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^m^j^cr9^n^^0ibmm- 
 
 AN 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 On the feveral 
 
 Dispensations of GOD to 
 
 Mankind, in the Order^ in which they 
 lie in the Bible : 
 
 O R, A 
 Short System of the Religion of 
 
 Nature and Scripture : 
 WITH A 
 PREFACE, fhewing the Caufes of the 
 Growth of Infiddity, and the likeliell Method 
 to put a Stop to it. 
 
 AND AN 
 APPENDIX, proving , that God adopted 
 Abraham to the Inheritance of eternjti Life, Cen. 
 xii. ;, 5. xxii. I7j iS.-r-^i f^\ k.yH^ ■ ■ ■ \ 
 
 God who at SUNDRY T I M E S^ * A xN D IN D I V fill S 
 MANNERS, fpake unco the Fathers by the Prophets, hach in 
 thefe hft Days fpoken unto us by his Son, Uib. i. i, z. 
 
 ADA M, who was THE SONOFGOD, Luke iii. 58. 
 
 The SONS OF GOD faw the D AU G HTE R S OF MEN, 
 Gen. vi. 2. 
 
 T.;ey which are of Faith, the fame are the CHILDREN OF 
 ABRAHAM, Gdl. iii. 7. 
 
 Ifracl is my S O N, even my firft BORN, {Exod. iv. 22.) 
 
 — Saying, unto thee will I give the Land of C A N A A N, the Lot 
 ot ycur INHERITANCE, PfaLcv. 11. 
 
 Ye are the CHILDREN or the PROPHETS, ABf iii. 25. 
 
 VearcALLiheCHILDRENOFGODBYFAITHiN 
 CHRIST JES US, Gal. iiK26. 
 
 And it ye be CHRIS T's, then are ye A B R A H A M's SEE D, 
 and Heirs according to the Promife, Gal. iii. 29. 
 
 And are I he Sons of God, being the SONS OF THE RESUR- 
 RECTION, Luke XX. 56. 
 
 Behold what Ma-r.er of Love the Father hath beftowed upon us, 
 that we Ihcu d be called the Sons of God. — Beloved, now are we 
 the S)ns 01 God, and it doth not yet appear what we fliall be; but 
 we know, THAT WHEN HE APPEARETH, WE 
 SHALL BELIKE HIM, I John iii. i, 2. 
 
 •LONDON, 
 rriuttd for J. Gray, at the Crofs Keys in the Poultry. 
 
 i7iS. 
 
 tv 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 
 in 2011 witii funding from 
 
 Princeton Tlieologic^l Seminary Library 
 
 littp://www.arcliive.org/details/essayonseveraldiOObarr 
 
THE 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 T' feems to he a pre^Dailing Opi^ 
 nion, that T)eifm gets Ground 
 a?nong thinking and cirtmus 
 Men ; notwithftanding many 
 excellent TraUs that ha've ap- 
 peared of late in defence of 
 Chriftianity^ by bringing together the exter- 
 nal 'Evidence there is for it^ and fiipporting 
 it againfl the Exceptions that ha've been made 
 to that Evidence. 
 
 It irmft needs be very fit for believers to 
 confidcr^ what niay he the Caiifes of fo ft range 
 and threatning an Appearance ; fincc the be- 
 ing thoromjoly apprizd cf the Caife of the 
 Grozvth of Infidelity^ can alone direU ns to 
 the hefi Method to prevent it, 
 
 A ^ I 
 
iv The Preface. 
 
 I am fenfihle^ T'here are fome, who wilt 
 think much Enqtiiry ahoiit this Matter alto- 
 gether needle fs ; fatisfying themfehes with 
 refohing the Growth of T>eifm into God's de- 
 li<vering Men up to a reprobate Senfe, who 
 don't care to retain the Knowledge of him in 
 their Minds, ^ttt I muji take Liberty to fay ^ 
 that thefe Terfons entirely miftake the 'Enqui- 
 ry i which is not about the Growth of T)eifm 
 among car clef s^ fcoffing^ and 'vitious -, but among 
 thottsjotful and 'virtuous Men, 
 
 I am fcvfible too there are others^ who in- 
 fie ad of going further into this Enquiry^ will 
 do nothing more than iwjeigh againft Liberty^ 
 {the Glory of the Jge we lit^e in) and the In- 
 qitijiti'venefs and Freedom of T)ebate which it 
 has introducd^ to the great Advancement of 
 Learning and Virtue among us. It muft be 
 allowed to thefe Tieclaimers^ that Men ^ 
 who dont think at all about Religion^ will 
 not be Deijis : Sut neither will they be "Belie- 
 cers. They may indeed ha^^e the Faith of a 
 Stone {that is^ no T)isbelief of any Thing) 
 or the Faith of a Tarrot {that iSy Words 
 without Ideas) but cannot hat'e the rational 
 Faith of a Man^ that is^ a belief of the 
 Agreement or L^if agreement of Ideas found- 
 ed on what they hat^e juji Reafon to appre- 
 hend to be dimne Tefiimony, We muft there- 
 fore be content with Things as they are^ and 
 let TJnbelievcrs be among us^ in order to ha've 
 believers i and not be Jo angry or diftmb'd 
 
 ;. that 
 
The Preface. v 
 
 that l^eifm grows^ provided that a rational 
 Faith grows along i£ith it. For it is a much 
 happier State to hace the Number of rational 
 believers increafe in a Nation^ together with 
 a Number of iJeifts^ than to hace all Teo- 
 pie fcepticaU or entirely carekfs and infenfihle 
 about the Matter. That is^ it is better to 
 hai'e a Nation made up of rational 'Beliez'ers 
 and of disbelievers J than of nominal belie- 
 vers only {whether they are fceptical or care- 
 lefs^ or infenfible) who are really no believers 
 at all. For to fay otherwife^ is to fay^ that 
 no 'Believers are better than forne "Believers. 
 
 But to come clofer to the Enquiry^ for the 
 fake of thoje who are willing to enter into it i 
 I rmtji lay this as a Foundation in it^ that no 
 Man^ who believes there is a God^ and does 
 but at all reJleU on what follows from that 
 Beliefs can bring himfeif to thinks that God 
 has not Ways to impart more Knowledge to 
 nSj than we can arrive at by the bare JJfe of 
 the Faculties he has given us : Or to doubt ^ 
 whether Mankind has not beev^ is not^ and 
 will not be^ in fuch Circumjiances^ in which 
 it may have been^ is^ and will be very [uit- 
 able to the Wifdim and Gocdncfs ofGod^ to 
 impart more Knowledge to thern^ than they 
 can arrive at by the bare Ufe of their Facul- 
 ties^ the better to enable them to dif charge the 
 duties they owe to him^ themfekes^ and one 
 another : Or in other Words ^ to act according 
 to the Truth of Things^, and CGn[equeraly ac- 
 cording 
 
Vi The Preface. 
 
 cording to the tnie Maxims of their own 
 Happinefs^ and the Happinefs of others. 
 And rational beings can only he better ena- 
 hied to all thisy by fuch Knowledge being im- 
 parted to them^ as may aff/ft them under the 
 jffeakfjefs of their Reafon, ( from their Jloort 
 and narrow Views of Things ) and againft 
 the Strength of their Appetites and Tajfions'o 
 IBj'Very confidering Man therefore mtift fee^ 
 that if God is pleafed to impart 7nore Know^ 
 ledge to Mankind^ than their Faculties will 
 difco'ver to them^ it nmfl he to this Tmpofe j 
 Jince ftich a Difco'very alone is confijient with 
 his Wifdom and Goodnefs ^ or with that 
 prior Knowledge he has given tis^ by the bare 
 Ufe of our Faculties^ and by the Opporttmi-. 
 ties he has miichfafed as for the Exercije of 
 them. 
 
 And as no Man can reafonably receice any 
 7hing^ as a Revelation from God, confidered 
 as the Gcjernor of the Worlds that has not 
 e-vidently thefe CharaEfers and Tendencies ,- fo 
 no Man can reafonably rejeU any Thing as fiich 
 a Rcjelation that has them, and that has no 
 others^ inconfiftent with them. 
 
 Rez'elation therefore appearing clearly in 
 the Times of the Jpofiles^ {when it was befi 
 imdcrftood) with thefe CharaBers and Ten^ 
 dencies, and being fupported by other inter^ 
 nal, and by the Jirongeft external Eddence^ 
 offered to the Senfes of thefe to whom it was 
 propojed -, and the Apoflks being at hand to 
 
 clear 
 
The Preface. vii 
 
 clear np any Tiifficnlty that might arife 
 againft it^ it is no wonder that none then 
 cotild disbelieve or doubt oj it ; though hut too 
 many refused to li've up to its Trecepts^ and 
 profefsd to rejeU it, purely becaiife they pre- 
 ferrd their Lujis and Taffions to Virtue and 
 HoUnefs, and to eternal "Life , which Re've- 
 tation proposed as the Moti've to deny the one^ 
 and to purfue the other, ^ut in this they 
 were firji f elf -condemn d, afterwards their 
 Confciences became feared as with a red hot 
 Iron, and they themfehes at laji were gi'ven 
 up to belie've a Lie. 
 
 ^ut in after Times Things came under a 
 *very different Confideration. For Ke'v elation 
 could not be fo zi'ell under flood, when the Jpo- 
 ftles ceas'*d to be its Miniflers : Efpecially if 
 their T)oUrine was corrupted by others. Nor 
 could the Tr oof that their pure T)oUrine real- 
 ly was their T)oUriney or that it was fo at^ 
 tefled, as it purports to be, be fo ftrong in 
 after Times, as it was in their Times ^ fince 
 the T^roof in all after Times mufl be made, by 
 an Appeal to the Re a f on of Mankind only^ 
 and not to their Senfes. 
 
 We haie now more T)ifficulties to get at the 
 true Senfe and Meaning of Revelation, than 
 attends any Tiece of the greatefi Antiquity , 
 and we ha've none of the Illuminated or Infpi- 
 red to refort to under this T>ifliculty, 
 
 Inflead of that Affiftance, we ha've many 
 r mnecejjary T)ifficulties flung in our way- 
 
 Seve^ 
 
viii The Preface. 
 
 Se'vercil of the Matrons of 'Ret' elation have 
 laid more weight upon it than it can hear. 
 For whereas Ket^elation^ as it was dcVrjered 
 hy Tatriarchs or Trophets^ hy Chrifi or his 
 Jpojiles^ was only propofed in Aid of natural 
 'Religion^ and recommended as highly nfefttl ; 
 many fine e hat'e infified^ that it is ahfolutely 
 fieceffary ; not barely to gj've tis a l^itle^ on 
 which we may claim eternal Life^ as eternal 
 Life is defcrihed in Scripttire^ {which may he 
 juftly [aid according to the iJoUrine of Re've- 
 lation) hut to fecitre Men from eternal T)am- 
 nation^ and to obtain any degree of the Famiir 
 of God in another World* lint as foon as 
 'perjons^ to whom Revelation is recommended as 
 thus ahfohitely neceffary^ come to fec^ that it is 
 not fo^ nor cant he fo y as they Joonwill ; it 
 may I'ery eafily happen^ that they will not 
 trouble their Heads any more about it ,• and 
 finding the Opinion^ that it is ahfohitely ne~ 
 cejfary^ a great Extreme^ may, withozit think- 
 ing further J {as indeed they ought) run into 
 another^ {as is hut too common in thefe Cafes ^ 
 and think it entirely nfelefs. 
 
 Other Jd'-jrcates for Revelation^ who have 
 tinderjlood it better than the former^ have in- 
 deed pleaded for it only as nfeful \ but many 
 of them in explaining the main Ufe it is of^ 
 have not fbewn wherein its great Ufefulnefs 
 cojififts^ as the Jpofiles always did* I mufi 
 needs fay , / cannot but think the rational 
 divines ^ as they are called^ very fatdty mi 
 2 this 
 
The Preface. ix 
 
 this Head i not to mention others. For 
 the}\ having confidered Revel at i on ^ as de- 
 ftgned to do nothings hut to gii'e a frejjj Pub- 
 lication of natural Religion^ make it of little 
 TJfe now to any hut the Mob {whattz'er it 
 might he of at the Teriods in which it was 
 made) nor of any great Vfe to them neither^ 
 *Biit et^ery one will eafily [ee^ that the Jinking 
 the Vfe of Rez'elation Jo low^ is no z'oays fiiit- 
 able to all the Apparatus of Revelation : Efpe^ 
 daily of the lafi and mofi perfeU Ret^elation 
 which God made by his Son ,• who in order 
 thereto took Flejh^ died on the Crofs^ rofefrom 
 the ^ead^ and afcended into Heaven^ and 
 had all Tower conferrd upon him^ till the 
 Coijfummation of all T^hings, The pecidiar 
 T)oBrines of Re 'v el at ion can jiecer be the du- 
 ties of natural Religion ^ as they have been 
 too much fuppofed to he by thefe T>i'vines ^ hut 
 UDo^rines to afjift us to perform them. In 
 what way Revelation does this^ will he the 
 ^ufinefs of the following BJfay i and thither 
 therefore the Reader mnft he referrd; in the 
 mean Time this Miftdke i^and which unhap- 
 pily for Re'velation has been but too cominon) 
 perhaps has had almoft as bad an EffeU as 
 the former i and made thofe to whom Revela- 
 tion has been only recommended by a 'very low^ 
 or by an intirely mifplaced Ufefidnefs^ from 
 feeing it to be of little Confequence^ or its UJe- 
 fulnefs wrong placed^ either to rejed Revela- 
 tion^ or at leaf think no farther about it» 
 
 a J 
 
X The Preface. 
 
 leant hut think tcc^ that 'Revelation has 
 fi'.fferd very much from a too partial Confide- 
 ration of it. When ohfercing Men fee the Ma- 
 trons of Ke-veUtion apply themfekes zoholly 
 to the Explication and l^efence of Chrifti- 
 anitjj they prefcntly conclude^ that the Pa- 
 trons oftbofe iJoUrines have hi.t an iudijfei'ent 
 Opinion of the Old Tefiament^ and that 'tis 
 for that Reafon^ thty dont fet themfelves to 
 confider it. Whereas Chrifjanity is bin the 
 I aft Link in a Chain of Truths that corfifts of 
 fever al others, Jnd he that pretends to fl?ew 
 a Chain vf Truths mtft fhew not one Link on- 
 ly^ hut fever al j and fjew that they are link- 
 ed with the firft^ and with one ancther, 
 
 'But yet Revelation has faffered much more 
 from ancther Quarter than any of thefe that 
 I have already mentioned. For though no 
 Kmwledge^ as has he en already ohfcrved^ can 
 he fuppos^d to come from God^ as the Gover- 
 nor if the Worlds that is not of common TJfe 
 and Advantage to Mankind^ yet Pretences 
 to Revelation being fo capable of ferving pri- 
 vate and felfifj Ends^ {utterly incorftftent with 
 all Happinejs that is as high and unmix d 
 as we are capable of and mtift laft as long as 
 our Beings^ or that may add to the Happintfs 
 of others ) Men of ambitious and covetous 
 Minas have net cnly in all Jges pretended to 
 Revelations^ which they never had^ in order 
 to accoynplijjj their hafe and wicked ^efigns ,• 
 hut have [o mifeprefented the Revelation 
 
 th,.t 
 
The Preface. xi 
 
 that is from Qod^ as to mnlze it more incou" 
 fiftent with all the CharaUers and Ends of a 
 di-tine Revelation^ than any of the count erf sit 
 Ke-jelations^ that have gaind Credit in any 
 Age of the World, Theje Men hace dehafed 
 Revelation from being the moft rational and 
 tfeful Tiifcovery , into one that is ahmji 
 equally ah far d^ and more perniciotts^ than 
 any other religious Forgery or Impofture iz'hat- 
 foever : Whereby they have made fme 'well 
 dijpofed Men net only rejeU it ^ but become 
 keen and higotted againfl it, Tihe Jpoftles 
 laid no fuch ft^imbling Wochs in the Way of 
 thofe who were difpofed to receive Revelation, 
 They were free from all Enthttfiafm^ utter d no 
 Jargon^ taught no Abfurdities and Contra- 
 di'clions : They usd no Charms^ or Spells^ 
 added no idle Fopperies to Religion, nor any 
 coftly T)ecGrations : Nor pretended to any 
 nfurp'd opprefjive Towers to fupport it: 
 Much lefs did they pretend^ that the whole 
 of Revelation was made up of thefe^ or of any 
 one of them. They renounced all thefe Things^ 
 and every other hidden Art of T>i%onefiy^ 
 calculated onk to raife an high Ijominaticn^ 
 Tower and Trofit to themfckes^ or to any be- 
 lievers that were to follow thew.^ on the Ruins 
 of the Senfe^ Freedom and Property of others. 
 On the other Hand^ they recommended Reve- 
 lation to their Hearers^ by teaching clearly 
 the unfophifticated Word of God -, accompani- 
 ed by the T)emonf ration of the Spirit^ and of 
 
 a 2 Tower i 
 
xii The Preface. 
 
 TcW€r .; avd by approving themfelves, through 
 the greateji Humility^ Meeknefs^ i>iUgeiice^ 
 Courage^ Tatience and Siiccefs ^ to every 
 Man's Confcience, in the Sight of God. 
 
 l^hefe T^hings which 1 ha've mentioned ap- 
 pear to 7ne to he the 'Difficulties that prevent 
 the 'virtuous Deifts from receimng Revelati- 
 on^ either as thofe Difficulties arife from Re- 
 ^Delation it felf^ as it is now circumjiancd^ or 
 from the Mijiakes its Tatrons have made in 
 recommending^ or in explaining it. We have 
 mw indeed the ^ible before us, and may 
 thereby clear Revelation from all thefe Mi- 
 fiahs ; we may fee on what Foot it recom- 
 mends itfelfto our Confideration^ and what it 
 really is. "But here Men meet with Difficul- 
 ties in themfehes, and which are far from 
 being lejjened by the Mifreprefentations I have 
 piji now mentioned. For it is certain, that 
 to get at the true Senfe of the 'Bible, as it is a 
 coijjtfient Syflem of ufefiil Knowledge^ there 
 muji go great Leifiire, Care and Ability, 
 And yet ftill Revelation is rejeUed by fome 
 Well difpofed Men, who want none of thefe, 
 without fo much as looking into it : The Rea- 
 fon of which is, that they tale it for granted, 
 that that is the View and the Scnfe of Reve- 
 lation, which fome of its Trofejfors and In- 
 terpreters have put upon it. It is certain 
 this is far from being any Infiance of their 
 good Difpofttions, However, whilji from 
 thcfe Mifreprefentations^ they think it either 
 
 ^ifelefs 
 
The Preface. xiii 
 
 iifelefs or pernicious^ they will perhaps think 
 tbemfehes under no more OUigation^ or find no 
 more Inclination to fttidy the 'Bihle^ or attend 
 to the E'vidence there is for the Truth of it^ 
 than they feel within themfehes to fiudy any 
 vther idle Enthttjiafm or Recwie, or any 
 Tiece of Impojiiire or Forgery ,• or to attend to 
 the E'vidence that may he offer d in behalf of 
 them. 
 
 If they go fo far^ under thefe TrejudiceSy 
 as to look into the Bible -, yet it is odds^ if 
 they doiit read it^ in order to fortify thefe 
 *Prejudices, It is fill greater Odds if when 
 they go to ftudy the 'Bible ^ they entirely dit^efi 
 themfehes cf them-, and read it with the Spi- 
 rit of Candor and Equity, And it is yet the 
 great eft Odds of all^ if they read it with that 
 Attention and critical Skill that is necejfary 
 to under ft and any Viece of Antiquity^ and 
 particularly the Bible ; part of it being the 
 moft ancient Book that is prejervd to us, that 
 can receive little foreign Afjiftance towards 
 the under ft anding any Thing of it^ and that 
 can have no foreign Affiftance at all, in rela- 
 tion to the peculiar Matter of it. And I take 
 this (viz. the not ftudying the Bible in a cri- 
 tical ifay) to be one of the greateft Caufes of 
 the Growth of IDeiftn among thoughtful and 
 i)irtuoiis Men. I mean of th [e Caufes which 
 arife from within themfehes. And I think it 
 will appear to be fo, if we confult the Ilifto- 
 ry of the Learned, For we JJoall find, that 
 "^ fome 
 
xiv The Preface. 
 
 fome of the greateft Men, and the freeft En-^ 
 quirersy who ha've ftiidied the 'Bible in this 
 Way^ ha've attained the greateft Underjiand- 
 ingj ha've had the moft fteady Belief and ex- 
 freffed the highefi Admiration of the Scrip- 
 tures : Such as Erafmus, Grotias, J. G. Vof- 
 fius, Eocke, Newton, MoylCjCJ^r. whilft others^ 
 who ha've not ftudied it in this Way, from no- 
 minal Belie'vers ha^je become fettled T)oitbters 
 or Unhelieoers , efpecially if fome other Things 
 ha've conciirrd -, as if they ha've been of un-- 
 attenti've or narrow Minds, or have not been 
 md to fo great a Compafs of Thought as Cri- 
 
 ticifm requires : If they ha've been us'd to 
 
 firiU T^emonftration in Tarts of Learning 
 that are capable of it^ efpecially in natural 
 'Religion; and are thereby much difpcfed to 
 doubt of every Thing, that has hut probable 
 
 or moral 'Evidence to fupport it : If 
 
 from obferving the pious Frauds that fo early 
 took Tlace, and the bad Lives of ftich as 
 would be thought its befi Trofeffors, which 
 ftill continue, they add to their fceptical 
 T>ifpofition^ T)iftruft^ Sufpicion, and Jea- 
 ioufy. All thefe-i I think, flwuld be confiderd 
 as an unhappy Turn of Mind, that dijpofes 
 Men to reliJJo T)eifm ; efpecially when they 
 have been ftrongly diftafted at Kevelation^ by 
 the grofs Mifreprefentations of it ^ which I 
 have jtift now mentioned. 
 
 Theje fever al Caufes conftitute fo many dif- 
 ferent Ranh and Cl^JJes of 'virtuous and 
 
 thought-'^ 
 
The Preface. xv 
 
 thoughtful ^eifts ; which if we covfider thus 
 particularly^ may fnrniJJo tis with wore jufl 
 Notions of them^ and with better Methods to 
 recoz'er them^ than if we flmild only confider 
 them in the Lump. As to the Cafe of thofe 
 nominal Ueifts^ who are fo^ from being per- 
 fcUly hcedlefs and unthinking^ loofe and c/- 
 tioits^ it is of a eery different Confider at ion ^ 
 is not within our Inquiry^ and befides^ has no 
 ^ijHcidty attending it, 
 
 I have thought it^ for fome Reafons not fo 
 proper hitherto to dijiinguiflj thcfe^ who re- 
 jeU Rec elation^ from thofe who dont embrace 
 it^ or the real ^eifts from the Scepticks, 
 Tet I think tt <very proper^ before I go any 
 farther^ to fay this of them^ as well as to 
 them^ that though where {they apprehevdy 
 on their be ft Inquiries^ that) there is a Want 
 of Trcof of the Trtith of Revelation ,- or where 
 there, is a Want of Leifure to examine it^ 
 their not receiving Revelation may he excnsd^ 
 if they can make it appear at the 'Bar of 
 Him^ to whom all Things are naked and 
 manifeft^ that that was their Cafe ; yet no- 
 thing can exciife their rejecting it^ and their 
 Zeal to induce others to reject it^ but feeing 
 clearly fome Thing in it that is abfolutely in- 
 conjiftent with Reafon^ or with it felf Jnd 
 though upon this fot we may have many 
 Scepticks^ 'yet I think there vciil not he a great 
 Number of real T)ejfis. 
 
 From 
 
xvi The Preface. 
 
 From what has he en faid^ I think it ap- 
 pears plainly^ that the grofs Mifreprefeitta- 
 tion of the Senfe of Kevelation has been one 
 of the greatefl Caufes of Scepticifmy and of 
 real 'Deifm* Whether that Mi (repr ef enta- 
 il on he made hy 'ventins, ahfiird and fuperftiti^ 
 Otis Notions , or hy fuperftitioiis TraUiceSy 
 which fuppofe theje Notions^ and propagate 
 them^ makes no difference. Let no Man then 
 complain^ that ^Doubts about 'R.e'v elation ^ or 
 the T>isbelief of it^ fpread fo far^ or produce 
 the Frtiits we daily fee^ who will not fet 
 himfelfto reWfy e'very Mifreprefentation that 
 has been made of it. And let not him that 
 will not fet himfelf about this great Work in 
 good earneft ,• and abo<ve all^ let not him that 
 waters and cherifhes any of thefe Jbjnrdities^ 
 or any 'Degree of Super jiition^ thinks that 
 he has any Right to complain of the Growth 
 either of Scepticifm or real T)etfm. On the 
 contrary , let him expeU nothing lefs , than 
 that fomewhat of a much more fatal Nature 
 will fpring up in its Neighbourhood, The 
 Religion of 'JDeifts is true Religion^ though 
 they want the Aid of Ro'velation^ to enable 
 them the better to perform the Duties of their 
 Religion, "But Superflition will as certainly 
 make Atheijm fpring up in the Minds of the 
 Looje and Immoral, as it makes Deifm grow 
 in the Minds of fcber and thoughtful Mfn j 
 / mean of Men who think without thinking 
 thoroughly. And woe be to him^ whofe Ab^ 
 
 furdities 
 
The Preface. xvit 
 
 Jtirditjes and Superftition make either ofthefc 
 Opinions^ hit particularly the laft^ like the 
 moft noxious Weeds^ heccme more rank and pro- 
 lifick ! When infiead of thefe ahfiird and fu^ 
 per ftit ions M/freprefentations of Retelation ^ 
 believers will condefcend to profefs the 2)o- 
 UrineSj pay the JVorJloipy and pra'ciife the 
 duties of Revelation in its original Simplici-- 
 iy^ and after the Model of the great Ueli-'je' 
 rers of it ; then^ and not till then^ may "ace 
 expcU^ that all the cirtuous and thonghitpnl 
 ^eifts will attend to the external Evidence of 
 Chriftianity^ that has been fo admirably well 
 brought together by federal able Hands^ of 
 late^ in order the better to fnpport it. 'But it 
 will be well^ if inflead of this Condefceufioii^ 
 fomej who would be eery angry ^ if they zcere 
 not allowed to be amcngfi the befi Friends of 
 Rev elation^ are not more incenjed at hin?^ 
 who out of a difinterefted Regard to 'Truths 
 {now that Revelation is under [o fir iU a Tri- 
 al) offers this Refe'cHcn to their cool and fd /- 
 ous Confi deration^ than at thfe very TJeifts^ 
 who make it fo necejfary to lay it hefoie 
 them. 
 
 If the great Catfe of the "Disbelief of Re^ 
 relation be fuch Mifreprefentations of Revel a-- 
 ticVy as have made Men think it t.nuecefjary to 
 attend to it^ or neceffary to opp-fe it -, cfpe- 
 
 b daily 
 
xviii The Preface. 
 
 daily falling in with the particular Turn of 
 fome Mens Minds ; it is ob'vious that ths/irfty 
 if not the heft^ Thing that can he done to flop 
 the Groixth of that T)is beliefs will be to give 
 a true Reprefcntation of Re'v elation ^ fo that 
 it may appear a rational^ confiftent and heati- 
 tiful Scheme of tifeftd Knowledge^ and en- 
 amour every rational Enquirer with it From 
 ftich a Keprefentation of it^ we Jhall be heft 
 able to pro'je the Truth of it^ and to anfwer 
 the ObjeUions that acute Men fnay raife 
 againft it , and to make the cirtnoiis and 
 thoughtful T)eifts^ from fome Relijh of it {in- 
 fiead of the T)iftafte they bad to it) he wil- 
 ling carefully to attend to cjery Thing that 
 fl?all be (fferd to fiat e or to pup port it: Efpeci- 
 ally fuch cf them as hace not themfekes Lei- 
 fur e^ Capacity or Inclination^ to come at thofe 
 Troofs^ or rnake fuch a Syfie^n or Keprefen- 
 tation of Revelation fr07n the 'Bible, 
 
 Every one knows^ that there have been va- 
 rious Syfiems and Comp^nds of Revelation 
 offered to the Worlds and many of them^ no 
 doubt^ for this purpofe> But I fmfi own^ 
 that though among thofe which have fallen in 
 my Way ^ I have feen fever al^ to which j I be- 
 lieve^ the Growth cf T)eifm may be jitftly at- 
 tributed^ in this prying Jge, from their great 
 Inconfiftence with Reafon and Revelation; 
 yet I have not met with any that has^ in my 
 Jpprehenfion^ clofely follow d the prevailing 
 
 Notion, 
 
The Preface^ xix 
 
 Notion, the Method^ cr the L,angtiage of the 
 'Bihle. And yet it is certain^ that none bttt^ 
 one that does-, can even from the Form ofit, he 
 calculated to anfwer the good End propofed ; 
 e-ven if the Matter of it was' ne'ver fo conjiftent 
 with J or agreeable to the T>oUrines of the 
 'Bible, 
 
 In order to reprefent the Senfe of the "Bibk^ 
 feiwral Authors have run into a figurative or 
 metaphorical T>ivinity : And among them^ 
 fome have not been wanting to purfue thefe 
 Figures in a very wild and offcnfive Manner. 
 Metaphors and Allegories^ indeed^arejufily and 
 beautifidly ufcd in the poetical and rhetorical 
 Books of Scripture ; but thofe Figures them^ 
 f elves at beji always ward a Key ; inftead of 
 opening the Senfe that is couclod under 
 them. 
 
 Others have run into abftraUed and meta- 
 phyfical Notions 'y which when they are not 
 founded in the Nature of Things^ f^ich as the 
 Schoolmen usd^ are ridicidous : And when 
 they arey yet are not of a Tiece with the 
 Scripture 5 which generally reprefent s things 
 by no other Ideas^ than fuch as are the moji 
 common and familiar to us ; as being alone 
 fuited to the bulk of Mankind^ for whofe Be-^ 
 nefit it is defigned, 
 
 Oth^rSy indeed^ have reprefent ed the Scheme 
 
 of Revelation under Notions that are common 
 
 (ind familiar^ and that are fcriptural too: 
 
 " ' ' ' h % But 
 
XX The Preface. 
 
 ^itt then they are ftich^ as are either only 
 topical, that is t9 fay^ ns'd in particular 
 Texts of the "Biole ^ or clfe fuch as are mily 
 fuited to particular ^Periods and ^ifpenfati^ 
 ens. Under this Head^ to pafs by other Sy^ 
 ft ems ^ thofe {which haz-e been of the be ft Z)^- 
 fign^ may he rangd, which haz^e treated 2)/- 
 miity under the Nation uj a Coz'enant^ of a 
 Kingdom y or of the Chriftian Church. 
 
 Thofe who ha've writ Syftems of rcveard 
 'R.eligion in any of thefe Methods ^ha^ue^ he fides 
 the Faults peculiar to each of them , been 
 guilty of one that has been common to them all -^ 
 mamelyy that they haie compos'' d them accord- 
 ing to the Rules .^ in which the Syftems of 
 ether Jrts and Sciences are drefsd tip : 'But 
 this Method can never make thofe Syftems of 
 a apiece with a Kez'elation which has been 
 deli'jerd to Mankind in quite another Man^ 
 
 And though fever al 'Divines have avoided 
 thefe mijtaken Methods.^ when they ha've 
 handled particular SuhjeUs of Divinity -^ the 
 Scriptures ha'ving been eery carefully ft udied- 
 of late in a juft and critical Wayy to the great 
 Honour of the prefent Jge^ and in zi'hich feme 
 have otit-fljin d all that have gene before them;, 
 yet we have not been favour d with a ftniftfd 
 Tisce of this Kind^ or fo much as with a 
 Sketch of it ^ 
 
 Thofs 
 
The Preface. xxi 
 
 7'bofe who hd've come the neareft to "johat 
 I aim at^ and who ought to hace great Merit 
 with all who Jiudy their "Bible ^ are the "Di- 
 fvines who hai'e coiifidered 'Revelation hifto- 
 rically ^ the Way in which Kei'elaticn has 
 leen con-teyed to Mankind, "But then fitch 
 n^ifcoiirfes as thefe are to he confiderd only 
 as Hijiories : TVhich will indeed he of great 
 life to him that will ojfer a fcriptural Syfiem 
 to the Worlds hut are not that Syfiem it [elf -^ nor 
 may not ecen help thofe^ who compofe thcm^ or 
 are inftriiBed by them^ to the Notion on which 
 that Syftem mnji he hiiilt. 
 
 'But the Tiece or Sketch I aim at is fuch 
 an one^ as will JJ?ew the Jingle Notion that 
 runs through the fez^eral Uifpenfaticns of God 
 to Mankind in its full Lights {if it fhall ap- 
 pear that there is fuch a Notion) and that 
 purfues it in the precife Order and Manner in 
 which it was exhibited in thofe fe-veral ^if- 
 penfaticns^ and will at the fame Timefljew\ 
 how all the peculiar T)oBrines of Revelation 
 refer to it. For fuch a Tiece or Sketch alone 
 will dif cover to us all the Beauties of revealed 
 T^ruth j fljewing it in its proper Ccnnexion and' 
 Relations^ (particularly its TJfe and Advan- 
 tage) and in its Unity ^ the firongeft inter- 
 nal Evidence^ that can accompany it. 
 
 How well foever therefore others have de- 
 fer ved in their fever al Provinces , yet ftill^ oh- 
 ferving the great Ufe as well as the Want of 
 
 fiiclh 
 
XXll The P R E F A G E^ 
 
 fuch an Undertakings as Iha'ue jufl now men^ 
 tioned^ I ha've been led to offer a rough 
 draught of this Kind to the Tiihlic ; in hopes 
 it may receive Jjnendments from others, if it 
 he capable of it i or that it may ingage thofe 
 of greater Leifure and Ability , when they 
 fling this azvay, to fuhjiitute a better in ths 
 Koom of it^ 
 
 The great A cut one fs of the Age, and par- 
 ticularly cf a diflinguijh'd Writer in it, has 
 fimiijhed fezcral OhjeUions againft Re'velati- 
 on, which in flead of the T>ifcoiintenanc e of 
 Tower, require the befi Attention of thofe, 
 who are moft firmly perfwaded of its 'Truth 
 and Advantage. 'But if the fiber T)eifis 
 were d/fpofed to deal fairly with the Chrifti- 
 an Religion, they would gi've us their Scheme 
 cf Infidelity, as well as their ObjeUions 
 againft the true Scheme of Re'velation ; that 
 fo We might take a comparatii^e View of 
 them, and JJoew the great T)ifproportion both 
 cf E-vidence and Objc'ciion againft the one and 
 the other. 
 
 Indeed it muft he ownd, that the T>eifts 
 have not been wholly wanting to our jiift Ex- 
 peUations in this Particular. They ha've at 
 haft flung out a general Hypothefits or two of 
 l^eifm, how little fuet'er they hace fupported 
 them. Tb.ey have firft prst ended ^ that thofe. 
 
 wIm 
 
The Preface. xxiii 
 
 who hm'e hdiidcd thefe fuppcjed Re-velations 
 to p.Sy Were errwH Cheats. This has been 
 the more avcTz'ed Opinion of the Eiieniles of 
 Ret' elation^ till of late -, when finding thcm^ 
 fehes beat out of this Hypothefs^ by feeing that 
 this would not agree Z'^ith the Matter of Re- 
 tvclation^ or with the clearefi Hifiory of 
 thofe who ha've deli^^erd it ; they ha've with 
 wore Siibtilty betaken themfelves to another; 
 pretending^ that the Writers of the Books of 
 the Old and New Tefiament were meer En» 
 thtifiafts^ or Terfons who jiidgd thcnfekes 
 ilhnnnated or infpired without being foo 
 Though it will be founds on a careful Confi- 
 deration of the Matter ^ that the UDeiJis 
 (whether they therrfehes fee it or no~) flay be^ 
 tween thefe two Hypothefes^ fljifting from one 
 to the other ^ and blending them^ inconfiftent as 
 they are, together. 
 
 It has been extreamly well obfcr'ved^ by a 
 Writer of a fine Tafie in this CcntrO'verfy^ 
 that Enthiftafm nez^er deals much in FaUs : 
 On which howei-er all the Jevviih as well as 
 the Chriftian Re^^elation is wholly built. 'But 
 let lis try this Matter by another Touchftcne, 
 which will better fer^e our prefent Turpofe ; 
 for we are conjidering^ whether the whole if 
 Ro'velation be 'Enthiflafm^ and not whether 
 one or two great Branches of Rec elation only 
 be fo or no. Now Entlnftafm, in tbe Nature 
 of the Things can ha've no Unity* And let the 
 
 Teijis 
 
XXIV The P R E F A G t. 
 
 TieiftsJJjew m in FaU^ if they ca% a Set of 
 enthiifiadic Writers [who if they are at all 
 intelligible) are at Unity with any confider- 
 able Kimher of their Tredeceffors^ in for- 
 mer Jges; or fo much as a Jingle Enthujiafly 
 that is confiflent with himfelf^ through ma-- 
 iiy Volumes^ or ecen through one Jingle Vo^ 
 liime^ or it may he^ one might fay^ a Jingle 
 ^age of their enthuJiaftAc Performances, If 
 it Jhall appear then^ that there is one worthy 
 and noble ^ejign furfued through the ^ooks 
 of the Old and New T^eftament^ by one wife^ 
 flain and fimple Mean^ though they had For- 
 ty or more different Authors^ and were not 
 Written in kfs than Jixteen Hundred Tears ; 
 it will amount to the cleareji l^emonjlration^ 
 that the 'Bible cannot be the Work of Enthu- 
 Jiafts^ writing in different Jges. And will 
 not every one then fee^ that it muji be from 
 Uim^ who exijis through all Ages^ and fees 
 what is pafi^ prefent^ and to come : Who has 
 always the fame View^ mtift have fixd on 
 the wifeft Methods to attain it, and yet mufi 
 fuit his 'Difco'veries to the different Circum' 
 fiances of thcfe^ to whom he makes them ^ 
 if their Circttniftances 'vary from each other ^ 
 as they muji in a TraU of many Ages be fup~ 
 poid to do. If ary one JJoould fay^ that the 
 Writers of the Old and New I^ejiament hace 
 thought cf fome 'Probabilities , and then 
 couch'' d them in dark-, general and indeter- 
 minate 
 
The Preface. xxv 
 
 minate Expreffioiis^ capahle of behig^ diffe- 
 rently accommcdated and apply d ; and that 
 fiicceeding Writers hace covfulted the jurmer^ 
 and endea'vcurd to imitate them in fnch darh^ 
 general and indeterminate Bxprefjions^ izith 
 an intent^ not only that they might be different- 
 ly accommodated and applfd in fiLtnre 
 ^imes^ but alfo that they might bear fome Re- 
 lation to former "Books -y Ifay^ he that pi etends 
 to alledge this, entirely quits the Hypcthejis 
 of Enthtijiafm^ in order to o-verthrow Rece- 
 lation, and has recoiirfe to the exploded By- 
 pothefis of Impoffure. For reprefenting the 
 Writers of the Old and New Teftament to 
 hace aUed as the T)eifts in this Fiew fup- 
 pofe them to have dune^ is reprefenting them 
 mt as hot' headed^ mad Enthufiafls^ whOy 
 horn a'way with their prefent Imptdfe^ nether 
 flop to confider any T^hing^ informer Writingj^ 
 or their own ) but as the moft cooUheaded^ 
 defigning Knaz'es, 
 
 The one T)ejign I have mentioned ^ as rzin- 
 ning through the "Bible ^ Itake^ with all other 
 Writers on this Subje'ci^ to be the difplayivg 
 the Glory of all God's TerfeUions^ particur- 
 larly his moral TerfeUions j or v)hich will 
 come to the fame Things to affiji oirr Reafon 
 in purfuing our own Happinefs^ and promo- 
 ting the Happinefs of others^ as long as our 
 "Being laftsy and as long as we have other 
 Beings about us. I take this T)efign to be 
 
 c ittii" 
 
xxvi The Preface. 
 
 nniformly furfited by one wi/e^ plain and Jim- 
 fie Mean^ Tlot or Contmwce^ calculated to 
 fir ike ez-ery Man^ that has the Ufe of his Reafon i 
 though there are 'various Underplots^ if I may 
 he allcdod to ufe thefe ExpreJJions^ to fupport 
 the main One^ fnited to the Incidents of Man- 
 hnd^ and heautifully related and proportion- 
 ed to each other : Which^ as far as I knoWy 
 has not heen taken notice of. Now, iffuch a 
 ^efign, thus purfued^ Jhall appear evidently 
 to run through the "Books of the Old and New 
 T^efiament, a Man may with infinitely great- 
 er Tropriety^ fipp^fi the moji perfeU IDrama 
 (where the fineji 'JDefign is carried on by the 
 left chofen Tlot^ and by the moJi confiftent Un- 
 derplot s^ and beautiful w&ll proportion d In- 
 cidents') to hai:e been writ by a Number of 
 the greatejt Madmen or Icieots, by Tiece- 
 weals^ in different Ages ^ than to imagine a 
 Ifhread of fuch an End and Mean running 
 through above forty Writers in mre than fix" 
 teen Hundred Tears, to be the Work of fo many 
 JEnthiifiafts, Or we may as zsell fuppofe the 
 World to be framed by w.esr Chance, or.^ which 
 will ftrih all but philofophical Minds more^ 
 the nrft magnificent^ beautijul and convenient 
 ^Palace, that the Imagination can figure to it 
 felf, to be built by Men unacquainted with all 
 the Rides of Archil eUure , in fester al Ages ^ 
 and without any Model to build by, ai'd to be, 
 fupportcd by meer Chance, through as many 
 
 more 
 
The Preface. xxvii 
 
 wore ^ges, as to imagine fiich an Unity of 
 "Deji^n and Mean^ as I hace defcrihed^ to he 
 the Refiilt of Entbti/iafin and Jccident rnixd 
 together, 
 
 1 ha'i'e already hinted at fome Confiderati- 
 ons^ that fl?ew the Hypotbefis of Forger]\ hy 
 •which fome T)eifts ha've eudeat'oured to ac- 
 count for Re-velation to he a eery ahfiird one. 
 $tit let lis farther examine that Hypothefis of 
 Revelation hy this Unity isohich I have jufi 
 new obfervd to run through it. And here 
 I would defire the T^eifts to confider, how 
 hard and dijfcidt it is to ohferve Unity in any 
 ^iece of meer FiEficn, where the Writer aims 
 at Unity with the clofeft Intention, This ws 
 7nay eafily learn from the dramatic Writers 
 of all Kinds J efpccially if their Tlot he all 
 Fi^ion and not Story ^ who though they haie 
 this Unity ever in View^ yet often depart from 
 it : Js we may eafdy jee hy reading them^ or 
 at leaft hy reading thofe who gi've us their 
 Criticifms upon them. And let any one^ who is 
 ufed to Italian or Merchants Accompts ( as 
 they are called ) fee whether they can ever de^ 
 part in the leaft from Trztth in them^ without 
 feeling that ^Departure themfelces^ or jl?ewing 
 it to it hers that narrowly infpe'ci then: j though 
 the departure he not fuch as vitiates the Ac- 
 compt^ or hinders the whole Ledger from he- 
 ing exaUly hallancd at lajt , and where there' 
 fore of Coiifequence the Accompt rr.uft he true- 
 c 2 Now 
 
xxviii The Preface. 
 
 Now if it he fo difficult to olferve Unity in 
 a FiUion or FalJImd ^ or where there is 
 a great "Degree of FiUion attending it, 
 even in any Jingle dramatic performance, 
 though the Author applies himfelf to ohferve 
 it nc'ver fo carefully ; and if it he fo impof- 
 fihle to mix any , e'ven the leaf; Falflmd, 
 with the "Truth of Accompts, without that 
 Falfhood's appearing plainly, though it is 
 not fuch as deftroys the "Ballance of the 
 ^ook, {fo little will Truth and Falflmd 
 e'ver agree ^ how can any one ijnagine the 
 'Books of the Old and New Teftament to he 
 Forgery^ any 77iore than Enthujiafm -, when 
 nothing hut Unity and Agreement appears 
 in fuch a Numher of Jfriters at fo great 
 diftavce of Time from each other ? And that 
 not only in the Main^ hit ( when all jufi 
 Alkwances are made for Books circum- 
 ftancd as they are) even in the 'Detail of 
 T articular s, 
 
 Thus^ in ray Opinion, it appears, that 
 fuch a Sketch as I ha^'e 'mentioned^ is the 
 heft JFay to explain Revelation^ and to fiip- 
 port it] till a ftniJJod 'Piece cf the fame 
 Tjefign fjall appear* And 1 wifj^ if any 
 great Ma/ler Jhall go about it , he would 
 particularly fet the Proportions of Revela^ 
 tion in fuch a Light , as that their Ex- 
 \elAlK-^'f aUnefs r> Beauty and -Bmsdw-^ might ft r ike 
 I ever^ one that cafts bis Eye on it* And 
 
 hy 
 
The Preface. xxix 
 
 hy the proportions of Re'velation, I mean not 
 mly thofe Proportions^ which appear in €<very 
 T>ifpenfation of God to Mankind^ conjiderd 
 apart, and hy it felf ; hit in the federal 
 T>ifpenfations, as they hear a 'Relation to 
 each other ' In order to explain my Mean- 
 ing the hetter ahotit thefe Proportions^ I will 
 give an Inftance of fome which are mry 
 confiderahkj in the Second Corollary, at the 
 End of this Ejjay. 
 
 If this rough Dratight of Revelation 
 hring Men to lay afide their Prejudices 
 againji it, and emhrace it, at a Time 
 when it undergoes fo JiriU a IDifqiiifiti" 
 en, it will anfwer all I defign hy it, 
 he [ides the InJiniUion and SatisfaUion (^ 
 my own Mind. 
 
 I thought once to have delayed the Tnh- 
 lication of the EJJay , till I had fnijhed 
 fome Notes I have hy me, the hetter to ex- 
 plain and fupport federal Jffertions in it ; 
 and which, I believe, it will fometimes he 
 thought to want, I chofe to caft what I 
 chiefly defign d for that Turpofe into Notes, 
 where the Troof from Scripture would he 
 corfequential and not direU , the hetter to 
 preferve the Thread of the T)ifcourfe. 'But 
 as I have not the Leifure at prefent^ that 
 is neceffary to fnifj them, I have rcfoivd 
 to fuhmit this Effay without the Notes, to 
 the View of the 'Public, in hopes that, as 
 
 Things 
 
XXX The Preface. 
 
 Things ftand^ it may he of fome Service 
 to it, 
 
 1 am 'very fenfihle that this is a 1)efign 
 of a great Compafs and T>iffictdty, If any 
 ^xprejfion therefore has drop'd from me ^ 
 through too ckfe an Attention to the Mat- 
 ter^ and 'where I hai'e not had the Aid of 
 former Writers^ that is lefs accurate or 
 prectfe , 7 hope the Candor of the Reader 
 will excnfe it ; and make e'very proper and 
 reafonahle Jllo-wance^ that may he due to an 
 Undertaking cf this Nature^ or the frequent 
 Interruptions of the Jnthor. 
 
 There can he hut little Ufe in knowing an 
 Jnthors Reafins for printing, at the lime 
 he does , rather than at another. If the 
 performance he worth any Thing, it is ne- 
 c'er altogether out of Time ; if it he worth 
 nothing, it can ne^cr he in Seafon, How^ 
 ever, to fatisfy the Ciiriofity of him that 
 may ask the Qiieftion, I will only fay, that 
 thefe Tapers have lain hy me a great ma- 
 il)) Months-, in hopes I ynight fee thofe 
 Thoughts in a hetter 'Drefs from fme ahler 
 Hand, now that Revelation is under f care- 
 fnl a Confideration. Tarticnlarly I expe'ci- 
 ed they might have he en fiiperfeded hy fome 
 Account I had of Tiollor BiirnetV BoyieV 
 LeUtires, Hut heing difippointed not only 
 hy others, hut hy him in this 'Particular 
 {though I am glad of an Opportunity of re- 
 turning 
 
The Preface. xxxi 
 
 turning him my Thanh for fo far exceed- 
 ing onr reafonahle ExpeBaficws in mc^ny 
 others^) I refoked to fichmit this Effay to 
 the Examination of the Friends of Tnttby 
 and of that free Enquiry^ which is the on^ 
 ly Way to attain Trtitb, 
 
 <^M^. 
 
 A N 
 
A N 
 
 ESSAY 
 
 On the feveral 
 
 DISPENSATIONS 
 
 O F 
 
 G O D to Mankind, 
 
 As they lye in the Bihk. 
 
 N Order to give a diftindl Ac* 
 count of the various Methods, 
 in which God has extraordi- 
 narily difcovered himfelf to 
 Mankind (which have been fit- 
 ly enough called his Difpenfations towards 
 them) it will be necelTary to trace them 
 up to that, which is the firft of them, and 
 which naturally leads to all the reft. 
 
 By the Methods in which God has ex- 
 traordinarily difcover'd himfelf to Mankind^ 
 
 B " I 
 
5 An Eflfay on the fever al T)iffenfaUons 
 
 I mean thofe Methods, by which he has con- 
 veyt-d farther Knowledge io them, than they 
 could arrive A by the bare Ufe of the natu- 
 ral Powers he has given them I call them 
 extraoidinary Difcoveries, for want of a bet- 
 ter V.'ord to exprefs my Meaning: Immedi- 
 ate^ which fome have ufed, not being a pro- 
 per Word to this Purpofe. Since it reftrains 
 thefe Difcoveries to thofe, which have been 
 immediately made by God, to the Perfon or 
 Pcrfons to whom lie made them ^ whereas 
 I would take in fuch Difcoveries, as he has 
 made by the Mediation of Angels, or of Pro- 
 phets ; or fach Difcoveries as have been con- 
 veyed down to others, from thofe to whom 
 they have been either mediately or immedi- 
 ately made. All thefe extraordinary Dif- 
 coveries go under the Name of Revelation j 
 and by that Term I fhall for the future ge- 
 nerally exprefs them. 
 
 The firft of thefe Difpenfations, every one 
 will prefently fee muft be the State in which 
 God created our firft Parents ^ and which is 
 known by the Name of the State of Inno- 
 ceuce, or of the State before the Fall. 
 
 And in this State it felf, it will be necef- 
 fary to confidcr what was previous to any 
 Revelation from God to them ; at leaft, what 
 was previous to any fuch Revelation in the 
 Order of Things (however it might be in 
 the Order of Time) before we coniider fuch 
 Revelation. 
 
 For 
 
^ G O D to Mankind. > 
 
 For though it does not neccfTarily refult 
 from the Nature of God, or of Man, that 
 God fhould make extraordinary Difcoveries 
 of his Will to Mankind ^ yet it neceflarily 
 refults from the Nature of both, that when 
 God gave Man Underftanding aad-Will, 
 ^^sSavs and active Powers, that he muft make 
 Man fubjed to a Law or Rule of his Choice 
 and Condud. 
 
 For whatever neceflarily refulted from the 
 Frame of Nature, or from the Powers v/hich 
 God had given Man, and the Circumftances, 
 in which God had placed him, would be that 
 Rule to him. 
 
 Thus the Law of Self- Government or 
 Temperance would immediately appear to 
 him ; Becaufe an improper Indulgence of his 
 Appetites and PalEons (or Intemperance) 
 would appear to be quite contrary to his 
 Make and Frame : For his Make and Frame 
 was to yield to his Appetites and Palfions, 
 where he faw that yielding to them was for 
 his Prefervation, and the regular Propagation 
 of the Species ; not where they would be to 
 his, or their Hurt, or Deftrudion. 
 
 Thus alfo, if he found himfelf furrounded 
 with other Creatures, even that were of an 
 Order below him, he muft fee, that if they 
 were endued with Powers of feeling Pleafure 
 and Pain, he ought not to deprive them of 
 Pieafure, or inflict Pain, unnecefTarily. And 
 if he was fo happy as to find other Crea- 
 B 2 tures 
 
/J. An Eflay on the feveral ^iffenfations 
 
 tures of the fame Rank with himfelf, about 
 him, he muft fee, that they having Rights as 
 well as he, he ought not to infringe them. 
 'And that, as his own Happinefs or Mifery 
 would be increafed by theirs, he confequent- 
 ly ow'd them a conftant and perpetual good 
 
 .Will. 
 
 And when he once came to confider, as he 
 foon muft, that there was a Being fupremely 
 Powerful, Wife and Good, to whom he and all 
 other Beings ow*d their Exiftence, he muft 
 immediately confider Temperance and Bene- 
 volence, not only to be due to himfelf and 
 others, as they flow from his own Frame, 
 and the Circumftances in which he was 
 placed ,• but as what was thereby exprefs'd 
 to be the Will of his Maker, who had given 
 him that Frame, and placed him in thofc 
 Circumftances : And therefore muft confider 
 Temperance and Benevolence as due to him- 
 felf and others, by Virtue of the Law of his 
 Maker. 
 
 And he muft then like wife prefently fee, 
 that the higheft Veneration, Gratitude, Obe- 
 dience, Submiflion and Refignation, were uni- 
 verfally, conftantly and perpetually to be -paid 
 to fuch a Being, as long as his own Exiftence 
 continued. 
 
 Thefe Reflexions therefore, either arofe 
 in the Minds of the firft Man and Woman ,• 
 or at leaft, would have arifen in their Minds 
 on the leaft Attention, if they were not an- 
 ticipated 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 5 
 
 ticlpated by Revelation. But as Revelation 
 does not give us an Account of any fuch 
 Anticipation, it does not feem likely, that in 
 Fa(ft there was any fuch Anticipation : Since 
 God does nothing in vain in the Moral World, 
 any more than in the Natural -, and therefore 
 is not likely to have revealed that to our firll 
 Parents, which they might eafiiy have come 
 to the Knowledge of, without any Revelation, 
 
 Whenever thefe Reflexions arofe in their 
 Minds, it would alfo occur to them, that 
 the Rule God had given them, as refult- 
 ing from his Will, who had given them 
 fuch jv Frame, and placed them in fuch Cir- 
 cumftances, was fo perfedly adjufted to their 
 Nature and Situation, that it was fit and beft 
 for them to regulate their Temper and Con- 
 duct by it, if it were but thereby to be as 
 happy as the State they were placed in would 
 allow, or as happy, as they could be in any 
 given Circumftances, as long as their Being 
 continued i and that therefore, if they devi- 
 ated from this Rule, they would lofe the 
 Advantage that attended the obferving it, 
 and meet with fome Inconveniencies that at- 
 tended the departing from it i io that thefe 
 Advantages and Inconveniencies may be con- 
 (idered as the natural San(^ions of the Law of 
 Nature. 
 
 But befides the Happinefs that would re- 
 fult from obferving this Law, ifWas high- 
 ly fuitable and congruous, that a Being, 
 
 that 
 
6 An Eflay on thefeveral 7)ifpenfations 
 
 that came perfed out of the Hands of God, 
 fliould be placed in additional Circumftan- 
 ces of Dignity and Felicity. He had no 
 other Father but God : He was created in 
 his moral Image and Likenefs : He was there- 
 fore his Son by Creation : And whilft he pre- 
 ferved his Duty and Obedience, it was fit he 
 lliould be placed in a State that became fo 
 high a Relation : Or more particularly, that 
 he that refembled him in moral, ihould alfo 
 refemble him in fome of his high natural Per- 
 fedions, and in the Glory and Blifs that re- 
 fults from them. 
 
 And fo we find he did, from pofitive Ex- 
 prefTions, or from plain Hints in Mofes's Hi- 
 ftory. Particularly we find he was placed in 
 a pleafant Garden, free from Toil, Care and 
 iVexation, with Dominion over the Works 
 of God's Hands, and clothed with a Glory, 
 (as a proper Badge of his high Relation to 
 God, and of the Power and Dominion God 
 had given him) and vefted with Immortality ; 
 as we ihali fee prefently : All this was con- 
 ferred on him as an Inheritance, that was 
 very fuitable to an Earthly Son of God. 
 
 In this Senfe and Meaning is Adam called 
 the Sofi of God^ JLukc iii. 38. and not barely 
 as God created him, iorfohe did all Things 5 
 or, as he created him a living Soul, or a Be-« 
 ing enduecLwith rational Powers j for fo he 
 did dtl^MSa, bad as well as good ^ and would 
 equally be the Fatiier of iheojoe, a^ well a:, the 
 other, " God, 
 
of G OY) to Mankind. n 
 
 God, who had given our firft Parents fuch 
 additional Circumftances of Dignity and Fe- 
 licity, can't be fuppofed to have been want- 
 ing in any Thing, that was necefTary for their 
 Subiiftence and Comfort j and therefore as it 
 might be very necefTary to fupply their want 
 of Experience, with a Revelation about their 
 Food, for their own Prefervation ,• and about 
 Marriage, for propagating the Species j wc 
 meet with an Account of the firft, Qei2. i. 29. 
 ii. 9. and of the fecond ch, ii. 22, 23. 'Tis 
 highly probable too, that they were endued 
 with a Language at once, which could not 
 have been formed by themfelves in many 
 Years ^ and without which, there could have 
 been little Society between the firft Pair, or 
 between them and their Defcendants. 
 
 However, though Adam was created a 
 rational Being, and Innocent or Perfect, and 
 placed in the happy, blifsful and glorious 
 Circumftances I have mentioned ^ yet he 
 could not pofitively allure himXelf how long 
 his Being, or thefe happy, blifsful and glori- 
 ous Circumftances would laft ,• or that he 
 fhould have any coniiderable Term in them 
 granted to him. For Being it fclf, was what 
 he had no Right to, nor the additional De- 
 grees of Blifs and Glory, which attended it ; 
 nor had he any Right to the Continuance of 
 either. Here therefore a farther Revelation 
 was alfo moll q\ ail wanting, in order to his 
 
 re* 
 
8 An Eflay<?;^ the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 receiving a proper Threatning and Promife, 
 the moft powerful Motives to Obedience ; 
 God was accordingly pleafed to give it ^ and 
 to let him know, that 'hough his Life w^as 
 but Terreftial and Animal, and therefore 
 Corruptible ; yet it fhould be continually re- 
 ftored and preferved (together with the Do- 
 minion, Giory and Blifs, which accompany'd 
 it) if he continued perfedly dutiful and obe- 
 dient, by the Tree of Life^ which was one 
 of the 1 rees of the Garden, that God had 
 given him for Food : But that on the other 
 Hand, he w^ould certainly lofe all by yielding 
 to his Appetites and Paflions, inftead of obey- 
 ing the Law of God j and particularly if he 
 fhould but tafte of the Tree of Knowledge of 
 Good and Einl^ which may not be improper- 
 ly called the Tree of Death. 
 
 There can be no manner of Doubt, but 
 that our Hrft Parents underftood that the 
 Tree of Life was of a fanative and reftorative 
 Nature. But it was not polfible for them to 
 hope to be reftored and preferved by it, 
 againft Sin, as well as againft natural De** 
 cays : They might therefore indeed exped:, 
 that it would preferve them if they continued 
 innocent ; but that -S they (inned, either 
 they, or the Tree, or its Vertue would be 
 removed from one another : And there can't 
 be much more Doubt made, but they under- 
 ftood, that the Tree of Knowledge of Good 
 and Evil, was of a noxious and deadly Na- 
 2 "* ture^ 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 9 
 
 ture which would diforder their Blood, and 
 make their Body the Scat of Diflempers, and 
 at lad", of Death. But could t'l^r- imagiae, 
 that that wou'd not be the Cafe, li they vio- 
 lated any other Precept God had given them, 
 as well as this Prohibition ? Could they be 
 fo ftupid, as to think, that this additional Pe- 
 nalty, or one of equal Severity, would not 
 attend the Breach of the Laws of their Na- 
 ture, (over and above fuch lower Penalties as 
 would necellarily refult from the Breach of 
 thofe Laws) as well as the high Penalty that 
 was annex'd to the Breach of this revealed 
 Prohibition ? Would they not fjppofe, that 
 a Being of impartial Juftice, would certainly 
 puniili every Crime in Proportion to its Guilt ? 
 And that therefore if they violated any other 
 Command that was of the like, or of greater 
 Clearnefs and importance, that he would punifli 
 it with the like, or with greater Severity ? Life 
 therefore could only be underftood to attend 
 perfed ^^ertue, and Death or fome equal Pu- 
 nifhment muft have been underftood to follow 
 every equal Inftance of Difobedience and Vice, 
 So that this Promife and Threatning, which 
 was a Part of the Law of Food, mult be con- 
 fider'd as reveal'd and additional Sancti- 
 ons to the Law of Nature, and delign'd as a 
 farther and more powerful Enforcement of O- 
 bedience to it. 
 
 But 
 
lo An Eflay on the fever al J)'ij^en\aUons 
 
 But notwithflanding that Jdam was thus a 
 Son of 'iS^^-^y^fe^g^-rgc by Creation, de- 
 riv'd from him fo, as to have no other Father, 
 refembh'ng him in his moral Perfedions, and 
 havmg an earthly Animal Dominion, Glory, 
 Blifs, and Immortality as his Inheritance, (the 
 laft of which was made known to him by 
 Revelation, on Condition of his Obedience, 
 with a Threatning of Death on Difobedience) 
 yet by criminally indulging his Appetites 
 and Palfions, in Compliance with the T emp- 
 tation of the Devil, in eating the forbidden 
 and noxious Fruit, inftead of continuing the 
 Son of God, or, in other Words, inftead of 
 continuing to be like God, and to obey him, 
 and fo to have any Right to this earthly In- 
 heritance himfelf, or to tranfmit it to his Po- 
 fterity ,• he forfeited it, became a Child of the 
 Devil, whom he imitated and obey'd -, and 
 brought a Cnrfe (the Portion of the Children 
 of the Devil) upon himfelf, and on all his De- 
 fendants ,• namely^ Toil, Care, Vexation, 
 and at laft Death, Qen. iii. 17^ 20. For being 
 no longer in the Image or Likenefs of God 
 himfelf, he begat not Men in that Image or 
 Likenefs, (or Sons of God, and Heirs of Life, 
 Blifs, Dominion, and Glory) but in his own 
 Likenefs^ after his Image ^ Gen. v. 3. Sons of 
 Men^ as they are call'd, Qen. vi. i. and Heirs 
 of the Curfe. See a like Exprelfion, i Sam. 
 
 XKviii. 
 
of GOD to Mankind. II 
 
 xxviii. 19. As J ^^m and Ez'e were driven 
 out of Paradile, were ftript of their Glory, and 
 the Dominion it was the Badge of, and be- 
 came fubjed to ftrong Appetites and PafTions, 
 to Inquietude, Toil, Care, Vexation, Difea- 
 {cs, and Death ; fo all their Children were 
 born out of Paradifc, without any of the glo- 
 rious and blifsful Circumftances that their Pa- 
 rents were at Hrft inverted with, and fubje(5t 
 to all the unhappy Circumftances, which they 
 either felt in themfelveSj or from Things a- 
 bout them. 
 
 As God had given the Hopes of an immor- 
 tal Life and Happinefs to our firft Parents on 
 their Obedience, and threatned them with 
 Death on their Difobedience, in order to give 
 them additional Motives to perfevere in their 
 Duty, the Devil, that wicked and fubtle Spirit, 
 try'd to turn the Promife and Threatning to a 
 quite contrary Purpofe ; and in all Probability, 
 tempted them by reprefenting to them, that that 
 State of Happinefs^ tho' great and defirable, 
 and promis'd to be continued, yet was not 
 prom is' d, but on Condition of Obedience 5 and 
 was therefore but precarious : That it depend- 
 ed not only on their Obedience, but on the 
 perpetual Ufe of the Tree of Life -, and that 
 Death was threatned on Difobedience, by 
 which all would be irrecoverably loft. That 
 what was wanting therefore, to make them 
 compleatly happy^ was to know, how they 
 might indefeaiibiy poiTefs the Good they en- 
 
 C 2 W^7 
 
10. An Eflay on the fever al T)iJfcn[aUons 
 
 joy'd ; and how they might certainly avoid 
 tht' Evil, V/'ith which they were threatned. That 
 eating the Tree of Knowledge of Good and 
 Evil, would furnilli them with that Know- 
 ledge, and that thry wo: id, upon tafting it, be- 
 crme like Gods ^ hiowing the Means by which 
 they might fo afllire themfcives of the Good 
 they poflelVd ^ as to be out of all Reach of 
 the Evil with which they were threatned : 
 The Way in which God bimfcif that made 
 them, and who had plac'd them in thefe blifs- 
 ful and glorious Circiim(]:ance53 poflelTes the 
 one, and is fecar'd aLiainft the other. When 
 they firft hearkned to this Propofal, they fell j 
 ibr here Luft was fully conceived ; They no 
 longer fubmitted and refigned themfelves to 
 God's Difpofal, but prefumptuouily affe^led a 
 State infinitely fuperior to that in which he 
 had placed them ^ and inconfiftent with it : 
 Since that in Which God had placed them was 
 a State of Tryal, And having indulged their 
 vain and high Ambition, they eaiily fell into 
 a Compliance with the Means proposed : The 
 only Means that olFcr'd for gratifying it. And 
 could then even fuffer themfelves to be fo far 
 deluded (/or Reafon and PalTion rife and fall in 
 Proportion to each other) as to eat of the Fruity 
 on being told, that God had not forbidden 
 them that Tree ,- tho' they knew moft aflurediy, 
 that God had not exprefily forbidden them 
 any Thing cKq. And mqreover^ feeing it to 
 iv a T^xse good for Food^ and plea [ant to the 
 
of GOD to Manhnd. I 3 
 
 Eye, as well as a Tree to he defird to make 
 one "dsife j The Woman took of the Fniit^ and 
 did eat^ and ga^je to her Husband^ and he 
 did eat : Which being the Overt-Ad of 
 Difobedience, is faid to be the firft Tranfgref- 
 fion ; tho' it was but the Confequence of that 
 Luft fully conceiv'dj which properly and 
 ftrictly was fo. 
 
 No Doubt can be made, but that this vigilant 
 and malicions Spirit, who goes about as a roar- 
 ing Lion^ feeking zi'hom he jnay decwir ,• and 
 who was hardy enough to make feverai Attacks 
 on the fecond Jdam^ after the ftrongeft Re- 
 pulfes ,• would foon have rene w'd his 1 empta- 
 tion to the hrft Jdani^ after this eafy Victory. 
 And nothing lefs w^as to be expected, than 
 that after he had fcduc'd him and his Wife to 
 an Act of moft prcfumptucus Difobedience, 
 in order to gratify a low Appetite of their 
 Body, and a high, tho' vain Ambition of their 
 Mind, he would foon have fallen in with 
 the Sufpicions and Diftruft of their guilty 
 Thoughts, and have tempted them to defpair 
 of ever obtaining Mercy from their offended 
 Maker : Thereby effc6lually to prevent all 
 Attempts to return to their Duty. 
 
 In this deplorable Condition, God was 
 pleasM to give them feme Hopes of his Mer- 
 cy, in order to prevent the farther Attempts 
 ot the Devil, and the fatal Confequences of 
 their Defpair ^ the common, tho' not the 
 
 reafonable 
 
i 4. An Eflay on the fever al Dijpcnfations 
 
 reafonable or nectTlary Attendant of GuWt. 
 The fentcncing the Serpent, the Author of 
 all this Wickednefs and Mifery, could not 
 hut give them fome Hopes : The feeing, on 
 their being fentenc'd, that they fliould not 
 dye immediately , but fliould be continued 
 as the Parents of a future Pvace, could not but 
 give them more : But what mud needs give 
 them the ftrongeft Hopes, was, a Promife, 
 that fome one or more of the Woman's Seed 
 fbould bruife this very Serpent's Head [THY 
 HEAD, Qen, iii. 1 5.] who had beguiled them. 
 'J hat is, ihouid dcliroy the Power and Policy 
 of this very Serpent, who had, by this Sub- 
 tilty, brought all this Mifery upon them ^ and 
 fuch as fliould defcend from them. And God 
 farther told them, that he would put Enmity 
 between the Seed of the Serpent and the 
 Seed of the Woman. 
 
 But notwithftanding this gracious Intimati- 
 on, which was not only a Prom.ife to deftroy 
 the Policy of the Serpent, but imply'd a Com- 
 mand to be more watchful againft his Arts and 
 "Wiles, more vigorous in re/ifting all his Temp- 
 tations, and to be at conftant War and En- 
 mity with all that fliould afterwards become 
 his Sccd^ (that is, fhould imitate and obey 
 him) yet Cain ^ the Firft-born of human 
 Race, inftead of reiifting him, prefently be- 
 came a Lyar and a Murderer, as that wick- 
 ed Spirit, his Father, was then begun to be : 
 
 I And 
 
of G OD to Mankind. 1 5 
 
 And that notwithftanding God's gracious Ad- 
 monition and Caution to thie contrary, Gen. 
 V. 63 7. Whereby Cain plainly rejeded the 
 Hopes this iirfl; Promife made to Mankind 
 fhould have kept alive in his Mind, and which 
 ought to have animated his whole Condud. 
 He had therefore a peculiar Curfe infiided on 
 him. Gen. iv. ii, 12. And was, at the fame 
 time, driven out from tbe Face of God: Gen. 
 iv. 14, 16. Or, the Place where God made glo- 
 rious Manifeftations of his Prefence and good 
 Will, by the Shcchinahy or Hod of Angels : 
 Having, by the Contempt he exprefs'd of the 
 firif Promife, and of God's gracious Admo- 
 nition to him, and the wicked Temper he per- 
 fiftcd in, rendred himfelf utterly unv/orthy of 
 any of his farther gracious Communications. 
 On his Banifhment from the Family and Pre- 
 fence of God, he \Cam'\ became the Head of 
 the Family -i which the "Deiil fet up in the 
 World. 
 
 This Family came alfo under one Part of 
 the Curfe of the Serpent, mz. That God 
 •would put Enmity between the Seed of the 
 Woman^ and the Seed of the Serpent. 
 
 For God gave the Woman another Seed^ 
 even Seth^ inlfead of righteous Jhel^ whom 
 Cain flew, Gen. iv. 25. 
 
 The Family of this Patriarch, continued to 
 be the Family of God, and was taken notice of 
 
 as 
 
li^ An Effkyon the fever aL Difpenfations 
 
 as fuch, when his Defcendants became nume-*- 
 rous ,• being calPd by the Name of the Lord^ 
 as the marginal Reading is. Gen. iv. 26. Or, 
 the Sons ^ or Children of God ^ Gen. vi. i. Not 
 only as they paid that Obedience to the Law 
 of their Nature, and to fuch other Laws as 
 were immediately reveal'd to them, as was due 
 to the Law of a Being fupremely powerful, 
 wife, and good ; who created and preferved 
 them, and was kind, tender, and indulgent 
 towards them, and as they imitated him in 
 Purity, Juftice, and Mercy ; but as they might 
 form Inferences and Hopes, that fince they o- 
 bey'd him, and became like unto him, tho' 
 they were not born to the Inheritance of a 
 Son of God, (j'c (a Right which Adam had 
 forfeited for them, as well as for himfelf) 
 yet God would not fail to adopt them to 
 fome futable Reward and Inheritance ,♦ the' 
 without knowing fo fully what that Reward 
 or Inheritance lliould be. So that as God 
 was the God and Father of Adam in Inno- 
 cence, by ^^71.1 HI I. J naer,Creation j it was alfo ex- 
 pefted, that he would by Adoption become the 
 God and Father of every one after the Fall^ 
 who fhould imitate and obey him. Whence 
 it came to pafs, that God and Father, or 
 Terms that imply them, as Sons or Childreri 
 of God Cin Oppofition fometimes to the Seed 
 of the Serpent, and fometimes to the Chil- 
 dren of Men, who are Heirs of Death) are 
 
 promifcuoufly 
 
of GOD to Mankind, 1 7 
 
 firomifcuoufly us'd, even in this Part of fa- 
 cred Hirtory, whilll the Notions of divine A- 
 doption were but faint and languid. 
 
 However to give them a more afTured and 
 lively Notion of it, God faw fit, after that 
 Enoch had directed bis Courfe of Life accord- 
 ing to God's Will, thro' the Faith of a future 
 Reward, (as the Author of the Epiftle to the 
 Hebrews aflures us, Heh. xi. 5, 5.) and had 
 been a Prophet and Inftruder ot others, Jude 
 14- God faw fit, 1 fay, to take him ^ to 
 affure good Men of a future State of Re- 
 ward and Happmefs in Soul and Body. 
 
 Such in the Family of Seth as adted up to 
 the Law of their Nature, and to fuch farther 
 Rules as God had given to 'Enochs or any O- 
 thers, and by them to the reft of Mankind^ 
 animated by the fame Faith and Hope, "Belie- 
 ving that God isoas^ and that he was a Re- 
 warder of them that diligently fought him ; 
 pleased him^ and were accepted by him^ Heb. 
 
 xi- 45 5, ^5 1, 1 2-. 
 
 For tho' thefe Difcoveries being very gene- 
 ral and indeterminate, the Reafonings of their 
 Faith could be but weak and doubtful too ^ 
 yet their Faith bearing a Proportion to the 
 MattcY, and the Indiftinctuefs of the Revela- 
 tion, muil be equally acceptable to God, as 
 a Faith of greater Strength and Efficacy might 
 render others, if it bore but the fame Propor- 
 tion to any clearer Difcoveries he iliould af- 
 
 D ter wards 
 
1 8 An Effay on the feveral T^ifpenfations 
 
 ttrwards vouchfafe them. And if the Vertue 
 of thefe early Patriarchs, tho' animated by 
 fainter Hope^ of a future Reward, was equal 
 to a Vertue animated by a ftronger, in after- 
 tim.cs ; in that Cafe, their Vertue muft be 
 more (not lefs) acceptable to God, than that 
 of the later Patriarchs, o^ yenvs^ or of C/jr(fil- 
 ans^ in the other Cafe. 
 
 About the Time of Noah^ thefe two Fami- 
 lies, rjjz, of God and of the DeviL which were 
 to be at perpetual Enmity, and were feparated 
 from each other by God's exprefs Order, {(ien. 
 iii. I 5O as well as by the Interpofition of his 
 Providence, {Gen, iv. ii, 12, 14, 16.) yet 
 mingled again : Appetite prevailing againft the 
 Appointment of God. For when thefe Sons 
 of God fciw the T>aughters of Men that they 
 were fair ^ they took them Wi'ves^ of all which 
 they ch fe^ Gen. vi. 2. 
 
 From thefe Inter-marriages which God had 
 forbid. Corruption and Violence fpread over 
 the Face of the whole Earth. And what lefs 
 was to be expeded from Inter-marriages a- 
 rifing from the Heat of Lull, which had o- 
 vercome the Fear of God, and all Regards 
 to his Promifes and Commands ,• but a G'l- 
 gantick Race ^ Men of uncommon Size and 
 Strength, uncultivated by the Principles of 
 Reafon and Revelation, by which alone the 
 Appetites and Paifions of Health and Vigour 
 are to be controufd. So that Noah^ who, per- 
 haps, was the only Perfon that had kept free 
 
 from 
 
of 
 
 GOD to Manlind, 
 
 horn thu unhappy Mixture, and the more un- 
 happy Attendants and Confequenccs of it, was 
 the only righteous or fincere Terfon^ Gen. vi. i. 
 Whereupon God refolv'd to fvvcep away tliis 
 impious Race of Men with a Flood, and to 
 cleanfe the Earth from their Corruption and 
 Violence ; preferving none but Noah and his 
 Family alive : By whom, as the pure Race of 
 Seth^ he would people a new World. 
 
 For the fake of the lingular Piety of this 
 good Man, God fcems to have blellcd Man- 
 kind immediately after the Flood, fo fir as to 
 have remov'd part of the Curfe, by taking off 
 the great Perverfnefs of the Seafons, and the 
 Sterility of the Ground ^ by making Mankind 
 more fruitful than their Anti-deluvian Ance- 
 ftors ; and by reftoring them to a greater Degree 
 of Dominion over the brute Part of the Creati- 
 on, than they had had lince the Fall, All which 
 was confirmed by a Covenant, that he would 
 not renew his Curfe on the Earth any vriore^ ei- 
 ther by the Inclemency of the Heavens, by 
 the Barrennefs of the Earth, or by the total 
 Deftru(5tion of it j and alfo by a Covenant 
 with every living Creature j that in Compen- 
 fation to them, for being in this greater De- 
 gree of Subjedion to Mankind, he would not 
 defiroy them or the Earth any more. See 
 
 Gen,jx-mf , xxi. 17 20. Compar'd with 
 
 Chap.w, 29. viii. 20, 21, 22. ix. i, 2,3,7, 
 9 — 18. See Dr. SherkcTzs more ftirelfl-rd 
 
 of 'Prophecy, pag. 87 1 1 9, 
 
 D 2 This 
 
50 An Effay on the jcveral T)tJpenfations 
 
 This Covenant was in it felf a great Blef- 
 iing i but yet might be underftood to be a 
 much greater, as it might be apprehended to 
 be a Pledge of a very fuperior Covenant, that 
 God defigned in a few Ages after to make 
 with Mankind ; when he fliouid exprelly pro- 
 mife to recover good Men from Death, the 
 far more bitter Part of the Curfe that ftill 
 remain'd behind, and exprefsly entitle them 
 to eternal Life. 
 
 This feems to have been intimated by No- 
 ah^ in what he fays prophetically of Shem : 
 Promifmg a farther and peculiar Blelfmg, when 
 he hleffes the Lord God of Shem^ Gen. ix, 
 26, God's being the Lord God of Shem^ 
 muft denote a farther Blefling than any that 
 had been granted by God to Noah and 
 his Sons in general, or to "Japheth in parti- 
 cular, the Eldeft of them. For being the 
 God of Shem^ is being the Father of Shem. 
 And the Inheritance that God, coniider'd as 
 a Father, is ever faid in Scripture to give to 
 any of his Sons, is Life ^ unlefs it be when it 
 relates to the Adoption of Abraham and his 
 Pofterity to fome earthly Inheritance ^ to 
 which they had no Right by Birth or Ac- 
 quiiition, or any other way th^n by divine 
 Donation. tf^ 
 
 On the other hand, the unbelieving and 
 ^ifobedient Part of the Family of Nah^ 
 
 which 
 
of GOD to Manhnd. ii 
 
 which was Hmn and his Defcendantj^, parti- 
 cularly Canaan fcems to have renounc'd their 
 Share in the Blellings that belong'd to the 
 Children of God, and to have become the Fa- 
 mily of the l^evil ,• and accordingly to have 
 been mark'd out as fuch by the Curfe of God 
 in many remarkable Inftances, as had been 
 the Cafe of Cain before the Flood, Gen, iv. 
 II — 2 2. Thefe Inftances of God's fevere 
 Vengeance were fomctimes neceil'ary to pre- 
 vent Rich unhappy Mixtures between thefe two 
 Families, as had brought on the Flood ; and 
 were, in their natural Tendency, Motives to. 
 Repentance. And if they had not that Eltedt, 
 yet muft have rendered the Jufrice of God in 
 any future Punilliment the more confpicuous ; 
 and at the fame time have coniirm'd the 
 Children and Family of God in their Faith 
 and Obedience. Under this Head, to fpeak 
 of them once for all, may be rank'd the Con- 
 fulion and Difperfiou of "Bahel^ the DtTrrudi- 
 on of Sodom^ the Plagues of Egypt^ the Ex- 
 tirpation of the fecen Nations^ &c. 
 
 Kotwithftanding this univcrfal Defolation 
 by the Flood, in nine Generation<>, the Know- 
 ledge and Worlhip of the one only true God, 
 and all Vertue, had in a manner forfaken the 
 Earth : And the World apoftatizing from 
 their Maker, became Worihipersof falfe Gods. 
 As the Worfliip that had been paid to the 
 true God^ was paid to him \ery much under 
 
 tlie 
 
1 2 An Eflay on thefeveral 'Difpcnfations 
 
 the Notion of a Father ; it fcems highly pro- 
 bable to me, that the firft Woriliip of the 
 Devil might be introduc'd under the fame ; 
 lince falfe Religion, efpecially at the firft, 
 would certainly have a near Semblance of the 
 true : And it has been an anticnt and common 
 Obfervation, that the Devil affects to ape 
 God. The Thallagogia^ an Idolatry thought 
 by many learned Men to be extremely antient, 
 gives great Countenance to this Opinion : E- 
 fpecially if Spencers Notion be juft, (which 
 feems highly probable) that Circumcilion was 
 appointed, am.ong other Reafons, to obviate 
 this Idolatry. See Spencer T)e Leg, Hehr. 
 Hit. lib. I. cap. /J.. fe6t. 3. But whether this 
 particular Notion be juft or no, yet it is cer- 
 tain, that Idolatry was fo general, that even 
 the Family of blefled Sbem was not entirely 
 free from a lower kind of it^ they woriliip- 
 ing Images or Terrapbhn, together with the 
 true God, JoJJj, xxiv. 2. However, 
 
 God 'winya at th'is^ fiiffering their Man- 
 ners^ without fending any Meficnger to re- 
 claim them. 
 
 But, foon after this Idolatry began, God 
 call'd Jhraham out of Urr of the Chaldees^ 
 chooiing him (who probably was the only 
 Perfon that had kept himfelf free from it, 
 Jofl?, xxiv. 2. Nehem. ix. 7, 8. Jofeph. Jntiq. 
 lib. I.) as the Head of a Family, in which 
 he would preferve the true Religion, Geih 
 
 xviii. 
 
of GOD to Manhnd. a 5 
 
 xvlii. 19. (conijfting in a Belief of and in O- 
 bedicnce and Submilfion to the one true God) 
 And by the Means of whofe Travels, diftin- 
 guilVd Protection and VouchfafementSj he 
 would give fuch as were well difpos'd in Ca- 
 iman and Egypt^ &c. [Gen, xii. 17, ip. xiv. 
 18 — 21. xxi. i8. XXV. 3 — 7. xxvi. 6 — 34.] 
 and elfewhere, an Opportunity to enquire af- 
 ter him. 
 
 In regard of Jhrahams fingular and un- 
 exampled Faith and Obedience on the great- 
 eft Tryals, God was pleas'd to become his 
 Gcd^ or his Father, See Gen, xvii. 7. xxxL 42. 
 Exoci, iii. 6, and many other Places. For, 
 as has been obferv'd already, God and Father 
 are Terms that are often us'd promifcuoufly 
 in Scripture. God alfo promis'd to hiefs him. 
 This Blelilng feems to be the recovering him 
 from Death, the remaining Part of the ori- 
 ginal Curfe which had not yet been exprefsly 
 taken off to Noah : And by this, NoaFs blef- 
 fmg the Lor<^ God of Shem^ the Anceftor of 
 Abraham^ was explain'd j and that the Lord 
 was the God or Father of Shem^ was fully 
 contirm'd, Gen, xii. 23. See Gen, xxii. 17, 
 18. For God now exprefsly adopted Jhra- 
 ham^ Shem\ Dcfcendant, to the Inheritance of 
 eternal Life : And alfo all the Families of the 
 Earth that fliouid become his fpiritual Seed - 
 /'. e. Should imitate him in his Faith and Obe- 
 dience, Rom* iv. 12, 16. GaL iii. 5>, 2^. Or in 
 
 I other 
 
2\ An Hffciyon the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 other Words of Scripture, th^t JJjotild be perfeU 
 before God^iS he was : That is^ fhould live in a 
 fteady Courfe of fincere Obedience, SubmilTi* 
 on to God's Providence, and Refignation to 
 his future Difpofal, from a firm Belief of his 
 Proteftion, Support, and future Reward. For 
 this BlelTmg was not to be confin'd to fuch 
 only as fhould imitate him among the Race 
 of Shem ,• but to be exprefsly extended to any 
 among the other Families of the Earth, even 
 the moft accurfed, that fliould follow his Ex- 
 ample. However, Ahraham was to have 
 this fingular Honour, that of whatever Fami- 
 ly of the Earth, they were, that fliould imi- 
 tate him, they fhould not receive their Title 
 to this Inheritance immediately from God, as 
 he did ,• but as the Children cf Jbrabam, or 
 thro' Jbraham^ whu was the Father of us 
 all^ Rom. iv. 17, (v^hether Shemmite or 
 Canaanite , Jew or Gentile , Male or Fe^ 
 male^ 'Bond or Free') Js it is written^ a 
 Father of many Nations hace 1 made thee^ 
 before him whom he believed , ezcn God^ 
 who quickneth the T)ead^ and calleth thofe 
 things which be net^ as tho they were. And 
 to give Abraham^ not only the Promife of 
 this Inheritance, but alfo a Promife of a 
 Pledge of it, God likewife promib'd to adopt his 
 natural Seed to an earthly Inheritance, and part 
 of them to the Inheritance of Canaan^ (the 
 Delight of all Lands) who had no other 
 Right to itj F:<.od. xiii. 5. God was pleas'd 
 
 to 
 
of GOD to Mankind. a 5 
 
 to repeat thefe Promifes to him, on great 
 Occafions, for the Confirmation of his Faith, 
 Gen, xiii. 14, 18. x. 5. xvii. 21. And to 
 make them ftill clearer in Proportion to his 
 Faith's growing ftronger. And in order ftill 
 farther to encourage and ftrengthen his Faith 
 and Truft in God, God was pleafed to ap- 
 point Circumcifion, as the Seal of thefe Cove- 
 nants or Promifes : {(ien. xvii. i - — ■ 1 5. Kom, 
 ix. 4. Heh. xi. 13.) Or in other Words, as a 
 farther AfTurance of this Adoption to an earth- 
 ly as well as to an heavenly Inheritance. And 
 therefore Circumcifion was enjoyned to npne, 
 but fuch as were entitled to both thefe Inheri- 
 tances. So that, I think, Circumcifion fliould 
 be confidered as the Badge of God's vifible 
 Family, or of God's Sons by a double Adop- 
 tion, and of them only. 
 
 That Ahraham might have the more .(>rong 
 Confolation in the lively Hopes of this do.hle 
 Inheritance (and of one of them, fviz, the 
 earthly, as a Pledge of the other, mz. the 
 heavenly) God was pleafed at laft in infinite 
 Condefcenfion to confirm them by an Oath, 
 QeiL xxii. 1 6, And to the intent that the Vi- 
 gor of thefe Hopes might be the better pre- 
 fcrved, on which their Performance of the 
 Condition fo much depended, and confequent- 
 ly the Performance of the Promife on God's 
 Part, God faw fit to repeat thefe Promifes 
 (which he had fo folemnly confirmed to Abra- 
 ham) to Ifaac and to Jacob afterwards, 
 
 E {Qen, 
 
^6 An "Efhyon the jeveral Difpenfations 
 
 (Gen. xxvi. 34. xxvii, 29. xxviii. 4, 13, 14.) 
 Heirs together with him of the fame Promife, 
 Ueb. XL p, 
 
 Jhraham^ Ifaac^ and Jacoh^ and their 
 Defcendants, being the firft Family of all the 
 Families of the Earth, that received any ex- 
 prefs Promife, that God would be their God^ 
 and blefs them ; or in other Words, that he 
 would be their Father, and that they fliould 
 be his Children ^ Theirs zvas the Adoption^ 
 the Tromifes^ and the Covenants^ and the In- 
 heritances.^ Rom. X. 4» Heb. xi. 8^ 13. Hence 
 it is, that God calls Israel or the Children of 
 Jfrael (the Defcendants of Jhraharn) his Son 
 and his Firft-born, 'Exod/w. 22. Ifr ael dinA 
 his Sons being adopted to Canaan., the Inheri- 
 tance of the Firft-born, whilft IJhmael had 
 only Idtmea^ and Bjfau only Mount Seir for 
 a PofTelfLon, ^eiit, xi, 5. 
 
 And hence it is that God is alfo the Father 
 of all Jhraharn s fpiritual Seed : The Seed^ or 
 People, that was to he horn ; or the Seed that 
 was to ferve him., and that was to he account- 
 ed to him for a Generation., Pfal. xxii. 30, 31. 
 God having adopted them from being the Chil- 
 dren of Men, and of the Devil, Heirs of the 
 firft and fecond Death (which laft \s called 
 Wrath) to an heavenly Inheritance, by his 
 Free Grace, in Chrift J ejus our Lord. 
 
 But farther, the Blelling promifed to Ahra- 
 hayHy the Father of all the Faithful, and to 
 his faithful or fpiritual "b^^d.^ was not a bare 
 ' Deli- 
 
^ G O D to Mankind, o 7 
 
 Deliverance from all the Curfes that Adam 
 brought on his Seed, or that which they un- 
 happily acquired by becoming the '^tQdi of the 
 Serpent (as has already been fliown) but the 
 affuring him of a fuperior BlelTing to that which 
 Adam had forfeited : Or the alluring him of 
 the Inheritance of an adopted Son of God, c/z.. 
 a Refurre6lion to an heavenly Dominion, Glo- 
 ry, Blifs, and Immortality, as we learn from 
 our Saviour's Argument againfl the Sadducees^ 
 Luke XX. 37. and from St. T aid's EpiiHe to 
 the Qalatians^ Chap. iii. 14. under the I'erms 
 dithe Wejjing of the Spirit : The Spirit being 
 to quicken or raife us up, and being in the 
 mean time the Earneft of this Adoption, that 
 is the Redemption of our Bodies from the Bon- 
 dage of Corruption, Kom, iii. 21. and the In- 
 heritance which is to follow it. 
 
 And from the New Teftament, where this 
 Matter is more fully explained, we learn, that 
 when this Redemption lliall be effeded by the 
 Spirit, then inftead of an animal, earthly Body, 
 cloathed with a Glory derived from the firfh 
 Adam (who was but a living Soul, i Ccr, 
 XV. 45.) in which we might have enjoyed an 
 earthly Paradife, or a foiitary Garden, that 
 we were to have drelfed, and where we lliould 
 have had Dominion over the Fiili of the Sea, 
 the Fowls of the Air, and over every living 
 1 hing that moveth on the Earth, and fubdued 
 them j Gen. i. 28. ii. 15. and where we might 
 have fometimes conversed with animal Men, 
 
 E 2 like 
 
a 8 An Eflay (?w the fever al 1>ifpenfations 
 
 like our fclves, and now and then have feen 
 the Glory of God, and heard his Voice, as 
 Jdam did in the Cool of the Day, Gen. 
 iii. 8. (which, as we have before obferv'd, 
 was the Inheritance with which he was veft- 
 ed foon after his Cre^tjpn j) We may have 
 a glorious, celeftiai, ^incorruptible Body, ilii- 
 ning like the Sun in the Firmament, deriv'd 
 from the fecond Adam^ who is a qiiickning 
 Spirit (i Cor. xv. 45.) and refembling his glo- 
 rious Body j in which we fliall inhabit the 
 heavenly Jeriifalem^ where there fhall be no 
 more Ciirfe^ nor no more Nighty Rev* xxii.3,5. 
 but where we JJjall he Kings and Priefts unto- 
 Gody and haz'e 'Dominion oz'er the Wicked^ 
 Pfal. xlix. or as St. Taitl fays, judge Angels 
 md the Worlds i Cor. vi. 2, 3. And at full 
 Reft and Leifure, and without any Interruption, 
 enjoy the blefled Society of the Allembly of 
 the Firft-born, whofe Names are written in 
 Heaven, and of an innumerable Company of 
 Angels ,• and where after we have been intro- 
 duced by Jefus the Mediator of the better 
 Covenant, to God the Judge of all, we Jlmll 
 he ever with the Lord^ and fee him as he is, 
 
 Abraham being the firft, to whom this 
 Blelfing was exprefly prcmifed after the Curfe 
 that had been pronounced on the Fall j Blef- 
 fing and Curling are afterwards often ufed in 
 Scripture as Terms equal to Life and Happi- 
 nefs, and to Mifery and Death. (See T>ettt. 
 xxvii. 14, 25. and xxviii. 2— —14. Mcitth. 
 
 XXV. 
 
^/ G O D to Mankind. 29 
 
 XXV.34. Rom.iv.9. G'^/.iii. 8,93 10,13,14,) 
 And it may be always iignify this in part, if 
 not in whole. 
 
 This Blefling Is exprclTed in other Words of 
 Scripture, as forgicingj or not imputing Sin^ 
 Rom. iv. 7, 8. And jtiftifyingy imputing or 
 counting for Righteoiifncfs^ Rom. iv. 3. GaL 
 iii. 8. Ihe reafon of which Expreifions is 
 plain, fince whofoever is ReUns in Curia is 
 intitled to all the Privileges and Blefiings that 
 belong to the Jurifdidtion of that Court ; or 
 rather to all the Privileges and Blefiuigs 
 which belong to the Subjects of that King- 
 dom, which erects or conftitutes that Court. 
 
 After the Fall God had hitherto only ma- 
 nifefted his Glory and Will to particular Fa- 
 milies, Seth's, NoaJjs; and at iaft to Jhra- 
 hmnSj Ifaacs^ and Jacolis^ by an exprefs 
 Covenant of Adoption confirm'd by a Seal, a 
 promis'd Pledge and an Oath. But the Family 
 of y^r^Z' multiplying exceedingly, till it came 
 from feventy Souls, which went down into 
 jELo-j/?/-, (Gen.xlvii.27.) to be about fix hundred 
 thoufand Men, belides Children, or Male-chil- 
 dren, (^Exod. xii. 37.) and God remembring 
 his Covenant, or his temporal Covenant, or 
 the temporal part of his Covenant made with 
 their Forefathers Abraham^ Ifaac^ and Ja^ 
 cobj and their natural Seed, that he would give 
 them the Land of Canaan^thQ promis'd Pledge 
 
 of 
 
20 Ayi EiTay on the fever al Dijpenjations 
 
 of the Performance of the better Promife, 
 {Exod ii. 24, and iii. 8.) He now refolved 
 to ^ive them the actual PoflelfLon of the Earneft 
 of it, and to take this Family, People, Nati- 
 on, and Kingdom, to himfeif^ and confe- 
 quently that he would become their King, 
 and their God. And fending a MeiTage to 
 them by M-fes, that he would deliver them 
 from the Bondage of the Egyptians^ and re- 
 folving alfo very foon to propofe to them to 
 become his People, he then firft calls them his 
 ^People in fpeaking to M(fis ; Exod. iii. 17. 
 and afterwards in Meflages, which he fent by 
 Mofes to Tharaoh about them, Exod* v. i. 
 and vi. 7. The better to prepare them for 
 fuch a Kingdom, God had fuffer'd them to 
 groan under a long and cruel Opprelfion in 
 Egypt -^ and in order to fix their Attention, 
 and iikewife draw the Attention of Mankind 
 to Himfelf through them, he was pleas'd to 
 deliver them from their Opprelfion, in a Man- 
 ner that mull make the greatell Noife in the 
 AVorld. 
 
 Perhaps God faw it the more fit to eredl this 
 Family into a Kingdom under Himfelf at this 
 Period of Time, to prevent their worlliiping 
 the Devil, as "Baal or Lord ^ that is, as the 
 Lord or God of the Country which they were 
 going to inhabit : Which about this Time was 
 the Notion under which Worlliip was paid 
 him by all the People in their Neighbourhood, 
 See Spencer de l.'beocr. Judaic* Mankind 
 
 ha. 
 
of GOD to Manhnd, :^ i 
 
 having now ftill fi^rthcr apoltatizVi from the 
 true God. and funk deeper into the Woifliip 
 of the Devi], as their Father and f.ord, (though 
 he was the grand and avowed Enemy of God, 
 and of Mankind) and pradiling all forts of 
 Impiety and Wickednefs in honour to him: 
 Such indeed as were intircly fuitcd to their 
 own dark Minds, to the Prince of Darknefs, 
 and to the Empire he had ufurped over them. 
 
 The better to obviate this Mifchicf, as well 
 as for other wife Rcafons, God was pleafed 
 Hfiy Days after their going out of Egypt^ ac- 
 tually to ered them into a Kingdom under 
 Himfelfj as their King and their God, by the 
 Covenant in the WiUernefs at Mount Sinai : 
 Namely, that as he had delivered them out of 
 the Land of ^gypt^ and out of the Houfe of 
 Bondage, he would take them for a Peo-ole. 
 and they fliould take the Lord for their God, 
 and fliould obey him. E^xod, xix. 4, 9. and 
 XX. 2, \g. T)etit, i. 17. and xxvi. ly^ 18. yG- 
 Jlmci^YAV. 22. Hofea xin. ro. Exod.xxiv,^^ i 2. 
 
 The Circir.njlances which attended the en- 
 tring into this Covenant were highly fuitable 
 to that Tranfadion. The Tim.e of creeling 
 this Kingdom^ was when they could not but 
 have very awful and grateful Thoughts of God ^ 
 in a Place retird from all Mankind, w^ho were 
 Idolaters, and confequently from all Solicitati- 
 ons to any of their idolatrous Practices, and in 
 fo awful a Manner as was calculated to flnke 
 them and their Pofterity with the mod tre- 
 mendous 
 
q7 An Eflay on the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 mendou$ Impreflions of the Authority of the 
 Lawgiver; All which would be little enough 
 to preferve fuch a wayward and untra(^able 
 People from the Supcrftitions of their Neigh- 
 bours. 
 
 To thefe, fuch pf any other Family as by 
 the Confideration of God's amazing Providen- 
 ces towards the IfrdelitjJJj Family and Nation, 
 fhould be brought to acknowledge the God of 
 Ifraelhx the only true God, and would fubmit 
 to the Laws of this Kingdom which he hacj 
 ereded, were joyn'd : And a general Natura- 
 lization of all fuch became a (landing Law of 
 their State. And as Circumcifion had been 
 the Badge of God's Family, fo now it was 
 made the Badge of all his male Subjedts {John 
 vii. 32,) who were to be the Inheritors of the 
 Land of Canaan. 
 
 As this Kingdom was, among other Purpq- 
 {'ts^ dedgn'd as a Reward for the Piety of 
 Abraham^ and as a Reward for his Defcen- 
 dants, who though far from being all perfo- 
 rally pious, yet were the only Family that 
 woriliip'd the true God, or own'd the Rule of 
 Virtue \ God {^ssf Ht to blefs them at once, 
 and b^fee-hartd; with the Riches of Egypt^ 
 as had been foretold to AhrahajTiy Gen. xv. 14. 
 (which they feem to have demanded as due for 
 their hard Labour, JLxod, ii. 3 5, 3<^. and which 
 the Egyptians willingly gave them to get rid 
 oF them) and with a great and remarkable 
 Overthrow of that People at the IB^ed Sea: 
 
 / . ., ^ , I When 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 5^ 
 
 When after the moft cruel OpprelTion, and 
 contrary to the moft exprefs Agreement, they 
 came to hinder them from going into the Wil^ 
 dernefs to facrihce, as God had commanded 
 them. They were likevvifc to have had an 
 immediate PolTelfion of the Land of Canaan^ 
 {a Land which he had efpied fur them ; 
 Ezek. XX. 6, A Land flowing with Milk and 
 Honey) and had a free Government ellablifh- 
 ed over them, (See Harringtons Art of JLaw- 
 gi'ving^ Book II. And the Trcrogatit'e of 
 Popular Qo'vermnentj Book II. c. 3.) that ex- 
 celled all others, not only in the peculiar Ho- 
 nour and Advantage of having God for their 
 King, but ('as might naturally thence be ex- 
 pected) in the moft excellent Laws and Con- 
 llitutions i till they by their incurable prone- 
 nefs to Idolatry and Vice oblig'd him, as a 
 wife and gracious Governor, to defer their 
 going into Canaan for fom.e Years, and to 
 propofe Laws to them, that were not good in 
 themfelves, but which were necelTary from 
 their wicked Temper and Difpofition, as Re- 
 medies to prevent greater Evils, and even 
 their utter Extirpation, long before it overtook 
 them. See 'Eze'k xx. 4—27. Nor would 
 their Wickednefs fuffer God to flop here, but 
 at laft, in jull: Punilhment of their Obftinacy 
 and Perverf--nefs, forc'd him to withdraw 
 more and more from the Exercife of his Regal 
 Authority over them ; and at their fooiiili and 
 perverfe DeiirCj to commit it to fuch, as ufed 
 
 F them 
 
-^^ An EfTay tf?2 the fever al J)ifpenfations 
 
 them with a Harfhnefs and Severity that was 
 but too, like the Kings of all the Nations round 
 about them. Thus however, by the Covenant 
 at Sinai J the Ifraelites became God's People : 
 Or a People that he had feparatcd to himfelf 
 from all the People of the Earth, who were 
 Children and Subjc(5ts of the Devil, and to 
 fuch a Degree, as to make the higheft Ads of 
 Wicked nefs the higheft Ads of their D^evoti- 
 on to him, or to other Idols by his Suggefti- 
 on. On this Account the Ifraelites are called 
 an holy Teople or Nation to the Lord^ Exod. 
 xix. 6. Deut. vii. 6. and xiv. 2. and xxvi. 19. 
 
 It may be of ufe on this Occafion to ftop a 
 Moment, to recoiled, that thofe, who by the 
 Covenant at Sinai were become his People, 
 were already his Sons^ or Children, or Firft- 
 born, and that he had been their Father by 
 exprefs Covenant from the Time of Abraham^ 
 as he was nov/ to be their King : And to ob- 
 ferve, that from hence it is that Children and 
 Teopky are in effed the fame thing, and pro- 
 mifcuoufly ufed in Scripture. Exod* vi. 7. and 
 X. 3. and xix. 5,5. and xxxi. 9. and Hofea 
 i. 10. Rojn.'iK, 25. GaL i'lL 26. 
 
 This may account for what might otherwife 
 appear fomewhat ftrange in the facred Wri- 
 ters. And after this, the Terms of God and 
 Father, or Terms which imply them, are ftill 
 ufed promifcuoufly with greater Frequency in 
 the old Tefiament. 
 
 Thus 
 
^ G O D to Mankind, 2 5 
 
 Thus God ereded [ the Family, or ] the 
 Children of Ifrael into a Kingdom : But it 
 was but a temporal or an earthly K.ingdom^ 
 though under himfelf, who was an heavenly 
 King : In which he always acted fuitably to 
 •that high Character, whilft he condefcended 
 fo far as to become their earthly or temporal 
 Prince. And though this Kingdom, which 
 he a4minifter'd, was but an earthly Kingdom, 
 yet if they would but have obferv'd its Laws, 
 without the lead Breach of any one of them, 
 they would have obtained Life by the Works 
 of this Law. 'Ezeh xx. 10 — — 27. T)eut, 
 vi 25. G^/. iii. 10. Rom.iv,^, and iii. 27, 
 (That is, as I apprehend, an animal or terre^ 
 ftrial Life.) For as God took them for his 
 People, it was but fitting that he fhould give 
 them a fpiritual and a perfect Law. See Tfa/. 
 xix. 7. Maf. xxii, -^6. Rom. v'n. 12. And a 
 perfect Law perfectly obey'd muft entitle all 
 that fo obey it to Happinefi and Life. On the 
 other hand, as God was the fupreme Magi- 
 flrate in this Kingdom, fo he could punifh the 
 Breach of fuch Lav/s as were fpiritual. For 
 though he ordinarily left the Ifraelites to be 
 proceeded againft by the inferior Alagiflrates, 
 by Tlea or Contro'jerfy^ or fecundmn aUa & 
 ;prohaTa^ yet he feems to have inflicted Punifh- 
 ments in fome cafes immediately himfelf, which 
 I take it are pointed out by fuch a Phrafe as 
 this. The Lord will fet his Face ^gainfl that 
 Man^ Lev. xvii. 10. Inflances to this pur- 
 F 2 pofe 
 
56 An Eflay on the fever al ^ifpenfations 
 
 pofe may be feen, EoXod. xxxiii. 3 5. Lev, x. p. 
 N^imb. xii. 10. xvi. 31^ 32. 2 Sam. vi. 7. 
 2 Cbrcn.xxvi. 18. 
 
 But notwithftanding the Ifrcielites had fuch 
 Proraifes and Threatnings, yet Men being ve- 
 ry frail, from the Strength of their Appetites 
 and Pailions, and the numerous Objects that 
 furround them, and that perpetually foiicit 
 and provoke them ^ and the Law being alfo 
 weak, or infufficient to affift their Reafon in 
 the Purfuit of Vertue, by not promiiing the 
 Forgivenefs of Sins that were pad, or of future 
 TranfgreiTions ,• but inftead of any fuch Promi- 
 fes, denouncing Death for each of them ( For 
 cur fed is e^very one that continneth not in all 
 'things that are written in the Law to do them : 
 Deut. xxviii. 26. Gal.'nu 10.) And being 
 alfo weak, by not propoling a fufficient Re- 
 ward, or a Reward that was attainable j the 
 Law, notwithftanding that Part of it was fpi- 
 ritual and perfed:, and could have given Life 
 to any, who could have obfcrv'd it exactly, 
 (Z^c. xviii. 5. Matt. xxii. 35. Rom, iii. 27. 
 iv. 4. vii. 12, 14.) became only the Law or 
 Infirument of an imperfect Conftitution tho- 
 rough its Rigor as a fpiritual Rule, and tho- 
 rough the Weaknefs of this Conftitution, '^of 
 which it was the Law or Inftrument) on ac- 
 count of its being without a fufficient or an at- 
 tainable Reward . 
 
 And though Part of this Law was fpiritual, 
 ar.d regarded the very Motions of fhe Mind, 
 " • yet 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 37 
 
 .yet the far greater Part of it was carnal : In- 
 deed all the Law was fo, that could be exa(5t- 
 ly obey 'd. • This we learn frotn an exprefs Af- 
 fertion, Heb. ix. 10. And from being told, 
 T/ji:n it purify d nothing hut the Flep : "But 
 could not p7irge the Confcicncey Heb. ix. 13, 14. 
 (to which it was altogether unprofitable^ Heb. 
 vii. 18.) Nor make the Comers thereunto per- 
 feU. 
 
 From both thefe Confederations it appears 
 how this Law became deadly ^ as St. VauJ^^- 
 ierts, Rom. vii. 10. 1 he Rigor of that Part 
 of the Law that was fpiritual, requiring Per- 
 fecftion on pain of Death, made that Part of 
 it deadly j it being impracticable j and the Pe- 
 nalty of every Dilbbedience to this part of the 
 Law being Death, and the great Numiber of 
 Precepts that were carnal, made thofe who 
 were fubje(^ to them alfo often liable to Death. 
 Befides, the Law was Death or deadly, be- 
 ^aufe it could not give Life : As thofe Precepts 
 could not in their own Nature which were 
 carnal : No more than thofe, which though 
 in their own Nature perfect, yet through the 
 Weaknefs of Mankind, and the Defects of 
 the Conflitution of that Kingdom (allowing 
 no Forgivenefs, Relaxation or Abatement, 
 and not propofmg a fufficient or an attainable 
 Reward) could not be perfciitly obey'd. 
 
 This Law, which was partly carnal, and 
 all of it deadly, God gave the Ifraelites^ to 
 let them fee, that as this was not the Lav/ of 
 
 a 
 
^^ An Eflay on the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 a perfect Conftitution, the Conftitution it felf 
 was not defign'd to be perpetual : And even to 
 {hew them at laft, that it was intended to lead 
 them to a better Flope^ viz. The Law of the 
 Spirit of Life : Or, The Law of that King- 
 dom which cannot hefljakeu : Or, as St. Taitl 
 exprelTes it under other Images ; God gave 
 them this Law to he a School-mafter to bring 
 them to Chrif}^ Gal. iii. 24. And thus Chrirfj 
 or the Chriftian Religion may be faid to be the 
 Lnd of the Law^ or to be prophefyd of by itj 
 or contained in it^ juft as Equity is faid by our 
 Saviour to be the Law and the Trophets^ 
 Mat. vii. 1 2. 
 
 As Mofes was God's chief Miniflcr in ered- 
 ing this earthly Kingdom ,• fo JoJJjua^ the 
 Judges^ Kings and Prophets^ were his chief 
 Miniiiers in preferving and continuing it. "Jo- 
 JJjua and the fucceeding Jitdgcs were rais'd up 
 by God, to introduce the ifraelites into Ca- 
 naan^ or to prelerve the PolIeOion of it to 
 them, on feveral extraordinary Emergencies. 
 
 The People at laft growing weary of thefe 
 uncertain and occalional Governors, and of 
 the Form of Government that prevail'd under 
 them, and affecting to be like their Neigh- 
 bour,^, deiir'd a King : Though they thereby 
 rejeUed God from ruling ocer them^ t Sam. 
 viii. 7. God gave them 6>«/ in his Anger, and 
 took him away in his Wrath. The People 
 
 miizht 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 5 9 
 
 might well be afraid, Icaft ^a'vid^ whom 
 God had anointed in Saul's ftead, might have 
 no Line, any more than Said ,• and might be 
 appreheniive of the Eifcds of fuch an unfettlcd 
 State, introduc d by their own Folly and Wic- 
 kednefs, in asking a King. They might well 
 fear, left the Government fhould be quite un- 
 hing'd ; and left Canaan it felf, the Pledge 
 of a better Inheritance, fliould be intirely loft : 
 And which now, beiides, too like other Pled- 
 ges, when the Thing of which they are the 
 Earneft is unfeen or delay 'd, had loft a great 
 deal of its Force. To prevent the ill Confe- 
 quences which might have enfu'd from any Un- 
 certainty in this Matter, and to give a new 
 Spring to their Hopes, the Continuance of the 
 Kingdom under 'ODa'vid and his Line, feems 
 to have been made a Pledge of the future 
 Kingdom, of the future Son of T>a'vidj fpo- 
 ken of TfaL ii. 7. Ixxxix. i^, 20. (who is alfo 
 call'd 'Da'vid^ Jer. xxx, p. Hof. iii. 5. Ezek. 
 xxxiv. 23,24. xxxvi. 24, 25. from the moft 
 exad Refemblance and Analogy between T)a- 
 'vid and him) and confequently of the Righte- 
 oufnefs of that Kingdom, and of Life as the 
 Reward of that Righteoufnefs. God gives 
 therefore a Promife of this Pledge, and of the 
 Thing pledg'd ,by it, and confirms them by 
 an Oath. The Promife of the Pledge indeed 
 was conditional, as may be feen 2 Sam. vii. 14. 
 xxiii. 5. I Kings ii. 4. viii. 2 5. But the Pro- 
 mife or Covenant of the Thing pledg'd, was 
 
 I ab; 
 
ij.o An Eflfay on the fever at Difpenfations 
 
 abfolute , as may be feen 2 Sam. v'n. 16^ 
 26, 27. I Chron. xvii. 14, 23, 24, 27. Af^s 
 ii. 25 — -37. TfalAxxxix. 16 — 39. Ifaiab 
 Iv. 3, 4. ^^j xiii. 34 — 38. "Jer. xxxiii. 17, 
 ^i, 25. The abfolute and conditional Pro- 
 itiife may be feen together, TJhl. cxxxii ii, 
 12. where likevvife the abfolute Promife, if 
 not the conditional, is confirmed by the Oath 
 of God ; As it alfo is, Tfa/. Ixxxix. 3 5. Wh?tt 
 has been faid of this Covenant with IDavid^ 
 may ferve to Hiew us, why the new T^eftament 
 Writers lay fo much ftrefs on Chrift's being a 
 Son of T>a'vidy or of the Hoiife and Lineage 
 of 'Da'vid ; (in too many Places to be quoted) 
 of his being to have the 'Throne and Kingdom 
 of his Father IDaz^id^ and of his being to 
 reign oi'er the Hoiife of Jacob, and that for 
 et'er^ Matt. i. 20. Lukei. 3 2, 33. Ads xiii. 23-. 
 Mark x. 47. And this may alfo ferve to fhew 
 us, why the Apoftles, on Chrift's Afcenfion, 
 fay that he w^as then adually rais'd to David's 
 Throne^ Ads ii. 30,35 xv. 1 6. 
 
 But as on the Kingdom's becoming Heredi- 
 tary, God feems to have withdrawn more 
 from the Exercife of his regal Authority, and 
 the Anfwers by Urim and Thummim ceas'd ^ 
 (See Spencer de Leg, Hebr. Kit. Lib. Ill, 
 cap. 7.) And as from the Time o^ oAhaZy the 
 Afeirs of the Kingdom of Jiidah feem'd ad- 
 verfe and threatning, till at laft they became 
 quite defperate, and fo both the Pledge of the 
 Continuance of the Kingdom under the Line of 
 
 T>avidi 
 
of GOD to Mmhind. 4 1 
 
 Dac'Id, and of Canaan it fclf, feem'd to lofe 
 all their Force and Virtue j God fa\T fit to fup- 
 ply this Defect ,• and keep their Hopes alive by 
 clearer Predictions of the univerfal and perpe- 
 tual Kingdom of TD^rc/V, or of the Son of 
 2)^:v"^, or the Mejjiab^ by a Succelfion of 
 Prophets, from Ifaiab to Malachi ^ who 
 fpake not only of this Kingdom, of its Ex- 
 tent and Duration ; but of the Righteoufnefs 
 it fiiould introduce, and of Life, as the Re- 
 ward of that PJghtcoufnefs, (^Ifaiab liii. liv. 
 12, 17. y^r. xxiii. 5, 6. xxxi, 31 — 35. xxxiii. 
 I 5, 1 5. T)au, ix. 24. xii. 2, 3. Hah. ii. 4. 
 
 This Succeilion of Prophets had alio this 
 in common with the Prophets that went before 
 them, that they were often fent to explain the 
 Law, or to give new Rules for their CondudTj 
 on particular Occaiions ^ to exhort, admonilli, 
 reprove, threaten, comfort, or animate this 
 People, as there was Occafion. For the Pro- 
 phets are to be confider'd, as having a fort of 
 legatine CommifTion from God, if I may be 
 allow'd to ufe that Expre^Hon (efpecially fuch 
 as were fent to the Houfe of Ifrael after their 
 Revolt from the Line of l^a'vid) according as 
 the Circumftances of the Nation requir'd. For 
 to the Nation they were fent, not to particular 
 Perfons ,• and to the Nation, were their Rules, 
 Admonitions, Reproofs, Denunciations, En- 
 couragements, and Promifes given ^ and nati- 
 onally are they to be underftood : Though 
 there are feveral Things ioterfper^'d, relating 
 
 ^G to 
 
4- 1 An Effay on the fever al J)ifpenfations 
 
 to the Religion of Nature, and o^ Jhraham^ 
 and the farther Expectation of being delivered 
 from Death, and adopted to eternal Life, by 
 Prophecies clear enough to keep fuch an Hope 
 alive in their Minds (particularly in the Books 
 of Deuteronomy^ yojhna^ and the Prophets) 
 as the furefl: Principle of national Fidelity and 
 Obedience ^ together with entire Books writ- 
 ten for their Inftrudtion in moral and divine 
 Things : Such as the Book of Joh^ '^Pfalms^ 
 Trot'erhs^ and 'Ecclefiafies- 
 
 But though it was an earthly Kingdom, and 
 immediately anfvver'd the Ends of fuch a 
 Kingdom, and no other j yet it was alfo de- 
 fign'd for other Purpofes. Particularly it did 
 not only ferve to put the Jfraelites perpetual- 
 ly in mind of God, as the Creator and Go- 
 vernor of the World, as the Rewarder of 
 the Tatriarchs^ and as the God oi Jbra- 
 ham^ whenever they had to do with Him as 
 the King di Ifrael -^ (all the Homage that was 
 to be paid to Him as King of Ijrciel^ being 
 fuited to the Charader of an heavenly King, 
 though condefcending to ad as an earthly 
 King j) but it was fet up in the World, as a 
 Light on a Hill (as the Family of Ahraham^ 
 IfaaCy^ and Jacob were before) in order to 
 make all the World gaze on it, and enquire 
 after the Qod of Ifrael ^ after the End for 
 which fuch particular Laws, and fo peculiar 
 a Polity was given this People ^ and after 
 the Expedation this People had, either near 
 
 or 
 
^ G O D to Manhnd, 45 
 
 or more remote ,• cr that might be reafonably 
 entertain'd about them. See Sherlock on Tro- 
 cidence^ p. 393. 
 
 Nor was it defign'd only to raife an Expe- 
 (flation among the 'Jews^ and among Mankind, 
 of the Kingdom of the MciTiah, but to prepare 
 Things for it : So as to raife the greater At- 
 tention to it at Chrift's Appearance, and fo as 
 that it might be known when it iliould take 
 Place, at his being feated on his Throne, at 
 the right Rand 0^ the Ma) e fly on high, [See 
 Sherlock on Tro^'ideuce^ P*3^4-] This was 
 done by Prophecies, and fuch Analogies, as I 
 fhall briefly mention prefently. 
 
 As thefe were the great and ultimate Ends, 
 for which the earthly Kingdom was eredted, 
 lb in the mean time God delign'd, by making 
 the profperous and adverfe State of that King- 
 dom (both within it felf, and with refped: to 
 its Neighbours) always keep a due Proportion 
 to the Virtue and Vice of the Bulk of the Peo- 
 ple, to furnilli a Story, from whence the no- 
 bleft Moral might be drawn j not only for 
 the Benefit of themfelves, and of their Pofteri- 
 ty, but of other Perfons and Nations that 
 were either Cotemporary w^ith them, oi' that 
 fucceeded them. 
 
 And if I may be allow'd to anticipate my 
 Subjed: a little, fince 1 am on this Head, rather 
 than return to it again ,• I would obferve, that 
 it muft be vifible to every one, that compares 
 the earthly with the heavenly Kingdom, that 
 G 2 there 
 
44- An Eflay on the fever al T^iffenfations 
 
 there is a great Similitude and Analogy be- 
 tween them : At lead: between the great Out- 
 lines of them : That is, that the heavenly 
 Kingdom anfwers ail thofe Purpofes to jMen's 
 Minds in a very fiiperior Manner, which the 
 earthly Kingdom ferved to Mens Bodies, 
 And without all doubt this Similitude or 
 Analogy was deiign'd with great Wifdom 
 and Beauty by the Framer of theni^ to let us, 
 who live in the new Age, fee that they had 
 one Author j and that the one was deiign'd 
 at lafl: to lead Men into the other ; fo that the 
 A-Uthor of the Epiftle to the Hebrews was able 
 to fhew the Jews^ that whatever was ex= 
 cellent in the Tabernacle, Temple, Altar^ 
 Priefthood, or Sacrifices of the earthly King- 
 dom, for the purifying of the Fleflj^ was pro- 
 vided in a much higher Degree in the King- 
 dom that could not he JJmken^ towards the p2t- 
 rifying the Confciences of its Suh]cd.sfro7n dead 
 JVorks, But 1 do not pretend that the JewiJIo 
 Tabernacle, Temple, Altar, High-prieft and 
 Sacrifices, when they were appointed, were 
 deiign'd to intimate to the Ifraelites^ at that 
 time, that there was to be a chrifHan Taber- 
 nacle or 1 em pie. Altar, High-priell-, and Sa- 
 crilicej finqe I don't find by any Paflage in 
 the Old 1 efiament, that any fuch Thing was 
 intended by them ^ or by any Pailage m the 
 OldTeftcwwnt^ or in the New, that they had 
 any fuch Eii^edl. But on the contrary, plain 
 Hints in both, cfpecially in the latter, that 
 
 they 
 
of GOD to Manhnd. 45 
 
 ,thcy did not produce any fuch vSentimcnts in 
 the Minds of that People. 1 fhould rather 
 therefore from thcfc Obfervations, as well as 
 from the Nature of the B^cfemblanccs and 
 Analogies themfclvcs , conclude that they 
 were fuch as might be traced after the heaven- 
 ly Kingdom took Place, according to the Idea 
 or Model of which they were framed, rather 
 than fuch, as could prefigure the Chriftian 
 Tabernacle or Temple, High-prieft, Altar or 
 Sacrifice before hand. And by the by, I be- 
 lieve this will be found to be the Cafe of Pro- 
 phecies too in a good meafure, ijc. Bcfidcs, 
 the ExprelHons that are us'd by the Ne'W 
 ^feftame^it JFn'fers concerning this Matter, 
 fully confirm this Opinion. For on this A.c- 
 count the Holy Place [San(auary] is cali'd 
 the Antitype (as dvlnvncL iliould be rendered) 
 of the true. Heb. ix. 24, And when [the 
 Sanctuary, or] Holy Places are faid to be 
 the Antitypes of the true, the Meaning is, that 
 [the Sanctuary, or] Holy Places were made 
 after the Type or Model of the true Sanduary 
 or Holy Place. For as ti^'ttCP-, a Type, fig- 
 nifies a Model, dvlnv-n^^ the Antitype, fig- 
 nities what is made after that Model. See 
 Idotiov Sykes Effay^ &c. p. 181, 182. The 
 Hrfh Divine that has given Occalion to think 
 juftly on this Subject : Though in exprefs Con- 
 tradiction to this Text, the earthly Sanctuary 
 has been called the 1 ype of the heavenly : 
 Whereas the heavenly Sandtuary is here fuppo- 
 
 fcd 
 
4 6 An Eflay on the fever al ^ifpenfations 
 
 fed to be the Type, and the earthly Sanduary 
 is exprefly faid to be the Antitype. So like- 
 wife St. Taiil calls the LaiiD a Shadow^ Heb. 
 X. I. Cokf.Vu 17. And he in the laft Text 
 adds, "That the "Body is Chrift : That \^^ the 
 Chriftian Religion, or the heavenly Kingdom, 
 is the Body, which cafts the Shadow, inz. the 
 earthly Kingdom. It is here very pertinent 
 to our purpofe, to obferve, that a Shadow is 
 only fuch a Refemblance as reprefents the 
 Outlines of the Body, but is not fuch a parti- 
 cular and diftincTt Refemblance, as a Pi(5ture or 
 Image \s^ which reprefents the particular Fea- 
 tures of the Face, and every particular part of 
 the Body. This is the exprefs Affertiori, Heh, 
 X. I. where the Author fays, For the Law 
 halving a Shadow vf good Things to come^ and 
 not the eery Image [^^tCvx] of the Things^ can 
 iie'ver with thofe Sacrifces — make the Com- 
 ers thereunto perfeU, This may ferve not on- 
 ly to confirm the Notion I here bring it to fup- 
 port, but what I advanced but jufl before, ^viz. 
 That the Law was fuch a Rcprefentation of 
 the Gofpel as would fliew the Analogy after 
 the Gofpel took place, rather than prefigure it 
 before hand. 
 
 From hence we may farther fee, how Chrift 
 is faid to be in the Law and the Prophets : 
 Namely, as a Type or Model may be faid to 
 be in its Antitype, or that which is made after 
 that Model : Or as a Body may be faid to be 
 in a Shadow, that reprefents the Outlines of 
 
 I it: 
 
of GOD to Manhnd. 47 
 
 it ; Or as a ftately Building defign'd for the 
 Heir, when at full Age, may be faid to be in 
 a lefs Building of the fame Proportions, built 
 of worfe Materials, intended for the Heir during 
 his Nonage. In a Word, Chrift may be faid 
 to be in the Law (not typically indeed, but) 
 antitypically, umbratically, and analogically. 
 It has been already obferv'd, that the Law 
 of the earthly Kingdom was deadly. And 
 fince it was, it was happy, that being made 
 only between God and one Family, tiz. of 
 Ifrael^ it could not difanul the Covenant or 
 Promife, which God had made four hundred 
 Years before to Ahraham^ and all the Fami- 
 lies of the Earth, that fliould imitate his Faith 
 and Obedience, as St. ^aiil is fliewn to argue 
 with great Force by Mr. JLock^ in his incom- 
 parable Note on Qal. iii. 15 — 21. and there- 
 fore though God could juftify none of the Sub- 
 jects of his earthly Kingdom to eternal Life, 
 by the Rule, Law or Conftitution of that 
 Kingdom j yet he juftify 'd as many as were 
 the fpiritual Seed, or Children of Abraham^ 
 i. e. "doho trod in the Steps of his Faith and 
 Obedience^ Gal. iii. 6 — 10. Rom. iv. 10 — 13. 
 according to the Promife and Covenant made 
 with Abraham^ and all his St^dy whether 
 Jews or Gentiles ^ Rom. iii. 30. Of the lat- 
 ter Sort were the Profelytes of the Gate, fuch 
 as arc defcrib'd, Tfal. xxvi. 3 — 7. Who 'were 
 to recei've the "Bleffmg of the God of Jacob : 
 And fuch in every Age, and in every Nation, 
 
 that 
 
48 An ElTay on the feveral T)ifpenfations 
 
 that feared God and 'wrought VJghteoufnefs^ 
 Ad:s X. 34, 35. So that T>a<vid^ who well 
 knew there was no Sacrifice appointed by the 
 Law of Mo[es for Murther and Adultery^ and 
 fuch Breaches of the moral Law, TfaL li 10. 
 but that the Soul that finned JJmtld die^ (See 
 2 Sam. xii. 13.) Tet hie'W the Wefjednefs of 
 him "dohofe T^ravfgreJJion is forgii-en^ whofe 
 Sin is cozwed, and unto whom the Lord im- 
 f lit eth not Iniquity ^ Pfal. y.y.y^i\, i, 2o Rom. iv. 
 6 — 9. And knew too, that he was that blef- 
 fed Perfon, who was iincere, or in whofe Spi- 
 rit there is no Guile ^ Ver. 2. Or as he fays in 
 another Tfahi^ who was of a broken and a 
 contrite Hearty Pfal. li. 17. Thus this, tho' 
 an earthly or temporal Kingdom, was the only 
 Kingdom, and the Ifraelites^ and fuch as 
 joyn'd with them, the only Teople God had 
 in the Wvrld-^ from the time of ereUing this 
 KingdcWy to the fending down of the Holy 
 Ghofi. 
 
 John Saptift indeed came preaching above 
 three Years before, that Men foonld repent^ 
 hecatfe the Kingdom of God was at hand : 
 The Kingdom which feveral of the ^Prophets^ 
 and Daniel in particular had foretold, as the 
 hfth Monarchy^ T>an. ix. 14. And the 
 Word himfelf condefcending to take Flefli did 
 the fame J and fent out his twelve Apoftles, and 
 after them his feventy Difciples in his Life- 
 time to do the like : And taught Men to pray 
 that this Kingdom might come^ that is-, might 
 
 come 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 49 
 
 come fpcedily: Mat. vi. 10. And after he 
 had fully taught a Rule, and had been himfelf 
 an Example of that Righteoufnefs, which if 
 his Pifciples v/ere conformVl to, he aii'ured 
 them they would obtain eternal Life, and had 
 as a Son become obedient unto Death, God 
 be^at him from the Dead, making him the 
 Firft-fruits of thofe who flcpt ; whereby he 
 declard him to he his Son^ Rom. i. 4. and the 
 Heir of all Tubings. In a few Days after He 
 gai'e him Glcry^ i Pet. i. 21. and vefled him 
 with kingly Power, upon his triumphal Afcen- 
 fion ; when he firft entered Heaven for tis^ or 
 as cm" Forerunner^ and fate down at the 
 right Hand of God : And being then alfo 
 anointed with the Oil of Gladnefs aboz^e bis 
 Fellws^ (Heb i. 9.) Angels voluntarily fiib- 
 jeUing themf elves to him : Or in other Words 
 of Scripture, bein^ filled with all Fulnefs as 
 the Head of his Kingdom, Church and Peo- 
 ple, He filed his Jpoflles with fuch a pro- 
 portionable Fulnefs under him, as fitted them 
 to be the chief Minifters of his Kingdom ; en- 
 abling them (by the Holy Ghoft ilied down 
 upon them, j^Us ii. 33.) to convince the Jews^ 
 that he was exalted to the right Hand of God ^ 
 cr to all ^Power : Enabling vhem alio to per- 
 fwade the Jews to be reconciled to God, and 
 to publifh the Laws and the Myfteries of this 
 Kingdom, or to open the Stat'.* of it. When 
 1 fay that the Apcfiles were enabled to con- 
 vince, perfvvade, and inftrucl: the Jews ^ I 
 
 H mean 
 
50 An Jiffzyon the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 mean Individuals , for to fr.ch only were they 
 fent. Chrift aifo hllcd others as inferior Mi- 
 nifters of his Church or Kingdom, for other 
 Purpofes ; namely, to teach, exhort, admo- 
 nifl"!, reprove or comfort his People, or dif- 
 charge other Offices in it, according to its va- 
 rious Exigencies. 
 
 Then the Kingdom of God, of Chrift, or 
 of Heaven (called aifo the Kif{^^07n (f Light) 
 took Place in the World. The Jew that 
 became a Subjed of this Kingdom, or one of 
 God's People in it, became fo only by be- 
 lieving Chrifr to be rifen and exalted to be the 
 King of it, and by making an open Profeilion 
 of his Belief, at his being publickly tranllated 
 into this Kingdom by Baptifm j and if he per- 
 fevered in obeying the Laws of this Kingdom, 
 which were m.iid and gentle ^ and to which 
 the Framxc and Conilitution of it gave hii^i 
 fufficient Encouragement, Motives and Affi- 
 ilances, he became one of its faithful Subjects, 
 fanil^tify'd in Soul, Body and Spirit ^ and enti- 
 tled by the Grace of it3 to the Reward of an 
 endlefs Life. 
 
 By this new Frame and Conflitution, eternal 
 Life- was far more iirmly alllir'd than by the 
 Jhrahamick Covenant, by the Jewijh Con- 
 jflitution, by the Kingdom fettled on the Fa- 
 mily of T}a'vid^ by the Predictions of the Pro- 
 phets, or by the Predictions, or the Preach- 
 i^^§ of John 'Baptift^ or of Jedis, whiift he 
 was a Prophet upon Earth. For Believer^ 
 
 now 
 
of GOD to Manhml. 5 [ 
 
 now were not only entitled to it, by being 
 Children o^ JbrabcVJ?, or of the TropbetSj 
 by being Ifraelites or Subjects of the Line of 
 i>a'Jid^ or by being Difciples of 'John 'Baptift 
 or of Jefiis j but in as much io they being 
 Partakers of FleJJj and 'Blood, and be alfo 
 taking fart of tbe fame^ (^"^^ing a Son of 
 J bra bam J Rom. i. 4. Heb. ii. 1 1 — 15.) died 
 and revived, that we, through our Relation to 
 him, as the Firft-born among many Brethren 
 (or our elder Brother; through the Spirit of 
 God, which he receiv'd, and then fent from 
 the Father, at his Afcenfion, might be begot- 
 ten to a licely Hope, or become afTured of our 
 Adoption i that is, of our being tbe Sons, and 
 confequently tbe Heirs of God, and joint Heirs 
 •Witb Jefus Cbrift^ Rom. viii. ty — 18. Or 
 
 as it is exprefs'd, GaLv.^ 7. God fent 
 
 forth his Son that ye might receii'e the 
 
 adoption of Sons. And becaufe ye are Sonf^ 
 God hath fent forth the Spirit of bis Son in- 
 to your Hearts, crying Abba, Father. Thus 
 the Spirit fent down from the Father and the 
 Son, became the Earned: of the heavenly In- 
 heritance to Chriftians, as Canaan^ and the 
 Kingdom of T^az'id, had been to the Ifra- 
 elites before. From this Tim.e God and Fa- 
 ther are not only very often promifcuoufly 
 us'd, but join'd together in Scripture. For 
 though they had been us'd promifcuoufly be- 
 fore, as has been already obfcrved, yet this 
 was little underflood, or at leaft attended to 
 
 Hz in 
 
^1 An Effay on the jeveral J)ifpenfations 
 
 in our Saviour's Time,- when through the 
 Corruptions that prevailed, the Tcitrmrchaly 
 Jbrabamick and Tropbelick^ as well as natu- 
 ral Reli-ion, and a fpirituai Mejjlah were fo 
 much forgot, and the temporal Kingdom fo 
 Vv'holly regarded, that our Saviour tells them, 
 that no Alan knows the Father^ face the Son ^ 
 and he to whom the ^on will receal him^ 
 Mat. xi. 27. 
 
 Beiides, our Adoption \s not only farther 
 fecur'd in Chrift Jefus^ by God's becoming 
 our Father, and our becoming his Sons and 
 Heirs, in the Manner I have juft now men- 
 tion'd i but as Chrift Jefits our elder Brother, 
 and with whom we are joint Heirs, is actually 
 poUefs'd of his Inheritance j and is become the 
 firft Fruits of the Refurrediion, and Afcenfion: 
 He being firft entered into Heaven, and for all 
 Behevers ,♦ (even for thofe, who had only an 
 Adoption in Ahraharn) as the Forerunner : 
 And to us (who have our Adoption in right 
 of being Chrift's Brethren^ as well as in right 
 of being the Children Q){ Ahraharn) as taking 
 Polleifion, and preparing a Place for us : God 
 not having deiign'd to give any thing more to 
 Jhraham , and his fpirituai Seed , before 
 Chrift, than a Title to Life ^ whilft the acftual 
 Poffeftion of Life was refer ved for one, that 
 was far more Righteous than Abraham^ who 
 was perfedly and completely fo, even Chrift 
 the Righteous. So that as Death adually en- 
 ter'd by Adarns Sin, Life at^ually enters by 
 
 Chrift's 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 5 5 
 
 Chrift's Obedience : Notwithftanding that a 
 Title to Life was given to Jbraham^ and his 
 fpiritual Seed before. And in this Senfe 1 un- 
 derhand St. ^mil^ Rom.y. 12 21. 
 
 But farther, we are not only entitled to the 
 Inheritance by our Adoption in Chrift Jeftts^ 
 but as it is a Reward given us by the fame Law 
 of this Kingdom, that prefcribes our Duty, as 
 the Terms of obtaining that Reward. This 
 Law muft therefore be confidered as a Cove- 
 nant, fince it does not only prefcribe our Du- 
 ty, and entitle every faithful Subject to a ge- 
 neral Protection • (which every Kingdom pro- 
 pofes to its Subjeds) but to the fpecial Re- 
 ward of a glorious and eternal Life, from the 
 unfpeakable Bounty and Munificence of our 
 heavenly King. And farther, this Law muft 
 likewife be coniider'd as a Covenant, which 
 Chrift has mediated between God and us. 
 
 In every well conftituted Kingdom, Law 
 and Compad is the Security of the Subjed: ,- 
 not only of fuch as preferve their Duty and 
 Allegiance, but of fuch as have fallen into Re- 
 bellion and Revolt. How much more muft 
 the Law and Covenant of this Kingdom be 
 thought to be fuch a Security, when we con- 
 fider it as mediated by one of fo great Power 
 and Dignity, as the fecond Perfon in it. 
 
 But we m.ay be ftill farther aiiur'd, that the 
 Law of this Kingdom fiiall have its full Force 
 and Effect, fince the Mediator of the Covenant 
 is made the King of this Kingdom, and is in 
 
 aCtii- 
 
^^ An Eflay on the fever al 'DifpeHfatms 
 adual PdfTeirion of it, for our Benefit, and ap- 
 pointed by the Father to keep PolTellion, and 
 to prepare a Place for us. And in order to 
 the better adminiftring, it has all Power over 
 all I'hings in Heaven and Earth put into his 
 Hands (as the King of his Church) him on- 
 ly excepted, who has put all things under 
 him. He has like wife all Judgment commit- 
 ted to him, in order to judge and determine 
 of the Actions of all Men, to pronounce Sen- 
 tence on them, and to award Execution at the 
 Confummation of all things. To which end, 
 the Gofpel affures us, that he will raife the 
 Wicked as well as the Juft, in order to his 
 p'afTing this final Judgment. So that he has 
 not only Life, but a Power to give an endlefs 
 Life, and inflidt the fecond Death, according 
 to 'cj^bat Men bace dene in the FleJJj^ whether 
 it he good^ cr whether it he e'vil. 
 
 This Kingdom, and univerfal Power, Chrift 
 has alfo obtained on a Covenant between th6 
 Father and himfelf, znz. becaufe he was [or 
 became] the Son of Man^ John v. 27. And 
 he having performed the Condition, which in 
 other Words v;as his taking Flefli, and ^Y'^Vi'^ 
 on the Crofs, cannot fail of having this King- 
 dom and Power confirm'd to him, as the Re- 
 ward of his Obedience. So that coming to his 
 Kingdom and Power on the Terms of fo pain- 
 ful a SubmiiTion to the Will of his heavenly 
 Father, he is often reprefented as coming to 
 them by Purclwfe 5 and as purchafmg his 
 
 Church, 
 
of GOD to Manhnd. 55 
 
 Church, theSubjeds of this Kingdo.m, whom 
 his Power is to fecure, (from the Bondage of 
 Sin and Satan^ and its Wages^ Death) with 
 his own l^lood^ Ac^ts xx. 2S. Ephef i. 14. 
 Whereas God only purchas'd or redecm'd the 
 People of his earthly Kingdom to himfcif from 
 B^yptian Bondage, by almighty Tower^ and 
 an oiit-ftr etched Arm^ Exod. xii. 6. Dcut. 
 iv. 20. and y.yiy^\\, 6. Tfalm Ixxii. 2. And 
 the Security, which we may fuppofc Chrift to 
 have acquir'd by his purchafing us with fo 
 great a Price, muft needs be our Security too,- 
 iince he is our immediate King, and we arc 
 immediately his People, and the Lot of his 
 Inherit ance-i Ephef. i. 14. 
 
 But left any Sufpicion ihould yet remain in 
 the Minds of guilty Men (who are ever full 
 of all pofTible Mifgivings) of what might be 
 the Event ^ fmce after all God is greater than 
 the King of this Kingdom, or the Mediator 
 of this Covenant ,• and that he \s alv/ays confi- 
 der'd as the offended Party ^ left any Jealoufy, 
 I fay, lliould lurk in our Minds on this ac- 
 count, Chrift is repreftnted not only as the 
 King of this Kingdom, but as the High-frieft 
 of our ProfelUon, offering himfeif to God as a 
 Sacrifice of a fv/eet fmclling Savour by the 
 eternal Spirit, and powerfully intercecding as 
 an Advocate with him, in virtue of that Sacri- 
 £ce, in order to obtain all BJelfings from him, 
 and difpenling them to \\^ -^ and ixe are jure 
 that God alv)ays heartth him. From this 
 
 Con- 
 
^6 An Effay on the fever al 'Difpenfations 
 
 Confideration it is, that we are commanded to 
 pray to the Father in his Name ; Coming to 
 God through an Interccilbr being a proper 
 Support of the Faith of fach who have been 
 guilty : As we may all fee by confuhing our 
 pwn Minds, or the Hiftory of Mankind, even 
 when we are only guilty to one another. Be- 
 iides, that it is but fit and congruous, that if 
 the Father difpenfes his Bleilings to us by the 
 Son, we fliould offer up our Sacrifices of Pray- 
 er and Praifes by him aifo. And it fecms too, 
 that Chriil: being our High-priefl:, and pre- 
 fcnting himfelf a Sacrifice to God for us, is ai- 
 fo defign'd to fliew us the HoHnefs of the Su- 
 preme and Subordinate King of this Kingdom j 
 and of the Law he has fet us, and to furnifla 
 us with powerful Motives to obey them. 
 
 But that we may have all poifible Affurance, 
 that God will hear Chrifl: at ail times, we have 
 the ftrongeft Proofs that he has heard him. 
 For on praying the Father for the Spirit, as 
 he faid he would, Jobn xiv, 1 6. he received 
 it, and fent jt down on his JpoftleSy and firji 
 ^jfciples in proper Proportions and Degrees, 
 as he had before promifcd. Thus this Spirit 
 was firft in Promifc, and then in Fad an Affu- 
 rance, that God had heard Chrift; and a 
 ^Pitclgc^ tliat he would hear him in all his In- 
 tercciiions for us. 
 
 This Oflice of an High prieft \s, alfo farther 
 coniirm'd to him, and confcquently to us, by 
 the Oath cf Goa j who has fworn to him. Thou 
 
 art 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 5 7 
 
 art a Trieft for e-ver after the Order of Mel- 
 chizedcck, ^/^r/. ex. 4. Heh. vii. 21. That fo 
 hy tziDO jmmiitahlc things^ by which it is im- 
 pojjibk for God to lie^ "dOe might ha^jeftrovg 
 Coufolation^ i^ho hai'e fled for Refuge to lay 
 hold upon the Hope fet before lis. 
 
 By all thcfe Ways wc are aflur'd of its be- 
 ing God's good Pieafure to give us the King- 
 dom. But yet left after all we fhould have any 
 doubt of the Sufficiency of Chrift*s Power, or 
 of his Intereft to prefcrve us to it, and we 
 fliould imagine, that any might be able to 
 pluck us out of his Hand, notwithftanding the 
 Kingdom and Power that is thus committed 
 and fecurcd to him ; yet ftill, I fay, as we 
 can't but know, that none can pluck us out of 
 his Father's Hand, we are (to prevent any 
 doubt or fufpicion on this Head) exprefly af- 
 fur'd, that Be and the Father are One^ John 
 X. 34. And that we fliall be kept by the migh^ 
 ty Toziser tfQod through Faith unto Sa hat ton. 
 Oh ! the Height and T)epth^ the Length and 
 ^Breadth., of the Lo've of Chriji that pajjetb 
 Knowledge ! 
 
 Finally, That thofe who fliould live in the 
 Ages that were diftant from the moft known 
 and important Facets of this Tranfaction, might 
 not have the leaft Hefitation, about the Truth 
 of them (on which the Doctrines and Duties 
 that the Subje(5ts of this Kingdom are to be- 
 lieve and prat^tifc, together with their Hopes, 
 depend) Chrift has inftituted a Feaft at his 
 
 I Table, 
 
58 An ¥.ffciVon the fever al Tjiffenfations 
 
 Table, (fuch an or^s as fuits the State of this 
 Kingdom, and the Bulk of the Subjects of it,) 
 as a proper and folemn Memorial to be often 
 repeated, in order to preferve the Evidence of 
 the Truth of thefe Facts in fuch a Manner, as 
 is leafi liable to be counterfeited, (accompanied 
 with Words which demonftrate the Infiitutor 
 of this Feaft to be the High-prieft of our Pro- 
 fefiion, and the Prince of our Salvation) ana- 
 logous to the PalTover^ the mofl folemn Feaft of 
 the earthly Kingdom, and calculated to raife 
 the mofl: proper Sentiments in our Minds to- 
 wards him, and all our Fellovv Subjeds, till 
 the Lord himfcif ccmes the JecondTime^with- 
 Gut a Sacrifce for Sin unto Salvation, To 
 which purpofe, as well as thofe of offering up 
 pur joint Prayers and Praifes, and Alms, and 
 of admoniiliing one another in his Name, 
 Chriftians muft alTemble themfelvcs together 
 in a decent and orderly Manner. 
 
 All the Texts that relate to ftrgicing Sin^ 
 and imputing Right eon fnefs ; or that [peak of 
 the liigbteoiifnefs of God^ or :f Faith^ or of 
 Faith working by Lote^ or of the Works of 
 Faith y or £/f/ibraham, or of our being jnfti- 
 fed by Works ^ are to be underftood either to 
 relate to the Covenant with Abraham^ or to 
 the State of the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 From this Tim.e forward this heavenly 
 Kingdom became fo eminently the Kingdom 
 of Gcd, and the Si,bjeCts of it fo eminently his 
 People [the Aao^ that Jhould be born'] that 
 
 ' the 
 
of GOD to Mankind, 59 
 
 the other low earthly Kingdom dcfigncd chief- 
 ly to prepare things lor this, and his earthly 
 People the Subjects of that Kingdom are fcarce 
 ever confidcr'd : Though that earthly King- 
 dom continued, and the Jews remain'd the 
 Subjeds of it for near forty Years after Chrift's 
 Afcenlion to his Throne j God afi'ording them 
 that Time and Opportunity to enter into his 
 fpiritual and heavenly Kingdom, and giving 
 them the laft and moft dcmonftrative Evidence 
 of their Obligations to enter into it by the 
 Conviiftions of the Spirit j as well as frefh Mo- 
 tives to that Purpofe, by the Provocation God 
 faw ht to give them to Jealoufy (fome few 
 Years after it had been only offer'd to them) 
 by taking in firft the Devout, and then the 
 Idolatrous Gentiles to be his People, and the 
 Subjects of this heavenly Kingdom ^ who had 
 been till then (a very few excepted; Enemies^ 
 iscalkivg according to the Trince of the Tower 
 of the Jir^ ever lince the Apoftacy foon after 
 the Flood ^ and having a great part of that 
 time been kept feparate from God's People (or 
 the People of his earthly Kingdom) and the 
 Children of his Family, by the ceremonial 
 Law, the Wall of Partition, which immur'd or 
 enclos d the Jews^ and kept out the Gentiles 
 from them, Gal iii. 23. But that Wall of 
 Partition being now to be broken down, and 
 an EnVoaflagc of Peace being to be fent to the 
 Gentiles^ by Teter^ Tatil and "Barnabas^ to 
 perl wade them to be reconciled, and to enter 
 1 2 into 
 
6o An Eflay on the fever al T>ifj)enfations 
 
 into his heavenly Kingdom, and fo to become 
 Fellow Members, and Subjedts of that King- 
 dom, (without being fubjecl to the Laws of 
 his earthly Kingdom) with the Remnant of 
 JezjVs that had, or iliould enter into it (and 
 remain Subjeds to the laws of his earthly 
 Kingdom) God's Purpofe took effect, (for 
 who fhall relHl his Will?) And all of them 
 together came to have God for their God in 
 the moft high and exalted Senfe, as they be- 
 came his fpiritual People {by Faith in Chriji 
 JefiiSj Rom. iii. 29. and ix. 24, 25.) the true 
 Jews or Ifrael oj God^ or the Circiimcifion not 
 made with Hands. Rom. ix. 14. Gal. vi. 16. 
 A chofen Generation^ a Koyal Triefthood^ an 
 Holy Nation^ a peculiar (or a purchased) 
 'Peopk^ I Pet. ii. 9. Both 'Jew and Gentile, 
 Ciraimcifion and IJncircttmcifion^ Barbarian, 
 Scythian, ^ond and Free. For though the 
 Jews had been a holy People from the firf]:, 
 acknowledging the only true God, and the 
 Rule of Virtue, and were at this Time free 
 from Idolatry ,• yet they had ftrangely devi- 
 ated from that Rule to fuperftitious and impi- 
 ous Traditions. But now they were enabled 
 to underftand and obferve the Rule of Virtue 
 far better than ever they had done before ,• 
 (as the Prophet Jeremiah foretold they fliould) 
 and fo became God's People in another Man- 
 ner than they had been his People : Not ac- 
 cording to the Co'venant oj the Tables of Stone ^ 
 Init by putting his Laws into their inward 
 
 TartSy 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 6 1 
 
 TartSy and writing them in their Hearts^ 
 Jer. xxxi. 31. quoted Heh. viii. 10. and allu- 
 ded to 2 Cor. iii. 3 10. And as thtjews 
 
 now became more eminently Holy j fo the 
 Gentiles now firft became [Saints, or] Holy, 
 at their bemg tranjlated out of the Kingdom of 
 T)arknefs into this ILingdoyn of Light^ i Cor. 
 i. 2. Ephef. i. i . Then firlt renouncing the 
 Works of T)arknefs^ and feparating themfelves 
 from the reft of the World, which lay in Ido- 
 latry and Vice. 
 
 From what has been hitherto faid of the 
 ^hrahaynick Covenant, and the Conftituti- 
 on of the heavenly Kingdom, we may fee, 
 that they are the fame in Subftance, and differ 
 chiefly as two Covenants between the Father 
 of a Family and his Children may be fiippo- 
 fed to differ ; the one of which is more fully 
 explain'd, and corroborated than the other : 
 Or as a Covenant between the Father of a Fa- 
 mily and his Children may be fuppofed to dif- 
 fer from the fame Covenant between the fame 
 Parties, confider'd not only as a Father of a 
 Family with his Children , but as a King with 
 his People. In order to give a fuller Security 
 to their Adoption or Inheritance, by Law and 
 Compact, the moft folemnly ratified and con- 
 firmed, fo as to entitle them to their Inheri- 
 tance, not only as their Inheritance, but as 
 their Reward. 
 
 And from all that has been hitherto faid, 
 we may fee, that the heavenly Inheritance 
 
 was 
 
67 An EfTay on the fever al Dijpenfdtions 
 
 was firft intimated to Adam^ and to the Pa- 
 triarchs^ (both by the gracious Difcoveries 
 God made to his own Family, and by the 
 amazing Curfes and Judgments he brought 
 on the Family of the Devil) was expreily 
 promis'd, feafd, fworn and pledg'd to Ahra- 
 hanij and to all his fpiritual Seed through 
 him j (though the Knowledge of the Promife, 
 Seal, Oath and Pledge, was not publifh'd be- 
 yond his Family, and fuch as would come to 
 enquire of that Family about itj was pointed 
 out by the Imperfedion and the Antitype of 
 the 'Jewijlj Conftitution ^ was pledg'd afreili 
 in Promife, by the Covenant with Uat'id.y 
 and in fa<^, to his Seed, who fat for above 
 four hundred Years on his Throne ^ was fore- 
 told by the Trophets^ ('when the former Pled- 
 ges feem'd to fail) as what fliould take Place 
 under the Kingdom of the Mejfiah^ the Son 
 of ^at'id, in the Age to come j was prophe- 
 iied of by John ^aptifi^ as what would be 
 accomplifncd m Jcfus^ wiiom he pointed to 
 as then among them ; was preached by J e fits 
 in the Days of his Fleili, as what would take 
 Place after his being lifted up ^ was actually 
 poilefs'd and enter'd upon by him, and for us, 
 at his Afcenfion, as the Firft-born amonj^ ma- 
 ny (Sons of Abraham^ who were all his) Bre- 
 thren i was fworn to Chrifi ; was fignified by 
 Baptifm j was commemorated by the Lord's 
 Supper ,• and lafl: of all, was feal'd and pledg'd 
 by the Spirit, as a Proof that Chriil has Pow- 
 er 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 6 ^ 
 
 er to give Life, (from his being exalted to all 
 Power both of Government and Judgment,^ 
 and that he will in due Time adually give it 
 his Brethren and Subje(^S5 by that very Spirit 
 by which God rais'd him, and by which he 
 will raile us up from the Dead : By which al- 
 fo fome of the /ipojiles went and preached this 
 whole Doctrine to all the Je^JOs^ and others 
 of them, according to his Command, to all 
 the Qmtiles* 
 
 Thus God had from the Shedding down of 
 the Holy Ghoft (the firft Adt of Chrid's regal 
 Povv'tr; till the Deftru^ftion of Jerufaiem^ two 
 Kingdoms and two People in the World ^ but 
 of diiferent Kinds, tiz. an earthly and an 
 heavenly one. And though the Subje(5ts of 
 the earthly Kingdom had no Privilege in the 
 heavenly Kingdom, beyond the Gentiles^ who 
 were not Subjects of the earthly Kingdom, be- 
 fides the hrft Offer of entring inro his heaven- 
 ly Kingdom ; yet they continued the Subjects 
 or People of his earthly Kingdom., under his 
 temporal ProteClion, (fuch at icalt as was fuit- 
 ed to the low State of their Fidelity and Obe- 
 dience, and to the wife and merciful Ends of 
 his univerfal Government of the World,) ow- 
 ing and paying Obedience to the Law of his 
 fleilily or carnal Commandments. This muli 
 ncceflarily have been the Cafe, lince his fpiri- 
 tual Kingdom, related wholly to the Minds of 
 
 Men, 
 
64 An Eflay on the fever al Difpenfations 
 Men, and alter'd nothing in their civil Obliga- 
 tions. Indeed it bound down their Political 
 fas well as Occonomical) Duties more ftrictly 
 upon them. Ro7n. xiii. 1 — 8. i Cor, vii. 
 I c— 2 5. So far was it from diflblving any 
 civil Polity or Government in the World j or 
 theirs in particular. 
 
 But when after all the moft gracious and 
 condefcending Methods had been try'd, the 
 Subjeds of this earthly Kingdom would not 
 ferve God, and obey the Voice of his Son, 
 the great Prophet^ as they had promis'd they 
 would, as a fundamental Stipulation at the 
 creding the earthly Kingdom, T^eiit, xviii- 
 15— — -20. Bjxod, XX. 19. JUs iii. 23. Nor 
 would not enter into his heavenly Kingdom, 
 but continued a rebellious and contumacious 
 People for about forty Years, after the erect- 
 ing this Kingdom, (the Time that he had fuf- 
 fer'd the Manners of their Fathers in the Wil- 
 dernefs,) he brought the Teople of the Trince^ 
 (^calTd fo, becaufe he was the Head of the 
 fourth ( or only ) Monarchy then in the 
 World , according to 'Danielh prophetick 
 Language) upon them • as Daniel had fore- 
 told, {Chap. ix. 26.) and as Jefus himfelf fore- 
 told alfo, {Ijuke xix. 41 — 45. and xxi. 20.) 
 and deftroyed them j whereby he abdicated 
 this his earthly Kingdom, affording the Jews 
 no manner of Protection ^ they having entire- 
 
 ly 
 
of GOD to Mankind, 65 
 
 ly forfeited it^ and the keeping up that earth- 
 ly Kingdom, being no longer of that ufe to 
 the Je'Ws^ or to the World, for which it was 
 chiefly and ultimately intended ^ now that the 
 heavenly Kingdom had fo fully taken Place: 
 For Chrift ijoas the End of the Law^ Rom. 
 X. 4. And it had been foretold, that when He 
 for whrm the Government was referred [i'JDC, ^v 
 i\% (Z diTOK&ilcii'jJImdd ccme, and the 'People 
 jlmdd he gather d unto him^ the Sceptre fljould 
 depart from Judah, and a Lawgher from 
 between his Feet^ Gen. xlix. i o. according to 
 fome, and thofe I think the beft. Readings of 
 the Septuagint. Whereupon as God ccas'd to 
 be their King, they ceas d to be his People, 
 or to owe any Allegiance to the Laws of his 
 earthly Kingdom ,• and became the avow'd 
 and determin'd Enemies of his heavenly King- 
 dom, Kom. xi. 28. The very Charader of 
 the idolatrous G^/^;t//^j*5 Rom. v. 10,11. 
 
 From this Time God has had but one 
 Kingdom, and one People in the World, {piz, 
 a heavenly and a fpiritual Kingdom over a wil- 
 ling People) ruling only over the Spirit of their 
 Minds. However, for their ivzf/J7^r'j"y}z/&^ f up- 
 on whofe Account the Ifraelites were firft ta- 
 ken to be a People, Tieiit. iv. 37.) the Jews are 
 ftill fo beloved, that it is probable, there will 
 come a time, according as God feems to have 
 rcvcafd it by his holy Apoftles and Prophets, 
 K * that 
 
66 Ah Eflay o>2 the fever al Diffenfations 
 
 that they fhall be reftor'd, not only to be his 
 fpiritual Subjeds, but his earthly People 
 again in their own Land. ! the Tiepth of 
 the Riches^ both of the Wifdom and Knowledge 
 of God I How imfearchahlc are his Judgments^ 
 and his Ways pafl findivg out ! 
 
 This earthly Kingdom however, when re- 
 ftor'd, is to ceafe before the heavenly one. 
 For that will not determine but with the End 
 and Confummation of all God's Difpenfations 
 towards the Children of Men. When all the 
 Enemies of God's Family and Kingdom, 
 and of his Children and People, are to he 
 put wider Chrift's Feet ^ the laft of which 
 JJ?aU he T)eath : Then will his Kingdom ap- 
 pear in its brighteft Glory. Jnci when the 
 Father Jlmll hat'e fuhdtied all Things unto 
 him^ \_Chrift'] then alfo floall the Son himfelf 
 he [iihjeU tinto him \the Father^ that God 
 may he all in all^ i Cor. xv. 25, 265 28. 
 
 That the one great Defign of Revelation, 
 and the one great Mean, by which that Defign 
 has been purfued in the feveral Difpenfations 
 of God towards Mankind (though difcovered 
 
 in 
 
^ GOD to Mankind, 67 
 
 in different Ages of the World in different 
 AVays) may appear the more clear and perfpi- 
 ciious j 1 will endeavour to draw what I have 
 faid a little clofcr together, in a lliort Recapi- 
 tnlation of the whole. 
 
 Which is this : I'hat after Adam^ whom 
 God had created innocent or perfect, and 
 whom, as fiich, he had vefted at his Crea- 
 tion with the Inheritance of an animal, ter- 
 reftrial Glory , Dominion , Blifs and Im.- 
 mortality, (by which he became the Son of 
 Qod^ Luke iii. ult.) and that not only for 
 himfelf, but for his Pofterity, had forfeited 
 it for them as well as for himfelf^ by eating of 
 the Tree of Death, or of the Knowledge of 
 Good and E^'il^ in difcbedience to God's ex- 
 prefs Command, and in compliance with the 
 Temptation of the Devil : It being the good 
 Pleafure of God, I fay, that Adam^ who had 
 been thus his Son by Creation, with all his 
 Defcendants, the Sons of Men, iliould not 
 finally continue the Children of that apoftate 
 Spirit, and fo remaining under the Power of 
 Death, have their Portion with him in the 
 'BlachiefsofT)arhie[sfore'je)\ through De- 
 fpair of ever diverting the Difpleafure of their 
 Maker ^ or through their being without a well 
 grounded Hope of obtaining a Recompence 
 fuflficicnt to fupport them in a conffant Courfe 
 of Self-denial and Obedience; God was merci- 
 fully pleafed to give fome Intimations to Adam 
 and the Tatriarchs^ (particularly to Enoch 
 K 2 and 
 
68 An ^ihy on the fever at ^ifpenfations 
 
 and Noah^ that He would become a Re- 
 warder after Death [or a Father] of all thofe 
 who fliould diligently feek after his Will and 
 obey it. I mean that Will of his written in 
 their Hearts^ or imparted by Revelation, re- 
 lating to their Temper and Condnd, which 
 was fo perfediy fuited to theii' Nature and 
 Circumflances, as to render it fit for them 
 to fearch after and obey it, abftraded from 
 all Coniiderations of this future Reward. On 
 the other Hand, God alfo gave feverai Jnftan- 
 ces of his high Difpleafure againft the Family 
 oiCain and Canaan^ (which are to be coniider- 
 ed in their refpedive Ages, as the avowed Fa- 
 milies of the i)etuly) and againft fuch as min- 
 gled w^ith them, (who rejevSled and defpifed 
 all the gracious Intim.ations of his Purpofe of 
 adopting the Children of Men,) thereby the 
 better to keep the Children of his own Fami- 
 ly in a juft Awe and Fear of Him. 
 
 And to the Intent, that he misht at the 
 fame Time aifure them the more effectually 
 ot that his mioft gracious Purpofe, he after- 
 wards in great Tendernefs and Condefcenii- 
 on, vouchfafed to make an exprefs Covenant 
 with Abraham^ the Father of ail the Faithful j 
 in regard of his lingular and unexampled 
 Truft in the Power of God, and Obedience to 
 his Will, in the moft trying Inftances, that he 
 would Ado-pt him to the Inheritance of a glo- 
 rious, Ipiritual, and ccleftial Kingdom, Blifs 
 and immortality, infinitely exceeding the In- 
 heritance 
 
 1 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 69 
 
 herkance which Mankind loft by the Difobe- 
 dience of the Father of all the Licing. God 
 was moreover pleafed to sive Ahraham the 
 Promife of Canaan^ as a promis d Pledge of 
 his performing that better Promife ^ and Cir- 
 cumcilion^ as a Seal to both thefe Promifes : 
 And was alfo pleafed to ratify the Perfor- 
 mance of them by an Oath. Nor did he 
 make this Promife to Jhraharn alone, but in 
 making it to him, he made it to all the Men of 
 all the Families of the Earth, in ail Age.s, that 
 fliouid become his Seed j that is^ that fhouid 
 imitate his Faith and Obedience. 
 
 He afterwards alfo, for feveral wife Re2- 
 fons, erected this Family, and fuch as would 
 joyn thcmfclves to them, into an earthly Ki:?^ 
 dom^ fo conftitutec, as to point out a better i 
 and as in many proper Ways to prepare Men 
 and difpofe Things for the Eftabliiliment of it^ 
 and to anfwer many other great Ends, both 
 to them and the World, in their own Time, 
 and in all future Ages. He alfo gave them 
 the actual PolTeiTion of Canaan \ and after- 
 wards made a Covenant, concerning the Fa- 
 mily of Tiai'ld^ ( and confirm'd it by an 
 Oath,) as Pledges of the Performance of this 
 betteiS^ Promife. And after the unpromiimg 
 adverfe or defperate Circumftances of the 
 Jewijlo Nation, made both the Pledges feem 
 to lofe their Force with the Jcdi's^ this Hope 
 was kept alive by Prophecies of the latter 
 Prophets of a better Kingdom under the Mef- 
 
 iiah; 
 
yo An Eflay on the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 fiah i efpeciaily in the Minds of fuch, as would 
 become the Children of the Prophet s^ and imi- 
 tate them in the Faith of thefe Predictions. 
 
 And to the Intent, that he might in due Time 
 alTure this Inheritance to them in a clearer and 
 ftronger Manner, than he had done by the In- 
 timations to the Patriarchs, by the Covenant 
 with Jbrahanh as the Father of a fpiritual 
 Family or Seed, or by the Covenant of Sinai^ 
 or of "Da-vid^ or by the latter Prophets, he 
 firft feat his holy Child Jeftis to allljre them 
 of this, as a Prophet and Teacher of a higher 
 kind than he had ever fent before j and to 
 give us a clear Rule and a perfed Example of 
 fuch a Righteoufnefs, (after the Forgivenefs 
 of what was pad,) as would entitle us to this 
 Inheritance, Whom, after that He had be- 
 come obedient to Death, God raifed from the 
 Dead, and gave him Glory ^ erecting a King- 
 dom under him, as the Firft-born among ma- 
 Xiy Brethren ^ conftituting him for this high 
 and voluntary Ad of Obedience, in fuffering 
 Death, the Heir and Lord of all things j that 
 fo if the Jews^ or others, (whether they 
 were already his adopted Children or not, ) 
 on a Meflage fent to them from himfelf by the 
 Jpoflles of Chi'lft Jefiis^ would now become 
 the faithful Subjeds of this his heavenly King- 
 dom, and be pnblickly tranflated into it by 
 Baptifm, they ihould both be recovered from 
 Death, the Appointment of the Sons of Men, 
 and faved from Wrath to comiC, or the fecond 
 
 Death, 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 7 1 
 
 Deaths the Portion and Reward of the Fa- 
 mily and Kingdom of the Devil ,• and alfo 
 have this heavenly Inheritance much more 
 firmly fecured to them in right of Children, 
 by Adoption in jlhrdham^ as the Father of the 
 Faithful. For Chrift was a Child o{ Abraham^ 
 ptitt'mg his Trtift in God^ Heb. xi. 1 3. and was 
 adually raifed from the Dead, and confcquently 
 became their elder Brother. He alfo became 
 their elder Brother on another Confideration^ 
 <viz. as he fent to them the Spirit of their hea- 
 venly Father, now become the Spirit alfo 
 of himfelf, their elder Brother, (on his re- 
 ceiving it from the Father,) as a Pledge and 
 Earneft of their Adoption ,• thereby confirm- 
 ing their Title to this hiheritance as Heirs of 
 Qody and making or conftituting them joint 
 Heirs with himfelf. But their Title to this 
 Inheritance was yet more firongly confirmed to 
 them by this new Conftitution j not only by its 
 confirming their Title by Adoption, but by its 
 giving them a new Title, c/s;. that of a R.e- 
 ward to their Obedience of the mild and gra- 
 cious Law of this Kingdom : To which Re- 
 ward they fhould have an indefeafible Title, 
 by that very Law, which prefcribed the Terms 
 of this Reward : The Law it felf, which is 
 confidered as a Covenant, ((ince it not only 
 prefcribes the Duty of a Subject, but entitles 
 every one that performs it, to this Rew^^rd,) 
 being moreover ratified and confirmed by the 
 moft great and folemn Tranfa(5lions3 that we 
 
 I can 
 
yi An Effay on the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 can conceive between the Father, as the Mo- 
 narch of the Univerfe, and the Man Chrift 
 Jefus, as the King of this Kingdom under 
 him; in behalf of the Kingdom which he was 
 to receive from him, and in behalf of fuch as 
 would become the Subjeds of it. 
 
 And to the Intent, that the mofl: diflant Ages 
 of the World misht be alTured of the Truth of 
 the moft important Fads of this Tranfadion, 
 he has inflituted a Feaft to be often repeated in 
 his Kingdom,asan undoubted Memorial of them, 
 analogous to the moft folemn Feaft of the earth- 
 ly Kingdom, and calculated to raife the moft 
 proper Refled:ions in our Minds, till he comes 
 the fecond Time is^Hhoiit Sin tnito S ah at ion. 
 1 o which and all the other holy Purpofes,^;/^. 
 of Baptifm (mentioned before) Hearing the 
 Word of God, public Prayers, Praifes and Ad- 
 monitions, Chriltians muft aflemble themfelves 
 with Decency and Order. 
 
 Thus has it pleafed God in infinite Wifdom 
 and Mercy, to take the moft wife and conde- 
 fccnding Methods, in order to prevent our 
 Defpair, and to animate and confirm us in the 
 Hope of fuch a Degree of immortal and cele- 
 ftiai Dominion, Biifs and Glory, as would be 
 in finitely fuperior to all the low, mix*d and mo- 
 mentary Pieafures, that might feduce us from 
 our Duty, (and the Happinefs that both confti- 
 tutes it to be our Duty, and that refults from 
 it,) without which fuperior Reward, the grand 
 Enemy of God's Kingdom, would for ever 
 
 have 
 
of G OT) to Manh'ind. 7 ^ 
 
 have diverted Mankind from any Endeavours 
 after Obedience, or at leaft from a ikady Per- 
 fevcrance in it; As he firft tempted them to 
 Apoftacy by an Ad of the highcH: Prefump- 
 tion, from a vain Hope of gratifying a low 
 Appetite of the Body, and a fooliili and wic- 
 ked Ambition of their Mind. 
 
 In order to underftand the Nature of the 
 earthly Kingdom of God over the IfraeUtes^ 
 and the heavenly Kingdom of God over Chrl- 
 jiians the more fnlly, it muft always be re- 
 member'd , that as the former was ercvfled 
 many Ages before the latter, fo the former,, j^,^ 
 continued near forty Years after the latter^ 
 During which Time thefe two Kingdoms 
 were Cotemporary to each other. 
 
 And though it is probable that the earthly 
 Kingdom may be again ereded ,• yet it muft 
 ceafe and determine before the heavenly one ^ 
 which will not end but with the Confummati- 
 on of all Things. 
 
 Thus I have confidered Adam as a Son of 
 God hy Creation before the Fall; And all 
 Mankind after the Fall, either as the adopted 
 Sons, and afterwards the People of God, or as 
 the Children, and aft<=rwards the Sub*'"dts of 
 the Devil j and accordmgly entitled to ' end- 
 lefs Life, as it is defcribed in Scripture. '* ap- 
 pointed to the fecond Death. 
 
 C o R o L- 
 
74- ^^' 'Effs.yon the fever al T)'ij^cnJations 
 
 Corollary I. 
 
 As this is the Sum of what has been faids 
 fo the Corollaries which may very fitly be 
 drawn from it arc. That Heligion^ or as Ibme 
 Divines have very juftly diftinguiPn'd it, the 
 Religion of the £nd, has ahvays btci:, and al- 
 ways will be the ilime, from the Beginning 
 to the End of this World, and of that which 
 is to come : But the Religion of the Means 
 [Mean] has been fomewhat diScrent, in the 
 different Ages of the Children of Men. By 
 the Religion of the End, I mean the ficady 
 Government of our own Appetites and PalTi- 
 ons, and a con flan t Benevolence to others, 
 neceflarily refulting from the Frame of our 
 iSlatm-e^ and from the State of Things, confi- 
 der'd as the Law of a Being fupremely power- 
 ful, wife and good, and to whom confequent- 
 ly all Reverence, Gratitude, Obedience, Sub- 
 million, and Reiignation, are due. And in 
 this Religion of the End, natural and reveal'd 
 Religion, as to the Matter of them, are en- 
 tirely the fame. And by the Religion of the 
 Means [Mean] (which has been the chief and 
 peculiar Matter of Revelation,) I intend the 
 Method which God in infinite Condefccniion 
 and Kindnefs to Mankind, has ufed by Reve- 
 lation, to keep or make them Religious ; Such 
 as the Method ufed with our firft Parents in 
 
 Inno- 
 
^/ GOD to Mmikind, 75 
 
 Innocence j with them, and the Patriarchs af- 
 ter the Fall ; with Ahraham^ and all that 
 knowing his Story, Hiould imitate his Virtues ^ 
 with the Ifraelttes^ and all that were ac- 
 quainted with their Story, and then with the 
 Difciples of John 'Baptiji, and of Jcfiis^ and 
 the Believers in Chrift, All which Methods 
 will fall under the general Head of Motive, or 
 Promife • very much heightned however, as 
 it contains an AlVurance of bein^ delivered 
 from the fevercfl: Threatning. Or if you will, 
 this jMatter may be a little more particularly 
 ftated thus. The Religion of the End is Pie- 
 ty, Virtue, or the Obedience of a Child of 
 God. The Mean to keep or make Men Chil- 
 dren of God, has been the promis'd Continu- 
 ance of the PoflefHon, or the Hopes of fuch a 
 future Reward or Inheritance, as might pre- 
 ferve Men in being obedient to God, or reco- 
 ver them to it, and to the Inheritance that 
 belongs to it, after they were become Chil- 
 dren of the Devil, and Heirs of Death and 
 Wrath. That Inheritance was Paradife, and 
 the promis'd Continuance of it on Condition 
 of Obedience, to our firft Parents in Innocence; 
 and to them and their Defcendants after the 
 Fall, Heaven or eternal Tife, as it is reveal- 
 ed in Scripture, (/. e. a State of Dominion 
 and Blifs, to be en joy 'd in a celeftial, fpiritual, 
 powerful, and glorious Body, in the Prefence 
 and Glory of God, not fubjedl to any future 
 State cf Trial,) through a Recovery from the 
 L 2 firft 
 
76 An Eflay on the fever al J)ifpcnJations 
 
 firfi: Death, and Salvation from the fecond 
 Death. This could never have been difcover- 
 cd by our Rcafon, but was gracioully hinted 
 to our firft Parents afid the Patriarchs j ex- 
 prefly promis'd to Jhrahajn ; pointed out by 
 the Law and Conftitution God gave the If- 
 raelites j pledg'd by the Pofleflion o[ Canaan^ 
 and afterwards by the Covenant with JDavid^ 
 and his Line j clearly prophefy'd of, particu- 
 larly by John 'Baptiji-j to be farther confirm'd 
 by the Mejftah ; ad:ually confirm'd by him, 
 as a Prophet, to his Difciples, whilft on Earth ,• 
 but chiefly by him as a King, to his Subje«5ts, 
 on his Death, Refurredion, and Afceniion in- 
 to Heaven ^ as appear'd by his fending down 
 the Holy Ghoft. Such as have ufed the feve- 
 ral Methods of opening this great Mean of Re- 
 ligion, to the making themfelves Religious in 
 the feveral Ages of the World , and have 
 thereby promoted their Virtue and Piety, or 
 the Temper and Condudl of a Child of God, 
 have comply'd with the Obligations they were 
 under, with regard to the Religion of the 
 Means [Mean] and of the End. 
 
 It muft at the fame Time be obferved, that all 
 thefc feveral Methods, which are confidered as 
 the Religion of the Means [Mean] have been 
 exadly fuited to the different Circumftances of 
 Men and Things in thefe feveral Difpenfations ,• 
 the firft beginning where one would reafonably 
 exped it, namely, with the Creation of Man ,-the 
 reft naturally following from the Fall of Man ^ 
 
 and 
 
^/ GOD to Mankind. 77 
 
 and all the former Methodi; leading to the 
 laft, centering in it, and being fully and glo- 
 riouily compleated by it. 
 
 Thus has the Religion of the Means [Mean] 
 been fomewhat different in refpect of Clcar- 
 nefs and Certainty, and different Accommo- 
 dation to the different Circumftances of Man- 
 kind, in the feveral Ages of the World,- 
 whilft the Religion of the End has not only 
 been invariably the fame, but at the fame 
 Time always fo certain and plain, as to be of 
 it felf fufhcicnt to lead all Men to it, and to 
 leave them without excufe, if they did not 
 know and pradife it. Hov/ever, to fuch as 
 have underftood and pradis'd it the beft, bet- 
 ter Means, or greater Aififtances have been 
 fliil given as a Rew^ard for the Improvement 
 of what they already had. And when fuch 
 Means have been afforded, they have been al- 
 ways attended with fufficient Evidence of their 
 Fitnefs and Genuinenefs (as the Religion of the 
 End has always been with the fullefl: Evidence 
 of its Truth and Defireablenefs) to convince 
 honeft and upright Mmds, who alone would 
 make any good Ufe of them , but without any 
 fuch Degree of Evidence,as would beunnecef- 
 fary to them, and would be wafted on others, 
 namely, on depraved Minds ; whofe Additted- 
 nefs to their Vices would render fuch over- 
 bearing Evidence ufelefs and ineffe^ftual, if it 
 
 had been indulged them. 
 
 C o K o L- 
 
78 An Effay on the jeveral 1>ifpenfatwns 
 
 Corollary IL 
 
 From what has been faid, we may fee, what 
 Relation Faith bears to the Religion of the 
 Means [Mean] ; Or of what Ufe Faith is in 
 reveard Religion. The Religion of the Means 
 [Mean] as it has been juft now ftated, is the 
 Method which God has taken to make Men 
 Religious, by revealing certain Propofitions 
 to them. Now Faith, as it is here underftood,' 
 is the AfTent of the Mind to the Truth of thofe 
 Propofitions on divine Teftimony,- without 
 which, thofe Propofitions could have no force 
 on us. How vain then is the Objedion of the 
 Deifts, that Chriftians afcribe a great deal too 
 much to Faith, as it is here underftood, be- 
 caufe Faith in this Senfe, fas muft be allow'd) 
 is no Virtue. They pretend that Faith in this 
 Senfe is fuppofed to fave Men ■ and that Men 
 are fuppofed to be damned for the want of it. 
 Whereas really Faith is reprefented of no ufe 
 in the Religion of the Means [Mean] but 
 what it muft necelfarily be of. For Faith is 
 juft of fo much ufe to the Believer, as the Pro- 
 pofition believed has a Tendency to promote 
 his Virtue and Happinefs. He that believes 
 fuch a Propolition has all the Advantage of 
 that good Tendency of the Proposition, from 
 his Belief of it. He that does not believe fuch 
 a Propofttion, cannot have that Advantage. 
 
 Thus 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 79 
 
 I'hus for Inftance, he that believes that eternal 
 Life, as it is defcrib'd in Scripture, will be 
 the Inheritance of a Child of God, has all the 
 Motive to \'irtue and Piety, and all the Com- 
 fort that a Belief of that Propoiition rauft 
 neccll'arily give him. He that does not be- 
 lieve that Propoiition, muft want that Com- 
 fort, and that Motive. So that here is no- 
 thing attributed to Faith, as it is here un- 
 dcritood, but what necellarily flows from it : 
 And which is no more than v/hat the Deifts 
 attribute to Knowledge in natural Religion^ 
 tho' Knowledge is no more a Virtue than Faith, 
 but bears exactly the fame Relation to natural 
 Religion, that Faith does to reveal'd Religion, 
 For Religion, whether natural or reveal d, muft 
 begin in Knowledge or in Faith, and mull 
 from hence fettle in Temper, and fo hold on 
 in Practice, that is ever to end in the Re- 
 wards refulting from Virtue, in the Reafon of 
 Things,- or in thofe Rewards which God has 
 wifely and bountifully annexed to Virtue and 
 Piety, by the Revelation he has made of his 
 Will, hideed if any would carry this a 
 iittle farther, it may juflly be faid, that Chri- 
 ftians afcribe no more to Faith in reveal'd Re- 
 ligion, not only, than the Deifts do to Know- 
 ledge in natural Religion ; but than the 
 Atheifts do to Knowledge in relation to moral 
 cr political Good and hvil. 
 
 C o R. o L- 
 
8o An Eflay on the fever al T)ifpenfations 
 Corollary III. 
 
 Though the Means of Religion (which 
 i«; but in other Words the Rehgion of the 
 Means) have been fomevvhat different in refped 
 of Clearnefs, Certainty and Accommodation 
 to the different Circumftances of Mankind in 
 different Ages,- yet thefe Means of Reh'gi- 
 on have always been beautifully proportion- 
 ed to the State of Things, and to each other. 
 I mentioned thefe Proportions in the Preface, 
 and referr'd the Reader hither. I will now 
 point out iome of thofe Proportions (among 
 nuffibcrlcfs which occur) in three of thefe 
 Means of Religion ; or if you will, in the one 
 great Mean of Religion, differently exhibited 
 and afcertain'd in three different Difpenfations ^ 
 namely, the annexing Life as the promis'd Re- 
 ward, or Inheritance belonging to Righteouf- 
 nefs (in order to keep or make Men righte- 
 ous) under the Difpenfation of Innocence, of 
 Abraham^ and of Chriji : Some of thofe Pro- 
 portions ffand thus. — - The Continuance of 
 an animal Life, in a grofs terreftrial and cor- 
 ruptible Body, cloath'd however with a Glo- 
 ry, and accompany'd with the Dominion and 
 Blifs of an earthly Paradife, and the high Pri- 
 vilege of converfing fometimes with the She- 
 chiuah^ was promifed to the rird: Adam (who 
 had no Father but God) in Innocence, or a 
 
 State 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 8 1 
 
 State of Trial, on his paying perfect Obedi- 
 ence to the Law that he was under, without 
 paffing through Death to it ; and a Power in 
 fome fort to tranfmit fuch a Life, in a Body 
 
 like his own, to his Poftcrity. A future 
 
 endlefs Life, in a fpiritual, celeftial, powerful 
 and glorious Body, accompanied with the 
 Kingdom, Glory and Blifs of Heaven, where 
 we arc always alfo to behold the Glory of 
 God, and fee him as he is, without being 
 fubjeCt to any future Trial, after being a long 
 time under the Power of Death and Corrup- 
 tion, was firft intimated upon the Lofs of the 
 earthly Paradife to JJa?n, and all his Sons, 
 that were fincere ; and was afterwards more 
 cxpreily promifcd to Jbra/jmn^ for the fake 
 of his eminent Sincerity (which under the 
 Name of Faith God counted for Rightcouf- 
 nefs) and to all his Sons or Seed ; or to all 
 Men of any other Family performing {incere 
 Obedience to the fame Law : The Reward of 
 Heaven, though greater than that of Paradife, 
 being unfeen and future ,• and the Obedience 
 that Man pays lince the Fall, though imper- 
 fect, being at leaft equal to the perfed: Obedi- 
 ence in Innocence, and in the PoflTefiTion of Pa- 
 radife, coniidering the Weaknefs of Men's 
 Reafon, and Faith, and the Strength of their 
 Appetites and PafTions. However, this Pro- 
 mife was then publiflied to none, but the Fa- 
 mily of this fincerely righteous Man ; Of 
 which indeed fuch o'i other Families as would, 
 
 M might 
 
8 1 An Effay on the jeveral ^ifpenfattons 
 
 might enquire about it. ?— — - But the higheft 
 heavenly Life and Glory, after a fliort Death, 
 without feeing Corruption, and an univerfal 
 Power and Dominion is aCl;ually conferred on 
 the feccnd AdaVfi^ the holy Jefus^ (a Son of 
 ^add by his Mother, bi:t who had no Fa- 
 ther but God) of the fpiritual as well as car- 
 nal Seed of Ahraham^ the only begotten Son 
 of God, and the Firft-born or Begotten of all 
 his Brethren from the Dead, (and therefore 
 by Nature, and the higheft Preheminence, the 
 ScncfGcd) in order to his recovering all to 
 Life, and to his ^ivin^ that cndiefs Life in a 
 Body forra'd and failiion'd by his Spirit, like 
 his own Body, to all the lincere (h\s younger 
 Brethren) whether Jews or Qentiles^ (ac- 
 cording to God's Offer and Promife pubiilhed 
 by his Command to all,) and in Order to his 
 fentencing the Insincere (the Children of the 
 Devil) to the fecond Death : Whilft this Life, 
 and the Power of giving Life, \^ given to him, 
 not only for his being perfe(5tly righteous, or 
 pbedicnt to the fame Law, in Fieili, that we 
 are under ^ but for his having alfo perform/d 
 a perfed Obedience to a peculiar and a higher 
 Law that he voluntarily put himfclf under, 
 even that of the greateft Self-denial and 
 Abafcmcnt j particalarly emptying himfeif of 
 his Glpry, taking the Falliion ot a Man, and 
 the Form of a Servant, and becoming obedient 
 to Death, even the Death of the Crofs, in or- 
 der to make Men linccrely Righteous ^ that 
 
 is. 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 8j 
 
 is, conformed to that lower Law of Self-de- 
 nial and Abafement^ (or that lower Rule of 
 Righteoufnefs) which they arc under. 
 
 Corollary IV. 
 
 That the Father fliould fend the Word to 
 take Flefli, to live a mean Life, and die an 
 ignominious Death, has been the Aftonilliment 
 of Angels and Men. I have hinted in the Pre- 
 fece, that to fay, that Jefiis came to give a 
 new Publication of natural Religion, will not 
 account for that amazing Phrtnomenon. For 
 why might not an inferior Being, or a meer 
 Man, that never exifted before, as the Socini- 
 cns reprcfent Chrift to have been, have given 
 us fuch a Pubhcation, as a Prophet fent from 
 God ? Could not a mcer Man, or an inferior 
 Being, have fet us an Example? Allured us of 
 the Forgivenefs of Sins that were pad ? Or of 
 all neceliary Alliftance for the Time to come ? 
 Could not an holy Man have been raifed from 
 the Dead, and thereby have afTur'd us, that 
 human Nature might revive ? Some indeed 
 have ailed ^ed other Reafons for this ^reat 
 Tranfaction : But I mufl: leave them who offer 
 thofe Reafons to fupport them. A Matter 
 of this Confequence muft not be trufted to 
 difputable Points. In the mean time, \i the 
 ^reat End of the Chriflian Revelation be what 
 1 have reprefented it in this Ellay, and hinted 
 
 M 2 ' in 
 
84. An Eflay on the fever al J)ifpenfations 
 
 in the foregoing Corollary, -v/z, to affure us 
 in the fulleft Manner that could be, (after the 
 prior Afliirances of a lower Nature which had 
 been given) of eternal Life, as it is defcribed 
 in Scripture, and in a Way fuited to the Rea- 
 fon and Proportion of Things ^ it may let us 
 into fome further Account of this wonderful 
 Appearance ; or at leaft fet it in a fuller Light. 
 For who was fo fit for the Father to make us 
 his adopted Sons by, after we were become 
 the Children of the Devil , and Heirs of 
 Death and Wrath , as his only begotten 
 Son ? Who was fo fit for the living 
 God to give us eternal Life by, as he, to 
 whom he had given to have Life in him- 
 felf, (and to whom alone that high Privilege 
 feems fit to be granted) and who we might 
 therefore be affured, was able to give it to us? 
 yobn vi. 40 '57* Who was at all fit to 
 receive the eternal Spirit of the everlafting Fa- 
 ther, in order to give it to Jewijh and Gentile 
 Believers, as the Earneft of eternal Life, but 
 he that was produc'd before the Creation, 
 [^'?!rpu)lQ'TCfcog '^ctoY\c, y,1i(7iu)g^ Colof i. 15.] and the 
 Firft-born from the Dead, and thereby had in 
 all Things the Preheminence ? His well belo- 
 ved Son, in whom he was always well pleafed, 
 GaL iv, 6, And who was fo fit to be entrufted 
 with that univerfal Power of Government and 
 Judgment, that was necelTary to fecure to us, 
 in the fulleft Manner, the future Polleffion of 
 eternal Life, as he, that was the Heir of all 
 
 Things ? 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 85 
 
 Things?' Tbe Word j, who was before all 
 Things J who was with God, and wasGcc?^ 
 hy whom all Things were made ; the 'Bright- 
 nefs of his Father''s Glory^ and the exprefs 
 Image of his TerfcnM^ ^^f,t:(^^i!i:^^^' ^' 
 Farther, how fit and congruous was it for 
 the Son of God to take Flelli, in which Ap- 
 petites and Pafiions had had the Afcendant, to 
 the lofing Life, in order to his regaining Life 
 by perfect Self-denial and Obedience f Rom. 
 viii. 2. To the Intent that we mi^ht fee, that 
 being confornaed to him in fuch a Degree ot 
 Self-denial and Obedience as was required of 
 us, was the only Way to recover a better Life 
 than that, which had been loft by the undue 
 Indulgence which our firft Parents <rave to 
 their lower Powers ? What was fo like to en- 
 amour us with Self-denial and Holinefs, the 
 only Way to eternal Life, as feeing the Son of 
 God, in fuch a Body as ours, hol}\ harmlefs, 
 and midefiled^ feparate from Sinners^ ^^'l^^K 
 about doing Good? And what can reconcile 
 us fo ftrongly to the Sufferings of this prefcnt 
 Life, by which we are to inherit the King^- 
 dom of God:, as feeing that it fleas' d him for 
 whom are all Things^ and by whom, are all 
 Things^ in bringing many Suns to Glor]\ to- 
 make the Captain of their Salvation perfta 
 through Sufferings'? Hcb. ii. 10. -Finally, 
 what can be a greater Support and Encourage- 
 ment to us, under Self denial and Suiicrings, 
 than to know, that in reward to Chrift's Sei?^ 
 
 denial. 
 
86 An Eflay on the fever al T>ijpen fat ions 
 
 denial, Holinefs^ and voluntary Abafement in 
 Flefli, for the Good of Mankind, he is be- 
 come the Firft-born from the Dead, has a glo- 
 rious Body, and in that glorious Body enjoys 
 the higheft Degree of heavenly Glory, Honour 
 and Power? Or what can be a greater Securi- 
 ty to us, than this Advancement of his, that 
 upon our being conformed to him in the Like- 
 nefs of his Life and Death, we fliall alfo be 
 conformed to him in the Glory of his Refur- 
 redion ? 
 
 Corollary V. 
 
 The fifth Corollary is, That on perufing 
 this fhort Syftem of Revelation, a very pro- 
 per Way naturally offers it felf of examining 
 Revelation, and the View I have given of it. 
 Revelation is fuppofed, according to what has 
 been alrcadv faid of the Religion of the Means, 
 to be an extraordinary Difcovcry God has 
 mercifully made, to afliil: Mankind to a(5t rea- 
 fonably, or according to the Truth of Things, 
 under the Weaknefs of their Reafon, and the 
 Strength of their Appetites and Palllons, in the 
 low Situation of reafonable Beings, in which 
 Mankind feems to be placed. Let Revelation 
 then be examined by the Dellreablenefs of the 
 End, (in which it entirely agrees with natural 
 Religion,) by the Fitnefs of the one great 
 Mean it has all along propofed for attaining 
 
 that 
 
of GOD to Mankind, 87 
 
 that End ^ by the Fitnefs of the various Me- 
 thods by which that one great Mean has been 
 exhibited to Mankind, in their various Cir- 
 cumitances, in the feveral Ages of the World ; 
 and by the Beauty and Proportion of the Re- 
 lations, which thofe Methods bear to each 
 other ; And then let the Syftem which I have 
 ofter'd beexamin'd by its Coniiftency with Re- 
 velation, and with it felf. If Revelation will 
 bear an Examination by thefe Criteria^ no 
 reafonable Man can doubt, w^hether that Re- 
 velation be of God ^ nor Vvhether the Repre- 
 fentation that I have here given of Revelation, 
 agrees in the Main with it. We all allow an 
 Hypothehs of Nature to be a true Hypothciis, 
 if it agrees with Nature, and folves all its 
 Th(£iwmena conliftently, as far as we are ac- 
 quainted with them. Cartes beautifully fays 
 fom.e where, that if a Man fiiould happen to 
 hnd out a Key that would decypher a Letter, 
 writ to him in a Cypher, by a Friend, fo as 
 to make it fait the Character and Circura fian- 
 ces of both the Corrcfnondents, we mi£!ht cer- 
 tainly conclude it was the Key by which it had 
 been writ. Hov/ much more then may we be 
 alTured of this in Revelation, where we have 
 all the 1)ata before us c^ Which I fuppofe are 
 many more than we have to examine an Hy- 
 pothelis of Phiiofophy by. In both thefe Ca- 
 fes we go upon this f ire Principle, that Fa lie- 
 hood will not appear to agree far with Truth • 
 any more than a crooked Eine will appear 
 
 (even 
 
88 An Eflay on the fever al Difpenfations 
 
 (even to no better Eyes than ours) to agree 
 in many Points with a ftreight one. But if 
 the Rule of Revelation be farther extended 
 than that of Nature, it will fooner difcover 
 any Deviation. But I forbear to add more on 
 this Head j having anticipated my felf, in a 
 good Meafurej in the Preface. Nor would it 
 have been fo proper to have faid any Thing on 
 the internal Evidence of Revelation here, were 
 It not to connci^t it Vv?ith what I am going to 
 fay of its external Evidence ; and fo to endea- 
 vour to reprefent the Force of the whole Evi- 
 dence for Revelation in one iTiort view. And 
 when a rcafonable Man lays both of them be- 
 fore himfelf in this manner, how will he be 
 able longer to withiland it ? 
 
 By the external Evidence of Revelation, I 
 mean the Marks of great Power or Know- 
 ledge, or Wifdom , which accompany it : 
 Namely, the Miracles, which firft attended 
 mediate or traditionary Revelation in the Cafe 
 ot 31ofes ; and afterwards of J efiis of Naza- 
 reth ; and then Prophecy, which follow'd in 
 the Religion o'i Mofes j and all the prophetick 
 Gifts of ieveral Kinds, and in the higheft De-. 
 grees, Vv'hich follow'd in the Religion o^Je- 
 J/iSj on his Afceniion to the right Hand of 
 Power i and which muft be allow'd to be the 
 grcatcft of all the external Evidences ; whe- 
 ther Vv-e coniider the Nature of thefe Gifts 
 (they being not only Marks of the greateft 
 Power and Knowledge, but of the greateft 
 
 Wifdom 
 
^/ G O D to Mankind, 89 
 
 Wifdom too, being fit means to fpread the 
 Knowledge of the Chriftian Religion) or the 
 Reprefentations which the New Teilament 
 gives of them. If any fiiould pretend that 
 they don't receive the Bible, becaufe they 
 have not leiihre to confider the external Evi- 
 dence there is for its being a divine Revela- 
 tion • let them conlider the internal Evidence, 
 which will take up lefs time ; and then no 
 want of Icifure can be pretended as an Excufe. 
 But above all, let him take care how he re- 
 jects Revelation, who has Leifure and Ability 
 to confider both. For if a Train of diftind 
 Marks of Power, of Knowledge, and of Wif- 
 dom, above what is Human • and if Marks of 
 the greateft Power, Knowledge and Wifdom, 
 all joyn'd together in the Gifts of the Holy 
 Ghoft, are not fufficient to atteft that the wifeft 
 Mean, ( exhibited differently, but properly 
 and proportionably to Mankmd, under diffe- 
 rent Circumftances in different Ages) in order 
 to attain the moft defirable End, is from God j 
 when this End and Mean fufficiently recom- 
 mend themfelves to us, without that Attefta- 
 tion, we feem to put it out of the Power of 
 God to give us the Favour of a Revelation. 
 For what can be the Stamp of Divinity upon a 
 Revelation, that is it felf every AVay worthy 
 of God , if Marks of the greateit Power, 
 Knowledge, Wifdom and Goodnef;, both ill 
 a long Succefnon, and in Conjunction, be 
 not ? Let thofe who rejcift fuch a Revelation, 
 
 N take 
 
<)0 An YS^yon the feveral T)iffenfatlons 
 
 take care , left it be their Condemnation , 
 that Light is come into the Worlds hut that 
 Men lo^'e T>arknefs rather than Lights he- 
 caitfe their Tweeds are evil ! 
 
 Corollary VI. 
 
 When reveal'd Religion appear'd in all 
 this full Luftre of internal and external Evi- 
 dence, as it did in the Times of the Apoftles, 
 the Time when Revelation was fully corn- 
 pleated, it muft certainly have had very great 
 Effects on Mankind, in informing their Minds, 
 and regulating their Lives. And therefore, 
 as on the one Hand, if there had been no fuch 
 Effe<5ts produced, it would be unnatural to 
 fuppofe, that the Dodtrines of Revelation ever 
 could have had this internal and external Evi- 
 dence ; fo on the other Hand, the Accounts 
 we have in the Hiftory of the JBs and Epi^ 
 JikSy and in the Writings of the Cotempora- 
 ries, and immediate Succeffors of the Jpoftks^ 
 of the great Effects it actually produc'd in all 
 the Places where it came, is a further Evi- 
 dence of the Truth of reveal'd Religion : Since 
 by thefe Hiftories it appears, that the EflFecSs 
 which were wrought by Revelation in all this 
 Clcarnefs and Strength of internal and exter- 
 nal Evidence, were in Kind and Degree, juft 
 what one would naturally expe^^ from that 
 Evidence. 
 
 C O R O JLt 
 
of G OD to Mankind, 9 1 
 
 Corollary VII. 
 
 Such a Defign, fuch a Mean, fuch Methods 
 of difcovering that Mean to Mankind, fo re- 
 lated, fo proportion Vi to tlr State of Man- 
 kind, and to each other, fucn well attefted 
 Inftances of Power, KnowledgCj and Wifdom 
 accompanying them, and fuch Succefs attend- 
 ing them, are the true and infallible Marks of 
 a Revelation from God ; every I'hing concur- 
 ring, that we can now fuppofe about it, either 
 a Trior! ^ or a Tofteriori, What more can 
 be deiired to fet the Truth and Excellency of 
 divine Revelation in the mofl: glaring Light, 
 than to obteft and conjure reafonable Men to 
 compare it with the pretended Revelations 
 either of former or later 'I imes ? And to fee, 
 whether they will bear a Trial by thefe 
 Marks, or any Comparifon with the Bible? 
 Beginning from the monftrous, inconliftenf, 
 immoral 'I'heology of the Pagans, till we go 
 through the almoft equally abfurd Syftem of 
 Alous of the firfl Hereticks, and come down 
 to that of Mahomet^ or of the Koman Aiiti- 
 chrift ; and of thofe that have mix'd any of 
 her Corruptions, or their own with the Word 
 of God i even after all the Refinements, any of 
 thefe feveral Syftems have undergone by the 
 greateft Wits, that have patroniz'd them in 
 the feveral Ages of the World. The bare 
 
 N 2 men- 
 
^2 An Eflay on the fever al ^ijj^enjations 
 
 mention of fadi of thefe Syftems, as are made 
 up of nothing at all, or of little elfe, but 
 Faliliood, makes a Trial of them by thefe Cri- 
 teria entirely ncedlefs j and a fiirther Compari- 
 fon between them and the Bible perfcdly ridicu- 
 lous : To any other Purpofe at lead, than that 
 of a Foil, which it don't at all want. And as 
 this can't be the Place of making a Trial, and 
 Comparifon between the Bible, and thefe 
 Schemes, where there is more Truth mix'd 
 with Falfiiood in various Proportions and 
 Degrees ^ fo it will not be difficult for thofe 
 to make this Trial or Comoarifon, who are 
 well acquainted with any of thefe compound- 
 ed Syllems, and with the fimple and unm.ix'd 
 Syfcem of the Bible. All that I Ihall add is, 
 That Revelation ftands in a proportionable 
 Degree of Oppofition to every falfe Religion, 
 to the Degree of Faliliood which they contain ^ 
 and m Conjunftion Vv'ith them, fo far as they 
 have any Mixture of Truth ,• as Herefy always 
 has. In fo much that it aims at nothing lefs 
 than the total Subverilon of the Pagan Iheo- 
 logy, by recalling Men from the Worfliip of 
 many Gods , through many Mediators or 
 Lords, but all of them Patrons of Vice, to the 
 Worfnip of the One only true God, by one 
 Lord or Mediator, even Jefus Cbrift the 
 'Righteous^ who ckaujes us from all Sin ■ 
 Whilft it directs us , only to purge out 
 the Leaven of Error, Hypocrify and Malice 
 that is in Herefy, in order that we may be- 
 come 
 
of G OD to Mankind. 9 g 
 
 come an unleavened Lump of Sincerity and 
 IVuth. 
 
 Corollary VIII. 
 
 If we compare Revelation with natural B.e- 
 ligion (which the Deifts with us allow to be 
 true Religion,) they arc, as to the Religion of 
 the End the liime ; that is, the Duties that arc 
 due to God, to our fclves, and to one ano- 
 ther, in both of them are cxadly the very 
 fame ; and whatever has been revealed in any 
 Age of the World, as a Mean to attain that 
 End, has had a natural Fitnefs to promote 
 that End , in the Circumfiances Men then 
 were ; though they might not probably have 
 hit upon that Mean : Nor could they without 
 Revelation have ever been aiiin-Vj, that it was 
 a true one. For though every one fees, that 
 the Rev/ard of eternal Life, Dominion and 
 Glory, not fubjcd to any future State of 1 ri- 
 al, and the peculiar Biifs that refults fi^om 
 them, is the moft proper Means to promote 
 Virtue • yet how fhould we know, that they 
 would be the Reward of Virtue, if God had 
 not revealed it to us ? Or how, on the other 
 Hand , could v/e have known unlets God 
 had revealed it to us, that wicked Men fliould 
 be raifcd from the Dead, and after a Trial, 
 according to their Works (by which the Re- 
 ward of eternal Life is very much heightncd) 
 
 be 
 
94- ^^2 EfTay on the fever al Dijpenfations 
 
 be fentenced to the fecond Death. Though 
 now we know it, every one muft allow it to 
 be a powerful Motive to Obedience. And the 
 fame may be faid of all the reft of the peculiar 
 Dodrines or Precepts of Revelation. As the 
 Doctrine of Mediation, and the Inftitution of 
 Baptifm, and the Lord's Supper ; as I have 
 endeavoured to make appear in the Courfe of 
 this Eilay ; Since natural Religion then is on | 
 all Hands allowed to be true, is it not raoft 
 highly probable, that revealed Religion is al- 
 fo true, from this Confideration alone, that 
 revealed Religion has the greateft Fitnefs to 
 promote natural Religion , in thole Points, 
 where they don't coiiicide c^ Where one Thing 
 has a Tendency to promote another Thing, 
 we conclude that they ftand related as End 
 and Mean in other Cafes, both in the natural 
 and moral World ^ and why then fliould we 
 not in this ? Beiides natural and reveaFd Re- 
 liction agree thus far farther : That reveal'd 
 Religion is as fit as a Mean j as natural Re- 
 ligion is deiireable as an End : And that as 
 natural Religion may be reduced to one Endj 
 fo revealed Religion, in that which is peculiar 
 to it, may be reduced to one Mean ; namely, 
 difcovering to us the moft powerful Mo- 
 tive of Obedience, t^iz. the Promife of eternal 
 Life, heightned by its being a Salvation from, 
 the fecond Death. So that, on the whole, 
 the Bible appears to contain a Revelation 
 from God, whether we confidcr it, in it felf. 
 
of GOD to Mankind, 5 5 
 
 (;'. ^ in the internal and external Evidence 
 which attends it,) or if we compare it with 
 falfe Religions, or with the true. It ftands in 
 the greateft Oppofition to the one, and in the 
 moil clofe and the only proper Relation to the 
 other : That is to fay, of a mod ufeful Mean 
 to attain it. 
 
 Corollary IX. 
 
 If the Deift lliall ftill ailed ge, after all that 
 has been faid, that natural Religion don't 
 want the Aid of thofe fupernatural Motives, 
 fince it contains Motives of its own, both ot 
 Rewards and Puniiliments, from the necellary 
 Confequences of Things, fufficient to fupport 
 Virtue: All that needs be added, is, 'J hat 
 more Motives will beget more Virtue. And 
 that Revelation furniilies us with an additi- 
 onal Motive, and of greater Force, than natu- 
 ral Religion furnifhes us with, will not be de- 
 nied by any one, on the Suppofition that the 
 Bible is a Revelation from God. For it ac- 
 quaints us, that Death is the PuniOimeiit of 
 Sin, that the Wicked fliall rife and undcr.go 
 a Trial, and receive a Doom to unfpeakable 
 pofitive Mifery j but that the Righteous ilia II 
 not only efcape the Anxiety of a Trial of un- 
 certain Event, ( from the Confcioufnef:^ of 
 their own Integrity,) and the Shame and An- 
 guiili of a SentenCv of Condemnation ; but tha 
 
 vvhe 
 
96 An EiTay on the fever al T>'tffenfaUons 
 
 when the Heavens are to be roll'd up like a 
 Scrowl, when the Elements are to melt with 
 fervent Heat, and when the Earth, with all 
 its Works, are to be confamed and burned up, 
 and the Wicked fliall be overtaken by this 
 univerfal Conflagration, that God will find 
 out a Way for the Efcape and Salvation of the 
 Righteous. Revelation farther allures us, in 
 the clearcll and ftrongeft Manner, that they 
 fliall, in celeftial, fpiritual, glorious and pow- 
 erful Bodies, inherit the Kingdom prepared 
 for them j and in Manfions of Glory enjoy the 
 moft glorious Society, and behold the Glory 
 of God himfelf, feeing him not only in his 
 Works of Creation and Providence, but as 
 He is i and ^\?\\ enjoy this unfpeakable Blifs 
 and Felicity, without the leail: Chance of 
 ever looiing it. And what can ftrike Men, if 
 the greated Security of avoiding the utmoft 
 Mifcry, and of enjoying the greatefl Glory, 
 Dignity , Power , Dominion and BHfs for 
 ever, fliall not ? And yet none can fay, that 
 the Light of Nature could furniili us with this 
 Motive, or that the Light of Revelation does 
 not. And what is there, perhaps, but fome 
 one of all thefe things, (which jointly make 
 up the Motive of Revelation) and that in a 
 poor, low Degree, and of uncertain and fliort 
 Continuance, that engages us in any of the 
 unwearied Purfuits of our whole Lives ? This 
 is fufficient to fhew^ us, hov/ powerful all thefe 
 Confideratioiis miifl be when joyn'd together ^ 
 
 and 
 
of GOD to Mankind. 97 
 
 and how worthy therefore they are of a di- 
 vine Difcovery ; and confequently that as Re- 
 velation contains a ftronger and more power- 
 ful Motive to Virtue, than we could have dif- 
 cover'd by the Light of Nature, it is wifely 
 calculated to produce more Virtue among 
 Mankind. This it has a Tendency to do in 
 all Cafes ^ but has a very fuperior Tendency 
 to do it in fome : As for Inftance, in the Cafe 
 of powerful and fudden Temptation ,- and par- 
 ticularly in that, where we are reduced to the 
 NecelTity of lofing our Life immediately, or 
 of facrifieing our Virtue to fave it. 
 
 Corollary X. 
 
 If it be farther alledg'd. That Anions, 
 which for the Matter of them are virtuous, yet 
 when perform'd for the fake of extrinfical or 
 pofitive Rewards, fuch as Revelation is here 
 fuppofed to propofe to us, (or in other 
 Words, Rewards that don't flow from the 
 Nature of Things) ceafe to be virtuous, (which 
 is what a late noble, learned and polite Au- 
 thor has very much infifted on,) I anfwer; 
 That indeed to be above all Reward or Hap- 
 pinefs, but that which necelTarily refults from 
 the Nature of Things, is the higheft Perfedion • 
 but this can belong to no Being, but the unori- 
 ginated Father of all Things j who being in- 
 capable of any Addition to his Happinefs, can, 
 
 O when 
 
^% An Eflay<?;i the fever al ^ifpenfatlons 
 
 when he ads in regard to other Beings, only 
 adt to communicate Happinefs to them. But 
 as to Beings capable of additional Happinefs, 
 or of pofitive and extrinfical Rewards, though 
 it muft be own'd, that their doing good Acti- 
 ons, without feeling Pleafure in doing them, 
 and without any Regard to thofe natural 
 Rewards of good Actions, which are the 
 neceflary Refult of them, and purely for 
 the additional or extrinfical and politive 
 Reward, would deilroy their Virtue ^ yet if 
 the extrinfical and politive Reward be ade- 
 quate, and worthy of the Purfuit of a reafon- 
 able Being, it is Virtue to purfue it, and to adt 
 with the more Vigor in order to obtain it, not 
 indeed exclufive of the natural Rewards of 
 good Actions, but in Conjund:ion with them. 
 No Man can doubt, whether it be Virtue to 
 purfue our own true Happinefs j that is, Plea- 
 fure that will not injure our felves or other 
 Beings. For what is Virtue but our truefl 
 Pleafure and Happinefs ? Whether that Hap- 
 pinefs refults from the Nature of Things, or 
 from fuch a Connexion, as the Governor of 
 the World has revealed to us to be fettled by 
 him, makes no difference. And fure it will 
 be but ading reafonably, or according to 
 Truth, and the Nature of Things, to purfue 
 more Happinefs with more Vigor, than a lefs 
 Happinefs j from whichfoever of thefe two 
 Originals that Happinefs may be derived. 
 
 BefideSj 
 
^ G O D to Mankind, 99 
 
 Ecfides, as in the Cafe of the natural Re- 
 ward of good Anions, to purfue thofe Re- 
 wards, may be faid properly enough to be 
 purfuing Virtue it felf, both in Fad, and in 
 the Opinion of the Objecflor ,• fo who fliall 
 fay, that purfuing the additional and positive 
 Rewards of Virtue, (on the Suppofition of the 
 Bibles being a Revelation from God) is not 
 purfuing Virtue in the fame Senfe too ? Is it 
 not highly probable, that the Glory, Dignity 
 and Dominion, to which we fliall be advan- 
 ced, will be for the Service of that Kingdom^' 
 that it is the Father's good Pleafure to give 
 us ? Is not purfuing this celeftial Glory, Dig- 
 nity and Dominion then purfuing Virtue ; 
 or an Opportunity of being ufefui to that 
 Kingdom, over which we, as Kings, are to 
 be placed ? The Scripture reprefents the Glo- 
 ry, Dignity and Power of Chrift, as the Re- 
 ward of his Obedience ; but the Scripture, at 
 the fame Time, reprefents that that Power is 
 exercifed for the Benefit of his Kingdom, the 
 Church ,• and therefore his having an Eye to 
 the Glory that was fet before him, was pur- 
 fuing the glorious End for which he died ,- 
 lincethat Glory was putting him in a Conditi- 
 on to anfwer all the Ends of his Death to 
 Mankind. And may not we expect in our 
 Proportion, fuch a Kingdom as is prepared for 
 us for the fame Purpofe ? That fo as it was 
 given to Chrift, to fit down at the Father's 
 right Hand, and to be advanced to univerfal 
 
 O 2 Em-: 
 
loo An Effay on the fever al ^ifpenfations 
 
 Empire, with a View to the Good of that uni- 
 verfal Empire ,• it may be given to us alfo, to 
 fit down at his right Hand, and be advanced to 
 fome particular Province for the greater Good 
 of fuch a Divifion ? It muft certainly be great 
 Wifdom and Goodnefs in the Governor of the 
 "World to propofe additional Rewards in order 
 to encourage reafonable Beings to purfue their 
 own true Happinefs, and the Happincfs of 
 other Beings, againft the Difficulties which 
 they have to encounter in that Purfuit. But 
 if it be Wifdom, Goodnefs and Bounty, in 
 the Governor of the Univerfe, to propofe 
 thefe additional Rewards to reafonable Be- 
 ings, can it deftroy Virtue in thofe reafonable 
 Beings to be mov'd by thofe additional Re- 
 wards ? This would be to fet up a Virtue in 
 the Governed intirely inconfiftent with the 
 ,Wifdom, Goodnefs and Munificence, i, e, 
 with the Holinefs of the fupreme Governor of 
 all Things. 
 
 Thefe additional and pofitive Rewards feem 
 necefTary to fupport the Virtue of all inferior 
 Beings, and particularly to be deiign'd as a 
 Counterballance to the flrong Appetites and 
 Paflions which belong to ours. But God has 
 not propofed thefe pofitive Rewards feparate 
 from the Rewards that are the necefTary Re- 
 fult of virtuous AiSions^ but in Conjuni^ion 
 with them, or as an Addition to them. If 
 then the Virtue of one Man, inftead of being 
 fupported by a joint Regard to pofitive Re- 
 ji wardS;, 
 
^/ GOD to Mankind. 1 01 
 
 wards, and the natural Rewards of Virtue, 
 /hould be hurt and weakened by a fingle 
 View to poiitive Rewards, then it is he that 
 hurts himfelf, by feparating what God has 
 joined together: And he muft fuffcr for his 
 own Folly, and for the depraved Tafte, from 
 whence alone fuch a Miftake could arife. 
 
 On the whole, I think this Objection of 
 the Deifts arifes from too exalted an Idea of 
 our felves j fince none but the fupreme Being 
 is above additional and poiitive Happinefs. 
 Nor has the Objet^ion any Strength but what 
 it derives, from confounding the iingle Pur- 
 fuit of a bafe, mean, low, arbitrary, unfit 
 and felfifli Reward, or oi a Reward that is 
 injurious to others ^ with a joint Purfuit of the 
 natural Rewards of virtuous Actions, and a 
 Purfuit of a pofitive, high, glorious, well ad- 
 jured Reward, and that is calculated to give 
 us farther Opportunities of extending our Be- 
 nevolence to others : The firft of thefe is Vi- 
 tious and Mercenary , the laft is Virtuous and 
 Heroick. 
 
 ^^'^- 
 
 %.^^ 
 
 ■.^t.-^^., 
 
 r^a^?^ 
 
 A 
 
NOTE 
 
 By Way of 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 Dispensation oi Ahraham. 
 
 Particularly to thefe Words, 
 
 Ejjay^ p. a 5. God now ep^prejly adopted 
 Abraham to the Inheritance of eternal 
 Life. 
 
 m^^^£ TOOK Notice in the Preface^ 
 that I had fotne Notes by me^ 
 to explain and fupport feveral 
 Things that I have advanced in 
 this EfTay ; and gave fome 
 
 Reafons why I pubiifh'd the EfTay without 
 
 them, though I at firft intended to have fi- 
 
 niflied them together. 
 
 I 
 
ATTENDIX. 109 
 
 I hinted there too, that what I had chiefly- 
 flung into Notes, was confequential Proofs of 
 what I have advanced (where I had not ex- 
 prefs Texts to the Purpofe) and efpecially 
 Proofs that were of a critical Nature. 
 
 I there alfo acknowledg'd. That I beheved 
 fome of the Things advanced in this EfTay 
 would be juftly thought to want that Proof. 
 But I believe nothing I have fa id will be 
 thought to want it more, than what I have 
 alTerted about the Difpenfation of Jhraham : 
 And therefore I have added here as an Appendix 
 what I lliould have put in a Note, if the Notes 
 had been finifh'd and complete. 
 
 I have aflerted, Ef[ay^ P* 2 3 . that God ex- 
 prejly adopted Abraham to the Inheritance of 
 eternal Life. The Proof that I have there gi- 
 ven, is, that God hkffed Abraham, and that 
 God became his God, I will now endea- 
 vour to fhew more fully, how Adoption to 
 eternal Life is contain'd in thefe two Ex- 
 prelHons. 
 
 But I would firft defire the Reader to carry 
 it in his Mind, that the Proof I am to give of 
 this Point, is a Proof from Hiftory, and not 
 from a Syftem of Doctrine. This I fay to 
 fhew, why the Reader ought not to expet^ 
 many exprcfs Texts to this purpofe: But only 
 fuch as may fairly occur from incidental Paf- 
 fages in an Hiftory, which was addrefs'd to 
 a People, who were in a good Meafure ap~ 
 priz d of many of the great Fa(^s before, from 
 
 Tra- 
 
104 AT T E NT) I X. 
 
 Tradition, and which was written in order 
 to engage them to fear God, from an Account 
 of what his Dealings had been hitherto with 
 Mankind, and what Expectations they might 
 entertain from him for the future. 
 
 When Mofes therefore tells us^ that the 
 Lord hlejfed Abraham, and became his God^ 
 what Ideas are we to fuppofe that Mofes had, 
 and intended to convey to the Ifraelites? And 
 what are the Ideas, we are to fuppofe that 
 thefe Expreflions rais'd in their Minds ? It 
 will be readily allowed, that thefe Words are 
 granting Words, (at leaft the firft) all along 
 in Mofes's Hiftory. Nor can it be denied, 
 that it muft be fomething of great Importance, 
 that Mofes would introduce God as giving to 
 Abraham^ when he hlejfed him and became 
 his God^ confidering that Abraham is repre- 
 iented as an high and fingular Inftance of the 
 greateft Piety in the degenerate Age wherein 
 he liv'd, and under the greateft Trials that 
 Jdam^ or any of his Children, ever under- 
 went: And confidering that Abraham was the 
 Father of that Nation, to whom Mofes wrote, 
 and at the Head of which he himfeif then was,« 
 and which at that Time, God had taken to 
 himfeif, for an holy and a peculiar People. 
 
 This we may be affured of in the general. 
 But to be a little more particular as to each 
 of thefe ExpreiTions, I defire the following 
 Things may be put together: Many of which 
 are infifted on, or hinted at, in feveral Parts 
 of the foregoing ^^j'. And 
 
ATTENT>IX. 105 
 
 And, I. As to the Expreflion, that God 
 hleljed Abraham ,• and in relation to this Ex- 
 preflion, I dc/ire it may be obferved ,• 
 
 I. That God blefled J dam and E've^ and 
 when God gives a Blefling, we may be fure 
 the Grant operates and conveys fomething 
 that is coniiderable ; otherwife the Grant 
 would be trifling or illufory. We find by 
 Mofes's Hiftory, that what God blefs'd our 
 firft Parents with, was Fniitftilnefs^ Gen. 
 i. 28. dominion over all the other Creatures, 
 ibid. Foody v. 29. A f leaf ant and fruitful 
 
 Garden^ Chap, ii. 8 15. with the Means 
 
 oi Immortality^ viz. the Tree of Life, v. 9. 
 and with a Co'vering which was moft probably 
 a Glory: For which I think feveral good 
 Arguments may be offer'd, though this is not 
 the Place for them. The Texts in the New 
 Teftament where this Glory that Adam was 
 cloathed in feem to be referr'd to, are JR.//W, 
 viii. 3. I Gr. XV. 42 — -46. ^Philip, iii. 21. 
 2 Cor. V. 2^ 3, 4. 'KomiSviU 23. All I fhall 
 farther fay here is^ that they were at firfi na- 
 iled, and were not afhamed, v. 25. But 
 when they were ftripp'd of their Glory, they 
 were afraid {not aflmmed) hecaiife they were 
 naked. Chap. iii. 10. as well knowing, that 
 the Garment which they had loft was a Gar- 
 ment of Dignity, a Badge of all the Bleflings 
 tliey had from God ^ and they might well there- 
 fore be afraid, when they had loft it, that they 
 fhouid be depriv'd of all thofe Biellings, upon 
 
 P hear- 
 
io6 ATT E N^ I X. 
 
 hearing God's Voice in the Garden, in the 
 very fame Manner in which they had received 
 them. 
 
 Accordingly on their Difobedience a Curfe 
 was pronounced on them, inftead of the Blef- 
 fing. The Curfe on E've feems to be a great 
 Degree of Unfruitfulnefs. / will greatly 
 wnltiply thy Sorrow^ and thy Conceptimi and 
 Sorrow in bringing forth Children, ^. i6. in 
 Oppofition to the original Blefling ^ "Bejniit- 
 fill and multiply^ and replenifh the Earthy 
 
 Chap. i. 28. The Curfe pronounced on 
 
 Adam was Care, Toil and Sorrow, all the 
 Days of his Life, by reafon of the Curfe of 
 the Ground : And that he fhould return to 
 the Duft out of which he was taken, Chap, iii. 
 17, 18, ip. 
 
 2. That there was ftill a further Curfe pro- 
 nounc'd and infli(5i:ed on the Ground, that 
 Cain fliould till, after he had flain his Bro- 
 ther, Gen. iv. 12. From whence he {Cain) 
 feems to have left oflE tilling the Ground, and 
 to have betaken himfelf to other Arts j fuch 
 as were ncceffary to build a City, c. 17. And 
 his Defcendants feem likewife to have quitted 
 the Tillage of the Ground after his Example, 
 and to have turn'd Herdfmen, c 20. Mulici- 
 ans, 'V, 21. and Artificers in Brafs and Iron, 
 c. 22. &c. which alfo agrees with the Hiftory 
 of Sanchionathan^ as well as of Mofes, 
 
 This further Curfe on the Tillage of the 
 QroiUid pronounced on Cain^ and that proba- 
 
 bly; 
 
ATTEN'DIX. 107 
 
 bly followed his Defcendants, feems to have 
 been a Mark of their being the avowed Fami- 
 ly of the Devil, and was agreeable to other 
 Curfes that always followed that Family in 
 future Ages. 
 
 3 . That it is probable, that Setb's Defcen- 
 dants did ftill Till the Ground, and had a 
 Produce from it, though with great Labour 
 and Toil j but it was reveal'd to Lamecb 
 about fix Hundred Years before the Flood, 
 that in Noah's Time they fhould receive 
 fome Comfort or BlelTmg concerning the 
 Work and Toil of their Hands, becaufe of the 
 [original] Curfe which the Lord had pro- 
 nounced on the Ground, Gen, v. 29. ciz. af- 
 ter the Fall : See SherlocUs more fare Word of 
 Trophecy. 
 
 4. That after the Flood God took off a 
 great Part of the original Curfe, blelTing 
 Noah and his Sons in many Inftances, as he 
 did Adam and E-ve at their Creation. God 
 bids them he fruitful and multiply^ and repk- 
 nijlo the 'Earthy Gen. ix. i. and thereby pro- 
 bably took off part of the great Sorrow in 
 bearing and in bringing forth Children, that 
 might be the Occafion of lefs Fruitfulnefs be- 
 fore. We find that Noah had but three Sons 
 when he was fix Hundred Years old. Gen, 
 vii 7. and he is the only Antediluvian whofe 
 Defcendants are all enumerated. But we find 
 that though the Age of Man was iliortned to 
 five Hundred Years immediately afcer the 
 
 P 2 Floodj 
 
io8 ATTEN3)IX. 
 
 Flood, yet Ham had four Sons, Gen. x. 6, 
 Stem five, 'V, 12, and Japheth feven, c 2, 
 It lliould feem therefore that in Fact, thofe 
 who lived after the Flood were more fruitful 
 than thofe who lived before it. But God 
 does not flop here, but alfo takes off the 
 Curfe from the Ground, or its Sterility, Chap. 
 viii. 21./ will not for the Future mrfe the 
 Qroimdfor Mans fake. So the Hebrew Word 
 ihould be rendered, as it is, v, 22. and fo 
 the Septuagint has render'd it. He likewife 
 promifes favourable Seafons, c'. 22. Mofes 
 accordingly obferves, that after the Flood^ 
 iSloah began to be an Husbandman^ Gen. 
 ix. 20. Not barely a Tiller of the Ground 
 for meer Neceiraries i (that Noah's Ance- 
 ftors had been all along ) but a Planter of a 
 .Vineyard, for the Superfluities of Life : As 
 expensing greater Fertility from the Removal 
 of the Curfe, and the Grant of a Bleffmg. 
 And Mofes further acquaints us, that Things 
 anfwered his Expedation : And that his Vin- 
 tage yielded him but too generous a Juice, 
 unlefs he had made a better ufe of it, e^. 21. 
 
 Zjaftly^ God reftores ISloah and his Sons to 
 a greater Dominion over the Bcafts of the 
 Earth, the Fowls of the Air, and the Fiflies 
 of the Sea, than they had before, or probably 
 fince the Fall. Perhaps the making the Beafts 
 of the Field more tradable, was one way, 
 by which God removed the Curfe of the 
 Groundj and added to its Fruitfulnefs, as well 
 
 as 
 
A9 T END I X. 109 
 
 ^'s to the Food of Mankind, In every In- 
 ftance of God's Blefling any one, we muft, as 
 has been obferved already , fuppofe fome 
 Curfe removed, and fome Favour granted ; 
 and in the Cafe of God's Bleirmg Noab and 
 his Sons, we fee the Curfe remov'd in part, or 
 in whole (as far forth as it feems to have beea 
 God's Defign to remove it, till there fhall be 
 no more Curfe) that had been pronounced oa 
 Mankind at the Fall j except the laft part of it, 
 'viz. That T)uft thou art^ and to Tiiift thou 
 JJjah return. 
 
 When God bleffes Jhraham then. Gen, 
 xii. 2. xxii. 1 7. It mufl-, as in the Cafe of our 
 firft Parents, and in the Cafe of iVi?^Z?, denote 
 the Removing fome part of the original Curfe, 
 and reftoring the original Bleifing in part or in 
 whole i or giving an equal BlefUng, if not a 
 greater, than the firft. What lefs can be im- 
 ported by the Phrafe ufed. Gen, xxii. 17. one 
 of the Places I juft quoted. In ^lejfmg I will 
 hiefs thee 1 Efpecially as it is introduced on 
 fo great an Occaiion, as the Offering up the 
 Heir of the Promife, and as it is conhrmed by 
 an Oath. Or what lefs can be imported, 
 when in him (or in Blefling him) God de- 
 clares, that he bleffed all the Families or Na- 
 tions of the Earthy i. e. that fliould imitate 
 him in his Faith and Obedience ? The Blef- 
 fing that arofe from taking off the other Parts 
 of the Curfe, the reft of the Families of the 
 Barth, as the Defcendants of Noah^ (to whom 
 
 thofc 
 
no AT T E ATX) IX 
 
 thofe BielTings were granted) partook in al- 
 ready. Now, lince the other Parts of the 
 Curfe had been removed in the Bleffing to 
 Noah and his Sons, what can this moft fo- 
 lemn Bleflfing of Jhraham^ and in him of all 
 the Nations of the Earth, (in the Language 
 of thofe early Times, when the Blelling and 
 Curfe on our firft Parents was fo deeply 
 imprefs'd on their Minds, and fo thorough- 
 ly underftood,) carry lefs in it, than reftoring 
 Jbraham exprefly to Immortality (not indeed 
 without tailing Death, but) from or after 
 Death -, the great and moft bitter Part of the 
 original Curfe, which had not yet been taken 
 away ^ fo that this ExprefTion plainly implies 
 Jdoption to eternal Life, in the Language 
 of thefe Times. 
 
 II. I am to fhew,That God's adopting Jbra- 
 ham to the Inheritance of eternal Life is in- 
 cluded in the other Expreflion, of the Lord's 
 being THE GOD ^/Abraham. And here 
 the Adoption is not implied but exprelTed. 
 And in order to make that out, I w^ould pre-, 
 mife. 
 
 That Sir Ifaac Newton has fully proved, 
 ¥rinc. p. 48 2. that the Term God is a relative 
 Term ; and a Term of Relation that is found- 
 ed in 'Dominion. That being fuppofed, the 
 Term God muft iignify the Dominion and Au- 
 Ihority of a Father, ofaMafter, or of a King. 
 ""^ ~ " ^ ' For 
 
AT 'P E N D'l X. lit 
 
 For all Sorts of Dominion and Authority may 
 be reduc'd to one of thefe. 
 
 Now God indeed may figuratively have 
 been always faid to be the Mafter of Man- 
 kind, and they may be faid to be his Ser- 
 vants,- in as much as in many Things God 
 refembles a Mafter, and Mankind his Ser- 
 vants 'y and he is therefore often mentioned as 
 fuch in Scripture, though never till after the 
 Death o{ Abraham : Yet God is not properly 
 and ftri«3:ly ever confider'd as a Mafter, in any 
 part of Scripture, becaufe he has never entered 
 into Covenant with Mankind, under the Noti- 
 on of a Mafter with his Servants. 
 
 In like manner, God may always figura- 
 tively have been faid to have had a Kingdom 
 ruling over all i in as much as there are many 
 Rcfemblances between God's Power over all 
 Things, and the Power a King has over his 
 Subjeds. But God is never fo much as men- 
 tioned as a King, even incidentally, in Scrip- 
 ture, till about the Time that he by Covenant 
 at Moimt Sinai became the K-ing of the If^ 
 raelites. Nor had he a People till then. And 
 afterwards indeed, he alfo by Covenant be- 
 came the fupreme King of all Cbriftians^ v/he- 
 ther j€x;:s or Gentiles, 
 
 But God had Children, or a Family, before 
 he had a Kingdom and a People j even from 
 the firft Man and Woman. And therefore 
 whenever the Term God occurs in Scripture, 
 before either of the Periods, in which the fu- 
 2 prcme 
 
iia AT'TENTflX. 
 
 preme Being oecame by Covenant the King 
 of the Ifraelites^ and of the Chriftians^ in a 
 %iKk and proper Senfe ^ the Term Qod muft 
 import the other Relation of Power and Au- 
 thority, mz, that of a Father ; agreeably to 
 the Authority that then prevailed in the 
 World, which was Family or Patriarchal ,• 
 and that God muft, from the very Nature of 
 Things, have been ever con/idered as a Fa- 
 ther, even in the patriarchal Period, before 
 lie was a King over a People^ will fully ap- 
 pear from what follows, 
 
 1. That Jdam was created an earthly and 
 animal Son of God i having no other Fa- 
 ther but God i being made like him in his 
 moral Perfections ^ and veftcd with Domini- 
 on, the Blifs of Parad ife. Glory and Immor- 
 tality ; as an Inheritance fuited to the high 
 Relation he bore to God. All which carries 
 in it the whole Notion of a Father, in the 
 mod: ftridj proper, and precife Senfe of the 
 ,Word. 
 
 2. That J dam by his Difobedience /uft 
 the moral Image or Likenefs of God ; and 
 was thereupon diverted of the Inheritance of a 
 Son of God ,• driven out of Paradife, kept 
 from Returning to it, made fubjed to Toil^ 
 Care, Vexation, Difeafes and Deaths and 
 inftead of the Glory which he had in Inno- 
 cence, a Badge of his Soniliip to God, God 
 made him Coats of the Skins of Beafts, as a 
 Cloathing that might ferve to fliew him, to 
 
 what 
 
AT P E N 7) I X. 113 
 
 what a low State he had reduced liimfclf, by 
 fiifi-ering his Appetites and Pafiions to get the 
 better of his Reafon. From whence this Mo- 
 ral was plainly held forth, That he being in 
 Honour^ and zz^ithottt TJnderflanding^ was 
 become like the 'Bcafls that perijij. EfTay, 
 p. 10. God alfo gave him a plain Intimation, 
 that if he would continue to obey the Serpent, 
 he muft fliare in his peculiar Curfe, EjXa)\ 
 p. 14, 15. 
 
 3. That Adam forfeited this Inheritance, 
 not only for himfelf, but for his Pofterity ; 
 begetting Men not in the Image or I>ikenefs 
 of God i Heirs of Dominion, Biifs, Glory and 
 Immortality,- but in his own Likenefs^ after 
 his Image^ Sons of Men^ and Heirs of his 
 Curfe : Namely, Toil, Care, Vexation, Dif- 
 eafes and Death. JEf[a)\ p. 10, 11. 
 
 4. That Cain being born an Heir of the 
 Curfe, and at laft not barely continuing a Son 
 of Man, but becoming the Seed of the Ser- 
 pent, imitating and obeying him (in being a 
 Liar and a Murthcrer, as he was) notwith- 
 ftanding God's gracious Admonition and Cau- 
 tion to the contrary, became the Head and 
 Founder of the avowed Family of the Devil 
 in the World ^ and was accordingly marked 
 as fuch by peculiar Curfes, that feem to have 
 foUovv'd him and his Pofterity. E(]ay^ p«H) ' 5* 
 
 5. That notwithftanding this, whoever 
 from the Sons of Men, and Heirs of Death, 
 became like unto God, refembling hijtji in Pu- 
 
 Q. rity. 
 
114 ATTEN'DIX, 
 
 rity, Juflicc and Mercy, might form Inferen- 
 ces and Hopes, that he might become a Son 
 or a Child of God, through Adoption to a 
 fuitable Inheritance ; though perhaps without 
 knowing what that Inheritance iliould be. 
 EjpfJ:, p. 1 6. A Child of this Character 
 God gave to our hrft Parents in Set/j. inftead 
 of right eons Ahtl^ whom Cain ilew\ He and 
 his Delcendants were the avowed Family of 
 God in the World, being called hy his Kame^ 
 Gen.iv. 26. And being expreily ftiled the Chil- 
 dren or Sons of God ^ Gen.vi. i . Effay^ p. 1 5 , 1 6. 
 
 6, To give the Sons of God a more aflured 
 and lively Notion of what their Inheritance 
 by Adoption was , God tranilated Unoch -, 
 thereby alluring good Men, that they fliould 
 enjoy a future State of Happincfs in Soul and 
 Body. For Unoch w^as tranilated after being 
 the iirft that prophefy'd, and after he had all 
 along walked with God, as Adam had done 
 in Innocence, who had conversed with the 
 Shechinah in the Garden, till Sin and Guilt 
 made him afraid of him, depart from him, 
 and hide himfclf. Good Men of that Age 
 muft have concluded by the Rules of Propor- 
 tion, that though Enoch\ eminent and diftin- 
 guiili'd Piety was rewarded with Immortality 
 by Tranllation ,• yet that a lower Degree of 
 Piety than his, if iincere, v/ouid meet with 
 Immortality as its Reward, in fome Way, 
 Cind at ibmc 'I'ime or another. Effaj'y p. 17. 
 
 y. l'lv;re could not be a Proof of a more 
 
 wic- 
 
A T T E NT> I X. 115 
 
 wicked Difpofition , than for any of the 
 Sons of God to marry with the daughters of 
 Men, i. e. the Daughters of the Family of the 
 Devil i not only as thefe Marriages were againft 
 God's Order, and the Interpolition of his Pro- 
 vidence, but as it was exprelling the utmoft 
 Contempt of the Inlieritance of God's Family ,• 
 and as it was at the fame Time a cafting off all 
 Fear of the peculiar Curfe, that was the Inhe- 
 ritance of the Family of the Devil; and there- 
 fore, thofeof the Family of God, who made fuch 
 Intermarriages, muft thereby have become the 
 Family of the Devil. Effay^ p. 18. 
 
 8. Noah-, being the only righteous Per- 
 fon, or the only Pcrfon zioho walked with 
 Gcd^ and abftained from this impious Mixture, 
 was the only Perfon treated as a Son of God^ 
 by the peculiar Protcdion God vouchfafed 
 him and his Family from the total DeftruClion, 
 which he fent on the avowed Family of the 
 Devil. Bffaj^ p. 18, 19. 
 
 9. Noah intimates, that the Lord wotdd 
 he the God of Shem, Gen. ix. 26, Or the 
 Father of Shem^ in a Way, in which he 
 would net (at leaft immediately) be the Fa- 
 ther oijapbeth^ the elder Brother, or of Ca^ 
 uaanj the Son of Ham. All which is pro- 
 phetically faid, not of the Perfons of Shem^ 
 Japheth or Canaan ; but of their Defcen- 
 dants. Effay^ p. 20. 
 
 10. Accordingly the Defcendants of Ca^ 
 iiaan had great and peculiar Curfes attending 
 
 Q 2 them. 
 
ii6 AT T E N T> I X. 
 
 them, in the Difpcrfion of ^ahel^ the Deflru- 
 <5tion of the Cities of the Plain, the Extir- 
 pation of the Seven Nations, cJ'r. Effay^ p. 21. 
 
 11. On the other Hand, God exprelly 
 Z'/f/i'W Abraham, a Defcendant of ^Z7^w, (and 
 the only one who had walk'd before God, 
 and kept himfelf free from Idolatry) and he- 
 came HIS GOD; Which God had never 
 exprelly promised to be to any one before, 
 fince the Fall. Effay^ p. 23, 24. 
 
 12. Hence it is, that God, and Father, or 
 Terms that imply them, are Terms recipro- 
 cally us'd in the Old Teftament i and join'd 
 together in the New^ Gen. iv. 25. vi. 2 . Tfal. 
 Ixxxix. 25. Hofea i. 9, 10. John xx. 17. 
 2 Cor. vi. i5, 18. Rei', xxi. 7. So that to be 
 a God, is in the Language of Scripture, to be 
 a Father j at leaft in the patriarchal Periods 
 And for God to be a Father to one, who is 
 not created, or born, or begotten a Son of 
 God, is to be a Father by Adoption j and to 
 be a Father by Adoption, is to give an Inheri- 
 tance in Title, if not in Poflcllion ^ and the 
 Inheritance that God gives as a Father, is 
 Dominion, Blifs, Glory and Immortality. 
 EJfay^ p. 1 5. Though it muft be own'd, 
 that after the Lord became the King of the 
 yezjvs by Covenant, and afterwards the fu- 
 preme King of Chrifiians^ whether Jews or 
 Gentiles^ God may iignify King as well as 
 Father ; and which of thefe that Term fignities, 
 muft be determined by the Context. See TfaL 
 
 v. 2. 
 
AT T E NT) I X. 117 
 
 V. 2. Ixviii. 24. cxlv. I. yobnxK, ij, 2 Cor, 
 vi. i6y 18. Rec, xxi. 3. compared with c. 7. 
 
 13. Hence it is, that Chrift proves the Re- 
 fiirredion of good Men (for about them is the 
 Queftion) to the Saddticees^ from Mofes calling 
 the Lord the God ^/Abraham, Ltike xx. 37. 
 
 I lliall only quote this PafTage hiftorically, 
 or as a Proof of what the JewiJJj Notions 
 were about this Matter, but not as holy Writ : 
 fmce I am here treating with the Deifts, who 
 don't allow that there is any fuch Thing. In 
 order to fee the full Force of our Saviour s Ar- 
 gument, it muft be obferv'd, 
 
 (i,) That the Qiieftion the Saddnceesvao- 
 ved is about the Refurredion of the Man, and 
 not about the Exiftence of the Soul in a fepa- 
 rate State • not only becaufe the Saddttcees 
 are here defcribed as denying the KefarreUion^ 
 (v. 27.) but becaufe the Argument they ufe 
 to fupport their Opinion, relates to the Man, 
 and not to the fcparate State of the Soul. It 
 being an Argument drawn from Marriage, 
 -J, 28 34- 
 
 (2.) That the Queftion moved by the Sad^ 
 ducees is not about the Refurreclion ot good 
 and bad Men, but of good Men only. For 
 the Argument they bring againft a Pvefur- 
 redion fuppofes a State of Happincfs and 
 Enjoyment at the Refurredtion, which can 
 only belong to the Ju(l. For their Argument 
 is^ that there can be no Refurredion of good 
 Men, becaufe feven Brethren, who had one 
 
 Wo- 
 
ii8 ATTEN'DIX. 
 
 Woman to Wife faccellively in this Life , 
 could not all of them poflibly have her to 
 Wife together after the Refurredion. 
 
 (3.) That our Saviour's Argument to prove 
 the Refurre(5Vion5 c. 37. does not lie in thefe 
 Words, / J M the God of Abraham, be- 
 caufe they arc not lb quoted here. But 
 Mofes CJLLErH THE LORT> 
 THE GOI) OF AJ^RAHA jM. And 
 becaufe though our Tranflators have render- 
 ed Mdttb, ^x\\. 32. /am theQod^ &c. yet 
 that AVord is not in the Original : But only 
 \yyjo 0£:<c] \the Qod of ^i^\i2ca\. 
 
 (4.) The Force of the Argument therefore 
 lies in thefe A\^ords, the Lord is^ or is called^ 
 THE QOT> OF ABRAHAM: That 
 is, the Father oi Jhrabamy viz. by Adopti- 
 on : And that the Adoption of God is Im- 
 mortality, and what accompanies Immortali- 
 ty. For Chnlt had faid jud before, that the 
 Children or Sons of God are Children or Sons 
 of the Kcfnri eUion, And he adds, God is 
 net the God [ or the Father ] oj the 'Dead 
 [i. e. of good Men that are Dead for c\'er, 
 which was what the Saddiicees meant by 
 Dead] hit of the Li-fing [i. c. of fuch good 
 Men as Haould live again] which was the 
 Point the Saddiicees deny'd. For God can't 
 give Immortality, (jc. as an Inheritance, 
 either in Title or PoireiHon, to fuch as are ir- 
 recoverably dead j but to fuch only as fli?ll 
 be living. And without giving that Inheri- 
 tance 
 
A T T E N D I X. 119 
 
 tance in Title or Poflelllon, he can't be a Fa- 
 ther by Adoption. And Chrifl: immediately 
 adds, .y//, that is, all good Men, fiich a^ 
 Jbrahmn^ &c. li'-je [or lliall live] '::oith him 
 (as the Words may be rendered) ciz in the 
 other World. If it had not been iinderflocd 
 among the JeWs^ that God and Father were 
 the fame Thing ; and that being a God of 
 any one, implied Adoption, or the Inheri- 
 tance of Immortality, to every one that was 
 not a Son by Creation, Birth or Generation, 
 the Saddncees would never have been iilcnc'd 
 by this Argument. But it h plain this was 
 a Notion received among the Jezi's^ iince the 
 Saddncees make no manner of Reply. And 
 that it w^as fo , farther appears from the 
 Jezz'iJJj V/ritings both before Chrift and fince. 
 In the Book of irifdoin^ ch. ii. 16, 7.0. it is 
 faid, He pronounced the latter Jind of the 
 J lift bleffedj and hcafts that he has God for 
 his Father, Let iis cut hir,i off 'with a 
 JJjameful Death. ¥or if the juft Man be the 
 
 Son of God^ he will receive him. Jnd 
 
 V. 22,23. ihey (pake becaiij'e they knew not 
 the Ihfteries of God ; nor hoped for the Re- 
 ward (f Holinefs, nor difcerncd the Recom- 
 pence of the blamelefs Souls, For God made 
 Man for Ficorr-uption^ and to be an Image of 
 his own Immortality. And ch. iii. i, 4, 7. 
 Ihe Soids of the Righteous are in the Hands 
 of God^ and their Hope is full of Immortality, 
 in the 'Bay of their Vifitation they fialljlniie. 
 
 And 
 
lao ATTEN'DIX. 
 
 And cb.v, i, 4, 5. Then fljall the Right g- 
 ous ft and with jj^r cat 'Boldriefs before the Face 
 of them that affliUed them^ and they Jhall 
 fay\ we Fools counted his Life Madnefs^ and 
 his End to he without Honour^ hut now is he 
 mmhered among the Sons of God^ and his 
 ^Portion is with the Saints, The feven .Sons 
 mentioned in Maccabees are ftill called Chil- 
 dren of the Stock <?/' Abraham, by Jofepbus, 
 And as the Book o^ Maccabees ftill introduces 
 them, declaring, i}mX God would raife them to 
 Life eternal^ zMacc.vii 9, 2^. iojofephus like- 
 wife introduces their Mother comforting them 
 with thefe Words of Solomon^ Wifdom is aTree 
 of Life to them that do her Will ; and thofe of 
 Ezekiel, Shall thefe dry ^ones/i-ve <' and with 
 the Words of God, in the Song of Mofes^ I 
 kill:, and I make ali<ve. He aifo declares of 
 thefe Martyrs, That dying for God^ they alfo 
 li'ved with God^ as did Abraham, Ifaac and 
 Jacob, and all the Patriarchs^ and ran in 
 the Way of Immortality, He [peaks of a Re- 
 ^i'vifcence of all that ohfer've the Law of Mo- 
 fes, though they die for it j and adds. That 
 God hath granted them to recei've a better 
 Life in Rezerfion, Jofcph. de Mace. p. 1 1 o i . 
 1. R p. 1 100. D. p. 1090. A. p. 1097. ^» 
 Contra App. 1. 2. p. 1076. A. B. 
 
 The (Irongcfl: Paliages might be brought to 
 this Purpofc, from the Writings of the Apo- 
 ftles, if thufe we have here to do with woul4 
 allow of their Authority. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
ADDENDA. 
 
 p^^ Will here fubjoin what may far- 
 
 "'i^ ^^^^ ferve to prove , That God 
 
 ^-^'^ adopted J bra bam to the Inheri 
 y^S£t'xS(: tance of eternal Life , though it 
 flipped me, when I wrote the foregoing Bffa)\ 
 and the Text from w^hence I draw my Proof, 
 was fuggefted to me by a learned Friend, af- 
 ter I had fent the Efjay to the Prefs. The 
 Proof I intend to otier is from Gen, xv. 6. 
 And he [ Ahraham ] helie'vcd in the Lord, 
 and he counted it to him for Kighteoufnefs. 
 Abrahams Belief in the Lord is always re- 
 prefented, both in the Old and the New Te- 
 ftament , as a Principle that influenced his 
 whole Condu(5t ,• making him , at God's 
 Command, quit his idolatrous Country and 
 Friends, travel into a Country he did not 
 know, and where he was not known j profefs 
 his Faith in the One true God, and teach his 
 Family to fear and woriliip himjnotwithftand- 
 ing the Dangers it cxpofed him to, in a wick- 
 K ed 
 
lai AD D EN T> A. 
 
 ed and Idolatrous, as well as a ftrange Land j 
 making him, moreover, fubmit to the pain- 
 ful Rite of Circumciiion, put away Hagar 
 and his Son Ijhmael^ and at laft be ready to 
 offer up his only legitimate Son Ifaac ^ the 
 Heir of the Promife. This is fufficiently 
 underftood. 
 
 However, fuch a Faith as this was not, 
 ftriaiy fpeaking, Righteoufnefs (which is an [ 
 entire, perfed and conftant Conformity to the 
 original Law of the great Father of our firft 
 Parents ;) but it was what God now allured 
 Jbraham^ J dams Defcendant by Setb and 
 Shsm^ that hs mercifully counted^ or reckoned 
 for Righteoufnefs : Declaring this now as the 
 gracious, and abated or fecondary Rule of 
 his Family here below, I'hat he, who from 
 a Belief of his Truth and Power, would re- 
 gulate the Main of his Conduct, according to 
 the Rule he had given him, fliould be count- 
 ed Righteous j though he might, through the 
 $uddennefs of feme great Surprize, and the 
 Strength of his Appetites or Palnons, fome- 
 times deviate from it,- as Jbra/ja?n in fome 
 Inilances dkL Now we are fure, that the 
 Reckoning or Judgment of God is juft. For 
 the Righteoufnefs of a Man is a Conformity 
 of the Temper and A6iions of a Man to fome 
 ;Pvule that he is under. And wheji the Judge, 
 who has a competent Jurifdiction, pronounces 
 that a Man has aded up to that Rule^ that 
 Man may then be properly H^id to be Righte- 
 ous,- 
 
AT) T> E N T> A. 123 
 
 ous ; though the Rule by which he is judg'd, 
 be a Rule of lit and proper Grace, Relaxa- 
 tion, and Favour, (from a Weaknefs and In- 
 ability to obfervc the hrft and original Rule) 
 and not that tiril: flrict and original Rule 
 it felf. 
 
 Now it fecms to have been the original 
 Connexion and Conftitution of Things, fet- 
 tled and framed by the w^ife Contriver and 
 Difpofer of all Things ; that Life (that is, 
 Exiltence and Enjoyment or Happinefs) 
 fhould be the Confequence of Righteoafnefs ; 
 or of a Conform.ity to the Law or Rule Man 
 was under : And that Death (that is a Cefla- 
 tion of Exiftence and Enjoyment or Happi- 
 nefs) fliould be the Confequence of Unrigh- 
 teoufnefs. 
 
 Thus, at lead, it appears plainly, that in 
 Fa*ft it has been in all God's Difpenfations. 
 The Tree of Life, which was in the midft of 
 the Garden of £^d'//, was a full Declaration, 
 that if Adam W'as obedient or righteous, he 
 fhould live. And he was exprefly threaten'd, 
 that if he was difobedient or unrighteous, he 
 fliould die. That Threatning farther impli- 
 ed, and very (Irongly, that if he was not 
 difobedient or unrighteous, he Ihould not die, 
 that is, that he fliould live. 
 
 By the Law of Mofes^ E't'cry one was ciir^ 
 
 fiid^ that c utinued nu in all Thivgs 'written 
 
 in the Loz2) to do them^ Deut. xxviii. 26. 
 
 Gal. lii. 10. Jnd the Soid that finned was 
 
 R 2 to 
 
iH A ^ 1) E N 7) A. 
 
 to dicy Ezek. xviii. 4. See alfo i Scim» xii. 13.^ 
 On the contrary, Obedience to the Law of 
 Mofes was the Right eotifnefs of the Children 
 of Ifraelj Deut. vi. 25. The Law farther 
 fays cxprefly, That he that follow d what 
 was altogether juft flmdd Vwe^ Deut. xvi. 20. 
 XXX. 6, And as God firft , the Prophet 
 afterward fays, of all God's Statutes and 
 Judgments, that if a Man do them^ he Jloall 
 the in them^ Lev. xviii. 5. Ezek. xx. 11, 
 1^5 21. See T,iikc x. 25, 28. Rom. x. 5. 
 See Ejfay, p. 3 5. 
 
 Thus It \s plain Things have flood by the 
 Law of Mofes and of Innocence. But this 
 original Connexion or Conftitution fcems more 
 over founded in the natural and neceflary Order 
 of Things, which fccms to be this j 1 hat if a 
 reafonable Being, which, as he is capable of 
 a Rule, mud: be always under one, ads up 
 to that Rule, and thereby anfvvers the End 
 of his Being, he Hiould go on to be, and en- 
 joy : As on the other Hand, when it is plain, 
 that he would not ad up to that Rule, and 
 anfvver the End of his Being, he fhould ceafe 
 to be. Rightcoufnefs ha^ a natural Tendency 
 to Life and Happincf^, and would produce it, 
 were it not for external Caufes, that hinder 
 it : And Unrightcoufnefs has a natural Ten- 
 dency to Death, either by being contrary to 
 our Health, to Peace with our Neighbours, 
 and (both from that Conlideration, and im- 
 mediately) to the Peace of our own Minds. 
 
 Agree- 
 
AD D E N "D A. 115 
 
 Agreeably hereto the Scripture repre- 
 fents Things j not only in the Law of 
 MofeSj when it tells us, that Kighteottfnefs is 
 Qiir Life ; That is, fo naturally, fo clofely, 
 fo infeparably conneded with Life, as that it 
 may be faid to be Life it felf ,• but in the 
 Law of Chrifl-, when it alfo tells us, that The 
 Wages of Sin is T)eath^ whilft the Gift of 
 God is eternal Lije^ Rom. vi. 23. It farther 
 adds, that He that hepeth the Command- 
 rnents of God hath a RIG HT to the Tree 
 of Life ^ Rev. xxii. 14. That He that fow^ 
 eth to his Flefi floall of the FleJJj reap Corrupt 
 tion^ and he that foweth to the Spirit^ jJoall 
 of the Spirit reap Life eierlafting ,• as the 
 natural Produd:ion of fowing to the one, or 
 to the other, Gal vi. 8. And laftly, it af- 
 furesus, to this purpofe, by a Similitude from 
 animal Productions, as it did in the laft Place 
 by- a Similitude taken from the encreafe of 
 Vegetables, That Ltift iL'hen it is conceiced^ 
 hringeth forth Sin^ and Sin when it is finiJJjed 
 hringeth forth Ueath^ James i. 15. 
 
 All this is fo exadly true, and in fo exad a 
 Proportion, that Chrift the Righteous, who was 
 not only perfcdlly Righteous, by the original 
 I>aw, that Man was ever under ; but by a 
 fjperior and extraordinary Law of Righte- 
 oufnefs, (which from his extraordinary love 
 of Righteoufnefs, and his extraordinary ha- 
 tred of Iniquity, he voluntarily put himfclf 
 under , by virtue of which alone , he who 
 
 was 
 
ii6 AT) "D E N "D A. 
 
 was perfedly righteous became fubjedt to 
 Death) had not only Life (in a few Hours 
 after Death, without feeing Corruption) for 
 himfelf, but in himfelf ^ that is, a Power to 
 give it to all that fhall be for the Main con- 
 formM to him in the lower Rule of Righte- 
 oufnefs, he was under j as much, as all die, 
 who are conform'd to Adam in Sin and Vn- 
 righteoufuefs ^ or in a Deviation from that 
 lower Rule of Righteoufnefs. So that as 
 Death actually enter'd the AVorld by ^^^^'s^.^^A 
 Sin, Life enters by Chrift, op. his Obedience^' " 
 as the firft Fruits of them that fleep. See 
 
 Kom.y* T2 2 1. 
 
 In line, as thus we fee, that Righteoufnefs 
 and Life are in fad infeparably conned:ed,in the 
 three great Difpenfations of God to Mankind, 
 in the Reafon of Things, and in feveral plain 
 Aflertions of Scripture, and in an exad Pro- 
 portion to that Degree of Righteoufnefs the 
 righteous Perfon had ; it foliovvS, that when 
 God dechircd to J bra bam, that he counted 
 his Faith for Rightecufnefs, God declared, 
 that Abraham flioiild inherit Life. But in- 
 deed, there is this difference between inherit- 
 ing Life by virtue of the if rid original Rule, and 
 inheriting it by virtue of the fecondary and equi- 
 table Rule J that he that obfervcs the original 
 and ftrid Rule of Righteoufnefs pcrfedly and 
 conftantly, fliall enjoy Life without tafling 
 Death and Corruption, as a Debt : Whereas, 
 he that only conforms to the fecondary and 
 
 equi- 
 
AT) T> E N "D A. 127 
 
 equitable Rule of Righteoufnefs, yet yielding 
 fometimes to the Law of Unrighteoufnefs, he 
 fhall indeed tafte of Death and Corruption for 
 foms Time, but fhall flill indefeafibly inherit 
 Life, after being recovered from Death and 
 Corruption, (though ilill by a well propor- 
 tioned Grace and Favour) and be fav'd from 
 the fecond Death, or from Wrath to come. 
 To which purpofe fee Rom. iv. 2 '9. 
 
 Having added a Note, by way of Appen- 
 dix, to the Difpenfation of Ahraham^ I will 
 here likewife fubjoin my Thoughts, by 
 whom the moft High adminilter'd his earth- 
 ly Kingdom. They fhould have come into 
 the Bodyof tha lE^a}\ page 31. (after the 
 Words, ^v:od. xxiv. 3, 12.) in the Words 
 following. 
 
 But though God was the King of this Peo- 
 ple, yet he does not feem to have admini* 
 fter'd the Kingdom immediately himfelfj 
 but by the Word: The moft High ading in 
 this, as in all other Inftances, not immedi- 
 ately, but mediately, either by the Word, 
 or by the Spirit, in all his different Operati- 
 ons, in the natural and moral World. The 
 Word in this Difpenfation is cali'd Jehovah^ 
 the fame, who created the Heaiens and the 
 Earthy (who is faid co have created them, 
 
 S Gen. 
 
ii8 AD D EN'D A. 
 
 Gen. I and ii. 2, j.) Gen. ii. 4. ?Y^/. xxxiiL 
 d, 9. ZT^^. i. 2. but as the Minifter of the 
 Father, or of Elohim j who converfed with 
 our firft Parents, Gen. ii. 16. iii. 9, 22. who 
 APPEAR'D to Noah^ {G^n. vi. 1 5. vii. 
 I, 16. viii. 15. IX. 1 — —18.) to Abraham^ 
 (Gen. xvii. 1,2. and xviii. i, 2, j^.) to Ja- 
 cohy ("Gen. xxviii. ij, 16. xxxii. ^o. xxxv. 
 9, 15.; and to ilii^/^j- at the Bufh, {Exod. 
 iii, 6, 7, 1 4.) Saying, 1 am the God of Abra- 
 ham, 6c, I am that I am \ or, / will he, 
 that I will he ', or, who will give Being and 
 Accomplilhment to his Covenant and Pro- 
 mifes. See Ainfworth in loc. Who went 
 before the Children of Ifrael in a Pillar of 
 Cloud and a Pillar of Fire, Exod. xii. 21. 
 Who came down on Mount Sinaiy Exod. 
 xix. 18. and gave the Law to the Children 
 of Ifrael., Exod, xx. 2. AUs vii. 58. Heh, 
 xii. 25, 26. who faid at firll he would fend 
 an Jngel before them^ in whom he would 
 put his Name., Exod. xxiii. 20, 23. And af- 
 terwards faid, he would DWELL among 
 the Children of Ifrael^ and be their God, 
 "Exod. xxix. 4(5. But on the Idolatry of the 
 golden Calf, faid, he would not go up him- 
 felf, Exod, xxxii. 34, ^5. xxxiii. 2 — 12* 
 And yet at lafi: faid, he would go up^ on 
 Mofes\ Iniercedion ; Exod, xxx. 12, 17. 
 and is then cali'd his [or Jeho'vah's] Tre" 
 fence ^ or the Angel of his Tre fence:, Ifai 
 ixiii. 9. and afterwards, The Jngel of the 
 
 Co- 
 
A T> "D E N T> A. la^ 
 
 Coc^enant^ Msilnl. i. compared with M(^tt, 
 xi. 10. McV'k i. 2. where Jefus applies this 
 to himfelf. The Jngel of the Lord-, or of 
 Jcho'vah^ Zech. xii. 8. 2)^//^ xxxiii. 13, 16. 
 and fometimes only the Angel ^ as Gen, 
 xlviiic 16. compar'd with Gen. xxviii. ij, 
 20—22. .^^jvii. 35, 38. By the Prefence 
 of this Angel it was, that this People becanpie 
 J'ffe'^Z^'s People, jEcW^. xxxiif. I J. Kumh, 
 xi. 29. and was diftinguifhed from all other 
 Nations, jE.W. xxxiii. \6. For other Nations 
 had Angels of God prefiding over them, as 
 is not only intimated in T)aniel^ Chap. x. 
 I J, 20. but by Mofes, T)etit. xxxii. 8, 9., 
 when he fays, That when God divided to the 
 Nations their Inheritancey when he fepar ci- 
 ted the Sons ^y Adam ; he fet the bounds of 
 the Teople according to the Number of the 
 Angels^ (for fo is the true Reading, as ap- 
 pears by the LXX, and by what follows,) 
 ^The Lord [or Jehovah's] Tortion was his 
 'People^ and Jacob was the Lot of his Inheri- 
 tance, And ^'er. 1 2. 27?^ Lord [or Jeho- 
 vah] alone did lead him^ and there was no, 
 firange God with him. So that I take Jeho- 
 <vah to be the proper Name, Stile, and Title 
 of the Word, ailing as the God or King of 
 lfrael\ though not in his own Name, bac 
 in the Name of the moft High ; Exod. iii^ 
 6, 14. vi. 2, ^. XV. II. xxiii. 21. Deitt,,, 
 xxxii. 9. Judges xi. 24. compared with 
 Jer, xlviii. 7, 42. See Mr. Ji)[,Mede\. Works, 
 
 S 2 page 
 
igo A D T> E N D A. 
 
 fage 66'j^ 668. Edit, the Fourth. That 
 this Angel, Minifter or MeiTenger, fliould 
 be the Word, feems but reafonable from fo 
 high a Prerogative, as being thus call'd by 
 the Name of Jeho^jah^ and ading in his 
 Name and Stead. 
 
 What follows would have been in a Note 
 on this Paragraph, if the Notes had been 
 compleat. 
 
 I think we muft all agree, with Jtiftin 
 Martyr^ Iren^etis^ Terttdlimi^ and moft of 
 the Fathers, that God, the Father of all 
 Things, being a Spirit, or a Being intirely 
 Incorporeal or Immaterial, muft in his own 
 Nature be Invifible to all bodily Eyes of 
 what Kind or Rank foever ; and that as he 
 is Omniprefent, and fills all imaginable 
 Space, and is He, in whom all the Works of 
 his Hands mcje and haz-e their Beings He 
 can't, ftridly and philofophically fpeaking, 
 come^ fiay or go^ afcend or defcend^ appear 
 or difappear* When therefore any of thefe 
 Things are predicated of the moft High, 
 they can only fignify, that feme Being or 
 Beings more nearly allied to Him than we 
 are, come, ftay, or go, (j-c. particularly 
 fome Minifter or Meftenger, Minifters or 
 Meilengersof his, v/ho are confidered either 
 
 2 as 
 
A^ D E NT) A. i^i 
 
 as his Retinue, or as the Revealers or Exe- 
 cutioners of his Will and Pleafure. Far- 
 ther, is it at ail agreeable to the Rules of 
 Analogy and Proportion, to fuppofe, that 
 the firll Caufe and Father of all Things, 
 who created all Things, and upholds all 
 Things by the W O R D, who quickens all 
 Things , and qualifies and enlightens his 
 Prophets, and even his own Son by the 
 SPIRIT, by whom He alfo begat Hini 
 in the Womb of the bleffed Virgin, Ihould 
 Himfelf have ever fpoke immediately to 
 Mankind ? To this purpofe are thofe Scrip- 
 tures that ftile him the invifible God, 'wbom 
 no Ma7i hath feen cr can fee^ John i. 18. See 
 Colof/i. 15. I Tim, i. 17. vi. 15, 16. Heb.xi. 
 
 I think then, if the Scriptures were filent, 
 and did not contradid what I am going to 
 propofe (as an Hypothefis that feems to me 
 very probable) it might be left to any one 
 to judge, which of the two Suppofitions was 
 moft likely ; either the late one, that God 
 fhould have at firft made, and always up- 
 held the World by one Being ; and made 
 Appearances, and the great Revelations or 
 MefTages from himfelf 10 Mankind by ano- 
 ther Being ; though ftiling himfelf Jehcvah^ 
 and of whofe Reward for this righteous Ma- 
 nagement we have no Account ; and then 
 fend the laft MefFage to Mankind by that 
 Being in Fielh, by whom he at firft made, 
 
 and 
 
131 AJ) T> E NT) A. 
 
 and all along upheld the World: Or this, 
 which for the Matter of it is the antient one, 
 C'iz. that God (hould make all his Appearan- 
 ces, and great Revelations by the Word, by 
 whom he at firft made, and all along up- 
 held the World, conducing all Things^ and 
 particularly the Affairs of iht Ifr a elites and 
 their Anceftors, ( among whom the great 
 Scene of moral Providence layj by him, as 
 his chief Minifter, MeiTenger or Angel, al- 
 ways ading in his Name and Stead ,• till by 
 his own extraordinary Lcz'e of Kighteoufnefsy 
 and Hatred of Iniquity^ he had prepared and 
 fitted Men and Things (particularly by his 
 Management of the Je'wijh People; for the 
 lafl: Dilpenfation; when in Reward of this his 
 righteous Managment Iv fjLo^pi 0s3', and of His 
 Condefcenfion in being made in the Likenefs 
 of a Man [Iv hfj^A-^fj^oL^ dv^p'J)i7ru)V yzvzjuivoi;'] 
 and (inftead of fpeaking with Thunders and 
 Lightning, and the Sound of a Trumpet, 
 from a Cloud of Glory) teaching Mankind fa- 
 miliarly the Mind and Will of the Father ; and 
 minidring to them in their NecefTities and In- 
 firmities, and at laft fubmitting to Death, 
 even the Death of the Crofs,for their good, He 
 fhould be advanced to be Lord and Heir of 
 ail Things, and confequently adminifter an 
 univerfal Kingdom in his own Name, above 
 all other Principalities, or all other, even 
 the higheft, Angels, who had formerly, in 
 the Conduct of other Nations , been, his 
 
 Fel- 
 
A T> T> E N T> A, 155 
 
 Fellows : They now being probably advan- 
 ced and rewarded for their righteous Con- 
 duct in their refpecliv^e Provinces, as ibey 
 trhnnpjjd in him^ as their exalted Head and 
 Lord Let any one after ccoly making this 
 Comparifon between the two Suppofitions, 
 fee, whether he muft not think the latter the 
 more probable ; and that not only from the 
 bare Comparifon, but from this farther Con- 
 fideration , that upon this laft Suppofition, 
 God will appear not only to have aQ:ed ac- 
 cording to Rules of the ftricleft Juftice, and 
 moft exact and beautiful Proportion, and 
 with an Unity in ail his Difpen fat ions, of 
 Creation and Providence, and that both over 
 the natural and moral World ; but likewife 
 thereby {^i us the greateft Example, how 
 we, by managing the Talents, that are-ac 
 prefent given us, and particularly by all 
 A£ts of Humility, Condefcenfion, and Self- 
 denial, for the Good of others, may come to 
 inherit the K.ngdom prepared for us, and to 
 fit down at his right Hand-^ as he fat down 
 at the Father s, St. Taid runs into Thoughts 
 of this kmd, Heh. i. S, 9. Eph,iv, i— 13. 
 
 Thil.'w. I 14. 
 
 That the moft High fent his great MelTa- 
 ges to the 7//Y7^//to, and their Anceftors, by 
 the Word, was the Opinion of the Fathers. 
 But that would not be of great Confequence, 
 if, in all this, the Scriptures did not feem 
 plainly to go along with us 5 confirming 
 
 this 
 
134 A "D T> E N T> A. 
 
 this Notion, (mz. that the Angel who is 
 call'd '^eho'vah^ was the Word) (i.) By its 
 being manifeftly alluded to by the New 
 Teftament Writers C^ohn i. i, 2, j, 4, 5, 
 
 9, 10 17. G^/. iv. 14. ThiLn.6. Heh,'u 
 
 8, 9. jR^e?. xxi. 2, J. compared with yf?/&^i.i4. 
 JS:x:i7^. xxix. 42, 45, 44, 45, 46. £^a xxvi. 
 11,12. andG^//.vi. ij. xvii. 1,2. xviii.1,2, j^. 
 xxviii. 1^5 16. xxxii. 30. xxxv. 9, ij. £:c^^. 
 iii. 6, 7, 14. By all which Places it fhould 
 feem, that he who APPEARED to the 
 Anceftors of the Ifraelitcs-, who faid he would 
 DWELL with the ijraelites , after the 
 Covenant at Horeh^ and fet his Tabernacle 
 among them , and would be THEIR 
 GOD, and take them for H I S PEOPLE; 
 was the fame with him, who DWELT, 
 or tabernacled among the Jews^ when he 
 took Flefh, that he fhould purify to him- 
 felf a peculiar People ; and who will taber- 
 nacle or DWELL with Men again, at his 
 fecond Coming, when he will take all Men, 
 both the JewiJJ) Nation, and all the Nations 
 of the Earth, for his PEOPLE, and be 
 T H E I R G O D. (2.) By its being like- 
 wile fuppofed by them, when they quote 
 Texts out of the Old Teftament relating 
 to Jeho'vab^ and apply them to Chrifl^ as 
 John xii. 4 , . quoted from i/^.vi. 1,^,5. Kom* 
 X. »j. quoted from Joel li. 32. And, (5 J 
 By its being, to my Apprehenfion, exprefly 
 alTertcd both by the Writers of the Old Te- 
 ftament^ 
 
AT> "D E N D A. 155 
 
 ftament, (T)eiit. xxvlii. 58. Tfil. \)^v\ii 17, 
 18. compir'd with Epb. iv. 7 -12. (For 
 he tiHt aUended is the fame that defzended 
 on Mount Sim/ as well as into the lower 
 Tarts ot" the Earth, and I believe St. Tanfs 
 Thought was occafion'd by that in the 
 T/d/m) Jerem, xxiii. 6. Mich. v. 2.) and 
 alio by the N^w Tcllamcnc Writers, yijZ'/^ 
 i. II. and viii, 56 (Where our Saviour alTirts, 
 that Jhrahiim faw his TJaj^ that is HLVl, 
 (as appears by the Je^joi Reply, -ver, 57. 
 and our Saviour's Rejoinder, ler. 58. and 
 by the Seiife of the Word l^:iy in other 
 Places, Job xviii. 20. Z////lv xvii. 22, 24, ^o. 
 I Cor. iv. 3.; I CV;;\ x. 4, 9. compar'd witli 
 Exod. xvi). 6. See alio Heh. i. 2. xii. 25, 26. 
 Kef life not him that fpeaketh^ Sec. where ic 
 is plain that it is the Voice of the fama 
 Perfon that noz£ fpeahs from Heaven^ who 
 formerly fpoke en Earthy viz. on Mount 
 Siuai. 
 
 It will be necelTary to fjieak particularly 
 to this Text, becaufe it has been lately ap- 
 ply'd to God tiie Father, by that moft iaga- 
 ciou5, judicious, and^ learned Conimentaior 
 
 * This Proof chat I have oEfer'd from fo'.nvvX. 56. with the 
 Ttx:s which fupporc the Senfe that is lisre given to the Word 
 D<:y, was mentiou'd to me by an ingenious ani learned Man, 
 w h'j, on other Occadons, as well as this, has fu^yclted feveral 
 Things which have been of ufe to me, when he has known my 
 ThoL'-ghcs to be engag'd on parcicvilar Subjeils, 
 
 T M^' 
 
1^6 A "D D E N T> A. 
 
 Mr. Teirce^ of whom the World was not 
 worthy. But notwithftanding the Defe- 
 rence due to fo great an Expofitor, I think 
 it is plain, that this Text relates to Chrift, 
 from the following Confiderations ; (i.) 
 From the general Defign of this Epiitle, 
 which is to prevent the Hebrew Believers 
 from apoftatizing from Cluidianity, on Ac- 
 count of the Perfecutions they fuffer'd. This 
 runs through the whoie Epiftie, and there- 
 fore is mod: likely to be the Conclufion of the 
 whole Argument, which ends with this 
 Chapter. The i pb Chapter confiiiing of 
 Salutatio;~s and Exhortations to feveral Da- 
 tie?, with which St, Vaul^ the Author of 
 this Epiitle, after he has concluded the Ar- 
 gument of every one of his Epililes, gene- 
 rally doles them. There was no Occafion 
 for St. ?diil to bid the Hebrews not refufe 
 to hear God the Father, for they were not 
 in Danger of apofratizing from Judaifm as 
 well as from Chriifianily, but from Chrifsi- 
 anity to Judaifm. 
 
 (2,) From the immediate Context-, which 
 either is the beginning of this Chapter, in 
 thefe Words, Let lis run with Patience the 
 [Chrijiiaul Race that is fet before us^ iook^ 
 iii^ unto J ejus theTiireUor and the Rewarder 
 ]^d^.yY,ylv ii)Ti?\.Q^ooTnv'^ of cur Faith : Or ver. 
 24. Jnd to J e fits the Mediator of the New 
 Co'venaiit^ and to the "Blood of Sprinklings 
 which fpeaketb better things than the Blood 
 
 of 
 
AT>T)ENDA. 137 
 
 of Jhel Then follows, See that ye rcfitfe 
 not him that Jpeaketh. Which foever of 
 thefe Verfes are the Contexr, ('and indeed I 
 think both arej it refers this Text to Chrift, 
 and not to God the Father. 
 
 (l-) The Argument of the Apoftle lies in 
 this, that the Hebrews fhould hear the Voice 
 ot the fame Perfon that before fpoke on 
 Earth, but now fpeaks from Heaven 5 
 whofe Voice only then fhook the Earthy 
 but now hath fliaken Hea-ven alfo. So that 
 the Argument is drawn from the Place from 
 whence he fpeaks, and the Effect of his 
 Voice from that Place. Now the Force of 
 the Argument from the Place, I think, can 
 be only this. ^' See that ye refufe not him 
 " that now fpeaketh, ciz. the Son ; for if 
 *' they efcaped nor, who refufed to hear 
 " Jeho'jah^ the V/ord, fpeaking on Earth, 
 *^ when he fpake but as an Angel, Minifter, 
 '^ or MelTenger of i:he Father, how much 
 " more Ihall not we efcape, if we turn a- 
 *^ way from him that fpeaketh from Hea- 
 '* ceil " ; i. e from him now become the 
 Son, or the Heir and Lord of all Things, 
 feated on the Riaht Hand of God in the Hea- 
 vens, and fpeaking and acting in his own 
 Name and Authority ? From thence, f'agree- 
 able to his Argument, chap. ii. cer, 2, g.) 
 indeed, as he adds, his Voice formerly, when 
 he fpake on Earth, and aded but only 
 barely as an Angel, Minifter, and MelTen- 
 T 2 ger 
 
138 AT> T> END A. 
 
 ger of the Father, fhook the Earth, ^jIz. 
 Mount Siftai -, but now that he is the King 
 of the Kingdom that cannot be fhaken, has 
 Ihaken not only the Earth, or Earthly King- 
 doms, but Heaven, or the Heavenly, or An- 
 gehca! Powers. See Mr. Tetrce\ admirable 
 Note on Eeh. xii. 26, 27, 
 
 If this relates to the Father, there is no 
 Force in the Argument drawn here by the 
 Apoftle from the Place from whence he 
 fpeaks. For whatever the Father fhouid fay 
 wou'd be of equal Force, whether he fays 
 it by an Angel on Earth, or by an Angel 
 from Heaven, his Authority being the fame 
 at all Times, and in all Places. Whereas 
 every one eafily fees, that if it be refer'd to 
 Chrift, the Argument has great Force ; be- 
 taufe the Word's fpeaking [or God's fpeak- 
 ing by him] on Earth, is equivalent xo its 
 being faid that he fpeaks [or, that God 
 fpeaks by him] but in the Character of an 
 Angel : Whereas faying that Chrili fpeaks 
 from Heaven, [or, that God fpeaks by him 
 from Heaven] is equivalent to faying, that 
 Chrift fpeaks [or, that God fpeaks by him] 
 as the Son, or the Heir and Lord of all 
 Things : Which is the Argument as i ob- 
 ferv'd before, chap. ii. cv-r. 2, ^. 
 
 MwTeh'ce feems to have been aware of 
 this, and therefore fays, that the Argument 
 is taken here " from the Manner of Speak- 
 *^ ingj which wa^ an earthly Manner ; as fha- 
 
 I 
 
 "' i^ing. 
 
„ A 7) T> E N T> A. 159 
 
 " king the^Earth,'Cj^. but his fpcaking from 
 '^ Heaven, implies his fpeaking by his Son, 
 " who came from Heaven, and fpoke of hea- 
 '* venly Things, according to Jobn iii. 1 1 , 12, 
 " Or elfe from the Spirit of the Father fent 
 ^* from Heaven, to which he inch'nes". But 
 I fee no Foundation for either of thefe In- 
 terpretations ill the Text ; and I thmk the 
 laft is quite foreign from the whole Defign 
 of this Epiftle. 
 
 (4) It is added, cer. 28. that fince they 
 had received a Kingdom that cannot be fha- 
 ken, that they fhould adhere to the Gofpel, 
 whereby they might know how to ferve God 
 acceptably, with Reverence and godly Fear : 
 [See Mr. Teircc*s Note on this Verfe] And 
 then fays, 'ver. 29. For our God is a confu^ 
 ming Fire ; i. e. as Jeho-jah the King of the 
 Jez2)s^ fpeaking on Eirth in the Name of 
 the molt High, was aconfuming Fire tothofe 
 that would not ferve acceptably under that 
 Difpenfation ; Chriii, who is our God, [or 
 Lmnamielj God with us] or King in this 
 Kingdom, which cannot be fhaken, is like^ 
 wife a confuming Fire : Agreeably to all the 
 Declarations of Scripture, that He JJjall he 
 YC'jealed in Flaming Fire, taking Venge- 
 ance on all that know not God^ and obey not 
 the Gcfpelof ottr Lord Jefus thrifty 2 Thefl*. 
 i. 7, 8. and to an Expi tflion in this Epiftle, 
 liz. a fearful looking for of fiery Indignation 
 to de-zviir the Adverfaries, chap. x. 27. If 
 
 this 
 
I40 A T) T) E N D A. 
 
 this be the Senfe of this Verfe, every one 
 fees that the whole PalTage from c^r. 2^. 
 muft be refer'd to Chrift-, and not to the Fa. 
 ther : And if this be not the Senfe, 1 nfiufl 
 own I cannot fee the Beauty, Force, or Em- 
 phafis of this AfTertion of the Author of this 
 Epiftleto the Hebrews. They did n«t want 
 to be told, that the God of the J-ews was a 
 confuming Fire. Their Hiflory gave many 
 Inftances of it. But it has great Force and 
 Beauty if it relate to Chrifl", in order to pre* 
 vent Hebrew - Chriftians from apoftatizing 
 from Chriftianity, to put them in Mind, than 
 Chrid, the God and King of us Chriftians, 
 will be a confuming Fire to rebellious and 
 difobedienr Chriftians, as Jcho'vah the King 
 of the IfrcieUtes was to rebellious and difobe- 
 dienc Jews ; and is the fame Motive againd 
 Apoftacy, that he had us'd chaj^, x. c^r. 26, 
 
 But after all I can fay to fupport this 0- 
 plnion, it is but a juft Deference due to this 
 incomparable Commentator, to confider the 
 Arguments by which he fupports the con- 
 trary. He endeavours to prove, that it is 
 God the Father who is refer'd to here, by 
 two Arguments drawn from the Prophecy 
 of Hagga'i^ whence this PalTage is quoted 
 by the Author of this Epiftle. He fays, that 
 " It is manifell, from err. 26. that the Per- 
 " fon fpeaking, is He whofe Voice at Mount 
 " Sinai fhook the Earth, and who had pro- 
 I " mifed 
 
AT> T> E N T> A, 141 
 
 *' mifed by the Prophet Hagga^ that yec 
 ** once more I fhall not only fhake the 
 ^' Eaith, but the Heavens ''. He adds, '' Now 
 '^ if we confult that Prophet, cbap» ii. 6, 7. 
 " we can't reafonably doubt, that God the 
 *' Father is the Perlon who there makes the 
 *' Promife. Foi' not to infilt upon his be- 
 " ing cali'd over and over the Lord of Hojfs^ 
 *' which Title appears peculiar to the Fa- 
 ^' ther: He that Ipeakeih there, is he that 
 *^' promifeth, That the T>efire of all Nations 
 '' JJjall come. And I iuppofe, all will grant, 
 *' that according to the Stile of the Old Te- 
 " ftament, the Father is the Perfon who 
 ^' promifes his People that Chrilt ihouid 
 ^' come. 
 
 I hope I ihall be forgiven, if I differ from 
 this moft able New Teliament Critick, to 
 whom the World is fo much obliged, and to 
 whom I am fo greatly indebted. But I can- 
 not help thinking, that Lord [or Jehocabi 
 of Hofts in Haggai^ and in the Old Tefta- 
 ment, always figniiies the Word \ and from 
 Lxod. iii. the King of Ifrael^ or of the Boil 
 o^ Ifraeij fpeaking and adling in the Name 
 of the molt High: I hope this will be f jr- 
 given me, the rather (ince I have, in the 
 main, fo able an Old Teitamenc Critick on 
 my Side, as the learned Ainjworth, [See his 
 Commentary on the Tentateticb pajjim.'} 
 
 Indeed, I think, this is Mr. Teirce\ ori- 
 ginal Miliake, and that has led him here 
 
 cue 
 
14-1 A "D T> E N ^ A. 
 
 out of the Way. He takes Lord of Hofts 
 to denote the Father, and then he could not 
 make good the Aportle's Quotation from 
 Hag^ai (which on this Occafion, as on all 
 others, he fcems very intent at all Adven- 
 tures to do for the Honour of the Chriftian 
 Religion ; tho' fometimes not very fortu- 
 nately; without fuppofing the Author of 
 this Epirt le to refer here to the Father. 
 
 This learned Man adds, " That it is the 
 *' fame Per Ton that promifes, Tbat the Tie- 
 ''^ fire of all Nations JJ? all come ^ which mud 
 '' be the Father ^\ But Mr. Peirce could 
 not juftly lay any Strefs upon this Reafon, 
 becaufe he own'd there was anotherReading, 
 (which he did not diiapprove) and which 
 totally enervates this Argument ; z:iz. The 
 JEleU of all Nations JJjall come : Which is the 
 Reading ot the LXX Ka) yl^&i hAizlci irdvtMv 
 t£v ihuiv. They reading, as he fuppofes, 
 Chamudoth^ for Chemeddath^ in their Copies. 
 See his Note, chap. xii. c?^r. 26. But if 
 the Tie fire of all Nations JJjall come^ be the 
 true Reading, why may notjehocaby the 
 Word^ fpeakmg not in his own Name, but 
 in the Name of the moll High, andconfe- 
 quently perfonau'ng another, fay, /hid jbe 
 T)efiire of all Nations fimll come ; tho' it was 
 himfelf ? [See a like Manner of Speaking, 
 jBxod, xxiii. 20—24 ] 
 
 Thus I hope I have prov'd by feveral 
 Texts of Scripture, and particularly by He- 
 
 brews 
 
AD "D E N D A. 14.5 
 
 hrews xii. 25, 26. (which I have fo large- 
 ly infifted on) that it was the Word who 
 made all the great Appearances and Mani- 
 feftations oF God's Will to our firft Parents, 
 to the Patriarchs, and to the IfraelitiJJj Peo- 
 ple. But we muft always carry it along 
 with us, that he never a£led or fpake in his 
 own Name, but in the Name of the mofl: 
 High, whom he perfonated as his Angel, 
 ading as his chief Minifter and Mellenger, 
 and by his Authority ; without any Autho- 
 rity of his own, as he afterwards did, whea 
 he^ by Inheritance^ obtain d a more excellent 
 Name than the Angels^ being appointed ths 
 Heir of all Tubings, Heb. i. 4. 2. He feems 
 alfo to be call'd, Michael the Arch-angel^ 
 (perhaps for that Reafon, c72. his being the 
 greateft Minifter or MeiTenger, God ever did, 
 or could fend) Jiide 4. Kev, x. 7. i. i Thejf. 
 iv. 16. compar'd with John v. 25. See 
 Mr. Teirce^s Mote on Thilippians^ ii. 9. 
 He is alfo call'd the Trince cf God's Teopk^ 
 3.nd the Captain [Prince] of God's Hoji, See 
 Jojl.\V. j^, «.l,i5. D^;/. viii. i I. x. i?,2r. 
 xii. 1. And \\.ktw\{Q the 'Prince of Trinces^ 
 Dan. viii. 25. That this Prmce of the Hoft 
 was feho'-jah hiaiielf, who was the King of 
 IfraeX tho' acling in the Ncimeof the moft 
 High, ia the Text [quoted laft, is plain, be- 
 caufe the Santluary recalled H i S ; chat is, 
 the Trinceoj the Hoft s^ Dan. via. 1 1. 
 
 U I 
 
14-4- A T> 1) E N T> A. 
 
 I fuppofe, however, that this chief Mini- 
 fter, or MefTenger (who had thefe various 
 Names) was always attended with a Reti- 
 nue, or Hoft of Angels, which made part 
 of the Pillar of Cloud, and the Pillar of Fire, 
 in which he appear'd. See Tfal- Ixviii. 1 7. 
 xviii. 9, 10. civ. ^,4. But His IJebo'vaFs'] 
 Prefence was diftin£i from his Retinue, or 
 any of them : As appears, not only from 
 the Thing it felf, but from the Word Sba- 
 chan^ hahitavit^ whence the Word Shechinah 
 comes, which is often us'd in the Targum^ 
 and by the Rahinical Writers. For tho' the 
 Word might be faid to inhabit a Cloud of 
 Glory, as well as to dwell among us in Flefh 
 afterwards ; yet the Word can't, with the 
 like Propriety, be faid to have inhabited his 
 Retinue. Befides, that the Prefence of Je- 
 hovah was diliin8: from the Retinue of An- 
 gels, or any of them, will farther appear, 
 from comparing JExodiis^ xxxiii. <verfe 2, j. 
 with Ter. 12, \6, For He^ or his T re- 
 fence^ is diflinguifhM from the Angel, in all 
 thofe Verfes. And fince the Angels are cal- 
 led his Chariots^ as m the laft quoted Tfalms^ 
 fure Jeho'vah mufi: be different from thsm ; 
 as he mud be from the Cherubs, the Hea- 
 vens, or the Winds, who rideth on the Chenih^ 
 or on the Heavens^ or on the Wings of the Wind 
 by his Name Jah^ Pfal. Ixvui. 5. And 
 it is moreover exprefly faid of this Retinue 
 of Angels, that the Lord is among them 
 
 I as 
 
AT> ^ E N "D A. 145 
 
 as [he waO in Sinai [when it was] in hoH- 
 nefs^ ver. 18. Now he that was among his 
 Retinue, fure mult be diftind trom them. 
 
 Perhaps fome will fay to me, in Reply to 
 what I have ju(t now faid, ^' That the mod 
 " High is faid to dwell in Heaven, in Light 
 ^^ and Glory, to be feated on his Throne, 
 *' and to have Chrill fitting on his Right 
 " Hand, (jc. Yet you mult agree, that 
 *' thefe Things are not faid of the moft 
 '' High literally, but figuratively ; that is, 
 " that there are fome peculiar Manifeltati- 
 " ons of his Will, his Wifdom, his Good- 
 " nefs, or his Power, made by fome Mi- 
 " nifter or Minillers of His , to other 
 " Beings : And why may not you then 
 " allow, that all thefe, and fuch like Ex- 
 " preffions in the Texts you have juft quo- 
 " ted, may be us'd figuratively, and not li- 
 " terally of the Word under the Name of 
 " Jehovah ? And then, how do you make 
 '" it appear from thefe Texts that you have 
 " laft quoted, that Jehovah^ the Word^ is 
 '^ diftind from his Retinue of Angels ? If 
 any one ihall put this Queltion to me, I an- 
 fwer, that the Difference is this ; That we 
 muft expound thefe Expreflions figuratively, 
 when they are predicated of the Omnipre- 
 fent and Invifible Being, becaufe every one 
 fees, we cannot interpret them literally of 
 him : But then we muft not depart from 
 the Letter, as all Interpreters allow, when 
 
 U 2 there 
 
146 AT> T) E ND A. 
 
 there is no Necedity ; And therefore the 
 Texts that fpeak (^^Jehc^'ah the King of i/;'^^- 
 f/, or the WordV, comings flaying^ cr gciug^ 
 afcending^ or defcendiv^ ,- appear hig^ or difap- 
 f earing \ all th<is£'muft be interpreted hteral- 
 ly of him, who is not invifible, but the Image 
 of the incifihle God-, the breaking firth of 
 the Fathers Glory s and the Exprejs Image 
 \or Keprefentation'] of his T erf on ^ who in- 
 deed was in the beginning izith God^ and was 
 God^ and yet was in the World, (tho' the 
 World knew him not) and came unto his 
 own, (tho' his own received him not) even 
 before he was made Flefl:^^ Ji)hn l 2, lo, 1 1, 
 14. 
 
 I muft own, the acute, ingenious, and 
 learned Dr. Morgan has urgM an Ob)c£lion 
 againft this Notion, with all the Force that 
 I believe it is capable of receiving, in his 
 Preface to his CoUeuiion of Travis. 1 believe 
 what he has faid there, has ihaken the O- 
 pinion of a great many, who were of the 
 Sentiment 1 haveadvanc'd ; as ! own it did 
 mine, till I confiderM the Thing more di- 
 ftindly. The Pailage is too long to tran- 
 fcribe here, but I will endeavour to repre- 
 fent the full force of it. His Opinion, I 
 think, is this; "That the Author of the 
 " EpilUe to the Hebrews fuppofes, that the 
 *' W(fdi^f:v^r fpake before he was incarnate ; 
 *' when he fays, Heb. i. 2. Gcd^ who' • ■ 
 " fpake to our Fathers by the Trophets^ hath 
 
 " fpoken 
 
AD T> E N T> A, 147 
 
 " fpohn to as in thefe lafi T)ays^ hy his 
 " Son : And when he oppofes the Word fpo- 
 « hn B Y A N G E LS to the Word fpoken hy 
 " THE LORD, chap. ii. 2, ^. and alfo 
 " when he aflerts, i-er, 5. That God hath 
 '' 7Wt put the World \_cr J^e~\ to ccme, that 
 " is the 'Kingdom that cant he JJmken^ (as 
 ^'' he expreffes if^ chap. x'i. 28.) or the 
 " Gofpel Kingdom^ to Angels ; hit to the Son 
 
 " of Man ^ ver. 6 10. It being there 
 
 *' iirongly implied, that the former Age, 
 " or the yev:ifD State, was in Subjection to 
 *' an Angel or Aogels, and not to the Son of 
 " Man. So that he thinks the Word had 
 *' not any Management over the Je'Wifi 
 " People till he became the Son of Man." 
 This, I tliink (with what will be farther 
 obferved prefentiy) has a!i the Force oF his 
 Argument , as I believe the Keader will 
 think, if he turns to that Preface to which I 
 reter him. And though that incomparable 
 Commentator] Mr. Teirce thinks that the 
 Ac^^, or the Word, had the Management 
 of the Jezzi/Jj People, and fpoke to 'Jojhiia 
 as the Prince of the Hod ; (See his Note on 
 l^hil. ii. 9. (g) ;) yet he thinks the Word 
 never fpoke or appeared, uniefs in that In- 
 ilance, or was ever fent on any Meffages, 
 before He was incarnate : (See his Note, 
 Heh. i. 2. {d)\^ Which however does not feem 
 a very probable Hypothefis. Now I have 
 the Happinefs thus far to agree with thefe 
 
 excel- 
 
148 A D T> E N ^ A. 
 
 excellent Writers, that the Son could not 
 fpcak to the Jews before he was a Trophet 
 mighty in Word and T>eed : Yet I have in- 
 deavoured to prove, that th^ Word did fpeak 
 to them and their Anceftors, before He was 
 made Flelh. The only true Solution of this 
 Difficulty, which the Dodor and Mr. Pcirce 
 have urg'd fo ftrongly, is, that the Word, 
 before he was made Flefh, is not in the Stile 
 of the Author of this Epiftle, the Son^ the 
 JLord^ or the Son of Man, but an Jngel^ 
 being then confider'd as the Miniiter and 
 Mellenger of the Father, and acling in his 
 Name and Stead ; though he then was the 
 "Brightnefs of the Father s Glory, and the 
 exprefs Image of his Ferfon, That he was 
 not the Son of Man, before he took Flefh of 
 the Virgin , will readily be allow'd me. 
 That he was not the Lord too, I think will 
 not be much difputed ; becaufe though cal- 
 led Jeho-vah, as I apprehend, (which our 
 Tranflators, as well as the Septuagint, have 
 render'd Lord, though wrongfully , (ince 
 they fhould always have us'd Jehooah as a 
 proper Name, as the learned Jinfworth 
 does every where in his Tranflation of the 
 Fentateuch) yet he did not act in his own 
 Name, but in the Name of the moft High: 
 And Peter makes this the Sum or Conclufi- 
 on of his firll: and long Difcourfe after 
 ChriiVs Afcenfion, Jcls ii. 36. That all the 
 Jloiife of Ifrael (Imdd kncjo ajfuredly^ that 
 
 God 
 
A 7) 7) E N'D A, 149 
 
 God hath [viz. now'] made that fame Jefus^ 
 [approved of God among you as a Prophet, 
 ver. 2^.] ':^hom ye have crucified^ hotb 
 LORD a7td Chrift. See alfo AUs v. 50,5 1. 
 and Vhil. W. 11. I think this will be much 
 the more readily allow'd, if it be confider'd, 
 that X<?r^ generally, if not always, fignifies 
 Mediator, when it is predicated of Chrift ia 
 the New Teftament ; and then every one 
 fees, that it is not likely that the Word before 
 he was incarnate, fhould be ever ftiled the 
 LjOrd, 
 
 I am fenfible it will be more earncftly 
 contended, that he was the Soii^ and that he 
 was not an Angel in the Stile ot this Epiftle: 
 For I fuppofe '\i wiii not be denied, that he 
 is caird an Angel, Mai iii. i. comparM 
 with Mat. xi. 10. Marku 2. Luke \. 76. 
 vii. 27. But to be fure, he may be call'd an 
 Angel, in the Stile of this Epiftle, if be then 
 was a Minifter, and MeiTenger of the Fa- 
 ther ; without having a Kingdom of his 
 own, or a Kingdom, which he was to ad- 
 minifier in his own Name. For that is the 
 plain Defcription of an Jjigel in this Epilile, 
 chap, i. 7. and 14. Arc they net all M I N I^ 
 STRING Spirits, SENT FORTH 
 for the good, 8cc ? And every one knows that 
 Angel fignities MefTenger in the Greek and 
 Hebrew. And indeed, the Scripture does 
 not defcribe Beings fo much by their meta- 
 phyfical Nature, as by their Excellencies, 
 
 At' 
 
150 A 7) T> E N 7) A. 
 
 Attributes, Charaders and Offices. And it 
 is in this Sen fe alone, that I underftand the 
 Word to be called an Angel, or an Archan- 
 gel ; and not on Account of his Nature, 
 which is to be fure very different from, 
 and vaftly fuperior to, the Nature of the 
 angelick Rank and Order. 
 
 And that the Word was not the Son, in 
 theStileof the Author of this Epiftle^ before 
 his Incarnation, notwithftanding that he 
 was tben the 'Bri^htnefs of the Father s Glory, 
 and the exprefs Image of his Terfon^ Heb. 1.2. 
 is plain from the following Confiderations, 
 (i.^ That the Defcription he here gives of 
 the Son did not then agree to him. The De- 
 fcription he gives of the Son, is the Heir of 
 all Things. Now indeed the Jews were his 
 own, or his own People, before He was in- 
 carnate, John i. II. But the Gentiles^ tho' 
 promiied Him as his Inheritance, PfaL ii. 7. 
 were not given aQually into his Poileflion till 
 after his Refurredlioii. Then Jejiis was in- 
 deed DECLARED to he the Son of God, 
 according to the Spirit of Holinefs^ Rom. i. 4. 
 For then it was declared in Words as well as 
 in Fa8", that all Power was gicen him in 
 Heacen and in Earth, Mat. xxviii. 1 8, ( fhac 
 is in a Stile ufual to the Prophets, and to 
 Chriil the great Prophet, (j'c. that all Pow- 
 er would foon and certainly be given him : 
 Juft as he fays immediately after to his Apo- 
 ttles, Go, and teach all Nations ^ though 
 
 He 
 
AT> T> E N T> A. 151 
 
 He afterwards bids them Jiay at Jerufalem, 
 till they 'ucere endued with Tower from on 
 High J Luke xxiv. 49.) Thus Jefus was 
 declared xo be che Son of God at his Refur- 
 reclion, according to Tfcih it. 7. 'Thou art 
 my Son^ this T>ay haz'e I begotten thee: 
 which is always apply'd by St. Taul to 
 Chrift's RefurreQion ; but he was not aQu- 
 ally invefted with the Right of Sonihip, cr 
 with the Inheritance, to which he was be- 
 gotten from the Dead, till his Afcenfion: 
 When, as St. Peter fays, He was raifed to 
 David'j Throne^ Acis ii. 30. or exalted by 
 the right Hand of God^ to fit en God^s own 
 right Hand^ till all his Enemies were made 
 his Footfiool : And when, as St. Peter adds, 
 Jefiis was not only made Lord [or Media- 
 tor] but CHRIST [or King'] Ads \'u 
 53 — ' — 37. Hence it is, that upon Chrift's 
 Exaltation , we are faid to be , not only 
 Heirs of God, but JOINT HEIRS 
 WITH JESUS CHRIST: We being 
 to be deli-vered from the 'Bondage of Corrup- 
 tion into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of 
 God \ and God hacing predcfiinated tis to 
 be conformed to the Imagj of his dear Son : 
 Namely, that as we f offer with Him^ Z€e 
 JJmdd be glorified with Him^ or reign with 
 Him in Glory ^ Rom.viii. 1 7,2 1,30. 2 Tim.ii.i 2. 
 (2.) The Author of this Epiftle fays, ^^r. 4. 
 That Chrift is made fo much better than the 
 Jngeisi in as much as he hath by Inheritance 
 
 % vb- 
 
151 AT) T> E N "D A. 
 
 obtained [^r as he hath inhented'\ a more 
 excellent Name than they, [viz. that of a 
 Son, and confequently the Dominion and 
 Authority of a Son.] Now Inheritance al- 
 ways enters into the Notion of Sonfhip : As 
 the Inheritance of Jehcvah was the Jewifh 
 People, ^eiit. xxxii. 9. fo the Inheritance of 
 Chrift is the Chriftian People, {Eph. i. 
 II, 12. In whom alfo we are inherited^ 
 \_ iicM^A/j^iv ] viz. by Chrift ; fee ah"o 
 2 Pet, ii. 9.) or his Church (which he pur- 
 chafed with his own Blood, jUs xx. 28.) 
 or his Kingdom, and the Power to which 
 he is advanc'd m order to manage it. See 
 Eph, i. 20 — 2 J. iv. 9, 10, Heh, ii. 9, 10. 
 xii 2, And we learn from Fhil, ii. 9. that 
 it was becaufe, thoiiojo he was in the Form 
 {or Jppearance^ of God^ that he emptied 
 hiinfelf and took upon him the Form [or Ap- 
 pearance] of a Ser'vant [or Minifter, 'viz, of 
 the Circumcifion, Kom- xv. 8.] and the 
 Likenefs of Mav^ and that he humbled him- 
 felf by becoming obedient to JJeath^ e-jen the 
 CDeath of the Crofs^ that God bath giien Him 
 a N A M B abo'ue every Name^ that every 
 Tongiiefionld covfefs that Chrifi is Lord. 
 
 (3.) He is delcribed as the firft "Begotten^ 
 WHEN HE IS BROUGHT IMTO 
 T H E W O R L D, Hek i. 6. If this means 
 his Birth, it will be agreeable to what the 
 Angel Gabriel told the Virgin, Luke i. ?$. 
 The Power of the Hi gh eft JJjall corns upon thee^ 
 
 I and 
 
AT> "D E N T> A. 155 
 
 and the Holy GhoftJJjall ocerJJ?adow thee^ there- 
 fore that holy Thing that flmll he horn of thee ^ 
 JlrnUhe called the Son of God. Or if it means 
 his Refurredion, as is moft likely, frooi 
 God's being faid, to hring him again [vraAn'] 
 into the Worlds as Mv'^ Peirce thinks, it is 
 agreeable to the Texts that fpeak of his 
 Refurre^lion , under the Notion of God's 
 begetting him from the Dead. Or if it re- 
 lates to his Coming again the fecond Time 
 into the World, as Mr. J of. Mede^ and fome 
 other of the Millenary Writers think, it is 
 agreeable to thofe Texts, which fpeak of 
 his Coming again with the Angels as obeying 
 his Commands, 3i<^?. xxiv. ^o, 51. and with 
 all other inconceivable Power, Pomp and 
 Glory. And in any of thefe Senfes he could 
 not be the Son, in the Stile of this Epiille, 
 before He was incarnate. 
 
 ^4.) One of the Texts which is quoted to 
 prove him the Son, is from FfaL ii. 7. Ihon art 
 my Son^ this T^ay ha^je I hegotten Thee. Now 
 St. Paid-t when he quotes this Text, always 
 applies it to the Reiurre£lion of Chrilt ; fee 
 JUsy.\\\. 5^. Heh, V. 5. 
 
 (5.) Another Text which is quoted to 
 prove him the Son, is from PfaL xlv. 6, 70 
 'But tinto the Son He faith. Thy Throne, O 
 Gcd^ is for ever and ei'er : A Sceptre of Right e- 
 oiifnejs is the Sceptre of thy Kingdom, Thou 
 had loved Right confnefs and hated Iniquity : 
 Therefore^ God, Thy God hath anointed 
 X 3 thee 
 
154- A T> 7) E NT> A, 
 
 thee with the Oil of Gladnefs alove thy Fel- 
 lows. Now this evidently belongs to his 
 anointing after his Afcenfion, becaufe it is 
 quoted after Pfal \u 7. which is always ap- 
 plied by St Paul to Chrift's Refurredion ; 
 as has been juil obferv'd. Befides, tho* Je- 
 ftis was anointed as a Prophet (^or as a 
 Teacher, and a Worker of Miracles) in the 
 Days of his Flefh, JUs X: 58 • yet he was 
 not anointed as a Prieft and a King, till af- 
 ter his Afcenfion, when it pleafed the Fa- 
 ther^ that in Him all Fulnefs JJmild dwell -, 
 receiving the Spirit of the Father^ and there- 
 by being anointed for the Adminiilration of 
 tiiat greater Kingdom, that He was to re* 
 ceive beyond his Fellows, Or when, ici 
 other Words of Scripture, by the eternal 
 Spirit, He offered himfelf tmto God in the 
 
 Heat'ens^ Heb. iv. 15. viii. 4. ix. 24 28. 
 
 and was covfe crated an high Trieji by the 
 JVord of an Oath for ever^ after the Order 
 of Melchizedeck, chap, vii. 16, 28. But to 
 whichfoever of thefe two Anointings of Je- 
 fus it belongs (and the Scriptures fpeak of 
 no more) it will equally ferve our prefent 
 purpofe. 
 
 If, as thefe excellent Writers add, it be 
 ask'd, *' How the P^eafoning of the Author 
 *' of this Epinie will (iaiid upon this Hypo- 
 *^. theiis, becaufe his Argument, for a great- 
 " er Attention to the Gofpcl than the Law, 
 " is founded on the greater Authority of the 
 
 '^ Per- 
 
A 1) T> E N T> A. 155 
 
 " Perfon that fpoke the Salvation of the 
 " Gofpel, than of the Perfon that fpoke the 
 " Law?" I anfwer, that I agree, that the 
 Auchority of the Perfon that fpoke the Gof- 
 pel is greater than the Authority of the Per- 
 fon that fpoke the Law; but not from the 
 greater Authority of a greater Perfon : (For 
 the Word, before He took Flefh, and after 
 He took Flefh, is the fame Perfon) But only 
 from the greater Authority that refults from 
 the higher Character of the fame Perfon : 
 In as much as the Word , by taking the 
 Body that God had prepared for him , in 
 which He became obedient to Death, and 
 riling again from the Dead, and afcending 
 to the right Hand of Power (or admini- 
 ftring all Power in his own Name) is be- 
 come the Son in the Stile of this Epiltle: 
 Which IS a far higher Character, than that 
 of the Word, before He took Flefh, fpeaking- 
 only as the Minifter and Meffenger of the 
 Father, in the Father's Name : And confe- 
 quently in the Charader of an Jwj^ or 
 Jrchaugel : And it is as good Reafoning 
 in the Author of this Epilile, to fay, '-Give 
 " greater Attention to the xMelTage delivered 
 *^ by the fame Perfon advanced 10 a much 
 " higher Character:" as 10 fay, ''Give 
 *' greater Attention to the MelTage deli- 
 '• vered by an higher Perfon ; " as we 
 fhould all of us agree in any like cafe. 
 There is no doubt but the Toies have paid 
 
 a 
 
156 A "D T> E N T> A. 
 
 2l much greater Attention and Regard to 
 what has been faid to them by the King's 
 Son, the EleUoral Trince of Saxony, fince 
 he was the King of Poland'j- prime Minifter, 
 than they did before. 
 
 I will here likewife add fome Thoughts, 
 which, if they had been printed in their 
 proper Place, which is juft after Corollary 
 ihe Xth, fhould have made Corollary the 
 Xlth. 
 
 It is very obvious. That all I have faid of 
 the Means [Mean] of Rehgion in the fore- 
 going Corollaries, and the Main of what I 
 have faid about them in the foregoing ElTay, 
 relates to the great internal Mean of Reli- 
 gion ; that is to fay, the Motive that God 
 has ever propos'd to Mankind to induce 
 them to be Religious : Having faid little 
 more of the great external Mean of Religion 
 (or if you pleafe of the great Mean o^Tro^ 
 cidei/ce) than what was fometimes proper 
 to carry on the Thread of the Difcourfe, ov 
 at leaft is contained in fome incidental Paf- 
 fages of it. But it may not be improper 
 here, to define what I underftand by the 
 great external Mean of Religion [or Provi- 
 dence] the better to diftinguifh it from the 
 internal ; and to fbew, how the Former has 
 kept pace with the Latter, and run through 
 God's feveral Difpenfations. By the great 
 
 exter- 
 
AD 1) E NJ) A, 157 
 
 external Mean of Religion or Providence 
 then I underftand, the Method which God 
 has taken with Mankind to prevent their 
 Inattention to this great internal Mean of 
 Religion, or the Motive that was propofed to 
 them, in order to induce them to be Religi- 
 ous. And to what purpofe could that Motive 
 have ferv'd, if a Method had not been ta- 
 ken, to prevent an Inattention to it, and 
 an intire Diffipation of Thought, among 
 the vain or vicious Pleafures of Life ? What 
 I point at is the Separation, which God by 
 various Means brought about, between his 
 own Children and Subjeds, and the Chil- 
 dren and Subjeds of the Devil: Left by 
 the natural Courfe of Things, they fhould 
 have drawn off the Thoughts of God's Chil- 
 dren and Subjedls from their Inheritance 
 in a future Life, through the fooliQi and 
 wicked Amufements of the prefent Life ; 
 if they had not endeavour'd it (iudioufly, 
 and on purpofe ; as it can't be fuppos'd but 
 they would. 
 
 This external Mean runs vifibly 
 through all God's Difpenfations, in a wife 
 and beautiful Manner, and has been per- 
 fedly adjufted to the Circumstances of 
 Mankind, from the firft to the lall of 
 them ; as I have fhevvn in fome Intiances 
 in this ElTay ; whiKt I have omitted feve- 
 ral others, in order to preferve the Unity 
 of the internal Mean the better. I will 
 
 there- 
 
158 AT) "D EN T> A. 
 
 therefore now reprefent the great external 
 Mean in one fhort view, by only ju(t men- 
 tioning the Inftances, where it plainly ap- 
 pears : As I think it will be readily allow- 
 ed it does, in the Separation of the Fami- 
 lies of Cain and Seth : In drowning 
 
 the old World, when againft all God's 
 Methods and Warnings, the Sons of God 
 would mingle and make Affinity with 
 
 the Daughters of Men ; • In prefer- 
 
 ving Koah^ the only righteous Man of that 
 World, who had^ paid Obedience to God's 
 Commands in ^particular Law; as well as 
 in others , to v/hich his Obedience to 
 that particular Command naturally led : 
 
 In the Confufion of Languages at 
 
 ^ahel ^ and the Difperfion or Separation 
 that enfued : In God's calling Abra- 
 ham trom among his idolatrous Relations 
 and Friends in Urr of the Cbaldees : —In 
 directing him to a fcparate and {l}litary Life 
 in Canaan ; where, to the lart, he had no 
 PolTeflion befides a Field to bury in 5 and 
 where he took all the Precautions imagin- 
 able againil any manner of Alliance be- 
 tween his Family and the Inhabitants of the 
 Land; as Ifaac and Jacob did afterwards; 
 
 In directing Ifaac and Jacob to lead 
 
 the fame manner of Life that Jbrahani 
 
 had done before: And (when the 
 
 Famine forced Jacob and his Family to go 
 into Egypt ) in dire^ing Jofepb ( who 
 
 fenev^ 
 
AT) T> E N T> A, 159 
 
 knew that the conftant Courfe of God's 
 Providence, as well as the Nature of the 
 Thing, called for a like Separation) to pro- 
 cure Qojhen for their Refidence: A Coun- 
 try where they might live feparate from 
 the Egyptians J and follow a Trade {mz,, 
 of Cattle) which render'd them odious to 
 
 each other : In carrying them out 
 
 of Egypt after they had caught its Idolatry 
 in the Brick-kilns of that Country : — — In 
 plaguing Egypt i when the Egyptians 
 would hinder them from going into the 
 Wildernefs to worfliip Jehovah their God, 
 as he had commanded them; and would 
 entice them by their Magicians to the Wor- 
 ship of the Devil : - « In carrying the 
 Children of Ifrael into the Wildernefs, 
 when they were become too numerous to 
 live as a feparate Family ; and fo keeping 
 them at the greateft Diftance from other 
 People, by means of the Place, as well as 
 by ereding them into an earthly Kingdom^ 
 under Himfelf, as their King, as alfo by the 
 Laws he there gave them ; particularly 
 thofe of Circumcifion , Sabbaths , other 
 Feafts and Falts, Sacrifices, one Altar, 
 Vows, Food, Cloaths, Drefs, Pollutions 
 and Purifications, quite different from the 
 Rites of the Heathen, if not oppofite to 
 them J all which Methods were manifeltly 
 intended to prevent any ASinity with the 
 Heathen;^ and even the Converfauon^ Mirth 
 
 Y and 
 
i6o A'D J) EN'P d. 
 
 and Jollity that leads to it : — ^ In keep- 
 ing this People in the Wildernefs, till the 
 Race that had been tainted with Egyptian 
 Idolatry was quite extind ; and till a new 
 Race was fprung up, that had not been in- 
 feded: A Race, that had been kept fepa- 
 rate from all other People; that knew no 
 God, but the God of Ifrael; and had all 
 along livM on his miraculous Care and 
 Bounty : ^^— In ordering them to deikoy 
 all the Inhabitants of Canaan ^ that they 
 might not mingle with them , ferve their 
 
 Gods, and learn their Manners: • In 
 
 keeping them all along a dittind and fepa- 
 rate People, when they were fettled in the 
 Land of Promife: ■ In fending divers 
 Judgments on them, when they or their 
 Kings made Affinity with other Nations, 
 and worihip'd their Gods : In or- 
 dering them to feparate themfelves from 
 the ftrange Wives they had married in their 
 'Babyhiijh Captivity : — — In preferving 
 them a feparate People wherefoever they 
 were fcattered : [See to this purpofe Dr. 
 nomas Burnetts T)emo7iJiration of true Re- 
 ligion^ Vol.11, p. no — 210:] — And 
 lall of all, in the fmall feparate Society of 
 Difciples, which Jefus gathered in his Life- 
 time ; and the like Societies which his Apo- 
 ftles gathered after his Afcenfion ; when it 
 was vifible, that neither God's fingie Fami- 
 ly, nor his earthly Kingdom^ would reclaim 
 
 the 
 
A T> "D E N^ A. i6i 
 
 the "World from Idolatry, to the Worfhip of 
 Hirnfelf ; nor keep up Virtue in any great 
 Degree in the Body of Men, to which His 
 Family and the Theocracy were confined: 
 And when yet at the fame Time God had 
 by that fingle Family and Theocracy fufR- 
 ciently prepared Men and Things for the 
 Appearance of Jefus in the Flefh; to the 
 Intent, that inttead of God's having only 
 one People and Nation, he might take to 
 Himfelf a People out of all the idolatrous 
 Countries of the World by Chrifl-, and then 
 give them to him, as his Church, King- 
 dom and Inheritance: By the Means of 
 which feparate Societies (though in a peace- 
 able and orderly Manner) God's People 
 were ftill to be kept a diftin£l and feparate 
 Body from the Idolaters, the Atheifts, the 
 Scepticks, and the Vicious in all thofe Coun* 
 tries, to avoid bemg unequally yoked with 
 themt and to keep themfehcs a peculiar Teople 
 to him^ and his Chrift^ zealous of goodWorks» 
 This ftridter Separation of Chriftians was 
 the more neceffary in the firft Beginnings of 
 Chriftianity , when inftead of any fuch 
 Thing, as a Chriftian Nation in the World, 
 a few Chriftians liv'd every where, among 
 nothing but bigotted fuperftitious Jews or 
 impious Tagans, 
 
 By thus explaining my Meaning about the 
 great external Mean of Religion, everyone 
 y/iU eafily fee, how it is d^ingnijiJci from 
 
 S, 2. the 
 
i6a AD D EN'D A. 
 
 the internal Mean of Religion. This is the 
 Motive to the Religion of the End; that is 
 removing what would prevent that Motive's 
 basing prefenc to the Mind ; and confequent- 
 ly frcni having any force on it ; This is fur- 
 iiiihmg die ilrCiij^efi Perfuafive to Piety and 
 Virtue; that is caking away the greateft 
 TemptaLtion againli them : This is a Method 
 to cure the Plague of the Heart ; that is to 
 prevent frefh Inftdion : This is Revelation ; 
 that is Providence. Thus they differ; and 
 this is the Relation they bear to each other. 
 
 But on the other hand, in this they agree i 
 that as the internal Mean of Religion is one, 
 fo is the external Mean of Religion one alfo. 
 For as the fir ft is the Motive to every Thing 
 thit is good, fo the laft is a Separation fron^ 
 the Bad. They alfo agree in another Parti- 
 cular; that as the one internal Mean of Re- 
 ligion was differently exhibited and afcer- 
 tain'd in different Ages and Difpenfations^ 
 fo was the one great external Mean of Re- 
 ligion differently accompUih'd in them: And 
 finally, that as the one internal Mean of 
 lleligion, differently exhibited and afcer° 
 ^ain'd in different Ages, was yet, in thofe 
 (different Exhibitions and Securities under 
 |hc different Difpenfations^ beautifully pro° 
 yortion'd to the Circumftances of Mankind, 
 and tQ each other ; fo the one great exrernal 
 Mean of lleligion differently accomphlh'd, 
 yet 'well adiufted m that different 
 - Ac- 
 
A "D "D E N "D A. 165 
 
 Accomplifhment to the different Circura- 
 ftances of Mankind, in thofe Difpenfations j 
 at the fame Time, that every later Method 
 of Accomplifhment bore a juit Proportion to 
 thofe which went before. All which may 
 ferve to fhew ftiil more fully, the great 
 Unity of the main Plot, and the great Sim^ 
 plicity, and beautiful and well proportioned 
 Variety of the chief under-Plots of the great 
 ^rama of moral Providence, in the feve- 
 ral Ages of the World : And is at the fame 
 Time but agreeable to the Methods of God's 
 Providence over the natural World; where 
 the wifeft Defigns are always compafTed by 
 the moft proper and fimple Means ; all bear- 
 ing the -moft beautiful Symmetry and Pro- 
 portion to each other. 
 
 There have been many other external 
 Means of Religion or Providence, which 
 God has often ufed to prevent a Diftradion 
 of Mens Thoughts, and to procure their At- 
 tention to the internal Mean of Religion„ 
 They are to be met with in feveral Parts of 
 the Bible, and fome of them up and down 
 in feveral Parts of this Eifay. All God^s 
 Mercies and Judgments, Prophecies and Mi- 
 racles, may be rank'd under this Head. But 
 they being Occafional and Various, are not 
 proper for our prefenc Confideration. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
I'here are feveral Mifiakes hy reafon of the Author's-- 
 'Difiance from the Trefs. T'hofe that are the more 
 confiderable the Reader is dejlred to correH by the 
 follo-wifig Table of Errata. 
 
 
 Preface. 
 
 P. 
 
 L. 
 
 
 i8 
 
 22 Compounds 
 
 read Compends 
 
 2,8 
 
 pen. Candor 
 
 read ReJatiom 
 
 
 E 
 
 S S A Y. 
 
 5 
 
 6 dele and 
 
 7 dele eleEiive 
 
 
 6 
 
 pen. nil Men 
 
 read ^w^^/^a 
 
 lO 
 
 2 ith by Nature or 
 
 
 i6 
 
 25 dele Nature or 
 
 
 i8 
 
 12 dele exprefs 
 
 
 19 
 
 29 xii. 8. xvi. 
 
 read ix. lo, ir." 
 
 li. 
 
 1 1 Spencers Notion 
 
 read ?/ /i Notion quoted and com^ 
 tenanced by Spencer 
 
 23 
 
 1 5 after Gen. xvii. 7. 
 
 infert xxiv. 42, 48. 
 
 28 
 
 7 after cekjiial 
 
 infert powerful. 
 
 3^ 
 
 26 Ae/orff H<j«(i 
 
 read before they oBually became his- 
 People 
 
 75 
 
 14 after the Latter 
 
 infert took Place. 
 
 85 
 
 5 after Per/o» 
 
 infert and who upholds all Things hy 
 the Word of his Power ? 
 
 li(5 
 
 iz by his Obedience 
 
 read {on lis Obedience to Death), 
 
 X2I 
 
 14 after Tejiament 
 
 infert as a Jieady Trujl in God, on 
 the grreatejl Trials, which 
 it felf is • an high Viv.tus i, 
 and 
 
 131 
 
 16 Heb.vi. 15, 16. 
 
 read Heb. xi. 27. 
 
 346 
 
 ^ this 
 
 read thefe 
 
 358 
 
 1 3 f w particular Laws read ?'» ify&z?/ pa'/ticular Law^ 
 
w 
 
 
 ^f 
 
 '■^■'. ■■'" 
 
 ,m' 
 
 %^^ 
 
 ^v