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361 whoever were of the law, fo as to difcover in it the gracious promises of the gospel, belonged to that feed of Abraham, to which the promife was declared. And, according to this different relation of the law, the apostle in a different sense says, that fome are of the law; fome who, because they want to be of the law, are not heirs; namely thofe, who reckon their works as a condition of righteousness with God, either for purification or fatisfaction; and fome again who are of the law, and yet are heirs; namely those, who fuffer themselves to be led by the law, as a schoolmafter, to Chrift. But works contradistinguished from faith, can have no other than an oppofite relation in jufti fication.

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LXXVII. To this purpose I formerly wrote with the gene rality of interpreters, and even Cocceius himself; who fo explains the words of Paul, that he divides into two claffes all that feed, to which he maintains the promife was made fure; one of which claffes is faid to be of the law, the other, of the faith of Abraham: the one, of the Ifraelites, to whom pertained the giving of the law; the other of the Gentile believers, who without circumcision, but only in imitation of his faith, become the feed of Abraham. But I afterwards met with the difcourfes of James Atingius, who obferves that the Greek of Paul, παντὶ τῷ σπέρματι, ἐ τῶ εκ τῇ νομεμόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ἐκ πίςεως Αβραάμ, is not neceffarily to be tranflated, "to all the feed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that alfo which is of the faith of Abraham;" fo as to apply the restrictive particle only to the feed; but is more properly tranflated, "to all the feed, not to that which is of the law only, &c." So that the restrictive ticle fhould be joined to the law, not to the feed. And he thinks this verse is to be compared with verfe 13. "the father of circumcifion to them who are not of the circumcifion only, but also walk in the fteps, &c." That the meaning is, that thofe are the feed of Abraham, to whom the promife can belong, not who, by circumcifion only, or any other carnal precept, in which they vainly glory, may in fome measure refemble Abraham; but who refemble him in faith. Thus both members belong to the Jews, and thofe are excluded from partaking in the bleffing, who are only of the law, verfe 14. Thofe only being admitted who are of the faith of Abraham. But thofe defcendants of Abraham, who received the covenant propofed to them by God, as a covenant of works, and circumcifion as the facrament of fuch a covenant, are of the law, and indeed only of the law. These things are at large and with accuracy deduced by the very learned author. But if this interpretation holds, the brethren are VOL. II,

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fo far from finding any fupport in the paffage, that rather every thing is against them."

LXXVIII. For the proof of the latter, it is alledged, that the time of the Old Teftament is called the time of wrath and Severity, Ifa. x. 25. Dan. viii. 19. and that Mofes, the minifter who gave the law, is called " the minifter of death and condemnation," 2 Cor iii. 7, 9. and that "the law worketh wrath,” Rom. iv. 15. that is, impofeth fomething, which proceeded from fin and guilt, and fo from wrath. But these things are not to the purpose. For, ift, There is nothing there concerning a curfe or execration, which conftantly in fcripture denotes the deplorable condition of the wicked, efpecially if any one is faid to be under it. 2dly, Ifaiah and Daniel fpeak not of the time of the Old Teftament in oppofition to that of the New; but represent that period of time, in which God more feverely punished the fins of his people: which he likewife does fometimes under the New. 3dly, Moses is called the minister of death and condemnation, because his miniftry, for the moft part, tended to terrify the finner, and convince him af his fin and curie. 4thly, In the fame fenfe the law is faid to work wrath; which is not to be understood of the ceremonial law alone, but also, and indeed, chiefly of the moral law, which, by its moft accurate precepts, difcovers fin, and, by the dreadful comminations of divine wrath against sinners, raises in the foul a sense of wrath. But these things are no proof that believers of the Old Teftament were under the curfe.

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CHAP. XIII.

Of the real defects of the Old Teftament.

TOWEVER the Old Teftament had really fome peculiar defects, on account of which it is found fault with, Heb. viii. 7, 8.; and because of thefe, it was to make room for the New. When we fay this, we do no injury to the divine wifdom, as if it was inconfiftent with that, to make the firft covenant with his people, fuch as would afterwards want correction. For as God, in the first creation of the world, began with things, that were more rude, and by degrees, as it were firft roughhewed them, then polished and exactly squared them, till they attained to that beauty, in which he acquiefced : fo, in like manner in the formation of his church, he would

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have the beginnings to be more unpolished, which, in the regular course of things, were to arife, in process of time, to a more beautiful symmetry and proportion, till he should put the the laft hand to them, at the confummation of the world. And if it was not unworthy of God, to have made something imperfect in the kingdom of grace, which shall be brought to abfolute perfection in the kingdom of glory: neither is it unworthy of him, to have granted fomething more fparingly under the Old Teftament, which he could moft liberally vouchfafe under the New. Nay, by this very thing he difplayed his manifold wifdom, in that he diftinguished the diverfity of times by proper and suitable marks or figns. Paul reprefented the Jews, as refembling children; Chriftians, grown men. What irregularity is there in God's thus ordering matters, that he fhould confine the former to the rudiments, as being more fuitable to their measure of age, and train up the latter in a more hardy, and as it were manly discipline.

II. But let us particularly rehearse in order the things, in which the Old Testament was defective. The firft is, that the fathers under the Old Teftament had not the cause of falvation prefent, much lefs completed. They had the figure of Chrift in various appearances, as preludes of his future incarnation, in the pillar of cloud and fire, in the tabernacle, the temple, in the pictures of the ceremonies, the riddles of the prophecies: but they had not the privilege of beholding him prefent among them. The prophets of those times, " prophefied of the grace that fhould come unto us." "And unto them was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minifter the things, which are now reported unto us concerning the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow, I Pet. i. 10,

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III. And as the cause of falvation did not then appear, namely, God manifested in the flesh, neither did righteousness, or that on account of which we are juftified. Because the captain of their falvation, was not yet made "perfect through sufferings,' Heb. ii. 10. that in which the expiation of our fins confifts, did not then exift, and confequently, "everlasting righteousness was not yet brought in," Dan. ix. 24. For as the ransom was not yet paid, the debts were not actually cancelled, that day had not yet fhined, on which God" removed the iniquity of the earth," Zech. iii. 9. The fathers, indeed, had a true and a fufficient remiffion of fins; yet had not that, for which fins are justly, and in a manner worthy of God, remitted; namely, the fatisfaction and expiation of Christ. Pareus fays well, ad Heb. viii.

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18. "the expiatory offering was not yet made, in which the remiffion of fins, wherewith they were favoured, was founded."

IV. In this refpect it is no abfurdity to say, that the fins of believers remained, and ftill exifted, till they were cancelled by Christ's fatisfaction. For, they exifted in the accounts of the furety, who was to answer for them: nor were they blotted out, till after the payment was made. We are not to think, they fo lay upon believers, as that they went to heaven loaded with the guilt of them; than which nothing can be more abfurd; nor are we to maintain, that they were entirely cancelled out of the book of God's accounts: for, in that cafe, Chrift's fatisfying for them had been fuperfluous. But they remained as debts upon the furety, which he was to pay. And therefore God, who had already before hand, remitted very many fins, exacted them of Chrift at the time appointed, Ifa. liii. 7. "to declare his righteoufnefs for the remiffion of fins that are paft," Rom. iii. 25. Pareus again 1. c. "In the mean time therefore, fins even remitted without true expiation, remained till they were at length expiated by the death of the mediator: which expiation being made, both their fins and ours were at laft truly abolished in the judgment of God. Calvin uses the fame way of speaking, Inftit. Lib. 2. c. vii. §. 17. "For which reafon the apoftle writes, that the remiffion of the fins which remained under the Old Teftament, was at length accomplished by the intervention of Chrift's death." This then was the first defect of the Old Teftament, that it had not the cause of falvation completed, and confequently not a true expiation of fins.

V. The fecond defect was the obfcurity of the old economy. This follows from the preceding. What can there be at most but twilight before the rifing of the fun? The Lord therefore difpenfed the light of his word to them in such a manner, that they could only view it still at a distance and obscurely. Peter has elegantly repesented this, by comparing the prophetic language "unto a lamp that shineth in a dark place," 2 Pet. i. 19. When he calls it a lamp, he intimates the absence of the fun; and when he speaks of a dark place, he represents the condition of the ancients, which, amidst the darkness, had the glimmering fmall light of a burning taper, and no more than a taper, which is ufed only in the night time, not in the full day. To this purpose alfo is the faying of Christ, Mat. xi. 13. that "the law and the prophets were until John. From that time the kingdom of God was preached." What did the law and the prophets difcover to those who lived in their days? Certainly nothing but a taste of that wisdom, which was afterwards to be clearly difplayed, by foretelling it as fhining at a distiance.

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Whenever Chrift can be pointed out with a finger, the kingdom of God is disclosed.

VI. There was certainly in the ceremonies, an inftituton concerning Chrift's perfon, offices, and benefits. And therefore it was a diftinguishing favour, that God should honour Ifrael alone, above all other people, with that kind of inftruction, as we have formerly intimated. But, as the ceremonial rites were vaftly increased, and the repetition of the promises of grace was in the mean time more fparing and uncommon; the very great number of rites was like a vail, by which the naked fimplicity of the ancient promise was very much clouded. And the event fhewed, that the greateft part of the Ifraelites cleaved to the ceremonies themselves, fought for justification and expiation of fin in them, and did not penetrate into the fpiritual mysteries, which were hid under the vail, with the eyes of the understanding and of faith. This, indeed was their own fault; but that method of teaching was not so well adapted and effectual for the correcting of it. This is alfo reprefented by the type of Mofes, who "put a vail over his face, that the children of Ifrael could not stedfaftly look to the end of that which is now abolished as ufelefs," 2 Cor. iii. 13. There the apoftle by way of allegory propofes the person of Mofes, to represent the economy of the Old Teftament. It had indeed the light of the promises of grace, as the face of Mofes had an extraordinary glory, ver. 7. But while Mofes spoke with the Ifraelites, he covered his glory with the vail of the ceremonies, which he had introduced; the end of which, indeed, was Chrift and his grace; but Ifrael being intent on the contemplation of thefe, fatisfied themselves in them, and forgot to look to that, to which had they turned their mind, as became them, they would have been led by the ceremonies themselves. And this is " that vail, which, in the reading of the Old Testament, not being taken away, ftill remaineth on Ifrael, ver. 14.

VII. To the fame purpose, was the vail of the tabernacle and temple, which kept the Ifraelites from entering and beholding the facred things. These two vails may be thus compared together. By the vail of the temple they were reminded of fomething, which they were not yet fuffered to behold, because fomething stood in the way; namely, guilt, which was removed in the flesh of Chrift, Heb. x. 19. and that the way to the heavenly fanctuary was not yet fet open to them, Heb. ix. 8. By the vail over the face of Mofes, they were put in mind, that the eyes of their understandings were weaker, than that they could bear the naked declaration of the truth. For if it

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