both Jews and Gentiles; even such who are at the ends of the earth, and who are encouraged to look to Christ 'or salvation, Isai. xlv. 17, 22. and they speak of the time when it should be wrought out, 1 Pet. i. 10, 11.

III. There are various things relating to Christ, his person, office and grace, which are copiously and frequently spoken of by the prophets in this period of time; as his incarnation, which, though not till many hundred years after, is spoken of as if then done, because of the certainty of it in the purpose and promise of God, to us a child is born, Isai. ix. 6. his birth of a virgin, with the name given him, Immanuel, God with us; and which is represented as wonderful, new and unheard of, as it justly might, Isai. vii. 14. Jer. xxxi. 22. The place of his birth, Bethlehem Ephratah, Mic. v. 2. Some things following his birth, as the murder of the infants about Bethlehem; his being carried to Egypt, and called again from thence, and residing in Nazareth, Jer. xxxi. 15. Hos. xi. 1. The parts where he should chiefly live, converse and minister, Isai. ix. I. His state of humiliation, sufferings and death, which are particularly described in Isai. liii. The circumstances of his being sold for thirty pieces of silver by one of his disciples, forsaken by them all, and his side pierced with a spear, Zech. xi. 12, 13. xii. 10. and xiii. 7. The prophets also speak of the time of his coming and of his sufferings; Daniel fixes the exact time of them, from a date given; and Haggai and Malachi declare he should come into the second temple, and give it a greater glory than the former; so that he must come and suffer as he did, before the destruction of that, Din. ix. 24, 26. Hagg. ii. 7, 9. Mal. iii. 1. And the same prophets, with Zechariah, who were the last of the prophets, speak of his near approach, that he was just at hand, and would soon, suddenly, and at unawares, come into his temple; and of his forerunner, Zech. iii. 8. and vi. 12. and ix. 9. Hagg. ii. 6. Mal. iii. I. and iv. 5. but though the prophets mentioned were the last of the inspired writers, prophecy did not wholly cease with them; as appears by the instances of Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, who prophesied of him, and of the Messiah; and good old Simeon, to whom it was revealed by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ; and Anna the prophetess, who spoke of him to those that looked for redemption in Jerusalem, Luke i. 67. ii. 25-38. So true it is what our Lord says, that the law and the prophets were until John; which finishes the Old Testament-dispensation, and the first an old administration of the covenant of grace; after which the kingdom of God, or gospel of Christ, was preached more clearly and fully, and God spake no more by the prophets, but by his Son, when the second and new covenant, or administration of it, took place; of which we shall treat in the next chapter. And from what has been observed it appears, that the former administration of the covenant of grace, reaching from the fall of Adam to the coming of Christ, was by types and figures, by shadows and sacrifices, and by promises and prophecies of future things, which now fulfilled; Christ the sum

and substance of all, being come, the great blessing of the covenant of grace, and in whom all are included.

OF THE ABROGATION OF THE OLD COVENANT,

AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW.

WHEN we speak of the Abrogation of the Covenant, this is to be understood, not of the covenant of grace, as to the matter and substance of it, which remains invariably the same in all periods of time; it is an everlasting covenant; it is ordered in all things and sure; it can never to be broken and made void; every promise of it is unalterable, and every blessing irreversible; the covenant of peace can never be removed; it will stand firm to all generations; but with respect to the form of the administration of it only, even the form of it, under the former, or Old Testament dispensation, before described; and in order to set this in its true and proper light.

I. Let it be observed, that it was never designed that the first administration of the covenant of grace should continue always in that form; it was foretold that there should be a cessation of it, and therefore it might be expected.

1. It was only intended to continue for a certain time, called, The time of reformation, Heb. ix. 10. when there would be a reform from burdensome rites and ceremonies; or of correction, when what was faulty and deficient would be corrected, amended, and become perfect; or of direction, when the saints would be directed to look to Christ, the substance of cypes and figures, and for perfection in him; the same with the time appointed of the Father, until which time, children, though heirs, are under tutors and governors; so the Israelites were under the elements of the world, the ceremonies of the former dispensation, under the tutorage and pædagory of the law; for the law, the ceremonial law, was their schoolmaster unto Christ, that led them to him, and instructed them in him; but when he came, they were no longer under a schoolmaster; and this was when the fulness of time was come, agreed on between the Father and the Son; at which time the Son was sent, that they might receive the adoption of children, and be no more considered as in their nonage, and as needing the instruction of a schoolmaster, Gal. iii. 1-25.

11. The ancient form of the administration of the covenant of grace, in a course of time, was limited to a certain people in a certain country, worshipping at a certain place, and sacrificing on the same altar. The word, worship and service of God, peculiarly belonged to the Jews, which was their distinguishing privilege above all the nations of the world, Rom. iii. 1, 2. and ix. 4. All their males were obliged three times in the year to appear at Jerusalem and wortogether; and all their offerings and sacrifices were to be brought and offered on the altar there, and no where else, Deut. xii. 11, 14. Now such a state of

things was never designed to continue always; since when Shiloh, the Messiah, should come, there would be a gathering of the people to him, of people out of all nations of the world, who were to be blessed in him; he was to be set up as an ensign to them, to whom they would seek; from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, his name was to be great among the Gentiles, and incense to be offered to it in every place, Isai. xi. 10. Mal. i. 11. Now to such a dispensation the former state of things could never suit, and therefore could not be intended to be continued; the people of all nations could never be convened into one country, and worship at one place, and sacrifice on one altar.

111. It is expressly foretold, that there would be a new covenant, or a new administration of it; and that the former, in course, would cease, and it is upon this the apostle reasons, and proves the abrogation of the former covenant, in that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old, Heb. viii. 8-13. Particularly it was foretold, that sacrifices should cease, and be no longer acceptable to God; which were a considerable branch of the administration of the old covenant. These were from the beginning, as early as the first manifestation of the covenant of grace to fallen man: indeed, while they were in use by divine appointment, they were not in such high esteem with God as moral obedience and spiritual services, Hos. vi, 6. And plain hints were given, that the time would come when they should be no more practised and regarded. David had knowledge, by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, of what Christ, the surety of his people, said to his divine Father in the council and covenant of peace, and what he would say again when he came into the world to be their Saviour; Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, &c.-Then said I, Lo, I come, &c. Psal. xl. 6, 7. Heb, x. 5-7. Christ's coming into the world to offer up himself a sacrifice for the sins of his people, was virtually saying, that God would have legal sacrifices no longer offered up, and would no more accept of them. And Daniel expressly says, that the Messiah would cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; the daily sacrifice, and every other offering according to the law, Dan. ix. 27. And the Jews themselves say, "that all sacrifices will cease in time to come, in the time of their vainly expected Messiah, but the sacrifice of praise."

According to prophecy, the Levitical priesthood, with which so many rites and ceremonies were connected, and upon which sacrifices were established, and in the exercise of which they were performed, was to be changed; the Messiah was to come, an High-Priest of another order of priesthood than that of Aaron; Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek, Psal. ex. 4. which are the words of God the Father to Christ, and from whence the apostle argues the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood, and the change of it; and also of necessity the change of the whole law, on which it was founded, Heb. vii. 11-17.

The ark was something very remarkable in the former dispensation; in it was the Decalogue, and on the side of it the whole body of the Jewish laws; it was a token, and indeed, the place of the divine presence, and a type of Christ, a symbol of the covenant; and therefore called the ark of the covenant, and included the whole of the ceremonial law; and is put for the whole service and worship of that dispensation. Now of this it is foretold, that there would be a time when it should be no more, and should not be so much as thought of any more, Jer. iii. 16.

The ecclesiastical, as well as civil state of the Jews, was to be shaken and removed; the one is signified by the shaking of the heaven, as the other by the shaking of the earth, in Hag. ii. 6. which the apostle explains of the removing of things shaken, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain, Heb. xii. 26, 27. even of the immoveable kingdom after spoken of; the second administration of the covenant of grace, which is to remain, and the ordinances of it, until the second coming of Christ; whereas the ordinances of divine service under the first covenant were so shaken as to be removed; and which were made to be removed, as they have been, according to the above prediction.

Prophecy was another considerable way and means by which the covenant of grace was administered, throughout the whole Old Testament dispensation; and it was foretold that this should be sealed up, finished, and cease; for one part of the Messiah's work, when come, was to seal up the vision and prophecy, Dan. ix. 24. all the visions and prophecies of the Old Testament were to have, and had their accomplishment in Christ; were to be sealed up and fulfilled in him, the sum and substance of them; or to seal up the vision and prophet; the prophets were to be sealed till John the forerunner of Christ, and no longer; after Christ, the great Prophet to be raised up, like unto Moses, there was to be no other, he only is to be heard; whatever scheme of things, either as to doctrine or worship, is set up, through pretended vision and prophecy, is to be disregarded; nor has any prophet risen up since prophecy, as foretold, was at an end. From all this now it might be expected, that the first and old administration of the covenant would in time cease.

II. There are reasons to be given why the first covenant should and must

cease.

1. It was a typical covenant; the people on whose account it was made, was a typical people, typical of the whole Israel of God, consisting of Jews and Gentiles; of the spiritual Israel, chosen of God, redeemed by Christ, and who shall be saved with an everlasting salvation; the works, duties, and services enjoined them, and required of them with so much strictness, rigour, and severity, were typical of the obedience of Christ, the surety of the spiritual Isıael; of that righteousness he was to fulfil and bring in, by which they are made righteous in the sight of God. The blessings promised unto them were typical ones; they were only shadows of good things, of spiritual blessings that were

of

to come by Christ, Heb. x. 1.—ix. 11. As the earthly Canaan was a type the heavenly inheritance, obtained in him; the sacrifices offered under that covenant were typical ones; the priests that offered them, the garments they offered them in, and the gifts and sacrifices offered by them, served to the example and shadow of heavenly things, Heb. viii. 4, 5.-ix. 23. The mediator of it, Moses, was a typical mediator, typical of Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant; the blood with which the first testament, or covenant, was dedicated and confirmed, was typical blood, typical of the blood of Christ, called, The blood of the everlasting covenant, Heb. ix. 18. xiii. 20. Now when the Antitype of all this came, the types must cease; when Christ, the body, the sum and substance appeared, these shadows must flee away, and disappear, in course.

II. It was a faulty covenant, and therefore it was proper it should give way to a new and better covenant; so the apostle reasons; For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have sought for the second, Heb. viii. 7, 8. Not that there was any thing sinful or criminal in the first covenant, but it was defective; there were some deficiencies in it, which made the abrogation of it necessary. 1. It did not exhibit Christ present, only in figure, in promise and in prophecy; it only signified, that he would come and save his people; but it did not hold forth salvation as wrought out by him; it gave an intimation of the righteousness of Christ, that he was to bring in, but not as brought in; under the propitiation, reconciliation, and satisfaction for sin, were not made, nor redemption from it obtained; wherefore Christ became the propitiation, for the remission of sins that are past; and he suffered death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, Heb. ix. 15.-2. The sacrifices then offered were imperfect; for some sins there were no sacrifices appointed, as for Sabbath-breaking, murder, adultery, &c. and those that were appointed, could not really take away sin; at most they only made a typical expiation, not a real one; they sanctified only to the purifying of the flesh; but could not remove sin from the conscience, and purge that from dead works; that only the blood of Christ could do, Heb. ix. 13, 14.—3. There was but a small measure of the gifts and graces of the Spirit bestowed on men under the first covenant; for though they were here and there one on whom great gifts, and much grace were bestowed, as Abraham and David, &c. yet in common, it was but a scanty measure of grace, light, knowledge and holiness, that was given to ordinary saints; and the communication was made, for the most part, only to Israelites, and but to a few among them, a remnant, according the election of grace.— 4. It was a state of darkness and obscurity under that covenant; it was like a night-season, in which lamps are lighted, and torches used; such was the sure word of prophecy; it was like a light or lamp in a dark place; there was light in some particular persons, as in the prophets, and it was held forth by them; but in general there was but little among the people, who could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished, the ceremonial law; under which

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