Burden of them, because the wise Lawgiver of Heaven and Earth, cannot make or enact any Laws in vain.

Another Design of the Jewish Institutions was to prepare that People for the Coming and Reception of the Meffiah. When therefore he was come, and that End answered, thofe Laws, fo far as they related to him, must grow obsolete of Course, fince to continue the Type after the Antitype appeared, would have been the highest Abfurdity and Contradiction: And therefore, fays our Apoftle, After that Faith in Chrift is come, we are no longer under the Law, fo far as it was a Schoolmaster to lead us to him. His coming muft neceffarily cancel all its Obligations with Regard to him, and ease his Disciples of that Yoke.

Again, many of the Laws of the Mofaick Oeconomy, were confined to Times and Places peculiar to the Jewish Nation, and confequently muft give Way when a more general Inftitution came to be established. Thefe local and temporary Statutes, if I may fo call them, were utterly impracticable under a State of Christianity, and inconfiftent with the Design of it. They were well fuited to a Religion calculated for one small Nation ; but upon the Promulgation of the Christian Religion, which was defigned for the whole World, it was impoffible that all the Kingdoms of the Earth should be con

tained in one City, or worship in one Tem ple; and confequently, all former Laws of this Kind must be disannulled by such subsequent ones from the fame Authority, as were utterly inconfiftent with the Design and Practice of them. And

Lastly, The Jewish Law was defective in the moft effential Point, it could not give Life, (Gal. iii. 21.) It could neither make the Comers thereunto perfect; nor could it cleanse them from the Guilt which they had once contracted. It could only leave its Profeffors under the Curfe of Difobedience, and refer them to a better Inftitution for Deliver

ance from it. It was impoffible that the Blood of Bulls and of Goats fhould, by any natural Efficacy of their own, take away Sin; and the Promife of Remiffion, (as our Apoftle finely argues) was not given to those who trufted in, or offered up, that Blood, but to thofe that believe. And this the Jews might have obferved of their Father Abraham himfelf, if they had either confidered the Nature of that Promife, or the Time when it was given him. And fince then Chrift is the End of the Law for Righteouf nefs, to every one that believeth, (Rom. x. 4.) and fince it is he who hath redeemed us from the Curfe of the Law, (Gal. iii. 13.) being made a Curfe for us; what can it avail a Believer to return to thefe beggarly Elements? Or what Motive or Obligation can he have

to

to have Recourse to them? Whatever frees him from the Curfe of the Law, muft free him from Obedience to it; and whoever feeks to that to be justified, must look on the Sacrifice of Chrit as infufficient; and confequently fuch an Application must be in Effect cancelling the Whole of Chriftianity, and be falling from Grace, Gal. v. 4.

Thus it may appear how inconfistent the Jewish Yoke is with a State of Christianity; and for what Reasons, and by what neceffary Confequences the Profeffion of the one must free Men from the Burthen of the other. Which I have dwelt the longer upon, because I apprehend, that the true State of this Queftion will give great Light to many Parts of the Scriptures, otherwife difficult to be understood; and that whoever carries these plain Reasons with him, in reading fome of the most abftrufe Paffages of St Paul's Epiftles, will find them of great Ufe, in giving him an eafy and clear Senfe of many Places, upon which fome Interpreters have taken great Pains, and spent much Learning, only to render them ftill more obfcure and unintelligible. The

II. Second Particular to be fhewn is, that with Respect to us of the Gentiles, our Chriftian Liberty confifts in a Freedom from the Slavery and the Guilt of Sin. And this might naturally enough lead us to many phiVOL. I. lofophick

U

lofophick Enquiries concerning the Nature of Liberty and Neceffity, the Powers of the Soul, and the Manner of her Operations; and it were no difficult Matter to bring many strong and convincing Proofs to shew how the Soul is affifted and ftrengthened in her Judgment and Choice of Things, by the Light and Graces of the Gospel. But I think the plaineft, and therefore the best Method I can take, is to confider the Matter of Fact, and obferve a little on the Conduct and Character of Men, both when enflaved to Sin and Corruption, and when freed from it; and this, as daily Experience may represent both to us. Facts are not only stubborn in point of Reasoning, but clear: Every Man can judge of what he fees before his Eyes; whereas abftracted, formal, and ftrict Reafonings require fome Pains to pursue the Deductions, and fee the Force of them, and, for the moft Part, affect only those who are inured to Speculations. Let us then first take a View of thofe, whom we fee devoted to their Lufts and Vices, and living without God in the World; and obferve how their Understandings, Wills, and Affections are difpofed and influenced.

With Regard to their Understandings, it is the Bufinefs of thefe Men's Lives to cloud and darken them as much as they can; and to labour to know as little as poffible of what moft nearly concerns them, the Things of

God

God and Religion. The lefs they know of these Things, the lefs will their Minds reproach them for what they do; and therefore they labour hard to fhut out the Light, and are afraid of nothing fo much as impartial Thinking. An idle Hour is terrible, a thinking one infupportable; and therefore the Fe licity they moft afpire after, is to be able to fill up all the Spaces of their Time with a conftant Circle of what they call Diverfions, one main End of which is to get rid of themselves. So that their Understandings, their Reason and Judgment, the greatest Ornament, and nobleft Endowment of human Nature, is the greatest Burden thefe Men labour under; and fo little fenfible are they of the Excellency of it, as to ftrive earnestly to cramp and confine it as much as poffible, and to place their Happiness in understanding nothing of what is of the greatest Importance to them.

Or if all this will not do, if fome Doubts and Mifgivings will ftill between whiles break in upon them, and interrupt them; the next Thing to be done is to try to corrupt the Light, which they cannot fhut out, and imbibe with Greediness falfe Notions of Things, thereby to stifle and fupprefs the Force of true ones. If Truth in her native Beauty and Simplicity is not to be refifted, the next Work is to put her on falfe Ornaments, expofe her in a ludicrous and fantastical Dress, U 2

and