Prophetick stile Luk. 3.23 he began his Ministry the thirtieth year of his age And there be four Passovers mentioned in the Gospel of John in the sacred Story of his Life and Death Or we may apply this circumstance more literally in reference to his Resurrection from the dead which is the 3. Third thing wherein Isaac was a Type of Christ thus that they were both delivered from Death the third day Look as Isaac was reputed among the dead in his Fathers thoughts and purpose for three days who had given him up unto the Lord but he received him again as from the dead after three days So Christ was in the state of Death three days but then rose again to dye no more so that as Isaac in three days was both alive and dead and revived in a figure Christ was so in truth In this respect the Apostle clearly makes him a Type of Christ Heb. 11.19 accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a Figure For Isaac's Death and Resurrection was not a real Death and Resurrection but a figurative Death and a figurative Resurrection The truth of which Figure is in Christ who both dyed and rose again really and indeed I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the Keys of Hell and of Death Revel 1.18 3. Jacob he also was a Type of Christ and is intimated in the Scripture so to be in that Christ is called by his Name Isai 49.3 Thou art my Servant O Israel in whom I will be glorified they are the words of God the Father unto Jesus Christ Jacob was a Type of Christ 1. In his Sojourning 2. In his Wrestling 1. In his sojourning and travelling to and fro in an afflicted condition almost all his days For he seems to have been the most afflicted Saint that we read of in Scripture except Job He leaves his Fathers House and goes to Haran and lives there as a Servant for his two Wives Rachel and Leah Gen. 28.10 and 29.18 27. So Christ left the Bosom of his Father descended from the highest Heavens and sojourned here upon earth in the form of a Servant to purchase to himself a Spouse a Church of Jews and Gentiles Jacob also went down into Egypt by Gods direction and there Joseph fed him Gen. 46.3 So Christ was carried into Egypt by Joseph the Son of another Jacob being warned so to do by the Lord in a Dream and was there fed and provided for by Joseph his reputed Father Matth. 2.13 And as the Lord brought Jacob back again in his Posterity who carried his Bones with them Gen. 46.4 I will surely bring thee up again So he brought Christ out of Egypt in his own person And that this History had a typical respect to Christ you may see in Matth. 2.15 Hos 11.1 when Israel was a Child then I loved him and called my Son out of Egypt It is spoken there historically but not only so but prophetically also For that History of Israels going into Egypt and returning again was a typical History and did represent what was to be done in Christ the true Israel 2. Jacob was also a Type of Christ in regard of his wrestling and prevailing with the Lord When he was to meet Esau he betakes himself to Prayer that night and prevailed from whence he got the name of Israel Gen. 32.28 and he said thy Name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel For as a Prince thou hast power with God and with men and hast prevailed Hos 12.4 Yea he wept and made supplication unto him So Christ often and particularly the night before his Sufferings Heb. 5.7 who in the days of his Flesh when he had offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from Death and was heard in that he feared for he had that which was equivalent You know his Agonies in Prayer that night when he said Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me nevertheless not my Will but thy Will be done Yea he lives for ever to intercede Heb. 7.25 4. The fourth and last personal Type that is now to be spoken to is Joseph The History of Joseph in the latter end of Genesis is a very admirable and an affecting History In Poems and Romances to please and affect the Mind men take liberty to feign yet they come far short of this which was a real History It is true Joseph is not so expresly mentioned in the New Testament as a Type of Christ as Abraham Isaac and Jacob are but the analogy is so clear and full that we cannot well omit him Joseph multis modis Figuram Christi gestavit vel potius viva fuit ejus Imago saith Calvin in Matth. 2. ult The Analogy is marvellous clear in sundry particulars I shall but instance in four things wherein he was as the Apostle speaks of another eminent Type made like unto the Son of God 1. In his personal qualifications and endowments of Wisdom and Holiness 2. In his Sufferings 3. In his Advancement 4. In his Carriage towards his Brethen 1. In regard of his personal Qualifications and endowments Joseph may be fitly numbred amongst the Types of Christ for he was very eminent both as to Wisdom and Holiness As for Wisdom he had a Prophetical Light shining in him from whence Pharaoh gave him that honourable name Zaphnath payaneah a clear Revealer of Secrets Gen. 41.45 the Egyptian Language though not the same with the Hebrew yet had some affinity with it The first word Tsopnath Secretum comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 recondidit The other payaneach is thought to be a compound of two words from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 claruit and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duxit placide Joseph was eminent for leading by the hand into secret hidden mysteries It was said of him by Pharaoh Can we find such a man as this is in whom the Spirit of God is Gen. 41.38 and forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this there is none so discreet and wise as thou art So in Christ are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Col. 2.3 He received the Spirit without measure Joh. 3.34 He is the wonderful Counsellor Isai 9.6 the wonderful Numberer Dan. 8.13 the true Palmoni or numberer of Secrets And as for Holiness Joseph was tempted by his Mistress to bodily Adultery but he resisted and overcame the temptation So Christ was tempted to Idolatry which is spiritual Adultery but overcame the Tempter Matth. 4. And Believers also are victorious through him Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.57 2. In regard of his Sufferings both from his Brethren and from Strangers also his Mistress and other Egyptians His Sufferings were very grievous the Archers sorely grieved him and shot at him and hated
and Demas for a time 2. Elisha called in the New Testament Elizeus Luk. 4. He was a Type of Christ in three respects 1. In that Elisha in respect of Elijah was as it were a Continuation of the same person For he rose up compleatly in the same Spirit The Prophets discerned it 2 Kings 2.15 the Spirit of Elijah did rest upon Elisha So when Christ departed and ascended up to Heaven he left the Comforter in his stead Joh. 16. and he left the Apostles and Ministers to carry on his Work and poured forth his Spirit upon them for that end Or we may accommodate this with respect to John the Baptist thus As Elisha succeeded Elijah so did Christ come after John the Baptist and so Elisha was in this respect a Type of Christ himself 2. In regard of the remarkable Vengeance and Destruction that came upon his wicked Enemies The Children that mocked him were devoured by two She-Bears 2 Kings 2.23 24. Gehazi his treacherous Servant smitten with Leprosie 2 Kings 5.27 So Despisers of Jesus Christ and the Gospel shall be punished with most remarkable and dreadful Destruction Hear ye Despisers and wonder and perish Acts 13.41 For I work a Work in your days a Work which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you incredible Plagues shall the Despisers and Rejecters of Christ and of the Gospel be punished with And Judas the Traytor his Servant you know what dreadful Destruction came upon him Acts 1.18 his Bowels gushed out through the horror of his Conscience and the Fury of the Almighty rending his very Body in pieces as well as his Soul from his Body 3. In regard of his Miracles He and his Predecessor Elijah were the greatest workers of Miracles except Moses that ever we read of in Scripture or that ever the Lord raised up in his Church For Moses was to be the Founder as it were of that Church-Estate and Worship that was in those days and Elijah and Elisha were the Preservers and Restorers of it in a most degenerate and corrupted Age. The Miracles of Elisha were very great and many they are recorded in the second Book of Kings in the 2 3 4 5 6 and 7th Chapters and one more in chap. 13. They were about one and twenty in all There be three recorded in the second chapter viz. his dividing Jordan with Elijahs Mantle his healing the Waters of Jericho the devouring two and forty scoffing Children of those idolatrous Parents the people at Bethel by two She-Bears In the third Chapter there is another viz. the overflowing of the Wilderness of Edom with Water crp. 3.20 see ver 8. to the Destruction of the Moabites In the fourth Chapter there be five more which are the Analysis and Contents of that Chapter viz. 1. His multiplying the Widows Oyl while she had any empty vessels to fill 2. His giving a Son to that great and good Woman the Shunamite 3. His raising her Son when dead unto life again and this is the second person that ever was raised from the dead 4. His healing the deadly Pottage which had poysoned the Students in the Colledge at Gilgal 5. His feeding of an hundred men with twenty Loaves In the fifth Chapter there be two more the curing of Naamans Leprosie and the smiting of Gehazi with that Disease In the sixth Chapter there be six more 1. His causing Iron to swim 2. His disclosing the secret Counsels of the King of Syria by the Spirit of Prophesie 3. An Army of Angels coming down from Heaven for his defence at Dothan 4. The opening of his Servants Eyes to see them 5. The smiting of the Syrians with Blindness And 6. The opening their Eyes again In the seventh Chapter are three more the hideous which noise was heard and caused such a pannick terror in the Camp of the Syrians that their whole Army fled and the incredible Plenty in Samaria with the Death of that unbelieving Nobleman who had questioned whether God could do it And then lastly cap. 13.21 a dead man is restored to life by touching his Bones And this is the third person that was raised from the dead All these Miracles in general were Presignifications of what the Messiah was to do in that kind and some of them were more particularly fulfilled and answered by the Antitype As that of feeding an hundred men with twenty Loaves You know Christ did that and more feeding five thousand with five Loaves and two Fishes Matth. 14.21 And at another time four thousand with seven Loaves and a few little Fishes Matth. 15.38 His raising the dead to life whereof we have three instances in the Old Testament the Widow of Sarepta her Son the Shunamites Son and the Man buried in Elisha's Grave These were Types and Pledges of what Christ should do in raising the dead As in raising Lazarus Jairus his Daughter the Widows Son of Naim and his own blessed Body out of the Grave and many Saints that arose with him And those which the Apostles raised by his Name And finally the raising all his Elect unto eternal Life and all the Sons of men unto Judgment at the great Day There might also be a spiritual application and accommodation of them as to the quickning of mens Souls the healing of the Diseases of the Soul feeding them with the Bread of Life pouring into empty Vessels empty Souls the Oyl of Gladness the Joys and Graces of his Spirit 3. Jonah him I connect with Elijah and Elisha to make the Type more compleat and full Some have conjectured that Jonah was the Widows Son of Zarephath whom Elijah raised from the dead 1 Kings 17.22 23. but this is but a conjecture without proof it is probable enough he might live about their time or perhaps somewhat after That he was a Type of Christ the Scripture is express Matth. 12.39 No Sign shall be given them but the Sign of the Prophet Jonah You may see how the Type fits the Antitype in four respects 1. In his Death he offered himself willingly unto Death to asswage the Storm Jon. 1. and so he is cast into the Sea and devoured by the Whale So did Christ to appease the Tempest of Gods Wrath. And as upon Jonahs being cast into the Sea the Sea ceased from its raging cap. 1.15 and the Seamen were saved from drowning So upon Christs Death Gods Wrath is pacified and Believers saved from the Wrath to come Jonah had sore conflicts and inward agonies of Spirit when he was under that shadow of death in the Whales Belly cap. 2. So had Christ when he cried My God my God why hast thou forsaken me there were unutterable anguishes in his Soul those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unknown unconceivable sufferings in his Soul 2. He was a Type of Christ in his Burial For look as Jonah was buried in the Belly of the Whale three days and three nights So was Christ in the Belly of the Earth the
in by degrees the first four Trumpets made way for the perfection of that Apostasie that came in by the fifth Among the Idolatrous Kings of Israel those in succeeding times were worse then their wicked Predecessors Jeroboam was bad enough but he only sets up the two Calves at Dan and Bethel but Omri went beyond him for it is said he did worse then all that went before him 1 King 16.25 We read of the Statutes of Omri Mic. 6.16 Idolatrous and persecuting Laws But his Son Ahab was worse then he For as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam he did set up the Worship of Baal and did more to provoke the God of Israel to anger then all the Kings of Israel that went before him 1 King 16.31 32 33. So that you see it is an increasing and an endless sin 4. All the honour men do or think they do to God by worship of their own invention doth redound indeed and in truth to the honour of the Devil which is a fearful thing to consider Superstition is a sin directly against the means of worship but it is ultimately against the Object of worship Strange worship sets up a strange God Ames Med. Theol. lib. 2. cap. 13. Thes 14 15 42. for it necessarily supposeth and feigneth to it self such an Object of worship as is well pleased with such manner of worship as Superstition offers up and to whose will soever we submit our Consciences as the Rule of our religious worship him we set up as our God Though it be not so in mens intentions yet it is so indeed and in Gods Interpretation The Lord so interprets false worship that a new God is devised for the Object of it so of the Heathenish Idolatry the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to Devils and not to God 1 Cor. 10.20 And so the Lord interprets the Jewish Idolatry Jeroboam ordained Priests for the Devils which he had made 2 Chron. 11.15 Lev. 17.7 Deut. 32.17 And he puts the same construction upon the Popish Idolatry they repented not of worshipping Devils Rev. 9.20 And their Factors and Emissaries are called Spirits of Devils Rev. 16.14 they think they worship St. Peter and the Virgin Mary yea God himself and Jesus Christ but it is indeed and in Gods account the Devil whom they worship It is true you cannot honour God too much his Name is above and beyond all praise but you may mistake and honour the Devil when you think you honour God A fearful mistake indeed it is but yet it is that which all those fall into who in their worship depart from the will of God revealed in his Word and turn aside to any of the Inventions of men THE GOSPEL OF THE CEREMONIAL UNCLEANNESSES and CLEANSINGS September 13 20. 1668. Heb. 9.13 14. For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the blood of Christ c. IN the distribution I formerly gave of the Ceremonial Law you may remember I did put the Legal Sacrifices and Purifications together under one Head as partaking in the same general nature both of them tending to the purging away of sin and of uncleanness Moral uncleanness being taken away by Sacrifice Ceremonial uncleanness by Ceremonial Purifications whereof we are now to speak as the Lord shall enable us from this Text which speaks very fully and most divinely to this Point There be two things in the Text. 1. The Type vers 13. For if the blood of Bulls of Goats c. 2. The Antitype vers 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ c. Under each of which there be three particulars which are here set by the Apostle in a way of opposite correspondency the one to the other 1. He speaks of uncleanness in the Type To which answers dead works as the thing figured by it 2. He mentions Ceremonial cleansing to the purifying of the flesh To which answers the purging of the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God 3. The Means of the one answers to the Means of the other The blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean which is the Means of legal cleansing To this answers the blood of Christ who by the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot unto God which is the Means of spiritual cleansing Though withall the Apostle shews that these two answer not each other in a way of equal Analogy there being indeed a preeminent excellency of the one above the other of the Antitype above the Type therefore he expresseth it with an how much more If those legal Purifications attain the end of legal cleansing for which they were appointed how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse the Conscience It hath a greater efficacy and is a Truth of clearer and higher Evidence These particulars of the Analogy between the Type and the Antitype we may cast them into three doctrinal Propositions thus 1. That they had a Ceremonial uncleanness under the Law which figured the Moral uncleanness of dead works 2. That they had also Ceremonial cleansings or purifyings of the flesh which signified the purging our Consciences from dead works to serve the living God 3. That the Means of Ceremonial putification by the blood of Bulls and Goats and by the ashes of an Heiser sprinkling the unclean signified the blood of Christ who by the eternal Spirit offered up himself without spot unto God 1. For the first namely that they had a Ceremonial uncleanness under the Law which did figure out the Moral uncleanness of dead works therefore he sets them one against the other so that those uncleannesses did signify dead works and what is meant by dead works we may see Heb. 6.1 not laying again the foundation of Repentance from dead works What do we repent of We repent of our sins These are therefore the dead works here spoken of and sin is called a dead work because it proceeds from death and is a part of spiritual death and tends to eternal death As good Actions tend to life so sin tends to death so then Ceremonial uncleanness signifies Moral uncleanness of sin and dead works There were two or three sorts of Ceremonial uncleanness 1. Unclean Touchings 2. Unclean Issues 3. That unclean Disease of the Leprosy 1. They had unclean Touchings and Tastings here was uncleanness from without 2. They had unclean Issues here was uncleanness from within a mans self 3. That Disease of the Leprosy was a Disease of Ceremonial uncleanness and here was both an inward and an outward uncleanness 1. There was a Ceremonial uncleanness by eating or touching any unclean thing Lev. 11. In that Chapter it is treated of which Chapter shews what Beasts what Fishes what Fowls and what creeping things might and what might not be eaten And it
them that heard it THE scope of this Epistle is to perswade them to persevere in their Christian profession and not to fall off to Judaism from the Gospel to the Law To this end he sets before them the excellency of the Gospel above the Law the excellency of Christ above Moses In the prosecution whereof he inserts many wholesom exhortations and applications of those former truths and dispensations of old to us in Gospel times And having from Psalm the 95th spoken of their being shut out of Gods rest because of their Unbelief in cap. 3.18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not he applies this cap. 4.1 Let us therefore fear least a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it And inforceth this caution by paralelling their state with ours in the words of the Text. For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them You see how the Text comes in as an inforcement of that exhortation take heed of falling short of entring into rest seeing the Gospel is preached unto us as it was unto them and it became unprofitable unto them because they did not take heed of that sin which is here dehorted from even the sin of Unbelief In the words are three Propositions 1. That the Gospel was preached both under the Old and New Testament to them as well as to us to us as well as them The Apostle joins these together unto us as well as unto them 2. That there be some who though they hear the Gospel yet do not profit by it they are but high-way ground stony ground thorny ground hearers as Matth. 13. The word may be preached to many that live under the clear and powerful dispensations of the Gospel yet they not profit by it There is but one sort of good ground of fruitful hearers many there are to whom the Gospel is preached but they hear it unfruitfully and unprofitably 3. That the main cause of this unprofitableness under the Gospel is because of their Unbelief The reason of unfruitfulness and barrenness under the preaching of the Gospel is for want of Faith in them that hear it The word did not profit them not being mixed with faith Unbelief is the cause of this unprofitableness Many complain of their own unprofitableness and many take no notice of the cause of it It is for want of Faith It is the first of these three that I design to speak unto the Lord assisting Doctr. 1. That the Gospel was preached to them under the Old Testament as well as to us under the New I put it so as best suiting with the scope I intend The Apostle here supposeth it as a known and granted truth that they had the Gospel and he adds that we have it too as well as they But that they had it he supposeth it as a thing beyond all question as a thing received and believed and understood amongst them and that needed no dispute For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them As if he should say no doubt it was preach'd to them and so it is to us also Gal. 3.8 And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all Nations be blessed The Gospel is the glad tidings of Man's Recovery by Jesus Christ out of the state of Sin and Death into which he was fallen into a state of Favour and Communion with God again into a state of Life and Happiness Now this was made known to them of old these glad tidings sounded in their ears as well as ours Psal 89.15 Blessed are the people that hear the joyful sound The Reasons for the proof of it may be such as these Reas 1. Because they had the same Gospel blessings and mercies promised preached and revealed unto them that we have now that are revealed and made known unto us and in the same way and upon the same account as we have them now There be two Branches of this Argument 1. That they had the same Gospel mercies preached and held forth and this 2. In the same way and upon the same account 1. They had the very same Gospel blessings and mercies that we have in these latter days This will be easily made out and appear if we enquire what the good things of the Gospel are we shall find that they were exhibited unto them as well as unto us And what are they In general That God would be their God How oft is this promise made to them and so he is to us Now this includes three things 1. Regeneration 2. Reconciliation and Remission of Sins 3. Everlasting Salvation I. Regeneration or the New Heart the Heart of Flesh the writing of Gods Law in the heart You know most of these are Old Testament phrases Jer. 31.33 I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people This was preached and held forth to them by that Seal of Circumcision Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live and by all their legal washings and purifications which signified their cleansing from sin from the filth and power as well as from the guilt of it Ezek. 36.25 26 27. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them This includes the whole frame of Saving Grace a new disposition in the heart new principles new walkings This succeeds the Old man corrupt Nature this is one great Gospel blessing common to them with us II. A second great blessing of the Gospel is Reconciliation and Remission of sins Isai 1.18 Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wooll Jer. 33.34 I will forgive their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more And innumerable more promises they had of this throughout the Old Testament This part of the Gospel was preached and shadowed forth to them by all their Sacrifices and Oblations which are thefore said to make atonement for them It is a phrase often used in the nine first Chapters of Leviticus He that sinned shall bring such or such an Offering and the Priest shall
previous Rules that may be of some use and give some general Light for your better understanding of them 1. They were all godly men No wicked man individually considered ever was or could be a Type of Christ How could Limbs of the Devil men in whom Satan dwelt be Pictures as it were and Looking-glasses in which to see the Shadow of the most high God who is Holiness it self A man personally wicked may be involved with others in a religious Order For the Order is holy though the man be wicked But if single persons be Types they must needs be holy men 2. Whereas these holy men had their failings They were not Types of Christ in regard of their sinful failings but only in their Graces and Excellencies For Sin cannot be a Type of Holiness Therein they were not like but unlike to Jesus Christ the Antitype 3. When Typical persons had real Types belonging to them as oftentimes they had we shall speak to both together at least where they cannot be better and more conveniently referred to some other place As for instance Noahs Ark was a Type as well as he himself Therefore we shall speak to that when we speak of Noah as being a Circumstance and a part of his History which was though a true and real yet withal a typical History 4. These typical persons the highest and most eminent of them were but partial Types Therefore together with the Analogy between them and the Antitype we shall sometimes where we see it needful note also the disparity and disproportion that was between them That you may see how far the Shadows fell short of the Substance and how the Antitype excels the Type And we shall not mention all but only some of the chief and most illustrious And because there be divers of them we shall rank them for method and memories sake into two Classes 1. The personal Types that were before the Law 2. Under the Law 1. Before the Law Here I shall instance only in eight Persons namely Adam Enoch Noah Melchizedek Abraham Isaac Jacob and Joseph 1. Adam He was the first Type of Christ in the world That he was a Type of Christ is clear from express Scriptures The Text Rom 5.14 Who is the Type of him that was to come and 1 Cor. 15.45 The first man Adam was made a living Soul the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit Now to shew you the Analogy wherein Adam did resemble and represent the Lord Jesus Christ It was chiefly in this In regard of his Headship and Influence Adam and Christ both stood instead of all that belonged to them Adam was the Head of the first Covenant Jesus Christ is the Head of the second Covenant Adam was the Covenant-root and Head of all Mankind a publick and common person representing them yea an undertaker for them What they say vainly of the Pope that he is the Church-Representative may be truly said of Adam He was the Representative of the whole World as a Parliament-man acting in the name of the Town or Country that chose him He sinning we sinned in him he being condemned we are condemned in him So Christ is the Head of the second Covenant and of his Elect who are involved and wrapt up therein He hath undertaken for them and presented them to the Father Ephes 2.16 in one body Therefore when he died we died with him when Christ was crucified our Sins were nailed to his Cross and crucified and buried as it were in his Grave If he arise we rise with him to die no more His Influence is to all his Seed For both Adams have a Seed As Adam so Christ Isai 53.10 He shall see his Seed He communicates to them what he hath so doth Christ what he hath Adam conveys and communicates Sin and Death But Christ Righteousness and Life Adam brought in these two great Intruders and Usurpers Sin and Death into the world And as Adam conveys Sin to those that had not sinned actually so doth Christ convey Righteousness to those that had not wrought Righteousness As in the Text Rom. 5.14 with Rom. 9.30 31. The Gentiles which followed not after Righteousness have attained to Righteousness As soon as there is an Union between Soul and Body Adams Sin is imputed to his Seed so as soon as there is a mystical Union between Christ and the Soul by the Spirit of Faith so soon is Christs Righteousness imputed There be some other Considerations may be added unto these 2. The Apostle seems to make his Dominion over the Creatures a shadow of Christs Dominion and Kingdom Gen. 2.19 20. Psal 8.6 compar'd with Heb. 2.6 7 8 9. 3. His Relation to Eve She was taken out of his Side while Adam was asleep and afterwards married to him Gen. 2.21 so the Church is taken out of Christs Side while he was in the sleep of Death and joyned to him as his Spouse by the Covenant of Grace 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one Husband that I may present you as a chast Virgin to Christ Ephes 5.30 â—1 We are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones While Christ dies his Church receives Life and she which lives only by him her hath he espoused to himself in Truth Mercy and Righteousness Hos 2. The Church is both Effectum Objectum Redemptionis the Effect and the Object of Redemption The Effect He died to purchase to himself a Church a peculiar people Tit. 2.14 The Object He gave himself for the Church Ephes 5.25 But yet it follows not that Marriage is a Sacrament though Adams Marriage had such a sacramental or typical notion put upon it he being the common Root of all mankind But this will not suffice to make Marriage a Sacrament no more than the annexing a typical use to the Jewish Sabbath viz. to commemorate their Deliverance out of Egypt will make the fourth Commandment ceremonial And as Adam was a Type of Christ so we may carry the parallel a little further So Eve may be considered as a Type of the Church For the Godly are called her Seed I will put enmity between thy Seed that is the Serpents and her Seed Gen. 3.15 and Adam calls her the Mother of all living Gen. 3.20 So Jerusalem which is above that is the Church is the Mother of us all Gal. 4.26 4. And lastly as Adam was a Type himself so he had several Types belonging to him There were divers real Types belonging to the History of this personal Type As Paradise a Type of Heaven For Heaven is often called by that name 2 Cor. 12. that which in ver 2. is called the third Heaven is called in ver 4. Paradise so Luk. 23.43 this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Paradise was a Garden of Pleasure Eden from whence the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pleasure and the Heathenish Poems of the Gardens of Adonis But at thy right hand in Heaven are Pleasures
for evermore Psal 16.11 So likewise the Tree of Life in Paradise was a Type of Christ though it was created upon the third day of the Week and before the Gospel it could not be a Type of Christ yet after the Fall and after the preaching of the Gospel Gen. 3. it might be designed and ordained to this use As God provided Physical Herbs for Man before he fell or needed them as to that use of Physick so this Tree of Life before Sin or the Gospel was known It seems to be so spoken of Revel 2.7 and 22.2 The Tree of Life in the midst of Paradise Christ in the midst of the Church Mans Ejection out of Paradise a Type of his deserved Exclusion out of Heaven And the Cherubims with flaming Swords Gen. 3. ult an outward and visible shadow of the Wrath of God and of the Angels of God as Executioners of it on Man who were created to be Ministers to his good and are so again through Grace But as in our natural condition they are the Lords Hosts to fight against us But there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a much more put upon Christ His saving Virtue far exceeds that cursed influence of Adam in sundry particulars amply opened by the Apostle from ver 12. to the end of the Chapter 1. The disparity is very great both in their Persons The first Adam is of the earth earthly his Name is but Adam Earth or Red earth but the second Adam is the Lord from Heaven 2 Cor. 15.47 2. In their Headship and Undertaking the one of a Covenant of Works the other of a better Covenant of Grace 3. In the Success of their Undertakings The one failed the other kept the Covenant the first Adam was tempted by Satan and conquered by him but Christ was tempted but overcame the Tempter 4. In their Influences The first Adam was made a living Soul the second a quickening Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 The one conveys all evil Sin and Death to his Seed the other communicates all good Righteousness and Life to his There is Righteousness opposed to Sin and Life to Death and with a much more Rom. 5.15 16 17 18. Not as the Offence so is the free Gift At the great Day when Adam shall see his Seed lost and undone he must own it I have embrued my hands in the Blood of all these But Christ shall say here am I and the Children which God hath given me and not one of them is lost 2. Enoch the seventh from Adam It is true he is not so expresly mentioned in Scripture for a Type of Christ as Adam is but yet by comparing the Scriptures we may discern a clear analogy between Christ and him how he was made like unto the Son of God in sundry things 1. He was a most illustrious Type of Christs Ascension into Heaven and indeed the only Type they had of it before the Law They had but two in all Elijah under the Law and Enoch before the Law Therefore we cannot well omit him Gen. 5.24 Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him and Heb. 11.5 he was translated that he should not see Death and was not found because God had translated him Some look upon this as a pledg of their Translation that shall be found alive at Christs second coming of whom the Apostle saith they shall be changed or translated 1 Thess 4. But it looks first and chiefly at Christ himself at his Ascension This I mention first as being the chief particular but a further analogy may observed in sundry other particulars also as 2. There was in Enoch some shadow of Christs Prophetical Office we read of Enochs Prophesie Jude 14 15. But Christ is the true Prophet who hath unsealed the whole Book of Gods Counsels that Liber fatidicus Rev. 5. he hath opened it so far as is fit and needful for his Church to know And as Enoch prophesied of the Day of Judgment so hath Christ very fully and frequently 3. We may set him among the Types of Christ for his unparallell'd Holiness in the age wherein he lived which was a corrupt and evil time all Flesh began to corrupt their way Gen. 5.22 24. Enoch walked with God it is twice repeated as worthy of special remark so Christ fulfilled all Righteousness Matth. 3.15 4. His pleasing God For so it is testified of him Heb. 11.5 so Christ Matth. 3.17 this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Joh. 8.29 I do always those things that please him He is pleased so well with him that he is well pleased with Sinners for his sake even for his Righteousness sake 5. His very Name Enoch hath something in it dedicated unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consecratus from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dedicavit consecravit From whence some derive the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Initio and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Feast of Dedication Joh. 10.22 So was Christ Luk. 1.35 that holy thing my Servant whom I have chosen Isai 42.1 and 49.5 formed me from the Womb to be his Servant 6. Some have added in regard of the continuance of his Life Henochs days were as the days of the Sun For he lived three hundred sixty five years Gen. 5.24 as many years as there be days in the year And of Christ it is is said his Throne shall continue for ever as the Sun before me Psal 89.36 3. The third typical person that we mentioned is Noah He is made a Type 1 Pet. 3.20 21. in regard of his preaching and saving those that believed him in the Ark. So Christ hath published the Gospel Matth. 11.27 no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son revealeth him He came and preached Peace Ephes 2.17 1 Pet. 3.19 Christ preached in Noah he saves them that believe his Doctrine he saves them in the Ark of his Church by the Covenant and Water of Baptism 4. Melchizedek was also a Type of Christ and most especially in regard of the excellency and eternity of his Person Priesthood and Kingdom Psal 110 4. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedek with Heb. 7.2 3 4. made like unto the Son of God But there is not time to insist upon these nor to proceed to the rest of the Types I shall therefore for the present conclude with something of Use and practical Improvement and shall raise the Uses not so much from the Doctrine in general but rather from that which hath been spoken upon it at this time Vse 1. Learn and know something more of Jesus Christ by what you have heard or if you knew it before let it be more deeply imprinted upon your hearts Let us sum up all together for they are all but partial Types and weak and imperfect Shadows of the Messiah but all put together will give the greater lustre like the Galaxia which is said
to be a multitude of little Stars Adam was a Type of Christ in regard of his Headship and Influence Enoch a Type of his Ascension into Heaven Noah of his Preaching and saving the Church by the Covenant and Water of Baptism Melchizedek was a Shadow of the Excellency and Eternity of his Person and of his Priesthood and Kingdom Know these things meditate and consider them more throughly and improve Christ in these Discoveries for your spiritual good Consider him as a common person standing in our stead as a Prophet Priest and King as ascended into Heaven as the Saviour of the Church which is his Body Use 2. Be exhorted to examine your selves and try which of the two Adams you are under For there are but two Men in the World the first and second Adam thou art a Member of one of them Adam and Christ divide the whole World Quest How may we know whether we be under the first or the second Adam Answ Take these Tryals 1. What Birth hast thou only the natural or spiritual Generation Art thou only born or new born For they that come only from Adam by natural Generation belong to him as the first Adam They that come of Christ by spiritual Regeneration are the Seed of Christ and belong to him as the second Adam What Experience hast thou had of this great work Nicodemus though a Doctor in Israel understood little of it 2. What Covenant doth thy Soul cleave to and act under the rule and influence of Works or Grace Works is the first Adams Covenant but Grace is the Covenant of the second Adam To go forth in a mans own Strength to expect acceptance in his own Worth this is a first Covenant Spirit a sign thou growest upon the old Stock upon the root of old Adam But to live in a continual dependance upon free Grace for every thing the free Grace of God in Christ this is the Spirit of the second Covenant and becomes the Sons and Branches of the second Adam Though a godly man may for a fit turn aside to the old Covenant as Abraham did to Hagar yet it is not his way it is not his Spirit to do so and thence he is never at rest till he return to have his dependance and rest on Christ again The Spirit of one under the Covenant of Grace is to have no confidence in the Flesh but to have his rest and rejoycing in Jesus Christ Phil. 3.3 3. What Communications whose Influences dost thou receive Every Branch receives from its Root the Stream from its Fountain Dost thou receive the Communications of the first or of the second Adam this will shew whose thou art and to whom thou dost belong You have heard what it is that each of them doth communicate That old Tree bears no good Fruit at all Art thou under the power of Sin and Death or under the power of Righteousness and Life Sin and Death reigns in the posterity of the first Adam But Righteousness reigns by Grace unto eternal Life in the posterity of the second Adam Rom. 5.21 2 Cor. 5.17 if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature Vse 3. Here is Comfort to the Seed of the second Adam against the present troubles they are under There be chiefly three complaints and troubles of Gods People under all which here is matter of support and relief 1. Thou art here upon Earth Christ the Head in Heaven but his poor Saints and Members here below But remember whither Jesus the Forerunner is entred for us As sure as Enochs Body is in Heaven or Elijahs by the virtue of his Ascension of whom they were Shadows so sure shall thine and mine ascend thither if we be his though we sleep in the dust for a time as Chirst himself also did 2. But while in this low valley the floods of great Waters are ready to overwhelm us the floods of Persecution Affliction Desertions the overflowing scourges of common calamities which puts many of Gods people to some cares and fears But as to this consider that true Noah the Lord provides an Ark of safety for his people that the floods of great Waters may not overwhelm them Psal 32.6 see Psal 124 1-5 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when Men rose up against us then the Waters had overwhelmed us the Stream had gone over our Soul then the proud Waters had gone over our Soul But 3. Thou art a poor unworthy creature and God is angry or appears angry and how can I expect such Salvation from him who have sinned against him so as I have done To this remember what an High Priest you have even Jesus who is made an High Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedek Therefore let us come with boldness to the Throne of Grace It is the Apostles Inference Heb. 4.15 16. the Apostle saith of Melchizedek Heb. 7.4 consider how great this man was It may be said much more of Christ consider how great your High Priest is How little soever thou art in thy own eyes how unworthy soever the Greatness and Glory of your Redeemer is enough to remove all discouragement Some entrance Beloved hath been made into the personal Types We are upon the individual persons that were Types before the Law whereof eight were named Adam Enoch Noah Melchizedek Abraham Isaac Jacob and Joseph whereof only two have been spoken to viz. first Adam secondly Enoch We shall now proceed to the rest 3. The third is Noah whom we did but touch upon the last time but shall endeavour now to clear it more fully The Story of Noah is written in the 6 7 8 and 9. Chapters of Genesis And so famous it was amongst his Posterity that the Heathen have some broken Remembrances and Traditions of it they had heard of a Flood as well as of the Creation of the World Ovid speaks of them both in his Metamorphosis And their Bacchus the very name with a little alteration of the Letters comes from Noah Noachus Boachus and Janus from the Hebrew Jajin vinum somewhat they had heard as it seemeth about his planting a Vinyard and making Wine That this History of Noah had a typical respect you may see in 1 Pet. 3.20 21. In what respect was he a Type In two things chiefly 1. In regard of his Preaching 2. His saving his Houshold in the Ark. 1. In regard of his Preaching he was a Preacher of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 he gave warning to the secure World for a hundred and twenty years together both by his Word and Actions Every stroke in the building of the Ark had a voice and was an alarm to the World every day So Christ who did preach by his Spirit in the Ministry of Noah 1 Pet. 3.19 20. And when he came in the Flesh he did preach and bring in everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9.24 And he hath preached by
the people of God of old All which three put together gives 〈…〉 and glorious Representation of the Messiah Sampson in 〈…〉 and Sufferings David in his Victories and Conquesâ—◠〈◊〉 in the Peace and quiet Establishment of his Kingdom 1. Sampson a person whose Story is famous in the Scripture and some think that the Fame of him went forth amongst the Heathen and that their Fables of the Strength of Hercules and Nisus his purple Locks took their rise from the Story of Sampson The Grecians commonly turning all into Fables Graecia Mendax and being great pretenders to Antiquity being as drunk with the Pride of that Pretence though as false as the Papists are at this day and therefore making their own Country the Scene and the Stage of every wonderful thing as some have well observed of them they report of Nisus the King of Megaris in Greece that he had on his head a purple Hair on which the Preservation of his Life and Kingdom did depend which Jewel his Daughter Scylla is said to have delivered unto King Minos her Fathers Enemy with whom she fell in Love c. Of which Fables it may be said Fabula fundatur in Historia these Fables seem to be founded in the History of antient times That Sampson was a godly man it is certain because he is numbred amongst those eminent Believers Heb. 11. That he was a Type of Christ appears by the clearness of the Analogy between him and the Antitype and there seemeth to be some intimation of it in Jacobs Prophesie Gen. 49. of which hereafter And indeed the Analogy is so clear that I meet with none that have written of the Types but takes notice of Sampson for one so doth also Calvin and Beza on Matth. 2. ult He was a Type in regard of his Death and Sufferings yet not in that only but chiefly as being most peculiar and signal to him both above other Types and above other respects wherein himself was a Type For there were other respects also besides this which I shall touch upon and so come to this as the main Sampson therefore was a Type of Christ in four respects 1. In regard of sundry passages and circumstances of his Birth 2. in some special Actions of his Life 3. In his Strength and Victories over his Enemies 4. In his Sufferings and in the Victoriousness of his Sufferings 1. The first Analogy between Christ and him is in some passages about his Birth The time of it when Israel was under great Oppression by the Philistines Judges 13.1 then Sampson arose like a little Sun as his Name imports 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soliculus or Sol parvus from Shemesh Sol and gave them some dawnings of the Day some beginnings of Light and Liberty in that deep night of Darkness and Bondage Answerably Jesus Christ appeared when the Jews were under the yoke of the Romans and both they and the whole world under the spiritual thraldom of Sin and Satan The Pagan world overwhelmed in Idolatry and ignorance of God the Jews degenerated into Formality and a spirit of Bondage then did this true Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his Wings His Birth was beyond the ordinary course of Nature And so was Christs For Sampsons Mother was barren the Mother of Christ a Virgin It was foretold together with his Office to his Mother by an Angel and confirmed by a Sign And so was Christs His Office was to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines Judg. 13.5 Christs to save his people from their Sins Matth. 1.21 The Sign to Sampsons Mother was the Angels appearing again and ascending in a flame of Fire Judg. 13.20 The Virgin Mary had the Message confirmed also by a Sign though not so terrible a Sign as this But the Angels acquainting her with her Cousin Elizabeths Conception and the Babe leaping in her Womb and she breaking forth into those blessed expressions Blessed art thou among Women and blessed is the Fruit of thy Womb and whence is this that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me Luke 1.36 42 43. Moreover they were both Nazarites from the Womb. Sampson by the Law of Nazarites Numb 6.2 Christ by special Sanctity fulfilling that Type that holy thing that shall be born of thee Luke 1.35 As also by the place of his Residence being born indeed at Bethlehem but bred at Nazareth Matth. 2.1 5 23. and thence called a Nazaren or a Nazarite 2. There is a second Analogy between Christ and Sampson in some special Actions of his Life As in his Marriage with a Philistine and the Text saith it was of the Lord therefore some think that his first Match was not sinful but that he had a special Dispensation for it Judg. 14.4 So Christ took a Spouse unto himself out of the Gentiles Hos 2.20 At his Marriage Sampson put forth his Mind in Parables and Riddles to the Philistines Judg. 14.12 And so did Christ to the Pharisees Matth. 13.34 3. There is a third Analogy in their Strength and Victories over their Enemies especially in this circumstance That Sampson wrought his Victories alone by his own personal Strength his Countrymen would not stand by him Judg. 15.10 11 12 So Christ trod the Wine-press alone when all forsook him Sampsons first exploit was the slaying of a Lyon in the Desart that roared upon him Judg. 14.6 So the first Work of Christ at his entrance into his Ministry was the conquering that roaring Lyon that assaulted and tempted him in the Wilderness and roared upon him with those three hideous Temptations Matth. 4. And as upon the Lyon Sampson slew he gave this Riddle Out of the Eater came forth Meat and out of the strong came Sweetness So ex Corpore Diaboli mystico out of the Devils Body being slain out of the Devils Destruction comes the sweet and blessed tidings of the Gospel and Flocks or Churches or Societies of Christians like so many Swarms of Bees The Saints were onco in an unregenerate condition Children of Wrath Limbs of Satan but Satan being slain and conquered they are transformed and it is as great a change as for a Bee to be bred of a dead Carkass Some Interpreters have observed English Annot. on Judg. 14.8 that this was extraordinary For Naturalists observe that Bees do not use to breed in the Carkass of a Lyon but rather of an Ox or Bullock We may apply it to the Dispensations of Providence God works by unlikely yea contrary means Meat out of the Eater The Canaanites our Enemies they are Bread for us Numb 14.9 their very Sins Corruptions Temptations the Lord in his unsearchable Wisdom produceth good out of them Light out of Darkness yea Life out of Death out of the Death of the Lord of Life Moreover Sampson slew a thousand men with the Jaw-bone of an Ass a very weak and unable and unlikely Instrument to effect such a Work by yet the Spirit of the Lord coming upon him what slaughter
doth he make Judg. 15.14 15. So Christ by the Foolishness of Preaching through the Power of his Spirit subdues and overcomes the Souls of men unto himself and slays the Enmity 4. A fourth Analogy between Christ and Sampson is in his Sufferings and the Victoriousness thereof against his Enemies especially his Death I say Sampson was made like unto the Son of God in regard of his Sufferings from his Enemies Some have summed them up briefly thus That they were both sold for Mony under pretence of Love apprehended by their Enemies led away bound brought forth at a great Feast blinded Christ was blindfolded scorned fastned to a Post offered themselves willingly to death died amongst wicked men and thereby destroyed the Power of the Churches Enemies And as there were many circumstances in his Death which did evidently prefigure what befel the Antitype so let me desire you to take notice of these three 1. That it was voluntary so Christ no man taketh it from me Joh. 10.18 I lay it down of my self 2. That it was by his Enemies not a natural Death but violent so was Christs 3. That he was victorious in his Death he did suffer and conquer yea he conquered in and by his Sufferings he slew more at his Death than in his Life Judg. 16.30 So Christ by his Death gave the most deadly blow to Satans Kingdom Col. 2. In his Death he spoiled Principalities and Powers This prophesied of by Jacob Gen. 49.16 17 18. Sampson was a Serpent by the way to the Philistines in the Foxes and in the Jaw-bone of an Ass and the Pillars of the House are compared by some to the Heels of the Horse whereupon three thousand Philistines rode and fell backwards And I have waited for thy Salvation saith Jacob that is for Christ whom in the Spirit of Prophesie he saw afar off And as Sampson when he was in Azzah when the Philistines thought they had him sure enough he rose at midnight Judg. 16.3 So when the Enemies thought they had Christ sure enough he arose in his might carried away the Gates and Bars of Death and broke the Bonds of it Rom. 1.4 Acts 2.24 2. David that he was a Type appears by this that Christ is called by his Name Hos 3.5 Ezek. 34.23 24. My Servant David shall reign over them for evermore Sampson began David went on with the Work See the Analogy between David and Christ in these four particulars 1. He was eminently sitted for the Work to rule to feed Gods people Israel though he was the meanest of his Family So Christ came when the Family was brought low into obscurity David was eminent for Holiness a man after Gods own heart So Christ holy harmless and undefiled separate from Sinners A person of such worth that the Story of his Life is more fully and largely recorded in holy Writ than any other person in all the Old Testament So Christ is the person treated of throughout the whole Scripture David beloved of God So Christ Matth. 3. this is my beloved Son 2. He had many Enemies both open and secret Saul Doeg and Achitophel treacherous Dealers Types of Judas who dealt treacherously with him and for open professed Enemies the Philistines and the Ammonites and the Syrians engaged by the Ammonites see 2 Samuel 10.6 and 2 Samuel 8. So had Jesus Christ the Scribes and Pharisees the Jews the Romans Men and Devils for his Enemies 3. His Kingdom had but small and weak beginnings first a Shepherd then an Officer in Sauls Army then an Exile with a matter of six hundred men afterward King over Judah and Benjamin at Hebron lastly King over all Israel at Jerusalem So the Kingdom of Christ grows from small beginnings it is therefore compared to a grain of Mustard Seed It is at first like a River breaking forth at the Foot of a Mountain in a little Stream that you may stride over it but in its progress it enlargeth and grows to a deep and broad River and at last ends in the Ocean as all Rivers do so doth the Kingdom of Grace in the Ocean of eternal Glory 4. Glorious Successes and Victories and Deliverances all his Enemies fell before him He slew the Bear the Lyon Goliah 1 Sam. 17.37 conquered all his Enemies round about see 2 Sam. 8.12 14. Moreover Saul and his bloody House were rooted out before him He never fell into his Enemies hands though in this there is some dissimilitude For Christ was content to yield up himself into their hands to let them try their Strength and do their worst upon him therefore he gave up himself to Death But he rose again from under the power of Death and prevailed against them all and after his Resurrection Death hath no more dominion over him All his Enemies shall fall and perish sooner or later but he shall reign for ever and ever 3. Solomon I shall but mention a threefold Analogy between Christ and him 1. In his personal Wisdom 1 Kings 4.29 30. So Christ Col. 2.3 in him are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledg 2. In the glorious Peace and Prosperity of his Kingdom The Kingdom was peaceably setled in his hand 1 Chron. 22.9 1 King 4.24 25. And so he fell to the work of building the Temple as Christ doth the Church but of that hereafter when we come to the real Types So Christ Isai 9.6 he is the Prince of Peace the great Peace-maker Ephes 2. 3. In his Marriage with Pharaohs Daughter Some observe that the Daughter of Pharaoh never seduced him neither is there any mention made of the Egyptian Idols 1 Kings 11.5 7. In his other Outlandish Marriages he did sin but this is mentioned as by way of special exception 1 King 11.1 He took others besides Pharaohs Daughter For she was a Proselyte and so it was no sin to marry her And the Love between her and Solomon is made a Type of the Love between Christ and the Church Christ hath took us Gentiles to be a Spouse unto him Psal 45. Vse 1. Resolution of that great Case of Conscience whether you do belong to Christ or no. Is his Kingdom set up in thee art thou conflicting art thou conquering Vse 2. Comfort against the low and weak beginnings of Christs Kingdom Sampson did but begin to deliver Israel but David carried the work through But in Solomons time there was glorious Peace You see here as in a Glass the method and progress of Christs Kingdom It begins in War it is carried on in Victory it ends in Peace Vse 3. Here is Comfort and Support as to all the Conflicts and Enemies that God is pleased to exercise his people with whether particular Saints or whole Churches 1. They had so Christ had so secret as well as open Enemies secret Underminers as well as open Opposers 2. These Conflicts will end in peace and quiet establishment Psal 37.37 Mark the perfect man and behold the upright man for the end
same space Matth. 12.40 3. In his Resurrection For look as Jonah overcame all the dangers he was in and came forth again alive out of the Whales Belly So did Christ out of the Grave within three days he overcame greater Enemies even the power of Satan Death and Hell and upon this sang Praise to God cap. 2. So did Christ triumph Oh Death where is thy Sting Oh Grave where is thy Victory Hos 13.14 and Psal 22.22 23 25. and Psal 18.48 49. 4. In his preaching after his Resurrection For look as Jonah after his Resurrection preached Repentance to the Ninevites and that with great success and efficacy for they did repent upon his preaching the whole body of them with an outward Repentance and many of them doubtless with a true and saving Repentance and so were saved both from that present temporal Destruction and from eternal Damnation and Jonah did preach to the Israelites also as well as to the Ninevites 2 Kings 14.25 but which was first the Scripture doth not express So Christ when risen from the dead sent his Spirit and preached by his Spirit in his Apostles and Ministers and not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles such as those Ninevites to the Conversion and Salvation of multitudes of them as was foretold of him Psal 22.22 and to the deeper Condemnation of Unbelievers Matth 12.41 because a greater than Jonas is here 4. The fourth and last Conjunction that I shall speak unto of typical Persons under the Law is Zerubbabel and Jehoshuah of whom the one was the chief Magistrate the other the chief Priest and both of them Rebuilders of the Temple and Restorers of the collapsed estate of the Church of God in those times in all which there was an eminent Praefiguration of Jesus Christ But what of Christ was shadowed forth by these two For I shall put them both together they being contemporaries and joint instruments in the Work and Service of God in that Generation There were three things of Christ typed and shadowed forth by them 1. Both his Offices of King and Priest Zerubbabel was the Prince of the People of God in those days and the chief person of the Line of David And Jehoshuah was at the same time High Priest And that there was something of peculiar Glory in his Priesthood relating to Jesus Christ our great High Priest is not improbable In Zach. 3. he is presented in Vision to the Prophet as standing before the Lord and resisted by Satan but Satan doth not prevail against him ver 1 2. for he is clothed with change of Raiment ver 4 and hath a fair Mitre set on his head ver 5. So Christ though opposed and resisted by Satan yet went through with his Work and had blessed acceptance with God and success therein 2. His building the Temple the Church of God For these two did build the Temple Ezra 4. conjunctly each of them in their several capacities being stirred up to it by the Prophet Haggai as you may see Hagg. 1.12 14. And it is said of Zerubbabel that as his Hands laid the Foundation of the Temple so his Hands should also finish it Zach. 4.9 and the building of the Altar is ascribed to them both conjunctly Ezra 3.2 So doth Christ spiritually as the Apostle tells us in that very metaphor of building the House of God Heb. 3.3 4. 3. His bringing back the Captivity of his People out of spiritual Bondage under Sin and Satan in their natural estate and out of antichristian Bondage under Rome which is mystical Babylon Thus Zerubbabel and Jehoshuah were the Conductors and Captains of the Salvation of that People from literal Babylon Ezra 1.5 8. and 2.2 and 5.14 But there will be occasion to speak further to these things when we come to the real Types Besides the personal Types that have been spoken to there be divers others also that are noted by learned men as of the first Classis before the Law some have noted Abel the Proto-martyr as also Seth Methuselah and Lamech Noaks Father and Heber the seventh from Enoch as Enoch was the seventh from Adam He was a pious man in his Seed the primitive Language and the true Religion and Church of God was preserved when the rest of the world was lost and fell into Idolatry and from him the Church had their Denomination Hebrews as Christians have from Jesus Christ And it was prophesied that Chittim should afflict Heber Numb 24.24 Chittim is the Romans Christ is the chiefest of Heber whom Italy or Chittim afflicted as in other respects so chiefly at his death for he was crucified under Tiberius the Roman Emperor Judah the Son of Jacob to whom it was said Thy Fathers Sons shall bow down unto thee Gen. 49.8 Also Job in his Sufferings and Patience both unparallel'd and his prevailing Intercessions for his offending Friends are by some looked on as Types of Christ And as to the second Classis viz. those under the Law some have added Aaron the Priest of the Lord but what might be said of him will come in when we come to handle the Office of the Priesthood Also Gideon and Jephtah Judges of Israel of old And Samuel the Prophet who was a Judge also and a Nazarite Hezekiah and Josiah those great reforming Kings Eliakim Isai 22.20 for the like phrase which is there used ver 22. of Eliakim is applyed to Christ Isai 9.5 Revel 3.7 Some have set Cyrus also among the Types of Christ the Founder of the Persian Monarchy who may be thought to have been a godly man much good and no evil being recorded of him in the Scripture and he did a very good work and a great and glorious work it was the breaking the Yoke of Babylon and setting the Israel of God at liberty and rebuilding the Temple and indeed the Elogies and Expressions of the Prophet Isaiah concerning him are very high and excellent Isai cap. 45. beginning and cap. 46.11 Daniel also a person of extraordinary Eminency in his Generation I do not omit these Persons as concluding they had no typical relation to Jesus Christ For indeed I think divers of them had But in some the Analogy is but weak and dark and in some few particulars and though in others it is more clear yet it would have been too large to go thorough every person I have thought it sufficient to my intended scope to instance only in some of the clearest and most eminent referring the rest to your own Meditations in the Scripture to observe and improve what you find written concerning them Vse 1. See the Glory of Jesus Christ the Antitype in that so many excellent persons do but weakly and imperfectly represent him as if all the Candles in the world were put together it would not equalize the Glory of the Sun But how bright then is the Sun it self which shines brighter than all the Candles of the world yea than all the Stars in the Firmament So
Israel was thus Conducted safe in the morning Watch Exod. 14.24 27. So Christ in the morning Watch of his Resurrection and in the morning of the general Resurrection and last Judgment triumphs over all the Enemies of his people Psal 49.14 Then his Church is fully passed from death to life eternal life then may Israel sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb and say the Lord shall reign for ever and ever Exod. 15.18 Much Teaching and many other Instructions might be learned from all the Circumstances of this Dispensation The Egyptians here met with a punishment suitable to their sin They had drowned the Children of Israel and now fourscore years after they themselves are drowned in the Red Sea and from the sore distress that Israel was in the Sea before them their Enemies behind them the Mountains on either side insomuch that they had no other choice in the eye of reason but either to be drowned or slain We may here observe that the most glorious Deliverances of the Church are in their greatest straits and most desperate distresses we may also observe the invincible safety of the Church of God in all Tryals under all troubles The Fire cannot burn them as you have seen before in the burning Bush which burnt and was not consumed the Sea cannot drown them you have formerly heard of Noah floating upon the Waves in an Ark of safety when all the World was Sea and now you see Israel safe in the bottom of the Sea Oh! Trust God and follow the Lord fully when he leads you into dangers and difficulties as deep as the bottom of the Sea 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to do but our eyes are unto thee It was by Faith that Israel did this Heb. 11.29 Some make the Red Sea a Type of the blood of Christ That through his blood we pass to the Land of Promise 3. Their marching through the Wilderness those Deserts of Arabia with their God in the head of them Psal 68.7 The Wilderness of an unregenerate Condition so Burroughs of holy Courage on Heb. 11.27 Cap. 25 and 26. Interprets and applies this their Passage out of Egypt unto Canaan Herein was an eminent Prefiguration of three things 1. Troubles difficulties temptations in the way to Heaven that through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God Act. 14.22 This World is but a Wilderness an howling Wilderness full of Lyons and Leopards sins and troubles Cant. 4.8 full of fiery Serpents and Scorpions and Drought as those Arabian Deserts were 2. We may here see as in a Glass the Corruptions of our own hearts That this was a great part of the meaning of this Type the Apostle shews at large in many Verses of the Context v. 5. to 10. Look what Israel did and how they carried it in the Wilderness we are apt to do the like we are apt to think they were a very murmuring froward People but if thou hadst been in their Circumstances thou wouldst have done as bad as they 3. The perishing and miscarrying of many Souls under some preparative and initial Works is also here plainly held forth For many of them perished in the Wilderness while they were in transitu between Egypt and Canaan So doth many a Soul after some beginnings and motions heavenwards The Apostle applies it thus Heb. 4.1 11. lest any man fall short after the same example of unbelief and here 1 Cor. 10.5 many of them were destroyed in the Wilderness 4. Their passing through Jordan under Joshua's Conduct the Priests bearing the Ark going in before them and standing in the midst thereof till all the people were gone over Joshua 3.13 17. and 4.10 18. The signification of this was as the Dispensation it self was much after the same nature with their Passage through the Red Sea but accompanied with differing Circumstances In general it represented and held forth Christ going before his people and himself bearing their sorrows that would have sunk them he wafteth them safely through all their sorrows and miseries and through death it self over unto their eternal Rest It was at this place Bethabara 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 domus transitus the house of Passage from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 domus and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transire Chytraeus in Josh 3. 4. The place that Jesus Christ was baptized at when he entred upon his Ministry Joh. 1.28 And as Israel of old did pass over on the tenth day of the first Month Josh 4.19 Paulus Eber. Pref. in Calend Hist Encamping in Gilgal where they kept the Passover Josh 5.10 So it seems that on the same tenth day of the first Month Christ rode into Jerusalem where he not only kept the Passover but presented himself the true Paschal Lamb to be slain for us and encountring with the swellings of Jordan the whole Confluence of the Wrath of God and the sins and sorrows of all his Elect he hath opened a Passage for them through the midst of Jordan as it were into the Land of their eternal Rest 5. And so this brings me to the Fifth typical Dispensation of Providence to them of old viz. Their Entrance into Canaan under the leading and conduct of the same Joshua who had led them through Jordan The History whereof is the main Subject of the Book of Joshua The Mystery of this Dispensation is plain and obvious Canaan was a Type of Heaven it shadowed forth another and a better Country that is an heavenly Heb. 11.16 Their Rest in the Promised Land shadowed forth another Rest remaining for the people of God Heb. 4.8 9. These things were partly spoken to when we were upon the Personal Types where we spake of Joshua as a Type of Christ the true Jesus or Joshua 6. The last typical Deliverance that I shall mention is their deliverance out of their Captivity in Babylon Their Bondage in Babylon was a Type of spiritual bondage their Deliverance a Type of spiritual deliverance by Christ and of his raising up his spiritual Kingdom Hence it is observable that the Prophets when speaking of that Recovery from Babylon they pass from that to Christ and our spiritual Restoration through him and they spake more magnificently of that than was fulfilled in the Letter and History and they often intermix Passages that are plainly and undeniably meant of Christ and of his spiritual Grace and Kingdom of which that temporal Deliverance was but a taste and Type See Jer. 32.36 37 40 41. also Jer. 33.15 16. and in very many other places See Calvin in loc the Prophets still lead the people from that to Christ in whom all the Promises and Prophecies are fully and perfectly accomplisht Moreover Babylon was a Type of Rome and consequently their deliverance out of Babylon a Type of the Churches deliverance in the New Testament from under the Yoke of Antichrist and the Circumstances also agree 1. That it was a gradual work for some came back with
〈◊〉 flayed and cut up Heb. 4.12 13. so all things are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before him with whom we have to do The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God searcheth the heart as the sacrificeing Knife did the bowels of the Beast there is no Skin no cloke of Hypocrisy that can hide thee from the Lord. 4. The Skin of the Sacrifice went to the Priest it was part of his Maintenance see Cap. 7. 8. and the Priest that offereth any mans Burnt Offering even the Priest shall have to himself the Skin of the Burnt Offering which he hath offered As before the Law the Sacrificer had the Skin he enjoyed the benefit of that either to cloth him as Adam and Eve Gen. 3.21 the Lord God made them Coats of Skins and clothed them Or to buy cloathing with or what else he needed And under the Law there was hardly any Sacrifice of which the Priest had not his part It teacheth us that they that serve at the Altar should live of the Altar 1 Cor. 9.13 14. from whence the Apostle argues to the care that should be taken for the maintainance of Ministers under the Gospel So much for the fifth Ceremony about the Burnt-Offering namely the flaying it and cuting it in pieces 6. The Pieces were to be salted This indeed is not expressed in Cap 1. but you will find it in other places for as I said at first we must borrow Light from other Scriptures Lev. 2.13 Every Oblation of thy Meat-Offering shalt thou season with Salt neither shalt thou suffer the Salt of the Covenant of thy God to be lacking Ezek. 43.24 the Priests shall cast Salt upon them The Rule is general to all Sacrifices as well Burnt as Meat-Offerings Mark 9.49 every Sacrifice shall be salted with Salt I find by conference with other Scriptures a twofold Mystery hinted and aimed at in this 1. Salt doth preserve things and keep them from putrifaction this therefore signifies and shadows forth the Perpetuity of the Covenant of Grace Hence is that emphatical expression in the Text Lev. 2.13 the Salt of the Covenant of thy God So Salt is used Numb 18.19 It is a Covenant of Salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy Seed with thee that is saith the Margin sure stable and incorruptible So 2 Chron. 13.5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the Kingdom over Israel to David for ever even to him and to his Sons by a Covenant of Salt that is Perpetual because the thing that is salted is preserved from Corruption saith the Geneva Note upon the place 2. Salt makes things savoury and wholesome which without Salt would stink and putrify Col. 4.6 let your Speech be seasoned with Salt That is contrary to that corrupt Communication Ephes 4.29 wise and savoury and gracious Speech Mark 9.49 50. when there is no Salt no Savour in a mans words his Speech stinks and is corrupt the Sacrifice is unsalted and so it stinks 7. The Leggs and Inwards must be washed Vers 12. the Feet and the Inwards are the fowlest part of a Beast washing away the filth signifies spiritual washing and cleansing So the bodies of Believers are said to be washed with pure Water and their hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.22 they are made clean both within and without and their filthiness washt away through Jesus Christ 8. The several parts of the Offering must be laid upon the Altar and burnt with Fire till it be consumed and burnt to ashes Seeing the Fire which once fell from Heaven Lev. 9.24 was to be continually kept and preserved upon the Altar Lev. 6.12 and the use of all other Fire forbidden in Sacrifices Lev. 10.1 putting of Fire upon the Altar in this place can signifie nothing but kindling of it Deodat in Lev. 1.7 See Lev. 6.9 the Fire burnt all night The Wrath of God is the Fire and Sin the Wood or Fuel that feeds it This is the Fire of the Justice and Wrath of God from Heaven which seized upon Christ and every part of him as all the parts of the Offering was burnt his Head crowned with Thornes his Side pierced with the Spear his Hands and Feet with Nails his whole body did sweat drops of Blood yea his Soul was heavy unto the Death yea burnt to Ashes as it were brought to the utmost extremity of misery his Saints also endure the fiery tryal 1 Pet. 4.12 Though theirs is not a fire of Expiation as Christs was Heb. 12.10 but only a fire of Purgation which they pass through in this Life to prepare and fit them for Heaven but after this Life there is no Purgatory as the Papists dream 9. The Ashes must be carried out of the Camp into a clean place Lev. 6.10 11. The contrary is said of the Rubbish of a leprous house that the dust and stones thereof should be poured forth into an unclean place Lev. 14.40 41. For they came from a polluted house But these from the Lords holy dwelling place and were the Reliques of an holy thing which the Lord here manifests that he hath a special regard of This Ceremony is applied by the Apostle to Christ Heb. 13.11 12 13. Look as the Ashes of the Sacrifice being burnt signified the dead Body of Christ so the carrying of the Ashes out of the Camp signified how his crucified Body should not be buried within the City but carried into a clean place into a new Sepulchre where never any man lay before Joh. 19.41 So the dead Bodies of all his Saints when they are spent and consumed to Ashes they are regarded and preserved in the dust by God as sacred Reliques and he will raise them up again unto eternal Life So much for the Burnt Offering of the Herd and the Ceremonies appertaining to it There were also some other Actions about it as that in Psal 118.27 of binding the Sacrifice with Cords even unto the Horns of the Altar But this as it is not mentioned in this Chapter so it seems rather to be an Action of natural necessity unto such a work as the slaying of a Beast then to have any special mystery in it Therefore let this suffice for the Burnt-Offering of the greater sort of Cattel Now the other two sorts that follow are the Burnt-Offering of the Flock that is lesser Cattel Sheep or Goats vers 10. And of Fowls viz. Turtle Doves and young Pigeons vers 14. Quest Why the Lord appointed these lesser Sacrifices Ans He did it that so none might be able to plead excuse to be exempted from his service for you know men are very apt to make excuses If the Lord had only appointed Oxen and Sheep some might have pretended Poverty and have said we would offer Sacrifice but we are not able Therefore these lesser Sacrifices were ordained that so both Rich and Poor might serve the Lord so that here is no room
7. of Cap. 6. The five first sort of Sacrifices have been spoken to at large As to the sixth the Offering of Consecrations there will be occasion to speak something of it when we come to the Priesthood neither is it handled at large in these first Chapters of Leviticus but only some of the Laws of it briefly toucht upon therefore I shall refer what I shall speak of it to that other place As to what remains of the 6. and 7. Chapters of this Book they containing some additional Laws to the Offerings before treated of they were spoken to under the Offerings to which they belong I shall therefore now proceed unto two or three Questions that remain to be considered before we leave this point Quest 1. The first is whether the legal Sacrifices may not be otherwise distributed and what other distributions there be of them Ans The answer is That the Scripture gives other distributions also as well as this in the Text but I chose to handle them in this as the plainest for weak memories They are sometimes thus divided into Zebach and Mincha that is slaughtered Offerings and Meat-Offerings Dan. 9.27 He shall cause the Sacrifice and Oblation to cease The word is the Slaughter Offering and the Meat Offering to cease Zebach and Mincha and in many other Scriptures The Meat Offerings were of Inanimate things offered up to God by fire upon the Altar But the Slaughtered Offerings were of living Creatures and these were offered up both by fire and blood the Beast being first slain and then burnt with fire Some have distinguished these two in respect of their ends and uses thus That the slain Sacrifices respected chiefly the sufferings and passive obedience of Christ as making satisfaction for our sins by his death and blood and that the Meat-Offering related chiefly to his active obedience whereby he fulfilled the Law for us by his holy and blessed life good works being as it were meat and drink to an holy heart In the Meat-Offering therefore say they was shadowed by the burning and ascending of Inanimate things the obedience and merits of Christ to come but it is not to be restrained to his active obedience only for the burning and destroying the Meat-Offering by fire did plainly represent the sufferings of Christ for the satisfaction of divine Justice as was formerly shewed more fully in the Exposition of the Meat Offering Moreover the slaughtered Offerings may be subdivided from their ends and uses thus That they were either simply for atonement and pardon of sin or for other occasions also Those for atonement of sin were either for all sins in general or with special respect to some particulars For all sins in general was the Burnt-Offering which therefore was offered every day There was holocaustum juge for those peccata jugia a dayly Burnt-Offering for those continual dayly sins and sinfulness of our hearts and natures Numb 28.10 This is the Burnt-Offering of every Sabbath besides the continual Burnt-Offering and its Drink Offering which was offered every day at morning and at evening saith the Geneva Note of which Daniel saith of Antiochus that by him the dayly Sacrifice was taken away Dan. 8.11 As to particular sins they being of two sorts either lesser or greater there were two sorts of Sacrifices provided for them For sins committed through ignorance and infirmity the Sin-Offering but the Trespass-Offering extended even to sins committed against light and knowledg These were the Sacrifices meerly for atonement and expiation of sin As to other occasions also there were two Sacrifices appointed and ordained of old 1. As to assurance of peace and of the love of God the Peace-Offering which was a Sacrifice both of atonement and of thanksgiving 2. As to acceptance and entrance into Office in the Church the Milluim or the Offering of Consecration wherein besides atonement of sin this was superadded the Investiture of the person into trust and office in the house of God Quest 2. A second Enquiry may be this whether there were not other Sacrifices besides what are comprehended under these distributions Ans There were some others but they were peculiar Sacrifices these were the ordinary sort of them As for the rest either they may be some way reduced and referred to some of these or else they will come in and may be fitly handled in other places As for Instance the two Sparrows in the cleansing of the Leperâ— were a peculiar kind of Sacrifice Lev. 14. And they will come in among the Laws and Ceremonies of Purification when we spirit of ceremonial cleanness and uncleanness so will also the Sacrifice of the red Heifer and the holy Water or water of Purification made of the Ashes of that Sacrifice Numb 19. The Paschal Lamb also was a peculiar Sacrifice but it will fitly come in to be handled in the Feast of the Passover when we come to the Festivals and there also the Sacrifices of the yearly Feast of Expiation on the tenth day of the seventh month will come to be considered one part whereof is the Scape Goat Levit. 16. But the ordinary Sacrifices were these that have been handled Quest 3. The third Quaere may be this These six here enumerated in the Text being the ordinary sorts of propitiatory Sacrifices what other Sacrifices had they besides these of propitiation or atonement I answer as to that when I entred first upon the Subject you may remember I distributed the Offerings at the Brazen Altar into two sorts Holiness of Holiness and Holiness of Praises or Sacrifices of Atonement and of Thanksgiving You find this distinction of double Holiness and single Holiness in Lev. 21.22 he shall eat the Bread of his God that is of the Sacrifices both of the most Holy and of the Holy so the Fruit of the Land after it was Circumcised is said to be Holiness of Praises to the Lord Lev. 19.24 Quodesh Hillulim is contradistinguished unto Quodesh quodeshim The former sort of Sacrifices namely those that were Holy of Holinesses for atonement were made by fire but the latter sort viz. such as were meerly Sacrifices of Thanksgiving or Holiness of Praises were not offered up to God in the fire but by other Ceremonies Of these there were two sorts the Heave-Offering and the Wave Offering of both which we shall speak a word briefly both concerning the matter the manner and the signification of them The first mention we have of them is in Exod. 29.24 26 27. in the Offering of Consecration The Shoulder is an Heave Offering and the Brest a Wave-Offering Again in Lev. 7. the right Shoulder and the Brest is reserved out of all the Peace-Offerings for a Wave Offering and an Heave-Offering to the Lord for the Priests see vers 34. Again in Lev. 23.10 11. we read of a Wave-Sheaf of the First Fruit of your Harvest unto the Priest And ye shall wave the Sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for you This was to be
is said of those that might not be eaten Whosoever toucheth the Carcase of them shall be unclean Vers 24. And this was a thing of so great weight that the Lord uses those vehement expressions about it Ye shall not make your selves abominable with any of those unclean things and creeping things c. 43. verse of that Chapter For I am the Lord your God you shall therefore sanctify your selves It did make the person abominable who did defile himself with those things We read of two kinds of uncleanness of Beasts under the Law 1. There was an Uncleanness of Beasts for Sacrifice and an Uncleanness of Beasts for Food That distinction of Clean and Unclean referred to Sacrifices that was from the first entrance of Sin into the World Therefore in Noah's time there were so many Clean and so many Unclean Beasts with him in the Ark. 2. The uncleanness of the Beasts for Meat seems now to be appointed by God there having been a more general liberty in the time of Noah and ever since to eat of any wholesom living Creature God now laid a restraint upon it by Moses Quest But why such a difference Is not every Creature of God good Answ They are good in themselves It is not any natural Uncleanness but an instituted Uncleanness that Uncleanness that is in them by virtue of the Ceremonial Law And the Reason is The absolute supream authority and dominion of God over all his Creatures He would have all men know That whatsoever they eat it is by his allowance and they must forbear so far as he restrains them And this further account may be given of it That it did make up and strengthen that Partition Wall between Jew and Gentile which the Lord thought good to set up in those times The Gentiles being unconvinced of any such things and the Jews being strictly trained up to it Quest What Creatures be they that were Clean and what were Unclean Answ They be set down at large in Levit. 11. And there be three Rules observable about the Beasts which were Clean and which were Unclean which might be eaten and touched and which might not and they were known thus 1. By the parting the Hoof. 2. By chewing the Cud. 3. By the properties and dispositions of them 1. Such as parted the Hoof were Clean. Levit. 11.3 Whatsoever parteth the Hoof and is cloven footed among the Beasts that shall ye eat And they that did not were Unclean This plainly notes a right distinguishment of things that God requires of his people That we should walk in them with a right foot distinguishing of things that differ Phil. 1.9 10. And this I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment that ye may approve things that are excellent The Margin renders it thus That you may discern of things that differ For many things there are of a different nature which a Christian should distinguish as the difference between the Law and the Gospel between our general and particular Callings that there be not an intrenching of the one upon the other This is one property the parting of the Hoof. 2. The second is the chewing of the Cud which intimates Meditation ruminating on the things of God digesting Spiritual Food for the Word is compared to Food Amos 8.12 I will send a Famin in the Land not a Famin of Bread nor a thirst for Water but of hearing the Words of the Lord. The Word of God is Spiritual and it must be chewed and ruminated upon by deep and serious Meditation Psal 1. Blessed is the Man that meditateth in Gods Law day and night Luk. 2.19 It is spoken in the praise of Mary that she pondered on those things and laid them up in her heart It is the misery of Sinners and unclean Creatures that they cannot ponder the path of Life Prov. 5.6 Her feet go down to death her steps take hold on hell lest thou shouldst ponder the path of life The want of a meditating considering frame of heart undoes poor sinners they cannot consider what they do they are not serious in meditating and ruminating on the word of God 3. There is a third difference and character between the Clean and the Unclean and that is in the properties of each Some had good properties and some bad As the Swine which wicked men are compared unto for that fowl and dirty disposition and property of wallowing in the Mire 2 Pet. 2.22 The Dog is turned to his vomit and the Sow that is washed to her wallowing in the mire So that as the Dog licks up his vomit again so many a poor Sinner that hath been washed and made clean and hath confessed his sins and vomited up his filthiness he licks it up again and returns to the same sin he had vomited up by confession like the Dog and Swine This uncleanness of the Beasts did intimate two things 1. A distinction of persons 2. The necessity of forbearing Communion with some kind of persons 1. That there is a difference of persons clean and unclean Men which is intimated by clean and unclean Beasts It is common in Scripture to speak of men under such resemblances and especially wicked men to compare them to unclean Beasts We see it in Peters Vision Acts 10. He saw all manner of four-footed Beasts and creeping things c. vers 15. What God hath cleansed call not thou common nor unclean And so hereupon when Peter was meditating on this Vision the Spirit said unto him go down with these men doubting nothing for I have sent thee And he had incouragement to go and preach to the Gentiles by that Vision This Sheet let down with unclean Beasts signifies the Gentile people There is a great distinction in the Godly themselves and much more in Wicked and Ungodly Men. Daniel represented the four Monarchies by four Beasts The Lyon of Babylon the Bear of Persia the Leopard of Greece and the Roman Monster This speaks thus much That some persons are clean and some are unclean godly and ungodly clean and unclean 2. It bespeaks a restraint of Communion with wicked men Eating is an action of Communion and not eating implies a restraint of Communion Therefore when it is said to Peter kill and eat the meaning is go and communicate with the Gentiles Our Communion with Christ is set forth by eating and drinking eating his flesh and drinking his blood having inward Communion with him thereby So to eat or not to eat of such and such Beasts is to have Communion or not to have Communion with such or such Persons Some men must be abstained from as unclean that is wicked and ungodly men the neglect whereof God often reproves Ezek. 44.7 He reproves them that they had let in strangers into his Sanctuary And vers 23. They shall teach my people the difference between the Holy and Profane and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean Men of
Christ and the Gospel in the Ceremonial Law How excellently doth the Apostle put them together The sprinkling of the Unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh The blood of Christ purgeth the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God If we cannot see these divine mysteries in the Text if we cannot see Gospel-Truths in these legal Ceremonies and how admirably they are adapted and fitted the one to the other the Type to instruct and teach us and inform us about the Anti-type it is because of our own darkness and dimsightedness in spiritual things Vse 4. Behold also the pre-eminence and excellency of Christ above Moses and the Gospel above the Law How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your Consciences from dead works How much more It hath a greater and an irresistible efficacy to cleanse the Soul Conscience And this is a Truth of clearer and higher evidence than the Ceremonial cleanness by those legal washings and purifications which were the means of that Ceremonial Cleanness The Apostle uses the like note of pre-eminence when he compares Adam and Christ Adam was a personal Type as this was a real Type Rom. 5.15 17. For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by Christ Jesus So here Gods design is that in all things Christ might have the pre-eminence and be preferred above Moses Vse 5. Labor to see and find in your selves the experience of this spiritual cleansing whereof the Apostle speaks this cleansing by the blood of Christ and go thou thither have recourse to that blood for it Thou that hast an unclean heart and hast lived it may be an unclean life at least in secret though perhaps men have not seen it get thy Heart and Life and Conscience purified from dead works to serve the living God There is healing cleansing vertue enough in the blood of Christ And would you be cleansed indeed you see the way of it Hath the Lord discovered to thee thy defilement and convinced thee of thy own uncleanness then get this blood of Christ applied And as the Water of Purification was sprinkled on the Unclean under the Law so get this blood of Christ sprinkled on thy Soul and Conscience by the Gospel It is often called the Blood of sprinkling The reason is because that as they did apply it by sprinkling as a means of cleansing c. so is the blood of Christ applied to the Conscience It is applied by the Spirit in the Promise Under the Promise held forth we receive it by Faith and the Promise so received the blood of Christ is brought home and sprinkled on the Soul and this will cleanse thee though thou have been never so unclean there is healing purifying vertue in that blood though thy uncleanness be never so great and thy Conscience never so defiled yet there is cleansing by the blood of Christ Thy Case is not desperate there is vertue enough in the blood of Christ How much more will the blood of Christ cleanse thy Soul if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heyfer sprinkling the unclean could cleanse the body And remember this blood is offered all that thou hast to do is to receive it by Faith to beg a part in Christ and desire him to make it effectual to thee The reason of all the defilement that appears in men and that continues under the use of Ordinances is because they geâ— not the blood of Christ sprinkled on their Consciences they do not receive it And two things keep them off either there is a Spirit of security that they never seek after it neither pray not endeavour or mourn after it Or 2. There is a Spirit of discouragement they never fly to Christ and his blood they seek not to him but since he is offered do not refuse him thou canst not displease him more then by so doing but fly for refuge thither as a poor unclean guilty Creature venture all on the infinite cleansing power and virtue that is in the blood of Jesus Christ Vse 6. See the bondage and burdensomness of the legal Administration they could scarce be sick but they became unclean they could not touch so many Creatures but they were forthwith unclean and being unclean might not come into the Temple or publick society and in some cases were shut up They had Porters to keep them that were unclean in any thing 2 Chron. 23.19 that they should not enter in at the Gates of the house of the Lord. Let us bless God that we are delivered from this Yoke of bondage An ADVERTISEMENT to the READER THe attentive Reader will quickly observe that here is nothing upon that Head of Vncleanness by Issues which according to the Authors proposed method should have been here treated of But there is not any thing thereon to be found amongst his Papers nor to be recovered by the help of any that took in writing these Discourses from his mouth It is therefore not improbable that the Author did purposely pass over in silence that Head for reasons to him satisfactory which now can be but conjectured at Moreover the Reader is desired to bear in mind that the following Sermon on Levit. 13. concerning uncleanness by the Leprosy was not preached in the Authors course as it fell in his way in going over the Types but sundry years before on occasion of dispensing the Censure of Excommunication in that Church whereof the Author had the Oversight This it was thought needful to advertise the Reader of partly because of the different method of this Sermon from his other discourses on the Types and partly because some Passages therein evidently refer to the Dispensation of that Ordinance on occasion whereof it was preached and partly to account for the date of this Sermon which the Reader will see is some years before those that go before it The like is to be observed also concerning the foregoing Sermon on Circumcision which in this Book is at Pag. 218. It was preached on occasion of the Administration of Baptism as appears by a Passage in it Pag. 219. And more then two years before it fell in the Authors way in his going over the Types yea sundry Months before he entred on this course and subject in his Ministry THE GOSPEL OF THE LEPROSIE Levit. 13. April 12 1665. BRethren and Beloved in the Lord If this Chapter seem to us at the first reading to be a dark and abstruse place and to have little edifying matter in it we must impute it to our own ignorance and unskilfulness in Scripture Truths and Mysteries It is true there is a dark shadow upon the words But there is much light and many useful Truths intended and held forth under these dark legal shadows The subject both of this and of sundry foregoing and following Chapters is concerning Ceremonial
and make use of it and it will cleanse thy Soul for ever Hebr. 9.13 14. September 27. 1668. THe Apostle in these expressions the blood of Bulls and Goats includes by a parity of reason all the other Ceremonial Cleansings which are not particularly mentioned As they had three sorts of Ceremonial Uncleanness so they had three ways of Purification 1. For the uncleanness by touching any unclean Meat or thing The purification for this was by the Red Heyfer which the Holy Ghost mentions in the Text particularly whereof we spake the last time 2. For unclean Issues Two Turtle Doves or two young Pigeons the one for a Sin Offering the other for a Burnt Offering Lev. 15.14 15. and Lev. 12.8 Or a Lamb and a young Pigeon ver 6. The rites whereof being the same with the Burnt-Offering and the Sin-Offering were there handled and so need not be spoken to here again 3. The third sort of Ceremonial uncleanness was that unclean disease of Leprosie which is treated of at large in Lev. 13. and the Cleansing of it in Chap. 14. Of the Disease we have formerly spoken in the exposition of the 13. Chapter and shall therefore now proceed to the cleansing of it which was done by several Sacrifices and Ceremonies appointed and directed in that 14. Chapter of Leviticus wherein the method the Holy Ghost is pleased to use is this He gives direction first concerning the cleansing of a Leprous person to ver 33. and then of a Leprous house from ver 33. to the end of the Chapter The Rules and Directions about the cleansing of a leprous person are of two sorts Preparative and Executive The preparatory directions are these three 1. He must be brought unto the Priest Lev. 14. ver 2. This was an Ordinance of God and therefore Christ himself requires the observation of it of that Leper whom he himself had cured miraculously Matth. 8.4 Go shew thy self unto the Priest and offer the Gift that Moses commanded The Leper was to dwell alone without the Camp and without the City but he was to be brought to the outmost part of the Camp or to the Gates of the City to the Priest Now the true Priest is Jesus Christ Therefore the meaning of this Ordinance was plainly and clearly this That Leprous souls must come to Jesus Christ by Faith for spiritual healing He is said to arise with healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 You know how many Lepers he did heal in the days of his flesh And all the Miracles of Christ had a symbolical use to instruct us in what he does for Souls in a spiritual way by what he did for mens bodies in a miraculous way 2. The Priest must go forth out of the Camp to the Leper ver 3. This plainly speaks thus much That Jesus Christ goes forth unto poor sinners when in their distance in their back slidings and separations from the Lord he seeks them and finds them out whose blessed Office it is to seek and to save lost sinners Luk. 19.10 We are by nature far from God shut out and cast forth aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel Ephes 1.12 When thou wast in thy blood I passed by and pittied thee Ezek. 16.6 He goes to meet the returning Prodigal Luk. 15.20 As the Priest here to meet the Leper when shut out of the Camp of Israel 3. The Priest shall see and behold if the plague of Leprosie be healed in the Leper ver 3. The Judgment of it is committed to the Priest and he must judge as the thing is It is Christ himself that is the Judge of Souls and he will judge true and righteous Judgment Isai 11.3 he shall not judge according to the seeing of his eyes Though men judge thou art a Leper a Schismatick a Fanatick be not troubled if the Priest pronounce thee clean if the Lord hath said it to thee by the witness of his Spirit in his Word It is the Priest must judge and it is this Word which cannot err nor lye that shall judge of thee at that day It belongs also to Ministers in an inferior way to judge of men to discern between the Clean and the Unclean and to retain or remit sins Ministerially Joh. 20.23 These are the preparatory directions for the purification of the Leper Now 2. The Executive part follows from vers 3. c. and it consists mainly in two things 1. The Sacrifice of two Birds and their Ceremonies to vers 10. 2. A Sacrifice of three Lambs with their Appurtenances and Ceremonies from vers 10 to 21. 1. The first part of the Purification of the Leper is by two Birds and the Ceremonies belonging to them from vers 3 to vers 10. The Materials here required are two living clean Birds together with Cedar Scarlet and Hyssop vers 4. The Birds are thought to be Sparrows The Hebrew word Ziphor signifies a Bird in general any winged Fowl Deut. 4.17 They are forbidden to make the likeness of any winged Fowl that flyeth in the Air. Psal 8.8 The Fowls of the Air. And is sometimes used particularly concerning a Sparrow Psal 84.3 and 102.7 We may understand it here in the largest sense for any clean Birds These two Birds and the Herbs are the Ingredients that must all concur to make up the matter of this cleansing Sacrifice The two Birds were not two Sacrifices for one of them was not slain but dismissed but they did both make up one Sacrifice some of the Mysteries whereof could not be represented by one Bird and therefore two were appointed the one to dye and the other to live They had another Ordinance of the like nature and of the same importance with this viz. the two Goats on the yearly Feast of Expiation Lev. 16. whereof the one was slain the other did escape being sent away into the Wilderness therefore called the Seape-Goat But why were there two Birds and what was the Mystery of this Ans It shadowed forth both the natures and estates of our Lord Jesus Christ 1. Both his natures his eternal Deity and his mortal Humanity are here prefigured and represented The slain Bird represents his humane nature capable of death and suffering The other Bird his divine nature which was and is immortal and impassible As both these Birds were necessary and must be used in this Sacrifice so Christ our Sacrifice must be both God and man We are not cleansed and saved either by his Deity or Humanity alone but both his natures do concur in his mediatorial Actions for our Salvation 2. Here is a shadow of the twofold state that Jesus Christ passed thorough first a state of death and humiliation and then a state of life and glory 1 Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit Put to death in the flesh that is in his humane nature but quickened by
the Spirit that is by his Deity raising him up again from death to life he must both dye and live again for us As to the Cedar Hyssop and Scarlet they were used in the Purification by the Red Heifer of which we spoke before and shall now add thereunto only thus much further That of these three it is conceived that there was a sprinkling Brush made namely the Brush of Hyssop the Handle of Cedar Wood and the binding of a thred of Scarlet dy The Apostle calls it Scarlet Wooll in Heb. 9.19 And as there seems to be a general respect had to the properties of these Plants as was formerly shewed so some do observe a particular sutableness between the Leprous Contagion and these means of Purification thus That as the Leprosie did corrupt and putrifie the body opposite to this was the Cedar-Wood which is commended for firmness and soundness against putrefaction And as the Leprosie was of a foul colour contrary to this was the fresh and fair colour of Scarlet And as the Leprosie had a very ill and unsavoury scent the sweetness of Hyssop was a Remedy against that So our Annotators on Lev. 14.6 Thus for the Materials of this purifying Sacrifice Now the purifying Ceremonies and Actions were of three sorts and all full of mystery some relating to the slain Bird some to the living Bird and some to the Leper himself Let me briefly open them unto you 1. The Ceremonies of the slain Bird were chiefly these three 1. It must be killed vers 5. You know the mystery of this in all the Sacrifices it was a prefiguration of the death of Jesus Christ the true Sacrifice Almost all things in the Law were purged by blood and without shedding of blood there is no remission Heb. 9.22 2. It must be killed over running Water or living Water That is Spring Water called Living because of the continual motion resembling life thereby that is it must be taken out of a Spring or a River not out of a Pond or Rain Water What this means our Saviour himself interprets Joh. 4.10 14. where he speaks of spiritual Living Water And the blood thus falling into and being mingled with the Water points us clearly to him who came to cleanse us and save us by water and blood 1 Joh. 5.6 For as water and blood here meet so there were Streams of both issuing out of his Side when he was slain for us Joh. 19. But this water and blood is the blood of Justification and the water of Sanctification both plentifully flowing from Christ our Purification There is an ever flowing Fountain of these Waters of life in and from the Lord Jesus Christ for the cleansing of sinful and leprous Souls 3. This must be in an earthen Vessel The like Numb 5.17 The sense of this part of the Allegory may be easily gathered from the former That Soul-cleansing blood and water issued out of his blessed body therefore his body was this earthen Vessel which was frail and brittle and accordingly broken by death at last and mean and contemptible amongst men as earthen Vessels use to be The Ministers of the Gospel also are compared to earthen Vessels 2 Cor. 4.7 God useth contemptible Instruments many times for the effecting of great things These are the Ceremonies relating to the slain Bird it must be killed and it must be killed over Living Water and this is in an earthen Vessel Now 2. The Ceremonies belonging to the living Bird they are also three 1. The living Bird must be dipt in the blood of the slain Bird vers 6. A most evident and excellent representation of the union of the divine and humane nature of Jesus Christ and the influence of that union into the concernments of our peace Had not the Deity supported and influenced the humane nature in its sufferings they could not have been available with God for us Upon the account of this divine union and dipping of the living Bird in the blood of the slain the Apostle calls the sufferings of the humane nature the blood of God Act. 20.28 2. The Cedar Scarlet and Hyssop must be dipped also with it vers 6. That is all the concernments of our Salvation they do all receive a tincture an influence from the blood of Christ Whether we refer the mystery of these Plants to the Graces and Excellencies that are in him as our Saviour or to the Graces we receive from him all must be considered with relation to his blood Take it in the latter all the Graces Virtues Excellencies we receive from him must be dipped in his blood to cleanse them and make them and us accepted of God 3. The living Bird must be let loose into the open field vers 7. This clearly represents not only Jesus Christ his escaping and deliverance from death to life after he had suffered and humbled himself unto death he did escape and live again and lives for ever But also the open publication and preaching hereof as it were in the open Firmament in the view of all men so that Phrase imports Rev. 14.6 flying in the midst of Heaven preaching the everlasting Gospel This respects also the setting of the Leper free from his restraint that was upon him before by reason of his uncleanness as appears by the Connexion He shall pronounce him clean and let the Bird loose into the open field These are the Ceremonial Actions relating to the living Bird. 3. The Ceremonial Actions in reference to the Leper himself these also are three 1. The Priest shall sprinkle upon him seven times and pronounce him clean Vers 7. This sprinkling of that typical blood and water upon him is nothing else but the application of the blood of Jesus Christ There must be a particular application of it to the Soul it must be sprinkled upon the Leper and then he is pronounced clean All the other Ceremonies would not make him clean without this though the Bird were killed and other Ordinances observed yet it must be also sprinkled The death and blood of Christ is not enough to the cleansing of our Souls unless the blood be sprinkled the death of Christ applied to us There must be a work of Application as well as of Redemption All the precious blood that Christ hath shed will not save a sinner unless this blood be effectually applied and sprinkled on the Soul Application is a great and necessary part of our Recovery and Salvation as well as the blood of Christ it self And it must be applied seven times both frequently and perfectly over and over again once is not enough suppose thou hast believed and laid hold upon Christ already and applied him by Faith to thy self in particular the blood must be sprinkled seven times over thou must apply Christ and lay hold upon Christ again And lastly the number seven is a number of perfection so it holds forth perfect cleansing as well as frequent application of the blood of Christ for
5. The Oxen under the molten Sea are the Ministers of the Gospel and especially the twelve Apostles as the number it self intimates for there were twelve Oxen looking towards all the 4 quarters of the world so the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospel carry this Crystal Sea of the Blood of Christ and the Laver of Regeneration and Baptism throughout the world Ministers are often compared in Scripture to Oxen because of the strength and laboriousness of that creature as 1 Corinth 9.9 thou shalt muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the Corn. Doth God take care for Oxen saith the Apostle there I may say so in reference to this Type now in hand Did God regard the shapes and pictures of Oxen to be set under this Temple-Sea or rather did he not set them there altogether for our sakes For our sakes no doubt this was done as the Apostle there speaks The Lavers also had their Bases with their wheels which served for the carrying of the water from place to place and so served for the same use really whereof the Oxen were but an emblem The taking of these away is noted as an act of audacious wickedness and profaneness in Ahaz 2 Kings 16.17 And King Ahaz cut off the borders of the Bases and removed the Laver from off them and took down the Sea from the Brazen Oxen that were under it and set it upon a pavement of stones he having as it seemeth no understanding at all nor no sense in him of the spiritual mystery and signification of these Wheels and Oxen nor no fear and reverence of Gods Institution who did ordain and appoint them 6. The use of it being to wash in both the Priests and Sacrifices were washed in the water of these typical vessels the Sea and Lavers that they dye not Exod. 30.19 20 21. For Aaron and his Sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat when they go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation they shall wash with water that they dye not or when they come neer to the Altar to minister to burn Offering made by Fire unto the Lord so they shall wash their hands and their feet that they dye not and it shall be a Statute for ever to them even to him and to his Seed throughout their Generations You see with what emphasis and earnestness it is required and ingeminated This teacheth us that both our persons and our duties and services must be washed and made clean in the Blood of Jesus Christ or else we dye eternally that they dye not it is twice repeated as both the Priests and Sacrifices so both our persons and our services must be washed or else the same disaster that befel Nadab and Abihu may befall us of whom it is said they dyed before the Lord Levit. 10.2 It is a fearful thing for men to come before God in their sins in their uncleannesses unwashed and uncleansed from them They shall wash that they dye not 7. The Laver was never covered but always open when the rest of the vessels were folded up Ainsworth on Numb 4. v. 14. hath this Note It seemeth to be not without mystery that Moses mentioning Fire-pans Flesh-hooks and other less things should quite omit the Laver which usually is reckoned amongst the holy things of the Sanctuary Exod. 35.16 and 38.8 and 39.39 and 40.30 And as in Melchisedeks History Gen. 14. he omitted his Parentage Kindred Birth and Death from which silence in the Story the Apostle reasoneth as if he had been without Parents or Kindred beginning of days or end of life Heb. 7. so here if it may be lawful to conjecture the like the Laver is left uncovered and always open to the eyes of the people that it might be a lively representation of Gods Grace in Christ continuing and opened as an ever springing Fountain that by the washing of the new Birth by Repentance and Faith in the Blood of Christ we may in all our travels at all times cleanse our hands and feet our works and ways as the Sacrificers did from the Laver Exod. 30.19 20. that albeit the face of the Church is sometimes hid as the Tabernacle wrapped up and the Light of the Word shineth not nor publick Worship performed yet always Gods Elect having Faith in him may wash and purge themselves in Christ his Blood unto forgiveness of sins and Sanctification of the Spirit and Salvation It may be the Holy Ghost hath some allusion hereto in that phrase Zech. 13.1 a Fountain opened for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in for sin and for uncleanness Certainly this point of our washing and cleansing by the Blood of Christ is of that weight and moment that it was not without cause said of it by Luther Hic articulus regnat in corde meo this Article reigns in my heart which he also styled Stantis aut cadentis Ecclesiae articulum the point upon which the Church doth either stand or fall So much for the Explication of this Type You see how full it is of Gospel-teaching and instruction Nor should it seem strange that one Type should have such a various and manifold aspect to so many several Truths at once For it is usual as you have formerly seen and it suits best with the infinite Wisdom of the Holy Ghost that one of his teaching signs should teach many things at once and have many spiritual lessons and instructions thus included in it And now from the Type thus explained we may gather some further light to confirm and settle the true interpretation of the Text. What is meant by this Sea of Glass like unto Crystal I argued before from the allusion that is carried on all along in the context to the Types of the Temple therefore this Crystal Sea in the Text is the same with that molten Sea of Solomons Temple which shadowed forth the Blood of Christ for Justification Now to add some further arguments A 2d May be this Here are other priviledges and benefits of Christ mentioned in the context which do accompany Justification through his Blood and go along with it As in ver 5. here are seven Spirits before the Throne that is the sanctifying Spirit of Christ And again ver 6. here are four living creatures And cap. 5.11 many Angels round about the Throne Here is the Ministry and a Guard of Angels and the Spirit of Sanctification therefore it is not incongruous that the Blood of Christ for Justification should be also mentioned And this therefore seems to be intended in this Crystal Sea Reas 3. From the properties and circumstanâ—es belonging to this Sea in the description of it which cannot well be otherwise accommodated I shall mention but these two 1. It is said to be before the Throne so we are said to be justified before God this is one of the blessed effects and manifestations of his Glory in the Church so Heb. 12.23 24. we are said to come unto God the Judge of all
Feast which do distinguish it from the rest 1. The killing and eating of the Paschal Lamb with the Ceremonies thereto belonging which was upon the fourteenth day of the first month at even Exod. 12. v. 6 c. 2. The putting away of Leaven and eating unleavened Bread for seven days that is from the fifteenth to the one and twentieth of that month Exod. 12. ver 15. Hence it hath its denomination the Feast of unleavened Bread from this Ceremony as it is called the Feast of the Passover from the Paschal Lamb that was eaten over night See of this before on Lev. 7.37 upon the Meat-offering 3. The Sheaf of first Fruits was waved upon the morrow after the Passover that is upon the sixteenth day of the first month But of this there will be occasion to speak further in the next Feast These were the special Observations and appertainances belonging to this Feast besides those general Rules beforementioned that do concern them all Now for the end and use of this Feast 1. It was the Commemoration of their Deliverance and Redemption out of Egypt and from the destroying Angel there which was the occasion of the first Institution of the Passover Exod. 12.26 27. And unleavened Bread was made use of to this end because their departure was so hasty that they had not time to leaven their Bread Hence Deut. 16.3 unleavened Bread is called the Bread of tribulation because they did eat it when they were in great tribulation 2. It was a presiguration of our spiritual Redemption by Jesus Christ who is the true Lamb of God Joh. 1.29 and a Lamb stain from the Foundation of the World Rev. 13.8 and who was actually slain in the fulness of time at this very season namely at the Passover as you find it recorded in the four Evangelists It shadowed forth Christ in five respects 1. The Paschal Lamb it self held forth Jesus Christ in sundry of the personal qualifications sitting him for his Office therefore Christ is so often called a Lamb Joh. 1.29 Rev. 5.6 1. The Paschal Lamb was to be a Lamb without blemish Exod. 12.5 so Christ 1 Pet. 1.19 20. Ye are redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you There was not the least spot of sin on Christ either in his heart or in his life and practice he knew no sin 2 Cor. 5.21 2. The Lamb was to be a male Exod. 12.5 which is the more excellent and perfect sex This excellency might shadow forth the perfect excellency and absolute perfection of Christ so Christ was of the male sex Isai 9.6 to us a Son is born 3. The Lamb is a meek and patient creature therefore Christ is compared to a Lamb in regard of his Meekness and Patience there was no resistance there was nothing in him but silent submission to the Hand and Justice of his Father in his Sufferings Isai 53.7 This appeared also in the whole course of his life he had many provocations but did put all up he wrought no miracle to the destruction of men as some of his Servants have done but it appeared most eminently in his Sufferings 2. The killing and dressing of the Lamb held forth the Death and Sufferings of Christ of which we may note four things 1. The Lamb was to be taken Exod. 12.5 and so was Jesus Christ arrested as it were and seized upon by divine Justice to which the Officers and Souldiers were but inferiour Instruments and Executioners 2. It was slain ver 6. and so was Christ though now he is alive and lives for evermore yet slain he was Rev. 5.6 I saw a Lamb as it had been slain and v. 13. slain before the foundation of the world in regard of Gods Decree and the efficacy of his Death which was accepted for the Saints of old and doth continue still to be accepted for Believers the Virtue of his Death abides still 3. The Lamb was rosted in the fire not raw nor sodden v. 9. This signifies the scorching heat and fierceness of the fiery Wrath of God upon Christ when he bare our sins He did not save us without suffering nor by an easie way of suffering Lam. 2.4 He bent his bow like an enemy he stood with his right hand as an adversary he poured out his fury like fire Those expressions may be here applied to Gods dealing with Christ 4. Not a bone of it was to be broken Exod. 12.46 This is applied unto Christ Joh. 19.33 36. not a bone of him was broken It was said of the Paschal Lamb and it is quoted as spoken of Christ for the Lamb was Christ typically and in a shadow There was an over-ruling Providence of God in it that the performance and accomplishment might answer the promise in the Type 3. The time of it shadowed forth Christs Sufferings There was a remarkable analogy in the circumstances of time and this in four respects 1. In that the Lamb was to be a year old not the first day or week but at a fit age was the Lamb to be taken up so Christ at a fit age in the best and fittest time so far we may safely apply this circumstance from that of the Apostle In due time Rom. 5.6 2. In that the Lamb was to be taken the tenth day but not slain till the fourteenth day Exod. 12.6 so Christ entred into his publick Ministry the thirtieth year of his life which is the tenth thrice told and suffered not till the four and thirtieth Luk. 3.23 he was neer about thirty years old when baptized And in the Gospel of John there are four Passovers mentioned at the fourth whereof he suffered Dan. 9.27 in the midst of the week The week is seven prophetical days seven years the midst whereof is three years and an half Moreover he was born on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for that was the day of the Feast of Tabernacles from whence to the Passover which was in the first month is half a year 3. The Lamb was to be slain on the fourteenth day of the first month the time when they came out of Aegypt so Christ died at the very same time of the year at the Feast of the Passover So that the time did look backward to their typical Redemption out of Aegypt and forward to their spiritual Redemption by Jesus Christ It is true it is called the preparation day Joh. 19.31 but that is thought to be because the Jews had a corrupt custome when two great Feasts came so neer together to put off the former a day longer But Christ observed and fulfilled the time appointed in the Institution 4. It was to be slain in the evening or as the Margin has it between the two evenings for every day had two evenings namely the evening of the day which began at three a clock
least mutable about the time of Christs Death Joh. 11.49 51. Act. 4.6 when as by the Law of God it ought to have been during life unchangeable And thirdly if both these were granted or could be as firmly proved as they are strenuously supposed yet we are still in the dark unless we can certainly and demonstratively fix the beginning of our reckoning of the Succession of the Courses of the Priests both to a year and to a month yea to a very day precisely But whether this Computation of the Succession of the Courses of the Priests must begin from the first ordaining of them in the later end of Davids Reign or from the finishing and Dedication of the Temple in Solomons or from the erecting of the Altar at the first return from Captivity in Cyrus his Reign or from the re-building of the Temple in the Reign of Darius or from the cleansing and new Dedication of it after its Pollution and Profanation by Antiochus of which we read in the Maccabees is still subject to endless undeterminable Controversie and Dispute Fourthly if we could attain convincing clearness in all the former yet there will arise a further unresolvable Question touching the Rule of the proceedure of this Computation namely whether it must begin with the lot of Joarib which came out first in Davids ordering of them and doubtless at their first entring on the execution of their Attendance by courses was the first or whether it must begin where at the interruption it left off or whether at the course to which it would have fallen at the restauration had no such interruption intervened Lastly if all these snarling intanglements were extricated unravelled and made plain yet we are never the neerer to our business of finding out the time of Zacharias Ministration either as to month or year much less as to the day unless we could certainly make out how many years there are from the time that we begin our reckoning at to the year of that Ministration of Zacharias But this lies involved under so much darkness and so many perplexities that the most learned Chronologers who have set themselves with greatest industry and most advantages to make out the year of the Birth of Christ have given so little satisfaction to others that there are almost as many several years fixed on for it as there are Chronologers Some have reckoned up forty several Opinions of learned men about it and perhaps more might be added Mr. Perkins placeth it about the three thousand nine hundredth year of the World Others seven and twenty years later Yea several years between that and the four thousandth are fixed on by several Chronologers Others again go beyond the four thousandth year some one others two others forty others fifty years yea there are that bring it down below the five thousandth year and some below the six thousandth yea neer to the seven thousandth year of the World Yet must all these things which are so altogether uncertain and left by God in such a latitude be punctually determined and taken for true and certain if the grounds of this vulgar Opinion concerning Christs being born on the five and twentieth of December have any strength in them A consideration this is which doth sufficiently shew the non-cogency invalidity and utter weakness of that reasoning which some learned men use from the Courses of the Priests to find out the time of Christs Nativity a way of reasoning it is which hath so little of evidence and strength in it that several learned men make use of it to establish their several different Opinions in this point Some there are that do from hence argue for the five and twentieth of December Another makes use of the same way of arguing to prove that Christ was born on the sixth of January Others take the same course of arguing to cast the Nativity of Christ on the later end of September or beginning of October and there is a very learned man who useth the very same way of reasoning to prove the Birth of Christ fell on the Ides that is on the thirteenth of November An ingenious and elaborate way of arguing this must be confessed to be in the making out of the whole Contexture whereof several Authors have shewn a great deal of useful Learning But nevertheless by what hath been briefly hinted it is apparent that there are so many weak parts and uncertainties throughout the frame and contexture of the argumentation that the whole of it is rendred uncogent and unsatisfactory to one that looks for firm and solid footing to build his Judgment on from such strength of Reason and clearness of Evidence as may constrain assent Vse See the unwarrantableness of the Observation of these Festivals amongst Christians The Passover is that we commonly call Easter Pentecost is that we call Whitsuntide and for the Feast of Tabernacles the Pope hath ordained Christmas If these days were shadows of good things to come and that the Body is of Christ as the Text is express then now the Substance is come these shadows are ceased and vanished away the Substance being come the shadow must needs fly away and vanish Moreover these Feasts these days and times since the abrogation of them have not been attended and accompanied with the Blessing of God but rather with the visible tokens and expressions of his dislike and displeasure For as there is a Blessing of God upon his Ordinances so he is wonted to imprint his Curse upon the Inventions of men Easter was the first Ball of Contention that ever was amongst Christians the Eastern and the Western Churches contending sharply about the time of it for above two hundred years together so that Victor the Bishop of Rome excommunicated many Churches for not observing Easter at his time The thing in difference was whether to keep it on the fourteenth day of the first month the day on which Christ began his Sufferings or on the next Lords day after viz. the day of Christs Resurrection The Eastern Churches observed Easter on the fourteenth day of the first month according to the time of the Passover The Western Churches on the contrary said this was to Judaize and it was more Christian-like to celebrate the day of his Resurrection c. and this Opinion carried it For in the Council of Nice it was concluded that it should be kept on the day of the Resurrection This was the fruit of Gods Displeasure against the Observation of such a time when he had testified in his Word Let no man judge you in respect of Holy days c. And as to Christmas they have greatly mistaken in their computation of the time as hath been shewed partly through the ignorance and unskilfulness which God was pleased to leave them to as it were to rebuke them for their Superstition and partly through their carnal compliance with the Pagans which made the Bishop of Rome take the old Saturnalia and Bacchanalia
up unto God with strong crying and tears Matth. 26.37 he began to be sorrowful and very heavy and ver 38. then saith he unto them my Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death and ver 39. he fell on his face and prayed saying Oh my Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me Luk. 22.44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly and his Sweat was as it were great drops of Blood falling down to the ground Hebr. 5.7 It speaks also the Contrition and brokenness of heart that is in the Prayers of the Saints 3. He took a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar to kindle the Incense It is the fire of the Altar the Spirit of God that inflames the Affections in Prayer that sets the heart on fire and makes the Incense flame sets Grace on work and as the Spices whereof the Incense was made are the Graces of Gods Spirit and the beating of them small is the Contrition of the heart so the Incense must be set on fire with sacred fire the Spirit of God inflaming the heart with earnest desires and ardent affections after God 4. The Cloud of Incense must cover the Mercy-seat that the Cloud of Incense that is the Smoke thereof may cover the Mercy-seat that he die not ver 13. There is much Instruction in this If we think to behold the Mercy-seat without the Cloud of Incense we die It is the death of many a Soul that in the day of Atonement when they are afflicting their Souls for sin they think that God is merciful and they cry to God for Mercy But they do not behold the Mercy of God in the Son of his Love they do not look up to the Mercy-seat as covered and clouded with the Incense of the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ and therefore they die and perish even in the day of Atonement when they come before the Mercy-seat 3. The Blood must be sprinkled upon the Mercy-seat Eastward that is upon the forepart of it ver 14. It teacheth us that as the High Priest went into the holy place not without Blood so Christ with his own Blood Heb. 9.7 11 12. hath entred into Heaven for us to make way for us to come thither also by the merit and virtue of his own Blood and Satisfaction Heaven therefore is called the purchased possession Ephes 1.14 because purchased by the Blood of Christ We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the Blood of Jesus Hebr. 10.19 20. 4. The Blood must be sprinkled upon the Mercy-seat seven times A mystical number often used in the legal Services and hath been formerly explained It is a number of perfection God having created the World in six days and resting upon the seventh It therefore notes a full and perfect cleansing and applying of the Blood of Christ for that end And it presupposeth a copious and liberal effusion but it implies directly a plenteous and effectual application of the Blood of Christ Get the Blood of Christ effectually applied unto thy Soul or else thou canst never look God in the face with any comfort or acceptance take this Blood of Christ apply it by Faith see how it atones God It is true the Blood of Christ doth not make God merciful but it makes way for the exercise of his Mercy it doth not cause the attribute of Mercy to be in God but it makes way for the putting of it forth Now then let us put both these together The Mercy-seat must be both clouded with Incense and sprinkled with Blood or else there is no approaching for Sinners into the presence of God none but through the Prayers and Intercessions and through the Blood and Satisfaction of Jesus Christ Non solum periculosum sed horribile est de Deo extra Christum cogitare It is not only dangerous saith Luther but it is an horrible thing to think of God out of Christ Do not think to make use of Gods Attributes in an immediate way but by the Intercession of a Mediator there is no Mercy in God for Sinners out of Christ Thus much of the Priests Offerings for himself 2. The second sort of Offerings upon this great day of Atonement were for the People and these are two Goats for a Sin-offering and a Ram for a Burnt-offering ver 5. The Rites and Ceremonies of these two Goats are full of the Gospel It is pity that choise portions of Scripture which have so much in them are commonly so little understood by us Let us in the help of Christ inquire a little into the mystery of these things Of the Burnt-offering there is something said but it is not much the common rules of the Burnt-offering being here to be observed But the Sin-offering of the two Goats there be many very significant Rites and Ceremonies about them This Sin-offering is first generally and then severally and more particularly spoken to and the several actions about them more particularly opened 1. In general ver 7 8 9 10. The first thing that they had to do which was peculiar to it was that these two Goats they were to cast lots upon them Now a Lot is a referring of a thing by an appeal to the determination of Providence Prov. 16.33 the Lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. There is a special hand of Providence in a Lot so it is said of Christ Acts 2.23 Him being delivered by the determinate Counsel and foreknowledge of God ye having taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain The Lot in this business was to determine which of the Goats should be slain and which was to escape But why were there two Goats one to die and the other to escape The reason was plainly this Because that one alone was not sufficient to represent the Mystery intended and aimed at For Christ was both God and Man he both died and rose again but the same Sacrifice could not both die and live again without a miracle Therefore these two Goats were appointed to represent more compleatly the whole mystery of our Redemption in all the concernments of it to shadow forth Jesus Christ in both his Natures and in both the states he passed through both in his Divinity and in his Humanity both in his Humiliation and Exaltation As in like manner there were two Birds appointed in the Purification of the Leper See of the cleansing of the Leper Lev. 14. pag. 398. So here two Goats a flain Goat and a scape Goat the one to shadow forth Christ as dying and slain for our offences the other as rising again for our Justification The slain Goat represented Christ as he was put to death in the Flesh that is in his Humane nature the scape Goat represented him as quickened by the Spirit that is by his Deity raising him up again from death to life This in general Now 2. In particular the sacred Rites and