the term covenant, has various fignifications in the Hebrew, and often fignifies nothing but a precept, as Jer. xxxiv. 13, 14. Thus Mofes explains himfelf on this head, Deut. iv. 13. "And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to per form, even ten commandments." They are therefore called a covenant by a Synecdoche, because they contain those precepts, which God, when he fet his covenant before them, required the Ifraelites to observe, and to which the said Ifraelites bound themfelves by covenant.

LVI. The ten words, or commandments, therefore, are not the form of a covenant properly fo called, but the rule of duty: much lefs are they the form of the covenant of grace: because that covenant, in its strict fignification, confifts of mere promises, and, as it relates to elect perfons, has the nature of a teftament, or laft will, rather than of a covenant strictly speaking, and depends on no condition; as we have at large explained and proved, Book III. chap. I. fect. 8. &c. And Jeremiah has fhewn us, that the form of the covenant of grace, confists in abfolute promises, chap. xxxi. 33. and xxxii. 38-40. In like manner Ifa. liv. 10.

LVII. Least of all can it be faid, that the ten words are nothing but the form of the covenant of grace, fince we may look upon them as having a relation to any covenant whatever. They may be confidered in a twofold manner. ift, Precisely, as a law. 2dly, As an inftrument of the covenant. As a law, they are the rule of our nature and actions, which HE has prescribed, who has a right to command. This they were from the beginning, this they ftill are, and this they will continue to be, under whatever covenant, or in whatever ftate man fhall be. As an inftrument of the covenant they point out the way to eternal falvation; or contain the condition of enjoying that falvation and that both under the covenant of grace and of works. But with this difference; that under the covenant of works, this condition is required to be performed by man himself; under the covenant of grace it is propofed, as already performed, or to be performed by a mediator. Things, which those very perfons, with whom we are now difputing, will not ventare to deny.

I.

CHAP. V.

Of the Doctrine of the Prophets.

HE plan we formerly laid down, fhould now require to fpeak a little of thofe things from Mofes himfelf and the fucceeding prophets, which they have published concerning the perfon, natures, states, offices, and bleffings of the Meffiah. And it would be eafy to fhew, that nothing remarkable did befal our Jefus, nothing great was either faid or done by him, which the prophets did not foretel was to come to pass. The prophets, I fay, who " prophefied of the grace that fhould come unto us; fearching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Chrift which was in them did fignify, when it teftified beforehand the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that should follow," I Pet. i. 10, 11. and who all, with one confent, " give witness to Jefus, that through his name, whofoever believeth in him fhall receive remiffion of fins," Acts x. 43. The apoftle Paul, who protefted, "he had not fhunned to declare all the counfel of God," Acts xx. 27. at the fame time protests, "he fays none other things than those which the prophets and Mofes did fay fhould come, Acts xxvi. 22. And certainly, the body itself fhould exactly agree with the picture, that was long before prefented to the view of the ancient church fince it became the wisdom and goodness of God, to give fuch an exact defcription of the Mefliah, with all his marks or characters, that he might be known by any thoughtful and attentive mind, and diftingufhed from all manner of impoftors, who should impiously pretend to, or counterfeit his name. But this fubject has been, both formerly and lately, confidered by the learned, and treated with fuch accuracy, that I have nothing to add. If any would have a compendious view of these things, he may confult the preface to the New Teftament, drawn up, with great judgment, by our divines,

I.

CHAP. VI.

Of the Types.'

UCH is the inexhauftible copioufnefs of the Holy Scriptures, that not only the words are fignificative of things, but even the things, which are firft fignified by the words, do like

wife reprefent other things, which they were appointed to prefigure long before they happened. Chrift principally, and Paul have informed us of this, when they apply most of the things which happened under the old difpenfation to the Meffiah, and to the economy of a better teftament. And indeed, if the old inftitutions of the deity had not their myftical fignifications, they might defervedly be accounted childiih, ludicrous, and unworthy of God. These are things, which not only Chriftians require to be granted to them, but alfo were acknowledged by the ancient Jews, who befides a literal, or plain meaning, fought alfo a myftical fenfe in fcripture. And it was a conftant and received opinion among them, that all things were mystical in the law of Mofes, and therefore may be mystically explained.

II. Their mystical fignification points to Chrift, in his perfon, ftates, offices, and works, and in his fpiritual body, the church: for Chrift is the end of the law, Rom. x. 4. the body, or fubftance of the ceremonial fhadows, Col. ii. 17. and the centre of the prophecies, Acts x. 43. The doctrine of Chrift is the key of knowledge, Luke xi. 42. without which nothing can be favingly understood in Mofes and the prophets. As is apparent in the Pharifees of old, and the Socinians in our day; who being tainted with falfe notions concerning the Meffiah, pollute for the most part, all the teftimonies concerning the common falvation by their impure interpretations. It was very well faid by the ingenious Bifterfield, that "the Lord Jefus Chrift was the fpirit and foul of the whole, both of the Old and New Teftament," de Scriptura eminentia, §. 40.

III. It is an unquestionable truth, that the Old Teftament believers, especially thofe who were favoured with a fuller meafure of the Spirit, applied themselves with peculiar diligence, to find out the myftical meaning of the TYPES: in which study they were very much affifted by the prophets and divinely infpired priests. Thus David declared, that "he had feen God in the fanctuary," Pfal. Ixiii. 2. that is, that he had, by the figures of the Levitical fervice, fearched by holy meditation, into the very truth of the things. This made believers fo chearful in the acts of external worship; not that they were very much taken with thofe minute corporal performances, but that "they beheld in them the beauty of Jehovah, and enquired in his temple," Pfal. xxvii. 4. They were not put off with mere fhadows, but were "fatisfied with the goodness of God's house, even of his holy temple;" and though it was but darkly, yet they heard him "fpeaking terrible things in righteoufnefs," Pfal. lxv. 4, 5.

IV. Though Chrift and the Apostles, in order to illuftrate and prove the truth of the gofpel, argued from the types by

divine infpiration, and the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit: yet they did not lay the ftrefs of thofe arguments on their own bare authority, because they were inspired, (for that authority was at times called in queftion, and upon fuppofing it, all reafoning would almost seem fuperfluous), but on the evident demonstration of the truth to the confcience, which plainly discovered to an attentive perfon, that it was worthy of God to reprefent fuch a truth by fuch types.

V. The ftrength of thofe arguments refts on this fuppofition, that God was pleafed to give the church at that time, in the memorable perfons of the Old Teftament, to whom fome remarkable things happened in an extraordinary way, and in the whole of his inftituted worship, a beautiful picture, and becoming the accuracy of fo great an artift, in which Chrift with his myftical body might be delineated. The apoftle, when he argued with the Jews in his epiftles to the Galatians and Hebrews, lays this down as a fundamental truth; and having laid that foundation, directly proceeds, with a kind of divine skill, to the application of the types. For, when there is any thing in the antitype resembling the type, it is juftly affirmed, that God, who knows all things from the beginning, ordered the type in fuch a manner, that it might fignify beforehand that truth; which was in the antitype. Unless we would rather maintain, that the likenefs of an ingenious picture to the original, was rather the effect of chance, than of the intention of the artift; which is contrary to all reason.

VI. It is not only lawful but the incumbent duty of teachers, even though not infpired, to tread in this very path, and to explain, in the fame method, the types of the Old Teftament. For, we muft not think, either that an infallible authority is neceffary to explain the types, or that all the types of the Old Teftament are explained in the New. Not the former; for, why should an infallible authority be required in interpreting the types, rather than in interpreting the prophecies and other dark expreffions in fcripture? Since it is manifeft, that it was the will of God to inftruct the church by types; and the explication of the types is now oftentimes far more eafy, on account of the diftinct knowledge of the antitype, than of many prophecies, which it is far more difficult to determine to what they refer. Not the latter for why fhould we believe, that all the types of Chrift were explained rather than all the prophecies concerning him? Efpecially, as the apoftle affirms, that he has not spoken particularly of them all, Heb. ix. 5. We are therefore to maintain, that the infpired teachers have pointed out to us the way and method, in which we ought to proceed in explaining the types,

types, and given us a key to open thofe myfteries which are

contained in them.

VII. Now we fhall proceed in that way with fafety. 1. When we accurately confider the original, even the Lord Jefus, who is now prefented to our view without a vail, and from thence turn the eye of our mind to the type; then the greater, the fuller, and the more especial agreement we obferve and discover between both; the greater glory we afcribe to the wisdom and truth of God, who made the type, fo exactly to correspond with him who is figured by it. For, when we read the fcriptures, we are to judge beforehand, that then only we understand them, when we difcover in them a wifdom unsearchable and worthy of God.

VIII. In every thing we are to proceed with caution, fear and trembling, left we devife mysteries out of our own imagination, and obftinately pervert to one purpose what belongs to another. We do injury to God and his word, when we would have it owing to our fanciful inventions, that God feems to have spoke or done any thing wifely. However, though there is a measure in all things, I fhould think the mistake more tolerable in one, who imagines he sees Chrift, where perhaps he does not discover himself, than of another, who refufes to fee him, where he prefents himself with fufficient evidence. For the one is an indication of a foul that loves Christ, and is very much taken up with the thoughts of him, when the very least, or perhaps no occafion is given him: the other argues an indolent foul, and flow to believe; fuch as difcovers itself in the Socinians, and in Grotius, in other refpects a great man, who generally fo pervert very many paffages, that they make them Appear to have no manner of regard to Christ.

IX. When ever it is evident, that any perfon or thing is a type of Chrift, we are not to imagine, that every circumftance in that person or thing is typical. For, it may be that, in the fame context, fome things are peculiar only to the type, others only to the antitype and others common to both: for inftance, 2 Sam. vii, Solomon, is propofed as a type of Christ. But it agrees to Solomon and not to Chrift, "if he commit iniquity, I will chaften him with the rod of men, and with the ftripes of the children of men," ver. 14. To Chrift, and not to Solomon in its full fignification, "I will ftablish the throne of his kingdom for ever," ver. 13. For the kingdom of Ifrael became extinct in the pofterity of Solomon by the Babylonifh captivity. And it is applicable to both, he shall build an houfe for my name, b. We may confider other inftances in the fame manner. X. Sometimes it is fufficient that there be a very faint refem

blance