on this head throughout the whole New Teftament? A fhrewd hint, that, whoever was employed, the Holy Ghoft had no hand in any fuch applications: for he hath faid to the churches concerning the falvation which the apoftles preached, that the prophets inquired and fearched diligently, who prophefied of the grace that should come unto you: fearching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Chrift which was in them did fignify, when it teftified • before-hand the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, ⚫that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minifter the things which are now reported unto you, by them that have preached the gofpel unto you, with the Holy Ghoft fent down from heaven; which things the angels defire to look into." Agreeably to all this David had faid by the fame Spirit in his laft words, The Spirit of the Lord fpake by me, and his word was in my tongue.' And the Lord faid to the Jews, Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and thefe are they which teftify of me.' It was the Scriptures of the Old. Teftament to which they were referred; and this teacheth us, that Chrift is the great and principal fubject of them; and that our most painful study and learned refearches are to no profit as to eternal life, and confequently to nothing at all, if we cannot difcern God teftifying of his own Son, our Lord Je-' fus Chrift, in them. As, in that place, he refers to the Scriptures in general, fo, when going to accomplifh his obedience in his death at Jerufalem, he tells his difciples exprefsly of the matter, pointing to the Pfalms in particular, faying, The things which are written in the Prophets and in the Pfalms concerning me have an end.' And accordingly, in the New Teftament we find many of the Pfalms exprefsly applied to him; which thews, as Chrift is the great fubject of the Scriptures in general, so in parti

cular,

cular, and especially of the Pfalms: and therefore we fhould fearch for Chrift in them, even in them all; for, if no part of the Pfalms is to be explained of Chrift, but what is in as many words applied to him in the New Teftament, as fome would make us think, fo neither is any fuch part of the Law and the Prophets to be underflood of him; and fo a great part of the Old Testament, speaking of Christ, must go for nothing as to any faving purpose; nay, must be confidered as a blot, upon the face of Jefus; for the Spirit teacheth us by truth, and not by falfehood; for, if I am reading any paffage speaking of Chrift, and apply it otherways, I cannot be profited; it is impoffible, whatever pious views I may have, seeing I rob God of his glory, and give it to another, deceiving myfelf, and being deceived: now, deceit can never be of God, nor for the glory of God.

But, as we have faid, the New Teftament explains the Old, by letting us into the fpiritual intent, truth, or meaning thereof, with this key we are warranted to open up and explain thofe paffages which are not directly mentioned in the New: neither need we be afraid of any dangerous mistake, as long as we are guided by that light which fhineth in the face of Je

fus.

If then we would exprefs praife with knowledge, and fing the Pfalms with understanding and grace (and there can be no grace without truth) in our hearts, we must go to the apostles, who alone had the Holy Ghoft given them to fearch into the mind of Chrift, and declare to the churches thofe things which God had kept fecret from the foundation of the world, even the hidden things of God, wrapped up in the mystery of all the prophecies, promites, figns, and figures, that had gone, before, shewing, like the outer leaves of an unblown, flower, that fome better things were to come, whofe form and beauty hould appear difplayed to open view, in the fulness

of their glory, when the proper feafon appointed of

God fhould arrive.

If this matter had been well attended to, we had not feen reverend fathers, and admired doctors, gravely explaining, that is, perverting and deftroying, the New Teftament by the Old, cafting the vail of Mofes again upon the face of Jefus, and hiding the glory by that which in itself had no glory, fpreading night and tenfold darkness between us and the Sun of righteoufnefs, giving us ftones for bread, ferpents for fishes, the letter, inftead of the Spirit, the miniftration of death, inftead of life, the reveries of their own carnalized imaginations, inftead of the eternal truths and confolations of the Holy Spirit. Let the reader, who is acquainted with fuch teachers and their adherents, judge how far they are guilty. How dangerous are their gloffes upon the Pfalms!

Prudential confiderations, perhaps, fhould lead one cautioufly to inquire, if it would not be construed calumny to infinuate, that you will hardly meet with a place of public teaching in the kingdom wholly free from the grofs abuse here complained of. Therefore, to cut off occafions from thofe who might be difpofed to take them, inftead of making irritating affertions, however juftifiable in proof, let the perfon of like precious faith with the apoitles confider, how he ought to be moved with the higheft indignation and pity, when he hears a set of men, with their admir. ers, fubftituting what they call their moral virtue, fincere obedience, good difpofitions of heart, and fuch like names, (I fay names, for in their fenfe and connection they can be nothing else but names, falfehoods, and not truth), inftead of Jefus Chrift and him crucified, for the juftification and acceptance of finners with God. They leave you at no lofs for their meaning; for, to pafs by other devices of theirs to establish an imperfect inftead of a perfect obedience, (O mafter-plot of hell, to eftablish the torments

of

of hell instead of the glory of heaven!), they will read you all the paffages in the Pfalms, where the righteoufnefs, integrity, and uprightnefs of Jefus Chrift are mentioned and rewarded; thefe they explain for proof and illuftration of their fenfe, namely, that our own virtuous inclinations and actions are the express conditions of our obtaining the mercy of God, and acceptance with him. So, many of them are not afhamed, nor afraid, after all that the witneffes for the Lord Jefus have advanced, broadly to fpeak out.

They have different ways of phrafing and disguifing the matter: fometimes they will tell you, that Jefus Christ by his death laid a foundation for the acceptance of your repentance and faith, and that he works these graces in you, and upon account of them you are accepted of God; at other times, to the fame purpose, they will tell you, that Jefus Christ purchased by his death the blotting out of all paft fcores, and that he gives you the Spirit to work in you the moral virtues, and all good works, which if you bring forth, you are justified and accepted in the fight of God on account of them: whereas, they might as well have taught you of your being accepted and juftified in the fight of God, upon the account of an energy from hell upon your fpirit, the one being as true as the other; feeing there is no acceptance, no juftification of any perfon with God but through the blood of the Lanib only, excluding, in this refpect, all our good works, as much as our bad works.

No matter, they go on in their way, hardy, zealous, undaunted: no wonder the blind be foremost; for Satan hath blinded their eyes, and they fee not their danger: how elfe could you fee them fet whole congregations of poor deceived people a-finging the xvth and xxivth Pfalms, according to that blafphemous view they have given of that righteouinefs whereby a man can afcend into the bill of God? as if it could be any other but the righteousness of God,

even the righteoufnefs of his Servant whom he upholdeth, his Elect in whom his foul delighteth, for whofe righteousness fake Jehovah, is well-pleafed, becaufę he hath magnified the law and made it honourable, and is become the end thereof for rightepufnefs to every one that believeth; having purged away the fins of his people by himself, and then entered into the highest heavens with his own blood, their, accepted Head and Forerunner, having obtained eternal redemption for them; who enter along with him in his right, in their appointed time, not by works of righteoufnefs which they themselves have done, but by that finished, accepted, everlafting work of righ, teoufness which He, their Lord, their Reprefentative, hath done for them; whom he alfo fanctifies throughout, in body, foul, and fpirit, to the glory of his Father, and fo makes meet for the inheritance purchased and prepared by himself for his faints in light.

Nevertheless, as if it were a heinous guilt to leave any faying of the Lord unwrefted to the deftruction of as many as fhall fully imbibe the fpirit of their doc trine, they perfevere in their purpose, and make the xviiith Plaim alfo chime in to the fame tune, where it is faid, The Lord recompenfed me according to my righteoufnefs,' &c. ver. 19-27 which they apply to the good people of their own flock, as being fimiJar in their experience to David.-Not a word; here of the good Shepherd who laid down his life for his theep! In like manner, Pfalm xxvi, never fails ta be fung in the fame firain, especially on a communion occafion, when you behove by all means to be put in mind of fome earthly altar; I will wash minę hands in innocency-Whofe innocency? your own indeed! for, does not the royal pfalmift David fay, I will wafh mine hands in innocency, fo will < I encompafs thine altar, O Lord?'-He had need to be very pure, who would adventure upon fuch a

boaft!