annext to any Covenant ought to be clear and exprefs, fo as to be Easy to be understood by Both Parties Covenanting, which can't be faid of Promifes only Ty pical and General. Secondly, Eternal Life as fet forth by Types, and comprehended under General terms, was not given to the External Righteoufnefs exacted by the Letter of the Law, but to that Internal or Spiritual and Evangelical Purity and Piety, whereof the other Outward Righteoufnefs was only a Shadow. For as under the Temporal Good things promis'd in the Law were comprehended or typify'd Eternal Good things; fo the Bodily Religion prefcrib'd by the Law was a Shadow or Type of the Spiritual Righteoufnefs, which fhould be more clearly reveal'd in the Gospel. 2 Part I. Chap. 6. XXI. may be faid to What has been faid concerning the Promise of Eter- In what Senfe nal Life, may Eafily be accommodated to the Promife the Holy Spirit of the Holy Spirit. For it is evident that this Promise be promis'd in is no where to be found in the Law properly fo call'd, the Law. In other Books of the Old Teftament, as Pfalms, Prophets, &c. which fometimes go under the name of the Law or the Old Teftament more lagely taken, we frequently read both of God's promising his Holy Spirit, and Men's obtaining it. Nay in the Writings of Mofes, tho' not in the very Mofaick Covenant, we find a fufficiently clear Promife of God's giving the Grace of the Holy Spirit to the Ifraelites, as Deut. 30. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcife thy Heart, and the Heart of thy Seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, c. For that fuch a Circumcifion of the Heart, as prepares Men to love God with all their Hearts, can't be wrought without the powerful Working of the Holy Spirit, is acknowledg'd by All that are not Pelagians. But then this Spiritual Circumcifion of the Heart did relate to the Gofpel-righteoufnels, which lying under the Cover of External Rites and Ceremonies, firft Mofes himself, and after him other Prophets, did as it were point at with a Finger. For the Righteoufnefs of Faith, which was manifefted in the Gofpel, was Afore and of Old witneffed by the Law and the Prophets, as St Paul exprefly afferts Rom. 3.21. From Part I. Chap. 6. XXII. have been truly Pious. From what has been faid, it is by the way to be ob ferv'd, that altho' there is in the Law no Promise of Eternal Life or of the Holy Spirit; yet it do's by no In what Senfe means thence follow, that All that liv'd under the Law, Many that liv'd under the Law, liv'd and dy'd like fo many Brutes, as being Void of all may be faid to Grace of the Holy Spirit in this Life, and of all Hope of Glory in the Life to come. On the contrary there were all along under the Law fome truly Good Men, who being led by the Holy Spirit, contented not themfelves with performing only an Outward Righteoufnefs, and hoping only for Outward Bleffings, but fincerely and with their whole Strength exercited Inward and Spiritual Righteoufnefs; and for the fake thereof cheerfully underwent oftentimes the greatest Temporal Evils, not accepting Deliverance, that they might obtain a better Refurrection, Hebr. 11. 35. But then thefe Men, tho' they were truly Pious under the Law, yet were not truly Pious by the Means or Efficacy of the Law, confider'd Literally or Carnally and as it was oppofite to the Gospel, but by the Means of the Law, confider'd Spiritually or as it was no other than the Gospel typically and obfcurely reveal'd. This evidently appears from Hebr. 11. where v. 24. Mofes himself is faid by Faith, i. e. thro' the Efficacy of the Grace of the Gofpel to have refus'd to be call'd the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter; and alfo v. 26. by the fame Faith he is faid to have efteem'd the Reproach (N.B.) of CHRIST greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt, and that because he had Respect unto the Recompence of the Reward, namely which was even Then promis'd by Chrift, and afterwards more clearly reveal'd in the Gospel. In like manner the Reft of the Holy Perfons there mention'd are faid v. 33. thro' Faith to have wrought Righteoufnefs, and obtain'd the Promifes. forefaid concern XXIII. I have infifted the longer on fhewing and proving The Usefulness of ', what has been a- the Weakness of the Law, or its Deficiency as to foring the Defect of giving and affisting Grace, when confider'd only Literally or Carnally and in Contradiftinction to the Gospel; forafmuch as a Right Understanding hereof is Abfolutely neceffary to a Right Understanding, not only of the Law. St Paul's ་ ין St Paul's Epiftles, but of moft other Parts of the New Part I. Cháp. 6. XXIV. To the fame End will further conduce, what I shall proceed to speak of next concerning the Law. Which The Law of Mofhall be to confider, and fhew the Falfenefs of that the most perfect ofes did not require Opinion, that the Law of Mofes, as it was given to the bedience, and fo Jews, was a Law of most perfect Obedience, or that it to be obferv'd. was not impoffible did oblige All to whom it belong'd, and that under the Peril of Eternal Death, to the most abfolute Obedience in all Refpects and to the highest Degree, fo as Never thro' their wholes Lives to be guilty of the leaft Failing. On this Account it is that Many fuppofe St Paul to conclude, that No Man can be juftify'd by the Law, forafmuch as it is impoffible to yeild fuch an abfolutely perfect Obedience thereto. But that this is a very wrong Opinion, may be prov'd by feveral Confiderations or Arguments. For 1. To this purpose serves what has been afore obferv'd Chap. 1. §. 4. as to the Degree of Obedience to which Any one can be oblig'd. For it has been there obferv'd, that it is a Primary and moft Evident Dictate of Reason, that No one can be oblig'd to do Any thing that is altogether impoffible for him to do. And as God is the Author of the Law of Nature, fo We may be affur'd that he will Never act Himself contrary thereto; and confequently Never did or will require of Man to do Any thing that is wholly impoffible for him to do. XXVA Argument ift. XXVI. An Objection To this it is reply'd by Some, that God in Adam before the Fall gave all Mankind fufficient Strength to anfwer'd." perform fuch a moft abfolute Obedience; but that Mankind loft that Strength by the Sin, which Adam in the Perfon of all Mankind committed; and therefore that God may Even now, and that most Justly, exact fuch an abfolute Obedience from Mankind, and that under the Peril of Eternal Death. But this is an Opinion fo extravagantly Abfurd, that One would think it impoffible for a Reasonable Creature to Embrace it. For it can't with any colour of Reafon be faid, that God in Adam Ever gave all Mankind fufficient Strength to perform H Part I. Chap. 6, XXVII. Arg. 2d. perform a moft Abfolute Obedience, only Conditionally, viz. On Condition the fufficient Strength vouchfaf'd to Adam had been made a Right Use of by Adam, so as Not to have finn'd in eating the Forbidden Fruit. But this Condition being Not perform'd by Adam, fuch Strength was Never actually given to the rest of meer Mankind, but only to Chrift. Whence it follows, that to fuppofe that God fhould nevertheless exact still an Abfolute Obedience from the rest of Mankind, fince he Never actually gave them Strength to perform fuch an Obedience, is fuch a Suppofition, as right Reafon will teach us, is altogether Inconfiftent with the Divine Justice, and much more with the Divine Equity and Goodness. On the bare Principles of Reason, it is fufficient to fay in this Cafe, as Abraham did in respect to Lot, Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right? Gen. 18. 25. For that Argument of Abraham is founded only in the Unreasonableness that Lot should be punish'd for the Sins of the Reft of the Inhabitants of Sodom, which he had not Power to help. But 2. Come we now to Arguments drawn from the Law it felf. If then the Law be Spiritually confider'd, it was (as has been often obferv'd) no other than the GoSpel it felf fhadow'd by Types. And therefore No one in his right Senfes will fay, that in this refpect the Law requir'd fuch an Abfolute Obedience, as is afore mention'd under the Peril of Damnation, fince the Gospel now clearly reveal'd requires no fuch Obedience under Juch Penalty. If we confider the Law Carnally or Li. terally, it is no lefs or rather more Abfurd to make it a Law of the most perfect Obedience. For 14. we read in the very Law, that God exprefly order'd Sacrifices to be offer'd for the Expiation of fuch Offences as were not committed Prefumptuously or Wilfully, and out of meer Contempt of the Law, as Numb. 15. 22 - 29. But now it is Contradictory in effect to fay, that the Law did allow Pardon to fome Sins, and yet did exact the most perfect Obedience. 2ly. So far was the Law of Mofes from exacting a perfect Obedience from the Jews, that it is manifeft that Some things were allow'd them in the Law by God for the Hardness of their Hearts, which are Sinful to be done by us Chriftians. Such as Polygamy, and Divorce for light Occafions, of which fee Deut, 24. 1, &c. compar'd with Matth. 19. 3, &c. Wherefore fince by the Law feveral Sins were pardon'd the Jews, and fome things (which are Sinful to us Christians) were exprefly allow'd them; it is beyond all Difpute in Reason, that the Law did by no means exact an Obedience every way Perfect and Abfolute. Part I. Chap. 6. XXVIII. fect Obedience to However there are principally two Arguments, Gal. 3. 10. do not whereby Some endeavour to defend the aforefaid Opi- prove the most pernion, and fo to prove that thence St Paul infer'd the be exacted by the Impoffibility of being justify'd by the Law. The firft Law. Argument is taken from Gal. 3. 10. Curfed is every One that continues not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. Here, fay they, it is manifeft that St Paul infers the Impoffibility of being Juftify'd by the Law from this Confideration, that by the Law No one can be free from the Curfe, that do's not perfectly keep and obey All the Commands of the Law. But to this the Anfwer is Easy, viz. that it is not neceffary, nor requifite, that this Expreffion, Continue in All things, fhould fignify the molt perfect Obedience, forafmuch as fuch an Obedience is impoffible to be perform'd by Man; and therefore it can't Reasonably be fuppos'd agreeable to the Divine Equity, that for the Want of fuch an Obedience Men fhould become obnoxious to an Eternal Curfe. So that the true Sense of the last cited Text is this: Every one is Curfed, or obnoxious to the Punishments denounced by the Law, who do's not perfeveringly do and obferve All things, which the Law requires: But he is esteem'd to perfevere in doing All, who do's not Wilfully and prefumptuoufly break the Law, but keeps the Effentials of the Law whole and entire, or carefully obferves All those Precepts of the Law, which contain the Substance or main Conduct of Life; of which fort are All thofe Precepts mention'd by Mofes in the Curfes fet down Deuteronomy 27. That fuch a Sincere and careful Obferver of the Law may be most jusftly esteem'd to ConH 2 tinue |