VII. fpeaking of the Meffiah, yet it cannot be faid from the ART. Old Teftament, that in that difpenfation it was clearly revealed that the Meffias was to die, and to become a facrifice for fin: the Meffias was indeed promised under general terms; but there was not then a full and explicit revelation of his being to die for the redemption of mankind; yet fince the moft heinous fins were then pardoned, though not by virtue of the facrifices of that covenant, nor by the other means prescribed in it, we have good reafon to affirm, that, according to this Article, life was offered to mankind in the old difpenfation by Chrift, who was, with relation to obtaining the favour of God, and everlasting life, the Mediator of that as well as of the new difpenfation. In the New Teftament he is fet in oppofition to the old Adam, that as in the one all died, fo in the other all were made alive: nor is it any way incongruous to fay, that the merit of his death fhould by an anticipation have faved thofe who died before he was born: for that being in the view of God as certain before, as after it was done, it might be in the divine intention the facrifice for the old, as well as it is exprefsly declared to be the facrifice for the new difpenfation. And this being fo, God might have pardoned fins in confideration of it, even to thole who had no diftinét apprehenfions concerning it. For as God applies the death of Chrift, by the fecret methods of his grace, to many perfons whofe circumftances do render them incapable of the exprefs acts of laying hold on it, the want of thofe (for inftance, in infants and ideots) being fupplied by the goodness of God: fo though the revelation that was made of the Meffias to the fathers under the old difpenfation, was only in general and prophetical terms, of which they could not have a clear and diftinct knowledge; yet his death might be applied to them, and their fins pardoned through him, upon their performing such acts as were proportioned to that difpenfation, and to the revelation that was then made: and fo they were reconciled to God even after fins, for which no facrifices were appointed by their difpenfation, upon their repentance and obedience to the foederal acts and conditions then required, which fupplied the want of more exprefs acts with relation to the death of Chrift, not then diftinctly revealed to them. But though the old fathers had a conveyance of the hope of eternal life made to them, with a refurrection of their bodies, and a confidence in the mercy of God, for pardoning the moft heinous fins; yet it cannot be denied, but that it was as a light that sbined in a dark place, till the Day-ftar 2 Pet. i. 19. K 3 did VII. ART. did arife, and that Chrift brought life and immortality to light by his Gofpel; giving us fuller and clearer difcoveries of it, both with relation to our fouls and bodies; and Rom.iii. 24, that by him alfo God has declared his righteousness for the remiffion of fins, through the forbearance of God, through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus, and through faith in bis 25. blood. The third branch of this Article will not need much explanation, as it will bear no difpute, except with Jews, who do not acknowledge the New Teftament. The ceremonial parts of the Mofaical Law, which comprehends all both the negative and the pofitive precepts, were enjoined the Jews either with relation to the worship of God and fervice at the Temple, or to their perfons and courfe of life. That which is not moral of its own nature, or that had no relation to civil fociety, was commanded them, to separate them not only from the idolatrous and magical practices of other nations, but to diftinguifh them fo entirely as to all their cuftoms, even in the rules of eating and of cleannefs, that they might have no familiar commerce with other nations, but live within and among themselves; fince that was very likely to corrupt them, of which they had very large experience. Some of thofe rituals were perhaps given them as punishments for their frequent revolts, and were as a yoke upon them, who were fo prone to idolatry. They were as rudiments and remembrances to them: they were as it were fubdued by a great variety of precepts, which were matter both of much charge and great trouble to them: by thefe they were also amufed; for it seems they did naturally love a pompous exterior in religion; they were alfo, by all that train of performances which were laid on them, kept in mind both of the great bleffings of God to them, and of the obligations that lay on them towards God; and many of thofe, particularly their facrifices and washings, were typi cal. All this was proper and neceffary to reftrain and govern them, while they were the only people in the world that renounced idolatry, and worshipped the true God: and therefore fo foon as that of which they had an emblem in the ftructure of their Temple (of a court of the Gentiles feparated with a middle wall of partition, from the place in which the Ifraelites worthipped) was to be removed, and that the house of God was to become a houfe of prayer to all nations, then all thofe diftinctions were to be laid afide, and all that fervice was to determine and come to an end. The Apostles did declare, that the Gentiles were not to be brought VII. brought under that heavy yoke, which their fathers were ART. not able to bear; yet the Apofiles themfelves, as born Jews, and while they lived among the Jews, did continue in the observance of their rites, as long as God feemed to be waiting for the remnant of that nation that was to be faved, before his wrath came upon the reft to the uttermoft. They went to the Temple, they purified themselves; and, in a word, to the Jews they became Jews; and in this compliance, the first converts of the Jewish nation continued till the destruction of Jerufalem; after which, it became impoffible to obferve the greateft part of their most important rituals, even all thofe that were tied to the Temple. But that nation lofing its genealogies, and all the other characters that they formerly had of a nation under the favour and protection of God, could no more know after a few ages, whether they were the feed of Abraham or not, or whether there were any left among them of the tribe of Levi, or of the family of Aaron. So that now all thofe ceremonies are at an end; many of them are become impoffible, and the reft ufelefs; as the whole was abrogated by the authority of the Apoftles, who being fent of God, and proving their miffion by miracles, as well as Mofes had done his, they might wellhave loofed and diffolved thofe precepts upon earth, upon which, according to our Saviour's words, they are to be efteemed as loofed in heaven. The judiciary parts of the Law were those that related to them as they were a fociety of men, to whom God by a fpecial command gave authority to drive out and destroy a wicked race of people, and to poffefs their land; which God appointed to be divided equally among them, and that every portion fhould be as a perpetuity to a family; fo that though it might be mortgaged out for a number of years, yet it was afterwards to revert to the family. Upon this bottom they were at first fet; and they were still to be preferved upon it; fo that many laws were given them as they were a civil fociety, which cannot belong to any other fociety: and therefore their whole judiciary law, except when any parts of it are founded on moral equity, was a complicated thing, and can belong to no other nation, that is not in its firft and effential conftitution made and framed as they were. For inftance; the prohibition of taking use for money, being a mean to preserve that equality which was among them, and to keep any of them from becoming exceffively rich, or others from becoming miferably poor, this is by no means to be applied to other conftitutions, where men are left to their industry, and K 4 ART. VII. and neither have their inheritance by a grant from heaven, nor are put by any special appointment of God all upon a level. So that it is certain, and can bear no debate, that the Mofaical difpenfation, as to all the parts of it that are not of their own nature moral, is determined and abrogated by the Gofpel. The decifions which the Apoftles made in this matter are fo clear, and for the proof of them, the whole tenor of the Epiftles to the Galatians and the Hebrews is fo full, that no doubt can rest concerning this, with any man who reads them. The laft branch of this Article that remains to be confidered, is concerning the Moral Law, by which the Ten Commandments are meant, together with all fuch precepts as do belong to them, or are corollaries arifing out of them. By Moral Law is to be understood, in oppofition to Pofitive, a law which has an antecedent foundation in the nature of things, that arifes from eternal reason, is fuitable to the frame and powers of our fouls, and is neceffary for maintaining of human fociety. All fuch laws are commanded, because they are in themselves good, and fuitable to the ftate in which God has put us here. The two fources, out of which all the notions of morality flow, are first the confideration of ourselves as we are fingle individuals, and that with relation both to foul and body; and next the confideration of human fociety, what is neceffary for the peace and order, the fafety and happiness, of mankind. There are two orders of moral precepts; fome relate to things that of their own nature are inflexibly good or evil, fuch as truth and falfehood; whereas other things, by a variety of circumftances, may fo change their nature, that they may be either morally good or evil: a merciful or generous temper is always a good moral quality, and yet it may run to exceffes: there may be many things that are not unalterably moral in themselves, which yet may be fit fubjects of perpetual laws about them. For inftance; in the degrees of kindred with relation to marriage, there are no degrees but direct afcendants or defcendants, that is, parents and children, that by an eternal reason can never marry; for where there is a natural fubordination, there can never be fuch an equality as that state of life requires: but collateral degrees, even the nearest, brothers and fifters, are not by any natural law barred marriage, and therefore in a cafe of neceffity they might marry yet fince their intermarrying muft be attended with vaft inconveniences, and would tend to the defilement of all families, and hinder the conjunction of mankind by the intermixture of different families; it be comes VII. comes therefore a fit fubject for a perpetual law, to ftrike ART. a horror at the thought of fuch commixtures, and fo to keep the world pure; which, confidering the freedoms in which those of the fame family do live, could not be preferved without fuch a law. It is alfo the intereft of mankind, and neceffary for the careful education of the rising generation, that marriages fhould be for life; for if it were free for married perfons to feparate at pleasure, the iffue of marriages fo broken would be certainly much neglected: and fince a power to break a marriage would naturally inflame fuch little quarrellings as may happen among all perfons that live together, which will on the contrary be certainly repreffed, when they know that the marriage cannot be diffolved, and when, by fuch a diffolution of marriages, the one half of the human fpecies, I mean woman-kind, is expofed to great miferies, and fubject to much tyranny, it is a fit fubject for a perpetual law; fo that it is moral in a fecondary order. It were eafy to give inftances of this in many more particulars, and to fhew, that a precept may be faid to be moral, when there is a natural fuitablenefs in it to advance that which is moral in the first order, and that it cannot be well preserved without fuch a fupport. It will appear what occafion there is for this diftinction, when we confider the Ten Commandments; which are fo many heads of morality, that are inftanced in the highest act of a kind; and to which are to be reduced all fuch acts as by the just proportions of morality belong to that order and series of actions. The foundation of morality is religion. The fense of God, that he is, and that he is both a rewarder and a punither, is the foundation of religion. Now this muft be fuppofed as antecedent to his laws, for we regard and obey them from the perfuafion that is formed in us concerning the being and the juftice of God: the two firft Commandments are against the two different forts of idolatry; which are, the worshipping of falfe Gods, or the worshipping the true God in a corporeal figure: the one is the giving the honour of the true God to an idol, and the other is the depreffing the true God to the refemblance of an idol. These were the two great branches of idolatry, by which the true ideas of God were corrupted. Religion was by them corrupted in its fource. Nobody can queftion but that it is immoral to worship a falfe God; it is a transferring the honour, which belongs immediately and fingly to the great God, to a creature, or to fome imaginary thing which never had a real exift ence. |