The rectified Mind said they is the Man but the sensitive Appetite is the Beast This latter they declared to be the Principle which predominateth in all vicious Men and because they wholly â—ollow their Sense and are led merely by a corporeal Appetite they resemble Brutes Accordingly Epimenides calls the Crâ—tians evil Beasts as the Apostle takes notice and for the same reason all Persons that are given to Vice deserve that Denomination For their Portion like Nebuchadnezzar's is with the Beasts You cannot reckon them in the number of Men for tho they retain the human Shape yet they are really degenerated into the nature of Brutes Nay Man is become more irrational by far than the whole Herd of Brutes who by a natural Instinct or by some certain Laws of Motion following the Apprehensions of their Senses discern what is good or hurtful to them and not only so but imbrace the one and avoid the other Man alone once the excellentest Creature in the World but now depraved knows not his Happiness or despises it which in the sacred Stile is expressed after this manner The Ox knows his Owner and the Asâ— his Master's Crib but Israel doth not know my people do not consider Isa. 1. 3. These are the inword and spiritual Evils which are the effects of Adam's Degeneracy and they are usually called by Divines by the name of Spiritual Death for these also were part of that dreadful Threatning In the day thou â—atest thereof thou shalt surely die But there are not only temporal but eternal Evils which are the fruit of Man's Apostatizing Man by his Guilt and Pollution contracted by the Fall and since delighted in is liable to be excluded from Happiness in another Life and is obnoxious to eternal Punishment and Misery in the World to come for Sin of it self can never be expiated and therefore the Guilt of it must necessarily continue without any Period Accordingly we read that the Wages of Sin is Death Rom. 6. 23. i. e. eternal Death for it being oppos'd in that place to eternal Life it cannot signify less It appears then that the Sinner deserves to be â—ormented both in Body and Soul with endless and eternal pains which makes his Condition far worse than that of the Beasts who Perish and so are made uncapable of all future Sufferings This is that worst of Deaths which is another part of that direâ—ul Threatning denounced against Adam and which is the most grievous and terrible effect of his Disobedience and falling from God and from this as from the other Evils procured by Man's Apostacy there is no redemption on 〈◊〉 the merciful and meritorious Undertakings of the blessed Messias who was afterwards promised After all it might be observ'd that not only Adam and Eve were threatned to be punish'd for this Transgression but even the Serpent which the Devil made use of in order to it he was rendred the most cursed of all Creatures and condemn'd to grovel on his Belly and to feed on the Dust of the Earth Gen. 3. 14. Which was design'd to be a lasting as well as a visible Memorial of God's Displeasure against the first Sin in the World So we read afterwards that God spared not the brutâ— Beasts whom the Sinners of the old world had abused but destin'd them no less than the Offenders themselves to Destruction Gen. 6. 7. which gives us some account of the implacable Opposition of the Divine Nature to all Sin and even to all that are but instrumental and serviceable to it He that is of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity will not suffer it to go unpunish'd wherever he observes it And this might be added here that the foresaid Cursâ— on the Serpent hath reference also to the malicious Dâ—mon who actuated that Animal The doom of this impure Spirit is here included his being not able to raise up himself against the Servants of the most High so as to hurt them and his being 〈◊〉 to Hell and his being made for ever a cursâ—d Creature lâ—ath'd and abhor'd of God and Man are comprehended in this Execration Thus I have finish'd the second State of Man This I call a State as it respects Us but I call it a Dispensation as it hath respect unto God because it was his Will and Pleasure to suffer this to be Out of infinite Wisdom he permitted Man's Fall designing to make it subservient at last to the Good of Mankind and to his own Glory by inhansing his Mercy and Goodness in the 〈◊〉 and unexpected rescuing of Mankind from the Miseries which they had incur'd by this general Lapse I say general for as I asserted before concerning the first State that of Innocâ—ncy that it included all Men in it as well as our first Progenitors so I must declare the same concerning this second State and Dispensation It takes in not only Adam and Evâ— who indeed were the most conspâ—cuous Persons but all the succeeding Generations of Men and Women For by reason of our first Parents wilful sinning and transgressing the Divine Law all Persons are under the Displeasure of God the Penalty of his Law and the Power of Satan for they are all conceived in Sin and brought forth in Iniquity they are naturally averse to all Good and prone to all Evil and therefore a Condemnation is justly pass'd on them all Here I might copâ—ously treat of Original Sin and the fatal Influence of it but I intend not at present to enlarge on any main Article or Point of Divinity this Treatise being design'd only as an 〈◊〉 to so great a Performance This only in brief is to be remembred that Adam as a common Person sinn'd for himself and his whole Posterity In him all Mankind were created and in him they all â—ell and were corrupted Adam being the Father and Root of all Successions by his sinning involv'd himself and his Progâ—ny into a State of Guilt and Enmity against God This great Banker broke and with him all his Race were beggar'd and ruin'd His particular Fault became the Catholick Crime of all Persons descended from him even before they knew what was Good and Evil i. e. before they were born They were all accurs'd in him and rendred obnoxious to the Divine Wrath and no Creature was able to deliver them from it But God the merciful Creator and indulgent Father of Mankind was pleased to contrive their Deliverance Accordingly he made an early Discovery of his Grace and Love to our first Parents and to their Posterity which leads me to the next Dispensation CHAP. III. The Nature of the Third General Dispensation The first part of which is the Adamick State The early Promise concerning the Messias Gen. 3. 15. explain'd He was expected betimes The New Testament witnesses that he was to bruise the Serpent's Head Several positive Laws were under this Oeconomy That of Oblations and Sacrifices is especially consider'd Eucharistical Sacrifices were part of the Law of Nature Expiatory
were the first Fathers that writ against this Millennary Reign and soon after this it was generally Condemn'd by the Fathers of the Roman and Greek Church and hath ever since been look'd upon as an Heterodox Opinion excepting that some Anabaptists have made bold to revive it If we consider things aright we shall see sufficient reason to condemn and explode this Doctrine for there are these two gross Errors in it 1. That Christ shall Personally Reign upon Earth 2. That the Saints shall come from Heaven and Reign with him First The Chiliasts are palpably mistaken in this that Christ shall come from Heaven and Personally Reign here and that before the General Resurrection and Day of Judgment as they also hold This is contrary to express Words of Scripture which saith concerning our Saviour That the Heaven must receive him until the times of the restitution of all things i. e. as I conceive till the finishing of those times of the restitution of all things which will be a little before the Day of Judgment We are assured that Christ from his Ascension to that time remains in Heaven From thence he shall come to Iudge the Quick and the Dead therefore he shall not come down on Earth before that time and consequently he will not Reign here in Person as those Milleâ—naries imagine It is incongruous and against reason that he should be said to come to Iudge the Men upon Earth and yet at the same time be on the Earth Nor is there any thing in this 20th Chapter of the Revelation which favours this Fancy of theirs Had a Personal Reign been intended here it would have been said that Christ shall Reign with the Saints a Thousand Years which Words might fairly intimate that Christ would descend from Heaven and come among them and Reign in the midst of them so long a time but instead of this it is only said that they shall Reign with him a Thousand Years Or suppose it were expresly said Christ shall Reign yet this doth not prove that he shall Reign in Person How often doth the coming of the Lord in Luke 12. and in other Places signifie Christ's Coming in way of Judgment and Vengeance not his Personal Coming Why then may not Christs Reigning be meant not of a Personal Reigning but of his Reigning in the Hearts and Lives of the Faithful He is with them Spiritually and they Reign with him after the same manner and no other Therefore the Inquisitive Mr. Mede who founds the Future Reign of Christ upon Earth on his Chapter in the Revelations saw no Ground here for his Visible and Corporal Reigning Whence he hath left us these Words The presence of Christ in his Kingdom shall no doubt be Glorious and Evident yet I dare not so much as imagine that it shall be a Visible Converse on Earth for the Kingdom of Christ ever hath been and shall be a Kingdom whose Throne and Kingly Residence is in Heaven I quote this Passage the rather because some have entertain'd another Opinion of this Learned Author Besides in this Chapter v. 8 12. we read that Gog and Magog intervene between the Thousand Years and the Day of Judgment Therefore the Personal Reign of Christ is not before that Day for the Heavens retain him till then Nor is it after that Day for Gog and Magog who come after the Millennium go before the Day of Judgment I conceive this is an Unanswerable Proof And as for the several Quotations of Scripture which they bring to assert the Personal Reign the Answer in brief is this that theywrest those Places which speak of Christ's First Coming and others which speak of his Last Coming to Iudgment and apply them to a Second Personal Coming of Christ before the General Resurrection and Day of Judgment From this perverting of those Texts they set up the Corporal Reign of our Saviour which they so much talk of Secondly That is another unpardonable Error that the Bodies of the deceased Saints shall be raised from below and their Souls be dismissed from above and that both shall be united here that they may Reign with Christ on Earth First this is against the constant Discovery which is made to us in Scripture that Heaven and signally the Highest Heavens are the Place of Glory and the Seat of Blessedness prepared for the departed Souls of the Faithful Those Regions above not this Earth below are the Receptacle of Glorified Spirits Yet these Men are pleased to alter the Constitution and Appointment of the All-wise God and to make the Earth the Habitation of Blessed Spirits and the Seat of Happiness This is to abrogate the Laws of God's Kingdom this is to anticipate the State of Glory this is to confound Heaven and Earth Again How absurd and ridiculous is it to assert that the departed Saints shall come to be subject after all the Joys and Ravishments of another World to Calamities and bodily Evils For Gog and Magog shall besiege them as they must needs grant from v. 9. of this Chapter Shall the Saints not only quit their heavenly Mansions and come down here on Earth but also turn Soldiers and put themselves into a Military Posture For you read there of the Camp of the Saints Shall immortal Saints fight after they have been in Heaven Yet the Chiliasts must hold this because they assert that the Reigning of the Saints a Thousand Years is meant here of their leaving of Heaven and coming down to Reign on Earth They pretend to prove this from several Passages in this Chapter as where it speaks of the Souls of them that were Beheaded and of their Living and Reigning and of the first and second Resurrection which argues say they that this Reigning is to be understood of the Saints that were before in Heaven and that there is one Resurrection a Thousand Years before the Last Judgment and another when that comes In the former the Saints rise to Reign and in the latter all other Men shall be raised But St. Iohn's Words in this Chapter signify nothing of this Nature as will appear from setting before the Reader the entire Text with a brief Comment upon it I saw the Souls of them that were Beheaded for the Witness of Iesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast nor his Image nor had received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands and they lived and Reigned with Christ a Thousand Years But the rest of the Dead lived not again until the Thousand Years were finished This is the first Resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no Power ver 4 5 6. It is generally agree'd that by the Souls of them that were Beheaded are meant the Persons that were Beheaded for that is the known way of speaking among the Hebrews whom St. Iohn who was one himself here imitates And by them
that were Beheaded for the Witness of Iesus we are to understand all Martyrs that were put to Death for Professing Christianity the same that are mentioned Rev. 6. 9. they that were slain for the Word of God and the Testimony which they held This particular manner of Death Bâ—heading is specified because it was most in use at that Time This was the capital Punishment that was frequent both among Iews and Romans as Dr. Lightfoot hath observ'd and proved and we read that Iohn the Baptist the first Martyr for Christ underwent it And not only those that suffer'd Death but all other holy Men that had any other Punishment of a lesser sort inflicted on them are here intended for one kind of corporal Punishment is mentioned here to denote all the rest which is a way of speaking very usual not only in the Holy Scriptures but in other Writings They who had not worshipped the Beast nor â—is Image nor received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands are those Religious and Holy Persons who keep themselves unspotted from the Pollutions of Antichrist and do not in any kind whatsoever comply with them or allow of them These St. Iohn saw as well as the others before mentioned And they lived which may refer to this latter sort of Persons only and not to the former that is to those who had not worshipped the Beast not to the Souls of them that were Beheaded For you may observe that it is expressed thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and whosoever which shews these are a distinct Company from the others mentioned before Therefore to the latter must be applied those Words they lived i. e. these Persons were free'd from Persecution under the happy Reign of Christ which was now come Thus it is not absolutely necessary that we should interpret this concerning the deceased Martyrs the Souls of them that were Beheaded but only concerning the Saints then in being those that worship not the Beast and consequently here is no ground for the Resurrection of the Martyrs before the Last and General Resurrection as a Recompense of their former Sufferings as some Persons imagine Or suppose that they lived refers here to these Martyrs yet still we cannot conclude thence their rising from the Dead for it is only barely said they lived not they revived or rose from the Dead What then was this Living here spoken of which is the Introduction to the Thousand Years No other certainly than this that whereas many of the Faithful Servants of Christ had been put to Death for the Testimony of Iesus and other Religious and Holy Men had been as it were kill'd in former Times in the same Sence that 't is said we are killed all the Day long Psal. 44. 22. i. e. they were persecuted injured and abused now they shall live now they shall flourish now they shall be free'd from Persecution and enjoy Peace and Rest. Not that the individual Persons that really lost their Lives shall thus live upon the Earth but the Church is here considered as a successive Body as is usual in this Book of the Revelation and elsewhere The Meaning then is this though the Christians in the preceeding Ages were cruelly and inhumanly treated by their merciless Persecutors though the Church in those Times labour'd under great and unspeakable Miseries yet upon the Entrance of the joyful Millennium for there shall be on Earth such a Millennium though not of that Nature which the Ancient Chiliasts asserted all these troublesome and afflictive Things shall cease and the Faithful shall be put into the Possession of an undisturbed Repose and Serenity But because not living again is mentioned in the next Clause some may think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is of the same import with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there and therefore they lived must be equivalent with they revived which is as much as they rose from the Dead Granting this it doth not follow that it is to be understood Literally and Strictly i. e. of a Real living again after Death or of the rising of their dead Bodies out of the Grave It is a Figurative way of speaking and it is probable is an Allusion to Ezek. 37. 11 14. Behold O my People I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves And I will put my Spitit or breath into you and you shall live Which Words speak not of a Bodily Resurrection as at the first Hearing they may seem to do but of Israel's rising out of a low captivated Condition in Babylon Your Graves shall be open'd and ye shall live i. e. you shall be restored to your own Land again and there live in Plenty and Prosperity There is no Expositor of any Account but interprets the Words thus And indeed there are several other Texts which back this Interpretation for in Psal. 71. 20. 80. 18. Isa. 26. 19. Hos. 6. 2. Reviving and Rising again are used to express a comfortable and prosperous Condition So that one would a little wonder how it comes to pass that some Writers who have made enquiry into the future State of the Christian Church take this Place in the Revelation in a Literal Sense and perswade themselves that it speaks of a Bodily Resurrection of the Saints when it may so conveniently be taken in a Metaphorical and Mystical Sence nay when they themselves at other Times are so delighted with this latter One of them acknowledges that the killing of the Witnesses Rev. 11. 7. and their Bodies lying dead is not meant of a Literal Death and with great Diligence he labours to prove it and indeed performs that task very laudably and in many other Places in this Book he flies to a Mystical Meaning Why then may not the Living or Living again of the Saints be understood here in the same manner The other is known to be a great Asserter of an Improper and Figurative Sence in Scripture But see the Unhappiness of his placing it he that expounds the Third Chapter of Genesis which is a plain downright History in a Mystical and Allegorical way to the enervating of a great part of Revealed Religion interprets this Passage in the Revelation where Mysteries and Figures are so common in a Literal Sence But I think I have shew'd from the Tenour of this Place that a Real Corporeal Resurrection i. e. a returning of departed Souls into their Bodies again is not here meant but that a Political or Civil Resurrection is the Thing here spoken of that is the Christian Church after its great Troubles and Mortifications shall revive shall as it were rise out of its Grave and as the Excellent Dr. Hammond Paraphrases on the Place there shall be such an universal Profession of Christianity as if all the departed good Christians had been alive again and were come upon the Stage of this World once more Or the Reader may make use of the Apostle's Words in Gal.
was accepted And this passes for a general Opinion with us and not without a great shew of Reason for it seems to be founded on the Mosaick Law it self there we see that Idolatry Murder Blasphemy c. were always punish'd with Death unless the special Favour of God interposed There was no Sacrifice permitted to expiate the proâ—anation of the Sabbath for it is expresly said Everyone that defileth the Sabbath shall surely be put to death Exod. 31. 14. Nor could he that eat the Sacrifice whilst he was in his Vncleanness be pardon'd for this is his Doom That Soul shall be cut off from his People Levit. 7. 20 21. There was no Sacrifice admitted for Adultery or for disobeying of Parents In short Sins of Ignorance only were expiated by the Mosaick Sacrifices but all Sins of Presumption remain'd unatoned which they prove from Numb 15. 28 30. The Priest shall make an atonement for the Soul that sinneth ignorantly But the Soul that doth ought presumptuously shall be cut off from among his People So that Sins of Obstinacy and Malice had no Sacrifice allow'd the Offenders were either put to death by the Magistrate or cut off by God But notwithstanding all this that is alledged it seems to me very evident that the guilt of all Sins whatsoever if they were heartily repented of was atoned by the Mosaick Sacrifices For when those of the other Opinion say there was no Expiation for greater Sins it must be meant either of Internal or External Sins Now it is generally confess'd that God appointed Sacrifices and Expiations for the greatest Sins of the Heart and Mind as Unbelief blasphemous Thoughts idolatrous Imaginations desires of Murder uncleanness of the Heart c. for even some of the best Men it is likely were not free from these mental Pollutions Who can imagine that there was no atonement for these under the Law Can we think that all perish'd who were at any time guilty of these No certainly they were pardon'd through God's Mercy upon Repentance and the appointed means of sacrificing And as for visible and outward gross Enormities tho there may seem to be no provision made in the Mosaick Law for their Expiation because the Offenders were presently punish'd with Death yet it doth not follow thence that there was no Expiation for those notorious Crimes for they might be expiated tho it was fitting and necessary that they should be animadverted upon by a severe Penalty leâ—t Impunity should encourage Men in Sin and Vice When we find then in Moses's Law that such as were guilty of Adultery Murder Incest c. were not exempted from Capital Punishment we cannot thence infer that Sacrifices purg'd none from the guilt of these Enormities and that the Legal Offerings were design'd only to expiate for smaller Aberrations for the reason why those great Offenders were punish'd was not because there were no Sacrifices and Oblations to clear them of their Guilt but because it was requisite Death should be the Recompence of those Crimes lest the Common-wealth should be endamaged and ruined by suffering such to go unpunish'd But even the guilt of these heinous Sins if those that committed them sincerely repented of them was expiated by those daily Offerings which were made for the Sins of the People and by the frequent Trespass-Offerings notwithstanding the infliction of the corporal Punishment The Propitiatory Sacrifices were available even to those who suffer'd for their Sins They were able through God's Appointment to remove the Guilt the not the Punishment Is it not acknowledg'd and that because it is manifest from several Instances that the Crimes of Persons have been forgiven and pardon'd tho they themselves were not exempted from the Penalty Moses's Death was the Recompence of his Unbelief tho none doubts of his expiring in the Divine Favour David was punish'd with the Death of his Child tho we read that his Sin was pardon'd Iosiah was justly snatch'd away in Battel because he ingag'd in it against the Divine Will and Command but yet he died in peace i. e. in the Favour of God and was transmitted to the place of Everlasting Peace and Happiness Wherefore I gather hence that tho Death was made by Moses's Law the penal Consequence of Adultery Disobedience to Parents Violation of the Sabbath Day c. yet whoever among such Criminals as these turn'd unto God by an unfeign'd detestation of the Sins they committed had without doubt the benefit of the Legal Sacrifices which expiated the Offences of all true Penitents tho they were never so great And the reason is this because this Institution or Ordinance of Sacrificing was the standing means of Salvation in the Jewish Dispensation and therefore it was requisite that the influence of it should extend to all Sinners that were heartily sorry for their Offences and abhorr'd their past Crimes yea and themselves for being guilty of them This we must grant unless we will say that no heinous Sinners under the Law were ever pardon'd and receiv'd to Mercy which is an assertion that is easily baffled by a great many Instances which the Old Testament records It was in the was of Sacrifices that these Persons had their Guilt remitted and expiated for there was no other Expedient or Remedy at that time as we are assured not only from the End and Design of instituting the Sacrifices which was to take away Sin but from those express words of the Apostle which refer to this manner of Expiation without shedding of Blood there is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. This then being the only way of Remission and Pardon of Sin it was certainly efficacious and even those who were cut off from their People tho this Doom doth not always signify immature Death and therefore can't be absolutely made use of here or were cut off from the Land of the Living and their Sins atoned by the Law of Sacrifices supposing as hath been said before that they repented from their Hearts of their vile and flagitious Miscarriages And this may be further made good from that plain distinction of Chattah and Asham the Sin Offering and the Trespass Offering the one being design'd to remove the Guilt of petty Declensions the other to make satisfaction for gross and enormous Crimes And moreover this is plain from Levit. 5. 4 15. where Sacrifices are commanded to be offer'd for great Crimes as unlawful swearing and sacrilege And the Aâ—niversary Oblation in Levit. 16. 16 c. was not only for their Vncleannesses but for for their Transgressions in all their Sins But as for the sin of Presumption or sinning with a high hand as 't is in the Hebrew Numb 15. 30. it includes in this place Impenitence and final Obstinacy and therefore it is no wonder that there was no Atonement for it for even the Alsufficient Merit of Christ Jesus doth not expiate for this Sin but all other Sins were atoned by Sacrifices I see no reason to the contrary and therefore I
of the Knowledg of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 c. To this Perfection and Fulness contribute the Holy Sacraments of Christ's appointment It is true the Apostle sheweth that the Israelites had the same Religion the same Covâ—nant and that they might be said to have the same Sacraâ—â—nts with us 1 Cor. 10. 1 c. and indeed the Covenant being the same the Sacraments must be so which are Seals of the Covenant But the Evangelical Sacraments were only typified by those they were never in actual use till Christ's coming Baptism and the Eucharist the two Sacraments of the Gospel may be rightly said to have been virtually in Circumcision and the Passover and so are not new but they are new in another respect viz. as by the former we are initiated and adopted into the Christian Oâ—conomy and by the latter we are confirmed in it By the pious celebrating of both which the Spiritual Benefits of the Gospel are exhibited and conferr'd sealed and assured to the Souls of the Faithful and they are found to be no contemptible Helps to Religion and Holiness But the assistance of the Holy Spirit in these and all other Duties of Christianity is the most signal Privilege of the Gospel For when Christ ascended up on high he gave Gifts unto Men especially that matchless Gift the Holy Spirit whereby not only the Apostles and Primitive Christians were enabled to speak and act in a miraculous manner but in all succeeding Ages the true Followers of Jesus feel the wonderful influence and operation of it on their Hearts and Lives whereby they are strengthned to perform what is required of them in a way far surpassing what was in the former Dispensations This is that which makes Evangelical Grace differ from Moral Virtue and Iudaical Righteousness viz. that the former is heightned not only by the Motives of the Gospel of which I spake before but by the Assistance of the Spirit By this we not only cry Abba Father but are enabled to demean our selves as those who are the Sons of God Thus our Power is mightily increased which is another great Difference between the Law and the Gospel between Judaism and Christianity This is a brief Account of the Difference between those two Dispensations the Legal and Evanâ—elical Tho it was once said by Luther There never was that Man found on Earth who could make a right Difference between the Law and the Gospel yet afterwards he gives us to understand that he thought this was no impossible thing for he tells us That whoso can rightly judg between the Law and the Gospel let him thank God and know that he is a right Divine There is great difficulty in performing this Task and therefore I have gone through it with much caution and the whole I leave to the judgment of the Learned and Judicious The Manichean Hereticks held there was one God that was the Founder of the Law and another God that was Author of the Gospel But this gross and blasphemous Error is baffled by those several Particulars which I have offered to you concerning the Law and the Gospel The same God blessed for evermore wisely appointed both these Oeconomies and tho they are different yet they are not contradictory God made those two great Lights the one to rule the Night the other the Day the former was fitted to those darker times and the latter is most sutable to the Fulness of time when a redundant Light overspread the World The Iewish Oeconomy was narrow weak and imperfect and best comported with the People that were under it but the Gospel-Dispensation is large and ample compleat and perfect and therein more adapted to the condition of the Persons who are under this Dispensation of Christ's Fulness receive and Grace for Grace John 1. 16. Frâ—m what hath been said we may know what to think and determine of that great Query Whether our Saviour hath added any new Laws and Precepts to those which were before under the Old Testament or wâ—ether his Laws and those are the same I find this Question is too peremptorily decided on both sides One positively asserts that all the Evangelical Commands are the very same with the Laws of the former Administration The others say there are New Commands added in the Gospel to those of the Law But I conceive the Question is not to be decided thus in gross but we ought to be more particular and exact in it Take it in short thus First There were many things of Religion under the Law which are abrogated under the Gospel as all Rites and Ceremonies merely Mosaick Therefore the Gospel is called the Law of Liberty Jam. 1. 25. because it â—reesus from observing those Iewish Rites These were Duties then but are no Duties now But secondly all things that are our Duty now were their Duty then Which I explain thus in these four Propositions Prop. 1. There were the same Laws and Commandments in general in the Old Testament that are in the New tho there are some particular things enjoin'd in the New Testament which were not prescribed in the Old as admitting of all Believers into the Church by Baptism which was never practis'd among the Body of the Iews tho it was used toward some Proselytes and celebrating the Lord's Death in the Holy Communion which could not be done before because Christ was not come and therefore could not die So there are some particular Preceptâ— about the Government and Discipline of the Church of Christ which were not before in the Iewish Church and indeed could not be the state and condition of things being far otherwise Likewise with the New Dispensation came a New Sabâ—ath the Seventh day of the wâ—ek was changed into the First This is very rational to believe tho there were no express mention of any such thing for now the Iewish Sabbath being repeal'd Gal. 4. 10 11. Col. 2. 16. some other day was to be celebrated in its room that as the former was set apart from the beginning for commemorating the Creation of the World so this latter might be in remembrance of the Redemption of Mankind The change of the Day and our celebrating of it are upon weighty grounds viz. 1. Christ's Resurrection from the Dead whereby Man's New Creation was perfected a. Warrantable Authority no less than that of our Saviour himself for first it is most probable that Christ himself gave particular Order concerning the observing of this day when as we read for forty days together after his Resurrection he spakâ— to his Disciples concerning the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God Acts 1. 3. This being of so great concern and so nearly relating to that Kingdom and the Occonomy of the Gospel it is to be presuâ—â—ed that our Saviour gave particular directions about it tho it is not to be denied that there may be
was ulcer'dâ— in his Bowels and pester'd with Worms which crawl'd out of his rotted flesh and in the midst of Conâ—ulsions and exquisite Torments over his whole Body ended his miserable Life to begin one more miserable Iudas who had been a seeming Friend but proved at last a real Adversary to the Christian Cause and perfidiously betray'd the Lord of Life â—as by Divine Vengeance punish'd with a triple Death as I have shew'd in the Exposition of Mat. 27. 5. The Sacred Records acquaint us that Elymas a Sorcerer who opposed the Christian Faith was struck blind by St. Paul Acts 13. 11. Clement the Roman Arnobius Epiphanius and others relate how Simon the Magician an Apostate from Christianity and one who openly defied that Religion afterwards was defeated in his bold Attempt of flying in the Air and was struck down to the ground by St. Peter Herod Antipas Tetrarch of Galilee who beheaded Iohn Baptist and under whom Christ suffer'd Death was afterwards condemned by Caligula to perpetual Banishment where he died miserably Caiaphas was the same time disgracefully removed from the High Priest's Office and Ionathan was set in his Place Pilate who condemned our Saviour was accused at Rome put out of his Place and then banish'd to the Town of Lions and at length slew himself Herod Agrippa Nephew of Herod the Great who stretch'd forth his hands to vex certain of the Christian Church and particularly kill'd Iames the Brothâ—r of Iohn with the Sword and proceeded further to take Peter also and put him in Prison intending after Easter to bring him forth to the People to be executed as Iames was this execrable Man who thus thirsted after the Blood of the Christians and designed a plentifâ—l effusion of it was on a sudden cut off by the just hand of God and that in the midst of those prophane Apâ—plauses which he receiv'd from the People the Text saith he was eaten of Worms Acts 12. 23. It may be observed that most of the Roman Emperors and Tyrants who imbrued their hands in the Blood of Christiâ—ans died violent Deaths some of them laid hands on themselves and the rest in some other manner miserably closed their days Of the twelve first Roman Emperors there were but three that died natural Deaths and of the forty Pagan Emperors of Rome for so many were from Iulius Caesar to Constantine the Great there were few that died in their Beds See Lactantius de Mâ—rt Persecut who undertakes to shew that all the Eâ—mperors and Tyrants that persecuted the Christians â—had tragical ends by the visible hand of God upon them and he particularly recounts the Signal Iudgments which they were deservedly visited with And as for Iulian who was a Flatterer of the Christians and â—â—sed a way quite contrary to what the foregoing Caesarâ—s had done for by Bribes and Preferments he endeavour'd to pervert the Christians and at other times he attempted to jeer them out of their Religion this Man in the very beginning of his Reign was taken off in a very strange and surprizing manner He who vowed to sacrifice to his Gods the Blood of the Christians when he return'd in Triumph from his Persian Expedition as St. Ierom Theodoret and Orosius relate met with a bloody Stroke which defeated his purposes Whence the Truth of what a Christian told â—â—banius was manifest viz. that the Carpenter's Soâ—â— was making a Coffin for Iâ—lian Who gave him his wound is not known to any to this day said the Ecclesiastical Historian but as he adds whether it was a Man or an Angel that inflicted it it is certain he was the Minister of the Divine Wilâ— And the desperate Behaviour of the perishing Emperor is mention'd by the same Writer viz. that he fiâ—l'd his hand with the Blood that issâ—ed from the Woâ—nd and threw it up into the Air with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Author tells us moreover that his Emâ—press a Pious and Religious Lady seeing him thus punish'd seasonably reminded him of his Guilt and plainly told him that he would not have known who it was he had so fiercely opposed unless this Stroks from God had been inflicted on him I might have observ'd before out of the Life of Constantine the Great that as soon as Maximian persecuted the Christâ—ians the Divine Vengeance seized him and his secâ—et Parts and his Bowels were ulcerated And there likewise we find the Emperor declaring that he had himself taken notice of the strange Exits of some that had troubl'd the People of God i. e. the Christians with their wicked Edicts l. 4. c. 12. I could go bacâ— and observe that Tertullian propounds to Scapula the African President several particular Exaâ—ples of the Mischiefs and Plagues that befel certain of his Predecessors and others that vex'd and disturb'd the Christians But among all the Iudgments of Gâ—od on the Enemies and Persecutors of Christianitâ— I may reckon his Vengeance on the Iewish People and Nation as the most observable and notorious According to our Saviour's Prediction they heard of Wâ—ars and rumours of Wars and soon felt them there was great distress in the Land and wrath upon this People they fell by the edg of the Sword c. Nero sent Vespasian to reduce these Rebels who for six Years together miserably destroy'd them and their Country with Sword and Fire Then upon Nero's Death Vesâ—asian who succeeded him sent his Son Titus thither who bent all the Force of the War against their Capital City and closely besieged it Yet as the Historian himself acknowledges this merciful Prince acted this Tragical Part unwillingly he all the while pitied the Iews and testifi'd it by his Tears he deferred from time to time the Destruction of Ierusalem and kept up the Siege the longer that the Iews might repent of their Doings and submit themselves to his Arms. But when he saw they were obstinate and would by no means make good use of his Forbearance he resolv'd to punish their Incorrigibleness and accordingly he fell upon them with an unusual severity and wofully sack'd and destroy'd the City and burnt both it and the Temple to the ground No less than eleven hundred thousand were kill'd by Fire Sword Famin and civil Discord in the time of the Siege and ninety seven thousand were taken Captives at the sacking of it there being then a vast confluence of Iews from all parts to celebrate the Passover for as this was the time when our Saviour was crucifi'd so at this very Season the Iews were remarkably punish'd for crucifying him An innumerable company of that miscreant Nation which sold Christ for thirty pieces of Silver were exposed to sale at a far cheaper Rate for as this Author affirms the Market ran so low that twenty Iews were sold for a penny The whole City and Temple were utterly demolish'd to the ground And this was done by him who was stiled the Darling and Delight of Mankind as if the Iews were