of Genefis, every principal Narrative has a fpecial Reference to Chrift, and our Redemption by him; and that fome Part or other of this great Mystery is fignified and represented to us all along under the Truth of the Hiftory. But to return:

SERMON

V.

The Law ferved as a School-mafter to bring fuch as were under it to Chrift, chieflys by the condemning Power of it; for as many as were under the Law, were under Gal. iii. the Curfe of it. The Sin of Adam was be- 10. come the Sin of every Man's own Perfon ; and Death, both temporal and eternal, had paffed upon all, by the double Right and Title of original and actual Sin. But, behold the Wisdom, and Power, and Goodnefs of God! who out of Weakness, ordaineth Strength, and turneth the Powers of Death and Satan to the Deftruction of their own Kingdom; for the poor helpless Soul, finding the Sentence of Death in itself, finking under the Terrors of the Law, and the dreaded Wrath of a fin-avenging God, and defpairing to obtain Salvation by its own Righteousness, cafts itself upon the Mercy of God, as defirous to have it in the way of Free-gift: And in this State of Anguish and Rom. v. Diftrefs the Ceremonial Law comes in to its Relief;

16.

V.

XXXV. 12.

Rom. x.4.

SERMON Relief; and, under its various Sacrifices, and other Types and Figures, exhibits the Great Deliverer, the true City of Refuge Numb. from the Avenger of Blood, even Chrift, the End of the Law for Righteoufness, to all that believed on him then, as well as now: So that Repentance and Faith in Chrift were the Means of Salvation (tho' no exprefs Terms of the Covenant) under the Law, as well as the Gospel.

56.

Abraham, John viii. fays our Saviour, faw my Day, and was glad: And all fpiritual Jews, who were the Children of Abraham's Faith, faw the fame, and were glad likewife. But, as to the Generality, it was not fo with them; they contented themfelves with being Jews only in the Letter, and with that Circumcifion, Rom. ii. which was outward in the Flefh, and, like titular Chriftians now-a-days, placed the

28.

Whole of Religion in the Outfide of it! They paffed over the more fubftantial Du ties of the Moral Law, and refted in the Ceremonial, without carrying on their View to the End and Defign of their Sacrifices, or reaping any spiritual Benefit from their di vine Ordinances: By which grofs Abuse and Neglect, they became to them Statutes that were not good, carnal Commandments with

out

8.

V.

out Ufe and Meaning, and the Whole of SERMON their Worship a meer bodily Exercise, that profited nothing. In order to remedy thefe! Tim. iv. Abuses, and to preferve the Life and Power of Religion among them, God Almighty was pleased to raise up an Order of Men, of an abftemious and mortified Life, who, in the Spirit of Prophecy, denounced God's Threatnings and Judgments upon the Corruptions both of Priests and People, and boldly rebuked, even Kings, for their irreligious Backflidings: They were earnest in preaching up Repentance, and folid Piety; in condemning the Iniquity of their holy Exod. things, their commuting Sacrifices, and xxviii. 38. vain Oblations; and in directing their Views Ifai. i. 13. and Hopes to the Meffiab, and his spiritual Kingdom, both through their typical Reprefentations of him, and by exprefs Prophecies concerning him. But neither had this Provifion the defired Effect: Ifrael Ib. i. 3. did not know; for this People would not confider: Inward Reformation they were averfe to; and thefe holy Meffengers were accounted no better than Enthufiafts and Madmen; they perfecuted and slew them.

Such was the State of the Jewish Church when Chrift, the great Author of our Salvation,

SERMON Salvation, made his Appearance in the Flefh, and tabernacled among Men.

V.

The Service of the Temple, and the outward Forms of Religion, were indeed kept up; but the Power of Godlinefs was not: And in this. Judgment we cannot be mistaken, when the strictest Sect amongst them ftands charged by our Bleffed Lord in fo many Places with Formality and Hypocrify: The Words therefore before us, and the Argument used in the following Verfe, in Support of the Doctrine contained in them, are urged with great Propriety, Application, and Inftruc tion; and do alfo fet forth the greater Pu rity and Perfection of the. Chriftian Religion: At the Approach of which the Veil fhould be done away from off the Face of Mofes; the fhadowy Representations of our Redemption by Types and Figures give place to the Manifeftation of the great Re deemer in Perfon; and the and the many cumberfome Rites and Ceremonies of the Mofaic Law be fuperfeded by Gospel Purity and Holinefs. The Hour cometh, and now is, when the true Worshipers fhall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth.

These Words are evidently expreffive of the Power of Godliness, or divine Life, in

V.

the Soul, which is elsewhere ftyled by our SERMON Lord, the Kingdom of God within us : And it is in this Light I fhall briefly confider Luke Chriftianity in what remains of this Dif courfe: Nor indeed can it, in any other Senfe, be called, as it truly and emphatically is, the Power of God unto Salvation.

xvii. 21.

That true Religion is fomething fpiritual, and perfective of the Soul, is clearly the Voice of Reason, as well as of Revelation and the Argument made use of by our Saviour to prove it, is drawn from a rational Apprehenfion of God as a Spirit: And as the great Object, fo likewise the Subject, of all Religion, is fpiritual (for the Soul is of divine Original ;) and confequently all Relation and Intercourfe betwixt them must be spiritual: But there is one great Reason ftill behind, why true and faving Religion must needs be spiritual; and that is, the Condition of our Nature in Confequence of the Fall. The human Soul had thereby fuffered a deadly Wound; the Image of God, in which confifted its Happiness and Perfection, was departed from it; and that Temple, in which the Holy Trinity delighted to dwell, was be come polluted and defiled with Sin, and a Neft of unclean Spirits. Here then was a

fpiritual