John xi. 43.) long before this great Event; and confequently we are to infer from this Paffage, not that Jefus Christ first taught the Doctrine, but that he first afcertained the Covenant of Immortality; not that he proved to the Jews, by his own Refurrection, the Poffibility of the Thing, but that he thereby confirmed his Promises, and evinced the Certainty of the general Resurrection at the last Day. That the illustrious Prelate indeed has never laid himself open to the Attacks of his Adverfary, I will not pretend to fay; nor does this concern me, who do not undertake to defend his Lordship upon every Article, and at all Events, but only in general to vindicate the Reasonablenefs, and Orthodoxy of the common System. And, I hope, as the Matter has been here stated, the general Interpretation" of the famous Paffage " of the Book of Job," is rather more reconcileable to the Examiner's favourite Text, produced from St. Paul, than Light is to Darkness. (p. 216. Note.) Indeed if this be a fair Representation, the Reader will fee the most formidable Objections which have been urged by the Examiner obviated to his Satisfaction; he will fee that there was nothing premature in Promises and Prophecies relative to Immortality, &c. and fignificative of the Hopes and Bleffings of the Gofpel, because the Means by which these Things were to be effected were unknown, and the Mediator of the new Co

venant was unexpected; that the Discovery of thefe Means, or the Revelation of this Mediator, was the Thing referved for the Days of the Gospel; and that his Lordship's Notion of a gradual and fucceffive Chain of Prophecies, or the progreffive Scheme of Dr. Law, by which "the great and

univerfal Bleffing, the End and Completion of " the divine Promises, the Meffiah” was defcribed in his Office, Sufferings, Death, &c. is perfectly confiftent with the Hopes founded on God's original Promise to Adam, and his subsequent Covenant with Abraham; for all that the common System means hereby is, that the Meffiah was promifed, and that the Jews were gradually taught to expect him.-If the Examiner will but diftinguish the Promife of Redemption, from the Perfon, &c. of the Redeemer, he will fee how much Raillery and Reasoning he has lavished away. (p. 184 to 199.)-And lastly, a due Attention to the Premifes will, I prefume, convince the Reader that, notwithstanding the prophetical Defcription, &c. in the Book of Job, this Mystery was not more plainly revealed to the Arabians than to the Jewish Church; and that the Mystery of the Gofpel was revealed to neither; and that Types, Figures, temporal Images, and Promifes, and the Administrations of an extraordinary Providence, &c. &c. have either no Connection with the Spiritual Promises, &c. or, as far as they have, confirm the

general

upon

general Hope of Redemption, or Restoration to Life and Immortality; as will hereafter ftill more fully appear. Upon the whole, we may, I apprehend, fafely subscribe to his Lordship's Doctrine, candidly and rightly stated and understood, that the "true Religion inftituted by God has been one and "the fame from the Fall of Adam, subsisting ever the fame Principles of Faith:" for his Lordfhip is only afferting in other Words what is maintained by St. Paul himself, that there is none other Name (but that of Jesus) under Heaven given unto. Men whereby we must be faved. This was as true before, as it is fince the Publication of the Gospel. Now how the Hopes of a future State, grounded on natural Arguments, or Divine Promises, or how the Notion even of a Refurrection derived from Prophecies &c. correfpondent to each other, and supported by certain Facts, can poffibly be faid to affect this great Truth to it's Prejudice, or to anticipate any Revelation relative to it; in short, how it can intrench upon the Office, impair the Dignity, or detract from the Merits of the great Redeemer, it will be incumbent on the Examiner to demonstrate, before he will be able to shake the Foundations of the common System.

CHAP.

I

CHA P. IV.

N the fourth Chapter of the Performance before us, the Examiner undertakes to confider my Lord Bishop of LONDON's Account of the particular End and Defign of the JEWISH Law; and to Thew that it is inconfiftent with the Nature of a preparatory Religion, and alfo with feveral Paffages in the New Teftament, as well as with his Lordship's Sermons and Difcourfes on Prophecy. There is however, I apprehend, little or nothing faid under these founding Articles, but what has already in a great measure been replied to in one or the other of the preceding Chapters. It is indeed amufing enough to observe with what Sufficiency of Reafoning, and Pleafantry of Satyr, our Author purfues an Argument grounded in his own original Mistake, viz. that a future State is the great Myftery, or "fublime Doctrine of the Gospel." In confequence of this Notion the common System lies no doubt at his Mercy, and he may turn the Force of numberless Texts and Passages against it. What! was the Law only a School-Mafter to teach Men the Elements and the Rudiments of Religion, did it contain only a Shadow of good Things, &c. &c. as the Apostle informs us, and yet was " appointed to preserve and administer the Hopes "and Promises attained to the fpiritual Covenant,

" the

"the Hopes, according to his Lordship, of eternal

Life to be procured by the Redeemer of Man"kind? All this is juft as natural as it would be "to teach Children their Horn-book, and the Effay "on human Understanding at the fame Time." (p. 231. &c. 234.) The Bishop of London, it feems, " often speaks of the Law, as being a preparatory System." Now, fays the Examiner, if the Law" administered and dispensed the funda“mental Articles of the Gofpel," or "taught the "fublime Doctrines of the final, and ultimate "Religion, it was fomething more than a mere preparatory System :-it might as well be called "the Gospel as the Law." (p. 229. 233.) This great Prelate obferves likewise, " that the antient "Prophecies, relative to the spiritual Covenant, "were given to establish and confirm the Hopes of Futurity, and to prepare and make ready the People for the Reception of the Kingdom of God.". How! were the Prophets fent to establish the Chriftian Hopes of Immortality? fays the Examiner; if fo," they were fent to establish, and not to

prepare the Way for the Kingdom of God." (p. 233. 234.)-Befides, "the very Notion of a "preparatory and final Religion implies, that they

were defigned for two different and diftinct Ages of the World,”—and " whenever the final "Religion was introduced, the preparatory ceased of courfe. If therefore Mofes revealed, the great

"Truths

1