Whence can they prove that even Gentile Churches who never were oblig'd by the ceremonial Law whilst they continu'd Gentiles might not by the Authority of their particular Bodies resume any of those Rights if they should judge them edifying in their own Circumstances without any regard to the Legislative Power by which they had been formerly imposed I know very well our Adversaries of the Separation are possess'd of Opinions very contrary to what I have now discours'd But if they will be pleased to examine them impartially they will find no better Authority for them than the modern Systems since and the School-men before the Reformation and the Reasonings of some Fathers not near to nor acquainted with the Originals of Christianity But these are Authorities by which they are unwilling to be concluded in other Cases If therefore they will be true to their Principles they will do well to lay aside these Prejudices and see what they can find for those Opinions in the Scriptures themselves which are the only Authorities they pretend to follow But when these Prejudices are laid aside they will not find those things so clearly decided there as they have been used to believe No nor in the Writings of the first and purest Originals of the Christian Religion AND yet I do not deny but that several V. The chief new Revelation made to the Apostles was that the Gentiles might be admitted into the new Peculium immediately without Circumcision of the Mosaical Precepts were indeed abrogated by the Gospel and so abrogated as that it is now unlawful to insist on them as they were then imposed What I design is only to shew that the general way of Reasoning us'd by our Adversaries neither has nor can have the least Countenance in the Writings of the New Testament This alone will suffice to shew that before they can make Application to our Case of Instrumental Musick they should first shew upon what Consequence it comes to pass that any of the Mosaick Rites are made unlawful by the Establishments of the Gospel and then that this particular of Instrumental Musick is concern'd in that Consequence This has not been that I know attempted by them tho' absolutely necessary if they will reason acurately For this purpose I shall desire them to remember that the great dispute of the Apostolical Age was concerning the Coalition of the Jews and the uncircumcis'd Gentiles into one Society and Communion of Gods peculiar People in order to the partaking of the same publick Worship on Earth and their being thereby entitl'd to the Spiritual benefits promis'd by God as his part of the Covenant to that peculiar People which he was pleas'd to own as his and to receive into his Covenant For the Principal thing design'd in those new Revelations made to the Apostles in the Acts was to shew that the Gentiles were to be admitted into the new Peculium without any Obligation to observe the Law of Moses as it had been particularly impos'd on the Jewish Nation That is without any Obligation to incorporate themselves into the particular Nation of the Jews This God shew'd by his effusion Acts x. 44. of his Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his Companions tho' uncircumcis'd purposely to let St. Peter know that they were not to be reputed as common and unclean and uncapable of joyning in Holy Offices on the Terms of the new Peculium on that account alone of their not being Circumcis'd as St. Peter hath thought before when he saw the Vision of the unclean Beasts and Reptiles The design of this was not to assert their actual Holiness or being actually of the new Peculium without Baptism as many of our separating Adversaries have understood it That was no Dispute at that time but it was only to let St. Peter know that they were capable of being admitted into the new Peculium immediately by Baptism without being Circumcis'd So St. Peter understood it who took care they should be Baptized tho' he did not insist upon their being Circumcis'd which he would never have done if he had thought them as much excus'd thereby from Baptism as from Circumcision This Revelation to St. Peter was that which satisfied the rest of the Apostles when they Expostulated with him concerning his freer Conversation with Cornelius than was allowable Acts xi 18. by their former Opinions Afterwards they were farther Confirm'd by the miraculous effusions of the Spirit on the Gentiles Converted by St. Paul and St. Acts xiv 2â— xv 4. 12. Barnabas without any Circumcision that might qualify them for it But most of all by those ordinary Manifestations of the Spirit then accompanying their Baptisms even of Persons uncircumcis'd nay which Circumcis'd Persons could not pretend to till they were also Baptized It being the peculiar Prerogative of our blessed Saviour's Baptism that it was not only of Water but also of the Spirit Thence St. Paul argues to the Gal. iii. 2. Galatians as a thing very notorious that they had not receiv'd the Spirit by any ritual Observances of the Law but by the Obedience of Faith And very solidly even according to the Notions of those times For the Holy Spirit being own'd for the Principle of Consecration of the holy People I mean of the Mystical which was also own'd for the only true Consecration it thence appear'd that Baptism alone without Circumcision was sufficient for admitting a Person into the Holy People which was one of the proper Titles of the peculiar People which were in immediate Covenant with the Supreme Being NOW this Constitution of the new Peculium VI. This was consequently a repeal of the Mosaical dispensation so far as it was inconsistent with it was perfectly inconsistent with the Old one The Old one admitted none to their Sacrifices by which Gods Covenant with them was transacted but only Circumcis'd Persons No Gentiles therefore could be admitted into it till they were first Circumcis'd that is Incorporated into the Jewish Nation and thereby made liable to all the Impositions on that Nation And that by the express Command of God who had excluded all uncircumcis'd Persons from partaking of those Sacrifices of the Jewish Temple and consequently from the Archetypal Heavenly Sacrifices represented by them and from all the Mystical Benefits of the Archetypal Sacrifices which were apply'd to the Communicants in the external Sacrifices as well as represented by them By the new Covenant grounded on these new Revelations the Gentiles were admitted into the new Peculium by Baptism immediately without any Obligation to Circumcision or to Incorporation into the Jewish Nation Both of them therefore being confessedly divine establishments were to be receiv'd as far as they were consistent with each other The first was to take Place confessedly till the second was introduced because so long it had no Rival that might pretend equal Authority with its self Afterwards it was to give way on account of that general Authority every
Legislative Power has to repeal its own Sanctions and on the general account that where the repeal is not express the latter Sanction is to take Place in Case of inconsistency as being the Sense of the Legislative Power at least from that time forwards This could not have been Disputed if the Jews had granted that their own Establishment was design'd only for a time But observing in the Old Testament frequent mention of an everlasting Covenant it was very natural for them to apply it to that of which they were already possess'd and of which their Education had given them so great an Opinion And when this Opinion had obtained it was then very natural for them to gather farther that God had thereby declared that their present Constitution should last for ever and that therefore whosoever should pretend to repeal it either wholly or in any part was for that reason to be presum'd not to be from God because it was in their Opinion so contrary to his former express Declarations against any future Innovation This Mistake therefore the Christians of that Apostolical Age Dispute against They observe in those Writings of the Old Testament express mention not of one alone as the Jews conceiv'd but of two Covenants an old one which then obtained and a new one which was to succeed Gal. iv 24. Heb. viii 6 8. xii 24. upon the abrogation of the first Then they prove that it was only the latter of these that could be intended to be everlasting That the former could not be so because Heb. viii 7. if it had been so there could have been no Place for the latter There could have been no second if the first had lasted for ever Besides because the first Covenant is called Old and that which is Old is ready to vanish away Heb. viii 13. And because the Tabernacle of Moses was made in imitation of another Pattern which had been shew'd him in the Mount This was observ'd as well by Philo as St. Paul Understanding therefore by the Tabernacle the whole Mosaical Dispensation they thence inferr'd that all the efficacy of that was derived from this other latter Dispensation as from that which was Principal in Gods Design tho' latter in Execution and in order of time Hence it followed in this Mystical way of Reasoning which was indeed the properest way of Reasoning in explaining Prophecies that the latter Covenant was to take place of the former and to be taken so far as a Repeal of it as a practice of both of them were mutually inconsistent And this way of Reasoning will suffice for abrogating all that part of the Mosaical Establishment which is supposed to be abrogated in the Reasonings of the N. T. and of the Apostolical Age. I mean with reference to the Design of those Reasonings that is as Impositions on the new Peculium THENCE it appear'd that Circumcision VII Those Particulars were indeed inconsistent which are supposed unlawful in the N. T as a Condition of being reckon'd of the new Peculium that is as impos'd on Gentiles by extraction must necessarily be taken away before it was possible that Gentiles not yet Incorporated into the Jewish Nation could be counted as Foederally Holy according to those new Revelations of the Gospel of which I have already spoken So also it was necessary that the Peculium must no longer depend on the Temple Sacrifices For those were not in the Power of the Apostles nor could they admit whom they pleas'd to them They were perfectly at the disposal of the Jewish Sanhedrin who were profess'd Enemies to our Saviour and would admit no uncircumcis'd Person to partake in them nor could do otherwise whilst they disown'd the new Revelations of the Gospel by the Apostle So also that Ceremonial Holiness of abstaining from certain sorts of Meats could no longer be required in order to the Holiness of the Peculium For those had never been required from any Nation besides that of the Jews and therefore could not be expected from the Gentiles when they were no longer obliged to an Incorporation into the Jewish Nation in order to their being entit'led to the highest Benefits of the Peculium Nor could the Jews insist on these things as requisite for their communicating with the uncircumcised Gentiles in Holy Offices if themselves would partake of the mystical Benefits of the new Peculium on its own Terms Their doing so made the Wall of Partition mention'd by the Apostle and made it impossible for them to coalesce into one Body with the uncircumcis'd as the new Revelation of the Gospel requires It were easy by this Reasoning to account for all the particulars of the old Mosaical Institution that are suppos'd unlawful in the Gospel IF this which I have given be the VIII This inconsistency cannot be pretended in the Case of Instrumental Musick true Original how it came to pass that some Mosaick Rites have been abrogated by the Gospel there will thence follow no pretence for condemning them as universally unlawful now for no other reason but because they were Duties then upon positive as well as upon Moral and universally obliging Reasons All that will follow from this Topick will be That only those Particulars of the Mosaick Institution will be thus affected that are inconsistent with the Gentiles free admission to the highest Priviledges of the new Peculium immediately without Circumcision or Proselytism of Justice and which being admitted would have made that breach of Communion which was principally disputed against by the Apostles and Writers of the Apostolical Age. Those could not be things wherein the uncircumcis'd Gentiles were already agreed as they were in the use of Instrumental Musick in their Sacrifical Hymns and in their publick Solemnities How could that have made a breach between them wherein they did not differ How could that have excluded Gentiles from the new Peculium without submitting to the whole Law of Moses which was already practis'd by the Gentiles before they concerned themselves to know what had been requir'd by Moses How could that have been taken for an Imposition which they had freely taken upon themselves without any regard to the practice of the Jews Then all that Dispute was concerning what might be lawfully impos'd on the Gentiles not concerning what may be lawfully practis'd by the Jews by Nation This is so certain that even the most indisputably abrogated instance of Circumcision and the Temple Sacrifices were used by the Apostles themselves as being Jews by Extraction by St. Paul himself the most zealous Acts xxi 26 Opposer of those very same Rites as impos'd on the Gentiles and that after he had said and done so many things against their Imposition If therefore even these Particulars neither were nor could be thought unlawful How can our Adversaries gather it concerning those many other things against which they can pretend no other Exception but their originally Mosaick Imposition The Apostle himself rather implys
oblig'd to Communicate with the Apostles must also have Communicated with the Sacrifices and other Solemnities of the Temple in order to the obtaining those Mystical Benefits of which the Jews were made partakers by those Solemnities among others by their Hymns seconded with Musick not only Vocal but Instrumental How so if that Instrumental Musick had been unlawful even to the Gentiles A Doctrine in it self so incredible III. The Apostles reasoned from the Law to the Gospel otherwise than our Adversaries do now ought in Reason to have very evident Proof before it be receiv'd And what Proof can our Adversaries pretend to that can be thought so evident Have they any express Testimonies of the N. T. that Musical Instruments in the Service of God are unlawful sufficient to countervail that notoriety of Fact avowedly practic'd to the contrary If this cannot be pretended have they at least any evident Prohibition of it that might make it unlawful for the future when this dependence of the Christian Church on the Jewish Establishment was to expire I know no Evidence of either kind that themselves pretend to Well then will they pretend to any evident Proof of any other Proposition from whence this must necessarily follow They tell us indeed that all the Jewish Law that was not Moral or Judicial was in course not only to cease to be obliging but also to begin to be unlawful from the Promulgation of the Gospel But what Proof can they produce for this Proposition so crudely and so generally express'd No plain Testimony of the N. T. that I know of Can they therefore say that it is at least supposed in the Reasonings of the N. T Where do they find that the Apostles argue that any thing was to be antiquated under the New Testament for no other Reason but because it was prescribed under the Old So far from that that we have many Examples of the Apostles and Apostolical Writers Reasoning from the Old Testament to the New The Adversaries of Tythes pretend that Tythes are not to be paid to the Ministers of the Gospel now because they were imposed as a Duty to the Levitical Priesthood St. Paul argues directly contrary that 1 Cor. ix 13. 14. because the Levitical Priests lived by the Altar then therefore they who Preach the Gospel now should also live by the Gospel He reasons the same way when 1 Cor. ix 9. 10. 1 Tim. v. 17. 18. he proves that because the Law required that the Ox's Mouth should not be muzled when he trod out their Corn that was the ancientest way of Threshing in imitation as it should seem of their Treading out their Vintage therefore the Clergy shoul partake of the Contributions of the Church which themselves laid out for the use of the Poor who were maintained by those Contributions So he allows the Reasoning against Christians Marrying Persons of another Communion from the Jews Obligation not to Marry Persons of another Nation in order to their Propogating a holy Seed So he also Reasons himself that as the Jews 1 Cor. vii 14. did allow that the holiness of one Parent was sufficient to entitle their common Off-spring to the Foederal holiness of Circumcision so the holiness of one Parent by the Rules of Christianity was also sufficient to entitle the Children of such Marriages to the Foederal holiness of Christianity by Baptism This he supposes when he thence infers that the Believer was under no Obligation of breaking such a Matrimonial Contract on account of that Objection insisted on for doing so that is of the holiness of the Seed with which such Marriages were conceived inconsistent For himself had Circumcis'd Acts xvi 1. St. Timothy on account of his Mother who was a Jewess tho' his Father was a Heathen No doubt on account of the receiv'd allow'd practice of the Jews whom he design'd to gratify by doing so On the same Topick his Fellow-labourer Clem. Rom. ep ad Corin. St. Clement concludes the Sacredness of the Gospel Ministry from all the ways God had used for asserting the inviolable Sanctity of the Levitical Priesthood against Laical encroachments How contrary is this whole way of Reasoning to that used by our Adversaries on many others as well as this Occasion And yet it was indeed no other than IV. And indeed were to be presumed most likely to do so considering their Education what was to be expected in their Circumstances considering the History of those Times Our Adversaries may be pleased to remember that when those Scriptures were Written on which they ground their contrary way of Reasoning the whole Church was Govern'd by the Apostles whose place of Residence as of a Body was at Jerusalem They may remember farther that the Apostles themselves as Jews were possess'd with the same prejudices of Education as the rest of their Nation in favour of their present Establishment and against unnecessary Innovations St. Paul had Persecuted the Church on account of his Zeal And St. Simeon for the same Reason had got the Sirname of Zealot And St. Peter's concern for the Law he had been bred in appeared on all occasions His Hunger could not make him eat what his Education had oblig'd him to believe common and unclean And he avoided eating with the Gentiles that he might avoid offence of the Jews which came from Jerusalem It also thence appear'd how cautious the Apostles themselves were oblig'd to be in admitting Innovations if they would maintain the good Opinion they were possess'd of with their own Charge of Jerusalem who were also as St. James assures us Zealous of the Law We have therefore reason to believe that they would not admit of any Revelation that was not very clear against the then received Opinions Whatever their own private Opinions might have been yet we have reason to believe that they would not have ventured to publish and practice Opinions in favour of Innovation without such Evidence as as might satisfie others as well as themselves if they would preserve the good Opinion of the Zealots mentioned by St. James and keep them with their Zeal from Apostatizing from the Christian Religion notwithstanding Innovations so contrary to the Opinions they had been bred in But where can our Adversaries find any Testimony so express in the Writings of the N. T. that all the Ritual and Ceremonial Precepts of the Law were to be abrogated upon the promulgation of the Gospel that even the Jews by extraction should be discharg'd from the Obligation under which they had been formerly of observing them Whence can they prove that thenceforward it must have been unlawful by the Law of Christianity for them to observe them tho' with no regard to the former divine Legislation which had impos'd those ceremonial Precepts on the whole Peculium but on account of the humane Authority whereby particular Churches may provide for their Bodies without imposing on other Churches of equal Authority with themselves