come. For, having accomplished his ancient promifes, he hath laid firm foundations of future glory. 5. Truth, in oppofition to the ancient Jewish figures, of which Jefus Chrift is the substance. The law was a fhadow of good things to come: but the Gospel exhibits the fubftance, the original, the archetype of what was reprefented in the law, the true fpiritual Ifrael of God, the true deliverance from ipiritual Egypt, the true manna, the true tabernacle, the true Jerufalem, all these we have under the Gofpel. (3) (3) Jefus Chrift was the fubftance of the ancient figures of the law. A great controverfy hath arisen among learned men, on the origin, nature, and use of the Mofaic rites of religion. Some contend, that the Mofaic ceconomy was human, and that the Jews received their religion from the Egyptians; on the contrary, the far greater part of both ancient and modern divines affirm, that the Mofaic difpenfation was all divine, and that the heathens derived their doctrines and ceremonies of religion originally from the Jews, and that they debafed them by mixing with them Pagan philofophy and fuperftitious popular cuftoms. There is a third opinion, that the Jewish ritual retained fome harmless Egyp`tian ceremonies, and purified them by applying them to nobler objects that all erroneous notions and immoral ufa 6. Truth, ges of the pagans were exprefly forbidden and that the far greater part of the Mofaic economy was of pure revelation, of original divine inftitution-the whole being wifely adapted to the then present ftate of the Jews, and fignificative of, and preparatory to, the advent of the perfon and the execution of the offices of Jefus Chrift. The feveral arguments are too long to be inferted here: but fee Marfham Canon Chronic. fecul. ix. Spenceri Differt. de Urim et Thum. cap. iv. Sect. 8, &c. Maimon. More Nevoch. iii. 46. fofeph. Cont. Ap. l. i. 1. Origen. cont. Celf. 1. i. Eufeb. Præpar. lib. xiii. 12, &c. &c. cum multis aliis. The learned Witfius confiders this fubject very properly under thefe propofitions. 66 Magna atque admiranda plane convenientia in religionis negotio veteres inter Egyptios atque Hebræos eft. Quæ, cum 6. Truth, in oppofition to the imperfect beginnings under the law. We are no longer under tutors and governors: but children at full age. We have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but the fpirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. I cannot help remarking, by the way, the ignorance of Meffieurs of Port-Royal, who have tranflated this paffage My Father, instead of Abba Father, under pretence that the Syriac word Abba fignifies father. They did not know, that S. Paul alluded to a law among the Jews, which forbad flaves to call a freeman Abba, or a free-woman Imma. The apoftle meant, that we were no cum fortuita effe non poffit, neceffe eft, ut vel Egyptii fua ab Hebræis, vel ex adverfo Hebræi fua ab Egyptiis habeant. Then, adds he, eas rationes proferam, quibus inductos fe teftantur viri eruditiffimi, ut ex Egyptiorum fontibus Hebræorum plerofque rivulos derivatos effe credant. Super omnibus denique ex meam fubjungam," which agrees with the fentiments of our author. Witfii Egyptiaca. lib. i. cap. 1. l. iii. cap. 14. 10. Among other things he calls the ceremonial law poupar præfidium, and adds, ita enim apoftolus, Gal. iii. 23. vo νομου εφρουρούμεθα, συγκεκλεισEros fub lege velut præfidio cuftodiebamur, conclufi. rum elegerat Deus populum Ifraeliticum ex omnibus gentibus in populum fibi peculiarem. Ideoque eum a cæteris gentibus voluit effe fe Nimi more junctiffimum. Hoc fine legem pofuit tanquam povp cuftodiam; five carcerem aliquam, qua conclufi exercitarentur. . iii. c. xiv. 13. Father Quefnel ftrikes out, in three words, a proper method of difcourfing on John i. 14. "Chrift is the fulness of truth, of grace, and of glory. 1. Of truth, to verify the types and figures of the Jewish church. 2. Of grace, to compleat the righteoufnefs of the chriftian church. 3. Of glory, to crown the holiness of the elect, and to perfect and confummate the church and religion in heaven.” Quesnel's Reflec. on the New Teft. in loc. The difcuffion of these three articles would edify common hearers, while the introducing of difputes about the firstmentioned articles would perplex and confound them. more flaves: but freed by Jefus Chrift; and confequently that we might call God Abba, as we may call the church Imma. In tranflating the paffage then, the word Abba, although it be a Syriac word, and unknown in our tongue, muft always be preserved, for in this term confifts the force of St. Paul's reafoning. (4) (4) Remark the ignorance of Meffieurs of Port Royal. Our author had a famous difpute with thefe gentlemen. The Abbot of S. Cyran, John du Verger de Hauraxe, and his difciples, Dr. Arnaud, Dr. Nicolle, and other gentlemen of Port Royal, were the heroes of the Janfenift party. One of them published a book entitled, The Perpetuity of Faith, "which occafioned one of the most famous difputes, that ever was started betwixt the Roman Catholics and the proteftants. Mr. Claude, who was the advocate of the latter, has thereby gained the greateft reputation, that ever minifter did: and on the other hand, Mr. Arnaud, who was the principal advocate of the former, perhaps never difplayed the force of his genius with greater application than in that difpute. We are entertained through the whole of this famous conteft, both on one fide and the other, with the brightest thoughts, and the greatest strength of argument, that wit, eloquence, reading and logic can furnish us with; each party laying claim You to the victory, notwithstanding the incredible pains the Port Royal was at, in procuring, at a very great expence, a great number of certificates from the Levant, which yet proved of no weight to leffen the perfuafion the reformed. were of, concerning the faith of the chriftians of thofe parts with regard to the Eucharist." Mr. Claude's anfwer to the Perpetuite de Foy was one of the firft pieces that he wrote, and it gained him just and extenfive reputation. Bayle Arnaud. Rem. [o] The gentlemen of Port Royal tranflated the paffage, My father. The gentlemen of Port Royal made a new French tranflation of the New Testament, and endeavoured to procure an approbation from the doctors of the Sorbonne, and a privilege from the king: but Father Amelot, who governed the chancellor Seguier in matters of religion, defeated all their measures; for he hated the Port Royalifts, and he was alfo juft about publishing a tranflation of his own. Simon. Bib. Crit. tom. iii. c. 16. Abba You may now pafs to the confideration of the author of the Gospel. Grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift. Here you may observe what was common both to Mofes and Jefus, and what advantages Jefus Chrift had over Mofes. (4) Abba, Father. "The very learned Mr. Selden thinks the apostle alludes to a custom among the Jews, who allowed only freemen, and not fervants and handmaids, to call any alba, father fuch-a-one; or imma, mother fuch-a-one. But this feems to proceed upon a miftaken fenfe and rendering of a paffage in the Talmud (Tal. Bab. Beracot. fol. 16. 2.) which he renders thus: Neither fervants nor handmaids use this kind of appellation, abba, or father fuchan-one. (de fuccefs. ad leg. Ebr. c. iv. p. 38.) whereas it should be rendered, fervants and handmaids, they do not call them abba, father fuch-an-one; and imma, mother fuch-an-one. Rather therefore reference is had to a tradition of theirs (Mifn. Gittin. c. iv. f. 4.) that a fervant who is carried captive, when others redeemed him, if under the notion of a fervant, or in order to be one, he becomes a fervant; but if under the notion of a freeman, he is no more a fervant: or to the general expectation of that people, that when they are redeemed by the Meffiah, they fhall be fervants no more; for fo they fay, (T. Hieros, Sheviith. fol. VOL. I. Firft 37.2.) "your fathers, though they were redeemed, became fervants again: but you, when you are redeemed, hall be no more fervants, which in a fpiritual fenfe is true of all, that are redeemed by Chrift, and through that redemption receive the adoption of children; and is what the apostle means." This is extracted from Dr. Gill's Expofition of Gal. iv. 6. and the Dr. affigns his reafons for tranflating the paffage in queftion differently from Mr. Selden. Mr. Selden has been charged with miftakes of this kind before, both by Le-Clerc, and Barbeyrac; the latter fays, he frequently cites the Rabbins without troubling himself to examine whether fuch citations be just or no; and the former fays, he copies the Rabbins, and fcarcely ever reasons at all. (4) Obferve the fimilarity of Jefus to Mofes. Mofes faid to the Jews, A prophet fall the Lord your God raife up unto you like unto me. Among ancient writers on this article, fee Eufebius. Demonft. Evan. lib. iii. cap. 2. And among the moderns, Dr. Fortin. Rem. on Eccl. Hift, vol. i. or both, in First then, Jefus Chrift, like Mofes, was reciprocally an interpreter, on God's part bringing to men the mysteries of revelation; and on men's part prefenting to God their faith, piety, prayers, and promises of obedience. 2. His ministry, like Mofes's, was accompanied with miracles of divine power, and glory, &c. 3. He, like Mofes, caufed his Gospel to be written for a perpetual rule; by which the church is to conduct itself to the end of the world. But, whatever agreement there might be between Mofes and Jefus Chrift, there is no comparison of the one with the other. For 1. Mofes was not the author of the law, he was only the difpenfer of it; God himself pronounced the most effential part out of the midft of the flames, and wrote it in the end with his own finger on tables of ftone but Jefus Chrift Bp. Newton's fixth Differta- Christian minifters, who is Jefus hath changed the cere monial cuftoms inftituted by Mofes: but we affirm, he hath done this, not to destroy, but to establish the moral law: not in oppofition to the writings of Mofes, but in perfect agreement with his prophecy; a prophet fhall God raife up, &c. Et quidem diverfa; non contraria noftra religio. Ipfa Mofaica fat multis argumentis fignificavit fui cultoribus, haud fe fore perpetuam, fed ceffuram aliquando meliori, et magis fpirituali alteri do&trinæ veri Meffiæ, quem prophetam audiendum Mofes dixerat,Deut. xviii. 18. Hoornbeck contra Judæos. Prolegom. S. xii. 2. |