DISSERTATIONS ON THE FOEDERAL TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN GOD AND HIS CHURCH* A " i ?¦ ¦ BOTH BEFORE AND SINCE THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE WAS COMPLETED* By JOHN MUlRHEAD, MINISTER OF THE GOSPELj KELSO. •" JHf«T0fHi rm 0*MOAOfl'AS." Heb. iv. 14. KELSO.- f MISTED BY. JAMES PALMER. M,DCC,LJiJiXir. P R E F AC E. WHEN the following Disser tations were compofed, the author had not refolved whether he mould fubmit them to the review of the public or not. Several divines had already written on the fubjedt of Covenanting* with diftinguiihed fuccefs. Scarce any thing could be faid, in the form of Sermons, but what they had obferved. He did not choofe to re peat to a Congregation what every one might read in the clofet. Thefe things determined him to confine his atten tion to what maybe called the Histo ry of Foederal Transactions, that he might illuftrate the .argument deduced, from the example of the Saints in every age. It immediately occurred to him, that this province had been lefs occupied than others; and that two ad vantages might accrue from this plan; It would appear, in the firft place, That, though Covenanters have few, a 2 or iv: PREFACE. or none, who are deemed great and wife in this age, to bear them compa ny; yet they are kept in countenance by the practice of the beft and greatefl of men,— and the moft diftinguiihed faints that ever exifted in this world. Covenant-renovation having been the ufual mean of Reformation in the Church, and of reviving to the fouls of the Godly, firice the world began. In the next place, The argument taken from the approved example of the Saints appeared, by much, the eafieft; to, be handled by, the author, and un- derftood by the reader. Examples are more readily comprehended than pre cepts and doctrines, orv prophecies. The greater part of mankind are bet ter able1 to judge of what is done, than what ought to be done. And, Provi dence having laid the materials to hand, honefty and diligence, more than capa city, -were requifite for their arrano-e- ment, Thefe were fome of the rea- fons which induced him to adventure on. PREFACE. v on a publication. It is ' fmcerely re gretted, that fome material parts "of in formation could not be procured by the author, in his prefent circumftances ; but, where information w as. ar wanting^ he chofe to be filent, rather than hazard conjectures^ .Some may cenfure him, per haps, for pro ducing to o many vouch ers, and others may ftill demand more; but, &s the former objection. appears to -be- without foundation-; fo he mail en deavour to fatisfy the latter, when, the defect of evidence, as to particular facts, fhall.be pointed out. The formality of method, ufed in delivering the dif-' courfes atiirft, is ftill retained. It may -appear infipid, perhaps, to the refined tafte of fome readersj but it was deem ed proper to prefer order and perfpi- cuity to elegance ; as divisions of dif- courfes render them more memorable and.: plain to fome forts of readers. It willalfo be remembered,. by thofe who heard the firft part of thefe Differ- * - tations, vi P R E F A C E. tations, that fome of the Reflections are omitted, and others of them tranf- p]anted,to a different place from that which they originally held. The fame Reflection, having occurred oftener than once, is retained only in the place in which it appeared to be moft proper. That the Father of Mercies may accompany thefe .Differ tations, fo far as agreeable to his will, with his blefling, is the earned wifn of J. MUIRHEAD. CONTENTS. Introduction, p. ,i — 62. Dissertation I. Part i. On the making of Noah's Co venant, p. 63— 86., Part ii. On the Renovation of Noah's Covenant, p. 87—106. . II. Parti, On the making of Abraham's Covenant, p. 108 — 136. Part ii. On the Renovation of Abra ham's Covenant, p. 137 — 157.- Part iii. On the Se cond Renovation of Abraham's Covenant, p. 157 — 177. Part iv. On the Third Renovation of Abraham's Cove nant, p. 177—194. > III. On Ifaac's Covenant, p. 195^-206. IV. On Jacob's Covenant, p. 207—232. ¦ V. Part i. On making the Sinai'Covenant", p. 233 t — 310. Part ii. On the Renovation of the Sinai Co venant, p. 211 — 346. ,X . • — VI. On the Covenant between God and Ifrael on the Plains of Moab, p. 347 — 364. VII. On the Covenant between^ God and Ifrael at Sbechem, p. 365 — 382. • ; VIII. On the Covenant between God and Ifrael by the Miniftry of David, p. 383 — 418. IX. On the Covenant between God and his Church in the reigaof Afa, p. 419—432. — - — X. On the Covenant between God and his Church by the Miniftry of Jehoiada, p. 433 — .446. ¦ XI. On the Covenant between God and his Church in the reign of Hezekiah, p. 447 — 456. -i- XII. viii c o N t E n t sV ,— — - XTI. Oh*the Covenant between God and his Church in the reign of Joliah, 457 — 472. ' XHl. On the Covenant between Gob and his Church in the days of Exrah, p. 473—^490. XIV. On the Covenant between God andhis Church in the days of Nehemiah, 491 — 506. XV. On the Transferrence of Covenanting frorji the Old Teftament Church to the New, p. 507—552. < XVI. On Covenanting in the Apoftolic Churches, P- 553— 568- . — — XVII. On the Fcederal Tranfactions which obtained in the Three firft Centuries of the Primitive Church, im mediately after, the Apoflolic Age. p. 569—596. XVIII. On the Fcederal Tranfactions in the Prote* ftant Churches abroad, p. 597 — 62.6. " > XIX. On the Fcederal Tranfactions of our Religious Anceftors in Britain. and Ireland, p. 627 — 658 — r XX. On the Renovation of our Solemn Covenants in the Prefent Age, p. 659—670. Appendix, p. 671. " DISSER- DISSERTATIONS ON THE FOEBERAL TRANSACTIONS, &c. 1 NT RODUCT I O N« IT is the peculiar excellence of Gofpel* revelation, to difcover the, origin of evil ; as alfoj that deliverance from it which God has provided for his people. Ever fince fin Entered into this world, na ture's light, in its moft cultivated ftate, has not only been altogether unfatisfadfory, but "even totally filent on each of thefe moft interefting fubjecTs : The Holy- Scriptures, however, are full and perfpicuous on both ; they Sifcover not only the caufevof our de struction, but likeways the foiirce of our help. It is not the defign. qf the" follow- * A , .:-'.. Jng ft INTRODUCTION. ing Diflertations to confider that tranfsc- tion which obtained between God and Adam, in his innocent ftate, the violation of which is the teeming fource of all evil; nor the eternal contract between the Father and the Son, which is the fountain of life unto the guilty foul : Yet, as the difpenfa- tions o£ Grace are among the immediate" caufes of the. Church's engagements to be the Lord's, we mufl premife a few things concerning that Covenant to which they, belong. By way of preliminary, then, We fhall firft take* a fhort fiirvey of that Cove nant which obtained, from eternity, be tween God the Father and his Eternal Son. — Then we fhall confider the connection between the Covenant of Grace and the Church's Covenant of Duty. — Afterwards, We fhall attend unto the State of the Church, from the Fall of Adam until the Fcederal Transaction between God and Noah. FIRST, I am to take a fhort furvey of the Eternal Compact between God the Father and his only begotten Son. To remove ambiguity, and prevent repetition, I fhall run over the varidus fignification^ of the terms by which it is exprefled in both the INTRODUCTION, g the Old and New Teftament. , The term Covenant *, in the language of the Old Teftament, is derived from a word v which fignifies to choofe-t :. and is expreflive of the nature of a Fcederal Tranfaction, for a Covenant is that which both parties choofe, and in which they agree. All God's pro- mifes, for example, are free and Sovereign acts of his will, manifefted unto men ; and all genuine obedience on the part of his children is a free-will offering unto the Lord. Th e term Covenant Is ufed both in a facred and civil fenfe. It is ufed in a ci vil fenfe to exprefs fuch leagues as obtained between ,.Frinces in ancient times X ; but on this fenfe we need not infift,- — When it is ufed in a facred fenfe it expreileth, i . Th e Covenant which took place be tween JGrod and Adam in Paradife,— which was broken- by Adam ; " But they like men have tranfgrefled the Covenant :" So - * rvO*. f mi, elegit. This derivation is vindicated, Appendix No. I. % For example, Gen. xiv. 13.— xxi. 27, 33. — xxvi. 28^— xxxi. 44. &c. * As our 4 INTRODUCTION, y. ¦ our tranflation has it. " But they like Adam have tranfgreffed the Covenant.'' Hcb.* . 2. The Cc-venant of Mercy between God the Father and his only begotten.Son, as our furety ; whether as made from eter nity, or as manifefted ' in time, and con*? firmed by facraments and fkerifiee. In the firft fenfe it is ufed by the Pfalmift, as the mauth of the Father. Said he, " I have made a Covenant with mychofent^" David» it is true, is mentioned in the following part of the verfe ; but the antitypical Da= vid muft be ultimately intended; The things promifed are, by much, too important to be long unco any, in their fulleft emphafis, but unto him who is both David's Son and David's Lord. But this term is moft fre quently ufed to denote the difpenfation of the Covenant of Grace unto finners. It denotes this Covenant, as offered unto fin ners in the Gofpel : *( Incline your ear, and come unto me j hear, and your foul fhall Jive : and I will make an everlafting Cove nant with yon, even the fure mercies of Da vid J. "—As accepted by the faith of God's * I? of. vi. 7, f Pfal. lxx^ix, 3, j'if. Iv. 3. elect 1 INTRODUCTION. $ elect : *' Yet he hath made with me an everlafting covenant, ordered in all things, and fure*"-*As ratified by facrifices, far craments, and the fealing of the Holy Ghoft. Under the Old Teftament, the initia ting feal bore the name of the Covenant itfelf; as the Confii'ining feal ftill bears the fame name under the New f- ' In like man ner, when the Covenant is made effectual, and the promifes of it accomplished on the children of it, it is faid to be made with. them t' 3. Thi^s term is alfo applied by the Holy Ghoft, to exprefs the Church's en gagements to be the Lord's ; as appears from many places of Scripture, to be af terwards explained. 4. Besides thefe fignifications of the term, there are others of a figurative kind; as when one part of the Covenant (what ever it be) bears the defignation of the whole. Thus, the promife is ftiled the Co venant by the prophet § ; as are the ten commandments by Mofes ; Said he, " and 'i $ ' * 3. Sam. xxiii. 5. f Gen. xvii. 10.. Math. xxvi. 2 7, 28. J jer, xxxj. 36. § If.-lix. 31. he 6 INTRODUCTION. he wrote upon the tables the words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments *." It likeways expreffeth the effect of a Covenant, -,;. which ispeaGe : SaidEliphaz, " forthoufhalt be in league^ with the ftones of the field, and the beafts of the field fhall be at peace with thee f." Said God himfelf, " I will make a covenant for them with the beafts of the field, and with; the fowls of Hea ven, and with the creeping things of the ground p" That is, no more harm is to be dreaded from them, than from the* perfbn with whom thou art in the ftricteft confe deracy : Whereas, they are all in arms, in the caufe of their Sovereign, againft fin- ners §« THE * Exod. xxxiv. 28. f Job v. 23. J Hof. ii. 18. 5 Learned men have added yet another- fenfe of the word, " -which deferves fome confideration. They reckoia it is parallel with pn, which fignifies a. Statute, or an ordinance. That the terms ufed, are fometimes fyno- nymons, cannot be denied ^ But that ever TTH2 fignifies a -nased Statute, can never be proved. To me it ra ther appears, that j?n fometimes denotes Covenant, as well" as rP"D : Jeremiah takes them both in. the fame fenfe. Jer. xxxiii. 20, ,ar. compared with Jer. xxxL 3$, In thefe texts, the Lord compares the Covenant he made with David with that which he made with Noah ; fhew- ing that the former is as certain' as the latter, which he confirms by daily experience,. Noi- is he the only infpi- red INTRODUCTION.' f THE term which we render Covenant in the Old Teftament, is tranflated, by the infpired writers of the New Teftament, by a word which is fometimes rendered Cove nant, and fometimes Testament*. The great Prophet of the Church uSeth it to expreSs that transaction which obtained be tween the Father and himSelS, as well as his conveyance of Ms kingdom unto„his people. Said he, "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto met*" The word appoint is rather too narrow to expreSs all that is intended in the infpired original. The original word imports, not only all the Certainty of an .appointment, but alio, all the preci sion of a Foederal Settlement. It imports both a Foederal Settlement -and a Tes^atvtentary Disposition ; both Senfes are contained in the text juft now quoted: The Fcederal Appointment, and that only, obtained between the Fa ther and the Son ; for the Father could red writer who confiders them as fynonymous : Said the infpired" hiftorian of the book of Jofhua, "fo Jofhuamade. a Covenant with the people that day; and fet them a Statute, and an ordinance in Shechem." Jofh.xxiv. aj., * A«s0h'kij, and 'AiHTi%fa. f Luke xxii. 2,0. s not S INTRODUCTION. not die tor leave the kingdom as a legacy j "by teftament, unto the Son : Both the Fcederal Settlement and the Teftamentary DifpoSition, obtained in Chrift's admini- ' fixation toward the Church ; for, as he died to turn his-Covenant into- a Teftament, fb he engageth himfelf, by covenant-promife, unto his children ; and bindeth them unto, himfelf with the bands of a man. More particularly, i. This term, in the New Teftament, denotes a Covenant, in the proper notion qf the word : That is, a voluntary Com pact between two diftinct parties. " Byfo much was Jefus the furety of, a better co venant *. I would choofe to tranflate the Apdftle's * Heb. vii. 22. , Some authors, I grant, 'contend that Ai*6>jx>> can never /properly be rendered Covenant, but •ught always to be tranflated. Test ame NT. - But fuch a Suppofition muft bear hard on the infpired Writers of the New Teftament. The Cocceians, how/eyer, are raflj enough to give into > it. And Le Clerc confiders -Paul, as one " who delighted in the play of a Helejiiftical' writer, when he ufed AtaSfan to denote' Coven ant." But his infolence and profanity have been chaftifed by the learned Dr Whitby : See his Paraphrafe and Comrnfent on Heb. ix. 20. The Hutchinfonians likeways aver, that aither Paul's dialect was Helleniftical, if not cabaliftical, #r that he did not intend to exprefs, by Ai«6ix.>;} what we -- call INTRODUCTION. 9 Apoftle's teftimony in- this manner ; for there is little or no place for a furety in a Teftament ; whereas it is proper, and fome* times even neceflary in a Covenant.^ 2. The Apoftle ufeth this term, to ex* prefs Testament: Said he, " For where call a C'o v E n A n t , The writers, of the New Teftament,' however, may be juftified for their ufing this term, in the fenfe Specified, from the example of the pureft claffii cal writers in the Grefek language, in the beft times of their Republic. Though &ut6*mi be more extenfive in its " fighification than SwMx.it ; yet the Grecians, whether orators or hiftorians, bards or ftatefmen, have taken it as nearly fynonimous ; or in the fame fenfe_'with the A- poftle, at l'eaft. Budseus, Comment. Ling. Grace, p. 6291 quotes various good claffics, ufing this term in the fame ienfe as SvMjzr,. Nor are the beft critics ih that language otiierways minded: Witnefs Stephanus, Hefychius, Pha- vorinus, &c. Georgius de Idiotieifmis Novi" Teftimenti immerito afficlis. Jablonfki de. propria fignificatiohe rir Auttiitiifi, This term is better rendered Co venant, thart Testament^ in Heb. viii. 6, 9. Luke i. 72. Aclsiii. 25:. Rom. xi.27 ; ahd, perhaps, in al-1 places where it occurs, except in Gal. iii. 1 p and Heb; ix. 15, to, 1 7. Conradus Kircher finds the Septuagint to tranflate linn by -A^fa, in all places wherever it occurs, except Deut. ix. 1 5.. and 1 Kings xi. n. ; And the term is to be found above two hundred times iii the Old Teftament. The tranflatioii, of tbe Septuagint could not be of great authority, how* ever, were it not confirmed, in this inftance at leaft, by the infpired writers of the New Teftament. Nor is there1 any one word in our language, fo proper for exprefiing the idea conveyed in both terins^ as the word CevE* NANr-i io INTRODUCTION. a Teftament is, there muft alfo, of neceP- fity, be the death of the Teftator; for a Teftament is of force after men are'deadv' other ways, it is of no ftrength at all while the Teftator liveth'*." The Apoftle argu- eth, from the nature of a teftament, unto the neceflity of the confirmation of the Co venant of Grace, which is a teftamentary covenant, by the death of Chrift. The He brews were ready to ftumble at the fuffer- ings of the Meffiah ; but the Apoftle taught them, • that* fiich a covenant rendered them abfolutely neceffary t» But the ftrength of <* Heb. ix. 16, 17., f " Una ergo ilia circumftantia principal!, videl. " Sponforis feu FidejuiToris pro- nobis fubftkutioue, prin- •<' cipaliter continetur Differentia Veteris et Novi Fcede- " ris, a qua Novum Eccdus .etiam denominator Foedus " Gratis. A gratia autem ilia Sponforis, consumman* *' da olim, et nunc consfmmata in morte ipfius, Fee- " dus illudnqftri refpej&U induit naturamTESTAMENTi.- " NomenilludTeftamentineutiquam convenit legali ori- " ginali Fcederi operam. Sed characterifticum eft Novo " Foederi Gratias : neque " fit citra magnam axup*/oy/«j> " quodFoEDERis et Testamenti voces promifcue ufur-, " pant Latini Bibliorum interpreted : cum vix alius lo- " cus Testamenti "voce flagitare videatur, quamunicus " fciz. Heb. ix. 1 7. idque non vi [vocis AtaSfav, fed quia ",antecedit hasreditatis adipifcendie mentio. Alia.efter- " go, proprie et accurate loquendo differentia jam expli- ' " cata Veteris et: Novi Foederis; Alia Veteris et " Novi Testamenti."— ^-Clot. Exercit. Theol. Loc. 8. Difp, 1. § 2. TlKf, 17. 18,19. .-y>A •' his INTRODUCTION. ii his argument does not lie So much in the formal fignification of the term, as in the nature of the Subject of which the Apoftle fpeaks. The eternal inheritance, mention ed in a foregoing verfe, is not fold to the pofleflbrs of it for their good works ; but conveyed by a teftamentary-deed, ratified by the death of a teftator. 3- This term Seems to be ufed in a mixed SenSe, comprehending ap once the idea of a Testament, and of a Covenant. Some have iftiled the Covenant of Grace a Foederal Testament, and a .Testa mentary Covenant. In this fenfe, the word , muft be taken by Paul, when he fays, " Brethren, I fpeak after the manner of men; though it be but a man's cove nant, (or teftament) yet if it be confirmed, no man difknnulleth, or addeth thereto. *'.' This covenant aflumed the form of "a tefta ment in every adminiftration of it, whether as typically, ratified by Sacrifice, or actual ly confirmed by the death of Chrift. As to the nature of this tranfaction, I ''may dbServe, * Gal. iii. i;A B 2 I. That 'U INTRODUCTION. , r. That it originated In the free and fbvereign love of the Eternal Father to wards loft finners. The Scriptures, every, where, introduce him as the grand contri ver of this covenant, — -as the firft Speaker in the Council of Peace : They refolve this grand propofal into a free act of his will.-. The Son, who came to unvail this ftupen- duous tranfaction unto men, uniformly re- Solves it into the fame fburce. " Then faid I, Lo I come: In the volume of the book it is written of me ! I delight jto do -thy ' WILL, O my God : yea, thy law is within my heart * !" As it was the good pleaSure of God which determined, whether any thing fhould ever exift befides himfelf;" fb it was the fame good pleafure which fixed the lot oS every, man after he had finned : That is, whether he fhould fhare in the fame fate with fallen angels, or if fuch a •Salvation fhould be accompliflied in his fa vour, as might, confift with all the claims of divine juftice and holinefs. In free and unmfluenced Sovereignty, he .took this me thod of manifefting his glory, and difplay- > ing his mercy, that perfection which had not been imvailed by the firft creation. In * Pfal.xl. 7,8, divine- I N T R O D U CT I O N. 1 3 divine wifdom, he found out the Son, as the only poffible fubftitute for finners ; and gave a company of them unto him,- to be redeemed and faved by him. Sovereignty is alfb the origin of all the mercies pro mised to, and through the Son, as the head of the myftical body : Says God, " I w 1 l l have mercy on whom I will have mer cy." It were eafy to fliow that each par ticular mercy flows from this eternal fburce. As all the promifes flow from this foun tain, fb it was the fame fbvereign pleafure which transferred the condition of thefe promifes from the finner to the fiirety. Hence., when he was accomplifhing it, he exprefsly declared, that he was doing the WILL of him who fent him. There are Some who carry the glory of divine fbvereignty yet higher, as they imagine, fiippofing, that fbvereignty is the Sole cauSe of the Satisfaction itf elf, even upon the fuppofition of fin, and alfb of the falvation of the finner. They fear not to aver, the end might have been gained Without any fatisfaction at all, if it had eonfifted With God's good pleafure. But why fhould $ny SupppSe, that God would ihtd 14 INTRODUCTION. Shed the blood of his own clear Son with out neceffity ? Or, that, the punifhment of fin is merely arbitrary to that God who is of purer eyes than to behold evil : and Who CANNOT look on iniquity* ? 2. The formal conftitution of this Co venant confifts in the Son's acceptance of the Father's propofal ; and "in his under taking to'fulfil that condition which he re quired at his hand: That is, the Son en gaged to be made of a woman, and made under the law, both in its precept and^ penalty, to redeem them who were under the law in thefe very refpects ; upon the Father's promifing to beftow on him a fpe- cial feed, with all the bleflings requifite for both himfelf and them. That explicit and prefent acceptance of propofals conftitutes a covenant, cannot be denied : That the Father made Such propofals to the Son is evident Srom many places of Scripture f s That the Son accepted of thefe propofals is equally certain, from his own declaration, already quoted. The truth is, the Fathef * * Hab. i. 13, f PfaL' *i. 8. If. liii. 6—12. xlix. 5 — 12. Pfal. lxxxix. 1 — 37. Pfal. ex. per totum. PfaU exxxii. per tot. Vide Witf. Oecon. lib. 2. cap. 2. was INTRODUCTION. ij was not more willing to propofe> than the Son to accept the terms of the New Cove nant. His acceptance is manifeft from his office-title, the Surety of a better Co- venant*. A Surety is of uSe only where one of the parties has already failed ; or, at leaft, is capable of doing fb : There is no place for one, where the principal, in point of obligation, is infallible and im mutable : therefore, there was no room for a fiirety for God; a God eapable of cpming fhort of his promife is no God. The fitre- tyfhip of Jefus Chrift, then* confifted in his taking upon himfelf the burden °f his people's debt, both of obedience and fuffer- ing, with a full refblution to pay it. He took it in confequence of the Father's lay ing it on him ; " for the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all." His bond of furety- fhip was of»equal extent with his people's debt-bond, in the Covenant of Works. One of the main devices of fatan, in thefe laft days, isj to affign another rule unto the obedience and fufferings of our Redeemer, than the moral law, as a covenant of works. But this newly invented ftandard of his Heb. vii. 22. rjghteoufhsfs 16 INTRODUCTION. righteoufiiefs is wholly unknown in the Sa-^ ered Record : the uniform voice of Scrip* ture is, he was made under the Law, as armed with the curse, to the intent that he might redeem them who were under the Law, clothed with- that identical cir- cumftance. Now, I would gladly know What other law, befide the Covenant of Works, is armed with the curse ? The curfej certainly, is not due but to the tranf- greflbr. I would alfo learn, what other law the redeemed are under, in their na tural flate, but this fame Law-covenant ? Now, that Law, which is the meafure of the Redeemer's furetyfhip, is no other than that which his people are under, in their lapfed flate. " Chrift hath redeemed us from the curSe of the Law, being made a curse for us. — God fent fbrth his Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem them who were under the Law*." Of the fame kidney is their doctrine, who tranfplant the Redeemer's furetyfhip from his prieftly to his prophetic office. * Gal. iii. 13. iv. 4, J, ft INTRODUCTION, 17 It ftartds, however, in his prieftly -office* by the Suffrage of an infpired Apoftle. It muft be So ; for the Apoftle difcourfeth of no other office in the whole ieventh chap ter of his Epiftle to the Hebrews, than, the facerdotal : His fbope, in the whole chapter, is, to prove the fuperior excel" lence of Chrift in this very refpect. Some ftill infinuate, that there is no place for the formality of a covenant be* tween the parties {pecified-. But this ob^ jection comes rather too late, as we are aflured, that this formality has already ta* ken place. It is of no importance to hv- fift, That, as the eflence of the Father and the Son, fb their will is one : For it may be anfwered, As the fame effence fubfifts in three perfons, Who are really diftinct from each other, fb the fame will may be> and really is applied to diftinct actings, ill each of thefe diftinct perfons, in a manner fuperior to our underftandings. 3. The promifes, made by the Father to the :Son (befides other confirmations), were fblemnly ratified by the death of Chrift.: The promifes were all conditional * C to i8„ INTRODUCTION. to him, as they are all abfolutely free to us : And they are all fure to the feed, as the condition of them was perfectly imple mented by his obedience and death. By death he removed every legal bar which flood in the way of their accomplifhment. Now juftice is as much an advocate for the- accomplifhment of the promifes, and the communication of bleffings, as mercy: Yea, God could not be juft to himfelf, if * he did" not fulfil all New Covenant pro mifes ; feeing juftice is fatisfied with the condition- of it. The accomplifhment of, that condition, which Truth and Juftice required, turned the Covenant into a Teftament ; and rendered it fo fure, aa nothing either in heaven, earth, or hell, can difannul it, or add any condition, unto the promifes of it, whatfoever. As. foon as ever the promifes of this covenant were announced to finners, they were exhibited in the form of a Teftament, to be confirm ed by the bruised heel of the Seed of the Wo man. As there were facrifices from •the fall, and dowhwardss to the incarnation, fb the ufe of expiatory ones was to ratify the promifes typically, before they were ratified adaally by the death of Chrift : For INTRODUCTION. 19 For where a teftament is, there muft, of neceffity, be the death of the teftator. Now, he was flain, typically, from the foundation of the world. And the death which this Teftator died, was the penalty of the covenant of works : He was made under the law, as a covenant of works, as we have feen, to redeem them who were under it in that very refpect. To explain this. law (with Some) either of the Ceremo nial or Judicial Law, or of both, were to confine redemption to the Jews ; for they are the only people who were ever under thofe laws : Than which no one thing can be more abfurd ; for he hath concluded -both Jews and Gentiles under fin. 4. As the Mediator had the burden of accomplifhing the condition qf the New Covenant, fb he has the honour of pro claiming all the promifes of it, as a pro phet ; and beftowing all the bleflings of it, as a king : " For all the promifes of God in hinl are yea, and in 'him amen, unto the, glory of God by us." The mediato rial life of our Lord Jefus Chrift is truly royal and affluent; for it pleafed the Fa ther, that -in him fhould all fulnefs dwell. C .2 . ' He 20 INTRODUCTION. He give's gifts unto his fubjects, Suitable unto Iiis princely ftate, without any merit, but all to the contrary, on their part. He beftows on them the abundance of grace, und the gift of righteoufnefs, that they may reign with him in eternal life. The .blelli.ngs he difpenfeth have been the fame from the beginning : As the neceffities of men were the fame before the flood and after it ; before the incarnation, and fince the fulnefs of time. The means of com munication, however, have been greatly diverfified. The following Diftertations are defigned as a view of the gradual reve lations which, are made unto the Church ; as thefe . were requifite for, and, in the wifdom of God, adapted unto that parti cular ftate of it, on which they were be- flowed, 5. The exhibition of New Covenant pro-* mi Ses, by Chrift ; and the acceptance of them, with a reSolution to improve them, by his people, conftitute a covenant rela-> tion between God and them. Evangeli cal Covenanting fuppofeth the exhibition of the Covenant which obtained between the Father and the Son, as well as the ad-* mjuiftration INTRODUCTION. 21 miniftration of the promifes by Chrift: and it confifts in taking -hold of him who is given for a Covenant to the people, wi,th a reSolution never to- go back Srom him by unbelief, or difobedience of what ever kind. And the different, modes of Covenanting originate in the different mea sures of revelation, or the different fyftems* of ordinances and worfhip which Chrift hath bellowed on his Church in different periods ; or from the different modes of making their refolutions, and the different confirmations of thefe refolutions ; or the different fituatioiis in Which they were placed by adorable Providence. Th 1 s leads us to a Second Preliminary, but, before proceeding to it, I fhall make a reflection or two on what has been'fug- gefted. ; 1. These few ftrictures on the Cove nant of Grace difcover the vanity offbme modern notions concerning it. The mo dern fyflem is, " That God is fb well pleafed with the fufferings of Chrift, as to remit the rigorous terms of the Covenant of works ; and- tp enter into a new Cove nant 22' INTRODUCTION. nant with mankind, whether Tews or Gen-V tiles, upon terms fuitable to our reafon, and equal to our abilities ; for thefe are faith and fincere repentance. On thefe con ditions, our juftification, adoption; and future glory do depend : For they are that righteoulhefs on account of- which the par don of our fins, and pur acceptance, be- * fore God do proceed."' So our moderns Tagely determine! But, from what is above obfefved,, it is plain it was quite other- ways determined in the Council of Peace^ The friends pf this fcheme fuppofe them- felves to be very charitable ; but the fcheme itfelf is fo far from being charitable, that it lands all the fallen fbns of Adam in e- , ternalvperdition. It muft be fo ; for no one can command one act of faith, until it be given him, on the behsflf of Chrift,, to believe : Inflead of fincerity, the heart of man — of every man in his natural flate, is deceitful above all things, and defpe- rately wicked ; — Deceitful beyond all inveftigatibn by human fcrutiny ; and wicked, yea desperately wicked, be yond all poffibility of cure by human en deavour. Every one, then, who makes fiich fincerity as he can attain, by his na- ' tural INTRODUCTION. 23 tural powers, the bafis of his , falvation, muft inevitably perifli. It cannot be other- ways, as no degree of fincerity, however Small, can be attained. A Scheme So fraught with deftruction ought certainly to be re probated by every perfon truly charitable. Thefe men ought either to abandon their exclufive claim to charity, or elfe their uncharitable fyftem : One of thefe for- treffes muft be altogether untenable. The Scriptures uniformly afcribe the juftifica- tion apd falvation of finners, not to their own righteOufhefs, or any work , done by them, whether perfect or imperfect., whe ther fincere or infincere ; but to the righte- oufhefs which is of God, by the faith > of Jefiis Chrift. The modern fcheme, how^ ever popular, is as ,oppofite to the Scrip ture account of the righteoufhefs of Chrift as poffible. The Scriptures reprefent the obedience and death of Chrift as magnify ing the law of God, and making it honour able, inftead of bringing doWn its high demands of perfect obedience, to accept of that -which is fincere ; " The Lord is well pleafed for his righteoufnefs fake ; he will magnify the, law and make it honour able." Tell me, O ye fbns of Pelagius ! * " O 24 I NTRODUCTION. O ye maflers of reafon ! How the law is magnified by -levelling the demand of per fection into a demand of fincerity? On one occafion, the new fyftem teacheth us, that Chrift came to add new precepts to the law, to perfect and enlarge its meaning ; on another, he came to bring down its rigorous demands, and level it to our abi lities. Tell me, O ye fons of Socinus ! How can thefe things be ? The truth is, that which thefe men call the Covenant of Grace, does not exift Without the lines of the legal heart: And no one thing can be more unlike the. Covenant revealed to us in the holy Scriptures. 2. We may infer, That the Covenant of .Grace is a- proper covenant. Some greatly obfeure the doctrine of this, trans action, clenying^that it is ftrictly fcederal. But every requifite of a Covenant, in the ftricteft fenfe of the term, is to be found in it: There are diftinct parties; different parts; propofals made on the one hand, and accepted on the other. The Sketch we have drawn of it is fufficient to obviate all they can alledge, who would: reprefent this Covenant as a naked decree, as they INTRODUCTION. j they are pleafed to ftyle it; and alfb to re- jpel the Cocceiaii dreams about an eternal teftament, • as oppofed to a proper , Cove nant. • ¦ i ;*¦" 3. ThouC-H this tranfaction be ftrictly fcederal, as it obtained between the Fa* ther and the Son ; yet it is tefcamentary, both in its confirmation and exhibition : All the effentials of a teftament are to be found in it ; fuch as, a Teftator, who ratified it by his death ; an inheritance-, to be con veyed ; a Seed, to be conftituted heirs ; and a deed of Conveyance, legally drawn, and duly executed, fb that it might be plead able in behalf of the legatees. All, the be nefits of this covenant are -properly legar cies, in refpect of the freedom with which they are beftowed on the covenanted feed* All the children of the covenant are proper ly legatees ; they dare not plead their own, but the Mediator's merit, and his teftament as the foundation of their claim of right. And, as in teflairtents, he who accepts of one of the articles muft accept of, and ftaiid to all the reft ; fb he who accepts of one pro- mife of the New Covenant muft accept of it all : And, if once accepted, it muft be * D . inn 26 INTRODUCTION. improved unto all the purpofes for which it was defigned. Acceptance of it lays perfons under inviolable ties of gratitude to improve the promifes and ^privileges of the covenant, in the performance of all thofe duties which are connected with, and confequent upon an inflating in it. A As a SECOND PRELIMINARY, We fhall attend unto the connection between the Covenant of Mercy and the Church's Covenant of Duty. '¦ i. And they are connected together, as the Eternal Covenant is the foundation of accefs to God in this Duty. No- one or Adam's . guilty family durft ever have ad ventured upon fuch a fblemn duty, had not God exhibited the furety-righteoufnefs which is the condition of the New Cove nant, as a fure foundation- on which fin- ners may ftand before him. Nor could any have drawn near to God, in this duty, unlefs he had revealed the promifes of the covenant, for their welcome and en couragement. Let the covenant, for ex ample, be, The Lord is our~God: Who, of ail the guilty race, durft have avouched the INTRODUCTION. 27 the Lord, as his God, had not God firft promifed, " I will fay it is -my people, and they fliall fay the Lord is my God." Sin made fuch a diftance between God and man, and guilt left fuch a dread of. God on the confcience, that Adam fled from the presence of ;the Lord, inftead of cleaving unto him by covenant-engage ments. But the i*xCompli(hment of the condition of the New Covenant not only removes our fears, it alfb infpires with confidence ; while the promifes raife an aflured hope of acceptance in approaching God, in the moft folemn forms of dedica tion unto him, as well as ftrength to pay what has been vowed. 2. ThE Eternal Covenant and the Church's Covenant of Duties are allied to each other; as that is the meafure, and, indeed, the matter of the Church's engage ments to be the Lord's. As we know. not what to pray for, but as the promifes fur- nifll us with petitions, fb we know not what we fhould promife unto God, but as the fame promifes furnifli us with vows. Acceptable prayers are juft divine promifes turned into fupplications and requefts ; D 2 acceptable 28 INTRODUCTION. acceptable vows are nothing elfe than the forefaid promifes turned/, into holy refolu tions. The promifes of God's Covenant and the precepts of his Law are of equal extent ; . and as the matter of religious vows are authoriled by the divine law, fa they are alfb warranted by the divine pro mifes ; and the matter of thefe covenants is no other than the matter of the promife improved according to the defign of its great author. The Church's engagements fhould extend no farther than the promifes of the gofpel ; or, if they do, they are certainly fuperftitious. The vows of the Romifh Church are juftly reprobated on this account ; Proteftants know not how they can be performed ; for as they are confefjedly more than anything for which God hath promifed his grace, they -muft all be performed in their own ftrength. But there is no place to object, That the religious Covenants of the Church of God, in all ages, and of Proteftants, in particu lar, arc of the fuperftitious kind ; for iti can never be fuperftitious to vow the per* formance of that which God will work in us, and unto "which he will enable us.— Thefe engagements ought 'not to flop fhort of INTRODUCTION. 29 ,of any thing God has promifed to his Church, or engaged to bellow upon her children. If our engagements include lefs than the Covenant of Grace, we muft, in that cafe, delpife all that grace that is o- niitted. As there is nothing in all, the New Covenant which God thought too final! for him to promife and bellow, So there is nothing in it tbo Small for the covenanted Seed to acknowledge, to the praife.of Ins grace ; — nothing of which they dare to be afhamed to own, that they are inte-refted in it. Be not bullied out of; covenant- engagements, becaufe fome affect to re prefent them as matters of indifference, unimportant punctilios ; for, that God who beftowed them, conferred fhfficient "dignity upon them. Every thing which is of God is truly great. ^ ; 3. Th E Covenant of Grace and our Covenant of Duty are clofely allied, as the formal nature of evangelical covenanting confifts in taking hold of that Covenant, as exhibited in the gofpel. Perfonal cove nanting confifts' in a perfonal acceptance of God's gracious Covenant, according to that exhibition of it which the perfon en joys, o o INTRODUCTION. joys, with an engagement to walk worthy of the privileges of it, unto all well-plea- fing. This is evident from the Baptift's teflimony : " He that receiveth his tefti- mony, hath Set to his Seal, that God is true *." Faith's acceptance is an inward * John iii. 33. M. Chemnetius's expofition of this' text is worthy of our notice, and fuitcd to our purpofe : " Et non fine gravi caufa Baptiita verbum obsigkjhe,. "quod in articulo Juftificationis, femper Deo tribuiti.fr, " de credentibus hoc Joco aifurpat. Fit' enim in Juftifi- " catione Pactum bonae confcierttiae coram Deo ; hoc eft, " ut co'nfcientia ftatuat Deum nobis propitium efle. Mud " pactum Deus ex una parte obfignat Sacramentis et " Spiritu Sancto : Fides vero,_ ex altera parte in cohfci-' ic entid. Pactum illud obfignat, quod fciz. velit in illo ''vera fiducia acquiefcere;" Harmon. Evangel, p. 298. This doctrine of Covenanting, in a perfonal manner, is notably exemplified both by 'Jacob and David : The former fills a Diflertation in the- following, pages, and the latter records his own- practice in the following terms : " What iball I render unto the Lord ? All his .benefits to me. I will take the cup of falvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now, in the preXenc^- of all his people :" So, the 1 2th verfe fhould be rendered. This is the only fenfe which can confift wkh facred punctuation ; and it is as if David had laid, " What fhall I prefent unto the all- fidncient Jehovah ? I have nothing of irrine own, indeed ; but I devote all thqfe graces he hath beftowed on me to his glory and fervice ! Even all the bleffings contained in the Cup of Salvation :" As.it follows, "Oh Lord ! truly I airi thy fervant, 1 am thy fervant and the fon of thine hand-maid: tho;a hail loofed my bands." What can a poor finner devote to God, but what has been gracioufly heflowed on him .* What haft thou, Q man, that thou h&fr JiPt receiyed ? Subscription. INTRODUCTION. 31 fiibfcription to, the contents of the* New Covenant : for the word imports fuch an action as perfons perSorm when they Set their hand unto a written deed, in token of their approving the contents of it ; or, as when perfons fubjoin their name to a letter, in the ordinary manner in Which they SubScribe it. Again, public cove* nanting is nothing elfe than a public and fbcial acceptance of it, adapted to that ceco- nomy which the covenanters enjoy : This will be evidenced, I hope, in all the in- ftances which fall under our confideration. Hence, in fbme of them, the promifes of the Covenant of Grace only are expreffed, and the Church's Engagements unto, Duty are implied. The ftipulation is mutual, however, as thefe promifes, by the work* ing of -God's good Spirit* were", made effec tual, to bring perfons and churches to give themfelves unto the Lord, as alfb, to .take God for their God, for ever and ever. For example, God's promife to Abraham W^s, " I am thy fhield, and exceeding great reward ;" and his engagement is in cluded, though not expreffed. This is evident from bis faith, patience, and re- 'fignation. to the will of God. 4. The 32 I NT R ODUCTION- .4.' The Eternal Contract and our Ert* , gagement to Duties1 ftand in the clpfeft cpnnection with each other, as the pro mises and privileges of that Covenant are the grandeft motives to enter into thefe Engagements . Thus, Is it not a, forcible motive to take hold of Jefus Chrift, as the only propitiation for our fin§> that God hath fet him forth ta be a propitiation, through faith in his blood ? Is it not a co gent argument, to take his righteoufhefs as the only foundation of our accefs to, and acceptance with God, that we. have accefs, with boldnefs, into the holieft of all by the blood of Jefus ? Can there be a ftronger argument for our taking hold of the Covenant of free and rich promife, as our only charter to the heavenly inheri tance, than God's making with us an eVer- lafting Covenant, even the fure mercies of David ? Can there be a ftronger excite ment to take his word, for our perfect and' only rule of faith and practice, than his giving us fuch a light to our feet, and fuch a lamp to our paths ? Can any but an unbelieving and ungrateful heart refufe to take his Spirit, as the fole guide into all truth, feeing he has engaged to beftow Such INTRODUCTION. 33 Such a leader ? " HbWbeit, when the. Spi rit of Truth is come, he will guide you iilto all Truth." Can any hefitate whe* ther.we flipuld, each for burSelves, avouch the .Lord as our own God, feeing God hath Said* " I am the Lord thy God ?" If a^God in covenant hath given us a fyftem of pure ordinances, holy doctrine, fpi- ritual worfhip, evangelical government and difeipline, Why fhould not every perfon, who claims an intereft in this covenanted God, relblve to continue in the Saith, pro- feffion, and obedience of that fyftem all the days of his life ? The infpired fyftem is Con ferred on us for oUr own good, as Well as God's glory ; That gratitude, therefore, which infpires with love to his glory, which difpoSes to prefer it above all things, will alfb jLnfpire with love unto his truth, as the means of advancing it ; and, pf conSequence> wkh,, the hatred of every falfe and wicked way : The more as our own advantage is infeparably connected with his honour, ' and immediately Subordinated to- it. If God promife the enlargement and continuance of the kingdom of Chrift, as an encourage ment to his Subjects, Why fhould not they moft ardently defire the enjoyment of that E r conifort! 34 INTRODUCTION. comfort ? Why fhould they not ufe every mean of his appointment for obtaining it ? In one word, If perfons are infinitely obli- 'ged to God, being redeemed by his Son, Sanctified by his Spirit, and Sayed by his Grace ? Does not juftice, as well as grati tude, fay, we are not our own ? Why Should not we devote our Services unto our right ful Lord, depending upon the power of his Holy Spirit, that he may enable us to do our duty, unto the praife of his grace in all the churches. Amen*. In the LAST PLACE, We fhall furvey the State of the Church from the Fall of Adam to the Covenant between God and Noah, before the Flood. — And we may take a view of it both in its conftitution and continuance. As to the first we may obferve, i. The perfon who erected this Church .was no other than the Son of God. I find fome authors who explain this appearance of the Father, I cannpt eafily reconcile myfelf to go into it however ; " for no * See the Bond for renewing otvr Solemn Covenants. man INTRODUCTION. 35 man hath feen God at any time ; but the only .begotten Son, who is in the bofbm of the Father, he hath declared him." I fhall not flay to prove, that all the appearances, with which" the Old Teftament Church was favoured, were made by the Son God, as this point has been- demo nitrated, with a degree of evidence fuperior to reafonable- contradiction, by others. — Our translation defcribes his appearance thus ; " And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day *." But, if we turn to the infpired original, We. will find that it was the Voice which walked ; the word voice and walking are connected together : And by the vo 1 c e we are tQ understand the word, that is, the perfbnal Word ; he then walked In the garden, as a prelude of his afterwards walking up and down in our world, in the fulnefs of time. The ancient Church un- derftood this text of the personal Word^ and they were not deceived t ; the bufinef* A' '• * Gen. iii, 8. f For proof of what -i is above aflertecf, the learned: reader may cqnfult Boston's Tractat. Stigmologic. p. ;62_; Dr Owen's Exercit. prefixed to his Expofition of the Epiftle to. the Hebrews, Vol. I. p. 114, 115. :' . E a. was $6 INTRODUCTION. was of fuch importance as to require the greateft nieffenger therFather:had to fend, The works which were perfprmed at this time were fully competent, and only re- fponfible to the great God our Saviour. 2. The condition in which the perfbn al Word, found the guilty pair was truly pitiable and wretched. They were en gaged in the moft- wicked, rebellion,— in volved in the moft attrocious guilt; and, fliame, the inevitable effect of confcipus guiltinefs, covered them,' inftead of that innocence with which they were originally adorned. The nakednefs of guilt was infi nitely greater than, the paltry garment of fig-leaves could hide or cover. Sorrow and reVenge, horror and defpair, ftrike with infinitely greater torment than all the pleaftires of Paradife could poffibly allay. Now God thunders forth all the curfes of a broken covenant : Confidence fiibfcribes the awful indictment ; the hand of Juftice Is lifted to fetch the fatal blow ! For ought that Adam could either Imagine or expect, as he had ingulfed himfelf, and all his pp- fterity, in the depths of fin, and an abyfs of wo s fo there was nothing for him hut the INTRODUCTION. 37 the execution of the threatening ! He had made God his enemy, Where was the an gel in heaven, or the creature on earth, which durft fland his fripiid ! f' 3 . Th e work accomplished by the -Per fonal Word,', on this important occaflonj was amazingly gracious and merciful. He examined the criminals of the human kind, as to^ where they now were, and what they had done. They, on the other hand, acknowledge the fact, indeed, but extenuate the guilt — laying the 'blame, the man upon the woman, and the woinan on the ferpent. It is worthy of our * notice, that the ferpent was neither examined nor convicted, as there were ,np defigns of. mercy towards him. — •. — -He fentenced the ferpent unto pumfhrnent;; The brute is degraded from its dignity and excellence, became- it had been proftkuted as an in- ftrument of feduction : It is alfo doomed, to go upon its belly, and lick dull for its meat; and this is an enigmatical repre- fentation, perhaps, of the devil's punifh- fnent, who had abufed the ferpent on this occafion.. Though he was originally among the flowers of the creation, formed for re- iifhing 38 INTRODUCTION. lifhing the moft exquifitely refined and Spiritual pleafiires, now he is debafed to the greateft wretehednefs; -all. the-. delights of which he can participate are bafe, as the dufl of the ftreet.— — — He denounced a" threatening againft the old ferpent, which implied a promife of falvation unto a felect company of the human family, through the incarnation and death of Chrift., Man had nothing to expect but to Share in the fame lot with the devil, and to be made fubject to his tyranny, feeing he had join ed in confederacy with, him, and made him his Lord and mafW. But, to the eternal admiration of men and angels, the Judge infures hberty to the captive, and definition to the tyrant : "T will put en mity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her Seed ; and he Shall bruife thy head, and thou flialt bruife his heel." This is the firft gleam of gofbel- light upon a benighted world ; therefore it deferves our fpecial consideration. Firft, The publisher of this promife is alfb the performer of it : The Son of God is, at once, the herald to proclaim, and the he ro to profeciite the war. Secondly, The parties between whom this war ohtains are, the INTRODUCTION. 39 •the old ferpent, with all devils and finally- wicked men, on the one hand ; for they are the brood of the ferpent, or a gene ration Of vipers : And the Meffiah, as the extraordinary Seed of the Woman, With the Woman herfelf,, whom the devil had (educed, with all her believing seed, on the other hand ; for Eve was the mo ther of all living : That, is, of all who are made fpiritually alive, as Abra ham was the Father of f he'faithful. This arrangement of the parties. inftructs us of Wifdom's triumph over the devil, in that very inflrument by which he had dis honoured God, and introduced evil into this World ;. woman Was firft in the tranf1 greflion, and firft-^a fubject of faving grace. As alfb of the myfterious incarnation of the Son of God, by the poWer of the Holy "Ghoft. He is called the Seed of the Wo man, as he was without father as man. " When the fulnefs of the time was come, God fent forth his Son, made of a woman." Thirdly, He engaged to put ENMiTY'be- tWeen the parties ;fpecified ; and to profe- cute fiich a war as Should illue ia deftruc- tion. to one of the parties, and prove emi nently afflictive to the other, though com pletely 40 INTRODUCTION. pletely Victorious, .and, finally, glorious. He threatens enmity, in direct oppofition to that friendfhirJ which fubfifted between the Serpent and the woman. The deliver er threatened to break, her covenant with death, and her agreement with hell, which could not be ' accomplished but by flaying her enmity aga-inft God, — inSufing a ha tred of fin and fatan, ; and infpiring with love to God ; for there was no change at ah oil the devil. The^change was folely on the part of the woman ; of a friend, fhe becomes an enemy unto the ferpent, therefore he hates her. When the pro mife is accomplifhed pn her foul, She a- dores that juftice at which fhe trembled, fhe admires that holinefs which fhe for merly detefted. Thus, fhe became a pat tern unto all her believing feed, as well as an emblem of the Church in every fuc- ceeding age. Hence, Chrift feems to al lude to her, when hefpeaks of the " Wo man, and the remnant of her feed which keep the commandments, of God, and have the ' Teftimony of Jefus Chrift*." He alfb * " Qjiamvis enim oraculo illo1 ad Serpentein fit infti*- ** tutus ferjno, cic^u* poena dentincietur, loquitur tamen "," "Deus INTRODUCTION. 41 ilfh threatened definition tb the oki fer pent, through the; death and. fufferings, of our Lord Jefus -Chrift. HE (for the ori^ ginal word is improperly tranflated IT) fhall crufli, or bruife thy head, and thou flialt bruife his heel. He fhall crufli thy policy and power ; for the head is the feat of wifdomand ftrength, and a crufli in the head is frequently mortal. '¦ This procla mation of war was eminently profecuted, and Sully executed on the croSs ? on it the Son of ; God fpoiled ! principalities and powers, he deftroyed him; Avho had the power of death; that is ! the devil. His -.;.-,. ..... • ' - >7 '\y -.fV -. ' f " Deus ad cor Adamiet'Eva:, Serpent! pceiiaiiii talem cje- "- nuhcians quae hoinini futura eflet falutai-is : ne.mpe -fu* '/ turas Serpenti et 'femini ipfius inimieitias cum muliere1 "¦ etiSemirie mulieris,. et futuram penes Semen mulieris " vietoriam de Djabolbi Non poterat Muljeri, cui Dia- " bolus feduciione fua pepererat mimicitiani turn Deo. ."<{ et qham ' in caftra fua pellexerat, .cuiii? Diabolo interce- ' " dpre inimicitia, nili per fuftiiicationem Deo ipfa con- "¦ ciliaretur,. et per Sanctificationein in ipfa -vinceretuf ** deiMmum pecCati. (jhiapropter Deus pollens inimici- " tia» inter Diabolum .pt mulierem difponit mulieri Foe- " duSrNoyum Gratia: juftificantis et fanclificantis. Gra- " tis vero auctorem promittit Semen fore illud mulieris^ ".j.quod ;Satan« caput contri-turuin erat. Sed non abfque *' agone, in quo pr&nunciat even turas illi a^i'var et per- " peffiohes, quippe Serpens ipfi conteretcalcaneum. tal- *' caneus a-utem liotat Chrifti OtxtS-pazix carne'in, in qua' " terrain calcavit." Clopen. De. Foe dere Dei, Difput. v., Thef. 14. *- , -> F Sufferings 42 INTRODUCTION. fufferings were foretold, on the other hand: Though the Seed of the Woman be victo rious, yet he muft die ter conquer! Sueh is the nature of this victory ! ; If we under- ftand the heel of his human nature, then the oracle was moft literally fulfilled in the death of the crofs : In that kind of death the foot was ftretched out, and the heel pierced through with nails ; accordingly, this bruifingisexpreffed by another oracle thus, " They pierced my hands and my feet." If we underftand the heel of his myftical body, in its militant ftate, then the event has alfb verified the prediction: By means of the old ferpent, they have had tribulation in the world. Nor can any good reafbn be affigned why both fenfes may not be included. This threaten ing was inftructive of the doctrine of the fatisfaction of Chrift, and juftificatipn and eternal life through his death and righte- oufhefs, as alfb of the fplendid triumph of of the Captain of our Salvation oyer all; the powers of hell ; and his people being made conquerors, and more than conque rors, through him. — —-Again, He announ ced the divine difpleafure againft fin in the human race, and intimated ~to their com mon INTRODUCTION. 43 mon parents the evils it had introduced. Concerning which we may obferve, That they have the nature of vindictive punifh- lnent to all who are under the curfe of the covenant of works ; and the nature of pa ternal chaftifement to all Who are under the covenant of Grace. Though thefe e- vits are ftill continued on perfons united to Chrift, yet the curfe is removed from them ; and, by the blefling of Goch they are a ' means of mortification and falva tion*. » 4. These declarations were bleffed for recovering liberty to thefe fpiritual cap tives, and bringing them into a covenant relation to Godf. Adam's faith appears from the new name he gave to Eve, im mediately after this -intimation : " And .-"* Charnock on 1 Tim. ii. 15. , .f " Hoc pacto in Oraculo illo eft Pactum, proiuiffionis, " qiia- Adamus et Eva fueruht 'iviyyf&nrfihoi Ev-Anqello " initiati, et cum illis initiatum Novum Foedus Gratis " ejuique -Teftanjeiitum jfevelatum. Et Oraculum illud .*' fcriptum poftliminiononcaruitpleniorialiqua illuftra- " tione per yerbum fupernaturaliter factum, et Tradi- ¦ *' tione Prophetica, S-sa^vsus-ai-ad pofteritatenl propagatum, " primo ddhiatim, mox gregatim inftkuta' Ecclelia. ' *¦*— Clopen. De Fredere Dei, Difput. v. Thef. rjv • F 2 v; Adam 44 INTRODUCTION. Adam called his wife's name Eve; becauSe fhe was the mother of all living *." That is, the mother of all who are made fpiri- tually alive : And Eve's faith was fecured in the promife already explained : For en mity, fuch as God creates, is' nothing elfe thaii deliverance from the power and friend ship of Satan ; and enmity' with the devil ¦cannot imply lefs than the friendfhip of God, as the friendfhip of the world is en mity with God.— -N6W, acceptance of this declaration was, virtually alt leaft, perfbnal covenanting: By taking hold of the divine grant, they were bound, both by the au thority of the promifer and the ties of gra titude, to improve all the grace of the pro mife, and to walk Worthy of all the privi leges contained in it. They were bound to maintain a conftailt warfare againft the devil and all his works. And no one, who attends unto the nature and importance of a divine prOmife, can hefitate a moment,, if perfons ought to accept it ; and, when ( * The greateft part of Proteftant writers haVe ex plained the name Eve in this manner. See, particular. ly, Martyr, Fagius, Pareus, the farrow of Modejrjj Divinity, Herman. Wit. de Oecon. Fcederum ; the former, p. 46, utji edition; thf latter,' p.. 568 — 570, e- AU. 3tio. ' , , :-. ..$, . once INTRODUCTION. 45 once accepted,, whether^ they ought to act in pppofition or in conformity to the grace contained in it. This promife was a, moft feafbnable . teftimony againft that inyafion Which fatan 'had. made; on the kingdom of God, and againft the compliance of our firft parents with his moft wicked defigns. Spme think in; is fo enigmatical, indeed, that Adam could not polfibly underftand it ; but how fuch an, imagination could come into the head of any who pays the leaft re gard to the Scriptures, is not eafy to conJ ceive. Did not Adam know, and remem ber with the deepeft fbrrow, that death, the fecond death, came upon himfelf and all his pofterity, by the -fubtllty of the fer pent ? Is it an impenetrable asnigma then, to promife ^ deliverance under the notion of deftrnftion to the caufe of his ruin ? Is not a complete removal of the caiife of his difeafe, the moft natural andeffectual means of his cure ? Did not Adam under ftand the promife in this light, when he impofed the name upon his wife, which has been already confidered ? The pro mife, of confequence, was. not only jander- ftood, but alfo improved by Adam for his own falvation, and as a fuitable teftimony in 44 INTRODUCTION. in oppofition to all that rebellion againft God which had then obtained in the world. » 5. The rule under which theSe cove nanters were brought Was the promiSe, in refpect of faith ;-— the law of nature, in refpect of obedience i— and the institution of facrifiCes, in refpect of both. As to the rule of obedience, we may obfefve, That the law of nature was a monitor, as . to good and evil, prior to the giving of the law from Sinai, and to fuch hints, concerning it, as were given to Noah and the reft of the patriarchs. If gentile Sin ners, who are not enlightened by any pro-? mife, who have not the written law, do, by nature, the things contained in the law, and thus fhew the works of the* law writ ten in their hearts ; much more may per fons favoured with divine promifes, * and illuminated by the Holy Spirit, Shew the works of the laW written in their hearts, by writing it out again in their lives and conversations. By this means, May they not demonftrate that he has delineated" God's law of new 'on their consciences ? The law written on man's Hieart in hisv ftate INTRODUCTION. 47 ftate of primeval innocence, was greatly pbfcured by the fall ; but God preferved .as much of it as is fufficient to leave men inexoufeable in every age ; and, by the il lumination of the- Holy Ghoft, to guide in the paths of bolinefs in that one *. Ac cordingly, there were many evidences pf fuch impreffipns upon the minds of the an-, tediluvians, in various. parts of their cpn- duct, whether by acting in conformity or in oppofitfpn to them : Such as diftinction of property, and the purfuitof lawful cal lings, in obedience to the precepts of the fecond table of the moral law; faith in God, and love unto him, in agreeablenefs to thofe of the firft. Sacrifices, I have faid, refpected faith, as well as obedience ; and their inftitulion was the rule of both. They deServe more ample ^ confideratioh * See Owen's Theologumena, lib. ii. cap. i. Thef. .6, 7, 8. Shoald any fuppofethe Patriarchs had; other hints ofEJpd's will, as to their duty, I mould not be forward to deny it ; though, after, all, Lcannot; fee the neceffity of it : For, although: the law of nature and the law from Sinai be the law. of the povehanti of works, materially sonfi,dered, yet it is not as the law of nature, or yet as the covenant of works ; bilt, as inforced by evan-gelipal motives,- as obeyed ih-the ftrength of gofpel grace, and as delineated, re, novo, on the heart, by tire inferip- tion of the Spirit,--that it becomes a rule of Sanctifica- tion-. t-Vn'sm 48 INTRODUCTION. , .. i than I can, at prefent, undertake. We may attend, for a moment, however, to their origin, — their oblatiort, — determined me, againft that opinion. Dr Owen, on Heb; Eyercit. Vol; II. p. i.36. Vitring. Ob. Sac. Lib.^ii. cap* 3, 3, > - ' v - ;-• • •-, v, > , - *; : •'-*-.. .',* G were' 50 INTRODUCTION. were domeftic, and every head of a fami ly was. bound to offer Sacrifices for it ; but not to the exclufion of individuals for themfelves, on perfonal considerations. The facrifices of Cain and Abel appear to have been perfonal ones," and that of Job a family one. Neither does it appear, that, under this ftate, there was any place confecraced to j:he purpofe of offering fa crifices ; but everyone offered where he pleafed. It behoved fomewhat, hoWever, to be ufed for an altar. The creatures offered were both fruits and animals. The oblation of animals feems to have been e- fpecially defigned as a figure of the grand facrifice of our Lord Jefus Chrift; and the oblation of fruits, to point out the evan gelical obedience, and grateful fervices of the Church in every age, efpecially under thebetter oeconomy. Nor was there any time, fo far as we know, . on which the pa triarchs were obliged to facrifice. The Sabbath' of the - feventh day was the only holy time then known ; and, being of a moral nature, and of moral, ohligation, they were bound to fill it up chiefly, if not wholly, with moral obedience. The Jeafon, as well as everything elfe relative to INTRODUCTION. 51 to facrifices, came, by degrees, to be par ticularly afcertained ; Sor God had reafbns worthy of himfelf, not to fix all things concerning them at once.- — -As to the ufe of facrifices, efpecially expiatory ones, I fhall only note, that as they interveened between the promife of the Meffiah's fuffer ings and the accomplifhment of it, fo they had a refpect unto both. They looked forward to the deceafe which he fhould ac complish at Jerufalem, and held it up, in prospective, unto the faithof the offerer. They looked backward to the making of the promife, and ferved as memorials to bring it to remembrance ; as well as pledges of its future, but certain accomplifliment*. '.* Cloppenburg. Schol. Sacriflc. cap. 4.— 1 intend ed to have given an "extract from this chapter, and feme - other parts of his works ; but, the whole is fo excellent, I found myfelf atra lofs, when I-began to felect, and- in ,danger* of omitting the moft valuable parts. I heartily wiih, that the reader, capable 6f unde'rftanding his .works, were. pofle^ied- of them. He would find much acute cri- ticifin ; many thoughts, not more, new than juft ; genuine zeal for foundnefs in the faith, tempered with candour even to the very enemies of it, Perhaps Profeflbr Markx never* did- a better fervioe to the Church, than in collect ing and fuperintending the'publication of his grandfa ther's works.V-Works that afforded Wltfius folne "of the beft hints which are to be found -in his Oeconomia; and Witfius's extracts filled me with avidity to perufe the whole ; and, -when'I was gratified, the flock agreed with the fample. « ' - G 2 Expiatory 52 INTRODUCTION. Expiatory facrifices have nothing to recom mend them, on the principles of nature^ indeed; hence bloody facrifices were de rided, as madnefs, by the greateft fages of heathen antiquity : But they, have ends worthy pf divine wifdom, on the principles of golpel grace- Taken in connection with the promife, from which they ought, never to be feparated, they afford a ftriking view of the , guilt and demerit of fin, in the struggles and, groans of the expiring ani mals ; as alio,, in the fire coming -down from heaven- to confume the fiefh. - Who •¦knows the power of his wrath1. — They alfb. afford a view of the fubftitution oS Chrift; in the law-room of finners : The innocent, meek, dumb lambs endured pangs and fire to prefigure the Lamb of God, who ta- keth away the fin of the world. Thus, they afforded hopes of pardon, acceptance,, and eternal life unto fuch as offered them by faith in Jefus Chrift._ Another ufe of them was, a typical confirmation of the promifes of the Covenant of Grace, and to turn it into a Teftament, typically, till it fhould be afterwards really ratified by the blood pf Jefus Chrift. In one word, . by facrifices God applied Chrift's death and righteouihefS INTRODUCTION. 53 righteoufhefs, to Old Teftament faints, in much the' fame manner as he applies the fame .now by the facraments of Baptifm and the Lord's Supper*; but the latter mode of application is, by much, the clearefl. SECONDLY, We fhall now attend un to the Continuances oS this Church in the enjoyment of the privileges, and di£> charge of the duties above defcribed : And fhe continued, in fome meafure of confor mity .unto her original conftitution, for near the fpace of one hundred and twenty- eight years. v Probably it was in the hun dred and twenty-ninth year, that Cain and Abel offered thofe facrifices, from which the former took occafion to flay the latter : For Seth, who came into the world fbon aSter the death of Abel, -was born in the hundred and thirtieth year of Adam's life. The defection, into which a part of this, phurch was immerfed, did not confift fa much in the corruption of worfhip, in re fpect of its external form, as in the want: of faith in, and love to God ; Which prodi*- ced want of 'love among the worfliipers ' * Vide Pifput. Se^an. Tom. I. p. 796. themfelyes, 54 INT R O D U C T 1 0 N. themfelves, while the "o bfer vance of ordi nances was fome way kept up among them. PaiSing -by the Jewifh fables; about the Su perior excellence of Abel's iacrifice, we may fatisfy ourfelves with treading on hal lowed ground. The Apoftle obferves a fuperior principle, even Saving faith : " By faith Abel offered unto God a more excel lent Sacrifice than Cain." That is, a slain sacrifi ce y- for So the word imports *. He looked forward to the death of Chrift: Whereas, it is probable, Cain offered only a thank-offering; without faith in, pr even any refpect to the .Redeemer's expiatory facrifice. Perhaps not unlike the Pharifee, who was willing to thank God that he Was not as other men. Again, Abel offered the firftling of his flock, and of the fat of it; the firft-born, being the chief in his poffeffion, and being' afterward appropriated to the fervice of God by divine inftitution. *But Cain, fo far as we know, made no fuck choice : He was fb Void of love to God, that he thought he might be put off with any thing. His ambition feems- to have equaled his*, unbelief and enmity; there-'.' fore, INTRODUCTION. 55- fore, he is tranfported with fury, and pin ed away with envy, at the rejection Of his own facrifice, and the acceptance of Abel's. Adam had certainly the fame power to ex- ercife ecclefiaftic discipline in his -family, as Noah had afterwards; "bath families be- ing dpnieftic churches . God took the re proof of Cain, however, into his own hand: But reproof, or cenfiire of any kind, indeed, will not iflixe in reformation, though ma naged with divine precedence itfelf, where the heart is unrenewed, Cain's Corruption fwelled like a ftemmed torrent, at the di vine-admonition ; and fecret malice fud- denly rofe into determined murder, which, at laft, difgorged itfelf on innocent Abel. Abel, the firft who left this worlcl, , dies a faint ; the nVft-fruits of victory, to the feed of the woman, over death, and him who had the power of death, that is the devil. Cain lived a guilty criminal, tormented by the dreadful fentence of the Supreme Judge, roufing up his guilty confcience into a flame of abfblute and final defpair. How preferable ! How infinitely preferable was the lot of the former to that of the latter! If it be far better to depart and be with Chrift, than to live in a ftate of grace, in the 56 INTRODUCTION, the moft exalted meafure of it ; How, rtiUtli better is it to depart, with the crown of martyrdom, than to' have nothing hi ex pectation, againft the world to come, but unmixed vengeance ! and, though in all the affluence which this world can comj -mand for the prefent, driven out fromthe PRESENCE QF THE LORD*! By * Le Clerc's opinion, that tlie\ Presence 6f the Lord was the name of a particular place, where Adam dwelt, is unwdrthy of confutation, as it nearly amounts to an exprefs contradiction of the Holy Ghoft, who fre* quently calls his Church by that name. Job i'. 6. The fentence' which God pafled on Cain deferves more minute inveftigation. It is exprefled to confiderable dif advantage in our tranflation, thus, " Arid now art thou curfed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tilleft the ground, it fhall not henceforth yield unto thee her ftrength. A fugitive and a vagabond flialt thchi be in the earth." Gen. iv. n, 12. Junius and Treineli* us r.ender it, " Nunc itaque tu maledictus efto : exul ab ifta terra -quas 'ap'eruit os fuum ad excipiendum fan- guinem . fratris a manutua." Le. "Be thou accurfed: be thou an exile from that [fpot~f of earth which opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood at thy hand.'* The original is fomewhat obfcure, being eliptic ; and our tranflators have been mifled by omiting the capital di- ftinctive within the verfe, and alfo by neglecting the fupplement which the context affords : But Junius's tranf lation is as properly pointed as fupplied. Our tranfla-- tors f'eem to have nndeiftood verfe n. as parallel to Gen.- iii. 17. "Curfed be the ground for thy fake." -But fome-» thing more dreadful is certainly intended. The bar-* rennefs INTRODUCTION. 57 By this excifion the old leaven of ma lice and wickednefs Was, for "once, purged out of the antediluvian Church ; and fhe was fupplied with a new feed in the per fon of Seth. ?' And fhe (Eve) bare a fbn, and called his name Seth : For God," faid fhe,» " hath appointed me another feed, in- ftead of Abel,, whom Cain flew." The ' feed rennefs and briars af the earth are confiftent enough with enjoying the prefence ' of God through Jefiis Chrift ; but this was fuch a punifhment as included fe- paration from the fmiles of . his .reconciled counte nance. Befides, that . punifhment which was anonnced to Adam is alfo denounced, but with greater horrors, againft Cain, in verfe 12. already quoted. According to Junius's tranflation, verfe 11,. contains, First, A Sen tence of Excommunication. Secondly, A Sentence of Banifhment. ,, 1. A Sentence of Excommunication more dreadful than any church, in ordinary circumftances, can pro nounce. — -A fentence only competent to God himfelf, or the extraordinary officers of the church, who are capable of difoerning the fpirits, and of judging the eternal ftate. This fentence feems to be parallel to that in 1 Corinth, xvi. 22. " If any man lovenot the Lord jefus, Chrift, let him be ANATHEMA MARANATHA ;" ac cursed AT ^HE COMING OK THE LORD. BetllOUaC- curfed ! What is this but the anticipation of the fen tence, from a judgment feat I " Depart from me YE CI/RSED \" 2. A Sentence of Banifhment, " Be. thou an exile from that earth which opened her mouth to receive thy bro ther's bloocf at thy hand :" Tbat is, from that fpot of this * li earth 58 INTRODUCTION* feed of Cain, though ejected from the pre sence of the Lord, flourished in the world till the flood. The Church was preferved pure in the Samilies of Adam and Seth ; and in many more, perhaps, for more than the Space of an hundred years. Some divines imagine, that irreligion and im piety Sprang up again, in thefe families, in the days of Enos, who was born about an hundred and fix years after the death of Abel : Yea, fbme have averred, that Enos himfelf was not only an idolater, but the earth where thy brother's blood was Hied, as the feed of the Church. It was not confiftent with the. Church's fafety, that her murderer fhould dwvell any longer in the midft of her. God had ends worthy of himfelf, how ever, for {paring that life which Cain had forfeited: Probably he Was fpared at this time becaufe .he had in his loihs the inventors' of the fine arts. See verfes 20, 21. Should any, hefitate about the propriety of fupplying ixul from a following verfe, I hope he will be fatisfied by confulting Glaflii Gram. Sacr. p. 700. In rhetorical ipeeches, it is nothing uncommon for the Hebrew wri ters to place the relative before the antecedent, at the cliftance even of a verfe or two : And hence, abrupt fpeeches muft be fupplied from the fubfequent as well as from the preceding context. E. G. Song, i, 2. " Let him ^the King) kifs me with the kifles of his mouth." Here the term King muft be fupplied from verfe 4. to complete the fenfe. Pfal. Ixxxvii. 1. "'His foundation is in his holy mountain." That is Jehovah's, from ver. 3. And Pfal. Ixsii. 4. See Glaffium, above quoted.* very INTRODUCTION. 59 very founder of idolatry : But upon what grounds this laft change is exhibited, few, befides themfelves, can fay. It is fo -far from being fupported, that it is really o- verthrown by\he Mofaic hiflory of the men of His time: " And to Seth, to him alfo, there was born a fon; and he Called his name Enos. Then began men to call up on the name of the Lord." So our trans lation has it in the text ; but on the mar gin it is rendered, " Then began men to call 'themfelves by the name of the Lord." The marginal tranflation, I humbly judge, is the juft one. • They called themfelves by the name of the Lord, as children are cal led after the name of their father. They called themfelves by him irt dedicating themfelves unto him, and avouching their relation to him as Sons : For the dis criminating title, by which the religious children of Seth were diftinguifhed from, the profane brood of Cain, was that of t h e sons of God ; and it continued to be the uflial defignation of the godly until the days of Job *. In the days of Enos then, the Sons of Seth avowed the family to * Job iv 6. H 2 which 6a INTRODUCTION. V which they belonged, in oppofition to the feed of the ferpent. And their avowal was fuch as cannot imply1 lefs than covenant- dedication ; for the.exprefuon is perfectly Similar to that of the Prophet, " Another fhall call himfelf by the name of Jacob." Covenanters were called by the name of the Lord, or the sons, of God, in the antediluvian ftate ; and" by the name of Jacob, or Israelites, in the period to which the oracle refers. And the connec tion leaves us no room to doubt, but cal ling one's felf by the name of Jacob is a foederal action ; for it is ranked among o- ther actions confeffedly of that kind : " One fhall fay, I am the Lord's: and another Shall call himSelf by the name of Jacob : and another fhall fubfcribe with the hand unto the Lord, and firname himfelf by the name of Ifrael*." All * If. xliv. y. For confirming the fenfe of Gen. iv. 26. I beg leave to infert whatC^ViTRiNGA has advanced on this fubjecl : " Sed ipfuffl noftrum>41p formje acti- " vs. cum voce -E3ttO conftruclum, eodemfenfufummitur " apud Mofen (Gen. iv. 26.) Tum ceptum est. appel- " lari DE NOMINE JEHOVJE. Quae verfio hoc tempore " doclis interpretibus merito probatur. h. e. dici coepe- " runt filii Dei. Si quiftamen hie fervare velit fignifica- *¦' tionem formas aciliva; interpr,etatj,o eademerit." In this the INTRODUCTION. 61 All the faints, who lived from the be ginning of the. world till this time, might have opportunity tocjohi in this transaction, except Abel ; for, no one of them was dead, but he, fo far as we know- But this^ftate of religion did not much furvive that race oS patriarchs, which was»honoured to advance it. Enos lived, indeed, to tranfmit the Truth the learned author coincides, as frequently, with Dr Owen, Vide^Theologumen. Lib. II. cap. 3. "Thef. 6. " Duo ideo haec. verba denotant. Primo, fegreges ccetus " ad Dei ctiltum folennem peragendum, pios conftituiile. " Deinde, nomen fufcepiffe peculiare cultorum feu Filio- " rum Dei, quo adalium ufque defeetionem ufi funt. Ita >-" feparatim Dei nomen fblenniter invocabant ; et Dei " nomine vocati funt ; hoc eft Curtores; feu Filii Dei. " Utrumque fenfum probant noftrates interpretes, nam ut "in textu legunt. Then began men to call upon the " name of the Lord :' Ita addunt in margine. To call " themfelves by the name of the Lord." But before either of thefe authors explained the text in this fenfe, it was fo underftood by Cornelius Bertram, whahad a hand in the French tranflation, ufed in the Church of Gene va, and by the Proteftants in France ; and in feveral o- ther works, which did honour to his name : Such as,, the De Politia judaica, &c. But the wOrk to which I refer , js, Lucubrationes Franktallenfes, cap. r. The proof he ad- vancethfor this fenfe of the textis too copious to be infert- ed. entire. I muft be content with the following extracT:: " Quod attinet ad.verf. 26. illius ejufdem cap. 4. Phrafin " habet quas maxime proprie illud ipfum fonat quod dix- " imuS) fciz. appellare1 aliqvbm de'alicujus alte- " RIUS NOMINE, EtAB ILLIUS Il'SIUS NOMINE AG NO MI - " nation em as sum ere, floe certe 'confirm are pofliin " •" ' " multis 62 INTRODUCTION. Truth to Noah : and, before his death, Enoch, the feventhfrom Adam, prophefi- ed of Chrift's coming to judgment, led an exemplary life, and miraculoufly ef taped death, to affiire the Sons of God, in that age, of a ftate of future glory in heaven. By the time that Enos died, however, the Church was greatly corrupted, as will be explained when we confider the occafions of Noah's Covenant. " multis locis" ex S. Uteris ad earn rem prolatis, in qui- " bus verbum Kara, cum paflive tuiii etiam aetiv,e in " eum fenfum ufurpatur^- fed unum aut 'alteram" ex illis " proferre mihi fatis fuerit. Certe eadfem hie phrafis Pf. " xlix. 1 2 . 'kppellarunt in, (i. e. de) nominibus fuis fuper . " Terras ; hunc fenfum habet ut velirrt filii Korachi eos " de quibus agunt etiam hac ratione conari ut nomen " fuum apud homines perpetuunt, quod de fuo nomine " appellent ilia caftella, arces, infulas, atque ades-vel " nimium infolentes, in quibus fuas habitationes collo- " cant. Que fententia confirmatur ex his qua; Jobus "notat. c. iii. v. 14. Ntim xxxii. 42. Porro Qt eandem " prorfus Mofis fententiam in hac ipfa phrafi apud eos " prophetas qui funt' -/vic-toi Mofis interpretes agiiof'camus. " If. iliv. 5. etiam If. xliii. 7, lxv. 1." &c. DISS.E R- DISSERTATION I. ON NOAH's COVENANT, AS God gives a general view of his per fections in the works of creation and providence, So he affords' a fpecial difplay of his glory, in the erection and pre servation of his Church. The Sacred Hi flory is properly a hiflory of Providence 5 it is chiefly .intended to exhibit this glory. It is but little, indeed, that can be comprehended in fo Small a compaSs as the MoSaic hiflory of the period from the Fall to the Flood, com pared with the vafl number of events which muft bave obtained in that long tract of time : Yet we are not left without teftimonies of God's goo dneSs, in admitting per Sons to fellowfhip with himfelf , 'on the one hand ; and evidences of their gratitude, by their holy o- bedience, on the other. — — Amongfl the va rious teftimonies of God's favour to the faints, that bellowed on Noah is not the leaft fignal. In 64 DISSERTATION I. Parti. In coniBdering which, for order's fake, we fhall diftribute it into two parts; in conform mity to the two different divine manifeftations with which Noah was favoured. PART I. Gen. vi. 18. THESE words reprefent God's care to pre- Serve his Church, as well as the world. Said Goo), "And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to deftroy all flefh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven : And every thing that is in the earth Shall die. But with thee wiU I eftablifh my Covenant." The following enquiries will Serve, in fome meaSure, to explain theSe words, taken in their connection. — -I. Who are the Parties in this Transaction. — II. What are the Parts. pf it. — UI. How it was Confirmed. — IV. On what Occafion it was made. After which I fhall add a few Reflections on the whole. FIRST, I fhall enquire Who are the Pa r- ttes in this Covenant. They are no other than the Moft High God, "on the one part; and Noah, with his Seed, on the other. 5. The. Part i. * DISSERTATION L 6y i. Th e great author of this Covenant is a God of grace. The perfon covenanting was the Son of God, not excluding, but reveal ing the Father and the -Holy Ghoft. It was that Same Jehovah who Said*. My Spirit mail not always ftrive with men ; namely the tin ners of that generation:-^-that Same Jehovah, whoSe omniScient eye pierced into all their hearts, penetrated into all their wicked pur- pofes, and marked all their enormous ti-anf- greflions.'^-that God, who had fiich a refent- ment againft fin, as to crufli the finners on ac-1 count of it ; as a potter dafheth to pieces a veffel in which there is no pleafure. On, the othef hand, it is that Jehovah who: conferred grace on Noah, and upheld him preaching ' righteoufheSs unto a heedlefs and hardened generation ; while his holy Soul was grieved with their dreadful abominations. "When the Son of God fpake, in this fa.miliair manner, to Noah, it is not improbable that he appeared. in human form ; as he had done to Adam irri^ mediately after the fall. Such appearahceis being pledges "and preludes of his future iiv carnation. 2. The other party in this Covenant was Noah; and,, as he covenanted for 'himfelf j in particular, So he was alfo confider'ed as the head of bis family. As God took his Sons into the atk, fo he took them intd covenant along with him likeways. The Seed of Ndah *- ' J are1 ¦ -4-''- ¦"».,-• .' ¦ — • ' . ; 66 DISSERTATION I. f Part ' i. are expreSsly mentioned in an after covenant, and evidently included in this one. In this tranfaction. then, Noafrmay be considered, — As one of the anceftors of the Mefliah, the principal and extraordinary Seed of the Wo man*; of conSequence, this Covenant had a refpect unto the firft promife, and was a ne- ceflary ftep towards the accomplifhment of it. God Saw meet to preferve the true religion in that family and Society, in which was the an ceftors of the promifed Seed ; and it was ne- cefTary to Secure their natural lives until he raiSed up fucceftbrs Unto them. As one of the types of that glorious Seed. As to many of the . anceftors of the Mefliah, according to the flefh, it may be juftly doubted whether they were types of him or not ; but Noah prefigured him in many refpects. The very names of the ancient Hebrews were ufually expreflive of Some remarkable quality in the perSon on whom, or fome remarkable inci dent on the oecafion at which they were im- poSed. Some of them Seem likeways -to have Keen impoSed^by the inspiration of the Holy Ghoft. The name Noah Seems to have been of this kind : It imports rest, pointing for ward to the glorious reft of the Mefliah. Noah's Avork ait the ark was alfo an emblem of the work of falvation by JeSus Chrift. Both Noah and Jefus were preachers of righteouf- ¦¦i, * Luke iii, 36, >• • - ¦ - ae6; Part i. DISSERTATION I. 67 neSs untd impenitent Sinners. But Noah^was chiefly a figure of our Redeemer, as covenant- promifes were made unto him, -as the repre sentative" of his feed. If Abraham was a type of Chrift, as unto Abraham, and his feed, the promifes were made, Why may not Noah be a type of him, on this account, likeways ?— « As the father of that family in which the Church of the living God, both vifible and in- vifible,-was preferved. As he belonged to the latter, he was eminent in grace ; as he be-^ longed to the former, he was no lefs eminent for a holy profeflidn and an agreeable conver sation. In the former view, the Sacred hifto- rian remarks, " That Noah, a juft man, was perfect in his generation." Should any enquire how he obtained this character ; the Same hi- ftorian anSwers, " He found grace in the eyes of the Lord." And the Apoftle adds, " That he was art heir of the righteoufheSs which is by faith." By this righteoufhefs he was juftificd from all his iniquities, and .accepted as righte ous in God's fight. He was- alSo a gracious perSon, beingNpndued with the Holy Ghoft, in his gracious influences 'and Saying operations ; fitch as, faith, fear, Jove, and gofpel-fincerity, or perfection. — In the latter view, he was an evangelical preacher of that righteoufhefs by which he was juftified. By his Hoetrine, he bore a public teftimony unto the truths then re vealed, as well as againft all thoSe errors and immoralities which then prevailed in the world. "i-''':; ' I 2 A* And, 68 DISSERTATION I, Part j. And -he was as exemplary in his religious de portment as found and pathetic in his Sermons ; H e w A lked with Go d , Neither the crooked examples nor bitter reproaches of that genera? tion could bias his conduct, or fhake his confi dence ; but he perfevered in condemning ^t, even when he was inceffant at a throne of grace for preventing and .Sparing grace to it. As Job prayed for his friends *, and Daniel for his countrymen j", fo did Noah for the old world. Hence he is ranked with them, by' the Holy Spirit, as a perfon whole, prayers were greatly prevalent at a -throne of grace ^. Such is the harmony between condemning fin, bothbyprp» feflion and practice; and, at the fametime, willing well to the fouls- of finners, by commending them to God ! It is highly probable, God ufed his pray^> crs as a means of keeping pff jhe flood while he was a^building the ark,— It is only in this latter reipecT; that Noah was a pattern for covenanters in gofpel days, Happy were it for the Church pf God at this time, and this land in particular, had we many covenanters of his fbirit, SECONDLY, We muft now confider the Parts of this Covenant; and, in furveyino* them, we fhall — --Specify the Privileges granted^ to Noah, — The Duties which God required of him ;,-~The Relation between this Covenant-and; * Jpb xlii. IQ, f Dan. ix. 3— —21. $ Ezek, xiv, 14, , Part i. DISSERTATION I. 69 thoSe Obligations which the Church -was under, antecedent to the making of it:— Then we muft enquire, How far thefe things are for our Di rection and Comfort. I. I must Specify the Privileges which God granted to Noah at this time. Mofes defcribeth them thus, " But with thee will I eftablifh my Covenant: and thou flialt come into the ark ; thou, and thy fans, arid thy wife, and thy fons -wives with thee." Thefe words, taken in- con nection, contain a promife both of temporal and fpiritaal falvation, "- * ¦ 1. They contain a promife. of Temporal Salvation; The Apoftle informs us, That Noah prepared an ark to the faving of his houfe ; and the words of Mofes cannot imply lefs than' a tem poral falvation : Far they ftand oppofed to a threatening of temporal, as well as fpiritual de- ftruction, to the reft of mankind ; " And J, be hold I, bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to deftroy all flefh, wherein is the breatli of life, from under heaven : and every thing that is in the earth fhall die.— -^But with thee will I eftablifh my covenant," Sec. This promife, then, was a firm fecunty againft that approach-* big d'efblation ; and the event moft exactly an-» Swered the prediction, as appears from the fol* lowing chapters of the Mofaic hiflory, r r '-- '' : .,.•/.""-" :- .2. The? 76 , DISSERTATION I. jpart i. 2. They contain a promife of Spiritual Sal vation, typified arid exhibited to the faith of Noah by this temporal falvatioriv Some eminent divines have doubted, I grant, whether fpiritual fulvatlon might be contained in this fcederal grant: But there is no rporii, I humbly judge, to hefitate. in this matter. For the warning God gave to Noah was a foundation to his faith, e- ven fiich faith as is the evidence of things not feen, and the fubftance of things hoped for : It took up with things not seen, as yet;, there fore, the promife, which is the foundation of it, muft exhibit things not feen likeways : For faith cannot reach farther than its foundation. And what are thefe unseen things? Are they not the things which are: eternal "^? More over, by this promife, Noah was conftititted an H EI'R OF T\HE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAlTHJ"; Which is a. moft diftinguifhed part of a fpiritual falvation. ^Now, to conftitute one an heir, there muft be a deed of conveyance, by which the inheritance is transferred. The: Apoftle Peter, alfb aflures us, That the falvation obtained by the death and , refurrection of Chrift is the antitype of Noah's deliverance : " Few, that is, eight perfons, were .favecl by water. The like-' figure whereunto baptifm doth alfb now fave us, by the refurrectipn of Jefiis Chrift [J; ." Though Noah's deliverance is reckoned among the dark- eft of types; yet, from the apoftolic account of * 2 Cor.Jv. iS. f Heb. xi. 7. $ 1 Pet. iii. 20. 21. it. Part n DISSERTATION I. 71 it, it is plain that it was not fb dark but Noah's faith fa w the antityp'e hi it. II. I shall now fpecify the Duties which God required of Noah and his family ; And they were, '" •"'" ' 1 . The exercife of all that grace which God had infdfed into him ; reflecting,, both tile frame of his heart and the conduct of his life. Vari^ ous inftances of which are fpecified in the above Sketches we have drawn of his character. 2. NoAh was bound to fbme acts of obedience fiiited to his peculiar cifcumftances, which were the means of his prefervatibn. By the Special appointment pf God, he was bound to pre* pare an ark to the Saving' pf his houfe. And, in this, he was a type of the Mefllah's working out eternal falvation for his peopled ;He, to gether with his family^ was obliged toi" enter into the ark. In this refpect he was a figure of perifhing finners, betaking themfelves unto Chrift for refuge ; as alfo of their leaving this world b.ehind3 and putting it uiider their feet. Thefe things Were neceflary for the preserva tion of the Church in that period; andin- fbu\c"tive emblems to her in every age. By them alfb,- her con d E mn e d the .world lying in wickednefs*. "r III. I , .-. * " Promiffio femper includit obedientise requifition- *' «yu. Efteniin obedieniia, nihil aliud, qnasa medipr- 72 DISSERTATION I. Part i, III. I shall next attend unto the Connec tion between this Covenant and thofe Obliga tions which the Church was under, antecedent to the making of it. ¦ '¦ i i. The firft promife was engroffed into the covenant ; and the executing this covenant Was a ftep towards the accomplifhment of that promife. The firft promife fecured a full and final victory to the Seed of the woman over the feed of the Serpent. By this covenant, the brood which the old ferpent had hatched, in" the old world, were deftroyed ; and the feed of the woman preServed from deftruc- tion : For Noah's family contained, at this time, both the extraordinary and fpiritual Seed of the woman. 2. The phrafe, uSed in the original text, evidently imports, that this tranSaction was properly covenant-renovation *. Said God* "With " rum, debita observantia. Ubi autem ea obedien- " tia, quae in foedere reqtiiritur moralis folummodo eft, " atque ideo fundamentum ^jenerale alibi habet, quaitt " in ipfp foedere, neinpe in lege naturae, atque per foe* " dus tantum acceptum et Deo gratum redditur, cum " promiflio fit pura revelationis, nomen foederis promif" " fioni peculiariter afcribhur." Owen, Theol. Lib. iii, cap. i. Thef. 6. - * Tfopm. The verb which the infpired penman ufeth, in this form at leaft, (fciz. Hiph,ilj fignifies to renew ; an4 Part t. DISSERTATION I. 73 "With thee will I eftablifh my covenant." He does not promife to make a covenant which had no previous exiftence ; but 'to ra tify and confirm what he had formerly made. Now, as- the firft promife was the moft ample grant of falvation which the ante diluvian Church enjoyed, fo far as w-e know ; and the cPvenant which was, made in the days of EnOs the moft explicit engagement unto duties ; it is but reafonable to conclude, that this covenant of Noah's was an eftablifhment of both: And alfo, an accommottetion of them to his peculiar circumftances. Accordingly, this came afterward td be the ufual phrafe by which covenant renovation, or confirma tion, was expreffed. * As to the difference between this covenant and the Church's previous engagements, it' confifted in the inftitution of fome new types ; Such as, the Ark^jlie flood, and the injunction of various duties relative unto them . I fhall only add, thefe things were not added to the promife to change the nature of it, muchiefs to difaimul it; but, on the contrary, to efta blifh and confirm it. and the idea of renovation k by no means inconfifteftt ¦with that of establishment, given' in our tranflation. He^ice, the beft of critjps in the facred language have ^ranflated the verb in this! form, restituit. E. G. Opi- •mus, Buxtorf, and Stockius, &c. They generally add «onfikma'vit likeways.* * $ lV» l 74 DISSERTATION I. Part l. y IV. I shall now, in the laft place, enquire^ How far thefe things are for our Imitation and Comfort. It may be anfwered, That theSe types afford food to the faith of the -members,.-, even of the Gofpel Church. The ark, indeed, is long fince crumbled into duft; aricl the wa ters of the deluge- fwept off the face of the earth many thoufand years ago; but the Sig nification of them ftill .remains : Yea, it ap pears, with fuperior luftre, under the Gofpel Oeconomy. The typical parts of this Cove nant are as full of ftrong confolation to the children of God, as of horror and terror to his enemies. — Should anyinfift, That this Co venant cannot be for our imitation, unlefs we could be in danger of another deluge. — It may be anfwered, We do not plead that it is, in all refpects, imitable. The truth is, there is no federal tranfaction that ever ob tained in the Church, in all refpe<£ts imitable by a Succeeding church ; as there cannot be two periods of her, in all things, perfectly fi- inilar : But every covenant ought to be adapt ed to the feafon of it. It is enough if this covenant be imitable in fome things ; and the - gracious difpofitions, as well as the moral actions of thefe covenantee are, in every re fpect, worthy of our moft exact imitation : Arid, , as to other things, they are not the lefs in- fkudive that they are inimitable; as. they teach Part i. DISSERTATION I. ?y teach the children of God to comply with the callsof his word and providence, however much the way of duty be neglected by the multi tude, — however crofs it may lie unto the max ims of carnal wifdom, and though it fhould even oblige us to cond emn the world which lieth in wickednefs ; they alfo ferve to convey emblematical inftrUcTiions, which leave ftrong and lafting impreflions op the minds of men. If any ftill infill, That God's making a covenant ^with Noah, or any other perfon, is no pattern for perfons making a covenant with God 1 would anfwer, The obligation is mu tual, and though the exception flionld be grant ed, in its full force, it makes nothing againft the imitation of Noah's example by us, in ac cepting God's propofal. The' fact is, God fometimes made his gracious propofal to be exprefled, and his people's acceptance implied ; at other times, his gracious propofal is pre- fuppofed, and their engagement exprefsly de clared- And there were fignal -reafons for God's gracious promiSes being verbally expreff ed at this time, while Noahs engagement is only implied (and it may be fairly deduced from his obedience to God's commandments, particularly, to build the ark); namely, the want of a Written word containing promifes firited to his circumftances." Whereas, the cafe is otherways, efpecially fince' the canon of Scripture has been completed: For the pro pofal God^.now makes to every perfon to K 2 whom 76 DISSERTATION I. Part i. whom his word coines, is, " 1 willxmake an everlafting covenant with you, even the Sure mercies of David." God's propofal, flan-ding •regiftered in the Sacred volume, is of the fame ufe in all ages, as hk declaration was to Noah ; and Noah is one of that moft illuflrious cloud of witnesses whom we ought to follow. .Upon the whole, though we cannot imitate God in making . fovereignly gracious promifes, yet his example affPrds an argument unto the practice of covenanting: If the Moft High God deign to bind himfelf, by way of cove nant, to us, Is it too much that we bind our- felves, by way of covenant, to him?^, THIRDLY, I fhall enquire, How this Co venant Mas Confirmed : And it was ratified, I. By the Ark: The ark which Noah built as a mean of prefervatiori to his. natural life, was alfp a figure bf Chrift, the author of eter nal falvation, ' The analogy is pbvipus, in the following inftances at leaft : The Ark was not an invention of man, but the contrivance of infinite wifdom. That generation was fo far from dreaming of any fuch thing, as either neceffary or poflible, that they derided Noah's undertaking as the effect, of a ftrong delirium. In like manner, the Salvation of finners, by Chriife crucified, is So far Superior to human invention, that, even after Part i. DISSERTATION I. 77 after it is revealed, it is deemed foolifhnefs by many fuppofed fons of fcience in every age. The Ark was able to fuftain the fliock of the deluge, when all things without it, and befide it, were utterly overthrown . The Lord Jefiis Chrift alone vms able to fuftain the fliock pf Almighty vengeance, due unto the viola tors of the divine law, while all who fhall be found Without him muft eternally perifti. The fountain > of the great deep from below, the cataracts of heaven from above, broke forth upon the ark, while boifterous billows rolled in upOn it from every fide ; but it weathered the ftprm, arid refted fafely, with all its in- habitantSj upon the deftined mountain. The Redeemer came ,aMb into deep waters, where the floods overflowed him-' He fuftalned the wrath of the Father from above, the fury of devils from below, -.¦ and the rage of men on every hand ; but he rode out the florin, and entered fafely<|p.to the haven of glory. Now he is a covert from the tempeft: Ifrael may now fay, the waters had overwhelmed us, the ftream had gone over our heads, had not' the Lord been on our fide. " Surely, in f loqds of great waters, they fhall not come nigh un to him. — Thou art my hiding-place ; thou fhalt preferve me from trouble ; thou fhalt compafs me about with Songs /of deliverance." ———Few perfons were Saved by the Ark, and' few believe on Chrift to the Saving of the foul . Many are called, but few are chofen: Few enter 78 DISSERTATION I. Part i. enter in at the ftrait gate, compared with thofe who take the broad way. The Ark was furniihed, by the wifdom and goodnefs of' God, with all things neceflary for the pre servation of thofe who were Shut up in it. Our. Lord Jefus. Chrift is alfo ftored with the abundance of grace, as he -is alfo intrufled with the difpenf ation of the gift of righteouf- nefs, for the complete falvation of fuch as' dwell in him by faith : " It pleafed the Father, that in him fhould" all fulnefs dwell." — " Ye are complete in him*." Should any afk ¦ if Noah's, faith could difcern the antitype in this iign : Let the Apoftle anfwer, " By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not feen as yet,- moved with fear, prepared an ark to t*he Saving of his houfe : by which he condemned the world, and. became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith jf." 2. Fr°m what has been faid, concerning the Ark, .it is eafy to learn, That the Flood * Vide Her. Wirs. Oecon. Feed. Lib. iv. cap. 6. §"21. That ingenious author adds another particular, in which he thinks there is a manife.ft analogy between Chrilt and the Ark : "Pix ilia qua -juncture areas intrihfecus et ex- " trinfecus, ex precepto Dei illitas fuerunt ad omnem a- " quarum -ingreflbin excludendinn, Hebraice dicitur "T"1S13 qu'se vox'expiationem quoque et redemptio- " nis pretium nota:t. Nonne eleganter hoc modo figni- " ficatum eft, foli nos expiationi et redemptioni Chriili " de'bei-e, quod a diluvio divinx vindicTx immun.es fu- "mus;" f Heb. xi. 7. had Part i. DISSERTATION I. 79 had a typical fignification likeways ; the for mer being only neceflary ori Suppofition of the latter. The deluge is a fit emblem of divine vengeance, in refpect of its all-conquering power. No creature, however ftrong of itfelf, or however fecurely fituated, could prevail a- gainft it : It fwelled far above the top pf the higheft mountain. Nor can any finful crea ture ftaiid before an offended God : Sinning angels, notwithftanding their, numbers and ftrength, could not refift his avenging hand, fb much as for one moment — He cast them down to hell. The flood, and the burning of Sodom, are the moft ftriking inftances of divine fury poured out in this world ; and fury ©11 God's enemies is falvation to his people. FOURTHLY, We proceed to confider the OccAsroNs of this Covenant. This tranfaction obtained when God announ^ ced the deluge to Noah, and enjoined him to build the ark for the faving of his hPufV ; and not at the time when he entered into it. This appears by confidering the oppofition between the threatening and this covenant, as rnarked in the text. This covenant is the counter part of that threatening; arid, confequently, given at the fame time With it. Hence, it is eafy to fix the particular aera of it : It was made juft a hundred and twenty years before the flood, in the four hundred and eightieth year of Noak's life,. go DISSERTATION ' I. ' Parti. life, about one thoufknd five hundred and thir ty-fix years after the creation of the world; and a 'thoufknd years after that foederal tranfaction Which obtained in the days of Enos. , The Oe- eafions of this Covenant- were, i i. S-uch- as originated from extreme corrup tion and wickednefs, which prevailed in the old world. While they indulged themfelves in luxury and riot, they were ready, like modern debauchees, to compliment each other as per fons of a very good heart; but one who bb- ferved the heart with the greateft accuracy, and judged of it with infinite faithfulnefs and cer tainty,' declares, " That every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was' only evil con tinually." And as the legions of lulls which long brooded in the heart, at length broke forth, like a mighty torrent, to deluge the world with fin; fb the righteous judge faw , meet to deluge it. with water arid wrath; Their in-bred corrup tion burft forth, In fenfuality and finful aflb- ciations : In the days of Noah, they did eat and drink, they married and gave in marriage, even until the day that Noah entered into the ark. The children of Enos, who were", by profeffion, the. Sons of God, were unequally yoked with the daughters of men ; that is, the infidel race of Cain. Gaiety and vanity were the 'motives of this choice ; and a race of fturdy- rebels againft God the fruits of it. Wantonnefs and Violence of every l&nd took the place of religion and Part n DISSERTATION I. Bt Of ' ' ' " ¦ and righteoufhefs among the young genera-1 tioni— — -In Luxury, which ever demands the pillars of Oppf, efllon and fraud to fupport it ; for,, by how nmch men pay a' Superlative re gard to the gratification of their own appe tites, by fo much muft' they either, rob, or de- csive their neighbour to obtain it. Their de* fires couhdnot be fatisfied in the rife of lawful means. Their diflipation gave them, inclina tion, and their' gigantic flature gave them a* "bility to.oppfeSs. T4ie Spirit of God exprefs:-' ly declares, That " the earth. Was filled with violence ;" but the particular fpecies- of it is not afcertainedi The term is c-f fuch exten sive import as may exprefs both rapine on the property, and cruelty on the perfons. of mem For this latter Species of wickednefs, thefe fin ners had the pattern of Cain's murder of Abel ; and Lantech, the polygamift, Gain's great- graridSon, probably took the lead among them in the arts of luxury and diflipation .<— — In one word, this corruption burft forth in all manner of wickednefs ; " God looked down tlpon the earth, and behold it was c6rrupt : for all flefh had corrupted its way upon the earth.*' Every one of them, except Noah, had gdrie aftfay, each to his own particular lull. The difeaSe was inveterate, the contagion uni- Verbal ! Now it was -time, to put a flop fb this awfaj current by covenant renovation* X; r ' ¦*. THS 82 DISSERTATION I. Part ii 2. The Occafions of this covenant were fuch as originated from the circumftances of the ancient covenanters. The reformation Which obtained in the days of Enos was much decayed, by reafon of the death of thofe co venanters, on the one hand; and the almoft uuiverfal depravity of the young generation p n the other. Long as the lives of antedilu vian patriarchs were, no one of them lived quite a thoufand } ears ; and the foederal trans action which obtained in the days of Enos was' a thoufand years, at dealt, prior to this cove nant with Noah. This covenant-renovation was requifite at this time then, as a means of raifing up a fucceflion of feed to fill up the place pf thofe eminent, but departed reform ers, as well as to cPnfirm Such as were already x railed rip. : 3. Such as took rife from the peculiar cir cumftances af Noah arid his Family, the pre- Sent covenanters. He had extremely arduous work put into his hand ; therefore, he much needed fpecial affiftance in it, and peculiar ! comfort under all the oppofition which might be' expected from fuch a wicked generation on account of it. He was bound to cond emn the world lying in wickednefs : - Now, no one, who has counted the coft-of Such a work, can SuppoSe he will be able to finifh his teftimony, and ftill retain the favour of the world. The friendfhip of the world' is enmity with God, a? Pa*t I. DISSERTATION I. 83 as the frieridfhip of God inevitably draws along with it the enmity of the world. Noah's cir cumftances, then,, required an aflurance of au intereft in God, as a covenanted God, to forti fy him againft all the malice, mockery, and peffecution of finners. " Methinks (fays Bifhop <. Hall) I fee thofe monftrous fons of Lamech coming to Noah, and alking him, What he meant by that.ftrange work ? To whom, when he reports God's purpofe and his, they go a- way, laughing at his idlenefs, and tell one an other, in fpott, That too much hplinefs had made Jum mad •' Yet cannot they all flout N0ah out , of his faith-; he preaches, and builds, and finiihes !" This, covenant^ was Noah's fupport under heavy perfecutions, as well as in the prof peel of awful judgments. FIFTHLY, I fhall now make a few refl e'c-" Tions on the whole. I. This fiibject difcovers the Sovereignty of God, in the various methods he takes to preferve his Church. At one time, he cafts corrupt members out of the Church, as in ,-hfc cafe- of Cain; at another time, he Separates her from the world, and' takes her into cove nant with himfelf, as in the days of Enos. Sometimes he preferves his Church among her enemies, as in the hundred and twenty years in which the ark was a-building ; at other times, he draws fiich a partition wall between her T ,^ff*j; & 2 and - >¦,**. xyfi i".' . . 84 DISSERTATION I. Part u and her enemies, that they are not allowed to- exift to "-ether on''- the Same world: as in the days of, Noah, at and after the flood. He put a period to the exercife of his patience re specting his enemies, and Swept them off the ftage of this world to make room for his Chtrclv and to give her peace, 2.- The paucity of covenanters is no juft argument againft the performance' of the duty of Covenanting-. ' How finall was their number on this occafion, compared with the vaft mul titude which defpifed the diyine warning. — ¦ Eight perfons ftand forth againft a whole world. 3. Times of univerfal apoftacy and impiety, as alfo of approaching judgments, are fit fea-»' Sons for folemn Covenanting. Such were the times of Noah ; and' fuch are our times. If the' argument, or rather the excufe, which is in the mouth of many, be valid now ; namely,. That the times are bad, and, therefore, not a, fit feafon for this duty; it would alfo have been valid in the days of, Noah, But God makes no account of this at all ; he rather makes the fin and danger of the time an argu ment fpr the practice of this duty. 4. Gop ufually gives timeous warning to finners, before he' inflicts his moft awful judg ments. The flood was a moft dreadful cala-.. mity j but tlut generation got an hundred and twenty Pa r T (i\ ' DISSERT AT I ONI. 85- twenty years to make ready for its approach. Such timeous warning, where it is taken, makes perfons enter into the ark of God's pro viding for the falvation of their fouls : Where itis wot taken, as was the cafe with the great eft part of the old world, finners are -left abfo lutely inexcuSeable. Jerufalem had more than forty years warning of its final deftruction ;, and the prophets, particularly Ifiuah anft Jere miah, gave timeous warning of its deftruction by the Chaldeans: But, as to the greater part, the warning was contemned in both cafes. We have Such Handing warnings in the word- as Superfede all new warnings from heaven": , And all that is incumbent upon thoSe watch men who are Set upon/Zion's walls is, to apply thefe warnings, by the direction of the Spirit, unto particular circumftances : " Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the houfe of Ifrael : therefore hear, the word at my mouth-, and give them warning from .mei When I Say unto the wicked, Thou flialt Sure-1 ly die ;' and thou giveft him not warning, nor fpeakeft to warn the wicked from his wicked way to Save his life ; the Same wicked man fhall die in his iniquity ; but, 'his- blood-, will I require at thine hand. Yet, if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickednefsy nor from his wicked way, he fhall die in his iniquity: but thou haft delivered thy: Soul. A- gain, When a righteous man doth /turn from 'Ms righteoufhefs, and commit iniquity, and I > " lay 86 DISSERTATION I. fart 2. lay a ftumbling-block before him, -he fhall dje: becaufe thou haft not given him warning, he fliall die in his fin, and his righteoufhefs which he hath done fhall not be remembered ; but his blood will I require at, thine hand. Never- thejefs, if thou warn the righteous man that the righteous fin not, and he doth not iin, he fliall - Surely live, becaufe hei. is warned; alfo thou h£tft delivered thy foul *." PA R T H. Gen. ix. 1 — 17. SHALL purSue the Same method in this as in the preceding Part : And, '- FIRST, I fhall confider the Parties in this Covenant : And the account which the Sa cred hiftorian affords of them is rather more copious than in the foregoing tranfaction. 1. The author and principal party of the Covenant is the fame divine perfon as in the preceding one ; even the Son of G°d = The very Same perSon who was authoriSed to declare the Father unto men ; for no man hath fee*! God at any time, but the only begotten Son, * E'zek. iii. 17 — 21. who Part 2. DISSERTATION I. 87 who is. in the bofom of the .Father, he hath de clared him. ¦ v ' " * ) . 2. On the other part were Noah and his Sqiis, as well as every living creature. -The Son of God covenanted with Noah and bis Sons : Said he, u And behold I eftablifh my co venant with you." Not with, th ee, to inti mate that this covenant was made with, them in a fecial capacity; Though Noah and his Spns were feverally, or perfbnally, interefted in this .' .transaction ; yet he :fpakfe unto them joint ly, as all made up one domeftic church.. Nor was it any way inconfiftent with the fincerity of God to admit Ham as a covenanter ; for God does not deal with perfons, in the yifible Church, by external adminiftrations, according to what they are in the eye of his omnifcience ; but according .to what they appear in the eye of his Church. He could eafily make the church, vifible and invifible, of the fame ex tent; but he has feen meet to admit many into' the former, who have no place in the latter. Nor will the feparation be perfect. . till the har- veft of the end of the world. This covenant was made with Noah and his Sons, not only for themfelves, but alfb for their feed : Said God, " -I. eftablifh my covenant with you, and with .your seed after you." That is, the genera- tionthen prefent covenanted for the fucceeding one, it being a part of themfelve^. The di vine promifes .then made refpected the ages to ' come. N 88 Dissertation l Paat i, come. : It was a matter of great comfort to be ' thus fecured of a feed, e'Specially as their Salva- - .tion depended on the seed of the 'woman, which was now included in their own seed, The feed chiefly intended in the promiSe, being the extraordinary Seed of the woman ; and both a natural and fpiritual Seed, as neceffary for bringing him forth in the fulnefs of time- This fpecification of their feed taught thdm likeways, to inftruct their children in the know ledge of this covenant, both in refpect of the privileges and duties of it. —This covenant extended alfo to the brute creation. Becaufe every living creature is mentioned, two con- chifions have heen deduced, which are equal ly falfe : Firft, They infer, that this tranfiac- tion is not ftrictly foederal ; but a decree, or naked promife. But thefe men fhould have ob-» ferved7 that there may be a proper covenant, though it can only be Said to be rriade with fbme of the parties fpecified, in an improper fenfe. This covenant was primarily, and pro perly, made with Noah and his Sons : It was Only by confequence that it was made with the brute creation. It was made with the beafts of the earth, not abSolutely for' their fakes, •; but, as 'they were defigned for the benefit of man. So they Were originally made for man's life, and deftroyed by the flood for man's abufe- of them; fo their prefcrvation for the future was intended as a benefit to man, both as they Were to be ufed in Sacrifices, and in fupplying the : Pa^t 2. DISSERTATION h $9 the neceftaries of Ufe . Secondly, Dthers ac knowledge tiie trattfaction to be foederal, but deny tliat it reSpected Spiritual privileges and duties; becaufe made with the irrational as •well as rational creation. But the Seeming force of this argument is, iri part, obviated .by jvvhal isjufl jiow fuggefted : And the .fpiritual na- . ture of this transaction will beft appear from, SECONDLY, The Parts of it: And it con- ,-fifts in divine grants, on God's part ; and re- ftipulations, on the part pf Noah.and his Sons. — In Surveying the promifes, I fliall .attend — i-Uuto the matter of them. : — Enquire what re ference they bear unto former grants. T— How- far they are for our cpnfblation and, direction. -:M.osf.J is .explicit .in regiftrating thefe pro- ffl&s, both as reveled to Noah, and.ajs con ceived in the divine mind. In the latter view, •fays .the infpired hiftorian, ?t And Jehovah faid .in his rheart, I wilf not again curfe the ground anymore Sor man's Sake ; for the imagination .of man's .heart is evil from his youth; Neither will J again "finite any more every living thing, .aslliave done. While the .earth remaineth, Seed-time and Jiarycft, and .cofd and heat, and fummer . and winter, and. day and night, fhalt not ceafe." In. the former view? " Arid I will eftablifli my covenant with you : Neither fhall all flefh be cut off any more by the waters of a .jdeluge ; Neither fhall there any more Jw? a * M ' flood go DISSERTATION 1. Part 2r flood to deftroy the earthw" Both thefe Secil- rities were probably granted at the fame time ; as they both refer unto the fame privileges, the former being revealed, by the Spirit of prophe cy, to Noah, as a prophet; and the latter by an articulate voice from the perfonal Word,, who frequently appeared to, and converfed with the patriarchs : We fliall, therefore, con fider them too-ether. te> I. "We fliall attend, in the firft place, unto the Matter of thefe promifes : i. God prOmifeth not to curSe' the ground any more for man's fake. Expofitors fe em ra ther to have darkened this paflage than eluci dated it : Dr Gill imagines, it contains a pro- inife to remove the curfe denounced on the. ground immediately after- the fall. He infi- nuates, that the world was rather the better of the flood ; and that the, antediluvian world was a barren, and an accurfed world, compared with the poftdiluvian one. But the very re* verfe is certainly the truth in this cafe : For the earth brings forth briars and thorns as copioufly fince the flopd, as it could do before ; and, as to many places at leaft, the flood muft have rendered the earth lefs fertile, by waft ing off its foil, inftead of improving it. The words of the Holy Ghoft, when ftrictly render ed, are, " I will not add to curse the ground any more for man's: fake." The flood was Part 2. DISSERTATION L 9.1 was an. addition to the Adamic curfe : This/ promife was a fecurity againft any Such addi tion for the future ; but it does not import a removal of that curfe which was" inflicted prior to the flood. This promife, then, is a limita tion of divine fovereignty, in refpect of punifh ment: For, though man would ftill deferVe, yet God would not inflict it; Seeing the finner could never be. -mended: thereby. Hence, the reaSon of the Supreme, judge, afliglied by hirii- felf, is, " For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." A ftrarige; a God-like rea-fon for averting the curfe ! The reafon why God brought on the flood was, "becaufe. every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." This was fufficient to vindicate his juftice and holinefs : But now he*, defigns to difplaythe glory of his mercy ; and : the inveterate depravity of mankind afforded him a notable opportunity for that manifeftarion. As the flain of fin Was, by far, too deep to.be waflied away by the waters of a flood, fo God fecured them againft it. 2. God jpromifed, " not to finite every li ving thing, any more, as he had done." The beafts fuffered grqatly, in the old sworld, for mail's fin ; being made for man, they were a- buSed by him, and deftroyed with him. This promife was a Security to the life of the brute creation : And it was necefSary for the fervice •f •God in that ftate of the Church ; flain fa- ,,. - M 2 'orifice '$*. DISSERTATION 1. Part 2. crifice being a part of his.folemh worfliip. Their life muft be Spared from the ravage of a flood, that it rnay be offered to God, to make atone ment for the foul, as well as. for the coriVe- niencies of men. • 3. He Covenants, that "all flefh fliall not be cut off any more, by the waters of a flood : Neither fhall there be any more a flood to de- ftroy the earth." The Church was, but juft recovered from the horrors of a flood Of water, Which figured out to her a ftill more dreadful floPd of wrath. Now, this article of the Co venant being intended to comfort her againft that terror, it cannot imply lefs than delive rance from the vengeance of Almighty God ; and, of conSequence, nothing lefs than a title to eternal life.* As the flood figured out eter nal wrath, fb fecurity from eternal wrath muft include in it eternal life. 4. He Covenants, " That, while the earth rernaineth, feed-time and harveft, cold and hea't, Summer , and winter, day and night, fliall not ceafe*." The facred hiftoriari men tions this promife only as a purpofe, indeed; or, what God faid in his heart: But, from, this particular promife, Jeremiah ftyles the whole tranfaction, " The covenant of the day, and the coyenarit of the night -j"." From hence * Gen. viii. 21, 2 3. f Jer. xxxiii. 20, and 25; we Part 2. DISSERTATION ^1. 93 we may rcrtfbnably conclude, that it bore a part in the covenant. The revolutions of the year, and of the day, were greatly changed for the fpace of time that Noah was pent up in the ark ; then the world wore the gloom of a long arid wearifome night : But, by this promife, the Church is allured, that fuch a- nioht fliall never a pain fit down on the uni- verSe, till the glaSs of time be finiflied, and forever rum * . ( * &>A" ,,% II. Shuuld it be enquired, What reference did thefe promifes bear unto former divine grants ? It may be anfwered, That tliey are a renovation and confirmation of them ; as appears, -From the occafion on which they were given. God gave them, unto Noah imme diately after he had been employed in faCrifi- cing unto him, as an evidence that his facri fice was of a. Sweet-Smelling Savour unto the Lord. This Sacrifice was the Seal of a prece ding promife, and offered iti the faith of it. This occafion ftrongly infinuates, that this co venant was a prpfecutioli of that promife. While Noah improved fuch a pro-mife as the Church previoufly enjoyed, God was graciouS- ly pleaSed to confirm the word' on which he had cauSed him to hope; and this is agreeable to his viSuai method of dealing with his peo^ pie. — ;— — The Defcription of the Covenanters ftrongly infinuates, that this covenant was an advancement of - a fabric already begun. A. There 94 DISSERTATION I. Part 2. There is a manifeft refemblance between the- defcription of perfons fpecified hikhe promife, and the parties of this covenant. The for mer are ftyled thy s ee,d, meaning the feed of the woman ; the latter your see d .-. The chief Seed intended in 'both promife^ is the Mefliah. By this covenant-riame, the, cove nanters were bound to bear a part among the fpiritual ieed of the woman, alfp (that is ge nuine faints, in oppofition to the. feed of the ferpent.- Hence, they were bound to profe- cute the ends of that covenant which God made with Adam immediately after the fall ; and this tranfaction was a profecution of that grand defign. — ——.The Matter of this Covenant evidently contains a renovation of the former one ; and their promifes Seem to be engrofled into it. Both this and the laft tranfaction Se cured the Church from a deluge, though in different ways ; in the former, God granted Safety in danger; in the latter, exemption from that fpecies of danger. The Manner in which this deed was executed is evidently expreflive of its relation to an antecedent tranfaction. Said the great .author of it, " And I, behold. 'I establish my covenant with you." He did not then firft give being to this covenant ; but confirmed that which Was previoufly made *. / \ - . • ., * See Part Firft. III. IF Part 2, D I S S E RTATION < I. 95 III. If it be enquired, How far thefe pro mifes are for our direction and comfort ,? t fliall only anfwer, We ought to compare them with the following revelations of God's will, which tend- to illuftrate • them ; and tp receive, by faith, that fpiritual faSvatioh they exhibit in a figure. We ought to rejoice in that love and care which God exprened to the Church in, her infant ftate; and reft allured, feeing he did fo great things for her at that time, that he will encreafe her ay more and more ; he will do better things. unto her than at her beginning. This tranfactiqn gives us the greateft encouragement . to depend on our Heavenly Father ; both as a* God Of promife, and as a God-of providence. In the greateft convulfions and emotioris of this world, we may reft, "with fafety, on God's unchangeable covenant : " For this is as the waters of Noah unto me : for as I have fworn, that, the wa ters of Noah fhould no more go over the earth: So have I fworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. ' For the mountains fhall depart, and the hjlls be removed : but my loving kindnefs fhaU riot depart from thee, neither fliall the Covenant of my peace be re moved, faith the Lord, that hath mercy upon thee*." THE DUTIES which Noah and his Sons reftipulated are mentioned prior to the pro- ¦ *- If. liv, 9, to. * mifes, $6 DISSERTATION I. PART a. miSes, as Spoken by God, though they could not be performed but in conSequence of the accomplishment of them. The Jews and Je- Suits have written copious trifles concerning the feven precepts of Noah, as they Speak-; but I fliall not Spend time either to recite pr refute them. The duties required of thefe cove nanters were, either fuch as the law of nature dictated, or fuch as they were 'bound to per form by /-virtue of -revealed explications of that law ; or, finally, fuch as belonged to the kifti-' tuted worfhip of God. I. This family was obliged to obfervethe Law of Nature.- A rational xreature cannot be without a law j muchJefs a religious £ami~i ly. The Church Jiad no other law, reflect ing morals, from the fall to the flopd, ;fo far as we know ; yet Cain had a confcience of gniilt when he violated. that law, as is evident" from his defences when lifted before the tri bunal of God. Nor was there any thing, done at, or before the flood, to diflblve that obli gation. ' » 2. Noah Was favoured with fome explica tions of thefe moral precepts, from the mouth of God himfelf . That which is now the Sixth precept, in the order of the Decalogue, was explained and fenced at this time: " And at -the hand of man, at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man. Who* -,!,.». -fo Part 2. DISSERTATION I. 9? So.fheddeth man's blood, by man fhall his blood be fhed *v" Confcience dictated to Cain, he deServed death, when there was no filch reve lation : for he faid, " Whofoever findeth me fliall flay me -j- ." Now, God exprefsly enjoin ed yvhat conScience always dictated. The du ties required hi the Seventh precept of the de calogue are alfo, in part, enumerated in this tranfaction.- As they had been to Adam, im mediately after his creation. As Adam was the father of mankind, arid poffeflbr of the world ; fo Noah was the father of the new world, and appointed to people and poflefsif, in like manner, It was alSo proper to regu late the laws of marriage and propagation, as a teftimony againft that lafcivioufhefs which ruined the old world. Though the fins oppofite to thefe two precepts are not mentioned, yet they are tacitly condemned ; while the oppo fite duties are enjoined : And this explication of the moral law was a proper vindication of the holinefs of God and the honour of his law, which had been trampled under foot by the wantonnefs and violence of the antediluvian. dinners. , ' .-:;¦• 3. Noah received inftruclions "relative to the inftituted worfliip of God : " But flefh, with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, fhall ye not eat £/' Numerous controverfies have *Ge», vt.'gf 6., f Gen.'iv. i^ $ Gen. ix. 3, 4. •* N '"" - - been 98 DISSERTATION I. Part 2. been agitated on this head: For example, it- has been difputed, Whether animal food had been allowed to mankind before the flood ; or, if this was the firft grant of it. Whether God prohibited blood-eating .altogether ; or, if he only forbade the drawing of blood from live animals, and drinking it while warm ; or, Suppofing the prohibition of bloody Whether he prohibited it on moral or ceremonial consi derations ? The generation of men cabled Glassit es, in obedience to the nod of their leader, lay great ftrefs on abftinence from blood, reckoning the eating of it a fin equal ly atrocious, with that of eating the forbidden fruit. It deferves our obfervation, that there is no prohibition of blood, but during the time in which, it was lawful to offer facrifices: And the reafon afligned by God himfelf is, ' " Be caufe the blood maketh the atonernent for the foul*." Nor can any reaSon be aflignedj why it fhould be prohibited* on a different account in the days of Noah, from that for which it was prohibited in the time of Mofes. The reafon of this law ceafed when it became un lawful' to fhed the blood of beafts in facrifice; and the law itfelf, it may be prefumed, . expi red with it. The prohibition-was proper, howr ever, at this time, to elucidate the rite of fa crifice, and to direct the faith of the offerer forward to the blood of the great atonement. * Levit. xvii, u. It Part 2. DISSERTATION I. 99 It taught him, That he had forefeited all that life which, God beftowed on him; and, there fore, in Sovereignty,, he had. appropiiated to himfelf the blood, which was the life of the facrifice, "inftead of taking the life of the fin- ner. ;¦$> - THIRDLY, I fliall next confider the con- firma tions of this Covenant. It was' rati fied, * 1. By the oath of God: This, bath is not mentioned in the Mofaic hiflory, indeed ; but it is exprefsly referred to by an infpired pro phet : " For, as I have fworn, that the waters of Noah fhall no more go over the earth ; fb have I fworn, that I would not be wroth with thee, nOr rebuke thee*." The bath of God is greatly different from that of men: Men rieed to Swear, becaufe the truth of their na ked, affertion may be queftioned ; but he is not a man that he fhould lie, or the fon Of rrian that he fhould repent. His eternal veracity fets hitn infinitely above even the fufpicion of every Species of falfehood. The oath of God, then, is an at5t of divine condefcenfion to the infirmities of men, to beget in them iinfhaken faith, and abundant confolation. When men Swear, they appeal unto a fuperior being, who' is able to diScern their fincerity, and to reward * If. liv. ?¦ N-,,2- ~ it,- too DISS ERTATI ONI. Pa R t 2, it, on the one hand ; and to detect their hy- poeriSy and chaftiSe their perfidy, on the o- ther. But, when God Swears, he pledgeth his Own beirig and perSections for the accom plifhment of his word. His own being is fuffi- cient to. give being to his promife, as well as his threatening ; became he cOuld Swear by no. greater, he Sware by himSelf. Whatever per fection be particularly mentioned, his being is engaged ; for his being and perfections are himfelf. He can as Soon ceaSe to be, as Suffer the accomplifhment of his word not to be. The glory of his perfections muft be for ever eclipfed, fliould he Suffer one iota of his word' to fail. 2. God confirmed this Covenant by his Bow: " And God faid, This is the token of the co venant, which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generation : 1 do Set my bow in the cloud ; and it fhall be for a token of a cove nant between hie and the earth. And it fhall come to pafs, whenT bring a cloud over the earth, that the boW ihall be feen in the cloud : And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and every living, crea ture of all flefh : and the waters fliall" no more become a fjood to deftroy all flefh. And the bow fhalfbe in the cloud ; and I will look up- . on it, that 1 may remember the everlafting. covenant between God and every living crea ture Pa*-t 2. DISSERTATION I. 101 ture of all licfli that is upon the earth. And God Slid unto Noah, This is the token cf the covenant, which I have eftabliflied between me and all flefh that is upon the earth.*." The Spirit of God alfo alludes unto this fign, both in the Old and New Teftament ; and more than infinuates, that there is in it a representa tion of the bleflings of the New Covenant. -* The rain-bow is the reflection of the fun-beams through the clouds : In like manner, the7 Suri of Righteoufhefs has made the fplendor of his glory break through all the black clouds of fufferings and wrath which were Spread over his face. He makes bright clouds of the darkeft difpenfations of his providence. Says a pious author, "See; how the frowning clouds now fmile with the- glorious colours of the rain-bow, the cheerful token df God's cove nant. — Such is the glorious transformation of all om\ afflictions, by Jefus Chriil, O ye heirs of righteoufhefs j- !¦'¦' As the clouds of wrath fpent all their force on the Sun of RighCeouf- nefa; fo his glorj broke through them, and. the fplendor of it fecUres his people againft every future deluge. -The horns of this bow are turned towards the earth, and the back of it -towards heaven ; nor are there any. arrows in it, intimating, that, though it be a warlike inftrument, yet it is not bent againft men, neither has it any arrows in it to cut them * Cen. ix. 12—17. ¦+ M'-Ewen on the Types. - off. fo2 DISSERTATION I. Part 2. off. Now God proclaims peace on earth, and good will towards men, inftead pf preparing the inftmments of death for them, or placing his fhafts againft them, He looks upon this bow as a memorial of his covenant : " I will look on it, that I may remember the ever- lafting covenant." In like manner, he looks on the Redeemer, and remembers his promife to his people through him. Hence, the Church prays, " Behold, O . God, our Shield ; and look on the face of thine anointed *." And fhe believes, that, for his fake, -He will re member his Covenant"^. FOURTHLY, The Occa s ions of this Tranf action muft be confidered in the next place. It was made about an hundred and twenty years after the former covenant with Noah. And that Space of time was filled up with very wonderful providences^ both of mercy and judgment. Tjiefe afforded occafions for this covenant. The occafions were, 1. Such as originated from the former foe- deral tranfaction. A The former covenant was a teftimOny againft the fenfuality and violence of the old world; and this was a proSecution . pf that teftimony. Tho' the fturdy rebels, who peopled the old world, were waftied away by * Pfal.» Ixxxiv. 9. i f The Rev. JMr Ebenezer Erlkine's Sermon-. on Rev. iT- 3- the Part 2. DISSERTATION I. 103 the flood ; yet, the feeds of rebellion againft God were far from being waflied away from mankind. This covenant, then, was requifite, that the advantages gained by the former might not be totally loft : That the Church might not be Split on that fame rock which proved fb fatal to the old world : That a teftimony to the holinefs of God, as directly contrary to their wicked meafur.es, ^ both. in its nature and opera tions, might not be fuffered to fall unto the ground. The former covenant was extremely proper in view of an approaching flood; but riot quite fb fuitable unto the cifcuitiftances of thofe who were but juft delivered from one : Wherefore, if. the fame defign be carried" on which had been advanced by the 'preceding tranfaction,. covenant-renovation became high ly expedient. . .... 2. Such as originated in the care and lave of God about his Church. The horrors of a flood were unfpeakably great ; and the dread Of it might be ready to haunt, even the very perSons who eficaped it. But, that they might not be Swallowed up with too much terror, he was pleafed to afford them a frefh proof of his pa ternal regard, Toy" taking them of new into co venant with himfelf. They might juftly have dreaded, that their fins would draw down a Second deluge, had not this covenant Secured them againft. any Such diSafter. As the former covenant took rife from Noah's finding grace •"- in 104 DISSERTATION I. fart 3. in the eyes of the Lord; fb this one originated in the fame foiirce. " And the Lord fmelled a fwect Savour (viz. in the Sacrifice of his Son, prefigured by that of Ndah): And the Lord Said in his heart," Sec. The acceptance of this facrifice was a clear proof that God was graci ous ; and this covenarit a further evidence of his grace . 3. Such as took rife from the circumftances of the covenanters themfelves. They had met with a fpecial deliverance at God's hand ; there fore, it was proper they fhould take this op portunity to teftify their gratitude for the fame." Covenanting is a grateful return for mercies^ received : Wherefore, great deliverances call aloud for covenant-renovation. A firtiple re petition of former covenant-engagements could not fit their circumftances : ^The former cove nant was adapted unto a filffering lot, whereas the Church was now in a prosperous condition; Thus, God has been pleaSed to difplay his wifi. dom in fitting his revelation to that particular ftate of the Church on which it was bellow ed ; and to difpofe and enable her to corre spondent returns. FIFTHLY, We may now fubjoin a few Re* flections on what has been obferved. 1. We may learn the abSurdity of confining the Noachic Covenant unto temporal things- * "it Part 2. DISSERTATION I. ioy 7 It is readily granted, that is was among the' charkeft of a dark cecondmy of grace ; but it cannot from thence follow, that it was no gracious difpenfatiOn at all. As Noah's faith few through a flood* of water to a flood of wrath; fo it faw deliverance from the latter, in deliverance from the former likeways. And what did lie confider as the meritorious caufe of this deliverance ? What but the righteouf- neSs of faith ?¦ By this believing profpect he became an h^eir of the righteousness of faith. The true key to underftand this , difpenfation is, to confider God's dealing with his people, even about common and ordinary things, as emblematical of things fpiritual and eternal: Arid the Apoftle obferves, the eleventh of the Hebrews throughout, that thefe things were not only capable of a Se condary fenSe ; that is, a fpiritual one ; but that they had a. fpiritual, though emblematical fenfe put upon them, even in the Old Tefta ment, and taken up by the faith of Old Tefta ment faints ; though the fpiritual fignification of thefe things is more copioufly unfolded, and more minutely delineated under the new and better oeconomy. There are many in our day who maintain, that Chrift and his Apoftles did allegorize upon the carnal things of the Old Teftament; but thatthe Old Teftament had no Such 'meaning in itfelf, nor did the Old Tefta ment faints take thefe things in this view. But the Apoftle does not declare what way Chrift Ar ' "* ; o , and 106 DISSERTATION I. Part 2, and his Apbftles explained the providential oc currences which befell the Old Teftament faints — he only tells what the faith of thefe" faints faw, and realized, in the glafs of divine providence. , • 1 2. The reward of grace inevitably follows the obedience of faith. If Noah is enabled to offer- an acceptable facrifice unto the Lord, God will manifeft the fweetnefs of its Savour in his noftrils, by renewing his covenant-pro-, * miSe to the Sacrificer. Noah's deliverance con- fir ained him to offer a thank-offering ; that offering is accepted, and rewarded by the Lord, as an evidence that the deliverance had been blefled to Noah, as well as fuitably improved by him. Thus, the' renewed manifeitations of divine favour are frequently the reward of evangelical duties ; and, whatever be their re-- ward in this world, they fhall, in the world . to come, be over paid with life eternal. '¦';. , 3. The Church of God is a mixed focietyj in her militant ftate'. However fmall, or pure, file may be ; yet there is always Some of the old leaven latent in her. As there was a Judas ' among the Difciples ; fo there was a Ham a- mong the Sons of Noah in the ark. There will always be wolves in flieeps clothing,-— tares among the wheat, till the harveft of the, and of the world, DISSER- ilir. prSSERTATION IL ON ABRAHAM'S COVENANT. THE diSpenSations of grace towards the Church have been always gradual : God proceeds, in them, from that which is lefs unto that- which is more perfect. This has, in a particular manner, been his way of dealing with Abraham. As the patri arch's family was an emblem of the Church ; fo die plan of divine conduct to it was a mo-* del of the whole plan of divine difpenfations towards her. Inattention to the progrefs and advancement of God's promife has betrayed many, who have written concerning it, into great confufion. That we may avoid _ the rocks on which others have Split, we fhall proceed according to the covenants tranfacted with him, and aflign a diftinct part unto each #f thenu - O a - PART 168 DISSERTATION II. Parti. PART I. Gen. xi. 31, 32. Ch. xii. I — -3. . 'A: y. ' 1 - VARIOUS authors, when.confidering God's diSpenSations to Abraham, have diftin- guifhed between the promiSe and the cove nant,- They ftyle the tranSaction recorded in the above cited verSes the promise, and thoSe recorded in Some fubfequent chapters, the covenant: But both this arid the fol lowing tranfactions are' ftrictly fcederal ; the latter being exprefsly ftyled covenants by the Sacred hiftorian, as is this by Paul : ^ And this I Say, that the covenant which was confirm ed of God in Chrift, the law, which was four~ hundred and thirty years after, cannot difan- nul*." Now, it is only to this, tranfaction that the date fpecified can agree, as we fhall afterwards make appear. And the name is properly expreflive of its nature, as will be clear from fhe wing, — I. Who. are the- Parties Covenanting,— H. What are the Parts belong* ing to each of thefe Parties^- — III. The fof lemn Confirmations of this Covenant. — And, IV- The Occafions of it. FIRST; I mufl confider the Parties of- this Covenant ; namejty, the. Son of God and * Galriii. 17. *¦ Abram \ Part i. DISSERTATION II. 109 Abram ! An infinite disparity ! Will God in very deed deign to covenant with man, who is but duft and aines \. a 1. Go p, is .the author, and. firft p'roppSer of this covenant. , Stephen informs ~ us r that it was the God of Glory wlio appeared unto the patriarch on this important occafion *. The phrafe imports, not only, his being ppffefTed of all glorious perfections, but alfo fome Special , -manifeftation of his glory : Perhaps fbme ex ternal fplendid appearance ; fuch as when the -glory of The Lord filled the Tabernacle, or Temple -j7. A Three One God, reconciled in, and revealed by the Mefliah, covenanted with Abram at thisrtime ; but it wasi only the Son who made the vifible appearance, and Spake with the audible voice. It has not been proved, as yet, that either the Father or the Holy Ghoft ever afiumed a vifible fhape under the fhadowy difpenfation : For no man hath- feen God at any time, but the only begotten; Son, who is in the bofom of the Father, he, hath declared him. Jehovah the Son appear-: ed, eloathed with all thofe divine perfections which beamed forth in former covenants, and made further difcoveries 'of that grace which is laid up in ftore for the cliildren of God,. Tho manner in which he manifefted himfelf evident ced" at once the divinity of his perfon* and his * Atils vii. 2. f Dr GoYse's ParAphrafe on Acts vii. 2. . . - • . • ' ''. :. mifllon no DISSERTATION II. Part u miflion unto the mind of Abram, fo as to be get in him a divine faith*. Hence, '"Says the Apoftle, " By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he fhould afterwards receive for an inheritance, obey ed f." 2. The other Party in this Covenant is A- bram, the fon of Terah, the tenth generation from Noah. Some have maintained, that he was Terah's firft-born; but; for reafbns^to be afterwards afligned, I judge he was his fecond, if not his third fori-.- It has alfb been difputed, If he was an idolater prior to this call and co venant ? The facred hiftorian leaves this que- ftion undetermined indeed ; but Jofhua'jjriits the matter beyond all poflibility of doubt : " And Jofliua Said tuito all the people, Thus Saith the Lord God Ifrael, Your fathers dwelt on the other fide of the flood, in old time ; e- ven Terah, the father of Abraharn, and the father of Nahor : and they ferved other Gods. And I took your father Abraham from the o- ther fide of the flood*." The Pelagians, both ancient and modern, imagine it inconfiftent with the hblinefs "of God, to call anys'into co venant with the Moft High who have no good qualifications to recommend them to his. fa vour, and much mOre fo to admit an idola ter. But all the fuppofed inconfiftency would * Zanch. de Tribus Elohhn, p. 29. f Heb. xi. 8. * Join., ^-^i.v. 2. Suddenly Part i. DISSERTATION II. m fuddenly difappear, were not thefe men igno rant of the, Scriptures and of tiie grace of God. Is it any way inconfiftent with -divine holinefs to call men from fin unto grace" ? Can any fin ner come out of his natural and finful ftate till he be powerfully drawn by divine influences ? The fact is, Abram is fet up as a pattern of divine fbvereignty towards them who are call ed in every age ; for in him free grace was exalted, and human pride abafed. " Look un to the rock whence ye were liewen (Said God to Ifrael), and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged. , Look unto Abraham, your father; and unto Sarah who bare you: fori called him alone, and blefled him", and en- cre,afed him*." The Jews piqued themSelves not a little- oil account of their anceftors ; they frequently, boafted, that they had Abraham to their father : But, faid Jehovah, look back to the firft years of this patriarch's life, and you will find he was far from having any thing which may afford you the leaft ground of glo- rjation : He was as deeply drenched in idola try as any of his father's family ; and fovereign ' grace alone fingled himouttrom among them; — In his natural ftate, then, he wras a vile ido later ; in his gracious ftate, he was the friend of God, and father of the faithful : He was a pattern of faith and many other graces, in deed, notwithftanding his numerous- infirmities - * If. Ii. 2.- and ai2 DISSERTATION II. Parti, and manifold fins. More particularly, he fu~ ftained a two-fold character : Firft, he was a ¦type of die Mefliah promifed to Adam and Noah, under the notion of an illuftrious SEED, The Covenant of Grace was made from eter nity with the Redeemer, as the reprefenting head of his feed ; and this covenant was made with the patriarch, as the representative of his, feed in like manner : " Now, to Abraham and. to' his Seed were the promifes made (viz. the promifes of this covenant); he faith not of seeds as of many, but as of. one ; and to thy Seed, which is Chrift * ." Again, he flood in the capacity of a Saint, a diftinguifhed member of the Church, as then conftituted ; as well as an eminent example of the Church to' the lateft age. * Gal. iii. 16. The fame doctrine was taught at the very da-Vvft of the Reformation from Popery : Said Jerom Zanchius, " Nunc tenemus quas fint foederis capita. Ad primuin "vero caput, feu ad proiniflionem Dei quod attinef, not- '>" andum eil, totam earn efle gratuitam, abfolutum, et' " citra oranem conditioncm. Ac "proinde Deum ill am ,'.' in pmnibus confaederatis ex fua m-ifericordia ac boni- " fate implere." He adds, " Ac certain eft, hunc fuiflfe '" Scopum Domini, jn hac fcederis obligatione; quafefeob- " ftrinxit Chvift'o homini in perfona Abrahami, et in eo " omnibus electis, qui omnes fimul cum Chrifto funt ip- " fum, ut" antedictu'm eft, Semen Abraha.- : certum -eft, in- " quam, hunc fuine Scopum Dei, ut fcilicet animos no- '" fttos in fide, et omni Fiducia erga.fe confirmaret." D« Nat. Dei, p. 401.. ,.w SECONDLY, PAtT l.- DISSERT A 11VJN J»» ' 113 SECONDLY, We are next to inquire, What ate the Paxt s which belong unto each pf thefe Parties reflectively* .'.r\ On the Pa.Rt of GOD are the following ex ceeding great and precious promifes S t. God prpmiSethto Makr of HiM A.tf fex- CEEDtNP GREAT nation*^' This promiSe received its accomplifhment, both in the lite ral and myftical Seilfe, in agreeableneSs to the double Capacity of the patriarch; At the time when this promife was made, there was little pfpSpeet of either the literal or myftical feed : But, beyond all human expectation^ God has accompliftied^ and is accompiifhing it ftill. In the fofmer SenSe, the promife was accomplifti-1 "ed, ttot only in the Ifhmaelites arid Arabians, the Sons of Keturah, but alfo in the nation of Ifrael,: When the promife was made, he had riot So mttch as one fon ; but, when Ifrael came out of Egypt, they were not fewer thau fix hundred thouSand . men, befides women and children <— ^In the latter SeriSe, the promife is" ftill accompljfhing, in the nAtions-of Them Who are. saved": This will be att exceeding - great nation, indeed, whom no man can, or fliall be able to number* 2. God promifeth To bLess 'Hf.M"j"» In the infpired writings, the word b Le s s is dome- * Gen. xii. 2, -j- Ibid, * P times' 114 DISSERTATION II. Part J. times ufed in an" inferior fenfe, indeed ; but here it muft be taken in its moft fublime and Spiritual import : It denotes a free aiid full ju- ftification, with all the precious fruits which enfue upon it. So the' Apoftle explains it, " The Scripture, forfeeing that God would juftify the heathen througli faith, preached the gofpel before unto Abraham, faying, In thee fliall all nations be blefled ; fo they which be of the faith are blessed with faithful Abra ham *." This promife comprehends all other privileges, even the gift of the Holy Ghoft, and eternal life : Juflification, however, is chiefly intended, though thofe muft not be ex cluded ; and it is fitly ftyled blessing, as ki frees the finner from the curse of the law, and entitles him to everlafting blessedness in heaven. 3. God engageth to make him a great name *J". A name, in Old Teftament language, ' ' - - * Gal. iii. 8^9. Campeg. Vit,ring. explains -this phrafe in the following terms: " Per. Benebictionem .'•' intelligenda fit Juftitia Dei, gentibus in Chriftum cre- " dentibus gratuito impntanda, et fola obtinenda fide, •" ad exemplum et in communione Abrahami, qui hoc " beneficio, a Deo fingulari gratia impetrato, in Hifto- " lia Sacra infignis fuifletradativr, et amicus Dei appel- " lari meruerit : quam luAoy/»v -comitaretur i \*MyU w" " 7rnvju.«.rcr, five dona Spiritus S. aliaque beneficia gratia? " olim promifla, virtute Juftiti* Chri-fti in Eeelefiam con- « fersnda." Ob. Sac. Lib. 5. . .. -\ Gen. xii. 2. . ¦, imports Part i. DISSERTATION II. 115- imports fame ; efpecially fuch as is perpetua ted by the offspring, or reprefentatiVe of per-t fons or families. The original phrafe is, 1 will magnify thy name; that is, I will raife and maintain thy renown, not only among the Jewifh nation, but alSo among the Gentiles, in gofpel days. The name of Abraham was pe culiarly aggrandized when God himfelf pro nounced him the father of THem who b e li e v e : And it is ftill magnified by fuch as are brought, into his- fpiritual family. 4. G-od faid to Abram, "Thou shalt be a b les sing *."' Some expofitors view this pro mife as an amplification of the fecond fpecifi ed, and explain it thus, Thou flialt be blefling itfelf; that is, abundantly bleffed. But this expofition can by no means comport with the emphafis of the infpired original : The facred text, when ftrictly rendered, is, b e thou a blessing. This is the ftrongeft manner of cxprefling predictions. To give them out by way of -command, fays, that he who announ- ceth them is alfo able to command their per formance. When the infinite Jehovah faid unto Abram, Bethou a b les sing, it could not itnply lefs than an appointment of him to: that effect. But ftill it has been difputed, Whether he was conftittited a blessing in his * Gen. xii, 2. ¦ n\A ¦ -y p 2 own lid DISSERTATION II, Parti, own perSon or in his Seed *, I apprehend both fen Ses may be included, though the latter is chiefly intended : Abram was conftituted a blessing, as he was Set apart t o 6e the chan-* riel through which the S,e ed of the Woman, and of Noah^ fhould come ; being, at once, the type and one of the anceftors of the Mefi* fiah, as well as Noah, He was not only a"blef» fing in refpect of his ufefulnefs-iu his own day and generation, but alSo as a figure of the Mefliah ; Accordingly, that which 4s affirmed of- the type, in this promife, is affirmed of the antitype, in a later prophecy^. In this pro- inife, the Mefliah was exhibited in the perfon, and under the figure of Abram,. to be blef- fing.s, efpecially juftification to finner*' under the curSe : " And men fhall be blefled in him.H f. God promiSed to Bless them who- blessed Ab r am X A Thofe-' who bfefled him were Such as wiflied well to his Soul, and the Souls, of all who walk in hisfoiptfteps.— «Suchas wilh* ed well to the kingdom ,and inter eft of the Mefliah,; and alfb aScribed blefluig and praiSe unto the Mefliah himSelf, God engageth to bring fuch perfons in, along with Abram-, tQ fhare of pardon and reconciliatio'n ; yea, their blefling the Mefliah is an evidence he hath * Dr Gill cpnfijie-s; this promife to the former fignifica* ! ion, and Dr Owen to the latter. •¦> f Gen. xxij. 18. 'f Gen. x||. 3. pardoned P/rt i. DISSERTATION II. 117 pardoned them already, and that he will bleSs and increaSe them ay more and more, till he. bring them to glory. ' ' • 6. God prortiifed to Curse them who cursed Abram. The fenfe which is ufually given to this verSe is to the following purport : That; God has common friends and common foes with his people.. - And this is certainly true, in itfelf, though riot the truth here revealed : This promife refers to the enemies of the MeS- fiah and his feed, as theSe are united under the old ferpent. Said God, "I will, curse him that Speaketh eVil of thee," The perfons blef- fed. are expreffed in the. plural number, and the objects of the curfe in the Angular, The reafon. of this change, fay fome, is, becaufe there are many to fpeak well of Abram arid his feed, compared with thofe who fpeak evil of them. But the very reverfe, I humbly judge, is the truth in this cafe, while that feed are in this world-' The world is their flep-mother, and fpeaks all manner of evil concernirig them. The reafon why God Speaks of the object of the curfe as one individual perSon is, becaufe aU the curfed race are actuated by one and the Same fpirit, and united under one head. The Old Serpent then,N and an his brood, arean ac~ eurSed race : The curSe Which God pronoun-. eeth on this, mafi, is expreffed by another term "-V * Gen..3ai..j, than Ii8 DISSERTATION 11/ Part i. than that which exprefieth that curfe which A- brarh's enemies pronounce on him *. The lat ter fignifies to fpeak lightly Of a perfon, as well as to curfe. Accordingly, the ferpent and his feed vend their malice againft the genuine fons of Abram, by obloquy and reproach, when *., The curfe wich God denounced againft the haters of Abram and his feed is exprefl'ed by TN#, from TIN ma- ledixit, execra;tus eft ; .which. is ufed, to denote the hea- vieft curfes mentioned in all the book of God : Such as the curfe pronounced on Cain, Gen iv. ii. On Ham and Canaan, Gen. ix. 25. And thofe from mount Ebal, Deut. xxvjL 15. ufque adfinem. This laft is a representation of the curfe of the Covenant of. Works ; that curfe un der which the feed of the ferpent, from airiong men, will, be' found at the laft day jV when the righteous judge fliall fay unto them,~depart from me ye CURSED! Than which no one thing can be more dreadful ; a's God can: eafily -put -all his wifhes into execution, and perform all that' he has threatened. — : — The curfe -which Abrarri's enemies wilh on him is exprefled by "fjbpTD, from Y>p, which imports small weight, when applied to phyfical : fubjecis-, and little honour when applied to morals. In the former fenfe it is ufed, Gen. viii. 11.: So Noah knew thM, the waters were abated (Heb. were lighter on) from off the earth. In the latter fenfe it occurs more frequently in the Old Teftament ; and is variously ren dered by our translators : Sometimes it is tranflated de- , s-nse, as Gen. xvi. 4, 5. when Hagar defpifed, or light- ly-efteemed her mifhefs. At other times it is rendered curse, as 2 Sam. xvi. y, % 10. and xix. 21. when Shi- mei curfed David ; that is vilified and reproached liinu In this laft fignincatian it obtains iii the text under con- iideration. The feed of the ferpent nibble at the heel of the Seed of the Woman after the example of Shimei ; or, in imitation of the accuser of the brethren. See Dr Owen on the Heb. Exeic. Vol. I. p. 00, reftrainel Part. I. DISSERTATION II. 119 reftrained from manual perfecution : they vili- fythem with their tongues, drawing them like fharp fwords, when their circumftances cannot admit of more. — The former denotes, a de voting to direful torments, whether temporal or eternal. Thus, it was ufed by God him felf, when he doomed the devil, under the no tion of a ferpent, unto eternal punifhment *- This promife denounced* eternal wrath upon upon all who continue to act like their father the devil unto the end : Verily they fhall have their reward ! Taken in thisiight, then, it is a notable renovation of the firft promife ; arid a farther profecution of that grand defign : For threatenings againft the devil and his chil dren, are promifes to the Woman and her feed. Of confequence, as the firft promife wa& engroffed in this covenant, it cannot imply lefs than covenant-renovation. 7. God faid unto Abram, And in thee SHALL. ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH be blessed f. This promife is certainly an amplification of the. fourth, which has been confidered above ; and it is frequently renew ed in after covenants. It imports, that a part of all the kindredsof the earth fhould be jufti- fied and Saved through the Seed of Abram ' For to bless has been -"explained, by the A- poftle, to justify ; and whom God juftifies, * Gen. iii. 14. j- Gen. xii. 3. them 120 DISSERTATION IL Part ir them "he alfo glorifies. The emphafis of the. promife lies: on the . prepdfition IN *» Juftifi-' cation^ and all thofe bleffings which are con nected with it^ are promife d In Abram ,^ As the grand exemplar to the Church, even in gofpel times : Said the Apoftle Peter, " Ye are the children' of the prophets, and of the cove* nant which God made with your fathers? fay ing unto Abraham, And Jn thy feed fhall all the families of the earth be blefied -j- .'¦ This promife was a ground of faith, not only to A-» bram, a fingle father, but alfo to all the fa* thers of the Old Teftament Church, this cove-* nant being made with the fathers; Not only to the members of the Old Teftament, but al* fo to fuch as „ lived after the refurrecHori of Chrift, when the Gofpel Church was conftitu-* * " Particula Iv ( i n ) triplicem in hac promiffione fig* " nificatum obtinet :^ B e n e d i c e n t u r IN- t e . I . ut in ex- " emplari. Abraham, quippe ex fide juftificatus et bene-, " dietus exemplar ac typus fuit benedictionis ac juftifica-> "¦ tioni3 gentium ex fide. Hinc Petrus Adl. III. 2 J. — t " 2. ut in Patre. Sic Deus dicit ad Abirahamum : In Ifa* " co vocabitur femen tuum. Perinde ac fi diceret, vo-= " candol femen et filios Ifaco, femen tuum vocabo.-— 3. ut " in caufa. Benedicentur in te, hoc eft, fetoine tuo, " nempe Chrifto, omnis benedictipnis fonte. Hunc fen^ '" fum reddit Paulus Gal. III. 16." Heidegger Hifton Patriarch. Tom. II. Exertit. 3. Thef. 8. " Nam in " Abrahamo prunes familise terras .benedicentur. 1. " Quia in ipfo continebatur. Meifias inquo eft. omnis be- ?* nediclio. 2. Quia Dux et Princeps foederis Dei, et fe-< " cuturis fidei atque behediiftionis Exenrplar." Witf. Oeton. Feed. Lib. IV. Cap. iii. Thef. 14. ¦\ Acts iii. 25, - ted. ¦Part t,' -Dissertation il 121 ted. They came in along with him, on the fame foundation ; he as a father, and they' as children.' Juftification is alSo ' promife d in Abram, as the type of the Mefliah, and the channel through which* lie -fhould come into the world ; he being one of his anceftors. Hence the words, in- thee, are explained, in an af* ter tranfaction, by {n thy seed-*. Now, the feed chiefly intended was Chrift Y- On the Part of Abram, he bound him- -felf, i. To " get Oiit of his bwn country ^.'> There. is little room to doubt but the country, at firft inftance intended, was Ur of the Clial-* dees* Some have imagined, indeed, it was Harari ; but on what foundation I kriow riot. Stephen's expofition is certainly infallible : Said he,. " The God of glory appeared unto our fa-« ther.Abrahani} when lie was in Mefbpotamia, before he dwelt in Charran.§." Ur is with t. much greater propriety ftyied the country of Abram than Charaii ; as he was born, brought up, arid dwelt hi it till lie wasniore than fever.- ty-four years of age KWher'e.as he only fat down before Charan for a' few- months. The duty' commanded was- neoefTary at this; time, as his native country was a land of idolatry * Gen. xxii. i8» . f Gal. iiL i6.' \X Gen-, xii. lA § "Acts 'vii. 2, 3, 4. ¦^ * 0. arid las DISSERTATION II. Parti, and wickednefs ; and God deemed it unfafe for his -Church to dwell among fuch neigh bours ; left fhe Should learn their ways, on the _one hand ; or be perfecuted by them, on the other. It was alfo proper, that the Condition of Abram might be a representation of the condition of God's children in this world. Like- as he left his native country, and became a pilgrim on the earth; fo muft they leave this world, as a portion, and journey to the better country. And his faith looked through the type to the fubftance : " By faith Abraham* when he was called to go out into a place which he^ fhould after receive for an inheri tance, obeyed ; and he went, not knowing whither he went. By faith he fojourned in the land of promife, as in a ftrange country,, dwelling in tabernacles with Ifaac and Jacob, the heirs with, him of the fame promife ; For he looked for a city which \hath foundations, whofe builder and maker is God*."' Though New Teftament believers are not always bound to leave their native country literally : Yet one reflection naturally occurs from the confi- deration of Abram 's conduct ; 'namely, When perfonjs cannot accomplifli the duties incum bent on them in their prefent fituation, then they have a juft call in. providence" to change it, and to embrace the firft opportunity which lawfully offers for that purpofe : For example, * Keb, xv 8, o, jo* P4RT i. DISSERTATION II. 123 if fervants are hi fuch bondage as deprives them "of time to perform: the duties of reli gion, whether public, private, or Secret, they have juft reafons for changing mailers, fo foon, as they lawfully may : If perfons dwellings are fb remote from public ordinances as to render their attendance infrequent, they. have a "pro per call to change their habitations : And, in fo doing, they will either have their lofles (urito which they may be brought by keeping « the line of duty) made* up to them, by the fpecial interpofitioil of heaven ; or, if they are not, they will be fanctified to them for their good. No one ever, loft at God's hand. 2. He was enjoined to " get him out from his own kindred*." A man's heart naturally glows towards his country, and ftill more to wards his kindred. Thefe make that preci ous and pleafant to him. Yet, dear as thefe relatives were to the patriarch, he muft forego the comfort he expected in them, and feek more fublime enjoyments in God himfelf. So ciety with idolaters is far, from equalling fel- lowlhip with the living God ; Therefore, A- » braham wifely relinquifhed the former, and purfued the latter. The ties of nature yield to ties of grace. - f..'r. 3... Ht> is commanded to " get out from his \-t father's -houSe j"."' From hence fbine conclude, * Gen. xii. i~. -\ Ibid, *,' : Q Z that V4 DISSERTATION II. Part i. that this command, could not be given wheii he came from Ur ¦ for then he brought his fa ther along with, him, but here he is bid come out from the, houfe of his father. But the phrafe, I apprehend, means 'Nahor and his family. Nahor' was. probably Terah'si firft- born j and the reprefentatiye of his houfe.: A leaving- Of Nahor, then, and the reft of his connections,, might, with propriety enough, be ftyied a leavjng of his father's house; even although Terah came along with Abram, arid took the lead in their peregrinations. The cafe. Seems' to. ftand thus, The . God of Glory appeared to Abram an Ur, and called him. to' depart from it ; which call he at once.believed and imparted to his father, who feems to have vAlfo believed it ; being converted by it, and perSuaded to obey it : But, as he fell lick, and died at Haran, on the way between Ur and Canaan, Abram -_ was retarded in his journey for, about the Space of fix months. And, af ter he had buried him, he went on his way, Dr Owen, .an author to whom I am frequent ly, and unipeakably obliged, takes another method of accounting for _this matter, to the following purpofe r " What was the defign of Terah,; in his atte.mpt to go for the land of Canaan, h not, abfolutely certain. The efpe- cial call of Abram unto that country could not be the bottom of it : For it is moft probable, yea, indeed, undeniable, • that this he had not until after the death of Terah, It was, there fore, P^t i. DISSERTATION II. 125 fore, an act of theirs, r in anfwer to the provi dence of God, in a fubferviency to tjhat future call, that he might be in morereadinefs to yield, obedience unto it than, he could have been in the laud cf Ur, It is, noticeable, that Terah died in Haran." The Dr would carry Abram's call down after the death of Terah; that is, after the patriarch dwelt in Haran. But, fays Stephen,. " The God of glory -appeared unto Our father Abraham when he was in Mefbpo- tamia, before he dwelt in Charran ; and Said unto him, get thee out , of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come/into the land which I will ihew thee. Then came lie out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt. in Char- ran. And from T H ence, when his father was dead, he removed him into the land where ye now dwell*." The call to leave his father's fioufe is explained, by Stephen, by leaving his kindred. Nor can any thing be more evident, than that the'proto-martyr placed this appearance and, call before Abram's fojourning in Charran -y and, of' confequence, before the. death of Terah, — -Others imagine tjiere Was, a double call given, to Abram;, one, mentioned by Stephen, while the. patriarch was yet in Ur ; the other, recorded fyy Mofes, when he Was in. Haran •', And that there were not fewer than five years, djftance between them. This opinion has many favourers, but a very Bender foun-i Aits vii. 2S 3,. 4,. dafion* 126 DISSERTATION IE Part j/ dation. The matter of the call recorded by Mofes, and that by "Stephen, is exprefsly the fame : Nor have we any reafon to fuppofe A- bram fo backward in complying with the di vine admonition, as to put it off for -fiveyears after the intimation of it to him ; efpecially, while his readinefs in faith and obedience is recommended," by the Apoftle, as a pattern to the Church in every Succeeding period*. 4. He is required .to ~" go into a land that God would fliew him "j" ."> This land is not fpecified ; but he muft put a blank into the hand of his divine leader, and implicitly fol low whitherfoeyer he conducts him. As the father of the faithful muft forget his father's houfe, and his own people ]_ fo he was bound to caft himfelf entirely on the Sovereign Will of God, to make up all thofe things which, he relinquifhed for his name's fake. The event proved, however, that Canaan was the land , intended. In this article of duty the patriarch Set a fpecial example to all who enjoy the goSpel, to fet out under the guidance of the - Leader and Commander of the people"} lea ving their father's house, and .their own people : That is, the Covenant' of Works, the houfe of the firft Adam-; and journey to the heavenly country, which the Lord has promifed. * Hebi. xi. 8. tGen.jtjj. 1. THIRDLY, Part i. DISSERTATION II, 127 THIRDLY, The next branch of this fub- jectis, to cOnfider the Confirmations of" this Covenant. Says Paul, ^ The covenant that was before confirmed of God in Chrift, the law, which was four hundred and thirty .years after, cannot difannul * ," Divines are not a little divided, both as to the nature and date of this covenant-confirmation ; and not a few have miftaken both. It is ufuafly aled- «ed, that this covenant was made four hun- dred and. thirty years before the giving of the Law; but that it was not ratified till various after-occafions, much nearer that tranfaction. Hence they . .underftand the confirmation in tended by the Apoftle, to be the oath of God, , * Gal. iii. 1 7. The original word is srpojuxvp auivr,t. Arias Mpntanus renders it ante authentic atum ; E- rafinus, Calvin, and Bullenger, ante comproba~tuji ; F. Gomarus, prtus ratum facFinn ; Beza, trius sawci- tam (P&ctionem fciz.) Pareus ante- sancitam ; Leufden, ANTE. AtCtORITATE CONJIRMATUM ; Stockius, ANTE ratpjm HABituM. Such is the variety of expreffion : The fenfe is much the feme; but the original phrafe re quires a circumlocution to convey its meaning. It im ports, filch ratification as rendered the covenant plead able .at the bar of Law and Juftice ; as well as irre« vei-fible by any after deed- Beza obferves, the limple verb- fignifies, " Id, cui nihil defit quod ad fidemipii ha- " bendum requiratur." As to this compound verb he adds, " Vulg. omifit prepbiitiohein w/ie magno errore cum " in eo lateat vis argument^ fumpti temporis ferie, &c. " Et magnum habet pondus fan ci cum potius quam fanci; " endum : quoniam jam turn Deus illud Pactum ratum " fecerat in Chrifto, quam vis in Chiiftsum Yenturum're- "tpiceret, nediun ut legale fcedus adjecerit quo prius " abrogaretur." ".', ¦ ¦,-.-• ¦:»•;.. and 128 DISSERTATION IL Part i, and the Sacrament of Circunicifion, &c. But the fact is, the confirmation of this covenant, as well as the covenant itfelf, is affirmed to have been four hundred and , thirty years be fore the giving of the Law. The hinge of the Apoflle's argument turns upon this very thing; the for e-confi rma-tIon of this cove-' nant. being oppofed to the disannulling of it ; and not the making of it, abfolutely con-_ fidered. And this confirmation is four hun dred and thirty years prior to the giving of the Law ; whereas the Sacrament of Circumci-* fion, and the oath fpecified, were not fb far diftant from it*: Wherefore, we muft fee k for other confirmations than thofe above men^ tioned. And the covenant was confirmed at this time, I. As God, for Chrift' s fake, 'delineated and engraved the promifes of it, oil Abram's heart, by the Holy "Ghoft : He evidenced the truth and certainty of the promife to him, fo that he was perfuaded of it, and embraced it ; and, at the fame time, he was moulded into the form of the promife which he had embraced/ And this is one of the ways in which God confirmeth, to his fervants, the words on which he hath caufed them to hope* - 2. This covenant was, ratified by the ap pearances of the Son Of God, and the vifits * Cxor. De Fcedere Dei, Difput. viii. Thef. 7. &c. which Part i. DISSERTATION- IL 129 "Which he paid to- Abram. This covenant Se cured the patriarch of an extraordinary feed, as we have feen* - Thefe appearances Were nothing elfe than So many pled'ges arid pre-r hides of that comprehenfive blefling. The Son appeared, even that fame perfon who took hold of the feed of Abram in the fulnefs of time .* And this. he did, to fhe'w how much he- deli ghfed in that humanity which he after wards defigned to afliime ; as well as to affure the perfons, to whom he appeared, of that grand event in the fulnefs of time . — - — Ahram, the friend of God, had many yifits of this kind : Some enumerate not fewer than eight; 'and, of thefe eight, two belong unto this covenant: The one in Ur of the Chaldees,,atthe making; of it ; the other at Shechem, the fame year in which it was riiade.. Such was the Redeeril-* er's' coridefcenfion to the father of the faith ful.! Such his love to humanity, that he fre quently tried on that robe prior to the fulnefs of time ! By tlleSe appearances the patriarch's faith could not but be greatly confirmed, not only as the latter vifit allured him, that the former was flat diabolical illufion, nor yet the' effects of a heated imagination ; hurt alfo, • as it afforded him .ascertain profpect of the day of Chrift, though afar off. He longed vehe mently to fee it, and he fa vy it, and was glad, i f R i- Thjs 130 DISSERTATION IL Part u 3. This covenant was confirmed by Sacri fice *. Accordingly, Abram built ari altar in the plain of Moreh, and another on a moun tain between Bethel andiHai. True it is, in deed, we are not informed as to the kind of Sacrifices which were offered: But an altar be- Speaks a relation to a Sacrifice ; and Sacrifice was originally appointed to be a Seal of the prornife. " . •*.,'.. FOURTHLY, The next thing to be cqnfi- dered, is the Occasions of this Tranfaction. 1. It -obtained about the" middle 'fpace of time between the creation of the world and * " Theologicum hoc eft, jet hu Jus loci, quod recter^ '* Iac. Cappellus aflerit, " quamvis ante illam hiftori- " am, Gen. xv. 18. Foederis vocem non habemus, tamen -." rem habemus, Fcedus pleniflimum atque adeo Evange-*7 " licum." Certe ft Foederis vocem expreflam ita flagites, ", ut ubi ilia non exiftat, nulla intelligenda fit facta Foa- " deris conventio et fanctio; relabimiir in Judaicum illud " inane imn : utifcilicet nullum fuent-ante Diluviun* " Dei cum Ecclefia Foedus promiffionum," &c. " En-' " imvero, (quamvis non exprefla voce Foederis) cA ilia *f periphrafi Sacfificantium ex Fide; quam habemus, PfaT. ".1. 5-TOt ""by WO WO., qui pangunt foedus meumfuper "¦ facriffciunj, evincimus expreflum efle fufficienter, fanc- " tionis feu "yg«Vi®^ tSJv Ai«^'x>i5- mentionem, ubicunque " facrificiorum mentio lexprefla eft. Habemus autem ite- " retain jam "ante mentionem facrificiorum Abraliaihi. % " Bis quidem Gen. xii. nam primuin verf. 7. -atque iterum. **f verf. 8. narratur ab Abrahamp ad facrificiorum cultum " exftructum Altaic" Clop. De Fsedere Dei, Difp. viii. Thef. 9 and lot the Part i. DISSERTATION II. 13 J the incarnation of Chrift, being near, though not exactly two. thoufand year's diftant from each of thefe extremes. It was alfb made about the middle fpace between the flood and the redemption of Ifrael out of Egypt : Arid it was fomething more than four hundred and twen ty years diftant from each of thefe events; be ing four hundred and twenty-feven years after the flood, and four hundred and twenty-fix years fince the laft time we read of the Church's covenanting with God. The laft covenant was- executed the year after the flood : From the flood" to the birth of Nahor, in the feventieth year of Terah's life, were two hundred and ninety-two years: From the birth of. Nahor to that of Abram fixty years : And from Abram's birth to his; call about feventy-four years *. ~ 2. ThE * I know fome eminent divines exprefs a moft fove- reign contempt of all chronological difquifitions. I con- fefs I am otherways minded ; as chronology ferves to manifeft the divine veracity by removing -various feeming -. contradictions in the Scriptures ;. as well as illuftrate di vine wifdom in providential di^fpenfations, fhewing that every thing takes place in the feafort fitteft for his peo- _ pie's, neceffities, and 1119ft for the honour of the Divine Governor. Various able chronologers have proceeded oh^a different plan, in fettling the asra of this covenant : They fuppqfe 7 Abram. was Terah's firft-born; and, of confequence, place this tranfaction fixty years at leaft Tieaiser the Hood than I liave done. Such as Auguftine, Luther, , Scaliger, Alfted, Chriftopher He! vicus, Giles Strauehius, Seth Calvifius ; arid, to mention, no. more, , .Mefli-s Robert Baillie and Robert Millar, two learned Stotlinen. But, in fubmiiEori to competent juajges, and R 2 with i?2 .D.ISSERtA.TI'ON IL Part-.i, .2. The apoftacy which had broke int© the Church, from the flood till this time, rendered fitch a tranfaction abfolutely necefSary.— — — There were notable and glaring defections a- mon'g thofe. very perfons whom God had ta ken into covenant with himfelf. Noah, the moft eminent covenanter, had acted a part truly unworthy his privileges and engagements, by falling into the fin of drunkennefs ; and this notorious fault of Noah's, afforded Scope for Ham's wicked heart to vent itfelf in a petulant publication of it to his, brethren. Shem's con- -. duct, with humble deference to fuch venerable. names, the fe- ventieth and'fifth year of Abram's life coincided with the two hundred and fifth year of the life of Terah : Of con fequence, Abram conld not be his firft-born, nor born' in the1 feyentieth year of his life. That the laft year of Terah's life was his two hundred and fifth, isexprefsly aflerted by Mofes (Gen. xi. 32.) That Abram depart- edtrom Charran when his father died is Equally certain, ' on the authority of Stephen (Acts vii. 4.) And that A- bram, was only feventy-five years old when he left- Char ran is manifeft from the( teftimony of the facred hiftori an, formerly quoted^ (Gen. xii. 4.) — Now, if we take feventy-five years from the -two hundred and five that'. Terah lived, the remainder gives us the year of his life. in which Abram was born, viz. the hundred and thirtieth year pf it. On this plan the two Teftaments accord; and every feeming contradiction is removed : Nor is it without the fnffrage pf the beft critics (if human autho rity be of any confideralion in this cafe), Loth ancient," and modern : Such as Chryfoftom, John Calvin, Francis Junius, Peter Martyr, Wolfganus Mufculus, David Pa rous, Michael' Walthers, John Diodati, Andrew Rivet, and Archbifhop 'Uiher ; alfo our learned countryman • , ; --' Scharp Part i. DISSERTATION H. 1 3 J duct, however, and Japhet's, is as full of filial reverence, as was Ham's of wantonnefs and wickednef's \ and both the former are as much commended by the Spirit Of God as the latter is accurSed. Noah, enlightened as a prophet, and empowered- as a patriarch, pronounced this cenfure ; — a cenfure which extended unto Ca naan, as well as unto Ham: " Curfed be Ca- naari, a Servant of fervants fhall he be unto i his brethren *A As Ham was an undutiful fon, fb was he punifhed in his fon, and the punifiV ment carried on from generation to -{genera tion. Nor was this fentence, in any refpect, unequal; as it is always juft to vifit the iniqui ties of the fathers upon -the children, while the children walk in their father's foot-fteps, and cleave. to their iniquities,. This was probably SchaVp (whom King James VL ba.niihed)in his Sympho- NIA PHOPHETARUJiT ET , A-PO STOLORUM, p. 52. And hlS opinion has been confirmed by the labours, of John Hen ry Heidegger, and F. Spanheim, F. F, beyond any pro bability of refutation or reply. Hiftor. Patriarch, Tom. IL, Exercit. xxiv.--T.hef. 12. et feqnent. Chronolog. Sac. p. 226. The only thing urt^ed againft the plan 1 have laid down is, the Mofaic accnunt of Terali, Gen\ xi. 26. f ' And Terah ''lived feventy years and begat Abram, Na hor, and Haran." They imagine this proves Abram to have been born in the feventieth year of Terah ; but, if it proves him to have been born that year, it proves Na hor and Haran to have beeh born the fame year likeways, which is abliird : And, thoitgh Abrani be firft mention ed, it may juiUy imj.ort priority .in point of dignity,' ra ther than of years ; as is frequently the. pafe.in the holy Scriptures. '' * Gen- ix. 25-. T the 134 DISSERTATION II. Part i. the cafe with Canaan ; the litde wretch joined, in the derifion of Noah, with his lafcivious fa ther. But reproof fits always uneafy on the neck of unrenewed firiners : Hence Ham and his family'- Seem to have taken the Same route with Cain, when this Sentence was intimated to diem ; like him, they went out from, the prefence of the Lord. — - — The greateft part of mankind' had joined in wicked device" to build the Tower of Babel. Soine might be ready to imagine, -perhaps, that this was a very harmlefs amuSement ; but it contained a complication of evils. The device itfelf ori ginated in pride, vanity, and atheiSm ; and implied a diftruft of God's covenant for their prefervation. They defigned -to raife this, Tower to heaven ; as if they meant to rival God in the heavens: And, in the ftatelinefs of it, they trufted for Safety. from a fecond de luge, rather than in the promife of the Noachie covenant. Some have denied, indeed, that this Tower was intended as a defence from a Second deluge; for (fay they) it was built up on a plain, and not on a hill, whereas a hill would have been! a more advantageous fitua tion for fuch a purpofe : But, as they meant to raife it up to heaven, it was certainly all one whether the foot of it flood on a. plain or on a hill. To me it appears, that thefe ; Babel- builders did not think God's covenant a Suffici ent Security ; but imagined a tower of their own building greatly preferable. It is always natural. pjmTjt. DISSERTATION II. 13$ natural fof man, in his corrupted ftate, to pre fer his own devices to the inventions* of infi nite wifdom . Thefe. builders, like the ante* diluvian giants, meant to become men of re nown : They faid, "Let us make us A nam-e * ." Their wicked intention will appear in a ftill clearer point of view, if, it is confidered, that they intended to baffle the purpofe of heaven in their punifhment. Their own confidences dictated to them, that they were egregious finners, and deferyed to be Scattered abroad; but they fell on this expedient, leaft " they fhould be fcattered abroad on the face of the whole earth j" ." By this time the world was almoft univerfally funk into idolatry. At v the confufion of languages, which was1 inflicted, by God to flop the Babel-building, the language which had before obtained in the world, as well as the true religion, continued in, the fa mily of Heber : Whereas the builders feem to -have loft their religion with their language, if not before. But, by this time, idolatry had got in among the lineal defcendents.of Keber themfelves, as well- as others : Says Jofhua, "Your fathers dwelt on the other fide of the flood in old time^ Terah the father of Abra ham, and the father of Nahor ; and they fer- ved other gods*" Thus, the fire of idolatry was brought into the Sanctuary of the Lord: Where-. fore it was necefSary to bring the Church out * Gen, xi. 4. f Ibid. ^ ; from t3.fr 'DISSERTATION II. Part t.- from thence, leaft fhe fhould be confumed by the flame < This covenant, then, was requifite at this time, to preferve the knowledge of the true God in the '-world, as well as to be a tefti mony againft thefe manifeft covenant-viola tions* 3. NoAH, the preacher of righteoufhefs,, arid principal covenanter in the preceding tranf action, was now dead ; and < there were but few religious perfbns left behind to fiipply his place . The moft remarkable among them were Shem and Melchifedec ; and Hebel", pro bably, was ftill alive likeways: But, left the true religion fhould die with theSe perSons, this covenant was neeeflary to raiSe up anew covenanted Seed, That the Covenant between God and his Church might ever- be perpetua ted. Thus God renewed the covenant with Noalr's, Seed1, in their generations, which he had ftruck with him in his own perSon ; and he continued to be the Lord God- of Shem, and his seed, from generation to genera tion*. * Gen. ix. 26. 27., PART Part5 2i DISSERTATION II. 137 ¦'-.l)y' PART II. G'E n. xv. AS it is better to adapt method to the Sub ject, dian to repeat what has been al ready advanced, I fliall rather refer the read er to the preceding part than again infert the character of the -Parties covenanting in this one. Here I fliall proceed, — I. To confider the Declarations which * God made unto' A- bram. — II. The Occafions ofthem.— <~ And, III. - Their Confirmations. , FIRST, I fliall confider the oracious Df> c la rat ions which God made unto Abram. 1. God promifed to be Abram's Shield* He had lately broken the fhield of Chedorlao- mer, king of Elam ; but he fecured Abram a- gainft any fuch difafter : Said he, ". L.ani thy ShIeld." In all parts'of the fpiritual war fare, and in all the fteps qS thy peregrinations, my perfections are over thee as a covert, and round about thee as walls of protection. This promife is nobly illuftrated by David : " He fhall cover thee with his feathers; and under his wings fhalt thou truft : his Truth fhall be thy fhield and thy buckler * ," What granct i*fai xci. 4. S encouragement j32 DISSERTATION II. Part 21 encouragement had he to engage every erie* my, at God's command, under this armour I It is fufficiently large to ward off every dan ger ; abfolutely impenetrable, by all the fiery darts of the devil. 2. God announced himfelf to Abram as his exceeding great REW4tXt>'*. Abram ge- neroufly defpifed the reward offered .him by the king of Sodom ; but God prbmifed to con fer on him a better and .more durable Sub-, fiance. He promiSed to endue him with an.iri- tereft in all the perfections of the Dpity, as his portion; arid alfo- in all the perfons of the Godhead. This reward muft be great, in deed; yea exceeding great, it far tranfcends the moft enlarged defires and ex pectations of the immortal foul ; and it is dur able as the.lafting ages of eternity. 2 . God . renewed unto him the P romi s e of A Seed, which had been made in the prece-( ding covenant, as well as unto Eve and Noah. God promiSed to make him a great nation, while, as yet, he had not a Single Son. The pa triarch, therefore; manifefted fome fretfulnefs, mixed with unbelieS, in his reply ; but God did not deny him an heir of his: own body on this account . - Though the, ace omplifhment -of the promife was delayed, as a chaftifement, per- ..., . ' - i *, Gen. xv. i. haps^ Part 2. DISSERTATION II. 139 haps, of his uiifieafbnable hefitation. Said A- bram, " Lord, what wilt thou give me, fee ing I go childlefs, and the'fteward of my hoiife is -this Eliezer of Damafcus ? Behold, to me thOu haft given no feed ; and lov one born in my houfe is mine ,heir." But God faid, " This fhall not be, thine heir ; but he that fliall come forth out of thine own bowels fhall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, aiid faid, Look now toward heaven, and tell the ftars, if thou be able to number them : And he faid unto him, So fhall thy Seed be *." The faidi of the patriarch, from firft to daft, was much exercifed about this promifex: And much depended on the accomplifhment of it. Wherefore, God faw meet to unvail it gradual ly unto him : And it, made one advance in this tranfaction^ as he was fecured of a feed with out adoption. But, as it deferves to be minute ly furveyed on all fides, I may obferve,— That, it includes a multitude of literal feed. This part of the promife received its accom plifhment, especially, in the Seed of Jacob : The Sacred hiftorian remarks, that they were as the sand of the sea. They were Sepa rated from the reft of the world, that this might be manifeiled ; as well as for another, and ftill more important purpofe. -That this promife alfo includes an Extraordinary Seed, even the true Mefliah, The literal Seed -¦ ,''..-. * Gen. xv. 2.-5. Ay S 2 were, Ho DISSERTATION IL Part 2. were, at firftj feparated, and afterwards kept together in a body, to be the channel through which this Extraordinary Seed .Should flow. And the patriarch's faith took up with the Mefliah, even in this edition of the promife; as appears from the object of it : " He believed the Lord, and it was accounted unto him for right e oufiie fs *." " He believed the promife, that he Should have a Seed, and a very nume rous rorie ; he believed the Mefliah fhould Spring from this Seed ; he believed in him as his Saviour and Redeemer ; he believed in him i for righteoufneSs; and he believed in his righte- oufrieSsjuftifyinghim before God -f"."— ¦ That this promife alSo includes a Spiritual Seed, — a- race of believers, who fhould "walk in the foot- fteps of faithful Abram : " Know.ye, therefore, that they which are of the faith, the fame are the children Of Abraham ij;." The Apoftle further witnefSeth, ' " That he is the father of all them who believe, — -that righteoufnefs may be imputed to them alfo. An(l the father of circumcifion to them who are not of the eir- ctuncifion only, but who alfo walk in the fteps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcifed § •" " The pro- ' mife is already fully accomplifhed with refpect to the two firft Species of Seed; as it refpeet-*H ed a certain end which is now accomplifhed : . "' * Gen. xv. 6. f Dr Gill in Loc. -."J: Gal. iii;. 7. § Roin. iv. ii,. 12. .'.'¦¦ With'C; Part 2. D IS S E RTATION. II. "141 With regard unto the laft, it will receive a gradual accomplifhment while the fun en- dureth. , - 4. God promifed deliverance unto his feed from that Egyptian bondage, which Avas then foretold ; and from the pilgrimage in which Abram was then engaged : " Know of a fiirety, that thy feed Shall be Strangers in a land that is not dieir'sx and fhall Serve them, -arid they Shall afflict them four hundred years. Arid alfo that nation whom they fhall Serve will I judge : and afterwards fliall they come out with great fubftance*." To State the. matter of this promife in a clear point of view, it may be obServed, That the four -hundred years commenced with the affliction of Abram's feed in the perSon, 6f Ifaac : For, in the fifth year of his life, he was mocked ; or, „, as the Apoftle terms it,- perfecuted by Ifhmael. This declaration does not fay that they fhould ferve four hundred years; but that they Should be afflicted, and ferve, and be Strangers, for that Space of time. Some part of the time they were.ftrangcrs, as in the Jife of Ifaac, and Jacob, ' and Jofeph : Some times they Served .without great affliction, as when Jacob Served, for a wife : Some part of the time they were afflicted without Service, as Ifaac by Ifhmael, and Jacob by ESau : And, laftiy, they both; - * Gen- xv, 1 j. 14, ' " , Served 142 DISSERTATION II. Parts. ferved and were^ afflicted, as when under the Flgyptjan tafk-mafters. The four hundred years fpecified terminated in their deliverance from Egypt. The particulars whicli conftitute that Sum will be aSce.rtained when we confider the occafions of the Sinai Covenant. The promife itfelf tended greatly to try Abrarii's faith, on the one hand;" and to encourage him in his peregrinations, on the other. Though his feed fhould be greatly afflicted ; yet they Should alfo be gracioufly delivered in due time. This deliverance muft alfo be confidered as an emi nent, type of falvation to genuine Ifraelites, from worfe than Egyptian bondage, through our Lord Jefus ChrifL 5. God covenanted to beftow the land of Canaan on this covenanted feed. " The fame day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, faying, Unto thy feed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates*," Here I may obferve, that * Gen: xv,-i8. — . — The land of Canaan is bound«d,, on the north, by mount Lebanon ;'" on the fouth, by the wildemefs of Paran, Idmiiea, and Egypt ; on the eaft., by the mountains1 of Arahia ; and on the weft, by 'the; G^eat Sea, or the Mediterranean.' Thefe were the li mits of it till the reign of David, who extended it to .the riv6r Euphrates on the eaft. The pofleffion was en larged as the people encreafed. It is only as it ftodd^in the days of David, that it agrees to the promife here ma.de to the patriarch. The length of this land, from ... , fouth Part 2. DISSERTATION U. 143 that this covenant included the promifes above fpecified, as well as the promife of the land of Canaan. The original text, as Calvin well obferves, fhews that the covenant is of this ex tent : For it runs thus, " The fame day, the Lord cut a covenant with Abram." Now, the^ cutting meant is the cutting of the Sa crifices in twain, for ratifying the foregoing promifes. This deferves the more particular confideration, as not a few confine the Abra- hamic covenant unto the. earthly Canaan. But, in this view, fpiritual bleflings were of the firft and greateft confideration in it; while tempo ral bleflings were only appendages of it, or typical glafies fubjoined to it. Again, I may add, That this promife was requifite, as a means of accomplifhing others in this cove nant. It was a means of accomplifhing that promife, in particular, which refpected the Mefliah: For, if he were to ¦ Spring from A- bram, it was requifite that the feed of Abram fhould be kept together in a body, that they might be known ; and in a feparate ftate (left they fhould be confourided with the reft of mankind) until that end was accomplifhed. Had they not been in a fixed habitation, apart fouth to ndrth, is near feventy leagues ;. that, is, from. Dan to Beer-flieba : The breadth, from the Mediter ranean Sea to its eaftern borders, fcarce thirty. But the breadth of it, from - the river of E_gypt, or Sichor, on the fouth- weft part, to the river Euphrates, on tbe north- eaft part, is much greater. * Reland. Palellin. cap. iii. ;> from 144 DISSERTATION II. Part 2/ ----- . i from the nations of the earth, they coul'd not have been in a condition to receive thofe ordi nances which ferved, at once, as a partition- wall, to diflinguifh them from their neigh bours, and as a giafs to bring the Mefliah in to their view. Finally, I fhall obferve, that this inheritance was a- figure of the heavenly inheritance. As Canaan was the place of reft, after a wildernefs journey, fb is heaven to the weary traveller .\After he has finifhed'his courfe, he enters into his reft. Nor were there any reafon for conferring it on Ifrael, befides God's good pleafure: As it is ftill the Father's ,good pleasure to give this heavenly king dom. -Like Canaan, the heavenly country is the pleafant land : In it alone is to be found the tree of life, which yields all manner of pleasant fruits. If the earthly Canaan was a land of brooks, and fountains of waters ; the heavenly Canaan is watered with the river of the Water of Life, pure as cryftal. If Ca naan was the glory ,of all lands, as it had the Seat of God's worfliip in it, and the fymbols of God's prefence ; How much more glorious is the heavenly Canaan ? as there the Ring Eter nal and Immortal ever reigns, in light inac- ceflible, and full of glory ! — : — I- might alfb have obferved, That this promife is alSo con-: ceived in Such terms as if it were already ac- cbmplifhed, though the accomplifhment was fome hundreds of years diftant. The reafon- of this manner of exprefiibri "Seems to -be, God _'" • had Part i. DISSERTATION IL 145 had already, made a deed of conveyance to, Abram ; and this was an enlargement of thofe preceding grantss He might fay, then, that he had given this inheritance already, by pro mife, though not in actual poffeflion. Ano ther reaSon for this manner of fpeech is$ the prophetic ftyle in which God fpeaks of things future as paft; becaufe his word is as certain as the accomplifhment 'of it» ^ SECONDLY, The Occasions of this Cove* riant may next be oonfidered. 1 . It obtained after Abram had been guilty of diflimulation concerning Sarai, his wife * Some have endeavoured to excufe the patri arch hi this matter, indeed ; but that is im- poflible i No real) or fuppofed danger, can e- ver be a fufficierit reafon of imitating the de vil, -who is a liar from the beginning* Now, God reriewed the covenant with him, after this fall, to declare the liability of diis purpofe, and the freedom of his graces God prevents faints, as well as finners, with the bleflings of his gobdriefs. The treachery, even of his Own people, cannot evacuate his covenant; nor debar theni from accefs to himfelf by co- . venant-renovatiom 2. This covertant-rerioVation obtained af ter God had givert him a moft fignal victory ' oyer the four confederate kings who Sacked ¦¦:.- ;-* T ' Sodom.. 146 DISSERTATION IL Part 7 1 Sodom. The victory over thefe kings, and the recapture of Lot, with the fpoils of Sodom, were, at once, a prelude of ChrifVs victory o- ver the ferpent arid his feed, and a confirma tion of former promifes. The covenant which God made with Abram was . a . renovation- . or the promife made to Adam, as we have feen ;- and as this victory prefigured that of the Mefi fiah, fo it was a confirmation of that promife • By this conqueft Abram was made to fee, that God would add one blefling unto another un to him; while "he ^poured out his wrath and curfe upon his enemies. And covenant-renoVa- tibn was feafonable at this time, as it afford ed Abram an opportunity to teftify his grati tude unto the great deliverer, and affured him of divine protection from the rage of man. 3. This covenant-renovation took place af ter Abram had been blelfed by MelchiSedec, the prieft of the Moft High God. It is befide pur purpofe to recite and refute all the vain opinions inventedconcerningthis illuftrious per Son. That which appears to me to be" the juft1 one is, That he was a man of the fame.fpe- cies with ourfelves ; but his defcent and fuc- ceflion are wifely concealed, that he might pre figure him who is from everlafting to everlaft" ing, who hath alfo an unchangeable priefthood. The fpecial act of the prieft's office, which Melchifedec performed on this occafion -was, his blefling Abram,, Now, this blefling was an Part 2. DISSERTATION II. 147. an eminent accomplifhment of a particular pro mife in a foregoing covenant. This blefling was a figure of that pronounced and bellowed by the High Prieft pf our profeflion. And as the patriarch was bleffed with a partial accomplilh- ment of the former promifes, fo he had re newed calls unto covenant-dedication. Upon the whole, we may conclude, that times of great finning on our part, and gracious deli verances 011 the part of God, as well as of be gun accomplifhment of his promifes, ought to be SeaSons of folemn 'covenanting^ THIRDLY, I Shall now confider ;the...CoN* firmations of thefe promifes. "And he faid (namely the Lord Jehovah) unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a ftie- goat of three, years old, and a- ram of three years "old, and a turtle dove,, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all thefe, and -divided them in the midft, and laid each piece one againft another; but the birds divided he not., And when the ' fowls came down upon the carcafes, Abram drove^ them away- And when the fun was going down, a deep fleep fell upon Abram ; and lo, an horror of great darknefs fell upon him*;" To this account we might have prefixed Mofes's introduction to this tranfaction: " The word, of the Lord .came unto Abram in a vifion, faying 'j*,* And >;'' * Gen. xv. 0— .12. f GeiL xv. 1. T 2 we 148 DISSERTATION II. Part 2. we might Subjoin what he further adds unto it : " And it came to pafs, when the fun went down, and it was dark : Behold a Smoking furnace and a burning lamp that pafled be tween thofe pieces*." TheSe verSes exhibit not only the ratification of this covenant, but alfo the origin of that rite which gave occa fion to the phrafe, to cut a cove-nant ; wherefore it deferves very particular confidera tion. And it may not be improper — 1. To obferve a few things concerning" thofe animals, which >vere taken for a fign. — 2. Concerning the rites obferved in ufing them.— 3. The ap pearances made at this time. — -And then en quire, How thefe things confirmed :this Cove nant, -j- *;. I. I am to obSe'rve Some things concerning the animals which, by God's appointment, were taken for a fign ; namely, a heifer of three years old, a fhe-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old ; with a turtle clove, and a young pigeon. Frofnthe manner of expreflion ufed in the facred text, fome expo sitors have concluded j", that Abram was com manded * Gen»_xv. 17. f Such as Onkelos, Jarchi, and Kimchi, among the Jews ; and fome Chrjftians feem not greatly averfe from it.. But, for the reafon above aftigned, it appears they are miftaken ; For, though the plural be fometimes ufed by the Hebrews for Angular, yet the lingular is never; ufed Part 2. DISSERTATION II. 149 manded to take, three of each fpecies of ani mals; but that their number is not all expreffed. But the conclufion appears -to" be ill founded : For the terms heifer, goat, and ram, are all of them in the lingular number; whereas, if three of each kind had been intended, the words would certainly have been plural. Thefe animals were probably fixed, on at this, time, becauSe.r God intended afterwards- to appoint the fame fpecies to be ufed under the Ceremo nial Law: Now, the confirmation of this co venant was that law iri miniature; as Abram had all the Subjects of that law in his loins when -he offered thefe facrifices. The. four footed beafts were three years ofil, and the pigeons young ones : The pigeons being fitteff for ufe when young ; and quadrupedes are in their higheft perfection, in eaftern.countiies, in their third year. God ftill requires of his people to honour him with thebeft thino-s he has bellow- ed on them. II. We may now attend unto the Rites which were ufed ill the confirmation of this covenant: And two things are afcribed to A* hram. lifed for the "plural, unlefs when ufed indefinitely, a& the word peotle in alllanguages : But here- the facred. hiftorian fpeaks of a- definite number. Moreover, it is the ufual ftyle of the Hebrews to exprefs the term of ager ill this manner, Vide. Bbchart. Hier. lib.. Ii. cap. xxviii, '-.':-, -. ',1 - 1. JHn ¦ijo DISSERTATION II. Part. 2. 1 . He divided them in the midft, and laid each piece one againft another; but the birds divided he ri^t. Though it does not appear.; tous, that Abram received any divine com- mifliori to divide the beafts in twain ; yet may we not charge him with will-worfhip-: For- he might know that it was the mind of God, ei ther by immediate inspiration, as he was a prophet ; or. he might do it, as it was the ufual mode of ufing- facrifices deftined for co- venant-confirmation. And it , is not improba ble, that, as rtianj facrifices were offered by the patriarchs, which are not recorded, fo many fcederal tranfactions obtained which arei not regiftrated likeways ; though thofie are re vealed that contain the moft material altera- " tions of the ftatejaf religion. Many learned men have difplayed abundance of claflical learning, in fhe wing that this rite was borrow ed from the Church of God, for the confirma tion of civil covenants among the heathen na tions *'. "But the birds divided he. not." As the reaforis why he did not divide thern are 'uncertain, the conjectures of the iearried, on this matter, are various. The firft reafon, to ^le, appears to be, becaufe' thefe rites were an epitome of the Ceremonial Law; and when that law was afterwards completed, the divi- fion of birds was eXprefsly prohibited. But, , - \ * Oweni Theologumen. Lib, III. cap. i. Witf. Oe- con. Feed. Lib. I. cap. i. Heidegger. Hiftor. Parr. Tom. , I, Exercit. ii. Thef. 10. ' " - if , ,;.*. Part 2." DISSERTATION IL 151 if it be ftill enquired, Why the birds were not divided, according to the Mofaic inftitution I It maybe anfwered, That as the divifion of quadrupedes may reprefent the feparation of the foul of die great facrifice from his body ; fo the non-divifion of die fowls may be expref- five of his undivided perfon.*" Though his foul was, Separated from his body,, yet neither- foul nor body was feparated from the Son of God : But incOmprehenfibly, and ineffably uni ted, when in the, grave, and in the duft; of death*" The folidity of this opinion is fub- mitted to the judgment of the learned and can-- did reader. 2. Another rite obferved by Abram isr his driving away the birds which came down on the carcafes. The birds which came down upon the facrifice have been deemed emblems of evil fpirits, which, like eagles, or birds of prey, come down on the children of God, efpe- cially when prefenting themfelves as living fa crifices unto their heavenly Father, in the; du ties of his worflrip : And the patriarch's dri ving them away, has, been confidered as ex preflive of the faints driving away, or refiffing the temptations of the devil.' Others have ex-» plained thefe ravenous beafts of the Egyptians, who preyed on the .feed of Abram, as was . , * F. Spanheim, F. F. 6bfer,Hjftor. Typic. efi.Mor. in Levit. cap. i. .Mather on the Types, p." 261. - foretold i -$2 DISSERTATION II. Par-t 'j,;- foretold on this occafion. I See no reafon why both thefe fenSes may not rather be conjoined than oppoSed. Only I would choofe to under* ftand the patriarch's driving away theSe birds as denoting the Special protection, and prevalent intercefllon of- our Lord Jefus Chrift, rather than the faith, and prayer of Abram himSehy for the deliverance of his literal feed, as yari-* oils expofitors have infinuated. III. W e promifed, in the next place, to cOri^ fider the dreadful appearance which God made to Abram at this time. The firft appearance, recorded by Mofes,- is called a vis ion; but, as there were yarious kinds of vifions, the nature and fpecies of appearance is not eafily deter* mined. Says Dr Owen, " Vifions were of two forts: Outward representations of things unto the bodily eyes " of the prophets; and i nwa r d R e p r e s entatIons unto then;, jninds. — — There were fometimes appearances of perfons, or things, made unto their outward SenSes : And herein God made ufe of the mini-* ftry of angels . Thus, three men appeared to* Abram, one of whom was the Son of God him*: Self; the other two miniftring angels, as hath "been proved elfe where. So was the burning bufh, &c. They were made fometimes on ly jo their minds. So it is exprefsly faid, that when Peter faw his vifion of a Sheet, knit at the four corners, and let down from heaven to the earth, he Was in a t rang e . — An extAsie • Seized Part ft. DISSERTATION ii. i$$ Seized upon hiuv whereby $ for a feafon, he Was deprived of the ufe of his bodily fen* fes*," &ci' ' ThIs vifion, I prcfume) was of the bodily kind; for it does 'not appear that the Jiatri- arch was extatical, but deliberate in all the conferences that'enfued. It was the WOr d of Jehovah Who appeared at this time ; and this appearance was a renewed confirmation of the covenant which had been granted oftener than once for the ratification of the preeedirig co venant. The reafon of the Son's appearance has been above explained* .-". < The fecond appearance was rfiore dreadful and ftupendious : V When the fun went down, and.it was dark j behold, a fmoking furnace and a burning lamp, which paffed between the* pieces " J3y the inftitution of God, and the act of, the Sacrificer;- tbefie Sacrifices took the place of the guilty, being fubftituted in the room of Abram and -his feed. The fmoking" furnace figured out the dark difpenfatioris of providence towards the iSraelites : Hence we find, the ihSpired writers not only alluding un to this vifion, but alfo explaining iti "But the Lord hath . taken yoii, and brought you forth out of the iron f urnace, even out of Egypt) to be a people of inheritance, as ye ¦ * Dr Owen 'oil the Spirit, j>> 108* iyf DISSERTATION II. Part 2, are this day." Said Solomon, " For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which than broughteft forth out of Egypt, from the midft .of the f u rnace of iron." The Lord alfo ad- drefled the Jews to the following" purpofe :, " The covenant which I commanded your Fa thers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the furnace . of iron." — — " When the cloud began to break the Smoke went up." The Smoke afcended as the Smoke of a furnace, pointing out the manner in which their deliverance did advance. Each circumflance mentioned in tiie- Sacred nar rative added to the horror of the fcene, how ever, at this time. The fun went down; it- was dark; fin ok e added to the horror of the darknefs. Hence we need not greatly won der, if a horror of great darknefs fell -on A- bram, both on account of God's awful Maj e- fly, and alfo ori account of the night feafon predicted to the Church in his family. The burning larnp denoted God's favourable provi dences towards the promifed Seed : It may alfo be confidered as a prelude of the pillar of fire, and pillar of cloud, which conducted If rael through the wilderneSs ; which were alSo emblems of the divine preSence and majefty dwelling among the Ifraelites. This vifion is not unlike that of - Ezekiel : " As for the like- nefs of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire ; and like the ap pearance Part 2. DISSERTATION II. 157 pearance of lamps*." The former importing adverfity, and the latter profperSty. Though the glory of Abram's family might be great ly obfcured ; yet their lamp fliall not be utter ly extinguifhed : On the contrary, it fhall burn with remarkable fplendor ; " When God fhall judge that nation whom they fhall ferve, then fliall diey come forth with great fubllance." This promifed deliverance prefigured the Re deemer's victory over the devil; as Pharaoh was alfo an emblem of him : And this burning -lamp was a graphical difplay of the Meffiah's victory, when his right hand and his holy arm got unto him the victory. Out of. his noftrils came forth a (moke-; be hatheyes like a flame of fire ; and feet as fine brafs, as iS they burn- - ed in a furnace. TV. The laft thing we promifed was, To fhew how all theSe things confirmed this cove nant: Arid theSe rites confirmed it, 1. As the Parties covenanting were both in cluded in one Sacrifice. Learned men have Ob- Served, how Generals and armies both paffed through between the parts of facrifices "j-, to in timate their ftrict, coalefcence into one body. Thus believers are one with God through the flain facrifice, or feparated foul and body qf our Lord JeSus Chrift. They are one in him. * Ezek. i. 13, f Qalvin iji Gen. XV. 10. U 2 2. Aa 156 DISSERTATION II. Part t.i 2. As the parties paffing between the Sacri fices thus divided,' imprecated fuch a divifion on tliemSelves, fhould they deal falfely in this covenant. Hence God threatens the Jews, faying, " The men wlio have not performed. the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in twain j and palled be,-, tween the parts thereof .—I will even give their dead bodies to be meat for the- fowls of hea ven *." Tljte birds of prey fhould perch on the dead bodies of the Jews, as they would have done on the bodies of the facrifices, had not? Abram driven them away ; and, like thefe Sacrifices, they fhould be cut aflunder. It muft, be obServed, however, that God could neither fail nor fuller for it : But, in condefcenfion to the weakneSs of his friend, he pledges his life, and, happineSs, Sor the accomplishment of his faithful promife, to bring him to the full af- furance of faith. ' -A - . - 3. Chiefly as thefe Sacrifices prefigured the true Sacrifice of the Son of God, for the full and final confirmation of the covenant of grace. •¦ But this ufe of facrifice has been ex plained above, and what has been obServed al* ready needs not be here repeated "f".' * Jer. xxxiv. 18. 3-0. -f See the Intr.oduclion. PART* Part 3. DISSERTATION IL 157 P ART III. -U'!. ;„.'-' Gen. xvii. 1 — 21. '¦"fv-v. yi.. HERE.it will be proper to confider, — I. The Mofaic account of the Parties in this TranfacTtioii, — II. The Parts of it— III. Its Confirmation. — -And, IV. The Occafions of it. FIRST, I am to confider the Mosaic De scription of the PartTes Covenanting: — Which are Abram and his Seed. .. -\'y ; '.- i->fi'' . 1. The great author and chief party in this tranfaction announceth himfelf to be the Great God, — -God aljl-s u f f-icient ; ' or, as others render it; the Al'mig'h t y God *. From tiie Scope of the place, it appears, that the former tranflation is more appofite than the latter, though it. is" readily granted, that there is a manifeft coincidence between them; for :"¦'•', *. ' -, * So our trariflators render, it. But it has always been confidered as one of the divine names ; and many have left it untranslated : The original Word is1, Schadbai, "HW. The Hebrew liug'uifts are as much divided about its derivation as its figniucation. Buxtorf enumerates no fewer than five or fix; different derivations, Diflert, Be nominibus. Uei Hebraicis, §" 48. That which ap proves itfelf inoft to'irie is from W pro "ltwt who, and vr sufficient : That is, He 'who -is sufficient ;' or, SB ij is nfually rendered, &t$ sufficient. 'ail- i£8 DISSERTATION H. Part yAl all-fufficiency comprehends the idea of Omni potence, as well as that of many other perfec tions. God, even the Son, is all-s u F fici-v est unto his own bleffedhefs, as well as unto the happincSs of his creatures. Of confe quence, he is abundantly able to accomplifh his promifes, and enable his people to obey his precepts. How comfortable is it to covenant. with fuch a party! One who needs nothing at our hand. Hence; this covenant is aU'evan-^ gelical, — all in favour of Abram and his chil dren. 2. The other party is Abram and his Seedr Said God to Abram, ".-I eftablifh my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed af ter thee, in their generations." God Con fidered Abram as already in covenant with himfelf. This is evident from the terms in which this covenant is propofed : Said he., " I will e s t a b li s h my covenant between me and thee*." It deferves alfo to be noticed, that God caufed the name of the principal cove nanter to be changed : " Neither ' fhall thy name any more be called Abram: but thy, name fhall be Ab raham ; for a father of many nations have I made thee -j"." Accordingly, his name * See the foregoing Differtation, Part I. f The patriarch's firft name was E3"OK : His laft namei E3Pi~l3&. The former imports an high father j the" lat- .--¦¦[ - ter, Part 3. DISSERTATION H. i$9 name carried in it a continual representation of God's -promife, given for the perpetual con* Solation of the Church. Again, this covenant was made with Abraham.; and alfo with hi3 Seed after him, in their generations- More particularly, This covenant was made with A- bram, as a type of his extraordinary Seed ; u Now, to Abraham, and to his Seed, were the promifes made >¦ He faith not and to Seeds; as of many, but.-v.as of one ; and to thy feed, which is Chrift." Once more, This covenant was made with Abraham as the principal mem ber of the vifible Church ; ,and his Seed, re- prefented by him, as the infants of the mem bers of the vifible Church are reprefented by ter, as explained by God himfelf, means a father of many nations. Sundry Jews, and" fome Chriftians; "' reckon, that il is taken from the name Jehovah ; but this conipofition is not fo agreeable to the infallible ex-; pbfitian juft now; mentioned. The, proper derivation of that name which was impofed an him, appears to be from3N father, and )12n a m Altitude. And ~l is re tained from G"l : And the fignification maybe exprefled thus, The father of a multitude. Taken in this point, of view, it contains' a folemn reprefentatlon of the implantation of Gentile believers Into the "covenant of A- braham : For, as Calvin obferves, with great propriety, he became the father of Many nations, not by his iflue fpreading through many nations ( though, he .had many fons) ; nor did they ever incorporate with any o- ther people : But by the adoption of ftrangers to be fel low-citizens with him and his feed, and their joint ad- minion into the hQufhold of God. A^r their l6o DISSERTATION IL Paut g, their parents in baptifin*^ By the law of nature^ and the wife appointment of God's word, pa rents may receive grants for the behoof of their children ; and alio bind for their children's performance of certain duties i ' Such, things obtain every day in all fbcieties under heaven i And. why fhould it not obtain likeways in the Church, the moft perfect of all fbcieties '?¦ Thus, all who fprang from Abraham were externally holy, till they, cut off themfelves by * Vide Calvin. Inftkut. Lib. IV. cap. xvi. Thef. 4 — f'44 Ball's Treatife on the Covenant of Grace,* p. jo — 52* F. Turretin. Loc. xxix. Q. 20. Thef. 5. — From this text;. thefe divines have eftablilhed the right of infants,- bor«i within the vifible Church, unto the benefits of the Cove nant of Grace ; and particularly unto .the initiating feal ; of it, with a degree of evidence not to be reftfted. The laft mentioned author ufeth the following topics : ":At " ad infantes pertinere foedus "patet ex .claufula foederis, " Gen. xvii. 7. Act', ii. 38- Fateor quidem Foedus Dei " primario, et prsecipue adultos refpicere, quia ornni " tale; paclum reciproca conventione conftat, quos utrp- " bique voluntaria efle debet, et fapientiam Dei decet "¦ Foedus pafcifci cum hominibus perfeclis, qui poflimt " eXercere operationes facultatum moralium. Sed hoc' " non obftat,, quominus pertineat quoque ad infantes. — ; " 1. Ex Dei ordrfie, quia ita voluit gratiam. fuam pro-- " tendere a parentibus ad liberos. — 2. Ex rei natura, " quia liberi funt .pats parentum, et ejufdem cum iis " conditionis.'— 3. Inter homines pacta ad liberos con-- ; " trahentium complectuntur, Ergo et in foedere Dei. — " 4. Quia ad infantes pertinet res lignificata, putavi-e-' " miifio peccatorum, regeneration regnuin coelorum.- '•' Ergo etiam lignum, nam G cjuid majus eft illis commu- " nicatur, qua ratione' poflet illis denegari quod minus "eft lie argumervtatur Pettns Aet. x. 47. unbelief Paat j4 DISSERTATION n. 161 unbelief arid dift)bedience» Hence, Ifhmael Was circumcifed, as well as Ifaac ; nor were the' fbris of Keturah^ and thofe of the hired Servants, on art inferior footing, till they re linquifhed the fervice of God; s» IN firie, Abraham muft be confidered^ in this tranfaction, as having the- Mefliah in hisloins. Now, as he paid tythes to Melehifedec, for Levi, who was then in his' ioins ; fb he re ceived promifes for the Mefliah, his extraordi nary feed, then in his loins likeways**-. SECONDLY, We may now corifider the Parts of this Covenant* With refpect unto the All-fufficient Jehovah, I may bbf'erve, i; He promiSed to " multiply Abraham's Seed exceedingly, — to make him exceeding fruitful,^— to make nations of him* and kings come out of himj~." And the prediction has been circumftantially verified, both in his na tural arid fpiritual progeny. From Abraham, according to the flefhy fprang not orily the Ifh- riiaelites, and Edoinites (as well as the Israel ites}-; but alfo, the Saracens, Arabians* and Midiartites* He was fruitful to a miracle, even 'in his old age. Forty-fix years before -the death of Sarah, when God announced the birth of Ifaac, he exclaimed, '"' Shall a child be bom ' * Gal. iii. 16. f Gch. xvij. 2, p\ * X to" i6i DISSERTATION II. Part j, to him who is a hundred years old I" Yet, af ter the death of Sarah, Keturah bare him no fewer than fix fons.— As to his fpiritual pro geny, nations have been born at once,, and a people brought forth- in one day ; and, in the loweft ftate. of his fpiritual family, it fhall be laid, This man arid that man was born in it,1 and the Higheft himfelf fhall eftablifh it. . In refpect of the royalty promifed to- the pa triarch, it has alfo been moft punctually fulfil led. There Sprang, from the patriarch, not- only a race of famous kings, in the Davidical line, not to mention the princes of Midian and Ifhmael ; - but alfo JVIe s siah the Prtnce, with all his royal nation.: Fqr all his fubjecls are made kings and priefts unto God and his father *. y* i 2. Jehovah engaged to be a God unto A- braham, and his Seed after him'f". This ble£: fing is all-coiiiprehenfive, and inutterably prer cious : It includes all things pertaining unto life and godlinefs, whether it be a life of grace or glory. All the perfections of God, and each perfection in the Godhead, are made over to Abraham and his Seed. Divine wifdom is enV gaged for the device of their falvation ; divine power for their protection and defence, as al- So- for the performance of all thofe prbrruTes which contain the bleflings oS Salvation \ divine * Rev. i. 6. f Qearr xvii. 7. mercy Part 3. DISSERTATION II. 1.63 mercy pledged .for- their -remiflion and accep.- tance ; holinefs, for their enjoyment of every • promifed blefling. Juftice, for the deftructioii , of all their enemies : Arid, in one word, grace for their holinefs and cOnSolation while in this world, *as well as their reward in the "world to come. The Father" is the portion of the fpiritual Seed, in his electing and 'adopting love, a1^ in' his giving love : He gives his Son to be a Suffering Surety and himSelf in hhri as the "God and Father of Our Lord Jefiis Chrift. — The Son is the portion of the fpiritual family, in all the fulnefs .of his grace and righteouS* nefs. — 'The Holy Ghoft, in refpect of his per fonal inhabitation, and Special influences and Saving operations^ Hail, happy people, whofe 1 God is Jehovah! Such as are filled with the fulnefs of God, How durable their portion ! — How fubftantial their blifs ! 3. As , an appendage unto thefe grants, God was pleafied to renew the promiSe of Ca naan : " Aiid I will give unto thee, and unto thy Seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a ftranger,— ^all the land of- Canaan, for an. • everlafting poffeflion *." Befides what has been obServed on a former covenant, I fliall examine the two following- queftions, relative to this in heritance : Firft, How could God fay,' I will . give the land wherein thou art a ftranger unto * Gen, xvii. 8. v X 2 P. the-e; 164 DISSERTATION II. Part 3. thee; feeing he gave him no inheritance in it, no, not fo much as to fet his foot on ¦-? It might be anfwered, That Canaan was given to Abraham, in perfon, in point of right ; arid to his Seed after him? in point of poneffion and enjoyment. — .Secondly, Why is Canaan ftyied an everlasting possession ? I would reply, Though it was" certainly among the number of temporal enjoyments, as well as other lands ; yet it might be ftyied, an e v e*r- la sting possession as it prefigured that inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, ' and which fadeth not away. Nor is it uncom mon, in the facred ftyle, to affirm thofe thingsj of the type, which, in their fulleft emphafis,- are only true of the antitype. With refpect to Abraham, he was en joined, I. To walk before" God -*. The pa triarch's life was a life of pilgrimage ; but all the fteps of it were under the immediate in- ipection of Jehovah. Though he wandered over many diftant lands, yet he never wander ed out of God's fight. God faw meet to put him in mind of his fituation at thjs time,' be- cauSe he feemed fometimes to have forgot it, by finning againft him. To walk before God, is, to maintain ari impreffion of God's * Gen. xvii. 1. omni- V. Parts- DISSERTATION II. 165* omnifcicnce on the confcience, fo as to ad venture on no action but fuch as it would dare to own when fifted before the fupreme judge . This precept is of much the fame import with the firft of .the ten commandments delivered from Sinai : Said God to Abraham, " I am God all-Sufficient, walk before me." Said he to- Ifrael, "I am the Lord thy God, Thou fhalt have rio other Gods before me." 2. He Was cornmarided to be perfect*. He was already perfect in refpect of his juftifi- eation ; for he believed God, and it was ac counted to him for righteoufhefs. But, though he was the friend of God, and the father of the faithful; jet' he had not already attained, neither Was he already perfect in refpect of his fanctification : Otherwaysthis precept had been fuperfluous. Perfection, however, muft be the fcope of all his defires. He is riot a faint that can be Satisfied with any thing fhort of it : For Satisfaction with any lower terms amounts "to a regarding of iniquity in the heart; and if wc regard iniquity the Lord will not hear US f . '¦;.". * Gen. xvii. 1. f. Shpuld the ferioiis reader defire to fee more on A- braham's perfection^ he may.confult, a Treatife of die Covenant of- Grace by Mr John Ball, p.'73_g9. The author of the Marrow of Modern Divinity frequently mentions this little piece with pleafure and refpect : And, I humbly judge, both the learned and -unlearned may read it with profit, 3. GO0 166 DISSERTATION II. Part 3. 3 . God commanded Abraham to obferve the ordinance of Circumcifion : But we fhall fpeak of this,, ordinance when the ratification of this covenant is confidered. Upon the whole, In this covenant both pri-' vileges and duties are exprefsly propoSed by, . the aJl-Sufficient Jehovah : And the former de clared to be the foundatiori of the latter. God's all-fufficiency is the caufe of Abraham's walk ing before him, and of his perfection ; while the' rite -of circumcifion is enjoined, from the,, confideration of all thefe' grants which were made 011 this occafion*. Abraham's engage ment to obedience is ftroilgly implied, in his humble proftration before the Lord : He fell on his face ; and God talked with him. f h y' THIRDLY, I am now to. offer :a few things Concerning Circumcision, . the confirming feal of this covenant. Here I fhall — 1. Offer a Remark or two Concerning the Nature of this ordinance. — 2. Show how it Confirmed the co- .. venant. I. I fhall make a Remark or two concern-- ine; the, nature of this ordinance. . i. It did not originate in the wifdom of men; but in the -Special inftitution of God, as * Gen,, xvii;. p. . the" Part .3. DISSERTATION II. 167 the King and Head of the Old Teftament Church. The inftitution is regiftrated at length in the facred volume*. Some who fuppofed themfelves to be Chriftians, imagined, indeed., that the Seed of Jacob borrowed this rite from', the Egyptians; but, from the inftitution juft referred to, it is_ plain, that it wAs not OF MEN, BUT FROM HEAVEN. It is alfo milch more rational to Suppofie, that the Egyptians might have borrowed this rite from the chil dren of Jacob, than the reverfe ; if we confi der jof 'eph's intereft and administration among that people. As he was Pharaoh's prime mir, nifter for tiie fpace of eighty years, and pro vided com for them in a nioft deplorable fa mine, 'it is but natural to conclude, that the people would be inclined to imitate the man who preferved them. It were eafy to fliew, that it is the Sole prerogative of God to ap point ordinances in his own worfliip : That he exerted it on this occafion has been demon- ftrated, with fuccefs, by others "J*. :..- ' ... 2. The ,: ' ' - .' ... i ...,.: ,; ',-;.*<.-, ¦ * Gen. xv^L 9. ^ .'.-,-.. , " < ¦ ( 'v V '. : ¦ f Vicfe Witf. Egyptiac. Lib. III. cap. vi. Le-idelck. de R'eptlb. .Hebrseorum, Lib. II. cap. iv. Heidegger. Hiftor, Patriarch. Tom. II". Exercit. vii. 5-28.' One would imagine, that the. ghoft of a Spencer, and, of a Marsham, would have- been effectually conjured by the reafons which thefe learned' men have adduced': "But, ftrange to tell ! the fouls of one/ or 'both of thefe gentle men feem to have been transmigrated into good Bifhop Warburton : For their exploded dreams have been re- ' 'Ky, , - ¦ .*?¦¦" » ceiyed- j 68 DISSERTATION IL Pa At g„ 2. The Subjects of this ordinance were A.*- braham, with all the males in his houfe, and their male children after them, in their gene rations. " And ye fliall circumciSe the flefli of your fore-fldn : He that is eight days old fhall be circuracifed among you, every man-child in your generations : he that is born in the houfe, or bought with money of any ftranger, which is not of thy feed. He that is born in ithy houfe, and he that is bought with thy money, muft needs be circumciSed *." The Subjects of this ordinance, then, are reducible to the following claffes : — — Abraham, the head of the family, that he might be both the pattern and mini*' fter of circumcifion to all the reft of the males who were under his roof. The Male Ser vants of Abraham's family who were adults , All the men of his houfe, born in the houfe, of bought with money, were of this deScription. It has been enquired, How Abraham's fervants could be proper fubjects of circumcifion ; fee ing it is probable they were, ftrangers to the true religion ? Some have alfo imagined'that it Seems to favour coropulfory meafiires in mat ters of reljgiori; as mafters maintained a despo tic power over their domeftic^ at that time- To both difficulties it may be anSwered,^ That ceived by his genius, and defended, after a way, by his pen/ Happily for the Church of God, however, an ah' tidote for his poifon was provided before he was born. ¦¦ ' "' ¦• ' ' "- '¦ ' - " f> i; * Gen. xvii. 11—13. - - : ' ;^° ' » , Abrahams Part §*.. DISSERTATION H.' 165. Abraham's family had the benefit of a religious education, arid were, therefore^ capable of making a public profeflion of the true reli gion : For God bore this honourable : teftimo ny. unto him. " I knowhimj that he fhall com mand his houfhold after hini ; and they fhall ferve the Lord.'* Hence We may conclude, that the males oS his family were profelytes of righteoufhefs; arid entitled to circumciliori as well as all other ordinances which belonged to the Church in her domeftic ftate.' — — With re fpect to fuch as fhould be bought iii after times, they were either perfbns who iiiadfe a voluntary renunciation of' idolatry arid profef- fion of the true religiori as the foundation of their light to circumcifion: Ofj if they re tained their1 idolatrous and fuperftitious fenti- mentsf it behoved them to do it: only in pri vate ; nor were they adtnitted to dwell in the Hebrew families, although they might perform certain fervices in them. Fot the divine law ; permitted none to dwell in thefe families but- Such as were fit to partake of the paflbver ; while the uncireumciSed were incapable of be ing admitted to that Ordinance *.^-^-Another claSs * It does not appear that ever G6d appointed any t?> be forced to embrace the true religion, even after the Mofaic Syftein was completely eftablilhed ; though he * prohibited thfem from outward a peared to Ifaac in human form, to reveal the * Gen. ^xvi.'3. f Gen. xyiii, i. &c. , * will DISSERTATION III. 197 will of the Father, as a prophet ; and to enjoin obedience to it, as a King. Hehce it is that religious covenants were made with God through Chrift, the mediator, under the Old Teftament, as weU as under the New: Yea the mediator is the very perfon unto whom they were devoted, with whom they immedia tely tranSacted. 2. The other party in this tranfaction is Ifaac, the Son of the promife ; for this tranf action was an accomplifhment of a cbvenant- promife made unto Abraham.- By pitching on Ifaac God n%nifefted his glorious fove- reignty, in diftinguifhing the elecl: from the reprobate. Iflimael was an example of the latter, as was Ifaac of the former : " Neither becaufe they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children : but in Ifaae fhall thy feed be cal led. That is, they which are the children of the flefli, thefe are" not the children of God t but the children of the promife are counted for the feed *." Hence Ifaac and Ifhmael are ufed in allegory, in. the Scriptures Of the New Teftament ; the forttier denoting thofe who are under the glorious liberty of the Covenant of Grace, and the latter thofe who lie under the unfpeakable bondage of the Covenant of Works j:. — ——Ifaac was a perfon of very hea-* venly difpofitions, much employed in medita* * Ram. ix. 7, S|. , f Gal. iv. 22—31. Uon 198 DISSERTATION HI. tion and other religious exercifes ; therefore, he greatly needed covenant-renovation, to en courage his heart in the righteous ways of the Lord. He was alfo a perfon of a very mild temper of mind, of a genius lefs turned for military enterprize, than either his father or his fon :r Of confequence, the promifes of this covenant were a noble ftaff for his Support,' when famine forced him to fojourn in the land of the Philiftines. SECONDLY, I fliall now enquire, What renovation of former promifes obtained in this Covenant. And there ts a very notable aflemblage of promifes granted on former oc cafions, which were renewed at this time: Such as the promifes of b-lessing, of an inheri tance, of a numerous and happy progeny ; and of blefling unto the gentile nations through his feed. The renovation of this clufter of promiSes was extremely proper, to Serve iSaac heir, as it were, urito his father, in the right and enjoyment of both temporal and fpiritual mercies. It alfo evidenced the power, grace, and veracity of God; in the advancement of a fabric he had already founded. As the mat ter of thefe promifes, fo the manner in which they were given ftrongly marked their inten tion as covenant-renOvation. God himfelf en- groffed the laft edition of the Abrahamic co venant into this tranfaction ; faying, " I will perform the oath which I fware unto Abraham thy DISSERTATION III. "' 199 thy father." Thus God manifefted his bearing his covenant ftill in remembrance, and required a.frefli aflent unto all that he had fworn; for this declaration was a folemn recognition of all that he had previoufly done. THIRDLY, I fliall next enquire What Au dit ions were made, at this time, unto former tranfactions, to accommodate this covenant unto the peculiar circumftances of the patrii arch : As to promifes, * 1. God promifed his fpecial and gracious prefence : " And Lwill be with thee." This promife was Some way included, indeed, in a former one, or de due ible; from it, at leaft. But as Ifaac was on the eve of particular ftraits, it was fit to bring thofe bleflings, which were re mote from his view, near to his fight, for his future fupport. God promifed to be with him, by the inhabitation- and .influences of his fpirit, to comfort him againft all grief on every fide, and to deliver from all danp-er from whatever quarter. What fellowfhip-fo comfortable as that which is enjoyed with the Father and his Son Jefus Chrift, through the Holy Ghoft. 2. There were alfo additional duties re quired of Ifaac, in this covenant. God enjoin ed him,- To Sojourn in the land of Canaan, while he prohibited hifri from going down into Egypt. This prohibition was probably given „ him 466 DISSERTATION lit ¦/-,: him for various reafons : The trial of his faith j for example ; for the occafion of his move-> ment was a fariiine in the land. Now, Egypt was the ufiial affylum in fuch ftraits : But Ifaac is forbid to ufe the means that promifed moft for his relief in this diftrefs, and commanded to rely on thofe of God's providing and ap pointment. Another reafon may be, the di vine condefcenfion to the mildttefs of this pa* triarch's temper. Though the plenty of Egypt might be fufficient to Supply the neceffities of his family ; yet the {hares of a court, efpeci- ally fiich as that of Egypt,r were ready to en tangle his foul on the one hand ; while he was, little able to bear the Egyptian reproaches on the other. Whether Ifaac had met with a kind reception, at the court of Egypt, or not, he was not without danger : But divine provi dence planned out his peregrinations in another country. In One word, Ifaac was not fent in to Egypt, as the time for trying Abraham's" Seed in the iron furnace was not yet come -' Their fojourning in a. land not their's muft precede their affliction ; and many events muft take place before their affliction begins.- — >-* Again, The patriarch was enjoined to Sojourn in the land that God would fhew him. This command is exprefled in terms nearly fimilar to that which was tendered to Abraham at his call. Like his father, he muft refign himfelf entirely to divine fovereignty, convinced that they cannot wander whom the Lord conducts; * thought DISSERTATION 1IL 201 though they neither know the dangers of the Way, nor the means of efcaping them. — ; In the next place, He Was commanded to Sojourn in the land of the Philiftines. Thefe were af terwards ufett by God as the rod of "correction for his people Ifrael ; arid, like them, 'their ari- Ceftof finiled by reafon of his connection with them, and was chaftifed by them in like man-* ner» FOURTHLY, I fhall now coilSidcr the Oc casions of this Covenarit. It" Obtained Some time after- the death" of Abraham ; but how- long a Space interveened between his death and this covenant is not earthy afcert'a'iried . Some conjecture, that the interval Was no leSs than eighteen years, while others do not grant more than twelve. The events which obtain ed, however, in theSe years,, rather deServd our attention, than a calculation of the years themfelves. The following feem to have a principal claim to our attention. 1. AbrahAM, the father of the -covenanting family,, was now removed by death. This event took place about fifty years after lie had given proof of his' faith, aiid refignatum to the will of God, by his readineSs to offer up his Son iSaac ; aiid the covenant-renovation which fol lowed, it. Covenant-renovation was extremely necefSary at this time, to'fhew that God's co venant-relation to thd militant church does not * C c expire 202 DISSERTATION IlL expire -with the death^of the rrioft eminent of her members. — Befides Abraham,, there had been alfo much death among the reft of the covenanters, and eminent patriarchs : For Shem, a notable covenanter, died twenty years before Abraham; and Heber, a perfon of diftinguifli-, ed godlinefs, died four years after Shem ; but God ftill lives. 2. God had bleffed Ifaac after the death of his father ; and one blefling from his bounti ful hand fecures another in the time of need^ The blefling bellowed on Such a. mournful oc cafion, alfo laid Ifaac under ties of gratitude to renew his covenant with God, when called, to that duty. ,'¦'"' ,3. Isaac had been tried, as was Abraham,. with the want of children; and gracioufly de livered -from this trial, as the anfwer of his prayer. Now, this prayer-hearing, and cove"^ nant-keeping God hud Ifaac under additional obligations to the duty of felf-dedication, by this frefh proof of his veracity and condefcen fion. As the anfwer of this prayer was a not able ftep towards the accomplifliment of cove nant promifes on the part of God ; fo it was an evident-call unto covenant-renovation on the part of Ifaac. 4. One of the immediate occafions of this, tranfaction was a famine, which God had fent on DISSERTATION III. 203 on the land of Canaan : ^ And there was a famine in that land, befides the firft famine, in the days of Abraham.— And the Lord ap peared unto him." A vifit from God muft have been extremely acceptable at fuch a time. His pinching want Seems alfo to - have been bleffed to him, in prefling him nearer the Lord. The promiSes of this covenant were alfo aftaff for his faith, when God threatened to break the ftaff of bread . Lastly, This covenant-renovation was granted as a gracious reward unto the faith and obedience of Abraham : " Becaufe that. Abraham obeyedmy voice, and kept my charge, . my commandments, my ftatutes, and nay laws*." It needs not be always repeated, though it ought never to be forgotten, that this obedi ence did not merit that covenant ; but that the covenant was the effect of free and fbvereign grace. Abraham's obedience is defcribed by the rule of it ; — the voice of God, — his charge, - — his ftatutes, — commandments, and laws. God's voice, and his charge, refbect the fame thing; namely, the general rule of obe dience ; but the diverfity of expreflion may be accounted for thus, his voice may denote the manner of revealing his will; his charge the authority which he interpoSeth to bind the con fcience to obedience. His iiiftitutions beino- a fc> Gen. xxvvj. Cc 2 facred »04 DISSERTATION III. facred truft, for which they are accountable who are entrufted .with them. The various kinds of precepts, which conftitufed this charge, are either commandments *, by which I un derhand rules winch he gave unto the patri arch for the government of his family. Abra ham kept thefe himfelf, and communicated them, with faithfulnefs, to his children, as God teftifieth of him - " I know him, that he will command his children, and his houfhpld after him, and they fliall keep the way of the Lord." This ftandard of doimgftic rule feems to have been the judicial lav/ in miniature. -=-* Or his statutes|: This term, when it ftands in connection witli laws, as in this text, imports ceremonial inftitutions ; fuch as have no good- nefs iri them but what arifeth from their irirhV tuition . — ^Another fpecies of precepts, which conftituted this charge, are ftyied' his laws^j. * TCGiD. Grotius and Gherard imagine it imports fuch laws as are of natural, uhiverfal, and perpetual obliga* tion, in oppofition to fuch as are merely arbitrary, and temporary. But the Scripture life of both the term and its root determines it to fignify fuch con ftitu tions as are political, in families and commonwealths. Stock, apuct, vocem. f Tllpn. " The jnftitutions of ceremonial -worfliip sxe moft commonly exprefled by the name of Cpn (a word . of the fame -derivation with that in the text before us). The whole fyftem whereof is termed the- Ceremonial Lav/." Dr Owen on the Heb. Exercit. Vol. I. p. 275. $ THin fignifies aDOCTRiNE asw-ellasa constitution r.Aw, or fyftem of laws-: Such is its extenfive import. The connection, however, feems to limit it in this place xaito precepts of morality. The DISSERTATION III. 205- The original word is of extenfive Signification \ and, when it is claffed with ftatutes, &c. -as in the cafe before us, it is expreflive of moral precepts. Now, the connection between Abra ham's obedience and Ifaac's privileges may be expreffed to the following purpofe : " Seeing thy father received the fyftem 1 gave him with fhankfuliiefs, and kept it with fidelity himfelf, as well as tranfmitted it to his feed after him, in 'their generations,— it is fit his feed fhould declare their perfonal acceptance of it, and their refblution to keep it with purity, and tranfmit it with fidelity to the ages to come.* It is alfo agreeable to the covenant I made with Abraham and his feed, to fhew mercy un to thonSands of them who love me and keep my commajidments, as a gracious reward for their obedience." Inattention to this connection made Dr Gill imagine there was Something. a-w anting in the original text ; but, from this fketch, it is plain the text itfelf is perfect, and the fenfe every way complete. . . T shall now Subjoin a Reflection or two on -what hath been obServed. I, We may learn God's Sympathy towards his people in all their trials. He did not Suffer iSaac to be tried with fariiine without the com fort of the renovation of the promife. He did.not 2q6 DISSERTATION III. not fend him into exile,, on that account, with out the promife of his prefence in it. Nor will he Suffer any of his people to be tried be yond the meafure of ftrength which he confers upon them. He can eafily fit the moft timo rous faint for the greateft hardfliip ; and, by his grace, carry them through the greateft difficulty. 2. The feafon of divine manifeftations on • the one hand, and folemn engagements on the other, fhould be carefully obferved, and fuit- ably improved. The beauty of both privileges . and duties takes rife from the feafon of them : And there is no one thing at which the enemy of mankind fo much aims, as to make perfons make light of the feafon of both : As the pirate eives the keeneft chace unto the veflel which is moft richly laden. Let every one then ac knowledge, that both divine favours and du ties are moft beautiful in God's feafon. ;D 1 S S E R- DISSERTATION IV. ON JACOB'S C O VENANT. Gen. xxviii. 12 — 15. 18 — 22.. IN furveying this Tranfaction, I fliall — I. Confider the Character of fhe Parties Co venanting. — II. The Parts of the Cove nant. — -III. The Rites of. Confirmation. — IV. The -Occafions. — -Then conclude with an Infe rence or two fpom what is propofed. '• FIRST, I fliall confider the Character of the Parties Covenanting. 1 . The chief party in this tranfaction is the Great God our Saviour. He revealed himfelf to Jacob, at this time, in the following man ner: " I am ,the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the ,God, of Ifaac * ." This.decla- * Gen. xxviii. 13. - "ration so8 DISSERTATION IV. ration frorii the- mouth of God himfelf eould not but have a very cheering effect on Jacob's heart; as it taught him that he was already in the pofleflion of covenant-privileges, and under covenant-engagements unto the Lord : It alfo taught him to deal with God as a re conciled 'God, in covenant through Chrift. Were fuch an intimation made to many at this day, they would readily reply, they had no thing to do with the God of their fathers ;. nor did they acknowledge their receipt of any privileges, or the obligation of any duties by virtue of the covenant of their fathers: — They would aver, that they would not be bound un to the God of their fathers, nor by the cove nant of their fathers ! Kut that which is matter of great abhorrence at this day, was, by the grace and wifdom of God, of great comfort to Jacob at that time. This defcription alSor taught him, as it doth every member of the Church ftill, to confider the Angel of the Co-' venant as the Eternal Jehovah. " And the An gel of God fpake unto me in a dream, fayirtgr Jacob, and I faid, Here am I. And he faidy I am the God of Bethel, where thou anoint- edft the pillar, and where thou vowedft the vow." This meflage was too important to b# trufted to any inferior angel, .and the honour" too fublime to be conferred on any below the Great God. The majefty of Deity ftruck the patriarch with profound awe and reverence.: The meeknefs of the Mediator difpoSed unto holy DISSERTATION IV. 209 holy confidence and cheerfulnefs in dealing with himi v 2. The other party in this covenant is Ja cob, the younger fon of Ifaac. As there was - a Separation, of Ifaac from Ifhmael, fo there was a feparation of Jacob from Efau, in this tranfaction ; though the former was the young er, arid the latter die firft-born s There was not only an inward and eternal feparation in the purpofe of God; but alfo an outward fe paration, by the difpenfation of God's cove nant. There was a Struggle between thefe two perfons eVen before they were born, being twins ; which continued through the various Succeeding periods of their life : The younger took the firfhhorn by the heel in their mother's womb, arid afterwards tripped up his heels, by the purchafe of his birth-right, while they were yet young ; and likeways obtained the patri archal blefling before his father's death. ¦ Jacob obtained, from the impartial judge, the character of a plain man; yet he was guilty of moft egregious deceit, in fome parts of his conduct. Sovereign grace muft be glorified in delivering him, as well as Others, from in bred guile. This patriarch was alfo more Se verely tried than any of his ariceftors, in re fpect of the number of his trials at leaft ; but they were all necefSary to chaftife his deceit en the one hand, and to difplay the ftrength of -divine grace, dn Supporting him under them, * L> d on sio DISSERTATION IV. on the other. His trials, and his triumphs inY in like manner, -prefigured the-humiliation and exaltation of the Mefliah*; as well as the affliction and deliverances of, his myftical bo dy. Though it is plain, from many places of Scripture, that -Jacob fuftained a typical cha racter ; yet it is equally certain he was a ge nuine believer, and a real faint. Some lines of his character, which are for our imitation, will be afterwards confidered. This patii- arch, in one word, was favoured with a more numerous progeny than both his predeceflbrs : And none of his children, like fome of theirs; were eaft out of God's covenant. The- whole of his fons became heads of diftinguifhed fami lies in the Church of God. The promife made, then, unto Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, recei-; ved" an ample accomplifliment in the latter, as to, the literal import of it ; as it refpected the multiplication of dieir Seed : And the members of both the Old and New Teftament Churchi are called by his name, and reckoned to his fpi ritual offspring ; as well as unto the family of Abraham. The former is the father of the' praying and wre/uing, as the latter is of the! believing family ; and, ftrictly fpeaking, both are one : For the prayer of God's children is the prayer of faith. * The Gofpel meaning of this type is explained, Witf. Oecon- Feed. Lib. IV. cap. iii. i . T,n E facred hiftorian records this appear ance in the following terms; ''And behold a ladder fet upon the earth, and the top of li reached unto heaven :- and behold, the angels of God afcending and defcending on it. And behold, the Lord flood above it, and faid, I ?m the Lord God of Abraham thy father, ja»* the DISSERTATION IV. 221 the God of Ifaac *v" 1 fliall, at once, difmifs the various opinions which have been embraced. concerning this ladder, whether Jewifli or Chriftian. To me it -appears, t that it is meant to- repreSent the mediatory perSon of our Lord Jefus Chrift, he being both God and riian ; and the analogy is obvious in various things. Yea, the great Prophet of the Church himfelf 'af fords us a key for the proper underftandiilg of it : " Hereafter, ye fliall fee heaven open, and the angels of God afcending arid defcendirig 011 the Son of Man -f ."— The extremities of ¦ * Gen. xxviii. 12. 13. , f John i. j-i . " Jacob faw a ladder fet upon the earth, and the top of it reaching unto heaven : This ladder was an emblem of Chrift, who is called " the way, the truth, and the life," John xiv. 6. And he is the mediator be tween God and man, through whom we approach ttnto God. Chrift, the Son of God, like Jacob's ladder, was fet upon the earth in his incarnation, and birth at Beth lehem ;"and the top of it reached to heaven in his deity and divine nature. Thus, when he was upon the earth, he affirmed of himfelf, £hat he was likeways in heaven ; "No man hath afcended to heaven, but the Son of Man who came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who js in heaven." The ladder, with the foot of it upon th© earth, and the top of it in heaven at the fame time, was an emblem of Chrift in his perfon, God-man, 1 Tim. iii. 16. Heaven and earth are brought together through Chrift's mediation : And there is an union, by lam, be-. twixt God and man ; an union of peace and reconcilia tion, an union of friendfhip, an union of end and de- fign. And, through him, there is a blefled intercourse" and communion- between heaven and earth ; for, thro' him,, by one Spirit, we have accefs to the Father,- and CQ1UQ 222 DISSERTATION IV. of this ladder exhibited the two natures of our Redeemer, the divine and human: Thefe ex tremes meet in his' mediatorial perfon. The foot of the ladder figured out his humanity to Spring of the feed of Jacob ; and die top of it his divinity, which is with the Father in hea ven. Thus, the days-man was fit to lay his hand upon both the parties, between whom he mediated, even God and man, as he partook of the nature of bodi and was allied to each. The pofition of this ladder points out the divine cOndefceiifioii of both the Father and the Son : It was set upon the earth. If come to God the judge of all ; and, through him, we belieVe'in God, who raifed him from the dead and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God : and we have boldnefs to enter into the holieft of all by the blood of .Jefus, through the new arid living way which he hath confecratcd for us, through the vail of his flefh. This ladder is fixed faft in the earth in his fatis- faction on the crofs, in his death,, and deep humiliation; and the top of it is fixed faft in heaven in his exaltation, afcenfion, and interceffion within the vail. And it is a vi ay, and a ladder,, for the inhabitants of the earth : The foot of it is not fet in hell for the fallen angels; no, there is a great and unpaflkble gulf betwixt heaven and that place of feparation from God : But the foot of it is fet upon the earth for the fons of men ; and every man, young and old, who hears this everlafting gofpel, is invited, called, andwarranted to" come, through Chrift, who is the Way, the truth, and the life. There is no cherubim, nor flaming fwordto obftrmflyour accefs ; but - the Spirit and the Bfide fay, come ; and let him that heareth fay come ; and whofoever will, let him come and take the Water of Life freely." Mokcrieff's .Works, Vol. I. p. 177, 178, the DISSERTATION IV. 223 the Father had not fent, and if the Son had not come all our length, none of all the guilty fa mily could ever have mounted up to heaven-— they could never rife one ftep heaveri-ward of themfelves. Its pofition is alfo expreflive of the Sovereignty of divine grace : Thcfoot of it is not fet in hell, for the relief of fallen angels ; for, verily, he took not on him the nature of angels. — ^-The unity, extent, and perfec tion of this ladder, reprefent the union of the mediator's perfori,, the extent of his mediation, and the perfection of his righteoufhefs. The top and foot of this ladder made only one ; attd the divine and humari natures conftitute but one perfon. By the work accomplifhed in coiifequthce of this union, God and man, Who were at variance, are made one. Nor is there any neceffity to add the righteoufhefs of any mere creature unto Chrift's fatisfaction, as another ftep to this wonderful ladder: Truly, no ; God can now come unto us, in the fulleft confiftency with his holineSs ; and man may draw near to God, in the Sulleft aflurance of faith: Through him We both have an accefs, by one Spirit, unto the Father. —The use of this ladder : This ladder exhibits the mini- ftry of angels to the heirs of falvation : Be hold The angels of God ascending and descending on it 1 Through Chrift they afcend, to account tor their miniftrations, and to receive inftructions : They defcend. to dis charge their -truft in the fervice of the militant Church. *"*4 DISSERTATION -tVA' Church. The angel of the Lord encamps, and round encompaheth them who fear him. What though Efau come againft Jacob with tout hundred men, if he is furrounded with God's - HOSTS ? It has been objected againft the applica-r tion of this ladder to Chrift, to the following purport': " the Lord who flood above this ladder is the Angel of the Covenant : , But it is abfurd to fuppofe the Son of God flood above the ladder, and yet was-, at the fame time re- prefentedby it*." It may be replied, There is .no impropriety in the Mediator's giving fymbolical reprefentations of himfelf; for i,t is undeniably certain, that Chrift gave the law of ceremonies to Mofes ; and equally certains that the ceremonies prefigured their author. Now, If he might inftitute types of himfelf, why might he not make a fymbolical repre sentation of himfelf upon the minds of the pa triarchs in like manner "f" . 2. The other Solemnity for confirmation of this covenant, is, the monument which JacohV' erected to perpetuate the memory of it. Says Mofes,. " And Jacob took a ftone that he had put for his pillow, and fet it up for a pillar, * Pet, du Bofc. Append, iii. ad -vitam ejus, Edit. Ro« fcerdam. 1694. f For a further folution of this difficulty, vide Witf- Meleteinata Leiden, p. 255, 256. , k and DISSERTATION IV. 225 poured oil upon the top of it. And lie tailed the name of the place Bethel." - He tobk the ftone which J?? had put for his pillow, and Set it up for a pillar. There is a manifeft difference between letting up a ftone as a ftatue to be worfliipped, and ats a memo rial of paft tranfactions* The former is ex- prefsly prohibited *; the latter practifed with divine approbation j" . The ftone which Ja cob Set tip was for commemoration and ob lation. By it he meant to commemorate not only his hardfhip, which, compared with his deliverance, could not fail to infpire with gra titude ; but alfo God's gracious promife on the one hand", and his folemn vow on the other* This pillar was alfb erected for an altar unto the Lord ; and a drink-offering was, probably, offered on it at this time, as were, perhaps, burnt-offerings; but, certainly j drink-offerings afterwards : " And Jacob fet up a pillar in the- place where God talked with him, even a pil lar of ftone ; and he poured a drink-offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon^/' The ftone which Jacob fet up then was a figure of Jefus Chrift, the precious ftone — the New Teftament altar. < — — He poured oil on the top of it* This rule will be better underftood by comparing it with the confecration of the al tar of burnt-offering: " It fliall be an anoint- * Leyit. xxvi. r. f Jofh. iv. 2 — 9. xxiv. a< '$ Gen. xxxv. 14. "* : Ff in g 226 DISSERTATION IV, ing oil. And thou flialt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith. -*-And the altar, of burnt-offering, with all his veflels *." The anointing this ftone, then, is a farther proofs that it was meant to prefigure Chrift, the true altar, who was Sanctified and fet apart unto this purpofe, by the anointing Of the Holy Ghoft above measure. 3. Jacob, as a further proof of his grati tude, changed the name of the place. He called the name of the place Bethel: That is, The Houfe of God. Formerly God's pre fence was in the houfe of Ifaac, and there it continued ftill : But Jacob is now an exile from that houfe. Fellowflrip and communion with the living God, however, makes any place the houfe of God, and the gate of heaven. FOURTHLY, It was propofed in the next place, to confider the Occasions, of this Co venant . 1 . It was made after Ifaac, like his father Abraham, had diffenibled, if not denied his marriage. The fear of man was a fiiare unto both. And as covenant-renovation was ren dered rieceflary by the fall of the former, fo alfo by that of the. latter. * Exod. xxx. 25 — 28. Vide Walther. Harmon._? Bi-- blic. p. 1 JQ. 2. Jacob DISSERTATION IV. 227 2. Jacob had, by fraudulent means, ob tained Efau's birth-right. Here it might be ^enquired, — 1. What are the prerogatives of' primogeniture ? — And, 2. How far Jacob ob tained them by unlawful means ? I. "What were the prerogatives of primo geniture among the Ifraelites ? And, firft, From the deftruction of Egypt's firft-born,. un'to the inftitution of the Aaronical priefthood, the prieft's office was a prerogative of it. Some Chriftian divines, incompliance with the Rab bins, reckon that the priefthood- belonged al ways unto the dignity of the firft-born; but, from the beginning, it was not fo. The firft- born of Ifrael were confecrated to God imme diately after they came out of Egypt; and were, probably, ftyied Priefts * prior to the gi ving of the law ; as they were, certainly, ex changed for the Levites to fill that office af terwards :£-. But it does not appear'that the priefthood was any part of the prerogative which Efau fold at this time. Secondly, A double portion of the paternal inheritance was likeways a prerogative of the firft-born in If rael :.. Hence, when Jacob took the right of "primogeniture from Reuberi, he gave the in heritance to Jofeph. In the cafe before us, the inheritance which Abraham and Ifaac en joyed was nothing more than a fmall parcel * Exod. xix. 22. • f Numb. iii. throughout. Ff 2 v of 228 DISSERTATION IV. of ground which Abraham bought for a burial- place ; but they had all the larid of Canaan in promife. Both were difpofed of by Efau. Thirdly, The rights of the firft-born fee ni to have included rule, at leaft while the fons of a family dwelt together ; Said God to* Cain, " If thou doeft well, unto thee fhall be his (namely Abel's) defire ; and thou flialt rule over him." When thefe rights were transfer red, in prophecy, from Efau unto Jacob, rule, or government was not omitted. The elder fliall ferve the younger. The right toc the; inagiftracy, however, in large fbcieties at leaft, was conferred by election*. Finally, What ever might be reckoned among the rights of primogeniture, in ancient times, thofe pur- chaSed by Jacob certainly included Spiritual privi leges : Such as, Succeeding, at his father's de- ceafe, to enjoyment of covenant privileges and promifes, and the paternal benediction : Hence Jacob was taken into covenant with God in preference to Efau, as was Ifaac in preference to Ifhmael, That fpecial privileges Were in cluded in the birth-right, at this time, is evi dent from the Apoftle's ufing birth-right and blefling as fyiionymous ; and alfo, from the cenfure paffed on Efau for felling it. He ftyl- eth him a profane person j-; but he could never be ftyied profane for parting with privi leges merely temporal. * See Locke, and Algernoon Sidney, on Government!. : (- Heb. xii. 16, 17, II, Should DISSERTATION IV. 529 II. Should it be enquired, How far Jacob .obtained this birth-right by unlawful means ? It may be anfwered, He was certainly culpable in tempting his brother to profanity ; as well - as Ifeing inftrumental in promoting his profane courfe *. The renovation of the promife, after fuch a fall; taught Jacob, that, as he did Tiot merit his election by his own goodnefs ; fo neither could he fruftrate it by his fraud and wickednefs. 3. It obtained after Jacob had fhared.in thofe trials to which Ifaac's family had been ex- pofed in the land of the Philiftines. Before' this famine, Jacob had finned, in giving food to his brother for his birth-ri o-ht : for which he was chaftifed by the want of food, but en abled to bear it by virtue of that covenant in to which he entered with his father Ifaac. 4. This ^tranfaction obtained after. Jacob had impofed on his father to obtain his blefling, and had actually been bleffed by'hirii. The patriarchal benediction was prophetical ; and iSaac's was. an illuftribus prophecy of what fhould befal his fons in the latter days. It was the Will of God, that Jacob fliould have the blef- fing ; for he had forewarned his mother, that the elder fliould ferve the younger: But'Re- bekah and Jacob were fo far from trufting to * Heidegger Hift. Patriarch. Toin. II. Thef. viii. that 230 DISSERTATION IV. that promife, as they ought, and from put ting Ifaac in mind of it, when he fhewed a partial fondnefs for Efau, that they betook themfelves unto the arts of fraud and impo- fture. 5. This tranfaction obtained juft after Ja cob had efcaped the rage of his difappointed brother ; and when he was'on a hazardous jour ney unto a fraudulent uncle. As, he efcaped the firft, it became him to be thankful; as he was ftill expofed to the laft, he much needed a frefh proof of God's goodnefs, to prepare him for it, and Support him under it. 6. Once more, This covenant obtained one hundred and fixty-two years after the family of his grandfather had been taken into cove- nant with God, and feparated to be the an-' ceftor of the MefSiah. Fifty years after that covenant which is the fubject of the -foregoing differtation. Near one hundred and forty of thofe four hundred years; in whicli the Seed of Abraham were afflicted and ftrangers, had now elapfed : Covenant-renovation was neccflary at this time, then, as an encouragement to the afflicted; and alSo, as Ifaac, die head of the covenanting family, was greatly advanced in years, and the vigour of his natural faculties impaired accordingly. LASTLY, DISSERTATION IV, 2$i LASTLY, I fhall conclude this Dihertation •Vvith a few Reflections on the whole, I. This fubject affords a noble directory for 'explicit and folemn Covenanting. Ja cob turned God's promifes into holy refolutions, and foleriin profeffions ; and he engaged to improve them to all holy obedience. This tranfae~tion. affords an idea of vowing and co venanting, _vaftly different from fome modern theories of it : It teacheth us to confider this duty as referring unto divine promifes, and ar ticles of faith, as well as unto precepts ; — as including engagements unto fuch duties as are necefSary and riioral, as well as thofe which were arbitrary and ritual : Whereas, the mo dern theory Seems to confine it to thoSe things which are purely indifferent, or ceremonial. This vow of Jacob's teacheth us, that our en-^ gagenients fhould include neither lefs nor more than God hath promifed and enjoined. Nor was a famous Chriftian Council otherways minded : They enacted, That " no one thing is rightly vowed to God, unlefs we have re ceived it from his hand ; feeing all things which are~offered.to him are his own free gift*." 2. Solemn vows fhould be carefully remem- bered,that they maybe faithfully performed, and * The Council of Orange, -quoted by Calvin, Inftitut. Lib. IV. cap. xiii. § .3. fuitably 132 DISSERTATION iv; fuitably improved. Jacob not only vowed, but alfb fet up a memorial of his vow : And God afterwards renewed his Bethel vifits, and Bethel promifes, on the one hand ; while Jacob remembered, and fulfilled his engagements on the other. The vows of many, alas ! are for gotten almoft as foon as they are made : But, where the Spirit brings them to remembrance, their Salutary fruits; will be found many days hence. DISSER- DISSERTATION V, ON THE SINAI COVENANT. PART „L Exod. xix. -xxivi $*- AS this is one of the moft ftuperidious and auguft fcenes that was ever open ed oil the ftage of this world, we have much need to exercife an humble depen dence on the Father of Lights, when we con template it. It is not our purpofe to examine the various hypothefifcs whicli have been in- Vented on this fubject ; nor exhibit the foun dations on wluch they have, been eftablifhed, farther than the confideration of thefe things may be requifite for the declaration and con firmation of the Tr,uth. That we may avoid that which has been fo fatal to others, we fhalkr-^-I. Shew who are the * G g , Parties 234 DISSERTATION V. Part r. Parties in this tranfaction. — II. What are the Contents of it. — Hi. How it was Confirmed. — IV. What pave Occafion to it. — After whicli Subjoin a few Reflections on the whole. FIRST, I am to fhew who are the Parties Covenanting. They are, Jehovah the Son of God, and Mofes, with all Ifrael reprefented by him. Concerning the Great Author of this Tranfaction, I may obferve, ; i i . Though the right of legiflation belongs. unto God, effentially confidered ; yet, the pub lication of the divine laws was executed by the Son, as the Prophet and King of the Old Teftament Church. No one of the Sacred Three are excluded, indeed; but : the Son muft be chiefly intended ; feeing this grand legiflation, and fcederal tranfaction with Ifrael was a part of the execution of his Mediatorial office. This appears from various teftimonies, efpecially' from the writers of the New Teftament. Ste phen ftyles this Lawgiver the Angel, as well as the Lord God of Abraham, &c. " I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob." - — " The angel who fpake with him (viz. Mo-. Ses) in the mount Sinai *.";'¦; The glorious fpeaker is the Moft High God, whofe name a- lone is Jehovah the Son; for it is competent * Acts yU. 32. compared with verfe 38. unto Part i. DISSERTATION V. 235- unto him alone to be denominated the An- g e l. The Pfalmift and the Apoftle afford their joint fiiffrage, likewife, in this matter : Said the former, " O God, when thou went eft forth be fore thy people, when thou didft march through the wildernefs; Selah : The earth fhook, the heavens alfo dropped at the prefence of God ; even Sinai itfelf was moved at the prefence of God, the God of Ifrael."— " The chariots of God are twenty thoufand, even thoufaiids of angels : The Lord is among them as 'in Siriai, in the holy place. Thou haft afc ended on high, thou haft led captivity captive : Thou haft received gifts for men; yea, for the re bellious alfo, that the Lord God might dwell among them ." Andthe latter explains it thus : " But unto every one of us is given grace, ac cording to the meafure of the gift of Chrift. "Wherefore he faith, •When he afcended up 011 high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men *." Moreover, the Apoftle declares, that *- Pfal. lxviii. 7, 8. and verfes 17, 18. compared with Ephef. iv. 7, 8. The texts have been compared and ex plained by Zanchius de Tribus Elohim, p. 34, 35, and 39. Dr Owen confiders this as one of the moft auguft .appearances of the Son of God under that difpenfation. Mr Abraham Taylor as an irrefragable proof of the fu- preme' Deity of the Son : On the Trinity, p. 219.— A certain clafs of>atithors, I acknowledge, give a very diffe rent account of this party : They' reprefent him as " act ing merely as a temporal prince, giving laws rather in tended to'direiil.the outward coaduet than to regulate -the actings of the heart," Dr Erfkine's Diflertaticns, p. 5. The fame author likeways avers, " God, as huf- w r band 256 DISSERTATION V. Paut r. that it was Chrift's voice who fliook the earth from Sinai : " See that ye refufe not him that fpeaketh : For if they efcaped not who refufed him who fpake on earth ; much more fhall not we efcape if we turn away from him that fpeaketh from heaven: whofe voice fliook the earth." 2. The place in whicli, this glorious perfonr covenanted with Ifrael was Sinai ; or Horeb, in Arabia Petrea. Some conceive this moun tain had two tops ; the one lower, called Ho reb ; the other higher, called Sinai. Again* others think it more probable, that Horeb was the name of the wildernefs, and Sinai of a mountain which ftands in it : They reckon, Sinai is expreSsly Said to be the name of the .mountain ; as when Mofes declares, that." mount Sinai was altogether on a fhioke :" And, " the Lord came down on mount Sinai." And, as; for thofe places where Horeb feems to be ftyi ed a mountaiiiJ as well as Sinai, the words will bear to be rendered the mount of God in II ores *: That is, In the wildernefs of Horeb,- According to this view, Ifrael abode in the wildernefs of Horeb, at the foot of mount Si* band of the gofpel church, claims from his people in-. ward affection and love, and accepts them only who*' worfliip him in Spirit and in Truth.- In the Mofaic Co venant it was otherways!" But this- account can never- comport with Dent, v, 28, '29. * Dr Owen's Exercit. Vol. I. p. 270. nav Part j. DISSERTATION V. 237 nai, while the Law was announced to them from the top of it. Whatever be in thefe things, the names Of the places themfelves feem to be fignificative : Horeb denotes dry .and parched ; and this was a parched land indeed, — a land where there was no water. ' Sinai imports a bush, or Thorns : As thorns were the effect of the curfe,-tb it was a fit place for announcing the curfe againft every pre- fumptuous tranfgreflbr. Horeb was the moft horrid defart, and Sinai the moft rugged moun tain in that folitude. Thus, the place added greatly to the horror of the.fcene. - " ¦ . . ^ "3. The manner of his appearance was fuit- ed to his work, as the Jewifli lawgiver. It was. expreflive of his divine majeft'y as the Son of God. He was attended with the moft fplen did retinue: The armies- of heaven followed him. Hence, this legiflation is ftyied t,he word spoken by angels. Angels did not aflume the authority of lawgivers, indeed ; but were glad to be made the inftruments by which the Son of God fhewed forth his glory; and waited, with. humble cheerfulftefs, on his fer vice. Both the number and office of the hea venly legions were a fignal" illuftratiori of his majefty: ".The chariots of God are twenty thoufand, even thoufands of angels : the Lord is among them as in Sinai." As they announ ced the honour of the lawgiver, fb they alfo proclaimed die exeellence of the law : Said Paul, ^38 DISSERTATION V. Part i. Paul, "¦_ The Law was ordmhed by angels in the hand of a Mediator." And Stephen ex actly coincides -with him in the fame fentiment : ** Who received die law by the difpofition of angels *." The miniftry of thefe glorious fpi rits is expreffed in both texts, in the original, by one and the fame term- It is not meant of a magifterial ordination : for it cannot con fift with the legiflative authority," and peculiar Lordlhip of the Great God, to fuppofe that he divided it, even with angels of the higheft or der. So far as 1 can judge, it feems to de note their inftrumentality in raifing the fire and- the fmoke, and the found of the trumpet. Some '* alfb conceive, they formed the articulate voice by which the ten commandments were convey ed to the ears of the people. But the voice which pronounced the Words of the Law was certainly the voic'e of God himfelf: " God fpake all thefe words faying," &c. The infe rior orders of creatures acknowledged, in their manner, his dreadful majefty and glory. Hence, when facred writers would reprefent the glory of the Deity, in the moft lofty ftrains, they, borrow their colouring from this auguft ap pearance -f- Oftner than once has the Pfalmift that ; * Gal. iii. 19, and Acts' vii. 5-3. t " Ejufdem eft cum fuperioribus generis, is quern ex " iiis locis communibus poftreuium afFeram, Dei in mon- *' tern Sinam Defcenfus. Ubi defcribitur Adventus Dei " ad Part r. DISSERTATION V. 2-39 that power which moved the inanimate crea tion on that grand occafion, in the moft fub lime meafures : " Then the earth fliook and trembled ; the foundations of the hills moved, and were fliaken." — " There went up a Smoke out of his noftrils, and fire out of his mouth' devoured : and coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens alfo and came down : and darknefs was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly- yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made dark nefs his fecret place ; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the fkies. At the brightnefs that was before him. his thick clouds paffed ; hail ftones and coals; of fire. The Lord alfo thundered in the hea vens, and the Higheft gave his voice ; hahV ftones and coals of fire*." Again, the fame royal infpired pen delineates this auguft Scene in the following terms : ".O God, when thou wenteft forth before thy people, when thou didft march through the wildernefs; Selah : The earth fhook, the heavens alfo dropped at the prefence of God : even Sinai itfelf was mo ved at the prefence of God, the God of If-. " ad exerGendum Judicium ; ad libera-ndos pias,ad ex- " cidendos hoftes^ vel potentia Dei quocunque modo fefe " exhibens ; ex augufto ill.o horribilique Sinre -apparata " fcena in inftruitur. His nihil frequentius, nihil gran- " dius," Lowth (the prefent Bifliop of -London) de Sa cra poeft Heb. edit. alt. 1762. p. no. - i *. Pfal. xviii. 7 — 13. raeL" I40 DISSERTATION V. Pai\t I, rael*." Once' more, " Wheri Ifrael went oiit of Egypt." — -"¦ The mountains fkipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. _ What ailed you, O ye mountains, that ye fkipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Treinble, thou earth, at the, prefence of the Lord, at the prefence of the God of Jacob'f-." To thefe we may fubjoin Habakkuk's fketch of this appearace : " His glory covered the hea ven's, and the earth was full of his praife."— - " His brightnefs was as the light ;"— " the everlafting mountains were fcattered,. the per petual hills did bow : his ways are everlafting.'' — " The mountains faw thee, and, they trem bled i" Paul draws a profe deScription of this Scene Sar fuperior, in Simplicity and grandeur, unto the loftieft ftrains of heathen poefy i " The mount that burned with fire, the black* nefs of darkneSs, and tempeft, and the Sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words :" — " And fo teiTible was the fight, that Mofes faid, I exceedingly fear and quake §." Thefe things are a lively comment on the Mofaic hiflory: *' There were thunders and hVhtnhlgs, and a' thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice, of the trumpet exceeding loud." — " And Mofis brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God ; and they flood at the nether part of the* mount. And mount Sinai was. al-. * Pfal. lxviii. 7. 8. f Pfal. cxiv. .1, 4, 6, 7. } Ilabak. iii. 3, 4, 6, 10. § - Hlb. xii. 18. 19. 21. together Parti* DISSERTATION V. 241 .together on a fmoke, becaufe the. Lord de scended upon it in fire : and the fmoke there- , of afcended as the fmoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the Voice of the trumpet founded long, and wax ed louder and louder, Mofes fpake, and God anfwered *." How grand the preparation ! — - How * Exod. xix. t6 — 19. As infpired, fo likeways unin spired poets have been obKged to this fcene for image ry. Witneft Milton and Dr Yolmg : ' • -*' Forth rufh'd with whirlwind found .The chariot of Paternal Deity, Flaming thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, Itfelf inftin A with fpirit, ..but. convoy 'd By four cherubic fliapes ; four faces each Had wondrous ; as with ftars their bodies all, And wings were fet with eyes, with eyes the wheels Of beryl, aiid careering fires between ; Over their heads a cryftal firmament," Whereon a fapphire throne, inlaid with pure * Amber, 'and colours of the ftiOW'ry arch, He, in celeftial panoply all arm'd Of radiant Urim, work divinely Wrought, Afcended : * At his right hand VicTrory Sat eagle-wing' d ; befide him hung his bow, And quiver with three-bolted thunder ftor^d,; And from about him fierce effufion roll'd Of fmoke, and bick'ring flame, and fparkles dive. Attended with^ten thoufand thoufand faints, ^ *, He onward came ; far off his coining fhone ; And twenty thoufand (1 their number heard) Chariots of God, half on each hand, were feen* He on the wings of cherub rode fublime On the cryftaline fky, in fapphire thron'd, Illufti-ious far and wide."- Parad. Lost B. VI. S I56. . *.. Hh « toud 242 DISSERTATION V. Part f, How aftonilhing the phcenomena ! The hea vens bow before their maker 1 The forky light nings play around the mountain's towering topi The flafhes of fire purfue each other with in* conceiveable rapidity ! The thunder claps are more and more ingeminated ! The clangor of the 'trumpet,' the terrible emblem of the arch angel's final blaft, waxeth louder and louder ! The tremendous note wounds nature's trem- blino- ear ! Heaven oToans beneath the dread- ful Weight ! Earth trembles to its very centre! Stubborn Sinai quakes to its lb weft bafe ! The blacknefs of darknefs, and mountains of fmoke add unto the horror of the day! Well might Mofes exclaim, " I exceedingly fear and quake ." Shall the inanimate creation tremble at the jri- ving of the Law, and fhall not finners tremble at the breaking of it? Yes, verily; either in, filial fear, while here ; or before a judgement- feat, hereafter. In fine, the horror of the for mer exhibits that of the latter : As the Son of God manifefted his Olory at the giving of the law ; fo he will appear in his own glort, " Loud peals of Thunder give the Sign, and all - Heav'n's Terrors in array furroimd'the ball; ' Sharp lightnings with the meteors bla?e con,fpire, . . , - ¦'"-. And darted downward fet the world on fire ; Black rifing clouds the thicken'd sether choke, And fpiry fiajnes fhoot thro' the rolling fmoke." Last Day, Book III. ^ arid Part i. DISSERTATION V. 243 and his Father's when he comes to enquire how men have kept it *. The other - Party is Mo s E s , and all Ifrael reprefented by him. Here I may obferve, 1. Moses, flood in the capacity of a repre sentative, or mediator. He Was conftituted Ifrael's * " Here was the" lightning darted in. their eyes, the thunders roaring in their ears, the trumpet of God drowning the thunder-claps, the voice of Godout-fpeak- ing the trumpet of the angel ; the cloud enwrapping, the fmoke attending, the fire flaming, the mount trembling, Mofes climbing and quaking, palenefs arid death in the- "face of Ifrael, uproar in the elements, and all the glory of heaven turned into terror. In the deftruction of the firft world, there was clouds without fire,: In the de- ftrucKon of Sodom, there was fire.raining without clouds; ' but here was fire, fmoke, clouds, thunder, earthquakes, and whatsoever might work more aftoniihmeut, than e- ver was in any vengeance inflicted.— —And if the Law were thus given, how- fhall it be required ? If fuch were the proclamation of God's ftatutes, what fhall the fef- lions be ? I fee, and tremble at the refemblance.:; The trumpet of the angel called, unto the one : The, voice of. an arch-angel, the trumpet of God, fhall fummon us to the other. To the one, Mofes (that climbed up' that hill, and alone law it) fays, God came with ten tho.tt- farid of his faints ; in the other, thoufand thoufand s fhall minifter to him, and ten thoufand thoufatids fhall ftand before him . In the one, mount Sinai only was in a flame ; all the world fhall be fo in the other : In the one, . there was fire, fmoke, thunder, and lightning ; in the pother, a fiery ftream fliall ifliie from him, wherewith the heavens fhall be diflblved, and the elements fhall melt a-- waywith a noife. . O God, how powerful art thou to Hh 2 inflict 244 DISSERTATION V. Part i, Ifrael's repre tentative by a fpecial mandate from heaven for that effect : " The Lord call ed to him' (viz. Mofes) out of the mount, fay ing, Thus flialt thou fay to the houfe of Jacob, and tell the children of Ifrael," Sec. " Thefe are the: words which thou flialt fpeak unto the chil dren of Ifrael. And Mofes came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all thefe words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people anfwer ed together, and faid, AH that the Lord hath fpoken we will do. And Mofes returned the words of the people unto the Lord. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Lo, I. come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I, fpeak with thee, and believe thee for ever *." And immediately before giving the ten. commandments, by the voice of God from Si-; nai, his commiflion is renewed : " And thou flialt come up, thou and Aaron with thee : but; inflict vengeance upon finners, who didft thus forbid fin t And, if thou wert fo terrible a lawgiver, what a judge fhalt thou appear ? What fhall become of the breakers of fb fiery a law ? Oh, Where fhall thofe appear that arp guilt j, of the tranfgrefling that law, whofe very deliver ry was little lefs than death ! If our God fhould exact his law but in the fame rigor wherein he gave it, fin coidd not quit the coft : But now the fire wherein it was de livered, was but terrifying ; the fire wherein it fhall be required, is confuming. Happy are thofe that are from' under the terrors of that law, which was given in fire* and in fire fhall be required." Hall's Costemp. BookV^ * Exod. xix. 3, 6 — 9. lee P^rt i. DISSERTATION V. 24y let not the priefts, nor the people, break through, to cbme up unto the Lord, left he "break forth upon them*." Thus he was au- thorifed to draw near to God in the room of the people, as well as to deal with the people in the name of the Lord. 2. God confider s Ifrael, in this-. tranfaction, as already a covenanted seed. This is evi dent from the account which he gives of them himfelf, when he called them unto this duty - " Thus flialt thou fay unto the houfe of Jacob, and tell the children of Ifrael," Sec. They had dedicated themfelves to God, and taken Ifrael's God for their God, hi the loins of their father Jacob. This is equally certain from the rela tive character "by which God made himfelf known in this tranfaction : He revealed him-> felf hi the very fame - character by which he was known to Mofes at the Bufh ; there he en gaged to meet with Mofes, and all Ifrael, at this mount: " Certainly I will be with thee ; and this fhall be a token unto thee; when thou haft brought forth the people out of E- gypt, ye fliall ferve God on this mountain "f"." Now, the gracious accomplifher of this promife was no other than " the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob." And God, who beft knows his own defigns, declares, ,'r that this tranfaction was a renovation and ad- * Exod. xix. 24. f Exod. iii. 12. See alfb verfe 6. vancement 246 DISSERTATION V. Part I. varicemeiitof a covenant already made. Hence, when Mofes preached to the congregation of Ifrael on this covenant, Under the infallible direction of the Spirit, he declared the Sinai tranfaction to be . a profecution of the Abra- hamic covenant: " Becaufe. the Lord loved you, and becaufe he would keep the oath which he had fworn unto your fathers." — -" Know, therefore, that the Lord, thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with_them that love him, and keep his commandments, to a thoufand generations. Thou flialt, therefore, keep the commandments and the ftatutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Where fore, it fliall come to pafs, if ye hearken to thefe judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord, thy God, shall keep unto thee- the covenant, and the mercy, WHICH HE SWARE UNTO THY FATHERS *.") I fliall only add, That this congregation muft^ be confidered as already "in covenant with God, as the members of it were circumcifed. They .muft certainly be in covenant with God, in point of external privileges at leaft, who, bear the feal of it : That circumcifion was a feal of the covenant of their anceftors is evi dent from the very inftitution of it : That this people were circumcifed is equally certain, from the exprefs teftimony of the Holy Ghoft : " All * Dent. vii. 8, 9. and 11, 12. the Part i. DISSERTATION' V. 24? the people that came but of Egypt that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wildernefs by the way, after they came out of Egypt. Now, all the people that came out were circumcised*." Circumcifioijr though inftituted long prior to the giving of the law, bourid unto the obfervation of all the precepts of it ; as the circumcifed perfon took the Lord God of Abraham for his God, ;refigning him felf unto his will, as to all that he fhould en join, as well as all that he had already com manded. Hence; faid Paul, He that is cir cumcifed is become a debtor to do the whole Law. ^ 3. The Congregation of Ifrael flood in the capacity of a vifible church, when they renew ed. their covenant at this, time : Hence, they received fuch ordinances as belonged unto her in a vifible ftate. This vifible church has, ac cordingly, been ftyied, with great propriety, the Church of- the Circumcision ; cir cumcifion being the. badge of vifible member- fhip in her. Nor does it alte* the cafe, that circumcifion was given unto the patriarchal church ; for this and the Mofaic one were, materially, one and the fame, though fhe un derwent a fignal change, as to her form, at Sinai ; being changed from a domeftic unto a national ftate, But this change will be no- * Jofh: v. 4, s. ticed 548 DISSERTATION V. Part 1, ticed when we confider the occafions of this covenant. 4. The Church of the Circumcifion was, in one refpect,' a typical, arid, in another re fpect, a fpiritual church. She was a fpiri'tttafi church, as diftinguiflled from a typical one ; in as much as fhe made a profeflion of faith in fpiritual promifes, and of obedience unto fpi ritual precepts. That the promifes and pre cepts which belonged to her were of this kind will be afterwards manifefted, when we confi der the matter of this covenant. — This church* was typical of our Lord Jefus Chrift, in refpect of the circumcifion of her members. The fliedding of blood, in that bloody, ordi nance, prefigured the fliedding of his moft pre cious blood. She was alfo typical, as fhe was obliged to celebrate various ordinances, typi^ tal of his facrifice and atonement.. Their ob ligations reprefented his furety-engagements. Their engagements to provide a fin-offering; prefigured his to make his. foul an offering for fin. In the ariftitype, indeed, the prieft and the facrifice Were one ; but in the type they were different. This church was alfo typi-;: cal of Chrift perfonal, as fhe, like him, was called out of Egypt. Hence the oracle given out by Hofea, " When Ifrael was a child, I called my Son out of Egypt*," had not only * Hof. xi. 1. a re- ' Part i. DISSERTATION V. 249 a retrofpect unto Ifrael's deliverance, prior to this tranfaction; but alfo a profpect , as far foreward as the days of the Mefliah. Accord ingly, thoiigh Hofea feems to mean this con gregation ; yet he alfo intended the Mefliah, as Matthew exprefsly intimates : " And he was there (viz. in Egypt) until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was fpoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, Out of E- gypt have I Called my fon*." .* JT. Among the perfons who eonftituted this vifible church there were fome who covenant ed in a gracious and fpiritual manner ; fome among the many thoufands of Ifrael were If- .raelites indeed. It was far otherways with many of them ;- but we have reafon to believe there were A few who devoted themfelves to God with all their hearts : Aaron was the faint of God, Caleb and. Jofliua were men of a fpi rit oppofite to unbelief, — ¦men of a different fpi rit from the reft of the fpies. Though the church was very corrupt in Egypt, yet God re« fervedunto himfelf a feed ; and it is reafon- able to think, that the fermons, riieflages, and miracles of Mofes were blefled to gather others unto himfelf, befides thofe who had been al ready gathered. I doubt if it be confiftent with the faithfulnefs of pod" to covenant with * Matth. ii, ix. Vide Dub. EvangeL Spanheim in, Lop. cum Hof. I i $1 people 2ya DISSERTATION V. Part I. a people where the promifes are effectual upon none of them. 6. Many who covenanted with God at this time didrit only in a carnal and legal manner. Though they were the feed of Jacob in name, yet they were not Ifraelites indeed : The great er part of the congregation were of this ft amp; The Spirit of God characterizeth them a ftub- born and rebellious generation, — a generation that fet not their heart aright, and whofe fpi rit was not ftedf aft with God..- Their profef- fions of faith and obedience were liberal and! ready ; but integrity of heart was much want ed. Said the righteous judge, " They have well fpoken all that they have faid : O that* there were fuch an heart in them." Many were called at this time, but few chofen. Should it be enquired, Wherefore did God covenant with a people the greater part of whom were legal and infincere ? It may be an fwered, So it feemed good in' his fight. Two other reafons, however, may be afligned : Firft, Many real believers were in their loins,; and it was agreeable to the will of God, that that generation fliould enjoy the benefit of a religi ous education. Accordingly, God fb over-ruled^ matters, that thefe legal covenanters were the inftruments of training up a race better than themfelves : " He eftablilhed a teftimony in Ja cob, and appointed a law in Ifrael, which he commanded our fathers that they fliould make • ¦-. ' " tliera Part i. DISSERTATION. V. 251 them known to 'their children: That the ge neration to come might know them, even the children which fliould be born ; who fliould a- rife and declare them unto their childmjn: That they might fet their hope in God, and not for get the works of God, but keep his command ments*." Secondly, Both the believing and unbelieving covenanters were previoufly under an exterrfal adminiftration of the Covenant of Grace, and alfo under foederal engagements unto the Lord God„ of Abraham, Ifaac, and Ja cob ; as they had, covenanted with him in the loins of thefe patriarchs. Now, there was no impropriety in intimating fo much unto them, to excite unto obedience, or leave them inex- cufeable. SECONDLY, We fliall enquire what are the Contents *of this Covenant .? Thefe are pro mifes, and a fyftem of precepts: And,, as to the firft, I fliall -fhew, — 1 . What new promifes were made at this time. — 2. What renovation of former grants. — 3. Enquire if thefe promifes were conditional. I. I shall enquire what New Promifes were made untoNthe Church at this time. ¦'•I ¦ ¦ 1. God fajd to Ifrael, " Ye fhall be a pecu liar treasure unto me above all people f." Pfal. lxxviii. 5,^6, 7. -f Exod.'xix. $. I i 2 This sya DISSERTATION V. Part i. This phrafe is parallel unto that of the A- poftle : " That he might purify unto himfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works *.'* And it cannot import lefs than fiich fupreme delight as a man hath in his rareft jewels and deareft friends. By reafon of the breach of the Covenant of Works, God is angry with the wicked every day, inftead of having fuch de light in fallen man. It is only by the Cove nant of Grace that God's love can flow unto him : By it alone he can fay, " Jah hath cho- fen Jacob unto himfelf, even Ifrael for his pe- * Tit. ii. 14. The original word is ir^mnti, a term- not ufed, as far as I know, by any but facred writers. Stephanus imagines, that the Septuagint tranflators were the inventors of it. According to Conradus Kircher they rendered the Hebrew word iTOD by it for four times at leaft, by m^Mmair. And the infpired writers of the New; Teftament have fhe wed the propriety of that tranf lation, in this inftance at leaft. This is fufficient to fet afide that fuppofition on which many reft, viz. the term imports merely a feparation to external privileges. The reader may alfo confult Witf. de Oecon. Feed. Lib. III. ¦cap. xii. I fliall infert the following fentences as a fpeci- men,: " Cui vocabulo affieris eft vox latina s^gilluM " adeo lit iTOD lignificat rem quam quis impreflb figilk •' fito, fnaih efle declarat, et talem quidem, unde ho- " mines, regefque ipfi divites cenfentur." Then the "au thor compares the Old and New Teftament writers on this fubj eel; and, having confidered fuch words as bear affi- nity-to the fame terms in claffic Greek authors, he adds, " Sunt ergopii eximia Dei pofleffio, quam fibi vindicat,, " et fervat, et qua in fe oftentat uti corona ornanata " et cidari regia Jef. 62. 3. quam pro divitiis fuis habet " et alterius efle non patitur : et hoc quoque fenfu fane*; <• titasiis ad fcribi poteft, i Pet. ii. 9." Vide § 7. culiar Part i. DISSERTATION V. 25-3 culiar treafure *." God hath abfolute authori ty over all his creatures, founded on the fuper- •eminent excellence of his nature; and they are his property, as they are the work of his hands : But he acknowledged Ifrael to be his peculiar people on the foot of diftingaiifhing love and- redeeming grace ; as well as exter nal falvation from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the red fea : Forthoiigh all the mem bers of the vifible church are riot .actually poffeff- ed of redeeming grace, yet they are fo in the judgment of charity. 2. He dignified them, by making them A kingdom of priests -f . God gave Ifrael priefts after the order of Aaron ; but that gift did not fuperfede this royal priefthood. The priefthood, after the order of Aaron, was a type of our Lord. Jefus Chrift, though a lefs .glorious one than that of Melchifedec. This royal priefthood was diftinct from both : It is alfo common to both oeconomies. Hence, faid Peter, "But ye are a royal priefthood J," un to the members of the .Gofpel Church ; a de claration of the fame import with that before us.. —Though this priefthood be not typical, or ceremonial, yet it is metaphorical, bearing an allufion unto the typical priefthood. Under the Law, priefts were admitted into God's pre fence in his fanctuary. Accordingly, God's * Pfal.'cxxxv, t[. f Exod. xix, 6. % I Pet. ii. 9. church 254 DISSERTATION V. Part r. church and people are faid to be near him, or round about hirn. Genuine covenanters are alfo ftyied priefts, as they draw near unto God by Jefus Chrift, the true altar, to offer unto him the facrifices of a broken heart, — of pray ers and praifes, — yea, of their whole perfons, foul and body. — They are a kingdom of priefts*, or a royal priefthood, as endued with a royal difpofition. Their fpirit far excels that of the world : The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour. , , i - 3. God promifed to take them for " a holy nation*."- All the Jewifh nation were, at this time, holy by profeflion,— holy in refpect of circumcifion, and all external privileges which belong unto God's holy Covenant. They had fuch a meafure of external holinefs as entitled them to a place in the vifible church/ But thefe do not exhauft all the holinefs here in-., tended. There were fome among themfanetified in heart; and, as the holy feed, however few, was the fubftance of the congregation, fo it took its denomination from them. The Apoftle Peter likeways ufeth a fimilar term, when ad- dreflinp* New Teftament faints. Said he, " Ye are a holy nation." 4. God engaged to beftow the guidance of his angel, to keep Ifrael in the way, .and bring- * Exod. xix. 6. them Part i. DISSERTATION V. 255 them into the place which he had prepared for them*. Though this covenant belongs to the dark oeconomy, yet it commenceth with one clufter of promifes, and is concluded with another. This is one of the laft clufter. The facred hiftorian remarks the perfon promifed ; the . purpofes for which he is promifed ; and the importance of the promife. The perfon promifed is the Angel of the Covenant ; and in this he reveals the FatherVpurpofe concern ing .himfelf. Some expofitors, I acknowledge, are othervvays minded, fuppofing this to be meant of a created angel ; and others fpeak with hefitarion. But of which of the created angels faid the Father, at any time, " My name is in him?" But it will be faid that the Son is the fpeaker, and the fpeaker muft be diftinct from the perfon fpoken of. To this I would anfwer, As the Son fpeaks in the name of the Father, fo he may, with abundance of proprie ty, utter the language of the Father concern ing himfelf.5—: — The purpofe for which he is ' promifed is, to keep Ifrael in the. way, and bring them into the prepared place. Accord ingly, when they journeyed through the wafte and howling wildernefs, this angel conducted them in the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud : He taught them when to fet foreward, and when to reft. The end of their journey is de nominated the place which he had prepared: * Exoxl. xxiii. 20. » And fljTfi DISSERTATION V. Part i. And their journey was an emblem of that which all believers muft make through this world. to the prepared city, the place which Chrift went to prepare for his difciples, when he left this world. — —The importance of this promife is evident from the ftyle of wonder in which God himfelf fpeaks of it: Behold! I fend 'mine angel, &c. How great ! — How Godlike the condefcenfion the Father mani f efts in fend ing his Son to dwell in a tabernacle made with hands, as a prelude of his dwelling in a ta bernacle made without hands in the fulnefs of time ! Should any enquire, If the Ifraelites un derftood this angel to be the Son of God ? It may be anfwered, They did ; as appears from their forrdw, when God, provoked by their idolatry^ would only grant them a created an gel. Said God, " 1 will fend an angel before thee." — " And when the people heard thefe evil tidings they mourned*." The prefence of a created angel was confiftent enough with his confuming them ; but the angel of his pre- ferice was fufficieut for their prefervation. II. I shall enquire what renovation of for* mer grants obtained at this time. i. God renewed the promife of being a God to Ifrael, which he had made unto Abra ham, Ifaac,, and Jacob: " God fpake all thefe * Exod, xxxiii. 2. 4. words?" Part 1. DISSERTATION V. 257 Words, faying, I am the Lord thy God *." And when he covenanted with Abraham, he enga ged to be a God unto him, and unto his feed. after him, in their generations"!". The full import of this promife is infinitely above the conception and defcription of creatures. Some thing has been already offered concerning it ; but eternity itfelf cannot exhauft the happinefs contained in it. , I fhall now enquire, Whether in this covenant, it implies a proiiiife of eter nal life ? The refolution of this point is fuffici- ent to determine the nature of this tranfac tion ^ . The fhorteft way to fatisfaction is an immediate fubmiffion of the mind and con fcience to the authority of our Lord Jefus Chrift.- In his difpute with the Sadducees he afcertains the import of God's being a God un to a perfon, aflaring us, that the relation which commenceth in the accomplifhment of this pro mife is by no means diflblved by death : " But * Exod. xx. 2. f Gen. xvii. 7. t The Right Reverend Dr Warburtbn, late-Bifhop of Gloucefter, erects a demonftration of the divine lega tion of Mofes upon this -principle (with two others) viz% ' That the doctrine of a future state of re wards AND PUNISHMENTS IS NOT TO Bfi FOUND IN, NOR DID MAKE A PART OF THE MOSAIC DISPENSATION." •— " The demonftration is ~fo ftrong and beautiful (fays, his Lordfhip), at the fame time appears to me fo eafy and fimple, that one cannot tell whether the pleafure of the difcovej-y, or the wonder that it is ntow to make be greater." Divine Leg. Vol. I. p. sSl? edit, ^ Good Mr Warburton ! ' * K'k ;r as 2y8 DISSERTATION V. Part r. as touching the refurrection of the dead, have O i ye not read that which is fpoken unto you by God, faying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of .Ifaac, and the God of Jacob ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the livino-*." It is obferveable, that the declaration which God made unto Mofes, from the bufh, is con fidered by Chrift as fpoken to the Sadducees of that generation in which he lived, as well as unto every generation fince. This teftimo ny is that which was fpoken unto you, faid Chrift. Moreover, the life intended was not merely the duration of exiftence ; but alfo in> plied happinefs, or well-being. When God affures a foul of this relation, then, he riiakes it certain of happinefs after death, even all that felicity which can accrue from the enjey- ment of himfelf, — all that he hath to beftow: For the life intended is fuch as Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob enjoyed when the Son of God ap-v peared to Mofes in the bufh. Now, "What is eternal life ? Wherein does the eternal inheri tance confift ? Does it not confift in the know- led ge and enjoyment of the only true God? This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent. He that hath the Son hath life. This promife, then, warranted the church, at that time, to fay, this God is our God for ever, * Matth. xxii. 31, 32, arid Part i. DISSERTATION V. 259 and he will be our God even unto death. The Lord is my portion, faith my foul*. 2. God renewed the promife of his blefling on the church, and his curfe on her enemies : u In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will blefs thee." — " I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an ad- verfary .* The methods, taken to elude this argument are no contemptible ^evidence of ifs force. Some giant that e- ternal life is contained in this promife ; but it is fo deeply hid that it could never have been found in it, or dedu ced from it, but by fuch a teacher as Jefus Chrift." But if it had been injpoffible to find this hlelEng in this pro^ mife, Chrift would never have taxed the Sadducees for hot finding it in it. When Jefus faid unto them, " Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures," he did not tax them for not performing impoffibilities ; but for igno rance of what they might and •ought to have known . This pretence has been expofed both by Clopenburg and "Witfius. The former, in his Exercit. Theol. Loc. ix. Difp. i. § 6 — 11. The latter, De Oeconom. Feed. Lib. III. cap. ii. § 4" — 15. 'Bifhop Warburton gives another fenfe of the matter, but, if poffible, ftill more abfurd. He reckons the fenfe I have given founded on miftake : " ii fecond miftake (fays his Lordfhip) is, that Jefiis, by thefe words, infinuates, that Mofes cultivated the doclrine of a refurrection, or a future ftate. But here again the objectors feeni to forget againft whom the ar gument is addrefled, the Sadducees. Now, thefe did not hold, that Mofes did not teach ; but that he did not believe that doctrine. This was the error Jefus aimed to confute,, and only this ; becaufe the opinion that Mofes did not teach, or cultivate it, was no error at all ; as appears, among Other reafons, even from hence, That the Jews might reafonably under- K k 2 ftand 2.60 DISSERTATION V. Part u verfary unto thine adverfaries *." ' This pro mife feems to me to be a renovation of one of the promifes made to , Abraham : " And I will blefs them that blefs thee, and curfe him that curfe th thee f ." True it is, indeed, One fpecial blefling is intended ; namely, God's gracious prefence in his ordi nances ; but as divine ordinances are the chan* nels through which God imparts all his blef- fings * Exod. xx. 24. compared with xxiii. 22. f This pro mife is explained, Diflertation II. p. 116 — 119. ftand the title of the God of Abraham, &c. to mean the* peculiar tutelar God of Abraham's family ; for the terms; Jacob and Ifrael are frequently ufed in the Scriptures for the whole nation of the Jews, Aaron for the whole or der of the p-riefthood, &c. And as, in reafon, they might* fo, by the hiftory of the early Jews, in fact, we find they did underftand it in this fenfe." Vol. V. p. 161 — 165. edit, ut fupra. But how does it appear, that ever it wasj; cither reafonable or religious to -underftand God's beings a God nnto a perfon, merely of his being the tutelary Deity of the nation in which he lives ? The doctrine of tutelar Deities originated in the darknefs of paganifnt; and was part of the depths of Satan, by which he tyran nized over the confciences of men. The Church of Rome? took the. hint from the heathen philofophers, and intro duced the doctrine of tutelar angels in its ftead. But the Churches of the Reformation juftly reprobated thefe fond imaginations ; and the reafons on which they pro ceeded are more than fufficient to prove the unreafon- ablenefs of the doctrine fpecified, Vide Turret. Loc. vii. Ch 8. Moreover, I might obferve, that the difference; between Bifhop Warburton and the Sadducees, on this. head, is, the Bifhop maintains, Mofes did not teach; the Sadducees, Mofes did not believe the doctrine of a: future ftate. Accordingly, the Bifhop gives out, that it va as no error at all to maintain, that Mofes did not teachjt or.^ Part i. DISSERTATION V. * 261 fings to his people, we may juftly conclude, that all fpiritual bleflings are intended. The promife of God's being an enemy unto his people's enemies, was alfo a renovation of the firft promife ; and, as it had been engroffed in the Abrahamic covenant, fo likeways in this one ; fo that the whole fabric might be regu larly advanced, and no part of it omitted, or fuperfeded by future grants. As to the pro^ mife of God's being an adverfary unto his people's adyerfaries, it is readily granted that the nations of Canaan are mentioned in the context ; but thefe were typical of fpiritual foes : And there is nothing in the promife to bear down the fenfe of it merely to the type. If the original text be carefully examined, it •will be found to coincide with other promifes, which are corifefledly of more extenfive im port * . 3. At this time God alfo faw meet to re new the -promife 'of the Mefliah, giving a pre- or cultivate that doctrine : Hence, if this obfervation be to the purpofe, he meant to conclude, that our Saviour did not argue from what Mofes taught, but from what he believed. The very reverfe is the truth, however; for Chrift argued exprefsly from what Mofes taught by the Scriptures which he wrote, ' without a fyllable about what "conftituted his perfonal belief. * The original word TO^), in Exod. xxiii. 32. is the root ofm%- in Gen. iii. ij. The fenfe appears to be the fame in both texts, as the former contains the ad vancement of a work begun in the latter. diction 262/ DISSERTATION V. Part i. diction of his work, eipecially his perfonal mi- niftry : " And all the people faw the thunder- ings, and the lightnings, and the noife of the trumpet, and the mountain fmoking : and when the people faw it, they removed, and flood afar off. And they faid unto Mofes, Speak thou for us, and we will hear: but let not God fpeak unto us, left we die *." — " The Lord thy God will raife up unto thee a Prophet from the midft of thee, of thy brethren, like, unto me ; unto him ye fliall hearken : Accord ing to all that tliou defiredft of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the affembly, fay ing, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me fee this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord -faid unto me, They have well fpoken that which they have fpoken. I will raife them up,. a Prophet from among their brethren, like un-| to thee -|- ." That this promife belongs unto this tranfaction cannot be difputed, as the in fpired hiftorian afcertains even the day on which it was made : That it belongs unto the Mefliah is equally certain, from the exprefs ap plication of it unto him in the New Teftament. It was upon the foot of this promife, along with others, 1 prefume, that the Jews expect ed a great teacher to come from God in the days of Chrilt's perfonal miniftry : And all who waited for the confolation of Ifrael found that * Exorl. \x. iS. ip. f Deut. xviii, 15 — 18.- - , their Part i. DISSERTATION V. 263 their expectations were not in vain. Jefus pf Nazareth was a minifter of the, circumcifion for the truth of God, to confirm the promifes made unto the fathers. 1*he analogy between Mofes and Chrift has not efcaped the obfervation of divines in every period of the Chriftian Church*: But it is befide our purpofe to enlarge upon it. As this declaration contained a promife of the Mefliah, it was a renovation of thofe promifes refpecting an extraordinary Seed,' which had been made in alnioft every foregoing tranfac tion : As it delineated his office, it ^yas an ad ditional meafure of light which was, at this time, reflected on the promife. The firft pro mife conveyed the idea of the Redeemer as a facrificing prieft : Various after promifes repre- fen ted his regal dignity: But this* was the firft exprefs declaration of his prophetic character. This was not the firft time Chrift had difchar- ged the prophetic office,, indeed ; for all the appearances which the Son of God made, and all the revelations he had given, belonged un to the difcharge of this office. — But it might be enquired, How the oracle is fulfilled in Je fus of Nazareth, feeing a prophet is exprefsly proniifed unto them, as raifedup unto t h em: " The Lord thy God will raife up unto thee a Prophet," &c." To remove this feeming * Among the ancients, the reader may confult Eufeb.. Demonftrat. Evangel, if he has opportunity : And a- mong the moderns, Joftin's remarks on Ecclef. Hifh Dr Newton on Prophecy, p. 1,58, &e, ; , difficulty,-- 264 DISSERTATION V. Part 1, difficulty, the things following merit our at tention : Firft, Chrift. was raifed up in his types, even unto that people. The order of prophets was defigned not only for the inftruction of that generation in which they lived ; but alfo for a reprefentation of the prophetic office of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Secondly, Though the di- ftance of time between the givino- of the oracle and the ndl accomplifhment of it was great, yet it was accomplifhed to the fame people (in their feed and fucceflbrs) unto which it was given. This promife, then, was an additional fecurity, that Ifrael fliould be a people until that prophet fhould be raifed. As the fceptre could not depart from Judah until the Shiloh fliould come ; fb Ifrael could not ceafe from being a people until this prophet fhould arife. Hence, he came while thetypical ceeonomy lafted : He was a minifter of the circumcifion. Thirdly, Chrift difcharged his prophetic office by the fpecial teaching of the Holy Ghoft, though he was given with a fparing hand, even unto gracious perfons, under that dark oeconomy. 4. God renewed the promife of Canaan, with victory over the Canaanites, as well as the profperous enjoyment of their lands : '' Mine angel fliall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebufites : and I will cut them off."-—" He fhall blefs thy bread and thy water ; and I will take rt i. DISSERTATION V. :t6$ take ficknefs away from the midft of thee. There fhall nothing eaft their young, nor be bah-en in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil*." This promife is a renovation of one of thefe made to Abraham "f"; therefore^ I fhall not flay to illuftrate it; Only I may ob-^ -ferve, that the facred hiftory, particularly of Jofhua, fhews how punctually it was accomj pliflied. '#¦ III. I shall now eiiquire if thefe prorilifes were, conditional. It has been faid, that this tranfaction cannot be the Covenant of Grace, as the promifesof this covenant are abfolute ; whereas the promifes of that tranfaction were conditional. To examine the juftice of this allegation, it may be obferved, 1. The conditions of thefe promifes are pro mifed in other grants, without any condition, or limitation whatfoever : Lor example, if, in the. beginning of this tranfaction, it be faid, " If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye fhall be a peculiar trea- fure k" &c. It is alfo faid, " The Lord tliy God Will circumcife thine heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart.1— And thou flialt return and OBEY the voice of the Lord, and do, all his commandments which I com- * Exod. xxiii. 23, 25, 26. f Differt. II. Part "2. :j; Exod. xix. 5. * L 1 jmand &66 DISSERTATION V. Part t* mand thee this day *.'' The truth is, God took them for his peculiar people, that he might en able and excite them fo obey by his diftinguinV 'ing grace; inftead of their purchafing his> .'fa vour by it -jr-. Thus ,God himfelf explains it : " The Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promifed thee; and that thou flialt keep all his com' mandinents £ ." The condition of the- promife belongs uirto the law. Now, this method of difpenfation taught them to improve the pro mife of the gofpel, as ever they would yield obedience to the law ; and to yield obedience to the precepts of the law, as ever they would evidence their intereft in the promifes of the gofpel. * Deut. xxx. 6, 8. - •j- Mr Ball exprefleth himfelf, on this fubjecT:, in the- following terms : " True it is, the promifes run upon this condition, If ye obey my voice, and' do my coijiv mandments : But conditions are of two forts ; antece dent, or confequent. Antecedent, when the condition is the caufe.of the thing promifed, or given; as in all ci vil contracts of juftice, where one thing is given for an other : Confequent, when the condition is annexed to the promife, as a qualification in the fubject ; or an ad junct that muft attend the thing promifed. And, in this latter fenfe, obedience to the commandment was a con dition of the prpmife, not a caufe why the thing pro mifed was- vouchfafed ; but a qualification in the perfon, ©r a confequence of fuch a great mercy freely conferred^'' J>- 133. See his Treatife on the Covenant. X Deut. xxvi. 1 8. j z. There- Part i. DISSERTATION V. 267 2. There were various promifes made in this tranfaction altogether unconditional ; fuch as, " I am. the Lord thy God." — " Behold, I lend mine angel before thee ;" and " -A Pro phet -fhaU the Lord raife up unto thee of thy brethren." And thefe abfolute promifes are given out as motives to obedience. Hence, it appears, that the allegation above fpecified is not uriiverfally true.. 3. The congregation of Ifrael typified our Lord Jefus Chriil in the fenfe above mention ed : And their obedience alfo, in fome' mea- Tfure, prefigured his mediatorial righteoufhefs. As the ceremonial law was a typical glafs bring ing near to view that divine righteoufhefs, it taught them to confider his obedience and fufferino-s as the -condition of thofe conditional grants which were made- to them : That being afcribed to die type which could only be done by the antitype. But this brings ns to confider the. other part of this Covenant, which is, A s y s t em 0 f pr ec e p t s , enjoined on thefe covenanters, — 1. I fhall make a few obferva- , tions on thefe precepts.— ^2. Exprefs a connect ed view of both promifes -and precepts in this [ tranfaction, .together with ifrael's acceptance ¦of God's propofals. — -3. Enquire how far the j.fpbftance of this covenant is of perpetual obli gation on the Gofpel. Church ; and how far it ; was peculiar to the typical oeconomy. , L 1 2. I. I SHAI.L 268 DISSERTATION V. Part j\ I. I shall offer a few Obfervations on this fyftem of precepts. i . Th e- Moral Law was the primary rule of that obedience which God required in this Co venant. The judicial and ceremonial laws were mere appendages to it, and reducible unto one or other of the precepts contained in it. That the moral law was the original ftandard of o- bedience in this covenant, is evident from God's. exprefs declaration ; oftener than once does he ftyle it the Covenant :_" And he declared to you his Covenant, which he, commanded you to perform, even the ten'commanu-' ments : and he wrote them on two tables of ftone *." Said Mofjes, " Whert:! was gone up into the mount, to receive the tables of ftone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you -J- ." The moral precepts were fpoken firft by God himfelf unto the people, and he added no more when he fpoke them?,, but took Ifrael immediately engaged unto them, and unto his will, " All that the Lord hath faid we will do, and be obedient." They put a blank into his hand, to be filled up by his fovereignty ; and he filled it up by adding the ceremonial and judicial laws,, which he deli vered to Mofes, to be, by him, communicated to the people, The ceremonial inftitution^; were, for the moft part, appendages unto the * Deut, iv. 1,3. -J- Deut,- ix. o, 11. various Part i. 'DISSERTATION V. 269 various precepts of the firft table of the moral law; and the judicial law, for the moft part, ap pendages unto fecond-table precepts. To fee this truth exemplified, the reader "may confult Cal vin on the five books of Mofes. it muft be re membered, however, that fbme of the judicial precepts are alfo appendages of the command ments of the firft table *. 2. As the congregation of , Ifrael flood in various capacities, fo this fyftem admits of as many diftinct confiderations, and is. perfectly adapted to each of them : Firft, As Ifrael ftood in the capacity of the Mefllah's type, this law was defigned to exhibit the meafure and ex tent of his obedience" and; righteoufhefs. In former fcederal tranfactions, God had given ample difcoveries of the promiflbry part of the. Covenant of Grace, fb that Ifrael might have fome view of their privileges; but their legal hearts were ready to fiiggeft, that thefe bene fits were of eafy purchafe. This law was ne- ceiTary, then, to difcover die vaft extent of the coiiditionary part of the Covenant, and the utter impoflibility of their accomplifhing- it in their own perfons. The law was exhibited, at this" time, as armed with the curfe, that they might know the law-penalty as well as the law- precept. Nor was the. exhibition of the law in the form of the Covenant of Works, at all * tcidekker de Repub, fiebr.3E.or. Lib. V. cap. ix. 1 improper, 270 DISSERTATION V.. Part i. improper, if we confider Ifrael as a type of our Lord Jefus Chrift, As- he undertook. to magnify the law and make it honourable, even from eternity, in his own perfon; fo he -like- ways engaged, in the perfon of his anceftor, and by the mouth of the whole congregation, as his type, to implement the law in its fulleft extent. Accordingly, he fubmitted to the law, in the Sinai edition of it, when he fulfilled the: condition of the New Covenant. This is fre quently taught us by the Apoftle. As he was, at this.time, conftituted under the law, in the perfon of his anceftor, and by the engagement of his type ; fo he came forth actually, in the fulnefs of time, under that very fame law : f' God fent forth his Son, made of a woman, made (or constituted) under the law, to redeem them who were under the law *." The law of the Covenant of Works was," indeed, a law commoii to both Jews and Gentiles ; but the latter had a far more imperfect edition of it than the former : Therefore, the Apoftle takes his meafures from the moft perfect copy. That the "Apoftle confiders this edition of the law ar, the ftandard of the furety righteouf- nefs, is evident from the date of it: It was a -LAW Q-jVen FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY o years after the promife made unto Abraham. Now, this date can agree to no other than the Sinai Transaction "j". The Mofaic Law was ;* Cat iv, 4; 5. -j- Gal. iii. 17. the Part it DISSERTATION V, 27s the only one which expreffed its penalty by the curfed death of hanging on a tree; and ad-1 judged finners to have incuVred that curfe, by the violation of it. Now, Chrift yielded obe dience to fuch a law : " It is written (viz. in the Mofaic Law) cursed is every one that continue th not in- all things written in the book of the Law to do them." — " Chrift hath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us : for it. is written, Curfed is every one that hangeth on a tree *." It was the Mofaic edition of the law which de manded obedience to it as the condition of life : " For Mofes defcribeth the righteoufhefs which is of the Law, That the man which doeth thofe things fhall live by them j" ." . Now, Jefiis Chrift was conftituted under that law which required obedience and fufferings as the condition of life, that, by his obedience and death, he might become the author of eternal falvation to them who obey him. But it may be objected, perhaps, That it is improper and abfurd to lay a yoke on Ifrael which was de figned only for Jefus Chrift, — -abfurd to demand that obedience from them which was only com petent to him alone to yield. To which it may be replied,, That it, was very proper to in timate the law, under this fpecial confideration^ unto them, as they, in their original ftate, were the proper fubjects of it: And if they were de- ' * Gal. iii„ jo, 13. j- Rora. x. ;. livered 272 DISSERTATION V, Part n livered from the law-curfe, it was an, ufeful leflbn for them to look back unto the awful ftate from which they had been freed. It may alfo be added, That it is agreeable to the ge nius of types, to afcribe things unto them which are only true of their antitype : Therefore, it is by no means improper to fpeak of their obe* dience as the condition of life, while the obe- dience of Chrift is intended as the fubftance of that fliadoW. This is, -indeed, the ufual ftyle of the Mofaic ritual, efpeciaily refpecting fa crifice. It may be alfb obferved, That it is equally proper to propofe the obedience of one type as the caufe of life, as to make promifes to other types, which, ftrictly fpeaking, can only belong unto the true Mefliah : For ex ample, God promifed to Abraham, faying, " In thee fliall all the families of the earth; be- blessed." Whereas, it is only compe* tent unto Jefus Chrift to bless men in the fenfe intended. Various things are likeways promifed to David, which in their fulleft en> phafis, belong only unto him who is both Daj vid's Sou and David's Lord *. Now., if it was proper to give out promifes to the type, which are fulfilled only in the antitype, Why may not precepts be laid on the type, which could only be fulfilled by the antitype likeways ? In one word, We may anfwer, Though the fyftem of precepts demanded obedience, as the condition * See Pfal. lxxxix. .of. Part i. DISSERTATION V. 273 Of life ; yet it did not exclude, but enjoin -a vicarious fatisfaction, in cafe of failure. As the moral law was broader thari their obedi ence to it, fo the ceremonial law was fiuper- induced to point out the plan of divine atone ment and , acceptance. The demands of the moral law were fo broad, as to fliut them out from all hopes of attaining life and -falvation. by their own obedience; but it did not flmt them up from feeking falvation by the obedi ence of another. The ceremonial law, which was an appendage of the moral, taught the perfon, who prefented his facrifice before God,' to lay his hand upon the head of the facrifice, as an emblematical reprefentation of transfer ring the guilt from the finner to the furety : " And he fhall lay' his "hand upon the head of the facrifice*,'* &c. Secondly, As the congre gation of Ifrael- may be confidered as made up of perfbns either unregenerated or regenera,-4 ted by the grace of God. In the latter view, it Was proper to intimate the la*v to them even as a covenant of works, to fhew them how ftiuch they Were indebted to Chrift in fulfilling the ldw in their Head. In the former .view, It taught them, the danger of their prefent flate, and the neceflity of betaking themfelves to a mediator; and it appears to have had the defired effect upon fome of them -j;. Third- *xLevit. iii. 2. f Exod. xx. 18 — 23. compared with Deut. xviii. — 18. M m ^y, 274 DISSERTATION V. Parti, ly, As the congregation of Ifrael flood in the capacity: of a vifible church, this fyftem of pre cepts was the rule of their focial worfliip, and even of their perfonal obedience. That this fyftem demanded focial. worfliip, — that it was the ftandard "of external obedience, is univer- -fally granted : That it required private and perfonal obedience is equally certain from the very form of the precepts themfelves. They run in the lingular number, intimating, that they were directed to individuals : " Thou flialt have no other gods before me. Thou flialt not make unto thee any graven image." -— " Thou flialt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,"'&c. " Thou. flialt not commit adultery." And fuch is the fpi ritual nature of the divine law, that it binds every one in the inward man, as well as the outward : The Pliarifees thought otherways indeed ; but Chrift fpent- two fermons to de tect their miftake*. The fiim of our duty is love ; and God commanded Ifrael to love hiiri with all their heart ; while he prohibited them from hating their brethren in their HEART "j". ;" -¦ ? 3. As the moral law bound them to obferve both ceremonial and judicial precepts ; fo ce remonials regulated Ifrael in her ecclefiaftical '.* Kis fenhon onrthe mount, andhisfermon on the plain, ! f Levit. xix. 17. - - capacity,- PArt i. DISSERTATION V. 275 capacity, as a typical church; and judicials, her civil polity, as a natiori under a theocratic cal government. Under the Mofaic, ceconomv, there was a greater affinity between the church arid the ftate, indeed, than under the Chriftian difpenfatiori ; yet they were perfectly diftinct, and had diftinct laws accordingly*. " The end for which the feed of Abraham were feparated to be! a typical church has been declared on the Abrahamic Covenant. Now, God faw meet to appoint a theocratical government in the ftate, as the beft means of preferving that nation in which he had placed them. Becaufe fome attribute too much to this form of poli ty, arid others top little, it might riot be un profitable to fpend; a moment in the confedera tion of 'it -j- . In a theocracy, then, Jehovah, *:¦> -. -\i hy -?•Mr Locke, is pleafed to fet.'afide rthe ~diftlncT:ion of the Mofaic Law into moral, ceremonial, and judicial, in ¦the following manner: '" There is nothing more frivo lous tfian that common diftinddoh of the moral, cere monial, and judicial law, which men ordinarily make nf'e. of,''; Letter on Toleration, p. 123. But as this di- flinclion is ;founded in the nature of things j and as di- flinift names are. given to each of thefe laws by God him- > felf ,< we heed mot, an-d ought not indeed, to be fwayed hy any human authority, however great. T •(¦ The word hcxpciTiie, formed by, Jofephus iiorr Deus ' r.px.%10 impero; very happily exprefieth that peculiar go vernment which God exercifed over Ifrael, Jenning's ! Jewifli Antiq. Vol. I. p. 20. Some confider the Jewifli Church and the Jewifli State as of the fame extent, or rather, they fuppofe they find only a State-church ; or, ' M m 3 perhaps. 276 DISSERTATION V. Part i. by himfelf, prefcribes laws by which the fub-, jects of it are governed. Thefe are no other than the judicial laws, which, in the facred hiflory, are frequently denominated judg ments;.-- In a theocracy, Jehovah not only prefcribed the qualification of civil rulers ; but alfb pitched on the individual perfons to be in- vcfted with that power. In other common wealths, rulers are the ordinance of man; or, as, the Apoftle fpeaks, 5th| creature of man. In the Hebrew commonwealth they were, chofen immediately by .God. If the perhaps, no Church at all, unless it be a kind of Eccle- iiaftical- State. The ufual idea they affix unto the term"'. theocracy is a ftate in which God himfelf acted the part of an earthly monarch, without any-regard to the inter nal obedience of his fubjects, and without enforcing his, flatutes by any but temporal rewards and punifhments ; t| '' The conditions which entitled to the bleflings of the-: .Sinai covenant is obedience to the letter of the Law, even when' it did not flow from faith and love. ' A tem poral monarch claims' from his fubjedts only outward honour and obedience. God, therefore, acting! in- the Sinai Covenant as King of the Jews, demanded froni : them no more," Erskine's Diflertations, p. 37. "God, in that covenant, acted as a temporal monarch,;- and from a temporal monarch, temporal profperity is all we hope, not fpiritual bleflings, -fuch as righteoufhefs, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft j." p. ;22. Hence, they con- dx'ide, that an equal providence was adminiftrafed even linto each individual, in the republic. Warburto^'s Di vine Lecat. of Mofes Demonftrat. Others imagine all judicial-; are of perpetual obligation;, and all ftateS, where the Chriftian religion has obtained, ought'tobe governed by them. The abbettors of this laft opinion -tre confuted, by Calvin, Vid. Inftitut. pailim. Jewiftf Part i. DISSERTATION V. 277 Jewifli nation, at any time, exercifed the power of electino- maji'iftrates, it cpnfifted either in an approbation of u God's choice,, or it was the effect Of a fpecial mandate from pod himfelf for that purpofe : Saul -and Da,vkl were firft chofen by God, then by the people : The peo ple, -with Mofes, elected elders, God command ing them, fa to do. Again, Jehovah referved to himfelf the. prerogative of proclaiming war and making peaQe.y. Sometimes Godproclaim- ed war againft his enemies;;, as hi. the cafe of tKe Amalekites, and .Canaanites : At other times, he informed his fubjects in this matter by Urim and Thummim, or by his infpired prophets r Hence, they are frequently faid to enquire of th^e Lord before they adventured on War. In oiie'wbrd, 'This' theocracy "was alfo admini- ftered by ;a peculiar providence. Some imagine, that this"*" adminiftration: was perfectly equal, both as it refpected' the nation, and alfo as it refpected individuals,; \ out," I^greatly doubt if fuch an adminiftration be, compatible, with the nature of this prefeiit world. I would readily grant, however, that, for the moft part, public reformation was rewarded with national pro fperity,- and public defection punifhed with na tional adverfity ; as far as" was confident with the rights and excrcife -of divine fovereinty : - For God might either punifh the perpetrators of wickednefs in their own perfons, or vifit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children un- !'' ;i- '' ,'¦ to 2 ? 8 D I SSER.TATION V. Part- i . to the third or fourth generation*.- Now, the' moral law bound not only unto the obfer vation of itfelf; but alfb of allits appendages : Thus, for example, the fifth coriimaridinent, which' bound to honour parents in the common wealth, as well as in the family, bound to ho nour thofe magiftrates which God had inftitu ted among them. The fecond commandment, which binds unto an obfervaiice of all that God" has appointed in his word, bound alfo unto the ©bfervanee of circumcifion, the paffover, facri fices of every fpecies, and the obfervation of their folemn feafts f . ..is ''(<' _i II. I SHALL ":- - * ; 'A0 " ,_- • - t^ . * Twenty inftances ..of a peculiar proyidence^ajre enu merated, by Leidekker 'de Repub.-.jlsib. V. cap. i. J 5. cum notis. • He would fee a particular 'account "of the theocracy may confuIt.H. Witfius, Orat. Diet. 16. Mar.'- 1687. DeITheoo'ratia- 1sraei.it aRuM.' The firft au thor, as far as I know., who gave. a view of Jewifli go vernment firnilar to that which I have offered, was Her- mari Cdnringii'is, de Repiib. Hebrasorl p. 113, 114. vBnt . he fell' into' the miftake of denying the •dllftinetitm be J tween the Jewifh civil and ecclefiailic governments, which miftake we intend to confider afterwards. The peculiar form; and' diitihcl branches of the Hebrew polity, are delineated, with great accuracy and judgment,' by Moses Lowman, in a Diflertation on the Civil Government. of the Hebrews ; in which the true defijnis and nature of the government are explained. The justice, wisdom, and goodness of the Mofaic conftitiAron are vindicated. London edit. 1 740. -.. -¦, ? f The above view of the Jewifli Government, which I take to bo the jwft one, will.never yield this concliiliou, *> That the Mosaic covenant contained only temporal bleflings ; Parti. DISSERTATION V. 279 • II. I shall how exprefs a connected view of both the promifes and precepts in this tranf action, with Ifrael's acceptance of them. And, their bond feems to have been to the following purpofe : " Becaufe die Lord God of Our fathers, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, has been graci- oufly pleafed to take us for his peculiar people, dignifying us with the difpofitions of kings and priefts, as well as entitling us mlto the ho nour of them ; confecrating lis to be a holy nation unto himfelf, while he makes over him felf unto us as our own God, affiiring us of the guidance of the angel, of his prefence, to con duct us through the wildernefs in the mean-,- . time, as alfo the Mefliah in the fulnefs of time ; and alfb, becaufe he hath renewed the fecurity granted to our fathers, of bleflings both Spiritual and temporal: We engage and refolve, To hear and believe all that God hath promifed, to obey all the precepts he hath enjoined; particularly, to know and acknow ledge God as the only true God, and our God, bleflings; and demanded only.out-fide obedience." Is it" juft. reafoning to argue", becaufe God ftood iii the capa city of a head to the commonwealth, therefore, he could not ftand in any other relation to the, members of it ? That, becaufe he demanded loyalty, and refpect to the judicial law, therefore, he could not claim any fpiritual obedience unto the moral law ? That, becaufe he pro mifed temporal bleflings, therefore, he could not bellow any other ? . Yet fuch are the reafonings upon which mighty bulwarks have been erecled, for befjeging a Co venanted Reformation .„!. But I hope they will never make the fmalleffc ftone of it to fliake. and a8a DISSERTATION V. Part f. and to wdrfhip and glorify him accordingly ; by receiving, obferving^, keeping pure and en tire allfech religious worihip and ordinances as he hath appointed in his word ; ~ making a ho ly and reverend ufe of God's names, titles,, at tributes, ordinances, 'words, and works ; and keeping holy to God fuch fet times as he hath appointed in his word, exprefsly one whole day in feven, to be Sabbath to himfelf, by an holy refting all that day, even from fuch worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, fpending the whole time in thd public and private exercife of God's worfliip, except fo much as is to be taken up in the works of neceffity and mercy : And We refolve, To preferve the honour and perform the duty which belongcth unto every one in their feve* ral places and relations, as fuperiors, inferiors, or equals; and to ufe all lawful endeavours to preferve our own life and the life of others; and to preferve our own and our neighbour's chaftity in heart, fpeech, and behavipur ; with the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward eftate of ourfelves and others; while we maintain and promote the truth be tween man and man, and endeavourito maira--- tain, each for himfelf, his o\yn and Iiis neigh bour's good name, efpecially in witnefs bear ing : And we engage, "To endeavour full conr tentmeht with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of fpirit towards out neighbour, and all that is his *." * Shorter Catechifm. TTT. 1 sHAll Part I. DISSERTATION V. 281 111. I shall now enquire how far the Sub- ftance of this Covenant is of perpetual obliga tion ; and how far it was peculiar to the typi* tal ueconomy* 1 . The characteriftic of the better ceconomy is, Christ already come in the flesh: The characteriftic of the typical ceconomy was, Christ to come*, Now, all things in this tranfa&ion which did fore-fignify Chrift then to come, muft belong unto the typical cecono my ; — all things which prefigured his life, death, or refurrection, or his previous incarna tion : Such as, the law- of facrifices, the prieft hood, the judicial injunction to" marry the wi dow of a deceafed brother, to raife up feed unto -him, &c. 2. TheRE Was likeways a degree of terror and darknefs peculiar unto the typical oecono* my. Hence, Pauldeclared to the New Tefta^ ment faints, that they " were not come unto the mount that might be touched, and burned with fire; nor unto blacktiefs," and darknefs, and tempeft, and the found of a trumpet, and the Tp>ice of words ;- which voice they that heard intreated that the word fhould not be fpoken to them any more *." This dread and darknefs was peculiar to the minor ftate of the -X... '. * Heb. xii. 18, to. * N n Church; a&« DISSERTATION V. Par r. Church; and a declaration of what was due by finners unto the juftice of God. j. The promife of 'Canaan, and a multi tude of temporal bleflings in it, was alfo pe culiar unto the ancient ceconomy. Thefe fha- dows prefigured better things, to be beftowed in gofpel days ; and are, therefore, unne- ceffary when the fubftance is exhibited. > On the. other hand, We have manifeft ed, that the greater part of the promifes made unto Ifrael at this time are- engroffed in the covenant which God has made with the Gofpel Church ; aiid, therefore, claim the faith and confeffion of New Teftament faints : The ca pital promife, in both ceconomies, being to this purpofe, " I will be unto them a God, and they fliall be unto me a people*" The moral law, as a rule of life, ; is alfo of perpetual obligation on the members of the Gofpel Church : As alfb the judicial law, un lets in things typical, or peculiar to the land of Canaan. In as far as the judgments, by which the commonwealth of Ifrael was govern ed, were founded on the principles of equity common to all nations, they are of univerfal and perpetual obligation. But I need not mention particulars, as their agreement with , the Part i. DISSERTATION V. 283 the dictates of the law of nature has been a- bundantly demonftrated by odiers *- THIRDLY, I fliall now confider the Occa-^ sions of this Covenant. It obtainedfour hundred and thirty years and fixty days after the call of Abraham "j~; and a- bout * Mofaicarum et Romanorum Legnm collatio, P. Pi- THIO. ¦ f The date of this Covenant may be afcertained by comparing the various accounts of it marked in the in fpired writings, Exod. xii. 40, 41. " Now the fojourn- ing of the children of Ifrael, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years, even the felf fame day it came to pafs, that all the hofts of the Lord went forth from the land of Egypt." Gal. iii. 17. "And this Ifay, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in , Chrift, the Law," which was four, liimdred and thirty years after, cannot difannnl, that it fhould make the promife of none effect." The particulars which make up this fum ftand thus : Years. From the call of Abramto the birth of Ifaac, 25 — r— — ¦ — ^to the birth of Jacob, 6b, 1 ¦ to the fale of Jofeph, 108 „. to Jacob's defcentintoEgypt, 2 2 The fum of whieji amounts to half the time fpecified, 215 The other -equal part of them may be made up- " in this manner, From the defcent of Jacob ;to the death of Jofeph,, 71 1 to the birth of Mofes, 64 1 — '- ' " — to the deliverance of Ifrael,. So 215 Na. a The' 284 DISSERTATION V. Part i. bout two hundred and fixty years after fhe foe deral tranfaction between God and Jacob, at Bethel. The incidents which filled up that long interval deferve to be particularly confi dered. 1. God had accomplifhed his promifes made to Jacob at Bethel, refpecting his own tempo ral profperity and eternal falvation. And Ja cob had alio, in fome meafure, fulfilled his vow. Now, God's faithfulnefs, in keeping co venant, was a grand encouragement to truft him yet again ; and the patriarch's example was well worthy of imitation. 2 . The grace and holinefs of the covenant* ed feed had been rewarded, and their fins and- infirmities chaftifed, by a chequered work of pro vidence, during the fpace of their fojourning. Jacob's fraud, for example, had been chaftifed by Laban's conduct, both refpecting his wives and his wages ; and his polygamy, by the difcord of his wives, Rachel's barrennefs, as well as the difcord and envy of his children. The fojourning includes all that of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, as well as that of fucceeding generations. . The feeming difference between the date, above fixed, and the promife made to Abraham, Gen. xv. compared with ASis vii. 6. has been removed, Difl'ertation II. Part ii. The objections which Ludovic. Capell. raifed againft this calculation were fully anfwered by our learned country man Mr Robert Bailey, Opere Hiftor. Chron. p. 34. &c as alfo by Biihop Ufher, and F. Spanh.eim> F. F. The Part i. DISSERTATION V. 285 The unnatural conduct of his fons in felling Jo feph their brother, had been chaftifed by fa mine, and various other ftraits which were brought upon them. But, on the other hand, Jacob and his family had been prefer ved from the rage of Efau, — from the revenge of the inhabitants of Canaan, which Jacob greatly feared, on account of his fons flaughtering the Shechemites. In the days of famine tiiey had alfo been fatisfied with bread : For divine wif dom fo over-ruled their envy againft Jofeph, that it turned out for their prefervation, and his aggrandizement. 3; As both Jacob and Jofeph prophefled.of Ifrael's return from Egypt ; fo the former or dered his body to be carried up into Canaan ; and the latter took an oath of his children, that they fhould carry his bones with them, againft the time of their deliverance from. bondage. Now God begun to accomplifh their predictions ; and Ifrael was encouraged to cre dit every other divine prediction, and to im prove the promifes God had beftowed on them.- to his honour' and their falvation. 4. Joseph's advancement, and their con nection with the court of Egypt, made way for their corruption and idolatry. The Mofaic hiflory is fparing indeed, as to their accufation on that head ; but, from various precepts in the Jewifli 'fyftem, compared with other tefti monies 286 DISSERTATION V. Part i. monies of, infpired writers, it is plain that idol- worihip had been practifed by fome of them at leaft. Ifrael was exprefsly prohibited from making unto themfelves the likenefs of any living creature which moveth upon the earth, as a ftanding teftimony againft the Egyptian worfliip of four-footed, beafts. When they finned, they accordingly fell into the Egyptian fyftem of idolatry, making the golden calf. Joiliua, in like manner, taxeth them with E- gyptiaii idolatry, " Put away the gods which your fathers ferved on the Other fide of theflood, and in Egypt*." Oftener than once does the prophet Ezekiel renew the fame accufation a- gainft them in like manner"f". Now, as God had feparated the covenanted feed of Jacob from their idolatrous matters, by a tram of a- mazing providences ; and as he had begun to reform them from that idolatrous taint which they had contracted, fo he brbught them into covenant -with himfelf of new, making that co venant to point directly againft their former idolatry. Their idolatry was a contradicting the verv purpofe for which the family of Abra ham had been feparated from the reft of the world ; of confequence, it implied the deepeft guilt of coven ant- violation. Covenant-reno vation was rendered neceiTary, dien, as a fpeedy remedy of that evil. P' * Jo(h, xxiv. 14. f,Ezek. xx. 7, &c. , 5-. The Part i. DISSERTATION V, 287 y. The conformity of "Ifrael to Egyptian idolatry had been feverely punifhed by Egyp tian oppreflion ; and .their deliverance from the yoke, of their oppreffors accomplifhed by the wonderful interpofition of providence. In, the fpace of little more than fixty years, Ifrael fell from the higheft offices in the kingdom to the meaueft occupations, and the moft abject/ fiavery. To gratify an ambitious monarch, who knew not Jofeph, the whole race pf Jacob are doomed- to the brick-kiln, that be might build treafure-cities ; and, left they fliould fur- pafs the Egyptians in numbers and ftrength, their males muft be ftrangled by the: mid- wives. When the barbarous fcheme mifgave, the parents are enjoined to execute their ten der offspring ! Could hell itfelf devife* any thing more fhocking to humanity ? God him felf fpeaks in the moft feeling manner, con cerning the fevere meafures to which they were expofed : " I have furely feen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have .heard their cry by reafon of their tafk-mafters : for I know their forrows ; and I am come down to deliver- them*." Now, he purfues the Egyp tians with plague upon plague, till, at laft, they who condemned others to the river, fank like lead into the mighty waters : Wherefore, Ifrael's deliverance not only demanded a fon»- or praife ; but alfo a folemn dedication of the Exod, 1 iii, 7. 8. redeemed ft88 DISSERTATION V. Part i. redeemed unto their gracious benefactor. Hence the defignation which God took to him" felf, when he covenanted with them, was, " The Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt,--— but of the houfe of bondage." 6. This tranfaction obtained after God had inftituted the ordinance of the paffovei* among. them, and had performed various miracles, expreflive of fpiritual privileges, upon them* 'He inftituted the paflbver. Four days be fore the children of Ifrael came out of Egypt, God commanded Ifrael, that every family (or if the family confifted of two perfons, two might- join together) fliould take a lamb, or a kid, and fliut it up from the tenth until the four teenth day of the month Abib ; then it behoved them to kill it. This lamb muft be a male of the firft year, without blemiQi : They muft al fo receive its blood in a bafon, and fprinkle it, with a bunch of hyffop, on the lintel and fide^' polls of the door : They muft roaft the flefli with fire ; and, before they proceed, they muft feai'ch their houfes, left there be any leavened bread in it ; as the lamb muft be eatefl with unleavened bread : A bone of it muft not be broken: The whole muft be drefled and eaten; and, left any of it fhould be left until the morn ing, what was not eaten muft be burnt with fire : This lamb muft be eaten with bitter herbs ; while the family ftand up together, with Parti. DISSERTATION V. 289 with their flioes on their feet, and their ftaves in their hand. — This is one of the moft lively and expreflive figures of Chrift, our paflo'ver, who was facrifice d for us. He is, indeed, the Lamb of God who taketli away the fin of the wofld : He Was in the prime of his vigour : He was fe parated juft as many years, unto his perfonal miniftry, as the lamb was of days from the reft of the flock: He was without blemifh, and without fpot : Expofed, in his fufferings, unto the vehement'flames of Almighty vengeance. All the fa'mi-ly of Ifraelites, indeed, muft Teed on him : He muft be received without he- fkation, or refefve : True feeding on him is accompanied with repentance, and bitternefs of foul for fin. Such as feed on Chrift, our paffover, muft have the ftaff of God's promife in their hand, and their feet fliod with the preparation of the everlafting gofpel, as a fure intimation that they have turned their back on this world, and are journeying unto the better country. The fprinkling of blood was peculiar unto the firft celebration of this ordi nance, as a fign to the deftroying .angel to fpare the firft-born of Ifrael, while lie flew the firft-born of Egypt. It, was alfo intended as a* type of the blood of sprinkling *. — -— * The ordinance of the paflbver might have been'more copioufly confidered. Bnt our labour is fuperfeded, as this has beert done, to great .purpofe, by' others. Bo- > chak,t. Hierozoicon, Lib. It. cap. L Witsius^ De Oe- eon. Focd. as well as Mather and M'Ewen, in our ov,n language. 1 -*. ' O O God ayey DISSERTATION V, "Part r. God fet apart the firft-born of Ifrael unto him felf *. -This dedication may be reduced into> three parts > -Firft, ma-le children-]-, who. were to be redeemed with five fhekels, twenty gerahs being: a fliekelv ''Secondly, clean beasts, fuch as were offered on other occa fions for facrifice ; and thefe were to be offer ed, for a burnt-offering, without redemption, or commutation whatfoerer. It behoved them to he facrificed after they had been fed a month on the dam. Thirdly, Unclean beafts y fuch as the afs,v &c. muft either be redeemed at fuch a price as the prieft. and the owner could agree upon, or the owner muft break their neck. This feparation was defigned to commemorate the deftruction of Egypt's firft- born ; and the ^deliverance of Ifrael's by the fprinkling of blood. God has alfo a claim un to the firft and beft of all that we poifefs. The dedication of the firft-fruits was a juft acknow-; ledgment that they held their all by tenor of a gift 'from his royal bounty. All the firft-born of Ifrael deferved deftruction as well as thofe" of Egypt ; wherefore, if God faved them in the way of fovereign mercy, he" had an addi tional claim upon them. Hence, from their redemption from Egypt, until the confecration : of the Levites, they officiated as priefts; and, * Exod. xiii. 2. and verfe n — 151 Numb, xviii. 15 — 17, f The price of redemption amounted to about eleven1 fhillings and four-pence and two farthings, Englifh mo ney ; if the ordinary fhekel (which is moft probable) be irit ended. '-,; probably Part j. DISSERTATION V. 291 probably, bore the name, as well as difcharged the duty of that office. The Lord gave them bread from heaven, and water from the fmkten rock ; which prefigured Chrift, the true" bread of life, and the influences of the Holy Ghoft. Chrift is the fmitten rock ; his flefh is meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed. Thefe two miracles were temporary facraments, and the paffover a Handing one as long as the typical ceconomy lafted. The covenant fealed by the paffover was the covenant of promife made to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob ; and the engagements under which the covenanters came, by eating the paffover, were, to walk in the footfteps of thofe ancient covenanters, re- figning themfelves unto the will of God, as to the enlargement of the rule of their duty as he fhould fee meet. The-Sinaitranfaction was a remarkable enlargement of it_ accordingly. .: 7. At this time God rejected the Gentile ¦ nations from being a. part of his Church ; and, in ordinary circumftances, fhe was ever after confined unto the pofterity of Jacob, until the fulnefs of time. " As the firft calling of the ;, Gentiles, after Chrift came, was accompanied with a rejection of the Jews; fo the firft call ing of the Jews to be God's people, when they were called out of Egypt, was accompanied with a rejection of the Gentiles*." Much a- ,* Edward's Hiflory of Redemption, p. 66. Clopen. Difput. Select. Djfput. 12. DeRejecnone Gentium, Sub V. T. Oecon.'Mofaka, &c. ~ bout 292 DISSERTATION V. Part i. * > bout this time idolatry became univerfaL It was general, but not univerfal, in the days of Abraham ; for there was certainly fome reli gion in that city of which Melchifedec was king and prieft : As alfo in the land of Uz, where Job lived ; fb that the true religion was preferved, for fome time, among fome other families befides- that of Abraham ; but it did not laft long : For even his own offspring, by Keturah, feem to have unchurched themfelves by their apoftacy, fome time prior to this tranf- actlon. 8. This tranfaction, was accompanied with a change of the Church from a domeftic to a congregational ftate. Domeftic churches were fometimes pretty numerous, and large ; fuch as that of: Abraham's family : But, for the moft part, they were fmall; for the fons of fa milies foon left their parents, and clave to their wives ; as there was abundance of unin habited land, of which they might take pbffef- fion at pleafure. But this was a very great congregation. As to the change, from a do meftic to a congregational ftatej it appears e- vidently to have been wholly of God : As the Son of God erected the; church at firft, fb he altered her form by a glorious act of his re gal power. He did not leave the. modelling of that fbciety un|o Mofes, or any other man, however prudent ; but he conftituted Mofes the reprefentative of his people, and dealt with him *in their name and room. This change may Part i. . DISSERTATION V. 293 may be reduced unto the following circum ftances: The place of public ceremonial worfliip was fixed ; whereas, in. the domeftic ftate, in every place where a religious family dwelt, there might they offer facrifices unto the Lord. The abode of the tabernacle was the" place, of public worfliip in this congregational church; The circumftance of time, which was arbitrary in the domeftic ftate, became fixed in this congregational one. The time of facrificing and ceremonial worfliip I mean ; for the feventh-day Sabbath for moral worfliip, ap pears, to have been obferved from the begin ning. The perfons appointed to ferve at the altar were alfb felected from tiie tribe of Levi, in the congregational ftate ; whereas, every head of a family had a right to be the prieft of his own family, in the domeftic ftate. The ecclefiaftic rufe was alfo transferred from the head of the family unto, courts hiPd- tuted for that purpofe. It belonged unto the head of the family, in the domeftic ftate of the Church, to cut oft^ by the fword of eccle fiaftic difcipline, fuch perfons as had rendered themfelves obnoxious; as .Noah cenfured Ca naan and his anceftor Ham. In this congre gational ftate, the prieft judged 'in the cafe of leprofy, and the Sanhedrim in the cafe of moral impurities. Though the name may be of modern invention, and perhaps of Grecian original; yet the thing itfelf was of an ancient date. Thfcre were ciders, of an ecclefiaftic fpe cies, tp judge of the'Lwd.s matters, from 294 DISSERTATION V. Tart i. from the .very beginning. In one word, This congregational ftate did not preclude the rights of the fynagogue one the one hand ; nor ex clude thofe ordinances which had been obfer ved during the domeftic ftate on the other hand. Circumcifion and the paffover con tinued under both, as we have feen ; nor was any part of the domeftic inftruction fiiperfeded, but every part of it continued, and enforced, by arguments taken from the more perfect congregational fyftem. This congregation was the family of Jacob dilated, while every mo ral duty continued in each particular family, as in the original one. FOURTHLY, The next thing we promifed on this fubject was, to confider the Confir mations of this Covenant. To this head be long all things by which it was executed, fo as to be of force upon their continences, and of ufe unto their faith. And it was ratified, both on the part of God and Ifrael. i. It was propofed to Ifrael, and accepted by them. It was three times propofed, 1 pre- fume, arid as often accepted by the congrega tion of Ifrael : Firft, It was propofed to them, on the firft day of the third month after the children of Ifrael came out of Egypt, when Mofes announced the firft clufter of promifes we have fpecified. Then it was fpoken in their ears, by God himfelf,- the third day: And af terwards, Part i. DISSERTATION V, 29$ terwards, when Mofes had received the cere monial and judicial laws, he came down from the mount to difpenfe them unto the people . All this was done prior unto the writing of the law; and, after it was written, it^was dif- pehfed unto them likeways. Thus, it is plain, that they were not deluded^ or drawn into this tranfaction precipitately ; but he brought them on deliberately, — propbfmg. it to them once and again,, yea a third time; and as often as God made the propofal, fo often did they en ter into engagements unto obedience^ 2. This tranfaction was ratified by writing. A written deed has been accounted more fere and firm than, a Verbal declaration ever fince that time . This was probably the firft written deed that ever obtained in this world : " And Mofes wrote all the words of the Lord," viz.- hi a book, which is afterwards ftyied the BOOK OF THE covenant- This book was prior to the writing, of -them on the two tables ofitone : For Mofes went not up to receive the tables of the teftimony until this tranfaction was finifhed, and this book read in the audi ence of all the people. And it was alfo prior unto the writing of the books of Exodus and Genefis,; &c, 3; It was foleninly adminiftrated to thera after it was written, as we noticed above: ^ And he took tfie book of the covenant and read ^6 , DISSERTATION V. Tart ty read in the audience of the people : and they faid, All that the Lord hath laid we will do, and be obedient." It being ufual for perfons' to have written deeds read over to them, or by-them, when they fubfcribe them; and oaths, cr covenants, fole'mnly adminiftered to them. when they enter into them. Their aflent un to this covenant was only verbal indeed : The reafon why it was not fubfcribed, perhaps, was, becaufe writing and fubfcription was not then in common ufe for fuch purpofes. It was as late as the days of Jeremiah ere we read that thisfolem- liity was ufed in confirmation of a civil contract; audit was only in the days of Nehemiah, that we read of itpractifed for ratifying a religious one. 4. This covenant was ratified by facrifice : " And Mofes budded an altar under the hill i and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Ifrael. And he lent young men of the children of Ifrael, who offered burnt-offerings, and facrificed peace-offerings' of oxen unto the Lord. And Mofes took half .of the blood and put it in bafons,' and half of the' blood he fprinkled on the altar : and -Mofes took the- j blood and fprinkled it on the people ; and faid; Behold the blood of the covenant; which the Lord hath made with you, concerning all thefe words *." We may obferVe, in the firft place, * Exod. yxiv. 4, j, 6, '8, The Pari i»- DISSERTATION V. 297 The preparations which were made for this folemn confirmation ; and they are :¦ The erection of an altar. The people Were about to furrender themfelves unto the Lord ; but they could, not expect that God would accept the dedication, but through a facrifice on an altar of his own appointment : And, at this time, God refted on the altar, as in his holy habita tion. — : — -He fet up twelve .pillars, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Ifrael: That is, a pillar for each tribe. The altar and the pillars were probably over againft each other : And they certainly reprefented the two parties in the covenant ; the altar, as was juft now faid, being the facred habitation of the Son of God ; and the book being laid upon the altar, to intimate the claims which he had on the children of Ifrael. — <¦ — -He appointed young Men uiito the office of the priefthood ; the Le- vitical priefthood being not yet inftituted. Tfiefe young men were "the firft-born, whom God had confecrated to himfelf, when he flew the firft-born of Egypt : Arid they were com manded to difcharge that office unto which diey had been feparated. — ¦ — He afligried unto thefe young men the work which belonged un to their office .' They are commanded to offer burnt-offerings, antl facrifice peace-offerings*. "v'As * JTW Burnt-offerings. The rites of this- facrifice are prefcribed Levit. chap. i. But it does not follow, that they were firft inftituted when thefe injunctions were given ont ; for they were offered as early as the days of * P P Noah- 298 DISSERTATION' V^ Parti, As the typical offerings came infinitely fliort of the great propitiation, both kinds of oblation were neceffary to prefigure the one offering of Jefus Chrift : And the burnt-offering pointed out the exquifite nature of his fufferings, while the peace-offering prefigured the fweet favour of them before God ; and their efficacy. to procure peace between God -and man- This covenant was a covenant of peace ; wherefore it was proper to be confirmed by facrificing peace- offerings : And the facrifices were probably cut in twain, and Ifrael made to pa'fs between the parts, as in the Abrahamic covenant. Mofes commanded the blood of thofe facri fices to be preferved, mixed with water, and divided for the purpofes for which it was after wards applied. The Mofaic account is not, quite fo -copious, indeed, as the Apoftolic, Noah and Abel ; but they were reduced to fyftem by the miniftry of Mofes. Thefe facrifices might confift either of bullocks or fheep, or even of goats; arid alfo of fowls. This burnt-offering was probably of bullocks ; for the:. Apoftle informs us, that Mofes took the blood of calv.es, or bullocks, for the confirmation of the covenant. tyobw Peace-offerings. The rites of them are prefcribed Levit. ' chap. iii. They might be either of bullocks,, fheep, or goats-. , Probably both bullocks and goats were offered, for peace-offerings, at this time ; and of each a eonfiderable quantity : For peace-offerings were divided into three parts, one of which was confumed upon the altar, a fecond by the priefts, and the third by the per fon, or perfons, who offered them. If all the rites of the peace-offering were obferved at this time, then, Ifrael would have a feaft upon a facrifice, — a feaft with God himfelf, as an evidence of their reconciliation- unto him. Paul Part t. DISSERTATION V. 299 Paul informs us, that he took the blood of calves, and of goats, with water, and fearlet- wool, and hyflbp *. The water was added, to keep the blood fluid during the reading of the book of the covenant, and to make it afperlible. The fcarlet-wool and hyflbp were ufed as fprinklers. Hyffop, had been ufed for a like purpofe in the firft paffover, when Ifrael kept the fprinkling of blood : And fome ima gine, that it is an emblem of faith ; others, of Chrift' s human nature ; hyffop being a humble plant, yet of a pleafant favour ; but the former expofition, I prefume, is the moft probable. The fc'arlet-wool was probably put upon the end of the bunch -of hyffop, and fixed on it to make it imbibe a large quaritity-of the blood. Again, We may notice the confirmation it felf. Says the Apoftle, " Neither was the firft Teftament dedicated without- blood; our tranflators add purified j-, in the margin: But neither .d edicat ed nor p urified, per haps, expreffeth the fenfe fo properly as con- *.Heb. ix. 17 — 20. -f- The original word is .zytiixaihreii. Scarce two tranfla tors have rendered it by one and the fame term : Arias Montanus renders it, dedi-catum est; Pifcator, sanci- tum est; Eftius, initiatum est. But, not to mention .others, the beft criticifm I have feen on this word is that of Fifcher, the editor of Stockius, Vid. Stock, in vocem. Verum in N. T. non nifiaPaulo in epiftola ad Hebrseas adhibetur, cap. ix. i8. -ad innuendum Testamenti CONFIRM ATIONEM, STAB It IT ION E M, et PLENUM COM- ¦'Plementum, ut pro aliis valeat. P p 2 FUMED, 3oo DISSERTATION V. Parti. firmed, or renewed. The Apoftle is dif- courfing concerning the things which are re quifite to confirm a teftament, as is evident from the context. Now, this confirmation confifted, -In a sprinkling of the book. There is no mention, indeed, of fprinkling the book in the Mofaic hiftory ; but it is exprefsly mentioned by the Apoftle. The Mofaic hifto-- ry, however, includes one article not mention ed by the Apoftle ; namely, the fprinkling of the altar. To reconcile the one with the o- ther, it may be proper to obferve, That, as the book was laid upon the altar, fo it muft have been fprinkled along with it. "We may alfo notice, that it was the book as sprink led, which was difpenfed, unto the people. Nor was this rite infignificant, as it taught the people to vow obedience to the Law, typically magnified by this fprinkling of blood- Though the Law's demands were exceeding broad ; yet this fprinkling of blood upon it exhibited to them, as in a glafs, the fource of their deli verance from its curfe and condemnation, by the blood of fprinkling.- This confirmation included in it alfo a fprinkling of the people. He fprinkled all the people. This was done, fome think, by fprinkling the twelve pillars, the people's reprefentatives ; others, that it was accomplifhed by fprinkling the elders, or the chief of every family: But, as peace-offer ings were a feaft for the whole congregation of Ifrael, fo there might be abundance of blood for Part i. DISSERTATION V. 30* for fprinkling the whole body of the people ; efpecially as die blood was mixed with water, that part of it, at leaft, which was applied un to this purpofe. That part' of it which was fprinJded on the altar was probably unmixed with water, as it was fprinkled immediately on 'the fliedding of it ; but that whicli was fprinkled on the people was mixed, to keep it from congealing during the reading of the law in the audience of the people. The typical fignification of the water was alfb unneceffary in refpect of the altar and the book ; but ex tremely proper in refpect of the people. In the third place, .We have the explication of thefe rites of confirmation : " Mofes faid, Be hold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all thefe words*." This blood is ftyied the blood of the covenant ; as both_ the parties co venanting were fprinkled with it. It was fprinkled on the altar, as it refpected God him felf, the firft party in this tranfaction; imply ing a fatisfaction made to his juftice. When perfons offered facrifice unto God, in agree- ablenefs unto his will, he fent a facred flame from heayen to kindle the wood upon the al tar : And tiiat heavenly flame, I humbly judge, reprefented the flaming fword of his- juftice a- .¦.-',- 9, Exod. xxiv. 8. gainft 302 DISSERTATION V. Part i. gainft fin *. Now, the devouring of the bivrnt- onering, by a fire of his own kindling, faid,. that the fword of juftice was turned from the finner to the facrifice : And the fprinkling of blood befpake the atonement of juftice, accord ing to divine appointment. Both blood and water were fprinkled upon the people, the o-> ther party in this covenant, to denote both their pardon and purification. This blood did not, of itfelf, purchafe pardon, indeed ; but it prefigured the blood of Jefiis Chrift, which is available for that end. Accordingly, the anti type fufly anfwered the type ; for, when Chrift was crucified, and his fide pierced, from it came forth blood and water: He came both by wa ter and by blood; by blood, for oursjuftifica- tion ; and by water, for our fanctification. >% I shall now, make afew Reflections on this Tranfaction. I. We may fee the evil of confining this Covenant unto temporal things. If we look * There was fome token by which Cain knew that A- bel's offering was accepted, and his own rejected ; and it was, moft probably, by Go.d's fending fire from heaven to confmue Abel's facrifice ; as he afterwards did in va rious other inftances {Levit. ix. 24. r Kings xviii. 38. 1 Chron. xxi. 26. 2 Chron. vii. J.), to teftify his accep tance of the offering; and that juftice fcized upon the facrifice, inftead of the finner who offered it, and for whom it was offered." Dr Guyfe's Pafaphrafe on Heb, xi. 4. the note. Vid. yetiam Cloppenb. Schol. Sacriiic. cap. iii. 5 5. Leidekk. De Repub. Hebra;or. Lib. 11. cap, ii. (j 8. cum hotis. ... into Part i. DISSERTATION V. 303 into the page of ecclefiaftical hiftory, we will find, that this notion is far from being newly invented, indeed ; but antiquity can never give fanction to error and falfehood. The Saddu cees, fo far as we can learn, had the honour of inventing it *. It was a beaft of great bur den unto them ; the ftumbling of it threatened the ruin of their whole caufe. If a future ftate was revealed, then they were certainly-bound to believe it ; but they concluded, if it was not, then they were juftified in rejecting it. When this feet expired, they feem to have left it, in their latter-will, unto th&Gnoftics, conftituting them their fole heirs j\. The Gnoftics, in their turn, legated it unto the Marcionites and Ma- niehees ^ ; and thefe unto the Pelagians. The Pelagians carefully lodged this tenet under the warm wings of his Holiness § ; and there it was preferved in fafety" until the days of Mi chael Servetus and Fauftus Socinus [] . The German Anabaptifts again, borrowed it from. # * F, Spanh'eim, F. F. Hiftor. Ecclefiaft. V. T. p. 4j9, 460. Johan. Hen. Hottinger. Clavis Scriptur. p. 35, 36. f F. Spanheim, F. F. Hiftor: Ecclef. Chriftian. p. 637, 638, -and 640, 641. £ Idem, p. 643, 649, 752. § Vid. Becan. V. T. p. 42. || Servetus repreferited the Old Teftament faints as. a parcel of SWINE ! Vid. Calvin. Inftitut. p. 154. Edit. Genev. 1 $68. His friend Socinus was equally grofs in his fentiments ; but more refined in his language ; For the friends of error are oblige"d to do their utinoft to co yer it with Yain words, Vjd^Socin. De Servatore.- ' ¦ thefe go4 DISSERTATION V. Part i, thefe two irrefpectable Fathers * : And, as Fauftus and his friend were abundantly liberal, they feem alfb to have lent it to Van Har- MINJ" and his followers. Thefe, again, im ported it into England, under the aufpices of Archbilhop La u d ^ . Whilft this fyftem was cherifhed by the Laudean faction at home, one ftill more perplexed was formed by the Coo? ceians abroad §. Venema lighted on the car nal fyftem again, as a golden medium in which both parties might fafely meet |j . Mr War- burton {afterwards Bifhop of Gloucefter), feems to have reprobated Dutch fyftems, and German ideas ; yet, after all, the Reverend Bifhop f wallows this notion by the grofs. But^ prior to the appearance of his great work, the Divine Legation of Mofes Demonftrated, this feheme had been vented, and defended after a way, by John Glas ^[. Thefe two eminent leaders had two as eminent followers to de fend their caufe ; the one a South Briton, and * Bullenger adverfus Anabap. Lib. II. cap. viii. Clop-v penburg Gangren. Difp. xix. f Jac. Armin. Difp. Ii. De Ecclef. V. T. f Smith's Selecl: Difcourfes. fj J. Cocceius fancied, that the moral law was a pure Covenant of Grace : But, after the making of the golden calf, the Old Teftament Church was fliut up under the curfe of the Covenant of Works ; and got the ceremonial law impofed on them out of vengeance ! || Diflertat. Herman Venem. Edit. Haarlem. 1731. If See his Narrative. the Parti. DISSERTATION V. goy the other a Scotfman *. Numerous and flre- riuous as the defenders of .the carnal fyftem have been ; yet no one feems ever to-have em braced it for its own fake. The Sadducees defended it to keep themfelves eafy from the thoughts of futurity. The Gnoflics, to defend the doctrine of a two-fold principle ; the one "good, and the other "evil. The Pelagians, both ancient and modern, to maintain falvation with out any fpiritual promife as the means of it. The Anabaptifts to get'quit of the argument: taken from circumcifion, and the prolnifes feal ed by it, in favour of'iftfant baptifm." The Glafites, to ftrike off the Old Teftament from being a part of the Ghriftian rule* Bifhop Warburton, that he might ftrike out a new path ori the argument againft the. deifts. Dr Doddridge, becaufe he did not choofe to think put of the falhion. But great as the .advo cates for the carnal fyftem have' been, thofe for the fpiritual one have been ftill greater. The authority of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the faithful and true witiiefs, is infinitely more than fufficient to preponderate againft the opinion of millions : He has given his fiiffrage decifive- ly in favour of the fyftem above exhibited; and with it agrees the experience of God's chih- dr'en in every age. They find the promifes _ * Dr Doddridge on Heb'. viii. Dr Erfkine's Differta- tions, Difleut. -1. § i. The latter fays, " It is eafy to fee, that the bleflings of the, Sinai Covenant are merely temporal and outward." ',",,. * 0.q .we jo 6 DISSERTATION V. Parti. we have explained to be indeed the wells' off falvation. 2. This fubject difeovers the veracity and faithfulnefs of God, in the accompliflimerit of his prOmife. The fame, yea the self same- day which God had fixed for bringing forth the feed of Jacob, was the day of their delive rance. God has a fet time in which he will fiiffer' finners to fill up the meafure of the cup of their iniquity ; and a fet time for the deli verance of his Church : And, till that time come, his people muft fill up the meafure of their affliction. Now, the deliverance of God's children from the furnace of affliction, fre quently coincides- with the cafting of his ene mies into the furnace of his Vengeance. Said God to Abraham, Thy feed fhall be ftrangers in a larid that is not theirs, and fhall ferve them, and they fhall afflict them four hundred years; and alfo that nation whom they fhall ferve, will I judge : For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. How punctual is the accom plifhment of the promife ! How exact the har mony between the prediction and the event ! .3. God accomplifheth his promife, when his people are reduced unto the loweft extremity ; and his enemies raifed to the higheft pitch of profperity. Egypt was raifed to affluence and grandeur, Ifrael oppreffed to the loweft de gree, when God looked down on their afflic tion* Parti.- DISSERTATION V. 307 tion. , It is wifely done, that his people may not have it to fay, mine own arm hath brought falvation: That, his enemies may know, that, even in thofe things in which they deal proud ly, . he is above them. When God begins his work, with his people at their loweft ebb, and his enemies in their fulleft ftrength ; the more of God, and the lefs of man, is to be, feen in the difpenfation. Ifrael muft be redeemed from the hand of the Egyptians, and from their gods, not when Jofeph governed the king dom ; but when the male-children are doomed to the river by their affectionate, parents. To this event may be applied, the word of God fpoken by the prophet; " 1 have a long time held my peace, I have, been, ftill and refrained myfelf: now will I cry like a travelling wo man: I will deftroy and devour at once. I will make wafte mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs -v and I will make the rivers iflands, and I will dry up the pools of water. And I will bring the blind by a Way that they knew not; and I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darknefs light before them, and crooked things ftraighu Thefe things will I do unto them, and not far- fake'' them." 4. Wh en the circumftances of God's people are fuch as , hinder, them from the diftharge of thofe duties which they owe to God, the prefent and fucceeding generations, then they O^ 2 y,riiay joS DISSERTATION V- Part i. may warrantably ufe every lawful mean to ac- complifh a change. God pronounced the way clear for Ifrael to leave Egypt, as their fitua tion incapacitated them for their duty. Not a .few/ at this day, are under hardfhips of the very fame kind : If the fervants of many feek a reafonable time to ferve the Lord, efpecially in folemn duties, they- ftand fair in the way to get fuch an anfwer as Pharoah gave unto Ifrael: " Ye are idle, ye are idle, therefore ye fay, Let us go and ferve the Lord : Get ye t;> vour burdens ; Wherefore do ye let the work r'' The lower clafs, in many corners of the nation, are not commanded to kill the bo dies of their children, indeed ; but, what is worfe, they are neceflitated to kill their fouls ; as they have it not in their power to fulfil thofe vows under which they came for them at their baptifm. As ever perfons value the fouls of their children, let them avoid thofe "places which incapacitate them from training up their children in the way that they fhould go, either by diftance from the means of inftruction, or fiich hard fervice as affords neither time nor means to. beftow it. If perfons be fo hurried for want of time ; or fb far diftant as they can not attend on public ordinances, then they ought to take the firft lawful opportunity for changing their fituation, — trailing that God will'provide for them in the way of duty ; or, if expofed unto. -any lofs,-he will either make it , '¦< up Part i. DISSERTATION V. 309 up fome other way, in the courfe of his provi dence,' or faiictify it unto them,^. 5. The law unto which- covenanters fliould eno-ao-e is, the Law as magnified by die. blood of Chrift. . The- law which; Ifrael promifed o- bedience to is, the Law fprinkled with the' blood of facrifices, — • teaching all Ifraelit.es indeed, to vow obedience unto the Moral Law ,in the hand of Chrift the Mediator. They are not without law to God; but under the Law to Chrift. Faith's contemplation of the blood of fprinkling applied to the Law, is a grand encouragement to keep all God's com mandments. 6. Cov. enanteRs ought to be carefully hi- ftruvted as to the nature and extent of cove nant-duties, previous unto their entering into federal engagements. How often is-the mat ter of this covenant declared unto Ifrael! God .. * See alfo < Difiertation II. Part i. On Abraham's re moval from Chaldea. Servants ought to make it an article in their conditions to have ajreaforiable time al lowed for falling and the celebration' of the Lord's Sup per : And then the laws of the comitry, for which we ought to be thankful unto the King of. Nations, will make good that article, even although perfons profe Sing - godlinefs fliould ferve unreafonable and wicked men. It is much more eligible, _ however, to ftrive to gain -the good will of mailers by faithful fervice at other timesj who, if reafonable, will not grudge a fliort time for the fervice of the Lord ; and to make choice of fuch mailers as fhew a proper deference to divine things. himfelf 3io DISSERTATION V. Part i. himfelf fpake it ; Mofes fpake it once and a- gain : He wrote it, and read it in the ears of all the people. Many,. at this time, would be ready to reckon thefe things rieedlefs repetitions; but God, whofe judgment is always according to truth, determined them to be needful pre cautious, that his people might covenant with knowledge arid underftandiilg. 7. When covenanters renew their engage ments to the. Moft High, they ought to engrofs into their bond every part of reformation for merly attained. When Ifrael covenanted with Gqd at Sinai, they embraced all thofe inftitu- tions which were given unto the Ghurch prior unto that tranfaction : For example, Circum-" cifion, which was given to their fathers, as well as the paffover to themfelves, but'a few months before. Both the promifes and precepts which belonged to former covenants were engroffed in tins one : Only this was the moft perfect e- dition of them. The ordinances, which lay fcattered in the memories of men, ^were all re duced to one entire and written fyftem. And die rules, efpecially refpecting ceremonial infti- tutions, wliich had been formerly indefinitely expreffed, were, at this time, particularly de lineated, and fully afceitained. PART Part 2. DISSERTATION V- 311 PART II. Exod.- xxxiv. 5 2 7 . THE fame tnethod fuits this Part which was ufed in the former. I" fliall, FIRST, Confider the Pa r t i e s Covenanting. 1. Th e firft party proclaimed himfelf to be " the Lord, the Lord God merciful*," Sec. He is " the Lord, the Lord ;" or JEHOVAH, JEHOVAH f 1 When the Moft High is, fpoken of in Scripture, frequently the expreffion is, the Lord, Jehovah ; but it is otherways here. The Jews have fuch a fuperftitious veneration for this name, that they do not pronounce it at all ; but, in this place, God himfelf pronoun- ceth it once and again : And who can charge him with ufing it in vain ? The repetition of this auguft name renders the language raptu rous „-and extatic ; as if he had faid, " I am Jehovah, even Jehovah," the Exiftent, the •Exiftent! for fo the name is explained by God himfelf, "I am that I am £:" I, even I, have ' being * Exod. xxxiv. 6. f Adonai Jehovah. X Exod. iiiT 14. Some have obferved, that there are thjree names of God taken, from his nature, nifty rnnx, ¦n> ; 3t2 DISSERTATION V. Part i. being in and of my felf ; Ij even I, give beino- to all my purpofes, promifes, and threatenings. Says an elegant writer, " John well explains this name, by the who is,' who" was, and Who is to come; or, as the paflage might be rendered, the. Prefent, the Paft, and the Future Being; or, once more, the Being that is, the Being that was, the Being that will be: That is, the Perpetual, the Eternal, and Unchangeable Being*." I fhall only fur ther obferve, That there was beauty and fit- nefs of the revelation of this peculiarly glori ous name at this time ; when Ifrael had chan ged the glory of the incorruptible God into the likenefs of an ox. This was a moft expli cit teftimony againft their moftfhameful idola try. He proclaimed himfelf to be GOD; even the Almighty God, as the name imports-)-,. God ' fP ; and all thefe are much of the fame import. So f%r as I have been able, to obferve TV is ufed only in fcrip- ture fongs : And from hence I am ready to, conclude, it - is the poetic dial eel for Jehovah. As to the other, it is to be found only in the text juft now quoted. It appears evi dently to be a divine name ; and to it our Lord refers, John viii. 58. " Before Abraham was I am-:" It cannot. imply lefs than eternal, independent, and immutable exiflence. The learned reader will find three Difierta? tions on the name Jehovah, in Leufden's Philoloo-us Hebrseus, Diflert. xxvii. et fequentibus : In them is to be found the fubftance of all the obfervations made on that fubjevfi, whether grammatical or theological. * Davies's Ser. Vol. II. p. 229. London, edit. 3. -J- Exod. xxxiv. 6. The original word is bit. Out tranflators render it God ; as alfo m1?** and DTI1?**- i Some Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 313 God able to uphold, preferve, and govern his creatures; as he is the maker .of them all: The omnipotent God, who reigneth for ever : The living Godwin oppofition to dead idols. > He proclaims himfelf to be " the Lord, the Lord God merciful*." The word im ports, fuclfccompaffion, and infinitely greater, as a woman hath for the fon of her womb ; for God deigns to fpeak after the manner of men coiicerninp- his commiferation of finners : He declares, that his heart is turned within Some reckon all thefe names of both the fame meaning and derivation : Others apprehend they are different; the former being derived from 'tU robur, Strength ; and the latter from iT?*? coluit, to Worship. But, at any rate, the term ufed in our text muft denote omni- foiEua,; for, whatever be the root of tl°bx and QTI1?!*, ^K, is c6nffefledly' the' root of bx ; and Vk is fometimes ufed -as a divine name ; fometimes it is taken adjeAively, denoting strength : And God is indeed strong in' mercy, grace, &c. t Exod. xxxiv. 6. Dim. This term is never applied to creatures ; nor is it exprelfive of their pity towards each other, fo far as I have obferved : A diftinp-uifhing name is ufed by God himfelf, to exhibit his diftinguifh- ing mercy. Though it is not applied unto creature- mercy, yet it is a metaphorical exprelfion, and the co louring borrowed from creatures : om is the root of it; and it is explained by ConraduS Kircher, ""Infra vifcera intercjufit, fummo et intimo amoris affectu tac- tus erga' aliquem quem Dens hominum vifcei-ibus indidit. Intimo commiferationis affecTiu aliquem amplexus eft, quid fciz. vulva feu matrix folet concipere, complecti, fovere alere, tueri, et confervare factum." The allufion is unto a mother, glowing with the warm eft affection to ward the. fon of her womb. '/ ''* Rr him;' 314 DISSERTATION V. Part*. him, and his repentings are kindled together :- And he has taught his people to cry, ?* Where is the founding of thy bowels, and of thy mercies, are they reftrained ¦?"• He pro claimed himfelf to be " the Lord God — o k. a- c i ou s *:" That is, he bellows his favour upon the undeferving. Mercy has the miferable for the object of it ; and grace the undeferving for its object. * God is gracious not only in, be llowing favours without regard unto paft merit; but alfo without any regard to future reward. And he hath manifefted this perfectiori in the work of redemption : " By grace are ye faved, through faith." He announceth himfelf to be " the Lord God — long-suffering f A In this particular, the language is evidently metaphorical ; God reprefents himfelf as of long, or broad nostrils,, though he be a pure fpirit. This is the literal tranilation of that which our tranflators render long-suf fering. The divine wrath is ftyied his nos t Rt ls in fcripture : " If God will not with draw his anger :" Heb. his nostrils £. He can * Exod. xxxiv. 6. )13n. This term is alfo afcribed uniformly to God, -wherever it occurs in the infpired writings: Nor does it efrer exprefs the favour of one creature unto another. - , f Exod. xxxiv. 6. ut fupra. The original phrafe is, CTSN "JIK, longus naribus. X Job ix. 13. compared with Pfal. lxxiv. 1. "Why doth thine anger fmoke :" Heb, nostrils smoks. The* ~Y " " allufioij, Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 315 can (offer much even at die hand of vefiels of wrath, as well as at the hand of veffels of mercy. Accordingly, he exercifed muc1, long- fuffering toward that generation with which he covenanted. He announced himfelf to be " the Lord God — abundant in .good-- ness *." God had promifed to Mofes to make all his goodness to pafs before him : and the whole of this declaration is the anfwer of Mo- fes's prayer, and the accomplifhment of that promife. Hence, each, of his perfections is his goodnefs variegated, according to the object allufion appears to be this : In anger, perfons breathe out thick fumes, from the fervour of blood and animal fpirits aboitt the heart. Where the paflages are ftrait, the fumes cannot have a fpeedy vent ; and, therefore, excite greater emotion within : Where the noftrils are long and wide, the fumes of rage evaporate, the cooling air refrigerates the boiling heart. - The metaphor muft not be ftretched fb far as to infer, that God has any need of external aid to allay the heat, of his anger; but the meaning" muft be, That he ever poffefleth fuch tran quility of mind, and infinitely more, as men do poffefs who have fuch affiftance. # Exod. xxxiv. 6. lDm"l.i This phrafe is remarkahh v ftrong ; it heaps one fuperlative above another: IVn fignifies either that which is exceeding good, or exceed- ing'bad; SuMmum gra'dum rei, as Stockius obferves. .And an denotes great, abundant, yea greateft : For the Hebrews ufe the pofitive for the comparative, or even for the^ fuperlative. The vigor of the phrafe, then, feems rather fuperior to our idioms of language ; for they refute to heap one fuperlative above another. The beft tranflation', perhaps, of which our language can ad- NDANT IN BOIF-KTY. R r 2 of 316 DISSERTATION V. Part 2. of it. Some divines, however, confider the glorious attribute * Exod. xxxiv. 7. Some critical writers" have obfer ved, that Nun, in the beginning of "DS}, is one of the targe- letters. And Buxtorf makes the following remark upon it, ",} in voce "liO ubi legitur, in Exod. xxxiv. 7. (eft litera majufcula, viz.) servans clementiam mil- libus. Ad confiderandum magnitudinem gratiae Dei, qua fe in millena millia, i. e. in infinitum extendit erga eos, qui foedus ipfius confervant.'' Tiberias, cap. xiv. A late writer alfo' remarks, " The Hebrews obferve, that the: firft letter of the word tranflated keeping is much larger than ufual, which fhews, that a particular emphafis. is to be laid upon it ; as if he fhould fay, ImosT strictly; and richly, keep mercy for thousands: The treasure is.jmjiense, a'nd can ne-ves be ex hausted." Mr Gibbons. —for 31.8. DISSERTATION V. Part 2. -—for the generations yet to come. Or -the term implies, the defending of his treafure of mercy from being robbed, or plundered, by the devourer, — -his keeping it as in a garrifpn-: For the foe cannot exact upon the keeper of it, nor the fon of wickediiefs afflict him. He proclaims himfelf to be "the Lord God — for giving INIQ.UITY, TRANSGRESSION, and sin*'." A variety of ejipreflions are ufed to point out the objects of this divine act. Ini- q,uity importing crookednefs, or declenfion from the ftraight rule ;— Trans g res sion de noting rebellion againft the rightful authority of God, the moral governor of the world ; — ¦ Sins importing either a wandering out of the right way, or a miffing of the fcope at which ' * Exod. xxxiv. 7. This term ($ . ¦ .'. * Exod, xxxiy.,7. -f Ezek. xviii. 20. vifited, Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 323 vifited, I humbly judge, kre fuch as are par takers _of their father's fins by imitation, not. •by imputation: And the , vifitation is not merely temporal, but alfo eternah-y It is -not to be wondered at, if perfons, who ferve them felves heirs unto their father's fins, by walking in their ways, be vifited with fiich plagues as thefe iniquities incur : For example, The po- fterity of Cain were not only punifhed with the flood, but alfo by being call out of the Church, when their father was eaft out from the presence of the Lord . — The juftice' and equity of this procedure will appear, if we con fider that children have guilt enough of their own to procure all the vengeance inflicled on them : And their guiltls particularly aggrava ted, as they did not take warning by' the dread ful example of their anceftors; but ftill profe- cuted their fatal courfes *. ; 2. The other party is Mofes, and all Ifrael with him : " After the tenor of thefe words I have made a covenant with thee, and with Ifrael -f- ." The various capacities and relations iii which they flood ; and the various branches of their character, have been cbrifidered in the * Vid. Zanchium, De Lege Deir DeSeeundo pre- cxpto. p. 272, 273. Calvinum, Harmon. Pentateuch in Precept. Secnnd. Durham on the Second Command* ment. f Exod. xxxiv, 27. S f z former-, 324 DISSERTATION V. Part 2, former part of this Differtation : Wherefore, I proceed,: SECONDLY, To confider the Contents of this Covenant, which are, I. A solemn declaration, on the part of the Son of God, on the one part. 1. He declared, " before all the people, I will do marvels, fuch as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation : and all the people among which thou art fliall fee the work of the Lord : for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee*." Some expofitors' explain this promife of all the miracles done for them in the wildernefs, and- in putting them into pofleflion of Canaan : But, to me, the blefling intended appears to be, God's gra cious prefence, for which Mofes made fiich earneft interceffion' in behalf of the congrega tion. The work of Jehovah is faid to beMAX- v e l lo u s and terrible. The firft of thefe terms is not always taken in a bad fenfe : Some times it denotes gracious and miraculous ope rations in favour of his Church,. as well as his vengeance on his enemies "j". And the a- bode of the Son of God in the pillar of fire, and in the pillar of cloud, was marvellous in -die eyes of all ifrael : Nor was it more terrible * Exo4, xxxiv. 10. f Pfal. xl. ;. cxviii. 23. '"'"' to Parts. DISSERTATION V. 325 to the Church than comforting to every ge nuine believer. The other term is expreflive of that reverence and regard which is due un to the perfon and work of Jehovah :.. And- the phrafe might, with full as much propriety, be rendered, " It is a venerable thing;" or, "He is a venerable perfon whom I am adorning un- •to thee*:." 2.; He renewed the pVomife of victory bver the nations of Canaan. This promife was firft made to Abraham, and Jiad been often renewed to his feed, as we have feen. The renovation of it, at this time, was an amazing proof pf divine faithfulnefs and fbvereignty to his people : Though, they rebelled againft him, yet he did not deliver them into the_hands of their enemies ; but ftill gave them a new aflu- rance of victory over them. /.¦->• - * The term HTU denotes vjenerable as well' as ter rible, Gen. xxviii. 17. Exod. xv. n. And that which our tranflators render tIiing is S»W1, or elfe they fiipply it : Either of which are abfurd. It is much more pro - / per to underftand it of a person than of atHiNc: And no 'other perfon can be underftood, or intended, than the Angel of 'the Covenanc, who dwelt in the bufh, and in the moft. holy place. — That which is promifed concern ing this perfon is, to prepare and adorn him. ntW " Interdum ornatus eft magis eft quam affeclionis," G.Robertfon, Thefaur. in vocem. Now, the preparation of the habitation of the Shechinah to dwell in the con gregation of Ifrael, was a frflemn prelude of the prepa ration of Chrift's human nature, which was decorated by the Father, that his divine nature might -tabernacle in it in the fulnefs of time.'. On 326 DISSERTATION V. Part's. On the other part, He enjoined them, I . To abftain from making a covenant with' the inhabitants of Canaan, thefe nations which" God had deftined to utter deftruction. There was a particular reafon for this prohibi tion, even the divine declaration formerly given, announcing their certain and utter deftruction : And alfo a reafon of univerfal and' perpetual force, fpecified in the text, " Left it be for a fhare in the midft of thee ; and thou. go a whoring after their gods, and do facrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his facrifice ; and thou take of their daughters unto thy fons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy fons go a whoring after tlieir gods*." How often have perfons made a facrifice of their religious profeflious out of complaifance unto their connections ! At firft, thefe profeffors meant only to comply for once, perhaps ; but, having once fet their feet into the down-hill path, they find it difficult, if not impoflible, to make a decent retreat. They go on, from begun apoftacy, to down-right enmity. 2. To break down all monuments of idola try : " But ye fhall deftroy then- altars, break their images, and cut down their groves T ." This commandment had been" in the forep-o- * Exod. xxxiv. 12, is, 16. f Exod. xxxiv. 13. \. Part 2. DISSERTATION V. ga? ing tranfaction, and was, for fpecial purpofes,; repeated in this one*; namely, That their co venant-renovation might contain a teftimony, aimed directly againft their idolatry in making the golden calf, which had been done in imi tation of Egyptian idolatry. Accordingly, as often as ifrael returned to the Lord, in after- times, by covenant-renovation, they broke down the monuments of idolatry. 3. If they might not fuffer fuch monuments ofjtdolatry, as had been framed by others, fo abide in their land, much lefs might they " make unto themfelves arty molten gods .j"." Idols were abfolutely , unlawful ; whether in tended as the objects, or as the means of wor fliip. ' 4. God enjoined them of new, to celebrate their folemn feafts, and dedicate their firft-born, and firft-fruits, unto himfelf. Thefe bore alfo a part in the foregoing tranfaction ; and the commandment was given out at this time, that thefe feafts might be oppofed to t ha t f e a s t which they had proclaimed in honour" of the golden calf. _ 5. God prefcribed abftinence from seeth ing a kid in his mother's milk. Some of the , enemies of religion have derided this precept, * ExoiT, xxiii. 24. f Exod. xxxiv, 17J / as £28 DISSERTATION V. Part 2. 1 as trivial, and fome of its friends' have hefi- tated as. to the reafon of it; but there is no room either for derifion or doubt. Such. as have duly attended unto the matter find, that the idolaters of ancient times feethed a kid in its mother's milk ; and, in a fuperftitious man-* ner, fprinkled their fields, orchards, and vine yards therewith, imagining, by thefe means, to fructify them againft the next year * . Now, this prohibition was properly infer ted in this covenant, as it was intended to be a teftimony afgainft all idolatry and fuperftition, then a- bounding, whatfoever. -"/'.' . yyi THIRDLY, The Occasions of this Cove nant deferve to be confidered in the next place. The interval between this covenant and the laft was not above four months : The incidents which filled it up, however, were va rious and important. 1. Immediately after the former cove nant, Mofes had been called.up to the mount, for the purpofe of receiving inftructions as to the making of the tabernacle, and the office of the priefthood. Genuine covenanters put a blank into God's hand ; and God took this method to fill it up. The' 1 fpace of time be tween Mofes's being called up into the mount, * Gregory's Qbfervat. cap. xix. apud Crit. Sac. Tom. ix. and Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 320 and his leaving Jofhua, was fix days: On the feventh day God called to Mofes out of the cloud. This feventh day was probably the Sabbath:; and the firft of the forty days oil wliich Mofes failed*. This is one of the par ticulars in which Mofes prefigured our Lord Jefus Chrift. One reafon why both obferved fuch a faft feems to have been a confirma tion of the miffion, — evidencing they were at once divinely upheld, and divinely audi ori fed. 2. During Mofes's abode on the mount," the congregation of Ifrael, impatient of his abfence, defpairing of his return, and fwayed "by the idolatrous taint of Egypt, too fuccefs- fully folicited Aaron to make them gods to go before them : Aaron, far from that 'firm* nefs which became his ftation, not only com plied with their requeft, but alfo planned the execution of it. To fatisfy their fond defires^ and filence their clamours, he founded the Gold en calf. Thus, in the very place where they had exprefsly engaged not to make .UNTO T HEM.SE LVES ANY LIKENESS OF ANY THING THAT IS IN T H E EA R T H B ENE A T H, did they change the glory of the incorruptible God into the liknefs of an ox. While the fire of his jealoufy, which fenced this article,7 flamed' about the mount, did the rage of idolatry flame in their hearts. * Exod. xxxiv. 18. - TV 3, Their, 330 DISSERTATION V* Part 2. 3. Their idolatry involved in it a notable breach of covenant with God, and provoked him to break off from finitliing that fyftem of ordinances which lie was bellowing by the mi- niftry of Mofes ; and to denounce his moft dreadful indignation agafnft them. The fyftem Was far advanced, indeed, before it was brb-" ken off. The ordinances of the tabernacley and the regulations of the priefthood, were already finifhed ; as alfo the writing of the ten commandments, on tables of ftone. Thefe tables were the workmanfliip of God, both in point of preparation and infcription. He faw meet to write the fubftance of the former co venant on ftone, to denote the perpetuity of ,the ten commandments, as the rule of con duct and inftruction to his children. The, tables were broken, however, by Mofes, when he came, down from, the mount. Some tax Mofes with rage and weaknefs in this ftep of his conduct ; others endeavour, to excufe him. But, whether he was culpable or not, his con duct was certainly emblematical of God's break ing off from finifhing the fyftem of ordinances which he had begun.; and it was alfo a Handing teftimony againft their breach of covenant with him. Hence, he denounced moft terrible jud g-< ments a^gainft them : " I have feen this people,,, and behold (faid he) it is a fthT-necked people 1 Now, therefore, let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot againft them, and that I may confiime Part 2. DISSERTATION V- 331 confume them." How enormous their guilt ! How weighty their punifhment ! 4. As Mofes had the moft difficult work cut out for him ; fo he was enabled to execute it with dexterity, firmnefs, and fuccefs. - "When God announced Ifrael's revolt unto him, he became their compaffionate interceffor. God enumerated the aggravating circumftances of their enormous' guilt, threatening their de ftruction ; and promifing to make of Mofes a great nation : But he, far from being taken with the flattering profpect of the aggrandize ment of his own family, turned his faith to the proniife, andmrged the path by which it had been ratified to the patriarchs ; as alfo the occafion which his enemies would take to blaf- pheme his name, as arguments for its accom plifhment and' their prefervation *. When he had fo far prevailed with God, as to pre vent the utter deftruction of that people, he came down to flop the progre/s of -their idola try, arraign -them for their revolt, and punifli the mohVflagrant offenders.- — He burntthe calf in fire ; and, by his miraculous power, perhaps, ground it to powder; and, by caufing Ifrael to drink the water on which it was ftrewed, he taught them, that this deity. was fo far from bringing them out of the land o£ Egypt, that, in a fliort time, it , would be in the dung-hill. * Exod., xxxii. 12. 13, 'T t 2 The 332 DISSERTATION V. Part*; The firft perfon arraigned was Aaron, his bro ther, who made but a feeble defence of .his daftardly compliance. Then Mofes fet up a tabernacle without the camp, and invited fuch as were on the Lord's fide to repair unto it : Every one who was really on the Lord's fide complied with the invitation ; the Levites, in particular, followed Mofes ; and, at his com mand, executed vengeance on fuch as flayed behind in the idolatrous camp, which God had deferted : They confecra ted themfelves, par ticularly by the impartiality of it on their neareft relations : It was limited unto three thoufand,. however ; probably becaufe the reft had been brought unto repentance and humi liation*. Thus, God feparated between the precious and the vile,, that his covenanters might, in fome meafure, be a pure lump.——. On4:he next day, Mofes renewed his intercef- fion for the remnant that was left "j" ; requeft- ing fafe conduct into the promifed land. God granted his petition; but promifed only a crea ted angel for their leader. Some imagine, he was only a created angel who was afterwards given : But the character which the Mofaic hiftory affords of him, can by no means agree to a created angel. When a created angel ^_ * Exod. xxxiii. 4 — 6. t We have an epitome of his prayer, chap, xxxii. 30 — 34. And the particulars more fully delineated, -chap. xxxiii. 12 — 23. was Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 335 was /promifed, all the people mourned, as his guidance was no fecurity againft deftruction, by God's immediate hand : But the angel of his p R e s ence was an abundant prefervation*. His requeft was granted, and fiiitably impro ved, by this powerful interceflbr. He follow ed it by another faying, " I befeech the fhew me thy glory." Some have cenfured this peti tion, as prefumptuous ; but God, who makes the beft of his people's fervices, limited it, and then granted it, in the only fenfe in which it could be granted. Mofes requefted a fight of his^glory"/ abftractly confidered, without at tending to the difference between his eflential and his declarative glory. God anfwered, "^ Thou canft not fee my. face; for no man can fee me and live f." A fight Of his decla rative glory, however, is granted, which God denominates his Goodness J. And the va rious perfections, above confidered, are, each of them, a proof, that he is good in himfelf, . - * * Said God, My prefence fliall go with thee, Exod. xxxiii. 14. The Lord Qhrift may, with great propriety, be called the presence of Gob; and the angel op his presence ; becaufe fpecial fellowfhip is only to be enjoyed through Chrift,^ind his prefence manifefted in him. God is in him -4n a peculiarly glorious manner : Hence, faid Chrift, " He that hath feen me hath feen the father. — Believe me that I am. in the Father, and the Father in me," John xi-fr. 10, ii. f Exod. xxxiii. 20. X Exod. xxxiii. 19. " And he faid, I will make all my goodness pafs before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee." and 334 DISSERTATION V. Part 2. and alfb to his children. Mofes improved this martifeftation of his glory, as an encourage ment unto folemn coiifeffion of fin, and Ampli cation for mercy: "Mofes made hafte and bowed his head towards the earth, and wor- fhipped : And he faid, If now I have found grace in thy fight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go amongft us ; (for it is a ftiff- necked people ): and pardon our iniquity and our fin, and take us for thine inheritance*." And this covenant-renovation is to be confider ed as an anfwer unto that prayer,-— -as an evi dence that their fins were pardoned,- — that God had taken them for his inheritance. FOURTHLY, I fhall now confider the Con- firmations of this Covenant. 1. It was adminiftered to the whole con gregation : " He gave them in commandment all that the Lord had fpoken unto him in mount Sinai -|V Though the confent of this congregation is not recorded, it is neceffarily implied ; otherways they had been guilty of the greateft rebellion, which would certainly have drawn down the immediate vengeance of heaven. 2. It was confirmed by writing. It was written both by the finger of God and the hand * Exod. xxxiv. 8, 9. -j- Exod. xxxiv. 32." of Part 2. DISSERTATION V. s3y '':: ¦ , ¦ t ' of Mofes. The tables of the covenant* which Mofes broke, were replaced: " And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Hew thee two tables of ftone, like unto die firft : and I will write upon thefe tables the words which were in the firft tables, which thou brakeft*." — ¦" And he hewed two tables of ftone, like unto the firft: - — and he took in his hand the two tables of ftone"|"." The former tables were all of divine workmanfhip, both in point of preparation and infcription; but thefe were prepared'by Mofes. The reafons affigned for this difference are various. Some apprehend, the former edition were all of divine workmanfhip,' to intimate, that they contained the Covenant of Works :. And this was partly the Workmanfhip of Mofes, a typical mediator, to fhew, that the Law was ftript of its covenant-form, and given, as a rule of life, in the hand of a Mediator t. But, to believers, both editions were a rule of life'; and the firft, as well as the fecond, was writ ten by the finger of the Son of God, as Me diator. Again, fbme reckon, that Mofes was enjoined to hew the tables for this edition, as a punifhment for his breaking* the firft tables §. But, as Mofes j,s never taxed by God for this * Exod. xxxiv. 1. f Exod. xxxiv. 4. X Notes_on the Marrow of Modern Divinity, p. 74. § The greater part of the Jewifli Expofitors give this. view of the matter, as Abarbihel, Rabbi Solomon, &c. quoted by Buxtorf, Difiert. de Decalog. Thef. 18. part g36 DISSERTATION, 'V. Part ij part pf his conduct, I know no reafon why he fhould be condemned by men- It is better, with Calvin and others, to confider this work manfhip of Mofes, as a ftandirig mark of God's difpleafure,, and chaftifement of the children of Ifrael, for their breach of covenant. Tho' he fuffered their wound to be healed, yet this human workmanfhip was as ^a fear, to perpe tuate the remembrance of it.for their humilia tion*. The ten commandments had various prerogatives * Calvin in Pentateuch, p. 1247. edit. Genev. 1617. "Quanquam hac teflera vel externo fymbolo fahcita fuit inftauratio abrupta foederis, ne tamen torporem in- duceret veniae facilitas, voluit Deus aliquod pcenx vefti- gjum reftare : ac fi vulnei-e fanato manerit cicatrix. Nullum in prioribus TabuliS hominis artificiuin interve- nerat : nam Deus arcana fua virtute fculptas tradiderat Mofi, nunc pars illius tantae dignitatis imminnitur, duin jubetur Mofes lapides afferre mann hominis politos, in quibus fcribat decern verba. Qjiare nOn prorfus deleta fuit ignominia fceleris : nihil tamen quod in fafutem neceflarium foret vel utile, detra&uih. Nam ad tefti-. monium gratias Dei et legis commendationem, ut reve- r enter earn fufciperent, nihil defuit: tantum nota.illa fuerunt humiliati, quod lapides in quibus Deus if cedus fuum depofiiit, non fuerunt manu ejus formati, nee nati in facra monte." Vid. etiam Buxtorf fuper citat. Her man. Witf. De Oecon. Feed. Lib. IV. cap. iv. §. 23. An excellent, author feems rather to blunder on this fubjeift ; he iiifimiates, that the, reafon of Mofes's work manfhip is, to teach ns, " That, if we would have - God to write the law in our hearts, we muft prepare our hearts for the reception of it," Mr Henry, on Exod. xxxiv. 1. But is not the hearts of. all men deceitful a- bove all things, and defperately wicked, antecedent to God's infcription of his law upon it ? Of what prepara tion,- Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 33 it prerogatives .fuperior unto the judicial and ce remonial laws, in each edition of them ; of which their infcription on tables of ftone was one. The reafen of this infcription feems to be, the perpetual remembrance of what had been tranfacted ; for it was ufual, in ancient. times, to engrave matters of importance on ftone, or brafs. Job' alludes unto this cuftom, in his pathetic wifti: " O that my words were written ! O that they were now printed in a book! That they were" graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever *." This covenant was alfo written by the hand of Mo fes: "And the Lord "faid unto Mofes, "Write thou thefe words: for after the tenor of thefe words have I made a covenant with thee, and with Ifrael "j~ ." The reafon of this regiftration has been explained in the preceding parti The fprmer covenant comprehended that which is recorded in Exod. xx» and xxiii. inclufive : And this one, all recorded in chap, xxxiv. from. verfe 10th to verfe 27th inclufive. This laft was probably engroifed in the fame book with the former one likeways. tion,- then, is it capable .'Whether good or bad ? If good., How fhall a lie art defperately wicked accompliih it ? If bad, What. avails it in the fight of God ? What a pity is.it, that fuch a. favoury writer fhould fo frequent-,, ly mix gall and wormwood with falutary and agreeable diflies ? * Job. xix. 23, 24. | Exod'. xxxiv. 27. U'.u ^.Besipe 338 JDISSERTATION V. Part *. 3 . Beside the ftanding confirmation of the ceremonial law *, it was ratified by the mira- culoiis appearance of Mofes's face, when he came down from the mount. The reafon of this appearance, and the vail with which" > he covered iff, have exercifed the abilities of va rious. * The ordinances of the ceremonial law comprehend holy places, holy perfons, holy things, and holy times.* The beft little fyftem of it which 1 have feen is that of Hadrian Rexand De Antiquitat. Saer. Vet. Hebrapr, Ultrajeift,. edit. I 71 7. lt is a pity it is not known in out- language, illuftrated with a comparifon of the type with the antitype. f The Rev. Mr Bofton of Etrick invents- a new anct uncommon narrative oil the hiftorical part of this mi racle^ Notes on the Marrow of Modern Divinity, p. 112. He gives out, that Mofes w:ent into the tabernacle -, and then the tabernacle ferved inftead of a vail to his face. And, having dona»with fpeaking, he puts another vail on his fac6, and coines out unto the congregation. This narrative he founds upon a criticifm on Exod. xxxiv.. 31.. Our tranflation has it, " And Aaron, "and all the rulers of the congregation returned untp him." But Mr Bo fton would read it,- " And Aaron, and all the princes> returned unto him in the teftimony." This criticifin is far from being well founded, however ; it is not only contrary to his own folid canons of criticifin, laid down in his Tracfcatus Stigmologicus, but alfo to the nfual fig- n-ificationof the phrafe> rTUD aVttMrt. In Exod. xvi. 22; it denotes, the elders of the congregation - When this author comes to the myftery of this vail, he confiders it. both in a good and in a bad fenfe. In a good fenfe, reprefenting Chrift, who hides the fplendor of the Covenant of Works from his people :. and, in a bad fenfe, pointing out the darknefs of, their minds. BuJr Part 2. DISSERTATION V- 339 rious interpreters : And, I acknowledge, there is confiderable difficulty in Both : But the matter is niade ftill more difficult by reafon of the un happy turn given it in moft tranflations. Tht: cafe feems to ftand thus, When Mofes drew But the double vail being purely ideal, the dpuble my ftery falls of caurfe. Our tranflators- fiipply the word till, in verfe 33. but very imp:-. perly. 1 Literally it is, ¦ "And Mofes finifhed fpeaking with them ; and he put a vail on his face." The reafon why they put in this fupplement was, as they imagined, to reconcile Mofes with Paul. But, as a judicious author obfe.rves, it is , wholly unneceflary, " Ex Exod. xxxiv. 30— 35. liquere, fcxiftimo, radiafle vultum Mofis^ quum a Deo redux cum Ifraelitis colloqueretur ; imo Mofen aperto vultu populo mandata'Dei nranifeftafle, et poftea demum vultum velo texifle. Hujus rei caufl'am tradit apoftolus. Sc. vultum velamine operuifle : ne Ifraelitae viderent finem fpleiido- ris, quern vultus emittebat. Splendebat vultus ejus, glo ria- divina, quam cum Deo colloquens viderat, illuftra- tus. Hie fplendor poftea periifle, Mofe vero ad Deum redeunte, renovatus efle videtur. Mofes igitur, cui fplendor hie apud populum durae ceruicis mnltum auclo-, ritatis' conciliabat, inipofito velamine impediebat, ne finem hujus fplendoris viderent. Periifle hunc fplen- dorem docet quoque Paulus, ver. 7. eommemorans, ik< $i%xv ra 5T£»cwa t>iv *a!T«gyif/tSM!V. Sic elegans eftjiexUS CUJ11 ver. 12. Dicit ibi Paulus: Se multa uti parrhefia, quod fcirent perdurantem-- efle gloriam t?«- Si«x«»/«s- ts~ ^ei^aros- ver. 9, ii, 18. Mofi vero defuifle jhanc parrhefiam, qui fciuerit fplendorem vultus fui, ut et fplehdorem t«V Satx.Mtxr ths- x«T«xg/!7-S4)«- efle pereuhtem, ver. 8, jiv Par-' rhefise oppofitus^eft pudor. Qui vero pudore tangeban- tur, velare caput folebant. Vide Jer. xiv. 3. Efth. vi.' ¦J2.- Sic ergo Paulus dicit: Manere velamenin lec- tione' veteris teftainenti, quohiam ignorarent Jud'ati, illud a Chrifto efle abrogatum." G. D. Kypke, Ob1. Sac; in Is'. T. Tom. II. p. ,246. 247. U u 2 near S4o DISSERTATION - V*; Part i\ near unto the congregation, they were fb ftruck with the refulgence of his face, that they durft not approach him ; but, at Mofes's defire, firft Aaron, -with the rulers of the con gregation, and then all the congregation, came near ; and he gave them hi command all that the. Lord had fpoken to him in the mount." And Mofes finifhed fpeaking with them; and put a vail on his face. This was the ftate of matters when Mofes finifhed the adminiftra tion of this covenant; but, as they refigned themfelves unto the fovereign will of God, as in the foregoing covenant, it behooved Mofes, to enter into the temporary tabernacle, to learn the will of God as to this matter. When he went in, he took off the vail ; fb that the divine prefence added a- new luftre unto his countenance. And, when he came but, he fpoke unto the children of Ifrael that which was commanded him : And the children of Ifrael faw that the lkin of his face flione. But, as this luftre abated, he covered his face with a vail, to conceal it from Ifrael. The defign of this fplendor, at firft, was to give dignity and authority to the Mofaic legiflation; but it had alfb another, and a typical fignification. Some „ confider this glory as typical of the glory of Chrift, efpecially at his transfigura-- tion ; others, of the glory of the New Tefta- ' merit ceconomy. Some underftand this fplen dor as a difplay of the glory of the Covenant of Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 341 of Works. That this tranfaction is called the ministration of death, as the Covenant of Works was greatly predominant in it is" readily granted ; but that the glory of it belonged unto the Covenant of Works can ne ver be proved. This fplendor was intended to conciliate authority to Mofes, as a typical mediator: and, by it, to typify, the glory of the New Teftament lawgiver ; fo that both the glory of Chrift, and of the gofpel ceconomy, are compared to this glory, and preferred to it, by the Apoftle. The vail was a reprefeli- . tation of the darknefs and imperfection of that minor ftate : And as the darknefs of it was the occafion, not the caufe, of the blindnefs of the Jews, in the days of the Apoftle, he makes an eafy tranfition to the \&i\ of darknefs that was on their heart. I shall now make feme Ref lections on what has been explained, I . The faints of God themfelves may fome times violate their moft folemn engagements, Very foon after they have made them. It was but about forty days after the moft folemn co venanting at Sinai, that Aafbn, and the -greater part of the covenanters with him, brake that covenant, in the, moft fhameful manner. And would to God the like fceue had not been too .often re-acted, in later times. Thefe fame co venanters, 342 DISSERTATION Vt; Part 2. venanters, who were cheerful and ready in ta king the national covenant, in the year 1596*, were foon guilty of violating it. The like fcene was alfo re-acted, by many covenanters, in the year 1638. And, to come ftill nearer our own times, did not fbme of fhe moft eminent cove nanters, in the year 1 7 43,relinquifhthefeveryen- gagements, in April 1747. Plain and incon- teftible as the facts are, by which this awful truth is eftablifhed, our feparating brethren, who e- fpoufe the Burgefs-oath, affect to deny it. Say they, The great Er s kines Were too good men to be guilty of breaking' covenant with; the Moft High ! This is the ftrength of the caufe, indeed. But can we be better allured of the faintfliip of an Erfkine," or a Fifiier; than of the faintfhip of Aaron ? Or, Were the Erfkines, excellent as they were, fecured from apbftacy, in a manner fuperior to the Apoftles f-^Do we not find Peter guilty of diflimulation, even af ter he had entered on the work of his apoftle- fliip ? If fuch a pillar as an infallible teacher might fall, in refpect of his perfonal conduct, why is it not poflible for the ftrongeft pillars among; fallible- teachers to be likeways fhaken? 2. Covenanters frequently violate their engagements, by falling back into thofe very fins from which they have been but lately re- * See C alder-wood's Hiftory, p. 3-1 7. formed Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 343 formed. So grofs was Ifrael's infatuation, that they wiflied to be conducted into the promifed land by thofe gods from whom they had been redeemed. They faw, that thofe gods could not deliver the Egyptians' ; yet they vainly ex pected, that they could protect and direct them. Neither the impotence and inutility of thofe deities, on the one hand ; nor their own facred engagements on the other, could be a barrier againft the torrent of their apoftacy. How often, alas ! How often do profeflbrs return, like the dog to his vomit ; and, like the fwine that were'wafhed, unto their wallowing; in the mire! 3 . Solemk c on F E s s 1 o n, efpecially of fiich fins as are formal breaches of preceding cove nants, ought to precede covenant-renovation. Mofes was employed, to good purpofe, in this duty, previous to his receiving the draught of this covenant. 4. The, name of God, as a fin-pardoning God, gives great encouragement untb the ac knowledgment of fin.. God announced him felf, The Lord God— forgivirtg iniquity, tranf- greffion, and fin. Mofes improved this noble character : He found fuch a grace in it, as fill ed the foul with fhame and evangelical contri tion of mind. , . fy - y , -jr. Covenant i%4i DISSERTATION V. Part i. 5^ Covenant engag eMents oughtto be fo framed, as to ftrike directly and explicitly againft thofe fins that are moft prevalent in the •time and place in which they are made ; and moft likely to befet thofe who enter into fuch engagements. There are two kinds of cove nant engagements with which wicked men will bear a little, although they count every fpecies fuperfluous : The firft is, Such as do not con demn any but very remote evils ; and fuch as they have no prefent temptation to practife : For example, not a few feem to approve Of If rael's explicit condemnation of idolatry ; yea, they would not fay much againft a condemna tion of fome of the groffer abominations of Popery: But a condemnation of present evils is always a torment to them who dwell on the face of the earth. Again, Others would put up with covenant engagements, pro vided they be kept private ; and do not a- mount, like Noah's, unto a condemnation of the world lying in wickednefs. But neither of thefe can confift with the model afforded in the hiftory before us. The fins into which Is rael had -fallen are efpecially mentioned, and others condemned only by confequence and im% plication. As they had finned by imitating E- gyptiari idolatry, fo they covenanted againft it,-— againft all imitation of it, or compliance with it, whether Egyptian or Canaanitifh. 6, The Part 2. DISSERTATION V. 345" 6. The great difcouragement of covenant ers, which originates in their urifteadfaftnefs, is no juft argument againft the practice itfelf. Were covenanting God's ordinance, fay fome, and his work, he would not fuffer men to break it down fo foon after they have been employed in building it up : But, who can doub't if the Sinai Covenant were God's work? And who can deny but it was broken foon af ter it was made ? If we attend carefully unto God's work, we will find, that he has, feenl- ingly, permitted Satan to crufh his work al^ moft in the very bud : His image was not long fet up in this lftwer world before it was brokeri down by the fall. The more glorious the Work is, the fooner, arid the keener, will the attack upon it be ; and though the enemies of God fliould apparently prevail, and his work, acj cording to our view, appear to be quite mar-* red; yet it will be really meftded, being raifed up with fuperior advantage, on the one hand; arid his name will be glorified, by the wicked- nefs of his enemies, and the weaknefs of his friends, on the other. 7. When perfons and, churches are called unto- the duty of covenanting, they are alfo frequently called unto feparation from fuch profeffors as are tinged with the fins of the times, and perfift in refufing to be reclaimed. Such were the circumftances of Mgfes, and * ' XX thdfe 346 DISSERTATION V. Part i, thofe covenanters who joined with him at this time : They made a thorough feparation from thofe idolaters who worfliipped the golden calf. When the fervice of God cannot be carried on in connection with backfliders, then perfbns, who have, a confcience, muft make a choice, "Whether they will part with their duty, and a good confcience, or with their companions : And they are at no lofs what part to chpofe. DTSSER- DISSERTATION VI. ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD and ISRAEL, ON THE PLAINS OF MOAB. Deut. xxix. 10 — — - iy. OEEING it feemed good to the Holy Ghoft ^3 to defcribe, — The Parties of this Cove* nant.< — The Parts of it. — The Occafions of it. — And, its Confirmations. "We fhall dwell a little on each of thefe ; and then fubjoin a few Re flections on the whole. . -xj 'FIRST, We fliall attend unto the.PA r tie s of this Covenant : And Mofes was inftructed to make it with Ifrael, I. In the name of the Lord their God: " That thou fhouldft enter into covenant with the Lord thy Gor>*-" > * Deut. xxix. 12. - XV. 2 2. The- 348 DISSERTATION VL *"> 2. The other party is declared to be fuch as ftood before the Lord that day, with the generations to come, reprefented by them. They are diftributed into the following dalles; " Your Captains of your tribes */' So our tranflation- has it. I find it otherwife ren dered by Auifworth : He tranflates it, " Your Heads of your tribes.-]-: And I find the fame term rendered Head s in a parallel text : " And with you there fhall be a man of every tribe ; every one Head of the houfe of his fathers £.'* They are alfo ftyied Princes. Says a modern author, " Thefe Princes were chief captains, or generals, in time of war; and chief magi* Urates in time of peace : Not unlike Peers of the realm, and Lords-Lieutenants of the coun ty §¦'." Thefe perfons were the higheft order in the civil ftate ; but not too high to fubmit to God's yoke. " Your Eld er s |[." There is more * Deut. xxix. 10. f See his tranflation, in his Ajinot. edit. 1630. X Numb. i. 4. two, 5 In Ntnnb. vii. 2. They are ftyied Princes. See Lowman on the civil government of the Hebrews, p. 74. Etiam Sigo'nium de Repub, Heb. Lib. VII. cap. v. ||' Deut. xxix. 10. 'apt. This order of perfons is fre quently mentioned in Old Teftament hiftory. Abra- , haui had an officer, who bore this defcription, in bis, fa mily. Gen xxiv. 2. Our tranflation ftyles him, , " The eldeft fervant in his family ;" and not improperly. Pharaoh had a fervant of this kind likeways, Gen. 1. 7. There were not only domeftic, but alfb elders, belong* ing to larger focietiesj whether cities or commonwealths. Of DISSERTATION VI. 349 more difficulty in this term than. the former one.- It was firft intended to denote perfons of advanced age '; but it is more frequently eXT preflive of an office, whether in family, church, or commonwealth. The Church was, by this time, changed from her domeftic to her con gregational ftate : Hence, I am apt to con clude, that the term denotes both civil and ecclefiaftical rulers. "Your OftIceRs *." As for the officers, " they were (fays a modern author), according to the account given of them by Maimonides and the Rabbins, much like thofe whom the Roman law calls offici ates, and exec u tores, and the New Tefta ment officers,, who attended the court, to keep the people in order, with a ftaff and a whip; and to execute the orders aiid decrees of the judges "j".."- A fourth clafs are, " All the men pf Ifrael:" That is, all the males which belonged unto the congregation, who were- obliged to attend the celebration of the Of the former fort we read, Deut. xxv. 8. of the latter, Gen. 1. 7. Numb. xxii. 4. 7. Wherever the Church of God obtained, there were elders both civil and eccle fiaftic : Ifrael, in particular, had an ecclefiaftic go vernment, diftind from the ftate. For proof this, the reader may, in the mean, time', confu.lt GiUefpie's Aaron's Rod Blofloming, Lib. I. chap. iii. Leidekker de Repub. Hebrjeor. Lib. II. cap. vii, viii. * ontDttf. f See Jennings' Antiquities, Vol. I. p, 36, 37. The fubftance of which. is taken from Fuller's Mifcellan. Lib- III. cap. xix. Johan. Nic. Not. in Sigon. Lib. VII. cap. vii. folemn tfo DISSERTATION VI. folemn feafts. The males may be mentioned in this arrangement, as being next in dignity unto the former clafs. —"Your little one s ." Thefe are fuch little ones as the males covenanted for, even as they covenanted for them at circumcifion ; and as parents ftill cove nant for their children at baptifm. " Your Wives." Females, even fuch as were married,. and had hufbands to anfwer for them in civil tilings, were not exempted from this oath, as it was a religions one. Females have been exempted from oaths of allegiance, in all ages, and in all countries, unto civil rulers ; but it was fit they fhould enter into this covenant not only in regard of their perfonal intereft in it, but alfo as examples unto the Church in fu ture times. This example was accordingly imitated in the days of Nehemiah ; and de ferves our imitation in fucceeding times. Another clafs of covenanters are, " Thy Strangers.." Thefe ftrangers were proba bly profelytes ; and had received circumcifion, the initiating! feal of the Abrahamic covenant. Though thefe perfons were bond-men, yet they were free to enter into the Lord's cove nant ; though they were the loweft rank in the commonwealth, yet not "below God's notice. • In one word, This covenant was made with fucceeding, as well as with the prefent , generation : ," Neither with you only do I make this covenant, .and this oath : But with him that ftandeth here with us this day before the Lord our DISSERTATION VI. jyt >¦- our God : And alfo with him that is not h ere with us this day." The prefent generation might, and did covenant for fucceeding ones ; as the generations to come were part of them felves : And it has been allowed by all focieties, whether civil or ecclefiaftic, that bonds' and co venants are pf as real obligation on faid fbcie ties, as- upon thofe individuals who, at firft, en tered into them. To maintain the contrary, implies the greateft abfurdity in itfelf ; arid, if reduced to practice, would be followed with the moft fatal confequences in fociety. SECONDLY, The Parts of this Covenant deferve to be confidered in the next, place. Here I fliall, — i. Confider the two Capital Ar ticles fpecified. — And., 2. Shew what Reference this Covenant bore unto former Tranfactions, I. The Articles of this Covenant: And, I . On the part of the Son of God, He pro- mifeth, " To be unto them a God*." 2. On the part of Ifrael, They are bound to " be unto him a people." 1 would obferve, That this implies privileges, as well as duty. When God demanded this engagement, he put ah eminent and diftinguiflied honour upon ;them, not only by admiflion to outward privi- * See Diflm. II, Part iii. » leges 35* DISSERTATION 'VI. legesin the Church, but alfo by being admits ted untofpecial fellowftiip With himfelf. "What a happy people are the. Lord's people. It imports the moft folemn dedication to God. As there is a fpecial claim on the part of God, fo alfo afolemn acknowledgment of the juftice of it on the part of his children. When per fons declare they are the Lord's people, they, confecrate their perfbns, their fervices, and their all, indeed, unto his glory. The- rule of this fervice was; not only the judicial law, by which they were governed as a body poli tic ; but alfo the moral and ceremonial laws, refpecting both their private and ecclefiaftiqal capacities : l<- Keep, therefore, the words of this covenant, and. do -them. And he declared unto you his covenant, -which he corrimanded you to perform, the ten commandments." Nor can this dedication imply lefs than a folemn renunciation' of all God's rivals, whether in- .. ternal or external : For. the claims of Jehovah and thofe of his rivals are abfolutely incom patible. ': II. I shall now enquire what Reference this Covenant bore unto former Engagements: And. it contained a formal renovation of them, i. As God tranfacted with Ifrael as a God already in covenant with, them, by virtue of the covenants he had made with their fathers. As God cov§ nanted with Abraham, Ifaac, aiid Jacob, DISSERTATION VI. 353 Jacob, for their feed, as well as 'for themfelves ; fo the feed of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, were bound to take hold of the infinite Jeho vah, not only as their own God, but alfo as the God of their fathers ; faying, Thou art my God, I will praife thee; my fathers God, I will exalt thee. The covenanted character and relation,- which Ifrael was called to accept, and improve on the Plains of Moab, did not com mence in the laft year of Mofes's life ; but had been frequently announced in former tranfactions. .* Hence, God himfelf fpeaks of the establishment of this relation between him" and them: " That he. may e- ftablifh thee to-day for a people unto himfelf; and that he may be unto thee a God, as he faid unto thee, and as he fware unto thy fa thers, to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob*." 2. This cbvenant was a renovation of for mer ones, as God confidered the covenanters as already a covenanted-feed ; having formerly- covenanted in the, loins of their fathers. They were ..confidered as the fucceffors of thofe pa triarchs unto whom Jehovah had sworn ; and of thofe covenanters unto whom he had fpoken in the Sinai Covenant, according to the text juft now quoted. .Hence this tranfaction en^ gr'offed all preceding ones. * Deut: xxix I3V 354 DISSERTATION VI. 3. As the matter of this covenant engrailed! the fubftance of former tranfactions, as we have feen ; fo the making of it ftrongly marked its relation to them : Said Mofes, " That he may ESTABLISH thee to-day for a people unto himfelf." His right to them,' as a people, did not commence that day; but there was a re newed claim of it on his part, and a renewed acknowledgment of it on theirs : For the word rendered establish does not mean to give exiftence unto any thing; but to confirm, or renew, that which had a previous exiftence, as we have formerly fhewn*. THIRDLY, * Differ!. I. Part i. To fet this matter beyond all poffibility of doubt, I fliall attend, for a moment, unto Mofes's judgment on this head, Deut. vii. 9. ." Know, therefore, the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God ; who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments, to a thoufand generations." Verfe 11. " Thou fhalt, therefore, "keep the commandments and the ftatutes, and the judgments which I command thee this- day, to do them." Verfe 12. " Wherefore it fhall come to~pafs, If ye: hearken" to thefe j udgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord thy.God fhall keep UNTO THEE the covenant, and" tiie L- mercy which he fware unto-thy fathers." No language ,. can be more plain than Mofes's teftimony, declaring, ¦ That G od kept his covenant which he made with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. The Moft High God confidered him felf as .ftill bound by the promifes which he made, and ' the oath which he fware unto thefe. patriarchs, — he con fidered himfelf as bound unto their feed, fome hundreds' of years after they were, dead, as wrell as unto-them- ielves when in life. Hence, though the Sinai Covenant had fe>rer promifes than precepts ; j$et it Mas not with- f - " out DISSERTATION VI. 355 'THIRDLY. The Occasions of this Cove- nant are now to be confidered. ' 1. This covenant was eftablifhed>after'God had- completed the fyftem of ceremonial wor fliip. When Ifrael covenanted at/ Sinai, even the fecorid time, they refigned themfelves unto the fovereio-n will of God, as to what ordi- nances he fhould be pleafedto inftitute, as well as refblved, in the ftrength of divine graces to obferve fuch, as, were formally inftituted: Accordingly, the laft time they covenanted, the tabernacle was not erected, nop the fyftem Out promifes, even of its own ; and, efpecially, enrich ed with all the promifes which belonged to former cove nants : Or, if w'e take this declaration as inferring- unto > the- tranfadiori on the Plains of Moab, then it carries thefe promifes ftill further forward -r and they are car ried forward,, indeed, not only as far as' the deEVth of Mofes; but alfo to the lafeft pofterity of the members of the Gofpel Church. The promifes of the Abrahamic Covenant (all excepting thofe belonging unto tne incar nation and death of the Meifiah, and thefe things are now. matter of fact), being- all "made over by Chrift unto the Gofpel Church, Acls iii. 25. " Ye are the children of the covenant which God made with our fathers, fay ing unto Abraham, And in thy feed fhallall the kindrec|s of the earth be blefled." And Paul afiures -us, The law was added unto the promife, fclal. iii. 19. "Where fore then ferveth the law ? It was added becaufe of tranf- greffion, till the Seed fhould come to whom the promife 1 was made :" The meaning of which is, The law was" added to the promife, fo Ets that both taken tog-ether might form a- rule of faith and practice unto the Church, and -prevent her from fin, until the fyftem ih^uld be changed, in fome nfeafure, by the coming of the pro- . miffed Seed. Yy 2 of 35^ Dissertation vi. of ordinances which" belonged to it finifhed ; but ^before this time the Lord's work had been advanced among the congregation of Ifrael, by the erection of the tabernacle, . the confe- cration of the. priefts, and the law of facrifices. Now, as thefe branches of reformation were included in former covenants, by confequence at leaft, it was proper they fhould be formally engroffed in this new tranfaction. 2. This covenant-renovation obtained after Ifrael had been guilty of inany tranfgreflibns, jnurmurings, and rebellions againft the Lord. Soon after they had fuffered fo fmartly for making and worfhipping the golden calf, they involved • themfelves again in the moft awful guilt : For they had not marched more than three days, at the direction of the pillar of fire, and of the pillar of cloud, after the tabernacle had been erected, till they murmured becaufe of the way. And the Lord heard it, and his an oer was kindled ; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and confemed thenvwho were in the uttermoft parts of the camp. This lire was fcarcely quenched, at the interpofition of Mofes, before the mixed multitude, and e- veh the. whole congregation of the children of Ifrael,' lulled for the flefh, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, and the garlic of Egypt ; and, at the fame time, loathed the m'anha; by which they had been fo liberally, fupplied in * the DISSERTATION VI. 357 the wildernefs*. God granted their defire, fending them abundance of quails'; but, while the flefli was between their teeth, the Lord fmote them witl\ a great plague, of which many died. And they called the name of the , place IO b k. o t h-H a t t a A v a H : Th at is, the Graves of Concupifcence ; becaufe there they buried the people who lulled j*. About four - months after, they again murmured againft Mofes and Aaron, as well as fpake of ftoning them, together with Caleb and Jofhua, on ac count of the evil report which had been return ed by the major part of theipies fent to fearch out the promifed land: Said they, "Would to God we had died in the land of Egypt ; or, would to Gq(1 we had died in the wildernefs. Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the fword, that our wives and our children ihould be a prey -? Were it not better for us to return to Egypt ? Let us make a Captain and return into Egypt \" As if they had not been long enough in Egypt already. The punifhment which God inflicted ori the un believing fpies was death : And that which he inflicted on fuch as believed them was depriva tion of entering into the promifed land. > Ac cordingly, they lingered out the fpace of forty years (commencing at their departure out of* Egypt, a year for each day the fpies were a- furveying the promifed land), in the wildernefs; Numb xi. 4—6. j Numb. xi. 31 — 34. and, 358 DISSERTATION YI. and, during this fpace, all the congregation of Ifrael, from twenty years and ; upwards, fell, except Caleb and Jofliua. The particular pro vidences which befel Ifrael, and their rebellion againft the Lord, for the firft two years of the forty, are pretty fully enumerated ; but thofe which befel them the laft thirty-eight years are more nightly touched. Among their pro* vocations and plagues, however, which obtain* ed in this laft period, may be reckoned the re bellion of Korah;- and Ifrael's aflpciation with Midian: The former of which coft that con gregation near fifteen thoufand men ; and the latter not fewer- than twenty-four thoufand. There were probably many other provocation^ of which Ifrael was guilty, during their forty years peregrination ; but thefe are fufficient to ihew the patience and long-fiinering, as well as the juftice of God, in his conduct towards them. And each of them was an evidence of the di vine foyereigrity, in admitting the feed of fuch finners into covenant with himfelf, on the one hand; and, on the other, thefe things alfo fill ed up that confcflion of fin in wliichjfrael was employed prior to this covenant-renovation *. * Mofes not only preached on their tranfgreffions, a.3 is evident from the forjner part of the book of Deutero nomy ; but he alio reminded them of their TEMPTA TIONS, by which they tempted the Lord immediately before this tranfaction, Deut. xxix. 3. as well as of all God's gracious inte.rpofitions in their behalf: To infpire them- with repentance .011 the one hand,, and gratitude oil the ether. - 3. This, DISSERTATION VI. 359 3. This covenant-renovation took place af ter that generation had been removed by death t which God had brought forth out of the land of Egypt. God had executed his threatening, in which he faid, " Surely there fliall npt one of thefe men, of this evil generation, fee the good land, which ,1 fware" to give unto your fathers." Seehig the former race of covenant- ers were removed, it Was proper to allow the then prefent generation an opportunity of coming' into covenant, to fill up their room. 4. This covenant-renovation ^obtained af ter Mofes had delivered various fermons to the congregation of Ifrael, on thofe covenant-en gagements under which he had brought them in the loins of their fathers. In thefe dlfcourfes, which Mofes delivered, he recorded the mat- - . - - - <' ter of the covenant*; and then entered into a more minute explication of particular articles. The matter of the covenant, as we have feen, fs the ten commandrnerits. The firft precept of it he explained chapter fix th "f, &c. And thefe articles were not only recited and ex plained; but alfo applied unto the particular * Deut. v. 6 21. f'See Ainfworth's Argument of the book of Deutero nomy. The fecond precept is explained chap. xii. The third, chap. xiii. The fourth,, chap. xv. and xvi. The fifth," chap. xvii. and. xviii. The fixth, chap, xix, xx, and xxi. The feventh, chap. xxii. The eighth, chap. xxiii, xxiy, xxv, fteps $60 DISSERTATION Vf. fleps, of conduct with which Ifrael was charge able:" And their tranfgreflions of thefe articles were matter of confefllon at this time, with a view unto this covenant-renovation. By this" fermon, Mofes likeways fet an example unto minifters of the gofpel, in all fucceeding ages, to prepare their people for covenant-renova tion, by preaching on the nature and extent of paft and prefent covenant-engagements. Many in our day, indeed, are extremely weary of fermons of this kind ; nor wouldthey have been better pleafed had they made a part of Mofes's auditory,: But difcourfes are not al ways worft when men weary moft of them ; nor are the pleafers of men always the moft faith ful fervants of the living- God. 5. Moses brought Ifrael forward to the du ty of covenanting juft before he was removed to the other world. He began his fermon on covenanting on the firft day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year after the children of Ifrael came out of Egypt. It is probable' the fermon continued, feveral days. Againft the end of the month, however, Mofes died. He brought the young generation under per fonal engagements unto the Lord, that the congregation might be left ori a proper foot ing to Jofhua ; and fo taught the fervants of God to have a generous concern, not only for the prefent, but alfb for the rifing generation ; ("that DISSERTATION VL $6t that race unto race might praife him, and fhew Forth his mighty deeds/ Ui'y FOURTHLY, We fhall fconfider the Con firmations of this Tranfaction. I. IT Was difpenfed by Mofes, and accept^ ed by Ifrael : " And Mofes called alllfrael, and faid unto them," &c. " And Mofes fpake thefe words unto all Ifrael*-" As the congregation was affembled for this purpofe; fo we have no reafon to imagine that any pf them refufed to accept. 2. It was, I humbly judge, a written cove nant. I readily grant, that we have only an abftract of it tfanfmitted to us : But rio reafon can be affigned, I pre fume, why it fliould not be written at length, as well as the two fore going, and all fucceeding ones. 3. It was a fworn covenant. This is plain ly declared by the infpired hiftorian : " That thou fhouldft enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into His oath." Again, " Neither with you only do' I make this cove nant, and this o A t h -f- .* The queftioU is, By whom /- * Dent. xxix. a. compared with Deut. xxxi. t. f This manner of expreflion is ufual enough in the Old Teftament, as' in Ecc.' viii. ~2. "I counfel thee to keep the King's commandment, and that in regard of * ~ Zz " the 362 D'l.S SERTATION VI. whom was it fworn ? By Ifrael, or by Jehovah ? To me the former feems evidently intended ; for he is faid to enter into the oath of the Lord his God, which cannot imply lefs than to fwear it. Nor is it. any objection againft this fenfe; that the oath is called his oath, — Jehovah's oath: For it may be called His, as it was of 1 his appointment, as well as including an ap peal unto his omnifcience, and omnipotence, ta reward fincerity, and chaftife perfidy. The laft thing propofed is,. A few Re f lec tions on the whole. 1. We may learn to adore divine fovereignty,, efpecially in God's conduct towards his Church and people. He might juftly have faid, ""What has fuch a perfidious generation to do to take my covenant in their lips' Have I not been grieved by you, and your fathers, for the fpace of forty years ? But, beyond the expectation of angels and men,: he eaufed them to enter into the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers; " that he may eftablifh thee to-day for a peo ple to himfelfV What a people is this, that God fhould take them for his people ! What fovereignty has he difplayed to this prefent ge neration of covenanters? — Covenanters fprung the oath, of God." The oath of loyalty to the King is fly led the oath of God; as he is the object of worfhip, to whom the appeal is made,, and by whom the allegi ance isple'dgedv from DISSERTATION VI. 363 from covenant-breakers !< What a miracle ot forbearance is it, that this generation is not confumed! There is feme thing fo ftriking in our cafe, that it feems even to exceed that of Ifrael at the Plains of Moab ; yea, it has fcarce a parallel in the annals of providence. , 2. Covenanters fliould be carefully in-. ftructed as to thofe vows which" are Upon them, Hi order to prepare them for covenant-renova tion. This is well warranted by the conduct of Mofes. He dwelt upon the fubject ; — he applied it unto the particular circumftances of his audience ; — he laboured to the utmoft to niake them underftand it. The fubject was, every whit, .as complicated and difficult as the prefent bond ; but Mofes did not defpair of making a ftupid people underftand it. Some imagine it is beft to keep themfelves free (as they fpeak) when they are free : But, were fiich perfons fuitably inftructed, as to what vows are upon them, they would fee, that there is no one duty from which they can be exempted, by - abftaining from covenanting. When . perfons are "previoufly under folemn vows, as was .the cafe with Ifrael; and as is the cafe with us,: they are already bound unto every duty: and nothing but the formality of a perfbnal adherence is a- wanting. -:. The obli gation, however, is inviolable, whether we ac knowledge it or not; — whether we add this perfonal adherence or not. ''"'V. ,Z z 2 3.. This 364 DISSERTATION VI. 3. This fubject difcovers tirito us the true nature of covenarit-renovation. Covenant-re novation neceffarily prefuppofeth an acknow ledgment of all previous covenant-obligations; an avowed adherence unto them; with an ad dition of fuch articles as prefent circumftances dictate to- be requifite. This covenant was a renovation of all the patriarchal covenants, as well as the two Sinai tranfactions : And it con-* tained an application of them unto the circum ftances of the covenanters then prefent, with fuch alterations as fitted their peculiar circum ftances ; being a people ready to enter on the enjoyment of the promifed land. Former co venants refpected chiefly their wandering ftate; but diis had a principal refpect unto a fettled condition : Hence, there were fbme things in thefe •tranfactions unneceflary in this one ; fuch as, the promife of fafe eonduct through the wildernefs, the pillar of fire arid the pillar of cloud for that efFect. Thefe were fuperfeded by the promife of his abode, in the place which he fliould choofe to put his name there, and unto which he would alienable the congrega tion. DISSER* DISSERTATION VII. ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD and ISRAEL, AT'SHECHEM. Josh, xxiv . 1 — — - 2 8 . IN taking a view of this Covenant, I fhall fhew, —I. By whom this Coven-ariE wasDifpehfed. —-JI. To whorri it was Adminiftered. — III. I fhall ¦ confider the Matter of the Covenant. — IV. The Occafions of it. — V. The Solemhities- by which it. was Confirmed. —VI. Concluding with fome Reflections on the whole. FIRST, I fhall fhew by whom this Cove nant was Dispensed. The infpired prophet allures us, this was no other than Jofhua .- " And Jofhua gathered all the tribes of Ifrael together, to Shecliem," &c. " And Jofhua faid Unto all the people*." Jofhua was a great * Jc.fh.xxiv. r, 2. -- V ' general 366 DISSERTATION VII. general and a juft judge ; but thefe did riot exhauft the whole of his character: He was no lefs famous, as he was veffed with the pro phetic office in like manner. As he ruled for Gody fo he fpake in the name of the Lord : And it was in the difcharge of the prophetic office that he difperifed this covenant to the children of Ifrael. This is evident, not only from his ufirig the prophetic ftyle,- " thus faith the Lord ;" but alfo from the manner in which lie addrefled them immediately before they gave their confent unto this covenant. He did not ifiue forth this covenant as a royal edict from a fupreme magiftrate ; but he addrefled their confcience, and commanded them to make a choice according to it : " If it fee,m evil unto you to ferve the Lord, choofe ye this day whom ye will ferve*." From this confi deration it is plain, that Jofhua' s covenant was not a political one, — defigned- for the. regula tion of the ftate ; but a religious one,^-intend- ed for the prefervation and purity of the Church f ¦ : SECONDLY, I Oiall now fliew to whom this Covenant was Administered: And thefe * Jofh. xxiv. 15. •j- Her. Witf. de Prophetia, rap. xviii. Thef. 7. " Dc- inde id ipiorme notaudum, prophetico impulfu omnia hssc a foUia peracla fiiifl'e. Inchoat enim oratioriem fuam formula prophetis folenni. SIC AIT JEHOVA, et Jehovam ipfum prima, ut aiunt granunatici; perfona locpienteii) imi-oducit." were DISSERTATION VII. \6y were, " The Elders of the people, — -their Heads, — their Judges, — 'their Officers, — and all the People*." All thefe orders of per fons have been confidered formerly, except thofe who are ftyied Judges-)-. The. title was applied Unto the chief magiftrate, until If rael fought a King ; but, in the text, it is evi dently applied to inferior magiftrates. A learn ed commentator explains it of fiich as were like living laws unto the citizens \ . And a fa mous antiquarian, deeply ftudied in the He brew republic, reckons they were prefects in cities : and this was their common name, whe- ther in a lower, or in a higher fphere ; whe ther entruftedwith a more limited, or more extenfive power : He alfo obferves, that they were called out from among the elders for the difcharge of that office § . THIRDLY, I fhall now confider the Ma t ter of this Covenant : And it confifts in a propofal made by> Jofhua, and the acceptance of that propofal by Ifrael, .with a refblution to abide by it. I. We have a propofal which Jofhua made unto all Ifrael,-r— a propofal expreffed and in filled on by him : " Arid if it feem evil unto * Jofh. jpriv. i. f CNteV, Shophetim. X Mafius in Jofh. xxiii. .2.' § Leldekker cfc Repub, Heb. Lib.. VIL cap. i. f 4. cuin.notis. . « y°u §68 DISSERTAT16N V1L you to ferve the Lord, choofe ye, this day^ whom ye will ferve : whether the gods which your fathers ferved that were on the other fide of the flood ; or the gods of the Amorites, in whofe land ye now dwell; but as forme, and my houfe, we will ferve the Lord." And when Ifrael accepted of the propofal, he infilled on the extent and importance of it, — infilling alfo on the danger of failing in their engagements: " And Joflina faid unto the people, Ye cannot ferve the Lord : for he is an holy God ; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your tranf- greflions, nor your fins. If ye forfake the Lord, and ferve ftrange prods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and confume you, after that he hath done you good*." Here I may obferve, more particularly,- i. Th e Duties unto which Jofhua engaged the Ifraelites. They are, Heart-inclination unto God : " Incline your heart unto the Lord God of Ifrael "j"-." This- duty is laft mentioned by Jofhua, but it is firft intended ; being the foundation of all that are fpecified : And it is expreflive of the foul's entire and unreferved compliance with God's gracious propofals in his promife, which contains a full and complete falvation ;— -with all his holy precepts," as the meafure oPobedience ; — -and all the methods of his providence, for their guidance in the * Jofhi xxiv. 19, 20. f Jofh. xxiv. 23. world 1 DISSERTATION VII. 369 world. Inclination of heart unto Jehovah, de notes faith's propenfity towards him, as its great object ;-— faith's reft in him, and its influ ence over all the affections of the foul. ¦ — Jo fhua engaged them to " fear the Lord*." Even fuch fear as is confiftent with heart-inclination to the object of it. Fear fometimes compre hends the whole of Old Teftament fervice ; as fear was greatly predominant in that difpenfa tion : But here it is diftino-uifhed from obedi- ence ; of confequence, taken in a more limited fenfe. It imports that filial reverence whicli has the holinefs and jealoufy of God for the object of it ; as appears from Jofhua's propo- fing thefe perfections unto their confideration. Another duty, unto which Jofhua took If rael engaged, was, to put away every ftrange god, whether they were the gods of Egypt, from wherice they came, or the gods of Ca naan, where they were now fettled, or the domeftic idols which iilight-have been conceal ed till that time among them, notwithftanding their engagements againft idolatry "l. Such is the fervour of God's jealoufy for his worfliip and honour, that the worfliip of the true God and that of Baal can never coalefce into one fyftem.— —^-Jofhua engaged them unto the fer vice and worfliip of the true God : " Serve him in fincerity and truth." — " Choofe ye this day whom ye will ferve %." The meafure of this * Jofh. xxiv. 14. f Jofh.xxiv. 14, 15: X Jofh. xxiv. i4; 1 j, * A a a fervice |7C DISSERTATION VII, fervice was the Mofaic law : Nor was Jpfhua's language greatly different from that of Mofes, when he preached On covenanting. Said Mo fes, " Thou fhalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve' him, and fwear by his name:" And " Thou flialt fear the Lord thy God, and him fhait thou ferve : and to him flialt thou' cleave, and fwear by his name*." Now, as Jofliua ufed fimilar terms, we may conclude, he alfo fixed fimilar ideas to them with Mofes, and was advancing the work which Mofes had be gun. 2. We may notice the manner in which^ Jofliua infifts on this propofal : ¦" If it feem e- vil to you to ferve the Lord, choofe you this day whom ye will ferve -\ ." This manner of propofal was intended to ftrike them with the deeper, conviction of their obligations to ferve God, on the one hand ; and the abfurdity of for faking him on the other. Jofhua was fully perfuaded, that, if they could but once be brought to judge the matter with impartiality, the effect of their deliberations would be, a de termination for God7 and againft every idol. Jofliua was alfo directed unto this method of propofal, as God inclines all covenanters to offer themfelves willingly, or free willingnefJes unto him. Again, Jofliua pointed out the diffi culty of ferving God in a manner fuited to' his *¦ * Dent. vi. rj. and x. ao. f Jofh. xxiv, 15. holinefs^ DISSERTATION VII. $jt holinefs, on the one hand ; and the danger of ferving ftrange gods on the other : " Ye. can not ferve the Lord : for he is an holy God ; he is a jealous God ; he will not forgive your tranfgreflions, nor your fins. If ye forfake the Lord, and fei«ve ftrange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and confume you, after that he hath done yoii good *." Should any alk, How this warning confifts with the former propofal to ferve God? It may be anfwered, That the meaning of the warning is, Ye can not ferve the Moft High God, and, at the fame time, ferve ftrange gods : Such is the unlpotted purity of Jehovah,^ — 'fiich his flaming jealoufy, that he cannot admit a rival in his honour and worfliip. If any of you forfake the, true God, and ferve ftrange gods, he fhall not do it with impunity: Should the whole congregation. do it, their correction fliall be as public as their tranfgreflion. In one word, Jofhua fet them a good pattern of fervice : " As for me, and my houfe, we will" ferve the Lord." He was paft all perativenture, that this was, by much, the beft courfe. * Jofh. xxiv. 19. 20. There is a fignal beauty in the infpired original, efpecially when fpeaking of the nan^e of God. It is to this purpofe, " Ye cannot ferve Jeho vah'; for- Elohim, the Holies, is he," &c. The terms O'ttFip OVr?N are joined in conftruclaon with- Kin. The former are in the plural number, importing a plurality of perfons ; the latter in the Angular number, denoting an unity of eflence. ', Aaa.j II. As 372 DISSERTATION VII. II. As often as thefe duties were propofed to the congregation, fo often did they accept of the propofal, and refolve to abide by it. i . They rejected, with abhorrence, the fer vice of the gods which their fathers ferved on the other fide of the flood,, and that of the gods of the Amorites : " And the people an fwered and faid, God forbid that we fhould forfake the Lord, to ferve other gods." This cannot imply lefs than an engagement unto a moft fteady adherence unto him, — unto his truth, as the matter of their profeflion ; and his precepts, as the rule of their obedience. 2. "When Jofhua pointed out the danger of mixing the fervice of the true God with that of his rivals, they readily vowed their refolu- tion of obedience unto God only : " And the people faid unto Jofhua, Nay ; but we will ferve the Lord :" We will ferve kim only; we will ferve him wholly; and for ever. We will ferve him at the expenfe of caff ing away every abomination — What have we any more to do with idols ? 3. They -pledged the obedience of faith, yea faith, in the moft unreferved manner, unto the whole of God's teftimony. The Lord our God will we ferve, and his voice will we obey." Thus, the meafure of their obedience, the prin ciple of it, and the reafon it, correfponded with DISSERTATION VII. 373 with God's gracious intention towards them, and the pains he had beftowed on them. FOURTHLY, The next confideration is, The Occasions of this Covenant. And many moft interefting events obtained between this tranfaction and that on the Plains of Moab, which prepared the way for it. We fhall men tion a few of them. 1. The waters of Jordan had been moft miraculoufly divided, and the Hebrew gene ral had conducted the conoreoation of Ifrael over, as on dry ground, into the promifed land . This miracle was, at once, an accomplifhment of the promife made unto Abraham, and a type of the believer's deliverance from the fling of death, by the Breaker's going up before them. 2. This covenant-renovation took place after the notable celebration of the Jewifli fa craments. Thefe ordinances had not been obferved for the laft thirty-eight years of If rael's peregrinations in the wildernefs. The reafons of this non-obfervance are not eafily afcertained. Setting* afide the vain imagina tions of the Jews, there are two opinions which divide the greateft part of authors on this fub ject. One clafs of writers imagine thefe were forebpni, becaufe of the danger to which infants would have been expofed by their wounds, 374 DISSERTATION VII. wounds, had they been circumcifed, while con tinually travelling from place to place in the wildernefs*. Another clafs of authors "j" a-- feribe the non-obfervance of this ordinance un to the apoftacy of Ifrael, on the one hand ; and the righteous judgment of Gqd on the o- ther. The neglect of circumcifion being ne-. ceffarily followed with the difufe of the paffo ver, and other facrifices ; for uncircumcifed perfons could not be admitted to thefe Ordi nances : And. the neglect of facrifice was mat- , ter of reproof to their pofterity as late as the days of the prophet Amos : " Have ye offered unto me facrifices and offerings in the wilder nefs, O houfe of Ifrael;);."' And the reproof is alfo repeated by Stephen §. The only diffi culty is, to know whether this reproof muft be taken abfolutely or comparatively. Some au thors, of. good note, infinuate, that the laft is the truth in this cafe ; as it is not to be fup- pofed that fuch a perfon as Mofes would fuffer them to live fo long in the total neglect of thefe duties. But no one thing can be more certain, than that Mofes permitted them to * To this clafs belong Toftatus and Lyranus, among the Papifts ; Hackfpanus, Schmidius, and J. A. Ofiander, amon"- the Lutlierans ; as well as Pool and gtaclchoufe, . amono- our own countrymen. f Such as Anguftin, Calvin, Mafius, Diodati, Cloppen- burg, the gueftion is fully difcufl'ed by the latter, Tom'. I. p. 2;. i Amos v. '?.;. § Acts vii. 42. neglect DISSERTATION VII. 375 neglect circumcifion, and uncircumcifed per- foris could not offer facrifice. And, as to thofe perfons who murmured, they were materially, if not formally, excommunicated ; therefore, Mofes could not admit them unto folemn or dinances upon any other footing than evange lical repentance. 3. This covenant obtained after' God had fubdued the Canaanites before his people, and put Ifrael into pofleflion of their lands. This conqueft had been promifed unto the covenant ed-feed, from the very call of Abraham to this time. Now, if the making of "fuch a promife was an incitement unto covenant^renovation, much more might the fulfilment of it in like manner. The place on which the covenanters ftood was the feme, or very near the fame place, where the patriarch ftood wheri the pro mife was made to him*. Thus, God glori fied * Geh. xii. 6. Jofh. xxiv. I. The ark feems to have been carried from Shiloh to Shechem at this time, that the covenanters might 'ftand before God ; that is, before the Sanctuary of the Lord, when the-y covenanted with him. .Vide Calvin in Jofh. xxiv. This obfervation is fufficient to remove the feeming contradiction between verfe I. and verfe 26. In the former of which, the trjbes of Ifrael are faid to be gathered together at She chem : In the latter of which, Jofhua is faid to fet up a great ftone under an oak, by the Sanctuary op- the Lord ; and to declare unto the people, " Behold, this ftone fhall be a witnefs unto.us." Again, It may be en- quired, If .the Saii#uary of the Lord was at Shechem, How p6 DISSERTATION VII. fied his veracity, in bringing his promife to their remembrance in the fame place where Abraham had glorified it in believing it. 4. This covenant was made a little before Jofhua's death. He was well ftricken in years before he affembled the congregation for this folemn work : Like Mofes, probably, he called them to it in the laft year of his life. Like him too, he much wiflied that Ifrael mio-ht be in a flourifhing ftate, as to their religious circumftances, at his demife : Therefore, he fet about this ordinance, as the means of their eftablifliment : " And it came to pafs, after thefe things, that Jofhua the fon of Nun, the fervant of the Lord, died ; being an hundred and ten years old." How could it be fet up near a grove, or an oak ; feeing, Deut. xvi. 21. Ifrael is exprefsly prohibited from plant ing a grove, or any trees, near the altar of the Lord ? Anfwer, An occafion al bringing of the Sanctuary nigh unto an ancient oak (which was a memorial of former manifeftations and covenants), and that for a very fhort time, did not come within the prohibition. The reafon of this prohibition feems to be, that Ifrael might main tain a teftimony againft the idolatrous cuftom of plant ing groves, for temples unto Idols. It is plain, from many places of Scripture, that idolaters worfhipped their gods in- groves-, and under every green tree. And Pliny aflures us of the fame, Hift. Lib. XII. cap. i. The Second Law; of the twelve tables concerning religion, exprefsly commanded that which Mofes prohibited. FIFTHLY, DISSERTATION VII. 377 FIFTHLY, The Solemnities by which this Covenant was confirhied, muft be confider ed in the next place. 1 . Jos H ua took then! witneffes agalrift each Other, in cafe of covenant-violation : " And jofliua faid unto the people, Ye are witneffes againft yourftlves, that ye have chofen you the Lord to ferve him: And they faich "We are witnefles*." All focial worfliip has this folem- nity. In focial vows, each covenanter is a witnefs againft his neighbour in cafe of cove nant-violation : Arid the converfation of fuch as in any meafure keep their vows, as well as the remembrance of thofe vows themfelves (which is preferved by the very fight of fellow- covenanters), cannot but ftrike the apoftate with the bittereft remorfe. Hence apoftates, who have been covenanters, have a keener malice and enmity againft fuch as retain their integrity, than any other fpecies of the ene mies of religion whatever. None have been more cruel perfecutors than apoftatizing cove nanters. 2. ThIs covenant was ratified by Writing : " And Jofhua wrote thefe words in t"he book of the law of God -I." The tiiree preceding covenants were all committed to writing ; , and * Jofh.,;xxiv. 22. f Jofh xxiY. 26. -* B b b either •_iiC .. g78 DISSERTATION VII. either this covenant, or an abftraet of it, was regiftered along with them. The book in which they were regiftered was laid up befide the ark, in the moft holy place * 3. Jos h ua fet up a monument for the com memoration and confirmation of this covenant in like manner: "tAnd jofhua took a great flerie and fet it;up there under an oak, that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord. And Jo fliua faid unto all the people, Behold, this ftone fliall be a Witnefs unto us ; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he hath fpoken unto us:, it fhall be, therefore, a witnefs unto you, left ye deny your God.*/' The stone is faid to hear by a profopopeia, in order un- * Jofh. xxiv. 26, 27. We have already feen, that Ja cob erected a monument on a fimilar occafion (Differt. IV.): Jacob's pillar, however, was at once an altar and a monument ; but this was intended to be a monument only. Monuments were alfo ufed, in ancient times, for the ratification of civil contracts-; as in the covenant be tween Jacob and Labah (Gen. xxxi. 45 — 5ih And alfo between Romulus and Tatius, t«wt« afUFitv x»i /luftxo- (ti tothe fiic ceflion in his family : And the fame thing had been promifed, in fubftance, unto Judah, un der the notion of a fceptre and a lawgiver. It included not only civil polity within them felves, but alfo the enfigns of royalty. Judah could not be deprived of both before the co ming of the Shiloh. That tribe was affined of pre-eminence by Jacob's teftament, which was equivalent to a divine promife : But the import and ends of it are not fo eafily_afcer- tained. The nature of it feems to imply roy alty in fwaying the sceptre ; and legiflation in the high court of the Sanhedrim, with the explication of thefe laws by the Scribes,"]' : For if ' Acts ii. 30, and .36. fS -(- Juxiu-, as well as Eusebi'us, of old, explained this fceptre of the ft eft" whi-.li ftippoited the enfign in the 4 tribe : DISSERTATION VIII. 391 if Judah had not always a king of the Dr; vidic line, there was legislature in the tribe to which it belonged. This pre-eminence com menced when the fceptre was transferred from the family of Saul to diat of David. Some have given the fceptre to Judah as early, in deed, as the commencement of the tribe *; but they feem rather to have anticipated God's conveyance: For the oracle itfelf exprefsly de clares^ that it refers to the latter days. Others have with-held the fceptre till the revolt of the ten tribes from Rehoboam^f. But the Jewifli fceptre was far more- glorious in the hands of David and Solomon, than in thofe of Rehoboam : It is certainly abfurd to fuppofe, that the enjoyment of the fceptre commenced tribe : That ftafF being the badge of diftinction for the Prince. And, in this, they are followed by J. Altin-- gius, Bifhops Sherlock and Newton. — Calvin and Mede underftand it of the majefty of government, under whatever form. Nor is Wkginfeil muc,h otherways minded. He reckons the .1 before mechokek; may as well be underftood disjunctively as a copulative : In which cafe the 'fceptre may denote the royal ge-vernment, and the lawgiver that form which obtained under Ze- rubhabel. Thefe two forms nearly divide the whole time of Judah's government into two equal parts. : There be ing near five centuries in each of them. This fenfe, which approves itfelf to me, is defended by Heidegger, Owen, Patrick; S:c. * Etlfebius and his followers, above mentioned. -]- Cuneus de Republica Heb. Abrah. Scultet. Ex- ercit. Evangel. Thefe are refuted by Leidekker de- Repub. Heb. Lib. VII. eap. vi. at § 9 2 DISSERTATION VIII. at a time when the fplendor of it was greatly tarnifhed in the hands of a weak prince. The fceptre and the throne were certainly both gi ven to David,, and -fecured, by this, covenant, to his Seed. As this Seed was two-fold, as we have already feen, fo there was a two-fold royalty in like manner. The ordinary feed was fecured of fiicceflion to the earthly throne, and the extraordinary Seed in the enjoyment of that glorious authority which was prefigured by it : The throne being, put 'for -all the en- figns of royalty and majefty, comprehending all the glory of the-Hebrew monarchy, in the type ; and all the exaltation of the Mefliah, in the fubftance.- Finally, "We may notice. the duration- of this honour.. This perpetuity is often mentioned in the text: Not fewer than three times, to denote the importance of it*._ There is a two-fold perpetuity riientioned in Scripture, and meant in this promife :""• The duration intended is fuited to the kingdom to which it is'afcribed. The worldly kingdom continued under monarchy until the Babylbnifh captivity: and preferved its civil polity (tho' fometimes tributary), and alfo its facred rites, until the fulnefs of time. As to the antitypi- cal kingdom,1, abfolute eternity, in the fulleft emphafis of the word, is intended. In other kingdoms, their fceptres have been frecment- ly unrighteoufly managed, , and the thrones * 2 Sam. vii. 13. and 16. - , ruflied DISSERTATION VIII. 393 rufhed down into ruin : But, as the glory of this fceptre can never be tarriifhed by iniquity, fb the throne can never be fliaken : " Of the" increafe of his government and peace there fhall be no end, upon the throne of David and Upon his kingdom, to order it, and to efta blifh it, with judgment and with juftice, from hence forth even .for ever *." This promife connected * * If. ix.7. " St Paul's remarkable comparifon, by Way: of antitliefis., betweeit Adam and Chrift (Rom. v. 12. 1 Cor. xv. 21.), whom he calls the fecond Adam, or Man, is well known.- But I do not know that the commentators fend us to the Old Teftament for any thing that may ferve to juftify the great Apoftle in this comparifon. And yet, I think, there is a paflage in- the prayer of David (2 Sani. vii. 19. aiid I Chron. xvii. 17.) which fhews, that the Mefliah was expected under this very character: — Upon David's pious r.efolution to build a houfe for God; which, as appears from his way of exprefling himfelf, he intended fliould be very magnificent : The prophet Na than was fo pleafed with it, that he concluded God Would be pleafed with it too ; and " faid to the king, go and all that .is in thine heart: for the Lord is with thee." 2 Sam. vii. 3. He was in the right to think that God would be pleafed with the thing : But it feems the time, for it was not yet come : And, therefore, Na than is fent the next day, with ameflage from God, for bidding it ; but, at the fame time, with a very! gracious promife to David, tire chief part whereof We have from' verfe 12 to verfe 16, in thefe words : " And when thy days fhall be fulfilled,, and thou fhalt fleep with thy fa thers, I will fet up thy feed after thee, which fhall pro ceed out of thy bowels, and I will eftablifh his kingdom. He fhall build an houfe for my name, and I will efta blifh the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he fliall be my fon : If he commit iniquity I will eliaftife him with the rod of men, and with the * . D d d ftripes 394 DISSERTATION VIII. connected the external prefervation of the fa mily- of David, and his kingdom, with their e- ternal falvation; as the coming of the Mefliah depended upon it., 2. GbD promifed to make his kingdom of Large Extent, as well as of long duration : " I will fet his hand in the fea ; and his light hand- in the river." Thefe words refer unto the Mef- fiah, at firft inftance ; but they contain alfo an allufion unto the worldly kingdom •: For, as the facred' hiftorian remarks, in it the prediction was .ftripes of the children of men. But-my mercy fhall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put aw*y before thee. And thine houfe and thy king dom fhall be eftabliflied for e-ver before thee : thy throne fliall be eftabliflied for ever." Here are plainly fome things that relate to Solomon ; and fome things of * higher nature, relating to a throne and a kingdom that fliould be eftabliflied for ever. — The repetition of this- laft particular is very obfervable : " Twill eftabliih the throne of his kingdom for ever." Again, "And thine - houfe and thy kingdom, fhall be eftabliflied for ever before thee : thy throne fliall be eftabliflied for ever." — Jt was this, that ftruck king David, as may be feen from the prayer /he dfrers upon this occafion: For, as- foon as Nathan .had delivered his mefl'age, verfe 17- " According to all 'thefe words, and according to all this- vifion, fo did Nathan fpeak unto .David." 1 We are told immediately, verfe 18. " Then went king, David in, and fat before the Lord, and, he faid, who .' am ,1, Q Lord God, and what is my houfe, that thou haft brought me hitherto ?" Verl'e 19. " And this was yet a fmall thing in thy fight, O Lord God ; but thou haft fpoken alfo of thy fervant 's houfe for a great while to come: Aud is THIS THE J4ANN.ER OF MAN,,Q,LoRP G-OD ?•'— It is this. : " " - *-^- , " -'"--' -"' ~- " laft DISSERTATION VIII. 395* was alfo verified : " And Solomon reigned, over all kingdoms, from the river unto the land of the Philiftines, and up to the border of E- gypt *." The kingdom of the Mefliah is far more extenfive, however, than that of Solo mon : " All nations, people, and languages, fliall ferve him-f." The fpiritual monarchy of Jefus Chrift is the only univerfal monarchy that ever was, or will be in the world. 3. God promifed to fet his Kingdom fecure from enemies. The firft part of David/ s reign was ; .; * 1 Kings iv. 21. f Dan. vii. 14. ¦ laft claufe I muft dwell upon a little, " Is this the man ner of man ?" &c. There is no interrogation in the He brew, but a direct aflertion ; ve-zoth torath ha-Adam, Adonai Jehovah — literally, et ifta lex Adami, Domine Jehovah : This is the law of the Adam • or the Man, (for the n is demonftrative and emphatical) O Lord Je hovah. — David could not but obferve, from the whole turn of the meftage, that it was prophetical. It related to his feed after him,- that fhould proceed out of his bowels, whofe kingdom fliould be eftabliflied : "He fliall build an houfe for myname," (fays God) this Solmon did, "¦ and I will eftabfilh the throne of his kingdom for ever." Not in Solomon's hand furely ; this couldnever be' the meaning — nor could David apprehend it fo. In the next verfe; Solomon's defection is foretold ; but with a gracious promife, however, that God's mercy fhould not depart from him, as " he tookit from Saul :" but that the kingdom fhould be ftill continued to his po- fterity. And, laftly, It was foretold in the ftrongeft terms, "Thine houfe and thy kingdom fliall be efta blilhed for ever before thee : thy throne fliall be;.efta- Miftied for' ever. "—If the Jev, 3, either of former or of D d d 2 later 396 DISSERTATION VIII. was troublefome and. hazardous : Hence God deemed it an unfuitable time for building his temple: But this- promife infured a blefled tranquility to his Seed : " I will appoint a place for tiiy people Ifrael, I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more: neither fhall the children of wickednefs afflict them any more as before time*." This refpects the fubjects of David and Solomon literally ; but the fubjects of the Prince of Peace muft by no means be excluded. The promife of fafety to them, through him, is conceived in fimilar terms: " The enemy fliall not exact on him, nor the fon of wicked nefs afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face ; and plague them that hate him."— -" I will clothe his enemies with fhame, as with a garment j"." The fen of wickednefs later times, have interpreted this of a temporal king dom ; or fuch as was intended for their nation only, to raife them to the height of glory : They have not only gone contrary to fact, but to the voices of their own prophets ;,, who fpeak of the kingdom of the Mefliah as everlafting, and univerfal ; and, therefore (to be fure), a fpiritual one. " There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages fhould ferve him : his dominion is an ever-laft- ing. dominion, Which fliall not pafs away, and his king dom that which fhall not be deftroyed," fays Daniel of . the " Son of Man," Chap. vii. 1 4.— -an appellation (by the way) not very' different from that of Adam, or the Man." PjJters's Critical Diflertatfon on the Book of Job, Preface, p. 67, 68, 69. *' 2 Sain.- vii. 10. f Pfal- lxxxix. 22/23. an_ * 2 Sam. vii, 13. ';" '""'¦' 1. The DISSERTATION VIII. 40 1 ¦ ti The promifes were intimated to David, by the miniftry of Nathan. It is to this, reve lation of them we have chiefly attended, which, was beftowed for his fatisfaction, as to building the temple ; and it was every way adequate to the purpofe. Accordingly, it produced a-gra- tulatory prayer at that time, whicli merits par ticular confideration. There is one thing in. particular, even the fource of all thefe exceed ing great and precious promifes, upon which he dilates; and on which we fhall dwell a little at this time. " Then went kirig David in be fore the Lord ; and he faid, What am 1, 0 Lord God ? and what is my houfe, that thou haft brought me hitherto ? And this was yet a fmall thing in thy fight, O Lord God; but thou haft fpoken alfo of thy fervant's houfe, for a great while to come: and is this the manner of man, O Lord God." The laft fentence' I would choofe to render, " This is the law of that Adam (who is) the Lord Jehovah*." The feope of the place is, as if the royal prophet * 2 Sam. vii. 18, 19. . There are few places in which our tranflators fhoot wider of the mark than in this text. They give this laft fentence the form of an interrogation ; but there is not the fmalleft veftige of an interrogation in all the verfe. But this is not all, our tranflators feem to have miftaken the meaning and connection of the terms, as well as thf? nature of the fentence. min, whieFour tranflators ren der manner., denotes a disposition, or conflitution ; L;AW,.or settlemen-t : and it exprefleth the will pf the Father in the eternal covenant;, ,Pfal. xl. 8.. ," Thy uw is within my heart." The appointment of Jeftis Chrift * E e e to 402 DISSERTATION VIII. prophet had faid, " It was not mine own me rit, or that of mine anceftors, which moved thee to fpare us hitherto : What are both in thy fight ? But prefervation in common Provi- ¦i. dence, fafety amidft a thoufand dangers is no thing, compared with that perpetuity which is fecured to my Seed, in. the enjoyment of a kingdom 1 Even the kingdom of the Mefliah, which can never be, deftroyed.. "Whence is all this favour to my family ; when others, equal- ',-ly to be a furety for finners, had in it the nature of a law,- in refpect. of the immutable nature of it,; — in refped; of its obligation on the confcience of his human nature. This term feems' to be of a like import with lln, ufed ins the parallel text, I Chron xvii. I 7. where it ought to be rendered disposition, or covenant.: — =— The term OIKn is a proper name in 2 Sam. vii. 19. as well as in , 1 Chron. xvii. 17^ and fhould be rendered that Adam,; fo it was by the Vulgate j and alfo by Pagnin- and in the Tigurine verfion. -Nor can it be reafonably object - ed, that this view is inconfiftent with the ufe of n em phatic ; for, though proper names do not ordinarily, ad mit of it, yet, when any illuftrious perfon is mentioned, his name receives this prefix, to point him out as it were t with the finger, Numb. xiii. 22, and 28. 2 Sam. xxiv. 16. Aben-Ezra concludes, that fome myftery is intended when this form of fpeech is ufed ; and no one thing can be more myfterious than the object of David's admiration: It is even the great mystery of godliness, God manifested in the fi.esh : For Ha-Adam is of the fame cafe with Adonai Jehovah. The meaning is, This illuftrious Adam is the Lord Jehovah; or, as Paul ex- prefleth it, " The Second Man, the Lord from Hea ven." The terms are to connected by the accentuation, in the infpired original, that they cannot be applied un to any, but one and the fame perfon. In this manner was DISSERTATION VIII. .403 ly worthy, fink down intb oblivion ? This kind nefs can proceed from no other foiirce than that law by which the Lord Jehovah was conftituted the Second Adam. Nor would my family be worthy of prefervation for a great while to come, didft not thou intend to raife the Second Adam from it in the fulnefs- of time. I acknowlege I could never account for fuch promifes as thou haft made, but 011 the plan of fovereign grace, manifefted7 in the Council was the text rendered and explained by Luther, Tom. VIII. Jen. German, p. 14J. Feflel. Adverfar. Lib. VI. cap. iv. Calov. Bibl, Illuftrat. p. 768. Walther. Harmon. Bibl. p. 384, 385, 386.- The parallel text leads alfo unto this view of the term, 1 Chron. xvii. 17. The term is in the fame form as in 2 Sam. vii. 19. And there is alfo a diftinguifhing property afcribed to him, by which he may be known, rftynrt CHNn : Our tranflation has it, "'And has regarded me according to the eftate of a man of high degree, O Lord God." But the phrafe cannot be fo rendered ; as this fenfe of it is not juftified by Scripture ufe. As Peters, the author above quoted, obferves,- ma-yelah denotes either future or above: As an- adverb, it fignifies supra, and that both with refpect to time andplace, viz. forward, or future, with refpect to time; fo I Sam. xvi. 13. " From that day forward ;" i. e.' from that: day,- and for- the future, 1 Sarm. xxx. 25. Ta ken in this fenfe, the phrafe is, the future Adam, and is parallel unto Kom. v. 14. " Who is the figure of Mm that was to cOme." Taken in the other fenfe, it will Le found parallel to 1 Cor.xv. 47. '.' The Second Man is the Lord from Heaven." Peters, however, feems to- be miftaken in rendering Adonai Jehovah in the voca tive cafe, while it ought, PER APPO.sitionem, to betaken in connection with the foregoingHa-Adam,announcing the Seedof David, thetrtie Mefliah, to be Adam, even the hea- E e e 2 venly 4©4 DISSERTATION VIII. Council of Peace: This conftitution, however, aiibrds good reafon for them all. "When I fix my foul upon it, I am utterly fvvallowed up ! The idea is far too auguft to be uttered ! My moft exalted conceptions link infinitely below their glorious object ! The fplendour of it im- pofeth on me an emphatic lilence ! What caii David fay more ? For the fake of thine eter- venly Adam, in contradiftinifiion from the firft man, who is of the earth, earthy ; and, at the fame time, the Lord Jehovah. This view of the text may alfb be evidenced from the connection, particularly the following context in both places. David exprefsly renounced every de gree of merit as to the procuring of thefe great bleflings. promifed him : Neither himfelf nor family had even the fmalleft claim on God. Yet he fpeaks of a SERVANT for whofe fake thefe promifes had been made. In I Chron. xvii. 19. it is, " For thy Servant's fake, and according to thine own heart haft thou done all this greatnefs." In 2 Sam. vii. 21. " For thy word's fake, and according to thine own heart haft thou done all thefe great things."- "Who is this, who is at once the Ser vant of God, and the Word of God ? Who but he, who, being in the form of God, took on him the form of a fervant ? Who is this fervant but the "Word, who was made flefh ? The books of Chronicles have not been fearched as they ought, either by private Chriftiaris or commentators ; yet they have not been wholly neglect ed : And fuch commentators as have explained them with the greateft care, have given the fame fenfe of the paflages confidered, with that I have endeavoured to eftablifh.. Vide Lavater in Loc. Witf. Exercit. de fer mon. Dei, " £hiidni hasc dub (fcil. 2 Sam. vii. 21. and I Chron. xvii. 19.) ita confer ainus, ut^quj in Chronicorum Libris SERVUS Dei appellatur, idem in iis qui Samuelis dicuntur Verbum Dei nominetur ? Servus autein Dei x«t' i%i.x,w Meffias eft If. xlii. 1. chap. xlix. 5." nal DISSERTATION VIII. 4oy nal word, and according to thine own heart, haft thou done all thefe great things. ' - J- '•¦• 2!. The "promifes of this covenant were made once, if not oftener, to David himfelf, by the infpiration of the Holy Ghoft. This is evident from his ufing the prophetic ftyle. But the word of the Lord came unto me faying, &c. IV. How was this covenant confirmed ? i. By the reiteration of the promifes of it. Every renovation of the promifes were a rati fication of the foregoing ones. The repetition of them to himfelf was a folemn confirmation. of what had been announced to Nathan. 2. By the oath of God, as is often decla red. The divine example is worthy both of his and our imitation- 3. They were ratified by. a partial accom- plilhment of them to David and his feed, which Was a pledge of the full accomplifhment of- them in due time *. FOURTHLY, * From this fubject we may learn, 1. The .abfur- dity of imagining there can be nothing fpiritual in cove nants really typical. The greater part of the Glafite reafpning againft the duty of Covenanting in the times of the New Teftament, proceed upon this principle. Say they, 4o6 DISSERTATION VIII. FOURTHLY, I fhall now attend unto the Connection between God's Covenant with David and that between God and Ifrael. And it is evident that, the covenant between God and Ifrael was founded on the Davidic one. I. As David was confidered as a public per-J fon, when thefe promifes were made to him; and, as in right he might, fo, in facf, he did underftand them as a confirmation and renova tion they, it is granted covenanting was practifed under the firft Teftament ; but then it was a .typical covenant, re fpecting temporal and earthly privileges. Wherefore, promifes, precepts, or examples, taken from that tefta ment have no force in the Gofpel Church.? But who granted them, that all the promifes, and precepts of the Old Teftament were typical ? Or have they proved that they are ? David, as fome think, was the greateft type : In this covenant made with him there were certainly many things typical ; but by -what canon of common. fenfe, Logic, Theology, or Criticifm does it appear, that all things in it were typical ? Surely David underftood it quite otherways : Said he, " He hath made with me an everlalling covenant, ordered in all things and fure ; for. this is all my falvation, and all my defire."" 2. That true defires to advance the work of God in his Church, are evidences of perfons being in the way to prosperity. David greatly defired to build God'&houfe: God aflhres hiiri, that he muft firft build David's houfe. David preferred the building of God's houfe unto his own accommodation ; v but the returned captives the re- verfe. The latter were fharply reproved ; the former was applauded and rewarded : Said God to them, " Is it time for ye, O ye, to dwell in ceiled houfes, and this houfe to lv wafte ? Ye looked for much, and lo it came to little : and when ye brought it home I did blow upon ' it. Why, faith the Lord of hofts J Becaufe of mine . hovife DISSERTATION VIII. 407 tion of former covenants : " For thou [haft confirmed to thy felf thy people Ifrael, to be a people unto thee for- ever : and thou, Lord, , art become their God. And now, O Lord God, the word which thou haft fpoken concerning thy fervant, and concerning his houfe, "eftablifh it for ever, arid do as thou haft faid*." It was ufual-, in God's difpenfations with fallen men, to give out promifes unto fome illuftrious perfon, as a head ; fuch as A- braham, David, &c. This method of revela tion was a reprefentation of the making of the Covenant of Grace with its ftill, more illuftri ous head, — thefe perfons being figures of him who was to come. That David confidered thefe promifes as a renovation of former cove nants is evident from the language he ufed, in which he not only refers unto the words of one of them*f; but alfo mentions the rati fication of it. 2. The^e promifes were alfo announced to Ifrael, when this covenant was difpenfed unto houfe that is wafte, and ye fan every man to his own houfe."- '3. God fometimes approves of the inten tions of his -people, and rewards them, when he does not approve of the prefent execution of them ; nor per mits them to Jbe fulfilled in the circumftances intended. David was rewarded for- his, intention to build an houfe for the name of the Lord, while the building muft be referved for Solomon. ,*-2 Sam. vii. 24, 2;. f See. Diflert., VI. on Deut xxix. 10 — 1 j. Where the phrafes are explained which arc ufed by David. them, 408 DISSERTATION Viii.' them, as the foundation of their accefs to- God in this duty. There were no new promifes made to them at this time; but only a repeti tion of the Davidic ones, with fuch others as feited their' peculiar circumftances : " And he faid unto me, Solomon, thy Ton, he fliall build my houfe, and my courts: for I have chofen him to be my Son, and I Will' be his father. Moreover,' I will eftablifh his kingdom for ever. — Now, therefore, in the fight of all Ifrael, the congregation, and in the audience of our God," Sec. Now, therefore; that is, becaufe of all thefe promifes, ye are bound,' by ties of gratitude, to keep all God's command ments. FIFTHLY, I fliall next confider the Mini stry o>f David in this Tranfacripn-; and it was a prophetic adminiftration. It is not to be doubted but David gave fome proofs of royalty on this occafion : For the congregation was atferiibled for the purpofe of fettling the fucceffion to the crown, as well as for entering into a religious covenant with God. But even iri this declaration, refpecting the kingdom, he acted the prophet rather than the prince ; — unvailing the purpofe of heaven in fetting all his " foils afide from the throne,- except Solo mon: " God said unto me, Thou fhalt, not build me an houfe," &c. " And he said un to me, Solomon thy fon, he fliall build iny ¦A, houfe," v.iO-' -/ DISSERTATION VIII. 409 houfe *," Sec In all which David publifhed nbt his own edict ; but that of him who is King of Kings und Lord of Lords. SIXTHLY, I fhall now attend unto the Matter of tnisXovenant. It is concifely de livered by the facred hiftorian, in the follow ing terms : " Now, therefore, in fight of all Ifrael, the congregation of the Lord ; and in the audience of our God,— .keep, arid, feek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may poffefs this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever -f-." Obferve the duties unto which they were engaged ; and the motive unto obe dience. I. The Duties unto which David took this Congregation engaged ; which are, To keep. and feek for all the commandments of die Lord: — They muft K e k F all the command^ metvt-s of the Lord, asv their God in covenant; that is, all the commandments -which the Lord God of Ifrael had given them, whether mo rals, ceremonials, or judicials. The duty of keeping them is expreffed by a term which is frequently ufed to denote God's faithfulnefs in performing his promifes^, — teaching Ifrael to imitate God in this refpect ; as he keepeth his * 1 Chron. xxviii. 3, 6. f 1 Chron. Xxviii.- 8. X Deut. vii, o, 12. 1 Kings viii. 23, 2 Chron. vi. 14. &c. * Fff covenant 4J0 DISSERTATION VIII. covenant ever in remembrance, fo we fliould never forget his precepts. We fhould preferve this facred depofitum, with heart and hand, all the days of our life.- -It behoved them to se.ek for all the commandments of the Lord. They muft apply their minds to fearcli into the will of God: They muft , feai;ch into it with care and confcience ; their defires be ing fet upon the facred fyftem all the days of their life. This duty was peculiarly fit at this time, as Ifrael was funk into great indifference and ignorance, during the reign of Saul on the one hand ; and as David, and other pro phets, v had added, various books unto the vo lume of infpiration, on the other. He had alfo given various directions, under the infal lible guidance of the Holy Ghoft, refpecting the worfhip of- God in his temple, as well as the duty of building it. Thefe. additions to the facred canon deferved the moft diligent fcrutiny, and the clofeft attention from the whole congregation. The truth is, it is a ftanding duty to fearch the fcriptures ftill, as enjoined in both Teftaments : Said Chrift, " Search the Scriptures : for in them ye think ye have eter nal life *." Said God, by Ifaiab, " Seek ye' out of the hook of the Lord, and read"]"," Sec. 2. This covenant coritains motives unto 6- bediencei- " That ye may poffefs this good * John v. 39. f If. xxxiv. 16. ; ' land;9 DISSERTATION' VIII. 411 land*.'' That is, that ye may continue to poffefs that land which your anceftors have pofleffed more than four hundred years. The poffefTion of this land was neceflary unto 'the celebration of God's worlhip ; as feveral parts of it could not be obferved, as it was com manded, any where elfe. The privileges enjoyed in this land alfo exhibited, as in a fi gure, thofe immunities which are rcferved for the heirs bf falvation in the better country. -Another motive unto the duties fpecified is, " That ye may leave this good land for an inheritance unto your children after you for e- ver "j~." This motive was included among the promifes of the Sinai Covenant : And, as re gard to pofterity is One of the ftrongeft affec tions that God has implanted into the hu man heart, under the divine blefling, it could not fail of commanding influence on the con duct. %, SEVENTHLY, The next thing in order is, The Occasions of this Covenant.- As the fpace of time between this and the foregoing . * 1 Chron- xxviii. 8. f 1 Chron. xxviii. 8. X Hence the pOet exclndes Eunuchs from the,number of the . merciful : :. ' ' Adde quod Eunuchus nulla pietate movetur Nee generi natis que cavet, dementia cunetis In fimiles, animos que ligant confotia damni. ^ Claudian. F f f • 2 tranfaction 412 DISSERTATION VIII. tranfaction was long; fb the incidents are nu merous. We fhall felect only a few : The fpace of time between them is not lefs than four hundred years *; and yet the hiftoi'y of the church, for that period, is difpatched in a very few chapters, where we muft not expect an ac count of every thing that befel her. We may ©bferve, l. That fhortly after the death of Jofhua, and the elders who outlived him, having been his cotemporaries, the Church was plunged in to very great corruption : For which many reafons may be afhgned ; fiich as, the young generation's forgetfuliiefs of the good old paths in which Caleb and Jofhua, and the reft of-the godly walked ; mixing with, and learn ing of the heathen their way, inftead of cove nanting with the Moft High, in gratitude for, and abufe of mercy received ; idolatry, un bridled licentioufnefs, and - emulation among the tribes themfelves, the native effect of co venant-violation with God. 2. As a correction of their error, -and cha-* ftifement for their crimes, God delivered them over to the fury of their enemies: And they tyrannized over them with unmixed and almoffc unexampled cruelty. They travelled over a tract of fin and punifhment; of repentance, * Vide Spajiheim. Chron. p. 234. deliverance, DISSERTATION VIII. 413 deliverance, and relapfe after repentance, aim oft as often as God raifed up a deliverer for them.- The capital crime of which they were con victed is, Covenant -violation : " And the an ger pf the Lord was hot againft Ifrael; and he faid, becaufe this people hath tranfgreffed my covenarit, which I commanded their fa thers*," Sec. Covenant-violation was a fin as little thought of in that age as in this, perhaps; but it implied every other fin, as the covenant extended to. the whole and every part of the law. It was a covenant extending from fa ther to fon; though it was enjoined their fa- . thers, yet they were as guilty of covenant-vio lation as if they had covenanted in their own perfons, when they tranfgreffed it.' 3. From time to time God had raifed up ' - deliverers unto them, who were fo many fore runners of the Redeemer of fouls. The.de- fign of the book of Judges, and the firft book of Samuel, is, to give us an exalted idea of di vine fovereignty in this refpect. The delive rance was more or lefs remarkable, both in point of degree and duration, as the deliverer kept God's way. Accordingly, fome of them were honoured to advance, at once, the inte- reft's of religion and the commonwealth: Some of therii, fuch as Gideon's family, began well, but ended ill. * Illrtges "• 20- \ lT 4T4 DISSERTATION VIII. f 4. It was referved for David to complete the conqueft of Canaan ; and to caufe Ifrael make various advances in reformation,, fupe rior to thofe which obtained in the days of the Judges. The greater part of the Judges ap pear to have been good men, as well as great generals ; but, ftill there were many palpable defects in the public ftate of religion under fome of the beft of them. The ark had been removed from Shiloh to the field of battle, juft before the death of Eli. It was taken by the ^hiliftines ; and, although they fent it back into the land of Ifrael, it does not appear that ever it was replaced all the days of Samuel and Saul. Thus the 'worfliip of the tabernacle was deranged, being deprived of its centre : but David had not only prepared a place for the ark ; but alfo brought it up to the place which he had fitted up for it. He had alfb fettled the fervice of the Priefts, Levites, Por ters, and Singers, in certain c our fes ; which continued, in feme meafure, until , the days of the Mefliah. The moft ehential fervice, how ever, which, he did unto the Church was, his writing the greater part of the. book of Pfalms; and appointing them to be .ufed both in the public and private praifes of the Church of God, which practice has been continued even unto this time. Much about the fame time, to the five books of Mofes were added both the books of Samuel, and that of Ruth ; as the book of Judges had been, probably, fome fhort ¦ ' lime DISSERTATION VIII. 41^ time before. Now, as thefe pieces of reform mation had been attained under the miniftry of David, as a prophet; and under his aufpices, as a king; fo it was proper for the congrega* tion of Ifraelto feek them out ; andT having found them, to keep them continually, as was expreffed in the article of the covenant. y. David and the congregation of Ifrael were about to dedicate part of their. fubftance unto the Lord. Now, it was fit, that the de dication of their perfons fhould precede that of their fubftance. It did fb in the Macedonian church : " Their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of , their liberality: For -to their power, I bear record, yea? and beyond their power, they were willing of themfelves ; pray ing us with much intreaty, that we Would re^ ceive the gift, and take upon us the fcllow- fliip of the miniftering to the faints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but firft gave their own felves to the Lord*." David made a Very liberal dedication of his fubftance at this time: He gave, for the houfe of his God, the prodigious fum of three thoufand talents of gold, and feven thoufand "talents of filver, of his own private property. The congregation followed the royal example. But that which ~added moft beauty unto -this dedication was, the willing mind afrd the grateful heart of the ' • * 2 Cor. viii. 2 — j. ' offerers, <|t6 DISSERTATION VHI. offerers. David fpeaks of it in the ftyle of ad" miration : " But who am I, and what is my people, that we fliould be able to offer fo will ingly after this fort? for all things come of thee; and of thine own have we given thee." — " O Lord, our God, all this ftore that we have prepared to build thee an houfe for thine holy name, cometh of thine own hand, and is all thine own*." 6. David was near his latter end : And co venant-renovation was highly neceffary for pre- feryinp' that reformation which God had ac- complifhed in his days ; — for encouraging the young generation in the difcharge of .their- du ty. David forefaw the importance of that work which God had' carved out for furvivers; wherefore, like Mofes and Jofliua, he ufed co venanting when near his latter end, as a means of making them ftrengthen one another's hands, and encourage one another's heart in the execution of it -j-; EIGHTHLY, The next thing is, The Con firmations - of this Covenant. There are two folemilities for this purpofe, marked in the facred text, -'*- i Chron. xxix. 1-4. 16. f A variety of other Occafions might have been fpe cified ; but, rather than -fwell the work, I beg leave to refer the reader to Spanheim, F. F. Hift. V. T. p. 346, and 359. Leid. de Repub. Lib. VII. cap. vii. j. David DISSERTATION VHI. ji.j 1. David took the whole congregation wit nefs againft every individual in it, in cafe of violation : " Now, therefore, in the fight of all Ifrael, the congregation of the Lord'*." The whole congregation would rife up againft the perfon wh6 would dare to violate fuch an en gagement. See alfo the preceding Covenant. 2. This Covenant was confirmed with the folemnity of an oath. It was adminiftered not only in -the fight of all Ifrael ; but alfo;" in the audience of our God+." In the former Covenant, the ftones which Jofliua fet up are faid to hear: In this one, the Lord is faid to hear. The original phrafe is, "In the ears of our. God." Both the adminiftration and acceptance of this Covenant were in the ears of the Lord. •' "When ears are afcribed to Cod, they denote his qmnifcience . This man ner of expreflion imports a folemn appeal to God, as the omnifefent witnefs and omnipotent judge of his people.' LASTLY, I fhall clofe this Differtation with an Infer ence -or two. ,i. We may fee, that God ufuaily makes ufe of one inftrument for the Commencement, and another for the confummation and per fecting of his work. -Mofes began Ifrael's jour ney to Cariaari; Jofliua finifhed it. David pre- * i Chron. xxviii. 8. -|- Ibid, Z. .*. Ggg^ .;¦:- pared _'4i8 DISSERTATION VIII. pared for the temple building and fervice ;. Solomon" had the honour of completino- both* Luther began the Reformation ; Calvin was honoured to bring it to greater perfection, and nearer conformity to the pattern fhe wed in the holy Scriptures. 2. A public spirjt for the advancement of religion is perfectly confiftent with true Pa- triotifm. David was not only a "good king, and great patriot ; but alfo an eminent prophet,, and a great faint. Thefe lineaments of his character difpofed him to/prefer the fettlement of the Church to that of the fucceffion of the Crown ; the building of the temple to the build ing of the palace : In a word, the things of God to thofe of his kingdom arid family. But he was by -no means, a-wanting as to his con cern for the intereft of both his fubjects and children. He intended to bring their civil con cerns into fubordination to their religious con cerns.: To advance them in that fubordination, not otherways : And it is only in this channel that. we can expect civil concerns to profper. : Matters will never be right with us till the men> bers of the Church be endued with his fpirit. 3. Solejvin Covenanting is a fuitable pre paration for important fervices . Perfonal Cove nanting fliould precede the entrance on perfonal fervice. Public Covenanting preceded the dedi- - cation of fubftance for temple building, as well as the work of temple building itfelf. D I S S E R- DISSERTATION IX. ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD and JUDAH, IN THE REIGN OF ASA. 2 Chron. xv. 12- 14." HERE I fhall attend — I. Unto the Parties Covenanting.— 11. The Matter of the Covenant.— III. The Manner of Covenanting. .IV. The Punifhment of . Idolaters . - — V- The Occafions of this Tranfaction. — VI. The Con firmations of it. — Deducing feme Inferences from the whole. FIRST, I muft attend unto, the Parties Covenanting. , . . -. _ 1. The Party- unto whom they engaged is, " The Lord God of their Fathers." As then- fathers covenanted ibr their feed, as well as for themfelves ; fo thefe covenanters looked back unto that covenant-relation in which God Ggg 2 ' ftood 420 DISSERTATION' IX.. ftood unto them. And when they took up this character, as that on which they believed, and to which they vowed, their deed amounted to an- explicit renovation of all thofe covenants into which their fathers had entered. As they back covenanted with this God in the loins of their fathers, fo they alfo make a folemn re cognition of all thofe fcederal engagements in their own perfons. The Party unto whom they, vowed is alfo denominated, u The Lord God of Ifrael;" i. e. of" the congregation of Ifrael, from its firft erection until that time, as; well as Ifrael their father. The God of all who are Ifraelites indeed. He alfo bears this name in oppofition to the gods of the. na tions round about, as well as the calves of Dan and Bethel, which Jeroboam had fet. up in If rael itfelf. The intent of- this character was, to teach them, that, though Jeroboam had faid of hjs calves, " Thefe be. thy gods, O Ifrael 1" yet Jehovah had the fole claim unto that ho nour. 2. The Party vowing is Judah and Benja min, with ftrangers out of Ephraim, ManafTeh, and the. tribe of Simeon. Judah and Benjamin continued 'in the worfhip of the true God, when the greater part of the ten. tribes revolted from it, as well as from their allegiance to the houfe of David. Many of the ten tribes, however, fejl off again from the worfliip' of the calves to "-- that DISSERTATION IX. 421 that of the true God, on this occafion; and took part in this Covenanted Reformation. SECONDLY, The Matter of this Cove nant falls under our confideration in the next place. The bond is not inferted at length, in deed, but the feope of it is eafily gathered from what .is declared. The comprehenfive duty to which they engaged is, to " seek the Lord God of their fathers." This includes the in ternal motioiis of the foul towards God, as the chief .good ; — the .fearch of the underfta'ndin-g' into tiie myftery" of his truth, and the glory of his perfections ; — -the motions of the affections in following hard after God : " When thou didft fey, Seek; ye my face; my heart faid unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." — "With my fpirit within me will I seek thee early." This duty alfo includes an obfervaiice of all divine inftitutions, and that with the utmoft care : For God can neither be fought nor found but in the way of his own in- 'fc. ftitiitions. The Origiiul wortl, 'expreflive of duty, is the feme in this Covenant as in ths, foregoing one ; the object is a little diverfified, in a fuitablenefs to their: peculiar circumftances. It was fit to mention the c6mmandments of the Lord in David's days, becaufe fome new ones had been given -unto the Church by his miniftry: It was fit to mention the Lord God off their fathers at this time, becaufe Jero boam had introduced ftrange gods in his room, -•-"' - ' THIRDLY", 422 DISSERTATION IX. THIRDLY, The Manner in which they covenanted is the next branch of our fubject. i. They did it with all the heart. That is, they did it in -fincerity j in oppofition to feigned profeflions of faith and obedience. Their duty correfponded with the divine rule ; for it required: them to love God with all their heart and with all -their foul ; the former de noting the underftandiilg, that governing fa culty; and the latter the will*. Thelaw ex tended to all the people, and to all of the man; to each faculty and power of the foul, and to every member of the body- Hence we may conclude, that this was not a ftate cove- riant in the commonwealth : For. matters of ftate can only affect the outward man. It is >* Some learned men explain the terms heart and soul otherways. Mr Romaine, for example (Sermons on Mark xii. 28 — 31), understands" the firft of the affec tions ; but* it is taken for the underftandiilg, Job ix. 4. Pfal. xcv. 10,. If. vi. 10. Stockius : And, when placed before foul, it is moft natural to explain the former of the intellectual powers ; fee Ainfworth on Deut. vi. 5. Dr Pocock on Hofea, p. 307. Mr Romaine alfo infi nuates, that "the term rendered soIjl never denotes the immaterial, and immortal fpirit ;. but is conftantly ufed for the parts concerned irt carrying on the circular tion of .the blood] and in which the appetites of the hu man frame are placed." But though it be granted, that the word is fometimes taken in an inferior fenfe; yet it muft alfo denote fhe immortal Spirit, Gen. xxxv. 18. And when placed in fuch a connection as iii this text, it denotes the will and aiiec'tions, -Geji. xxii. S. 1 Kings XiX. 3. , .,:*-' incompetent DISSERTATION IX. 423 incompetent for ftatcfmen to penetrate into the heart. 2. They rejoiced at the oath of God: " They fware unto the Lord with a loud voice, arid with fhouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets *." Thefe inftruments were ufed in the duty of praife, which preceded, or followed the folemn action-. This is much more natural than" to fuppofe, that the facred bond was announced with the found pf trum pet. Times of covenanting have ever been feafons of gladnefs and rejoicing ;. fo far is it from being true, that this folemn fervice is dull arid infipid : But this demonftration of joy was adapted to the difpenfation under which they covenanted with God. It would be fal lacious to a degree, however, to conclude in faVour of inflrument al mufic in divine worfliip, * The inftruments of praife, under the typical difpen fation, were many. The learned Mr Foord enumerates no fewer than Sixteen different kinds (Prasf. ad Expofit. p. 2.); but others reckon they were not So many- Schind- ler mentions only feven. Probably the fame. inftruments had different names : If fo, Schindler's calculation- will be found moft correct. But the truth is, as the whole of tiie instrumental mufic which was' ufed in the worfliip of God feems to have been confined to the tabernacle and temple, and to have periihed with the latter ; fo that we can, with certainty, determine little or nothing* concerning it." ; No one thing can be, more imaginary than the attempts of the Popifh Churches to revive this part of the Jewifh. ceremonies, when in abfolute uncertainty as ,to- the na ture of it ; and efpecially after the folemn burial of them. all in the deuT.iu'lion(of Jerufalem. on 444 'DISSERTATION IX. on the one hand ; or to conclude againft Co venanting, as a ceremonial duty, becaufe of this circumftance attending it, on the other. FOURTHLY, The Punishment of fuch as would not feek the Lord God of their fa thers deferves to be confidered in the next place : " That whofoever- would not feek the Lord God of Ifrael fliould be put to death, whether fmall or great, whether man or wo man"*:." This punifhment was firft denoun ced when God -gave the judicial few to Mofes; and Afia applied- it to the particular cafe of the kingdom in his day. 'The only queftlori to which I fhall attend is, If this, law were pecu liar to the Jews, or common to all" men ? In anfwer to which I fliall obferve, i. That Idolatry, refpecting the object of worfbip, is a crime punifhable by the law of nature, being a man if eft violation of it. But, to'fet the matter in a clearer point .of view,' The law of nature muft be confidered as ope rating in a. ftate of nature ; or, as in -a ftate of ciyil fbciety. Idolatry in a ftate of nature, is a- crime againft the law of nature; but, in that ftate, one man is to another as one inde pendent nation is to another; no man having right to hurt another, except in the cafe of felf-defence; or in the prevention and repara* * 2 Chron. xv. 13. tion DISSERTATION XX. 425 ft tibri of injuries. The right of executing the law of nature, in this ftate, cannot be exerted in the reftraint of crimes which are, by remote confequences only, hurtful to fociety. Idola try, therefore, though a crime againft the law of nature, prior to the erection of fociety, muft be left to the judgment of God ; feeing there is no human jurifdiction empowered to reftrain it. But, in a ftate of civil fociety, it is quite otherways. The civil law is fiiper-iiiduced, and comes in aid of the law of nature : And the execution of that law is intrufted to the civil magiftrate. Therefore, vdiere the magiftrate knows the true God, and where his fubjects have known him likeways, he is bound to pu- nifli fuch idolaters as fet up falfe gods within his jufifdiction ; nor can he protect the public fafety if he does otherways : For the acknow ledgment of God is effentially neceflary unto the being of fociety, that oaths, which are ap peals to his omnifeience and omnipotence may be of force. Oaths are the ligaments of fo ciety; but if that being, by whorii we fwear, ,be fuperfeded, and vanities fubftituted in his room, thefe ligaments are diflblved, and,, by confequence, fociety itfelf *. 2. The * The doctrines of toleration and reftraint, in matters of religion, ought to be touched with a delicate hand, I grant; but, 1 hope, I have not exceeded in. what is de livered. Dr Owen, who was never fufpecled of intole rant principles, carries the matter much higher :' " It * . Hlih, is 426 DISSERTATION IX. 2. The magiftrates of the Jewish republic were bound to punifh idolaters on a two-fold account : They were bound to do it on the, principles juft mentioned ; and for reafons pe culiar to their' theocratical government. God was King of the Jews, or head of the theocra cy ; therefore, he could not fuffer any other 'deity, .more than any earthly king could ad mit a rival into his kingdom. Two heads of the fame kind and order in any commonwealth are abfolutely incompatible. Hence idolatry had a particular aggravation in Canaan, be yond what it has hi any other country ; it a- mounted to nothing lefs than high treafon : Now, treafon has been deemed capital in every age. Hence, we may fee, how unjuftly the Mofaic fyftem in general,' and this, covenant in particular, have been charged with cruelty by the Deifts and libertines of thefe times. They grant, that treafon has ever been confidered as a capital crime among mankind ; and . they dare not deny, but the traitor juftly pays his: head, when in the power of majefty : But here they tax the execution of traitors ."with" the moft flagrant injuftice ! Shocking abfurdity L Grofs infatuation ! is the duty of magiftrates," faid he, " not to allow any public places -for falfe and abominable worfliip ; as alfo, to demolifh all outward appearances of fuch fuperftitious, idolatrous, and unacceptable fervice. Let Papifts, who are idolaters ; and Socinians, who are anthropolatrai, plead for themfelves." See Dr Owen on Toleration, and Dr L"o w rii's Letter to Dr Warburton. - ..>¦¦ .' FIFTHLY, DISSERTATION IX." 427 ¦. FIFTHLY, "We may now. confider the Oc casions of this Covenant. The interval be tween this tranfaction and that in laft year of David's reign was near feventy-fix years : For the kings which were between David and A fa reigned juft fixty years ; and this covenant took place in the fifteenth year of Afa's reign. More - particularly, ' *? 1. This covenant obtained after God hack accomplifhed various promifes made to Ifrael in the Davidic Covenant. He had fet Solo mon on the throrie of his father David, bleffed Ifrael with remarkable peace and profperity under his government ; enabled him to, build a moft fplendid houfe for the name of the Lordf ; and brought every part of the ceremonial wor fliip unto the higheft pitch of perfection and glory. Now, the accomplifhment of God's promifes laid them under new obligations to devote themfelves- to him who beftowed all things fo liberally on them : And it was pro per to'teftify their gratitude for the advance ment of his work among them, by vowing to •him who had brought them hitherto. ¦ 2: x Th e glory of the kingdom, and efpecial ly the fplendor of religion, had been greatly 'e clip fed by Solomon's apoft.acy. That fame * For a delineation of this fabric, and a view of the mylteries vailed under it, fee Lee on Solomon's Temple, as .alfo Arias Montan. Villalpand. and Lewis Cappellus on the fubjeift. , -' ., , t —,. Hhh 2 Solomon 428 DISSERTATION IX- Solomon who had been fo much the object of divine love, unto whom God had appeared twice, everi he fell into the horrid fin of idola try ; and that, in an advanced period pi" life. Fondnefs for imitating the fafhions of the great, in matters of religion as well as common life, has been the plague of both ancient and mo dern times ; therefore, it is not improbable, that, in compliance with their prince, his cour tiers relinquifhed the true religion and a. good confcience along with him. Solomon himfelf was probably reclaimed, however, and wrote the book of Ecclefiaftes after his reformation. 3. The apoftacy ot" Solomon had been fig- nally punifhed in the revolt of the ten tribes from under the authority of the family of Da- id, which was followed with remarkable apo ftacy from the true religion, and dreadful co- venant-violation. Jeroboahn, for political rea fons, prohibited the" males from appearing three times a-year before the Lord at Jerufalem, as was required by the law of Mofes. To ac commodate them in his own dominions, he fet up one calf at Bethel, the feuth end of his kingdom, on1 the. borders of that of Judah, to prevent t4ie Ifraelites 'from going into it: An-. other at Dan, that he might at once accom modate the northern territories, and alfo draw perfons hither from the fouthern parts. Thefe reafons were too grofs, however, to be either afligned or avowed : The oftenfible one was, their perfonal eafe ; ".It "is too much for you to ¦v DISSERTATION IX. 429 .to go up to Jcrufalcm." This idolatry greatly re fembled that of the golden calf; and die mo narch's fpeech feems to have been copied from Aaron's on that occafion. Corruption had made alarming progrefs under the aufpices of the kings of Ifrael, which loudly called for an explicit teftimony" againft it," ¦ as- well- as the prefent application of a proper remedy. .4. The Lord, : hi fovereign grace, had re fer ved a remnant for himfelf, notwithftanding thefe fhaking providences, and heinous, provo cations. The facred hiftorian remarks' various things which obtained, in favour of religion, un der the reign of . Afa. He took away the altars, brake down the" high, places and ima ges, and cut down the groves. The Lord had alfo given feveral victories to the children of Judah ; and fent various ! encouraging inef-. fages by his prophets unto. them : " And when Afa heard thefe words, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of the land of Benjamin, and of ¦ the . cities .which he had taken from mount Ephraim ; and renewed the altar of the Lord that was before the porchof the Lord." Now," as this reformation was ge nuine in its . priii ciple^large. in its extent, it was proper tp make it a covenanted-reforma tion, that it might be Lifting in its duration. SIXTHLY, The Sol em n i t i e s by .which this Covenant War, ratified,- may be confidered in the next place. ..... ':''¦' A 1. It 430 DISSERTATION IX. 1 I. It was confirmed by Oath *. The form of the 'oath is not regiftered in the infpired vo lume ; nor can the particular mode of fwear- ing be learned from it : but as to the certain ty of the fact we have no reafon to hefitate. 2. It was probably ratified by facrifice and writing. The .facred hiftorian affures, that they offered facrifices at the fame time. Now, although feme of them might be offered be fore the folemn action, as a preparative for it; yet, it is probable, there were others offer ed' befides them. It is alfo reafonable to con_- clude, that as they covenanted under the in fluence of the Holy Ghoft, he would induce them to ufe every folemnity which had been left on record for their imitation. /'••'' ¦ , , I shall now clofe this dilTertation with an Inference or- tw o for improvement of what has been, faid.- . , '¦-'.', I. We may fee the imperfection of grace, even in the wifeft and beft of God's children, in this world. Solomon, the wifeft of men, yielded to a trifling temptation; fo as to de face that fyftem which had arrived at its me ridian fplendor under his aufpices., Excellence of o-ifts, abundance of manifeftation, are no barrier againft a partial apoftacy : Solomon had 2 'Chron. ^v. 14. both ; DISSERTATION IX. 431 both ;— we read of his fall, but not of his re pentance. Good king Afa, in the fifteenth year" of his reign , was alfo a diftinguifhed covenanter ; in the laft years of his.reign, when he was cen fure d by Haliani the Seer, cf he was wroth with the Seer, and put him in the prifon-houfe ." This rebellion againft juft cenfure, contumttcy againft the authority of the Seer, and putting him in prifon, did notdcftroy the work of God in his foul, nor. - disannul his title to the hea venly inheritance : For the Spirit of. God wit- nefleth,notwithftanding thefe things, "his heart was, perfect with t\ie Lord all his days." 2. Covenanting ought to be effayed and practifed by the fmaller number of profeffors of religion, even when the greater part con tinue in apoftacy, and refufe to be reclaimed. The ten tribes were the greater, and apofta- tiziuo- church : The two tribes the leffer, and reforming one. Notwithftanding the riiajority Was on vthe fide of defection ; yet the minor part did not lofe their right unto their cove nanted God, neither were their obligations to him diffelved. It has been faid by fome, Co venanting is inexpedient in the prefent time, as' the greater" part of Chriftians are otherways minded. But, if the objection be valid now, why was it not fb;. then ? They might have faid, when the fpirit of God excited them to this7 duty, " The majority of profeffors are againft if, pray, therefore, have us excufed." Might '¦A , not. 432 DISSERTATION IX. not the prophet eafily rejoin, " The authority of God,"interpofed in his precept, is fufficient warrant for prefent duty, though all the world be againft if.". Should any ftill infift, that "If the majority avow their religion with the fo- lemnity of- an oath, and the minority theirs, the*n the land will be profaned with contradic tory f wearing." The anfwer is. eafy, The pro fanity lies at the door of theni who fwear unto a falfe religion ; and the profeffors of the true religion are by no means anfwerable for the oppofers of it. Moreover, few who have im bibed falfe principles, and 'followed corrupt practices, ever durft avow them with the fo- lemnity of an oath. Sin and error delight to walk in the fhade. DISSER- DISSERTATION X. ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD and. JUDAH, " IN THE'DAYS OF JEHOIADA. 2 Kings Xi. 17, 2 Chron. xxiii 16. AS this tranfaction took place at a Very re markable revolution of the State, it may not be improper to attend, — -I. Unto the Cha racter and Circumftances of the Covenanters. — II. The Minifter who bore a principal fhare in that revolution, arid who difpenfed this Covenant. — III. Confider the Subftance of the Covenant. — IV- The Occafions of it.— And theri conclude with fome Reflections on the whole. : FIRST,,! muft attend unto the Char act er and Circumstances of the Covenanters. The fketch which is drawn of them by the. in fpired hiftorian is fhorter thai! ufual : Our fur- vey muft be contracted in proportion'. , They I i i were 434 DISSERTATION X. were Jehoiada, — all the people, —and the King. i. Jehoiada whofe character is afterwards, reviewed, as the Minifter in this traiifactibn ; " And Jehoiada made a covenant between him, and between all the people*," &c. Some refer the relative him, as referrino- to the re- J c3 mote antecedent Jehovah, or Lord, mention ed in verfe fourteenth ; and they include the intermediate yerfes in aJ parenthefis f. And the fenfe, according to this connection is, and Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and all the people. But this connection feems,. to me at leaft, far ftrained ; efpecially as a much more natural account of things may be had:, by referring the.- relative him to Jehoia da, as its immediate antecedent. Jehoiada. fuftained a two-fold character ; that of an emi nent covenjanter, and that of an High-prieft in the congregation. Like Mofes, he was God'* reprefentatjive ; and alfb a typical mediator, through whom the people drew near to God J. 2. All the jpeople were covenanters at this time. The univerfal defignation ufed in * 2 Chron. xxiii. 16. f Junius and TRkMF.Li.ius iin their annotations fub- joined to their traijflation. In the parallel place, in Kings, the fenfe muft be according to their view of it, indeed ; but then Lord is inferted, and not referred to. ^SeeDioDATi, HfiNRt on the text, efpecially Pi sc at ob, the DISSERTATION X. 435- the book of the. Chronicles, is to be underftood of the greater part of the two tribes, as di- ftinguifhed from the ten, and alfo from the nations round about them. It is alfo to be un derftood of all who were fit to enter into the congregation of the Lord. — Various orders of people are enumerated in the context; efpeci ally fuch as held any military rank among them : They are defigned rulers over hund-reds, and captains, and the guard. They are alfo defcribed as perfons entering in on the Sabbath. 3. The King* is alfo reckoned to the num ber of covenanters on this occafion. He bourid himfelf to be one of the Lord's people, in op- pofition to wicked Athaliah, and her accom plices, who were eminently Baal's people. In his public character, he became at once the pattern arid protector of the true religion, as well as an oppofer of falfe worfliip. But it might be" enquired, How could Joafh be an in telligent covenanter When only feven years of age ? It might be "anfwered, Youth come foon- er to the exercife of reafon, as well as majo rity, in thofe warmer oriental climates, than in our cold ones. Irrefragable evidence might be produced from Jewifh hiftory and antiqui ties, to prove that civil contracts might be made by perfons in that nation, at the age of twelve, by females at leaft ; whereas our laws fix their majority at eighteen. Now, as Chri- I i i 2 ftians 436 DISSERTATION X. ftians have been deemed capable of being ad mitted to partake of the Lord's Supper feven years before they arrive at the years of majo rity, and alfo to join in public covenanting; grant but the Jews the fame privilege, and ydu grant unto the King a right to covenant for himfelf, even at the age of feven. Again, Joafh is not the only inftance of early piety a-, mong the Jewifli monarchs. Jofiah gave e- qual, if not fuperior proofs of it, at much the fame time of life. Thefe covenanters, I fhall only add, were the fucceffors of covenant ing anceftors, both prince and people ; there fore, bound to act this part both by the law of God and antecedent fcederal obligations. • SECONDLY, I fhall now attend unto the Character of the Minifter, who had a prin cipal hand in the revolution of the State ; and who difpenfed this covenant to the people. It has been faid, " That Jehoiada, inftead of walking in the paths of peace and loyalty, fub- verted the eftabliflied government ; and, un like his office, not only moved fedition; but al fo profaned the temple of the Lord, by intro ducing into it ftatefmen and military ofiicers, who had formed a combination to affaffinate the queen, and aflifted in the coronation of a child in her ftead. Which are more than pre- fumptions, that he grafped at the regency for hiriifelf, and fought the aggrandizement of his own family at the expenfe of the common wealth, DISSERTATION X. 437 wealth." For anfwer to thefe things, I may obferve, Thar Athaliah was an ufiirprefs (to ufe the Words of Algernoon Sidney) therefore fhe ought not to reign; and an idolater as well as a murderer, and therefore ought not to live ; yea, a moft unnatural murder of her own grandchildren. Jehoiada, however, did nothing of himfelf ; but, having the young Prince in his power, it was proper, at once to declare his lineage and fe cure his life, by ta king an oath of the princes of Judah to con cert meafures for the performance of their duty, as well as aflift thefe princes with his wife counfel and advice in the executibn of them. This was confiftent with the 1110ft rigid loyalty. It was loyalty itfelf to the corfftitu- ripn, as he was zealous in maintaining the ho nour of the laws and liberty of the common wealth, from the domination arid depredation of a tyrant. Nor have ufurpation and tyran ny any claim to homage and obedience,- — any right to be preferved. But, by the laws of the- realm,, every perfon. was bound to do all in his power for putting the Davidic line on the thrrine : And, if that family were at any time difpoffeffed of it, the adminiftration of light reverted to the people ; and, by the law, the fW ord was put into their hands, to reinfta.te the- lawful heir, and execute the uiurprefs, to revenge the murders fhe had committed; and to put into execution the law againft idolaters, which flie had fo wickedly violated, ., Her exe cution. 4^8 DISSERTATION, X. cution, of confequence, was no afTaflination, but in all refpects juft; nor were there any to execute juftice but the perfons who did it, the reft having caught the dreadful infection. Had Jehoiada been intent upon the aggrandize ment of his family, he might have fet his own fon on the throne, being of the feed-royal by the HiotherVfide ; but regard unto the covenant of David, which fettled the fucceflion on the male line, prevented him from having any fuch am bitious defign. Nor can the charge of his a- fpiring at the regency be eftablifhed on a bet ter foundation: For it does not appear that ever he acted in any other capacity than that of a counfellor, and his counfels were eminent-? ly ufeful, both unto prince and people. He gave good proof of his ability, in this refpect, advifing to fuch meafures as were blefled for the advantage of both Church and State ; and both were preferved in a flourifhing condition as long as matters were managed by his di rection. 1 cannot eafily reconcile myfelf, however, to the defence which has been ufed in his behalf: It has been faid, tliat Jehoiada was prefident of the Sanhedrim, by virtue of his office, as High-prieft, and had. very large authority in civil affairs on that account: For the Sanhedrim, over which he prefided, was an ecclefiaftic court, vaftly remote, in its nature and ends, from the fupreme council of the ftate. Some authors of confiderable merit have de nied, that any fuch court as the Sanhedrim e- ver DISSERTATION X, 439 •Ver exifted, till after the Babylonifh captivity j but the inftitution and continuance of the San hedrim, both civil and ecclefiaftic, are as plain as thofe of many other things which were ne ver difputed *. Others grant, that there was fuch a court as the Sanhedrim ; but deny that ever any diftinction exifted between the civil and ecclefiaftic- lt had been happy for their fcheme had they eftabliflied it on a proper foun dation, and given a folid anfwer to the argu ments of their opponents; but, as thefe have not yet beeri done, we may expect to be ex- cufed from giving in to it. Jehoiada was pre- fident of the ecclefiaftic Sanhedrim only; and if. he did any thing in the fijpreme council of ftate, his actions were certainly extraordinary ; but not more fo than his circumftances ; and fuch circumftances call for uncommon exertions in every age. The office of High-prieft obli ged Jehoiada, doubtlefs, to preferve the temple inviolate ; nor did his arrangement of the peo ple amount to any proftitu tion of it to fecular purpofes : For it-is- well known that there was a court, in this facred edifice, allotted to the members of the congregation ; and, when clean, it became them to approach God by entering into it accordingly. And the people kept their awful diftance from the Holy of Holies, as is evident from the charge which was given them * Vid. contra Synh. Conring^tvm de Republic. Hebra?- or. § ,22. Vorft. de Synh. Pro Synh. Sf.lden. Drusium J.EVSDEN, CUNE.UM. ' on 440 DISSERTATION X. on this occafion ^ which they readily obeyed. Upon the whole, inftead of ambition and trea- fonable practices, fagacity, activity, and facredi zeal for the authority and vigour of the law, both in Church and State, formed the charac ter of this High-prieft. THIRDLY, The Substance of this Cove nant deferves now to be confidered. There were two diftinct covenants executed at this time, a civil and a facred one. They are di- verfified thus, A covenant between the Lord, and the King and people, that they fliould be the Lord°s people : Arid a covenant betweeri the King and the people : But the civil one, which obtained at the King's coronation, is tiie fubject of difeourfe at this time. The grant which God made to this people -was the fame as in the days of David and So lomon, and Afa, -&c The fame promifes] and ordinances being continued among them. By thefe God acknowledged them as his people : And, feeing they were dignified with this ho nour, they could not do lefs than acknowledge themfelves fuch, to the praife of his grace. They covenanted to be the Lord's people. This is a concife, but comprehenfive view of their-, facred bond ; which muft -include every duty that the law enjoined, lt bound them, in par ticular, unto all thofe duties which their pecu liar circumftances pointed out unto them. What DISSERTATION X. 441 What would God require at the hand of his people, at a time when his enemies did every thing in their power to fruftrate his promife re fpecting the feed-royal in the family of David ? What would he have them, to do, at a time ¦ when the worfliip of Baal was celebrated with evefy degree of fplendour and magnificence ; and that of the true God fuppreffed ? When the altar of Baal was erected in the temple of the Moft High God ; and that of Jehovah eaft down ?- — When the confidences of fuch as worfhipped the Lord God of Ifrael were op- preffed, and their moft facred rights violated ? Would he not have them to fet the seed of David on the throne of his father,— -re- - pair the altar of the Lord,— purify his temple, — break down every monument of idolatry, — • as well as avow then*- allegiance te» the Moft High ? FOURTHLY, The Occasions of this Co venant are the next branch of this fubject. It That reformation, which advanced by covenant-renovation in the days of Afa, had made considerable progrefs under the aufpici- ous reigns of .both Afa and Jehofhaphat. The reigns of thefe two princes, taken together, lafted about fixty years; and reformation, pn the whole, was favoured and protected by them all the while ; a thing feldom known in the Jewifli, or any other church. The ftep s * Kkk by 442 DISSERTATION X. by which religion advanced were, Firft, He took - away the High Places and G R o v e;s4 as well as brake down the monuments of ido latry. The learned are not quite agreed^as to the meaning of the terms ; fe far as we can form a judgment of, them, they were of two , kinds : One fpecies of^them was deftined to the,. purpofes of idolatry; and the other facred to the Moft High God. With refpect to thofe high places, which were feats of idolatry, there is not the leaft ground of doubt but that Jeho- fhaphat demolifhed them. This diftitiction may ferve to remove the feeming difficulty : Where, on the one hand, it is faid, " He took away the high places and the groves :" Oil, the other, " Howbeit, the high places were'' not taken away*." The former impor tin g fuch as had been proftituted to the purpofes of idolatry : The latter fuch as had been facred -to * 2 Chron.' xvii. 6. compared with 2 Chron- xx. jj. No one thing is more certain than that there were high places and groves confecrated to idols : -And it is equally plainj that good men worshipped the living God in high places. " The grand difficulty is, how to recon cile their facrificing in other places, befides the national altar; as, Gideon, at Ophrah ; Manoah, in the country of Dan; Samuel, at Mifpeui, and Bethlehem, &o with th,e Law, -" Take heed' to thy felf, that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings ' in every place that thou feeSl. But in the place which the Lord thy God Shall choofe, there Ihalt thou offer thy burnt-offerings, and there jlialt thou do all that ,1 command thee," Peut. xii, 13, ]l 4. The beft folution, I apprehend, is, That it was done by Spe cial divine direction and command, God having an un doubted DISSERTATION X. 443 to,' the true God. Or, if this do not fuftice, the firft may denote the conduct.of,the prince, and the latter that of the people ; as it follows, " Fpr, as yet, the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God pf their fathers :" Where as the heart of .this good prince was lifted up in the ways of theJLord. Thus idolatry was difeouraged at court, though retained and practifed in fome diftant places of the country. - — — Again, Jehofhaphat ftirred up the Levites to diligence in giving inftructions to the peo ple : " And^ they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them : and went libput through all the cities of Ju dah, and taught the people." "-Thirdly, He reftored the courts of judicature, both civil' and facred, which had gone into difuetnde : " Iri Jerufalem did Jehofliaphat fet of the Le vites, and pf the priefts, and of the chief fa thers of Ifrael, for, the judgment of the Lord, arid for controverfies. — Arnariah the chief prieft is over you in all matters of the Lord; and Zebadiah the fon of Ifhmael, the ruler of the houfe of Judah, for all the Ring's matters." Thefe'were bound to infpect the morals of the people ; arid their care feems to have been croWried with a blefling. doubted right to fuperfedehisawn pofitive laws when he pleafes ;^ and, as this is exprefsly vaflert^d to have been done in David's, cafe, mentioned 1 Chron. "xxi. 18. it may the more reafonably be fuppofed in all the reft." Jennings, Vol. II. p. 92. I , Kk k 2 2. The 444 DISSERTATION X. 2. The reformation, which was fo happily. advanced, had t been awfully crufhed by the affinity pf the family of David with the houfe, of Ahab. The edge of the Church's tefti mony, in Afa's reformation, pointed directly a- gainlt the idolatry of the ten tribes. But, for political, reafons perhaps, Jehofhaphat got his fon Jefioram to marry Athaliah, the daughter pf Ahab, and fhe introduced idolatry into his family ; which was greatly difpleafing to God, and feverely punifhed by him. Jehofhaphat probably meant to put a period to the war which- : had long fubfifted between Ifrael and Judah ; but he broke the peace with heaven, and brought a bloody fword into his own houfe v His heir 'flew all the reft of his fons as foon as he afcend ed the throne ; and Athaliah murdered all the feed-royal when fhe underftood that her firft- born had died by the hand of Jehu. Thus, though the law condemning idolaters was not duly executed, yet vengeance did not feffer them to live. Athaliah, however, meant not fo, neither did her heart think fo : She intend ed to make the houfe of David like the houfe of her father Ahab ; and, at once, to gratify her ambition, as well as fecure herfelf from the victorious arms of Jehu, fhe grafped at the throne, and fceptre of David. This gave ad ditional fecurity to the worfliip of Baal, which was practifed, during the fix years of Athaliah's ufurpation. This idol had his temple, to rival that DISSERTATION X. 445 that which was built by Solomon; and his prieft, to rival the prieft of the Moft High af ter the order of Aaron : But both fell a facri-i fice to an injured people. Now it was ne ceflary to make a information from fuch fla grant corrpption; and to confirm this refor mation by folemn covenanting. It was proper to remove the rubbifh of idolatry, and alfb re- ftore fuch parts of reformation as God had be- ftpwed on their fathers; as well as to make fuch. alterations in the facred bond as their cafe,, and the circurhfeances of their time re quired. '- 3.. The Lord had accomplifhed a moft fa vourable revolution in the State, — profpering ithe enterprize of Jehoiada to reftore the fami ly of David unto the throne of Judah. The fcheme was wifely concerted and vigoroufly executed, as well as faithfully concealed until it was ripe for execution: And every thing fucceeded even to the moft fan guine expecta-1 tion. Now, fuch remarkable fuccefs called for a grateful acknowledgment ; and covenant- renovation was the fitteft for their circum ftances, and the beft improvement of their de liverance. LASTLY, I fhall npw make fome Re f lec- fiONs on the whole, I. See 446 Dissertation, x. i. See the juftice of Heaveri in avenging the fhedding of innocent blood. God requires the blood of the children of Jeho'fhaphat at the. hand of their brother: And that of the innocents of Jerufalem at the harid bf Atha liah. 2. God over-rules the providential changes in kingdoms and nations for the good of his Church; and makes the efforts of the people, in favour of law and civil liberty, fubfervierit to a work of reformation. The reftoration of David's line was accompanied with the reno vation of the Church's engagements to the Lord. D I S S E R- DISSERTATION XI. ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD and JUDx\H, IN THE REIGN OF HEZEKIAH. : 2. Chron. xxix. 10. THE accounts of this tranfaction are ftill more fparing than thofe of the. prece ding one. We fliall only ,-^— I. Survey the Cha racter of the Covenanters. — II. The Refolu- tion into which they entered. — III. The Occa« fions of this' Covenant. — And, TV. Deduce a few Inferences from the whole. FIRST, I fhall fiirvey the Character of the Covenanters hi tins tranfactiori. I. The glorious party unto whom they were bound to fiirrender themfelves is, The Lord God of Israel. This defionation was relative, and led the covenanters back to re view the relation in which the Moft High flood unto DISSERTATION XI'. i unto them ; he was their own God, and their fathers God: And alfo to review the obliga tions they were under to be for him, and not - for another. They were his covenanted peo ple ; as he was their covenanted God, by vir tue of the covenants of their anceftors. The Lord God of ifrael was the character by which God faw meet to reveal himfelf under that ceconomy. a. The perfons devoting themfelves are, King Hezekiah, with the children of Judah, and fuch of the ten tribes as fubmitted to his government. The active part which King He zekiah took in this covenant, probably was a little extraordinary ; yet there was nothing in it either irregular in itfelf, or unbecomirig his ftation and office : For, though he excited the proper officers of the Church to do their duty, as he well might in fuch a broken ftate of the Church, yet he did not wreft the adminiftra tion of holy things out of their hands ; nor, like Uzziah, grafp them into his own. One of the moft diftinguifhed covenanters, then, was Hezekiah, a prince' as eminent in his zeal for reformation as any of the line of David ; and fignally rewarded by peculiar and miraculoils deliverances from various afflictions. Happy in the fucceeding part of his reign, and in al- mpft every thing, except in being fucceeded by fuch a fon as Manafieh, who, in the begin ning of his reign, proved the very\worft of all . his DISSERTATION XI. 440 his tace. With this monarch joined the rulers of the city of Jerufaleni) and the Levites who had the charge of tiie temple, and all the con gregation of the Lprd. Matters had been fuffered to fink to the loweft ebb in the days of'Ahaz; but, all of a fudden, the Lord had fpirited up a number to put hand to his work, to the great joy of HeZekiah and all the peo^ pie : " And Hezekiah rejoiced, arid all the people, that God had prepared the people j for the thing was done Suddenly." Happy co* venanters, — a people prepared by the Lord i >;> SECONDLY, The Resolution which thefe covenanters formed is the next- thin o- before us. Said Hezekiah, " Now it is in mine heart tor make a covenant with the Lord God of If rael, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us*." The refolution is formed, iiideedj by- Hezekiah himfelf; but it was certainly intend ed as a public example, to excite unto public. covenariting. Had he intended perfonal cove nanting only, there was no need for announ cing his intentions to the people ; nor, in do ing fo, could he be well excufed from oftenta- tioit. In this refolution we may, 1 * Observe the matter of it, Viz. To ma k e A covenant with the Lord God of ifrael. * 2 Chron. xxix. 10, -,- >, *' Lll 'The 4fs> DISSERTATION XI. The facred phrafe is, To cut a covenant- In one of the Abrahamic tranfactions the rea fon of this phrafe has been explained *. When facrifices were offered for covenant-ratification, the creatures were cut in twain, denoting the feverity of the punifhment incurred by cove nant-violation : The violator deferved to be cut afunder, as the foederal facrifice had been when the covenant was ratified. This rite had alfo in it a reprefentatiori of the fubftitutiori of Chrift, the true facrifice, in the place of the finner ; and of the feparation of his foul frpm his body, as he was made a curfe for us. Ta king Hezekiah's refolution in this fenfe, it was accomplithed when the whole congregation offered a fin-offering for the kingdom, and for the fanctuary ; and the King and the congre-^ gation laid their hands upon the facrifice, and the priefts made, reconciliation with the blood; of the. facrifice upon the altar,' to make an a- tonement for all Ifrael f. It is probable, how ever, that formal covenanting followed this folemn facrifice. Along with the oblation of a 'fin-offering, there was either an explicit or implicit acknowledgment of fin ; and this ac knowledgment was a proper iritroduction to covenant-renovation. This facrifice, then, was a federal Pne ; and it was proper for Heze kiah to fay, f have it in mine heart to cut a * Diflert. II, Part ii. f 2 Chron. xxix.- ao — 24. covenant^ DISSERTATION XI. 451 covenant, or divide a fcederal facrifice, urito the Lord God of Ifrael. 2. Notice the firmnefs of this refolution, it was deeply laid ; even in his heart : " Now it is in mine heart to make a coyenant *," &c. Or, with my heart, as others render it. This refolution was formed in his heart, and not merely by his tongue ; and it was as deep ly fixed as wifely formed. Covenanting took up the heart of a prince ; it was really heart- work with him. He had laid fin to heart, on the one hand; and he was ready to make a hearty dedication of himfelf unto God, on the other. 3. We have a forcible motive unto this du ty of covenanting with God : " That his fierce Wrath may turn away from us ." The Lord prpmifeth to accompany public reformation with public profperity. . y '-> THIRDLY, We fhall now attend unto the Occasions of this Covenant. . Between the beginning of the reign of Joafh and that of Hezekjah there were not fewer than an hun dred and twelve years. Some of the princes, who reigned in this interval, were favourers of * Chron. xxix. 10. Nunc igitur cum cordemeo, i;e. Hebraifmus,~ poftquam hsec yidi conftitui, &c. Vatab, in Loc. As alfo Arias Mojitanus in his VerSion. ', "' Lll 2 the 4J-2 DISSERTATION XL the reformation, indeed; but it was greatly crufhed by the apoftacy of Joafh, after the death of Jehoiada- As long as the High-prieft lived he was ready to promote the reparation of the temple, both by his royal edict and ex ample ; but he was no fooner dead than the princes of Judah flattered him into that idola try from which they had been but lately re formed. They came and made obeifance to the king : Then the king hearkened unto therm And they left the houfe of the Lord God of their fathers, and ferved groves and idols. Such is the inconftancy and incpnfiftence of many profeffors in almoft every age ! And, to add unto their guilt, when the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah, the fon of Jehoi ada, and he teftified againft them, faying, ." Why tranfigrefs ye the commandment of the Lord, that ye cannot profper:" they ftoned him with ftones, at the commandment of the kino- in the court of the houfe of the Lord. When perfons fall into irreligion and impiety againft God, it is not ftrange to fee them guilty of ingratitude and cruelty to the beft of men. ,The veng;eance of heaven overtook that perfecuting monarch : For he was*vifited with war abroad, and confpiracy at home. His own fervants confpired againft Jhim, for the blood of the fons of Jehoiada the prieft, and flew him oft his bed. The ftate of reformation, however, advanced in the three following reigns : DISSERTATION XI. 453 A' reigns: For the Spirit of God witneffeth, npt- withftanding varipus blemiflies, they did THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT .IN THE SIGHT of the Lord. The fpace pf their reigns,, taken altogether, exceeds, eighty years; a pe riod of Reformation ftill longer than the. for mer one.. But this long day of reformation was fuc- ceeded with a dark night of horrid apoftacy, in the reign of Ahaz ; the darkeft, by much, that had ever befallen the Jewifli Church, fince the acceffion of David's family unto tke throne. Ahaz was not content with introducing the worfliip of idols into his kingdom ; but, when punifhed for his idolatry, in the time of his di- ferefs he did trefpafs yet more againft the Lord, by fhutting up the gates of the houfe of the Lord, as well as putting forth his facrilegious hands unto the facred yeflels and treaiures. The Spirit remarks that he was eminent in wickednefs ; for, having fpecified his crime, he -adds, "This is that king Ahaz." The rubbifh which filled the temple was fp dread fully enormous, as to hinder temple fervke until the Priefts and Levites had performed the heavy talk of clearing it. The altars of Baal had been erected in every corner of his city ; and the vengeance of heaven, ever fervent againft idolatry and falfe worfliip, had wafted his king dom. Such was the -difinal plight of Judah > when 4^4 DISSERTATION XL when Hezekiah fuccee,ded his father. Though Ahaz had facrificed many of his children unto devils, yet Hezekiah feerrfs to have been referv- ed by heaven for the purpofe of reftoring the worfliip of Jehovah, as well as repairing the temple. This covenant was made in purfuance of that reformation which Hezekiah had fo happily begun, to induce thefe reformers to finifh their teftimony. Thefe were the circumftances of the covenanters at this time. The children' of Judah, in fhort, had to acknowledge their iniquity, and fupplicate the removal of their plagues : Therefore, it was proper to return unto the Lord their God by covenant-renova tion. FOURTHLY, I fhall now deduce a few In- ferenc.es from what has been offered. 4 i. Grace comes not unto any by natural generation : Jotham begets a wicked' Ahaz ; that king Ahaz good Hezekiah; and this laft reformer a wicked Manaffeh. The fons of God are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flefli, nor of the will of man, but of God. It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth; but of God who -fheweth mercy. a. The work of reformation is moreeafily marred, by the example and edicts- of wicked *¦ princes, - DISSERTATION XI, 45$ princes,, and the fupple, or perverfe conduct of fervile teachers, than it can be advanced by the zealous and firm deportment of the moft fteady reformers. It was more eafy for Ahaz to break d0^11 the carved work of Zion, as with axes and hammers, than for Hezekiah to build it up. With what amazing facility did Ahaz introduce the worfliip of Baalim; and per- fuade the deluded votaries of that idol to de vote their moft tender offspring to the nloft direful torments, in pafling through the fire to Mole eh ! How eafily did Ahaz and Judah chime in with thofe very Syrians whom God ufed for the rod of their correction ! Ahaz was not more pleafed with the altar of Da- mafeus, than Urijah with the pattern which was lent from thence unto Jerufalem : And, after both were convinced that the god of that altar was unable to deliver, by the de ftruction of Damafcus, did they fet up this ftrange altar, and break down that of the Moft High God. What grofs ftupidity ? How wretched the exchange ! Yet there will, in all ages, be feme men found wicked enough to execute the moft impious, commands that come , from a throne ! The demolition of divine wor fliip is the more eafily accomplifhed, as there are ufually more bad men than good in the world; and, even in good men themfelves, the corrupt and unrenewed part greatly pre vails. ¦ V - . . ' ' 3. An. 4J-6 DISSERTATION X|. 3. An univerfal obedience unto the law of God, and an univerfal attendance unto divine inftitutibns, goes hand in hand with right cove nanting, and is greatly influenced by it. It has ufually been urged againft this dutyj by the neglectors of it, that covenanters lay a difproportionate ftrefs upon it, and overlook, or undervalue other duties. But Hezekiah's practice fhews the very reverfe. Covenanting is fo far from relaxing the obligation of the Law, that it affords an additional motive to keep it. It diffufeth its benign influence upon the heart, engaging it to refpect all God's commandments. DISSER- DISSERTATION XII. ON T H COVENANT BETWEEN GOD and JUDAH, JN THE REIGN OF JOSIAH. S Chron. xxxiv. 29—33. compared with 2 Kings xxiii. 1 — 3. THIS is the laft tranfaction which obtained while the firft temple ftood, and while the line of David fwayed the fceptre. In at tending to it, I fliall, — I. Explain the Charac ter and Circumftances of the Covenanters. — II. The Matter of this Covenant.— *III. The Occafions of it. — IV. Improve the Subject. FIRST, 1 fhall explain the ChaRac? ee, and attend unto the Circumstances of thefe Covenanters. The firft perfqn mentioned is King Jofiah. His agency in this matter de ferves to be particularly confidered. The fa cred hiftory bears teftimony unto his sarly, and * Mmm moft 4*8 DISSERTATION XII. moft exemplary piety: He did that which, was right in the fight of the Lord, and walked in the way of XJavid his father, and turned not afide to the right hand or to -the left. : .And when he heard the law of God read in his ears, his. heart was humbled, and he rent his clothes, and wept before God, in teftimony of his ge nuine repentance. Jofiah was alfo diftinguifh- ed by his diligence and zeal for repairing the houfe of God : For the book of the covenant, which was the means of awakening Jofiah and the inhabitants of Judah, was found by Hil- kiah, when employed in the reparation of the temple ; and this prince had contributed libe rally for that reparation, both by his example and authority. As tothe activity of this prince, in bringing the people into covenant, the fa cred hiftorian remarks, that he not only, made a covenant himfelf, but alfo caused the peo ple to ftand to it. The queftion is, If he drew the. form of this covenant himfelf, and adminiftered it unto the people ; or, if he only excited the Priefts and Levites to do their du ty in this matter ? The latter, to me at leaft, feems to be moft probable : For it was accom panied with the reading of the Scriptures and difpenfing the word. Now, there are none, as far as I know,; who plead for magiftrates ta king upon them the adminiftration of the word. The Jewifli monarchs were obliged, indeed, to read it diligently for themfelves, and by them felves ; DISSERTATION XII. 459 felves; as appears from various precepts of the Mofaic Law; but they^are never enjoined to read it to the people, 'much lefs to difpenfe it in fuch a folemn manner. The expreflion may be juftified, viz. " He read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant," if he caufed it to be done ; for perfons are faid to do things, in the facred ftyle, when they eXcite others to do them, or caufe them to be done. Thus Solomon is faid to offer two and twenty thoufand oxen*; while it was only the prieft that offered them by his direction, and at his expenfe, at the dedication of his temple. And Jofiah might caufe the people to stand to this covenant, as well as Afa, by an act of the Sanhedrim, or fupreme council of the na tion, appointing the contemners of it to be pu nifhed. But this matter has been explained al ready -f. The Teft of the covenanters were the whole congregation. The facred writer defcribes them in the following terms: u The King fent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerufalem. And the King went up into- the houfe of the Lord, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerufalem, and the Priefts, and the Levites, and all the people great arid fmall J:" And, in the parallel .*, 1 Kings viii. 63. f DiSTertation IX. X 2 Chron. xxxiv. 29, 30. v . - Mmm 2 place, 46o DISSERTATION XII. place, the Prophets are added likeways. The elders were called together to fettle what was to be done ; , and the people readily Co operated with them, and joined in the folemn fervice. SECONDLY, I fhall next confider the Mat ter of this Covenant, or the various articles unto which they engaged : And they covenant ed to " walk after the Lord, and- to keep his commandments, and his teftimonies, and his ftatutes, with all his heart, and with all his foul, to perform the words of the covenant * «" i. They covenanted to walk after the Lord, in oppofition to thofe idols after which Manafleh and Anion had walked. When per fons fell into idolatry, the Holy Ghoft frequent ly ftyles their courfe, A walking after other gods '-j- ; or, a feeking after them. The expreflion imports, the emotion of the foul in acts of efteem and defire, — of complacency and delight, according to jthe various objects on which it terminated: — The perfons being alfo initiated into the way of his worfliip, and practifing accordingly. Walking after the Lord, in fine, cannot imply lefs than an imita tion of him in holinefs and righteoufiiefs, mer-> * 2 Chron. xxxiv. 31. f Eeut. viii, 19. xi. 38. xiii. 2. 1 Kings, xi. io. - cy> DISSERTATION XII. 461 ey and truth; yea, in all his moral perfec tions. 2. They, engaged to keep his command ments, and his testimonies, and his sta tutes*. The term rendered command ments is ufed to denote judicials, as I have al ready obferved, or,; fuch political' precepts as God gave out for the regulation of the Jewifli commonwealths And teftimonies are, in this connection at leaft, expreflive of moral pre cepts. They are ftyied testimonies becaufe God has given a clear and full declaration .of his will : He has not left us to gueff at his mind, by dark hints ; but has .afforded fuch a degree of evidence, that nothing .but a vailed heart and obftinate infidelity can refift. The > * 2 Chron- xxxiv. 31. The word V-rmm, ais testi monies, is derived from "TO/,, idem esse; becauSe the testimony of a witnefs ought to^be confiftent with itfelf, and be always the fame. The term is Sometimes ufed in a very large fenfe, for the whole doctrines and pre cepts in the word : But, in the prefent connection, it is evidently limited unto moral precepts ; as there are o* ther words ufed to denote ceremonials and judicials. Nor is this fenfe of it infrequent in the Old Teftament. ", Testimonium quoque interdum lignificat ipfuui Deca- logum ; atque adeo duas Tabulas, in quibus Icriptus fuit', Exod. xl. 20. Levit. xvi. 13. Ideo autem Decalogus vo, catnr Testimonium ; quia Deus id dixit teftatufque eft de fe, ac fua voluntate de que juftitia et veluti debito, quod a nobis exigat." Matthias Flaccius Iliyricus Clav. Script, apud vocem. duty 462 DISSERTATION XII. duty of keeping thefe things' has-been ex plained above; of confequence, this tranfac tion was covenant-renovation,— -a .reacting of what had been done in the days of their fa thers ; efpecially in the days of David. The manner of keeping thefe commandments, un^- to which they engaged, is particularly decla red : They bound themfelves to it with all THE HEART, and WITH ALL THE SOUL.' But it is needlefs to repeat what has been al ready offered on this matter *. This is an e- vidence not obfeure, th-jt this was not a -ftate: covenant, as fome would infinuate ; for ftate covenants have only to do with the outward man: But it is peculiar to church covenants to reach the heart. True it is, the King is only mentioned, as being cordial in this mat ter; Taut it is plain, by comparing the accounts of this covenant, that the people copied this royal example : " And all the people flood to the covenant-]"." The Sanhedrim appointed all that were prefent in Jerufalem and Benja min to ftand to it ; and the people readily complied with their injunction. THIB.DLY, The Occa s ions of thisCoVenant are 'the third branch of our fubject. This tranf action obtained in the eighteenth year of Jo- fiah's reign ; and between that and the firft . - .' * Diflertation IX. -j- 2 Kings xxiii. 3. vear DISSERTATION XII. 463 year of Hezekiah there interveened near an hundred years; for Hezekiah reigned twenty- nine years, Manaffeh fifty-five, and Anion two. This century was filled up with various chan* ges in the ftate of religion, and great variety of providential difpenfations unto the church and kingdom of Judah. 1. The kingdom of Judah had been great ly threatened by the Aflyrian army, and won derfully delivered, vyithout human aid ; or even the exertion of their own power, in the ufe of means; The reafon of God's chaftifing his people by the hand of this Aflyrian, probably, was Hezekiah's league with Egypt, in direct violation of the covenant with the Lord God of their fathers. When God redeemed Ifrael from the hand of the Egyptian^ and of their gods, he exprefsly prohibited them from cpn- federating with other nations ; and he engrofled this article into that covenant which was exe cuted immediately after they had finned by making the golden calf. He had1, in like mari ner, prohibited, in a particular manner, a con federacy with Egypt, as inconfiftent with the defign of the paffover, which was a ftanding ordinance among them ; and equally inconfift ent with an humble dependance on him as head of the theocracy. But, although the cor rection was juftly and feverely inflicted, yet it muft not be always continued, God will not contend 4S4 DISSERTATION -XII. contend with his children for ever, neither will he be always wroth : For the fpirits would fail before him, and the fouls which he hath made. Wherefore he took the punifhment of the Church's enemies into his own hand; and, when the Aflyrian was in the higheft hopes of victory, and elevated with the vileft pride, the Lord difpatched an angel who fmote an hundred four-fcore. and five thoufand of his troops ; and, when he decamped to Nineveh, he ¦was aflaffinated by two of his fons, in the very temple of his god. .Vengeance on fiich foes has been ever fraught with gracious delive rance to his Church and people. 2. Hezekiah mifimpro ved this national deliverance, as well as that from his bo dily affliction. The Lord himfelf complains* That Hezekiah Tendered not again accord ing to the benefit done unto him ; for his heart was lifted up : Therefore, there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Je rufalem. Though they befought the Lord to remove their affliction, yet, when he ac complifhed their, wiflies, they forgot- to re turn unto him in the way of covenant-renova tion. There was great repentance; for both Hezekiah^ and the inhabitants of Jerufalem humbled themfelves for the pride of their heart: But yet their humiliation was not cor- refpondent to. the offence, There was feme re formation Dissertation xii. 465 Formation alfo iri the latter days of Hezekiah ; but it was not a covenarited reforriiatibn : Hence the Vengeance was only deferred, fo that the wrath of the Lord came riot upori them in the days of Hezekiah f but it was ftill refervedj and riot averted. Now, it was proper for the Church, iri Jofiah's days; to reform in the way of covenant-renovation, as ever they would a- Void that horrid fin of ingratitude, with which Hezekiah is juftly blamed; a. The reformation which Hezekiah had fo happily begun in his younger years, and Which continued, in feme meafure; all his days had been deftroyed by the dreadful wickednefs of Manaffeh and Amon. Manaffeh feems to have exceeded Ahaz himfelf in wickednefs. He buflt the high-places which his father had broken down, andTeared up altars for Baalim^ and made groves, and woffhipped all the hoft of heaven, and ferved them. He carried his idolatry to fuch a height, as to fet up his al tars in Pppofition to God's altar, in his very prefence, and in the houfe called by his name: And, to firiifh his wickednefs to a degree un known to his anceftors, he ufed witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar fpirit, and with wi zards ; and,, not content with the practice of idolatry himfelf, he caufed Judah and the in habitants of Jerufalem to do worfe than the heathen, whom the Lord had deftroyed before •* N'nn the 466 DISSERTATION XII. the children of Ifrael. And fuch as complied not with the times fell a facrifice to the rage of his idplatry : " Manaffeh fhed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerufalem from one end to another." — And, though there was great reformation in the latter end of Ma* nafleh's reign, yet the people did not return unto the Lord by covenant-renovation : Where fore, it was proper to put hand to that work which Manaffeh had neglected. It muft alfo be obferved, that, though this method of re formation was effayed, yet there was a great defect in it, as Jofiah and the reft of ,the re formers did not make a thorough fearch into the iniquities of their fathers, nor yet a fuit able acknowledgment of them ; efpecially the fin of blood-fhedding in the days of Manaffeh. Hence we find God himfelf profecuting the >quarrel in after generations. He ftirred up the Chaldeans to avenge this quarrel: " Sure* ly at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them, out of his fight, for the fins of Manaffeh, according to all that he did : And alfo for the innocent. blood that he fhed (for he filled Jerufalem with innocent blood), which the Lord would not pardon*." '*<; 4. Josiah had begun a reformation from the idolatry and fuperftition into which his * a Kings xxiv. 3, 4. fore- , DISSERTATION XII. 467 fore-fathers had been plunged. This reforma tion had been advancing for eighteen years ; and, while the. priefts were removing the rab- bifli which had been call into the moft holy place, they found that copy of the law which was kept in the temple: This book they car ried unto the king, who, upon hearing the curfes of it read in his ears, rent his clothes, in to ken of his fear and fincere repentance. And, that the Whole congregation might be affect ed in the fame manner, this excellent prince called together a folemn aflembly of the elders and people unto Jerufalem, and caufed the book of the law to be read in their audience, as a neceflary preparative for folemn covenant ing. The pieces of reformation' which Jofiah had accomplifhed, previous to his finding the- book of the law, were various ; and it was pro per to take the congregation erigaged, by co venarit, 'to each of them. This good king took the adminiftration of his kingdom into his own hand when he was only fixteen years ©f age : And, even previous to that period, he walked in the way of David his father. In the twelfth year of* his reign, he began to purge Judah and Jerufalem from the high- places, arid the groves ;* and to break down the altars' and images of Baalim, as well as to burn the bones of the priefts upon their altars. On the other hand,, he fpared no expenfe that was requifite for repairing the temple of the ¦A ' Nnn 2 Lord 468 DISSERTATION XIL Lord. Like Hezekiah, and other reformers who had gone before him, he was equally care ful to reftore the worfliip of the true God as to deftroy every monument of idolatry. There is one thing which ought by no means to be omitted, The neighbouring country of Ephraim and Manaffeh, being under the dominion of the king of Aflyria, but inhabited partly by ibme femrian't-pf the ten tribes, Jofiah carried his reformation thither likeways ; and5 in par ticular, he dernoliflied the altar and the highr place at Bethel, which Jeroboam erected tQ make Ifrael to fin. Thus the Lord accompliflii ed his prediction, which he gave put as early as the days of Jeroboam himfelf; and gloria fied his faithfulnefs by raifing up Jofiah for that purpofe *. y. The canon of Scripture was greatly en-- lafged by the infpired prophets : Now it wasi fit the Church fhould receive and obferve every notification. of the divine wilf ; as well as keep pure and entire all the ordinances Which, are appointed hy it. There were two reafons for the Enlargement pf the facred canon at this time, in fubordination tQ tile fovereign pleafure of God : Firft, to fupport the Church, and true believers in her, under fuch particular trials as exercifed ho." faith and patience : For example, * i Kings xiii. \.. DISSERTATION XIL 469 the prophefies pf Ifaiah Were giveri to fupport her under the fevere trials fhe felt by reafon of AhazV apoftacy, and Sennacherib's invar fion. And various, other prophets prophefied for .^he fame purpofe ; fuch as Micah and Ho fea; The prophet Habakkuk prbbably prophefied in the dark night pf 'Manaffeh's reign in like than- ner. Secondly, To prepare the children of God for fuch afflictions as were before them, The infpired hiftory exhibited to them a ftock of experience,- the experiences, as well as the falls of eminent faints : And the prophefies pre- fented them with great confolation, in the pro-. mife of the coming of the Mefliah, and the prefervation of the Jewifli monarchy until that happy time, on the one hand ; and the certain profpect of their enemies deftruction on the ri mer :. For, while the prophets announced the vengeance pf God againft the finally impeni tent, by means fof the Affyrians and Babylo nians ; they, at the fame time, held up- in their typical glafs, the deftruction of thefe empires. Thus, faith might look through the dark night of the Babylpnifh captivity, and contemplate, with pleafure, the reformation which fhould enfue on the back of it. 1 FOURTHLY, I fhall now fubjoin a few Re, ^LEeTioNs on the vyhple. / J. God 4?o DISS ER TATION XII. i. God fometimes referves the beft of men for the worft of times. Good Hezekiah is raifed up between a wicked Ahaz and a wicked Ma naffeh ; and good Jofiah between a/wicked* A- mon and a wicked Jehoahaz. Such good men are the pillars of the earth; thrPugh the means of their prayers, and that they may be fafely houfed in the triumphant Cliurch, the day of divine forbearance is prolonged, as the day of Vengeance is deferred. It had fared ill with backfliding judah much fooner, if God. had not beftowed on her fuch men as a; reforming Jo fiah, and a weeping Jeremiah. 2. The Lord may reward and countenance a work of reformation when there are feveral things attending; it ;ftill calling for reformation. The Lord approved of Jofiah's reformation, and made -it the means of deferring his judg> ments,; but it was accompanied with the want of fincerity in .many, of the people, and the want of due fearch into the iniquities of. their fathers in all.. . \ — -on the Prieft and the Levite. He filled the high ftation of governor in Judea, unto the benefit of the Jews, the advancement of religion ; as al* fo to the honour and fatisfaction of Artaxerxes, from whom he received his commiflipn. Should „ i-tu ' any 478 DISSERTATION XIIL any enquire Whether he brought the people in to this bond as Artaxerxes's governor, or assa prieft of the Moft High God ?- The facred hi ftory anfwers^ It was as a prieft : " And Ezrah the prieft, — and all of them by their names, who were feparated, fat down in the firft day of the tenth month to examine the matter *." As a prieft he drew, up the bond; and, as a prieft, he looked after the fulfilment of their vow. THIRDLY, 1 fhall now confider the Bond which was framed arid fworn on this occafion, and which conftituted the Matter of this Covenant. There is, befides confeflion of fin, a general claufe refpecting the whole of God's revealed will, and a particular one adapted to that reformation which their cafe required. I. They engage unto genuine repentance and fuitable confeflion of fin : " Make confef- fion unto the Lord God of your fathers." The glorious party with whom they were to cove nant is, the Lord God of their fathers. This covenanted character gave tliem .great encouragement to confefs their, iniquities unto him; and to fay unto him, "Pardon, We be- feech thee, our iniquities, as thou haft done from Egypt's land until now.". The duty of confeflion has not only fin, but likeways bene- * Ezr. x. 10. wiih verfe 16. fits DISSERTATION XIIL 479 fits for the object of it, as well as truth : Hence it was penitential, euchariftic, and ecclefiaftic, The import of ecclefiaftic. confeflion will be af terwards explained. • , 2. They eno-ape to do the pleasure , of the Lord God of their fathers. The plea fure of God, in this text at leaft, extends npt only unto pofitive inftitution^, which originate in the good pleafure of God ; but alfo unto all the acts of natural worfliip, which are ever well pleating in his fight. Thus, angels are faid to do his pleasure, as they fulfil God's commandments in a more exalted degree than imperfect .men. This article, then, muft in clude all the- known will of God, ,the moral, ceremonial, and judicial laws; with all that advantageous light in which they were placed by after revelations. This was the .general claufe in their covenant, which, though gene ral, was well underftood ; becaufe the particu lars included had been often explained in for mer covenants. 3. They engaged to separate from the people OF'THE .land, and f ROM the s t rang e wives. The particular' fin which was charged on them was, their confederacy and affinity with the people of the nations round about. The Jews, probably defpairing of the divine proteiftion, had entered into a league, offenfive and defenfive, with feme of their 480 DISSERTATION Xl-lt their neighbours ; and, to eftablifh it on a fure foundation, they had joined in affinity with them like ways".. The iniquity of fuch a con nection laid a juft foundation for diffolviflg it ' For, when God covenanted with Ifrael at Sinai, he took them exprefsly engaged, neither to confederate with the people of the land, nor to take wives from among them*. There ¦\ were feme reafons for tiiis article of peculiar weight with that nation ; fuch as, The prefer vation of the feed of Jacob feparate" and entire, efpecially from fuch nations as were doomed to deftruction : To .typify the purity of the fpoufe and bride of Chrift, which is without fbot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing: Hence we find Paul allowing the converted Gentile to keep his unconverted wife, under the New Teftament difpenfation', if fhe was willing ta abide with him. Idolatry ^ or irreligion, does not nullify the bond of marriage under the . New Teftament, as it did under the old; tho' it is unlawful ftill to , be unequally yoked; Wherefore, in the inftance to which Paul re* fers "|", the marriage obtained while both were heathens, and the hufband afterwards Con verted, while the- wife remained in heath enifm. Under the New Teftament, however, as well as under the old, in ordinary cafes at leaft, mixed marriages of faints with infidels are ever to be reprobated; for what part hath he that * Difiertation V". Part ii. f I Cor. vii. 12.. believeth Dissertation xm. 48i helieveth with an infidel ? But, to return unto the Jews, it has been objected to Ezrah, " That this article* is extremely fevere and inhumane, if not a formal violation of the law of nature, both as to the contract of marriage and the e- ducation of children." To remove which, it may be obferved, That there was room for an alleviation of this fuppofed rigPur, by the wives becoming profelytes ; accordingly, the magiftrates fet about examining into this mat ter: And, as to fuch as continued in infidelity, the marriage was, in itfelf, as null, to all intents and purpofes,, as if it had never been folem- nized ; infidelity being as fufficient a reafon to Vacate it as the neareft degrees of confangui- nity among all civilized nations. Nor were the* children of thefe ftrange wives put on a Worfe footing than Ifhmael, when he was expelled from his father's houfe ; for it does not appear, that either Abraham or the fathers of thofe chil dren were precluded from infpecting theii edu cation, or fupplying their neceffities, until tiey could provide for themfelves ; though ther might not ret ahi the mothers in their company, nor conftitute thefe illegitimate children heirs of the promifed inheritance . FOURTHLY, The Occasions of this Cp- venant merit our attention in the next place * The interveening fpace of time was filled up with feme Very remarkable revolutions in the P p p kingdoms 482 DISSERTATION XIIl. kingdoms of this world; and feme moft inte refting viciflitudes in the Church. I. God had executed his dreadful threaten ing on the kingdom of Judah, which he had denounced againlt it on account of their ido latry. He had giverf them frequent warning of his coming wrath, which was, in a great meafure flighted ; and flighted warnings made the torrent more rapid when, at lafh it broke forth. He determined to bear with them for ty prophetical days from that covenant-reno vation which obtained in the days of Jofiah. The preceding prophets -gave a general view of thofe judgments which Jeremiah and Eze kiel more particularly delineated. Jerufalem had been laid defolate by the Chaldean army; the inhabitants of it flain, or carried away cap tive for the fpace of feventy years*. As to the asrai of the captivity, it feems to have com menced in the fourth year of the reign of Je- hoiakim ; for in it Jerufalem was taken, and Judah made tributary to the king of Babylon : And exactly feventy years took place between that event and the edict of Cyrus to rebuild the temple. If ypu fix the- commencement of thefe years as low as the time when Jerufalem was burnt, their period will exactly coincide ¦with the decree of Darius to advance the work pf temple-building, after it had been, for a * Jer. xxv. ii, 12. xxix, 10. time^ DISSERTATION XIII, 4S3 time, fufpended: Or, in fine, if you fix the commencement of the captivity at the time when Nebuzar-adan completed the defolation of the land; die conclufion will exactly coincide with the celebration of the firft paffover, im mediately after the dedication of the fecond temple. But, as Dr Newton juftly obferves, the firft captivity and reftoration were the prin cipal fubject of this prophecy. , 2. The Lord had executed judgment on. Babylon, even that nation which he had ufed as the rod of correction for his people. The deftruction of this empire is fo ftriking and ter rible, that God makes it the emblem of his vengeance on all his enemies in after times. Judah deferved what he got, indeed, at the hand of God ; and he was greatly culpable, even in the fight of men : But Babylon punifhed them to gratify his cruelty, and conquered them, and other nations, to gratify his pride. He not only defpifed the Jews, but alfo blaf- phenied the God whom they worfliipped : And the veflels of his houfe muft grace the revels of Babylon's luxurious prince. In that night was King Belfhazzar flain ! This dreadful ca- taftrophe tended to execute God's purpofes in various refpects : It removed one of the four grand monarchies out of the way, to make room for the more glorious kingdom of the Mefliah — -It alfo tended to illuftrate the juftice of divine providence, in the punifhment of fuch Ppp 2 nations 484 DISSERTATION XIIL nations as perfecuted his Church. As Babylon beheld Zion's defolation with cool indifference, if not with diabolical fatisfaction, Zion might fay of her again, " Rejoice over her, thou heavens, and ye holy prophets ; for God hath avenged us on her. In one hour is thy judg- ment come." The deftruction of Babylon, in one word, at once figured out the deftruction of Satan's kingdom, which retains finners as captives ; and paved the way for the return of the Jews unto their own land : For the Chaldean: empire and the Babylonifli captivity terminated together, and both were finifhed by the fame inflrument. 3, This covenant-renovation. obtained after God had brought his people back again to their own land, Tiie fet time for their deliverance was now come. Said God, by Jeremiah, " Thus faith the Lord, That after feventy years fliall be accomplifhed at Babylon, I will vilit, and • perform my good word towards you, in caufing you to return to this place." Now, renewed evidences of divine veracity on the part of God, called for renewed engagements on the part. of his people. As God gave them an op portunity to celebrate temple-ordinances in their own land, fp it became them to refclve on the pbfervation of them, and every other duty. 4, Th e work of the Lord had been greatly Impeded by the. .fuggeftions pf enemies, and DISSERTATION XIIL 485 edicts pf the Perfian monarch obtained invcon- fequence of them. When thefe could not t»e procured, they were put off with interdicts, and wearied out with delays, Cambyfes, the fon of Cyrus, fucceeded his father in the Em pire ; and, as refpect for his father's memory forbade him to revoke the edict which had been granted in their favour, fb the infinua- tions of the Samaritans eafily prevailed with him to defeat its defign. But his fucceflor, Smerdes the magian, who, in the facred page,- is ftyied Artaxerxes, unmoved by filch regard, and uriawed by the fear of God, rea^ dily hearkened to the accufations of the ene mies of the Jews, and ftrictly prohibited them from proceeding any farther in building the temple. "This put a flop unto that work until the fecond year of Darius Hyftafpis, How often have fjcophants tried, and with toa much fuccefs, to perfuade weak princes that the profperity of the Church is incompatible with the interefts and prerogatives of majefty! How often has God tried the faith and pa tience of his children, by permitting his work, when happily begun^ to be, for a time, marred ,;and reproached, both by "pretended friends and open enemies ! y. HaGgai and Zechariah could fearcely prevail with them to renew their endeavours* even after the decree of the magian might feave been fuppofed to have expired with h?m» ..-'"' • . felf. 406 DISSERTATION XIIL felf. The chain of providences which iffued in finifhing of the temple was truly wonder ful : The fraud of Smerdes being detected, and Darius, by ftratagem, eftabliflied in his ftead; and the Jews having put hand to the work under his aufpices, the Samaritans prac- tifed inceffantly on the governor of Syria, per- fuading him, that the conduct of the Jews was not only without all authority, but alfo direct ly oppofite to the intereft of the empire . When he enquired at the Jews themfelves, they re ferred him to the edict which Cyrus had grant ed in their ..favour : But, diftrufting their vera city, he wrote to the court, that he might be Certified as to what they afferted. Darius, ha ving fearched the records, found the decree of Cyrus ; and, as he had married Cyrus's daugh ter, he thought he could not do lefehonour to his father-in-law, than confirm and enlarge the edict he had granted. He beftowed on the Jews more ample revenues, for defraying their expenfes ; and greater, fecurity than Cyrus had granted : So that they built and finifhed. 6. After the dedication of the temple, the Jews, by the good hand of God upon them, had enjoyed their privileges, and celebrated their ordinances for the fpace of fifty years. The temple was dedicated in the fixth year of Darius : He reigned, in aU, thirty-fix years. Xerxes, his fon and fucceffor, twenty-one years: And this tranfaction obtained in the feventh or DISSERTATION XIIL 487 or eighth yeaf of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who came to the throne immediately after him. Such a long fpace of public tranquility, and the countenance and protection of the civil powers, could fcarcely fail of producing confi- derable corruption of manners. It feldom happeris, at leaft, that fuch a long fcene of profperity has been fuitably improved. We find the Jews greatly funk in various corrup tions when Ezrah came to Jerufalem. They are charged with mingling themfelves with the people of the landr and doing according to their abominations, — taking of the daughters of the land for themfelves, and their fons, for wives : So that the holy feed was greatly cor rupted; and the- hand of the princes was high in'the provocation. Such univerfal corruption rendered a reformation highly proper ;— fuch finful mixtures rendered a feparation abfolute ly neceflary. 7. The Lord, in divine fovereignty, had conferred recent favours upon this finning peo ple. Artaxerxes Longimanus, who .is proba bly the Ahafuerus mentioned in Scripture, granted unto Ezrah, and the whole Church and nation of the Jews, an edict, attended with greater folemnity than ufeal ; being given by the Perfian monarch and his feven counfellors, the higheft authority of the empire; and con taining more ample grants than thofe of any former monarch," empowering Ezrah to cele brate 4&8 Dissertation XiiL brate the Jewifli worfliip at the public expenfe | and alfo, to fet up courts of the laft refort, ac cording to the Jewifli conftitution *. Thus waS Jerufalem built, not in refpect of its walls and bars, indeed ; but in refpect of its polity, laws^ and governours : For it is rule and government that conftitute a city. This was the build ing of the city foretold by Gabriel, I pre- fume ; and the commencement of the feventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety years, which fliould elapfe prior to the excifion of the Mef- fiah. FIFTHLY, The Confirmations of this Covenant is the next branch of our fubjecV And it will be found to have been ratified, i. By folemn promife, " And EZrah the prieft ftood up and faid unto them^ Ye have* tranfgreffed, and taken ftrange wives, to en- creafe the trefpafs of Ifrael. N°w5 therefore^ make confeflion unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleafure, and feparate yourfelves from the people of the land, and from the ftrange wives. Then all the congre gation anfwered, with a loud voice, As thou haft faid, fo muft we do "j~." 2. It was a sworn Covenant, " Then Ez rah arofe, and made the Chief Priefts, and the Le- * Ezr. vii. 2 J, 26. f gzr, x. 10, 11, 12. vites, DISSERTATION XIIL 489 vites, and all Ifrael, to swear, that they fliould do according to this word; and they sware.'' 3. As Ezrah was well acquainted with the example of the Church in former times, we have reafon»tP conclude, that it was a WRIT TEN Covenant} as well as former ones ; but, as this circumftance is not recorded, We fliall not infift on it.. It is nPw time to fiiiifh this fubject with a Very few Reflections. 1. The Church may, and ought to cove* nant with the living God, when many genuine <• faints neglect, or hefitate as to this duty,'* on the one hand ; and enemies make great oppo- fition to it, on the other. Not a few of the Jews preferred a place in Babylon unto their own poheflion in the promifed land ; and, by this means, deprived themfelves of an opportunity of joining in this work: Yea, more Jews .proba bly ftaid in Babylon than thofe who returned. 2. Great deliverances call for fuitable in> ; provement, and grateful remembrance., If " perfons are delivered by God, is it too much for them to be devoted to him? It was long before the Jews made this return ; but provi dence compelled them to do, it at the laft. 3 . S o l e m n covenanting may be perform ed, when !he civil powers of that people who '- * Q q ci ,, covenant 490 DISSERTATION XIIL covenant are of a religion different from that^ which is fworn to in the facred bond ; and yet thefe covenanters may, and ought to be ftrict ly loyal ; giving ready .obedience to fuch ma- giftrates in their lawful commands. This is a cafe fo much in point to prefent covenanting, that it deferves to be carefully furveyed on all fides. The enemies of the Jews forged an ac- cufation againft them, which has .frequently been of great fervice to their fucceflbrs : Said they, If this people be permitted to carry their defigns into execution, they will foment rebel lion ; they will not pay toll, tribute, and cuftom : But thefe covenanters gave a practical confu tation of this calumny ; fliewing, that there is an eternal difference between the caufe of God and that of rebellion ; though the former has been often branded with the name of the latter. A people, may be fochcumftanced, as to conti nue under the fame engagements to God as did their fathers, tho' they be widely different from them as to their political ftate. Such was the Cafe of the Jews at this time; and fuch is our cafe. In both Churches, tho' the covenanters are fprung from covenanting anceftors; yet both yield obe dience to non-covenanted magiftrates ; and alfo proceed in the line of duty by covenant-renova tion, altho' they have not the concurrence of the fupreme magiftrate. In both cafes, cpvenanters are under great bondage ; yet ftrictly loyal, not for fear of wrath, but for confcience fake. DISSER- D IS S E RTATI O N XIV.' ON THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND HIS CHURCH, in the days of nehemiah. Nehemiah- ix'. 38. x. 1 — -39< THIS is the laft Tranfaction trahfmitted to us in the Old Teftament ; but by no means the leaft fignal. The facred hiftorian afcertains,- — I. The Perfons Covenanting. — IL The Character of the Minifter, by whofe inftru- mentality they were brought to perform this duty. — III. The Matter of this Covenant.— IV". The Manner in which they performed it. — V. The Occafions of this Tranfaction. — VI. The Solemn Confirmations of it. — After a fliort furvey of each of thefe, we fhall fubjoin fome Improvement. FIRST, I fhall attend unto the Persons Covenanting.' ' " Slqq 2 1, The; 492 DISSERTATION XIV. I. The firft order of perfons is, " Our Prin ces*." This is the fame order with thefe mentioned Differtation VI. 2. The "Levites." The whole tribe of Levi, except the family of Aaron. The pecu liar conftitution of this tribe deferves more par ticular confideration than I can here undertake. Let it futfice', in this place, to obferve, That, God took them inftead of the firft-born, and fet them apart to the fervice of the temple; as alfo, afligned them their tafk in inftructing the reft of the tribes,-— -appointing them cities to live in,— tythes for an honourable .maintenance, feeing they were excluded from having any inheritance among their brethren. As this tribe was devoted to God's fervice, fo it waS proper they fhould be forward in his work. They were divided frito three clafles : The firft waited on the Priefts, the fons of Aaron, to purify the holy things, — *to prepare the fhew- bread, flour, wine, oil, aiid every thing elfe for the facrifice ; and to kill the facrifices, if there were more work of this kind than "the Priefts could accomplifh. The next clafs formed the temple choir, confuting of both fingers and players on inftruments.' The third are ftyied porters, who kept the doors of the temple, and had the charge of it ; aiid probably re ceived fueh oblations as were offered at it. * Neh. ix. 38, ¦t ¦¦' 3« 'A }*¦¦¦¦ 5 DISSERTATION XIV. 49$ 3. A third order of perfons" covenanting at this time are, ",Om Priefts." This com prehended the whole family of Aaron, even tO- the exclufion of that of Mofes: For, though ¦ he was the firft man in the kingdom, he fuffer ed his feed to fink down among the reft of the Levites. 4, The next order fpecified is that of " Ne- thininis *." This dehVnation is not 'to-be found but in books written after the captivity.; for, fech, I prefume, are the books of Chronicles* The order of perfbns unto which it belonged, however, was much more ancient. They were originally the Gibeonites, who;, by fraud, ob tained a league with the Ifraelites fpon after they came into the land of Canaan : For which Jofhua condemned them to the moft laborious offices of the tabernacle ; fuch as, hewing of wood and drawing of water for the facrifice, But it is conjectured that David added feme other ftrangers to their number, when he ap pointed them unto the fervice of the Levites. Thofe Nethinims who returned, were certain ly the beft of that order : The reft having pre ferred a place in Chaldea unto the fervice of v * 00713, Dediti, " Erantque Gibeonitse, qui ob • fraudem populp Ifraelitico faifta a Jofua fervi pwbjjci con, ftituti Jof. ix. 21. Et poftea Davide ad minifterium Le- vitaruin pediti^ Ezr viii. ,3^." Henric. Opitit. in vocem. 1 v.: the 494 Dissertation determined to execute it at the diftance of time above fpecified. Nor had they any dread as to the difficulty of execution arif ing from the delay, the laws of the Medes. and Perfians be^ lug irreverfible. That it was the thirteenth, and not the twelfth year of Artaxerxes, on which they intended the execution of the edict, is evident from the date of that which prevent^ ed the ruin of the Jews ; It bore date from the twenty^third day of the third month of the thirteenth year of that reigri : But, if the other edict had been executed on the laft month of the twelfth year, it had .come, too late. That it was , DISSERTATION XIV. 501 was the thirteenth, and npt the twelfth year, in which the edict of Efther's procurement was, granted, is evident, as Haman did not fix on a lucky day until the twelfth month of the twelfth year of this reign ; and it is not to be fuppofed, that he would divulge his purpofe before, he came to a fixed refolution as to the time of putting it into execution. . Nor could they provide againft its effects, by a counter e- diet, before they were warned of their danger. °- .-Divine Wifdom, however, began to coun teract Hainan's fcheme before.it was hatched. In. the feventh year of this monarch, the tenth month pf that year (the fame month, and the fame year, in wluch Ezrah fet about the fore-' going covenant), did Eftlier become queeri of Perfia : As Mordecai declared to her, fhe came to the kingdom for such a time As this, The whole feene of providence in favour of Eftlier and the Jews, is wonderful... She found favour in the eyes of the king, when fhe ad ventured into his prefence, contrary "to the rules of the palace. Every fuit which fhe made was granted, till the, vengeance which Haman intended for Mordecai lighted pn his own head: The accomplices of Haman .fell into the pit they had been digging for the Jews, to the number of. feventy thoufand.-— —No thing could be more, unjuft. than the deftruc-. tion of the Jews, at the hands of men ; but: it was righteous with God to fuffer them. to be thus terrified, by, the nations with -which they. had yo2 DISSERTATION XIV. had, at this time, mixed, and of which they had learned their way. 2, This covenant-renovation took place af ter God had defeated the fecret plots againft the Jews, and the external oppofition of their enemies to the Lord's work in their hands. Hence, after the walls of the city had been completed, they had opportunity to celebrate the feaft of tabernacles with greater felemnity than it had been accompanied with from the days of the Judges. The aflembly which cele-< brated this feaft was very great. Ezrah enter tained them with reading the law ; and, being aflifted in this exercife by the Levites, he con vinced the people that they had been a-want- ing as to the due folemnities of this ordinance, in their;. former celebration of it. Thefe de fects they endeavoured to reform. This read ing of the law commenced on the firft day of the month, and they continued in it until the laft day of the feaft. There was great ignorarice among the people, but alfo great defire to re ceive inftruction: Ezrah caused them to und ersta nd the meaning; and they made fuch proficiency as enabled -them, in a fliort time, to enter into covenant with knowledge and underftanding. ' 3. Tins tranfaction took place after the congregation had been brought to deep hu- mikatipn for, and folemn confeflion of their iniquities. DISSERTATION XIV* ^03 iniquities. Their exercife appears to have been, improper at the firft ; it being probably car- ried to fueh excefs as to difturb the worfhipping affemblies, and to indifpofe them for fuch' re joicing as became the feaft of tabernacles. But that rejoicing did not indifpofe them to fo lemn fafting, and confeflion of fin, when this feaft was pver. The feaft of in-gathering fol lowed on the eighth day after the beginning of the feaft of tabernacles ; and that was alfo finifhed on- the, twenty-fecond day of the -month. They appointed to themfelves the twenty-fourth day, as a folemn faft, to confefs their own iniquity, and the iniquities of their fathers ; and alfo to renew their covenant with the Lord God of their fathers. This was a day diftinct from all the ceremonial holy, days, which were of divine appointment : But it is a competent to the Church, in all ages, to fet apart as much time as is requifite, for acknow ledging their iniquity- to the glory of God. Few faft-days have been obferved to fech pur pofe as this one : It was a day of diftinguifhed light and life among the; children of God. SIXTHLY, The Solemn Confirmations' of this Covenant is the next branch of our feb- ject. 1. It was a written Covenant: "And becaufe of all this we make a fure covenant and write it.'; The word covenant is markl ed. 504 DISSERTATION • XIV; , J- ed, in our tranflation, as a fupplement; but it is ftrongly implied in the infpired original*^ And a deed is. made more permanent by wri ting ; it ftands to futurity for praife, in cafe of performance^ and to their fhame, in cafe of violation. - - - 2. IT was a sealed covenant j It was written that it might be fealed ": And the co-> Venanters actually appended their fign-manual unto, teftifying their hearty approbation of its contents. Subferibing with the hand was now become an ufual rite in ratification of cove-* riants. Laws/ and letters patent, were fealed with the king's feal, and contracts with the fign-manual; as appears from the inftance of Jeremiah: Said he, " And I fubferibed the e- vidence, and fealed it, and took Witneffes j-.'' This hiftory adds light to that prediction of Ifaiah's, " And another fhall fubferibe with the hand- unto the Lord \." 3. It was a sworn covenant: " They en tered into a curfe and ati oath to walk in God's law." An oath implies a curfe, in cafe of viola tion ; as it is an appeal unto God in the charac ter of a judge. Though every finner who vie- * There are two words ufed in the infpired original, itlttN DTTI3, the former of which denotes the cutting of a covenant ; the latter a firm deed, or conftitution. . f Jer. xxxii. 10, 12, 44. J If. xii v. j, t-^'i- . lates DISSERTATION XIV, 505 iates his oath may not be finally accurfed, yet this fin deferves it in an eminent degree ; and all who continue under this guilt fliall be eter nally accurfed. The practice of ratifying co venants with God by folemn oath was as an cient as the days of Mofes^ at leaft. It~ is now time to fubjoin a Reflection or two on what has been explained > i. The higheft, as well as the loweft fta- tions of life, may be filled to the glory of God. Courts, efpecially fo corrupt ones as the Per- fiari, had many things in .them unfriendly to relio-ion. Courtiers, in fuch circumftances, have temptations unto alnioft every fpecies of iniquity ; but the grace of God can break the fnare, and make his children efcape*. 2. PersPns of genuine zeal for the honour of God will improve fuch bppbrtunities as their ftation affords them for the advancement of it. While they ftand upon their watch-towerj they will be difpofed to obferve what advantages are offered, as alfo what dangers are threaten- ed. And fuch was the anxiety of Nehemiah's heart, in this matter, that the fmiles of the greateft monarch upon earth could not footh it, while the city of his God lay in ruins. _ 3. Great apoftacy among covenanters, and fevere chaftifements, either felt or feared, * Sff fhould 506 DISSERTATION XIV, fliould be incentives unto folemn confeflioflf and ferious repentance. Judah's fin brought him low ; Nehemiah made this a ground of acknowledgment, and a reafon for covenant- renovation. Our cafe is greatly fimilar. to theirs : When we were a kingdom, like them,, we were far from ferving God in our places and fixations. Now we are fervants, not to a defpotic Prince, as Judah Was, indeed, but to the Legiflature of a neighbouring kingdom. Our land yieldeth a fund of tax for that power which God hath fet over us for our fins. What is to be done in fuch a cafe I We muft halt between two opinions, fay fome ;_ The times are too bad for making a fiirrender of our- felves unto the Lord : But, faid Nehemiah, in all this diftrefs, Let us make a sure cove nant. D I S S E R- DISSERTATION XV. ON THE TRANSFERRENCE OF COVENANTING F R O M T H E OLD TESTAMENT CHURCH TO THAT OF THE NEW. Isaiah xix. 18, 21, &c. THE practice of the Church of God, under the Old Teftament, is fo decifive in fa vour of covenanting, that there is no room to hefitate, If it was the means of reforma tion under that difpenfation. But, under the New Teftament, npt a few difpute its -lawful-" nefs, as well as the expediency of attempting it. To determine this ppint, I fhall Enquire, — I. If the Laws, by which the Old Teftament Church was bound to perform this duty, be of perpetual obligation under the New Teftament. — IL If the Spiritual nature of the better ceco- S f f a norny ^08 DISSERTATION XV. nomy admits "of fuch a duty ; and if, confider- ing the peculiar genius of it, efpecially the pe^- culiar form in which the promifes of it are ad^ miniftered on the part pf God, we are laid under particular obligations to fuch a practice on our part. — HI. Whether the predictions of the Old Teftament prophets, concerning the New Teftament Church, afford foundation for the exercife of faith in this duty in gofpel days.. — IV. If riiis duty was taught arid exemplified in the doctrine of our Lord Jefus Chrift. If, 1 prove the affirmative of any of thefe, much more of them all, I will not hefitate to con-* elude, That covenanting is a duty transferred from the Old to the New Teftament Church. FIRST, I fhall enquire if the Law, by which the Old Teftament Church was bound'unto the performance of this duty, be o.f perpetual ob ligation in the Gofpel Church. The formal reafon of every duty originates in the autho rity of a law upon the confcience. If perfbns adventure upon any duty without God's pre-*- icription,' they will find themfelves at a lofs to, anfwer that important queftion, Who hath re quired this, at your hand ? The nature of the divine law determines! the •fpecific nature of thofe duties, which are required by it: That is, pofitive laws enjoin pofitive obedience, and moral precepts moral obedience. The que ftion before us refolves itfelf into this form, Was covenanting enjoined by the moral law;. pr - ¦¦' (• DISSERTATION XV. fa^ or by feme pofitive precept under the Old TeC tamen t difpenfation I To avoid ambiguity, as 'much as may be, on this head, it may be ob ferved, That laws are faid to be -moral which take rife from the nature of God, and from that relation in which he ftands unto his ra tional creatures, as their moral governor, Thefe laws are to be found, as in miniature, in the ten. commandments ;- and are more copi oufly explained in the writings of the prophets and apoftle s : But they were of force prior tQ the giving of the -law from Sinai ; and to the various hints which were given to the.patri-> archs. That the moral law, and that only, afforded warrant for covenanting under the Old Teftament may be made out various ways. I . Sund r y precepts in that law obliged un-* to this duty. The firft precept, for example^ binds us not only to know, but alfo to acknow ledge and avouch the only true God as our God. Now, when this avowal is focial, as well as fecret, it cannot imply lefs than public co venanting. The fecond precept of the deca logue enjoins us to receive, obferve, keep pure and entire all fuch religious ordinances as God hath appointed in his word ; one of which is, vowing and fwearing unto the mighty God of Jacob. Once more, The third precept de mands the holy and reverend ufe of divine truth,' which is a bright character of God*s name. It requires not only an oath, on pro per yio DISSERTATION XV. per occafions, in civil bufinefs; but alfo for the purpofe of folemnizing our holy profeflion. If God dei»n to fwear unto us; is it too much that we fwear unto him ? Thou sHalt per form unto the Lord thine oaths. 2. That it is the moral law, and that only, which obliged unto the duty of covenanthig will appear, if we confider that it was a law common to both Jews and Gentiles. The latter, as well as the former, were fometimes employed in this duty. The law of nature taught them, that, as they were OF God, as the firft caufe ; fo it became them to be TO him, as their laft end : And, if fo, it cannot rea- fonably be denied, that it became them to bind themfelves to him. Now, as, in right, they ought; fo, in fact, they did bind themfelves unto God, and that with the folemnity of an' oath. One of them reafens to the following purpofe: "Thou art his workmanfhip; he hath not only made thee, but beftowed all his benefits upon thee." — r" To this God ye ought to fwear, as the foldiers do to Casfar. But they, indeed, for the fake of wages do fwear, that they will, above all things, ftndy the well- fare of Ctefar ; and, while you are loaded with fo many, and fo great benefits by God, — will you not fwear unto him ? Or, when you. have fworn, — will ye not perform ?' And what fliould- you fwear ? That ye will always obey his voice; that ye will never complain of him.; that ye AUil DISSERTATION XV- 511 will never complain of any thing he meafures out unto you ; that ye will always do, and funer willingly, whatfoevcr he fhall think neceflary „ to put upon you*-" Than which nothing can be more conclufive. 3. There was no other law by which this duty could be bound on the Old Teftament Church than the moral law. There are only three laws fuppofable in this cafe ; namely, the judicial, the ceremonial, and the moral : But as the two former, being incompetent, muft be removed, the latter muft be eftablifhed. There is not a fourth.— The incompetence of the ceremonial law is evident from the very nature of it ; it can enjoin nothing but ceremo nies. Now, What is a ceremony I Is it not * Epictet. Lib. I. cap. xiv. Melancthon argues dlib, from the light of nature, - in favour of this duty, when anfwering Ofiander's objections againft it. Ha ving produced the inftance of covenanting in the days of Jofliua, he adds,." Non adferam hie a'liarum politi- arum exempt a, etfi notum eft, in omni honefta focietate a]iqua efle foedera, quibus ad certorum officiorum com- municationem, homines obligati funt, ut apud Xeno- phontem dicitur ir»n~a-)(p h t« 'iXXadi vop.es »siV#<, t»s 5toA/t«j ifttmcu Iftinoitniv." .The meaning of which is, in Ihort: " I fliall not adduce examples, in this place, of other ftates, although it is known, that there are certain covenants in -every lawful fociety, by which men are obliged to the mutual' performance of certain duties, as in Xe- nopkoh, Wherever the law obtained in" Greece, PERSONS MOST SWEAR THE OATHS OF THE STATE." . Melancthon Opp. Tom, III. p. 738. Orat. de Calum- niis Ofiandri. feme thing Si-2 DISSERTATION "XV. fomething external ; fome carnal rite, by di vine appointment, figuring out fomething fpi ritual. But what is fignified by covenanting I If typical, what is the antitype ?' The other plea is equally void, though more plaufible. It has been the fafhionable cant} for fome time paft, to feggeft, that covenanting was apoliti cal dutyj peculiar to the theocratical govern ment of the Jews. To examine this pointy , let it be obferved, that the theocraticai govern ment was confined to the ftate, as was cove nanting to the church ; and the diftinction be tween church and ftate was as real, thoup-h nPt fo vifible, under the Old Teftament as under the New. The view of a theocracy, above exhibited, leaves us no room to doubt in this matter. :We may alfo appeal unto particular inftances of covenanting in the Old Teftament Church. In the days of Jehoiada, for example, there was at once two. diftinct covenants ; a fpiritual, or church covenant, between Jehoia** da and the people ; and a political, or ftate co venant, between' the king and his fubjects. Had covenanting been a political duty, the former had been wholly unneceflary ; becaufe,- when. the people covenanted with the king, the heacl of the theocracy on earth, they covenanted with God himfelf in him; binding themfelves" Unto every poflible political duty. Once more, the theocratical government was in great per fection under the Judges ; yet it is evident, that Jofliua, in the character of a prophet, brought DiSSERTATION XV; 5i brought the congregation of Ifrael to cove nant with God in a fpiritual manner: The matter of the covenant is far from being poli tical; and the manner of executing it eviden- ceth, that it is truly fpiritual aud eVangelipal. '¦ -Thus it appears abundantly evident, that Ifrael was obliged ttiito tiie duty of covenant ing by the moral law; and that only. I fliall not ftand to prove> that this law is of perpe tual oblio-ation on the members of the New Teftament Church; as I do not know if the enemies of covenanting (whatever they may do practically) j have the boldnefs to deny iti SECONDLY, I fhall now enquire if the Spi ritual Nature of the Better Oeconomy admits of fuch a duty as covenanting ; and if~ cpn- fiderirtg the peculiar genius of it, efpecially the particular form in which the promifes admini ftered on the part of God, we are riot laid un der peculiar obligations itnto fiich a practice on bur parti To fet this matter in a juft point of view, I fliall ftate the nature of the Gofpel Church, in refpect of her privileges and confti- tution, as contrafted with the Old Teftament Church : And then attend unto the form in which thefe grants were made unto her; ta I. I must ftate the nature of the Gofpel Church, iri refpect of her conftitution and pri vileges, as thefe are contra.fted with the Old * Ttt Teftament 514 DISSERTATION- XV. Teftament Church ; and that hoth in refpect ©if her vifible and in vifible ftate. I. This Church was erected on the foun dation of Chrift's referrection ; for the miniftry of the Baptift, the perfonal miniftry of Chrift, as well as of the feventy difciples, belonged, properly, unto the church of the circumcifion : Though it may be granted, that they were fo lemn preludes of the better ceconomy. The perfonal miniftry of Chrift had gathered toge ther a confiderable number of difciples, confi- derably more, probably, than five hundred- And, As they continued in the world after Chrift's afeenfion, fo he made provifion for them-, com- miflioning paftors to make known unto them all things whatfoever he had commanded. Thefe inftructions are exprefsly mentioned by Luke : " Being feen of them forty days, and ipeakhig of things pertaining to the kingdom of God." And their commiflion, empowering, them to act according to thefe inftructions, is regiftered by another Evan gelift: Says Chrift, by Matthew, " All power is given me in heaven and in earth; go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fa ther, arid of the Son, and of the Holy GhofF. Teaching them to obferve all things whatfo ever I have commanded." Said Mark, " Go preach the gofpel unto every creature. He that believeth and is baptized fliall be faved.j- but he that believeth not fliall be damned." This commiflion Dissertation xv. 515 commifiion was accompanied with power e- q'ual to the execution of it, even the power of the Holy Ghoft. 2. These officers were authorized to exhi bit various privileges and-' immunities, both re fpecting individuals and the fociety itfelf, for ' encouraging perfons to enter into it : They al fo enjoined various duties on fuch perfons as accepted of thefe privileges. The privileges, unto which- the fervants of Chrift invited; fin ners, were nearly connected with the duties they enjoined upon them. As Chrift infti tuted a gofpel miniftry, both ordinary and ex traordinary; fo he enjoined fubjection unto them, as far as they act according to their commiflion. The gofpel miniftry was beftow ed on this fociety under the notion of a gift: " Wherefore he faith, when he afcended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gtfts unto men. And he gave fome A- poftles, and fome Prophets, and fome Evange- lifts, and feme paftors and teachers." The office of the Apoftles, Prophets, and Evange- lifts was extraordinary: The office of the pa- ftor is to continue in the church until the end Pf the world. Now, as they are given for the edification of the body of Chrift, fo the perfons who profefs to belong unto this body are en joined to " obey them who have the rule over them." As the "great Prophet of the Church has given unto us the doctrine of his holy word; Ttt 2 fo yi6 DISSERTATION XV, fo he requires us to receive it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, It/was one of the difthiguifhing privileges of the Jewifli Church, that unto them were com mit ted the oracles of Cod : The oracles of the Gofpel Church are greatly enlarged beyond thefe of the Jewifli. -As the fole Legiflator- of the Church has been pleafed to inftitute fuch ordinances in her as are requifite for the cele bration of divine worfliip, fo he has alfo en joined the celebration of them. The ordinan ces of his appointment are, the reading, preach ing, and hearing of the word, prayer, and thankfgiving in the name of Chrift; the dif penfation and receivirig of the facraments of Baptifm and the Lord's Supper; Church-go-». vernment and difcipline ; the miniftry ; main-* tenance of religious fafting- j f wearing by the name of God, and vowing unto him, .We cannot attempt a delineation of each of thefe ordinances; but refer unto the Directory for "Worfliip, fubjoined to the Weftminfter Con feflion of Faith. *Wlth refpect unto the im munities which are offered to individuals, they are much the fame as the Old Teftamentf Church enjoyed in kind, though greatly fupe rior to them in degree. If we take a compa-. .rative view of them, we will find a ftrikiiig're^ femblance, Did the -gofpel ceconomy contain a promife of the Holy Ghoft ? fo alio did that of the Old Teftament, Did Jefus Chrift au thorize hl§ fervants, to proclaim pardon, and complete DISSERTATION XV. fi.j complete acceptance through his righteoufhefs? fb alfo were the prophets of the Old Tefta ment Church. Did the Son of God offer the privilege of fo'nfliip to the members of the New Teftament Church ? Old Teftament faints were alfo admitted into the .family of God. Did the Head of the Church offer fanctification to all his members, in gofpel time ? fo did he alfo' under the firft teftament. If Chrift aflures the children of his family of keeping grace, under the New Teftament ? -he alfo kept them, as in a fortified city, under the Old Teftament. Does he afliire theni of fupport under trials af ter his afcenfion ? he likeways upheld them, by the right hand of his righteoufnefs, prior unto that event. Does he bring life and immorta lity to light by the gofpel, affuring his follow ers of the eternal inheritance ? he likeways perfuaded the Old Teftarnent faints, that he PR E PA RED F"OR. T H E M "A C I T Y :, A CITY, Vhos-e BUILD ER AND MAKER IS GOD'.r ., The duties enjoined on individuals are, an ob- fervance of all things whatfoever he hath com manded. 3. There was a notable change in the creed which the Apoftles propofed to the mem-. hers of the Gofpel Church, from that which was received in the Old-Teftament Church. The centre of the Old Teftament faith was, "The Messiah to com?::" The centre of •the New Teftament. faith, >" The Messiah ' ¦ ' , ' Afc. READ, x 518 'DISSERTATION XV. A l r e A d y . c Pte e . The Ol d Teftam en t Church was called to believe all thofe prophefies which foretold the death, refurrection, and afcenfioii of Chrift : The New Teftament Church, to be lieve the full acfcomplifhment of thefe promifes in the Son of God. The Old Teftament Church was bound to believe, that God would accom- plifh'both the condition and the promifes of the New Covenant in his time ; The New Teftament Church, that the condition of it is already ac complifhed, in the righteoufhefs and death of Jefus of Nazareth ; that he hath accomplifhed fuch promifes as refpected Chrift perfonal, and will accompliih thofe which refpect Chrift myfti cal in his own feafon. 4. There is alfo a notable change as to the worfliip and ordinances which are celebra ted in the Gofpel Church, from what were obferved under the Old Teftament. The place of folemn worfliip is no longer one, as; under the Old Teftament. Said God, by Mo fes, " But unto tiie place which the Lord your God fhall choofe, out of alt your tribes, to put his name there ; even unto his* habita tion fhall ye feek, and thither thou flialt come." Accordingly, God pitched firft upon Shiloh, and then upon Jerufalem. But, under the bet ter ceconomy, no one place is more holy than another : " Believe me (faid1 Chrift) the hour c'ometh, when ye fliall neither in this mountain, iior yet at Jerufalem, worfliip the Father."— 'The DISSERTATION XV. $19 The Persons authorifed to adminifter gofpel ordinances are, no longer taken from one tribe: or family r The tribe 1 of Levi and family tif Aaron were the fole minifters of the fauctuary, after the giving of the Law ; but Jefus chofe his Apoftles from any tribe.be pleafed; and gave infallible direction for ordaining Gentiles themfelves unto the facred function of the mi niftry. With refpect to the Priefthood, in the ftrict fenfe of the word,, we have no other, un der the better ceconomy, than Jefus Chrift, the High-prieft of our profeflion : As to the meta phorical priefthood, this'; honour have all his; faints, being made kings and priefts unto God, and his Father. , The Law itfelf, eyen dip ceremonial law, is likeways abolifhed.. This follows of courfe upon the change of the prieft hood, according to the apoftolic reafoning on this fubject: " For the priefthood being chan ged, there is made of neceffity alfo a change of the law." The law intended muft be the law of commandments, contained in ordinances. This he did for incorporating the Gentiles, a- lorig with. the Jews, into the Abraharnjc cove nant. " Having abolifhed, in his flefh, the en mity, even the law of commandments contain ed in drdinances, for to make in himfelf .pf twain one new man ; fo making peace : And that he plight reconcile both unto God, in one body, by the crofs, having >flain the enmity thereby," This law was a fbadow of, good things to gome; and, when thefe good things themfelves y2o DISSERTATION XV.. themfelves were actually come, the fliadow of them became .-unneceflary. This law compre hended facrifices, with all their appendages : Now, it was foretold of the Mefliah, that he fliould make the facrifice and the oblation to ceafe, at the fame time when he finiflied tranf- greflion andtiiade an end of fin, and brought in an everlafting righteoufhefs. Nor is~ there any one thing in which the Apoftles are more explicit, than in refeiuding the Jewifli holy-days (all except one whole day in feven, which they determined to be the firft day of the week): " But now, after that ye have known God, of rather are known of God, How turn ye agairt to the weak and beggarly elements, wliereunto ye defire again to be in bondage ? Ye obferve days, and months, and times, and years." To' another church, faid tiie fame Apoftle, "Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat orrirt, drink, or in refpect of au holy-day, or of the new-moon, or of the Sabbaths, which are a fliadow of good things to come ; but the body is of Chrift." The facraments, by which the Cove nant was ratified in the Old Teftament Church, are alfo changed under the Gofpel ceconomy. Circumcifion was continued ill the Old Tefta- . ment Church, as it was a bloody ordinance^ and befpake the neceffity of fliedding the blood of Chrift, unto the re miffion of fin: But that which rendered it fit for that difpenfation ren dered it unfit for this : The fountain of Chrift's blood, being now opened, As circumcifion 5s- iiow DISSERTATION XV- y2i now null in fact, fo alfo of right ; for, as the Synod of Jerufalem determined, Gentiles are exempted from the obfervation of it ; And, by the time Paul wrote to the Hebrews, Jews were exempted likeways. The legal teachers of that age made the obfejvance of circumci fion a part of their juftifying righteoufhefs : But, faid the Apoftle, " Behold, I Paul fay unto you, That, if ye be circumcifed, Chrift fliall profit you nothing : For I teftify again unto every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the whole Lawr." But it is inconfiftent with the goodnefs of God, and the paftoral care of our Lord Jefus Chrift, to imagine that he re moved a privilege from the Church, without fubftituting an equivalent in the place of it r But there is no room for fuch an impeachment, as baptifm takes the fame place, under the Gofpel ceconomy, which circumcifion held in the Old Teftament Church. Hence, the pro mife fealed by circumcifion is now fealed by baptifiii : Said Peter, " Be baptized every one of you, in the name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, for the promife is unto you, and unto your chil dren." Now, this is exactly correfpondent un to God's declaration refpecting circumcifion : "Thou flialt keep my covenant THERE FORE, thou and thy feed after thee, in their generations: This is my covenant, which ye fliall keep, between me and you, and thy feed after thee, Every man-child among you fliall be circumcifed. "-= As to the facranient of * Uuu the 522 DISSERTATION, XV. the Lord's Supper, the Apoftle declares, that it takes the place of the paffover, in the Gofpel Church, in like manner : u For even Chrift,, our paflbver, is facrificed for us ; therefore let us keep the feaft ;" namely, the Gofpel feaft. Thefe Old Teftament ordinances were abolifl> ed, of right, at the refurrection of Chrift ; but,. as it took tome time to wean his ancient peo ple from thofe things which once bore the ftamp of his inftitution, he exercifed his fove reignty, hi putting them off by degrees, until the deftruction of Jerufalem; by which they were alfo abolifhed in fact. The lawgiver,; as well as the fceptre, are alfo now removedv from Judah. The fceptre departed from the tribe of Judah and houfe of David, in the Ba bylonifli captivity ; and the lawgiver, or Sanr Iiedrim, in the deftruction of Jerufalem: Arid with the latter, the inflrument of government in the theocratical ftate, even the judicial law, as far as it was peculiar to the Jewifh nation. 5. There was, in confequence of thefe things, a moft favourable change as to the in ternal ftate of the Church, which likeways com menced at the refurrection of Chrift. The New Teftament Church excels the Old, in re fpect pf the gracious communications of the Holy Ghoft ; Such as, light inward "and fub- jective, correfponding to thofe fuperior riiea- fures of external revelation which are be ftowed upon her in the books of the New Teftament; DISSERTATION XV. 523 Teftament: " We all, with open face, (with out the apparatus of typical glaffes, or minia ture drawings) behold the glory of the Lord, that we may be changed into the faine image frdm glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." The, Gofpel Church is likeways en dued with fuperior meafures of life and vigour. The Old Teftament is ftyied the miniftration of death ; but this ceconomy is eminently the Pispensation of the Spirit; and the' Spirit giveth life. We are not to, imagine, that the former difpenfation is denPminated the miniftration of death," as if all had been doomed to death who died under it; for it was the means of bringing many unto the full enjoyment of eternal life.' Neither is it fo call ed, as if it had denounced nothing but death ; for it prefented life as well as death, — the blessing as well as the curse, unto thofe who enjoyed the inftitutions of it. — But it bears the defignation of the ministration of death, as death was threatened in that part of it which exhibited the Covenant of Works, in its penalty and curfe : The Covenant of . Works (which, for Gofpel ends, was exhibited in that difpenfation) being greatly predomi nant in it. It bPre this name alfp, as there were but fparing communications of the Holy Ghoft, as a fpirit of life in that difpenfation. This was one caufe of much deadnefs and lan- gour among the worfhippers. On the other hand, tliepower of Chrift's refurrection is more U u u 2 : -¦ abundantly $i\ DISSERTATION XV. abundantly felt fince he rofe from the dead : He has verified his promife, " Becaufe I live, ye fliall live alfo." The liberty of the Gof pel Church is alfo greatly enlarged beyond that of the. former ceconomy. Fear and bondage abounded under it ; but liberty and confidence in this. Though there was a promife of pay ment of their' debt, by the furety ; yet, as it was not actually made, fo there was an intima tion of the debt-bond in the Law, which Could not but ftrike the confcience with terror : But now the bond is taken up, and actually cancel led by the death of Chrift. Inftead of thun ders from Sinai, we have an invitation from Zion, to draw near, with true hearts, in the full aifurance of faith. There is an internal liberty of foul, correfponding to the external liberty from the ceremonial law, which con fifts in more clear and diftinct views of the re generating and juftifying grace of God, reveal ed in the promifes of the New Covenant. We find, indeed, many exalted inftances of free dom in accefs, under the former ceconomy, on fpecial occafions ; but, for the greater part,, they Were fliut up in bondage, compared with the more glorious liberty of the children of God. —The Gofpel Church is alfo favoured with more exalted meafures of holinefs and Janctification, as he gives more full and exact views of the ftandard of it in the perfon and law of our Lord Jefus Chrift. II. The DISSERTATION XV. y:y II. The peculiar Form of thefe divine grants demands our attention in the next place ; and the Apoftles, as well as the prophets, give us to underftand, that they were given in the form of a Covenant : Said God, by Jeremiah, " Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and with the houfe of Judah: Not ac cording to the covenant that 1 made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt ; which covenant of mine they broke, although I was an hufhand unto them, faith the Lord: But this fhall be the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifrael, after thofe days, faith the Lord,. I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and they fliall be my people. And they fliall teach no more every man his neigh bour, and every man his brother, faying, Know the Lord : for they fliall all know me from the leaft of them unto the greateft of them, faith the Lord; fori will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their fins no more*-" And, left we fliould have miftaken the meaning of this oracle,' the infpired Apoftle exprefsly ap plies it unto the Gpf pel ceconomy : " For, if the firft covenant had been faultlefs, then fhould no place have been foughtfor the fecond : For, finding fault with them, lie faith, Behold, the * Jer. xkxi. 31 — 34. days 5-215 DISSERTATION XV. days come (faith the Lord) when I will make a new covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and with the houfe of Judah : Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day thatT took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt ; becaufe they continued not in my covenant, and I re garded them not, faith the Lord: For this is the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifi-ael after thofe days, faith the Lord, I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts: And I will be to them a God, and they fliall be to me a people. And they' fliall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brpther, fayirig, Know ye- the Lord ; for all fhall know me from the leaft to the greateft: For I will -be merciful to their unrighteotyuiefles, and their fins and their ini quities will I remember no more. In that he faith a new covenant, he hath made the firft old*." I fhall not, at this time, attempt a vindication of the Apoftle's manner of quota tion; this province has been already occupied by others. I fhall enquire, by the" way, how ever, In what refpects this covenant is not ac cording to the Sinai Covenant. To me it ap pears, That this new covenant was not accord ing to that tranfaction in refpect of terr-or, and in refpect of types. It ought never to be forgotten, that the Apoftle is reafoning^a- * Heb. viii: 7 — 13. gainft DISSERTATION XV, jar gainft the ufe of Jewifli rites ; and he aversf that this new covenant is not according to the old covenant, as the old covenant had or dinances of divine service; and a worldly sanctuary, with an immenfe quantity of fplendid utenfils belonging to it. But thefe, having waxed old, are now evanifh- ed. It is not the Old Teftament, then, in re fpect of its internal and effential privileges; but in refpect of thefe ordinances which are fuperfeded under the New Teftament. But our attention muft be chiefly directed unto the peculiar form of thofe divine grants which are made by God unto the Gofpel Church: And he gave them in the form of a covenant- A fcederal adminiftration has, in favereign wifdom, been deemed fuitable to the glory of, God, and the good of his people in every age. I have already offered various re marks on the term, in the introduction. It is of fmall importance whether'we render it tes tament or covenant, though- the latter appears to be the heft tranflation in this con nection : All God's dealing's with riien beinjv by way of covenant ; and his dealirigs with fin ful men being in the way of gracious covenant, proceeding on the foot of the eternal contract between the Father and the. Son. This gra cious dealing with finful men is oftendtyled his making, or cutting A co-tenant; deno ting fuch a covenant as is competent fpr a God of y28 DISSERTATION XV. of grace to make with fuch perfbns as are fill" ners by nature, and faved by grace throuoh our Lord Jefiis Chrift. In all foederal tranfac tions between God and his people, fince the fall, there is firft a divine grant, on the part of God; and then a ready acceptance of that grant, followed with a dutiful reftipulation, on the part of his people ; which are either expreffed or neceffarily implied. The duties reftipulated are by no means the antecedent condition 'of thofe grants which God confers on his Church ; but the confequences of them. Thefe grants were fometimes beftowed at the time when God took his people into covenant with him felf: At other times, they were regiftered, that they might be of ufe in fucceeding periods; this grant 1S of the latter kind. As God in- tended to complete the canon of the New Teftament very foon after the iiitrociu£tion of the Gofpel ceconomy ; fo he beftowed fuch pri vileges upon the New Teftament Church, by this covenant, as fliould be adapted to her ne ceffities in every age. The form of them is alfo regiftered, as a ftanding warrant for our approaching unto God by covenanting, in the moft folemn forms. It had been prefumption, in the higheft degree, for men to prop ofe the making- of a covenant with God, had not he firft propofed to make a covenant with us. But this divine propofal, bearing this gracious form, affords foundation for faith, and lays us under indifpenfible ties of gratitude to put hand DISSERTATION XV. 529 hand to this dutys Is any perfon difpofed to enter into covenant with God? Here is a di vine propofal ready to be accepted; Is there auy fociety, hi their ecclefiaftic capacity, difpo^ fed to covenant with the living God ? Here is a divine propofal ready to be accepted by them, in like manner ; — -a propofal adapted to their focial capacity, be they many or feW; This covenant not only addrefleth individuals, but alfo a people t "I will be unto them a God, and they fhall be unto 'me a people." Such is the peculiar genius of the Nfew Teftament ce conomy ! May we riot conclude, that it is igno rance of the Gofpel ceconomy, or inattention tort, which makes perfons imagine it incon gruous with public covenanting ? THIRDLY, I fliall next enquire if the pre dictions of the Old Teftament Prophets, con cerning the New Teftanfent Ghurch, lay a foundation for the exercife of faith in this du ty* Could it be proved, that thefe prophets foretold this practice, then we may conclude rtot only the lawfulnefs, but alfo the certainty of its performance; That the argument "from this topic may conclude with force, it is requi fite to fhevv, that the prophecies adduced refer Unto the New Teftament ; arid cpuld not be accomplifhed under the firft Teftament. That they intend focial covenanting, and can- riot be explained of ariy other duty whatever. ' * Xxx The 53^ DISSERTATION XV, The firft inftance produced, at this time, is that remarkable prediction of Ifaiah : " In that day fhall five cities in the land of Egypt fpeak the language of Canaan, and fwear to the Lord of hofts. And the Lord fliall be known to E- gypt, and the Egyptians fhall know the Lord in that day, and fhall do facrifice and oblation : Yea, they fliall vo-w a vow unto the Lord, and perform it*." The Holy Ghoft puts various cliftinguifbing characters upon the feafon of the accomplifhment of this prediction;, by which it may be fully known; — characters fufficiently marking the Gofpel ceconomy: In that day, that important d ay, when theLord fhall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians fhall know, the Lord : This can be no other than the day of Gofpel light. Though Egypt was die firft of the nations who cultivated the fciences, , and, on this account, might be ftyied an inlighten- ed nation ; yet fhe was as ftupid as the blind- eft, and came behind the greateft Barbarian, with refpect to a Deity. The Lord was not known unto Egypt until the miniftry of the A- poftles ftretched out the line of revelation on all the earth, and carried the word of life unto the world's end. This prediction refers alfo unto a time when Egypt is delivered from the curfe, and interefted in the blefling along with Ifrael : — When Ifi-ael, according to the * If. xix. i8, and 21. flefhy DISSERTATION XV- 53 l flefli, is no longer God's peculiar people, to the exclufion of others ; but God himfelf pronoun- eeth them blessed, faying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Affyria the work of my hands," as weu as " Ifrael mine inheri tance." God never afforded fuch a favour un- toany people but Ifrael, under the ancient ce conomy. The privilege of being God's peo ple does not only import, that there might be feme profelytes taken from that nation, or feme ftrangers fojourning among them belong ing to that defcription ; but it imports, that, as a people, or in their fecial capacity, he fhould own- his relation to them ; and they fliould avow their relation to him. As to the Gofpel ceconomy, God himfelf declares the fign of its introduction is, " I will call them my people which were not my people ; and .her beloved who was not beloved. And it fliall come to pafs, that in the place where it was faid unto them, Ye are not my people ; there fhall they be called the children of the living God." -In the next place, The fub ftance of this promife; cannpt be exliaufted by any other duty than folemn covenanting. The terms are too explicite, and the defcription too graphical, to admit of any other application whatfoever. The- firft defcription of this du ty is expreffed to the following purpofe : « And fliajl swear to the Lord of holts*. " They * If. xix. i$. Xxx a, _< fliall y32 DISSERTATION XV, < fhall not only fwear by the Lord of hofts, as in civil matters; but to him, as the grand par ty unto whom they furrender themfelves in this folemn act. The phrafe is remarkable, and feems to be peculiarly ufed by infpired writers, for marking the party unto whom perfons en gaged when they ratified covenants< with an oath*. The next defcription of the duty in tended in this promife is, '^ They fliall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it." Ceremo nial vows were never the vow of a people ; but an individual vowed to dedicate part of his fub ftance unto the Lord : This is a focial vow, — ¦ the * Some explain this oracle of swearing bv God, and underhand it as put for the whole of divine worfliip ; but with no degree of probability. The original phrafe is rTTT'V.. Now, we wit! find the particle b conftantly marking the perfon fworn unto, as in Gen. xxi. 23. an4 xxv. 33. While the perfon invoked, in fwearing, is al ways marked with the prefix 3. Nor can any inftance he given, in which he is marked with b. Buxto'rff. The- faur. Gram, obferves, that it governs either the Genitive or. Dative. The latter moft frequently, the former very rarely ; and it is the Dative ftrictly ta ken, not as ufed for the Accufative or Ablative. See Wafmuth. Gram. Heb. p. 63. edit. Lipfias Henrico CK titio, A..D. 1714. Ifind,. indeed, that fome object Zeph. i. j. as an inftance in which b marks the object of wor fliip : But Drufius, in Loc. juftly obferves, that this ob jection originates in miftranflation : " Omnes quos qui- dem viderim, interpretes Jnc legunt, Qui Jurant per Dominum : meo judicio non recte . Nam jurare per Do- niinum nirT'2'. Hie autem legitur in Ebrseo ntrt, quod nos primi vertimus DOMINO. Jurare Domino quid fit difces ex 2 Par. xv. 14. .ft autem Jurejurando interpo- lito nomep, dari pietati, et quafi. Deo fc addicere et con-. fecrare,'* DISSERTATIpN XV. ^33 die vow of a people, « They fliall," Sec. Aud focial vowing is- the very thing for which we plead, even fiich a vow as is ratified with an oath. Some affect to deny that ever vows were, pr fhonkl be confirmed by an oath ; but, to me, it is plain, that the fwearing mentioned in a foregoing verfe is for confirming the fpecies of the vow under confideration. The Holy Ghoft alfo points us unto another vow, to be after- Wards confidered, which was ratified with an path. The anritypical David, not only vowed, but likeways ^VAi£ unto the mighty God of Jacob, x fecrare." In fupport of this obfervation^ we may add the following examples, Gen. xxi. 23. ch. xxii. 16. ch.xxiv. 3. If. lxv. 23. ch. Ixii. 8. ch. Ixv. 16. Vid. NOLDII, Concor. Nq. 70.8. TYMPIUS adds the following obfeiv vation, in a note on If- lxii. 8. tute id exfecutionis ratione fundatum, quae prasftare fan- citum polfft. Quo fenfu etiam conftructum nomen fumii tur Exod. xxii. 10. &c. Objectum itaque juramenti con- flituit, quQties; Latini prspos : PER. ei prgemittunt." And, although Noldius follpws fome of the ordinary translations in their miftake, in his Concordance, yet he diftinguifljeth between a and b in his Amiot. " Aliud autem eft jurare (Tif^, If. xix. 18. Zeph. i. 5. Pf. exxxii. 2. 2 Par. xv. 13. Nam qui jurat per Jehovam Deuiri teftem iuvocat ; fed qui jurat Jehovas cultum. ftipulatur, Vid. Drufii. Obf. Lib. IX. cap. x. Qjiod Latine jurare Pominum. aut per lDominnm id Hebraice dicitur Bado-t.' nai cum BETH : ex quo 'illud Apoc. x, 6. i. e. Juravit pereum qui vivit in fecula feculum. Interdum autem reperitur Ladonai cum b, fed alio fenfu: turn enim valet jttRARE Domino ; ut quantum inter cum cui juramijs, e£ gum per quem juramus intereft:, tantum, inter hxc duo 534 DISSERTATION XV. Jacob. Hence, we may conclude, that to deny, That a vow can be confirmed with an oath is nugatory and vain. In thefe two inftances, the vow is the thing' ratified, and the oath the fb- lemnity with which it is confirmed. Swear ing unto the Lord pf hofts, then, muft be ta^ ken literally : Some contend, indeed, that it is metaphorical ; others that it is ceremonial : But what is metaphorical fwearing, pray? Swear ing: muft be fwearing without a figure, after all that can be faid about it, If ceremonial, like other ceremonies, it muft have a fubftance; for a fliadow without a fubftance, — a type with» out an antitype, is a folecifm in the grofleft de gree. The fulfilment of this prediction fhall be confidered in Diflertation XVII. Another prediction of the fame prophet runs in the following terms: "I have fworn by myfelf, the word is gone out of my mouth interefle videtur. Si fas eflet in re tarn levi auderem, vivit Do minus differentiatn hanc perpetuaiij efle ; in- fciteque interpretes earn confundere, Sop.'i'. 5. cum ver- tunt. Qui jurant per Dominum ; quod fcriptuhi in He- braso Lado.nai, i. e. Domino nt in Pf. cxxxii 2. Qjias ju ravit Domino vovit forti Jacob : et If. xix. 18. In die illo, &c. Quid autem fit jurare Domino difces ex 2 Par. xv. 14. Porro in verbis Soph, hsec fententia continetur, Qui jurati funt Domino, h. e. qui fancte ac quafi Deo tcfte pollicite funt fe in fide pietate,, foedere manfuros, cum Domino, violant qupd polliciti funt juranpo ter segem suum. Sive, ut alii malimt, per Deum suuj* Moloch. See CI ail'. Gram. Sac. Lib. IV. Tract, j. Obf. 5. p. 67a. in DISSERTATION XV. ^c hi righteoufnefs, and fliall not return, That mito me every knee dhall bow, every tongue fliall fwear. Surely fliall one fay, In the Lord have I righteoufnefs and ftrength : even to him fliall men come, and all that are incenfeda- gainft htm fliall be afhamed." Th e- whole paragraph is evidently addrefled to the Gofpel Church : Gentile finners are evi dently intended by the ends of the earth; for the phrafe is efpecially deferiptive of them, and peculiar unto them. So it is ufed by the infpired writers : "All the ends of the earth have feen the falvation of our God*." Again, " Afk ef me, and I will give the hea then for thine inheritance ; and the uttermoft parts of the earth for thy poffeflion "j- ." The fame phrafe is ufed by Ifaiah as well as Da vid : " And he faid, ,lt is a light thing that thou fhouldft be my fervant, to raife up the tribes of Jacob, and to reftore the preferved of Ifrael : I will alfo give thee for a light unto the Gentiles, that thou mayeft be my falvation to the ends of .the'eart h ~\. A To add no more, Sard God, by Ifaiah, " The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the na tions: andALLTHE ENDS OF THE EARTHfhall fee the falvation of our God§." And the fame perfons are defigned every-knee, and e- very tcngue, in the text above quoted. * Pfal. xcviii. 3. -j- Pfal. ii. 8. X If- *lix. <>• \ If. Hi. 10. Now, |3* DISSERTATION XV. Now, it is plain, as a fun-beam, that Gentile finhers are not called to look unto the Lord for righteoufnefs prior unto the fulnefs of time; AgaIn, The fubftance of this promife can not be exhaufted in any Other duty than fo lemn covenanting; The expreflion is plain iri itfelf; but not a few endeavour to obfeure it as much as may be. As Paul has applied this prediction to the laft judgment *, they aver, That it ought to be confined unto it. This hypothefis, however, is not eftabliflied on any fure bafe ; for the Apoftle quotes it oftener than once, and applies it, once at leaft, to con- fession of the Lordfhip which belongs unto Jefus Chrift, as well as unto the conviction and submission of all creatures at a judg ment-feat. It is, according to the apoftolic expofition, a fwearing to confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord, unto the glory of God the Fa ther. The celebrated Hervey tranflates the whole thus : " By myfelf have I fworn t the * The places in which this text is quoted hy Paul arte* Rom. xiv. it. and Philip.-ii. 10, ii. From which places compared it is plain, that this prediction is of large fig-* nification, an4 may juftly be applied to more events thart, one. It is, as if the' Prophet had faid, " Every tdngm* Ihall either confefs unto the Son of God, and that witli the folemnity of an oath, 'That he is made of God unto them righteoufnefs and ftrength 5 That they owe unli mited obedience unto him as their higheft Lord : Or they lhall have fuch a confeflion extorted from them agamft a judgment-day." word Dissertation xv. 537 word of righteoufnefs goeth out of my mouth ; the word fhall not return; To me every knee fhall bow, and every tongue fliall fwear, fay ing, Surely in the Lord have 1 righteoufnefs and ftrength :" And then, after he has vindi cated it by juft criticifm, he adds, " This, then, fliall be the form of your oath,— Such the tenor of your confeflion*." The manner in which this bracle is given oiit is alfo a good argument in favour of explicit covenanting., God not" on ly prPmifeth, but alfo ratifieth his promife with his oath : Now, if God fwear to us, Is it too much that we fliould fWear unto him ? Is not his example worthy of our imitation ? Are we not bound, by every tie of gratitude, to make the fwearing reciprocal? The time in which this prediction fliall receive its accomplifhment has been varioufly reprefented. I humbly judge it is yet to come, at leaft in the fulleft empha fis of4t ; although I readily grant it has al ready received a partial accomplifhment. Bu- lenger judicioufly applies it unto the time of the in-bringing of the Jews, with the fulnefs of. the Gentile nations -f-: Nor have I feen an application, of Lt fe natural and eafy, The third prediction I fliall adducfe, is de-- livered in the following terms : " I will pour1" 'water ou liim who is thirfty, and floods upon * Hervey's Afpafib Vindicated, p. 6S, 69. | HULLENCER ill Loc. Vyy - the i?3a DISSERTATION XV, the dry ground : I will pour my Spirit oif thy feed, and my blefling on thine offspring. — -One fhall fay, I am the Lord's, and another fhall call himfelf by the name of Jacob ;. and another fliall febferibe with his jiand unto the Lord 'f and furname himfelf by the name of Ifrael*." There are various things in this prediction which point out the New Teftament ceconomy as the .-era of its accomplifhment ; fech as the promife of pouring out the Spirit upon the feed of Chrift. Dr Owen juftly obferves, That the Spirit is never faid to be poured out on the * If. xliv. 3, j. Vitringa opens this preeieus trea sure with the key of folid criticifm, in his commentary on this text. The whole is well worthy of our per/ufal ,-' but too copious to be tranfcribed: 1 fliall adduce the following excerpts as a fpecimen . :- " l^-lp'', vocarit,. idem hie valet quod i-Op"1, voc.abitCR. Sic cap. xliii. 7, et xlviii. 1. Sed ipfumiioftrum S**"lp fdrma; activas cum voce CDEO conftructuju eadem fenfu fumitnr apud Mofert Gen. iv. 26. Tum coeptum est appelmh pe nomi-nb JEHoyi, Qu« verfio hoc tempore doctis interpretibus- aiierito probatur, h. e. dici coeperunt Filii Dei. — Se appellare nomine Jacobi myftice eft : <*. Profit'eri fideirt Jacobi, ejufque cultum religionis fectari atque exercere, et adfpirare ad juftiam Dei per fi-dem. , /3. In proniiflif one gratiae fpiritualibus-, fummain falutis, felieitatis fise conftituere. y. Virtutes Jacobi, imtegritatis,. m.o- BESTI.K, -PATIENTIiE, PL AC IDIT AT IS INDOLIS, ET VER* Dei reverentije imitari ac prseftare. Qpi hunc induit animi affectum, vitamque et mores ad eum moduni coin- ponit, verns .eft Jacobida. Sic Pbeta facer. Pfal. .xxiv. 5, 6. '.' Quis confeendet Montein Jehovas? Purus manibus, ct pulsus corde, qui non attpllit in vanum anemum funm (non fectatur falfam juftitiain) etnon jurat fraudulanter ' (iir , DISSERTATION XV. 539 the Old Teftament Church ; as he was given unto them in a more fparing meafure than un der the better ceconomy. This prediction muft alfo belong unto the Gofpel Church, as it re fers unto a time when the belief of the true God fhould triumph over the polytheifm and idolatry of the Gentile world : This is in- fifted on in the following part of the chapter. Now, it was the Gofpel difpenfation alohe, that difpelled the thick clouds of Pagan darknefs, 1 • ¦ ' and (in negotio religionis): Is reportabit Benedictipnem a Jehovah, (h. e. Benedictionem omnium preftantiiHumm, quae eft justia, ut mox fequitur) et juftitiam a Deo fa- luris fnaj. Haec'eft generatio queasrentium te : fedulo quserentium faciem tuam. Hie eft JacoTj." Hi funt 've- rran femen J-acobi. Hare fimplex «ft pofitio. Gradatio in fequentibus. "Hie fcribat/' &c. Hoc eft manufuasiG- nabit : quod aliqiianto plus eft quam dice t. Phralis defumpta «ft a co-ntractibus, qui in tabtdas redacti fub- fcriptione manuum confirmabantur, turn ab his qui coii- trkxerant, turn a teftibiis ; de quo ritu luculentus locus eft apud Jer. xxxii. 10, 12, 44. Ultimum eft quod hie redditur : " Et nomine Ifraelis cognominabitur.'" h. e. Appellabitur non ISRAEL, fed ISRAELITA. Qtfan-o quid plus dicat hoc nomen quam illud Jacobi Rerpondeo, tanto phis, quanto pluris valet nomen ISRAEL quam JA COB. IfraeLnotat Luctatorem cum Deo, &c. Defignan- tur itaque hoc nomine confeflbres et martyres, qui nori gravantur caufa fidei fubire graviffimas tentaijiones, et afilictiones, et vi fidei cum Jacobo vincunt. Et hsec qui- dem quo ad confeffionem ipfam. Subjecta quibus Vates hoc attributum vindicat defighat. Ille vocuh* nf HIC, ter qliidem exprefla, fed poteftate quater repetita, Pfal. lxxxvii.3. &c. Me'morabo Raab (Egypt) et Babylon in ter eos qui me familiarius cognofcimt. Ecce Pala-ftina ct Tyrus cum, Arabibtis Cufchaeis : H1C natus ibi. Et de Yy-y.2 Zione /4P DISSERTATION XV. Und diffufed the knowledge of the living and true God through the Gentile world. The things promifed are fuch, as cannot comport with any other , duty than that of fo lemn covenanting. A variety of things are fpecified; as solemn dedication: " One fhall fay9 I am the Lord's." This is a phrafe frecmently ufed of foederal dedication, whether fecial or fecret. When '.Ifrael cove'-; nanted, they engaged to be the Lord's people,, jjione prasdicabitur., i HIC infignis vir natus eft in ea Je- hova recenfebit in cenfu pppulorum. HIC natus eft in ea. Vidimus hanc emphafin yoculpe ilt. HIC cap. xxv> 9. confer. Pfal. xxiv. 6. 8. 10." Two writers of this age fuppofe, that, on our exppfition of this place, the cove nanters Ihould call themfelves John Jacob, and James If rael ; and here they make excellent fport, — -it^were a; pity to ipoil it, as it adds much to their happinefs. I re collect to have Ireard, that, when one laughs, he muft - .either laugh at the folly of pthers, or at his own. The laughter of thefe two. gentlemen is certainly of the lat-; ter kind,.: — The object of their derifipn is their own ig norance. They feem riot to have adverted, that the fur- - names they refer to are of very modern invention : The. iurnames the prophet alludes to are fuch as obtained in moft parts of the world in ancient times. And Vitringa ' remarks, that thefe furnames were of two kinds : " Vel- ^nim fvi.nt hfEreditar ja familia; . quae licet olim certis de ratipnibus, perfoni illuftribus impolita tandem in nomi- na familiae yerterunt, ut apud Romanos nomina Maximi. Crass 1, &c. Vel notant ItclxMmv hominibus fingulari- bus impofitam, per quam defcribuntur ab eorum'ingenio, fortuna habitu corporis, tit Craftus apud Romanos Dives; Cajus Caligula ; Q, Labienus Pjrthicds •coguoiuina- iixs o* ken by another, the phrafe is ftill t» p,nfo iara,, otto pviStf li*. 3. Becaufe the words, thus cited, are fpoken to them ol eic!." Vid. Frederic. Spanheim. P. Dub. Evan. P. III. 8ubs 138. GbQT< W v, 21. Lpovic.C/irEii. ibidem. t DISSERTATION XV. 5*49 to enter into them at the firft; and, if the matter of. them was lawful, equally finful to break them after they had been made. Again, Chrift reprobated their fwearing by creatures, in their ordinary converfation. Their falfe doctrine, on this head, feems to have been this, That they anfwered all the import of the third commandment, if they did not ufe any of God's names in their ordinary converfation; although they fware by his creatures : But the great teacher aflured them, he wqjild not beftow his glory on any creature, however glorious. The feope of this teftimony, as explained by Chrift, feems to be, as if he had faid, .c[i.'x.t> 5™?(f$«{ apud eundem Thucydidem. Apud Ariftotelem r.a.i' , ofi.o'h^M Bud. vertit Cum eo ut pactum conftituatur. Ex- ponit autem et Stipulationem contractus apud eundem. Plato in Critone e^oAefiV et ^vvtixxs copulavit, ut Lathie Pa&a et convenla fspe conjunguntur."- " O'^oAafiTfisv «AA«'Ao(f, vel fimpliciter a'ftoAoysTfisii, Plat. Inter nos conve- nit. Itfeni hi Critone, afuXoynxiitu 'ipy® km ei xiyx, ita con- .* Bbbb yeuifl'e* 562 DISSERTATION X\T. may juftly conclude, that the Church of Ephe1-- fits was a covenanted- church 3- yea,, the pro feflion of faith in all the Apoftolic Churches was a covenanted one, — a profeflion by which they vowed to abide, — -a profeflion unto which they engaged with every folemnity, that of an- oath not excepted. This fenfe of the term is as agreeable to the feope of the place as to the ufu-al acceptation of it. It was extremely proper to put the Hebrews in mind of thofe.fo- lemn engagements into;, which they entered at their firft admiflion into riie Gofpel Church,. when they were about to be expofed to hazard. on account of them, left at any time they fliould fall from their own fteadfaftnefs.- As to the feafon of this duty, It was performed prior to their admiflion to fealing ordinances, and fpe cial privileges of the Gofpel Church: It was the foundation of fellowfhip among her mem bers : They entered into thefe engagements even prior unto their admiflion to baptifm ; and, for this reafon, the ancients termed it the baptismal covenant. The greater part of thofe who were admittecLrinto the Gofpel venifle. Et cum infihitivo. Ifceus, xai- ti }th to iVopss uvt* afAoXoytvv uvcci Ta" Nixo^parov. DemoftheneS, «vsy ctvrx eftoX6^~~ yntrxvru. fiit u.Tvt'burriis.—OfA.iiXtyai Spondeo, Roganti promitto. ut Budasus exponit in hoc Libanii loco, iya ftiv GvtufttXi- ywioc, zrpog zx-itirov a$ iravrus ocv sra.po\ trov rvfcot." et Sic dici- tur~ ifioXoys'ir fwrCov, pacifci mercedeiii." Thefaur. Ling. Graec. in vocem. Alfo, confult Valesius in notas ad Harpochationem, p. 250. Lambert Bos Anim- adverfion. ad Scriptores quofdam Grascas, p. 24. Church DISSERTATION XVI. ySj Church being adults, they were capable of 'ma king this folemn declaration, to found coi fi- dence in the minds of thofe wlio received them. The fyftem to which they alfentetl was probably drawn up by fuch officers in the Church as received the candidates who offered. Thus, Paul drew up a fo r-m of sound words for Timothy: Said he, " Hold Tuft, the form of found words which thou haft heard of me," ¦Sec* A ¦ THIRDLY, I fliall enquire if thefe engage ments were, on fpecial occafions, renewed by the members of the Apoftolic Churches, and that with divine approbation. I conclude in the affirmative, for the following reafons. i. The Churches of Macedonia were brought into great trials, which they bore with cheerfulnefs and joy; and, at the- fame time, to exercife their liberality for the relief of the faints, which they did with readinefs: But how did they atchieve thefe things ? ~" And this they did, not as we hoped, but firft gave their own felves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God." This folemn dedication is not. that which obtained at the admiflion of the members of thefe churches unto baptifm ; but fuch as took place a long time afterwards. It will not be improper, however, to take a more narrow furvey of this text.— The duty performed, " They gave their own felves mi ll b. b b 2 to 564 - DISSERTATION XVI. to the Lord*." The foundation of faith m fuch a duty lies in that, or the like promife, " One fhall fay, 1 am the Lord's." They de dicated themfelves unto him as his people. This is the only fenfe in which perfons, already in a cliurch ftate, can be faid to give them felves unto the Lord. -The Apoftle adds, e improper^ to make a few extracts from it in this place, as it is not , 'in the hands of every reader : " The way whereby per-. fons enter into a church ftate is, by mutual confede-- ration, or folemn agreement for the performance of all the duties which the Lord Chrift hath prefcribed uni to his difciples in fuch churches.; and in order to the ex ercife of the. power wherewith they are intrufted, ac cording to the rule of the word. The things enfuing are clear and evident : 1 . The Lord ' Chrift, by his au thority, hath inftituted this church ftate. 2. That, by his ward, he hath granted powers and privileges unto ihis church ; and prefcribed duties unto all belonging to it. 3. That he doth require and command all his difi ciples to join themfelves in a church relation ; warrant ing them fo to do by his word and command- Where? fore, 4. This joining of themselves, whereon de pends all their intereft in church powers and privileges, . — all their obligation unto church duties, is a voluntary act of the obedience of faith unto the authority of Chrift, nor can it be any thing elfe. 5. Herein .they give' themselves unto the Lor,,d, and to one another, ac cording to the will of God. 6. To give ourselves •VSTQ JH 5 Lo rd Je s.us Christ is, exprefsly to engage tQ da DISSERTATION XVI. 5-65- to fuch as are over them in the Lord, to be guide .1 hy -them in all the ordinances of the Gofpel. Others underftand it of giving their- contribution iiito their hand, to be diftributed according to their wifdom. The former, which is the moft natural connection of the words, is moft generally received. The perfons who performed thefe du ties are, as the connection intimates, the Churches do and obferve. all that he hath appointed and command ed in the church ; as the phrafe every where fignifieth in Scripture ; as alfo, joining ourselves unto 'the Lord, which is the fame. 7. This resignation of our- felves unto the will, power, and authority of Chrift, with an exprefs engagement made unto him of doing and ob- ferving all his commandments, hath the nature of a co venant on our part ; and it hath fo on his, by virtue of ^the promife of his fpecial prefence, annexed unto this engagement on our part, Matth. xxviii. 19. 20. 8. There are three, things required unto a covenant be tween God and men: (1.), That it be of God's appoint ment. (2.) That, upon a prefcription of duties, there'be a folemn engagement unto the performance of them on the part of man. (3.) That there be a fpecial promife o~f God annexed thereunto (1 would rather fay prefixed), in which confifts the matter bf confederation, whereof mutual ftipulation is the form; all concur- herein ." " i 1 . There are many mutual duties required of all who join'them-> felves in church fbcieties, and powers to be exercifed and fubmitted unto, wliereunto none can be obliged without their own confent.. They rouft give themfelves to one. another by~ the will of God ; that is, they muft agree, Confent, and engage among themfelves, to obferve all thofe duties, to ufe ail thofe privileges, and to exercife- fill thqfe powers ^yhich the. Lord Chrift hath prefcribed audi 566 DISSERTATION XVL Churches in Macedonia. There were more than one church in Macedonia ; and all of them feem to have concurred in this duty. The dedication was folemn and focial ; and the practice appears to have been univerfal. The feafon in which they performed this duty. This was not at their firft erection. In dependents have pleaded for church-covenants to conftitute fingle churches, of no greater ex tent and granted unto his church, Jer. 1. 4, 5." " 14. Now, whereas thefe things, in themfelves, aHd for the fub ftance of them, ?re known gofpel duties, which all be lievers aie indifpenfibly obliged unto, the more exprefs our engagement is concerning them, the more do w6' glorify Clirift in our profeflion, and the greater fenfe of duty will abide on our confidences, and the greater en couragement be given unto the performance of mutual duties; as- alfo, the more evident will the warrant be for the exercife of church power.'' 1 j. The Lord Chrift having inftituted and appointed officers, rulers, or lead ers in his Church, to look into the difcharge of all church duties among the members of it, .to adminifter and difpenfb all its privileges, and to exercife all its au thority, the consent and engagement infilled on, is exprefsly required unto the cenftkution of this order," arid the prefervation of.it. 16. Wherefore, the formal caufe of a church conlifteth in an obediential act of be lievers, in fuch numbers as may be ufeful unto the ends of the churches edification, jointly giving up themfelves unto the Lord Jefus Chrift, to do and obferve all his com mands, refting on the promife of his fpecial prefence therein, giving and communicating all the rights, power, and privileges of his Church unto them; and, in a mutual agreement among. themfelves, jointly to perform all the duties required of them i.i that ftate ; v, ith an efpecial i'ubjection DISSERTATION XVI. 567 -tent than one congregation; but this was by churches already conftituted ; and it is extend ed to more congregations than one, on the oc cafion of their' contributing to the relief of their brethren at' Jerufalem. The churches of Ma cedonia confifted chiefly, if not wholly, of Gen tile believers : At this time they intended a fpecial act of communion with the Jews. How fliall they accomplifh it I They dedicate their perfons unto the Lord, prior to the dedication of their fubftance for the relief of his people* THE manner in which they performed -this duty. -They gave it a firft place, as a moft proper prelude unto others ; as it was a firft, or principal duty. It was unexpected^ The Apoftle expected, indeed, that they fliould attend unto the preaching of the gofpel, and fubjection unto the fpiritual authority of rules and rulers- appointed by Chrift. in that ftate." " 2 1. The fame way for the erection of a church ftate, for the participa tion of the more excellent privileges of the gofpel, and performance of the duties of it; for the fubftance of it is ftill continued, (viz. as under the Old Teftament) r For the conftitution of fuch a fociety as a church is, entruft- ed with powers and privileges, by covenant, or mutual confent, with an eifgagement unto the performance of all the duties belonging to it,— hath its foundation in the light 'of nature, fo far as it hath any thing in com mon with other voluntary relations and' focietles ; was inftituted by God himfelf, as the way and means of erect ing the church ftate of the Old Teftament ; and confift- e^h in the performance of fuch duties as are exprefsly required by all believers." True Nature of a Gofpel Church, chap, ii, ., the 568 DISSERTATION XVt* the adminiftration of the facraments of Bap tifm and the Lord's Supper ; but, as thefe churches had been lately erected, and, as theh members had covenanted at their admiffjori un to fpecial privileges, he did not expect a reno^ vation of them at this time. Neverthelefsj it met with divine approbation. It was done -ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF Go D . T-H E will of God is the reafon of. duty,— a valid reafon unto every confeientious perfon : The will of God is the rule and meafure of du ty, — j-even his revealed will in his word. Little, if any, of the New Teftament had been writ ten when this duty was performed : The canon of it, at lcaftv was by no means fettled. But they. had abundant notice of his will, as to this duty, in the Old Teftament: And they never dreamed but gofpel churches were built upon, the foundation of the .Prophets, as well as that of the Apostles. 2.1 have another reafon for concluding that the engagements of Chrifthnis in the Apofh> lie Churches were, on proper occafions, renew-** ed ; and that is, The Teftimony of Martyrs. Every martyr is, upon the matter^ a covenant er. When perfons were brought to martyr- , dom, they gave not only an explicit teftimony, for which they fuffered, but their adherence was frequently repeated, and publicly avowed. D I S S E R- DISSERTATION XVlI. » » » » » » > ^ O N T H E t 1 FOEDERAL TRANSACTIONS which -Obtained in The THREE FIRST CENTURIES / OF T H £ CHRISTIAN CHURCH, immediately after, the apostolic age. IN the foregoing Ettffertations I have beefl able to authenticate the facts I have nar~> rated by infpired hiftory. In the following, I muft "content myfelf with fuch evidence as can be produced from the monuments of uninfpired antiquity, taken in connection with Scripture prophecy, relating to the times to which thefe memoirs do refer. The period under confi deration has fewer monuments of the hiftorical kind than others which might be mentioned, -* C cCc indeed; 570 DISSERTATION XVlX indeed ; but thofe which exift are genuine^ and lefs enveloped in fable, than thofe of the" following centuries, which were forged in the dark reign of monkifh fuperftition and falfe- hoods ; having apoftolic men, for feme timer as living members; fo they had a more facred regard for apoftolic inftitutionsT and kept nigh- er the pattern fliewed in the mount ^ We have not related any of their deeds, as of equal au thority with the example of infpired perfons j or as of any authority at all, farther than they exemplify divine inftitutions. But in fo far as they acted up, in any meafure, unto the facred ftandard, their example is worthy of our imi tation. It becomes us to tread in the foot- fteps of the flock. The plan we defign to pur- fue is, — I. To furvey the Creeds, Confeflions, and Covenants which took place during the time we have fpecified. — -II. The CirGumftan- ees of the Church, which rendered thefe fit and feafonable. — III. The Natural and. Actual tendency of fuch Tranfactions ? EIRST, I muft furvey the Creeds, Con cessions, and Covenants which obtained in the three firft centuries of the Chriftian Church, immediately after the apoftolic age. This province has been cultivated by many ; but few have attended to it with that diligence and induftry which the importance of the fub ject demands. Their labours, however, have been ferviceable in this matter, I noticed al ready DISSERTATION XVII. $7 1 ready, that the paftoi^s of particular churches formed creeds unto fuch as fubmitted unto their miniftry: Hence, we need not greatly wonder, if we find fbme verbal difference a- mong them, while they were materially and fubftantially the fame. It is our purpofe to in- fert as literal a tranflation as poflible of fuch creeds as have come to hand, fubjoining the briginalih the notes; fo that the intelligent reader may judge for himfelf as to the juftice and propriety of it*. Irenjeus gives us the firft composition, which bears the name of a creed, to the fol lowing purpofe : "For, although the Church be diffufed over all the world, yet fhe received from the Apoftles, and their difciples, the Faith in one God the Father, Almighty, the maker * Prior to'Irenseus, we have a luminary of faith whicli ibme ftyle a Creed, others not, given by Ignatius. Tho'- it does not bear the form of one, yet I have thought pro per -here to infert Bifhop Wake's tranflation of it; as it is the fame in fubftance with fome others acknowleged to be creeds : " Stop your ears therefore, as* often as anyone mall fpeak contrary to jefus Chrift ; who was of the race of D^.vid, of the Virgin Mary, Who was truly' born, and did eat and drink ; was truly perl ecatecl under .Pontius Pilate; was truly crucified and dead;, both thofe in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, being fpectators of it : Who was alfo truly, raifed from the dead by his Father, after the fame manner as he will alfo raife up us who believe in him, by Chrift Jefus ;¦ without whom we have no true life." Ignatius's Epiftle to the Trallians, chap. ix. Edit. 4. by Bifhop Wake, London; 1737. ' '.-' CCCC 2 of 572 DISSERTATION XVII. of heaven and earth, and fea, and all things, in them : And in one Chrift Jefus, the Son of God, incarnate for our falvation: And -in one Holy Spirit, who announced by the Prophets- the difpenfations of Jefus Chrift, the Beloved, our Lord, and his coming, and his being born pf a virgin, and his paflion and refurrection from the dead, and his -afcenfion in the flefh into heaven ; and his coming from heaven in the glory of the Father, to gather all things, together into one, and to raifed up the bodies of all men ; that, according to the will of the. invifible Father, every knee fhould bow of things in heaven and things on earth, to Chrift Jefus our Lord and God and Saviour and: King; and that every tongue fliould confefs to. him :-, and that he may exercife juft judgment upon all, and fend fpriritual wickednefles, and trank greffing and apoftate angels, and all utigodi ly, unrighteous, and lawlefs and blafpheming .men into, eternal fire -% but conferring life on the righteous and holy, who keep his com mandments, and continue in his love, whether from the beginning, or from the time of their confeflion ; and that be may give unto theru immortality, and put them into poffeflion of eternal glqry*." The fame author exhibits an-* * *' H f.h yap acxXntrlcf xcu Trip xvJ'' aXqs t?j lixuftUnr eaj'jrps;- T«v r«£ yns io;i yh xxi. rcc; ^aXcio-ira,;, y.a.'i vravlg, T« h av-. Hth, zri'scv x.ct! el; hec Xpirov ^ItiTHt viibv tb~ ©ss to» QpfxeiSitlQ %-v-it- t»? ifLtllp*? . conomy, That God hath a Son, who proceed ed from him, by whom all things were made, and without him was nothing made : We be lieve, that he was fent into a virgin, and born of her ; (he was) both God and man, the Son of Man and the Son of God, furnamed Jefus Chrift: That he fuffered, was dead, and buried, according to the Scriptures ; that he was raifed again by the father, and taken up into heaven, to fit at the right hand of the Father ; that he fhall come to judge the quick and the dead ; from whence alfo he -lent the Paraclete, the Holy Ghoft, from the Fattier, according to his own promife, the fanctifier of the faith of thofe who believe in the Father,. Son, and Holy Ghoft*." The laft, and fhorteft, form we fhall - -. .. extract fernas et promifTorum. eoeleffiium fructum, et ad prophar. nos judicaudps igni perpetuo, facta "utriufque partis re- fufcitatio-ne cum carnis refurrectione." Praefcript cap. xiii. - # thor ; but, as there are feme doubts whether they "be really his or not, I fliall not flay to con fider it, but proceed to that of Gregory Thau- mauturgus : "There is one God, the Father of the living Word, the fubfifting wifdom and power, and character of the eternals, who is the perfect begotten of a perfect, a Father of an only begotten Son, and one Lord, one of one, God of God,, tihe exprefs image and cha racter of the Godhead, the word of power, the wifdom that comprehends the whole fyftem of the miiverfe, the power that, made every crea- , ture, the true Son of the true Father, invifible of invifible, incorruptible of incorruptible, im mortal of immortal, eternal of eternal : And one diebus,- ficut per Prophetas fuos ante promiferat, mifit Dominum noftrum Jefum Chriftum, primo quidem voca- turum Ifrael, fecundo~vero etiam ge'ntes poll perfidiam populi Ifrael. Hie Deus juftus et- bonus pater domini noftri Jefu Chrifti, Legem et Prophets,s- et Evangelia ipfe dedit, qui et Apoftolorum Deus eft, et veteris et novi Teftainenti : Turn dcinde quia Jefus Chriftus ipfe qui venit, ante omnem creaturam natus ex patre eft : Qui cum in omnium conditione patri miniflraflet (per ipfum- enim omnia facta funt)^ nbviflimis temporibus feipfum exinajiiens homo fact us eft, incarnatus eft cum Deus eflet, et homo mahfit quod Deus erat. Corpus afliimpfit cor- pori noftro fiiiiile, eo folo differens, quod natuni ex Ylr- gine et Spiritu Sancto eft, et quoniam hie Jefus Chriftus natus et paflus eft in veritate, et non per imagiiiem, comniunem hane mortem vere mortuus eft;- vere enim a morte refurrexit, et poft refurrectioriem converfatus cum Difcipulis fuis afi'umv-tus eft.— ~ Turn deinde hohore ac dignitate: DISSERTATION XVII. 579 one Holy Ghoft, having his fubfiftence from God, who was manifefted unto men by the Son, being the perfect image of the perfect Son, the living caufe of all living, the fountain of holinefs, elfential farictity, author of holi nefs in all others; in whom God the Father is manifefted, who is above all, and in all ; and God the. Son, who is through all: A per-. feet Trinity, whofe glory is undivided, eterni ty arid dominion unfeparated. In this Trinity j therefore, there is nothing created, or fervile, ; — nothing adventitious, or extraneous, that did not exift before, but came afterwards into it: The Father never exifted without the Son, nor the Son without the Spirit ; but the Trini ty abides the fame unchangeable and invari- dignitate Patri ac Filio fociattim tradiderunt • SpkTtunt Sanctum, in hoc non jam mahifefte difcernitiii-, utrura natus aut lnnatus- Sed inquirenda jam ifta pro viribus funt de Sacra Scriptura, et-fagaci perquifitione invefti- .ganda, fane qtiod ifte Spiritus Sanctus unumquemque' Sanctorum vel Propbetai-um, vel Apoftolorum infpiravit, et non alius Spritus in veteribus, alius vero in his, qui in adventu Chrifii infpirati funt, manifeftiffime in Ec- clefiis pradicatur. Poft hsec jam, quod anima fubftantir am, vitamque habens propriam, cum ex hoc mnndo dif-~ cefl'e)-it, et pro fuis meritis-difpeiifabit, five vitre Eeternae ac beatitndinis luereditate potitura, fi hoc ei fua gefta prxftiterirtt ; five igne xterno a? fuppliciis mancipanda, fi in hoc earn fcelerum culpa detorferit. Sed et cpiia erit tempus refurre<5tionis mortuorum, cum corpus hue quod in corrnptione feminatur, fin-get in incorruptione, et > quod feminatur in ignominia; furget in gloria." Ori- " GEN, in'Procein. lib. De principiis. Dddd 2 .- -.•¦ able j8a. DISSERTATION XVII, able for ever *." This author "was one of Ori-> gen's pupils, in the Alexandrine feminary ;. and this doctrine was probably inftilled into him by it: It is expreffed in terms iefs fimple, and more philofophic than any former fummary.-^ As there were Creeds compofed by particular paftors, whofe writings have been preferved to our time ; fo it is highly probable, that, after churches were planted, the fame Creeds were continued, and new members received, by tefti» fying their approbation of them. A few in-*- ftances might be adduced to this purpofe : The Church of Jerufalem had a Creed, which bore its name, as well as thofe of Caefarea and Alex^ andria. The firft, extracted from the comment taries of Cyril of jerufalem, runs nearly in the following terras : "T believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,, und all things vifible and invifible : And in one Lord Jefus Chrift, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages,, the true God, by whom all things were madej * "' Eia; vtpirutrqf, Kqldvvuftta;^,- ULcit xlapa,KTvp(§p 'xtot.t£ T;ASf(3>->, tsAe/W yinvTtup TfXTtip vix* (ttoyoyevaV. it; -Avpt@*, jttov®- *&. povov, Bs\; Ix. B-£od. o %a.paxliip xctt ilxav T(?,f S-io\ 'rijros, Xayo; tv&pyos , cp(pii& r»; ra/v o'Xuv: trv^c&u-iai; TTiptsxTtx-ii, X&4 ¦^vvxfiii'; T?s oAijf xrt via; 7rotertxti, v'to; «Ai)SV'%> f"'w«p|(v e^oy, •kxi Ji Jiet) 7i-ttpr,vu(\ \yiXet,6>! I11Q ctv&paTrotQ^ uxav ,l«u vtov ItXu'ov, 1sA?('»^ ?*¦* "£«vl»» ailt a, snjyu ayt'^i> aytlt lijc aytairfiJQ #« |My0C," &e, Tom. IL p. 078, oyg, who DISSERTATION XVII. 581 .who' was incarnate, and made man ; who was, crucified and buried,. and the third clay he a- ^ofe again from the dead, and afcended into heaven, and fitteth on the right hand of the Father, and fhall come to judge the quick and the dead ; of whofe kingdom there fhall be no end : And in the Holy Ghoft, the comforter,, who fpake by tile prophets : In one Baptifm of repentance, in the remiflion of fins ; in one Catholic Church : In the refurrection 6f the flefli, and life eveitafting*." But when churches became peftered.with corrupters of the faith, there were alfo Creeds formed by Councils, whether Provincial or General. That of An- tioch, which was a Provincial Synod, met anna 272, and not only condemned Paul Satnofate- - nus ; but alfo gave' out a Confeflion of their Faith, in direct oppofition to his, errors"}". That of Nice is too well known to be here inferted ; it is' alfo beyond our time : — It was formed by what is called a General Council., But, as there were, various, forms of found words unto which the primitive Chriftians declared their ;affent, in order to membership; fo there were various fpecial folemnities by which their affent was expreffed. The learned Vit'r ing a avers, That they required an explicit covenant, rati-. fied with the folemnity of an oath ? His words are, -*' The primitive Cliurch received none into * Vide Usser. de Syrobolis. '(> Vi4e,,FQRBESSit Inftructiones Thcol. p. 10. -¦"¦'.• her 5*82 DISSERTATION XVII. her bpfbm, but fech as were well inftrudted, and fully, perfuaded of the fruth which they profefled; then they not only encouraged them unto conftancy by exhortations, but alio bound them with oaths, intermixed with various rites*." And the truth of this aflertion may receive as ample proof as the nature of the thing can admit of: It being attefted by co- .teniporary heathen authors, as well as the fuffrage of Chriftians themfelves. The per fbns admitted were either adults, who being converted from heathenifm, and having under gone various preparatory trials, were, aTrlaft, admitted into the Church by folemn covenant ing : Or, they were fuch as had been baptized in infancy, in the Chriftian Church, and made a like folemn profeflion prior to their partici pation of the Lord's Supper. This covenant confifted of three parts, A folemn pfofeffion of faith, either in the terms of the Creed of that church into which they entered, or by refpon- fes unto particular queries put to them by the pa ftors. — -A folemn renunciation'of Sin, Satan, and the World : — -And, A folemn dedication of their perfons and fervices to our Lord Jefus Chrift. This dedication had in it the nature of a vow, and was accompanied with an oath; having a folemn appeal unto the party with whom they covenanted : The truth is, ancient writers un- * Vitringa, Obf. Sac. Lib. H. cap. vi. animoufly DISSERTATION XVII. 5-83 aiiimoufly teftify, that this covenant was both fworn and fubferibed. The moft ancient tefti* mony. which can be adduced is that of Pliny : His Epiftle to Trajan was written either in the feventh of tenth year of the fecond century; and, at the longeft computation, within twelve years of the death of the Apoftle John ; per* haps within five or fix after tlie canon of Scrip ture was completed. Hence we may conclude, that, as he reprefents it to Trajan as the-gene- ral practice of tlie Church at that time, it muff. have prevailed every where hi the time of that Apoftle's life. His words are, " They affirm ed, the whole of their guilt, or their error, was, that they met on a certain ftated day, before it was light, and addrefled themfelves in a form of prayer to Chrift, as to fome God, bind ing themfelves by a solemn oath, not for the -purpofes of any wicked defign; but never to cOmmit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falfify their word, nor deny a truft when they fliould be called upon to deliver it up; after which, it was their cuftom to feparate, and then reaflemble, to eat in commoh a harm- lefs meal*." Justin Martyr, who lived near the middle of the fecond century, wrote his fecond apology about the year 160; and be * See Melmoth's tranflation, p. 673. The origi nal is, "'Affirmabant autem, hanc fuifle vel culpae fu?e, velv errors quod eflint foliti ftato die ante lucrum convinere ; carmenque Chrifto quafi Deo/dkere fecumin vicem: fe- '.V , . ¦-. - 1ue 584 DISSERTATION XVII. he declares in it, " That baptifiii was giveii only to thofe who, to the Confeflion of their Faith, added. a Vow, to live according to their knowledge." Tertullian, who came near fifty years, later, .frequently mentions" the fo lemn abjuration of the Devil and his works. When inveighing againft fhows, and theatri cal reprefentations, urgeth their folemn cove nanting prior. to their baptifm : " Thefe things que Sacra Men to *, non in fcelus aliquod obftringere, fed ne; furta, ne Latrocinia,, ne ad ulteria committerent, ne fidem fallerent, ne depofitum appellati abnegarent. Ojiibus peractis, morerh fibi difcendi fuifle, rurfufque co- eundi ad capiendum cibum promifcuum tamen, et in- noxum." * As fome appear not to have litiderftood the term Sacramentum, I have fubjoined the account of it which is given by Faber : " Sacramentum idem quod jusjufan-' duni. Fefius Sacramentum dicitur, quod jurejurando fa-» cratione interpofita actum eft : unde quis Sacramento interrogari dicitur, quia jusjurandum interponitur. Sa cramentum perfidum dicere apud Horat. II. Cariri. Ocl. xvii. Sacramento obligare, Cicer. Offic. Lib. I.- cap. ii. Sacramento rogare aliquem, Qjiintil. Lib. XII. cap. ii. , i. e. Jurejurando adigere Sacramento dicere, Liv. Lib. XXIV. cap. viii. &c. k»t fa%w quafi de. jurejurando jni- . litar-i dicitur cujus Exempluih apud Gellimn, Lib. XVI. cap. iv. Vid. Lipfium, Lib. I. de militia, Dial. vi. Vo* care ad Sacramentum, adigere Sacramento miHtes1 Sumere Sacramentum, &c. Et hoc fenfu-de Chriftianis poteft accepi .quando per Baptifmum' Ecclefise inferuntur jura* mento que fe Chriflo oblfgant.Hcerom. Kpift. I. ad He- liadorum, " Recordare Tirocinii tui Diem Chrifto in Baptifmate confepultus in Sacranaenti verba jurafti.'/ Et ante hunc Tertullian: ad Martyr es, cap. iii. " Vocati . fumus ad militiam Dei vivi jam tunc, cum in verba Sa- cramenti refpondiriius." Vide Faber apud vocem. (faid DISSERTATION- XVII. J.8JT (faid he)- belong unto the pomp of the Devil* againft which we swoR f. at the fealing of our - Creed : And what did we fwear againft ? That we ought not to partake of thefe things, el-,, ther by deeds, or words, or fight, or prefence : But do we not refeind our subscription, when we refeind the teftimony of it*," viz. by an unbecoming converfatiom In'his book on! the foul, " Thou covenantedeft to renounce him and his pomp} and his yan gels -\" viz. the; ' Devil. Terojvi alfb aflures!us, that folemn co- venanting preceded baptifiii : . " We enter in to covenant with the Sunvof -Righteoufhefs ; 'and engage that we fliall ferve him J/- The very ufe of Creeds feems to have been, that ?"they might form covenant-articles between Chrift aiid the perfort profefling his adherence to it. The term Symbol um feems to import: as much. Says Witsiu.s, " The Creed is called symbolum — it is the Teffera, as it were, of the covenant into which we enter* -with God at baptifiii; and the ^military oath by which thefe foldiers, who are faithful to Chriftj are eafily diftinguifhed from perfidious deferters §." -.Nor is Suicerus otherways minded-: He reckons it is fo called in allufion to the military oath, or contract, which foldiers made with the Emperor, when engaged into *, DeSjieiftaculis, cap. xxiv. -j- De Anima, cap. xviI7 X Jeroni in Amos vi. 14. \\ '§. In Symbohun.v E e e e h\% y86 DISSERTATION -XVII. - his fervice; for the.(Cread is the token of the: covenant we make with Gad, at our baptifm^ And this author, is fupported by the authority of, Ambrose, who ftyles the Creed, " The oath of our warfare." As , alfb of Petrus, Chr ysolog u s, who declares, "The cove nant by which we have hope, either for pre fent or future gain, was called Symbolum, whcther.it be a divine or liuman cost ract." As folemn covenanting Obtained in the firft ages of the Chriftian Church, fo.it was* con* tinued until the days of Gregory Na.zian-: z en, as appears from a bond of his yet extant, the tenor whereof follows: " Ry the eternal- Word I fwear,. even, that great divinity, who, being the brightiiefe of the Father's glory, and in nature equal unto him, came down to us from his eternal kingdom : I folemnly fwear,. That I will never embrace any evil opinions xepughant to.the truth : That, in my Creed, I will never exchange the true God. for an-, other ; 'lev-en the eternal Word for one of an inferior char-acler; and that, affrighted by no affliction -whatever, will I ever confent to di vide the honour due to the ever bleffed Trini ty'*'!". From thefe evidences, I hefitate not to conclude, That, as covenanting obtained in the firft centuries- of the primitive Church, im mediately after the apoftolic age ; fo thefe co^ venants were ratified with the folemnity of an 5: ¦ ; , .'.- - -' - . ¦¦ - ,' * NAZIANZENj Q,ft»r*~'}h Xiyts, &C. - oath,: DISSERTATION XVH. 587 oath. I fliall how enquire if they were fub-> feribed : And the evidences„of fubfeription are equally deeifive. Says Vit ringa, " The bap tized insc rib ed (their names) in the tables of the Church, in the catalogue, of believers, in the Book of Life (if it be lawful fo to fpeak). Thisappears from Cyprian, and the" common practice of the ancient Church : And there is ~a Differtation of Dodwell's, De Diptychi.s, as thefe tables were ftyied, a- niong his Cyprianic Diflerta tions, juft now coui1- liiended*." This fubfeription, oh: thefe tables, is confidered by Vitringa as the accomplifli- ilaeiit of that prediction : " And anpther fliall subscribe with the hand unto, the Lord'h." Ambrose, when acldreffing fuch as had been initiated into the Cliurch, and admitted to baptifm, faid to each of them, " Thy hand writing is regiftrated not only on earthy but alfo in heaven J." And Gregory Nazian- zen, addrefled them in the following feriiis-: i( If thou haft subscribed any other faith than that whichT have .taught, come and be Stnrolled again. . And fay to thofe who would perfuade thee to change thy faith, What 1 HAVE WRITTENl HAVE w'RlTTEN§." Should any afk if covenanting was ~a term of communion in the primitive Church ? I would '* In If. xliv. 5. f If. xliv, 5. . " $ Afhbrof. De Sacramento,, Lib ^ I, cap. ij. .jf Orat. XL. Eeee 2 ¦ anfw/e;r, j88" DISSERTATION XVII. anfwer, That covenanting, accompanied with every ^requifite folemnity, was the mode af aflenting unto the terms of communion, When an adult candidate offered himfelf for Baptifm, or the Lord's Supper, and was ranlo ed among the comp et ent by fuch as examine «d him, In the audience of the congregation he folemnly dedicated himfelf. to Chrift, be-^ fore the paftor, difpenfed the facred rite unto him*. Now, if folemn covenanting was..: a term of admiflion to Baptifm, fo was it like* ways of the Lord's Supper ; for unbaptized per* fons might not approach the holy table, R "was alfo a term of communion in the reftora* tion of fiich as had fallen either into, error or . immorality, a^ well as the reception of perfbns a.% the firft. I fhall fatisfy my felf with the iingle inftance of Ne s tori u s,, iiv this matter* The Synod of Ephefus wrote unto him in the following terms : -^ It will not anfwer the ends of religion for thee Amply to eonfefs the creed" of thy faith ; but thou muft alfo affure us by oath, that thou art of the fame fentiment with us, and wilt teach the church the very fame doctrine -j* ," ¦ - &?*" , SECONDLY, The propriety of thefe Creeds, and covenants w|U appear, if -we confider the * The ufual mode of felf-dedication, as Vitringa and Otfierg deduce it from-tlie ancients, wa,s, 2i/w«f<|!<«i ia. , -J; Vi4e Av1&' Synodi «* Tom,, Cojincil. ' ¦'-',; |seculia.e- DISSERTATION XVII. 589 peculiar circumftances in which they were placed who framed and ufed them; When the Gof pel was addrefled to the Gentiles, after the re furrection of Chrift, however widely tliey differ- fed from the Jews in, other things, they perfect ly agreed with them hi their oppolition to it. The latter had formed themfelves into various fects, each of which Jiad its peculiar dogmas, ftrongly tinctured" with the fpirit of error. Befides, the common and capital miftake 're flecting the Mefliah, which blinded them all, and' prevented them from finding, his prophe tic characters fully anfw ered in Jefus of Na zareth 5 the greater part of them fhewed a fu- peripr f ondnefs for human traditions rather than divine inftitutions. The Romans, who had f'wal- lowed the religion of all other 'nations, had not incorporated the Jewifli fyftem with their grand Catholicon however, although they had reduced Judea into the form of a Roman pro vince. They were Obliged to give a practical demonftration, that the Lord God of Ifrael cannot admit of any partner, or competitor, in his glory and fervice. On this account, they detefted the Mofaic fyftem, as far as they knew" it- They imagined, the religion of Jefus was equally unfqcial : Hence We find them fome times confounding the Chriftians with the Jews; and detefting the former for the very fame reafon they abhorred the latter. , But this did hot hinder both Jews and Romans from cOn-, fpjring to crufli the dactrhie of Chrift Cruci^ fleet j-cjo DISSERTATION XVII. fied and Glorified, which is the .centre of the Gofpel. And tile deadly feuds which obtain- s ed between the JeWifh fectsfeem to have been forgotten by their union, in perfecuting th'e'follb-wers of Jefiis. • The Sadducees, who held- much the fame rank among them, as the deifts among us, coincided* with the philofo- phevs of Athens and Rome, in oppofition to the doctrine of a Refurrection, whether of Chrift or his people. Thefe men confidered, this doctrine as worthy of the keeneft fa tire. The philofopher laughed in fecret at thelfoper-' ftition of the prieft and populace, while he pu blicly profeffed to revere the vileft deities; and moft profound veneration for the moft trifling, not to fey impious ceremonies. They were full as much maftcrs of diflimulation as, any of our moderns, who profefs the eftabliflied relU gion of their country, while there is fcarce an article of it which they believe. They were at lefs pains, at leaft,: to undeceive their fellow-worfhippers in this matter. Nor were the' Jews more fincere", though better-inftrucl:- ed. than -the heathen. But, as it . frequently happens, the lefs perfons are holy, and the more, they are eftranged from" working righte oufhefs, they truft the more unto their own. merit; and are lefs fenlible of their infinite need of a righteoufnefs better than their own: So, in this inftance, both went about to efta blifh a righteoufnefs of their own; the one, as ft 'were, by the works of the Mofaic law; the o- ther, DISSERTATION XVII. yc>i ther, as it were, by the works of the law of nature, written cm their hearts. The Philo fopher and the Pharifee were alike enemies to the blelfednefs of the man unto whom Gor> I M P DTE TH RIGHTEOUSNESS WITHOUT works. To combat thefe principles, to conquer thefe prejudices, was. the work of the Apoftles and firft- preachers of the Gofpel ; when, aided by the Holy GJioft, they firft plant ed the Gofpel Churches. We need not be furprized, though the cunning, but cruel prieft hood, addrefled the fears of the Roman Senate to procure a decree for crufliing the, kingdom of heaven in the bud; — they could not fail to reprefent every innovation in religion as- fatal ~ to.' the -State ; and the Chriftian religion, in particular, as calculated to convulfe it to its , Ipweft bafe. . Nero> the hater of mankind, readily believed that the followers of Jefiis entertained as- great ah enmity againft their fpecies. as himfelf ; or he was glad of this fpe- ciotts pretext to cover his own malicious defigns. " Thus, all the paffions,all the interefts of men, fought for idolatry : How' powerful is intereft when it can cover itfelf with the pretext of-re- ligion or patriotifm \" - Thus the followers of Ghrifthad to fuftain the fury, endure the mock ery, and confute the errors. of the whole world; as thefe were united Hn tlie Roman Empire. The idolatrous priefthood, having called in the aid of the fword to fupport their falling caufe, it raged, .with -infernal" fury,, againft every ¦S9 2 p I S S E, R T A T 1 0 N XVIL ' ' ' ' ^ . \ ©very one who profeifed faith in the name of Jefus ; but the more it raged, the more , their number, and fortitude encreafed. Before the endbf the firft century $ there was not a pro vince of the empire in which there, were not multitudes of converts to the. hew religion's The faith iind patience of the faints overcame the craft and cruelty of their perfecutors. The. aflured hope of a glorious •refurrecfion, which: was brought to light by the Gofpel, fupported them under all the miferies of life, and death itfelf, in all the hideous forms in which it was prefented. — — -Philofophy alfo found itfelf at tacked by the firft preachers, of the Gofpel, as to her notions of a Deity, and the creation of the univerfe ; for they delivered the Mofaic fyftem in its fimplicity, without verging towards the fabulous traditions of the Jews, Ori the one hand; and the vain conceits of Epicurus or. Ariftotle, on the other. - '/' - • , These things are fufficient to account for' .the various articles which formed the Creed of the primitive Church. If we apply them., we will find, that each article-was laid in op* pofition to fome error then prevalent, and e- mine-ntly feited unto the condemnation of it. The firft article of ahnoft every Creed, for example, was aimed not only agfahlft the general Polytheifin of the nations; but alfo a-* gainft the abfurd notions of two principles/, the ' one good and the other evil. The next' affert- -;¦ ; ¦¦ , ed. Dissertation xvii. y93 fed ihe creation of the univerfe, in oppofition to the advocates for the eternity of it. The article refpecting the Mefliahfhip of the Lord Jefus. Clirift, in oppbfitioii to the Jews, who looked for another j as alfo, tlipfe falfe Chrifts" who theh obtruded themfelves oh the -World. The doctrine of his Sonfhip was ever maintain ed, in oppofition to all the malice of the Jews, who perfecuted him to the death, becaufe he laid claim to that high character^ and fo made himfelf eqlial with God-. The doctrine of his Crucifixion .flood always in contraft with that of leo-al fi*>hteOufnefs : And the doctrine of his. Refurrection and future glory was e- qually neceflary^ as a comfort to his people ill fuffering ; he being the firft fruits of them .who flept: As. alfo, in regard of the oppofition made to it by the Jews denying the fact, on the one hand ; and the Philofophers, Eree- thinkers> and Sadducees; who denied the pofli- bility of it, on the other. The dOdtrhie of his Dominion was not only neceflary, to exclude! every ftrange lord; but alfo as a badge of ¦ loyalty among all who named his name. And the affuraiiCe of this article preferved his in- ftitutions in their purity and fimplicity, as long as. it was entertained by his followers. From this fpecimen it is plain, that thofe . articles which formed the Creed of the primi- ' t-ive Church were the present truth iri * Ffff , -A that y9 4 ' DT £ S E R T A T I O N XV'if . that age, — the word of Christ's pati> ence ; and the testimony of h'i§ followers., , But when the Church began to fpread a- broad, and ftand forth as the pillar and ground of Truth, fhe was far from being fecure from the attacks of her enemies. A fpecies of them, ftill more formidable than any yet mentioned, began the attack within her own walls. Thefe were fuch of the heathen Philofophers as had embraced the profeflion of Cllriftianity ; — they endeavoured to blend divine myfteries with the peculiar fyftem of the feci to which they belonged: And temporizing Chriftians, who fought to trim the infpired fyftem into an ac commodation with the dogmas of the heathen religion. The former tried to fpoil religion through philofephy ; and the latter through vain deceit. They began to be weary of con tending againft the multitude, and ftriving a- gainft the ftream of oppofition to which the; former Chriftians had been expofed : They^ thought it eafier, by much, to fail with the, wind; down the current of Vulgar prejudices.; and to borrow the reputation^of philofephy, to fereen their fyftem of divinity from igno-' ininy. The Church was In danger of this infec tion as early as the days of the Apoftles; but it raged with far more fury afterwards. The mixture DISSERTATION XVII. 5-95- mixture was fo dreadfully dangerous, that, we need not greatly wonder, if the faithful ovei> feers of the Chnrch ufed every lawful precau tion to prevent it. This fliews the propriety of keeping perfons, who fought admifrioh into the church, fo long in the ftate of catechu mens ; as alfo of the diligence they ufed, both in inftruction and examination, before they admitted them to actual memberfhip, &nd fpecial fellowfhip. THIRDLY, Should any enquire, What were the Effects of thefe Tranfactions ? We fliall mention only two of them. 1.. Distinguished holiness in the live? and converfations of Chriftianss While the -care and Watchfulnefs of the Church excited her to bring, all her members under folemn engagements, both in refpect to their profef lion and converfation, her fuccefs -bore feme proportion to her diligence. Their enemies, were obliged to acknowledge their innocence and purity hi all things, except in their obfti- nacy in cleaving to the Truth. Pliny feems forced to own their innocence in . alf tilings ^ excepting with refpect to their God - " I put two female flaves to thetorture (faid he) ; — -but I could difcover nothing more than an abfurd and exceflive fuperftition.'* -¦TV , Jfff 2 ^2. Another, 590 DISSERTATION XVII, 2. Another Effect of thefe Tranfa&ions was Courage and Conftancy in Dea1;h, :- Mr- Adam, in his controverfy with Glas, gives us the following anecdote: " "When he (life* nasus) was bifliop 'of Lyons, in, France, he brought his congregation under a folemn bond to adhei-e unto Ghriftianityy not only in.oppo* fition .to Heathenifm ; "but likeways to the ma ny Sects and ' Herefies which then prevailed; and wrote unto the neighbouring bifhop^ to dq the fame: Of which engagements he minds, fome of his friends, when they were going to gether to martyrdoni *." For which fie quotes feed. Epit. p. 58. by I, S.< Uppn which Mr A- dam makes this1 reflection, " So that this Ta-. ther looks' as like an old Scotch Covenanter- as any thing I can imagine." * See Adam's Review of Letters, p, 50,.. m$s.ER' DISSERTATION XVIII. ON THE '- FOEDERAL TRANSACTIONS WHICH OBTAINED IN THE i " REFORMED CHURCHES ABROAD. DURING the reign of Ahtichrifb, the Witnefles of Jefus prophefied in fado cloth, and were driven, into corners.; never- vhelefs he ftill refeu'ved unto himfelf a feed to do him fervice in the world. It were a, tafk fufficiently worth while, to attend unto their Teftimony, on the one haiid ; and unto the image of divine ordinances, which the Man of Sin fubftituted in the place, of Chrift's , kiftitutions, on the other hand : As alfb to trace this -corruption unto its genuine fource j but thefe things require more room than can befpared in this treatife. — -L I fhah1 furvey the Teftimony of the Waldenfes and Bohemian brethren, who were a noble prelude of the Reformation. — II. I, fliall fpecify fome of the rnoft remarkable Foederal Tranfactions which a^ain^d hi the B^e f or n\ed Churches themfelves.' £90, DISSERTATION|| XVIIL FIRST, I fhall furvey the Testimony of the Waldenfes and Bohemian brethren. The origin of tlie former has been involved in much obfcurity among ecclefiaftic hiftorian s : And a variety of circumftances have precluded me from inyeftigating it with that care which the fubject demands, I fhall follow the- narrative of Archbifhop Us h e r, who underftood the fiib- ject as well as any man in his own, Or our age ; along with the account of F, Spanheim, F. F, and fiich authors as the reader fliall find referred to in the notes, The moft certain monuments refpecting them, find them, in the twelfth Cen tury, aflb.ciated under Pet Er Waldo, a weal thy merchant of Lyons; who gave up his fecu- lar employment and commenced Divine, who tranflated, or caufed to be. tranflated, the holy Scriptures into the vulgar langnage ; that is, both the Old and New.Teftamefit. ' This is a fufficient refutation of the Popifh calumny, by which they are accufed of the errors of the Manichee-s, in reprobating the Old Teftament: Yea, a certain inquifitoracknowlegeth, that w the vulgar among them had the greater part of tlie Old and New Teftameiits by heart*." I find two fummaries of their faith preferved by Usher : One of them directed againft the Church of Rome, and th'e-.other againft the a- bominations of the Manichees, as in favour of the whole -Chriftian fyfteiii. According to • * Reinerus De Harrefi WalclenHraii, cap. iii. "the DISSERTATION XVIII. y99 the hiftory of iEne as, Sylvius, in Usher *, the doctrines of this church are, " The Tope of Rome is on a level with e- very other biihop. Th ere is no difference among Priefts ; and Prefbyters are not of different degrees, on ac count of dignity in office ; but only of ufeful- nefs and purity of life. / When fouls depart out of their bodies, they go immediately, either into eternal punifliment or eternal joy. There is no fuch thing as the, fire of Pur gatory. Prayer for the dead is vanity ; and the mere invention of facerdotal avarice. Imag es" of God and Saints are to be demo- lifhed. The benedictions of Water and Palm-trees are mere folly. ' The Devils invented the Relio-ion of the Mendicants. Priests fliould not be rich; but content with the contributions of the people. Ev er y ^ perfon fhould have accefs to the free preaching of the Gofpel. No Sin ought to be tolerated, though for a- voiding greater evil. He who is. guilty of any capital offence * ./Eneas. Sylvius,. De Reims Bohem.-cap. xxxv. ¦¦?- ought $rjo DISSERTATION XVIlt^ ought to enjoy neither, Secular nor1 Ecclefiaftic Dignity, neither, ought Jie to be obeyed. Pop i s h Confirmation, Chrifm, Extreme Unc tion, are by no means facraments. Auricular Confess ion is mere trifling : It is enough for perfons to confefs their"fins to God, in their clofets. Baptism to fie received by "water j without the mixture of oil. '- . Consecrated Burial-pl aces are vain • be? ing invented irie-rely for the fake of gain: And it is of no importance what kirid of duft cover the human body after it is dead. The Temple of the ' Omniprefent God is the whole world ; and they limit his Maje*- fty, who confine his prefence to confecrated churches, monafteries,and oratories, which they build unto him ; as if the divine goodnefs may be found more propitious in them than any where elfe. Sacerdotal Veftments and Veffels are of nd ufe. A priest may confeerate the facramen;t of Chrift's Body at any time^ aiid-in any place ; and it is fufficient .to fay the words of inftitu-' tion. The Prayers of fuch Saints as are reigning with Chrift in heaVen are fought in vain ; nei* ther can they helji, in any cafe. It is mere fpending of time to chant Pray ers in certain canonical hours, and at other times to neglect that duty. There DISSERTATION XVIIL 6oi . There is- no day in which perfons fhould teafe from labour, but the Lord's Day. The Feafts of the Saints are to" be rejected; The Fafts appointed by the Church have nd * merit*." The ancient rilanumentsj collected by the Centuriators Madeburgienfes, add to the a- bovej . "The higheft aittliority, in Articles of Faith; is in the holy Scriptures ; fOr which Caufe they are to. be the rule Of judgment, and whatever does hot agree with them muft be rejected. - ; , Fathers aiid Councils are to be approved of only as far as they agree with the word of Godi The Reading and Knowledge of the holy Scriptures belong. unto all men, whether prieft or people ; and it is not only free", tmt necefla-' ry ; yea, they ought rather to read the Apoftles and Prophets than the commentaries of men on. therm There , are only two Sacraments in the Church of Chrift ; namely, Baptifm and the Lord's Supper : Chrift inftituted both kinds: (both the bread and wine) for the ufe of both prieft and people. *¦ Usher De Siicceffidne Chtiftianaruni Eccl. p. 189. * Gggg. Masse; 4 6:02 DISSERTATION XVHE .- " ' - " * }t.,: Masses are impious; and it is madnefs t& fay Mafs for the Dead. / Purgatory, is a figment of men : For be-j lid vers go immediatelv into eternal life ; aild unbelievers into eternaldamnation. It is idolatrous worfliip to Pray unto Saints. The Church of Rome is the Whore of Ba bylon. The Pope and his Clergy are not to be obeyed ; as they are wolves to the Church of Chrift. The Pope is not Head of every Church, nei ther liath he the power of both fwords. THEk Church of Chrift is wherever perfbns hear the fincere word of. Chrift ; and ufe fuch Sacraments as he hath appointed, whatever be the place in which fhe exifts. ',-,;-, Vows of Perpetual Celibacy aretiuman fig ments, and nurferies of Sodomy. As many Orders, fo many characters of the Beaft. Monkery is a Foetid Carcafe. The many fuperftitious dedications of Temples, the memorials of the Dead, the be nedictions of Creatures., Peregrinations, the multitude of forced Fafts, fuperftitious Feaftsr perpetual roaring of Unlearned Men, the'ob- fervation of the reft of the. Ceremonies, mani- feftly hindering the Doctrines and Inftitutiohs of the Word, are the inventions of the Devil. The Marriage of Priefts is lawful and ne ceflary *.." * Ushe^ ut Supra, p. ipo, 191. THE DISSERTATION XVIII. 603 The other Creed, Or Confeflion, may be ex preffed iii our language thus, . " We believe in one, God, three in one ; Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft: And that the Son of God took our flefli,. was baptized in Jor dan, faffed in the defart, preached our falva tion, fuffered, was clead, and buried, continued in the ftate of the clead, rofe the third day, afcended up into heaven; fent the Comforter on the day of Pentecoft ; fliall come in the day of judgment to judge the quick and the dead; when all fhall arife. We know, that what we believe with the heart, we -ought to confefs with the mouth. We believe, that he is not faved.( who does riot eat the body of -Chrift : And that the body of Chrift ought not to be con- fecrated but in the Church, and by a mi nifter, whether lie be good or evil ; neither does its efficacy depend* mOre^ on a good one than a bad one. J We believe, that men and women are not faved unlefs baptized, and little children are. faved by baptifiii ; and both nien arid wbmert" are faved, although they be mar ried ; 'ahd every One ought' to repent with the heart, profefs with the mOutb, and to be bap-. tiZed iri the cliurch by the prieft: And if any other thmg can befhewed by the Gofpel we ought to believe it*." s ... 'There is- alfo' a Confeflion' of Faitli to be found in Pe trie's Hiftory of the fixteenth ; ' * Usher ut fupra, p. 294, 295. -{ ¦ * , P"SS,S i , century, 6o4 DISSERTATION XVHI, century, prefeiited unto King Vlatdis laws, anno iyo8. And there is yet another Creed to be found in Us-h e r's account. of the Weft- cm Churches, ^vvhich is top long to- be here inferted : It was offered to the King of France in the years 1544, and iyyi. The truth is, part of the Waldenfes who feem to_ have emigra?' ted from the vallies, fettled in Bohemia, and became of the number of the followers of Hufs. Thefe, immediately after the murder pf their leader,( in like manner formed a Con feflion of their Faith, or a Covenant, to be. fubfcribed by all the members of their fociety*. My fearcity of books, and djftance from a pu-. folic library, has precluded me from making fuch a ferutiny, on this part of my fubject,; as it merits at my hand : Yet 1. find fuch evidence as, to me, is decifive, that Foederal Tranfac tions obtained among1 the followers, of Hufs, from, * An anonymous, hiftorian, of the Popifli religion, declares, That, immediately after the death of Jerom and Hufs, they extracted a. formula of faith frpm their writings, in oppofition to that of the Romifli: " De nom-: mer des perfones capables de dr'efler un Formulaire de S'oy tire mot a mot des ecrirs de Jean Hus et de Jerome; «le Prague, de fe feparer entierement de la Communion, <3es Catholiques," &c. " La fubftance du Formulaire ¦confiftoit en; ces proportions que le Pape n'avoit rien de plus qne les autres Eveques," &c. Arid, after giving a fUmmary of the contents of this Confeflion," he adds, 1< Api'es que, le Formulaire eut este s^gne les Hussites leverent une Armee," Hiftoire de L.'Herene. tie Jean Hus, et Jerome de Prague, Part II. p. 4, 9. From ^g fragment 9fJ0.hu a Lafco's hiftory of the United Brev DISSERTATION XVIII. 6oy from the very beginning ; and the farther they advanced iri reformation, their Covenants af fumed -a more regular form, Their 'Foederal Tranfactions were alfo folerauily fworn, uni- verfally fubferibed, and frequently renewed. For a fpecimen, 1 fliall infert that which was fworn anno 15*7 1 ^ *' Meanwhile, the reader muft neceflarily remark, in this^- place, the facred communion which prevailed at that period, and even -at this time ftill prevails, betsveen the Churches of the Waldenfes and the Proteftants, of Ger many. He muft likeways regard, with admi ration, that bond of union which was drawn up and ratified in their aflembly on the nth qf.November 157 1 , arid exprefled in the fof fewiiig articles : I. They all bind themfelves, under die function of an oath, to maintain inviolably the -ancient union, continued from father' to .fen, between, aU the faithful of the evangelic reli- thren,-\ve may fee, that the Renovation and Subfci-iption of Covenants were no ftrange thing among that body of peo^ pie. And Voetius, who had good opportunities of knowing, aflhres us, That both the Waldenfes of Thor - loufe and tlie Huflites of Bohemia, ratified their Fcederal Tranfaciions" with folemii oaths : -" Poteft autem a civibus in -Foedus Religionis jurari. Exeinplum, vide 2 Paralip. I J. Tafia Fasdera et juramenta fecerunt Zifka et Bohe- morum pro defenfione Hufitarum ; in Gallia antefecula aliquot Co nil tis. Tholofiani, aliorumque pro Albigenfi-, bus." De Juramento Religionis, apud Difput. Select. Tom. III. p. 1 jo j, .•- . £*ion 606 DISSERTATION XVIII. gion of" the Waldenfes, down to' their own time, and in no refpect to deviate from that facred connection ; and this they do under the following conditions and promifes. II. They bind themfelves to perfevere in the profejfion of the true Chriftian Reformed Religion, hitherto obferved by them ; confid ing, in the belief aiid worfliip of one God, and of one Head of the Church,, arid Mediator be tween God and Man, Jefus Chrift: — To ad here to the only rule of faith and manners; cori* tained in the. canonical books of the Old arid: , New Teftament, to which are joined the facra ments of Baptifm and the Lord's Supper, infti tuted by Our Saviour :-^-Irt' confonility to 'the fame word of God, they promife to fubmit to the good1 external regulation and ecclefiaftic difcipline already eftabliflied, and, to this pe riod, maintained among them. They exprefs their abhorrence of all herelles^ arid' doctrines inconfiftent with' the 'word of God, as held firth toiis in the books of the Old and New Teftament. HI. They promife to be faithful and' obe dient to~ S/A.'S. and to the authority of the" ( magiftrates eftablifhed by her, in fo far as their power fhall he -employed in a manner not in compatible with the rights of confcience and divirie authority. IV. Seeing there are always fame w;hoy in oppofition to the capitulations' and coiic'effions obtained from the clemency of the, SoVereigriy •¦ , enefcavour- i £ I S S E Iv T A T I O N XVHI. <5 o 7 endeavour to difturb, the peace of the Church and of its members, and to infringe the faid conceffions ; they engage themfelves to enir- ploy, each according to his ability, every mean that .they fh.all judge neceflary for maintaining the faid Churches in general, and each of its members in particular, in the undifturbed en joyment of the faid cbnceflions, by continual recourfe to S. A. fo long as fhall be neceflary, and by every other conftitutipnal method ; and fuch as are not prohibited by the word of God: And that all the Churches, in general, fhall afford every legal protection an# defence, proportioned to their abilities, to each Church, or particular member of them, who fliall be molefted on account of their religion > aiding- them with their counfel, eftate, and perfons, as need may require. V. And, as queftipns may occur in regard to religion, application fhall be made to the .. Churches in general, arid an unanimous opi nion be returned : For inftance, if any particu lar Church1 is confulted 'in regard to ,a matter of religion, or touching the conceflions, the faid Church fliall not give any opinion till they have taken fufficient time to communi cate the bufiuefs to the other Churches, and menibers of tlie- Union : In fliort, they are to deliberate in coriinion, to anfwer, and to act, by common advice; with all that modefty, candour, arid ' fincerity which is fuited to the fpirit of good Chriftians, ". ¦" , •'.- VI. All- 6o8 dissertation Xviii. VI. All 'and every one, in cafe any fbail infringe the articles contained in this declara tion of Union, are to be cenfiif edj arid even cor-*- reefed by dmrch-difcipline, fo far as to be held, by the reft of the United Body, as fchifmatics and perjured, providing the Crinie demands fuch feverity j^no partial regard being fhowri to perfons or characters j To the performance of thefe Articles, thev folemnly bind themfelves, .with . hands lifted' up to God Almighty,4 Father, Soiij and Holy Ghoft. Amen. Done and Ratified the I ith day of Novem-* ber -"157 ii. These Articles of Union greatly animated the faithful of the "Waldenfes; and, on the other hand, very much damped the fpirit of their adverfaries, whofe arts had been invari ably employed in endeavouring to difunite thofe poor people, for the purpofe of deftroy ing fhenwmore effectually hv-fucceflion. Mean while, it appears to me very remarkable, 'that, during the lateft firuggles of the Waldenfes, when they had done nothing but renewed their ancient bond of Union, they had been decried; and, by the manifeftos of the Court of Turin, and divers other publications, have been re- prefented as having entered; into a felemn combination to throw off allegiance to their' Sovereign. Whereas, in the year 157 1, there is not one" to be found in the Court, or even A -v,-s " v among DISSERTATION XVIII. 609 among the clergy, of- a fpirit fo malignant as to take advantage- of any particular article, in order to make it believedby the Prince, far lefs by fti;angers, that the people of the Wal denfes had entered into arty unconftitutional riieahires, or bound themfelves, by oath, to re bellion and revolt. ' Upon the whole, It will be in vain to look for any article of union that has bjjen made, but in conformity to the a- bove mentioned ; nor any one elfe, of a later date, that-militates, in ,a ftronger degree, a- gainft that fidelity and obedience which loyal fubj edits Owe to their lawful fovereign *.-" - 1 1 SECONDLY, If we turn our eyes unto the Churches of the Reformation, we will find- co venanting practifed in every form, and with every folemnity that could poflibl'y be append ed. In the critical fituation in which the fol lowers of L.uthek. found themfelves, at the diet -of Auglburg 1530, they effayed this im portant duty ; and framed the famous League Of Smalkald, which, was renewed four years aftersyards; which renovation I have been able . to infer t. |" . " BY the Grace of God, -We, John Fre-- -.P- erich, Duke of Saxony, High -Mareflialt of the Empire of Rome, and Prince Elector, Xant- * Leger Hiflr. General des- Eglifes Evangelique-s yalles de Piedmont,' Liv. ii. p. 46. Hhhh, . grave 6 1.6 D I S S ERTATION XVIII. grave of Truringie, and Marquis of Mifife, af-, well in, our own name as in the name of the noble Prince John Ernest, likewife Duke of Saxonye, our moft beloved Brother, Philippe,, Ernest, Francis, Brethren Dukes of Brunf wick and Lunenburg ; Ulrich Duke of Wort- enberg, and in Deck, Erie in Montbelyard'; Philipp Lantgrave of Heffen, Erie of Catts in Dvetz, Zigenham and Nyer ; B E r minu^s and . Philip, Dukes of Stetin,, Potnern, Caflaburn,. Wenden, Princes of Rug,- Erles in Gufkari 'y "Wolfgang John, George, and Joachim,. Brethren Princes in Anhalt, Erles of Afcanion, and Lords in Beriiburg ; Gebhajid and Al bert , Brethren, Erles and Lords in Mansfeld ; the Confules, Decwians, Tribunes, Senate, and People of die within nani&d Cities of the High- Germany, Saxon, and Hanfe, or on the See ; that is to fay, Argentina, Augufta, Frankford, Conftantia, Ulme, Efling, Rentling, Memingia, Linde, Bibrac, Ifiia,Magdeburgh, Breme,Brunf- wick, Goflaria, Hamibria, Gottingia, Embeck, Hamburgh a, Lubeck, and Myndia, do profefsr, v by thefe oui4 Letters, in the name of us, our Heyres and Succeflors, and do fignifie to all men, that feen the ftate of this Seafon, is every 'where very per ill oufe, and appereth fo, that many men are about and practife to difturbe fuch as do caufe, and' fuffer the fyncere Doc trine of the Gofpell to be preached and taught in their Dukedoms, Provinces, Cities, and Terti* toriesy (by the Grace of God)' and which (a.A bolifhing, DISSERTATION XVIII. 6it abolifliing all abufes) dqe.Hfludi'e to bring in CeT remonies confenting to the Wortl of God : and efferce them felfs to divert them from Ghrifts Doctrine-; yea, by force and violence ; and feen alfo, that the office of every Chriftian Mageftrate, is not only to fuffer that the fyn- cere Worde of God be preached to his fub- jpdts ; but alfo, with all his ftuclye, care, and follitude, to provide (to his power), that the liolefome Doctrine of the Gofpell and the Truth, onfe known and profeffed, be not vio lently extorted, and they deprived of the fame: For this caufe, we doe knowledg, that it is our mOft Duetie and" Neceflitie, of the offices of •our Magiftrate, in cafe nowe or hereafter it ¦fhuld happen, that any mail wold attempt and aflay to diverte us, or our fubjects, by force or dede, from the Worde of God, and the Truth known; and to bring in again, and reftore the ungodlie ceremonies and abufes already abo lifhed (which God, by his good clemence woll forbyd, as we truft -that no man woll attempt fuch thing), far to repreffe fiich violence. and perill from the bodys and- fouls of us arid oiar fubjects, hy the Grace' of God, and for to ex- cufe and avoid the fa tne to the Praife of God, to the augmentation of the fyncere DOctrine of the Gofpell, and to the confervatioli of the Uniform Eftate, Tranquillite, and HoliefVe Pu- blick,. in the Empire, for the love of the Nation •of Alemayne ; and alfo for the Commenda tion, Honour, and Good of our Dukedoms, Hhhh 2 Provinces, 612 DISSERTATION XVIII. Provinces, Lordfljips, and Cities, oncly to pro vide for the caufe of our defence, and tuicion ; tlie which is permitted to every man, not one- ly by the Lawe- of Nature and of Men,- but al fo by the-Lawv Written. /Therefore, we have affembled and concluded, to give and be bpund eche to other of a Chriftian, Lawfull and Friendly Leage and Confederation, and by the Vertue, Fource, and Reafon of this our Letters, we agree, conclude, and.bynde our\fclfs. eche to other upon a Confederation, with the Con ditions that followeth : That is to fay, That all and every, of , us fliall be bound to favour •jeche. other- hartely and trufely, and to warn eche other of all Imminent Danger, and to a- void it: And that noon of us, openly or" fe- crctly, fliall willingly give Paflage to -the Ene my, or Adverfaries of the other, nor to warn or fupport them. - ^ And becaufe this Confederation is onelymade for caufe of our Tuicion and Detente, and not to the entent. that any of us fliall move warr, if ther fliall happen any of us, whatfbever he. be, to.be violent ly.aflawfed for the Word of God, the Doitririe of the. Gofpell and our Faith, or for fuch other caufes as do depend of the Word of God, the Doctrine of the Gofpell, or our Faith, or be annexed . thereunto ; or if, under any other pretext or colour-, there fliuld be any Violence attempted againft any of us, and that we the reft, which fliuld not then be -invaded myght thuike and judge that fuch Werr, DISSERTATION XVIII. 613 .Werr, or Violence, 'huid.be moved for the caufe of the Word of God, or of the Religion ; and that he to whom the Werr, or Violence is I my - miiient,- wold permitt it to oar knowledge, arbitracion, and decifeon ; that then we all the reft, of this Confederacion, and every of us, that be comprehended in this Cliriften Confe deracion, fliall be bound to take no leife td Ilerte, and take in hand as deligentely to pro vide for the fame, incontinently as fuch Perfons that be invaded fliall require our Help, or that we fliall know it, (with alLour power) as tho' we fliuld be affawted our felts, and for our own proper caufe : And, therefore, without any d'e- laye, and without any decepte or gyle, with out taryeng for any Other, with all- our. might and power; we fliall be bound to Succour, De fend, and Helps him that fhall be affawted, after fuch Form arid Manner, as for the Qjia- -litieT and Circumftances of the Thing, and the - Tyme> it fliall be adjudged mod util, and moft commodioufe to the reft of us; and like .as," the fidelite and Charlte to be given and fliew- ed to the Neighbors upon his 'Confcience and -Saint fhall teach him ; and that we fhall trucly adminifter and deale 0011 with another. And that, in fuch cafe, never 0011 of 'us fhall agree, coriipound, or make any Tranfaction or Tre wes, without the afleut and will of the reft. Also, That this our Chriften Confederation, flial be> taken and underftand en. to be in no wife Prejudicial or Hurtful -to .the Emperors Maj due, 6i4 DISSERTATION XVRL Majeftie, our Clemen tiflime .Lord ; nor to any State of the Empire, or any other: But onely for the Confervation of the Doctr'uie arid Truth of the Gofpell, and of the Peace and Tran- quillke in, the Empyre and Ale in ay ns nation, and to withftand wroogfuli Violenfce from us and our fubjects and allyes ; and onely in cafe of Defence, and in fuch cafe as every of us may bear aiid fuffer the juft Knowlege and Decifion of his own Caufe, as is aforefaid, and none other wife ; and if any man wol be joyn- ed to this our Corifederacion, which is not com prehended in it already, fothat he be dedicate' to the, Worde of God, and fliall permitte the fyncere Doctrine of the Gofpell, conformable to our Confeflion, exhibited to the Emperors Majeftie, and to all the*Orders of the Empire in the Aflemble at Augfburg, freely to be preached, tought, and kept in his Lands, Pro vince, arid Dominions, and woll conftantely ftyck to the fame Doctrine, he or they ought to be afcribed and receyved in this Confedera- cion, by the affent and will of us all. And bycaufe that Chriften Corijfederacion, which fliall be finifhed the Sunday invocavit,* the year of our Lord 1537, hath lafted the o- ther fix years faft paft, between us, excepted us Ulrich, Duke of "Wertemberg, Sec. and us Bernim and Philipp, Dukes of , L'omeren ; us John, Georgie, and Joachim, Princes of An halt ; and the Cities of Augfburgh, Frankford, Kempt, Hamibra, and Mynda j We, at their Friendly DISSERTATION XVIII. 6 if Friendly and Diligent Peticion, have receyved them into this our Confederation ; and we., do bynde our felfs eche to other agyn, that this Chriften Leage^ fhall be proroged and extended, begynning from the faid Sunday invocavit, 1 5 3 7 , by the fpace of Ten Yeres next enfuyng, as this Chriften Leage, by the Ten Veres next enfuyng, ought to be kept and proroged con- ftantly, fyncerely, and bona fide, by us, and every of us, withotft any Frawde or Malign. And if it fhall happen us to entre Werrc with any man for the Doctrine of the Reli gion, or any other Caufe depending of the fame, that fliuld riot be finifhed within the fpace of the faid Ten Yeres ; yet, neverthelcs, al though the faid time of Ten Yeres be utterly expired, yet the faid Expedicion fliall be con- tynued and profecnted, and the Werre brought to an ende ; and that then it fliall not be Law- full for any of the Confederates to exempte him of the feme, 'nor hope upon exemption, and from that ty me it fliall be Lawfull for the Con federates, to protract and prolong this Confe deration T if they fliall fb think good. We, the forefaid Electors and Princes, Erles, arid Magiftrates of Cities, by interpofition of eur Feith infteed of an other,, do Promife, and take upon us, for us, and for our Heires, con- ftantly and perpetually to obferve and per- forme all and fingular the Premifles truelyarict , fyncerely as it behoveth Princes arid Good Men. And that we fliall nor doe, nor procure any thing- ii6 DI-SSERTATIO.N XVHL thing," in "any wife, to be done againft tliisi Leage and Confederation : But, in all Points, fliall deale and prpcede truely and fyncerely, without any Frayvde or Malengin. And, for more Credence arid confirmacion "of all and e- very. thofe Things, every of us, the faid Elec tors, Princes, Erles, and Cities, in the name of us our Highues and 'Succeffors, have caufed our Seals, wittingly and willingly, to be fett to thefe Prefents, which have been given the Yerc of .the Nativite of our Savyor Jefus Chrift 1536;*." . Cotton Lib. Cleop. E. vi. p. 363. - As to the Chur-ches-of the Reformed,-as they are ftyied, Covenanting will be found as fre quent anlong them: The Church of Geneva, for example . The form of thebond whicli they ufed has ' eluded1 my refearchesrt; but Beza, who wrote the Life of Calvin, affure's us, " that he contended, That, 'all the people being af- fembled^they fhould openly abjure Popery, and s-weak unto the Chriftian Religion and Difcipline, comprehended under a few, heads :• And although not a few refufed, through" the rage of faction ; yet-God granted, that, On the 20th day of July 153.7, the capital articles of the Chriftian Religion and Difcipline were * Apud Burnet's Collection, p. 99 — 102. T I am not certain . whether the .Articles of Faith, which were Sworn to ahd Subscribed, might not be the Confeflion of faith which is entitled, " Formula Confef- fionis/' Sec. m Calvin's Works. .-., DISSERTATION .XVIIL 617 .5 Worn by the Senate and' people of Geneva j a public fcribe fetting them an example." The fariie author alfo oives us to underftand, that. this League extended to Bern and Loufanne, as well as -Geneva. The CliUrches of Holland practifed this duty-, as well as thofe of Gene va and Switzerland. It appears, that every congregation had its own bond; and, when perfons .offered to partake of the facrament of the Lord's Supper, they entered into, a fo- leriin covenant, as theterm of their admiflion 4 Says Ze p P e r us, one" of their minifters, " When perfons are admitted to the Lord's Table, thev make a public profeflion of their faith before. all the Church; and likeways promife and co-' venanTj, that they will continue in that faiths and lead their lives accordingly *."¦ Cal.vin1- feems tb think, that it was a practice of this kind which, under Antichrift, was transformed info Go nfumation -f-7. And, as CojviM e ni u s obferves, the Bohemian .Churches -preferved this inftitufion in its purity. : For fuch as were admitted to fpecial fellowfhip among them made a felemn profeflion of their faith before all the congregation, engaging to live ac cording to the rules of the Gofpel \ . This term of admiflion was riot precipitately recei ved among the. Churches in Holland, however | .; :,* Zepperus de Polit. Ectl. Lib. I. cap. xii. -' ",',".--,-:-' f inftirut. Lib. IV. cap. xix.. § 13. X Hift. p. 4$. Rat. oi-din. p. 43> 46. ¦* ; I iii but, 618 DISSERTATION XVIII.' but, the cafe being maturely confidered, it wa» enjoined by the authority of feveral fynods*. If we furvey the Churches of Sweden, we will find them equally careful in bringing individual riienibers, as- well as public perfons, under fe lemn enoap-ements "to maintain the doctrine, worfliip, and difcipline of divine; appointment. Puffendprff allures, that, as the light of the- Gofpel was diffufed in that country, by the per- ufal of the. holy Scriptures in their mother- tongue,, fo " the King and Eftates obliged them felves,- by a solemn oath, to maintaiii the Lutheran religion with all their power j*:"' And cOvenant-renovation appears to have ob tained in the fame church ; they afterwards formed an Associatio'n, at leaft,. urider the aufpices of Duke Charles,, for the defence of the Proteftant religion ; arid to defeat the in- lidious practices of Sigifmund for its over throw ^ . As to the Churches ofHungary and Tr an fyl vania, two different fynods prescribe -an oath to' be taken by fivperintendants, mi nifters, elders, and candidates for the holy mi niftry, and fech as are converted from error unto the truth§.— From the eaftern point of * Increase Mather, Order of the Churches in New Eitglaiid, p.. 20. -]- PuFFENDORF^-'sliitroduiftioii to the Hiftory of Europe,: . P- 476.. X PuFFENfcORFF, p. 4S6. Ut flipra. 5 Vide Canones Ecclef. Kelvet; in Synod. Comja- THiNffi et VaraDini Statuti aim. 1632, Clafs I. Can. ly 8,:»T. Clafs II. Can. 2{ 5, 7, 8. Europe DISSERTATION XVIII. 619 Europe unto the moft diftant, colonies of .Ame rica did this practice prevail in the laft cen tury : For example, Mr Higginfon and Mr Skelton, and other good people, that arrived at Salem in the year 1629, fet apart the fixth day of Auguft, after their arrival, for fafting and prayer, for the fettling a church-ftate a- naong them, and for 'their making a Confeflion of their Faith, and entering into an holy Co venant, whereby that church-ftate was formed.* Now, the Covenant wliereunto thefe Chriftians engaged themfelves, and which was, about feven years after, fblemnly renewed among them, I fliall lay before "my readers, as it was then exprefled and enforced. " WE covenant with our Lord, arid one. with another ; and we ' do bind ourfelves, in the pre fence, of God, to walk together in all his ways, according as lie is pleafed to reveal himfelf. unto us in his bleffed word of truth ; arid do explicitly, in the name and fear of God, profefs and proteft, to walk' as followeth, through the power and grace of our Lord Je fus Chrift: " We avouch the Lord to be our God, and ourfelves to be his people/ in the truth and fimplicity of our fpirits. We give ourfelves to the Lord Jefus Chrift^ and the word of his grace, for the teaching," ruling, and fanctifying of us in matters of worfliip unci converfation, refolving to cleave unto him alone for .life and glory j and to reject all contrary I i i i 2 . ~ •-_ ' ways,' 620 DISSERTATION XVIII. ways, canons, and teftimonies of men In his worfliip. We promife fb walk with our: bre thren, with all watchfulnefs and tendernefs, avoiding jealoufies and, fufpicions, backbititigs, cenfurings, provokings, fecret rifings of fpirit againft them ; but, in all offences, to follow the rule of our Lord Jefiis, and bear and for bear, give and forgive, as he hath- taught us. In public, or private fliall willingly do nothing to the offence of the Church ;. but will be. will ing to take advice for ourfelves and ours; as occafion fhall t>e prefented. We will not, in the congregation, be forward to fhew. Our own gifts, either by fpeaking or ferupling, or there difcover the weaknefs and failing's of our bre- o - > i thren; but attend an orderly call thereunto, knowing how much the Lord niay.be difhonour- ed, and his gofpel, and the profeflion of it flighted by our diftempers, and weakneffes hi; public. We bind ourfelves, to ftudy the ad? Vancement of the Gofpel in all truth and peace; both in regard of thofe that are within or with out ; no way flighting our fifter churches, but tiftng their counfel as need fliall be ; not lay ing a ftumbling-block before any, no, not the Indian?,, whofe good we defire to promote ; and fo to converfe "as we "may avoid the very appearance of evil. "We, do promife to Carry ourfelves in all lawful obedience to thofe that are over us in church or commonwealth, know* ing how wefl-pleafing it will be to the Lord, tha^ DISSERTATION XVIII. 621 that they fliould have encouragement in their places, by our not grieving- their fpirits through our irregularities. We refelve to approve our- felyes to the Lord in our particular callings ; fliunuing idlenefs, as the bane of any ftate; nor will we deal hardly. or oppreflingly with any,* wherein we are the Lord's ftewards. Promi- fing alfo,- unto -our beft ability, to teach our children and fervants the knowledge of God, and of his will, that they may ferve him alfb; rind- all this not by any ftrength of our own, but by the Lord Chrift; whofe blood we de fire may fprinkle this our covenant, made in -his name*." Fo r t y-s even years after this, a Synod met at Bofton for the purpofe of Covenant-renova tion. The tenOr whereof follows : ;";' " "WE, who through the exceeding riches of the grace and patience of God, do continue to be a church of Chrift, being now affembled' in the holy =prefence of. God, in the name of our Lord Jefus Clirift, after humble confeflion of our manifold breaches of covenant before the Lord our God, and earneft Amplication of pardoning mercy through- the blood of Chrift, '—after deep acknowledgment of our great uil- worthinefis to be owned to be the. Lord's cOve- '* Mather's Hiftory of New England, Book J. -p. 18., r- - . nant 622 DISSERTATION XVIII. narit, people ; alfo, acknowledging our own in ability to keep covenant with God, or to per form any fpiritual duty, unlefs the Lord Jefus enable thereto by his Spirit dwelling in us : And being awfully fenfible, that it is a dreadful thing for finful cluft and aflies per fen ally to ¦ tranfact with the infinitely glorious majefty of heaven and earth, we do, in humble confidence of his gracious affiftance anjl accept ance,thrbr Chrift, each one of us for ourfelves, and joint ly as a Church of the living God, and one with another, in manner following: We do give up ourfelves to that God whofe name alone is Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, the One only, true and living God, and to our blefled. Lord Jefus Chrift, as our only blefled Saviour, Prophet, Prieft, and King over our fouls, and only mediator of the Covenant of Gra-ce, promifihg (by the help of his Spirit and grace) to cleave unto God as our chief good, arid 'to the Lord Jefus Chrift, by faith and gofpel obedience, as becoiiietli his cove nant people for ever. We do alfo give our offspring unto God in Jefus Chrift, avouching tlie Lord to be our -God, and the God of our children;, and . ourfelves, with our children, to be his people; humbly adoring the grace of God, that we,-, and our offspring with us, may be looked upon to be the Lord's. ', We do alfo give up ourfelves one to another in the Lord, and according to the will of God; freely DISSERTATION XVIII. 623 freely covenanting and binding Ourfelves to .wait. together as a right ordered congre Na tion and church of Chrift, hi all the ways of his worfliip, according to the holy rules of the word "of 1 God ; promifing^ in brotherly love, to watch over one another's fouls faithfully, arid to fubmit ourfelves unto the difciplirie and go vernment of Chrift hi his Cliurch, and duly to attend to all- thofe ordinances' whieh Chrift hath inftituted in his Church, arid commanded to be attended by his people, according' to the order of the Gofpel and the degrees of com munion unto which we have attained ; n;ot rett ing in meafures attained, but pre fling after all : And whereas the mefleno-ers of thofe Churches, who have met together in the name of Chrift, to enquire into the reafon, of God's controverfy with his people, have taken notice of many provoking evils, as the procuring caufes of the judgments of God upon New England : So far as we, or any of us, have been guilty of provoking God by any fin there in difeovered to us, we defire, from our hearts,1 to wail it before the Lord, and humbly to en treat for pardoning mercy, for the fake of the blood of the Everlafting Covenant : And as an expedient to the reformation of thofe evils, or whatever elfe has provoked the eyes of God's glory amongft us, We do freely engage, and prOmife, as in, the prefence of God, First, That we will (Chrift helping) en deavour, every one of us, to reform, our heart and «2 4 DISSERTATION XVIIL and life Kby feekirig to mortify^all our fins, and labouring to walk more clofely with God than ever yet we have done ; and will continue to- Worfliip God in public, private, and fecret; and this without formality or hypocrify :- And more fully arid faithfully than heretofore, fo tl if charge all covenant-duties, one to another, in church-communion. Secondly, To*- walk before God in. our houfes with a perfect heart, and that we will uphold the worfliip. of God continually there in, according as he; in his word, cloth require; both in refpect of prayer and reading the Scrip-; Cures, that fo the word of God may dwell rich ly in us : Arid, we will do what, in us lies to bring up our: children for Chrift, that they may be fuch as have the Lord's name put upon": them, as, by a folemn dedication to God -in Chrift, ought to be: And, wall, therefore (as need fliall be), catechife, exhort, aiid charge them to the fear of the Lord; and endeavour to fet an holy example before them, and be much in prayer for their converfion and falva tion. ¦ Thirdly, To endeavour to he pure from the fins of the tiines;; efpecially thofe fins which' have been, by the late Synod, folemnly declared and evidenced to be the evils that have brought the judgments of God upor ; New England; and, in Our places,, to endea,- vOur the fuppreflion thereof, arid be careful fo Dissertation xviii. iiajf Ju to walk as that we may not give Occafiori to others to fin;, or fpeak evil of our holy pro- fefliom N^oW, that we niay obferve and kfeep this facred covenant, and all ,,the branches of it+ inviolable for ever, we defire to deny ourfelves j and to depend wholly upon the power of the Eternal Spirit pf Grace, and "on the free /Mer cy of God, arid Merit of Chrift Jefiis ; and where we fliall faif there to wait upon the Lord Jefus Chrift for pardon, acceptance, and healings for his name's fake*." Time ^ * Mather ut fiipraj p; 95;.' "The AcknoVIedg- ment of Sins, mentioned in the foregoing bond, cbnfift- ed of fourteen diftinct parts. The duty of coufefting the- guilt of covenant- violation preceded that of cove- frnant-renovat^ita ; arid the manrie'rnf covenanting is de fcribed, by this hiftorian, in the following terjns : " In. ¦this Renewal of Covenant, there wer,e fome Churches^ who, from 1 know not what objections, of there being tin exprefs warrant for- it in the New Teftament, ,,and their 'doing it implicitly in every aet of divine worfliip, and the.imaginary clanger of innovations, would not com ply with the advice of the Synod : Bui: all the virgins were riot fo fleepy ; and very remarkable was the blefi fing of God uporit-the Churches which, did'not fo fleep. In mort, niiny of tfie Churches having, on previous days of fafting and priryer, confidered the expectations o'£ God concerning them, they were willing, a new to de clare tlie'ir moft explicit confent unto the Covenant of »Grace, and moft explicitly to engage unto a growing Lwatchfulnefs in fuch duties of the covenant as were ni6r€ peciiliarly accommodated uh/to their prefent cir- ciimftances. They publicly devoted another day to fafl- ising and prayer, whereat a vaft confluence of other5 "f Neighbours were, ufually prefent ; and, on this day, the * Kkkk minifter 626 DISSERTATION XVIII. Time v^ould fail me to delineate the facial covenanting which took place in the Prote- ftant Churches, by their mutrial fubfeription of each others Confefliqns of Faith ; yea, , _and their fwearing to maintain the articles contain ed in them, which they deemed the pres ent| truth. Nor can I "ftay to infer t the various leagues which were formed for the fupport of the Prote ftant caufe, fuch as the Evangelic; Union, Sec. That love which difpofed the children of Chrift to ferrender themfelves urito him, as their rightful Lord, difpofed them to rifle their life in the caufe of their brethren in him. And greater love hath no man than that Ire fhould lay down his life for the bre thren." ^„ minifter of the place having, in the forenoon, prayed and preached fuitablyto the occafion, he proceeded then to read the Covenant ; whereunto- the aflent of tlie Churches was then expi-efled, by the brethren lifting up their hands, and- the women only. Standing up : And many thoufands of fpectators will teftify, that they ne ver faw the fpecial prefence of the great God our. Savi- "our more notably difcovered than on thefe folemnities." Mather, utfupra. DISSER- DISSERTATION XIX. ON THE FOEDERAL TRANSAGTIONS OF OUR. RELIGIOUS ANCESTORS I N $ R I X A I N AN D IRELAND- THERE are no monuments of the Church, in our native land, as far as 1 know, to inform us as to her practice prior to the rife of Antiehrift. But, finee his begun downfall, the Church of Scotland hath not come behind other Reformed Cjiurches. in refpect of her Foe deral Tranfactions; At a time when Mary of Lorrain was violating every tie, and ftrain- ing every nerve to wreath the iron yoke of Antichriftian tyranny in the Churchy and abfo lute government in the State, upon the neck «kf this land, the Lord was pleafed to ftir up a Kkkk A few 628 DISSERTATION XIX. few friends to the civil and religious liberties' of mankind, to form themfelves into a Con^ gr.egaTi.on; unto whom, under God,vwe owe the prefervation of bur Liberties in" the State, and the Reformation of Religion in the . . . - - "-. -¦ -, Church. To accomplifh thefe purpofes, they entered into a folemn Covenant as follows s **. WE, perceiving how Saffian, *in his mem* bers, the antichrifts of our time, cruelly do rage, feeking to overthrow and to deftroy the GOfpel of Chrift and his Congregation, ought, accord-. ing to our bounded duty, to ftrive, in our Ma-. Iter's caufe, even.unto the death, being certain of the victory in him. The which, our duty being well confidered, we do promife, before the Majeftie of God, and his Congregation, that we (by his grace) fhall, with all diligence, continually apply our whole power, fubftance, and our very lives, to maintain, fet forward, and eftablifh, the* moft blefled word of God, and his Congregation ; and fhall labour, at our poflibility, to have faithful matters,' truly and'j purely to minifter, vhriffs Gofpel and Sacra- ments to his people : We fliall maintain them, .hourifli them, and defend them, the whole Con*' gregation of Chrift, and every member1 there-r of, at our whole powers, and waging of our lives, againft Sathan and all wicked power that doth intend tyranny or- trouble againft the fore-; .faid Congregation. Unto the which holy Word i&n^ QmfAre,ga.\.\qp. we do joyne i^s 5 and fo do,,. DISSERTATION XIX. 629 forfake and r enounce the congregation of Sa- than, with all the. fuperftitious abomination arid idolatry thereof; and more over, fliall declare our felves manifestly enemies thereto, by this our faithful promife before God, teftiiie 1 to his* Congregation, by our fubfeription at thefe pre fents., At Edinburgh, the 3d day of Decern-* ber 1557 years. God called to witnefs. A. ; Earl of Argyle ; Glenoarne ; Mortouu ; Archie 1-bald Lord of 'Lome,; John JErfkirie 'of Dun," Sec. The Occafions of the preceding Covenant;1 Vere, The Danger of Perfe cation to which the preachers were expofed, frOni the bigotry of the Qjieen Regent : And the unfteadinefs of fthe Reformers, , Add to thefe, the importance, . of the Reformation itfelf : "Their country was in .a- miferable ftate of oppreflion ; the bo-^ dies and fouls of the pedple being holdeii in bondage." — r" In the caufe which they had embraced (the Reformers rightly' judged), they ought to be fervent and ftrenuous. " The Almighty, fpeaking to' their confidences, call ed upon them tq hazard their lives for the de liverance of the nation, W'ere they to pre fer their worldly reft to the glory of God ? Or the friendfliip of the wicked to. fhe falvation of their brethren I And, while they were to receive honour and homage on earth, they e?c- > pelted eternal comfort and joy in heaven *." *',-. * .Dr ^tvart's Hiftory pf the Reformation, p. 88. - . The 6$o DISSERTATION XIX. The ne^.t Foederal Tranfaction runsthus : " AT Perth, the laft day of May, the year of God 1559 years, the Congregations of the Weft Country, with the Congregations of Fyfe, Perth, Dundee, Angus, Mearns, and Montrofe, being conveened In the town of Perth, in the name of Jefus Clirift, for forth fetting of Iiis glory, underftandiilg nothing more neceflary for the fame than to keep a conftant amity, unity, and feilOwfliip together, according as they are commaunded by God, are confederal, and become bounden and oblift, in the pre fence of God, to concur and aflift together, in doing all things required of God in his Scrip ture that may be to' his glory ; and, at their whole powers, to deftroy and away put all things that doth difhonour to his name ; fo that God may be trevvly and purely worfliipped. "And, in cafe that any trouble be intended againft the- faid Congregations, or any part or member thereof, the whole Congregation fliall concur, aflift, and conyeen together, to the defence of the feme congregation or perfon troubled ; arid fliall not fpare labours, goods, fubftance, bodies, aiid lives, in maintaining the liberty .of- thai whole Congregation, and every member there of againft whatfoever. power that fliall intend the, faid trouble, for caufe of religion, or any other caufe depending thereupon, or lay to their charge, under pretence thereof, although \t happen to be coloured with. u«y other out-* ward DISSERTATION XIX. $31 ward caufe. In witne fling and teftimony of the which, the whole Congregations aforefeid have ordained ancl appointed the noblemen, and perfons underwritten, to fobfcribe thir pre fents. : Arch. Argyle ; James Stewart; Glen- carne ; R. Lord Bold; Wchiltree ; Matthew Campbell ofTaVmgaimar." The alarms of the Congregation, with re-'.. fpecf to Perfecution from the Popifli party apd the Queen Regent, were but too well found ed. The Archbifbop of St Andrew's having, in vain, tried the force of addrefs on fome of the heads of the Reformation, refolved on fe- verity ; but he was- equally unfuCcefsful. It was determined to pour, out a flood of perfe cution on the chief of the Reformers, while the Church fliould exhauft all her thunder .' But Walt eh" Mill, a prieft, was the only .victim which he dared to facrifice at this time. His Chriftian heroifm on the one hand, and the ^barbarity of his execution on the other, Itruck the Reformed With unfpe akable horr Or .:'•'"- By yielding to the light of their confcience, they faw themfelves expofed to a cruel death. By conforriiing to the eftabliflied faith, they ha zarded their falvation*." Subscriptions for niutual defence were taken. The covenant to eftablifh the new form of religion extended from the few to the many. When the lead- * Stuart-. ers a 3 * ¦' ¦ DISS ER T A T I O N XiX. ers underftood their ftrength among the peb= pie, from the great numbers of fubfe rip tion s^ tfiey refolved. to fupplicate the Regent; and^ with their fupplicatioiij they prefented.a feh'e- dule*, containing the preliminary articles of the Reformation which they craved i They' alfb addrefled the Council of the Clergy, and ,the Parliament. The Regent amufed them with ambiguous anfwers till fhe procured ad vice from France. She refolved on mfeafures of blood, and led an army againft them. Butj dreading the unanimity of the Congregation^ and their zeal for religion, fhe had recourfe to a negociation. As they had addrefled her for. peace,. and not for war,%a treaty was foon con cluded. The treaty was not executed, how ever, without great "fufpicion of her artificer 'She ftill harboured defigns of blood in her heart. _ To prepare againft future, attacks* the Congregation judged it expedient^ juft af ter the treaty was finifhed, ,to form the fore going Covenant. i, - ¦ - A third Covenarit is to be found iri.the fol lowing terms t "'WE, forefeeing the craft and Height of our adverfarfes, tending all manner- of ways to circumvent us, and, by prlvey means, iriteridet.h to affayle every one of us, particularly by fair heghts and promifes, therethrough to feparate one of us from another, to our utter ruin and deftruction « DISSERTATION XlX. 633 tleftrucrion : For remedy thereof, we faithful-6 ly and truly bind us, hi the prefence of God,' and as we tender tlie maintenance of trew re-» ligion, that none of us fliall, in. time comings pafs to the Queen's Grade Dowager, or talk or ¦comriiUne with her, for any letter or meflage fent by her unto us, or yet to be fent, without confent of the reft, arid Common confiiltation thereupon: -And 'how' foon that either meflage Or writing fhould come from her unto us, with utter diligence we fliall nOtifie the fame Ope to another ; fo that nothing fliall proceed there^ in without eohiinori confent of us all. Att Stirlingi, the firft day of Auguft ij'jTo.*' Treaties .were cheap in the. eftimatioit of the Queen Regent ;. fhe could eafily riiake them, and was ftronger than Sampfon in break ing them. By a treachery abfolutely fyftema- tic and incurable, fhe violated the treaty made with the Congregation, affembled at Perth, as rapidly as poflible. The Congregation again betake themfelves to arriis. Negoeiation and fkinnifliing fiicceeded each other till, ori the 24th of July iyyo, a treaty was concluded, allowing the Coii2Teo*atioii the free exercife' of their religion. Immediately after the pun hlicatioli of this accommodation, the Conp-re- gation aftertibled at Stirling, and entered into the above Covenant. ,_'*> ; Lilt , .-'.. ''- Th* And, feeing that many are ftirred up by Satan and that Roman Antichrift, to promife, fweare, fubferibe, and for a time ufe the holy facraments in the Kirk deceitfully, againft their owne confc ienc.es, minding hereby, firft, under the externaB cloak of religiori, to corrupt and fubvert fecretly God's true religion, within the Kirk and after- ward, when time may ferve, to become open: enemies and per fe enters q£ the fame, under vaine hope of the Popes aifpenfation divifed- againft the Word of God, to his greater con-: fufion, and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Jefus x We ¦ DISSERTATION XIX. 643 We therefore, willing to take away all fu fpicion of hypocrifie, and of fuch double deal ing with God and his Kirk, proteft, and call the fearcher of all hearts to witnefle, that our minds and hearts do fully agree with tliis our confeflion, promife, oath, and' fubfeription : fo that we are not moved for any worldly refpect, but are perfwaded only in our confidences, through the knowledge and love of God's true religion, printed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, as we fhall anfwer to him in the day when the fecrets of all hearts fliall be difelo- fed. And becaufe wee perceive, that the quiet- neffe and ftability of our religion and Kirk doth depend upon the fafety and good beha-" .viour of the King's Majefty, as upon a com fortable inflrument of God's mercie granted to this couiitrey, for the maintenance of his Kirk, and miniftration of juftice amongft us, we pro teft and promife with our hearts, under the farqe bath, hand-writ and paines, That we fhall defend his peifon and authority, with our gear, bodies,/ and lives, in the defence of Chrift his evangel, liberties of our couiitrey, miniftration of juftice, and punifliment of iniquity, againft all enemies within this real me, or without, as we defire -our -God to be a ftrong and rtiercifull defender, to us in. the day of our death, and epmingxif our Lord Jefus Chrift;: To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory eternally; Amen." ' - '-' Mm mm 2 The 644 DISSERTATION -XIX. The year following, the General Aflembly adopted the meafure. It became univerfal hi the Church- , From this time the idea of Co venant-renovation has prevailed among cove nanters. As the Church had affumed a- regu lar 'form,.- fo her faithful friends .purfued a fy ftem with diftinguifhed vigour. The firft time this covenant was renewed was in 1590, as a teftimony of gratitude for deliverance from the Spanifh Armada. The manner of it de ferves our attention ; it was done with a bond fuited to the ftate of, the Church and nation. It was a fecOnd time renewed 1596, for the pur pofe of confirming and ftrengtbening their at tainments in -Reformation. Court influence produced a fcene of apoftacy, and corruption in the doctrine and Government, until the year 3638. This was alfo done by a bond accom modated unto their circumftances ; after enu*- merating . various acts of Parliament, which feciired the covenanters from the crime of re- hellion, The tenor of their bond follows : \ - " We Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, Bur- geffes,, Minifters, and Commons 'under-fubferi- bing, confidering divers times before, and efpe cially at this time, the danger of thg true Re formed Religion, of the King's honour, and of the public peace of the kingdom, by the mani fold innovations and- evils generally contained, &nd particularly mentioned hi our late fuppli- nations, eomplaintSj and proteftations ; Do hereby DISSERTATION XIX. 64y hereby profefs, and before God, his angels, ;u:J the world, folcmnly declare, That with our whole heart we agree,, and. reib'lve all the days of, -our life, confLmtly to adhere unto and to defend the forcfeid true religion : And for bearing the practice of all 'novations already introduced in the matters of the worfliip of God, or approbation of the public government of the Kirk, or civil places and power of kirk- men, till they be tried and allowed in free Af fenibiies and Parliaments; to labour, by all lawful means, to recover the purity and liber ty of the Gofpel, -as it was eftablilhed and pro- feifed before the forefaid novations: And be caufe, after, duo examination, we plainly per ceive, and undoubtedly believe, that the, inno vations arid evils contained in our Amplications, . complaints, and proteftations, have no warrant of the Word pf Gort, are contrary to the ar ticles of the forefaid Confeflion, to the inten tion and, meaning of the bleffed Reformers of Religion in this land, to the above-written acts of Parliament ; and do fenfibly tend to the re- eftablifh ing of the Popifli Religion and Tyran ny, and the fubver fion and ruin of the true Re formed' Religion, and of our liberties, laws, , and eftates : "We alfo- declare, That the fore faid Confeffions are to be interpreted, and ought to be underftood "of the forefaid nova tions and evils, no lefs than if every one of 'thein had been .expreffed in the forefaid Cou- fefjoris; and that we are obliged to deteft and abhor- 646 DISSERTATION XIX- abhor them, amongft other particular heads of Papiftry abjured therein. And, therefore, from the knowledge and confcience of our duty to, God, to our King and country, without any worldly refpect or inducement, fb far as human infirmity will fuffer, wifliing a further meafure of the Grace of God for this effect ; We pro mife and fwear, by the great name of the Lord our God, to continue in the profeflion and obedience of the forefaid religion ; and that we fhall defend the fame,, and refift all thefe contrary errors and corruptions, accord ing to our vocation, and to the uttermoft of that power that God hath put in our hands, all the days of our life. And, in like manner, with the fame heart, we declare, before God and men, That we have no intention nor defn;e to attempt any thing that riiay tu'rn to the diflionour of God, Or to the diminution of the King's greataefs and authority : But, on the contrary, we pro mife and fwear, That we fhall, to the utter moft of our power, with our means and "liveSj ftand to the defence of our dread Sovereign the King's Majefty, his perfon and authority* in the defence and prefervation of the forefaid true religion, liberties, and laws of the king dom : As alfo, to the mutual defence and aflift- ance every one of us of another, in the fame caufe of maintaining the true religion and his Majefty's authority, with our beft counfel, our bodies, means,, and whole power, againft; JH ferts DISSERTATION XIX. 647 ferts Of perfons whatfoever ; fo that whatfiV ever fliall be done to the leaft of us for that caufe, fliall be tatken as .done to us all in gene ral, and to every one of us in particular. And that we fhall neither directly nor indirectly fuf- fer ourfelves to be divided or withdrawn, by: whatfoever fuggeftion,coriibination, allurement, . or terror, from this blefled and loyal conjunc tion ; nor fhall eaft any let or impediment that may ftay or hinder any fuch refolution, as, by common confent, fliall be found to conduce for fo good ends: But, on the contrary, fliall, by all lawful means, labour to further and pro- move the fame ; and if any fuch dangerous and divifive motion be itiade to us, by word or writ, We, and every one of us, fliall either fep- prefs it, or, if need be, fhall incontinent make the fame known, that it may be tinieoufty ob viated. Neither do we fear the foul afperfions of rebellion, combination, or what elfe our ad- Verfaries, from their craft and malice, would put import us; feejng what we do. is fo well warranted, and arifeth from an unfeigned de fire to maintain -the true worfliip of God, the Majefty of our King, arid the peace of the kingdom, for the common happinefs of our felves and our pofterity. And becaufe we cannot look for a blefling JrVdm Cod upon our proceedings, except with Our profefiiQii and fubfeription we join fuch a life and converfation as befeemeth Chriftians :^w*!io have renewed' their covenant with O-od : if- ' We 648 DISSERTATION XlX,' - ' We therefore, faithfully promife. for ourfelves^ our followers, and all others under us, both" in public and in our particular families, and per-* fonal carriage, to endeavour to keep ourfelves within the bounds of Chriftian liberty ; and to be good examples to others of all godlinefs, fbbernefs, ¦ aiid righteoufnefs, and of every du ty we owe to God and man-. And , that this our union and conjunction. may be obferved without violation, "We call the Li ving God, the Searcher of- ou R hearts,. 'to witnefs, who knoweth this to be our liiicere defire and unfeigned refblution, as we fliall an- fver to Jesus Christ in the great day, arid under the pain of God's everlafting wrath, and of infamy and lofs of all honour and. refpect in this world: Moft humbly. befeechhig the Lord to ftrengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end, and to blefs our defires and pro ceedings with a happy fuccefs, that religion and righteoufnefs may flpurifh in the land, to the glory of God the honour of our King, the peace aiid comfort of us all. In witnefs - we, have fubferibed with our hands all the pre mifles." . ' ; Both nations having entertained ideas of civil power directly oppofitejto King Charles L and as he confidered Epifcopal government as , a more proper inftrument of prerogative thaai any other form. The Parliament, with which he differed, having called together an AfTera- DISSERTATION XIX* 649 bly bf Divines^ for the advancement of religion-) they made confiderable progrefs in the bufi- nefs ; while the P:§rliament promoted the caufe of civil liberty. Charles had recourfe to armsi His opponents meant to defend, themfelves : And, having called in the afllftance of their brethren in Scotland^ they would comply only on condition of the South Britons joining with them in aii ecclefiaftic union, for promoting uniformity in religion, in conformity to the beft Reformed Churches^ Though the mea fure was difagreeable to many politicians ; yet^ for political reafons, rather than religious rno-» tiveSj they complied with it : And the follow ing Covenant, entitled The SqlemnLeague And;CpvenAnT) was entered into.4 .' ' i " WE Noblemen, Bafons^ Knights, Gentle j men, Citizens, Burgefles, Mhufters of the Gof pek and Commons of all forts, in the kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Irelancf by the pro vidence of God living under One King} and be ing of one Reformed Religion, having before our eyes the glory of Godj and the advance ment of the kingdom of our Lord Jefus Ghrift, the honour arid happinefs of the King's Maje fty and his pofterity, and the true public liber ty, fafety and peace -of the kingdom j wherein every one's private condition is included : And calling to* mind the treacherous and bloody plots, confpiracies, attempts, and practices of the ydnemies of God againft the true religion, ' , * Nriiin - and 6.50 DISSERTATION XIX, and profeffors thereof, in all places, efpecially in thefe three kino-doms, ever fince the Refer-- mation of Religion ; and how much their rage,. power, and prefumption are of late, and this time, incr-e.afed and exercifed,. whereof the de plorable ftate of the Church and Kingdom of Ireland, the diftrefled eftate of the Church and ' Kingdom of England, and the dangerous eftate of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland, are prefent and public teftimonies : We have now, at laft, (after .other means of fuppUcation, re- monftrance, proteftations,, and fufferings), for the prefervation of ourfelves: and our religion from utter ruin and deftruction* according to the commendable practice of thefe kingdoms- in former times, and the example of God's people in other nations, after mature delibera tion, refolved and determined to enter into a mutual and Solemn League and Covenant, wherein we all fubfcribe, and each of us For himfelf, with our hands lifted up to the Mob t High God, do fwear, I. That we fhall fincerely, really, and con* ftaritly, through the grace of God, endeavour, in our feveral places and callings, the prefer vation of the Reformed Religion in the Church- of Scotland, in doctrine, worfliip, difeipline and g-overnment, ao-ainft our common enemies ; the Reformation of Religion in the kingdoms of England and Ireland, in doctrine, worfliip, difcipline, and government, according to the Word of God, and the example of the beft Reformed DISSERTATION XIX. 6yi Reformed Churches : And fliall endeavour to brini-v the Churches of God in the three kin<>- doms to the nearcft conjunction and uniformi ty in religion, confeflion of faith, form of church-government, directory for worfliip and eatechifing ; that we, and our pofterity after us, may, as brethren, live in faith and love ; and the Lord may delight to dwell in the midft of us. -II. That we fhall, in like manner, without refpect of perfons, endeavour the extirpation of Popery, Prelacy, (that is, church-govern ment by 5rch.bifh.ops, bifliops, their chancellors and commiifaries, deans, deans and chapters, archdeacons, and all other ecclefiaftical officers depending .-on that hierarchy), fuperftition, he- refy, fehifin, profanenefs, and whatfoever fliall be found to be contrary to found doctrine,- and the power of godlinefs ; left we partake in o- ther tiiens fins, and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagues j and that the Lord may be one, and bis name one in the three kingdoms. HI. . W.-E fhall, with the fame fincerity, rea lity, and conftancy, in our feveral vocations, endeavour, with our eftates and lives, mutual ly to preferve the rights and privileges of-the Parliaments, and the liberties of the kingdoms; and to preferve and defend the King's Maje- fty's perfon and authority, in the prefervation and defence of- the true religion and .liberties of the 'kingdoms-; .that the world may bear Nnnri 2 witnefs 6$2 DISSERTATION XIX. witnefs with our confciences of our loyalty, and> that we have no thoughts or intentions to 'diminifh his Majefty's juft power and great- nefs. , ; IV. We fliall alfo, with all faithfulnefs, en deavour the discovery of all fuch as have been^ Or fliall be incendiaries, malignants, or evil inftruments, by hindering the Reformation of religion, dividing the King from his people, or one of the kingdoms from another, Or making any faction, or* parties, amongft the people, contrary to this league and covenant; that they may be brought to public trial, and re ceive condign punifhment, as the degree of their offences fliall require or deferve ; or the fupreme judicatures of both kingdoms reflec tively, or others having power from them for that effect, fliall judge convenient. VV. And whereas the happinefs of a blefled peace between thefe kingdoms, denied in for mer times to our progenitors, is, by- the good Providence of God, granted unto us, and hath "been lately concluded and fettled by both Par liaments ; we fhall, each of us, according to our place and intereft, endeavour that they anay remain conjoined in a firm peace and union toAall pofterity ; and that juftice may be done upon, the; wilful oppofers thereof, in manner expreffed in the precedent article. - "VI, We fhall alfo.} according to our places and callings, in this common caufe of religion^ liberty, and peace of tlje kingdoms, aflift arid' defend DISSERTATION XIX. 653 defend all thofe that enter into this league and covenant, in the maintaining and purfuing thereof; and fhall not fuffer ourfelves, directly or indirectly, by whatfoever combination, per flation, or terror, to he divided or withdrawn from this blefled union and conjunction, whe ther to make defection to the contrary part, or to' ffive ourfelves to a deteftable indifferen ce cy and neutrality in this caufe, which fo much concerneth the glory of God, the good of the kingdoms, and honour of the Kin£ „; but fliall, all the days of our lives, zealoufly and conftant- -ly continue therein,- againft all oppofition,. and promote the fame, according to our power, a-~ gainft all lets and impediments whatfover ; and what we are not able ourfelvesto fupprefis or overcome, we fliall reveal and make known, that it may be timely prevented or removed. All which we fhall do as uf the fight of God. And becaufe thefe kingdoms are guilty of many fins and provocations againft God, and his Son Jefus Chrift, as is too manifeft by our prefent diftreffes and dangers, the fruits theret of:' we profefs and declare, before God and the world, our unfeigned defire to. be humbled for our own fins, and for the; fins of thefe. king doms ; efpecially, that we have not, as we ought, valued the ineftim able benefit of the Gofpel, that we haye not laboured for the pu rity and power thereqf, arid that -we have nbt endeavoured to receive Chrift in our hearts,, -•>.-. M*4&'iu 14M4 iii. i!S ,'¦¦» ' . .6 $ 4 DISSE K TATION XIX. nor to walk worthy of him in our lives ;,_ which are the caufes of other fins and tranfgreflions, fo much abounding amongft us; and our true and unfeigned purpofe, defire, and endeavour, for ourfelves, and all others under our power and charge, both in public and private, iri all duties we owe to God and man, to amend our lives, and each one to- go before another in the example of a real Reformation ; that the Lord may turn away his Wrath and heavy indigna tion, and eftablifh thefe Churches andfKingdoms in truth and peace. And this covenant we make in the prefence of Almighty God, the fearcher of all hearts, -with a true intention to perform the fame, as we fliall anfwer at that day when the fecrets of all hearts fliall be clif- clofed : Moft humbly befeeching the Lord to ftrengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end, and to blefs our defiles and proceedings with fuch fuccefs, as may be deliverance and fafety to his people, and encouragement to other Chriftian Churches, groaning under, or in dan ger of the. yoke- of Antichriftian tyranny, to to join in the fame, or like aflociation arid co venant; to the glory of God, the enlargement of the kingdonuof Jefiis Chrift, and the peace and tranquility of Chriftian kingdoms and com monwealths," I shall now make fome Reflections oji the Britifli Fcederal Tranfactions. i. These DISSERTATION XIX. 65$ I. These Covenants were perfectly agree able to the laws of the country, and the reno vation of them no violation of the conftitution; There are a clafs of men, who feem to be fprung from the ancient Samaritans, they fug- gefted, that the covenanters in Nehemiah's day were a parcel of rebels. A branch of the fame tree, having the', fame root of bitternefs, feems to have exifted in the days of the Primi tive Church. Nero and Trajan, however op pofite in character, agreed in finding the cove nanting Chriftians enemies to the State.' It was upon the fame footing that the Wal denfes were perfecuted by the Court of Turin. The patrons of the doctrines of non-refiftance and paflive obedience feem to have borrowed thefe Aritichriftian weapons, to fight a Cove nantee! Reformation in this land. This needs not greatly .fur prife us, as ^ thefe men did not choofe to underftand the civil or religious rights of. mankind. But we behold, with aftonifh- ment, a Reverend Doctor of this enlightened age,' Handing at the head of the roll in the lift of candidates fbr literary fame, announcing the National oath to have been employed, in 1638," to promote violent and unconsti tutional measures."^ There is no other method to account for it, but that polite - ne- ffhVeilcc for which the works of that author are fb remarkably diftinguiflied. Had the Re verend Doctor found leifure to confult the law- ftBthorities quoted in the introduction to the - bond t-$6 DISSERTATION XIX* bond ufed in 1638, as they are to be found fub* joined to that nearly antiquated fyftem, the Confession of Faith; and the divine au thority, tO be found in a ftill-more antiquated code of laws, the Scriptures of the Old and- New Teftament, I have little room to doubt, fuch is the candour, moderation, and Li berality of sentiment which falls to the portion of the Reverend Principal, but that he fliould have found the meafures purfued as conftitutioual and falutary as the Tranfactions themfelves, were warrantable and laudable: Arid the covenanters, inftead of rebels, the beft patriots which that, or any other age ever pro duced. - 2. The political views, and hypocritical purpofes, which induced fome enemies to Re formation principles to enter into fhe National Covenant and Solemn League, .are no objec tions againft thefe Tranfactioiis themfelves ; nor ao'ainft the conduct of fiich as entered in- to them with fincerity .of heart. In the days of danger, the' Church is diminiflied by apo ftacy ; and in the days of prOfperity, fhe is no lefs endangered by a too rapid inoreafe in hy- pocrify. The latter was the cafe in the laft age. But, if the argument be good hi this cafe,, it riiuft alfo be valid againft Chriftiariity itfelf; as -it is well known, that nations and princes have fometimes been induced to em brace Chriftianity from political views. One cannot* DISSERT ATI ON XIX. 65? cannot eafily explain, however, the motives of in any who hiake the above objection. . Who were the perfons who took the covenants from political motives f Were they not fuch as had a fecret enmity at the Preibyterian fyftem, and a monarchy limited by law ? Were they not the friends of Epifcopacy and abfolute go vernment ? The reft, generally fpeaking, were- iri good earneft, in avowing their Creed : But, to qualify for places, the royalifts, as they are ftyied, fwallowed all the national oaths; and yet their fiicceflbrs cry out of hypocrify ! Would not one imagine, that a decerit regard to their predeceffors would enjoin them filence in, this matter ? , .3. These Tranfactioris Were lawful, as to the matter ; and neceflary ^ as to the time. They were fitch as comprehended every attain ment in Reformation; It has been their fate«to meet with -much oppofition in the world, indeed; as well as their friends- with amazing obloquy and reproach. I fhall only fingle out one in ftance of both, from the many which niight be prodnced. They are reprefented not only as encroaching on the rights of private judg ment, but alfo as binding to fanguinary mea- fures and perfecution for confcience fake. It has been faid, that the Solemn League binds to kxT't'if pate Prelacy, Sec. But, let it be ob ferved, that the phrafe does not appear to be ffronger than that of our Saviour, to root *- Ooo© our 658 DISSERTATION XIX., out every plant which the Father's right hand'.hath not planted. . Prelacy, in the view of every Prefbyterian, who believes the divine right of the Prefbyterian form of government, is a plant of this kind. Nothing fanguinary was intended by Clirift ;~ and the conduct of Prefbyterians, when in power, fuffers nothing by a comparative view with that of Prelates, as to complying with the will of Chrift in this. mat ter; The former provided sustenance for the life of the ejected; the latter a prison. No meafure whicli was ufed by the Prefbyte- rians ever equalled the ^Bartholomew Bufhel, or the Corporation Act \ not to mention the Star Chamber, under Laud. The doctrine of the right of confcience was as well under ftood by the Prefbyterians hi Britain,, as in iny of the Proteftant Churches : But the truth is,*. it was referved tb Locke to fet them in a ftill clearer point of view. In one -word, if any thing fanguinary was meant, we expreffed our diflent as early as 1737*. 4. These Covenants had the feal of He a- ve'n's approbation fet unto them, not only by bringing many to enter into them ; but alfo, by the effufion of his Spirit on the Covenanters,- • at the feafon of their entrance, and enabling them, at laft, to feal them with their blood. Vide Testimony. DISSER- DISSERTATION XX. ON THE R E N O V AT ION OF OUR SOLEMN COVENANTS 1 N T H E PRE.SEN T A G E. THE foregoing Covenants were renewed in 1648: And the Confeflion of Sins, and Engagement to Duties are to be found ufually bound up with our Confeflion of Faith. From the violation Of thefe engagements, by what is 'called the Public Resolutions, until the Revolution, there followed a fcene of covenant-violation altogether unexampled in the annals of mankind. If,the violation was lefs flagrant at, and after the Revolution;; yet, the proper feafon of covenant-renovation was utterly neglected. There were a handful of '-•"": Oopo 2 fuffer ers 660 DISSERTATION XX. fufferers who had kept themfelves, in a great meafure, from the pollutions of the world, who furvived the Perfecution. Thefe were fliatrie- fully deferted by their minifters; and leftin great confufion, as to both their political and religi ous principles. The judicatories of the Revolu- tionGhurch were a very heterogeneous compo. fition : -They Were compofed of members who had failed with the wind for thirty years bygone, for one portion ; another was- made up of the indulged ; arid a third of fuch as had been re- fugees in other countries. The iron and clay were tempered together by the force of civjl authority. Various overtures and propofals were made, for putting hand to a Covenanted Reformation ; but the diVerfity of opinion and practice among the clergy preverited the.wiflies Of the fewr frorii any renovatiori of our Solemn Covenants at that memorable deliverance, Never had a ehurch a fairer, opportunity, or a louder calf, to it, than at that time : They had been delivered from flavery and abfolute go vernment in the State, and a long period {twenty-eight years) of hot perfecution for confcience fake. Never did a church and na tion fp fhamefully neglect the golden feafori which God put into their hand. Thofe who. polluted their confidences by fwearing the co-* venant's, and the oaths of canonical obedience, as well as all oaths by which the Covenants were abjured; could not well be expected tp fee hQn.9uj;ed by God. as iriftrwmerifis in fuch a noble DISSERTATION XX. 66 1 >,/-¦ noble work. Thefe, or fuch as had been or dained by them,, 'formed the greater part, by ' much, of the minifters of the Church of Scot land. The indulged feem to have been a- rump .of the ancient refolutioners ; of confe quence, political maxims, which too frequent ly governed their conduct, prevailed' with them, at this time,, to foperfede that "work. The few who returned from their lurking places Were out-voted, and borne down by the perflation and addrefs of others. The Synod of Gallo way was\the: only one, if I miftake not, which took any fteps for the renovation of their fa cred engagemerits ; but as 'milch Court-water was procured as extinguifhed their defires. The perpetual obligation of our Covenants, however, Was maintainecj, by the grearer part of Prefbyterians; and minifters, when laying the baptifinal vows on parents, mentioned both the National Covenant and Solemn League, in ex prefs. terms. Individual minifters likeways* made feme appearance in behalf of our na tional vows : Mr Hog appeared their fteady friend On. the north fide of the Forth ; Mr. ;-Bofton's fermons, which he delivered in this country, fhew his fentiments on that fubject ; and to him were joined Meflrs Wilfon and Da- vidfon, as well as various other minifters. of in ferior reputation ; prior unto thefe, Mr Ga briel Semple, who came ont of tlie furnace of perfecution, had patronized the fame caufe : But the rnoft vigorous and explicit teftimony, in 662 , DISSERTATION XX. in favour of our Solemn Covenants, at that time-,, was referved for Mr John. Hepburn, mi nifter at Orr.. lt is not pretended that every ftep of' management taken'by -him; and fuch as joined -with him, was unexceptionable ; but it is certain, that his labours, by the blefling of God, fowed the feeds of found principles a- mong many, fo far as they extended; and multitudes, as far as we can judge, of gracious -perfbns, yea lively Chriftians, forriied the fb cieties which. he fuperin tended.. As many mi nifters and people were diflatisfied with many things in the conftitution of tlie Revolution Church; fo the judicatories added new grounds of offence in the fteps of adminiftration. Thefe are enumerated in the Judicial Act and Tefti-. mony, and the Acknowledgment of Sins pre fixed to the bond which is now in ufe among covenanters. Prior to the year 1732, various teftimo nies had been given, by-proteft and otherways, againft thefe fteps of mal-adminiftration: But, after that period, the higheft ecclefiaftic au thority was interpofed to put a period unto them. Upon this, Mr Ebenezer Erfkine, in a fermon delivered before the Synod of Perth, turned the edge of his doctrine againft the growing evil. \ This was highly refented by the courts. He maintained what he was per- fua.de d to be the caufe of Truth, with un daunted courage. Three other minifters took . ' ' part DISSERTATION XX. 66$ part with him in framing various papers re fpecting the grievances of the Church and her members, one of which bore the defignation of a Testimony. In the year 1737, the mini fters who befriended a Covenanted Reforma tion, and maintained a teftimony for it in con nection with Mr Erfkine, having previoufly con ftituted themfelves into a Prefbytery, entered more minutely into a confideration of the na tional apoftacy from a Covenanted Reforma tion : They-recount the moft capital fteps of it, and condemn -.them : They avow their attach ment unto every former attainment ; and their refolution to profecute the ends of their tefti mony in connection with every one who fhould choofe to join them., This teftimony was. re ceived with avidity by iriany. It was peculiar ly tormenting to the leaders of the National Church : They drew the ecclefiaftic fword a- .gainft its authors :. They did not fpare their treaferes in hiring a fervile writer to confute it. Thefe things contributed their part to in- creafe its number and refpect. The blefling of God fecceeded the labours of his fervants ; and their number was increafed both by ordi nations and new acceflions frpm -the Eftablifh- riient. .The minifters and people were una nimous in the advancement of a Covenanted Reformation. As errors were ftill upon the hicreafe in the land, they proceeded to publifli an Act, entitled the Doctrine of Grace, for their more explicit condemnation : And, con fider ing 664 DISSERTATION XX. fideringthe calls of both Wprd andProvideneef they proceeded to frame, an Acknowledgment of Sins, confifting of an enumeration of thofe , things which were a violation of former cove nant engagements ; and, at the feme time,, made out a, bond, the tenor of Which follows .- " WE, all and every one Of us, though fenfible of the deceitfulnefs and unbelief of our own hearts, and however frequently perplex ed with doubts and fears anent our actual be lieving, yet defiring to effay, in the Lord's strength, and in obedience to his com mand, to glorify God, by believing his word of grace, contained in his covenant of promife, to devote ourfelves unto the Lord in a cove nant of duty ; "We do, with our hands lifted up to the MOST HIGH GOD, hereby profefs, and, before God, angels, and men, folemnly declare, That, through the grace of God, and according to the meafure of his grace given unto us, we do, with our whole hearts, c take hold of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, as the only propitiation for our, fins; his R-Ighte- ousness^ as the only foundation of our ac-' cefis to, and acceptance -with God ; his CoyE-* nant of free and rich promifes, as our only charter for the heavenly inheritance ; his Word, fbr our perfect and orily rule of faith and practice ; his SPIRIT, for our alone guide, to lead us into all truth revealed in his holy Word, unto whicli nothing, at any tinie, is tto be dissertation xx^ 66? be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirits, oi; traditions of mem We avouch the LORD to be our GODf and, in the ftrength Of his promifed grace, we promise and stfEAR, by the GREAT NAME OF THE 'LORD OUR GOD^ That we fhall walk' in his way, keep his judgments and commandments^ and hearken to his yoice r And, particularly1, that we fliall, by the Lord's grace, continue: and abide in the profeflion, faith, and obedi ence of the forefaid true Reformed religion, in doctrine, -worfliip, Prefbyteriaf Church-gb- ; vernment and difcipline ; and that we fhall , according to our feveral ,ftations, places, and callings, contend and teftify againft all con trary evils, errors,- and corruptions, 'particular ly^ Popery, Prelacy, J)eifm$ Arianifm; A r mini-* anifmr and every error fubverfive to the Doc trine of Grace ; as alfo, Independency, Lati- tudinariari tenets, and the other evils named in, the above confeflion of fins* In like manner, -#e p rqmise and" : s\y ear, That, by all means, whicli are lawful and war rantable for us, according to the Wo*d of God, the apprdven and received ftandards of this Church, and our knoWrt principles, we fliall, in our feveral ftations and callings; eiideavour the Reformation of religion iri England' ancl Ireland, in doctrine, worfliip, difcipline, and government, according to the Word of God j and to promote and advance our covenanted Conjunction arid uniformity in religion, confef- * PpPpX fiori: 665 DISSERTATION XX. fion of faith and cateehifms, form of Church- government, and directory for worfliip, as thefe were received by this Church. - And, in regard we are taught by the Word of God,, and bound by our covenants, National and Solemn League, to live together in the fear of God, and in love one to another, and to encourage one another in -the work and caufe of the Lord ; and that, denying all un- godlinefs- arid worldly lufts, we fliould live fo- berly, righteoufly,- and godly in this prefent world : Therefore, in a dependence on the Lord's grace and ftrength, we, in the fame manner, do promise and swear, That we fhall, in our feveral places and callings, encou rage -and ftrengthen orie another's hands,' in purfuing our end and defign of this our folemn' oath and covenant ; and that we fliall endea vour a life ancl converfation becoming the: Gofpel of Chrift : And that, in our perfonal callings and particular families,, we fliall ftudy tO be good examples to, one another of godli nefs and righteoufhefs, and of every duty that we owe to God and mail ; and that we fliall not give up ourfelves to a deteftable indiffe rence and neutrality in the caufe of God ; but, denying ourfelves, and our own things, we fhall, above all things, feek the honour of God, and the good of his caufe and people ; and that, through grace, -forfaking. the counfels of flefli and blood, and not leaning upon carnal confidences, we fliall endeavour to depend up on DISSERTATION XX. 667 on the L01"^' to walk by the rule of his Word, and to hearken to his voice by his fervants. In all which, prof effing our own weaknefs, we earneftly pray to God, who is the Father of mercies, through his Son Jefus Chrift, to be merciful unto us, and to enable us, by the power of his Holy Spirit, that we may do our duty,. unto the praife of his grace in the Churches. Amen." Besides, the Confeflion of Sins, which is ufually read before the fwearing of this bond, there was alfo franied a particular one, fuited to the cafe of the miniftry -r and the minifters themfelves . fet an example unto their congre gations. The form of the atteftation of their jfiibfcription is as follows :.-," We under fub- feribing minifters, members of the Aflbciate Prefbytery, do fubfcribe the -above bond with , our hands, at Stirling, the 28th day of Decem ber 1743 years; — :t^ie ^am bond having been this day folemrily fworn by us. Eb enez er Ers kine, -Stirling.. Ra lp h Er s kin e, Dunfermline. James THOMSoN,TBnrntifland. Alexander Moncrief f, Abernethy. ¦Thomas Mair, Orwel. Jam e s -Fi "s h e r , Glafgo w. David Smyton, Kilmaurs. William Hut ton, Stow. Adam Gib, Edinburgh. Pppp 2 And, '068- DISSERTATION XX, And. Clark son, Craigmailen. John Cl eland, Balfrori. George Brown, Perth. -'; WilliAm Campbell, Ceres. Thomas Balmntyne, Sanquhar. David Horn, Cambufiiethan." Fo u R minifters who were not then prefent, and another who was not then ordained, — did join, after the fame manner, in that folemn work, at Falkirk, on the 14th day of March enfeing : And febfcribed as follows, viz. *' James ; Mair, Linton. Patrick Matthew, Midholm. . James ,ScoT, Gatefhall. Jo h n W h y t , Dunfe . Henry Erskine, Falkirk*/' -. , "' '¦* Near an hundred congregations have co pied' the example fince, that time; and fome of them have done it frequently, having had occafion for fo doing on account of the num-i bers who voluntarily offered frpm time to time., Th e ferious part of this nation (feme friends ;' to the abdicated family excepted) had always 3. becoming reverence fdr the Covenants, tho' Lhey had not renewed them for near a cen tury. The firft oppofition made unto them * The laft of thefe five fubfcribers was ordained the day before. All who have been ordained: fince that tfaneA had pxeviqufly joined in, Coveiiauting-worl^. , ft'ora, DISSERTATION XX. 669 from any other quarter- was, from Indepen dent notions, maintained under the aufpices of John Glas : But as his fyftem was remark ably obfeure, and feme of his followers travel- lad ftill farther into the land of darknefs, it has not proved a hurtful inftrument. Oppofition from another quarter has been more feccefs- ful: The fame of Whit e fie ld induced fe- verals to invite him into this, country ; but, as he formed a fyftem of religion fuited to the univerfal tafte of mankind ; and, as, he knew the avenues of human nature remarkably Well,. he di'fearded the plan of a Covenanted Refor mation, as by much top narrow. This needs to be no matter of furprize-: The Covenanters have uniformly reprefented Epifeopal 'govern* ment and worfliip as corruptions which requi red reformation ; and called fech as- h$ve been corrupted by them unto repentance, hu miliation, and amendment. Though fhe A- poftle Paul faw the propriety of being in fasts.' often, yet Mr Whi'tefi eld feems to have reckoned them wholly unneceflary. Mourn ing for fin he confined to:coNViCTs before converfion : Humiliation he found diametrical ly oppofite to -that flow of affection which was the life of his caufe. His principles were enx-^ braced with avidity by many who had former ly fign alized themfelves- on the fide of Cove nanting: For his, fake, a, Willison and a Robb were. ready to rundown what they had formerly eftabliflied. From this period, vari-. ous 670 DISSERTATION* XX. ©us" parts of a -Covenanted, Reformation, and Covenanting itfelf, were looked on with an evil eye, -by many who' laid ftrong pretenfions to fuperior degrees of fandtity,» in Scotland. Strong attempts are made to have it utterly exploded. Covenanters are a feet every where fpoken againft ; But, from fmall beginnings,. it has diffufed itfelf far and wide over the land ; and, " having obtained help of God, they continue unto this day, . v/itnes sing both to fmall and great." Amen. THE E.N D. APPENDIX. No I. [See page 3.] 'HE derivntien of rn3 from m3 elegit, is moft a- greeable to the genius of the Hebrew language; -for verbal nouns which terminate" in D, TV, m, ty\, &c. are derived from verbs in-the form of Kal, which have n quiefcent for their laft radical. Vide Wasmuth, Append. No. I. ad Gram. Heb. Clafs ii. § 2. Buxtorf, Thefaur., Gram, cap^LVI.- The Hul-chinlbnians, are far from being fatisfied" with this derivation : But the term which is ufually tranflated -Co venant in the Old Tefta ment, is, by them, derived from another, which rignifiejj| to purify ["O, or "na]: Hence they conclude, that the term purifier ought to be fubftituted in- place of .the word Covenant, throughout the tranflation of the Old Teftament at leaft. Calc.ot's Sermon on the Elo- him, p. 15. Romaine apud vocem. — Mr Riccaitouij, aaad the reft of the Hutchinfonian s are'jiot quite confift ent with .themfelves : In. one part of Mr Riccaltouh's: writings we are taught, that the words Carath Berith exprefs that which -we call making a Covenant, Vol. III. p. 217 : But, in Vol. I. p. 321 — 324. we are. in formed, that the fame words fignify to cut-off a puri fier. But it is eafy to Ihew, >that the Hutchinfonian. derivation is . uncertain and irregular. — The propofed tranflation abfurd and unjuft. 1. The Hutchinfonian derivation of Berith muft be abfurd, even on their own principles ; Fbr their rule, refpetfting, derivation, is, That the primitive idea of the root is conveyed -to"" all the derivatives. Now, the idea of purification is incompatible with the term, Berith in Many places of Scripture : For example, If. xxviii. 15. " And ye have faid, we have niade a Covenant (Berith) with death, and with hell we. are at agreement." What purifier, ox what purification can be here intended J The 672 A p p e i iii. The propofed derivation iiyilfo irregular, as it confounds Berith (covenant) with Bprith (foap); Things fufficient ly different indeed : But, perhaps, thefe men will reply, That all the diftiniftion between thefe two words-origi nates in the vowel-points. It might be anfwered, 'Be it' fo ; their divine original has been fufficiently demon- ftrated by P. Whitefield, in our own language, as well as Dr Owen and Dr Gill; not to mention what has beeii attempted in other languages, 2.- The propofed tranflation is unjuft and improper. It muft be an unjuft tranflation which contradicts the in spired writers of the New Teftament. The word Be rith, when quoted from the Old Teftament to the New^ is tranflated Diatheke ; but no one ever imagined that Diatheke fignified purifier, or purification. A few ex amples may be adduced to our purpofe, Exocl. xxiv 8. *' Behold the blood of the Gov en-ant which the Lord hath lhade with you," compared with Heb. ix. jo.1 "This lis the blood of the Testament which the Lord hath en joined unto you." In the firft text, the original word for Covenant is Berith; In tlie laft, the original' word for Teftament is> Diatheke.. The -Apoftle is there treat ing of a teftamentary Covenant ; therefore, Diatheke is peculiarly expreflive of the nature of it. See alfo, Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, 33. quoted by the Apoftle Heb. viii. ,8,' $,¦ ro. and x. 16. I believe there is-no comparifon between the Apoftle and the Hutchinfonians as tranflators : "Nor will any true Chriftian hefitate a moment which to pre-" fer. But, although the Apoitle-had never, tranflated it, there is abundance of light, in many places, in the con text, to fhew the abfurdity or this newly propofed tranf-. lation ; as 2 Chron. xvi. 23. " Then Afa fent to Ben- hadacr, king of Syria, who dwelt at Damafcus, faying^ There is a League (Heb. Berith) between me and thee, as there was between thy father and my father. Be-< hold, I have fent thee filver and gold, go break thy League (Heb.- Berirhecha) with Baflia, king oFIfrael." This text is alfo fiifficient to fet afide the force of a di^ ftinclion which Mr Riecaltoun makes to -the following purpofe : ¦-" That Carath Berith are ufed to exprefs the tranfaction we call making a cpvenant may be grant ed ; but that Berith, ftanding by itfelf, ligniiies a' cove- - nant,. A P P\ E N D i Xi 673 foant, will hot be eafily proved." Here it ftcinds by it felf, yet it. fignifies a League, or Covenant : But he fur ther infifts, " That, when it ftands by, itfelf, ancl figni fies God's Berith, then it fignifies purifier, aild not co venant." We may now give fome inftances of God's Bertth, which cannot be tranflated God's Purifier : Pfal. lxxviii. 10. " They kept not the Covenant (Heb. Berith) of Elohim : and refufed to walk in his law." ^Jf Beiith be tranflated purifier, in this verfe, What is ijhe meaning of it ? Or how" has it any meaning left in it at all I See alfo, Deut. xvii. 2. Jofh. vii."n. and xv. 2. -2 Kings xviii. 12,. &c. It is ftill objected, That it is ab furd tq,fay cut off a covenant ; whereas it is a pro; per expreffion to fay cut ofp a purifier. It may be anfwered, "That the facrifice by which the Covenant was confirmed was cut off, and alio cut into two parts, Gen. xv. iq. and the "facrifice which feals the Covenant may- bear the name of it as well as cir.cumeifron. Now^ Where is the impropriety, or abfurdity, of faying cut off a facrifice ? Moreover, this objection ftrikes as much againft Mr Riccalton as againft the doctrine we main tain.; For he grants that; Carath Bemth fignify to make a cpvenant ; and this is the only phrafe which can be tranflated, from the Hebrew, to cut a covenant. From the' above confideratiptas it appears,- That the word Coven aut has a juft claim to its place in our tranflation. " A " Na IL ' .- £Sde page 580. J »*pHE School of Alexandria is a clear proof of the ear-- A ly converfion of. Egypt unto the Chriftian Faith. If ,we fearch the records of the Church, we wift And, that Ifaiah's prediction received an accomplifhment in the literal Egypt. A. learned Rdman Catholic (Hueti- us);aj#empts to apply the oracle, If. xix. 18—25. to the temple which Onlas built iri oppofition to that of Jeru salem: But, as Vitrin-ga juftly, .obferves, this hiftory Cannot agree with that oracle:, The oracle fpeaks of E- * Q.l'll gyptians, 674 A P. P E N D I X.- gyptians, as diftinguimed from Ifraelites ; the Hiftory- of Jews as cHftinguifhed from Egyptians (Jofephus). The felting up of any altar befides that at Jerufalem, was confidered by God as fetting up an altar againft Iiis. altar, and it expofed perfons to his curfe; but this oracle allures us, that the perfons vowing and building the al- (ar are certainly blefled : " The Lord of hofts fhall blefs- rhem," faying, Blessed' be Egypt my people," &c. If thel-e were profelytes to the Jewifli religion, frpm among the dwellers in Egypt, at jerufalem on the day of. Pentecoffi, who were converted to the Chriftiari Faith, as a kind of firft fruits : How .much more copious fliould be tlie harveft, which produced a regular difpenfation of Gofpel ordinances. A Julian himfelf attefts the fulfil ment of this prediction, Epift. Ii. " By the- gods, I am not a little alhamed, that any of Alexandria fliould dare to confefs himfelf a Galilean. There was a time when the anceftors of the Hebrews ferved the Egyptians r But ye, Alexandrians, Egypt being fubdued, patient} y endure fiaveryto the defpifers of the dogmas of your anceftors, which is againft all right." Upon the whole, Vitringa concludes that this teftimony is an evidence not only of the accomplifhment of this prophecy, but alfo of that in Pfal. lxxxvii. 4. " I will make mention of Rahab (or E- gypt) and' Babylon to them that know me." " En, casteris miflis, verba -notabilia Juliani, in Epiftola ad A- lexandriiios, quibus hanc mutationem exprobrat : Equi- dem pudore, per Deos, haud htediocri teneor, Alexandri- ni, quod illus apud vos Galil^jum (Chriftiaiiuirr) fe fa- teri audeat Hebraiorum quondam verorum Parentes- /Egyptiis ferviebant : at vos, Alex.andrini, modo. iEgypto fubaeta, (hanc enim conditor vefter fibi fubjecit :) t»5**«s- ToXtya^riXiila-t rav 7r»r^luv ISoyfidrm lititeixv iSlXn'irtot, dvirtx^v; isii ¦z-xXatSv hn-f/.uv b.\ turn) et Babelem inter eos qui me cogno-fcunt." Vi tringa, Comment., iii Ifaiam, p. 782. Now, it is well- known that the Primitive Chriftians UterallyswoRE unto the Lord of Hofts, as appears from the! monuments of aritiquitv formerlv adduced. .:, '"> .-- -No APPENDIX. 675 No III. [See page 658.] COVENANTING was lefs general.in Ireland than in Britain, as a great number of Proteftants fell by the dreadful maflacre in that kingdom ; and, probably, becaufe, the followers of Archbp Usher adiiered to what was called the royal cause. There were a great number of Sctots, however, who had fettled in the riorthern parts of Ireland ; thefe clave to their brethren, and fnpported, with diftiriguifhed courage, every part of -Reformation principles. . The labours of a, Blair and a Livingftone, were eminently fuccefsful in that kingdom ; and the fruit they afterwards produced appeared in the ready acceptance, and renovation of the Solemn League. And niany Iriih Proteftants followed their example : As ap pears from the declaration of the Prefbytery of Bangor "in the year 1640, That they and others had renewed this covenant. In the feveral congregations of Irifh Pro teftants, a reprefentatiori was read againft the, proceed ings of the Sectarian Party that beheaded Tiing Charles L and thefe Proteftants avow the Solemn League as their own cpvenant. Not only fo, but as late as 1662, fifty - nine minifters of the Synod pf Bellimenoch, who were •moft zealous covenanters, refufed tp conform to Epifco- pacy, confidexing it as abjured by the Solemn League; which gives us the ftrpngeft proof that covenanters were siot ft) in confider able in the kingdom of Ireland as fome , have imagined. Oqqq 2 . V-TQ TO THE READER. THOUGH' the Author revifed the proof* ftieets, when at home, with every de^ giee of diligence poffible, yet feveral Er rata have crept into the work. It is hop'd the candid reader will forgive fmaller ,miitakes, 'and correct the following thus : — P. 3 36. Note* third line from the foot, for hearts read heart. — P. 52 1. fix lines 'from th'e foc-t, the following part of the quotation has been c*niit>. ted: "And I, will eftablifh my covenant be-* tween me and thee, and thy feed after thee, an their generations, for an everlafting cove* narft, to be a God unto thee, and thy feed af ter thee." — P. 548. Note, fecond line from the foot, after the marks of quotation add, See Dr Whitby on Matth. v. 21. — -P. 636. line. ninth from the top, for comes read"CAMB, — *-. — The fpelling in ancient deeds, fuch as the_ League of Smalkakl, is preferved as in the pio.niurients in which they are to be found*. SUBSCRIBERS SUBSCRIBERS NAMES, THE Rev. Mr Andrew Arnott, Midholm, 26 The Rev. Mr Michael Ar- tluu-, Aberdeen, 13 Mr John Anderfon,- preach er of the GofpeJ, Glafgow - Mrs Aikew, Palinlburn Mrs Archibald, Redden John Anderfon, merchant, Alloa 13 Andrew Adam, tenant, Over- town, 7 George Aitchifon, hair-dreff- er, Kelfo William Aitchifon, tailor, Stitchel -.- James Ainfley, writer, Jed burgh William Allan, butcher, Kelfo Jofeph Archibald, feedfman, Edinburgh, 13 Mil's Janet Archibald, Edin burgh John Archibald, cbeefe-mon- ger, Edinburgh Adam Armftrong, writer John Auld, merchant, Glai- gow Thomas Alifori, painter, Kel- ;. fp Robert Aitchifon B " The Hon.: Mrs Baillie, Mell- erftain, 2 The Rev.JMr Thomas Bell, Glafgovy The Rev. Mr Arch. Bruce, Whitburn, 13 - Thomas Baxter, writer, Mel- rofe John Ballantyne, merchant, Kelfo John Bell, bopkfeller, Edin. burgh Janies Blackwood,, currier, Edinburgh Mary Blackie George Bokon Francis Briggs Robert -Brown, . tenant, in Haugh-head Mill George Burn, weaver, Stit chel, 2 John Bruce, Kelfo Mill Robert Bruce,4 ftay-maker, Kelfo, 18 Robert Bromfield, tailo_r, KeL Alexander Bruce,' joiner^ , Sprouflon John- Bruce, tenant, there WiUiam Bruce Thomas Bifliop William Bell j. Ann Boyle, Springwood-park The Rev. Mr Robert Colvjf, Lauder, 1 3 The Rev. Mr Robert Cun ningham, Ealibarns Alexander' Colden, Berwick Patrick Campbell Ralph" r 67s y Ralph Cairns, tenant, Coru- hill Alexander Campbell, wright, Glafgow Duncan Carmichael George Caw, printer, Kelfo Alexander Craig,>tailor,Glaf- , gow John Clark, tailor, there Alexander Chatto, tenant, , Caver tor William Craig, merchant, Kelfo George Cranfton, Plowland John Curie, watch-maker, Kelfo John Curll, Bank-office, Kelfo Thomas Chilholm •Mary Clunie D The Rev. Mr John Dalziel, Earlftoh The Rev.DrDuncarl.Smali- holm Mr Drummond, ftudent in Divinity- Robert Davidfon, Efq;' Pjn- naclehill Thomas Dun, Fairbairn-mill Andrew Dobbie, tenant in Fiiheracre William Dan Janet Davidlbn John Davidfon . Peter Davidfon Ralph Dickie Ralph Dickiefpn Andrew Davidfon ., William Davidlbn, fervant, Sprouftoa , ¦ George Dickie John Dodd The Hon. Lady Helen Dou- glas, Springwood-park Mifs Don Captain Dickfon William Dickfon, Efq; -¦ C. Douglas, M. D. Kelfo Mrs Douglas, Kelfo Andrew Douglas William Dawfon, ¦ tenant, Frogclean Andrew Darling . John Deuholm John Dryfdale Ifahel Davidfon E TheHightHon. Lord Elliock, one of the Senators of the College of Juftice George . -Elliot, bookfeller, Kelfo, 50 Rob. Ewen, weaver, Sprou- . lion And. Ewen,-weaver, -there E Mr Ferrier, Aytonhall Gavin Frain, fupervifor, Kel fo Tho. Fair, merchant, there Tho. Frafer, ditto, there James Forbes, fchoblmalter, there James Fairbairn, 1 3 John Foffyth Adam Foreman * ¦ James Foord, weaver, Stit chel . Mark Fulton, tenant, Kames Agnes Fair Margaret Finhyfon la. Forfythy baker, Kelfo The r. 679 1 The Rev. Mr Adam Gib, Edinburgh^ The Rev. Mr Wm. Graham, Newcaftle The Rev. Mr John Gray, Brechin, 1 3 Mr Gordon, bookfeller, E- diriburgh, 6 William Gavinlock, holier, ' Glafgow, James Galbraith, copper- ' fmith, Glafgow James Galbraith, weaver, Yetholm, 4 George, Gray, mafon, Neh- thorn, -2 Peter Glen John Gray, -mafon, Stitchel William Gray, mafon, there Margaret Grant Thomas Gen.ti)es, baker,Glaf- gow H The Right Hon. the Earl of .Home James Haig, Efq; of Bemer- . fide . Mrs Roddam Home James Hardie, merchant Alexander Hogg James Hogg, gardener, Kelfo James Hunter Thomas Hatlie, tenant, New- . tonlees -Robert Hare, hedger, Hume Robert Hopper, tenant, E- den-mouth William Hunter' Rob. Hunter, china_-mender, ' Kelfo . George Hamilton, Greenlaw Peter Hatlie Robert Hatlie William Hogg Peter Hogg Alexander Hunter James Hood John Hope, ftocking-maker, Jedburgh, 5 Margaret Hallewell John Hall, ftocking-maker, Glafgow ' ; John Hamilton •'¦'¦. Robert Hope Robert Hood John Hatlie^ Kelfo Charles Jackfon,- M. D. Nicolatownfield Richard Jobfon Geo. Johhfton, tenant, Rum- bletonlaw, 13 ." John Jardine, Kelfo William Jobfon, 3 Arch. Johnfton, merchant, Kelfo Andrew JafFraw Betty Inglis Robert Inglis, bookfeller, E- dinburgh, 2 Nelly Inglis George Ingram, printer, E- ¦ dinbui-gh Mary Inglis, Sprouftoh Chriftian Inglis Andrew Immers, cooper, Kelfo K 1 homas Kerr Mimgo Kyle John I 1 John Kerr, fhoemaker, New* caftle, 6 George Kinghorn James Kinghorn - The Rev. Mr John Lawfon, Spittal Andrew Lockie George Learmont, weaver, Kelfo . Andrew Lock;e, gardener, Kelfo_ James Lei then " William Lockie William Leek, 4 John LilLy, Efq; Montreal, 100 Samuel Lamb, Greenlaw, 13 Barbara Lauder Andrew Lookup, writer, Jed burgh Anthony Lambert, attorney, Berwick Ro. Lindfay,~M. D.Jedburgh, Alexander Leadbetter, mer chant, Kelfo William Lilly M , . The Rev. Mr William -Mori- crieff, Alloa ' '- The Rev. Mr James Mori- fon, Norham .The Rev. Mr David Mori- '-, fon, Morebattle The Rev. Mr William Mac- george, Mid-Calder, 1 8 The Rev. Mr George More, Shields., 18' John M'Caul, Olivefidej 2 Julian Middlemafs William Mather, cabiHet>itta> kfer, Kelfo; 2 Peter Mather, joiner, Kelfo James Maibon, .gardener, Ridge James Megget, bookfeller, Dalkeith, 13 James Morton, -weaver, Kelfo Archibald Moffat ^ 13 George M'Kerracher, tenant • in W~ard of Gowdie, 1 3 John Miln- ¦ John Mifchel Mrs M'Dougal Robert M'Lintock William Moodle, merchant/ Glafgow William M'Cliefh, printer , " Edinburgh William M'Gregor, book binder, Edinburgh William Marjoribanks, mer chant, Kelfo Rod. Merchant, Efq; Col lector of his Majefty "s Ex- rife, Kelfo Charles M'Kenzie, Efq; wri ter to the fignet William Maxwell John M'Queen John Minto James Mein Elifabeth M'Hay Peter Morifon William Muirhead of Souths. greens George Marlhall, Hume N Tho . Nilbet, tenant, L-inibden Robert Nicol, merchant,Kelfo - Mifs Newton, milliner,, Kelfo William ¦C A2i ] William Nicol William Nkolfon Alifon Nifbet 6 William Oliver^ Efq; Weens Thomas Oliver > Windywalls John Oliphant, fervant, Red den John Orron The Rev. Mr Paton, Eck- r- ' ford The Rev. Mr Alex. Pringle; , Perth, 13 Mr George Paxton, ftudent . ib Divinity . Mrs Pringle, Kelfo Thomas Potts, writer, Kelfo James Potts, writer, Kelfo Ja. Potts, -writer, Jedburgh Alex. Palme?, Edinburgh Ja. Palmer, printer, Kelfo, 25 WiUiam Pringle David Porteous, 7 Richard Pringle Willfam Piukertopj tailor, Glafgow. James, Rjterfon, merchant, , Glafgow Mrs Potts,. Jedburgh -Ijabel Paterfon. William Pringle, tenant in Holefield ' ': ..-' jr . , , The Rev. Mr James Ruther ford, Hownam James Redpath James Robfon, tenant, Bel- fosd. •* "William Richardfon, tailor; Roxburgh Tl'omai Kiddle, Mackerfton John Rag, fmith, there Samuel Robertfon, Ediiani Ja. Roberdbn, mafon, Mel'- lerftain, 14 J. -Rutherford Mary Rob fori Marrion Robertfon Rutherford Jo. Reid, merchant, Glafgow Andrev* Ramfay Adam Richaigjfoh - Henry Richardfon William Richardfon James Robfon Adam Rutherford, printer; . Edinburgh Chriftian Robfoii J ames Richardfon Thomas Richardfon Marv Robfon Chriftian Renwick The Rev. Mr Andrew Scott, .Stitchel The Rev. Mr David Somer> ' vii, Strathaven, 13 John Scott, tenant, Lempit- ., law, 8 .,., , - And. Stark, yarn-merchant; Glafgow, 26 John Smail Eftj; " Robert Scott Efq: Kelfo John Stuart, furgeon, Kelfo Archibald Stuart, ditto, KeHb' John- Stuart, tenant, Ednam William Stuart, fhoe-maker; Kelfo , . Richard Stuart, butcher ,Kelfo Rrrr William [ 682 T William Smith, writer, Kelfo James Siaims, houfe-carpen-;', ter, London, 6$ Mrs Scott Robert Scott, tailor, "High- ton, .3.9 George Sked, baker Kelfo, 6 Robert . Savage, fhoe-maker, Edinburgh James Stevenfon Thomas Stevenfon Katheriue Smith, Sprou.fton Henry Swan, writer, 'Kelfo Wm. Scott, merchant, Falkirk James Smith David Shiel Henry Seott, mafon, Lady- kirk, 13 James Sibbald Ninian Stevenfon George Smyton JohnSScott ¦ Chriftian Slight William Spiers Alexander Simm The Rev. Mr Rpbert Turn- bull, Sproufton The Rev. Mr John Turn- bull,: Aytori James TurnbuH, tenant, No.t- ty-lees, 18 ¦ George Tully. Charles -Taylor- John 'Fair, 3 Thomas Turnbull, Frierlaw John Thomfon Philip Thonifon, mafon George Trotter, teiiant,Cold- cheiter James Turnbull Richard Taylor .¦-.''¦. Andrew- Turnbull^ Softfcw B^tty Turnbull, ditto,-:"' : Nelly Turnbull, ditto..: " Janet. Turnbull,';Kelfo, Henry Tours of Moorhead George Turnbull, Barns Tho. Ufher, writer, Kawi.ck John Virtue, writer, TCelfo }o. Virtue, tenant, Chouflavy Janet Virtue, Greenlaw W The Rev". Mr Richard Wallis^ Carbam The Rev. Mr Waugh, Lon don Archibald White, of Eaftfield Lancelot Whale, reclor of the Grammar Schgol, Kelfo Patrick Wufon>brewer, Kelfo Thomas Wilfon, Kelfo Cha. Waldie, faddler, Kelfo, John Watt, baker, Kelfo _ . James Watt, merchant,.Kelfo Wm. Wilfon, wrigbt,Kelfo, 2 William Wijfon, Greenlaw Mrs Woodj.Wpoler Ja. Walker, yarn-merchant James Waugh -. George W;hyte, Caftle-mill, ¦> Mark Wilfon And. Wilfon,.M. D. JCelfo Rqbert Waldie, Carlifle Ja. Walker^ tenant, Ed. Mill ~ James Watfon, furgeon John- W°od W.Walker, inn-keeper ,Kelfo. Mgth. Weir, ftocking-maker, Glafgow George Wait, 18 Janet W^lker^ Kelfo, ¦Ti» r. e»3 3 The Rev. Mr John Young, Hawick, 15 George Young, Norham, 4 Jauet foung, Kelfo, John Yeilowlees" S ¦ U P P L E MEN T. TAMES MURRAY,, dyer; J Ednani Thomas Shiel, tenant; High- tbn-mill John Weir, fchoolmafter, Ednam Alexander Hume, cooper, Hurklaw Samuel Calvert, clothier, Ed nam Rob. Shiel, labourer, there Ja. M'Dougal, wright, there Wm. Fairbairn, linith, there- . Ad. Hunter, inn-keeper, there- Wm.Wa.tfon,labourer, there Geo. Cairns, 'Iabburer, there JohnJBoyd, tenant, Ednam- Newflead William Air j merchant, Cold- ftream James Taylor, weaver, Warlc James T-ait, weaver, there John Waugh, labourer, Hen- derlide Robert Hoggart, labourer, Eccles-Newftead John Hoggart" Alexander Foord, Leggers George Midd'emafs, Hume James Leech, there AkxanderBrownlees,Eafter- Howlaws Elif. Adamfon, Welter ditto- James Waldie,'Northro.w Mr Dav. Goodwillie, preach - .er of th; Gofpel Win. Archibald, tai.lor^Kello, tWm. Hardie, weaver, there Margaret Waldie, H. Byres Kath. Marihall, Blfokbonuy. ohn Turnbull, Hume; £ obert Diepie, there John Johnfton, Oxmuir John Tait, Nenthorn Mark Rule Duncan Sinclair Margaret; Smith Thomas Riddle James Riddle James Wood, Jean Wilfon Gideon Bell Thomas Underwood John Heatley William Crozor- Alifon Wilfon, Ilabel Davidfon . Margaret Cramand, Janet Heatley ' Henry Leek, Ednam Geo. Kinghorn, mafon, there Thomas Richardfon ' ' Jo. Kinghorn,mafon,Ednani Andrew Smith . .,, Robert Hunter ^ William-Leek, fervant, New* tonlees .N. B. If any names are omitted, it is through accident ; and fome of the places of abode were not given in,* ENTERED IN STATIONERS-HALL, ACCORDING TO ACT OF PARLIAMENT.