Christ's Resurrection from the Dead whereby Man's New Creation was perfected a. Warrantable Authority no less than that of our Saviour himself for first it is most probable that Christ himself gave particular Order concerning the observing of this day when as we read for forty days together after his Resurrection he spakâ— to his Disciples concerning the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God Acts 1. 3. This being of so great concern and so nearly relating to that Kingdom and the Occonomy of the Gospel it is to be presuâ—â—ed that our Saviour gave particular directions about it tho it is not to be denied that there may be
them in the least none but God could alter them who designed to do so in due time for he intended those Mosaick Precepts should continue to such a certain period of time and no longer These Words of Ieremiah are very observable Chap. 3. 16. It shall come to pass in those days saith the Lord they shall say no more the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to mind neither shall they remember it neither shall they visit it neither shall it be magnified any more i. e. The Mosaick Rites and External Ceremonies of the Law shall not be in request as they were before Men shall not prize and value them as they used to do yea they shall lay the use of them aside but this they must not do till they have Authority from God And God revealed to the Prophet Daniel that he would alter the Law after a certain Revolution of Years The Messias shall cause the Sacrifice and Oblation to cease Dan. 9. 27. But it was unalterable in respect of the Jews themselves 3. The Promises and Predictions in the Old Testament which are very many concerning the perpetual Duration of Ierusalem and the Temple and the Iewish Worship and their Polity and Government are to be understood of the Perpetuity of the Church of Christ and his spiritual Kingdom And to this purpose you may observe that in the Writings of the Old Testament where the Times of the Gospel are foretold the Evangelical Worship and Service of God are set forth by sacrificing and other the like Observances commanded in Moses's Law By the Ritual Worship of the Jews is express'd the reasonable and spiritual Service of the Gospel and by those Expressions which seem to denote the Perpetuity of the former the Duration of the latter is signified and ascertained to us This is a most certain Truth and the observing of it will lead us to a right understanding of a great number of Texts which speak of the Iewish Laws and Government as if they were to continue for ever without any Limitation and Restriction We are to know that those places especially the Prophesies in Isaiah concerning the glorious things that shall befal Ierusalem and the Iews are to be interpreted of the State of the Christian Church they are to be understood of the Spiritual Kingdom of the Messias and the Times of the Gospel Sacrifices and the Temple signify Spiritual Oblations and the Gospel-Church for the Evangelical Prophet is to be understood in an Evangelical Sense The Angels Words concerning Christ in Luke 1. 32 33. The Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reign over the House of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end are a plain Comment on all those places in the Old Testament where the Perpetuity of the Mosaick Laws and the Jewish Oeconomy and Government is promis'd They shew that they are all meant of Christ and his Kingdom i. e. his Church both here and hereafter which was prefigured by David's Kingdom From what this Heavenly Messenger saith here we learn that the Prophesies concerning the endless continuance of the Throne of David of raising up to 〈◊〉 David their King Jer. 30. 9. of raising up the Tabernacle of David Am. 9. 11. of God's setting up his Servant David Ezek. 34. 23. are all accomplish'd in Christ. And indeed the Jewish Commentators themselves acknowledg that the Messias is often stiled David in these and other Prophesies of the Old Testament nor are they backward to confess that by David's Throne and Kingdom is meant the Messias's Government as is plain from Psal. 132. 11. 2 Sam. 7. 12. 1 Chron. 22. 10. where God promised David that Christ should sit on his Throne which is taken notice of and applied not only in the forenam'd place in St. Luke but in Acts 2. 30. For Christ is represented by David and the Evangelical Dispensation is express'd in Terms which relate to the Iewish Administration and Government So that it is no wonder this is said to be for ever for it shall last to the end of the World and afterwards Christ shall reign in the Kingdom of Glory to eternal Ages This if duly considered cannot but yield a satisfactory Answer to the foregoing Objection as well as give light to several Prophesies of the Old Testament But here it will be asked where hath God formally abrâ—gated the Ceremonial Law of the Jews I answer it is not necessary he should do this for the Law ceaseth when the Reason of it ceaseth Now the Reason of the Câ—râ—monial Law and all its Observances was chiâ—fly to prefigure Christ and the Gospel of which he was the Institutor and therefore they are now ceased Christ being come of whom they were but Figures and Shadows The Abrogation then of those Mosaick Rites wherein the Religion of the Iews was placed may be proved by this one Argument viz. that Christ was designed by the legal Rites that the Ceremonial Law was a Prefiguration of the Gospel-Dispensation Here it might be shew'd that the Evangelical Oeconomy was prefigured by certain Persons as Abel Noah Abraham Isaac Ioseph Melchisedec about the last of whom the Author to the Hebrews spends a whole Chapter these were Typical Persons as well as Moses and Ioshua and some others afterwards And not only Persons but Things were Typical as the Pillar of a Cloud the Red Sea the Manna and the Rock which two last were Symbols of the Evangelical Sacraments the Eucharist and Baptism 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 c. and the lifting up of the brazen Serpent signified Christs Crucifixion Iohn 3. 14. But if I should speak of those that are properly Legal Rites and Vsages it is yet further evident that they were Representations of our Saviour and of the grand things of the Gospel As for Sacrifices I have treated of them already and made it appear that they foresignified the expiatory Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. As for the Tabernacle and all the appurtenances of it I have particularly display'd their Typical Nature and how they all pointed to this Dispensation I am now speaking of I might proceed to make this good concerning the Ceremonious Washings and Purifications under the Law that they typified some greater Purity they signified the Spiritual cleansing and sanctifying of the Soul and the abstaining from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit The Apostle acquaints us that the difference of Meats and Drinks observing of a Holy Day or of the New Moon or of the Sabbath Days were a shadow of things to come but the Body of this Shadow is Christ Col. 2. 16 17. The Truth the Solidity the Substance are to be sought for in some higher things than those were even in Christ Jesus and in the Benefits of the Gospel Yea he tells us that the whole Mosaick Law is but a shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. 1. All the things contained in it are but rude
here the grand Points of the Christian Belief are here set forth in a clearer Light than before they are proved and confirm'd in these Writings Yea several great Truths and weighty Doctrines of the Christian Faith are mention'd and illustrated here which neither the Gospels nor the Acts speak of Especially St. Paul's Epistles which are thrice as many as any of the other Apostles writ are fraught with extraordinary Discoveries of Divine and Heavenly Mysteries And we could not expect less for this Apostle was the only Person of them all that had the Privilege to be taken up into the third Heaven the Seat of Glory where he was in a more especial manner enlightned and had those sublime Points of the Trinity c. as his Writings abundantly testifie reveal'd and open'd to him so far as the matters were capable of it which the Evangelists and other Apostles knew but little of which makes his Writings more eligible and valuable than all the rest This is so plain and obvious that it is wonderful that any Man who hath read and perused his Epistles can contradict it and which is worse undervalue them as if they were writ only by the by and were not designedly indited to instruct us in the most necessary Articles of our Religion We cannot believe this when we consider the extraordinary Revelations which this Apostle was honoured with and when we observe the gradual Discovery of the Truths of the Gospel But still the Gospel was in its Childhood and Inferior State which is the thing I have now undertaken to make good This Dispensation of Christianity under which the Apostles were was not arrived to a very considerable Pitch There were some Relicks of the Iewish Oeconomy still remaining they had not quite laid aside the Ceremonial Law and Mosaick Rites St. Paul when he was among the Gentiles or writ to them as to the Galatians declared against all Mosaick Observances whatsoever but the other Apostles when they were among the Iews did no such thing yea St. Paul himself to comport with the Iews or Gentiles as he saw occcasion used or used not the Jewish Ceremonies Thus he circumcised Timothy but not â—itus And so without doubt the other Apostles behav'd themselves according to the people they dealt with They kept the first Day of the Week the true Christian Sabbath Acts 17. 7. 20. 7. 25. 66. 1 Cor. 16. 2. and they observed likewise the Iewish one Acts 13. 14 42. 16. 13. for they found it convenient to comply with some because of their weakness therefore for the sake of the converted Iews they observ'd the seventh day Sabbath tho with the converted Gentiles they celebrated the first Day of the Week We find that two or three Iewish Ceremonies were kept up by the Apostles when all the rest were abrogated Acts 15. 28 29. It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that ye abstain from meats offered to Idols and from Blood and from Things strangled and from Fornication Here St. Iames the Bishop of Ierusalem and St. Peter and St. Iohn Apostles and others of the Church determine what the Gentile Christians shall do in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia as touching the Iewish Rites and Ceremonies They are not to be Circumcised but it is required of them as of all Proselytes of the Gate that they observe the Precepts of abstaining from things offered to Idols c. This is the Decretal Epistle or you may call these the Canons of the Apostolick Council And these things are enjoin'd for no other end but to comply with the believing Iews that in some Observances those Gentile Converts might agree with them Besides as One observes these things named in the Decree and forbidden by it were such as the Pagan Idolaters chiefly observ'd and practised They are four grand Marks of Gentilism and therefore those Gentiles who were converted to Christianity ought to renounce all those things as Idolatrous Especially as to Fornication they were bid to abstain from this not as if it were of the same nature and as indifferent in it self as the other things mentioned but they are joined together because the Gentiles thought Fornication or Whoredom an indifferent thing and they usually allow'd themselves in it A Learned Man of our Nation is of Opinion that by Fornication is meant Poligamy a sort of Fornication as he calls it among the Iews which seem'd to them lawful and marrying within the prohibited degrees is he thinks here forbidden likewise But if we remember that what the Synod decrees here is for the sake of the Converted Gentiles not the Iews we shall rather believe that Fornication properly so call'd is here forbid especially if we consider that the Pagans had no positive Laws among them against this tho they had against Adultery Wherefore this Practice which was look'd upon as an indifferent thing among them is here directly caution'd against and hence you see the Reason why this is ranked with the rest And the abstaining from these things is mention'd as necessary not as if they were all unlawful in themselves and their own nature for Fornication only was so but the rest were for that time and juncture necessary Otherwise they are call'd a burden and therefore not morally good and consequently not Necessary in themselves Yet they were I say Necessary tho not to all Christians yet to all Proselytes of the Gate and for that time only because it was requisite to symbolize with the Iudaizing Christians who urged some Ceremonial Observances and this was the way to unite both converted Iews and Gentiles who then were mixed together But when Christianity prevailed and there was no fear of giving offence to the weak the Obligation of this Decree ceas'd and these things were not observ'd in the Church But one of these viz. abstaining from Blood hath not so soon and so easily been laid aside as the others The Reason of which I conceive was this this was an early Prohibition this was a Law given to Noah Gen. 9. 4. Flesh with the life thereof which is the Blood thereof ye shall not eat and thus having the start of the Ceremonial Law of Moses they might think it forbad something which was morally Evil and that as it obliged before Moses's Law so it ought to do afterwards and that therefore there lay an obligation on Christians to observe it But several things I will here suggest 1. It should be consider'd there were Ceremonial Laws and Rites prescribed before Moses that are universally acknowledged to have no obligation under Chrisâ—ianity and therefore this may cease as well as they 2. It should be remembered that when this Law was deliver'd to Moses the Reason annex'd to it was this The life of the flesh is in the Blood and I have given it to you upon the Altar to make an Atonement for your Souls for it is the