it were to duft and afhes, he loaded the Ifraelites, to whom all the ceconomy belonged, with a yoke of ceremonies, heaping them one upon another, and τω Θεώ. 2. Quia confcientia poft peccatum nullam ipfis certam viam monftravit, qua Deum quærere et invenire poffent. Intelligebant enim Deo jus effe ipfos puniendi; effe illum fanctum, ac proinde majestatis fuæ læfæ vindicem. Saltem ex nullo principio certo fcire poterant, nolle Deum uti jure fuo in iis puniendis. - - Vulgus hic plus fapuit quam philofophi. Popularis enim, five politica, quæ dicebatur, theologiaomnes gentes docuit, divinum numen iratum non pænitentia tantum, fed et facrificiis piacularibus effe placandum. Ipfe quoque Deus id συμβολικώς docere voluit Ifraelitas in cultu facro a Mofe inftituto. Philofophi, qui fibi hic altius et rectius vifi funt, vere defipuerunt. Videbant nempe, ab una parte, fanguinem animantum non convenire Deo, qui Spiritus eft maxime rationalis, placando; et ab altera parte ignorarunt verum illud facrificium piaculare Xoyxor, quod exacto tempore ignorantiæ pro electorum peccatis Deo offeretur. Obfervat. facr. tom. i. lib. iii. сар. 13. Our author treats of this fubject at large elsewhere, and affirms, that it is effential to the juftice of God, and fit and neceffary in the nature of things, that fin fhould be punished: but that the mode of punifhing it, whether in the perfon of the finner, or in the perfon of a furety, who reprefents him, is entirely arbitrary, and the judge of the world may do either without injury to his perfections. He lays down eight conditions neceffary to a lawful rational transfer of punishment from the finner to his furety. 1. Sin must be punished. 2. The fupreme governor muft will and ordain the transfer. 3. He, to whom the transfer is made, muft give his free confent. 4. He, the furety, muft have an abfolute power to difpofe of himself. 5. He must be innocent of the fin to be punished, and of all other fin." 6. Those finners, for whom impunity is obtained, muft confent. 7. God must be more glorified by the fufferings of the fubftitute, than he would be if he punished the principals. 8. Society must receive no damage: but on the contrary, muft reap advantages. Each of thefe Mr. Claude explains and proves, and then fhews, that they are all found in the perfon of Jefus Chrift. Oeuvres pofthumes, tom. iii. liv. iv. ch. 12. The and ordaining the obfervation of all under the fame penalty of a curfe, which had accompanied the publication of the moral law. Finally, Becaufe all this exterior revelation would have been ufelefs on account of the natural blindnefs of all mankind, God accompanied the law with a degree of his Spirit, or of that inward light, which, by illuminating the eyes of the underftanding, produces not any true regeneration, nor any real confolation, but only opens a man's eyes to fee the greatnefs of his fin and mifery, difcovering thofe fad objects, and exciting thofe painful agitations, which S. Paul defcribes in the viith of the Romans, which terminate in this exclamation, The doctrine of vicarious fufferings feems to be confiderable in four points of view. 1. It may be examined rationally. Is the idea incongruous with the known perfections of God, the nature and condition of rational accountable creatures? This article Mr. Claude difcuffes. 2. It may be confidered biftorically. In this light the learned Outram confiders it, and adduces a variety of teftimonies, which prove, that chriftians, Jews, and heathens, (moribus et religionibus alioqui maxime differentibus.) were agreed in believing the reality of vicarious punishments for fin. De facrif. lib. i. cap. 22. 3. It may be confidered fcripturally. Does revelation mention this doctrine? does it condemn it? does it allow VOL. 1. it? on what object does the 4. It may be confidered S clamation, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (4) After you have thus explained the law, as it is a miniftry of rigour, in oppofition to grace, you (4) S. Paul defcribes thofe agitations of mind, which are produced by objects difcovered by the Spirit in the law, Rom. vii. Some think, that the viith of Romans is the language of a Jew, who knew the fpirituality of the law, but was ignorant of Chrift the redeemer. According to them, it is a defcription of the emotions of the mind after conviction, and before converfion. There is a great deal of probability in this opi nion. In the flesh (verfe 5.) is a phrafe applied to the Jews; who obferved only the letter of the law: but this could not be faid of all the Jews, for fome of them knew the law (verse 1.) and were in the Spirit, that is to fay, they underftood the Spiritual fenfe of the law,not the literal or grammatical only; they regarded the mind or Spirit of the lawgiver more than his words. See Le Clerc's fupplem. to Hammond. The following is a juft diftinction, I think. "Veteris enim legis officium erat manifeftare quid faciendum effet: fed vires ad perficiendum non Suppeditabat. Lex autem nova gratiam et vires adminiftrat, ut perficiamus opere, quod per legem fcriptam faciendum muft cognovimus." Eftii annotat. in loc. difficil. Jer. xliii. 2. It must not be forgotten, that fome of our divines attribute thefe convictions of fin to the operations of the holy Spirit, and call them the common workings of the holy Ghoft, thereby diftinguishing them from other operations, which they name fpecial, peculiar, culiar, faving influences. Others pofitively deny this distinction, and call the firft, the workings of natural confcience. Paulus nunquam vocavit Spiritum Dei fpiritum fervitutis: fed tantum dicit Spiritum, qui ipfis datus eft, non effe fervilem, et trepidatione fervili corda percellere. Errant qui metum et terrorem, quem lex deftituta fpiritu regenerationis et cognitione Chrifti cordibus incutit, ponunt inter effecta Spiritus fancti. Joan. Maccov. colleg. theol. difp. xiii. de generibus hominum. In this difputed point, a young minifter may avail himfelf of the fact, which both fides allow, and leave the fettling of its name to older and wifer men. The law, by fome means, all allow, produces convictions of fin. A wife minifter knows the use of this remark. muft proceed to confider it in the other view, as opposed to truth. You may obferve, in the firft place, that the term truth is in the holy fcripture put in oppofition to promife: inafmuch as truth is the accomplishment and execution. God, to foften the great rigour of the law, which of itfelf could only produce despair in the fouls of the Ifraelites, and render their condition more miferable than that of other people, mixed in that economy a revelation of mercy; and the firft difcoveries of this mercy are in the promifes and prophecies, which God gave them touching the Meffiah. Immediately after the fall he faid, I will put enmity betwixt the woman and the ferpent, her feed fhall bruise the ferpent's head, and the ferpent his heel. He reprefented it more fully to Abraham in the covenant made with him, and afterward reminded them in Jacob's bleffing, that the fcepter fhould not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh came, and unto him should the gathering of the people be. (5) And Mofes himself filled them with hopes in these admirable words, A prophet fhall the Lord your God raife up unto you from among your brethren, bim fhall ye bear. 2. Truth is alfo taken in fcripture for fubftance, in oppofition to figures and shadows; and here it (5) The Jeepter shall not depart. Would it not be better, to fubftitute the word Staff or ruler instead of scepter, unlefs we reftrain the meaning of scepter to a rod or staff of a tribe, which is all that is here intended? The staff or ruler fhall not depart from Judah. The tribeship fhall not depart from Judah. Such authority as Judah had then, was to remain with his poste means rity. It is not faid or meant, that he fhould not ceafe from being a king, or having a kingdom, for he was then no king, and had no kingdom; but only that he should not ceafe from being a tribe or body politic, having rulers and governors of his own, till a certain period here foretold. Newton on the prophecies, vol. i. diff. 4. S 2 means that of which God had given a model in the Jewish difpenfation. His divine wisdom placed in full view a thoufand beautiful images of what he intended to do for the redemption of men. Here you may obferve the principal figures under the law, and thew the ufe of them, for they were intended to maintain the hope, and fupport the fouls of the Ifraelites till the Meffiah came, before whofe coming eternal falvation was declared to them. (6) (6) Eternal falvation was declared to the people of Ifrael. The prefent times have hardly produced a more abfurd and dangerous error than that of Bishop Warburton, in what he calls a Divine legation of Mofes. He affirms, The doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments is not to be found in, nor did make part of the Mofaic difpenjation. It is certain, Jefus Chriit found the doctrine of a future fate in what God in the bufh faid to Mofes, Mark xii. 26. And it is alfo certain, the Jews in general thought the doctrine of a future ftate was contained in their facred writings; Search the fcriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, John v. 39. There was, indeed, a fect of Sadducees among the Jews, who believed no future ftate, and the high prieft, who perfecuted the apostles, was probably of this fect, Acts v. 17. Several able writers have fhewn what great reafon all fober christians have to be offended with this doc You trine; to be very jealous of the man's defign in advancing it; and to guard in time against the mifchiefs it may do. Chriftians, I think, may quiet their fears; for people, who do not believe them felves, feldom fucceed in attempting to perfuade others. What can one think of the conscience of a man, who, both before and after the publication of this do&rine, fubfcribed upon oath this contrary propofition, In the old teftament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Chrift? Articles of religion, art. 7. If men may disbelieve (fays a writer against this bishop) the articles and homilies, and yet fubfcribe to them, and after that fubfcription write directly against those very doctrines, to which they have fubfcribed--and if they fhould be encouraged and countenanced by numbers, who alfo have fubfcribed to them--and if that very church, which requires this fubfcription, fhould not cenfure fuch a ma |