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Typical ordinances, not originally carnal. PART III.

God's difpenfation by Mofes, was not a legal dif penfation, or covenant of works, according to the Scripture fenfe or meaning of those terms or phrafes; but properly a Gofpel difpenfation, or cove nant of Grace.

But fome perfons being as ignorant of the wisdom of God, and the fpirituality of his ordinances, and inftitutions in types and fhadows, previous to the incarnation and paffion of Chrift the substance; as the Pharifees of old were of God's righteoufnefs; and going about to eftablifh their own opinions; reject those ordinances and inftitutions as carnal; because the Apoftle fpeaks of them as being fo, after Chrift the fubftance was come; although the Apoftle at the fame time, fpeaks of them as figures or fhadows, which were proper and neceffary,for the time when they were inftituted. Yet thofe perfons, feem to fuppofe that the Apoftle's fpeaking fo, of thofe typical ordinances after the fubftance was come; authorizes them to call them fo, before the coming of Chrift, and even at the time of their inftitution; and to affert, that they were carnal or dinances, inftituted merely for temporal political, or worldly purpofes; hence, that none of them, properly speaking, could be called religious; that circumcifion was nothing of a religious nature or defign; but merely of a legal fignification, and marked them to obferve the civil or political laws of the nation; hence, they alfo conclude that the economy God inftituted by Mofes had nothing in it of the nature of a chriftian church, and that before the coming of Chrift, God had no diftinct vif ible Church; or diftinguifhing token or badge of a vifible Church; though they allow there were fome traits of a Church mixed with worldly govern ment! They speak much of circumcifion as a rile

PART III.

Church before the Flood; and in the Ark.

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enjoined by Mofes, as a mark of loyalty to the civil government of the nation. But we all know that circumcifion was given 430 years before Mofes, that he gave no law, or direction about it, ani that it was not practifed, during the time he govcrned Ifrael. We alfo know, that God had a dif tinct visible Church from the fall of man to the Flood, and was diftinguifhed from the reft of the world, by what was called the Prefence of the Lord; and thofe that dwelt in the Prefence of the Lord, were called the Sons of God. Thefe were the vifi. ble Church. The others were called men. And we know there were as good men, as spiritual, in the Church then, as ever there have been fince. And it appears there were parents and children, and wicked men in the Church then; and that Chrift preached to them, part of the time at least. It may therefore, fairly be confidered as a Church of Chrift. And we find that as foon as Church. members began to marry with non members, the Church, began to run out by wickedness, and it came to that, there was but one righteous man: Then the Lord took him and his family into the Aik; which has always been confidered as a type of Chrift. The reft were all defroyed. Here then Noah and his family were literally a Church of Chrift. But here we find one wicked member, in this little Church, of only eight fouls. Ham was undoubtedly a wicked man..

We find, that in about as many generations af. ter Noah, as it was from Adam to Noah; the world had become fo generally idolatrous, that the remains of the Church were become fo difperfed among the idolatrous world, that the vifibility of it, was nearly extinct.

God then called Abraham, and preached the

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Church Covenant with Abraham.

PART III, Golpel to him, and entered into a Church covenant with him, for himself and fa dy, his pofterity, and all the nations of the earth, that fhould ever come into Church tate thereafter; at the fame time God appointed Abraham a Token, a vifible diftinguishing badge of his vilible Church, viz. circumcifion, which the Apoftle fays, was a feal of the righteousness of faith. It feems the Apoftle thought it was of fome religious fignifica tion; and this was to be applied to his whole household, infants included, all that were capable of receiving it: Females could not perfonally receive it; they were confidered as being circumcifed in the male, as before noticed. So here was a Golpel Church, for it was made upon preaching the Gofpel to Abraham, and we find here one wicked member of the Church, a mocking 1hmael. Pursuant to God's covenant, and establishment of his Church with Abraham, he brought If rael out of Egypt, and through the fea; and by his fervant Mofes, a Prophet fimilar to Chrift, who was with the Church in the wildernefs; God gave them the lively Oracles, Acts vii. 37, 38. The moral law, a rule of life. The judicial law, to conduct the affairs of civil life. And the ceremonia! law, a perfect fyftem of religious worship and devotion, for mankind in their, then condition. Ifrael alfo had the Gospel preached to them, at the fame time, Heb. iv 2. They had alfo the fpecial ordinances, baptifm and the fupper; for they eat of that spiritual meat, and drank of that fpiritual rock, which rock was Chrift. It could therefore be no other than a Gofpel Chriflian Church. Yet with many of them God was not well pleased, 1 Cor. x. 1, to 5. There were many unbelievers, wicked members in this Chriftian Church, at that time.

PART III. Solemon built a Temple, and State Houfe.

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We find, that when the Church were at their zenith of profperity and glory, according to the conftitution God gave them and the wifeft man that ever lived, at the head of them; he built a moft elegant houfe, and utenfils for the worfhip of God, according to the inflitutions he had given. Which houfe Chrift himfelf faid was his Father's houfe ; and drove out of the temple, all those that occupi ed it for any fecular concerns; and demolished their apparatus for worldly bufinefs. Soloinon alfo at the fame time, built a most large and elegant State Houfe; there was not the like made in any kingdom. So here were Church and State, as diftinct as any body can with. And it was clearly a Church of God without any mixture of worldly or carnal matters. The Temple was purely God's houfe without being for any worldly purposes whatfoever. The Temple was a type of Chrift according to his own affertion. This therefore could be nothing eife than a Church of Chrift. And in this Church were literally the officers, all the men of Ifrael, their wives, little ones and fervants, which God established for a people unto himfelf to be a God to them; according to his covenant with Abraham, Deut. xxix. 10, 11, 12, 13. It alfo appears that in this Church of Chrift, there were in every generation, fome very holy devout members; and fome very wicked members; as there always was, and likely always will be, in the visible Church of God. For all thofe Churches above noticed, were formed directly by God himself; and the members were received in; or conftituted members immediately by his exprefs order. Not that any are to be tolerated or indulged in their wickednefs; this God never indulged. For in the Antediluvian Church, he used means to reclaim

228 Being in God's Church is no indulgence to fin. PART IIL them, and when they would not be reclaimed, he destroyed them. So alfo in his inftitutions to If rael, he ordered means to reclaim the wicked; and destroyed those that would not be reclaimed; and the Apoftle fays, thefe things were written for our admonition; thefe are therefore, with other means God has inflituted, to reclaim the wicked in his Church, fince the coming of Chrift; and if they will not be reformed, they muft expect to fall under the hot indignation of God, and that their doom will be more intolerable than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. So that the being in the Church is mot far from being a refling place in fin, or the indulgence of any wickedness.

Thus it appears, notwithstanding all that is faid about a covenant of works, carnal ordinances, legal difpenfation, nothing of a religious nature or defign, in God's ordinances, and infiitutions of old; and particularly to Abraham and Ifrael; that, as I faid before, it is all, one and the fame way of Salvation, and scheme of religion, from the fall down to this time; according to the condition mankind have been in from time to time. From which it will conclufively follow, that in all things wherein we are in the fame condition and circumstances Ifrael were, all thofe laws and inflitutions to them, are frictly and equally binding on us, as on them, and are in as full force now, to all the children of Abraham, or who profefs to be his children, as they were formerly to Ifrael.

Here then I am neceffarily led to inquire wherein our condition and circumfiances difagree, and wherein they agree, with the condition and circum. ftances of Ifrael. That they effentially differ in fome things and effentially agree in others perhaps all will readily admit. Although I will not be fo