away to idolatry, that, from their coming into Canaan, till the times of the Babylonish captivity, there was a perpetual ftruggle between the prophets of God, and the false prophets of the nations, which should prevail; with this view are many ancient prophecies given, to preferve the people from being feduced by the nations round them. We may learn this from the reproof given to the meffengers of Ahaziah, who had fent to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether he fhould recover of his disease: Go, fays the angel of the Lord to Elijah, Go meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Ifrael, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Now, therefore, thus faith the Lord, Thou Shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but fhalt furely die. 2 Kings i. 3, 4. To the very fame purpose God fpeaks in the prophet Isaiah, rendering an account of his ancient prophecies; I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I fhewed them; I did them fuddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obftinate, and thy neck is an iron finew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I fhewed it thee: left thou fhouldeft fay, Mine idol hath done them; and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Isaiah xlviii. 3,

4, 5.

You fee now upon what foot all the prophecies in the Old Teftament ftand, which relate to the temporal concerns of the Jewish nation; you fee likewife the reason why this kind of prophecy has ceafed

in the Chriftian church. The Gofpel is not founded in temporal promises; so far from it, that we are called upon to take up our crofs, and follow Chrift. The bringing in of better hopes has vacated the promises of the Mofaic covenant; and it is expected of us, after so much light given, that our faith should be proof against the adverfities of the world, without the help of a prophet to foretel, or to reveal to us, in every instance, the counsel of God.

These prophecies relating to the things of this life concern us but little; they have had their completion, long fince, in events which affect not us: but others there are, relating to the great depofitum entrufted with the Jews, even the hopes of redemption, which were to be a bleffing to all the nations of the earth, in which we are highly concerned, and which will deserve our particular confideration.

DISCOURSE VI.

THE prophecies of the Old Teftament, generally confidered, relate either to the temporal state and condition of the Jews, and were, in order to the adminiftration and execution, on God's part, of the temporal covenant, given to Abraham and his natural defcendants; or they relate to that great and univerfal bleffing, promised to Abraham and to his feed, though not limited to them, but expressly defigned and extended, in the words of the original covenant, to all the nations of the world. Of these, we have already confidered the firft kind, and endeavoured to fhew the purport and defign of Providence in the many oracles reducible to this head. It remains now, that we confider the prophecies of the fecond kind in the fame method, not inquiring into the express meaning and accomplishment of every fingle prophecy applicable to this fubject, but into the general use and design of these prophecies; which being difcovered, we fhall be able, with better fuccefs, to apply ourselves to the examination of each divine oracle. The prophecies of the feveral periods, already confidered, have been found to correfpond to the state of religion in the world, at the time of giving the prophecy: a great prefumption that the

cafe is the fame under the Jewish difpenfation. We muft therefore, in order to our prefent inquiry, confider the state of religion under the Mofaic difpenfation, and examine how far, and to what purposes, prophecy was requifite; and whether in fact thefe purposes were served by the prophecies under the law.

As to the state of religion under the law of Mofes, to fave your time and my own, time and my own, I shall refer myself to the books of the law, in every man's hand. But two questions there are, neceffary to be confidered at present and firft, the promise to Abraham confifting of two diftinct parts, or including two diftinct covenants, the one relating to the temporal ftate and prosperity of his feed in the land of Canaan, the other to the bleffing which through him and his feed was to be conveyed to all nations of the earth; the question is, to which of these two covenants the law of Mofes is annexed. If the law was given in execution of the promise made to all nations, then have the nations nothing further to expect; God has fulfilled his word: the Jews are right in adhering to their law, and we in the wrong in rejecting it. But if the law of Mofes is built upon the temporal covenant only, and given properly to the Jews only; then both Jews and Gentiles have further hopes, and a just expectation remaining, to fee God's promise to all nations accomplished; which was not accomplished by the giving of the law.

I have already, in the courfe of this argument, obferved to you, that the law of Mofes was given to the Jews only, and not to all nations; for which these reasons, among others, may, be affigned:

First, The obligation of no law extends beyond the terms of its promulgation. Now the law of Mofes was promulged to the Jews only: the words are, Hear, O Ifrael; whereas, had the law been intended for all nations, it ought to have been promulged to all, and the words fhould have been, Hear, all nations of the earth. And thus the Chriftian law is promulged; the Apostles had it exprefsly in commiffion from Chrift, to teach ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft; teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you ALWAY, even unto the END OF THE WORLD: a commiffion which plainly shews that the Gospel difpenfation extends to all places, and all times, even to the end of the world; and that no other new law is to be expected.

*

03

Secondly, The law of Mofes relates to the temporal covenant only, as being established exprefsly upon the terms and conditions of it. The Ten Commandments are founded upon this, that God brought them, the Jews, out of the land of Egypt, out of the houfe of bondage: a reafon which extended to the people of the Jews only; for all other nations were not brought out of the land of Egypt, and the house of bondage. The first threatening is temporal, of vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation: the promise is of the fame kind; both relative to the temporal covenant as is likewife the promise of the fifth Commandment, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Thirdly, Many rites and performances of the law