of any good after this Life was ended But the Founders of our Faith obtained a more Excellent Ministry in that they preached and made known a better Covenant established upon better Promises for Life and Immortality are brought to light through the Gospel they are thereby so clearly revealed as that among those who believe that there can be no doubt of them As all the lesser Rivers of the Earth do at length empty themselves into the Sea so all the other Promises of the Gospel although exceeding great and precious yet do bend their course towards the Ocean of Immortal Glory in the World to come even those that concern this Life teach us to look beyond it We are indeed assured that all these things shall be added to us but 't is upon condition that we seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness Our Temporal Interests and Eternal Glory the Wisdom and Goodness of the Gospel have so twisted together as we best mind the one by seeking the other And indeed the Gospel doth Strengthen our hopes of Salvation as well as Raise them for it shews us an inestimable Price paid for it and assures us that if we are not wanting to our selves we shall be raised up unto it and by Eternal Judgment bidden to take possession of it And forasmuch as in this Life we are at a Distance from it the Gospel hath given us Tokens and Pledges to assure us of it To this end saith St. Bernard were the Sacraments ordained viz. that the Invisible Grace of our Lord might be assured by some Visible Sign unto us Hence no doubt it was that one of the most Ancient Fathers called the Eucharist the Physick another the Food of Immortality because they thought it apt to purge out Despair and to cherish our Hopes of Eternal Life And what so good as Life and what Life so long as that that is eternal and what Eternity so desireable as that in the Kingdom of Glory yet this hath the Gospel most clearly revealed and firmly promised to us And in order to the obtainment thereof Christ and his Apostles have given us far better Rules than any among the Jews for the guidance of our Lives and Actions Besides the Moral Law Moses we know required obediâ—nce to a great number of positive Precepts enjoyning such things as were not good in themselves but barely because they were Commanded or else for some other Reason wholly extrinsick to Moral Goodness as we have already seen by Maimonides his account of the first End and intention the Causes and Reasons of their Law and these positive Precepts were so exceeding burdensome and uneasie as that St. Peter calls them a Yoke which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear Let not the Jews be offended that one of our Apostles gives their Law no better Language for a Learned Rabbi of their own hath said as much or more viz. that the written Law which God gave to Moses and Moses to the Israelites from Mount Sinai is both obscure and difficult first because it speaks Contradictions and secondly because it is imperfect 'T is well he was a Jew and a Rabbi too had he been a Christian 't is like they would have accused him of Blasphemy and perhaps justly for what greater Disparagement can easily be cast upon Divine Wisdom than to say it speaks Contradictions To that therefore we cannot assent but to the Imperfection of the Law we may because a man of a more Excellent Spirit than he hath taught us that it could never make the comers thereunto perfect yea that it made nothing perfect but also because the Jews themselves insinuate as much by their zeal for Traditions all which derive their Authority from that one before-mentioned viz. the pretended Exposition which they say God gave of his Law to Moses that from him by Oral Tradition it might be transmitted to Posterity The pretence of this fictitious Exposition was founded in Necessity and this Necessity in the Obscurity and Imperfection of the Law without it which they say are so great as that without the Oral Law the whole Written Law would be in the dark for many things they tell us there are in the Scripture so repugnant each to other as that we can neither depend upon or reconcile them without the Oral Law which Moses received from Sinai It seems then for the Guidance of their Lives and Actions the Jews had a vast number of External Directions for as was before observed the Precepts of the Written Law were no fewer than 613. concerning each one whereof as to the manner of its performances c. it is not unlikely that their pretended Exposition contained divers particular Canons and so it seems it did for they say that Moses in his sorrow utterly forgot no less than three thousand of these Constitutions but afterwards Othniel the Son of Kenaz by the sharpness of his wit retrieved seventeen hundred of them and these all and it may be as many more were no less to be regarded than the Written Law it self because as they say of equal Authority therewith Was it not then an uneasie Yoke and an heavy burden that they lived under how could it be other for it was as hard to learn and remember their Rules of Living as it was to live by the Essential Rules of Holiness and yet when they had done all they did but escape the Vices especially the Idolatries of the Gentiles or at best prepare themselves for some higher enjoyments in the time of the Messias for the Law was a School-master to bâ—ing men to Christ Churches and Kingdomes as well as Men have their distinct Ages that of the Jews under the Law was but a sort of Childhood a time of Minority to this Imperfect State the Temporary or Imperfect Authority of a School-master or Guardian was most fitly proportion'd this Office the Law did them for it restrained them from the more grievous Vices of the Gentiles and gave them some little knowledge of Christ and by so doing it did prepare them for his sublimer Truths and more elevated Rules of Holy living which are chiefly comprised in the Precepts of the Moral Law according to his Interpretation of it The Excellency of which Law appears by the matter about which it is conversant viz. those things which are Good or Evil in themselves namely those wherein the Image of God doth consist and those that are repugnant to it Since theâ—efore God made Man after his own Image there can be no Law so Excellent as this in respect either of its Agreeableness to the Reason of Man or its Subservience to the Glory of God What so Rational as to preserve the glory of our Nature viz. the Image of God in us And how can we Glorifie God so much as by strenuous Endeavours to resemble him Thou shalt not honour God saith Hierocles by giving any thing unto
him but by making thy self fit to receive from him for the Pythagoreans say thou shalt best honour God when thou makest thy mind like unto him If so it is evident there can be no Law so subservient to the Glory of God as the Moral Law is and consequently none so Good and Excellent as that is because none so apt to promote the Supreme End of all Laws whatever viz. the Glory of the Law-giver and the Good of the Subjects Yet so brutishly wicked were the Jewish Rabbies as that they made it void and of none effect not only its Precepts were neglected and slighted in comparison with their Ceremonial Performances but it s very Native Sense and Meaning were almost wholly Clouded and Eclipsed by their false Glosses vain Interpretations and Traditions wherefore one end of Christ his coming into the World it seems was to â—ulsill the Law i. e. not only to do but also to teach and declare what the Law required Whâ—t wâ—s natural in the Law as was before observed out of Irenâ—eus the Lord bath not only destroyed but also extended and â—illed up Those that desire to know wherein this Extension or Adimpletion of the Law doth conâ—ist may learn it from the same Father who tells us 't is in râ—quiring abstinence not only from all evil Works but also from the very Dâ—sire of them It seems then the Moral Law as it is now constituted the Rule of our Obedience is so Pure and Spiritual as that it reacheth the Faculties of our Souls as well as the Works Words and Gestures of our Bâ—dies sâ—rictly forbidding the Thoughts or Assent of our Minds and the very feeblest Inâ—linations of our Wills and Affections to Sin as well as the outward Perpetrations of it And how much this exceeds the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees i. e. of the sâ—rictest Professors among the Jews our Saviour himself hath dâ—monstrated in divers instances The Prohibition of Murder they restrained to Shedding of Blood but Chrisâ—â—xtended even to immoderate Anger that of Adultery they restrained to the External commission of Folly but Christ extended even to the very eructation of Concupiscence the Prohibition of taking Gods Name in vain they restrained to Perjury but Christ extended to all manner of Vain and False Swearing c. There is therefore nothing more evident than that the Moral Law as established by the Gospel is far more Pure and Spiritual more Extended and Comprehensive than it was as expounded by the Jewish Traditions and Rabbies and indeed they did rather Explode the Law than Expound it For if the Being of Sin consists in Consent as it apparently doth in most cases a man might be guilty almost of all Sins and yet according to Them be no Sinner because no Transgressor of the Law according to their Exposition of it But as Christ hath now restored it to its primitive Sense and Meaning it is we see so transcendently Holy and immaculately Pure as that the Wayes of our Hâ—arts as well as Works of our Hands and Words of our Mouths are or may be Unclean and Impure before it This then is the Prime Rule of our Practice hereunto the Gospel requireth most absolutely Perfect Unsinning Obedience insomuch that we ought to be humble for our Imperfections as well as penitent for our more grievous Transgressions and all this must spring from Faith that workâ—th by Love for without Faith it is impossible to please God and without Charity Faith is nothing worth Obj. But here perhaps it may be objected that it is impossible to keep the Law thus expounded it is rather fit for Adam in Innocence than for any of his Fallen Posterity Were there no depravity in our Nature or â—emptations in the World to do wickedly it might perhâ—ps with Justice and equity be imposed on us but since as Chriâ—t and his Apostles themselves teach we all have siâ—ned and cannot live without Sin it is rather apt to increase our Damnation than to promote our Salvation it is therefore very unbecoming that Wisdom and Goodness whereunto they pretended in the Promulgation of the Gospel it speaks more Zeal than Wisdom to râ—quire Impâ—ssibilities Answ This Objection having something of Truth and Reason in it even tempts me to wish it were found in the mouths only of humble and â—ober Enquirers after Truth but Experience hath taught me that our Semi-Atheists think to serve their Lusts by it for since gradually perfect Obedience is impossible and no man is obliged to Impossibilities they say and perhaps will swear it too it is sensless Folly and brutish Inadvertency to trouble our heads about it either by repenting what we have not done according to the Law or by taking care for the future to walk by it But let them not be too haâ—â—y in their Conclusion or too confident in the strength of their Argument for it is but a piece of Sophistry it divideth what ought to be joyned viz. the Law and its Exposition from the Mitigation of it by the Gospel take in this and the Argument will be found very inconclusive on their part but demonstrative on ours For though it be confâ—ssed we find the Law Extended and far more comprehensively Expounded by Christ and his Apostles than for ought we know it ever was by Moses or the Prophâ—ts much more by the Jewish Doctâ—rs and Rabbiâ—s yet withall we find it so qualified and mitigated its Rigor and Severity so allayed as that the Evangelical Constitution of it is far more eligible than the Legal it dâ—monstratâ—s far greatâ—r Wisdom and Goodness than ever it did either in the time of mans Innocence or afterwards under the Mosaical Dispensation For First Evident it is that the Law is not now established as a Covenant of Works as at first it was in the time of mans Innocence nor is it now yoked with a great number of positive Precepts as it was by the Law of Moses For besides Faith in Christ and the due use of his Sacraments it is not easie to think of any thing enjoyned by the Gospel but what is reducible to the moral Law which Law being capable of a twofold use viz. either as a Rule of Life or also as a Covenant of Works is both established and abolished by the Gospel for although as a Rule of Life and Manners the Gospel is so far from making void the Law as that there is no Religion in the World doth so apparently establish it yet as a Covenant of Works whereby to obtain Salvation the Gospel doth abolish it for in that it establisheth a new Covenant it maketh the first old Insomuch that that compleat and gradual perfect Obedience which in the Covenant of Works to Adam in Innocence was absolutely necessary to eternal Life although it be our Duty yet it is not an indispensable Condition of our Salvation For Secondly Though the Gospel requireth Perfect Obâ—dience yet it accepteth Sincere which is such
it as Moses at first did to establish it Whether or no Christ and his Apostles on the account hereof were justly denied the benefit of a fair Tryal we our selves may perceive by these following Observations 1. There are two things considerable in the Law of Moses viz. the External and the Internal parts of of it The former is the Letter or the Words whâ—rein it is expressed the latter is the Sense and Meaning the Scope Design and End of it the one is the Shell the other the Kernel in respect of the one it was Civil or Positive in respect of the other Natural As Positive it could oblige only that People to whom it was given and therefore the literal Observation of it among the Genâ—iles was no way necessary nor was it so esteemed by the Jews ' thâ—mselves as appears by the Proselytes of their Gates who were neither circumcised nor did they conform to the Rites and Ordinances of that Law according to the letter of it the seven Precepts of Noâ—h wâ—re thought sufficient for them they wâ—re obligâ—d to no more If thâ—n Christ and his Apostles in posed no more than these upon the Gentiles and disswaded not the Jews from literal Obedience to the Law of Moses they could not be judged false Prophets on the account of subverting it Next then observe 2. That Christ and his Apostles were so far from dâ—troying the Law as that they did most excellently fulfill and establish it among the Gentiles as to the Sense and Meaning the Scope Design and End of it What was natural in the Law saith Irenaeus the Lord bath extended and fulfilled And again All the Natural Precepts are common to us with them viz. the Jews among them they had their beginning and their rise among us they receive their increase and adimpletion so that the whole Law as to the End and Design of it if that be Moral and purely Natural is not only not Abolish'd but Extended and Improved by the Doctrine of Christ among us Gentiles In order to the demonstration hereof it will not be amiss to observe out of Mâ—imonides That the general intention of the Law is a double 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Well-being viz. of the Body and of tâ—e Soul all and every of the Precepts tends either to the one or to the other to demonstrate the truth whereof he reduceth the Precepts of their whole Law to 14 Classes and then renders the râ—asons of each one distinctly by which account of his we shall find that the designed end of the whole Law was to teach sound Doctrine a to establish Religion both the inward Grace b and the outward Exercise of it c and together herewith a great part of its design was to cohibit Idolatry d to extirpate Vice e to promote Vertue f especially Charity g and Justice both commutative h and distributive i. By the promotion of these things it taught and directed men towards the attainment of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Well-being both of Body and Soul whereunto it was ultimately designed and intended Now whâ—thâ—r or no Christ and his Apostles did not at least pretend by the same means to direct men to the obtainment of the same end I dare leave to any ingenuous Jâ—w to judge I am confidently perswaded that whoever doth impartially consider the nature of their Doctrine and the excellency of their Precepts will think it reasonable to conclude that the Gospel of Christ doth establish the Law of Moses as to the Scope and End of it but now mentioned For the foundations of that Law or the Articles of the Jewish Faith according to Abravanels recension of them are thirteen in number viz. the Existence and Unity the Spirituality Eternity and Omnisciâ—nce of God that He only is to be worshipped the Being of Prophecy and the Excellency of the Prophecy of Moses that his Law was from Heaven and was never to be extirpated Gods future Judgment the dayes of the Messias and the Resurrection of the Dead Now manifest it is that the Being and Attributes of God that He only is to be worshipped his fâ—ture Judgmâ—nt the dayes of the Messiah and the Resurrection of the Dead are more clearly revealed by the Gospel than they were by the Law yea the Being of Prophecy and the Precedence of Moses to all the other Prophets the descent of his Law from Heaven and its non-extirpation as to the End and Scope of it are at least as plainly asserted by Christ and his Apostles as ever they were by Moses or the succeeding Prophets the Jews therefore could not deny but that they taught sound Doctrine And then for the Religion that they have establishâ—d among us it apparently is as one saith An excellent endowment of mind continually flourishing from due Piety towards God with an ardent study of the Eternal Beauty and an imitation of it And this it is not only in the Inward Operations but also in the Outward Exercise of it for the Christian Worship of God tends to nothing so much as his Glory by making us like unto him It consists not in Mystical Oblations Sacrifices and Purifications but in Direct and strenuous Striving after that Holiness and Purity which perhaps was shadowed thereby that pure and Spiritual Devotion which was hardly discernable in the Carnal Ordinances of the Law is openly and clearly proposed unto us by the Institutions of the Gospel insomuch that among Christians there are hardly any so ignorant as not to know they ought to pursue it in all the parts of Divine Worship And together herewith it doth not only as the Law restrain men from Idolatry but it utterly destroyes it And what can be more effectual to extirpate Vice and promote Vertue than such a Religion And besides that the Gospel gives us the severest Precepts and strongest Motives that can be to avoid all Vice and Wickedness of Living and to follow Holiness in all manner of Conversation and above all things it asserts the highest necessity of Charity which will certainly uphold Justice and Equity and indeed the most elevated Vertue of all sorts Apparent therefore it is that the Gospel doth most highly establish the Law as to the general Intention of it viz. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Well-being both of the Souls and Bodies of men in their respective Societies What then though Christ and his Apostles were not so zealous for Obedience to the letter of the Law as to the End and Scope of it Were they therefore transgrâ—ssours of the Law No surely for they therein had the Example of the Prophets to warrant them in so being sor which of them was there that had not more regard to the Sense and Meaning than to the Letter of the Law of Mâ—sâ—s How severely did they reprehend the Moral Vices forbidden and constantly inculcate the Duties of Morality that lay hidden under it yea so contemptuously did they seem to speak of
obediâ—nce to the Letter without conformity to the Scope of it as would even tempt one to think it was a part of their Office to contradict and null the Law of Moses An instance of this we have in Isaiah who brings in the Lord thus speaking to his formal People To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrisices unto me I am full of the burnt-offerings of Rams and the fat of sâ—d Beasts and I delight not in the blood of Bullocks or os Lambs or of He-goats When you come to appâ—ar bâ—fore me who â—â—th required this at yâ—ur bâ—nd to treâ—d my Courts Bring no more vain oblâ—tions Incense is an abomination unto me the new Moons and Sabbaths the calling of Assembliâ—s I cannot away with it is iniquity even the Solemn meeting Your new Moons and your appâ—inted Feâ—sts my Soul hateth they aâ—e a trouble to me I am weary to bear them And elsewhere to express his detestation of their formal hypocrisie he tells them He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a Man he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dogs neck he that offereth an Oblation as if he offered Swines blood he that burneth Incense as if he blessed an Idol But why so Were not Sacrifices and Burnt-offerings Oblations and Incense the New Moons and Sabbaths the calling of Assemblies and Solemn meetings some of Gods own Ordinances in the Law of Moses Yes but whence then was it that they were thus abominable and loathsom Why it arose from the Peoples neglect of and disrespect to the End and Scope of those Precepts they 't is true conformed themselves to the Letter of the Law but regarded not that real Holiness and Moral Goodness whereunto it tended Thence it was that not only Isaiah but others also of the Prophets reproved them as a Nation that did not rightcousness but forsook the Ordinance of their God even while they sought him daily and delighted to know his wayes even while they asked of him the Ordinances of Justice and took delight in approaching to God yet even then when they seemed to be most obedient because they neglected the Scope of the Law they chose their own wayes and their Soul delighted in their abominations And the Prophets we see did as sharply reprove them for it as if they had had no respect at all to the Law of their God among them whence 't is plain that they did prefer Obedience to the Intention of the Law far before that to the Letter of it the latter they looked on as a thing of no value yea detestable and odious without the former If then Christ and his Apostles did so likewise they were not for that cause worthy of Rejection but rather of all Acceptation because they thereby gave evidence of a truly Prophetick Spirit in them by making the Scope of the Law the Rule and Standard of their Doctrine they did most excellently fulâ—ill it and by so doing they cast a greater honour upon Moses and his Law than evâ—r they received from the greatest Bigots among the Jews for the Fame of the one and the Worth of the other is hereby pâ—â—pagated to all Nations How rash then and ignorant was their Zeal how absurd the fierceness of their Devotion in rejecting them especially considering 3. That as the Prophets of old so Christ and his Apostles were strict Observers of the Law even according to the Letter of it they were not only circumcised the eighth day but in their Lives they discharged the Obligations of their Circumcision by their literal Observance of the whole Law as well the Statutes as the Judgments of it i. e. those Precepts whose Reasons were not vulgarly known as well as those that were So that touching the Righteousness which is in the Law they were as blameless as any other Jews whatever yea though they did not put the necks of the Gentiles under the yoke of Literal obedience to the Law of Moses yet they never taught the Jews to withdraw theirs but rather to keep them under and submit unto it for Jesus spake to the multitude and to his Disciples saying the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Mosâ—s seat all therefore whatsoever thâ—y bid you observe that observe and do Nor did the Apostles ever teach them otherwise 't is true indeed it was once reported of St. Paul that he taught â—he Jews which were among the Gentiles to forsake Moses saying that they ought not to Circumcise tâ—eir Children neither to walk after tâ—e Customs the rest of the Apostles and Elders were so concerned at this News as that to wipe off the scandal they advised him by all means to purifie himself with four men that had the Nazarites vow upon them and to be at charges with them to provide such Sacrifices for them as the Law prescribed this they would have him to do that all might know that those things whereof they were informed concerning â—im were nothing but that he himself also walked orderly and kept the Law Thus careful were they that they thâ—mselves and others should keep the Law and give none offence by breaking it 'T is true indeed as touching the Gentiles which believed they wrote and concluded they were obliged to observe no such thing Nor had the Jews any reason to take it ill that they did so for Christ and they gave as great or greater evidence of Gods intention to accept the Gentiles without the Law as ever Moses gave of his Purpose to guide the Jews to Salvation by the Law That so they did is manifest by their Miracles which were so far froâ— being inferiour to those of Moses as that they did fâ—â—â—xceed them both in Number and Nature as we 〈◊〉 see hereafter And if so then thereby evident it was that they gave far greater Evidence of their Mission from God than Moses did of his How unreasonable than was it in the Jews to deny them Audience How brutish to reject them and barbarous to kill them for I know not what non-conformity to their Law Whereof by what we have 〈…〉 it appears they were only supposed and that very falâ—ly to be guilty they were so far from making void the Law as that they fulfilled it and that both according to the intention and the letter of it And this they constantly did by their Doctrine as well as Practice and therefore they deserved not to have been rejected as false Prophets but to be received as true which will yet farther appear if we consider the Antecedents or Concomitants of a Prophetick Spirit The first whereof is Wisdom Sect. 2. And these we have already granted were Wisdom Fortitude and Probity of Manners especially Contentment The Method proposed leads me to begin with the first of these viz. Wisdom which being an intellectual Virtue is without doubt in the preceeding rule of the Rabbins put to signifie those excellent endowments of mind whereof the Prophets usually
out the Priests by Sacrifices purged their Temples and the Magistrates their City It is also reported that some of the Epicureans being looked on as Inventors of an esseminate degenerate and filthy sort of Wisdom odious to the Gods were by a Law written in the vulgar Tongue driven out of Lyctos a City of Crete by which Law it was provided that if any one of them should presume to come thither he should be bound and put naked into a Cage near the Senate and be anointed with milk and hony for twenty dayes together that Bees and Flies the mean while might devour him but if he survived this Torment then was he cloathed in Womens apparel and cast headlong from a Rock By this their reproachful Severity they declared plainly what was the end of Philosophy or at least what they expected from it viz. that it should be so far from debauching Mens Manners as that it should purifie thâ—ir Souls and sublimate their Affections destroy their Vices and promote Vertue Senâ—ca therefore tells Lucilius that Wisdom forms the Mind and builds it disposeth the Life and rules the Actions shâ—ws what 's to be done and demonstrates what 's to be omitted it is to us as a Rudder to a Ship it directs the course of them that fluctuate and waver in uncertainties If then this be the designed Work and end of Wisdom there is no Doctrine in the World can lay so just a claim as that of Christ and his Apostles to that Title For the design of it is not to fill mens heads with Notions or to teach them Systems of Opinions but to furnish their Minds with incouragements to Vertue to mortifie their Passions and Self-wills in order to the Love of the Eternal Beauty and an Imitation of it that so in a sort they might anticipate Heaven by a Resemblance of God here on Earth for our Saviour hath taught us to be Perfect as our Father in Heaven is Perfect To this end both the Precepts and the Promises of the Gospel are so exquisitly adapted as that they do not only most effectually forestall all those Vices which the wisest of mens Laws and Instructions have but in vain attempted to destroy but they do also promote such exact and elevated Vertue as is apt to make us as like to our Maker as in this Life is possible For the exceeding great and precious Promises of the Gospel are given us to this end That by them we might be Partakers of the Divine Nature and the end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure Heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith unfeigned begets a good Conscience a good Conscience a pure Heart and a pure Heart Charity and Charity we know must needs be as one calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a likeness to God or resemblance of him for God is Love an Eternal and Immutable an Omniscient and Almighty Goodness to the Imitation hereof the Gospel doth allure and direct us to this end it is intended and designed its efficacy in order thereunto St. Paul insinuates when he calls it the Ministration of Righteousness and the Powâ—r of God unto Salvation It is a thing more Divine than any Demonstration it hath heat to quicken and enliven our Affections as well as Light to guide them It so forms Christ in the Souls of Believers as that it inclines them to say of him and his Word as the Priests of Mercury did in eating Sacrifices Truth is sweet and when once it is so and well digested it will so transform them by the renewing of their Minds as that they may prove what is that Good and Acceptable and Perfect Will of God And by so doing it will dispose them to such a chearful Compliance therewith as that they shall be Followers of God as dear Children And this as Seneca insinuates is the ultimate End and Design the utmost Scope and Tendency of Wisdom ut Dâ—um sequaris Since therefore the Gospel of Christ gives better Rules and affords greater Helps for so doing than any there are either in the Theology of the Jews or the Philosophy of the Gentiles most manifest it is that it doth most highly deserve not only to be called Wisdom but also to be accounted Supernatural and Divine because it excels all former Revelations of God as well as the Wisdom of men and it that be such excellent Wisdom most evident it is that Christ and his Apostles were most excellently Wise endued with a sort of Knowledg which was utterly unattainable without Inspiration of God because if otherwise it would have beâ—n impossible that they should havâ— been Authors of such an excellent Production Sect. 3. Of Christ and his Apostles Fortitude And that this their Wisdom dwelt with Fortitude i. e. such Courage and Magnanimity as the Prophets had in the diâ—charge of their Office is the next thing to be considered and demonstrated and this it may be from the greatness and strangeness of their Undertaking which we know was to reform the Jews and to convert the Gentiles In prosecution of this Design their Actions and their Sufferings declared the Greatness of their Minds For the Jews although They only of all people worship'd the true God and had the knowledge of his Laws yet were very corrupt and degenerate both in Doctrine and Practice which Corruption seems introduced by their Traditions the Spawn of that pretended Interpretation of their Law before-mentioned for in process of time the Comment made void the Text Traditions were so much regarded as that the Text was little minded the Commandments of Men were taught for Doctrine and the Commandments of God were made of none effect by their Traditions Not only their Faith was founded thereon but a Path was thereby paved for all Israelites though never so bad to go to Heaven in For so absurdly Partial and Indulgent were they to their own Nation as that it was a most Authentick Opinion of their Doctors that every Israelite shall have a portion in the World to come Whosoever believes the thirteen Fundamentals of the Jewish Law before-mentioned is admitted saith Maimonides into the number of Israelites and so surely he obtains as great a Right as any hath to receive Benefit by this their grand Charter for Heaven and this Right he holds unless he be so unhappy as to fall into the number of those that are exempted therefrom but there is no great danger of that because there were but six Sorts of Offences whereby the men of Israel might forfeit this their inestimable Priviledg and truly those Offences were such as they might easily withstand all Temptations to commit for one half of them concerned matters of Faith and therefore might be avoided with little Displeasure to the Flesh and less Intrenchment upon worldly Interests the other half concerned such petty trivial Matters of Practice as that no man well in his Wits would
as it doth dispose us to Actions of an higher Nature than those of Brutes especially those of Religion is the form of our humane Nature This is it that doth constitute us Men and most of all distinguish us from other Animals And well may the honour of this distinction be cast upon Religion rather than Reason not only because it sets us farther off from Brutes than that doth without it but also because it is as inseparable from our Nature as that is for no Creature that knoweth it self to be so can be reasonable without owning it self obliged to love reverence and worship its Creator Hence I suppose it is that the Principles and Foundations of Religion viz. the Being of a Deity and of a future state or judgment are so firmly laid in all mankind and in no Creature below it as that the utmost endeavours that can be used are insufficient wholly to race them out or utterly to suppress their Energy Whence else is it that somtimes when there is no apparent danger professed Atheists are subject to fears as well as other Men or whence else is it that it is almost as easy to find a Nation without Souls as without all Religion these things would be unaccountable if Religion were not Essential to our Nature as well as Reason If then so it be manifest it is that a Religion we must have for we cannot be happy because our Souls will not be satisfyed without it and forasmuch as we aime at some good as our End in all our Actions and those of Religion are conversant not about the little low things of the World but about God himself and the things that are his it is also manifest that we can therein regularly aim at nothing less than some Good or Perfection which this World cannot afford and God only can give and what can this be but the supreme Bliss and Happiness whereof our Nature is capable This then is it which we except to obtain by Religion and difficult it is for the mind of Man to pitch upon a Religion which his own Reason will think in all points sufficient for this End for this it cannot judge any Religion to be unless it shews us a likely way to Happiness and removes the Impediments or obstructions that therein are unto it The way that to our Reason seems likely to lead us to Happiness must of necessity lie thorow Holiness the Reason is because perfect Righteousness and Integrity in all our Actions was the way that was made and ordained in our Creation and our Souls retain so much of their Primitive constitution as that though by our fall we are so bruised and maimed as that we cannot walk in it yet our Reason cannot fully assent to any way that leads not to it there is a kind of Reluctance in Reason against it our own Natural Conscience cannot be fully persuaded that Happiness can be attained without Holiness it is true indeed Men that live in Notorious Wickedness by the wind of Phanaticism may be blown up into an Opinion of their own Saintship and confidence of their Salvation but if the power of imagination did not suppress their Reason and put it to silence their own Conscience would soon tell them that they cannot advance towards Heaven by their verbal Religion while they go towards Hell by Wickedness of living the way therefore that seems likely unto Reason to carry us unto Happiness must guide us unto and keep us in the paths of Holiness yet withall if it deals impartially it will tell us that we cannot therein so walk as by walking to attain to that end of our journey because as we are thereby convinced we shall stumble into Sin and by so doing shall fall short of Eternal Glory for Eternal life as we have already said is so far from being a Reward that in Justice is due to our works as that we cannot Reasonably expect that God on whose very Being as well as Honour we have made most odious attempts by our Sins should ever be pleased without Atonement and Satisfaction either to give or again to profer it unto us And indeed should our own self-love flatter us into a firm perswasion that God is willing we should be saved yet if there be no way made for our Salvation but what was at first ordained in our Creation our Reason would teach us that we should be never the nigher for our Souls being fettered to That that is fading and inslaved to divers Lusts cannot possibly inable us therein to walk to Eternal Happiness but of necessity we should relapse into our former state of Nature since the Fall of our first Parents By this discourse then it appears that That Religion which we rationally make choice of to bring us to the supream End of our Being and Actions viz. Eternal Life and Glory must of necessity do these three things for us viz. First it must shew us a sufficient Atonement or Satisfaction made for our sins past present and to come Secondly it must lead us unto Vertue and all Holiness of living Thirdly it must dispose us so to follow it as that with God we may find acceptance Where then shall we find a Religion that upon a just and impartial examination may in reason be judged sufficient for these things Shall we seek it among the Gentiles Alas their Wisdome is but foolishness their knowledge of God but Ignorance their way of worship and exercise of Religion Profaneness their vertue unholiness and their strength Weakness in respect of that that is requisite for us And as for the atonements and Satisfactions they make to God for their offences who so weak sighted as not to see the shortness and vanity of their Sacrifices and Lustrations they exceed not the power of corrupted and enfeebled Nature which by these means strives to cast off the burdens of guilt that it groans under They are therefore at best but implorations of Mercy and so no Satisfactions to injured Justice in them therefore men can reasonably put no confidence Much more unlikely is it that our anxious Souls â—hould find rest among the Turks for their Alcoran which with profound revâ—rence they receive as the Rule of their Faiâ—h Hope and Practice is indeed and in truth but a Rhapsodie of non-sense and gibbrish filth and wickedness much more apt though blended with some sense and wholsome instruction to retain men in than to help them out of their Spiritual wants and Nâ—cessities And truly if we go to the Jews themselves we shall find that though thâ—ir Law by Gods appointment had a shadow of good things to come and their Prophets spake by inspiration of them yet the shadow was so dark and the Prophets prenotions of them so obscure as that men had need to be very sharp sighted and to lay their eyes very close to see through them But in the Redemption we have by Christ we may behold with open face as in a glass