rity; and they were also of the seed of the promise, because by their own personal faith they were interested in the covenant of Abraham their father. Multitudes afterwards were of the carnal seed of Abraham, and of the number of the people separated to bring forth the Messiah in the flesh; and yet were not of the seed according to the promise, nor interested in the spiritual blessings of the covenant, because they did not personally believe, as our apostle declares, chap. iv. of this Epistle. And many afterwards, who were not of the carnal seed of Abraham, nor interested in the privilege of bringing forth the Messiah in the flesh, were yet designed to be made his spiritual seed by faith; that in them he might become heir of the world, and that all nations of the earth might be blessed in him. Now, it is evident that the church to whom the promises are made, doth consist of them who by faith are interested in the covenant of Abraham, whether they be of the carnal seed or not.

§ 5. And herein lay the great mistake of the Jews of old, in which they are followed by their posterity unto this day. They thought that no more was needful to interest them in the covenant of Abraham, but that they were his seed according to the flesh. And they constantly pleaded the latter privilege, as the ground and reason of the former. It is true, they were the children of Abraham according to the flesh; but on that account, they can have no other privilege than Abraham himself had in the flesh. And this was, as we have shewed, that he should be set apart as a special channel, through whose loins God would bring the promised seed into the world. In like manner were they separated to be a peculiar people, as his posterity, from amongst whom he should be so brought forth.

That this separation and privilege was to cease, when the end of it was accomplished, and the Messiah exhibited, the very nature of the thing declares. For to what purpose should it be continued, when that was fully effected for which it was designed? But the Jews would extend this privilege, and mix it with the other; contending, that because they are the children of Abraham according to the flesh, therefore the whole blessing and covenant of Abraham belongs unto them. But as our Saviour proved that, in the latter sense, they were not the children of Abraham, because they did not the works of Abraham, so, our apostle plainly demonstrates, Rom. iv. ix. x. xi. Gal. iii. iv. that those of them who had not the faith of Abraham, had no interest in his blessings and covenant. Seeing therefore that their other privilege had come to an end, with all the carnal ordinances that attended it, by the actual coming of the Messiah, to which they were subservient, if they did not by faith in the promised seed attain an interest in this of the spiri

tual blessing, it is evident that they could on no account be considered as actual sharers in the covenant of God.

§ 6. We have seen that Abraham, on the account of his faith, and not of his separation according to the flesh, was the father of all that believe, and heir of the world; that the church in all ages, is founded on the covenant made with Abraham, and on the work of redemption, to be performed according to that covenant; and that, in Abraham's interest in this covenant, we are chiefly to regard his privilege as being a believer, and the privilege of being the father of the Messiah according to the flesh as subordinate to this. Now wheresoever this covenant made with Abraham is, and with whomsoever it is established, with them is the church, unto whom all the promises and privileges of the church do belong. Hence it was, that at the coming of the Messiah, there was not one church taken away, and another set up in the room thereof; but the church continued the same, in those that were the children of Abraham according to the faith. The Christian church is not another church, but the very same that was before the coming of Christ, having the same faith with it, and interested in the same cove

nant.

It is true, the former carnal privilege of Abraham and his posterity, expiring on the grounds before mentioned, the ordinances of worship which were suited thereto, did necessarily cease also. And this cast the Jews into great perplexities, and proved the last trial that God made of them. For whereas both these, namely the carnal and spiritual privileges of Abraham's covenant, had been carried on together in a mixed way for many generations, they were now to be separated, and a trial to be made (Mal. iii.) who of the Jews had interest in both, and who in one only. They who had only the carnal privilege of being children of Abraham according to the flesh, contended for a share on that single account in the other also, that is, in all the promises annexed unto the covenant; but the foundation of their plea was taken away, and the church unto which the promises belong, remained with them who were heirs of Abraham's faith only.

7. It remains then, that the church founded in the covenant, unto which all the promises did and do belong, abode at the coming of Christ, and doth abide ever since, in and among those who are the children of Abraham by faith. The old church was not taken away, and a new one set up, but the same church was continued, only in those who by faith inherited the promises. Great alterations indeed were then made in the outward state and condition of the church. As, 1. The carnal privilege of the Jews, in their separation to bring forth the Messiah, then failed; and therewith their claim on that account VOL. I.

I

to be the children of Abraham. 2. The ordinances of worship suited unto that privilege expired, and came to an end. 3. New ordinances of worship were appointed, suited unto the new light and grace granted then unto the church. 4. The Gentiles came in to the faith of Abraham, together with the Jews, to be fellow heirs with them in his blessing. But none of these, nor all of them together, made any such alteration in the church, but that it was still one and the same. The olive tree was the same, only some branches were broken off, and others grafted into it: the Jews fell, and the Gentiles came in their

room.

§ S. And this doth and must determine the difference between the Jews and Christians, about the promises of the Old Testament. They are all made unto the church. No individual person hath any interest in them, but by virtue of his membership with the church. This church is, and always was, one and the With whomsoever it remains, the promises are theirs ; and that not by application or analogy, but directly and properly. They belong as immediately at this day, either to the Jews or Christians, as they did of old to any. The question is, with whom is this church founded on the promised seed in the covenant. This is Sion, Jerusalem, Israel, Jacob, the temple of God. The Jews plead that it is with them, because they are the children of Abraham according to the flesh. Christians teil them, that their privilege on this account, was of another nature, and ended with the coming of the Messiah. That the church unto whom all the promises belong, are only those who are heirs of Abraham's faith; believing as he did, and thereby interested in his covenant. Not as though the promise made to Abraham were of none effect; for as it was made good unto his carnal seed in the exhibition of the Messiah, so the spiritual privileges of it belonged only unto those of the Jews and Gentiles, in whom God had graciously purposed to effect the faith of Abraham. Thus was, and is the church, whereunto all the promises belong, still one and the same, namely Abraham's children according to the faith; and among those promises this is one, that God will be a God unto them and to their seed forever.

EXERCITATION VII.

§ 1-4. Of the Judaical distribution of the Old Testament. § 5-11. The original and nature of their oral law and traditions. § 12-14. The whole disproved. § 15-20. Agreement of the Jews and papists about traditions, instanced in sundry particulars.

§ 1. THE apostle in dealing with the Hebrews about the reve

lation of the will of God made unto their fathers, assigns it in general unto his speaking unto them in the prophets, ch. i. 1. This speaking unto them, the present Jews affirm to consist of two parts. 1st, That which Moses and the following prophets was commanded to write for the public use of the church. 2dly, That which being delivered only by word of mouth unto Moses, and continued by oral tradition until after the last destruction of the temple, was afterwards committed unto writing. And because those who would read our exposition of this Epistle, or the Epistle itself with profit, had need of some insight into the opinions and traditions of the Jews about these things, I shall, for the sake of them that want either skill or leisure to search after them elsewhere, give a brief account of their faith, concerning the two heads of revelation mentioned; and therein discover the principle, means and nature of their present apostasy and infidelity.

§2. The Scripture of the Old Testament they call 7, the reading, and divide it into three parts: 1st, in, the law; 2d,, the prophets; 3d, □n, the writings, by divine inspiration, which are usually called the Hagiographa, or holy writings. And this distribution of the books of the Old Testament is in general intimated by our Savionr, Luke xxiv. 44. παντα τα γεγραμμένα εν τω νόμω Μωσέως, και προφητάις, και ψαλμοις. All things written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms; under which last head, all the poetical books of the Scripture are contained. Thus Rabbi Bechai in Cad Hacke

the law (so ;התורה שלשה חלקים תורה נביאים כתובים,rach

All

sometimes they call the whole volume) is divided into three parts, the law, the prophets, and the holy writings. comprized generally under the name of the law; for so they say in Midrash Tehillim, Ps. lxxviii. 1. min wani nin Dhipi2, the psalms are the law, and the prophets are the law; that is the whole Scripture.

This distribution, so far as it is intimated in the words of our Saviour, doth evidently arise from the nature and subject matter of the books themselves. And this was the received division of the books of the Old Testament, whilst the Judaical church continued. But the Post-talmudical doctors overlooking or neglecting the true reason of this distribution, have fancied others taken from the different manners and degrees of revelation, by which these books were given out to the church. Amongst these they make the revelation to Moses the most excellent, and are very vain in counting the privileges and pre-eminences which it had above all others; these are elsewhere examined. In the next degree they place those which proceeded from the spirit of prophecy, which they distinguish from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Yea, in the eleven degrees of divine revelation, assigned by Maimonides Mor. Nebu. par. 2. that by inspiration is cast into the last and lowest place. But their distinctions are groundless. In all the prophets it was the inspiration of the Holy Ghost alone, that enabled them infallibly to declare the mind of God unto the church, 2 Pet. i. 21. but because God was pleased to use various ways of representing things to the minds of the prophets, therefore the Jews have fancied different degrees of revelation.

Now the books thus given by the Spirit of prophecy they make of two sorts, 1st, TN, the former prophets, which are all the historical books of the Old Testament written before the captivity, as Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings; Ruth only excepted. 24, 2, the latter prophets, which are all the prophetical books peculiarly so called, Daniel only excepted; that is, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. Of the last sort, or na Cethubim, books written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, are the poetical books of the Seripture; Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Canticles, Lamentations, with Ecclesiastes, whereunto they add Ruth, Daniel and the historical books written after the captivity, as the Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, which make up the canon of the Old Testament. Why sundry of these books should be east into the last division, as the story of Ruth, and the prophecy of Daniel, they can give no tolerable account. The other books also, written after the captivity, are plainly of the same nature with those which they call the former prophets. And for that of Daniel, it contains in it almost all the eminent kinds of revelation, whereby they themselves would distinguish the Spirit of prophecy from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Neither have they any reason for this distribution; but finding the general division before mentioned to have been received in the church of old, they have at their pleasure disposed of the particular books into these orders, casting Daniel, as is probable,