*4^ ^ d! •5" to" •^ ^ ^ Ic •^ CL ; 1 vT ■> r _[ ^S5 Sz; • o ^ ^ S ^. FAMILIAR SURVEY OF THE OLD AND NEW INTRODUCTION. Ths new and everlasting covenant is nothing more than the clevelopement of the plan of redemption, %vhich was formed from eternity. The language of the Apostles, in regard to its origin and ultimate ac- complishment, is exceedingly simple. '' All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconcilia- tion ; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. They represent mankind as in a state of guilt and rebellion ; and God as providing, of his self-moved love, for their full and everlasting salvation ; but in speaking of the counsels of Jehovah, there is nothing of that unbecoming familiarity, and that minuteness of detail, which ill accord with the simple grandeur, and the awful sublimity of the sove- reign plans of the Eternal. X. INTRODUCTIO>r. The subject is unfolded and illustrated in the various statements and reasonings of the sacred writers, who employ a variety of figures taken from the things of this life, to elucidate its nature and its object. But this use of fio;urative lang-uao-e, as a medium of illustra- tion, is quite a different thing from the use of it literally, to describe the dispensation of mercy. The latter has sometimes led to the use of phraseology, which is more adapted to a series of earthly transactions, than to the sovereign interposition of Heaven for the salvation of men. This, instead of elucidating the subject, produces confused, as well as lov/ ideas of its spirit and design. The mind gets too much occupied with the nature of a human paction, and with the many designations and relative interests connected with such a compact, — the simplicity with v/hich the Scriptures exhibit the plan of redemption is greatly overlooked, and the progress of the learner in Scriptural knovrledge, instead of being facilitated, is exceedingly retarded. In strict propriety, there has been but one grand dispensation of grace since the entrance of sin. This was revealed in different portions, and was connected with different subordinate dispensations ; but all those portions were parts of one stupendous whole, and all those dispensations were but the scaffolding of the building. And now that Christ has come, the one great plan of redemption has been fully revealed in the new and everlasting covenant, which has been ratified by his precious blood, and the promises of which, are now in the course of fulfilment through his heavenly ministrations. Heb. 1 — 4 ; xii. 22 — 24. The old covenant which vfas established Ti'ith Israel INTXIODUCTION. Xi. at Sinai, was particularly designed to throw light upon the plan of redemption in its progress to fulfilment- Its rites, as explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews^ agree so remarkably with the Christian covenant, that it appears strange, that ever their typical import should have at all been questioned. In interpreting the typical institutions of Scripture, however, particular care is necessary. It is most dan- gerous for a man to give unbridled scope to his fancy, in order to discover their solution. Nor is the evil confined to them. The same fancy comes to be em- ployed on the most plain historical facts. These are turned into allegory, and the instruction to be derived from their obvious import, is despised. And hence, not a few have been led to look upon the Scriptures, as a book of riddles and conundrums. It is true, that certain historical facts have been allegorized by the sacred writers, — that som.e of the prophecies have a double reference, — and that types and symbols, as has just been stated, are employed as emblems of spiritual things. But in determining what are such, and also in interpreting them, we should be guided by that fixed standard which is furnished by the express declarations, or the evident implications of Scripture. It is also true, that the principle suggested by one passage may often be employed to throw light upon another, and that general principles may be applied to other things be- sides those which are immediately in view ; but this is quite a different thing from the practice now in ques- tion. Some have unhappily confounded them ; and hence, that disrepute into which the subject of types and analogies has fallen, as if it were associated with Xll. INTRODUCTION. forced explanations^ and the effervescence of a vain imagination. It is of great importance in this investigation to dis- tinguish between the type and the antitype. The king- dom of Israel, for instance, being a figure of the king- dom of Christ, the glory of the latter is prophesied of in language taken from the visible glory of the former ; and the spiritual glory of " the true tabernacle," is de- scribed by allusions to the pomp and magnificence of the earthly temple. Now, as the Jews, rigidly adhering to the letter, to the neglect of the spirit, formed the most mistaken notions of the character and reign of the IMessiah ; so the disciples of Christ, forgetting the typical design of the Levitical economj^, are some- times apt to adopt means for the embellishment of his worship, and the extension of his cause, which are greatly at variance with the genius of a spiritual king- dom. This is an unscriptural use of the ancient dispensa- tion, and is to return, as it were, to its " beggarly ele- ments," instead of being led by them, as we ought, to ''■ go on to perfection." And the proneness of men to this error, accounts for the fact, that much of apostolic teaching is occupied with admonitions against it. The glory of the Church of God is of a spiritual nature ; and it is extended only by subjecting the consciences of men to his word, purifying their hearts, and reno- vating their character. Attempts to extend and adorn it by other means are inconsistent with its nature, and are but rude efforts to lacker the diamond. CHAPTER 1. ©BSERVATIONS IN REGARD TO THE EIVINE COVENANTS^ PARTICULARLY THOSE OF THE PATRIARCHAL AGES. SECTION L GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE DIVINE COVENANTS. The redemption of mankind was the subject of an eternal purpose : And this purpose was originally re- vealed in the form of a promise. For ^^ it is written in the volume of the book of God." Psalm^ xl. 7 ; or in the commencement of the revelation of mercy, that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the ser- pent ; and in many subsequent promises, the same blessed truth is declared. It was the eternal purpose of the one Jehovah, that the word should become in- carnate, and in human nature, effect the redemption of man by the sacrifice of himself. Hence, the manifold wisdom of God is said to have been revealed in the plan of salvation, " according to his eternal purpose, which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephes. iii. 11. In his eye, the eternal word was from ever- B 14 lasting, considered as Emmanuel ; and hence^ we arc said to be saved according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. 2 Tim. i. 9. As the Lamb of God, Jesus was foreordained before the foundation of the world ; but it was only in these last times, that he was made manifest for us. 1 Pet. i. 20. To God all things are, and must ever have been present ; and accordingly, the things which he hath purposed, are represented as if existing from the very date of his purpose. But still the purpose and the execution of it, are in them- selves quite distinct ; the latter being the subsequent consequence and result of the former. In reference to the promissory form in which the revelation of mercy was first made, eternal life is said to have been pro- mised by God before the world began ; because all in relation to the plan of redemption was then fully de- termined, and of this determination, the promise of re- demption was but the transcript and developement. God having revealed his purposes of mercy in the form of a promise, the plan of redemption is denominated a covenant. That which the Scriptures call the covenant of God, his covenant of peace, and the new and ever- lasting covenant, is just the Gospel of his grace, in connexion with the blood of Christ, as the ground on which it proceeds, and the medium through which its blessings are dispensed ; and of this, the other covenants recorded in Scripture were so many signs and pledges. In particular, when we read in Scripture of the old and the new, or of the first and the second covenants, the reference is to the Mosaic and the Christian dis- pensations. Gal. iv". 24—26 ; Heb. vii. 22 ; viii. 6-- 13 ; 15 ix. 15 — 23 ; xii. 24 ; IMatth. xxvl. 28. And when the latter is denominated '' the everlasting covenant," the reference is to its everlasting duration, as distinguished from the temporary nature of the former. Heb. xiii. 20. The old covenant stood related to the new, as its t^pe or figure, and vras, therefore, subservient to the latter, ns that in which it met its ultimate design ; and hence^ it vaiiished when the second was established. Hcb. vii. 18, 19; viii. 13. But the latter shall never wax old, or vanish av/ay, as did the former ; and it is on tin's account, that it is said to be everlasting. These two were not merely different dispensations of the same covenant ; for they are expressly contradis- tinguished as separate covenants. " Behold the day is come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and witli the house of Judah, not according to -the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my cove- nant they brake, although I was an husband unto them." 'Jer. xxxi. 31, 32. He does not sa}^, I will -establish a new administration of my covenant; for there is a plain opposition of covenant to covenant, which does not accord with a mere modification of the same thing. They are contrasted also by the Apostle, as two distinct covenants ; when allegorizing the history of Sarah and Hagar, he says : '' These are the two covenants;" and proceeds to contrast the new and everlasting covenant, with '^^the one from the Mount Sinai, which is Hagar." Gal. iv. 24. In many respects they are distinguished in the Epistle to the Hebrews, not as different administrations of the same 16 eovenahtj but as different covenants, a They are Called the first and the second^ and the latter is denominated a better covenant than the former : '' But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry ;" by how much also he (Christ) is the mediator of a better covenant^ which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless^ then should no place have been sought for the second." Heb. viii. 6, 7* Now, if the ministry of the former priesthood respected the same covenant, as did that of Christ, the force of the argu- ment is weakened ; for if so, the better covenant is the same in substance with the other. And how, then, could it be said, that the second covenant is better than the first, because established upon better promises ? For if the two are the same covenant, then the promises must be the same, and therefore cannot be contradistinguished. But as there is a difference in the promises, there muft be a difference between the covenants ; for the promises constitute the very essence of a covenant. It is only in this vievr', that the force of the argument can be felt. The covenant established at Sinai v>'as given in sub- serviency to the everlasting covenant ratified by Christ ; but it had only a shadow of good things to come, and not the very things themselves. Heb. x. 1. Unques- tionably, believers in every age have all been saved in the same way. Those who died before the coming of Christ, lived by the faith of the promise, that in the fulness of time, he should appear to declare God, just in justifying the ungodly. And that God, to whom the future is as certain as the past, granted to all who were a Petto on the Covenants, page 91 — 98 j Jamiesou's Use of Sacred History, Vol. I. p. 351 — 354. 17 of the faith of Jesus, the forgiveness of their sins ; >vhile he was, if we may so speak, waiting for the ful- ness of time, when the atonement should be actually made. Believers now live by the faith of the blessed truth, that the Christ hath appeared in the end of the world, and hath put away sin by the sacrifice of him- self. In both cases, however, the object of faith is sub- stantially one. It rests on the declaration of God in reference to Christ. In him all the promises of God are yea and amen ; because all of them are confirmed, and their accomplishment is secured by his mediatorial work. But it does not follow from this, that the old and the new covenants are the same. The fact, that the new covenant was established in the blood of Christ, in pursuance of an eternal purpose, is frequently referred to as a proof, that the whole of its blessings are the fruit of pure sovereign favour. The whole plan was so fixed, as to be a display of the most unmerited mercy. The consideration, that the counsels of Heaven did not embrace the salvation of the angels who fell, but left them to perish in their sins, is a con- vincing proof, that the salvation of mankind is entirely of grace. Indeed, if such is our condition, that except through an atonement of infinite w^orth, redemption could not have been extended to us in consistency with ' the divine character and government; it must be per- fectly evident, that we have not the smallest claim on God for the very least of his blessings. Can we fail ' to see, that if such a ransom was necessary, as the blood of the beloved of the Father ? in the very nature of things it could in no sense be merited; in such a case, the idea of merit involves the grossest absurdity. But b2 18 to this, every notion which ascribes salvation to any thing short of the purest favour, necessarily leads us. There is a principle, however, in the hearts of men, which leads them to expect acceptance with God, on the ground of something in themselves, or by which they are distinguished from others. They judge of God and of his law by their own corrupt feelings. They will allow, that they are not perfect ; but their estimate of the standard of duty is exceedingly low, and consequently, their estimate of the evil of sin. And hence, their opposition to the humbling declara- tions of Heaven, and to the divine plan of acceptance through faith in the atonement. There may indeed be a verbal acquiescence in the language of divine revela- tion, and no positive feelings of direct hostility ; but the reason is, that the genuine import of the language in question is not really perceived by them. The ideas they connect with the declarations of the law, and with those of the Gospel of peace, are radically different from their proper meaning. The principle in question, led the Jews to rest their confidence on their descent from Abraham, — their privileges under the INIosaic law, and their observance of its rites. And it is on this ac- count, that the Scriptures frequently refer to the plan of redemption, as the result of a purpose formed before those dispensations, by which the Jews came to be dis- tinguished from the Gentiles ; yea, even before the foundation of the world. The principle is the same with that on which the Apostle reasons in Rom. iv. 9 — 16 ; where he argues, that as Abraham was justified before his circumcision, he of course, was not justified by it ; and in Gal. iii. 17^ 18, where he maintains, that 19 the pHorlty of the covenant, which mcludes the Gentiles, to the giving of the law of Moses, proves that the bles- sing is not obtained by obedience to that law, but by faith in the promise. " The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen by faith preached be- fore" (the giving of the law,) the Gospel, unto Abraham, saying : In thee shall all nations be blessed. Gal. iii. 8. Now, what was this, but an explanation of the first promise which was made immediately after the fall, to the original parents of the human race, before any of those dispensations existed, which for certain ends, dis- tinguished from all others, the particular people from whom the IMessiah was to spring ? And if, as the Apostle reasons, '=' the covenant that was confirmed be- fore of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, could not disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect ;" then, on the very same principle, the original promise of mercy could not be disannulled by any subsequent dispensation. Ac- cordingly, the Apostle Paul, though a Jew, rested his hope of eternal life on the promise which was made of it, by " God who cannot lie, before the world began ;" and of course, before those dispensations which sepa- rated Israel from the nations. Titus, i. 2. And he re- presents the whole plan of redemption as formed " be- fore the foundation of the world, and as purposed in himself, or of his self-moved pleasure, and before any- actual exercise of his creating power." Ephes. i. 4 — 9. Now, by tracing the plan on which the blessings of the kingdom of Christ are to be communicated to men, to a purpose formed long before the promulgation of the law of Moses, and even from eternity itself; he 20 distinctly shows^ according to the principles stated in Gal. iii. 17^ that the plan on which those blessings are imparted:, is entirely independent of that law, and of the distinction which, for a special purpose, had for a time been made between the Jews and the Gentiles, If the law of IMoses could not disannul the previous promise which was made to Abraham, neither could the covenant established with him, disannul the pre- vious promise made to the original parents of mankind ; and which was just a concise promulgation of the plan of mercy to the world, according to the eternal purpose of Jehovah. So far from this, the promise to him was, that " in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed." It follows then, that the spirit of such references to the eternal counsels of Heaven, is, that the plan of sal- vation was immutably fixed from everlasting to be of pure grace, and not by the works of any law whatever. For, though the confidence of the Jews in their special privileges was the immediate occasion of the more full discussion of the great question of acceptance with God; yet the argument is founded on the nature of things, and embraces the whole controversy be- tween God and men in regard to that question, and it applies therefore, to every unwarranted foundation of hope. In a word, it distinctly shows that the bless- ings of redemption are bestowed of sovereign and free favour, in opposition to all the selfdevised plans of mankind ; and it solemnly M^arns men of the danger of selfrighteous hopes, while it encourages them to cast themselves into the arms of that mercy which is pro- claimed to all without difference. 21 The reference which, with these views, is made to the? priority of the promise to the promulgation of the law of Moses, serves to illustrate the Apostle's reasoning ill Rom. V. 12 — 21. In the first part of the Epistle, he shows that all men, whether Jews or Gentiles, are sin- ful and condemned in the sight of God. He then argues, that the law of itself cannot justify a sinner ; because it serves only to declare his guilt and condem- nation. The only remedy then, is the Gospel. And a& for the Mosaic law, its greatest glory was, that it served to prefigure the divine plan of salvation through Christ, And then he proceeds to show that the moral state of the Jews was determined, not by their descent from Abraham, or by their privileges in virtue of the law of Moses ; but by their connexion with Adam : And, that as he is the common father of mankind, so all his seed are on a level in the sight of God. They are ac- cordingly all subjected to mortality, by a law different Irom that of Moses. It follows then, that as Christ came to deliver from deatli, it behoved him to answer the claims of that law under which mankind at large are placed. As the forfeiture was sustained by all the nations of the earth ; so the blessing of redemption is free to all kindreds of mankind. Such certainly is the first promise of mercy. And as the law of Moses was not against, but subservient to the promise ; so the covenant with Abraham could not be against, but must have been subservient to the original promise to man- kind. And as that promise contained an epitome of the counsels of God from eternity, which never can be disannulled ; it of course, contained a revelation of the general plan of redemption. Many conceive the covenant of God, as a kind of bargain;, in virtue of which; on the ground of something done by themselves, its blessings are to be communicated. In particular, faith, repentance, and new obedience, are Considered as conditions which, on being duly ful- filled, entitle to the blessings of the heavenly kingdom. Such ideas are utterly subversive of the scheme of mercy. What more dishonourable to God, than to turn liis gracious proclamation of forgiveness, into the ground, of a bargain between himself and rebels, as if he and they were on a footing ? Faith and repentance, as well as Christian obedience, are themselves blessings of the covenant, and essential parts of the salvation of God. Vvlthout them, indeed, no other of the blessings of re- flemption can be enjoyed ; but this is quite a d liferent thing from their being conditions, on the performance of which, a title is acquired to the benefits revealed in the Gospel. The work of Christ is the ground or con- dition on which the blessings of redemption and eternal life are bestowed upon sinners. Repentance, or a change of mind is necessary to the enjoyment of those bless- ings ; faith is the medium through which they are be- ^^towed ; and genuine obedience is the fruit and the evi- dence of this faith and renovation of mind. They can- not, however, be the meritorious ground or condition on which the blessings of Heaven are obtained. By the covenant of God, we are to understand, his free promises of salvation and blessedness in behalf of sin- ners, ratified by the death of Emmanuel ; and a gracious constitution of tilings, or an institution, or system of institutions, founded upon and illustrative of these pro- mises. All the covenants which the blessed God has 23 condescended to establish with his sinful creatures will^ on a careful examination, be found to accord with this definition. The word, w^hich in the Old Testament Scriptures is rendered covenantj is accordingly derived from a root, which signifies to purify, and hence it is some- times used to signify soap. Jer. ii. 22; Mai. iii. 2. The word itself, w^hich is rendered covenant, signifies a purifier, a purification, or a purification sacrifice. And the phrase, for making a covenant, literally signifies to cut a purifier, or to cut off a purifying victim. The ancient manner of confirming a covenant, was by the slaying of an animal in sacrifice, and then dividing it into pieces, between which the party making the en- gagement or promise, solemnly passed. Thus, after Abraham had divided certain victims, God, under the sjTTibol of a burning lamp, passed between the pieces of the divided victims ; and thus, " In that same day, the Lord made a covenant wdth Abraham, saying, unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates. Gen. xv. 7— 18. This was by no means a covenant of mutual stipu- lation, but of free promise on the part of the Almighty alone ; and therefore, the divine glory alone passed be- tween the pieces. It deserves our attention, that though many of the promises to Abraham are recorded in the xii. and xiii. chapters of the book of Genesis, they are not termed a covenant, till an account is given in chap. xv. of their being ratified by sacrifices. This solemn mode of confirmation, prefigured the great sacri- fice of the Son of God, in right of whom, Abraham and his seed were to inherit the blessing. It is easy to tike Kow promises made in behalf of sinful and polluted men, came to be confirmed by means of a sacrifice ; for as it is by means of an atonement that guilt is purged away;, and that sinners as thus purified from it, have access into the presence and family of God ; so it was proper, that whatever promises of blessing were made to such, should be ratified in a way which should ex- hibit the great means, by which purification from sin and reconciliation to God should be effected. To this mode of confirming the covenant, there is a reference in Jer. xxxiv. 18, 19, where God denounces a curse on the different classes in Judah and Jerusalem ; who, on a particular occasion, had made a covenant before him, in regard to their servants, by cutting a calf in twain, and passing between the parts of it, as a ratification of the promised liberty of their enslaved brethren. When men saw that God confirmed his promise by a sacrifice, they learned to confirm their own engagements by the same means, though not with the same views. The custom appears to have arisen from regard to the great sacrifice, which was to redeem man- kind ; and those who in this way symbolically con- firmed their engagements, would be considered as having staked their hope of salvation, through the great sacrifice, on their faithful fulfilment. Now, as the engagements of men were generally mutual stipu- lations between the parties concerned, the word cove- nant came to denote a mutual compact so ratified, and at last whether thus ratified or not. But when applied to God, it denotes nothing of this kind ; but, as hat just been stated, his own free and gracious promises in behalf of the guilty and unworthy, ratified by a sacrifice ; or else a gracious constitution of things ; or an institu- tion, or a system of institutions, founded upon and illus- trative of his promises. The former is evident, from the reasoning of the Apostle in Gal. iii. 15 — 18, which proceeds on the principle, that a promise, or promises, and a covenant are one and the same thing ; it being understood, that a sacrifice has been slain for the purpose of confirma- tion. "^ Now, to Abraham and his seed," says he, '' were the promises made." He saith, not and to seeds as of many ; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant that v/as confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was four hundred and thirty years, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. The following are examples of the term being used to signify simply a promise made by an individual, without any thing like a mutual stipulation. Address- ing Moses, God says ; " Behold, "I make a covenant ; before all thy people v^ill I do marvels ; such as have not been done i;i all the earth, nor in any nation ; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord ; for it is a terrible thing, that I will do with thee." Exodus, xxxiv. 10. The whole of his pro-, cedure towards Israel, was one continued series of won- ders. " IMarvellous things did he," says the Psalmist, *' in the sight of their fathers." And again : '-' As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord ; my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, c nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the moutll of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah, lix. 21. " He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations ; which covenant he made with Abraham, and with his oath unto Jacob ; and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant ; saying, unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance," Psalm, cv. 8 — 11. The covenant established with David, was a promise confirmed by an oath, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne. Acts, ii. 30. " I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations." Psalm, Ixxxix. 3, 4; 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13. Such, in a word, is the ex- press description of the everlasting covenant. " This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord ; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts ; .•md I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people : And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord ; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteous- ness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Heb. viii. 10 — 12. Now, what is this, but a sovereign grant of blessings ? When God is viewed as the King of Israel, and the people as his subjects in that character, the term cove- nant is used with greater latitude ; but this, like the 27 exception to a general rule, confirms rather than hiva- jidates the statement which has just been given of its general import, in regard to the covenants of Heaven. In that particular case, in which the Israelites passed between the pieces of a divided sacrifice. Jer. xxxiv. 18 ; this act was a solemn manner of expressing their allegiance to their Sovereign, and their obligation to be obedient to his will. Connected with this, however, is the other part of the import of the term. The second part of the definition given of the cove- nant of God was, that it signified a gracious constitu- tion of things ; and an institution, or a system of insti- tutions, founded upon and illustrative of the promises. This view of its meaning, is confirmed by the following considerations. The Sabbath, for example, is called a covenant, because it was a sign of the promised rest. Exodus, xxxi. IG. Circumcision is so called, because in its highest sense, it was a seal of the saving truth, and a -sign of the blessings of God's covenant. Gen. xvii. 9, 10 ; Acts, vii. 8 ; and the w^hole system of the Mosaic institutions is called his covenant ; because they wei'e founded on his promises, and were signs of the blessings promised. Lev. xxvi. 15. And on the same principle, any precept given in connexion with a pro- mise, and illustrative of it, is so denominated. Thus, God says, '' I made a covenant with your fathers, saying, at the end of seven years, let ye go every man his brother." Jer. xxxiv. 13, 14. This w^as designed to be a figure of the liberty of the children of God, and is fitly called a covenant, when confirmed by blood. These different uses of the term, may be reduced to tli€ twofold view which has already been given of the covenant of God; namely, that it consists of free pro- mises in behalf of sinners, ratified by the death of Em- manuel; and of a gracious constitution of things, found- ed upon and illustrative of the promises which are thus confirmed. These two views of the divine and ever- lasting covenant, though in themselves distinct, are generally connected. Thus, the Apostle speaking of it, says, that it was established on better promises, than those on which the covenant made vvith Israel at Sinai was established. Heb. viii. 6. Now, this supposes that the whole constitution of things which was esta- blished w^ith Israel, inclusive of the law given to them, was founded on certain promises ; and that the whole constitution of things, which has now been established through the mediation of Christ, is also founded on promises ; but on those better promises, of which the blessings promised under the first covenant were de- signed to be expressive emblems. The lav»'s and insti- tutions of the Christian economy, must therefore be considered as ratified by blood, and as founded on the exceeding great and precious promises of the Gospel. This view of the subject, explains the nature of those services wdiich were required of worshippers. When they offered sacrifice, they were not making a covenant with God ; but were simply celebrating the instituted representation of his covenant v.ith them, and thus ex- pressing their faith in his promises, — their gratitude to him for his goodness, and their earnest desire of the blessings which he had graciously promised them. The institutions which were connected with the pro- mises, afforded the means of expressing their faith in them,— of sti-engthening their faith by its exercise, — of 29 bringing their minds under the influence of the great truths which were thus set before them, and which were thus made to bear upon their hearts ; and in this way of obedience to the will of Heaven, did they come to the more full possession of that character, with which the enjoyment of the promised blessings is inse- parably connected. The covenant established with them, is invariably called the covenant of God. When Moses ratified it by the blood of calves and of goats, he said, behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these word;^. Exodus, xxiv. 8. The language of God in Psalm, 1. 5, proceeds upon this principle : '- Gather my saints," says he, '^ together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice ;" or rather have solemnized, literally, have cut, or struck mi/ covenant by sacrifice. The public profession of faith was generally made over the head of a sacrifice ; for this service was connected with every part of instituted worship ; and to the spirit of this, as entering essentially into all acts of ac- ceptable worship, there is in these words an obvious reference. Accordingly, the appointments also of the Christian economy, afford us opportunities of ex- pressing our faith in the blood of the everlasting cove- nant ; and in all the promises which are thus confirmed ; and they are thus the means of exercising, and so of strengthening our faith ; and by making the truth to bear upon our minds, they promote the sanctificatioa of our souls, and our meetness for the promised inheri- tance. c2 3a SECTION II. OP THE COVENANT OF GOD, AS REVEALED TO OUE FIRST PARENTS. The first express mention of the covenant of God, is found in the history of Noah. "When it v/as an- nounced to that Patriarch, that the world should be destroyed by a flood of v/aters, Gcd said to him : " But "with thee will I establish my covenant ; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee." Gen. vi. 18. Now, these words proceed on the principle, that the cov^enant of God had already been revealed to mankind, and vras previously known and valued by Noah ; and that the promise of establishing it with him, was a token of the faithfulness of Heaven. But the only intimation of this covenant, is to be found in the first promise of mercy, through the seed of the woman, and in the institution of sacrifice, as connected v/ith it. The thin^ conveyed by it is a blessing to sinners, and a blessing suited to their state. Now, this blessing can only be conveyed through the promised seed ; and therefore, the promise of it must be involved in that of the Saviour. We accordingly find, that soon after the first j-evelation of mercy to our trembling parents in Eden, the offended Judge himself clothed them with the skirw 31 of animals, which appear to have been slain as sacrifices. This is confirmed by the following considerations. The flesh of animals made no part of human sustenance till after the flood, and therefore, they could not be slain for food. And as the animals were as yet but few, and other means of clothing could easily have been had, they cannot have been slain merely to furnish raiment. It is not to be supposed, that Adam would have pre- sumed to kill any of the creatures of God, without hia permission ; nor is it reasonable to think, that God should have required him to do so, merely to be sup- plied with a covering, when this could have been sup- plied from the hair and wool ; for as the flesh of the animals was not yet allowed for food, this must have been an unnecessary vraste of the creatures. The only rational conclusion then, is, that the animals with whose skins our first parents were clothed, had been slain for sacrifice. And when we consider, that God himself is said to have furnished the clothing, there can be no doubt, that the beasts in question had been slain for this end by divine direction. Indeed, we cannot conceive on what principle Adam Avould, at that time, have thought of depriving any creature of life ; and still less, that he would do this, with a view to the expiation of sin against God, without a special order on the subject. The reason of man by no means suggests, that the way to propitiate the Creator, is to destroy his creatures. The garments with which our first parents were clothed, appear then to have been designed as an em- blem of the covering, w^hich should be provided for sinners through the sacrifice of Christ. A covering 32 from the penalty of tlie law was provided^ when '^' the just suffered for the unjust." In accordance vrith this, we find that in Scripture, nakedness is often employed to denote a sense of guilt, helplessness, and danger. Thus, when the Israelites had made and worshipped the golden calf at Horeb, it is said : '^ IMoses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked to their shame before their enemies." Exodus, xxxii. 25. And whatever reference this had to their having stripped themselves of their golden ornaments, for the purpose of making the calf, it chiefly refers to their having forfeited the favour of God, and to their being reduced to the most helpless and wretched state, and abandoned by God in the midst of their foes. It was in token of this, that an order was given, that they should put off the rest of their ornaments. Chap, xxxiii. 5, 6. Besides, this order, and likewise the liberal offerings which the}'- afterwards made to the sanctuary, must prove, that they could not literally have been despoiled of the whole of their jewels. Chap. xxxv. 21 — 29. The meaning of the expression in question, is similar to that of the following : " For the Lord brought Judah low, because of Ahaz King of Israel ; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord ;" in which the forlorn and defenceless situation of the kingdom is signified. 2 Chron. xxviii. 19. We also find, that the condition of Israel, when the Lord took them under his special care, is compared to that of a naked and a helpless infant, and the divine protec- tion is thus expressed : " I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness." Ezek. xvi. 7^ 8. The same general idea is expressed, when it is said : " Be- 33 hold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watchetti, and keepeth his garments, lest they walk naked, and they see his shame." Rev. xvi. 15. The Church exult- ing in the blessedness resulting from a change of state and of character, exclaims : " I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bride- groom decketh himself v^ith ornam.ents, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isaiah, Ixi. iO. Sin- ners are admonished to come to the Saviour " for white raiment, that they may be clothed." Rev. iii. 18 ; and the redeemed in Heaven, when freed from all tribula- tion, are represented as clothed with white robes. Rev. vii. 9. These passages show, that the term nakedness is em- ployed to signify, the exposed and helpless condition of sinners, as v.ell as their circumstances of shame and contempt ; and that their deliverance and blessedness are signified by their being properly clothed. Vv"e ac- cordingly find, that xVdam connected the dread of God with his sense of nakedness. And it was chiefly with a view to their appeanng before him, that our first parents covered themselves as they did. In their minds, shame and terror v/ere connected. And as the cover- ings which they attempted to make for themselves proved utterly insufficient ; so God by clothing them with the skins of animals offered in sacrifice, signifi- cantly taught them, that while they could not " cover themselves with their works," a perfect covering should be provided by means of an expiatory offering. Isaiah, Ux. 6. And there is something very impressive iu 34 the thought, that the very first death which took place, ■was an emblem of that death which should conquer him that introduced mortality. Solemn^ indeed, must have been the feelings of Adam, when having reared an altar, he took for himself and for his partner, the first sacrificial victim ; and putting his hands on the head of the burnt-offering, that it might be accepted for them, he slew it, and sprinkled its blood upon the altar. The faith of Adam in the promise of mercy, and his understanding of the plan of redemption through a future deliverer, would be aided by his own repre- sentative character. Knowing that on himself, as their public head, there had been suspended the happiness or the misery of his seed ; he would thereby be enabled to understand the principle, on which a promise of sal- vation had been made, through the medium of a surety acting in behalf of others. His belief of the promise, appears from the new name which he gave to his wife. He called her Eve, or Life ; and this, not because she was to be the mother of an extended progeny ; for that was not a new thing ; but because she was to give birth to one, through whom an honourable way of de- liverance from the curse, to the enjoyment of eternal life should be opened, and from which invaluable bless- ing none should be excluded, who did not exclude themselves. Indeed, had it not been that such was his view of the promise, it had been more natural for him to have called her the mother of mortals ; or of a race doomed to everlasting death, than the mother of the living. On the other hand, the very terras of the pro- mise suppose her being brought to confide in it ; for it is only in this way, that a gracious enmity could sub- 35 sist between her and the tempter. Besides^ the cafe which they took to instruct their children in its import, as apparent in the faith of Abel, and in the practice of sacrifice in their family, is a striking evidence of their submission to the divine plan of acceptance. As the promise respected the salvation of mankind, it of course, included the salvation of Adam's offspring. Not, how- ever, absolutely of all of them ; for the very words of the promise suppose, that a party among his seed would continue impenitent adherents of the tempter. And it was for Adam to use this solemn information, not as a pillow for sloth, but as an excitement to diligence in the instruction of his family ; and the facts of his his- tory show, that he did indeed so use it. We are thus led to consider the marked connexion between the promise and sacrifice, which most distinct- ly appears in the history of Abel. " In process of time," we are told, " it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering : But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth ? And w hy is thy countenance fallen ? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted } And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." Gen. iv. 3 — 7« Now, we are informed by the Apostle, that " by faith, Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." Heb. xi. 4. And the basis of this faith must have been some revelation understood, as a 36 promise to sinners^ and connected with the observance of animal sacrifice^ as a figure of the way in which it was designed to be accomplished. In worshipping God, he was guided by the revelation of Heaven^ and not by the deductions of reason. The works of God proclaim his being ; for his invisible perfections, even his eternal power and Godhead are seen in them, by all who duly consider them. But the expectation, that he will bestow good on sinners v.ho seek him, can only be learned from revelation. We can know nothing of this, independent of express revelation, more than a condemned criminal can know of a pardon from his Sovereign, till it be communicated to him by his order. Hence, the Apostle says : " Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ;" or rather faith cometh by a testimony or declaration, and by a testi- mony or declaration published by the appointment or command of God. Rom. x. 17- a The questions, how can God extend mercy to sinners, in consistency with his holiness and justice } And will he extend mercy to such ? Can only be answered by an explicit declaration from himself ; and the answer, therefore, must be entirely a matter of faith. The Patriarchs, among whom Abel is numbered, are said to have died in faith. a The word rendered report, in Rom. x. 16, is the sanne which is twice rendered hearing in verse 17. It sometimes signifies, the organ of hearing, or the car, as in Mark, vii. ?,5 ; Luke, vii. 1 ; 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. At other times, the function of hearing, as in 1 Cor. xii. 17 ; 2 Pet. ii. 8. And also the thing heard, as in JMatth. ir. 24 ; xir. 1 ; xxiv. 6 ; Mark, i. £S. 1 he connexion and scope of the passage must, therefore, determine its meaning. 1 he term here rendered word, is used not only in its literal signification ; but in the sense of appointment, or commiand, as in jMatth. iv. 4; Luke^ iii. 2, and v. 5 j Heb. i. 5, and xii. 19. 37 nx)l having received (the accomplishment of) the pro- mises. The faith, then, which led Abel to sacrifice, as he did, must have been a belief of the early promises of raiercy, followed by obedience to a corresponding' command. Had not the institution of sacrifice been of divine appointment, his offering had been mere will- worship ; and both he and it would have been rejected, with this reproof; "who hath required this at your hand ;" and had it not been typical of the work of Jesus, it could not have been a proper expression of his faith in the promise. It would appear, that during the patriarchal age, the father of a family acted as its priest ; and in his absence, and after his death, so long as the family kept together, the elder brother officiated in that capacity. And even during the life of the father, when a son mar- ried, and had a separate household, he officiated as its priest. Now, it would appear, that the narrative in Gen. iv. refers to the first service of this kind performed by Cain and Abel after they had houses of their own ; for we find, that the former was married, thoun-h no notice is taken of this in the account of his sacrifice, any more than of the situation of his brother. The services seem to have been conducted at a particular spot appropriated to public worship, most probably at the place where the Cherubic emblems were exhibited, attended by the Shechinah in the form of an involving flame. Gen. ill. 24. For we read in verse *J, of a ''door," or entrance into the place w here the worshippers were ; and in verse 17, that "Cain went out from the presence of the Lord," or left the place where the sym- 38 bols of his presence were exhibited beside the Cheru^t bim. Cain despising the promise of a Saviour^ and refusing to come to God in tiie character of a sinner^ presented a thankoffering only, as if there had been no breach between God and him ; whereas, Abel by faith in the promise, came with an animal sacrifice, thereby confess- ing himself to be a sinner, and imploring merc\^ tlu-ough that great propitiatory sacrifice, which should in due time be offered by the seed of the woman. God testi- fied his acceptance of Abel's offering by some visible sign, most probably by consuming the sacrifice by fire from before him ; for we know, that thus he afterwards testified his acceptance of sacrifices. Lev. ix. 24; 2 Chron. vii. 1 ; 1 Kings, xviii. 38. Abel thus received testimony that he was righteous, when God bore testi- mony that his gifts were accepted. It v»'as, therefore, by the redemption signified by his sacrifice, and not by works of righteousness which he had done, that he was justified in the sight of Heaven. From the very be- ginning, then, the acceptance of sinners has been through faith in the vrork of the Messiah. The offering of Cain was not accepted, and the rea- son may be gathered from what was said to him : " If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted ;" in other vv'ords : " If thou wert without sin, then, without an animal sacrifice thou shouldst be accepted ;" and thine offering regarded as an acknowledgement of the Crea- tor's bounty by an innocent creature. And if thou doest not well, or if thou canst not plead that thou art without sin, then there is still a way of obtaining ac- ceptance, for "sin," or rather, " a sin offering lieth at the 39 door." The word here rendered '' sin/' is often used to signifj^ a sin offering; and as animals were to be found, even at the very door of the inclosure in which God was worshipped, he had the easiest access to the means of acceptable v/orship. And if this kind of sacrifice were offered in faith, then he should enjoy at once, the blessing of God, and the privileges of the birthright, as the elder son. " Unto thee," says God, " shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." This reference to the birthright, shows that from the beginning the first-born had a sacred character attach- ed to him, and had the dominion of the younger branches of the family, as a figure of him, who, as the first-born among many brethren, hath consecrated them to God by his blood ; and who is the heir of all things, and the ruler of the family of Heaven. Thus was the Gospel preached even unto Cain. But, alas ! though he had nothing to object to the gracious invitation to approacli God with an animal sacrifice, and to do so immediately, guilty as he v/as, since a sin-offering had been appointed, and since animals, fit for the purpose, were so near as to be couching at the very door, yet he refused to submit to this mode of acceptance. This history shows, then, the connexion between the promise of mercy, and the institution of sacrifice : And to both of them God refers, when he says to Noah : '' With thee will I establish my covenant." It is not a promise simply, that is, strictly speaking, called a covenant ; but a promise confirmed by sacrifice. The reason of this is, that the term covenant is usually applied in Scripture to the Almighty, entering into a friendly relation with sinful men, which can only take 40 place through the medium of atonement. When Godf therefore^ made the promise of deliverance and eternal life in behalf of transgi-essors^, he typically confirmed it by sacrifice; in order to shov.'j that it could only be accomplished through the medium of expiatory blood, and that the atonement •\vliich was thus typified^ should ensure its fulfilment. His language accordingly is, not that of a proposal to enter into a mutual agreement Avith any individual or body ; but it is " with thee, or with you, will I establish my covenant." It is not to be understood, then, as if it were a compact or bargain between certain parties, in which there is a mutual stipulation, for the benefit of both. God can receive nothing from creatures ; and therefore, wlien he con- descends to establish his covenant with them, it must be solely for their benefit : And on the other hand, they are utterly unable and unworthy to enter into any thing like a contract with him, for salvation and eternal life. In the original dispensation established with Adam, the threatening of death in case of transgression, im- plied a promise of life in case of obedience. This pro- mise, therefore, respected him and his seed, as innocent and holy ; and hence, it did not need to be confirmed by a sacrifice. But the promises of the present eco- nomy respect sinners, and they regard Jesus as acting in behalf of such, and as having become answerable for their guilt. It behoved them, therefore, to be con- firmed by sacrifice ; for though God can confer favours on his innocent creatures by acts of mere will ; yet in blessing transgressors, it becomes him, as the moral o'overnor of the world, to confer his favours in a way 41 which shall preserve the honour of his throne^ and mam- tain the interests of his faithful subjects. In the first constitution in relation to man^, there was a simple pro- mise of life in case of obedience, for no mediator was then required ; but in the economy of redemption, Jesus acts as a mediator between God and his offending creatures ; and hence, the promises of salvation and eternal life must be connected with his so bearing the sins of his people, as to render their free remission consistent with the attributes and government of the judge of all. This accounts for the solemn and in- structive fact, that from the time of the fall, the pro- mises of good to men were connected with the service of sacrifices. By this means, even those promises which had no immediate respect to the spiritual bless- ings of the covenant of peace, tended to direct the mind foi'ward to the confirmation of that covenant by the blood of Emmanuel. Every opportunity was thus embraced of setting before men the way of their access to him, and the channel through which alone he can hold gracious communication with them. We are thus most explicitly taught, that we are unworthy of the least of the divine mercies ; and that it is only through the medium of the propitiatory blood of the Saviour, that the promised blessings are bestowed. And in the banishment of Cain, who rejected this precious revela- tion, we have a representation of the final separation of the wicked from the rigiiteous at the last judgment ; when vengeance shall be taken on all who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of his Son. d2 42 SECTION III. OF THE COVENANT OF GOD, AS REVEALED TO NOAH, AVhen God declared his intention of brin":In^ a flood upon the world;, he said to Noah : "= But with thee will I establish my covenant." Gen. vi. 18. And after the flood, he again said : " And I^ behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you." Gen. ix. 8, 9. We have already seen, that in every age the covenant of God has been celebrated in con- nexion with sacrifice. Hence, Noah after the flood testified his gratitude, and implored the countenance and the favour of God by building an altar, and offering upon it of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and by these services did he celebrate that covenant, which v/as his only security against that fearful judg- ment, of wliich, the deluge was an emblem. That this was no new thing, is evident, from the distinction mentioned between clean and unclean animals. Gen. viii. 20 ; which distinction, as animal food was not granted to man till afterwards, must have been made in reference to sacrifice ; so that from the beginning, direc- tions had beengix^en on this subject. - IMen were never left to offer what they pleased, any more than to devise for themselves a method of acceptance. As salvation is from first to last, entirely a matter of favour ; so all 43 connected v.-ith it is wholly of divine appointment. And in particular^ as the gift of the Saviour is the fruit of pure sovereign mercy^ and his work is according to the wise counsel of Jehovah, it had been preposterous for men to devise means to prefigure either him or his atonement. The Lord, we are told, '' smelled a sweet savour/' or a savour of rest ; but we need not ask, what could there be in the smoke of burnt carcases that could be pleasing to him, or in which he could rest with plea- sure. But there was enough in that sacrifice, which they represented, to afford him the highest satisfaction. The promised blessings were all to be obtained through ^' the beloved Son of the Highest ;" and to Xoah, in v.hose loins the promised seed was now lodged, was the covenant of God confinned by additional evidence; and hence, the special reference which is made to sacri- fice. And as the covenant comprehends prom^ises both in regard to this life and that which is to come, the former being given in subserviency to the latter ; so on this occasion, a promise was made him of temporal security to the earth, and to all flesh upon it for his sake, and for that of his posterity. Lamech on the birth of Noah gave him this name, which signifies comforter, saying : This child shall be a comfort to us amidst our works and the toils of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. Gen. v. 29. And according to this prophecy, the curse pronounced on the ground was mitigated, and an assurance was given to Noah, that the world should not again be sub- jected to a general destruction by a flood, and that no- thing should again happen to interrupt the regular 44 interchange of tiie seasons. ^' While the earth re- maineth/' said God;, " seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and Avinter, and day and night, shall not cease." Gen. viii. 22. As the animals had originally been given unto man, so they suffered in his fall : And now that the earth which was cursed for his sake had been overwhelmed by the deluge, they suf- fered in the general destruction. But Noah having been preserved, as " heir of the righteousness which is by faith," inasmuch, as he was not only assured of his personal acceptance ; but that from him the Messiah should descend ; and that for the sake of the redemp- tion of the promised seed, he should be blest v.ith a posterity that should replenish the earth ; he was told, that as with him and his seed the covenant of God should be established ; so in subserviency to this, the covenant should include the preservation of '' every living creature that vras with him, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth." Gen. ix. 8— 10. The connexion between the temporal and the spiritual parts of the covenant is of a twofold nature. First, in the subserviency of the former to the latter ; and secondly, in the illustration afforded of the nature and medium of spiritual blessings by the shadow of earthly things. In regard to the first of theee, it is sufficient to remark, that though the kingdom of Ch list is not of this world, yet all its subjects must be born '^ to it, and many of them must for a considerable time remain in it, not only to answer the purposes of God in regard to themselves, but also in relation to others. All the things and events of time, indeed, are made subservient 45 to tlie interests and progress of the everlasting king- dom. In this view, it is easy to see the connexion be- tween the promises of temporal and spiritual things. And with regard to the second kind of connexion, it is equally easy to see, that the temporal part of the pro- mise, was designed as a pledge and a figure of the fulfilment of the great promise of a spiritual deliverer, and of everlasting salvation and blessedness, when this world shall have passed away. Hence, the rainbow, which is declared to be the token of the covenant be- tween God and all flesh, is also employed as a token of the everlasting covenant : For w hen the majesty on high is exhibited, a rainbow is seen round about the throne, as the token of peace and of security. The rainbow, it is natural to think, must have been known and admired from the beginning : Being, however, the symptom of rain, it might after the flood have been dreaded as the presage of another deluge. But this distressing association is prevented, by its being ap- pointed as the express token that the flood never shall return. And in like manner, since, when God appears iu his glory, sinners may well be afraid of his vengeance ; he appears, at the same time, surrounded by this token of mercy and reconciliation. He who hath pledged his oath, that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, hath also sworn, that though the mountains shall depart, and tlie hills shall be removed ; yet his kindness shall never depart from his people, nor the covenant of his peace be removed. Isaiah, liv. 10. Indeed, when we consider, that the deliverance of Noah in the ark, is held forth as a figure of the salva- tion of the Church through the work of the Redeemer j it IS natural to expect^ that the covenant afterwards established with him_, should embrace an illustration of the covenant of peace. The antediluvian world being disobedient, were sentenced to destruction ; but punish- ment was delayed an hundred and twenty years. Gen. vi. 3, during which time, as criminals tried and con- victed, but whose execution is delayed during a period of respite, the longsuffering of God waited while Noah preached to them, as under the arrest of divine justice, all the time that the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. " The like figure whereunto," says Peter, evefi baptism doth now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ : Who is gone into Heaven, and is on the right hand of God ; angels, and authorities, and powers, being made subject unto him. 1 Peter, iii. 18—22. When it is said ; " The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us ;" we are taught, that being saved in the ark was a figure of a greater salvation, and that baptism, as a sign of the same salvation, is a corresponding figure. The ark was not a figure of baptism, nor is baptism a figure of it ; but both are figures of the same thing, namely, salvation through Christ. Xoah and his family were saved from the deluge, and in correspondence with this, baptism, or Christianity, doth now save us ; not the rite, but the judicial answer, (or the requisite, as the word may be understood,) of a conscience purged through the resurrection of Christ, of which requisite, purification is an expressive emblem. He whose re- surrection is the decisive token of the all- sufficiency 47 and acceptance of liis sacrificial death, though he was condemned of human rulers, is now acknowledged of God, and is exalted above all created authority whether human or angelic. His blood, therefore, is fully ade- quate to purge the conscience from a sense of guilt and jDollution, and to bless with the most warranted confidence in the presence of God. The establishment of the covenant of God with Noah was confirmed then by a special sign : " With thee," says God, '' will I establish my covenant ; and thou shalt come into the ark." And the salvation of him and his family there, according to the promise of Heaven, would serve to confirm his faith in the pro- mise of a far greater deliverance. There is an evident fitness in the appointment of a sign, so strikingly ex- pressive of the salvation of the Gospel, at the time when a far more fearful display was afforded of the judgment of God against sin, than had ever before been exhibited. And the covenant established with him, and with all flesh after the flood, would direct him forward to that blessed covenant, which in the fulness of time should be fully established, through the promised seed of the woman. To the former covenant, God directed the attention of his people, v/hen he said : " Thus saith the Lord, if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season ; then may also ray covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne ; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers." Jer. xxxiii. 20, 21. As surely as the promise to Noah, that while the earth remainethj day and night shall not cease. Gen. viii. 22 ; 48 no surely shall the promise to David, that in the Messiah, who is to descend from his loins, his kingdom should be perpetuated ; and also the promise, that an everlasting priest should be raised up, as the antitype of the house of Levi, be faithfully fulfilled. Speaking of the throne of Christ, God says : '' It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in Heaven." Psalm, Ixxxix. 37. This last expression refers to the rainbow, as a faithful wit- ness in Heaven of the immutable truth of the divine word, and of the infallible accomplishment of the pro- mises of mercy to a guilty world. The same emblem which is the pledge of Heaven, that the flood shall never be repeated, is exhibited as a pledge, that the promise of God to perpetuate the kingdom of David in the throne of his Son and his Lord, shall be assuredly fulfilled. The glorious personage who announced to John, that the judgment of Antichrist was at hand, was " clothed with a cloud ; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." Rev. x. 1. Now, the ruin of Antichrist, like the destruction of Jerusalem, is used as an emblem of the final ruin of the wicked. Each of them is con- sidered as a day of judgment in miniature; and hence, the same language is often applied to them, that is ap- plied to the tremendous scenes of the last day ; and hence, too, there are the most abrupt transitions made from the one to the other. In the last great day, then, when Christ shall come in the clouds of Heaven, a rainbow, as it were, shall be upon his head, as the token of peace and of covenant mercy to his people. 49 Amid all the evils which shall then come upon the iv'icked, his redeemed shall be safe. When fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him, then shall he call to the Heavens and to the Earth, that he may judge his people. And then shall he gather together all who have solemnized his covenant by sacrifice, and bless them with eternal life. Psalm, 1. 3 — 5. And when " the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the vraters shall overflow the hiding place," then, even then, shall they v/ho have built their hope on the foundation which was laid in Zion, feel perfectly tranquil, and shall even triumpli n a sense of complete security. Isaiah, xxviii. IG, I'J. It is evident, that the covenant established with Noah consisted of free premises, and was by no means of the nature of a contract, or a covenant of mutual stipulation : And as it Vv'as designed to illustrate the nature of the everlasting covenant, the latter must cor- respond with it. There was connected, however, with the promises, a particular system of apj^ointments, in the way of observing which, the blessings promised were to be enjoyed. We have already seen this in the ^ history of our first parents, and in that of Abel's offer- ing. It appears, too, in what is said of Enoch, when we are told, that he pleased, or walked with God ; For, to walk with or before God, includes a life of holy fel- lowship with him, in the observance of his instituted ordinances, in the enjoyment of his gracious favour, and in habitual obedience to all his commandments. Gen. xlviii. 15; 1 Kings, iii. 6 — 14; v. 12, and viii. 23. Now, we are told, that before the flood, '' Noali walked with God." Gen. vi. 9 ; and if before the fiood, E 50 he thus pleased God ; so after it, he must have been called to worship him in a way adapted to his new cir- cumstances, though substantially the same with that which from the beginning had been the appointed medium of fellowship with Heaven. As Noah was to be the founder of a new world, the covenant, of course, embraced his seed, as well as him- self. Among them, however, there was to be a distinc- tion, as is intimated in the prophetic language of the Patriarch, in Gen, ix. 26, 27, which some render thus : "^ Blessed of Jehovah, my God, shall Shem be ; yea, among the tents of Shem shall he dwell ; and to Shem shall Canaan be a servant. God shall greatly enlarge Japheth, and to him also shall Canaan be a servant." God accordingly dwelt in the tents of Shem, when he took vip his abode, first in the tabernacle, and then in the temple of the Israelites : But now the God of the whole earth is he called. Isaiah, liv. 5. God hath been manifested in the flesh, and the blessing of Shem ha."* come upon Japhet, and even on the descendants of Ham ; for the Saviour dwells in all the churches of the saints, and in him there is neither Jew nor Greek, and neither bond nor free. Gal. iii. 28 ; Isaiah, xix. 23 — 25. The first promise of mercy relates chiefly to the human nature, and the sufferings of the great deliverer of man ; but the prophetic language of Noah, chiefly respects his divine nature and glory. u SECTION IV. <5F THE COVENANT ESTABLISHED WITH ABRAHAM, We have already seen, that the covenant established with Abraham consisted of free promises. When, not- withstanding of the solemn warning against sin afforded by the flood, the knowledge of God was a second time in a great measure lost ; it seemed meet to Jehovah, instead of again sweeping the ungodly from the earth by a deluge, to separate from the midst of them, a people for himself. He accordingly called Abraham out from amongst idolaters ; he promised that from him the Re- deemer of mankind should descend ; and he separated that branch of his descendants, from whom he was to come, from the rest of the w^orld ; made of them a great nation, and placed among them his name, in order to |>reserve by a regular and peculiar eyt-tem of typical institutions, the knowledge of his character, and of the plan of redemption till the Messiah should appear ; to exhibit a figurative representation of his kingdom ; and to prepare for the communication of the blessings of his mercy to all the families of the earth. Gen. xii. I — ^3. Had it been the plan of God to fulfil the pro- mise of the Saviour, either immediately, or soon after the first revelation of his mercy, there had been no such ielection and separation of a particular people. But 32 considering the manner in -which men are scattered tlirough the earthy and the importance of having the revelation of mercy, attested by an abundance and a variety of evidence, the plan Avhich was adopted ap- pears to be fidl of wisdom. It is true, that the Saviour could in any circumstances have made his cause to triumph over all opposition. But then, we should not have had such a body of evidence, as is furnished by a long train of prophecy, and by the history of that wonderful people whom the Almighty separated to himself: And we should also have wanted that lucid instruction, in regard to the character and kingdom of Christ, vv'hich is afforded by the distinguished persons, institutions, and dispensations, which preceded his ap- p'earance in the world. With regard to the promises of the covenant esta- blished with Abraham, some of them imm-ediately re- spected himself, and others of them his seed. The leading promise nfiade to him, was that the IMessiali should descend from his loins. '' In thy seed," says God, '' shall all the families of the earth be blessed :" And of the fulfilment of this promise, the birth of Isaac, with all its attendant circumstances, was a pledge and a figure. Gen. xv. 4; xvii. 16 — 19; xxii. ]8. Hitherto the promise of a Saviour had been general^ lie was to be the seed of the woman. It was neces- sary, according to the order of nature, that he should descend from our first parents ; and on the same prin- ciple, as he did not appear previous to the deluge, it was necessary, that he should descend from Xoah ; but there was no natural necessity, that he should de- scend from Abraham, rather than from any other of the 53 children of men. lie was the first person, then, to whom the promise of being the progenitor of the Mes- siah was made, while that event did not necessarily follow. His faith, therefore, looked much farther than the promise, that he should have an heir of his own body by Sarah, even to that seed who was to spring from liimself in the line of Isaac. Connected w^ith this, was the promise of a numerous natural posterity in the line of Isaac, as a pledge and figure of his having a numerous spiritual seed from among all the nations of the earth. Wlien God called him from Ur of the Chaldees, he said to him, ^' I will make of thee a great nation." Gen xii. 2 ; which was literally fulfilled in the descendants of Isaac and Jacob : *' Who can count," said Balaam, " the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel. Num.. xxiii. 10. With an oath, it was said to him : '' In bless- ing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multij^ly thy seed, as the sand which is on the sea shore j" thus solemnly confirming the promise of Jehovah. Gen. xxii. 17- God brought hina forth abroad, and said, look now toward Heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, so shall thy seed be. Gen. xv. 5. Now, the Apostle interprets this promise of a spiritual seed. "^ He believed," says he, '' that he might become, (or in other words, he believed, and in consequence of his faith, he became) the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, 90 shall thy seed be." Rom. iv. 18. In the same way, he interprets the promise in Gen. xvii. 4, 5. ^'^As for me my covenant is with thee, and thou shall be a father of many nations. Neither sliall thy name any more be E 2 54 called Abram, (that is, exalted father ;) but thy name shall be called Abraham, (that is, exalted father of a multitude ;) for a father of many nations have I made thee/' or rather, have given, or constituted thee. Now, though Ishmael, his son, became a great nation, and his sons by Keturah became heads of considerable tribes ; yet in Isaac, his seed, was to be called ; and though the descendants of Isaac became two nations, yet Jacob, and not Esau, was the heir of the promise. So far then, as the promise respected his fleshly seed, he was the founder but of one nation. The reference then, is to his being a father by a special divine constitu- tion, and not in the ordinary course of nature; for he was naturally the father of his posterity, withoiit any special constitution, making him such ; and the promise is, that he should have a special seed from among many, or all nations. Thus, the Apostle reasons in Rom. iv. IG, 17. '' Therefore, it is of faith, that it might be by grace ; that the promise might be sure (in its fulfil- ment,) to all the seed ; not to that only which is of the law, (or to the Jews only ;) but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, (or to the Gentiles also, though without the laAv,) who is the father of us all. As it is written, I have made, or constituted thee a father of many nations." The spiritual seed are to be gathered out of all nations; and therefore, they are called the nations of the saved, to signify their multi- tude. Rev. xxi. 2-1. But as they are all incorporated into one people, they are called '' a holy nation ;" and in this character they were prefigured by the nation of Israel, But what is meant by his being the father of be- lievers ? In reply to this, it is sufficient to state. that it is common in Scripture to call persons distin- guished by any quality or acquisition, the children of those by whom it was first and pre-eminentlj' possessed. Thus, we read;, that Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle ; and that Tubal w^as the father of all such as handle the harp and the organ. And in like manner, they who re- semble Abraham in his faith are denominated his chil- dren, and are justified and blessed as he was. He was not, indeed, the first believer in the Christ ; but when, as has already been stated, God declared, that from liim, in particular, the Messiah should descend ; he at the same time, unfolded to him the promises of mercy more fully than they had ever been before, and he thus exhibited more clearly the great object of faith ; and lience, his faith was fitly held forth as the pattern c-f that faith, through which sinners should in every age be justified. It is thus, that he is declared to be the father of that spiritual family, Vvhich consists of all who believe, as he did, and copy his example. " They which are of faith,'' or who believe as he did, ^' are the children of faithful Abraham, and are blessed with him." Gal. iii. 7 — 9. His justification by faith in the Messiah is recorded and attested, '' not for his sake alone, but for us also," (or for the encouragement of sinners in every age to believe the Gospel of peace.) " To whom it shall be im.puted, if we believe on him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead." Rom. iv. 23, 24. Hence, the care which is taken in Scripture to explain the nature and the way of his justification. As a figure of the redemption of his spiritual seed from guilt and from all its consequences, it was pro- 56 mised him^ that though his descendants should be stran- gers in a strange land^ and should there be enslaved and afflicted^ they should be redeemed from the land of bondage by the direct interposition of Heaven. Gen. XV. 13—16. Another promise given unto Abraham was^ that of the land of Canaan to his seed in the line of Isaac, as a figure of the heavenly inheritance, which is in reserve for all who are his spiritual seed, by being partakers of his faith. Gen. xiii. 14—17; xv. 18—21 ; xvii. 8. In the faith of this better country, he sojourned in the land of promise, as a pilgrim and a stranger ; " for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Heb. xi. 9, 10, 14 — 16. It is on the ground of the typical nature of the earthly Canaan, that the Scriptures exhibit spiritual and heavenly bless- ings, in figures taken from the glory and fertility of that favoured country. The promise of the land of Canaan ought not, how- ever, to be viewed merely as a figure of the lieavenly country. It was the chief of the temporal promises of the covenant, and it was given to tlie seed of Abraham in the line of Isaac and Jacob, as best adapted to the designs of God in regard to them, and to the purposes which vrere to be accomplished by them in the world. We ought not to dwell merely on the comfort enjoyed by his seed as individuals, nor even en their happiness as a nation, considered merely as such ; but we should think of the great purposes for Vvhich their earthly ad- vantages were given them. The same twofold con- nexion between the promises of temporal and spiritual things to which we adverted, when treating of the 57 covenant -with Xoah, obtains also in the covenant uith Abraham. There is a connexion both in regard to the subserviency of tlie one to the other, and in regard to the typical illustrations of spiritual by earthly things. First, as it was the design of Heaven to mark him out as the progenitor of him in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, it was necessary, that his seed should be separated from all other people, and that, as a distinct body, tliey should inhabit a particular country. Hence, the promise of the land of Canaan. Such a promise was a new thing in the earth, and its being made at the very time that the promise of the Saviour was restricted to a particular family, shovvs that the gift of that land was for the sake of the Me>:- siah. Accordingly, when the promise had been re- stricted to the house of David in tlie tribe of Judcih, the revolt of the ten tribes from that house was per- mitted, and the unity of the people was broken : Ai^d ultimately those ten tribes were carried captive from the land of Canaan, and the few vrho returned to it, with Judah and Benjamin, v.ere swallowed of tiieir brethren, and lost their former distinction. Judah, indeed, was carried captive, as well as Israel ; but be- cause of their connexion M'ith the house of David, from whom the IMessiah was to spring, they v.ere soon re- stored ; while Israel having beconie separated from that house, were scattered and absorbed among tlie nations. Hence, the assurance gi\en to Ahaz and the people of Judah, that their enemies should not prevail against them ; because in the house of David, " a vir- gin should conceive, and bare a son, whose name •hould be Emmanuel. Isaiah, vii. 10 — 14. Qn this m account, Judea was called the land of Emmanuel ; and because it was so, it should not be entirely desolated, while he was in the loins of the Jews. Isaiah, viii. 7 — 10. But after the Messiah had come, and the great pui-pose for which the land had been given had thus been ac- complished, even Judah was removed from it, and dis- persed through the world. It is true, that it was on account of their unbelief, and their hostility to the Sa- viour, that they were expelled it ; but often before had they rebelled, and in a way, too, which involved a breach of their national covenant ; and yet, though they were not suffered to go altogether unpunished, they were not afflicted, as they were by the Romans, when they came and took away both their place and nation. Their former corrections might be compared to pruning ; but the latter judgment was a stroke at the root, and was designed to extirpate them from the land altogether. Besides, it is the manner of God to accomplish a variety of ends by the same means. The same dispensation is employed to accomplisli a general purpose, and to mark his displeasure against some particular evils. Thus, it was his purpose to give the laud of Canaan to the Israelites ; but yet the ejection of the Canaanites v.'as a judgment expressive tif the divine indignation, because of their iniquities. And on a similar principle, though it had been pre- dicted, that the sceptre should depart from Judah, and a lav>'giver from his descendants when the Shiloh cam.e, and when to him the nations had begun to be gathered ; yet the prophecy was fulfilled, in the way of expressing the divine indignation against the unbelief iuid rebellion of the Jewish people. 59 It appears, then, that the coming of the iMessiah was the grand object of the ancient economy, and| that the peculiarities, and the separation of the Jews from all other nations, bore a constant relation to him. The particular temporal promise of the land of Canaan, re- spected Abram as the father of the Jews, and respected them as the people from whom the Saviour was to spring. Hence Gentiles, even though believers, had no right to that land. The latter, however, were equally entitled with believing Jews to the heavenly inheritance, of which it was a figure ; and besides this, as the peculiar interest which the Jews had in Canaan, was subservient to the coming of him, in whom, not only they, but the Gentiles also shall be blessed ; the latter, as well as the former, reap the advantage re-i suiting from the separation of the Israelites in that par- ticular country. Thus, the whole of the spiritual seed of Abraham ultimately profit by every part of the covenant. It is true, that for important pm-poses, the Jews are still preserved a separate people, though scattered through the earth; but in consequence of their being dispossessed of their land, the history of their genealogies is lost ; so that one great end of their separation was connected with their possession of a separate country, and could not have been otherwise gained, without supposing an unnecessary direct inter- position of Heaven. There is nothing in this, then, which can militate against the view which we have given of the subject. Secondly, as the separation of the seed of Abraham was also designed to preserve the knowledge and the worship of God in the world ; so the land of Canaan 60 V\'as a suitable place of residence for a people set in thh earth, to be a blessing unto others. On a similar prin- ciple,, Christians are allotted an abode on earth, and such temporal favours in it, as are most suited to their character, and to the particular services to which they are called, as a people separated unto God. The spirit of the promise to ancient Israel is thus so for still acted on in relation to His spiritual famil}-. Considered in this view, the possession of Canaan was but a prelude to the possession of the whole earth by the church of Christ, as a suitable temporary residence for a body ; the members of which, are ^' the light of the world," and the " salt of the earth ;" and who are sown unto God in the earth, that from them there may spring an abundant spiritual harvest. On this ground it is, that the gradual and ultimate possession of the promised land is represented as a figure of the gradual posses- sion of the earth by IMessiah, till all the kingdoms of this world become His. As for instance, when it is said, " He shall have dominion from sea to sea ; and from the river to the ends of the earth ;" where there is an obvious reference to the possession of the v.hole land of Canaan. Hence, Abraham is called '^ the heir of the world ;" not only, because his seed, the IMessiah shall gather a people out of all nations, and peoples, and tongues, though this certainly is the great thing intended ; but also, because in subserviency to this. He has the heathen given him for an inheritance, and the uttermost ends of the earth for his possession ; that he may break every opposing power with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Psalm, ii. 8 — 12. Power then is given unto Christ over the 61 nationS;, that he may remove every obstacle to the pro- gress of his causCj that he may make all things work together for its advancement, and that his people may become blessings unto others. He honours and he blesses his faithful subjects, by employing them as the instruments of diffusing the savour of his grace, and by their means he blesses the nations in himself, agreeably to the promise made to Abraham. On these principles, the following -predictions proceed : " The saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess tlie kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. — And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the king- dom under the whole Heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of tlie most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. vii, 18 and 27- These and such like prophecies, refer to the prevalence of Chris- tianity, through the exertions of its friends on earth, as connected with the spiritual and eternal world. The covenant in question, then, must in the very nature of things, have comprehended temporal, as well as spiritual blessings, and the former in subserviency to the latter. Since the seed of Abraham were separated, not only because the i\Iessiah v/as to spring from him ; but also, that thus the knowledge and the worship of God, and the faith and expectation of a Saviour might be pre- served in the earth ; it follows, that in order to accom- plish these ends, it was necessary, that at least, a con- siderable body of them should be possessed of genuine religion ; for had all true piety become extinct among them, they could not in the very nature of things, have p 62 been the means of preventing the world from sinking into the grossest darkness^ and utterly forgetting all distinct memory of the situation of man, and the pro- mise of a Saviour. '' When the most high divided to the nations their inheritance^ when he separated the sons of Adam^ he set the bounds of the people accord- ing to the number of the children of Israel." Deut» xxxii. 8. That is^ he so allotted to each of them their inheritance, as to leave the land of Canaan for the Israelites. He placed the latter there, because being about the middle of the then known worlds it was the best adapted for the display of their testimony for God, in opposition to the polytheism, idolatry, and abomina- tions of the surrounding nations, and for the public manifestation of the divine dispensations to Avar ds them. If such, then, was the design of the separation and the circumstances of Israel, it must be evident, that the promise, " I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee," Gen. xvii. 7 ', certainly includes a promise, that the Lord vv'ould take out of the seed of Abraham, rather than other nations, a spiritual people to himself. The facts of the case prove this. For in succeeding ages, Jehovah not onl}- gave them the land of Canaan for a possession, and himself to be their king, or temporal governor, as a people separated from others ; but among them it was that he particularly established his spiritual kingdom ; giving them his living oracles, sending to them his prophets, and esta- blishing among them his sacred worship ; which great advantages were for many ages enjoyed by them, while 63 he suffered the otlier nations to walk In their own ways. Nor was this all. It was from among them^ that the great body of those who shall be eternally saved were taken, during the many ages which elapsed under the Levitical economy. Such being the facts, what more clear, than that such was the meaning of the promise ? On no other principle can v.e account for the very par- ticular reference v,hich the Apostle Paul makes to his ov.n case, and to that of his Jevvish believing brethren, in order to prove, that God had not ]}een unfaithful to his promise in regard to the seed of Abraham. " I say then, hath God cast avray his people ? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin." Rom. xi. ]. That he speaks of natural descent from Abraham, is obvious, from Iiis isentioning the tribe of Benjamin, along with the seed of that Patriarch. It is also evident, from the reference he immediately after makes to the seven thousand faithful Israelites in the days of Elijah, and to the remnant of believing Jev*-s in his own day. Indeed, were it otherwise, there could be no proper reason for mentioning the case of believing Jews at all, since the case of believing Gentiles would have been as much to the point. The spiritual promises which are included in the blessing of Abraham, had then a primary, though not an exclusive respect to his natural offspring. That they had not an exclusive respect, is evident from the express words of the covenant itself: "In thee," or ^' in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be bless- ed;" which of course, includes Gentiles as well as Jews. Gal. iii. 8, 14, 17, 28. But to the natural 64 seed of Abraham^ they as evident! 3^ had a primary re- spect. Peter addressing such, says .0 chem : Ye are the children of the prophets, and of th? covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, and in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be bless- ed. Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. Acts, iii. 25, 26. To them belonged the covenants and the promises. Rom. ix. 4 ; and that in distinction from the Gentiles, v/ho during the Levitical economy were strangers from the covenants of promise. Ephes. ii. 12. From among the Jews, the first Christian Church was collected : And from that Church the word of the Lord sounded out unto the nations, that the Gentiles might become partakers of their spiritual things. Rom. xv. 2;. '' Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers." Rom. xv. o. In a word, the language of the Gospel is : '^ To the Jew first, and also to the Greek." Rom. i. 16. But, alas ! when the Saviour came, the great body of the Jews rejected him : And their relation to Abraham, as his natural offspring, and the advantages which, as such, they enjoyed, as they could not of themselves entitle them to the privileges of sons and heirs of God j so they, on the contrary, aggravated their guilt and condemnation ; and hence, the fearful declaration, that while to every soul of man who obeys not the truth, but obeys unrighteousness, God will render indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, these sliall be poured upon the Jew frst, and also upou 65 the Gentile. Rom. ii, 8, 9. It is a pleasing thought, ho^vever, that there are many promises, that in the latter days they shall be grafted in again into their own olive tree. Rom. xi. 23 — 31. The circumstance of descent from Abraham, is far from entitling any of his descendants to the salvation of the Gospel. The promise was, that from among them God would take a people to himself; and it is to be fulfilled, by bringing them to the faith and obedience of the truth. This is a very different thing from a promise, that all of them should infallibly be saved. ^' They are not all Israel, who are of Israel." Rom. ix. ^. And ^' he is not a Jew who is one outwardly : But he is a Jew who is one inwardly ; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Rom. ii. 28, 29. Accordingly, the Apostle Paul represents the promise in question, as fulfilled in the salvation of himself and the remnant of the Jews who believed. Rom. xi. 1 — (). No Jew, therefore, can be warranted to expect the blessings of redemption, but in the way of embracing the Gospel of Christ. The children of the heavenly kingdom are all of them '• born not of blood, nor of the will of the ilesli, nor of the will of man, but of God." John, i. 13. And on the same principle, the mere circumstance of descent from Christian parents, by no means ensures to any the blessings of the kingdom. But as Abraham was encouraged to instruct and to rule his family in the fear of God, in the hope that the divine blessing would accompany those means ; so believers still, are en- couraged to " bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," in the hope that their labour shall not be in vain : For as the Israelites, as f2 66 well as Abraham^ were required to make known the testimony and the law of God to their children, that the latter might place their confidence in him ; so are Christians required to act, with a view to the same end. Psalm, Ixxviii. 4 — 8 ; Ephes. vi. 4. There never was a command given, but had a pro- mise connected with it. This does not in the least interfere with those promises which were peculiar to Abraham, such as, that he should be the head of that people from whom the Messiah was to spring, and should therefore have a numerous posterity. It only supposes, that wherever God hath set believers in families, they are called in the hope of similar success, to imitate the example of the father of the faithful, of whom it is said ; '' I know Abraham, that he will com- mand his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Gen. xviii. 19. The proper instruction and rule of his family, had a close connexion v.ith the accomplishment of what the Lord had promised him, in regard to a spiritual seed to be raised up to him from among his descendants. And though no believing parent can, like him, be the father of the faithful, or the head of that people from whom the Messiah has descended ; yet every one of them may, as well as he, be the means of bringing his family to the knowledge and the worship of God. We speak of him, at present, chiefly as an eminent example in relation to family duties ; and there can be no ques - tion, that Christian parents ought to follow him in thi^ respect, as well as in his faith. It is in this, as in 67 every case in -which we are called to copy the example of another ; it can only be in as far as our circumstances are similar. And if, in the duties in question^ we ai-e called to imitate Abraham, we are surely warranted to feel encouraged, as he did, by the hope of at least a measure of success. That blessing of Abraham which has come upon the Gentiles, must include all that he enjoyed as a believer in Christ, and an obedient sub- ject of the law of Heaven. For, besides what was peculiar to him, we have in his history an example of what are the blessings of the saved in common. What was the covenant established with him, but a more full disclosure of what had already been revealed, connected with a restriction of the descent of the IMessiah to a particular line in his family ? And what is his history, but a recorded example for our guidance and encourage- ment, connected with circumstances calculated deeply to excite and to interest ? For as differences between his condition in life, and that of many of the children of God, do not interfere with the duty of following his approved example, in as far as their condition is simi- lar ; so, on the other hand, differences as to the extent of encouragement to the faithful discharge of family duties, by no means supposes, that believers cannot participate in that degree of encouragement which did not arise from his peculiar circumstances ; but is com.- mon to all ages of the Church. The promises in regard to the seed of believers, respect parents not simply as Christians, and so the children of Abraham ; but as Christians acting in character in relation to their fami- lies. And as the blessings of divine grace are in all ages communicated by certain m.eans, it is to be ex- pected, that where the means of grace are employed, it shall not be wholly in vain. It is thus that Jehovah becomes the God of his people's seed, and that race unto race praise him. On considering the nature of the covenant established with Abraham, it appears, that its different promises formed one great whole. It embraced a variety of blessings, som.e of which were given in distinct por- tions ; but all of them were closely connected in rela- tion to the ultimate object of Heaven. Hence, the Scriptures often speak of the covenant in the singular. '"'■ I v/ill remember," says God, ^'^ ray covenant with Abraham, and v/ill remember the land." Lev. xxvi. 42. He will not forget the covenant of thy fathers. Deut. iv. 31. Peter called the Jev.'s, the children of the covenant which God had made with their fathers. Acts, iii. 20. When it is said, that to Israel belonged the covenants, the reference is not merely to the different renevrals and enlargements of the covenant with Abra- ham ; but also to the covenant established at Sinai. And the same is the case, when we read of the cove- nants of promise ; for the covenant established at Sinai was established on promises, though they were not equal to those on which the everlasting covenant is established. In a word, though the term covenant may be applied to the different premises made to Abra- ham, yet all of them formed but parts of one great covenant. This covenant v/as decidedly a covenant of promise. Thus referring to the whole cf the promised good, the Apostle says : " If the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise ; but God gave it to Abraham by 69 promise." Gal. Hi. 1<1. And again, "if they who are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect." Rom. iv. 14. The different parts of the promised blessings w^ere closely connected ; and those which were earthly, were subservient to such as are spiritual. Accordingly, Avhen God performed the mercy promised to the fathers, he is said to have re- membered his holy covenant. Luke, i. 72. And in allusion to God's visiting and redeeming Israel, he is said to have visited and redeemed his people, when he raised up for them an horn of salvation, according as the prophets had spoken, from the beginning of the Avorld. Luke, i. 68 — 70, 72- And believers when called tlie children of Abraham, as imitators of his fiiith, are declared as such, to be heirs according to the promise. Gal. iii. 29 ; and heirs of the promise. Heb. vi. 17. It will be of importance to advert here to that part of the covenant of God, w'hich consists, as we have s^en, in a gracious constitution of things founded upon and illustrative of the promises. This view of it is ex- hibited in the history of Abraham. It rests on the connexion betv.een the promises of the covenant of God and a particular course of obedience ; or, in other words, on the connexion between a holy character and tlie actual enjoyment of the promised blessings; which holy character, how^ever, is the fruit of the incipient fulfilment of the promise. It was accordingly said to Abraham, in connexion with the promise : Walk be- fore m.e and be thou perfect. Gen. xvii. 1. The words preceding this call to obedience, are not a mere decla- ration that God is Almighty ; but that he was all-suiH- 70 cientj to bless Abraham according to the promise, that he would be his God. And it contains a truth well calculated to produce the obedience which was enjoin- ed in connexion with it. This obedience is expressed in terms similar to those which are employed in des- cribing the character of Enoch and Noah, and as in their case, they signify a life of holy intercourse with God, in the exercise of sincerity and uprightness in their whole deportment, and in the observance of all his institutions ; so must they do in the case of Abra- ham. It is accordingly recorded to his honour, that '' he obeyed the voice of liis God, and kept his chargfr and his commandments, Iiis statutes and liis lav»'s." Gen. xxvi. 5. This testimony, of course, shows that even then, there Avere certain institutior.s and rites of wor- ship appointed, as v\-ell as moral precepts enjoined. These two views of the covenant are illustrated by the rite of circumcison. V/hen we consider that this rite was instituted at the tim.e that the promise of the Saviour vras restricted to the family of Abraham, we must see in it a confirmation and a token of the promise, that he should descend from that family. And on the other hand, when we consider the solemn sanction with which it was enforced, v/e maist see in it a test of obe«> dience. " Thou shall keep my covenant,'' says God, *^ thou and thy seed after thee, in their generations." Gen. xvii. 9 — 11. And in particular, Avhen w^e reflect on it as a seal of the righteousness of faith, we see its relation to the former view of the covenant ; and when we consider it as a sign of renovation of character, we see its relation to the latter. ^ The covenant was connected also with it as a seal. not of the personal salvation of all who received it ; but as a sign of the general and saving truth, that salva- tion should be had by every individual of "vvhatosever country or people, who believed as Abraham had done, in the great promise of redemption through Chirist. Hence, it is called " a seal of the righteousness of faith ;" that is, of the great doctrine of justification by faith, without works of law. In itself the rite of cir- cumcision sealed nothing to any individal. It cannot have been the seal of a title to the land of Canaan ; for it was received by Ishmael, who had no title to that land, and it was administered even to the servants in Abraham's family, together with their seed; none of whom could have any inheritance in Canaan. In a word, it was administered to every stranger who ex-« pressed a wish to partake of the passover. Gen. xvii. 12 — 21 ; Ex. xii. 48. And neither can it have been the seal of a personal interest in spiritual blessings ; for many of those who received it by divine appoint- ment, had no such interest in the everlasting inheri- tance. It must, therefore, have been a seal of the general truth, that whosover beheveth the message of reconciliation, his faith is imputed to him for justifi- cation. Considered as the seal of a general truth, it answered this purpose, to whomsoever it might be ad- ministered. And such is the view given of it in Rom. iv. 9—12. ^ Speaking of the subject of justification by faith, the Apostle thus reasons : " Cometh this blessedness on the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned ? When he 72 was in circu'mcisioii, or in uncircumcision ? Not in cil*-- cumcision;, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision^ a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had^ being yet uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all them that believe^, though they be not circumcised ; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also ; and the father of circumci- sion to them who are not of the circumcison only ; but also w^alk in the steps of that faith^, of our father Abra- hanij w^hich he had, being yet uncircumcised." Novf we have seen already w^hat is meant, when Abraham is denominated the father of believers : And the meaning of the passage now quoted, obviously is, that so far from circumcision being either in whole or in part, that through which he was justified, he had received this blessing before he w^as circumcised ; and even when he did receive this rite, he received it as a seal of his pre- vious justification by faith, and a seal also of the gene- ral and the blessed truth, that justification should be obtained by every believer of the Gospel which he be- lieved, independently of deeds of law of whatsoever nature. It was a seal of the justification by faith of the uncircumcised j because he was to be the father of all the uncircumcised believers, or the pattern of their justification; because righteousness was to be imputed to them also, as it had been to him ; And it Avas a seal of the important fact, that in the case of the circumcised, he was to be a father, or the pattern of their justification, not because of their circum- cision, or indiscriminately on account of their being circumcised ; but only to such of them as walked in the steps of that faith w^hich he had, while yet uncir^ 73 cumclscd. It is clear then, that Abraham's being justified while yet uncirciimcised, signified that he should have a part of his spiritual family from among the uncircum- cised Gentiles ; and also, that none of his fleshly des- cendants were justified by their circumcision. And of both these facts the rite of circumcision was a seal. It must have been so, inasmuch, as it is a seal of the gene- ral truth, that whosoever believeth as Abraham did, shall be justified as he was ; and must, therefore, have as explicitly demonstrated, that whosoever believeth not is condemned already. But, though this rite did not ensure to the individual his personal salvation irre- spective of what might be his character afterwards ; it certainly was a token, that in liis present state, he was capable of becoming the subject of that salvation. And the appointment, that it should be administered to in- fants, was of course, a sign that they are capable sub- jects of the blessings of redemption. It thus taught, then, in every case in which death may reign through sin, the grace of Jesus is sufficient to save. It was a sign of the blessings of redemption, as well as a seal of the saA'ing truth. As a sign, it represented tlie taking av.ay of sin, both in its guilt and its pollu- tion ; and was thus, in particular, a sign of the two great blessings of justification and sanctification ; both of which are received, v.hen the sinner is separated to God through the blocd of the Redeemer. There is then obtained, both a change of state and a change of character. The latter of these is most particularly connected with the covenant, considered as a gracious constitu- tion of things, or a system of institutions founded upon G 7* and illustrative of the promises. As circumcision sig-* nified the putting off of the sins of the flesh, on which account the unholy are represented as '^ uncircumcised in heart." Jer. ix. 2b, 26 ; and are called on to " cir- cumcise the foreskin of their hearts." Deut. x. 16 ; it I'oUows, that it signified the obligation under which all are laid to mortify the deeds of the body ; or in other wordsj to renounce all the lusts of the flesh and of the mind. Considered in this lights it expressly taught Abraham the inseparable connexion between that holi- ness which is called " the circumcision of the heart/' and the actual enjoyment of the blessings of the cove- nant. " We are the circamcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Phil. iii. 3. This institution, then, was designed to be a means of instruction in a general truth, and a sign of the bless- ings which should come through the knowledge and faith of it. And hence, it was to be administered to all who, in consequence of their connexion with Abra- ham, or his seed, whether by descent or otherwise, had the means of becoming acquainted with that truth. Gen. xvii. 12, 13. While it served to separate its sub- jects from others, it was of use as a means of instruction. And as even the bondservants in the family of Abra- ham, together with their offspring, had the opportunity of being instructed in the truths of which it was a sign, it was administered to such. In particular, as a means of nfter instruction, it was given to the seed of Abraham in the character of a people separated from others, for the sake of the Messiah who was to descend from their loins ; and separated also for the purpose of preserv- 75 ing, and to a certain extent o£ disseminating, the know- ledge of the truth. His seed were not the exclusive objects of that salvation of which it was a sign, and which was to be obtained through the truth of which at was a seal ; for had they been so, they had not been called to communicate it at all, and in that case, the rite had not been administered, as it w-as, to such as were but strangers belonging to his family. Though *' not of Moses, but of the fathers," this, like other patriarchial institutions, was afterwards incorporated in the I^Iosaic law ; but though it was adapted to that economy, no part of its original design was on that account changed. It was the means of preserving the distinction between the Jewish commonwealth, and the nations of the earth ; but it still remained a seal of the truth in regard to acceptance with God. What, then, w^« the advantage of circumcision ? It was of use as a means of instruction to the families of Israel, and to those of the Gentiles who became prose- lytes, or members of the Jewish commonwealth. It was one of the external means o£ grace wliich were en- Joyed by the Israelites, and by all connected with them, and considered as such, it was a present benefit- But the ultimate, or eventual beneiit derived from external means, arises from the right improvement of them, and not from the things themselves ; and as the import of the rite in question, was a matter of after instruction to those v/ho received it in infancy, and survived till capable of moral agency ; the ultimate advantage de- rived from it, would arise from their embracing, when they came of age, the great truths of which it was a token. " Circumcision," says the Apostle, " verily 76 profiteth if thou keep the law ; but if thou be a breaker of the lawj thy circumcision is made uncircumcision." " For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly ; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh : But he is a Jew who is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart;, in the spirit, and not in the letter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Rom. ii. 2o, 28, 29. It afforded the means of impressing on the minds of the young, many important parts of divine truth, and was thus an assistant to the heads of families in the work of instruction ; but, in itself, it could not impart the blessings of redemption. External advan- tages are in every case, only means thi'ough the proper use of which, an end may be gained. In vain, there- fore, did the Jews boast of their privileges as such ; for the question was, what improvement had they )nade of them } If they had not been led by them to understand and embrace the truths which they were fitted and designed to teach, then '• their circumcision had become uncircumcision ;" or in other words, they were in the same condition with the Gentiles, with this fearful difference, that their greater light f^ggravated their guilt, and if mercy prevented not, would ulti- mately aggravate their misery. In vain did they plead, that the promise of God en- sared their salvation, considered merely as descendants of Abraham ; and that their unrighteousness would eerve to commend or exult the faithfulness of God in saving them notwithstanding ; for his promise con- cerning the seed of Abraham, was not a promise to save them irrespectively of faith in Christ, and it no more ensured the salvation of every individual of them, 77 than the promise, that in the ^lessiah all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ensures the salvation of every individual of mankind. As the latter promise is fulfilled in God*s ^' taking out of the Gentiles, or the nations, a people for his name." Acts, xv. 14 ; so the former is fulfilled in his taking out of the Jews a people to himself, by bringing them to believe the GospeL How often, accordingly, do we meet with the most awful denunciations of judgment against Israel in their cwii Scripture?, all of which miist be consistent with the promises of Heaven. It never could be intended, that these gracious promises should afford a licence to rebellion, or that they should be ful- filled in a way which were, at once, subversive o^ the government of God, and incompatible with the very siature o£ salvation itself The Apostle, accordingly, distinctly refers to Deut xxxii. 21, and Isaiah, Ixv. 1, 2, in proof of the fearful fact, that not only the apostolical mission to the Gentiles w'as by divine authority and command ^ but also, that their OM^n national rejection for unbelief and -disobedience to the promised ]\Iessiah, Siad been distinctly foretold. Rom. x. 19 — 21. It can- not, then, be a breach of promise in God to execute vengeance on Jews. The language of the Psalmist^ when confessing sin, proceeds on very different prin- dples: ^"^ Against thee, theeonl3^" says he, "have I sin- ned, and done this evil in thy sight ; that thou mightest, or therefore thou mayest, be justified in thy sentence, and be clear when thou art judged, or when thy pro- cedure is tried." Psalm, li. 4. He acknowledges his guilt, and that God would be justified in fully punishing it, while he implores the divine mercy and 78 forgiveness. How different this, from the language of those who virtually said, let us do evil that good may come, by arguing, that if their unbelief and disobedience would glorify the truth of God, they ought not to be punished ! The different promises of the covenant with Abra- liam were ratified by the blood of sacrifice. He re- quested a sign for the confirmation of his faith, and he was directed to take and kill of the different kinds of .animals which were afterwards appointed to be sacri- ficed by the law of IMoses, and to divide certain of them into pieces. And then, Jehovah, under the S}Tn- bol of a burning lamp, passed between the divided victims, and thus ratified his covenant. Had it been a covenant of mutual stipulation, Abraham also would have passed between them. But as it was a covenant of promise on the part of God only. His glory alone did so. He thus solemnly engaged, that not one good word shoul d fail of all that he had spoken. And as a solemn engagement was implied in this mode of ratifying the covenant, so it was afterwards confirmed by the express oath of Jehovah. '' Abra- ham," says Christ, '' rejoiced," or rather greatly de- sired, '' to see my day ; and he saw it, and was glad." John, viii. ^Q. The reference in these words seems to be to the discoveries afforded him, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar, though not to the exclusion of other means of instruction ; for these would, in fact, serve to elucidate what took place upon the mount Moriah. We know, for instance, that in IMelchizedec he had a view of the kingly and priestly offices of Christ. And that he understood him to be a figure of 79 the Saviour, Is evident, from the homage that he paid him ; for on no other principle can -vve account for the importance attached to this hy the Apostle, or for tlie value which the father of the faithful set upon the blessing of the King of Salem. Gen. xiv. lu — 20 j Heb. vii. 4—10. But passing this and other means of information enjoyed by the Patriarch, let it be considered, that the word rendered " he saw," is frequently used in the New Testament, in its proper signification, to see sensi- bly. But whether literally or figuratively, it always denotes a full intuition. And that the Jews under- stood it in the strongest sense, is evident from their reply : " Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham." a The desire of Abraham could not be, that he might live till Christ actually appeared ; for that which he desired, he is said to have obtained. By desiring to see '^'^ his day," seems to be meant, a desire to have a more distinct view, than he as yet had, of the peculiar and prominent circumstances which were to characterize the appearance of our Lord. Xow, these \yere undoubtedly his death and resurrection. God granted his desire, though not in the way he ex- pected. By a prophetic action, illustrative of v,hat had already been communicated to him in other ways, he was graciously pleased to give him the m.ost distinct exhibition vrhich had yet been afforded of the sacrificial death, and the recovered life of the promised seed ; but this was done in a way which tried his faith to the ut- most. We certainly ought not to overlook his feelings a "Warburton's Divine Legation, Book VI. Section V, 80 of natural affection ; but we should consider them chiefly as they bore upon the trial of his faith, and the instruction communicated by the sacrifice he was called to make. Much as we must feel for him as a parent, can we fail to see, that the great thing which occupied his mind must have been, '' if Isaac be cut off, what be- comes of the promise, that in his seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed ?" It was proper, that the strength of the faith of him who is the father of be- lievers should be known to all generations, and by means of the commandment to offer up the very son in whom the nations of the earth were to be blessed, his faith in the promise was remarkably tried, exercised, and invigorated. '^ By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac : And he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called ; ac- counting (or reasoning) that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead ; from whence also he received him in a figure, or for a parable." Heb. xi. 1 7 — 19. This last expression shows, that the whole transaction was designed to be emblematical of the way in which the nations should be blessed in the seed of Abraham. It was a lively and an affecting revelation by action, in- stead of words of the most important future events, in relation to the redemption and final blessedness of the church, through the expiatory death and the exalted life of the Messiah. It was, in particular, fitted to make him more clearly understand the love which should be manifested by God, ^' in not sparing his own Son, but delivering him up for us all ;" while in the urceptance of the ram, which was substituted in the 81 room of Isaac, he had a view of the suhstitutionarj nature of Emmanuel's death, and of the divine com- placency in his sacrifice. Having exhibited this signal example of faith in the promise concerning Christ, God as an expression of hig high approbation, farther confirmed it by renewing the promises formerly made to him, and ratifying all of them by his solemn oath. Now, this was designed not only for his consolation, but for that of all who be- lieve. Though the bare word of God must, in itself, be equally sure as his oath ; yet as among men '' an oath for confirmation is an end of all strife ;" so God, as it were, condescended to adapt himself to the feelings and manner of mankind, and though he could not swear by a greater, as men do, yet he swore by himself, say- ing, '' Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee." Thus, " God vrilling more abun- dantly to show unto the heirs of promise, the immuta- bility of his counsel, confirmed it by on oath ; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who liave fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set be- fore us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec." Heb. vi. 13 — 20. The Apostle liere proceeds on the principle, that the promise to Abraham included- all that eternal life, to the hope of which, believers are raised. They have the hope o^ deliverance from the curse, for they have fied for refuge to the divinely constituted Saviour. And if freed '' from the wrath to come ;" the troubles of life through which they are tossed about like ships in a storm, only serve to exhibit their perfect security. They have the hope of eternal life in the celestial sanctuary, and it rests on him who hath entered it in the character of their brother and forerunner. Since he is there, the work of atonement must be finished, Jehovah must be well pleased, and the promises must infallibly be ac- complislted. How fitted to support the mind m a hope guch as this ? Thus, the nations of them that are saved are all made partakers of the very same blessings whicli were made over by the oath of God, to those from whom the Saviour descended. The exalted hope of believers of every country is, that they shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven. ^Nlatt. viii. 11. The promise made to the fa- ther of believers^, was also made to Isaac and to Jacob. Gen. XXV. 4; xxviii. 14. And this very circumstance i.s a proof, thiit by him in whom the nations were to be blessed, none of themselves was intended. The pro- mises are not only appropriated to one line of the des- cendants of Abraham, and to one line also of the des- cendants of Isaac ; but centre in one illustrious and distant personage who should spring from that line, and from regard to whom, believers of every people and country, should partake of the blessings promised. CHAPTER II. OF THE PROMISES AND GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THB OLD AND THE NEW COVENANTS. SECTION L OF THE COVENANT ESTABLISHED WITH ISRAEL AT SINAI, The plan of preparation for the coming of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom^ was for a long time carried on with distinguished individuals and particular families. Among the former^ Abraham held an eminent place ; and among the latter, his family and the families of his descendants in the line of Isaac and Jacob, were particularly distinguished. The accom- plishment of the promise made to him, required that his seed should increase, and that they should occupy a particular country, that by being kept a separate people, it might be unquestionably ascertained, that the promised Messiah had sprung from him. The land of Canaan was, accordingly, promised to his seed ; but it could not be given them, till they had so far multiplied as to be able to fill it, and to retain the possession of it. 84 In the meantime, to preserve them from mingling with the nations, and learning their ways, they were sent to Egypt ; because, as the laws of that country disallowed all fellowship with strangers, and as the Egyptians had a particular aversion to the profession of the Israelites, who were shepherds, it was the only place where they could remain for so long a time, safe and unconfounded with the natives. But when they were multiplied so as to be able to possess the land, the Lord formed them into a nation, as a figure of the kingdom of Christ. Having redeem- ed them from the house of bondage, he established with them a covenant of peculiarity, by which a parti- tion wall was erected between them, and all the other nations of the earth. By a particular system of rites, so framed as to be in direct opposition to the manners of those nations, they were separated from them, and the separation was made more complete, by their being placed in a country by themselves. They were ex- pressly forbidden to conform to the manners of others, while strangers sojourning in the land were required to conform to the manners of Israel; for otherwise no inter- course was allowed between them. Thus carefully were they to be preserved a separate people, in order to ascertain the descent of the Messiah in the promised line. In connexion with this object, their separation was designed as a means of preserving them from idolatry, and of maintaining the knowledge of the true God, and of the promise of salvation through the promised seed. And hence, many of the laws given them were in direct opposition to idolatrous rites, — vrere calculcited 85 Vo fix in their minds a contempt of the superstitious ceremonies of their neighbours, by teaching them to abominate as polUiting, the things which idolatry re- commended as holy and venerable, and requiring them to sacrifice the very animals ■which the surrounding nations were in the habit of worshipping. And the whole of their laws were so connected with a divinely instituted and national ritual, to which nothing was to be added, and from which nothing was to be taken, as to be a strong preservative from the unholy rites and practices of the nations. There was an early distinction between clean and unclean animals in relation to sacri- fice ; but the distinction between clean and unclean, ap- pears to have been extended by the law of IMoses. Th» Israelites were distinguished by their food, as well as by their worship ; and it is easy to see, that this part of the ritual must have operated as a powerful preventive of familiar and social intercourse between them and the Gentiles. The different parts of their law were wisely adapted to this end ; and often when we cannot discern what was the immediate design of a particular law, we may rest in the general conviction, that it was of use in preserving the separation in question. In a word, had we a proper knowledge of the ancient Chaldean, Egyptian, and Phoenician idolatry, we should see much more clearly, than we now can, the reason of those rites and prohibitions which were designed to counter- act the opinions and practices of the nations adjacent to Canaan. Much, however, may be learned on this sub- ject, even with the partial knowledge which we have of those opinions and practices. And certainly the great thing for us is, to learn the unutterable import- H S6 ance and the high blessedness of that moral separation from the world, in principle and practice, which Chris- tians are called to maintain. We may lay it down as a certain principle, that as those parts of the law which had a special and direct respect to the Christian eco- nomy, are much more plain to us than they were to the Israelites ; so, on the other hand, those laws which liad a special and direct respect to the particular cir- cumstances of Israel at the time, were quite clear to them, though somewhat obscure to us. The leading design of the covenant of peculiarity with Israel, was to aiford a more full typical illustra- tion of the character and work, the salvation and king- dom of Christ, than could otherwise have been given. And it is a striking proof of the divine wisdom in the structure of the ancient economy, that while it was most minutely levelled against the idolatrous systems of the time, it was at the same time, as minutely typical of the constituent parts of the present dispensation. The benefit of this, ought not to be considered as con- fined to the Jews, for many of them knew little of the matter, and those among them who were best instruct- ed, fell far short of that knowledge of the subject of Avhich Christians are possessed* The fact is, that Moses in his law, as well as the other Prophets in their prophecies, ministered more for our benefit, than for that of their brethren. Even to this hour, it is of the first importance to have distinct views of the ancient dis- pensation, and of the nature and design of the kingdom of Israel. The New Testament is full of allusions and references to the Je-vvish economy and the Jewish his- tory. And a great part of antichristian corruptions have 87 arisen from a misunderstanding of the peculiar objects of the Levitical law, and the special nature of the go- vernment of Israel. By the covenant established at vSinai, a great step was taken in the advancement of the plan of mercy to the world- The worship of God was established in a more regular form than it had hitherto been. A re- gular priesthood was appointed, — a regular system of sacrifice was instituted, — one altar was appointed for the whole of the Israelites, — that people, as a nation, became the peculiar people of God, and ultimately they were placed in a land by themselves. And the whole s^'stem of their constitution was designed to prefigure the kingdom of Christ, and to prepare for its full and general establishment. When Jehovah appeared for the deliverance of the Isradites from Egypt, he said to them by Moses, *' I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God which bringeth out from under the burdens of the Kgyptians." Exodus vi. 7. The word God is employ- ed in a relative sense, and is different from Jehovali, the peculiar name of the Almighty, which is never so used. It is never said in Scripture, I will be th)^ Je- liovah, or thou art my Jehovah ; but always, I will be thy God, or thou art my God. As Jehovah '' who is> who was, and who is to come," he stands in no relation to creatures. But as God, he stands in all those rela- tions which arise from creation, providence, and re- demption. When he promises to be the God of indi- viduals, he engages to communicate all personal bless- mgs ; such as the forgiveness of sin^ Jer. xxxi. 33, 34, the sanctfying and the comforting influences of His spirit, Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, and the privilege of His guidance, support and protection in tliis M'orld, and of an everlasting inheritance beyond death and the grave. Psalm xlviii. 14; Heb. xi. 16. And when he promises to be the God of a nation, it implies that he will com- municate all national blessings, such as an abundance of the good things of this life, an increase of numbers-, deliverance from oppression, institutions of worship, government and instructions, and protection and safety from enemies. Such were the blessings promised unto Israelj considered as a nation. Gen. xxvii. 28, 29 ; Ex. xix. 3 — 6 ; xxiii. 25 — 23. And in order to mark their fulfilment and to exhibit a shadow of the kingdom of Christ, Jehovah condescended to become the political king of that people. Hence Gideon said to them, w^hen they wishetl to assign the government to him and his iamily : '^' I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you : The Lord shall rule over you." Judges viii. 23. He saw in the proposal of the people, a principle inconsistent with the right exercised by Je- hovah, of nominating judges and setting them aside at his pleasure. And Samuel in reasoning with them, en- deavoured to convince them of their error in having asked a king, when the Lord their God was their king. 1 Sam. xii. 12. He '' gave unto them Judges." Acts, xiii. 20, not merely as he does to all nations in the ordinary course of his providence ; but in an ex- traordinary manner, by raising up particular individuals t<)r the office. And the rulers he appointed, were to act as his vicegerents. They could not^ for instance^ 89 engage in war^ or conclude a peace^ but by his imme- diate direction. And when he rejected Saul from being King, he gave him no answer in that character, neither by dreams^ nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 1 Sam. xxviii. 6. Jehovah was, at once, the judge, the lawgiver, and the king of that people. Isaiah, xxxiii. 22. The kingdom of Israel, then, was a Theocracy, or a kingdom immediately governed by God, He is, in- deed, in one sense, the king of all the nations of the earth, inasmuch, as his providence governs them all ; but he was, in a peculiar sense, the king of the Israel- ites ; because he stood related to them, not only as their God whom they were exclusively to worship, in opposition to every idol ; but as their political monarch whom they were bound to obey as the head of the state, in opposition to every political ruler, who should at any time presume to govern them by laws of his own. All the laws and institutions of the kingdom were given immediately by God. The people had no right to alter the form of their government, as might be done by the other nations of mankind ; for Jeliovah himself was their legislator and judge. Even in their political capacity, they sustained a relation to God, to which there never was, and never will be any thing parallel among men. The rulers of Israel had no legislative power. They were merely the vicegerents of Jehovah the Sovereign, and as such, the executors of his laws. All state emergencies were provided for by the laws of Moses, or by the answers of the oracle of Urim and Thummira. Deut. xvii. 18 — 20 ; Num. xxvii. 21. They ruled in II 2 90 the character of his sons and representatives, and hence:, they are called Gods and sons of the highest. Psalrii, Ixxxii. 6. The throne on which they sat was the throne of God, and as his deputies, they were in their official character, at once, representatives of God, the true Lord of the Theocracy, and types of Emmanuel ; who, as the mighty God in human nature, and the heir of his Father, should rise to rule in that kingdom of which theirs was a figure. Hence, appears the jus- tice of our Lord's claim to be acknowledged as the true and supreme God. John, x. 34 — 38. If the judges cf Israel were called Gods and sons of God, as t3'pes of the ]\Iessiah, and the language of Scripture cannot ])e broken, why charge with blasphemy him whom the father hath sanctified and sent into the world as that very I\Iessiah, because he applies this language to him- self, the Antitype ? If they were shadows of him in that office, he surely was the substance of it. Solomon, for instance, when set upon the throne of Israel, is re- presented as treated by God as a son. 1 Chron. xxviii. 6, 7- On this account, he is said to have sat on the throne of the kingdo?}i of the Lord. 1 Chron. xxviii. 5 ; and to have been set on the throne of Jehovah, to be king for the Lord his God. 2 Chron. ix. 8. And speak- ing of the rebellion of Jerusalem, Abijah said, that the kingdom of the Lord was in the hands of the sons of David. 2 Chron. xiii. 8. This explains the nature of the sin committed by the people, when they asked a king. It did not consist in asking a king, for the law had made provision fov their having a king. Deut. xvii. 14 — 20 ; it lay in asking a king like to the ki?igs of the nations ; or in other words. 91 m wishing to be allowed to have a visible head, instead of being subject, as they had hitherto been, to an in- visible legislator. Hence, God said to Samuel : '' They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." 1 Sam. viii. 6, 7^ 19, 20 ; xii. 12, 17- Not that they had proposed to reject Jehovah as their God, — they only desired to have another king in his stead. Their request, so far as it simply respected a king, was granted ; but the Theocracy was continued, for the kings, like the judges who had been before them, were still the vicegerents of Jehovah. The throne was ex- pressly declared to be the throne of the Lord. God gave them Saul " in his anger ;" but yet it was said to them : " See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen." 1 Sam. X. 24. And it was Jehovah hunself who after- wards rejected him. 1 Sam. xvi. 1. The covenant established with David proceeds on the principle, that his elevation to the throne was entirely the doing of Heaven, and that his kingdom was of a typical nature. Tlie nation of Israel reached its highest glory in the days of David, and in those of his son Solomon. In the reign of the former, the whole of the promised land was subdued and possessed ; and in the reign of the latter, the temple w^as built. Im- mediately after this, the kingdom began to decline, as if to show, that it was but a shadow. Not that before the coming of Christ, there was nothing enjoyed but shadows ; for the promise of the seed of the woman, and the promises to Abraham concerning the Messiah, und tlie advancing light of the prophetic word, served 92 v\ connexion witli the tj-pical economy of Moses, to support the faith and the hope of the people of God, in the great reahties of "which it was a figure. In a word, their economy so shadowed forth the Gospel, as to explain the promises that contained it, though in it- self it could not fulfil them. God established a covenant with David, which is commonly called a covenant of royalty. 2 Sam. vii. 11 — 16 ; 1 Chron. xvii. 10 — 14. As the kingdom of Israel was an introduction to the kingdom of Christ ; so the promises made to David, though in their immediate and literal sense, they re- spected the nation over which he was placed, and Solomon with his successors on the throne ; yet in their ultimate and spiritual sense, they respected Christ and his heavenly kingdom. They are often referred to in the Psalms and the Prophets. The angel in fore- telling his birth, distinctly refers to the covenant in question, by declaring, that he should inherit the throne of his father David. Luke, i. 31—33. Solomon, therefore, as ajigure of Christ, placed on the throne of Jehovah over Israel, is represented as reigning there in the character of a son, and therefore, an heir of God. The promise to David, that the Lord would set up his seed after him, and would establish and perpetuate his kingdom, was of course a promise, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne, as was expressly declared by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost. Acts, ii. 30, 31 . And the promise concern- ing his seed : '^ 1 will be his Father, and he shall be my Son ;" is applied in the Epistle to the Hebrews to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and to his 93 exaltation to the kingdom, and the inheritance, of which, the kingdom and the inheritance of David were but faint emblems. Heb. i. 5. It was this view of the promise, which supported the mind of David himself in his dying moments. It delighted his heart to say, that the just one should rule over men, that he should rule in the fear of God, and that he should be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a mornii^g without clouds ; and as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain ; and with deep feeling, he said : '^ Although my house be not so v\ith God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure ; for this is all my salva- tion, and all my desire." 2 Sam. xxiii. 3 — 5. Such were the last words of this eminent King of Israel. They unfold the ground of his hope and the cause of his joy^ when about to shut his eyes on all that is below, and to enter the world of spirits. So far as the covenant respected the descent of the IMessiah from his loins, the promise v/as peculiar to him ; but as it regarded the bestowment of the blessings of mercy, it is common to all believers ; and the latter view of it, was that which was the great spring of consolation to the de« parting spirit of the sweet singer of Israel. This was the word on v/hich Jehovah had " caused him to hope." It embraced all that was required to his salvation from guilt, and sin, and all their effects ; and it compre- hended all that he desired ; far in the establishment of the kingdom of IMessiah, and in the enjoyment of its hallowed and jnanifold blessings, he rested with full satisfaction. The reference which the promise had to Christ, is 91 the reason why he is so often promised to the church under the name of David. Jer. xxx. 9. ; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24, and chap, xxxvii. 24, 25. ; Hosea, iii. 5. The throne of David was not perpetuated in his earthly- house ; so far from this, his family gradually declined, and at last was entirely deprived of the government ; and when the Christ was born, his mother was poor in Israel, and he appeared as a small twig from the stock of a tree which has been cut down. Isaiah, liii. 2. The kingdom of David was then fallen ; but the kingdom of the ]\Iessiah was promised under the idea of raising up the tabernacle of David that was fallen, and repair- ing its ruins. Amos, ix. 11, compared with Acts, xv. 16, 17- And the Angel said, when foretelling his birth : The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. Luke, i. 32. It is evident then, that the covenant with David con- sisted of free promises, and is thus illustrative of the great covenant of God. In so far as it respected the continuance of his family on the throne of Israel, the promise was connected with their obedience ; and hence, they were at last deprived of the dominion. Psalm, Ixxxix. 30 — 32. Just as the enjoyment of the temporal benefits of Canaan by Israel, considered as a nation, was suspended, on obedience to the law of their Lord. For the sake of his promise to David, however. Gad bore long with his family, instead of depriving them immediately of the throne on their transgressing his law, and for the sake of that promise, many signal mercies were conferred upon Judah. 1 Kings, xi. 12— 13, 32—34, and xv. 1—5; 2 Kings viii. 18, 19. Even ^fter the captivity, Judah had a government of 95 its own ; and though its form was changed^, the su- preme rule continued in the family of David till a short time before the advent of the Saviour. But still, this longsuffering towards his family and this kindness to- wards Judah, flowed from regard to the Messiah, who was to decend from them. It was not for their sakes that he thus favoured them ; but for the sake of Christ, and because of the mercy which he had in store for the world through Him. And as he promised that he would not destroy Judah for David's sake, though many individuals would be punished according to their ways j so he has promised that for the sake of the Re- deemer, his church shall be preserved though many who call themselves of her, shall be dealt with as their works deserve. Jehovah remembers all the afflictions of the Son and the Lord of David, and therefore, he bears with his people, and will ultimately call them to himself. In a word, the kingdom of David was a figure of the kingdom of Christ, and hence the peace and prosperity of the latter are often described by images borrowed from the reign of Solomon, when the former was in all its glory. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. ; Micah, iv. 3 — 4, with 1 Kings, iv. 25; Psalm, Ixxii. 7 — li« And his ruling without as well as within the church, w^as typified by the government of David and of Solomon over the sur- rounding countries. The Philistines and the Moabites, and the Syrians and all they of Edom were subjected to David. 2 Sam. viii. 1, 2, 6, 14; and Solomon reigned over all the kings, from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the borders of Egypt. 2 Chron. ix. 26. 96 There were many occasional types of the Saviour ; but the government of Israel was a standing figure of the kingdom of Christ. The people were the flock of God, and the kings of the house of David, though they often acted unsuitably to their office, were appointed to feed them as the sheep of his pasture. Jer. xxiii. 1, 2. Whatever was their personal character, they were in their official capacity types of the Messiah, a On account of the wickedness of those who sat upon the throne, the family of David was at last removed from it, till He came whose right it was to reign. Ezek. xxi. 25 — 27. And the prophets, when speaking of a It is of importance to mark tbis distinction. It serves among other things, to explain the divine declaration, that " David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite." 1 Kings, xv. 5. Ihis cannot refer to his private character ; for on many occasions he departed from the Lord, and often does he acknowledge his guilt in the Psalms which he penned. It must refer to his public character ; for it is of the behaviour of Kings, as such, that the historian is speaking. Abijah was a wicked man, and his administration as the vicegerent of Jehovah on the throne, was exceedingly improper. And hence, like many other of the kings of Judah, he is contrasted with David. " He walked," it is said, " in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him ; and his heart was not pel feet, (up- right or sincere,) with the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father." 1 Kings, xv. 3. It was as the Lord's anointed, or as the King of Israel, that David was a man according to God's own heart, and did all his will. In his private character he often sinned ; but as a king, he maintained the integrity of the Levitical law, he never connived at idolatry, or violated his duties as the head of the chosen people ; except in the case of Uriah. By the sinful exercise of his authority he procured his death, when he oiiglit to have protected and rewarded him as a brave and faithful subject. He erred also, indeed, in numbering the people ; but this was not a transgression of any positive commandment given him as a king ; for tlie people had been repeatedly numbered by divine direction. 1 he action was sinful; because done from improper motives; such as useless curi'. osity, vain glory, or want of confidence in God. 97 the wicked kings and priests of the earthly Zicn, direct our views to the promised Messiah, and contrast his character with theirs. IMicah, iii. 10, 11, compared with chap. iv. 1 — 5 ; Zepaniah, iii. 3, 4, with verse 5 ; Ezek. xxxiv. 20 — 22, with verse 23, 24. In propor- tion as the glory of the house of David declined, the spiritual import of the promise was more clearly un- folded. Isaiah, ix. 6, 7 ; Jer. xxiii. 5 — ^, and xxxiii. 15 — 17. The testimony of Jesus, indeed, is the spirit of prophecy. Rev. xix. 10. As the political monarch of Israel, Jehovah promised temporal blessings in connexion with obedience, and denounced temporal judgments as the punishment of transgression. The principal promises Avere, that they should obtain the land of the Canaanites, and enjoy a long and a peaceable possession of it, — that their land should abound with all that was necessary for theiV outward prosperity, — that they should be preserved from famine and pestilence, and from the other plagues and diseases that had been inflicted on Egypt ; — that they should be greatly multiplied, — that victory should be given them over their enemies j and that Jehovah should place among them the symbols of his presence. Lev. xxvi. 3—14; Deut. vi. 10—12; vii. 12—21; viii, 7 — 18 ; xi. 13 — 25. The punishments denounced against disobedience, were such as diseases, unsuccess- ful war, ejection from the land of Canaan, and the de- solation and preternatural barrenness of that land. Lev. xxvi. 14—39; Deut. iv. 25—27; viii. 19, 20; xi. 16, 17; xxviii. 15 — 68. The rewards of obedience were to be enjoyed by I them as " a kingdom of priests ;" or as a people digni- fied by a special relation unto God, separated from others, and dear to him as his peculiar treasure. The promises in question, particularly referred to them as a body, as did also the threatenings of the opposite judgments. Accordingly, so long as they continued obedient as a people, they uniformly enjoyed prospe- rity, even though individuals among them transgressed. And on the other hand, they were plunged into adver- sity as a nation, when they in general sinned, though many individuals retained their integrity. But though the promises and threatenings particu- larly regarded them as a body ; yet in as far as it did not interfere with the national circumstances, which corresponded with their national conduct, the lot of in- dividuals was according to their personal behaviour. Hence, the curses proclaimed from Mount Ebal, were denounced against every individual who should com- mit any of the crimes which are there enumerated. Deut. xxvii. 14 — 26. And it is distinctly declared, that if any man or woman, as well as any family or tribe, should turn away from Jehovah and worship the gods of the nations,* and should prove a root bearing gall or wormwood, and persist in his evil courses, not- withstanding of the solemn denunciations of Heaven, the Lord would not spare him ; but would blot out his name from under Heaven, and separate him unto evil, out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which were written in the book of the law. Deut. xxix. 18 — 21. On the other hand, there were blessings promised to obedient individuals, as for instance, to the bountiful and compassionate. 99 Deut. XV. 10 — 18, and to the upright in judgment, chap. xvi. 20. Individuals, indeed, who were righte- ouSj sometimes suffered when national sins drew down national judgments ; and transgressors, on the other hand, shared in the prosperity which national obe- dience produced : But at other times, God, to answer some wise purposes, preserved the righteous from the general calamity, and cut off certain of the wicked in times of prosperity. And when the ungodly shared in the general prosperity, it was by sufferance ; as when the righteous shared in the general calamity, it was made to work for their good, and was changed into a blessing. The earthly blessin<]js of the old covenant were fifjura- live, however, of spiritual blessings ; and the sanctions of temporal punishment, prefigured that spiritual and everlasting curse w^hich is entailed on every transgres3or of the law of Heaven. Deut. xxvii. 2G, compared with Gal. iii. 13. That economy was a parable, and like every other parable, it had a literal and a spiritual meaning. It should be considered, not only as it stood by itself; but as connected with the revelations which had previously been given. These embraced a dis- covery of the guilt and depravity of man, of the pur- poses of God in relation to a Saviour, and of a future state beyond death and the grave. The doctrine of a future state was implied in the first promise ; for what hope could have been cherished, had death been con- sidered as a total extinction of being. It was taught in the history of Abel ; for it could not for a moment be imagined, that the Almighty approved of his sacri- fice, and yet allowed him in consequence of it, to suffer 100 a death which utterly ended his existence. It was e%^ pressly declared by Enoch. Jude, 14, 15; and it was strikingly confirmed by his translation to heaven without tasting death, by which it was explicitly re- vealed, that the body, as w^ell as the soul, should inherit the celestial world. In the faith of this blessed truth, Abraham oiTered up Isaac ; for he accounted that God was able to raise him from the dead, which shows, that the idea of a resurrection was familiar to his mind. Heb. xi. 17 — 1^' 111 the faith of a future world, he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And the Patriarchs, in general,, looked beyond Canaan to a heavenly country, and died persuaded of the promises, and in the faith of their ac- complishment. Heb. xi. 13 — 16. Moses had respect to the recompence of a future rew^ard. Heb. xi. 24 — 26. To him this precious truth was declared at the bush. Exodus, iii. 6; Matth. xxii. 31, 32. The Patriarchs were certainly acquainted with angels and with heaven where they reside. Gen. xxviii. 12; and they must, therefore, have known of another and a better Avorld. The language of Balaam : " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end, (or my future state, as the word here used means,) be like his." Num. xxiii. 10 ; is a proof of what v.as believed on this subject. We accordingly find, that the belief of this doctrine was generally held by the Jews in the days of our Lord and his Apostles. John, xi- 24 ; Acts, xxiv. 15 ; and it is declared to have been the belief of their fathers. Acts, xxvi. 6 — 8. But though this doc- trine Is found in the other revelations of Heaven, the law of Moses, considered as a judicial code, was not directly 101 enforced by it. Considered, however, as connected with the previous revelations of Heaven, and with the advent of the jMessiah, it certainly proceeded on the principle of a future condition of being. One reason why the subject was not more explicitly introduced in the law of IMoses, was, that Jehovah as the political king of Israel, for particular purposes, ex- ercised over them an extraordinary providence in re- warding obedience, and punishing transgression, by immediate and temporal blessings and calamities ; and such a dispensation required, that the light should be imparted as it actually was. As the present enjoy- ments and events of life were ascribed to idols, it was of importance, in the existing circumstances of man- kind, to exhibit Jehovah as the sole distributor of every present good and evil. For the superiority of the true Ood could not be sensibly exhibited in the present world by a comparison of his power in the distribution of future and invisible rewards and punishments. But when once this superiority was proved by a series of unquestionable facts, in relation to rewards and punish- ments in the present world, it was easy to conclude, that the same immutable Deity would in a future world punish the obstinately rebellious, and bless his pardon- ed and sanctified people. For this purpose, among others, the Jewish nation was selected, that by the plan of their constitution, and the constant adjustments of their prosperity or adversity, according as they were faithful or disobedient to the will of their king, they might exhibit a decisive proof, that Jehovah was the only living and true God. And the relation which their fortunes frequently had to the interests of other i2 102 nations^ tended forcibly to illustrate his overruling pro- vidence, and deeply to impress the mind with the solemn conviction, that the pretensions of idolatry were utterly unfounded. At the same time, such were the arrangements of Heaven, that while this object was gained, the institu- tions and history of Israel served to represent by a figure, the spiritual kingdom of Clirist, and the privi- leges and characters of his subjects. The special care of Jehovah over Israel is an illustration of the special care exercised by the Saviour over his Church. That economy served a future and typical, as m'cII as a pre- sent purpose. And as the fulness of the time drew near, the revelation of a future state became clearer and clearer. And in proportion as it did so, the visible in- terposition of God, as the head of the Theocracy, be- came less frequent and manifest. And now, that life and incorruption have been brought to light by the Gospel, such a constitution of things has been entirely superseded. But even while it continued, believers in the promised Messiali looked through the temporal pro- mises and threatenings of the law, to things spiritu:d and eternal. Thus, David even when in the possession of the throne, and when all was prosperous in the land, said unto God : " We are strangers before thee, and so- journers, as were all cur fathers ; our days on eartli are as a shadow, and there is none abiding." 1 Chron. xxix. 15. ^^ I am a stranger," says he " in the earth, hide not thy commandments from me." Psalm cxix. 19. In Psalm xvi, he speaks of the resurrection of Christ, when personating the Saviour, he expresses his confi- dence, that his soul should not be left in the separate 103 state of departed spirits^ nor his body to see corruption in the grave. Acts ii. 30^ 31. In Psalm xvii_, he opposes the earthly objects on which the desires of the Avickcd are fixed, to the hallowed enjoyments of the celestial state, when he prays for deliverance from the ungod- ly of the world, whose portion is in this life. ver. 13, 14 ; and says : " But as for me^ I w^ill behold thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness, ver. 15. The word rendered av/ake, liere seems by an apt metaphor, to mean av/akening from death to life, in which sense it is used in Isaiah xxvi. 19, and Dan. xii. 2. Solomon explicitly says, thi:t when the dust returns to the earth as it was, the spirit returns to God Avho gave it. And referring to v/hat shall take place at the resurrection of the body, lie says; ^' God -will bring into judgment every secret thing, whether it be good or evil." Eccles. xii. 7 — 1-1. In Psalm 73, the writer informs us of the perplexities excited in his mind, by the unequal distribution of ])rovidei'Ce ; and how they were dispelled by the light thrown on futurity in the sanctuary of God. There he was led to contrast the final doom of the wicked, with the future bliss of the righteous. " How are the former brought into desolation in a moment, they are utterly consumed Avith terrors } As a dream v.hen one awaketh ; so, O Lord, when thou awakest (them from their delusive reveries,) thou shalt despise their image," or their vain shadowy condition, ver. 19, 20. And then he expresses his assured hope of the divine guidance here, and of eternal life in the world to com.e. ver. 23. — 26. Jeremiah says : He that getteth riches^ and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and 104 at his end (or in his future state, as the expression here signifies, as well as in the words of Balaam, Num. xxiii. iO;) he shall be a fool, or shall be treated as a felon, by being brought to condign punishment. Jer. xii. 11. Here the Prophet speaks, at once, of a judgment in- flicted in this life, according to the law of Moses ; for the unjust is said to be cut off " in the midst of his days j" and of a judgment inflicted in a future world. Whereas, the righteous, even should he die premature- ly, is taken away from the evil to come, " He shall enter into peace, they shall rest in their beds, each one who walketh in his uprightness," Isaiah, Ivii. 2. In a word, the frequent allusion to a resurrection, and the frequent use of this figure, when describing the de- liverances of Israel, must be a convincing proof, that the subject of a future state was familiar to the Jews. The light in which Canaan was viewed, is evident from Psalm xcv. 8 — 11, where, long after the rest promised there had been obtained, David speaks of a rest which yet remained to be possessed. He warns the Israelites of the danger of provoking God, to exclude them from the rest to be enjoyed in the celestial world, as their fathers were excluded from the earthly Canaan. It appears then, that such as connected the Levitical economy with the previous revelation of Heaven, in re- gard to a future state, and to the INIessiah, and the gift of eternal life through him, and with the subsequent re- velation afforded on the same subject ; saw in that economy a shadow of spiritual and eternal things. It does not follow from this, that all such as suffered the temporal penalties attached to disobedience, perish- ed eternally ; or that all who shared in the temporal 105 prosperity of the nation, ^vere eternally saved. Tbe temporal punishment of one class, and the temporal enjoyment of another, may be designed to prefigure spiritual destruction on the one hand, and spiritual bliss on the other ; -while some of the former may be finally saved, and some of the latter may ultimately be saved. The death of Moses, for instance, was the re- compence of a particular instance of unbelief and dis- obedience, as was that also of Aaron and iMiriam ; yet, who can doubt that the whole three expired in the en- joyment of the blessings of redemption, and entered into holy rest in the vrorld of spirits ? And on the other hand, there can be no question that numbers who entered the earthly Canaan, fell short of the heavenly. These dispensations answered a typical purpose ; but did not of themselves determine the ultimate fate of the individuals concerned. The temporal promises which were made to Abra- ham, particularly those of them that were peculiar to his seed, formed the basis of the covenant established at Sinai. Exodus, iii. 7, 8, 16, 17; Deut. vii. 12, 13; xi. 8, 9, and Acts, vii. 5 — 8, 17- And yet a distinc- tion is made between it and the covenant established with him : But this is explained by the consideration, that where the Scriptures make the distinction in ques- tion, the reference is to the system of laws which was connected with the temporal promises, and not to those promises considered in themselves. Thus, when the Apostle distinguishes the covenant which was made with Abraham^ from that which was afterwards estab- lished with Israel, the latter is denominated the Ian, 106 Gal. ill. 17 — 10; Rom. iv. 13 — 16. In reasoning in regard to the ground of acceptance with God;, he appeals to the case of Abraham^, who was justified^, not by the law ; but on the footing of a covenant which was confirmed to him four hundred and thirty years before the law of ]\Ioses was given. It follows^ then, that the law in question formed no part of the covenant established with the Patriarch, in whom the Jews were so disposed to glory. The temporal promises made to him, so far as they respected his seed, formed indeed the basis of the JMosaic economy, and the mode of their fulfilment was adopted to its object ; and con- sidered as connected with that economy, as a judicial code, they are identified with it ; but considered in another view, or as connected with the promises of spiritual blessings, they held a relation to the ever- lasting covenant which has now been ratified through Christ, inasmuch, as they were not only figurative of its blessings, but subservient to its fulfihnent ; in which two respects, as has already been stated, there is a relation between the spiritual and temporal bless- ings of promise. As the promise of spiritual and heavenly blessings is fulfilled in connexion with faith in the Gospel of Christ ; so the promise of the earthly inheritance was to be fulfilled in connexion with faith in the power and veracity of him v.ho had made it. Hence, the generation which left Egypt, fell in the wilderness, because of their unbelief of the divine promise of the land of Canaan, as displayed in their distrusting the power and faithfulness of God ; in their being dis- couraged by the evil report of the unfaithful spies, and 107 ill their murmurings and rebellion, notwithstanding of the remarkable miracles which had been wrought in their behalf. Xum. xiv. 1—35 ; Deut. i. 26 — 40 ; Heb. iii. 7 — 19. Referring to this^ the Apostle admonishes professing Christians to beware of departing from the truth, lest they come short of the promised rest. ^' For," says he, " unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them," that is, we have proclaimed to us the good tidings of the heavenly rest, as Israel had of the earthly rest ; ''' but the word preached did not pi'ofit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." And therefore, we ought to take warning by their sad example. Heb. iv. 1, 2. We have seen, that as the people of Israel were sepa- rated from the nations, for the purpose of preserving the knowledge and the worship of God in the earth ; so in order to gain this object, it was necessary that genuine religion should at no time be utterly lost among them. And we may now remark, that on a similar principle, it was necessary, that at least the appearance of attachment to Jehovah should on the whole distinguish them. Hence, their economy was so constructed, as that Jehovah sustained a twofold character among them. He was, as we have seen, at once, their God and their king. And in the latter character, he established a law on the basis of the par- ticular temporal promises which he had made to their fathers. Their entrance into the promised land was connected with faith in those promises ; and as to those who were born in possession of it, their continuance and happiness there, were connected with obedience to his law j and particulary, with the observance of those 108 precepts, disobedience to which involved the rejection of hira as their king, and which was consequently, a breach of their national covenant. Exodus, xx. 4, 5. Besides, according to the constitution of that eco- nomy, the sins of the fathers w^ere visited upon the children, in as far as the enjoyment of the land of Ca- naan, and its temporal advantages was concerned. In particular, the crime of idolatry was thus punished ; be- cause it was the highest crime against the state, being rebellion against God as the supreme sovereign, and involving a total disregard of his promises, and of the true spring of all the blessings communicated in the land given to them as the seed of Abraham. It follows, tlien, that the mere circumstance of descent from Abra- liam, did not entitle any of his seed to the possesssion of that land. But as apart from religious principle, there may- exist among men, an attachment to an earthly govern- ment, arising from a sense of the protection and other benefits enjoyed by its means; so their might be a regard to Jehovah as the king of Israel, arising from a sense of the temporal deliverances and favours be- stowed by him, while his spiritual glory failed to affect the soul. Present and sensible deliverances operated on the minds of the people, as we see in the salvation of their first-born, when those of their enemies were destroyed, and in the signal interposition of Heaven, at the Red Sea. What, but faith in the powder of God to accomplish his promise would have induced them to go forward at the divine command, when nothing but destruction seemed to be before them ? Well may it be said, that " by faith, they passed through the Red 109 Sea." But this faith in the divine power and veracity, as pledged in that particular instance, did not neces- sarily involve faith in the spiritual promise, and in the glorious redemption of which that was a figure We accordingly find, that many of them were altogether unrenewed in heart. And yet there is no reason to question, that they were really impressed by the de- liverance vouchsafed them. But the lapse of time made them glide by degrees into forgetfulness. Psalm, Ixxviii. 10, 11, and cvi. 12, 13. Those of them, hov.-- ever, who were the spiritual children of God, would more naturally retain a sense of the temporal deliver- ances vouchsafed them, and would be marked by a greater steadiness of obedience. Feeble, indeed, are the motives to obedience which are furnished by tem- poral favours, when compared with those which arise from heavenly and spiritual mercies ! The natural feebleness of the former motives, rendered necessary the different laws and penalties which were enforced by Jehovah, as the supreme ruler of the state. The great body of the Israelites were often strangers to the spiritual things which v/ere couched under the tem- poral promises ; but the present benefits with which obedience to the laws of the state v/as rewarded, were calculated to cherish a regard to them. And when the effect of these failed, then the present visible and felt calamities v.hich followed, served to convince the peo- ple of their error. And the external appearance which by this means was kept up or restored, served so far to accomplish the purposes of Heaven ; because it was the means of preserving them a distinct people, till the Messiah had come. Strangers to genuine piety in K 110 Israel^ were differently circumstarjced from M'hat such characters are in the churches of Christ. There is no special earthly inheritance to influence the latter, and neither are there such visible and sensible interpositions, whether of mercy or oi^ judgment to impress them. They may, indeed, be impelled by the applause of men, or by some such principle ; but there is nothing directly from God to influence them. The motives which are furnished by the kingdom of Christ, are taken from things spiritual and heavenly, and their energy appears in the power of that love, v.liich is produced by the powerfully constraining influence of the love of Christ. This by no means involves the idea, that the faith and obedience vrhich regarded the temporal promises, and the character of God as the king of Israel, vrere strictly speaking, typical of the faith and obedience of Christians ; for tliis v/ould suppose, that the sins also cf the Israelites were typical of the sins of professing Christians. A type, properly so called, is a thing vrhich is expressly framed on pui*pGse to prefigure and repre- sent another. But it cannot for a moment be admitted, that the sins of the Israelites were so framed as to typify the evils of future generations. It merits pai'- ticular attention, that even where one thing was not expressly designed to be the sign of another, it may serve to illustrate it. In a loose or general sense, it may be called a type ; but the idea intended, can only be, that the one affcrds a striking illustration of the ether. Thus, as the circumstances cf Israel, in many respects resembled those of professing Christians, the evils into which the former fell are very fitly exhibited, for the purpose of vrarning the latter against similar Ill transgressions. 1 Cor. x. 1 — 14. But this Is far from supposing, that the one class of evils properly typified die other. Now, on the same principle, the faith of the Israelites in the temporal promises^ and their regard to God as their king, may be employed to illustrate the faith of the Gospel, and the obedience which under its influence is yielded unto Christ, In no case can God require less than the obedience of the heart ; but then, the regard of the heart must in every particular hen the rectitude of the divine judgment shall be fully manifested to all. In connexion with this, it deservas to be considered, that He "who knew tlie secrets of the heart, sometimes conferred favours, not upon this principle, but because, though he could not approve of the views and motives of the actor, yet the actions themselves were subservient to his great designs- Thus, he rewarded Nebuchadnezzar for his service against Tyre, by giving liim the land of Egypt. Ezekiel, xxvi. 1 — 7; xxix. 17 — 20. And he rewarded Cyrus for his work against Babylon, by giving him the hidden riches of secret places. Isaiah, xlv. 3. On both of the principles now mentioned, he gave the victory to Abijah the son of Rehoboam. It is clear, from 1 Kings, xv. 2, 3, that he was by no means a pious man ; yet the Lord prospered him, because of the profession which he made, as recorded in 2 Chron. xiii. 4 — 12. And he rewarded his heroism and his firmness, as a king, for David's sake and the establish- 124 ment of Jerusalem^ in subserviency to the accomplish- ment of the promise concerning the Messiah, who was in the loins of the family of David ; and concerning the establishment of that kingdom, of which the kingdom of Judah was a figure. As one object designed by the law, was to keep the seed of Israel a separate people, that the accomplishment of his promise to Abraham, that the IMessiah should descend from him, might be evident, and that the way might be prepared for the fulfilment among them of the many prophecies con- cerning the Eedeemer ; it is easy to see, why measures which tended to preserve the separation in question, were crowned with success, whatever might be the personal character, or the motives of the actors : And also, why external obedience was in the common sense of the expression, rewarded by temporal benefits, see- ing this obedience served in a measure, to preserve the desired separation. It is a mistake to say, that as the Sinai covenant pro- mised only temporal rewards in connexion with obe- dience, and denounced temporal judgments as the punishment of rebellion ; therefore, nothing more than external obedience could be required. This conclusion by no means follows the premises. Surely, the good- ness of God in giving us the blessings of health and prosperity, lays us under an obligation to love him, as thus revealed to us. That it does so, is evident from the declaration of Scripture, that even the nations who were suffered to walk in their own ways, without the benefit of that special revelation which was granted to Israel, were laid under obligation to seek after and to worship God, according to the light in which he ap- 125 peared to them ; and because of the goodness he dis- play ed^, in '' giving them rain from Heaven^ and fruitful seasons, fiUing their hearts with food and gladness.' Acts, xiv. 16, 17; xvii. 26 — 28. And is not he en- titled to gratitude for the removal of affliction, con- siderinff that it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed ? Can we fail to see, then, that the deliver- ance from Egypt, — the manna and the other benefits bestowed in the wilderness, — the gift of the land of Canaan, and of the many enjoyments which were there possessed, though all of them were in themselves but of a temporal nature, certainly laid the Israelites under very strong obligations to serve the Lord with the whole heart ? It is, accordingly, expressly said to them : " If ye will hearken diligently unto my com- mandments, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart, and with all your soul ; I will give you the rain of your land in his season, the first rain, and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil." Deut. xi. 13, 14. They must have been bound in common with all mankind to love their Creator supremelj'^ ; and the special blessings which they received from him could not be lessened, but must rather have been enhanced by their coming from him in the character of their peculiar king ; and they must, therefore, have increased their obligations to him. Add to these considerations, that the peculiar favours granted them were connected with a particular revela- tion respecting the Redeemer, who should spring from among them, and that to him their whole economy had a reference. The temporal blessings of the cove- l2 126 nant were connected with the superior blessings of the knowledge of the true God^ and with institutions of worship^ calculated to illustrate the promise of redemp- tion ; and so to cherish those principles Avhich produce cordial obedience to him^, as at once^ their peculiar king, and the moral governor of all. And thus, the law of Moses, so far from superseding the spiritual promises, was added unto them, and was subservient to their ac- complishment. If the people did not yield the obe- dience of the heart, though on the principles we have stated, they continued to enjoy the earthly inheritance in connexion with external obedience ; yet the judg- ment of Heaven awaited them in another world, where God will appear as the judge cf all, and where every man shall individually be judged according to the state of his heart. And if, on the other hand, the law of Moses punished them only with temporal judgments, even when they openly violated it ; yet they were indi- vidually liable to that future judgment, which is ap- pointed for all men after death ; for as the I\Iosaic law did not supersede the promises confirm.ed in Christ ; so neither did it supersede the sentence of condemna- tion denounced against every soul of man that doeth evil, whether Jew or Gentile ; " for there is no respect of persons with God." Kom. ii. 6 — 11. It was in that case, as it is with a Christian Church. Individuals are admitted there on a credible profession ; but this does not interfere with the solemn declaration, that all the churches shall know, that their great head searcheth the reins, and trieth the hearts, and will give to every one according to his works. Rev. ii. 23. It is incorrect, then, to say, that the mere circum- 127 stance of descent from Abraham, entitled the Israelites to the blessings of Canaan ; for their possession of those blessings was connected with at least, such a profession of attachment to the God of Abraham, as was expressed by a declaration of their faith in the promises which formed the basis of the old covenant, and by the exter- nal observance of the law of Moses. And besides this, the law itself required that such profession should be the expression of the heart ; and many warnings were given against the sin of hj-pocrisy, though in its actual administration, as the political code of the nation, such a profession of regard to the law was sustained, as is acted upon in the administration of the kingdoms of the world. It is not correct to say, that though this be true in regard to things which are, strictly speaking, of a civil or political nature, it does not hold true in regard to what was, in itself, of a religious character : For under that economy, the two things were blended. The commonwealth of Israel was entirely of an ex- traordinary nature, and nothing like to it can possibly exist now. It was designed to prepare for the estab- lishment of a kingdom which is not of this world. It was, therefore, limited to a certain period, and was utterly destroyed ; when on the coming of the Shiloh, and the gathering of the peoples to him, the sceptre de- parted from Judah, and the lawgiver from his descen- dants. Religion and policy were so united with them, that he who violated any of the sacred rites, was looked on as an offender against the state ; for Jehovah was not only the divinity whom they worshipped ; but also the Monarch to whom they yielded the honour* 128 which belong to the supreme head of the government. The same things which in one view were acts of reli- gion, were in another acts of obedience to the law of the state. Hence, the public oaths of the people were of the nature of oaths of allegiance. Accordingly, in- novations in religion, and offences against it, were punished by the temporal sword of the kings of Israel ; a thing which did not arise from their office, considered as civil rulers ; but from their peculiar character as the deputies of Jehovah, in tlie singular relation in which he stood to that people. In a word, as in other king- doms, what is contrary to the public good, and the honour due to the prince, is punished by certain civil or political penalties ; so, in Israel, whatever was con- trary to religion, and offended God, was punished in a similar manner. It is true, that the kingly and the priestly ofnces were preserved distinct ; for Uzziah was struck with leprosy, for presuming to offer incense. 2 Chron. xxvi. 16 — 21. And hence, mc read of ^' the matters of the Lord, and the matters of the king ;" the former being the matters which respected the worship of God in the temple, the charge of performing wdiich, was given to the priest. 2 Chron. xiii. 10, 11 ; and the latter, those things which respected the other interests of the king- dom. But though the former w^ere particularly sacred, there was also a sanctity attached to the latter, for the people were a holy nation. Besides, though it be- longed to the priests actually to conduct the peculiar worship of the temple, we find the king giving them commandment, that the worship in question, should be offered according to the law. 2 Chron. xxix. 3 — 11, I ]29 20 — 3G, and xxxv. 1 — (3. And even wlien Jeliosha- phat distinguished bet'.veen the matters of the Lord, and those of the king; he at the same time, gave a solemn charge to those who were to judge of the former, as well as to those who were to judge of the latter. 2 Chron. xix. 9 — 11. The priest and the king were in the exercise of their several ofhces, both deputies of Jehovah, as the head of tlie state, though each had Ids appropriate place. They typified in different, but con- nected respects, the Saviour who unites the royal sceptre with the priestly censer, and sits " a priest upon his throne ;" and in whom, though the two offices are joined, each has its appropriate and special exercise and use. And the observance of this distinction be- tween them, is of great importance in the Christian life. We read of the princes and the king, as well as of the priests and the prophets of Zioti and Jerusalem ; the former being sacred characters, as well as the latter ; for both were conrxccted wdth that body of vdiich tlie Church of Christ is the antitype. Lam. ii. 1, 2, 6 ; Zephaniah, iii. 3, 4 ; Ezek. xxii. 26—28. It follows, then, that the conduct of the Jewish kings and rulers, in relation to the things of God, ori- ginated in their peculiar character, as the representa- tives of Jehovah, the king Israel; and as figures of Him who now occupies that throne, of which, the throne of David was an emblem. In him the type is fulfilled ; for he himself is to order and to establish his kingdom, from henceforth, even for ever. Isaiah, ix. 6. His kingdom is not of this world, i.nd it never v/as meant that the type should be fulfilled in any earthly king- dom. John^ xviii. 36. Jesus is the sole kiv,g of hia 130 Church, from him proceed all its laws and institutions, its blessings and immunities, and he reigns over it %yithout a deputy. He has appointed rulers, indeed, for the benefit of his churches ; but their office is not like that of the rulers of the nations. Luke, xxii. 25 ; 1 Peter, v. 3. There is an evil principle in the heart of man, which leads him to rest in external forms and services; and unhappily, this evil principle perverted the materiality and the visibility of the Levitical rites, into an occasion of fostering itself; for the Jews rested in the flesh, or the mere carcase, as it were, of the law. In a similar way, it perverted the actual administration of the go- vernment of Israel, into an occasion of strengthening that propensity in man, which leads him to rest in the discharge of w^hat are denominated social and relative duties, to the neglect of that love to God, M'hich is the first and the great commandment ; and which is also the impregnating principle of all proper obedience to the second And farther, that corrupt principle v/hich occupies the heart v/ith present things, to the neglect (rf their adorable author, displayed itself in the undue attachment of the Jews, to the temporal benefits en- joyed by them in Canaan. They confounded that temporary constitution of things, which was designed merely to subserve the ac- complishment of the spiritual promises, with the end to which it was only a means. Some of them, how- ever, acted very differently. Thus David says, " Who can understand his errors ? Cleanse thou me from secret faults." Psalm, xix. ] 2- Now, by secret faults he does mean, merely faults which were done in secret ; far 131 he distinguishes them from presumptuous sins, ver. 13; and sins done in secret, might be done presumptuously, as well as evils which were done in public. He must of course mean, evils which were done by him in heart, while he was not at the time, fully aware of the sinful workings of his mind. In a word, the nature and ad- ministration of that economy were such, as to be a re- markable touchstone of character. It served to lay open the whole likings and dislikings of the heart. But was the law therefore evil ? Far be it. It only discovered the evil tendencies which already existed, and the abuse of it was the crime of the people. For as has already been stated, one design of that extra- ordinary and immediate providence which was exer- cised over Israel, was to convince mankind, that he who thus visibly dispensed both good and evil in the present world, would in a future state, bring into judgment every secret thing. And hence, it was connected with the previous revelations which had been given of a Saviour and a judge, who should appear to the salva- tion of all who believed in him, and to the condemna- tion of all who rejected him. The true character of man, however, has thus been developed. For the same principles which appeared in the Jews, are common to all, — men still trust to external observances and to mere social morality ; and their Iiearts are still set upon the world. And nothing but the power of the Gospel of peace, can bring mankind to the love of God in his holy and spiritual character, — to delight in giving him the whole affections of the heart, and to *place their happiness in his favour and fellowship. Where this spiritual taste does not exist. 132 there may be the semblance of obedience ; but It will be viewed as a task, — it v.ill be a dreaded pennance ; or if there be any pleasure in it, it will be but a self- righteous complacency. But when the guilty cons- cience has been calmed and purified by the blood of atonement, — when the heart is renovated by the power- ful energy of the love of God, and when happiness ig found in the favour and fellowship of God, then obe- dience becomes the very element of the soul. The state of the lieart becomes the great object of attention, and not the mere letter of the law. The question is not, how little may I do and yet get to Heaven at last ; for the inquiry is, '' What shall I render to the Lord for all his mercies towards me? And how much of Heaven may I enjoy, even in the present world, in acts of obedience and in holy fellowship with God ? 133 SECTION II. OF THE NEW COVENANT RATIFIED EY CHRIST. The covenant established 'v\'ith Israel, was in many I'espects, a figure of that which has now been confirmed by the sacrificial blood of Emmanuel^ and was designed to illustrate it. These are called the two covenants by- way of eminence^ and they are also denominated the first and the second, the old and the new covenants. The latter is called the new covenant ; because, when- ever it was ratified by the death of Christ, the former as its type v/axed old ; and it is called the everlasting covenant, because it shall never like the former vanish away. .It is true, that the promises which constitute this covenant, were in substance given immediately- after the entrance of sin, and that they were included in the covenant established with Abraham ; and also, that they are expressive of an eternal purpose, for every- thing respecting the salvation of man v/as fixed from eternity in the counsel of Heaven. But let it be con- sidered, that it is not promises simply that form a cove- nant ; it is promises confirmed by sacrifice. Hence, as has already been stated, the promises to Abraham were not called a covenant, till they had thus been typically confirmed. Gen. xv. 9, 10, 18; and the very- phrase, which signifies to establish a covenant, denotes u 134 the act of cutting off a purifying victim. Though^ therefore, the promises in question, existed as promises long before the Sinai covenant was established ; yet as they were not fully ratified till the death of Christ, so till then, they had not, properly speaking, a covenant form. Accordingly, the making of the covenant was the subject of promise, even in the days of Jeremiah. Chap. xxxi. 31 — 34. The promises in question, are in- deed, spoken of as a covenant before ; but this is be- cause the prophets, in predicting their complete ratifi- cation by Christ, naturally give them the appellation to which they should then be entitled ; and also, be- cause they were typically ratified by the Patriarchial and Levitical sacrifices. Nothing is more common, than to give to the type the name of the antitype, and also of the thing which it represents as done by the latter. Since, therefore, Christ was by the sacrifice of himself to confirm the everlasting covenant, it was quite natural to give the name covenant (berith) to the typi- cal victim itself, and to that which represent the con- firmation of the covenant of peace. And moreover, the promises in question are so called ; because God, to whom the future is the same as the present and the past, and '' who calleth things that be not, as though they were," speaks of them as if they had already been ratified ; it being as certain, that they should in due time be confirmed, as though they had actually been so already. The everlasting covenant, then, was not properly established as such, till the Redeemer ap- peared m our nature, and confirmed it by his sacrifice ; for it was made '^ in his blood ;" and hence, his lan- guage at the institution of his supper ; '' This cup is 135 the Xew Testament, or covenant, in my blood, which is shed for you." Luke, xxii. 20. Since, however, it was the subject of promise before the actual advent of the Saviour, believers in every age, before and under the Levitical law, as well as since the actual accomplishment, of his work have all been saved in the same way. The blood of the great atonement had a retrospective efficacy, as the procuring cause of redemption to believers who lived before it was made ; for, in pardoning sin, and communicating the blessings of eternal life, there was then a prospec- tive regard to the death of Emmanuel, as to a pre- determined event. Rom, iii. 25, 26 ; Heb. ix. 15. The word which is rendered covenant in the New Testament Scriptures, signifies either a covenant or testament ; but is most frequently rendered covenant by our translators, though in some instances, they have followed the vulgate in rendering it testament. It is used in the septuagint, wherever the Hebrew word, %vhich properly denotes a covenant occurs, with but two exceptions, and in neither of these is the idea of a testament introduced, ^^'ithout entering minutely into this subject, suffice it to observe, that the economy of redemption, considered as proceeding from Jehovah, the offended lawgiver and judge, and as consisting of gracious promises in behalf of the rebellious, made to Christ, as a public head, and made to Him on the ground of his offering up himself as a propitiatory sacrifice, cannot be of the nature of a testament properly so called. The Father who made these promises, could not at the same time act as mediator ; and it needs not to be mentioned, that being the immortal God, his death Is impossible. 136 The idea of a testament can only, at all events, apply to Emmanuel, God in our nature ; and to him, considered as himself making the promises in question to sinners, as the great dispenser of the pro- mised blessings, and as entitled to communicate them on the ground of that propitiatory work, which he finished by his death, as the great mediator. But it does not appear, that the latter subject is that treated of by the Apostle, in the only passage where the idea of a testament seems to be introduced, namely, Heb. ix. IG — 19. He is speaking of the promises, considered as made to Christ, though certainly made to him in behalf of sinners, and not of them considered as made bif Christ ; — as possessed of the promised blessings in reward of his work, and as entitled on that ground to bestow them upon men. Considered in the latter view, they are made bij Christ, and in this vievv' alone, are they of the nature of a testament. But in the passage in question, he is represented as a mediator ; and there- fore, it cannot be of this vievr of them that it speaks ; for He does not mediate between himself and sinners ; but between God and them. The former view of the promises is of course meant. The meaning then, can- not be, that where there is a disposition, there must of necessity be the death of the disposer, since it is God who is here introduced, as giving the promises through a mediator. Besides, the simple death of a testatoi-, however gentle, ratifies his testament ; but the confir- mation of a covenant, requires the violent and blood}^ death of a sacrifice, and such certainly, is the death here intended. The Apostle had in chap. viii. intro- duced the subject of the better covenant which has 137 now been established through Christ ; and referring to the covenant which had formerly been made with Israel, he calls the latter, in chap. ix. 1, Xhejirst cove- nant. Having adverted to its peculiar ordinances, and the inefficacy of its sacrifices, he goes on to state the superior excellence of the sacrifice of Cln-ist. And then, he in particular, dwells upon the immense dif- ference that there is between the sacrifices by which the old covenant was confirmed, and that by which the new has been ratified. The subjects in question, are certainly the two covenants. The word rendered tes- tator in verse 16, is not a substantive, but a participle, or participal adjective derived from the same root, as the word here rendered testament, but most frequently in Scripture, covenant, and it must have a substantive understood ; it belongs to the second aorist of the middle voice, which has a passive, as well as an active signification. Now, as the reference is undeniably to the ancient mode of ratifying the covenants, which had been formerly established by God v/ith his creatures, and as this was always by sacrifice, no objection, of course, can be taken from other covenants. And as the word (berith,) which signifies covenant, was ap- plied both to the sacrifice, and to the covenant itself; it is easy to see, that the word rendered testator, is very naturally used to denote the appointed victim by which the covenant was to be ratified. It is not given to the disponer of the blessings ,• but to the disposition itself, and to the sacrifice which confirms it. The word is just the " berith" of the old dispensation ; and the Apostle is only stating the sim.ple fact, that wherever God made M 2 138 a covenant with his sinful creatures, there must neces- sarily be the death of the victim, hy the cutting off of which, the covenant was confirmed. It is in reference to the manner of the Old Testament Scriptures, and not from a predilection for alliteration, or harmony of sounds, that he adopts this phraseology. In confirmation of this, let it be observed, that the expression, " a testament is of force after men are dead," is not the language of the Apostle. The expression, '' after men are dead," is literally "upon" or "over dead." And the connexion shows what supplement is neces- hoxj. It is true, that even where vien must be the substantive, the adjective dead, is used without it ; but it does not follow, that the word men is the substantive understood here. The connexion must, in every case, determine what the substantive intended is. Now, as has justly been said : ^'^ The change of the m^eaning from covenant to testament seems unprecedented ; the mediator of a testament, the blood of a testament, are expressions to which it is difiicult to annex scf.y precise ideas ; and the Sinai covenant can hardly, in any sense, be called a testament." a The meaning of the Apostle then, appears to be this : " And for this cause he is the mediator of the new covenant, that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions, that were under the first covenant, they which are called mJght receive the promise of eternal inlieritance. For where there is a covenant, it is necessary, that the death of the appointed victim should be exhibited ; because a covenant is confirmed over, or (as the preposition epi a Scott, on Roui. ix. IJ — 17. 139 here used, when connected as it is in this passage, may be rendered) through, or by means of, dead victims ; since it is not at all valid, while the appointed victim is alive." Now this position is completely proved, by the pas- sage which he immediately quotes, in regard to the manner in which the first covenant was confirmed ; and it is most natural to understand him, as using the Greek term, he employs, in the sense of the Hebrew term used by Moses. The old covenant was not dedi- cated without blood, but by means of it ; and the whole sanctuary, and ahnost every thing in Israel, was purged by blood, and v/ithout shedding of blood there was no remission. But this account of the confirma- tion of the first covenant, is no proof of the supposed assertion of the necessity of the death of a testator, in order to the validity of his testament ; so that on this supposition, the reasoning from the passage in Exodus, xxiv. 3, 7j 8, is inconclusive. And why is it, that in that passage the word covenant is used in our version ; and here where the Apostle quotes it, the word testa- ment is employed } The same question may be asked, in regard to our Lord's words in instituting his supper, where he obviously alludes to the very passage ; and yet the v/ord testament has, without reason, been intro- duced instead of covenant. At all events, the utmost it would seem, that can be said is, that the Apostle argues, that as the death of a testator is necessary to give validity to his testament, so the death of a suit- able sacrifice is necessary to confirm a covenant. Ac- cording to this view, the idea of a testament is intro- duced purely for the purpose of illustration. 140 When ^ve consider, that the term rendered covenant is connected Avith the blood of sacrifice, and with a priest and mediator, which do not belong to a last will or testament, but only to a covenant ; the above viev/ of the passage, seems to use the language of a writer already quoted ; " the most obvious, and consonant to the Apostle's general way of reasoning." a But granting the propriety of keeping up throughout, the idea of a testament^, and supposing the meaning to be, that the covenant of God is like to the deed of a person making a conveyance of his property, as he sees meet, by way of grant, disposition, or will ; this view of the subject will correspond with that which has, in the foregoing pages, been given of the covenant, as consist- ing of free promises. And as the great thing is to have a just view of the substance of the gift of God, there is the less occasion for dwelling longer on the discussion in question. Let the covenant Itself be considered as delineated in Scripture. God speaking by the Prophet Jeremiah, says : " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah ; not according to the covenant that I made v.Ith their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt : But this shall be the covenant that I shall make with the house of Israel ; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and a Scott, on Heb. ix. 15 — 17. 141 they shall be my people. And they sliall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord ; for they shall all know me, from the least unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord ; for I will forgive their iniquity, and vv-ill re- member their sins no more." Chap. xxxi. 31 — 34. Now, the last of these promises exhibits both the ground on which the others are made, and the means by which they are fulfilled ; and it is, therefore, in the strictest sense, of an absolute nature ; for it exhibits the medium through which the blessings promised are bestowed, as entirely the doing of Heaven. God does not say, " I will forgive their sm, and will remember it no more ; Jbr I will put my law in their inv.ard parts, and Avrite it in their hearts ; as if his object were to St them for redeeming themselves ; but, '' I will put my law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; for I wiW forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more." This last promise, then, exhibits the ground on which all the promises are made. Accordingly, the word rendered " merciful," in the passage quoted from the Prophet, in Keb. viii. 12, sig- nifies propitious, and denotes both the sacrifice or obla- tion appointed to be offered for sin, and the mercy and forgiveness bestowed tlirough the atonement. A word of the same import is rendered propitious in 1 John, ii. 2, and iv. 10 ; and also in the Greek translation of Psalm, cxxx. 4, and Dan. ix. 9 ; where in our transla- tion, it is rendered forgiveness. The reference is to the propitiatory blood of sacrifice ; and there can be no doubt, that the promise in question, is a promise not only of forgiveness;, but of forgiveness through the pro- .142 pitiation of Christ. This is evidently the interpreta- tion given of it in Heb. x. 15 — 18, \vhere the Apostle explains remembering sins no more, to be the remission of them through a sacrifice already offered, and not to be repeated. Under the old covenant there was a con- stant repetition of sacrifices, and particularly of the annual atonement, in which there was a remembrance again made of sins every year, because the blood of bulls and of goats could not take away sins ; but where God forgave iniquities, so as to remember them no more, there is no farther atonement either required or necessary. The remembrance of sin intended in the promise, is the judicial remembrance of it, both as it regards punishment, and the requiring additional sacri- fices of expiation. Thus, the Holy Spirit has testified in these words, as the Apostle reasons, that by one offering Christ hath perfected for ever all who are sanctified, or consecrated to God by his blood. Heb. x. 14. The promise, then, includes the perfect and ever- lasting removal of guilt, by the expiation of Jesus, as the ground on which all the promises of the covenant are made. All of them are in the first instance made to Him as a public head, and in behalf of sinners. He saith, not and to seeds as of many ; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ, They are made to Him, on the ground of his perfect righteousness ; for as Emmanuel, he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. As the promise of life to the first Adam as a public head, had connected the life of mankind with his p erfect obedience ; so the promises of redemption and of eternal life in the heavenly paradise, are connected 143 with the mediatorial work of the second Adam^ as the prime heir and first born of the family of God. Accord- ingly, though the covenant is said to be made with the house of Israel; yet the promises are directed to another person. I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. All the covenants recorded m Scripture, were established with parents or ancestors, for the benefit of their respective offspring; and as these, in certain respects, all typified the everlasting covenant; its promises must, in the first instance, be made to the public head of the redeemed. To him they are accomplished, and all his brethren inherit in his right. The everlasting covenant is said to have been confirmed in his death. By his atoning sacrifice, every moral impediment in the way of the communi- cation of the blessings of redemption has been taken away. God appears to be just, while he justifies the ungodly ; because sin is expiated, his law is magnified and made honourable, and his character and govern- ment are completely vindicated. On this ground, the salvation of his church is secured to the Saviour. He did not die at a peradventure. He had the promise of his Father, that a seed should serve him, that he should be a light to the Gentiles, and the salvation of God to the ends of the earth. The gift of a people to him, is a proof at once, of the divine love to sinners, and of the confidence and de- light of God in Him as the Saviour. This was " the joy set before him." It is a great part of the reward of that w^ondrous work which he finished on Calvary. The covenant then, explicitly informs us, how such promises as the following shall be fulfilled: " He shall 144 gee his seed." ^' Thy people shall be free-will dfferinga in the day of thy power." " The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." "■ He shall see of the travail of his soul;, and shall be satified." NoW;, all these promises are connected with his making his soul an offering for sin; his bearing the sins of many^ and his making intercession for transgressors. They are^ therefore^, connected with his sacrifice;, in the same way as the promises in which the covenant is summed up by the prophet Jeremiah. They all pro- ceed upon the principle^ that atonement has been made for sin, and that an honourable channel has been open- ed for the free communication of their precious bles- sings. When the atonement of Christ is represented as the moral ground, on which the blessings of the everlasting covenant are bestowed, the meaning is not, that by his death, he purchased the promises, or that by giving an exact equivalent, he, properly speaking, purchased the spirit of God, and the blessings which he applies to the soul. When great exactness or precision is not ne- cessary, such an expression may be overlooked, be- cause it is generally understood to mean, that all bene- fits come to sinners as a righteous remuneration to him, or are bestowed upon them, through the medium of his work. But it is best to adhere to the language of Scripture, in which the word purchase, as well as the word redeem, when the salvation of sinners is the sub- ject, is always applied to persons, though of course, in relation to their circumstances. Christ is said to have purchased the church with his own blood. Acts, xx. 28 j and believers are said to have been bought with 145 a price. 1 Cor. vi. 20 ; and they are called a peculiar people, or rather a people for a purchase. 1 Peter, ii. 9. The word purchase is sometimes used in the same sense with the word redeem, which includes the ideas of de- liverance both by price and by power. Thus, it is said of Israel : Fear and dread shall fall upon them, (the Canaanites ;) by the greatness of thine arm shall they be still as a stone, till the people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased- Exodus, XV. 16. Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old. Psalm, Ixxiv. 2. He brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain which his right hand had purchased, that is, which he had acquired and provided for Israel by his power ; for there was no price laid down for it. The purchased possession mentioned in Ephes. i. 14, does not mean Heaven, but the Church of God. The word is the same with that used by Peter, in the pas- sage last quoted, and which signifies purchase. Tlie portion, possession or inheritance of the Lord, is his people. Deut. xxxii. 9. The redemption spoken of is yet future, and is to take place at the last day ; but if Heaven be purchased, it was so at the death of Christ; and the redemption of it, therefore, cannot be future, as is that here spoken of. And from what is it that Heaven can be redeemed ? Not from the effects of sin surely, for it never was defiled ; nor from the power of an enemy, for none such were possessed of it. But redemption applies well to the people of God ; because till the resurrection of the body, they cannot be said to have obtained complete deliverance from the effects of the curse. Were it not that the language in question U6 has led some to conceive of Christ, as paying a price in the way of an equivalent, for the gift even of the Holy Spirit, as well as of other blessings, there v/ould not be the same objection to it. But it is of importance to understand, that the blessings of salvation flow from the sovereign and free grace of God ; and that the death of Christ did not purchase the divine love, or the promises which flow from it ; but only opened an honourable channel through which it flows to the guilty, in the fulfilment of those promises, in a way which, at once glorifies the righteousness, and exalts the mercy of Heaven. The death of the Redeemer, so far from being the price of the divine love, is itself the most splendid proof of that love. In consequence of the guilt and the depravity of man, there were many moral impediments Avhich obstructed the communica- tions of the divine goodness ; and till these were re- moved, God as the moral governor of the universe, covdd not consistently with the honour of his character and government, and the good of the creation, receive them into his family, and bless them with the mercies of his covenant. " It became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." And thus by the atone- ment of Christ, all those impedim.ents which stood in the way of the communication of the divine goodness to sinners are completely removed. The death of Christ is represented, not onl)^ as a sacrifice for sin, but also as a ransom price paid for the redemption of sinners. He came to give his life a ransom for many. i\Iatth. XX. 2B ; i\Iark, x. 45 ; and he is said to have . 147 given himself a ransom for all. 1 Tim. li. 6. Sinners are by nature under a sentence of death and condem- nation, and are therefore liable to everlasting misery ; and to redeem them from the punishment to which they are exposed, and to procure their pardon and acceptance, the Saviour laid down his own life as a ransom for their souls. His people are therefore called a purchased possession, and are said to be redeemed, not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. But this is quite a different tiling from a proper pur- chase of the promises themselves. The latter would expel all grace from the covenant, except that of the surety ; for in regard to the lawgiver, it would in that case, be only a covenant of justice. Whereas, the whole plan of salvation, and the promise of eternal life, with all comprehended in it, have their origin in the sovereign and abundant grace of the offended Jehovah : And the mediatorial work of the Saviour is the means, not of obtaining the formation of the plan ; but of carrying it into execution, Heb. x. 5 — 10. a The promises of a Saviour, and of the accomplish- ment of his work, are absolute promises, inasmuch, as they are given irrespective of any thing good in the character of the objects of mercy. And in like manner, the promises of the first communication of spiritual life, and of a spiritual relation to God, may be so denomi- nated. Immediately before the law is written in the Iieart, the soul is dead in trespasses and sins : And a Gibb's Sacred Contemplations, page 11)4 — 196, 148 immediately before Jehovah becomes the God of the redeemed, they enjoy no such blessings ; so that no- thing in them can lead to the gift of such benefits. Such promises, then, must be considered in the follow- ing views : First, as made to the Redeemer on the ground, or condition of his mediatorial work, and as ensuring to him the success of his undertakinp- : Se- es o condly, as made to the faithful in Israel and Judah, who are put for the existing Church of the living God, and as affording to them, and to the Church in every succeeding age, an assurance of the enlargement, the purity and the blessedness of that sacred society : And thirdly, as an exhibition of the cause or spring of salva- tion ; namely, the free, rich, and sovereign grace of the Almighty. In the last of these view\s, they are of use both to believers and unbelievers. They remind the former of the spring from whence all their blessings come, and serve to direct them to look for the continuance and enlargement of the gifts of Heaven, from the same grace which originally called them from darkness into light. And they teach the latter, that no previous holy qualifications are required, in order to warrant a sinner to come to the Saviour in the confidence of obtaining mercy ; and they serve to encourage them to cast them- selves into the arms of that sovereign mercy, whicJi reigns through the righteousness of the glorified Re- deemer. They are designed to encourage the back- slider to return to God, and to induce sinners of every class and character to abandon, at once, every self- righteous hope, and every despairing fear, and to come as they are, to the fountain opened for sin and for un- 149 cleanness. It is In the way of leading men to do this, that the promises in question are fulfilled. The Gospel Avhich they are called to believe, respects the perfection and all-sumciency of that propitiation, on the ground of which these promises were made to the Saviour ; and the readiness of God to impart the promised bless- ings, as exhibited in the nature of the promises them- selves ; as illustrative of the self-moved love from which they have sprung, and the gracious manner in which they are accomplished. What are m.en called to, but to rest on the finished work of the Saviour, and to look for salvation as the gift of God through him ? Isaiah, xlv. 22. There is nothmg in this incompatible with the glories of the grace of God. What of this nature can there be in resting on a work finished by another, and imploring the blessings of redemption for its sake ? Vv^hen a beggar asks an alms, and confides in the liberality of the man he addresses, the freeness of the gift received is not thereby lessened. It cannot be necessary to an alms being a free gift, that he should neither ask it, nor confide in a testimony he may have heard borne to the beneficence of him who bestows it. And neither can it be incompatible with tlie freeness of divine grace, that its blessings are be- stowed in connexion with the prayer of faith, in the finished work of the Saviour, and in the mercy of God as revealed in the Gospel, and particularly, in the promises of the covenant of peace. It might as well be said, that the weary man rests on his act of resting, and not upon the rock on which he leans ; or that a man's disclaiming his own righteousness is his righte- ousness, as that faith is itself the ground of confidence N 2 t 15^0 in the sight of God, or the procuring cause of tha blessings of redemption. But while there are promises of grace, there are also promises /o grace. In other words^ as there are pro* mises of the first communication of that holy influence, which leads to the Saviour, and renovates the heart ; so there are promises of enlarged communications of the grace of God, where its influence appears in the progressive sanctification of the heart, and holy obe- dience of the life. '^ If ye love me," says Christ, *' keep my commandments : And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." John, xiv. 15, 16. " If a man love me, he will keep ray words ; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abcd'e with him." John, xiv. 23. Not that such promises are properly conditional ; they are designed to exhibit that state of mind, which is necessary to the actual enjoy- ment of the blessings of redemption, and to illustrate the exuberance of the grace of God, in thus adding- favour to favour ,• and his wisdom, as well as his good- ness and his love to righteousness, in connecting every favour with some exercise of fllial obedience. Such favours are no more bestowed upon the footing of merit, than the first comm.unication of the grace of Heaven ; but this mode of conferring them marks, at once, the freeness of his grace and his love to holiness. It serves as a stimulus to Christian obedience, while it IS of use even to the ungodly, inasmuch, as it teaehe* them the inseparable connexion between character andl kappiness. 151 It was stated, that the same promise which exhibits the ground on which all the others are made, exhibits also the means by which they are fulfilled. The pro- mises comprehend the following blessings : First, that renovation of mind and assimilation to the character of God, which is essential to true blessedness, and which capacitates for the enjoyment of God in holy fellowship with himself: Secondly, that relation to God which interests in all the privileges and blessings of his family : And thirdly, tliat knowledge of his character, which is eternal life. The vrriting of the law in the heart is mentioned J7rst, because it is the grand object of the divine inten- tion, being the principal end of the plan of mercy. It is affected by our being made through the agency of the spirit of God, so to feel the pov/er of that revela- tion of the union of justice and merc}^ which appears in the sacrifice of Christ, as that the heart is changed according to the promises. The spirit of God brings the mind to the truth, and causes the latter to prcauce- tlie desired result. And he can easily do this by an influence which touches the springs of action in the heart, without doing the smallest violence to the moral nature of the subject of this influence, and without any consciousness on his part, of an agency distinct from the operation of his oy»'n voluntary exercise. It is the office of the spirit to take of the things of Christ, and to show them to the mind ; and so to influence it, as to impress it with the image of the divine glory, revealed in his work. By faith in this revelation of the char- acter of God, as at once, a kind father, and a righteou* 152 judge, the heart is purified ; for faith worketh by love, and overcometh the v/orld. And as love to God and our neighbour, is the fulfilling of the law ; and since the principle of love leads to the study and the practice of every part of it, according as our circumstances may require; it is thus put into our minds, and written in our hearts. — We come to the enjoyment of the next blessing also by the death of Christ ; because it is by his blood that we are redeemed unto God, — are conse- crated to his service, and are called into his family ; as a people separated to him, and united in holy fellow- ship with each other. — And we come to the enjoyment of the last blessing, by being divinely taught the know- ledge of his glory, as it shines in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. And to know God as revealed in Him, and the harmony which subsists between the lawgiver and the mediator in the salvation of sinners, is eternal life. — Thus, all the promises are accomplished by means of the propitiatory blood of the Saviour, as revealed in the Gospel, and applied to the soul. These are pro- mises worthy of God, and adapted to our wants. They include the illumination of the mind, the renovation of the heart, and the enjoyment of everlasting life. In particular, the great blessing of having the laws of God written in our hearts, is imparted by communi- cating a supreme taste for whatever is the will of Heaven. This relish of the heart produces a moral re- volution in the thoughts and principles of the mind, and renders obedience the very element of the soul. Without it, all attention to duties must be intolerable bondage. But blessed are they, who do hunger and thirst after 153 righteousness, for they shall be filled ; and thus hj assimilating them to the law^ they are satisfied. As when God had redeemed Israel from bondage, he established among tliem a system of laws and institu- tions, in the way of obedience to which, the earthly inheritance was to be possessed and enjoyed ; so, in like manner, Christ having redeemed his people from guilt and its consequences, in order that he might bless* them with eternal lire ; he writes his laws not on tables of stone, but on the fleshly tables of their hearts ; that as a holy and an obedient people, they may become meet for the blessedness prepared for them. The joy- ful import of the Gospel ought never to be confined to the forgiveness of sin, wiiich it proclaims ; for it em- braces that full provision which is made for the enjoy- ment of holy likeness to God, and holy fellowship with him. In these consist the present and the future hap- piness of man. Provision, then, is made in the covenant, both for a change in our state before God in the capacity of a judge, and a change in our disposition and character. The latter is the great object of the plan of mercy, and the revelation of the means by wiiich the formed is ob- tained, is that by the faith of which tliis principal bless- ing comes to be enjoyed. It is not enough, that we obtain a title to eternal life ; we must be made meet for the enjoyment of it ; for otherwise, it cannot be a blessing to us. Though, therefore^ our title to the in- heritance is independent of deeds of law, the actual enjoyment of it is necessarily connected with obedience ; for what is holiness, but conformity to the law of God ; and what is eternal life, but happiness springing from 154 likeness to his character and %vill, as displayed in that Gospel which hath magnified his law, and made it lionourable ? A man's body may be fitted for a parti- cular enjoyment, while yet he may be miserable, be- cause he cannot obtain it ; as in the case of a man in health, who may be a prisoner in a dungeon. But health of mind is inseparably connected with joy ; and every one, who from a healthful state of mind, pants for the blessings of the Gospel, cannot be without tliem. On the other hand, without this state of mind they cannot be enjoyed. These views of the promises, confirm the view which has already been given of the covenant of God ; name- ly, that it consists of free ])romise in behalf of sinners ratified by sacrifice, and a gracious constitution of things founded upon, and illustrative of the promises thus ratified. The former part of this definition is illustrated, by v/hat has been said of the promises of the nev»^ covenant, — of the ground on which they are made, and the means by which they are fulfilled ; and tlie latter part is illustrated by the consideration, that tliese very prondses suppose the existence of certain laws, which it is declared, shall be written on the hearts «if its subjects. God is thus represented as sustaining a twofold cha- racter ; namely, the character of a righteous judge, and that of a gracious sovereign. In the former character, lie required an atonement to be made for sin, before mercy should be extended to the transgressors of his Liw : And to him as an offended governor, satisfaction was accordingly made by the death of Christ. As a gracious sovereign, however, he provided the ransom Ob by sending his own Son to be a propitiation. And in this character also he applies the blood of sprinkling to the sinner ; inasmuch, as when the Gospel is be- lieved, the believer is treated by him as though he were righteous, for the sake of the Redeemer ; and is thus absolved from condemnation, and brought into a state of acceptance. The state of the sinner in relation to God, in the character of an offended judge, is thus changed ; for it is God himself that justifieth. But the atonement has also a moral result ; and it is by this that it becomes, as has been stated, the means of accomplishing the promises, that the laws of God shall be written on the Iieaits of the people. Not by works of righteousness which vre have done; but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration, even the renewing of the Holy Ghost^ which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Titus, iii. 5, 6. The sentence of condem- tion constitutes a legal bar in the v/ay of communica- tion of that special influence which alone can free from the dominion of sin ; and this bar is removed only by the atonement of Christ. The Holy Spirit is acccord- iiigly represented as given as the reward of his death, and in answer to his intercession. John, xiv. 16, 17; Gal. iii. 13, 14. Having answered the claims of justice and seciu'ed the right of the divine government, the sacrifice of Christ becomes the channel through which that super- natural influence flows, which is employed to change the disposition of the sinner. But the heart is influ- enced by motives in a way suited to its nature, and these motives are all inseparably connected with the 156 ntonemeiit. Tlie doctrine of the atoning blood of the Redeemer affords such a display of infinite mercy and grace, that when seen in the light of the spirit of God, the enmity of the heart is subdued. Love produces love. The mere knowledge of duty will not produce cordial obedience in a corrupted mind ; but the display of divine love which is made in the Gospel^, where it appears infinitely removed from every thing like weak- ness, and is associated with all that is venerable in truth and in purity, in holiness and justice, at once wins the affections, and commands the reverence of the heart. Here there is such a manifestation of the cha- racter of God, as at once, amiable and resplendent, that complacency is excited in each and all of his perfec- tions. He whose enmity was formerly fostered by the tormenting sense of guilt in his conscience, and whose attempts to serve God flowed not from love, but from the dread of his wrath, has his conscience pacified through the blood of the Lamb ; and while his guilty soul finds rest, where the justice of Heaven found it, the love of God is implanted in his heart. He is struck with the wondrous glory of that work through which he has obtained deliverance ; and though happy in a sense of pardoning mercy, he is not satisfied with this, as if it Avere all that he desired ; for it is the height of his ambition, to be like in the disposition and temper of his mind, to the character of Him who loved him, and gave himself for him. Thus it is, that the great pro- mises of the covenant come to be fulfilled. The commandment now comes from another Mount than Sinai. But if we see not a Mount burning with fire, and enveloped in blackness, and darkness, and 157 tempest, ^ve see one on "vvhich there bleeds and dies the Son of the Highest, to expiate our guilt, and to honour that law -which we had despised. And is not this a much more impressive display of the glory of Him with v/hom is terrible majesty? Is it asked, how then does it not cause us utterly to sink under over- v.'helming terror ? The reason is this. It is that very '^ Mount of the Lord," on which the Lamb was pro- vided for a burnt-offering, on which there settles eter- nally the meridian sunshine of celestial \o\e, and from which the voice of the judge is heard, saying : This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And will not this manifestation of glory have a transforming effect, — will it not be far more influential than the scene at Sinai, — will it not write the law of the Redeemer deeply upon our hearts, — in a word, will it not make our very souls to thrill, vrhen the friend of sinners, and the man of sorrows calls to us from the cross, and says : If ye love me, keep my commandments ? '' Talk they of morals ? Oh ! thou bleeding love, the grand mora- lity is love of thee." As the redemption of Israel was followed by a re- velation of laws ; so the redemption effected by the death of Christ, has been followed by a revelation of a similar kind. The former redemption was but a pre- paratory step to the accomplishment of the promise, of establishing the chosen seed, as a peculiar people unto God, in the land of Canaan ; and the latter is but a pre- paratory step in the great work of our salvation, the complete accomplishment of which, includes as its great and ultim-ate object, our perfect assimilation to the holy character of God, and our consequent esta- o 15^ MIshment in his everlasting kingdom. The Ia\rs ana institutions -svhich were given to Israel, are accordingly represented as their principal gloiy. This must, indeed^ be in a great measure accounted for by the considera- tion, that they embodied the Gospel ; but let it be re- membered, that the Gospel itself derives its chief glory from its being the power of God to salvation from sin. Rom. i. 16. And in like manner, the great object of the death of Christ, and of his institutions which are founded on it, is to conform us to the holy, just, and good law of God. The manifest import of the death of Christ is, that such was the evil of violating the laM', that nothing less could save the transgressor from the just sentence of condemnation, than the death of Em- manuel ; for if sinners h^d not deserved the curse of the law themselves, its infliction upon Him, in their stead, must have been the most wanton cruelty. If the redemption could have been effected by inferior m.eans, what wisdom was displayed in the sufferings and death of the Son of God ; and where were the love and the tenderness of God, if he could unnecessarily deliver up to the curse, even Him whom he calls his beloved one ? But when the death of the Redeemer is seen to be necessary, then every obligation to obe- dience' under which a creature can he, independently of redemption, is confirmed and enhanced by the mediation of Christ. What the mere knowledge of duty by means of the law cannot effect, is effected by the healing influence of the Gospel of peace. This, while it exalts the Gospel, does by no means disparage the law. Though the mere commands of the law will not of themselves renovate a corrupted heart ; yet the 159 renovation of the heart consists in its being assimilated to the holy nature oF the law, and in its being brought fully and cheerfully to obey it. If it be the glory of the former, that it can conform the sinner to the law, it must be honoiu'able to the latter, that it is to its likeness that the sinner is thus conformed. To deny all duty and obligation, is to annihilate the very idea of sin and of guilt; and if there be no justice in the sentence of condemnation, there can be no grace in forgiveness, or rather no forgiveness at all ,• and all that is said of a Saviour must be mere mockery and insult. What shall be said of the notions which go to prove, that the death of Christ, and what comes by it, must be viewed as in fact making an amends to us for the rigour of a law v»'hich was too severe to be en- forced ? Far, infinitely far, from us be any such notion ! iVIust not a Christian, on the contrary, feel that having been bought with a price, he is not his own, but bound to live to Him, Vvho died for him and rose again? And must he not feel him.self laid under new additional and endearing obligations by the love of his Lord ? How different those feelings from the spirit of such as turn the grace of God into lasciviousness ! The Israelites v/ere reminded, that they did not enter the land on the ground of their righteousness, or of the uprightness of their heart ; but obtained it as the ac- complishment of the promises of God to their fathers. By faith in these promises, and not by works of law, did they receive the inheritance : But yet they could not retain the possession of it, except in the way of obedience. " If ye will obey my voice, indeed, and keep my covenant/' said God, "^ then ye shall be 160 a peculiar treasure to nie above all people ; for all the earth is mine." Exodus, xix. 5. By this obedience, we must understand, obedience springing from, and manifesting fiiith in the promises ; for what is keeping the covenant of God, but liokling fast the profession of cur faith in it without v/avering ? And does not this illustrate the connexion which still subsists between the obedience of faith and the enjoyment of tlie bless- ings of mercy ? We become heirs of the inheritance on believing in Christ ; but in the very nature of things, it cannot be enjoyed, except in the v.-ay of obe- dience. This does not arise from the mere Avill of God ; but from the very nature of the blessing itself. It is on this ground that the Scriptures Iiave connected the enjoyment of eternal life, with our obeying the voice of God in the new covenant ; by resting upon its pro- mises, as confirmed by the death of Christ ; keeping its precepts as sprinkled by his blood, and taking up our cross and following him Mdiithersoever he goeth ; in the hope, that as we are partakers witii him in suffer- ing, we shall also be partakers with him in his glory. Thus, then, the Avork of Christ is the ground on which the promises are made, and the means by Vrrhich they are fulfilled ; and their grand and ultimate object is the recovery of man from sin, and his restoration to spiritual health. The writing of the law in the heart is mentioned first, then, because it is the grand object in the divine intention, and the principal end of the plan of mercy. A change of state through forgiveness is not the only nor even the chief thing in redemption. Eternal life in fellowship with God is never represented as merely a future blessing; for it is enjoyed even ia 161 the present world. He that belleveth on the Son hath everlasting life. John, iii. 36. And what is Heaven but the perfection of this life ? It is most unwarrant- able to put the renovation of the character in the back ground, as if it were only a secondary thing. Some, from mistaken views, have placed it in a very subordi- nate situation. They treat it chiefly, as an evidence of the genuine nature of a Christian's faith, and of his consequent interest in the righteousness of Christ, It is doubtless an evidence of the reality of our faith in the Gospel ; but it is so, because it as naturally pro- ceeds from the belief of the truth, as the plant above ground proceeds from the seed beneath. The holiness of a Christian is not, hovrever, merely an evidence of his salvation ; it is the very blessing of salvation itself. It is not connected with faith, as many things m.ay be connected together by a mere external bond, as if faith and holiness were two things, which by an act of mere arbitrary will, are, as it were, tied together; for the latter as really and naturally proceeds Irom the former, as the fruit of a tree emanates from its root. The recovered health of the patient is not merely an evidence of the skill of the physician, and of the suitableness of the medicine which he used ; it is in fact, tlie sole object .of his attendance and prescriptions. The health of the body is a proof of the whoLesomness of cur food, and the soundness of the stomach ; but can it for a moment be supposed, tJiat the value of health arises from this ? Has it not a value, in itself, beyond the evidence it affords, of the excellence of the means by which it is promoted } Without those means, indeed, it cannot be maintained ; but it is itself the great object of concern ; o2 162 for "the life is more than meat." And in like manner, the spiritual health of the soul is the great end, and all things else are valuable only as the means of producing it. In the cross of Christ v/e not only see a perfect atonement for sin ; but also that holy character to which his people are conformed. And the hallowed principles -which were there displaj-ed^, were also exhi- bited throughout the whole of his history. The ground on which the promises are made, and consequently, that by which they are ratified, is his perfect righteousness. This includes the whole of his humiliation, his perfect conformity to the law, and his sufferings unto death ; for his whole life y»'as one con- tinued scene of humiliation and poverty, of sorrow^ and of sufFerinf^. His obedience to the law in circumstances so trying, served most impressively to exhibit it in its glory, as holy, just, and good ; and thus was it magni- fied and made honourable ; and thus too, the nature of that obedience with which alone God can be well pleased, vras most clearly manifested : By his sufferings and death, he showed the fearful and inviolable nature of the sanction of the law of Heaven ; he displayed, in a manner the most awful, divine abhorrence of sin, and the utter impossibility of its passing unpunished ; and he made complete atonement for guilt, by satisfying the claims of justice, and vindicating the injured char- acter and government of God. And as this stupen- dous work was finished in his death, or by the shedding of his blood, to that our attention is most frequently directed. But from the moment that he became in- carnate, he was, as it vfere, identified in lav/ M-ith sin- ners ; inasmuch, as he was treated as though their guilt 163 had been his. He is accordingly said to have been • '^ made under the law, to redeem them that were under the lawj that they might receive the adoption of sons." Gal. iv. 4 ; and he hath left us an example, that we should follow his steps. 1 Peter, ii. 20 — 24. And there is every thing in such an arrangement which can, at once, display a pattern to be imitated, and furnish motives to induce imitation. Some have spoken very incautiously and unscrip- turally of the good works and holy tempers of believers. They have denominated them filtliiness and dung, from a mistaken viev/ of the meaning of the Prophet, when he says : ^' All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags ;" and of the Apostle v.hen he says, that he counted '^'^all thinp-s but loss and dung that he might win Christ, and be found in him." It is unquestionably true, that in regard tojustlficaiion, the best services and the most holy fruits, are of no more avail than deeds or tempers altogether unclean ; but it does not follow, that in themselves they are absolutelj'' abominable. The Prophet in the context of the passage referred to, had said ; thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness ; or that rejoiceth to work righteousness ; and is not this expressive of divine approbation ? Isaiah, Ixiv. 5. But in what follows, he introduces those v*'ho " called net upon God, nor stirred up themselves to take hold of him," verse 6, 7- By their righteousnesses, he must mean what he describes in Chap. lix. 6, under the figure of weaving the spider's web. Of such labours, he says : Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works ; their •works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is 164 in their hands. . Filthy garments are emblematical of a sinful state ; and therefore, the reference must here be to works of iniquity. The things, on the other hand, which the Apostle Paul counted loss and dung, were the things which he renounced when he believed in Christ. But so far from counting that holiness which consists in likeness to the Saviour, to be loss and dung ; it was his great ambition to grow in it, and to be approved as a faithful servant to his master. So far from the fruits of the Spirit being filthy rags, they adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. Titus, iii. 10. A meek and a quiet, is denominated an ornament, which in the sight of God, is of great price. 1 Peter, iii. 4. And the works of faith, and the labours of love, will be honourably mentioned in the day of Christ, a In a word, such dispositions and services meeten the redeemed for Heaven ; they evidence the reality and the measure of faith, and they indeed constitute that moral health which it is the glory of the Gospel to im-. part. Phil. iii. 12—14. The second promise of the covenant, includes that relation to God which interests in all the blessings and privileges of his family. In order to express his regard for his people, and to show the greatness of their bliss, Jehovah calls himself their Father, their husband, and their friend. There is scai'cely a human, or an earthly relation which is not employed by him, to signify his connexion with the objects of his grace. Such rela- tions, however, being taken from creatures, are of a Bell's Translation of Irenicum of Witsius, p. 17 30c — 3IQ. limited significancy. But when he calls himself their God, he takes an image from himself, and engages to bless them according to the all-sufficiency of his infinite nature. When he promised to bless Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself; and when he would bless his people, because he could give them no greater, he gives them himself. Hence, they can say : " The Lord is the portion of my soul ; therefore will I hope in him." Lam. iii. 21. When he calls himself their God, he pledges his being and his perfections for their complete deliver- ance from evil, and their full enjoyment of all good. He hath confirmed his covenant by his solemn oath, as well as by the blood of his own Sou. He in eiiect declares : '' While I live, ye also shall live, and while I am blessed, ye shall be blessed." Is he Almighty } His power will protect them. Numerous and pov/erful as their enemies may be, and great as m.ay be the dangers to which they are exposed, they shall be made more than conquerors, through liim that loved them. He himself will be their shield : " Who is like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth on the Heaven for your help, and in his excellency, on the sky ?" Is he ?7W- mutable in his faithfulness, as well as in his being ? Then his promises are sure, and not one good word of all that he hath said, shall ever fall to the ground. At last, all of his redeemed shall acknowledge that the whole ways of the Lord have been mercy and truth ; and that they have been guided in '^ a right v/ay to the city of habitation." When tossed with tempests, and when afflicted and tried, he is a hiding place. Amid all the vicissitudes of time^ and the instability of humao. 166 friandships, he reraalneth the same. His love chang- eth notj and hence^, they that know his name^ will put their trust in him. This part of his character is a great encouragement to prayer. Were he of one mind to day, and of another to-morroM*, there v,'ould be little encouragement to priiy ; for no dependence could be placed on him. But his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure. And one of his purposes is, that if Me ask any thing according to his will, he will hear us. 1 John, v. 14. Prayer is an acknowledgement of our dependence on him, and of our confidence in hjis goodness and his truth ; but what reliance could we have on him., were he not immutable ? But since he is unchangeable, vre may rest assured, that the work which he hath begun, he will perfect. Is he omniscient, omnipresent and infinitely wise? His wisdom will be our guide. His e^'cs are ever upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. He sees all our wants, and he will supply them ; he knows all our afflictions, and he will sanctify them, and in due time remove them ; and he is acquainted with all the jilans of our enemies, and he will defeat them. He knows our secret feelings and devotions, our secret struggles and exertions, and he will reward us openly. In all our perplexities, he will be our counsellor. Even in darkness he will be a light to us. He will lead us in a way that we know not, and in paths that we have not trodden : and he will make crooked things straight, and rough places plain. He sees all things in their origin and connexions, in their dependencies and remotest effects ; and he knows how to order our lot. He will give what is really for our good. 167 and win Avithhold whatever would injure us. In him, tliereforej, Ave may trust with assured confidence ; for he hath said, " I will never leave thee, never, never will I forsake thee." It is fcr us to leave ourselves to the entire disposal of his providence, and to be as clay in the hands of the potter, willing to take any form or impression which he is pleased to impose. And what a mercy to be thus freed from vain cares and corroding anxieties. Is he infinitely holy and righteous ? He will vindi- cate our principles and views and character from every imjust aspersion; he will assimilate us to his own holy character, and he will reward our faithful services. His design is, to make us partakers of his holiness, and by creating us after his image, in knowledge and in righteousness, to make us partakers of a divine nature. He hath exhibited his character in the Lord Jesus Christ, and hath appointed his redeemed to be assimi- lated to it, that through likeness to him in moral and spiritual excellence, we may come to participate in his hallowed and exalted blessedness. In a word, is he all-sufficient ? His fulness is our treasure ; his house is our home ; we may come to him freely and ask from him all that we desire, and even expect him to do ex- ceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. No limitations are set to our petitions for spiritual and eternal blessings. Having already given us his own Son, and having given himself through him, what can he withhold } He will give blessings which none but himself can give, and he will give them in a manner worthy of a God. He will pardon our sins which none but God can, and he will do it divinely, that is, freely 168 and irrevocably. He will sanctify, and who but God can hallow the passions of the soul, change its state, and fix its aifections on holy and heavenly things ? And he will do all this perfectly, so that the redeemed shall be the very archetypes of his own glory. He will comfort, when vain are the consolations of men. He has access to the innermost recesses and the most hid- den feelings of the soul, — he can touch the most re- mote springs of the heart, — and he can pour in the balm of consolation when all friends have failed^ or when their best endeavours are utterly unavailing. No circumstances whatever, can separate from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Though we have the affection of an earthly friend, he cannot al- w^ays be with us. We may be in the greatest peril, and under the heaviest trials, and he be ignorant of our state ; or even if acquainted with it, he may be unable to help us. But God can prove the strength of the heart, and the enriching portion of the soul, w hen flesh and heart fail, and when all that the world can present, is gone. He will be with them in the valley and shadow of death, into which the nearest of friends and the most affectionate christians cannot go w^ith them. There we must be alone. But the shepherd of Irsael will be with us even there. He will receive our departed spirit till the resurrection morn ; and on that day be v/ill declare himself our everlasting portion, when time shall be no mere ; when this world and its works shall have utterly disappeared, and when the heavens shall have passed away wdth a great noise. Then his in- finity shall be the extent of our inheritance, and his eternity the measure of its duration. 169 Nothing then, can separate us from the enjoyment of his love. Though bereaved of earthly good, we may rejoice in the Lord and be glad in the God of our salvation. Hab. iii. 17^ 18. Why then should we give our heart to the creature, apart from the Creator? What can creatures do for us independent of him ? To him let the whole heart be given ; since all that he hath, he has given unto us ; for he himself is our exceeding great reward. And trusting in him, and cleaving to him, there will be no uncertainty, no tossing on the billows of anxiety ; but the sweet calm of that peace which passeth all understanding, and the hope of bliss which shall be ascending and brightening for ever. That is not worthy of the name of happiness, which does not provide for the redemption and the bliss of the soul. We are formed for eternity ; and solemn indeed is the thought, that while the self-existent Je- hovah shall live, we also shall live. There is some- thing exceedingly awful in the idea of a Being, with whom a thousand years are as one day ; when our guilt suggests the fearful apprehension of falling into his hands as an offended judge. But wlien v,e remem- ber that his mercy endureth for ever, and that his grace never can fail ; that he hath said that he will never leave us, nor forsake us ; and that vre have a great high priest who ever liveth, and hath an un- changeable priesthood, there is an unspeakable pleasure enjoyed in dwelling on the prospect of an absolute eternity of existence with Him. The promise that Jehovah will be the God of his people, comprehends every spiritual blessing ; for it is expressive of a spiritual and an eternal relation betwee p 170 God and the redeemed^ and signifies^ his acting to"vrarcI^ them in a manner worthy of such an exalted con- nexion. In particular, it includes the blessing ofjustificaiion. Hence, the Apostle speaking of the ground of accep- tance as the same to all men, says : Is he the God of the Jews only ? Is he not also of the Gentiles ? Yes, of the Gentiles also : Seeing it is one God who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision by faith. Rom. iii. 29, 30. This is included in the promise : '• For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.'* This is a promise of forgiveness through an offered and accepted propitiation. Ileb. x. 14, 1'] , 18. Under the law, indeed, as well as now, the pardon of sin was dis- pensed ; but it was not on the ground of any sacrifice "vvhich already v»"as offered ; but on that of the propitia- tory sacrifice of Christ, which yet remained to be offer- ed. But v.'here remission of sins is granted through the medium of a sacrifice already presented and accept- ed, '' there is no more offering for sin." Now, through Christ, believers are fully absolved from condemnation, and accepted as righteous. Justification in its primary sense, relates to an accusation. "Where no charge is brought against a man, he needs not to be justified. If an innocent person is accused, and proves his inno- cence, he is justified by the sentence of acquittal. But if a man is found guilty, he may be pardoned, but can- not be justified. Now, all mankind are not only charged with guilt ; but are actually condemned by the righte- ous judge ; and how, then, can they be justified ? In reply to this, let it be considered, that in Scripture the 171 pardon of a sinner is denominated his justification ; because it is not an exercise of forgiveness by an act of mere power or will ; but through the medium, or on the ground of the atonement of Christ, which has fully- answered all the claims of the violated law, and by which the exercise of mercy has been rendered con- sistent with the demands of righteousness. The work of Christ is so reckoned to the sinner, that he is treated as though it were his own. Hence, we are said to be justified freely by the grace of God, through the re- demption that is in Christ Jesus. Rom. iii. 24. The word here rendered freely, is the very word which is applied to the emiiity of sinners against the righteous Saviour. John, xv. 25. " They hated me," he says, '' without a cause." The reference is rather to the subject, than the manner of the action. As there was no cause in Christ why he should be hated of the world ; but every thing the reverse ; so in the case of the sinner who is justified, there is no cause to be found why that blessing should be granted him. The cause of the sinner's liatred is to be found only in the desperate wickedness of his heart ; and the cause of a believer's justification is in the love of God flowing to him, guilty as he is, through the propitiatory work of tile Redeemer. Every thing in us forbade the expec- tation of such a gift ; for the reason of its bestow^ment v.e cannot discover in ourselves : We find it only in the sovereign mercy of God. The forgiveness of sin, however, can only restore us to the state from which we have fallen ; but Jehovah does more for his people, than is comprehended in this blessing, precious as it is. His being their God, in- 172 eludes their adoption into his family as his children. We find, that to be their God and their Father, signifies substantially the same thing ; as for instance, in the following passages : " And it shall come to pass, that in the place "vvhere it was said unto them, ye are not viy people ; there shall they be called the children of the living God." Rom. ix. 26. " He that overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." Rev. xxi. 7* Now, here, the relation on the part of the conqueror, which corresponds with the relation of Jehovah to him as his God, is that of being his son. See also 2 Cor. vi. 16 — IS. There is a grandeur in the thought of having Jehovah for our God that is truly overwhelming ; and the mind can with difficulty, form a very definite idea of the privi- lege. In order, therefore, to bring the subject nearer to us, it is explained by our having God for our Father. The one expression intimates, as it were, the ineffable greatness of the relation ; and the other, the inexpres- sible tenderness of it. The majesty of God is, as it were, softened, and his glory appeai-s inviting and en- couraging ; because connected with all the sweetness and the unwearied kindness of the parental character. To Israel belonged the typical adoption ; and hence, in their aggregate capacity, God called them his son, his first-born. " Tell Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my first-born. I say to thee, let my son go, that he may serve me ; and if thou re- fuse to let him go, I will slay thy son, thy first-born." Exodus, iv. 22, 23. This appellation w^as given to the people of Israel, because from them the Messiah was to spring. And individually they were called the 173 children of God, as members of that body which served to prefigure the Church of the first-born. ]\Iany of them had more than this typical privilege, as is evident, from their spirit and behaviour. — But this arose from their faith in a better covenant. Under the Old Testa- ment, the sons of God were, however, in a state of minority, as it were. Gal. iv. 1 — 3 ; whereas. Chris- tians, in consequence of the coming of Christ, and the more copious effusion of the Spirit, are represented as comparatively in a state of maturity. Gal. iv. 6, 7* All who believe in Christ, are honoured by him to become the sons of God ; for we are constituted the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. John i. 12 ; Gal. iii. 26. But, as adoption conveys no idea of their resembling their father, they are described as his child- ren by regeneration. They are said to be born cf God, because born of his spirit, and by the incorruptible seed of the word. John i. 13 ; iii. 5 ; 1 Peter i. 23. As children of God, they are destined to be completely conformed to Jesus, the first-born of the famil}^ ; and ail the trials and events of life are necessary parts of that great plan of spiritual education, by which they are trained up for glory, honour, and immortality^ Rom. viii. 28, 29. Even the chastisements administered are tokens and fruits of affection. Their Father has no pleasure in putting them to pain ; but he consults their ultimate and eternal advantage in thus assimilating their minds to his own. His eye is on their eternity, and he is meetening them for the bliss of his own temple. What a manifestation of grace is this ? Not only were w« orphans, we were rebels ; not only were we strangers and foreigners, we v/ere enemies ; and p2 174 well then may we exclaim : " Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." John, iii. ]. Never ought we to forget what we were, when far from God, and children of wrath. God then saw, and pitied us, and came to our relief. For us he gave up his own son, that he might put us among his children. For us he orders the administration of his providence. And for us he hath prepared a place in the heavens. And sedulously ought we to pursue a line of conduct suited to this change of state and of character, that we may walk worthy of him who hath called us to his kingdom and glory. While in this world, we are in many respects like mere children. We are unable to provide for ourselves, or to foresee dangers; to overcome difficulties, or to sup- port trials. But he v.ho bare the Israelites, as a man beareth his son, in all the way that they vrent, will also conduct us through the wilderness. ^^ I will cause them to walk," says God, " by the rivers of waters in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble ; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born. Jer. xxxi. 9. As their Father, God provides for his people. He fed Israel with manna in the desert, and there he turned the flinty reck into a spring of water. And he will feed his redeemed with the bread and with the water of life. For them he hath provided a feast of fat things ; a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of v.'ines on the lees, well ref.ned. Isaiah, XXV. 6, 7* Ii^ the atonement and work of the Saviour, there is all that can fill the soul ; and v/hen v/e turn from the cross to the celestial sanctuary, we fuid in the 175 offices and glory of Christy an abiding fountain of life and enjoy nientj of holy light;, wisdom, and purity, and a constant exuberance of all that can strengthen and animate the heart. He will gire them of his Spirit to enlighten their mindS;, and to strengthen their faith ; to help their infirmities, and assist their devotions ; to direct their hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Jesus Christ ; to seal them through the sanctifying influence of the truth, and to secure them to the day of redemption ; to give them a foretaste and a pledge of the heavenly inheritance, and to make them fully meet for the final enjoyment of it. Yes, because we are sons, he hath seiit forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Gal. iv. 6 ; and thus does he provide for all our salvation, and all our desire. And even in regard to the things of this life, we are comforted by the assurance, that our heavenly Father knoweth that we need them ; and that if he feeds the ravens, and clothes the lilies of the field, he cannot possibly neglect his own children. If he is de- lighted to give them the kingdom, he v»ill assuredly give them all that is necessary on the way to it. Luke, xii. 32. And amid the many vicissitudes of this shift- ing and sublunary scene, they may be contented and happy ; for they that seek the Lord shall not v.ant any good thing. As children, believers have free access to tlielr fa- ther. And it is as natural for them, as for the children of earthly parents to cry in every emergency. Father ! Father ! They should avail themselves of his disposi- tion to succour them in all their distresses, and to supply the whole of their necessities. If, they being 176 evil, know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more shall their heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him. Matthew vii. 11. Their sonship is connected with their union to Christ, who is the first-born of the family. As the first-born, he has the inheritance in trust for them. All the bles- sings of mercy are lodged in him, and from his fulness they receive them. And there is an unspeakable con- solation in the thought, that we are joined to him who is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, — who is not ashamed to call us brethren, — and who from an ex- perience of human sorrows, is able and ready to succour us is all our distresses. As the children of God, they shall be raised from the dead, and even in the separate state they shall dwell with their Father. Such is the inference drawn by our Lord from the declaration of God to IMoses, ^' I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Luke xx. 37, 38. They are already, by a judicial deed, adopted into the family of God, and at death, their moral likeness to him shall be perfected ; but till the resurrection, there is still something want- ing to complete the execution of the deed. In order to their being completely the children of God, they must be '^^ the children of the resurrection." The promise that Jehovah will be their God, includes the promise of the heavenly inheritance. If children, we ai'e heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Rom. viii. 17. The relation is designed to display the exu- berance of his grace, and the exceeding riches of his love ; and much as he does for them here, there is yet more to be revealed in them at the coming of their Lord. 177 He is revealed as our dwelling place even here, that we may feed upon his love, — may be assimilated to his glory, and may participate in his hallowed and exalted joys. He is our refuge amid the changes and the ills of life. Under the shadow of his wings we may re- pose with the most undisturbed confidence, until all calamities be overpast. Here is an object which our w^idest desires cannot grasp. And in the views of a magnificent eternity, how precious such a guide on our way to it, and such a portion throughout it ! It doth not now appear what Christians shall be ; but when their Elder brother shall appear, they shall be like him. John iii. 3. God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city. Had he no more to confer than what can be enjoyed on earth, he would have been ashamed to enter into such a relation. The title, and the blessing would have been incongruous. It would have been like the conduct of one, who after raising our hope to the highest pitch, puts us off with a trifle. But such is not the way of our God. He gives us himself. The perfections of his nature, — the immensity of his possessions, — the dispensations of his providence, — the blessings of his grace, and his salva- tion,— in a word, all the treasures of his covenant, and the works of his hands, are ours ; for all of them are made to co-operate for our present, and our future safety and enjoyment. He will at last free us from every pain, and from every evil, — he will fully satisfy the most importunate cravings of the heart, and the most enlarged desires of the soul, — he w ill far more than re- alize our most exalted hopes, and he will communicate s. happine&s, of which we can now form no adeqxiate 178 conception. Andj when we shall be completely like to the Redeemer^ the image of the invisible God, and the first-born among many brethren ; then the glory of his relation to us, and our relation to him, will be fully displayed : all that has been said of it will be more than justified, and the assembled universe will exclaim, " Happy art thou O Israel, who is like unto thee, O people saved of the Lord?" *^^ Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, and the people whom he hath cliosen for his own inheritance." But, when Jehovah promises to be their God, he also says, '' they shall be my people." Now, this is not merel}'- a promise that they shall stand in a relation to God, corresponding with that in which he engages to stand to them, though certainly this must necessarily be included ; but that they shall be consecrated to him as a peculiar people, and a select society, in holy union and fellowship v>ith one another, as well as with him. The word people, often signifies a particular united com- munity. And the objects of mercy are thus described : ^' Which in time past were not a people ; but are now die people of God." 1 Pet. ii. 10. Formerly, they were not a people of any description ; for they did not belong to any separate community, distinguished from the rest of mankind. But now, through faith in Christ, tliey were united together as members of that sacred community, of which, God is the Father, though as to tliis world they were strangers, scattered among many and various peoples, and nations. Chap. i. 1. This marks them out as objects of special love, as called to peculiar privileges, and as distijiguished by a corres- 179 ponding character. Indeed, such as are enemies ta God, have no proper bond of union among themselves. They are in a state of disorder. Hence, those who are not of the Church of God, are represented as not a pea- pie. " I "vvill move them to jealousy," says he, " witii those which are not a people." Deut. xxxii. 21. But the Church of Christ, of which Israel was a figure, is an organized and compact body. Of this sacred community, Jesus is the head. It is cemented by his blood, and from him all its glory and its privileges are derived. And it is by faith in him, its members come to be animated by the same common feelings, and to be one in judgment and affection, in aim and pursuit. They are called out of the v/orld in- dividually ; but collectively, they are formd into one people. When the Saviour rose from the dead, and entered the holiest of all, he finished the work of pro- pitiation, and he laid the foundation of that blessed union, which subsists between the departed spirits of the just, and all upon earth who are believers in his name. And to this body, he continues to add new members, from the world which lieth in wickedness. And while Jehovah declares himself their God, they acknowledge and serve him as a people sacred to him- self. Hosea ii. 23. They cleave to him as the portion of their souls. They delight in saying, '' Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there is none on earth whom I desire besides thee." The kingdom of Christ is a state of preparation for Heaven, and its true glory con- sists in the lively exercise of holy dispositions, and heavenly affections. It becomes us to be imitators of God, as dear children, and to be holy as he who hath 180 called MS, is holy. For what purpose hath he called us out of darkness into his marvellous light, and from the world which lieth in wickedness ? But, that we might shew forth the virtues or perfections which adorn his character, 1 Peter ii. 9 ; and might be distinguished as a people sacred unto God. Ezek. xxxvii. 27, 28.— Hence, the admonition against being unequally yoked with unbelievers, and the call to come out from among them, and to be separate, and not to touch the unclean thing ; and the enforcement of these injunctions by the promises, '' I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." — " I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ^'^e shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Cor. vi. 14—18. The iJilrd promise of the covenant includes that knowledge which is eternal life. " they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying from the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest." This does not mean, that no kind of instruction shall be needed un- der the new dispensation ; for the Gospel is not only to be published to the world, but to be preached also to Christians ; and they are likewise to be taught all things v.hatsoever, which Christ hath commanded. Pastors and teachers are appointed to feed them with the words of eternal life, and brotherly exhortations and instruction are to be given them as circumstances may require. The promise implies the following things : First, that under the new covenant, there should be a much clearer revelation given of the character of God, 181 than had ever been before, and that this should be accompanied with more rich communications of the Holy Spirit ; so that the people of the new covenant should, generally speaking, far excel those of the old, in the knowledge of the things of God, And secondly, that though many of the literal Israel were either gross- ly ignorant, or had only the form of knowledge, and were not genuine disciples ; yet all of the subjects of the new covenant should be renovated in mind by the energy of heavenly truth. All of them are, at least, taught that truth, which respects the character of God as just, and yet the Saviour of sinners ; and therefore, they do not need to be addressed as unbelievers and unrenevred characters. Different degrees of knowledge are indeed to be found among them, and of course, different degrees of faith and of holiness ; but the very least in the family knows his Father ; because he knows the way in which mercy and truth have met, and righteousness and peace have em/braced each other. He thus knows the harmony which subsists between the lawgiver and the mediator in the salvation of sin- ners ; and this knowledge includes the elements of eternal life. John, xvii. 3. These different promises run into each other. For the knowledge imparted, is that of the divine character, as revealed in the propitiatory work of the Redeemer, — the knowledge of the saving truth introduces into the family of God, — and the faith of that same truth purifies the heart, and thus the three great blessings of the covenant come to be enjoyed. The first of them includes all the promises that respect the gift of the Spirit, the circumcision of the heart, the purification Q 182 of the soul, strength to overcome temptation, and grsce to contmue in the faith. The second includes all those which relate to honour and privileges, to present enjoy- ment, and a future inheritance in fellowship with God, and with his people. And the tliird includes all those promises, which relate to instruction and guidance, to j)reservation from error, and growth in the knowledge of the truth. All the promises of the everlasting covenant may be considered as either included under the three we have considered, or connected with them. In some passages where the covenant is mentioned, there are promises. directly made, which are only implied in this descrip- tion of it given by the Prophet, and in the Epistle to the Hebrews ; as for instance, in Jer. xxxii. 38 — 40 • where oneness of spirit, and the fear of God in the heart, are promised as branches of the covenant of mercy.- And in other places where the word covenant does not occur, there are promises made which must be included in it, as is evident, from their substantial identity with those which are expressly declared to be in it ; as for instance, Ezek. xxxvi. 25—27- Indeed,, all the promises whatsoever, whether temporal or spiritual, constitute parts of this covenant ; for all of. them " are yea, and amen in Christ." Hosea, ii. 18— 22 ; IMatth. vi. 25—34 ; Phil. iv. 19. Spiritual bless- ings have, as they certainly deserve, the principal place ; for all others are but subservient to them ; but yet the latter are included. Godliness hath the promise of this life, as well as of that wliich is to come. 1 Tim. iv. 8, But unquestionably, the true knowledge of God, the forgi^eness of sin, and renovation of character,. 1B3 CDnetitute the elements of the bliss of man. All else is supperaaded or subsidiar}'. Nobly superior to mere earthly concerns, the covenant of God keeps constantly in view the spiritual and eternal interests of mankind. When God addresses sinners, he always represent the making of a covenant with them as his own act, *' Incline your ear, and come unto me ; hear, and your soul shall live ; and I will make an everlasting cove- nant M-ith you, even the sure mercies of David." Isaiah, I'v. 3. Not that there are as many covenants as there are sinners saved ; but that the whole blessings of the €>ne covenant of God, are as really and fully given to every individual who beli-eves in Christ, as though it had been established for him alone. This covenant is established with every sinner who believes the Gospel of peace ; inasmuch, as he becomes an heir of its many exceeding great and precious promises, and as such, shall receive ail the sure mercies of David ; or of the beloved, as the name David signifies ; for it is evident from the following verses, tliat Jesus himself, the be- loved Son of God, is intended. All the promises made to him were mercies to his people. The blessings of salvation ^nd eternal life are his mercies ; inasmuch, as ihey are given as the promised reward of his work ; and many of them are, indeed, actually enjoyed by himself. They are sure mercies ; because they were fully given to the Saviour, when he was brought again firom the dead, through the blood of the everlasting covenant ; so that since he liveth, his people shall also live. Hence, this passage is quoted to prove, that the Messiah should be raised from the dead. Acts, xiiL 34 184 Now, there is nothing here of the nature of a bar- gain ; all is of free promise. ]Men do not bring them- selves into a covenant relation to God by any services of theirs ; for God establishes his covenant with them ; or, which is the same thing, " brings them into the bond of the covenant," which he hath graciously rati- fied. Ezek. xvi. 62, and xx. 37- Men, indeed, are utterly unworthy and unable, according to the usual meaning of the Avord covenant, to enter into any thing like a contract with their Maker for salvation. When of old they offered the appointed sacrifices, they were not making their covenant v/ith him, as if they could make their peace with God ; they were merely cele- brating the instituted representation of His covenant with them, in the faith of the fulfilment of its promises, with gratitude to him for his goodness, and with an earnest desire of obtaining the blessings of his grace. Hence, they are described as persons who have made a covenant with God by sacrifice. Psalm, 1. 5 ; or, as the passage literally reads, ^^ who have cut, or struck my (God's) covenant by sacrifice." Sinners according- ly, are represented as taking hold of the covenant of God. Isaiah, Ivi. 6. And what is it to take hold of his covenant ; but to rest all our hopes of pardon and acceptance on the blood by which it vras confirmed, and to look for every blessing purely as the reward of the work of Christ, in opposition to all the self-devised contrivances of man ? When addressing his people, Jehovah says : ^' As for thee, by the blood of thy cove- nant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." Zech. ix. 11; the reference is not to a covenant of their own ; but to tlie blood of 185 the Saviour, as the blood of a purifier ; or of a purifi- cation sacrifice, confirming the covenant of God, and purging away guilt. It is obviously in this view, that the blood of Christ is denominated " the blood of the covenant." Heb. x. 29. In a word, it is by being united to the Saviour through faith in his atonement, that we come to be in- terested in the covenant of God. To hiin it was said by his Father, " I will give thee for a covenant of the people." Isaiali xlii. 6 ; and xlix. 8. The meaning of this is, that he should be given for a purifier to the people ; or, that having by means of his becoming & purification sacrifice, and thus purging away guilt, confirmed all the promises of the covenant of God, he should be put in possession of its inestimable treasures, -and be called to the delightful work of dispensing the whole of its precious blessings, to all of every nation who should come to him, that they might have life- The condition laid upon the surety, he hath fully per- performed. It is the promises only, therefore, that now remain to be fulfilled. In him is that rii^hteous- ness, through which alone, they can be accomplished. To him it is, that they are primarily made, in him are laid up the v/hole of their precious blessings ; and it is by believing in him, and thus coming to be treated as one with him, that sinners are brought " within the bond of the covenant," and in his right come to inherit its treasures. How preposterous is it then to direct inquirers after the way of salvation, to make a kind of contract with God, as a means of pacifying a troubled conscience, and obtaining an interest in the work oi Christ. Why not keep by the Apostolic method x>i q2 186 preaching the Gospel^ and commending to it the faith of the heart ? To all "svho believe in him, Christ gives the promise of becoming the sons of the living God ; and of course, an interest in the blessings of his cove- nant. Did men receive the blessings of redemption by their accepting of terms (properly so called,) proposed to them, and promising for themselves that they should fulfil them ; the representation in the covenant would be marred ; and there would be in effect, as many cove- nants as there were persons saved ; at least, the covenant of God would be one, and their's would be another, evidently distinct from it. But the contrary of this has already been evinced from the oracles of truth. The language of the law is, " This do and thou shalt live ;" but that of the Gospel, is '' Hear and your soul shall live." The blessings of the Gospel, that is, are imparted, not on the ground of something done by our- selves ; but, on the ground of the work of Christ, of which we know nothing but by testimony ; and the the benefit of which, is obtained in the way of our hearing or believing that testimony. Now, there is a wide difference between a man doing a thing himself, in order to obtain a particular object, and his believing that every thing sufficient for that purpose has been done by another, and in consequence of this, resting on what has thus been accomplished, as the sole ground of his hope of obtaining the object desired. In the former exercise there is labour, in the latter there is none. The gracious invitation of mercy is, " Whoso- ever ^^ ill, let him take of the water of life freely." Rev. xxii. 17- And, what can be more free than a gift thus exhibited ? There can be nothing in the least meritori- 187 ous in receiving such a blessing ; but It is a most henious offence to reject it. How suited to the case of sinners, is a revelation such as this ! They are addressed as loaded with guilt, — beset with an accumulation of misery, and justly exposed to the wrath to come : There state is also represented as utterly irremediable by any exertion of their own, to whatever extent it may be carried. But to them, even in this fearful and helpless condition, the exceeding riches of divine grace is revealed, and the righteousness of Christ, brought near in the Gos- pel. They are not called to some long and complicat- ed course of exertions, in order to obtain the benefit of the Saviour's work ; but at once to give credit to the testimony of God, declaring that he is well pleased in that work, and to rest their eternity on it, in the confi- dence that the promise of Heaven, that whosoever thus builds on the foundation which is laid in Zion, shall never be confounded ; but shall finally triumph. And to believers in Christ, how soothing and encouraging it is, to dwell on the promises of instruction and guid- ance, when reflecting on their own ignorance, and blindness of mind; on the promise of sanctifi cation, when bewailing the evils of their hearts ; on the pro- mise of the privileges and blessings of the family and people of God, when feeling their need of a better por- tion than this world can give ; and, on the promise of forgiveness, when conscious of guilt and unworthiness ! Truly, the covenant of God is ordered in all things and sure, and embraces our salvation from all that is evil, and our attainment of all the good we can desire. 188 SECTION III. <»P THE CORRESPONDENCE AND DIFFERENCE BETWEBIC THE TWO COVENANTS IN THEIR GENERAL STRUCTURE. The Scriptures represent the Mosaic economy as established with the following views : First, to ex- hibit the will of God as the moral governor of the world, and the curse consequent on every transgres- sion of his law. Secondly, to afford a typical exhibi- tion of the Gospel, by a system of figures and shadows. Thirdly, to be in connexion with these viev/s, a rule for the guidance of the Israelites, as a people redeem- ed from bondage, and dedicated to God. And finally, in subserviency to all these objects, to be a political code for the government of Israel, as a people separat- ed from the nations, for the sake of the Messiah and his kingdom. In -the Jirsl of these views, the delivery of the law of Moses was the service of death and condemnation, 2 Cor. iii. 7 — 9; and it is opposed to the promise. Hence the Apostle argues, that " If they who are of the law, be heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of none effect. Because the law worketh wrath ; for where no law Is, there is no transgression." Rom. it. 14, 15. It must, therefore, have been revealed for the 189 purpose of convincing the Israelites of their guilt, and of their need of salvation through the promised seed : And considered in this light, it was subservient to the promise. And a similar use is made of the lav/ still ; for It is employed to produce a conviction of guilt, and to awaken to a sense of danger. In the second of these views, or as a typical system, it served to illustrate and confirm the promises of mercy and eternal life, till the Saviour himself should appear. Gal. ill. 18 — 25. The Jewish covenant was of a figu- rative nature ; the tabernacle and its institutions were designed as an examplar and shadow of heavenly things ; and the providence of God towards that people, was emblematical of his superintendence of his king- dom of Christ. The law thus served as a tutor, or a schoolmaster, till the great object of faith thus typical- ly exhibited, v»^as actually manifested. And when the former of these views of the law was connected with the latter, and v.hen both of them were connected with the redemption vouchsafed to Israel by Jehovah, in the character of their God as well as In that of their king ; It served, thirdly, as a rule for their guidance as a people redeemed from the bond- age of Egypt, and called Into a peculiar relation unto God. Having delivered them from bondage, and called them to proceed to the promised rest, he gave them his law, that in the way of obedience to it, they might enjoy the blessings of the promised Inheritance. Hence, he said to them, " I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage ;" and, having thus declared himself their God, he proceeds to enforce on this 190 j,^found^ and on that of the deliverance vouchsafed to them, obedience to his will. Just as when he said to Abraham, '' I am the Almighty God ;" that is, in the language of the promise, the Almighty God, to bless thee, he added, '' walk before me, and be thou perfect." Exod. xx. 2 ; Gen. xvii. 1. This view of the law, as a rule for their guidance, was more clearly ex- hibited, when it v.as afterwards dehvered them by Moses, as a typical mediator. Exodus, xxxiv. 29. There is therefore a correspondence between the old and the new covenants, inasmuch, as under the former as well as under the latter, the actual enjoy- ment of the premised blessing is connected with obe- dience. It is easy to see then, how the commandments ©f God are denominated the covenant. They were not, and indeed could not be the proper matter of the co- venant, for this lay in the promises ; but they were the laws connected with the covenant. And as the fulfil- ment of the promises, so far as the Israelites were con- cerned, had as its ultimate object, the e-tiblishment of the divine dominion over them, as an obedient people ; so the people of Christ are delivered by him out of the hands of their enemies, that they may serve him with- out fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of their lives. Luke, i. 7"^^ 75. It has been said, that the covenant established at Sinai was conditional ; while the promises of the new covenant are absolute. In regard to the latter, it is true, that Christ having finished the work which was given him to do, the promises as made to him, are now absolute and uivcouditional. And it is also true, Uisit 191 the promises made to the Churchy respecting the commg of Christ, and the accomplishment of his work were absolute, as are all promises of a similar nature ; as for instance, those which respect the Church collectively, and which relate to her future increase and extension ; for such promises are not directly connected with the character of her present members. It is granted far- ther, that even the promises which are made to the guilty, on their believing in Christ, are not properly conditional. It is necessary, for example, that a medi- cine be used before it can effect a cure ; and it is neces- sary, that food be eaten before it can nourish the body ; but neither of these is necessary as a condition ; but because from the very nature of the thing, neither can otherwise be of service. Faith is not the doing of something to warrant us to come to Christ in the con- fidence of obtaining mercy ; for it involves the very act of coming itself. To call it a condition in order to our coming to Him, were therefore the same as to say : *' We must believe in order to believe ;" or '^ come in order to come." The inheritance is of faith, that it might be of grace. Rom. iv. 16. The invitations of the Gospel are addressed to all ; but the promises of mercy are made to them, considered as coming to the Saviour. Once more, it is no less true, that those pro- mises which are made to particular characters ; such as the vision of God to the pure in heart, and the inheri- tance of the heavenly land to the meek, are not properly conditional. They are designed to show, what state of mind is necessary to the enjoyment of the blessings promised, and thus to stimulate to the cultivation of corresponding holy tempers and dispositions. The 192 enjoyment of the divine gifts is inseparably connected •with obedience, both by the appointment of God, and by the very nature of things. And in so far as the appointment of Heaven is concerned, there is a corre- spondence as to this, betv^^een the promises of the old covenant, and those of the new. And though the bless- ing of a change of state by pardon, is obtained purely through faith irrespective of character ; yet the proper enjoyment even of this blessing cannot be had but through a change of mind ; and accordingly, faith in Christ, •while it gives a title to life^, also makes meet for it. A condition as signifying a meritorious ground, or a procuring cause, cannot be admitted ; for it •were an utter subversion of the Gospel of the grace of God, to speak of any thing pertaining to a sinner^ as the meri- torious ground, or the procuring cause of the blessings of mercy. But there is no forgiveness, and no spiritual blessing to those who continue in unbelief and disobe- dience. While, therefore, the work of Christ is the sole ground of pardon and acceptance, these blessings cannot be enjoyed, but through faith in Christ. There is a w^ide diiFerence between a thing being a meritori- ous ground, or a procuring cause, and its being an essential requisite, (or a sine-qua-non,^ in the way of connexion, or order. And as the promises of the Gos- pel are not addressed to individuals by name ; but in- definitely to such as believe in Christ, it is easy to apply this to our subject. Faith in Him is, of course, necessary, in order to obtaining the benefit of his sacri- fice. And besides, in the very nature of things, the blessings of salvation cannot be enjoyed ; but in con- 193 nexlon with a change of mind;, and the M'ays of obe- dience. And as the old covenant v,-as a shadow of the new^ it follows, that the blessings of the former were enjoyed in connexion with obedience^ in a way which, at least, to a certain extent, corresponded with that in which the two are connected under the latter. The obedience of Christians is not yielded, or required, in order to furnish a ground on which the blessings of redemption are to be obtained. It is an expression of gratitude for the gift of God, and in the very exercise itself, there is true blessedness enjoyed. And on the same principle, the Israelites were reminded of the goodness of God, in order to excite them to obedience ; and prosperity was connected wath the keeping of the ^commandments. It is only in certain respects, indeed, that there can be a correspondence ; for the connexion between spir- itual happiness, and that obedience which springs from a renovated mind, is the natural fruit of the latter ; whereas, the connexion between obedience and temporal favours, such for instance, as the fertilit}^ of Canaan, was in a great measure, the result of an arbitrary ap- pointment ; for there was no natural connexion between it and external benefits in themselves. It follows, then, that it is chiefly in as far as the divine appointment is concerned, that there is the correspondence in question. While, therefore, there is an agreement, there is also thus far a difference between the old and the new cove- nants, in relation to the connexion between obedience and the enjoyment of the promised blessings. At the same time, the connexion between a proper state of mind, and the full enjoyment of the good things of B 194 Canaan must not be overlooked. So far from ihis^ \vben we consider Jehovah as the God of his people, v.-e see in this connexion the same radical principle, Avhich connects Christian obedience with Christian en- joyment. Thus, Solomon, even when in the possession of all the external good which Canaan could furnish, was far from being happy ; because his mind was not in a proper condition. A right state of mind would enable the faithful, properly to appreciate and enjoy even the earthly benefits of Canaan. T\\Q fourth view which has been given of the IMosaic lavv-, was subservient to the other three. As a political code for the government of Israel as a nation, the law must be considered as exhibiting the tenure by which the Israelites were to hold the possession of Canaan. We have already seen, that Jehovali was not only the God, but also the king of that people. Having in the former character, redeemed them from Egypt, he gave them laws, in the way of obedience to which, they were to enjoy his favour. But as they were separated, not only for the purpose of preserving and promoting true religion among them ; but for the sake of the Messiah v.'ho Vv'as to descend from them, and for the accomplish- ment of the promises concerning his kingdom ; it seemed meet to Jehovah to act, in a particular manner, as their national king, in order the more effectually to distiUiTuish them from the other nations of the earth. The assumption cf this character, and the special nature of the kino-dom which he established amonff them in Canaan, must be considered as connected with the general plan of mercy, and not merely with the parti- cular interests of that people. It is easy to see, then. 195 that as difFerent objects V\'ere to be gained by the old covenant, it must have had a variety of bearings and connexions. Hence, the Apostle says : " The law is not of faith ; but, the n^n that doeth them shall live in them." Gal, iii. 12. He is speaking of the law of Moses, as given by Jehovah in the character of the King of Israel ; and of the obedience it required, and the reward it cop.ferred, as an illustration of that justi- fication which is by the law, and which is by a doing for life, that dees not at all include faith in the work ■of another. And considered as a judicial code, the law of Moses corresponded v.'ith this definition. This distinction between vrliat the law required as a political code, and that which it required considered as the law of the moral governor of all, and in connexion with the revelation of mercy, confirms what was for- merly stated, in regard to the obedience enjoyed by Jehovah, as the head of the Jewish commonwealth. Considered in connexion with this vievv^ of the law, the promises of earthly blessings were conditional. The people did not enter the land because of their righteousness, or for the uprightness of their hearts, but because of the promise made to their fathers ; but having entered it, or having been born in it, their prosperity there, and their continuance in it as subjects of the Jewish commonAvealth, were in certain respects suspended, on their obedience to Jehovah as their King. The nature of the life, and the blessings he bestowed in that character may be learned from what the Apostle has said of the law, which stood, he tells us, in sacrifices consisting of meats and drinks, and in carnal ordinances ; GV rather carnal justifyings, or righteousnesses of the 19G flesh, which vrcre connected with its meat and its drink- oiTerings. Heb. ix. 10. He evidently means, that the justification obtained by the services of the law, con- sidered merely as acts of obedience to the head of the kingdom, consisted in exemption from outw^ard and civil penalties and disqualifications, and in the continued possession of external benefits and privileges. And the connexion, which is here supposed to exist, between the meat and drink-offerings of the lav/, and those carnal justifyings, establishes the principle, that the same rites which, considered in one viev/, were typical of the work and the salvation of Christ, v.' ere, wdien considered in another, or merely as precepts, a part of that code of laws, on obedience to which, the prosperity of the Israelites was suspended. Whether the things com- manded vrere ceremonial and positive, or moral in their nature, if the blessing were suspended on obedience, it equally served to illustrate the principle of the Adamic constitution ; or in other words, the character of the law, as the rule or procuring cause of justification. Indeed, the obedience of Adam himself respected a positive precept. And as the dispensation established -with him, gives the most full view of " the law of works;" or of the law, as the rule or ground of justifi- cation, the positive nature of many of the IMosaic pre- cepts, can be no objection to the view now given of his economy. But though the Adamic constitution eave the most full view of the law of God, considered o as the rule of acceptance ; it ought not to be supposed, that this situation of the law arose entirely from that constitution : For originally, and before the precept in regard to the forbidden fruit was given^ the law was 197 written on his heart, and was in him as a law which Could have given hfe to Adam individually considered. There never was a law given which could give life to man after he became a sinner j but to innocent man, the general and eternal law of love could certainly give life, and to him it carried with it this notification : ^^ The man that doeth it, shall live by it." Abstracted then, from the dispensation established with Adam, in connexion with the precept in regard to the forbidden fruit, the law required of him perfect obedience, both as to matter and principle, and in its duration parallel with his being. And such obedience it still requires of his posterity. This is supposed in all the declara- tions of it, which the Scriptures have proclaimed unto mankind. And some apprehension of the law, as thus requiring obedience in order to acceptance with God is natural to men, though they sadly mistake the nature of that obedience. But the constitution established with Adam after he was placed in paradise, served particularly to illustrate this view of the law. a Adam did not originally obtain paradise as the re- ward of his previous obedience : But after he obtained it, he was distinctly informed, that he held the con- tinuance of it by the tenure of his obedience to a parti- cular law, and that the first instance of transgression should forfeit it for ever. He was to live, of course, by his own righteousness. Not that his obedience could at all be profitable to his i\Iaker, or by any means an equivalent for the life and the blessedness conferred on him : But that his obedience to the will of Heaven a Gib's Sacred Contemplations, p. 150 — 154. r2 198 was the condition on which it pleased God^, that he should hold and enjoy these blessings. There was thus afforded a striking illustration of the laW;, as the rule or procuring cause of acceptance and life, and as a system under which man is strikingly punished accord- ing to desert. Now, in like manner, the IMosaic economy, considered as a political system, so far represented this character of the law ; when it promised the reward of temporal bless- ings, on condition of obedience to Jehovah as the king of the nation. But this even was in subserviency to that view of it, in v»'hich it prefigured the Gospel. For the design of God was to afford an illustration of the solemn condition Vv'hich it behoved the mediator to fulfil, in order to his becoming the Saviour of sinners. As the political head of Israel, he required of them obedience to his law in that character, in order to their fruition of temporal and civil benefits, with a view to exhibit the ground on Vvhich the Messiah sliould be honoured, to bless the nations of the earth according to the pro- mise; namely, his own perfect righteousness^ as the great antitype of all that the law prefigured. This was one great reason why the Israelites were placed mider such a system of laws. It made way for the Messiah being placed under a law, which, while it in- cluded that general law that is binding on all, afford- ed by its special precepts, a most striking view of the many personal grounds of forfeiture which existed, besides the general forfeiture incurred by the single offence of Adam, on which account it is said to have entered, that the offence might abound : And it also aTorded a striking exhibition of the curse, which it ]99 behoved the surety of sinners to bear^ and in general, of the work which he had to perform. '" God sent forth his Son, made of a M'oman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Gal. iv. 4, 5. The law given to Israel was such, that it '' concluded, or shut up, all under sin." Gal. iii. 22, And it was so given them, as very strikingly to exhibit that system under Vvhich sinners are dealt with according to their own desert, and which has often been denominated '' the law, as a covenant of works." Hence, our Lord, in replying to one who asked him what he should do that he might have eternal life, said : If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matth. xix. 17 — 19. As the lavv^ of iMoses comprehended that law which is binding on all mankind ; so the curse denounced against every transgression of it, was a figure of that fearful curse which is the desert of every instance of transgres- sion among mankind. And hence, in enduring the cross, Jesus sustained the desert of the many sins of that people, which shall be gathered to him out of all the nations of the earth. In placing Israel under such a constitution, it could not be the design of God, that they should be justified by obedience to his law ; for they were already condemned as transgressors ; and to them, as to all men, the door of justification by deeds of law was for ever shut. '^ By the deeds of the lav/ there shall no flesh be justified in his sight ; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. iii. 20. His design, then, must have been to exhibit a view of the way in which man, in his original condition, was to have lived by his own righteousness; and of the requirements of the 200 law still, as tlie rule of acceptance with God^ in order to the illustration of the way through which the second Adam should effect the salvation of his people. Hence^ the malediction pronounced on every one who should be hanged on a tree^ is expressly applied to the manner of the Saviour's decease. Gal iii, 13 ; for his obedience was obedience unto death. Not that the redemption of Christ is according to the strict letter of the law ; for the language of the law is^, " The man that doeth these things shall live by them/' and '' The soul that sinneth shall die ;" but that it is in full accordance with tiie spirit of the law. It merits our attention^ also, that the obedience of the Israelites consisted in ceremonial and typical, as as well as in moral services. And, as the Israelites could have no share in making the atonement which was thus typically exhibited, it follows, that in certain parts of their sacrificial services, they must have pre- figured the Saviour, while in others, they no doubt ex- hibited as a kingdom of priests, a shadow of the ser- vices of the Christian Church. This seems to be taught us in such addresses as this, " Thou art my servant O Israel, in v.'hom I will be glorified," where the name Israel is given to the Saviour. Isaiah xlix. 3. While, therefore, the old covenant, considered as a shadow of good things to come, exhibited the Gospel of Christ ; yet, when considered as a political code^ it was so constructed as to give a striking view of the guilt and condemnation of man, and of the perpetual obligation of the law of Heaven. The law demanded obedience ; but, it contained no promise in itself of the communication of special grace, to produce the obe- 201 dlence required. And this served to confirm the so- lemn truth, that the obhgation to obedience does not rest on the gift of that grace which excites to it. Were it otherwise, men in their natural state could not be sinners at all, because under no obligation to obey till they had received of that grace which produces com- pliance. It was explicitly taught, then, that the obli- gation to obedience, rests on the possession of natural faculties and means for their exercise, when under the old covenant, the commandments were written on stones merely, or in other words, when there was only an external revelation of the will of God, and yet the duty of man to obey, was most explicitly declared. But, in the new covenant it is promised, that the laws of God shall be written in the hearts of its sub- jects, and put into their inward parts. The redeemed are thus enabled to serve God with a new spirit, and not merely according to the old letter. Christians well know, that in consequence of their corruption, more than the mere knowledge of duty, or even than an in- ward conviction of the equitj' of the divine require- ments, is necessary to produce genuine obedience. And how precious then, is the promise of grace according to our need. It is true, that many of the Israelites were the sub- jects of special grace, and had the law written in their hearts; but it is equally true, that they received it, not in virtue of the Sinaitic covenant ; but in virtue of the promises which respected Christ, and the accom- plishment of his work in the fulness of time. In the law was seen the authority of God, and by it the de- 202 pravity of the human heart was made manifest ; but the man who was sensible of the smfuhiess of his nature, and of his consequent insufficiency for obedience, could not see in the law itself, the promises of heavenly grace. It was only in the promises made to the fathers, that a foundation was laid for the prayer and the confidence, that God would impart of his spirit to work those things in the heart, as a gracious Sovereign, which he required as a lawgiver. The types of the law, indeed, exhibited in figure, the grace and the mercy of God ; but they could not be understood, unless connected with the promises previously made, and they could not themselves communicate the influences of the Spirit of God. This reasoning proceeeds on the principle, that there is a difference between the character of Jehovah as the moral Sovereign of the world, and his character as the special king of Israel. There is no inconsistency in ascribing to him this twofold character ; a child for instance, owes obedience to his father by a natural ob- ligation ; but yet, if the father were to promise a parti- cular property, on condition of certain acts of that very obedience which is due upon other and indefeasible grounds, then those acts v/ould have a double use, and a twofold respect unto the father. As the king of Israel, God bestowed the earthly blessings of the old covenant, considered as a political code, on the ground of the obedience of that people, to Him, considered in that character. It is to this that the Apostle refers, when he says that " Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law ; that the man which doeth these things shall live by them." Now to 203 this he opposes the righteousness "svhich is of faith. Rom. X. 5, 6. The meaning, therefore, cannot be, that the man who did these things, should live in doing them, though not by them ; as Christians live in obedience, thougli not bi/ it ; for it is such a doing of the law, as is contradistinguished from the justification which is by faith. It must be evident then, that the earthly blessings conferred by God as the king of Israel, were given on the ground of obedience to him in that character. But the blessings of the new cove- nant are bestowed on the ground of the perfect righte- ousness of Christ ; there is thus a difference between the two covenants. But on the other hand, considered as the God of Israel, the blessings of the covenant, in as far as it was a shadow of good things to come, were given by him, not on the ground of obedience, but only, as w^e have seen, in connexion with it. And here we see a cor- respondence between the two covenants ; for manj^ of the blessings of the everlasting covenant, could not, in the very nature of things, be enjoyed apart from obe- dience, though they are far from being given on the ground of it. This view of the Levitical economy, ap- pears particularly in the concluding addresses of IMoses to the people, previous to his death. The spirit of the future dispensation is there more distinctly exhibited. When for instance, he says to them : '^ Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe, to do all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you, because it is your life ; and through this thing, ye shall prolong your days in the land, whether ye go 204 over Jordan to possess it." Deut, xxxli. 46, 47 ; he is stating the intimate connexion which would subsist between their obedience and enjoyment ; obedience itself should, as it were, be their life, and not merely the ground on which it was continued by their king. He reminds them that they had been redeemed from Egypt and all their enemies, not that they might so become their own masters, that they might live as they pleased; but, that they might, at once from a sense of duty and of gratitude, devote themselves wholly to their gracious deliverer. The principle then, is the same with that on which believers are besought by the mercies of God, to present themselves unto him a liv- ing sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, and w^hich is their reasonable service. Deut. xxvi. 1 — 11. Jeho- vah himself was declared, to be their life, and as such, he was to be enjoyed in the way of their loving the Lord, their God, obeying his voice, and cleaving unto him ; for thus, they should dwell in the land which he sware unto their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. Deut. xxx. 20. In this view of the subject, they lived in, but not by their obedience. As the old covenant made no provision for the com- munication of that special grace, which changes the mind and produces cordial obedience, it was a cove- nant, from the benefits of which, the people might be excluded. Speaking of them, God says, " They con- tinued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, salth the Lord." Heb. viii. 9. This language does not respect the mere change of dispensation, for it evident- ly implies, that such w^as the constitution of the cove- nant, that God might be induced to cast them out of 205 it. We accordingly find, that he actually excluded from it the ten idolatrous tribes. If, then, numbers who were once included under this covenant, were cut off from it, many ages before there was any change in the Mosaic economy ; it must be evident, that the lan- guage in question respects the general nature of the covenant, and not merely some circumstances con- nected with a change of dispensation. The Israelites kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law. Psalm Ixxviii. 10. The ten tribes were, there- fore, carried away captive into a foreign country. — Judah also rebelled, and she too was carried away captive. God did not, however, cast them out of the covenant established at Sinai on every instance of trans- gression j for there Avere sacrifices appointed for many acts of disobedience. This judgment was inflicted only in cases of rebellion against the fundamental laws of the state ; as for instance, the crime of idolatry. The old covenant then, was not an unmixed exhibition of the Adamic constitution, or of the law, as the rule or procuring cause of justification ; for according to it, there was no provision whatever for the exercise of mercy. But in the case of such offences as had no sacrifices appointed for them, there was a full view given of the Adamic constitution ; while in the sacri- fices appointed for other offences, there was a shadow of the Gospel. But as the old covenant had originally been estab- lished in subserviency to the covenant made with their fathers ; so, for the sake of the latter, a revelation of mercy and forgiveness was made to those who should break the former. With great solemnity and tender- 206 nesS;, Moses said to the Israelites^ that if, when they were in tribulation, and scattered among the nations, they from thence sought the Lord with all their heart, and M'ith all their soul, and turned unto him, and were obedient to his voice ; he would not forsake them, nor destroy them, nor forget the covenant of their fathers which he sware unto them. Deut. iv. 29 — 31. When in any instance, the people of Israel had exposed them- selves to the judgment in question, they were forgiven and restored, not in consequence of any provision in the old covenant by which mercy was reserved for them ; but by a gracious recurrence on the part of God to the covenant he had made with their fathers, ^' If," s;ays he, '^ they shall confess their iniquity, then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Abr^lilam will I remember ; and I will rem.ember the land." Lev. xxvi. 40 — 42. In accordance with this, v.e find, that when after they had broken the covenant, by worshipping the golden calf, Closes in pleading for them, rested his plea not on any thing in the covenant which had just been established with them j but on the promises made to their fathers. ^'Remember," said he, ^'Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, tliy servants, to whc m thou swarest by thine ov.n self, and saidst unto them, I will m.ultiply your seed as the stars of Heaven ; and all tins land that I have spoken of Avill I give unto you, and ur.to your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever." Exodus, xxxii. 12, 13. This part of the divine plan is a convincing proof, that the Liw of jMoscs, so far from being against the promise which had been given to Abraham, Mas established with Isrr.el on account of that promise, and was de- 207 signed to be subservient to its ultimate accomplishment. It was added to the promise '' because of transgres- sions j" that is^ in order that by its numerous precepts, and its penal sanction^ the connexion of transgression with wrath might be kept in remembrance, and that the nature of the salvation of Christ might thus be illus- trated. Gal. iii. 19. His sacrifice was to be offered for the r-emission of guilt, and for salvation from sin. The Prophet Isaiah has allegorized the history of Sarah and Hagar, by employing them, as the Apostle Paul informs us, to illustrate the two covenants. Isaiah, liv. 1 ; Gal. iv. In the allegory, Hagar represents the old covenant, and Sarah the new. They cannot repre- sent what have been called the Old and the New Testa- ment Churches ; for believers under the Old Testa- ment^ and those under the New, constitute but one society. '^ We are built on the foundation of tlie Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Ephes. ii. 20. And we are come to the general assembly and church of the first-born, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Heb. xii. 23. The two characters introduced are represented as coeval, and as living together for a time in the same family. Besides, the one woman and her son, are re- presented as becoming the enemies of the other, Avhich can never be said of one class of believers in regard to another. Nor can the reference be to Jewish and Gentile believers ; for the believing Jews under the Mosaic economy, so far from having a hostile spirit towards the Gentiles, on the contrary, anticipated the conversion of the latter with feelings of delight. The 208 reference^ then, must be to the Cliurch of God, from which the children of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, spring. This church is represented as a barren woman, who did not bear ; because though God always had a seed to serve him in the earth, yet, for a long time, they were comparatively few. Ilagar soon had a numerous posterity ; but the descendants of Sarah were for a long time few, though at last they far ex- ceeded those of the bondwoman. And in like manner, up to the time when the Saviour appeared, the fleshly descendants of Abraham were more in number than his spiritual seed ; but now the latter are more in number tlian the former. In other words, the children of the new covenant are now more numerous than were those of the old. The Church had, for a time, been placed in a situation similar to that of a woman who had been betrothed ; but whose marriage had not been com- pleted. Her husband who had been promised her, and to whom she had, as it w^ere, been betrothed, had not made his appearance. She had thus been " as a woman forsaken, and a w^ife of youth, who had been refused ;" but she is told, that she should " forget the shame of her youth, and the reproach of her widowhood ; for the Lord of hosts should be her husband, under the character of the God of the whole earth." Isaiah, liv. 4,5. In the allegory, as has been stated, Sarah and Hagar represent the old and the new covenants ; and the fol- lowing seems to be the sum of the illustration afforded : Sarah was the wife of Abraham, and the mistress of the family, long before Hagar had a place in it : And in like manner, that promise which included the Gospel, 209 ^•as made to Abraham long before the giving of the law of i\Ioses. Ilagar was introduced into the family as a servant to Sarah, and even when added to Sarah, as a wife to Abraham, she did not cease to be her ser- vant ; she was added to raise up seed to Abraham, and her son was considered as the son of Sarah, rather than of Hagar : And in correspondence with this, the law was added to the promise not to subvert it, but in sub- serviency to it ; and in connexion with the raising up of a fleshly posterity to Abraham, from whom the Messiah should descend. So long as Hagar kept her proper place as a nurse, or an assistant, she w^as useful in the family ; and in like m.anner, wlien the law of JMoses, and the privileges connected with it, were viewed as subservient to the promise, it was of essential service to its great object. But when Hagar v/ished to occupy the place of the true wife, and to be the miistress of the fam.ily ; and when her son presuming on his fleshly relation to Abraham, treated with contempt the true heir of the inheritance, then they became in- jurious to the family, and were therefore ejected : And on the same principle, when the Jews losing sight of the great design of the law of Moses, or of the national covenant establislied with them at Sinai, sought justifi- cation by it, and not by the promise ; and v/hen pre- suming on their fleshly birth, considered in itself, they persecuted Jesus, the true heir of the inheritance, and also all who looked for salvation entirely through Jiim ; then they were ejected, and an end vras put to their national privileges. Thus, the old covenant, tliough of important use in subserviency to the present elucida- tion, and the future introduction of the new, could s2 210 not of itself give life. Those who looked for liberty through it, could not obtain it. In itself, it '' gendered to bondage," that is, it pro- duced children, -which from their birth were in bond- age. Hagar being a bondwoman herself, her children according to the usage of the age, were also in a state of bondage. And such of the Jews, as like Ishmael, had no relation to Abraham, but what arose from carnal descent, could not inherit the spiritual blessing ; for their national covenant did not entitle them to the heavenly inheritance. It is called '' a yoke, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear." Acts xv. 10 ; because of its solemn denounciations of vengeance, and of the utter inefficacy of all its offerings to justify a sinner, or to free the conscience from a sense of guilt, when conviction of sin flashed upon the soul, and when the dread of judgment made the heart to tremble. It is true, that numbers of the Jews even then were heirs of the heavenly inheritance, and re- joiced in a sense of the divine favour and forgiveness, and in the hope of eternal life ; but this arose from a prospective view to the covenant which was yet to be established, and from the understanding of the pro- mises which were given to the fathers, previous to the giving of the law of Moses, and which were illustrated and confirmed by that law, as well as enlarged during its continuance. It did not arise from the law con- sidered in itself. Whether before or after the coming of Christ, men were delivered from the bondage of the fear of death, only in consequence of their faith in Christ, either as already come, or as about to appear. 211 It may be proper to consider more largely the first and the second of the purposes which -vve have seen, that the law of Moses was intended to answer ; namely, to be an exhibition of the will of God, and of the curse due to transgressors, and a typical ex- hibition of the Gospel, by a system of types and of shadows. In the first of these views, the law as delivered from Sinai, gave a striking discovery of the authority and majesty of the Lawgiver, and of the fearful power of the Judge. The same laws had in substance been given before; but they were now brought together as the leading heads of a great system of morality. Such a distinct revelation was of great utility ; for in the land of bondage, the Israelites had in a great measure forgotten their obligations to God, and the duties he required of them. In order, tlierefore, to revive a sense of obligation, to awaken a conviction of guilt, and to impress M'ith a sense of danger, the law was delivered, and in a way the best calculated to show the need of a Saviour. The ten commandments were distinguished from the rest, by their being spoken from the midst of the fire, immediately by God himself. Having declared them in this manner, he paused in order to afford the people an opportunity of making request to him to appoint a mediator. As a memorial of their having thus been spoken without a mediator, they were written on stones by the finger of Jehovah. It was not merely because they were moral in their nature, that they were thus written ; for not a few of the others are also of a moral nature ; but in particular, to remind the Israel- 212 ites, that the whole might have been delivered in the same fearful manner had it seemed meet to the law- giver. Hencej the Apostle when speaking of the old covenant^ considered as a system of precepts, by which was exhibited the demands of the law, as the rule of acceptance, represents it as if it had all been engraven on stones ; because considered in that light, its nature w^as fully displayed in the commandments which were thus written As the object of Jehovah was to con- vince of guilt, and to show the need of a INIediator, this purpose was ansv/ered by the immediate delivery of the ten commandments alone ; and as he also de- signed to appoint a typical jMediator, he added no more in that manner, but gave the other command- ments through IMoses. Thus, both purposes were answered. The ten which were selected in order to be so delivered as to answer the former purpose, were thus selected, because from their comprehensive, as well as their moral nature, they were well fitted to illustrate the nature of the whole law of Heaven, and so to produce a conviction of guilt, and of the need of a Mediator. The [view now given, therefore, does not confound moral with positive precepts ; it only represents them as connected parts of the same general economy. We accordingly read in Exodus xxiv. 7> 8, of a book called " the book of the covenant," in which were written by Moses, all the w^ords of the Lord, verse 5- Now, there is no just reason to question, that this book contained both the ten commandments, and all the statutes and judgments, and precepts, which are written in the latter part of the xx. chapter, and in the three ibllowing chapters. We find, that the ten precepts are 213 represented as the covenant, Deut. iv. 13 ; and the tables are called " the tables of the covenant." Deut. ix. 10, 11 ; X. 4. Though they were written by God on tables of stone, it was necessary that they should also be written in a book, for the general use of the people ; and we know, that they were actually written by JMoses, both in the book of Exodus, and in that of Deuteronomy. Besides, at the time that the covenant was ratified by sprinkling the book, as well as the people, with blood, they had not been written on the tables ; for this is mentioned as having been done afterwards, when Moses was called again to tlie I\Iount, Exodus xxiv. 15, chapter xxxi. 18. There appears, therefore, a particular necessity for their being written at the same time, with the other precepts in the book of the covenant. This book then, contained, not only moral precepts ; but also those statutes and ordinances which were shadows of good things to come. The precepts con- tained in the latter part of the 20th, and in the three following chapters, form a summary, as it were, of the typical revelation of IMoses, united with such moral injunctions, as in some measure, show the extent and application of the ten commandments. Thus, did the ancient economy unite the law and the Gospel, In corroboration of this, let it also be considered, that when after the first tables had been broken, iMoses was again called up into the INIount, the Lord delivered to him what may be considered as a summary of the con- tents of the book of the covenant, with such additions as the new state of circumstances required. And the words of this summary are called '^ the words of the 214 covenant/' as well as are the ten commandments^ '• Write thou/' said God to him_, in Exodus^ xxxiv. 27, " these words ; for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel." Now, unquestionably:, the reference here is to v/hat is re- corded from verse 11 to verse 26, inclusive : And it is in connexion with this, that we are told in verse 28, that the ten commandments were written on the tables. Now, since the statutes and laws of the summary in question, are denominated '' the words of the covenant," as well as are the ten commandments ; it follov/s, that when the latter are so called, it is not to the exclusion of the former ; but because tliey were first delivered, and that in a very remarkable manner ; and thus stand at the head, as it were, of the divine })recepts. It is a very common thing, to name the whole of any public deed from the first part of it. And it is as common, to put a part of a thing for the whole. When, therefore, the Apostle represents the law which v.as engraven on stones as abolished, he does not mean, that the moral principles recognized by it are now set aside ; for that they cannot be ; but that the eccncmy with which they were, for a time, con- nected, has, as an economy, been abolislied ; and when I-e speaks of that which was engraven on stones as gloiious, and of its spirit as yet excelling it in glory, he must be referring, not to the ten commandments alone ; but to the whole of what was delivered by IMoses, when he came down from the INIount. At that time not only did he deliver those ten words ; but he also gave in commandment '■'■ all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. " ExoduSj xxxiv. 32. 215 And mucli of what God there declared to hlm^ respect- ed the three great festivals of the law, which unques- tionably prefigured the glories of the Gospel. And besides, the words of the covenant as then delivered, were prefaced by the memorable declaration of the character of God, as " The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsufFering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving, but not clearing iniquity, transgression, and sins." Exodus, xxxiv. 6, 7« And what is this, but the glorious char- acter of God, as exhibited in the Cross of Christ; where he appears, at once, the just God, and the Saviour, just and yet the justifier of the ungodly? And hence, Je- hovah is represented, as making all his goodness to pass before Moses. Chap, xxxiii. 19. In a word, what was then delivered by Moses, is put for his Vvhole eco- nomy, a It is clear, then, that the law must have been given by Jehovah, both to exhibit his will, and the curse due to transgression ; and to afford a shadow of the Gospel of peace. But as the view which it gave of the Gospel, o It appears to be incorrect then, to say, that the law of Moses vas put as a yoke on the necks of the Jews for the punishment of their sins in the matter of the golden calf, for not to mention that the sub'^tance of that law was given before the transgression in question ; the revelation which followed, was a much more clear exhibition of the Gospel, than that which preceded it. So much so, indeed, that some have been led to suppose, that it is a new cove- nant entirely, of a far m.ore gracious character than that which was previously established. This is a mistake ; for the tld covenant which was ratified by blood, as mentioned in Exodus, xxiv. 3 — 8, instead of continuing only till the making of the golden calf, con- tinued till the eveilasting lovtnant itself, v as esta!,>lished in the blood of Christ. Heb. viii. 7 — l«i- After that sin, the old covenant \s as, as it were, renewed, and accompanied with a more full revelation ©f Jhe gracious character of God. 216 vras much more faint than that which it gave of the authority and justice of the offended Lawgiver, it often takes its name from the latter revelation ; because it was its most prominent feature. Hence, the delivery of it is called the ministration, or service of death, and con- demnation. Its particular nature served clearly to show, that justification could never be obtained by the law itself, and the consequent need of a Saviour ; and what should have to be done on the part of the Re- deemer, it taught only by obscure images. Heb. x. 1. To him it pointed as its ultimate object, and its various parts must have signified what should be his character and his w^ork. But the instruction given on this sub- ject, was much less clear than that afforded on the sub- jects of the guilt of man, the claims of the divine law^, and the purity and holiness of the divine character. Its distinguishing principle was fear. There is a fear, indeed, which is not only compatible with love and confidence ; but is, in fact, proportioned to it. The more a child loves his Father, and the greater confi- dence he has in his affection, the more will he fear to offend him, and the greater care will he take to please him. But the fear produced by the law, considered in the view now referred to, was that slavish fear which arises from a consciousness of guilt, without proper views of the way of salvation. In proportion as our views of guilt and of danger, and of the divine purity and justice, exceed in clearness, our views of the way of salvation, and of the divine mercy and grace, will the spirit of slavish dread rise above the spirit of love. Now, this was the case with the law of IMoses. And this principle accounts for the uneasiness of many, who 217 this principle accounts for the uneasiness of many, Avho, on the whole;, are influenced by the truth. When Isaiah, for instance, had a lucid view of the majesty, purity, and holiness of God, he exclaimed, I am un- done ; but when a live coal was taken from the Altar, where the divine mercy was united with justice, and when his iniquity was purged aM'ay, he obtained peace, and w^ith holy confidence engaged in the service of Je- hovah. 'Isaiah, vi. 1 — 8. In regard to what are called the ceremonial parts of the law", a distinction should be made between their character as simply precepts, and their character as U/pical appointments. Considered as precepts requiring obedience, they demanded it under the same penalties, as did, what are called, the moral commandments, whether the ten words directly, or the amplifications of them contained in the rest of the law ; while on the other hand, considered as typical rites, they were shadows of the Gospel. The same authority which enjoined the love of God and of man, enjoined the offering up of the appointed sacrifices, and the obser- vance of the appointed washings. The latter, as well as the former, are among the things of w^hich it is solemnly said : '' Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things written in the law to do them." And the breach of the typical, as well as of the moral pre- cepts, must therefore, have subjected to the curse. He who despised the former, no less than he who pre- sumptuously despised the latter, died without mercy. Add to this, that these figurative services could not of themselves take aw^ay sin and procure justification; so that they could no more of themselves give life, T 218 t?ian could the moral commandments. And as when the former are considered merely as precepts, the tw(> were, as to this, on a level ; what more natural than ta speak of them i?i this view as one law, without nicely distinguishing between them. In the former view, they were remembrancers of guilt ; and in the latter, figures of the Saviour. Both are mentioned m Heb. x, 1, 2, where the same things which are called shadows " of good things to come," are said to have brought sins to remembrance. God appeared as still remem- bering sin ; because he still required sacrifice for it. On this last account, this part of the law is included in "- the handwriting which Avas against us ;" or in other words, it exhibited the bond of our debt of guilt as yet uncancelled. And till the bond was nailed by the Saviour to his Cross ; or in other words, was cancelled by his perfect sacrifice, the ordinances of the law con- tinued in force. Col. ii. 14. The whole law of which Moses was the minister, is in the view now in question, very justly opposed to that dispensation of which the Apostles were the ministers. And this view being its most prominent feature, it often takes its name from it, and is accordingly termed a killing letter, an un- bearable yoke, and a system which fostered the spirit of fear. 2 Cor. iii. 6, 7. 0 ; Acts, xv. 10 ; Gal. iv. 24 ; Rom. viii. 15. "Whereas, the most prominent feature of the Apostolic message, being the proclamxation of pardon and peace through Christ ; the ministry of the Apostles is termed the ministration of righteousness, that is, of justification ; for each dispensation is de- nominated from its most prominent feature. On the other hand, when considered in the second 219 eT the views, -which have been mentioned, it i« re- presented by the Apostle in 2 Cor. iii. 6 — 11, as the letter of a parable, the spirit of which, was Christ in tlie character of tlie Saviour. Though the mere letter as consisting simply of precepts, the breach of Avhich :subjected to death, is therefore said to kill ; yet con- sidered as typical, it was the letter of a parabolical or significant system, the spirit of which, or in other Avords, the great object signified by which, is " Christ and him crucified." And this the spirit end, or scope of it, giveth life, inasmuch, as through the perfect sacrifice «f the great antitype, pardon and peace are obtained. 2 Cor. iii. 5, 17, 18. All the parables of the Old Testament have a letter and a spirit ; the latter being the meaning, or the thing signified by the former. And such is the view here given of the law of ]\Ioses, considered as a typical system. Accordingly, in the latter part of his reasoning, the Apostle explains the veil which was on the face of the minister of the old covenant, as an emblem of the comparative darkness of his dispensation, it being an economy of shadows, as well as of the blinded state of the minds of the Israel- ites, verses J 3 — 15. And he tells us, that whatever glory there was in his law^ is utterly eclipsed by the far sur- passing glory of the Apostolic revelation, — that the glory of the former, was derived from the spirit of the latter, to wliich it pointed, and in which it had its end ; — and that the superior splendour of the latter, is de- monstrated by its causing the glory of the Mosaic eco- jiomy completely to vanish, and by its remaining per- manent, instead of being superseded by another dis- j)ensation^ verses J — 11, 220 Now, it is easy to see, that the ten commandments considered in themselves, do not exhibit a shadow of the Gospel : And what then is more clear, than that tlie Apostle is putting a part for the whole of the law, when he represents the Gospel as its spirit ? In so far as the law had a shadow of good things to come, it joined the spirit and the letter. It was partly literal and partly spiritual ; the literal precept was quite ob- vious, the aiititypical meaning was concealed beneath the surface, as it were. Moses was the minister of the letter only ; because to unfold its spiritual import v/as not his office. But it was the office of the Apostles to turn the rites of the law to the Lord Christ, and thus to exhibit him as the all-pervading spirit of the Mosaic appointments. They have accordingly used great plain- ness of speech, not dealing in shadowy representations, and typical allusions, nor enveloping their instructions in such obscurity, as was signified by Moses putting a veil upon his face, verses 12, 13. It is our happiness, then, to see the end and the great scope of that dis- pensation which is now abolished, and to enjoy the substance of the legal shadows. The work of the Holy Spirit in writing the law on the heart, is introduced in verse 3 ; but in tlie rest of the Chapter, the term Spirit is opposed to the term letter. Now, the true principle of interpretation appears to be, that when we read of the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit himself is intended ; and when we read of the Spirit as opposed to the letter, then the scope, meaning, or design of the Mosaic economy is meant. The latter is the meaning also, where the term flesh, as opposed to spirit, refers to 221 tlie material and visible appointments of Moses. Phil iii. 3. This twofold view of the ancient economy is given, Avlien it is said : " The law was given by Moses ; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." That is, while Moses ministered the law, which by the curse that it denounced against every transgression, declared the condemnation of sinners, and by its figurative rites ex- hibited a shadow of the Gospel ; through Christ, grace came in opposition to the condemnation of the law, and truth came in opposition to its shadow. For truth here does not mean truth as opp osed to falsehood ; but the substance or antitype, as opposed to a shadow or figure. In a corresponding sense, truth is used in Daniel vii. 16: I asked him the iruili of all this ; and in Chapter xi. 2, I will show you the truth ; where the truth means the explanation of the vision which had been seen by the Prophet. The law, then, was in one view a revelation of death and condemnation, and in another, a system of shadows and types. But the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us ; full, or in the plenitude of that grace which redeems from condemna- tion, and in the plenitude of all that goodness of which the law was an expressive figure. Accordingly, the Mosaic institutions " are denominated a shadow of things to come ; the body of which is Christ." Col, ii. 17e This union of the law and the Gospel, was but a con^ tinuation of the same mode of divine revelation, which had been followed from the time of the fall. On the entrance of sin, mankind fell into a state of condemna- tion ; but though this did not interfere with their obli- T 2 222 gatlon to serve God ; yet he did not teach fallen man to look on him merely as a La-vvgiver. The command- ments which he gave to his fallen creatures, ■were con- nected with the promise of a Saviour ; and the subse- quent revelations of Heaven, served the double purpose of exciting a conviction of guilt, and maintaining the hope of forgiveness. And the more effectually to pre- serve the remembrance of his truth, it was exhibited by visible symboli. The tj-pical nature of the ancient dispensation is one reason why the Gospel is denominated a mystery. The term mystery, indeed, is used to signify a secret in general. Thus, the Apostle says : " Behold I show you a mystery ; (secret,) we shall not all sleep ; but we shall all be changed." 1 Cor. xv. But it is often employed to denote the figurative or hidden sense of a parable, allegory, symbolical action, or typical repre- sentation. Thus, the symbolical representation of the seven candlesticks, and the -seven stars which were seen by John, contained under it a spiritual truth, which was called its mystery, and which being for a time hid from the Apostle, was to him a secret. " The mystery," said Jesus to him; '' of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are (represent) the angels of the seven churches ; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." Rev. i. 20. Now, referring to these tvro, but connected views of the meaning of the term, the Gospel is sometimes denominated a mystery ; because it was comparatively hid, till its full glory was displayed by the new cove- nant revelation, and of course, could never have been 223 discovered by man ; and because it was the true scope and import of many ancient types and figures, and symbolical representations. In reference to the former view, the Apostle says, that the mystery of Christ was made known to him by revelation ; and that in other ages, it had not been made known to the sons of men, as it had now been revealed unto his holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit. Ephes. iii. 3 — 5. And this sup- poses, that the secret in question could never have been known at all, but by the revelation of Heaven. In re- ference to the latter view, he says: '' We speak the wis- dom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom y" or rather " the wisdom of God, which was hidden in a mystery," that is, which was long hidden in the types and figures of the ancient dispensations. 1 Cor. ii. "]. It is not the symbol that is called a mystery, but the thing concealed under it ; so that the expression in question, refers here to the manner in which the Gospel was concealed under figures and parables. It is called a mystery, not because it was a secret at the time he wrote, for it Avas then made manifest ; but because, it was the true sense of many symbols and figures, under which it had been couched. And in reference to both views, he elsewhere says, that " without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness ; God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Tim. iii. 16. The truths here mentioned, are called the mystery of godliness ; because the glory of the divine character is manifested by them ; and because, their design is to implant and to cherish the spirit of piety among men. They are 224 called the mystery of godliness, because they were comparatively hid, till the new covenant revelation was given ; and because they are the spirit and substance of the ancient figures and shadows. And this mystery is called great, on account of its resplendent glory, and its unutterable importance. It appears, then, that the ancient economy was a system of instruction by types and figurative represen- tations. And of such as feared God under that dispen- sation, it is said, that the secret, or the mystery of the Lord was with them, and that to them he should show his covenant. Psalm xxv. 14. They saw, in a measure^ the meaning of the typical appointments and signs, and looked forward to the establishment of that preci- ous covenant in which the old has terminated. The small progress, however, which was generally made in the understanding of these things, is a convincing proof that the great truths which constitute the mystery of Godliness, could never have been discovered by man ; and the continued ignorance of multitudes de- monstrates, that even when they are revealed, such is the blindness of the mind, and such the opposition of the heart, that witliout divine grace, their im.port and glory remain undiscerned. How many continue blind, even now, in the midst of the clearest light ? And it may be proper to add, that even when the import and glory of the things in question come to be seen, the mode of several of them is still a secret, or in the com- mon acceptation of the term, a mystery. But in such cases, it is with the fact only, and not with the mode of the fact that we have to do. The former is revealed ; the latter is not. The former only, and net the latter. 225 then, is the object of faith. It is not, however, of this view of the things in question, that the Apostle here speaks ; and it is of importance, to give every passage its proper explanation. The law of IMoses was added to the promise which was made to Abraham, in order, so far, to throw light upon it in its progress to fulfilment ; but also to pre- pare for its full developement at a future period. Hence, it is called '' a schoolmaster ;" including the ideas of a teacher and a governor, whose office it is to teach the elements of knowledge to children under age, and to keep them in subjection while in a state of minority. The law occupied this place until the Christ came. Gal. iii. 24 — 26 ; but when he came, it ceased to be in the same sense a schoolmaster. The proper reading of Gal. iii. 24, is : The law was our schoolmaster unto, that is, until Christ ; for the words, " to bring us," are supplied. The reference is not to that use, which is still made of the law, to impress with a sense of guilt and of danger, to show the suitableness of the Saviour, and to excite to flee to him for refuge ; for the Apostle is speaking of a purpose which was served by the law, only till the Christ appeared in the world, and finished his work. For he adds : " But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." The object of faith is represented as future, and therefore is said to come ; for as Christ is said to be our hope, because he is its object ; so for the same reason, he is called our faith. That which we are now called to believe in order to acceptance, is a thing past; and the object of faith being, as it were, before us, we do not need those modes of instruction regarding it, which were 226 of great importance of old. a Christians are not, as the Jews were, in a state of minority ; for they have iittained the station of sons and heirs in a state of matu- rity, in the sense here intended, through Ilim, who is the first-born of the redeemed family, and the heir of the whole inheritance. Gal. iv, 1 — 7- That union of the law and the Gospel, which was thus contained in the IMosaic economy, was unhappily lost sight of by the Jews. Instead of considering the rites of their law, in connexion with the promise of the Saviour, they separated them from their grand end, and went about to establish their own righteousness, by the observance of them merely as precepts, without adverting to their figurative import. Others of them })laced religion in the observance of such rites, to the neglect of judgment and mercy, of fidelity, and the love of God ; and for this they were often reproved. Isaiah, i. 11, 15 ; Prov. xv. 8 ; xxi. 3. Xow, the most ]>€rfect harmony subsisted between them, and what are called moral duties. Not that either of them, or both of them together, could found a claim for the bestow- ment of the blessing of Heaven ; but that as the Levi- tical appointments were s'ladows of the Saviour ; so tlie observance of them, in th^ faith of him, was the means of producing and cherishing every holy disposi- tion, and all acceptable moral obedience. The Gospel was preached by these rites, and the promises in con- nexion with them, tended to form that character w^hich it is the great design of the Gospel to produce. a Petto on the Covenants, p. 2H, 212, CHAPTER III. OF THE LEVITICAL SYSTEM, AS ILLUSTRATIVE OP THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT. SECTION I, A GENERAL VIEW OF THE LEVITICAL SANCTCARY. The Levitical tabernacle is denominated an example and shadow of heavenly things. Heb. viii. 5. And hence, the strict order which was given to Moses, to see that every thing was made according to the pattern shown him in the Mount. In interpreting its various parts, great care should be taken to avoid a fanciful application of its figures. We are favoured with an inspired interpretation of much of it, in the Epistle to the Hebrews ; and there are principles implied in what is there said, which serve to guide us in the interpreta- tion of those parts of it which are not there particularly explained, and by these we ought to abide. In order to determine whether any rite or event, institution or person, is typical, it is not enough, that we can trace a resemblance between one of these, and some other per- son or thing ; we must have evidence, that this resera- 228 blance was designed for the illustration of the particular object to which we apply it. In considering the ancient tabernacle, the most un- governed licence of a wild and capricious fancy has sometimes been allowed ; and hence, not only have errors been taught ; but a prejudice has been excited against the most sober and scriptural interpretations of the undoubted types and allegories of the sacred his- tory. But in order to avoid one extreme, it is by no means necessary, to go to another. The Scriptures do contain many types and figures of spiritual things ; and it is for us to abide by the key to them which is fur- nished by the sacred writers. It is of importance to remember, that as in a parable, many circumstances are introduced by way of drapery to the principal figures, — by way of ornament and con- nexion, and to give a finish to the whole, which it would be wrong to dwell upon, or to draw arguments from, in support of any doctrine ; so in the ancient tabernacle, many things were introduced merely for the sake of the general ejfect, and not to prefigure par- ticular facts, or to teach particular ideas. Certain parts of that structure had, as we shall afterwards see, a special signification ; but others were merely designed to contribute in their place to the general effect. It is true, that the most minute and circumstantial directions were given in regard to the very least particulars ; but this does not in the least militate against what has been now stated. If a man intends to erect a structure which shall be distinguished for its symmetry and beauty, its grandeur and accommodation, he must specify most distinctly to the builder, what is to be 229 its height;, and breadth^, and length ; — he must describe what kinds of ornaments he wishes to adorn it, — where, and in what proportions they shall be used, — the niira- ber and situation of apartments must be mentioned, — the number and situation of doors and windows must be stated, and also their different sizes, — the nature and form of the roof, of the porch, and of the connected walls and buildings ; and in a word, every particular connected with the whole, must be distinctly specified. Now in all this, there is an eye to the general effect which it is wished to be produced ; and the importance attached to the various particulars arises, not from some separate purpose which they are severally designed to answer, but from their relation to the whole, and from each being calculated in its place to assist in producing the effect desired. In like manner, as the tabernacle was designed to be the residence of God, as the King of Israel ; it was be- coming, that it should be a residence worthy, as it were, of his character as a Sovereign. And as pure and fine linen is the emblem of moral purity and recti- tude ; and as blue, and purple, and scarlet, were an- ciently all princely colours. (Esther, i. 6 ; Ezek. xxiii. 6 ; xxvii. '], 14 ; Dan. v. "i, 29 ; Esther, viii. 15 ; Matth. xxvii. 28 ; John, xix. 2;) the curtains of the sanctuary were made of fine tM-ined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet. Exodus^, xxvi. 1 — 6. God thus revealed himself as the King of his people Israel. The seat of his residence was a royal palace, as well as a temple. Hence, the very splendid furniture, and the rich ornaments of the sanctuary ; and hence, the ample retinue, and the magnificent equipage of what may be u 230 called the domestic establishment of the King. We are reminded by all this of the kingdom of Christ. But they were in themselves but beggarly elements of know- ledge^ when compai*ed with the spiritual glory of Him who had not where to lay his head^ w^itli the heavenly grandeur which now adorns him, and with the spiritual excellence^, and the heavenly dignity of his subjects, who collectively considered, are a royal priesthood, and are individually kings and priests unto God, even his Father. The sanctuary was designed to exhibit the utmost symmetry and beauty, and magnificence and glory ; and these as symbolical of moral union and order, and of excellence and beauty in " the Church of the living God," of which the sanctuary was designed to be a figure. The several coverinsrs of the tabernacle served as a defence against the weather, and the wdiole struc- ture was such as to ensure strength and security, as expressive signs of the complete protection, safety and comfort enjoyed by the family of God. There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. He is a refuge from the storm, and a covert from the tem- pest ; and neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor prin- cipalities, nor powers, things present, nor things to com.e, shall ever separate them from the actual enjoy- ment of the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. Rom. viii. I, 38, 39. There is thus provided a taber- nacle for a shadow in the day-time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and iVom rain. Isaiah, iv. 6. In particular, the fiymmeiry of the taberucicle, the nice conjunction of the boards by mortises and bars. 231 and of the curtains by loops and taches, fitly represent- •ed the unity of the Church of Christy when her mem- bers are knit together in love, when perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment ; and when keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. God is a God of order, as even his material works testifj'. And what are the heavenly graces of the Spirit of Christ, but the exercises of the mind in a ^tate of moral order ? But while every Christian is, iii one sense, " a temple^ of the Holy Ghost ;" yet in another, he is but a stone in " the temple of the living God." One stone does not constitute a building, and neither do a number of stones, unless they are united together. Hence, as ^^ the body is not one member, but many ;" so it is with " the house of God." Vv'hat a display then, of symmetry and union vrill be exhib- ited, when the building which is now fitly coupled together, and which is grovving up into an holy temple in the Lord, shall be perfectly finished. Every stone of that building has its appropriate place ; every one of thein in that place contributes to the beauty of the whole, and to tlie general advantage, like the many -and different members cf the natural body. If the skill of Bezaleel and Aholiab was displayed, in so mixing and constructing the different materials of the earthly sanctuary ; what will be the manifold wisdom displayed in the Creation of the spiritual temple, where sinners of all nations and kindreds, of all conditions and circumstances, of all classes and characters, and of all varieties of talent and dispositions, of views and of temper, shall be formed into one com.pact structure, ;and united in one holy brotherhood. Ex. xxxi. 1 — Ih 232 The tabernacle when finished was solemnly dedicated to God, by being anointed with the sacred oil. Ex. xl. 9. This was an emblem of that sacred unction of the Spirit, which the Church of Christ receives from her head. Of that anointing- with which he was blessed, all his^ people partake. By this unction they are formed into one compacted body under Christ. The perfection of this unity is not as yet visible ; bvit it will appear in its full gloiy, when that body is completed, which i.< denominated '' the fulness of hira that filleth all in all." Though in himself absolutely perfect, he has a relative perfection as the head of his body, the Church. Ephes- i. 22, 2a The beauty of the tabernacle, and of the temple, was designed to exhibit an emblem of moral excellence and glory. We accordingly read of the beauty of holiness,. or the beauty of the sanctuaiy. This expression in 2 Chron. xx. 21 ; and Psalm, ex. 3> refers to the pomp of the temple service, and to the splendid robes of the priesthcx)d, as becoming the glory of the sanctuary in which they ministered ; for these different subjects- are related. The high splendour of the house of God re- quired that his ministers should be suitably arrayed. Hence, the magnificence of the former, and the ponti- ficial attire of the latter, are connected. But all this glory was typical of spiritual and moral grandeur. The Church of Christ borrows none of its glory from the splendour of an edifice, or from the attire of its. office-bearers. Her glory arises from the hkeness of her members to the moral grandeur of the man of sor- rows. When every principle is kept in its proper place, — when theje is no defect on the one hand, rxoi: 233 excess en the othei';, — v.hen every relation is filled up, every duty performed, every passive excellence, and every active quality rightly exercised, and all that is amiable, and all that is venerable meet, there is afford- ed a most striking exhibition of moral beauty. Such was the character of Christ, and such at last will be that of his people. "When distinguished by this ex- cellence of character, the frame of the heart, the order of the affections, and the government of the passions is such as to produce the most engaging harmony in obe- dience, by an equal respect to all the commandments of Heaven, according to their several uses and ends, the hatred of every false way, and the pursuit of uni- versal holiness ; so as to exhibit in its proper place and proportion, every feature of the Christian character. There is a commanding glory in genuine v/orth, in Christian sanctity, and holy consistency. Such ex- cellence commxands respect even in the ungodly, and often do the wicked feel their worthlessness beside it. It stamps a dignity and a glory upon a man, which nothing else can impress on him. But as though the tabernacle was made up of many parts, they all belonged to one structure; so the different members of the Church of Christ, though individually stamped with moral beauty, are all related to the general body, and in their place tend to its symmetry and glory. And when the building of mercy is com- pleted, in it the Saviour will be glorified, and in it he will be admired. As when an architect has reared an edifice which is admired for its beauty and its gran- deur, and its complete adaptation to its use and its re- lative position, the praise of all who inspect it is given u2 234 to the buildei% and not to the building, and thus the architect is glorified in his work ; so will it be with the Redeemer. It is he who adorns his Church, — it is he who polishes every stone of the building, — it is he who fits every one of them for his place, — it is he Avho unites them all to himself, and joins them one to another ; impressions of his power and his wisdom, of his good- ness and his grace, are left upon them all _; — in a word, they are a people formed for himself, and they shall for ever shew forth his praise. The principal parts of the temple, and its furniture, were overlaid with gold, as a faint emblem of the spiritual riches and grandeur of the Church of Christ. From him his people derive all that blessedness and glory which can result from the riches of wisdom and knowledge, the riches of grace, the riches of goodness, and the riches of glory ; in a word, from the unsearch- able riches which dwell in him, who hath said: '^ Be- hold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundation with sapphires ; and I will make thy windovrs of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones." Isaiah, liv. 11, 12. The reference is obviously to moral excellence and beauty ; for the figure is immediately dropped, and it is said : " And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children." By means of the transforming influence of his word, his spirit beautifies the meek, or the afflicted and the tried, with the glory of salvation. Psalm, cxlix. 4. Yes, " strength and beauty are in his sanctuary," whether we consider his Church, or the temple, which is the seat of that body. The disciples of Jesus were 235 struck with the magnificence of the earthly temple; but a very different glory attracted the regard of their Master. He gave a check to their mistaken admiration, by telling them, that all this glory was to vanish away. '' The glory of Lebanon/' says God, '^ shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, and the pine-tree, and the box to- gether, to beautify the place of my sanctuary ; and I will make the place of my feet glorious." Isaiah, Ix. 13. Every thing, that is, shall be done w^hich can adorn and perfect his Church, in which his throne, with its appendage, his footstool, is seated. The allusions here are to the choice materials which decorated the temple of Jerusalem. And to carry the ideas of beauty yet higher, when the heavenly Jerusalem is represented as one great temple, the wall is said to be of Jasper, and the pavement of gold, the gates are said to be pearls, and the foundations of precious stones. Rev. xxi. 15 — 21. Now, the glory of the sanctuary is but the reflected lustre of his own brightness. There his beauty is dis- played in the harm.onious exercise of all his perfections, and in the grand result of his manifold w^orks. When the whole is exhibited, we shall see that every stroke is necessary, every shade proper, and that every dispensa- tion has tended to heighten, the beauty of the whole, — every part of his character, in a word, will appear glo- rious in itself, will reflect a lustre on every other, and the whole combined will present the very perfection of moral beauty. And when we see him as he is, we shall be like him. Yes, w^e shall be comely through his comeliness put upon us. And well, therefore, may we say : '' One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the ^36 Lord for ever^ to behold the beauty of the Lord^ and to enquire in his temple." Psalm, xxvii. 4. Thus, then, the beauty of the sanctuary is, in the common sense of the expression, " the beauty of holi- ness ;" God is glorious in holiness, for it constitutes the loveliness of his nature. It is this when combined with liis goodness and his mercy, which gives form and grace to his natural perfections ; such as his wisdom and his power, his immutability and his immensity. It sheds a lustre truly attractive over all the manifold characters in which he appears, and all the operations in which he engages. It is the reflection of this, his moral image, which clothes and adorns his Church. While, as displayed in the face of the Redeemer, it captivates by its charms every faculty of the soul, the inimitable beauty of its likeness in all who belong to him, unites their hearts in holy and fervent affection, and distinguishes them from the world around them. The glory of the divine perfections is reflected by the sanctified worshippers of God. And in the full revelation of the Gospel, as discerned in the light of the Holy Spirit, and in the transforming effect of this blessed discovery, there is a beauty far surpassing the lustre which in the temple was reflected from burnished gold, from the splendid vestments and precious jewels of the priesthood, and far more glorious than all the external and imposing pomp of ceremonial worship. Thus, the first covenant had a worldly, or a splendid sanctuary. Heb. ix. 1. This sacred structure is repre- sented as the dwelling place of Jehovah. All the mag- nificence of the tabernacle and temple, of their orna- ments, vessels and ministers, and of every part of the 237 worship performed in them, was on account of the symbol of the divine presence which was there sta- tioned. God dwelt in the cloud on the mercy seat. HencCj, it is called the tabernacle of the congregation, or of meeting, net only because there the congregation assembled ; but because there God met with them, for he said, " there will I meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory." Exodus xxix. 42, 43, In a word, the light, the pro- vision, and the complete accommodation enjoyed by the priesthood in the ancient tabernacle as their dwelling- place, serve to shadow forth the light, the provision and the blessedness which are so liberally imparted in the celestial temple, as the abode of the redeemed. In the temple of Solomon, the same things were ex- hibited on a larger scale ; but still with the same view ; for the same general lessons are taught by both. The ancient tabernacle was suited to the unsettled condition of Israel in the wilderness, and the temple of Jerusalem to their settled condition after the whole of the promised land was conquered ; but the latter v>as built for the same general end as the former. Additional light indeed was thrown on the scheme of redemption by means of the temple ; but both it and the tabernacle were de^ signed to prefigure, for the time present, the glories of Emmanuel, the nature of his salvation, the blessings and privileges of his kingdom, and the ultimate rest of his redeemed in the celestial sanctuary. The Levitical tabernacle was the royal abode of Je- hovah, considered as the king of Israel ; and the family of Aaron, and in subordination to them, the rest of the JiCvites, were the ministers of his househcld. It was^ 238 accordingly, furnished in a manner suited to the dwell- ing of a Sovereign. There -vvas a throne in the holiest of all, which was the presence chamber of the King ; and in the holy place there was a candlestick, and a table on which fresh provisions were, from time to time placed. It is chiefly to be viewed, however, as the dwelling of Jehovah in the character of the God of Israel, and the Lord of the whole earth. And consider- ed in this vievv', it v,as a figure of the human nature of Christ, of the Church of God, and of the heavenly temple. First : It was a figure of the human nature of Christ. As God dwelt in the ancient sanctuary; so the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Christ. In him, we are told, it dwells *■• bodily," or substantially and really, and not in a shadowy typical way, as it did in the tabernacle. Col. ii. 9. The antitype of the glory on the mercy seat, is God manifest in the flesh ; and hence, Jesus himself referring to his body, said to the Jews : Destroy this ten. pie, and i will raise it up in three days. John ii. 19—21. Secondly : The sanctuary was a figure of the Churcli of God. Hence, the promise, '' My tabernacle shall be with them ; yea, I Vv ill be their God, and they shall be my people." Ezek. xxxvii. 27. The house of God is called the Church of the living God. 1 Tim. iii. 15. His people in coming to Chri.-t the living fountain, are built up, as living stones, a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through the mediation of Jesus. 1 Peter ii 4, 5. They are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Propliets, Jesus Christ liimself being the chief corner 239 stone ; in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, and an habitation of God through the Spirit. Ephes. ii. 20 — 22, Each particular Church is called a temple for Je- hovah : '' Ye are the temple of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 2 Cor. vi. 16; 1 Cor. iii. 16. The former temple has been destroyed ; but there is a living and imperishable temple composed of spiritual materials, and built upon a spiritual and immoveable foundation. In this temple Jehovah dwells, there his people meet him and w^or- ship him, and there they receive and enjoy the com- munications of his grace. This is that temple of which the Saviour is the builder, and the glory of which, he for ever shall bear. Zech. vi. 13. Thirdly : The sanctuary was a figure of the heaven- ly temple. When Christ is said to be set as an high priest on the throne of the majesty in the heavens ; he is denominated a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true, that is, the antitypical tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. Heb. viii. 1, 2. And the entrance of the Jewish high priest into the earthly holy places on the annual day of atonement, is represented as a figure of the ascension of the Saviour into Heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us. Heb. ix. 12, 24. Jesus promises to make him that overcometh, a pillar in the temple of his God ; and of the redeemed it is said, that having come out of great tribulation, and having washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, they are there- fore before the throne of God, and serve him day and 240 night in his temple. Rev. iii. 12; vii. 14, 15. The earthly sanctiirary was, at once^ a palace and a temple. In the former view, it was the seat of the royal power and gi-andeur of the king of Israel ; and in the latter, it was the seat of that exalted worship which was offer- ed to Jehovah, and of that holy fellowship which was enjoyed in his service. And Heaven is the seat of the glorious power of the king of Zion, and the seat also of the most hallowed worship and holy blessedness, in the view o£ his glory as Emm.anuel. 241 SECTION II. OF THE SEVERAL DIVISIONS, AND THE PRINCIPAL FURNITURE OF THE LEVITICAL SANCTUARY. We have hitherto spoken of the sanctuary as one whole, as is often done in Scripture ; but it is of im- portance to consider also its different parts, and to en-« quire into their signification. The tabernacle consisted of the court, the holy place, and the most holy place. These corresponded with the three orders of the sacred ministers taken from the tribe of Levi. The Levites, accordingly, ministered in the court, waiting there on the priests and assisting them in their sacred services. The priests officiated in the holy place, for they only were admitted there, and the high priest alone, officiated in the most holy place. The altar of burnt-offering, and the laver of wash- ing, were placed in the court of the tabernacle. This altar was a striking representation of the Saviour, who, without the sanctuary of God, properly so called, offer- ed himself a sacrifice, by pouring out his soul unto death. In him we find the offerer, the victim, and the altar, which sanctifieth the gift. ^' We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat, who serve the taber- nacle." Heb, xiii. 10. As there was but one altar for Israel ; so there is but one mediator between God and 242 men, the man Christ Jesus. To the altar were all the oiterings of the people to be brought ; because it was that on which alone Jehovah would receive them. On il, his name was recorded, and there, he said, he should meet with his worshippers, and bless them. Exodus, XX. 24. And in Jesus we see a divinely appointed sacrifice, and a sacrifice which has been offered at a divinely appointed place, and in divinely appointed circumstances; and through it, God is propitious to sinners. Such is the dignity of the Saviour's person, that an infinite value is thereby imparted to his offer- ing ; and hence, it is a solid foundation for the hope of transgressors. The fire which burned on the altar, came originally from Heaven, or from before the Lord, as it did when the temple of Solomon was dedicated. Lev. ix. 24 ; 2 Chron. vii. 1. It was a striking symbol of the justice of him who is often denominated ^' a consuming fire." This fire of divine justice burned, as it were, upon his altar, till the Saviour appeared, in consuming whom it fully spent itself. No longer does it burn there as if still unsatisfied, — no longer does victim after victim there bleed ; for in the atonement of Jesus, the justice of Heaven has found rest. What a blessing to the soul to have such a foundation of hope in the view of '^'^that day !" The laver for washing was a figure of the purifying virtue of the blood of atonement, and of the cleansing influences of the Holy Spirit. The former effects our legal purifi.cation from guilt, and the latter deliver us from the moral defilement of sin. And it is through the atonement of Christ, that the influences of the Spirit 243 are shed upon our souls, Titus, ili. 6. And this connexion between the blood and the spirit of Christ, was signi- fied by the situation of the laver so near to the altar. " Jesus came by water and by blood ; not by water only, but by water and blood." 1 John, v. 6. As none of the priests durst enter the sanctuary, unless their sins were expiated at the altar, and their bodies washed at the laver ; so no man can enter the true holy place, whose ^uilt has not been removed through the applica- tion of the blood of Christ, and his soul renewed by his Spirit. It is only thus that we can enter into the habitation of God, the place of eating with him of the food of his temple, the place where we walk in his li^ht, and offer to him spiritual sacrifices. The outer court was a representation of the kingdom of Christ, as it appears in this world ; or of his Churches on earth, as comprehending all who make a profession of faith in him, and appear to belong to him. Thus, in Rev. xi. 1, 2, we read of the court as distinguished from the temple, where it obviously means the profess- ing Church of Christ, according to her external order and visible appearance in the world : For directions are given to leave out, and not to measure that court, on the ground that the outward state of the Christian profession, at the time referred to, did not by any means correspond with the rule of God's word, which is the only rule for measuring the court of his house. The language intimates, that the difference between that rule, and the external appearance of the Christian profession was so palpable, that there was no need to apply to it, the rule at all. And why, but because the form of Christianity had been thrown over the nations ; 244 so that the Church as a separate society ;, observing the ordinances of Christ, as the Apostles delivered them, was not to be seen. The true Church had to flee to the ■wilderness, where a place of retreat was prepared for her. There she was nourished as Elijah was, when he fled from the face of Ahab and Jezebel. And though deprived of the benefit of the institutions of Christ, adapted to the outer court, the people of God had access to the inner temple, and worshipped and enjoyed him there ; and were, therefore, acknowledged by him, as is signified by the commandment, to measure the temple ; while the outer court and its worshippers, are utterly disowned by him. Between the court of the tabernacle, and the sanc- tuary, there hung a separating veil ; so that though the Israelites were connected with all that it contained, they yet saw none of those things which stood either in the holy, or the most holy place. And this, in cer- tain respects, is the state of the Churches of Christ while on earth. The holy place was a figure of the true Church of Christ, consisting of all who are really united to him. All such worship him in the spirit of the Levitical ap- pointments, and of course, with the heart. The spiritual Israel enter the Church of Christ by faith in the sacri- fice of Christ, and through that true purification of which the laver was a sign. They there walk in the light of the Lord, signified by the candlestick, though they have not personal access into the immediate pre- sence of God in the holiest ; they eat of the sacrifice of Christ, who is the bread of life, though they do not actually see the Lamb which was slain ; and they offer 245 \xp the incense of prayer and of praise^ -which is kindled by the fire of the expiatory altar, or in other words, is offered up in the faith of the atonement, and under the influence of the love which it inspires, though they see not the great intercessor. Tlie holy of holies was a figure of the final habita- tion, and the celestial glory of the whole Church of the redeemed. As the high priest went through the outer court, and passed through the holy place into the holiest of all ; so Christ hath passed from this world, where he shed his blood as a sacrifice for sin ; he is engaged in fulfiling all that was signified by the candlestick, the shewbread, and the altar of incense in the holy place ; and having taken up his abode in the holiest of all, he hath opened it for our admission by" faith even now ; and he is preparing all for our actual reception into it, when the present scene shall terminate, and for our everlasting residence, blessedness, and glory in the very temple of God, where the tree of life shall for ever flourish ; and where from the throne of God and of the Lamb, the river of the water of life shall for ever flov»'. John saw in vision, the river of the water of life proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb, of which, the mercy seat in the holiest of all, was a figure ; and he was thus taught to trace all the blessings and the joys of the covenant of God, to the grace of Jehovah, flawing through the precious blood by which the celestial throne has been sprinkled. Ezekiel, too, saw the waters proceeding eastward from the west, where stood the holiest of all, and going forth to fertilize the earth. Chap, xlvii. 1 — 8. From the throne of Jesus, in the Heavens, proceed all the x2 246 blessings of redemption. They are imparted in the first instance, upon earth ; but their full communica- tion is reserved, till the redeemed shall be conducted to the heavenly temple. There all their wandeiings shall cease ; for they shall be pillars in the temple of Godj from Avhence they shall go no more out. In the holy place, stood the candlestick, the altar of incense, and the table with the shewbread. The candle- stick -vvas a figure of the church of Christ, and as the same names which are given to the Church, considered as a whole, are given to every particular Church ; so the seven Asiatic Churches, to which John was command- ed to write, were represented to him by seven golden candlesticks. Rev. i. 12, 20. This emblem character- izes the Church in its privileges and in its duties. The candlestick in the sanctuary had seven lamps, con- taining pure olive oil. This fitly represented the Holy Spirit in the plenitude and perfection of his gift and influences. In the Saviour he dwells without measure, and out of his fulness the redeemed are supplied. Christians are all partakers of his Spirit, and by his grace they are enlightened, and by his influences they are quickened. This fulness of the Sprit, is represent- ed to the Prophet, by a candlestick having seven lamps, with seven pipes attached to them, and two olive trees, one on the right side, and the other on the left side of the candlestick. Zech. iv. 2, 3. These trees supplied the oil which was conducted immediately from them through the pipes to the lamps, and thus constantly supplied the flame. This emblem was luminously expressive of that infinite fulness of the Spirt, which dv>'ells in tlie 247 anointed king and high priest of the Church ; and ac- cordingly, when the Prophet enquired, " What are these my Lord ?" it was answered : " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts ;" and then he is told, that all difficulties in the way of the erection of the temple should utterly vanish, through the Almighty energy of this Spirit. Jesus as a king and a priest, was represented by Zerubbabel the governor, and Joshua the high priest ; and in the exercise of these offices, he communicates of his inex- haustible fulness to his Church. He gives in a way worthy of his place, as the head of the body, and of his essential glory as Jehovah. It was a part of the priest's work to supply the lamps with oil, to trim them, and thus to keep them perpetually burning. And Jesus appeared to John walking in the midst of the Churches, as constantly inspecting tliem, supplying them with the heavenly unction, interposing with his grace to correct their dulness, and to restore, preserve, and increase their splendour as lights in the world. The scene of John's vision was in the sanctuary, where the mercy seat, or the throne of God was placed. There he saw a high priest, not of the tribe of Levi ; but of the order of Melchisedec, who was, at once, a king and a priest. And the separating veil being re- moved, he saw Him occupied with the lights of the sanctuary. There he dictated to John the seven Epistles to the Churches, in which, by means of commendation and reproof, admonitions and warnings, precepts and promises, according as they were severally called for, he sought to strengthen those lights which were ready to die, to remove whatever tended to mar the lustre of 248 others, that thus their influence might be much more effective, and also to recruit even those whose lustre was the brightest. And when accompanied v/ith sup- plies of his Holy Spirit, these means were well calcu- lated to make the Churches " burning and shining lights." And what a blessing to have such a fountain of supply in Him, w^ith whom is the residue of the Spirit ! What can equal the security of the redeemed ? Infinite sufficiency can never be exhausted : Infinite mercy and grace can never be dried up, and infinite power can never lose its efficacy. But this symbol shadowed forth the Church in ita duties, as well as in its privileges. No man lights a candle to put it under a bushel ; and, if Christians are enlightened, it is that they may shine. The Churches of Christ are public bodies. It is not for themselves alone that they are illuminated ; they are stewards for others. They are not designed merely for the edifica- tion of such as are connected with them, though cer- tainly this is one end of their erection. They are ap- pointed to shine as lights in the world, and they feel the increased necessity for their acting as such, when, placed among a crooked and perverse generation. The primitive Churches, accordingly, were bent on the spread of the Gospel. jEvery talent was put in requisition, and it gladdened their hearts, when from time to time, the Lord granted unto sinners repentance unto life. Let the Churches of Christ, then, so act, as at once, to condemn and instruct the world. Let them as lights, in a benighted world, so shine as to guide the feet of many into the way of peace. Christians are denominated the children of the lights 249 and of the day^ and as such they are solemnly enjoin- ed to let their light so shine before others, that they seeing their good works, may glorify their father who is in Heaven. Math. v. 16. They are exhorted not to sleep, as do others ; but to watch and be sober, 1 Thess. V. 6 ; and to have no fellowship with the un- fruitful works of darkness ; but rather to reprove them. Ephes. V. 11. The light which they diffuse around them, saith to the world around them, '' Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." It manifests and reproves the ungodly conduct of their neighbours ; it disturbs their peace by flashing conviction on their minds, and it may be the means of exciting them to look to the '^ Sun of Right- eousness," that he may enlighten them. A conversa- tion becoming the Gospel, speaks in the same way as ^' the Heavens declare the glory of God." And the power of this voice has often been felt by the wicked, in spite of many a struggle to repress its reproofs. But often, too, has it been blessed as the means of subduing the heart to the obedience of faith. In the vision of the Prophet Zechariah, the emblem of that pov.er by which the cause of God is extended, was not a sword or a sceptre, as if human might or authority were to build the temple of the Lord; it was a candlestick for the diffusion of light, and sup- plied by oil flowing from trees of olive, the symbols of peace. This was a fit emblem of the Church of Christ, as the sacred depository of the light of divine truth, and as elevated, so as best to exhibit it to the world, and also, as entirely dependent on the Spirit of God, for that heavenly unction, which is necessary to her own il- 250 lumination, holiness and joy, and to her success in en- lightening, sanctifying, and comforting others. On see- ■ ing the vision, the Prophet asked two questions : What are the two olive trees? And what are the two olive branches, which through the two golden pipes, empty the golden oil out of themselves ? And in answer to both questions, it is said : These are the tw^o anointed ones, that stand, or officiate, before the Lord of the whole earth. The referrence is to Zerubbabel and Joshua, as types of the Saviour. They were " anointed ones," inasmuch, as they were invested with office and qualified for it by the Spirit of God, signified by the oil of the olive trees. In their official capacity, as ex- citing the people to diligence, and directing them in the work, they are represented as branches, or orderers, of the olive trees, inasmuch, as through them the juice of the trees, or the gift of the Holy Spirit, who was signified thereby, was conveyed into the body of the lamps ; there to serve for the food and nourishment of their light. They were emblems of Christ in his king- ly and priestly offices, in which twofold character, he is the source of all that grace, and of all those gifts and influences, which are given to the Church. The happy conjunction of the kingly and the priestly offices in Christ was afterwards signified, by placing two crowns on the head of Joshua the high priest. Zech. vi. 11 — 13 ; as they were distinctly prefigured in Zerubbabel_, as the governor, and in the latter, as a priest. And as eyery counsel in regard to the creation of the literal temple was held between these two remarkable char- acters, in full harmony ; so " the counsel of peace,'' that is^ all counsels in relation to the erection of the 251 spiritual temple, of which the literal temple in question was a figure, shall be harmoniously executed between these two offices in Christ. The building rests on his atonement as a priest, and in this character he has opened a channel for the communication of the Spirit of God to the sinful children of men ; while, as a king, he dispenses all the influences and graces of this heaven- ly agent, and also, overrules all events in nature and in providence, for the advancement of the spiritual structure. As a priest, he has the charge of the candlestick ; while as a king, he provides for it a proper situation. In the former character, he expiates sin ; and in the latter, he subdues the heart of the sinner. In a word, his sacrifice in the one character, is the foundation of his rule in the other. In the holy place, beyond the court, stood the golden altar of incense. On this altar incense com.- posed of the sweetest spices, according to a particular divine direction, was to be burned by the priest every morning and evening. Exodus xxx. 7 — 9. This pre- figured the acceptableness of the sacrifice of Christy who offered himself a sacrifice unto God of a sweet smelling savour ; and also, his intercession in the heavenly sanctuary on the ground of his atonement. This altar was of gold, w^hereas, the altar of burnt-of- fering was of brass. This marked the superior glory of the character of Christ, as the great intercessor within the veil, to that of his character as a sacrificial victim ; or as a mediator, officiating by means of his sufferings and death upon earth. Thus, the Apostle says : " It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen 252 again ; who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." The connexion between his atonement and his intercession, was signified by the putting of blood on the horns of the ahar, on the annual day of expiation, and by the commandment, that the incense should not be kindled by any fire, but fire taken from the altar of burnt-offering. All strange or common fire, that is, fire not taken from the latter altar was prohibited on pain of death. Lev. x. 1, 2 ; and all strange incense, that is, incense not compounded as the Spirit directed, was in like manner prohibited ; a circumstance which proves, that the latter, like the former, respected the glory of Emmanuel. Exodus xxx. 34. This strongly marks the guilt and the danger of any mixture of self-righteous hopes with the perfect righteousness of the Son of God. John in vision, saw the angel fill his censer with fire from the altar. Rev- viii. 5. The prayers and the praises which are accept- able to God, are such as are produced by faith in the atonement which was made by the Saviour, when the fire of divine justice consumed his sacrifice. It is by him that we are to offer the sacrifice of praise to God. Heb. xii. 15. The intercession of Jesus, through which our devotions are accepted, is founded on his sacrifice. Hence, in allusion to the ritual of the ancient sanctuary, John says, that to the angel, or the official character whom he saw in vision, was given much in- cense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne ; and the smoke of the incense, (produced by fire from the altar,) came with the prayers of the Saints and ascended up before God, out of the angel's hand. 253 Rev. vlii. 3^, 4. The appellation angel. Is expressive not o£ nature, but of office. It is often given to mes- sengers, whether earthly or heavenly, and is also given to official characters in general, simply as such. As for instance, to the chief office-bearers of the seven Churches in Asia. Rev. ii. 1, 8, 12, 18 ; and to the officiating priest in the sanctuary, when Solomon speak- ing of a vow, says : " Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin ; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error." Eccles. v. 6. Now, on this prin- ciple, the angel whom John distinguishes from the other angels mentioned in Rev. viii. 2, may justly be considered as the Saviour in his high official character, — as the great high priest of the house of God. The table with the shewbread next claims our atten- tion. As the tabernacle was the house of God where he visibly manifested his presence ; so to complete the notion of a dwelling, there must be all things suitable to a house belonging to it. Hence, in the holy place, there was a candtestick and a table ; and the table had its dishes, and spoons, and bowls, though they were never used, and it was always furnished v/ith bread. And hence, also, provision was constantly brought into it, by means of the sacrifices that were partly con- sumed upon the altar of God, and partly eaten by the priests who constituted his family, and as such, were maintained by him. That which was consumed upon the altar w^as God's portion, and therefore, the altar is called '^ the table of the Lord," and the sacrifice upon it, is called " his meat." Mai. i. 12. Besides the animal sacrifices which the law required, there were oblations enjoined of flour and wine, of oil and of incense. And Y ^54 in burnt and peace-offerings ; the oblations called meat and drink-offerings accompanied the bloody saci'ifices. This was necessary to complete the idea of a feast ; for as bread and winC;, as well as animal food^ are custom- ary at a feast ; so to represent this, all of them were presented before Jehovah the King. The twelve cakes called the shewbread, or rather the bread of the presence, because they M'ere set in the presence of Jehovah, were reckoned among the meat- offerings, though they were not laid upon the altar in the outer court. For as the altar was the table of the- Lord ; so the table was one of his altars. An altar is a table on which God himself is represented as eating ; and as the loaves of the presence w^ere '' set before the Lord," they were considered as offered to him, and He v/as considered as having received them. Accordingly, when they were removed in order to be replaced by fi-esh loaves, the frankincense which was upon them was to be burnt on the great altar for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And when eaten by the priests, it is represented as given to them because it was most holy unto them, of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. Lev. xxiv. 5 — D. Now, as whatever nourishes and strengthens the body is called food, whether it be properly bread or not ; and as bread being the principle support of life and of vigour, whatever invigorates the soul is com- pared to it ; so " the bread of the presence" very fitly represented the whole of those sacrifices and offerings, which constituted the food of God's house. Thus, the flesh of the sacrifices is called food and bread. Lev. iii. 11 ; xxi. 6 j Num. xxviii. 2. On the same principle> 255 •Tiur Lord teaches us, that in his flesh and his blood, as sacrificed for sinners ; we have the great thing repre- sented by the manna. Hence, he calls himself " the bread of life, which came down from Heaven, and giveth life unto th€ world." John, vi. 35, 51. '' The bread of the presence," then, was a representation of the provision "made by sacrifices and offerings, for the maintenance of the house of God. The twelve cakes corresponding with the twelve tribes of Israel, showed the abundance of this provision ; the frequent change of it, its perpetual freshness, and the frankincense upon it, its savoury nature. In our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare, the blessings of his temple never fade, they never become stale ; but are fJways satisfying, and always ravishing. To a guilty i.nd an unhappy creature, -what ao savoury as the mes- sage of reconciliation, and the words of eternal life ? When we read of the table of the Lord in the sanc- tuary, of tlie offerings made by fire on the altar being of a sv/eet savour unto tlie Lord, and of the meat and the drink-offerings as the .provision of his table ; we are to refer all such expressions to the sacrifice of Chi'ist, in v>'hich Jehovah is well pleased. The design is to express the divine delight in the character and work of Jesus. " The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake;" and hence, he calls him his "■ elect, in whom his soul delighteth." Isaiah, xlii. J, 21. And ^as tlie priests of old had fellowship with God, when they sat and did eat with him at his table ; so believers ^s the Christian priesthood, have fellowship Avith him^ . when we rest upon the sacrifice of Christ as our only Jiope : wheji .all our peace before God is derived from 256 it ; when we delight in his glory as it is here manifest- ed, and when our happiness springs from contemplating, enjoying, and im.itating his manifold grace, and his spotless righteousness, as here wonderfully blended. Thus is the Church of Christ, the seat of celestial light, as was signified by the emblematical candlestick ; the seat of holy worship, as was signified by the altar of incense, in its connexion with the laver, and the altar of burnt-offering ; and the seat of spiritual enjoyment, and holy fellowship with Godj as was signified by the table of shewbread. The most holy place was, as we have seen, a figure of the highest Heaven. It had " the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant ; and over it the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy- seat." Heb. ix. 3 — 5. The golden censer was that which w^as exclusively used by the high priest, when he entered the holiest of all, on the annual day of atone- ment ; and the language of the Apostle refers rather to its use, than to its situation. The altar of incense was placed near to the entrance of the most holy place, over against the ark and mercy-seat, and there, incense was burnt every daj^ But the golden censer w^as kept, it would appear, for the special service of the high priest, when he entered the holiest of all ; and was, therefore, placed just within the veil, and within reach of his hand ; so that he could take it thence without entering himself, which he was forbidden to do, with- out carrying with him incense from the golden altar. 257 snd kindled by coals taken from the altar of burnt- offering. Lev. xvi. 12, 13. Thus, though the ordinary priestSj with the whole of their services, were typical of the character and work of Christ ; yet as the high priest was the most eminent tjpe of the great mediator, care was taken to distinguish him from all others ; and hence, in particular, the peculiarities of his garments, and his services on the annual day of expiation. On the forefront of his mitre was there written : " Holiness to the Lord ;" and hence, Aaron is emphatically called ^' The saint of the Lord," The golden pot that had manna, was deposited by the side of the ark, as a memorial of what had been done for the Israelites in the wilderness. It was pre- served there in the holiest of all, as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. John, vi. 48 — 5i. By the fiequent change of the shewbread, was signified, the perpetual freshness of spiritual enjoyments, and the genuine ex- cellence of those exalted pleasures which continue for evermore. But in the permanence of the uncorrupted manna, we have a figure of the incorruptible bread of life, and of the unfading nature of celestial joys. He who gave his flesh for the life of the world, and is the true bread of life, liveth for ever ; and '' because lie lives, we shall live also." " His flesh is meat, indeed, and his blood is drink, indeed ;" because the truth con- cerning his atonement, supports and satisfies the soul. He has promised to the conqueror, to give him to eat of the hidden manna. Rev. ii. 17; with an obvious allusion to the uncorrupted manna in the sanctuary^ And this includes the ineffable joys of a blessed im- mortality, in the immediate presence of the God of tlie y2 258 temple. Our life Is said to be " hid with Christ in God." Col. iii. 3 ; which signifies, not only that it is secure, but that Jesus is the source of it. We have done with this world, and all the life we have in it must be given up. But we have a higher life, and it is for us to look to our head in Heaven, and to draw from him fresh supplies of spiritual vigour and enjoyment. Aaron's rod that budded was laid up before the testimony, as a memorial that the house of Aaron was chosen to the priesthood, to the exclusion of all others. Num. xvii. 8 — 11. It was a standing testimony against the mur- murings of the children of Israel, when they opposed the appointment of God in regard to the priestly office. And we are taught to rejoice in the endless life of our great high priest, to beware of detracting from his glory in that character, and to cling to Him who, as our forerunner, hath for us entered within the veil. If God was jealous of the least attempt to share the glory, or to set aside the honours of the ancient priesthood, much more jealous must he be of every thing that tends to derogate from the honour of him who is '' a priest upon his throne." But the great object of regard in the holiest of all, is the ark, with its covering, the mercy- seat. It was called " the ark of the covenant j" because it contained in its principal division, the tables of the covenant, and in another division, on the side of it, the hook of the covenant. Deut. x. 5 ; xxxi. 25, 26. When the commandments v.ritten on the tables are de- nominated the covenant, it is by a synecdoche ; because they were given in connexion with the promises, which, as we have already seen, constitute the proper matter of the covenant. There was thus preserved a per- 259 manent testimony, that the Lord had established a covenant with Israel ; and also, a record of its promises, and of that constitution of things, which it had pleased Go