« Truths and Principles of the Gospel, he at the "fame time put an End and Period to the Law.' (p. 236. &c.)-Further, " the Order of Things "feems to be ftrangely violated by his Lordship's Scheme, fince it makes the preparatory System

both the Superftructure and the Foundation to "the final and ultimate Religion. For the Law "was a Superstructure built upon this Religion, as it "had been revealed to the Patriarchs; it was alfo "the Foundation of this Religion, as it was after"wards revealed in the Gospel." (p. 240.) Again, "the different Spirit and Genius of the two Co"venants, is a plain Proof that the Law was not "fitted to preserve, and to adminifter the Hopes "and Promises of the patriarchal Religion, if these "were the fame with the Chriftian. The Law "inftils a Spirit of Terror and Bondage. The "Gospel breathes a Spirit of Love and Freedom. "Were the Spirit of Love and the Spirit of Bondage inforced together by the fame System? If "the Jews had been trained up under the Principles of the Patriarchal or Christian Religion, if

they had been favoured with plain and clear "Revelations of the Gospel Truths, muft they not "of course have had a very despicable Opinion of "the Ritual, the Ceremonies, the low and little

Syftem of the Law, raifed as they were to fo "much higher Hopes and Expectations? Thus "the Syftem which supposes that the temporal and Spiritual

Spiritual Covenant were delivered together, is "inconfiftent with the Nature both of God and "Man. The Nature of God will not permit us "to fuppofe that he would, at the fame time, ap→ point two different Religions, calculated to "counteract and defeat the Operations of each

other. The State and Condition of the human "Mind will not fuffer us to believe, that the fame "Perfons could be fitted to receive the Rudiments "and Elements of the Law, and at the fame time, "the Doctrine of Perfection, revealed in the Gofpel." (p. 242. 245. &c.) Lastly, "if the Abra"hamic and the Christian Covenant are the same, we must fuppofe that God first revealed the univerfal Religion, or the Religion intended for "the Ufe of all Mankind; and afterwards deli"vered a partial one, confined to a fingle Nation. "-Now good Reasons may be affigned why a "mere preparatory System should be confined to "a fingle People: but what good Reason can be

given why an univerfal Religion should be li"mited and reftrained in the fame manner? An "univerfal Kingdom, and Laws of Separation, "feem to be Things incompatible. In fhort, the "neceffary Confequence of fuppofing, that the

patriarchal Religion taught the Promife of Sal"vation by Faith in the Redeemer of the World, " and that the Law was added to difpenfe the "Doctrines revealed to the Patriarchs, is, that a

"System,

"System, whose Promifes were attached to Works « must have been admirably calculated to promote " and cultivate the Doctrine of Salvation by Faith." (p. 247. 249.)-These are the great Heads of the Arguments urged by the Examiner to prove the Bishop of London's Account of the particular End and Defign of the Jewish Law to be inconsistent with the Nature of a preparatory Religion: and, I prefume, the Principles we have been maintaining will readily furnish us with a Reply to them.

Now the original Promise made by God to Adam, and renewed to Abraham and the Patriarchs, was inclufive of the whole Race of Mankind, and virtually contained the fpiritual Covenant of Salvation, or Restoration to Life and Immortality, by the Mediation of a Deliverer or Redeemer, who fhould appear in the Fullness of Time.-Whether Abraham or the Patriarchs were, by extraordinary Favour, made acquainted with the whole Syftem, or Myftery of Redemption by the Sacrifice of the Son of God, it is not material to inquire: it is fufficient to obferve, that as the original Hopes of Futurity or Salvation were plainly grounded on the Divine Promife; fo thefe Hopes were to be cherished and preferved 'till the Completion of that Promise. For this Purpose it was neceffary that the Promise should be religiously transmitted from Generation to Generation, as the great Basis of Faith, or true Religion.

Religion. That the Promife was thus conveyed down is agreed on all hands; and that Hope in it, or a certain Dependence on it, i.e. that Faith should not accompany fuch Promife, feems to me to be utterly unaccountable. That it might at least accompany it, for what appears to the contrary from the Examiner's Arguments, I hope to be able to convince the Reader. For a general Hope of Redemption, a Faith in this Promise, does by no means fuperfede or anticipate the great Mystery, or the fublime Doctrines of the Gospel. Does the common System hold, that the Jewish Church believed all the Articles of the Christian Faith? If not, the preparatory and the final Religion can never be deemed one and the fame, and it would be ridiculous to call the Law the Gospel. A general Hope of Salvation, in virtue of the Divine Promises, has ever prevailed in the World among the Worshippers of the true God; but will it follow from this Propofition, that the Author of Salvation could never be revealed, that the Terms and · Conditions of Salvation could never be precifely afcertained, that the Divine Nature, Perfections, Will, Purposes, &c. could never be more amply discovered, or, in fhort, that a final and catholic Religion could never take Place, in refpect of which every previous Difpenfation' might be faid to contain nothing but Shadows, Rudiments, and beggarly Elements? If this Inference be palpably VOL. I. abfurd,

B b

abfurd, the Law might " preserve the great Principles of the patriarchal System," or the " Doc"trines which had been the Foundation of that Religion," or the "Hopes of eternal Life which "had been revealed, &c. without teaching the "more fublime and perfect Doctrines, or administering and difpenfing the fundamental Articles "of the Gofpel." Indeed the Spirit, the Genius, the Ritual of the Law were incompatible with the Knowledge of the "great Truths and Princi"ples of the Gofpel;" but were they therefore inconfiftent with general Principles of Faith, and with the Custody of a fpiritual Promife? Might not the Oracles of God be committed to a People in Trust, though they faw not every Doctrine, and every Mystery under thefe Oracles conveyed?

Might not the antient Prophecies, relative to "the spiritual Covenant, be 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," tho' the Prophets did not explain the full Tenor and Import of the evangelical System, and convert the Jews to Chrif tianity before the Publication of the Gospel? Could not the Law lead to Chrift, according to the Notion of the Examiner himself, or to the Expectation of a new Kingdom, unless the peculiar Articles of the Chriftian Religion, and the peculiar Nature of this by it? (p. 238. Notes.)

Kingdom were explained
Without doubt it could;

and