the Original Delivery of these Laws in the famous Forty Days fpace between our Lord's Refurrection and final Afcenfion, was appointed to be every Year folemnly commemorated by a Faft, which took its very Name from thofe Forty Days. Thus the change of the main Day of Publick Worship and Holiness in these Conftitutions from the Seventh to the First Day of the Week, with the standing upright at their Prayers on those Days, and between Eafter and Whitfontide, were plainly appointed as lafting Memorials of the fundamental fact of Chriftianity, the Resurrection of our Lord; and yet without wholly laying afide the Seventh Days Memory of the Creation; which is always a leffer Day of Joy and Holiness on that account in the fame Conftitutions. Thus the turning to the East when they pray', was a conftant Admonition of the Situation of Paradife in the Eaft, and a Memorial of the Fall of our Fore-fathers there, and their Expulfion thence. Thus the folemn Feftivals of Eafter, Afcenfion Day, and Pentecoft, do not only ferve the common purposes of Holy Solemnities, but remind us of the wonderful Refurrection, and glorious Afcenfion of our Lord in the fight of his Apostles; and of the furprizing Mission and Gifts of his Holy Spirit. So alfo, instead of the Jewish Tuesday and Thursday, Wednesday and Friday were appointed the Days of fome

N

degrees

degrees of Fafting, and longer publick Devotion, on account of those remarkable Facts belonging to our Saviour, I mean his Betrayal by Judas, on Wednesday; and his Crucifixion on Friday. In like manner was the Dignity of his Person, and his Continuance in the State of Death commemorated every Year, by a moft folemn Faft on the Day when he was in the Grave, even tho' it fell upon the Day of the Creation, or Jewish Sabbath is felf; and it was made ftill more memorable by the Command for continuing all the Night in Fafting and Devotion, till the very Hour of the Refurrection it self. Nay the very particular Hours of private Prayer appointed in these Constitutions, befides thofe of publick Devotion at Morning and Evening, I mean the Third, the Sixth, and the Ninth, are therefore therein determin'd, to put Chriftians in mind, that their Saviour was deliver'd to the Soldiers at the Third, was nail'd to the Crofs at the Sixth, and gave up the Ghoft at the Ninth Hour. To fay nothing of Baptifm, as a folemn Reprefentation of Chrift's Burial and Refurrection; of the Eucharift, particularly with Bread, Wine, and Water, as a like, or more folemn Representation of his Death and Propitiation; that his Body was nailed to the Crofs, and that both Water and Blood, in an unexampled manner, ran down from his Body, when it was pierced by the Spear.

Thefe,

These, and the like remarkable Circumftances and Appointments fhew, that the Laws of Mofes and these Constitutions before us are deriv'd from one common Divine Original, and carry on one common drift and purpose. Other leffer Refemblances between the Jewith Settlement by Mofes, and this Chriftian Settlement by the Apostles in these Conftitutions, and the manner wherein they are feverally deliver'd or recorded might be here obferv'd: But I had rather leave fuch particulars to the Readers own Observation.

V. The Rules, Exhortations, and Injun&tions for Practical Religion, fuch as concerni the Worship and Service of God; the Duties of Juftice and Charity to others; as well as thofe of Humility, Sobriety, and Chastity to our felves, are admirable; plainly deliver❜d, ferioufly inforc'd, and earnestly recommended to the Confciences of Chriftians; and all in fuch a manner as is moft agreeable to the nature of the Chriftian Religion, to the practice of the Apostles, and to the firft, and beft, and moft ferious times of the Gofpel. Virtue and Piety are not here recommended in the formal way of later Schoolmen, in the polite method of the Heathen Philofophers, in the elegant stile of modern Writers, and from the fashiona ble topicks of Decency, Prudence, and world ly or political confiderations which are ordinarily the ways of bare humane Authors; N 2

But

29.

But we are here taught, as Christ himself Matth. 7. when on Earth used to teach, with Authority, and not as the Scribes; we are inftructed, or rather commanded in the Naine of Perfons commiffion'd by Chrift; and with the frequent Appeal to that Commiffion, and to those very Laws hinfelf had given them. We are urg'd by Divine and Chriftian Motives; the Injunctions of our Lord the Authority of the Supreme God his Father; the Nature of Chriftianity; the Immortality of our Souls; the future Judgment; and the affecting Joys and Torments of Heaven and Hell. And all is demonstrated to us, not from Heathen or Philofophick Writers, but from the known inspired Books of Scripture, and the fupreme Authority of God himself, fpeaking by his Holy Spirit in them to Mankind. In fhort, the Genius and Compofition of this Book in general is plainly Supernatural and Divine. And in the very fame manner as the known Books of Scripture are commonly diftinguishable from other Writings by their Contents and Spirit and Language, quite different from, and more fpiritual than all the celebrated Writings of meer uninspired Men, are these facred Conftitutions to be diftinguish'd from all fuch Writings alfo. And if any one lays a stress upon fuch internal evidence for the Books of Scripture, in order to the proof of their Divine Original, he muft, if

he

he will deal impartially, allow that these Conftitutions are for certain of more than bare humane compofure; nay that of all the apparent facred Writings, thefe do the most unquestionably claim a Title on this Account to Divine Inspiration and Authority.

VI. The Doctrines contain'd in these Conftitutions, as the Articles of our Chriftian Faith, are plainly moft Primitive and Apoftolical: And the Expreffions wherein they are deliver❜d, fuch as were originally and alone us❜d and kept to in the firft and pureft Times of the Gofpel; fuch, I mean, as we find in the known Books of the New Testament, and in the Apoftolical Fathers, Barnabas, Clement, Hermas, Ignatius, and Polycarp without the leaft Tincture of the Philofophick Terms of Art, the Additions and Improvements of later Ages; nay of the very Second Century it felf. I fhould be here endless if I fhould defcend to particulars. Any one at all vers'd in the Books of the New Testament, and in the Apoftolical Fathers; who afterwards peruses the Chriftian Writers later than Justin Martyr, or even fuftin himself; after Philofophy, the use of Heathen Authors, and difputes with the Antient Hereticks came into the Church, will easily find a mighty difference in the Genius, Stile, and Expreffions of the one fort, from thofe of the other; especially in the Reprefentation of fome of the Chriftian