latry, after the Babylonish captivity, about 955 years after their return out of Egypt; and never relapfed into it again. All this was neceffary, and, in confiftence with human agency, and the gradual improvements of mankind, was the propereft method to preferve the knowledge of the true God in the world, not only in that fingle nation, but in all the nations of the earth. For the difpenfation among the Jews, like a piece of leaven, which leaveneth the whole mafs, was intended for the benefit of all mankind; as by this means they became examples and inftructors, while they remained in their own country, to all their neighbours; and when in captivity, or difperfion, as they carried with them the knowledge of God into the countries where they were difperfed; till the nations fhould, by this and other means of improvement, be prepared to receive the cleareft revelation of the true God, and of eternal life by the Meffiah. Which was the great end and defign of the fcheme which we have been confidering. And now, the more a thinking man revolves in his mind this train of affairs, and fees how one nation are led, ftep by step, as their capacities would admit, to a fenfe of the pre-eminence and fovereignty of the true God, in order to be fet apart as the repofitory of his facred laws and religion, till they and all mankind are fit for the reception of them in a more fimple, clear, and extenfive form, under the Gofpel, the more he will confefs and admire the fignatures of wifdom and goodness that appear through the whole and every part of the economy. There is one thing deferves particular attention, I mean, the spirit and behaviour of the Ifraelites in the wilderness. A very remarkable inftance of the wretched effects of fervitude upon the human foul. They had been flaves to the Egyptians for about 140 years; their fpirits were debafed, their judgments weak, their fenfe of God and religion very low they were very defective in attention, gratitude, generosity; full of distrust and uneafy fufpicions; complaining and murmuring under the most aftonishing difplays of Divine Power and Goodness, as if ftill under the frowns and fcourges of their unjust task-masters; could fcarce raife their thoughts to profpects the most pleafing and joyous; knew not how to value the bleffings of liberty; of a taste so mean and illiberal, that the flesh and fish, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, onions and garlick, and fuch good doings in Egypt, weighed more with them than bread from heaven, and all the Divine affurances and demonftrations that they should be raised to the nobleft privileges, the highest honour and felicity, as a peculiar treafure to God, above all people in the world. Num. xi. 4, 5, 6. In short, nothing would do; the ill qualities of flavery were engrained in their hearts; a groveling, thoughtlefs, fturdy, daftardly fpirit fatigued the Divine Patience, counteracted and defeated all his wife and beneficent measures; they could not be worked up to that fenfe of God, that Reckoning by the age of man, the world was then 34 years old; for the Jews returned from the Babylonih captivity about the year of the world that efteem of his higheft favours, that gratitude and generous dutifulnefs, that magnanimity of fpirit, which were neceflary to their conquering and enjoying the promifed land. And therefore the wifdom of God determined they should not attempt the poffeffion of it, till that generation of flaves, namely, all above 20 years of age, were dead and buried. However, this did not lie out of the Divine plan. It ferved a great purpose, namely, to warn that, and all future ages of the church, both Jewish and Chriftian, that if they defpife and abufe the goodness of God, and the noble privileges and profpects they enjoy, they fhall forfeit the benefit of them. And the Apostle applieth it to this very important use, with great force and propriety, in the epiftle to the Hebrews, chap. ii. ver. 15, to the end, and chap. iv. ver. 1—12. Thus, for a general view of this noble fcheme. The nature and excellency of it will ftand in a ftronger light, if we examine the particular privileges and honours conferred upon this diftinguished nation, their tendency to promote piety and virtue, and the relation they bear to the state of things under the Gofpel. For this part of the subject we muft turn to my Key to the Apoftolic Writings. CHA P. XXVIII. Of the Jewish RITUAL, or Ceremonial LAW. WE muft now turn back to the Mofaic Conftitution; which con fifted, 1. Of political and judicial Laws. For which confult Mr. LoWMAN on The Civil Government of the Hebrews. 2. Of moral precepts, fuch as the ten commandments. 3. Of Rites and Ceremonies, such as circumcifion, facrifices, wafhings, purifications, the use of certain garments, &c. and divers Rites ufed by the priests in the tabernacle. For a particular account of which, confult Mr. LowMAN on the Ritual of the Hebrew Worship. I fhall only obferve in general, that the defign of thofe Ceremonies, juftly explained, was to convey religious and moral inftructions, as well as the exprefs precepts. Hieroglyphics, which reprefent the fenfe of the mind, by outward figures, or actions, were the firft and moft ancient literature. So the government of the world by Divine Providence, and its extraordinary interpofition in favour of good men, is reprefented by a ladder ftanding upon the earth, and reaching to heaven, with the angels afcending and defcending on it, to receive and execute orders from God above, who ruleth over all. Gen. xxviii. 12, 13. In the ftyle of this Hieroglyphic our Lord fpeaks, John i. 51. Hereafter fhall you fee heaven open, and the angels of God afcending and defcending upon the Son of Man, as upon Jacob; meaning, you fhall fee an extraordinary Divine Interpofition working in my favour, by many miraculous operations. [Dr. BENSON.] The exaltation of Jofeph above the reft of the family, was reprefented by the Hieroglyphic of his fheaf ftanding upright, and the eleven fheaves of his brothers ftanding round about and bowing to it; as alfo of the fun, moon, and eleven ftars, making obeifance to him. Gen. xxxvii. 7, 9. The tribe of Judah is reprefented by a young lion; Ifachar, by a ftrong afs; Dan, by a ferpent lurking in the road; Naphtali, by a hind; Jofeph, by a fruitful bough; Benjamin, by a ravening wolf. Gen. xlix. 9, 14, &c. A rod or ftaff, as it is an inftrument of ftriking or beating down, is the Hieroglyphic of power exerted in conquering, punishing, ruling, Ifaiah x. 5, 24; and of dominion and authority, Pfalm cx. 2; and as fuch, is continued to this day, under the name of a fceptre. With fuch a rod Mofes and Aaron appeared before Pharach, as hieroglyphically reprefenting the power and authority of God, in whofe name they demanded the releafe of the Ifraelites. Exod. vii. 15. And thus they appeared as men of learning, and acted agreeably to the literature of the age. horn reprefented temporal power and dominion. 1 Sam. ii. 10. I Kin. xxii. 11. Pfal. Ixxxix. 24. A yake, fuch as flaves carried upon their fhoulders, fervitude, or bondage. Gen. xxvii. 37, 40. Jer. xxvii. 2, 6. xxviii. 10. A This may ferve to explain the nature of hieroglyphics; a fort of language the Jews were then accuftomed to, being the learning of that age, which they would understand much better than abstract reasonings about moral truths and duties. We may therefore, on this account, well admit, that the Rites and Ceremonies of their religious inftitution were hieroglyphic, and intended by external reprefentations to give them ufeful inftructions in true religion and real goodness. If we confult the Prophets and Apoftles, who were well acquainted with their meaning, we fhall find fo much evidence of the moral and fpiritual intention of fo many, as may induce us to believe, this was the fenfe and fpirit of all the reft. They were enjoined various and frequent ablutions, or washings with water; the common ufe of which is to difcharge the body from all dirt and filth, and to keep it clean. This was a very eafy reprefentation of purity of mind, or of an heart purged from the filth of fin. And fo the Prophets underfood it. Pfal. li. 2. Wah me from mine iniquity. Ver. 7. Wash me, and I fhall be clean. Ifai. i. 16. Wash your felves, make yourfelves clean, put away the evil of your doings.Ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. Jer. iv. 14. Acts xxii. 16. Heb. x. 22. Heb. x. 22. Rev. i. 5. Anointing with oil, or ointment, by which the head was beautified, and the countenance exhilarated, had the fignification of honour, joy, holiness, and infpiration, Pfal. xiv. 7. A&ts x. 38. The priests officiated in garments of fine linen, Exod. xxxix. 27; meaning, that the priests fhould be clothed, or have their fouls adorned with righteousness. Pfal. cxxxii. 9. For the fine linen is the righteoufnefs of Saints. Rev. xix. 8. Burning of incenfe, whofe fmoak rifeth up with a pleafant fmell, was an hieroglyphic reprefentation of acceptable prayer. Pfal. cxli. 2. Luke i. 10. Rev. viii. 3. 4. Circumcifion had relation to the heart and foul, or to the retrenching all inordinate affections and inclinations. Lev. xxvi. 41. Deut. x. 12—17. xxx. 6. Fer. iv. 4. Rom. ii. 29. The fprinkling of blood, and and of the water of feparation, (Num. xix. 13, 19.) was hieroglyphic, and had a moral fignification. See Heb. ix. 13, 14. x. 22. xii. 24. I Pet. i. 2. And fo had the muzzled mouth of the ox, Deut. xxv. 4. compared with 1 Cor. ix. 9, 10. 1 Tim. v. 17, 18. Some may have indulged too much to imagination, and found more myfteries in the Hebrew Ritual than were really defigned; but thefe inftances, explained by authentic evidence, may convince us, that the whole had a rational and fpiritual meaning. And as we are taught in the Gospel every thing relating to virtue and religion in the plaineft manner, we need not give ourselves much trouble about difcovering the meaning of the other Rites, which are not explained by Prophets and Apoftles. Only the affair of facrifices is fo often alluded to in the New Teftament, and seems to have fuch respect to the facrifice of our Lord, that it demands a more particular examination. [Turn to the ScriptureDoctrine of Atonement.] . CHA P. XXIX. The SCRIPTURE-CHRONOLOGY from the EXODUS to the Founding of SOLOMON's Temple. HIS fpace of time was 480 years; as appears from 1 Kings, vi. 1. which is made out, in the best manner I have yet seen, as TH follows: Years beforel Chrift. 1451 1426 From the Exodus to the death Note after the death of H3 latry, after the Babylonish captivity, about 955 years after their return out of Egypt; and never relapfed into it again. All this was neceflary, and, in confiftence with human agency, and the gradual improvements of mankind, was the propereft method to preferve the knowledge of the true God in the world, not only in that fingle nation, but in all the nations of the earth. For the difpenfation among the Jews, like a piece of leaven, which leaveneth the whole mafs, was intended for the benefit of all mankind; as by this means they became examples and inftructors, while they remained in their own country, to all their neighbours; and when in captivity, or difperfion, as they carried with them the knowledge of God into the countries where they were difperfed; till the nations fhould, by this and other means of improvement, be prepared to receive the cleareft revelation of the true God, and of eternal life by the Meffiah. Which was the great end and design of the fcheme which we have been confidering. And now, the more a thinking man revolves in his mind this train of affairs, and fees how one nation are led, ftep by step, as their capacities would admit, to a fenfe of the pre-eminence and fovereignty of the true God, in order to be fet apart as the repofitory of his facred laws and religion, till they and all mankind are fit for the reception of them in a more fimple, clear, and extenfive form, under the Gofpel, the more he will confefs and admire the fignatures of wisdom and goodneís that appear through the whole and every part of the economy. There is one thing deferves particular attention, I mean, the spirit and behaviour of the Ifraelites in the wildernefs. A very remarkable inftance of the wretched effects of fervitude upon the human foul. They had been flaves to the Egyptians for about 140 years; their fpirits were debafed, their judgments weak, their fenfe of God and religion very low: they were very defective in attention, gratitude, generosity; full of distrust and uneafy fufpicions; complaining and murmuring under the most astonishing difplays of Divine Power and Goodness, as if ftill under the frowns and fcourges of their unjust task-mafters; could fcarce raife their thoughts to profpects the most pleafing and joyous; knew not how to value the bleffings of liberty; of a tatte fo mean and illiberal, that the flesh and fish, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, onions and garlick, and fuch good doings in Egypt, weighed more with them than bread from heaven, and all the Divine affurances and demonftrations that they should be raised to the nobleft privileges, the highest honour and felicity, as a peculiar treafure to God, above all people in the world. Num. xi. 4, 5, 6. In short, nothing would do; the ill qualities of flavery were engrained in their hearts; a groveling, thoughtlefs, fturdy, daftardly fpirit fatigued the Divine Patience, counteracted and defeated all his wife and beneficent measures; they could not be worked up to that fenfe of God, that Reckoning by the age of man, the world was then 34 years old; for the Jews returned from the Babylonifh captivity about the year of the world |