5. and fo chap. x. 1. the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, that is, being but an obfcure type, and not a perfect reprefentation of the bleffings and benefits of the Gofpel, which we now have in truth and reality. Now reafon will tell us, that the laws concerning these types and fhadows, were only to continue till the fubftance of the things fignified by them should come, and that they would be of no longer ufe, when that more perfect inftitution, which was figured by them, fhould take place, and then they would expire, and become void of themselves, because the reafon and ufe of them ceafing, they muft neceffarily fall.

But they did not expire immediately upon the coming of Chrift, and therefore he himself fubmitted to thefe laws, fo long as they continued in force; he was circumcifed, and prefented in the temple, and performed all other rites required by the law, that first covenant to which thefe laws and ordinances belonged, continuing in force till the ratification of the fecond covenant by the death of Chrift, and then thefe laws expired, or rather were fulfilled, and had their accomplishment in the facrifice of Chrift, which made all the facrifices and other rites of the Jewish religion needlefs, and of no ufe for the future; Chrift having by this one facrifice of himself, perfected for ever them that are fanctified, as the fame Apostle fpeaks, Heb. x. 14. So that Chrift did not properly abrogate and repeal thofe rites and ceremonial laws; but they having continued as long as they were defigned to do, and there was any ufe of them, they abated and ceafed of themselves.

And that the death of Chrift was the time of their expiration, because then the new covenant took place, St. Paul exprefly tells us, Eph. ii. 15. having abolifhed or voided in his flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances; and this, ver. 16. he is faid to have done by his cross; and more plainly, Col. ii. 14. blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances which was against us, and took it out of the way, mailing it to his cross.

So\

So that ye fee that even the ceremonial law was not fo properly abrogated by the facrifice and death of Chrift, but rather had its accomplishment, and at tained its end, in the facrifice of Chrift, which by the eternal efficacy of it to the expiation of fin, and, the purifying of our confciences, hath made all the fa crifices and wafhings, and other rites of the ceremo nial law, for ever needlefs and fuperfluous.

Thirdly, But efpecially as to the moral law, and thofe precepts which are of natural and perpetual obligation, our Saviour did not come either to diffolve, or to leffen and flacken the obligation of them.

And of this I told you our Saviour doth principally, if not folely, fpeak here in the text, as will appear to any one that fhall attentively confider the fcope of this difcourfe. In the beginning of his fermon he promiseth bleffing to thofe, and thofe only, whỏ were endowed with thofe virtues which are required by the precepts of the moral law, or comprehended in them; and then he tells them, that Chriftians must be very eminent and confpicuous for the practice of them, ver. 16. Let your light fo shine before men, that they may feel your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven; and then he cautions them not to entertain any fuch imaginations, as if he intended to diffolve the obligation of the law, and to free men from the practice of moral duties, which pro bably fome might have fuggefted against him; think not that I am come to deftroy the law and the Prophets; as if he had faid, you cannot entertain any fuch con ceit, if you confider that the precepts which I inculcate upon you, and thofe virtues, the practice whereof I recommend to you, are the fame which are contained in the law and the Prophets. So that I am fo far from croffing the main defign of the law and the Prophets, and taking away the obligation of moral duties enjoined by the Jewifh religion, that I come purpofely to carry on the fame defign to further perfection, to give a more perfect and clear law, and to give a greater enforcement and encouragement to the practice of moral duties; thefe were always the fum and fubftance of religion, the ultimate

Z 2

ultimate defign of the law and the Prophets, and therefore I am fo far from discharging men from the obligation of the moral precepts of the law, that I come to bind them more ftrongly upon you. And verily I fay unto you, that is, I folemnly declare, that whofoever shall break one of these least commandments, and fhall teach men fo, he shall be called the leaft in the kingdom of heaven; that is, he fhall in no wife enter therein. You think the Scribes and Pharifees very pious and excellent men, and to have attained to a high pitch of righteousness; but I fay unto you, that except your righteousness fhall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye shall in no wife enter into the kingdom of heaven. And then he inftanceth in feveral precepts of the moral law, which in the letter of them, efpecially as they were interpreted by the teachers of the law among the Jews, were very much fhort of that righteousness and perfection which he now requires of his difciples and followers. So that his whole difcourfe is about precepts, and obligations of the moral law, and not a word concerning the ritual and ceremonial law; which makes me very prone to think, that our Saviour's meaning in the text is this, that his religion was fo far from thwarting and oppofing that which was the main defign of the law and the Prophets, that is, of the Jewish religion, that the principal intention of Chriftianity was to advance the practice of goodness and virtue, by ftrengthening the obligation of moral duties, and giving us a more perfect law and rule of life, and offering better arguments and greater encouragements to the obedience of this law. Therefore, for the fuller explication and illuftration of this matter, I shall endeavour to clear these three points:

First, That the main and ultimate design of the law and the Prophets, was to engage men to the practice of moral duties, that is, of real and substantial goodness.

Secondly, That the law of Mofes, or the difpenfation of the Jewish religion, was comparatively very weak and infufficient to this purpofe.

Thirdly,

Thirdly, That the Chriftian religion hath fupplied all the defects, and weakneffes and imperfections of that difpenfation. Thefe three particulars will fully clear our Saviour's meaning in this text..

First, That the main and ultimate defign of the law and the prophets, was to engage men to the practice of moral duties, that is, of real and substantial goodnefs, confifting in thofe virtues which our Saviour mentions at the beginning of this fermon, humility, and meeknefs, and mercy, and righteoufnefs, and purity, and peaceablenefs. This our Saviour more than once tells us was the fum and fubftance, the main fcope and design of the whole doctrine of the law and the Prophets, Matth. vii. 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even fo unto them, for this is the law and the Prophets. And Matth. xxii. 40. That the love of God and our neighbour, thofe two great commands, to which all moral duties are reduced, are the two great hinges of the Jewish religion, on these two hang all the law and the Prophets; St. Paul calls love, the fulfilling of the whole law, Rom. xiii. 10. St. James, the perfect and the royal law, as that which hath a fovereign influence upon all parts of religion. And therefore the Apostle, Rom. iii. 21. tells us, that this more perfect righteousness which was brought in by the gospel, or the Chriftian religion, is witnessed by the law and the Prophets. And indeed the Prophets every where do flight and undervalue the ritual and ceremonial part of religion, in comparison of the practice of moral duties, Ifa. i. I. To what purpofe is the multitude of your facrifices unto me? bring no more vain oblations; your new moons and your appointed feasts my foul hateth.. But what then are: the things that are acceptable to God? He tells us at the 16th ver. Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well; Jeek judgment, relieve the op preffed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. And by the Prophet Jeremiah, God tells that people, that the bufinefs of facrifices was not the thing primarily defigned by God, but obedience to the

3་

morall

moral law. The ritual law came in upon occafion, for the prevention of idolatry, and by way of condefcenfion to the temper of that people; and thus Maimonides and the learned Jews understand these words, Jer. vii. 22, 23. I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and facrifices; but this thing commanded I them, faying, Obey my voice, and walk in all the ways that I have commanded, and I will be your God, and ye Shall be my people. So likewife in the Prophet Hofea, God plainly prefers the moral before the ritual part of religion, as that which was principally defigned and intended by him, Hof. vi. 6. I defired mercy and not facrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings; but most plainly and exprefly Mic. vi. 6. Wherewithal fhall I come before the Lord? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings? Will the Lord be pleafed with thousands of rams, and ten thousand of rivers of oil? He hath fhewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy,and to walk humbly with thy God? These it seems were the things which God ftood upon, and required of men, even under that imperfect difpenfation; and thefe are the very things which the Chriftian religion doth fo ftrictly enjoin and command; fo that this righteoufnefs which the gofpel requires, was witneffed by the law and the Prophets. I proceed to the

Second point, That the law of Mofes, or the dif penfation of the Jewish religion, was comparatively very weak, and infufficient to make men truly good, and for the promoting of real and inward righteoufnefs. It gave laws indeed to this purpofe, but those not fo clear and perfect, or at least not fo clearly understood as they are now under the gofpel; and it made no exprefs promifes of inward grace, and affiftance, to quicken and ftrengthen us in the doing of our duty; it made no explicit promises of any bleffing and reward to the doing of our duty beyond this life; fo that the best and most powerful arguments and encouragements to obedience, were either wholly